Oxford buskers will be forced to face the music if a council code of conduct restricting their performance is ratified this week. A 13-point code of conduct governing all buskers working in Oxford is expected to come into force next month. The code was born out of wide-ranging consultations with both residents and businesses, and aims to ensure that musicians perform only in areas where they are least likely to cause disruption. Other measures include plans to limit the amount of time a musician may play for, as well as the issue of special ‘Busker’s permits’ which will only be given to those who agree to comply with the code of conduct. This is in response to what the council sees as the growing problem of buskers performing in areas where they are causing annoyance, such as in front of offices and in academic buildings. Classicist Laura Green welcomes the move if it prevents busking from disturbing library study, which she claims is “really inconsiderate.” The response amongst the busking community has been decidedly lukewarm. Phil Freizinger, a popular street musician, welcomes what he sees as an “official recognition of the value of street music” but wonders why the council needed to create the new regulations.ARCHIVE: 1st Week MT2003
Buskers code
Freshers’ Flu
From the sound of coughing in the lecture hall to a week of drowsy mornings accompanied with a box of tissues, few of you can failed to have noticed the invasion of the lergi that seems to have taken hold of the University. Now, we know that when it comes to it, only a minority of us can claim to have been undeserved victims of “Freshers’ Flu”. Speaking in a croaky voice one student, Carmen Dudley admitted, “we’ve all be drinking too much, staying up too late and eating rubbish. Also it’s too hot and I’m bloody annoyed.” It seems that for all the partying and not enough attention to work the academic forces of Oxford have taken their revenge. However, in recent years first week bugs have signalled a more ominous development in the incidence of meningitis. With particular prevalence being found amongst first years living in halls of residence the government has launched a mass immunisation scheme directed towards students, the advice being to get vaccinated before starting the term.ARCHIVE: 1st Week MT2003
Women’s alliance
by Jonathan Bailey A petition has been started to save Oxford’s last remaining women-only college. Worried by debate on the governing body of St Hilda’s about whether to allow men to enter the college, the Oxford University Student Union (OUSU) has rallied to the defence of single-sex education. Those organising the petition claim that single-sex colleges provide the sort of atmosphere in which some women thrive. Rosalind Dampier, Women’s officer at the OUSU, suggests that “many women prefer working in a single-sex environment, which is often more supportive and less dominated by old-fashioned patriarchal ideas about women’s abilities.” She also points out that for cultural or religious reasons some women “would not even be able to take up their place at Oxford if St. Hilda’s didn’t exist.” It is this equality of opportunity which the proponents of women-only colleges claim, is so essential in a world where “there is still much to be done before we can claim full equality of the sexes especially given that in Oxford women make up less than 50% of undergraduates and 30% of graduate students and 20% of tutors”. Some members of St Hilda’s are unconvinced by the OUSU’s claims; Rachel Todd, a fresher, said “all you have to do is look at the branding of us as ‘Hildabeasts’ to realise that the all-female environment doesn’t create real equality”. Others students point out that once they leave Oxford they will not have the option of applying to a women-only workplace and that by creating one at university, St Hilda’s is not helping them in the long term. With a thousand signatures in less than a week of campaigning, the OUSU clearly have some support. They have even taken the unprecedented step of allying themselves with the Cambridge University Student Union, who are trying to keep men out of their women-only colleges.ARCHIVE: 1st Week MT2003
50% of students directionless
by Joanna Lee Morrison New research has revealed that over 50% of first year university students have no clear plans for future employment. The survey, published on UnisUnited.com also revealed that graduates are becoming more and more likely to find themselves in low-paid or casual employment. The University Careers Service advises that whilst ’it’s perfectly normal’ to not have a career plan, it’s also important to find out why. They suggest a 10 minute chat with one of their Duty Careers Advisers. However, Natalie Gilliam, a first year Law student at Christ Church, has other priorities ’at the moment just getting my essays done on time and going out drinking is more important than thinking about a career. ARCHIVE: 1st Week MT2003
Clint Eastwood
by Timothy RileyUnion members were thrilled last Thursday at the chance to see one of Hollywood’s “living legends,” when Clint Eastwood appeared in front of a full house at the Oxford Union. Ticket-holders were also provided with a free viewing of Eastwood’s latest directing endeavour: ‘Mystic River.’ Marcus Walker, President of the Union, described the event as a “great success,” telling Cherwell he thought it was the biggest name the Union had attracted since Michael Jackson. He described Eastwood as one of the few speakers who was “genuinely nice”, adding how useful it was to have film critic Barry Norman, a ‘real expert’, directing the questions. The event caught the attention of the national media, with ticket-holders being interviewed by the BBC. Walker was delighted by the interest (despite an “awful” photograph of him in The Oxford Mail), not only as it is an excellent boost to this years’ membership drive, but also because it will potentially attract more big-name speakers to appear at the Union. The reaction in the chamber was overwhelmingly positive, with rapturous applause when Clint uttered the immortal line ‘Are you feeling lucky?’ along with hoots of laughter as he assured one student that he could ‘take care of the press gallery’ if presented with a .44 Magnum. ”I was so excited to see my childhood hero in the flesh” said one satisfied second year “although I hadn’t expected him to look so old!”ARCHIVE: 1st Week MT2003
Dictionary gets ‘sexed-up’
by Mark Bedford In a new Oxford mini- dictionary released this week one of the most controversial expressions of 2003 has made its first appearance. The idiom “sex up” has been published in The Language Report (Oxford University Press). Author Susie Dent can regularly be found residing in Dictionary Corner on Channel 4 show Countdown, but she also works for the Oxford English Dictionary. Publishing manager of the OUP Judy Pearall said that “it is a snapshot of language now…it is not our business to make judgements”. The phrase “sex up” rose to public prominence in May this year when the BBC reporter Andrew Gilligan accused the government of “sexing up” its intelligence on Iraqi weapons.ARCHIVE: 1st Week MT2003
Image.
Winter is now quite definitely upon us, and Britain’s very own windy city has not disappointed anyone with this year’s Oxford chill factor. It’s true, fashion is rarely functional, but make the most of this one guys, and turn up the heat in one of this season’s cosy coats. D&G have given the Midas touch to Liam Gallagher’s indie parka, turning it into the most fashion-forward coat of the year (although surprisingly, they didn’t adopt his delightful “unwashed” look). Never one to be outdone, Gucci’s very own Alexander McQueen did a similar job on the duffle coat, turning it from schoolboy geek to must-have chic with faux-skin versions in his new winter collection. Never before has a coat given you the opportunity to look quite so stylish, rugged and sort of cuddly all at the same time. And that’s definitely a good thing! Wrap up warm baby, it’s cold outside. Jackets from RED ON HIGH, 33 High Street, 01865 793255. Long Parka, Peter Werth, £89.99 Dark Jacket, Peter Werth, £79.99 Model – JAMES PERKINSARCHIVE: 1st Week MT2003
African adventure
#2 Jonny: Mozambique… It has now been a month and over 2,000 km since we left Cape Town. We have been pacing through at an average of 120 km per day, and hence we’ve already made it to Mozambique. Today it is a blazing day in the capital, Maputo, and I have stayed on alone here for a few days, while the team continues the cycle northwards. I’m here chasing up leads in the journalistic and human rights worlds, trying to get information on modern slavery in Mozambique. Before we go into all that, let me first introduce you to the others. We had a big “group discussion” (read “bitch”) about each other two nights ago. I had spent the previous couple of days fuming about my perceived treatment as a dim-witted moron, incapable of simple tasks such as washing and packing up. Well it turns out this stemmed from the fact that I am, apparently, wholly unreliable. As anyone who knows me well knows, I am a loner. I used to believe this was by chance, not by choice. But I have, in the past weeks, come to appreciate that this is my own doing. As explained to me in an emotional outburst by group leader and arch-irritant Nick Stanhope, I live in a “Jonny-world”, where my only concern is myself, and never the group. I came to realize that he has a point. This, for whatever the reason, is the case, and I am, in others’ eyes, a selfish, lazy twat. I’m not pulling my skinny weight. A prime example was the fact that I left a bicycle at home in London, and it had to be sent out to me in South Africa. There will inevitably continue to be problems that arise from living in close quarters while performing a lengthy, gruelling activity. As the recorder of the trip, this raises all sorts of problems, since most of the action naturally occurs off screen, when the camera is away. I am training up Rob, who seems to have the fewest problems with me, on the cameras , in order that he might record the many arguments at the centre of which I may be found. Becks is a girl. She could accept it, but she appears to be choosing not to. She sees herself as equal in strength, resilience, and emotional independence to her fiancé, Rob. As inspiring as she is in this respect, because she is the most daring, mentally strong and independent woman I have ever had the pleasure to meet, she is not the equal to the pain-loving machine that is ‘The Hadmanstein’. Nor should she be, but unfortunately she gets disappointed and disheartened by this fact. There are times when she cannot complete the day’s cycle, and this creates all sorts of problems. In a startlingly different response to my own, she attempts to do as much as possible, cooking, cleaning, indeed helping in all manner of ways. But this is a futile attempt, because, at least in her own mind, she is not pulling her weight. She is primarily here to cycle, so feels like a burden when she doesn’t. This surfaces in one of two forms – half the time, she is angry at herself, and this leads to fights with Rob. Otherwise, she is quite emotional, and she and Rob spend much of the time cuddling. Nick and I spend most of the waking hours of the day bickering, sniping, and being sarcastic with one another. The rest of the time we are the best of friends, sharing many common interests in Africa, human rights issues, and humour. These moments, however, are like rare islands in a ferocious sea. Jono, the impenetrable, perpetually smoking and biltong-eating trucker, may usually be found swearing at other drivers. Who knows what goes on in his mind, behind those shades? As the support team, we share the vehicle a lot, trying to put up with each others taste in music – I like my growling blues and moody jazz, while he likes Queen and Elton John. He recently expressed a penchant for R. Kelly. Alas, there is no common ground. To catch all the latest news, help out with sponsorship or see more photos from the trip, visit the site: www.capetowntolondon.co.ukARCHIVE: 1st Week MT2003
A disorientating dialogue
Candice Breitz: Re-animations Candice Breitz’s installation, ‘Double Karen’ consists of two televisions facing each other in a stairway, one in front of you, the other behind as you rise. The former TV loops those moments in the Carpenters’ ‘Close to You’ in which Karen Carpenter sings “me”; the latter loops Karen singing “you” from the same song. Similarly, ‘Double Olivia’ is two TVs facing each other, in which loops of Olivia Newton–John singing “I”, “my”, “mine” and “you” from ‘Hopelessly Devoted to You’ are played. Such use of personal pronouns lends the installations a stange potency. While the viewer stands within hearing of both “I” and “you”, it is impossible to view both screens simultaneously, and yet both screens continue to call to the viewer in the middle, unsure which way to turn. The rest of Breitz’s five installations do not work as well. ‘Diorama’ is a reconstruction of a sitting room with nine screens arranged about the room, with each screen looping one of nine characters from the TV series Dallas saying a phrase, for example, “But what about love…?”. It is undoubtedly sensational; the arrangement of the sets again leaves the viewer disorientated while the volume is also disorientatingly loud, but the intimacy and the involvement of the ‘Double Karen’ and ‘Double Olivia’ installations is lacking. In an essay on Breitz’s work, Jennifer Allen compares her work to the “experiments” of Arnulf Rainer. Breitz’s work is indeed experimental as a scientific study might be experimental. Though visually striking, the impression as a whole left me questioning what exactly we can classify as art.ARCHIVE: 1st Week MT2003
Dark Star Safari – Paul Theroux
In a recently published essay, Theroux states that he eschews cameras and travel snaps. A bold claim, but his descriptive prose in Dark Star Safari is effective, creating countless pen portraits of conmen, friends, and landscapes as he makes his way from Cairo to Cape Town. Observations combine with a well researched (and personally felt) sense of history in unsentimental and provoking pictures of countries despoiled by corruption, widespread poverty, and mismanaged donations: the Malawi government that spent millions of dollars of aid on twelve new Mercedes; the impractical dogmatism of an old teaching colleague, now the president of Uganda. Theroux writes as a man who spent his early twenties in Southern Africa as a Peace Corps volunteer; it was in Southern Africa that he settled on the writer’s life. While there he saw several countries on the cusp of independence, the first step from African servitude to African prowess – exciting and hopeful times for a young man. Yet it has never quite happened, and in Dark Star Safari he sets out to discover why. Theroux’s argument against NGOs and aid agencies is both reasoned and uncomfortable reading: African countries will not improve while responsibility and motivation for growth and investment remain in Western hands. But his repetitiveness soon wears, as well does his own dogma. His “real Africa” is his own ideal; he sneers at tourists and revels in his belief in his virtue as a traveller (hence, the ultimate ‘Gappy’); his hints of platitudes (“the best of [Africans] are bare-assed”) and clunky literary references seem rather artificial, if not the products of afterthought. It’s a shame. While Dark Star Safari would benefit from some trimming to make it more cohesive, his humour, curiosity and liveliness make this a very readable book, and the background he provides fits in nicely to give a reader some grasp of the history of the continent. If you’re interested in the atmosphere of modern Africa, in all its gaudy colours, or want to relive fond memories, read this book.ARCHIVE: 1st Week MT2003