Letters
More
anglophilic than most natives
John
Lydon
Biochemistry & molecular biology
I
was sorry to hear of the recent death of my old friend
John (Hans) Muller, late of the Procter department of
food science. John had lived through interesting times.
He recalled having his head patted, as a child, by Hitler
and was the only person I have met who had seen V1 flying
bombs at the beginning, rather than the end, of their
flights. Like many European refugees who came to this
country in the immediate post-war years, he became more
anglophilic than most natives. With his tweed cap, Burberry
jacket and black Labrador he looked every inch a member
of the Bramhope aristocracy. One of his favourite stories
concerned an episode in the 1980s when members of staff
whose careers had been interrupted by war service, were
approaching retirement and there was the question of enhancement
to their superannuation to compensate for the years away.
The
University eventually issued a detailed booklet identifying
three categories: those who left University posts for
the duration of the hostilities and then returned later;
those who had been interviewed and given University posts,
but postponed taking them up because of the outbreak of
war; and thirdly, those who went into the forces straight
from postgraduate work and who became members of staff
at the war's end (and who it was deemed would have
taken up lecturing posts earlier if the war had not occurred).
What
caused John so much fun was his subsequent tangles with
the administration when he presented his old Wehrmacht
paybook (issued when he was still a schoolboy), pointing
out that nowhere in the mountain of verbiage was there
any mention of a requirement to state which side you had
been fighting on.
Seeing
league tables in a new light
Philip
Taylor
Communications studies
I
hate league tables. In your last issue, I was sufficiently
intrigued at your reference to the latest Times
league table being buried in the In the News section
that I followed it up. Was it a bad day to bury
good news (or have I got that confused as well)? I looked
at University of Leeds departments who made the top ten,
and they make an interesting list given recent developments
within the University. They are as follows, in order of
height:
Geology
3=
Art & Design 3=
Education 5
English 5
Agriculture 5
East Asian Studies 5
Dentistry 6
Communications and Media 6
Physics 6
Food Science 7
History of Art 7
Geography 9
Middle Eastern Studies 9 (out of 9!)
Theology 10
So
these are our Leeds departments who make the top ten in
their respective areas? Maybe I don't hate league
tables after all.
The
union bookshop stocks them all
Sylvia
Federico
School of English
In
the midst of this debate about cars, buses, and bikes,
is the humble pedestrian trying to get to campus in a
way that is safe, direct, and environmentally sound. Walking
from Headingley ought to be an agreeable alternative to
the impossible road traffic and the filthy, crowded, and
slow-moving buses: it should be a nice way to collect
or lose one's thoughts, and to stretch the legs as well.
But there is a huge problem which prevents many staff
from walking even when they live close in to the University:
the dangers to life and limb encountered between Hyde
Park corner and the western entrance to the campus.
This
route – the most direct one – is made impossible
not only by the absence of lighting in the park (an unsafe
way home on a winter's afternoon) but especially by the
extremely dangerous, unregulated four-point intersection
at University Road. This intersection witnesses a steady
stream of foot traffic throughout the day.
Without
a light or a zebra crossing, people take their lives in
their hands dodging speeding cars and turning buses. Surely
something as simple as a pedestrian overpass could solve
this problem.
We're
a university not a burger bar
Chris
Leonard
Union books
In
reply to Mark Hill's letter (Reporter 481), a map
of the cycle routes of Leeds is available. It was published
in 1999 by Leeds city council department of highways and
transportation, and can be bought from Union Books in
the basement of the students' union at £2.95
Similarly,
your review of Ethical Shopping by William Young
(also Reporter 481) informs your readers that they
can order the book from Fusion Press by phone or from
their website. They do not have to wait that long: it
is also available from Union Books.
Email
books@luu.leeds.ac.uk
or ring 710350.
Arrogant?
Well, you said it, not us
Susy
Braidwood
School of healthcare studies
In
reply to Last word on public transport, by 'name supplied'
(Reporter 482):
"The
arrogance of so many contributors to your column (sic)
never ceases to amaze me …"
You
said it. Not us.
The
very, very last word on transport
Tony
Hall
Residential & commercial services
So
you're going to leave the last word on public transport
to some fortunate individual who 'owns a number of horses'?
A character who believes others to be arrogant, but presumably
believes him/herself to be blessed with a fabulous wit.
Why no name? I know some cyclists can err on the fundamentalist
side, but still!
I
cycle four miles to work, mainly off-road through woods,
parks and Meanwood Ridge, which is marvellous when you
consider this is from the outskirts to the centre of a
large city. I believe this makes me extremely fortunate;
my colleagues, however, believe I'm mad. Still, horses
for courses – aha, that's it, of course – our
hero is being ironic (or sarcastic or something)!
Our
wit is probably one of those who gets in my way every
day (in the 4 x 4?) as I cross five main roads, yet I
don't add to his/her traffic jam or parking problem one
iota. In fact, I help by removing myself from the melee.
I can imagine how happy s/he would be, stuck behind a
horse on the way to work (I know, I know, I didn't get
the joke).
Who
cares how everyone else struggles to work and then parks
– just get on with it. Quite honestly I'm happy
to end the discussion as it's all been said, but please
let's finish with some genuine wit who doesn't deride
others!
