York Vision 202 by York Vision

NOMINATED: GUARDIAN STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE YEAR 2009

TUESDAY November 24th, 2009

ISSUE 202

vision@yusu.org

scratch perverts

guide to

student housing

- sport -

INTERVIEW

- features -

- SCENE -

WWW.YORKVISION.CO.UK

Darts legend

BObby George

Up to 5 sex dens in our midst Students shell out £120 an hour

L E H T O R B E M SHA

YUSU slams York's secret sex trade EXCLUSIVE STORY P4

PLUS: FULL STORY ON CAMPUS' MYSTERY TRAMP REVEALED

2NEWS

YORK VISION Tuesday November 24th, 2009

QUOTE OF THE WEEK "I don't know anything about it! Don't talk to me about this, talk to Jane Grenville, I'm too busy." - Nice to know old Cantor cares about Porters too.

GOOD WEEK bad week GOOD WEEK derwent You can breathe a sigh of relief the tramp has left the building.

BY PADDY HARTE A MAJOR GRANT has been awarded to the University by the European Union. The ‘European Regional Development Fund’ is investing a whopping £19.7 million in to York. The money will be largely spent on the Ron Cook ‘hub’ building in Heslington East. The 4,000 square new build will be the focal point of the Heslington East campus,

providing much needed social and departmental space. The building will not just be for students and staff but will also serve as a home to several start-up businesses. Vice Chancellor Brian Cantor said: “This substantial investment is a tremendous vote of confidence in the University's ability to build new and exciting partnerships, between our world-class research base and businesses, for the good of the economy.”

Photo: http://economists.ning.com/

YOUR WEEK

BRUSSELS SPROUTS MONEY TREE Cantor seems to be on a roll, with another £2 million investment in the University’s Green Chemistry Centre. This money will be spent on major laboratory research that focuses on bio-fuels. However, one disgruntled third-year Eleanor Webster Physics student told Vision: “It’s all very good this grant, but with all that cash lying about, why can’t we have 24 hour portering!”

BAD WEEK

hes east residents

STUDENTS FACE STUDY SPACE UNCERTAINTY

The 'beast' could gobble you up any day now!

the number cruncher 12

People needed to create a life-size '10:10' for action on climate change. Bags included.

120

Minutes Nouse were shut down for

10 MILLION

Pounds the Uni is pumping into the library revamp. But most of us won't see the results!

Join the debate online!

LIBRARY DISRUP-SHHH-ION BY NICOLA CHAPMAN OVERCROWDING and inadequate studying facilities are threatened when library refurbishments go ahead. Plans propose that the entire second floor will be taped off whilst renovation work is carried out. This has caused outrage throughout campus as study space is already an issue for many. Mary Wheldon, a second-year Chemistry student, said: “If you

go to the library on any afternoon at about 4pm it is always rammed. How on earth will they accommodate everyone? Especially as the amount of students at York is increasing!” The JB Morrell Library is undergoing a reported £10 million renovation in a bid to rid it of asbestos and equip it fully to accommodate the ever-growing York student body. But most students will not get to benefit from the disruptions

which will not be finished until January 2012. Academic Affairs Officer Charlie Leyland said: “It is a concern. But the amount of students at York is rising, and our facilities must match this. The team behind the renovation, Bob Sheldon and Liz Waller, continue to be very student focused.” “There will be disruption. But we want to work with the library and colleges to improve study space and its facilities,”

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Tuesday November 24th, 2009

Your constant source for everything York:

Editors: Jim Norton Martin Williams

Deputy News: Milana Knezevic Paddy Harte

Deputy Features: Jack Knight Charlotte Forbes

www.yorkvision.co.uk

Deputy Editors: Emily Fairbairn Andy Nichols

Comment Editors: Samantha Cowley Chris Burgess

Lifestyle Editors: Rachel Knox Kate O'Loughlin

Scene Editor: Jenny McClarney

Deputy Comment: Daniel Goddard Megan Graham

Deputy Lifestyle: Maddy Potts Katy Roberts

Deputy Sports Stephen Holgrath

Features Editors: Kelly Holt Will Wainewright

Style Editors: Merryn Hockaday

Photo Editors: Matt Bunting Marcus Roby

she added. The library hopes to ‘cash-in’ on the asbestos removal, with the refurbishment creating both independent study areas and places for larger groups to work. Plans also include provision for student parents who need to use the library, such as a crèche, which Leyland hopes could be run by student volunteering.

News Editors: Nicola Chapman Tom McDermott

Sarah Woods Deputy Style: Emma Blake Zoe Pinder Sports Editor: Joe McDermott Mike Regan

Graphics Editor: Dan Birchinall Managing Editors: Rachel Knox Scene editorial listed in pullout

Opinions expressed in York 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, 2009. Printed by Yorkshire Web

NEWS

YORK VISION

Tuesday November 24th, 2009

IDENTITY OF NOTORIOUS DERWENT TRAMP FINALLY REVEALED

POLE THE OTHER ONE! Photo: Dan Birchinall. NB figure is model.

as Tramp wof : O N O HOBO Nlking the halls seen wat Derwen

FALSE IDENTITY Yet Micha's deception did not stop there: evidence suggests he was even posed as a York student. A Halifax college foreign exchange student revealed how he met Micha in fresher’s week: “He used my card to apply for several football teams.” These very football teams were what led to Micha's true identity finally being revealed. After been selected for Halifax seconds, the captain was told Micha was ineligible, as he had already played for Wentworth. An email was sent to Micha questioning his ID, but after this he stopped turning up to

THE BEAST FROM THE EAST

Photo: Marcus Roby

BY ANDREW NICHOLS POLISH IMMIGRANT Mickal Grabarczyk, also known as the 'Micha' and 'Polish Mike', caused shock across campus when it was discovered he was sleeping rough in accomodation blocks. But Grabarczyk, who goes by the name 'Micha', hides an even shadier secret. Vision can exclusively reveal that he is currently on police bail for assaulting a police officer and drunk and disorderly behaviour. A condition of Micha's bail is that he does not enter University property. However in the past he has frequently been removed from campus after he was caught trespassing in Derwent blocks and stealing food from student kitchens.

training sessions.

STUDENT HELPERS Despite posing as a Halifax College fresher, Micha was actually staying in a variety of locations, often taking advantage of offers of shelter from students.. One third year linguistics student who met and befriended Micha invited him to stay at his house: “The reason I asked him to stay was that there was no place else he could stay and no one else to call upon. At no point did he mean any harm to anyone. There was a slight

language barrier but I took the time and effort to talk to him”. But his presence caused tension in the house. A fellow housemate explained: “It is probably just prejudice, but I didn't get a good feeling off him.”

POLICE RAID But their relationship with Micha deteriorated after a terrifying early morning raid on their student home. It seems Micha had been caught on campus again, and porters called the police. A housemate said: "After

a dawn search of the room Micha had been staying in, police allegedly found a wallet with a University ID and a driving license in that belonged to a real York student. implicated Micha in both theft and identity theft." Micha is no longer staying with the students and there are conflicting reports of his current whereabouts. Although he has allegedly been sighted at the library, some claim that the notorious 'Derwent Tramp' has left York because “he felt York wasn't very pleasant to him."

BY TOM MCDERMOTT RUMOURS OF a “beast” lurking around Heslington East have surfaced. A large cat-like creature has reportedly been sighted along the path to the new Goodricke accommodation and in the surrounding Heslington area. Despite only a few eye-witness accounts of the beast, several students have their own theories about what is prowling in the dark spots of Hes East. Goodricke chair Dan Walker commented: “I think it’s quite possibly a tiger; however there’s also a chance it could just be a big fox.” One student told Vision that she also believed “it may just be a fox or, at the most, a wolf,” but another seemed to think that it was “an amazingly clever practical joke.” Whilst some are dismissive of the beast’s existence, the reports are being taken very seriously by the University and the Union. The subject was even brought up as a welfare concern at a recent Union Council meeting. Advice on how to stay safe has been offered to Goodricke students and anyone travelling between the campuses. Dan Walker told Vision: “We do urge students to take care while travelling home after dark and to use the No 6 bus when possible."

DEMONSTRATING STUDENTS KEEN FOR GREEN MOTION

Photo: YUSU

LOW EMISSIONS MISSION BY NICOLA CHAPMAN YORK ACTIVISTS threw some shapes last week to publicise the ’10:10’ campaign. The group of environmental campaigners gathered at Vanbrugh Paradise and lay in the shape of “10:10” to publicise the appeal, which they hope will be adopted as YUSU policy once

it has been voted on. YUSU Environment and Ethics Officer David Clarke said: “What is really great about this campaign is that it recognises our responsibility as individuals and members of YUSU to reduce our own contribution to the threat of climate change, whilst also recognising the need

for national and international action.” The campaign is a national scheme which aims to encourage students to lower their carbon emissions by 10% in 2010, with this will in turn lower emissions throughout the UK by 10%. YUSU President Tim Ngwena commented: “We are current-

ly trying to assess our carbon footprint and this motion will span two fiscal/academic years which means there will be two sabbatical teams who will see this through. It is an important issue.” However YUSU do not have the same level of control over its facilities as some other unions

have, so fulfilling the pledge will be challenging. A ‘10:10’ demonstration in London takes place on December 5. Coach tickets are on sale and students are advised to get in touch with the Environment and Ethics team at environment@ yusu.org for more information.

4NEWS

Beef with a Thief CARDIFF STUDENT Ross Burns took matters into his own hands after he discovered that he had been robbed. Ross bravely decided to chase the burglar down. Gair Rhydd reported that the enraged victim ‘burst from the shadows yelling, “Give me my f***ing laptop back.”’ In what is assumed to be an epic battle across the city, the two exchanged several blows before the perpetrator finally gave in and the bedraggled Ross dragged him to ‘Mamas’ Kebabs’ on Salisbury Road to seek aid.

Society Strips LEEDS RAG has launched their annual naked calendar this week, featuring representatives from various Leeds societies, The Leeds Student reports. Max Dickins, Leeds Student Radio deputy station manager explained: “At first I was quite nervous but once the other boys got their kit off I relaxed and really enjoyed it. We did it for a laugh and because it is for a good cause.” Lets hope the weather holds out, or things could get a little bit nippy.

Smoke Alarm A GROUP of Exeter students were put in danger after a prankster took the “trick” part of Trick or Treat too far. The masked villain posted a smoke grenade through their letterbox this Halloween, reports Exepose. The students were awoken by “an acrid sulphury kind of red smoke” streaming through their front door. Luckily there was little internal damage to the property but, understandably, the students’ landlady insisted that their letterbox be firmly taped down for bonfire night the following week.

Elec-Ted A TEDDY BEAR has been elected JCR chair by one anarchic college at Oxford University, reports Oxford student newspaper Cherwell. The teddy bear, named "Clumsy Teddy", assumed control of Queens College at the start of this month, much to the chagrin of other JCR Presidents across the University. Despite objections from some, Teddy won his election with a fifty percent majority; beating his two shame-faced opposing candidates. Chances are he'll do a better job of running the place too. Milana Knezevic

BY MARTIN WILLIAMS AN EXTENSIVE investigation by Vision has revealed York's shameful secret: a lucrative prostitution industry thriving off STUDENTS' money. Witnesses have given exclusive evidence and accounts of the brothels running amidst student communities in the city. York students are paying up to £120 an hour in one particularly notorious den. Sources say that the seedy brothel is hidden away above a local shop near student houses. "My mate paid about 50 or 60 pounds to go (for half an hour)," said one source. He claimed: "A lot of students have been using it since the start of this term. Several people from other universities even went along as well when they were visiting York." Indications show there may be as many as four or five brothels within a small area of student housing. It is unclear whether the business owners are specifically targeting student residents. One nearby resident who spoke to Vision on the assurance of anonymity claimed: "It's disgusting to think this is going on so nearby. The type of characters the place attracts can make the neighbourhood very uncomfortable at times." The reports come a year after a brothel was uncovered

YORK'S SEEDY SEX SECRETS

on Heslington Road, a popular student residential area. A female student in the area was approached by a man looking for the nearby sex den. Prostitution has been a major problem effecting York's students for several years. In 2006 Vision exposed a brothel after two undercover reporters handed over secret tape recordings to North Yorkshire Police. In a survey for Vision, a shocking 20% of male students

SALES SHARKS KICKED OFF CAMPUS

A PLUSH TOO SPA

spokesperson for the spa admitted that they have had “complaints about the promotion before.” One male fresher recalls: “I had left my door open and a woman entered my room asking whether she could swap with my female friend who was lying in bed with me. I don’t think they should have acted in such a manner.” Another student notified the porter on duty who then escorted the women off campus. Goodricke College Provost Jane Clarbour said that she was “horrified” that the strangers had managed to gain access to the buildings against university policy. She added: “We definitely did not give them permission.” University Security Services have now been fully briefed on the situation and are confident that there won’t be any more problems.

report it to the police as soon as possible," he added. UK law on brothels is complex and has been heavily modified since the initial ban on running them in 1956. The act of prostitution is not illegal itself, but a series of laws criminalises many activities in relation to it. If you have any information about brothels in York, you are encouraged to contact North Yorkshire Police on 0845 60 60 247.

LOCALS TERRORIZE FRESHERS IN BREAK-IN DRAMA

THIEF GRIEF

BY MILANA KNEZEVIC

BY LAURA HOWARTH AND GABRIELLE LEARY INTIMIDATING AND forceful sales techniques used by local business ‘Plush Spa’ have caused controversy across campus. Aggressive sales representatives even gained access to supposedly secure halls of residence. Students have complained that lengthy sales pitches, during which the saleswomen constantly shoved credit card machines in front of them made them uncomfortable and pressured. One girl said: “They basically cornered us and kept touching my hair. We couldn’t get rid of them; I didn’t know what to do.” Plush Spa were pushing an offer - reportedly giving away £400 worth of treatment for the price of £55 - a deal which they say is “an absolute bargain for students.” The offer has been running since June and when pushed, a

admitted to having either used a prostitute themselves or having friends who had. YUSU Welfare Officer Ben Humphrys has responded to the reports by stating: "Buying sex for money is both illegal and deeply immoral: students who engage in this kind of exploitation should be keenly aware that they are treading on the wrong side of the law." "I urge anyone with information about these brothels to

Photo: www.welt.de

We read them... ...so you don't have to

EXCLUSIVE: STUDENTS' BROTHEL SHAME EXPOSED

Photo: Plushspayork.co.uk

student press

YORK VISION

Tuesday November 24th, 2009

A GANG of masked men attempted to break into a Derwent accommodation block last week, raising fresh concerns about student welfare in the wake of the recent axing of college porters. The intruders were also seen lurking around the cycle parking outside Derwent's porters lodge. Two eyewitnesses reported that they saw several men in masks and hoodies fidgeting with the locks on students bikes. The students immediately went back to their block to call security in an effort to stop the potential theft. This however, proved to be a harder task than expected. “We tried to call the security on the phones in our rooms, but we couldn't get through,” said

one of the students. “We went down to the porters lodge to see if we could find someone there, but it was obviously empty.” Not knowing what else to do, the two students hurried to Langwith and Vanburgh looking for help, but found no security personnel and no porters. YUSU President Tim Ngwena commented: “Bikes being stolen on campus is an ongoing problem that happened even when there was 24 hour portering.” He added: “In the end this is more a communications issue. The 3333 emergency number needs to be better publicised.” Many residents of the Derwent block are outraged and claim that had a porter been present the problem would never have arisen.

YORK VISION

NEWS

Tuesday November 24th, 2009

PORTER BACKLASH: YUSU MAKES IT OFFICIAL

DON'T SLAUGHTER OUR PORTERS!

Photos: Dan Birchinall

NO HES-I move on toTATION: Protesters Big Wig Ha ll

BY PAUL VIRIDES STUDENTS SHOWED Uni bosses their thoughts on the porter crisis by marching to Heslington Hall last week. The YUSU-led campaign marched through campus, starting at Derwent Porters Lodge and making its way around Market Square, aiming to create as big an impact as possible. Led by President Tim Ngwena, the group of nearly a hundred students demanded a return to 24/7 portering provision across all porter lodges, and not just selected ‘campus zones’. Students stood in the court-

yard of Heslington Hall and began a tirade of mass chanting, some of which included a remodelled version of the popular song “Hey Baby.” The protest was designed to raise awareness of the cause and to continue to convey student opinion to Hes Hall bigwigs. Speaking on URY last week, Jane Grenville commented that despite student cuts “there are now more people looking after [students] on campus at night than there were last term’. But Tim Ngwena told protestors she had failed to give students the right phone number

for Security Services. He added: "No doubt, as the University grows they will cut more and more and more." Student support for the retention of 24 hour portering is continuing to gain strength, with YUSU’s ‘Save Our Porters’ Facebook group now boasting over 2,000 members. Talking to Vision, student Meghan Betts commented that Thursday’s protest should have “raised awareness that students are really serious about this”. Other non-YUSU organised events have also taken place, including the uninterrupted

NOUSE ELECTION "IRREGULARITIES" PROMPT YUSU INVESTIGATION

NO-USE CRYING ABOUT IT BY PADDY HARTE

BITTER IN-FIGHTING in Nouse caused controversy following the conduct of "dodgy" annual elections. YUSU received multiple complaints from disgruntled students causing them to suspend website editing. It has emerged that various members of the newspaper’s voting audience were not actually students, but exmembers of the Nouse team who had already left the University. The breach was treated as a “reason for investigation,” by YUSU Student Activities Officer Rhianna Kinchin. Further damming information was also brought to light this week, after an anon-

ymous member of last year’s Nouse editorial team contacted Vision to express their fury about how the elections were handled. C o m p l a i n t s slammed Nouse for an apparent lack of organisation and the failure to make notes of the elections. Kinchin admitted it was “not particularly professional.” The paper was eventually saved when a YUSU investigation concluded that the non-student voters could not have influenced the elected outcomes of key position. However Vision’s source from within Nouse suggested an opposing point of view, saying that schemes to ensure

that only paid members voted “soon fell apart” and that “many people who voted were not eligible to do so.” Kinchin’s advice for Nouse and all other ratified societies which will be running elections in the future is to “have minutes of all elections, and always use a secret ballot system for tightly contested positions.”

shh! THE GOSSIP COLUMN Your one and only source for the scandalous lives of the campus elite Who was seen making a love train through popular night spot Tru? Holding hands and everything. Awww. Keep tight hold, you’re too “important” to be lost! Yummy yummy the taste of money. That’s what three inconspicuous characters must think after allegedly using profits made from Big D to fund their drinking habits. Which two chair-wannabes are having a power struggle? Bad mouthing each other around campus – let the under-hand tactics begin!

removal of furniture from Derwent bar earlier this month and chalked graffiti appearing across campus by anonymous sources. Tim Ngwena has since posted on his online YUSU blog his response to the support that students are showing to the campaign: " This is not a flash in the pan campaign. This is a campaign driven by students... you are at the heart of it. Thank you for the huge amount of support we've had so far and please keep it coming."

NEW CLAUDIA CASE TWIST BY ANDUS HILL EMOTIONAL APPEALS for information about missing University chef Claudia Lawrence have been re-issued by her father. Mr Lawrence’s latest appeal comes after a message, believed to be a fake, appeared on facebook supposedly from missing Claudia claiming that she was safe. The message, which has now been removed, was left on the facebook group “Claudia Lawrence Investigation” on November 9th and said: “Hi everyone just let you be aware that I am ok and I am safe and sound. Speak to you all soon. Claudia xxx." Police are now investigating the message to see if its origins can help in the hunt for Claudia, an investigation which is now being treated as a murder inquiry. Claudia’s family have dismissed the message as a fake, while condemning the person who left the message as ‘sick’. Martin Dales spokesman for Claudia’s father said, “It seems as though this is a sad, sick prank from someone who is not aware of the effect this has on both Claudia's family and the police investigation.”

We hear that a non-York student was recenlty chucked out of an angry Langwith girl's ensuite bedroom when he vomited in her shower. Killed the passion, perhaps? The Little John is a popular drinking hole for which jovial Sab and Power List veteran. We would tell you but…

Love is a wicked little thing isn’t it? Even being a certain Sab doesn’t mean you’ll always get the ladies. Better luck next time!

Which college chair is said to be "absolutely sick" of their job? Don't worry, only a few weeks left now. What happens when you get bored of your Sab position? You start up a taxi firm! Which YUSU Officer has been offering lifts back from town to poor, lonely students? Which ex-Tory club member has been telling offensive jokes in the Library? Word to the wise - make sure others around can't hear next time.

Which college chair has been throwing a hissy fit over comments made about him on a York website? Deep breaths now....

Which sports team have yet again been accused of pissing on innocent bystanders in a York night-

Got gossip? Email vision@yusu.org

6YORK VISION

NEWS

Tuesday November 24th, 2009

SO HOW DID THEY DO?

NEWS SPECIAL: VISION REVIEWS THIS YEAR'S JCRC CHAIRS BY PADDY HARTE AND TOM MCDERMOTT DESPITE PROMISING us the world in order to get elected, college chairs rarely manage to fulfil all their pledges. This is usually because of unrealistic promises and underestimating the amount of red-tape they will have to wade through in order to get even a basic proposal to the real University bosses. College chair is no doubt one of the most difficult positions on

campus but this doesn't mean we shouldn't expect the best from our chairs. After all, they are technically the voice of the college, each one representing thousands students. Did you cast your vote well, or has this year been a complete waste of time for you and them? As the chairs finish their year of power, we run-down the ins and outs of how they've have fared....

goodricke

Initially, Dan Walker’s narrow win was a cause of discontent for many of the JCRC, and his frank attitude did not exactly endear him to some. However, as the year

halifax

Roberto Powell is likely to leave his JCRC a proud man who has transformed college events and a renewed a previously deteriorating college spirit. This was

Since the controversies that dogged her at the start of her year, Amber Brittain has kept a relatively low profile on campus. She has worked hard behind the

Sam Asfahani had an enthusiastic start. Sadly this was not maintained and JCRC members are leaving this year’s committee somewhat disillusioned by their

derwent

the potential closure of Derwent bar firmly asserting his position Following the much-loved Ollie to the students and press. More recently, the chair was Lester was always going to be difficult for Joe Rankin to leave one of the first to lead the rehis mark. However over the sum- volt against university top-dogs mer Rankin upped his game with when portering services were continued, Walker stepped up to the mark, culminating in the smooth transfer of his college to their new Hes East site. College members have benefited from the active integration of the JCRC and Walker has without a doubt initiated this process

confirmed with a mega-successful Halifax freshers’ week: one second-year told us: “it was much better in terms of events than ours, for instance he organised a foam party which was epic. Full marks there.” However not all of his elec-

JAMES

langwith

on that he would be effective in dealing with college affairs. His main triumph remains Well liked within his college, securing the future of B. Henalthough generally know better ry’s bar in the face of what he for his eccentric personality and calls “massive levels of general dress sense than his policies, apathy.” However, some other Oliver Hutchings proved early

ALCUIN

chair. Communication within the college seems to be lacking, with fliers and posters apparently taking the place of personal contact. Langwith has also had to pull out of certain events due to dwindling numbers, and falling college spirit.

VANBRUGH Having promised a multitude of things when she was elected, Dani Fill was always going to struggle to fulfil every pledge.

taken away. Although some students told Vision he was "unapproachable," and accused the JCRC of being a clique, he has certainly helped Derwent students protect their college.

(meeting his promise of greater communication between college and committee head on) often heard walking through halls with a megaphone advertising JCRC goings on.

tion promises were met - trips abroad, for instance, did not materialise. There was more luck with college marketing: a new website and logo has made Halifax stand out as a college with a modern approach.

scenes in James College during a time of expansion into the facilities left behind by Goodricke. Although generally well thought of by her peers on the JCRC, Brittain is less well known by the majority of ordinary James students. One first year

told Vision: “I have no idea who our chair is or what she really does, nor have I met her or know anyone else who has.” Nevertheless, she has managed to get James college through the year relatively problem free.

Despite this, it would be unfair to say that Asfahani has been completely incompetent – he has successfully ensured a Langwith JCR within the Courtyard, and a reasonable of level cooperation with the Courtyard has also been achieved.

She has understandably had varying degrees of success: attendance at Vanbrugh events has fluctuated massively but fewer events this year have made a loss than under the previous committee. Fill appears to occupy the

campaigns and events have not quite got off the ground. But, Alcuin has ticked along well over the past year; in no small part thanks to Hutchings leadership and commitment to the college.

grey space between successful and ineffective, although judging by the consistently high college spirit of Vanbrugh students, a true judgement of her time in power would almost certainly lie closer to the respectable end of the spectrum.

AND A FEW TO WATCH OUT FOR NEXT YEAR... Vision takes you through the people who are the most hotly tipped to make up the next generation of "campus politicians." Alcuin: Current chair Ollie Hutchings claims he's backing Boyang Xiao as his successor. He said he was hoping for "someone less of a prick than me." Derwent: Rumours that several students will run for chair have also reached Vision's ears. RAG Rep Holly Burton, Equipment Rep James Somerside and Bar Rep Nathan Radcliffe are all said to be jostling for a higher positions. Goodricke: The election campaign is set to be tense as Tim Ellis and Sophie Walker, the current Bar Reps, are set to go head to head in a battle for the college's top spot. Halifax: Mystery surrounds the upcoming elections, but sources close to the

infamous football first captain, Mark Lund, have revealed that the sportsman may be planning a foray into college politics. James: In past years, the college has proved it has no shortage of students willing to devote themselves entirely to the college and this year several students claim to be considering taking on the post, including extreasurer James Horrocks. Langwith: The JCRC are being less tight-lipped than James! Both ENTS Rep Danielle Spears and Bar Rep Conor Wilcox have stated an interest in becoming the college chair. Vanbrugh: Several candidates are lining up to take on the top leadership role. Vanbrugh second-years Nick Hall and Beth Miller both played active parts in Vanbrugh last year making them both very likely candidates.

PLANS REVEALED TO KEEP TABS ON YUSU OFFICERS

WE'RE WATCHING YUSU!

BY MARTIN WILLIAMS

PROPOSALS ARE being made to prevent poor attendance and money wasting at YUSU. Should the proposal pass, regular documents will be published showing how much YUSU money individual officers are spending, as

well as providing an overall breakdown of YUSU spending. They will also make information public about how individual officers are making progress on Union policy and what meetings they fail to attend. At the moment most

of this information is only available to students through complicated procedures. It is hoped however that by regularly publishing the data, people can be more aware of the union's work. In a bid to generate more student interest in YUSU, the

information will be displayed on the LCD screens in the Courtyard and elsewhere, starting next term. Union Council Chair David Levene has said: "It's about accountability and about engaging all students... It is a way of bringing YUSU

to students instead of asking students to come to YUSU, so everyone can see what YUSU is here for." The proposals are set to be submitted for a Union General Meeting in Week 8 and is expected to pass without much resistance.

YORK VISION

NEWS

Tuesday November 24th, 2009

WAVE OF THEFTS HITS POPULAR STUDENT STREET

"She picked up the knife when she saw me: we were in serious danger"

Photo: Dan Birchinall

Photo

:perso

nalsa

fety.c

BY EMILY FAIRBAIRN

MULTIPLE BURGLARIES on a popular student street has left many residents fearful. The multiple thefts at Siward Street are believed to be the work of the same female burglar, who has since been arrested. She struck a house of second years in the dead of night, taking valuables that included a wallet, passport and an army-style knife. The students first realised that was something was wrong when they saw the lights on downstairs and heard someone moving around. One resident went to investigate and caught the thief emerging from

a downstairs room. Terrified, the students locked themselves in an upstairs bedroom. “We were really scared,” admits one of the victims. “I’m pretty sure she picked up the knife after seeing me, so if we had gone downstairs we could have been in serious danger.” The intruder is described as young and “could have been on something.” She was able to gain access to the house after the students accidentally left their back door unlocked. Luckily, the students were able to call the police, who arrived within 5 minutes. “The police were really, really good,” said one resident. “We have definitely learnt our lesson about

locking up.” The police have since delivered ‘Reassurance Packs’ to all houses on Siward Street, advising students on how to make their homes safe. Advice includes keeping doors and windows locked at all times and keeping lights or radios on when the house is empty. The high density of student houses on certain York streets makes them a target for thieves. Heslington Road residents have also reported a series of thefts over the past weeks, including laptops and bikes. YUSU have recommended that students protect their property by registering it for free at www.immobolise.com

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YORK VISION

Tuesday November 24th, 2009

>Comment THE VOICE OF PUDSEY OR PORTERS

ARE CAMPUS-CENTRIC STUDENTS IN NEED OF A REALITY CHECK?

Vision Says...

even weeks after campus started protesting over cuts to the porter service we hope students will not start to put the issues to one side. We have written, marched and chanted for our welfare and it is encouraging to see the campaign remains strong. Yes, so some people may call students apathetic, but the large turn out at last week's march shows costcutting admin that there is still a strong core of student passion. A recent poll on www.yorkvision.co.uk showed that the vast majority of us do not want to lose our porters - we'd far prefer Uni bosses to cut their own whopping salaries before they scrap our welfare services that we pay so much for. Vision believes the students of this university deserve better treatment than they are getting. At the very least Hes Hall should listen to us - unlike one Uni boss who we saw RUNNING AWAY from peaceful protesters!

CHRIS BURGESS

riday night saw this year’s Children in Need live show. But you wouldn’t have known that on campus. All anyone seems to be talking about is the loss of 24 hour portering. Amid all the talk of an assault on Hes Hall, I’ve heard nothing about Pudsey. I haven’t seen anyone in a ridiculous costume or doing a ridiculous dance to raise sponsorship money. Those of you who have the drive to organise things have missed a trick. I once signed up to the York Nudist Society (it turned out to be a hoax... unfortunately) out of pity for the guys with the clipboard. You could have easily got some money out of me. There was, instead, a very impressive/annoying protest, depending on your point of view, in support of the porters on Thursday. Tim Ngwena was at the fore-

Thumbs down to...

eports of brothels in student areas of town are deeply worrying. And whilst it may be easy to pass blame to prostitutes, the real disgrace is that some of York's students are paying for it. Vision hopes this is not a growing trend amongst Uni students and anyone with information about brothels contacts the police.

neighbours as the ‘real people’ with ‘real lives.’ Without intending to, I belittle us as students as I succumb to the opinion that nothing we do at university has any bearing on the ‘real’ world. It’s all tied up with that ridiculous ‘bloody students should just get a job and pay taxes like the rest of us’ mentality that many people with jobs hold. I am undoubtedly against this. But is the way to change this view to be found protesting a very campus-based problem at the one time of year when we could be putting those condescending workers to shame? The one skill university teaches everyone is how to dress up like an idiot. Why shouldn’t we use that skill to actually give something back to society?

No, I didn’t organise any Children in Need fundraising events. But I didn’t organise any portering protests either. Perhaps a letup in the civil action at this stage would damage the campaign irreparably. But if we focus solely on campus problems like this, no matter their severity, we continue to embody an insular student mentality when we could actually make a difference for once.

BRIDGING THE GAP

Thumbs up to...

s the year draws to a close for college chairs, Vision thinks two big thumbs up are deserved for their work in keeping college spirits alive in a time of major challenges to the University. They have worked to keep students at the centre of Uni life while admin are marginalising us in the face of profits. Whatever anyone may think about student politics, any fresher will be pleased to have a bar they can go to and a rep to talk to. Next years chairs will have a lot to live up to.

front, megaphone and drum in hand, and some catchy protest songs were sung. A substantial number of people joined in. But how many of the protesters there that day to shout at Jane Grenville used the rest of their free time to raise any money for Sir Terry? Portergate is, admittedly, the biggest threat to the campus status quo at the moment. It deserved a protest at some point, no matter your view on how effective a method it will turn out to be. Protest is, however, divisive. Last week we could have all pulled together, either raising money individually or under the RAG banner, for a deserving cause. It’s easy to get annoyed and rail against the need for porters when a protest blocks your route or breaks your concentration. But if the raucous singing had been a sponsorship drive for Pudsey who wouldn’t have, if not joined in, at least smiled and put some change in the bucket? The nature of campus life is to recognise the split between what we do here and what happens in the rest of the world. I, often without realising the significance, refer to my non-student next door

A FORMER YORK STUDENT HIMSELF, OUR MP ACTUALLY CELEBRATES THE STUDENT LIFESTLYE

HUGH BAYLEY

here are currently just under 20,000 students in York from many different backgrounds – bringing with them a range of talents which have now made York a centre for academic excellence. With the increasing investment in the city, particularly in skilled science and technology based jobs, many students stay in and around York after they graduate, providing a pool of new graduates for the Yorkshire workforce in the private, public and voluntary sectors. I myself first moved to York in 1974 to study for my Masters in Southern African Studies. After graduating, I worked for a trade union, negotiating health service workers’ pay. In 1982, I set up

a television production company, living costs such as food, clothes, which was funded by Oxfam, Am- and going out - students are not nesty International, Friends of only big local consumers, but the Earth and other campaign many also work in the local econgroups to make programmes omy. This provides an invaluabout the environment and inter- able group of educated part time national development. workers for local businesses. In 1986 I moved back to York York students give back to and worked as a lecturer in the the city through numerous volUniversity’s Social Policy depart- unteering projects. The York ment, and later as Students in Every student that Schools proa Research Fellow comes to York will gramme puts in health economics. I stood (unin some way make students into successfully) as a positive contrilocal classthe Labour canrooms to supbution to the city . didate for York in port teachers the 1987 general by working election, and again in 1992 when I with children to motivate their was first elected as the city’s MP. learning, help raise their aspiraMy children grew up in York, and tions and achievement, and prowent to local state schools. Like vide valuable role models. Varime, my wife did a second degree ous YUSU community projects at York University and has also make a real difference to the lives studied at York St Johns. She of my constituents, for example works at The Retreat. the tea and coffee club- where The York economy benefits students go to visit older people greatly from the student popula- in York’s residential homes, or tion. With the total expenditure Minds in Motion - where students of the average student at £12,250 from the medical school help supper year - £6,500 of this being on port people with dementia.

JOIN THE DEBATE AT WWW.YORKVISION.CO.UK

People come to study in York from around the world. In fact, 20 per cent of York students come from outside the UK, which brings not only economic benefits to the University, but makes York a more diverse place, with people from many different nationalities, cultures and faiths. I regularly get asked to support campaigns, ask parliamentary questions, or sign parliamentary motions by students on both national and global issues. This is healthy for our democracy. It shows that students are still an influential political force and it makes sure that as the city’s MP, I am up to date with the issues facing students. Whether it’s through supporting local businesses, volunteering, or signing a petition, every student that comes to York will in some way make a positive contribution to the city. Hugh Bayley is the Labour MP for York

COMMENT

YORK VISION

Tuesday November 24th, 2009

WATCH OUT PORTERS! FAT CAT CANTOR IS THE REAL BEAST OF HES EAST

ARE YUSU HYPOCRITES FOR CONDEMNING CARNAGE?

YES

DANIEL GODDARD

hat exactly is YUSU’s problem with Carnage? Our own Union has come out in condemnation of the commercially run bar crawl; YUSU President Tim Ngwena came out shortly before Carnage was due to take place in York by saying "we’re disappointed to see Carnage coming to York once again... please be aware that in other carnage events throughout the UK there has been heavy pressure to drink excessively". Such statements might reek of paternalism, but it is the underlying stench of hypocrisy which should concern us most. YUSU also hold their own bar crawl, Viking Raid, which some argue, is just as bad as the Carnage events. These people are wrong. From the un-academic binge drinking angle, Viking Raid is a lot lot worse... Viking Raid is organised thus; catch a bus that you have already paid for from campus at the ridiculously early time of 18.40 and then have at least one drink at eight bars before heading to a nightclub where you’ll pay £1.50 for a drink. This equates to 1700 students enduring nine hours of solid drinking across nine venues spread all over town. Not a problem in my book but some locals (usually of the BNP voting variety) disagree. Carnage, in stark contrast, only has five venues, meaning customers are waiting a lot longer to get served and naturally drink less across the night. I challenge Tim to go out into town and ask locals which event they look forward to the least. All drinking promotions were off during Carnage; even students who shelled out £3 for Vodka Revs coupons at Freshers’ Fair were disappointed to not be allowed to

use them on the night. Even in the club the cheapest drink on the night was two thirds more expensive than it was on Viking Raid. What's more, with its ‘Doctors and Nurses’ theme, the focus of Carnage seemed to be about fancy dress, as well as drinking. Nonetheless, ex-YUSU President and now Labour Councillor James Alexander has bizarrely branded this sort of fancy dress as sexist. In what can only be explained as an effort to pander to his electorate, he told The Press: "These hedonistic jaunts encourage drinking to dangerous levels and encourage young women to dress in a far too provocative way." Excuse me Mr Alexander, but which planet do you spend most of your time on? Perhaps you marvel at the ‘good ol’ days’ where women would not have to be subjected to the trials and tribulations of having free will. The very fact that these patronising comments come from a person who sanctioned dozens of University and college events of the same nature makes it all the worse. So bad that my bullshit-o-meter is flashing ‘HARRIET HARMAN TERRITORY’. Ngwena and Alexander will argue that Union run events are completely different; that somehow because they’re not profit driven, because there are ‘welfare mechanisms’ in place, students will be protected. Protected from what exactly? Urinating on a war memorial? Committing suicide in their rooms? The fact of the matter is that both events have stewards, but their role in how much the revellers drink is negligible. Thanks to the occurance of the two very real, but very isolated instances above, our Prospective MP has slammed all Carnage barcrawls: ‘I do not believe these are safe or reputable events’. My bullshit-o-meter now reads ‘JAN MOIR COCK-UP’.

NO N

ow, I'm not opposed to a good night out, far from it; indeed, it is an integral part of student life. Carnage however, strikes me as a tad excessive. The event serves to encourage drinking to excess. Even though the event organisers, Varsity Leisure Group, tell us "VLG does not promote binge drinking nor does it promote drinking to dangerous levels", in reality the nature of the event paints a different picture. Regardless of whether or not the organisers shirk responsibility with such weasely words, the reality is that in previous events (not just in York) students have very much been encouraged to drink excessive amounts of alcohol. The bars themselves may "encourage responsible drinking" but substantial peer pressure in to 'pre-drinking' cannot be fought in this way. Indeed, the Sheffield student who faces a prison sentence for urinating on a war memorial did so after consuming an entire bottle of whiskey. Carnage puts students' safety at stake. These jaunts rely very much on the 'at your own risk' principle. It puts students in unnecessarily dangerous situations, particularly for the women involved who seem to be encourgaed to dress in a revealing or provocative way. On the whole, it is inevitably going to cause problems for residents as well as people not participating, who often find themselves intimidated by what appears to be an unruly, uniformed crowd of people. Of course people will get drunk on any night out, but under normal circumstances this would be amongst friends, in an altogether more relaxed and ultimately more responsible atmosphere, where personal safety is considerably easier to account for.

JAMIE GALLIMORE

WANT TO RESPOND? EMAIL VISION@YUSU.ORG

Moving away from the 'carnage' caused by Carnage, YUSU make the very valid claim that the event is just plain bad value. A Carnage T-shirt costs £8; the total admission prices for the participating venues would be £3, this just for Tru. But when the T-shirt costs just 30p to make, why are they so expensive? Two years ago, we heard that the organisers of Carnage threatened to sue YUSU when it pointed out the amount paid to make these T-shirts and the resulting ethical implications; these Tshirts in all likelihood are sourced from third-world sweatshops. Rather than attempting to address these concerns, or indeed issuing a statement to the contrary, VLG flexed its legal muscles and threatened to litigate against YUSU. This begs the question: surely if VLG has any concern for us, it would not sue the students' union, a body specifically set up for maintaining our welfare? To do so would make YUSU's own events, societies and perhaps most importantly its welfare operations somewhat difficult to fund for years to come.

'CARNAGE': The Carnage A local man attacked by students in Bangor during a Carnage event The suicide of a Bath student linked to Carnage A Sheffield student arrested this year for pissing on war memorial

10 COMMENT

YORK VISION

WARNING: STICKS AND STONES MAY SAMANTHA BREAK YOUR BONES

Tuesday November 24th, 2009

AND THERE'S A GOOD CHANCE WORDS MAY CAUSE OFFENCE TOO...

ROB MALAN & GEORGE PHILLIPS

ow, doesn’t term go quickly! Week 7 already and we still haven’t started our dissertation. Not to worry though, spirits are high, and soon we, like the rest of you, will be returning to the nest. It promises to be a joyous time defined by mulled wine, Christmas cards and carollers. Unless of course you live in Dundee where instead, a winter lights show will be the only sign to mark JC’s big day (read Winterval). The council of Dundee, always one step ahead, has introduced a policy for a ‘politically correct’ December. You lucky chaps. Probably a good thing though, I heard the Jedi community of Dundee was planning a militant uprising in protest at any public displays of festive frivolity. If only all councils in Britain were this astute to the problems facing 21st century Britain. Go team Dundee; you’ve really hit the nail on the head here. My only concern is that dinner tables all over the country will display Mum’s copy of the Daily Mail to see on the front page ‘DUNDEE COUNCIL CANCELS CHRISTMAS’. I’d like to call this the Daily Mail Effect (©). We live with the scourge of political correctness; the compulsory avoidance of behaviour that could potentially

cause offence, typically without actually consulting the affected group, serves only to create, maintain and exaggerate social divisions, causing resentment where none exists. Why can’t those who perpetuate such socially divisive policies realise there is a massive difference between the necessity of showing common decency, respect and good manners towards your fellow citizen, and bowing to what the state dictates to be offensive, such as the national flag, Christmas decorations and school sports days? What has gone so wrong in this country that some sly, sly fox has even entertained the thought that sports day should be banned so that the fat kid doesn’t waddle home and cry? On a serious note, this mentality of ‘everyone’s a winner’ is even more detrimental and delusional than it is flawed and absurd. Why as a nation have we developed this totalitarian philosophy of enforced protection and newspeak? Being offended is subjective and personal to the individual; it is impossible, and ludicrous, to even try and enforce ‘laws’ so that no one is offended. What offends us does not offend you; for example we both find mushy peas highly disagreeable to our refined southern sensibilties but would not in a million years suggest they be banned. So what is the solution? Not a ‘return to the good old days of common sense’,

as seems to be the fashionable argument of the moment (although a good dose of that would help), but that everyone just needs to chill out and crack open a bottle of Veuve. Can you think of anyone in York who calls a bin man a waste disposal engineer? No, neither can we. Surely those fanatical council proponents; those mischievous badgers of political correctness, should spend more time and effort in sorting out heaters for the queue to Ziggy’s and reducing tax on White Strike than concerning themselves with petty attempts to change our vocabulary?

Changing words does not change reality; political correctness is an artificial social construct which harms those it seeks to protect, forcing us to consciously identify and overstate the differences between people in an effort to disguise them. We don’t actually care if you call York St. John mentally challenged or just plain moronic, but, it would be nice if next Christmas Oxford Street had a good display of Christmas lights for everyone to enjoy instead of those shitty purple lanterns.

SUPPORTING THE ENVIRON-MENTALISTS BLOWING ALL HOT AND COLD ON CLIMATE CHANGE

WILL WAINEWRIGHT

intended to go to the 'Human Wave for Climate Justice' event on campus last week, but didn’t in the end – it clashed with my lunch break. The idea, as it happens, was to organise a group of us students into a ring around our swamp of a lake, in order to somehow 'send a message' to political leaders ahead of next month’s Copenhagen climate summit. But a chicken roll got in the way. My failure to attend may not have made much of a difference – let’s be honest, the event was hardly going to send Obama rushing to sign the Kyoto protocol – but it’s nothing to boast about. Choosing to wipe out a short term hunger problem rather than campaign to avert long term environmental catastrophe is not something to be proud of. At the same time, however, it is hard to galvanise yourself to get wound up about the environment when there are so many other pressing issues about. I bet the ice cap isn’t receding as swiftly as my job prospects, for one. Don’t get me wrong, I’m no Jeremy Clarkson – far from it. I’m the sort of weirdo you will see at Costcutter producing a crumpled-up carrier from his back

pocket, a print-on-bothsides sort of guy. I really hope Obama and his merry gang of world leaders can produce a deal to erase the memories of Kyoto at the summit next month, billed by the director of the National Science Museum as 'the most historic negotiations in human history'. An agreed global framework to reduce greenhouse gas emissions would be momentous, showing that world leaders are serious about handling climate change in the next century.

But still, our cosy York existence makes the effects of climate change seem a long way off. The water and food shortages, mass migrations and conflict promised by the experts don’t seem to feature during our daily trudges across campus; and would climate change be such a bad

thing anyway? A few extra degrees would certainly make the long walk home from town more bearable on those cold winter nights, although the extra rain strikes me as something York could happily go without. The more you think about it, however, the more ludicrous it seems. The economy is in the knackers yard, the rising death toll in Afghanistan is eating away at the country’s spirit, and all our political leaders can bother talking about is the plight of a few polar bears who may or may not be left with any ice to perch on in a few years time. I mean come on. Those bears are strong old beasts. Even if it meant them migrating over to a few Inuit villages, what’s the problem with that? Nothing wrong with a bit of natural selection. Overdrafts, essay deadlines, imminent unemployment – surely these are the real problems we face, rather than whether or not a village on the subcontinent floats away a few years down the line. We are going to have enough on our plates as it is, what with working until we pop our clogs in order to see off the national debt. But I don’t think it’s that easy. Climate change is easy to sideline with so many other things at stake (all it takes is a chicken roll sometimes), but at Copenhagen decisions will be made that may have a genuine impact on the planet’s next one hundred years. So let’s all get behind it; just let me finish my sandwich first…

COWLEY

SEMINARSES

very Freshers' week the newspapers and magazines dutifully trot out their stereotyped classifications of York's students. Be you a Vanbrugh Nut or just simply a geek you will be justly labelled and lumped in with your kind. As first term draws to a close I would like to present a new method of classification with which to enrich your lives. So here goes... The Annoying People in Your Seminar: 1. The Tapper- So called because they spend entire seminars typing noisily on their laptops. This makes a ridiculous amount of noise which constantly draws attention to the fact that you are, silently or not, failing to take notes of any kind. Tappers are also guilty of arriving early in order to secure a seat close to the power point. Not a crime as such, until you realise that this same seat is also the furthest away from your tutor, meaning that you are forced to sit directly in their eye-line. 2. The Talker- Whilst I am aware that the very point of a seminar is to talk, there is an unspoken etiquette to such communication that Talkers decline to follow. Talkers can be subdivided as such: The 'Clever' Talker - Possibly the worst of our annoying friends. Clever Talkers are especially upsetting because they don't actually spend those two hours in AEW/004 spouting bullsh*t. Making you look bad in contrast. Constantly referring to the extra reading they've done and conducting multi-disciplinary thought makes them the enemy of most students. The 'Idiot' Talker- These people think they embody the above but are wide off the mark. Will point out only the most obvious of ideas but so constantly that it leaves no room for your own brilliant ideas. Some Talkers will only speak if it means interrupting someone. In this case just stay silent and you sanity should be safe. 3. The Anecdotalist- Seems to think that despite the fact that you're studying Eighteenth Century China or the philosophy of MerleauPonty that the activities of themselves and their friends are not only fantastically interesting but are also actually relevant to said discussion. They accompany these anecdotes with sideways glances, seemingly to check that you're writing it down. 4. The Slacker- Although Vision sees nothing wrong with slackers per se, the annoying slacker is a very specific breed. The Slacker will turn up to your seminar sans books, sans pens and with only a crumpled up, four times folded piece of paper on which he has scrawled his requested responses to the text. He will then precede to read the two lines from his scrap, use a word you don't understand and then shut up for the rest of the seminar. Until Thursday these people were my enemies and many a happy aneurysm inducing hour was spent discussing just how annoying they all were. They might have been my friends outside of seminars but come 1.15 on Wednesday and they ceased to be Eleanor or John transforming instead into their hateable tapping, talking, anecdoting selves. Then Thursday happened and the boy I had pithily labelled 'Waistcoat Boy' turned up without his waistcoat! Not only was he not wearing his personality defining garment but he was also wearing the same shoes as me. Brown, leather, brogues. Nothing wrong with brogues, brogues are a perfectly reasonable choice of footwear...for a boy. And with that realisation I joined the club and resigned myself to being 'the girl who wears man's shoes'.

YORK VISION

SATIRE

Tuesday November 24th, 2009

THE SKETCH

York Come Dancing

Starring Campus' Most Infamous Recluses... Ron Dullard Winner of Mr. Boring York Dancing the Urban Foxtrot (behind the bins) with Ditsy Sparkleboobs

Morton Lindstrรถm International Man of Mystery Dancing the Viennese Waltz with Tallulah Twinkletoes

Oliver 'Amy's Boyfriend' Nutter That-guy-you-used-to-see-in-Ziggy's-everyWednesday-until-he-went-and-got-himself-thatmousey-girlfriend-and-stopped-being fun. Dancing the (It Takes Three To) Tango with Svetlana Jazzhands

PHOTOS BY DAVE WALKER

12 FEATURES

YORK VISION Tuesday November 24th, 2009

>Features BITES! CAMERA! ACTION!

SAMANTHA COWLEY finds out why sharks are misunderstood and how whales date with underwater Life cameraman, Roger Munns.

n my first year at York, a group of my friends formed a football team and named themselves the March of the Penguins ('the Penguins' for short. These boys, who were most frequently found uttering the phrases 'your mum' and 'that's what she said' were, I thought, not the usual demographic for wildlife documentaries. But this autumn has rolled around and brought with it David Attenborough's latest show Life- and suddenly nature is cool. It seems that every Monday night most of York is curling up in front of the TV, but not to watch desperate celebrities dance the American Smooth or be buried in coffins of maggots and spiders. Instead they're watching those same spiders do what they do best; just be spiders. Queue horrific clips of insects sacrificing themselves for their hungry young and pelicans that eat baby gannets. Whole... and alive. Attenborough may be a national treasure, and without his melodic silverfox voice oozing over the shots of sleepy meerkats and hunting seals, Life would undoubtedly suffer. But it's the cameramen who are the real heroes. Having made use of cutting edge technology to achieve their remarkable shots, it is all too easy to forget that behind the lens is a group of cameraman freezing half to death in the arctic, or being plagued by the very flies they're trying to film. One of the star sequences of the series so far has undoubtedly been the Humpback Whale Heat Run. In a typical display of hard-to-get dating, the female Humpback races in front of a bevy of amorous males who happily chase her, all competing for the ultimate prize; copulation and impregnation. Graceful though the whales are, filming anything that weighs forty tons and that can, and will be, swimming at seventeen miles per hour, is a daunting task. Enter Roger Munns who, dressed in a wetsuit, and with only a camera for company,

decided to race with the (very) big boys. When I speak to Munns he is clearly still riding high off the experience, and keeps returning to it as one of the pivotal moments of his career. When I ask him if filming this sequence was the most terrifying activity he could have engaged in, he responds with a laugh. He does admit that it was pretty nerve racking. "You never know how they will react when they see you in the water," he tells me, with the breezy confidence of hindsight. The Life team sought to film animals behaving naturally in their natural environments yet any human presence, let alone one accompanied by cameras, rigging equipment and the various other trappings of a crew, should make animals behave anything but naturally. '"Patience is an essential quality," according to Munns, who recalls spending hours tracking three metre long fish who he endearingly describes as 'shy'- he will later describe a cuttlefish as cute!- until it put out and started showing off the camera. The Heat Run alone took an incredible 21 days to search and shoot, which leaves me wondering whether the Life

Sharks need a good PR agent. Major documentaries use sensationalised shots...

team feel gratified by four years hard graft elly pragmatic, and although the series in exchange for 8 hours of aired footage, features the cute and cuddly (baby flaminthough Munns enthusiasm makes this gos falling out of their nests and minusquestion, at least on his part, somewhat cule lizards), the emphasis is always on redundant. His habit for anthropomor- adaptation, a thinly disguised 'evolution'. phising the animals he shoots suggests In a series of astonishing sequences, a passion and an enthusiasm that makes the most emotional event of Life was perthe endlessness of the shoots worth it. haps the Komodo Dragons who stalked In Life on Location, a welcome be- their increasingly distressed buffalohind the scenes addition to Attenbor- dinner for three weeks before it finally ough's latest series, Munns is captured died. What was most poignant was the likening a two ton whale calf to a gam- cameramen's own anxiety as they witbolling lamb. This experience, he tells nessed the circle of life at its cruelest. me, was his best encounter to date. So do the cold blooded creatures in"With the calf there was a spire the same tearful welling in Munns? sense that it was aware of you He thinks for a bit- and then launches and not just the other way round". into an amusingly heartbreaking tale of Such a unique and personal encounter the time he lengthily and happily filmed is what makes me, along with everyone else a thorny sea-horse wafting along the curwho saw the programme, rents only to have it so very jealous of Munns. eaten, in one mouthWith a team made ful, by a somewhat up of people like Munns, rude flounder. Luckily with so much enthusiMunns' tale ended hapasm for their work, it's no pily with the inconsidwonder that Life is proverate flounder spitting ing such a draw. Munns out his too-thorny is just as passionate when snack, but he does he talks to me about those admit that at such cute cuttlefish and the times it is hard not smaller less well known to want to intervene. fish, like nudibranchs, This question of that he photographs. intervention lies at the Indeed I get the idea heart of both Attenthat the public's preconborough's and Munns' ceptions about sea-life work. Throughout can annoy him. When I our chat Munns has ask him if he's ever been steered towards the injured in the process need for conservaof his work, thinking of tion, and once I ask shark attacks and deadly him explicitly he jelly fish stings, he dryreally gets going. ly offers me the time a Close up of a Thorny Seahorse "I ask myself clown fish (let's call him will my children be Nemo) nibbled ferociously on his elbow. around to see these things", he ponders Then when our talk turns to a genu- as he recalls all that his line of work has inely scary encounter, filming sharks privileged him to see. Munns points to off the coast of South Africa without a the Asian market for shark meat, for cage, he speaks warmly of an animal rare tropical fish as 'live fish', i.e. live which is most people's worst nightmare. until ordered in restaurants, as indica"Sharks just need a good PR agent" tors of the need for global conservation. he instructs me. "Even some of the major For cameramen like Munns there documentaries use sensationalised shots," is a definite sense that they are docuhe continues, at which point I decide not to menting things that are fast disapwarn him that we're a tabloid newspaper. pearing. He describes the rapidly deLife seems to stand out as being creasing Loggerhead Turtles as "great unique in Attenborough's canon, not least prehistoric things" before warning because it's opening episode, which de- "I'm afraid they're going the same way as tailed the most unique adaptations of the dinosaurs". Clearly even the coolest jobs animals to their surroundings, did come with a sense of social responsibility. little to disguise its atheistic Yet amongst all this talk of conserunder-tone. The animals vation I cannot help but think what the in Life are cruenvironmental impact of the Life team's work was. Thousands of miles flown around the globe for the amusement of the British public is only justifiable with this added dimension of documentation. You can follow Roger Munns and co on: Twitter - http://twitter.com/Scubazoo Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/ pages/Scubazoo/39115499258 All photos by kind permission of Roger Munns and Scubazoo.

YORK VISION

FEATURES

Tuesday November 24th, 2009

LIFTING THE LID ON LECTURES

s a politics and philosophy student, my experience of lectures has been limited to an interesting, if highly theoretical, area of study. In an attempt to widen my horizons, I have spent the last

week doing the unthinkable and giving myself more contact hours; going undercover to see what is on offer from other departments.

MIDWIFERY Sarah O'Reilly Clinical Simulation Unit

ECONOMICS Prof. Yves Balasko Microeconomics 2

I started with a visit to a lecture I feared may scar me forever - a midwifery demonstration. I didn’t even know we did midwifery, not least that these trainee midwives do their training in a full mock-up of a hospital ward which is situated on campus in the Seebohm Rowntree Building. The place was amazing - it had an intensive care unit, loads of fake bodies (including one which responds depending on how you treat it), and even one of those emergency alarms that doctors always press in Casualty. The department is really small with just under 20 trainees, but, I’m told applications regularly reach over 300 – and its easy to see why. The training workshop I went to was brilliant, a clear and thought out talk. The lady in charge initially discussed how to perform CPR on a pregnant woman, explaining that the best way to time your compressions was to sing ‘Nelly The Elephant’ in your head whilst moving your hands up and down (strange, but prob-

I decided to move onto more mundane territory for my next visit: economics. The very French lecturer, Yves Balasko, had an accent to die for, better than even Poirot himself. He told us that the graphs on the board were “shimple” and talked about the trading of ‘beunannas’.

ably quite practical!) After the talk the midwives split into groups and practiced CPR on the fake bodies.

ATMOSPHERE: Exciting

Sadly, his comical French accent is about the only positive thing you can say about this lecture; he kept showing us graphs with loads of random squiggles, and the maths was incredibly boring. I therefore spent much of the lecture playing noughts and crosses and drawing penises on my friend’s notepad. At one point I even resorted to reading Nouse – it really was bad times. Possibly the only thing that forced me, and probably the whole lecture theatre, to concentrate was that he consistently picked on audience members to answer certain questions, a harsh, but probably quite effective tool against ‘lecture laziness’. If he had picked me I would have had absolutely nothing to say apart from the fact that I was excruciatingly bored and wanted to go to the pub.

WHAT I LEARNED: If a pregnant woman sleeps on her back, apparently her baby will start kicking to wake her up.

ATMOSPHERE: Fear

STAR RATING:

*****

TRHDEICT VE

Photo: www.cspp-scpv.ca

We send PADDY HARTE undercover to give his verdict on the lectures offered by various York departments...

WHAT I LEARNED: That I never want to do economics.

ARCHAEOLOGY Prof. Terry O'Connor

Settlement & Economy A 09.15 start this time, and trust me it’s hard enough getting up for your own lectures let alone somebody else's! Having said that, this lecture was a surprise; as I snuck in and sat at the back, I was prepared for an hour of hearing about digging methods, the discovery of some old monument and a plethora of boring case studies. How wrong I was.

The lecture was actually about the history of domesticated animals and the archaeological processes that were used to figure this out. Ancient farming methods, the different types of meat ancient civilizations used to eat and even human decision theory, were all topics that were discussed. The professor was first-class, he was clear and interesting, and the whole thing felt more like watching a national geographic documentary than being in an archaeology lecture.

ATMOSPHERE: ing

Stimulat-

WHAT I LEARNED: That the domestication of animals began over 9,000 years ago. STAR RATING:

After visiting five lectures I was left with a good taste of the variety offered by York's departments the midwifery session was by far the most exciting, if traumatic, experience, while both the maths and the style of the econom-

****

SOCIOLOGY

Dr. Ruth Penfold-Mounse

The Rouge Celebrity

Walking into the lecture theatre I got the sudden feeling that I might actually be on a night out, I mean, the whole room was full of Ziggy regulars! Anyway, this lecture was bound to be interesting; discussing celebrities for your degree sounds utterly bizarre, but that’s what it was – a discussion about celebrities who go ‘rogue’ by committing, or being accused of, some sort of crime. The lecture was pretty simple stuff, but in its defence it was intriguingly insightful; sort of like reading Hello magazine, except more intellectual. The sociological frameworks were discussed, using academic texts to provide insight into celebrity trends. The lecturer went on to discuss the merits of good PR when a celebrity goes ‘rogue’; it was current, it was (vaguely) academic and it was practical. My favourite bit was when the lecturer went off on a little tangent about some celebrity or another. But I’m not going to repeat what was said – there were some rather controversial opinions about Miley Cyrus!

ATMOSPHERE: Bitchy Intellectualism WHAT I LEARNED: That even if Michael Jackson had been convicted, it would have been practically impossible to send him to jail – imagine the abuse! STAR RATING:

ics lecture only led to fear. Even if it just came in the form of a French accent, however, all lectures had their strengths - although I will be pleased to get back to my comfortable days of five hours a week.

***

POLITICS Dr. Tom Harrison India I returned to more familiar home territory for my final visit - a politics lecture on India. Though I have an obvious prejudice, this lecture was topnotch and full of interesting facts. The lecturer addressed why India’s democracy is not providing sufficient levels of economic development – seemingly a complicated question. We were given a quick run through the history of India’s politics in an attempt to find an

answer, but this approach was really easy to follow and I left feeling that I had really understood quite a difficult concept. Having said this, as in most humanities, no clear answer can ever be reached and there will always be loads of different arguments – it’s the nature of the subject.

ATMOSPHERE: Engaging WHAT I LEARNED: That India has a seriously ingrained caste system, where-by the lowest of the low are called “the untouchables” and are not even allowed to drink from the same well as the rest of the village. STAR RATING:

****

14 FEATURES

FEATURES

YORK VISION

Tuesday November 24th 2009

Tuesday November 24th, 2009

STUDENT HOUSES : HELL-TER SHELTER?

AHEAD OF THE INEVITABLE ANNUAL PANIC, VISION TAKES A LOOK AT THE DUBIOUS STATE OF STUDENT HOUSING IN YORK

rights and are therefore less likely to fight to ripping off students. If all other landlords get back their deposits at the end of the lease. overcharge on rent while not looking after Yet deposits are only small change com- their tenants as much as they should then pared to the vast profits made from rent why shouldn't yours treat you the same? charges. Most landlords know all the tricks; Greedy landlords are not exclusive to York; by charging per week instead of per month (like normal lets) they are able to squeeze as much 30% money out of their d e n t s of stu tenants as possible. they sa Despite the fact that thinky t h at some of York's most t heir rent threadbare student for is 'value mone houses would never y'. be rented under a normal residential let, due to financial restraints some students have no choice but to live in damp, dirty, and sometimes dangerous conditions. The average student let in York is £65 per person per week, for a four-bedroom house. Landlords, before agency fees, tax etc. can make upwards of £1040 a month just off one house. A short browse on the Internet shows the vast difference between student rental properties and non-student rental properties. Looking online, there are pages and pages of spacious, modernised and clean properties in the York area, all for bargain prices of around £900 per month, but are not available to students. So why should things be so different for us? The most realistic answer is that most landlords know that they can get away with

across the country students are being treated exactly the same. But that shouldn't give landlords license to rip off their student tenants. By Rachel Knox

he term "studentification" has begun to appear recently in the local and national press to describe the apparent phenomenon that occurs when "too many" students live in the same area. The charges levelled at students include litter problems, unaccept-

able noise levels, and too many "unsightly" To Let signs cluttering up certain streets. Local residents also emphasise "ghost town" syndrome, which occurs with the mass exodus of students back to their family homes over the summer and at Christmas. Roger

bers. York St. John University told Vision that unlike the University of York, there are no plans to increase student numbers in the next ten years. However, York St. John are "more likely to build on fruitful private contractor relations", such as the Percy's Lane and Gray's Wharf developments, with private contractor Harrisons. York St. John further added that these developments have "received much praise from both students and local residents". The contrast with our university is remarkable. Although the University of York is, as a result of the Hes East development, planning to increase student numbers by fifty percent, there are "no future plans, with private contractors or otherwise, to create purpose built housing developments off campus for students in their second and third years". When asked whether they had liaised with York City Council on the forthcoming implementation of HMO legislation, the University

Local residents are unlikely to appreciate an additional 5% student houses.

tuof son't % 5 3 t s d dent k thase n i u h o t h be their l d u o w c e p t n o c a to n . able d e n t s u t s

By Rachael Healy

HOUSE OF HORRORS

ave r t n e e h d T stu r age i n g fo f o t a e r stat o f the a i r p e r ir house. the 6/10 is

responded simply, 'no'. U n f o r t u n a t e l y, when asked specifically how the University plans to house increased numbers of second and third years, no actual figures were disclosed. The most information available to Vision was that the University "have made Goodricke College attractive to second and third year students by providing a range of accommodation. A similar approach will be followed in future new colleges on Heslington East, as we recognise

pancy (HMOs) and to curb the number of houses and flats being converted to student accommodation- and part of that action includes Houses of Multiple Occupancy Legislation, which each local authority is responsible for implementing. In Nottingham, home to two universities, the council has already established a maximum threshold of 25% for student houses in any given area. In Newcastle, plans to construct purpose-built student blocks have been viewed as a way to force university students out of the neighbourhoods that they traditionally dominate. Although spreading students ever more thinly throughout a city, or separating them into council-flat style tower blocks, may ease the appearance of "ghost towns", can any homeowner honestly say they would be thrilled to find a brand-new block of 300 students living just around the corner? Judging by Vision's research online- very few. A casual browse through local websites reveals a number of forums in which York residents regularly vent about the existing presence of students in local communities. In the Badger Hill and Hull Road areas a number of residents claim that the amount of student accommodation "has long been a source of friction". One resident, calling themselves "Justice for York" felt the need to elaborate upon this point, complaining of litter, petty vandalism and noise, even going so far as to say "a lot of us here dread term-time coming round again".

The charges levelled at students include litter problems and too many 'To Let' signs.

TOO MANY STUDENTS? overnment legislation on HMOs (Houses of Multiple Occupancy), is being implemented across the country. This legislation requires that all student houses are granted specific planning permission. York Councillor Roger Pierce, of the Hull Road ward, who is also a former town planner, has suggested that no more than "one student let in any frontage of five houses" should be granted planning permission, in order to solve the perceived problems caused by student housing in the area. The Hull Road ward, with roughly one in six houses occupied by students, has therefore not, by Pierce's own reckoning, reached it's maximum capacity for student lets. Local residents are unlikely to appreciate an additional 5% of houses being used as student HMOs, considering the alleged problems caused by current student num-

Pierce, local councillor for the Hull Road Ward and former student at the University of York, uses the phrase when referring to areas with a high density of student housing. He also suggests that "older residents' concerns are twofold: the impact of students on social networks, and on the physical character of neighbourhoods". Students are accused of crimes ranging from threatening the future of local schools (we don't have kids so school rolls are falling) to tarmac-ing over too many street verges in order to provide parking. Earlier this term, Pierce personally leafletted the 547 student houses in the Hull Road ward. The leaflet, which encouraged students to 'introduce themselves to neighbours' and 'install conventional curtaining in ground floor rooms', however kindly meant, was described by one third year student in the ward, Marion Nutter, as "hostile and unfriendly - a victimisation of students". In many prominent university cities action is already underway to reduce the number of houses in multiple occu-

he thought of getting out of halls and moving into a shared house should be an exciting prospect for any student, it marks a new stage of independence and even mundane tasks like setting up bills adds to the list of valuable life experiences. However, this independence can come at a high price: the experience tarnished by greedy student landlords and letting agencies taking advantage of the naivety of young students. The usual deposit, of around £300 per student, whilst sometimes difficult to find for students on a basic loan rate, is a legitimate and sensible way for landlords to cover their backs in case of damage to their property (we students do have a wild reputation after all). It's at the end of the lease that problems arise- and unacceptably often. Agencies are known to charge ridiculous amounts for such minor 'offences' as not dusting bedroom doors and skirting boards. At the end of the last academic year Sinclair (reputed by York students to be the 'worst' agency) charged one house £30 for dusty curtain tie-backs. Rival agency IG Properties charged £50 per room for blue-tack marks. But do they actually pay for people to come and clean and repaint these things? Do they actually change locks once they've charged £100 for a lost key? The conditions of some of these houses on moving in day suggest that they don't. The harsh reality is that many landlords know that they are dealing with younger people who are largely unaware of their legal

LIVING IN A GHOST TOWN

GREEDY LANDLORDS CASHING IN

that second and third years help colleges to thrive". Whilst second and third years may well do this, the fact remains that the same student presence in local communities is often the somewhat unfair target of local tensions. How this can be resolved in the future, with the university admitting that there has been no consultation with the council on student housing legislation, remains to be seen. By Kelly Holt

Only studen48% of sider ts cons e l ve s them on good w i t h ter ms n e i g h their bours .

hink your house is bad? Spare a thought for these poor students... Sarah J contacted her letting agency when she found swarms of wasps outside her bedroom window, and a strange buzzing noise from within the wall. The estate agent's response upon hearing there were no wasps in the actual room? "What's the problem?"

Only after much persistence was pest control sent in, and a wasps nest found in the cavity wall insulation. Juan P complained to his landlord about the mould growing in his room after the previous tenants had used the place to grow weed. The landlord maintained that the best way to deal with the mould infestation in this Osbaldwick drug den was to simply gloss over it - in more ways than one. A group of female secondyears moved into their house

to find it already occupied- by thousands of small black beetles. Which made their way into everything from beds to cereal boxes. The landlord refused to send in pest control, deeming it "unnecessary and expensive." Instead he provided the disgusted girls with his personal hoover. Which barely worked. Job well done. Some third year boys moved into their house, which as one would expect, was fully built. Next door, however, was not. Their landlord said he was under no obligation to tell them about the building work on the next door flat, forecast to last six to twelve months, before

they signed their contract as it was "a separate property." The unfortunate boys spent their final year not only studying, but practically living, in the library. And spare your last sympathetic face for third-year girls who, when their shower pullswitch snapped, asked for a new pull switch. When the maintenance men came (two weeks later) they had to call in an electrician, who laughingly told the girls their shower had been mis-wired all along- and that it was a miracle none of them had been killed. By Philippa Hellawell

YORK VISION

16 FEATURES

Tuesday November 24th, 2009

"POLITICIANS WOULD RATHER BE DRAWN AS A LUMP OF SNOT THAN NOT DRAWN AT ALL" WILL WAINEWRIGHT speaks to Gerald Scarfe, the cartoonist whose savage depictions of political leaders have been attracting shock and acclaim for decades.

as one of the leading political cartoonists of the age, attracting shock and acclaim in equal measure for his crushing illustrated verdicts on the war in Iraq, expenses and, most recently, troop deployment in Afghanistan. Pulling apart the actions and motives

The role of the political cartoonist is to poke fun at our leaders while making a serious point

A LIFE IN PRINT

ith the expenses scandal, the economy and Afghanistan weighing heavy on the body-politic, it is fair to say that 2009 has not been a great year for politicians of any persuasion. One man who will not be complaining is Gerald Scarfe, for forty-two years the notorious political cartoonist of the Sunday Times and a man who will not be shedding any tears at the trials and tribulations of the political classes. Their plight has provided rich source material for his biting depictions of current issues, and he has no regrets about pillorying them so mercilessly either – “unfortunately many politicians would rather be drawn as a lump of snot than not drawn at all,” he says. “It means they are a person of note.” For years the scourge of Prime Ministers Thatcher, Blair and President George W. Bush, Scarfe has seen it all since his first cartoon was published on the front page of satire rag Private Eye in 1963. After being sent to document Vietnam by the Daily Mail (who often chose not publish his drawings which fully captured the horror of the situation) he began his career at the Sunday Times in 1967, fitting in numerous projects, including animations for Pink Floyd and the sketches in Yes Minister, in between. Scarfe’s style is marked by his often grotesque and deformed characterisations of politicians, a trait of his work some attribute to the severe asthma-inflicted pain he experienced as a child. In the meantime he developed a passion for art and drawing, and has carved out a successful career

of the political elite is a responsibility Scarfe feels keenly, believing the cartoon can satirise the elite far more powerfully than, say, an opinion piece. “The role of the political cartoonist is to poke fun at our so called 'leaders' while also perhaps making a serious point,” he says. “And they can make that point much more immediately – it takes two seconds to take in a cartoon.” The direct impact of the political cartoon should not be underestimated, although the thought and creative process that goes into each one is often a more long-winded affair. Though some, he admits, result from a sudden flash of inspiration, “the thought process may be a slow burn over several days.” The drawing of a cartoon itself takes anything from 3 to 8 hours to complete. Scarfe sees a strong future for political art in newspapers, despite the media’s movement to online. “Hopefully as long as there are newspapers there

The career of Gerald Scarfe 1963 - Starts to have cartoons published in Private Eye

will be cartoons,” says the artist, whose work was recognised by a CBE in the 2008 Birthday Honours List. “I don't see why the same shouldn't apply online.” His childhood influences were artists such as Ronald Searle, Andre Francois and Walt Disney, while the likes of Francisco Goya, Honoré Daumier, and Francis Bacon now inform his work. His vivid depictions have won him comparisons to the Victorian caricaturist George Cruikshank, while his unfailing ability to cast aside politicians’ pretensions and get to the heart of the issue in a single cartoon have led some to label him a “James Gillray” for our age. Though future generations will judge whether or not his work stands up to comparison with the great caricaturist of the French Revolution, Scarfe has undeniably had some pretty serious issues to pillory himself – but those are the ones he most enjoys. “I enjoyed satirising Mrs Thatcher, Tony Blair and George Bush – those who are involved in dramatic events,” says the cartoonist, whose violent artistic style has been criticised as crude and rudimentary by some over the years. “But I do certainly get bored with them after a while.” That style was most vividly on display during the Iraq War, when an apparently inhuman Blair was savagely lampooned with blood on his hands. Does Scarfe think the victims of his brutal caricatures take offence at their often gratuitously vile characterisations? “I doubt they do,” he replies, adding “I don't care if politicians take offence.” Furthermore, he agrees with former Conservative PM Ted

Heath that the satire boom of the early 1960s, which set the trend for the political satire that dominates modern political commentary, has contributed to the “death of deference in society.” “I think undoubtedly so,” he says, and it is not something he will worry about either. Scarfe is similarly unrepentant when I ask about his controversial recent Remembrance Sunday cartoon, which showed blood flooding down into the gutter from the wreath Gordon Brown was laying at the cenotaph. Hasn’t the Prime Minister – from the furore over his spelling mistake to the relentless public criticism of his personality – been put through enough public humiliation? “Unfortunately politicians feel it’s better to have some attention than no attention at all,” Scarfe blandly replies.

1967 - Sent to illustrate events in Vietnam by the Daily Mail. - Begins 42-year association with the Sunday Times. 1975-8 - Designs and directs animation for Pink Floyd The Wall concerts and film. 1980 - Draws cartoons for the opening credits of ‘Yes Minister.’ 2008 - Made CBE in Queen's Birthday Honours

Scarfe's recent cartoons focussing on troop deployment in Afghanistan have generated controversy

YORK VISION

LIFESTYLE

Tuesday November 24th, 2009

>Lifestyle

NO RTH KOR EA GOE S DO WN A-B OM B

Locked away from the world and vilified by the west, Paddy Harte describes his enlightening experience of this Eastern secret

Photos: Edwin Maher & Ian Bryne

hen we think of North Korea in the West, we think of a backward government and a people devoid of freedom because of their tyrant leader. But travelling through the country I found that politics didn't effect the good spirit of the people or the wonders of the nation. Travelling with Koryo Tours, a British company based in Beijing, I was booked onto a six-day package tour of North Korea But it became apparent at the airport that this was going to be no normal package tour. The group of 20 was an eclectic mix of people - one had stayed in the £200 a night Westin Excelsior the night before, another in a £3 a night hostel. One was a Newsreader for Chinese State TV and another was a co-operative farmer from West Yorkshire. We all had just one thing in common – a love of travel, no matter where. We took a flight with Air Koryo - an airline that was banned by the EU after it was rated one of the least safe flight operators. At customs we were given our first taste of Korean freedom, as we surrendered our mobile phones, books and magazines for a thorough in-

spection for any "sensitive material." The guy in charge of me leafed through every single page of my FHM magazine grimacing at some of the more ‘provocative’ images. This sort of thing is not exactly common in North Korea. Ironically, he didn’t even open my copy of Rousseau’s Origin of Inequality (somewhat politically provoking stuff about the value of freedom). Nevertheless, it was a poignant reminder that we were entering a country with a different conception of freedom to our own, a country where Westerners were viewed with a serious sense of suspicion. Our accommodation was in the 1000 room (and practically empty) Yanggakdo Hotel. Built on an island in the Taedong river and thus conveniently isolated from the rest of Pyongyang, the hotel was complete with a bowling alley, two spas, six restaurants (including one that rotated), a micro-brewery, a casino, a golf course and allegedly a brothel! But curiously there was never anybody on the golf course, the restaurants were deserted and despite this being the biggest hotel I’d ever stayed in, it was also one of the quietest. The dinner in the hotel, and in fact everywhere in North Korea, was not much to be desired – edible at best. It was a staunch reminder that even though we were eating in the best place we could, good food here was an absolute luxury. Luckily, there was plenty of beer! In fact, the local ‘Taedonggang beer’, which is made in a brewery that was shipped from the UK, was actually quite tasty. Our trip largely consisted of the sights of Pyongyang. These sights would always include a full guided tour by a dedicated Korean guide for that specific monument or attraction. These immaculately presented, and somewhat over-zealous individuals would always emphasise their love towards their “dear leader,” Kim Il-Sung, the much loved founding father and dad of Kim Jong-Il. Likewise they would always vent their frustration about the “American imperialist aggressors” and the brutality in the Korean war. It would be wrong to say that these expressions were some sort of façade; before independence

North and South Korea had been under Japanese independence and only after a bloody war with America did North Korea, under the leadership of Kim il-Sung, emerge ‘free’. This troubled history is deeply ingrained in Korean society. One of the most bizarre sights we saw was the magnificent mausoleum of Kim Il-Sung. Having had our shoes cleaned in special machines, we were slowly transported along 10 massive airport style travelators through giant rooms of shining white marble. There were countless gargantuan statues of the man himself, and the few windows that existed looked out onto a lake with white swans. And of course, just like Lenin, Ho ChiMin and Mao, Kim Il-Sung was embalmed and on display. We walked through a special blowing machine (to get the dust off us) and there he was. The whole place was full of North Korean people, dressed in the best clothes they had. They walked around mesmerized, speechless, straightfaced and in complete awe. They were in the presence of a man that most Koreans regard as a God, the man that liberated them from years of oppression. The highlight of the whole trip was the Arirang mass games, taking place in the largest seated stadium in the world. With 100,000 voluntary performers, it is said to be the greatest human spectacle on earth. The choreography of this perfectly regimented, largely gymnastic performance is a colossal attempt to show the unity of a communist regime. The backdrop is a huge collage of changing pictures, created by tens of thousands of welltrained school children simultaneously holding up different coloured cards. There was an atmosphere of ecstasy: the performers danced with pride, the audience watched in admiration – people were proud of what was going on. incredible these Despite sights, the most enlightening part of the trip was meeting the ordi-

nary Korean people. It's hard not to have a prejudice against a hostile nation, but the people were far different to my initial preconceptions. In the rare opportunities we were able to experience the real Korea, by walking down the street or visiting a local park (obviously always with our ‘guides’), the Korean people came across as very human. They smile, chat, relax, and, despite the language barrier, they would always try to communicate with us. As Peter Hughes, British ambassador to North Korea commented, ‘it is not a dark and evil place populated by demons, but a city inhabited by human beings who make the best of their lives in spite of the difficulties they face on a daily basis’. Koryo Tours, based in, and offer tours to North Korea from just two days to over two weeks. They are also able to offer students a 10% discount.

18 LIFESTYLE

CYBER ACTIVIST

Kate O'Loughlin: we only like politics on Facebook

hen a famous political philosopher offers to give you an exclusive lecture, you'd expect students might be able to give Gallery a miss for once and listen. Recently Noam Chomsky gave a talk on the Obama era and York was amongst 12 universities privileged to receive a live video link up to the event, pain-stakingly arranged by the University’s Palestinian Solidarity Society. The event was of international political significance, but it also offered an insight into the nature of student political participation closer to home. A small room in Derwent was provided for York students to view it - expectations were low all along! But, in reality, the turnout was even less than had been provided for. The room remained half empty for the entirety of the talk. But should we be more optimistic about the political awareness of York’s students, and say half full? Students have long had a reputation of not wanting to squeeze a little politics into their lifestyles. But given the nature of the lecture, maybe it is excusable - a mammoth two and a half hours including a question and answer session. But if we are apathetic, if we don't care that much, why do we always kid ourselves that we do? Ok, so going out drinking might be on the whole more fun than listening to Noam Chomsky discussing international affairs, but why don't we just admit it? Online we all seem to think we are political animals. A Facebook Event for the Chomsky lecture received no less than 125 students confirming themselves as guests. A quick click saying that you're planning to go to an event means you can be apathetic in politics but radical in your profile page. We like to appear intellectually curious and politically ethical in other people's news feeds - who cares if you don't actually show up? The tone of the lecture was quiet, Chomsky himself attired in a jumper and jeans. It reflected its earnest socialist message which championed the downtrodden Palestinians, oppressed by Israeli power bolstered by US support. The modest nature of the lecture was itself resistant to the arrogant political tactics and might of the world’s only superpower. But is this exactly what puts students off politics? Unfortunately, it seems York’s students are more attracted to typically American displays of power and grandness rather than truthful declarations of injustice and policy. Most of us tuned in to the US elections last year and watched the hyped BBC showdown with Britain's "most hated" man, BNP leader Nick Griffin. Chomsky suggested at the lecture that protest against US-British support of Israel should be directed at the military industry. But judging by the popularity of the BAE stall at the recent Careers Fair, more York students appear interested in working for an arms producer than protesting against them.

YORK VISION

Tuesday November 24th, 2009

SCHOOL OF LOVE

Rachel Knox is shocked to find a student online dating community...

few nights ago, in a rather inebriated state, my housemates and I placed an ad for a friend on an online dating site. It was drunken revenge for him not coming out, apparently he had a "9:15 seminar that I really can’t miss". We went the whole way; uploaded an innocent looking picture, described in detail his ‘fun-loving and caring personality’ and what he was looking for in ‘the one’. We had a good laugh about it at the time, but as with most drunken escapades I’d all but forgotten about it by the morning. That was until multiple emails popped up in my inbox the next day letting me know (we’d used my email address) that quite a few ladies had expressed interest in my friend who has since begged me to remain anonymous- lets just call him Chris*. Feeling a little bit guilty, I grabbed one of my equally responsible housemates to check out the middle-aged divorced women who’d fallen for Chris’ youthful good looks. Except these girls weren’t aged and wrinkled; they were young and some of them were actually good looking. There was a ‘naughtyJodie’ aged 21 from Leeds, a ‘han_579’, 20 from London, and a rather provocative ‘ontheshelf_09’, 21 from Newcastle. Now excuse my assumptions, but I always expected online dating sites to be for older generations too shy to get out and meet new people, or divorced fortysomethings looking for a second chance at love. I had no idea that young people were using these sites, or at least the

sheer amount of young people we found after a quick browse on one of them. Is online dating a good thing for those too shy to approach someone in real life, or is it simply defeatist? Just sitting in front of a computer instead of going out into the real world and meeting real people? Curious about this

confident students can chat and find comfort online. But it freaks me out that these students trust a website to give them ‘perfect matches’ when they could go out to the Courtyard, meet some new people and possibly find a perfect match for themselves, not to mention the obvious dangers of meeting people online. It seems a bit scary that some people let technology make their life choices. And isn’t university supposed to be the time of your life? A time for acting crazy, having fun and meeting friends you’ll know for life, not stuck in front of your laptop talking to God knows who online.

STAYING SAFE ONLINE > Choose a reputable sit

e > Keep your personal de tails safe > Avoid including your real name or location in yo ur username question, I searched the internet to see if there were any sites specifically dedicated to online dating for younger people. The search brought up more than I had expected and even several sites specifically for students looking for love. This was an even bigger revelation; a whole online student dating community, who knew? I’m torn whether this is quite sweet or just really weird. It’s nice that less

> If you're going to et up with someone youme me t online, tell a friend ily member who youorarfammeeting, where you ee going and when you ar ll be back. And always mewi et in a public place. > If you are being ra ssed on line save your coha ersations and contact thenvpo lice.

STUDENT STUNNERS GET THE LOOK:

Cardigan: Topshop Necklace: Vivienne Westwood Top: Topshop Jeans: Topshop Boots: Primark Bangles: Topshop

GET THE LOOK: Scarf: Topman Shirt: Jack Wills Trousers: Topman T-Shirt: Topman Shoes: Next

Sarah Azizi

Josh Allen

YORK VISION

LIFESTYLE

DRINKING MYTHS BUSTED HOT F

Tuesday November 24th,

Laura Pursey fills us in on which drinking rumours are actually true... or many of us students a big part of university life involves drinking. We spend as many evenings as we can out on the lash in various well known establishments such as Gallery and Tru, but do we really know all the facts about supposed hangover cures, our reactions to alcohol and the effects of the alcohol we're drinking? Here are some surprising facts and urban myths compiled to help keep you in the know.

Diet mixers get you drunk faster- TRUE

Research has found that mixing spirits with diet drinks such as Diet Coke resulted in lower blood-sugar concentrations than when mixing with regular Coke. Apparently sugar can slow down the absorption of alcohol. It’s good to know that a lower calorie mixer will help you reach the level of inebriation necessary before entering the sweat fest that is Ziggy’s.

Taking paracetamol before drinking helps your hangover- FALSE

Paracetamol increases the stomach’s absorption of alcohol, particularly when taken an hour or so before drinking. So if anything, it’s going to increase the odds of a hangover. It also makes the alcohol stay in your system for longer as your metabolism is a lot slower. This means I’ll have to try and find a new hangover cure to help me make it to those dreadful 9.15s.

The darker the drink, the worse the hangoverTRUE

Alcohol contains toxic compounds called congeners that cause painful mornings after. These are a result of the fermenting process; so, the darker the drink, the more congeners it contains. So ditching the whisky and ale and sticking with your white wine and vodka will leave you feeling a lot brighter after a Thursday night Gallery.

Mixing your drinks will make you more drunkFALSE

It’s the blood/alcohol ratio that determines how drunk you are. So mixing your drinks is no longer a solution for a cheaper, drunker night. It will not make you more intoxicated but will only leave you with a dodgy stomach and increase the chances of a sink full of chunder after consuming the greasy Efe’s you picked up on the way home.

Cheryl Colewe love seeing what outfits she comes up with every week.

Alcohol improves your sexual performance- FALSE

For some it may enhance your sex drive and even though you'll be feeling less inhibited and more confident that you'll be 'the best they'll ever have', alcohol is a depressant drug and numbs nerve endings. This makes it harder for certain things to go up and less likely that the ladies will reach that certain point where it’s all worth the effort. All that fumbling around will most likely leave you feeling embarrassed and full of regret rather than satisfied the next morning.

The Military boot...when politics meets fashion

Alcohol will make you feel warmer.- FALSE

You may think that pre-drinking before the freezing walk into town will help you beat the northern weather, but the truth is that alcohol actually decreases your core body temperature, regardless of the temperature outside. It can also increase the risk of hyperthermia. So be careful if you think you can hack the walk back to campus after a night out and be especially careful when thinking of rolling down Clifford’s tower naked.

At the end of the day the more you drink the drunker you get, and as we all know from experience this leads to a bad head the next day. However having a little bit of knowledge on what gets you drunk the quickest and what can help you ease the Thursday morning pain can potentially save you a few pennies and render nights out less detrimental to your degree.

JCRC elections coming up- who will be the new college celebrities?

HOLIDAYS ARE COMING! Maddy Potts analyses what your Christmas decorations say about you... to the kitchen to warm up a post-night out kebab might be though. The most stylish houses will predictably be those with one or more art students residing within. Effortlessly decorating a tree to resemble the perfectly polished displays in Marks and Spencer windows is not a gift that most of us are blessed with. So if you live with an artist, don't try to help; they know what they're doing and most likely won't appreciate your tinsel draping; they'll only rearrange it once you've left the room. Taking first prize for effort in the student stakes is the Traditionalist Household. A tree as large as digs permit decorated with plenty of red and gold tinsel, commemorative baubles from family holidays or Royal weddings, and a crowning angel (never a star) to literally

Christmas, sure we're excited but we have no money left to waste on presents!

top it all off. There will be no neon signs in the windows, but an extravagant and expensive wreath will adorn the front door. Expect History students within. But be you a pragmatist, a partygoer or a perfectionist, your priority, of course, is to outdo your neighbours. Don't delay; Christmas is coming, and York's goose population is quite frightening enough as it is!

The temperature- it's starting to get really really cold...

Homemade student christmas'! Do you have gold you no longer need? God those adverts are annoying!

Photos: Facebook

he time has come to dig out your stocking, set up an eBay account for those incoming "thoughtful" gifts, and prepare yourself for a whole day with the extended family. But before you even get home for the holidays it's necessary to transform your halls or house into a Winter Wonderland, a Seasonal Spectacular, and other alliterative clichés. Read on to discover what your bells and baubles reveal about your festive style. First, at the bottom of the effort scale, we have the "minimalist look." At home this may translate into a small white Christmas tree, a few silver stars and some tasteful yet trendy blue lights, but in the student world it's a bit different. Paper chains made from old newspapers (though never Vision of course) are probably the extent of decoration in these houses. But who wants to return to uni in January, bloated and exhausted from overindulging throughout the festive period, to a sparkly mess destined for the wheelie bin? No, jolly they may not be, but this is a house of pragmatists. Coming in second is the Party House, and its appropriately themed decoration. Think tinsel draped over the obligatory road signs in the front room, a Christmas tree of delicately stacked empty cans, and an obnoxiously large neon snowman/Father Christmas/reindeer in the backyard (stolen from a garden on the way home from Tru). Luckily Party House residents should spend most of the holiday drinking and sleeping, so the smell of those cans shouldn't be too much of a problem. Walking into it on the way

NOT

YORK VISION

LIFESTYLE

Tuesday October 27th, 2009

>Style

THE BEST OF BRITISH

Merryn Hockaday talks us through the creme de la creme of the UKs designer talent...

Giles Deacon

Who? Born in Darlington (not too far away from York), Giles started his selfnamed fashion label in 2003. In 2006 he won British Fashion Designer of the year. Where can we see him? Like so many of our home-growns, Deacon has bandied his label about on the high street as well; in July 2008 his collection ‘Gold’ was launched in ‘New Look’. Most famous for? Drawing a picture of a budgerigar in a Rolls Royce: weirdly this is how his career started, it was this very quirky picture which caught the people at Bottega Veneta’s attention and paved his way into the fashion industry. Associates with? Briefly dated Sophie Dahl, buddies with Agnes Dean who also models for him, and Drew Barrymore has also been involved in some of his advertising campaigns. What’s the style? Creative padding, prints and pop culture. He says... "My designs are slightly subversive in their way; it can be in the cut, or the colour, but they're always obtainable”.

Alexander McQueen

Who? Eastender and son of a cabbie, McQueen has been described by British Vogue as the ‘quintessential bad boy made good’. He was once a solo designer but now has 51 percent stake in Gucci. Where can we see him? EVERYWHERE! He has designed everything from wedding dresses to sports label ‘Puma’; he has literally done it all. Most famous for? He once embroidered a suit for the Prince of Wales with the words "I am a c**t" (in the lining)...what a badass! Associates with? Whitney Port from ‘The Hills’, Lady Gaga What’s the style? A combination of British tailoring and French couture. His collections are pretty eclectic lurching from one extreme to another; in his time he has designed billowy and romantic dresses as well as sharp angular pieces. He says... McQueen is proud to be a British designer: "In London there is a fantastic pool of talent coming through the colleges. We are the fashion world's incubator".

Vivienne Westwood

Luella Bartley

Who? Made her catwalk debut in 2000. The dudette of British fashion: she now lives in Cornwall with three kids and a surfer husband. Where can we see her? Kate Moss and Lily Allen are big fans and are regularly seen sporting one of Luella's prom dresses. What’s going on at the moment? The fashion label is currently seeing some hard times as a result of this nasty thing called the ‘recession’. Luella's lost her financial backing but this does not necessarily mean the end of British sensation. Associates with? Alexa Chung, Pixie Geldof and Anna Wintour were all in attendance at her runway show at London fashion week this September. Will her style endure? A label which has been described by American Vogue as ‘the poster child for London cool’ can surely find another backer. Luella has been around for almost a decade and provided us with what she described as "the kind of clothes you can get drunk, and fall over in"...long live Luella!

Who? The stalwart of British fashion designers; she has been designing clothes since 1971. Westwood is a huge Anglophile and her patriotism pervades into her fashion line. Where can we see her? Her clothes may be niche but her popularity is such that there is a Vivienne Westwood shop in almost every city; we are lucky enough to have one in York. Her collections are a global sensation and may be seen at every fashion show. Most famous for? Using fashion as a mouthpiece for her politics. In 2005 she made baby T-shirts which stated ‘I AM NOT A TERRORIST please don’t arrest me’. She also designed Carrie Bradshaw’s SATC wedding dress....it was a beauty! Associates with? Everyone wants to be her friend because she is cooler than cool; she used to dress the Sex Pistols. Style? Described as the ‘mother of punk’, Westwood's clothes are designed to complement the female form but also bring an edge to clothing which is often sacrificed by designers in the pursuit of flattery.

BLAST FROM THE PADS! Sarah Woods puts the spotlight on this new trend. Are shoulder pads really back..?

y immediate thought when I picked up a top recently and felt the shoulder pads inside was to put it right back down, without even trying it on. Since then, I have noticed tops and dresses with enhanced shoulders everywhere. Celebrities are wearing them, magazines are telling you to buy them and high street stores are selling them. So are shoulder pads making a comeback? Shoulder pads are a fashion trend from the 80s that make many people cringe; this was definitely my initial reaction. But then I remembered that a lot of us were shocked when skinny jeans returned. Does this mean we should give shoulder pads another chance? After all, the new shoulder designs are a lot more desirable than those of a few decades ago. Shoulder pads are ‘in’, but this doesn’t necessarily mean you have to actually wear shoulder pads. Many tops and dresses have detailing to the shoulder without actually having shoulder pads attached. Sequins or stud detailing to the shoulders can still draw atten-

tion to your outfit without enhancing your shoulders and giving you an undesired, broader look. H o w e v e r, if you feel you want to go for Denim the full on statement Dress- £45 shoulder, then go for Miss it in style! RememSelfridge ber to choose pieces that are in fashion now, and not to go looking through Sculpted your mum’s old shoulder wardrobe. Lipsy lace dresshave done a fantastic £55 Lipsy range of exaggerated-shouldered dresses that will make you look and feel stunning.

Structured shoulders can transform your shape, and give you a more sophisticated, edgier look. For example, a black body con dress could stand out a lot more by adding shoulder pads or simply a few ruffles. Whatever you choose, you’re going to be bang on trend and look a lot more striking. Embelished The shoulder-padJumperlook has changed from £40 what it used to be back in Topshop the 80s (thank god!) and it looks good. Structured shoulders give you a sexy silhouette, perfect for those nights out coming up as we approach Christmas. Maybe they won’t stay around forever, but for right now, they’re back.

LIFESTYLE

YORK VISION

Tuesday November 24th 2009

GO-GO GADGET

veryone remembers being 8 years old and desperately wanting a ‘Tamagotchi. I remember mine, it was green, transparent and the coolest thing I owned. Since then, things have moved on; we’ve bought Baby-G watches, scooters, the Nokia 3310, iPods…and now? What are the techy must-haves of today?

The Apple Macbook

If your going to buy a new laptop for uni or if your looking for an upgrade from your old, battered Dell, then look no further. The Macbook has one of the most recognisable designs in technology, it’s sleek, simple and of course, has that little apple that lights up on the back of your screen. In a really OCD way, one of my favourite features of the design has to be the sockets on the side which are organised in ascending order of size. It may be a bit more expensive than your regular laptop but it’s user-friendly, efficient and, above all fashionable. An enviable sign of coolness that will make you stand out in the library.

Everyone has an iPod and although the iPod earphones are iconic themselves, all the cool kids these days are sporting a chunky pair of hard-core headphones. Apart from the obvious gain in sound quality, industrial headgear now comes in many shapes and sizes from Panasonic retro headphones to Skullcandy skaterstyle one’s. Skullcandy have a great range of funky designs and colours, including fur lined ones to keep your ears warm during the cold Yorkshire winter. These headphones look great on the ski slopes too.

WINTER WARMER'S

Earphones£79.95 on skullcandy. com

Blackberry

There are so many iPhone-esque touchscreen phones out there and, although I do love most things Apple, touch screen seems a bit pointless. Call me old-fashioned, but I would way prefer to be punching a keyboard than delicately swiping a screen. Apart from the general aggravation of continually getting numbers wrong or misspelling words, especially when inebriated, touch screen is just not tactile enough and leaves me harking back to my old Nokia. This is why I’ve plumped for the Blackberry: it’s like a mini computer! Like any modern phone it has internet, a 2mp camera, mp3 etc. Design wise it’s neat, compact and of ficial-looking. The mini trackball and keyboard make texting and calling much easier and faster; definitely preferable to stroking a screen.

Digital SLR camera

Although not ideal for quick snaps at parties or in clubs, digital SLR cameras are all the rage for self-fashioned 'creatives'. The photo quality is so much better than your average point-and-shoot, plus you can mess around with effects, interchangeable lenses and, if your feeling really artistic, Photoshop your pics after. SLR’s have been coming down in price recently and many entry-level cameras start at around £300 making them the perfect Christmas present.

Blackberyprice differs between stores and contracts.

Camera£2,750 at the Sony York Centre

SANTA'S LITTLE HELPER

Zoe Pinder gives us a guide to the perfect presents this Christmas

Sarah Woods gives the guys a few tips on winter fashion... ot all men enjoy shopping and some even find it a chore. Luckily, Vision is here to help. With these few vital pieces in your winter wardrobe, you wont need to hit the shops until spring. Winter '09 is all about the chunky knits, so head to Topman or Zara and invest in a thick, knitted cardigan. This great piece will stop you shivering while you’re out and about during these cold months, and keep you bang on trend. Layering is always a good look when done right, so select your items carefully to avoid over doing it. Too much and you can end up looking like the Michelin man. Try teaming one of a chunky cardigan with a scarf; this makes the perfect winter outfit. A vintage scarf will look great, so why not try asking your dad or digging out one your old ones from a few years ago? If this fails, many high street stores have vintage imitations for around a tenner, or you could even try a few

Emma Blake shares which gadgets will be on her Christmas list this year...

Skull candy earphones

Macbook £650 with student discount in all Apple stores

charity shops for a real bargain. With rain and copious duck poo is a given during a soggy winter at York, keeping your feet dry and cosy is essential. Plimsolls from last summer just won't cut it, especially if there’s snow on the ground. Grab a pair of military style leather boots. G-star has a fantastic range that will last you for years to come, or head to ASOS .com for a more affordable version. A pair of brown, black or grey laced, leather boots are perfect for a sophisticated look for both day and night. If you think that leather boots may be a bit too formal for you, then get yourself some hi-tops. They’re sturdier than regular trainers, so will stand through the test of these wet winter days, plus you can get them in a wild range of designs and colours. Nike has got loads of great hi-tops; trawl the internet for some really unique ones. Remember, wrapping up to keep warm doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice your style. A few key pieces will have you looking up to date with this season’s trends. Get shopping!

Nike Trainers£69.99 nike.com

hristmas is fast approaching and it's never too early to start thinking about what's going on your wish list for Santa or what you're going to buy for someone special. If you are looking for the perfect fragrance or make-up set, there are some gorgeous gifts available on the high street. With many discount nights coming up in local high street department stores such as Debenhams and Fenwick, there's also the opportunity to bag up to 20% off your festive purchases. Perfume is a massive seller at this time of year and shops are piled high with luxurious sets complete with accompanying lotions and shower gels. Marc Jacobs has recently brought out his new "Lola" fragrance, which comes in a unique vinyl flower topped bottle that would look stunning on any girl's dressing table. The floral smell is laced with top notes of red grapefruit and geranium. Smooth Vanilla undertones linger on the skin for hours and compliment this soft feminine fragrance perfectly. A 30ml bottle of this perfume is £21 which seems reasonable for such a high end designer scent. Quirky cosmetics company Benefit have also produced some Nail varincredibly girlie nish- £15, gift sets that would Boots be great for any make-up bag needing an overhaul. The "Celebutante" set stands out as it contains the full works, with a Marc cheek highlighter, Jacobs Perfumetwo powder blush£21, Boots es, two eye shadows, two lipsticks and a lip gloss, so you will be short of nothing when creating chic party

looks for the festive season. With its retro 50s glamour-inspired case, you will be sure to get complimentary glances whenever you whip it out of your bag. Nail colour is also the perfect accessory for any party outfit or simply to perk up an outfit on a dull, grey day. Cult brand Nails Inc has created a collection of winter hues in limited edition crystal capped bottles. The colours are very versatile with deep plum "Henrietta Street", blueberry "Bow Street" and delicate pink "Warwick Avenue", so will match any outfit all year round. The bottle will catch the eye of any girl who likes sparkle. Although the paint is a bit pricy, it's worth investing in this quality varnish that won't chip or go tacky easily. The polishes make perfect stocking fillers. For those who are looking to really indulge this year, iconic hair company GHD have brought out a limited edition version of their classic straighteners. These are fairly expensive but are the best you can buy if you want your hair really straight and sleek. The limited edition black and silver baroque design makes this styling tool look even more stylish than its original predecessor. The set comes complete with GHD travel hair dryer and heat resistant mat, meaning that it will be easy to create any this season's striking styles.

Benefit Cosmetics set- £29.50, Boots

YORKLIFESTYLE VISION

HALLOWEEN HOW-TO! >Sport

Tuesday November 24th, 20099

YORK VISION SPORT

Tuesday October 27th, 2009

Emma Blake takes us through the steps to a perfect Halloween look...

s Halloween is approaching it's time to start wacking out the face paint and the black capes. Halloween shouldn't be about looking pretty or hot, you should look as scary as you can. When I go out this Saturday, I would be happy if people were mildly repulsed by the way I look. Don't get me wrong, this is the style section but nothing is more stylish on Halloween than to look as scary as hell!

Face-painting is the key. Honestly, you can't go wrong by putting on a bit of white face paint and making dark circles round your eyes. Last year with the release of 'The Dark Knight' many people opted for the 'joker' or 'two-face' look. There's nothing scarier than a clown and it couldn't be easier. There's loads of videos on Youtube about how to make the most of a bit of facepaint and a wig. It may look a bit tricky but if you don't feel

YORK 1STS 10 NORTHUMBRIA 1STS 12

YORK 1STS 87 LEEDS TRINITY 1STS 60

YORK COCK-A-HOOP OVER STORMING VICTORY BY JOSH MANGHAM

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PHOTO BY DANIEL GILKS

te a bat costum YORK'S BASKETBALL dence. ow to crea H black Initially shocked by York’s 1STS continued their good in e to to ad he 1) Dress form to record a comfort- bright opening, Leeds Trinity of blackvelvet piece uaresoon A sq s: able 87-60 victory against were fighting back, reng wi ur s: 36 yo g ye tin 2) Crea price in Bo a good possession rivals Leeds Trinity onat gaining and cound this fin ic. 'll br fa ou k (y l ac ea bl r id is othe to exploit the use any Wednesday. quickly if not, tering Wingspan deodramgate,York) Go liner!commitment nteam’s bi a ys York were quick out of the home wa al e's e er th , at th ty pin thto ng ili Fa racing to a 13-4 lead d to safe t a frien Ge s. blocks, attack. Drawing fouls tohe win m ar of re h gt (w p to s on len ur nd yo pe of ck e bathrows, with less thanth two minutes free Leeds , started to th aterialof em e of stics attach elathe iddl hair in bon or back them1st quarter played. Using getting game and rib g in us , en th ur wrists. yo label is) e to l th ia er of the first matend e the the ball well when inrnpossesquarter sof thby er co p to test dur he sto e otquick to win it back,withey wing 21-19. thand your in nd sion were leading e th el fe d a flap an ve Ha York were playing with confiThe second quarter saw rability. both teams evenly matched. pray till th hairs e withough dousYork d was whoag took ir anIt ha ur yo ged b m co h ug dr away 3) Back going thro e initiative, the breaking e'r (w le ib ss irpo ha od go a e it's as big as Us look).through the second e midway ards kw ac eb dg lik he a we flat, halftime through fallreach ir will to your haquarter spray otherwise 48-30 ahead. After the intere hold. Tresemme freez val York assumed control,k. a mas te skill crea with the of eyeliner to paint orimpressing black to e th l al 4) Use black face ge an Ch their shot making, Marcus . re fla r fo er l! Add a bit of glitt a devi Johansson played well d you're was d a tail an e a hidelik up g red, add horns an sin es in his forward role. dr t ou ab re su ly going finaite If you're a bit un your de The was formalat match remember th ur not yo if t gh ous monster, just ni ay the end of the third turd Saby out onity e on d od e th to be quarter. The final score 87-60 dressed up!

PHOTO BY DAN BIRCHINALL

confident enough why not ask an artsy housemate to do it or just practise before-hand. The Snazaroo facepaints are the best and although they seem a bit pricey for just one night,trust me, with all the socials lined up in the year you're bound to use them again. Plus you could always split the cost with a friend. If your really feeling the pinch, a good selection of eyeshadows can do wonders.

Witch costu me£20 amaz on co.uk .

l 10 Devi me- £ t cos u o Tesc

LACROSSE DROP POINTS IN THE DYING SECONDS BY DANIEL GILKS

MEN'S LACROSSE ENTERED their mid-week game against Northumbria desperately in need of a win to end a spell of three consecutive losses. Enduring poor visibility and constant rain York were unable to show off the fast paced passing and aggression that typified last term’s Roses victories. Hard work would be the order of the day and York would not be found wanting. Dracula £10 e- York For the cmost part ostum o stayed leveleswith their T c northern rivals. Ending the third quarter with scores tied at 9-9. Early in the fourth quarter, reduced to 15 minutes due

to bad light, this stalemate extended to 10-10 in a game which could have gone either way. Unfortunately York conceded a quick pair of goals late in the day for which they had no response. The final score of 12-10 to Northumbria did not really reflect the state of play, at least not for the majority of the game. York could be forgiven for feeling hard done by in this fixture with contributions of 4 well earned goals from both Paul ‘Yank’ Crowley and Rob ‘Emu’ Cosslett to give hope to the team of a long over-due victory heading their way in the near future.

24 SPORT

YORK VISION

SPORT SPOTLIGHT

Tuesday November 24th, 2009

UNIVERSITY OF YORK NETBALL CLUB

VISION'S JOSEPH MCDERMOTT TRAVERSES THE GENDER GAP WITH A TENTATIVE FORAY INTO THE WORLD OF UNIVERSITY NETBALL... came into fruition. The training session, we were told, would start with an hour of fitness and then an hour of netball practice. Within mere minutes of starting both Lund and I had broken into an uncontrollable sweat. We gasped for breath and struggled through the rest of a demanding fitness session led by the club’s own Sarah Fisher. The exercises seemed very appropriate for Netball with an emphasis on balance, stamina and strength training. It was a level of professionalism that I’ve rarely encountered in university sports teams. After speaking to president Elizabeth Cowell it was obvious where this professionalism comes from: this is an ambitious bunch of girls. When asked what the best and worst aspects of the game are she was quick to answer ‘winning’ and ‘losing’ respectively; this was clearly a group of girls who played to win. Cowell cited their Roses win as her club’s greatest achievement and assured me that all three teams will be pushing for promotion this season. The fitness session was followed by a series of practice matches which the girls graciously let us join in. Teams have seven players, each with their own specific job and areas of movement. I took the GA (goal attack) which I assumed was a link up role

between GS (goal shooter) and C (centre) while Lund was given WD (wing defence), a position he felt to be ‘lacking in glory’. As the game started we were left bewildered by the speed of the sport, one lapse of concentration and the game could move from one end to the other. My confusion was never more obvious than when I caught the ball and in among the shouts of ‘shoot’ I panicked and lobbed the ball about five foot over the top of the net. Sadly this was just one of my many horror misses, and after seeing the seeming ease at which GS Claire Dinan could find the net I realised that netball is deceptively difficult. With the firm guidance of Centre Becky O'Dwyer, Lund and I were able to pick up the basics and move about the court without getting under everyone's feet. I even scored a goal! There is something wonderfully British about netball, the fast and furious pace in the middle of the park contrasts with the no-contact ruling and creates a sport that has all the virtues of passion without the problems of aggression. There is so much more to it than first meets the eye and to accuse it of being nothing more than a 'softer' version of basketball is to do the sport a great disservice; netball is a stirring mix of speed and skill.

PHOTO BY DANIEL GILKS

NETBALL, DESPITE IT'S reputation, is a fast-paced and highly technical test of skill, balance and endurance. Only a fool would call netball a girl’s sport. Until earlier this week I was that fool. It’s no surprise that I had no real concept of netball. I spent my formative sporting years outdoors, segregated from netball and braving the cold northern winters with the other lads. We would wade through the mud and snow all the while casting jealous glances towards the warmth of the school sports hall where the girls would seemingly stroll around the netball court without so much as breaking a sweat. It looked like such an easy ride. When it was suggested that I take part in a UYNC training session in preparation for my article I was unfazed. My contact on the team suggested that it was going to be ‘a lot of work’ and that I should take a friend for ‘moral support’. After ringing around the Vision team (most of whom were busy, did they know something I didn’t?) I was finally able to convince Halifax football captain Mark Lund to join me, he too was a netball virgin (understandable given his Rotherham upbringing). As we walked towards the sports tent we discussed the possibility of hitting the gym after the session. I think it’s needless to say that these plans never

"THERE ARE TOO MANY F***ING CUSTIS' IN THIS WORLD" VISION'S DANIEL HEWITT TALKS MEDIA POWER WITH SHAUN CUSTIS, THE SUN'S CHIEF SPORTS WRITER AND THORN IN THE SIDE TO FOOTBALL'S ELITE...

AS A CHIEF Football Writer of Britain’s top selling and most widely read newspaper, the influence Shaun Custis wields over the world of football means his work is read by players and managers as well as millions of football fans. In reference to both himself and his brother, Neil, also a sports writer for The Sun, Alex Ferguson once remarked that 'there are too many fucking Custis’ in this world' (after Neil was mistakenly banned from Old Trafford for an article Shaun had written). But such heated reaction comes with the territory for Sun journalists. My naivety had led me to believe that working for a newspaper like The Sun surely meant that the big sports stories would be easier to access and information easier to acquire, but my assumption couldn’t have been further from the truth. 'It is the opposite,' Shaun tells me, 'When managers and players speak to The Times or The Guardian they think they are going to get an easy ride. But when The Sun rings 'WALLY WITH THE up they often run a mile, a call from us BROLLEY' AS THE can make people jump.' Previously a writer for The People SUN FAMOUSLY DUBBED MCLAREN and Sports Editor at the Daily Express, Shaun Custis is used to being a point

of criticism for players and managers. Sir Bobby Robson famously invited Shaun down to the Newcastle United training ground to explain his comments after he had written an article in which he noted that Newcastle needed four changing rooms at St James’ Park to cater for the number of different cliques within the squad. As a Geordie, he was surprisingly unhurt by Sir Bobby’s attack.

"THE FANS COMPLETELY TURNED ON MCLAREN... IT WAS VICIOUS" 'You have to have a thick skin. You soon realise that people will attack you, that people will ridicule you on radio and television. Sir Bobby had a different view on things that I did, that’s just different interpretations If you believe that what you’ve written is correct then you can handle the criticism.' It isn’t just managers and players then that have to shake off criticism. 'Gordan Strachan can make you look stupid at press conferences and Managers like (Sir) Alex Ferguson will know everything that’s being written about him and his team in every newspaper by 8am and you have to deal with that. I know Rio Ferdinand very well and he has got a lot of stick of The Sun in the past and he understands... he doesn’t like it, but he understands that’s just the way it is.'

And that is the way it has been for a host of players and managers in recent years. One cannot fail to forget The Sun’s treatment of Steve McClaren during his reign as England manager, calling him such names as ‘Maccy Mouse’ and ‘the Brolly Wally’. For Custis however, it all boils down to whether newspapers lead or follow public opinion. 'We often get criticised for getting stuck into a manager, but it’s often nothing compared to the stick he’s getting of the fans. One of the most uncomfortable games I have ever been at was when England played away in Andorra under McClaren and we were drawing 0-0 at half time. The fans completely turned on McClaren and it was vicious. As a journalist hanging around the England camp you can see how players react with the manager and we only write what we see.' But is all this talk of newspaper influence and power becoming slightly dated? The authority of papers such as The Sun has undoubtedly shrunk in recent years as the numbers of copies being sold has fallen as more and more of us turn to the web for our daily dosage of news. 'The Internet undoubtedly provides newspapers with a serious challenge,' he admits, 'But those who talk of newspapers dying in the next twenty or thirty years ignore the fact that The Sun for instance sells three million copies a day, each copy being read by on average three people, meaning nine million read what we write every day. Yes there is shrinkage, but the fact is people still love reading newspapers. The question is how we can work with the Internet, and how we do it without losing money?'

YORK VISION

SPORT

Tuesday November 24th, 20099

Judo

WELCOME TO THE DART SIDE VISION'S MIKE REGAN CHATS TO SPORTING LEGENDS BOBBY GEORGE AND SID WADDELL AND ASKS: WHAT NEXT FOR THE SURPRISINGLY SCANDALOUS GAME OF DARTS? A GLANCE AT the event schedules for some of the country's largest arenas is a sure fire way of gauging the tastes of the nation. It is a concise summary of just what makes the punter part with their hard earned cash to perch uncomfortably, with their heroes just a hazy mirage on the horizon, in arse breaking seats. There are grand-gesturing comedians (Michael Mcintyre), mass popularity talent shows (Strictly Come Dancing), and renowned divas (Whitney Houston). And then there is darts. One of Britain's most simple and popular pub games and 20,000 capacity arenas seem on the surface to be a rather uncomfortable fit. Not only because the wisdom of parting with in excess of £30 to squint at something little over two feet in size, seems a little questionable, but also because an arena environment seems to quash what made darts popular in the first place. Yet there has always been an element of the spectacle about darts, firstly it inherently lacks the professionalism often expected of those who make a living from sport. Yet that is because it is a show, an exhibition, in which the action is not necessarily the key component of the viewing experience. Bobby George is one of the more notable names to have taken to the Oche, yet he does not have a world championship title to his name. His popularity is rooted in his showmanship - 'I felt the game needed a bit of sparkle and razzmatazz. So I wore a medallion'. Whilst wacky celebrations or outlandish hairstyles may make a footballer a cult hero, it is ultimately his ability that defines his popularity. This is where Darts differs and continues to swell its fan-base, because it is not merely a sport, it is a show and a spectacle in the same way that it's arena filling compatriots are. As such darts is remarkably different in character to any other sport. Firstly, to state that darts players are not subject to

the same physical requirements as other top sportsman, may seem like a case of stating the bleeding obvious. However the extent that alcohol consumption plays a role in the game is somewhat surprising. The protruding guts of professionals are evidence in themselves of prolific drinking in between matches. Yet Sid Waddell depicts a game in which boozing and even outright drunkenness are an integral part, 'Even Phil Taylor has two or three pints before going on. Or maybe a couple of double vodkas'. Having paid extortionate amounts to watch dart's events, do supporters not deserve to see the very best competitors at their peak? Then again standing alone in front of thousands of people, with only three glorified pins for company, may warrant a pre-match tipple. A mid game drink is also apparently commonplace in the game, according to Waddell, 'There are drinks marshals who give the players a drink in the break'. Whilst darts' rule book states that 'No alcoholic drink shall be consumed or introduced into public areas during televised match play', it seems that during commercial breaks, off the stage, alcohol consumption is perfectly allowed. In any other sport these would be rather shocking revelations. With darts this is not really the case, neither does it really matter, for darts is a sport that exists primarily to entertain the viewing public. Some of Waddell's tales of on stage inebriation could entertain the most hardened of critics - 'Jockie Wilson played a match drunk, a semi final in 1985. Shook his opponents hand and then fell into a drum kit'. This to me is where darts widespread and long standing appeal lies. Yet perversely the down to earth, no nonsense, intimacy that established darts popularity is under threat by its new found status as an arena phenomenon. According to Bobby George 'There are positives and negatives when you have large audiences. Just like there are in football'. These negatives however seem to

"THE GAME NEEDED A BIT OF SPARKLE... SO I WORE A MEDALLION!"

PLENTY OF PINTS: Phil Taylor, a legend of the game. multiply as darts grows in popularity. My revealing conversation with cult commentator Sid Waddell consists primarily of a series of enthralling anecdotes that portray a sport that thrives on the way it relates to the audience. 'In no other sport would you get the world's 8 best players going at it in a nightclub'- and he has a point, the proximity of the audience to the action and the essential part they play in the spectacle of a live darts match is what maintains the popularity of such a seemingly unfashionable pub game. Darts' growing popularity has lead to the usual lucrative television contracts and promotions deals. Darts however is a game blighted by a 20 year rift, described by Bobby George as 'a bad divorce that has been dragged through the courts'. The game is split into two governing bodies; the PDC, boasting Phil Taylor and Raymond Van Barneveld, and the BDO of which Bobby George remains the face. Whilst the PDC dishes out millions of pounds in prize money week on week the BDO represents 'County darts marketed as international darts' according to Wad-

dell. In reality it is a split that epitomises the conundrum darts faces- how to balance its romantic working class roots with money spinning popularity. Waddell puts it down to 'A North-South divide. Bunch of cockneys getting one over on the Northern lads who were at the top of the game'. These 'cockney' heads of the BDO controlled international darts before this acrimonious fall out and the forming of the PDC, a debacle that grew out of the tension between those that 'Just wanted MBE's and trips to South Africa', and the entertainers who play the game for a living. The tension represents the uneasy place in which darts continues to sit on the British sporting landscape. It has achieved mass popularity as a direct result of the intimacy that allows fans direct, personal access to the world's top players. Yet that very quality is in danger of being destroyed as the sport becomes an arena mainstay.

"EVEN PHIL TAYLOR HAS TWO OR THREE PINTS BEFORE GOING ON!"

THE WIT AND WISDOM QUIDS INN WITH VISION'S TIPSTERS OF SID WADDELL... “The atmosphere is so tense, if Elvis walked in with a por-

FANCY A PUNT ON THIS YEAR'S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS? VISION'S PINT CHART WILL TELL YOU ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW...

JAMES WADE

tion of chips, you could hear the vinegar sizzle on them” “When Alexander of Macedonia was 33, he cried salt tears because there were no more worlds to conquer... Bristow's only 27.”

“The players are under so much duress, it's like duressic park out there!”

The current squeeze of soccer siren Helen Chamberlain, he may be a Carling to her Jonny Walker Black Label, but he is a darting contender.

PHIL "THE POWER" TAYLOR

RAYMOND BARNEVELD

JELLE KLAASEN

Taylor will be such an odds on favourite for the title that you would have to bet a bottle of Moet to get a shot of Corky's. It really is hard to see him not making it World Championship number 15.

A man who has perhaps drunk more than most of late. According to Waddell he spent all night in the bath after an abject defeat. A fallen giant of the game, a second PDC title would be a shock.

Described as a darting 'pin up', solely by virtue of being healthy. Klaasen may not be the last to leave the bar but his good form may well see him reach the small hours of the world championship.

26 SPORT

YORK VISION

Tuesday November 24th, 2009

COLLEGE NETBALLTHE SEASON SO FAR...

BY MARYJA MORRISON

SNOW TIME FOR SLACKERS

CONTINUED FROM BACK PAGE...

With a bit more luck, the male skiers could have achieved equal success but some bad luck unfortunately halted their progress. James Lodge and Matt Thomas completed the tough Slalom course, coming a credible 74th and 100th respectively. The event pits 32 of the top university skiers around against one another in a round robin format. Having comfortably progressed through the rounds York's captain faced the best that Napier University had to offer in a tight and tense finale. A key factor in her success is surely Neuner's drive to achieve near perfection, even in reflection of these wonderful achievements she told Vision, 'I was not satisfied with my runs. Then again I never am'. Evidently her attitude is rubbing off on the rest of the YUSnow squad who continue to represent York at the highest level, to the highest degree. On her victory Neuner told Vision 'I could not believe I won, it was one of the best feelings ever.' she went on to add 'I could not stop smiling for the rest of the day'. This event may not have added to York's BUCS points total, but this victory represented a further coup for one of York's most successful Sports clubs and secured a Gold medal to boot.

CLASH OF THE TITANS: The Title contenders played out an entertaining draw.

PHOTOS BY MARCUS ROBY

OVER THE PAST 7 weeks ladies across the University have been competing at College level in a number of matches (both friendly games and Cup Competitions). Currently Halifax are at the top of the 1st’s score-sheet with Derwent hot on their heels. Particular praise goes to the Derwent GA (goal attack) and GS (goal shooter), who on a good day hold an exciting accuracy, bagging a point just about every time the ball enters their semicircle, and the Halifax WD (wing defence) and accurate GS, who are quick on their feet. Following Derwent stand Alcuin, Goodricke and James; near enough neck and neck at the moment. Whilst Alcuin have a tall 1st team and dominate by using overhead passes and winning most of the rebounds, James have a fast athletic team using the space of the court to a standard that I have not often seen in College netball. At the other end of the table Langwith and Vanbrugh are trying to stay off the bottom. Although they should have enough to deliver the goods. With extra shooting and marking-up practice I look forward to seeing them climb higher! Vanbrugh dominate in the College Netball 2nd’s league, followed closely by Halifax and Wentworth, Alcuin, Derwent, Langwith, Goodricke and James respectively. The girls have consistently braved the Sports Tent's chill to produce some memorable games.

ALCUIN 3 DERWENT 3 BY STEPHEN HOLCROFT A THRILLING COMEBACK from Derwent denied Alcuin a vital victory in the quest for college football glory. With both highly tipped at the start of the season, both sides were left firmly in the hunt for this term's accolade. Inside the first minute, Alcuin took the lead - Joe Cooper scoring from close range having been fed through by Parris Williams. The lead was doubled half an hour later, a clinical attack in which captain Miles McDermott headed the ball down into Williams path, who on the edge of the penalty box, wriggled away from his marker and slid the ball beyond the Derwent keeper. Derwent refused to let their spirits drop, and immediately found themselves a lifeline. Anton Murphy, earlier booked for unprofessional behaviour, played in Chris Barnett who advanced beyond both of Alcuin’s centre backs before firing home past Michael Wynd. But MOTM McDermott soon restored the two goal lead minutes later when a long throw wasn’t cleared from danger and he was on hand to make it 3-1. Derwent managed to peg another back with 20 minutes left – Murphy played a ball back across the box, and connecting on the volley was James Pinkstone. Suddenly Alcuin looked vulnerable, the defining moment of the match was to happen moments later as Barnett unleashed an effort onto the bar from over 20 yards, only for Murphy to pounce and beat a stranded Wynd. There was time for even more drama when substitute Matt O’ Connor looked to have won the game, but the referee judged a foul in the build up to the goal. As it was, the scores remained 3-3, as Alcuin were made to rue letting slip a comfortable 3-1 lead.

HALIFAX 3 WENTW'TH 1 BY JOSH MANGHAM A SECOND HALF revival by Halifax saw them run out 3-1 winners against a spirited Wentworth side. In a frantic opening ten minutes that saw tackles flying in from all angles, spectators’ cries of 'Bosh him!' seemed to have been taken on board by the players. This combative approach helped to give Wentworth the lead on ten minutes. Attempting to defend Seamus Kent’s dangerous corner, a Halifax defender could only turn the ball into his own net, leaving Wentworth’s surprised players to celebrate an early lead. With Wentworth’s central midfield pairing of Heiner Nian-Kang and Seamus Kent winning the battle in the middle of the park, control of the first half was theirs. It could have been even better for the bottom side before half-time when, clean through on goal, winger Samik Datta was halted by a dubious challenge, with the referee choosing not to penalise the last man and wave play on. Then two minutes into the second half the Wentworth winger squandered an open goal. Wentworth would come to rue these two missed opportunities, as the half-time break seemed to rejuvenate Halifax, who equalised in the 50th minute with an unfortunate own goal from an otherwise impressive Nian-Kang. Seizing the moment, Halifax went ahead two minutes later as striker Tom Ragan pounced on a through ball to round the keeper and put his team 2-1 up. Wentworth failed to recover from going behind as Halifax increasingly stamped their authority on a game that was now taking place almost exclusively in Wentworth’s half. The embattled team, although showing admirable work ethic, never looked like scoring, and it came as no surprise when Tom Ragan secured the win for Halifax fifteen minutes from time.

VANBRUGH 2 JAMES 2 BY DAN HEWITT FOR A SIDE languishing at the foot of the table, one would expect to see a conservative approach from Vanbrugh. But last year's dull, long ball tactics looked a distant memory as they engaged James College in a thrilling 2-2 draw. In a hotly-contested first period it was the men in Green who began the brightest. Jonny Grout and Phil Taylor controlled the game from the midfield, spreading the ball quickly wide to Clarke and Stanier whose pin-point crosses continuously threatened a shaky James defence. James were finally made to pay as some sublime football from the Greens split open the James defence for Parkinson to tap in. A second soon followed as Vanbrugh again played the ball superbly into the box and after an error from the James keeper Parkinson added to his goal tally with another simple finish. Despite Vanbrugh's domination James were able to level the score with two quick-fire goals from University striker James Offord which sent the two teams into half-time on even footing. The second period was as entertaining as the first. Both teams went in search of a much-needed win as Vanbrugh continued to play their slick passing football and James ventured forward in numbers led by the ever-present Johnson. A Vanbrugh defence that conceded five against Halifax last weekend grew in confidence, and some superb last ditch tackles from Dan Radford continued to sabotage a series of James attacks. Though James will be frustrated with only a point, it is the Vanbrugh camp that should feel the most hard done by, though the team should be encouraged by such positive football against a team dominated by university talent.

YORK VISION

SPORT

VISION: N0.1 FOR COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Tuesday November 24th, 2009

HALIFAX GO TOP AS GOODRICKE STUMBLE

Having been in fine goal scoring form last week, University Second team Captain Ben Smith offered a sign for things to come as he spurned an easy chance on twenty minutes. And his profligacy was punished just minutes later as Langwith took an unlikely lead. A venomous drive skidded off the wet turf, and with Goalkeeper Ed Foster only able to parry, Tom Grimes was on hand to slide the ball home. To credit this victory as purely down to Langwith's drive and commitment would do them a dis-service, for it was the men in yellow who played the more eye catching football in the first half, whilst Goodricke struggled to find any rhythm at all. And

despite having a blatant penalty turned down by a referee to whom the old adage 'if you can't say anything nice don't say anything at all' would be best applied, Langwith persevered to add a deserved second.

DAN HEWITT VANBRUGH CAPTAIN

INSPIRATIONAL Just five minutes into the second half, Langwith's inspirational skipper Bruce Starkey was played through and supplied an ice cool finish to deliver a fine example to Smith and Silson, a pair whose radars were askew all afternoon. This despite having plenty of chances to rectify it, not least in the final quarter of the game, as Goodricke exerted near constant pressure in a desperate bid to save face. Fittingly it was a poor decision from the beleaguered official that handed Goodricke a root back into the game. Having seen Ed Silson's shot drift wide, the referee inexplicably pointed to the corner flag, and having forced another corner, Dave Coupland headed Goodricke a lifeline. From here the barrage on Langwith's goal began, wave after wave of attack was repelled by a spirited Langwith, whose keeper pulled off three stunning saves to deny a frustrated Goodricke. Despite riding their luck late on, Langwith fully deserved a win that kept them in fifth place and left their future opponents in no doubt that for once they are not just here to make up the numbers.

PHOTO BY MARCUS ROBY

MARK LUND HALIFAX CAPTAIN

SUNDAY JAMES V WEEK 7: 11AM GOODRICKE

"Where are the Churchills of college football?"

AGONY: Another chance goes begging on a frustrating afternoon for Ben Smith

PHOTO BY MARCUS ROBY

SPURNED

JOIN THE DEBATE! "By the start of next term every college player will be scared of us..."

BY MIKE REGAN SO OFTEN BELITTLED and derided in these very pages, maybe, just maybe, Langwith are no longer the College Football whipping boys. A heroic defensive display was enough to condemn previously unbeaten Goodricke to a shock defeat. In truth Goodricke got what they deserved, having turned in a display that lacked both commitment and quality. If the lacklustre nature of Goodricke's performance was a surprise, then Langwith's new found defensive steel was equally eyebrow raising. Their spirited resistance in the face of a late offensive barrage meant they finished the game battered and bruised but deservedly victorious.

FOR COMPREHENSIVE COLLEGE FOOTBALL COVERAGE VISIT

HALIFAX

DERWENT

VANBRUGH

ALCUIN

WENTWORTH

LANGWITH

Tuesday, November 24th 2009

Issue 202

INTERVIEW: BOBBY GEORGE'I'M THE ORIGINAL DARTS PIN-UP'

YOUR #1 SOURCE FOR ALL UNI SPORT

YORK ON THE BOARD YUSNOW DELIVER AGAIN AS YORK BAGS FIRST BUCS POINTS OF THE YEAR BY MIKE REGAN FRIDAY 13TH WAS anything but unlucky for Flagship York Sport club YUSnow as they secured York's first BUCS points of the year with a series of stunning performances at this years British University Dry Slope Championships in Edinburgh. The two day event is one of only two BUCS events for snowsports teams, and is attended by over 800 students from all over Great Britain. Marlies Neuner, YUsnow’s Snowboard Captain, who finished 10th last year in the Female Snowboarder Giant Slalom, came 2nd in this year's event, claiming 8 individual points for York. A result that qualified her to take part in the Boarder X event – an event including a downhill section, a jump and a slalom course – the following day, which she went on to win. Tom Farrow also qualified for the same race in the male category. There were also encouraging signs for the future of the club with first year StephanieCampbell Woodward only just missing out on qualification for a second run in the Slalom , coming 33rd in of a field of over 200 female racers.

ALL SMILES: Marleise with her medals

CONTINUED ON PAGE 26

NO LET UP IN COLLEGE THRILLS AND SPILLS THE COLLEGE FOOTBALL LEA Pos.

BY JOSEPH MCDERMOTT NO WEEKEND OF college football would be complete without a glut of goals and at least one shock result. This week was no different: every team managed to find the net at least once and the perennial underdogs Langwith severely dented the title hopes of a previously unbeaten Goodricke team. Meanwhile a draw between Alcuin

and Derwent allowed Halifax to go top as they came back from 1-0 down to beat a poor quality Wentworth side. At the bottom of the table Vanbrugh and James played out a thrilling 2-2 draw as both teams searched for that elusive first win of the season.

Team

1 HALIFAX 2 ALCUIN 3 DERWENT 4 GOODRICKE 5 LANGWITH 6 JAMES 7 VANBRUGH 8 WENTWORTH

GUE TABLE

P W D L GF GA GD Pts.

4 3 1 4 2 2 4 2 1 4 2 1 4 2 0 4 0 2 4 0 2 4 0 1

0 0 1 1 2 2 2 3

12 3 9 12 7 5 14 8 6 10 6 4 9 10 -1 6 9 -3 5 13 -8 3 15 -12

10 8 7 7 6 2 2 1