An Oxford chemistry graduate planning to launch the first English language newspaper in Iraq for more than a decade. The Baghdad Bulletin, the brainchild of Ralph Hassall, 23, is due to be published next month, with around 5000 copies printed, and plans for an online version to attract international readers are well underway. A number of key academics, journalists, and politicians, Arab and Western alike, have been approached to contribute. Ralph intends the Bulletin to act as a forum for Iraqis to discuss the future their country. “I want to get Iraqis talking about what should happen the country now the war is over: what should the billions of dollars promised in aid be spent on? Who should spend it and how?” he said speaking from Jordan. Not everyone may be so convinced of the validity of such an enterprise. James Lazou, a Wadham student who played a prominent role in the Oxford Students Stop the War Group, expressed his concern about the project to Cherwell. “I find the concept of an English language newspaper being the forum for Iraqis to debate their future, very worrying, and a reflection of wider colonialist attitudes to the country.” Mr Hassall, who admits to being “a patriot,” has embarked on a potentially very lucrative path. As former City media analyst Celia Leaberry explained, if the future of Iraq is secured, a national newspaper will very likely bid to take over the Bulletin. If, however, violence should break out again in Iraq, the fate of the paper looks less certain.
ARCHIVE: 4th week TT 2003

On Friday, as copies of this paper are arriving in your college, the deciding match for the title of the Oxford Universities Ultimate Frisbee Spring League will be underway between Linacre and Exeter–Hertford. Now approaching the end of its second year, the League has given 11 colleges and Brookes the opportunity to play one another in competitive Ultimate Frisbee matches through Hilary and into Trinity. And yes, I am talking about frisbees, those plastic discs you throw around in summer at the beach. Ultimate is an explosively fast team game in which each side aims to catch a frisbee in the other’s end zone, without dropping it on the way or moving while holding it. Most British unis have teams that compete in regional and national tournaments, but the game is particularly strong in Oxford with the University women’s team national champions, and the open team national runners- up. The league is split into two divisions, with one automatic promotion place for the winners of the 2nd and a play-off between the runners- up and second to bottom of the 1st. With most teams having only one match left to play, the champions and promotion positions remain open. At the top of the 1st, Linacre are favourites, having won their opening three matches. However, they must face the joint Exeter–Hertford team, who look strong with several members of the University team in their side, and would claim the title if they beat Linacre by several points. The surprise of the division is the poor showing of last season’s champions Somerville–New, who have lost all of their games, and face the possibility of relegation. In the 2nd and larger division, Balliol–Worcester look sure to win automatic promotion, having comprehensively demolished all opposition. The battle for second is much closer, with St. Anne’s and Pembroke playing this week in crucial match. Having lost only to Balliol-Worcester, St Anne’s can guarantee second with a win against the all-American Pembroke team, but with a better points difference, Pembroke would take it should they win.
ARCHIVE: 4th week TT 2003

An extraordinary thing happened in Oxford UCCE’s game against Hampshire. Oxford declared on the final afternoon, setting Hampshire a target and giving both sides a chance of victory. Even the most assiduous watchers of Oxford cricket couldn’t remember the last time Oxford had been in a position to set up a game. Hampshire needed 291 to win, at a rate of nearly six an over. They were 141 runs shy of their total, with six wickets and just under 17 overs remaining, when a downpour put pay to any further cricket. The premature end was perhaps a greater disappointment for Oxford than the county side. With the spinners, Michael Munday and Paul McMahon, bowling in tandem, Oxford were looked genuinely threatening. The chances are that Hampshire would have blocked the proverbial out of it the moment they sensed they could lose, but there was always the hope that a combination of luck and inspiration might have seen Oxford through to a victory. Munday and McMahon bowled excellently. Munday, a leg spinner in his first year at Corpus and contracted to Somerset, bowled his first over for 12 runs. His next eight went for just 21, while at the same time he picked up three wickets. With the addition of Jamie Dalrymple – currently unavailable due to finals Oxford will field a spin bowling attack in the Varsity Match better than that of many counties. Hampshire, missing most of their big names, were furious at the lateness of the declaration. In particular, veteran spinner Shaun Udal, perhaps made unusually tetchy by the plight of West Ham, waved for Oxford to leave the field. He felt that their decision to declare on the second day to give Oxford a chance of setting a total had been snubbed by Oxford declaring 30 runs too late, to set up an extremely unlikely run-chase. Had they known it was going to be a draw, they might have batted on in their first innings. But from the Oxford perspective, it was understandable that they wanted the extra safety of making Hampshire force the pace. Oxford’s position in this game was almost entirely due to excellent innings from Joe Sayers and Ed Cowan. The latter, a former Australian under-19 batsman, made 99 off 148 balls, as Oxford sought quick runs to set up the declaration. He fell to an excellent piece of bowling from Udal and a low bounce. Looking to push the ball into the leg-side for this century, Cowan played across a quicker ball and was lbw. After a rapid start, Sayer’s first innings century was altogether more sedate. He slowed considerably as he neared his 50 and then his 100. But it was not a worse innings for lacking a shot-a-ball. On a pitch with increasingly uneven bounce and against a lively Hampshire attack, it was just the sort of innings that an opener should play. By the time he was ninth out for 122, he had shepherded the Oxford score to 273 – a total the last pair increased by eight. Hampshire were posed few problems in their first innings. McMahon bowled well, as, at times, did Tom Mees. Former Oxford blue Will Kendal made a century and Lawrence Prittipaul, a distant cousin of West Indian batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul, made an unbeaten half-century. With the dismissal of Kendal, Hampshire declared, 19 runs behind Oxford’s first innings total, to try to get a good finish. It almost worked.
ARCHIVE: 4th week TT 2003

Oxford postgraduates will soon find themselves scouted by exam boards to mark A-level and GCSE scripts matter of months after sitting their own finals, and just a few years after taking their own A-level exams. Last year’s pilot scheme, which saw Edexcel employ 16 postgraduates as examiners, was so successful that the Education Secretary, Charles Clarke, has approved the wider use of postgraduates this summer. Professional examiners have expressed disappointment at the widespread use of postgraduate students, with no experience of either teaching or marking. Edexcel’s response was “We will use experienced examiners first,” although the board told Cherwell it expected employ around 110 postgraduates this year. The other exam boards are yet to confirm whether they will be using postgraduates this summer, although it seems likely that most will be forced to use them in the future. The Joint Council for General Qualifications, which represents exam boards in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, said that the postgraduates performed “above standard.” Spokesman George Turnbull said, “The important thing is that people are appropriately qualified and able to keep to a mark scheme and mark on time to an appropriate standard.” The task of achieving this balance ought to be a familiar one to most Oxford students, but no Oxford postgraduate has so far applied for job as marker. Yet the exam boards are facing more scripts this year than ever before, so those wishing to earn some quick cash after leaving university are likely to find them extremely receptive.
ARCHIVE: 4th week TT 2003

There were red faces all round at the Oxford Union last Saturday after an extremely low turnout for the Toga Party. Out of a planned attendance of 300, only 90 people bought tickets for the event organised by Secretary Ed Tomlinson. The Union was expecting a low turnout but still ended up catering for twice as many people as actually arrived. The event, billed as a ‘funnus maximus’ ‘maddus partius’, turned out to be very good value for money for those who did attend there was enough drink for every guest to receive at least one bottle of wine and unlimited alcopops. Ed Tomlinson, who is expected to run for Union President at the end of this term, said, “It was a very good event and an enjoyable time was had by all.” He suggested low attendance may be due to the number of balls over the last two weeks. Standing Committee formally thanked Tomlinson. However a member of the committee, speaking to Cherwell, warned “Using such slogans as ‘maddus partius’ are unlikely to appeal. The Union needs reconsider how it runs big events.” This event underscores the difficulty the Union faces in organising social events. Earlier this term, Union cancelled the ‘Dinner Love’.
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St John’s has plans to build a new quad when it resumes control of land on St. Giles. The site, though belonging to the college, has been leased out to the university for number of years now. But in 2005, St John’s is to repossess the land. The JCR is in favour of situating a new joint JCR-MCR common room there, with a new quad and facilities for both undergrads and post-grads. However, the St. John’s bursar stressed that nothing has been agreed upon. The college is keen to provide accommodation for all of its students, within its confines, according to the bursar, but the land will “probably be used for a variety of purposes.” Some of the other suggestions so far have been to use part of it for art studios and a gallery, or to create some soundproof music rooms where students can practice. Yet as the richest college and large landowner, some have raised questions about whether St John’s money might be better spent elsewhere. In the light of the Student Union’s recent inequality report, a St John’s student asked “Do we really need another quad? Why doesn’t the SCR use its money to help the University as a whole instead?”
ARCHIVE: 4th week TT 2003

Antonella Magnani, 28, recently sat her final law exam while in labour in a hospital delivery room, after college authorities concluded that giving birth was not a valid reason for missing the exam. In her final hours of labour, a team of eight examiners arrived to question her on exam topics such as marketing and public rights. She was reportedly “very calm”, even when the contractions started to become more regular – and gave birth to a daughter, Giulia, two hours after the examiners had left the room.
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A Chilean student is auctioning off her virginity to pay for her last two years on a Modern Languages course. The 21-year old, who wished to remain anonymous, said “I will provide a certificate signed by a doctor to prove that I am a virgin. No man has ever touched me.” The auction is being conducted by Radio CRC, and the bidding started yesterday at £350 – with the opening bid coming from a member of her college’s teaching staff. The college had no comment on this particular aspect of tutor-student relations.
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