Here’s a random fact: 99% of women want a man in a plain white t-shirt or a plain black t-shirt, v-neck or round-neck, along with a pair of jeans – although that part is almost irrelevant. Personally, I would opt for white. It is effortlessly chic, makes boys look tanned, if not already emphasizing a tan, and for some reason gives them the appearance of having an amazing body (regardless of what it is actually like) all because of the connotations associated with a simple white t-shirt. Think about the man in the Diet Coke ad during the 11am Diet Coke break and how he drove the girls in the office crazy. It has nothing to do with his muscle bound physique – trust me. It’s the effect of the white t-shirt.

Let us go back to basics – we are talking primitive. How many episodes of desperate housewives do you have to watch to see that clothes sometimes associated with menial work are attractive. Marlon Brando in A Street Car Named Desire. James Dean in A Rebel Without Cause. Iconic films, iconic images, iconic men – iconic white t-shirt. A white t-shirt in the right fit costs nothing. It has no social associations with it. Anyone could wear it. The emphasis is on the man himself, not the clothes, the accessories or the pretense. It takes confidence to rely on nothing but a plain white t-shirt – and everyone knows that confidence is every man’s best accessory.

The idea of something that is accessible to all and yet so good is summarized in the philosophy of Andy Warhol…He talks about Coke in the same way that we can view the ‘White T-shirt’. Slightly paradoxical that I should be using an artistic genius with a confused sexuality’s ideas to illustrate why men should dress a certain way – but here it goes. Replace ‘Liz Taylor’ with ‘James Dean’, ‘Coke and Coca Cola’ with ‘White T-shirt’ and ‘Drinks and Drinking’ with ‘Wear and Wearing’: “America started the tradition where the richest consumers buy essentially the same things as the poorest. You can be watching TV and see Coca-Cola, and you know that the President drinks Coke, Liz Taylor drinks Coke, and just think, you can drink Coke, too. A Coke is a Coke and no amount of money can get you a better Coke than the one the bum on the corner is drinking. All the Cokes are the same and all the Cokes are good. Liz Taylor knows it, the President knows it, the bum knows it, and you know it….”

The idea that anyone can wear a white t-shirt, and everyone looks good in one, is the same as the idea that anyone can drink a Coke and everyone (ok, almost everyone) likes the taste. Fashion is all about perception and associations. What do we associate the White T-shirt with? White t-shirts on men is like the underwear as outerwear trend for women. Cool, so un-metrosexual it’s great, the white t-shirt is a non-statement piece that makes a statement, or if you prefer, the statement piece that doesn’t. Nobody would ever think that a man is wearing it because of any of the above, even after reading this article, but when they do, the effect will be almost lynx like.

Style is in attitude. What a cliché, but it really is true.

 On a final parting note, I wanted to highlight a few more pertinent facts vis-à-vis the plain t-shirt. First, if you stick to white or black t-shirts – a girl I was speaking to about this today even recommended grey – you are guaranteed never to make a fashion faux pas. What I hear? “Fashion is about being daring. About trying out new things, about being original”. Well guess what! Wearing a white t-shirt is daring and original but for some reason, it still gives the impression that you just don’t care. Why? Because you are not a brand or logo slave – you see P-Diddy and Ashton Kutcher with their t-shirts saying silly things like: ‘I’m a teenage Millionaire’, ‘Jesus loves me’ and ‘Gucci’ or to bring girls into this ‘J’adore Dior’, ‘Team Jolie’, ‘Team Anniston’, ‘My boyfriend is out of town’ and ‘I’ve got the golden ticket’. Do you really want to look like some other kid in Hollywood? I’m even bored of ‘I love NY t-shirts’.

Anyway, I don’t want to slate logo bearing t-shirts too much, because they can be quite nice, and certainly fun and facetious. All that I am saying is that simplicity never goes out of fashion, and there is something natural and therefore attractive about it. By the way, I am half joking when writing this lauding article of an item of clothing that so many men take for granted, but boys: if you don’t believe me about this whole white t-shirt thing, ask the first girl you see after you read this. I dare you.

STATE school heads have warned that new Oxford entrance tests discriminate against their students.
The Association of School and College Lecturers (ASCL) raised concerns that the introduction of tests place state school applicants at a disadvantage, since they are less likely to have received extra teaching than their private school counterparts.
The ASCL’s Secretary-General, Dr John Dunford, said, “The increase in entrance exams is particularly problematic for state schools. There would be an expectation that schools put on extra classes to prepare students, but that is difficult for schools that send only one or two pupils to Oxbridge a year.”
Dunford suggested that although the use of tests was reasonable for courses like Law and Medicine, for other subjects access to individual A-Level module scores was sufficient to differentiate between candidates.
Oxford introduced aptitude tests for those wanting to study Politics, Philosophy and Economics (PPE) as well as English for the first time this year. There are already tests for other heavily subscribed courses including History, Law, Medicine, Maths and Physics.
The University denied that the tests were discriminatory, claiming that aptitude tests help make admissions fairer by measuring the ability of pupils regardless of the their educational background.
A spokesperson for the University said, “We can’t rectify the problems in the school system but we can try to help by disseminating information about the tests and making information about them readily and easily accessible to all.”
She added that practice tests were being made widely available by the University for applicants. “We encourage students to look at the web to familiarise themselves with the format of the text. You can download a test and attempt to tackle the paper.
“There is no particular way of approaching or answering the tests, and the idea is not to develop right or wrong answer but instead to test the potential of the applicant. There is no right or wrong approach which means you cannot be coached for these tests.”
The criticism comes on top of renewed pressure on Oxford and Cambridge to increase numbers of state school applicants. Oxford is set to miss its self-imposed state school admission targets for 2011.
The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), which has recently criticised Oxford for what it claims is the under representation of state school pupils who achieve straight As at A-level, said that the usefulness of the tests would depend if they redressed the balance of state and private school admissions to the University.
Richard Darlington, media manager at IPPR, said the think tank would refrain from judgement until it became clear what impact the tests had on Oxford’s state school intake. “The jury is still out on them and we won’t know until we can analyse the impact they have,” he said. “What matters is whether these tests change the type of students who attend Oxbridge. We’re not prescriptive about the process but the university needs to be more proactive in attracting and admitting more state school applicants.”
OUSU has supported the tests on the basis that they assess aptitide only and help to distinguish between large numbers of candidates.
James Lamming, OUSU Vice President for Access and Academic Affairs, said, “The tests must meet careful criteria where there is a demonstrable need for the test to distinguish between large numbers of applicants and that the tests examine aptitude.
“This should benefit the most gifted students whatever their background as it will allow their academic potential rather than the quality of their education to stand out.”
He added, “If these tests are demonstrated to be a hurdle too many we will be concerned about their use, but we believe that the University has made every effort to ensure that its as easy as possible for every student to take the test.”

NEW COLLEGE JCR has been forced to pay for an intercollegiate paintballing trip after Magadalen’s Entz Committee failed to sell enough tickets to the event.
The trip was organised by New College JCR as a post-Freshers’ Week event for 180 students from different colleges.
Magdalen’s Entz team indicated that the JCR wanted 40 places on the trip at £30 each, but after little success in pitching the offer to students, the committee allegedly refused to cover costs for the wasted tickets.
New’s JCR Treasurer Yathesan Gangakumaran complained, “Magdalen wanted a fairly large number of tickets and didn’t bring anyone to my knowledge. They didn’t keep up their end of the bargain. We can pay it back fine, but apparently the day before they had only sold five tickets and said they weren’t going to pay for any of the remaining ones.”
Ben Karlin, New’s JCR President, agreed that his college had been treated unfairly. “It kind of screwed us over a bit,” he said. “We pre-paid for all the tickets and coaches and it was a success in that everyone who came enjoyed it. It was just annoying that allocations were sold to other colleges who then refused to pay us anything. It puts us out of pocket.”
According to one student, 84 people attended the event from New, but only two from other colleges, both from Christ Church.
New’s Entz Rep, Will Cowell De Gruchy, was keen to stress that relations between the JCRs had not been affected. “There’s no ill-feeling because of there not being a turn out from other colleges. It was an informal agreement and nothing was signed,” he said.
A JCR budget surplus of £800 left over from Trinity term meant that New has avoided suffering any substantial financial loss over transport. Additionally, the paintballing company agreed not to charge them the ticket prices for all places not taken up.
Magdalen’s JCR Entz Committee refused to comment.

Dons have rallied behind a Nobel laureate accused of racism after he told reporters that black people were of lower intelligence than white.
James Watson, who shared the Nobel Prize for co-discovering DNA, was forced to cancel a discussion at the Sheldonian Theatre on Wednesday after being suspended from his administrative duties as Chancellor of Cold Springs Harbor Laboratory in the United States.
Watson was due to appear alongside Richard Dawkins, the University’s Professor for the Public Understanding of Science, as part of a tour to promote a new book.
He told the Sunday Times Magazine that he was “inherently gloomy about the prospect of Africa” since “all our social policies are based on the fact that their intelligence is the same as ours, whereas all the testing says not really”.
In the interview with one of his former students, Charlotte Hunt-Grubbe, Watson also said that he wished everyone could be equal, but that “people who have to deal with black employees find this not true”.
Other institutions had already cancelled visits by Watson in light of his comments. The American biologist had been due to talk at the Science Museum in London, who stated, “The Science Museum feels that Nobel Prize winner James Watson’s recent comments have gone beyond the point of acceptable debate and we are as a result cancelling his talk at the Museum.”  The Bristol Cultural Development Partnership and the University of Edinburgh also cancelled talks by Watson.
Professor Dawkins, due to interview Watson as part of the Oxford event, criticised the London Science Museum’s decision to cancel his appearance.
“What is ethically wrong is the hounding, by what can only be described as an illiberal and intolerant ‘thought police’, of one of the most distinguished scientists of our time, out of the Science Museum, and maybe even out of the laboratory [Cold Springs Harbor] that [he] has devoted much of his life to building up a world-class reputation,” he said.  
Professor Colin Blakemore, former chief executive of the Medical Research Council and a neuroscientist at Oxford, also defended Watson. “It would be a sad world if such a distinguished scientist was silenced because of his more unpalatable views.”
Blakemore also pointed out that measuring intelligence accurately is still an area needing research. “Defining intelligence is complex and there are many forms of intelligence, not all of which are captured by IQ tests,” he said. “In any case, it would be as unethical to organise society around some numerical indicator of difference as it would to do so on the basis of skin colour.”
In a press release, Watson apologised for his remarks. “I cannot understand how I could have said what I am quoted as having said. I can certainly understand why people, reading those words, have reacted in the ways they have. To all those who have drawn the inference from my words that Africa, as a continent, is somehow genetically inferior, I can only apologise unreservedly. This is not what I meant. More importantly from my point of view, there is no scientific basis for such a belief.”
Prominent Oxford neuroscientist Baroness Greenfield, director of the Royal Institution, condemned Watson’s comments. “There was a great uproar quite some time ago with a book called The Bell Curve which suggested that there were racial differences in intelligence,” she said. “If Watson is citing this work, further work has found the findings not to be as simple as they implied and that there was a strong cultural factor involved.”
Oxford University Press suggested that they would have gone ahead with the event at the Sheldonian despite the controversy Watson’s remarks have caused. Kate Farquhar-Thomson, Head of Publicity, said, “We are disappointed that we have had to cancel our book tour.”

Katherine Eve sheds light on Donnelly's multimedia exhibitionDespite Donnelly’s strong reputation within the art community, she is little known in the public domain, so perhaps it is best to introduce her work with a quote from Art Review. “Donnelly’s works exist at the threshold of possible experience or understanding and require, if not optimism, at least suspension of disbelief.” To this end, she is a multi-media artist, taking her own typewritten texts as a starting point for works ranging from meticulously executed, disciplined drawings through to large-scale installation pieces. Together these are combined with organic elements, audio-stimuli and performance pieces, termed ‘demonstrations’, to form a novel reality. Links between the pieces are intangible, but this is by no means a criticism; the great thing about Donnelly’s work is that it makes no attempt to provide a profound metaphor for us to take away without challenge. The work persists, nagging, in one’s mind, demanding time to settle and evolve.

The ephemeral and incidental play an integral role in Donnelly’s work. Her opening-night ‘demonstration’ (recalling WWII planes experiencing a brief uplift before crashing to the ground, and urging observers to experience it through an audio-encapsulation of the phenomenon) was not recorded or documented in any way. In this way, it can only be transmitted to a wider public, if at all, by verbal description or word-of-mouth, subject to inevitable gaps in memory, distortions, exaggerations, and everything else in the space between experience and narration.

This aspect of her exhibitions achieves perfectly her aim that the viewer invests something of themselves in the work, and establishes a dialogue with the audience that places them in an elevated position. The viewer’s thoughts are challenged and become lucid and fragmented. This is not necessarily for us to tap into her own wavelength, but to bring our own history, intuition, experience and culture to the experience. Consequently, the impact of her art is unique and the corpus of her work timeless.

This particular exhibition was reasearched by Donnelly in several advance visits to the space. Those familiar with Modern Art Oxford may appreciate how the configuration of the three adjoining galleries, along with with the movement of acoustics through them, has evoked Donnelly’s interpretation of it as two heads (the front, ‘The Ballroom,’ and rear, ‘L.D.’, galleries) connected by a spine (‘The Arc’). Gallery space evolves with each and every exhibition staged, and Donnelly has exploited this to extremes. She has modified the middle gallery somewhat: windows not usually seen have been unmasked and the side room has been concealed and converted into a corridor to house replacement conifer branches used in the exhibition. These architectural changes not only enhance the light quality, but also, through the minimalist approach, enhance the sound and the dramatic progression as onlookers walk through.

Bunches of fresh roses and a ‘form of the Oxford branch’ (cut conifer) are replaced at regular intervals regardless of their rate of ageing. And 1920/30s big-band music is played on a loop, which serves various artistic purposes. Rhythmic cycles interact so that each viewer’s encounter with the work is shaded differently; the ageing cycle of living elements provides a tension; objects associated with home and familiarity are placed out of context leaving us insecure. Such blurring of boundaries continues.

It isn’t initially clear whether the hum in “The Arc” derives from the exhibition or external noise. (In another interpretation of boundaries, she’s exploring how the cultural and social backgrounds we arrived with inform our viewing). Gallery attendants have been informed they can alter the position of two vertical ‘cross-Arizona plus China’ branches on impulse. Of course we could do the same, but are unaware, so the staff are in a unique and privileged position.

The curation of the exhibition, undoubtedly directed in close collaboration with Donnelly, complements her themes perfectly. Lack of titles, unframed drawings and photographs pinned to walls shows that o single element is unduly important but all regarded as a whole. Our own being is even drawn into the installation as we become a mirror between the two ‘Pressures’ (near mirror-image photographs on opposing walls) in L.D.

In the spirit of her work I haven’t, and nor would I wish to, summarise the exhibition for the reader, but I hope that discussing a few of my personal reflections will whet appetites to embrace this extraordinary reality. Approach it with fresh eyes and no preconceptions.

Oxford City Council has announced plans to extend licensing requirements for rented accommodation in the city, raising concerns that students will no longer be able to afford living out.
In an effort to raise the current standards of rented accommodation, a proposal is being put forward for Houses of Multiple Occupation (HMOs), often rented by students who choose to live out, to have their licences extended.
The University Accommodation Office has warned that greater controls will increase rent and be detrimental to students living out.
Accommodation Officer Sue Jacobs said, “Although the University welcomes legislation which raises standards within the private rental market, imposing too many controls which have a cost to the landlord will ultimately raise rents. This will have a considerable impact on the student market, which is already financially constrained, and may cause students to compete with other tenant groups for properties at rents that are no longer sustainable on student grants.”
Jacobs also explained the University’s concern that increased regulation would reduce the number of houses available to students. “At a time when affordable housing is high on the agenda, properties that have for some time provided valuable affordable accommodation within the city may well disappear as landlords opt for easier management properties within the city or, alternatively, seek a different tenant group to recoup their outlay for improvements required under the extended licensing,” she said.
Oxford City Council believes it necessary to extend licensing as many HMOs are currently sub-standard.
Executive Member for Improving Housing Councillor Patrick Murray, pointed out, “Following a survey in 2004, it revealed that 61% of HMOs were below standard with their fire precaution facilities and 29 per cent of HMOs were found to have below-adequate management, and this is something that will change with this new licensing scheme.”
Murray believes that extending the properties’ licensing will beneficial to tenants living in currently unlicensed HMOs. “The additional licensing scheme will bring about improvements in the management of the houses which will be fantastic for people living there,” he said.
Under the 2004 Housing Act, only HMOs with three or more storeys which are occupied by five or more unrelated individuals have to be licensed. This covers only 15% of Oxford’s HMOs.

by James Stafford

Any mention of ‘folk and traditional music’ that’s casually tossed out in conversation invariably results in a few raised eyebrows. The beardy ale stereotype is a tough one to shake off, but that doesn’t stop a substantial number of twenty-somethings on the circuit from doing their level best to alert a wider audience to the power of traditional music. As the man at the head of folk’s assault on the mainstream Lakeman clearly has cause for celebration tonight. The nigh-on 1000 capacity Academy is packed to the rafters with what for a folk gig is a respectable mix of old and young, with a relaxed and confident performance from Seth, his brother Sean, bassist Ben Nicols and percussionists Andy Tween and Cormac Byrne receiving a rapturous reception.

There were those of us who, following a difficult summer of embarrassing tight T-shirt music videos and shouty vocal performances from the group, had begun to fear that Lakeman’s contract with Relentless was turning him into the aspiring pop-rock star nobody really wants him to be. Standard opener ‘Rifleman of War’ does much to dispel these doubts, a gleeful military stomp rendered still more danceable by the group’s dual percussive assault. Last year’s Freedom Fields album is heavily represented here, and as such Cormac Byrne’s presence in the band is all the more welcome.  His frenetic bodhran playing really shines on two numbers he plays as a duo with Seth, last year’s single ‘Lady of the Sea’ and fan favourite ‘The Bold Knight,’ from 2004’s Mercury nominated Kitty Jay.

The band in full-on stomp mode is arguably just as impressive. Live stalwart ‘How Much,’ a trip-hop wimp-out on Seth’s overlooked 2002 debut The Punch Bowl, is here pumped full of mashed guitar chords and thumping double bass, leaving it easily the evening’s most joyous moment. Meanwhile, sensitive treatments of recent singles ‘The White Hare’ and ‘King and Country’ show the group as a whole to be capable of more than tenor guitar riffery, the latter in particular gaining an emotional resonance lacking from either of its recorded incarnations. More’s the pity, then, that the title track showcased from upcoming EP Poor Man’s Heaven displays none of its predecessors’ subtlety, succumbing all too easily to a welter of cringe-inducing ‘Yeah!’s and ‘Come on now!’s. Hopefully, the Spinal Tap influence will not be discernable for long, and as soon as the singer banishes his bandmates and launches into an incendiary solo rendition of his greatest songwriting achievement, the terrifying ‘Kitty Jay,’ all is swiftly forgiven. The versatility and power of this group leaves them a force to be reckoned with, in the folk world and beyond.

Oxford's infested, claims an Oxford Academic, amid fears that the number of rats are on the rise in Oxford.The investigation comes after Dr Frances Kennett claimed that rats had infested her house in Jericho. The Oxford Academic claimed that the reduction of waste-removal services in the area had brought the issue about:"I have lived in this house for a very long time and have never had rats until three months after the new collection was introduced. The whole thing is turning into a farce."Local council claimed that it wasn't the fortnightly collections that were causing the problem, but the significant damage to the sewage pipes until Dr Kennett's house. City Councillor Jean Fooks added: "We do know the sewer under Dr Kennett's house has got a lot of damage.It needs to be fixed – the question is who pays for it because it is high time it was done.As I keep saying until I am blue in the face, there is no evidence of an increased rat population in Oxford or tat fortnightly waste collections have anything to do with it."Thames Water will carry out surveys of the sewers under the houses on Great Clarendon Street next week. A 2-foot long torpedo-shaped probe, complete with a camera and lights, will be sent underground to see whether or not the sewers under the houses in Jericho are infested with rats. Experts hope to ascertain whether or not the reports are valid and how to deal with the issue if it is.