Concrete issue 169 17 11 2004

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Issue 169 ·Wednesday, November 17th 2004

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FINANCE OFFICER, JAMES DRAKEFORD, REFUTES RUMOURS ABOUT CPS CASH· Helen Pike Deputy Editor

Union finance officer Jarnes Drakeford has dispelled any rumours concerning the shortage of funding towards societies and sports clubs being due to the money spent on the Hive refurbishment. Since the beginning of term rumours have been circulating that, due to the redevelopment of the Hive, there is less money to spend on clubs and societies.

The construction of the Hive took place between April and September and cost £2.5 million . Mr. Drakeford has stated that whilst debating the redevelopment of the Hive, the Union Council made sure that various budgets would not be cut as a consequence.

This, he added, included all Sporting Clubs, Peer Support Groups and Societies (CPS's).

However, many clubs and societies have faced a shortage in their budgets this academic year. The football club has complained of

poor floodlights, a lack of equipment and the training ground they use at Colney Lane Is In need of improving.

The rugby club's transport Is no longer funded by the Union and Nightline's fund ing request Is reported to have been halved from £1500 to £750.

In a statement sent to all CPS's, Mr. Drakeford points out that the reasons for smaller budgets is due to a reduced Income in this year.

Factors contributing towards the fall last year

Re-investment needed See Page Eight

, WHEN IS A FIRST.NOT A FIRS • UEA IS THE HARDEST FOR A FIRST SAYS STUDY PROMPTING FRESH CALLS FOR STANDARDISED GRADING Jessica Fielder Education Editor

A new study has revealed that UEA students may have even more value attached to their degrees as it is the hardest University in the country to gain a first from.

The controversial

research , produced by London Metropolitan University and reported in the Times Higher Education Supplement. compares the requirements for receiving a first at 58 UK Universities.

Whilst they are all expected to adhere to the 700Al benchmark for a first, each can choose which modules are used to assess this. For

example, some Universities will include only final year marks, whilst others take an average (often weighted) of the grades achieved throughout years two and three.

At UEA the absolute minimum grade average with which a student could get a first would be 68.75%.

At Sunderland, by contrast,

a student could theoretically achieve an average of only 50.8% and sti11 receive a first. LSE, ranked as the 11th University In the world, comes a close second• to Sunderland's lowest grade average with only 52.2% required to gain a first, although LSE say the circumstances under which a first would be awarded for

this grade would be "highly unlikely".

The study has raised many questions about the continuity between grades awarded for work. There is the potential for criticism about grade classifications being entirely arbitrary, to the extent that a 50% grade awarded at UEA may get a much lower mark at another

university, like the LSE. The lack of continuity Is not just an issue between Universities.

Different schools at UEA have different criteria for awarding a first. It is harder to gain a first for a Science degree, requiring a 70% grade in all units, as opposed to

Consistency required See Page Eight

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From the

Editor concrete.editor@uea .ac.uk

A

say addicted because addiction, generally, arises from a 'monkey-see; monkey-do' kind of attitude. To simplify the issue somewhat, we like the image associated with the addiction- this is particularly true of smoking, in light of the current health adverts that try to show the reality of a life spent addicted to nicotine, and the possible result. Addiction is far more intellectual than physical, at least in the initial stages. In our society, there is no escaping the daily barrage of celebrity icons that live in a world entirely disparate from .the general populace; much the same as Culture Secretaries.

You only have to travel to the nearest nightclub to see people spending money that they haven't got in order to project the kind of self-image they see on the TV The reality of all of this is that the world turns on debt.

From Third World debt down to our own, the economy relies on debt. Apart from wars because there is so much 'topend' investment in armaments - it is the single most sustainable way to keep an economy going. Traditionally and culturally, as with getting a mortgage, we are accustomed to debt. We are worth more to the government when we graduate with debt than we would be debt-free.

Casinos, then, are just another, logical, extension of our culture. The plan to put them in football stadiums - to which the weak minded throng - plays on yet another aspect of our society, combining two immersing and addictive cultures.

Does this vindicate the plan for Casinos? No. Getting into unavoidable debt is almost a nece ssary requirement of existence.

Encouraging people, or at least providing the facilities that may encourage people, to get into debt - like being asked if you want a store card every time you venture into _a department or chain store - is simply inexcusably wrong.

I

Philp Sainty

Editor 2004-05

. November J71h. 2004

EARLY BONDS BROKEN TOO SOON UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT KILLED SUDDENLY ON WAY TO WORK Norikazu Takeuchi

students we are ell aware of the art term probms associated th debt; the long-term problems we are yet to fully realise. We will be paying our student loans off until we're thirty, and with the introduction of top -up fees the chances of people getting into, and then through, three years of higher education with a clean balance sheet are minimal; if not impossible. Unless . you happen to be gifted with wealthy parents.

But student loans are not the only financial burde n we are destined to shoulder, the money that builds up on overdrafts and credit cards are also part of our economically crippled future. It is these forms of debt that are most prevalent in our society, the Citizens Advice Bureau has recorded it is dealing with 拢1.2 billion pounds worth of personal debt a year, and in July of this year the UK personal debt total topped a trillion. On top of this , we are continually being told that the country is poised on the brink of a housing price crash which will send the entire country spiralling into depression. But we needn't worry, as the Government has decided that we need more casinos.

While our centre spread for this issue may seem like we're poking fun at the plans to introduce casinos, this issue is of paramount importance.

Under such financial circumstances, it seems bizarre that such a concept would become an agenda. The ensuing media circus - not least the seductive shots of Tessa Jowell poised alluringly over crab 's tables and roulette wheels -has done little to halt the process ol this legislation. The position of Jowell as culture secretary is probably the most illuminating aspect of the whole debacle.

Our culture, more specifically, the insidious rise of the reality TV show, has already crept its way into the 'debt market' and revealed UK culture to be composed of a lot of people addicted to expensive lifestyles.

Cotcrete Wednesda

Concrete is very sorry to announce the death of a UEA student in a h ead-on collision on Monday evening.

The univers ity fl ag was flown at half-mast in his memory on Thursday. Mr Cesar Nogueira Ferreira. aged 33. was a first year undergra du ate stud ent in the S chool of Political. Social and In ternationa l Studies [PSI) . Head of PS I. Or John Greenaway. said: "we a r e terribly saddened to h ea r this tragic news. Cesar was a lively and talented mature student. who h ad been making a full and valuable contribution to university life .

We will gr eatly miss him and we extend our deepest sympathy to his family." Cesar was working very hard during the initial term of his life at UniveJ路sity. not only on his studies but he was a lso determined to work full -time in a factory throughout the

week to pay his way through university. He was on his way to work when the accident occurred.

According to one of his fri ends, "Cesar was always working so hard to get by, but h e never took life fo r granted and h e was a lways eager to h ave fun. and at the same time h ave intelligen t discussions abo ut life. philosop hy a nd the peo ple h e had en co untered in his travels" He was living in the city ce ntre with other UEA studen ts. On e of his fl atmates said . "We feel so powerless. and S(l much g1ief and great 路 anger toward hi s d eath, at th e fact that hi s life was taken so tragically. It is h ard to reconcile why h e had to die so suddenly, I feel as though my heart is scream ing. It is s ign ifican t ly diffi cu lt to accept t hi s moment, but we have to move on and have to live not only for us but also for him. We feel so much love for him. and we will n ever forget him. His life

Cesar Nogueira Ferreira died on Monday evening What we should n ever forget and his spirit will a lways live is t11at a life is always signifon in our hearts forever. we ica nt and can never b e really miss you and love you Cesar" exchanged for anyfuing else .

Th e UEA campus The sudden loss of a perextends th eir greatest symson is always catastr ophic and inconsolab le especially 路 pathies to Cesar's fri ends and relatives. for close friends and family.

lAW VOLUNTARY SCHEME SUCCESSFUL UEA STUDENTS' PRO BONO GROUP HAS RECORD NUMBERS SIGN UP JULIET HARRIS Legal Editor

Students in need of legal advice will now fmd it easier thanks to the Pro Bono Group. Students in the group are committing them selves to help others who may find themselves in situations that require they go to a police station ; or n eed support when giving evidence in court. They also h elp with a dvice that m ay be sought at institutions like the Citizens Advice Bureau.

The UEA Pro Bono Group was set up by UEA Law Students in 2002.The schem e aims to provide Law students with an opportunity to gain valuable skills and

experien ce by volunteering for a number of diffe rent ch aritable and voluntary organisations. These include the Citizens Advice Bureau, the Witness Service. Victim Support. C h anging Places and the Appropriate Adult Scheme. The organisations involved all h ave a legal flavour or remit to an exten t, making t h em particularly popular with students involved .

The success of the sch em e is particularly pleasing as it is run entirely by a committee. s tude nt Committee m embers include Catherine Evans, Phillipa Farrell , Juliet Harris , Zoe Haylett, Simon Leeper, Maisie Yau , Ab igail Turner and President Ella McCiuskey. "We are a ll

delighted by the amount of students who h ave been a ble and willing to volunteer this year," says Ella. "The o rganisations involved all provide magnificent amounts of s upport for people who are often vulnerable and unable to access proper legal advice, as well as providing a grea t infrastructure for students who volunteer. UEA stu dents can get involved in helping to speak up for those who carmot speak for them selves. The relationship b etween the Pro Bono Group and the organisations has become increasingly estab lished and is working incredibly well , as s h own by the recent publicity s urrounding the Appropri ate Adult scheme in the local press. Whilst setting up and

running th e schem e can involve a lot of effort, it h as been an incredibly rewarding experience for all of us and I'd thoroughly tecomm end it to anyone in a different school of study who is thinking about establishing a similar scheme" Ther e a re cu rrently about 70 studen ts involved in the sch em e. with further recruitment possible in the future.

Any questions, queries or comn1ents about the sch em e can b e sent to probono @ u ea.ac. uk.

Informa tion ca n a lso b e found at www.u ea.ac. uk/law/pro bono/pro_bono_index. html and on the Pro Bono Notice Board by the student pigeonholes in Earlham Hall.

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Concrete

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WHITE POPPIES

EX-UEA STUDENTACQUITTED

POPPY POWER PROMOTES PEACEASWELLAS MEMORIES

PROTESTERS AGAINST NUCLEAR ARSENAL FINED

Oily I laywood

In the past week people have been paying their respects lo the dead by rtclorn ing a reel poppy in the annual remembrance celebrations. Shops on cnmpus. however. have a lso bee n sell ing white poppies in acco r dance with a noth er type of memoria l.

Since th e fi rst British Legion Red Poppy Day on lllh Nove mber 1921 . Ul e now renowned Poppy Appeal has worked to promo te a worldwid e rem embrance of those who gave th eir lives for t h e peace and freedo m of oth ers . In spired o rigina lly by J o hn McCrae's poe m 'In Flanders· Fie lds'. th e a ppeal has p romoted th e signifi cance of llie red poppy as a sym bol of t h e fa llen to establish it as a las ting me m o ri a l.

The campaign b e hind the 'White Peace Poppy' expands on th is tribute to th e fa llen. a n cl prom otes t h e poppy rts a symbol of rem embra n ce for a ll war victims worldwide. tod ay and yesterday.

The co nce pt, of the white re m embra n ce poppy m ay

poppy. having been around since 1933. L.'l.unchecl by n group ca lled lhe Women's Co -operative Guild. the while poppy not only asks tor remembrance of war victims. but for a campaign for non-violent met hods of conllict resolution in lhe future.

As an integra l component of the Peace Pledge Un ion's m essage fat· a ·c ulture of Peace·. the while poppy is believed to b e of particula r importa nce in . U1e light of current events .

Although appearing to stand for s im il a r thi n gs . t h e ca mpa ig ns be h ind Ule wh ite and reel poppies have been somewhat opposed in U1 e past. Unde r t h e clo ud of Wo rld War I U1e whi te po ppy s parked mu ch co n trove rsy. as a large number of veter ans fe lt lliat its s ignificance und e rmin ed th e lasting m ean ing of the red poppy.

The Peace Poppy campaig n . howeve r. maintains llial il n ever a imed lo d etract from th e s ignificanc e of rem em be ring t hose w h o d ied fa t· their peo p le in th e Firs t World War. and the white poppy is becoming m o r e wide ly accepted as a complem e nta ry tribute to war vie-

tims. alongside the poppy.

Additional locally raised funds from the distribution of white poppies will this year go towards Medical Aid for Iraqi Children. while the bulk of proceeds will fund the Peace Pledge Union's 'Learnpcacc· project. The project's ptincipal aim is to pass on the union 's underpinning value. which is U1at n o n -violence is bette r th a n violence. Il a lso works lo edu ca te peo ple in the tru e reality of war. Dr Andrew Bosnell [ITCS) of th e Norwich Peace Council has wtitten that th e White Peace Poppy addresses the "enigm a of remembra n ce". which is the fo rgotten s ilence in which war victim s have s uffe r ed. h id d en b e h ind t h e annu a l s h ow of "pom p. glory and b ravery". Th ey believe t hat the wh ite poppy en ab les us for th e fi rst time to touch Ule s h ee r h on ·or of wa r and lo act upon it.

Peace The Norwich Council is a thriving peace movem ent, with m any n etwo t·ked gro up s who are eage r lo rec ru it stude n t m embers. For furth er information . th e websile is http:/ /www.onewor ld co l umn .org.

HOUSE TO LE AVAILABLE NOW 5 M ins Wa lk UEA Furn ished 4 BEDS SHARED LOUNGE , KITCHEN , BATHROOM AND GARDEN

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La ura Palmer

Six protesters. incl u d ing a grad u ate of UEA. wh o were arrested for cutting t h eir way into o n e o f Britain's s ites fo r llie produc tion of nucl ea r weapons in Burghfield. west Berk sh ire. a ppeared be fore th e Reading Magistrate's Court on the 28th October to contest t h e charges m ade aga inst th em of Criminal Damage.

T h e activists plead ed not g uilty. arguing that they carti ed out a lesse r ct·im e lo prevent a greater one from h appening and U1erefore d id n ot b reak the law. The group were fin ed £380 in total. t he co urt found fo ur guilty an d two. incl u d ing Kathry n Amos. wh o studied Envi ronmental Scie nce a t UEA and completed h er PHD t h is year. we re acq ui tted on the co nd ition t h at they wou ld 'behave' lliem selves in the fu ture.

Th e 'B urg hfi e ld S ix' bro ke into th e base in June in ord er to dis tribu te leaflets to workers lliere. informing t h em th a t u nd er t h e Gen eva Con ve n tio n t h ey do n ot h ave to carry o ut illegal ord ers.

Amos said. "wh at we wer e tryin g to do was com municate with people" a nd b elieves llia t if workers at Burgh fi eld were informed of in te rnationa l la w they wou ld see llia t lliey are en gaged in cri minal activity.

Amos s tated. "l did it b eca use I th ink it's Ule only resu lt we have left. 1 feel Ulal U1is issu e is so important yet it's n ever debated in Parlia m en t. If m o re peo ple see w h at's h appen ing. m ore people wi ll protest. I don't lliink I commi tted a crime.

British nucl ear wea pons are illegal [under inte rnation a l law). You are a llowed to break oilier laws in order to save lives. If th ere is a burn ing bu ildi ng you can b reak th e windows in o rder to save people" The g ro up's s upporte r Rupe ri Read. a senior Ph ilosophy lectu rer a t UEA said he was not really surprised by the Readin g Magistra te Cow·t's decision: "It is very h ard for magis tr ates to lake th e tisk of m a king a d ecis ion w hi c h wo uld make th em th e focus of in ten se m edia and judicial scrutiny. But I hope one day llier e will be more m agis trates a n d j u dges wh o are willin g to do so. a n d enforce inter nationa l law."

Dr Read said t h e d egr ee of seri o u s n ess wit h which th e m agis trate h ea t·d th e g r o up 's a rg ume n t was n on ellieless exciting: "Often m agistra tes j u st refu se poin t blan k to co n s ider argu men ts based o n internatio n a l law.

At least t his t ime th e m agistrate th o u g ht r easo n a bly seri ou s ly a bo u t t h e a rg u m en ts.

On e indication of t his is h ow lightly h e let off llie d efend an ts. We were, frankly. a m azed at t h e s m a llness of t h e fin e h e

lev ied . on find ing them guilty. " Amos. wh o d idn't h ave to pay co u r t costs and wi ll not h ave a c rimin a l r eco rd. ad d ed "h e was partia lly sympath etic and l t h ink h e respected us" But wh et h er this governm ent acts to disarm Britain of its nucl ear warheads re m a ins to be see n. Dr Read isn't hope fu l: "It is a total disgrace t h at our govern m ent s h ows no in tention of givin g up its Wea pons of Mass Des truction . h aving go n e to war to rid anoth er nation of its non-existent Weapons of Mass Destruction" A seco nd year Ph il osophy and Po li tics stu dent s u ggested lliat t h e gover n me n t genuinely believes th ere is a t h reat to Bri tain wh ich is why it h olds onto its nucl ea r weapons. but lha llhe government "doesn 't let on h ow mini m al it is" Dr Read argu es lliat th e govern m en t h as not chosen to d isar m because "it wants to share in t h e Bush regime's p la n s fo r world do min a tion ... He continued .. ·wor ld do m ination ' is j u st ano lliet· way of p u tting wh at llie Bu s h regime's 'Pr oj ect for t h e New Am e ri can Cen t u ry envisages. Loo k at h tt p :/ /www.newa m erica n cen tury.org Blair wants a part of Ule Ameri can cake.

So h e'll h a ng on to Britain's Wea p o n s of Mass Des tru ctio n until p erh a p s we. t h e p u b lic. b oot hi m o u t ."

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Concrete

Wednesday, November 17th, 2004

FUTURE OF PALESTINE PLUNGED INTO UNCERTAINTY AS AN 'ICON OF THE MIDDLE EAST' DIES IN PARIS Arnir Michaeel

On the 11th of November.

2.30 am, Yasser Arafat. the Palestinian president. d ied in a Military hospital in Paris.

Arafat was born on 24 August 1929 in the Egyptian capital. Cairo. His fat her died d u ring the frrst ArabIsraeli war 20 years later. In 1969, Arafat was voted chairman of the executive committee o f the Palesti ne Liberation Organisation (PLO). whi ch h a d bee n formed four years earlier by the Ara b League. In 1974 he fa mou s ly ad dressed th e Un ited Nation s Gen eral Assembly in New York . saying h e h ad com e "bearing an olive branch and a freedom fighter's gun - do not let th e olive branch fall fro m my ha nd". Unfortu nate ly he h ad mad e a critical mistake in 1990 by supporting Saddam Hussein during his invasion and occu pation of Kuwait.

On 13 September 1993, Arafat and Israel's Prime Minister. Yitzhak Rabin. met in The White House with some help from Norwegian dip lomats to discuss and resolve the IsraeliPalestin ian conflict. The two sides signed the Declaration of Principles, an agreement a ll owi~g Palestinians selfrule in the Gaza Strip and th e West Bank town of Jericho in retu rn for the PLO's recogn ition of th e J ewish s tate. Bu t. u n fortunately. by 2000 the Oslo peace process had come to a

dead end. Arafat was blamed attached to the city. For

by Israel and the US for the most Israelis. having a man failure in July that year at they see as an enemy buried Camp David. Arafat insisted so close to a Jewish holy site that the deal he was offered would have been unacceptwas far less generous than it able. This was expressed had been portrayed, and, as clearly by Justice Minister he put it, "the Arab leader Yosef Lapid on Israeli televihas not been born who sion . "Jerusalem is a city would give up Jerusalem". where Jews bury their kings.

Matters worsened in It's not a city where we want December 2001 when. fol- to bury an Arab terrorist; a lowing a wave of suicide mass murderer." attacks, the Israeli govern- Palestinians have not given ment blockaded him in his up hope; Palestinian aides West Bank headquarters. have suggested that Mr accusing h im of instigating Arafat's body will be placed the terror on Israel's streets. in a stone coffin . ra ther than This trapped and isolated a wooden one, to allow his Arafat in the ruins of his re-intermen t at a later time bombed -out h eadquarte1路s in in Jerusalem .

Ramallah. Mr Arafat flew to Yasser Arafat led th e Pa.~i s on October 29th after Palestinians fo r fou r weeks of mystery stomach decades, d u ring which time pains, the cau se of which is there were many differen t s WI u nclear. He fell into a opin ion s fo rmed of him. For coma on November 3rd and some, h e was a leader who never regained con scious- benefited from his co u ntry's ness. He died on Thursday misfortune by gaining the the 1 1th of multiple organ 路world's sympathy; while othfailure at the age of 75. ers perceived him simply as His funeral took place in a terrorist. Many perceived Egypt. attended by heads of him as a hero who was a state. prime ministers and symbol of their struggle. forei.gn ministers from all Many people acknowledge around the world in a short that he revived their cause ceremony at an airbase in when it seemed lost in the Cairo. following funeral late 1950s. They regarded prayers at a mosque. He was him as a man who has given buried at his Ramallah all to his country. Foreign headquarters. the muqata. Minister Jack Straw in a former prayer hall expressed his respect for demolished by Israeli forces Arafat, "As the leader of his with soil from the AI-Aqsa people, he created an intermosque in Jerusalem. where national awareness of. and Palestinians hope Mr concern about. the plight of Arafat's coffin can one day the Palestinian people. He be buried. disp layed unquestionable His burial was a matter devotion to his work ... of controversy even before Whatever the regard in h is death ; Israel refused a which Arafat is held. his Jerusalem burial because .of death marks the end of an the great symbolism era. whether it is the end of

Palestinian struggle or the end of Palestinian resilience is still to be known. and this will depend on who takes over from a man who became an icon of the Middle East.

His funeral service reflected how much he meant. not only to his country. but also the entire world . World leaders who attended the ceremony included Arab kings and presidents; the UK Foreign Secretary Jack Straw: South African

President Thabo Mbeki and US envoy William Burns was also there. Sadly, no Israeli officials attended.

Tony Blair paid tribute to 路a huge icon for the Palestinian people", suggesting that the death of Yasser Arafat had created an opportunity for opening a new page on peace talks. Jack Straw added that Mr Arafat played such a dom inant ro le fo r so long that it was h ard to imagine the Middle East

without him. Many other world leaders expressed their sorrow including Nelson Mandela, Vladimir Putin the Russian president, Jacques Chirac the French president and Silvio Berlusconi the Italian Prime Minister.

The future poses many questions about Arafat; how will h is successor deal with the Israeli-Palestinian confli ct? And wh at is the future of Palestine?

Colcrttt Wednesday, November 17th, 2004

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UNTHANK RESIDENT'S VICTORY IN BATTLE AGAINST TESCO TESCO PUTS PlANS ON HOLD AnER RESISTANCE Sarah J. Smith

Since being reported on the Concrete website, the Residents Against Unthank Tesco (RAUT) have gained a small victory against the supermarket giant. Tesco had originally applied for planning permission for the store on 3rd September this year. The plans have been met with strong opposition from local residents combined with unresolved issues from city planning over the appearance and pedestrian access to the site.

On the 3rd November, Tesco temporarily withdrew their application.

The store would take over the site of the old petrol station on the junction with Trlnity Street. The proposed plan Is for a one storey Tesco express store with around eight parking spaces.

However, with two Budgens stores just metres down the road residents are questionIng the need for such a store.

Mary AMS2 is against the proposals saying that they've 'lasted this long without one, why change?' Many students who live in and around Unthank Road seem to agree that there Is no need for another supermarket ln the area and that if the proposed plans did go ahead it would have a highly detrimental effect on the area.

One of the key concerns for residents is the predicted

increase in traffic congestion deli and bakery will still in the area. Plans expect have a market. The only that up to 250 cars a day store likely to suffer is will visit the store . Budgens.'

Considering the size of the Councillor Adrian site there Is unlikely to be Ramsey of the Green Party much In the way of parking. has expressed the concerns This makes it likely that of local residents over the despite local roads being for issue "Since Tesco first subpermit holders only many . mitted a planning applicacars will park outside peotion for this site, I have been ple's homes. Queues waiting contacted by a large number for parking will just add furof my constituents - the vast ther to local congestion. The majority of whom are store would also need to be opposed to the plans. It 'is supplied by large delivery good news that the initial Lorries. application has been withUnthank road is narrow drawn. It seems that Tesco for cars and buses and ques- has done this to buy more tions must be raised about time for the leafieting camthe practicality of Lorries on paign they are about to start this stretch of road. Other in the local area to try to problems with the predicted Urrfiuence public opinion as traffic Increase include fear they re-submit the applicafor the safety of pedestrian tion. The Stop Unthank and cyclists in the area. Tesco group Is therefore With many cars already making an impact. But it is parking on the sides of the Important that the group road the. risk is that with vis- continues to remain strong Ibility being further reduced and organised to give Tesco there will be a rise in acci- and the Council a clear mesdents along the Unthank sage about the reasons why and nearby roads. the vast majority of local res' A further Issue that has idents are opposed to the been raised Is the effect that plans." the store would have on the Local residents have local businesses. There are already submitted a petition fears that many of the small- with 3,500 signatures er independent stores in the against the planning and are area would suffer from the waiting to see what the new competition. These busi- proposals will entail when nesses are seen by many as they are submitted. crucial to the village atmosIf you would like to know phere on Unthank road and more the campaign has a the surrounding area. webslte at www.stopunThere are some support- thanktesco.com .

If you ers of the scheme in the wish to voice an opinion on area, however, Donna, PSI3, this subject send an email to says the idea of Tesco moving In to the area will not c oncrete.news@uea.ac.uk. affect the local stores. "TTle

LIBRARY ALLAYS LOAN FEARS STUDENTS CONCERNED ABOUT TEXT AVAILABLII1Y DURING REFURB Robin Smith Concern Is growing amongst the student community over the proposed refurbishment to the Library. This .vill take place after the Library extension is completed in December. Under this proposal, periodicals and books will be moved from their existing sites to other floors around the路 building. The floors that will be most affected are Floor 2 which will be re-housed between the 4th and 21st of January 2005 and Floor 3 which will

both traditionally periods In which students are busy fin ishing dissertations or studying for exams. During the re-shelving process, students will be unable to browse and will have to request the books by title.

However, academic officer Chris Ostrowski was quick to allay student fears, "I have been informed by representatives of the Library that disruption to students during the period of refurbishment will be kept to a minimum" , he said, "Students will still be able to withdraw books and periodicals on the day which they are needed. In the absolute worst case scenario students may have to wait for a couple of hours to receive the text that they want. If any student feels that they have been disadvantaged in any then I would urge to speak to me in House. The Union judge each case on own merits.

Library representative Kitty Inglis is also keen to reassure students on this Issue. "TTle Intention is to have all stock accessible at all times except during the physical moving of books" she stated.

Despite these reassurances some students remain worried. Cassie AMS 3 said, "With my dissertation due In January and my finals after Easter I am still concerned. :With subjects such as mine it is necessary to be able to peruse the shelves in order to find publications relevant to my work. I worry that the system won't work as this Is a large undertaking of which the people involved presumably have little experience."

Detailed information about the temporary locations for books and joumals will be publicised widely on the Library website, via email. Rabbit and Concrete.

Information will also be posted on the entrance to the building.

THE PRICE OF ACHIEVEMENT GRADUATES TO CONTINUE PAYING OFF LOANS INTO THEIR THIRTIES. Celia Dearing

While most students have now .received their student loans. there are additional financial pressures which accompany student life that will have already become apparent for some.

However, according to the Student Finance Vigilante Debt Perception Survey 2004, those opti mists who envision that their debts will disappear as soon as they leave the confmes of student life, should think again. The survey which was published last week revealed that the majority of students will not finish repaying their loan

unW aged 31.

This will disappoint many. as the survey also revealed that the general expectation of graduates was that they would have paid off their debts by age 28. a miscalculation of three years. It will come as even more of a shock to those 7% who miscalculated by a whopping decade.

Tim Weaver, spokesperson for the survey puts this gross underestimation by students down to "a lack of appreciation of the Impact of compound interest, in itself a reflection of a lack of financial awareness among those leaving school".

Indeed, statistics have revealed that there is an extreme lack of financial acumen amongst students generally - a likely consequence of 58% having

received no personal financial education at school and a worrying 12% having received no financial advice at all, whether it be from relatives or otherwise.

What with the introduction of top-up fees, rises in tuition fees and increased interest rates on student loans. it is vital that students learn how to budget and manage their money. yet a total of 63% do not keep track of their finances at all.

Jimmy Leach, writer for the Guardian Education Supplement, advises "be a bit nerdy. Plan your spendIng and keep a record of what you're spending. No one else need know and you can emerge from this smiling" .

8 concrctc. ncws @uea.ac .uk

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Concrete

\l'e dnesdar. No ••emher J71h 200./

COLUMBIAN UNIONS CALL FOR WORLDWIDE COKE BAN STUDENT UNIONS JOIN PROTEST Isabe l Dyso n

Tra d e Un ion s in Columbia h a ve called for a boycott of Coca-Co la produ cts at Un ivers ities over th e wo rld as con ce rn s over th e com pa ny's eth ical practices h ave s urfaced. Dw-ing th e past yea r. NUS S ervi ces Li mited (NUSS L) h ave been invo lved in a s eries of offi cia l m ee tin gs w it h Coca -Cola E n terpri ses in a bid t o reso lve th e iss u es of t he CCE g roup con cer n ing wo rkers in Columbia a nd inha bita nts in India.

T he b uyi ng co n so rti um .

NUSSL. a iTa n ge co ntrac ts for over 200 S tu dent Unions across Brita in a nd its E thical a nd E nVi ronm ental committee a t tem pt to m aximi e th eir co mmercia l influ e n ce with s u pp lie rs by en couraging ethi cal tra ding.

S INALTRAJNAL, a un ion t h at r e presen ts food a nd d i;nks wo rkers in Columbi a . a re cal li ng for th e wo rldwid e boycott of Coca -Cola produ cts in respon se to a lleged h u man lig hts Vio la ti on s in its Colum bian fa ctoi; es . A recent UNISON conferen ce uph eld the report th at: "over two yea rs 9 3 m em be rs of Columbi a n p ub lic s ecto r un io n ANTHOC ha ve b ee n ass a ssina ted a nd m a ny are behind ba rs. s olely fo r th eir trad e u nio n a ctivities ...

Coca -Cola is a ccu sed of coll a bo ra ti ng with para m ili -

Continued from page one Arts d egrees. whi c h o n ly require a 70% gra de in half of the u n it s. provid ed th e ove ra ll ave rage is a bove 65% . Schools like ENV di ffe r fr om Arts sc h ools as th ey a percentage of the firs t yea r m a rks as pa1·t of th e ove rall g ra d e .

Degree g rades h ave obvi ous imp lica ti o ns fo r fut ure empl oya bility. lt is n ot ju s t ·n ew· Univers it ies t h a t will award a fir s t with mu c h lower gra d e averages. Many old Univers il ies have s im il m· cr iteria . The study suggests Continue d from S hort Chang ed , Page one included th e unu s ua lly low success in BUSA. Mr. Dra kefo rd h ighlighted th a t t h e rel a t io n s h ip h ~ twee n th e Un ion a nd t he C F'S's is two way. a nd a dded Lh <. , "wh ils t th e Un ion s up p ort s t h e C PS's fin a n cia lly . t hi s n eed s to b e re turned in o rde r fo r t h e Uni on itsel f to be s upported". He em p h a s ises t h e exa mpl e of t h e diminis hing number of s tu d ents a ttendi n g entertain m ents a t U1e Unio n , wh ere m o n ey ca n b e 1·einvested in to U1e Stud ent Union . He a lso wa rned th e s tud ents U1a t "If th e p resent s it u a tion co ntinu es ... then th e lack of r eve nu e as a res u lt w ill d evelo p into a se ri o u s iss u e".

tary gro up s to rem ove union a ctiVi s ts a nd wo rke rs from emp loym en t thro u gh intimid a tion a nd assassina ti o n.

The Columb ia n Soli d a r ity Ca mpa ig n (CS C) cla ims tha t a total of eight un ion leaders and nume ro u s union me m b e rs h ave b een murd ered th m u g h s u c h p r ac ti ces .

Coca -Cola respon ded: "Th e fa cts surrou n d ing th e m urd ers s imply d o not s u p port t h e outrageou s a llegatio n s t h a t the Coca -Cola Co m pany co n s pired with the crimin a ls th ese tha t com mi tted h einou s climes ...

NUSS L's s ummary docu m e n ts o f m ee t ings with Coca-Co la d esc rib e h ow "Columbia is a d angero u s p lace to d o bus iness and Coca-Cola believe th a t so me of t h e allega tion s again s t it a r e politically motivate d. " Howeve r. in Kera la. In d ia . locals accu s ed a bottling fact ory of ove r -extr ac t in g wa te r d urin g gr o und dro u gh t s easo n s and seve rely r edu cing th e quantity and q u a li ty of vill a ge wate r.

Coca-Cola u ses three times th e a m ount of wa te r n eeded to ac tu ally p rod u ce a b ottle of Co ke a n d as it dra ined local sup plies . U1e factory con ti n u ed to tra n s po rt wa te r into th e a rea vi a Lorries . In res po n s e th e Sta te Gove rnme n t impos ed a ban o n t h e fa c tory in Feb rua~y thi s year un til th e monsoon ra in seaso n begins an d the s ite was fo rced to close .

S !NALTRAJNAL are call ing fo r Co a -Cola to co mp en sa te t h eir Vict ims and pub: th at s tu dents wou ld b e wise to c h oos e a Univei·sity wh ere a first is more easily ob ta ined . wh ils t emp loye rs s h o u ld be looking to r ecruit gra duates from mo1·e diffi c u lt Uni ve rs ities. such a s UEA . Tha t's a ll ve1y well a s long a s co mpa nies a re aware of t h e differ e n ces. Mos t em p loyers a re like ly to go o n a Un ive rs ity 's re p u tRlio n . ra th e r th a n th e s ta nd a rd required by th e stud ents .

The re port h as spa rked fresh d em a nd s fo r a revi ew of th e way in wh ich g ra des are a ward ed. The class ifica ti o n sys te m is n ow ove r twoh un d red yea rs old . The call for <I n overh a u l com es with in weeks of the publication of a review of deg ree class ifications. re ported by a gov e rnm e nt-<~pp o in t e cl foc u sgro u p . The group. ch a ired

by Profes sor Burgess. has qu es ti on ed t h e validi ty of th e 200 year old class ifi ca tio n system in th e mod ern clay .

T h e num b e r o f s t ud e nts ach ieving firs t and upper seco n d cla ss degrees is rts ing ra pid ly a nd it can be h ard f01· employe rs to judge candid a tes accordingly .

Wi t h a ll t h is n ew resea rc h exa mi n in g t h e d egree classificat ion sys tem. it s ee m s likely th at be fo re lon g we a re likely to see c h a nges in t he way achieve m ent is recognised at our Univers ities.

The Columbian Trade Unionist had as ked for a large Coke licly recognise th at it h as b en e fit ed fro m c rim es o f pa ra mili ta1y g r o up s . They are a lso ca ll in g fo r t h e gro u p to cea se a lliance wi th paramili ta iy organisa tio n s and to b i;ng paramili tary m em bers to justice whi lst n egotiati ng a safeguard of its wor ke rs· lives in th e presence of inter n a tio n a l obse rva ti o n .

If the b oycott goes ah ead

at UEA. Coca-Cola h as alerted th e S tu den t Un io n . via NUSS L. of t h e co mmercia l imp lica tio n s . whi c h m ig h t in cl ud e th e rem ova l of Coca Co la's ve nding m ac hin es.

T h is wou ld co n side r ab ly a ffect th e Uni o n Bar. Coca Cola Enterpri ses Ltd supplies al l th e ba r equip m ent u sed o n cam pu s. as well as s oft-drin k ve ndi n g

Picture: Philip Bank s m achin es. refriger ato rs a n d a h uge va ri ety of oth e r drinks. The. Stud ent Uni o n wi ll a lso lose ou t on a £ 500 p er -s h o p p er -yea r di s p lay fee and the ina b ili ty to participate in th e Meal Deal at th e UFO. G roups who are a lready s uppo rti n g th e boycott include th e Unive rs ity College Dublin SU . t h e SOAS

Londo n Stud e n ts' Un io n .

Trini ty College Dublin SU and UN ISON. NUSSL is in contin u ed d iscu s s io n s with senio r re prese ntatives from Coca-Cola in th e hop e of resolVi ng t h es e issu es. A for m il l re p01-t di s c u ssing t h es e issues wi ll be processed at th e NUS S ervi ces conven tio n . whi ch will be h e ld a t s om e po in t in t h e n ew yea r.

TO ADMIT OR NOT TO ADMIT? UEA OFFERS OWN SOLUTION TO TO GOVERNMENT'S STATE SCHOOL ADMISSIONS INITIATIVE Celia Dearin g

and Helen Pike Un ive rs iti es m ay fin d th em selves in a catch -22 situa tion beca u se of the gove rn men t's s etting of s ta te sch ool a dmi s sions targe ts. fo r which non -co m p lia n ce could resu lt in un ive rs ities b ein g finan cia lly pe n a lised.

However, wh ere u ni vers ities reject stu d ents from ind epend en t s ch ools in o rde r to h it s u ch targets . th ey m ay face legal ac tio n fo r breach ing human rtghts laws.

Foll owing th e s u ccess of UEA exceed in g its state s ch ools ta rget. llier e h ave bee n s u gges tion s th a t th e ta rget to gove rn m ent's incr ease th e a dmission of stu d en ts from s tate sch ools to top univers ities. co uld b e in breac h of h u m a n lights legis la tio n .

However. it is unlikely th a t UEA wi ll fa ce s u ch legal action as DaVid Marshal !.

Di r ecto r of Adm ission s.

reassures th a t "we do not o utward ly see k out s tat e s ch ools. but UEA s trives to be fa ir a nd we a re getting s tuden ts fro m a broad spectrum" .

Thi s has been welcome n ews for those uni ve rsities wh o mi s sed t h e ir ta rge ts. s uch as Oxford a nd Cambridge. wh o. it h a s n ow bee n s u ggested s h ou ld b e freed fro m th e ir obligation to tak e more s tud e nts from s tate sc ho ols .

Oxfo r d Unive rs ity insis ts th a t. in m is sing th eir "b en chmark" target by 2 0% t h ey s imply wi s h to a dd ress the prob lem .

A spo keswoman fo r the un ive rs ity s a id th a t "Oxford h as on e of the m ost rigor ous a dmiss ions p roced ures in th e co u ntry. en s uring t h at a t the poin t of se lection stu d ents a r e selected solely on th e bas is of a cademi c m eri t and potenti a l. Presiden t of Oxfo r d 's Trinity College .

Mich a e l Be loff QC a clcl ecl t h at "m e ri t s h o ul d d ete r mine admiss ion ".

Ind eed . Professo r Al a n S mithe rs. wh o led th e

research into th e a dmiss ions ta rge ts. called thi s selec tion acco rding to sc h ool type . a positi ve d is c i·imin a t io n of so rt "inherently unfa ir" and th a t th e unive rs ities reject ing candidates from inde pendent schools. a pos itive discr imin a tion of sort. may face legal ac tion fo r brea ki ng h uman r igh ts la ws.

T his. h oweve r wi ll not imp ress s tudent lead ers and NUS r e pres e nta ti ves w h o h ave a lr eady referred to t h e Office of Fair Adm is iso n s (OFFAl a s "toothl ess" and "watered clown by p ressu re from u n ivers ities". following t h e asse r t io n s o f Hig h e r Ed u ca ti o n Min ister. K.i m Howells t h at pen a lties for th ose uni ve rs it ies mi ssing targets "will n ot be automa tic" and th at h e h oped th ey "will n eve r h ave to be u sed. " This. combined with the threat of action fo r breach es of huma n ,-ig hts h a s led st u dent bodies to fear th a t state s c h ool ap pli ca nts wi ll r e m a in nota b ly d isadvan taged . p a rtic ul a rly wh en vi ewed in context of t h e

in trodu ctio n of top -up fees. whic h m ay deter those s tu d e nts fr om poo r er b ac k gro unds app lying to un iver s ity in th e firs t place.

UEA is kee n to avo id su ch a consequ en ce and is end eavoui-ing to ta rget s pecific a rea s in wh ich th e per ce nt age o f y oung p eo p le entering into h igh er edu cati on is lo w. Th ose a reas include rura l Norfo lk a nd Suffolk , where th e percent age of sch ool leave rs contin uing into highe1· edu ca ti on is only 26% and 29% r espect ive ly .

As Da vid Mars h a ll points out ''it is clea r t h at t h e regio n is lac ki ng a nd UEA wa nts to improve th e situ ati o n . Th e e mph a s is is o n en co uragin g you n g p eo p le into h ig h e r ed u cation whet h er it be UEA o r elsewhere".

As fo r t h e stati s ti cal ach ievem ent of hitting its s tate admissio n s target. UEA rem a ins p leased ye t elu s ive. we a r e conceding tha t wh er e we expected to be".

eo.a.t. Wednesday, November 17th, 2004

concrete.news@uea.ac.uk 9

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INTERNATIONAL STUDENT ADMISSIONS DECREASE DROP IN INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS PROVOKES DESPERATE MEASURES FOR ADMISSIONS Norikazu Takeu chi

The number of international' students who are enrolling at UEA, and at British universities as a whole, has dropped dramatically in the past year according to the Internation al Office, although official figures have not yet been released. Many universities have consequently gone to great lengths to secure quotas of enrolled international students.

The Sunday Times recently exposed the embroilment of some major British universities in "cash

for degrees" rows, after accepting foreign students from a fee-paying tutorial college who claim to be in p artnership with them.

Bellerby College - a division of a study group that has schools in Oxford, Cambridge, London a n d Brighton - has been condemned for guaranteeing international students places at over of thirty universities with which tt Is linked and for receiving £15,000 for one year foundation courses.

Universities involved in the scandal include highly ranked institutions such as Nottingham and Southampton. The Observer has also revealed that cash-

strapped British universities are awarding degrees in retum for lucrative fees, to students who 'should in fact fall. ( In the most outrageous case of pressure to pass failing students, Professor Richard Wynne, head of Bournemouth University's Design, Engineering and Technology department reportedly e-matled staff Instructin g them to 'minimise' the number of failures because of a drop in applications. Other univer sities insist that "hard-working academics who have always endeavoured to maintain the highest standards find themselves cornered into accepting this situation

EU SET TO EXPAND

b ecause of the desperate financial straits that even the best British universities find themselves in".

One international student, who wished to remain anonymous, explained: "It doesn't seem right that universities s h ould accept international students on their financial rather than academic position." The overall consensus of UEA students Is that enrolment at university should be equal for everyone and not differentiated between international and home students.

According to International Officer .Wayne Henry, UEA has a very strict enrolment policy for international students and If specific requirements are not attained, they will not be accepted at UEA. He also argues that UEA focuses not only on students' English ability but also tht>ir academic backgrounds in order to strengthen the quality of education. He continued to say that "UEA has quite a high rate of rejection of upper second-class degrees as a result of the enhanced entry levels for international students". The minimal !anguage requirement for stu-

UEA students can come from as far away as Australia

dents on fonndation courses was previously at level 5.0 In the IELTS English examination. a figure which has recently been increased to 5.5.

Much has been done to ensure the fair entry of inter-

national students to UEA and to curb the increasingly worrying problem of unfair acceptance; the University has insisted that the quality of proper assessment has been improved to ensure this.

NEW DRAFT SIGNED BY lWENTY-FIVE COUNTRIES Nadia Bennich

There has been continued attention in the press over the last few months on the changing role of the European Union. The actual issues regarding EU membership, however, art> not well known.

Charlene Peters, ECO echoes this by saying that "I do not think that the average person knows enough about it. There is a lack of information about the topic". The 29th October 2004 saw the leaders of the 25 EU countries sign the final draft of the constitution with a ceremony in Rome, rep resenting a possible further step towards European integration.

The EU con stitution

.

, ~, ' . ' ·.·.·'

Intends to improve the structures of the EU institutions by specJ1Ying rules of cooperation between the four main EU institutions and by restructuring EU decision making. The EU law would be replaced and several other changes affecting the current EU's organization as a whole aim to build a more effective enlarged European Union.

Tobias Rummeleit, PSI comments "The EU now has 25 members and needed some streamlining to avoid paralysis, some sort of rule book t.:> make it work more effectively. It makes the EU more transparent to its citizens and hopefully enhances its credibility".

A referendum in some EU memb er countries to take place in the UK, France, Spain, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ireland, Luxembourg, the

Netherlands and Portugal, will only decide If we, as "European Citizens". agree whether this structural change should take place or not. In the UK. the referendum is planned to take place in 2006 at the earliest, whereas the other countries holding_a referendum expect the polls in 2005.

Therefore, the fate of the EU constit-.Jtion, whether it becomes a further step t.:Jwards European integration depends on our votes.

Laurence Hardy, PSI feels that the EU constitution is the next logical step for EU integration. "It also gives a legal identity to the EU. The British should be brought gently to the idea of becoming European. The previous treaties represented a gradual acceptance of the EU. so the- EU constitution would be a good step for better cooperation in Europe" .

,.·,

I

•

10 concrete.ncws@uca.ac.uk

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Concrete \Vednesdav. Nol'embu

17'"· 2004

NEW MEXICO ON US DEMOCRACY A NEW MEXICAN PERSPECTIVE ON THE RECENT AMERICAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS Drew Lyness

Wedn esd ay th e 3rd of Novemb er. The day I h ave loo ked forwa rd to the m ost since I arrived in Ame iica three month s ago . Now at last. wh a teve1· t he outco me of th e elect ion. m ayb e th e insan ity will fin a lly lift a nd so m e se mbl a n ce o f peace and no rma lity will return to life in this country.

Do n·t get m e wro ng : li ving in the United S la tes during U1 e build up to the 2004 Pres id ential e lec tion has b ee n incredibly fascina ting .

Observing h ow th e world 's la rges t s upe r powe r atte mpts to govern itself o n th e domestic fro nt h as b ee n a n inva lu a bl e exp e rie n ce . but it h as a ls o b een pa inful ly irrita ting. I a m relishing th e pros p ec t t h a t m ay b e nex1: week I will b e a ble to leave my h o u se and wa lk onto ca mpu s without being h arassed a nd bomba rd ed by excita ble people with clipboard s a nd fr ee l -s hirts . eac h o n e of them d espera te to force th e ir own indi vidua l ideals an d beliefs up on m e .

Wh e th e r it is po li ti cs.

re ligio n . wa r o r a b o r t io n eve rybody see m s to h a ve an opinion. and they want you lo know a bout it. ll seem s U1a l it is n 't good enou gh in Am erica ju s t to h ave your own b e lie fs a nd r es p ec t ooeryone else's .

The re le ntless and inva s ive p erson a l qu estion s asked by co mplete strange rs in U1 e street. t h e ch a lk m essages a ll over campu s telling m e wha t I ought to thlnk . th e endl ess s t rea m o f pompo u s and opinio n a ted s m a ll -lime celebi·ilies inter rupting yo ur favo rite TV s h ows lo gel th eir two-cents worth in : in short I h ave found it a ll a nnoying beyond belief. The hype s urrounding th e eve n ts of pas t few m o nth s h as b een ridiculou s ly ove rb ea ring a nd I a m ecs ta ti c th a t it n ow m ay a l last be over.

Of cou1·se reading thi s you m ay argu e lha l I a m from ano the r country and do n ot h ave a vole s o I a m n a l w·ally dis ta n ced fro m poli ti cs in the United States.

Why s h o uld I care? Howeve r m y g1ieva n ces run fa r d eep e r th a n s impl e a p a thy.

Unfortuna tely t h e outcom e of the electi on in thi s county will h ave far loo m any re per cu ssions a round th e rest of

world . I h ave to care .

No. th e real reason fo r my jubila tion a l the fin a le of th e e lec tion is pure ly becau se I do n ot like h a ving oth e r p eople 's opinion s ra mmed down my throat on a da ily bas is. Wh o d oes? In Brit a in it is co n s idered hig h ly ta boo to ask s ome body wh a t t h eir political b eliefs are. a nd it is n ot inco n ceiva ble th a t eve n within the close co nfines of a fa mily yo u m ay not really kn ow w hic h way your parents vote.

The firs t a nd o nly rul e of pu b co nversa tion in Brita in an d Irela nd is: No politics and No religio n. If these two topi cs a re a void ed th e n everyo ne will get along m arvelou s ly . Cert a inly wh ere my fa ther is from in th e North of Ire la nd . h a vin g a ca r bumper sticker proclai ming yo ur politica l o r re li gio u s beliefs wou ld . a t one tim e a t least. have bee n a pa i-ticu larly s tupid idea. The overa ll impressio n o f politi cs in Ameri ca is one of a m ass ive s p o rts eve nt : it is eve n la bcled as The Race for th e Whiteh ou se. · Wa lking up Ce ntra l yo u wo uld h ave see n demon s tra to rs ch a n ti ng an d screa m in g. ca r h o rn s honkin g, s ign s a nd placa rd s eve1-y-

wh ere a nd occasio n a lly full blown a rg um ents a nd s houting- m a tch es in th e s treet. I h a ve see n d ogs d ressed up wi th political m essages on th eir bac ks a nd sadly even very young children being fo rced to s ta nd in th e middl e of th e roa d an d chant their pa ren t's b eliefs a l passing vehicles.

It al l st rikes m e as a b it dis tasteful a nd add s unnecessa rily to t h e clima te of unrest and ten s ion t h at s urr oun ds u s at th e m o m en t.

Would it be go ing too fa r to s u ggest t h a t Am e ri ca h as no t been t hi s divided s in ce t h e Civil War? Of course il is h ealthy to h ave s piri ted p ubli c d ebate. a n d a nyt hing th a t can b e d on e to ra ise the o nce pitifully low number of vo te rs in America is und o ubtedly a good thing. But is it really n ecessa.J-y lo a dorn yourself in yo ur a nti -Bu s h baseball h a t o r yo ur J o hn Ken -y Flip Flo ps s hirt a nd ta ke lo th e s tree ts, inte nt on ge ttin g your vi ews across a t a ny cost?

Does a nybody care tha t mu c h wh a t you think? l know I do n 't. and m aybe a lot of the ten s io n and conflict in thi s world could be solved if people would m ove a way

from stubbo rn ex tremiSm a nd we re more pre pared to have m a ture d eb a tes a nd reach a compromise .

Afte r a ll th a t is wh a t 'd emoc racy' is a bout: lis ten ing to oth er peo ple's poin ts of view. a nd until Ameri ca s tarts to do this. then m ayb e th e titl e of Th e Worlds Grea test Democ racy· ou ght to go s omewh ere else.

HE TOI.O AlE ABM THE WAIOI

WHAT HAPPENED? WHY DID IT HAPPEN? WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPENING NEXT?

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Alyssa Morrisey

Ma ny in th e UK woke up on th e 3rd November wo nd erlng wha t happen ed . Ohio votes we re b eing co unted numerous times . but it still looked like a n inevita ble win fo r incumbent George W. Bush.

Aft er wh a t h as b een d escribed a s th e most te nse electo ral race in recent hist o ry , th e two conte nding s ides of a bitter and divided Amei·ica cast their votes on Nove mber 2.

Later. Ohio was the cen tre of attention wh e n it becam e the n ew Flo rid a . as the s ta te to d ecide between red a nd blue .

In th e end. Bu s h cam e o ut o f th e battle un scathed . with a 52 percent majority. whil e S en a tor John Ke ny walked away with a narrow 4 8 p e rce nt. leaving him b ehind by 3 .587.840 votes.

After losing th e white house.

Democrats s lowly began to disa ppear from the House and S e nate. Not only is Bush now th e world's mos t powerful man, he is a powerful man with no boundaries .

'America has spoke n. and I'm humbled by th e trust and th e confidence of my fe llow c iti ze ns. .. Bush

.___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _

told t hou s and s of his s u p porters who surro unded the White House after his vi ctory became official . "With U1 a t trust comes a duty to se rve al l Americans".

One of the only m embers of pa rli a m e nt n o t looking mournful afte r h ea rin g Bush 's s usp ected lead in Ohio was Tony Blair. who q ui ckly co ngra tul a ted him on his r e-election . Blair proposed tha t. ·we s hould work with President Bush on [his ) agenda. lt is on e which a ll n a tions of goodwill can s urely agree .· Some predict that Bush's vic tory will improve Bla ir's chance of winning next year by validating his decisions in Iraq. However. another four years of re publican co ntrol could b e dange rous. with more milita.J)' confli cts in the Middle Ea st. Sig nifi ca n t losses in the wa r in Iraq co u ld a lso mean death to the premiership.

Despite worldwide con troversy caused by the election . many European coun tries alien a ted during Bush's first te rm expressed th e ir wi llingness work with th e a dministra tion . Fra.J1ce and Germany promised to improve cooperation with the US. thougt. will most likely not be jumping on th e Iraq bandwagon any time soon. His duty is ripe with a

d r ive to ·get so m e thin gs don e.' along with an agenda th a t co uld give th e De m ocr a ts nig htma res for ge n e ra ti o n s . The wa rs in Ira q a nd Afg h a ni s ta n will continue until both coun tri es a.J·e 'free and d em oc ra tIC.

His firs t and m ost impor tant tas k is to unite a divid ed Am eri ca. a nd 're build a se nse of domesti c purpos e· m eanwhile rebuilding relationships lost with th e rest of an embittered Europe.

Bush wish es to continue with tax cuts for th e wealthiest America n s. yet with the larges t a mount of j ob s lost since the great d e pression. h e vows to a ddress th e wid e ning budge t ga p and un e mploy m e nt c r ea ted in his first term .

Bush ha s d enied a llega ti o n s that h e wanted to re peal Roe vs. Wade . a m ajor co urt d ecis ion gra nting women abortion on de mand . despite m entioning th a t he wa nted to h elp redu ce the numb e1· of abortions.

Environment wise . Bush s ays h e's ln fa vour of drilling in th e Arctic Na tional Wildlife Refu ge in Alas ka in an 'e nvironmentally s ensitive' way a m id s t compla ints from the Democrats that this section of th e agenda h ad been overlooked.

---'--......;:'-----=--===-

Co.crttt Wednesday, November 17th, 2004

www.concrete-online.com

concrete

.uk 11

NORTH-EAST SAYS NO UEA NOT HIT BY MUMPS PRESCOTT LOSES OUT ON REFERENDUM BID

PRMNTATM MEASURES TAKEN BY HEALTH CENTRE

Helen Pike News Editor

Sam Webber Political Editor

The referendum on a regional assembly, which was piloted earlier this month in the North East of England, produced a decisive result. 78 % cast their vote out of favor with the concept, leaving only 22% per cent in support of it.

Some of New Labour's critics feel this result will put a temporary, if not permanent, end to plans of further devolution within England, following the introduction of the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Assembly in the early years of Blair's govemment.

Deputy PM John Prescott was responsible for this referendum, and the poor result may indicate a winding down of his political career. Many feel that, although he has been a loyal lieutenant to Blair since 1997, he is unlikely to remain in post after the next general election. At 66 years old, he'll soon be due for retirement.

Prescott did not mince his words as he conceded to a victory for the 'No' camp in the recent referendum however, "It was an overwhelming defeat for the proposal

put before the North East public. As a Govemment we believe In letting the people have their say," Mr. Prescott said .

John Elliott, chairman of the 'North East Says No' campaign. was somewhat more pleased with the result. He said : "I'm not interested in giving the govemment a bloody nose - I am sure they are honorable people.

But I would rather John Prescott has two weeks' embarrassment than us be saddled with a ÂŁ25m white elephant."

This referendum also provided the rare occasion for two party leaders in Britain to share the same platform on an Issue, although this did little to influence the result. Tony Blalr called on Lib Dem leader Charles Kennedy, to accompany him to the North East to campaign for a 'yes' vote. Despite these high profile endorsements, there was a sense that the people in this region. like those in so many other parts of Britain, simply don't want any more politicians, or any more layers of bureaucracy. Equally, the assembly was only going to get limited powers in the . region it would have represented yet establishing lt would have cost several Million. Clearly the 'white

elephant' charge went down well on the doors teps to Durham and Newcastle.

Ed Davey, the Lib Dem spokesman for the Office of the Deputy Piime Minister, was quick to point out that the result was unsurprising given the lack of real power for the proposed assembly, "With so few powt;rs promised, this was not a true test of the region's desire to take power from London".

He continued, "The case for biinging accountability to England's many regional quangos, and the case for taking power away from Ministers in Whitehall , remains strong" .

Certainly it has been said by those from all of the main parties and those of no party. that a balance between a Westminster based parliament, and genuine local and regional assemblies with adequate useful power still needs to be struck.

As the government tiies to overcome this setback and move forw~d. it Is not difficult to Imagine that the Important and controversial issues of further devolution in Britain, and the associated possibility of an English parliament, will be back on the political agenda sooner than we think.

The surge in mumps being diagnosed among s tudents in the United Kingdom has been a cause for concern this year, as many universities report a rise in the number of students taken Ill. The Health Protection Age ncy (HPA) tell that in 2003, 1529 cases of mumps were reported among students, a significant surge compared to just 180 cases in 1996. Such figures have prompted some Universities Including Leeds, Manchester.

Nottingham and Birmingham to introduce vaccination schemes to prevent further outbreak.

The main reason for such an increase Is because the majority of students currently studying were too old to receive the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) jab when it was first introduced in 1988. Viruses like mumps, which Is airhome, can easily spread in a heavily student concentrated environment.

Early symptoms include

the swelling of the salivary glands, and people remain Infected up to five days after s uch swelling disappears.

Mumps Is generally a mild disease yet becomes serious when left undiagnosed . In some cases . mumps s ufferers may develop other viral

reported by Dr Paul Coathup of the University Health Centre. According to Dr Coathup . preventative measures have been implemented to ensure that UEA does not experience an outbreak similar to other universities this year.

Infections such as meningitis, another illness with Inclinations to spread throughout universities.

However, the worry seems to have missed UEA so far, with only a few cases

If you have any discomfort relating to salivary glands, or wish to find out further Information conceming mumps, contact the University Health Centre.

12 concrete.features@uea.ac.uk

CoiCI'Itl Wedn esday. November ! 71h. 2004

www.concrete-online.com

Opinion Ross Grainger

THAN KSA LOT, AMERICA here's nothing like the reelection of a lying, ultra rightwing US President to ruin a good trip around the Baltics.

I heard the news in Latvia, and you didn't have to speak the language to understand that even there people are baffled by America's choice.

To any Americans reading this who voted for Bush I have some advice : see a doctor, a head doctor - you 're insane. You and the nearly 60 million other Americans who chose to re-elect one of the worst US Presidents of all time. Whatever ridiculous qualms you had about Senator John Kerry being a "northeast liberal", or too much of an "intellectual", or a ''waffler'', I'm stunned that you could not see that he was far and away the better candidate.

I spent election week in the Baltics

T

and met plenty of Americans along the way. All of them were disgusted by the result and many even said they were thinking about never going home again. it's no coincidence - the Americans who travel, who see the world and what Bush is doing to it know that his re-election is an outrage .

Check the electoral map. The entire west coast, Hawaii, the northeast and several great lake states all voted Kerry. They are places filled with big cities and large airports. The interior, places like Alabama, Kansas and the Dakotas voted Bush. Around 20% of Americans own passports, a shockingly low number. The 80% that never leaves the country are the ones who live in these states. They think Bush is God and , unfortunately, make up most of the voting poP.ulation. it's a shame that big cities like L.A. ,

Anthony Jackson

I

why many people might hate students.

In the media we are typically displayed as constantly out drinking in bars and clubs. Images of drunk and loud young adults are frequently juxtaposed with shots of students moaning about topup fees and a lack of money. Joe Bloggs sees this and surmises that we want the government to fund our drinking binge.

In addition to this we do not pay any taxes and can enjoy discounts where others cannot. 10% off at Topman can cut deep. lt would appear to the working eye that students are milking the nation and having an easy ride. We are dogged by the stereotype created by programs such as Hollyoaks, a stereotype that shows us lazing around in the day and ca using carnage at night. Stolen road signs,

REMEMBER TO REMEMBER

N

Sadly th is election reflects badly on all Americans. Most are great people. Any stereotypes you have of them being ignorant about the world and uninterested in helping it are based on the fact that so many have twice elected a President who fits that description perfectly. The sane, anti-Bush ones don't deserve to incur the wrath of the anti-Bush world.

They will though. You 've failed us, America. You had the chance to show the world that you have brain , but you've gone and elected an icon of hatred. You've chosen war over peace, religion over rationality, ignorance over cognisance, insanity over sense. Kerry may have been a bit stiff, but he was a vast intellectual superior and , crucially, not Bush.

I refuse to go to America now. We boycotted the apartheid regime in South Africa and the Taliban , and now we should boycott the Bush administration. He does the awful things that are worthy of a boycott, but does them with a smug grin and billions of dollars.

Human rights abuse, brutal military violence and a disregard for democracy were all part of Bush's first term, and with the need for re-election now gone, he'll practice them again with impunity.

drug abuse and large parties are not viewed as a serious contribution to society.

The attendance at such institutions was restricted and the majority of young adults would make the transition from school to work.

This .all changed as more people chose to move into further education and new areas of teaching. Today anyone stu dyi ng a non-traditional subject, such as Film or Media, can expect the words 'doss' or 'get a proper' to arise when discussion of education arises. .

This kind of attitude generates the myth that when students are not getting drunk they are still not doing anything worthwhile.

Yet there is a theory that the origin of hate does not lie with students and their behaviour, but more with society's need for hate. In a delightfully abstract u-turn, it has been put forward that society hates us because they have no one else to hate.

Throughout history black people, Asians, the disabled, and asylum seekers have suffered due to their minority status. However, it has become illegal to persecute and be prejudice against these social groups. As a means of coping the masses have turned to attacking students. As a group reliant on the money of the general public and

the government we are a perfect target; after all you cannot bite the hand that feeds you.

The men's football team knows this. As well as playing in a BUSA league, the men's second team competes in a Saturday league against local teams. For all of them there's a special incentive for beating a student team. it's not just men against boys, it's hard-working, local men with beer guts and push-prams against fresh-faced university students with none of the ir real world worries. The opening exchanges are filled with late tackles and ample back-chat, but with about ten minutes left the local men are panting heavily and several goals behind.

Despite this they are always eager for the next match so they can dish out more grief.

So we must accept claims that with our arrogance and lack of respect we are a drain on society. We could argue that we have to pay the loans back, but somehow I cannot see this being very effective. Instead let us try to appear more humble outside of campus and hope for another group to emerge that might deflect some of the public's anger.

n fairness the stereotype is sometimes correct. There are the fortunate few that can afford to waste away the day with Trisha and drink 2-4- 1 deals all night. In our excitable youth most of us would admit to committing some act of mindless vandalism and skipping classes the next day.

However these incidents tend to overshadow the work many students are committed to the majority of the time. During the day the I.T. suite is fu ll with busy scholars actually revising and studying. When essays and projects are due University actually becomes a full-time occupation and shock, horror the LCR is struck off the timetable for that week. Yet this side of academic life is rarely shown to the rest of Britain. If the media choose to focus on any studying it tends to point to the so-called 'Mickey Mouse' subjects that are highlighted as a waste of time.

Here we can find another reason for opposition to students. In times past University was seen as a fo rward thi nking institution for the intellectually elite.

This has been accrnpanied !:¥ t:re :ix=e3sirg a;:,= of m::st of t:re =luntrers ttat t:rali.t.icmlly lB3J. tD sill than, ..rum rreans that they are unable to sperl lcrq luJrs w::>rkirg frr t:re dmicy.

Lucy Mowatt

ovember 11th is a cBte v.hich sh::uld I:E irdilibly pr:int.erl CI1to t:re N'lticn s brain, rut licw rrany p30ple at llan last Thursday acb.Jally stq:pal. W>at fu¥ v.ere Cbirg arrl d:serve:j a o-.o mi.rute silEn::e in retatbtarn= of th::se tlat died in combat?

Perhaps it lo\BS jt.st t:re grn:p of pecple I was arrongst, arrl because tn¥ \oel:al t LHllilrlrl, rut ansirer irg t:re = e t pilitical cliDate i t lo\BS ~ tlat s::rreth:i:r:g so inp:)rt<rt =lid I:E fi:zg:ttm. lh !irt., ttat la:k. of thought was surnre:i up perfectly vtlen I actually heard sarec:na ask ...tat t:re dite vas . kini.ttedly it vas p::ssilil.e tlBt tley hrl jL5t fi:Jrg:tt.a1. b.:tt it 9iH!al. terribly llmic ttat it hrl ally ::it.& passed ela>en 0 clo:X. Just t:h!:a? wB<s a;p farr ooldiers of t:re

Two weeks ago they pulleq out of Iraq.

These are examples of Bush's appalling foreign policy, but at home he was a disaster as well. He inherited a record surplus and turned it into a record deficit. He passed one round of tax-cuts that gave the most money to the richest 1%, and after 9/11, with the economy suffering and the nation in shock, he did it again. He's a millionaire and cares only about funding his millionaire donors.

Then there's the small matter of the environment. John Kerry said something indispensable during the debates, ''When it comes to the envi ronment, this is one of the worst administrations in modern history."

Evidently, though , this was dispensable, because 60 million myopic Yanks didn't care. it's not one of the worst in modern history, it's the worse. The proven science of global warming either didn't appeal to Bush or wasn't compatible with his Christian agenda, so he refused to sign the Kyoto protocol. The US produces 25% of the world 's pollution, but signing something to cut this back was out of the question, so Bush refused. He didn't even have the decency to come up with something else.

I

NO ONE LIKES STUDENTS was wa lking past a building site on my way to university last week when the menacing scowls and overwhe lming projection of contempt led me to believe that builders don't like me.

Later that day I boarded th.e bus in the city and felt the same sense of dislike as I took my seat behind an ol d gentlemen holding a Tesco bag and wearing a suit (why do they do that?) .

By the time I had been snubbed in my local pub and overheard a neighbour telling the postman that students were to blame fo r his headless gnome I began to understand - Students are not very popular with the general public. I contemplated this fact and stepped outside the looking glass.

When placing yourself in the 'realworld ' you can begin to understand

Boston , New York, Washington and San Francisco all voted Kerry, and now are the ones most likely to suffer a terro rist attack. This re-election has rewarded a man who has inflamed Islamic extremism all over the world.

From Palestine to Chechnya and Iraq to Afghanistan Bush's incompetence has opened up new international wo unds from which hatred will flow.

Iraq really vexed me. How can so many people care so little that the President led the country into an illegitimate, bloody quagmire for something that didn't exist? And what of Afghanistan? They may have just had elections, but that doesn't mean it's on the up. l=he opium trade that was quashed under the Taliban is flourishing again ; 75% of the world's opium poppy - the prime ingredient in heroin -can be traced to US-run Afghanistan.

The elections were a step forward, but if the American army were to leave tomorrow the country would descend into civil war - again. Afghanistan is so bad that Medecins Sans Frontiers, the Noble-prize winning aid agency, had to leave the co untry in July. They were there during the Soviet invasion and during the Taliban's reign , but American occupation was too much .

Black Watch Ra;r.irra1t w=re killed in Iraq, llBl that should have l:ea1 ret:urnin;J h::nE for Christ::nas (~~'.here vas tlat h3ard I:Efore?)

TIE R£:1yal British LEgim ...a:site s:ates tlat si=e 1939 t:rere h3s mly l:eEn a s irgle year, 1968, in wnch m erE has l::e=n killed in a::tive service.

'Iherefore rererrt:.ering Armistice J:ay is mt jL5t al:rut =rethirg ii=Erlibly ds::ant, rut =rethirg thlt J:Bs affia:t ed t.lnJsan:is of pe:ple.

TIE nurri:Jer of Royal British l.Egim NW sellers seens to have d3:::l.inrl this ~, tco . It has l:a:ure .i.n::reEirgly dif f:i.a.Jlt frr s..w:rt tD I:E slnin. I t arergErl last \<.eek tlat a Tee::n store in any St. Etlnm::ls has mly l:eEn ~ t:re Bti.tllh l£gicn to sill !XWi.es frr fu.Ir <hp in a ~, ..rum had 1:ea1 raised £ran t=, accordin;J to nBN CatPii¥ g..ri.cEl.jn;s .

lE p::sitive ef fi3:t s of t:re p::g:1y ~ had escaped rre 1.mtil Larlirg t:re Britimla;)im s website. 300, CXXl st cf f arrl '-'Jlunteers w::a:k frr t:re dmicy' arrl t:re w:n:kErs in t:re R::!;:P.{ Factory are disabled or suf !Er fron iJ..lrEss' allcwi.rg th:rn to v=k arrl rreet r&J pocple. It also spent £54 millim m its w::a:k, j ust in 2003, s:rreth:i:r:g rrany are \.llBII3re of.

I alro I:Elie.e:l tlBt t:re :rms:rn for pecple v-earin;J p.:wies v.ere also c:bvirus, uril I ra:rl en :int.etview with a seJe1teEn--year old. H= clairre:i tlat he al;..eys \'.Ore a ~, h.t: n::t frr a personal reason, rut because. he t:h::u;tlt ttat lE SnJ.1d. It is r:i.di.rulas tlat poqlle s..g;x:rt this dBricy b.:tt d:n t J<rv..; 1t.hy . H:lvir:g l:eEn t aught cy sch:x:>l arrl fanily Ju,; inpJrt irt. rerarbrance is I am arrazed. at the only reason sareone two years ~ tlHn IqySel.f a::uld give for v-earin;J his NW was because he tlr.o4lt tlBt lE Sxuld. 'lhlt: s n::t

T

atirely t:re p:rirr. l:Ehird it, h.t: it s rrore ~ tlat lE failed to comprehend why . With t:re si:xt:iah amiversary of tre D-D:Iy this year arrl t:re a.n:rent wrr m terror dLa;g:in;J m arrl m, I w:cld have t:hcught reran I:Ering w:cld have l:ea1 an everyday a::tivi.ty' b.:tt C{Pamtly n::t. krl. it s n::t just )Q..Il1;J pocple tlat are =Pletely cJ.isrespErt. ful.

I w:n:l<al. m REm6llbrance Sunday in 2003, at elael o clcxX. Anno unceme nts v.ere given saying W"at w:cld l::e har:PEnin;J arrl W1en. Every rratter of st cf f arrl custarer stq:ped W"at they were Cbirg. Except CIE. ::;re a:ntinJed to search throJ;Jh the clothes ..rule ~ al:o.J.t h:r st.cg;:ed.. EVEn if she did n::>t wish to reraTt:.er th::se ttat died :in an£lict it lo\BS di.srep3:t fl to all th:a2 aro.rrl !Er tlBt did, cn:l =.ikh t l::e:::aJ..se of her utter L1..I:E -

n=ss .

Perhaps p:ctest tD t:re var m t:Er -

= ' arrl mt .i.gx:u:am:,

is t:re

rEBS:::I1

REment:erence Day just isn t reman -

I:Ered CE it Sn.Jld l:e. It is p:ssible tTat pecple nay not condone rararbering t:re <hrl of pes: \ii&S. YEt em. this is a pxr E!lD.H!. It im t tiE var ttat is I:Eirg reteubet ed, it s th:::se tlBt have p..rt tlBrselves in d3r:ger for t:re

sake of arr free:bn, W"Et!Er fu¥ t:re var en:- n::t . I t s p::ssi ble to rnrarter- arrl still I:Eli~ in peace. WU.te p::wies have even l:ea1 sold as a W3Y of sh:w.irg protest arrl a cEsire for poa::E, vtri..le ~ W"at h3s g::n2 I:Efore . In:B3::l i t rray even seen that a m:::rrent s silEn:E nay shc:M rrore reverence f or peace just because ycu ackncwle::ige the ext:Lere loss of life \\him aca:npa nies a wrr , frr all of t:re cn.rt:riEs :in..o.l'.B'I. EVEn rt:JN i t is inp:rt irt: fir 00 rrany reasons t o rerranl::er what has g:rE I:Efore, t:re fallm arrl tlat wrr im t jLEt s:JTEthin;:j tlBt is l.eerra:l. a1:rut in history b:x::i<s; th:a2 tlat are at W3L t::a:ey- st:ill pi: tiEir li'-"5 at ri.9< arrl slnllih t I:E farg::>t:tal . krl. it s only retalbrance we re askirg fur , mt llO..ILI1i.q;J. '!he Royal British Iq:p,r l£gicn jL5t ask tlat we ciltake a minlte - erE minlte - rut of en= d:ly rut of en> year to reraTt:.er t:re lrurrlreds of th:J.Jsards of llBl arrl v.aren who died. so we could lead fast-paced. m:x:Em lives.

1re 11th of t:re 1 Jth Jt. s a s:inple cBte fur a sinple task: renember those who saved. rur cantry.

cgraa:i with

Colcrttt Wednesday, November J71h, 2004

www.concrete-online.com

conciete.features@uea.ac.uk

13

She's the Chief News Correspondent with a will of steel and heart of gold. Katharine Clemow braved a potential tongue-lashing to ask Kate Adie about her new book and her work for the BBC. ne does not mess with the BBCs chief news correspon· dent. Especially when she's running short of time on a whirlwind tour promoting her new book Corsets to

Camouflage: Women and War.

laugh that has no doubt got her through the more trying moments of a job she clearly loves but which has seen her reporting from the some of the world's most dangerous places. When she arrives at UEA she is a picture of elegance in a black top and jacket, a black and white floral skirt

"People don't have to be rich or famous to have something inside them worth listening to."

Kate Adie is renowned for being a woman who likes straight talking, intelligent conversation and pertinent questions; she does not suffer fools at · all and has no qualms about pulling people up short tor questions she considers misguided or stupid. This· was discovered all too late as. the and black high heels finished whh a smattering of tasteful jewellery. Through her groomed ash Eastern Daily Press and Concrete joined forces blond bob it is also possible to see the pearl earto discover why she wrote the book, what's comrings that became her trademark way of distining next, and without as much success, what she guishing herself as a woman while in camouflage feels about the current state of play in the world's in the first Gulf war. She speaks with emphasis media. and explains what she means fully and with illusMs Adie is a force to be reckoned with but trations from her long career and the many things she has a warm sense of humour and a raucous

- - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - -- -

she has seen and reported on, punctuating our discussion with bursts of raucous laughter.

She has a reputation for withering looks and an air of authority and severity which is rumoured to have reduced several politicians to puddles of defeated and deflated ego. But when it comes to

'normal people' Adie hasn't forgotten what she learnt in her first job in the media at Bristol Radio that "People don't have to be rich or famous to have something inside them worth listening to." it is a principle that she has stuck to throughout her long and varied career, but the job of airing people's individual stories, while being one of the aspects of the work Adie most enjoys, brings with it responsibility. "People don't know you're going to broadcast what they say so you have to be careful and censor on their behalf."

Censorship is an issue which always inspires debate but rarely to the extent that it does when Ms Adie gets hold of it, responding when asked how much the .media should censor of the pictures currentll{ being broadcast from Iraq "Well how long have you got?!" She goes on to explain that "it's a four hour subject and a hugely complex one, it's enormously complex, ~nd you can't just cover it in a few sentences. And anyway, reporters have been conscious of it since we started writing anything. Reporters have always been aware that certain people, governments, organisations, military people, have always want. ed to say 'look we don't like that so perhaps you shouldn't say that'. And it turns up in various forms, it furns up as censorship, it turns up in threats, it turns up in violence towards the press generally, it turns up in subtle hints, and it turns up in pressure. lt's heightened at a time of danger, or of huge significant events where there's a conflict of purpose, in the sense thaf journalists seek to put out as many facts as possible and there may be many organisations who don't want things publicised." · As a self-confessed "nosy parker", one of the traits Adie considers vital to a good journalist, she's had plenty of experience of the inherent tension between high ranking military officials and members of the media. She says this is because the military are subservient to politicians who are "deeply unrealistic about how war is conducted and should be made". The nearest Adie comes to making an overtly political comment is to say that as far as broadcasting the frequently disturbing pictures of the war in Iraq is concerned "if things are done in your name you should see everything, not just tl'le sanitised version." She describes war as "disgusting and messy• emphasising the fact that "mistakes are made". ate ·Adie is a strong, determined woman who wouldn't do a job she rei!l· ly didn't want to, but who has never turned down a spot in a danger zone.

She says simply that "fear's a part of the job". However, over the years she has developed her own special ways of coping with life abroad supported by her team and a very small bag of possessions. Her essential kit is made up of three things: a torch, a toothbrush - "because everything's more bearable when you've cleaned your teeth", it's a great tool for getting sand out of the camera, and you can [apparently] defend yourself with it, and a bottle of scotch - because you can use it with the toothbrush when there's no clean water, it's good for cleaning wounds, and, "when it's all too much you can drink it!"

Corsets to Camouflage was written because the Imperial War Museum wanted a book to accompany their exhibition on Women and War arid Kate Adie's unique experiences of operating as a woman in an all male environment made her

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ideal for the task. Her practical attitude and no nonsense approach to lining in and reporting from the barest and most inhospitable of environments equip her with an understanding of the trials suffered by women through 1he ages who have overcome all the odds through times of conflict. Adie has a gift for story telling and was born to share the tales of the ordinary women who achieved extraordinary things in remarkable circumstances that make Corsets to Camouflage .such a wonderful read. lt is informative and interesting and the author's humour and the delicate way in which she handles her vast range of sources set her narrative apart as one that will continue to inspire and move readers long after she has joined the ranks of the extraordinary womeo who have passed on but whose stories remain.

The book 'has touched many people and prompted reactions which even Adie cannot have foreseen. She says how at a talk last week "a woman leant over and said 'you're the first person to ever mention my aunt'. And it's a great story, she wrote wonderful book!' She goes on to tell the story of "Florence Farnborough, who was a nurse at the Russian front in the First World War and she'd gone to be a governess to a rich Russian family, you know, under Tsarist Russia just roundabout 1912, and she volunteered for the Red Cross. Well I was in Moscow last week and I was reminded of her, she describes, in 1914, wearing her little Red Cross red veil and her uniform going into one of the grand churches in Moscow and they had a blessing with all these patriarchs and bearded sort of priests, and there was this English girl." She ended up spending the next four years in the midst of the fighting on the Russian front. She goes on to say that "Stories like that popped up all the time, of people doing unusual things, because of war, without actually having been given much choice .. Particularly in

a

She says simply that "fear's a part of the job." the Second World War - people just had to get on with it!'

Getting on with it is something that Chief News Correspondents get good at. Travelling with the army is "not a comfy ~ide" and Adie says that the life correspondents lead abroad is definitely not a luxury, but it is a privilege•and at times "it's a wonderful job". Kate Adie's career has been made by reporting on the "grim business" of what happens in "difficult places" where she has witnessed all manner of atrocities including the horrendous genocide in Rwanda and the violent suppression of the student uprisings in Tiananmen Square in 1989. Testament to the many dangerous situations in which she has found herself over the years are the four pieces of shrapnel she carries around inside her.

The nature of journalism has changed dramatically throughout Adie's career in the media and she shares her amazement at the developments technology has made, which mean "the world now comes to us"; within less than a second a living room can play host to live pictures from all four corners of the world. For all this, war is still just people killing people, "it's what makes it different from a football match" and Adie's next book is going to be about foundlings, the children who are orphaned by war, and. how attitudes to tbis problem vary from country to country.

Despite the advances of modern technology, the harsh realities of war are no less harsh. And no matter what the restrictions on broadcasting the more appalling images of armed conflict, the consequences remain the same. "Modern warfare, modern media - raises a lot of questions!'

14 concrete.features@uea.ac.uk

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Cotcrttt Weduefliav NMetnker 17th 2004

Cotcrttt Wednesday. Noevember 17th 2004

concrete.features@uea.ac.uk 15

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EVERYTHING ·you WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT BETS. • • An enjoyable hobby or a dangerous vice? The government thinks it's the former, as they begin finalising plans to turn places like Leeds ·and Swindon into Las Vegas and Atlantic City. Concrete sent Matt Shoesmith, arr:ned with ...a few quid, to experience the ~ighs and lows and even lowers of gambling, and attempt to discover what it is that turns·the odd flutter into an addiction. . ·

GREAT YARMOUTH DOG RACING STADIUM· he initial attraction of this particular form of gambling to a first time gambler is clear: a good night out, flowing beer, and plenty of opportunity to ridicule, resent, lament, and celebrate. The night is acutely structured for these very indulgences, and the fast flow of races (one race every fifteen minutes from half past seven ·· through to half past ten) provides ample opportunity to win or lose the money your Local Education Authority lovingly forked over to allow you to buy books, stationery, and baked beans.

Being easily distracted, and with the dufy of investigation weighing heavily on my shoulders, I ventured forward to the row of bookmakers and placed Concrete's gambling allowance of one entire English Pound on "Gaped Crusader," at four to one. Good odds, reasonable form, and inevitably, a dog ran like a one-legged hamster. Being manded by an irate father for shouting, skinny little ba**•*d," unacceptably his ten year old daughter only served to ther rub salt into the financial wound.

However, fifteen minutes of profuse ogy later, I was no less willing to invest, and on further losing, invest again, and again, every fifteen minutes for three hours until I had gambled to within an inch of my bus home. This is surely an addiction of sorts, even in such a short-term capacity. I was unable to help myself, compulsively handing over a few quid for every race. However, the allure of financial gains was secondary to the prospect of triumph, the feeling of picking the winning dog. Even if that was a feeling I never actually knew. .

Thus the beauty and the worrying danger of this kind of gambling is exposed: there is always C~nother race, there is always another lucky number, or name

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that reminds you of home, or a greyhound resembling a former partner (apparently) on which to pin the hope of clawing back your losses. TI-e g,ambler is swept up in the atmosphere, egged on by their friends and constantly encouraged by the knowledge that before the next round has been ordered it may have paid for itself courtesy of a four-leooed miracle.

The demographic of the crowd at the track reflects these attractions, as around ten groups of twenty-

this skill is something that leads to addiction, since the. time and effort that one has to devote to gambling in order to become successful surely borders on obsession in itself.

r. Bodie offered a further point for consideration. When asked why he enjoyed gambling so much, as he replied, "it means . more when you ·have money on 1 it:' This was difficult to disagree with, since the importance of a race when you have no in its outcome is obviously very little, , the idea that it is the thrill of the rather than the possible gains which l orovijcles the excitement gives an interesting into what gets the gambler hooked. A more beer tokens are certainly welcome, to most, the adrenaline rush · is the gain, and dangerously, one that is whether the Gambler wins or loses.

Nowhere is this more evident than that world-famous first episode of 'The ~irnn<>nn.ct', 'Simpsons Roasting on an Open When Homer's cold-hearted boss Mr. decides none of the workers deserves r.hri<>t1m<•" bonus, Homer gets a part-time a mall Santa Claus. When that doesn't Homer, Bart and Homer's old drinking Barney Gumble go to the Greyhound hoping · to strike it rich. Bart and something lads were in attendance, drinking, laughHomer's one bet fails miserably, but as they leave ing and enjoying a lad's night out, driving each other · they see an owner abandoning his greyhound. They take in the poor pup and name him Santa's Little to that, "one more bet," glorifying winners and poking fun at those less skilled in what is either guessing, or Helper. He has remained an integra( part of the a very difficult skill.

Simpson family for sixteen seasons, and living proof that the world of greyhound racing is addictive for John Bodie, a frequent visitor to 1he stadium, humans, and perishable for greyhol!nds. favours the latter perspective, saying, 'If you come here often enough, and spend enough tme studying the form , winning is easy." Perhaps the mastering of

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ONLINE GAMBLING

"lt means more when you have money on it."

We've all heard the cries from hungry audiences of game shows. lt seems everybody loves the thrill of gambling, the anticipation, the risk, the rush of adrenaline, whether it's to win twenty pence, bragging rights, or a family holiday in Hawaii. However, this thrill often leads to destructive addiction. Indeed 370,00 people in the UK develop gambling addictions each year, according to the British Gambling Prevalence survey. But why is gambling so entertaining, and furthermore, what makes gambling so

irresistible? Slot machines are recognised as the most addictive form of gambling. Addicts of these pervasive machines say the thrill of winning outweighs whatever cash received. The machine is there to be beatefl.

Quite simply gambling is everywhere. From the weekly tradition of Lotto, to annual betting sprees like the Grand National, society has subscribed to the belief that, as Skybet likes to point out, "it matters more when there's money on·it."

ith the poss!ble exception of animalfarm.com, online gambling is arguably the Internet's most worrying use. The mere click of a button puts ~he Gambler in a casino, bookies or in front of a. fruit machine, in the comfort of their own home. Indeed the variety of ods of gambling available online is whelming, as everything from sports to card games and arcade style flash are offered surrounded by bright lights ising big prizes for all.

Determin'ed to be successful at one of gambling, I opened an account and to play HotShots, a very coloutiul game on Ladbrokes website. At first I balance of one Pound to good use, ""'~·"'"t;..,,., the strategy of selecting the most likely come, and banking any winnings. Slowly surely I brought my balance up to Pounds, which allowed me to bet pounds on each click: big mistake. The ance that had slowly built up very diminished and no amount of unlikely the outcomes of the bets were bring it back.

However, I was definitely hooked; there was always a few more quid in ·the account to top up my balance, and when one game seemed not to like me, I found myself switching to a new one. And this is the frightening power of Online gambling; the gambler can go and make a cup of tea or walk to the shop, and when they return their game is still running, the numbers are still pouring forth, with possibilities abound. What's more, the gambler need not get dressed or drive to the bookies, there are no opening times, and the opportunity to gamble is constantly available.

Indeed online gambling is rapidly becoming more popular, as more people discover it through

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THE NATIONAL LOTTERY otto, as it is now known, has now been running for ten years, and is a national institu·tion. Despite suffering a drastic fall in popularity, and despite the fourteen million to one. odds of matching all six numbers, the lottery still manages to raise a jackpot of around three million pounds every draw. Given that a ticket oniy costs a quid, the big prizes available have tempted almost all of us into at least an impulse purchase at some point.

The allure ·of Lotto is not just financial - it provides the gambler with a ray of hope, one piece of paper that could change their life beyond measure, propel them from Waveney to the lndies in the flick. of Guinevere's switch. this dream floating around my head, I a pilgrimage to Safeway and denied the Concrete budget by another Pound, happy in the knowledge that it would come back with three million of its brothers. And lo and behold, I won! A tenner, a massive achievement, really since odds of matching three numbers at fifty-seven to one. And believe me felt good the next day, to walk pack from the shop with more money than when I set off, running my hard earned winnings through my fingers and grinning annoyingly for the rest of the day, even though the facts are that the next fifty-six times I play the lottery, that feeling will not return.

Unfortunately, Lotto gives birth to one of the most pathetic forms of over-analysis known to civilisation. A glance at Lottery.co.uk reveals this in no uncertain terms, as the gambler gains access to a wealth of valuable information, such as which Lotto machine has the highest chance of drawing a three, or which set of balls tends to draw the most even numbers. And it doesn't end there; computer programs using advanced mathematics are widely

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available, providing the consumer with a surely infallible means of selecting the numbers most likely to be drawn. Anybody who has ever been confronted by someone who believes in these systems will be well aware of the frustrations of convincing them otherwise.

Gamblers who use this kind of fanatical scrutiny to choose their numbers are surely addicts, as the time they are

spam email, pop-ups, or good old word of mouth.

Indeed, many addiction. counselling services cite online gambling as a major worry for the future; not only is it likely to get gamblers addicted, but also tempts recovered addicts into falling off the wagon, as in their weaker moments, whether at home or

often at work, gambling is a mere mouse-click away.

Worryingly, research shows that many of the female addicts become addicted through the Internet, as it allows them to gamble without having to enter the traditional male-dominated betting communiiy; no trips to the Greyhound track or bookmakers are required. This withdrawal illustrates the problem of detection that online gambling presents, since the gambler is unlikely to get caught gambling if they wish to bet secretly, and thus an addiction to online gambling is easier than most to hide.

Online gambling came under scrutiny this past Thursday when the World Trade Orginisation (WTO) ruled that a US-law prohibiting cross-border gam-

bling breaks international trade laws. lt is not the first time the US has tried to bend the rules of an international law. The US Government Accountability Office estimates that there are 1800 interne! gambling operations on the world wide web.

The Caribbean state of Antigua and Barbuda brought the US to the WTO and won. lt argued that the US law - which prohibits paying for online gambling with US credit cards designed to help the large US gambling companies. Antigua and Barbuda has created 3000 jobs thanks to online gambling. In States gambling is strictly regulated, which is one reason Las Vegas, Nevada (one of the few states where gambling is legal) has flourished.

When anything moves into cyberspace it becomes harder to regulate. Porn and drugs, to name two lucrative industries at random, are notorious for having illicit websites that bombard hapless sutiers with spam and popup ads. The online gambling industry is new and already very lucrative. An estimated four million Britons are regular ·internet.gamblets, according to Nielsen/NetRatings. And there are no bouncers in cyberspace, only forms and requirements that a smart teenager could get around if he or she really wanted to gamble. To combat this, the gambling bill being debated by Parliament will require all online gambling sites to carry out age and ID checks.

Online gambling is also dangerous because it's hard to appreciate the loss of money when you aren't watching a dealer or fellow player scoop it up.

When it's being invisibly drawn from your bank account it somehow doesn't feel as devastating.

The vices of online gambling don't change the sheer volume of cash being won and lost on the hundreds of websites. It's-a problem that could get bigger.

POKER devoting to their bet is, to say the least, excessive.

However, most addiction to Lotto is as part of a routine, a ticket becomes part of the shopping list, and so becomes inconspicuous, giving the gambler the feeling that they're not really gambling. · This kind of passive justification is helped by all those "Sport Lottery" logos you see plastered on useful community buildings such as the UEA Sportspark. it's a great piece of social branding.

Although the lottery relies on those compulsive shoppers who buy a ticket every week, it justifies any adverse affects of its huge cash by funding useful things like athstadiums and arts centres. 28p of one pound ticket goes to "good causes", significantly more than the .05p profit Camelot makes from every ticket.

So it is with this kind of social indispensability that the National Lottery exists even while current attitudes suggest that mass 'n::omhlinn is not welcome in Britain.

Amidst all the protest about the onslaught of mega casinos, protest about the Natio[lal Lottery is minimal to say the least. When Lotto began it was one draw a week. Now there are two national draws a week, Daily Play, Lotto Extra, Thunderball, Lotto Hotpicks, numerous scratch cards, a Lotto website, the newest addition to the Lotto family, played every Friday night in France and Spain.

Addiction to the National Lottery exists, but complaints from our national athletes will be muted since it is that addiction that pays their salaries. That little hand with a smiley face isn't going anywhere, Billy Connolly notwithstanding. lt is as familiar to some as their nan's Sunday roast, and just as satisfying. .

louds of cigar smoke overhead, the clink of whisky glasses, dinner jackets, steely glares and an over-riding sense of the . incredibly cool. A nice idea, but it was never going to happen in Waveney Terrace. Instead it was clouds of steam from overheated meal-in-a-can, the rattle coffee mugs full of Sainsbury's brand Vodka, boxer-shorts, and an riding sense of laundry-avoidance.

However, regardless of location, idea still shines through: poker is This established, one Pound's two pence pieces piled each player, the cards were the game of poker began. Two later, I had made myself a tidy profit six pence, which I'm reliably informed halfway to a Freddo.

This form of gambling had a effect to the others. lt was less and although the Greyhound racing been sociable, the poker was relaxed and didn't feel like money being won and lost. That is to say, me. A fellow player and former certainly felt the sting of loss when ing over the princely sum of sixty-eight pence, and again, when having their winnings taken back after it was spotted that their full house (apparently accidentally) included six cards.

However, this incident apart, poker, through its very nature is less addictive than other forms of gambling, as the thrill of the bet is spread out over more time, depriving the Gambler of the adrenaline rush given by more instant result based forms of gambling, such as sports betting.

Obviously, if there is a lot of money riding on one hand, then the pressure builds and the rush of blood

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to the head is there in all it's glory, but since pok-er is more skill based, and since the Gambler must have an appreciation of when to fold, and abstain from betting, poker is more of a hobby than an addiction.

Poker appeals to the common man for many reasons. lt has been famous

movies, from Paul Newman in 'The Sting' to the irresistable coolness of James Bond. lt would be nice if we could all, just once, end up in a life or death situation that can only be rectified by us gradually raising the stakes against a sinister bad guy and win with a seemingly impossible Royal Flush.

Then there's Celebrity Poker. In the modern world, if celebrities do it, ifs cool. Most of us watched this series with a combination of envy and confusion as a bunch of celebrities, many of whom stretched the definition of celebrity, battled it out with utter lan-

guidness. lt was an odd thing indeed; celebrities being paid to play a game where the object is to win everyone else's money.

Celebrity poker and the Poker World Series tried to make a very patient pastime into a popular TV attraction. Like Michael Jackson's last album, it never quite caught the pubattention. If there was a way to really important poker matches, like the one in 'Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels', then we'd probably but it's unsatisfying to watch people who have devoted their whole life to something most of us just do !:'A:SWUIV. if at all.

That's because when it comes to most of us are about as good as Simpson. In one episode we confidently holding a near and betting his daughter on it. He of course loses. In episode he ends up winning realising it. a particularly difficult game for '"n'n"'m" to play, especially if we're tryto recreate the big money scenes our favourite films. Student gambling just doesn't have the same hazy class when it's played with copper coins instead of wads of cash.

Of course we should not dimiss the life and death poker scenes from movies as pure Hollywood fiction. Such games really do exist, but probably not in Waveney :rerrace. Constable maybe, bu~ not Waveney.

,.....,

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Co.attt Wednesday, November 17th, 2004

THE INVISIBLE TYRANT Drink spiking is a real problem. Victoria Leggett finds out what is being done to combat a dangerous social trend, and what dri'nkers can do to stay safe. t's one of those things everyone believes will never happen to them. Unfortunately, whilst it may only be a small proportion of drinks that get spiked in the grand scheme of things, noone can be entirely certain that their drink will not be targeted. In fact, it is probably those of you who consider it an impossibility that you will become a victim that are most at risk, simply because you are not vigilant enough.

Walking around with your hand covering your glass and watching the barman like a hawk as he prepares your drink may encourage taunts from your drinking buddies, but it's sensible when you consider the range of effects a drug can have on you and the risk you are at if you become a victim.

In a city like Norwich, the problem often goes unnoticed. With only three popular nightclubs and a few more bars it is easy to come to the conclusion that the risk is low in comparison to cities with a more buzzing nightlife: London in particular and somewhere like Nottingham, which has countless nightclubs and bars, and goes through regular stints on the national news where the binge drinking students of the East Midlands receive a slap on the wrist.

But that's one of the problems. There is no one place more likely to be targeted than another. The pub where you regularly go after a curry, which to your recollection has never been full of unsavoury characters, is just as likely to be inhabited by Drink Spikers as Time on Student Night. Even a British Legion club full to the brim with work colleagues coulq harbour the odd fool who thinks it is fun to watch someone lose con-

trol; ifs simply a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

man had his drink spiked, was helped out of the pub and then robbed of everything. In fact it is

A company i.n Essex developed a Litmus test which enables clubbers to test their own drinks Most people have had some experience with drink spiking, be it their own drink or that of a friend. The more people you speak to, the more you get a sense of the variety of ways it can affect you: the sudden, nauseating dizziness, the inability to walk unaided and the complete awareness of everything around you without much ability to · respond, the aggressive behaviour, lack of memory about any part of the night before, hallucinations and the loss of control of your bodily functions. The one consistent factor is that of a loss of dignity.

Whilst it is,. for the most part, impossible to understand the mindset of those choosing to walk around a pub spiking people's drinks, it is clear that there is more than one motive for the action. The most recognis.e d and most terrifying reason for spiking a drink is rape. lt is because of this overwhelming consequence of drink spiking that many men count themselves off the criminal's radar, since it is generally accepted that women are the most likely victims of rape. But it does happen to men too and rape is not the only reason for a drink being spiked. For some it seems that the thrill is in watching someone else lose control and knowing they are the cause. One

thought that around 11% of victims are male.

The UEA Health Centre says it sees many victims of drink spiking each year and recommends people wanting to find out more about this issue to try the Roofie Foundation website (www. roofie.com).

The Roofie Foundation provides a 24 hour helpline victims of drug-related sexual abuse. lt also provides advice on what to do if you suspect your has been tampere·d with and how to avoid this happening, as ·well as action to take if you have already become a victim. Their figures for up to the 31st December 2003 show that 6,650 people contacted the Roofie Foundation claiming they had been victims of drug related rape and sexual abuse. In around half of these cases the drug was administered in a pub or club. Other more unexpected locations include private houses, private parties and business premises places you would expect to be safe, surrounded by people well-known to you. These figures do not take account of those incidents that are not related to rape or sexual abuse, suggesting the true figure for this crime is much, much higher. Of the 6,650 cases reported to the foundation, only around 15% are thought to be reported to the police.

In terms of self help, a company in Essex developed a Litmus test which enables clubbers to test their own drinks. This device is now sold in Boots as well as on the interriet (go to www.drinkdetective.com and follow the links). For just £1.50 you can detect the three most commonly used drugs: benzodiapines (including diazepam and other prescribed medicines), gamma hydroxybutyrate (GHB) and ketamine in any suspicious beverages. Since these drugs are often colourless and odourless using your sense of smell and sight alone is not sufficient in helping you to identify a spiked drink. The Drink Detective is marketed as 'a matchbox size' product that provides a result in 'less than 30 seconds and is easy to perform'. lt is convenient to carry around and is easy to obtain at a Boots' pharmacy. lt is an issue that the pubs and clubs of Norwich are well aware of. Lloyd's in the Riverside complex displays a warning in the ladies toilet advising customers to never leave drinks unattended and seek help if either your drink appears altered or if you feel unusually drunk after only a couple of drinks. The number of women seen taking their drinks with them into the toilet suggests the message is beginning to get across. et there is evidence that staff at pubs and clubs are not sufficiently adept at dealing with and identifying victims of the crime. Two barmen at a popular pub in Norwich city centre admitted being unable to recognise a victim drink spiking.

They presumed the person in question was 'off her head' and instead of offering genuine help appeared more interested in ensuring the apparently inebriated customer was moved away from their premises. Whilst this is an understandable reaction from a business's point of view - a pass-

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ing police car will not look favourably at an establishment being propped up by a near unconscious student - surely steps need to be taken to train staff to be more aware and better equipped.

Mercy nightclub implemented a scheme where bar staff marked unattended drinks with a cocktail stick to highlight to the customer that their drink was at risk from spiking. This was part of Operation Enterprise, and the 'Have you been spiked?' campaign run by Norfolk Police. This operation also involved other venues, focusing along Prince of Wales Road, where the hedgehog 'Spike', originating from an Essex Police ini-

tiative, was used to bring a cus~omer's attention to the fact that their drink had been left unattended and was therefore at risk. Other police initiatives in East Anglia have involved police taking over a room in a pub or club and posing as glass collectors, then testing the remnants in the glass for evidence of spiking. On one occasion, of 200 glasses collected, 8 were found to contain drugs associated with this problem.

Whilst it is important to do everything possible to prevent your drink being targeted, there is always a potential risk that the worst will happen no matter how hard you try; just because you stay with your drink constantly does not mean the criminal will not seize the split second chance he or she gets as you turn to wave at your friend who's just walked in. If you are affected, you need to stay with people you know and trust. If you are able to identify the drink which has been spiked, keep hold of it for evidence and always phone the police. If you have . been abused in some way, they will be able to collect evidence that will aid them in finding the culprit, or if you are one of the lucky ones who remain safe even when affected, the police will still make a record of where and when it has happened, regardless of whether you have evidence or not: this will help identify the true extent of the crime and pinpoint particular problems areas. Always remember that this is a crime. Never feel embarrassed about reporting it.

The university health centre insists the police are always 'very sensitive and supportive... They take the whole issue very seriously'. Only by highlighting this problem can steps be taken to combat it.

Suggested precautions that students should take when on a night out: • Avoid accepting drinks from strangers or people you don't know very welL • Watch your drink being poured, or the bottle or can being opened, at the bar.

• Never leave drinks unattended: keep an eye on your drink and you friends' drinks at all times - when dancing, going to the toilet or talking to other people.

• If your drink looks cloudy, or changes in colour/consistency, or doesn't taste right, don't drink it.

• Keep any suspicious drinks for evidence - tell the bar manager.

Colcrtte Wedn esday, Ocotber 171h, 2004

concrete.features@uea.ac.uk 17

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A HARD DAY'S FIGHT Student jobs. Some have them to fund their degree, some just want a little extra cash; some actually like it. Lucy Mowatt examines the often harsh reality of student employment and wonders if it is really worth the effort. ost people do it at some point in their lives, but why we work as students is questionable. Obviously there is a need for the money and survival; the CV; the requirement of modern society to forge a 'work ethic'; yet it is possible that there is a masochistic kick to be had as well. Indeed, it's rare to find someone that can actually stand being around customers all day, or the mind路numbing bureaucracy of the company you work for. In fact the mosf satisfying feeling from some jobs is getting home and realising that you've retained a modi~um of sanity. lt wouldn't be half so bad if people didn't insist upon treating you like an imbecile. Most customers seem to think .that because you are young and work in a shop you're too stupid to do any better, and half your colleagues seem to believe that you do nothing with the rest of your week than sit around all day watching 'This Morning' (which may have some truth in it, but is beside the point).

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feeling which is accentuated by the customers that delight in telling you how they completed their Christmas shopping in August and you haven't even thought about it. Guilt complexes

ners either. Some adults treat shops like a creche, letting their kids do whatever they feel like, or threaten their child that a shop assistant will tell them off if they don't behave. Doubly rude is the customer that has been on their mobile phone continuing with their conversation while you serve them, oblivious to the fact that every member of staff and some other customers in the vicinity are grinding their teeth.

Taking your work home with you is always potentially destructive; and the effect of an eight hour day in a Department Store can have large repercussions for the remainder of the day. On those occasions when you are appreciated, it can be an immensely fulfilling experience, and have you grinning for hours after leaving the building.

The flipside, however, causes you to leave work with a dark cloud of misanthropy hanging over your head. You may think that a customer who sent her refund through the post with absolutely no details would at least show some gratitude when one person goes to the trouble of calling

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'The customer is always right' mantra is interesting; because usually they aren't. can also develop at this time of year when your employers tell you to sell the store credit card to customers. it's just what you want to do, encourage your customers to get over their heads in debt for the New Year.

As hard as it may seem at times, those disgruntled, stressed customers on Christmas Eve can actually make you happy. Firstly, it's gratifying to know that at least you 're not out doing your Christmas shopping now, but also because of the challenge they represent. This can actually be satisfying any time of year. If you can succeed in making a miserable customer smile it is one of the nicest feelings, because not only has it provided some entertainment, but also because you know that at least momentarily their stress wasn't quite so acute.

The most satisfying feeling is getting home and realising you've retained a modicum of sanity.

The other extreme isn't too much fun either.

Some customers think that shop assistants are superhuman. lt is incredibly annoying to find that some customers don't real ise that when you're serving another customer you can 't serve them at the same time. Yes, it is nice to think that someone doesn't believe in your stupidity but it is possible to go too far.

Much of this boils down to a lack of manners on the part of the the general public. The gripe about the young people of today may be down to the fact that their parents have no man-

return stolen goods to a shop.

If you're asked to look for something indiscriminate work can become farcical. You will always get one customer who asks for a book,

card services to find out who she is, then directory enquiries to get her telephone number and then calling her twice when she failed to call us back. But no, she decides to launch a vociferous polemic - due to acute deafness - about how services aren't what they used to be; that she is ninety-two years old and has been shopping at the store since the last world war, and then goes on to accuse you of being pedantic when all you can do is agree with her in disbelief. Of course, it doesn't at all lead to any resentment on the part of shop staff.

The ambience of a store can be at fault too.

A familiar atmosphere, where 'I Wish lt Could Be Christmas Everyday' being played thirty times a day from mid-October to Christmas Eve can quickly wipe a smile off of anyone's face. In fact it actually makes you want to scream,

he other extreme is making rude customers feel exceptionally uncomfortable. By grinning with a slightly psychopathic glint in your eyes lets the customer know that you are disgusted with them beyond words, but they can do nothing to fault your-behaviour. This can be made even more interesting if you show the customer up further to members of staff and other customers when you become overly polite, acknowledging their every grimace, because they 路know you couldn't care less. it's as much as a shop assistant can do to prevent them from running out of the store.

Genuine problems, such as faulty product refunds are only a problem when the customer acts as if you personally were responsible ; that you made the goods yourself and knew that they would have to come back. Strangely enough it can be irritating. We appreciate that it is a huge problem that it has to be returned, but we are not to blame. We will gladly replace the goods with a new or equivalent product and will attempt not to look at you like you're a thief; it's just so many people use the faulty goods excuse to

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written by a man, about a journey, or someone looking for a pair of black trousers, which they will recognise when they see them , or someone who asks you to explain the three thousand types of coffee that you sell, or something to that effect. it's not just tedious; it makes you feel as if you're being set up by Jeremy Beadle.

'The customer is always right' mantra is interesting too, because usually they aren't. Elizabeth McDonald, who works for a company in the city, has to put up with customers telling her the history of the company, and occasionally do not listen when it is wrong. Telling them that they are right would be misinformation, which is completely unethical, and unfair.

You can also always guarantee that you'll end up working the weekend before thousands of essays are due and may explain why many students do not work during semester. Student Laura Meadowcraft worked as a help desk analyst during her summer vacation and claimed that she does not work during semesters for precisely that reason , because 'it interieres with study'. lt seems that this may be a sensible option , because employment may make you so stressed that you do not study. lt seems that it isn't just shop work which can be a test of patience. Miss Meadowcraft claimed that she would get people calling up for help when the computer they were using wasn't plugged in. She said it was 'amazingly stupid sometimes', but that she loved the people she worked with and 'had a lot of fun' . Sometimes colleagues are all that can get you through.

Occasionally something pleasantly surprising will happen in your day and you'll wonder why you hated your job so much. Michelle Eaten used to work in The Bear Factory and had a heartwarming experience. Part of the job was 'to help customers to choose a voice box, or help them record a message for the bear before they stuffed it with fur.

A guy had been loitering looking shifty for a while, so I decided to go over and ask if I could help. He said that he wanted to propose to his girlfriend but was really nervous. He told me I had a really lovely voice, and I ended up proposing to some woman". lt doesn't happen all the time and it doesn't happen to everybody, but there can be moments when you really value being employed.

Marks and Spencer on Rampant Horse Street employs many students during the semester. They estimate that roughly twenty-five per cent of their workforce are students between the ages of seventeen and twenty-five, sixty-four per cent of which are female. These students work not only on the shop floor but also in behind the scenes areas, not just dealing with the public. lt appears that many businesses in the area require students as staff, even if it is to cover unsociable hours and holiday.

Thus it may seem that working not just as a student in a shop can be a hellish experience, which you either have to路 laugh off, or have a nervous breakdown over. Either way you wouldn't wish it on your worst enemies, or custome rs for that matter, leading you to wonder if the money is really worth the cost of your sanity.

When applying for a term-time job, ask yourself why, and indeed if you have to. The government says that its student loans are just the right amount, but thousands of students disagree.

They're working boring jobs for low-pay just to keep the wolves at the door.

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Concrete

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CUT SHORT

WITHOUT CONCRETE

·.g No rfolk's proposed new orbital railway are back on track after est im ated costs we re reduced .

The loop of track woul d join Norwich, No rth Wa ls ham , Cro m er, Fake nh a m , De re ham a nd Wymondham . Th e co nstru ction lo o ked unl ikly after a report sugg~sted t hat a certa in so m eter seg ment of track would co st more th a n [4m . Th is estimate has been red uced to [1 m a nd t he o utlook for these plans look brighter t ha n ever

MARKETGETSMAKEOVER hose readers who somehow m1ssed the last ed11ion of Tu rf wi ll only now have seen that the section 'Your Vo1ce' has been replaced by 'Yo ur Move' .

Although 1! 1s Important fo r stud e nts to be able to voice the1r op1n1ons, it has been dec1ded that 1! 1s more 1mportant for students to be taught how to live a greener l1fe, rather than JUSt read 1ng about e nvironmen tal affairs . Last fortnight Tu rf expla1ned how students could switch to a greene r elect ricity supplier at no extra cost JUSt by free phonmg o8ooo 326 100.

This issue Turf suggest s·

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SOM E GREENER COOKI NG TIPS

it is central heatmg that IS responsible for the majonty of the energy used in a house, but the next b1ggest h1tter is what you do in your kitchen . Here are a few ways you can reduce the amount of fuel you use whde cookmg, savmg you money as well as the planet.

Put t he lid on - Sound s o bv1ou s m a ybe , but many don't bother puttm g lids on pans when boilmg water, even though 11 reduces the amount of energy requ ired by 90% .

Norwich Market to be r eloca t ed next year while new designs take place. orw1ch Market is about the best place around where stud~nts can get good, fresh food for less of ou r precious money.

The Norwich market traders are p roud of the traditional atmosphere in their market. On their webs1te they sum-up their market as ex1sting "on a human scale" ; it is a place where direct dealings between producers and consumers can take place.

As of the 30th January 2005, Norwich market is set to undergo a radical makeover. The curre nt wooden, open-air structure is going to be demolished over a pe riod of 2 weeks in early February; replaced with a lightweight metal and plastic modernised version . The scheme

Pet er Clutton-Brock on hope, hippies, power poetry and the biggest studen t envir on m ental conference in Europe

Smaller hob - lt is more effic1ent to use a small gas burner on a highe r setti ng tha n a larger gas burner on a lower setting.

Ta lking o f gas - A gas burner on a cooker should burn w1th a blue flame . If 11 is yellow it is wasting gas , it does not have enough oxygen , it should be adjusted .

Often cleaning the burner components can restore a blue and efficient flame .

Keep fridges cool - Let hot food and dishes coo l off before placi ng them in th e fridge. Th e appliance won't have to wo rk as hard to coo l th e dish off.

Oven s Off - Turn the oven off a few m in utes before cooking t1me ends , a nd let the heat from the hot oven fin1sh the cook1ng.

is schedu led to be comp le ted by 1st November 2005.

Markets are often recognised and appreciated for their traditional appearance and atmosphere. With this in mind a campa1gn was started by traders and shoppers to save the market from a complete redes1gn 1n favour of a clean-cut refurbishment .

The plan now stands to demolish the market and repave the area , then construct a s1milar layout using the same number of stalls. The aisles, set at 2m , will be wider and will have a cove ring that closes as a canopy in bad weathe r.

Although the same number of stalls will remain , the market traders are dissatIsfied w1th certa1n aspects of the proJect .

The majority of obJections concern their relocat1on to Gentleman's Walk between January and November while refurbishment of the market takes place. The size of stalls that will be provided at Gentleman's Walk do not necessarily equate to that of their previous stall.

The Internet Cafe has such difficulties, as the council have offered a 10 foot by 8 foot temporary space, wh 1ch IS a quarter of the SIZe of their current prem-

ises and not sufficien t s pace for the Internet Cafe to ope rate.

More long term problems conce rn the cold weather performance of the new stall cub1cles . Condensation could be a serious problem g1ven the poor thermal efficiency of the steel cladding when repeatedly frozen and thawed.

The planning committee realises the market has had a place in Norwich for hundreds of years and that we need to

SHARED PLANET eople & Planet, a UK student run campa1gn group, held 1ts annual conference, 'Shared Planet', on November 6th .

Shared Planet is billed as the biggest, most v1brant stude nt conference in Europe on the environment, human r_1ghts and poverty. lt is the event that brings together student campaigners from all over the UK to share a vision of a better world and explore practical ways of making that vrs1on a reality.

The re were speakers, workshops, stalls and best of all , hundreds of students : passionate about positive change and ready to take on the biggest challen ges facing our world today. The confere n ce speakers were led by Michael Meache r; o ne of the La bou r Par ty' s lo n gest-se rv in g MP s, Envi ron m en t Ministe r fro m 1997 to 2003 a nd we ll know n for his p rinci pled, ou t spoken stances on the environment and poverty: Meache r began by wa rn ing the conference that 'the human race is beg1nning

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to undermme the grounds for human surv1 val' . He went on to d1scuss the causes for this mclud1ng the rapidly escalating problems of resource over-exploitation, inc reasing industrialisation and species loss, stressing that the ma1n drive r behind these problems is over population.

Continuing this theme, Meache r went on to speak about the Importance of dea ling w1th climate change, which he sa1d, was 'threatening to make parts of the world uninhabi!able'. Count ries all ove r the world, he suggested, need to exert pressure on the US to imp rove thei r envi ronmental reco rd and not supmely except the situat ion.

Rece nt stu dies indica te th a t g loba l wa rming is ca using th e dea th of16o,ooo peo pl e each yea r aft er o nl y a o.G d eg ree ce lsi us rise. Meache r co ncluded that the p rojected 'business as usua l' temperature nse of up to 6 degrees in the next century would be disastrous saying 'an increase of only 5 degrees is, and I use the

e ns ure it co nti n ues in the fut ure, and they endeavor to recreate the facility.

Desp ite the uncertainty of custom next year fo r the traders , once completed the new market should contmue to promote sustainable development by means of helpmg small farmers , keeping pnces low, and recycling goods and materials through the little infrastructure required .

Report by Hannah Newton

word adv1sably: apocalyptic' . Mark Lynas , author of 'News from a Warmrng World' , added that with an Increase of only 3 C M1ami and all1ts famous pollmg stat1on s would be underwater.

People & Planet, however, are keen to be pos1tive and are launching 'Go Green' campaigns in Universities all over the country. Lucy Pearce from People & Pl anet explained that H igher Education is a key sector as it spends [3 billion each year on goods and services , consumes [200 mdl10n worth of energy and owns 9% of all office space in the UK .

Campaigns are underway all over the Umted Kingdom to persuade Universities to use gree n electricity, elect environmen tal officers and conduct envi ronmental impact assessments of thei r activities.

Alt hough confe rences such as Sha red Pla n et m ay be p reachi n g to the co nve rted a nd th e cloth ing can vary from th e biza rre to th e outrageous ly psychede lic, the cam paigne rs d efini tely know how to party. A mix of power poetry, samba drums and crazy dancing left all eleva ted .

Fo r more information see www.peopleandplanet.org.

TREE OF THE FORTNIGHT

'.\" 'i.'e I I? fill anc:l!""m Jnufa( tUI\"' ahMst .1$' Yt>~. we ~ell Olll!•n al an d anv b1and we guarantel? thPV will •o rnpatibles \OQ 1 P<'l furm " ' w~ lla:> an ''ngmal .1$' We al>o ~ell ~...-in ter~, P<1P"' s and ax supplie s Saw lll011" Y and h"IP save lh l" planet Wh ile yo u wait refill sctvi(e

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Curtridge World

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Ill) U~tlunk R d, No1wldl, Notfolk NR2 2P£

Callt 0160J 66702~

So m e may think that t he residents of Co nstable Te rrace decided to pay o ut a n ext ra [30 a week fo r th e benefi t of a la rge kitc he n a nd o n-s ui te faci liti es. Howeve r, we a t had always assu m ed th e extra price was paid by peo ple who had noticed the dea r Fagus Sylvatica right o n the doorstep. Ou r suspicions • have been confirmed by the bigges t demand this section has ever Witnessed, making the Fagus Sylvatica , commonly known as the European Beech, this issue's tree of the fortn1ght . Although stupendously beautiful, this specimen is famed for its climbi appeal, with students even coming from as far as W;lvf'nPv l to attempt to reach the top branches. There is still to be admired from the ground of course , with the wavmg bare b ranches enough to make you weep with joy.

Height: so - Go ft Spread: 35 - 45 ft Sha pe: Rounded pyramid Foliage: Simple leaves 2 to 4 mches, glossy dark gree n with a reddish tint.

Flower: No ne to speak of Fru it: 4 -lobed mvolucre usually contains 2 nuts found singly on erect pedicels.

The Fagus Sy lvatica

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Concrete Wednesday

www.concrete-online.com

Nawuher Jzlh 2004

Norfolk's Star of the East, a construction planned to rival Cornwall's Eden Project, could be created in the Far East before it gets built here. Our very own UEA based CRed team have just returned from China where they were exhibiting the plans. CRed's Marcus Armes reassured us: ''We are still extremely committed to creating the Star in Norwich and what would be built in Shanghai would be on a different scale to here."

STAG, the Sustainable Transport Action Group, have been continuing their campaign against the construction of the multistory car park. The group had a meeting with the Transport Coordinator, Dawn Dewar, and the Registrar responsible for financial strategy and Administration & Estate, Brian Summers. The plans will most likly still go ahead but STAG is following every step of the process to make sure that the environmental impacts of every move are taken into account.

Norfolk County Council is sending around 137,000 leaflets to homes in and around the Norwich in an attempt to create as much public debate as possible over the planned bypass. There are ten proposed routes, all designed with the aim of reducing congestion in the north of the city. The leaflets outlines the costs and environmental implications for each route and the council is ensuring that everyone gets their say.

Environmental week (week nine) is now under way and this issue of Conrm has hit the shelves just after the Green Fair.

Events will continue all week in an effort to increase awareness among students.

SUMMED

UP The distance the Ford Model T (produced in 1909) could cover on 1 litre of petrol = Distance the average car on the road now (nearly 100 years later) can currently cover on 1 litre of petrol =

hanks to the internet, we can now buy more stuff more conveniently than ever before.

And , once you've had your fill of that book or CD, you can always sell it through eBay. But what about the other stuff- stuff you think is out of date, broken, worthless, or just not worth the bother of an eBay listing or an advert on campus? You'd probably just chuck it away, right? (You would, we know -we've seen the overflowing bins outside residences at the end of term ... ) Well now, thanks to the efforts of a couple of committed people in Norwich, you have another option. Don't dump it- Freecycle it!

Free what? Allow us to explain. Back in 2003, some people in Tucson, Arizona , decided that too much useful stuff was going mto landfill, and that landfill was taking up too much space. Surely someone, somewhere could make use of that old sofa, those half tins of paint, those outgrown children's clothes? With people already getting used to the idea of the net as a way to buy and sell things, why not make use of it and try to match up people who have stuff with people who want it?

Freecycle was born - internet-based message boards for people to offer their unwanted things to others. The one hard and fast rule? Everything offered must be free of charge.

Today, the pioneering Tucson Freecycle Network has over 2,8oo members; the biggest Freecycle group, Portland (Oregon), has over eleven thousand people signed up, and worldwWe there are over half a million Freecyclers in almost 30 countries. Who organises all this? The people do. Anyone can set up a group, provided there isn't already one in the area. By us1ng the free Yahoo groups service, no outlay is needed and the group is run without money. No budgets, no red tape, no accounts. Just people. helping others and reducing the amount we throw away.

he UK is slowly catching on to this great idea. Twenty-seven Freecycle groups have been set up to date, including the Norfolk UK Freecycle Network which was set up in September this year

by Norwich resident Michelle Jermy- after spotting a link to Freecycle.org from a frugal living group, she felt empowered to take charge of her clutter so that others may benefit. Despite having no money for

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publicity and relying on word of mouth and small flyers and leaflets, over so people have signed up to date, and a UEA researcher in ENV, has volunteered as a eo-moderator. Items ranging from furniture and toys to magazines and bicycles have been offered - even BBC-B floppy disks. Some items have found takers and others are still available, but undoubtedly the traffic will increase as membership grows. The more people who join, the more likely it is that items will find a home and not end up at the dump.

Official support and recognition for this movement is also growing. Local councils, environmental groups, social charities and other organisations have all shown an interest in Freecycle. Word is beginning to spread further via newsletters, websites, even newspaper articles and local radio, and media campaig ns are planned to coincide with the postChristmas clearout and spring cleaning time. People are telling their friends and even their bosses - yes, businesses can join too as a way of redistributing old stock, obsolete computers and replaced furniture. Non -profit groups are also welcome, such as those who repair broken furniture and appliances for sale at low cost to families in need.

The items offered are not simply charity shop rejects , either. Accord ing to a recent Financial Times article, other UK groups have seen high-value items such as cars and Sony TVs offered, and many of the items advertised in the Norfolk

group could easily have fetched a few pounds on eBay or in the small ads. So why do people Freecycle? As well as the overall ethos of saving useful stuff from being landfilled, one main attraction is that it's easy. No complicated protocol to follow, no need to pay for the advert or write a flashy listing so your item gets not1ced -just email and wa1t for repl1es.

With takers arranging to pick items up, there are no postage worries. No payment means no hassle with cheques, PayPal, or cash in the post. And, perhaps an underestimated attraction, people simply like feeing that they are helping others by giving items away. A pram might go to a single mum, that old carpet to someone setting up home after a breakup, those CDs to someone recovering after a burglary. And you never knowwhat goes around comes around, and you may just find someone offering what you want the next time you check the group.

So, why not join us? Everyone is welcome, and the Norfolk UK Freecycle Network would love to have you (and you-r stuff!) on board. http:f {groups.yahoo.comfgroup{Nof olkU KFreecycle, or http:f ftinyurl.comfsetsu Any questions? email: nofolkukfreecycle-owner@yahoogroups.com

gkm Number of British World War One veterans still alive today= The number of people there would have to be in a room for there to be an even chance that at least two of them share the same birthday= Number of poeople killed in the earthquake in Ojiya, Northern Japan earlier this year=

23 How long negotiations continued in vain before the Kyoto protocol was ratified= Length of time you would have to yell for before you've produced enough energy to boil a cup of tea= Age of Zahwa, the Arafat's daughter=

Late Yasser

9 years

Report by Katy Appleton

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Height of tallest mountain on Earth (that would be Everest of course) =

plus.

Tt-t6 PLAC6 TO PARTY ....

(R)edbull

equetls..

"BAR.C;IN!!!

SHOULD CHRISTMAS BE MONTHLY? (probably not)

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Problems Solved Prof.

Roderick Mulhapton Filkington-Phipps, Rodders to his friends, senior economic adviser to the World Bank and the IMF gives informed counsel to your personal problems.

Dear Rodders

ORWELL CLOS IVATE RESI

Orwell Close residents in massive reality TV seam The University was expressing regret last night, albeit with a cheeky smirk suggesting that, if it was being honest, it really found the whole affair rather fun.

Th e reason for a ll th is faux so r row was t he revelation that dozens of students every year are being tricked into taking part in a Big Brother-style television show. Titled Orwell Close. t h e programme operates in much the same way as its inspiration - putting a large group of people in a cramped. fain tly unpleasant environment with a communa l toilet and then a ll owing the viewi n g public lo watch. In order to avoid copyright infringement. Onvell Close introduces two n ew elements: t h e residents don't know they're on 1V. and. as they're supposed to be students. lhe public vole for their grades rather than eviction .

Residents past and present are said to be "disappointed" at the news. Clearly, wh en your marks are decided by te lephone vote the resulting degree isn't as well respected as some oth ers in the mar ket.

As Claus Pernickety. who lived in th e Close between 1998 and 99. states. "It is annoying to learn that a year of my life was wasted to entertain viewers of a Po lis h cable ch annel. It does n 't seem fai r that essays I worked really hard on barely passed just because the audience didn't like me singing in the shower.

Although it does explain why the gu y who later died of an overwhelming mix of sexually transmitted diseases consistently got starred fit路sts."

Privacy issues have also been raised. with one particularly embatTassed victim commenting. "If I'd known we were being

fil m ed 24 h ou rs a day. I probably wouldn't h ave got p issed . got naked. painted myself b lue a n d dran k my own sick."

However. others do admit they suspected som ethi ng wasn't right. Johnny Crabclaw. a med ical s tudent in the Close last year. was surprised one morning to find a camera crew. presenter and small studio audience in h is war d r obe. though at the time he accepted the explanation that they were lost. Lisa Golden-Grahams recalled a particularly confusing trip to Poland. where she was mobbed in the streets on a daily basis and invited to open several supet路markets.

UEA refuses to express remorse.

A spokesperson said. "1 thought you lot were supposed to be clever; didn't the name of the place give the game away? What? No. we won't be returning any tuition fees or rent."

We're rea lly enjoying living in a house offcampus for the first time but none of my new housemates seem to ever buy any toilet paper. This has caused many a sticky situation. and it's depleting the house newspapers before anyone can read them. The only alte r native we have is to use kitchen ro ll. requ iri ng a mad dash for the k itchen at th e end of any bowel movement in an attempt not to be seen by other household members.

Not only that. the clagnuts are becoming a real pain in the arse. I'm having to resort to b u yin g my own rolls and keeping them in my bedroom. but there must be a better solution. can you help us?

Yours. Rashed Dear Rashed This is a most interesting problem my friend.

Indeed. I can help you as the situation can be modelled as a s imple n -player co-ordination game. We wi ll assume that a ll of you wou ld be qu ite happy to buy toilet paper on the con dition that everyone else bought it w h en it was th eir tu rn. but it is on ly w h en no -one buys t h e paper t h at everyon e th en becomes reluctant to make the firs t purchase. If thi s were t r ue then it would appear your house is stuck with brown fingers in a Pareto domina ted Nas h equili briu m. A market solution to this intrigu ing quandary would be to allow members of the household to compete in the supply of toilet paper.

Members would then have sufficient incentive to provide toilet pap er from the associated profits from charging their fellow housemates for each sheet used. This form of inhouse capitalism would then ensure a happy household with a h ealthy provision of toilet paper.

ZEBRASTO BAR CODES :--

UEA's small but powerful Zebra Union are threatening a boycott of all campus retail facilities unless an alternate system to barcodes is introduced. They claim the codes are demeaning and make their otherwise popular members figures of derision around the University.

The Un ion. known for having the highest average number of legs p er m embe r a n d for th rowi ng th e b est parties on campu s. say th ey h ave tolera ted b a rcodes fo r too long. A s po keszebra said . "How wo uld th e n o n -zebra co mmunity feel if th ey we r e t old th a t. through n o fa ult of th eir own. they would forever b e associated with a particular produ ct?

I can 't go thro u gh a s uperma rket c h ec ko ut without acc identa lly b e ing scanned . As it h appen s I'm quite lucky.

coming u p as a 750g box of cornflakes. But one of my friends is a tube of hemorrhoid cream . That's the kind of situation that affects your self-confidence - can you imagine getting u p every morn ing and looking in t h e m irror. only to see h emorrhoid cream looking back at you?"

It is a situ ation U1at UEA is takin g extrem ely seriou s ly. After a ll . it is widely known that the zeb ras h a ve th e in flu en ce to do s ignificant damage to the in stitution's in ternatio n a l prestige. While no on e would put the ir n a m e on the r ecord . on e Univers ity offi cial mu ttered . "You d on 't want the zeb ras pissed at yo u . tha t's fo r s ure."

However, many b elieve the cost of finding a n a lter na tive to barcodes wou ld be even m ore cos tly than con ti nuing to incu r t h e

zebras' wrath. It is with this in mind that a com prom ise package is being proposed. If the codes are allowed to stay. UEA wi ll imp lement a new rule that states all nonzebra students must have a grocery product tattooed prominen tly on several poin ts on their bodies. At the moment. th ese points are u nderstood to be the forehead . the back s of th e h a n ds. t h e bac k of th e n eck a nd on each bu ttock .

Indeed . t h e s ilver lining of this sorry affa ir m ay be a massive increase in UEA's a dverti s ing reve nue. If the zebras ok the d eal. compan ies will b e a ble to p ay to h a ve their produ cts s plash ed across th o u sand s of s tudents . Th o ugh no offi cia l lis t exists, b oth Baxter's Soup and Ea syjet are known to be inte rested .

How zebras think we see them.

eo.a.t. Wednesday, November J71h, 2004

onia is a sixty year old, white South African lady.

Site lives 20 miles outside of Cape Town, but living just outside and working in the townships, her reality makes it seem a million miles from the world famous, vibrant

city.

In 1994 three men broke into Sonia's home. They beat her, strangled her with a telephone cord, attempted to rape her and then left her for dead . And why? At the time she was living on the border of one of the black townships, Masaphumelele. Through donations of food , mainly from businesses, she was able to run a free feeding scheme for the desperate children of that township .

Despite pressure from a rival project to charge for the food she offered, Sonia remained morally firm and hence enemies were made and her fate set. But in a world where politics and agendas are constantly working against those trying to help others, Sonia refuses to give up.

Miraculously she survived her brutal

irst lesson. lt is 6:30 a.m. we're sat in the canteen of Hai Phong University not understanding anything that's said around us, not recognizing the smells or sounds or the hot bowls of soup placed in front of us. lt looks like cellophane noodles in a glutinous, cloudy liquid with the consistency of spit. No one should have to tackle the use of chopsticks this early, especially not with soup. We arrived in Vietnam yesterday.

In ten minutes we will be told we have to go and teach a class of fifty university students, but we don't know that yet. We are still sitting confused with culture shock.

After a five day TEFL training course where we learnt the art of separating syllables with our fingers and counting in Arabic, to say we felt under prepared when faced with fifty Vietnamese students is an understatement. The students' ages ranged from nineteen to thirty nine • and here were we two eighteen year old girls singing heads, shoulders, knees and toes to them

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attack and where most people would have abandoned their plight, the brave, strong· willed Sonia merely moved across the road to a run down farm . Here she is pio· neering and building a grass roots project, ultimately aimed at providing tra ining and more importantly a home for a mere few of the millions of orphans within both Africa and South Africa. Every day children are facing the tragedy of losing their parents to HIV /AIDS, which is just where their problems start. As the number of adults dying of AI OS rises over the next decade, an increasing number of orphans will grow up without parental care and love and will be deprived of their basic rights to shelter, food, health and education . Often, at an incredibly young age, they are left t1> be the head of their families with neither the maturity or knowledge of how to do so. Sonia does not question her commitment to such an emotionally draining, desperate and sometimes dangerous cause. Looking at the statistics though it is easy to see why.

In South Africa 28% of the population have been affected by HIV/AIDS. Typically

F

at the front of the class. A Bridget )ones cringe worthy moment if ever there was one.

After that every lessonseemed an improvement. The vocabulary and exercises got more advanced but I kept the

half of the people with HIV become infected before they are aged 25, wh ich then develops into AIDS resulting in their death by the time they are 35· As a result, at the end of 2003 the number of children orphaned by AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa stood at 12.3 million, a staggering 8o% of the 15 mill ion world total.

And so it was here, at Shiloh Hillside Farm, that I spent three months of my summer 2004 volunteering as part of the BUNAC volunteer South Africa Project. n average day would consist of getting up at 7 to milk the goats and clean out the donkey stables. Donkeys were key animals on the farm as the project doubled up as a donkey sanctuary. single mothers who couldn't afford to people of the townships themselves , Throughout Africa the donkey is an feed or clothe them . On various occaespecially the children, whose smiles essential working animal and this is sions, I met some children, ;ome only as through the suffering that is their lives is something Sonia tried to maintain on the young as five or six, already infected with truly to be admired. farm so again she would be able to teach HIV. One of the most upsetting conversachildren how to •utilise natural resources. tions I had with the children was when If you are interested in volunteering The sanctuary proved the"! to be incredito help out in a township like the one Usa bly strong, resilient animals with many of the young girls were warning me not to go them having been previously terribly out at night because of the high risk of visited, check out www.bunac.org, providing opportunities for students to work abused . One particular rescue case was being raped . Innocence is sadly a luxury that of Ginger, a donkey that had been these children cannot afford in order to and volunteer abroad in a wide range of sodomised and then had her ears cut off survive in their world. My trip to South countries.

Africa was undoubtedly an amazing, life For the full story on the AIDS epias part of a gang initiation. changing experience. lt was humbling to demic check out: www.unaids.org After breakfast we would then work And don't forget that December 1st is meet so many brave and inspiring people. on the farm . Our aim for the summer was World Aids Day, helping to promote to build a play and animal park for the This includes those such as Sonia pioneering projects but even more so the HIV/AIDS awareness. local children. Progress on a project such as this occurs slowly, especially as wer--==,.,...,...,...,.,..,....,..........,.................................................................................................................................'T"1 worked only with materials that could be found lying around. Though having orphans to live on the farm was a long way off in the mean time our aim was to provide what·small pleasures for the local children we could.

Then in the afternoon we would go out into the townships to help out at various other projects so desperately in need of volunteers. My most memorable experience was working in a centre for abused children 'The Open Door', in the coloured township Ocean View. In many cases abused meant children who had lost fathers to HIV

A

singing up, at the end of each lesson we would have a medley of Elton John, The Bangles, and Dolly ·Parton . Sometimes I felt more like a blue coat than a teacher, I tried my best but sometimes when students would suggest we boycott the lesson and go and drink Watermelon juice at the local Karaoke bar, I would agree.

Spontaneous class trips often proved quite productive as we would sing in English and by practicing English in an informal atmosphere students became more confident.

Vietnam has such high regard for teachers which made my job so much easier. They have two national teachers' days each year. Students would stand up and serenade me, I got ninety red roses, presents and parties - it was amazing.

This summer I returned to Vietnam to see my students graduate, and once again found myself singing Elton John. lt can never happen too much really. I plan to live and work in Vietnam after I graduate but maybe this time with a little more than a five day training course.

time was also spent working with womens groups, trying to integrate the mothers, or any surviving family members into the project teaching about nutrition, health and skills such as basic weaving to try and make a small income.

his summer I had the fantastic opportunity to return to Kenya, to a small rural village, via a three-hair-raising-hours drive from Nairobi. Past elephants, zebras, Uons and savannah plains stretching forever.

With lush tea plantations, beautiful Mount Kenya and stunning tropical beaches on the Indian ocean there is much to see Kenya. However, Lion king aside, Kenya is facing the reality of the AIDS epidemic which is dramatically increasing the number of orphans ana street children.

T

I spent two months working in a street children's centre called 'Kanyange friends of children' where many of the children were AIDS orphans.

The centre, run by.two local teachers, provides meals and shelter for the children. The centre also helps provide uniforms and books so the children can go to school. Whilst I was there we tried to set up HIV/ AIDS workshops and drama plays surrounding the issues of H IV and AIDS, which is such a taboo subject in the local community.· We

I had a brilliant time, working with the chil_dren and experiencing such a different lifestyle. The friends I made were so generous, feeding me with rice and beans and endless cups of sweet Chai, teaching me the local language and songs and how to pick tea and carry babies on my back with a kanga!

a non an organized trip to a local beauty spot, which was incredible as the children had never been out of the village, more eventful for us was trying to prevent fifty children from falling dowo the 100 foot

.

With very little committed policy and support by the government towards street children especially in rural areas, the work of centers such as 'Kanyange' is vital, if anyone would like to know more about the project or help raise funds · or even buy some woven bags. Made by some of the mothers · I was presented with 400 on my departure!

Please contacted me on k.musgrave@uea.ac.uk .

22 concretc.fa shi onlifesty lc@ uea. ac. uk

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The long and short of it: Do's and Don'ts of short wearing Do: .. .wea r wi th th is season 's rounded toes, high or low, - they were made for the short look. ... try with tig hts too . Opaque , shee r or lace all look love ly.

Don't: ... wear hot pant shorts unless you're sha ped li ke a tooth-pick , or are dru nk. .. . forget shave Yo u r Ie g s .

J u s t beca use Yo u ' r e dressing like a Vi c t o ri a n lady, doesn't mean you have to behave like one. Same applies to

ashion 's a funny ·old thing . Even though they cover more sk in than skirts , few of us would actually consider shorts a practica l and se rious item of attire.

And being loved by ramb lers , German tourists and toddlers isn 't the greatest accolade an item of clothing can receive . But shorts have risen from fashion obscurity to be the latest way to line your limbs. More fl attering tha n a mini and more inventive than boringold- bootlegs , they are set to become a wardrobe staple.

Shorts haven't always resided in the fashion reject bin. The Victorians considered them the height of elega nce , wearing th em with blouses , lace up boots and flat caps . These fash ion pioneers saw tha t trousers cut to this length were flatterin g and·· ~fe~m~i~ - ~=~-;~~~;:;~~~~--C nine, and gathe ring ~ shorts £15 .00 f r an Tops hop loosely at the knee, Jean they did not ob scure Victorian regu lations on fles h fl ash ing. In fact the Victoria n era is the ke y look thi s seaso n.

Julian McDonald was one of the fir~ designers to give the se a Noughti es feel, and this seaso n's · London Fashion week fou nd three ways for us to wea r them: 1. just above the knee , 2. cullotte-styl e, wide and free , or 3. teeny weeny porn star hot pants.

Modern short-wea rers ta ke their lea d from Carrie (Sex and th e City), who saw their potential way back in 2002, and dre ssed them with blazers and L-- -- - , trilbys, a smart look for the day.

You cou ld also pa ir them with knee high boots, a look loved by Carmen Electra, who recently tried this wi th the cullotte-style shorts.

Sien na Mi ller injected some Boho sense into shorts by wearing them with a pretty dress, a battered belt and layers of beads.

The best thing about shorts is that, unlike th eir racy relative, the skirt, anyone can wear them . Th ey make your legs look longer, give your bottom a lift and concea l cellu lite. Th ey're like wearin g a skirt, without worryi ng about what will be revea led , during a Snakebite

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Concrete

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moisturiser and fake ta n. Pasty pi ns are neve r sexy.

In our feature we've opted for the easy option with a pair of long shorts from Topshop in the sale , at £15 .00.

Wedn esdar. Nm·ember !71h 200-1

rl4 99 NI hom H&M

umper- x.

•

LOOKl LECTUR

Camisole _ £ 14 9 · 9 from H&M s~£i~tsh;;-:£50:i00i~?---::----­ -ag £20.00 Shoes . £50.00 B h L 00K 2 ot from Topshop ~----

LCR

Bag · £7.99 from Topshop

ind uced skid across the LCR floor. ==-==-==--------------~~-----_ _

j

l auren reeves ha i r design fye bridge street norwic h, norfolk,

nr3 11e. tel: 0 1603 6 16396

t o t eac h i n g, st ge w o rk , ca tw a lk s h o w s in cl u di n g th e rt H a ll a n d M a rks & Sp n ce r s, se m i n a r s , p h otog r ap h ic n d m agaz in e phot os hoots . a r e f oc u sed on m a k i n g e v ery c l ie nt f ee l s p ecia l , by g iving a fres h approac h t o h ai r d r ess in g , t o s uit th e i nd ividu a l a nd th e ir life -~.....,;, · with f i r s t c l ass c ust o m e r servi ce a nd a high t ech n ica l e x pe rti se .

Styled by Kath ryn West and Laura.

With thanks to Sholto Morgan (Hugh Hefner)

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here are over 13,500 students at UEA, most of whom are sexually active young men and women.

After racy nights out, or even romantic nights in, students up and down Norwich are settling down to have sex. Be it vaginal, oral, anal, protected or unprotected or any combination of the above it is the obvious result of the potent cocktail of youth , sexual desire, alcohol and freedom from parents. Students, like everyone else, are having sex. And why shouldn't they? Let me say right off that sex can be fun . But like a lot of fun things in life , sex can also be risky. Let me also say that there are risks everywhere - you can never avoid them completely. I will neither advise you to stop hailing sex, nor to try to avoid risky things in life -this is stupid. What I am hoping to achieve by the end of this article is for you to reduce that risk, to have safe sex, and to enjoy it too. The risks involved with sex are obviously unwanted pregnancy and contracting a sexually transmitted infection. lncidences of diseases such as chlamydia, genital warts, gonorrhoea and of course HIV are increasing rather than becoming less common and a thing of the past.

Forget weapons of mass destruction, what we need to find is a weapon of mass protection.

We have found it: but condoms can be as elusive as those weapons stock piles. They can be hidden underground and their existence merely speculated upon in Whitehall. In my opinion we should work hard to remove the stigma of condoms being taboo, awkward, embarrassing. Historically they have only been freely available at family planning centres and sexual health clinics, and only talked about in the classroom when discussing how to avoid disgustmg diseases. We have to remove this link between con-

our country to pay the price for condoms than paying for mopping up the destruction made by STis and the death-toll from AIDS? Always remember you don't have to pay for con doms ; they are here and freely available. There are several places on campus and around Norwich where you can get these little latex life-savers. There are the health centres and family plann ing clinics, though you may feel like you ' re 'dirty' for going into one. There are also more casual places to pililc up condoms, but they can't offer any sort of medical information on sexual health; all these places have up sides and down sides A place to get condoms for the embarrassed user is the Nightline office. A group of volunteer students run a room on the ground level of Norfolk Terrace between blocks C and D and are open every night between 8pm and 8am . They operate for a variety of reasons: primarily a listening service for people who need to talk to someone. You can either phone up, drop-in to the office, or email, but they also give out free condoms. In my view this is the easiest way to get your condoms, however it is manned by students not nurses, and they cannot hope to provide in-depth sexual health advice to their late-night visitors .

Another source of weapons of mass protection is from the Student Advice Centre, upstairs in Union House. They have a small bowl of them to one side of the office. Although it must be said that the Union has found it nigh on impossible to get free condoms so they are actually paying for them - something I find astonishing in a university of so many sexually active people. These should be taken for casual, infrequent use, so don 't take too many!

The third place to get condoms is the Family Planning Centre on Grove Road in the city-centre.

Can you honestly believe that the Government thinks its right to tax your purchase of condoms, whilst simultaneously trying to reduce the prevalence of HIV and other STI's? doms being g1ven out as a sort of prescription and people using them like it was a treatment. They should be free not just in clinics and health centres, but other places too. Offer free condoms everywhere, and talk about them a lot more than we are doing .

They are not a medication to be taken twice daily; they are about having fun with your sexual partner.

You should feel free when getting condoms and feel happy about using them, not a chore that you do because the nurse said so. They come, to put it crudely, in all shapes, colours and flavours and can be incorporated into the sexual activities you normally do. Condoms are fun .

Whilst I hate the stigma attached to condoms, it adds insult to injury when they come with a pricltag, too . I heard a shocking fact whilst researching this article - can you believe you are paying VAT on the condoms you buy? Can you honestly believe the Government thinks it is right to tax your purchase of condoms, whilst simultaneously trying to reduce the prevalence of HIV and other STis? I also heard that until very recently they taxed sanitary towels as well no-one on earth could consider them a luxury item! I hate seeing condoms on sale in shops and in toilets .

The average Durex toilet dispenser will churn out two condoms for the outrageous price of [2 . Prices vary in shops and on the internet, but you can really feel your pocket burn after getting yourself prepared for that special occasion. ational Condom Week runs from 10th to 16th May each year, and publicises the use of condoms, but it is paid for

by Durex! They don't offer free condoms, or tell you where you can get free ones in your local area, simply that you should use them . lt seems to me like they're selling a product rather than the idea of sexual health. You should NEVER have to pay for condoms, indeed it's my view the Government should subsidise them 100%. No more companies selling you their product, just free condoms! Isn't it in the nation's interest to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies, the incidences of STis and the killer HIV? Isn't it in the nation's interest to reduce the number of pregnancies amongst teenage girls- the UK has the highest rate of teenage pregnancy in Europe. Isn't it cheaper for

N

They offer a plethora of contraceptive methods , including condoms, the pill, the morning after (actually "72 hour") pill, injections, pregnancy tests and , if necessary referral for terminations. lt is almost entirely confidential, unless 'you or someone else is at risk of serious harm ' and they will tell the appropriate agencies. This is the best place to get a steady long-term supply of condoms.

Finally there is the sexual health clinic in the Health Centre on campus, usually open every weekday. You can just walk-in, but be prepared for a long wait, so it is better to book an appointment. The clinic offers contraception advice, free cqndoms and information on how to use them properly, emergency contraception, pregnancy testing, cervical smears, testing for sexually transmitted infections- including H IV and the host of usual suspects - treatment and general safe sex advice.

The service says it is free and confidential, though this is a little misleading. lt is only confidential to the extent that none of your friends and family will know that you have been there. However, whatever tests you have done, and whatever the results, it all goes down on your medical records . These records are mainly only looked at by other health professionals when they need to know your medical history, but others can have access to it. The Government has thankfully abolished the appalling practice of insurers probing into your medical history to find ollt whether you've had a HIV test, and refusing you even if your result was negative.

This is worrying and obviously some students will not want to have the results of tests they have done written into their permanent records. The alternative is to go to the Genito-Urinary Medicine (GUM) clinic, at the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital, where you can be seen totally anonymously. GUM clinics are run under a different part of the law, one actually written during World War 1 to allow soldiers who contracted STI's in the trenches to be treated and able to return to battle. They just need a name to identify you, one which can be totally fictitious if you prefer. They offer exactly the same kind of services as the Health Centre, with the added benefit of total anonymity.

In the end, I'd prefer to protect myself and avoid ending up in one of those clinics. Condoms are here

and freely available , use them .

Information: UEA Health Centre: (01603) 592172 Mon - Fri: 8.3oam - 6.oopm Saturday: 9.0oam 路 1.oopm All other times, ring 0845 601 8802.

Norwich Univers ity Hospital. Generally open 9am to 6pm, but w1th some closures for staff training.

Ni htline: (01603) 503504 Norfolk Terrace C 03-12, 8pm - 8am email: uea_nightline@hotmail.com

Family Planning Centre: (01603) 287345 Grove Road, Norwich Grove GUM Clinic: (01603) 286307 Level 3 West Out-patients at the Norfolk and

..

24 concrete.editorial@uea.ac.uk

eo.a.t. Wedn esday, November J71h, 2004

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HOROSCOPES Aries Mar 21 - Apr 19 Whip crack away!

You're feeling devious this fortnight and nothing says devious like leather and thongs honey.

I should know. Slip into something uncom.f ortable and let your agonisingly delicious passions get the better of you. and any slaves you manage to take too.

Cancer Jun 22 - Jul 22 You work so hard my darling. Toiling night and day on one thankless task after another. Best way to keep those na ughty '--''----.....;;..-' thoughts at bay I suppose. which you will have to do for quite some tim e my poor deprived pretty. Hold tight pumpkin. sweet release is on the horizon.

Libra Sept 23 - Oct 23 . - - - - - - , Your coffee comes •* from the richest beans, your wine the finest vineyards, only the best suits your taste . That is why the snoring mound you discover ha unting the other side of your bed one fateful morning will be such a source of humiliation and regret. but strangely worthwh ile.

Capricorn Dec 2 2 - Jan 19 .----:---; You're the newbie of the office. and only staying there until you've got enough cash to get s laughtered at Christmas.

But. you soon discover office wear brings out the best in you! Many a happy hour will be spent in the stationary cupboard before you get caught ... and fired .

Luc ky Words: Choke chain

Lucky Words: buff it. buff it good!

Lucky Words: Are you sure you're a qualified massuese?

Lucky Words: On my desk first thing in the morning please!?

it] .....

CONCRETE

·~y

Taurus Apr 20 - May 20 You 're feeling voyeurisitic , and there's no shame in that. Well there's quite a lot of shame in that, but you like it L - - - - - - - . . . . 1 don 't you? Buy yourself a video camera and waste your loan bribing your flatmates to lick whipped cream off one another. The tapes wi ll come in so very useful.

You and your beau will find yourselves uncontrollably drawn to one another, at even the most inconvenient of moments. Ahh to be young and nubile! I suggest you smother one another in chocolate and jelly then nibble to your heart's content. Avoid citrus flavours.

Scorpio Oct 24 - Nbv 21 Your silky soft skin. come-to-bed eyes. luscious lips and rock hard buttocks a ll glistening in dim but revealing candlelight. Champers on ice and rose petals scattered over the satin sheets you lay on .... ahem. I m ean, qu ite a time is in store for you my delicious friend .

Aquarius Jan 20- Feb 18 .----=:----, When you arrive at the LCR for your usual depraved thursday booze and fags fest, you let their intoxicating haze get the better of you. Don't worry luvvie , luckily you nab a great piece of eye candy. Oh what a merry evening of mattress bouncing· action you shall spend!

Lucky Words: Horny Harry's House of Humping. Vol. 5.

Lucky Words: The milkybars are on me!

Lucky Words: For a good time call...

Lucky Words: Clint impersonators this way.

Gemini May21 - Jun21 The stars have tasty treats in store for you this fortnight. You shall return home one night to what you think is an empty bed. but you could be no more wrong! Fate will have left you a very alluring present. A thong is the best wrapping a present can have I always say!

Virgo Aug 23 - Sept 22 Social creature that you are. this month will see the oppurtunity to cavort freely in the beds of many.

Continue with caution my treasure. it may seem like al l fun and games until you can't sit down for a week without wincing. Words of experience I must confess.

Sagittarius Nov 22 - Dec 2 1 A chance meeting in an early Christmas celebration will spell romance this fort night for you my pet.

Stolen smooches in the moonlight and fleeting games of footsie pepper your evenings. beautifu l music accompanies your every movem ent. We're a ll very jealous of you d a rling.

Pisces Feb 19 - Mar 20 Those weekly bad min.ton sessi~ns you ve been haVJng with a number of tasty chums have been paying off. If you want my advice you'll start paying a little less attention to your backhand and a little more to the other kind of action on the court.

Lucky Words: I cou ld have danced all night, I could have dan ced all .... .

Lucky Words: Join me in a postgame shower?

Luc ky Words: Night in shining a more

Leo J ul 23 - Aug 22

/roil\

Lucky Words: How was I to know · they were cousins?

Manager: Philip Sainty conuete.advertising@uea.ac.uk Advertising Sales: Ben Millar Team:

conuete.editor@uea.ac.uk Editor: Philip Sainty conuete.editorial@uN.ac.uk Deputy Editor: Katharine Clemow (Chief) Helen Jassim Philip conuete.news@uea.ac.uk Editor: Helen Pike Desiga: Oily Mattliews Political Editor: Sam Webber Health Editor: Clare Aitchison Educatiom Editor: Jessica Fielder Legal Editor: Juliet Hanis

Eastwood

conuete.leatures@uea.ac.uk Editor: Ross lirainger Deputy Editor: lucy Mowatt

concrete.turf@uea.ac.uk Editor: James Conway Deputy Editor: Hannah Newton

Letters ... ,_ _,.

WWW.CONCRETE-ONLINE.(OM

Debasing the Lib Dems

Re: rebuttal

Dear Sir. It was ironic that Mr. Rowe started hi s letter in the last edition stating how unfair it was for someone to be assai led from al l sides in the letter page of Concrete and then partake in just such a pincer movcmeni on myself. Indeed I fee l a certai n sympath y with Andrew Hi gson, the under fire Lib Dem spokesman and part-time Environment Officer who was 'slagged' off in previou s issues.

Mr. Rowe makes a series of breathtakingly na"ive errors and blunders in hi s letter that simpl y must be addressed. First he suggests that only the Lib Dems can beat Charles Clarke in Norwich South. Pardon? Has he not seen the latest polling that puts them a poor third in the co nstituency. their fa lling share of the vote in Norwich, or the awful hash they are making of running the c ity council? Why would anyone think they could topple Charles Clarke"> On ly Conservative Antony Litt le has a chance of beating him.

He then continues to peddle the line (w hich is bein g investi gated by the Adverti sing Standards Agency in Scotland) that the Lib Dems have scrapped tuition fees in Scotland.

Only Lib Dems and idiots believe that. Graduates includin g those exempt under the current system in England have to pay the 'graduate e ndowment liabi lity". He then says thi s money does not go to the government. Who does it go to then ? The tooth fairy? It also does not go to the payment of grants. as the ' liability ' cannot be spent on education Charles Kennedy's own research assistant confi rmed this to me. He then goes on to congratulate them for imposing this fee on all graduates even when they were elected on the ex press promise not only to scrap all tuition fees in Scotland but also to abolish all fees for Scottish students studyi ng anywhere in the UK . I think they made the wrong decision.

He then questions the three Lib Dem po licies I pointed out. He attempts to dismiss them as 'random ramblings ' of Lib Dem MP's and whil st it is tempting to dismiss everything they say thus it is an incorrect approach.

Both statements - that the Lib Dems wanted to pri vati se the NHS and force everyone to take Cod Liver Oi l - were made by front bench spokesman . The concept of collective responsibili ty appl ies to the cabinet. shadow cabi net and any pretenders to those posi tions.

It entail s that anything one cabinet member says their colleagues agree with it because they are in the cabinet and act as a single unit. Hence when Dr. Jenny Tonge expressed support for suicide bombers she was sacked . Her views were incompatible with her colleagues.

When David Laws suggested privati sing the NHS he was (and still is) Chief Secretary to the Treasury, essentially the deputy Chancellor a senior position. He also wrote it in a book which Charles Kennedy wrote the foreword to . Hardly 'random ramblings' .

He then suggests that the Lib Dems imposition of VAT onto new houses is 'simply nonsense '. This is an interesting way of describing the Lib Dems alternative budget (one that most sensible people prescribe to) but I do not think that is what Mr. Rowe meant. Perhaps before he starts throwi ng allegations around he should check their veracity to avoid making a fool of himself in public.

Yours sincerely William Kemp PSI 3 President, UEA Conservative Future

Dear Editor.

Contrary to Mr Rowe's bizarre observation I am not a 'green activist moanin g that his party's been sidelined '. I will probably vote for Green Adrian Ramsey in the forthcoming election (si nce global climate change is a bigger problem than g lobal terrori sm). but I am not affiliated with any political party.

As Mr Rowe knows. my letter was in response to the political point-scoring 'in a personal capacity ' of hi s fe llow Lib Dem, Onion official Andy Hi gson. Maybe I was a little harsh on Andy - I respect him for giving up his time to work unpaid for the Uni on and hope the rumor that he was encouraged to do so for the sake of hi s politi cal career is not true, or that it doesn't effect hi s doing a good job.

I would like to invite recent contributors Mr Rowe and Mr Kemp who have both proven so adept at the parrot-like repetition of the views of their maj or political parties to come and practice these skills verbally at the UEA debatin g society (Tuesdays. 6pm. Ne lson Court A - all welcome).

I believe that more independent MPs would give our democracy a welcome boost and like to think that UEA's debating society is great at encouraging much needed independent freethinking. even if it does provide a platform for a certain revolutionary communist student who thinks that .'Stalin wasn't ruthless enough ' ...

Jack Guest Debating Society President 'In a personal capacity'

Wrong Target .

Dear All, In reference to your ' Eastern Youth' of last issue. although it 's good to see some support for CEAS I'm afraid that you have aimed at the wrong target and he lped to confuse the issue. CEAS has an outstanding record in research and 'outreach' activities which will feature prominently in the School of History's next RAE submi ssion. The School. at least. recognises thi s and has been providing financial support to help maintain CEAS after ' the University' decided to withdraw funding two years ago.

The Centre Commi ttee (a town/gown body) has already written to the V.C. expressi ng its di smay over the latter decision, but to no avai l. So, if you are looking for blokes with beards to blame, it would be much better and far more accurate to go for a pinpoint strike centred upon the Registry. Meanwhi le, Concrete readers can find out more about CEAS by referring to our own CEAS Newsletter, out in the next few days.

Yours, Steve Cherry, J?irector CEAS

conuete.fashionlifestyle@uea.ac.uk Editor: Anna Steward Deputy: Donna Boam

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CoiiG'ttl Wednesday, Novemeber 17111, 2004

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concrete.sport@uea.ac.uk 25

Health or fitness? hat is the best way to get fit and healthy? There appears to be an ever increasing and contradicting set of rules and regu lations that form and dissolve the public consciousness telling us what we should or shouldn't be doing in order to look after our bodies. Is it all a ploy by large companies trying to sell their latest piece of gym kit or hydration drink?

Or is it merely the fact that we are only just beginning to understand that what makes our bodies look good in the short run is very different from what keeps our bodies healthy in the long run .

Old ways of keeping fit now appear hopelessly flawed with inefficiencies, inconsistencies and injury risks. While going for a run around the UEA estate may be great for cardio-respiratory health it does nothing for the upper body and can do damage to joints. Weight training may be great for improving the size of certain muscles but does nothing to help the heart.

Swimming seems to be everyone's ideal allover work out but technique is hugely important.

Given the mixed messages, is it any wonder that so few people are taking adequate exercise?

Well, to be honest, yes; it is still strange considering how such small activities as taking a walk or doing some gardening can give significant benefits. Such activities have been found to alleviate depression, strengthen bones, decrease weight and reduce the risk of high blood pressure, diabetes, colon cancer and premature death.

All this is great for those of us who are lazy and need to be coaxed away from the TV or com puter screen but what about those people who spend their free hours at the gym? Ironically, it seems that in the long run they're not getting very much further than the rest of us. Apart from get-

ling superficially 'ripped', the long-term health benefits of doing intense workouts compared to moderate exercise is very little. According to earl Foster, a professor of exercise physiology "If you're trying to lose weight mild exercise is not as good as vigorous. That's fine if you want to look better, but from a long term health and longevity standpoint it's unimportant."

Ok, that's all very well but anyone who looks around Norwich station at the panting businessmen (and occasional lecturers) running to catch a train will know that there's a difference between health and fitness. Health is concerned with reducing the risk of disease whereas fitness is all about maximising the four physiological factors: muscle strength , muscle endurance, cardio-respiratory endurance and flexibil ity. Of course it is possible to be healthy but not fit and vice-versa, and those businessmen (and lecturers) running to catch their trains will probably meet the full extent of their life expectancy, but they'll have a much less comfortable time getting there. Those who try to achieve peak physical fitness throughout their lives will have a much more pleasant ageing.

So, for those of you who would prefer to be numbered among the latter US Forbes magazine printed a rating for the top ten sports. The ratings were based on consultations with fitness experts, coaches, personal trainers, competitors and exercise physiologists.

The results showed that Squash topped the list by a whisker, with rowing and rock-climbing not far behind; swimming, cross-country and basketball followed on. Squash was thought to give an 'impressive cardio-resp iratory workout' while the longer rallies, continuous stopping, turning and lunging 'builds muscle strength, endurance and flexibility'. But remember to watch out for injuries especially groin strains, torn Achilles tendons and your opponent's racquet.

Peter Clunon-Brock

Gunning down the gunners Anthony Jackson considers the worth of the London team and ponders why they must resort to foul play here was a time when Arsenal did not annoy and anger me to the point of physical pain. I think this was the pre-Wenger period when Arsenal were just generally boring.

They had patches of success and the film Fever Pitch (1997) can even evoke some respect. Players like Michael Thomas and Tony Adams don't incite the same loathing I have for the current squad. The PostWenger Arsenal team are simply just one of the most irritating groups of people on the face of the earth. They are up there with the likes of Galatasaray, Blazing Squad and the French. Yet this universal truth has only come to light recently as Arsenal neared the end of their unbeaten run. In the past Manchester United have been the most hated team in Britain. For some they may still be but at present more and more people are beginning to see past the slick gloss and hate the whingeing, cheating, overrated 'Gooners'. â&#x20AC;˘ So why has the shift from Manchester to London occurred? lt originates from the gaunt, arrogant and downright ugly core that is Arsene Wenger. The Arsenal manager has become a figure of hate in recent years as he sinks lower and lower into his own little bubble. For the purpose of this article we will call it the land of "I didn't see it".

Initially Wenger brought interest to the Premiership when he became Arsenal's manager in 1996. He acted as a formidable psychological foe to Alex Ferguson and attracted some good foreign players. He even created a side capable of challenging Manchester United for the league title. But this respect quickly disappeared as Wenger's Arsenal became notorious for controversy on the pitch. One particular incident occurred in the 1998-1999 F.A. Cup 5th Round meeting between Arsenal and Sheffield United.

The game was 1-1 when Arsenal failed to return the ball to United after their player had been down

injured. Kanu took it down the wing to cross for Overmars who scored as the United players stood in disbelief. By chance Wenger actually saw the incident and provided the excuse that Kanu did not understand, as his English was poor. However this would not explain the action of Overmars, a player who spoke perfect English. Wenger and the vice chairman, David Dein, realised the implications of the 'accidental cheating' and gave Sheffield a replay at Highbury; ultimately a poor substitute for a home replay they were minutes away from achieving.

More cheating and fouling have followed this incident. Under Wenger, Arsenal have developed an appalling disciplinary record that consistently places them in the top five worst behaved clubs.

The Arsenal captain and supposed voice of Wenger on the pitch , Patrick Viera, is never far from conflict. He can add violent conduct, kicking a player in the throat and the cardinal sin of spitting in the face of another player to his resume.

Nowadays Viera has matured and spends the majority of the match following the referee in an attempt to intimidate him into favouring Arsenal.

This aggressive nature has created some of the animosity towards Arsenal. The most recent display of mindless violence was witnessed against Manchester United last year. The so-called 'Battle of Old Trafford', saw five Arsenal players charged and banned for attacking Manchester United players at the end of the game. Normally this type of incident would be cheered by the large antiManchester United contingent. But the sense of injustice meant only a few celebrated the chaos.

The punishments of the five players also served to create opposition to the Londoners. The majority of the players had their initial bans shortened. This was followed by the good fortune of the bans becoming active when Arsenal played the weakest teams. This becomes suspicious when you consider the Arsenal vice chairman, David

'

Dein , is also the vice chairman of the F.A. This becomes even more suspicious when you consider the universal truth that men cannot do two things at the same time. However some would argue these are wild, unfounded accusations and they would be right. But many Aston Villa fans, Portsmouth fans and Manchester City fans will remember the dubious decisions that went against them last season. Free kicks when the keeper is sorting his wall, blatant diving and fouls unnoticed led to Arsenal collecting a mountain of fortunate results. These incidents also appear to have carried over to the new season with Arsenal apparently cancelling penalties if they feel wronged. Against Fulham the Arsenal defence kicked up such a fuss that the referee Mark Halsey thought he must be jolly well wrong and scrapped a penalty he had awarded; thus proving . the old adage "the referee never changes his mind" depends on the Chairman. I mean the team. Sorry I mean the circumstances.

Yet the most interesting component of all this Arsenal controversy is the reaction of Arsene Wenger. Asked if he saw a number of these incidents the Frenchman wanders into his dancing dreamland and utters â&#x20AC;˘ I didn't see it". This small but cowardly statement removes any respect for his triumphant sides. There is just nothing to like about a man with a face like a slapped arse who

can only summon a forced grin if his side scores.

He is not only the Mr Burns of the football world but his selective vision has led some to believe that Wenger can only focus on one player at a time. And that player is normally Thierry Henry.

Now as a conclusion to this attack on Arsenal I point to the recent Manchester United Vs Arsenal match on Sunday 24th October. In this match Manchester United kicked Reyes off the pitch , dived, and continuously fouled . lt was as if they had done their research by watching an Arsenal highlight reel. The battle did not allow Arsenal to score the same boring goal they score every week; "Henry dribbles, passes across the six yard box and it's a goal by some player that relies on Henry". In fact the battle did not allow Henry to play well at all and so with ten minutes to go he ran around in a sulk moaning at the Manchester United keeper to stop intelligently keeping the ball at his feet. Arsenal lost with about as much grace as Rik Wailer ice skating. Naked.

Eating a Big Mac. And this is possibly why, after we uncover who threw a soup at Ferguson at the end of the match (Wenger; "I did not see the soup incident"), we will no longer be eager to heap respect on the very curved back of Wenger and his Arsenal team.

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Concrete

Wednesdav. November !71" . 2004

MIXED BAG FOR lADIESHOCKEY THIS SEASON FORTUNES ARE FICKLE FOR THE lADIES TEAMS BUT LEAGUE HOLDINGS REMAIN STRONG Sian Purath The UEA Ladies 1st Team fought hard in an a ggress ive game away to Colchester on the 3 1st October a n d were unluck y to lose 3 -0 .

Afte r dominating th e ea rly stages of the match .

UEA were unable to convert a series of short co r ners.

Some doubt ful umpir ing decis ions led to Colche ter's fi rst goal from a short corner. fo llowed by a quick second goal before ha lf time.

UEA con tin ued to work hard in the second ha lf. s howi ng good team spirit an d so me excellent pass ing s ki ll s.

Co lc hes te1路 gra bbed a 3 rcl mid -way th rough the seco nd hal f. and d espi te a num ber of _a tt ac ki ng short co rn ers.

UEA we re un fo rtun a te ly u n ab le to m a ke a comeback.

The games on the 6th Novembe r m ixed fortune with frustration as the first team we re delayed clue to heavy traffic. causing UEA to be 2 minutes over the 15 minute allowance for late arrivals. granting Southend an automatic 3-0 win. The home;- team was unrelenting with regard to the 15 minute deadline. which was perhaps wise as they then went on to play UEA in a friendly. losing 1-2.

On the day. the second

team. despite being dep leted and starting with only ten playe rs. started out strong h olding their own against th e you ng De re ha m s ide.

The s ide we nt u p to 11 a fter 15 mi n u tes t h a nks lo Cha rli e Cunliffe w ho received a last minute call up. Thi s boost was n ot enough . however. a nd regard less of the immense team work a nd effort s hown

by UEA. th ey were unab le lo make an impression on the Dere h a m s ide and w n t down 2-0 in the seco nd ha lf.

The third tea m had s t01路m ed through a pa rticu la rly cru cia l m a tch for UEA aga ins t a bove- pla ced League riva ls Herlings . UEA 1路osc lo th e c h a lle nge a nd we re quic k lo ca pita lise on the in iti a l on e p laye r d e fi c it He rlings faced. An injury ca u sed this d e fi c it to increase to 2 players clown afte r 10 minutes. granting UEA furthe r advan tage. UEA combined t h is advantage with brillia n t play to d ominate the game from s tart to finis h . Switch ing the ball around the pi tch and demonstrating te1Tific team work. the stu dents annihi lated the opposition. scoring five goals by ha lf lime Veronika Varieike with a fan tastic strike from the right of the D. Captain Sarah McCarthy with two well earned goals and Charlie

Cu nli ffe and Laura J efferi es a lso scoring.

The students came out strong again in the second half and continued to exhibit the flair they had shown earlier with Kate Papworth and Claire Bently both scoring for the 3's and Jefferies completing a hat -trick .

Overall, a well deserved 9-0 and spectacular first win of the season which will hope-

fully in spire t he tea m to move up the leagu e with fu rther s u ccesses.

The fortunes of the th ird team cou ld not hold out for the ladies first in the BUSA Midlands con ference on November lOth. A heavily depleted I sl team. supported by 2nd and 3rd team players travelled to Derby in this BUSA mrttch up. UEA were s low to start

cl u e to this un fa m iliar lineu p and co nceded two goals ea rly on.

Howeve r. UEA managed to come back lo bring it to 2- 1 by ha lf- time with Ha n nah Maxey scorin g from a strike at the lop of the D. Player of the match.

Tessa Harding then fo llowed with the equaliser: a powerfu l push into the bottom right-hand corner.

Unfortunately. Derby replied

to th is with two goals in close s u ccession . UEA ha d on e fin a l co m eback with Ha nn a h Maxey m a king a b rea k from the hal f-way line to sco re fo r th e U's b u t t heir efforts seemed futile as the whisLJe blew ending it 4-3.

MENS SQUASH 1ST TEAM IN RUNAWAY LEAD Pete Clutton Brock

..

The Men's 1st V squash team opened t h eir campaign in the local No rfolk leagues this season with a series 'of scintillating victories. Clubs from all over Norfolk, from Downham Market to Barnham Broom, fell to the might of t he UEA. With a young, new squad the Men's team

is on t op form and havin g entered the local leagues after several years out the team has hit the ground running.

The fi rs t ma tch was a de fi niti ve lesso n lo th e oppos ition in how to play s qu ash .

The tea m from Potters club. who ha d tra velled up from th e coast. li ttl e knew wha t th ey were u p agai ns t. One of the old er expe rie nced players: Mike Pe rfect too k lo the

co urt fi rst. With a s win g la rge enough to fell a giant Mike loo k no time a t al l in d is man tli ng his oppo nen t's gam e and produced a ma tch that a lmost lived u p to his na me. The rest of th e tea m emu la ted his feat and the ma tch fi nis hed 5 - 0 with time enough for a few pints down the pub before closing time .

T he n ext victory was away lo Barnham Broom.

Despite bein g a ll u red by the carved wood en lockers in the ch a n ging rooms. th e team d id n 't a llow s u c h d is tractions to e nter their mind on court. Ma rk Anders on went one ga me clown a t the firs t. ra llied in th e second , p ulling the game even . The ga me ente red the realms whe re whi ch eve r playe r has th e loud est s upporters wins and the tea m . se ns ing th is. ra llied beh ind Mark . out-cheering t he ir counte rpa rts. most of whom it mus t be noted were twice th e age of UEA's players. With the tid e begin ni n g lo flow his way. a nd with his opponent flagging Ma rk we n t s t ra ight for the j ugu la r p ulli n g o ut s o me s tunn in g s hots and win n ing in style. Once aga in th e rest of the team followed s uit.

T h e thi rd m a tc h was hom e to Oasis club from Norwic h. The d ese rt travellers were d isa ppoin ted to fi nd th eir voyage fu tile. The UEA team once agai n d is ma ntled th e op pos ition with little regard to the ir di gn ity!

Greg Clin to n-Ta resta d ous teel his oppone nt with a typ ical dis p lay of acc uracy a nd p recis ion th a t t he US De fence Depa rtm ent co u ld do with looking a t (na tura lly resul ti ng in zero colla tera l

d a mage).

The most recen t ma tch of the season the team fou nd th e m se lves up aga in s t Down ha m Ma rke t. th e m selves co nte nde rs lo wi n th e leagu e . On e o f th e clubs n ewe 1路 playe rs Ma rk Webs ter -S m ith s oo n fo u nd h e h a d a matc h o n h is hands in th e fi rst ga me. His la id -back , s ome wou ld say lazy. sty le con fu s ed h is opponent. Even th e ma tch re feree though t he migh t be la king the pis s . Bu t no , il was a ll a cunn ing ploy a nd Ma rk q u ic kly ga in ed t he uppe r hand p rodu c ing s ome e lega n t c ha rac te ri s t ica lly s q u as h with out brea k in g swea t.

Peter Clu llo n-Brock . the team Captain a nd no. I had

so fa r mai n ta in ed an u nbeaten season but soon fo und th at h e was up against some se riou s qu a li ty. Na t u ral ly being a ge nerous player he al lowed his opponen t to wi n the fi rs t two games without d ifficu lty. He final ly dec ided to ti me h is come back when he fou nd himself 2 -0 down and 8- 1 clown in the th ird . With h uge effort he pulled the game back. a poin t at a tim e. his plan it a ppeared was wo rk ing ... Bu t NO , h e m a kes a mis ta ke. a nd NO, ano ther. who wo u ld ha ve thou gh t it. his plan mis fires misera bly a nd h e loses. Th e drinking pena lties he enforced on h is tea m h e now so m ewhat regrets.

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CoiG'Ite Wedn esday, November y d, 2004

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concrete.sport@uea.ac.uk 27

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LOCAL LEAGUE LADIES RAQUET OUT FIRST WIN OF SEASON UEA Ladies (3) - Lowestoft (2) L o w estoft S ports路 com plex. Louisa Evans a nd L a u r a Davison, fi rst on co u rt. res p ec ti ve l y f a c e d Low es toft 's numbers five and four.

Laura got off to a brigh t s tart, comforta bly winning the first game.

L-~------~----------~----------------------------~Maintaining a UEA Novembe r UEA Squash s teady pace, s he wen t on to Abi Foldes Lad ies took on Wave n ey achieve an impressive 3 -0 Court, Lowestoft in the local victory.

Squash Ladles finally seal leagu es. After a car journey Louis a Evans, on the victory in an away match prolonged due to the Ladies' other hand , made a s low against Lowestoft. ba d sense of direction , the start, giving her opponent On Monday 8th the a dvantage at the beginteam belatedly arrived at the

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BASKETBALL TEAMS STILL HAVE SPACES FOR THOSE INTERESTED Anna Steward For all of you who think it's too late to join basketball, think again. There are still beginners sessions every Sunday evening, and the club is of mixed abilities. There is also mixed training on Thursdays, whilst women's sessions are on Mondays, and men's on Fridays. Since the beginning of term the UEA Panthers have gone from strength to strength so it's time you all jumped on the victory bandwagon. Don't wait untO the next sports park, just drop Hannah an email at H.Webber@uea.ac.uk Basketball is a great way to get fit before all the Christmas dinners, mince pies and lazy winter nights kick in. For the less motivated on es amongst you team s ports are so m u ch more fun than trying to persuade yourself to go to the gym on a Sunday afternoon - and once you've paid your members hip fee all the practice session s are free . You can

also pick up a UEA to-coolfor -school Panthers hoody, and impress your mates at home for just 拢15 - less than a night on the town. If all else fails you'll at least be giving off the impression of be ing s porty, might even convince your dad that you are doing more than sleeping and knocking back Snakey B's in the union Bar. Even if you don't want to play at least come and :?UPport th e teams at future matches which , of course they will win.

University can be so much more than studying and going out, there will never be a chance to be part of such a community again (unless you do a masters or post-grad, but still it won't be the same). So it's about time you got involved and got buff, by the time the Christmas holidays swing round you'll be able to the woo all the guys and ladies back h ome with your new ton ed physic.

n ing of th e fi rst game .

However. she quickly recovered , equalizing at 8 -8 and finally winning the set 10-9 .

Re laxing into the gam e, Louisa gain ed con fi d en ce and won the second set. The third set saw h er take fuJ) co n trol of th e game and clen c h an easy 9- 1 victory over h er oppon en~. making it a clean 3 -0 win .

Ni cky Rees and Abi Foldes next took on the challen ge again st Lowestoft's numbers two and three. At this point in the m a tch , UEA was leading by 2 -0 . However, neither Nicky nor Abi were on top form. Not playing to their utmost capa city, both la dies conceded to Lowestoft in 3 -0 defeats . This brought the teams to a 2 -2 tie.

Ye t again , Caroline

Cornis h , team captain. had to rise to the challen ge in the last decisive match . In her usual relaxed style , Caroline took on Lowestoft's n u mber one. After several rallies. it becam e clear th at Lowestoft's player was no m atc h .for Ca roline . In sets , Car ollne s tra igh t h er o pponen t. d efeated achieVing a personal victory that sealed the win for UEA. The final result was a 3 -2 win for UEA. After several disappointing close d efeats, UEA la dies have finally lived up to the ir expectation s and won their first game of the season .

Although they h ave s till to win a BUSA m a tch . this firs t victory h as proved tha t they are a stron g team tha t Is not to be underestima ted.

DOUBLE W CELEBRATIONS FOR MENS FOOTBALL THIRD AND FOURTH WCAL LEAGUE UEA Third Team (3) - Mousehold (2).

UEA Fourth (4) - Salhouse (0)

S h arla Ansett On Saturday 13th November. UEA 3rd team took on Mousehold in the Roger and Norton Business League.

It was a hard fought encounter between the two strong sides. With the opening goal being scored by joint captain Ross Langiey, only to be Inten tly followed by the impressive wingback Marcu s Jon es who placed the ball accurately into the goals left hand corner. To take his seasons tally to 4 and UEA to a 2 -0 lead.

However this advantage was not to remain as Mousehold then scored twofold to equalise the game.

taking it to a 2 -2 draw.

A battling UEA refused to s urrender. With the close of the game approaching firs t year, Craig Boyle Smith produced a sensational fin is h . scoring the victorious goal to finalise the score at 3 -2.

With 5 league wins out of 5 and a cup run, it means a very optimistic start to the thirds season.

Having p reviously met last season, resulting In a 3 all draw. Both sides went 路 out expecting to have to work for a successful outcome; this created a highly charged , heated game.

With an early goal coming from Pado Cerroni, his first goal for UEA. The fourths were off to a positive start. However UEA failed to

extend their lead before half time, with the game under taking s ome ve ry scra ppy play and various questiona ble tackles a t times .

Rejuvenated after half time, UEA came out and performed to an elevated level, with John Richardson kicking things off with a remarkable curling ball from 25yards. Rivalled only by Pete Bellamy who claimed a fantastic solo effort securing the thtrd goal.

The success was completed in the final stages, with Captain Paul Griggs volleying in the fourth goal, taking the match to a 4 -0 success.

An excellent overall team performance and a satisfyIng result for the UEA fourths.

LADY ATHLETES

RUNA GOOD UN

From Page 1

David McKinley crossed the line in tenth and sixteenth place. Glen Richardson and Sam Mason ran in a hotly contested pack of runners yet still managed to defend twenty second and thirty sixth place. Battling hard with each other through out the course Richard Hammond just piped Matt Chidley to the post as they finished with fourth first and forty sixth places respectively.

Andrew Staphnill and Jimmy Green ran well to claim sixty second and eighty fourth positions in this tough start to the new season.

The second race of the season was held only a week later at Bacton Woods which is traditiona lly a tough, muddy course set throu gh dense forest with n arrow m eandering paths. The UEA team however came out with a ll guns blazing. In the men's team David McKinley ran a s uperb race finishing second with Callum Nicol coming in a few seconds later in fourth place.

Steph en Downey and John Dowdi.ng gave this race their all and were well reward ed with fifth and fourteenth place. Pushing h ard from s tart to finish Ric h ard Hammond took an importan t forty-se cond place.

Ma tt Chidley. Ma tt Legon and Ross Bailey were tested by a tough pack that forced only their finest efforts as they crossed the line in fiftysecond. sixty -fifth and s ixty-sixth positions.

Our women's team effort was spearheaded by Krlssy Sonniksen in a hard fought battle for second place.

Lynne Harrtngton and Slan Loveless ran exceptionally well in the conditions to take fourteenth and twenty first places . Closely following Sian was Lucy Anderson who crossed the line to twenty third place. With both these brilliant performances the men's and women's team are now right at the cutting edge of the league rankfngs.

UEA ATHLETES CROSS THE 路COUNTRY BOUNDARIES Andrew Staphnill The fi rst cross-country race of the season took place a t Barnham Camp o n Wedne sday the 20th. The race inspired a good turn ou t of 15 athlet es, which for some was their first competitive race.

The conditions were cold and damp however nothing could dampen the s pirits of the team as they psyched th em selves up for a gru e lling 1OK in the m en's case a nd 5K for the wom e n' s tea m . The UEA wom e n 's team mad e a fantasti c d ebut performance as th ey took a ll th e top three pos ition s.

Kri ssy S onniks en powe red to vi ctory just ahead of last yea rs leagu e Winne r J ess Trowbridge. Taking a well deserved a nd hard fo ught third place was Sara h Ains lie. Els ie Downha m a nd Stephanie Ripley ran well throu gho~t th e tou gh course a nd took fourteenth a nd twen ty -fo urt h places res pective ly.

Not to be ou t shined . the m e n 's tea m a lso proved th em selves ready for th e n ew season as Ste ph en Downey took the top s pot with Callum Nicol close on his hea ls finishing third .

S eason ed cross country ve tera ns John Dowding and Positive placings See page 2 7

MENS SECOND AND lADIES THIRD BOTH SEAL WEEKEND VICTORIES Local League UEA M en 's Second (5) - North Walsham (0). Women 's t hird (5) - Diss (2) Clare Dodds UEA hockey proved to be on top form this weekend , With a string of s u cces ses o n All tea m s h om e turf. s h owed strong performances. wi th wi n s for both th e men's and wom en 's squa d s.

As th e ligh t faded la te on Sat u rd ay a fte rn oo n , th e men 's 2 nd an d wom en 's 3 rd team s competed s ide by s ide to both seal vi ctOI-ies over their oppositio n . It was a 50 wi nning perform a nce for the m en's second s quad over th e ir c h a lle n ge r s No r th Wals h a m .

T h e wo m e n 's sq ua d also achieved a 5-2 success agains t Diss with goals sco red by Sa ra h McCa rthy, Cla ire Be ntl ey an d Rachael Naylor.

The women's lst s qu a d a re s till sitting comforta bly mid ta ble in the local league afte r achieving a draw earli -

er on in tlie d ay against Harleston. lt was a s trong s ta rt for the girls with a n early goal

by Tessa Ha rd ing within th e fi rst te n minu tes.

An equa liser on the whis tl e of half time though , b rought confid ence back to th e op pos ition . Nter seve ral missed oppo rtu n ities, UEA pus hed t he Ha rl esto n d efe n ce to help Lucy Barke r hi t th e back of the net to gain a lead once again . But th e girls were robbed of a win, wi th a seco nd equ aliser from th eir co mpetito rs in th e last five minutes.

The fin a l sco re was 2-2 .

The women 's 1s t team wi ll be loo king to co ntinu e UEA's success wi th a s trong perform ance this Wednesd ay a t their next BUSA match of th e seaso n .

The Men's second team obli terated the opposition wi th a 5 -0 victory

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ACROSS

DOWN

I a n d I I. Film on the aut h or o 14 down (7,9) 4. Cars n ail (4) 6. Basqu e ter rori st grou p (I. I. I) 7. T o famili a ri ze (8 ) 9. Un ive rsity a p p li ca tion system (4) I l. Sec I acr oss 13. Continent (6) 15. ewsta n d (5) (2) 17 . You or 18. Dom esti ca ted fri en d (3) 19. Fou n d in the Tate for e.g.

(3) 22.0ne took place i n t h e U .S. (8) 24. Iss u e (Abbr.) (2) 25 . Got h arm ed (4) 2 6 . Not n ew (4) 29. D o r e mi fa sol la d o (2) 30. wi t h th e Wind (4) 32. Pr on ou n (2) 33. o d ou b t h er solo al b u m i com i n g ou t soon (4.7)

2 . Sec 29d own 3. Rel aling to birth (5) 4. Alberi _ - Fr en ch author (4) 5. Sec 16 d own 6. Real Slim Shady (6 ) 8. Occ upants o f co mputer s? (5) 10. Cut into small pieces (4 ) 12. Spielber g fight (4) 14. Boy w h o n ever grew u p (5.3) 16 and 5d own . Ac tress in I. I I acr oss (4 . 7) 20. Bee n on h or se (6 ) you (2) 2 I . ll appy B irthday 23. Bu rgl ar (5) 26. Vase (3) 27. Layed by li en (3) 28. A kind of vessel (3 ) 29 a n d 2 clown. Pixa r a nim ation (3. 11) 3 I . Ch emi cal sy m bol for n eon (2 )

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