Watching TV can enhance your intelligence. Professor Kevin
Warwick has found that watching half-an-hour of Richard and Judy
temporarily raised the IQ of a sample of 200 students by an
average of 5 points. His research showed that the relaxing effects of having time
set aside for light entertainment had positive benefits for the
participating students’ intelligences. Television was found to be better than listening to classical
music or doing a crossword, while reading a book significantly
lowered IQ. Girls benefitted most from watching an episode of
Friends, boys from a documentary about robots. The research,
which was presented to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and
Development, has important implications for the student community
in Oxford. In the ‘work hard, play hard’ atmosphere of the
university, students watch very little television. Anthony Myers,
a first year linguist, told Cherwell, “I like watching TV,
but if you really want to watch it, you have to be clever with
your time.”ARCHIVE: 0th week TT 2004 

Last week representatives of the Federation of Student Islamic Studies (FOSIS) called on Charles Clarke, the Education Secretary, to provide a student loan which complies with the Sharia Law.
The law states that Muslims should not pay or receive interest on loans. There is, however, some confusion among Muslims about whether student loans in their existing format do violate the Sharia. Currently, the loans only incur interest at the rate of inflation and so, in real terms, students pay back the same amount they borrowed. Many Muslim scholars argue, however, that the Sharia requires that a loan should be repaid “in the same number of units” and that this prohibits Muslims from taking out student loans. The Department of Education and Skills told FOSIS that they would look into student loan alternatives, such as an endowment or tax, to eliminate interest. A spokesman said, “The uptake of student loans amongst Muslim students is comparatively good but we will work closer with FOSIS".ARCHIVE: 0th week TT 2004 

Univeristy researchers have demanded that Tony Blair act
immediately to save the red squirrel from “certain
extinction” within twenty years. The species’ main
threat comes from their larger and more aggresive grey American
cousins, introduced into Britain in the 1870s. A report presented
to Blair on Sunday, based on University research, called for
“large-scale grey squirrel control”. ARCHIVE: 0th week TT 2004

One in ten students in the UK lives on less than £10 a week,
according to figures published this week. Accommodation charges are deemed to be the heaviest burden on
students finances, and are most often cited as a major factor in
choice of university. A quarter of all students are now choosing
to live at home, with some facing a daily commute of two or three
hours to university. In the light of rising fees, there have been
increased calls on universities nationwide to publish average
annual living costs. The estimates ranged from £9,000 in central
London to £5,000 in Birmingham. This has left some experts questioning the value of degrees.
According to a Graduate Careers Survey, only a third of students
leaving Britain’s top universities this summer will
immediately begin or seek a graduate-level job, the lowest level
in ten years. Some experts feel that the financial incentive of
university education is waning, especially with the rising cost
of higher education. Professor Phillip Brown, of Cardiff University, warns that
students have “invested in their education on the premise
they will be able to earn a good living”, while in reality
many struggle to find “interesting, well-paid jobs”. Oxford students, however, are more confident. One finalist
from Corpus said he felt his education was still an advantage,
but “the difference is that these days an Oxford degree
doesn’t guarantee you anything".ARCHIVE: 0th week TT 2004 

A devastated Worcester student has made a public appeal for
thieves to return two laptops which were stolen, containing
“irreplaceable” work for her Masters. The theft, during
the vacation, from her room above the College’s Head of
Security is further evidence of the crime problems plaguing
college buildings. Minji Kim’s two laptops, worth £6,000, back-up disks,
passport, and other personal belongings were all stolen from her
room in broad daylight between 1pm and 6.30pm on Tuesday 13
April. Kim, who is one of only three students chosen from across
the world to complete fine arts Masters degrees at the
University, was studying in the library at the time of the theft. Coming to Oxford was a lifetime ambition for the 27-year-old,
who told Cherwell of her utter desperation. “My life is on
freeze and I don’t know what to do. Education is my life. It
is the ticket for my future. I worked so hard to come here. Even
through Easter, I spent 18 hours a day working. I don’t care
about the money but my work is irreplaceable.” Kim believes that the information she has collated would take
12 years to replace. Thames Valley burglary team are working on the case. PC Maria
Sweeney believed there was a “strong possibility” the
laptops were still in Oxford. She is hoping that a public appeal
will lead to “someone with innate goodness” returning
the computers. “Everything that can be done is being
done,” she added. The laptops are distinctive for their dual Korean and English
keyboards. Anyone with information should call PC Sweeney on
01865 266062 or phone Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.ARCHIVE: 0th week TT 2004 

Manslaughter charges have been brought to court against the
supervisors of a human catapult in Somerset, which in November
2002 tragically claimed the life of a first-year biochemistry
student from Wadham. Kostadin Yankov, who had only come up to Oxford a few weeks
previously, died after an event arranged through the Oxford Stunt
Factory. His friends watched as ‘Dino’ fell
“inches” short of the safety net, incurring serious
spinal and leg injuries. He was immediately airlifted to Frenchay
Hospital, Bristol, but died five hours later. It has emerged, however, that the device operators, Richard
Wicks, 33 and David Aitkenhead, 45, may have been guilty of gross
negligence. In Bristol Crown Court, the jury was told that the
pair had been warned by an ambulance worker that there was cause
for serious concern after four other students fell significantly
short of the centre of the safety net. Despite this, they had
taken no action to improve safety. Philip Mott, QC, prosecuting, described the defendants’
decision to use a new, untested, sling on the day of Mr
Yankov’s death as “scarily reckless”. He
speculated that “if the old sling had been used, Dino Yankov
would have made it to the net.” The trial continues.ARCHIVE: 0th week TT 2004 

Pressure is growing for more fair university admissions
procedures. Recently, calls for reform have intensified after
research showed pupils of independent schools are up to five
times more likely to achieve the highest marks in their exams
than their state school peers. The findings, reported in last week’s Cherwell, come as
AQA, the UK’s largest exam board, has warned against
proposals for creating a new A-level A* grade to pick out the
very top pupils. A higher exam grade would increase the gap
between the public and private sectors in education even further. Currently, in physics, the proportion of independent school
pupils achieving top A level grades is double those in the state
system. However unbalanced this figure is, an even more
concerning 1.6% of comprehensive school pupils taking the A level
gained enough marks for the equivalent of the proposed A* grade,
compared to the 9% who would have qualified from independent
schools. John Dunford, the general secretary of the Secondary Heads
Association, also rejected the ‘super-grade’ option,
declaring that releasing A level marks would achieve the same end
as introducing a new mark. Oxford University say their admission requirements “are
sufficient in determining suitable candidates.”ARCHIVE: 0th week TT 2004 

Last week Susan Kennedy got a makeover. Unfortunately the
revamping of the Neighbours star’s look did not live up to
our expectations – she merely invested in a few more
teacherly silk scarves, a long beaded necklace and got her hair
blow-dried by Lynne. But in the world of Neighbours it worked and
now take a look at her. Karl noticed her in the pub and now she
gets invited round for dinner with strange friends from the
tennis club. And an eligible bachelor even hit on her. Soon
Harold, who inspired Susan to change her image by calling her a
frump at the coffee shop, will be “copping a perv” on
her and she will have had total success. I love a good makeover. It’s the classic super-hero
storyline: the downtrodden, undesirable person takes off their
glasses and puts on some lycra to reveal an amazing body and
smouldering eyes. The secret to a good makeover is to look completely hideous
beforehand. This will throw any slight improvement into dramatic
relief. Beautiful people masquerading as mingers guarantee
brilliant transformations for the crucial ‘before” and
‘after’ photos. In magazines the ‘before’
photo always features the subject looking vacant, cross-eyed and
miserable with massive bags under their eyes. In the ‘after’ photo they are all smiley and
bright-eyed, their life changed forever; no one is out of their
league now. So, inspired by the Australian soap and full of hope
and merriment on this sunny afternoon in the summertime, I got
one boy and one girl and gave them both a makeover. Mo, 20, wanted a smarter look as he has been wearing a pair of
trainers with a massive hole in the bottom for about a year. He
says, “Sometimes I would step in a puddle and then have wet
feet for days.” He also hates every t-shirt he owns:
“They all make my head look massive.” Mo’s
transformation merely involved him putting on another t-shirt and
some new jeans. As I say, the secret to gaining sex appeal in the
makeover is little more than taking off the glasses. Anna, 18, wanted a more sophisticated style, as she thinks she
looks about 12 years old and claims, “Last week the waiter
in a restaurant mistook me for a child and gave me the
children’s menu and crayons.” Anna put on her least
flattering t-shirt, which she made in an art lesson at school
when she was really 12. The next thing she knew, she was in a
dress and heels in a meadow, spring had sprung, the sun was
setting and go on then, she says, “Ki-iss Me”. The
effects of the makeover won’t last long and I can’t say
what hope the future holds for Susan, Anna and Mo. Fashion is
short-lived. The sun will go down. Turn around and your head
might still be massive. You might get given the crayons again.
Karl might still shag Izzy. Never mind; for now, chuck out the
‘before’ and savour the ‘after’.ARCHIVE: 0th week TT 2004 

Colin Blakemore has withdrawn his threat to resign from the Medical Research Council over his exclusion from the New Year Honours list. Papers leaked to The Sunday Times revealed that he had been passed over for recognition because of his vocal support for animal testing.The Magdalen College professor told the BBC that he felt the omission sent out “a terrible message” in implying that animal testing was wrong and that scientists conducting such experiments could “damage their reputation in the eyes of the government.”Blakemore’s absence from the Honours list pleased animal activists, who for many years have campaigned against his work. “We are delighted if Colin Blakemore being denied this honour is the start of the government listening to public views,” the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection said.
Archive: oth week HT 2004