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issue 27 19 October 2007 ***************************************************** 'Truth: lies open to all' ***************************************************** Every fortnight. All editorial correspondence to: subtext-editors [at] lancaster.ac.uk Please download and print or delete as soon as possible after receipt. Back issues and subscription details can be found at http://www.lancs.ac.uk/subtext. The editors welcome letters, comments, suggestions, and opinions from readers. subtext reserves the right to edit submissions. For tips to prevent subtext from getting swept up into your 'junk email folder', see http://www.lancs.ac.uk/subtext/dejunk/. ***************************************************** CONTENTS: introduction, news in brief, the vice-chancellor departs for Sydney; the accommodation crisis in retrospect; history of the University currently on display; council report; senate report; where is the University erratic?; doctoral completion rates; a cancellarian anniversary at Cambridge; new web forum for academics; urban myths; letters. ***************************************************** INTRODUCTION We welcome all readers back to the new academic year, although many no doubt already feel that the new term started months ago. A few weeks back, the editorial collective gathered in the subtext warehouse to share a glass of something refreshing and to discuss what jewels we could share with you in the first issue of the new academic year. As usual, there was no shortage of news, stories and scurrilous gossip. One such was the news that our very own V-C is being tipped as a serious contender for the Vice-Chancellorship at the University of Sydney. Our source here was an article in the newspaper 'The Australian' that was spotted by one of our antipodean correspondents and from which we quote below. So if Professor Wellings does indeed resume residence in the southern hemisphere, he may well find that subtext is not that easy to escape. We continue to accumulate evidence that issues of subtext travel great distances, and that our readership extends far beyond the formal list of subscribers. It was a great pleasure, for instance, to find that our article on named rooms and buildings in the University had been read in Wellington, New Zealand, by Dr Mary Livingston, daughter of Elizabeth Livingston, of the eponymous lecture theatre in Bowland North. Dr Livingston wrote to us with affectionate memories of her mother, and we are delighted to include the letter below. Other legendary figures who contributed much to the foundation and consolidation of the University are also fondly remembered in an exhibition devoted to the University's history, which is currently on display in the library. We feature a review of this commendable exhibition below. In it, we see images and artefacts of what many would regard as better days. But to say this is not mere nostalgia; rather, it constitutes a memorial to days when there was less of a disjunction between the values of scholarship and the values of managerialism. Those days may be gone, but we hope that subtext will continue to play a small part in perpetuating those values that many of us still hold dear. ***************************************************** NEWS IN BRIEF The University has welcomed its first students under this new collaborative initiative. Readers may recall that in recognition of the novelty attached to this project, not to mention the lack of detailed planning, serious concerns have been raised by University members. These were deflected by reassurances from our senior managers that initially numbers would be small (fifty was the figure being bandied around), they would be ethnically diverse and spread across the three foundation routes into the higher education: Business and Management Studies, Engineering and Computing and Law and Social Studies. Numbers, however, seem to have grown from the figures proffered by University representatives to Senate. It seems the figure is 100 (as originally intended), and of these some 96 are following the Foundation Year in Business and Management. Some might see this as good news for the Management School but this does not appear to be a view shared by all staff there, few of whom appear to have been consulted about this development. The real pressure of course will come when the matter of progression or not onto University degree schemes is at issue. The concerns of Admissions Tutors about academic quality and English language skills have yet to be allayed. As to the students themselves, reports indicate that they are settling in reasonably well. They are being accommodated around the undergraduate colleges with much of their teaching being delivered within Bailrigg House. ****** Imagination@Lancaster Some subtext readers may have found themselves invited to the forthcoming launch event for the LICA 'big idea'. It's to be held at the Design Museum Space, Shad Thames, London, on 24 October. Rumour has it that acceptances for this event are disappointing. As the invitation makes clear, Lancaster Univeristy (sic) has invested £2.5 million in Imagination@Lancaster, courtesy of a generous donation by the Bowland Trust. (The Trust gave the money to the University, not to this specific initiative. It was to be used at the discretion of the Vice-Chancellor.) subtext wishes this project well but at the same time notes that the thousands of pounds undoubtedly being spent on this high profile launch would go a long way towards relieving the Peter Scott Gallery's current difficulties, brought about by the recent reduction in its budget. As LICA, the Faculty and the Budget Review Group wrangle over who has responsibility for such matters, its ongoing activities are under threat. Recognizing this, the Vice-Chancellor has established an internal working group to consider possible courses of action for the Public Arts at Lancaster. It is expected to report to him in mid-November. Who knows, maybe a little imagination will be brought to bear to provide a sensible strategy for this valuable if neglected area of the University's activities. ****** Employment procedures: thank you for your efforts and goodbye? It was reported at University Council (see below) that a higher than expected underlying surplus of £5.5 million (3.7% of turnover) is expected for the last financial year. This will be the tenth successive year for such surpluses. Readers may also remember a message circulated to all staff by the Vice-Chancellor earlier in the summer which was a copy of a letter he had written to the press, correcting misrepresentations of Lancaster's financial strength and performance (see Correspondence in the Times and Guardian: Message from the Vice-Chancellor, dated 10th July). Given these, it might now strike staff as somewhat surprising to learn that the University over the summer has circulated to the campus unions a set of procedures which include amongst other things detailed guidance on redundancy and redeployment. These developments were flagged to the Senate at its meeting in May (GAP/2007/0511), where the benefits for staff, Heads of Department and the University of such changes were outlined. At the time, few seemed to appreciate the full extent of these benefits or the need for the changes! The detailed views of campus unions are not known but one might expect that the University's rationale for such changes at this point in time will be seriously questioned. It's perhaps also worth noting that academic and administrative restructuring continues apace at Lancaster, for example, the recent approval of proposals to lay down the departments of Biological Sciences, Geography and Environmental Sciences and combine them within the Lancaster Environment Centre (LEC). Also, the results of the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) will be eagerly awaited. More 'effective' employment policies may prove very useful in managing the process and outcomes. You have been warned! ****** Goodbye to the Staff Handbook subtext understands that the Staff Handbook is no longer to be produced, although who took the decision and why is not yet clear. With it will go an important source of information about the institution. The composition of various committees and their terms of reference may not be compelling reading for many, but it does provide important information which helps understand the organization and, if necessary, can be used to hold those in authority to account. It is also said that the printed version of the University Calendar is to suffer a similar fate. The on-line version of the latter will remain but will, of course, need to be regularly updated, if it is to be of use. ***************************************************** THE VICE-CHANCELLOR DEPARTS FOR SYDNEY? Some readers may have been aware of a certain article published in the 'Higher Education' supplement of 'The Australian' during the summer vacation. Some of our Australian colleagues thought we might find it to be of interest, and forwarded it to us. In a column entitled 'Friends Like These' (5th September), we read: 'On the subject of changes at the top, rumour has it that a contender to replace Gavin Brown in the top job at the University of Sydney is fellow Briton Paul Wellings, vice-chancellor of the University of Lancaster. According to his Wikipedia entry, the Nottingham-born 56-year-old moved to Australia in 1981 as a research entomologist for the CSIRO and was a senior science bureaucrat in the federal Government as well as deputy chief executive of CSIRO from 1999 before taking up the Lancaster position in 2002. Sydney University said short-listed candidates have yet to be interviewed. Brown steps down in the middle of next year.' See: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22363294-14981,00.html We understand that the V-C has already made one visit to Australia this summer and we gather that a second is in the offing. If this second visit is indeed to attend an interview, this would seem to indicate that the article is correct in considering Professor Wellings a serious candidate. Whether successful or not this time, it only evidences what many have felt, namely that Lancaster was never going to be his final destination. His legacy inevitably will start to be discussed and assessed, and opinions will differ. One question worth keeping at the forefront of our institutional minds is how can we best preserve what many value about Lancaster as we apparently move into a period of transition. It may well require a greater willingness on the part of the academic community to question and challenge the actions of the Vice-Chancellor and his UMAG colleagues. ***************************************************** ACCOMMODATION CRISIS IN RETROSPECT As was predicted in issue 25 of subtext, the summer was marked by an acute accommodation shortage for first year undergraduates. Driven by targets set with UPP, the private operator of most of Lancaster's campus accommodation, a blanket guarantee to continuing students of campus accommodation was made in November and badly backfired. A massive oversubscription for rooms, particularly for those going into their second year, meant a scarcity of accommodation for the new first year intake. The situation was not helped by the premature demolition of Grizedale College buildings, which resulted in students signing up for rooms that had not yet been built, and their appearance being subsequently delayed. Adding insult to injury, Senate heard that Study Group were given an increased share of rooms on campus, leaving first years to suffer the brunt of the shortages. Most clearing and insurance students found accommodation with a head lease scheme for housing in town operated by the Students' Union, which received praise from the University Secretary at Senate. The housing has been grouped in such a way as to create satellite college communities in town. Despite this, colleges are undoubtedly going to find it difficult to integrate these members into College life. The Vice-Chancellor however assured Senate that all students who held guarantees for campus accommodation had been satisfied. This may be so but was only made possible by some students having to live in guest accommodation (at more expensive guest room prices) or sharing luxurious twin rooms in Bowland Tower. As of Monday this week the situation is that: 272 students are living off-campus in head lease houses, 40 are in University of Cumbria accommodation in Bowerham and 70 are in guest rooms/shared twin rooms on campus. It should also be noted that many departments across the University fell short of their undergraduate admissions targets this year. As is suggested in the Senate Report, below, this cannot be unconnected to the accommodation crisis. Anecdotal evidence from Admissions Tutors suggests that many insurance and clearing candidates (many of whom are often academically very strong) turned us down when they realised that campus accommodation was unlikely to be available to them. Departments were also prevented from taking part in the usual 'recycling' process. We can only hope that lessons have been learned. But that was our hope when we last experienced an accommodation crisis of this sort. ***************************************************** HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSITY CURRENTLY ON DISPLAY subtext urges all readers to take a look at the display currently being exhibited in the library on the history of the University from its inception to the present. The title of the exhibition, 'To all to whom these presents shall come', invokes the wording of the opening of the University's charter, the granting of which marks the birth of the University itself. The exhibition has been compiled by Marion McClintock, Honorary Archivist and former Academic Registrar. As has been reported in subtext, Marion is currently writing a second volume of the University's history, and her accumulated expertise is brought to bear on this new exhibition. Many of the exhibits are photographic and provide a fascinating pictorial record of the University's development over the years, covering many different facets of the University's life. These range from one of the University's first congregation at which it installed Princess Alexandra as its first Chancellor to one of students in 1970s relaxing over pints of beer in Cartmel bar. We see also Jennie Lee, then Minister of the Arts (and Nye Bevan's widow) laying the foundation stone of the Jack Hylton Music Room. There is another of a group of remarkably well ordered and well dressed students at a 1966 political demonstration protesting against the UDI in Southern Rhodesia and another of an early student rock concert in the Great Hall. In one of the earliest photographs, we see Professor Tom Lawrenson lecturing to an audience of modern languages undergraduates, all of whom are wearing their undergraduate gowns. But the exhibition is not solely photographic, as there are also many interesting artefacts. We see, for instance, the original voting slips on which members of the Executive Committee stated their preference for the siting of the then projected new university; all but one of the individually signed slips (the voting was not anonymous) bear the word 'Lancaster'; the one exception bears the word 'Blackpool', the other contender. The beautifully decorated document from the College of Heralds which granted the Arms of the University is also on display, as is an actual undergraduate gown of the kind we see being worn in one of the mentioned photographs. We also see a holograph copy of the manuscript for the last (2002) book of founding professor of History, Austyn Woolrych. As the accompanying note tells us, Oxford University Press thinks that this was the last holograph hand-written manuscript they ever received. From the mass of material available, the exhibits have been judiciously chosen and all are accompanied by meticulous notes. The exhibition will be open until 10th December and may be found on the far side of the ground floor of the library, beyond the Short Loan department. ***************************************************** COUNCIL REPORT Council met on 5 October. The longest item was a presentation by Bob McKinlay on the academic development of the University. This was lucid, low tech, and well received by its audience. While telling a generally positive story Professor McKinlay also stressed that Lancaster's standing in (more or less) the top twenty British universities was relatively recent and that work was needed to improve or maintain it. A-level scores and postgraduate research numbers were two measures that needed to be improved. A key theme of the talk was that academic and financial planning needed to be closely integrated; there was no point in planning academic developments that would never be funded. The Vice-Chancellor reported on developments over the summer, including the probable funding by private donation of a centre for evidence-based mental health research that would help in establishing Lancaster as a distinctive centre for research on health and medicine. He mentioned an important shift in government policy, the withdrawal of HEFCE funding for students doing second undergraduate degrees. This would have particular implications for the Open University and Birkbeck College, but have some impact everywhere. Tim Roca, LUSU President, gave a brief and impressive presentation. Andrew Neal reported in positive terms on the University's financial performance in 2006-07, which was better than expected in the middle of the year, mainly because of increased research income and the benefits of full economic costing. Less positively, all four tenders for the new ISS building exceeded the available budget of £8.4 million, mainly because of unusual technical requirements. After brief discussion, Council agreed to approve the proposal that the project should go ahead with its budget increased to £9.9 million. Andrew Neal also presented papers on Key Performance Indicators and the risk register. Graduate track employment and the condition of the estate were identified as areas for improvement. Council approved, as it was invited to do by the Senate at its meeting of 23 May, changes in the Statutes, in the light of Privy Council guidance that the timing of the changes should be indicated in the revised Statutes. A brief new Statute (11A) will replace Statute 11 (on the Senate). The former Statutes 12, 13 and 17 - covering the powers of the Senate, delegation of the powers of Council and Senate, and the establishment of committees - are moved to the Ordinances. Council approved these changes with little discussion, assured that this approval would not hamper the work of the Court Effectiveness Working Party. ***************************************************** SENATE REPORT The papers arrived at the last minute and the agenda looked thin, but the meeting on 10th October was long, informative and good-humoured. There were many announcements. Most were about league tables in which Lancaster is doing pretty well. Our success rate in obtaining Research Council awards is especially good (overall 8th). For research student completion rates, Lancaster comes in a respectable 22nd for Home/EU and 5th for overseas students. There were tongue-in-cheek comments about how we should promote these tables so long as we are at the top of them, even the National Student Survey which has been acknowledged in other quarters to be 'methodologically disreputable'. The league tables will generate further activity delving into the figures to identify variations and lessons for improvement. The message is 'more of the same please.' There was a useful political briefing about what is on the government's mind (the Sainsbury report emphasising knowledge transfer partnerships and encouraging reflection on whether we are 'a business facing' university or 'a research intensive' one; expansion of funding for adult skills for employment); and what is worrying vice chancellors at the moment (the impact of new degree awarding powers for Further Education colleges, withdrawal of funding for second degrees, demographic shifts in numbers of 18-21 year olds). Senators were updated on the capital expenditure programme rolling across the campus from north to south, helpfully summarised by Bob McKinlay as 'refurbish and shuffle, refurbish and shuffle' so that no one has to move more than once. There were questions about resources for refurbishing college social space and about plans for those departments left behind (like the old Bowland College and Furness) as the tsunami of building work rolls over and around them. The VC explained the idea of the Student Learning Grid that will be located in Bowland college on the edge of Alexandra Square (displacing the Department of English). This development is neither an instrument of torture, nor an additional barbeque facility. Similar to the Hub in the Management School, it will be an open club space for students and one advantage is that it will be available on weekends and out of term for part-time students to use. There was some anxiety expressed that the development of this facility would complete with library budgets and requests that student representatives should be involved in design of the space. Headline figures on admissions this year are disappointing: for undergraduates, despite increased applications and conversion rates, the numbers of home/EU students fell 100 short of the target though students are entering with higher A-level grades. Post-graduate admissions are also down, apart from overseas research students whose numbers are steady. The causes of these admission patterns are not obvious but the accommodation crisis Lancaster experienced this year cannot have helped and the VC was clearly uncomfortable discussing it. Because of limited accommodation, 'recycling' was cancelled at the last minute to the annoyance of departments who lost students they would normally have picked up from this process. Four hundred first year students are living off-campus this year, as compared with two hundred in previous years. The report on the Study Group (see subtext issues 16 and 17) from pro-VC Bob McKinlay was upbeat. Despite a few teething problems, recruitment targets were exceeded (see 'News in Brief item, above) and there will be a rise to 150 projected enrolments next year. The nature of the teething problems was revealed as questions came in from the floor. There were claims that the on-campus accommodation guarantees offered to this group of students contributed to the accommodation crisis. There were also claims that Study Group students had put extra strain on college facilities especially pastoral care. The Management School seemed less than pleased to be the major destination of the Study Group students, almost all of whom had been recruited from China. This was hinted to be 'a problem' though no-one was explicit about why. Bob responded that next year the University would require a more balanced and diverse intake though it is not clear how it will be able to exert control over the Study Group's recruitment practices. We finally arrived at the meat of the meeting: two big structural changes that have been in the pipeline for some time: The New School of Health and Medicine (SHAM) and a new structure for the Lancaster Environment Centre (LEC). Both of these were approved by the meeting. The proposals for SHAM have been discussed before (see subtext issue 22) and provoked less discussion though there were still some misgivings about the hastily designed management structure and what Bob McKinlay described as a 'jigsaw budget'. The large projected increase in general income will come from the transfer of funds from Liverpool University, presumably now finalised. The proposals for restructuring LEC were presented by the Dean, Mary Smyth, as a positive development, building on what we already have and promoting interdisciplinary work in areas of contemporary interest. The new structure involves merging three departments (Biological Sciences, Environmental Science and Geography). This will result in a very large new unit (can it really be called a centre?). It will be represented on Senate by the Director and 2 co-opted members. There will be a 'proto-management team' for the first transitional year. As well as these management issues, there was discussion about whether students would find the focus of the new centre attractive especially those who are still looking for traditional degrees in Geography and Biology. Senate was reassured that these degrees would still have a strong identity within the centre. ***************************************************** WHERE IS THE UNIVERSITY ERRATIC? Recent visitors to the North-West corner of Alexandra Square, near University House, might have noticed that the large, rather lugubrious boulder that used to be situated there has been replaced by a small, pebble-oriented feature. Apparently this has been created as a setting for the University's Barbara Hepworth sculpture, which is to be moved to this location from outside the Great Hall. The boulder - currently brooding in a shed somewhere near the boilerhouse - was unearthed during excavations when the University was built, and was identified as an 'erratic' that had been transported here by a glacier during the last ice age. It was refreshing to walk past the boulder, its very incongruity, age and sheer indifference a reminder of other, wider horizons. Enquiries to Estates produce an assurance that there are plans to reposition the erratic in a public place, possibly at the far end of Alexandra square. We can only hope that they deliver on this promise, so that once again we can enjoy the erratic's rather scornful presence. ***************************************************** DOCTORAL COMPLETION RATES: AN INTERESTING CASE STUDY Departments have been under a certain amount of pressure recently to push slow-moving PhD students towards submission. In the light of this we enjoyed the recent decision by Imperial College to accept a dissertation in astrophysics by Brian May (who is, for those who may not be up in such things, a guitar player with a showband called, apparently, 'Queen'). The dissertation was begun a mere thirty years ago. One might wonder how many other students have been granted this generous flexibility, and also how cutting edge Dr May's research turned out to be. Should Lancaster be looking amongst its alumni for similar celebrity late or, indeed, non-finishers? ***************************************************** A CANCELLARIAN ANNIVERSARY AT CAMBRIDGE subtext has always taken an interest in events at other universities, and its attention was recently caught by a summer celebration of the 30th anniversary of The Duke of Edinburgh's appointment as Chancellor of the University of Cambridge. This in itself may not immediately be thought to be an event of particular interest to subtext readers. But what pricked our interest was a reference made to 'university governance' in the Vice-Chancellor's speech of congratulations. As readers will be aware, the whole issue of 'corporate governance' and concerns at developments relating to this here at Lancaster, was one of the factors behind the foundation of subtext itself. Many readers will also no doubt be aware of bruising battles over governance taking place at Oxford between their V-C and many of the dons. Meanwhile, over at Cambridge, the current V-C, Alison Richard, has dropped all plans for a more 'efficient' form of governance, which had first been broached by her predecessor. Many saw this as a sign of Professor Richard's remarkable good sense and commitment to university democracy. We have no reason to doubt that this is the case, but her speech of congratulations to the Chancellor suggested that another factor have been at work. In the Cambridge Senate House, she said that, 'In 1977, Cambridge had acquired a Chancellor of vision and of perspicacity. That perspicacity surfaces frequently, often in unexpected and indeed amusing ways. How better could one approach the weighty matter of university governance, for example, than through a crisp remark of the Chancellor's, recounted to me by a colleague? I quote: "I'm not the Chancellor of a biscuit factory, and I'll stop if we move in that direction." This absolutely says it all, Chancellor, and let me assure you that you won't need to be stopping.' Cambridge dons who had been gearing up for a fight to preserve university democracy no doubt heaved a sigh of relief. But what this also goes to show is that Royal Chancellors can sometimes be forces for unmitigated good. Like constitutional monarchs, Chancellor's powers may be restricted to 'being consulted, encouraging and warning' but sometimes such influence can be decisive. Could this perhaps be a factor in explaining why our managers were so reluctant to entertain the possibility of another Royal Chancellor to succeed Princess Alexandra? (Rumour has it that she had indeed offered to put in a good word for such a thing at the Palace, if we were so desirous.) Incidentally, The Duke of Edinburgh made a characteristically witty and self-deprecating speech in reply, departing from the set text with apparently spontaneous comments at various points. One of these came at the very end. Having completed his speech, he then looked up and said: 'So thank you very much for remembering that I've been here for thirty years; just pray that I'm not here for another thirty.' ***************************************************** NEW INTERNET FORUM FOR ACADEMICS: Readers may be interested to hear that a new internet forum for academics has been set up at: http://academicsuk.myfreeforum.org It is 'a forum for UK academics to chat anonymously about research, teaching and all the other things that make life difficult.' Still in its infancy with a small group of subscribers, we wish it well and look forward to its growth. ***************************************************** URBAN MYTHS: RAG WEEK In the early days of the University in the late Sixties, it seems that Lancaster students were unusually enthusiastic about Rag Week (then called Charities Week). A week of japes, tomfoolery and high jinks was traditionally finished off by groups of students chucking flour bombs at each other in Lancaster town centre. By the third year numbers had swelled dramatically, and things got out of hand. The battle spread up and down Market Street and Penny Street, and it was raining. By the time the frivolity was finished a large number of irate citizens with flour sticking to their wet clothes were jamming the University switchboard. Apparently the dry-cleaning bill paid by the Students Union was almost exactly the amount collected by the week's events for charity. In the same year, the copybook was blotted in a more serious way. (Until a few years ago there were public conveniences in Brock Street, just off Dalton Square.) Citizens awoke in the morning to find green luminous footprints leading down the side of the statue of Queen Victoria, marching into the conveniences, then out again and back up the statue. Spluttering letters to the local paper ensued. This and the flour fight were enough to close Rag Week down until quite recently. ***************************************************** LETTERS Dear subtext, It was with great astonishment (and pleasure) that a relative of mine emailed me from the UK to tell me he had recently visited Lancaster University and discovered the Elizabeth Livingston lecture theatre which has been named in honour of my mother- 'a formidable lady' I believe is how she was described in a recent subtext. As her daughter I know only too well how formidable she could be! I might also add that my family was truly thrilled to find her name honoured by the University, and I know that she would have been tremendously proud. Formidable, she was; dedicated, yes absolutely; loyal, completely. She took up her position at Lancaster when I was about 12 years old and the college was not even built (1965?). Her long hours of work meant that my brother and I had an unexpected amount of freedom as teenagers, which we thoroughly enjoyed and met all manner of inspiring characters that were on the staff at that time. Elizabeth retired to New Zealand in 1989 to spend time with her grandchildren and allowed her gentler side to become far more visible in her latter years. She died in 2001 and the children and I attended a small memorial service held for her in the religious centre on the University campus in late December 2001. To whoever remembered my mother and honoured her in this way, I send a heartfelt thank-you. It warmed my heart to know that, for all her ferocity, she was still appreciated. Yours sincerely, Dr. Mary Livingston ******* Dear subtext, I noted in earlier issues your focus on local venues/nights and the extent they provided good spaces that were attractive to both students and staff. I was a little surprised that you chose to check out the Sugarhouse in this vein but all for the cause of journalism I guess. We can all look forward to more tired and absent students if the Sugarhouse/LUSU's current application to extend opening hours to 6am 7 days a week is successful. Anyhow, I wondered if you might consider featuring the LAWM live music nights that I organise at The Yorkshire House? These nights are brilliant for staff and student co-mingling, and Lancaster locals too! Because of the broad selection of music on offer we get everyone from freshers to professors. LAWM is also hopefully faithful to subtext ethics in that it is DIY and not for profit. Let me know what you think. (LAWM is at http://www.lawm.co.uk) Cheers, Richard Twine [An excellent idea. We certainly intend to include such a feature in a forthcoming issue of subtext - eds.] ***************************************************** The editorial collective of subtext currently consists (in alphabetical order) of: Lenny Baer, George Green, Gavin Hyman, Bronislaw Szerszynski and Alan Whitaker.
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