Concrete issue 156 05 11 2003

EMOTIONS RUN HIGH AS FORMER US SECRETARY OF STATE VISITS UEA JIMWHALLEY

Madelelne Albrlgbt's controversial tour of Europe continued at UEA last Wednesday when demonstrators accused the former US .Secretary of State of wai crimes.

Ms Albright, arguably the most powerful woman in the history of American politics, was met by around 40 protesting students, members of University staff and local residents as she attended the University's International Literary Festival to promote her memolr, Madam Secretary.

Much of the protest centred on Ms Albrighfs involvement in creating the UN's sanctions policy against Iraq. A policy that, since the end of llie first Gulf War, some believe led to the deaths of 500,000 children. Banners were erected before the talk began and leallets were handed out to the 700 people who attended the event at Lecture Theatre One. Severnl police officers and security staff were present, but only one arrest was made after a student attempted to drop eggs on Ms Albright as 路s he made her to the Waterstones book signing.

Inside the lecture theatre. after 40 minutes of light conversation regarding her biography. Professor Blgsby then asked Ms Albrlght about her partlclpa-

tion in establishing sanctions against Iraq. The former Secretary of State used the opportunity to address the demonstrator's concerns stating, '"Ibe reason people are protesting Is because I made a stupid comment", referring to an interview she "gave in 1996 in which she said that human casualties resulting from sanctions were a worthwhile price to pay for impeding Saddam. While Ms Albright apologised for the comment and admitted "it's the single dumbest thing I've ever said" she insisted that, although "there Is no doubt the sanctions hurt", there were no alternatives.

However, when questions were invited from the audience, Or Rupert Read, head of Philosophy at UEA and Involved in the protest. took the opportunity to retwn to the sanctions issue. He accused Ms Albright of. "like Saddam Hussein", having "blood on her hands" for not allowing the provision of necessary materials for rebuilding Iraq's health and sanitation systems. Ms Albright reacted angrily to the suggestion, stating, "I resent being compared to Saddam Hussein." She then reiterated that the other tools of International politics, diploma cy and force , had failed . and that the UN. including Great Brita in, had agreed no other actions were a vailable.

Though Professor Blgsby announced the Cont, P3

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MURDERER MIGHT NOT HAVE INTENDED TO KILL

Knife wielding tearaways running riot in West Earlham

TH OM SMITH

News Editor Police have said that the murderer of Justin "Jutty" Forrest may not have intended to kill him.

Mr FoiTest. who was battered in an argument near the University Villa,ge died in llnspital on september 1-l. some ten days art er th e attack. Dctectiv<'s say that they believe the person who hit Mr Fon-cst intended on ly to give him a beating. rat h er than actua lly intending to kill him .

DC ! Martin Jclley said. "If th ey a re thinking police have made thei1· min d up and that th is can be nothing o th e r than a premeditated a tt ac k . w here the person int end ed to kill Jus tin then this is n ot the case. We h ave a n open mind .

It is a possibility th a t this cou ld be an a t tack that we nt ve ry. v<'ry wron,g. l'olicc have received a num ber of tip -offs from people in the a rea. but th eir two main suspects have been cleared as they h ave watertight a lib is.

DC ! J e lley said that th e po li ce were now im•estigaiing up to four more sus pects.

"There are three or four key individuals who a re co ming under fairly dose SlTUt iny.

Th ey won't know who they are".

Po li ce are trying; to fill two "missill(C hours on Ill<' night Mr Fon·est was blud,g eoned.

They do not know with <~ny cerl<~ int y whne he w<1s bel we en 8 <~nd 10 pm. between the lime he was see n at the _iunet ion of Alexandra and Earlham l~oads and when he W<IS beaten in Hockingh<~m Road.

Police a re a lso tryin.£( to trace the occupa nt s o f a s ilver. Sl'en near the s pot where the a tt ac k too k place. Passers by saw th e car pu ll up in Enfie ld Road n ext to Twenty Acre Wood . mom e n ts be fore the attac k.

Posters as k ing for witn esses to co me forward h<~ve b ee n placed o n b u sscs across U1e c ity. <~ nd a round th e a rea of the a ttack. including a round the UEA.

ISABEL DYSON

A gang of up to 40 youths has been responsible for countless crimes across the City.

They are thought to be to blame for numerous mugg in gs. burglaries. car and drug crimes. The group have acquit-eel the tag of the '90s hip -h op band ATL (Above The Law) spotted ser<1wled across va ri ous land m arks i hrougl10ut the an'> a.

The gang of teenaget·s. so m e aged <IS young as 9 and <IS old <IS 24. inhabit the a r ea of West Ea r!h am. behind the Uni ve rsity. An a nony m o u s moth er spoke ,-ecen lly to local n ewspaper s. expressing her fears <1t the situa ti on. Her

s011. who is 15. has been arreslf'd several limes and let tree because of his age. She states that most of the tl111gs carry kni\'l'S and sciTW dri vers and h<1ve serious alcohol and drug addict ions to cocaine. heroin. crack and ecstas:-•. If these villains eon linue to be released without charge she fears the situation will never improve and they will continue to re -offe nd .

In a Home Office repo1·t ea rli er this year. it was estima ted that in one single day police throughout B1·itain dealt with GO.OOO reports o f ant i-soc ial behaviour - totalling more than one report every two seconds.

As a resu lt th e Government have iss u ed g uid e lines to pla ce a £ 75 m il li on cas h boost ove r 3 years for local authoi·ities a nd communitif's to deal with s u ch

problems. A ne\\' phone line and web site tailed Action Line ha\'e also been established to give <1dvice and offer help. !)avid Blunkdl has pro posed new sentcncinp: guidclint:s for ni<H.>,istrates dealing with <lnti -social behaviour to ensure approp1; ate and consistt>nt punishments.

As a result of their close proximity to the Univl'rsity. and the seriousness of their crimes the security and safe ty of students must be considered.

One vis iting international student from Broo klyn. New York who wishes to remain anonymous was unaware th<1t the prob !em eXisted . .. ll see m s we li ve in a fa lse sense of security. The su r ro und ings h ere on ca mpu s make you forge t that we live

in a City" . When askcd how s h e would co mpare Ule s itu atio n to that in Brooklyn s h e said it's s imilar.

"Du ring the day it's re<~son ­ ably safe but at night you must be earefu l" .

Picture: West Earlham

CRACKDOWN ON PRINCE OF WALES Prince of Wales Road targetted by police trying to curb violence and anti-social behaviour ALYS SA MORRISSEY

Last m onth, the Norwich Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership (CDRP) began " Operation Enterprise ", a night t ime crime reduction initiative, working to reduce t he amount of drug and alcohol related violence and antis ocial behaviour on the Prince of Wales Road in Norwich.

"Operation Enterpi·ise" vows to d ecrease the number o f these incidents by significa nt ly increasing the number o f po li ce o ffi ce rs o n foot and th e number o f door s upe rv isor teams wh il e working to increase awa re n ess of drug dea ling a nd t he harm caused hy dmg u se.

T h e m ajo rity of Norwich' s night s o ut lend to end up on Pt;nce of Wal es Road. becau se of th e la i·gc n umber of clubs. pubs take-aways and taxicab firm s the re. Mos t of wh ich

eater to a devoted UEA crowd.

Incidents of violent crime throughout the area involvin.£( students in clude assault ad batte ry. ciU1er one person being attacked by a group. or

Inside this fortnight:

Pap2: Gangs in West Earl~am Pqel: Ga~~t~ for Norwidl's dulls

Page4 Ultrary Extensioa plus Concrete Commut Page6: Norwic~ Council support Union on fees Page 7: Building work 01 ca•pus

Pqel: Hangover a~res

P1189: ex UEA stHelt missing in Etlaiopia Pqe10: Comparing UEA's residence halls '•12: Truckar fashion

Pate 14: Travel in Alaska

<1 fight breaking out between the g roups of people there.

Other acts of ·ant i-soeial be h aviour' include trespass. noise. vomiting. <1nd vandal ism in the areas suJTounding

Prince of Wales.

Some areas of the in it ialive dirC'ctly targd students. although Gavin Tempest. the Licensing Inspector who man ages the initiative 1·emarked

Page16 Letters Page17 The return of Eastern Youtll BUSA leatH taltles Page 18 Soap Box Page19: UEA Squash

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I hat it is aimed more towards reduc in g h arm to students through binge drinking and drugs. He went on 10 say that younger people and tho~e who cannot handle their drink <~re the most likely to be affected by violent crime. while those most likely to inf1icl \io lence tended to be in tlw ovC'r 25 age range .

Mr Tempest also says that this is a p il ot oper<1tion. because it includes many different elemcnts o f erime control fused with clmg prevention. He said .

"Th e initia ti ve made a lot of d iffe re n ce. Part of this is th e s urpri se people have when they see po lice on foot. m in ,gling in wi th the c rowd wh e n pe op le see th is they think something serious is going on".

The c reators of thC' project inte nd to make Nonvi c h t h e s<~ fes t c ity in th e co untry for n ight tim e activity. but Ul e e ffe c ts will re main to be see n .

Picture: Price of Wa les Road

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Coacnte Wednesday, November 5, 2003

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C UBS TO CLOSE, CLUBS TO OPE NIGHTS TO CHANGE? I

VERA FIELDS In recent weeks there have

been s ome exciting developments concerning the Time, Fifth Avenue and Ikon nightclubs in Norwich.

After months of uncertainty. representatives from Luminar Leisure, which owns all three clubs, were able to confirm that Time has been given the go-ahead to split in two , resulting in the closure of the Fifth Avenue club.

The Ikon nJghtclub is also due to close soon, with the possibility that I.,.uminar Leisure would use the site to build luxury apartments. According to the company's spokesperson Claire de Sllva: 'Luminar does intend to pursue a project for:: housing sometime in the future '.

The news for keen clubbers, however, may not be as gloomy as it seems. Luminar Leisure was pleased to announce plans for a new nightclub.

Envy, in Tombland. Envy would pro-

vide entertainment targeted at the over-25s and open on the same day as Fifth Avenue closes.

On 24the October, Norwich witnessed another big event in the clubbers' calendar with the opening of the 拢4 million Mercy nJghtclub. Situated In the former ABC cinema in Prince of Wales Road , the venue boasts some unique features including the largest projection screen in the country. Thousands of people, including celebrities such as Charlie Brooks and Michael Greco of Eastenders fame, came on the 24th.

Much controversy has surrounded Norwich's popular clubs of late, with the police and local residents expressing serious concerns about the way they affect the local community. As lnsp Gavin Tempest pointed out, long licensing hours in clubs can unfortunately lead to 'more crime and disorder' in the city. The managers of Mercy have made a pledge to work in conjunction with the commu-

nJty to keep trouble to a minimum, and agreements have been reached about the opening hours of Time and Envy.

Police have launched an operation to reduce violence on Prince of Wales Road near all these nJghtclubs- see the facing page.

Students will be affected by the changes, Tom, a third year student said, "It Is a shame that Ikon will be closing, the pl~ce was never the best club, but it diod have a good atmosphere. That said, I look forward to going to the new clubs. "

COLD HOUSES MAY WANKERS WANTED AT UCL BE GOOD FOR YOU LONDON STUDENT London Uni's Newspaper

Good news for students whose budget won't stretch to the central heating warm houses are dangerous to your health.

Research. conducted by UEA revealed that 89pc of us would generally turn up the heating, rather than put on another layer of clothing, but this could be bad for you. In the last thirty years, accordIng to Or Rob Tinch, the average temperature of a house In the Eastern region of the UK has risen 5 degrees centigrade to 1BC. Or Tinch said, "If 18C is the average domestic temperature. then there are houses which will be much warmer than this, and they could be too warm."

Sarah Brewer, a health writer

explained the effects of extra heating: For people with skin conditions. eczema often gets worse in the winter and is thought to be caused by warm air and low humidity in the home. Being too warm though, can also tends to make you moire sluggish.

Blood is diverted away from the brain towards the skin.

You are far more ltkely to plonk yourself down on the sofa and watch the 1V." However, the extra heat may also have a more dangerous health hazard, "A rise in temperature of only 4C could more than double bacterial growth. and lead to increases in food poisoning and the spread of bacteria all of which could have an impact on health."

FUN RUN ON CAMPUS There Will be a 4 mile fun run being held on Sunday 23 November at the UEA. The aim of the Nando's chicken Run is to to raise 拢30.000 to transform the children's ward at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital into one of the most colourful in the country. F'or children . going into hospital is one of

the most traumatic experiences. and so the idea is to make the experience as fun as it can be under the circumstances.

The whole thing is part of the Evening News' Brighter Future campaign, to wich Nando's chicken has fully associated itself.

London University's newspaper recently reported on the latest society their union may have t o set up.

The wanking society.

Apparently the WankSoc was the brainchild of one lan Sparey, a PhD student. and Rik Kaup, the captain of the Queen Mary's Me n 's Hockey team. The student unJon. surprise, surprise dismissed the idea offhand. However, as the group have collected the required number of sign atures and created a constitution. the wankers demanded an apology from the previous year's sabbatical officers.

The current union executive d ecided that the society would give the University a bad name. but put the matter to a full m eeting of the Student Union, where th e wankers were voted down.

The proposers argued that "everyone does it a nyway". and they referred to studies suggesting that masturbation actually red uces the risk of prostate cancer. Their exact claim was "a wank a day keeps the proctologist at bay".

F'or those who really want to know, th e meetings of WankSoc were to consist of men wanking into socks, and the club funds being used to pay for the laundry. It was perhaps hoped that other

Unions would have their own WankSocs set up by interested students. and there could be inter UnJversity competitions.

Rtk Kaup is single. and it has been suggested that h e will remain so for the rest of his time in London , after the Union's vote. lan Sparey, however is a married man .

His wife according to a student uni on spo kesman was "gene rally supportive of the idea . but thought it was a bit daft" Quite. Well. if you want to try where London has failed, a ll you need is thirty signatures. a constitution . risk assessment. and Union Council's full approval ...

MADELEINE ALBRICiHT Cont. from page 1 end of the discussion after a second question on Iraq. Ms Albright asked to make the following statement in light of the mood: "I consider it a matte1路 of deep sadness that the United States and U1e people of the United Kingdom and Europe are all of a sudden at great odds. Because we have been friends now for a long time and the world needs us to be friends and allies and not . to fight each other. .. Though I don't agree with my government at this moment. I think that most people in government try to do their best." The evening concluded with lengthy applause.

Audience reaction to Ms Albright's performance was mixed . One season ti cket holder for the festival remarked , "She wasn't as

arrogant as I thought she'd be." Another said that they were impressed that Ms Albright had answered all the questions in the protesters路 leaflets. Some. however. were less convinced.

A student commented that the Former Secretary of State had deflected rather than answered the audience's questions. Others expressed their concern that more time had not been given to political debate.

In an email to Concrete. Or Read said, "The 'organisers' of the protest - which had not been 'organised' in any formal fashion at all; no posters, etc.; just word of mouth - were very pleased with the 70-80 person turnout of protesters inside and outside the hail.

We got our message across. non -violently. and quite a lot of people who were intending

to buy Albright's book afterward were successfully (and civilly) dissuaded from doing so.

In defense of the evening's format Professor Bigbsy explained that Ms Albright had originally planned only to read from her book and that the decision for a discussion was taken shortly before the event began. He added that only two audience questions were asked because no other audience members had raised their hands and the session had already overrun.

In response to emails he had received suggesting figures such as M Albright should not be invited to the Literary Festival. Professor Bigsby said he hoped the day would never come when controver sial s pea kers were not allowed on campus.

GAY PRIEST CONSIDERED AS CATHEDRAL DEAN Homosex ual cle rgyman, Cannon Jeffery John is being tippe d to be come dean of Norwich Cathedral.

Earlier this year, the openly gay priest was forced to stand down as Bishop of Reading after an outcry over his appointment in the row over homosexual clergy.

The priest Is expected to be nominated fo r promotion by officials at Downing Street. with reports suggesting he could be appointed to Norwich. This may be seen as an attempt by government to stop the church's internal squabbling, and appoint priests to positions on their merits. regardless of their sexuality. If appointed he would work with the Bishop of Norwich, who was one of the most senJor clergy to pubLicly back his appointment as a bishop.

The Right Reverend Graham James also criticised some fellow bishops for fuelling the controversy over homosexual priests that threatens to split the Anglican Church.A senJor Church source, who has been consulted by the prime minister's appointments secretary Wllliam Chapman, said: 'William Is convinc d Jeffrey should not be left dangling in limbo. He was ready for a move earlier this year and the Church should utilise his gifts now as a dean."

Canon John , currently an official at Southwark cathedral, was appointed Bishop of Reading in May but was forced to withdraw by traditionalists. Although openly gay and with a companion. he insisted that he was celibate. thus removing a possible obstacle to his appointment.

The Reverend Jan McF'arlane. spokeswoman for the Diocese of Norwich, said s he was aware of s peculation surrounding the appointment of Canon John.

She said: 'We are simply not allowed to comment on possible names for this appointment. .. The appointing of deans is made through the Prime Minister's office.

Names are put forward and discussed with the Bishop before a final decision is made. " The process of appointment of deans is so secretive that fewer than half a dozen people are directly involved.

Other vacancies currently available include York and Salisbury.

WARNING TO CYCLISTS Cyclists are reminded that at dusk and after dark it is an offence to not have lights on their bikes. This means the the police may stop cyclists and they can be prosecuted.

More importantly. cars being driven at this time can easily kill cyclists. simply because the driver did not see the bike or th e rider. Lights can be bought cheaply at most good shops. Reflective jackcs /tape are also availiable.

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PlANS FOR LIBRARY EXTENSION REVEALED

City Council give go-ahead for Library to be upgraded and extended SALLY WAIN - HEAPY

Nmwich City Council 's plan ning committee h as bac ked UEA's a pp lication to ell.1:encl th e libra ry. clue to a n eve r inc reas ing numb e r of stu d en ts.

Fo r m a ny years the re h a ve b een p la n s to ex1:end UEA's libra ry a nd n ow t h e idea h as b ee n a pproved pa rtly b ecau se the num ber of s tud ents a t the uni ver s ity h as qu a drupl ed s ince it was built. T h e a m o un t o f s tud e nts a t UEA h as in c reas ed fm m 3 145 to 12 .9 66 in three decad es and it is h oped U1 a t th e exten s io n wi ll h elp to cope \vith th e gmwth .

Alth o u g h a progra mm e of refurbishing th e lib rary b egan three years a go. this will n ow b e stopped while th e exte n s io n o nto th e so uth - east s ide of th e building takes place .

The develo pment wi ll provide a lmos t 2000 square m etres of n ew fl oor a rea for two gmup study moms , space fo r work a nd t h e 24 - h o ur IT s uite wi ll be moved t h ere. The ell.1:ens ion wi ll h elp with growth in areas n ew to UEA s u ch a s pha rm acy a nd m edi cine a nd U1ere \vi ll be improved faciliti es for studying a nd resear ching archives.

Students' o pinio ns we re ge n e ra lly p ositive .

Simo n Willi a m s (DEV2) said .

"I U1ink it is a really good idea .

INSIDE: ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WITHOUT STUDENTS

Anything tha t improves the accessibility of b ooks a nd work space is fan tastic. " seco nd year Ro ss Nicols on a ls o had a positive opinion .

"It's good U1 a t th ere will be m o re fa cilities a va ila b le fo r s tud e n ts to h e lp w ith research ."

However. some students did ha ve so m e co n cern s . s u ch as Ka te Ke lly from ENV who sa id .

"I think it is a very good idea providing th e building work doesn 't inte rfere with qu iet study times like previou s co n s tru ction s h ave."

Als o . C hri s Da vi es . in hi s third year. was worried a bout th e style of U1 e cons tru ct io n : "I h ope t h e building is in

k eeping with th e rest of the Univers ity".

The cunen t lib ra ry wa s built in two phases in 19 66 - 68 a nd in 19 72 - 74 and wa s d es ig n ed

by Sir De nys Lasdun. The s ix - sto r ey exten s io n will b e design ed by a r c hitects S h e phearcl Epsteen Hunte1路 and an interna l dou ble h eight s pa ce m ezzanine will b e u sed to r efl ec t Lasclun 's o r igina l d esig n .

Work o n the exte n s ion is clu e to start in U1 e n ew yea r. with t h e a im o f finishin g by S e pte mb e r 2005 . Ove r th e n ell.1: few weeks students \vill b e a b le to a ccess p la n s of the ell.1.en s io n in t he libra ry foyer. below: the library d esign

CONTRIBUTORS MEETINGS 12.1 0 and 2.1 0 EVERY MONDAY ROOM 1.33 UNION HOUSE

ALBRIGHTON THE NIGHT? In the end , Wednesday night was a successful event - but only because of the contribution of the demonstrators. Thei r leafl ets, handed out prior to the talk, provided some much needed contex t to a discussion that concentrated too heav ily on the policy maker, and too lightl y on her policies .

However, neither suggestions that Madeleine Albright should not have been invited , nor that the format of the event should have been changed can be seen as solution . Though debate may have been limited inside the lecture theatre, the former Secretary of State's appearance sparked a great deal of worthwhile di scussion elsewhere o n campus, di scussion that would not have received the same prominence in her absence.

And the idea that she should have been more thoroughly interrogated ignores the reality that Ms Albright is only in the country to promote her book . Were she to be offered an hour of grue lling political questioni ng, she would certainly have declined. The organi sers of the Li terary festival deserve credit for creating a compro mi se that allowed at least some controvers ial issues to be rai sed . Some may find it di stasteful that the ni ght concluded with a book signing, but it cannot be denied that M s Albrigh t left UEA with a clear sense that many have deep concerns regardin g intern atio nal polices.

It must not be fo rgotten that路 the literary festival witnessed lasting applause as well as demonstrations; that people were free to do both is where the night 's real success Jay.

POLICING PRINCE OF WALES Though it can only be a good thing to have more police patrolling Prince of Wal es road on busy club nights, it is not a solution to the violence issue. When people consume serious amounts of alcohol , the tend not to care who is watching when they decide to attack whoever has annoyed them.

Now that the problem is being publicised it is to be hoped that the students of UEA will think twice before contributing to the tides of blood and vomit that regularly 路wash down the road early every Saturday and Sunday morning.

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Colcrete Wednesday, November 5, 2003

LOCAL NEWS FROM THE lAST WEEK

COUNCILSUPPORTS INBRIEF UNION AGAINST FEES NELSON'S SWORD FOR SALE

Norwich City Council votes to support anti-top-up fees campaign

Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson's sword is to go up for auction for an estimated £8000 in London.

The sword was a gift from a relative and returned to the family when. as victor of the Battle of the Nile. Nelson landed with his mistress Lady Hamilton at Yarmouth to a hero's welcome in November 1800. The sword's current owner. who is thought to live tn East Anglia will sell the blade at Sotheby's on December 4.The weapon. distinguished by a handsome silver hilt. ftrst belonged to Capt Galfridus Walpole ( 1683- 1726) and passed to his great nephew Maurice Suckling (1726-1788) ..

Suckling was responsible for the young Nelson's naval tratning.

The sword m ay well exceed the relatively modest forecast given by the salesroom following the rise tn prices of Nelson memorabilia ahead of the 200th anniversary of Trafalgar in 2005 .

JUDGE HAS TERMINALILLNESS Nonvich's most senior judge has revealed he is suffering from motor neurone disease. Mr Justice David Melio r who sat in the Lauren Wright Case and bailed Tony Martinis tn his early 60s. became a barrister tn 1964. was appointed a recorder in 1986 and became principal judge in civil matters for Norfolk, Cambridgshtre and Suffolk in 1991 .

Motor n eurone di sease is a progressive. term inal. incurable condition that causes muscle wasttng. Sufferers usually die after three to four years. though some have had much longer spans.

CARPARK CHANGE After the reports earlier this semester of the Car park's problems on gig nights ("Gig Lock", Wednesday October 8), it appears that the flaws that saw Starsailor fans trapped in the car park for 40 minutes have been ironed out.

Unfm·tunately. the changes may not be quite what was expected by those who masterminded the new system . It appears that at a recent concert. of the five security guards on duty. four were put in charge of holding buckets. so that every car could put a pound in to pay for theit· parking.

Nevertheless. the queue resulting form this stretched right back to Earlham Road.

This lime the road was not blocked though. and there was no queue to get away from the car park on the way out, so the changes did improve the situation. though it is believed that they will not be made the permanent arrangements.

DRUNK TRAIN DRIVER ASSAULTS BOSS Norwich City Council has voted to oppose the planned introduction of top up fees, as proposed by the Education Secretary and Norwich MP, Charles Clarke.

The council will now send letters to Mr Clarke and Or !an Gibson. the other Nonvich MP. asking them to vote against the Government bill. which would int roducc tht' fees of up to £3000 for a stu dent to attend university for a year when it IS debated later this year.

The motion was put fonvard

by Adrian Ramsey. a student at the UEA who is also a city councilor, for the Green Pariy.

Cllr Ramsay said.

"This is a real worry in Nonvich. as we already have a lower than average proportion of sixth formers going on to university. Of course those who benefit from higher edu cation by getting a well -paid job should pay more towards education as a public service than those on lower ineonws.

But the only fair way to fund higher education according to this principle is to increase

income tax for the top earners."

Mr Ned Glasicr. the Union Communications Officer said, 'This issue is not just about students here today. It's also about the students of tomorrow and their parents. It's an issue for the future."

The Union has had a number of protests ovPr the introduction of top up fees. such as the big noise campaign. the targPting of would -be stu dents and their parents at open days and sending people to the national demo.

POLICE HUNT RAPIST Police have released pictures of a man they want to talk to in connection with a rape in Norfolk.

Anthony Milgate is wanted in connection to an allack which took place at Upwcll near Kings Lynn.

He is described as about 5' 8" tall. of medium to heavy build. with greying crewcut hair. He has a number of tat toos on his body. including one of a swallow on his neck.

Mr Milgate lived in the Upwell area prior to the attack. but originally came fmm Shropshire. Police suspect that hP may have gone to the London area now. but are interested in speaking to anyone who knows or has seen him recently.

Anyone with any information should contact the police Rigl!l: Mr Anll!ony Milgaie.

GENETICALLY MODIFIED DEBATE A debate · on the benefits and drawbacks of genetically modified crops and foods will be held on November 7.

The debate is being held by U1e Soil Association. who are completing a tour of the UK to raise awareness of the issues involved . The talk is aimed at farmers and other tntersted parties.

Entry to the debate is free. although you will need to register for tickets. It will be held in Lecture Theatre 2. between 7:30 and 9:30pm.

A train driver who had been celebrating his 34th birthday assaulted four colleagues. and the manager of Nonvich Station.

What started as a row with a colleague he was having a rPiationship with quickly escalated. Nonvich Magistrates' Court heard. Lee Turner. of Meadowsweet. Horsford. was fined a total of £400 after admitting assaulting Charlene Franklin. Pal!;cia Kirby. Greg Watson and Alan Boagt>y.

PROSTITUTE PROBLEMS Families in St uart Road. off King Street. ar(' complaining about the their neighbourhood being used by whores who tout for business just yards from their doorsteps. Having demanded action to deal with the prostitutes. police have revealed that they will use stale-of-the-art number plate rPcognition Pquipment to snare kerb crawlers.According to homeowners. drivers s ignal to hookers wailing in King Street before lut·nin!( into Stuart Road to pick them up.Sex takes place in the punters' cars. which park up in Stuart Road. and the families are left finding used condoms outside their homes in the quiet road.

TRICK, TREAT OR. CO-OP? The Ipswich and Nonvich Co-operative Society. which has convenience stores and five supermarkets across Norfolk. stopped sclltng flour and eggs to kids over halloween because of concerns expressed by people living near its shops. The move can1e as police called on retailers to be "responsible" when sell ing t>p;gs at the end of October.

Mike Faulkner. secretary of the lps\vich and NOiwich Co-operative Society. said: "We have signs in our stores saying that staff reserve the right to refuse to sell flour and eggs to individuals if they believe they arc going to cause trouble. It's really up to the discretion of staff. But it's fair to say that some stores do attract youngsters who cause a nuisance and if one of those wanted to be buying a lot of eggs on October 30. we would probably not think they were about to do a bit of home-bak ing."

HATE THY NEIGHBOUR A long running feud between two neighbours got so out of hand that one has tried to kill herself and the other two have resorteel to installing a CCTV camera at their home. Anne Bacon has lived next door to Rachel and Bt·ian SpatTow in Mill Close.

Lakenham. for nearly two years.The Sparrows have called Mrs Bacon the "ncighbout· from hell". and Mrs Bacon's daughter has appeared at Nonvich magistrates' court on a chat·ge of criminal damage to the Span·ows' garden. Miss Bacon pleaded guilty. She carried out £200 worth of damage to the garden in the early hours of September I 0 and was given a one-year com munity rchabilitat ion order. a three-month 1Opm- 7am curfew order and made to pay £75 compensation.The prosecutor said that Mr Sparrow had heard a commotion outside in the garden. and saw Miss Bacon and two others. They vicleoed the trio's actions as they shouted threats. picked up garden ornaments and destroyed plants. Miss Bacon's solicitor. in defence said the attack by Miss Bacon. who has a history of abusive behaviour. was an isolated incident and the 22-year -old suffet·ed from mental health problems.

c:..a.t. Wedn esday, November 5, 2003

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WILL THE NOISE CiET WORSE? Forty years ago, the first students arrived at the UEA to find that they would have to work in temporary accommodation, while the rest of the cainpus was built around them. Today's students could be forgiven for thinking something very slmUar is happening now.

Last year. Concrete reported how students have put up the loud noise of the building site for the new residences, near Wolfson.

Waveney and Nelson. As the students had to revise, they had been given little or no warning of the works until the builders moved In.

This year the students were warned that the work would continue for most of the year. but now that the Library is to be extended In the new year, there are suspicions that students will be unable to work In their rooms, and also unable to work In the library because of the noise and dis-

INDECENT EXPOSURES

Students at UEA have been shocked by a series of indecent ezposures.

Two women walking down University Drive and Earlham park have had a man expose himself to them, and a third student has been exposed to on Colman Road.

The first Incident took place at about lOpm on Friday.

September 26. · The victim was walking along University Drive and cut through Earlham Park. The man exposed himself at a distance from her and she left the area fast.

The second Incident took place at about 2am on Sunday, October 19. Again, a female student walking through the Earlham Park area was exposed to,

although this time. the man came up much closer to her.

She described the man as a white. male In his early twenties, with cropped brown hair, of average height and small build, wearing a bright red t-shirt and jeans.

Another exposure took place on Colman Road on October 14. The victim described the man In question as between 17 and 20. about 5' 8'' (1.73m) and about 133 lbs (60 kg) he also had short brown hair and was wearing jeans.

Constable Richard Bell. described the Incidents as Isolated events. but said that there are a few precautions students should take, "I recommend that wherever possible people walk In

groups. particularly late at night, keep to well lit areas, and avoid cutting through Earlham Park." He went on to say "there are personal attack alarms available at Union reception for just £1, and if you are alone on your way back to the Village, you can go Into the security lodge and as soon as resources are available, you will be escorted there."

Anyone with any information on the events is asked to contact the police, anyone who wishes to know more about personal safety is reminded that Constable Bell runs surgeries every week on Wednesdays between 12 and 2 o'clock.

Above: The area of Earlham park of two of the exposures.

BAR STAFF TRAINED ABOUT WHEELCHAIRS Staff working in the Union bar have undergone training to ensure that they know where the pub's disabled facllltles are and how to use them.

The move came after an Investigation Into disabled access at UEA, featured In the last Issue Concrete. revealed deficiencies In some of the bar staffs training.

When our reporter entered the bar no member of bar staff on duty either knew how to work the disabled lift or where the disabled toilets were. He had to watt for the manager to finish a telephone conversation before he could be shown where the toilet was.

Even before the last issue went to press the Union was attempting to rectify the

problem. Kirsty Pennlngton, Union Llberations Officer, raised the Issue with General Manager, Andy Pott, who decided that there was no need to place the Issue on the Union agenda and that it was better to sort the problem out straight away.

"As soon as we were aware that some of the new staff did · not know how to use the facilities we set out to rectify that,· said Mr Pott.

All staff have now been shown how to operate the small lift that carries wheelchair users down the three steps at the back of the bar and shown where the disabled toilets are.

Mr Pott added that he believed the root of the problem lay with new staff members who were still

learning the ropes and had not been taught these things yet.

"It Is usually new staff that are going to be asked as they are the ones up front collectIng glasses: He said .

The Union hopes the problem has now been rectified and as far as Mr Pott Is aware all the staff have now been trained.

ruption there.

The Initial consultation papers do say that "Library opening will be unaffected.

However there will be considerable noise, particularly In the early stages during pile drilling and the construction of foundations and during the "breakthrough" to join up the

new building with the existing Library. There will also be local disruption as we move stock and seating from the existing building to the extension to allow the refurbishment, which will be undertaken In nine phases."

According to the Union of UEA Students. there are

meetings scheduled to be held between the University and Union staff on the subject, and details of the movement of stock etc will be clearly shown to all students In the library each week as things change.

Above: do you want to live next to this?

GETTING A LITTLE CARRIED AWAY? Last week, Lynx deoderant Andrew Parish MED 1 took carried out a promotion the picture of the man who around UEA. · took the cut-out saying it Representatives of the would be more Interesting company were giving away than the free condom. He condoms and manicures in even gave the rubber back. the Hive.

Does any reader know who As part of promotion there this man Is, who has taken was a cardboard cut out of safe sex (except. of course. the woman who has fronted from papercuts) to absolute the latest set of Lynx adverts. extremes?

It seems the man In the picture got the wrong idea.

www.concrete-online.co.uk

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Coauete Wednesday.

November 5. 2003

11

Your head's banging, your stomach's churning and your mouth feels like Gandhi's flip-flop. lt's the morning after the night before and you're suffering the consequences. What to do?

Well, you could always reach for the latest hangover cure from Sweden, as Dan Pearson did with 路interesting results. Fai.ling that, there's always the Cocker Spaniel. .. he newly marketed, shiny can packaged and lovingly sent from 'FeeiFine' headquarters proudly proclaims that it's 'a drink for tomorrow'. This passionfruit flavoured, apparent miracle cure for hangovers needed to be tested against today's modern day, drink-fuelled UEA student lifestyle.

Compared with some of the zanier solutions suggested by Union Bar regulars (paracetamol - up to four at a time, pickled cucumber and the classic hair of the dog) this seemed a safe remedy, depending of course on whether it worked.

Hangovers have been around ever since the first humans stumbled back from the banqueting hall slaughtered on a gallon of mead or two and then woken up the next day, heavy-headed with their arm around the village goat. Hundreds of years later we're still getting recKlessly drunk, trying to attain the golden benchmark of a good night out which is characterised by the throbbing heads, bouts of sickness and declarations that we'll never drink again.

So, what's the science of this awe inspiring product? The product claims to be for 'men and women of all ages who occasionally push their bodies to the limit and need help to recover'. Unlike other energy drinks, this doesn't contain any taurine but still claims that it'll have you on your feet and walking straight after a particularly intense drinking session. lt does however have a wide range of other 'active ingredients' which I could list but I'll leave that to the scientists - glutamine, tricalcium phosphate and potassium citrate if you want to research further. it's available in both can and sachet form , making it a handy portable solution for those nights when you don't know where you'll wake up.

If this drink actually succeeded in flushing out the brain cells that I

came. actually physically downing another bottle of Stella proved to be more of a challenge that he first thought. After taking the first few sips he then abandoned the venture fearing that a visit to the toilet bowl might become inevitable.

Paracetamol has always been a firm favourite of mine, accompanied with Norwich's fresh spring water straight from the tap, I awake feeling fine - albeit a bit dizzy. Whilst maybe not being the best solution in the long term (after taking fourteen in freshers week) as a quick fix after the occasional night out it 'does the job'. And unlike hair of the dog , you look a little less inconspicuous buying a pack of paracetemol from the UFO at 9am than dumping a six pack of lager in front of a disapproving cashier.

The waft of bacon and sausages circl ing the corridors usually indicates that a heavy night has been had by all but quite frankly who

Hangovers have been around ever since the first humans stumbled back from the banqueting hall slaughtered on a gallon of mead ...

A

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killed the night before then students everywhere could go to the LCR , get drunk (necessary for enjoyment) and go to their Friday morning lectures full of life and academic commitment. After coercing a few friends to help with my 'research ' we tested the waters at the Union Bar with a few beers, bottles of wine and JD and Coke. Later, feeling suitable merry we hopped on the 25 bus and made a beeline for a certain Moroccan themed bar with a 2 for 1 cocktail deal on (no endorsement there!).

Fuelled up on Blue Lagoons, Slippery Nipples and the inevitable chilli soaked kebab we stumbled along Prince of Wales Road hoping we'd miraculously arrive home. Rather worryingly we got into a random red van along with about six other people who offered to drop us on Unthank Road. In retrospect , after being flung round the van and not knowing whether our fate lay in a grave in the Fens, I think the no. 25 was a safer option.

The next morning, I awoke feeling worse for wear, kicked the goat out of my bed and clumsily searched for the 'miraculous' concoction .

Flushes of pure ecstasy soared through my body, racing towards my head, my vision cleared and I felt I could run the marathon! In truth this was no instant fix and I was left nursing my hangover for the next few hours. Maybe the scientists locked away in their labs couldn't conceive the excessiveness of a typical student binge.

FeeiFine, produced at the request of the Swedish government, apparently imports the Swedish relaxed lifestyle, relieving stress, PMT and injecting energy although 'it doesn't take you up and then let you down'. lt was created for the intention of helping recovering alcoholics, which may explain why Concrete received the package in the first place. Whilst I don't quite fit into this category yet, that morning I was in a suitable state to judge just how well FeeiFine worked.

But before I reveal my verdict, my fellow 'researchers' told me of their experiences; putting into practice old wives' tales and stories from hangover folklore.

Firstly, 'hair of the dog'. Whilst there's no proven reason in the early morning to go chasing next door's Cocker Spaniel around the garden in an attempt to grab some of his malting coat at the very least it'll help burn off that beer belly. Hair of the dog is in actual fact the medically dubious act of consuming even more alcohol the minute you awaken from your drunken slumber. My test subject was initially keen on the concept of continuing a nights boozing but when the morning

The next morning I awoke feeling worse for wear, kicked the goat out of my bed and clumsily searched for the 'miraculous' concoction.

Feel Fine: if it's good enough for the Swedish government ...

can be bothered to cook such a culinary delight as a fry-up when your head's throbbing and the memories from last night are still fresh? The greasier the food , the soggier the French bread then the better the cure. However, if you can't quite work out the logistics of co-ordinating a decent fry up then many a cafe provides a grease lover's dream for a pound or two. s much as I personally love a fry-up I can't quite take it early in the morning and hair of the dog really doesn't appeal. So does Feel Fine take the gold medal? To me, the sugary fruit flavoured mixture is fine for the odd can or two but it coats your palate leaving you with a repetitive taste in your mouth for a couple of hours after drinking. lt does however fulfil its brief, counteracting the poison you filled your body with the night before. Would I use it again? Yes, but for a 拢1 .20 price tag I could buy enough paracetemol to ease the pain of a dozen nights out. I could leave this article on the corny, inevitable maxim that the only way to avoid a hangover is to not drink at all. But for me, a glass of water and a paracetemol usually relieves the pain, even if it means I'm still missing those ever important Friday morning lectures.

A dog. With hair. Hair of the dog.

Open. pour, be yourself once more.

Roll up, roll up, clog your arteries here.

CoiiCrttt Wednesday, ~ovember 5. 2003

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11

11

Ex-UEA student Amanti Abdisa Jigib returned to his native Ethiopia after completing an MSc in Environmental Science.

Now, 6 years later,. he is believed to be a political prisoner of the Ethiopian government. Toby Lewis speaks to Claire Cole, a former colleague and friend, in an attempt to discover more. n the 20 August 2000, the Ethiopian security forces at Addis Ababa airport detained ex-UEA student Amanti Abdisa Jigi. He was on his way to an environmental conference in Nairobi, Kenya. Security agents escorted him off the plane and he disappeared. On 25 January 2003 Amanti Abdisa Jigi was reportedly seen being transported with other detainees from the Bole area of Addis Ababa, which is near the airport, to an unknown destination (believed to be Shewa Robit Prison). Due to the ambiguous nature of the facts available, Amnesty International can only describe his case as that of a "possible disappearance", an incommunicado detention, a fear of ill treatment and a detention without charge." The uncertainty of this situation is typical of the fate of political prisoners worldwide. Though the facts available point to a series of human rights abuses, the ability to gather further information about his case is limited. Even the name of the person who believes he saw. Amanti earlier this year has been kept confidential due to the potential dangers to the individual.

Amantl came to UEA in 1997 to study an MSc in Environmental Science through a scholarship organised by Christian Aid. After leaving UEA he returned to his home country and eventually found a job with the Ethiopian Environmental Organization (EEO) in Addis Ababa. Prior to his studies here, he was head of the development department of the Oromo Relief Association (ORA). In 1996 this

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Though the facts available point to a series of human rights abuses, the ability to gather further information about his case is limited. organisation's offices were closed and its assets seized. The ORA was an officially recognized relief agency whose funders included Christian Aid, Norwegian People's Aid, Comic Relief and formerly the European Commission. The ORA went to court to challenge its closure by the government and the seizure of all its assets.

Amanti's friend, Claire Cola, first found out about his disappearance in August 2001. Beforehand, she was living in the Congo and had not assumed that their lack of e-mail.contact was due to anything happening to Amanti. She is currently organising a campaign to attempt to release him. Claire informed me that the urgency of this

campaign is heightened by the fact that Amanti has a stomach ulcer and thus he may not live for long. She also raised the contingent worry that his father is now very old and his health has gone badly downhill since Amanti was arrested.

Amanti impressed Claire when she worked with him in 1993-5 whilst he was with the ORA. She explained that through the organisation "people in food deficit areas received payment in food for performing projects to develop their own communities. The work included building roads so that the local authorities could provide services and people could take produce to market, and deepening and protecting wells." Amanti helped writ e these proposals and reports, and ensured that the programmes were properly implemented. She described him as a "very quiet and private person who is not very talkative and is not outspoken." She also noted his love of children commenting on how, when she travelled with Amanti "on field trips he always spent lots of time playing with them."

According to Claire "when he finished his MSc, he was very frightened of returning to Ethiopia but felt that it would be wrong to ask for asylum here as his place was back in Ethiopia:• The last she saw of him was when he attended her wedding before he left England. She described how "after his return Amanti felt threatened. He emailed me every couple of months asking me whether I had heard of any jobs that he could apply for with aid agencies outside Ethiopia. In addition, he found it hard to find a job inside Ethiopia as no one wanted to employ someone who had worked for the ORA." Amanti's ethnic group, the Oromo, make up 45% of the Ethiopian population. According to a report in the Evangelischer Pressedienst of 1997 they "were forcibly brought under the rule of the Ethiopian state only 100 years ago." Apparently, "the Tigrean Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF), the undisputed dominant military force after the victory over Mengistu, would not have dreamed of handing over the Oromo region to the Oromo Liberation Front, an organization which they had criticized since the mid-eighties as "bourgeois, weak and politically utterly misguided."

The TPLF is now the dominant government party in Ethiopia. The United States-backed TPLF deposed Mengistu, a Stalinist dictator, in 1991. He has been granted permanent residence in Zimbawe despite the accusation that around 200,000 people had been killed in his seventeen years in power. Although the TPLF has yet to reach a similar notoriety, according to a report by the Oromo Support Group in December 2002 there have been 3085 extra judicial killings and 857 disappearances of civilians suspected of supporting the

A~ove:

Amanti Abdisa Jigi.

government. The majority of these victims have been Oromo.

UEA Amnesty will be organising a campaign attempting to release Amanti. An active member of Amnesty, Joanne Wright (Dev, 3) said that it was "tragic that people can never know the whereabouts of their loved ones and we will be working on this issue and attempts to release many other political prisoners around the world." They can be contacted on su.amnesty@uea.ac.uk. etters written by Amnesty will involve, "reminding the government that the Ethiopian constitution states that anyone who is detained should be brought before a court within 48 hours and either charged with a recognizably criminal offence and given a prompt and fair trial according to international standards, or released." Amnesty also believes the government to be in contravention of the "UN Declaration on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances". Claire Cole has attempted to petition her local Labour MP, Clive Foley although she has received information relating to Amanti. Hopefully with renewed interest in Amanti's case his release will be forthcoming.

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Concrete Wednesday, November 5, 2003

www.concrete-onJine.co.uk

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Everyone knows that they had/are having the best time in residence halls, but did you reach this conclusion objectively? In the interest of fair play, James Conway took a trip around all the various accommodation candidates to discover which hall actually rules them all, according to this year's inhabitants. am a Norfolk Terrace resident and believe firmly that that this is the best place to be. lt is usually cne of the first topics of conversation with anyone I meet and I like to pretend that I know what I'm talking about when I favourably compare Norfolk t6 the other halls of residence. However, unsurprisingly most of the students fro'm Waveney to Constable believe that they live in the ruling halls. Having failed to persuade many people that I myself am living in the best of the bunch, and having been one of those many idiots who actually believed the story that Waveney was designed on a Swedish Prison, I decidad I should probably find out a little more about the different lifestyles that UEA has to offer. We got a teaTI of reporters together and went on a little tour of the campus, taking notes and, of course, photos on our way. The resulting report is for those of you who also address many of their new acquaintances with the line "So where do you live then?" and who would 1ike to rant about the superiority of their halls with a little more authority.

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Population: 713 Walking from Square: 15 mins Weekly Price: £60.97 (single)

Officially on campus, these residences took quite a while to get to. We were also heading upmarket now, to the pricier accommodation and en-suite rooms. The village is just what its name suggests, a collection of ten houses circling around the village squares. With its own laundrette, parking and enclosed site the emphasis really is on the idea of a private community. We found Vassilia Theophilou, a village resident and EnvironmeQtal Science student. I began by asking if she was happy with her accommodation; she said she was but that this was actually her third choice. "The people are grear, she continued, "and we can get some sleep out here". She said she was fine with the price and as I looked around the large kitchen shared by just six people I came to the opinion that the extra money was worth the luxury.

Is there anything that you are unhappy with?. "The distance - it's a 15 - 20 minute walk if you need any food. I think that they should have a shop here in the village, they would make a lot of money.• This did seem to be the general opinion of most people we met here, although one or two liked the way they were away from all the chaos on site. No other problems?. "Well," she considered, "the bathrooms could be bigger". We had a look at these en suite facilities and discovered that these "pods", as one villager put it, offer little luxury other than the fact "you can use the toilet and have a shower at the same time." We thanked Vassilia for her time and left the Village people.

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Above left: Norfolk Terrace bedroom; Above right: Orwell Bedroom. Can you guess which belongs to a girl and which belongs to a boy? (the boy Is a c lue)

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Population: 754 Walking from Square: 4 mins Weekly Price: £46.34 (single) lt was Nick Jollie, a social work and psycho-social student, who gave us a tour of Waveney.

We had to walk almost to the end of the building, or "the long winding turd" as Nick put it, and I had to agree with the comparison. 'We live right at the end in Q-block" he said, 'We're the aBlock Rockers!" As we walked down the corridor I began to understand the rumours about Waveney being designed on a Swedish prison. As you walk down the long narrow halls with rows of rooms, or cells, on either side yoo really do begin to get an impression of a peniten· tiary. However, the rooms themselves were not at all bad (in fact they are fairly spacious) and I began to think that Waveney's image w11sn't entirely justified. But it's the kitchens that support the reputation. Clean as Nick's kitchen was it was hard to imagine 11-15 people using it at once. With tour chairs around a small table and enough cooking space for one skinny ch~f I started to sympathise with these residents. "We don't want your sympathy" explained Nick "just your money.• Then he showed us the toilet area which was no different to any you might find in a bar or restaurant, apart from lack of urinals and the fact that behind pne cubical door there was a shower.

I asked Nick to tell me what his first impression of the residence was. He smiled and laughed bitterly "BMX stolen on day four ... welcome to Waveney!". Obviously the average person here is no less privileged than anyone else but many seem to share a perverse pride in the qual~y of the accommodation. A pride Nick explained when he said 'We may have to suffer with the poor living conditions, but with the luxuries it lacks, we make up for with personality, people and parties!" And this attitude seems to be directed at Nelson Court in particular, for as we left we saw a sign at a window; 'Die Nelson Die!'.

Top: a Constable kitchen; Above: the Village equivalent

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Norfolk and Suffolk are those ziggurat buildings that you'll see when you head down to the lake. Home sweet home and it was AI 'Romeo' Hajittofis, in MGT, who gave us his opinion of Norfolk Terrace.

At first he was very pessimistic. He started by reminding us how "it was roasting when we first got here• due to the amount of windows facing the sun, creating a greenhouse effect. AI showed us into his room and joked: "There's enough lighting in here ... if you're a mole!" He was referring to the fact that one side-light by the mirror is supposed to illuminate the whole room. "Then there are the windows," he said, grabbing hold of their bars "I thought Waveney was supposed to be the prison!".

AI went on to note the fact that there are two toilets and one shower to 14 people but I butted in with "Do you not like NorfC!Ik Terrace then?" "Oh yeah ," he replied, quickly changing his tune, "Norfolk Terrace is the best! There's always a party going on somewhere and you never know when some drunken guy might climb in through your window. Sure, you might get someone calling you a wanker from the floor below, but it's all in good fun ." I asked him what he had to say about the amount of eggs consumed by the people of Norfolk Terrace, "We eat a lot of pancakes" he laughed, ignoring the rumours that eggs may have been thrown from one block to another. it's not unusual to be woken up at 3am by someone walking along the roof by your window, or to find yourself standing outside in your dressing gown at 6am because of a fire alarm. But I guess all this is a fair trade for the convenience of living right by the heart of UEA. Once again I thanked AI for his opinion and we continued with the report.

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Population: 119 Walking from Square: Take a bus.

Weekly Price: £46.34 "Angry, upset and worried". Holly Martin describes how she felt when her accommodation allocation letter came through the door in late August. "I couldn't believe it, I had asked above all else to live on campus. I even rang the Accommodation Office to make sure they knew!" We arrived at Mary Chapman Court, in the centre of the city, after a twenty-five minute bus ride and a ten-minute walk. Seeing the state of the building, I began to feel only remorse for the population. Holly answered the door and as she took· us up to her room explained how Mary Chapman·was divided into flats, each with 5 standard rooms, two bathrooms, a shower/washing room and a medium sized kitchen and dining area. "Hang on a minute"; I suddenly thought of Orwell and Wolfson Close. "This can't be that bad, can it?" I asked Holly, throwing myself at her mercy. "l'lle made some good friends here. And the rooms aren't that bad" she said as she showed us hers; large enough to swing a long cat, and with plenty of plug sockets and pine wardrobe units. She continued, "but I still feel it's unfair how we have to fork out tor the bus fare to campus when we pay the same as Waveney and Norfolk. Plus, you kind C!f feel that you mjss out on a lot of stuff that happens on campus, like just going down the Union." I contem· plated for .a moment; as well as the social hindrance of Mary Chapman, study_ would also be jeopardised by the noise from the road, and the need to make the extra effort to get to the library, lectures etc. However, I was pleasantly reassured when Holly began telling me about gatherings, late night poker, red wine and dinner parties, and the occasional pool of fresh "that was a great nighr sick lying on the court yard the next morning. So would you rate this as the best place to be whilsi at UEA? "No. Definitely not."

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Population: 40 (Wolfson: 77) Walking from Square: 4 mins Weekly Price: £46.34 (single) Orwell and Wolfson Close are right next door to Waveney but share neither its infamy or renown. They are housing blocks rather than halls but act as halls of residence for most med· ical students, being situated no-where at all near the Medical Centre. lt was two of these medical students, Christians Eves and Helena Potts, who kindly let us into their accommoda· tion. All seemed very quite and the place seemed cosy and homely. The kitchen was on the small size, but when we discovered that it was only shared between 5 people and that they had their own communal area elsewhere we started to feel very jealous. "And we have two bathrooms between five as well" said Helena, although they explained that other houses had different arrangements.

'What are the people like here?" I ventured. "They're all very nice", said Christiana, "Nearly all of us are medics here, there are a lot of Americans too". Being a bloke on a floor with 10 boys and 4 girls and having so far discovered it is much the same elsewhere I asked what the male to female ratio was like. "No, it's almost all girls over here" she told me. I exchanged looks with the photographer. Cheapest rate, mainly female population, kitchen and two bathrooms between five, we were impressed. "Could we have a look at a room?" I wondered. As we expected these were real rooms, with multiple windows and a skylight. Now convinced that we were being hard done by in the Village and the Terraces, we moved on elsewhere.

Unfortunately we didn't get the impression that there were going to be any Waveney style parties over there.

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Population: 402 (Nelson Court: 343) Walking from Square: 5 mins Weekly Price: £72.24 (single) £62.75 (double) Nelson Court and Constable Terrace represent the top end of the spectrum. They both offer much the same accommodation but we decided to have a look at Constable, and maybe defend the residence against the rumours, created mainly by Waveney, that these building are occupied by snobs. From the outside they certainly look impressive, freshly painted buildings set back against a front lawn with large windowed fronts. Our interviewee James Kirkham, in EAS, was kind enough to let us in, but not wildly enthralled to be interviewed.

So what's it like here then? "Well, this is a nice place." And the people? "Getting along well" he said. What about the cost though? "I don't really now how much I'm paying" he explained.

"You're paying seventy two pounds and twenty four pence", I informed him, "that's a lot more money than mosr. "The extra money's worth it," he said.

We left James to his cooking and were allowed to look around a room. Once again, the photographer and I exchanged jealous looks.glances as we admired the luxury of Constable. This time en suite meant en suite and the whole bathroom was like that of a hotel rather than an aeroplane. Now this was real accommodation, undoubtedly the best we'd seen, but I still wasn't convinced it was worth the extra £20.90. Of course some of that money goes towards the kitchen as well, and the leather cushioned benches, and spacious lobby certainly made us feel like we'd stepped into the Hilton compared to our modest abode. James was certainly pleased with his choice and, apart from the extra £100 a month, I couldn't fault it. On our way out we did find one resident trying to conform to stereotype; Sophie Cox, an English literature student, told us "it's nice to come back to Constable and get away from the commoners of UEA for a little while."

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Co.crttt Wednesday. November 5, 2003

rue We like truckin' we like truckin' we like truckin' and we like to truck, we like truckin' we like truckin', if you don't like to truck, tough luck. Well, if you have by now decided that you do want to truck, then be comforted by remembering that it's not all men with eyebrows on their cheeks and women cooking squirrels. The Trucker/ Redneckl Lumberjack look is big news this winter, with its ·unique combination of style, practicality and endless grounds for customisation you would have to be darn stu.pid to even attempt wearing anything else.

Matt wears: Road cords, Cult Clothing £44.99. Red Dickies T shirt, Cult Clothing £19.99.

Disturbia Distortion 'Just another tucker in a band' T shirt, Cult Clothing £19.99. Addict brown plaid shirt, Cult Clothing £34.99. Ride With a Vengence Jeans, Cult Clothing £44.99.

Dickies trucker cap, Cult Clothing £15.99. Schott puffer jacket, Dogfish £90.

Ally Wears: Von Dutch cap, Dogfish £45. Diesel puffer jacket, Dogfish £145. Black - -.. von Dutch T shirt, Dogfish £45.Gambling r-=:--------:~-~~~lriJecklac:e. Soho £8. Levi

Ros Wears: Betty Freeman 'Just say no' T shirt, Frank 0.99. Black Motel rt, Frank £35. Car bracelet, Soho £15.

Gun earing, Soho £4.

Cowboy boots, Dustbin • 15. Teenage • ionare'Jesus is my _ _....;;._ _ _ _ __.h,omoi=!hOI T shirt, Cult Clothing £19.99.

PVC skirt, Cult Clothing £34.99.

Dark' hipster Jeans, Cult Clothing £39.99. Bench black zip up top, Cult Clothing £39.99. Hooch badge shirt, Cult Clothing £29.99. Pop ski Cult Clothing £29.99. Lulu and Red

"!!!!!!!!'"""!!"!!!!!!!!!"!!!!"'!!"!'!!!!!!~Motorhead

ists: Hannah Walker and ..,..___ _ _...,.Richard Jones.

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But wait; before you dismiss the world of fashion as cruel and mocking of us mere mortals less perfect than the goddess Kate, you'll be relieved to know that this season, fashion has provided us with a practical solution both to the cold and the mass consumption of all food stuffs, well, it tries its very best.

By Barbara Ward

' urray! it's winter, and as wonderful as the prospect of snow, scarves and Christmas trees are, you will soon all remember that along with it all comes the bitter bitter cold, which can for the weak hearted fashionista become something of a fashion dilemma. To be fair, it does throw mighty obstacles into the path of mini skirts, bare legs and skimpy LCR tops. According to the laws of skin and reason the last of your summer tan should have faded by now, unless of course you have become addicted to fake tan, and this makes the world a bad .place of orange, so stop. Accompanying the terrifying flaky pastiness and goose bumps, you may, like many students, have begun the winter hibernating with essay anxiety and comfort eating, which even the most hardened dieter will succumb to at some point. This all adds up to a rather unfortunate situation where you may find yourself trying on clothes in Topshop and swearing blind to your friend that they must have changed the mirrors sneakily after your last ·visit. Cheerful pessimism aside, even the most determined of fashionistas may be forgiven for being a little daunted by fashion's continuing love affair of all things micro-tastic. How many of us want to be waiting at the busstop with a breeze up our... But wait; before you dismiss the world of fashion as cruel and mocking of us mere mortals less perfect than the goddess Kate, you'll be relieved to know that this season, fashion has provided us with a practical solution both to the cold and the mass consumption of all food stuffs.

The past three seasons have seen a somewhat alar:ming and ever growing fixation with 'crazy' and adventurous forms of foot and leg wear. As the hems have risen so have the boots, over the knee boots

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are everywhere on the catwalks making the models legs look longer and leaner than ever before, but have as yet to appear on the high street. Knee high and half calf boots, however, can be found in every single shop in every single street in England, with styles ranging from acid electric punk to buccaneer and everything in between.

Teaming these boots with thick woollen socks will keep your knees warm, whilst fleece lined slouch boots will prevent numb-toes on the walk to university and are perfect for playing in the snow.

Not only are boots creeping upwards, so are socks, many a catwalk model could be seen sporting extra long thick wollen socks just above their boots. And despite making you look mildly stupid and old, this may not be such a bad thing, as last years cute hello kitty ankle socks are not exactly going to keep you warm, so apply the general rule of thumb, the bigger the better. ights and stockings have never been so popular, they are available in all colours, patterns and styles, but before you get too excited it may be an idea to stop, look in the mirror, and consider whether electric blue tights with pink and green polka dots really do suit you. Almost opaque dark tights are tremendously slimming, as opposed to opaque tights, which are rubbish, and there's a pattern out there to flatter any leg shape. Stockings have also seen a somewhat surprising revival, following in the footsteps of movies such as, Chicago and Gosford Park. Stockings do scream high gloss Hollywood glamour, but they are not exactly ideal for freezing cold deadline hopping students, are they really kitsch and sexy enough to ? justify the risk of

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To keep out the coldest of winter winds leg warmers are the obvious solution, they keep you warm and make your legs look thin, what more could you ask from a big pair of toeless socks? They also act as a leg hugging friend while you queue for the LCR, as they look great pulled down over stilettos but can be folded up into your bag if you get too hot from all that dancing. Fashion's figure hugging fixation hasn't stopped at our legs. Harking back to the 'let's break our ribs in search of the perfect waist' Victorians; the corset is successfully battling its way back into shops up and down the country, unless of course you live in Essex, in which case the 'breasts pushed up under your chin and hipster combo' never left. The focus should be on the waist - not on a cleavage that could swallow a small child whole leaving no discernable trace. However, if you get it right, corsets are an excellent staple for a winter wardrobe, upon which the tiresome demands of party party party are all too often placed, they can be dressed down with jeans or dressed up with full netted fifties skirts. Corsets with ribbon details are the easiest to wear, they allow you to breathe, whilst the ones with zips can catch delicate bits of skin at exactly the wrong times. An alternative to the terror of shoulder baring, are the ever present eighties batwing tops and dresses, which paired with a chunky belt are ideal for strapping in Christmas excesses.

One word of warning; winter's fashion is all about the return of the waist and legs but with all these corsets, stockings and kinky boots it could be all too easy to inadvertently end up looking less 'fashionista' and more 'for sale'. Think more Stella McCartney and less Madame Whiplash and you'll have an outfit to be of.

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Bradford

Plenty, says Tim Barker who visited the state as part of a Trek America trip. They have bears and pipes and everything. t was June 2000 and I was finally coming towards the end of my gap year, which was supposed to be my ti me to travel the world and get in some good old fashioned life experience , 'character building', that sort of th ing. Instead I found myself at an airport outsi de Bristol worki ng 40 plus hours a week in a job I hated, getting up at fou r in th e mornin g serving narked co mmuters and gleefully smiling holiday make rs who we re going to places I was supposed to be going. So I quit, went down to the local STA and booked a trip with Trek America to travel with 13 comp lete strangers from Seattle up through Canada to Alaska and back by sea, lasting a month.

Th ese sound like the actions of a comp letel y rational and sane man.

Possibl y. But th en worki ng in th e retail industry, as a customer sales assistant did seem to have loosened my grip on reality somewhat.

The next thing I realised , I was on a Virgin Atlantic flight out of London Gatwick to San Francisco, where I got bumped up to first class and given champagne and various other expensive alcohol for free along with a selection of food that actually resembled something that came from an oven. This started to seem li ke a good idea, finally.

Once I arrived and joined everyone else on the tour I started to become part of a really interesting, if strangely older than advertised group of people. I was the youngest at 18. This turned out to be irrelevant though as the real focus of the trip was the land I travelled through . Canada is a lovely place and I'm sure lots of people have been there but for me there is no place more beautiful than Alaska,

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When I was travelling in the summer we had almost completely uninterrupted sun for 24 hours ... but in the winter very few stick around for the uninterrupted darkness with the Yukon , (admittedly a part of Canada but it's the top NorthWestern part of it) , a close second. The state of Alaska is massive; it's bigger than 11 of the smallest states of the US and has the population density of less than one of them . it is a fantastically wild place with the most friendly people you'll find anywhere in the wo rld. They aren't as laid back as some Californians but th en th ey are living on the frontier, (cue proud national songs) . When I was travel ling in the summer we had almost completely uninterrupted sun for 24 hours at the northernmost point we travelled to, but in the winter very few stick around for the uninterrupted darkness, these are the real hard-cases, the sour-doughs.

The one galling thing that I saw on the trip though was the transAiaska pipeline. This is a huge scar across the land pumping oil to the Valdez. it went on as far as the eye could see and further as it crossed from the top of Alaska right to the bottom , and President Bush only two years ago said he was actually considering drilling for oil here because he wants to keep the price of fuel down!? I just pray that Am erican people hold strong onto what is the biggest national park in the whole of America and tell him where to shove such ideas.

But back to what is there at the moment - an amazing mix of beauty and character. There was Chicken; a two store one bar town named because the inhabitants couldn't pronounce the local bird's name and the Ptarmigan ; Hyder, where we all got 'Hyderized' which required us drinking one shot in one go of th e locall y made drink, reportedly 150 % proof (not vo lume) wh ich yo u're only allowed one drink of for health reasons . Finally, Dawson City, where I drank a sour-dough cocktail which requires one shot of whatever spirit you want and the toe of a sour dough preserved in salt -Your lips have to touch the toe for it to count.. laska must be seen to understand how vast can be so beautiful. Denali National Park should be one of th e most revered parks in th e world as its beauty and its great unspoiled expanses do not have a like, though I stress revered rather than popular because of the dangers of popularity on nature (as has been shown in Yosemite). Alaska does big best. I can only urge you with a proverbial yokel pitch-fork to go, it is something that will stay with you in a way that only the natural world at its best can.

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a bear in search of his necessities

Tra ns-Aiaska pipeline: the And rex of inter-continental plumbing.

Eee, by 'eck chuck, it's raight grim oop Nort h. es, yes it is - and Bradford is the vortex of all Northern grimness in one grimflavoured package. Pronounce it 'Brat-ferd' if you want to be colloquial.

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No, ta. But I'm chuffi n' famished - is there anywhere I can get some grub? Nothing fancy, li ke .

Well , if Birmingham is the curry queen - then Bradford is its uppity, chu tney-pinching princess. And you co uld do a lot wo rse than hotfooting it onto Thornton Road in the centre, where you'll find Bradford 's premiere 'curry-oke' palace. Yes, after you've wolfed down a biriani, you can regale your fellow diners with your well-practised of 'My Way'. Happiness is .. ..

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Indeed. How about further corporeal pleasures?

Luckily, on Thornton Road you 're in prime position to indulge in some ahem - indulgences of the fl esh.

Thornto n Road is at the epicentre of the red light district. Whatever yo ur predilection, you will be more than adequately catered for.

Obviously, it comes at a price though. That'll be three shillings, please and a lump of coal. Next, onto some culture.

Culture? If you want culture , you go to Lonqon. But the curryhooker combo can get a little wearisome sometimes.

Yep - I suggest leaving Thornton Road pretty sharpish - not looking left or right , and making your way to the Alhambra Theatre on Great Horton Road. Bearing little resemblance to its Spanish namesake, it does, however, have some very pretty lights and a pretty decent selection of plays. For the more avant-garde of tastes, Brad ford University has its own playhouse.

Champion . And whither can I acquire some genuine Northern vestments?

Millets, baby. If you're going to fit in with the crowds you're going to need one of Barbour's finest wax jackets and a sturdy pair of we ll ies.

Sling a dead pheasant ove r your shoulder and you 'll be lord of all you survey. Sadly, all that will be is someone's whopping-great steel toe capped boot heading for your nose, accompanied with the cries of "are you foocking teckin ' the piss, you foockin ' Southern pool?".

Pretty lights : not funny, just pretty.

Oh, you crazy Northerner. I know you 're just spinning me a ya rn and Bradford is really all genial old men in flatcaps, taking their sheep for a walk, whilst humm ing the tu ne to 'Last Of The Summer Wine '.

Are you foocking teckin ' the piss, you foockin ' Southern poof?

Sling yer 'ook, before I nut you one.

Ruth Charnock.

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HOROSCOPES Your view An Scorpio

How right the lovely Beyonce is again: sexy like a Scorpio indeed! This week brings you love, happiness, shiny hair, and nice new clothes. If you can be bothered to get your ass down to Lower Goat Lane you 'll find the coat you've always dreamt about. Be warn ed this lovely luck won't last, you' ll be crying by the end of the week.

Sagittari us

This week will be very productive for you. You will discover a delicious new way to make apple pie, repaint your bedroom purple, and win the lottery, that is if you remember to buy a ticket. it's also a good week to dye you r hair in pink and green stripes.

Lucky firework: Golden rain .

Capricorn

You are an amazing person (well, this week anyway.) All you friends want to be you, and guess what? The loser from the LCR is actually less of an imbecile when he hasn't consumed 12 pints of Stella. Go for it. Capricorn boys: I am bored now, you are equally amazing . Eat humus, drink Evian , wear dotty things.

Aqau ri us

Ah poor you! That cold just isn't going is it? Tuck yourself up in bed next to a warm radiator (if your housemates will let you have the heating on.) Drink lots of soup (good stuff in Mangos) ignore the fireworks, and forget your essays. Every1hing will work out because it always does for you. Lucky medicinehoney strepsils.

....

Pisces

That boy/girl you've fancied from day one is back again looking hotter than ever. Dump your current partner and go for it- you both want each other and everyone knows it. Avoid eating bananas, but splash out in town on some pressies for your se>ty new lover- it'll work I promise.

Aries

Oh dear you jut can't get down to work can you?

Stop spending all day in the Hive, and stop watching Neighbours, and then the Salon, and then Hollyoaks. Do yo u even know where the library is?

Housemates will be lovely this week and cook you """~~~"''i'"""' lr-1 scrum my meals. Be grateful for the cups of tea.

Ta urus ,..,.,.....,_ _ ,_...., Stubborn. Stubborn . Stubborn. Sound familiar?

You know some people very close to you may be giving some good advice. Please remove your very pretty head from implied orifice, and listen to people who have nice shoes and good intentions. A close encounter with a chic geek in the library will lead to ~o.....,;-...;..,;,..J bumping and grinding.

Gemin i

All twin types will have fireworks this week. Be careful though as the bizarre movement of Uranus this week suggests precautions need to be take n at the LCR. Luck wears a cheap shirt from top man and spills malibu down your lap. Again. Take the hint.

Cancer

it's not very often people smile at you now is it? Do yourself a favour and smile back. Maybe even buy them a drink, the prices in the uni bar are quite reasonable don't you know. In other news for Cancerians this week, smiling is free. Oh, and get over yourself.

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Leo

A close encounter with a ghost in Tom bland will ruin your plans to explore the cathedral yet again.

Probably safer to head back to the mall , buy some cookies and leave the "getting to know Norw ich plan" for another day. Also you will burn your tongue on hot chocolate bought from the Bowl.

Send your letters for the attention of the Editor to Concrete, PO Box 410, Norwich, Norfolk, NR4 7TB or email them to su.concrete@uea.ac.uk Top-up fees How heartening it is that today's students are prepared to demonstrate in London , the UEA and more recently at City Hall against the proposal to introduce Top-up Fees from 2006. I say heartening in that they themselves will be unaffected by the proposals, it will be those students who come after them who will have the burden of Top-up Fees in addition to the ir living expenses. However, today's students already pay the £1 ,100 pa tuition fees and so know first hand how this sum increases their overall debt.

The Liberal Democrat and Green Councillors of the City Council passed a motion opposing Top-up Fees at their meeting on 28th October, while Labour Councillors abstained. The motion resolved to write to Education Secretary Charles Clarke te ll ing him so. lt is he who is responsible for the University Funding White Paper which proposes the introduction of Top-up Fees.

If you like me received further education without having to pay for it directly (Charles Clarke and Tony Blair did), or have youngsters aspiring to University who might be put off by the possible debt, or just see the inequality that will resu lt, write to Charles Clarke at 59 Bethel St. Norwich and tell him your opposition to Top-up Fees.

Hopefully this will leave him in no doubt where Norwich South constituents stand on this issue when it is debated in Parliament in November.

Vi rgo

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Virgo's, especially those beginning with J or B, are in for the best week ever. Everybody loves you , and will buy you lots of double vodkas and cokes. Sexy dancing at Mercy on Tuesday will get you everywhere, and make certain people very jealous.

Lucky Top: The black one fromJane Norman (girls), the checked shirt from Elements (boys.)

Libra

A sudden thunderbolt strikes you this week and squashes you into an ant. Metaphorically speaking unfortunately. That fit boy/girl you think fanc ies you doesn't. Don't be so arrogant. They're just laughing at your hair. Take the hint, get it cut. Unlucky day: All of them .

November at the UEA literary festival? As US Secretary of State under Clinton, Mrs Albright commented that the deaths of 500,000 Iraqi children under US sanctions constituted a "price" worth paying . She played a leading role in the 1999 bombing of Serbia and fai led to stir up an adequate response to the unfurling tragedy of Rwanda. When UN Secretary-General Boutros-Gali signified his intention to publish a critical report about the 1996 Israeli bombing of a refugee camp in Lebanon , Albrig ht warned that the US wo uld veto him for his second term , a threat which she duly carried out.

I'm sure most people who attended this event, rega rdless of their opinions about Albright, expected her to be subjected to proper critical questioning .

Instead, she was, more or less, permitted to spend an hour promoting her memoirs. The interviewer sympathetically implored her to give the "correct" version of events, barely attempting to counter or cha llenge any of her assertions.

Albright claimed that her notorious remark about US sanctions was a stupid mistake provoked by an aggressive, biased interviewer. So why did she continue to support such a ruinous and ultimately futile policy after she was made so dramatically aware of its consequences?

Quite bizarrely, she explained away her jingoistic description of America as the "indispensable nation" as an effort to persuade her fellow citizens of the benefits of multilateralism!

Her responses to the probing questions at the end of the session were evasive and disingenuous. Quizzed about the the continued US bombing of Iraq after the conclusion of the first Gulf War, Albright replied that she resented being compared to Saddam Hussein , although no such implication had been made! At the end of the talk, she said she was "saddened" by the hostile atmosphere of the Lecture Hall.

Pe rsonally, I am saddened that the organizers of this event did not devote more thought to the invitation and reception of such a contraversial figure.

Judith Lubbock Liberal Democrat City Councillor Big Noise Regarding the poor attendance at the Big Noise demonstration last week.

Perhaps it was because all the students will be voting Conservative at the next election as we are the only major party committed to scrapping tuition fees .

William L.W. Kemp,Secretary, UEA Conservative Future Branch

' Madeleine Albright May I ask why Madeleine Albright was not given a more rigorous interview on 29

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This was because of leaves on the line, the postal strike and the wrong kind of rain .

The Enquirer will return with a vengeance next issue.

Editor Jim Whalley Deputy Editors Ruth Charnock and Rebecca Lawrence News Editor Thorn Smith Contributing Editor Toby Lewi s Features Editor Toby Brunt Fashion Editor Hannah Walker Sports Editor Marc Dudley Chief Photographer Gareth Davies News Ph otographer Paul Vincent Advertising Manager Edward Mooney Distribution Manager Joe Dunthorne

Page 17

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Soapbox What's best and worst in Sport today. ..

Marc Dudley looks at the burning issues

Why Dwain, why?

I know its old n ews now, but the THG drug wi ll b e in many people's minds leading up to the Olympic Games in Athens next year. T hat is, of course, if th e major sporting event goes ahead, now that the IOC are con cern ed by the number of cases they are discovering around the world . It has already been suggested tha t the whole American athletics team is to be banned from competing next year after many of the ir top athletes have tes ted positive for the banned THG (tetrahydrogestrinone, yeah I know its easier to say THG, bul at least you know what it stands for now!) drug. And of cou rse our own Dwain Chambers has also admitted to taking the drug . He denies knowingly taking it, but as much as we want to believe that, s hould we let Chan1bers ever represent our country again? Whe ther or not h e knew he was taking t h e drug is not the issue, it is th e fact that he has that makes it wrong. Many young athletes have no doubt looked up to the lOOm European champion, and if h e is not punished , many athletes may feel they can gel away with taking drugs. Yes, h e is one of o ur fmest athletes, and that is a good enough reason to not let him of the hook. Who knows how long h e has "unknowingly" been taking the drug? And why shou ld we b e feeling sorry for him? Does him saying he didn 't know h e had taken the drug make us forgive hin1? I don 't think so; the real victims are.fellow Britis h athletes like Darren Campbell and Malcolm Devonish who could lose the ir silver medals from the 4xl00m re lay a l th e World Championships, due to Chambers being on the same team. All th e ir hard work has been ruined by s omeone trying to cheat to victory.

He n eeds lo be punished, whether we like it or n ot, as we need to set an example for other athletes. Taking drugs, knowingly or not, is wrong and it is a s hame that Athletics wi ll always have a problem with it, and we must not forget the real victims in this. The athletes that work day in, day out for many years h ave no chance against those that take drugs. We s h ould they su ffer? All we can do is punish those that u se them, even if it is our own heroes.

Rare away victory for City as they continue to set the division alight Na tionw ide Division One: Walsall 1 Norwich City 3 !AN SMITTON

Walsall were taught a les son in pass and move football as Norwich produced a s ensational performance at the Bescot Stadium.

With Ma rc Ed wo rthy inj u red.

Phi! Mulryn e re turned to th e s ta rlin g lin e- u p and Gary Ho lt was s wit c h ed to r-ight b ack . Th e Ca nat; es co u ld

eas ily h ave sco red fi ve by h a lf- li me: Mu lryne an d Mc Ve igh hi l th e ba r. Fra n c is saw a g rea t c han ce saved <tncl Mackay saw hi s e ffo rt c lea red o ff th e lin e.

Non vich we re in u nsto ppab le for m . ye t s urpri s in gly it was n o t until th e 52nd m inute th a t they sco red th rou gh !a n He nd c r so n . Pe r h a ps . m o re s LII·pr;s ing ly was th e f<~ c t th a t Wa lsa lf were lead ing unti l

A whitewash by England? (Yes, England!)

With the winter to ur now under way, England recorded their first test series win of the year. We managed to beat the mighty Bangladesh (I know they are crap, but they can't h e lp it!) by playing som e good cricket in both test matches. A seven wicket victory in the first test was fo!Jowed by a massive 329 run win in the final test. It was a good series for Matthew Haggard, who has just come back from a long injury layoff and showed us that he has still got what it takes to play international cricket. It was also good to see the introduction fresh talent with all-rounder Rikki Clarke showing us h e has a future in the England squad. Richard Johnson and debulant Martin Saggers were also Impressive, as England put in an impressive performance in Dhaka. Yes, it may have been against the worst test nation in the world, bul there were many positives to lake from these games. Michael Vaughan and co are playing well, and the old is blending in well with the expelienced oldies. Maybe its the start of a good five years for English cricket, or maybe it isn't! We will find out soon when England travel to Sri Lanka later next month.

Golden Quotes "I d idn't like playing in Italy. It was like living in a foreign country"

/an Rush after his unsuccesful spell with Juventus in Italy. Expect an investigation into the skills of Welsh geography teachers in the near future.

tha t po int. from a 9 th minute s trik e by Ga ry Birc h ta ki ng a d va ntage o f a n e rro r b y Ad <t m D r u ry. He nd e rs on's equ a lise r was soo n fo llowed up by a lm ost icl e nt ica l goa ls

by McVe ig h in th e 60th minut e a nd Cro u c h fo ur min utes la te r. givi ng Norwic h a ri c hly d ese rve d 3- l wi n .

Thi s p e rfo r m a n ce was not a bou t incl ivi d u<t ls: th e movem e nt a nd pass ing thro u g hout th e t ea m was s ublim e: Nonvic h a ttac ks s prung fro m a ll ove r the pitc h as th ey we re do m ina n t in every a rea and un lucky no t to sco re mo re.

Th e o nly n ega tive ta ke n from th e Cana ri es' pe rfor m a n ce was Peter Crouc h 's h ars h se n ding-o ff in t h e 88t h minute f01· a seco nd ye ll ow ca rd. Pau l Ritchie was a lso se nt off for the home s ide.

Manage,- Nigel Wo rt hingto n was in agree m e n t wi th m os t fa n s th at t h is was th e best performance of the sc<tson. "that was a great performance from start to finish. l couldn't han· asked for more ... The win was Norwich's third in th1·ee g:ames following home wi11s a,l(ainst Derby <tn cl Sundedand.

The C'ana,;cs were lucky lo beat Derby ha vi nl( been outJ!aved for eightv minutes

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only to score two late goals. thro u gh Robe rt s a n d Mu lryn e 2- 1.

Aga in s t to w in S u ncfcr fancl City pe r fo r m e d b e tte r. but again th ey we re lu c ky lo t<1kc a ll three po int s with Da mi e n Franc is scoring lh e o nly goa l.

These vic to ,;es h ave e n s ured th <~ l Cit y h <tve h a d th e ir bes t s ta rt to a season for a long li me a nd n111 s t no w h ave a realis tic c ha n ce o f pro m o ti on lo th e prem ie rs hip . Wit h no team s rea lly be ing favori tes to ta ke th e titl e. City can with a b it of lu ck and hard wo rk h ope full y reac h th e ir goa l. for whi c h Ca n a 1y fa ns have been wa iting a n d h op in g for m any yea rs.

ANARIES

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Capsizes and attacks from safety crew for UEA at Student nationals THOM SMITH

The UEA Sailing Team went to the Weymouth and Portland Sailing Academy on November 1 to battle against other university dinghy sailors in the Laser 2 Student Nationals.

The team consist('{] of three boats. with Dand 0;1\' (helm) a11cl Tim Graltar11 (ere\\): Nick Stratton (helm) ami Gr<~hmn Robinso11 (crew): l'alll Washbook (helm) and Fran Bunnington (crew).

In race one. Day-Graham nnishecl second. h<tving

mamtanwd a position in tilt' lrn11t It'll all tllroliQfl tilt' r<H't'. while in till '-'<TO!Id 1'<1<'('. after a poor "L1rt IIH'\ worked tlH ,,. ,,·av up IIJrougll till' lkl'l fnnn :201 f1 to four! ll. In bet\Vt'l'tl till ''" 111!.(. there \\'a .... a """ i "i" n I H't ,,.,·en ,1 No t 111gh;un Tn·nt boat ,,·llit'11 \\';1~ nn pnl'l .111d lail<-d to gi\'t' ,,.,,~ and tlw lJE:\ buat whit'll harf no w;nt·r to t'\'!Hic into.

TIHHJQh tilt· l)o;1t ;.ullered from somt' darna((c. it was still sailabk.

Unfnnunately in the third nK<' the lilir lead snapped on a run renderin£1; the jib use less. and eventually causing a

eapsiZl' and damal(inQ their "Pinnakt'r. 11 tilt'_\ had held their posit1nn bt'lon' the fai1· h-;ttl \\'<'111 tllt'y I\'011fd lla\'l' bt•t•n fourth 0\'t'!',dl. llml'en· r. they \\Tr<' fon,·d to rt'IIIT <HHI t llnt hrrc !'tnhht'd 2Gt h m·n all.

St rat toll HobiJlS<III raced < nmlH'tt·nrh·. largl'lv ill the middlt· ol the llt·<'l for tlteir ntc·l·~.

in r0C'l' ntH' fitHslline;

:l9lli. \\'lrik tilt' other boats "t!lkn·d in ran· two they fin 1,.,hetl :lSth. '"'tl ill ran· three tht'y finbhed ..J.Oth. Overall t hev came ..J.Sth. \Vashbrook-Bonnin~ton capsized du r in£1; race lwo.

l-lm\T\'t'L t lw motorboat ttst·d to n·snll' thl'm eat~»l'd tn•u ble and t•ndan£1;e!-ed 1heir s;1ft·t~·- ,~, tlte driver t·att'ot'd 11 to hit \Vasllbrook 011 the hem! t\\·in·. lwlon· Ion ing l!illl under the kel'l. it ,,.a, a11other La"t't 2 ill 1111 rat'inl( lkct that chltkcd 011

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left to drift away by till' rt scut' boat lit' was lirrt'ed to retin· with injurit'"· Overall the boat finished in the SOs. Any cl!a!lt'l'" to tTg;1i n posi t ions the next da~· Wt'r<' da~lwd. as sailin£1; wa~ ~us pendcd due to severe winds.

Concrete Wednesda)i November 5. 2003

www.concrete-onJine.co.uk

Page 19

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• GOLFERS STILL UNBEATEN Golf BVSA League Midlands Division Two B Nottingham Trent VEA

3 3

JAMES TAYLOR

UEA end Nottingham's unbeaten run, as Captain Cooper believes in promotion Men's Squash BUSA League Midlands Division Two A: UEA 3 Nottingham 2nd XI 2 IAN SMITTON

UEA gained their second win in three games; always looking in control agalnst a Nottingham side that travelled to Norwich boasting a lOOOA> record in the league this season.

Number two ranked player.

Peter Clutton-Brock, secured the win for the home side with a three game victory over Hugo Elliott (9-5. 9 -2 , 9-6).

The home side were handed a massive boost as Nottingham arrived with just four players, one short of their full complement.

As a result Mark Anderson was given a walkover in what would have been a decisive match.

The first two matches. involving the third and fourth ranked players were both won

in three games. Mike Perfect was defeated by Nottingham's Paul Mastroddi; (3-9 , 3-9, 59) while UEA captain Philip Cooper ran out a comfortable winner against Joe Faulkner (9-3, 9-6 , 10-9) . This put the home side into a 2 - 1 lead with the top two ranked players left to play. Though Kieran Clinton-Tarestad was unlucky to lose an epic encounter with Colin George, (9-4. 2 -9 . 4 -9 . . 9 -2 . 4 -9) it turned out to be irrelevant, as Cooper and Clutton-Brock had already secured overall victory for UEA. The whole team were understandably ecstatic; Captain Philip Cooper described the team performance as. "excellent. against a very competitive side,· and. despite the walk-over on the bottom court. he described it

as. "an unexpected victory that should secure us a good league position." In speaking of UEA's ambitions for the season, Cooper revealed that they were aiming for a top two finish and promotion.

However, with Loughborough having whitewashed all before them (Including UEA) this season, second is the realistic aim, which on this performance they have every chance of making.

The women's squash team were also due to play Nottingham, but they were awarded a walk-over as the away team failed to make it to the Sportspark. Captain Sophie Nash. was disappointed in not having a match to play. but the 3 points will help the team to achieve their aim of qualifying for the playoffs.

The UEA golfers continued their fine form this season with a hard fought point away at Nottingham Trent.

James Taylor and Captain Graham Badger kept their unbeaten BUSA records going with respective victories of 4&2 and 6&5, while Matthew Tilbrooke came In with the third point at the 18th hole to secure the draw. winning three of the last four holes. President of the Golf Club, Jonny Reason. said after the game, "I was pleased with the performance the boys put In today. At one point a was on the cards, but we showed real character against one of our main rivals for promotion." The match followed victory over Lincoln and a point against Stoke leaving UEA second In the league.

PROMISING START FOR UEA ATHLETES I Successful opening race for cross-country runners

The first cross-country race of the season t ook place at Bacton woods on Wednesday 2 1st October.

The race inspired a good turnout of 13 UEA athletes, which for many was their first competitive race.

The conditions were cold and damp, however, nothing could dampen the spirits of the team as they psyched themselves up for a grueling lOK In the men's case and 5K for the women's team.

Despite the weather and the treacherous conditions underfoot every member of the team dug deep and gave it they're all. Richard Zlelinski made a fantastic debut as he finished second with David McKinlay coming in just behind with a fifth place.

Closely following the leaders were All McGeoch-Williams and Ed Beningfield coming in at 20th and 32nd respectively.

Fine efforts were made by the club president Steven Hanis and James Colley with which they were rewarded with their

48th and 50th finishes.

The women's team made a extremely promising start to the season as they took both first and second places as Jess Towbridge coasted to victory, followed by Lynn Emmett.

Close on -their heels were Lynn Holmgreen and Loulse Sime who achieved a fourth and thirteenth placing. All Beckett, Nlka Obydzinski and Yael Velleman were competing for

the first time and finished fifteenth, twenty-second and twenty-third respectively.

With well over a hundred cornpetltors the UEA athletes made an outstanding start to the season , with the women team taking a lead in the overall uni versity league table. Overall it was a brilliant start to the season and all competitors look forward to the next race at Colchester today.

OPEN 24 HOURS A DAY _ 1 DAYS A WEEK L---- ----- ----------------------___J • 20 Snooker tables • 3 pooI t a bl es e 2 American pool tables e Satelll·te TV • Video Games • £250 jackpot machines • Hot and cold food available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week • Licensed bar at low prices 1Oam·11 pm, 12·1 0.30pm Sun

ISTUDENT MEMBERSHIP-£31 St Mary's Plain, Norwich Tel: 627478 Only 5 minutes from Norwich market

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ood week for football First Team as UEA records victories in both league and cup games Men's Football BUSA League Midlands Division One {A): UEA 3 De Monljort (Bedford) 0 ROSS GRAINGER

The Men's Football First Team recorded their first BUSA victory last Wednesday at home to Demontford Bedford.

The team also progressed into the nexi round of the Junior Cup by beating local side Wells Town F. C. The match against DMB came a week after the team's second consecutive loss in BUSA matches. On the 22nd of October the team travelled to Nottingham Tren t University and lost 3-l . Second team keeper Tom Spilanie filled in for the injured Henk van Dalen but was unable to prevent the loss.

The following Saturday the team came up against Wells Town in the Junio1· Cup and Captain John Fish was expecting nothing less than a

win. With six regular first the game out of reach late on team players missing through with a penalty to win the injury or absence, captain game 3-0. The win rounded Fish was forced to field an off a good day for men's footuntested side. ball. The second team New boy Tom Bucket filled in recorded their first BUSA viewell at the centre of defence r - = =w: for absent flrst year Dun can McHardy. Lewis Broomfleld and Nick Dyer got the goals in a convincing performance, with Fish and Jake Berry commanding the game in midfield, and Michael Grant c reatin g chances on the left. The boys were able to put their two consec utive BUSA losses behind them when they met DMB on a rainy afternoon.

Dan Petlo got the first goal in a tense first h alf. Then in the second half tricky midfielder Stuart Jenkinson got the a ll-importa nt second goal, and Skipper Fish put

tory of the season \vith a deserved 3-0 win over UC Northampton. Rob Foster.

Chris Sharp and Tom Burton got the goals.

The win takes the Blues of

the botlom of the table, but they still find themselves in the relegation zone. Hopefully the winning feeling will give them the confidence to catch up with leaders Warwick and

I) Eight tentacles (7) 3) A colour (6) 4) Against the law (7) 6) Once a year (6) 7) Large bird cage (6) 11) Tool (5) 12) Famous cricket ground.

The ... (4) 13) Official Inquiry (7) 16) Small, mischievous fairy (3)

18) 20) 21) (6)

.,.

24) 25)

A round-up of all the UEA teams' results in the BUSA league can be found on page I 7 of this issue.

Set by Sarah

Concrete Prize Crossword #4 7 ACROSS

start challenging for promotion.

DOWN

l) Ancient Egyptian God (6) 2 ) S m a ll ch ild (7) 5) Flock of Geese (6) 8) Used to cook (4~ 9) Counting device (6) l 0) Organ of sight (3) I l) Sacred (6) 14) Insect/parasite (5) 15) Quickly (5) 17) Ultimate extent (5) 19) Inte rna l structu re of a nything (7) A sign (4) Vase (3) 22) Opposite of Alkali (4) Bike with 2 sets of p edals 23) Female title (4) 26) Female member of religious order (3) Motion picture (4) i...o'lrge Australian bird (3)

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There ' s a selection of singles up for grabs for completion of the crossword. Fill in your name and a contact number or e-mail address below and bring it up to the office within the next two weeks. Have fun.

Name: : Contact: I · I I

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