Issue 117

Vision

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WENTWORTH TO BE A GRADUATE COLLEGE PROPOSALS HAVE been tabled that will bring to an end Wentworth’s 28 year history as an undergraduate college in York.

The Wentworth Provost and the JCRC have been in consultation with the University facilities department and the SU over the possibility of Wentworth becoming an exclusively graduate college.

The implications for the make-up of the University are huge. All graduates under the new proposals would belong to Wentworth. The number of under-

“Ideally we will ensure that Wentworth has no intake of freshers next year.”

Dr Peter Lee, Wentworth College Provost

graduate colleges would be reduced to six with undergraduate admissions figures rising each year. There is concern that this may result in a dilution of College identity, an attribute that the University prides itself on.

The proposal was first drafted in a paper by the Vice-Chancellor 18 months ago when it was decided that a graduate college was necessary and that Wentworth was the most appropriate location. The transition is likely to coincide with the reconstruction of much of Wentworth’s accommodation.

At least two blocks are to be demolished and rebuilt with students shunted into the infamously dingy Wentworth C block. John Naylor, Press and Publicity Officer for the Students’ Union and former resident in C block claimed, “It’s awful! Narrow breeze-block corridors and tiny breeze-block lined rooms make it feel more like a prison than anything.”

The problem that faces the college Provost, Dr

“The whole JCR is very concerned about its own future and the welfare issues raised.”

Andy John, Wentworth JCR Chair

Peter Lee, is that of ensuring the well-being of the undergraduates still in Wentworth when the changeover takes place. “Ideally,” he told Vision, “We will ensure that the college has no intake of freshers next year.” As for those who are already undergraduate members of the college, work is unlikely to begin until January 2000 at the earliest, meaning that current finalists will not be affected. Current second year students may not be so lucky. “Some undergraduates may have to change colleges” warned Dr Lee. Andy John, Wentworth Chair, gave Vision the

JCR’s reaction. “Naturally the whole JCR is very concerned both about its own future and the welfare issues that will be raised. It seems that some students may end up living in Wentworth for one term and then moving elsewhere, never to return. This would undoubtedly restrict their opportunities within the collegiate system.

“Even without this there is the issue of the redevelopment work and the disruption due to noise that this may cause.”

The Graduate Students’ Association (GSA) has greeted the proposal with relief. Stuart Horne, GSA Press and Publicity Officer explained the benefits of the new system. “Finally graduates will have an independent venue, a community centre and facilities that we can use outside term time. The GSA currently lacks the identity it requires with graduates amounting to a quarter of the University’s population.”

GSA President, Michael Kelly, would only comment, “We’re in discussion with Wentworth Provost and the SU to make sure that any change of the college status is carried out as smoothly as possible.”

Glen Dewsbury, speaking on behalf of University

“Obviously the priority must be the welfare of undergraduates uprooted in the transition.”

Helen Woolnough, SU President

Facilities Management, told Vision, “All these plans are still fairly fluid but a few options have been suggested for the best way to prevent undergraduates from suffering any adverse effects from the new system. The most likely solution is that Goodricke, Wentworth and James colleges are treated as one area in terms of facilities, a bit like James and Wentworth are already. Any development of nucleus college facilities is likely to be shared between all three. There is no reason why Wentworth portering facilities should not continue to be shared by James.”

The implications of this proposed arrangement may affect the entire University as each college would be required to accommodate a significantly higher number of first year students.

The SU has voiced support for the proposed restructuring of the University. Helen Woolnough, SU President, explained, “Graduates do need a college of their own and Wentworth is the most likely because it’s the next on the redevelopment list anyway and it’s set apart slightly from the rest of the University.

Obviously the priority must be the welfare of undergraduates uprooted in the transition. We’re working on ways of minimising the effects.” As yet there are no precise dates for the change but students will be informed as soon as a decision is reached.

York Student Vision

Ben Hulme-Cross

SU RAG Officer Ange Davison and the Goodricke crew preparing for battle

RAG FLOATS ON MORE THAN one hundred and fifty students stopped traffic on Saturday 19th February in aid of the Lord Mayor’s Charities. The York RAG procession saw all seven colleges and Halifax Court enter the procession that included seven lorries, a bus, a vintage car, and a bath full of crumbly crunch.

They progressed from Cliffords Tower, through the town crossing the river twice, then down through Parliament Street and back round to complete the parade at the Tower before taking part in a giant ‘conga’ line round the green.

Following the theme of time and the celebration of the new millennium, the winners were Alcuin.

Their impressive entry of A Hundred Years of Cinema, had stars like Marilyn Monroe, and Snow White. It was a close call when it came to the judging, with the Lord Mayor being greatly impressed by veteran winners Derwent, with their Viking ship. The college, who have won successively for the past three years, had constructed a 40 foot ship, where all were

clad in Viking helmets and axes.

The hard work of the other five colleges over the preceding weeks produced equally outstanding displays. These ranged from Wentworth’s 60’s creation complete with Magic Roundabout characters Dougall and Zebedee; Langwith and the Greek’s, with University yellow togas to James and the futuristic, Men In Black party. Goodricke’s War of the Roses, with a Tudor castle was supported by the Fencing club while Vanbrugh paraded as the Romans. Halifax Court also entered with their theme of The Land That Time Forgot.

Ange Davison, speaking to Vision, said, “The RAG parade isn’t just about being wacky, it’s about peopl;e turning up, getting dressed up and having loads of fun raising loads of money. We’re a force to be reckoned with.”

The procession initiated the beginning of RAG week, where York RAG put on several events including fire-walking and Blind Date to raise awareness of the charity work that RAG does on campus and around the country.

Sophie Jewett

25th February, 2000 Issue 117

2 NEWS York Student Vision

News in Brief POSTER SCANDAL

SEVEN GO TO BLACKPOOL THE ELECTION results for who from York attends the NUS Conference have been released. Of the eight names put forward, seven get the tickets. First on the list is Pete Campion-Smith, followed by Stuart Lennon, Pete Sanderson, Ange Davison, Louise Edwards, Rob Hills and Gareth Simkins. Only John Naylor missed out. This year the Conference takes place in Blackpool, during the Easter vacation.

JAMES COLLEGE STILL DENIED BAR PLANS FOR James College facilities have yet again been abandoned ‘for the time being’ after a series of meetings over the past few months.

Jamie Smith, JCR chair, stressed: “We have not been put to the bottom of the pile but we have been left to the side.

“I think the biggest sore point for James is that they have doubled the size of the college and done nothing to address the facilities. There are 500 students in James and they are sharing three washing machines.”

The Facilities Management Department were unavailable for comment.

STOLEN CAREERS FOLDER THE MARKETING handbook, worth £70 has been snatched from the careers centre depriving all other students of valuable information. They are asking the thief to return the folder via internal post with no questions asked.

MONEY UP FOR GRABS THE UNIVERSITY has been publicising the fact that there is money available for students in dire financial straits (Special Support Fund) or bursaries of around £200 for students planning travel projects during the summer. Contact the Academic Support Office for more infomation.

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Opinions expressed in Vision are not necessarily those of the Editor, Senior Editorial Team, membership or advertisers. Every effort is made to ensure all articles are as factually correct as possible at the time of going to press, given the information available.

Special Thanks

Vision would like to say thank you to Westcountry Publications Ltd, Alison for the cartoons, Dave Cateley, Kieran McIntyre, Rajini Vaidyanathan and Rob Sharp (sorry Rob!). Also a special thanks to Linus Koenig, Rebecca Sweeney and Steve Haines for all their hard work and dedication on the editorial team.

Grimston House, Room V/X/009, University of York, Heslington, York, YO10 5DD. Tel/Fax: 01904 43 3720 Email: vision@york.ac.uk Website: http://www.yorkvision.co.uk Copyright Vision Newspapers, 2000.

York Student Vision

EXTREMELY HOMOPHOBIC posters have been found around campus over the past two weeks.

These posters, which describe the setting up of the pressure group YALGB, York Against Lesbians, Gays and Bisexuals has been slammed as ‘absolutely appalling’.

immediately.”

These sentiments were echoed by Pete Campion-Smith, who added: “We’re pleased the University’s working with us in this matter, helping to overcome the problem. The best thing about university is that it’s so relaxed and open. I hope York can continue to be so and we can combat prejudice.”

As the posters are anonymous they are in direct contravention of the University’s rules, which state that ‘Any documents published that do not show the identity of the author/s are liable to be removed and destroyed.’

“If we can prove a student

The anonymous posters have been found in the Goodricke, James and Wentworth axis, and obviously aim to be as offensive as possible, with comments

“This is a horrible piece of literature, it’s offensive, explicit and disgusting.”

Ange Davison, NYANUS LGB Officer

such as “If you are of the offending persuasions do the majority a favour and keep it to yourself, it will sustain the integrity of many people’s digestive tracts.” The posters also include pictures of menacing looking commandos holding guns.

Brendon Fletcher, the Student Union’s LGB Officer, told Vision that he was distressed by the “silly comments that clearly constitute harassment.” He believes that the posters could just be practical jokes

Brendon Fletcher, SU LGB Rep but doesn’t want to take any chances. He has reported the matter to the University’s Harassment Committee, and put messages in the Daily Info throughout last week.

“The LGB Officers strive hard to present a positive image and these posters can only be a hindrance.”

Ange Davison, North Yorkshire Area NUS’s LGB Officer, and the SU’s RAG Rep said: “This is a horrible piece of literature, it’s offensive, explicit and disgusting.” She added: “The culprits are extremely sad - they need to get a life. If anyone sees one they should rip it down

responsible, they may be sent down.”

Sue Hardman, Academic Registrar

Speaking to Vision, the Academic Registrar, Sue Hardman, stated: “The University authorities think of this as a serious matter. If we can prove a student responsible, we will consider a number of penalties, the most serious being the sending down of the person or persons involved.”

Tom Smithard

UNIVERSITY CHALLENGED TEN YORK students will be entering the next round of BBC2’s University Challenge. They will be the first members to represent the University of York in the competition since 1977.

The trials were held on Tuesday 15th of February in Langwith and received an

“It’s ridiculous that York hasn’t bothered to appear and excel in this forum” Dan Simon, SU Internal Vice-President

excellent turn-out. 100 hopefuls arrived but the last 15 had to be turned away for logistical reasons. To gain a place in one of the two teams applicants had to undergo two rounds of tests.

The first was a general knowledge exam consisting of 80 questions to be completed in 40 minutes. 20 candidates passed the threshold of 36 correct answers to go through to the next round of selection. In this round contestants answered their choice of a specialist Arts or Sciences paper consisting of 40 questions to be completed in 20 minutes.

The top ten candidates from this round form the two teams to be entered. David Belcher scored the highest with 62.5% and 75% respectively in the two exams and has been asked to captain the first team.

The other team-members are Susannah Archer, Gareth Simpkins, and Helen Smith with Tom Rutherford as reserve.

Dan Simon, SU Internal VicePresident and organiser of the trials, told Vision, “University Challenge is a forum for university prestige. It’s ridiculous that York hasn’t bothered to appear and excel in this forum. Hopefully this year things can be different.” Ben Hulme-Cross

NATIONWIDE SKILLS DAY COMES TO YORK YORK CAMPUS has been chosen to host the National SIS skills day, inviting graduate recruiters from across the nation to the event.

The skills training day will provide an opportunity for all students to improve their skills and to establish valuable contacts. The main exhibition stalls will be constructed in Central Hall enabling students to speak directly to recruiters.

In Physics and Alcuin small interactive groups will be able to improve their skills through workshops covering a wide range of activities. The event is open to

students from universities across the country and will provide an excellent opportunity for networking. The transferable skills that employers are looking for will be presented by representatives in areas such as project management, negotiation, and problem solving.

SIS York are hoping that the event will increase awareness of their society across campus. Mayuko Yamada, Social Secretary said “We’re hoping that the event will provide an opportunity for the students to discover what we can offer.

She added, “For £10 you are given the opportunity to communicate with companies who pay some of the highest

starting salaries in the country.”

Throughout the year SIS have organised several workshops by companies such as Boots and Barclays. Early next term Hewlett Packard will be providing a presentation on international employment, from a representative who helped establish their Moscow office.

The national skills event starts at 1pm on the 8th of March and will last throughout the afternoon and evening.

Participating companies have subsidised each ticket so for £10 each student is provided with all the training, a buffet and refreshments. Visit www.sis-soc.com for more information.

Claire New

25th February, 2000 Issue 117

York Student Vision NEWS 3

STUDENT SET TO SUE POLICE FORCE

JAMES NAREY, who had been charged by the police for disorderly conduct and assaulting a police officer, has had all charges dropped.

The first year Langwith PPE student had been drinking in the Piccadilly area of York with friends on the Monday of week one, when the assault allegedly took place. The matter had been given widespread publicity due to the fact that Martin Narey, James Narey’s father, is the Director General of the Prison Service.

After being charged, Narey failed to appear in court the next day and was given unconditional bail. The meeting was adjourned until late in week three, however on the Tuesday the Crown Prosecution Service served Narey’s solicitor with a Notice of Discontinuance, meaning that all charges had been dropped.

James Narey claimed that he was the victim of an assault, and photos were taken of him at the time showing abrasions to his face and evidence of serious bleeding. After being arrested he claims to have been kept in his cell for eight hours.

Narey’s solicitor, Ruth Bundy, said: “It has emerged that James Narey was not lawfully arrested and that the evidence

does not support the charge of assault.”

She added: “We will now be advising James as to any further necessary action against the police for false imprisonment and assault.”

A police spokesman said: “The CPS has advised North Yorkshire Police that there is insufficient evidence upon which to proceed to trial. The North Yorkshire Police are in full agreement with that decision.”

Helen Woolnough, Student Union

“It does seem awfully convenient with his father being in the position that he’s in.”

Helen Woolnough - SU President President commented to Vision: “This is a no win situation. It’s blatantly ridiculous as no-one knows who’s telling the truth and who’s not.”

She added, “It does seem awfully convenient, however with his father being in the position that he’s in.”

James Narey was not available for comment.

Tom Smithard

JAMES WOES

James third years may pay the price for luxurious first year setting ANGRY SECOND year students first years, special needs cases and disafrom James College have voiced bled students before those affected by the their disapproval of their treat- building work were considered.

Some students maintain, however, ment by the University over the that the University should have thought of building work issue. this before including Rebekah Lane who After being assured that they would be given priority when applying for accommodation back in halls in their final year, students were dismayed when they attended a housing meeting to find out that only 70 students out of approximately 170 would be allowed back in.

Last year, when James students protested over issues concerning the building work such as excessive noise, long and unsociable hours and harassment, they were informed that by way of compensation they would be allowed into halls in their final year should they wish.

This decision was made at a Business Services meeting last year where it was minuted that 112 students would be given priority when applying for college accomodation.

However, in a housing meeting held

by Ken Todd, the Provost of the College, students were informed that the accommodation office had re-considered this decision and had concluded that there was only room for 70 finalists.

Ken Todd explained that this was because priority has to be given to new

FEISTY FIESTA

was JCR Chair of the College throughout the building work: “I think it is disgusting that the University is not delivering its promises. We put up with enough over the building work – the least they could do is fulfil the agreement that we made with them in good faith.”

“I think it’s disgusting that the University is not delivering its promises.”

Rebekah Lane, Ex-James JCR Chair

Jamie Smith, current JCR Chair of the College told Vision, “We have it minuted that 112 students would be given priority and now that number has dropped by over 40 places, that is unfair. We are upset about it but there is very little we can do now because that fact remains that first years need to live on campus.”

The University was unavailable for comment at the time of going to press.

Helen Limbrick

York Student Vision

‘INTERNATIONAL WEEK’ 2000 has proved to be more entertaining and more popular then ever before.

This year the Overseas Students Association have joined forces with societies campus-wide to provide a week of events ranging from Nigerian Marimba to political poets and concluding with the Feisty Fiesta on Saturday night. Linus Koenig, OSA President said “International week provides the opportunity to raise awareness of cultural diversity and the integral part it plays in Campus life.”

Monday: Valentine’s One to One. The success of last term’s One to One was continued this term by the OSA and Derwent College. Decked out in pink, Derwent provided an arena for the love sick, and the loved up to air their valentines thoughts on a message board and to dance the night away to an array of cheesy tunes.

“It really was ultimate cheese, everyone was having a great time leaving corny messages for each other” said OSA Treasurer Mayuko Yamada. Linus Koenig, commented “I was so pleased that the event attracted a true combination of overseas and British students totalling over 190.”

Tuesday: Zimbabwian music Hosted in conjunction with the YUSU Black Rights Officer, this event was a completely new venture. Marimba Batanai

International Week culminates in a multi-cultural feast

performed an entire evening of Zimbabwian music which once again drew in the crowds.

Kenny Chitranukroh, a Thai student, felt “It was a really original idea, it was great that they chose something completely different. What was most impressive was the way the musician communicated with the crowd.”

Wednesday: Linton Kwesi Johnson Founder of Dub Poetry (a combination of Jamaican style speech and Dub music), Linton Kwesi Johnson performed before a crowd of over 120 students.

Popular with music and literary fans across the globe he was a very high calibre guest. The audience was captivated throughout and the queue for autographs and appreciations continued long after the performance was over.

Phillip Worre, event organiser said: “Linton Kwesi Johnson is one of the poets I admire most, it was a great honour that he accepted the OSA’s invitation to perform at York.”

Friday: Video night Held in Wentworth JCR the night provided a relaxing atmosphere to appreciate international film, including the French comedy ‘Taxi’, ‘Monty Python’, and ‘Casablanca’.

Linus Koenig said: “With about thirty students there it was a really relaxed and chilled evening. We just had snacks and soft drinks, giving us all a chance to pre-

pare for the Fiesta the following night.”

Saturday: Feisty Fiesta.

This is the biggest event of the OSA calendar and is the most well attended by far. It provides an opportunity for students of each nationality to present bite-size tasters of their national cuisine to all the guests including local VIP’s such as York Mayor.

“The tickets sold out in 15 minutes, full capacity of 400 students attended. It is so popular that black market tickets were going on sale for double the price” said Linus Koenig.

He added “For the first time ever we had a stall from Lapland, and we welcomed back a stall combining African cuisines.” Both prizes of ‘Best Cuisine’ and ‘Best Decoration’ were won by the usual favourites Portugal.

Afterwards a host of different musical entertainment was performed ranging from the Real Macalls, a jazz funk band, to a fifteen piece Javenese band.

Councillor Harry Briggs, Sherriff of York said “It’s a splendid event that reflects the excellent profile of the University.”

Sunday: Hangover Brunch Back in Goodricke overseas students recovered from the week with a continental breakfast provided by the OSA. The occasion provided a time for relaxation and reflection on the weeks events.

Claire New

DRUGS CRACKDOWN

A FIVE-FOLD increase in drug seizures has occurred throughout the city of York. In 1999, 143 people were detained for drug offences whilst trying to get into licensed premises, as opposed to only thirty during 1998.

Improved training and raised awareness from door staff across the city centre has played a major part in the increase in arrests. Superintendent Lacy, York’s Police Chief, said: “Random searching can be a condition of entry and I thank the licensees and door staff for their excellent work.”

North Yorkshire has witnessed the seizure of over £20,000 worth of drugs including heroin, cannabis, cocaine and methadone. Also recovered was a significant number of stolen medical prescrip-

tion forms.

Like York, other towns raided, which include Harrogate and Selby, seem unlikely homes for the county’s main drug suppliers. However Superintendent Lacy and his team of officers used their “quality intelligence” from both undercover detectives and members of the public to establish the warrants.

County wide ‘Operation Artery’ has illustrated to the public the hard line that police are attempting to pursue with regard to drug offences. Supt. Lacy commented: “This operation was a great success for the force. Cities can witness a spiral of decline, if you do not tackle the misuse of drugs and we are determined not to see that happen here.”

Also announced was the success of the crackdown on drink driving. The number of those prosecuted for the offence

has continued to fall.

Supt. Lacy commented: “This consistent decrease is most pleasing and echoes public disapproval of this life-threatening offence, but we must not become complacent. My officers will continue the antidrink-drive campaigns throughout the coming year.”

Minor ‘trouble-making’ offences are also being combated with 168 people prosecuted for urinating in the street during 1999. “I will not tolerate unreasonable behaviour within licensed premises. If any offender is arrested, convicted and excluded, they should not be welcome in any licensed premises in York.” He added: “It is becoming very expensive to spend a penny in York.”

Claire New

25th February, 2000 Issue 117

4 NEWS York Student Vision

BOB REDEEMED BEYOND REDEMPTION were the surprise winners at last Saturday’s Battle of the Bands competition. The heavy metal band beat off opposition from 17 other bands to win the prize, three days recording at the Old Dairy recording studios in York.

The band, consisting of Clive Jevons on guitar and voice, Dave Cheeseman on keyboards and voice, Mark Burnett on bass and Gideon Letch on drums, professed their ‘great surprise’ at winning.

The veterans of the competition had previously reached the heats in 1997 and the final in 1998.

The band created a Great Wall of sound with their thrashing guitars, strong keyboards, and echoing, rasping vocals.

They looked the part too, the shirtlessness, the hairiness and the Kiss style pointy guitars driving the crowd into a moshing frenzy.

Highlights of their set were ‘World of Pain’ and ‘Craving Blood’, but it was their cover of the Eurythmics’ ‘Sweet Dreams’ as their closing number that truly made their legendary performance complete.

Their set suffered slightly from instrumentation that was probably the worst of the evening, yet the intensity of the music being screamed at the audience, and much of that audience’s obvious love of it, gave the judges little option but to crown them winners.

Many of the crowd had believed that the night would be Duckporn*’s and they put in a highly competent performance.

Coming on to Ghostbusters and leaving to the sound of Smells Like Teen Spirit and a crowd surf, Duckporn* played a cool set that sometimes verged on the Shed Seven and sometimes on the Fun Lovin’ Criminals.

MUMIA MUST LIVE OVER 100 York students have joined a campaign to demand a fair trial for an American prisoner on death row.

Beyond Redemption: the devil-worshippers triumph They are fortunate to possess a very enigmatic front man in Reef Mallak, who even managed a costume change. If anything, however, they did verge on the gimmicky, throwing out balloons and fake money liberally throughout their performance, yet coming on first they did well to create such an enthusiastic crowd response. Duckporn* are polished, with well-known songs such as Tiger and Some Days She Plays With Me, proving that it is good to gig quite as much as they do.

The other two bands however, were not quite as impressive.

The Heroic Trio, were ‘surprised to get this far’ and it showed. The three were the only females to get to the final and seemed nervous at the start of their set.

The crowd reaction was good however, and they gained in confidence as their set progressed. Their sound is Hole combined with Ocean Colour Scene with a bit of

Cha Cha Cohen thrown in for good measure, and songs such as Muffra and Sex and Death indicate a bright future.

Sevenball completed the line-up. The winners of the 1998 competition again played a competent set, yet they have no imagination or feeling for the music. This is a band that desperately wants to be good, but in the end, are only a seventh rate Radiohead.

The only controversy of the competition was that The General Lee, a post-rock style four piece, failed to make the final despite playing the most original, interesting and popular set of the semi-finals. On Saturday, however, the judges did allot the prize to the most worthy band on the night. In the end intensity won over competence, and the competition was better for it.

Tom Smithard

Prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal was sentenced over 17 years ago for a crime his supporters allege he did not commit.

Julianna Sokolova, who is organising the campaign throughout the University, said: “His original trial in 1982 was pretty much manufactured. Ballistic evidence was suppressed and witnesses who could help prove his innocence weren’t used.

“I think it’s obvious he’s not been granted a fair trial.”

The campaign, which is lead from London by the Mumia Must Live group, has attracted great support from both staff and students at York.

Julianna said: “We’ve sent about 100 letters to the new judge for Mumia’s appeal, and we’d like as many students as possible to join the campaign.”

Mumia was arrested after an incident that left him seriously injured and a police officer dead. Mumia was found guilty and has been on death row ever since.

Julianna told Vision that before the arrest Mumia had been “Exposing brutality and racism on mainstream radio” in Philadelphia.

During his imprisonment he has also published three books on the workings of the justice system, for which his supporters say he has been punished with solitary confinement for 23 hours per day.

Lawyers for Mumia have now filed their last appeal, asking for the new evidence to be accepted. The final decision

Mumia Abu-Jamal will be made in April.

Support for the Mumia Must Live campaign is being sought through a UGM motion in week 8.

Wesley Johnson

If you would like any further information on the Mumia Must Live campaign, get in touch with us at : vision@york. ac.uk

COUNCIL OR DEMOCRACY? The issue of electing a Student Council has once again been raised. Stuart Lennon, who has proposed the motion in recent (inquorate) UGMs here argues for change. Helen Woolnough defends the current institution of fortnightly meetings that can’t make Union policy if less than 4% of the Student Body (currently 282) turn up.

WHEN AN issue is put forward to a UGM which people really care about or which causes lots of debate, UGMs are quorate.

When the motions for a UGM are routine, or even dull, UGMs are inquorate.

You might say ‘Why does this matter?’ If a UGM is inquorate, that’s an indicator that the motion doesn’t need to be passed - not enough people care about it.

Well, like it or not, there are uncontentious motions which don’t spark off debate and don’t get UGMs quorate, which do actually need passing. There are a number of simple changes or reinforcements of policy which deserve to be discussed and should be.

There are motions such as the budget which are incredibly important, however, they just don’t get students to give up their Tuesday nights to come down to Derwent dining hall.

It is my belief that students do want these motions discussed and passed especially the students who suffered from having to wait six months until their clubs of societies could get their money because the budget wasn’t passed.

And it’s not as though UGMs stay quorate once they are quorate. It has been over a year since all the motions have been discussed and the UGM has

lasted until the end.

My solution to this problem is simple. Allow the students who don’t want to go to the UGMs to vote for people to represent them much like the President and the rest of the Executive Committee.

If this system was adopted, in the event of an inquorate UGM, the Student Council would come into session.

What does this mean? It means that the UGM would carry on as if it was quorate with every one allowed to speak as usual. The difference would be that the vote would be taken by the elected Student Council members only.

This means that when not enough students turn up to a UGM, motions can still be discussed and decided on. If they make what might be perceived by students who aren’t on Council as being a bad decision, then a counter-motion or the same motion could be submitted to the next UGM which would be held as usual, 2 weeks later.

I want to make this change because I believe that students will come to a UGM if they have a strong personal interest then the motion cannot be discussed because the UGM will be inquorate. I don’t think this is fair and I think something needs to be done.

Stuart Lennon SU Conferences and Training

York Student Vision

ANY STUDENT council proposal is a threat to the fundamental principles of direct democracy that underlie what Students’ Unions stand for.

-versus-

The ethos of the entire student movement is that it is run by students, for students. Any system including a student council undermines these principles.

UGMs allow student to have control over what it does, to use their voice and have their say.

With a student council in place, a group of just thirty-five students - a group that would inevitably be dominated by

The Union should never adopt policy that the students aren’t interested in as such a thing would defeat the primary objective of the SU - to serve the students.

An argument used in favour of the Council is, “If students don’t like what the Council decides they can overturn those decisions at a UGM.” By this approach the UGM becomes almost a safeguard against the mistakes of a Student Council. Why not avoid such problems by letting students decide for themselves in the first place?

UGMs are not entirely without their weaknesses but they can and do work.

Last term two, almost three, of four

“This Union should stop focussing on our perceived weaknesses and start being proud of our UGMs and celebrating their successes.” political and SU hacks - would have the power to make policy on behalf of a Students’ Union that is made up of over seven thousand students. How can this be considered fair or representative?

Students go along to UGMs when they care about the issues. If they don’t care then they have the right not to go along. If students show that they don’t care by not attending a meeting then why should someone else be given the right to make decisions on those issues anyway?

UGMs were successful meaning that over four hundred students turned out to pass over fifteen motions.

When other Students’ Unions are struggling to get their Student Councils quorate, failing to get even one quorate General Meeting a year, we, as a Union, should stop focussing on our perceived weaknesses and start being proud of our UGMs and celebrating their successes.

Helen Woolnough SU President

25th February, 2000 Issue 117

York Student Vision NEWS 5 York Student

Vision

Editorial MAKING A DIFFERENCE

LONG GONE are the days of Heslington Hall sit-ins and student street protests in York.

Even national protests against the abolition of grants provided little stimulus to get out there and make a stand. Though as RAG week proved it was simply the chance to dress up in costume and to lay in baths of ambrosia creamed rice that was the incentive we all needed.

Once again RAG week proved to be a huge success raising thousands for various causes. Even with that out of the way there’s no excuse for us to revert to our Neighbours-watching hermit lifestyles as the end of this term provides plenty of chances to continue making a difference.

The SU elections are taking place at the end of week eight and for those who haven’t got the passion to go the full distance and actually stand for election all you have to do is get along there and vote. If nothing else it will give you the right to complain if the SU aren’t doing what you want.

If elections don’t inspire you, then get involved with ‘Infinity Week’ during week eight. Organised by Planet and People the week will involve raising awareness of humanitarian and environmental concerns.

Alternatively without leaving your armchair you could support the ‘Mumia Must Live’ campaign by writing a letter of protest, (see page 4 for details).

Claire New

JAMES JCR SENDS POSSE TO TFI FRIDAY FIFTY-SEVEN James students were among the audience at the TFI Friday studios on Friday week five.

James JCRC have established links

social facilities on campus.”

One student who went on the trip said: “The JCRC did really well to organise the trip but TFI Friday itself was quite disappointing. The audience actually gets to see very little and the crew treat you like animals, I wouldn’t go again if I had the chance.”

with the Ginger media group and are hoping that trips to the likes of TFI Friday and the newer programme, The Priory, will become a regular entry in the ents diary.

Jamie Smith, JCR Chair of James, said “We have a fantastic Ents team this year and they have been working very hard to create a strong link with the Ginger Media Group. We’re hoping that by creating strong links off campus we can make up for the fact that we lack

Guests included Naomi Campbell, Christina Aguilera, Gianni from Eastenders, Madness and Jameira.

However another was more enthusiastic, telling Vision, “It really was a great trip. Actually being in the studio was amazing. Needless to say it was very exciting to see so many celebrities in the flesh..”

Guests included Naomi Campbell, Christina Aguilera, Gianni from Eastenders , Madness and Jameira. Some James students were situated on the balcony but the majority were downstairs in the audience.

After the filming had finished some of the visitors were invited for a few drinks in the TFI bar, although regretfully no one was able to interview Chris Evans himself.

Almost as photogenic as Chris?

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York Student Vision

Not so bad in black and white

Another student, an avid Eastenders follower, reported that it had been the best night of her life. Her boyfriend added that Naomi Campbell had, “Well and truly rocked my boat but Madness were the real highlight of the night, I’ve always wanted to see them live and now my dream’s come true!”

The former co-editor of Vision, Rajini Vaidyanathan, was given a full guided tour of the studios – look out for her behind the scenes exposé of the show Helen Limbrick next issue.

Letters To The Editor

the voice of

ikon

What’s bugging YOU? Dear Editor, Having read the article concerning the British by Anna Giokas I was incensed.

However, besides my emotional reasons for disliking her views I also feel it necessary to question the purpose of the article, as it appears that it begins with criticism against the British for not fulfilling our stereotypes and then ends by dismissing all such national stereotypes as laughable.

Further more these suppositions of what a Briton should be seem embody an attack on popular culture, for I expect the masses shall always be more disposed to pints (murky or otherwise) than fine bone China. Somewhat more disturbing is the current disease, of which Miss Giokas’ article is a symptom.

This seemingly universal malaise is the demonization of the English. It is manifest in domestic politics as devolution can be interpreted as the legitimate expression of the contempt Celtic peoples of all descriptions hold for the English cousins.

In answer to Miss Giokas’ question of, “How can you be so anti Europe?” I would endeavour to reason why Europe is so anti-English. Europe has shown its true self-absorbed, protectionist colours time after time, whether it be Spanish fisherman, the beef ban or Little Hitlers of German commerce horrified by a foreign company successfully completing a hostile take over bid.

The rot of Anglophobia has also permeated global culture as barely a Hollywood film goes by without an English villain. I am therefor forced to

ask-why is Profidius Albion thus perceived? I shall concede that the social habits of many of my patriots leave a lot to be desired, But I would like to think that if one characteristic could sum the English up it would be tolerant. If that is what we are then I can find no reasonable answer for why such a reasonable nation has attracted such unreasonable criticism.

Tom Senior Dear Editor, I am writing in connection with a comment made in one of the front page articles in the last issue of Vision.

Although I am aware that the writer of the article and myself disagree over whether the comment, “The punch party shouldn’t have carried on in the Lowther” was made, I would like to make it clear that I do not believe the sentiment behind this statement and that I fully support the Langwith football team.

I hope that although it is now impossible to prove exactly what was said in the interview, that this letter will resolve any misunderstandings and problems which may have been caused.

Yours sincerely, Kate Carpenter Langwith JCRC Chair Dear Editor,

I’m writing out of disgust with the way the University is showing a blatant disregard for students’ feelings.

First it was exams on a Saturday, and okay I’ll live with that, but this time they’ve crossed that line. Some of the next bout of exams have been time-tabled for a Sunday.

Religion is not important to some people but to others it still is and it would seem that the University is happy to ignore them.

To be forced into taking exams on a Sunday is something I resent. And what is it all for, just to stop a few days over-lap into the next week. There have been no apologies as far as I am aware for having to time-table exams on a Sunday. It’s seems that they feel they can do what they want and how they want.

This isn’t acceptable and needs to be urgently addressed and I would urge anyone with similar views to stand up and say no way people go back to the drawing board and do something about the lack of provision for examination locations.

Something other than the concrete monstrosity that is Central Hall is needed.

Maybe it’s time to get your wallets out, people from above or start re-thinking things and start with the consideration of those of us you seem, quite freely, to have forgotten about.

A very saddened first year maths student Please send all correspondence to

York Student Vision Grimston House

e-mail:

vision@york.ac.uk

25th February, 2000 Issue 117

6 POLITICS York Student Vision

POLITICS SECTION 28: THE DEBATE As debate over Section 28’s repeal continues, Tom Smithard takes on Shadow Home Secretary Anne Widdecombe MP .

SECTION 28 is the only part of the Local Government Act 1988 which is still debated as furiously as it was twelve years ago.

The clause prohibits schools or local

authorities from promoting homosexuality so as not to undermine ‘traditional family relationships’.

The antiquated legislation of 1988 was implemented by the Tories more as a way of getting one over on the Leftist Labour Councils then at ‘protecting’ teenagers.

Even parents are unhappy - according to research by the Scottish Executive, 75% want to see Section 28 repealed.

Obviously no University student was unaware of the existence of homosexuality before they began higher education.

What is the use of sweeping it under the carpet?

School children see homosexuality on television frequently- Gimme Gimme Gimme is currently BBC2’s most popular program, and it’s been extremely difficult to escape the frenzy over the new series of Channel Four’s Queer as Folk.

“Section 28 is redundant legislation that serves no purpose other than to discriminate against homsexuals” It is so out of touch with the reality of modern day Britain that if it wasn’t so shocking it would be laughable.

Section 28 is redundant legislation that serves no purpose other than to discriminate against homosexuals.

Teachers are unhappy with it, stating that the uncertainty over its terms makes them in turn unsure about how to respond to questions raised by pupils. More importantly, it can restrain them from helping young people cope with their sexuality and homophobic bullying.

SHADOW HOME Secretary Anne Widdecombe told a small group of student media groups in London that the government should be ‘promoting marriage and the family’.

Anne Widdecombe MP

Curiosity will be aroused. No-one is expecting a step-by-step guide to becoming gay, just a little common-sense in educating children already being brought up in an multi-cultural society.

And yet church leaders and Conservatives are still fighting to keep the clause, with peers backing by 210 to 165 an amendment to keep Section 28. Is it really any wonder that it’s these two groups who seem to have lost much support with the young people of today? This is not Tom Smithard t h e

The shadow minister said that we must be careful not to ‘actively promote homosexuality’. It is Parliament’s responsibility to ‘protect children from a way of life that most parents would not wish their children to take’. ‘Most of the public want to keep that protection’ she added.

tion’.

Ann Widdecombe’s stance is also that of the Shadow Education Secretary, Theresa May MP. When Vision interviewed her about the issue she said that while ‘I am happy to look at ways to limit homophobic bullying’ she supports keeping the clause.

Mrs May claimed ‘schools are tackling the issue of homosexuality more and more’, although she did not provide evidence to back this claim up. ‘Feedback from teachers says that they do not feel limited by the clause’, she added.

“Marriage is the most satisfactory way of raising children…there will always be those who choose not to or cannot reach that standard” Miss Widdecombe told VISION that ‘marriage is the most satisfactory way of bringing up children’. While most people settle down in heterosexual relationships ‘there will always be those who choose not to or who cannot reach that standard’.

The Shadow Home Secretary has been accused of homophobia by some gay right’s campaigners. This is ‘irrational’, Miss Widdecombe said, adding that the Tory stance on homosexuality ‘is in no way a slap in the face for homosexuals’, it is simply about ‘avoiding active promo-

The shadow minister said she does ‘not accept that the clause leads to children thinking being gay is unacceptable’ or that children are particularly vulnerable in their teenage years.

The debate will continue in Parliament, with Members voting on Section 28’s repeal soon.

Danny Goldup

SAVE PARTY BEFORE POUND

After a visit to Conservative Central Office, Ryan Sabey isn’t convinced the Tories have the policies in place to win the next General Election.

THE CONSERVATIVE Party remind me of a classic rock ‘n’ roll band. They’ve had some great hits in their time. Defence, foreign policy and law-and-order were what their fans wanted to hear.

Unfortunately, for William Hague, there is a new ‘covers’ band on the block; New Labour. And they’re covering the classics better than the originals.

The Tories’ popularity over the past few years has drained away. Band members including Shaun Woodward and Peter Temple-Morriss have left because they weren’t singing from the same song sheet.

The only way they’ll be number one again is if they repackage their greatest hits and write some new numbers.

John Maples, interviewed in the lead article in The Times the day I travel to Conservative Central Office, believed that the Tories aren’t concentrating on issues that will win over voters such as health, education and crime.

Constitutional matters such as reform of the House of Lords and Devolution aren’t going to win a general election. The middle-Englander isn’t concerned about ideology, more so the bread and butter issues. He also believed that Mr Hague is suffering from ‘bunker mentality’, something Mrs Thatcher suffered from when she was in power. It’s one thing not listening to the public when you’re implementing policy once you’ve been elected. But for Mr Hague to sit in

h i s

Warning to Hague: one slogan too far

William Hague should be developing policy, speaking to ‘the people’ and challenging the current government’s programme: not sitting in an office being told how great he is. office listening to how great he is from Amanda Platell, his press secretary (recently parted company with The Sunday Express), and Sebastian Coe, the former Olympic champion, is irresponsible.

As leader of Her Majesty’s Opposition he should be developing policy, speaking to ‘the people’ and challenging the current government’s programme - the most purposeful since that of Margaret Thatcher

York Student Vision

and Clement Atlee.

A big disappointment for a student journalist going to Central Office is that one would expect a policy announcement on Further Education. The Conservative Party are still some three months away from a blueprint on such a policy. Theresa May, shadow secretary for Education and Employment, was apologetic but with a situation like this it is no wonder the party will continue to draw a bad press.

There was plenty of enthusiasm from Steve Brine and Adam Newton, the organisers of the student media day: but there was general apathy from the student media in general. There couldn’t have been more than 15 Universities represented.

Studentsmay be confused by the messages put out by Central Office. Fresh Start was quickly followed by Fresh Future. Before a disgruntled public were allowed to digest they were give a ‘Common Sense Revolution’, (a contradiction in terms, surely) to ponder. ‘Save The Pound’ seems one crusade too far.

Gavin Megaw, chairman of Conservative Future, formerly Young Conservatives, offered a vision for the 18-30 year olds in the party, but often spoke of disagreeing with the party hierarchy over tuition fees primarily.

If William Hague can’t agree with his youth, who are in touch with such a contentious issue, it is unlikely he will cross party boundaries to convince others of his appeal.

Andrew Lansley MP, in charge of Policy Renewal, wants to get rid of big government, reduce the number of ministers, and make bigger citizens. This, to me, seems a knee-jerk reaction - whether rightly or wrongly - to the obvious expansion of the state under the present Labour government. Parallels can be drawn to Neil Kinnock and his polemic opinion to every decision that Thatcher made. And look what happened to him. The Tories main policy is the Tax Guarantee.

They wish to reduce the burden of taxation. Lansley believes that this will work in sympathy with the public’s changing attitudes as they provide for themselves in areas such as private health care.

But, as John Maples said: “You’re not going to win an election on the provision of private health care and being tough on asylum seekers.”

The Tories, as far as public conception is concerned, are turning into a one issue party - that issue being the Euro. You can’t expect an HGV travelling up and down the country with a ‘Save The Pound’ logo emblazened all over it to convince an electorate.

The party has to recapture the centre ground. They shouldn’t rule out adopting the Euro for the next Parliament as it will alienate liberal Tories in middle England who want to be in Europe but not run by Europe and the alienation of the CBI and City is a ludicrous position to be in.

The Tories are in a mess. Their direction seems confused at all levels. When your team has few recognisable faces (Hague, Portillo and Widdecombe), it is difficult for a soundbite to sound sincere and to suceed on the early-evening news bulletins to get your message across.

So, Mr Hague, the avocado sandwiches may go down a little bit better when you tell us something positive about Further Education.

25th February, 2000 Issue 117

York Student Vision POLITICS 7

BLUNKETT SPEAKS OUT Exclusively in Vision Secretary of State for Education and Employment David Blunkett defends his policies for the funding of University places.

MY YEARS at university meant a great deal to me. Higher education opened up new opportunities for me and lifted my ambitions and expectations.

In the community in which I grew up it was unheard of for anybody to enter higher education, and in too many communities that remains the case. In today’s knowledge-driven economy higher education has become critical to both our ability as a country to compete and prosper in the world - and to our life chances as individuals.

This belief in fairness is why I think the current arrangements for student fees and paying living expenses are the right ones. Let me first of all, however, put the record straight. I have stated that I am opposed to top-up tuition fees, and the

Further education will get a 10 per cent cash increase in 2001/2. This ploughing back of resources is an essential purpose of the new system that the media often ignores.

Any student who comes from a family with a low income pays nothing towards their fees. And paying back loans is now fairer and easier for students - through the new loans scheme this Government introduced repayments are now based on what students can afford, according to their income levels.

The alternative to our package of reform is for ordinary people to subsidise the cost of university education for the well-off through general taxation. Until the Government’s reforms, this was what happened with higher education spending, and it represented a substantial transfer of resources away from ordinary people to

“Those who say that fees deter students from less well off families are simply wrong: they do not have to pay them.”

Government’s position on that matter has not changed. What I do recognise is that a debate is going on in the wider world about how to finance world-class universities. I can’t pretend that debate isn’t happening, but I do say that people should conduct it openly and with intellectual rigour.

The current student funding arrangements were designed precisely to prevent universities from having to resort to topup fees. With the fairer system of funding in place we have a substantial income stream to maximise the resources available to universities and colleges in future years.

Fee contributions and loan repayments in England and Wales will total £710 million in 2001/2. We can invest these resources in expanding access and driving up quality, building on the extra £1 billion (an 11 per cent real terms increase) which we have already announced for higher education in this Parliament.

the better off.

Graduates had nearly twice as much spent on their education by the state than someone who left school at 16, and they went on to earn more over their lives. Yet still only 17 per cent of the lower social income groups enter higher education.

This bias had to be tackled. That was why this Government accepted the Dearing Report’s recommendation that those who benefit from higher education should contribute towards its costs. Unlike the proposals in Dearing we thought it essential that those from poorer backgrounds should not have to pay fees.

Now more than 40 per cent do not have to. The rest pay a contribution, but only the wealthiest students pay in full.

Nor should we forget other groups of students, such as those who study parttime, who used to get no state help. Lack of support for part-time study was an injustice typical of the bias in the system, ignoring the reality of flexible, differentiated attendance. We have now extended

“The alternative to our package of reform is for ordinary people to subsidise the cost of university education for the well-off through general taxation.” the disabled students’ allowance to parttime students; offered fee payment for those who lose their jobs while studying or who are on low incomes or benefits; and have made available a new loan facility.

These measures will be particularly welcome to mature students, the majority of whom now study part-time. I recognise that full-time mature students need extra consideration, especially those with chil-

dren. Two years ago I gave a commitment that I would review application rates to higher education from mature students.

With a buoyant labour market and more part-time study it is true that applications from full-time mature students have declined.

I am therefore increasing the resources for mature students. There will be a £1,000 access bursary, primarily to cover childcare and travel costs. A grant will

Chris Loveman asks if the United States are having second thoughts about Capital Punishment.

JANUARY SAW a surprise move by the state of Illinois, which indefinitely suspended all its pending executions.

State Governor George Ryan explained that since the death penalty was reintroduced in the USA in 1976, more Illinois death-row inmates have been exonerated than executed.

This followed the release of Steve Manning, the thirteenth individual con-

Americans are sentenced to death.

Although they form only 11% of the American population, 43% of death-row’s 3,600 inmates are Black. In Illinois the figure stands at 63%.

The USA is also much criticised as one of the few countries where it is legal to sentence under-18s and the mentally-ill to death.

Nevertheless, the decision of Illinois is unprecedented among the 38 states that

use capital punishment. Elsewhere in the United States, executions continue at an accelerating rate: currently averaging at six per month.

The trend since the 1980s has been for more and more. In Virginia, there have been 72 since 1976; in Texas, 196.

The current question in Illinois is how many of these people found their way into the execution chamber not through

York Student Vision

HE’S HAD his say, now it’s your turn.

Has the government got it right on student fees, or is Blunkett talking rubbish?

E-mail your replies to vision@ york.ac.uk or address them to:

Politics Editor,

Vision,

Grimston House

Politics UNIVERSITIES FACE having to write off up to £3.5m in unpaid fees according to figures produced in a survey by the Committee of Vice Chancellors and Principals. They say students paid £146.5m of the £150m due last year. .

29,400 WOMEN die shortly after giving birth every year in Latin America. A recent UN survey estimates that 98% of maternal mortalities could have been avoided if the woman had dignified living conditions and access to quality health-care.

In the United States, executions continue at an accelerating rate: currently averaging six per month. demned to death in Illinois later to be found innocent.

“There is a flaw in the system, without question, and it needs to be studied” said Ryan.

A moratorium on executions exists while a special panel reviews how they are administered. Nationally, eighty-five people since 1976 have actually been executed. The problems do not end there.

A disproportionate number of African-

Right to Reply

Death-Row in Illinois State Prison guilt, but rather through miscarriage of justice, police malpractice, or having the wrong colour skin?

Earlier this month President Clinton announced he would consider suspending all federal executions. But how many states will follow suit?

It seems that the only way to end what governor Ryan calls the “Ultimate nightmare, the State’s taking of innocent life” is for other authorities to follow his example. And, best of all, to eventually abandon capital punishment altogether.

THOUSANDS OF arts students with no hope of getting a job in their chosen field are flooding into universities and jeopardising academic standards, the head of the Royal College of Art has warned.

Professor Christopher Frayling said there was ’a huge mismatch’ between the number of graduates and the need of the industry. He blamed the trend on ministers’ obsession with stimulating the ‘creative’ industries.

...in a nutshell ......in a nutshell.....in a nutshell....in a nutsh

STAY OF EXECUTION

make up for the loss of free school meals for those who move off income support to become students, and new income disregards will raise the thresholds at which tuition fees are paid, which will also help students from poorer families. Hardship support for mature students will be better focused.

I am also creating a new bursary system for young entrants, targeted on pupils from the lowest social income groups in schools and further education colleges with poor rates of progression into higher education.

I am pleased that more young people have accepted university places this year than last, and that the proportion from lower social class backgrounds has not declined. But I want to go further in widening access and to strengthen the role of universities in the drive for social inclusion.

The bursaries will be offered by higher education institutions in partnership with designated schools and colleges from September this year. They will build upon links which already exist, and will help to develop institutional commitment to wider access on both sides.

Globalisation has increased the competitive pressures on UK higher education.

New technology is making learning available to anyone across the globe. More and more people need the knowledge and skills higher education brings.

We have to meet these challenges facing the future, not looking back to the

25th February, 2000 Issue 117

York Student Vision FEATURES 9 York Student

FEATURES

Vision

Writing to Reach You

KUBRICK’S CLASSIC

THE SEXES REDEFINED

NEW

CROSSWORD

FOCUS ON BERLIN

HELPING TO BUILD FOR BOSNIA’S FUTURE

TEENS OR TWENTIES

With a string of hit TV series to her name York graduate Sally Wainwright speaks to Claire New about being a bad girl at home with the Braithwaites, her life influences and her hopes for future projects.

BAD GIRLS and Playing the Field are just two prime time television dramas worked on by Sally Wainwright.

Her latest project ‘At home with the Braithwaites’ is now drawing in over 9 million viewers. In it she explores familial antagonism and marital tension in an entertaining environment of secrecy, humour and social stereotypes.

Virginia, one of the main characters, is ‘sent down’ from university and so several scenes were shot around York campus.

Looking miraculously more appealing than it does in real life the panoramic view shows a green and sunny settingm, somehow managing to transform Central Hall into a glorious center piece.

“I chose York for the set mainly I suppose for the familiarity, it just seemed appropriate. I was hoping to go there whilst they were filming but unfortunately I couldn’t make it. I do however still make

York Student Vision

an effort to keep in touch with the friends that I made there”.

Whilst studying English she joined the drama society and her first project was to direct a production called ‘Gotcha’. By her third year Sally had written her very first play. “Called ‘Hanging on’ its main character was a girl called Jane Hall, I suppose a primitive version of Virginia in ‘At home with the Braithwaites’.

At the time I was working on a budget probably of no more than about £100, it’s amazing that now ‘the Braithwaites’ has a budget of over £3.3million”.

Despite the challenges of working on a very tight budget it was so highly acclaimed it was chosen to be shown at the Edinbrugh festival. Instant success though did not prove long-lasting and soon after finishing in Scotland she found herself driving double deckers around the London, unable to get any work from her agent. It was eighteen months before the future

began to look up.

“Eventually my agent contacted me and I ended up writing ‘The Archers’ for two years. My next major career move was to join Granada Television. “Some of my early projects included several children’s programmes such as ‘Just Us’ and ‘Families’ both children’s programmes”.

Probably the most recognised of her works include ‘Children’s Ward’, ‘Playing the Field’, and perhaps most notably Coronation Street. It is from the experience of working on such productions that she learnt her trade.

“I’ve been writing since I was eleven, I would write plays for my sister.

Immediately though I homed in on dialogue, it presented far more of an interest to me than prose. Writing is a gift you either have or you don’t, but what you can learn from the more experienced in the field is the craft itself”.

Throughout her career she has built on

her experiences and influences to produce a wide range of characters and storylines.

Very effectively many of the ‘Braithwaite’ characters simply display exaggerated traits of characters we would all meet at the workplace or in the home.

Sally commented “I think the attraction of ‘At home with the Braithwaites’ is that it really is entertainingly normal. I don’t think Virginia is at all rebellious, I think she’s just slightly eccentric, rather inept and just always in the wrong place at the wrong time”.

Virginia is student who is sent down, having failed an electronics exam; a plot taken from her first play based on an experience of a student friend from York “I like that sort of character, developed and modified versions of it have cropped up in my work throughout my career, even in those as early as ‘Hanging On”. continued on page 10

25 February, 2000 Issue 117

York Student Vision FEATURES 10

A LASTING LEGACY Ben Hulme-Cross looks to the re-release of Kubrick’s classic ‘A Clockwork Orange’. Analysing the controversy over its social influence he asks whether the greatest crime was not in it’s content but in it’s censorship.

ON MARCH 17th 2000 A Clockwork Orange finally hits British screens - twenty-seven years after it’s original release in 1973. Then it lasted just a few weeks before Stanley Kubrick angrily withdrew his masterpiece following loud condemnation from conservative church groups and pro-family activists.

The concerns were the usual ones: degrading to women, encourages violence and generally anti-social behaviour, corrupts our youth, incites football hooliganism etc. Fine. No big deal - it happens all the time then the film gets forgotten and anyone who desperately wants to see it gets their mate to grab a pirate copy.

So what’s so special about A Clockwork Orange? For a start when Anthony Burgess wrote the novel he invented a new language to write in - a sort of Anglo-Russian slang hybrid.

Apparently this alone makes it a serious work of art. Secondly despite the almost incessant violence, nothing is gratuitous; it all serves to create the most challenging and frightening concepts possible. Here’s a quick run down on the story so you know what I’m talking about.

The insane face of Alex de Large, scurge and victim of his society.

Bad Girl

his free will is restored.

The freedom to be evil, or anything that you want, is what triumphs and through this theme Kubrick achieves the near impossible. By the end of the film the audience cannot help but be cheering for

Why should Stanley Kubrick have withheld from the British for this long a work of art that extols the value of free-will: “If a man cannot choose he ceases to be a man.”

Alex de Large and his droogs, with dies after the assault. few outlets for their youthful enthusiasm, The whole film is accompanied by frequent the Korova bar where they buy Wagner and Beethoven, for whom Alex ‘milk-plus’, a racy drugs cocktail, to has a passion, suggesting that all the edusharpen them up and enhance their zest for cation, art and culture in the world would not have made him less evil. “It had been violence.

They move on out into the urban jun- a wonderful evening and what I needed gle of a futuristic London to begin their now to give it the perfect ending was a night’s entertainment and beat, stab, rape, little bit of the Ludwig Van.”

W h e n maim and kill They move on out into Alex is caught until the drug and their energy runs the urban jungle of a futuristic the moral stuff really kicks in. out. Occasionally London to begin their night’s The government they fight rival gangs but nor- entertainment. They beat, stab, is piloting a new of drug mally they target rape, maim and kill until the scheme induced social whoever they drug and their energy runs out. rehabilitation to encounter. create a barrier A young within a crimimale teacher, a shopkeeper, an old woman or a devotchka nal’s mind that will not allow him to do (girl) all cross the droogs’ path at some anything harmful. Alex volunteers in the point and the boys do whatever appeals at hope of a swift release, confident that he the time.

“The first thing that can fool the authorities into believing him came into my gulliver was that I’d like to to be reformed. have her right down there on the floor with The drug works and he is cast back out into society incapable of raising a finthe old in-out, real savage.”

All is narrated by Alex whose insane, ger against anyone even in self-defence. evil glee is disturbingly contagious. One Politics change and Alex is taken under night they end up in a house in the country the wing of a party supposedly representwhere they beat the owner unconscious ing democracy and freedom. They arrange while gang-raping his young wife, who for a reversal of the ‘aversion therapy’ and

Alex as a victim of his soulless society.

Somehow, we’d rather see him deeply evil than as a mechanical, clockwork being and cannot help agreeing with his parting shot, “Oh yes, I was cured alright.”

Controversy followed in this film’s wake everywhere due to the vicious callous rape and murder scenes that pepper the film from beginning to end. It does seem weird though that Stanley Kubrick should have withheld from us for so long a work of art that extols the value of freewill: “If a man cannot choose he ceases to be a man.”

On the other hand if the film was so subversive in the seventies what’s different now? Aren’t we susceptible to violent impulses these days? A spokeswoman for the British Board of Film Classification declared, “Despite the notoriety the Board does not consider that concerns expressed at the time of the film’s original release about its possible influence on young people are an issue now.”

Can you believe it? Has she never heard of Jamie Bulger, the most frightening case to come before the courts in the nineties? The judge actually took into consideration then the fact that the two child-murderers had been exposed to ‘video-nasties’.

I’m not saying the film shouldn’t be released - it should- it’s just that it should never have been banned in the first place because if it’s not unsuitable now then it wasn’t unsuitable then. The Board of Classification appears to have taken far too literally Alex de Large’s ironic comment, “Initiative comes to thems that waits!”

Well we’ve certainly waited long enough! The fact that this film has been censored for so long is precisely why we must all watch it now.

career she still enjoys watching them at home with her family in her spare time.

“I do enjoy watching drama on television, ‘Clocking Off’ is exceptionally good, I

money spent on reconstructing period drama really bugs me”.

For the future she hopes to be granted a second series of ‘the Braithwaites’. “If I g e t

Alex and his droogs preparing for some real horror show savagery

continued from page 10 Though tactfully denying any resemblance of the pompous opinionated lecturer in the series to any she met here, she does admit that in all her characters there is a little bit of her, particularly Virginia.

Indeed, having struggled to keep the conversation from continually regressing back to Virginia quite clearly her favourite character, I managed to extract a few reflections of the real Sally Wainwright.

Though completely besotted with writing, her next passion is her two little boys, Felix and George and her husband who she met during her time in London.

Even though writing TV dramas is a consistently demanding and challenging

York Student Vision

“Last year I visited Holloway as part of my research for ‘Bad Girls’, the resemblance to Langwith D block drew my thoughts straight back to my student days!” also keep up with the soaps, that’s really just part of the world I grew up in.

Although the standard of drama is currently very good it does bother me that very little funding is given to the creation of new and inspiring ideas. The amount of

the go ahead then the series will explore their lives as millionaires, given the revelations of the last episode of this series.

As a writer it’s a frustrating position to be so emotionally involved but basically redundant once the script has been handed

STANLEY KUBRICK, WRITER, DIRECTOR, AND PRODUCER: A FACTFILE

Born: 26/7/28 Died: 7/3/99 Acclaimed Work: Eyes Wide Shut Spartacus Full Metal Jacket The Shining Barry Lyndan A Clockwork Orange 2001: A Space Odyssey Dr. Strangelove Lolita Paths of Glory The Killing Fear and Desire Killer Kiss Quote: “I think the enemy of the film-maker is not the intellectual or the member of the mass public but the kind of middlebrow who has neither the intellectual apparatus to analyse and clearly define what is meant, nor the honest emotional response of the mass film audience member.”

over, so I hope to be associate producer for the next series.

“Also in the early stages is a project called Sparkhouse. It’s set on a Yorkshire Farm, and the plot can be loosely compared to a modern day Wuthering heights, but with a female Heathcliff!”

As for her time at York she had relatively little to say, apart from great admiration for two lecturers who continually inspired her.

However she shares one lasting memory of university halls to which most of us here now can identify.....“Last year I visited Holloway as part of my research for ‘Bad Girls’, the resemblance to Langwith College drew my thoughts straight back to my student days!”

25th February, 2000 Issue 117

York Student Vision FEATURES 11

PUNCH UP FOCUS ON...

Teens or Twenties?

ATTACK

DEFENCE

IT’S IRRITATING that in the global celebrations for the new millennium, the vast majority of people seem to have missed the point.

In recent times I have traversed the first barrier between youth and old age.

So it might have been the end of a thousand years of human history and the dawn of a new era; but lets not forget the bigger picture - it also means I’m going to be twenty soon: now that really is something worth celebrating!

Don’t believe ‘Dawson’s Creek’ (where all those fresh-faced ‘teenagers’ with unblemished skin are played by actors old enough to be their character’s parents). Your teens are nothing but a protracted ordeal of genetic mutation more hideous than anything your likely to see on the X-files; combined with an extent of psychological torture that would send a Spanish Inquisitor running scared.

That cheesy American video I was shown in my last year at Junior school forgot to mention that along ‘The Wonderful Highway to Manhood’ I would be passing through Clumsyville; staying over at Zit City; and enjoying an extended vacation in Odour County.

Nor was it ever mentioned that the hormones percolating round my body would somehow induce some sort of sixyear hallucinogenic state. There certainly isn’t any other reasonable explanation why I would ever be so deluded as to either consume two-litre bottles of Strongbow; worship Noel Gallagher as a profound poet; or consider ‘Lightning’ from Gladiators as one ‘hot chick’.

Now, though the ordeal is over; the torture is at an end. If the big two-zero is nearly upon you - or if you’re already free, yet feeling pathetically nostalgic for the so-called ‘good old days’ - here’s the solution. Go find a mirror, take a long look at yourself and forget wishing things had been better, happier or had turned out…erm…bigger.

Instead look yourself in the eye and be glad. You’ve survived, your not completely screwed-up; and, best of all, it’s all completely plain sailing from here… isn’t it?

Gareth Walker

I have officially entered the domain whereby I have begun to continuously regress back in time to the glory days, them treasured days that many of us wish could last forever. Apart from the fortunate few, the twenties means the start of one thing……. baldness.

In my teens I never woke to find my hairline had receded half way across my head and my pillow delicately covered with a littering of my light brown hair.

The twenties is the time of your life when your dog shouts at you for malting all over the furniture. It’s the period of your life when you get a job, have kids get married and get chastised for making any reference at all to another woman’s legs.

The twenties means the start of maturity and responsibility, those putrid, evil words whose wrath we attempt to elude for the entirety of our existence It’s the time you’ve been waiting your whole life for when you can finally have your freedom which for so long your parents have kept from you. It’s the time when you realise it’s going to be another twenty years before you can afford your dream car, your dream house and as for your wild nights out on the razzle climaxing in you and three mates drowning in your own vomit and choking on the remnants of a large donna kebab, well no more people, no more.

The twenties means loans, debt, big minus signs in our bank accounts, the enrolment in that beloved institution we so fondly look upon as marriage The twenties means the start of maturity and responsibility, those putrid, evil words whose wrath we attempt to elude for the entirety of our existence and the realisation that our student days have so kindly bestowed upon us incurably pickled livers.

Kieran McIntyre

Berlin

Ben Hulme-Cross ventures to Germany’s capital, and finds emerging from a once divided city a hive of historic beauty and creative energy.

THE SCARS and memorials of Berlin’s turbulent history confront the visitor at every turn.

Many have been built over, some remain for posterity. A comparatively young city with no reputation for beauty, Berlin is not a conventional sightseers destination in the mould of Rome or Paris but there is plenty to see and more to do.

Originally the capital of the German Reich, Berlin was divided after the war by the infamous Wall. Today it is the capital of Germany once again and is a likely future capital of Europe. The construction work that has brought to reality the reunification of the city is worth seeing in itself. Indeed the major investors in the new commercial centre, including Sony and Daimler-Benz, have built an observatory from which you can see the most breathtaking building project you are ever likely to encounter.

As for the Wall, everything that it symbolised has been consigned to an unpleasant history and in the centre every last trace has been eradicated.

The world’s most famous border crossing, Checkpoint Charlie, has been reduced to one old watchtower. A couple of hundred yards away is a small museum documenting the history of the wall and the amazing tales of those who attempted

to cross it illegally. One man actually sewed his girlfriend into the lining of the driver’s seat in his mini and sat on her all the way to freedom. Some price to pay!

Elsewhere however the wall is slightly better preserved. It was intended that it be demolished completely but has been

One man actually sewed his girlfriend into the lining of the driver’s seat in his mini and sat on her all the way to freedom. protected due to the intensely powerful graffiti that tells the tale of those who suffered behind it.

When you’ve done the history thing there’s plenty more to see. Tiergarten used to be a hunting park for local princes and is renowned as one of the most unspoilt city-parks in Europe. In summer you’ll see thousands of Berliners doing just about everything from sun-bathing to tai-chi. You’d be tempted to pitch a tent.

Don’t - it’s illegal. Thirty minutes away is the magnificent Potsdam, a gorgeous collection of palaces left by a succession of seventeenth century big cheeses as a truly awe-inspiring testament to their grandeur.

It’s worth going to Berlin just for this experience - probably the most beautiful place in Germany.

If by this point you have survived the German language, trams and haven’t

Graffitti on the Berlin Wall. mentioned the war then there’s more. The mood of political change and regeneration has had an amazing impact on art and there is a constant creative energy evident from the pavement artists to the vast number of paintings in Galleries all over the city illustrating a city divided.

As for the nightlife, beer and wine are cheap and popular and the club scene is arguably second only to London in Europe. Restaurants can be expensive but look around, there’s a superb range. A search for traditional German fare is likely to land you with a large plate of cabbage and sausages that looks like it might have started out in Goodricke but keep trying. There’s even one place in the University that serves up the traditional Russian tea ceremony in authentic surroundings!

The people, by the way, are embarrassingly hospitable so leave all your presuppositions about the German character at home or you’ll miss out on loads.

If you’re after a strong, different cultural experience and an enormous big city buzz then Berlin is the place for you.

A melancholy Sarah Wilton-Smith thinks she’s getting old.

A FEW days ago, my mum visited for the day. We met in town, wandered round a few shops, had lunch, bought a present for my dad’s birthday, said goodbye, went our separate ways.

Pleasant, butnothing new: we’ve done the same at least once a term for the past couple of years. So it came as a complete surprise that, as she disappeared down Parliament Street toward the train station, I felt for a moment like crying.

I didn’t, but I did spend the rest of the day trying to figure out why I even felt the inclination.

Though it might sound strange, I think

York Student Vision

it was because it wasn’t until that day in York I finally and fully realised that my parents are nice people.

As I suppose with everyone, growing up my parents could be anything from the personification of viture, to fascistic ogres of repression. All depending, quite obviously, on what it was I said they were.

And, of course, like everyone else does, I’d long since realised that really they were (just about) human. But somehow it wasn’t till that day that something quietly - inexplicably - happened.

For the first time, as my mum disappeared into the crowd, I felt myself step back and see my parents just as two people. Good people: but not endowed with

special insight or wisdom; not able to say that everything will be alright and be entirely sure it will be.

And it was strange. For a moment I felt taller, liberated: independent in the world. Yet at the same time, I couldn’t quite bear to lose sight of: knowing that as disappeared round the corner she took with her forever something important, an indescribable sense of security.

The realisation wasn’t the product of any great revelation. Perhaps it was hearing my mum talking about work and needing a holiday; maybe her telling me how my dad doesn’t feel like or want to be fifty (though, by the time anyone reads this, he will be).

Something finally tipped the balance.

I suppose this is how life, ‘growing-up’, works. We remember what we think are the great changes: leaving home, getting jobs, finding partners.

And yet, I’m beginning to think these are just the tip of the iceberg. Nothing compared to all those tiny little changes that slowly change the way you think about the world; change the person you are: without you yourself noticing.

Except every once in a while when you just chance to stop, or take a second look. And then, for no reason you can think of, just for a second, you’ve got an inexplicable tear in your eye.

25th February, 2000 Issue 117

York Student Vision FEATURES 12

NEW DAWN OF HOPE Wesley Johnson talks to Zilha Kapisazovic, a Bosnian student, about her war torn roots, her dedication to study and how a degree from York can help her rebuild the future.

AFTER SURVIVING the war in Bosnia, having her workplace bombed, and studying for her exams in a candle-lit basement, one York student is now planning to return to her war-torn country.

After completing her course at

York she hopes she will possess the skills and techniques which are necessary to improve her future prospects, along with those of her own country.

Zilha Kapisazovic joined the University last October, bringing with her a wealth of experiences as she joined the university’s Post-War Reconstruction and Development Unit (PRDU), based in Kings Manor.

I had no sense of what I was doing - why should I study when I could get killed tomorrow?

She is one of twelve students who is currently on the course, which specialises in ‘the research, consultancy and training of professionals in issues of management and planning of reconstruction after war, humanitarian intervention in complex political emergencies, and post-war recovery.’

Zilha, who grew up and survived the war in Sarajevo, told Vision she was studying economics when the war started in 1992. “When war broke out I had only finished half my studies,” she explains.

“For five months I was sitting in the basement doing nothing before I decided I had to go and do something. But the worse thing was I had no sense of what I was doing - why should I study when I could get killed tomorrow? But the more I kept studying, the more it became relevant.”

After finishing her studies, Zilha went to work as a journalist for TV BNH in 1993, one of the few institutions still functioning during the war, as a journalist for the news channel.

But in 1995 the TV station was bombed as it was considered a “legitimate target” by the allies. One year later she quit her job, saying: “I didn’t want that to be my life, I didn’t want to be a journalist.”

In the last four years, Zilha has worked for a variety of international organisations, including the Organisation of Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the International Organisation for Migration.

She says: “Although I found some of the work interesting, I didn’t like most of it.“It was my first time dealing and working with foreigners. They had a totally

York students on the post-war redevelopment course

different way of working and thinking than what I’m used to.

“It’s difficult when an outsider comes in and tells you what you should do in your own country. All the time you had to get a balance between different things - a compromise between your personal opinion and the official opinion of the organisation you worked for.

“It was also a difficult time in Bosnia.

There were lots of different ethnic groups and sometimes you just didn’t belong. It can leave you limited, frustrated: sometimes you’re just not able to represent the organisation.”

After hearing about the course at the university, she applied and was accepted in 1998, but the financial requirements meant she couldn’t take up the place.“The letter from the university said I had to cover my tuition fees and living costs which were almost £13,000. There was no way I could afford it, so I took it as a joke and forgot all about it.”

But in August last year, whilst in the middle of planning a holiday, a combination of scholarships and donations meant she was able to afford the course.“When I found out I was jumping and celebrating.

We had a huge party. It was like I had just won the lottery.”

Other students on the course come from all across the globe, including Iran, Afghanistan and the UK, and after an initial team building course with the British army, the group functions well together.

“I have really good friends here and I’m so lucky. We’re going out all the time and I really enjoy the people.

“Everyone has been there to take care of me and my part is just to study. In my country, you have to do everything on your own. It’s one hundred times easier to study here. You can just concentrate on your work.“York’s about the same size as Sarajevo and it’s a very beautiful town to be in. Before I came I didn’t think I’d be able to make friends here, but I have – I’ve been really surprised.

On expedition in Sri Lanka “Whether it was someone checking my grammar, or helping me the first time I used a credit card, it was all new to me but the people have been very helpful: whatever I need, it’s just there.

But the five essays and dissertation

It’s difficult when an outsider comes in and tells you what you should do in your own country.

which Zilha will have to produce shocked her – in Bosnia, a lot of her work was orally assessed. “When I was first set work in York, not only was it my first essay, it also had to be in English!”

Alongside this, the course also has a practical element, a 15-day field trip to Sri Lanka. She says: “We arrived in Colombo and were introduced to the current situation. We visited the camps for Internally Displaced People (IDP) camps where we applied the theory we’d learnt with the practical elements.”

“We tried to learn by the experiences

and by working with the people. It was quite an extraordinary experience as they told us about their experiences and I shared stories about what it had been like for me.”

Zilha hopes to be back in Bosnia in March as part of a six-week placement which is related to her final dissertation.

“I really miss Sarajevo, very very much.

My family say I’m crazy for going back there when I had all the other countries to choose from, but I really want to go.”

“I’ve enjoyed learning about the mediation and negotiation most,” she says, “it’s a technique you can learn, not something you are born with. My ideal work would be to apply something I’ve learned here and that’s what I’ll try to do.

Whether I’ll be successful, I don’t know.

The situation may have changed, but that’s what I’d like to do most.

“It’s important for people to know that there are opportunities like this, particularly in this field – at first I didn’t even know there were any academic approaches to rebuilding post-war societies.”

Student Crossword Competition 26 Poet using recycled material (5).

27 Remove bird breaking open the flower (9).

28 Test and use it for working the land (6,6).

in association with

Vision HAS teamed up with The Times and Ben & Jerry’s to bring you The Times Student Crossword competition.

The Times holds the reputation for the most challenging crossword of any national broadsheet paper. So put your IQ to the test: complete the crossword and the cryptic clue to win your weight in Ben & Jerry’s – luxury ice cream with a chunk of humour.

Send your completed entry to: The Times Student Crossword Competition, 5 Shepherd’s Place, Upper Brook Street, London, WIY 3RU. Include your name, home address, email, phone number, NUS number and of course your weight!

The winner and answers to this crossword will be printed in our first issue next term. The closing date of entry is 10th March, 2000.

Competition Rules THE WINNER will be the first correctly completed crossword and cryptic clue drawn at random.

The winner will be notified by post within 28 days from receipt of entry.

No photocopies will be accepted.

Only one entry per person.

Competition open to all undergraduates.

The maximum weight in ice cream given as a prize is 14 stone.

Vouchers will be sent directly to the winner and can be exchanged at any Ben & Jerry’s stockist (UK and Eire) for tubs of any flavour of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, subject to availability.

Usual Vision competition rules also apply.

York Student Vision

Cryptic clue: “Shortened philosophy doctor meets Piscean for snack” – check out www.benjerry.co.uk to find out which flavour the clue describes.

ACROSS 1 A defence against attacks and war, I shall need rebuilding (8,4).

9 A run on green paper (9).

10 Little pictures – that’s a fairy (5).

11 Showing hidden corruption, doctor rejected… (3,3).

12 …Conservative in a rhyme (4,4).

13 School information unit opening (6).

15 Composition in harmony with the Ring (8).

18 Go back without creed I abandoned – I could see through it (5-3).

19 Man warned to reform (6).

21 About to drink gin? Nonsense! (8).

23 Narrows to a point, a feature (6).

DOWN 1 Depend on despicable fellow to be sneaky (7).

2 Dot – most of it’s contorted (5).

3 Make up one’s better without (9).

4 Catch up in Australia? Never! (4).

5 Move to a lower station (8).

6 Fail to cover Kent (5).

7 Fancy interrupting almost professional researcher! (8).

8 The ore is transported to this place (6).

14 Official language (8).

16 Study hard what pythons do (9).

17 It’s self-indulgent, taking time over books (8).

18 Fairy queen’s purse (6).

20 Blights part of a horse (7).

22 Giant 16 by the sound of it (5).

24 Divorced parent featured in pictures (5).

25 Good sort (4).

Closing Date 10th March, 2000

25th February, 2000 Issue 117

THE BATTLE OF THE SEXES! The Challenge ONCE AGAIN Valentine’s day has been and gone and we are left feeling relieved. Either because a day of deliberately avoiding the empty mail box has passed, or because the romance crisis is over and our loved one is still speaking to us.

But, what is it all about? Of course, it is another ploy by that evil demon Commerce to lay its claws on another few pounds of our student loans, but why do we lap it up so eagerly? Perhaps it is an opportunity to reassert our selves, to reaffirm our status as blissfully coupled or definitely single. And, part of that is a reaffirmation of our sex.

Every definition requires an opposite, something to compare it to, and sex is no exception. Valentine’s Day, and romance in general force us to focus on our identity in relation to people of the opposite sex.

Or, at least that is the theory. In practice, life is not that simple, and it is only becoming more complicated. There have always been masculine girls and feminine boys, there has always been love between homosexual couples

Are we hurtling towards a jean clad, homogeneous middle ground where anything goes and no one is really identifiable as male or female? and, of course, there have always been people who are physically neither sex. But, whilst genetics have remained the same, social attitudes are changing. We can no longer be sure where we stand or where we should stand.

Largely, this is because of the change in women’s position in society. Many of us have grown up with working mothers and some have had a house-husband father. The clearly visible, if uncomfortable future our grand parents had as children is something we have not known and may never be known again. Now that men and women are swapping roles they are beginning to trade identities as well.

Today we have more money, more time and more courage to challenge the rigid categories passed down to us by our ancestors. The concepts of ‘man’ and ‘woman’ are no longer neatly defined, and more importantly they are slowly being challenged. This is partly because of science, men can now become women and women men.

However, the movement towards a redefinition of the sexes is much more wide spread than that.

Ever since the ‘jeans revolution’ of the seventies men and women have shared a uniform. And once women began wearing one type of trousers they were eager to diversify. Look around you, how many women wear dresses to lectures? For most, dresses are reserved for the end of term ball and even skirts are becoming nocturnal.

If this is anything to go by the Jean Paul Gautier sarongs of the 90s could well be the tuxedos of the 2030’s.

This redefinition is not only happening in what we wear, but also in what we do. The Internet, that crest of modern thinking, offers some revealing insights into how we see ourselves. Under ‘man’ it lists sites like ‘Body Sculpting’ and ‘Men’s Fragrances’, whilst in response to ‘women’ it throws out pages on ‘Women’s Football’ and ‘Women’s Cricket’. Somewhere in the popular psyche the idea has developed that women must do, and be seen to do traditionally male activities, and vice versa. It seems that we do not want to be equals but clones.

So, where does that leave us? Are we hurtling towards a jean clad, homogeneous middle ground where anything goes and no one is really identifiable as male or female?

Perhaps we do all head for the lecture halls in our jeans and trainers, but when we do want to advertise our sex, we still give it all we’ve got. You need only look at the line of bare legs and cotton shirts outside the Gallery on a cold February night to realise that we are still eager to AG.

Round 3: The Decider

Round 1: Celebrity Challenge LOOKING AT women who have managed to cross the gender stereotypes imposed upon them by society, it is Margaret Thatcher who immediately springs to mind.

Whether you see her as a wonderful leader or, more likely, as a demented meglomaniac, she remains one of the most successful politicians of the last century, in terms of electoral victories: Proving to the grey suits in Westminster that she had more ‘balls’ than the rest of them put together.

DAVID BECKHAM, famous for being one of the mainstays of the Manchester United and England football teams, has managed to cross the gender stereotypes in the opposite way to Thatcher.

He has succeeded in gaining respect from the football fans for his indisputable talents, and has also managed to acquire a following of young teenage girls: apparently attracted by his blonde, floppy haired charm, and what his wife describes as ‘his sensitive, caring side!’

FULL NAME: Margaret Hilda Thatcher a.k.a. ‘The Iron Lady’ DATE OF BIRTH: 13th October 1925 PRESENT AGE: 74 MARITAL STATUS: Married Dennis Thatcher in 1951, and has two children.

FAMOUS FOR: Being elected as Britain’s first woman Prime Minister in 1979, and leading the Conservatives to three consecutive election victories, making her the longest serving PM of the last century.

She was in office for a total of 18 years before she was ousted in 1990. During this time, the high point of her career was leading Britain to victory in the Falklands War in 1982, recapturing the islands from Argentina.

INFAMOUS FOR: Just about everything else! The list is endless, ranging from banning free milk in schools, privatising the NHS, alienating the UK from Europe, to inciting miners to strike for 12 months in 1982, (following numerous pit closures) and introducing the Poll Tax, which resulted

FULL NAME: David Robert Joseph Beckham - a.k.a. ‘Becks’ DATE OF BIRTH: 2nd May 1975 PRESENT AGE: 24 MARITAL STATUS: Recently married to Posh Spice, and has a young son, Brooklyn.

FAMOUS FOR: Being one of the most talented midfielders in the world. He is also one half of the most talked about couples in the world; ‘Posh and Becks’ clocking up several thousand column inches between them each week.

INFAMOUS FOR: 30th June 1998.

England Vs. Argentina. ‘That Kick’ was the defining moment in a match which saw England crash out of the World Cup on penalties. ‘Becks hatred’ swamped the nation, leading him to be booed for several games afterwards, young children to cast away their replica No. 7 kits in disgust, effigies to be burnt in streets across the nation....well, maybe that’s taking it a bit far.

in rioting across the country.

APPEARANCE: A cartoonist’s dream.

Her prominent nose and staring eyes were targets for many artists, in particular ‘The Guardian’s Steve Bell.

She favoured dark, imposing suits, and her booming voice was effective in silencing anyone trying to talk some sense into her. All of these factors one of the most formidable characters ever to have been seen in Westminster.

CONCLUSION: Thatcher, despite being one of the most hated women in the country, still provides the best example of a woman succeeding in a traditionally male dominated field.

She was single-minded. She was determined. She refused to listen to anyone else.

She always wanted her own way, and she made well sure she got.

Remind you of anyone, girls?

Beckham is also known for being frankly fairly stupid, and is guilty of participating in one of the most hideously tacky pieces of publicity ever to grace the covers of ‘Hello’ magazine APPEARANCE: His ‘boyish’ good looks have made him a teenage girl’s pin-up, and his trademark, floppy blonde hair is often adorned with a patterned bandanner, pirate style. When not wearing his Man Utd or England No. 7 shirt, Beckham can be seen sporting attractive floral sarongs, or one of his wife’s thongs!

CONCLUSION: Little remains to be said about how he has managed to cross the gender stereotypes. How many other selfrespecting footballers would be seen in a sarong, for heaven’s sake? This ‘feminine’ side to Beckham has, however, successfully challenged the traditional, quintessentially masculine view of footballers....but those thongs must chafe,surely?!

SC.

Round 2: Campus Characters

AT THE end of the nineties the ladette, a cross-breed of saucy seductiveness and barroom bravado became something of an institution.

Down Wenty way however, one finds the classic cut, the yardstick against which all future Miss VanOutens must be measured.

And on a Wednesday night, when vodka levels are high and cash flow low, we sit back in awe as she stands steady, with seven pints behind her.

With a strong bladder and a numb liver, she is ready for whatever doubles or shots ensue. Years of training have ensured that her elbow is a well oiled machine, primed for Monday, Wednesday and Friday night sessions amongst the university’s most revered alcoholics.

And when you drink with the big boys, you talk as the big boys. All feminine timidity aside and small talk abandoned, the decibels are notched up and she larges it with the lads. This is not to say that she has deserted us girls for the darker side, her femininity is firmly planted

amongst the chocolate craving, PMT raving rest of us. Just somehow she has managed to shed some of our gender defining characteristics for the more masculine approach.

The rituals of getting ready, an art which requires a minimum of 45mins backed by Abba Gold, takes her 20 minutes tops - no cheesy sound track required. Surely an impossible feat? But with a quick squirt of Sure under the arms, a bit of lippy on the pout and she leaves the rest of us amidst our 3-step skin care whilst she heads for first orders, ready for blow-by-blow accounts of Match of the Day. She knows her stuff, her off-side rules, her world-cup trivia. She even has season tickets for her home town and is never more at home than amongst the wideboys of the stands, hurling expletives and waving giant foam fingers. The rest of us gals will remain on the sidelines, amused that her butt pinching, loud talking, pint downing antics sees the opposite of sex pale in comparison.

BS.

NOT ALL men are as boorish and insensitive as the stereotypes would have us believe. One Vanbrugh third year was happy, without too much prodding, to reveal his softer side to me.

An experienced Thai boxer, this man takes a great interest in his appearance, not just in building muscles and keeping himself toned ‘for the ladies’, but his beauty regime features elements that might traditionally be thought of as less than masculine.

Cleanliness is of the utmost importance to this man. No dodgy student stubble or creased unwashed shirts for him, all of his clothes are meticulously clean and he would never go out in a unironed shirt. This Vanburgh student is certainly never found slumped in a kitchen smelling of stale beer like many campus males, in fact he has a range of high quality colognes to choose from, suitable for both day and night.

Discipline is important in his quest for perfection and he advises me to moisturise religiously, ‘it keeps your

skin smooth’. Girls are often represented as taking an inordinately long time to get ready for a night out. Our subject’s routine is just as lengthy.

Styling his hair, involving the use of gel, a comb and his hands, takes a good 10 minutes, a lot more than most blokes with their cursory head shake.

Quite apart from his concern with grooming this 20-year-old male disproves the stereotypes in other ways as well. He is interested in the finer things in life, drinks ‘real coffee’, fine malt whisky, and regularly relaxes by listening to classical music and attending recitals.

When you take into account the fact that his favourite albums are not

by Radiohead ‘a load of ugly whining $&*!^!&*’ nor some obscure garage compilations, but are instead a ‘Hits of the 90s’ compilation and the Top Gun soundtrack it is clear that this is no regular caveman.

He may not always conform to the stereotypes, but his undoubted success with women suggests that they prefer a man who doesn’t.

KH.

FOR CENTURIES, man has puzzled over the fickle entity so daintily named, on occasions, the lady. Woman to most of us, this complex beast has since her genesis, thrown society into a terminal abyss of confusion and bewilderment.

With her peculiar social rituals and innate ability to let you know she’s annoyed without even opening her mouth, and moreover to be annoyed anytime her mouths isn’t filled with a large chocolate cake. Indeed, famous figures throughout the expanse of time have also pondered upon this being we all look upon with puzzled mind.

W.C. Fields once quipped “Women are like elephants. Everyone likes to look at them but no one wants to keep them.” And there is no denying that his words encompass a warm and rich truth. Over time, the woman has evolved into a fierce spending machine, spending money faster than any normal man can earn it or any machine can count it. From the age of sixteen to her death the average woman will buy 33,500 pairs of shoes (and wear just less than seven of them!) Sigmund Freud was also puzzled: “Despite my thirty years of research into the feminine soul I have not yet been able to answer the great question that has never been answered. What does a woman want?”

The period is that time of the month that lasts for

approximately 30 days but sometimes can last 31.

It is that time when our beloved fox turns into a sporadically charging, enraged and thoroughly rabid Yak-beast.

Well it is a great question but I personally think the greatest is “Why do women go to the toilet in three’s?”

But alas we are not always so in control, for every woman is equipped with something special. Something that no man possesses. He fears this weapon more than he fears the football being cancelled on a Saturday. This weapon is rarely discussed and is known to all of us as the ‘period’. The period is that time of the month that lasts for approximately 30 days but sometimes can last 31.It is that time when our beloved fox turns into a sporadically charging, enraged and thoroughly rabid Yak-beast.

But with all of her faults, the woman has still integrated herself into our society, she has become a rocket-scientist, doctor, accountant, travel agent and Manager, maybe she’ll even learn to parallel park sometime in this millennium.......it could happen?

So guys, now you’ve just spent a small fortune on Valentines day and are regretting it already, you can’t even afford to go out and get drunk with your mates until the next installment of your loan. Just remember there is no KM. FOR YEARS they have been the chains round our feet, and now with the onslaught of liberation from male domination, m en claim to be the hard done by souls suffering from simply having to cope with the sheer existence of feminism.

Well to be frank it’s about time. Not having scrubbed clothes, reared children, prepared meals and generally tolerated the whimpering of the sick male, for over two millennia they really are getting off lightly.

Apart from past injustices perpetually being preserved by the majority of the male race there is a new breed claiming to have evolved from their tediously dominating predecessors. They call themselves the ‘new man’, the caring sharing tree-hugging sensitive type.

Unfortunately they still seek comfort by thinking that we are foolish enough to believe that such a reformation is actually possible.

Their caring facade is not grounded in kindness but is for no other purpose than to excuse the extra hour in the pub, the expanse of dirty washing strewn across the bathroom, and the zillions of toilet seats left up across the globe every day.

They complain about our sense of direction when they’ve taken thousands of years to find the G-spot, by which time their 5 year span of remotely worthy sexual activity was well and truly over.

As for marraige being a bind, it’s you lot Contributors that need looking after once you left your Sarah Chappellow mothers nest and realised that you laddish Anna Goikas batchelor mates can’t and cook your dinners or wash your clothes, and tolerate your tantrams Katie Hunt when the referee declares a penalty to the Kieran McIntyre enemy.

Claire New Lads just hack it, we know your game and Barbara Stainer you’re losing it.

CN.

16 York Student Vision

TELESCOPE . . . b o o k s . . . g a m e s . . . i n t e r n e t . . . t v. . . r a d i o . . .

NEWS GROUPIES Nigel Hammond takes a look at newsgroups...

OK, SO you may have mastered the finer points of e-mail - blank carbon copying, telnet-ing into ‘mailer’.



You can fire up Netscape and find pretty much whatever you want on the web within a few minutes.

But have you tried Usenet? Usenet (or newsgroups) was one of the first uses that modems and computer communication was put to, and it is basically a term for an electronic notice board.

A user posts a text message, to which other people in the group can then respond.

To make things a little more ordered, there are specific groups for various topics and subjects, all nicely ordered in hierarchies.

So a group called ‘rec.autos.f1’, is a newsgroup in the ‘recreation’ hierarchy, in the ‘autos’ (cars) sub hierarchy, and it’s topic is Formula One.

JUST ABOUT MANAGING Even Philip Diamond can’t get Arsenal to win anything in Football World Manager 2000 Football World Manager 2000 PC-CDROM



Ubisoft, £24.99

interface - is still clumsy and awkward, and as opposed to Championship Mamanger’s sleek search engine, here finding any player is more of a chore than a pleasure. You really can’t be bothered to

this game doesn’t make you believe you are managing a football team, it’s more like managing numbers in a kids version of Excel.

However, to be fair to the game, it’s

FOLLOWING ON from the little known and little bought World Football Manager comes a sequel endorsed by David O’Leary.

As with all sequels, it promises new and improved graphics and an easy to use interface.

This game doesn’t make you believe you are managing a football team, it’s more like managing numbers in a kids version of Excel The first question everyone asks about football management simulations is how good it is compared to the famed Championship Manager series; and surprise, surprise Football World Manager 2000 is not a patch on it.

The ‘new’ in-game graphics are uninspired and tediously repetitive, and, annoyingly, the game runs in a window, not full screen. In one match the same sequence appeared fifteen times and it was not even good the first time.

The other supposed improvement - the

after matches summing up the main stories and teams of the week; they were one of the few aspects of the game that made it seem as if you were managing in a real league, with all the media interest and pressure that entails.

You can also pick any team in the world you might want which is a nice feature. It’s also a good way to kill an hour or two as you can kick through matches at a fair speed; again a feature that will appeal to casual gamers.

What finally, in my mind condemns it to mediocrity, is its mind numbingly slow

For those who may be daunted by the immense complexity of other management games its simplified nature is a real bonus.

Manager David O’Leary endorses this game, but it’s not exactly a quality addition to the Leeds line up. enhance your squad, even though its database is apparently huge.

When you do find them, buying them is a simple process with no realistic nuances of negotiation involved. Even losing the FA Cup final was of no interest; frankly,

not all bad. For new games players who may be daunted by the immense complexity of other management games like Championship Manager 3, its simplified nature is a real bonus.

I also like the newspapers you get

speed. I played it on a P550 with 128 MB RAM and the wait in-between matches was still running into minutes. More incredibly still, the basic in-game graphic managed to stall. That was after a 550MB install!

Should you buy it? Well, it depends what you’re looking for. Championship manager 3 is undoutbedly the best footbal management game out there, but itis complicated, takes a lot of time to get into, and is simply vast.

OH MY GOD HELEN’S DEAD

Is there any intelligent life out there on the newsgroups?

It’s also worth remembering that the University of York has its own network of newsgroups, all in the ‘york’ hierarchy (although these are only available from campus PCs).

Some societies have specific groups, but generally the best one to try is york. talk, and its related groups. There’s even a robot wars group.

Usenet isn’t as quick as chat programs, but it definitely has its advantages - the plethora of groups, on just about any subject you can think of, and the fact that it’s much easier to get into, and more ordered than the free for all that IRC often descends into.

If you want to find out more information about newsgroups, the best website is Remarq (www.remarq.com) which also allows you to post messages to various groups.

Just as Hotmail allows you to access e-mail through the web browser, so Remarq allows you to access various newsgroups through the browser.

However, Netscape provides a much better way to access newsgroups, although it’s a little more difficult to set up. It works in a similar manner to Netscape’s e-mail mode, and you can just use your standard login and password.

Newsgroups are more interactive than Webpages, and are available on a similarly variety of topics.

It’s worth remembering that internet

5:35 forever. Katie Hunt watches Neighbours. Just like the rest of us.

DAYTIME TELESVISION has long been considered necessary for the sanity of university students.

From Trisha, through Richard and Judy on to Quincy, Ready Steady Cook, Countdown and Rikki, nothing can quite so ably fill the long empty days of a historian as a bit of televisual escapism.

seating, the faces staring at the television screen, the groans of disbelief, the squeals of delight as the assembled throng revels in the joy that is Neighbours.

College rivalries are dismissed, petty differences ignored, as they join in mocking Harold’s chin, Amy’s jumpers and

Others said it was an excuse to put off doing work (sounds good to me) but by far the most common answers I got were that it is a habit (a kind of routine in a life with no set pattern ) and that the sheer awfulness of it makes it unmissable.

I can relate to the latter since person-

If you think that Neighbours is a load of tosh, a cultural vacuum, a mindless expression of all that is wrong with TV, then you are alone There is however one twice daily event that pulls together the entire student body, in fact student bodies nationally, a programme that is scheduled so exquisitely that even those overworked scientists can share in its glory at least once every week day. So what is this feat of visual wonder? Why Neighbours of course.

If you are a dissenter, if you think that Neighbours is a load of tosh, a cultural vacuum, a mindless expression of all that is wrong with Australian programming then you my friend are alone.

Need proof of your outsider status?

Then take a walk past Vanbrugh JCR any lunchtime. Note the filled-to-capacity

York Student Vision

for criminal types with really dumb nicknames.

And I am not alone in missing characters. I know from my research that one of the most awaited moments of recent small screen history was the Death of Helen Daniels. “Why isn’t she dead yet?”, was cried on many an afternoon but when the time finally came, many regretted their hastiness.

I miss their inane conversa-

tions, the regular emotional breakdowns about nothing in particular and Hannah’s penchant for criminal types with dumb nicknames

Neighbours characters from the past. When Phil had hair. discussing the merits of Susan Kennedy as an attractive older woman Joking aside Neighbours really does have a massive student following in York and I set out to investigate why. Some I asked at the regular lunchtime Neighbours event in Vanbrugh said that they watched Neighbours because it was a form of escapism.

ally my life became void of all meaning when Ruth complete with her wardrobe of sailor-striped tops left, with her pointless husband Phil and her dreadful whining, BMX loving (why?) stepdaughter Hannah, to go to Darwin.

I miss their inane conversations, the regular emotional breakdowns about nothing in particular and Hannah’s penchant

We didn’t only lose a character but we also lost a fine tragi-comic actor...well maybe I’m exaggerating but Karl Kennedy did nearly go out of business after she died. I blame her for his mid-life crisis.

Neighbours is a joy because it is so mindless. The stories are character led and the writers don’t try to pretend they’re covering serious social issues like the pathetic Home and Away does.

One ignorant third year said “Neighbours is crap, I’d much rather watch Home and Away ‘cos they have babes like Hayley.”

Which I’d like to add is exactly why we, the majority, prefer Neighbours. We don’t want the Bay, we don’t want babes ...we want Bouncer.

25th February, 2000 Issue 117

York Student Vision TELESCOPE 17

OLD PROBLEMS IN NEW UTOPIA Alex Watson talks to author Stephen Amidon about his latest novel, The New City READING HAS always been something of a solitary activity; it’s like talking to yourself.

The book throws up questions, and you’re the only one who can answer them.

So it’s always a bit of a problem when you come up with the questions, and the book doesn’t seem to answer them. Hence why getting to talk to an author about his book is always interesting.

Although I wasn’t initially too keen on Stephen Amidon’s The New City, following the interview, I am beginning to regret some of things I may have thought about it.

Set in 1973, it’s the story of Austin Swope (a white lawyer) and Earl Wooten (a black master builder) who are contracted by a faceless corporation to build a racially harmonious urban utopia.

They both have teenage sons (Teddy and Joel respectively) and as the book progresses, paranoia, mistrust, adultery, love and all manner of other human emotions conspire to bring about a fairly bleak ending.

It was this ending that, for such a mainstream book, I found challenging.

Surprisingly Amidon says that “the mainstream bits came after the majority of the writing… I always intended it to be a radical criticism of commercial, corporate utopia and race relations in America… I didn’t want to candy-coat it.”

Amidon is equally uncompromising about his characters; “some of them were too idealised in earlier drafts… They’re more interesting when they’re flawed. It’s

the company who have this ideal view… they’re building a utopia but we’re all flawed as people.” Amidon himself has doubts as to whether such an uncompromising vision can really be mainstream.

Interestingly, Amidon himself grew up in a planned city, very similar to Newton, The New City’s urban utopia. “It was a strange place to grow up. I understood it was a unique experience. It was an

the setting as part of the novel’s social critique; of such huge events as Watergate and the end of Vietnam, he says that he “wanted them to be like background music. These huge social events underpin

“Some novels that are set in the past don’t deal with stuff that happens any more. I’m not interested in that… in a way it is set in the present....

It is a social novel, and I think it’s a danger when issues get left to ‘genre’ writers… I mean, the race issue should have been solved by now. It’s like being asked ‘Why haven’t you done your homework yet?’ by your parents when you’re a kid and you’ve got no real answer.

There is no reason for a racial divide.”

When I asked him what he thought a film of the book would be like, he said : “they’d try and give it a hopeful ending…

Austin and Earl jumping over a fire holding hands or something. You’d be sick all over the screen!”

amazing year – I always thought of 1973 as the end of the sixties. An amazing year, in an amazing city, at an amazing age.”

So does this – Amidon’s autobiographical slant - explain the 70s background? Amidon himself is keener to see

the novel”.

He talks at length about such social issues; “some novels that are set in the past don’t deal with stuff that happens any more. I’m not interested in that… in a way it is set in the present. If the US is trying

THE JURY’S OUT NOT SO SHARPE The Brethren John Grisham Century, £16.99



GRISHAM’S NEW offering, The Brethren, follows a long line of bestsellers, and, with many fans eagerly waiting, it has a lot to live up to.

I expected to be taken on a nail-biting journey through the tense, emotionallycharged courtroom battles so typical of his previous blockbusters.

However, The Brethren has a more intriguing, unexpected narrative voice.

Dense, with undertones of grim intensity, the style is now grittier and more thoughtful , striking a chord of harsh reality.

The plot, consisting of two dispirate threads, is a step away from his usual formula. The first focuses on a group of prison inmates. Three ex-judges/petty criminals, known as ‘The Brethren’, attempt to reassert their old power with an elaborate blackmail scheme which preys on rich closeted, gays in society.

The second strand involves a member of congress, Aaron Lake, and the influential director of the CIA. The latter, desperate to restore the power of his agency, handpicks the apparently flawless Lake as a presidential candidate to fulfills his plans.

It’s impossible to imagine these two threads ever intermingling in a plausible manner, and it could be argued that they never do. The way they collide is contrived but does create an involving story.

Within this often sad and sordid tale

Grisham allows for no heroic figure.

Whilst there are some impressive portraits, such as the presentation of Beech, one of the Brethren, the distinct lack of personable human-beings means that it’s hard to become truly immersed.

There doesn’t seem to be a distinct conclusion; but perhaps this is a valid authorial decision.



The Nizam’s Daughters Allan Mallinson Bantam Press, £16.99

THE NIZAM’S Daughters is boring. There’s no getting away from it.

Written by a serving cavalry officer, it tells the story of a serving cavalry officer of the Duke of Wellington’s who is offered a job as military attaché in India.

The Nizam’s Daughters is about fighting, horses, and culture. Matthew Hervey

they try to capture the prosperous lands of Chintal.

Can Hervey contain their overwhelming force whilst saving Wellington from potential scandal?

Of course he can. The plot isn’t what is interesting in this book. Where Mallinson succeeds is in his overwhelmingly detailed descriptions of the dress, behaviour and interests of the early 19th century army, with his experience of the late 20th century equivalent providing an impressive glossary of terms from which to work back from.

Can Hervey save Wellington from scandal? Of course he can. But where Mallinson succeeds most is in his detailed descriptions of the dress, behaviour and interests of the early 19th century army

He’s chosen a low-key, ambiguous climax in which things don’t necessarily turn out as they should. This functions far better it fits in with the general air of pessimistic realism, and maintains a level of subtlety throughout.

A mixed bag, this one, and one I am unable to decide fully about one way or the other. All I do know is that I respect John Grisham far more as a result of this break from his normal success-guaranteed mould. (6/10) Mary Hathway

is a soldier like no other. Brave, goodhumoured, likeable. He is the hero, a man who led his regiment to glory in the Battle of Waterloo, and was rewarded with a job as the aide-de-camp of the Duke of Wellington.

However, instead of a cushy desk job, Hervey is sent to India as a spy, in charge of getting the Duke out of a tricky situation concerning some inopportune property he possesses.

Along the way, Hervey meets a series of characters from a sea captain,to the Rajah of the Indian State of Chintal, all of whom bow down to his greatness.

The Nizam’s Daughters are the heavy artillery weapons that are used to devastating effect by the power hungry Nizam, a fellow Indian ruler, and his evil sons as

Mallinson’s descriptions of India, all exotic and shimmering with latent seduction, and impressive in their detail, show the author’s obvious love for the country.

The secondary themes of forbidden love and divided loyalties add interesting aspects to the book and should have been made more of.

Yet the plot remains static throughout, with too much going right for Hervey.

Another aspect that annoyed me were the constant references throughout to Mallinson’s first novel, A Close Run Thing, on almost every page.

This is a fine novel for anyone interested in the period, in the cavalry, or with a specific interest in India. If this is not the case however, this is a book that is very easy to put down and forget about.

TomallSmithard

to build a utopia – and I think lots of people still are – then we’ve still got issues to deal with. We’re not there on the race issue yet. Even Vietnam… we’re seriously considering electing a Vietnam veteran.”

It’s clear that it is the relationship between such big issues and ordinary life is what drives The New City; “It is a social novel, and I think it’s a danger when issues get left to ‘genre’ writers… I mean, the race issue should have been solved by now. It’s like being asked ‘Why haven’t you done your homework yet?’ by your parents when you’re a kid and you’ve got no real answer. There is no reason for a racial divide.”

The New City is an immensely ambitious book – it takes on everything from Vietnam to racism, and even the distinction between literary and popular fiction (which Amidon himself describes as “false and modern. There’s too many ghettos in literature”).

It seems that it is these ghettos – be they real or intellectual, that The New City is determined to address. At times it may not be entirely successful, but ultimately it is the ambition, and the attempt to ask such big questions that redeems it.

We reviewed Stephen Amidon’s The New City last issue. It’s out now, published by Doubleday, and costs £15.99

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BLACKWELL’S Book of the month

The Elegant Universe Brian Greene The subject of much media attention when published in hardback, this book relates the scientific story and the human struggle behind string theory, which proclaims that all of the wondrous happenings in the universe are reflections of one grandphysical principle and manifestations of one single entity.

BOOK REVIEWS in association with BLACKWELL’S

UNIVERSITY BOOKSHOP, UNIVERSITY OF YORK, UNIVERSITY ROAD, HESLINGTON, YORK, Y010 5DU (TEL : 01904 4327165)

York Student Vision

25th February, 2000 Issue 117

18 York Student Vision

ARTS

Sponsored by YORK THEATRE ROYAL

WHATS ON! ART York City Art Gallery (01904) 551 818 David Cox Watercolours 12th February - 26th March Impressions Gallery (01904) 654 729 Oded Shimshom Black & White Photography February 2000

COMEDY Comedy Network Goodricke (01904) 433 724 Martin Bigpig Natalie Haynes Thursday 9th March

EXHIBITIONS Fairfax House Eat, Drink and Be Merry 26th February - 4th June Yorkshire Museum (Museum Gardens) (01904) 629 745 Fangs Until Spring 2000

THEATRE York Theatre Royal (01904) 623 568

STUDENT STANDBY ONLY £3 Please telephone for details of current events

Othello 8th March - 1st April

York Opera House (01904) 671 818 Troilus and Cressida 29th February - 4th March West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds (0113) 213 7700 Visiting Mr Green 17th Feb - 25th March Jorvik Viking Festival (01904) 643 211 24th - 27th February

BRIXTON BEAT Katie Hunt chats with Linton Kwesi Johnson about rapping and da government...ya mon, respect!

SO YOU’VE never heard of Linton Kwesi Johnson? Shame on you. If the reaction of the crowd to this legendary Dub poet’s work, presented by the Overseas Students’ Association, is anything to go by, you are missing out on something very special.

No shuffling in seats, no one whisper-

ing to their neighbour, there wasn’t even any coughing to mar the powerful words nor the beautiful rhythm of his delivery.

Linton Kwesi Johnson managed what few ever do, he captured the attention of a York student audience and kept them rapt to the end.

Born in Jamaica Linton Kwesi Johnson moved to Brixton in South London when he was eleven .

While still at school he joined the Black Panthers as an activist and it was during this time that he, inspired by the work of W.E.B. Du Bois, began to write poetry.

He organised a poetry workshop within the movement and also became involved with a group of poets and drummers called Rasta Love (although he is not a Rastafarian).

Blending these influences together he invented a new form of poetry known as Dub poetry, a mixture of Jamaican styled speech and Dub music, a type of Reggae

Johnson: Politically and culturally aware descended from the work of the legendary Jamaican deejays U-Roy and Prince Buster.

Linton Kwesi Johnson is known by all Reggae lovers as the foremost poet of the genre, has toured worldwide and won two major Italian music awards.

Understandably I was slightly nervous about meeting such a widely admired man.

I got the impression that Johnson doesn’t like giving interviews very much.

His answers were short and he expressed his relief when I told him that I only had a

few questions to ask. We talked a little bit about his influences, which seemed to range widely from African poets to Jamaican deejays, and also about the politics evident in most of his work.

He was adamant that although through the language of poetry big political ideas could be expressed, poetry wasn’t a political tool since the emphasis should be on creating art.

He talked eloquently about this government’s lack of commitment to tackling institutional racism saying that “they’ve made a lot of noises about their commit-

ment to equality and social justice” and went on to suggest that there is a need for a democratic extra parliamentary force to keep the issue on the governments agenda.

The rather shaky interview over, a mutual need for a drink led to a trip to Derwent bar and this was when Linton Kwesi Johnson really opened up.

The discovery that I lived literally round the corner from him led to discussions about London, retiring to Jamaica and his travels around the world.

I came to the conclusion, with my pint he had bought me in hand, that this was a genuinely nice and extremely interesting man and I was looking forward to listening to some of his work .

I wasn’t disappointed. He read for an hour, poems such as, ‘Licence to Kill’, about Black deaths in police custody, “Ask Jack Straw about the rule of law”, and ‘New Word Order’ about the fact that ‘ethnic cleansing’ is just a euphemism for mass murder.

These Acapella poems read with such rhythm, performed in Carribean speech, were intensely powerful, amazingly captivating. Afterwards the applause went on forever as did the queue for him to sign CDs and books. His fans were certainly out in force, and after a performance like his I can definitely say he’s got one more.

BAUHAUS IS OUR HOUSE “LET US together devise and create a new form of building for the future, that will be everything in one; architecture and sculpture and painting, that will one day ascend towards heaven as a crystal symbol of a new faith that is to come.”

design and typography.

As Thompson says, for the first time since Bauhaus closed, “these works will rub shoulders and create… as Gropius always envisaged a ‘total art work’ where craft and fine art existed on an equal footing, and where a new utopia was to be created”.

Yet for all its utopian desires, it was

It was in 1919 with these words that politics, that closed down the Bauhaus in Walter Gropius outlined the founding 1933, just fourteen years after it was originally founded. principles of one of Thompson again : the most radical artisBauhaus was both a “Bauhaus was tic movements ever reaction to, and an attempt fraught with ironies, to be attempted.

The goal of the to reconcile, humankind’s cash crises, political division, and the ever Bauhaus was to crelong standing creativity threatening cloud of ate the ‘gesamtkunstresistance to everywith the coming challenges werk’ – a total art thing that the school work, forged in an of the industrial stood for… comintense and unique and technological age ments were made merging of art with about the ‘Jewish’ or industry.

‘Bolshevik’ nature of As Paul Thompson, Director of London’s Design Museum, who are cur- the Bauhaus masters and students. rently hosting a massive exhibition of “By the time the Nazis gained an Bauhaus work, says, “It is quite simply the overall majority in the Dessau city council most influential art and design school of they moved swiftly to close the school… so vehement was their loathing for everythe last century.”

The exhibition – ‘Bauhaus Dessau’ - thing that the school represented.” features much of the pioneering work of However, for all his attempts to the Bauhaus and its artists, from architec- destroy the Bauhaus, Hitler never put paid ture, to intensely colourful textiles, fine to its ideals; its founders fled Germany art, and including a range from original and the influence of the Bauhaus can be works by Paul Klee and Wassily seen everywhere from Ikea-esque contemKandinsky, to furniture, stage, poster porary design to the reactions of post modernist artists to the likes of Klee and

York Student Vision

The Bauhaus School in Dessau, Germany Kandinsky.

Like the literary modernist movement, the Bauhaus was born out of the unique political tensions of the beginning of the twentieth century; it was both a reaction to, and an attempt to reconcile, humankind’s long standing creativity with the coming challenges of the industrial and technological age.

It was an attempt – and a successful one at that – to disprove the notion that the inevitable progress of the twentieth century would mean the end of art.

Whilst Bauhaus itself lasted less than twenty years nearly a century ago, the

sentiments that it embodied, and the challenges that it faced have much to tell our own world, taking its first few tentative steps on the information superhighway into the millennium.

The Bauhaus Dessau exhibition is on at the Design Museum, South Bank, London, from now until 4th June.

Information: 0171 378 6055 or www. designmuseum.org. It is presented in association with Audi UK, and costs students just £4.50.

Alex Watson

25th February, 2000 Issue 117

York Student Vision ARTS 19

MOZART REVISITED WENTWORTH A.V. doesn’t exactly strike you as the most likely place to recreate the decadence of the ancien regime.

Nonetheless, this is what one group of York students have set out to do.

In their production of Peter Schaeffaer’s Amadeus, co-directors Ashley Pearson and Nicolas Gregoriadeo

and their fourteen-strong cast hope, for four nights, to bring alive the glamour of eighteenth-century Vienna; and the jealousy, intrigue and corruption it concealed.

The title character could only be Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Dean Robson).

The story, however, is very much that of his rival composer Antonio Salieri (Sam Booth). A fascinating character he is everpresent on stage as the sardonic puppeteer who, fuelled by bitter jealously, engi-

Amadeus - the cast

neered Mozart’s exclusion from the Royal Court and his subsequent decline into debt and death.

This production though, will also explore those parts of Schaeffaer’s script which reveal Salieri as himself a victim: a tragic and occasionally pathetic figure unable to reconcile his own faith with the youthful Mozart’s combination of licentious amorality and towering genius.

In rehearsal since the beginning of term, both directors and cast agree that attempting Amadeus was always going to be an ambitious challenge. Schaeffaer’s script characteristically demands an intricate combination of action, lighting and music.

Meanwhile, its period-setting required appropriately lavish costumes to capture the spirit of the age; while the players have worked hard to capture in their performances the poise and posture which would convey the intense external formality of the royal court of Emperor Joseph II. Directors Ashley and Nicolas are optimistic though. Both long-lovers of the play, they have approached the inevitable limits placed upon a student production as

an opportunity to delve deeper in their production, into the interaction and relationships of the play’s characters.

In particular they have attempted to capture the claustrophobic atmosphere of the Viennese Royal Court, where the vibrancy of its music in the time of Mozart was matched only by the savagery of its competition for patronage and reward.

At the same time directors and cast have sought wherever possible to involve and interact directly with the audience, in order that they may be drawn into the play’s world.

Intense, exciting and often poignant yet throughout imbued with an often bitterly sharp black humour - Amadeus promises to be a play which deserves an audience not confined to Radio 3 - listeners and Mozart-lovers.

Performances are from Friday 3rd to Monday 6th of March in Wentworth.

Tickets will be available on the door, and for the preceding week at Vanbrugh stalls; and anyone who still wants to lend a hand behind the scenes should e-mail ajp119 as soon as possible.

Gareth Walker

PHOTOGRAPHIC MEMORY

FIVE PHOTOGRAPHERS have put their souls on display in London, Victoria Kennedy checks out whether it is worth all the hype.

D UP

The photographic work for one of the leading international photography awards, The Citibank Photography Prize 2000, has once again ensconced itself in a gallery in London. This year a £15,000 prize is perched to reward one of the five shotlistees. Intended to represent the international photographic work on an amalgamation of themes, the photos offer a surprising collaboration of frenzied activity, and quiet loneliness.

The display of work by photographers Anna Gaskell (USA), Tracey Moffatt (Australia), Tim Macmillan (UK), Jitka Hanzlova (Czech Republic) and James Casebere (USA) makes for a queer collection of photography when displayed

ROUN

AS A resident of York, each February we get the honored pleasure of being invaded by thousands of tourists from around the globe.

Numerous grown men get dressed in Viking costumes, scream and shout battle cries at each other whilst practicing their sword skills!

This year is no different as York presents its 15th Jorvik Viking Festival street carnival. Prepare to be jolted back hundreds of years, as the streets fill with theatre, fighting, dancing, lectures and leg-wrestling!

Don’t be fooled into thinking you can escape the chaos by residing by the river! The peace is even destroyed there, as traditional Norwegian boats race

together at The Photographer’s Gallery.

Ranging from Casebere’s meditative, serene interiors to Moffatt’s sexual depiction of the power two lesbian mothers have over their children, the work requires the viewer to think and thoroughly ruminate on the narrative behind the photo, such is their power.

On display for the first time in England, Gaskell’s new body of work, by proxy, is based around the story of the infamous Gerene Jones, a pediatric nurse who was convicted of many murders in the early 1980s. The juxtaposition of white nurse uniforms with sinister black shadows, combined with Gaskell’s distorting angles of photography make for surreal images, fuelled with festering sexual tension.

By far the most startling produce, however, comes from Tracy Moffatt. Her most recent work, Scarred For Life II, combines images and text to narrate disturbing scenes – a child tied up in a gar-

against each other.

If you are excited by the prospect of being hassled by bearded beer drinkers in horned helmets, or fancy yourself as a warrier, then look forward to joining in with the festivities (mostly free of charge).

If not, then head for York City Gallery, and relax in the calming water colours of David Cox’s fascinating paintings. His repertoire includes dreamy landscapes and busy city scenes. The combinations of oil, chalk and pencil give a strange, yet calming sensation.

At Impressions Gallery Oded Shimshon’s camera becomes a spirit level to create images bringing repetition, edges and contrasts to landscapes, room interiors and abstract shape, bringing them to life, allowing the observer to perceive the deeper construction of the every day visual world.

If all this is a little too cultural for you, and you’d rather be surrounded by the creatures that most of us tend to avoid, then the Yorkshire Museum is the place for you. Enjoy live specimens of the snakes, frogs, and scorpians The whole experience will either sent shivers up your spine, or just make you wish you could be a jungle explorer!

York Student Vision

SM

Anna Gaskell - by proxy den, verbal abuse and two children poring the glass of a van their mothers have locked them in, clutching crisp packets which they have had to urinate into.

The clinical explanation each photo is given at the bottom, is used to define the photo but more than that it also disturbs the viewer, a seemingly innocent photo,

upon explanation is instead fraught with inner turmoil. No wonder leading psychoanalysts are giving talks at the exhibition.

Photography is no longer simply an artistic perspective on the physical but also the psychological.

IN WEEK 5 of this term the all singin’, all dancin’ cast of the Pirates of Penzance burst onto the stage of Central Hall in the campus Gilbert and Sullivan Society’s vibrant production of this well loved operetta.

add extra energy to the production, especially those of the Major General’s numerous daughter’s, who are disturbingly convincing in their demure dizziness.

There is an amazing array of vocal talent on display with strong performances from all the leads. Most notable, perhaps, is Sonja Greenhow as Ruth, the pirates’ mother figure who is jilted in love.

The idea of Gilbert and Sullivan may not appeal to everyone. However, forget for a moment who the writers are and this lively production is guaranteed to bring a smile to the face of even the most hardened cynic. There is subtle humour wavering on political satire for the more discerning viewer, whilst those, like myself, of a more philistine nature can enjoy the slapstick elements and empathise with the hopelessness of the characters when their love is unrequited. Add to this the Gilbert and Sullivan Society’s capability to stage a professional production and there are plenty of reasons to watch out for equally entertaining work from them in the future.

A-HOY MATEYS!

Frederick (Tim Towers), a pirates’ apprentice, has reached his 21st birthday and is free to leave the pirates. Once on dry land he discovers women and falls in love. There are bizarre twists to the tale, involving maidens, policemen and a Modern Major General.

As with most Gilbert and Sullivan plays, the storyline is secondary to the humour of the piece, which is fully exploited in the production. There is a particularly memorable Pythonesque moment in the first scene, and an updated verse added to the famous ‘I am the very model of a modern major general’ song, ingeniously produced by someone with either too great a knowledge of computers or too much time on their hands.

Visual interest, contributes well to choreographed dances. Bright costumes

NETWORK TALES Dave Gorman, co-writer of Mrs Merton and a collaborator of The Fast Show tells Vision of his worst night in stand-up.

A couple of years ago I was doing a show in Southampton with Brendon Burns. Brendon is a loud and lairy Australian or, to avoid the tautology, I might as well just say that Burnsy is Australian. The gig was strange. OK, but strange.

Now, the unofficial rules of heckling go something like this: You heckle, you get put down, you feel a fool, you shut up. But, this night, the comedy God delivered unto us: Barry.

Barry was the most persistent, stupidly persistent heckler I have ever known. All night he heckled, all night he got put down, all night he looked a fool.

The only person in the room who didn’t think that Barry was a fool, was Barry.

Some synapse in his brain had fused. 300 people were quite clearly laughing at him, but he was convinced that 300 people were joining a Barry worshipping cult. His misunderstanding was so deep

The only person in the room who didn’t think that Barry was a fool, was Barry. that when applause rang out at the end of the night he thought it was for him and leapt onto the stage to bask in the glory.

300 people spontaneously decided it would be fun to throw their glasses at him.

Fortunately for Barry, they were plastic glasses, but there were enough of them thrown with enough force to knock him to the ground. And they didn’t stop coming. Barry had quite definitely brought this on himself by constantly interrupting everyone else’s night out, but I was shocked by the level of hatred he’d managed to stoke up.

The technicians clearly had a keen sense of theatre and the spectacle was immediately accompanied by a blaring Green Day CD and a strobe light. Maybe they thought 300 pint pots would look nice raining through the pulsing light?

Maybe they hoped Barry was epileptic.

The vast majority of gigs on The Comedy Network aren’t like that. Most nights, some people walk on stage, say some clever, funny things, the audience laugh and everyone has a good time. That night was different. I don’t particularly want to see a night like that again: it was ugly, it was brutal, it was mob rule… but it was beautiful.

The next Comedy Network will see Martin Bigpig and Natalie Haynes in Goodricke on 9th March.

Next Issue: Martin Bigpig on his worst night in comedy!

Holly Cartlidge

25th February, 2000 Issue 117

20 ADVERT York Student Vision

Vision

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SHOUT about it...

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If you want to get involved in student media then visit our website www.yorkvision.co. uk and sign up. We’ll e-mail all the news of our meetings and socials. If journalism is not your thing, we are also looking to elect sub-editors and to extend our business and webs team. If you think you could fit the post then come to Derwent room 130 on Mondays at 7.30pm. Meet the team and tell us why you want the job. For more information, e-mail us at the address below.

Got something to say? Drop us a line: vision@york.ac.uk

Elections Thursday/Friday Wk 8 your vote counts

To

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Infinity Week (Week 8) A week of action, fun and games to increase awareness and campaign participation.

...You

Goodricke College - Box Office: (01904) 433724 Thursday 9th March, Doors: 8:30pm

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25th February, 2000 Issue 117

York Student Vision 21

FILMS

Hidden Talents Film: The Talented Mr Ripley Cert 15. Preview Out Now WHO ARE you? This question, put to Ripley (played by Matt Damon) early on, is one which occupies this suspense thriller from beginning to end, and becomes increasingly intriguing as the story progresses.

However, whilst the notion of Ripley’s identity is central to the film, far from being a sentimental search for an unfeasibly pleasant character’s true self, it instead offers often disturbing insights into the actions and psychology of a variety of arresting individuals.

Based on Patricia Highsmith’s novel,

The twists and turns brought about by Ripley’s shifting identity makes forcompelling viewing

it is important to remember that The Talented Mr Ripley is about Tom Ripley.

It is from his corrupted point of view that we see the action, and we are moved to engage with his every thought process.

Ripley, initially in Boston, takes advantage of his being mistaken for a Princeton graduate and travels to Italy, where he enjoys a life in distinct contrast

Never mind Mr Ripley, where’s the talented Miss Paltrow? to his previously squalid existence in the company of Dickie (Jude Law) and girlfriend Marge (Gwyneth Paltrow).

Although in fact hired to persuade Dickie to return home by his exasperated father, this goal is quickly superseded by Ripley’s growing obsession with Dickie and the intoxicating life he leads.

Ripley’s ultimate rejection by Dickie reveals a psychopathic side to his character which necessitates many further deceptions, amongst other things, to ward off suspicion, and it is here that The Talented Mr Ripley really captivates your attention.

In terms of the plot alone, the twists and turns brought about by Ripley’s shift-

ing identity makes compelling viewing, his cover often held by a single precarious thread.

Despite Ripley’s abhorrent acts you also never feel devoid of sympathy for him, perhaps partly due to his fascinating chameleon qualities.

Much of the credit for this must go to Matt Damon, who conveys very effectively a Ripley who can appear harmless and endearing one moment, and incredibly creepy and sinister the next.

In dialogue, he also makes a number of hidden jokes worthy of the kind of villain you might be able to appreciate for his redeeming talents, whilst despising the

ends to which he employs them.

Other rare moments of humour appear completely without warning which makes them all the more effective, so I won’t mention any.

Gwyneth Paltrow also deserves high praise for her role as Marge in which she too displays a wide yet subtle range of emotion, undoubtedly at its most impressive when in the full flow of her convictions before her departure.

It goes almost without saying that, being set largely in ‘50s Italy, some of the locations are stunningly beautiful, whilst the jazz music, especially in the bar scene itself, is excellent and mainly of the lively and entertaining sort, rather than the kind which might force you to turn to your neighbour and say “nice”, or “mellow”.

As a whole, although 140 minutes

The movie offers disturbing insights into the actions and psychology of a variety of arresting individuals. might seem long for some, by the time the cinema seats begin to take their toll and the popcorn is running low, The Talented Mr Ripley should be reaching its peak, and the poignant, brooding conclusion ends in perfectly understated fashion.

Mark Ellis

Long Winding Road Film: The Green Mile Cert 18. Review Out Now

A COUPLE of months back, Stephen King made a list of his favourite Stephen King films in “Entertainment Weekly,” a magazine so half-assed that it only ever publishes lists by or about famous people.

His favourite Stephen King film was “The Green Mile.” His choice was fortunate because “The Green Mile”’s U.S. release date was only a fortnight away.

And the same issue featured an interview with star Tom Hanks. And the director. And the rest of the cast. Obviously, this was no transparent act of self promotion but a considered and reasonable choice.

Stephen King’s enthusiasm notwithstanding, I have to wonder why anybody

You have to wonder why anybody bothered to make three hours of this tedious and pointlessly bleak nonsense. bothered to make three hours of this racist, self-important, tedious and pointlessly bleak nonsense. My personal theory is that

the whole film is an elaborate, multi-million dollar satire on the sort of films that usually have Tom Hanks in them.

As an outstandingly average English Literature student, I have found much evidence to support my theory.

However, I can’t be bothered writing a proper review, so instead I will succinctly present said evidence in the form of a list, a la “Entertainment Weekly.”

Point one: Characterisation. Tom Hanks’ character, a death row prison guard in a solemn drama about mortality and spiritual healing, has a urinary tract infection.

This means that he spends much of the film cupping himself in a comic fashion while people get electrocuted round about.

Now, I am sure that being unable to pee is a very serious and upsetting condition for many people. That doesn’t make it credible. Couldn’t they give Hanks a more fitting ailment? Like cancer?

Point Two: Dialogue. James Cromwell, the farmer from “Babe,” plays the totally unexpected ‘Irishman-in-aprison-drama’ role.

We first meet him sitting about on some bleachers in the prison yard. Hanks approaches and cheerfully asks how his day was. “To be sure,” the warden brightly replies “Not so good: My wife’s got a brain hemorrhage and she’s going to die horribly.”

Perhaps in an attempt to punish him for being so ludicrously chipper early on, the filmmakers make sure that the warden

York Student Vision

Hanks : Where’s my Oscar? spends the next three hours choking back manly tears and shouting. All the time.

Point three: Crying. And the warden isn’t the only one who is in a bad way: everybody else, without exception, lets loose at one point or another.

From David Morse’s comparatively stoic performance as Hanks’ best friend to Doug Hutchison’s porn-readin’, inhumanely executin’, all round nasty piece of work, everybody blinks back tears or cries buckets at some stage.

It occasionally seems that every member of the cast is competing to be Robin Williams.

Point Four. Racism and paedophilia.

Being a late Nineties cynical film-goer, I don’t really care about political correct-

ness.

In fact, going to see a Stephen King film, I actively expect to see some little girls get abused at one point. However, even I blink when a black character called John Coffee walks around calling everyone “boss” and being afraid of the dark.

Point Five: The ending. As I’ve repeatedly mentioned, this behemoth runs to three hours. That’s longer than most Kevin Costner films. At the end, a voiceover explains that we are all, every one of us, on death row ( the “Green Mile” of the title.)

With this is mind, I think it’s significant that the last line is “Sometimes the Green Mile seems to last forever...”

Christian Bunyan.

Captive Audience REAR WINDOW is one of Hitchcock’s finest hours combining his skills of supense and understatement to produce a frighteningly powerful film.

Rear Window the classic voyerism film drawing you in to the world of delusion and insanity that starts to fill the mind of James Stewart’s supurbly executed character L.B. Jefferies Stuffed in the claustrophobia of his apartment, Jefferies, a professional photographer confined to his wheelchair begins to observe the lives of the other members of the apartment block in which he lives.

Cut off from the flow of life, Jefferies begins to watch the microcosm of the world that surrounds him and begins to build his own reality from the eccentric snippets of life that he sees.

It’s about time you met my mother Cleverly though, much of Hitchcock’s camera work moves slowly and carefully through analysing Jefferies’ own life as well as the lives of those he looks upon.

Hitchcock brings the audience member individually into their own voyerism of the life of Jefferies.

The camera concentrates on the items in his apartment and his relationship with his girlfriend Lisa Fremont (Grace Kelly), a seemingly ordinary situation blown into fascination by the audience, because of its being someone else’s life.

Each character of the film, the audience and Hitchcock himself analyse those they can see, as they are formed by their own position in relation to each other.

As the heat increases so does the tension, each occupant of the apartment block representing the diversity of life crammed into the metropolitan crush that results in the cacaphony of noise that is being pushed out by the increasing pressure of the situation.

Rear Window asks questions that are reflected upon only when we stop and watch, in this case as Jefferies is forced to do by his invalidity and as we are as the audience in our seats in the darkened auditorium of the cinema.

But it is Hickcock who takes the film this one stage further that only a man of his talent can, by presenting to our own minds a plot of intrigue that we can relate to because of its appeal to the universal fascination of humanity in other’s lives because of our necessarly subjective position.

As Stella says ‘We’ve become a race of Peeping Toms. What people ought to do is get outside their own house and look in for a change. a bit of homespun philosophy.’

Steve Haines

25th February, 2000 Issue 117

22 FILMS York Student Vision

Life’s a Beach

Film: The Beach Cert 15. Review Out Now

DiCaprio was well cast as Richard, but he is hardly stretched artistically.

Virginie Ledoyen has to look good and sound sexy while Guillaume Canet just has to look pissed off.

Tilda Swinton does a good job as the tetchy Sal but the best thing I can say about Robert Carlyle is that this is a marked improvement on Angela’s Ashes.

THERE IS the Alex Garland book, the obligatory All Saints song and now, no doubt, there is a T-shirt or even a package tour to Phi Phi Leh island - the setting for the much hyped film The Beach.

Starring Leonardo DiCaprio as traveller Richard, The Beach examines an attempt to find paradise on earth in response to a growing Nintendo generation that is so obsessed with technology that it no longer knows what reality is.

After arriving in Bangkok, Richard meets the unstable Daffy (Robert Carlyle) who tells him about a secret island with a paradise beach.

After leaving Richard a map showing him the way to this island, Daffy splits his wrists.

Along with new pals Etienne (Virginie Ledoyen) and Francoise (Guillaume Canet), Richard swaps the digital highway for a journey of a lifetime.

When they eventually reach the island they find a community of travellers, an idyllic beach and enough weed to stay comatose for the rest of their lives.

Led by Sal (Tilda Swinton) the community starts to crumble and the Utopian dream comes crashing down as we see what people are driven to in order to preserve their little bit of paradise.

The problem is that, as a film, The Beach does not know what it wants to be.

Di Caprio: Fancy a poke?

However, like the plot, something has gone horribly wrong with The Beach. It has not been getting rave reviews and you will not find one here either.

Do not get me wrong - it is not a bad film, it is perfectly enjoyable - but it will not change your life either.

The deepest thing about this film is the 120 foot waterfall on the island. The problem is that, as a film, The Beach does not know what it wants to be. Gritty realism? Fast moving? Surreal? Love story?

Post-modern irony? Moralistic?

It attempts to be all of the above and in the process sets itself up for a fall. The Beach ends up looking like a pale imitation of Apocalypse Now: a try-hard pastiche, packaged well but with little real

Evil is a Party Pooper

Film: House on Haunted Hill Cert 18. Review Out Now

IT’S BEEN 42 years but finally a film no one has ever heard of has been remade for our generation by a director no one would ever want to hear about (responsible for Universal Soldier: the Return).

Starring a host of actors who, for the most part we hope we will never see again.

The pretext for this phenomenal gathering of non-talent is a vague story about a million pound reward if a group of people can spend a night inside a haunted house.

The house (or more correctly ward), is haunted by the tormented souls of mental patients who were tortured by crazy doctors to the excess of human cruelty. They subsequently revolted and killed the doctors. The ward was shut and abandoned.

Only a couple remained to look after the place. The husband of this couple (a

Do we have to go to this party?

mad horror ride owner played by Geoffrey Rush), sets up the dare and sends out the invitations to his night of terror.

Soon a group of politically correct fodder (sorry characters), appear at the door (Ali Larter, Bridgette Wilson, Lisa Loeb etc). These include the standard comic character who saves the day, the hero and plenty of space filler teen queen bimbo’s to pad out the numbers and increase the butchery potential.

Once inside you don’t need a genius to imagine what happens. Do they lock themselves in a room together and wait out the night, as you would expect them to do, don’t be silly.

Do they instead split up unnecessarily to investigate every strange sound in the place, of course.

Does this mean they are butchered one by one, with only a couple of the characters surviving in case there’s demand for a sequel, I leave you to guess.

How we are meant to feel any sympathy for these characters is beyond me.

Even the director forgets their names (one girl becomes Sara instead of Jennifer half way through the film).

Making up in the gore department what is lost in subtlety and tension Malone’s uninspirational directing bombards us with disgusting images of people being killed with pencils and operated on without aesthetics.

On the plus side I’m sure it would make great drunken viewing in between an Evil Dead marathon.

Having seen it sober however I can honestly say it’s an inept, laden mess of a movie plagued with terrible acting and pointless special effects. A Bloody Mess.

Philip Diamond

York Student Vision

substance.

OK, so anyone with half a brain knows that ‘the beach’ is a metaphor and signifies something more that a piece of sand - but director Danny Boyle (of Trainspotting and Shallow Grave fame) fails to develop this idea further.

He seems scared to go too deep and leaves any message about anti-consumerism or a failed Utopian dream flailing helplessly in the wind.

Perhaps Boyle was under pressure from the big cheese at the studio - you certainly get the impression that someone, somewhere was thinking about money.

The Beach will make big bucks but this is more indicative of hype rather than the ability of cast and crew.

Enough said.

I wonder if Darius Khnodji, the cinematographer, had too much to smoke.

There are some very odd camera shots and tracking moves.

Doyle too, in a moment of self-indulgence, includes some incongruous scenes which are almost embarrassing to watch.

Take, for example, the scene in which DiCaprio becomes part of a computer game.

One can only hope that this is supposed to have some deep meaning about reality - but it ends up looking like contrived nonsense.

Ultimately The Beach is a flawed, but highly enjoyable film.There are certainly worse ways to spend a couple of hours Nevertheless, like the travellers who go searching for the beach - I feel I’ve been duped.

Amy Brooker

A Lasting Liaison Film: The End of the Affair Cert 18. Preview Out Now THE HYPE surrounding the apparently salacious sex scenes of The End of the Affair, whilst damaging its box office clout by denying it the above fifteen audience it so richly deserves, has not starved the actors and actresses starring their share of critical acclaim.

Julianne Moore has been nominated for an Oscar, whilst Ralph Fiennes seems to narrowly have missed out.

However, Hollywood hype aside, this is a classic adaptation of Graham Greene’s novel, which drew its inspiration from his own affair with Catherine Walston, all of which has been ably adapted into a luxurious screenplay, written by the film’s director, Neil Jordan, of The Crying Game fame.

We are shown some of the most erotically beautiful love scenes featuring ‘real people’, albeit both very good looking.

Whilst not as sumptious pictorially as films such as The English Patient or The Talented Mr Ripley, this film carries with it a certain dignity, the air of the British stiff upper lip, and all the deep emotions that are veiled in the shadow that its austerity casts.

We are shown some of the most erotically beautiful love scenes featuring ‘real people’, albeit both very good looking.

Their performances manage to express the intimacy and urgency of a cherished love that is clearly lacking in other films, which merely seek to redress

Classic City Screenings January - February 2000 Booking Line 01904 541144 Info Line 01904 541155 Coney Street, York Lovers of the Arctic Circle From the direction of Julio Medem, responsible for one of the late Kubrick’s favourite films, comes this astonishingly romantic film which describes the meeting of two eight-year olds and their ensuing life-long romance. Drawing on the ideas of Dames fortune and chance, this is an unusual though entirely alluring film.

Plein Soleil Starring Alain Delon and Marie Laforet, this 1960 film is the precursor to The Talented Mr Ripley, and bears up to its comparison exceptionally well. The original adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s novel, it is a classic study of glamour and psychopathic behaviour melted into one.

Time Regained Based on Proust’s lengthy classic The Remembrance of Things Past Raoul Ruiz directs Catherine Deneuve, John Malkovich and Emmannuelle Beart in a cinematic experience of his meditations from childhood through to adulthood.

Moving through the range of emotions that threatened to overwhelm his sanity, the cast dweservedly achieved great success at Cannes 1999.

Topsy Turvy Mike Leigh latest offering is a wonderful diversion from his previous films displaying both his and his regular actors’ and actresses’ talents. Based on the conception and formulation of Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Mikado, Topsy Turvy is a wonderful example of a British director of international acclaim providing a

CINEMA INFORMATION Can there be any Moore to see? this balance with raw sex. There is nothing racy here to be hidden away from teenagers.

Performances from Jordan stalwarts, Ian Hart and Stephen Rea, are entirely captivating in their minimalism. Rea, plays Henry, the husband of Moore’s cheating wife role, Sarah Miles.

Fiennes(Bendrix) and Moore, meeting after several years after the apparent demise of their love for each other, individually try to understand the failure of their relationship.

Rea, rather than appearing a subsidiary character, ties the film together as we are shown the differing narratives of the lovers, with the films end producing a complete paradoxical notion of sorrow for the ‘wronged party’ rather than the adulterers.

Set during war, and post-war Britain, the narrative dodges elegantly between past and and their present to produce a story of unrelenting passionate love, and whilst some prospective audiences might fear that it may be a little too cerebral for their tastes, Jordan’s adroit direction holds the viewer’s interest in the vintage story.

The adaptation is faithful to the Graham Greene story, and one feels he would have approved of this film’s interpretation, even if the British Board of Film Classification do Ann Smith not.

ODEON CINEMA Blossom Street, Micklegate Booking Line 01904 623287 WARNER VILLAGE CINEMAS Clifton Moor, York Booking Line 01904 691199

SITES AND SOUNDS www.virgin.net/beach If you want to go adventuring cheaply, visit this website on how to visit Thailand along with all the hoardes of teenagers following Leo’s footsteps...saddos www.imdb.com (The Internet Movie Database) If you want information on any movie, ever (really) go to this site and it will show you anything you want: everything from the cast list to the director, from gaffs to outakes, and even alternate endings...

Simply fantastic. www.scoot.co.uk Get the listings for your local cinema on this rather handy little site...

25th February, 2000 Issue 117

York Student Vision 23

MUSIC

Monkeying Around Ian Brown speaks to Vision about life on the outside, his new love and great, golden monkeys!

EVERYONE SHOULD spend some time in the company of the 21st century Ian Brown. It’s theraputic. Uplifting, even. We are lounging on comfortable sofas in a discrete little club in Kensington, drinking coffee and having a laugh. “I got the place specially decorated for you,” deadpans Ian, pointing to the tartan rugs on the walls. Fabiola, the new Mrs Brown – “me girl” - is dying for them to visit Scotland for a holiday. He’s been doing interviews all day and this is the last one but he is relaxed and chatty, interested and interesting.

Your new album, Golden Greats, came out in November last year but you didn’t do any interviews around the release. Why not?

In 1999 I’d just come out of prison, I’d got the whole year to look forward to and in me mind I just wanted to make an LP. I didn’t want to spend the end of ‘99 talking about the bad things that happened to me at the end of ‘98. I had such a clean, beautiful year that I didn’t want anything to taint it. I wanted people to soak up me LP and ask me questions 3 months later.

You do keep bouncing back, maybe that’s what people love. And you still seem unfazed by fame.

One of me things in ‘89 was I used to pray that I’d come through the other side.

I saw that the greats, the ones that achieved things in music, they either become mad or they die and I always used to pray that when it’s all over I’d still be of sound mind, that I won’t have choked on me own

“I just wanted to make an LP. I didn’t want to spend the end of ‘99 talking about the bad things that happened to me” vomit. And I’ve always had at the back of me mind that fame wouldn’t stop me going anywhere. You’re only as strong as your last record, it doesn’t matter what you did 10 years ago. I’ve never once gone up to anywhere and gone ‘Stone Roses’ or ‘don’t you know who I am?’ It’s just not me.

Golden Greats, your new album, is totally different from the first and anything you’ve done before, in terms of its sound and the way you’ve done it. Did you plan it that way?

The original brief was to make an acid house lp whereby you go in the acid house club, you hear every style of music, the instuments would all be dropped, you’ve got the beats always running and I’d be singing over the top. So I put together everything and we went in and polished it up.

It turned out that me programmer [Dave McCracken] was also musical minded so he became a bit of a collaborator and we wrote a couple of tunes togeth-

Ian Brown: King of the Swingers er. But I also wanted to get away from guitars. The Unkle record showed me that I could still sound good without guitars and I wanted to make a record with as few guitars on it as I could get away with. I feel like I’ve worked with two of the best guitarists available to me in the UK. John [Squire, ex-Roses guitarist] is definitely one of the best guitarists of his generation and so is Aziz [Ibrahim, who played on ..

Monkey Business]. I feel like I’ve already worked with the greatest guitarists so I wanted to do something that you could still tell was me but wasn’t guitar oriented.

In the live shows it’s interesting to see the progression as well. When you toured the first album you still had a traditional rock band around you and now a lot of the music is programmed…. but it still feels organic.

Now it’s got back to how I thought the Roses were. The idea with the Roses was that there was never going to be a separation between band and audience. The days of audiences looking up to the band and all worshipping the band were going to be over. It’s just that, because we could, we were supplying the music. Imagine each event as a party and you’re just supplying the music. And now the lineup I’ve got means that it is like that. We have got some samples and some bits of backing tracks and the lads are filling in. It’s got that sort of club feel to it whereby we’re all involved together - audience and band aren’t separated. I’m there and I’m just the MC, if you like.

Is that something you’d like to take further?

I just found a band called Les Leonis – The Lions – in Mexico and they sound fantastic, just that little bit different.

York Student Vision

They’re doing standard rock, they look up to the Beatles and the Roses but it’s that little bit different cos it’s Mexican.

Rock’n’roll was illegal in Mexico until 1985 so they’ve got a lot to get out their systems. They’ve asked me to produce and hopefully they’re going to get a deal.

Do you know when to stop, when the track is finished?

When I did Golden Greats I thought 'I'll produce it and I'll mix it'. but half way through I thought 'it's going to do us no harm to get a pair of fresh ears in.' I love the sound that Seal's records have got and they were mixed by a guy called Steve Fitzmorris and I said to my programmer I want to get a mixer in and he said 'why don't you try this guy Steve Fitzmorris'. I wanted someone to come in with a fresh pair of ears, hear the tape and put their own thing into it and that's just what he did. I made the odd suggestion but I loved the fact that we'd spent the time working writing the songs, creating the sounds, getting it down on tape and then it was his to

“What are the other benefits of fame? That a woman’ll sleep with you?

Well I’ve never had problems with that” make it into a record. There's a big difference between recording something on tape and making it into a record, it's a super skill that I haven't got. He sits in a million pounds worth of studio but he mixes onto a transistor radio, like a window cleaner would have so he mixes how you'd hear it on the radio if you were up a ladder clean-

ing windows. After eight hours he'll flick the big speakers on and it'll just kick in staright away. I was lucky to get him involved.

Do you think you’ll stick with the team you’ve got now?

At the moment I’m delighted. I’ve known Simon the drummer since I was 10 years old, Inder’s a beautiful man, just being around him is great and he’s a fantastic percussion player. Dave’s like a miner – he doesn’t take drugs, he’ll graft 18 hours a day, he loves music, he’s got great abilities, as a computer programmer he’s second to none. I can put anything through his computer and I know he’ll be looking after it. The lineup I’ve got, I’m made up with it.

Would you ever go back to having a band name?

I’d call it ‘The Brown’. I wish I’d not come out under me own name, I wish I’d used another name like a rapper. ‘Born Winner’ or something. I’m used to it now, but it’s strange when you see your own name turned into a product. When we had the Stone Roses, the name was like an umbrella, you’re representing as the Stone Roses. I’m going to call me next LP ‘Ian Brown Featuring the All Star Papa Trio’.

You got married recently and did it away from the limelight. Would you ever have considered doing the showbiz wedding, selling the pictures to Hello?

I would never sell me own personal happiness for gain, that’s going to come back on you. I don’t understand these people that do pre-nuptual agreements. How can you decide you want to marry someone and spend the rest of your life with them and then sign a piece of paper that says they can’t come for your money if you split up? There’s nothing romantic about that. I’m definitely a great romantic.

I wanted a beatiful romantic day and for my girl to have the best day of her life and her wish was that we just have a quiet wedding. I won’t even go on Never Mind The Buzzcocks. They keep asking me but I’m not interested in being a celebrity. If I’m out and about it’s because I’m doing something. I’m not interested in just being famous.

The benefits of fame is that you can get in a nightclub if it’s full but I would never try that. If they don’t let me in they don’t let me in. What are the other benefits of fame? That a woman’ll sleep with you?

We’ll I’ve never had problems with that. I wouldn’t be scared of going back to the dole – obviously I wouldn’t like it cos I’ve got kids to raise. The benefits of fame are really that you can get yourself out of your own town and get a free hotel.

And with that, my time is up. Ian's press officer has arranged a car, but having discovered that he is staying round the corner from my flat, Ian suggests we get the tube. I, of course, am delighted to accompany him round the District Line.

On the short walk home from the tube we encounter a couple of policemen walking in the opposite direction. We pass in silence, until Ian mutters, under his breath, "Muppets." He's still laughing as he reaches his front door.

Herbal Remedies THE OZRIC TENTACLES have been around in one guise or another since 1982, where they met at the Stonehenge Free Festival.

How would the Ozrics describe their music to someone who’s never heard it?

First of all, we should say that there’s no vocals. It’s kind of got two different sides to it. There’s the trancy-type influence along with the ethnic-world thing going on at the same time. We like the idea of being able to fuse real, acoustic instru-

ments with more complicated modern technology that is now available. That’s what it’s all about, really: exploring new technologies while keeping our own sound.

Who are you influenced by?

A lot of seventies stuff. Steve Hillage, Gong, Hawkwind. I [Ed] used to listen to the radio, wait for the guitar solos, and then start recording. Then I’d have a tape full of solos to listen to.

What’s your strangest experience as a band?

We had a gig at a monestary in Bologna.

As we were sound checking, a monk, in the habit and everything, just wandered through the set. He didnt care or anything. Very Strange. We also did a gig at an arberitum in Belgium where people complained about the noise 10 miles away.

What are the best and worst things about being in the Ozrics?

The best thing is obvious, really. It’s the whole music thing; being able to play the music both in the studio and live. It’s all I want to do.

Would you say that your sound has changed much over the years?

Not really. In the beginning, our live sound was a lot different to the studio stuff, as the technology available at the time was limited. Nowadays, we are able to bring virtually everything from the studio on the road, thanks to better synths and stuff, so we can do a lot more complicated songs live that we wouldn’t have been able to do before.

And so they went Ed and Seaweed wandered off to help set up. Tom ‘Crack a semeh’ and Jake ‘force ten chopper’ sat, forlorn and slightly drunk, wondering if they’d ever meet the ozrics again. They would, later that evening......where the Ozrics proved that the cutting edge can be more than punk (are you listening Alex Watson?)

(No, I’m not listening to your band.

I thought I made that clear - Alex)

25th February, 2000 Issue 117

24 MUSIC York Student Vision

Sign of the Times Coming Up MP3? INTERNET? In my day all you needed was a guitar and an attitude. Vision’s Alex Watson opens the can of worms that is set to determine how we buy music in the future.

So what’s anMP3?

MP3 is a type of computer file, and the name comes from the ‘file extension’ – same as when you save a picture it’s probably a JPG or a GIF, MP3 is a method of saving a song to a hard drive. Normally though, three minutes of near CD quality music takes up way too much space to be useful, portable (hence why you need really powerful computers to do mixing).

The clever bit about MP3 is it takes up much less space, so anyone with a computer and an internet connection can easily download an MP3. At university, with a high speed link, downloading an MP3 should take less than five minutes.

Are they legal?

The problem with current copyright laws is that they don’t really work when it comes to the internet. Copying a CD has been, until recently, expensive and difficult. But copying an MP3 is fast, quick and easy, so MP3s have gathered some negative press as it’s very easy to pirate them. Some MP3s are free – anyone can download them and copy them freely.

Some of them you pay for, just like a CD, and although you can copy them, you shouldn’t. And then there’s the ‘blackmarket’ MP3s, where someone takes a

home, either record them to a mini-disc, or save them onto a zip disk.

peoplesound.com CD, makes MP3s from the songs, and they’re world-wide and being copied by all and sundry within five minutes.

Are they any good?

For the recording industry establishment, where a band represents a multi-million pound investment, MP3 has very little to offer; if, like Oasis, you can sell a quarter of a million singles in a week, why bother? But for new artists, those who the recording industry wont push, or who don’t have big money backing, the promise is simple : anyone in the world can hear your music for free.

How do I listen to them on campus?

Being at university puts us in a prime position to take advantage of the MP3 revolution. All you need are some headphones (or, a standard stereo lead and a mini-disc player). Simply go to an MP3 site, and save the file to the hard drive (c:\), then load up Real Player, and open the file. It’ll play. If you want to take them

So where do you find MP3s?

Well, there’s several ways. If you’re searching for a specific song, www.oth.net can help (though it’s quite complicated, as you’ll need to figure out FTP), but downloading the Napster client from www. napster.com is probably the best way.

Once you’ve installed it (it should fit in your user area), simply load it up, and it’ll search for any song you can think of.

If you want songs by big name bands, then www.nmeaaa.com is a good place to start – they’ve recently featured the Smashing Pumpkins, Elastica and a live track by Pavement.

If it’s brand new music from unsigned bands you want – and this is what MP3 is best at – then sites like MP3.com, Vitaminic.com and of course, peoplesound.com all have loads of undiscovered artists.

It can be duanting to see the sheer amount of chioce of bands on the web.

Peoplesound does, however offer a very useful navigator which you can tell what kinds of bands you like and it will then mailyour e-mail inbox details of all the band releases that may appeal.

What’s the verdict, well right now the lines have not been drawn, on what you can do and what you can’t. This is, it seems the future, but who do you think will end up with the choice?

Alex Watson

I REMEMBER the first time I heard God. (The Pixies, Doolittle, Debaser [Track 1]).

It’s a funny feeling, spiritual interaction. Like a blinding white light exploding in all directions right at the back of your head, a million angels all screaming your name at once, this paltry paper-print can never do it justice.

But that’s OK: anyone who has ever been passionate about a piece of music will know what I mean. And for those of you who don’t: this is for you.

Student apathy thrives here at York perhaps it’s the safety of campus, or something becalming about the concrete - and it manifests itself not just in nonattendance of UGMs or low turnouts at elections, but in music too.

The standard CD collection in a campus room will lie somewhere between ‘The Best of The Best of Shine II” and “Now that’s what I call embarassing 80s Shite”, Travis seated politely next to Duran Duran. It will almost certainly contain at least one copy of Abba Gold.

We continue to have a campus hideously overweight with cheese and irony. Why? The clubbing ‘scene’ here is abhorrent, nothing more than an alcopopped Miss Selfridge getting jiggy to an old commercial dance tune, and a group of self mocking male students dancing to “It’s Raining Men”. Before Spark, the last signed band to play York University were Shed Seven. Twice.

Battle of the Bands redressed the balance somewhat, but we continue to have a campus hideously overweight with cheese and irony. Why? Because people just don’t care enough about what they listen to as long as there’s a bar extension.

But they should.

A person’s musical taste is as unique

as their fingerprint. It’s part of what defines you as a person, and your answer to the question, “So, what kind of music are you into?” is one you should know instinctively.

Seated next to Duran Duran If it’s “Oh, anything really”, then it’s wrong. Accepting any kind of music as your companion is like taking any kind of person as your lover: random, trusting, dangerous, and liable to get you into all sorts of trouble in the long run.

You wouldn’t date a person just because they were available and average, so why debase yourself with music of the same calibre?

Travis, nothing more than a Y2K Del Amitri, are succeeding not because they’re outstanding at anything in particular, but because they provide the average of everything that preceded them. The musical equivalent of that person in your seminar group who won’t stop emailing you, they’re safe, predictable, and kind of funny sometimes - but deep down, you can’t stop that nagging feeling that you could certainly do better for yourself.

York Student Vision

And you can.

It won’t be easy, but yo can. Imagine: somewhere out there is a song that will thrill you so completely, that will complete you so thrillingly, that you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it. The problem is finding it amongst all the mediocre muzak you talked over before.

The solution?

Diversify.

Try listening to something completely different. Try some folk, some bluegrass, some lo-fi, some Belgian alternative rock. Try the sort of pop music you gave up when you were twelve years old: try Westlife, try Boys and Girls United, try the Christina Aguilera album. If you don’t like it, or, more to the point, if you don’t love it, move on.

Try some new American country, or some Scandanavian electronica. If you know you like Travis, fine, that’s a starting point, but don’t stop there - use it as a base to find something you adore, a record that you could cry, laugh, burn and bleed to.

If you love a record so much that it hurts to stop it halfway through, then that’s a start. If you care so much about a song that you’d disown anyone who talked over it, then you know you’ve succeeded.

Choose your CDs as carefully as you would your religion. Then press play, sit back, and prepare for the divine.

Ste Curran Station Manager, URY

Steve Haines talks to real musicians about music, not cheese

The Underappreciated Underwolves THERE IS only really one way to describe Underwolves attitude and that’s in the words of Ned himself: “for real music.”

A couple of weeks ago, amongst the usual Vision mailbag of uninteresting bands producing tired old guitar based rock, the Underwolves album sampler of ‘Under your sky’ appeared.

We could throw a few references at it - drum and bass, maybe a touch of Brand New Heavies but essentially, as Kate wrote in her review of the album last issue, it was “something different, that cannot be wittily defined by comparisons, that has no real label.”

So how did they produce this inspired result?

Ned Kelly and Professor Stretch, the brains behind the operation took some time out to answer this.

“It was always our mission to show where drum and bass came from,” says Stretch.

Having met in London, in a scene that was mixing the young field of drum and bass with the rare groove scene, Stretch’s classical training and technical skills produced the specific blend with Ned’s DJ skills that make their sound what it is.

It is this clash between the two influences that gets the best from the both of them, says Ned. “We write for ourselves about ourselves in connection with our surroundings.”

Underwolves music comes out of the cultural melting pot of London, and this is reflected in Ned and Stretch’s choice of vocalists for the band: Jeb Loy Nichol’s folk rock background, Madaline EdgeHill from regge band ACABU and Squidly

PEOPLE ASK why it’s called “Amen” but to be honest I don’t have a clue.

What I do know is that it’s certainly the answer to people’s prayers for alternative dance music on campus (and even in York!).

The success of the sell out night was a tribute to the hard work of Mikey and Tom Ryan - the founders of Breakz.

Three years ago there were no alternative dance events on campus but since Breakz hit the scene all that has changed.

Events have got bigger and better playing a whole range of dance music including house, techno, breakbeat, hip hop and drum & bass.

“Amen” is a Breakz night in Vanbrugh dedicated to playing different styles of hip

from African Headcharge.

I asked how these varied musical influences helped shape the sound of the band, “You want to get things as they happen naturally’ says Stretch, ‘take what you love and see what you can do.”

So what do they think of Fatboy Slim and his unique style of adapting old tracks? “It’s pub music’ says Ned, ‘for a specific pre-determined mass audience”.

But Ned didn’t object to his doing it “there’s no point in getting angry about people getting success, the bigger issue is keeping the music alive”.

“We write for ourselves about ourselves in connection with our surroundings” What is different about Underwolves is in their approach to the music, ‘we don’t represent jazz, but in jazz anything is possible’ says Ned “it’s a cultural as well as a musical reference”.

And so too with Underwolves, all influence is good “as long as it flows and is natural”.

As I was speaking they were in the process of remixing the Merz track ‘Lotus’ so what were their wishes for the future?

“We want to make the second album more transferable live, and get a live act with eight or nine musicians, DJ’s and singers. But we want to try out some things to see what the audiences like”.

But most importantly it wasn’t the hype or instant that bothered them “the next stage will happen” says Ned “all in good time.”

Steve Haines

hop and drum & bass. Usually all the DJs are students but this time we were joined

by AKA Acrylic (signed to Peshay’s record label) who played back to back with Mikey.

The drum & bass (being played in the JCR) started off jazzy and got harder as the night progressed - the number of people dancing and their manic cries for more as the evening finished was testimony to it’s popularity. The beat juggling and scratching of the hip hop DJs in the bar kept the tempo of the night going right to the end.

For those that want more Breakz are putting on a night in Vanbrugh for Access All Areas in Week 8. As for the summer term, there are a few suprises in store…

Charlie Gibson

25th February, 2000 Issue 117

York Student Vision MUSIC 25

News, Views, Reviews Artist: Hardknox Title: Hardknox Released: Out Now HARDKNOX JUST ain’t gonna go down quietly. Distorted big beat genius and “complete evil” don’t even come close to encapsulating the uncompromising style of their debut album of the same name.

Artist: Buzzcocks Title: Time’s Up/ SpiralScratch E.P. Released: Out Now

It almost pains me to say it, but a “refined” version of ‘Ain’t Going Down’ features on the album – an earlier version being composed when drum’n’bass DJ Steve P and Norman Cook’s partner Linda Layton first got together in a dark, dubby studio on Halloween.

They’ve taken a growling slab of beats and filtered techno synth bass, dropped them from a great height onto the drum’n’bass driven dance scene to come up with this, a no-holds barred album, already tipped by some to make it onto the shortlist for debut album of 2000.

The live experience is just as hard-

hitting: two female strippers form an integral part of the show. This is the kind of music you let blast out of your machine to get away from the world, to fade it into oblivion and to leave everything behind.

Throughout the album, samples from rap veteran Schoolly D and an anonymous member of the extremist Black Israelites group who abused Hardknox contribute to the distorted bass and the heaviest of rock rhythms.

If this is your thing, you’ll love it.

Personally, I’d rather do anything else.

Artist: Subcircus Title: Are You Receiving?

Released: Out Now

throughout as an instrument to be played with – its not what he is saying (which is often ‘bababababa’, ‘fffff’ or ‘dodododo’!) which is striking, but the way he is saying it.

Unlike Placebo, Subcircus do not need to use language in order to raise questions about androgyny – it is done just through tone.

The singer teases us with his seductive sexuality, yet can move in the same line from fragility to falsetto.

‘60 Seconds’, the standout first single, has striking similarities to the triumphant tone of Bowie’s Starman and ‘Boys are Naturally Cruel’ has a definite Mercury Revesque feel – but the vibe of the album is of ambiguity not unoriginality.

Its appeal actually lies in the diversity of ways existing musical traditions are imitated and revived. Subcircus don’t want to be a band for the masses and I don’t think they ever will be – that doesn’t stop them being teasingly appealing.

ARE YOU ready to relive the Velvet Goldmine experience? Do you think the 70’s glam rock revival is now a bit passé?

Personally I think any return to music as flamboyance or as performance is refreshing.

Wesley Johnson

Frontman PB Jnr uses his voice

THERE WAS a time when all it took to say something was a notebook full of angst, someone’s dad’s old drumkit, and your mate who couldn’t play anything so you put him on bass.

Now the Sex Pistols broke the ground, but all they really were was a media show on behalf of Malcolm Mclaren. The first people to really get the British punk scene rolling were the Buzzcocks. Spiral Scratch E.P. was the first independent, do-it-yourself, we-are-the-means-of-production U.K. punk record.

The tracks all resurface on the album Time’s Up a collection of some real raw 1976 punk. The CD features the video of their first ever gig in 1976 and shows a good bit of attempted guitar destruction by Pete Shelly. Strangely for punk, it sounds as if the band can play in time. And they are surprisingly tight seeing as most tracks were done in the first or second takes.

All the songs take a similar format, lots of everything and quite a bit of shouting- all good really. The influence is hugely Sex Pistols and New York Dolls, but there is a lot more to them than cliched shouting for the sake of it. I think this is the thing about this album, it may sound like all your mate’s school bands wrecking

songs and insulting the teachers but these were the guys that did it first.

If you like punk at all these early recordingswill tell you why. These guys just don’t care, they’re not really very good at anything other than what they do, But at the time it was hugely important to react to the seven sided prog rock masterpieces that consistently told you how good the band thought they were. This is raw

music for the people that want to listen to them, so they wouldn’t give a monkies if you didn’t.

This by no means means its just mindless protest, tracks like Breakdown and Lester Sands hold meaning in their words.

But the message is defined much more in the simple riffs and beats. This album is about punk’s history, but also a good message for today for all the over produced ultra digitally clean music scene. All you really need to do is make some noise, and this is the band that can tell you how.

Steve Haines

Kate Wallis

Breakz all the Rules

Anyone who attended AMEN in Vanbrugh College on Friday night of week four this term will already be aware of the capabilities of Breakz and our resident D.J.’s. As far as I can tell from the questions posed by various happy punters you will be asking why more events of this nature do not appear on campus.

For those of you who stayed in on the 11th of February, some explanation is necessary; for the duration of the five hour gig, the capacity crowd was treated to the most innovative music you’re likely to hear in York, played at frankly ridiculous volumes.

Our music policy at ‘Amen’ was fairly eclectic: the bar featured Hip-hop and Bigbeat from a rag-tag selection of whoever turned up with enough records to play and asked nicely; the Junior Common Room, decked out in our best wall hangings and camouflage netting, was rocked by various permutations of drum ‘n’ bass

through a 6kW sound system.

Against all expectations, the usually apathetic students of York university managed to muster sufficient energy to start dancing properly about twenty minutes after the door opened, and, even more astonishingly, refused to stop when the lights were turned on at the end of the night. They even danced in the bar.

During my three years promoting events on campus, I have been under the impression that this kind of unrestrained spontaneity was restricted to real cities like London or Aberdeen, but, clearly, the 1999 intake of freshers contained a well hidden population of nutcases with slightly less restrictive music tastes than the average Club Derwent patron (Believe me, I D.J.ed Club D for two terms, I know).

Breakz was founded by myself and a couple of like minded mates in 1997, to promote ‘Alternative Dance Music’ on campus, because there wasn’t any. We ran a couple of trips to Leeds and Bradford, set up a few nights like Amen, and had a bloody good laugh. It died a bit of a death

York Student Vision

in the summer of 1999, because we got tired of trying to persuade the infuriatingly staid population of York University that loud, bangin’ beats were the way forward.

Which is why you’ve not been able to enjoy our events this year. Apart from

The capacity crowd was treated to the most innovative music you’re likely to hear in York, played at frankly ridiculous volumes.

‘Universal’ (Derwent, Week 1, Term 1), and one ‘Amen’ there has been nothing, and I apologise personally for my misreading of the student demographic. The week four event was a thank you gesture to all of our D.J’s, a final gig for old time’s sake, but it turns out that we may just have found ourselves a new audience as a result.

If you’re part of that new audience, fear not; we’re lining up a whole series of

gigs for your enjoyment, starting with our occupation of Vanbrugh college during Access All Areas (Week 8), featuring ‘Amen’ as a support for the House and Trance D.J.’s in the main hall, with some great ideas on the lighting and visual effects front, and I have big plans for next term (but they’re secret). Anyone reading this who thinks our kind of music may not be their cup of tea may well be right; we’re not going to play Steps or whatever it is that Northern Leisure considers suitable material for fleecing the kids at the moment.

All I can say is that you may just be pleasantly surprised by what we do, just like the grunge throwbacks who discovered that drum ‘n’ bass is even better for moshing to than Soundgarden, or the Club Derwent regulars who spent the entire night relaxing in the bar listening to records that Radio One hasn’t the guts to play. Either way, you can be sure of something different, and can go home with your tastes subtly altered, feeling quite smug about how alternative you are.

Tom Ryan

Singles Bar

I’M DEPRESSED. In the aftermath of Valentines Day I feel cold, lonely, unexcitable. It’s these sorts of moods that drive you out of the house, only to frown at everything like a shortsighted window-shopper.

“ T h e y shouldn’t judge a book by its cover,” my mum used to console me each February; and with this sentiment of finding the beauty behind the mask I turn to our first single. Judging by the single cover Supra are the French Letter of the bag this week. ‘Live a Lie’ is a self-satisfied and unconvincing moan from this US college band ‘Change’, the B-side, started well but was brought down a peg or two by weak singing and a childish lack of conviction. My mum’s advice?

You’ll go blind.

Looking for something more wholesome I was told Santessa has her ‘Eyes on You’, which was nice. As soon as she opened her mouth however, I found her to be dull, repetitive and not really getting away with the strange Calypso thing she was trying to do.

Fiona Prince gets ‘High on You Again’ was the word at the bar, so I thought I’d make a move. From a distance she came across like a mix of Belinda Carlyle and Madonna - looking good. But things soured under scrutiny; this single is rubbish.

It’s not often the word sophistication occurs to me, but now I was feeling the lack of it. Kraftwerk’s ‘Expo 2000’ seemed to be boring Daft Punk but then maybe I’ve missed the point. This is the official tune for Expo 2000 so get sick of it on the radio first.

A blow to the back of the head, followed by some Eskimo nose-rubbing brought me round to No Doubt.

‘Ex Girlfriend’ plays good cop/bad cop like a seductive masseur; you don’t quite know where they’re going but then that’s all the fun. Gwen Stefani pouts her way through this invigorating chorusdriven taster for Return of Saturn, the next album.

JJ72? Enquired the barman.“No cocktails for me, I’m driving,” I explained as Mark Greaney tapped me on the shoulder.

JJ72 turn out to be quite the most engaging band I’ve come across since Mansun excited me with ‘Wide Open Space’- with much more potential. This is an atmospheric and enchanting offering; a breathy majesty teetering on the brink of brilliance. Mark’s distinctive voice can only get better...

Tom Nall

25th February, 2000 Issue 117

26 SPORT York Student Vision

Boat Club Bonus Owen Rodd reports on the Boat Club’s entry into the top division of the National League

Boat Club: making waves THE BOAT Club has received a significant boost to its status by being placed in the First Division of the new National Rowing League. This recognizes UYBC as one of 30 elite rowing clubs in the whole of the UK.

The new League is the initiative of the sport’s governing body, the Amateur Rowing Association and has been launched to provide a fresh sense of competition between all UK clubs.

Via the points system, all competing members - be they novices or veterans have the opportunity to help their club rise

York Badminton Beat the Best Ed Senneck looks at the Badminton Club’s BUSA success

up the tables.

First division status has been achieved by both the Boat Club men and women, and with York City RC chasing the university in the Second Division - the health of the sport in the area has never been more obvious.

John Hood, coach to the university’s top mens’ crews, is particularly pleased with the new scheme. “Up till now, too much attention has been paid to the senior crews from each club. More interest will now be given to rowers of all standards and a broader base of talent will be the benefit in the future.

“The League will also provide a new incentive for coaches and I am looking forward to consolidating the University’s position in the First Division.”

Notably, the Boat Club has achieved competitive standards despite the very limited resources on offer to York student rowers.

Joint ClubPresidents Fionnuala Sutton and Ed Borrini have been particularly vocal on the subject. “UYBC are a force to be reckoned with nationally and have now been officially recognized as such,” says Ed. “It is truly amazing that the club has managed to achieve such heights despite the University’s continued reluctance to channel money into sport. It is a real fight not to let it hold us back,” added Fionnuala.

Both recognized the club’s partnership with Pi Technology as a tremendous lift but added that no corporate sponsorship deal would be likely to match the tens of thousands of pounds pumped into rowing by University’s such as Durham, London, Reading, Bristol and numerous Oxbridge colleges.

Ultimate Frisbee THIS WEEKEND saw the seizure of the Barbican centre by more than eighty noisy Ultimate Frisbee players for York’s Uncle Otter tournament.

With teams visiting from Loughborough- Purple Haze, WarwickBears, Hull- Hulltimate and LancasterThe Fish, together with 3 teams of our own, the competition was tough.

Saturday took the form of a pool system with Yorkie Bar Kids 1 playing on top form beating Hulltimate 2 13;3, Purple Haze 9;8 and drawing with the current student champions Warwick Bears 11 all. This placed them in 1st place at the end of day one. Yorkie Bar Kids 2 and 3 also played well as the under dogs of the tournament, giving the more experienced teams something to be worried about.

Saturday evening went in true ultimate style as teams stormed Goodricke’s Cooker and showed that they knew how to party!

Sunday’s play saw an intensive battle between Haze, Bears, Hull and the Yorkie Bar Kids for top place.

Unfortunately in their second meeting with Purple Haze the Yorkie Bar Kids had to admit defeat as they lost 13;10 and slipped to 4th place. It was a fast and furious match against Hulltimate 1 as they played better than ever for a gruelling 20 minutes, coming out victorious 8;7 and securing their final position of 3rd.

Meanwhile Yorkie Bar Kids 2 were being pushed to the limit by the Fish, although scoring the opening points and starting on great form, the Fish worked some of their magic and took the lead, winning 11;7. However, our chances for Roses are looking good and likely that we may break their undefeated record against us!

The final result saw Purple Haze emerge victorious. Yorkie Bar Kids 1 won the much acclaimed ‘Spirit Award’ for the friendliest team, a highly regarded position in Ultimate tournaments.

For further information about ultimate frisbee email socs311.

Catherine Walker

York Playing Host to Trampolining Competition Sam Macrory talks to the Trampolining Club as they prepare for the BUSA Nationals SLOWLY BUT surely the Trampoline Club has established itself as one of the top sporting outfits at York, and for the first time ever is to host a major competition .

THE UNIVERSITY of York men’s badminton team deserves much credit for their representation of the university in the later stages of the national BUSA competition.

The men’s first team qualified from a very competitive group, consisting of other, generally larger, northern universities. This made them one of the few university sports teams to gain a place in the prestigious BUSA Cup; the knockout phase of the national competition.

Qualification for the Cup far exceeded captain Mike Jones’ expectations for the season and he was delighted to have guided the team to such an achievement.

However, to progress further in the knockout rounds, the York first team would first have to face the awe-inspiring, juggernaut of university sport; Loughborough, who also happened to boast an England international. Thus expectations of a successful encounter were confined only to extreme optimists.

However, the timing of the match did

not suit the Midlander’s as it clashed with their exam week. Thus, they arrived in York with only four players. Consequently, York were already three-nil up in the rubber before any shuttlecocks had been hit.

Despite the odds being stacked heavily in their favour, York still had to win at least two matches during the tie to be victorious. To their credit they achieved three individual and pair victories to win 6-3 overall.

The players were delighted with the victory and progression to the quarterfinal stage where their opponents were local rivals Sheffield. Unfortunately, the success against Loughborough couldn’t be repeated and York bowed out of the Cup. Captain Mike Jones thanks all of his players for their efforts. Reaching the quarter-final of the national competition certainly bears admirable testament to the talent and dedication of the players. He would particularly like to mention the committed and high-levelperformances of Justin Gerrard and Nick Harte .

York Student Vision

Only last Autumn posters appeared with slogans like: “How many positions can you do in a minute”. The Trampoline club has come a along way since then. On

the 26th of February 180 competitors will travel to York to compete in the BUSA cup regional heats and this year York will enter an Advanced Team for the first time.

The University will be represented in the Novice, Intermediate and Advanced categories.

Club Press Officer Gemma Townson views the club’s chances highly: “With these people competing we have a great chance of getting some people in the next

Trampolining Club: taking head-over-heels approach

round”.

The club has always catered for complete beginners, but since the start of the year the opportunities for more advanced performers has been increasing rapidly.

Townson feels that the key to this development has been the installment of a new rig a few weeks ago which “Has allowed the possibility of the learning of multiple somersaults. Townson also adds that improvement in the coaching has been a key development of the club.

Controversially, however, she firmly believes that the backing of the University has been half-hearted if not entirely absent. “The club has been expanding fast over the last two years and this has been achieved against, not with the sports policy of this university.

“The equipment purchases are all student money” and adds that: “The Trampoline sessions squeezes 20 people onto one badminton court due to lack of court space”.

Hopefully with the clubs recent success the University will be more forthcoming with its support and backing. So against the odds, the Trampoline Club goes from strength to strength. Townson invites those of all standards, including complete beginners, to come along and take part. The club already has seven basic coaches and another coaching course will run from May 27th. If interested, e-mail the club and find out more.

25th February, 2000 Issue 117

York Student Vision SPORT 27

Two Men Go Dancing They may not be in the AU but they have become some clubs’ leading supporters. Stuart Emmerson was very, very keen to don the proverbial skirt for a practice session with the Cheerleading Society. The question is: how successful was he? At cheerleading, that is...

AFTER MUCH persuasion I decided to accept the task of writing an article on the Cheerleading Society.

There was an immediate problem however. We needed a back-up photographer since the usual one was not certain to make it. I asked around to see if anyone had any photographic experience: and was astonished at how many closet photographers we had!

I was also advised by my mates that I was bound to require a make up artist, wardrobe assistant and hairdresser. I started getting suspicious that they were only going for the birds, so I limited the team to two (me and Piglet.... his bird needed him out the way anyway to cook him a romantic Valentines meal).

As we headed off to Vanbrugh I noticed that Piglet had slipped into some off his best attire and had his pulling aftershave on. He looked at me as if to say “you never know”.

Entering Vanbrugh we thought that we would just head for the first top blonde we saw.... sure enough she was the cheerleader leader.

On the way to the training room Jeanette (the blonde) informed us how she had set up the club last summer in order to offer support (support?!) to the Men’s Rugby League team.

Opinion

I thought that it would be best if we watched first, from the front and behind, just so that we could pick up the moves and get a full appreciation of the talent on offer

They all enjoyed it so much that they applied for society status and soon they were up and running. Now it has a mem-

by Claire New

PETER BEARDSLEY, Ronaldo, Greg Rusedski, Mike Tyson, Paul Gascoigne, Duncan Goodhew, Brian Moore, just to mention a few aesthetically challenged sportsmen that have reached the heights of international glory.

(not even ugly) wins a silver medal at the 1999 World Championships in Seville, and all she gets is an inside page half column of the ‘Chester Chatter’.

What do women have to do to gain the recognition worthy of their sporting ability as opposed to their essential dimensions. We really do have a wealth of female talent, unfortunate Trying tediously to ly though most are denied think of female counterthe benefits of sponsorparts I can think of just ship because if they are one, she’s the eternal less than gorgeous they Czech shot putter that don’t attract the camera’s. crops up in every chauvinThe vicious circle of ist rant about the sex limited coverage, resultappeal of female sportsing in limited promotion women. and therefore limited pres I just find it so demortige makes gaining sponalising that sport has sorship more or less joined the bandwagon impossible. started rolling by

Without this subHollywood that is rapidly stantial funding, training taking over the world. is difficult to fit into the In yet another sphere schedule of a working of society whose male mother. But female perdomination is slowly formances can be as fast being challenged by sucand skilful and as passioncessful women the only ately executed as any male defence is to restrict sucFemale sporting conflict and cess to those with potential sex appeal. performances can be should be able to pull in the crowds without a size Who can blame as fast and skilful eight blonde wearing a Kournikova for exploiting her sexuality when it will and as passionately wonder-bra. There is an obvious alternative to this get her twice as much executed as in any situation which sees the sponsorship and coverage promotion of all potential male sport than her equally talented sportsmen and women, rival Mauresmo (“half a whatever they look like. man”, according to However this would involve recogniMartina Hingis).

Tim Henman perhaps the most suc- tion from the sporting world, primarily the cessfully talentless British tennis player of promoters, but also from the athletes all time, has sponsors and promoters themselves. Those at the forefront of the drawling all over his scrawny knobbly back pages and medal podiums have a kneed mummies boy body. Paula Radcliffe responsibility to demand this revolution

York Student Vision

bership of approximately forty-five with around twelve regulars. (And two members are actually blokes).

I had been informed by a reliable cheerleaders will be much needed. (Indeed source that the Cheerleading Society one of the cheerleaders appeared to be offered the creme de la creme of York really looking forward to this tour but I’ll totty. We were not disappointed. Julia, leave the lads to work out which one it is.)

Katy, Lucy, Rebecca, Amy, Nancy, Nicky, The girls are, however, suffering Iris, Amy and so on (incredibly) from a The girls soon got us represent some of lack of demand at York’s finest women. involved and before we the moment. They Immediately we were are prepared to invited to join in but, knew it we were spinning, come along and after rapid consulta- kicking to the left, then to support any teams tion, Piglet and I so long as “you the right, and God thought that it would invite them along to be best if we watched the pub afterknows what else first, from the front wards!”. and behind, just so The club President that we could pick up the moves and get a Jeanette Elsworth, invites any club capfull appreciation of the talent on offer. tains interested in having the cheerleading The girls soon got us involved though, society supporting them to contact her via and before we knew it we were spinning, e mail on je108. kicking to the left, then to the right, and Jeanette remarked: “We are just havgod knows what else. The groups’ co- ing a laugh, but at the same time there is a ordination coupled with their natural serious element. If nothing else, when we rhythm was remarkable. go along to a match it means you have ten As well as grooving to the sound of girls making lots of noise for your team, music kicking out from the beat box the which can’t be bad!” girls even have there own songs to add to Above all these cheerleaders are fun their dance repertoire. Apparently this fun and friendly and would certainly add group of cheerleaders are scheduled to be atmosphere to matches and events. going on a two week tour with the football So come on all you club captains, give team. the girls a call and let them shake their The football team are only playing pom poms..... but don’t forget to invite one match though, consequently the them to the pub!

Ski Club Out on the Piste IF, LIKE me, your knowledge of skiing is limited to memories of Eddie ‘the eagle’ Edwards and James Bond films, then perhaps you’re missing out on what is quickly becoming one of the most popular and exciting sports in the university.

Whilst York, and indeed England, may not guarantee quite the same breathtaking scenery that Messrs Bond and Edwards my be used to, the Ski and Snowboard Club does offer you annual trips abroad, the opportunity to become instantly trendy with your snowboarding lingo, and most importantly “Incredibly good fun”.

The club, which is amalgamated with Ripon and York University, has recently incorporated snowboarding into its activi-

by Paul Wrigglesworth ties, and this is something it is looking to develop further. Later this term snowboarders from York will pit their wits against Lancaster in the Roses for the first time.

Skiers, however, form the majority within the club and compete in slalom races in the north east collegiate championships. These meetings occur four times a year in Sunderland. Last year the club finished fourth, a position guaranteeing them progression into the Nationals in London. This achievement is one the club hopes to emulate in forthcoming competition.

The club itself has over one hundred members and consists of two mixed and one ladies team. Last year the latter finished second in the Nationals, a reflection of the club’s commitment to bringing ski-

Ski Club: heading down hill?

ers up to race standard.

The club trip to Val Thorens at the end of March is undoubtedly the focus of the year. Located in the Alps it is reputedly the up and coming resort in Europe.

Combining an idyllic setting with fantastic night life, the trip promises to be the social high point of the year.

Of course the Alps offer one thing that York generally does not, namely snow, and this gives the opportunity to beginners as well as more experienced members to find out what hurtling down hills is really all about.

The great social life is one aspect that members of the club are keen to emphasize.

Gone are the days of cliquiness which the club had been accused of in the past.

Rather there is a very friendly atmosphere and regular socials to Oscars and Ziggy’s.

In fact sometimes there is as much emphasis on this side of the club as there is on the skiing. Well, they need to get practising for all that aprés ski!

The club and its trips are open to anyone. Beginners are always welcome, and they are trained by professional coaches at Sheffield Ski Village, one of the best dry slopes in England.

This venue has recently been extended to cope with growing demand from snowboarders. A number of new jumps and half pikes have been added as variation to the dry ski slopes.

The club trains there every two weeks.

For beginners the cost is £9 for two hours skiing, which includes transport and equipment hire, and for snowboarders it is slightly more.

If you’d like to find out more about the club, email socs190 or visit their web page at: www-users.york.ac.uk/~socs190

25th February, 2000 Issue 117

Vision

Sport

THE CLUB ONLY STUDENTS CAN JOIN

Bus Times and Enquiries (01904) 693999

Barbican Beached As a petition campiagning to stop the Barbican swimming pool from closure is presented to the City of York Council, Sports Editor Tim Burroughs, looks at the prospects for the venue - and what is (or isn’t) being done to save it.

THE “WILL they-won’t they” saga concerning the possible closure of the Barbican swimming pool is continuing amid fears that the council has already decided to wind up the venue’s operations.

The Barbican site requires a £3.4m investment for refurbishment and it is claimed that the weight of this repair bill will be a decisive factor when compared to the £250,000 needed by the Yearsley pool.

City of York Council leader Rod Hills

stated: “Swimming has dropped in popularity by 28% over the last four years and it looks like we have an over-provision for swimming in the city. That is very important as two of the swimming baths need major repairs over the next two or three years. I expect one of the authority’s pools will close.”

This view was supported by Leisure Committee Chairman, Councillor Bob Scrase in the York Citizen newsletter. “If we sold the Barbican Pool site,” he said, “as it is separate to York Barbican Centre, then we may have more resources to

improve other pools or even open a new pool somewhere.”

The council is adamant that a decision has yet to be taken on the matter but there are concerns that closure is already planned.

Notably, the Barbican refurbishment budget was removed from the council’s capital programme while a Lottery grant to support these improvements has yet to be applied for and the Barbican site has even been valued for sale.

Athletic Union President Ben Harding is sceptical of the council’s motivations

Roses: Your AU Needs You

By Ben Harding ROSES IS the annual festival of sport held between York and Lancaster Universities, at the beginning of each summer term.

It is the highlight of the York sporting calendar, combining huge sporting clashes, with lots and lots of beer drinking!

After 400 years of relative peace ‘The Wars of the Roses’ were revived once again in 1965. Vice Chancellor of York, the late Lord James Rusholme challenged the then Vice Chancellor of Lancaster to a boat race. Since then, the event has gone from strength to strength, with more sports being added every year, with the latest being futsal and flag football.

So what is the format of the weekend, and what should you be doing now to prepare? The weekend starts on Friday, when teams will begin to travel over in coaches from the AU. Roses is as much a social event as a competitive one, and most people try to get over as early as possible to watch the sport on the Friday, and “get into the spirit of the weekend.”

The Sugar House is the venue for the evening’s entertainment, for a few casual drinks and maybe a little bit of socialising! As the visitors it is our honour to stay on the floor of lecture theatres, and although this may not sound great it is actually a great laugh, but you will need to take sleeping bags and the like. Saturday is the main day for sport and social activities, and should not be missed.

The Roses Ball is on the Saturday night, and is always a great night.

Roses is traditionally won comfortably

by the home side, and it will take a huge amount of commitment from all of you if we are to do anything to change that. If you need any further convincing of what a huge event this is then just ask any third year who went to Lancaster in their first year. Finally, you will start to see Roses merchandise around, and it is on sale in the AU

York Student Vision

office from now until the weekend. You will have seen last years Roses polos, but this year we have added to the range, and think that there is now something for everyone. We have the similar polos (£12), but we also now have v neck T-shirts (£10) and skinny ribs (£10). Now let’s just pray for good weather.

concerning the future of the Barbican. “In with a projected use of 195,000 for 1999my opinion, the Barbican was earmarked 00. for closure a decade ago, and the run- When presented with these facts Mr down of the facility together with the Meigh remains loyal to the council’s view accompanied rising costs is a tactic to on the matter: “Surveys have shown there reduce demand for the pool,” he said. has been a decline in traditional swim “The subsequent drop in demand does ming and a growth in the fun swimming not show a trend away from swimming market. but a desire not to

At the “In my opinion, the have to swim in a pool same time there has that has been left to Barbican was earmarked been a transfer of disintegrate. for closure a decade ago, people into dry-side The council has activities. We still and the run-down of been negligent in have the same allowing such a large number of facilities the facility together investment to deterioand we have to with the accompanied rate. increase the subsidy rising costs is a tactic to given to them if If maintenance had been carried out there is a fall in use. reduce demand on an as-and-when You have to find a for the pool” basis rather than waitbalance in these sitBen Harding ing until everything uations.” reached the end of its

But a Athletic Union President life cycle then costs large part of this would be smaller and alleged fall in spread out, thus making them far more demand can be attributed to increased economically viable.” prices at the Barbican. The York City However, David Meigh, Head of Baths Club stopped using the Barbican Purchasing and Resources for the City of last year due to price increases, thus York Council Leisure Services accounting for a 30,000 of the total fall in Department, claims that there has been use and raising the question as to whether investment in the venue. it is justifiable to raise prices while the “We have spent nearly £1m on the quality of the venue itself deteriorates.

Barbican over the last two years,” he told Mr Meigh claims: “Our finances are Vision. “The government spends £1.2bn constantly being squeezed and we had to per year on the upkeep of local authority reduce the subsidy resulting in prices sport centres and there is always a large being increased. backlog of work that needs doing. Its the The provision of swimming facilities nature of the business to have to wait.” is a discretionary service and we have to He also defends the council’s decision compete for budgets. to remove the He added “it is Barbican from its “It looks like we have an In addition, he does capital programme: not see the YCBC over-provision for “We don’t have the departure as a great capital resources at swimming in the city. That loss, pointing out present for compreit allowed more is very important as two of that hensive refurbishtime for the public to the swimming baths need have access to the ment of the Barbican and the action was major repairs over the next pool. “It did not taken purely to balresult in a service two or three years. I expect becoming unavailaance the books.”

A similar lack of ble to the communione of the authority’s financial resources ty”, he maintains, pools will close” is responsible for adding that any deciRod Hills slowing the Lottery son to close the City of York Council Leader bid while the venue is still a long Barbican site valuaway off despite accution was merely part sations to the contraof council procedure: “We have to value ry. In the light of this he dismisses the York all our sites as part of a government initia- Evening Post “Save Our Swim” campaign tive known as the Asset Management as being purely “politically-driven”.

Plan. It is done to establish what a site Nevertheless, the lack of investment is could be used for.” a problem as Ben Harding testifies: “The The council sees reduced demand for council needs to be shown that there is still swimming pools as a major reason why demand for the Barbican pool and that the Barbican may close, their figures people are not stupid enough to pay more showing a fall of 130,000 since 1994/95. for a facility that gets worse and worse.”

However, these statistics concern publicly-owned pools only and do not take into account the Waterworld facility that opened in 1997. Furthermore, the Barbican is still the most widely-used pool in York

25th February, 2000 Issue 117