Issue 188

YORKVISION GUARDIAN STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE YEAR

www.yorkvision.co.uk

JCRC CASH CONTROVERSY PAGES 4-5

WE WIN! TUESDAY MAY 6, 2008

ISSUE 188

VISION SALUTES OUR HEROES: PAGE 6 FULL ROSES REPORTS AND REACTION: BACK 6 PAGES

3

2NEWS

YORK VISION Tuesday May 6, 2008

your week QUOTE OF THE WEEK

" We

came, we saw, we

conquered.

"

GO LIVE IN EDEN'S COURT? NOR-WAY!

York's victorious AU President Jo Carter, speaking after Roses victory.

GOOD WEEK bad week GOOD WEEK

YORK sports

Back-to-back Roses glory.

BAD WEEK

Alex lacey

Next year's AU President will be under even more pressure for Roses 2009.

the number cruncher

1000

Pounds spent Goodricke JCR VCR.

by on

5

Streakers at Roses.

Here's hoping we can beat that in '09.

1

Pound per fresher allocated to JCR's by YUSU.

BY MARTIN WILLIAMS PROPOSED SEGREGATION in Eden’s Court of Norwegian visitors has led to fears about "isolation" by Derwent JCRC. From October, half of the houses in Eden’s Court will be given to 40 students and teachers from Norway who visit York for two weeks at a time.

The programme, organised by the Norwegian Study Centre, has been in place for 25 years but, until now, visitors have been scattered around the main blocks of Derwent College.

Laura Pursey, an Eden’s Court

YORK VISION

Rep. for the JCRC, has warned that the plans pose “a massive welfare issue”. She claims that “the few undergraduates living in Eden’s Court will be very isolated from other students because half of the community will come and go every fortnight. It will be much more difficult for them to get involved in university life and feel part of the College with only a few of them living there”.

Current residents of the offcampus accommodation have also expressed their concerns for next year’s Freshers. One resident, Sally Bowman, said: “if there were half as many of us it would

be much more scary and isolated than it already was for the first few weeks”. Eden’s Court at present has less than 90 inhabitants, including many mature and overseas students.

Derwent’s provost Ron Weir has described the move of Norwegian visitors to Eden’s Court as a plan that “doesn’t make a great deal of sense.” This is because the visitors tend to make considerable use of both the porters’ service and the bar, neither of which are in Eden’s Court.

The Norwegian Study Centre have cited the noise in Derwent, and visitors currently having to

share rooms for the fortnight that they are here, as reasons for moving.

The University told Vision that one of the main aims of the visiting programme is to gain “maximum benefit from the Englishspeaking environment,” which has worked effectively in the current accommodation. Current visiting student, Natalie Nguyen, is against the proposed segregation.

Nguyen argued that “you’ll learn a lot more English by mixing with English students... I wouldn’t have [improved] if I were just staying with Norwegians”.

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NEWS

YORK VISION Tuesday May 6, 2008

DERWENT SWINGS

3

PENDULUM DJ Big D bookers pull off huge coup

BY DANIEL HEWITT A DJ FROM the high profile drum and bass outfit Pendulum will headline this year's Big D event. Derwent Vice Chair Chris Kummelstedt cofirmed that a member of the act had agreed to perform in York for the first time.

The DJ's group have become a massive hit in the last two years, with their debut album “Hold Your Colour” selling over 225,000 copies, and demand for tickets is at an all time high.

1200 tickets will go on sale and the Derwent Vice Chair revealed it was a long and gruling process to secure part of such an illustrious act.

“It has been a ridiculous process which has taken 6 or 7 weeks to complete,” said Kummelstedt, “At first I couldn’t even convince [his] managment team to email me back and they weren’t overly keen on coming to York beacuse of its size.”

The move represents a massive

coup for the college who expect a full capacity for the biggest event in the college’s calender.

It has also led some students to question how a single college can secure such a big name, when the student union cannot.

First year and avid Pendulum fan Mike Waterson questioned the ambition of YUSU in convinving top music acts to perform at York: “At our Freshers' Ball we had B*Witched and at the Summer Ball we will have a sub-standard bill of one hit wonders and tribute acts,” remarked Waterson, “But if Derwent alone can attract a DJ from the likes of Pendulum surely with YUSU’s power and money they can achieve the same, if not better.”

However, YUSU officer Matt Burton rejected claims of substandard quality, pointing to the wide range of acts confirmed for the Summer Ball: "We're split across four headliners, three of whom have recently been or currently are in the top 20. We've also got lots of other acts. You're getting a lot for

your money."

Of the £18000 injected into the Big D event, the Pendulum DJ’s appearance is rumoured to comprise almost a third of the total amount, but when asked, Derwent students praised its JCRC for forking out so much money for the wellknown act.

Derwent Fresher Ruth Marshall says the amount being spent is “completely worth it”.

She added, “I saw them in Manchester and it was the best live music I have ever seen. The fact that we have [a DJ from] someone as big as Pendulum playing in Derwent shows that our JCR wants us to have the best time possible at our college events.”

The DJ, who will perform with the rest of the Warner Music and Atlantic Records act at T in the Park and Glastonbury this summer, will be joined by MC Verse for the event which will take place on Thursday of Week 10. Tickets will cost £18.

At a glance

SUMMER BALL (£35/40)

BIG D (£18)

headliner Pendulum DJ

Booty Luv

genre Drum and bass

Top 20 hits

Dance

2

4

∞

0

ffs

hits that get played in to

GOODRICKE SPENDING SCANDAL AS CRUMBLING COLLEGE WASTES A GRAND ON VCR

VIDEO PLAYER 'COST £1,000'

BY VICTORIA LOVEGREEN

A BROKEN VHS player has cost Goodricke College over a thousand pounds, despite being binned six years ago.

The equipment was first rented back in 1999 at a charge of £10 a month, but was never returned to rental company ‘boxclever’.

Goodricke Chair, Joe Clarke, was alerted to his college’s disappearing funds by the finance office and

HEY T T A WH D HAVE COUL FOR £1K: GOT

took on the task of trying to track down the mysterious direct debit.

“It took a lot of digging records,” financial through said Clarke, before they were able to find out what the rental firm were charging them for.

“There are so many machines on hire from pool tables to jukeboxes that on a day-to-day basis it’s difficult to account for every item.” The process of handing over from one Chair to another

left the VHS player forgotten.

For nearly a decade subsequent Chairs, who were possibly unaware of the rental, allowed the direct debit to continue. It has since been discovered that the machine, though not the property of Goodricke, was thrown away in 2003 when it was found broken.

More recent Chairs had tried to track down the mysterious ten pounds that had been coming out of the Goodricke bank

account, but with no success.

‘Boxclever’, who pride themselves on having “the best rental price currently available”, would not allow the college to stop paying the bill until they had passed data protection questions. This meant hunting down the original Chair who had first hired out the machine.

Clarke has since disclosed that the problem of the expensive VHS player is “still not resolved” as Goodricke are “yet to receive

a bill”. He also added that after finally being able to cancel the direct debit, a debt collecting company had now issued them with a bill of £30 for backtracked hire.

Overall, for the nine years that Goodricke has been paying for the VHS player, the bill has amounted to around £1,110. Clarke insists that this “has not dented the funds too much” as it was taken gradually and so was not as noticeable.

500 Phillips VR550 VCRs

400 Alba DVD62Xi DVD players

1 46-inch Sony Bravia HDTV

1/2 of a Pendulum performance

4NEWS

student press We read them... ...so you don't have to Wasted Votes

Ballot boxes were scattered around night clubs at Leeds University in a bid to increase participation in student elections, writes Leeds Student.

The decision enabled inebriated undergraduates to cast votes whilst taking advantage of drinks offers in Union-run club ‘Fruity’.

Candidates accused Leeds University’s Union of “making a joke” of student politics by promoting uninformed drunken voting.

The Union defended their decision by saying that they just wanted to get as many members voting as possible.

Now we know how Boris Johnson got elected!

A Weighty Issue An Oxford College’s JCRC have passed a motion instructing their President to pile on the pounds again, after he lost weight during the Easter break.

Cherwell reports that the JCRC have gone on record to officially call for President Jon Colclough to ‘return to his former glory’, citing that he has become "dangerously close to becoming presentable."

The resolution, which calls for Colclough to put back on any weight that he has lost and “for all future presidents to be banned from weight loss post-election”, passed unanimously.

YORK VISION

Tuesday May 6, 2008

FIGURES DETAILING YORK COLLEGE'S MEAGRE FUNDS EMERGE

MIND GAP

Ear's a Good Idea Birmingham University are trying to encourage students to wear earplugs on nights out, writes Redbrick.

The University launched a competition to design earplugs that will be ‘deemed more fashionable’ to protect students' hearing.

A study conducted by the Royal National Institute for Deaf People has found that 90% of young people have sustained hearing damage.

This was said to be as a result of time spent at noisy bars, clubs and gigs.

The charity concedes that earplugs are seen as an embarrassment on the dance floor, but hope that all this can be changed with ‘a colourful modern take that will turn them into a fashion accessory’

Copperhead Fakes An annual ‘Ginger Day’ has been created at Exeter University to celebrate people with ginger hair, writes Exeter Exposé.

The motion was passed at a recent UGM and now means that on May 12 all campus outlets will have a "ginger theme" - that is yet to be disclosed.

Throughout the course of the day “renowned gingers” will enter a “hall of fame” and members of the Guild Exec will have to spray their hair orange.

Despite an opposition claiming that the motion was discriminatory against people with other hair colours, it still passed.

Someone needs to tell Ginge to get himself to Exeter Emily Fairbairn

> Campus spending scandal sees

BY DAN HEWITT AND TOM SHELDRICK IN THE WAKE of shocking financial figures leaked to Vision, Goodricke Chair Joe Clarke has sensationally revealed that he and his fellow college chairs are considering disaffiliating JCRCs from YUSU. Clarke said: “We’re looking into disaffiliation, but nothing has been decided yet.”

York is unique amongst collegiate universities in that its JCRCs receive money via the Student Union, rather than directly from the university. Clarke commented on

the situation: “It’s strange to have the middle-man there. Surely it would make sense to be as direct as possible.”

Vanbrugh College Chair Matt Oliver added that “there is no precedent for other collegiate universities’ money to go through the Student Union. The YUSU college system is broken in so many ways.”

Speculation over a split between JCRCs and YUSU has come on the back of damning figures obtained by Vision regarding fa-

cilities expenditure at York. The statistics reveal that only £1 per student and £1.50 per kitchen is allocated to college JCRCs at York, compared to £100 per student received by halls committees at Birmingham University and £15 per student at collegiate Durham.

Oliver did the research after seeing York’s failings over targeted expenditure in the recent Good University Guide league tables.

The tables ranked the university 56th for ‘Facilities Spend’, the category measuring the expenditure per student on staff and student facilities. Although the 2009 guide (published in the Independent two

weeks ago) placed York 11th overall, the university was ranked 43 places behind Roses rivals Lancaster in terms of expenditure on non-academic provisions. York’s score of £277 per student was also below the mean of £291.

The university currently provides YUSU with an annual block grant to be passed on to JCRCs. The entire SU budget for all the JCRCs is only £17,000.

However, after the recent YUSU Organisation and Governance review [covered on page 7] controversially failed to include JCRCs, Vanbrugh JCRC chief Oliver said: “they don’t seem to

YORK VISION

NEWS

Tuesday May 6, 2008

AS JCR CHAIRS CONTEMPLATE PARTING WAYS WITH YUSU

THE

Birmingham

Durham

are prohibited at York. However, a statement from the university said “The Development and Alumni Relations Office is pro-active in encouraging alumni to give to colleges. A system by which donations to colleges are channelled through DARO was established in consultation with Provosts.” The university spokesperson was also defensive regarding York’s poor expenditure figures, adding “We believe that more analysis of the GUG’s figures on staff and student expenditure is needed in order to make sure that we are comparing like with like.”

YUSU Societies and Communications Officer, Sam Bayley, was keen to point out the logistical nightmare of colleges disaffiliating:

York

"Even if JCRCs could disaffiliate from YUSU, it’s an absolutely absurd suggestion. YUSU funds lots centrally for JCRCs - who would do their risk assessments and cover their Public Liability Insurance, for example? Where would they be able to hire cut price equipment from? YUSU Ents Tech is about half the price of any comparable hire company. And £1 per student is only a small amount of the money allocated to JCRCs from YUSU - that’s just a standard amount. Colleges have the chance to bid for greater amounts of funding through our bid system.”

York’s college committees are expected to gain a significant income from events and socials, however plummeting attendance figures at campus events have

GIANT COCKROACHES, endless queues and Chlamydia testing were just some of the treats awaiting students at the recent YUSU ‘Keep Your Cool Week’.

The event, running throughout week one, was introduced with the aim of relieving stress during the difficult exam period.

A petting zoo, free stress booklets and workshops on how to beat procrastination were available to help reduce student anxiety.

The zoo, however, perplexed many by housing a giant cockroach alongside the more traditionally comforting dogs.

Some students also questioned the promotion of free chlamydia testing at an event aimed at relieving stress. Ellie Whitwell, a first year Education student, asked: “How are you supposed to feel calm during your exam if you’re wondering whether you have chlamydia?”

A Nintendo Wii was also available to attendants but many complained that vast queues were caused due to many people hogging the console.

Third Year, Katy Taylor, remarked, “We waited patiently for the people playing to finish their game, but when they did they ignored us and began a new one.”

YUSU Societies and Communications Officer Sam Bayley insisted that “any inappropriate behaviour by the staff will be followed up, but I haven’t had any complaints.”

YORK'S GOT TALENT

BY RACHEL SYKES

colleges contemplate independence be accounting for our existence in a review of their fundamental structure, so why are they accounting for our finances?”

Oliver rebuked suggestions of a personal vendetta against YUSU, saying: “It would be great if we could work together with the Student Union to put pressure on the university to give us more money, but something needs to be done, and done quickly, before Hes West facilities become even worse. In reality it’s not versus YUSU at all.

The system is broken, the SU are just living in it, not crafting it.”

The Vanbrugh second-year was also critical of the system for alumni donations. Central to the financing of colleges at Oxford and Cambridge, contributions from alumni directly to college JCRCs

Wii WANT A GO

BY JENNIFER KEOGH

%uni spending per student

£100 £15 £1

5

left them in financial difficulties.

Goodricke Chair Joe Clarke said “students are increasingly choosing town over campus” and argued the case for taking events off campus.

College chairs have already gone head-to-head with YUSU earlier this year over the price of Ents Tech for campus events, Clarke claiming that by hosting events off campus, JCRCs “save around £900 by avoiding Ents Tech.”

Vision understands that JCRCs would have to undergo major financial re-evaluations to ensure the viability of a break from YUSU. Clarke said “it’s more of an option at the moment, something we’re looking at along the line."

A CAMPUS WIDE talent search, York’s Got Talent, is planned, with the final to be held at RAG’s annual festival, Woodstock.

With acts from all eight Colleges taking part, performers look set to include everything from the musical to the weird in York’s own version of Saturday night show Britain’s Got Talent.

Host Alex Fink, who has organised the competition, told Vision: “We want dancers, singers, bands, comedians and performers. Anything that doesn’t break health and safety regulations.”

The winner of the competition will perform on the Woodstock main stage just before the headline act. First however, each applicant must face a panel consisting of their College chair, Woodstock coordinator Billy Goldring and Music Society chair, Lucy Duffy.

From each College two acts will be put forward to the final to be held at Woodstock where the overall winner will be chosen by an as yet undecided panel of judges.

Applications are also out this week for a campus version of another popular TV show, The Apprentice. The competition, to be held in Week four, is backed by corporate sponsor KPMG and gives enterprising students the chance to win £500.

Hosted by York Entrepreneurs, the competition aims to develop students’ business skills in the hope that they may follow in the footsteps of Luke Walsh, a York student who this week won £20,000 when he became joint winner of the HSBC Unipreneurs Award for the success of his business Scrathface, which markets a software product aimed to help those with colour-blindness.

6NEWS

COMPUTER CRASH

BY EMILY HODGES STUDENT EMPLOYEES at Campus Computers have been made redundant – despite the fact that they are all still owed wages.

The on-campus computer repair company has gone bust and its shop in the Market Place closed down, causing confusion for customers and staff.

Former employee Andrew Herrington told Vision he is still owed £700 for work over Easter, and that two other employees are also waiting for £300 each in wages.

This comes after the students already had to wait until the end of the Easter holiday for money that they should have been paid at the end of last term.

Managers of the shop have now told staff to take stock from the shop as payment. A friend of one of the employees told Vision: ‘It’s ridiculous. His room is floor to ceiling with computer crap.

It looks like he’s building a time machine’.’

Campus Computers sold computer accessories, repaired and rented out computers. Students who are still waiting for their computers to be fixed, many of whom have already been waiting for over a month, will now have them returned unrepaired.

A disgruntled customer said: ‘I’m furious. I’ve been without a computer for two weeks and it’s still not working. I don’t know what to do next.’

Luckily there is no impact on students renting computers, because the rental side of the business is run by the parent company ECI. Herrington is temporarily working with Campus Computers for no pay to “sort out the mess” of returning computers to students. He claims the company was “not well organised” and “a very frustrating place to work”.

He blames problems such as the difficulty of trying to order spare parts from the company’s second branch in Blackpool and the management’s delay in hiring a new member of staff before the company’s collapse.

However, Herrington believes some blame has to be laid with the University.

He criticised the “ridiculous rents” of £2000 a month charged by the University for the shop – “as much as is charged in York city centre”.

The University has made a statement saying Campus Computers is “a private business” which “has no link with the University”. Herrington says it is “a real shame” that nothing could be done to save the company, “because students needed that service”.

YORK VISION Tuesday May 6, 2008

ROSES '08 SPECIAL

MISSING TEETH AND BLOODIED NOSES CAN'T STOP US FROM WINNING ROSES

BY ALEX RICHMAN AFTER A GRUELLING weekend which saw York retain the Carter-James trophy, several of the university’s victorious participants have been left feeling the effects.

Given the fierce rivalry of Roses, games are expected to be passionate affairs. But manysportspeoplehave expressed concern as to the physical nature of this season’s contest.

Parris Williams, a fresher from Alcuin, was doubtlessly relishing the prospect of his first Roses after breaking into the university teams. However, his weekend did not conclude on a bus full of raucous players giddy from victory, but instead in an ambulance with concerned medical staff, whisked away from the action with a suspected dislocated jaw.

However, the worst fate befell Tom Wilson, a constant fixture in York’s football Men’s 1sts who missed their massive Sunday clash with the Lancaster

midfielder was clear: “Yes, unnecessarily so.

There’s no doubt that [the Lancaster captain] meant to foul me.”

These thoughts were shared by Wilson’s teammate and captain, Dominic O’Shea. Mere yards away when the incident occurred, O’Shea told Vision that “the guy did it in purpose.”

The striker revealed his team were severely shaken by the bloody scenes, suggesting that their preparation for the 1sts’ eventual 4-1 defeat was irrevocably damaged by the sight of Wilson’s wounds.

The Lancaster captain did apologise to Wilson, perhaps having been jarred to act by the extreme consequences of his shove, but it was little consolation to the York athlete, who was sadly ruled out of the outdoor XI-a-side showdown. While obviously concerned by his extensive injuries, Wilson’s primary concerns were sporting: “I was really disappointed to miss the big game.

SMASHED: Wilson

team due to an horrific injury. The men’s 1sts’ indoor football match, characterised by a snarling atmosphere, was winding down as York easily held a lead provided by Johnny McWilliams’ penalty.

However, with seconds left on the clock, Lancaster’s captain shoved Wilson into the wall. The act had horrendous consequences, with Wilson requiring immediate medical attention with serious injuries to the face and wrist, including a badly cracked tooth. The player was taken to hospital immediately, where he received three stitches, but remains at home in Newcastle as he awaits further xrays to discern the extent to which his wrist has been damaged.

Wilson, speaking to Vision, revealed that he felt “really disappointed” with the Lancaster side’s behaviour. Asked if he believed that the side were overtly physical, the linchpin

But I’ll be massively up for it next year.”

Wilson’s courage is emblematic of York’s sporting heroes. The hockey also saw a string of casualties, with James Evans receiving a blow to the face in Saturday morning’s mixed 3rds match so severe that, as with Wilson, it required stitches and ruled him out of the next day’s men’s 2nds tie. Hannah Mitchell also cruelly missed the Women’s 2nds game, badly spraining her ankle in training after stepping on a ball. Team captain Lizzie Hollins paid tribute to Mitchell’s performances throughout the season, stating that the team were “all really gutted” after her withdrawal.

Elsewhere, Katie Cowper-Johnson, the AU’s refereeing supremo, earned plaudits for continuing in a netball match despite suffering from a grisly facial wound.

YORK VISION

NEWS

Tuesday May 6, 2008

7

"General lack of management capacity" and stressed and overworked officers revealed by paper

What they suggested: > Splitting 'Academic and Welfare' into two separate roles > Creating a new 'Student Activities Officer' by merging the roles of 'Student Development and Charities Officer' and 'Societies and Communications Officer' > Rearranging layout of SU office to stop "waste of resources" > Changing the name of the 'AU President' to 'Sports Officer' > Governance must be changed so that YUSU comes in line with the Charities Bill - otherwise it will not be able to exist after 2009

BY EMILY FAIRBAIRN A DAMNING report into YUSU’s practices has strongly criticised the Union’s efficiency and recommended major changes to its structure.

The organisational and governance review claims that there is ‘a general lack of management capacity within the organisation’.

One of the report’s key criticisms is that under the present system there is ‘a lack of co-ordination in the delivery of student activities which wastes resources’.

It has proposed that the role of Academic and Welfare officer should be split due to the workload of the position being ‘so extreme that it was unhealthy for the post holder’.

YUSU President Anne-Marie Canning echoed this sentiment, stating that she had ‘watched Academic and Welfare Officers go

REPORT SLAMS YUSU STRUCTURE

into meltdown’.

The review has proposed the creation of a new Students Activities Officer, which would merge the roles of the Societies and Communications Officer and the Student Development and Charities Officer into one position.

Canning says that the report, the first of its kind to be carried out at York, was necessary because ‘YUSU is all about delivering for students’.

She added; ‘when we are not delivering, we need to ask ourselves serious questions’.

However, JCRC chairs have been left feeling overlooked after the leader of the review, Judith Courts, failed to consult them.

Goodricke Chair, Joe Clarke, says: ‘the amount of work that JCRCs con-

tribute to YUSU was not taken into account’.

He believes that had this been considered, it would have almost certainly ‘affected the outcome of the review.’

Canning has hit back at such complaints, insisting that the review was ‘not intended to be wide-ranging’ and was limited to focusing on the internal working of the YUSU staff and officers in order to be ‘costeffective’.

She claims that YUSU are ‘keen to engage with JCR committees’ on the issues of organisation and governance during the coming weeks.

The YUSU President added that ‘these processes are at the heart of creating a union which is better for students here at York’.

Fellow YUSU officer Matt Burton concurred, explaining that YUSU was intending to involve "as many people as possible" in a wide-reaching governance review undertaken after the publication of the initial report.

Tom Scott, incoming pirate President, confirmed that he and other newly elected YUSU officers had been invited to discuss the review with the current sabbatical team. He said: 'I’m very impressed with the report - it’s thorough, well-documented and both raises valid concerns and suggests solutions to them'.

A new constitution for YUSU is to be drawn up based on the findings of the review and on further consultation with students, which will then be put to a referendum in Week 9.

The report was commissioned by YUSU, paid for as part of £1200 allocated for improving their organisation and governance capabilities. But those with good memories will know that not all the proposals are new. In the haze of YUSU elections, presidential hopeful Nadz Kunwar said this of the review: "We need to take the pressure off our welfare officer by allowing them to focus on welfare alone and not academia. Only then we can deal more effectively with the bread and butter issues of students’ well-being: split Academic & Welfare into two separate sabbatical officers."

8 COMMENT

YORK VISION Tuesday May 6, 2008

He's not just a pretty face. Or even a pretty face.

Good year for the Roses

A

reason to be cheerful! No, really!

Exams are over, the sun is threatening to shine and York have retained the trophy in Lancaster!

The competition has been described as Britain's biggest inter-university contest, and then Europe's. At this rate, we'll be the Ballroom Dancing and Fencing champions of the galaxy before Heslington East opens!

But all jokes aside, congratulations to everybody that took part. It's a fantastic week to be a York student, especially if you enjoy sport. We gave Lancaster a real carnival atmosphere, and we at Vision can't wait to do it all over again next year.

Organise YoUrself

S

o despite the fact that people have been saying it for years, nobody cares about splitting the Academic and Welfare roles until it's put on some headed notepaper?

Nadz was harking on about it when he ran for SU President, and he certainly wasn't the first to propose such a split. Why has nobody acted sooner?

TOM SHELDRICK Remember Taylor - van Barneveld? Darts World Championships at Lakeside, January 2007. Taylor goes 3-0 up, Van Barneveld claws it back to 6-6.

It’s 5-5 in the deciding set, and goes to a sudden death final leg, which Barnie takes with a double top. This was better.

Friday night in Pendle College Bar, and one of the most underrated and under-publicised, but certainly prestigious, Roses events. York Men’s Darts team claw their way back from potential humiliation at 4-0 down to reach 4-4. Trade ‘Barnie’ and ‘The Power’ for ‘Sid’ and ‘Koala’, the latter, a Lancaster legend, stealing it to provoke absolute carnage in the packed bar.

Darts is a sport that was surely created for entertainment value, its very essence constructed with pauses between throws, creating pure theatre at times.

And boy do these Lancastrians know how to put on a party, chucking in a chubby announcer and a big screen to satisfy the capacity crowd. The highlight was at 4-3, with popular Vanbrugh player Jon Lambdon taking on Lancaster’s AU President James Marenghi. Whilst the spectators took the banter a bit too far at times, the players typically retained the levels

of sportsmanship displayed throughout the weekend, apologising to each other when they fluked double 19s. A pumpedup Lambdon raised his game to out-throw, out-double and also out-entertain the home favourite. The best bit of the lot though was Marenghi’s entrance - Triple H’s theme music blaring out as he strode down the steps, stopped and delivered

the signature spit of water up into the air. Yes, you know who I’m talking about. I’ll come out and say it now - we all loved WWF, as it used to be, as teenagers, and I still won’t turn it off now if I happen to flick upon it. Maybe that’s the future for Roses, although (and keep this quiet) apparently it’s not actually real, WWE, you’d have to decide who won beforehand. I do like the way they’ve changed it to World Wrestling Entertain-

ment though, unashamedly celebrating theatricality of it.

Fast forward to 10 past 5 on Saturday afternoon. The American football is perhaps a sign of things to come on the next pitch, but all eyes are on the rugby as York’s brilliant full back James Wilson makes a bold interception under his own posts and runs the length of the pitch to score. The home fans are hushed, out-shouted by the jubilant away spectators.

The scoreboard overlooking the rugby pitches reads Lancaster 61 - York 77.

Twenty minutes on and it hardly seems to matter that the Red Rose score a dramatic late equaliser, and are inches away from winning it with the last kick of the game.

The scoreboard was showing York even further ahead.

But, as was typical of the Red Rose’s fighting spirit, and predicted by the President, Lancaster had a fantastic Sunday morning to fight their way back into contention, York eventually winning it by the narrowest of margins. Quite simply, every single sport mattered - from the rowing over a week ago to the Ultimate Frisbee on Friday morning and Richard De Boltz’s

famous last minute equaliser.

If only THAT conversion had gone through the posts, if only Greg Dyke’s defeat in the bowls had counted for points.

Yes that’s right, The Chancellor himself was there; it must have been a big deal then. In all honesty it was. It is. It is the biggest sporting competition of its kind in Europe, and we’ve got something to be proud of this weekend.

Cynics would tell you to forget all the drivel about “bringing people together”, but Roses is one of very few times when students do join together. It proves that all you need is a common enemy to bring the very best out of the teams. If Burton, Clarke, Oliver and co. joined together to hunt down Mr Cantor and his cronies then something might get done.

We stole in to take the trophy and the bragging rights back to the east side of the Pennines, but they’re above us in the league tables now – maybe this is the sign of things to come: York putting brawn above brain to climb the BUSA tables. Pity we can’t sing “HND, no degree” anymore though.

Unlike your usual Super Sunday, the chat after the games wasn’t about refereeing decisions or even fans’ behaviour, which can let the universities down some years, but rather about the intensity and standard of the competition from both sides.

What a show. I’d watch that over Sky Sports any day.

Perhaps it's because sabbatical officers are so overstretched as it is, they're unable to truly help out their colleagues. It's as if all of YUSU have been stuck in quicksand, sinking further and further into their ever-expanding remits. Nobody can make a change, because everybody's suffering.

Mad Cap'n Tom Scott's presence at the negotiating table is reassuring. If there's ever going to be one person that's able to sort out what so many waves of YUSU officers couldn't, it may well be a pirate.

W

JCR VCR

e all know about last year's Hasselhoff impersonator, but surely a thousand pounds on an unused tape player takes the prize for biggest waste of college expenses Some might say that you can't put a price on never missing Neighbours, but for a grand we'd probably be willing to go without Toadfish and his snazzy shirts for a day or two.

If you're reading this and currently control your college's spending, think before you next splash out four figures on an electronic relic never to be used or appreciated. Wouldn't it be better spent on wonderful campus tabloids?

YORK VISION Tuesday May 6, 2008

Alex Richman Tom Sheldrick Scene Editor: Naomi Lever Deputy Editor: Anna-Claire Bevan

Editors:

Managing Editors: Sean Hodgkinson Ben Rayner Deputy Management: Jonathan Loughrey

Martin Williams Comment Editor: Mike Sims Deputy Comment: Harry Pearse Features Editor: Joe Burnham Deputy Features: Roy Moore Emilie Roohan Lifestyle Editor: Sarah Stretton Deputy Lifestyle: Catherine Moore Hannah O'Shea

IT Editor: Sophie Harrison Deputy IT: POST OPEN

Style Editors: Helen Nianias Immy Willets Deputy Style: Demi Kraithman

News Editors: Daniel Hewitt Jasmine Phillips Deputy News: Emily Fairbairn

Food & Drink Editors: Emily Hodges Carina Topham

Deputy F&D: POST OPEN Travel Editor: Sally Makaruk Deputy Travel: Hannah Headden

Call us: 01904 433720 www.yorkvision.co.uk

Sports Editors: Andy McGrath Rob Romans Deputy Sports: Charlotte Cooke Photo Editors: Juliet Burns Terry Li Deputy Photo: POST OPEN Sub Editor:

Clare Harrison

Social Secretaries: Sally Makaruk Hannah O'Shea

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, 2008.

Printed by Yorkshire Web

YORK VISION

COMMENT

Tuesday May 6, 2008

LETTERS

Write to us: Vision Letters, Grimston House Email us: editor@yorkvision.co.uk

or not?

Are we hot Dear Vision,

You'r e

League tables can certainly cause confusion, and can be used to prove or disprove almost anything. It is often the “facilities spending” category that unsurprisingly drags York down in some reports. Please turn to our News section for more on York’s performance in league tables, and also see our debate below on “softer” degree subjects at York – it’s quite an education-themed issue of Vision…

nt York’s appare confusion over y m e ic vo . to es I’m writing us league tabl decline in vario progress and University e 2009 Good th overall in th e well 11 ar ed ts nk ec ra bj individual su York has been y an m t English. bu as , 14th ars ago, such Guide, up from from 2 or 3 ye gs in nk ra r ei down on th e oking to com vel students lo le At r fo ou e ab om gs troubles ent thin This must be several differ problems. e they will read nt re pa ap its to York becaus be put off by ht ig m d an , ni the U to rtainly seemed e here, York ce m co to ss ng ro yi pl anner ac When I was ap ent, stable m Thanks for your email. The recent Unistats.com figg in a consist ems that se it w be performin no t ures showing that 20% of Linguistics graduates are bu and areas – p done most subjects my year grou employed as “Sales Assistants and Retail Cashiers” s ha t ha W g. ckin the boat is ro (ranking top as their most likely employment destination) reveals how York must significantly improve wrong?! its careers service to help graduates. The once-in-awhile Milkround email is simply not adequate. And Best wishes, worryingly, 60% of Sociology and Linguist students udent.

St ish gl currently hold “non-graduate” jobs, complete with En h, Sara lower pay and bleaker prospects.

NO, SAYS MIKE SIMS

T

he Blair government’s desire to achieve wider participation in postsecondary education is all well and good, but it often seems like education for education’s sake, and fully misses the point. The idiotic target of increasing participation in higher education to 50% by 2010 seems hell-bent on some sort of social justice.

Due to this policy, dubious degrees have grown enormously to now include retail, cosmetics, brewing and even funeral services. Across the country, mind-numbing options are watering down education to such an extent that you can now gain a degree on how to bury someone. Or how to paint their nails.

And probably coming soon, how to bury someone and paint their nails.This non-academic drivel is pointless and wastes everybody's time, money and effort.

And our Uni may soon fall victim to this disastrous trend, despite many students choosing York because of its high reputation in fine subjects. The expansion of Heslington East will see the creation of the “Department of Theatre, Film and Television” – which was labelled by one student I spoke to as ‘the home of watching telly for three years’. The new undergraduate programme will include “Writing, Directing

not at Tesco Please - yet! p tions. ermit me to u Dear V

and Performance in Theatre, Film and Television” from this October onwards, and then from 2009 the course “Film and Television Production and Technologies” will begin. Lucky us.

Criticism has, unsurprisingly, been loud. Davis Colquhoun, a Professor at UCL, is ‘appalled’ by the trend, saying that Uni’s that run soft courses ‘should be ashamed of themselves’. The Canadian Professor Dr. Joe L. Kincheloe argues that softer subjects are a marker of ‘academic failure’ and do not work in the interests of the very students that they are designed to benefit.

Two pressures are driving this trend – targets, and finance.

League tables, coupled with funding and generating income, are becoming the focus at the expense of academic standards.

The government is manipulating and cheating education to try and show that more and more people are “degree” educated when in fact the courses are not worth the paper they are written on. This weakening and betrayal of the education system is now even creeping in to York at a time when we should be committed to the quality of education, not the quantity. It is a ridiculous drift towards academic obscurity that needs to be addressed, but this seems unlikely with Heslington East looming large on the horizon.

Should York offer prospective students "softer" degree subjects?

Above: Heslington t, a work in progress but alreEas ady controversial

ould studies - sh Above: Film ? rk Yo at ht taug

it be

ision,

se you as an outlet I hav for m e end y frus ur who, traon he ed several a d are m ring t a y s o ore lik f moa hat S ociolo n ely to Some gy an ing from rf b fla d tered ield than s e swiping carrot Linguistic tmates tuden into p ts of s acro hases stude n a s of chr onic d ll other sub s a counte ts They r in epress jects, are ha ion. have rd wo So wh enrkers y on a c ing by have they hallen been their gin pic cu job in Tesco rrent state ked out fo g course, t hey sa r this would of self de y. be mo re tha pitying let stiny? Jud Havin hargy g n they g trea , a ste ted on deser signed ady es ve. t they h hemselves tudent sur vey as to the ave th ir g e capa city to 'fate' and r ospel, they h efuse Socio alter t logist to beli ave reh eir fu s and eve th grasp t u r e s li at . of sup nguist erm s – sn ap ou future arket obsc t of it urity s are see fit there to b has yet to . The clam e seiz entrap ! my ed in whate you; your v er wa Best, y you A (non -moan ing) S ociolo gy an d Ling uistic s stud ent.

A

YES, SAYS HARRY PEARSE

nother term, another deluge of reminders regarding Heslington East’s development and the apparent effect it will have on York’s inexorable rise towards the summit of academic excellence and nationwide prestige.

Campus developments, ranging from extended sports facilities to the sterilisation of hitherto uninhabitable toilets, are routinely championed as evidence of the University’s voracious modernism and commitment to investment and advancement.

Heslington East has attracted a commensurate level of hype regarding its benefits.

Amidst this flurry of excitement, a little birdy (Mike, see opposite), suggested to me that contrary to making York a more auspicious place to squat for three years, Heslington’s refurbishment would herald the arrival of courses wanting in academic gravity. These ‘soft subjects’, to use what sounds like a hawkish Americanism, will apparently have an adverse effect. When quizzed, people seem to have premised this conclusion on two falsities; firstly, that the existence, rather than professionalism, of subjects outside what may be called the core curriculum can effect the net image of the host institution, and secondly, that the presence of certain subjects in a university's portfolio will prejudice peo-

ple against other courses. Yet, a Uni's worth is measured not on the quota of ‘hard subjects’ it offers, but on its teaching and research quality.

Expertise is a virtue irrespective of discipline, and expertise in various subjects is better than in just a few. Who is to say what is easy or difficult, hard or soft? Universities (thankfully) do not decree what is boring or interesting; they are subjective definitions, so why do we construct ‘difficulty’ hierarchies?

Creating subject gradations based on perceived difficulty only serves to rebut the notion of human diversity.

Perhaps more worryingly, the social flavour of a collective body can be soured by slavish conformity and boring commonalities. My friends who study Maths are charming and interesting, but left on an island populated exclusively by mathematicians I can safely say a ‘Lord of the Flies’ mentality would rapidly consume me.

I would have thought it obvious that a social crucible, encompassing different ethnicities, genders and interests, (in this case read subjects studied), would be more salutary, interesting and dynamic for the student population as a whole.

For snobby critics who still oppose inclusion, solace should be sought in knowing that their bombast will now have an even larger audience.

9

10COMMENT

YORK VISION

COLUMNS STALLION IN SEARCH OF A

SIAN ROWE L

ast year, around this time in fact, a friend of mine decided to spend the night at a gentleman’s house. While it was a nice idea at the time – I’m sure bundles of perspiration related fun was had by all – what occurs next probably hurt as much as being trampled on by the entire York and Lancaster rugby squads while wearing only a smile and a sign proclaiming ‘Kick Me’.

1. She found herself wearing a ball gown, as can happen after a wine-flowing, pheromone filled summer bash, on the other side of campus with her ‘beloved’, who was refusing to lend her an encrusted college hoodie.

2. She left, poised, and having given Romeo a firm whack on the head with her previously utterly pointless clutch bag, hears a noise from behind her.

“Walk of Shame! Walk of Shame!

Walk of Shame!”

3. Admittedly it was less of a noise, more a full-blown chant. Note to all Freshers: On the way home it may be tempting to throw yourself off one of the few remaining bridges left on campus. Please don’t. It’s Open Day season.

Last month, I engaged in a conversation with our fellow Europeans about said “Walk of Shame!”, a predominately male concept that reflects the swagger of the ‘I got shagged’ gods. Hey, it’s not as if women can y’know run a country or anything, as in Finland and Germany, or even have the majority in a Governmental Cabinet like in Spain. Nope, fellas, what we’re really good at it is wearing silly dresses and getting ‘shamed’ for having the audacity to actually want to have sex with you.

Holland, it turns out, is having none of it. They aren’t really sure what the “Walk of Shame” is. And probably wouldn’t do it anyway. The silly Brits.

The Spanish, bless them, are still ‘at it’ the next day. The Italians, (still un-snared, still probably harbouring sex gadgets anyway), are too busy voting Berlusconi back in and the French are…. Oh. The. French…..

Recently, I have been in the company of a French man. Indeed, it turns out that Nicholas Sarkozy is not the only Frenchman who believes that he can go into ‘next-day’ breakfast with a pasty, slightly rotund Brit. And behold! Rather than the usual York tradition of a slap dash taxi ride home, or hoping you won’t EVER bump into him/her while buying a Vanbrugh baguette, we’re getting coffee. AND pastries. There are trips to the park to listen to whatever (really quite awful) electronic music that he’s concocted that week. Hell, once he even bought me some groceries. Any more and we’d have put down a deposit on a two up-two down semi in an ‘up and coming’ part of town, bought out half of IKEA and got ourselves a furry child from the local pet shop.

It was a surprise then, arousing suspicion that running a country would indeed be easier than snapping up a stallion, when my French companion let slip that he has a girlfriend. Of Three Years. Forget “Walk of Shame”, I’m thinking about sprinting in the opposite direction.

ALEX RICHMAN

t’s hard work being a guy, you know. I’m not sure that I’ve ever Ibeen as conscious of my testicles

as I will be during my Comparative Women’s Movement seminars this term.

It started when I mistakenly read the module’s acronym and thought it was all about Welsh politics. That was surprise number one.

Surprise number two came when I realised there were no lectures; it’s all discussion groups. The purest bloodsport left since the hunting ban. I’m certainly outnumbered, but I pledge to never be outgunned.

I will have to fight the corner for gender politics’ cruelly oppressed and ignored minority: men.

My masculine side "What if someone spells womyn with a y? Do people really do that anymore?"

But how? Should a prescient point be made, must I congratulate the speaker with a patronising smack on the buttocks? When we question incidents of women fighting against each other, should I make bawdy, inappropriate quips? Can I refuse to do any of my required reading unless the author is male? Such a path is fraught with danger. (Actually, even describing it might lead to

Tuesday May 6, 2008

trouble; here’s hoping the next seminar doesn’t see me getting too many nasty looks.)

Instead, it’s appearing more and more likely that there’s only one course of action left to take, to ensure I don’t end up looking like some sort of hideously ignorant, unpalatably misogynist bastard. And that’s to actually prepare properly.

Of course, the sort of work that entails is not to be undertaken lightly. I do not doubt that the vast majority of us students have discovered that university is not a place to learn, but rather a jungle in which we must attempt to survive using our wits, through guile and inve i g l e m e n t .

We must emit an aura of competency in our chosen field, all while eschewing the library like wildebeest avoid lions. But to be perfectly honest, although I have followed women’s movements in the news to a certain extent – that film where an ageing, yet lithe Helen Mirren derobes, for example – my knowledge is sorely lacking.

But where to start? The stakes are so high that my head was swimming as soon as I opened my first book on feminist theory. What if someone spells womyn with a y? Do people really do that anymore? One wrong move and I’ve discredited the whole gender. It was a lot easier

when I was studying Jane Austen in a female-dominated group; then I was secure in the knowledge that I was right, and Austen has all the dramatic merit of pornography if nobody has sex. And everybody wears bonnets. Here, I’m going to be discussing why despite the fact that there are just as many women around as men, they have practically been airbrushed by history, and are constantly subjugated in the present. How can I find solace?

Do I plead for the group not to place the sin of the fathers on the shoulders of the son? They might think I’m lying, like a captive feigning sympathy for his (or her) kidnappers, in the hope that they might stop cutting my fingers off. But what’s the alternative: tell them they’re deluded, that they’ll never get the ransom, and then say goodbye to my whole arm?

I’m used to being disingenuous, but even if I do agree, I fear that any feminist projection of myself will be laughed off as fake. I know, within myself, that I feel for the plight of women and sympathise with a number of the political movements created to improve their circumstances. (Like I said, I’ve seen Calendar Girls.)

But how can I get my voice heard?

A lone male, in a political sea of women…it’s all just so unfair!

Continuing our look at education and the York experience, Vision asks, is the Daily Mail... right? of spending and therefore lack of interest in its students should not be one of them.

But evidently it has become one, and whilst I suspect Brian Cantor has perhaps at times been unfairly treated by the student media, the distinct lack of accountability for

DAN HEWITT W

hen reading the daily tabloids, one cannot help but subscribe to the age-old observation that society is going to the dogs and that humanity is spiralling ever deeper towards the depths of morality.

Everyone and everything is untrustworthy and corrupt, and government exists only to screw over the everyday man on the

"Big business no longer sees York as one of its target universities" street.

For these reasons, I no longer read national tabloids, as whilst they portray such a bleak and destructive view of the plight of human existence, my everyday experiences tell me otherwise.

Throughout history commentators have complained at the apparent degradation of humankind and the ‘need for change’.

The same is true of our university. Trawl through any past edition of Vision or Nouse from years past and you will find the same ques-

tions being asked and the same complaints being made.

One edition, published long before any of us were born, spoke of having a student run venue within the year!

But whilst I am the first to express a sceptical frown at the ‘In my day’ sentiment, and at the risk of contradicting the previous two hundred words, I cannot help but feel things are indeed getting progressively worse at this university.

And I am not talking about the closure of bridges or the ‘collapse’ of Central Hall, or any other so called ‘disaster’ that can be solved by the creation of a Facebook group, but the news that big business no longer sees York as one of its target universities, and therefore no longer sees its students as worthwhile employees.

Whilst academic assessment and research remains high, poor standards in other areas are fuelling our steady decline in the league tables through no fault of our own.

York has one of the lowest rates for student satisfaction in university league tables, coupled by an even lower position for student spending per head.

Of the catalogue of factors that prevent graduates from finding employment, the university’s lack

"He continues to holiday in the world’s finest establishments - at our expense"

his actions, or inaction, means we continue to suffer whilst he continues to holiday in the world’s finest establishments-at our expense.

We pay an equal amount of tuition fees but our treatment and opportunities are by no means equal, and the student media stand alone as the only source of accountability.

So whilst I resent joining the ‘Life is Getting Worse’ brigade, if things don’t change for many of us such a sentiment may become more than just a headline on the front of the Daily Mail.

Below: York is absent from league tables based on satisfaction

RUBBISH

YORK VISION

11

THE SKETCH

Tuesday May 6, 2008

YORKVISI N

Draaaaaaaaaaaaaawing out the truth...

INNOVATIVE £2 TAXI SERVICE INTRODUCED FOR STUDENTS HEADING INTO TOWN INK-BASED PUBLICATIONS WITH THE TITLE 'YORK VISION' EXCLUSIVE

BY JAMES FLAPS YORK STUDENTS ARE eagerly anticipating the introduction of a new scheme to shuttle students to and from town, tentatively called a 'bus service'.

The system, which will charge students £2 for a return journey, does not even require pre-booking over the phone insisted on by archaic taxicab firms; instead, students merely have to wait at designated 'stops' close to the university.

The company running the 'bus service', FTR (formerly PRSNT (formerly PST)), will doubtlessly be hoping their gamble pays off. The inventive type of vehicle selected

by FTR allows the company to ferry many more passengers to and from York's city centre than a standard taxi, with its elongated body and sloped edges reminscent of a snake.

However, the final product, unveiled on Sunday along with the £2 return, looked more like an elon-

gated people carrier, its base deliberately close to the road to allow passengers to not only sit but also stand when the vehicle is in motion.

The £2 trial's success may lead to the introduction of more 'buses' in York. The ticket will be available to students for one week, after which time FTR will examine its viability and that of 'buses' as a wider phenomenon.

The possibilities are exciting for York students. Suggestions that future 'buses' could resemble tower blocks, with an entire carriage nestling above another in a double-decker formation.

"I honestly can't wait," said Sly Smith, a prominent student anti-walking activist. "Before, unless we wanted to spend six hours wheezing our way into town and back on foot, we had to pay more than £2. That was unacceptable. Now, truly, justice has been done."

An artist's impression of what future 'buses' may look like

Things about York that are worse than having a pirate for President

ATTENTION! > Fancy owning a shop? > Don't want to bother keeping it open for very long?

#1 Where we graduate

Join Market Square today!

Take your pick of locations from Your:Books, that computer shop, the first one you see as you go up the stairs...

12

FEATURES

SPECIAL IVISM STUDENT ACT

YORK VISION

Tuesday May 6, 2008

FEATURES

THEN AND NOW

To mark the 40th anniversary of the university riots in France, Vision examines the iconic relationship between students and politics

YORK VISION

FEATURES

Tuesday May 6, 2008

13

Confessions ie b b a c a of

Those nice men and women that drive you home after one too many sambuccas have had enough. Each week VISION brings you another of their student exposing confessions.

According to Wikipedia, the last notable UK youth riot took place after the 2006 Download music festival

The people in these pictures were asked one question: "Do you believe students will ever riot again, and if so, what would you personally riot about?"

They could respond however they liked.

Photos by Terry Li and Juliet Burns

Joe Burnham asks: Are today's students apathetic, or simply more inventive?

Y

ou wouldn’t exactly be called naive for not pinning university students as the violent type.

After all, with the promise of higher thought and communication skills, you’d imagine that most students envision these i n stitutions as blockades from the primitive window-breaking and namecalling behaviour which dominates secondary schools and street corners. No one here is the ‘violent’ type, and if asked, most would legitimately answer that they’re no where near the ‘rioting’ type either. I don’t consider myself to be blessed with infinite perspective, but in light of what occurred in France 40 years ago this May, it’s well worth starting a discussion about the exact nature of student attitudes in this country.

With that issue in mind, I set off to speak to students face-toface in order to understand their

opinions about political activism, and whether they believed that the events of the French riots could repeat itself in our lifetime. The responses were surprising, sometimes silly, and often inspiring - as such, I began to learn that some of my assumptions about student attitudes were greatly misguided.

Some students suggested that political resistance in terms of violence was outdated.

Instead of active protest, it was suggested by several people that we might be more inclined to join a Facebook group to express our opinions or start an internet blog. When I asked whether that was less effective than traditional picketing, there was a consensus that these forms of protest have real potential, even if not fully realised yet. From conversations like these and others, I walked away feeling that students in general do indeed feel strongly about political issues, even if

V

The responses were surprising, sometimes silly, and often inspiring

V

that’s not overtly visible from first appearances.

Some surprises included no mention of the Iraq war, an issue I had assumed would come up repeatedly. More interesting, I felt, not a single person mentioned a specific event that – if it happened – they would certainly riot about. As it was, students seemed concerned with large concepts rather than possible real-world situations. I asked one student, who had written ‘Racism’ on her sign, exactly what events surrounding racism would need to occur in order for her to guarantee that she’d actively protest – she had a great deal of trouble answering this (I would have too). It seems that all of us generally know what we believe to be right and wrong, but we’ve never thought about drawing a line in the sand to mark when a situation becomes intolerable.

But the question here is about rioting. Students have seemingly always been political, but it’s a much rarer occurrence for them to hold absolute allegiance to a cause which leads them into serious collected conflict. When I spoke to the students in these pictures, none of them believed that anything resembling a riot was possible in the foreseeable future - one woman suggested that students in this country will

never riot, and that nothing serious enough could happen to motivate them to do so. Others took a more pacifistic view, commenting that they could never personally be moved to violence, and that their morals wouldn’t allow for destructive behaviour in any instance. While I don’t doubt the moral choices of these students, I do doubt their accuracy in predicting how they would react under different circumstances.

After all, isn’t everybody only a pacifist until we find a cause worth fighting for? I’m not trying to be cynical, but it’s a fair point that nobody knows how they’ll react to something they’ve never experienced before.

Some say all it takes is a spark or a public threat to set off mass demonstrations. Others say that we’re a more apathetic generation than those before us. But this May, in memory of France in 1968, I think everyone should seriously consider what makes us different from our student peers of that decade. Have we truly moved away intellectually, or are we all a ticking timebomb? Has the world improved, or have we simply become used to the status quo?

Without approval or condemnation, I’d like to ask: what would you riot for?

(Photos contine on the next two pages)

Centre spread: - 1968: STILL IN MEMORY - HOW DOES CHINA SOLVE A PROBLEM LIKE TIBET?

Page 16 - GRAND THEFT AUDREY - ED MILIBAND ON CAMPUS

You might think that taxi drivers would breathe a big sigh of relief when York’s student population buggers off home for the holidays.

But we don’t – we hate it and it’s the worst time of our year. ‘Cos when students leave to go back to Buckinghamshire (or Bedfordshire, or Berkshire, or something-else-shire) for the summer, we lose at least 15% of our business, often a lot more.

A few summers ago, I was forced in to desperate actions to keep my family supported over the long months when my student customers were away. When students left in June, July was really tough – week nights were just dead and even supermarket and train station journeys dropped worryingly.

So I was forced to get a job in a leather factory in Leeds, which manufactured gloves, shoes and luxury leather goods. It might not sound too bad, but boy oh boy it was. “Leather technologist” was the official job title I think, although “general skivvy” is more accurate. I worked with machines that add the “leather smell” to leather as it doesn’t actually have a scent on its own. The smell that everyone associates with leather is mostly made from a type of fish oil.

This oily mix disastrously ended up giving me glossy, shiny fingernails – which ain’t a good look for a 16stone, bearded cabbie. My mates and missus found this new look hilarious, and I got endless ribbing down the pub. My shiny nails just didn’t look right on a hand wrapped round a pint of Fosters.

I was also quite disturbed one day when I found one of my colleagues (who admittedly had very little between his ears – in fact, he had pretty much nothing between them) tasting this mix. His ensuing behaviour was so weird that no student at 3am on a Wednesday night could come close to! Eye balls rolling and head lolling around, his mouth started twitching like my daughter’s little rabbit (actually, it does sound quite like your average post-Ziggy’s student, but anyway). Looking back at it, I wonder if the mixture inside him gave his internal organs the same glossy shine that my nails experienced. After a few minutes of spluttering and terrifying us all, he calmed down and worked the rest of his shift like normal.

So while many other locals may moan about how scruffy, drunken students take over our city for large chunks of the year, we cabbies are a different kettle of fish. We love you (well, until you’re sick on my seats and try to run off without paying), and for that I must thank Vision’s readers for supporting the local economy, but more importantly, from saving me from shiny fingernails and colleagues who drink oil mixture.

As told to Mike Sims

14 FEATURES

YORK VISION

Tuesday May 6, 2008

FEATURES

YORK VISION

Tuesday May 6th, 2008

15

inside MAN #12 The Week in Review Photos: Juliet Burns and Terry Li

Forty years on, Tom Sheldrick reflects on the infamous 1968 student riots.

Over a million Parisians marched on 13th May, with the police out of sight

Do you want your voice heard? Email editor@yorkvision.co.uk

reform with students at its for the Hamas linked groups allegedly carried a believable risk of arrest. heart ended in bloody reprisCompared to these choices, struggling with als by the Beijing hardliners, the characteristically disre- the pros- and cons of electing a swashbuckling Pirate to the post of YUSU presispectful tone dent seem an absolute storm in a teacup. of student Imagine if the union was run by the stupolitics London dent wing of an organisation whose has been Metropolitan fundamental charter demanded the underPolice made 36 destruction of York St. Johns…is standarrests to protesters there no room for a two-university a b l y demonstrating against solution…maybe not… muted. the Olympic torch Yet it’s not all negative campaignIn the passing through ing; since the debacle of the Olympic UK, one the city flame’s troubled journey through of the London, Paris and San Francisco, there most vibrant has been the development of the presence parts of student of an enthusiastic red-flag wearing brigade life is the rich array o f of students and expats in the cities the groups and societies one can flame’s tour has visited. join – often politically based.

For many students around The pro-China students even got involved in the controversy in the South Korean the world, such things must capital of Seoul, as be treated with scuffles and stonecare. In represthrowing emerged; sive states, cam“Some Chinese stupuses are often dents came out to the centre of safeguard the digdebate and disnity of the torch. I sent, and it is believe that’s natuthe Students on ral,” said a Chinese the frontline. official, unsurprisFor example in ingly more comfortRobert Mugabe’s able with the proZimbabwe, the testers being firmly campuses have on his side. been no stranger The 2008 Beijing to the represgames have been sive apparatus of the state; consistently with freedom of demonstrareferred to as tion routinely blocked and China’s big comcases of savage beatings and ing-out party; as the confirmation of the tear-gassing of areas of campuses. Yet the country’s re-emergence as a true eminent national student union continues to stand world power. Yet it is clear that the party defiant, its president Clever Bere telling bureaucrats in Beijing didn’t anticipate Robert Mugabe the strength of feeling in Tibet and the “if you rebel against stu- international wave of media attention that dents, the Tibetan protestors would receive. students will Tibet is the skeleton in China’s closet that just won’t stop kicking up noise. And rebel back”.

M e a n w h i l e China’s students at home and abroad have recent elec- a moral conundrum to face; rather than a tions on mid-afternoon brain-teaser; how to express their rightful patriotic support for what is Palestinian campuses in an enormous source of Chinese pride, in the West Bank the face of the overwhelming international had a decid- focus on their Country’s abuses of human rights. edly partisan flavour, dominated by the supporters of Fatah, the governing party, and Hamas, who are designated by the US as a terrorist organisation. Publicly voting

V

In repressive states, campuses are often the centre of debate and dissent

S

tudying in a UK university has some underplayed benefits. Despite the sometimes totalitarian actions of the porters (only kidding), we enjoy a degree of free speech and criticism of the powers that be, which is comparatively rare worldwide.

Whilst York students struggle to bring together our love of rampant drinking that is the Viking raid and support for ethical merchandising, for some of our counterparts in China, the moral dilemmas are of a more serious kind. Forty years after the wave of student protest that swept the campuses of France and America, as the run-up to the Beijing Olympics begins in earnest, students once more form the frontline; this time for both the free Tibet and pro-China protest movements.

Since the earth-shattering events of Tiananmen Square in 1989, when a month long demonstration demanding more free speech and democratic

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the age.

Whilst protests against the war in Vietnam were central to the disruptions of 1968, significant cultural upheaval also occurred in divided Germany as attitudes towards the Nazi past began to transform. After years of avoiding the crimes of the Third Reich, and claiming themselves, the Germans, as the central victims of Nazi totalitarianism, the younger generations began to question their parents about their roles under Hitler, the blame cast more widely with a more functionalist school of thought developing as Germans began to come to terms with their history.

This is demonstrative of a change of attitudes which pervaded the rebellions of 1968, predominantly left-wing political stances rising to the fore as the old establishment was challenged by a new vibrant idealism, a determination to change things through radical action as the babies of the post-World War Two ‘Baby Boom’ reached young adulthood and left the imprint of their generation.

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Tibet is the skeleton in China’s closet that just won’t stop kicking up noise

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sight after violent confrontations days earlier. The Sorbonne was re-opened, but by now the workers of Paris had developed a revolutionary fervor, holding a general strike and putting forward radical demands for the ousting of President de Gaulle, quite independent of the more mediocre trade unions. On 26th May, the Grenelle agreements were signed, offering to increase the minimum wage by 25% and average salaries by 10%, but the workers rejected these offers en masse, the strike continuing. De Gaulle’s government was brought close to collapse, forced to announce the dissolution of the National Assembly with elections on 23rd June.

But, as soon as May was out, workers and students began returning to normality, and de Gaulle triumphed in the elections. The crisis was a political failure, but had a far-reaching social impact.

The Polish political crisis of March 1968 was distinctly similar to the events in France, led by students at the University of Warsaw marching for student rights, and joined by the general public. Twenty days of protest ended with state closure of all universities, and arrest of over 1000 students.

Student-invoked protests raged across the world, the most deadly in Mexico City where over 100 were shot dead by paramilitary government units after demonstrations in Tlatelolco Square. Two weeks later at the Olympics in Mexico City, African-Americans Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised their arms in a black power salute after winning gold and bronze medals in the 200 metres in what became a defining image of

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enjoyed a unity of conscioussness, as the mood of insurrection spread worldwide. The main locations were universities; the main protagonists, students.

After several months of confrontation between students and authorities at the University of Paris at Nanterre, the closure of the institution on 2nd May proved the spark for forceful action. The series of marches through Paris in the following weeks, led by the national student union but joined by teachers and young workers in huge numbers, were met by heavyhanded police resistance which did much to gain popular sympathy abroad for the protestors’ efforts.

Over a million Parisians marched on 13th May, with the police out of

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ryan Adams was a year out with ‘Summer of ’69.’ It was the summer of 1968 he should have been singing about.

In the USA, it was the Civil Rights movement, the assassination of a second Kennedy brother, and the Vietnam War that hogged the headlines. Across in Europe, 40 years ago this week French students protested at the University of the Sorbonne, prompting a defining month of destructive rioting across the country, comparable perhaps with November 1789. The term ‘revolution’ is overused, but the cultural movement that swept across the world in May 1968, can be labeled as little else. The younger generations, aided by mainstream media,

With the Chinese Olympics on everyone's mind, Liam Paul asks: How does China solve a problem like Tibet?

In this issue’s edition of Inside Man, I decided to try something a little different. Instead of choosing a helpless society to deliberately cast my shame onto, I thought I’d offer some observations and insights on the various events that I’ve attended over the past week. Specifically this is because the UN society lists outdated meeting times on their website, which left me alone and pondering the bleakness of my own socially constructed identity on the second floor of Langwith for twenty minutes last Wednesday. But hopefully they’ll fix that now.

On that note actually, I’d like to send a quick message to all societies: if you’re wondering how to actually gain members, update your bloody website. Seriously, in my society hunting, the UNsoc was one of the only societies listed on YUSU that actually posted a meeting time, and even that was wrong. How do these societies expect new members to find them? Magic?

It baffles the mind...

But onwards. The first stop on my tour was the charming, if slightly under-attended, Media Circus in Vanbrugh. The music stage in the dining hall was probably the highlight (other than the Vision stall, of course, situated next to Nouse and their oversized computer monitors which perhaps beg a Freudian interpretation), and I was actually quite impressed with the quality of live music. The New Generation Society was there (although I’m not sure what they have to do with media), as was an impressive setup by YSTV, and overall it seemed to be a gently enjoyable publicity drive for all involved.

This event was followed by the first ‘Have I Got News For York’, their first free show since becoming successful, and unfortunately people got what they paid for. The panel - despite an uncharacteristic nervousness by the regulars - was up to the job, but the event showcased seemingly endless technical problems that disrupted the flow; the lighting made it too dark to clearly see expressions, the PowerPoint kept breaking, and at times it became increasingly difficult to hear what the guests were saying. Here’s hoping that a bad opening means a good run for this normally excellent production.

My other adventures for the week included a lecture on ‘Ethics, Religion and the Meaning of Life’ by John Cottingham. I should admit, going into it I was worried the event was going to be a bait-and-switch heist by the Christian Union (which I’ve experienced before) - but thankfully, it had nothing to do with them and turned out to be one of my favourite lectures so far. The speaker seemed downto-earth, natural, knowledgeable, and relatively accessible.

Well then, that’s my week. Join me next time as I get back to my traditional job - pissing off various groups of people in the spirit of student journalism! JB.

inside report

Got a suggestion for our Inside Man? Email editor@yorkvision.co.uk

SCENE May 08 Issue 15

Lord of Lad Lit: Nick Hornby PLUS: Ting Tings / Art Brut / Kim Edwards and more

SPOTLIGHT

MUSIC

FILM

TV

BOOKS

CULTURE

LISTINGS

Film Reviews

Ting Tings

Donald Freed

Kim Edwards

SCENE

Delia Disasters May 08 Issue 15

Nick Hornby

In summer time when the weather is fine, isn't it nice to laze in the sunshine with a gripping book, fantabulous music jingling on your ipod, the prospect of a good film or play or general cultural artsy thingamajiggy to look forward to on balmy, warm evenings?

Scene Editor: Naomi Lever Music Editor: Michael Regan Music Deputy: Post Vacant Film Editor: Andrew Nichols

Yes. Yes it is. Tragically, York is perverse and knows this, and takes malignant steps to prevent us getting caramel tans.

Such as chucking down buckets of rain on our parades. But never fear! Vision is here! In full superhero regalia, bright red capes, too-tight tights and knickers on full display: an image to send you scuttling back indoors if ever there was one.

Film Deputy Editor: Alison Kjeldgaard TV Editor: Scott Bryan Culture Editor: Anna Wormleighton Culture Deputy Editor: Zoe Stones Books Editor: Samantha Cowley Books Deputy Editor: Harriet Jennings Listings Editor: Sophie Sabin

This issue of Scene is bursting with ideas for indoor entertainment. And no.

Not that one. Instead, curl up with novels by our two featured authors, Kim Edwards and Mr Lad Lit himself, Nick Hornby. Treat yourself to a cinema trip - our reviews may tempt you. Or may warn you off - who knows? And as if that wasn't enough, we have features on Art Brut and the Ting Tings: your iPod's next helping of choons is sorted. Depressing pseudo 'summers' have never been so good.

Naomi Lever.

INTERVIEW

MUSIC

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Mike Regan interviews:

ART BRUT

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novelty, A joke, A parody. Art Brut are no strangers to such callous accusations. Their jaunty alt-indie rhythms have been the subject of ridicule for some, and adulation for others. So it is with a tangible amount of uncertainty that I meet Eddie Argos, lead singer of the band. Will he live up to his reputation as “ The Depressive Dandy” or will he be, as dubbed by Fibbers, the antithesis of Jonny Borrell. That would, I guess, mean he is polite,engaging and likeable. Thankfully this is the case.

It is a fundamental tragedy of Art Brut’s existence that thus far they are better known for a scuffle with Bloc Party than their wonderfully observational indie . After two largely well received albums, one wonders why so little commercial success has come their way. This is evident upon entry to Fibbers' dressing

room. Maybe being a rock star isn’t always such a glamorous career choice. More crack den than palatial splendour; there are no groupies lying legs akimbo across leopard print sofas, no cocaine snorting dwarves, in fact there isn’t even any alcohol. So is it any wonder Eddie Argos has been dubbed ‘ The Depressive Dandy’, considering his band are still so criminally under-rated?

Yet this perception of Argos is derived largely from forlorn love tinged tales like ‘ Emily Kane’ is wholly incorrect. He is engaging and entertaining company and in no way a ‘depressive’ though his sharp clothes and foppish quiff do scream ‘DANDY’ as loud as a deaf person... Argos repeatedly reassures that all is well in Art Brut’s world, “ I quite like where we are,

THIS TOUR IS BEING LABELLED AS THE CRIBS' "VICTORY LAP" it's cool,” he tentatively explains. Though with Argos comes an inescapable sense of frustration at Art Brut’s lack of recognition at home, “We could be quite big I think, but people here thought I made Emily Kane up and thought it was a funny song.” With blighty so startlingly immune to Argos’ quintessentially British charm, it is our old German friends who have taken Art Brut to their sizeable bosoms.

Not only have they had more musical success than bands who headline festivals on these shores, Argos has even been the subject of a lecture at Berlin university.

SPOTLIGHT MUSIC TVas an Amy BOOKS CULTURE LISTINGS Seven than Oasis. With most of our current crop finding wit asFILM hard to come by Winehouse lunch break, Art Brut a refreshing antitode to our gloomy musical diets. For his loyal disciples, Argos is in the line of wonderfully Seven than Oasis. With most of our current crop finding

"BLOC PARTY? I JUST DONT LIKE THEM" wit asremain hardmore to come by than as an Amy Winehouse lunchcrop break, Art Art Brut Shed Seven Oasis.

With most of our current finding Brut to our gloomy musical For wit as hardatorefreshing come by as an antitode Amy Winehouse lunch break, Art Brut arediets. a refreshing his to loyal disciples, Argos is in of wonderfully witty antitode our gloomy musical diets. For histhe loyalline disciples, Argos is in the line of British lyricists like Morrissey and Albarn, yet for some is wonderfully witty British lyricists like Morrissey and Albarn, yet for some he is he someof a novelty and Art Brut are nothing more than a whatsomewhat of a novelty and Art Brut are nothing more than a joke band.

When confronted joke band. When confronted with thisarguing accusation, Argos rewithmains this accusation, Argos remainsarguing typically defiant “I know I’m being sintypically defiant “ I know I’m being sincere and cerethat’s and that’s all that matters”. all that matters”.

He may remain an enigma in many ways, but one thing is clear: he knows his music. I listen in as he teaches me profound lesson in theways, art of acquiring Heawe may remain anaenigma in many but onerefined thing musical tastes, citing influences ‘ The Mountain ‘ Heffner’ ‘ Jonathan is clear; He knows hislike music.

I listenGoats’, in awe as he and teaches me a Richmond’.

On leaving thein interview I search frantically through my iPod, searching profound lesson the art of acquiring refined musical tastes, citing influences ‘ The Mountain Goats’, ‘ Heffner’ and ‘ for something nobody else like has ever heard of, finding only my next door neighbour’s Jonathan Richmond’. home remixes. But they’re shit. On Leaving the interview I such frantically through my I pod ,and searching forconversationalist, something nobody else In essence he is witty, intelligent a bloody good far better ever heard of, inducingly finding only my nextare door neighbour’s thanhas one imagines his coma dull adversaries (whose mentioning Ihome have remixes.

But they’re shit. resisted for far too long).

The lure to try and coax a Bloc Party aimed insult out of Argos had been itching me uncontrollably since our interview began and eventually In essence hea nervous is witty, intelligent a bloody good conI blurt the question out like Tim Howard. Theand response isn’t likely to lead versation, far better one imagines thatlike histhem’. coma inducingly to foppish fisticuffs, with Argos shrugging ‘ I just don’t Such politeness is dull adversaries whose mentioning I have resisted forafar too typical of the man, so much so that one wonders how heParty managed to so rile band long.

The lurr to try and coaxe a Bloc aimed insult out devoid emotion, though myitching conscience is burning me to add, not devoid of aintertune or of ofArgos had been me uncontrollably since our too. If I’m not careful I ameventually going to be guilty of what soquestion many have been, that ignorview began and I blurt the out like a nerving Art and brilliance and focussing their singer being fat on ousBrut’s Timvitality Howard.

The response isn’tonlikely to lead tocalled foppish television.

Art Brut are aArgos band deserving of far ‘more recognition and ifthem’. the newSuch songs fisticuffs, with shrugging I just don’t like played at Fibbers last month areof anything to go by, acclaim politeness is typical the man, so critical muchand so commercial that one wonders heonmanaged to so rile a too. band devoid of emotion, though mayhow soon be their way. And about time my conscience is burning me to add, not devoid of a tune or too. If I’m not careful I am going to be guilty of what so many have been, that ignoring Art Brut’s vitality and brilliance and focussing on their singer being called fat on television. Art Brut are a band deserving of far more recognition and if the new songs played at Fibbers last month are anything to go by,

"ART BRUT REMAIN MORE SHED SEVEN THAN OASIS"

witty British lyricists like Morrissey and Albarn, yet for some he is somewhat of a novelty and Art Brut are nothing more than a joke band. When confronted with this accusation, Argosof remains typically Where do I start?

- The best Art Brut defiant arguing “ I know I’m being sincere and that’s all that matters”. Emily Kane

A tale of seemingly unrequited love as Argos wails “ I’m still in love with my old friend, Emily Kane”. The song most ridiculed by the vulturous, remain uptight critcs, of whom I am obviously one. may an enigma in many ways, butnotone thing is clear; He

He knows his music.

I listen in awe as he teaches me a profound lesson in Pump The Volume Art Brut’s most recentmusical single fitted neatly to type.

A witty like anecdote the art of acquiring refined tastes, citing influences ‘ The of a lovers' tiff, prompted by Argos breaking from his lover’s embrace to “ TurnGoats’, up a pop‘ song”.

Belies love of music and his ability to fashMountain Heffner’ andhis‘ Jonathan Richmond’.

On Leavion great pop song himself over workmanlike instrumentals. ing the interview I such frantically through my I pod , searching for Bang Bang Rock something nobody elseand hasRoll ever heard of, finding only my next “ Art Brut Top of the Tops” is the closing refrain lodged firmly in doorthe neighbour’s remixes. they’re shit. to this song or innermost home crevasses of yourBut brain after listening

after an Art Brut gig for that matter. The lyric is hollered in the style of a beer bellied football hooligan in an attempt to coax the band out of the discomfort their dressing room back onto the stage.

Thankfully essence he isofwitty, intelligent andand a bloody good conversait works.

In tion, far better one imagines that his coma inducingly dull Direct Hit ( Bottom Left) I have resisted for far too long. adversaries whose mentioning The first single from Art Brut’s follow up album barely received The any lurr radio to tryplay and coaxe a Bloc Partyheard aimed insult out of Argos had . In fact I've only ever it on Fifa 2008.

But the most gemstones are thosesince hidden away most, and ‘ Direct Hit’ is beenrewarding itching me uncontrollably our well worth a listen, its simple, melodic, post punk comes across like a less punchy interview beganInterpol. and eventually I blurt the question out like a nervous Tim Howard. The response isn’t likely to lead to foppish fisticuffs, with Argos shrugging ‘ I just don’t like them’.

Such politeness is typical of the man, so much so that one wonders how he managed to so rile a band devoid of emotion, though my conscience is burning me to add, not devoid of a tune or too. If I’m not careful I am going to be guilty of what so many have

SPOTLIGHT

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Patrick wolf dylan thomas weekend 28-03-08

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ticular his performance of a new song in Gaelic suggested a greater creativity and depth to look forward to than was exhibited in his last album that had taken his sound down a pop and bop route.

Wolf ’s cover of PJ Harvey song Angeline on an old piano was one of the most evocative and beautiful moments of the set. Freely chatting with the crowd about the pain of a recent break up and his personal inspirations Wolf demonstrated his ease with the smaller venue. He left the audience with a vivid snapshot into his soul and his passions that were conveyed by the frankness of his conversation and the power of his material, both new and old.

tiny corner of rural Wales is not the most obvious, or indeed the “hippest”, location for a secret gig. But the romantic charm and cult status of the Dylan Thomas weekend festival in teeny tiny Laurgharne (which could offer an audience no greater than 100) was enough to attract Patrick Wolf to its stage.

Wolf, microphoneless, and accompanied only by his violin and a swig from a mighty big class of whisky, broke into new song “Brother John”. The intimacy of the small town hall and the casual seating arrangement made the performance feel like Wolf was singing to you in the comfort of your living room. Wolf attempted to demonstrate the development of his music through a shortlived attempt to play an acoustic guitar. However, this was best achieved through his performance of new songs that explored his ancestry. In par-

SARAH STRETTON

✰✰✰✰✰ OCEAN COLOUR SCENE YORK OPERA HOUSE 14-04-08

THE ENEMY RICOH ARENA 17-02-08

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aster is a good time for gigs, when many bands are on tours warming up for the summer festival season. One of these bands is The Enemy, a band close to my heart. The band’s debut album ‘We’ll Live And Die In These Towns’ was an instant success, going straight in at number one and rocketing the band to the forefront of the indie music scene. As a Coventry City fan, any band which drapes flags over their amps in a homecoming event will draw a crowd. Supported by a ska band playing covers by Coventry’s only other successful band, The Specials, The Enemy came on to rapturous applause and screaming from a second capacity crowd of two dates at the Ricoh Arena. Having only one album of material released, the set was predictable; however each song was gratefully received by the crowd who knew practically every word. Some might say that the band used this to their advantage, but they played up to the crowd rather than letting themselves be carried on the wave of Coventry hysteria.

Tunes which have already achieved classic status in the industry such as ‘You’re Not Alone’ and ‘This Song’, the band’s latest single, written about Coventry, were simply amazing. One of the best crowds I have been in for a long time. After a blistering set the crowd was treated to an encore consisting of a new track ‘Sing When You’re In Love/ Sing When You’re Out Of Love’, sure to reach the top of the charts soon, and among others a cover of The Sex Pistols’ ‘God Save the Queen’. To finish a quality set ‘You’re Not Alone’ rang out to signal the end of a triumphant set.

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OLIVER WARNE

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cean Colour Scene have a strong pedigree as a band of the Britpop era, having both supported Oasis at Knebworth, and then knocked them off the number one spot in the album chart a year later. Having first seen them at two very intimate gigs in 2006, and jumped at the chance to finally be able to see them in York. Their 60s influenced retro sounding music is an absolute pleasure to witness at close quarters, but they are

even better when faced with a large audience.

To rapturous applause, Simon Fowler, the lead singer, entered on his own, sat down, and immediately broke into ‘Robin Hood’, an emotionally charged and beautiful acoustic solo piece.

As he finished, the rest of the band filed onto the stage, and burst into the pacy, bassy ‘The Riverboat Song’, a truly astonishing contrast to the opening song. Throughout the set, the band mixed the old, the new and the rare, including the classic “ Profit in Peace”.

The audience were constantly involved, engaging Fowler and the rest all through the set, and dancing in the aisles and in the private boxes.

The final song of the night, in one of the most enthralling encores I have ever witnessed, was the anthemic ‘The Day We Caught The Train’, one of the essential components of any OCS performance. The whole Opera House joined in, drowning out the band, and causing many a sore throat. A standing ovation followed, and continued for at least 5 minutes, much to OCS’s obvious delight.

OCS are a band that I hold in extremely high regard, and many of their songs hold a special personal significance for me. I will continue to see them at every opportunity, and I recommend you do the same.

SAM TAYLOR

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PHOSPHORESCENT YORK FIBBERS 20-04-08

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here is a certain and imprecise art to picking the perfect supporting artist for a gig and tonight Fibbers made a resounding but perfect mistake. Lucy the Caterpillar succeeded in her task to create a cheeky, relaxed and altogether upbeat atmosphere amongst the sparse crowd. A dainty voice and perky guitar were paired nicely with her musing vocals of falling in love, alcoholic dreams and woodland creatures.

There follows a sudden change in the mood from offbeat whimsy to depressing discord in the shape of Jana Turner. Her dowdy appearance seemed to work in tandem with the dull and often unbearable screeching of guitar to suggest that her music held substance if not style. A lack of stage presence twisted the cosy and intimate ambiance (inspired by Lucy) into one of discomfort and slight embarrassment.

There was tangible relief amongst the audience members when Phosphorescent finally took to the stage and although his style of subdued alt-country did little to lighten the mood, his presence created instant rapture.

His music has a burnt-out and emotional quality , most notably in the melancholic ‘Wolves’ and audience-requested ‘A Picture Of Our Torn Up Praise’.

Phosphorescent is an undeniably gifted vocalist though his golden set was at times spoilt by a lacklustre performance from a clearly bored sound technician.

The simplicity and understated contribution of each artist made for a refreshing night and the intimacy of quick after show meet-and-greet meant the audience left as a newly converted fan of at least one of these cult successes.

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JOSEPH McDERMOTT

INTERVIEW

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CAMDEN CRAWL CAMDEN

LIVE

18-04-08

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hose cynical of the current indie scene becoming too mainstream would do well to visit the Camden Crawl. Although Camden has become a scenester's paradise, dominated by indie clones tarted up in skinny jeans and preppy hair, the music on offer is a refreshing peek into the future of alternative music. While it is easy to be tempted by the better known artists, the real fun is in finding the hidden gems. A hyped band might be worth seeing in an intimate venue before they break (eg Crystal Castles) and a secret show by an established band may be an enticing prospect (Enter Shikari), but stick with instinct and your night may be more rewarding.

From Graham Coxon in the Good Mixer a decade ago to Amy winehouse practically living in the Hawley Arms, Camden is a common haunt for many indie stars and the night was often spent spotting ‘him off the telly’ in the toilets! Who would have thought Matthew Thorne from Gavin and Stacey fame liked Metronomy? Their low-budget lightshow and infectious electropop certainly got the crowd dancing. ‘You Could Easily Have Me’ and ‘Trick Or Treatz’ are dancefloor classics of the highest calibre and deserve to be heard live.

Ignoring the competition of 25 venues, stubborn London landlords refused to sell their wares at a reasonable price. Even a mugging wouldn’t leave you as poor as the crawl. Fortunately, this had not prevented a steady flow of alcohol and the search was on for a party. Those lucky enough to arrive early to rising Grime artist JME’s set at the Cuban Bar, were treated to a secret gig by eskibeat pioneer Wiley. Both kept the gig-goers on their toes with heavy beats and catchy hooks. JME’s honest and witty signature tune ‘Serious’ gives American superstar rappers a run for their money, whilst Wiley’s ‘Wearing My Rolex’ highlights the genre’s innovative progression that will hopefully soon become aceptedinto mainstream music. Despite keeping its roots in indie music; Camden Crawl offers much more than just guitar orientated pop. Along with comics, performance art, exhibitions and such like, the crawl has become the UK’s answer to SXSW and gives you the chance to meet like-minded music lovers and search for bands to see in the forthcoming festivals. Next year the event will surely be as good as ever.

JOE RAHMAN AND JAMES NORTON

MOBY

COURTEENERS ST. JUDE OUT NOW

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esterday, Today and Probably Tomorrow, all the kids will be shaking their slender limbs gracefully to the upbeat, working class songs of The Courteeners. And don’t stand in their way. The band have already graced the cover of NME as “the new Manc Messiahs”, looking like your everyday unshaven ‘The Enemy’ boredly glaring their way into distinct averageness. How could any girl resist. Really. Especially when their lyrics are so deep and meaningful. “What took you so long…was there a queue at the post office?”: classic.

‘Not Nineteen Forever’ is a good ol’ song to dance like a dandy to. It's your chance to rub your trenchcoat with the really shiny buttons up against a pretty girl in a gin-fuelled ‘Let’s do the twist’ minute. But it's for one unthinking minute only. And then it's gone. And the other songs don’t live up to its dance-worthy standards.

The Courteeners aren’t half bad for yet another ‘The’ to creep out from the generic indie woodwork. But that still doesn’t make them good. Fray recently told NME “We’re fucking brilliant mate”. Nah, I wouldn’t say that. But confidence, a dapper zip-up polo-neck jersey, a softly ruffled haircut and Northern tones go a long way. Some say.

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HOLLIE PRICE

LAST NIGHT

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he idea of the concept album has always been, at best, a vague and largely unpopular notion. Often dismissed as ‘uncool’, they are considered the territory of the self-indulgent and the pretentious. That said, in recent times the concept album has had a renaissance of a kind; a trend Moby has continued on his newest offering: an album based loosely on a night out in New York City.

Described by Moby as ‘a love letter to dance music’ the album continues where the other eight left off with the usual eclectic mixture of dance, disco and traditional electronica. The album’s tentative opening ‘Ooh yeah’ mirrors the anticipation and optimism of a night out, the standard sampling playing beautifully alongside the sweet, lilting female vocals. Each song acts as part of the progression through the night, building up to the climax of new single ‘Disco Lies’ and through to the ambient come down of title track ‘Last Night’.

The album doesn’t particularly break the Moby-mould but with his ability to move effortlessly between the frenetic and the soulful we are definitely reminded of the diversity that originally made him so unique and endearing. Despite the album’s strong beginning, its familiar charm eventually starts to wear thin; songs become hackneyed (‘The Stars’) or worse still, just plain dull (‘Sweet Apocalypse’). However, the strengths of the album vastly outweigh the weaknesses and we are left not just with a profound reflection of the NYC club scene but also an entertaining accompaniment to it.

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JOSEPH McDERMOT

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THE LAST SHADOW PUPPETS AGE OF THE UNDERSTATEMENT - OUT NOW

LISTINGS

JOE McDERMOTT Late of the Pier

‘Space And The Woods’/ ‘Focker’ OUT NOW

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he Last of the Shadow Puppets - the bastard love child of Alex Turner and Miles Kane came charging out with their first single, ‘The Age of the Understatement’, an immediately enjoyable, rousing collaboration. As with their single debut, this album does exactly the same, opening with their rolling, racing anthem from which the album takes its name. You’re already singing along.

Yet, at first listen I was left wanting more from Turner and Kane. I’d even go so far as to say I was disappointed that there weren’t more stand out singles, like‘The Age of the Understatement’. I was very, very wrong. Turner and Kane have made something far better than a collection of singles. ‘The Age of the Understatement’ is a proper album that flows, builds, sways and dances. Progressing from dashing, tense numbers like ‘Separate And Ever Deadly’ and‘I Don’t Like You Anymore’ to swinging, light hearted tracks like ‘In My Room’ seamlessly, it feels like a very complete, very sophisticated album. This album isn’t some Arctic’s leftovers hammered out by two friends; it’s a marvellous exploration of music. ‘The Age of the Understatement’ is filled with tight, swinging 60’s references, tension and soaring orchestral accompaniments. At just over 30minutes, it’s not an indulgent creation either. Songs are brief and their stories as eloquently told as you would expect from these two young men, who seem to harmonise so well. This really is an exceptional, classy album that I will have on repeat for quite some time.

JOE RANKIN

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By far the most visually striking single, this double A-side of sci-fi electro-punk is as colourful as its covering sleeve. Late Of The Pier have clearly drawn heavily from the nu-rave craze and although these tracks may not set the world alight in terms of originality there is certainly a quality of frantic fun in the mix of guitar and synth which signals that they could have a bright future on the indie dance floor.

Goldfrapp 'Happiness' OUT NOW Goldfrapp have returned to the rustic bohemia that first made them famous. ‘Happiness’ is far rougher round the edges than anything from 2005’s highly polished ‘Supernature’ and the coarser soundscapes sound fantastic alongside the sweet yet sinister vocalising of Alison Goldfrapp. As ever Goldfrapp are leading by example, bringing back the vintage acoustic style yet still shaping into something bold and new. A triumph.

Morrissey

'All you need is me'' OUT NOW

futureheads

Elliot minor

tHIS IS NOT THE WORLD 26-05-08

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he eagerly awaited third album from Sunderland’s favourite sons, “This is not the World” shows a fantastic new confidence from the band in what promises to be a well received independent release. By ditching their old record label 679 it is clear that the band have made the best decision.

The new album boasts an air of freedom. It tends towards the first album with a mixture of punky, energetic melodies.

“Beginning of the twist”, the first single released from the album, employs the beloved showy elements of the band at their best.

On album track “Work is never done” as with “Beginning of the Twist” the attitude inherited from their previous albums with lyrics such as “we’re always on the run” and “we’re all drowning in a world of good advice” is something we can all empathise with at some point.

One of the key developments of the band’s sound is the improvement to the vocals of lead singer Barry Hyde that still maintains the distinctive regional accent which gives them their own sound. Overall this album is an awesome summer listen. Great background music for a BBQ with friends or even to lift your mood when you’re trying to finish that last essay and that person in the library just won’t be quiet!

Although it may be a “slow burner” for some people, others will love it, so let us bask in the warm glow of the Futureheads being back to their best.

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HOLLIE PRICE

elliot minor out now

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ork’s very own Elliot Minor are classically trained guys who like to think they’re doing something different. So it’s a shame that their music is shit. Unfortunately, incorporating orchestrations in this, their self-titled debut album, fails to stop them sounding like an American emo band.

Although all 11 tracks are admirably written and sung, it’s the sort of album you could listen to all day but not be able to sing any of them the next day. The worst track by a long way is 'Silently', which is almost like a hymn (but I guess if you like listening to hymns it’s good stuff). To be fair though, Elliot Minor does have its moments with songs like 'Parallel Worlds' and 'Still figuring out', which have some style as well as substance. But there is something immensely annoying about lead singer Alex Davies’s whining voice and the whole album sounds like what it is - posh kids trying very hard to be cool.

For Elliot Minor, making an effort to be new and different is like masturbating with chopsticks because there is nothing here that stands out particularly. This is a monotonous and nothingy debut album which is likely to get much more respect than it’s worth.

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MARTIN WILLIAMS

Morrissey is as righteous as ever in this latest offering of lyrically led indie. Mining the same ground as the Smiths ' Rubber Ring', crooning "You're gonna miss me when I'm gone". Though not quite as iconic as his work with The Smiths or early solo efforts the track is unmistakable as being part of the Morrissey canon. Its appeal may not reach further than his current fan base but is sure to satisfy the already converted.

one Night Only 'Its about Time' 5-05-08 ‘It’s About Time’ is nothing more than another forgettable piece of indie pop-rock. Made with a clear intention of inoffensive mass appeal there doesn’t seem to be any kind of sincerity or indeed musical integrity behind the patronisingly simple chord progression or bland and clichéd lyrics. One Night Only so far proving themselves to be nothing more than a short-lived stain on the pop culture map; even the band’s name suggests that this is nothing more than a temporary set up.

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VISION s TING TINGS MIKE REGAN TELLS YOU WHY: They are Mancunian Granted, I may be biased, but we all know it's true: the best bands are Mancunian. Along with Twisted Wheel and Future of the Left, The Ting Tings are the frontrunners of the latest batch of manc scenesters ready to take on the world.

Like the ever magnificent Elbow, The Ting Tings front pairing of Katie White and Jules de Martino have suffered their fair share of musical setbacks - “We were just left because of company policy” de Martino snarls - yet through it all they have emerged under a new guise and one that ensures Manchester’s wonderful music tradition continues.

This is what they were born to do

They are the sound of innovation

Pop is good again

With their debut album set to pitch itself somewhere in the wide chasm between Girls Aloud and LCD Soundsystem, the Ting Tings are undoubtedly innovative.

Despite being originally named after a friend, White later discovered that her band's much derided name was rather aptly the mandarin word for innovation.

Considering ‘That’s not my name’ stood out like a brain cell at a Pidgeon Detectives gig, the Ting Tings are set to pump fresh exciting sounds into our ears for years to come.

Bought up on a remote farm, played only pop music by her parents, pop is in White's blood. Depressingly she even supported Atomic Kitten. So despite her partner’s Portishead inspired past, the Ting Tings are a pop band first and foremost. So along with Santogold and the more playful side of Hot Chip, The Ting Tings are set to blow the current crop of woeful proletarian indie bands away, and take pop back to the top of the charts.

They will keep us healthy Overflowing with excitement at the Ting Tings' meteoric rise from shambolic shows to the NME’s flagship tour, it's all still new to the Ting Tings and everything down to the catering arrangements is a supersized novelty. White enthuses “You get to eat broccoli every night if you want to”, with the energized awe of Gary Glitter watching “The little rascals”. So if being the next big thing ever gets boring then Katie, your skills could be put to devastating effect in saving self sabotaging students intent on letting themselves go, well before retirement.

For White and De Martino, music has offered an Enemyesque route away from the Salford gloom and into the glamour of New York and Berlin, cities the band confess to “ falling in love with”. If they weren’t kicking us all into a foot tapping frenzy they would probably be “doing a shitty job to try and earn money to give you freedom to write more songs”. So in essence, music is their calling and we are all finally ready to answer.

Because their live shows will make you drool Formed just so the pair “had something to do on nights off ”, it's all about gigs for the Ting Tings. In their early barfly shows, White could barely play her guitar, didn’t know how to plug in an amp or tune her instrument, thus they relied on gossip like energy and White Stripes style chemistry. The result is an unmissable live act you simply have to catch at this summers festivals.

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Petzold wins prizes Vision catches up with acclaimed European director Christian Petzold

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Tribute to charlton heston

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lthough many of us are aware of the strong tradition of filmmaking in France and Italy, Germany has never enjoyed such a heritage. If film is anything it is the story of a country and its past, Germany is only just waking up to its turbulent past and beginning a public debate through the medium of film. I discussed this with the writer-director many are labelling as the emerging master of German cinema Christian Petzold.

Petzold first fell in love when he saw the Italian naturalistic films of the 1950’s. These films discussed fascism and Petzold claims they allowed people to “see their own country and ask questions about their own country.” This is central to Petzold’s films, his belief that film should ‘show you the world outside that you’re living in’ is reflected in the intensely naturalistic feel of his films.

“When people see my films in twenty years, the audience has to not only know but feel how we are talking and how we are kissing today”. Petzold wants to create reality, not merely realism.

Although he agrees that German cinema was set back by its refusal to acknowledge its past in the 1950’s and 60’s, Petzold’s attitude perhaps gives us a clue to the attitude of Germany as a whole.He learnt about the Nazis in school and he doesn’t feel that film should focus on the past. Instead it should be about the “physics of life”: people should engage and relate to film, and dwelling on the past cannot achieve this.

However, through discussing the present Petzold shows the scars of the past on modern German society.

‘Yella’, his latest and most successful film, is a chilling, even un-nerving image of modern Germany, of soulless business estates and desperate characters who are out of kilter with the world they find themselves in and thus glide through their

Bear at the Berlin Film Festival, Nina Hoss, the female lead was awarded the Silver Bear for her detached icy performance as Yella.

Petzold describes her talent as being “empty”. He is a proponent of the collective style of cinema where the entire crew creates a film together and Hoss is perfect for this. “She comes with an empty suitcase, and she fills herself up with new things in every role. I don’t have a complete imagination of a role when we start, it is a collective effort, and we build up the character during the two to three weeks of rehearsals.”

This is in comparison to many actors who Petzold believes are so used to television acting. “They have an image of what they feel they should play. It’s a caricature of acting”.

The team aspect of film-making is very important to Petzold and perhaps comes from his heritage, as Germany had little film industry when Petzold was growing up the traditional methods of learning the ropes on set were unavailable. Although this may have been seen as a problem it also gave creative individuals immense freedom - “Film has flourished in academies and schools” - and the lack of recognised structure “leaves people for many years with no pressure to create ideas, and because of this discourse people came up with films by the late nineties. We had to re-invent the cinema”.

This freedom to the development of the ‘Berlin School’ of cinema, of which Petzold is a major proponent, and to films such as ‘Wolfsburg’ and ‘Something to

"The audience has to not only know, but feel, how we are talking and how we are."

lives phantom style with no real emotion.

It has achieved rave reviews and although narrowly missing out on the Golden

Remind Me’ as well as the later ‘Yella’ which has been delighting and confounding audiences ever since. The three senior members of the ‘Berlin School’ Angela Schanelec, Thomas Arslan and Christian Petzold attended the Berlin Film academy and although the plots and content of their film may vary they are brought together by their aesthetic qualities rather than plot or character development. The films are realism that tries to avoid becoming naturalism; there is no heavy sound track or artificial plots, creating beautiful visual cinema.

Although I am sure Petzold will continue to produce great films, don’t count on them being in English.

Although he initially claimed he didn’t want to make English language films until he could “understand the literature and the metaphor of language”, he later admitted that many Jewish directors left Germany for Hollywood in the 1930’s and made great films. “So perhaps i like making films in Germany too much.”It is this thoughtfulness and tentativeness that I see reflected in the mood of Petzold’s films, his deeply complex plots and sparse yet beautiful visual shots that are crafted as a work of art rather than as another glossy Hollywood blockbuster.

Andrew Nichols

John Charles Heston, known on stage as Charlton Heston for his heroic appearances in 'Ben-Hur,' 'Ten Commandments,' and 'Planet of the Apes,' died early this month on April 5th in his home in Beverly Hills at the age of 84. He died after suffering for seven years with Alzheimer’s Disease. Over decades, he became an American icon, standing for justice, greatness, and rugged strength through his countless roles on television, the stage, and on screen.

He began his dramatic career at Northwestern University’s School of Speech, before enlisting in the Air Force to fight in World War II. Returning home to his wife Lydia, Heston created his professional name, “Charlton,” and began auditioning to be a stage actor. He got his first role in 'Antony and Cleopatra,' later scoring other lead roles in Shakespearean plays.

He moved into a career on television before being offered a part in the film 'Dark City' in 1950.

Nine years later, Heston took on his famous role as Moses in 'The Ten Commandments,' making a name for himself on screen. At the peak of his career, Heston won an Academy Award for Best Actor in the 1959 film, 'Ben-Hur.' Soon after, Heston became president of the Screen Actors' Guild.

As time went on, Heston continued to grow in popularity and fame.

'Planet of the Apes' premiered in 1968, leaving audiences everywhere cheering Heston on from the moment he gruffly says, “Get your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape!” Among others, Heston was also known for his roles in the science-fiction horror flick, 'Soyant Green,' 'The Three Musketeers,' Orson Welles’ 'Touch of Evil,' and 'The Greatest Story Ever Told'.

But Heston wasn’t only known for his cinematic presence. During the 1950’s and 60’s, he joined the Civil Rights Movement, speaking out against racism and marching in the 1963 Civil Rights March. He later became politically recognized as the president of the National Rifle Association in 1998, becoming more aligned with conservative views, consequently receiving more mixed media attention.

Deeply ingrained in cinematic and theatrical culture, Charlton Heston will continue to be remembered by his unmatched presence captured on-screen, setting standards for actors to come, and remaining one of the great American icons of contemporary society.

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Persepolis

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Director - Marjane Satrapi

he highly acclaimed film, 'Persepolis,' recently hit British cinema after having T been released last May in its original French version. Written and directed along side Vincent Paronnaud, another famous comic artist, Marjane Satrapi brings her graphic novel to life on screen.

Laid over Marjane’s retrospective narration, Persepolis tells the autobiographical story of Satrapi’s childhood growing up in Iran during the Revolution and concurrent Islamic fundamentalist rise to power; increased violence and fear force her to finish schooling in Vienna, returning to Iran only once before leaving permanently for France. The film resembles a modern twist on film noir, visually presented like a shadow puppet show, using the same black and white graphic style and sophisticated dialogue as the two-part novel.

Although much of the film centres on political oppression, violence, and loss, Satrapi punctuates this grave backdrop with clever conversation and situational humour. The fundamentalist prohibition of rock music, alcohol, and Western clothing only makes Marjane and other Iranians even more intent on getting them; this leads to secretive wild parties, homebrewed wine, and an outbreak of trench coat dealers selling illegal tapes of Michael Jackson (that “ultimate symbol of Western decadence”), Stevie Wonder, and Iron Maiden. Humorous and unhesitatingly rebellious, Satrapi's characters are interesting, distinctive, and fun to watch. In response to Marjane's depressed resolve to get a divorce, her grandmother casually says, "the first marriage is practice for the next one."

The only cringe-worthy part of the film is when Marjane recovers from her clinical depression, suddenly breaking into an off-tune, karaoke-style sequence of “Eye of the Tiger.” Becoming nostalgic for Sylvester Stallone before the newest Rocky Balboa didn’t exactly keep me focused on the rest of the film.

All in all, if you have already read the graphic novels, then the film seems like an animated montage of the same thing. However, like the novels, the film is immensely enjoyable in its earnest humour and poignancy, full of both nostalgia and hope for the future.

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Alison Kjeldgaard

The Bank Job

In Bruges

Director - Roger Donaldson

Director - Martin McDonagh I think we can all agree that Colin Farrell is fit, and has an accent that would arouse a strictly celibate monk, but his recent films have displayed a severe lack of acting ability. This could perhaps explain why he is currently to be seen in a small budget British film, In Bruges. Farrell has recently said in an interview there is a certain pressure that comes with big budget films and judging from his assured sensitive performance in In Bruges Farrell performs well when the pressure is off.

In Bruges is a hit-man film, but not as you may expect. Gun fights and car chases are out, personal torment, racist midgets and fat Americans are in.

Ray (Colin Farrell) is a hit-man who messes up on his first job and is sent to Bruges to lay low, his partner on the trip is world weary Ken (Brendan Gleeson); the main pathos and comedy comes from this partnership. There are consistent laugh out loud moments of black comedy as they explore the sights of Bruges with varying degrees of enthusiasm. As this unfolds we become more aware of Ray's past. However even with these murky details (which unsuprisingly for a hit-man centre around death) Farrell manages to retain the audience's affection for his character. With the revelations comes Harry, Ray and Ken's boss who is played by Ralph Fiennes in his most menacing role to date.,(Okay perhaps playing a Nazi in Schindler’s list was slightly more menacing and slightly less camp but still to me he was quite menacing.) The set piece finale tells us much about the love, honour and the erosion of the value of death in the minds of the protagonists.

In Bruges is a comedy with sentiment and sadness, it will make you laugh and if it didn't quite make me cry it made me jolly well sad in places.

When I went to see it my expectations were low but I came out of the cinema thoroughly pleased; perhaps some of the humour was distasteful or crude and the romance seemed slightly forcred and two dimensional but on the whole this film makes for a very enjoyable watch, and for once it was the performance of Mr Farrell and not merely his Irish charm that made it such.I can only hope he maintains this level of performance and can continue to deliver in future when Hollywood calls.

Andrew Nichols

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eleased this past February, 'The Bank Job,' starring Jason Statham, exposes all of the dark secrets behind a 1971 London bank heist. Although the press originally printed news of the robbery, much of the back story was lost because of a governmental gag order. The film therefore brings all of the corruption, scandal, and intimidation to the forefront, setting up a complex web of individual stories, and leading to a thrilling end.

'The Bank Job' is sort of like 'Ocean’s Eleven,' except without the glamour, the gadgets, or barrage of witty one-liners. The begininng of the film sets up the basis of the story with dizzying montages of each disconnected story line. Terry has fallen into serious debt, receiving threats from debt collectors. Seemingly unrelated, Michael X, a black revolutionary, intends to blackmail the Royal Family with scandalous pictures of Princess Margaret if the MI5 gives him any trouble. In order to get the compromising pictures, the MI5 blackmails Terry’s friend Martine, who in turn convinces an unwitting, but willing, Terry to follow through with robbing a roomful of safe-deposit boxes.

Planning the heist is similarly rushed through, giving the viewer time for only quick introductions to the new members of Terry’s crew. There’s the technician, the gorgeous woman, the heroic leader, the comic, the con artist, and, as usual, the young, stupid kid who nearly screws everything up. Astoundingly, their simple plan to drill a tunnel underground straight through to the safe-deposit box room works; in any other film I would have said, “That could never happen.” But it did.

What Terry didn’t know was that he broke open Pandora’s Box, and that the rest of the world is now out to kill him in order to keep their dirty secrets out of public eye.

The rest of the film has you on the edge of your seat wondering how the hell poor Terry is going to get out of this one, as everyone from the MI5 to corrupt club owners hunt him and his friends down. The most enjoyable part of the end action happens when Terry finally gets really pissed off, and knocks out one of the club owner’s aides with a few head butts and a brick. Everything rushes to an end as the bad guys are dealt with, the photos destroyed, and Terry mends relations with his perturbed wife. All in all, “The Bank Job” has great action thrills with an intricate story line, leaving the viewer breathless and amazed that much of it happened in real life.

Alison Kjeldgaard

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is it me, or do i detect a small whiff of tv critic snobbery??

Delia, domestic goddess, faces revolt. But is her new 'cheat' concept as bad as it seems?

Scott Bryan investigates...

...TURN OFF SESAME STREET FEAT. DAVID BECKHAM- If you thought James Blunt singing about a triangle to Elmo on Sesame Street was funny enough, David Beckham has now been rumoured to appear in next series of the legendary kids TV show. Sources state that his guest appearance will help him learn the alphabet, help his vocabulary, as well as improve his numeracy skills...

If you cast your mind back to the Easter holidays – the time of year where you lounge around on your parents' sofa wearing your pyjamas all day, get drunk and desperately try to think of something to do past 11pm - you may have seen or heard about the new series of Delia (BBC TWO) and how blumming awful it is. A domestic goddess telling us of short-cuts in our meals? How dare she?! Tips such as using frozen mashed potato instead of making it ourselves? Unthinkable! Tinned mince?

TINNED MINCE?!?! What has our world come to Delia? What have you done?!

TV critics were up in arms. They panned the programme for skipping those homemade sauces, those bases which take hours to make and those ingredients that are difficult to obtain. The news media promptly jumped on the bandwagon with any excuse to bring her down. There were reports of a backlash by mothers who were ‘disgusted’ by her suggestions to not cook food the proper way. There were so-called ‘scientific studies’ that claimed one of her meals contained a whole daily recommended intake of salt as well as avid editorials that suggested that she approved the use of battery hens in meat production, which she later denied. Mothers weren’t happy, the newspapers weren't happy, environmentalists certainly weren’t happy. It all seemed like the domestic goddess had fallen from grace. We disowned our Delia.

But, after watching the series myself and attempting some of the recipes, I want to give a different perception of the programme. Yes, the food produced in the show was relatively uninspiring and straightforward (for example to make a shepherds pie you will need tinned mince, vegetables, pre-packed grated cheese and a leek. Chuck it all together, bang it all in a ovenproof dish and bake it*) and the footage of her involvement with Norwich City Football Club was rather random and unnecessary, but she achieved her main objective. She has pioneered a way to make quick and easy food, realising that times have changed. Despite TV Critic’s best wishes, people don’t always have time to cook. She didn’t want to change our habits, but make our cooking adapted to our living, not the other way round.

Her methods were set out to help those who rely on microwaveable meals or takeaways. This was not, as the media reported, a campaign to disown the humble potato, and cook frozen mash instead.

uses ingredients that are always available from nearby shops and convenience stores, not an ingredient from a la-di-da foreign posh nosh boutique fishmongers in Hackney costing £14.50. And as for the ingredients, she chooses food alternatives that are as good as their counterparts, tasting the same, but at a fraction of the time and effort than making them yourself. I know this because I’ve made a good selection of these meals during the Easter holidays. And they have been spiffing.

TINNED MINCE?! WHAT HAS OUR WORLD COME TO DELIA? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!

Furthermore, ‘How to Cheat’ has to be praised for what it is: a practical book for those who can’t be bothered to cook (students), those who aren’t well equipped to cook (students) and people who don’t think they have the time or the ability to cook (students). She

TURN ON...

RADIO NEWS (in a TV column)The late and the great Humphrey Lyttleton will be celebrated with a special day of programmes on Radio 4 next month. The late 86 year old broadcaster and musician, known to students and all through his popular show I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue, will be celebrated with a special documentary and compilation clip show of his work.

As he faces his final curtain, or as Lyttleton would say, ‘As the 4x4 of destiny on the level crossing of fate stalls in the path of the speeding freight train of doom, and the signalman of time rushes to fetch his camera’, this day will be a fitting tribute.

I’m making a fish pie on Sunday, and you’re all invited.**

THIS WEEK ON NEIGHBOURS (ON CHANNEL FIVE)

Steph puts Toadie in danger and their relationship is pretty much over as the Timmins' house goes up for auction which goes to Steve.

Steve and Miranda’s problems then escalate into a marital crisis, Rachel faces a tough first day back at school and Susan’s MS makes it hard for her to attend a friend’s wedding. Rosie is also pregnant.

Neighbours on Five: 1.45 and 5.30 every weekday.

BBC- The iPlayer bug is spreading, with Virgin Media announcing that it will contain the service. BBC iPlayer allows PC viewers to watch more than 250 BBC programmes online, for free, up to seven days after they were originally broadcast. It's incredibly popular, and its probably overloading and slowing down the web speed round Uni as we speak.

SCOTT BRYAN *Not a direct recipe instruction from the book ** If you can find where I live.

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RICHARD BACH ILLUSIONS

ARROW BOOKS LTD £7.99

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Illusions is a book I should, by rights, detest. There is little detail to the storyline, which is treated as a framework with which to espouse the author’s concept of life and the spiritual nature of being. The basic premise is that humans are not material beings but spiritual, and that any limits we encounter must be placed there by we ourselves. Being sceptical of spiritualism I firmly expected the novel to have the same effect on me as an early morning lecture on the Reformation in an invitingly toasty yet dimly lit lecture theatre. Namely that it would send me straight to sleep in little or no time. However it had the opposite effect, keeping me awake to the early hours reading and being the principal cause of me missing an important seminar. Still if you are going to miss contact hours for any book it may as well be one as intriguing as this.

Centred around a younger version of the author’s encounter and subsequent discourse with a messianic figure in an Illinois cornfield whilst selling pleasure rides in a bi-plane, the relaxed nature of the narrative and the fact that the characters are easy to relate means that the underlying message is not delivered in a preachy tone or forced on the audience, which would make it far less appealing. Having the option to accept the writer’s viewpoint is much nicer than being made to accept it.

Also despite dealing with some fairly deep philosophical ideas, Bach always manages to convey them in a simple manner, which, at the same time, does not patronise the reader. This makes Illusions hugely quotable, which incidentally makes it very easy to impress your friends with a mysteriously acquired thoughtful side to your personality that will only be uncovered as a fraud if they also read the book. There is also a profoundly optimistic nature to the book. The fact that things may seem better from a different perspective or that there is no point abandoning hope whilst still alive may seem very basic ideas but they are ones that we often forget and that Bach puts in a memorable form in order that we remember them when we need them.

The ideas of Illusions may well be too idealistic and care-free to appeal to the more cynical, but speaking as a cynical and negative individual myself I believe that it is at least worth giving the book a read. If the book has one quality that may appeal to everyone it is that it is fairly short and may well be finished in one afternoon’s reading. Personally I feel the book has a lot of interesting ideas to put forward, but as the book itself says ‘everything in this book may be wrong’. I will leave you to make your own decision.

JON COOK

A SECRET KEEPER? SAMANTHA COWLEY talks to self confessed secret junkie Kim Edwards...

Prior to speaking to Kim Edwards, author of the immensely successful ‘The Memory Keeper’s Daughter’, I thought: for a woman who writes about secrets she’s not very secretive. A quick visit to www. thememorykeepersdaughter.com and a glance at the FAQ informs you on, perhaps, everything you’d ever want to know about Edwards and her book. What could there be left?

However Edwards turned out to be a woman obsessed with revealing secrets and with the truth. Secrets, she told me, have a universal appeal and the idea of a secret being kept, within a family, for decades captured Edwards' imagination. The

idea for her novel, which tells the story The choice to give away his of a doctor in the 1960s who, unknown daughter that Dr David Henry to his wife, gives away the latter of makes is of its time. The use of their twins because she was born anaesthesia in 1960s midwifery with Down’s syndrome, actually came enables his secrecy and the lack from a similar, real-life event involv- of place in society for the disaing two brothers. From here Edwards bled softens the reader’s judgesimply began writing in order to see ment. ‘David is not evil for 1964’ what would happen and how the plot Edwards explains ‘He is rational and shaped by his attitudes to would develgrief ’. op. Edwards I AM ALWAYS CHANGED AT THE END is eager to present her

BY MY BOOKS Edwards work as h e r a discovery with an integrity that must not self grew up in small town be damaged. An idealised approach America where, she tells me, to writing perhaps, but it seems to no one spoke about their grief. work for Edwards. Her ‘lens on the Edwards saw how damaging world’ as she puts it, is conveyed to silence can be and her novel the reader through the sensitivity of definitely carries a warning language and certainly ‘The Memory against such secrecy in life.

Not all misery and I DID A LOT OF RESEARCH AND GAINED AN INSIGHT BUT I Keeper’s Daughter’ reads more often like poetry than prose. ‘I started out morality Edwards work DIDN’T WANT TO PRESUME TO PRESENT PHOEBE’S VOICE’ writing poetry’ she also celebrates the partold me ‘and it was ents of children with syndrome’s, the sound, feel and Down’s remarkably well known. Often texture of language their fight to achieve main-stream compared to the likes of Donna education and a main-stream life. that I loved, that Tartt and Jodi Picoult it would drew me to writing’. Nurse Caroline’s quest, who ends up seem that Edwards is in danger raising Phoebe Henry, was a result In a world where of being pigeon holed but whilst the causal reading of extensive research. The 1960s are she finds such comparisons flatmarked as a period of female libof poetry seems to tering Edwards is confident that have gone out of eration and for certain mothers their her work, once again her lens, discovery of strength was through fashion this poetic will mark her out. 2007 saw the style may be the their fight for understanding and end re-publishing of ‘The Secrets of to discrimination.

Having no direct key to Edwards’s a Fire King’, a collection of short success, satisfy- experience with Down’s syndrome stories that Edwards refers to as Edwards was on uneven ground ing our need for her apprenticeship into the literthis missing poetry. with her portrayal of Phoebe Henry. ary world, having been written The entire story is told through the Having made during her travels in Malaysia, the bestseller lists eyes of Dr. Henry, his wife, his son Japan and Cambodia. As she and the nurse who raises Phoebe, in over 40 counputs it: travelling, teaching and tries including such yet Phoebe’s voice is conspicuous- writing. Edwards however has ly absent.

‘I did a lot of research far flung places as not quite given up on the teachChina and Brazil it is and gained an insight but I didn’t ing. ‘I am always changed at the want to presume to present Phoebe’s clear ‘The Memory end by my books’ she declares; Keeper’s Daughter’ voice’ Edwards explained. The ‘they teach me something’. Kim research, it would seem, paid off as strikes a powerful Edwards defies the image of a chord with read- the book’s Italian publisher, himself female writer, holed away in her the father of a son with Down’s syners the world over. ivory tower, suffering for her art.

Once again I turn drome credited her with accurately The journey of writing is almost capturing life with the condition. to Edwards' fascinaas pleasurable for Edwards tion with truth and as the reading and this delight With only one novel published perhaps even moralin her own work will defiantly ity to explain this. and a set of short stories; ‘The ensure her continuing success.

Secrets of a Fire King’ Edwards is

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HORNBY AND ME store, and never been a teenage father, like Sam in his latest book 'Slam'.

“Apart from 'Fever Pitch', the rest are all some kind of emotional autobiography. As a writer, you use things that you’ve felt and put them in the book in order to try and be accurate about the emotional state of a character.”

But when Will Freeman – played by Hugh Grant in the film adaptation of 'About A Boy' – continually reflects on his own life, searching as so many of his other characters do the for “complications, details” which can define him, I can’t help but think of Hornby.

For a man who has enjoyed so much success as a novelist and with the numerous other projects he’s tried his arm at, Nick Hornby seems remarkably unfulfilled. At least that’s what I think he’s trying to tell us. If nothing else, he's remarkably self-assessing and insecure.

It is hardly surprisingly that, with the intensely personal 'Fever Pitch' the book that thrust Hornby into the spotlight, questions will always be asked about the autobiographical nature of his novels. 'High Fidelity' feels like the musical version of 'Fever Pitch'; protagonist Rob marking the contours of his life through record association as much as Hornby does with football matches. But Hornby’s never owned a record

But then it’s lucky that the narrative details are different from his life, because nothing really happens in Hornby’s novels. Ok, admittedly Sam in 'Slam' gets whizzed to moments in the future, and has a child aged sixteen, but it’s the musings on the mundane aspects of everyday life, and the commentary he provides for everyday conversation, which really strike a chord.

Hornby’s characters seem to live in every inch of the present that they inhabit, as he details every reaction and emotion, but in a way that feels so vital and unforced. He plays his characters better than he plays himself even, leaving just enough distance between what the reader sees in the character, and what the character sees in themselves, such as the narrator Katie from 'How To Be Good', a hugely daunting task to take on.

For someone who honestly believes that crossing my fingers when Chelsea are playing will

help them win, reading about a fellow obsessive in 'Fever Pitch' was hugely rewarding. As he says: “I fell in love with football as I was later to fall in love with women: suddenly, inexplicably, uncritically, giving no thought to the pain or disruption it would bring with it.” I find myself wanting to shout “yes, exactly!” at the most simple things; in an excerpt from the new novel Hornby read out, Sam is on his way to find out that his ex-girlfriend is pregnant: “I was doing all kinds of deals, or trying to. You know the sort of thing. If it’s ok, I’ll never skate again”. Reading Hornby makes me think he’s just got inside my brain somehow. I could write this stuff. But then an utterly fantastic analogy, so far outside the box as it were, blows you out of the water. In 'High Fidelity', he compares the direction of his life changing totally in a brief spell at university with those frozen at Pompeii: “that’s how people remember you for the next few thousand years.

Suppose it was the first game of dice you’ve ever played… I’m stuck in this pose, this shopmanaging pose, because of a few short weeks in 1979 when I went a bit potty for a while.”

'High Fidelity' feels to me like a manual for a man growing up, a what-not-to-do if you don’t want to end up like Rob. So it’s a big revelation when Hornby says he writes his books for a woman. “It started because writing 'Fever Pitch', my agent was a woman, and my editor was a woman, and my wife is a woman.” Well, you think you know someone...

So, sitting here in the Apple Store on Regent Street trying to figure out exactly why each one of the other people listening to Nick Hornby connects so deeply with his writing, I realise the connection; how they must feel they know him like I do, for his books are stuffed with the essential unspoken truths of human nature, from couples’ conversational tricks to our inner fears about not making something of our lives.

Have a read, you might learn something about yourself.

TOM SHELDRICK

IAN MCEWAN: ON CHESIL BEACH

£6.99 VINTAGE

It’s 1962, and Florence and Edward are two young, virginal newlyweds, just arrived at a Dorset hotel for their honeymoon.

With amazing restraint, they do not strip off their clothes and race to the bedroom to, ahem, consummate their marriage... instead they sit down for a very adult, very dignified roast beef dinner.

From the very first page there is a palpable tension between the young couple; a tension which is the result of their personal fears about what their first night as man and wife will hold. McEwan makes the reader the ultimate voyeur, allowing them to see not only the young couple’s clumsy affection and repressed sexuality, but he also interspersing the increasingly awkward scenes in the honeymoon suite, with Florence and Edward’s memories, thoughts and fears.

Despite this psychological insight into the characters, however, I found it difficult to connect with the characters. This was perhaps because their particular type of olde worlde reticence and sexual timidity is something that we rarely come across in life or literature in 2008, or perhaps because they are simply unengaging or even unlikable.

That said, On Chesil Beach is not all bad. It’s no Atonement, and I doubt that you will see Keira Knightley get her kit off for a film version of Ian McEwan’s latest offering, but it does have a certain charm. The sex scene, which is far from sexy, and instead comes off (if you’ll excuse the pun) as more hilariously tragic, with some real, if unintentional, laugh out loud moments, is a particular highlight.

If you’re a big fan of Ian McEwan, or you enjoy undertaking extreme Freudian interpretation in your spare time, then this book is probably great, but for me the book just didn’t perform.

KELLY HOLT

SPOTLIGHT

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LISTINGS

GEORGE BUSH TO STAR AT YORK THEATRE ROYAL Anna Wormleighton talks to playwright Donald Freed about his new play.

Donald Freed has dealt with McCarthyism, the Bloomingdale-Morgan scandal, Panama’s former

Donald Freed

dictator Noriega, the Black Panthers, Watergate, Nixon, and the assassination of Bobby Kennedy.

For Freed, widely regarded as America’s most political and pertinent playwright, President George Bush and the US invasion of Iraq were surely next on the agenda. But Freed had difficulty knowing just how to write a play on Bush while the president was still in power. After all, he had waited until after Nixon’s fall before considering it safe to target him in the play Secret Honour.

“I was stricken,” explains Freed about his initial reluctance to write an anti-Bush play. “To simply lampoon the moral idiocy of the man in the White House while he was still in power would not help anyone to escape the gathering storm. Such a political cartoon would only serve to create a false consciousness of superiority in the elite who attend such theatre in order to mock their bogeyman in effigy, instead of facing him in reality. I could not do it.”

However, an idea came to Freed in the middle of the night: he would set the play in the future after Bush had fallen from power. Patient Number One takes place in 2009 – barely in the future, but far enough ahead for the president to be seen in an entirely different light. The ex-president would be leading no ordinary retirement. By this time, he would be confined and heavily sedated in a psychiatric clinic in southern Florida and known simply as Patient Number One. “The psychiatric clinic is keeping his name secret. It’s official speak,” Freed explains. This radical and politically brave play is receiving its world premiere at the York Theatre Royal this month, under the direction of Artistic Director Damien Cruden, before transferring to Los Angeles where the reception will be awaited with bated breath.

"PATIENT NUMBER ONE IS A POWERFUL, DISTURBING AND CON-

TINUALLY GRIPPING DRAMA WHICH CAUSED ME TO WEEP FOR

I meet Donald Freed in the foyer of the York Theatre Royal. He is a distinguished figure with a lilting American accent and a rich voice that resonates around the space. In his gentle and amused manner, he is quick to ask whether I would like a “Yorkshire” tea.

Though he is clearly still quite taken with English idiosyncrasies, England has been Freed’s surrogate home since the 1980s. Targeted as a writer whose nonconformist works posed a threat to the US government, he was a continual scapegoat for FBI action, eventually culminating in his leaving the US. “I’m what you might call a voluntary exile,” the playwright chuckles.

FBI preoccupation with Freed’s writing began after his first play Inquest was published, which dealt with the Rosenbergs’ trial during the obsessive witchhunts of the McCarthy era. “All of a sudden, my little play had the New York Times reviewing it,” Freed comments. “That meant it went to Broadway, but it also led the FBI to open a file on me.”

AMERICA" (RONALD HARWOOD)

Government hostility to Freed’s work escalated over the years. In 1969, the FBI published a cartoon entitled “Don Freed is a Pig” in response to the playwright’s role as unofficial historian for the Black Panther Party. “He is a PIG, a lousy informant who deals with his fellow PIGS, and betrays us all” reads the cartoon which is almost beyond belief in its crudity. The sketch, published in a leaflet, was circulated around black communities in northern California by the FBI and in other ghetto communities across the US. It was only uncovered when Freed got his Freedom of Information files and this cartoon was sent to him. Other persistent FBI intervention had involved attempting to influence positive criticism in the New York Times, planting stories in newspapers, trying to stop press coverage of his plays, and adding Freed to the Nixon Enemies’ List following his play Secret Honour.

The attempt at suppression climaxed in a CIA front group, known as the Association of Former Intelligence Officers, suing Donald and his wife, Patty, for $220 million dollars in a libel case that lasted for an excruciating five years and had been sparked by his book Death in Washington: The Murder of Orlando Letelier. Although the case was eventually settled for one dollar, the damage had been done, and Freed came to England where he worked with Robert Altman and Harold Pinter in the 1980s, as well as Michael Gambon and Jack Lemmon.

Freed describes coming here as a complete turnaround, a rebirth, and a “coming home” to the theatre.

“The fact that I would actually rub shoulders with Harold Pinter was something I’d never thought of,” Freed muses. Yet Pinter, a playwright creating often similarly subversive, antagonistic plays, is an ardent fan of Freed’s work. “Donald Freed is a writer of blazing imagination, courage and insight. His work is a unique and fearless marriage of politics and art. I take my hat off to him,” Pinter was recorded as saying while directing Freed’s Circe and Bravo, starring Faye Dunaway.

Discovering the British theatre scene to be more tolerant of political protest, Freed began to premiere his work here. “I’ve been working in Britain off and on since the 1980s,” he explains. “I tend to write plays that are about the US, but could only really play there by making the passage to Britain and then coming back.”

Now aged 75, Freed has a wryness of manner – a sense of fatigue at the grief that government agencies have caused him over the years, but also an acceptance that it’s part and parcel of the game. “I had a grandmother who used to say, ‘Couldn’t you write a nice comedy?’” Freed recalls. “Well, I could, but it wouldn’t be funny to some people!”

Rather, this playwright’s commitment is to political theatre, though he kicks against the rather restrictive term. “It’s a useless piece of nomenclature,” he argues. “It’s a critics’ word, not a creators’ word. Important theatre is always a combination of many elements, and tributaries flow into it.” He asserts that many of the great plays from the Greeks onwards are intensely, though not explicitly, political. “Political drama that is propaganda is rooted in its time. Satire is very healthy – it reaches a lot of people and makes them laugh – but it’s temporary and time-coded. Great theatre must stand alone, as the Greek plays do, whilst being intensely political in their time.”

Despite the politics of Freed’s plays leading to much trouble for him, he wouldn’t have done anything different, he says. And, judging by Patient Number One, Freed certainly isn’t giving up the fight yet. “Resistance, in a way, is a gauge. You know you’re making some progress. The state understands what’s in its interest, what threatens its power.

For anyone who ever tells you that writing a play doesn’t matter – that it doesn’t influence or change anything – tell that to the secret police, to MI5 or to the FBI. These literary critics in mufti – they know!” And whilst he has suffered a lot of harassment from the authorities, he also has a treasure chest of prestigious awards for his political and theatrical courage. These include three Rockefeller Awards, two Louis B. Mayer Awards, the Berlin Critics Award, the Hollywood Critics Award, and an NEA award for Distinguished Writing.

Originally born in Chicago, Freed was a high school drop-out, but laughs at the irony in the fact that he then went on to enrol in numerous courses of independent study. At eighteen, he attended the Goodman Theatre in Chicago, and started working as an actor, then a director, then a screenwriter and playwright, starting up his own theatre in Los Angeles. Alongside this, Freed has always been involved in teaching, with residencies at Yale, USC, UCLA, and now the universities of Leeds and York. In November, he

ran a six-week Masterclass series at the York Theatre Royal, and, earlier this year, workshops at London’s Old Vic to help aspiring playwrights. Freed’s experience in imparting information and skills means that, more than ever, his role as mentor and his commitment to encouraging young, hopeful theatre practitioners achieve their goals, dominates much of his career. He is excited by the prospect of York as a hive of theatrical activity. “There is a world-class theatre element at York with the future on its side,” Freed enthuses. “It’s the place to watch over the next ten years.”

Indeed, the premiere of Patient Number One at York Theatre Royal is one large leap in this direction and is a momentous occasion that must not be missed. Playwright and screenwriter Ronald Harwood has described the play as “a powerful, disturbing and continually gripping drama which caused me to weep for America”. So, while we are all caught up in predicting the outcome of the struggle between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, at least we can see where one man will be in 2009. After all, as Freed says, it isn’t history that will judge politicians – it’s writers.

Patient Number One will be at York Theatre Royal studio from 1-17 May 2008, 7.45pm. Tickets only £5 for students.

SPOTLIGHT

MUSIC

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CULTURE

DRAMA BARN

National Round-Up

looking ahead to the first half of the term

Sophie Davies looks at what exciting theatre will be hitting

All performances in the Drama Barn start at 7.30pm (matinee times specified below)

Week 3:

MORBID CURIOSITY by Dominic J. Allen Directed by Dominic J. Allen Produced by Nicola Carter Dates: Thursday 8th, Friday 9th, Saturday 10th and Sunday 11th of May Britain is under surveillance. Terrorism is rife. Beneath a dark and broken London, in the basement of a sinister government facility is the morgue.

Tonight, however, is not just any night. A corpse arrives for inspection that threatens to unearth a tangled knot of conspiracy, leading all involved into the clutches of the sadistic Civil Servants. In this paranoid dark comedy, how can you be sure you’ll get out alive?

Week 4:

POOL (NO WATER)/HOT STUFF by Mark Ravenhill/Hannah Davies Directed by Mark Smith Produced by Ed Duncan Smith and Hannah Davies Dates: Friday 16th, Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th of May An exciting double-bill investigating the depths of the human psyche.

Focusing on a violent accident which profoundly affects a group of artist friends, pool(no water) explores the jealousies and fears which bubble within us all. Student-written Hot Stuff is a new, energetic, witty and dark piece in which a couple narrate to us their attempt to patch up their failing relationship with a holiday abroad. However, things go wrong before they’re even out of the airport and soon events take an even more sinister turn…

Week 5:

THE HOMECOMING by Harold Pinter Directed by Sally Daniels Produced by Anna Pinkstone Dates: Friday 23rd, Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th of May A dark comedy, brutally portraying familial and sexual morality. When Teddy, now a professor living in America, returns to his working-class, North London home to introduce his new wife to his aggressive family, a struggle for sexual dominance ensues.

The thin veneer of civility slips and dark perversions are unearthed. Raising questions about the male perception of women and their multi-faceted role within society and the home, the Homecoming is an impenetrable, shocking, yet arresting piece of theatre.

Week 6:

THE AMERICAN PILOT by David Greig Directed by Helen Fletcher, Carly Telford, Simon Maeder and Lauren Clancy Produced by Catrin Jones Dates: Friday 30th, Saturday 31st of May and Sunday 1st of June “America has happened to us.” An American pilot crashes in a remote unnamed village in the Middle East, rent by civil war. The reactions of the villagers to the alien pilot, and his in return, challenge their preconceptions of one another, resulting in a poignant account of cross-cultural boundaries. David Grieg’s play goes beyond ritual anti-Americanism to explore the complex relationship between the one global superpower and the rest of the world.

the UK over the next few months…

With a vast array of student drama bubbling away on campus in the Drama Barn this term, it’s worth taking a look at what’s hot in the land of theatre around the UK at the moment, and what’s worth looking out for in the coming weeks. For one night only, York Theatre Royal plays host to the Actors of Dionysus and their one-woman show Bacchic. Fresh from its acclaimed run at the Edinburgh Fringe, this updated version of Euripides’ The Bacchae merges circus acrobatics with theatre and boasts a compelling original soundtrack and inspired lighting design. You can catch it on the 6th May (with student tickets just £5). If you miss that, it will be at the Lowry, Manchester on the 17th June.

LISTINGS

WHAT NOT TO MISS THIS MARCH...

Tracy Chevalier, York Art Gallery, Wednesday 7 May, 2-4pm. A unique opportunity to ask the author of Girl WAith A Pearl Earring about her work and writing process.

If you’re into your sensory experiences, Liverpool is certainly embracing its status as Capital of Culture as its Anglican cathedral welcomes Brighton-based company dreamthinkspeak and its site-specific project One Step Forward, One Step

Back. Inspired by Dante’s Divine Comedy, it is a response to precedence given to material growth in our society, and asks the question: “What is Paradise”? Expect to be taken on a journey which unites film, music, live performance and installations.

Why not take a trip on the Transpennine Express and experience it before it ends? Be quick – it finishes on the 10th May. If you can get down to the capital, London, as usual, has plenty to offer – too much than is possible to list here. A few things to think about though: Static - a tale of “love, loss and compilation tapes” (with a soundtrack ranging from The Smiths to The Ramones and even Girls Aloud) finishes its UK tour at the Soho Theatre on 10th May. Martin Crimp’s The City at the Royal Court is showing now and runs until the 7th June. Directed by Katie Mitchell the cast includes Benedict Cumberbatch who you may have seen in Atonement. For those of you who enjoy the work of Anthony Neilson, (you may have seen The Wonderful World of Dissocia at York Theatre Royal last year) the Royal Court will be presenting Relocated which will run from 6th June until the 5th July. At the National, Michael Frayn’s new play Afterlife will be premiering from the 3rd June and is sure to create a lot of interest and is centred around Max Reinhardt - “one of the greatest impresarios of theatrical history”.

Elsewhere, at the Roundhouse you can see the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Histories until the 25th May and at The Cinema Haymarket (an old fashioned cinema complete with red-plush seats) Kneehigh’s Brief Encounter will be playing until late September.

For those of you who haven’t seen the latter: don’t expect a dutiful attempt at recreating the film. The love story is still there - at times beautifully and poignantly so - it’s just been sprinkled with the magic dust of Emma Rice. The result is a brilliant theatrical reworking combining physical theatre, film segments, musicians, music hall and lashings of Rachmaninov’s piano classic which makes this theatrical gem a must-see.

It Figures – Langwith Arts Are you a budding artist? Would you like your work displayed in an exhibition? We want to showcase your talent.

The Norma Rae Gallery in Langwith will host two promising, student-run exhibitions this term. One display, ‘Art and The Human Body’, offers students a fantastic opportunity to submit their figurative artwork for public display.

This exhibition will present the work of artists across the York community, including local figures, York St John and York University students.

We will exhibit a variety of works in diverse mediums, from photography to life drawing, sculpture to performance art, fine art to abstract - we want your work. Creativity is key, so feel free to interpret the figurative theme broadly, all entries will be considered.

The Art and the Human Body exhibition opens its doors on Monday 26th May, week 6 and culminates in an Arts Day which will celebrate both exhibitions.

Time is running out if you want to show your work, so dust off your canvases and act now.

Watch this Space.

For all enquires please contact Antonia at as589@york.ac.uk

University Chamber Orchestra, Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall, Friday 9 May, 7.30pm. Part of the Spring Festival of New Music, this concert features talented student musicians playing adventurous new pieces.

Birmingham Royal Ballet, York Theatre Royal, 9-10 May, 7.30pm. An innovative programme of ballets from across the world.Students only £5.

Macbeth, Grand Theatre Leeds, 23 April-24 May (restricted performances), 7.15pm. Opera North’s new production of Verdi’s opera stars Robert Hayward as Macbeth. Verdi’s score captures the weirdness and ferocity of Shakespeare’s play.

SPOTLIGHT

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LISTINGS

regulars MONDAYS

Gemma’s Pub Quiz £1 per player Yorkshire Hussar 8.30pm

M

take a whole lot of ay the sun shine in York going to ning to Alphabeat liste rced enfo , this summer? The poor ish the early days of the equator hungry dear to garn term with joy. To make er summ is making Herculean efforts to this transition less painful we’ve poke through our skies only to played social miners again and be thwarted like one trying to filled the coffers with recreational path al take an efficient and logic gems once more. You know which across campus. The library feels side your bread’s buttered. Failing the like a mainland cell with all these you could stave off the laughs and the delights of the stress with timetabled periods of Roger Kirk Centre having been duckling stalking and foal watchsnatched away unless you’re writing. Truly life-affirming stuff.. SS ing your exam number. Yes, it’s

week 3 TUESDAY

We Are The Physics Fibbers

06.05

£6/5adv 8pm

“Completely fictional mutant sciencepunk”. If you need more impetus than that to spend your hard-loaned cash then there’s no helping you. One of music’s great historical mistakes, they’ll provide eccentric leg manoeuvres in that special place where Devo meets Buddy Holly.

Hand claps are a given, just in case that makes the deal any sweeter.

WEDNESDAY 07.05 Folk From Here £3 Jack Lyons Concert Hall 7.30pm

A fusion of Indian and British folk music featuring a tabla, a sitar, and a fiddle. Also appearing are Northumbrian pipes and a melodeon – bagpipes and an accordion for those of us not in the loop.

And you thought folk was dead.

DemonBarberRoadshow York Theatre Royal

£5 8pm

Sadly not Johnny Depp running wild up and down the Bristh Isles singing about working with Tim Burton whilst wielding razor blades at exposed meat pies. However, Wednesday’s second folk offering (really not dead then) is a troupe of traditional young dancers with ‘tude.

Energetic fiddle drum ‘n’ bass grooves perhaps tops Depp on musical killing spree as the combination to watch out for. The phrase ‘clog dance’ is tugging at my purse strings. Hold on to your melodeons.

THURSDAY 08.05

Patient No. 1 York Theatre Royal

£5 7:45pm

This one’s writer counts Harold Pinter among his fans and considering its subject matter maybe a few million Americans as well. Or not, depending on affiliations. It’s straitjackets at dawn with George W Bush the resident of an elite psychiatric clinic along with other high profile figures from more halcyon days. Perhaps one of those “don’t knock it ‘til you’ve tried it” ideas.

Enchanted York Student Cinema

£3 7:30pm

A sugary mix of homage and self-parody done only as Disney can with a naïve Princess, informative ditties, and two of Hollywood’s Prince Charmings du jour.

Enchanté I’m sure.

FRIDAY

09.05

The Best of the Bands Grand Opera House

£5 7pm

Top young bands from York battle it out for a week in the studio, a headlining gig at Fibbers, and a consequent listing in Vision if they’re lucky. Alan Raw of his BBC Radio Leeds ‘Raw Talent’ (everything fell into place the day that one was conceived) radio show will be the one in charge.

Hadouken! £11.50adv Leeds Union Refectory 7.30pm

It’s a homecoming for these Leeds University veterans. Expect to binge drink glow stick gunk and jostle with the teens to the sounds of Nintendo beeps and the delightfully coined “Asbodisco”. Coming from one who’s been in the line of fire of some young upstart’s non-alcoholic beverage at one of these, it’s the most fun you can have in an oversized day-glo baseball cap.

SATURDAY 10.05

Midsummer Night's Dream £9.50 Leeds Grand Theatre 7.15pm Classic tale of girl loves boy, boy loves different girl, who loves different boy, who loves her, the local fairy king and queen weave their magic and someone makes an ass of himself; the whole thing’s pretty Pucked up. Shake it down with Britten.

Pendulum Leeds Union Refectory

£16 7.30pm

Perth’s original drum and bass quintet return to finish off what they left of West Yorkshire last year. They’ll send you home by midnight to save you your Propane Nightmares.

SUNDAY

Jethro Tull

Grand Opera House

11.05

£25.50

7.30pm

It’s the 40th anniversary for the only rock band which boasts a lead flute and they’re undoubtedly filling that classic rock venue the Grand Opera House. The clean-living band will likely be appearing without the full Tull complement that graced such silver screen gems as Almost Famous and Jumanji (feel free to check the truth of that).

Despite the variety of questions, and cash for the winner, it’s the free chip butties at the interval that are sure to set tongues wagging.

TUESDAYS

week 4 MONDAY

Salsa Classes Bobo Lobo

12.05

Speed Quizzing £1.50per player Orgasmic 8.30pm If the conventional and somewhat humdrum question and answer, pen and paper routine isn’t enough for your super-fast cranium then check out the Orgasmic action. Get your wireless buzzer and leave other quizzers eating your questionable dust.

TUESDAY

Jesse Malin Fibbers

13.05

£14/12adv 8pm

Seems like a typical angsty, emotional, romantic; think hands stuffed in a leather jacket, lots of black hair and a searching look. He’s on the eve of the release of his latest covers album and apparently rooted in New York’s grimy underbelly.

Cheery Tuesday night fare.

WEDNESDAY 14.05

FRIDAY

Region2 @ Dusk Dusk

16.05

Free 8pm

Zade Cross from Ob5e55ion Records (prizes for pronunciation) and DJ’s Gazzmann, Dave Oliver, Fudance and Woody Aki are in attendance. Whitenoise and The Matt Linley Experience will be performing live music. Grab some fun until the wee hours with that little lot.

SATURDAY 17.05 Singalong Sound of Music Grand Opera House

£14 7pm

Go and find out what the hills are really alive with, just to be sure. Dress up as a nun safe in the knowledge that you won’t be getting out of the habit after a themed event; this one's strictly wholesome sisters. Put on your lederhosen and let your inner yodeler out of its von Trapp.

SUNDAY

18.05

Pool (No Water)/Hot Stuff £4.50 Drama Barn 7.30pm

The 18th Century, satiric ballad opera takes you into the lives of squabbling beggars, thieves, lawyers, prostitutes and gaolers. Witness the loves of an amorous highwayman whilst he dabbles in a spot of imaginary bigamy. Catch him at it until the 17th.

Either those crazy cats at the Barn have been sniffing too much dramatic tension and messed up the programme or it’s a double feature of two one-act plays. Probably (maybe) the latter.

Bohemian yet sidelined actors seeking fame and a dysfunctional couple are to be found – and what are the plays about? Just jesting thespians.

THURSDAY 15.05

BEYOND...

The Beggar’s Opera York Theatre Royal

£8 7.30pm

£10adv 19th-20th March 8pm Home Grown Sounds So, is this York? No, it’s Leeds, but St Lawrence Working....

The Holloways Leeds Union Mine

what’s a little University moonlighting when you can catch the North London foursome generate some indie-rock.

Expect Dave Danger (he’s the drummer); one of the band has got a penchant for jumping on speakers and smashing his guitar to smithereens. We’ll let you find out which one.

£4NUS 7pm

They're going to great pains to convince us that they're York's longest running and only professionally trained Salsa teachers. Just as well then, because you're going to get great pains learning it.

The Tunnel Club Leeds Union Mine

£3/2adv 11pm

For the price (as well as £1.50 drinks offers) this one might well be in a tunnel. New and classic Indie DJ Chris Martin (not that Chris Martin) spins the tunes until 3am.

WEDNESDAYS

Open Mic Night The Locomotive

Free 8.15pm

Free supper and raffle. Oh, and open mic.

THURSDAYS

Vanbrugh Bar Quiz V Bar

Free 8.30pm

With bounty like Gallery q-jumpers and Bacon themed rounds, how can you say no? Teams limited to six players so that you can’t completely plunder Vanbrugh’s resources.

FRIDAYS

Fruity Leeds Union Stylus...

£5/4adv 10.30pm

Billed as a party for all students and their mates, this lot are going to have a bit of a job on their hands pleasing everyone. But wait, three rooms and they've got Chris Martin (still not that one) back again; I stand corrected.

SATURDAYS £3/4otd 8.30pm

Solo acoustic guitarists Burney G and Barney R (no mix-ups there then) and beat poetry (it’s back!) from Scrutinize.

London band Talk Taxis are down to play and there’s someone called Action Jackson as well, which failing folk music or clog dancing seals this commentator’s approval.

Central Beatz vs Curves £3/5otd Leeds Union Mine 10pm

Every 2nd Saturday of the month an arrangement of drum and bass DJs will face off until 4am.

SUNDAYS 15% Proof The Locomotive

Free 8pm

Every 1st and 3rd Sunday is One Mike Stand: an acoustic singer is joined by various acts from York, whilst every 2nd and 4th the band 15% Proof will cover 60 years of music in one night.

Well, maybe.

The Sunday Tea-Time Quiz 50p The York Arms 5.15pm For those times when you just want to put your feet up with a nice cup of tea and answer questions called out over a microphone. We've all been there. Lighthearted Rob and Dave lead the rabble.

All times, prices and events correct and seemed fun at the time of writing.

Vision cannot be held responsible for your lack of enthusiasm. Go and read a book.

16 FEATURES

YORK VISION Tuesday May 6, 2008

MAKING THE MILI-BAND Lauren Cockbill caught up with Ed Miliband, the man tasked with masterminding Labour's next manifesto, as he visited York's campus

L

abour’s bad council results on Friday (their worst in at least forty years) coupled with Boris Johnson’s victory in London’s mayoral elections must have left Labour supporters across the country feeling glum.

Gordon Brown’s unpopularity amongst the public seems to be accelerating and he is not being helped by members of his own party questioning his decisions. Knowing that Ed Miliband (Labour MP for Doncaster North, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Minister of the Cabinet Office and also the brother of foreign secretary David Miliband) was coming to talk at the university I was hoping to have my confidence in Labour restored.

Having been warned by a fellow student journalist that Mr. Miliband was an expert at turning questions around and answering them on his own terms I was not optimistic. Was it going to be another of those occasions where politicians do their job extremely well by

spouting their party’s line and avoiding a direct answer?

The first question I put to Mr. Miliband was: who would you like to see win the next American presidential election and why? The answer was, of course, diplomatic: ‘Both Obama and Clinton have strong attributes. Obama has inspired lots of people and brought new people into politics whilst Clinton has a wealth of experience. In fact all three, Obama, Clinton and McCain, have been written off at some point in the polls. The lesson I’d learn from this for British politics is that polls don’t always mean anything.’

Even though Mr. Miliband had not given a clear answer and had turned the question round, perhaps it was naïve of me to expect a clear answer considering the

government will have to work with whoever is elected.

With the press conference over and the speech about to commence, I waited in anticipation. How was one of government’s brightest ministers going to inspire me?

Mr. Miliband started his speech, after the mandatory jokes about his more famous brother, saying that the government faces bigger issues than the current economic crisis and past mistakes.

For Mr. Miliband,

there are four aspects which are important for politics going forward into the future.

First, the government needs to reengage with ‘people’s sense of fairness’. This is why the 10p tax rate abolition was so problematic because it conflicted with people’s sense of fairness.

The government needs to listen to people and show it is on the side of the people by reacting quickly.

Secondly, the government needs to be able to meet the big future challenges that the country and people face in their lives: globalization (the movement of finance and the movement of people), climate change and social challenges (work/family balance and social care).

Thirdly, Mr. Miliband agrees with David Cameron that we need a more grown up style of politics. Instead of government trying to pretend it’s perfect it needs to be able to admit mistakes such as the problems surrounding the 10p tax rate abolition.

Fourthly is the importance

of idealism. The reason Mr. Miliband is involved in politics is ‘not to manage the system better than the Conservatives but to change the society in which we live.’ In other words, for the good of the country not just because he could do a better job than someone else.

It was this fourth aspect of idealism which struck me the hardest and had the most profound effect at restoring my confidence. I was reminded of why I support Labour and why Gordon Brown is the right man to lead Labour through another election. As Mr. Miliband put it ‘Gordon Brown is a man who cares deeply about people in Britain and what frustrates him most is people being unable to fulfill their potential because of barriers in their way.’ So whilst mistakes have been made recently, the government’s fundamental ideology has not budged. If what you care about most is a fairer Britain then be reassured the government is striving towards that goal.

What would a novice do with the most violent videogame of all time? Alex Richman investigates...

GRAND THEFT AUDREY I

don’t normally use a horde of prostitutes, let alone run them over afterwards to reclaim my money.

But what if I really wanted to? Grand Theft Auto IV (GTAIV), released last week, is the answer to this and many other morally repulsive questions. As a devotee of the series, I barely raised an eyebrow when exploring the numerous ways in which this latest instalment allowed me to steal cars, kill civilians and, should one wish, use prostitutes; but what would happen if I plonked a complete violent videogame virgin in front of the screen? What would they do, confronted with such a ruthlessly violent sandbox?

As it turns out, the answer is: turn into a frothing sociopath, before my very eyes. Audrey doesn’t normally stroll up to SUVs, pointing a shotgun at terrified couples and stealing their vehicles before reversing over the previous owners. However, having witnessed the glee with which she smeared blood on her new car’s undercarriage in GTAIV’s Liberty City, she may have a new favourite hobby.

Natural curiosity gets the better of anyone playing a game

like GTAIV. Even if your intention is to merely experience the creators’ vision by strictly following the missions provided, eventually you’re going to buy a sniper rifle, steal a helicopter, land on a skyscraper and spend a calming afternoon murdering innocent people. The game is so relentlessly brutal that even newcomers’ shock turns to zeal rather quickly.

“You didn’t really have to run them over, you know,” I say to Audrey after she trundles her massive SUV over the poor couple. She barely acknowledges my comment, finding herself far too busy smashing into a wall. The vehicle crumples, but Audrey’s attention switches to a nearby convertible. The character on-screen tries the door, taking a quick look around as he smashes the driver’s window and lets himself in. Nearby pedestrians voice their shock at Audrey’s actions, and soon we hear sirens.

“What now?” she asks. I advise her to drive far away, so that the cops will lose interest. However, she barely reaches the end of the street before an onrushing police car smashes into the previously immaculate speed-

ster. The collision’s force throws Audrey’s character through the windshield, soaring over the cruiser.

“You mean he wasn’t wearing a seatbelt?” Audrey is disgusted.

GTAIV’s complex web of deplorable moral choices regularly throws up these contradictions.

Her innovative escape method fails to pay off, as a policeman hunches over the fallen felon, gun in hand. Audrey’s character raises his arms to surrender, just as the SUV’s passengers did, but this time the game provides the offer of breaking out of custody and making a run for it.

Audrey seizes the chance greedily, snapping her hands back to her sides and running to steal the police car. She goes down in a hail of gunfire.

The screen fades, the colours wash out and we rejoin Audrey’s character as he leaves the hospital. In GTAIV, there is no intensive care, no lengthy legal process. You are reintroduced to the streets just as swiftly as you can create these massive levels of mayhem; but Audrey is unwilling to wreak more havoc. I ask if she enjoys the game: “I’m not sure,” she tells me, wandering down the street a n d marvelling at the computer-controlled pedestrians as they chat on mobile phones and buy hotdogs. She casually aims her shotgun at one, who drops his food and runs off. She neglects to pull the trigger. I suggest that if she were alone in the room, there would be a lot more dead bodies.

“It’s fun killing people,

but it feels kind of…wrong.” I know exactly how she feels, having been arrested by the charms of GTA’s endless cycle of destruction long ago. But then, when I play, there’s not somebody peering over my shoulder and writing it all down. I ask if she’d want to play it in the future: “I don’t think so. I wouldn’t like to think so,” she offers, walking into the ‘TW@’ internet café. “What’s this? You can actually go on the computer?”

Audrey’s character sits at a desk to find a portal not to the actual internet, but rather a satirical reconstruction of it, replete with email, news outlets and dating sites.

“Why would anybody want to be on a fake internet? This is so stupid.” Audrey restrains herself from killing all of the characters inside, although again I suggest that alone, things would be different. Of course, she’d be perfectly right to. GTAIV offers you so many choices, but there’s no fun in stopping for red lights or going on the internet. That’s what you do in real life.

And sometimes we all feel like a dose of grand theft auto.

Or a dozen prostitutes.

YORK VISION

LIFESTYLE

LIFESTYLE

17

V

Tuesday May 6, 2008

P18 TEMPORARY CAMPUS GAY PLAYBOY!

P19 COUNTRY CASUALS

P21 BRAIN FOOD!

P22 HUNGARY HOLIDAYS

>STYLE

>FOOD

>DRINK

>TRAVEL

No!crastination

As summer sets in, exams and essay deadlines are fast approaching. Lisa Morris and Laura Turner examine the pitfalls of procrastination This is the start, you’ve begun. At least you think you have begun, although you have your fingers in Maltesers packets and your eyes on the television screen. You always notice things when you don’t have the time to notice them. Your curtains hang asymmetrically. The diagnosis: dodgy curtain hooks. The greater diagnosis: procrastination.

So stalking that guy (or girl) you constantly see around campus has never been so enthralling. Arranging your DVDs in alphabetical order, and then rearranging them again according to genre, has become an essential activity. You can’t get through the day without writing at least one to-do list. And then there’s the pinnacle of the procrastination pyramid: designing, drawing (that ruler you stuffed in your desk drawer at the start of first year is back in action), colour-coding and highlighting your own revision schedule. Only to make a new one the very next day... that’s right, campus is in the midst of exam time.

The injustice is colossal. Just as the sun is wearily hauling itself out from behind the rain clouds that have darkened our Yorkshire skies for endless months, we have to descend on the library in full force. Campus seems to be haunted by the sound of desperately scraping pencils, and even the geese have

"Do we really need to find a cure for this epidemic?" adopted a respectful silence. Never have we heard so many fraught phone calls taking place outside (and inside) the hallowed hallways of the revision hellhole we know more familiarly as the library.

Procrastination is the art of putting things off. Its two set rules are thus: 1) do it today, and 2) tomorrow will be today tomorrow. If there were a degree in this art form, no doubt all of us would capture that elusive first. But do we really need to find a cure for this epidemic? It has been proven that procrastinating can be refreshing and beneficial in healthy doses. Popping to Topshop has scientifically-proven advantages too!

Don’t ask us how, it just does, that’s enough.

Yet the curse of the

time-waster is that ‘just-the-once’ never suffices. Take that first walk into town, collapse on the sofa just the once to indulge in some daytime-TV-therapy…pretty soon, you are truly done for.

And then the excuses start. Denial. Telling yourself that one more hour, one more day off won’t make that much difference. And before you know it, it is midnight, you’re cramming, and it’s doomsday in approximately eight hours. Clearly none of us can get away with procrastinating. Or can we?

Everybody procrastinates; to quote Douglas Adams, “I love deadlines. Especially the whooshing sound they make as they pass by.” Procrastination is a frustratingly inevitable human trait. The real key to success is not to eradicate distractions but to limit them, and to do so requires both a positive mindset and some good oldfashioned willpower.

Take a moment to relax yourself in preparation for some serious study. For some, this might involve affixing a poster of Barnsley FC to the bedroom wall (heck, they had a good run), for others an impromptu stroll about the Quiet Place, tracing out innumerable constellations in the sky (preferably at night).

Get comfortable in your learning space.

If TV ads have taught you anything, then it is that eating a healthy breakfast will prime you for a productive day ahead. And if you

"The real key to success is not to eradicate distractions but to limit them" are watching TV ads, then there is some seriously dedicated procrastination going on in your house.

Indeed, whilst it is a tediously repeated litany these days, eating five-a-day and regularly exercising are fundamental feel-good habits and are thus undeniably worth a mention. The well-being of a healthy lifestyle, from good sleeping habits to stretching your legs every so often, will physically and mentally prepare you for a more productive revision session.

Remind yourself that there are set times for distractions and when exams are over your procrastintions will be guilt-free. Think of a summer of seaside, ice-cream and festival-filled rewards!

So it just leaves us to say: congratulations. You have just succeeded in procrastinating for the length of this article.

You have effectively time -wasted.We salute you.

Now get to the bloody library, you wastrels!

18 LIFESTYLE

YORK VISION

S N O I S S E F CON OF A CAMPUS GAY PLAYBOY

Tuesday May 6, 2008

With Vision's ladies' man apparently gone awol under a pile of revision, the Campus Gay Playboy takes us on a quiet sojurn about his world...

V

V

A limpet is a small, clingy creature which likes to suck

VISION'S VIXENS and their

mundane with heavy sighs, was important. A cab ride later I’m at his, having left limpet thinking I’m gone for a cig,...but shit! My uber-expensive luggage is back with the limpet!

No worries for your campus gay playboy of course, pull a sickie after a quickie and I can be back at the club before closing. But oh no, karma has a way of biting me on my perfect ass.

This ‘hottie’ clumsily hands me a beer as I sit on his bed, both of us in our tighty whiteys, before to my horror he reveals that: he’s never been with another guy before. And dear lord, I'm not sure I want the responsibility…but I naturally regained my poise, and after an hour of truly acrobatic bouts I’m ready to leave. (Not without halfinching a t-shirt on the way out mind, mine's all stained by this point.)

Well, my limpet is still there

completely onto me; she smells a fuck 'em, chuck 'em boy a mile off.

Bless her, she’s the protective type.

Now the limpet wants to show me the town properly. Not exactly what I wanted to wrap my eyes around.

Still, while he fits spasmodically on the dance floor, strange look in his eye, I’m pouting and scouting for a decent fittie which, boys and girls, gets easier the further from York you get. Suffice to say my new hottie locks eyes and heads over, two doubles clutched to his chest. Thigh against mine, he asks all the usual questions which are unimportant. That I was biting my lip between answers, flicking the odd pleasure/pain flutter of the eyelids and punctuating the

and by this time is about to call international rescue, but with a coy smile and some dance floor bumping we’re ready to leave together.

Caught the early train home that morning, and all’s well, except I lost a tooth gem in limpet's pubic hair and he’s used the L word.

And the only L word I like to hear is ‘Lube’. Ah well, maybe unkempt gardens are what make some of us limpets and some of us campus gay playboys.

Just remember, only scrubbers don’t use rubber, and of course, nice boys come last.

Ciao!

All's well, except I lost a toothgem in limpet's pubic hair

V

some old queen’s pillow the next morning, the tang of Chinese food clinging to your hair. Again, not hot. So, as any well connected boy should, I decided to pay my limpet a visit. For those not in the know, a limpet is a small clingy creature which likes to suck, and who believes eternally that your going to eventually give in and grow old on the Costa del sol together, with three dogs and a forty year old alcohol problem.

Do I need to say if that’s hot? I think you're getting the picture. Having said all this, the limpet will inevitably, in a vain effort to win your heart and hatch, cling back on at the slightest behest.

So, dressed like a cheeky boy, off I trot to Nottingham, nothing in my wallet but condoms seeing as the drinks are on him.

Everything seems fine, apart from his lesbian flatmate, who is

V

H

i-de-hi campers! Seeing as Campus Playboy's missing, (last seen in the GUM clinic), it falls to the job of the more than qualified campus gay playboy to take his position. (Though not literally of course, gross.)

Ah, so much filling in to do around here there’s barely the space on the page, no room to talk about closeted Leeds Rhinos threesomes or public campus antics, so I think I’ll start with the most recent…

So to set the balls a’rolling, it's Friday night, and typically the York gay circuit descends on the Chinese disco for a night of generally older male gay debauchery: decidedly not hot.

Especially given the unsavoury reminder as you peel your face off

STUDENT STunners Harry Pearse

YEAR: 1st Status: Single SUBJECT: History and

Sarah Graham

YEAR: 2nd Status: In a Relationship SUBJECT: History of Art

Politics

GET THE LOOK Cardigan: Grandad's Trousers: Levi's Bag: Brother's T-Shirt: Random shop in America Which do you prefer: Vision or Nouse? Vision!

GET THE LOOK: Bag: Primark Dress: Zara Boots: Viviene Westwood Which do you prefer: Vision or Nouse? [Answer deleted by editor due to blasphemous language]

LIFESTYLE

YORK VISION Tuesday May 6, 2008

19

STYLE

The Fresh Prince of ... York

Immy Willetts and Jude Hull examine how to, like totally, do '90s fashion on campus...

It is no secret that York is a quiet, middle-class university, the kind where girls strut through campus considering ripped tights to be a form of edgy rebellion. We think its time we got ‘flippedturned upside down’ and embraced the Fresh Prince attitude to fashion; bright colours, high tops, tacky gold jewellery and big hair. Campus is littered with Kate Moss wannabes, forget Primrose Hill; the nature of York is much more akin to the wholesome high schools from our childhood TV programmes, which should be echoed in our dress sense.

This way of dressing is not so far removed from most people’s comfort zone, for example faded denim is already prominent in Topshop but we feel this tired high street look can be easily revamped, by taking a standard look one step further. For example maybe opt for dungarees instead of the cotton all-in-one. Go all out with tie dye as opposed to shying away with

subtle dip dye dresses, favoured colours are bright greens, blues and reds like ‘fashionicon’ Jazz would wear in the Fresh Prince of Bel Air. Hilary should be the new Alexa Chung. Instead of wearing clothes that look ‘thrown together’, and disguising any creativity as an accident, Hilary rightfully exposes the hours of preparation time that goes into each outfit. It shouldn’t be considered chic to look as though you put on the first thing you saw.

Net-a-porter has some great statement dresses complete with 80’s embellishments. We think you, like Hilary, should be proud of looking ‘put together’, it's time to stop hiding the fact you’ve planned your outfit for Vanbrugh bar meticulously. Matching items; shoes, bags and hats replace the thrown together shabby-chic Sienna Miller style.

This look can easily be achieved by matching gold buttons to gold earrings, (check out ebay’s vintage costume

jewellery) or similarly the same shade nail varnish and lipstick.

Which, by the way, should be bright red!

Being fashion conscious is not only applicable to women, guys can draw their inspiration from the Fresh Prince, Puma have released a new pair of high-tops decorated with Fresh Prince grafitti, perfect for a ‘debaucherous’ night at Ziggy’s “drum ‘n’ bass”… Shell Suits are not so far removed from Adidas sports jackets, and American Apparel have a great range to compliment your Fresh Prince look. Sports wear is the order of the day, but stick to the right side of cool, there is a fine line between a shell suit and dressing like a member of Goldie Lookin Chain.

Never were multicoloured leggings so prominent as on the set of Saved by the Bell. The reality is that their style at thirteen surpasses many York students at twenty-one who consider a York hoodie the epitome of

cool. We feel that instead you should show your allegiance to York through dressing like a character from a '90s TV show, to fully embrace the comparisons between our university and an American high school. Let's be frank, the cliques are not that far removed from the Jocks and Cheerleaders of Sweet Valley High.

Kelly, Lisa and Jessy all knew how to work multicoloured leggings and baggy t-shirts.

H&M have a great pair of brightly coloured leggings and in vintage shops such as Expressions there are endless baggy t-shirts, shell suits and denim jackets waiting to be discovered.

Strolling into key texts in your messy-hair-andUgg-boots uniform, you think you look all that and a bag of chips? As if ! Rip a page out of the Fresh Prince Bible.

Hey Kool-Aid, check out these threads! Girl, you'll look so good, I would plant you and create a WHOLE field of y'all!

Puma's 'fresh take' on footwear

Satin Jacket, American Apparel £28

Denim Playsuit, Topshop £45

Dress, Derek Lam £1665 Wayfarers, Urban Outfitters £15 Bag, Urban Outfitters £16

ist atWa stco e i d a ma w m nd om .co Ha at fr ited co nlim su

Most Inspiring Apparel Steal Her Style

M.I.A’s political charge undoubtedly makes her one of the most interesting musicians around. Having grown up in Sri Lanka with a family heavily involved in the Tamil resistance movement of the ‘80s, it is hardly surprising that the militant influences have made their way into her music and style. The blisteringly colourful artwork of her album Kala, with the message “fight on!” exemplifies the bravery that makes M.I.A stand out from a crowd of Klaxons disciples.

Sporting a style that could be lazily classed as part of the recent “Nu Rave” renaissance of bright colours and zany leggings, M.I.A has the intelligence

and stylistic skill to lift herself out of that pit of sartorial idiocy. The brash, noisy, pugnacious sound of her music, and outspoken political stance, correlates with her style. Eyeshadow that grazes the brows and earrings that could knock anyone out within a two-metre radius resemble tribal markings more than clothing. Casting aside the girlish idea of being pretty and inoffensive, the semi-fear that she inspires is awesome, and suggests that the time she spent at Central Saint Martin’s/ room-sharing with Luella Bartley didn’t leave her a passive mannequin, but expressive and creative in her own right, and in every aspect of her being.

Her eye-catching outfits reference true showmanship. Rather than getting up on stage, mumbling her way through songs and shuffling awkwardly away, she goes boldly out looking like a she’s just suffered a terrible accident in a glowstick factory. Much like Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, or CSS’s Lovefoxx, she doesn’t come off as a cutesy teenager, but a politically and sexually charged woman. Having travelled more of South Asia than a jumped-up

gap-year student and lived as a refugee for much of her life, M.I.A (in her own words) shows us we can “transform bloodshed into beauty and raise the phoenix of forbidden expression - The real war is in us.”

Choose a bold lipstick to channel M.I.A's look.

Tacky gold jewellery is a must; the more offensive the better. These are from Argos, £18.99

Shiny, shiny leggins.

Won't make you look skinny, will be blindingly awesome.

American Apparel, £28

Picture courtesy of channel4.com

Helen Nianias on the brash style of M.I.A...

Despite a 45-minute long crush on Gordon Brown, political figures have never really inspired me that much outside of a political context. You may think David Miliband makes a good Foreign Secretary, but chances are that’s where your meditation on him begins and ends. However, David Miliband probably doesn’t wear wet-look leggings, headache-inducing unitards or have an amazing asymmetrical bob. But then again, I don’t take politics, so how would I know?

20 LIFESTYLE

YORK VISION

Tuesday May 6, 2008

STYLE

Huntin' Fishin' and Shootin' Kirsty Denison explores the toffee-nosed world of "country casuals"...

T

raditionally the wear of the upper classes, tweed and country-clothing has carried an exclusive and somewhat dowdy image. Wellies, barbour coats and tweed jackets usually conjure up images of fox-hunting royals that make the more down-to-earth among us itchily uncomfortable at the prospect of wearing these most high-class of clothes. However, the practicality of tweed has been transformed on the cyclical fashion bandwagon and has emerged as a surefire chic favourite both on the high-street and the catwalks.

Combining traditionally ‘masculine’ fabric and hunting accessories with feminine cuts, high-waists and contrasting fabrics, this updated look takes a new approach to the high-class feminine alongside grungy masculine look á la Kate Moss and co.

Tweed started its fashion life in the horse-riding arena due to its no-nonsense durability. The woven fabric then did its rounds among country folk as an emblem of practical fox-hunting superiority until Coco Chanel shifted the look in the '50s and '60s from functional to fabulous. Taking the high-class look from the countryside to the catwalk, Chanel began using the fabric in chic suits with cinched waists and elegant

accessories. However, the material was still fairly heavy-weight and so maintained boring workplace associations.

Until now. With shiny updated machinery producing lightweight versions of our English eccentric favourite, tweed is no longer solely a Prince Charles staple. Showcasing its modern variability, some of the best designers at Autumn New York Fashion week 2008 took the look to new levels. Matthew Williamson added lots of colour and flashes of metallic while Narciso Rodriguez “made a grey and white tweed so soft it looked like fur.”

In the celebrity arena, Madonna brought the squire’s wife look back onto our fashion radars a few years ago and despite some brief relapses, it seems that the fashion world hasn’t looked back. The Queen of Pop opted to utilise her pseudo aristocratic persona to go full-throttle in her use of flat-caps and boxy jackets whilst still retaining some form of fashion credibility. However, for the red-blooded among us, tweed should be left to a minimum with a single item such as a jacket or maintain a feminine and modern edge to keep the look on the right side of retro.

or elegant (but simply patterned) teadress with a light-weight fitted tweed blazer, the right combination of prim, pretty and proper will be achieved without a hint of squire in sight.

For those that are opposed to the more mature and elegant look, country gentleman style still has something for you.

Hunters wellies and barbour jackets all fit into the countryside category while maintaining an edgy quality brought about by the festival-going masses. When Kate Moss stepped out in hotpants and wellies at a music festival, wellie sales went through the roof. While maintaining her edgy status, Moss managed to keep it sexy and feminine with plenty of leg on show. For the less daring but equally fashion conscious, the barbour jacket is a burgeoning delight for the fans of this trend. Recently featured in the Sunday Times Style section, this winterwarmer has adopted a more light-weight feel that’s perfect for the spring weather.

GET THE LOOK...

Hunter boots, £50, stylefinder.co.uk Jacket, £105, French Connection

Tweed flat cap, £147, Celine

So whether it’s cinched waists with masculine fabric, or daring shorts with high-class wellies, mix-andmatch for an eccentrically English and fabulously functional feel.

Dress, £40, Topshop

Grandmother chic does not have to be dowdy. By combining a silk camisole

Barbour, £69.95,gun.co.uk

Scrimp, Spend or Splurge?

So, it’s the start of term and the long-awaited loan’s burning a hole in your pocket. But before you wheel out the old “spring clean my make-up bag” chestnut as an excuse to splash your cash, stop and read, as Demi Kraithman guides you through the best beauty buys around this summer...

Scrimp

Spend

Splurge

Worth it?

Mascara

Maybelline: Define-a-lash £6.99 How refreshing – make-up that lives up to its spiel! Serious definition, amazing length and good curl with zero clumpage. Take care when applying as it can smudge at this stage, but no flakes or smudges all day once it’s dried.

Very impressed.

9/10

Max Factor: Masterpiece Volume £9.99 Really good separation with no clumps, but not amazing on any volume or length wow factor. Better as a base mascara to be followed by a more dramatic effect mascara (see Diorshow) if you don’t have naturally thick/long lashes.

7/10

Dior: Diorshow £18.99 The fash pack’s favourite promises über length and volume – but does it deliver?

Well, yes and no. Yes on both counts when applied as a final coat on top of another mascara, but lacking the definition power to go it alone. Not up to scratch for a make-up bag staple.

7/10

No. Mascara’s a tricky one, and it usually comes down to the pure luck of finding the right one for you. High price does not necessarily equal great performance, so don’t be fooled by the big names. As seen here, there are some great budget mascaras out there.

Foundation

Rimmel: Recover Foundation £5.99 Although it goes on ok, blends well enough, has a SPF 15 and does give skin a temporary boost, I’m not convinced.

Why? Slips after a couple of hours, even the lightest shades have a strangely orange glow about them, and even on application the coverage isn’t great.

Funny smell too. Don’t bother. 3/10

L’Oréal: True Match Foundation £9.99 Goes on like a dream and creates a gorgeous, semi-sheer, flawless complexion.

Really natural shades too. The only problem is, give it a few hours and its initially great coverage starts to slip. Shame. No SPF either. Not bad for a night out, but don’t count on it for all day perfection.

7/10

Estée Lauder: Doublewear Light £22.50 Yes, it’s dear. OK, make that horrendously dear. But hear me out on this one: this is quite simply the Best Foundation I have Ever Used. Ever! So light and comfortable on the skin, the beautifully sheer yet complexion perfecting finish it creates seriously does last the promised 15 hours. Controls oil so you won’t need a powder, plus contains a SPF 10. Love it.

10/10

Yes. You get what you pay for with foundation. Well worth investing in a better quality one.

Face wipes

Boots: Cucumber Facial Cleansing Wipes £0.99 / 25 wipes They smell nice and fresh. And er, sadly that’s where the good times end with these hopeless things. I feared I would rip my lashes off in an attempt to remove my non-waterproof mascara, I had to press so hard, and using toner afterwards revealed that these wipes had not even removed foundation, let alone cleansed my skin. True, they’re only 99p, but consider it 99p wasted: you’ll only have to buy a separate cleanser, toner, and probably eye-makeup remover anyway.

1/10

Olay: Daily Facial Wipes £4.50 / 25 wipes “Like a little bit of a facial, everyday”, apparently. What a load of crap. So, is that the little bit of a facial where your makeup DOESN’T get removed and your skin DOESN’T get cleansed? This overpriced product simply pushes make-up around your skin and as with Boots own brand, can’t even manage to remove non-waterproof mascara. I despair!

0/10

No. 7: Quick Thinking 4 in 1 Wipes £6.50/30 wipes A product that has been raved about many a time in the beauty press, and I can see why.

As boasted, these little beauties effortlessly remove every scrap of make-up, cleanse, tone and leave skin feeling freshly moisturised. The toner test comes out positive – not a smidge of make-up or grease left after using these. They are more expensive than other brands, but can usually be bought on some 3 for 2 / Buy 1 get 1 Half Price type deal.

9/10

Yes and no. The budget range and mid-range products all seem to be on a similar level of uselessness, so if you want to go cheap, you may as well go really cheap. But if you demand great results it is worth spending more.

LIFESTYLE

YORK VISION

Tuesday May 6, 2008

The Hot List In Season asparagus Sticking with the vegetable theme, this time of year marks the beginning of the British asparagus season.

British asparagus has a reputation for being some of the best tasting asparagus in the world, but the 8-week season means it's only available through May and June.

Make the most of the short season and buy some asparagus spears (around £2 for a bundle).

Boil the spears for around 3 minutes, and then chop into pasta, risottos, and salads, or serve with salmon. Or, slice and add to stirfries. Also goes great in a creamy sauce.

Asparagus is a super-food, great at boosting immune systems (i.e, fighting away colds during exam time!), detoxing your body and also having aphrodisiac qualities .

FOOD&DRINK

Give Peas A Chance With Vegetarian Week on the horizon, Emily Hodges and Frances Bernhardt delve into vegetarianism and look at the pros and cons of being meat-free

N

ational Vegetarian Week (Week 5, 19th-25th May) is all about encouraging non-vegetarians to take a more positive attitude towards the vegetarian lifestyle choice, and attempting to dispell some of the lettuce-eating hippie jokes. 9% of students follow a vegetarian or vegan diet.

With this in mind, we thought we’d check out what a vegetarian lifestyle entails.

Firstly, the animal-lover’s diet can offer some significant health benefits. A range of studies have proven that a vegetarian diet can lower the risk of heart disease, cancer, osteoporosis, and keep cholesterol in check. Removing meat from their diet means vegetarians miss out on all the negative health aspects linked to red meat, and because they replace this with healthier alternatives like vegetables, fruits, beans and nuts, they gain extra vitamins and health boosters.

On top of that, vegetarians have a head start in weight loss, because animal fats are the main source of saturated fats (the nasty ones). A further added bonus for tarian those on a tight (student) budget is the lower price of vegestaples, in particular vegetables, pasta and rice. As a consequence a vegetarian's shopping basket can be a smidgen of the cost of a meat-eater's shop.

However, anyone taking up a vegetarian diet needs to be sensible about the adjustment to a meat-free life, and what they might lose from this. A varied diet is more important for vegetarians, to ensure they gain the necessary nutrition from foods. It can be a challenge, but good planning can avoid any deficiencies. In particular, the main losses are protein, iron and B vitamins,.

To combat this vegetarians need to increase their intake of foods such as dairy products, nuts, pulses, beans and green leafy vegetables. Meat-free

Vegetarian Lentil Curry Don't be put off by the lentils - this tasty curry is the perfect way to experiement with vegetarian food.

The website Always end up with vegetables and random food growing old at the back of your fridge?

Check out

www.lovefoodhatewaste. com for great suggestions to use up leftovers. Click on the food that needs using up, and find a huge range of recipes using that ingredient. Also on the site are Rescue Recipes, for foods past their prime., and tips on keeping food fresh for longer.

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100g red lentils 1 sliced onion 1 tsp curry powder 1 tsp tomato puree 1 diced carrot 100g chopped mushrooms 100g peas (frozen or tinned) Plus any other vegetables Handful of sultanas Fry the onion and lentils for 5 minutes. Add just enough water to cover the lentils, and cook for a further 10-15 minutes (with the lid on) until the water is absorbed.

Add the curry powder and tomato puree, and stir well.

Add vegetables and a little more water, cover, and simmer for another 10-15 minutes, until the vegetables are cooked. Serve with rice, and naan bread.

By Susie Wright

alternative such as Quorn, tofu, and lentils, are also brilliant ways to add variety and nutrition to your Vegetarian diet.

If these foods sound too bland and uninspiring there are plenty of places on campus and around York to try out different vegetarian foods, which can inspire your own cooking, and show the possibilities of vegetarian food. York offers plenty of good quality options for vegetarian food – particularly recommended is El Piano, where all the food is vegetarian or vegan, and is of an amazing standard. The Bar Convent will be running a “taste the difference” deal during Vegetarian Week, offering 20% discount on the vegetarian alternative to any of their dishes.

If heading into town this week is out of the question why not check out what our campus foot outlets have to offer.

During Vegetarian Week, campus restaurants and cafes will all be participating by expanding the range of vegetarian meals on offer. A new vegetarian baguette filling will also be revealed.

If you’re feeling inspired by the vegetarian diet, and are drawn towards the vegetables, why not challenge yourself with the Vegetarian Society’s Veggiepledge during Vegetarian Week, and try going veggie for a day, week, month, year or even a lifetime!

REVIEWED The Siam House, Goodramgate The Siam House is one of those tardis-like places. From the outside, you could easily walk past it – it’s set back from the street halfway along Goodramgate, with only a narrow entrance on the ground floor. Go up the stairs though, and the real beauty of The Siam House is revealed.

The place is beautifully and authentically decorated, right from the wall hangings to the cutlery.

A huge variety of dishes are available, with a separate menu for vegetarians.

While the idea of Thai food might be off-putting to some, this place is a great introduction, and can satisfy the most unadventurous diners. All the dishes, right down to the homemade prawn crackers, are made with high standard, fresh ingredients. Dishes are available at all levels of spiciness, meaning everyone can find something to suit them. Particular favourites among our group were the classic Thai Green Curry, and the Paht Thai Noodles with vegetables.

Prices were very reasonable, especially considering the high quality of the food.

Main course prices range from £7.50 - £15. A lunch menu is also available and competitively priced, with a starter and main course available for £7.95. also with a wide selection to choose from. The Siam House is great for a good quality meal, without blowing your budget - the perfect place for when you’re bored of the same-old pizza and pasta menus. Thai food is not something you come across very often in York, but the Siam House shows that it really should be a big success.

22LIFESTYLE

YORK VISION Tuesday May 6, 2008

TRAVEL

DAY TRIPPER Helen Nianias embraces quaint Haworth.

HUNGARY FOR MORE Sally Makaruk braves the goulash and scantily-clad pensioners, inviting you to take part in 24 hours of action, holidaying with the Huns.

I

t’s sometimes difficult to think that anywhere could be even quainter than York. With our surplus of doilies and scones, sometimes it seems strange that the idea of idyllic respectability and pots of tea can exist alongside the moat of vomit that guards Reflex.

Having been to Haworth, however, I can safely say that our very own York is but the tip of a particularly kitsch iceberg.

A mere hour and a half from York to the small town, Haworth seems to be the sort of place that York would rather like to be.

There is no shortage of tea rooms (mainly called things like Ye Olde Bronte Teashoppe), and you could probably drown in scones if you so chose; but this is juxtaposed with all-day-breakfast type places that give you a hearty amount of black pudding on a paper plate and a cheap cup of tea, so the overall effect isn’t too nauseating. The shops in Haworth are mainly of the type that sell rosewater in fancy bottles and bits of lace filled with lavender, and yet (again) it didn’t seem too bad. No matter how averse to kitsch you may be, Haworth is just the right place to enjoy and embrace it.

The size of the place (it’s really quite small) means that the quaintness is never allowed to get out of hand. The Bronte museum is genuinely brilliant. You can walk through the famous family’s beautifully preserved parsonage, see the original manuscripts of their work, admire their tiny clothes, acknowledge the hardships that they had to live under, and perhaps appreciate their work even more. Edging the vast and intimidating moors, Haworth manages to come off as authentically olde worlde. And then, when you return to that moat of vomit, you can appreciate York’s paradoxical nature all the more.

Haworth High Street

Budapest is both similar to and different from the accepted image of Eastern European cities. It manages to incorporate the charm of Krakow or Prague, whilst still proving itself capable of competing with major cities like Paris or Berlin. Although in some ways quaint and historic, its large, domineering boulevards and impressive Parliament building prove that Budapest has certainly managed to rid itself of its communist history and establish itself as a prominent European capital city.

Experiencing only one day in Budapest is certainly not enough time to allow anybody to soak in the charm of this fantastic destination, but here is what I suggest you should do if you ever find yourself in the city with 24 hours to kill.

09.00hrs You really will find yourself spoiled for choice in Budapest, but as you are likely to be situated in Pest, a trip over to Buda should not be missed. The Castle District would normally take a day in itself to explore and offers you a fantastic choice, with the opportunity to explore the royal palace, art galleries, churches and an underground labyrinth which will definitely keep you amused. And if that doesn’t sound like your cup of tea, then you could always head over to the Hungarian Telephone Museum or the ever-popular Pharmaceutical Museum, housed in the first pharmacy in Buda.

As it was raining and unfortunately the awe-inspiring Church of Our Lady was inconveniently closed for renovation we chose instead to go wine tasting in one of Budapest’s mystical wine cellars. You basically pay a small amount of money which allows you entrance to the cellar, where you proceed

T SIGH

to taste a selection of fine Hungarian wine. You can spend as long as you wish trying out as many wines as you’d like. The only catch is – if you get drunk, you are swiftly asked to leave the premises!

If you're not a big wine drinker, lunch in one of the delightful, but touristorientated restaurants is a must. The cheapest dish on the menu is Hungarian goulash, a beefy, fatty stew which is suprisingly delicous. The view from the top of Castle Hill is amazing and you shouldn’t miss looking out from medieval, Fishermen’s Bastion over the Danube to Pest, which on a clear day provides amazing views of the city.

13.00hrs A n o t h e r highlight of Budapest is the Thermal Baths.

When your feet are weary from sightseeing, it’s the perfect opportunity to grab your swimsuit and head to a spa retreat. We chose the outdoor Széchenyi Baths, situated on the picturesque City park in Pest (also home to the Budapest Zoo), which resembled a scene from Ancient Rome or Greece.

Braving the sight of old Hungarian men in tight, tight Speedos, who seem to have a strange desire to play waterchess, we explored. The main pool is what you would expect to find in swimming complex at any British holiday resort, with rapids, a whirlpool and a Jacuzzi. However, the highlight of the outdoor arena is a huge thermal pool which remains at a steady temperature of 38 degrees. With a maximum advised bathing time of 20 minutes, it could certainly turn you into a wrinkly, old granny much like a majority of the other patrons at the complex!

Indoors there are a variety of saunas, each with increasing

G N I E SE

G N I LAX

RE

heat intensity and a variety of smaller pools, which also vary in temperature from mildly warm to outrageously hot. The idea is to move from sauna to sauna or from pool to pool staying for as long as you can humanly manage, to be followed finally by jumping into an icy plunge pool. Something to really make you feel alive! There are also Thai massages and mud bath treatments available but with our complete lack of Hungarian language skills and the attendant’s complete lack of English, this wasn’t something that we could experience. Fortunately the Széchenyi Baths have a strict bathing suit policy, but beware, other more traditional Baths will insist that you leave little to the imagination to bathe in their facilities. Overall, a trip to the Thermal Baths makes you feel relaxed, refreshed and extremely sleepy!

19.00hrs However, it was back to the hotel to get ready for a night on the town! The nightlife in Budapest is brilliant throughout much of the week. Almost all of Budapest’s bars, pubs and clubs are in quirky, smoky, underground cellars, many with British memorabilia scattered on the walls and ceilings. One club we visited, Morrison's Music Pub, had a fully functioning train track circling above the bar and a traditional red British telephone box on the dance floor. Hungarian dance music is pretty much what you would expect from any Eastern European coun-

try with an interesting mix of hardcore trance music and the odd Hungarian folk song usually remixed with something that resembled Cascada. Brilliant.

Actually, it wasn’t that bad.

Suprisingly, there were some recognisable, sing-a-long music for the regular student tourist, although everywhere we went, there seemed to be a particular appeal for the '70s hit, 'Funkytown'! Karaoke is also really popular. In most clubs, including the Budapest Student Union, where there was a separate stage for such drunken tomfoolery. It was strange, but we liked it, listening to Hungarian’s attempting to sing along to Phil Collin’s and Bonnie Tyler is hilarious. It can definitely be said that when the sun goes down, Hungarians certainly come out to play, albeit in their own, strange way!

However, don’t consider getting to any club before 1am, as you’ll be alone with the barman and that one guy who always seems to go out alone. Not cool.

?.??hrs A late-night snack is a must. We headed off to one of many 24hour Subways. There's nothing like a home-comfort to end such a hectic day!

Ryanair fly from Liverpool John Lennon Airport to Budapest.

Prices start at around £60 from www.ryanair.co.uk.

For cheap accommodation try the Oktogon EasyHotel. It is perfectly situated in Pest, clean and secure. Prices start from £5.50 a night for a double standard room (similar to University Halls of Residence – Think Alcuin NOTGoodricke).

PA

NG I Y RT

YORK VISION

roses review

Tuesday May 6, 2008

YORK SUNK BY LANCASTER Rowing

BY HUGH PRYCE YORK'S ROWERS endured a difficult and frustrating Roses campaign as they picked up just 4 of the 20 points available on the day.

York’s sole victory came in the Senior IV category. The crew of William Lawrence, Oscar Nielson, Lee Fisher and Hugh Pryce easily beat Lancaster’s top four rowers; an impressive result for a scratch crew.

This success gave York confidence going into the Senior VIII race. This contest started the whole Roses tradition and remains to this day the Blue Riband event of the Boat Races. Despite taking an early lead, the York crew could not hold off the late charge by the Lancastrians as they fought to a one-length victory, spurred on by their significant home support. Senior rower Olly Ward was unequivocal in his interpretation of defeat: “The reason we lost was because the race line was poor and due to a lack of preparation. If we’d known the course better we may have won.”

The victory gives Lancaster an 18-17 lead in the Boat Race series since the event began over 40 years ago.

In the other of the men’s races

Lacrosse

LACROSSE LADS LASH LACKLUSTRE LANCASTER

the York Novice IV were unlucky to lose by a narrow margin in a race marred by controversy. Thinking they had done enough for victory, York were denied the win by the umpires who had failed to inform York of the exact finish line on the staggered course.

In the women’s races Lancaster picked up a clean sweep, a complete reversal of last year’s races.

York were unable to match the size and physicality of the Lancaster women.

Reflecting on the day’s racing, UYBC President Jillian Tongue was not too despondent: “There are positives the club can take from the senior races that bode well for the season” although she appeared a little frustrated with some of the officiating, adding: “the inconsistency of the umpires put a sour note on the day”.

Lancaster were good value for their victory, showing significant strength in the Women’s and Novice events. The quality of their Novice rowers was particularly impressive, York will need to invest a similar amount of time and effort into next year’s intake if they are to have a positive future in this event.

BY ANDY MCGRATH LANCASTER'S lacklustre lacrosse team were no match for a pumpedup York squad brimming with superior speed, quality and mentality.

Perhaps with a point to prove after losing 5-3 in last year’s exhibition match, York quickly got into their stride, pinning Lancaster back from the off: four goals were scored in the first quarter.

This pattern was to continue as York dominated possession, the only relief for their outclassed opponents being brief counterattacking skirmishes; by the game’s midpoint, victory was assured with an 8-0 lead.

Urged on by captain Boaz Eli Eli, the team continued to show its strengths and power, with more goals, good movement and penetrating runs to carve open the rival defence. Lancaster did their best to stem the goal flow, scoring their first after a

LANCASTER SHOW THEIR HORSE POWER

BY TOM SHELDRICK DESPITE VICTORY for York’s B team, the Equestrian squad left with a 4-2 points deficit after defeat for the A team at Midgeland Riding School on Friday.

With both teams having qualified for the national finals, where York finished sixth earlier in the season, the standard of competition in both dressage and showjumping was ex-

tremely high. Lancaster’s A team rode superbly to score only four penalties and earn themselves four points for the Roses total, compared to York’s 28. The White Rose’s B team fared better, receiving 37 penalties to Lancaster’s 54.

Katie Smith and Nina Sandhaus were star performers for the away teams, Smith placing fourth individually after a clear round in the showjumping,

23 2

good period of pressure at the start of the third quarter, but it was essentially oneway traffic.

Nonetheless, the final scoreline reflected the opponent’s dominance across the board – 16-2 to York. Richard Ramsbottom, Ed van der BylKnoefel and Josh Whittingham were among the pick of the bunch, with the speedy Harry Collins also giving his marker a torrid time on the left flank.

Fresher Whittingham was happy with the team’s showing: “We all played well – we beat them in the holidays anyway, so we knew we could do it. Still, we were really up for it. Their heads dropped after the first quarter, but they came back strongly in the last ones. We

haven’t had the best of seasons, having to start with a new team essentially.”

While emphasising that everyone performed well, Whittingham pointed to the attacking players (Rambsbottom and Ed van der Byl-Knoefel) as particularly impressive, while also paying tribute to the Lancaster goalkeeper. Without several of his agile saves, the humbling could have been even more crushing for the hosts.

LANCASTER PISTE OFF WITH DEFEAT

and Sandhaus fifth after receiving no penalties in the dressage.

President Gemma Johnson was far from dispirited, saying “I’m definitely pleased, both teams performed to the best of their ability, but Lancaster had the home advantage, so knew the horses well.

We’ve got to the nationals this year with three freshers in the B team - we can be brilliant next year.”

BY MATT THOMAS YORK'S SNOW sport teams picked up six points towards the Roses total with comfortable victories at the Rossendale Ski Centre on Friday.

The Mixed 1st Ski team competed in a team dual slalom over 5 legs, claiming a comprehensive 4-1 victory, with Ben Corbey starring. The result was tighter in the Mixed 2nds, with captain Rob Wallis

leading the White Rose to a 3-2 win, despite several unforced errors.

York’s inexperienced Snowboard team also competed in an exhibition event, valiantly losing 2-1 to a strong Lancaster outfit, whilst York dominated the Ladies’ team dual slalom, another new event added to the Roses schedule, winning 3-0.

The York Mixed 1sts and Ladies ski teams were unable to celebrate victory

in style, travelling down to London for the Kings Ski Club National Finals the following day. The Mixed 1sts performed strongly in defeating Bath 1sts consecutively, but were eventually felled by Bristol 1sts on their way to the title. Captain Max Hardy expressed his frustrations “not to have made it into the final four teams, as we know that we are good enough to be there”.

Thursday action round-up: A bad day for Cricket, but a good one for Frisbee

BY ROB ROMANS THE SECOND DAY of Roses was a mixture of triumph and despair as the Mens’ 1sts Cricket team narrowly lost, while the indoor Frisbee teams recorded two victories against Lancaster.

In an entertaining encounter in which the match was shortened to 24 overs, 82 runs were enough for a Lancaster victory.

York were winning quite com-

fortably, however, Lancaster who were on the wrong end of an 82-7 scoreline after their 24 overs, staged a comeback.

York lost their composure and lost several important wickets during their innings. Nick Vanner was the only York player to offer any effective resistance.

The defeat left a bitter taste in the mouths of the York players as they felt they were let down by bad umpiring and suffered the effects of poor decision

making. Lancaster secured the tightest of victories, and four valuable early points, by only one run.

Despite a cricket defeat for York, the mixed Ultimate Frisbee team battled to a 7 - 5 win and picked up two points.

Despite reducing the overall deficit, York still faced a struggle to get back on terms with Lancaster.

ROSES TIMELINE SUNDAY 27TH APRIL: lancaster take 16 points from 20 in the rowing, the first event of roses 2008. york lose in controversial circumstances and go into the main weekend with a 12 point deficit.

Lancaster 16 - 4 York

Photo by Xavier Nitsch

THURSDAY 1ST MAY:

FRIDAY 2ND MAY:

17:00

York win indoor mixed frisbee, but lost ultimate mixed frisbee. york triumph in men's 2nd and mixed badminton. the men's 1st cricket team lose.

yORK WIN BOTH BADMINTON MATCHES. THE WOMEN'S 1STS SQUASH AND 3rds RUGBY UNION 7S. HOWEVER, LANCASTER WIN ULTIMATE MIXED FRISBEE AND WOMEN'S 2ND'S 7S RUGBY UNION.

yORK PRODUCE A CREDITABLE STRING OF RESULTS AND PULL LEVEL. THE PREDICTED TIGHT CONTEST IS ON THE CARDS. YORK PRODUCE EXCELLENT RESULTS IN GOLF, RUGBY, SKIING AND EQUESTRIAN SPORTS.

Lancaster 20 - 6 York

Lancaster 25 - 17 York

Lancaster 36 - 36 York

24

YORK VISION

roses review

Tuesday May 6, 2008

Squash

Rugby

HUNTER PREYS ON LANCS

BY TOM SHELDRICK The referee awarded penalty after penalty to the home side, camped in York’s 22, before eventually sin-binning Ben Innes. With the army of away fans pointing at their watches, York’s formidable defensive line finally cracked, Nick Ledger going over in the left corner to tie the scores up.

Fully five minutes elapsed between the try and the conversion attempt, with home fly-half Kieran Doyle taunted by the York fans before narrowly missing the conversion that would have given the home side victory.

Second-row Mike Callis reflected “It was a nervy moment, fairly horrible standing under the posts. We gave it everything we had today.”

Club President Chris Carrington could not hide his disappointment at the late equaliser: “A little bit gutted with the result, but the performance from the squad as a whole was fantastic.”

A SCINTILLATING IF slightly controversial Men’s 1st XV Match completed a weekend of low-scoring, but hugely entertaining, rugby.

Lancaster snatched a dramatic equalising try with the last play of the game, and were denied victory by only a matter of inches as a missed conversion attempt left the score at 10-10.

Spurred on by the biggest crowd of the weekend so far, both teams played with phenomenal intensity, York in particular contrasting frantic play in the loose with controlled kicking by fly-half Rob Grant that pinned Lancaster back in the opening stages. The opening try came against the run of play, York wing Nick Mason at fault for losing the bouncing ball in his own 22, allowing Lancaster wing Colin Hudson to pounce and score a scrappy try.

After Grant kicked an easy penalty midway through the half to bring it back to 5-3, York enjoyed a period of concerted pressure on the Lancaster try-line. Despite the powerful running of York centre Danny Stacey and a succession of York scrums on the 5 metre line, the home side’s defence held firm, even holding the ball up over the line as they survived until half-time, York the better side but trailing.

As territorially dominant as York were in the first half, Lancaster were in the second, as the White Rose mounted a huge defensive effort. York still looked dangerous breaking from deep, and capitalised on handling errors from the home side with Mike James and Pete Nathan kicking through and touching down only to be denied by a controversial refereeing decision. Five minutes later and York did have their breakaway try, full-back James Wilson intercepting under his own posts and, roared on by the White Rose faithful, running the length of the pitch to score.

With Grant converting to take York 10-5 ahead with 20 minutes to play, the stage was set for a dramatic finale.

BY ANDY MCGRATH

YORK CONTINUED their dominance of Roses' squash with a comprehensive victory in both the Women's and Men's competitions.

Despite having won all but one game in last year’s event, the women’s squad were pushed considerably harder this year. The key clash was between the top seeds: in a gripping encounter, York’s maestro Jess Hunter came within four points of defeat before

Darts

BY TOM SHELDRICK

YORK FALL TO LOGAN'S LATE RUN

YORK MEN'S Darts team clawed back a 4-0 deficit to level things up at 4-4, before finally being defeated 5-4 in dramatic scenes at Pendle College Bar. York’s final player Simon Myers lost by two legs to zero to Lancaster fans’ favourite Stu Logan, the latter’s double 16 finish sparking wild celebration amongst a raucous crowd.

Supporter entertainment was high on the agenda, with a big screen displaying the board, a charismatic announcer and theatrical entrances from the home players in particular.

But York were far from pleased with the oppening encounters, trailing 4-0 after Lancaster demonstrated why they are University Darts Cup Cham-

Canoeing

BY NAOMI LEVER SATURDAY SAW York and Lancaster Canoe Clubs heading out to Garstang Weir for slalom action.

A closely contested men’s competition saw Lancaster victorious, despite Harry Jones and Tim Lamb seizing second and third places individually.

However, some strong performances on the women’s side pulled York level; Claire Greenwood’s clash with the second gate couldn’t prevent her notching up the fastest time on the clock. In the last event of the day results were again split evenly between the canoe polo teams. Lancaster may have looked the part in matching red and black rash vests, but they

proved no match for a spirited York women’s team. Sheer doggedness and some fearless shooting gave the White Rose a 3-1 victory thanks to goals from president Sarah Harrison and Rachael Spanton.

Once again, the men’s team were beaten into second place. Lancaster’s speed around the pool left York trailing 4-0 in their kayaks’ wakes at half time.

Nonetheless, in the second half, York stepped up the aggression and some stalwart defence meant that Lancaster were unable to add to their goal tally. Unfortunately York were unable to push up the pitch and get any shots on target, leaving the overall points at four apiece.

ROSES TIMELINE FRIDAY 2ND MAY CONT: 21:00 York finish friday in the lead by one point, a far from comfortable score line, but a desirable one. evening victories inclue two hockey triumphs for the 1st and 2nd mens team and two skiing triumphs.

FRIDAY SCORE: Lancaster 44 - 45 York

rallying, after a controversial umpiring decision, to overcome her opponent 3-2. Afterwards, a breathless Hunter explained: “Tiredness was a factor. The other girl was pretty good: last year I came and won 9-0 in all three games.”

Her triumph cemented a 4-0 whitewash for the women's team. Similarly, in the men’s competition, victories from Davenhill, Atkinson and Birkenhead made a York triumph safe before the top seeds were due to face off.

SATURDAY 3RD MAY: 12:00 A PRODUCTIVE MORNING FOR YORK SEES VICTORIES FOR THE MALE LACROSSE TEAM AND THE INDOOR MALE FOOTBALL 4TH TEAM. HOWEVER, LANCASTER WIN THE HOCKEY MIXED 3RD TEAM MATCH.

Lancaster 45 - 50 York

pions. Carl Graham’s treble 18, double 18 checkout from 90 was a particular highlight.

York managed to find some form of their own, Kirk Bevins winning two legs to zero with a 23 and a 16-dart leg to lead the resurgence. With Lancaster leading 4-3, Vanbrugh third year Jon Lambdon faced the home side’s AU President James Merenghi, and showed no signs of nerves with a pumped-up performance, scoring consistently in the 20s before levelling it up at 4-4 by hitting double 16 with his first dart.

Unfortunately York’s final player, Simon Myers, didn’t handle the pressure as well, leaving Lancaster to secure a famous victory.

HOSTS BULLY WHITE ROSE LADIES YORK'S WOMEN'S Darts team put in a gutsy performance before eventually succumbing 7-2 to their illustrious Lancastrian rivals on Friday evening.

York’s players consistently outscored their opponents, but failed to hit their doubles, captain Jenny Coyle reflecting “I was a bit disappointed because we were the better team, but it was a lack of practice on doubles that let us down.”

York’s first thrower, Carys Hyden, demonstrated this problem perfectly, scoring 96, 140 and managing to go bust on 125 in the deciding leg of a 2-1 defeat.

14:00

After Coyle’s co-captain Lisa De Meyer was also defeated, Alison Walker put in a dominant display to earn York their first point, but Lancaster pulled away with several more victories.

Coyle, unlucky to lose herself despite hugely vocal encouragement from the York fans, commented on the crowd’s disruption of players which marred Lancaster’s victory. “The same courtesy wasn’t shown to York players as we show to them. People were shouting stuff at you when you were throwing. But overall I’m proud of the team.”

16:00

York begin the afternoon on form. york tennis player lauren cockbill is on form in the tennis having won her first set 6-1. lancaster win hockey mixed 2nds and indoor football 1sts.

Lancaster 51.5 - 57.5 York

York gain a comfortable lead over lancaster, but with 24 hours left of roses, york still have a lot to do. the tennis and hockey teams maintain their excellent form and the snooker team secure victory.

Lancaster 57 - 72 York

YORK VISION

roses review

Tuesday May 6, 2008

Hockey

Rugby

HURST COMES FIRST

BY ANDY MCGRATH

ON A SUNNY Lancaster afternoon, the scene was set for a titanic see-saw battle between the two old enemies in the Men's Rugby 2nds.

Though backs Benbow, Lowe and Brown made some headway with their incisive running, the first half was a cautious affair, with both sides aware of the need to give nothing away. As both sides pressed forwards patiently, their efforts were rewarded with a couple of errors from the opposition and penalties.

However, at half time, it was 6-6, with nothing to separate the two sides after a tight forty minutes. The home side emerged the stronger from the break, pinning York back into their own half. After some errors, the dependable Lancastrian fly-half slotted in a penalty to give the home side the advantage. However, roared on by a boisterous York contingent, a breakthrough came around fifteen minutes from the end.

Some good link-up play on the left flank opened up some space for Seb Hurst, and he went over in the corner, shrugging off a weak last-gasp tackle. Despite just missing the tough conversion, Hurst’s effort had swung the pendulum back in York’s favour.

Almost from the restart, York were driven backwards towards their own try line.

Opting to run the ball rather than kick for touch, they were penalised for holding on and Lancaster had a penalty

to make it 12-11: their kicker made no mistake, dispatching it through the middle of the posts much to the chagrin of the gathered away support.

For a while, it looked as if York’s brave warriors would leave this particular battlefield without the spoils. However, the final crucial error was to befall Lancaster, who provided Seb Hurst with the easiest of penalties in front of the posts.

The muscular wing made no mistake, slotting it over to make it 14-12. After a scare, York stopped resting on their laurels and pushed their opponents back into their own half, almost crossing the tryline again.

Still, the relief was clear to see upon the final whistle: after an epic, calculated clash, York just had the edge. After the match, man-of-the-moment Hurst said: “I thought it was grafted really well, though I didn’t particularly have a great game. It’s all about the big W, about getting the win, and that’s exactly what we did.

We haven’t been used to actually grinding out a win this season, but we did today. It means a hell of a lot to us - it's all about putting one over the rivals.”

RUGBY GIRLS SECURE COOP

BY TOM JACKSON YORK WOMEN won a less than enthralling rugby match 10-0 with a decent second-half display in an otherwise turgid game.

Emma Cooper was the hero with a late try that won a game that only came to life towards the end, as York extended their narrow lead to clinch victory.

Other notable performances came from number eight Isolyne Asare and kicker Emma Hodgson, who added a penalty and a conversion to York's tally.

Having started on the backfoot, York eventually took control of the game and rarely looked threatened once in front. Both sides played well but lacked penetration, but York made their strength pay and were understandably delighted with their narrow win.

York line-up: 1 Stone, 2 Hornby, 3 Tominey, 4 Horan, 5 Redshaw, 6 Carr, 7 Carrington, 8 Tate, 9 Dudley, 10 Benbow, 11 Hurst, 12 Lowe, 13 Brown, 14 Thorne, 15 Andrade.

The Women's 1st team fought valiantly against their higher-ranked opponents, ultimately being defeated 4531. Afterwards, the disappointed York goalkeeper Tess Olsen commented: “We played well, they were better than us: there’s nothing we can do about that.”

In an edition of Roses replete with tight encounters, the Women's 2nds clash went down to the wire.

Playing a Lancaster team that they had beaten in the NUL league, the match swung both ways before Lancaster edged ahead in the final

quarter to triumph 43-37. Wing-attack and team captain Katie Smith was nonetheless happy, commenting in the aftermath: “Everyone played awesome, it doesn't feel like we lost. It was so close; we beat them in the NUL, but they were even more determined today.”

With an accepting smile, Smith said: “It’s Roses: anything can happen.”

Netball 1st Team: GS Sarah Fisher GA Sarah Pycroft WA Clare Shaw C Amy Smith (c) WD Hannah Martin/ Katie Brunskill GD Katie Cowper Johnson GK Tess Olsen

York triumph in both fencing MATCHES AND ALSO WIN THE SAILING. BALLROOM DANCING PRODUCES MIXED RESULTS FOR YORK AS TWO MATCHES ARE WON, ONE DRAWN AND ONE LOST. THE RUGBY UNION MEN'S 1ST'S MATCH ENDS ALL SQUARE.

Lancaster 69 - 95 York

BY TOM SHELDRICK

YORK'S HOCKEY Mixed 1sts brushed aside their Lancastrian opponents with a 5-2 victory.

The away side started strongly, with Roses veteran Richard Adelman scoring after less than two minutes. Adelman, playing in an advanced sweeper position due to York’s early dominance, showed excellent stick-skills before finishing with aplomb.

Ali Morgan added a second, with Adelman scoring his second and York’s third before half-time. The game could have been wrapped up before half time, with York hitting the post and having an effort from Jo Carter, AU President, scrambled off the line.

But Lancaster pegged the visitors back to 3-2 at half-time, despite excellent goalkeeping from Will Gibaud.

York accelerated away in the second 35, Jamie Unsworth scoring from one of numerous penalty corner opportunities, before Ed Watson scored York’s final goal in somewhat controversial circumstances.

The forward’s initial shot struck a defender on the knee, but he retrieved the ball and finished powerfully. Lancaster’s number 15 was sent to the sinbin for dissent after protesting to the referee that play was not stopped, as his teammate was in obvious pain.

York’s Josh Beale, in imperious form at centre back, said “we played some flowing hockey, using our girls well unlike them. We made so many chances we had to put some goals away.”

Tennis

YORK SERVE UP AN ACE

BY TOM SHELDRICK

YORK WOMEN'S Tennis team secured another four points for the White Rose with a demolition of their Lancaster rivals, scoring 11 points to the home side’s 4.

York achieved a clean sweep in the doubles, Vicky Walvis and Maxine Cahal’s 8-0 victory a highlight.

Captain Lauren Cockbill led the way in the double-weighted singles ties, thrashing the Lancaster first seed 6-0 6-1 with a succession of unreturned groundstrokes. Although Charlotte Brown and Charlotte Gregory, the

latter suffering from sunstroke, were convincingly beaten in their matches, York managed three further singles victories to leave their captain happy.

Cockbill said “I was very pleased to have won, especially being away. It was nice to get our revenge after we lost heavily last year.”

YORK MEN'S Tennis 2nds completed a whitewash on Saturday afternoon, only dropping one set on the way to a 15-0 victory.

Comfortable victories in the early doubles matches, in a first to eight game extended set format, built confidence going into the singles ties.

First seed Jamie Nutter past his test in a game full of long entertaining rallies to come through 6-3 6-4, whilst fourth seed Craig Macklin swept to victory with only one game conceded.

Tristan Buckley played similarly

in winning his first set emphatically, before dropping his levels slightly in the second. However, his controlled and elegant forehand was too much for his Lancastrian opponent, as he sealed a 6-0 6-4 win.

Captain Richard Pinching was the only player put under real pressure, dropping the first set but coming through 6-2 in the third with his serve-volley game paying dividends.

YORK AND LANCASTER shared the spoils after a very hard-fought round of Mixed Tennis matches.

Captain Cameron Downey and his partner Charlotte Taylor ensured York didn’t leave empty-handed by winning the final game to level things up, finishing at three matches apiece.

The third-seeded pairing lost the first set 6-0, but fought back strongly to win the second 6-3 and take it into a third, producing their best tennis to clinch it 7-5 in the decider.

Taylor said: “At 5-5, in was pretty

nerve-wracking, especially with everyone at the side of the court. But we didn’t actually know how everyone had done, so we didn’t realise the importance of it.”

Earlier, York’s first seeds David Leff-Hallstein and Caroline Brown had gone down 6-1 6-2 at the hands of strong Lancaster opposition.

DOWNEY BUT NOT OUTY

ROSES TIMELINE21:00

SATURDAY 3RD MAY CONT: 18:00

YORK STICK IT TO 'EM

WHITE ROSE WHITEWASH

Netball

BY ANDY MCGRATH

25

A PRODUCTIVE EVENING FOR FENCING TEAM AS THEY SECURE TWO VICTORIES. HOWEVER, LANCASTER PICK UP POINTS and continue to chip away at york's lead.

SATURDAY SCORE: LANCASTER 83 - 105 YORK

SUNDAY 4TH MAY:

12:00

The final day of roses YORK GO INTO THE FINAL DAY OF ROSES WITH A RELATIVELY COMFORTABLE LEAD. WILL IT LAST?

14.5 points needed to win roses for york. York win the mixed volleyball, however, lose Hockey Women's 2nds.

Lancaster 83 - 105 York

Lancaster 85 - 109 York

26

YORK VISION

roses review

Tuesday May 6, 2008

PLAYER LANCASTER TAKE ADVANTAGE RATINGS AS EMMERSON SEES RED

FOOTBALL YORK 1 5 7 6 6 7 6

Andrew Emmerson Jonny MacWilliams Shaun Evans Andrew Rixon Andy Ramsden Matt Witherwick Ed Murrills Henry Smith Mark Gouland Dominic O'Shea (c)

Alex Cooper Subs: George Taylor for Murrills (38)

> After lethargic start, York dominate first half > Goalie's red card turns the tide in Lancaster's favour

7 7 7 6 6 6

LANCS 4 8 7 6 6

7 6

Daniel Zimmerman Rio Pilcher Dan O'Driscoll Tom Minshall James Hopkins (c) Grant Workman Ben Smith Lewis Rowland Chris Ashton Adam France Phil Collinson

6 7

BY ANDY MCGRATH In one of the most hotly-anticipated clashes of this year’s Roses, Lancaster came out on top with a 4-1 victory over York. However, the scoreline thinly disguised the away team’s first-half supremacy, as a sending-off completely altered the tide of the game, putting York fatally on the back foot for the whole second half. Despite a lethargic start which saw them fall a goal behind inside the opening ten minutes, the away team quickly roared back into life, playing the kind of football which justifies their status as champions of their BUSA conference: Mark Gouland hit the bar with a delicately-weighted lob, while Ed Murrills tucked the ball away one-on-one, only to be given offside.

Justice was done midway through the half from the penalty spot. After O’Shea was felled from behind by a clumsy challenge, Gouland held his nerve to slot the ball into the right corner and past the goalkeeper’s despairing dive for a deserved equaliser.

9

7 6 7 Gouland (not pictured) makes it 1-1

advantage to good effect, tiring the York midfield's Lancaster goalkeeper Zimmerman was the busiest legs and piling forward to kill off the game. Though man on the pitch for the first thirty minutes, keepYork’s defensive trio soaked up the pressure admiraing the visitors at bay with a string of good saves.

However, York's promising momentum was joltingly bly, the “men in white” fell behind again on the hour. ended ten minutes from half-time. Lancaster put their Lancaster midfielder Grant Workman fired the ball striker Adam France clear through the middle and low through the wall, and the ball ricocheted left off York goalkeeper Andrew Emmerson came rushing a York leg and skittered into the net, leaving Taylor out off the box to beat him. However, France got to with no chance. Hard-working midfielder Matt Withthe ball first and poked the ball left. There was contact erwick later admitted that they realised “it wasn’t between the two and the Lancastrian striker went our day” after that slice of luck. York bravely threw down. The referee had little hesitation in giving a caution to the wind and took more risks in the closing straight red card to Emmerson, much to the horror twenty minutes in search of a response; they were of both the player and the away support. The offender consequently punished by two more late Lancaster was refreshingly stoic about the incident afterwards: goals. It was of little consequence when a Lancaster “I gave him [the referee] the decision to make, by player was dismissed for removing his shirt to celebrate the home side's fourth and final goal: the battle coming out of my box. With two defenders around may have been lost, but, by this point, the war had me though, was it a yellow card? I tried to pull out of been won for the White Rose of York. it, but there was contact.” Confirming the opinion of many of the spectators – a LUFC substitute even labelled it “a blatant dive” – Emmerson noted the forward’s hesitation before going down: “He stumbled, kept his foot on it, saw our two defenders and went O'Shea (c) down.” In this nightmare scenario, George Taylor, Gouland who had played in goal Cooper for the men’s 2nd XI just (3-5-2) a few hours before, found Ramsden Murrills himself called upon.

Though the 1-1 scoreline Smith Evans Witherwick was maintained into Rixon the break, the shift in impetus was strikingly Emmerson McWilliams clear in the second half: the rejuvenated Lancaster side used their numerical

VOLLEYBALL MIXED HOCKEY WOMEN 1STS

BY ANDY MCGRATH

York’s mixed volleyball team secured a key Sunday morning result in overcoming their Lancastrian counterparts 3-0 - they were to be one of the university’s only victorious teams on a tricky final day. Playing with more pace from the outset, York took the first set, stemming a potential Lancastrian comeback at 16-14 after some good play from the likes of Bianco and Stone-Villani. The team continued to look assured in the next one, jumping into an early lead and continuing their strong play to go two up. However, the extra-motivated Lancastrian outfit, knowing what was at stake, came roaring out of the blocks

into a 6-1 lead. Nonetheless, York worked patiently to turn it around, breaking the Lancaster resistance late on to win the match with a 25-23 result in the final set, as their opposition

was a bit dodgy in the third set, but it was a very good comeback.

We’ve always had the principle of enjoying it. That's why we have those little chants: if you "bring the noise", they can't win it.” The BUSA volleyball team, with its upbeat songs, dances and positive team spirit, is a hidden gem in York's sparkling sporting treasure trove: the men's squad finished in the top eight in the country last year.

capitulated under their patient, incisive play.

After the match, a smiling Matt Bianco praised the team after a strong all-round showing: “I’m very pleased with the team’s performance; everyone played well. It

York Mixed Volleyball Team: Bianco, Butcher, Stone-Villani, Kockhevich, Heah, Lawton, Breitschuh, de Larl, Kuek, Chapman York 3-0 Lancaster 25-17, 25-20, 25-23

ROSES TIMELINE

BY ANDY MCGRATH

In a cagey, uncompromising encounter, York's women hockey 1st XI were unlucky not to emerge with a couple of points for their efforts. Punching above their wait against a higher-ranked Lancaster side, they were slow to start, but the defensive partnership of Hampshire and Unsworth resisted the initial pressure well, helped by a couple of important stops from goalkeeper Cassie Baker.

After finding their form, the team, which has enjoyed a fine season culminating in BUSA promotion, looked menacing coming forward, with the likes of instrumental captain Andrea Pisesky and AU president Jo Carter combining well to pose a real threat. However, the stalemate was broken just before half-time at the other end, as Lancaster levered open some space before putting it in

from close range.

As the clock ticked down, York came closer to equalising, as efforts from Pisesky and Marieke Hampshire both whizzed just past the posts.

Good running from tireless A.U. "action woman" Jo Carter resulted in a late penalty corner, but the Lancastrian defence continued to stand firm.

However, with the mounting pressure, one sensed that the solid opposition defence was bound to crack. The breakthrough came twenty minutes from the final whistle. The ball was worked to Pisesky, who fired it across the box to the waiting Hampshire – the Vanbrugh second-year struck it in the back of the net to make it 1-1.

Scrapping to stay in the contest, Lancaster rallied admirably, forcing the York team back into resolute defence.

The weight of their late pressure paid dividends, as one of their attackers fired a fine shot into the back of the net to give the home side a precious 2-1 triumph. Tenacious defender Jaimie Unsworth conceded: “There was nothing anyone could do about it.”

On the women’s games, she was happy: “Both girls' teams played outstanding, we were unlucky to not convert it. We played some of our best ever hockey – they’re a couple of BUSA leagues above us, though we will be on a par with them next year [after promotion].” She went on to emphasise how it was “a team effort: Boltz’s goal won Roses after all. Hockey won Roses for Jo Carter - that's pretty poetic."

14:00

15:00

16:30

York Win Hockey Men's 2nds, however, lancaster are edging closer at halftime 25-24 in the basketball. the home side are Putting on the pressure and are staging a late comeback. WILL YORK'S HARD WORK GO TO WASTE?

Lancaster Win Football Men's 2nds 2-0 and york win Women's basketball 43-32. lancaster are winning the women's football and hockey. to quote sir alex ferguson, it's "squeaky bum time" for york.

LANCASTER WIN THE WOMEN'S FOOTBALL AND YORK ARE LOSING THE TABLE TENNIS. THE HOME SIDE PUT TOGETHER A STRING OF STRONG RESULTS AND ARE CLAWING AT YORK'S DWINDLING LEAD.

DE BOLTZ CHUCKS A SPANNER IN THE WORKS FOR LANCASTER: the YORK 1st team HOCKEY PLAYER IS THE HERO OF THE weekend AS HIS LATE, LATE EQUALISER SECURES a dramatic ROSES VICTORy.

Lancaster 85 - 111 York

Lancaster 87 - 115 York

SUNDAY 4TH MAY CONT: 13:00

Lancaster 95 - 115 York

FINAL SCORE: Lancaster 122 - 124 York

YORK VISION

roses review

Tuesday May 6, 2008

ROSES '08: Results service Sunday 27th April: Rowing: POINTS TOTAL: L 16 - 4 Y Men’s Novice 4 (L), Women’s Novice 4 (L), Men’s Senior 4 (W), Women’s Senior 4 (W), Men’s Senior 8 (W), Women’s Senior 8 (L).

Thursday 1st May Indoor Frisbee: Mixed: L 5 - 7 Y (2 POINTS TO YORK) Cricket: L 1st XI (82/7) beat Y 1st XI (81/9) by one run.

(4 POINTS TO LANCASTER).

Friday 2nd May Badminton: Men’s 2nd - Y win (2 POINTS TO YORK) Mixed - Y win (4 POINTS TO YORK) Equestrian: 1st Team: L 4 - 28 Y (4 POINTS TO LANCASTER) 2nd Team: L 54 - 37 Y (2 POINTS TO YORK) Golf: L 1 - 2 Y (4 POINTS TO YORK) Cricket: Men's 2nds: L 87 - 69 Y (2 POINTS TO LANCASTER) Ultimate Frisbee: Mixed: L 14- 5 Y (4 POINTS TO LANCASTER) Squash: Men’s 1st: L 1 -4 York (4 POINTS TO YORK) Women’s 1st: L 0 - 4 Y (4 POINTS TO YORK) Tennis: Men’s 2nd: L 0 - 15 Y (2 POINTS TO YORK) Mixed: L 3 - 3 Y (2 POINTS EACH) Women’s 1st: L 4 - 11 Y (4 POINTS TO YORK) Rugby Union 7s: Men’s 1st: L 22 - 10 Y (2 POINTS TO LANCASTER) Men’s 2nd: L 12 - 31 Y (1 POINT TO YORK) Men’s 3rd: L 17 - 24 Y (1 POINT TO YORK) Women’s 1st: L 5 - 19 Y (2 POINTS TO YORK) Women’s 2nd: L 32 - 0 Y (1 POINT TO LANCASTER) Skiing: Mixed 1st: L 0 - 4 Y (4 POINTS TO YORK) Mixed 2nd: L 2 - 3 Y (2 POINTS TO YORK) Indoor Hockey: Men’s 1st: L 2 - 3 Y (2 POINTS TO YORK) Men’s 2nd: L 3 - 4 Y (1 POINT TO YORK) Women’s 1st: L 12 - 0 Y (2 POINTS TO LANCASTER) Women’s 2nd: L 2 - 1 Y (1 POINT TO LANCASTER) Karate: Mixed: L 2 - 2 Y (2 POINTS EACH) Swimming: Men: L 24 - 38 Y (2 POINTS TO YORK) Women: L 41 - 23 Y (2 POINTS TO LANCASTER) Darts: Men: L 5 - 4 Y (2 POINTS TO LANCASTER) Women: L 7 - 2 Y (2 POINTS TO LANCASTER)

Saturday 3rd May Lacrosse: Men: L 2 - 16 Y (4 POINTS TO YORK) Tennis: Men’s 2nd: L 0 - 15 Y (2 POINTS TO YORK) Mixed: L 3 - 3 Y (2 POINTS EACH) Women’s 1st: L 4 - 5 Y (4 POINTS TO YORK) Hockey: Men’s 3rd: L 5 - 0 Y (1 POINT TO LANCASTER) Mixed 1st: L 2 - 5 Y (2 POINTS TO YORK) Mixed 2nd: L 2 - 0 Y (1 POINT TO LANCASTER) Mixed 3rd: L 5 - 4 Y (1 POINT TO LANCASTER) Volleyball: Women: L 3 - 0 Y (4 POINTS TO LANCASTER)

GET CARTER: A pictoral diary of Jo Carter on the final day of Roses

Indoor Football: Men’s 1st: L 0 - 1 Y (2 POINTS TO YORK) Men’s 2nd: L 0 - 4 Y (1 POINT TO YORK) Men’s 3rd: L 3 - 3 Y (HALF A POINT EACH) Men’s 4th: L 3 - 4 Y (1 POINT TO YORK) Women’s 1st: L 4 - 1 Y (2 POINTS TO LANCASTER) Women’s 2nd: L 4 - 0 Y (1 POINT TO LANCASTER) Snooker: Mixed: L 2 - 3 Y (4 POINTS TO YORK) Ballroom Dancing: Mixed: Y win (1.5 POINTS TO LANC; 2.5 TO YORK) Badminton: Women’s 1sts: L Win (4 POINTS TO LANCASTER) Men’s 1sts: L 3 - 6 Y (4 POINTS TO YORK) Rugby Union: Men’s 1st: L 10 - 10 Y (2 POINTS EACH) Men’s 2nd: L 12 - 14 Y (2 POINTS TO YORK) Women’s: L 0 - 10 Y (4 POINTS TO YORK) Canoe: Polo Open: L 4 - 0 Y (2 POINTS TO LANCASTER) Slalom Men’s: L win (2 POINTS TO LANCASTER Slalom Women’s: Y win (2 POINTS TO YORK) Trampolining: Mixed: L 145.8 - 142.1 Y (4 POINTS TO LANCASTER) Netball: 1st Team: L 45 - 31 Y (4 POINTS TO LANCASTER) 2nd Team: L 43 - 37 Y (2 POINTS TO LANCASTER) 3rd Team: L 19 - 27 Y (1 POINT TO YORK) Fencing: Men: L 96 - 135 Y (4 POINTS TO YORK) Men’s 2nd: L 88 - 134 Y (2 POINTS TO YORK) Women: L 121 - 125 Y (4 POINTS TO YORK) Football: Men’s 3rd: L 3 - 0 Y (1 POINT TO LANCASTER) Sailing: Mixed 1st: Y win (4 POINTS TO YORK) Mixed 2nd: Y win (2 POINTS TO YORK) Waterpolo: Men’s: L 13 - 9 Y (2 POINTS TO LANCASTER) Women’s: L 11 - 1 Y (2 POINTS TO LANCASTER) Pool: Women's: L 5 - 4 Y (2 POINTS TO LANCASTER) Men's: L 6 - 3 Y (2 POINTS TO LANCASTER)

Sunday 4th May Archery: Novice Female: L 362 - 571 Y (1 POINT TO YORK) Novice Male: L 637 - 512 Y (1 POINT TO LANCASTER) Novice Team Mixed: L 1541 - 1346 Y (2 POINTS TO LANCASTER) Senior Female: L 661 - 571 Y (1 POINT TO LANCASTER) Senior Male: L 799 - 723 Y (1 POINT TO LANCASTER) Senior Team Mixed: L 2842 - 2647 Y (4 POINTS TO LANCASTER) Hockey: Men’s 2nd: L 4 - 7 Y (2 POINTS TO YORK) Women’s 2nd: L 4 - 1 Y (2 POINTS TO LANCASTER) Women’s 1st: L 2 - 1 Y (4 POINTS TO LANCASTER) Men’s 1st: L 3 - 3 Y (2 POINTS EACH) Volleyball: Mixed: L 0 - 3 Y (4 POINTS TO YORK) Women: L 3 - 0 Y (4 POINTS TO LANCASTER) Table Tennis: Mixed 1sts (Open): L 9 - 7 Y (4 POINTS TO LANCASTER) Mixed 2nds (Open): L 7 - 9 Y (2 POINTS TO YORK) Basketball: Men's: L 61 - 45 Y (4 POINTS TO LANCASTER) Women's: L 32 - 43 Y (4 POINTS TO YORK) Football: Men’s 2nds: L 2 - 0 Y (2 POINTS TO LANCASTER) Women’s: L 3 - 1 Y (4 POINTS TO LANCASTER) Men’s 1sts: L 4 - 1 Y (4 POINTS TO LANCASTER) Lacrosse: Mixed: L 6 - 7 Y (4 POINTS TO YORK)

FLICKED TO VICTORY FROM BACK PAGE

BY ROBERT ROMANS York's comeback began on Thursday when the Indoor Frisbee team clawed back two points. However, the comeback really gathered momentum on Friday.

The visitors went into Friday with a fourteen point deficit, but an encouraging run of the results during the day saw York lead Lancaster by a point with a scoreline of 45-44.

It began with Badminton, where York won both matches, claiming six points in the process. The Equestrian 1st team lost, but the 2nd team responded with a win.

However, defeats followed in the Men's 2nd Cricket match, Darts and Ultimate Frisbee, and the honours were even in the Karate.

Despite producing this string of unconvincing early results, York went on to dominate the Squash, Rugby Union 7s, Skiiing and Indoor Hockey.

York's rich vein of form continued on Saturday as they dominated several sports; by the end of the evening, York had sailed into a healthy eighteen-point lead. However, a spirited Lancaster were far from beaten and the hosts produced an early evening comeback to tighten the gap; an impressive feat, considering that at one point Lancaster were trailing twenty-six points behind York.

The White Rose excelled in Fencing, Rugby, Men's Indoor Football and Ballroom Dancing. However, triumph for the Men's 1st football team was marred as York player Tom Wilson was hospitalised

2.

1.

"Going well, but let's not count our chickens..."

27

after a dangerous last-minute foul.

York also produced dominant performances in the Netball, Sailing and Waterpolo. York tennis player Lauren Cockbill was in lethal form for York as the visiting team claimed all eight available points.

Despite heading into Sunday with a comfortable points cushion, Lancaster still posed a threat to York.

The holders won the mixed Volleyball, the first event of the day, however, a flurry of Lancaster wins saw them draw ever closer. The hosts will rue the fact that, given a few more events, they might have been able to use their momentum to overturn what was eventually the finest of margins. With the Football Men's 1st team 2-1 down and reduced to ten men, and the men's 1st Hockey team losing 3-2, it looked distinctly possible that Lancaster could snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. However, Richard De Boltz's last minute equaliser in the hockey claimed a draw for York, and with it, the two points needed to take the Carter-James Trophy home. Considering that the remaining events all ended in Lancaster wins, the close draw snatched victory for the White Rose.

Jo Carter was understandably jubilant: "I'm pretty emotional, but so proud of everybody and just so, so happy! We've come here and shown Lancaster how good we are." Lancaster's AU President James Marenghi also congratulated York on their victory.

3.

"I can't believe it, we're almost there!"

"We won Roses! In Lancaster!

I'm the new Tom Moore!"

Issue 188

ROSESVISION

BOLTZ FROM THE BLUE > LATE HOCKEY EQUALISER SECURES ROSES DOUBLE > AU PRESIDENT CARTER OVERSEES YORK'S SECOND AWAY VICTORY IN 6 YEARS

YORK: LANCS:

BY ROB ROMANS THE UNIVERSITY of York have won Roses for the second year running. Following on from last year's home triumph, AU President Jo Carter (who also competed, right) steered the White Rose to away victory over rivals Lancaster.

A last-gasp hockey equaliser by Richard De Boltz saw York win by the tightest of margins: the final score was 124 - 122. University of York Chancellor Greg Dyke commented: “It is amazing to win by two points. I was in the middle of playing croquet when the news came in - the Athletic Union president was leaping up and down!

[This morning] Victory was a foregone

124 122

conclusion; York did well to hang on.”

Roses began on April 27th, but the cautious pre-tournament optimism that the visitors could claim only their fourth away victory in the 44-year history of the competition was soon in tatters as York failed to get off to a good start.

York found themselves on the wrong side of a 16-4 scoreline last Sunday after losing five of the opening six rowing matches.

But despite defeat in a tight cricket match on Thursday, York rallied superbly. The comeback peaked on Saturday and, having seen off a strong Lancaster revival on Saturday evening and Sunday morning, York held on to claim an emotional and historic victory.

ROSES REVIEW Pages 23 - 27

YOUR COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO BRITAIN'S #1 INTER-UNI CHAMPIONSHIP

Photo by Tom Sheldrick

Tuesday May 6 2008