It has emerged that the operation to remove eco-protester Gabriel Chamberlain from his tree sit-in in Bonn Square cost Oxford City Council nearly £12,000.On Wednesday 2 January, Chamberlain, aged 34, set up his home in the tree as part of a protest against the £1.5million redevelopment of Bonn Square.The security operation arising from his protest included security staff, fencing and lighting . It cost the Council £11,700.When asked what this substantial amount of money had been spent on Councillor John Goddard, leader of the Oxford City Council, said, “£9,000 was spent on security guards, which had to be there 24/7; just over £2,000 was spent on fencing; £250 was spent on lighting and £250 on court costs.”Goddard went on to explain that the Council money had to be spent on the protest because, “The contractors very reasonably said that they wouldn’t go on the site until it was secure.“Normally the lighting, fencing and the security is the job of the contractor. If there had been no protest then they would have borne these costs but because of the protest, we had to”.Jean Fooks, the Liberal Democrat Councillor for Summertown, described the amount of money spent as a “bad choice”. She said, “It was Gabriel himself who cost us a lot of money. He wanted to make his point, and he did make his point.It’s a shame he didn’t come down after a day or two; he knew he’d have to come down eventually and he ended up costing the City Council and the tax payer a lot of money.”n Sunday 13 January a student from St Annes, Jonathan Leighton, was arrested for attempting to throw a bottle of water to Chamberlain. When questioned whether there was a cost for this Goddard replied, “There was of course no cost for that, it was simply a case of the police doing what they thought was their job.”Leighton was held in the police station in St Aldate’s for three hours and had his fingerprints taken. He said, “One has to ask why the Council are suddenly so keen to throw money at Bonn Square when it is going to sit opposite a massive new shopping centre.“Is this really about improving public space or is it about making the area ‘nice’ for people to waltz down to Westgate and fill the pockets of multinational clothing chains?”Superintendent Brendan O’Dowda refused to comment on either the Council costs or those of the police.He said, “The police did commit to securing the site but we do not talk about facts and figures, we see that as part of our job.

There’s a petition on Facebook to drop a reading week into the middle of every term. It is true that, if petitions on facebook were ten a penny, then inflation would sky-rocket. Yet there may be some sense in this idea, the second soundest solution to end 5th Week Blues.Unlike other hackneyed clichés that we peddle from time to time, this one actually exists. If Gordon Brown can suffer mid-term blues, why not your average undergrad? In Hilary especially, some kind of annual plague seems to set in; a malaise of the chest cavity assuredly, but also of the mind. It’s a kind of Hypocratic notion, but the middle of term does appear to knock our humours out of kilter.Various tactics besides the posited reading week may be summoned to our aid. It’s not a bad idea to indulge your torpor; to wallow in the melancholy for a few days and come out, if not refreshed, then at least well watered. Listen to Robert Johnson. Listen to Ella Fitzgerald. Listen to The Smiths’ ‘I Know It’s Over’ if you want to do it properly; just don’t overindulge on Miles Davis.Other forms of overindulgence are permitted, even recommended. Which is where the soundest solution of all comes in. Take a sharp object – some scissors, ideally, or a knife. Don’t do anything rash. Instead, turn to our centrespread. Gasp at the smorgasbord of offers, competitions and events. Go forth and eat. Pies, sausages, cake, fresh fish – these and more come cheap in 5th Week.  Then buy a larger size of discounted jeans to accommodate your new and dignified bulk. Spend the early evening at a dance class before showcasing your acquired talents at Eclipse – taking advantage of Cherwell offers and working all that food off again, all at once.5th Week is not the time for panic, nor for solitary confinement. It is the lowest point in the wave that is Hilary term. Let this week’s Cherwell be the surfboard you escape on.

Slovakian food is not traditional romantic fare. The aphrodisiacal effects of sauerkraut, onions, and dumplings are  probably somewhere next to brussel sprouts on the continuum that links custard to caviar. Nonetheless, good food generally gets everyone’s engine a-revving and this St Clement’s fixture knows how to turn out a decent bowl of grub.
Moya is both a restaurant and cocktail bar. The front half has wooden tables and metal stools for those just in search of a tipple. The back half has the same tables, but with proper chairs. These were draped with fabric that appeared to have been recycled from monks’ robes and that was clearly cut for full-height backs. Both my dining partner and I took umbrage to these drapes on discovering that the chairs underneath were considerably less comfortable than they appeared. Much like the inside of a monastery.  The flaccidity of the soft furnishings aside, the room itself was perfectly amenable to romancing: candles and daffodils on each table were a simple enhancement to the otherwise bare surface. Wooden floorboards and pale walls decorated with pictures from around the world (though curiously not from Slovakia) completed the look – it is not a fancy restaurant, but it is homely.
The evening menu has eleven starters and seventeen main courses (four vegetarian dishes in each). My dining partner remarked that it would be quite difficult not to find something appealing on the menu. She ordered Devil’s Toast: sourdough bread with onions, tomatoes, peppers, chillies and goat's cheese. It sounded good in theory and was in practice – a lovely blend of flavours, textures, and colours. I ordered Kapustnica: a ‘hearty soup’ of pork shank, smoked sausage, sauerkraut, root vegetables, and potatoes. It came with two types of rye bread and was absolutely delicious: the prune loitering at the bottom was a spectacular treat. She had rum-battered aubergine to follow. Although deep-fried things do tend towards the oily side, the aftertaste of stale fat was disappointing and not offset by the fragrant horseradish sauce. My goulash was very tasty – the spices were well balanced and the knedla (steamed bread) accompanying it were an ideal mop for the sauce. The portion was too small for a dish with a £10 price tag but, being generous, they had probably run out as it had got quite late by that point.
This brings me on to the service. Though we had not booked a table, the restaurant was not especially full when we arrived at 8.30. There were around twenty people in a room that can sit twice as many. The owner said that food would be slow out of the kitchen, but that does not excuse having to wait twenty minutes to put in a drinks order. Likewise, he obligingly moved us when a table opened up at the back but, with only three other people in the restaurant by the end of the night, let the team down with his nonchalant attitude to fetching our bill. Perhaps this is the curse of being a student – no one expects a tip from you so even if you plan on leaving one you never get treated in a manner that justifies much generosity.
Reflecting on it, there are probably more romantic places to go for Valentine’s Day – Gee’s comes to mind. If you fancy spending £80 before you’ve even thought about wine, to feast upon lemon sole, poached chicken, or mushroom risotto then be my guest. The service will probably be quicker, though starchier to be sure. For a restaurant charging Michelin prices it would be nice to see a menu that pushes beyond what you can knock up at home. Moya, on the other hand, turns out very good food at reasonable prices (£40 for two with drinks). The cocktails aren’t half bad either. So give it a go, but book now unless you want to end up on a lowly bar stool.Four stars.
 – By Adam Ross

Gown 8 – 4 Town There was little room for free speech at the union on Monday night, in fact there was little room at all. The compressed nature of the seating allowed for a steamy atmosphere, added to by the exertions of the boxers. What was witnessed was not mindless aggression, as some mindless people have boxing, but a highly skilful and measured sport where uncontrolled rage would lead to defeat. The University side often looked less built than their opponents yet often won through technical display, a sure indication that a boxer needs brains as well as brawn. Overall the standard was high, and the dedication shown by the pugilists’ exemplarary, months of training spent to buy 6 minutes of potential pain. They will surely tell you that for a convincing 8-4 victory, a massive boost in the run up to varsity, it was worth every penny. BOUT 1 | J.JOHNSON BEAT K.OSBOURNE Oxford landed both the figurative and literal first blow of the evening thanks to an assured performance from the women’s captain. Her superior footwork tired her opponent who spent much of the 3rd round on the ropes and had to endure the first count of the evening. BOUT 2 | B.LEE BEAT M.MIKADO Mikado started sprightly but her reliance on the quick left jab was soon exposed, and as Lee settled in the fight she landed some nice combinations that bloodied her opponent’s nose, and led to a comfortable victory. BOUT 3 | M.CHEN LOST TO R.ECCLESTONE Chen lost a bout in which he was technically superior purely as a result of his inferior reach. After being kept at arms length in the 1st, he managed to breach Ecclestone’s defences in the 2nd, but the three big rights Ecclestone landed on him in the 3rd were enough for him to hold on. BOUT 4 | J.ROBERTSON BEAT A.HOOD A measured display and a powerful left landed Robertson the judges’ boxer of the night award as well as many punches on Hood’s body. Good skills in the close ensured Hood’s desperate attempt at a comeback stayed just that. BOUT 5 | J.MCCARTHY BEAT P.BROWN The contest never really recovered from its staccato opening, the referee constantly intervening, and it was no surprise when the town boxer was disqualified in the 3rd for illegal punching. McCarthy would have gone on to win anyway, his direct attacks being met with an ineffective flinch defence that negated the chance of a counter-attack. BOUT 6 | T.HUGHES BEAT L.LYMANT Oxford maintained their dominance within seconds in this fight, Lymant chewing canvas after receiving a devastating left. Hughes dominated the ring after this, periodically chasing Lymant into corners to inflict punishment. Watching from ringside, it was something of a relief when the referee ended this mismatch before the final bell. BOUT 7 | P.KIBBE LOST TO D.MORRIS A sapping match, with both fighters landing big punches. The town boxer managed to find the necessary reserves of stamina to come out on top, Kibbe tiring in the 3rd. BOUT 8 | N.ROBERTSON BEAT A.BARNES A fight that would have had more relevance in a high street on Friday night. Robertson was twice warned for use of elbow, Barnes bounced off the ropes like a wrestler and neither boxer seemed to want to face up, rather preferring to charge sideways into each other. Not pretty, but the Oxford southpaw deserved it through usage of a big wraparound right. BOUT 9 | R.HIGHET BEAT I.ALI Another dominant display by an Oxford boxer. Ali opened up with some direct punches (too many of the town’s boxers had an undeveloped flailing style), but it became more and more obvious that he had no counter to Highet’s relentless combinations, ending up significantly out punched. BOUT 10 | R.BRIGGS BEAT D.TOMALA With more than enthusiastic support, Briggs was under pressure to perform and didn’t disappoint. A tight frustrating style early on aggravated Tomala, who adopted some dubious pushing tactics which were vigorously condemned by the partisan crowd. Towards the end Briggs opened up to land some solid hits and take a deserved victory. BOUT 11 | C.BATTISTA LOST TO P.FIELD The Italian stallion couldn’t live up to his nickname but can take encouragement from losing one of the more skilful bouts of the night. Field’s 4 punch combo in the 2nd probably decided it despite Battista’s brave comeback. BOUT 12 | P.ANDERSON LOST TO G.BIDETT The shortest fight of the evening ended through stoppage in the 1st. Anderson landed some good blows early on, but one giant wraparound left from the giant Bidett wrapped things up. Certainly not a match indicative of Oxford’s night.by James Kelly

In-party rows are contagious. Firstly, late last year:

George Galloway and his supporters have split from Respect. After a week in which he has tried to pretend that the SWP and other socialists were leaving Respect he has announced a rival conference on the same day as the Respect national conference.

Not long till it spread:

Open rebellion is being threatened against the leader of the British National Party, Nick Griffin, from dozens of senior activists. The party has retaliated by expelling two senior members, who it accuses of plotting a coup. BNP officials Sadie Graham and Kenny Smith were kicked out after they were critical of Mr Griffin's style.

And now it's In-fighting Über Alles:

Police searched the headquarters of a German far-right party Thursday… The search of the National Democratic Party's headquarters in Berlin's Koepenick district was part of a probe by prosecutors in Muenster and police in western Germany against the party official, Erwin Kemna, Berlin police spokesman Uwe Kozelnik said. Kemna is being investigated on suspicion of breach of trust against the party.

PS That SURVEY's still runningCherwell 24 is not responsible for the content of external links 

Whenever I hear that a new adaptation of Alice Through the Looking Glass is being made, whether in theatre or film, I react with very little enthusiasm.

Most often I worry that the adaptation will stress the well-mannered "English" nature of it excessively, and lose much of the haunting darkness that casts itself over so many scenes in the book; that it will force through its own interpretative critical agenda to the extent that so much resonance of the piece is lost. I can unequivocally say that this new adaptation for the stage succeeds by avoiding both of these dangers, whilst it remains innovative in its experimentation.

The opening scene, the prologue to the play, has a truly haunting quality to it: a lone, indistinct figure delivers the poem in a truly ethereal way as chill piano music accompanies him. One of the great features of the performance is the innovative use of the chorus. Not only does it provide a flexible selection of actors to play the characters Alice meets, but it is also able to narrate Alice's adventures and to reinforce with backing vocals and performance many of the play's poems and much of its action.

The performance of the play's poems especially reveal the power behind such a decision: “Jabberwocky", for instance, uses the vocal range offered by the chorus to switch from the haunting and mysterious, to the violent and animated, and then to the joyous, flowing easily into and out of each stage. Indeed the best aspect of this play is that it respects Carroll's own caveat, which he represents in the character of Humpty Dumpty: that a true understanding of the book and its poetry is not to be achieved through careful, academic analysis, but through an appreciation of the language itself, its sounds, and the emotions it conveys in those resonances.

Indeed the focus of the play through the quality of the acting, the brilliant, though at times incongruous, music, and the experimental set design and props, is always kept on the ridiculous and illogical world that Alice has slipped into, especially with the script's insistent preservation of the absurd paradoxes and contradictions throughout.

However, the play does seem to lack the shape (rather than unity: a quite absurd word in the chaotic world of the looking glass) that would be required in adapting such a book to the stage. Occasionally, too, one feels that it is too long and meandering to hold our interest constantly. The script, despite having many thematic touches of brilliance, should have been edited to a more manageable length. Moreover, on occasion the choreography of chaos falls below the standard one has come to expect from the rest of the play in terms of crafted absurdity.

However, if you wanted to see a play that combines both wit, darkness, and challenges to the secure reason of our existence in the strange and illogical reversed world of the looking glass, then you couldn't choose a better play to see, whose concepts are never betrayed by the quality of its acting and presentation.

by James Taylor

Oxford University’s honorary degrees for 2008 have been announced. The economist, Montek Singh Ahluwalia, will receive a degree of doctor of civil law, while philosophy professor Thomas Nagel will get a degree of doctor of letters. Cell physiologist Professor Bert Sakmann, Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics Sheila Evans Widnall, and Crystallographer Professor Ada Yonath, will be given doctor of science degrees, while soprano Dame Carolyn Emma Kirkby will get a degree of doctor of music. The honours will be awarded at Encaenia on Wednesday 18 June 2008.by Andreas Televantos

Sir Richard Branson is planning to open a health centre in Oxford where GPs would work alongside private health practitioners. Virgin Healthcare would offer services like dentistry, pharmacies and complementary therapies in state-of-the-art buildings. It coincides with a Government strategy to get private firms running health centres whilst still being contracted to carry out NHS GP work. Critics have accused the proposal of providing an opportunity for Virgin to market its additional services to potentially vulnerable patients when they’re in need of medical care.by Nadya Thorman

Roger Cohen’s latest column in the International Herald Tribune paints a concerning picture of the ignorance of all too many German youths. Speaking to a few school children, he found an amazing lack of knowledge about German’s very recent history:

"Communism? What's that?" said Ricardo Westendorf, 17, a student at the Carl-von-Linné school in what was East Berlin. "I think we talked about it in a history lesson, but I was ill."

Ouch.

This isn’t uncommon though.

I’ve been taking a language course for foreign students at the university here in Frankfurt. They did, admittedly, all go to school outside Germany in places like Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and Uzbekistan. But they’ve all been accepted, or will soon be accepted, to study a full academic course at a German university.

On one occasion, the teacher wrote up on the board (in German) “National Socialism”, and asked what things we associated with it. Suggestions included the Berlin Wall, the separation of Germany and the reunification. The teacher nodded along until, finally, breaking to them that these things had nothing to do with the Nazis.

He then asked if we knew anything about resistance to the National Socialists, so someone brought up the name Stauffenberg. He was the one who tried to assassinate the Führer in 1944. The student, I think from somewhere in the old Soviet Bloc, was asked to expand on this and explain what Stauffenberg did.

He said he tried to assassinate Hitler… in the 1980s.

Cohen’s findings are no exception.

Hat tip: Passages

UPDATE: On a less serious note, this quote from the same article is a great one worthy of Gareth Southgate's quip about Winston Churchill, Iain Duncan Smith and Sven-Göran Eriksson:

We dreamed of paradise and woke up in North-Rhine Westphalia.

Cherwell 24 is not responsible for the content of external links