An eleven-year-old girl saw her thirteen-year-old brother
killed on Monday, when their school bus collided with a tractor.
Tomas Ryan-Vig from Bicester, ten miles north of Oxford, was
among 38 pupils travelling home in a convoy of two coaches. Paramedics described the scene at a sharp bend near Bicester
as “devastation – it was carnage. There were children
lying all over the place and they were very distressed.”
They claimed it was a “miracle” that injuries were not
more severe. There was an attempt to resuscitate the boy but he
was prounced dead at the scene. One other student had to be airlifted to hospital and 21 more
slightly injured pupils were treated at the John Radcliffe in
Oxford. The tractor and the bus drivers were unharmed. Kate Harper, Tomas’ former headteacher at St Mary’s
RC primary school, which his sister still attends, said, he was a
“very able, sporty boy with a very special sense of
humour.” The Blessed George Napier School, where Tomas was at school,
has held a special assembley as a mark of respect and to help
surving pupils come to terms with what happened. Some pupils are
currently sitting their GCSEs. The school has written to the exam
board asking them to take the crash into account.ARCHIVE: 4th week TT 2004 

India’s new Oxford-educated Prime Minister was a
“loner” with little charisma, according to his former
doctoral supervisor. Manmohan Singh studied economics at Nuffield College in the
early 1960s. His appointment as Prime Minister last Saturday came
following the shock victory of the secular Congress Party in
India’s general elections. The ruling Hindu nationalist BJP
party had been expected to win. Singh’s former research supervisor, Dr Ian Little, who
has since retired, informed Cherwell that Singh was a private man
during his time at Nuffield. “He wasn’t a highly social
animal,” said Dr Little, 85. “I don’t think he
really took part in college life.” Little claims to be “very proud” of Singh’s
rise to the top, but suggested that the new premier is an
“inexperienced politician” facing several difficult
challenges. Not everyone is impressed with Singh’s
promotion. “It’s not very interesting really,”
said one porter at Nuffield. “Somerville has had three prime
ministers.” As Finance Minister in the early 1990s, Singh pioneered
India’s economic reforms which supporters credit for
boosting the economy, but which critics claim have increased
social inequality. His surprise selection as Prime Minister came
after the favourite for the job, Sonia Gandhi, widow of the
former PM Rejeev Gandhi, declined the post following controversy
over her Italian origins.ARCHIVE: 4th week TT 2004 

RON has reared his ugly head once again in Oxford JCR
elections. Last week, the ubiquitous but eternally silent
candidate stormed to victory in the Presidential elections at St
Hugh’s. Dominic Curran resigned as JCR president two week ago as he
struggled to cope with the twin demands of student politics and
Physics finals. A new election was subsequently called, in which
Joe Taylor, who had challenged Curran in the original contest,
was the only candidate. Taylor, a second-year medic, is also
Co-Chair of the Oxford University Labour Club. 25% of students turned out for the election. RON won 118 votes
against Taylor’s 96. “I understand that members of the
JCR committee campaigned for RON,” Taylor said, “but I
can’t say what effect that actually had on the voting.”
He noted that some students had concerns about his close links to
the Labour party and the implications for the impartiality of the
JCR. Chris Farmer, the External Affairs Officer on the JCR said,
“There was definitely not a RON campaign led by members of
the JCR committee. We were all very surprised by the
outcome.” Following RON’s shock resignation, the
position of president is vacant once more. Both Taylor and Farmer
expressed a desire that the JCR find a new president and
“settle down and get on with it.”ARCHIVE: 4th week TT 2004 

The Home Office has announced strict new measures in an
attempt to curb the violence of England supporters in Euro 2004.
A record number of suspected hooligans will be banned from
travelling to Portugal; nearly 2,700 people will be subject to
banning orders of bail conditions. For Euro 2000, there were only 100 such banning orders in
place. Police officers will be at ports and airports and
Portuguese authorities will be carrying out passports checks and
vehicle searches. Home Office minister Caroline Flint said, “Everyone
involved wants it to be a genuine festival of football and we are
determined not to let a thuggish minority ruin the tournament for
genuine supporters.” More than 5,000 England supporters are expected to travel to
Portugal for the games. The Tournament kicks off on 12 June and
England’s first game, against France, is the following day.ARCHIVE: 4th week TT 2004 

Undersexed, underpriced and over here. The Silver Ring Thing
is the latest import from the States, and I bet it isn’t
even really made of silver. I mean seriously a silver ring for a
tenner, hell I might abstain for a bargain like that. Well
probably not. It is easy to dismiss the much publicised campaign which the
gulf stream has just deposited on our shores, aiming to reduce
teenage pregnancy, STDs, oh and save young people’s souls.
It is classic bible belt evangelism, with a message and a product
which you can conveniently purchase. But if most people are not fooled, then what is the problem?
Last year a survey showed that teenagers who have taken such
pledges have the same rate of STD infection as the rest of the
population. A more recent study suggested that while such pledges
actually did delay intercourse (no bad thing I admit) when such
teenagers did have sex they were less likely to wear condoms. Such evidence does not matter to the Bush administration who
recently gave The Silver Ring Thing $700,000. Federal funding in
the US coupled by conservative teaching in religious schools,
which is an increasing problem over here, prevents children
learning the importance of practising safe sex. This is the
difficulty. I have no problem with someone who wants to promote
abstinence. It is a legitimate position which I happen to think
is futile. But I do object the refusal to teach teenagers how to
put a condom on properly and the claims that the only way to
avoid STDs is through abstinence. Will George Bush be willing to
personally look after the unwanted babies, and treat all the STDs
he has created? They claim showing a teenager a condom turns their mind to
sex, but showing most fourteen year olds a multi-plug has exactly
the same effect. We live in a sexually aware age, where the most
famous advert for abstinence dresses up in a sexualised version
of a school girl outfit (did you wear that to school?) and
invited us to “hit me baby one more time.” It
isn’t possible to avoid sex and people are going to have it.
Lots. So lets make sure they know why safe sex is important and
how to have it. Sell them a ring if you like, but also give them
a load of free condoms and then even I may help out.ARCHIVE: 4th week TT 2004 

Luna Caprese
4 North Parade
(01865) 554 812 I have always thought it one of the most elusive and charming
of mysteries that, for many people with no Italian blood
whatsoever, entering a gloriously Italian restaurant somehow
feels like coming home. Luna Caprese, despite being located on
foreign soil, is quite possibly the most glorious of them all.
Its owner, Luis Castro, has been serving the specialities of his
homeland with the same flair and dedication for 42 years.
Maritime murals and twinkling strings of lights festoon the
walls; the room seems to recall some forgotten Caprean grotto.
Yet, the homely edges of the place only serve to enhance its aura
of refinement – who could fail to be captivated by the party
menu which, due to a printing error, proposes ‘Salmonella
Luna Caprese’ in elegant script? The service is immaculate – Luis announces his specials
with an eloquence and dash which would have held the ancient
Roman senate rapt. He is no empty orator – the vision he
spread before our eyes was promptly incarnated in a succession of
exquisite dishes. I have always suspected meat to be most Italian
chefs’ Achilles heel, yet both the sirloin and the veal were
amazingly tender and seasoned with impressive restraint. Although
you could confidently choose any meat or fish dish, the steak
cooked in a creamy green pepper sauce and the decidedly sexy
seafood linguine get my especial vote. The strawberries smothered
in zabaglione which I had for dessert are summer itself distilled
in a bowl. Prices are fair without exception and are comparable
to those found at Oxford’s faintly generic French chain
restaurants. I don’t have the heart to devise a spurious criticism
which would lend my review the desirable air of objectivity
– and besides, any accusations of partiality might prove
lamentably well-founded. I left Luna Caprese having been treated,
as their guests invariably are, like a member of the family, and
am determined to defend my new clan with Italian tenacity and
enthusiasm.ARCHIVE: 4th week TT 2004 

Raoul’s Bar
32 Walton St
01865 553 73 Raoul’s on Walton Street has an astounding selection of
cocktails. I have never been so spoilt for choice before, and
being my usual indecisive self I had to resort to asking the
barman for his recommendation. He displayed an impressive
knowledege of the list and proceeded to whip up a delicious
fruity concoction featuring raspberries and peaches – there
is something for everyone on this list. The cocktails range from
the classics to more eclectic house cocktails, as well as serving
a fine selction of wines and beers. Raoul’s itself has a
very intimate atmosphere, albeit slightly pretentious, but if you
can take this with a pinch of salt it’s worth a visit. On
the evening we went, it was full with a very laid-back and
relaxed crowd of people, making it a highly pleasant place to
drink. The background music is just right – not so loud that
you can’t hear yourself speak, but enough to provide an
excellent atmosphere and backdrop to the evening. The clientele are mainly early 20s to early 30s, ranging from
girlie nights-out to first dates, from after work drinks to a
late night cocktail, and Raoul’s seeems to cater for all
these occaions, moving seamlessly from early evening to late
night. Be warned though – due to its popularity, it becomes
quite packed later, which although adds to the ambience and
enhances the upbeat atmosphere, makes it quite hard to get a seat
– but in a way this is a testament to the popularity of
Raoul’s. The only drawback is the lack of natural light,
which is slightly diappointing on a summer’s evening. All in all, Raoul’s is fast becoming a well-known
established bar in Boho Jericho, and is definitely worth a visit,
for arguably the best cocktails in Oxford. Although quite pricy
at £5.50-ish a cocktail (plus Happy Hour prices earlier on) they
are fairly big and worth every penny; and once you have tasted
one of the delights on offer, you will want to return, both to
work your way through the menu and to enjoy the atmosphere in
Raoul’s.ARCHIVE: 4th week TT 2004 

You’re probably wondering why, in the month of May,
I’m talking to you about the sort of accessories you’d
normally associate with winter. Before you stop reading, let me
remind you that a) although you may have been lulled into a false
sense of security by the recent glimpses of sunshine, this is
Oxford not the Mediterranean, and rain/cold/greyness can strike
at any time; b) in the world of fashion, you need to think ahead. In the Autumn/Winter 2004 shows, designers provided us with
lots of treats in the accessories department and I think quite a
few of them could be put to good use right now. The key with
accessories is to be original so try to avoid buying from the
High Street chains. In Oxford this is no easy task, but there are
a few individual stores where you can find original pieces. Try,
for example, the newly opened Lolapoloza on Blue-Boar Street (see
below), or the Covered Market. Perhaps I’m preaching to the converted, this being the
kingdom of the Pashmina after all (see the pontifications of the
Lower Camera), but I still insist that scarves add that extra
touch to any outfit. I admit, Pashminas are the perfect
transition item when it’s too warm for a winter coat and too
cold to ditch any kind of cosy clothing, but girls, let’s
remember that there are other types of scarves! Be brave: try out the far more original and up-to-the-minute,
fifties-style silk chiffon scarves – they both complement
fashion’s current love for ladylike chic, and are
surprisingly warm too. If you want to be truly ahead, replace
your scarf with a cape, again another nifty between-seasons item
and one which featured heavily on the Autumn/Winter 2004
catwalks. Capes like Missoni’s rainbow striped version can
brighten up an otherwise plain outfit whereas neutral versions
like those shown at Celine and Helmut Lang are likely to become
staples in many a fashionista’s wardrobe. There’s no need to persuade you that belts look good in
any season but fashion designers’ current obsession with the
waist means that this accessory (a belt, not a waist) is assuming
more importance than ever before. There is a reason why Kylie has
decided to hang up her hotpants and don waist-enhancing corsets
and wide belts instead – they look good. A key trend at the
moment is to wear belts with long tops or summer dresses over
jeans. For colder days, simply replace the dress with a jumper a
la Matthew Williamson. Coin belts, the choice of Karl Lagerfield
at Chanel, or vintagelooking distressed leather versions, look
great slung casually low on the hips. You may think of gloves as more of a necessity than a fashion
item but things are about to change – many designers ranging
from Jasper Conran to Dolce and Gabbana featured gloves in their
recent shows. Suppress any images in your mind of granny’s
knitted mittens; we’re talking about tight, sleek gloves
made of the softest leather and oh-so-covetable. On the continent, the stylish people have been using the glove
as a key fashion accessory for some time now, creating
beautifully crafted versions in all the colours of the rainbow. Outside of London, the UK has been slow to pick up on this
trend but the aforementioned Lolapoloza shop in Oxford is one of
the places where you won’t be stumped for choice they are
shipping the Italian versions over here and I suggest you take a
peak before writing off the idea that gloves are a fashion item
you can get excited about.ARCHIVE: 4th week TT 2004 

Amélie Nothomb dresses entirely in black and gets up everyday
at four in the morning to drink vinegar and write novels. So goes
the hype. She is also France’s brightest literary star, the
bestseller in Paris and a gothic alternative to such books as
Three Blondes Go Dating from the depressing, fifthrate category
Chick Lit. Nothomb has tapped into a literary niche and very
comfortable it is too, I’m sure. Nothomb is the latest “enfant terrible”, according
to Ellemagazine, a literary sensation, with an “acidic yet
passionately romantic view of human nature”. You can’t
board the Paris Métro without encountering someone reading her
work. Her books, like their 5’2” creator, are tiny,
rarely more than a hundred and fifty pages long, which is ideal
for commuters. She has become part of pop culture in France, a
phenomenon with a cult following of fans, the Nothombophiles
– an intense group, who dress up as Amélie and write her
letters saying, “I am your double”, despite the
photographs, which show to the contrary they look nothing like
her. But mania is blind, a fascinating, crazed symptom of the
modern age. Publishing, like the record industry, is a
sensationalist business. From The Beatles to Harry Potter and
wizarding lunatics, fandom is part of our world. Nothomb is a perfect example of how popular culture and
publicity works. Firstly, she is a heroine, who has overcome a
stream of adolescent obstacles, from loneliness, to alcoholism,
though to anorexia. At the age of 17, she discovered writing and
Nietzsche, which apparently saved her. After reading the Twilight
of the Idols she was moved by the philosopher’s observation:
“In the school of war that is life, what doesn’t kill
you will make you stronger”. For the same reasons that
Michelle and Gareth won Pop Idol, Nothomb has made her name
– people love the David and Goliath storyline, in which the
weak, fat or stuttering individual conquers all. Secondly, she works hard. As well as the vinegar and early
morning starts, Nothomb has reeled off four books a year, since
the age of twenty and is currently working on her 51st novel. She
writes for ten hours a day, before going to her publisher’s
office and reading the crazed fan-mail, buzzing around on
approximately three hours sleep. In the Fame Academyof life, she
is the star pupil this week, with the limelight shining full beam
on her latest novel, her UK debut, The Book of Proper Names. The “slyly outrageous Nothomb both disturbs and
amuses” us in this coming-of-age fairy story that tells the
tale of “Plectrude”, who is born in a prison and goes
on to become a beautiful ballerina-cum-anorexic. In the end
Plectrude shoots her friend, Amélie Nothomb, in the head. This
meta-fiction/publicity stunt is in fact quite entertaining.
However, there is something about it which is intrinsically
French and impossible to read without imagining the ‘Môn
amour’ accent it was written in. Nothomb is part of the Zeitgeist, with her Tim Burton style
and dark, satirical wit – she belongs to the fashionable
genre of the obscure. Her personal history provides the ideal
backdrop for her surreal novels. She was born in 1967, in Kobe,
Japan and spent most of her childhood moving around Asia; she
never went to school, had no friends and taught herself Latin and
Greek. She claims she was an alcoholic by the age of three and an
anorexic by thirteen. All this strikes me as unreal, somehow
classically quirky, typically weird, the elaborate construction
of a marketing team. Parisian critics have described her as a
“Euro- Exotic cocktail”; however, she also moulds
herself to what she writes. The Book of Proper Names is more
interesting when you know that it was written at four in the
morning, by a weird little person dressed in a black, under the
influence of vinegar. However, Nothomb is not alone in her use of publicity magic;
the art of madness has been mastered by many aspiring artists
seeking fame. The Romantic poets cultivated a reputation of
living in a radical commune, smoking copious amounts of opium and
having casual sex, occasionally appearing at intellectual soirees
on the point of collapse. Byron, an unattractive, club-footed
little man who sat up all night eating biscuits and crying,
managed to spread the rumour that he was “mad, bad and
dangerous to know”. Staging publicity stunts is an old and
profitable trick of the art world, as Salvador Dali would know
only too well. So, why do we still fall for it – Amélie Nothomb: the
Parisian princess of darkness? Despite Nothomb’s miserable
history, her life is surely all parties, luxury apartments, fast
cars and stylists now? Do we seriously believe that a Goth can
remain truly Gothic after millionaire success? Surely a bit of
the gold would rub off on her personality. But this is part of
the attraction and fascination in our fameobsessed culture and we
buy into it all – even the idea of Nothomb floating around
in her Olympic pool wearing a black Victorian ‘bathing
costume’ and top hat.ARCHIVE: 4th week TT 2004