Issue 123

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NATIONALLY ACCLAIMED STUDENT JOURNALISM

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DERMOT O’LEARY

WIN!!!

STUNT KITES, RAILCARDS Interview with the T4 star AND BEANS!! ...page 11 ...pages 13,22

From MR T to Jason & Kylie All the highs and lows of the 80s ...Centre Spread

Floody hell in York Photo: Alex Watson

Ryan Sabey YORK STUDENTS and staff have been affected by the worst floods to hit the city since records began - and the clean up operation could take up to six months.

The Rivers Ouse and Foss reached 17ft 10 inches above their normal level, three inches higher that the previous record set in 1625.

Students living in Fulford felt the full force of the conditions; a third of the city’s 50,000 sandbags were distributed there.

Third year Caroline Bostock, Derwent, who lives on Ambrose Street, took the necessary precautions. “We moved anything valuable upstairs, everything from the sofa to the stereo. My housemate who sleeps downstairs even had to bring her mattress upstairs and sleep in my room,” she said.

Bostock’s household was on red alert

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all night. “The river peaked at 6am [Saturday] and I was awake until at least 5am,” she claims.

Environmental Management student, Phil Short, believed his house on Francis Street was close to ‘wipe-out’. “The garden is completely flooded. A newly installed cycle pathway outside our house was 10ft underwater and the wall outside our house isn’t visible,” he said.

Neil Sterio, a City of York spokesperson, was certain that the council team had acted as efficiently as possible. “We set up a 24-hour flood centre, leafleted over 700 houses in the space of two hours warning them of the imminent danger and evacuated 3,000 people. This has been a successful operation.”

Troops from Two Signal Regiment in York, The Kings Own Royal Border Regiment and Ripon’s 38 Engineer Regiment were deployed throughout the worst affected areas including Skeldergate and Tower Street.

Students travelling on the A19 in

“The kitchen is flooded and I’ve got sewage coming up through the floorboards.

Where’s Noah’s Fulford were told to turn back. Adam Green, who works at Norwich Union at Clifton Park, was unable to get to work.

“It’s absolutely ridiculous that I can’t get through town. Alternative arrangements should have been made,” he said.

Reverend Robertson, who starts work as the University’s Anglican chaplain

tomorrow, was also caught up in the bad weather. The chaplain, who lives in Bede House, Heslington, said that his situation was going from bad to worse. “The kitchen is flooded and I’ve got sewage coming up through the floorboards.

Where’s Noah’s Ark when you need it? I need some divine intervention.”

Students with PRS housing across the city were caught up in the emergency situation. Many houses found that existing construction faults, such as leaking roofs and bay windows, just got worse. David Maughan, Accommodation Officer, said the problems would be rectified as soon as possible. “The urgent building work is usually carried out within 24 hours.

We’ve been stretched to full capacity over the last few days so things may have taken a while longer.”

Regulars to The Gallery nightclub were affected by the floods. The basement had to be closed for the Halloween party and the capacity reduced to 400. Unit Controller, Liz Milroy, said fire risks pre-

vented the club from operating at 950 capacity. “We can’t open the emergency doors in the basement because there is too much water outside. It’s too much of a risk to operate at full capacity.” The Pitcher and Piano, City Screen and Bar 38 all had to close during the flooding.

The clean up operation is expected to last months. The Prime Minister, who visited York during the crisis, has cancelled all leave for Army personnel in the area. He has given City of York officials a share of the £51 million pot to deal with the flood crises around the country.

The Environment Agency has issued over 20 severe flood warnings across Yorkshire during the past week. EA spokesperson, Stacey Rennard said her agency would assess the effectiveness of York’s flood defences after the rain has eased. “We’ll be looking at all the factors of the incident. For example, if the contingency plan worked effectively and if more investment is needed to prevent this happening again,” she stated.

9th November, 2000 Issue 123

02 NEWS : yorkVision

News in Brief

LIGHTS ON After pressure from the Students’ Union, the University has dramatically increased the lighting provision in some of the darkest areas on campus. Engineers are currently installing lighting on the cyclepath from Alcuin to Windmill Lane, between Langwith and the music practice rooms, on the path from Langwith to the Careers Service, and by the HSBC machine in Vanbrugh. SU Education and Welfare Officer, Lizzie Tate, said: “It may not be garish or salacious, but it's damn important and could well affect the security of student accommodation.”

3’s COMPANY A third year chemistry student was approached in a salacious attempt to solicit him for a threesome as he walked home from Toffs on Tuesday week four.

“I'd noticed a white van driving slowly a few metres behind me and once I reached the other side of the bridge the male passenger called me and asked how to get to Fulford. I told him, and then he said that I should go to the other side of the vehicle and tell the female driver. As I was explaining she grabbed my shirt and asked me if I wanted to join them for a threesome. Half of me was very amused, the other half a bit worried to say the least. I just hope that they don't approach a 16 year old who may be a little bit gullable and then commit some crime. The woman was young, blonde (maybe early twenties) and the man had dark hair, possibly older and scruffy looking.” If you are worried about such an incident, contact Lizzie Tate, SU Education and Welfare Officer in the SU Centre.

9th November, 2000 Issue 123

New bridge over troubled waters Stuart Doxford

DESPITE DELAYS caused by the worst floods in a century, pedestrians and cyclists should be using York’s Millennium Bridge by the end of the month.

According to members of the trust which is organising the project, a strong community involvement and the determination of local people will ensure that the construction is soon completed.

The bridge, which has cost £4.2 million to build, is at the cutting edge of modern design and is the most ambitious project undertaken by the City of York in recent times.

Co-operation between the York Millennium Bridge Trust and local people have made the plans possible. Paul Chesmore, the trust’s secretary, explained: “The impetus for a pedestrian and cycle bridge came from the community itself.

The aim was to ensure a safer river crossing for the student commuter population.

The new Millennium Bridge, currently awaiting the floods to cease before its official opening “The bridge will make life safer and more comfortable for young people.” The crossing which will be made available south of Skeldergate Bridge will ensure vast numbers of students will be able to travel from the west side of the city to the east, without the need to navigate the hazardous ring road.

The strong community enthusiasm

LGB officer resigns post

VISION THANKS

This issue is dedicated to those who lost their time and sleep in the great computer crisis : Kevin Bowman , Chris Lloyd and of course, Jonathan Carr.

Thanks also to The Catholic Church, Ryan Sabey and as always, Wizard Wes. A big thank you to departed Visionaries Ann Smith, Philip Diamond and Mark Kember for all their time and effort.

A twenty-four gun salute and the obligatory carriage clock to Ben Hulme-Cross for his panache and sheer double-barrelledness in the role of Editor.

Finally, thanks also to Sara Molnar and Halfords in Luton.

dents who will soon benefit from the new bridge, added: “It will reduce my journey time. It is clearly a great asset to the city.”

Its stainless steel structure, an example of contemporary architecture, is not only designed to captivate the interest of users. It also aims to make it possible, for the first time in York, to make a pleasant circular walk, ride or jog, which takes in some of the most picturesque riverside in

Playscheme close to closure Wesley Johnson PLAYSCHEME INSPECTORS would have closed the service down had they visited, according to the project’s co-ordinator.

UGM WHERE? The UGM held in Goodricke earlier this week marks the third location for UGMs in a year. Derwent, to which the UGMs switched to from Vanbrugh last Christmas, has proven unpopular, both for disabled access and because it is not in a central location. The SU wanted to return to Vanbrugh from the beginning of this term, but the Dining Room had already been booked out to the Ballroom and Latin American Dancing Society on Tuesday evenings. Although some SU Officers wanted to force BLADS to relocate, it was decided that Goodricke would be the best compromise.

and involvement led to the project being awarded the much sought-after support of the Millennium Commission, and of the University’s Vice-Chancellor, Ron Cooke.

Professor Cook explained: “By significantly extending the cycle network, it will help to make movement between the University and the Tadcaster Road area quicker and safer.”

Paul Vickers, one of the many stu-

Former LGB Officers Nicola Elliott, Jonathan Wilcockson and Carey Chambers on the night of their election victory commitment and although Jonathan has Tom Smithard THE STUDENTS’ Union has been rocked by the recent resignation of the Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Officer from the SU’s executive committee.

Elected at the end of last spring term,

Nicola Elliott, Jonathan Wilcockson and Carey Chambers have had to vacate their shared position after Jonathan, a second year sociology student, decided he no longer wanted to serve as an officer.

Jonathan’s resignation, due to work commitments, will mean that the new LGB Officer will be elected during week seven.

Jonathan decided that he did not want to comment on his resignation, but his former co-officer, Carey Chambers told Vision that he was “Shocked and disappointed when I heard of Jonathan’s decision and I feel that it is quite simply the wrong decision for him to have made.

“The job does involve a good deal of

said that he disliked the Union side of things, like Exec, Playscheme and UGMs, I feel that this is a lame excuse since a Union Officer should expect to do Union work.

“He knew what he was taking on; he’s let Nicola and I down, he’s let himself down and he’s let LGB students down.”

SU President, Ben Youdan, is more diplomatic. “If Jonathan considers it the right decision then that is his decision. If he chooses to pursue his work in another direction then we will support him.”

Lizzie Tate, the SU’s Education and Welfare Officer and now acting LGB Officer, wants to assure students that Liberation Week in week seven will not be affected by the resignation as the preparations are already well under way.

“Everyone has different priorities, but I don’t believe that Jonathan’s resignation was political or caused by a conflict of personalities. If anyone does want to stand for the position please get in touch with me at the SU.”

Bob Holt, York Student Community Action’s officer for the SU, who ran Playscheme, told the Union’s Executive Committee: “We were underfunded, understaffed and basically crap.

“If we’d been inspected last week, we would have been closed down, as we would have been if we’d been inspected at any other time.”

He outlined the problems to Vision: “The main problem this year was that the co-ordinator we hired failed to turn up.

But he added that most of the problems were continuing from previous years: “The usual problem of a lack of money and the fact that it has to be run by volunteers meant that sometimes we had hardly any help and at other times there was too much.

“It didn’t give a very balanced play area for the children.”

Lizzie Tate, Education and Welfare officer for the SU, added: “Depending on volunteers is not an effective way of staffing such an important service; welfare committee were great and turned up in droves, exec committee were slightly disappointing.

“But when it comes down to it, people have degrees and standing commitments as well.”

With the service’s running cost being an estimated £700 per term, the SU is now looking at ways to raise the much-needed funds.

“We’re applying with York Child Care to the New Opportunities Fund, but that will only provide short term funding,” he continued.

“In the long term, we’d like to put a team of six students in charge of being

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Are Playscheme’s days numbered... there between them, with three paid people there over the week.

“We’re also looking at the University to foot more of the bill in the future. It’s a service we provide for them and a lot of staff use it. Otherwise, we’ll have to seek external funding.”

Ben Youdan, SU President agreed: “The playscheme’s a great thing for students and staff parents. But I do think we need to reassess the way it’s funded and staffed at the moment.

“The Uni should definitely help out with funding – it’s a very useful service.”

Lizzie added:“Some parents would not be able to attend lectures for essentially one week a term without it.”

But many more problems have now hit the scheme. Bob explained: “The equipment’s very bad at the moment.

Basically, a lot of it is ready to be binned.

“Ideally, we’d like to we’d like to get to a position where the equipment and games were being continually replaced as soon as they became outdated.

“I’ve spoken to the Treasurer, about this and he thinks we should be able to do something about it.”

Bob added: “In the meantime, we’re going to carry on the best we can.”

Editors: Tim Burroughs, Vicky Kennedy, Alex Watson  Deputy Editors: Alex Cooley, Tom Smithard  Managing Editor: Becca Smith  News Editor: Post Open Deputy News Editors: Tim Dean, Brendan Spencelayh  Politics Editor: Danny Goldup  Deputy Politics Editor: Fraser Kennedy  Features Editor: Gareth Walker Deputy Features Editors: Victoria Cole-Jones, Barbara Stainer  Books Editor: Kasia Brzozowska  Wired Editor: Peter Edwards Arts Editor: Matt Goddard  Deputy Arts Editor: RaeJean Spears  Films Editor: Natalie Brabin, Lisa Forest  Deputy Films Editor: Christian Bunyan Music Editor: Tom Nall  Deputy Music Editor: Simon Keal  Sports Editors: Adam Curran, Sam Macrory Photo Editor: Post Open  Deputy Photo Editors: Kate Harries, Tom White  Sub Editors: Lucy Hawkins, Anne Hurst  Artist: Helen Dempsey Webmaster: Jonathan Carr  Deputy Webmaster: Matthew Pettitt  Advertising Manager: Post Open Grimston House, Room V/X/009, University of York,Heslington, York, YO10 5DD. Tel/Fax: 01904 43 3720 Email: vision@york.ac.uk Opinions expressed in Vision are not necessarily those of the Editors, 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. Copyright Vision Newspapers, 2000

yorkVision : NEWS

Issue 123 9th November, 2000

03

LOCSOC and one smoking Vicar

Ryan Sabey LEGALISATION OF Cannabis Society (LOCSOC) is on the verge of getting full society status on campus after signing up over two hundred members at Freshers Fair. Vision has also been informed that a University chaplain has allegedly joined the society.

LOCSOC Chair Adam Thornburn is delighted. “We’ve had well over a hundred members pay up. It’s good to see such enthusiasm for the cause,” he says.

“All we need to do is organise a meeting and get official ratification.”

Thornburn is clear that legalising cannabis is definitely in the govenment’s interest. “They would make so much money out of a tax on cannabis,” he claimed.

Senior Assistant Registrar in charge of student welfare, Sue Hardman, backs the society’s case: “As long as they behave within the law and Union rules they’re free to act like any other society. I haven’t received any information that they’re acting unlawfully and as long as they don’t no action will be taken.”

Opposing the Tories’ ‘zero tolerance’ policy, Chairman of Campus Conservatives, Stuart Lennon, has backed LOCSOC. “People should be free to do what they want - as long as they don’t harm anyone. I believe in freedom,” he concluded.

Thornburn believes it’s his responsibility to educate and conduct debate on the hotly disputed case. “I want to bring the issue to the fore. Cannabis could be used as a commercial product,” he adds.

Lizzie Tate, YUSU’s Welfare Officer, is monitoring the issue closely. “We have to look at the immediate issues as we don’t

Supermarket in Freshers’ Fair

Photo : Alex Watson

Some of the suspect food on offer from Jacksons Amanda Hamilton JACKSON’S SUPERMARKET adopted an unusual strategy this term to entice York students to their shop. At Freshers’ Fair, October 14th, they distributed ‘welcome bags’ containing several items of food which were up to a month beyond their expiry date.

Packs from their competitors, Sainsbury’s contained biscuits and soups to supplement that tight student budget.

But those who took the free Jackson’s food were obliged to throw away much of the contents.

Students were less eager to chew on their Autodrop fruitgums, once they saw the best before date of September 6th 2000.

Nor could students crunch on Kelloggs cornflakes which clearly had the due date of the 7th October 2000 printed on the box. Many students reported that they took one look at their Vessen Organic Soup, best before September 2000, and chucked it in the bin.

From the start Jackson’s failed to impress. They called up Bruno Araujo, the SU’s Services Officer very late in the proceedings to request a stall at Freshers’ Fair. He consented to let them come and promote their supermarket, insisting that they distribute their food outside the main Physics concourse. But at six-thirty am on Saturday morning when the SU Societies Officers Tim Wheelhouse and Matt Maher turned up to set up they found piles of boxes belonging to Jackson’s

cluttering the concourse.

When Vision approached Matt Maher with complaints concerning the food which was clearly out of date, he was less than happy. He took the matter directly to the Students’ Union and the manager from Jackson’s was called.

Maher told Vision: “It is ridiculous that they would give out stale food to students – they wanted to come to Freshers’ Fair, but this will hardly endear them to us. We’re students for God’s sake, did they think we wouldn’t notice?

“When organising Freshers’ Fair a lot of commercial companies want to buy space, all offering a lot of free stuff for students. We expect the free stuff to be good stuff. I will be urging future Societies’ Officers not to be fobbed off by companies offering less than acceptable material.”

Jackson’s response to the SU’s complaints was a full apology. They told the SU that they were sorry that some of the food was out of date, but as York’s Freshers’ Fair was later than the others they serve in the area, there wasn’t much they could do about distributing food beyond the expiry date. They also said that whilst the food might smell a bit off, it was fine to eat.

Jackson’s will be providing York students with a written apology and no serious cases of food poisoning have been reported as most students threw the suspect items straight in the bin. However Jackson’s attitude and pathetic response does little for their marketing strategy.

It seems unlikely that the SU will welcome Jackson’s back on campus next year.

Photo : Tom Smithard

LOCSOC - Seeks to raise awareness and freedom

want students turning up to lectures stoned. Many students don’t know when to take a break from it and need to know all the issues involved.”

Ffion Evans, YUSU’s Campaigns Officer and a member of LOCSOC, will do what she can to educate students on the issue. “I can only campaign in my official capacity if the issue of legalising cannabis is passed at a UGM.” Vision has contacted all University chaplains with all but one of them denying that they are members of LOCSOC. The contentious issue of whether a campus based vicar has joined LOCSOC wasn’t being revealed by the society as Vision went to press.

LOCSOC’s Chairman Thornburn says: “I didn’t sign a vicar up. I’ve been asked this question sixty or seventy times; perhaps somebody else on the committee did. I can’t reveal the names and identities of our members without their permission.”

Seedy staff sex scandal Wesley Johnson A WARNING over the use of pornography amongst staff at the University has mysteriously appeared in colleges throughout campus.

Copies of a letter sent to managers and supervisors within the Directorate of Facilities Management - the body that manages all the University’s amenities by the directorate’s head, Dr Andy Macdonald, have been found on Derwent, Goodricke and Wentworth noticeboards.

The letter read: “As a result of recent events I feel I have to remind all staff of matters that can offend working colleagues and members of the broader University community.

“Pornographic material, whether in the form of publications, calendars or posters, must not be brought into the workplace or displayed. Not only is this material sexist and, consequently, in contravention of University policy, it also creates an image wholly inappropriate to the University and our customer service.

“The use of sexually-explicit exple-

“Pornographic material, whether in the form of publications, calendars or posters, must not be brought into the workplace” tives in conversation must be avoided lest it causes offence to those within hearing.

“I regret having to reiterate these rules but I believe it to be in everyone’s interests that these matters are addressed once and for all.”

When Vision contacted Dr Macdonald about the incident, he stated: “In any organisation there are occasions when a

specific event prompts a reminder to all staff as to their responsibilities one to another and to those they service.

“You will understand that I cannot discuss the nature of the specific event in this case, for reasons of confidentiality and protecting the interests of my staff.

“My reminder to all my staff did no more than restate University policy and values which I myself espouse.”

He added he regarded the matter closed: “I respectfully suggest that a student newspaper should not become involved in matters of staff discipline unrelated to student affairs.”

No-one could explain why or how copies of his letter have been distributed across campus, but several students and staff had seen these notices in colleges.

One copy was handed in to the Students’ Union. Lizzie Tate, Education and Welfare Officer for the SU said: “We weren’t told about this at all, I think they tried very hard to keep it under wraps.

“The only information I have seen is a memo someone found on the floor, written by Andy Macdonald, and saying that any behaviour which was tantamount to harassment would not be tolerated.”

Students’ Union battle scene Tim Dean INTERNAL FIGHTING and backstabbing is encompassing the Students’ Union.

A motion that was proposed at the last

UGM by Stuart Lennon, Conferences and Training Officer, and Ffion Evans, Campaigns Officer, to abolish RAG and YSCA as sabbatical positions, is causing a commotion within the Students’ Union.

The motion proposed the creation of a new sabbatical position that would be known as a Student Development Officer.

The motion argued that the RAG position was mainly aimed at raising money for charity, whilst the YSCA role is to provide volunteering opportunities in the community. The motion argued that neither RAG nor YSCA helped aid the development of students and that a Student Development Officer would help fill this void.

Sophie Jewitt, RAG President, said “RAG would not be able to operate without a sabbatical officer, RAG helps aid student development, if we didn’t have a sabbatical officer RAG week would be the most that we would be able to do.”

“The way the Students’ Union is run

“Stuart [Lennon] was probably on his period or something... ” Bob Holt, Community Action Officer on why a UGM motion was proposed to abolish RAG

works well, yet only negative things could happen from this motion. RAG does help student development a great deal, last year 5,000 students were involved in RAG helping to raise £56,000.”

Bob Holt, the Community Action Officer, when asked of his view on the motion, said that he was “Totally against it,” although he thought the idea of a Student Development Officer was good, “as long as it didn’t cause any detrimental effect to RAG or YSCA.”

When asked why he thought Stuart Lennon had proposed the motion, he said “Stuart was probably on his period or something” and that Ffion Evans had seconded the motion to “get her name mentioned, she doesn’t see the wider picture of what being part of the Union is.”

Both proposers of the motion assured Vision that they were not proposing the motion because of a vested interest in the creation of a new sabbatical post.

One of the proposers, Ffion Evans, said that she didn’t think RAG “Could justify a sabbatical position for a society.”

She felt that a sabbatical Student Development Officer would help to develop students needs, although she later said in contradiction, “RAG does loads of good stuff, it helps students develop skills.”

The proposer for the motion, Stuart Lennon, felt RAG “Doesn’t provide enough student development and it only helps a small amount of people.”

Reasoning that a Student Development Officer would be able to develop new training materials in line with the training needs of the Union and its membership and that the new officer would be able to help develop YSCA to a greater degree.

04 NEWS : yorkVision

9th November, 2000 Issue 123

Biology overspend passed onto students Tom Hazeldine CONTROVERSY SURROUNDS a £3 million pound overspend in the redevelopment of the Biology department. The University will have to foot the extra bill, leaving less to spend on other building projects.

According to Glen Dewsbury, Facilities Liaison Manager, this may lead to “the redesign or rephasing of different projects.” He gave no indication of which projects would be involved, though likely candidates include the proposed central bar and venue.

Dewsbury recognised that there were already “Serious difficulties” attached to the venue project, with insufficient funds available. The loss of three million pounds from the University’s Capital Development Fund threatens to make the situation even worse. “It won’t be any easier,” he said.

The President of the SU, Ben Youdan, told Vision: “We are carrying on discussions with the University. There have already been a number of compromises,

but we will do our best to see that the central bar is not downsized or put back.”

Other essential building work may also be under threat. The proposed new humanities library, itself at a cost of three million pounds, is one potential victim.

This project was supposed to mark a new wave of investment in the arts.

Building was due for completion for the start of the 2002/3 academic year. It will be accompanied by the redesign and refurbishment of the ground floor of the JB Morrell Library.

Meanwhile, the Biology department’s redevelopment continues. Professor Fitter, head of department, claims that “Students will not suffer at all” as a result of the overspend. “It is unsurprising given the impossibility of predicting costs two years in advance. The original estimates were made before the final building design. We have a revised budget and are sticking to it. The University is taking it very calmly.” £20 million had been awarded to the department to fund its plans. More will be needed if the University is to keep other projects on track. Glen Dewsbury, Facilities Liaison Officer, was keen to

Charitable students threaten to jump off

stress that “There is a real possibility of attracting alternative sources of funding.”

As to the current situation, Dewsbury said: “We could spread the shortfall very thinly over different projects. No decisions have yet been made. The real story is that significant amounts of money are being spent upgrading facilities.”

The University’s Capital Development Fund stands at over £100 million.

Money for improvements to the transport structure has been ringfenced and should not be affected. New bus services are the first schemes to have been completed.

However, other schemes have been postponed due to problems of their own.

The Park and Ride scheme linking the University to Grimston Bar, south of campus, will not be set up for another year.

The three million pound overspend in the Biology redevelopment is likely to affect other long term projects.

However, despite the large amounts of money being pumped into new building work, the University still refuses to provide concrete answers to major concerns such as 24-hour portering.

Photo: Alex Cooley

York’s biology extention, projected cost in the region of £20 million, is already three million over budget

Vigilante group in student attack Ryan Sabey DERWENT AND Vanbrugh students were involved in a series of attacks outside Ziggy’s on Wednesday Week 2. The students were confronted by ‘townies’ who arrived and left the incident in a white mini-bus.

Around ten students were involved in the brawl outside the Micklegate nightclub at 2:30am.

Vanbrugh student Joseph Martin, seriously hurt in the incident, exclusively told Vision of the vigilante style attack.

“A white mini-bus drove up Micklegate and four or five jumped out.

I’m from Yorkshire and they definitely had Yorkshire accents. They must have been locals on a night out.”

The local youths attacked the students before jumping in the mini-bus and driving off. Less than ten minutes later the mini-bus reappeared and the violence started up again with more locals from the mini-bus joining in.

Martin continues: “I got hit by surprise around the jaw and a couple of

Photo: Tom Smithard

Ziggys: the scene of another student attack Derwent lads got hit pretty hard. The situation just got worse.”

Chris Sheehan, a graduate living in York, was also on the scene. He explains, “It all seemed quite violent. I got this Uni guy in a headlock to stop any retaliation.”

The nature of those in the mini-bus

wasn’t welcoming. “The second time they came round they were shouting obscenities out of the window. They were definitely looking for a fight,” he added.

Sheehan went on to say: “The townies soon ran off. I don’t think they could take my over-powering charisma.”

An anonymous Derwent student told Vision that he believed the locals must have planned the event. “The driver must have known what he was doing as he drove round the block twice. Students have to be wary of premeditated attacks.”

Constable Nick Bailey, the Area Officer who has responsibility for students told York students to be vigilant.

“It’s quite a rare phenomenon in York. If an incident does occur students should contact the police.” Bailey went on to say: “The area around Ziggy’s is monitored by CCTV so if anything did happen we can pick it up.”

Lizzie Tate, YUSU’s Education and Welfare Officer had a clear message for student caught up in brawls. “Call the police immediately. If you take a mobile phone out with you – use it. Don’t retaliate if any violence occurs. Leave the area immediately.”

SU Shop in Admin threat Willing volunteers from the last Central Hall jump in 1994 Wesley Johnson FANCY THROWING yourself off Central Hall?

The SU is giving you the chance to abseil down the side of Central Hall in a bid to raise money and awareness of a ‘seriously sexy’ campaign.

No experience is necessary and full training will be given.

The last time the uniquely-shaped building was descended was a great success in 1994.

Six years on the forthcoming weeklong campaign, centring around World Aids Day in Week 8, aims to make safer sex attractive, whilst putting on a number of fundraising events at the same time.

In an outline of its welfare campaigns for the future, the Union’s Education and Welfare officer, Lizzie Tate, explained: “World Aids Day traditionally provides the opportunity to get many students

involved.

“Many students can identify with the cause without themselves feeling personally involved. Indeed, AIDS charities and research can be seen as something of a hip cause.

“This provides us with the opportunity to use the focus the day gives to publicise less fashionable causes such as preventing unwanted pregnancies and the transmission of STDs.” Other events for the week include massive publicity around campus – from information on pregnancy and your options to stalls in colleges offering free condoms.

Lizzie told Vision: “Since about 1996 our publicity has just been ticking over and nothing’s been done to improve it.”

Along with histories of World AIDS Day and previous SU campaigns, a ‘History of the Condom’ will also be produced.

Tom Smithard THE STUDENTS’ Union are running the risk of a severe reduction in profits from next year, after the University refused them preferential treatment in the bidding for space in the new retail outlet, currently being built behind Vanbrugh College.

Currently, the SU Shop is the only general store on campus. Consequently it is popular with students, despite its small size and lack of choice of products.

The new retail centre will be split into two areas, a University reception area and a ‘market square’, which will house retail outlets. The total cost of the new development will be in the region of £4 million, with the money being provided through a partnership scheme between the University of York and property developers Helmsley Securities.

The largest area in the retail outlet will be reserved for a ‘mini-market’ style general convenience store, and it is for this tender that the SU have bid, along with other, smaller retail areas. There have, however, been rumours that the University will not be giving the Students’ Union any special rates in the bidding.

Glen Dewsbury, speaking on behalf of the Directorate of Facilities Management, who are responsible for the retail outlet, said “We are in negotiation with the Students’ Union, but we are also in negotiation with other bodies.

“We have to treat each body in a position of equality because this is a commercial activity. We have outside developers putting up the money for this project and they want maximum returns. Just because they are the Students’ Union it doesn’t mean they’re going to get an extra backhander – they’re competing on a level playing field.”

The SU are not however unduly worried. According to SU Services Officer,

Bruno Araujo, who is responsible for the SU’s bid, “We’re confident that the University will be impressed with the bid that we will submit.

“Our aim is to make the Union as competitive as possible – we model ourselves on professionals and we can’t expect special preference.”

But what if an outside organisation with vastly superior funding and far greater experience in retail win through? The loss of profits from the SU’s kiosk will not vastly affect the Union’s finances, being only £20,000 of a £500,000 annual turnover, however the loss of this service may mean that the only aspect of the Union that is utilised by the majority of students will be the campus media.

According to Bruno, this won’t be happening. “We’ve done well out of scant reserves in the past. We will be compromised if we don’t get the mini-market but this tender has been designed to win and we believe it will.”

Issue 123 9th November, 2000

news focus: racism in york

yorkVision : NEWS

05

York sets sights on fairer future Tom Smithard investigates the problems the city and the University have had with race, and sees that structures are now in place for future improvement WELCOME TO York in the twenty-first century. Welcome, that is, if you are of a socially acceptable ethnicity. You are welcome, basically, if you are white.

Although this is clearly an exaggeration of the situation, those of ethnic minorities have suffered discrimination, mainly in the City of York, and this has also spilt slightly onto the University’s campus.

York is a historically racist town.

Clifford’s Tower was the site of the largest massacre of Jews ever, north of Rhine, when in March 1190 every Jewish citizen in York was killed as they took refuge in the Tower. During the 1970s and 1980s the British National Party would march on a pilgrimage to the Tower on Remembrance Sunday until the police finally banned them in the early 1990s. This fascist past still lingers over York, with the news last week that a city resident, Colin Jordan, a former leader of the ultra-rightwing British Movement, is to stand trial at York Crown Court accused of trying to stir up racial hatred.

Fifty-four racially motivated attacks in York were reported to the police over the last year, according to information released over the summer. The real number of attacks likely to be at least double that.

The situation is so bad that recently an Asian resident came forward to state that he is so scared of an attack that he locks his family in his house during the day whilst he goes to work, due to constant abuse since their move to York.

A Chinese doctor has recently quit York because the constant harassment was threatening to turn violent, and an Iranian family were so intimidated by their neighbours that they were forced to move away from York for their own safety.

The city is finally recognising there is a problem. North Yorkshire Police have set up an initiative known as Diversity Incorporating Safer Communities, in order to raise awareness and deal with any further attacks on ethnic minorities. The Council has sponsored a citywide body, the York Racial Equality Network

(YREN), who help ethnic integration, both within ethnic communities and within the wider community of the City of York. Recently a new quango, the Building Bridges Forum, has been developed so that all interested bodies within York, including the university and the SU, can have a say in deciding the Council’s racial equality policy.

According to YREN’s Sue Edwards, “York does have a problem – many refuse to accept there is racism, but this is because it can appear hidden as York does not have a big ethnic minority population.

There is one, though, and the problem

students at the University, only 39 are defined as black, and 106 defined as Asian. 96.6% of undergraduates are defined as white, compared to a national average of 86.48%. York’s largest ethnic minority, those who define themselves as Indian, make up 0.65% of undergraduates, compared to a national average of 3.43%.

According to Yvie Holder, the University’s Equal Opportunities Adviser, this is because “York is in the middle of North Yorkshire which is seen as a predominantly white place. Most ethnic minority students want to apply to a university in an area where they will have

tial difficulties rather than the reality.

“York doesn’t come across as a particularly racist place but this is probably because black students don’t venture out into the city centre – you just don’t see black students in The Gallery on Wednesday… however we are working with The Gallery to improve this situation.

“There have been problems in that members of ethnic minorities tend to want to study subjects that York doesn’t cover, such as medicine, which makes it difficult for York to address the problem.”

The Black Rights team have been working hard to rectify any problems.

Out of the 7,299 students at the University, only 39 are defined as black, and 106 defined as Asian. 96.6% of undergraduates are defined as white, compared to a national average of 86.48% does exist.

“YREN is here to empower community groups, and York does have notable Chinese, Turkish and Bangladesh communities. We allow these groups to speak for themselves, increase cultural awareness, and provide a place for communities to meet.”

Lizzie Tate, the Students’ Union’s Education and Welfare Officer, agrees that the City of York could do better. “Racism isn’t a huge problem in York, but the police can be unforthcoming, and on occasions racist. There have recently been an alarming number of racial incidents, most not aimed at blacks or Asians, but instead Turks and Yugoslavians, both recent refugees. There have been an alarming number of people followed and threatened, in many cases just because they looked Mediterranean.”

The perceived racism of the city has had an adverse effect on the University.

The statistics for racial origin of home students for those admitted into this current academic year will not be released until December, but last year’s figures paint a glum picture. Out of the 7,299

more strength in numbers. Many don’t want to rock the boat, and don’t have enough trust to believe that they won’t encounter racism here.

“One of the issues I work towards here is to make people see that racism does exist, and to promote equality in all University organisations. We will shortly be publishing details of the First Contact Network, trained volunteers designed to combat racism.

“The University takes harassment of all forms seriously. We want people to know that we treat complaints sincerely.”

Lizzie Tate agrees: “York is perceived to be a white middle class university, and this is generally the correct perception.

Before I came here I lived for a few years in Israel, and after arriving I was on the receiving end of a few racist comments, and I was amazed that people could have such preconceptions.”

Sanjeev Vadhera, one of SU’s Black Rights Officers, spoke to us on a day in which another student was involved in a racially motivated attack on campus.

Despite this, he felt that the problem in general is more of a perception of poten-

“We have been approached by the Health Studies department for input into pamphlets to be sent out to potential new students, and we’re beginning to approach other departments to offer them the same.”

So how can the University go about changing the perception amongst ethnic minority sixth formers? According to Connie Cullen, the University’s Admissions Officer, there is no need to treat ethnic minorities in a special way: “We promote the University in the same way to all student groups – our admission policy is to select students according only to ability. At the same time, we do keep an eye on events over the country where we have the opportunities to address mixed audiences to increase diversity.”

Although York still has problems, there is no doubt that there are now many dedicated workers, striving hard to make York a more acceptable living and working environment for all. As Sue Edwards of the York Racial Equality Network says: “We all should be striving towards racial equality. Cultural diversity is a wonderful thing, and York can only be a better place with more integration.”

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yorkVision : EDITORIAL

Issue 123 9th November, 2000

07

e-mail : vision@york.ac.uk // Tel/Fax : 01904 (43)3720 // www.yorkvision.co.uk Room 009, Grimston House, The University of York, Heslington, York, Y010 5DD

Apocalypse Now

Alex Cooley

BLACK CLOUDS are gathering fast. Even The Guardian says that global warming is upon us, and this is only the beginning.

York is the centre of a national disaster, Tony Blair is circling overhead. If the evil atmosphere isn’t enough, I’ve been robbed, burgled, and even threatened by Mancunian gangsters!

Last Friday I had my phone stolen at a friend’s party and then, on Halloween, my house was burgled and I lost my laptop and hi-fi. (They also stole, bizarrely, my Bon Jovi ‘Blaze of Glory’ album – which they could have had if they’d asked).

Bad things always happen in threes, don’t they? Anyway, here’s hoping that the phone call I received last night intended for someone called Clive who’d been ‘dissing’ someone’s family doesn’t come to anything.

I can’t say I’ve learnt much from all of this - only I’m not immune from crime.

It’s easy to be complacent. Student houses are rich pickings for thieves and they’re in areas with a high turn over of residents.

The entire opposite side of our road was burgled two days before we were, and no-one bothered to let us know - not even the police who were in our house asking to use our house for surveillance of unspecified “activity.”

We’ve let those in the local pub and our neighbours along our road know of the burglaries and already people are talking to each other about suspicious activity. We’ve also asked the landlord to fit locks on our windows and doors, but he’s unavailable at the moment, flooded in as he is.

Other than that, there’s little we can do. We’re ready with an assortment of cricket bats and hammers for the next time – and the police warn us that there may well be a repeat performance once we’ve had time to replace our losses.

Life in college revolves around open doors and community spirit. It is tempting

to gloss over any theft. Everyone’s a potential friend. Unfortunately scumbags really are afoot – theft from college rooms is a real threat.

The University knows that ground floor rooms are insecure and has done nothing to rectify this situation. Their policy of putting only first year males on

Life in college revolves around open doors and community spirit. It’s tempting to gloss over any theft. Everyone’s a potential friend. But theft from college rooms is a real threat. Instead of spending money on improving

write to Letters

to the editor

We welcome all contributions, from students and staff. Get your opinions and viewpoints across: write to the editor at the address at the top of the page.

Dear Editor, and unfair that Heslington’s only two pubs I was struck by the interesting set of should be dominated by students? Is it priorities revealed in the last issue of unthinkable that the residents of Vision. Tom Smithard bemoaned the lack Heslington might find the injection of of student representation on the Heslington ‘life’ and ‘energy’ that students provide Parish Council. I was disappointed that he objectionable? did not find the room to make the point During my time at Halifax Court I that although students represent a majority spoke to several elderly residents at of the population of Heslington, they are Heslington who felt powerless to stop the largely there only during term time, and rapid and unwelcome changes to their vilfew are resident for more than two years. lage. On my last visit to the Derramore I The villagers, by contrast, will spend if not witnessed the pitiable sight of four old all of their lives in Heslington. To them it men trying to play dominoes while enciris home, rather than just somewhere to cled by some students boisterously singstay for a short time while they pursue ing along to the jukebox. Are the views of knowledge and pleasure. minories only worth defending provided Yet it is apparently not enough that the that they don’t come between students and enthusiastic courting of student custom by their seemingly unchallengable right to both the village pubs already leaves per- have fun wherever, whenever and howevmanent residents marginalized. Nor that er they want? Or is it that this particular the disproportionately high number of minority is predominantly white, elderly cash points provided for student’s benefit and conservative in outlook and therefore means excessive levels of traffic in what less fashionable? Outside university life, was until recently a quiet thoroughfare. students have a reputation for being overThere are a number of venues on campus indulged and pedantically PC. On the where students can gather, listen to loud evidence of your latest issue, it seems a music, sprawl across the floor, drink more fair assessment. than they can handle and argue stridently and repeatedly about which nightclub to Yours faithfully, head for.

Terry Stafford Does it not then seem both needless

the ground floor can be nothing but discriminatory as it puts a class of students at risk while doing nothing to improve on security. Instead of spending the money on improving upon security, the University talks about abolishing the system of nightime portering in college.

The SU’s free bicycle security coding

programme contrasts starkly with this attitude of the University’s, and recognises this threat to students.

How many people know that bicycle theft in York is second highest in the country?

Basically, the only real answer is surely to beware...

That’s one horseman... surely the other three are on their way!

Dear Editor, I was one of the two delegates from York who went to the NYANUS conference. After reading the article Row over affiliation threatens uneasy truce on page 4 of Vision 122 I would like to make a few points.

You state “only a handful of voters were allowed” at NYANUS Conference where the decision was taken to affiliate to the National Abortion Campaign.

This is because each union can send a certain number of delegates. This has been the same at all NYANUS conferences and is unaffected by the issues up for discussion. Your implication that this is in some way undemocratic is inaccurate and at the same time seems strange considering the view expressed in an editorial on page 7 that UGMs are a bad way to run a union.

It is also written that “all delegates were politically motivated” and therefore it is doubtful that this was “a truly democratic decision.”

Motivated enough to go to the conference? All delegates were elected and presumably all those who voted for them, or were not sufficiently motivated to vote at all, were aware of their views and at least did not disagree enough to vote against them.

You also write of a “dismally low turnout in the initial York election” that meant delegates “were elected to go to the conference only by their friends”. The turnout was low, but it is the responsibility of YUSU to promote its arrangements for sending a delega-

tion to NYANUS. If anyone at York is dissatisfied with how the election of delegates was carried out, it is a matter to take up with YUSU rather than something to blame on NYANUS. Also, as York was entitled to three delegates, and while three candidates stood only two were successfully elected, it seems unlikely that the voters were only friends of the candidates as ‘Re-Open Nominations’ received a reasonable proportion of the votes.

A quotation from Peter Sanderson saying “I was the only delegate at the conference to oppose this move [affiliation]” is also included. This appears to be an inaccurate report of his words as Peter in fact abstained, rather than opposing the motion.

Stuart Lennon refers to NYANUS as “undemocratic as the opinions it holds are not necessarily those of its members.” I would point out that no organisation could hope to have all its members agree with its official policies.

Delegates to the conference were elected by members of their individual unions and therefore their views can be considered to be at least passively supported by the electorate.

I feel that it is necessary to correct the inaccuracies in order to avoid the views of students, especially those new to York, of NYANUS being distorted.

Yours Faithfully, Sam Challis - York University delegate to 2000 NYANUS conference

Dear Editor, I should like to correct the misleading impression about York Students Direct published in Vision on October 9, under the headline SU Plagued by Printing Problems.

You report that the design and content has caused anger. In fact, the content was supplied to us by the SU. You say that there is controversy surrounding the Nestle advert. At no time was our advertising department informed that a Nestle advert would be objected to. Indeed, a list of most of the advertisers was read out in advance to those involved, and no objections were raised. At no time had a promise been made that a list of advertisers would be supplied.

You report that there was an insert on York College which those involved had not been told about. In fact, it in was the letter confirming details of the agreement.

You report that the Evening Press has not been flexible. The Evening Press has gone out of its way to be flexible, with meetings held on a regular basis while the publication was being prepared.

We do accept that the discount vouchers should not have been printed on both sides of the same sheet of paper and for this we apologise.

I was pleased to read that, despite the adverse comments made about York Students Direct, it is still believed that it will be a useful publication for new students arriving in York.

Your sincerely, Liz Page, Editor - Evening Press

08 POLITICS : yorkVision

9th November, 2000 Issue 123

POLITICS

Campbell - spinning to the top Ryan Sabey went to Downing Street and spoke to the Prime Minister’s ‘sultan of spin’, Alastair Campbell, on his high powered role at Number 10 THE PRIME Minister’s official spokesman, Alastair Campbell was part of the dream team that rewrote history at the 1997 General Election.

Alongside Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and Peter Mandelson, Campbell, as Blair’s press secretary, displayed an acute awareness in how the New Labour message would reach the public, an everincreasing task in a ‘24 hour news media’.

He received the ultimate compliment from the British electorate. New Labour romped home with a 179 seat majority.

Campbell’s knowledge of the press is immense. Well, so it should be. His highest accolade was political editor of the Daily Mirror where he had his own agenda. He has no qualms in admitting it. “I was always a political journalist. Political underlined rather than the journalist part,” he says. Nothing would make Campbell happier than a front page lambasting the Tories. He had enough reason to: the Poll Tax being his main line of inquiry. It was Campbell who took a stand against the Tory press who ate out of Margaret Thatcher’s hand during the 1980s.

In his current role, Campbell works against his former colleagues. It’s not exactly ‘us against them’ but somewhere close. He candidly admits, “I said to them on my first day as I walked through the door, ‘any friendships are gone’.” Trevor Kavanagh, political editor at the Sun, recently said in a Guardian interview that

“On my first day I walked through the door and said ‘all friend-

Alastair Campbell

he is greatly impressed by the way Campbell has adapted to his post.

Campbell must recognise that he must win Kavanagh over at the next election to influence the Sun’s 11 million readers.

“It’s a massive, disparative media now.

But, there aren’t any journalists that I fear.”

As Campbell is tested by an array of student journalists in the basement of Number 10, he is asked if students’ favourite S-word still exists. “Power, wealth and opportunity is a modern definition of socialism. Have we seen an end to socialism? No. “Old Labour voters must surely recognise that the business community has to exist within the right environment for social goals to be met. Ideological goals can’t be met without compromise.”

Campbell acknowledges this fact wholeheartedly. “New Labour is the marriage of enterprise and fairness and social justice.

The left only saw social justice and we have to marry the two.”

Alastair Campbell has recently moved

upstairs at Number 10, metaphorically speaking. He now plans the longer term goals for the government. His deputy, Godric Smith, now hosts the majority of the two daily press briefings to the national press.

It will allow Campbell to work more closely on strategy and policy with the Prime Minister. The Daily Telegraph even suggested that the pair are so close that it was impossible to put a radicchio leaf between them.

Knowledgeable on all subjects, the PM’s chief press secretary even ventures into the touchy subject of tuition fees.

“Governments have to divide the limited resources they have and the balance (on tuition fees) at the moment is right.

“The decision was based on the findings in the Dearing Report. It is meanstested and a third of all students pay nothing,” he adds.

Even on the single currency, he realises that there is hostility in Britain. “The Danish vote is completely separate to Britain’s case. Currently, the economic conditions aren’t right here.” So would the government campaign in favour of a single currency in a referendum campaign? “Yes,” he replies to a silenced audience.

Campbell is expected to resign from his post the day the next General Election is called. He will work closely to Blair and as a key strategist on New Labour’s re-election campaign, “I resign, whence I came.”

Heir to the throne? Ryan Sabey sets his sights on Number 10

Euro is rotten in the state of Denmark Nina Blondal argues that the Euro’s defeat in Denmark was the result of fear of a European super state, rather than economic reasons THE PRIME Minister recommended a ‘Yes’. So did the government, the opposition parties, the business sector, the industry and the labour unions.

But when the Danes went to the polls to vote for or against joining the common European currency on September 28th,

53% voted ‘No’. Why? When Prime Minister Poul Nyrup-Rasmussen in March set the date for the euro referendum everything pointed in his favour. Public opinion was favourably disposed to the euro, and with almost the entire political spectrum behind him it seemed the right time for a referendum.

Danes have rejected the bureaucracy of the European Parliament through the euro, instead choosing to keep the Danish currency

The economic arguments for joining were convincing. Unlike Britain, Denmark’s exchange rate and interest rates were already tied to the euro. There was therefore no financial risk in joining the common currency, whereas doing so would provide more favourable conditions for Danish business and industry.

People believed that Denmark was headed towards a United States of Europe, in which the generous Danish welfare state would crumble,

The economy would prosper and unemployment was likely to go down, the ‘Yes’ campaigners argued. Staying out would mean having to follow the decisions made by the countries that are already full members of the Economic Monetary Union, without having any influence on decision-making processes.

However, there was something that Rasmussen and his political supporters had not considered: it’s all about politics.

And more so, it is a matter of emotions.

The only two parties that advocated a Danish ‘No’ on September 28th, played on people’s feelings and uncertainty. These parties were the populist far-right Danish People’s Party and the leftist Socialist Party.

Both argued that Denmark and Europe were headed towards a United States of Europe, in which the generous Danish welfare state would crumble, and all decisions regarding pensions and wages would be left in the hands of the French and the Germans. And in addition to this disastrous outcome, the Danish people would lose their old currency – the Danish krone. Unfortunately for the ‘Yes’ campaigners, the time of the referendum coincided with the dropping in value of the euro in comparison to the American dollar.

People consequently became uncertain and more receptive to the scare campaign of the ‘No’ team. This could have been avoided had the pro-euro lobby realised the importance of convincing people that Denmark would not only be better off economically but also politically by adopting the euro.

No-one had expected that the economic arguments would not reach the majority of the population. However, exactly how badly they failed in reaching the entire people is illustrated by the fact that, of people with a higher degree, 73% voted for the euro as opposed to 47% in total. For the rest of the population, the idea of altering the status quo in favour of some Franco-German dominated project seemed too insecure to vote for.

Denmark has ended up in a position in which it has no influence but is forced to follow the economic policies of other states. And where it is just a little bit harder for Danish business and industry to compete on the international market. All this because people were scared of the unknown and because the politicians did not manage to remove that fear, convincing them of the benefits of being part of the game and of becoming a full member of the European common currency.

yorkVision : POLITICS

Issue 123 9th November, 2000

09

Labour’s tragic summer of road rage Fraser Kennedy checks his oil, before deciding that the Labour government have only themselves to blame for the crisis of the summer

EMPTY ROADS and havoc on petrol forecourts was a familiar sight in mid-September. This was not caused by a mass crime syndicate but instead by a relatively small handful of disgruntled farmers and hauliers.

Although farmers and hauliers did not primarily aim to ignite a ‘penny grabbing’ protest, the British public certainly interpreted it this way. Consequently, the campaign had the support of over 80% of the population.

British drivers had decided enough was enough, why should they pay the highest level of tax on fuel in Europe?

The response of the government only served to strengthen the resolve of the protestors. Blair’s insistence on blaming everyone but himself did not help matters either.

Furthermore, Blair did no favours in his dictatorial style and opinion polls saw the publics perception of his and the government’s arrogance go sky high. He stipulated that “No Government… could retain credibility [if it] were to give in to

such a campaign… I will not do it.” You have got to admire the sheer obstinacy.

However, through his haze of arrogance Blair was justified in claiming that OPEC, the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries, are charging a fortune for extracting fuel. In a wise move OPEC pledged to increase production by 800,000 barrels a day, in order to limit demand.

Whether this will have any effect on the price of fuel in Britain or Europe is open to debate and whether the oil exporting countries actually care about the price of fuel in Europe is more than extremely doubtful.

Nonetheless, the fact of the matter remains that the British government charges the highest tax levy on fuel. The net result is that duty and tax on fuel generates over 6% of total government revenue, a massive £23.3 billion. In ‘real’ terms a 1p cut in fuel would cost the government over £420 million. Sounds like a lot of money…

But looking more closely at government finances, the 2000 Spending Review claims that we are witnessing the first real term’s increase in the defence budget.

Potential King?

Alex Lloyd looks at the race to the White House and questions the competancy of the main contenders

His changeability and the Bush team’s

Truckers of the world unite. Labour put themselves at risk by taxing one commodity so highly the opinion polls, it was even below the Tories for a brief time.

In my opinion, this won’t lose Blair the election if he handles the situation with a high degree of political acumen.

Nevertheless, the situation is tenuous and if the government does not tread with care, the protestors will be back.

The students who toppled Milosevic With Milosevic’s reign over, Ayeesha Bhutta reports on the role that Serbian students played in bringing about his historic downfall in the recent revolution IN THESE cynical times the recent revolution in Serbia was a refreshing reminder of the power of democracy.

NO OFFENCE to them, but we all know that the Americans are suckers for image. Just look at Britney Spears. Talent and ability are often bypassed by a glitzy show and a pearly white smile especially when there are votes to be won.

The stakes are high in the presidential race - only one of the two main contestants, Al Gore and George W Bush, will find himself in a position to affect not only the lives of his own nation but of millions of others besides.

Both men come from strong political backgrounds. Gore, it is said, was ‘raised to be president’. His father was a senator and it was expected of Gore to one day take control the nation, his parents instilling a ruthlessness at an early age.

George W Bush comes from an even greater political dynasty. His grandfather was a senator while his father was, of course, president and defeated by Clinton in 1992. Yet George W only entered politics in 1994 when he was elected Texas state governor.

The race for the White House has been a closely fought battle and, as voters are increasingly finding in American politics a fine example of a dirty propaganda war with enough mud slinging to make a pig happy. Both candidates have reaped the rewards of early negative campaigning, beginning with the party nomination process.

Gore began by claiming opponent Bill Bradley’s healthcare proposals were abandoning AIDS sufferers, then Bush’s campaign team engaged in telephone calls and adverts accusing adversary John McCain of destructive policies.

Overall, Al Gore has turned in a better performance in the presidential debates, yet polls suggest that Bush continues to be a few points ahead. While Gore is clearly more competent, voters have generally been unable to find an emotional attachment with him, despite the family anecdotes and public kisses with wife Tipper.

This year we are spending around £23 billion on defence. Are we witnessing a ‘boys with toys’ mentality? Why can fuel tax not come off the defence budget? Or is that too much of a ‘lefty’ question and reflects the ideals Labour used to stand for?

Don’t like the idea of not building as many weapons for mass destruction?

What about really digging hard and investigating the actual surplus revenue the government is sitting on from all resources. There are conflicting reports; is it one billon or four billion? HSBC argue it is over £10 billion. This could more than amply provide for a cut in fuel.

Maybe I am being a bit harsh on the government. In the 1999 budget Gordon Brown abolished the 6% escalator on fuel tax and stated “[We] are now in a position… to make our decisions Budget by Budget” and any ‘real’ increase will result in a further investment in the modernisation of public transport.

In summary, the crisis shows the government to be out of touch. It also evinces the danger of taxing one commodity to such a high level. The Labour Party has only recently recovered from its slump in

The election has turned into a mud slinging

Here in the UK student protest may almost be dead and buried but in Serbia it is alive and well. A student resistance movement founded on the campus of Belgrade University played a significant part in the downfall of President Milosevic.

Otpor was established in 1998 by a group of thirteen students fed up with the academic repression which was turning the University into an academy for the Milosevic regime. The group grew with remarkable speed and by May 2000 it could boast 20,000 members and 5,000 activists. The new movement was different from previous student alliances which had become elitist and had failed to mobilise the majority of Serbs.

Another unique point of Otpor was its leaderless structure that made it very difficult for the Serbian authorities to crack down and silence the group. The youth of Otpor’s founders initially worked in their

successful creation of the ‘liar Gore’ image for his slight exaggerations in essentially truthful stories and claims have left the American public slightly uneasy about placing their trust in the vice-president.

This leaves Bush, a man with just six year’s political experience. A man who helped secure tax cuts by underfunding Medicaid and delaying a state law that would have expanded its coverage of poor children. A man who encouraged an increased use of the state’s death penalty.

A man who has been abroad just three times during his life. He’s likeable enough, but would you trust the fate of the Middle East crisis, Eastern Europe, Northern Ireland and the United Nations in his hands?

The campaign America has witnessed has been one which disturbs many. It has turned people off, contributing to the apathy that has increasingly gripped voters and damaging that hallowed commodity ‘democracy’ along the way.

The government denounced Otpor first as ‘lazy students’, then as of the West, and finally condemning it as a ‘terrorist group’...

Brutal crackdowns were ini-

Flames of anger: the Serbian parliament burns as Belgrade unites

favour, as the regime could not threaten their children or their jobs.

The then government could not ignore the Otpor so it tried to silence the group by denouncing its members: first as ‘lazy students’, then as agents of the West and finally condemning the pacifist organisation as a ‘terrorist group’. On the last count brutal crackdowns were initiated and many Otpor activists were imprisoned, interrogated and beaten. Some were forced into hiding; others simply disappeared.

Under these circumstances the stated aims of Otpor, bringing down the Milosevic regime peacefully and rebuilding Serbian society, may have seemed hopelessly idealistic. However they remained in the words of one activist “The most optimistic people in the world.”

Otpor’s actions did not usually take the form of mass protests. With the motto ‘resistance until victory’ they used subtle tactics to attack Milosevic and to shake the majority of the population out of their apathetic state. Humour was one means of attack: on the president’s birthday they ‘presented’ him with a cake and a oneway ticket to The Hague.

Publicity was also a vital weapon.

The Otpor symbol of a clenched fist was plastered all over Serbia. Viral pamphlets denouncing Milosevic for ruining the

country were distributed. Another crucial aspect of Otpor’s campaign was the mobilisation of voters all over Serbia. They developed networks in provincial towns and Serbian hinterlands where there was little opposition.

Although not affiliated to any opposition party the Otpor networks encouraged people to use their votes for any candidate who was not Milosevic.

The group earned almost legendary status in Serbia for expressing what many silently felt. One a leading Serbian actor appeared on stage with an Otpor t-shirt and raised fist and received a standing ovation. Their efforts seemed to bear fruit when the majority of Serbs voted against Milosevic in the recent presidential election.

The students then joined the thousands of others who finally took to the streets to bring down Milosevic. Of course Otpor was not the only factor in the downfall of the Milosevic regime: the presentation of one clear opposition candidate in the form of Vojislav Kostunica and the then government’s arrogance in overruling the election result also played a major part.

This does not detract, however, from the bravery of the Otpor students who risked their lives so that Serbia could finally achieve democracy.

12 FEATURES : yorkVision

9th November, 2000 Issue 123

British BeeF and American Pie

Vision stradles the Atlantic, as an American in England and a Scotsman in L.A. compare their experiences RaeJean Spears

I HAVE to admit, when I landed in Manchester, I wasn’t happy. Having just survived the flight from hell (you see how happy you are if your airplane has to turn around because there is a “non-critical” problem in the cockpit) all I wanted was to get to York.

After another three and half hours on the world’s slowest train (what is it with all the rail lines being defective anyway?), we finally arrived.

I didn’t have a clue what awaited me at University, or “College” as we Yanks like to call it. I think somewhere in the back of my mind I was expecting crooked teeth and to hear the words “yeah baby” a lot. But then again, maybe I had just seen Austin Powers one too many times.

It’s funny to think about the things people told me about the Brits before I left: that you all drink warm beer, have funny teeth, smell and that guys don’t buy girls drinks at bars.

Whereas some people do exhibit some of these wonderful qualities, on the whole they are stereotypes. You can just as easily find an American with these traits (we like to call them Southerners).

One would think that because Americans and Brits both speak English, we would be able to understand each other. Pish-posh I say. There are times

Christian Bunyan I ADMIT it. I thought studying in L.A. would make me world-weary, interesting and sexy. I fantasized about developing a thousand-yard stare.

When people met me in the future, I would look into the distance and talk wearily about the insanity of Hollywood, nightclubs on Sunset Boulevard, and the little differences that you really notice (‘Subs’ are sandwiches and nobody has heard of baked beans).

Part Alistair Cooke, part Sting (“I’m an alien, I’m a legal alien”), I crossed the Atlantic convinced of my own ruggedness and maturity. Several time zones later, I arrived feeling the jetlag that wouldn’t leave me for three months. I waited in queues at the airport while burly men with large guns made sure I wasn’t a Mexican immigrant. I reflected happily on my newfound cynicism. The poor fools! Didn’t they realize I was a small pale ponce with nothing to declare but my biting insights?

The taxi driver certainly did because he charged me twice the usual fare. As we hurtled down various freeways, he regaled me with his own brand of hard-won pessimism. “Man,” he said, “If you’re gonna live here, you gotta recognize this road.

It’s a life-line through all the bad neighborhoods. You gotta know when to turn off, and when to keep driving.” He indicated an off-ramp. “There. Don’t go down there.” He pointed to a low-rise frontier town sprawl. It looked much like everywhere else. I nodded wisely and silently began composing a monologue about the vicissitudes of the ’hood.

Eventually, we pulled up at a crumbling high-rise. It looked like a timeshare complex or a Spanish brothel. It was also the ugliest, most dilapidated building in the area. We had arrived at my student accommodation. In exchange for three

hours a week labouring in the kitchens and a rent When I discovhigher t h a n ered my houseHalifax mates were Court, I had the recovering from privilege of shar- twenty-five years ing a of crack addicsmelly tion, closet with two I pigeonholed t o t a l them as harmstrangers.

Our less eccentrics corrid o r ’ s bathroom door didn’t lock, the walls looked like they’d been in a mortar attack and the noise made it impossible to sleep until one in the morning. Consequently, I spent most of the first night pitying myself, studying a photo of my girlfriend and looking fearfully at the skyscrapers on the horizon. I got up at five and phoned her. She accepted reverse charges and paid fifteen pounds to talk to me for ten, maybe fifteen, minutes.

Needless to say, I broke my tenancy agreement a day or so later. The landlord kindly fined me a huge sum and gave me two days to get out. I spent them making frantic phone-calls and looking at studio apartments with rents that would force my parents to get a second mortgage.

At the time, student housing was in short supply. I heard stories of freshers sleeping in corridors like hospitals full of flu-addled pensioners. On the afternoon before my deadline, I found a room in Santa Monica for five hundred dollars a month.

I had few complaints about my new home. It was a lovely place. When my new landlord told me he couldn’t pick up my luggage because his son was being sent to prison that morning, I decided that

when I don’t have a clue what you people are talking about. I’m constantly learning new words. Well, they’re not really new words, just words used in a different context. For example, I learned the hard way not to comment on someone’s pants in public. Hey, to me they are those things you wear on your legs - not underwear. I was also a bit wary of using the word “cheers” at first because I didn’t want to sound like a Yank trying to sound British.

Now it just kind of slips out in lieu of “thank you.”

I’ve noticed some other distinguishing characteristics between us. First of all, you drink - A LOT: and I’m not referring to tea. Coming from a place where the drinking age is twenty-one and any drinking heretofore done by yours truly has been of the illegal variety, being able to walk into a pub and not even get carded is very weird.

I’m not complaining: things like “Fresher’s Week” just blew my mind.

School-sanctioned binge drinking? That’s one thing that definitely would not fly at Holy Cross (the lovely institution of higher learning in Massachusetts that I like to call home).

Another thing regarding alcohol consumption on this fair isle is that there seems to be an exceedingly large array of sickeningly fruity drinks served in bottles.

During the first week people actually commented on the fact that it was unusual that I, because I am a chick, was drinking a pint. I just can’t stomach more than one or two VK things without feeling sick, but then again, that’s just me. And I am a

L.A. was probably full of misunderstood criminal types. When I discovered that my housemates were middle-aged men recovering from 25 years of crack and alcohol addiction, I pigeonholed them as harmless eccentrics. When they invited me to watch their extensive collection of hardcore pornography with them, I politely declined.

However, when my landlord started lecturing me for two hours every night about the evils of women and Mexicans, I realized it was time to move on.

I told my parents I was leaving. The landlord kept the five hundred dollars rent.

I had stayed less than a week. My Dad, two thousand miles away, phoned him and started bawling threats. I was collared just as I stuffed the last of my belongings into my backpack. I got off with a lecture about the immorality of phoning one’s parents too often. I pointed out that they were picking up the tab. I was ignored and repeatedly chastised. I meekly accepted the landlord’s ruling.

A few days later I met up with some other Brits and we talked about being cynical and grown-up for a couple of hours. I found a one-room apartment near campus and shared it with three other students. The apartment was the size of an average living room. We paid eight hundred dollars a month plus a deposit. People who saw it said they were jealous of our luxurious quarters.

Three months into the exchange, my dad’s business collapsed. I re-enrolled at York and flew back with a nice U.C.L.A jumper in my suitcase. Despite the disasters, I’ve kept in touch with a couple of friends who remained in California. Over a nine-month period, one spent twenty thousand pounds. The other limited himself to a mere sixteen thousand.

foreigner after all.

I a l s o quickly learned that the British like taking the “piss” out of

It’s funny to think the things people told me about the Brits.

Apparently you all drink warm beer, have funny teeth, smell and guys don’t buy girls drinks at bars.

Americans. At first I was a little taken back by the constant bashing of the Stars and Stripes. Is it just because I come from the strongest country in the world? The obvious answer is that you must be jealous...

Just kidding. The conversations I’ve had around the kitchen table here, especially regarding British perceptions of Americanism, have been some of the most interesting, thought provoking experiences of my life.

In general, I think Americans do tend to be ethnocentric by nature. We live in our big country and like to concern ourselves only with our issues. It’s not a question of others being worthy of our

attentions, but when you have millions upon millions of citizens, not to mention a span of 3,000 miles, the rest of the world kind of fades away into the background.

However it wasn’t until I got here that I realized how self absorbed we, as Americans, could be. With all that said, there are a few things I feel I need to clear up. First of all, high school is nothing like it seems on television. Saved by the Bell, Beverly Hills 90210 and Dawson’s Creek are NOT accurate reflections of American teenage life.

Most of us do not live a posh lifestyle in Southern California. Also, no one I knew in high school had the vocabulary of Dawson, Joey or Pacey. That’s what happens when you have twenty-three year old actors portraying confused adolescents.

Also important to note, National Lampoon’s ‘Animal House’ does not exactly mirror American college life either. Although, I must admit that I have been to keg parties where an inch of beer literally did cover the floor.

Keg parties are an American college staple. Imagine 100 of your nearest and dearest friends, crammed into the basement of some dilapidated off-campus house, all clamoring for a chance to fill their plastic cup with the nectar of the gods - beer. It’s a grand time.

Of final note, I just want to say that neither I, nor any of the other Americans here, had anything to do with the filming of U-571 or The Patriot. Hollywood, while it is technically in the U.S., could better be considered to be on another planet.

THEM AND US

U.C.L.A. and the University of York compared.

Student population: 36,500

Student population: 8,500

Accomodation available includes the recently completed ‘Sunset Village’, housing 1,500 undergraduate residents in air-conditioned rooms.

Accomodation variable.

Some studentshave en-suite facilities. The rest ‘enjoy’ late-60s prefab. buildings.

Single-glazing ensures natural air-conditioning.

They have: Royce Hall

We have: Central Hall

Modelled after a basilica in Milan and constructed in 1929. Its auditorium seats upto 1,833.

Completed in 1974. Modelled after...quite a few drinks.

Seats safely (i.e. without motion) 800. Sinking.

Has its own fire marshal and police department, as well its own equivalent to the phone company and post office.

Has (foul) wild-fowl.

not that we’re jealous...

yorkVision : FEATURES

Issue 123 9th November, 2000

13

Shall we dance?

Vision wonders whether we should all be dancing queens, or just save ourselves from some embarrassing scenes Barbara Stainer TO SOME friends consternation, and to other’s delight, I love to dance. The Dancing Queen, the Disco Diva, the Goodtime Groover - that’s me.

Since those long gone years of youth club discos and 5th form balls I’ve been stepping out under those disco lights and doin’ my thang. I was the one leading the teenage masses with my Macarena moves and MC Hammer grooves. You may mock, but I had myself one hell of a time, and still do.

Come Wednesday evenings just show me the dance floor and I’ll be smiling. I can march straight past any pound a pint offers the Gallery may have, so long as there’s something with a beat going on downstairs.

Be reassured, I have my limits. The

Gareth Walker WITH ALL decent modesty, should you ever chance upon me in the darker recesses of Ziggys you’ll find that I am actually an excellent dancer.

Immediately you’d discern, in the regular spasmic twitches of my shoulders, an almost perfect sense of rhythm. With time and good judgement you will recognise the confident dignity of what, to the less careful observer, might otherwise seem a fixedly inane and slightly desperate grin.

The more informed among you may even note my unique - and genuinely innovative - technique of concentrating all my dynamic dancing energy entirely in my upper-body; at all times keeping my lower-body elegantly rigid and motionless.

It should be obvious then, that I’m not some anorak-clad Indie kid; anchored immobile to the dance floor under the

Venga Boys and Steps just aren’t doing it for me like they used to, but as for the rest of pop, well... I just can’t stop. And Chart, Dance, Soul, R n’B? Bring it all on.

You see, the great thing about dancing is that it’s versatile, it’s individual and it’s expressive. Depending on your mood, who you’re with, and indeed what you’ve just drunk, you’ll find that no one dance, or dancer, is the same. This is the beauty of the dance floor – everything and anything goes. The token classic rave, the rude girl shimmy, the YMCA - take your pick.

As for the more timid toe tappers amongst us, this is the perfect time to lose your inhibitions. No matter how badly you co-ordinate your feet with the beat, there’ll inevitably be some inebriated fool in the middle, whose dirty dancing will be taking the pointed finger from you.

In my humble, yet well researched opinion, dancing is also the perfect aneccrushing weight of my own angst. I’m perfectly aware of the excellence of Westlife’s oeuvre, I can entirely appreciate the finer points of Britney, and I know all the moves to Tragedy.

As such, clearly my objections to dancing are entirely selfless. I myself could flaunt my flawless ‘booty’ all night long. My concern is for the rest of the sweaty, jostling, elbow-swinging cattle who every week herd themselves onto my dance floor.

I will admit to a certain element of personal irritation. How, for instance, can I honestly be expected to execute an especially complex ‘crouch-and-then-jumpup-and-down’ maneuver to 5ive’s Get on Up, when all the drunken idiots around me keep crouching and jumping all over the place? What are they thinking?

Whatever anger I feel is short-lived though, and it always turns rather quickly to pity. ] Look at that poor girl, arms desper-

The great thing about dancing is that it’s versatile, it’s individual and it’s expressive.

No one dance, or dancer, is the same and every-

thing

and anything goes

I myself could flaunt my flawless ‘booty’ all night long.

My concern is for the rest of the sweaty, elbowswinging cattle who herd themselves onto the dance floor

dote to stress. Dissertations, essays and open papers may take their toll, but indulge in some Mr Martin and his lovely latino ways and you’ll be ‘Living la vida loca.’

Next time you actually get a ticket for Club Derwent, note the difference.

The people at the bar will be at best bored and at worst broke. Those on the dance floor on the other hand will be ten quid richer, 2lbs lighter, happily dancing to the ‘five bad boys with the power to rock you.’

Dignity, pride, reputation...these words mean nothing, and just like whistles and Whigfield, don’t belong on the dance floor. When you’re dancing, what matters is that you have a great time, what doesn’t is what the rest of the rhythmless nation may think of you. Anyway, you’ll soon find yourself lost in the crowd.

Caught in trap. There’s no turning back.

You’re lost in music.

ately flailing along to someSClub7 song; and how about that group raggedly swaying along with Angels. Or worst of all - that grinning fool I glimpsed in the mirror; glibly twitching away with all the grace of a bull elephant with a nervous disorder.

Not that I want to be a kill-joy but please people – and surely you must know who are you are – show some decorum.

Dancing should only ever be attempted by highly trained professionals, or else those rare few with natural innate ability. Like me...

Lord of the dance, Ricky Martin

COMPETITIONS! COMPETITIONS! COMPETITIONS! WIN A YEAR’S SUPPLY OF HEINZ 5 YOUNG PERSON RAILCARDS CHEEZY BAKED BEANS! TO BE WON! Vision has teamed up with Heinz to provide one lucky reader with a year’s supply of Cheezy Beans, for the ultimate in gourmet student cooking. To win all you have to do is answer the following question...

What other ingredient is in Cheezy Beans apart from baked beans? a). Toast b). Cheese c). Old newspapers The first person to reply with the correct answer will receive 52 easy meals, in 52 cans!

To cut your train travel costs by 1/3 across Britain, simply answer the question below.

One winner will also win The Good Pub Guide 2001, worth £14.99.

What is the name of the station master in Thomas the Tank Engine?

1. The Young Persons Railcard is available to anyone between the ages of 16 and 25, as well as mature students aged 26 or over in full time education. 2. The Railcard entitles the holder to savings of 1/3 on most rail fares within Britain.

(There are some exceptions where the Young Persons Railcard cannot be used, whilst a minimum fare will apply to departures made at or before 10.00am, except during July and August). 3. Mature students must provide proof that they are a full time student in a recognised educational establishment for at least 15 hoursper week, 20 weeks a year. (Open University, distance learning and part-time courses do not qualify).

SEND ALL ANSWERS TO: vision@york.ac.uk ENTRIES MUST BE RECEIVED BY FRIDAY 23rd NOVEMBER

BAR 38 Well done to the following three lucky winners of the Bar 38 competition in our last issue. They are:

Lee Netherton Rodney Fry Chris Osborne We asked where Bar 38 is located. They correctly answered that it is to be found next to the City Screen, in Coney St. They each win £50 to spend on food for themselves and a group of mates.

Do you Remember the

80 ?

Raiding the lost ark - The Movies of the IN AN age when the Americans were sensible enough to elect a movie star as president, how could the cinema enjoy anything but a glorious, glorious decade?

It was an era which began with Leslie Nielson’s surely/Shirley jokes in screwball disaster spoof Airplane and ended with Batman fighting the Joker to the sounds of Prince; an era where we believed a man could fly. Burt Reynolds was king of Hollywood as 1980-82’s most bankable star. That’s class.

More people went to the movies than ever before in the 80s – for excitement, for adventure, for laughter, for a few tears perhaps, but most of all for the special effects. Were those real ghosts captured on film and licked into shape by Bill Murrey? Did they really

s

Vision dons its rose-tinted glasses and takes a look at that garish, greedy decade we all love to hate.

WHY WOULD anyone possibly want to remember the eighties? After all, we spent most of the nineties trying to forget them.

Nonetheless after a decade of collective amnesia it seems everyone’s suddenly beginning to remember the decade taste itself forgot.

Switch on the TV and you’ll find some sort of tour down memory lane. Hollywood too has clambered on the bandwagon. Adam Sandler donned an appropri-

It was the eighties that dumbed us down, wired us up, told us what we wanted and taught us that you didn’t get anything in ately greasy mullet-wig for The Wedding Singer, followed by a power-suited Christian Bale in this year’s film of Brett Easton-Ellis’s American Psycho. Now it seems the ultimate sacrilege is upon us: A-Team: The Movie goes into production next year.

And while so far as Toffs and Minster FM are concerned the eighties might just as well have never ended, this year we’ve already had ‘A1’ infect the charts with an anaemic cover of ‘Take-On Me’ while aging rock behemoths ‘U2’ have managed to clamber up to number 1 for the first time since 1987.

Even eighties fashions are creeping back from shameful iniquity. Just take a close look at this winter’s fashion collections (although be careful, you’re liable to lose an eye to the business-end of a passing shoulder-pad).

Ruling-out the doctoring of the water-supply on a global scale; why this nostalgia for all things eighties? Of course, its easier to laugh at an old pass-

port photo than it is to mock you own face in the mirror. We can always summon-up a little more affection for an era when we’re no-longer forced to occupy the decade uncomfortably adjacent.

However while the dawn of the 21st century might have flung open the doors to the ‘takewhat-you-want’ eighties nostalgia mart; maybe there is more going on here than the usual rosetinted dredging of collective memories.

There was something strangely empty about the millennium celebrations, and for once it wasn’t the Dome. That it was the music of the eighties - in the shape of Prince’s ‘1999’, or else Will Smith’s sampling of The Clash’s ‘Rock the Casbah’ - which ushered us into the new millennium, only reinforced the sense that this was all a little meaningless. The curtain had already come down on the twentieth century a decade before when an iron pick slammed down into the Berlin Wall. The nineties may have softened the trim of its power-suits and thrown a tasteful ethnic wrap over the steel-and-black-leather sofas. Ultimately however they amounted to nothing more than a footnote: the backwash to the flood of the previous decade.

It was in the eighties that our world was invented.

Cheap electronics put a TV in every room and gave us the microchips that would put a computer in every home. It was the eighties that gave us a McDonalds on every high street while the third-world starved, and it was the eighties which gave us the millionaire celebrities pumped through MTV who lectured us in giving charity.

It was the eighties that dumbed us down; took us apart; wired us up again; told us what we wanted and taught us that you didn’t get anything in this world unless you scrambled over everyone else to get it.

Love the decade or loathe it, remember it or not: the truth remains, we’re all eighties children now.

“I don't care if you're fifty-five or seven, everybody needs Ferris Bueller

80s

‘

teach Tom Cruise to fly? Did the rabbit really die in Fatal Attraction? Did Donald Duck really start on Daffy Duck in a Warner Brothers studio?

Cinema confirms the 80s as an age of science. The ‘Speak and Spell’ became a complex space communication tool in the hands of ET. The Flux Capacitor made time travel in a DeLorian a reality (those hoverboards were so cool). Rick Moranis was faced with a scientific dilemma: if you’ve just invented a shrinking machine, do you allow your kids to muck around with it? Thank goodness for us he did.

For the first time, studios gave directors the artistic freedom to develop their visions fully. This move gave us five Nightmare on Elm Street films, six Police Academy movies (each funnier than the last), and, most impressively, nine Friday 13th films. Sadly the craze for comedy Australians

For the first time, studios gave directors the artistic freedom to develop their visions fully. This move gave us five Nightmare on Elm petered out before we could all enjoy Crocodile Dundee 3, but I’m holding out in hope that the film will yet be made. Call that a trilogy? That’s a trilogy.

The 80s was such a top-quality

decade for films they even tempted Sean Connery back to play Bond – a rôle he hadn’t undertaken since the 70s.

Christmas wouldn’t be the same without the Indiana Jones Trilogy, a boys’ night in wouldn’t be the same without The Terminator and a girls’ without Dirty Dancing.

As we sat in our rundown cinemas, unaware of the 8-screen multiplex being built down the road, we never realized how lucky we were.

Having ‘enjoyed’ the first three Police Academy films, Indy was nonetheless reluctant to stick around for

Kylie in the ‘80s: she wore clothes in those days y’know.

K now your ‘80s hair-st yles.

Left-to-right: The ‘Big Hair’ Perm

and now the synthezizer solo - Music of the FRANKIE’S IMMORTAL and unforgettable advice to ‘Relax’ seems to sum it all up.

This was a decade that

promised of an idyllic Club Tropicana, a seductive Rio and a carefree paradise in which we could all take an extra-long Holiday; set against Culture Club’s words of Red, Green and Gold.

Why else would the 80s hold such a fond place in our hearts?

Or perhaps it was just the sheer tack that forms a stronger mental image in our minds. After all, anyone who was anyone in the music world in

A robot singularly failing to be in disguise.

Contributors Adrian Butler Barbara Stainer Rebecca Sweeny Gareth Walker

“We are living in a material world, and I am but a Madonna

80s

‘

Anyone who was anyone in the music world loaded themselves in lace, wore an abundance of frilly sleeved garments, and

the 80s simply loaded themselves in lace, wore an abundance of big, frilly sleeved garments, controlled their Dallas-elevated hair with an indispensable bandanna and loaded themselves with more jewellery than Mr T.

Thanks to Le Bon et al, we chose to fumigate ourselves in hazes of hairspray, spritz’s of Insignia and an ozone-defying pollution of Old Spice, for good measure.

New Romantics aside, this was also the golden age of S.A.W (Stock, Aitken and Waterman, pop pickers). They were a leading light in the 80s music industry, solely responsible for creating and unleashing the likes of Sonia, Sinita, Tiffany, Mel ‘n’ Kim, tea boy ‘Rik’ Astley and those old veterans Kylie and Jase, upon the all too vulnerable British public.

Dance floors were heaving, and not because of those gravity-challenging rah-rah skirts either. The enthusiastic flaying of limbs, in an evocation of a little bit of Madonna’s ‘Vogue’ were all the rage; or you might even have partook in ‘just a jump to the left/ then a step to the right/ put your hands on your hips/ then pull your knees in tight!’. And don’t even mention Jive Bunny.

“The point “Shut-up is greed, you crazy for fool! lack of a I ain't getbetter B.A. Barracus

Gordon Gecko

16 FEATURES : yorkVision

9th November, 2000 Issue 123

T H E G R E AT E S C A P E Bored of ducks and dubiously damp nightclubs Barbara Stainer and Vee Cole-Jones pursue rumours that there is life beyond York

LEEDS IF YOU can’t bear to miss out on a night at The Gallery or Ziggys (please don’t admit this!), a weekend may be the best time for a jaunt to Leeds.

Friday nights offer a variety to suit all tastes. The Cooker at The Atrium serves funky and Nu jazz beats. With entry at £4 and a ‘tidy brain’ dress code it is worth getting yourself there.

For those of you still tottering in your platforms and sticking glitter to any piece of bare flesh, Wonderland at Majestyks offers a disco dance night in it’s £5 million purpose built dance arena for a measly £2.50 entry.

With Majestyks only stumbling distance from the railway station it’s a key starting point for new clubbers in Leeds.

Saturday nights see Majestyks playing funky house, garage and disco mixed with soul.

The place to make a bee-line for is Club Heaven and Hell. Heaven offers the more cheesy of you the best in 70s disco, 80s pop and 90s chart.

Hell on t h e

other hand offers more hardcore garage, house and trance. £5 will buy you this whole experience.

For the richer amongst you, The Mint Club or Speed Queen offers a fabulous night out at a more costly £10.

For only £2, the other end of the price scale, you can visit The Elbow Rooms which has very funky acid jazz and funk grooves with the added advantage of pool and a large bar and dance floor.

Before venturing to any of these hot spots in Leeds it is worth picking up some of the numerous cheap drink and entry vouchers in pre-clubbing bar mode.

For the 24 hour experience Leeds is the ultimate clubbing venue.

For as little as £34 clubbing weekends include accommodation, reduced price drinks and priority entry to a number of the major Leeds clubs.

NEWCASTLE THE CAPITAL of the North, home of the Geordie nation, Toon army and a shopping haven. The shops of York pale into insignificance when confronted by the array offered ‘oop North.

If you are arriving in Newcastle the best place to head for first is Eldon Square. Situated in the city centre, this oasis of 140 shops, nestling beside a selection of cafes and resturants guarantees you cannot leave the premises empty handed.

If you can negotiate your way through the swathes of black and white striped shirts you will stumble across a number of smaller, independent stores that offer that touch of individuality.

A few of these gems include ‘Barbarella’ in Highridge Street which has designer clubbing gear a n d some

The Corn Exchange in Leeds

LIVERPOOL THE ACCENT we love to loathe (eh, eh, like, bit a woh, bit a wah), and the shell suits and shiny flourescent trainers we have to hate.

Thanks to Phil Redmond, Atomic

Kitten et all, our perception of Liverpool is little more than that of some haven for townies with TK Max accessories. Cringe worthy it is, cool it ain’t. But then again, don’t some of the world’s finest come from down ‘Scalley Alley’? The Beatles, the Brooksiders, the Big Brother champion.

And whilst Craig did choose to leave Liverpool for 10 weeks of voyeuristic hell, living in BB’s house/ prison with the ‘worst of British,’ we shall remind him that there is indeed stuff worth going back for.

The Albert Dock along the waterfront is amongst one of the more impressive areas of Merseyside. Akin to London docklands, this is the place to be.

Crammed with the smartest of bars, res-

taurants, galleries and museums it shouts class, and errr.. therefore demands money. So bring the plastic.

For those more lured to Liverpool by the Beatles, there’s a few treats in store. The National Trust now owns Paul’s old house, where he used to scribble lyrics on the wallpaper, and both the Casbah club and the Cavern pub (where they say it all started) are impressive shrines to their musical careers.

There is of course the ‘Beatles Story’, a museum taking you on a virtual walk through the Beatles past, and has the largest collection of Beatles ‘goodies’ to be found anywhere - so you can get your token Beatles money tube and rainbow coloured rubber.

But if it’s thrills n’ spills you’re looking for, try ‘New Brighton,’ on the Wirral.

With an amusement park, a naval fort, and both power boats and motor cycles for hire, this has all the toys for all the boys.

USEFUL CONTACTS

Rail Information: www.thetrainline.com Coach Information: www.nationalexpress.co.uk National Rail Enquiries: 08457 484950. Ticket Sales: 08457 222333

TOURIST INFORMATION OFFICES

Leeds: Tel: 0113 242 5242.

Liverpool: Tel: 0151 709 5111.

Newcastle: Tel: 0191 277 8000.

Scarborough: Tel: 01723 373 333.

THIS IS the very best of the British seaside resort. Perfectly greasy fish n’ chips, Mr Whippy and his drippy 99’s, miniature railways and mini golf.

Scarborough is the stuff of saucy seaside postcards and sixties summer holidays, the place where tack reigns top and cheap is cool.

If you’re looking for a break from the ‘city’ air, and I use that term loosely, then perhaps a breath of Scarborough’s fresh sea air is just the anecdote.

Take a trip on the RNLI lifeboat around South Bay, a walk around Scarborough’s 12th century castle or hire a bike and explore the coast.

But let’s not mince our words here.

Come to Scarborough for it’s tourist tat, coz that’s what it does best.

Get the kiddies to step aside as you step on the gas on the go-carts at Kinderland. Get wet n’ wild in Peasholm park on the rowing boats, canoes, wild swan pedaloes.

The Beatles Museum Making a note of the tide may be a

Shopping in Newcastle unusual funky choices.

For those seeking out some huge names, a great shop to check out is ‘Cruise Flannels’ in Princess Square. DKNY, Ghost and Ralph Lauren, amongst others, can be found here. The sales are definitely worth a visit alone.

Other stores worth a detour to are ‘Pele’, ‘Flip’ and the ‘Period Warehouse Clothing’. All can be found in close range of the city centre.

For the more adventurous shoppers a trip to the Metro Centre in Gateshead will raise your pulses. The collection of stores, cinema and fairground under one roof makes for the ultimate shopping experience.

Make sure you visit ‘Geordie Jeans’, even if it’s just to have a laugh at the name!

Heading South across the Tyne Bridge you will be planning your next visit. The Angel of the North will most definitely not disappoint..

choice idea if you’re going to indulge in some serious sandcastle construction, but then things are always going to get wet in Scarborough...what ya gonna do? At this time of year there may be wind and there will be rain, but it’s all just part of the ambience.

A summer’s day in Scarborough

17 MUSIC : yorkVision

MUSIC

9th November, 2000 Issue 123

Kathryn Williams in her element The ever-roving Ryan Sabey meets up with Mercury Music Prize nominee Kathryn Williams at Fibbers, home of the under-represented.

EMERGING FROM nowhere to be nominated for this year’s Mercury Music Award, Kathryn Williams has made more inroads this year into a ‘fickle’ industry than she could ever have imagined.

“At the Awards, I sat on a table with

my mum, dad and my boyfriend. They’re the most important people to me.” You don’t have to be on ceremony in the company of Williams. I probably wouldn’t get long odds on betting she’d prefer Joe’s Cafe to The Ritz either.

It certainly wasn’t a case of ‘no expense spared’ during the recording of her debut album, Dog Leap Stars. It cost a mere £80. “I got it all at cheap rate. I recorded it at night to save money and some of it was even done on a four-track.

Record companies offered me studio time in exchange for a contract, but I insisted I got the rights back in two weeks.”

Williams doesn’t strike you as being academically intelligent, street-wise maybe, and her destiny is now in her hands.

She set up her own record label, Caw, in 1999 to give her control. Record company executives may be queuing up for her signature but if artistic control is lost, it won’t be the same Kathryn Williams that has won the public over so easily.

“I’m not going to be another Kylie Minogue. How many times has she changed her look. She doesn’t know if she is coming or going,” she claims.

The music press have been shouting from the rooftops about how good she his.

But in other areas of the media Kathryn Williams feels she isn’t getting the attention she deserves. “I’ve had some attention from Radio 2 and a few London stations. Radio 1 refuse to play my records.”

To be honest Kathryn, I’d take that as a compliment. It isn’t the teeny boppers she has to win over for longevity in this game.

The MOR will swing the pendulum in her favour. The mature Travis fan will have a

ments of wit occur every few seconds. A degree of nervousness before performing led her to therapy. Yet on stage, it’s impossible to shut her up. “I was getting so nervous before I went on stage it was disabling me so I had to have hypnotherapy. I was getting the shakes, the squits ‘n’ stuff.”

The help of a live band behind her has settled her nerves. I ask her about her major festival performance at the Cambridge Folk Festival. The only reply I get: “Don’t mention the F-word.”

Williams has been likened to the Patti Griffin and Lori Carson brigade. She doesn’t mind this but she desperately wants to move away from a label that has dogged her for too long - the female Nick Drake. “I don’t mind being likened to Nina Simone and Joni Mitchell. I’m not trying to be them. If I was, I would be in a cover band,” she vehemently adds.

She doesn’t need the inspiration from others to write, either. Any issue or idea usually triggers off a song for her. “I went on holiday for the first time in ages with my boyfriend to Catalonia. Something like that just inspired me to write Foreign Skies, she claims. Sunnier climes could be where Kathryn finds her ideals; writing memorable songs and performing even better gigs. “I think the Americans will love me. I’ll fit in there, just right.”

Kathryn Williams : definitely not music by numbers big say on whether Williams stays put or rises up the echelons of popular music.

Williams is adamant that she won’t sellout. “If the public like it, they’ll buy it.

I’m not going to force it on anybody.”

The turning point for Kathryn Williams has to be the Mercury nomination for her second record, Black Little Numbers. “I’m glad I put myself forward.

It cost £200 and it was worth every penny.” She doesn’t mind mixing with the stars either. “I told Badly Draw Boy the day before that he’d win. I got that right.”

Being in the company of fellow nominees Richard Ashcroft, Coldplay and Doves does suggest that Williams is on the right track to getting the recognition she deserves. But the Award has a curse Suede, Pulp and Gomez have all faltered after picking up the gong. “It’s all hype.

There isn’t really a syndrome attached to it,” she adds.

The debut album was released to display her talent. She looks back at it now by looking at the bigger picture. “It was just the beginning. I just wanted to show

people what I was all about,” adds Williams as she falls back into the big leather armchair. She’s almost got the hang of interviews having completed a handful across the country. The exacerbation of confidence hasn’t yet arrived but it will in time.

The giggly schoolgirl nature comes across in every sentence. She is desperate to release a smutty comment after any question I ask.

Born in Newcastle and bred in Liverpool it shouldn’t be surprising ele-

To win a copy of the Technics Mercury Music Prize album, featuring Kathryn Williams, e-mail vision@york.ac.uk with the answer to this : If you imbibed mercury what would fall off: a: Your nose b: Your nails c: Your nipples

Passing the Old Grey Lantern test Leesa Clarke Mansun Live @ The Foundry, Sheffield University Union 24 October 2000 IT WAS with a great sense of anticipation that Mansun’s onstage appearance was awaited.

I had personally been a fan of theirs since I first happened upon the Attack of the Grey Lantern CD which was a cracker.

More zipper trouble for Paul Draper

Having endured the dubious Six (an album name chosen as a tribute to A.A.Milne’s classic “Now we are Six” must be quite cool though) I was extremely relieved when Mansun released Little Kix which seemed to be closer in style to the mellower days of Wide Open Space and the like.

Bearing this in mind, I was not

expecting the Sheffield Union to allude to “punk” when describing the band, or for them to be supported by the worryingly named My Vitriol and King Adora.

Upon Mansun’s arrival on stage the moshing began. Their fans are definitely harder than expected. More importantly, they are harder than me and I could not last long before beating a hasty retreat.

This is where the multiple personality comes in. Mansun have not yet made their minds up who they want to be. One minute their sound is hard - almost thrashy - rock, the next rich exotic harmonies and a much mellower, almost ethereal and definite emotional side to the music. In my opinion they need to decide which Mansun they want to be and leave the other more or less alone.

There were two distinct types of fans in the audience and they didn’t mix terribly well. They are good enough to be successful whichever musical path they choose especially as, in Paul Draper , they have a class songwriter with a superb and

unique voice.

Their softer side has brought them more commercial success in the past so I suspect - and hope - that this is the route they will increasingly take.

Musically Mansun are pretty tight, and the addition of a keyboard player to the line-up will definitely add to their sound overall. It was a surprise to hear I Can Only Disappoint You second, as it may have worked better as an encore track.

They rattled through virtually all of their hits: Stripper Vicar, a great version of Taxloss and the awe-inspiring Wide Open Space. For the moshing fans there was Being a Girl from the Six album, to name but one track.

Overall, I would go and see mellow Mansun again, but hard Mansun I’m not so sure. In the meantime, new single Electric from Little Kix is released in November.

Mellow Mansun fans rejoice.

18 MUSIC : yorkVision

9th November, 2000 Issue 123

Put your bands where we can see ‘em Sarah Moore looks at the many ways to get to grips with making music in York IF YOU want to contribute to York University’s thriving music scene and possibly even become the next Defenbaker, there are plenty of options available.

Should you need another musician,

there are several ways of making yourself heard: Daily Info is a start but advertising with the BandSoc on their website (www.users.york.ac.uk/~socs119) is often more effective. This site carries a list of members and their talents - their jam nights (next one Nov 19th) reportedly swarm with unemployed drummers. There are also often adverts in York’s music shops and Ripon and York College may well be a good place to advertise.

Once you have your players, there’s the small matter of practise space. Campus has only one room where amplified music is permitted and this can be booked through BandSoc (you must be a member) for most nights of the week plus weekends.

For unamplified music Langwith Practice rooms can be booked out hourly at any time of day, but MusicSoc membership is a must. York boasts several practise spaces in town, The Jam Factory being probably the most famous. Once you’ve got people who want to make a noise and room in which to make it, you’ll be wanting some instruments.

York has three music shops of note plus some other pawn shops where equipment occasionally appears for sale. MOR Music is pricey, but can order in pretty much whatever you want. Bulmers (near Monkgate) has a lot of second hand stock with quite rapid turnover and is always worth keeping an eye on. Banks and Son is a big store which usually has a good, if limited, range of stock available downstairs. Fine for replacement strings and so on, but not somewhere where you’re like-

Cartoon : Gràinne Lyons

The first stop for most newly formed bands is the University Battle of The Bands. Last year had 18 entries and most nights were sold out. This is a guaranteed gig, great for raising your profile and there’s always the possibility of winning three days recording time at the Old Dairy Studios ly to stumble across that Fender Jazz Master at bargain basement prices.

If you’re keen on variety and valuefor-money, it’s best to get on the train and get yourself to Doncaster (with such stores as Electro and Wizard) or Leeds where the diversity of equipment increases massively whilst the prices drop substantially.

For those of you wanting to play on campus then BandSoc and their Band Liaison Rep are once again the best people to go to. You could also give a demo to the student union who may well be on the lookout for new talent. RAG sometimes need bands for their events - so join them, or approach your ever-friendly JCRCs

directly.

The first stop for most newly formed bands is the University Battle of The Bands, a competition running through late January to February on campus. Last year had 18 entries and most nights were sold out. This is a guaranteed gig, great for raising your profile and there’s always the possibility of winning 3 days recording time at the Old Dairy Studios, plus flaunting your wares in front of an increasingly A+R judging panel.

The Fibbers Battle of The Bands is the York town equivalent. Entry forms can be

found at www.fibbers.co.uk. This has a large cash prize and is spread over several months, from early January into the Easter holidays. It’s hard fought with good press coverage but gives you a chance to play York’s only rock venue without being subjected to their pay-to-play policy.

Other opportunities for playing live will take a little more assertive action on your own part. Many pubs have live music - loads of acoustic and open mic nights you can just turn up to and play. For amplified music the selection is a little more restricted.

Amongst the foremost for electrified gigs are Walkers Bar (Micklegate), The Olde White Swanne (Goodramgate), and The Roman Bath. York’s De Grey Rooms is the only venue which has dared oppose Fibbers following the closure of The Arts Centre. This is a gorgeous venue and well worth investigating. You generally need to supply all your own equipment for such gigs (including P.A.) but it is possible to borrow BandSoc equipment or hire P.A.’s etc from York Sound and Lighting (Toft Green).

To hire transport the general rule is that you must be over 21 and have held a driving licence for over 2 years. The SU van can be hired - but you will need to register as a driver first unless you can persuade someone to chauffeur you around. Thrifty Van Hire (Osbaldwick) and others are even more reasonably priced if the SU van is booked out.

As far as attracting serious A+R interest goes you’ve got to get out of York and into Leeds. York is something of a musical backwater, whereas Leeds et al boast more venues, clubs, punters and bands.

To make your way further afield you’re going to need a demo. Studio time in York works out generally at approx £100/150 per day, with the Old Dairy Studios being most bands’ residence of choice.

Short of that, URY have been known to record bands in session and it is possible - should you ask the right people politely - for any live gigs on campus to be recorded straight off the mixing desk (especially in the Battle of the Bands, which was broadcast live last year). Four Tracks can be borrowed (with deposit) from the ubiquitous BandSoc, but beyond that insiders from the Music/Mus Tech departments are necessary before you can get time anywhere on campus.

Join our music free for all AN INTEREST in music may be the single uniting factor of the intelligent and diverse community that makes up the readership of YorkVision’s music section.

If this is indeed the case then the

following should be of interest to each and every one of you. Whether you play music or listen to it, and whatever your musical interests, we can offer you a chance of winning a great prize in a number of competitions. These range from recording time at Abbey Road studios to a Paul Oakenfold Travelling Digital Alarm Clock.

Firstly, for those of you who like to actively make music, the National Student Music Awards provide a perfect opportunity to find a larger audience.

The event was set up last year to develop, inform and promote student talent. The contest launched once more this year on 16 October and all entries are welcomed, from indie to hip-hop.

Prizes include studio time at BBC Maida Vale and Abbey Road and CD Samplers pressed from your band’s sessions.

If you’re interested, hurry as there’s not much time. Send demo tapes with full contact details (including that you are a student at York), a band photograph and a short band history by November 11th to:

NATIONAL STUDENT MUSIC AWARDS 45 UNDERWOOD STREET LONDON N1 7LG

If you like nothing more than spinning and mixing on your valuable decks and you’re getting annoyed by the way your corridor keep telling you to turn it down, then Juice DJ 2001 is ideal. This is the second year that the organisers have embarked on the task of finding the best DJing talent in York, set to spin on 24th November. Those that checked out the event last year will have had a taste of the variety of styles on show.

This year can only be bigger with HipHop, Techno, Drum n’ Bass, Funk, Garage and all the less usual suspects promising to make it one hell of a night.

The competition took place in Universities nationwide last year and is becoming recognised as one of the finest student DJing events in the UK. York is one of 60 universities taking part. The eventual winner of the campus competition will represent the university in one of the six regional finals and then hopefully onto the final of Juice DJ 2001 being held at the Ministry Of Sound in London on 31st January 2001.

Vestax, as one of the sponsors, are supplying equipment from their innovative DJing range.

The first prize for JuiceDJ2001 is £1000 cash, 2 Vestax decks and a Vestax Pro 6 Mixer, and that allimportant agency deal with guaranteed bookings.

The second and third placed DJs will take home £500 cash and a Pro 6 Vestax Mixer. All Regional Finalists receive a Vestax record bag, beat counter & cartridges.

Those interested in entering JuiceDJ2001 should contact YUSU Ents at the Student Union building by Friday of Week 6. Budding DJs can also check out the website at www.juiced. co.uk If you prefer to let others make music for you, then don’t panic, for we have a veritable smorgasboard of stuff to give away. Firstly, we’ve got three taster CDs Sounds From The Funky Underground is an essential 80 minutes of music from jazz to rap, up tempo to down tempo, the musicians behind it have played at Glastonbury and festivals across Europe.

Fans of world-famous DJ Paul Oakenfold will want to get their hands on a Paul Oakenfold/Perfecto prize pack featuring the Perfecto back catalogue CD releases including Timo Maas, Skip Raiders, Dope Smugglaz, Jazzy M, Planet Perfecto and Stella Browne - and of course that cheeky

alarm clock.

One of three sacks of Aural Pleasure featuring the new album, a 16-page booklet concerned with raising the awareness of the vital links between thumping dance music and naked beautiful women, and all the innuendo to go with it.

Lastly we have three lovingly prepared bundles of vinyl, T-shirts and posters from Fat Boy Slim, Moby and The Wu-Tang Clan.

So, how could this free stuff be yours? Easy. Email with the answer to the following question:

Do you want to write for Music?

Send answers for these competitions to:

vision@york.ac.uk Those of you entering Juice DJ 2001 or the National Student Music Awards, YorkVision can only wish you luck.

Stardom awaits - or at least the opportunity to prove that you are the finest musical talent in the skulking behemoth of music that is the University of York.

19 MUSIC : yorkVision

Limps Rizk It Fergus McGlynn Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavoured Water Limp Bizkit (Out Now) SOME PEOPLE believe that music progresses most of all when new instruments are introduced to the listening community.

Bizkit’s frontman, Fred Durst, has invented a wonderful new instrument for this album: basically, it’s the ludicrous overuse of the work “f***” – so heavily used that it might as well be listed as a separate instrument.

OK, perhaps this isn’t that new - but it’s certainly the logical extreme of the work produced by the pioneers of profanity. Track two, Hot Dog, contains a total of 46 instances of the adjective, and there is plenty more throughout the rest of the album. If rampant swearing shocks you, Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavoured Water will almost certainly desensitise.

Fred Durst has had quite a bit of music press recently for his views on music piracy: he allegedly seems to endorse free music. From this, one might

conclude that he doesn’t place much value in his own songs.

If I had hated the album, I probably would have thought so too, but that is not the case. Chocolate Starfish… is an inspired, emotional and powerful creation. The high level of musicianship defies the popular stereotypes about this genre, which are probably created by the callous veneer of profanity. However, the veneer is thin and transparent after the third or fourth listen.

Lyrically, this work is very powerful.

Durst’s vocals are quite unique; he doesn’t have that silly gurgling growl like others in this style. It is more like the purposeful whining one might associate with the Beastie Boys.

From a popular point of view, the main interest is probably the inclusion of the track It’ll be OK which was written for the Mission Impossible 2 film. It’s a fine track; however I would suggest that one of the best attributes of the album is that it is a complete package and not merely a collection of songs. It has a consistent mood and vibe throughout.

One could easily mistake this quality for repetition, and state that all the tracks sound the same. I encourage anyone with this criticism to listen to Hold On, Full Nelson, Livin’ It Up and My Way. Also not to be ignored is the humour value of the album. Not only is it really quite amusing to listen to someone swearing non-stop

9th November, 2000 Issue 123 “ G E T O U T !

And stay out, fair weather lodger.” I had been ejected out onto the street, a refuse sack of my meagre belongings splash-landing next to me as I faced a night on the streets. No Singles Bar for me tonight, just a bottle of Old Spice and a brown paper bag for warmth.

(no, really!), but the final track is a clever self-parody which must be heard.

Limp Bizkit are frequently packaged for comparison with Tool, Rage Against the Machine and Korn. This album is possibly the most musical and complete example of these bands’ music in the last few years.

Chocolate Starfish... is perfect badmood / life-sux music which I believe could be appreciated by anyone who is willing to give it a few listens.

One of the best attributes of the album is that it is a complete package, not merely a collection of songs

Meanwhile, back at the pad, my exhousemates were already looking for a new tenant. First arrival was Fat Boy Slim with Sunset (Bird Of Prey). “You sound a bit old Norman, a bit under the weather.” said one housemate, pushing his long fingers together and revealing his lower teeth menacingly, “You’ve shown us Jim Morrison, now we’ll show you the door.” Norman’s explanation of ‘pop star fatigue’ went down like this tune will on the

dance floor and he was soon sat on the curb with me.

With a clink of handcuffs and the squeak of rubber the inappropriately named Playgroup stalked in panting “Make it hard, make it happen, make it smooth.” They were met by a smile creeping slowly across a face, “Make it...happen?” Each syllable seemed to last a life-time; the Dominatrix stood before them shuffled nervously from heel to heel. Any sense of sex or intimidation was lost by the effort made to be the part, the only spontaneity was in her ejection.

A boozy burp and a middle-aged set of knowing wrinkles came Closer than Most when the Beautiful South came looking for ‘a little room, just on my own’. The housemates were surprised by the bump and grind of the new single, one even lifting a walking stick in mock outrage and boasting “I’m from Teeside mate, you’re older than the last guy!” An acoustic Blackbird on the Wire reminded the guys how Paul Heaton can smooth wrinkles and elevate even the most disaffected. They might not let him lodge but they all went to buy Painting

Are you sitting comfortably...

Isobelle Todd Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea PJHarvey (Out Now)

BELIEF IN the press-cultivated image of PJ Harvey persists.

Think Frida Kahlo and Siouxsie Sioux; choose “man-hater” or “self-loather”; watch out for unshaven armpits (it’s a political

thing) and hate lyrics penned in menstrual blood. And all because she slept with Nick Cave and dances... well, actually she dances like my mother. Thing is, Harvey herself no longer seems to care.

With her last album, Is This Desire?, she shrouded herself in the mystery of third-person narratives, but here she discards her cast of Angelines and talks direct. So on this, her sixth album, Harvey is unembarrassed to be found with Horses on the stereo and horses in her dreams.

There’s certainly a strong Patti Smith influence here - and true, it’s more or less un-mediated on Good Fortune, which

“I can’t believe life’s so complex, when I just wanna sit here and watch you undress” chugs along like Gloria on a fast burner, all jangling guitars, poetic street prose and nasal intonation.

Yet Harvey possesses too distinctive a talent herself to let influences dominate.

With the exception of Horses In My Dreams (where, out of eerie piano chords and lo-fi strumming, her voice emerges with that child’s-soul-singing effect trademarked to Bjork) the rest of the album is imparted in her own familiar style: that broad, rich vocal which soars and smarts, throbs and rasps, but never loses its West Country Lilt.

The vocals are all the more striking without the cosmetics of distortion, as on The Whores Hustle And The Hustlers Whore. Amongst a carnival of guitars,

Harvey intones, “The language of violence, the language of the heart” in a voice raw and powerful, stomping all over Courtney Love in little black ankle boots.

Likewise on the manic attack that is Kamikaze, Harvey demonstrates her superiority over “contemporaries” Alanis Morrissette and Tori Amos, when her voice escapes to fluctuate at vertigo heights and you don’t feel the need to slap her.

Small surprise, then, that the Thom Yorke duet (aptly titled The Mess We’re In) just doesn’t sound right. God knows how Harvey can maintain that air of understated sensuality, and not bat an eyelid as Yorke’s sinewy angst drips all over her huskily spoken words.

Something more palpable than a droning Yorke is needed to support the edifice of Harvey’s voice- like the haunting castratotype backing vocals and narcoleptic guitar on Beautiful Feeling, or the hard drive of This Is Love’s Bond-gone-Goth beat.

Harvey, incidentally, is on top lyrical form on the latter track, offering an acutely observed, forthright view of love with the line “I can’t believe life’s so complex, when I just wanna sit here and watch you undress.” It’s the perfect antithesis of Dawson’s Creek... and that is praise indeed.

PJ Harvey has said that this album, recorded and written in both New York and Dorset, is based on her conception of songwriting as the merging of the real world and the subconscious, of things experienced and things imagined. The result is a collection of songs that vary beyond the knife-then-tourniquet contrasts of past albums. Here, Harvey not only walks the concrete and the sand, she brings Country to the city for lilting Manhattan folk song You Said Something.

In short, Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea is both lyrically and musically stunning. If only life deserved so beautiful an affirmation

the Town Red to make themselves feel better.

“Ask me how I am” dared the next prospective tenant, Gary from Snow Patrol with his lovely Irish lilt and habitual hangover. They were out of their seats in seconds to energy of his incredible record but Gary was looking for somewhere a bit more dangerous - doubtless winning new fans on the way.

JJ72’s Mark Greaney rocked into the room with his fantasticly muscular October Swimmer but he’d only come to strut, not to stay.

Not surprisingly, then, the singleton of the week, and new housemate in my old home is a cartoon, Sitting in the Sun with Morgan. This is right down the

20 ARTS : yorkVision

9th November, 2000 Issue 123

ARTS

McCartney and Bowie-haus Matt Goddard investigates the credibility of musicians turned artists as they begin to invade the world through books and the internet MANY MUSICIANS from John Lennon to Graham Coxon went to art school and many who did not like to get a bit of painting done in their spare time.

Of particular interest is (Bowie’s) Berlin period, although he professes he can’t remember that time himself now.

Maybe he was spewing

This is not a very surprising fact, after all, music is art. What is surprising is that they keep it under raps for so long.

Somehow they can leap around the stage and parade on television but they have to wait until a significant point in

Within the last few years Bowie has exhibited his artwork and lucky fans have won a self-portrait of Iggy Pop their career to reveal their artwork to the world.

Some artists have said that they want their work to be seen on its own merit and not be affected by their fame, but what has changed now?

If Westlife had an exhibition tomorrow, the only chance of it not selling out would be if it was in Peru. However in the

Bowie. Not a fag

last few years many musicians have widened their artistic interests.

Admittedly Bowie and the Beatles have spent some time ‘acting’, but now both are releasing more and more artwork onto the unsuspecting world.

On Thursday October 19th Paul McCartney webcast a new film to tie in with his new book, Paul McCartney Paintings.

It is nice to see the elders of the rock pantheon embracing the web in the way they have. Within the last few years David Bowie has exhibited his artwork on Bowienet and lucky fans have won a selfportrait of him as Iggy Pop. Thanks to new publicity McCartney's paintings are everywhere, yet still every

Bowie’s Self Portrait: Scary

other headline proclams the tag ‘exBeatle.’

More than anything the paintings can show a great insight into the artists along their career, perhaps more so than any number of Beatle's anthologies.

A lot of attention is paid to McCartney's series of Queen portraits and, to be fair, some seem a little disrespectful, such as ‘The Queen getting a joke,’ and ‘The Queen after her first cigarette’.

However McCartney has carried it off with amazing expression and colour, something you might not expect after his anti-climactic solo career.

McCartney’s paintings carry a humour and lightness which is worth any respect he might lose in technique. Harking back

McCartney casually working to the ‘70s, one of his more humorous works is the delightful ‘David Bowie Spewing’.

Bowie’s paintings themselves are worth looking at just for their eclecticism and diversity; much the same as his music.

Of particular interest is his Berlin period in the late 1970s, although he professes he can’t remember that time himself now.

Maybe he was spewing.

British Rock legends may be finding a new lease of life by gathering up their old (and new) paintings, but what of the younger bands?

While I dread to see Coldplay's artistic leanings there are signs that being a musician today does require a bit more than just constant touring.

It was a surprise to see Blur, The Best Of not sporting a Graham Coxon cover after his ambiguous paintings covered their whole last album. Blur, much like the Beatles, have always been a band to support the artwork that goes with their records. Last year even saw a touring exhibition of it.

It is true that record covers have long been associated with selling records, but as the Beatle's White Album (and even Spinal Tap) showed, it can be by concept and association.

The public is right to have doubts about some of the artwork springing up from musicians, but if you are a fan or just interested in an era it is a must see. There is some interesting work surfacing and if you're on the internet you can hardly miss it.

A brand new Modern Tate on art Peter Edwards looks at the Tate Modern and sees it has more to offer than meets the eye, or at very least, the London Eye THE TATE Modern is not the most popular of places, due to the Cool Britannia connotations which have blown up in New Labour's face.

Due to its timing it has been linked in spirit to the tragic Dome and the floppy Millennium Bridge, but has proved it has a lot more to offer than either with a super range of works which offer something quite different to the Tate Britain.

Although the galleries take up just two floors of the seven-storey building (sandwiched within is the ‘Between Cinema’ and a ‘Hard Place’ exhibition, for which you pay an entrance fee), they are situated in enough space to show four large groupings of exhibits.

Nude/ Action/ Body, History/ Memory/ Society, Landscape/ Matter/ Environment and Still Life/ Object/ Real Life are the result of an uneasy grouping of unrelated artists.

With a remit to cover anything from 1900 onwards, some late Monet just fits into the timescale. Even if slightly incongruous to what's on offer, Monet's ‘Water Lilies’ are still welcome; an easier way to see them after last year’s queues.

In the sprawling galleries, sufficient space is given to those who need it, for

the old Tate could ever have It has been linked to than offered, though comparison can still be to nearby works. Bacon’s flesh the tragic Dome and drawn tones draw particular links to the realof Lucien Freud which is situated the floppy Millennium ism nearby. studies of the ageing women Bridge, but has Bacon’s are as captivating as anything else on In enormous frames on the proved it has a lot more show. blank walls, the swollen bodies are to offer even though fascinating to study.

The collections of both Freud and the exhibitions only Bacon stand out with intense clarity, and apart from the American and take up European works there is definitely British work worth going for. two floors of the The video art of the early Surrealists and also Steve McQueen (no, not that seven stories one) run in a constant loop making an

The Tate Modern - London’s most successful millennium exhibit example Mark Rothko has his own room that gives the deserving splendour to his enormous wall covering paintings.

With benches placed in the middle of the room, you can take in the power of his canvasses for as long as is required (i.e. a fair while).

On finding Andy Warhol's famous

Marilyn and Elvis prints it was a delight to see works that were a staple of the old Tate Gallery.

Due to the generous lighting and wider examples on show, new life has been given to Warhol's famous works, the murky but no less beautifully blue Jackie Kennedy an example of this. In fact the

Kennedy print was spectacular, not at all overshadowed by the endlessley repeated Marilyn images.

One of Picasso’s ‘Weeping Woman’ paintings is on show from his famous 1930s series. One can really appreciate the wonderful colours; again a much reproduced image receives a new lease of life.

Located in the Nude section, Bacon’s imagination is more powerfully displayed

intriguing break from the canvasses elsewhere. The more you see the films the more you get out of them.

The three dimensional and sculpted works of Carl Andre and Bruce Nauman are also given their necessary space.

With a range that also take in Piet Mondrian’s abstractions and Bridget Riley’s 1970s pop art, there is a lot worth seeing in a thoughtful and challenging selection.

yorkVision : ARTS

Issue 123 9th November, 2000

21

Now for something completely devious WHATS ON! Matt Goddard reviews a new exhibition of automata from the mind of Terry Gilliam

IT MUST have been with a certain trepidation that a group of automata artists each accepted a mystery box at a party held by Terry Gilliam.

Gilliam of course has some of the surrealist credentials in the art world. While you may best remember him as the director of Twelve Monkeys and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, he first exploded into public consciousness as the irreverent and inspired animating member of Monty Python.

Here however he was, at least to begin with, a little more down to earth. Each of the mystery boxes contained a familiar icon of the twentieth century.

The objects crossed all parts of life

1997 bust of the director entitled ‘Gilliam and the Rat with the Golden Tail’ and does a good job of scaring you. As it casts a wry smile across the exhibition you begin to wonder what the artists did feel like.

As if to answer, a video sits next door, constantly giving some background to the exhibits. It is fascinating to have even a

the set in front of them. As we stare through the tube a fish swims in a cage behind them. You can control their movements, and as you are behind the screen it is the TV giving them life Aside from comments on society there is room for the more personal. The electric guitar has inspired Jim Bond's

Actors revolve in a merry-goround stirring a camfrom the electric toothbrush to the psychiatrist’s chair. The artists' brief was to create a device inspired by those items.

The result has now worked its way to the York City Art Gallery, and Devious Devices they certainly are.

As you walk into the main gallery foyer a large mechanical head welcomes you, and huge levers invite you to make it gasp even more at the incoming crowds.

The interactivity of the exhibition is certainly a big feature, as is its appeal to all ages.

As you walk upstairs to the Devious Device room a small automata called the connoisseur welcomes you to the door.

Give a small contribution and he scrutinizes you through a painting frame.

Through the door itself Val Chetton's

Terry Gilliam. His inspired exhibition runs until November 26 brief glimpse into the artist's work processes and see the life spring into what surrounds you.

Above every display a certificate from the ‘British Board of Inspiration’ salutes the initial object. With them the artists have been able to at once parody and pay homage to a lot of items we take for granted.

In Darcy Turner's work the TV has inspired a neon family literally stuck to

shrine to Hendrix. A coffin opens to reveal an Electric Ladyland, as mechanical angels swing from tiger fur door around a revolving guitar.

Perhaps the most Python-esque item is inspired by the camera, something obviously close to Gilliam, and Paul Spooner has done him proud.

Puppets - actors - revolve in a merrygo-round stirring a camera from its slumber. The camera loves it as it sways and a

huge smile appears across its, er, face.

The actors as wooden puppets must surely have amused Mr Gilliam after working with Brad Pitt on Twelve Monkeys (joke).

While the camera might just have to be my favourite, it is perhaps the more unconventional items that have produced the more interesting results.

Of note is the psychiatrist's chair , an inspired exhibit which dominates the far wall. The scene seems quite familiar until both the psychiatrist and the patient’s head revolves. It is not clear who is turning who.

Sokari Douglas named it ‘Freud's white sacrifice’. It certainly makes you think how quicky psychiatry has taken a hold on society, indeed, as does Ally McBeal.

Last mention must go to the newsteadmanaton, which is as crazy as you would expect with Ralph Steadman involved.

Inspired by the millennium, Steadman invites us to "Imagine a world made out of bent wire and scrap metal; it works.”

To a thunderous soundtrack, the automaton covers everything from skulls and elephants to revolving planets and bubbles which fly from the top. Very cosmic.

Overall the exhibition is well worth catching. The interactivity of the exhibits does come at a price as they occasionally breakdown, but what else would you expect from modern society, and everything is quickly fixed.

The devious devices have a more profound effect on you than you might think.

All challenge the objects that inspired them but also take them to new areas. On the way out you are again confronted by the conosiur, and this time you are left in no doubt that you are the object. Perhaps not just of him but also the artists and the everyday items themselves.

Zaltzman: Divine Comedy Andrew Walker reviews the first of another term of Comedy Network presentations THURSDAY 19th October 2000 marked the return of the Comedy Network to York University. This circuit sees some of Britain's best stand-up comedians perform across the country throughout the year.

ish. Particularly scathing was his disdainful analysis of the simplicity of the driving theory test.

For example, if you've just had an argument with a friend, clearly the sensible course of action is to have an alcoholic drink to calm yourself down before driving.

One man in the crowd who had admitted to failing the test twice could merely hang his head in shame.

Compère Johnny Candon filled in between acts, making some freshers who thought they'd sit at the front lament that decision throughout the evening.

All in all, it was a great night of comic entertainment for just £3.80.

The headline act at Goodricke College two weeks ago was the unmistakable fig-

Compere Johnny Candon made some freshers who thought they'd sit ure of Andy Zaltzman. His highly distinguishable red locks drew inevitable comparisons to Sideshow Bob from The Simpsons, as pointed out excitedly by one of many over-eager members of the audi-

ence.

In fact, Zaltzman had a heckling session that unleashed some highly witty quips from certain sections of the crowd.

In the main part of his act, many subjects were covered humorously.

For instance, he spoke about Prince Charles, who, should he abdicate the throne to marry Camilla, would become the second monarch in history to say, "My horse, my horse, my kingdom for a horse."

He was preceded by the superb John Oliver. Continuing the trend of lookalikes, Oliver bore more than a passing resemblance to David Baddiel, both in looks and voice. He says he has also been compared to Ben Elton, Damon Hill (without his glasses on) and, less favourably, Kevin's friend Paul from The Wonder Years. Oddly enough, he did actually seem to look like all these people.

His act was brilliant from start to fin-

For tickets and information on forthcoming acts, telephone the SU Shop Box Office on York 433 734.

Grand Opera House, York Tickets : 01904 671818 Abba Gold Sunday 12 November 19.30 Roy Chubby Brown Tuesday 14 November 19.30 That’ll Be the Day 60s, 70s & 80s musical Wednesday 15 November Joe Brown - Show Business Lifetime Thursday 16 November Outside Edge Friday 17 November The Other Beatles

Theatre Royal York Tickets : 01904 623568 Phoenix Dance Company Presents...

19 Rewind Come Again 23 - 25 November Mozart’s Magic Flute 27 November West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds Tickets: 0113 2137700 Half a Sixpence (Musical) 15 - 20 November Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall Tickets: 0113 2137700 Roman de Fauvel (Medieval Satire) 15 - 16 November For last minute information from other venues contact: West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds Tickets: 0113 2137700 Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough Tickets : 01723 370541 Impressions Gallery www.virtualexiles.org.uk

22 FILMS : yorkVision

9th November, 2000 Issue 123

FILMS

Blood and gore as Blair comes to York Anne Hurst Book of Shadows: Cert 18 Blair Witch 2

Joe Berlinger 90 mins

Director

FEAR OF the unknown, group paranoia, the immense power of myths and legends - all dealt with creatively and subtly in The Blair Witch Project.

Acclaimed for its novel approach to the horror genre through a lack of visible violence and gore, the original film relied purely on tension and suspense to shock and horrify its audience. How, then, will a sequel fare in comparison?

The film opens by warning that this is a fictionalised account of a true story, and we are certainly aware of this makebelieve status so strikingly at odds with the credibility of the first film. Initial portrayal of actual reactions to the first film on American TV interspersed with more interviews with local residents at first give Blair Witch 2 a documentary feel.

However this soon gives way to a more slick, manufactured look as we meet the main characters on the inaugural ‘Blair Witch Hunt’, a money-making scheme by local resident and reformed psychotic Jeff.

Again following the first film the actors

If you go down to the woods today, you’re not going to be surprised are relatively unknown and their character names mirror their real ones.

The four people participating in the tour are part of the growing band of Blair Witch obssessives who appeared in the U.S. in the wake of the first film. In search of the truth in Burkittsville and armed with a variety of mod cons and the latest high-tech video equipment, they set off for a night in the surroundings of the

ruined house of Rustin Parr, where the original video footage was uncovered. All have varying motivations for being there and varying levels of belief in the legend, but all want to find out the truth behind the Blair Witch mythology.

At their destination, the characters engage in some postmodern ironic discussions about the first film, clumsily and self-consciously mimicking other horror

As the title says...

Phil Diamond Loser

parodies such as the Scream trilogy.

Uncertain of the night’s events, they uncover them the next morning through the video tapes, which trigger distorted memories and questions over what has occurred.

It is here that the film starts to fall down. Joe Berlinger lets the film descend into an infantile attempt at highbrow, intellectual horror, while simultaneously

Video

Erin Brockovich

Cert 12

Director Amy Heckerling Starring Jason Biggs, Mena Suvari, Dan Akroyd Running Time 100 mins

short-will-their-skirt-be?’ set-up, is promising. Unfortunately, the endlessly repeated scenes of depressing sex and execution-style violence ultimately have no effect at all and the film really starts to drag. Your mind will boggle as Lee attempts to bring racism into the equation for no apparent reason.

The Whole Nine Yards

NEVER BEFORE have I seen a title be so spot-on at summing up a film. This film is harmless yet worthless, with nothing really going for it; basically it’s a loser.

To say the plot is hardly groundbreaking doesn’t even begin to describe it. The whole thing can be summed up into one single paragraph: outcast meets involved girl; outcast wins girl; outcast’s antagonists are punished; boy and girl live happily ever after. Ahhhhh. It’s been done a million times before, and a million times better.

Yet before I discourage you completely, Loser does have some factors that could appeal.

Firstly, it comes from the pen of Amy Heckerling, who has past experience in teen comedies (most notably Clueless).

And secondly, it reunites two of the characters that helped make American Pie such a hit; hot property Mena Suvari and ‘Pie Shagger’ Jason Biggs. Thirdly, the soundtrack is pretty good with many up and coming bands featured on it.

Ultimately, however, none of this should distract from the fact that it isn’t

trying to appeal to the more low-brow through shots of brutal torture and gruesome murders.

The characters have confusing flashbacks and phantasmagorical visions, and they become unsure of what is real and what imagined. They are victims of the mass hysteria they set out to avoid, by questioning it with knowing social commentary, at odds with witch mythology.

The gory flashes are inappropriate and seem over the top and blasé compared with the ambiguity and understated violence of the first film.

The characters in this film are very Hollywood - good-looking and perfectly groomed. Even after a night in the woods, they are glossy haired and immaculately made-up. Entirely unbelievable, they lose our sympathy early on and never regain it, and this is where the film loses its way.

For if we don’t care if the characters are alive or dead, surely we are hardly going to pay attention when they start to rave ‘If you think it’s real, then it’s real!’ and other grand ideologies not necessary in such a simplistic horror narrative.

It was always going to be a difficult task to come up with something as original as the first film, but Blair Witch 2 suffers from trying to be too many things at once, attempting to appeal to too wide an audience, without enough substance for a social drama and with too much for a straightforward horror romp.

Nice hat, shame about the film actually funny. You’ll laugh about twice; and by laugh I mean a slight chuckle rather than a real hearty laugh. For the rest of the film you’ll simply sit there and wait for it to end, and when it does you’ll have nothing to say about it.

I kid you not when I say I was more entertained by the sarcastic comments my mates made around me while I watched the film than the film itself.

The film is bad for a simple reason.

It’s not the fact that the characters are shallow and annoying; because, to be fair, that’s all we expect in teen comedies. It’s not even the fact that the dialogue’s mindnumbing, or that all the actors look about thirty.

What it ultimately comes down to is the fact that it feels like it lasts for twenty hours, not two.

For me the point of these teen comedies is that they’re a nice, light relaxing watch. Loser simply drains your patience and leaves you feeling nothing. It’s harmless yet worthless, and ultimately pointless.

If you want to see a decent teen comedy, catch Road Trip which is still showing at most cinemas.

It’s everything Loser aspires to be; funny, entertaining and moving - all at a rollercoaster pace. But whatever you do, don’t bother to waste your time with Loser.

A pretty near perfect turn from Julia Roberts makes Erin Brockovich an unexpected joy. The TV movie material – a feisty, busty young mother exposes the dodgy operations of a huge water company – is presented by director Steven Soderbergh in a surprisingly sober and stylish fashion. Not as worthy as The Insider, with which the film shares a similar theme of the triumph of the underdog over corporate America, but easier to digest and a whole lot more fun.

Summer of Sam The film chronicles the lives of a group of New Yorkers during the summer of 1977, when the city was gripped by a heatwave and by the brutal antics of a serial killer.

Spike Lee shifts the focus away from the murderer and his victims, attempting instead to examine the effects of the killings upon a community.

The premise, deviating from the straightforward ‘who-will-die-next-and-how-

Dentistry, contract killings and infidelity collide in this weak attempt to expand the genre of ‘hit man comedy’, started by Grosse Pointe Blank. Bruce Willis can afford to make such a hit-and-miss affair; Matthew Perry cannot as he continues to struggle as a big-screen actor. Jim Carrey is accused of always playing the same part – but Perry has become the ultimate in typecasting, ever haunted by the spectre of Chandler Bing. He makes me ashamed to ever have been part of the Chandler cult. I am starting to hope that one of these days, Perry will fall on his face during one of his wacky stunts, and will be forced to spend a few days in hospital, thinking about what he’s done to me.

Issue 123 9th November, 2000

yorkVision : FILMS

23

Are you scared yet? Are you?!

Christian Bunyan delves into the genre of scary movies, asking whether they really scare you stiff or just bore you rigid?

I’VE DECIDED to boycott Blair Witch Two. If enough people join me some Hollywood shark will see sense and not make another sequel.

I’m not hopeful, having already spent years purposefully not watching ITV - to no avail. Despite my protests, I understand they’re getting by without me.

Unfortunately, this means I can’t tell you anything about Book of Shadows, except that real, grown-up reviewers think it’s rubbish. This isn’t surprising given that the original was hugely over-rated and very, very boring. Not only that, it didn’t make sense, even by horror movie standards. As somebody clever famously pointed out, why did none of the lost students have a cell phone?

Even if you ignore its blatant inconsistencies, Blair Witch wasn’t any where near as revolutionary as the PR suggested.

For one thing, the plot relied too heavily on the blurring allegiances of its protagonists. Far too much time was spent telling us who was a true friend, and who had betrayed everyone else. Who cares?

The Alien films do this sort of thing much better (and, call me a snob, they look nicer too.)

The budget didn’t help. Fine, video cameras were used terribly effectively.

Unfortunately, the central location appeared to be the woods behind my house. And that doesn’t make them scary, their familiarity didn’t add to the shock.

Rather, they made you wonder why

75 Goodramgate York

Te l : 0 1 9 0 4 6 5 5 7 7 7 York’s Best Party Shop

the stuAs somebody dents don’t m e e t clever famously someone out walk- pointed out, why ing their did none of the dog.

lost students in Similarly, The Blair Witch I swear a car drove have a cell past during phone, or why one of the climactic didn’t they meet moments. someone out Admit it: that’s realwalking their ly shoddy, dog?

I don’t care how l i t t l e money you’ve got.

And Blair Witch’s bigger budget siblings aren’t much better. Scream was mildly diverting before disappearing up its own fundament. Besides having an incredibly clumsy title, I Know What You Did Last Summer, seemed to think that fishermen are terrifying. Urban Legend was watchable, but only because the cast of Dawson’s Creek got tortured.

Somebody told me Final Destination was quite good, but I’m waiting for the heavily censored TV version (“I’ll gouge out your clucking eyes, mother-lover.”)

I confess my girlfriend forced me to see Scary Movie. I even laughed, although that was mainly because I could feel sani-

Festival of Fun

ty ebbing away. What an astonishingly anal film - a satire of a satire of a genre that never took itself seriously in the first place. A reviewer at the time said that all horror films are about women with big breasts running into darkened rooms alone. Scary Movie’s sense of parody extends to women with the biggest breasts ever also running into dark rooms alone.

Still, I am one of only four or five people to have seen straight-to-video masterpiece Granny. Given the excellent tagline -“She’ll love you to pieces”- I’m surprised that it hasn’t reached a wider audience.

Despite the witty marketing, Granny itself is painful to watch. It looks like pornography without the sex. The “actors” mumble over a sound-track full of odd hisses and clicks. I’m particularly concerned for the camera operator (I doubt there’s more than one). He seems to have had a large amount of involuntary muscle spasms during the shoot. The writer was probably a precocious five- year old. The plot, with its endless nonsensical reversals and switchbacks, is so bizarrely stupid as to defy belief. And yet Granny isn’t a cheap rip-off. In fact, it’s positively visionary. I’ve glimpsed the future of teen slasher movies.

WIN! WIN! Vision has teamed up with top Graduate recruitment and all round student portal Activate (www.activate.co.uk) to give away.... a stunt kite!!! Yes, all you high flyers (ho ho ho) can now show off your soaring prowess in the skies above York. Or log on to Activate instead and get a real job quickly and easily...

Fun Wigs Only £1.99 Each Check out the shop for more funky fancy dress ideas!

10%

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As usual all you have to do is e-mail vision@york.ac.uk with the answer to the following question...

Q. Could you fly this kite over Libia? a) No, they’d count it as a terrorist threat, and shoot it. b) Obviously. Air is free, and so is the kite, man. It doesn’t obey your rules! c) Your answers aren’t right! I think that... _____________ __________________________________________________ _____________________________________

24 WIRED : yorkVision

WIRED

9th November, 2000 Issue 123

Big Brother is washing you Tom Smithard looks at the new NUS website and finds that the 21st century student portal comes weighed down with the old fashioned hard sell...

THE FIRST aspect of the new NUS website that greets you on arrival is the blatant advertising, spewn all over the right hand side of the home page. The second aspect you notice is that there’s very little you can access without entering tons of personal information and gaining a personal login.

This is the problem with the new look NUS website: instead of being there to provide essential student services and welfare advice, all this has been buried to make way for a glitzy new exterior designed solely to make the NUS tons of money from us newly-marketable students.

Not only is it here to make the NUS money, but also the corporate world of big business, as over the summer holidays NUS signed a massive deal with ITM, who are pumping £30 million into the NUS for the rights to host their website.

This is a lot of money. Clearly ITM believe they are going to get something out of it. But where from? Firstly, ITM are also behind the Activate.co.uk website, which was promoted heavily last year as the only portal students will ever need.

Obviously ITM have had a change of heart, as the new NUS website will start to be promoted heavily to students, and the features they have included, such as email, a calendar, and web storage, will - they hope - make it indispensable, removing much need for Activate at all.

Yet clearly no student website is indispensible. Over the summer a vast number of websites aimed at students have sprung up, none of them able to provide anything different from each other, and very little that is student relevant. I had meetings with some of their marketing officers over the vacation, and the impression they gave was that they were out to make a fast buck out of students. I doubt that many will be around this time next year.

So are ITM different? As far as con-

SURF.CO.UK HAS last month launched an online soap opera.

Designed to appeal to students, Foam and Away is billed as “the interactive soap opera where you decide what happens next.”

The new nusonline.co.uk tent goes, yes, both the Activate and the NUSOnline websites are far superior to any other student site. Yet the fact remains that they have all been put together by a bunch of ex-students in an office in some provincial town, and offer very little of relevance to York undergrads, certainly nothing that students can’t find on the University homepage, the YUSU homepage, or the York newsgroups.

Yet ITM have an ingenious plot up their sleeve. Because they’ve formed this multi-million pound relationship with the NUS, they now have the right to offer hosting of each individual SU’s website on the ITM server. In the last few weeks York University Students’ Union have agreed to be hosted, which means that in return for £35,000 over four years, the SU’s website will soon have a prominently displayed ITM banner over each page, exhorting York students to visit the Activate website and screaming at stu-

dents to buy products from the 26 (count ‘em) major partners ITM are allowed to promote each year.

This is where ITM are going to make their money back. When you click through to one of the adverts on screen ITM will make money. Far more sinister is the way that before you can use many of the facilities of the generic websites, each student has to enter personal information that ITM will then sell on to those 26 partners. YUSU is also no longer able to compete online in any of the fields in which ITM have a major partner (although to be fair, there were no plans to do so anyway).

As such, ITM may well have got themselves onto a winner. Whether students have been as lucky is entirely another matter.

This is Football 2 : Does exactly what it says on the box Marcus Babbel I’D NEVER heard of This Is Football 2 (PSX) until the other day so was quite surprised that it is actually quite original and good to play.

Although the preview copy was missing a lot, much more will be included in the completed version. Features from the useful ‘faster player movement’, to ‘Timewarp league’ where you get to play great teams from the past sound fine, but you have to wonder about the ‘Kids League’ which features schoolyard teams and goals made from jumpers and bags!

However, it is good fun to play, and this must be the most important thing in a

Surf’s washing powder soap opera leaves Peter Edwards feeling dirty...

game.

You can also play some champagne football through midfield by relying on the computer to pick out perfect passes until you get into a position to unleash it’s an easy game to pick up and you don’t have to be any good to score spectacular flukes, with the added incentive of seeing what looks like people with tights on their head and no expression on their face celebrate with some training ground moves.

Emile Heskey’s particularly fond of the outside of his foot into the top corner followed by a duck train.

Although the special moves aren’t as convincing or successful as in, for example, Electronic Arts’ Fifa series, in This is Football 2, you get the chance to swan

past Roberto Carlos as if he wasn’t there. The fact that such maneouvers don’t always come off isn’t necessarily a bad thing anyway.

Although the preview lacked any commentary, the finished game will hopefully be as ridiculous as games such as ISS PRO which is completely irrelevant and not stifle the game like in Actua Soccer.

The overall impression of the game is one of good fun and hopefully the detail incorporated in the completed version won’t stifle this. Although the game is still in production stages the demo is well worth playing just to see what they have done to Michael Owen.

However, it is not as student friendly as it might first seem. The Lever Brothers site also “includes a handy idiot’s guide to laundry designed to avoid the usual shrinkage disasters and red sock syndrome.”

It really is a painfully corporate attempt to get down with the kids whilst getting them to start buying the product.

An interactive online soap opera, as the publicity material gushingly refers to it so often, sounds an innovative idea. On the back of the mass popularity of the Big Brother web site, they could get a lot of hits. However, this lumpen idea is done so ridiculously that it is agonizingly tedious in every respect.

Set around six freshers who missed out on university accommodation, they are living in a privately rented house in the university town. Each episode is made up of eighteen photos of the crazy goings on of undergraduate life.

Each picture is accompanied by captions that relate the most recent goings on of the house mates. The careful poses and laboured speech bubbles of the protagonists must bear comparison with

It’s a painfully corporate attempt to get down with the kids whilst getting them to buy the product.

The whole concept was obviDeidre’s Photo Casebook of tabloid fame.

In the current episode the characters plan their party, drink, and try to pull each other. Up flashes speech like “Freshers’ Ball in two weeks. Let’s get some drinking practice in tonight.” “Excellent idea” replies one of the other buffoons. It is difficult to care who.

Written very badly, and probably very quickly, the whole concept looks like it was designed by a desperate marketing team who see this as their chance to climb up the greasy corporate pole.

The grainy photos do not tell us very much, and most of the people involved look far too old to have just done their A levels. This was a cheaper version of the already tacky Big Brother.

It was done badly, and in the images of spinning washing machines and spiralling soap bubbles, this is a completely foolish way of selling a washing powder.

WIN!!!

We’ve got so many copies of the demo version of This is Football 2 to give away, that we can’t count them. All you have to do get your hands on one is e-mail us with your name and college...

vision@york.ac.uk

Issue 123 9th November, 2000

BOOKS

yorkVision : BOOKS

25

Making Sense of Literature Rachel Green and Sarah McLaren revive the cultural scene on campus with LitSoc, the University’s first literature society

HAVE YOU ever felt alone in your passion for the comedy genius of Richard Whitely on 'Countdown', a secret obsession with Shakespearean quotes or a vast collection of books that are now occupying your whole room?

Well now students with the appreciation for literature have come together.

LitSoc is a newly formed society by English students with, lets face it, too much time on their hands. And anyone is welcome!

With forthcoming plans of exciting trips to the nearby theatres, visits to related places of interest and guest speakers all tailored to the course, you can wow your lecturer with your vast knowledge as well as stretching your interests in literature.

The society will also give you the opportunity to meet the like-minded, tell appallingly bad literary jokes, converse and discuss any burning topics. Need any more convincing? If so contact socs363, or Rachel (rrg100) and Sarah (shm104).

Absence of Humanity Kasia Brzozowska

The Male Bridget Jones?

Lucy Honour

Lee Trebilcock in the 20th Century Hannah Crow £6.99 (Anchor)

The Pursuit of Happiness Robert Kelsey £6.99 (Bantam)

IN HER first novel, Crow impressively succeeds in capturing the harrowing decay of modern England; it is the startling world of Stephen Lawrence killers, pornography, greed and violent racism.

ROBERT KELSEY, professional Londoner, hits New York in a blaze of 70's cop show dreams. He is enticed by urban hell fantasies, orders from his boss to shag loads of women and the belief that all women from New York are nymphomaniac Charlie's Angels, desperate for an Englishman with Hugh Grant's accent.

The narrator is Lee Trebilcock, a racist, homophobic, sexist, licentious and uncontrollable nineteen-year-old, whom one may call a typical boy next-door. It is through his cool and witty, at times disturbing, voice that the reader gets an insight into the male working-class culture.

The unusually frank narrative, a mouthful of simple sentences and witty colloquialism, captures the perplexing dimensions of the main character.

Brought up by a mother with Alzheimer's and Uncle Septor who idolizes Hitler, Lee was sentenced to develop alone in the surrounding world of bigotry. Having acquired the attitude 'You can always get what you want' Lee arrogantly stumbles around in a world absent of love and respect, with the reader inquisitively following behind.

Working as a floor operative at a Do It Easy store, Lee helps the birds with the matt emulsion colour charts, the lads with nail sizes and Lorraine, 'your ideal best mate's ideal mother', with her sexual desires. Indifferently he obliges. But when by chance he encounters Deborah, a twenty -stone jewellry student, his world is shaken.

Living in a Chivermouth council house Lee's only escape is to his uncle's 'photography club', where local brutes come to watch videos of attacks on local ethnic community. Encouraged by his uncle Septor, Lee joins them in creating and recording more violent footage. His amorality is troubled when Septor decides that Hawley, Lee's homosexual friend, should be the next victim for the film.

Taking her inspiration from A Clockwork Orange, Crow explores the dimensions of social oppression. Her novel is padded with new idiosyncratic words, which create the sense of claustrophobia that, was so fundamentally terrifying in Burgess' book.

However, Crow does not try to write another Clockwork Orange; her book simply borrows from it. Crow's novel, in my opinion, stands independently; she offers humour, sickening reality and a thought-provoking social statement.

But this time New York has hit back.

And it's hit him right where it hurts - in the libido.

New York women are not the go-getting hustlers that he expects. They all follow 'The Rules': focus on the man's wallet and not his personality, don't sleep with a guy on the first date, don't, whatever you do, pay for dinner. Hence Robert's nonexistent sex life.

But this is not his only problem. His landlady is a crook, his builder has mysteriously disappeared and the New York night-clubs that he fantasised about are determined to keep him on the wrong side of the velvet rope.

Also the Manhattan office has turned to a dive in central Connecticut, a global financial crisis means that his job is going down the plug hole. Worst of all, New York cops are ugly Nazi's who do not look anything like Starsky and Hutch. To top it all his London girlfriend is coming to stay!

Reading like a cross between Bill Bryson, Nick Hornby and Bridget Jones

on Viagra, this book is a hilarious look at the New York lifestyle.

It is a roller-coaster journey through one man's pursuit of a good time. It finally proves that New York is not all the 'Friends' lifestyle or the American Dream.

Kelsey gives us a fresh look at America and its inhabitants.

It is gritty, realistic, funny and at times excruciating. It may occasionally tell you more than you want to know about high finance, and the switch between NY and Connecticut is confusing at times. But the best thing about In Pursuit of Happiness is that it is a realistic, human account of one man's loves, losses and worries.

The swearing, graphic sex and 'Jack the Lad' attitude may put some readers off, but it would be a crime not to finish this fast moving book.

It is a great insight into the male mind, and ego, as well as an honest account of the perils of being a single man.

BLACKWELL’S HAS MOVED TO THE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

BLACKWELL’S Book of the month

A Local Book For Local People The League of Gentleman

The League of Gentlemen invite you to join them for the official tie-in to their popular TV comedy show. The LOG consists of Jeremy Dyson (writer), Mark Gatiss, Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith. They are winners of the Perrier Award and Golden Rose for comedy at the Montreux TV Festival.

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26 SPORT: yorkVision

9th November, 2000 Issue 123

Vision’s definitive College Sport Round-up Ben Wiseman, Dawn Williams and Andrew Walker look at the latest developments in the Inter-College Championship

Vanbrugh AFTER RECOVERING from the highly successful end of term sports social the representatives of Vanbrugh college have a tough job ahead of them this year to shake the hangovers out of the freshers and drag them into the arena of college sport.

Past years have seen Vanbrugh struggle with mediocrity.

However, the lack of success is not due to lack of commitment as I found when talking to three very enthusiastic sports reps from the college. Riaz Khan was very upbeat about the football prospects for this year and expects the midfield to provide a solid platform for success. He also expects that the amount of time spent in the bar by some of the players will pay off as the pool competition is high on the list of Vanbrugh’s aims this year.

Emma Powell was slightly worried about the girls’ chances this year but expects the netball team to repeat the nearly unbeaten record of last year to provide something for the girls to celebrate (as if they need any excuse).

Emma seems to have played every sport available at Vanbrugh and

45

Derwent

44

Vanbrugh

36

Langwith

32

INDIVIDUAL SPORTS

basketball team as their terrible record last year seems set to continue.

I hope Jon Grainge does not live to regret h i s

threat that he we lead the “guaranteed” winners of the cricket competition in the summer. As the most optimistic of the sports reps he also hopes that football captain Ed Senneck will lead the team to some rampant victories or at the very least to the nearest pub to drown their sorrows.

Vanbrugh College may not be the sporting capital of York University but the patriotism of every team member is more than enough to strike fear into the hearts of all.

Despite being defending college champions, serious punters were pessimistic about Goodricke’s chances of defending the title. Nevertheless Jo remains confident about the season ahead: “If we continue to get teams out

Basketball

Pld 2 Pts 0

2 4

1 2

1 2

2 0

2 2

2 -1

Badminton

Pld 2 Pts 12

2 14

2 7

2 6

1 3

1 3

Squash

Pld 1 Pts 1

1 7

1 7

1 1

1 -4

0 0

COL2 WENTWORTH LEGE sport is perhaps the 14 classic story of triumph 1 over adversity.

Ruffles puts 8 Mark

Table Tennis

Pld 2 Pts 4

1 0

1 6

2 -2

2 12

2 7

2 11

Volleyball

Pld 1 Pts 2

1 2

0 0

1 2

1 0

1 1

1 0

Football 1sts Pld 2

2 0

1 0

2 3

2 4

2 0

1 1

Langwith

Football 2nds Pld 1

1 0

1 2

0 0

1 2

1 2

1 0

Mixed Hockey Pld 2

Pts 2

2 -1

2 4

2 2

1 0

1 2

2 2

Netball

Pld 2 Pts 4

2 0

2 2

2 2

1 2

1 0

2 2

Darts

Pld 1 Pts 4

1 4

1 3

1 3

0 0

1 3

1 4

Pool

Pld 2 Pts 10

2 5

2 7

2 6

2 2

1 6

1 6

which there was less fervour, despite the best efforts of De Caux and fellow sports rep Andy Mossup: “We banged on doors, we went around the corridors.

But if people don’t want to do it there’s nothing you can do.”

So how has John set about improving Langwith’s overall performance? “Definitely this year I’ve tried to get good captains appointed to give us a bit more organization in sports like volleyball.” He sets a fine example himself, having participated in every sport for his college last year. With similar dedication from others, a stark improvement is surely guaranteed.

Pts 4

sees James and Goodricke as being the teams to beat this year for the girls but things aren’t looking good for the

Sports rep Jo Hoskins proudly tells Vision: “We have the best turn out record so far. There have been no events where we haven’t fielded a full team. When you compare that to somewhere like James or Alcuin, who have very large campus bases it speaks volumes about Goodricke’s commitment.”

This zealous attendance record has paid dividends in all college sports. Goodricke are placed midtable in darts, squash, badminton, basketball, and netball, whilst they excel in hockey and pool. In fact they are the only hockey team to have a 100%

Wentworth

As York’s largest college James is at a natural advantage over its rivals. Couple this with a prime position next to the Sports Centre and the foundations for a title challenge are in position.

However like most colleges James has had a few problems getting full mixed teams out. Sports

Wentworth

Vanbrugh

JAMES HAS had an encouraging start to the season; there have been victories in a number of events including netball, hockey, and pool.

Goodricke

48 46

Langwith

a m e s

James

James

J

Rep Harriet explains: “We need more girls involved, at present we have full male Squash and Table Tennis teams, but not enough girls on either team”.

Whenever the girls have played so far there has been success. A fiercely fought netball match against Derwent (‘verging on violence’) resulted in a James victory and a solid draw left James in a strong position for the season.

Harriet says: “We have had lots of fresher interest in all sports but still need to convert that into performances.” So come on James girls get out of the shower and onto the pitch.

GOODRICKE HAVE quietly moved into third place in the league table, through tears, toil, sweat and perhaps even a little blood.

57

record so far.

The football 1st XI had a disappointing start to the season, however the 2nds had an excellent start to their campaign with a 5-1 thrashing of Wentworth.

Goodricke

The college are third from bottom in the overall league table and are in need of drastic improvement

Alcuin

G oodricke

Derwent

THERE HAS been a mixed bag from Derwent at the start of this season as they have continued their traditional dominance in basketball, but have been disappointing in several of the other sports.

OVERALL

Alcuin

Derwent

if they are to challenge for the title.

Most disappointingly for Derwent is their place at the bottom of the hockey league table with a less than spectacular –1 point. Whatever the reason for their poor start they need to put their season into gear as soon as possible.

The Derwent football teams have also so far failed to deliver the goods with no points from three games, there is still hopehowever they will do well in the next round of games.

A special mention must also go to the badminton team who are riding high at the top of their league with a magnificent 14 points. Derwent have the potential to be there or there abouts at the end of the season but need to show some of their famous fighting spirit, if they are not to get left behind.

Pts

Al

0

c u i n

TWO WEEKS into the York sporting calendar Alcuin have established an early lead.

Studying the results table it is clear that Alcuin has excelled in the so-called ‘pub’ sports. They are the leading college in both Darts and Pool (where they have scored a maximum 10 points).

Modest college sports rep Jez Lancashire puts this down to “Our enthusiasm for alcohol, and our new bar - which the punters can’t stay out of.” He also sites an excellent intake of freshers this year, who have got stuck in straight

Wentworth

t h e

away.

Jez went on to say, “We have done particularly well in 1st XI football, however we have kept up the proud Alcuin record of 2nd XI football failure.” Perhaps this could be Alcuin’s Achilles heal, although with their solid allround performance and comm i t t e d drinking they look a good bet for the title.

results in context: “ W e have had far fewer freshers than m o s t

IT IS difficult to know what was more predictable last year: that Goodricke won the college sports title, or that Langwith came last.

Under the guidance of enthusiastic sports rep John De Caux, the perennial under-achievers may well cause a few upsets this time around.

Last year witnessed a series of peaks and troughs for Langwith. They won the football in pretty comfortable fashion but struggled in some more minor sports for

other colleges, this year, and so often go into games with inexperienced teams.”

The greatest triumph of the Wentworth sporting week must however be their pool team which despite consisting entirely of freshers won a fiercely competitive game. Mark says: “We were delighted with the pool result.”

The college continue to dominate the racquet sports so if all goes well Wenty could avoid being last this year.

yorkVision : SPORT

Issue 123 9th November, 2000

27

Our spanking NU changing rooms Ann Smith braves the terrible weather and mud to steal a critical peak inside our new changing facilities, and is extremely excited by what she saw Photo: Sam Macrory

The new pavillion SQUELCHING THROUGH the quagmire that is 22 Acres at present, the Cricket Pavilion is an oasis; a squeaky clean shelter from which to hide from the miserable York weather. However, more than this, its presence marks a reversal in fortune for the beleaguered facilities on campus.

The new cricket pavilion, having cost approximately £350,000 to build, comes complete with kitchen, common room and eight changing rooms in what is part one of a two-phase scheme which will eventually see six more changing rooms.

The Norwich Union Cricket Pavilion, already coined affectionately ‘The NU Pavilion’ by Sports Director Colin Smith, is “The first purpose built pavilion York University has had,” excluding, that is, the dishevelled porta-cabin forlornly slumped by the cricket pitches.

Side-lining of sports facilities is no longer a forgone conclusion

Lords it ain’t, but the fact that it has been included in the rash of construction work going on over the summer vacation proves that the side-lining of sports facilities is no longer a forgone conclusion.

Its appearance is symbolic of the University’s renewal of interest in attracting students to the University, by providing them with the added bonus of good sporting facilities. Projects such as the new cricket pavilion and the proposed plans for the development of the sports centre form part of a long-term strategy which not only benefit those currently taking part, but will arouse the interest of those yet to reach the hallowed turf (yeah, I know, wrong game...) of York Uni. So how exactly will the gala opening of the pavilion be completed? The JLD (the astro-turf pitches) was heralded by the University Brass Band and marquees, with ‘beer and potatoes’ but, Colin Smith is quick to point out to all those hungry student free-loader types, “I don’t think that will be happening this time round.”

The official opening, taking place on 22nd November will instead be seen through by local York dignitaries, the Vice Chancellor, as well as all of those involved directly with the pavilion’s erection, and should prove to be an altogether more sober affair.

One of the eight new changing rooms

Who’s for open air swimming?

Rebecca Garret investigates the Barbican’s new open-air facility .

Photo: Sam Macrory

Strictly no swimming PANIC STRUCK the Barbican Centre on the 28th September as the roof above the swimming pool collapsed, leaving both swimmers and staff stunned.

The unsuspecting swimmers received more than a splash as a routine day was transformed into an evacuation of the bathing areas as rods fell to the water, forcing the pool to remain closed since the incident.

A full investigation has been conducted, revealing the cause of the incident to be corrosion of the brackets and rods within the structure. Constructed in the early 1970s, work cannot begin for at least another six weeks as specialised stainless steel is required to prevent a repeat performance.

It is questionable why the Barbican

staff did not notice Fortunately, the the damage and it lack of maintewas fortunance did not nate that the lack of result in any mainteinjuries nance did not result in any injuries. However, the Barbican management insists that there was under no circumstances, any harm whatsoever caused to their customers.

In addition to disappointed members of the swimming club at the closure, several students are disappointed that they cannot make use of their complimentary swimming tickets provided at the start of term. Mr W Owens, a second year stu-

Photo: Sam Macrory

dent, and a regular in the Barbican pool, stated: “I was really upset because I depend on the swimming pool to remain fit. My whole routine has been thrown into disarray.” He continued “ I used to walk my puppy dog to keep fit but of course that is at home now back in Nottingham. This lack of action makes me lose my rag.”

The future does not look bright for the Barbican as students are now using the alternative St John’s Pool, with site manager Helen Broadbent stating, “I cannot give a definite date for the reopening of the pool, but envisage that it will be closed for at least the next six weeks.”

Additionally, another alternative for swimming enthusiasts during the closure is Water World at Monks Cross which boasts a water park, swimming pool and gymnasium area.

AU running a new club

Peter Dandy looks into athletics, charities and the AUGM THE PRESIDENT of the Athletic Union envisages an athletics club at York in the very near future and has plans to involve charities in AU fund raising.

Owen Rodd is committed to helping York students interested in athletics to set up a fully functioning club. When asked if he wanted to see an athletics club he claimed that, “My job is to provide the best service available for our members. I wouldn’t be doing my job if I wasn’t satisfying members.”

The President is so keen to see an athletics club up and running that he is prepared to overlook the formal minimum requirement of twenty potential members before a club is set up and push ahead with his aim to install an athletics club at York.

Rodd is equally as determined to involve charities in the AU, college and club fund raising. His proposal for a charity to be adopted yearly by the AU committee will be voted on at the next Athletic Union General Meeting to be held shortly.

His personal choice of charity is the Federation of Disability Sports Organisations (FDSO).

The idea of an athletics club at York is by no means new. In fact up until recently the University had a thriving and high profile club that once played an important part in the annual Roses weekend until it folded five years ago.

Rodd is under no illusions as to why the club has not lasted the course. He is adamant that despite undoubted support for an athletics club, past and present it has been held back by the lack of suitable facilities. Any new movement to resurrect the club will face the same major problem predecessors’ encounted - simply, facilities are not up to scratch.

The President is desperately hoping that this can be overcome with the one

£1.5 million earmarked for sports development and a half million pound fund earmarked for sports development in 2002 through to 2004. Lottery money has been ruled out with the rejection of a bid for such facilities occurring last year.

Despite the uncertainty surrounding a new athletics club, Rodd is confident that his proposal to involve a charity in fundraising efforts will be passed at the next AUGM. He can then press on with implementing the idea. The thinking behind the proposal is that not only will it raise money for charity but also it should benefit the University’s sporting interests as a whole.

The President believes that such an initiative will encourage clubs to fund raise and this will benefit their members as clubs take some of the cash for themselves. A further knock on effect is the obvious goodwill that such an initiative will bring to the University from outside.

This he claims could come in very handy at the time of the Roses weekend when a charity’s involvement will encourage sponsorship and raise local interest in the weekend’s sporting festivities.

Finally, the President was keen to point out that the AUGMs held regularly throughout the year are open to all members, quashing speculation that the meetings are closed to ordinary members. In fact every member has a vote on a one member one vote basis. He urges members to come along as every vote can make a difference. “This is everyone’s AU, there’s no culture of secrecy here.”

Sport Vision

EXCLUSIVE PAVILION PICTURES AND LATEST COLLEGE TABLES INSIDE

Rally round our man Ryan Sabey A UNIVERSITY of York Fresher will be representing Great Britain at one of the world’s most prestigious rally car competitions.

Vanbrugh student Oliver Marshall, 19, will take part in the F2 class of the Dubai International Rally. The two day event will take place over the November 21st weekend. It’s the first opportunity for the driver, who lives in York, to impress on a world stage.

The chance to travel to the United Arab Emirate came about after a suggestion from his boss at the Rallydrive driving school based at Blyton Park, Lincolnshire. “Howard Peterson suggested that I enter the competition. I’m glad I took his advice.” Marshall holds an International Licence after completing a gruelling series of races since the start of the year.

The thirty stages of the event, all eleven miles each, will be driven on sandy terrain over 48 hours. It’s different to what Oliver is used to: “I’m lucky that I’ve got a great co-driver in Adrian Cavanagh. He’s known for his ability on the Dubai terrain.” Cavanagh has been building up his own credentials over the past twelve months driving in the Equatorial and Argentine rallies.

Marshall, who studies Biology, started driving at the age of three when he received his first motorbike and since then he hasn’t looked back. “At the age of nine I was riding motor-cross bikes and at twelve I was schoolboy karting,” he adds.

The trip is being funded by the Automobile and Touring Club for UAE who will put Marshall up in the five star Alberton Hotel. They also provided £1500 for the rally car to be shipped out.

The car should arrive a week before the competition starts having set out in cargo

I’m going really fast!

“Oliver Marshall has a bright future. He’s young and still on a learning curve” Howard Peterson,

across the Mediterranean at the end of October. “The practice time before the race will be crucial and it will give me a good indication of the conditions,” explains Marshall.

The Volkswagen GTI car that Marshall will drive already has a plotted history. The front wheel drive vehicle used to belong to the brother of former world Rally car champion Colin McCrae.

“Alastair McCrae drove the car before me as well. He’s currently lying second in the World Championships right now.”

Peterson, his boss and the owner of Rallydrive, is confident that Marshall will do well for himself overseas. His determination is proven in the way he achieved his International Licence competing in six hard races,” claims Peterson. He’s sure Marshall has a bright future. “He’s very young and still on a learning curve.”

The success of Marshall’s rapid rise to success is largely thanks to his father’s help. “He’s always been there for me,” comments Marshall. “He’s the one who bought the rally car, paid for entry to other

competitions and paid for all the spare parts.” Now, it’s time for Oliver to repay the favour.

His father John is quietly confident that his son will achieve honours out in Dubai. “He might do quite well. But he’s got to prove how good he is by winning events. It’s not for me to say how good he is,” he says.

The backing from Rallydrive has been essential to Marshall’s progress. “They’ve offered me great support. I work for the driving school three days a week instructing everyone from the police to anti-terrorist squads,” he says.

The drivers, drawn from all over the

world, are of a higher standard than Marshall expected. But he is adamant that he will not blow his chance of glory. “This is definitely the high point of my career so far and the prestige of driving in a race in such a location will be unique. At the same time, it will be good to have the chance to drive in some decent weather”.

Peterson knows this could be the opportunity Marshall’s been waiting for to impress in the international arena. “We should have a pretty good indication how good he is and how far he’s come by the end of the year.”

Boat Club ousing with members after flood of Olympic success Joe Martin ALONG WITH many million others I was an enthralled viewer of the British rowing team at the Sydney Olympics this Summer.

The phenomenal achievements, most notably Steve Redgrave’s Fifth Olympic gold medal, have proved to be more than a fleeting interest for many at York University.

Our rowing club has experienced a staggering 50% increase in new members this term. Is this influx of keen rowers solely due to what the BBC have termed “ The Redgrave Effect?” I, for one think that the club’s publicity officer’s deserve a slice of credit pie. In order to attract new members this year they have adopted one of the most commercially successful advertising tools for their posters- something which gets everyone’s juices flowing- sex!

If you’ve missed all the boat club

yorkVision

posters then the slogan “ who wants some hard cox!” should give you an idea of their approach. Club president Ed Borrini admitted the decision to use sex to advertise the rowing club was a little regrettable as the risque nature has upset some AU members.

An understandably buoyant Borrini told me that not only can the current Rowing squad actually challenge in competition this year but that the influx of first years will really help lay the foundations for future success. Borrini himself was unsure as to the principle cause of the high interest among first years, but it seems clear that the boast of “fantastic oargasms ” caught the attention of the more energetic women amongst you.

On a more serious note, Borrini added: “You can get so much out of rowing.” Aside from the benefit of bulging biceps and firm thighs of course, “ .... the social scene is great and the joy of shared triumph can help build really close bonds

The University Boat Club has experienced a staggering fifty percent increase in new membership this term.

Could this be the ‘Redgrave Effect’? between team members.” This was very apparent during the Olympics, culminating perhaps with Matthew Pinsent’s famous boat walk to embrace team mate Redgrave.

The fact that more people are trying out a new sport and at the same time increasing the competitiveness of the University can only be a good thing.

Whether it has come about as a result of

Pull harder, chaps media spotlighting or the somewhat dodgy advertising campaign is irrelevant in the long run.

If it took a dose of good old sexual innuendo to catch everyone’s attention then I for one cannot see the harm in it.

Anyone can learn to row and succeed at it

irrespective of ability or experience, according to Borrini. So, why not get down to the Boat Club and check out all those lycra clad bodies.

9th November, 2000 Issue 123