York Vision 204

NOMINATED: GUARDIAN STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE YEAR 2009

TUESDAY February 9th, 2010

ISSUE 204

vision@yusu.org

spice up your valentines

- Scene -

superbowl special

- lifestyle -

- sports -

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lightspeed champion

YORK VISION EXCLUSIVE: CANTOR IN SHOCKING ADMISSION

VC PREDICTS DARK TIMES AHEAD

BY MARTIN WILLIAMS AND EMILY FAIRBAIRN

BY MARTIN WILLIAMS

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waste o A " : g in y b b lo Political

A GLOOMY future for York has been predicted by Vice Chancellor Brian Cantor.

Student costs will rise and funding will drop, but the University top dog says he is unlikely to fight to protect us.

In an exclusive interview with York Vision, Cantor said: "My assumption is that there will be further cuts coming... we will have to go back to the drawing board and see how we cope with those."

But he refused to promise to battle with the government, branding political lobbying a “waste of time”.

Funding cuts have already damaged the University, with recent controversial cuts to the porter service. Cantor admits that the changes have made students feel insecure, saying there

is “a feeling that there’s been a deterioration.”

Despite this, Cantor refused to set a limit on how bad crime on campus would have to get before he would consider reinstating the porters. He said: “Obviously we work within a very constrained financial position.”

Cantor insists that the administrators will find a way to cope with the University’s dismal prospects but admitted: “it’s hard to adjust to”.

He predicts that the months after the upcoming general election will be “more challenging”.

Criticism that he is not in touch with student feelings over the issues have also been refuted by Cantor. However, he admitted that student negotiation with him was “not normally the most effective method to achieve things”.

FULL STORY PAGES 14 -15

PLUS: JAMES COLLEGE IN THE FIRING LINE: A JOKE TOO FAR? PAGE 5

2NEWS

YORK VISION Tuesday February 9th, 2010

STUDENTS SHOW SUPPORT FOR BURMESE ACTIVISTS

NO MONK-EY BUSINESS YOUR WEEK "I've lost my friends, I'm aware of that."

- Aww, Mr Cantor, we'll be your friends!

GOOD WEEK bad week GOOD WEEK

rag

Your week is here, enjoy it!

BAD WEEK

CARNAGE

You ain't welcome round here anymore

the number cruncher 2

Members of James College who attended a recent party as the Fritzl family

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The amount of hours PantSoc lost parading round in tights due to Central Hall cock-ups.

2,527

Pounds raised by Haiti fundraisers on their sponsored walk

Join the debate online!

Your constant source for everything York: www.yorkvision.co.uk Contact us: vision@yusu.org Cover Photo of Brian Cantor

by Tony Bartholomew

BY TOM MCDERMOTT SEVERAL STUDENTS on campus dressed up as Burmese Monks and were taken captive by a mock military junta as part of an Amnesty International demonstration last Friday.

The protest, which took place between 12 and 2pm, when most people would be on campus, aimed to raise awareness about social injustice in

Burma by having a group of soldiers arrest the group of monks and then holding them captive in an area of campus.

The students were inspired to stage their demonstration out of respect to members of a group of Burmese students who, in 2007, were arrested and imprisoned after attempting to criticise the government of Burma. They also wanted to bring the issues of ongoing night raids, arbitrary arrests

CLAUDIA CONTROVERSY

BY JACK KNIGHT FURTHER ATTENTION has been brought to the Claudia Lawrence investigation.

Arguments have erupted on the “Missing Person – Claudia Lawrence” Facebook group.

The group, currently with over 24,000 members, dedicated to promoting and aiding the investigation into the missing University of York employee has been the scene of disagreements between small numbers of members.

Fractions have arisen over the almost daily updates of two or three members who would post messages of support to the Lawrence family via the group.

Other group members have then commented on these multiple posts accusing them of being unhelpful to the campaign and

attempting to discourage their publication.

The police investigation into Claudia's disappearance continues.

and appalling detention conditions to the forefront of people’s minds with the hope of eventually bringing an end to the oppression of innocent people in Burma.

Chair of York's Amnesty International society, Ashley Holding, told Vision: "the response that we had from the student population was great, most people we talked to on the day were very positive about the campaign and we

managed to gather hundreds of signatures for the petition."

He also emphasised that students still have an important part to play in such campaigns: "It's important not to underestimate the value of a demonstration such as this.

Activists who are fighting for their rights in Burma can, and do, see images and reports of these events, and are inspired to keep on their struggle for freedom and democracy."

Photo from Amnesty International

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

RECORD ROW

BY ANGUS HILL YUSU HAS hit out at the proposed University policy of forcing students to request permission to record lectures a week in advance.

The current system of letting lecturers know of any potential recording in advance has come under fire for making things unnecessarily difficultespecially for disabled students.

The critique comes amidst YUSU and University plans to make lectures available as video podcasts.

"This wouldn't be an issue if all lec-

tures were recorded, and to me, this doesn't sound like it's going to really make life easier for disabled students,” argues YUSU Academic Affairs Officer Charlie Leyland.

In the recent YUSU "Get Techie, Get Sourcey" student survey an overwhelming majority of students support this idea, as well as another proposal of materials being available in advance.

"If you are an international student with language difficulties, or have disabilities, or simply would like to better prepare for your lecture and not spend it frantically writing notes then this would help you," Leyland adds.

The final decision on the matter is left to the University’s Teaching Committee.

Guardian Student Newspaper of the Year 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2007 Tuesday February 9th, 2010 Editors: Paddy Harte Tom McDermott

Deputy News: Kate O'Loughlin Paul Virides

Deputy Features: Fran Salino Josie Cridland

Deputy Editors: Nicola Chapman Jack Knight

Comment Editors: Megan Graham Jack Stanley

Lifestyle Editors: Merryn Hockaday Katy Roberts

Scene Editor: David Elliot

Deputy Comment: James Masters Jamie Riley

Deputy Lifestyle: Zoe Pinder Maddy Potts

Features Editors: Chris Craddock Laura Cress

Style Editors: Emma Blake Sarah Woods

News Editors: Daniel Goddard Milana Knezevic

Deputy Style: Helen O'Brien Helen Turnbull Sports Editors: Stephen Holcroft Josh Mangham Deputy Sports Jon Cook Photo Editor: Marcus Roby

Webmaster: Edward Hartwell Goose Web Editors: Andy Nichols Jim Norton Managing Editors: Angus Hill Kate O'Loughlin 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 February 9th, 2010

Photos: Flickr

SOMEONE CALL THE PIGEON DETECTIVES

FFFF STUDENTS LIVING in campus accommodation have recently found themselves besieged… by hoards of pigeons looking for a way out of the cold!

Several students living in James College have reported seeing pigeons trying to break into their rooms, or after being away, finding them

already there.

One student, who returned from Christmas to find three pigeons making a home out of her duvet told Vision, “I now seem to live in constant fear of pigeons; I know they’ll be back!” Another student, who refused to be named for fear of retribution, described his initial reaction upon seeing two pigeons settling on his window-

sill as feeling, “very scared and alone.”

The University is aware of the problem, stating that “like most birds when unexpectedly in a confined space, they panic.

Students should close their room windows when they are out or away.” YUSU tells Vision they are confident that the University has the appropriate measures in place to deal with

the issue.

Although it’s unclear if this problem is widespread on other areas of the campus, for the moment residents of James College seem determined to keep their windows firmly shut in the future.

The University further reassures students that, "Pigeons are highly unlikely to be aggressive."

CHARITY WALK FOR HAITI PROVES HUGE SUCCESS

BY NICOLA CHAPMAN CHARITY WALKERS were overjoyed this week to learn that they had raised over £2500 for the Haiti charity walk, Vision can report.

Chris Etheridge, one of the organisers of the event, told Vision: “The walk was a great success, I just want

to say congratulations to all those who took part and helped to raise such a substantial sum of money.”

Twenty six charity volunteers took part in the walk, which started at Market Square on the Sunday of Week 3 at 9.30am.

It saw the participants walk a grueling 28 mile route.

The walk was completed by all at 9pm, little under 12 hours, including 3 hours of rest time.

The total amount raised from the appeal so far is £2527.23, which beats the £2500 raised for the Gaza Appeal last year.

When asked by Vision about how long he intends

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SU h YU Whic as been h Sabb d "Big le l e l ab twin" Bird's incone by on u o u s c spi mem YUM ber?

to continue the campaign, Etheridge stated: “I will keep the appeal running because the clear-up operation for the disaster is set to take a very long time.”

Donations can still be made on the walk’s Facebook page.

Photo: Facebook

GREATY NEWS FOR HAITI

(AIR)WAVES OF SUCCESS

BY PAUL VIRIDES

> Startled student: "I now live in constant fear of pigeons!"

BY MEGAN GRAHAM

Photo: Facebook

JAMES COLLEGE UNDER SIEGE BY AGRESSIVE BIRDS

3

FOURTH YEAR French and Linguistics student Edward Fisher is to launch a radio show that will simultaneously be broadcast on URY and in France.

In addition to being with URY since 2006 and hosting international music show “Front-ears”, he was able to present a show on French radio station Fréquence Mistral during his year abroad.

Now the show will be aired in both countries from Week 6 of this term. Fisher will present alongside János Bene, Delphine Pedeboy and Maksymilian Fus Mickiewicz.

“Once we’ve perfected the formula of transmitting from URY to Mistral, I intend to work with selected DJs from the French station to produce a more two-way project,” says Fisher, speaking exclusively to Vision.

URY will be rebranding itself during Week 6, including launching a brand new website and an on-demand service.

The station will also be aired in V-Bar and the Roger Kirk Centre.

Celebrations for the re-launch will include a broadcast from Vanbrugh Stalls each day as well as various other events.

“As the longest serving member currently at the station, still continuing with study in York, I can honestly say the station is significantly more proactive this year than any previous year during my time here. This year it is genuinely exiting to be a part of University Radio York,” he concludes.

All New Front-ears” is broadcast on Sundays at 6pm-10pm, available online or at 1350 AM.

SAB ATTEMPTS TO CHANGE LEY OF THE LAND

BY JACK KNIGHT YUSU''S ACADEMIC Affairs Officer Charlie Leyland has announced an electoral campaign to become NUS Vice President of Higher Education.

If successful the former York Psychology student would have a key role in heading the National Union of Students publicity campaigns.

Leyland has stated her aims as defending students' rights, making "NUS even more efficient and relevant to students" while not simply paying "lip-service to the principles that you hold dear".

She points to her time and experience in YUSU as a key electoral strength, claiming to have "completely rebuilt" the course rep network, "restructured and strengthened" student/staff relationships and reviewed all student central services. Leyland also plans to release her election manifesto tomorrow morning which will contain all key ideas and promises.

Speaking exclusively to Vision, Leyland said she was "overwhelmed by the support of York students". The Facebook campaign has already achieved nearly 400 supporters, counting YUSU officials among them.

4NEWS

YORK VISION

Tuesday February 9th, 2010

VISION INVESTIGATION: CARNAGE ABUSE UNIVERSITY REGULATIONS

student press

CARNAGE INVADES CAMPUS

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

"COWS FART more at higher temperatures" The Leeds Student reports.

A new study published by postgraduates at Edinburgh University claims that methane emissions rise as a result of higher temperatures on the earth as opposed to being a natural consequence of global warming.

The data was supplied by NASA and the European Space Agency, enabling the researchers to work out wetland emissions of methane from different regions.

It is hoped this discovery will help scientists to predict future climate change.

A-bus-ive

STUDENTS OF Sussex and Brighton Universities have got into a heated Facebook fight over the topic of bus routes.

Two Facebook groups have been created, each arguing that the No 25 bus routes should change, so it gets to their campus first and thus prevents lateness to lectures and seminars.

Malicious comments made on each group means it remains to be seen whether there is any seriousness in the debate, or just some harmless banter.

No-vote for Veg THREE COLLEGES at Oxford University have adopted ‘Meat Free Mondays,’ where students (all of whom live in catered accommodation) are automatically registered as vegetarian for the day, writes Cherwell.

However, the scheme hasn’t taken off in all colleges, with some voting avidly against it.

The movement was started by Paul McCartney in order to highlight the environmental impact of the processes used in order to farm meat. The scheme has been adopted by Brasenose, New and Jesus College.

Broad-banned THE MUSIC-SHARING website Spotify, which has taken the world by storm, has been banned across Oxford University, reports Cherwell.

The measure came after claims that at peak times, bandwidth limits meant that internet speeds were dramatically reduced.

Spotify have said that they are making efforts to have the ban lifted, and fear the debate at Oxford will spark controversy at other universities. Cambridge has already moved to assure students that they will not be repeating the measure.

Paul Virides

BY PADDY HARTE

A VISION INVESTIGATION can exclusively reveal that Carnage bar crawl Tshirts were being sold – against University regulations - on University Property, specifically in Vanbrugh Stalls, a society promotions area, which explicitly rules out ‘selling for profit’.

Owned by Varsity Leisure Group, a profit making company, Carnage has already come under fire from YUSU who in November stated that they were, “disappointed to see Carnage coming to York once again”.

However, the University appears to have failed in stopping Carnage sales reps as they abused Vanbrugh Stall regulations, flogging off Carnage T-shirts on the Friday of Week 3 from 1pm-3pm at Vanbrugh Stalls. They have even set up a Facebook event to advertise their sneaky antics.

One third year onlooker told Vision, “It was very puzzling. We all know that YUSU have frequentlt condemned them in the past

but they were still sitting there happily selling off these t-shirts. I thought: how in the world were they allowed to sell tickets, when Vanbrugh stalls are strictly for use by student, non-profit organisations?”

Unsurprisingly, through its investigations Vision has learnt that Carnage was never actually given permission to sell T-shirts anywhere on University property. In fact the person in charge of Vanbrugh Stalls, Vanbrugh College Administrator Georgina Heath, protested “there was NO advanced booking for this group” and that “as a non-student organisation we would not book stalls to them”.

Vanbrugh provost David Efird has also expressed his discontent, declaring that he was “shocked that Carnage would abuse this service so flagrantly”, heroically adding that, “ I, myself, pass by the Stalls regularly, and I will keep a very sharp eye out for Carnage. Should I find them there, I will ask Security to escort them off the Stalls”.

Georgina Heath additionally stated that, “Having looked at the Facebook group you [York Vision] mentioned, the people who have posted messages about selling Tshirts at York University are actually students here”.

Vision can in fact confirm that the Facebook event set up to publicise the sales of Carnage T-shirts in Vanbrugh stalls, were in fact set up by University of York students,

YORK'S LAST CARNAGE EVENT

Photo: Rachel Knox

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who for legal reasons cannot be named.

YUSU has hit out against these actions claiming that they are, “disappointed that Carnage York are breaking the advertising and marketing regulations on campus”.

One Sabbatical Officer even told us that his kitchen was filled with carnage posters, and that he “ripped them down” whenever he saw them.

When we presented our findings to Carnage, the organization reacted unapologetically, refusing to answer any of our questions - instead their entire statement read, “Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention.” When Vision asked for clarification of this, Carnage cowardishly remarked, “You appear to have misunderstood. We have acknowledged your email”.

PEOPLE AND PLANET SOCIETY EGG ON COSTCUTTER

AN EGG-CITING DEVELOPMENT

BY CHRIS CRADDOCK AND LAURA CRESS FOLLOWING A RECENT petition proposed by People and Planet Society, Costcutter have agreed to explore the option of selling only free range eggs, Vision can report.

However issues of free choice have put a stumbling block in the campaign's path.

Jackie North, Regional Operations Manager, has openly embraced the idea “providing that we don't get people saying we're forcing people to buy dearer eggs, and not giving them a choice."

The coordinators of the campaign, however, take a slightly different approach.

Krysztof Garstka, a leading member of the campaign stating that "I do agree that right of choice should be respected but when this causes pain and suf-

fering then it is an inferior issue."

One second year PEP student disagreed with this approach, “I think that the whole idea is ridiculous, if I want to buy caged eggs or if I want to buy free range, it’s my choice – nobody has a right to impose this on me. “ Despite these concerns, North has further stated that she "can't see a problem" with stopping the selling of battery farmed hens and that could easily be a change in shop policy very soon.

The issue is however at the mercy of a UGM proposal which calls for the union to mandate for the prevention of caged hens' egg sales on campus.

Luke Capps, a member of People and Planet Society, does welcome the idea of hearing other people's opinions, stating that:

"It'd be great to have a debate.

Debates such as ones about abortion have such strong arguments on both sides - but at the moment this isn't much of one."

If all goes to plan, People and Planet could see their campaign reach fruition as soon as at the end of this week, but the members are keen to state that this is only one step in their ambitious plans.

"The other big area is farmed animals such as pigs and cows that also are kept in terrible conditions," explained Garstka.

"There's still a lot of stuff for us to do, we won't have time to get bored!"

Voting for the UGM starts this Tuesday on the YUSU website.

Tuesday February 9th, 2010

5

ALL THE A BAD TASTE IN THE MOUTH FUN OF THE FAIR HYPOCRITICAL REVELLERS DRESS UP AS INCESTUAL RAPIST JOSEF FRITZL

YORK VISION can exclusively report the shocking revelations that two members of the James College JCRC attended a ‘Good Taste’ party, dressed up as “Austria’s best dad and daughter of the year”; with costumes implicitly mimicking that of the monster Josef Fritzl and the daughter he kept captive for 24 years.

This is despite the JCRC voting in favour of changing the theme of the event, formerly ‘Bad Taste’, and insisting in their promotion that attendees DO

NOT dress offensively.

One of the two JCRC members, whose names cannot be revealed for welfare reasons, have spoken exclusively to Vision, defending their actions and defiantly claiming that “we did this to prove a point”. The two also blasted the University’s actions in the affair as “ridiculous”.

The JCRC had been deliberating for weeks on the theme, initially deciding on ‘Bad Taste’ at their first committee meeting last term.

Following a Vision article in Week 2 highlighting the controversy surrounding the event, and rumours that some attendees were intending to dress as Madeleine McCann, YUSU Welfare Officer Ben Humphrys, had expressed his concern that the event would garner national media coverage if it was allowed to go ahead. Humphrys urged the University to cancel it if they could not “guarantee that they wouldn't pursue disciplinary action against either the attend-

ees of the proposed "Bad taste" event or the JCRC as a whole”.

However Heslington Hall refused to commit to any protection of student’s welfare, resulting in an infuriated Humphrys accusing the University of giving the JCRC “a rope with which to hang themselves”.

Instead, one JCRC member, who prefers to remain anonymous, told us that Jane Grenville, Pro-Vice Chancellor for students, “spoke to James College Chair, Tim Green and explained that the proposed guidelines for the event, including censoring students at the door, would be untenable.” Furthermore, it is alleged that Grenville warned him of the risk connected to national media picking up the story.

Though the College was granted permission to go ahead with the event if they so wished, the JCRC concluded that it was not

worth the risk and the majority voted to change the theme to ‘Good taste’.

Clearly however, this proved ineffective.

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please contact the open door team (opendoor@york.ac.uk)

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Photo: The Sun

STUDENT FURY AT CENTRAL HALL DOUBLE BOOKING

CAUGHT WITH THEIR PANTSOC DOWN > Producer: "It's disgraceful!"

BY MILANA KNEZEVIC PANTSOC AND YUSU have blasted the University for their handling of the double booking of Central Hall.

The mistake was uncovered on Monday morning of Week 3 when members of PantSoc found chairs and tables still out in Central Hall when they should have been cleared out for the dress rehearsal of their latest offering, Dick Whittigton.

The double booking led to serious disruptions for the society, as their first performance on Thursday was effectively a technical and dress rehearsal combined.

“Despite having to stay late every night, we hadn't had time to fully iron out all the technical details, so it wasn't the

BY KATE O'LOUGHLIN

A SECOND YUSU fair was held on Saturday 30th January and exceeded expectations with a turnout of approximately 1,200 students.

Though the first YUSU fair attracted some 6000 people, its successor was purposefully designed to be smaller, giving students a chance to meet with society representatives, rather than just sign up for mailing lists.

Rachel Hesselwood, YUSU Volunteering Officer, praised the fair's achievements: "we had over 85 new, enthusiastic volunteers sign up, and had the chance to talk properly and engage with people interested in what we do".

The societies were relying on the fair to bring in the membership figures required to get their grants and ensure their survival.

The fair also provided them with the opportunity to promote and sell tickets for their events, thus bringing them much needed funds and interest, as well as giving societies the opportunity to collaborate with one another to create joint activities and volunteering projects.

The event's success has therefore helped the University's societies continue to thrive despite continued worries over society funding. This has been encouraged throughout the term by YUSU's use of smaller society forums.

Rhianna Kinchin, Student Activities Officer, commented on these changes: "The whole society structure is becoming a lot more joined up and accessible at the moment.'We Are Golden' in Week 6 will pull it all together even more".

Photo: Rhianna Kinchin

BY DANIEL GODDARD

Photo: Rhianna Kinchin

NEWS

YORK VISION

NEW MAGAZINE HATCHED

BY KATE O'LOUGHLIN smoothest performance, to say the least. The cast were absolutely amazing and did everything perfectly, but it wasn't exactly the first night we'd hoped for” producers Anna Shaw and Alice Woodhall told Vision.

YUSU’s Student Activities Officer Rhianna Kinchin was equally disappointed in the University’s handling of the matter. “PantSoc did everything right in booking their rehearsal time and event in Central Hall months in advance,” She told Vision. “The University unfairly plonked an exam in there only a day or so beforehand.”

Initially thinking there had been some sort of misunderstanding, PantSoc contacted both portering and Room Book-

ing. They were eventually told that there was a chemistry exam booked for the following afternoon.

“The worst thing is that, besides the woman who initially answered the phone at Room Bookings, we've had no apology from anyone whatsoever. I think it's disgraceful that the performing societies get treated with so little consideration,” said the panto’s producers.

YUSU attempted to help PantSoc to work around the exam, but the rights of the Chemistry students also had to be taken in to consideration. A change in the schedule so close to their exam, would likely lead to serious disruption for the students.

In a statement, the University told Vision that the double booking was due to a mistake in the annual block booking of rooms for examinations. “University staff did their utmost to minimise disruption to PantoSoc. The University regrets any inconvenience that may have been caused.”

Kinchin, however, has expressed her displeasure at the university’s apparent lack of respect for their agreed, strict room booking procedures.

“YUSU and PantSoc were given no choice but to accept the University's last minute decision, but we have made it clear that they should not disregard students' booking forms in this way again.”

A NEW CAMPUS magazine has recently been established. The Yorkling aims to cover lifestyle, comment and culture.

The Facebook group for the new publication explains that it will "combine humour, fashion, women, men, dating and York". The group, which already has over 300 members, is being used to attract writers, designers, advertisers and fundraisers.

Though the magazine is still in its early stages of production, it does have sufficient funding in place to go ahead. Once in circulation, the publication will add to the University’s reputation for campus media.

Its potential success will parallel that of The Lemon Press, another publication that has shown it is possible to start from nothing and rival the University's established media.

6 NEWS

YORK VISION

ELECTION RUMOUR SPECIAL: WHO'S DOING WHAT?

Tuesday February 9th, 2010

WHO'S NEW FOR YUSU?

WITH LESS than one week to go until nominations open, there are already several names in the running for the majority of the YUSU sabbatical positions; the theme of which will be Sesame Street.

In what came as a surprise to many, Tim Ngwena recently confirmed he will be campaigning for a second term in office. He will face tough competition from Union Council and former Labour Club Chair David Levene. Matthew Freckleton, one half of the student team behind York Student Market, has also confirmed his intention to run for the role. No other names have been officially confirmed. However Women’s Committee Chair, Ellie Thomas, is also rumoured to be interested.

Ben Humprys, Jason Rose and Matt Bailey have all confirmed that they will be running for Academic Affairs Officer. (Current Welfare Office Ben Humphrys would, if elected, be the first person to switch between sabbatical roles). Jason Rose, as YUSU Campaigns Officer, is versed in the election process. Nevertheless having lost to reopening nominations in the Langwith JCRC elections for Ents Rep, it is evident Rose

is a divisive figure on campus. ChemSoc Chair Bailey, who confirmed his candidacy exclusively to Vision, is undoubtedly the least prolific out of the trio.

LGBT officer Elanin Vince is also rumoured to be considering the role.

York Sports is looking likely to be a three horse-race between Sam Asfahani, Rob Newton and Adam Shergold. Former Langwith Chair Asfahani has a diverse CV, counting American Football President and York Sport Development Officer among his achievements. Newton is the current Hockey President and can count on much support from his club at the ballot box. Shergold is Sports Editor for Nouse and has won Lifetime York Sport Membership for his sports coverage. He is, however, not involved in playing sport at a University or College level and, in addition, failed to get elected at the York Sport Committee elections last year.

Your new representatives?

OFFICER TRAINING CORPS' BUDGET CUT

Elections open on the 8th March, Week 9.

Photos: army.mod.uk

SENTENCE REDUCED FOR JAILED YORK GRADUATE

OFFICER AND A MENTAL PLAN

THAT'S BAD, GRAD

BY MADDY POTTS AN ARMY training scheme popular with many York students has been axed in new Ministry of Defence budget cuts.

The University of York runs a detachment of the University of Leeds' Officer Training Corps programme, (OTC), which has over 70 cadets.

By cutting the OTC, the Ministry is estimated to save almost £80 million a year.

The scheme was axed after frequent criticisms appeared in the national press, with one defence source, quoted in The Times, calling it “an expensive luxury a modern army can do without.”

It has also been claimed that the majority of the cadets have no further contact with the military after completing the OTC programme.

In York, however, this is not strictly the case with three officer cadets from the detachment already achieving the rank of Second Lieutenants, meaning they have a received a Territorial Army commission from the Royal Military Academy of Sandhurst.

Several further cadets have also passed the Army Officer Selection Board, guaranteeing themselves a place

Student Activities will have at least three people running; Rachel Hesselwood, Luke Malkin and Nick Scarlett. Vision can exclusively reveal that YUSU volunteering officer Hesselwood will run despite rumours of Rhianna Kinchin seeking reelection. Malkin is Head of DanceSoc and no doubt increased his profile on campus after presenting York Come Dancing.

Charities Liaison Officer Scarlett, will already have experience in YUSU logistics and has been involved with many volunteering activities.

There are now two people who both tell Vision they are seriously considering going for the role of Welfare Officer- Peter Warner-Medley and Kate Taylor. WarnerMedley is LGBT officer and won York Come Dancing largely on the audience vote, showing he is more than capable at garnering support. Taylor has been heavily involved with Vanbrugh College and was Female Welfare Rep last year.

Democracy and Services has only one confirmed contender, former Goodricke Chair Dan Walker. Walker was responsible for the first hoard of students coming on to the new Heslington East campus.

Photos: The Press

BY DANIEL GODDARD

at Sandhurst, whilst many more state that their intention is to join the army after leaving university.

Last year LUOTC earned a bronze medal in the famous Cambrian Patrol placing them in the top half of the prestigious armed forces competition. The team for this year, captained by York third year and commissioned Second Lieutenant Sam Payne, hope to earn a silver medal, and have already begun the arduous physical training necessary to stand them in good stead for the competition in October.

Budget cuts threaten not only the detachment's attendance at the competition, but its very existence. This is not the first hit the OTC has taken in the recession, with the TA budget slash meaning that students no longer get paid for their services, and some members of staff have also been forced to work on a voluntary basis. Despite this, the detachment has not seen a fall in attendance, and all are hoping for a policy U-turn, similar to last Autumn, to ensure the survival of their institution.

BY PAUL VIRIDES A UNIVERSITY of York graduate jailed for inciting racial hatred has had his prison sentence reduced after appealing against the original judgment.

Stephen Whittle (pictured on the left), and an accomplice from the town of Selby, were first jailed after police were alerted to a pamphlet Whittle was connected to, entitled s ‘Tales of the t r o p h s Holohoax’ that Whic n w a s i was pushed ut c ap t a o n through the throw Z i g g y 's door of a of ing steal f synagogue fo r f o f o s drink ? in Blackpool ar the b in 2004.

The material included images of murdered Jews alongside cartoons and articles ridiculing ethnic

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groups.

When sentencing Whittle, Judge Rodney Grant commented that he’d rarely seen material so “abusive and insulting.”

The pair were also the first to be convicted of inciting racial hatred through a foreign website, after skipping bail and fleeing to California in 2008. American authorities detained the men and they remained in a US prison for ten months.

Technically, their actions were not considered illegal under US law, though they were detained after seeking asylum. They returned to England last June and were sentenced at Leeds Crown Court.

Sheppard was convicted of five counts of publishing racially inflammatory material, and sentenced to two years and four months in prison.

Court of Appeal judges said that "this was truly pernicious material", but that the sentences handed down had been excessive. Subsequently the sentence has been reduced.

YORK VISION

Tuesday February 9th, 2010

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YORK VISION

Tuesday February 9th, 2010

>Comment THE VOICE OF Vision Says...

B

rian Cantor may be pessimistic about what the future holds for the University of York, but here at Vision we believe that our spirits, and chins, must be kept high in the air.

As student's we're the masters of living on a tight budget whilst still getting as much out of our time here as possible. As a demographic we've been through harsher times than this and will no doubt continue to work and play as hard as we ever have.

Although the future is uncertain, it is up to us and to the University to help maintain the high standards that already make York one of the most desirable destinations for each new generation of students for years to come.

Thumbs up to...

Y

ork's student activists and charity enthusiasts who have done a huge amount of good work for a multitude of causes across the world.

Whether collecting for RAG, completing a sponsored walk for Haiti or showing support to political prisioners in Burma, York students who selflessly dedicate their time and effort to others in need are a shining example to us all.

In the face of growing student apathy, these students give both time and money to worthy causes and although sometimes results are not achieved immediately, we should all be proud of them for working to bring more good into the world.

Thumbs down to...

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y filtering down responsibility to their ‘well looked after’ student representatives, Carnage has been able to avoid all repercussions for their gross misuse of University provisions, for their own personal gain - a situation that Vision finds appalling.

If this trend continues University campuses across the country will become increasingly sales orientated, a far cry from the community atmosphere that we are lucky enough to enjoy today.

Carnage should have some respect for our University environment and stop this nonsense.

CUTTING IT THIN

WHY SHOULD MAJOR BUDGET CUTS COME AT THE THE EXPENSE OF EDUCATION?

JACK STANLEY

I

t went largely unnoticed in the media this week, but since Monday the government has begun cutting educational expenses throughout the U.K. We all knew this was eventually going to happen, we're in an 'economic-mishap-that-must-not-be-named'. Cuts are an inevitable consequence of that. Yet the extent to which the government is hacking into the education system is startling.

Let's deal with the universities. Despite record demand for university places, (estimates are that around seven people will apply for every one place in a university this year) the government has planned to cut £215 million pounds from the university teaching budget. During peak demand, the government is introducing measures that will lead to a loss of staff from universities to teach.

Grants for 'Capital Projects' - such as new buildings - have been cut by 14.9%. (About £142m in real terms), leaving me wondering how such developments will affect universities with ambitious expansion plans? The overall message is that universities are receiving £449m less than they expected to this year; over the next three years the figure to be taken away from university budgets is closer to £950m. I don't mind that the government is making cuts, I accept they're a sensible idea.

MEGAN GRAHAM

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eading about the various complaints levelled at the Vanbrugh event P.O.R.N.O, I was surprised and horrified to see how backward the common definition of feminism seems to have become.

In Nouse last month Victoria Lee pointed out that, “the original feminists did not campaign so we could dress like whores and give men a free sex show.” Quite. Surely the original feminists campaigned so that women could have equal rights with men, and control over their own lives?

The suggestion that a woman shouldn’t dress in certain clothes, simply because that goes against the way some people think women should behave, is something I would associate with the worst kinds of oppression.

Presumably those who considered P.O.R.N.O to be a failure for feminism also object to high heels and short skirts in the Gallery queue – we should be taking full advantage of our right to vote and brushing up on political theory in the library instead right?

The privilege of being able to make our own

Yet I can't help but feel that educationis suffering because of the mistakes of others. Surely education is something that we should be investing in? Correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems pretty logical to try and avoid reducing its budget too dramatically.

The cuts to universities are so large that the President of the NUS is warning of 'irreversible' damage to the interna tional reputation of British universities.

As someone who has spent many years abroad in foreign schools, I know only too well how prized and respected the British education system is. University educated students are among our most successful exports. To cut funding to the institutions may make a brief dent in our national budget. But the long term

I can't help but feel that education is suffering because of the mistakes of others implications are, however, far more dangerous to the continued success of our economy.

Universities aren't the only institutions to be affected. The government has also scrapped the National Academy for Gifted and Talented Youths (NAfGTY) recently. The funds are to be re-directed to help disadvantaged children go to university. Yet in the same week they announce that the amount given to universities to encourage disadvantaged children to participate in higher

education will be reduced to £144m. Surely this is giving with one hand and taking away with the other? I don't have a problem with the government promoting educational equality, but with some refining I think the NAfGTY could have been a great scheme in the UK enabling us to find our most gifted youngsters and aiding them in their endeavours. Perhaps the government should've made efforts to support both schemes at the cost of other sectors. Finance perhaps?

So what is to become of our education system? Privately run universities could be the future. It has recently been announced that Lego will begin building their first private university in Europe. I kid you not, this will actually be introduced in Denmark.

Lego will legally be allowed to give people degree level qualifications. In light of economic hardship, privatisation of education is becoming a very attractive option for governments to cut costs. It's a fact; education is increasingly becoming big business. I'm not sure I fancy the idea of my children going to a university run by Lego... I might be more inclined to send them to one run by Marks & Sparks though. (Insert your own 'this is M&S quality' education pun here) I sympathise with the people that have to make these decisions. The fact of the matter is we're all going to have to 'grin and bear it'. Cuts are inevitable. Yet I can't help but feel that these cuts are a knee jerk reaction and haven't been thoroughly thought through. In which case it's not just future students who are going to suffer, there seems to be a much wider problem.

BEER OR GREER?

EQUALITY, BUT ONLY IF WE CHOOSE WISELY

decisions is something we should appreciate, not put restrictions on. It offers the freedom to work in the busiest jobs in the world, to marry the person you love, to fight for your country, to be an intelligent, hard working, successful university student by day; a sexy, crimefighting boy magnet by night: the right to be

I was horrified to see how backward the definition of feminism has become able to do whatever you want, without somehow feeling you’ve let ol’ Emmeline down.

This is why the suggestion that the girls who dress a certain way deserve to be treated like sex objects so disgusts me. It’s similar to girls in short skirts being seen as “asking for it”, or women who were raped while they were drunk to be viewed as "lesser" victims than those who were sober. Ultimately,

it places the blame of sexual assault on the woman, and how can that be feminism?

Plenty of times I’ve heard women being criticised for “letting feminism down”.

Yet why is it that if a man were to be in the same situation his actions wouldn’t become a negative reflection on his gender on anywhere near the same scale? If the guys who attend P.O.R.N.O aren't being criticised for choosing to have a good time, then the fact that the girls are being criticised, only shows how far we still have to go.

Ultimately, equality is about everyone having the freedom to make their own decisions, without judgement from others about the state of our moral wellbeing. The people who really let feminism down are the ones who continually pressurize us into being worth this privilege, into justifying our equality, rather than relishing in it. To achieve true equality, women need to stop worrying about what they should be doing, and just have fun! As Cyndi said, that is all we really wanna do anyway.

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COMMENT

YORK VISION Tuesday February 9th, 2010

9

JANE LETS OFF STEAM IN HER THERAPY SESSION

IN THE LIGHT OF THE UPCOMING GENERAL ELECTION WE ASK...

ARE STUDENTS A POLITICAL FORCE ANYMORE? NO YES JACK JOHN MCSTRAVICK

S

tudents have always been, and still are, of great political importance.

The very fact that, for most people, their fist vote is cast as a student, in a University environment of major academic and social change, is paramount in forming long-term political outlooks.

Parties know this. Encouraging young people to support them is likely to be easier than convincing them to switch allegiance later on. In addition, not only do students represent a significant chunk of the voting demographic, but the vast majority of those who will go on to hold positions of power in media outlets and other organisations will have degrees.

It is often assumed that students are less politically aware and active than they were in, say, the 1960s simply on the basis that we don’t see as many images these days showing scores of young people on the streets with placards. This is misleading.

Five decades ago there was a need to fight for social change that isn’t present today - something that we should celebrate, not lament. Hand in hand with this is the fact that there is less diversity between the leading two parties than there once was. If voters were to be presented with the kind of dichotomy that they were by Thatcher in the late 70s and 80s, or that offered by Labour before their ’97 lanslide, people would no doubt return to

being more vocal in their views, not least students.

Those who hark back to the days of student protest fail to see the change in political landscape. Commentators on Barack Obama’s victory cite the Democrats’ use of technology as being key in reaching out to voters, especially young ones.

The portents for the demise of print media are numerous, a gap surely destined to be filled by blogs and smartphone news apps. The posts of right-wing bloggers Paul Staines (aka. Guido Fawkes) and Iain Dale alone are already read by nearly 200,000 people every month, many of whom are students.

Recently, internet petitions and links from websites such as facebook.com led to a record number of complaints to the Press Complaints Commission regarding a homophobic article written by Daily Mail columnist Jan Moir and, just a month earlier, effectively undermined a gagging order from Carter-Ruck, preventing The Guardian from reporting the dumping of toxic waste by oil company Trafigura.

As we enter a new age of unprecedented political freedom of speech, the bright and passionate young minds of technophilic students will be at the forefront.

L

et's be honest - British students have never been a political force. It's a myth, baloney, a putrid pile of piffle!

Let's have a look at the Vietnam protests. In the US, students held protests throughout the 60s and 70s- massive 'sit ins' across thirty-five university campuses, police shooting dead four students at the Kent State University, protests and student strikes shutting 450 universities within a couple of days. Compare this to British students, who had some involvement in two marches. Wow! But maybe I am being too lofty and should look closer to campus? The only significant York students led political movement I could find were reports of a riot when the Boomtown Rats played a concert in Central Hall. (Yeah, Central Hall used to be a famous music venue! You can blame Geldof for ruining that one for us).

Having said this, people still demand we look at the Barack Obama campaign or the 1997 Labour victory as shining examples of how students are political forces and thus important. But what we see in these examples are not the wonders of poltical activism, but massive simpering Celebrity-based apolitical festivals of blandness with the words "democratic", "change" and "policy" crowbarred into their promotional material. It's simply the political posturing of ideologically naive students . Added to this idiociy is the disadvantage of being so pa-

KNIGHT

thetically arrogant in these ideals it makes you want to gnaw your own leg off, in a heoric attempt to throw it at these "political" debutants!

British students have never been the political giants some people like to think they are. It's probably best to take former students' stories of their 'political days' with the same cynical disengagement you apply to your Grandparents saying they had to "walk 15 miles to school everyday'.

But you probably all know that anyway, don't you? We are criticised for our 'apathy', but really it's just plain and simple realism. We know we have a voice and a vote like every other person come the next election, but we know we are not going to change the world with publicity stunt protests and grandiose visions.

It's all because we don't have a collective voice or ideology. We are all at university, that is the only thing that groups us together. We have no more political unity than a group of catowners, people who like Dr Pepper more than Diet Coke or those fellows who like to chew the ends of their pens.

When someone finds this elusive student politics ideal can they please tell me...and also lend me their map for Eldorado which I will get to on a unicorn! All just utter twaddle!

WANT TO RESPOND? EMAIL VISION@YUSU.ORG

10 COMMENT JAMES MASTERS

ALL HAIL THE ALE CHRIS

BURGESS

IS IT TIME WE ALL SWAPPED OUR FOSTERS FOR A PINT OF REAL ALE?

R

eal ale is a relic of an age long gone, drank only by gnarled old men in dingy pubs, moaning while the froth from the beer's head clings to their grey sandpapery stubble. Why would you even want to try this warm, flat, drink?

Let's have a Foster's instead!

Foster's Lager. They call it 'Amber Nectar' - I prefer 'Fizzy Rat's Piss'. It is revoltingly dull. Some say as dull as Gordon Brown but I think that's a bit too harsh...to the beer.

Foster's is only one of these cold, fizzy beverages that dominate the beer market.

The list of bland, commercial lagers is endless: Stella, Carling, and that other one that tastes the same as all the others.

The domination of lagers since the 70s has pushed traditional ales into the keg dregs of the market, only accounting for 11% of on-trade beer volume. This is eroding Britain's age old ale culture - a constant since Anglo-Saxon times when it was brewed by monks.

Ale has seen troubled times, such as

JAIME RILEY

YORK VISION

Tuesday February 9th, 2010

when Cromwell's Puritan dictatorship withdrew the licences of many alehouses.

It survived, but for how much longer when up to 50 pubs nationwide are closing every month?

The domination of lagers has pushed cask ales into the keg dregs of the market.

Real ale is exciting, flavoursome and varied. Two blokes have dedicated themselves to proving this. Their company, Brew Dog, claims to be, "a beacon of nonconformity in an increasingly monotone corporate desert," and their beers pack a punch of creative originality with tropical twists and hoppy flavours. Brew Dog's ales are for a new generation of drinkers. Some are revolutionary, such as 'Tactical Nuclear

Penguin' which is the world's strongest beer at 32% ABV! You can't find these beers in the mundane conformity of Wetherspoons but have to delve into York's plethora of excellent pubs. Surely these varied establishments are much more exciting than lounging in the same bars with the same bubbly urine?

The quest for better beer is infectious.

All over the country independent brewers are popping up, like spring flowers pushing through the icy ground, and they now number 670; more than any time since World War II. Real ale is a modernity and drank by all kinds of people in some of York's finest pubs & bars. They chat about the nightlife, and they enjoy the tantalising tones and striking shades of the independently brewed beer. Why would you ever want to go back to that fizzy, commercialised larger rubbish? Be brave and have an ale on me - it will be marvellous!

CEREAL OFFENDERS WERE TESCO RIGHT TO DISCRIMINATE AGAINST RUSHED SINGLE MOTHERS?

T

he early morning rush. You’ve all been there. You’re late again for your 9:15 (your housemates having a fortyfive minute shower), open the fridge, realise that despite the fact your milk carton is green, its contents really shouldn’t be, you run to Costcutter, without having the time to get out of your pyjamas (instead opting for some really casual £150 Jack Wills joggers).

Due to the country’s consistent lack of forward planning, not forgetting a decline in milkmen, Tesco has just banned its customers from wearing pyjamas, slippers, or walking around barefoot in store.

The nation’s favourite supermarket has expressed that wearing nightwear whilst shopping may offend other customers.

One shopper was in sheer disbelief at the ban, and understandably so; she’d been banned even though she deliberately wore

her very best pyjamas with bears and penguins on them. She was later escorted off the premises by a security guard. Another customer remarked that she’d be “going to Aldi now”.

Getting changed before leaving the house is far more preferable to grocery shopping in nightwear.

I’d sympathise with the shoppers’ frustration if it was commonplace to see others wearing nightwear outside (well, off campus) but it really is very rare to see anyone wearing pyjamas whilst shop

ping elsewhere. So, why is it deemed acceptable to walk around a supermarket in nighttime attire, which you’ve likely slept in for several hours previously? Not only is it pretty unhygienic, but it just doesn’t look good. The agonising rush around the supermarket is terrible enough without having to witness independent exposure from a flustered mother with no shoes on.

It’s also important to remember that it’s illegal to drive without wearing shoes and that it’s simply stupid to walk around outside without sufficient footwear. I’m sure you’ll agree, as a fellow educated civilian, that getting changed before leaving the house is far more preferable than grocery shopping in nightwear.

Perhaps Tesco is aiming to be yet more middle class by simply eliminating their less intelligent clientele with their new pyjama ban.

A HEARTY IDEA?

CHRIS SHARES HIS VALENTINE'S DAY WORRIES WITH YOU ...

A

t the risk of sounding like one of those annoying friends who brings it up in every conversation you have with them, I have a girlfriend.

As an attached man, I have to worry about things I previously didn’t: her emotional B.F.F.s, the ins-and-outs of Gossip Girl, and St. Valentine’s Day. Recently I had a conversation with my mate about our respective Valentine’s plans. His was to avoid moving forward with the girl he was seeing casually until after the 14th, so that he could avoid the whole thing. He failed, and they are now ‘in a relationship’. He seems to be coping.

It’s not that I am incapable of being romantic. It’s more that I am uncertain of what’s expected of me. Do I act all nonchalant and gripe about the overcommercialised nature of the day, or do I go all flowers-chocolates-cuddly-toys?

Or do I just hide, claiming to have no knowledge of this obscure early-Christian martyr?

Though he won’t thank me for mentioning it, another of my friends is going through an increasingly messy breakup at the moment. My small worries seem a tad trivial compared to his situation, though I wonder how he’ll handle Valentine’s this year. Will he mope about because he can’t share the day with anyone, or will he feel released from the control of what my girlfriend has referred to as a ‘materialistic/corporate plot’?

On Monday I intend to ask him about his reaction in order to enable me to see what Valentine’s is really about, and plan ahead for the future. Though that won’t help me get through it this year...

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12 FEATURES

YORK VISION

Tuesday February 9th, 2010

>Features

THE STUDENT HUSTLE Tales of deceit and deception from cheated students

SCANDALOUS SALARIES! employee’s wages there has to be a fair reason for the deduction to take place and it has to be agreed in writing by both parties. Other instances in which a wage deduction is acceptable is for national insurance, tax, union membership or pension. All these need to be written in a contract and shown on your pay slip.

Employers taking advantage of students because they believe they’ll put up with it, is more common than you would think.

York, for example, is notorious for cash in hand labour, which gives the employee no real legal protection and amounts to tax evasion by the employer.

So what do you do if you feel that you are being treated unfairly in the work place? The welfare centre can offer you advice on what to do next and will usually help you write a formal letter. Or you could contact the Citizens Advice Bureau, if the employer’s are in the wrong this is usually enough to scare them into some sort of agreement.

Another issue is how you can avoid getting into this kind of situation in the first place? It is the employer’s legal duty and your right to have a contract if you request one, this way if the employer breaches the contract then you have written evidence that they have done so.

Ben Humphrys, YUSU Welfare Officer, gives this advice to students: "The most important protection for student workers is your contract or statement of rights: get one, read it carefully and keep it in a safe space. It's worth looking into joining a Union as well as they can protect you if something goes wrong. Care should also be taken when signing up to temp agencies which give you less protection than other jobs, because of the issue of doing all kinds of work rather than just one job.

"Recruitment agencies also will not always be focused on your interests or objectives when offer-

I really didn't see what could be done... I had no other witnesses

V

F

turned into a much bigger hassle than they originally foresaw.

One first year student who was offered a job at a "pretty good wage" was then surprised to find that two weeks later the wage had been lowered. "At first I thought that it was a mistake, so I tried to talk to the manager about it.

She insisted that was what had always been agreed in the interview, when it definitely wasn’t". As no written contract had been agreed, only a verbal one, which is still legally binding, it was the student's word against the managers. "I really didn’t see what could be done, it was only my manager and I at the interview so I had no other witnesses. I tried to talk to her about it again but she said she was busy and couldn’t talk. The next week when I came in they said they were overstaffed and didn’t need me anymore. The worst thing was that I had chosen that job over another one, a decision purely based on pay".

Photo by Marcus Roby Legally to change an

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N

early every student needs a bit more cash, and usually the first point of call is to get a part-time job.

A reality for many students, a part-time job in the evenings or weekend is usually an ideal way to earn easy money and not disturb student life too much. However for some students this has

ing advice, as they are paid by the employer and you should always ask to be kept up to date on where they are sending your C.V. Bearing all this in mind it is a good idea to research your rights as a part time or full time worker, and check out websites such as directgov.co.uk which show your legal rights. Welfare would also strongly advise working students to join unitetheunion.com which for a £10 membership gives free legal advice and negotiates on your behalf with employers and the UK and European governments to get you a fair deal for you at work.

YUSU welfare are also planning an awareness campaign for the end of term which will be focusing on the rights of student workers. Students who are interested in being involved in the campaign are encouraged to contact the Welfare Officer at b.humphrys@yusu.org.

Francesca Salino

ES-CORT UNAWARES

ancy being paid the equivalent of a week's wages to provide witty conversation, bat your eyelids and dress like a Bond girl?

A myriad of companies offering employment as a 'companionship escort' seem like a lifeline to students struggling to stretch the student loan between rent, late night Efes and Sunday night Gallery.

More skeptical students may find it hard to believe that any one, however well-heeled, would ever pay for a restaurant or theatre date with no guaranteed promise of sex. Yet, escort advertising websites guarantee that anyone advertising their companionship on their website will receive at least one date a week, paying up to £600 for an evening, a claim that would make any student worried about the

bank balance, look closer.

A quick trawl of the Internet reveals that thousands have been left poorer after signing up to websites that promise to make their escorts richer within weeks, for the one off fee of £300 to advertise their profile on their page. Many of these would-be escorts pay the fee after being offered a potential date, only for it to be cancelled, leaving them significantly poorer and unable to contact the fake agencies and demand their money back.

Last year, I myself decided to sign up to 'adorabelles.co.uk', a company that was already listed, unbeknown to me, by scam watchdogs. A friend of mine had just signed up with a male escort agency, and I typed in my details more out of curiosity than a genuine desire to entertain dull middle-aged businessmen in soulless cocktail bars.

At first glance, the website seemed fairly professional, with an emphasis on dates revolving around conversation and companionship rather than sex, and a promise that they ‘value personality and a good sense of humour’ as

much as looks.

I had no real expectations of hearing back from them, but hours after sending off my details, I received a phone call from a professional, friendly-sounding woman who, by casually mentioning a fee of £600 for a four hour date, persuaded me to send her my photos and set up an online escort profile.

This was all moving far too fast, and I was feeling pretty uncomfortable with my decision, but then again, scam agencies rely on students to overlook their own reservations because they desperately need the money.

My boyfriend had also signed up at the same time, and was offered a date within two days, on the proviso that he paid nearly £300 into their bank account. It was at this point I finally decided that it was ‘too good to be true’, and within minutes my suspicions were proved correct. I contacted saafe.co.uk, a website providing advice for escorts, and they strongly warned me against both adorabelles and scores of similar websites that thousands of men and women had lost varying amounts

of money to, through exactly the same scam that we had encountered.

With hindsight, I still find it hard to believe that I was ever taken in by such ridiculous claim, but myself and thousands of others are tempted by vast amounts of money you are promised to make and overlook what should have been totally obvious from the beginning – the advice from SAAFE that “it’s still all about the sex - the market for escorts who only escort is very very small”.

Josie Cridland

STUDENTS CON-FOUNDED It's not just female students who are targeted by these scams, Vision talked to a second year Drama student who signed up for a male escort agency last year, only to find out it was a scam.

The student paid £70 to have his profile advertised on male escorts UK, and was offered a date within a few days, that he turned down due to prior commitments. He has not heard from them or been offered any more dates since.

Although he was unable to contact them, his suspicions were confirmed when the website was listed on scamblog. com and saafe.co.uk,.He was luckily able to regain the money he had lost as he had paid by credit card.

YORK VISION

FEATURES

Tuesday February 9th, 2010

13

"They turned it into something it wasn't" LATEST HEADLINE-HITTING SCIENTIST EXCLUSIVELY ADMITS TABLOID EXAGGERATIONS

“

Too much surfing the internet makes you depressed say web boffins", The Mirror claimed last week. But they were wrong.

Speaking exclusively to Vision, the scientist behind the ground-breaking research admits that the media had distorted her work into little more than scare mongering.

Speculative and sensationalised reporting in the tabloids has come to be a staple diet for millions of readers.

Although it may not be particularly balanced or intelligent, on the whole, it is completely harmless. But last week's in-

DEPRESSED: Dr. Morrison's work was twisted by the tabloids

ternet scare went a step further by frightening people away from certain lifestyles.

Dr. Catriona Morrison, who led the experiment at Leeds University, said the media had “turned it into something that it wasn’t,” by exaggerating and speculating on her findings.

Her study draws links between Internet addiction and depression but makes no attempts to explain which problem causes the other. The researchers had thought the results would help to establish internet addiction as a clinical syndrome, but instead, tabloid readers were scared away from computers.

“We’re not suggesting causality.

We’re not suggesting that the Internet makes you depressed,” Morrison explained. “We’re just not at that stage yet.” In fact, she is not even sure how scientists will be able to approach the question of causality, although this will clearly be the next step for research in the field.

The claims that using the Internet can cause depression are “completely speculative,” says Morrison.

Particularly, she criticises The Metro for its coverage of the findings.

Last Wednesday, the paper ran the story on its front page with the headline “Internet depression warning for web addicts”. The paper also claimed that “spending too much time online may leave you depressed”.

“That’s clearly not what we were saying,” says Dr. Morrison, adding that, despite this, some newspapers had dealt with it "absolutely fairly".

But the credibility of the tabloid sensation is also questioned by the reliability of the study itself. It had found that a staggering 1.4% of people were internet addicts out of a total sample

of 1,319.

But Morrison now admits that the sample may have not been representative because it was purposely made up entirely of people who use the Internet in their spare time. In fact, the survey was exclusively advertised on UK social networking sites from which people followed links to an online questionnaire.

Dr. Morrison conceded that “in terms of the whole population, it’s probably a slight exaggeration.”

The problem of 'bad science' has long plagued the media, but the issue is a two way affair. Busy journalists too often neglect necessary but time-consuming research.

Instead, newspapers are increasingly churning out eye-catching stories based on simplified press releases and journalists' own (most probably unscientific) assumptions.

But this was not a one-man show - scientists are to blame here as well. Although Dr. Morrison repeatedly told reporters that her research did not claim that internet use caused depression, she also fed the media enough to allow this assumption to be made. The press descended upon her and she welcomed them, pleased of the publicity. She gave reporters the lines they wanted and jammed her schedule full with press events, giving interviews during her work hours and until late at night.

Most scientists are keen to publicise the work they do and generally they are right to do so. It is a shame that the public rarely hear about most of the breakthroughs that happen in laboratories

across the world. But that is the reality of the situation and we cannot assume media coverage will be fair. It is hardly surprising then that, when fed with findings like Dr. Morrison's which are easy to simplify and exaggerate, the result is one of scare-mongering. Publicity of science is surely only desirable if it betters the public understanding of science. Coverage of Dr. Morrison's study however, seems to have misled it.

Martin Williams

LAST ORDERS FOR DRINKS DEALS S

tudents have always had an indulgent love affair with alcohol, but there are no picky people wondering how to find "Mr Right" here - in fact most students simply follow the basic guideline of - if it's cheap and has lots of alcohol in it, it's good.

That is why for the specialist in getting 'soberly challenged', the drinks deal (Trebles for Singles for example) is the Holy Grail - a way of keeping your money and losing a few memory cells - very effectively.

Under new government proposals this ritual might change very soon, as all three main parties are proposing to take a stance on what has

been deemed "irresponsible" offers by pubs. Home Secretary Alan Johnson commented on the proposal, stating that there was a

“duty to act”, with Labour’s policies intending to ban any promotions in bars and pubs which could lead to problems such as anti social behaviour.

The annual cost of drinkrelated crime in the UK alone looks to be approximately between £8bn and £13bn, and York itself is no stranger to the culture of binge drinking, with a report commissioned by the Department of Health showing that 22.3 per cent of adult residents in York drink far more than they should, a percentage that is “significantly worse” than the national average.

But is banning drinks deals really the answer?

Many Students are of the opinion that gaps in the proposed legislation will render it pointless. One student commented, “I don’t think this will have as big an effect on binge drinking as the government would hope, especially for students. People will still be able to buy cheap alcohol from supermarkets, and will simply become drunk before they even go out, which frankly is a lot worse.” A spokesman from the British Beer and Pub Association, Mark Hastings seems to agree with the faults in the legislation, commenting that, "What with 70% of all alcohol sold through supermarkets and widespread concern about their promotional prices, the measures announced by the Home

Office seem lopsided and unbalanced."

Conversely, it seems that supermarkets are doing all they can to cut down on alcoholic promotions as well, with statistics revealing that compared to the 26% of the entire promotions that supermarkets had on offer last year, this year the figure has dropped to 22%.

With events such as Carnage criticised for not taking binge drinking as seriously as they should now taking place more frequently in York, it seems only a matter of time before someone decides to hit York’s bars and pubs with the banning legislation, but whether it will be effective remains questionable.

Laura Cress

14 FEATURES

CLOSE EN-CANTORS : DEGREE Sociology OR: ENCANT entation Work pres

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NAME: Anonymous DEGREE: n/a

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ENCANTOR: Colleague

Brian is totally out of touch with stud ents.

Everyone know s it, but are too sca red to tell him.

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NAME: Emily Hodges DEGREE: English ENCANTOR: On campus

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He wasn't very chatty at all, but he was certainly polite.

He seemed a nice enough guy.

YORK'S ELUSIVE LEADER TALKS DOOM AND GLOOM FOR CAMPUS FUTURE

BY MARTIN WILLIAMS & EMILY FAIRBAIRN

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lthough Brian Cantor claims he is constantly chatting to students, most wouldn't even recognise him. On a salary of over £200,000, the elusive Vice Chancellor is the man behind the overall running of the University and the official face of the institution.

Cantor has been running the place since 2002, but he worries that York's biggest challenges may be just around the corner. He insists that campus is financially secure for the time being, but predicts that, after the impending general election, the government will slash higher education funding.

"My assumption is that there will be further cuts coming," he admits. "We will have to go back to the drawing board and see how we cope with those."

Privately, Cantor has strong views on the politics of education: "the government

Brian Cantor photos by Tony Bartholomew and Martin Williams.

should right now be pumping money into universities, because they are the motor for the economy of the future in the UK." But when push comes to shove, will he fight politicians to protect York students and the university? Probably not actually - although he is the political figurehead of the University, he brands government lobbying a "waste of time".

In fact, Cantor accepts, "with great regret," that the future is gloomy for students, saying that a hike in tuition fees is very likely. "I think the pressure on government finance is now so high that it'll be hard to resist fees going up," he explains.

In a wide-ranging interview with Vision, it is hard for Cantor to get away from the depressing reality of cutbacks. The impacts of the recession have already been felt on campus, most notably with the controversial changes to the portering service.

However, Cantor stubbornly denies that the scrapping of

24 hour porters in several colleges is a cut back at all, instead calling it a redistribution.

"Obviously we work within a very constrained financial position," Cantor says.

But he believes the changes "will not be to the detriment of the security of the students."

Porter cuts have raised fears over insecurity at the University and Cantor readily admits that students no longer feel safe on campus.

"There has certainly been at the perception level amongst students, feelings of deterioration and concerns about security," he says. "Derwent is a place where there’s a feeling that there’s been a deterioration locally."

But despite these fears, the Vice Chancellor appears to consider the cutbacks a permanent measure. YUSU's 'Save Our Porters' campaign centres on proving that the change to the service will damage security. However, Cantor refuses to set a limit on how bad crime on campus

THE LIFE OF BRIAN "

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Tuesday February 9th 2010

VICE CHANCELLOR: THE INTERVIEW

NAME: ebster Eleanor W

ite nice to He was qu y y. He reall ll a tu c a e m rested in seemed inte . the students

FEATURES

YORK VISION

YORK VISION

Tuesday February 9th 2010

Nine times out of ten, the best method of getting something sorted, is to talk to... not me!

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" "

What I would target?

I'm not targeting anything!

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Just

mu ike l n a i r B ? s u p m a c

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, I've lost my friends . at th of e I'm awar

Nevertheless, criticism of disengagement with students has plagued Cantor's time in office. He is eager to hit back at such claims, saying: "I try to be as engaged as I possibly can be, and I think I am quite well engaged."

However, many colleagues have privately said that he is not involved enough with the day-to-day running of campus. One anonymous colleague said: "Brian is totally out of touch with the students."

Cantor explains: "nine times out of ten, the best method of getting something sorted is to talk to... not me!"

He says that consulting him is "not normally the most effective method to achieve things." It's hard to tell if he's joking or not.

He only meets with YUSU once a term, which is infrequent compared to other universities, where vice chancellors meet students' unions once or even twice a week. He visits departments and colleges just once a year, proudly claiming: "I specifi-

H O Wd o e s " I ch

Broadly, my job is to appoint incredib ly able people to do the things that really matter.

"

would have to get before he would consider reinstating the porters.

He even dismisses the campaigns as counter-productive, claiming that it, "is more or less advertising," low security to potential thieves.

"That's not helpful," he adds dryly.

Porters themselves have largely been damning of Heslington Hall's handling of the situation. One porter commented: "Heslington Hall have no idea what it's like for us. They're very distant." The Vice Chancellor, though, has a somewhat different take on their relationship: "I know porters probably better, as a whole group, probably better than most."

"I meet all the porters they all know me and they all say “Hi” to me. We chat regularly!"

Porters aren't the only ones who Brian is saying "hi" to. The talkative boss reckons he is meeting and greeting students all the time on his regular rambles around the lake.

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nd walk ro u ry ve the campus d an frequently s, er rt e po I meet all th me and ow kn l they al i' to me. they all say 'H rly.

We chat regula just potas l el w s ...A generally tering around e (which in my spare tim t of) I like I do quite a lo e campus to go round th to do...

- it's great fun

cally ask to meet a variety of students as part of that."

The rarity of Cantor's interaction with students is highlighted by the nature of his communication with the student press. He hardly ever grants lengthy interviews and almost never passes personal comment otherwise.

Press officer David Garner sits in on Vision's interview with the VC, recording every word. He even turns on the scare tactics before the interview starts, advising ominously that the tone should "not to be confrontational".

Cantor is an intimidating man, which makes his insistence that he runs an "open door" policy for student representatives questionable.

That said, it can't be easy balancing the tough decisions that he has to make every day with the pressure to present a friendly face to students.

However, given Cantor's authoritative leadership, it should be tempered by a real understanding of what it is like to be a student.

He claims that a video re-

cently made for the University Council provided just that.

Earlier this term, Vision revealed that the video, which supposedly presented the views of "real students", was both censored and scripted at the request of a Hes Hall official. But bizarrely, Cantor refuses to acknowledge that this happened at all and flatly denies any censorship.

"I don't accept the premise of censoring. It wasn't censoring," he insists."I don't think students are suffering from anything misleading at council level." It's hard to know how to react to his refusal to accept the facts.

Brian Cantor holds the power to shape of future of the University and is the man we rely on to battle with the government. But can we count on him to steer us through the challenging months ahead?

Only time will tell.

the I walk around mpus; I t, lo a I live on ca ite campus qu lots of t I ee n m he ly w al ts tu en I ac chat to stud here... I d un ro ts en stud do it. as I menrsonalso go round, So just in my pe ... ge lle andering tioned, every co al life, I'm w on top s a lot m I like being und the ca pu ro liv e lik I ents and of the shop... and I meet stud pus. I m ca e th . on em ing I chat to th time here t know like spending You might no t place - I ea gr a ! s ue it' tr d s an that, but it' vely place think it's a lo ce place, to be. It is a ni . this university

"

CANTOR: THE CV > Born in Manchester, he is a keen Manchester City fan > Regarded as a world authority on materials manufacturing > A long career in academia, including teaching at Sussex and Oxford Universities > Published more than 300 books and papers > Consultant for Rolls Royce > York Vice Chancellor since 2002 > Aged 61, with two adult sons > Salary over £200,000

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16 FEATURES

YORK VISION

Tuesday February 9th, 2010

THE GRAND-DADDY OF RAP Maksymilian Fus Mickiewicz talks political riots, the evolution of Ska and Gangsta rap with legendary Dub-poet Linton Kwesi Johnson

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haracteristically I joined Linton outside, where he’s able to light up a rolled cigarette and talk at ease. The chat’s quite pertinent given that racially aggravated violence is looking to be on the rise again. For Linton poetry is a political weapon, one which he’s used to condemn attacks on black immigrant’s rights since arriving from Jamaica in the early 60s wave. What appears at times to be a defensive or arrogant attitude must be understood in the context of history.

There are only two living poets to be published in the Penguin classics series, Linton being the first black poet.

Today the operations hub is LKJ Records and in many ways it’s with the music that Linton began his journey. The style is colloquial language spoken over 12” reggae records (Ragga Dance Hall on a bad day). Unlike groups like Sugar Hill Gang this was not rap, this was Dub-poetry. “I’m talking about James Brown, who used to talk over his music”.

People to look up to were “the early reggae DJ’s, people like Big Youth, U Roy and early American rappers. But it wasn’t called rap in those days it was just like the guys were talking over the record.” Inevitably, a band replaced the records and in turn 1978 saw the record ‘Dread Beat And Blood’ produced.

Home for Linton was like many of his generation, Brixton, the same place the infamous riots took place in 1981. Live performances went out not in dark rooms but on the sound systems of the streets. This wasn’t any Notting Hill Carnival though,

when fighting took place with the police “it was blacks and whites, solidarity between black youth and white working class youth.

Working class youth joined in with us because there was no segregation. We shared the same living: ghettos, run down council estates and were unemployed. It was a time of serious recession of the late 70s so there was solidarity.”

The Two Tone movement otherwise known as ‘Ska’ nicely links the shared music of those forgotten by Thatcher’s Britain. “This town is coming like a ghost town” by the Specials is what most people think of as the perfect tune to help our generation understand what it was like to be a youth at that time. It’s hard to actually name any black bands in the Ska movement though. “The black ska bands didn’t make it big, Ska really was the music of the Mods. In the 60’s when I was a kid, basically there were no Mods or Rockers. Rockers were Teddy Boys, rode motorbikes.

The Mods were into Ska and they followed Prince Buster, and they followed reggae, Derrick Morgan for example. Skinheads were into Derrick Morgan big time, and that was before the National Front appropriated skinhead into something completely different.” In other words black music was being appropriated but had no voice of its own.

It’s not often poets are accused of starting riots. “That’s ridiculous, I can’t make people riot I am not a God”. Although lacking in divine power ‘Lincense Fi Kill’ and ‘Sonny's Letta’ were widely read and spo-

V

V

That's ridiculous. I can't make people riot, I'm not a God.

ken of on the streets of London. Giving this otherwise elitist medium a breath of fresh of air wasn’t as hard as it sounds.

“Adrian Hendry, one of the Liverpudlian poets, said that most people ignore poetry because most poetry ignores most people.

It was elitist, so they want to make it become relevant again. Roger McGough began to popularise poetry because by writing poetry that spoke to people’s everyday lives which ordinary people could relate to, they became accessible poets. That’s what they did. They are responsible really for the revival and broadening of interest in poetry. So, I’m a part of that. I’m trying to locate myself in that tradition, or that movement."

But wat about alla dis Jamaican slang, don’t it make it harder to understand for other people man? “What is most important for me is authenticity of voice.” Whether it is a discussion about tourism or art, the importance of a vernacular voice is often ignored and misunderstood by westerners. Often such language has connotations which are alien to the person speaking them. “For people who understand the language it gives them more meaning, but for me it didn’t seem to make any sense to try and write about the black experience using the rarefied language of English classical poetry. You’ll especially find that the whole movement in Scotland, where Scottish poets are writing in the vernacular.”

Today the publishing industry have seen the commercial sense, “they’ve got there eye on the market”. Only today is it that ‘local’ poets such as Jean

‘Binta’ Breeze, who LKJ recommends, are being published by new houses like Blood Axe. As a young politically-minded kid in the 60s you had to start off with “American poets, Caribbean poets, and African poets, people like Amiri Baraka from America.

All the poets I mention in the poem ‘If I Woz A Tap Natch Poet’. Those are the people I read and later I branched out and read English stuff like Shelly.”

Gangsta rap seems to be the replacement for much of the street politics that spoke to the least generation. It would be wrong to assume it’s all about glorifying violence though. “There’s a little bit of that in it. It’s more or less reflecting reality as seen from a point of view of these people. I don’t really listen to that gangsta rap stuff anyway and guys calling women whores and bitches is stupid.

There are a lot of intelligent lyrics to be found in rap. I love their poetry disenfranchised, for them to articulate the world they live in.” Perhaps rap still has the potential to change the way people act with each other.

“Certainly it is a medium to carry a message, but for me the best rap tune ever was ‘The Message’ by Grandmaster Flash. I’ve never heard anything as good as that.

A CHIN WAG WITH RAG A s you read this, the revelries of RAG week will be in full swing, in fact you’ll probably have already given away a small fortune in drunken change; but whatever you’ve made of RAG week – spare a minute to think about the people that have made it all happen.

Last Saturday, the day before RAG week kicked off, Vision sat down with Jo Clarke and Immy Stevenson – RAG week organisers, to ask them about what goes on behind the scenes of York’s RAG week.

They started by telling me how long ago their election as RAG week organisers felt, and how some of their more ambitious ideas didn’t exactly materialize; Jo explains, “even the simplest things become incredibly difficult when you start having to jump through the hoops of University bureaucracy – room bookings, health and safety, scheduling – all these things really take a LOT of time!”

In fact, they told me, such bureaucratic obstacles accounted for the lowest points in the whole process, with their dreams of a world record breaking attempt being smashed with a single ‘NO’ from an unidentified University “big cheese”.

They explain that the original plan was to

beat the biggest toga party in the world, by rounding up students onto the sports fields to make it truly massive.

However, it was never going to be easy beating the current world record, which at 2,166 is currently held by the makers of the movie ‘Animal House’, and in a muddy field, the project was problematic. “It was just so annoying, we’d booked the Guinness records guy 6 months earlier and we were so prepared” Immy explained, “but don’t worry the toga party in Tru is still going to be awesome”.

With the girls' expectations for the week seemingly untarnished, they assure me, in between cheeky giggles, that any form of bureaucracy would never get in the way of a brilliant RAG week, “arms and rules have been seriously twisted.

RAG week will be epic”.

One of the most exciting events, they claim, is going to be Mr. and Mrs. York (held in The Courtyard on Thursday evening). A free event, which has already raised over £600, in the college heat collection buckets.

“We had to get over some big obstacles to sort everything out, but trust me this one will be good, check out the college websites for videos of the hustings, they’re really funny!”

As we closed our discussion, we came to the inevitable subject of life after RAG, “It’ll be devastating”, Jo

told me, “It’s been our whole life for the last year, and it doesn’t bear thinking about”. Immy was somewhat more reserved, “I’m just going to want to sleep until RAG week next year, it’s been brilliant, but I’m so tired”.

My interview with the RAG girls was cut short, it was the day before their big week, and they were having to rush to yet another meeting. As they dashed off, with the same high levels of energy they began with, one couldn’t help but be inspired by their allergic enthusiasm for all things RAG.

Paddy Harte

YORK VISION

Tuesday February 9th, 2010

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YORK VISION

LIFESTYLE

Tuesday February 9th, 2010

>Lifestyle

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THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY Merryn Hockaday, Chris Shaw and our favourite York singletons ' Thelma and Louise' tell Vision about their experiences of Valentines Day...

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s lon g-s gleton tanding, harde s we sucks that Vale would like ned sintequi ntine ! ll s Day to assert The p a suddenly Thelm o h f f i c a ially : Thin age v three rase ‘one seemed ve a k t r t to cr lentines d ing back t as we equila, fl equilla, tw y exotic. inge. o my ates, o o o q r u tequ !’ i teenm M ck looke c the b d gru e, scanti akes me est pa ly made o omes to m ila, want ly dr were ngy. u r o ind r way t of a ut of ess se D ise w en as perf ates to M ed, him doorw said pub bottle. We through ould ectly c a D s a n t y o umb d en nal giv ac of remin kiss t d me e me a bi ceptable! L ds ur ned the news ded up in led off I t of a o h a e u i o v g n w e e t n n oa w tu ts. A the “ Chick ould go. P buff ” I lo pep-talk, long way b ally mana whole lot ost-B o en Sa k a m g ed a ig haps to be ck to my h ed to sta ore. We have ndwiches, Macs and nd i g o an aw had t Whils n an even use. Mr. X ger our kwar we would Mco tIm worst appea d fum ing r head hom p a erbed, h red naged state ble e ea e t apart lly ever before cur before I he pa only mad to collaps han me. c f e a f e e r w s m i o . Noth into t to t m so e of and ankle sed out; me the a trous he toilet w my s. Th which few unc rather ba se dates e here i m n r s g y s aro omfor mo d im go a t erase I doubt w nified ther foun t really u und his ill ev able mom ges d from d g er en m the p position. H him in th ly when Louis y memor be comple ts remis is un e was t y e e e t : dig ! l a s r y A in ter e went ms n and told moved fro on a couple of g r e i m o v V n y u e e alent gentl r nd n ines d ars ago I ema was a ed for w to come b o uncerate w a h c had j n I shall v a k t I c ith a Mr. X ery long call M ust tu an re ! I was ti rn r X. W were tance and I didn me! Not su member e both ed eighte . ’t rea p en kee flash lly go risingly These our I n to go ou and t he di D t exp sa an limite thing sd fun bout! Due d to Th eriences s d t s t u his ye trans elma o g a g n e d st por lac entin ar we sha and mys one meet t we deci k of ll be elf.... es da ded t in ou d t e o i t s i o e Ita ng Va with r bit of a see local; a Grigi lian boys our favou ldy ve , o For ..

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ff comers cry o th o st ke il h ath, w ner is li trodden p y claim the din re o m n o le e a n v h sweet pletely. T the conversation anm e ro th n re r, o w e o m alentines, d no any oth You walk e setting remise g in tines..... inating, th o out with the p u’re r m, sprin nsc a fa n o l g ir you ons yo es, wo street, g tic. But if r high expectati ther's ey o h r c e a ontaneh e o ght in ted. Be sp k for live up to o? f failure in o n o a p c p step, cau s a n is be d n’t loo you d your pla bound to ook anything, do at should h dering if w ir t a u ou someb e B to th ons. s, don’t ay take y u d o e th ext expectati into a taxi, rush ? le , just ination ays more er anything s are alw nown dest enges k Whisk h re n tu u n n e a v d on to e chall where: a inport and ns. learly, th re with no Paris? C Valentines Day a g than pla ? in e it c ic e n ont door e m fr V o c n r u o u g to s r o a y le coup Leave l be sure . As the il ff w o e u y m faced by o n y e so a and put m e with more sp hibitions all you’r e b r enough to hy treat one day veryday e ll ft I’ a r a y, e p s: w , e back hap aren’t you? This y hands ment goe nother? After all y l s, a be equall n a ld th u one specia ast all the couple o l sh ia c gp g to cretogether in in r y d n tu tr e n , e p sp v -to you . ver table mantic is advice clasped o mblance of a ro n take th d chalenjoyed. a c gou o se y I’ , e where m ate som Certainly njoy the renewe o knows d ises h a e m e W o h I t. it ll n p y, e I’ e ll mom erhaps Persona ntines. It it ke her, p urgh, each Vale ne another, albe ing to ta en Edinb on v o lenge of e t t u u r o o B b r. a n e l o n e ati d n n fe a in o to L lised m t, dest how you walk ou asking you ommercia onth-in-advance c st r e ju th r a r o in a e2m s, te . I’m just k past th ark card unknown yond the chocola if you loo e Hallm f th o se s, be g n ing in k se k th a in o e o th is m b so re to e le tab s, th y imagine avand rose ficial. Wh box, to way to h chocolate the super step furd n o l be half y all I ’l e u b w o e o g y n , N o in w o s. e th g e e n n d d som Valenti ffort an e an t e k persuade a t li a e re , v g th I’ ld e a u e k ing ally wo not ma rvaand hop , su k se a it u re a m u w ir o y e y B is ? can do cancel th rk air; to ther than ry or a first date o orable ouples to enough c out into the cold Y anniversa ferent and mem f the ack if so d come b head ie n r s, a a n l d o a ing it d n ti u su o u b so! n e u k . th g in n in io th sh someth you pu liché? I ne tradit o c ti d t n n le re a V lfe be A dif accepted ople celebrate Va er would smiling.

Pe well dinn uld break ays: h w O t n t. h re fe ig o c dif CS r. R rI wasn’t M days late entines in ow the well ll definitely ht, and then a few c o h some fo c g t u as almost t abou nice-I tho where I w at there . I and forge d r y e te tr th la e ll g a re al to g th it off. mance tines I sh lovely me uzz into thinkin nd his valen s and all thing ro dates to last me We had a cb s lovely a ti a n l w se a fu d m ro o y ss ro e fo rl s, c e e e la c th h u th su c T y olate n y ti . m b r u re a n fooled ther. O enough tial the y was p be poten rsity toge y the time we have had ars Valentines Da guy for a little l e il iv st n u y a to m k ,b is ! Last ye alked bac stop lly queasy seeing th the suba lifetime then we w started to feel rea gly had to regly, until had been in I in .. ss m .. sa a r r le e im r b I v a t a n sw k b n o c a c g m a r e b r u in I u a o lk o memor g d st a a w all was at the re gton Ro ping into ng ( I think g d e in n in way re a sl c e r , th e e u d H il o m te wh star got to brati edged sh. So lentines e slowly g to p for cele blem was that k in a bu c u w in , si p ll e p e e o m b w st ject of va d h y n y it a ittentl on The pro s secretl greed w m r a . r a on e w l) te d ’t a th I e n c o in d s. st ti e h a n p si c h tio ally with m ore sce treat ea d just in ty m I a si to h ? le r y k e e tt w sl h o iv li u h to n h s knew nd he o he wa re serio back to u lovely meal whic e least, a us really t ke it mo just o th f ta g o e is y r e th th to e sa w h s p g to a n it u e ne vom me wh was goin s messy gift or w a r a o a e t w h ft a l, It h W il -a im . k w h y r. y o r a s ve d said the d r to buy paying fo lf to stay and lo l and I wa ur ether, an d whethe himse ghed tog ery helpfu hen I had to contime in o u v n e wondere o s la v p a e ti u w W ta e n ?

H w cult camp the te een not be ampus. way too more diffi of a future betw ut due to ly a lot that was back to c e it even it was, b here h b d c the a a w y u b a e lt m d m g ro fe is a p e y d st s ll th a se si and really be he h terrible there wa y d ’t e a n n ip a th id -m e t sh d it g a in n I t a o t u u g lang relati e abo mitin We were fess tha e was fin d by body as me vo n aloud.

Weirdly h , or perhaps it w d it all ing spoke must be interprete s. se u o p p g off ! I su o for din ll along im g a h e t to will everythin plicit silences. u m d I p e sa k y id h reall t I thin we dec hilst im hair whic the best really, bu th ks before y to celebrate . W ly all those y 4 e 1 e m w y r f a o u ate ebr wa ut for A couple lf this F unfortun ad w-key as ’s worked o by myse ewhere lo cited about this; last year I h in .. id .. g o d v in e a n tt e x ly si p ner - som e e p e it n a b n e h e fi b d e a d ie hav ing h I will d orig I should rrible th n as I ha were that way t! That te seem quite as fu H h M ic . h p a w h s I was no mis e didn’t st, me habit H si . so r d e d p re a o h b to he ed got g, ught and annoy me. I decid if anythin nally tho to d n g a n ti g r in a h t it c u a B ro . p d o p really st o a the m s was at he get me in valentine I knew th ld surely u re o fo w e is b s th y a d w fe didn’t , a

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YORK VISION

LIFESTYLE

Tuesday February 9th, 2010

VISION 'BUDGETS' VALENTINES Zoe Pinder takes a look at whats on offer for the loved up couples...

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alentine's Day is a celebration which divides opinion across the board. For many, it isn't a celebration, merely a reminder of their lack of relationship, which on the upside eliminates the tedious chore of having to buy each other gifts whilst overtly expressing the sentiment: I LOVE YOU. Being a person who this year falls into the "I hate Valentine's Day" category, I wasn't particularly looking forward to browsing the shops to see what was on offer for all those loved up ones. However, the nature of consumerism means that there is something marketed for every group out there. Valentine's Day isn't just for the "in a relationships" anymore; everyone from the single lady to the recently divorced can find the perfect gift this Valentine's.

For those lucky in love this year, shops are literally bursting with gift ideas for those who have found "the one".

As is the case with Valentine's Day (and most other celebrations...), it's always best to encourage your man to play it safe with the gift ideas. Simply explain that as much as you enjoy paintballing, it would be better if you saved any outdoor activities for the summer months. Hotel Chocolat, on the other hand, has some gorgeous gifts that, despite the somewhat extortionate price tag, are a safe gift option as most girls will appreciate a luxury box of chocolates. The sales assistant described a particular 'Sleekster Love Selection' as being 'Smooth, seductive and utterly devoted to love...' if you and your partner can relate to these aptly chosen adjectives, this box of treats is for you.

Flavours include 'prosecco and raspber-

ry', 'champagne and amaretto 'and 'macadamia' meaning that they're are a cut above your average box of Quality Street.

Restaurants are often packed on Valentine's Day with couples searching for tasty food and an intimate dining experience. Most restaurants have deals on at the moment, offering the ultimate wine and dine experience and perfect romantic ambience. Cafe Rouge, located in Lower Petergate, is offering 'buy one main meal get the other for just a £1' vouchers, which are available at myvouchers.com, (the pound even goes to the Great Ormond Street Hospital fund.)

This means that however unromantic it feels asking the waiter if your voucher is valid, the sense of philanthropy will outshine any disapproval your partner voices about the fact that you didn't pay full price for the meal.

During my research for gift ideas for the single girl, I came across an atrocity; a Match.com subscription. This may seem perfect for your best mate who's been complaining about being single for over a year, but despite her GSOH, it's unlikely that this will go d o w n well. As much as she hates being single, encouraging her to create an online dating profile for a subscription fee of £53 is both harsh and financially crippling.

Alternatively, encourage her to make a little self investment to give her a boost; make-up masters MAC have launched their recent collection 'MAC in Lillyland', containing an array of pop bright lip glosses and eye shadow palettes.

A stand out product is the new

nail liqueur in 'steamy' which is a gorgeous cerise and Mac nail varnishes last for ages without chipping and thus definately worth the investment. The single lady is sure to appreciate these products as much as any elaborate Valentine's Day gift, especially as men don't really understand women's love of a new lipgloss. For those who are especially man hating this year, the' voodoo knife block' available from Amazon is perfect. This may seem a little extreme, but it's practicality as a storage solution cannot be overlooked.

As much as one enjoys being cynical about Valentine's Day, there are some lovely things out there but some really tacky ones too. Gorgeous window displays in shops are sure to lure you in but lets be honest, a good bit of heavy hinting to the one buying you your gift is always t h e best way. You don't really want to end up the owner of a personalised apron or thong!

19

HOT Desperate Hous ewives are back on screens! Wedne sday 10pm C4 - don't miss it!

ao ew Kh The n oad San R rant in u resta it is York ious. delic

r sum Booking ou even mer hoilaysknow though we n't we really ca afford it!

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WILL YOU BE MY ANTI-VALENTINE?

Rachel Knox decides to opt out of soppy romantic sentiments and join the anti-Valentines trend this year… say ‘I love you’ and didn’t have any thing that might imply ‘I love you’ (do you realise how hard it is to find a Valentines card that doesn’t have hearts on?). We don’t want our poor student boyfriends to have to fork out for expensive meals in fancy restaurants just because it’s Valentines Day and that’s ‘what you do’.

Instead we’re doing Valentines our own way; who says you can’t go to The Duchess or stay in and watch a scary film? Why should we let Clinton cards force us to be romantic; after all shouldn’t romance be spontaneous? I realise Anti-Valentines sounds very bitter and depressing, that’s certainly what I thought when I stumbled across the term, but it’s really not. You do find the odd crazy website wishing everyone a ‘happy unimaginative, consumerist orientated and entirely arbitrary, manipulative and shallow interpretation of romance day’ but it’s best to just ignore those (before you find yourself looking for that virgin to sacrifice). Anti-Valentines is really just about trying to enjoy a day that generally depresses singles and stresses out couples.

pera Pop-Star to O Star - this is so programme awful!

For singles its about realising that what makes you happy for the rest of the year shouldn’t make you feel alone and depressed just because it’s Valentines Day. Send a funny Anti-Valentines ECard and spend the day celebrating with other single friends. And if you’re in a relationship don’t bother spending a lot of time and money making sure that this Valentines is absolutely the most special and romantic night ever; take the pressure off and do something you both actually enjoy; don’t let all of the commercial hype around Valentines ruin yours completely.

Photos: Facebook

I

s it just me, or is Valentines Day one of the most annoying of the year?

If you’re single you can’t leave the house for weeks without soppy advertisements rubbing your singleness in your face, and when you’re with someone you’re guilted into buying presents for your other half. I mean who actually wants a teddy bear holding a heart? And in all seriousness, what do you buy boys on Valentines Day? Surely this takes all the romance out of a day that is supposed to be all about exactly that. Valentines has become so impersonal; it just seems like an excuse for restaurants and florists to bump up their prices.

That’s why this year my housemates and I have decided to celebrate AntiValentines Day. We all have boyfriends; this isn’t some sort of single liberation thing. We won’t be using voodoo dolls, burning bras and doing anti-men rituals (Vision certainly does not endorse sacrificing young male virgins to empower single women). We’re not sending ex-boyfriends bouquets of dead roses like some weird Anti- Valentines websites suggest, we’ve just decided to shun romantic set menus, heart shaped helium balloons and expensive candlelit dinners. We’re sick of spending hours in Clinton Cards trying to find a card that’s pretty but isn’t too soppy. In first year we were tortured by trying to find a card for Alice’s boyfriend that didn’t

ets, pty wall Our em the midpoint t we're a and our in ter m loans seem to student sapeared! have dis

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20 LIFESTYLE

Andy's Y rkshire

YORK VISION

Tuesday February 9th, 2010

AN AMERICAN DIARY...

Mika Bhatia on what it's like adapting to life across the pond...

Rambles M

Andrew Nichols explores God's own county...

I

experience. Everyone I've talked to back home is quite envious.

I have found, however, that being from the U.S. is good for somethings. Since many York students have only experienced America through the mass media, I've received my fair share of questions about life in America and thus can pretend not to be the ignorant one for two seconds.

These questions most often revolve around L.A. and Hollywood in particular, whether I've seen celebrities (a few) and whether it really is sunny all the time (pretty much). I suppose I haven't done much to break existing stereotypes, because I love the reaction I get when I can boast that I've worked a red carpet or two and interacted with the cast of Glee (here I go again). OK fine, it should be noted that Hollywood is not indicative of what the rest of the U.S. is like: Pretty much just take what you see on TV and reduce the glamour by 100, and that's life in the States.

I've only begun to scratch the surface of all the differences I've encountered living in the UK so far, but I'll spare you until next time.

This past month has been a whirlwind of excitement and adjustment, and I can't wait to see what comes next. Maybe by next month I'll actually be able to understand my professor's accent. That would be sweet. I mean, wicked.

Photo by Randy OHC

t is difficult to explain my affection for Scarborough. Like most British seaside towns it is a little scruffy around the edges - tacky, run down, and seriously outdated. Yet I believe I have developed an unusual case of Stockholm syndrome. As a child I would constantly complain that I wanted to go to Spain, or other exotic long haul destinations. Nonetheless I was always taken captive by the boating lake, the penny arcades and the bracing wind of the Yorkshire coast as I was dragged to Scarborough on family trips too numerous to mention. After years of enforced weekend incarceration, I have an irrational love of Scarborough.

I set out to Scarborough to investigate the cause of my illness and to see if an impartial, grown up eye would serve as a possible cure. Arriving on a crisp, frosty January morning the harbour was faithful to my stark childhood memory; a charming mismatch of buildings hugging the coast under the watchful eye of a ruined castle atop the cliffs. I initially ventured into one of the many arcades that I had once loved. I was charmed to see smiling children transfixed by machines in the hope of winning 2p coins, however, I was also aware of several gaunt, unkempt middle aged people who seemed equally transfixed by high return fruit machines, depositing pound coins just as rapidly as the children deposited their coppers. As a child I had never seen this, perhaps I had not understood, or maybe I was far too focused on trying to work out a strategy to win back my pocket money.

I left the arcade to escape the unwelcome feeling in my stomach that something I had loved was not a completely harmless pursuit. It was overlooking the beach that I was reminded why I love Scarborough.

On a day where temperatures barely reached above 5˚C there were several families enjoying games of cricket, football or just running in and out of the water. They didn’t seem to notice the cold, but as I was free from the warming effect of fun I retreated to a nearby pub. In the warmth, with a drink I began chatting to a rather rotund gentleman with a handlebar moustache I could only dream of growing. As we began discussing Scarborough, he explained, “It reminds me of when I was a child, it feels safe and familiar.” For a man in his 50’s (I’m guessing, I didn’t ask, out of politeness and fear of his size) to admit this was quite impressive, and hopefully only partly an effect of the several empty pint glasses at his table.

A young couple had overheard us, the girl explained to me that she had been coming to Scarborough for years, that it was, “kitsch and quirky, it’s very old fashioned but in a good way.” Her fiancée didn’t seem to agree; he couldn’t understand the appeal, but saw that his partner was strangely calm when she was there.

I reflected on these conversations as I was rowing my boat around the lake in the nearby Peasholm Park.

We are constantly told that we are a divided country, a ‘broken Britain’; we are losing our identity and growing apart. I never believed this, but sat in my rowing boat it gained a new meaning for me. My grandparents had been to Scarborough as children, they had brought my parents who had in turn brought me; I was standing in the footprint of my family. This kind of connection, of constancy, of familiarity created a sense of safety and serenity that is hard to achieve. Ordinarily I am constantly aware of what others think of me and how I’m perceived, and yet I was a 21 year old man in a boating lake full of children, in a rowing boat on my own, and yet I didn’t feel remotely conspicuous. If a place can have that affect on me, I don’t mind if it’s a bit outdated.

y first ever experience at ing occasion was when I walked past York after months of antici- my housemate who asked me, "You all pation and careful planning? right?" For a minute I was completely Dragging four 50-pound suitcases taken aback - I had been sick the prethrough a chunky layer of snow. Just vious day but I hadn't told him - how great. Of course I arrived in Eng- did he know? My confusion stemmed land during the so-called Big Freeze. from the fact that in America, askTo those of you who are thinking ing someone this would only occur if of studying abroad, let me tell you something bad had happened, in this something: No matter how much you case me being sick. In British Engresearch life in a different country, you won't ever be fully prepared. From Sun to the Snow...

But that's the fun of it.

Let me introduce myself: My name is Mika, and I'm an American student studying abroad at York for the spring and summer terms. I hail from the University of California- Los Angeles, more commonly known as UCLA. Prior to arriving in England, I assumed life here wouldn't be that different, seeing as much of the U.S. was once a possession of the Crown and we all speak English. And thanks to films like Bridget Jones' Di- lish, on the other hand, this is simply ary, I had developed a few stereotypi- a standard greeting. So in fact, no, my cal ideas about the British - that their housemate hadn't known I was sick. I accents were to die for, that they must admit I still get a bit thrown off drank a lot, and that their diets con- when people ask me this question. sisted largely of fish & chips and tea. Another thing to get used to: the Having spent a month here, I've fact that I can drink here. To the learnt things are not quite as I've ex- sorrow of young America, the pected. The most obvious example: drinking age is set at 21 that British English and American in the U.S. and therefore English are actually two distinct neither my friends nor I can lelanguages. Case in point-words like gally drink. And now I'm at a uniwicked, crisps, fit, and quid, which in versity with bars on campus?

American English translate to sweet, Strange indeed. The first time I chips, hot, and bucks. One interest- bought a drink here was a bizarre

STUDENT STUNNERS GET THE LOOK: Scarf: Vivienne Westwood Coat: Expressions Legwarmers: Jonathan Aston Shoes: Riding Shop

GET THE LOOK: Jeans: Stolen from a family member Shoes: Joe Aston

Sarah Helen Bolwell

Bag: TK Maxx

Sean Glas

YORK VISION Tuesday February 9th, 2010

DOING THINGS BY THE (FACE)BOOK

Why

Is social networking taking over our lives?

S

AN UPDATE A DAY KEEPS THE DOCTOR AWAY Or most likely not, it would seem. Lily Allen recently told the world that she had "put [her] Blackberry, laptop and iPod in a box" after her technology obsession began to ruin her life. And she is evidently not alone, as Relate, a Relationship Counselling service, recently found that one client in ten on a single day sought help from them because of problems to do with the internet. For those with busy lives, updating their Tweets and completing work assignments must be done simultaneously, and this process of technology multi-tasking could be putting a worrying strain on our health. It is widely believed by scientists (and busy people!) that using infuriatingly uncooperative technology is a common cause of stress. When stressed the body increases its production of the hormone cortisol, making us more aggressive and impulsive, and even potentially increasing our risk of developing heart disease.

YOUR RELATIONSHIP STATUS HAS CHANGED TO: IT'S COMPLICATED An altogether different type of heart disease; the changing of the relationship status has become an etiquette minefield. Replacing the 'how long should I wait before I call?' dilemma is the, even more complex, 'which one of us should change our relationship status first?' conundrum. Claire Suddath wrote in The Times last year that a "Jane Austen of Facebook" is needed to advise us on the nuances of online open and closed relationships. We now seem to consider our own relationships valid only when declared for the world and his dog to see on our profiles. Emily and Michael Weise-King went so far as to change their status from 'engaged' to 'married' in the middle of their wedding ceremony! The change was made on their matching iPhones at the event in February of last year whilst

still in their wedding attire. The ending of a relationship can also be further complicated by Facebook. To break up with someone via a status change is widely deemed to be unacceptable, and yet once the romance has come to an end, both parties will shamelessly race each other home to be the first to declare themselves officially 'single.' Denise Knowles, relationship counsellor, says that an obsession with technology can be damaging to relationships because the constant distraction tells your partner that they are not worth your full attention. Similarly, psychiatrist Dr. Edward Hallowell claims that the downside to having "connected so miraculously electronically" is that we have "gradually disconnected emotionally."

SOMEBODY HAS COMPARED YOU TO ONE OF YOUR OTHER FRIENDS AND FOUND THAT YOU ARE LESS STUDIOUS Loughborough University reckons it takes, on average, 64 seconds to recover concentration after checking your e-mail/profile/twitter comments. That means that in a twenty-four hour open exam, if you checked your e-mail every ten minutes, you would lose 2.56 hours of valuable essay-writing time just to remembering your train of thought! Furthermore, those of us who believe our witty statuses, erudite tweets and eloquent blogs are improving our (already pretty immaculate) writing style, may be deluded.) Pear Analytics examined 2,000 tweets over two weeks and were able to categorise them into six separate areas. "Pointless babble" came out top with a massive 40% majority. So much for the Twitterati!

YOU HAVE BEEN POKED BY FACEBOOK. POKE BACK? In 2008 the Collins English Dictionary named "Facebook" its Word of the Year (and yet my Spell-check still insists on peppering this article with its angry red zig-zags). The following year the New Oxford American Dictionary awarded the same accolade to the verb "unfriend." Barak Obama has a page (over seven million fans). Nicolas Sarkozy has a page (over two hundred thousand fans). Gordon Brown has a page (not quite three thousand fans). There is no doubt that Facebook is in danger of ruling our health, relationships, work, language and even global politics. The question is: Like this?

TALK TO THE HAND COS THE FACEBOOK AINT LISTENING...

S

ince its conception, rarely a week has passed when Facebook (and its creator Mark Zucherberg) has not found itself embroiled in messy legal action.

The smallest amount of research unearths accusations of slander, breaches of privacy, and restrictions on free speech; The Facebook that Launched A Thousand Law Suits.

On January 1st 2008 a Facebook based memorial group dedicated to murdered Stefanie Rengel not only

released the name of the Toronto teenage victim despite her parent's withholding consent for her to be identified, but also named one of her accused killers, Melissa Todorovic. Scandal ensued, as Canada's Youth Criminal Justice Act states it is illegal to publish the names of underage criminals. Australia made history in December 2008 when they declared Face- book a valid protocol to serve court notices to defendants. The Supreme Court of the Australian Capital

Ter ritory has posted something on your wall...

Facebook was banned in Iran following the 2009 elections after fears it could be used by the opposition to stir up public dissent.

China followed suit a month later in July 2009 after the ĂœrĂźmqi riots.

Syria and Vietnam are amongst the other countries to have officially forbidden the site's use.

21

witter?

Maddy Potts investigates...

orry, an error has occurred. We are working on getting this fixed as soon as we can. If these words make your blood boil, if you make mental notes to later 'de-tag' photos the moment they are taken, if the word 'poked' no longer holds sexual connotations for you, then you may be one of the growing number of us who just can't break our Facebook addiction. But your impulsive desire to constantly let your friends know What Is On Your Mind will not be new to you. Very few of us are in Facebook Denial. What you may not have realised, however, is the way these sites are moving away from simply governing our friendships, to gradually controlling our whole lives.

LIFESTYLE

Katy Roberts investigates whether we're going to 'tweet' our way through 2010...

T

witter is without a doubt the best way to share and discover what is happening right now - Twitter, 2009.

What is it then; a new craze? Well, it was founded March 2006, and launched publicly July the same year, so can we really call it new? Or the next social network giant? Just as Bebo users outsold the site for MySpace then abandoned that for Facebook will we all jump on the bandwagon and join Twitter? A friend tells me "No! It's a completely different thing" Okay... It's for updating your 'followers' with your current activities; 'micro-blogging' is apparently the official title for posting the ins and outs of your life online. Also, on the Twitter main page, prior to log in they have a search box to 'see what people are saying about...' and then your chosen subject, which could be anything, interesting or amusing.

So who is 'tweeting' then? Celebrities are all over it, businesses are using it, TV and Radio shows are constantly asking us to 'follow' them on Twitter. So why bother? What's the incentive for the Average Joe to join Twitter? What do we have to say that people will want to read? Is it fun to post updates on our menial lives; does anyone really care if you're going to the gym, or 'bored' reading John Stuart Mill?

Is it 'celebrity culture' that might encourage us to create an account in order to keep up to date with the latest Kerry Katona 'news' or most recent gossip on how Katie Price's is managing without Peter Andre. Are we that sad that we want to stalk their every move? Is it not enough to have it flashing across the TV or their pictures on the front of every magazine? Where is the line drawn at the amount of obsession?

In my opinion, it is perhaps understandable to 'follow' things of personal interest - such as keeping up to date with the news. I joined Twitter and am currently following Downing Street - for daily news updates; the White House - for daily American politics; BBC Radio One for music updates and Burnley Football Club (I can't possibly miss the clarets). It was my intention to check Twitter regularly for these updates, yet it has just not happened.

There is simply no motivation for me to do so, having said this, I admit that there could be lots to gain from checking regularly - to receive the news on Twitter is perhaps easier than checking the BBC politics page every day and surely this could be replicated in other subjects.

The New York Times describes Twitter as "high tech trivia" and "the latest in time wasting devices", but it goes on to say that micro blogging was put to good use in the Iran June 2009 Presidential Election where tweeting was used to organise protest and disseminate information in the face of a news media crackdown.

However, whilst this might be true and Twitter may be successful with certain types of people, it would seem that students aren't particularly interested in Twitter, those I asked either didn't care or said they had an account that they never used - no reason to, they told me, we have facebook to keep in contact with friends - I'm interested in what they might have been up to over the last few days or to organise a meeting but I couldn't care less if their making toast for breakfast and surely the feeling is mutual.

22 LIFESTYLE

YORK VISION

Tuesday February 9th 2010

>Style

PIMP MY BIKE TIGHTASTIC

Emma Blake and Charlotte Forbes show you how to glam up your wheels.

W

ith more and more people getting back in the saddle, Vision have a few tips for making your bike less Napoleon Dynamite and more Audrey Hepburn.

When riding illegally through Vanbrugh the horn is your best friend. Size definitely matters. The bigger the better to scare off the large groups of dawdling freshers. Bells are audibly subtler for the more polite ones among you, though they can be hampered by excess baggage. Vision likes the Disney Princess Bike Horn from Halfords to add a touch of class and a bit of eccentricity to your wheels.

The pièce de résistance of the stylish cyclist has to be the wicker basket. They come in all shapes and sizes, but be careful to pick one according to your course load, there’s nothing worse than a basket overflow situation at the lights on Hull road. If you opt for a vintage basket make sure the leather straps aren’t too worn. We recommend Halfords wicker basket.

Why not embrace the spring floral trends and buy a few cheap fake flowers from a haberdashery to spruce up your basket and give you that extra flare? Boyes sell a range of artificial flowers with wire that can be secured easily.

The advantage of a basket is that you don’t have to replace your new shoulder bag with a bulky and unattractive rucksack. Though if that’s what tickles your fancy then Eastpak do a great range of mildly less offensive rucksacks in any colour under the sun.

Bring on the bling with some reflectives.

Get yourself some old school mirrors and spoke reflectors, better safe than sorry, but why not attempt to be stylish while your doing it? So instead of donning the dreaded fluorescent waistcoat make sure you have flashing lights and reflectors to compensate. Any good

bike shop will have a range of reflectors and flashing lights.

Leggings and a day dress are the most flexible and convenient outfit for our female bikers out there. The road is dangerous enough as it is without having to worry about pulling a Lindsey Lohan.

Vision also recommends that you invest in a couple of sturdy bike locks. You don’t want to put all this effort into pimping your bike out to find some chav riding around on it in Tang Hall.

Wicker Basket from Halfords £24.99

Cyclopedia Women's Saddle £34.99

Halfords Disney Proncess Bike Horn £5.99

Need a quick fix to transform your outfit?

Sarah Woods tells us why tights are the perfect solution.

W

e’re at that awkward time in the year, we’re almost over Winter, but not yet into Spring. It’s hard to tell whether to keep your legs under wraps or to brave them bare. An easy solution is tights! Thinner than leggings, yet still covering your legs, they’re perfect.

This season's tights have become more exciting and unusual with a wide range of colours and patterns. No longer do you have to settle with either black or nude, you can transform an outfit with a fabulous pair of bright tights.

Purple or blue tights are great to brighten up your outfit, or you could even try two-tone for an even edgier look.

Patterned tights are everywhere and they are great to give your outfit a bit more style and excitement. From hearts and bows, to stripes and floral you can get any pattern and they look great!

Topshop have a fantastic range for around £8 each, a small price to pay for something that is going to make your outfit. However, remember do not over-do your prints and patterns! Keep patterns to a minimum and don't try to match your whole outfit. Make your tights stand out by wearing them with fairly plain outfits, this will grab attention straight to your

pins!

So, for a quick fix this season without a major price tag, tights are the only way to go!

10 ghts - £ Heart ti p Topsho e oral lac Black fl £9 Miss tights e Selfridg

THE PRETTY LITTLE THINGS...

Helen Turnbull talks of sugar, spice, and all things nice

I

t's been good news for the girly girls out pealing is the vintage feel to their whole collection, there so far this season with pink hues undoubtedly adding an element of timelessness to earning their rightful place on the high a piece, although stereotypical, a feature that canstreet. The good news does not end there. not be criticized. I recommend teamThe high street has a whole host of pretty ing the more out-there pieces with little jewellery box gems waiting to prettify simpler garments to avoid distracany daytime outfit, or the evening’s equivation from the main attraction. The lent from head to toe. assortment of arm candy is also Taking things from the top; Topshop has pretty enviable and despite the a lovely range of hair accessories with corurban myth, it is all reasonably sage and crochet compiling a main theme. priced. Their current underwear I especially like this lace corsage headband, range is also worth a look. Yes, (see right). Wear with your hair down in the York does have a distinct lack daytime to create a playful girl-next-door look of a store, but Leeds is only or hair pinned up in the evening to add a bit a short train ride away, Lac Nude Hairband of girly glam. With its nude tone, it will prove and it's not as if there from Topshop pretty versatile and at under a tenner you can’t need be an excuse for £8 exactly complain. a shopping trip!

Onto jewellery; there's always one (or a handAs the winter chill ful) of those to-die-for pieces that you just have shows no sign of disappearing fast it’s lucky that to have sitting on your dressing table. Look no besides showcasing their bikini and sunny ranges further than Urban Outfitters this Spring. ready in time for the warmer season, the high street It may sound clichè, but there really is is still stocking Winter woollies. The full matchsomething for everyone; from delicate Ditsy Floral Tights ing hat, scarf and glove combo need not invite rose, heart pendant combos, to more from Miss Selfridge itself into February along with your floral day £8 statement floral lockets. What’s so apdresses, but warmth can be achieved without

looking so Eskimo-esque. Miss Selfridge comes up top trumps in this category; their collection of scarves range from light crochet and lace numbers for pure accessory purposes to one hundred per cent sheepskin, a decent investment for warmth.

As it has not quite hit the temperatures appropriate to bare legs I recommend their tights range which consists of a lot of girly florals; a complement to any day dress. And a helping hand on the way to making that awkward transition from Winter to notquite Spring.

It’s pretty simple, the only rule to follow; the daintier the better.

Crotchet Edged Scarf from Miss Selfrige £12

YORK VISION YORKLIFESTYLE VISION

23 23

LIFESTYLE YORK VISION SPORT

22

HALLOWEEN HOW-TO! HIGH END TO HIGH STREET >Sport

Tuesday 9th 2010 TuesdayFebruary November 24th, 20099

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confident enough why not ask an artsy housemate to do it or just practise before-hand.

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Face-painting is the key. Honestly, you can't go

out the face paint and the black capes. wrong by putting on a bit of white face paint and makthewacking red...

YORK 1STS 87 LEEDS TRINITY 1STS ing dark circles round your eyes.

Halloween shouldn't be about looking pretty or 60

YORK 1STS 10 NORTHUMBRIA 1STS 12

YORKI COCK-A-HOOP OVER STORMING VICTORY

LACROSSE DROP POINTS IN THE DYING SECONDS

PHOTO BY DANIEL GILKS

PHOTO BY DAN BIRCHINALL

"

24 SPORT

YORK VISION

>Sport

Tuesday February 9th 2010

YORK 3RDS 60 YORK ST JOHNS 7

YORK 1STS 2 NORTHUMBRIA 1STS 1 HANDY ANDY TO THE RESCUE

HORNETS TAKE ALL THE HONEY IN DERBY ROUT

BY STEPHEN HOLCROFT

well-kept possession. However, Northumbria managed to keep themselves at bay from a late York onslaught, until Andrew Harris, in the deciding minutes, set up a dramatic finish. Taking his stick with ease beyond the Northumbrian defence, he managed to fire beyond the on-rushing Northumbrian defence, to score what proved to be the winning goal.

The victory was just reward for York's sheer determination, sending Northumbria to the bottom of the table, and temporarily lifting themselves one point clear of the Northern League danger zone.

YORK'S NETBALL 3rd's obliterated city rivals St. John's on Wednesday, treating their supporters to a flurry of successful shoots, with the eventual scoreline of 60-7 proving somewhat of a ''no contest''.

Renowned for their bee-like kit colours, the sting in the tale was provided ultimately from the outset, as the hosts' threatening attacking minded display turned a city-rivalry into an exhibition and ever-increasing concern for St.John's.

With a defence reluctant to concede possession, and with an attacking lineup of Lisa Griffiths and Livi Coward in clinical shooting form, St. John's simply could not live with their opponents.

After reaching halftime 31-1 ahead, the last two quarters saw little chance of York Uni relinquishing their dominance, and Caro Aldridge and Ellie May unwilling to give away many shoots.

By the end of the 3rd interval, York Uni had stretched their winning margin over their hosts to 40 points.

Natalie Ord did manage to restore some pride for the visitors in the fourth quarter, but with the home side having already gone 30 minutes of their own without conceding, it mattered little.

Indeed, it provides perfect preparation for the 3rd's with the Varsity tourna-

ment just around the corner, and also the gulf in class between two teams so close together, could not be stretched so far apart. And with the hardwork and inspiration led by captain Amelia Prestige, confidence could not be higher in the camp.

SPORT SPOTLIGHT

Photo: Siobhan Crittenden

A MOMENT of late magic from Andrew Harris helped inspire the men's hockey 1sts from a goal down to a vital 2-1 victory over Northumbria, momentarily increasing their chances of avoiding relegation, in a match not shy of controversy.

The match began brightly for the Tyneside outfit, with the home side finding themselves starved of possession in their own turf. There was no suprise therefore when Northumbria were awarded a penalty which was subsequently converted. York needed all the support that their ever-faithful crowd were praying for.

If the opening exchanges were anything to go by, York were in for a tough game. The team switched to basics, with Nicolay Bode and Bily Walsh attempting to give their team a greater passing and dribbling incentive. It was now York's turn to launch an assault of their own. They managed to win a penalty, Walsh supplying James Branton with the ball who levelled at one a-piece, going into a decisive second half.

In a match reminiscent of a ''six-pointer'', temperatures inevitably began to flare.

James Branter found himself in the referee's bad books after a confrontation with the opposition.

Henry Mellor was unfortunate not to give the home side the lead in the 2nd half after

Photo: Marcus Roby

BY STEPHEN HOLCROFT

UNIVERSITY OF YORK TRAMPOLINING CLUB I WANT to get something out into the open. A long time ago, my 7-year-old self had an accident involving a trampoline.

What actually happened? Let’s just say I learnt the meaning of the term ‘face plant’ the hard way that fateful day. Ever since then I’ve strived to avoid trampolines, keeping my distance at all times. So it was with a certain amount of trepidation that I entered the dance studio this week to begin two hours of introductory trampolining. I left wondering why I’d taken so long to get back on the trampoline; this was great.

When I entered the dance studio I was confronted by three of the largest trampolines I’d ever seen. Alice Collins, the trampolining society’s bubbly head coach, later revealed that just one of these monsters costs in excess of £4000. With the more experienced trampoliners easily reaching heights of fifteen feet, hanging for seconds in the air, I could see why.

Once the trampolines had been set up, Alice started to take me through the basics. Pointing to an ‘X’ in the centre of the trampoline, Alice instructed me to position myself there to jump and land, whilst focusing my eyes forwards at the wall in front of me at all times. “That way you

won’t go flying off,” she happily informed me. As I laughed uneasily memories of the young Josh vs. trampoline wipe-out came flooding unwelcomingly back to me, and I realised landing on the ‘X’ was easier said than done.

Once I’d learnt that staring at my feet wasn’t working, I managed to achieve some level of control over where I was landing. Next up was practicing what is known as the ‘seat landing’. This involved me landing in a sitting position with back straight, hands facing palms down, and springing back into the air in one crisp movement. Flowing my seat landing was not however, and it was only on the tenth crack that I managed to avoid collapsing on my backside like a deflated balloon every time I attempted the manoeuvre.

After this, inspired by my newfound ability to correctly angle the position of my bum when performing the seat landing, I managed to complete 180 and 360 degree rotations in the air. After twenty minutes of trampolining, and a rapidly inflated ego, I felt like somersaults were the next logical step. This ambition turned out to be slightly optimistic however. According to Alice, there’s “normally a year’s worth of training involved before someone attempts a somersault.”

"Oh," I replied, "I guess I’ll save the somersaults for another time then.”

“Probably a wise idea.”

Exhaustion suddenly hitting me like a ton of bricks, I stepped down and turned my eyes to the other trampoliners. I was left stunned by what I saw: twisting and rotating gracefully through the air, their bodies unflimichingly composed as they were flung up to great heights time and time again, I struggled to look away. Using any and every part of their bodies to engineer a landing and bounce back up, it was impossible not to be impressed by this show of gravity-defying pyrotechnics.

With training three times a week at £1.50 a session, or just £15 a year, trampolining represents great value for money. Many of the members I met during my session have been trampolining for years, and have the instructor qualifications to boot.

Trampolining involves a combination of incredible skill, coordination and athleticism. If you’re looking for a sport that is different and challenging, but above all else fun, trampolining is for you.

SESSIONSARE 8-10PM ON TUESDAY, THURSDAY AND SUNDAY EVERY WEEK

Photo: Marcus Roby

VISION'S JOSH MANGHAM LEAVES THE TRAMPOLINING CLUB WITH A SPRING IN HIS STEP...

YORK VISION

SPORT

Tuesday February 9th 2010

25

THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION VISION'S JON COOK EXPLORES THE SUCCESS OF THE SUPERBOWL AND ITS IMPACT ON BRITISH SPORT

BY THE time you read this either the Indianapolis Colts or the New Orleans Saints will have been crowned champions in the 44th annual Superbowl, a global sports super-event which is essentially the world cup final of American football.

Of all the sports of the U.S.A, and they have a few, football has made by far the biggest impact. In 2007 the NFL (that’s the National Football League for those scratching their heads) staged its first overseas league game at Wembley Stadium, entirely ruining the hallowed turf in the process, but it was such a success, with 81,176 fans attending, that it was made an annual event. Thanks to the passion of Britain’s loyal and somewhat obsessive American football followers there has even been talk of looking into the seemingly far-fetched possibility of a Londonbased team competing in the NFL, and the slightly less outlandish suggestion of upping the number of London games to two a year was only narrowly rejected recently.

Chances are that even if you know nothing about the sport you will know someone caught up in Superbowl mania, leading them to bellow incoherently at the television as you sit in perplexed ignorance.

This begs the question: what exactly is the appeal of American football and what does it mean for sport in Britain?

Simply speaking American football is so appealing because it is so unique.

On paper the game, an attempt to run

or pass a ball the length of the pitch to score in an end zone, seems close to rugby. Football however is far more tactically complex, with hundreds of differing formations whose actual purpose can leave a novices entirely baffled but give hardcore fans scope for hours of heated debate.

The exact rules and regulations are too varied and intricate to be explained here, the only way to pick the game up is to give it a watch. Thankfully an understanding is not necessary to enjoy the sport because American football is not really just a sport, it is a spectacle and, for Americans, a way of life. The games seem to take place on another planet, with glamorous cheerleaders, smoke-machines, apparently insane supporters painted from head to toe in their team’s colours.

Even at college level the footballers are superstars and local celebrities, playing in gigantic arenas, several of which hold over 100,000 fans. College matches at York unfortunately rarely draw this sort of crowd. Maybe to call

"American football is not just a sport, it is a spectacle " it a cultural experience is taking it a bit far but the enthusiasm and energy of American football is truly infectious.

You can even see it here in York with the York Centurions currently competing in their first season in what has proven to be a challenging league, a 14-0 loss to Lancaster the latest in a line of unlucky and unmerited defeats. In Britain the London games have shown that a fan base for the sport does exist and with Sky’s fervent coverage and Channel Five’s lower key treatment (ideal for newbies) ensuring continued exposure, American football does not seem eager to quit Britain any time soon.

What does this mean for the sports scene in Britain? Are we ready to join the cult of the quarterback? Clearly American

football can never hope to displace the behemoth of, and it pains me to call it this, ‘soccer’. Our own football is too engrained in the national culture, especially at the grassroots level, to be shifted. Besides which, as fun as American football is, it is loudly and unashamedly American.

As much as it embodies that which is good abouthe U.S.A, it also gives us the America that many love to hate. The flag-waving patriotism does get a bit much and there are only so many commercial breaks that us non-Americans can take. American football is fun but it’s fundamentally alien and whilst it’s interesting to find an American team to support it can’t replace the enjoyment of following your local team. Even those adept at transferring their allegiance far from home, like Man United supporters for instance, would have trouble identifying with a team on the other side of the Atlantic.

So thankfully soccer isn’t going anywhere and I can sleep soundly in my bed at night, but it looks like our other British sports might be the ones to lose out. Cricket has already been abandoned by terrestrial broadcasters, and test cricket increasingly has to play second fiddle to the glamorous run-fest that is 20-20, with the upcoming series against Bangladesh likely to be the dullest sports event this side of a Grimsby Town match. Recent introductions such as cheerleaders at matches in the Indian Premier League are possibly popular amongst male supporters but have left it looking a little like a sport desperate for attention. On the rugby front, union faces dwindling crowds and more people watch darts than league, possibly the gravest of condemnations for any sport So on the plus side American football is a genuinely interesting sport, fun to watch, and a refreshing break from real life in a glitzy, polished other world. On the negative side its probably bad news for our beloved gentlemanly British sports. So the recommended course of action? Give American football a try next year, enjoy it but make sure to feel suitably guilty for the traditions you’re murdering.

YORK 1STS 50 SHEFFIELD HALLAM 2NDS 78

YORK 1STS 83 NEWCASTLE 2NDS 29

BRAVE YORK SUCCUMB TO POWERFUL SHEFFIELD

YORK STUFF OUT-OF-TOON NEWCASTLE

the half-time break 37-25 ahead.

In the third quarter York tried to restore parity, frequently attacking Sheffield’s basket. Despite impressive build-up play, the home team weren’t converting their chances. In committing themselves forward, York were left vulnerable to the counter-attack, and Sheffield took advantage of this to extend their lead further.

York refused to give up, but in the fourth quarter Sheffield capitalised on a now tired home team to score the extra points that gave their victory an added gloss. York can be proud of the way they fought this match, but in this instance were faced by a team on top of their game.

Photo: Marcus Roby

THE MEN'S basketball team entered this match in good form but ran into a brick wall in the shape of Sheffield Hallam’s 2nds, losing 78-50. The matchup between the division's two top teams was a closely fought affair, but on the day a physical Sheffield were just too much for York.

Sheffield had won all six of their matches this season prior to Wednesday’s game, and the visitors began the contest in confident fashion. With Sheffield’s no.7 guard scoring three-pointers and playing a blinder, York were forced onto the back foot from the get-go. York’s Marcus Johanssen was having an equally productive early spell though, showing great composure to net a number of free throws and keep the scores level.

Despite this York were struggling to cope with Sheffield’s power, as the opposition threatened to overrun the home team.

The visitors laid siege to York’s half in the second quarter, forcing the home team into some desperate defending. Yet York’s defence was proving resilient, and at one stage Ben Barrett drew gasps from the crowd with an interception that seemed to defy the laws of physics. However despite York’s superman heroics Sheffield were relentless in their advances, and went into

BY JOSH MANGHAM

THE WOMEN'S basketball team continued their good form this season to trounce Newcastle 2nds 83-29. York are now top of the league, and can take pleasure from a match in which they were never in anything but complete control.

York took charge of the game from the off, scoring straight from the jump ball and dominating the opening exchanges.

It was halfway through the first quarter before Newcastle managed to put any points on the board, and with skilful forward Claire Dinnan scoring freely, the Geordie uni were finding York too hot to handle.

Newcastle roused themselves in the second quarter, keen to avoid a thrashing. Starting to make more meaningful incursions into York’s half, they drew a number of fouls from the university. but failed to convert most of their free throws, scoring only eight points. York, punishing the other team’s profligacy, went into the halftime break 40-16 ahead.

And although the second quarter brought about a more even contest, the third quarter saw York beginning to dicttate play again. Kate Missenden, York's tall centre, was able to use her height and strength to great effect, bagging nu-

merous points near the basket. Penalised on several occasions for travelling, Newcastle went into the last quarter visibly spent.

The final quarter saw York romp home to an emphatic win, with the home team scoring twenty three points to Newcastle’s meagre four. As York’s players turned on the style with some audacious three-pointers, the last ten minutes of the match came to represent nothing more than a glorified cake walk. With Hull University breathing down their necks, York will take great encouragement from this resounding victory.

Photo: Marcus Roby

BY JOSH MANGHAM

26 SPORT

LONG WAIT ADDS INSULT TO INJURY

VISION: N0.1 FOR COLLEGE FOOTBALL

YORK VISION

Tuesday February 9th 2010

COLLEGE FOOTBALL RETURNS...

AND SO DOES ITS USUAL DRAMA!

CONTINUED FROM BACK PAGE

SHOCKINGLY IT was 35 minutes before the ambulance arrived on the field.

To add insult to injury the ambulance became stuck in the mud, having to be rescued by players pushing it from behind. The JamesAlcuin match had only been ten minutes old when Alcuin player Joe Smith crumpled in pain after going into a 50-50 challenge, screaming in agony as play was stopped and paramedics were called. One spectator confessed: "I had to look away-the injury was that awful. Both players went for the ball, but Joe seemed to get his foot caught in the ground as he went into the tackle. It was horrendous."

Although the game was cancelled, the three other college games, the first since before Christmas due to bad weather, went ahead uninterrupted.

Langwith and Wentworth battled to a 2-2 draw, whilst Halifax and Derwent recorded narrow 1-0 wins.

AIt was a sombre return to college football though, leaving players and spectators both hoping for a more positive kind of drama next weekend.

FRUSTRATION: Chances were plentiful for Goodrick, but it wasn't to be therir day.

Photos by Daniel Gilks and Siobhan Crittenden

LANGWITH 2 WENTWORTH 2

HALIFAX 1 VANBRUGH 0

BY STEPHEN HOLCROFT

BY JON COOK

IN A fiercely contested match Seamus Kent twice rescued Wentworth from a goal down to salvage a share of the spoils with Langwith.

Bruce Starkey fired Langwith into the lead after twenty minutes, drilling his shot low to Matt Taylor's right post after good play down the left by Danny Mullen.

But Wentworth's reply was immediate, as great combination play by strike duo Dom Greene and Kent brought the equalising goal, swiftly eradicating any Langwith celebrations.

Langwith started the 2nd half in much the same vein as the 1st, with Starkey's pace proving too much for the Wentworth defence to handle. They found themselves 2-1 ahead on 50 minutes, when Mullen turned from provider to goalscorer, slotting home after Wentworth had failed to clear their area.

Wentworth refused to offer Langwith any respite, with Andy Suggitt's audacious 25 yard effort hitting the post and proving how close the gap between the two teams was.

Substitute Russ Kitson was then brought into the mix, and soon found himself at the heart of the action when the coach of Wentworth, who was also interestingly enough the referee for the day, deemed Kitson to have been fouled in the area. Seamus Kent then wrapped up his second for the game, stepping up to slot home the equalising penalty with Simon Ward only managing to parry the ball into his own net.

The match finished 2-2 with neither side able to gain full control of the match, and Langwith will be disappointed to draw a game in which they really should have won.

A CLOSE affair between two good sides was settled only by a debatable Mark Lund penalty.

Halifax and Vanbrugh both played good, possession football, with Halifax demonstrating why they have been the team to beat recently and Vanbrugh showing signs of real encouragement for the future.

However, a lack of attacking edge for both teams, coupled with confident goalkeeping displays, meant the match nearly ended goalless.

It was Vanbrugh who started the better, demonstrating their strength in the middle of the park. However, without any real cutting edge up front they struggled to mould any real chances, with needless offsides putting paid to neat midfield work.

Refreshed after the restart, Halifax started to press Vanbrugh hard. Goalkeeper Paul Taylor proved equal to any Vanburgh efforts though, and pulled off an athletic save from a long range drive in the 50th minute.

This allowed his attackers to nearly steal the game with some nice counter-attacking football, leading to an effort hitting the Halifax bar. It appeared it would only be a matter of time before Vanburgh drew level.

It was to be Halifax’s day though. Going into the final 10 minutes, Mark Brennan was scythed down, seemingly outside the box. The referee saw it differently however, and pointed controversially to the spot. Creditably the Vanbrugh's players' dissent was minimal, and Halifax captain Mark Lund stepped up confidently to slot the penalty into the bottom left hand corner and give his side the win.

DERWENT 1 GOODRICKE 0

BY JOSEPH MCDERMOTT GOODRICKE WERE left to rue a plethora of missed chances as Derwent held onto an early lead.

Goodricke started the brighter of the two sides with David Coupland making a fine contribution from the left wing. He was of constant concern to the Derwent defence and his deft ball to Eddie Silson in the 6 yard box almost opened the scoring, with Silson blasting wide of the post.

Despite Goodricke's attacking dominance, it was Derwent who managed to break the deadlock when James Grey found Goodricke ‘keeper Ed Foster off his line and lobbed him from the edge of the area.

Derwent’s lead rattled Goodricke and what had previously been a rather full-blooded affair began to settle down as the Blues managed to contain a somewhat opposition.

Both teams came into the second half with a renewed sense of vigour. Derwent went close to extending their lead through a well worked shot by Alex Cooper, whilst Goodricke produced several attempts on goal, but were frustrated by Derwent's impregnable defence.

Tensions eventually came to a head when a short scuffle broke out between goal-scorer Grey and defender Matt Whelan; a testament to the passion and determination of both sides.

The game’s final chance fell to Coupland courtesy of Niall Walsh’s fierce run, however the tireless forward couldn't fathom out any clear chance, and Derwent held on for the win.

While Derwent may have taken all the points Goodricke can surely take heart from a fine, spirited performance.

YORK VISION

SPORT

Tuesday February 9th, 2010

YORKSPORT FUSTRATED BY A LACK OF THE UNIVERSITY SUPPORT

BY JOSEPH MCDERMOTT

MANY YORKSPORT clubs are becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the university’s policy on sport.

Key figures in the sporting community have accused the University of failing to place sport high enough on its list of priorities, and as a result fears are growing that York’s sports team will inevitably suffer.

With fund shortages and problematic lecture scheduling, unrest is growing around YorkSport. Members had initially complained that the University is not spending enough money on sport.

However, further criticisms have been raised over scheduling conflicts which mean that players cannot reach vital away games.

BLAME York University Hockey Club President and YorkSport Presidential candidate Rob Newton told Vision that the blame certainly doesn’t lie at the door of YUSU who, in his words, ''can only do so much, with the budget they get, to break even''. Instead, he pinpointed the blame on the central university , claiming that they had failed to provide proper facilities or ''trained staff like coaches, physios and groundsmen.'' While other universities allow their recreation services to run at a loss and merely offset the losses with ''a shed load of money'' York’s aggressive cost-cutting (which has previously seen a loss of 24 hour portering and several campus bars) has meant a consistently decreasing SU budget and consequently a decreased YorkSport budget. It should be noted that the entire YUSU budget is smaller than the amount Durham annually spend on sport.

Incumbent YorkSport President, Emily Scott believes that some of the financial problems could be lifted if the campus sports centre was moved out from under commercial services: ''I find it rather depressing that a significant proportion of the York Sport budget goes

towards paying for our own university's sports facilities.'' Scott claims that if the sports centre were to come under the domain of YorkSport, then clubs and individual students alike would be able to enjoy a far cheaper service.

DIFFICULTIES When asked whether sport was adequately represented in the university, Scott answers emphatically: ''it's certainly not a high enough priority.

The impression I often get is that the powers that be within the University think there's no need to invest in sport on the current campus as they are committed to building a swimming pool on Heslington East.'' Scott outlines several problem areas that are in need of immediate repair or improvement: ‘We could really do with another all-weather pitch to help prevent as many fixtures being cancelled and the "track" certainly doesn't even deserve its name! Realistically, to properly accommodate all 59 clubs, a greater budget is needed.’

One high profile YorkSport committee member, who requested to remain anonymous, told Vision that with over 25% of our university’s students being members of YorkSport, it's baffling that University has not taken proper notice.

Our source went on to say that considering the investments made in expanding the University, it seemed odd they would ignore sport, a major factor in many students choice of University.

A source within the Squash Club echoed the same views, bemoaning difficulties booking squash courts for club use or trying to get any sort of discount. "Its like trying to get blood out of a stone," he protests. ''I think YUSU, and especially Emily, do a great job - they recently gave us money for beginner development - but they are massively limited by their tiny budget. The problem definitely lies with Heslington Hall and the sports centre.'

However, criticisms extend beyond

just fiscal matters; many clubs have had real problems with taking full teams to away matches. Speaking exclusively to Vision, an anonymous lacrosse player told of the club's problems: ''Four first team lacrosse players, including the vice captain and major goal scorer, are unable to attend away matches due to seminar and lecture scheduling. This is obvious from the results we have achieved; only winning one away fixture all season, despite winning almost all home matches.''

Rugby Captain Alexander Redshaw has also had problems with this issue, and several of his players have been told by their departments to choose between their sport and their degree: ''I find this ridiculous,'' said a clearly outraged Redshaw. ''Obviously our degrees are our first priority in terms of why we are at university but I don't think it’s on when it is held against an individual who has a passion for sport and works hard the rest of the week.''

UNFAIR Emily Scott backed YorkSport members and admitted there was a problem with the university’s attitude towards sport: ''I think this is really unfair.

There's no denying the saying 'healthy body, healthy mind', and playing sport is an essential part of this. Evidently there is an issue on Wednesday afternoons with timetabling for undergraduates until 1.15, as teams frequently need to leave for away matches before this.''

Several solutions have been posed to this problem, ranging from students simply catching up later in the week to the university only scheduling seminars on a Wednesday and leaving lectures for the rest of the week. However with no promise of any solution being implemented in the near future and the threat of yet another budget cut it seems 2010 could be a difficult year for YorkSport.

YUSNOW SLALOM TO SUCCESS

BY LOUISE COTREL-GIBBONS

YUSNOW HAS pushed York to the forefront of the snowsports circuit, making it onto the podium yet again at last Wednesday’s British Universities Indoor Snowsports Championship (BUISC) regional qualifier.

This competition is eagerly awaited all year as it is one of the few opportunities snowsports athletes get to compete on real snow.

York entered seven individual skiers, five individual snowboarders as well as two ski teams, a snowboard team and three individual freestylers for the competition. After several weeks of rigorous training, YUsnow had high hopes for success, even against the likes of old rivals Newcastle and Leeds.

These hopes were not just realised but completely superseded as Dave Tee, a first year student, had a storming run down the slalom course to complete it in 12.94 seconds and clinch first place by two hundredths of a second. Dave will go on to compete against skiers from all over Britain in the finals on the 3rd

March, alongside teammates Michael Perkins, James Lodge, and Matt Thomas (who came 8th, 12th and 15th respectively) and Steph Campbell-Woodward, who finished a very respectable 10th in the ladies competition. The team has gone from strength to strength, qualifying more skiers this year than they ever have before at this competition, and are therefore expecting good results at the finals.

Marlies Neuner, snowboard captain, unsurprisingly delivered excellent results yet again, reaching the finals with a 2nd place in the ladies snowboard slalom. She will undoubtedly be aiming for the same result she achieved in 2009 – at the top of the podium in first place.

In the dual ski slalom event, YUsnow achieved further success, with victory over Sheffield Hallam automatically putting them through to the next round.. The team finished joint fifth after a nail-biting quarter-final

against Nottingham University’s first team, who just pipped York at the post.

York’s 2nds team were unluckily drawn against Newcastle’s 1st team, the strongest team in the north of England, in the first round and thus got no further. The snowboard dual slalom was just as exciting to watch as the team of Ben Ward, Tom Farrow, Paul Oates and captain Marlies Neuner fought hard to achieve fourth place. The first ski team and the snowboard team will go on to compete in the finals.

President Matt Thomas summed up the day: "It has been an awesome day for the club and the University. I am thrilled to have two people on the podium in both ski and snowboard disciplines, as well as strong performances from all the teams.

We are now preparing for a just as successful day at the finals."

27

TIPSTER

A NEW YEAR AND A NEW GENERATION OF THE TIPSTER LEADING THE PENNILESS STUDENTS OF YORK THROUGH THE PERILOUS WORLD OF HIGH STAKES GAMBLING...

SURE THING FRANCE TO WIN THE RUGBY SIX NATIONS AFTER OUTCLASSING Scotland despite never really leaving first gear it’s a fairly safe bet that France will be the eventual victors of the 2010 RBS Six Nations Cup. Although many pundits have tipped Ireland to hit the top spot their performance against perennial whipping boys Italy made hard work of what should have been an easy victory. France play Ireland next week in what could be one of the most important games of the year and although Ireland won’t roll over for them I am confident that France will be able to see them off.

2/1

TIPSTER'S ODDS:

LONG SHOT LIVERPOOL TO FINISH FOURTH THIS SEASON AFTER PRODUCING a commendable 10-man performance to fend off a strong Everton side the Kop has now gained 17 points from a possible 21 in their last seven games: the comeback has well and truly started.

Liverpool undeniably has talent in their team outside of Torres and Gerrard; Dirk Kuyt, Jamie Carragher and Javier Masherano may not be the classiest players on the field but they can all turn out performances worthy of a top four finish. A combination of poor form, offfield turbulence and the loss of a certain Spaniard are to blame for Liverpool’s nightmare season but now, with a run of wins under their belt, the Red’s should be ready to reclaim their place in the top four. Unfortunately with Man City, Aston Villa and Tottenham all looking to gatecrash the party the road to fourth is not an easy one though if the Kop can keep up this run of form then there is a chance they can fend off the young upstarts.

TIPSTER'S ODDS:

16 / 1

ABSOLUTE MADNESS TERRY TO REGAIN THE ENGLAND CAPTAINCY WHETHER OR not you agreed with Capello’s decision it’s a safe bet that you had an opinion on the matter. However it is certainly not a safe bet to put money on the disgraced John Terry ever snapping on the Captain’s armband again.

Unfortunately the reign of JT is over and I can’t see it ever returning. Although Rio Ferdinand wouldn’t have been my first choice for the captaincy (or even my eleventh choice…)

Capello clearly rates him. Having said that with Ferdinand’s injury problems and horrendous run of form the odds of him losing the England Captaincy are considerably shorter than Terry getting it back!

TIPSTER'S ODDS:

100 / 1

Issue 204

Tuesday, February 9th 2010

YOUR #1 SOURCE FOR ALL UNI SPORT

YUSNOW VICTORY

P25 VISION EXPLORES THE SUPERBOWL

P27

TENSIONS GROWING BETWEEN YORKSPORT AND CENTRAL UNIVERSITY

Photos by Daniel Gilks

JAMES v ALCUIN CALLED OFF AFTER

HORRIFIC INJURY SHOCK

BY JOSH MANGHAM THE RETURN of college football was marred this weekend by an HORRIFIC accident that left onlookers stunned and players sickened.

Alcuin defender Joe Smith was HOSPITALISED after a full-blooded challenge left him with a suspected broken fibia AND tibia.

Although the referee showed no hesitation in immediately putting an end to the match, the emergency services showed no such urgency.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 26

LEG > PLAYER SUFFERS SUSPECTED BROKEN LP > EXCRUCiATING ONE HOUR WAIT FOR HE > AMBULANCE GETS STUCK IN THE MUD

COLLEGE FOOTBALL FULL MATCH REPORTS PAGES 24 - 26