Concrete issue 159 28 01 2004

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Crucial top-up fees vote too close to call as Concrete goes to press ALYSSA MORRISEY

By the time Concrete appears, the result of the crucial vote on the introduction of t op-up fees will be known. At the time of going to press, however. it was still unclear whether the Govemment had succeeded in wlnnlng enough support to prevent defeat on an Issue that could

education system. As of Monday night, a threatening number of rebel MPs still stood film in their plans to oppose the govemment white paper that would allow universities to raise tuition fees to up to £3000 per year. Universities that choose to raise their fees from the current rate of £1125 are required to abolish up-front fees altogether; the money will then be recovered from the graduates once their annual income reaches £15000. The bill also guarantees £3000 in aid for the poorest students. Though university students are almost unanimous in their opposition, in parliament the situation has been much more complex, with many Labour MPs torn between opposing the Issue and supporting their Prime Minister. The next week and a half will be a nail-biting time for Tony Blair, who today faces the report of

the Hutton Enquiry, less than 24 hours after the topup fees vote. Should both go badly for Mr Blalr, it could mean the end of his premiership. On Friday, Education Secretary Charles Clark claimed to "feel very confident", although he admitted "the vote will still be very tight indeed." At the height of the opposition, 155 Labour MPs signed a motion against top-up fees, though many, including excabinet minister Chrls Smith, appear to have changed their mind, in the face of a campaign of concessions and promises from Mr Clark and Mr Blair. lf the govemment have indeed suffered their first defeat since taking office in 1997, it will have taken the combined might of all the opposition parties, plus 82 Labour rebels. Here at UEA, the anti-fees battle was fought with letter writing campaigns, countless

publicity stunts, questions posed directly to Mr Clark (our local MP) and trips to national NUS marches. But while most students voiced their uncertainty regarding the ethics of top-up fees, many are doubtful that the bill will fall in parliament. '"Ibere seems to be no real solution," second-year student Burgoyne JacquJ admitted. "I definitely don't think that it's good to charge students more, but then again, I also heard t h e University was in Debt, and they have to get the money from somewhere." Since 200 1, Mr Blair and Mr Clark have vowed not to obtain the £10 blll1on gap in education funding from taxpayers. Both believe that the money should come from the students who benefit from a university education. Both

also insist that the bill would attract more students from poorer backgrounds into the education system. However, students say that the bill will do the opposite. According to Union Communications Officer Ned Glasler, "Students from poorer backgrounds have more problems with debt. 1hls is a well known fact. The fees are such a disincentive for students to go to a university." For future UEA students, the bill would mean up to £20000 of debt after Mr Glasler

cause dents to choose their university and courses based on cost. He said,

"Differential fees between different universities are the worst part of the proposal." While there Is currently no official UEA policy on the level of fees the University will introduce, it is widely felt that most courses will charge the full £3000. ViceChancellor Dr Davld Eastwood has voiced his support for the Govemment's plans.

c.a.t. Wednesdar. Januarv 28, 2004

News

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Police say that Bikes, laptops, Mobiles and 50 politics essays have been stolen from UEA recently THOM S MITH News Editor In the last weeks the UEA campus has been hit by a large number of thefts , mostly of expensive laptops , mobile phones, bicycles and cash. Police have revealed that there have been at least five thefts from rooms i n Waveney Terrace so far this term , while schools and other residences have also been affected. On Saturday. 10 January, sometime between 12:50 and 1:50pm a video machine was taken from what police describe as an "insecure room " in the Education department. On Wednesday. January 14. between 10 and 11 a m. a man in the Science Building attempted to lift a Dell

Laptop . He was described as A white male about 5' 9-1 0" tall. with short ginger hair and a ginger goatee beard. He was wearing a read swea tshirt, blue jacket and Light b lue jeans. The following day. at about 10:30. a leath er briefcase which contained a mobile phone, wallet and cash-cards was stolen from the English and American Studies area. The bag was later recovered. at about 11 :45 from a disabled toilet: however the cards and phone were missing. Pc Richard Bell. the UEA's police officer has u rged students and staff alike to look after their belongings. in particular, marking their property and locking their rooms and offices. He said "Students sh ould challenge strangers on campus. partic-

ularly around the residences. It is also essential that students start to lock their doors more often. and mark their property. Ultra Violet pens are available from the police who have a stand in the Hive every Wednesday." He contin u ed, saying that the campus security staff needed to hear from students to be able to do their job: "If anyon e is suspicious of someone around campus. or thinks they or someone else have been the victim of crime they should call security or the police". On Sunday. security guards on campus detained two young men believing that they were connected to the thefts of bikes and possibly other goods from around the campus. The men were a rrested for going equ ipped to commit theft and on sus-

picion of theft. Generally confirming th at the thefts are opportunistic and that people s h ould be carefu l of leavin g t h eir belongings on display was the theft at about 10:45 am on January 16. when a white male about 6'2" tall. with blonde. collar len gth hair and dark clothing walked into the office. and took a laptop bag. The bag. did not con tain a laptop. It in fact contained the owner's passport and fifty politics essays. It was anticipated by police that the thief. on realising his mistake would probably discard the bag somewhere . and press statements wer e released asking for the return of the essays, as they wou ld be of little use to anyone else than the students who had put the work in to them.

JUSTIN FORREST WAVENEY ARRESTMADE

The theory was later confmned wh en the bag was eventu a lly picked up in Earlham park. with the essays inside. Anyone with any Information on any of the thefts from

Police h ave b een trying to t race wi tnesses since Septem ber. Anyone with any information a bou t the murder of Mr Forrest s hould contact the Incident Room on 0 1603 276 923 or Crtmestoppers anonymous ly on 0800 555 111 Above: Mr Justin Forrest

WAVENEY fem ale s are being forced to put up net curtains in their rooms after accusing builders of the new residences of spying on them when they get dressed. At least fo u r girls h ave m ade com plaints. and claim to have seen builders u sing binoculars, and video cameras. One resident said s h e had complained to her resident tutor wh o was told by the John Youngs Company that the equip ment the girls h ad seen was for s u rveying. "We've been told we can put up n et curtains a t our own expen se if they fit with the a ccommoda tion office's regulations . But I don't even feel I can open my curtains at all. I'm trapped in my room , and don't see why I should fork

Above: bikes on campus

PEEP SHOW

REBECCA LAWRENCE De puty Editor

Police have released a man on ball, pending further inquiries in connection with the murder of Mr Justin Forrest on Rockingham Road , near t he University Village in September. Police detained the 19 yearold man from Essex on the m om ing of Monday. Janu ary 12 and h e was qu estioned about the death of the 27year old West Earlham r esident. He was bailed about twen ty-four h ours later to a ppear again a t Bethel S treet in February. Mr Forrest. also known as "Jutty" died in hospital from severe h ead wounds s uffered in an attack upon him while h e was in Rockingham Road in the Wes t Earlham area on September 4 . a t about 10:30 pm.

campus recently s h ould contact Pc Richard Bell on 01953 424242 or call Crimestoppers on 0800 55511 1.

out money for n et curtains. " Hea d of Resident tutors !an Glllesple said h e had spoken to the accommodation office

and passed on the details of the students involved. !be liaison officer who deals with the contractors has spo-

ken to the building company. but it's diffic ult to pick out individuals. The foremen are doing their best to keep an eye on builders. We are very concerned about the situation. especially as it involves students." He urges residents to report incidents to security as soon as they occur to make it easier to identity individuals who may be spying on female students. "Steps will continue to be taken. and we will actively follow up any comp laints." The John Youngs build ing com pany re fu sed to say whether they wer e investigating t h e reports. but o n e builder asked . "Isn't it the other way round?" The company did add that if builders were found to be looking through windows, action would be taken . Above: builders at work

Inside Concrete This Wee GOLDEN TRIANGLE ROBBERIES Pate2:

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Your uroscopes uti sport Page 19: How did Norwich City get to the top?

Page 20: Sport

PAUL VINCENT Deputy News Editor

Police are searching for a gunman following three incidents in the Golden Triangle area within a week. Pub landlord Michael Dormer was confronted by an armed robber in his flat above the Rose Tavern at 5 :00 am, January 19. The robber. who wore a bala cla va, h a d climbed in through a n ups tairs window a nd dem anded that the 56-year old em pty th.e till. Mr Dormer. wh o has run the pub in Rupert Street for

seven years. told the Norwich Evening News how the incident fe lt "very surreal . it probably lasted a bout five minutes but time passes very slowly when you are in a situation like that" . The robber escaped from the premises on foot. Officers are considering the possibility that this incident is linked to two other recent armed attacks. The p revious day. an a s s istant a t the M&Ms s tore in Denblgh Road was forced to hand over cash from her till to a man b randishing a gun. Th e shop owner is offering a

拢1000 reward for information leading to a conviction. And on January 13. a woman was attacked at gunpoint a s she walked with a female friend through Chapelfield Gardens. at about 7 :40 am. Her screams scared the gunman away. and he ran off empty-handed . h eaded for the Cha pel Field Road underpass. In all three cases. the robber is described as being about 6ft tall. slim. dressed in da rk clot h es and balaclava . Anyone with infor mation should call Norwich police on (0 1953) 424242

c..cnt. Wednesday, January 28, 2004

I Got

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www.concrete-online.co.uk

a story? Email us at su.concrete@uea.ac.uk I CONSTITUENCY PROBLEMS

CINEMA CITY HAS ANEW HOME DEAN BOWMAN

On Friday, January 9, Cinema City formally reopened in its temporary venue of the Playhouse, St Georges Street with a speech from the controversial figure of Education Minister and local MP Charles Clarke. Showing a limited. though still diverse, programme of films each Sunday and Monday, plus one full week at the end of each month. the cinema will share the theatre with the Playhouse until the extensive rebuild of the 14th century merchant's house. in wWch Cinema City has been based since the seventies. Is complete. early In 2005. The cinema will then reopen with

three state of the art screens and the first digital projection outside of London. Mr David Litchfteld, manager of Cinema City, assured everyone that the new Cinema City would remain committed to Its artistic project of showing diverse and Innovative films and avoided the word 'multiplex.' In the next few weeks, there Is a special screening of The Last Laugh, a masterpiece of German Expressionism by FW Murnau, with a new soundtrack being performed live In the cinema by the duo Cipher. ' Also showing over the coming weeks are Lucas Belvaux's ambitious Trtlogy. Lars Von Trier's new documentary The Five Obstructions and Sofia

KEEPING IT GREEN PAUL VINCENT Deputy News Editor

Following years of petitioning from students, the university has finally launched a semester-long trial aiming to improve recycling facilities on campus. The trial Is taking place In Norfolk Terrace, where the kitchen bins have been supplemented with bins for recyclable materials, and In the ENV School. Plastics, paper, cardboard and cans may be recycled through the new scheme, though glass cannot be accepted since materials are handpicked after an Initial machine sort. Glass recycling facilities are located outside every residence. Ruth Cole. the Union environmental officer, has been visiting flats covered by the scheme over the past week and has found that "most people are happy with the scheme: the only problem Is that the non-recyclable bin Is filling too quickly now that there Is only one". While everyone Is In favour of the trial, students estimate that there Is room for tmprovement. Choden Karthek DEV 1 estimates that "more orientation Is needed, along with larger guidance notices". thoughts

echoed by James Crockett MGT 1 who would like "tmproved clarity". For Alex Mltchell CMP 1 the University and the Union could do more to promote recycling. and he suggests that "the UFO should recuperate used carrier bags" and believes that compost bins should be available. Miss Cole explained that the success of this trial phase will be judged by "whether or not the Norfolk Environmental Waste Services (NEWS) Is happy that they are getting enough uncontaminated material to make it worthwhile". And, Indeed, contamination Is an Important risk, with students required to clean all recyclable materials and make sure that not the slightest crumb of food finds its way Into the container. lest the entire collection should have to be thrown away. If the company Is satisfied with the results, the scheme will be extended across the whole of campus. the village and Mary Chapmen Court from lst August. But first the university wants to make sure that students are using the scheme properly so that it can be sure that the cost Is not being wasted. Below: bins

Coppola's acclaimed Lost In Translation. Guest speaker Charles Clark MP then took a break from his top-up-fees proposals and spoke eloquently and enthusiastically about the role of cinema at the forefront of artistic and technical fields. emphasising both its creative worth on the level of personal and social development and politically commented on its tmportant role In the economy and job markets. Mr Clark went on to say how he believed Norwich to be a city at the cutting edge of various artistic fields nationally and that he felt this to be an tmportant area for development saying that 'creativity is vital for the future of this city.'

Mr Clarke relaxes away .from top up fees at Cinema City

FOR CIARKE It is understood that the Education Secretary and UEA's MP, Mr Charles Clarke has had his seat listed as in danger. Regional party officials are believed to have listed Mr Clarke's constituency In Norwich as "key marginal". event though at the 2001 election. he kept the seat with a majority of about 9000. TWs categorisation means that Mr Clarke will receive more resources to fight Ws election campaign for the next General Election. There Is a perceived threat from the Liberal Democrats. and it Is acknowledged that the war on Iraq and the threat of top-up-fees have damaged labour's support In middleclass heartlands and In university towns such as Norwich.

RIDINCi WITH THE DEAD THOM SMITH News Editor

A cycle route proposed to run between the city and the UEA through Earlham Cemetery is being planned, despite being attacked by local residents. Mr Gordon Dean, the City Council's executive member for transport came under fire for proposing the cycle route, wWch would begin at Stafford Street and run to the Fiveways roundabout near the UEA. He said that the main aim of the scheme was to provide a safe route

for schoolchildren to travel. while keeping them clear of the busy Dereham. Earlham and Unthank roads. More than £150.000 has been allotted to the scheme in the 2003-4 year. and provisionally, a further £80.000 for the next year. However, local newspapers such as the Evening News have reported that local residents. particularly those with relatives buried in the cemetery are opposed to the Idea of putting a track through the graveyard. Many have expressed the opinion that the cemetery

will no longer be

and quiet if the cycle track Is built. However there Is already a series of tracks running through the grave yard and these are regularly used by people walking and

cycling through on their way to Derham Earlham or Bowthorpe Roads. Above Picture: Aerial view of Earlham Cemetery

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Pay dispute and top-up fees may mean lecturers will go on strike; with NUS' backing THOM SMITH News Editor The Association of University Teachers (AUT) is holding a s trike ballot, over a proposed modernisat ion and pay package . The AUT h as refused to accept a dea l over the "mod erni sa tion of pay s tru ctures". though tile Un ions for uni versity upport staff. AMI CUS/MSF and U ISO h ave provisionally accepted. The AUT says th a t U1e pay deal could lead to some staff losing £4 7.000 ove r the next 2 1 years. and recommends that its members vote in favo ur of a strike. Ms Sally Hu nt. th e Gene1·ai Secretary of the AUT described the pay settlement offered as "pa ltry" . and said that the Governments plans for vanab le lop-up fe es. designed to in crease fundin g

in highcr cducation would "h ave little or no benefit to academi c and senior support staff . . Sim ilar schemes a lleged ly to boost acade mics' pay have in the past resulted in as little as 30 per cent of t11 e allotted funds actually filtering through to staff". In a poll cond u cted last year. some 80per ce nt of th e membership of the union oppo ed top -up fees. In 1998 . when t uiti on fees were introduced. ministers said the money raised would go towards hig h e r ed u ca tion . but acco rding to Ms Hunt. this money has replaced. not a dded to the public money put towards h igh er edu cation. The Nationa l Union of Students (NUS) has pledged its support to the AUT's campaign for decent pay. a lthough students may be a ffected by any st rikes

brought as a result. According to an NUS spokespc rson. "tlw NUS is backing the AUT fully because the last thing that students want is underpaid. under motivated lecturers". According to UEA internal personnel e-mails there is no reason for the AUT's ac ti on s to a ffect the status of non re presen ted workers . The

UEA's director of personnel. Cccilc Piper has said in one e-mail: 'The ballot by the AUT will not affect the UEA's decision to pay colleagues represe nt ed by UN ISON and AM ICUS/MSF thc pay award of 3.44% in January". Ms Jackic Gran leese. the AUT's representative at UEA told Co ncrete that 'There a re

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approximately 500 members at UEA. and others will come out in support of us ." Wh en pressed as to whether the AUT's actions would affec t students. she said that at the moment tile s ituation of a strike was "purely hypothetical". but reiterated the AUT's statemen ts that the NUS is backing til e AUT. and said "It is appa lling how li ttl e academics a rc paid in compa ri son to th e tim e and effort it took th em to ge t their qu alifications ... some student may wish to becom e academi cs. and they wi ll be paid a low wage if we do not take ac tion ." She continu ed by saying that she was in favour of tile vo le being for a strike. Sl udents however. may be less convinced. One ENV 3 student said "I was in France when tllcre was a general strike and bot h the staff and students went on strike.

ISABEL DYSON University car parking fines have been dramatically reduced for staff. Following m any complaints, Registrar, Brain Summers, has reviewed the current car parking policy and resolved a significant cut to the fining of "scratch card" related offenders. Staff who park on the inner Un iversity s ite u se "scra tch card" parking tickets. These contain pancls to represent a day of parking and arc scratched off for each appro -

priale day. then displaycd in the windscrcen along \\'ilh a \'alid car park pPrmil. The pre\ious fine was £40 for non-renewed and out -of-date cards. which caus(·d much distress to members of stall when simple errors or poor memories werc th ought to be disproportionate to the penalty. The fine for "scratch card" rcl a tecl offences has now been dropped from £40 to £15 and those who hm·c been charged in the past will be entitled to a refund or credit of the difference. The amendment comes as a wel come to all stall who believed

THE FUTURE IS LIVE(WIRE) MARK VRIONIDES A generous Christmas grant from the Union of UEA Students has given Livewire student radio station a much-needed boost. From a hazardous. incredibly basic setup which h a rked hack to the ea rly nineties to the new state-of-t h c-m·t twin studios. things in the world of UEA student radio are looking up. UEA h as occasionally been attacked for a lac k of st ud ent media. It appears that most s tud en ts have quickly fo rgo tten th e Nexus TV sta tion and many are not even aware that there is a stud en t ra dio s ta tion broadcasting 24/7: al l that seems to be a bout to change. h owever. with Livewire's reva mped s tudi os. As

O!E JUGH£1\ EOLIC.\TIO:\

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Despite a strike tllrough til e exa m period. I don 't think much ca m e from it". The AUT's ballot is expected to be dosed on February I I . a nd the resu lt will be announced on February 12. If the votc i "yes" there \vill b e an initia l nation a l strike and then regional st rikes. with actions short of a strike - including the boycotting of al l assessment a nd call-out cover. Centre picture: Lecturers Strike in th e Midla11ds in 2002

SPONSORED SWIM

EARN CASH The Uni,·ersily is looking for st ud ents to join the brand new Student Ambassador Scheme. which provides a great oppo rtu nity for st u dents to get involved in something that offers linan cial. professional and person a l reward!>. Activit ies wi ll include. a mong other roles. being a buddy at summer schools and attending co nventions Rates of pay vary depend ing on the activity but the basic hourly rate is £6.32 a nd expenses wi ll be paid where necessary. Further information and applica tion forms are ava il ab le for downloading a t www.uca.ac.uk/acccss/amb assadors or cmail c.dimblf'by@u ea.ac. uk.

aut

Livewire·s !lead of Advcrlisin((. Simon \Villiams. put it. "the revolution has begun . Together with the new equipment. Livt>\virc has forged a relationship with XFM. London's popular n ew music sta ti on. XFM has now become Livewire·s ·sustainer service· . This means that during the n ight and whenever Livewirc DJ"s aren't on the decks. XF'M wi ll be going out over Livcwire·s frequ ency of 1350AM . On top of tllis. Livewire wi ll be broadcasting two particular XF'M shows. Chris ti a n o·connell"s breakfast show and Ricky Gervais' Sa tu rday s h ow. Mr. Willia m s is kee n to point out that th is is not a case of give a little. ta ke a little - as fan s of these shows. th e Livewire tean1 as ked for

this arrangement. Students. though. remain to be convinced. Edward Slater DEV3 remarked that where he lived the signal was "all too scratchy". Mr. \Vi ll iams shrugged this off. I le is confident that word \\ill gel around and tllal tile availabi lity of the show onlinc will put an end to long-sta nding problems with rcception n earer the city. With the possible return of llivewi rc (Livewire on ai r in the Hive for t11 e flagship show of 12-2 pm) . a variety of prom otional offers in collaboration with UC I Cinema and Nando's. and rumours of an upcoming relaunch spectacul ar in tile LCR. his confi dence is understandable. Pictu re: Tlte New- look Livewire studio

the previous penalty was too extreme and on many occa s ions such fines resulted in unplcasantn('SS with security staff enforcing this University policy. The University and its surrounding site hm·e seen no end ~ tire trou~~ rnu~d by car parking and lack of appropriate space. Measures

must be takt>n to make the problems lf'ss contentious and frustrating for car owners. It is hoped this revised policy will satisfy staff at the University and bi·ing about tile end to previous scenes of irritation and the se i·ious lack of civility that has been displayC'd by many agitated employees.

On February 4. the STAR charily. which aims to improve rf'fugees and asylum seekers 1·ights and lives. will hold a sponsored S\\im. in the North Sea. The swim will raise money for the Reel Cross Norfolk Branch to help pay for shorttcrm accommodation. so that asylum seekers do not have to s leep on the streets. Those who wish to take part shou ld drop by the STAR stall in the I live on Tuesday 27 January between 12 and 2pm. or e-mail k.bowkcr<~1uea.ac.uk.

Participants in the S\\'illl will meet at 2pm in the Hive on Febnmry 4. bcforc goi ng to Lowestoft beach.

Co.cr.te Wednesda y, January 28. 2004

News

IN BRIEF BIKE THEFTS HIGHLIGHT LOCAL NEWS FROM THE lAST WEEK A Suffolk village has wound up with a 39 foot high mobile phone mast, despite the Mid Suffolk Council refusing planning permission. The council missed the deadline for giving a valid refusal because it sent the notice using a 20p second class stamp, in order to save money. Residents described the council as "incompetent" Passengers of the Anglian Coaches HalesworthNorwich bus route have found themselv~s stranded, after the timetables were misprinted. Abbreviated timetables appeared to show a return bus service, which did not in fact exist. Residents of St Martin's way in Thetford had raw sewage pour over their gardens for thirty-six hours while Angllan water and contractors wrangled over whose j urisdiction the blocked drain causing t he flood came under. Anglian Water said the blockage was in a private drain and therefore not their problem. Contractors traced the blockage to one of Anglian Water's pipes, and said it was not their problem. Angllan water eventually unblocked the drains. A team of experts is being employed by Norwich Council to fl..x the clock in the city. It is hoped that in the ne.rt few weeks, the clock will be able to tell the time again, even though it has only shown 12:00 for the last few months. F i rs t Bus Company has explained that it would be able t o run its services on time if it were not for t h e passengers taking so long to get on and off the bus. Managing Director of First, John Pope explained to city councillors that he had never seen people anywhere else in t he country take so long to get on and off the busses. Though passes speeded things up, her suggested that many did n ot like t o show their pas ses because "they s ee it as an affront". Solicitors for a Norfolk estate agent have said that he forgot about the gun in his hand luggage when he a ttempted to board a plane at Stanstead airport. The gun, which fired ball bearings, was found by security before the man boarded. Mr David John Burrows said that he put the weapon in the bag some time previously to keep it safely away from his young daughter. .

MARY CHAPMAN FEARS TOBY BRUNT

At 7am last Friday, thieves stole a mountain bike from railings in Mary Chapman Court, Duke Street. According to students. this is not an Isolated Incident. Since September. residents recall at least twenty bikes or components being stolen from the railings inside the public courtyard at MCCincludlng a quick-re lease wheel. Victim Leigh Barber. a first year SOC students. believes the university does not do enough to secure the residences from would-be thieves living in the council estate adjacent to the resi dences. "We're considered out-of-sight-out-of-mind by UEA. They haven't even nstalled a bike rack. The thieves will take anything and it's easy pickings here. " Lelgh bought the bike a week before for ÂŁ80. and as Leigh's only means of transport. 'The buses are too expensive

and now I have to buy a new bike". exclaimed an appalled Leigh. who also said he had to chase the thieves away from another bike. compromising his own safety. The occupants of MCC report being consistently fearful for their safety after witnessing violent drugs disputes between people living in the estate. "Once. a man was being kicked In the head outside my window". recalls one resident. Another recollects hearing a man in anupstalrs window shouting to another below. "For f"*k sake. I'll let you know when I've f"**ing got some!". The residents are enraged that whilst safety on campus is of a high priority. absolutely nothing Is done to protect the well-being of students living in Mary Chapman Court. The debate continues. Please contact Toby Brunt at t.brunt@uea.ac. uk if you have any feedback.

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GET YOURSELF ELECTED

The Union will hold elections for ne.rt year's offic ers s oon, over t hree days February 17 , 18 and 19. Nominations for hopefu l candidates must be submitted by February 4. and the campaigning begins on February 13. Concrete will run an election special featuring all of the candidates and thei r manifestos next issue. The Posts available in the Union are four Sabbatical officers. and the five part time officers. The Sabbs are the Academic officer who

represents students In all academic matters. the Comms officer. who is responsible for the overall administra tion of Union polipubicity The cies and Finance officer. who administrates the Union's finances and resources and co-ordinates the training of those in the Union's clubs and societies. The Welfare officer Is the officer who represents the students on all non academic welfare matters. The part time officers are the Environment officer who Is

responsible for improving awareness of the environ ment and working on relevant campaigns. th e International officer who representats all International s tudents . the Liberations officer who represents students on matters concerning ethnicity. sexual orientation or disability. the Publicity officer who assists in the publicising of the Union and the Sports and Societies officers who assist respectively the Unions Sports Clubs and the Union's Societies.

FACULTY STRUCTURE UPDATE ISABEL DYSON

The re-structuring of UEA schools into four different faculties continues to be assessed. As previously reported by Concrete. the ViceChancellor, David Eastwood. out-lined proposals that four faculties of Health . Huma nities. Science and Social Science would increase the University's administrative efficiency and help with the debt a ris ing in the schools of the present system. The past three months have involved various reviews into the current schools sy tern and discussions with the

Vice-Chancellor and school boards. The aJm Is to free academic staff to allow greater fo cus on research and areas of expertise whilst llmitlng costs and Improving th e speed and efficiency of decision -making. It is thought that co ntact between students and academic staff will also improve as a result. Though it is widely felt that admtnistratlon staff are not being considered in the proposals staff now employed by schools will have to compete for faculty level jobs. though . as previously reported by Concrete. the University has had a longstanding policy of

no compulsory redundan cies. The Vice-Chancellor has now informed all staff that the next phase of the process will be undertaken. A group. chaired by David Eastwood . will develop a proposal to present to Senate and Council in March. Subgroups will co nsider the development of a new academic structure and a further group will consider its implem entation strategy to be put into practice from August 2004 . subject to agreement by Senate and Co uncil.

EX UEA ROWER CROSSES ATlANTIC TOBY BRUNT

Andrew Vincent, a former LLT student and boat club skipper, has successfully rowed across the Atlantic with his colleague, Alasdair

McGregor. In a race that included 16 other doublehanded teams from across the globe, Andrew and his partner managed to secure 4th position. The starting canon fired in the town of Los Gigantes in

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Tenerife. at llam on Sunday 19th October 2003 . The race route took the intrepid duo across the s hortest stretch of water between the African and South American continents . to the island of Barbados- a distance of 2 .900 nautical miles. The challenge was to beat the world record of 41 days. set by a New Zealand team in 1997. They arrived at Port St. Charles after 55 days and 1 1 hours . "We couldn't have timed it better". said Andrew. as he was welcomed back aboard dry land by good weather. and applaud of congratulation from his friends and family who had llown over especially to celebrate his accomplishment. Unru ly weather and emptybellied sharks hindered their attempt to make the cro sing. but overall Andrew tates "We're very satisfied with our fmai position. and the fact we're the first unass isted British crew means a huge a mount to us." For more information: www.atlanticrowing.com

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Features

Wednesdav, Januan• 28. 2004

Coacrete

•

1ng history You might not even be aware that it exists, but the East Anglian Film Archive has a host of ci nematic delights just waiting to be explored. Sarah Edwardes talks to Director, David Cleveland, to learn more of the Archive's illustrious history and future. he room is co ld, and the air feels crisper than it was in the corridor. Strange silver pipes lead across the ceiling , disappearing behind the immense system of shelves that stands in imposing conformity along the floor. Towering from each shelf are hundreds and hundreds of flat, cylindrical tins, each one identical to the next. Beneath their uniform greyness lurks something tantalising- a secret that has been meticulously sealed from the outside world. The holder of this secret is David Cleveland, Director of the East Anglian Film Archive , and we are standing in a vault that contains the collective cinematic history of the eastern region . Fortunately, David does not intend to keep its mysteries to himself. Since the EAFA's inception in 1976, he has overseen the accumulation of more than 50,000 moving images from Noriolk, Suffolk, Essex, Hertfords hire, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire - and nearly all of them are available for public viewing . "We have always had a policy of making sure that as many people as possible see the things in this archive," says David. "There are major series on television like The Way We Were, and we issue a whole series of video tapes that people can buy. We do 250 film shows a year, across the whole region of East Anglia, meeting up to 13,000 people directly. And now people can come into this new place and look at the material [for them -

selves] ." This "new place" is the Archive Centre at Martineau Lane in Norwich , which cost £6 .7 million to complete and opened its doors to the public last summer. lt is also a repository for the Noriolk Record Office and Noriolk Sound Archive , and boasts state-of-the-art exhibition spaces, public viewing galleries and lecture halls. The EAFA's films will gradually be moved from their original site at the University of East Anglia into the new temperature and humidity-controlled vau lts. David recalls how the ambitious project came about:

Since the EAFA's inception... he has overseen the accum ulation of more than 50, 000 moving 1mages "We were always based at the University of East Angl ia in Norwich , but we outgrew those premises some years ago and set about trying to find a way of getting purpose-built premises. The Nortolk Record Office lost their building in a fire , so the two organisations got together and decided to bid to the Heritage Lottery fund . We were successful and building finished just over a year ago." East Anglia 's archive was the first regional collec-

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lion of fi lm and television images in Britain , and includes moving pictures from as far back as 1896. was also one of the earliest to offer university training for future curators. David established UEA's Film Archiving Masters fourteen years ago, and his students have gone on to work in archives all over the wo rld. Demand for the course is high, and experienced graduates are vital to the profession , as David explains: "In the 1980s, the moving image archive profession rea lised that we ____ __,_ couldn 't always rely on people coming in who knew everything, and it was decided that there should be some teaching. People needed teaching, needed knowledge, needed expertise and skills. my deputy, Jane Alvey, and I set up th e MA course in 1990 to train new archivists." The films that the students work with are donated to the EAFA from a diverse range of sources. Each film that th e archive receives is stud ied, catalogued and - where copyright allows - reproduced fo r public viewing, before being preserved in the vaults. Coll ecting a variety of materials from six differen t counties gives the archive a very wide re mit: "We collect films that depict East Anglia in some way or other," says David. "So that may range from a cinema film, a newsreel from the cinema , it may be educational fi lms, instructi onal films , advertising fi lms and amateur films. Then we co me on to videos: corporate videos, home videos, and 'village' videos about local events. Lastly we have television programmes from BBC East and Anglia Television." David expres ses a parti cular interest in small gauge films, which tend to be made by amateur or family film makers rath er than professionals. "We collect as many of those as we can," he says. Th ey are "a tremendous part of ou r evidence of the past", allowing unselfconscious access to areas of history that are often neglected by specialist directors: "An edited professional film is presenting a certain view. An amateur film is a complete record of that family, taken by that family for the amusement of that family. lt is something quite different and unstructured . lt came out of the camera from the mind of the camera person , and so you get a completely different film ." Strangely, even though more families than ever possess video cameras , the archive's representation of the last 15 yea rs is disappointingly incomplete. David blames the gap on the rise of VHS technology. because "people wipe material and reuse it. which means that the things that are made are not permanent, unless they come to us" Unlortunatelv the maJority of th ese valuable tapes are not donated to the arci11Ve. The EAFA's Deputy Director. Jane Alvey. has one explanation for why thiS m1ght be the case "I think the fac~ that so much money was spent on making a film - and 1t represented so much effort by that 'Tlem-

ber of the family - meant that people would value the film more. Film looks like an exciting object wh en you find it, whereas video tape looks like every oth er video tape." Although the material they do receive can be copied and stored , videos are causing another problem for the archivists. While a reel of fi lm preserved in the vaults will last for 100 years , video tape starts to deteriorate after only a third of th is time. Each video in the archive has to be regularly copi ed to ensure its survival for future generations. As David succ inctly puts it, his job is "making sure that in a hundred yea rs time these images are all still going to be there".

Each video in the archive has to be regularly copied to ensure its survival for future generations. Thanks to the dedication of film archivists such as those at the EAFA, these irreplaceabl e documents look likely to survive for many more years to come. But Jane believes that the responsibility for keeping this history alive belongs to all of us. She feels strongly that archives such as East An glia's should be publicly own ed, because "if the films are held in private ownership you have no long-term security for the collections. The East Anglian Film Archive is a public archive, and the centre is a com munity resource". lt is their ability to tell stories that continues to draw us to these films . This, says Jane, is their enduring appeal: "People like storytelling, and we do have a curiosity about other families. Every family is different, and when you see their films, you get this glimpse of somebody else 's life . We want to try and imagine ourselves into the past, and fil m is a good way of doing that." ext door. copying machines are busy duplicating history, making the secrets of the vault available for all to see. I ask David if 'le has a favou rite piece of film. He smiles: "I've got to sa) tha they are all my favourite. t love everyth1ng 1n the archive ... The Way We Were is on Anglia Television, Thursdays. 7.30pm

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Features

Page 9

ers

The Government claim students' standard of living has risen over the past few years, and are using this argument to support the top-up fee vote taking place this week, but students are far from living in a palace of luxury, and finding their debts dramatically increasing, writes Dominic Chisholm. he bathroom black with damp, the kitchen covered in grime, a diet of pasta and baked beans and a bank account which hasn't seen credit in years is most student's take on the world , and yet the government claimed back in November that "students' standard of living has risen substantially." The Student Income and Expenditure Survey of undergraduates in England and Wales was undertaken as part of the white paper on university funding. it's the first report of its kind since 1998, when student financial support was reformed and is a key tool in the government's argument to introduce top-up fees. Immediately causing controversy, the report was welcomed by the government but slammed by the NUS and other student organisations. Lifelong Learning, Further and Higher Education Minister Alan Johnson appreciated the publication of the report saying, "The survey proves that we are absolutely right to abolish upfront fees. Too many students have to find over £700 in fees each year because their parents are not paying the assessed contribution. This means getting rid of the fees in 2006 will make the system fairer for middle income stu-

So what does the survey show and what do students think? dents." But the NUS has condemned the Government for spinning the report. "For the Government to suggest that this increase in debt has resulted in an increased standard of living is insulting - especially from a Government that took away the student grant," said NUS President Mandy Telford. "We are disgusted the Government has chosen to use this survey to try and spin support for top-up fees rather than address the levels of hardship students suffer." So what does the survey show and what do students th ink? The survey compared figures from 1998/99 with those of 2002103. lt found debt is now two-and-ahalf times the level in 1998 with the average student £8,666 in the red . There is of course no such thing as the average man and certainly not the average student. The survey showed that the average debt of students from poorer backgrounds was nearly £3,000 pounds higher than those from more affluent famil ies, £9,708 as opposed to £6,806. More of you are taking out student loans, 83 percent as opposed to 72 percent in 1998 and more of you are having to take jobs during term time to supplement your finances as around 43 percent of students are now living on low income or poverty budgets. The average student with a job works 14 hours a week and earns £5.07 an hour. Research suggests that anything over eight hours a week affects your ability to perform academically. These figures do not paint a rosy picture, and it is ridiculous to claim that students' standards of living have risen. But this idea comes from figures that appear to show students are spending more on themselves. Comparing figures of 1998/99 with those of 2002103 the survey finds that total average student expenditure has risen by 15 per cent from £5,984 to £6,897. Rent and deposit accounts for £1 ,186 of this amount, household goods £322, books and equipment £386, travel to university £456, personal contribution to tuition fees £119 and food £1 ,101 . On top of this students apparently spend £1 ,262 on alcohol, cigarettes, clothes, toiletries, medicines, glasses, newspapers, non-study books, telephones and other m is-

cellaneous items, £1 ,224 on entertainment and £566 on non-study travel. Interestingly wh ile the average student still sets aside £48 for cigarettes, average alcohol consumption has dropped by 10 percent, though judging by the LCR nights this seems unbelievable. The government uses the money students spend on fun and entertainment to claim students now have a better standard of living. By perpetuating the myth that a great deal of student expenditure is wasted on frivolity and that student poverty is largely the result of their own actions the government can argue that, on the one hand, students have a high standarp of living but on the other they are impoverished by the current tuition fee system and this needs to be reformed. According to this, the student loan is not meant to enable students to have any fun with the money they have and a 15 percent rise in expenditure, the money for which probably comes from students getting themselves into more debt, is not an indication that student debt is spiralling out of control. According to government minister Alan Johnson most students' standard of living has risen over the past four years. "Increases in personal, entertainment and recreational travel expenditure push up their overall costs. The student loan continues to do generally what it is intended to do - meet basic living costs." "This is the most comprehensive survey of students' income and expenditure patterns. lt finds that the average anticipated debt is currently around £8,666. This suggests that talk of average student debt currently being over £10,000 is excessive and talk of £33,000 debt by 2010 is absolute nonsense." ut.what do students think? Mark Gregory a th ird year philosophy student is hoping to go on to further study after graduation. "Every year things get slightly worse." he said. "How do you gauge the standard of living? Students have always socialised but I've been going out less and less as my time at university has gone on because I just can't afford it. The myth that students spend most of their money on alcohol is just not true."

Average alcohol consumption has dropped by 10 percent, though judging by the LCR nights this seems unbelievable. He added that most students limit themselves to a couple of nights out a week. "Maybe compared to how living standards were five years ago, they have gone up, but in comparison to people of our age that are working student living standards are disgusting. We can't eat good quality food , half the time it's a struggle to pay bills and student houses are usually cold because you can't afford to have the heating on . lt might be better than it was but it's comparatively still low." MUS 3 Neil Weston feels his mounting debt, which he predicts will be around £14,000 by the end of his course, may jeopardise his chances of a high standard of living in the future. "The costs aren't realistic," he said. "How are you meant to live on about £3,000 a year and then how are you meant to pay off between £9,000 to £15,000 when you leave? it's not so much the state of living wh ile you 're at university, what worries me is the state of living after you've finished university. You can cope with a certain amount of cold and that sort of thing while your being a student but I don't see how I'm meant to get myself any stability after."

Resident Tutorships Applications for Resident Tutorships for the academic year 2004-2005 are now invited from suitably experienced full-time students and members of staff. Students who will be abroad during 2004-05 should also apply now for appointment in September 2005. In addition, there is a vacancy in Waveney Terrace which is immediately available until 12th June 2004.

Resident Tutors play a key role in making new students feel welcome, helping them to settle in and in providing advice and support throughout the year. They help maintain a balance between the rights and interests of individuals and the community of which they are a part. Successful applicants will have good all-round people skills, be good listeners, be able to remain non-judgmental and have a strong of responsibility. Experience outside formal education would ' be an advantage but is not essential.

Page 10

Features

1\ i•dne,da r. Jw ttum· 1/i. 100-1

Concrete

ree o what was your new year's resolution th en? To quit smoking? To exercise more? Or was it to become a greener, more environmentally friendly member of th e human race? Possibly you recycle already. Perhaps you reuse your plastic bags when you go shopping . Maybe you think th at you're already green, or maybe you fee l that your actions simply have no effect on th e planet. Have you ever actually sat down and thought about how all those eve ryday choices you make, from choosing products off a shelf to going into town , 1mpact on the earth? Well some people have. A term has been developed called th e Ecological Footp nnt. By looking closely at the decis1ons you make on a day to day basis you can ca lculate the number of Global Hectors (a hectare of land with an average biolog1cal productivity) needed to sustain your lifestyle. The planet offers 11 .2 billion global hectares at the moment, which means that everyone can use 1.9 global hectares each. If you use more than this then your lifestyle is unsustamable and you are using more than you share of the earth's space and resources. lt may shock you to know that the nat1onal average IS 5.6! That means that if everyone in the world lived like us Briti sh we would need over 3 planets to support us. So how green do you think you are then? F1rst. take the qu1z on the facing page to discover the size of yo ur ecological foot prin t. Then read on ...

Global Wa rming No wait ... please continue reading. A few years ago global warmin g was a controversial subject, denied by many. Then for a year or two th ere was a sudden horror as people real ised that global warming was real and that greenhouse gas emissions from industry, cars and homes were affecting the planet. Then, as people decided that global warm ing was inevitable, apathy set in and people stopped caring , most getting fed up every time the word is mentioned . International attempts to reduce the problem, namely th e development of the Kyoto Protocol, have begun to crumbl e and everyone believes that it is out of their hands. But what can you do? Just like th e size of your footprint, it's the everyday action of all of us, even students. that are causing such problems. If you wish to reduce your ecological footp rint and the emi ssions you cause there are som e solutions. Some may incl ude sacrifices. but most are a simple matter of awareness. Here then are some new year's resolution you ca n make, for the sake of the world .

Recycling Those of you living in Norfolk Terrace have no excuse. You are part of a trial scheme and have been provided with recycling bins in your very kitchens. And those of you who don't have these facilities on your doorsteps should still have no difficulty in making a weekly trip to your nearest place. Britain is notoriously bad at recycling . We recycle only 10% of our domesti c waste, compared to 50% in countries such as Germany and Holland. Apart from the energy and natural resources saved, recycli ng reduces the need for

11 11 11

Just because you don't seem to hear about them anymore, doesn't mea n that environmental problems have gone away. James Conway offers advise on how to make 2004 the greenest year ever.

all th ose land fill sites. Starting today you should make a promise not to bin another piece of paper or bottle again. Too easy? Then those can s, plastic con tainers and organic waste can all be recycled too.

Energy lt would be nice if we cou ld all just lob a couple of solar panels on our roof, throw a wind turbine up there just for good measure and disconnect ourselves from the national grid. Unfortunately, thi s is not yet a realistic solution to the world's energy problems. The swi tch from fossi l fuels to greener renewable sources is not gomg to happen that easily. The fact is that our technology 1sn't quite at that level yet and although a lot of research is being done. we are going to have to rely on coal. oil and gas for a while. The key issue is not how we get our electricity, but how we use it. Most homes can cut down their energy use by as much as a third. Heating is a big 1ssue, as th1s accounts for a high proportion of the energy needed to run a home. Warming one or two rooms when they are in use instead of the whole house all the t1me can make a big difference. But it is also th e sm aller th ings. Were yo u able to deduct 10 points in the quiz due to the fact th at you never leave devices on standby? Thi s may sound like petty energy but rece nt studies have shown that keeping Britain on standby requires two whole power stations and accounts for arou nd 10% of an average household's electricity bill. Resolution number two: switch of appliances at the mains and always turn yo ur light out.

Shopping Wouldn 't it be nice if we all grew our own food and what we didn't grow we traded for at a local market. Well , alth ough some of us have aspirations to go and live on a self-providing hippy com mune in Wales. for most of us growing our own food just isn't practical. But a little consideration while shopping can make a big difference, and really reduce that footpnn t of yours. If you buy ingredients for a dinner without thinking about buying locally it could easily look like th is: Chicke n from Tha iland 10,691 miles by ship Runner beans from Zambia 4,912 miles by plane Carrots from Spain 1,000 miles by lorry Man getout from Zimbabwe 5,130 miles by plane Potatoes from Italy 1,521 miles by lorry Sprouts from Britain 125 miles by lorry Think of all that fuel needed for all that unnecessary transport. A few seconds is all it takes to find the least packaged and most locally grown product. Here are a coupl e of facts to make you think. The average house hold spends £470 on packaging alone. And are you ready for th e madness? According to government figures , each yea r 105,000 tonnes of butter are exported from the UK wh ile 230,000 tonnes are imported . There is so much food being transported around needlessly, creating massive amounts of pollution and ca rbon emissions and it is all being encouraged

by ignorant consumers who don't by local prod ucts. Thi s yea r make an effort to buy local products.

Travel Those living on campu s would probably make th e assumption that they as green as you get when it comes to travel. You don't use a ca r. you walk to your classes and take the bus to town when you need to. But what about that budg et easy jet fl ight to Europe last summer. You couldn't say no at that price could you ? That's because these budget airlines are driving down prices, making minimal profit but attracting millions of fl yers. But it is also because they have not taken into account the cost to the environment. Those of you who got a taste of the exotic world last year may have been surprised at the size of their footprint. But you shouldn't be, those planes guzzle an amazing amount of fuel and it is predicted that 75% of greenhouse gas emissions will be due to aviation by 2050 . That return trip to Barcelona wou ld produce an estimated quarter of a tonne. So what's the solution? Never leave the country again? Of cou rse not, but these emi ssions can be removed again by the development of what are call carbon sinks, or to you and I, forests. Now, obviously a student bud get isn't going to support th e develop-

ment of a rainforest repl enishment scheme in south East Asia, but as ever, small things can make a big difference if we all do the same . For example. £1 .50 on top of that ticket fare to Barcelona will completel y offset th e emissions it causes when given to the right organisation . Try th is website: http://www.climatecare.org/Calculator, and just like with your footprint you can find out how many tonnes of C02 your lifestyle produ ces, they will gladly take your money and invest it in carbon sinks for you . There is an organisation call ed CR ed, rooted in this very university, dedicated to reducing our greenhouse emissions by 60% by 2025. Your fourth new years resolution is to visit their website at www.cred-uk.org . Sign up and fi nd out all the th ings you can do help reach their target. Finally, quit living in denial. Global warming and sustainability is not something entirely in the hands of politicians and campaigners. lt is the eve ryday actions of everyday people on this planet that are driving the earth into crisis. Your final resolution , and perhaps the most important one, is to th ink about your lifestyle. Acknowl edge that the planet is in trouble and realise that living that little bit greener is something easy, yet critical ly important.

Coacrete 1\'etfncwiCII', }CIIIIICirl' 28. 2UO.J

Page 11

Features

â&#x20AC;˘

Act

our 5 oe 5 ze

Ever had a nagging suspicion that your every action pushes the planet nearer to oblivion? Use this handy quiz to work out your ecological footprint and see if your paranoia's justified. Go through each set of questions ticking all the boxes that apply most accurately to you in each section. Each box has a corresponding score and when these points are added up you will have calculated your ecological footprint. Each point represents one hundredth of a hectare. Good luck.

1.Water Do you have a bath everyday? ( ]{14) Do you have a bath once or twice a week? ( ]{2) Do you have a shower everyday? [

4.Holidays

8.Waste

Did you fly to Australia or beyond in the last year? [ ](155) Did you fly to Asia or the Americas? [ ](85) Did you fly to Europe in the last year? ](20) [ Did you travel to Europe by rail or road? ](10) [

Landfill sites take up a lot valuable space so start this section with 100 point and subtract as follows:

](4)

Do you think we're too obsessive about hygiene and only shower once a week? [ ](1) Do you use your dishwasher at least once every two days?

Total for this section:

](6)

Do you often wash your car or water the garden with a hose pipe? [ ]{4) Total for this section:

2.Food Do you buy heavily packaged and processed items and not even bother to look at where food comes from? [ ](15) Do you search for food that comes from closer to home and manage to buy local products half of the time? [ ](5) Do you only buy locally produced fresh products, such as bread, vegetables or meat? [ ](2) Do you insist on meat with every meal? [ ](85) Do you eat meat a couple of times a week ](50) [ Are you a vegetarian or vegan? [ ](25) Total for this section: (

3.Where you live Do you live in: a halls of residence [ ](8) a flat with just enough room to swing a cat? ( ](5) a large and spacious flat? [ ](12) a terraced house? [ ](15) a semi detached house? [ ](23) a detached house? [ ](33) You can divide your score for this section by the number of people you live with and then round the answer up to get the total for this section:

[

Do you recycle your bottles? [ ](-15) Do you recycle all your paper? [ ](-17) Do you recycle you cans? ](-10) [ Do you recycle your plastic containers? [ ](-8) Do you create compost out of the organic waste you produce? ](-5) Do you avoid general waste by reusing items and buying less? J(-15)

S.Heating your house For this section you start off with 45 points but you can deduct points as follows: Do you leave the thermostat down low, preferring to put on a jumper instead of turning it up? [ ]( -5) Is your home well insulated? [ ](-15) Is your home double glazed? (

](-5)

Do you only turn the heating on when necessary instead of leaving the timer on all year round? ](-10) [

If your power comes from renewable sources (is there a solar panel on your roof, go check) then skip this section. Otherwise start with 75 points and then try and lose some points. Do you always switch the lights off when the room is not in use? ](-10) [ Computers, TVs and Hi-Fis can now be left on standby. Do you shun this setting and switch these devices right off? [ ](-10) Total for this section:

Now put your maths skills to the test and add up your total score so far. Finally you are gomg to have to double it. This quiz has addressed most of the issues involved in sustainable lifestyle but many things such as roads, shops and amenities make there own demands on the land. Assuming that people who consume more land in their day-to-day lives rely more heavily upon such amenities doubling your score at this point produces the best estimate of the total land needed to support you. So if you remember, each point is worth one hundredth of a hectare. Those of you who scored 190 or lower will be pleased to here that because you use less than 1.9 global hectares your lifestyle is sustainable. Congratulations! If you're not, so what? Well, a large footprint means that you are responsible for some of the massive deforestation and land clearing, the diminishing biodiversity of the planet and end of the world as we know it. And we're not joking! So do you still feel green? Or are you shocked about how unsustainable your lifestyle is? If you want to find out more there are plenty of articles and books on the subject. Try visiting www.wwf.org.uk/filelibrary/pdf/livingplanet2002.pdf for more information on ecological foot prints.

7.Daily Travel Do you drive a large 4 by 4? (75) Do you drive a modern car with a small engine? ](40) [ Is your car something between these two? ](50) [ Do you tend to travel by bus or train instead? ( ](25) Do you cycle or walk everywhere? ( ](2) Total for this section: [ This Is bad.

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â&#x20AC;˘

Wednesda\', Jamwrv 28, 2004

Colcrete

Aah, the New Year {kind of). A time to cast a retrospective eye upon events past and create aims for the year to come. Alternatively, we could save you all the trauma of resolution making and the inevitable self-castigation that comes when you fail to quit smoking/drinking/breathing and give you Concrete's predictions for 2004 in the worlds of politics, entertainment and UEA. Sarah Smith and Ruth Charnock get out their tarot cards and crystal balls and give you a glimpse into the future. Spooky...

anuary a time of New Year resolutions ... that will all be broken by the end of the month. You know they will. Drin king less â&#x20AC;˘ well that won't have lasted past the first night out. Lose weight. .. unlikely on your average student diet. And, after Britney Spears' short lived marriage, Las Vegas wedding chapels will witness an onslaught of couples following her lead. Women of all ages will try and emulate their icon. Do you think they realise that she was drunk and got it annulled as soon as possible? Meanwhile, everyone waits around for the resu lts of the Hutton enquiry. The result is mired in bureaucratic argot, but, while us philistines can't possibly hope to decipher the intricacies, the splashes of perspiration falling from President Tony's reading glasses are a dead giveaway that all is not cushy. Either that. or he needs to stop taking personal hygiene tips from John 'what d'ya mean I can't wear this shirt again? ' Prescott. February in an attempt to 'sex up' his party, Michael Howard replaces party political broadcasts with short snappy adverts. The Conservatives draft in Sean Paul to add tunes to the ad. His suggestion that Ann Widdecombe ''shake her bootie like she wants it" unfortunately falls upon very willing ears. Widdecombe is last seen grinding dance-hall style with Michael Portillo. whilst Howard fights an overenthusiastic W.l member threatening to "get busy" with the electorate. Charles Kennedy's suggestion that "that lovely Norah Jones" fills the celebrity quota for the Lib Dem broadcast is met with unanimous snorts of derision.

The Olympics wi ll be a tad shambolic, as al l the athletes will be too hot in the Athenian heat to attempt a walk down the road, let alone a marathon In March , Hollyoaks will suddenly be shut down after investigations reveal that the cast consists largely of clones. lt will be discovered that nearly all the female cast members are actually duplicates of an unidentified young blonde woman. Suspicions are raised after television monitoring groups realise that nearly all female roles in the soap are fil led wi th startl ingly similar looking actresses. 11 is believed that the clones are currently being held for scientifi c research. April wi ll see most students heading home for the month long Easter holidays. Not that it will be much of a holiday as panic begins to set in about end of year exams. Despite most shops stocking Easter eggs from just after Valentines Day, an Easter egg shortage will be announced. Shortages of chocolate will lead to mass panic and a state of national emergency being call ed. AI Qu'eda suspects are spotted in caves eating

Galaxy eggs. No, really. In May, the government decides that it "can 't be arsed" to re-nationalise the trains and suggests in stead that every one takes to using 'Biair friendly' roller skates. Said roller skates allow one to go around in circles without making any obvious progress. The economy suffers. Muscles everywhere go into atrophy. Train tracks around the country become littered with semi-recumbent business men making conference calls. Hang on ... June will see the end of exams and th e sta rt of th e summer holidays. Wooohoooo. A time of relaxation, sun and sea. Though for most, this will involve working as many hours as possible in the nearest bar/shop/restaurant in an attempt to minimise debt and ensure that they can survive the next year without having to resort to bread and water alone. July sees the final of Euro 2004 in Portugal. Will England be there or not? Does anyone really care? For the second year in a row, Britain will receive the hot summer they've been wishing for. And then in keeping with British tradition and British obsession with the weather most people will complain about it being too hot until mid October. August sees the Olympic Games returning to the1r birthplace in Athens from the 13th to the 29th. In an amazing display of athletic ability Great Britain will take gold in all events. Yeah , and Michael Jackson has never had plastic surgery. Prediction: the Olympics will be a tad shambolic, as all the athletes will be too hot in the dustbowl Athenian heat to attempt a walk down the road , let alone a marathon. Britain will hopefully wi n its usual spattering of medals. Australia will dominate the swimming as usual but at least we can forever more hold the Rugby World Cup win over th eir heads. September will mean the start of a new year for UEA students. This is tra-

ditionally a time when most students seem to look slightly worried whether it's lost, homesick

Train-tracks around the country become littered with semi recumbent business making conference calls. Hang on ... first years, or final year students who realise that after this year they will actually have to go out and fi nd a job. Even second yea rs don't get away worry free as they suddenly realise that their marks this year will contribute towards their final degree grade. Drugs laws are softened just in time for the little know Norwich emporium 'Stonas-R-Us' (motto: 'you smoke it, we'll grow it') to sponsor Freshers' Week. In October the tabloids will print shock articles stating that George Bush really is a life-force sucking vampire. They are then forced to print a speedy retraction after they realise it's Halloween and that he was in fancy dress. At least that's his explanation and they can 't prove otherwise.

November will see Christmas preparations begin in earnest as shops and businesses push for high Christmas sales even earl ier than usual. Amongst all this there will be Bonfire Night. However after torrential storms hit the country all the wood intended for use on the bonfires is too wet to burn. To save the occasion people are encouraged to burn their Christmas trees, which have been kept dry inside and then decorate the piles of wood, which would have made up their bonfires. Many are too merry to notice th e difference. nd last but not least, in December the BBC will show more repeats of all your favourite shows and Channel 4 will see how many more shows it can come up with using the '100 Greatest' formats. All soaps will fall victim to some catastrophe. There will either be a natura l disaster, a death or a called oH wedding. In an attempt to boost ratings the BBC will use all three while combining Casualty, Holby City, Merseybeat and Eastenders into one supersoap. However it is found that with so many characters not even the actors or directors know what's going on.

CASTLE

MALL

:..en.., Wednesday, JantUJry 28, 2004

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Features

it don't matter if it's black and white 1. 'Buddhist punk', red skull T shirt, £44 in sale, Elements £.44, 'Indian Rags' jeans, Elements £50 in sale, Wooden beads, Blue Jeans Company, £3. 2. '77 clothing.com' , Red and blue zip up top, Blue Jeans Company, £45 in sale, 'Carhaart' belt, Cult Clothing, £19.99. 3. 'C1 ' stripey jumper, Hoax, £59.99, 'Criminal' combats, Blue Jeans Company, £45 in sale, 'DVS' trainers, Hoax, £54.99. 4. 'Superdry' badge shirt, Cult Clothing, £34.99, 'G Star' A crotch jeans, Dogfish, £88. 5. 'D&G' jumper, Elements, £91 .99, 'Fly' shirt, Blue Jeans Company, £32.50 in sale, 'Nudie' jeans, Dogfish, £100. 6. 'Seal Kay' coat, £150 in sale. 7. Stripey zip top, Blue Jeans Company, £45 in sale, 'G Star' jeans, Dogfish £88. 8. 'Etienne Ozeki' Stripey jumper, Elements, £120 in sale, • One True Saxon' Jeans, Dogfish, £112, 'One true Saxon' shoes, Dogfish, £49 in sale. 9. • 2 Stoned' Blazer, Cult Clothing, £79.99. 10. 'Addict' Camoflague Coat, Cult Clothing, £99.99.

Models: Mike Wager and Toby Gasston. Photographer: Fran Alberry. Stylist: Dylan 0' Shea and Hannah Walker. @ Argos. Anything will go with that! c) You ask your brother to choose an outfit for you -he is the one you are going with after all, he'll know.

2) Boys - what car do you drive? a) A BMW M3 convertible. Nice. b) A supped up Nova with go faster stripes, blue florescent under-floor lighting and a boot full of speakers. That you nicked. c) You think your tractor's sexy.

3) You turn on the T.V and Jerry Springer is on. What is your reaction?

What Kind of Trailer Trash Are You?

a) You are mortified that such pikeys exist in your world. b) You watch it, but much prefer Trisha (on which you have been in the audience 5 times). c) You wish they'd lay off your family for a while. That incident with your uncle and the cow was way over exaggerated.

By Menna Bevan and Lizzie Green. 4) Who is your role model? trailer n.1.a. a large enclosed vehicle capable of being pulled and equipped to be lived in. a) J-Lo, for making so much of herself but never forgetting where she came from . Don't be fooled trash n.4. chiefly U.S. and Canad. a poor or by the rocks that she's got, she's still she's still worthless person or a group of such people. Jenny from the block (The Bronx) . b) Eminem . You dig that MoFo for bustin ' up his We should all have come to accept by now that b'tch slag wife for buyin ' too much b-bling. Word. there is a little bit of trash in us all (come on boys c) Your brother/sister. That's why you married and girls, you know you have at least one outfit them. And Billy Ray Cyrus comes a close second. that could be classed as trashy!) , but it might be useful to know before the Trailer Trash LCR hap5) You get a new hair-do. Do you go for ; pens, just what kind of trailer trash you are ... a) Girls - the new Jennifer Anniston 'do'; a sweeping fringe with subtle highlights. Boys - a skin1) Girls - you are going on a date, what do you head. wear? b) Girls- a high ponytail slicked back with a dollop of Brylcream, with one curl slicked down the side a) You try to keep it simple but glamorous - jeans of your face . Boys - a skinhead. c) Girls/Boys - You keep it the same as it was with heels and your favourite sparkly top. b) lt doesn't really matter, because you've just got before. You wouldn't dream of changing your mula £7.99 gold bejewelled clown from Elizabeth Duke let.

Mostly a's: You are "West-coast Trash": Think tarty trying to be glamorous. You also like your bling and velour jogging bottoms; basically you represent current fashion gone a little wrong ... The love child of West-coast Trash is "Celebrity Trash": think along the lines of Christina, Britney, Pink, J-Lo, Eminem and Kid Rock. Mostly b's: You are "East-coast Trash": Think kitsch & tacky. Lycra wins you points where you come from, animal print and clashing colours are admired, girls -you like to wear more makeup than often seems healthy. You are Jenny from the (Yarmouth) block: blinging (minging) . Mostly c's You are "Mid-West Trash": Think Trucker Chic. You are the

~-.....-

Trailer Park; your family have lived and multiplied (with each other) for hundreds of years. You like to sport cowboy hats and bandanas, ripped denim, white vests, gold jewellery, mullets, especially when you appear on Jerry Springer. So, embrace your inner trailer self! Put on some bad clothes and get your bad self down to the Lower Common Room on Tuesday 1Oth February (Week 5) to look trash, be trash and get trashed. Tickets are £3 (£2 members), with all proceeds going to the charity Coral Cay Conservation. So not only will you have a great time dressing up and laughing at your friends, you'll be doing it in the name of charity and goodness. Hurrah!! Best dressed couple on the night win a prize. And couple doesn't necessarily mean boy + girl; this is trailer trash we are talking about! Use your trashy imaginations ...

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•

r1vacy vs. ublic interest

\Vedn rsday.

r r t f

,t ; r

! f

28. 200-1

Cotcrete

In this week's law and politics col umn Roshana Gammampia looks at the worrying recent issues concerning the Data Protection Act. he Data Protection Act 1998 is a piece of legislation that has recently been cited 111 the media as harming the society it is ,, .. ..:nded to protect. When British Gas failed to inform social services that they had cut off the gas supply to an elderly couple who, as a result , were later found dead in their home, they justified their inaction as being in compliance with the Data Protection Act. The Humberside Police put forward th e same justification when it emerged that if it were not for th e disposal of records of sexual assault allegations against him , lan Huntley may never have come into contact with Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman. What is this Data Protection Act? Has it turned around and bitten the hand of the legal system that gave birth to it? The Act was based on a European Community Directive which came into force in 1995. The objective of the act is to regulate the flow of com puter-held personal data , and in doing so strike a balance between the individual's right to privacy and the general public interest. Two of the Act's maJor functions are to prevent personal data from being unnecessarily communicated and to prevent the unnecessary and unreasonable reten tion of personal information. lt is in these functions that the Act appears to have fallen short. British Gas claims that informing social services of the elderly couple's situation would have been a violation of their privacy under the Act. Th e Humberside Pol ice claim that had they retained the details of the accusations against lan Huntley they too would have been in contravention of this legislation. Is this really the case? The Information Commissioner, Richard Thomas, who oversees the implementation of the Act has spoken in defence of the Act and has criticised organisations that "hide behind data protection as a smokescreen for practices which no reasonable person would ever find acceptable." Mr Thomas has strongly asserted that the Act leaves it to the relevant authorities to decide for how long it is "necessary" to retain personal information . This would imply that the Humberside Police were in fact wrong in their interpretation of the Act. The Information Commissioner additionally critic1sed British Gas' interpretation of the Act. British gas subsequently issued a statement stating that it realised that exceptions cou ld be made under the provisions of the Act but that it had no reason to suspect that the elderly couple were vulnerable and in need of social service attention. The problem appears not to be the content of the Data Protection Act , but that it is unclear in the eyes of organisations such as the Humberside Police and British Gas. The Act allows a wide discretion to holders of private information and it seems that some tend to err on the side of caution and interpret the Act too restrictively. Clarity of legislation is of fundamen tal importance to the British legal system. lt is for th1 s reason that the Act will come under scrutiny as an extension of the government's inquiry into the Soham murders.

}li/IIWI")'

11 here are many things you can do for a New Year's Eve celebration: get drunk at an overpriced club and end the night snorting cocaine off the right buttock of some single-mum slapper who's ten years your senior; or perhaps sit in your room with an overrated book and ignore that New Year is even taking place by placing your hands over your ears and going 'la la la la la la la'. In my relatively short life I've done both . So when it came lime to decide what to do for the 2003/4 changeover. and not wanting to repeat old experiences, I came across quite a dilemma. There was, of cou rse, the possibility that I could spend it with friends back home, where I'd spent Christmas, but then I realised I could count those friends on one finger (a long and tawdry story that I won't bother you with). So I ultimately decided to go back to France, where I am spending my year abroad and do some travelling before heading back to Clermont to resume classes. Given that I only had about £300 to do it with, there may have been some problems when I got a wonderful and (best of all} potentially dangerous idea: hitchhike. So I maxed out my cred it card on a cheap flight to Brest (titter) and set off on the 28th, planning to see as much as I could before finally getting back to Clermont around the 4th . I arrived in Brest late at night and headed straight to the train station where I put my luggage in a locker and spent the night in the wa iting room . Comfortable. I got up the next morning and headed east out of the city in the hope that someone would pick me up and take me to Rennes . After 30 minutes someone did eventually stop and they were heading to Nantes, where I planned on heading after Rennes , so I chose to forego Rennes and head south . The guy who picked me up was pretty normal thankfully (which would prove to be the exception rather than the rule) and when I told him what I was doing , he talked at length about the crazy stuff he used to do when he was a student. The trip flew by quickly and we finally arrived in Nantes in the middle of the afternoon. I offered him a little money for petrol but he refused . And who am I to insist?

Given that I only had about £300 to do it with, there may have been some problems when I got a wonderful and (best of all) potentially dangerous idea: hitchhike. So I maxed out my credit card on a cheap flight to Brest (titter) and set off on the 28th, planning to see as much as I could. Once I'd waved goodbye to my tax1 , I found the nearest bt "l Ch , l1t a c1garette. and opened my gu1debook to work out exactly what I wanted to see wh1le I was there. As the c1ty was the cap1tal of Bnttany when 1t was still an independent state, I thought that the old town would be the best place to start. A short walk from where I was , the old town 's mam feature IS the Chateau des Dues.

Resident traveller Ryan Stephens hitch hiked round France meeting people possibly stranger than himself, whilst trying to find somewhere to spend New Year

the former palace for the state. In summer the lawns which surrounded its moat might have made for a good picnic spot, but in the depressing , bleak mid-winter I hurried inside only to find a selection of buildings in random styles that had obviously been added over the years. One notice told me that these once housed museums, but had been closed down to build some sort of ubermuseum in a year or so. I walked around the ramparts which offered a wonderful view of the town , and found a plaque which told me I was following in the footsteps of Bluebeard, Machiavelli , John Knox and Bonnie Prince Charlie. They probably didn't hitchhike though. After checking out the newer district of the town and buying a copy of Belle and Sebastian's If

The words 'crazy bastard' were muttered several times. At about 11 :30 everyone started to leave the pub as I looked on, confused. I followed like a good little sheep and we soon arrived at the river. Everyone looked anxious for a few minutes before a fountain of fireworks exploded overhead. You're Feeling Sinister (which makes great, melancholy hitchhiking music, by the way) I got bored and decided to move on . I thought about heading towards Paris to try to get there by New Year, but decided that continuing south would be more fun . Before long I got a lift to Poitiers, where I did a short cou rse during Sixth Form , and arrived there just after 8pm. The less said about

the guy who picked me up the better. I'll just say this : sometimes I forget that France is a predomi nantly rura l country, and I don't like pretending I'm Belgian. After the horrible experience of sleeping in the train station I found a reasonably priced hotel and spent the night on a mattress. The next morning I got up early and wondered around the town , indulging in wanky nostalgia till I got bored and real ised that I'd already seen every1hing there is to see; it's very sma ll , and hasn't changed much in the 5 years since I was last there . etting paranoid now that I wouldn 't be anywhere particularly interesting for New Year (for those not keeping track , it was the 30th by this point) . I looked at my map and saw where it was best to head next. Bordeaux was very nearby, and though I'd only visited recently, I thought it'd be a cool place to spend New Year. I headed out to the highway but after an hour no one had stopped, so I popped into a train sta tion and bought a ticket for Bordeaux. I almost felt cheated having to pay for transportation . The train journey was short (God bl ess the TGV) and I arrived late in the afternoon. I managed to get a room for two nights, albeit in the sleazy red-l ight district near the station , and spent the next 24 hours doing nothing of particular interest (smoking, window-shopping, swearing at tramps in English -life's littl e pleasures). Once the evening of the 31st rolled around, I tarted myself up as best I could and headed out to one of the Irish bars. Alone . I sat and drank Coke and before long some people asked me to join them and we chatted for ages, me telling them about my trip so far. Th e words 'crazy bastard' were muttered seve ral times. At about 11 :30 everyone started to leave the pub as I looked on , confused . I followed like a good little sheep and we soon arrived at the river. Everyone looked anxious for a few minutes before a fountain of fireworks exploded overhead, reflected in the river, and everyone shouted "Happy New Year!". I put my hands over my ears. lt was New Year, after all.

~----------------------------~~

Sick of paying for extra coffee? The controversy over top-up fees

INSIDE

M.I.C.K.E.Y. A. T. U.E.A.

HOW TO BUY THE YOU YOU WISH YOU WERE Rent-a-self coming soon

University introduces new subjects of questionable value Fears were raised last night after recent UEA plans for new 'Mickey Mouse' courses were unvelled via a Uve, celebrity s tuffed satellite broadcast. Speaking live from Stuttgart. an energised Elizabeth Taylor took no time or decency In unveiling the university's plans for 'Elaborate Ventriloquism', 'Using The Old Sense of the Word', 'Oxo Adverts, 1946-Present Day' and, In a surprise move. 'High Seas Piracy 10 1'. Shortly after failing drunkenly from the podium, spilling qualuudes and reefers as she stumbled to regain balance, Taylor. aghast. mumbled to a jeering audience, "I hope those kids value these sacred opportunities to understand the Christian meaning of the

word 'gay'." Union representatives were not so easily swayed. "It's like they're blowing smoke up our ass with one hand," expired one anonymous high ranking voted-in official "And ptsslng In our pints with the other. Norwich already has a dodgy reputation thanks to Its' toothless indigenous inhabitants. What will these courses do to further damage our Uni's reputation as a siren-rock for every drugaddict, sexual delinquent and miscreant In the galaxy?" Impassioned words from a workIng class super-hero. The Dean of Deans. an American, remains buoyant and hopeful however. despite such hard-nosed opposition. "111ese classes are

brtlliant Ideas, my brain babies that I would see develop Into full grown Idea adults. While there Is stili blood In my brain I will champion their worth." The many objections of fac ulty fall on the deaf ears of the Dean of Deans. and Instead have been written on a smatter of post-it notes placed all over the gentleman's desk. Trying to make sense of it all, the Man remains adamant: lbis Is all bullshit. I mean, the beauty of Piracy I 01 for example. One semester Is dedicated entirely to the art of laughlng ... and then jumping off of things. I can see this helping our bloated NHS system In future years." 'The Enquirer remains respectfully up In arms; as for our feet? They'll stay firmly on the ground.

MATERNAL MISERY The Enquirer calls for mother ban The Enquirer has taken the unprecedented step of thoroughly researching a news story, with astonishing results. We have recently discovered that sixty-four percent of chlld abuse is committed by mothers. While other tabloids have frivolously wasted uncountable column Inches baying for the blood of evil old men In grubby macs. we here at Enquirer Towers. reacting to the frightenIngly epidemic abduction and murder of ch ildren. h ave taken a more level headed and logical a pproach . It seems. as a result of ou r unquestiona bly conscien tious fact-fin ding. that no chlld In Britain Is safe. It Is a monstrous fact that our cuddly loved ones are a t their most vulnerable tucked up at home under lock and key. The Enquirer's sensational new findings make startling reading.

Action must be taken tmmedlately. Clearly motherhood mus t b e banned . Towards this end , your trusted and Informed local newspaper has bee n lobbying Parliament for new laws to res trict the all too easy circulation of mothers In British s ociety at large. We have so far achieved limlted s uccess. However, In a brief telephone Interview with Norfolk's local constabulary. signi fican t progress was made towards the organisation of a 'm u m amnesty'. 'Mother bins路 will be opened across the region In order that chll路 dren might be a ble to deposit their mothers. to be properly disposed of. a t their local police s tation. "Mothering is terrifYingly common . The only way to limit the d a mage done to individuals by mothering is to take mums ou t of circulation In modern s ociety" said a

woman. It Is also likely that mothers may escape the eyes of the law disguised as fathers. In order to disrupt such attempts it has been suggested that children should hand over their fathers also. just in case, as well as reporting any motherly or fathe rly activity as swiftly as possible to the correct officials. But be careful. it is possible tha t s ome policemen and women may be mothers or fa thers dressed u p In un tform.

Rent-A-Self, a new Norwich business; is booming due to its new take on the idea of dating agenc ies. At Rent-A-Self you can hire a representative for social occasions that would otherwise be neglected. It's proved an effective way of rem aining active on the dating scene. "We've filled a gaping hole In the market" says the business' founder and owner, Rex Plolt-Ativ. "I'm s urprised no one thought of it before, but I'm not surprised at the success. There's huge number of hard-working people In the area with very little time for a Jtfe outside of work." It would appear that people are finding it harder to meet that special someone outside of the office and establish a meaningful relationship. The growing demands employers are placing on their employees are certainly proving beneficial for Rex. tf no one else. His business Is rapidly growing and he is currently planning an expansion Into London where the market is even bigger. "For a reasonable fee. we will Interview you and discover what sort of person you would like to be at social events, then match you up with one of our representatives. They will literally 'be you' for the evening, day. or however long they're needed. Provided you can afford it." There doesn't seem to be any shortage of funds when it comes to this kind of scheme, and it's not just the hardworking that are going for It: the naively rich are lapping it up too. "I just didn't reallse how emotionally retarded I was until I met Rex at a party" said Helen, "When he told me just how much better someone else could communicate my feelIngs towards prospective partners, and win them over with an Irresistible personality .. .and great legs; I was sold." It would seem that people are becoming Increasingly discontent with their own social abtllty and feel the need to employ another person to manage the social side of their lives. "111ere's just too much pressure nowadays," s aid Mlchael Eek. one of Rex's first customers. "You have to have the body of Adonis . and the charisma of Freddy Starr. or women jus t don't want to know you ; I was getting very dis heartened . But now. one direct debit payment a mon th means I get to hold down a secure and emotionally rewarding relationsh ip . via my representative. Mlchael. " Michael Is just one of a few who have taken to hlring their representative on a full time basis. and he hope that soon he will pop the question. "This way I can get married and have children . bu t I'll n ever have the stress of a rguments and I can still wa tch wha t I want on 1V. I'll never have to miss an epis ode of Eastenders ever again ."

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IVt•dnt•wl"' . Ja111tatT 28. 200-1

Campus Comment

Fancy a top-up? So, the day of reckoning will have come with results of the top-u p fees vote. At the time of writing , Tony and Charles are slopping concessions all over the place, hoping to win over the Labour rebels with saccharine placatory tactics. The sickening thing is that most of them probably will be appeased , especially as Clarke has pretty much said that the whole system will change again in a few years. The implication is: compromise your morals a bit now by voting for us, and , at some imagined point down the line we'll make some concessions to keep you happy. From the party that prom ised "education , edu cation , education", this one is a little baffl ing. Are we just not erudite enough to understand how pri cing students out of an education can be a good th ing? Ed ucate us Tony, do. One of th e rationales beh ind top-up fees is that they will encourage more students into universities. But this assumes that all young people are suited to a university education. Are we going to lose the worth while trad ition of vocational training , just so universities can reduce their debt and young people can say they have a 3 year degree in plumbing or welding? What is the point of removing people for 3 years from the job market, if they are spat back out having missed valuable on the job training , whilst their more savvy peers have got in at the bottom straight from school an d are now junior managers. Rise in unemployment, anyone? That is of course not to say that just because people are not from middle class educated backgrounds that they are unsuited to a un1vers1ty educat1on. But there must be a more subtle , less blanket approach to encouraging worthy candidates. One can 't help thinkmg that in all th is struggle for equality. the majority are go1ng to suffer. All hail to the people 's Prime Minister.

Many of us look forward to our first cup of coffee in the morning, but Dominic Chisholm is getting too stressed to cope with Mango's service to bother... In th e spri ng term of last year I greeted the news th at a new coffee and sandwich bar was to ope n on campu s with excitement. Great I thought, no more appal ling cups of coffee in th e Bowl, no more sandwiches th at are chilled to such a low temper-

atu re you can 't actually taste the filling. However, arriving back after the summer break my heart sank. For a start it looked atrocious. The tacky metal garden furniture that resembled the stuff used at my local greasy spoon , the lurid orange walls that must have come straight out of an episode of changing rooms. lt looked like it wanted to be Pret a Mange or Cafe Nero but somewhere along the line it had failed and become a cross between a market stall cafe and a train station sandwich sh op. Neverthel ess I gave it a go in the hope that the coffee wou ld be better than the decor. To my pleasant su rprise it was. In fac t the freshly made sandwiches were not bad either. The one

be as good as the sandwiches. How wrong cou ld I be? Over the course of the term the service did not improve and by week 11 lunch was still a joke. Obviously th e staff have been trained using the cap and shirt method. Give someone a baseball cap and polo shirt with the com pany logo on it, automatically assume they know what they are doing and then throw them in at the deep end . lt does not work. The tact is that Mango could be good tor students. lt could be our very own campus Pret a Mange. We could all be drinking good coffee and eatin g nice sandwiches se rved in a reasonable tim e frame if only the staff were better trained and the shop redesign ed so it was obviou s to customers where to queue. As it is it's just easier to use the Bowl and th e Hive. Many would argue that there is no need for another coffee shop on ca mpu s and with Mango in its prese nt state they may well have a poi nt.

r Jim Whalley Deputy Editors Ruth Charnock and Rebecca Lawrence News Editor Thorn Smith Ch ief News Reporter Paul V1ncent

Cannabis Change With the declassification of Cannabis taking place this week, Katharine Clemow went out to see what you thought. I don't really have an opinion, when they did it in Sweden they had to change the laws back because everyone started taking 1t so it might have bad consequences, but I don't have a view. Jonathan MGT 3 The laws aren't clear so no one knows what the deal is. lt won't make a difference. Neil MGT 3 People will do 1t whether the laws change or not. I don't th1nk the change w111 attract more people to 1t e1ther. The best th 1ng would be if 1t makes 1t more accessible for med1c1nal purposes. Chris CAP 1 The only people the change in law w1ll make a difference to are the drug dealers. Mikko EA S PG it's def1n1tely a good 1dea. At the end of the day alcohol 1s 1ust as dangerous. and more addictive, so they should be seen as equal 1n the eyes of the law. lt also means the cannab1s people buy wil be safer because 1t won't be cut as much Esther MUS 1

Ioodent1

Have You Heard Th e News? No? Well neither has Concrete! We need more of you to pop into our office and let us know what's going on, news-wise, around UEA and in Norwi ch . Confidentiality is, of course, there if you need it. Don't let us resort to creating 'incidents' just so we have something to put on the front page. We'd get in lots of trouble and that wo uldn't be fun. Spread the word ...

thing that let Mango down was the serv1ce. At breakfast it took ages to get served and often there was no one behind the counter when I went in . I was forced to stand in front of the counter and shout "hello" repeatedl y li ke an idiot until someone in the back finall y heard me. I know somebody who even stood there after havIng been served, his bacon roll 1n hand and watcthed whi le the woma n behind the counte r proceeded to serve someone else. Eventually he walked out without paying and they never even noti ced. There were only two other customers in the place . If breakfast was annoy ing lunch was bedl am. With no obvious queuing system not only we re the staff all over the place, the custome rs were as wel l. I soon realised it was easier to go back to using the bowl and reasoned that in a couple of weeks the starting up glitches would be ironed ou t and the service wou ld

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DON'T ~~ wHY 1 c;oT N-!C.~Y L}\$'T 'T"E~M ! I LO~ B£ti'JC. AT O.f:.A.

Ph otog ra pher Jass1n Happa Contributing Editor Toby Lewis Features Editor Toby Brunt Fashion Editor Hannah Walker Sports Editors Tom Czaban Advertisin g Manager Ben Millar Distribution Manager Joe Du nthorne

c.a.t. Wednesda , Januar)' 28, 2004

HOROSCOPES . - - - - - - - , Scorpio As all us wise and learned astrologers know, the scorpion is a symbol of fraud. Stop lying to all and sundry and be honest for once, you big cheat. You will have a great day on Thursday, but all will slide into an indifferent weekend focused on the colour L - - - - - - ' mauve. Sagittarius A bad week for sagittarians. Flatulent Mars is risin in your love circle on Wednesday, signifying pain sitting down on Thursday. Your lucky country is Estonia, so speculate on the international currenc exchange. Capricorn I was chatting to Mystic Meg the other day about our shared distaste for Capricorns. lt seems you're quite the most boring people we've ever had the displeasure to meet. Buck-up and read a book or something; make yourselves more interesting this fortnight. Now. Aquarius Pluto has been flirting with Mercury in your money chart this fortnight, with mixed results. lt seems likely that you will fall into a great deal of cash ove the next week, but by the end of the next you will have spent it on beer and whoring and will have contracted syphillis. Pisces If I had a pound for every time someone makes a sodding fish joke about Pisces I'd almost be as rich as an Aquarian this cycle. Your lucky colour i Forrest Green and you must wear trainers all week or risk boredom on Monday. Aries Second only to Taureans for their lack of sexual appeal , it would be best for you lot to have a bath this month to make ammends. Shave your palms as well, it simply isn't attractive. Keep the third nip pie, though, there's always jobs in novelty porn. Taurus Well, as I was discussing with Elvis over a loaf of garlic bread last month, Taureans are exceptionally and disturbingly ugly. Save your student loan fo a little nip and tuck and maybe it would stop the giggles as you wobble past, you hairy chubby freak. Gemini Sex will be difficult for you for a while, owing to a disabling bout of incontinence that looks set to strike you Wednesday week. This is caused by Venus in your bowel chart. Stock up on toilet roll and avoid late-night trips to kebab shops. Cancer Now, Cancer's no joke, but I tell you what is. I wen into a shop the other day and asked for a pound o bacon, you know what I got? Four ounces. Daylight robbery, I tell you. Avoid ladders and eat as much spinach as possible. Leo Shut up. Everyone is tired of hearing about your veruca. it's not going until you rub a potato on it and then bury it in the garden. Or is that warts? Your lucky venereal disease is crabs, so stay away from Cancerians, they're covered in 'em.

[I]

VIrgo Rampant Jupiter in your decisions chart finds you feeling a little puzzled of late. Avoid decisions of any sort, they will be wrong. Best course of action would be to paint yourself white with Tippex and have a friend throw rice at you before it dries. You will look funny, which will at least cheer you up. Libra Stand up now, walk out of your front door, turn left walk for fifty paces then sit down. After looking at the clouds, roll over onto your back and wiggle your legs in the air, then chastise yourself for being gullible, you moron.

Pa e 17

E FROM ONE RROW ROA The men's first XI football team reach the semi final of t TOM CZABAN Sports Editor

The men's first XI football team will be looking to make it third time lucky when they face Alsham Wanderers in the semi-final of the Junior Cup on February 14th. They have reached this stage of the competition for the last two years but on both occasions were unable to claim a place In the final at Carrow Road. This year however. the side are confident that they can go all the way. a sentiment shared by first XI Captain John Fish: "Alsham are a

good side. but If we play to our ability we should win". The side reached the semifinal by vtrtue of a 3-2 victory over Downham Market Reserves. A poor start saw the team go 1-0 In the opening minute but a spirited flghtback allowed them to run out eventual 3-2 winners. largely thanks to Duncan Mchardy who rose from the bench to score two goals. Fish however. believes that the team are yet to show their best form this season: "We should really have won the BUSA League this year but have been unfortunate with Injuries. I haven't been able to pick a full side all

year. Even now two of our most Influential players. Dan Ward and Mick Hlckson are only just returning to fitness". The side are fourth In the BUSA league having notched up just four points from three games. However. there Is still everything to play for as the sides that finish second and third come the end of the season will be entered Into the Shield. Meanwhile the second XI have their sights set on promotion. They are currently second in their BUSA League and just a point behind Leicester. It Is probable that the

Junior Cup

Championship will be decided on the 4th February when UEA ,Cace Leicester at Colney

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Five members of the novice women's rowing squad excel in Cambridge ADAM CARTER

On the 17th of January, five members of the novice women's rowing squad attended the Cambridge Indoor Championships, a leg of the Concept 2 Indoor Rowing Championship Grand Pri.x circuit. The competition was hot, while the hall the event was held In freezing cold. The girls only started rowing In September and attended the event for a bit of fun. little suspecting the success that lay In store for them. The Individual events were raced over the standard International racing distance of two thousand meters. The team event was over three thousand , but required all four team members to use the same rowing machine. First to race from UEA was Laura Cross. competing In the women's under twentythree lightweight category for women under 61 kg. Laura won the category easily but was disappointed with her time. The other four girls raced In the same division; Lucl Jennlngs competing In the Junior 18 open weight category and Franclsca Neethllng. Melissa Wllllams and Claire Abbey racing In the women's under twenty three open weight category. Luci took her division easily, but was also disappointed

with her time. having performed far better In training. The under 23 open weight division Involved all three of the UEA girl s. Francisca and Melissa were Involved In a titanic battle for third and fourth place. Franclsca eventually emerged the victor and took the bronze. but only by the narrowest of margins. During the race Abbey was described as "simply awesome" by Nlgel Mayglothlng the race commentator, havIng blasted out Into a phenomenal lead of six seconds

at five hundred meters gone. Claire led for the entire r ace. and sprinted for home with 250 meters remaining to r ecord an unbelievable time of 6 minutes 58.7 seconds to take the top spot. This puts her In the top ten fastest women In the country, and the second fastest In her age group. Her time also shattered the Grand Prtx r ecord and gleaned her the prtze for the fastest woman of the day. Following their excellent Individual performances

Clatre. Melissa. Francisca and Laura competed In the team event. They decimated the opposition to bring home yet another gold. These performances demonstrate the extent to which the girls have advanced In a sport that requires technique. fitness. power and control. This level of performance can unquestionably be maintained by the girls and mirrored by the rest of the squad. and should result in an exceptionally good season for the club.

Page 18

What's best and wot:St in Sport today. .. Tom Czaban looks at the bu rning issues

Looking ahead to 2004

2003 was not a great year for British sport. In fact, had it not been for England's rugby heroes in Sydney it would have been catastrophic. The year will be remembered for scandals. In football it was players' antics in the bedroom rather than performances on the pitch that grabbed the headlines. Wh ile hooligans also claimed more than their share of column inches: th ey were involved in some ugly scenes at the Stadium of Light during England's Euro 2004 qualifying campaign. The epoch was also characterised by concerns over the use of performance enhanci ng drugs, wh ich regrettably traversed both sports and nations. However, with the new-year travels new opti mism, and maybe fa ns should take a leaf out of Ferdinand's book and forget, as 2004 promises to be a compelling year fo r British sport. The jewel in the crown of th is year's calendar is th e Olympic Games, which retu rns to its birthplace, Athens. The British team will be eager to emulate their last performance at th e Games in which they achieved a record breaking eleven gold medals. The team's biggest hope lies in the legs of Paula Radcliffe. Following her astonishing world record time in last years London marathon anything but Olympic Gold would be a huge disappointment for arguably the decades finest British athlete. Elsewhere on the track Darren Campbell will be looking to prove that his unexpected 1OOm bronze in the 2003 World Champiunships was no fluke . However, th e future of his compatriot Dwayne Chambers is still unclear having tested positive for the newly discovered designer steroid THG. Both Colin Jackson and Jonathon Edwards hung up their spikes last Backley: last chance year and the Olympics may well prove to be the last time Matthew Pinsent and Sieve Backley perform on this stage. Pinsent is to row in the coxless pairs with James Cracknell in a bid to claim his fourth successive Olympic Gold. Whilst in the javelin Backley will have to see off the challenge of world record holder Jan Zelezney, if he is to find that elusive gold to add to two Olympic silvers. On the water, British sailors Ben Ainslie and Shirley Robertson have already won gold at the test event fo r the Games and will be expecting to repeat this performance in August. Th is mouth-watering prospect is rivalled only by the European Football Championships in Portugal. England have drawn th e holders France in their opening game. Nevertheless it would be a shock if they failed to see off Switzerland and Croatia in the group stages. If England's campaign is unsuccessful few would be surprised if Sven Goran Erikkson leaps on to Roman Abramovich's gravy train at Chelsea. Who knows, the year could even see the London side's current boss Claudio Ranieri move to Leeds, he likes a laugh . In Rugby Union England have the Grand Slam in their sights. They face France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales in the Six Nations. lt is a tournament in which realistically they should not be beaten. With Clive Woodward at the helm it is unequivocal that the si de will have been brought back to earth following their triumph in Sydney when the competition begins. Meanwhile if racquet sports are your bag , then one need look no further than Wimbledon. Tim Henman will again take centre stage in June. He produced some promising displ ays towards the end of 2003 but will have to show a marked improvement on his showing at Wimbl edon last ti me round ; he went crashing out of the competitio n in the quarter-finals at the hands of Sebasti an Grosjean. The women's tournament is again likely to be dominated by the Will1ams sisters; they have been a cut above the rest in recent years. JUSt ask their father.

England will be chasing European glory this summer in Portugal

The men's first XI rugby team is eyeing promtotion to the first division following five victories from six games IAN SMITTON

Given the success at the World Cup, rugby is, foot ball aside , England 's most popular sport right now . Such enthusiasm can be seen at UEA where the men 's rugby team is thriving and aiming to make a quick re tur n to the top division . UEA arc <urrentlv <'lllhroiktl in a bal!IP for top ~pot in the second clil·ision with Leict>ster. Tht>re is the equivale n t of less than four tries separatin!( the two teams who <Ire IHlth 1('1'('1 on filtePn points. Leicester. however. ma intain the sl<·ndcr <Jdvan tagp having a go<il dillerence of +87 compared wit h UEA's +60.

UEA's impressive sPa<oon so far has seen th em win li ve out of their six games. In the first game of th e season Leice~tcr were the visi tors to Colney.

UEA set their standard for the season. Hunning out as comfortable 28 - 17 \\inners thanks to a superb second half performance. the home team cruised throup;h one of their hardest games of the season. T'wo good away \\ins followed with UEA beating De Montfonl 3:1 -21 and winning 38-10 a!!;ainst Linco ln. The bottom two teams in the dil·i sion simply eou ld not con tain UEA though De Montf01·d put in a spirited perform ance. Following an unbeaten start to the season. a tot1~h .~amc loomed with the visit ol :"Jorlhampton. llowcvrr. LJF:,\ o.eeurPd a 14 -3 win thanks to a grea t de fe n s ive perform mice. This win was particu larly impressive considcrin~ Northampton have scored m·er 40 points iwice this sea son! :"Jorthampton can still finish top of the lca .~ue: the~· arc

currently six points behind LcicestPr and UEA. but th ey have a game in hand and still have to play the top two. UEA suffered their only defeat of the season so far in NmTmbcr when Leicester producPd a brilliant display to win :39-20. thus taking re1·cn~c for the first game of t ]](' season. lt was back to \\inning wavs in thl'ir last .~< lllll' I(Jr UEA. howPvf'r. with a 36- I 0 thrashing of De Montford at Colney. Immense credi t has to be ~iven to UEA for competin~ liwourablv with uninTsiti('s from massive rul.(bv areas. such as Northampton and Lciccstn. Iron ica lly. h owever. the fac t that Norwich is a city w h ich 1·iews football as its major sport has helped the pro,Q,rPss of a llllmber of UEA playPrs. ThP likPs of Ross Ad nit t. Dan Marks. Ian Yotm~ aiHI Richard Pilgrim

a ll regularly p lay for Norwich - imprming them as p layers and helping UEA as a result. LeicestPr and Northampton don 't have the benefit of this as it would be hard to imagine Martin Johnson or Ben Coht>n being dropped for a local student! With just two games left. tht> lead could ~o Pithcr way. UEA are at home to Lincoln before l ravC"lli n g to Northampton on the last day of the season: and while Northampton will be a to u gh ~amc. UEA need to win if t h ev want to achieve promotion . Similarlv. thPy will be look in~ for " h1~ score agains t Linco ln to overtake Leicester on goa l d iffe re n ce. IA' iccs tc r arc at ho111c to North am pt on and awav to loca l 1iva ls De Montfortl in their fina l gamPs. They willlw Pxpcct('d to

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I In February Norwich will host its second annual nationwide Ultimate Frisbee tournament AMY HARRIS

Total the number of bas ketb a lls , American Foo tballs and baseb alls sold in the US in one year and you o nly j u st get close to the number of frisbee s sold eve r y year. Forget dogs in the p ark and sunny days on the bea ch, frisb ee is coming home . 36 u n iversit y teams ove r 70 non -studen t teams in the UK compete annua lly in tou r na mPnts nat ionwidt>. For the past tour year,.,. UEA ha" compPtf'd a l on .~side the bPst (and 1\'0rst) . <md cstablishnl our team Aye Aye. as rPal cont<'IHIC'rs in tlw National St udt'lll Clwmpionships. The foc.tl point ol 1\vc -Avf'·s

a young tea m . full o f pote n tial. w h o will bene fit a grea t d ea l from th e p hys ica l and social aspects of the world of Frisbee ... Con crete . ln assoc ia tion with Aye -Aye welcome a ny s uppor ters. to come a lo ng to th e Sportspar k fro m I pm S a turd ay and Sunday o n Va le ntin e's weekend . Being a mLx ed s port . wh o kn ows.

yo u could e nd up be ing invit ed to the LCR party too . Th e ga m e it se lf. is a mixtu re b e tween Ame ri ca n footbal l. Ne tba ll a nd Ba s ke tba ll . Bu t Frisbee is also a ga m e in its own right. with its own rules. world c h a mpi o n s hip s a nd se n se of id rn tity. Th e foc u s of this sport. n ot o n ly e n co m passes a th le tic a bil ity. b ut p e rh a ps m o re

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1\'('<'IH' IHI. w lwn I:l otlwr tllli \'Crsit ics from ;ts tar a11·a~· as lluillin :tiHI lATds to <'Olllp<'l<' ill tll<' S(' t' Olld .tli!IU.tl f\on1·i< h Indoor l ' ltnn.II<' Frhil<'<' TourJJ<llll<'nl. I man:tl.(ccl 10 ti<" dmnl IIH' l'r<"sld<'Jit ot i\v<" :\ve. D<tl'e Gle\1·. who has been selected to plav Frisbee in C'alii(Jmia next year: "It's imp01·tant not to take th e game too seriously. and ho pe fully th is tournam e nt will bring to ligh t the sp irit a nd e nth us ia s m we b ring to th e ga m e. Aye-Aye is

The llitimate llit imate Fris ee s quad.

impor ta n tly recogn ises th e soc ial dy n a mics that sports teams offer. With a n in crease in m embe rs hip nu m b e rs from la s t yea r and t h e re turn of s eve ral key p laye rs from th e Ca li fornian tra ining ca mp . the p ros p ec ts a re looking good for th e future of Aye -Aye. UEA a nd Fris b ee a s a whole.

c:..cn.. Wednesday, December 3, 2003

sport

Page 19

Canaries fly to to of Ian Smitton looks back at the run of Christmas results that has left Norwich leading the race for the Premiership. superb Christmas period has seen Norwich City climb to the top of the first division and complete the signing of three new strikers. In a period of many highs, the Canaries peaked by hammering rivals Ipswich at Portman Road . The first game of December saw Norwich take on Millwall at the New Den. The game, an uninspiring 0-0 draw, was Peter Crouch's last for the Canaries. This was a good result for Norwich , whose fans were pleased further to see much reviled Australian, Kevin Muscat, sent off for kicking Darren Huckerby. The run of results was combined with the seemingly endless saga of whether or not star striker Huckerby would make his loan move permanent. Some money raised by supporters, including £500,000 from chief shareholder Delia Smith, had already been spent on new strikers Mckenzie and Svensson. However, on Boxing Day, all Canary fans were left to reflect on a great Christmas as Huckerby finally signed. Worthington's bid to find the extra cash needed to

With the enthusiasm generated by signing Huckerby, it was imperative that Norwich continued their winning ways on Boxing Day lure Huckerby to Carrow Road was stepped up after the striker tore Cardiff City to shreds in what would have been his last game in yellow and green on December 13th. His wonderful performance was encapsulated midway through the first half with a superb solo goal. Norwich doubled their lead early in the second half with

Iwan Roberts drilling the ball low into the net after latching on to Huckerby's through ball.

Norwich's new signing Darren Huckerby

Cardiff pulled a goal back through Peter Thorne before Craig Flaming made the points safe for Norwich with a rare goal fifteen minutes from the end. Huckerby wasn't finished though ; with ten minutes remaining he cut inside two Cardiff defenders before seeing his shot deflect off a hapless 'Bluebird' defender to give Norwich a 4-1 victory. Norwich travelled to Ipswich on the 21st December having recorded just two away wins all season. The match saw new strikers, Svensson and Mckenzie, both start - neither player disappointed. The Canaries' defence was resolute; it is doubtful that Ipswich would have scored in ninety hours, let alone ninety minutes, such were the performances of Mackay, Fleming and Green. The star of the show, however, was new boy Leon Mckenzie scoring twice on his debut in yellow and green. His first goal , in the 39th minute, was a drilled volley from 12 yards. The strike suggested that Norwich have unearthed a player of great potential from Second Division Peterborough. While Ipswich's strikers underperformed - Kuqi can be described as a carthorse at best Mckenzie and Svensson were showing great movement and endeavour. lt was, therefore, no surprise when Norwich doubled their lead. In the 76th minute Gary Holt found himself in unfamiliar territory on the right wing and delivered a Beckham-like cross to the penalty spot; again, it was Mckenzie who was in the right place to deliver a superb looping header over Davis to secure three points for Norwich. The Canaries supporters spent the last ten minutes of the game reminding Ipswich fans of the score and informing the Portman Road club of who is undoubtedly the pride of Anglia . Norwich manager, Nigel Worthington, declared that, "this victory was for the fans," a deserved accolade given the vocal encouragement throughout the game and the season. With the enthusiasm generated by signing Huckerby, it was imperative that Norwich continued their winning ways on Boxing Day at home to Nottingham Forest. Despite producing a poor performance - Worthington described Forest as, "the better team on the day" - Norwich secured a 1-o victory courtesy of a Svensson goal in the 14th minute. Green's long throw was flicked on to Henderson who delivered a brilliant low cross into the area that Svensson volleyed home. Incredibly, this was the first time that Norwich had won a televised league game in three years. Just two days later, City travelled to Pride Park to take on a Derby side languishing in the relegation zone. The first half was evenly balanced with neither side able to find the net; however, after the break the deadlock was broken by Craig Flaming who volleyed the ball home. Norwich's attacking play resulted in a deserved second goal in the 78th minute with Mackay heading in McVeigh's free kick. Three minutes later, McVeigh himself scored with a brilliant deft flick from 10 yards. The scoring was completed two minutes from time with McKenzie converting a penalty.

iven such superb form in the league, the FA Cup was viewed by many fans as a distraction rather than something tu look forward to. Nevertheless, Worthington played his strongest team against Everton at Goodison Park and was it not for some dubious refereeing decisions - the Canaries' may have sneaked an unlikely victory. Everton ran out 3-1 winners, their goals coming from two Duncan Ferguson penalties and a header by Kevin Kilbane - Brennan scored Norwich's response. The game was marred by accusations of racism by Everton offi-

Norwich fans were not chanting 'black' at Joseph Yobo, rather they were calling Wayne Rooney fat. cials against the Norwich fans. In fact, Norwich fans were not chanting 'black' at Joseph Yobo, rather they were calling Wayne Rooney fat. Norwich's form dipped in their next game when they suffered a surprise defeat at home to Bradford. The only goal came from Alun Armstrong , on loan from Ipswich. In one of the most entertaining games of the sea-

• • • • • • • •

son, Norwich secured a point in a 4-4 draw awav to Rotherham on the 17th January. Marti n Butle• opened the scoring for Rotherham however JUSt a minute later lwan Roberts equalised with a con· trolled volley. Five minutes later, great work bv Huckerby presented McKenzie with a golden chance to make it 2-1 . Rotherham equalised three minutes before half time with a towering header over the on rushing Green. Norwich corn · pleted the first half scoring right on half-time With Huckerby slotting home a dubious penalty. In a half time melee, Rotherham manager Ronnie Moore and defender Guy Branston were both sent off. Branston unwisely hit Norwich striker. McKenzie, whose dad and uncle were both Boxing world champions! In the second half. ten man Rotherham took the game to Norwich and equalised - Butler getting his hat-trick, despite what looked a foul on Green. In the 75th minute Rotherham seemed to have won the match with a goal from Mullins. However, the sensational match was completed in the 89th minute as Damien Francis volleyed home a last gasp equaliser in front of a mass ot yellow and green. The result left Norwich two points clear at the top of the First Division and ensured that the team is still excellently placed to gain promotion to the Premiership.

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Opposition's experience shows as London Uni beat UEA in BUSA Team Racing championships THOM SMITH

THOM SMITH

The UEA fencing team has managed to keep an unbeaten record in its com petition matches this year, despite early fears that there were not enough experienced fencers and that a team would not be able to travel to some of the events due to other commitments. The year started off with a local match against the Norfolk Fencing Club. which the UEA side won co nvincingly. With the academic year s tarting. the BUSA leagu e began. with UEA figh ting a number of un iversities . Ben Rackham , St ephen Domek and Paul Southam formed the basis of th e- team with Stewart McK.ane. Graeme Weatherill. and Chris McConnell stepping in as needed. The flrst BUSA match of th e

year was on October 22 against Birmingham. This was won on weapon s, the actual points taken by the two teams being equal at 124- 124. A week later. Cambridge's team was also narrowly beaten with the final score at 11 3-110. The n ext match was delayed for various reasons. and instead of being fought on November 5, was won by UEA on December 3 with th e fmal score 135-78 agai n st Staffordshire . A normal ly scheduled match against Warwick yielded a 129-92 win for the team. The following week. UEA won on a similar margin against Leicester with a score of 126-92. The first match of this semester is on February 4. and will be fenced again s t Nottingham . if this and the next mach. against Loughborough are won . the team will have a clean sweep of the regional board.

On Saturday, two six - person UEA Sailing teams compet.:d in BUSA's Eastern Region Team Racing Championships. The races were to be sailed in Fireflys , a class of boat rlesign ed without spinnaker 01 trapeze and not previously sailed by the majority of the UEA te.ams . Repr esenting UEA 1 were Tim Graham and Mickey Longstaff. David Day and Graham Robinson. and Paul Washbrook and Fran Bonnington . For UEA2 were Thorn Smith and Peter Carl eto n . Ta m sin Butcher and ' · 'I Newport. and Nick Tredwell and Richard Young. T- ~ day's second race was UEA's first. with UEA l against UEA 2 . After a contact by Washbrook -Bonnington against Tredwell-Young before the start, and an initially bad start by UEA2, things became more interesting as UEA2 caught up . eventually finishing 3 -4-6. UEAl's second race was against Kentl, and saw UEA in an attacking position until the rear boat miscalculated resulting in a loss for UEA. Their next race. against London ~ started with DayRobinson clipping the corn-

mittee boat, but was close. Nonetheless. despite UEA's best efforts. the London team prevailed. When against London 3. the racing was much closer. with UEA forc ing a second place; however the remaining boats fmished almost simultaneously. with UEAJudged in a losing 5 and 6 . The team won th e n ext race again st Kent 2 . with Grah am- Longstaff crossing th e line first. with Day- Robinson holding back the opposition while Washbrook-Bonnington got across. Their fin a l race , aga inst Londonl saw the London team take the lead by

th e first buoy. and the UEA team left trailing. UEA2's second race started in confusion. and many felt that the race should have been re-sailed . A mis -reading of the starting signals left only one Kent boat a nd UEA's Smith-Carleton boat legally starting and s ailing the course. The UEA crew could not catch th e lighter Kent boat. however and Kent won. UEA2's next race against London 2 was at least started properly. though from UEA's point of view. finished badly. In the n ext race, another London team tried to finish 1-2-3.

Despite UEA's best efforts, they succeeded . Attempts by UEA to tighten up their tactics saw a little more hunting at the start of the fifth race but nevertheless refused to deliver the a win to UEA2 . The fmal race of the day saw a good start for though . With Tredwell- Young creating a mark trap. Butcher-Newport sailed through. though this was not enough to allow a UEA victory. At the end of this, UEA1 finished flfth and UEA2 seventh. unfortunately, not high enou gh to al low entry to either the national championships. or th e play-offs.

E-MAIL SPORTS REPORTS TO SU.CONCRETE@UEA.AC.UK Concrete Prize Crossword #49 ACROSS

Set by Sarah

DOWN

I) An American President (9) 1) Dependable (8) 4) Paper folding (7) 2) Den of a wild animal (4) 3) An An1erican Stale (7) 5) Poison through bile of s ting (5) 6) Rela ting to s hips and s ailors (8) 7) Shakespeare play·------Andronicus· (5) I ll The Ocean (3) 8) Large Parrot (6) 12) To be victorius (3) 13 ) Antiseptic chemical (6) 9) Statue of him in Trafalgur Square (6) 14) Fren ch for 'and' (2) 16) Precisely (7) 10) Girl's name (4) 20) Beneath (5) 15) Send goods to other countries (6 ) 21) Express approval (6) 22) Sportsperson (7) 17) Used to decora te cakes (5) 18) Away from the coast (6) 26) Money (4) 19) A small lower (6) 27) Supreme being (3) 23) Unwell 29) Imperial unit of weight (5) 24) Location of places (7) 25) Chew and swallow food (3) 28) To possess (3)

r- --- -- -- ------- --- - - -- - - - -- --- - -, :There 's a selection of singles up for grabs for lcompletion of the crossword. Fill in your name :and a contact number ore-mail address below :and bring it up to the office with in the next tw o :weeks. Have fun. I I

1Name: I

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:C ontact : I

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