LINK SPRING 2004

The educational treadmill We ALL pass along this treadmill: but how good are the results? For some it brings material wealth and satisfaction - But from others there are strong signs of discontent. We ask how this discontent , along with anti social behaviour, has leaked into society and how to put a stop to this. You may have read 'Ten more CCTV cameras to be set up across Leeds' - this notice does not inspire confidence. Rather than watch, catch and punish more offenders, surely they should be helped before they offend. As young offenders are often involved it seems sense to give more guidance in schools. Money is poured into the top performing schools but this is not where it is needed. Because of their catchment areas some schools have children with many behavioural problems and this is where money should be given. If a ratio of ten children to one adult, or better, were obtained, standards of education and behaviour would rise in these schools and anti social behaviour would decline in society. Attention must now be focussed on this difficult yet vitally important area of education. Not a cheap option but far more bearable than the present erosion and splitting of our society. Finally we see Britain still has a large number of responsible and reliable people and our problems are still largely under control, but the break up point is closer and we cannot afford to let things deteriorate further. P.S. Could many schools double as evening - centres for people to communicate, share and learn new skills? Please write in with your comments.

A complex scandal - Council tax rebel Elizabeth Winkfield is 83 and is threatened with jail for not paying an 18% increase! On TV she is told by a prominent member of government she must pay. It then turns out that under present benefit rules she does not need to pay anything. This brings up a couple of points; many older folk may not understand the rules and will therefore often pay much more than they are required to - and many, even in prominent government positions, do not fully understand the complicated rules. Not withstanding that she seems to have had a little help to become a 'tax martyr' it is a scandalous that unless people read and follow complex rules they will receive little help claiming what is theirs.

Why Individual Views Matter - Evans Gallo According to the Oxford English dictionary objectivity is when the actual state of things, uncoloured by ones opinions and feelings, are exhibited in what one says. Subjectivity, on the other hand, is when issues are dealt with based on an individual's feelings or capacities. These two opposite ways of dealing with 'reality' have led to two schools of thought: objectivism and subjectivism. While subjectivism advances the view that knowledge, or what we each know to be reality, depends on the way we view things as individuals (as there is no external or independent test of truth), 'objectivists' believe that knowledge is independent of the individual's view. As much as the two schools of thought may have their own merits human beings, as social animals, express their personal views about the different aspects of social life and those that tend to be shared by the majority end up being regarded as reality. Those that seem to go against the majority views are often dismissed as subjective. It is not many years ago when the human race refused to believe that planet earth revolves around the sun and thought earth the centre of the suns’ orbit! Was Galileo's assertion then objective or subjective? Looked at from this perspective, the line between the two seems to disappear altogether. The point we are making is that an individual's opinions should be looked at for the merits they may have whether they seem to go against general views or not. Individuals should actually be given avenues to express their opinions as these may end up being the elusive objective truth man has always sought. In fact, refusing to deal with an individual's views on the grounds that they are subjective, may well be running away from reality. It is regrettable that modern man is usually encouraged to run away from different views. The detractors in this pact seem to have forgotten that many men and women who, in the past, risked their lives to express opinions which were then regarded as treasonous or even heretical, have discovered many of the good things we take for granted today.

Editorial Team Editororial/ Co-ordination John Broadhead Publicity/Features Chris Nriapia Music/Entertainment Ann Marie/Julian Sebastian PLEASE NOTE The opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the editorial team . Printed by SmallPrint 19 Blake Grove,Chapel Allerton Leeds LS7 3NQ 0113 237 4600

CONTACT US:- Tel / Fax 0113 226 8904 Mob 07802 741 346 info@newsviewslink.co.uk www.newsviewslink.co.uk

LINK WORKS TO BUILD A BALANCED OPEN, MEDIA and is published spring, summer, autumn and winter. Our scope includes world and UK news and events, particularly as they affect education and the work situation; local business reports and youth projects - and we look to widen it further. Through MUSIC LINK we glimpse the music scene, local and wider. We support our work with events such as Disco Competitions and recently Barbecues. A popular feature is our ‘CELEBRATION ON STAGE.’ The stage is open & people may play their music or share their viewpoints; and we recently launched an appeal for Kimalewa, a village in western Kenya. In fact LINK'S SPECIAL APPROACH asks 'how do you see things?' - and suggests looking out for people in the community can bring a new warmth and presence into whatever we do We circulate 2000 copies, via shops and bars in the City centre, trades peoples counters' in north and central Leeds and Leeds libraries across the City. ADVERTISING is to help cover production costs. We have very reasonable rates and here is a way you can further your own business and ours too! You are always welcome to contact us or join in our work. You may want to write, organise events, help with distribution or just want to see what's happening.

We visit Kimalewa        John & Dorrette Broadhead       As usual we left our preparations till the last minute - had some words of Kiswahili to take along but rushed out to the airport transport leaving behind! - it was 02.40! Manchester to Amsterdam - then on to Nairobi, a long flight 5 ½ hrs. Amazingly next to us is a young German who has a girlfriend in Mombassa. So he helps us glean a few extra words of Kiswahili. We get to Nairobi 20.17 and pay £35 each for the requiered visa. The mobile net has improved a lot, we text and our host Moses meets us in the lobby area. We are happy to meet again. Soon Moses takes us to The Parkside, our hotel for the first night. He retires to his 'digs' nearby leaving his car with us, it is safer by the hotel. We sleep soundly after our long journey. In the morning the shower works ok and the electricity is 'on.' We eat 'English' breakfast in the restaurant next door and by 1030 drag our cases down stairs ready to meet Moses. He joins us by 1055. Leaving Nairobi we notice improvements in the roads since our visit two years ago. Some 20/30 miles on the road, north west to Eldoret, we stop to look over the beautiful Rift Valley. Just to look, but are approached by folk who need to sell their wares to tourists! In the end we buy one nick nack - it's a line of 5 little elephants and along the base words in Kiswaheli and English 'jambo' - hello, 'Karibu' - welcome and 'hakuna matata' - no problem. A Shepherd with his half dozen sheep, quite tame, sits on the grassy bank. Through the mist to our right we glimpse Mt Kenya. So now it is about 150 miles to Eldoret, We stop to buy a hub cap for the car. A man makes this his business and has a team of boys to help in collecting them. We get a bit hot and 'bumped' in the car. I ask to drive for a while . 'You will be ok?' " Of course! I'll take care." But these are big holes in these roads! First gear is necessary and you drive round, often on the wrong side of the road to get past. Otherwise the suspension of the car will easily break. Then tthe speed bumps, often near a village or small town, are huge. Not just a few inches but maybe a foot high and again risk of damage is imminent. Suddenly we find a bus overtaking a lorry uphill and using our lane of the single carriageway to do this! I just have time to pull sharply to the mud shoulder to avoid a head on collision. Fortunately we are ok! I happily let our host take the wheel through Eldoret. Just through the town we visit one of our host's brothers. He makes us welcome and we eat a little meal of maize and banana. The journey now to Webuye, Kimilili and finally Kimalewa is on small roads and into darkness where people are still out and about walking by the edge of the road. With plenty of warning on the horn we shoot past but I still worry. However we make it safely to Kimalewa about 7.45pm. We are made welcome by our host's wife Christabel and hear 'we have a surprise for you.' Someone pulls a starter and we have electric light - outside in the yard is a new generator! On that first evening we are very busy talking, the generator stops and we are plunged into darkness. Soon it is back on as Patrick, Moses permanent handy man/watchman disappears to fix it. We are not as tired as on our previous visit when we came by Matatu, the Kenyan mini bus, and travelled with 12/14 people in a tiny Hiace van, including a hen & a set of weighing scales. Nevertheless 01.00 the generator putters to a stop and we are soon asleep.

Cyber Café with a Difference      Yes Cyber Café is a unique partnership between Chapeltown Young Peoples 10-2 Club, Thomas Danby College Unity Housing Association and Leeds Youth Service. The brainchild of the 10-2 Club, a young people's group that has been providing organised referral-support services to young people in the community since 1992, the café is situated on Chapeltown Road, in Leeds 7. I t offers a Youth Enquiry Service for young people aged thirteen and above. The main target group are young people experiencing difficulty accessing or staying on in education, training or employment. In an area that has the many difficulties, the purpose of the club and café is no doubt a great boon to the Chapeltown community. Determined to make a difference to the lives of these young people, the café offers help with the writing of CVs, interviews techniques, and provides an atmosphere conducive for study - as well as a being comfortable for those who might want to just meet and talk in the coffee area. The recognition this café has sees it being used by many of the city's agencies who use it as a venue to provide surgeries to support young people. It is also one of the venues in which the area MP regularly holds surgeries. A visit to the café will bring you face to face with Vera, the friendly information officer who will patiently listen to you and assist as much as she can. Where she cannot, the café manager Claude Hendrickson, who has an open doors policy, will be more than willing to be of assistance. When Link visited the café, it was teeming with happy young people conversing or surfing the internet. A class on the use of the internet was just coming to an end in one of the rooms at the back of the café. Asked about future plans, the manager had this to say "Yescyber is very soon to have 3 more points of access - at the Mandella Centre, at the Prince Philip Centre in Scott Hall and the Palace in Shepherds Lane. Each point will have three computers, a laptop, a printer and a scanner.These new facilities will be up and running by the end of March and open 4pm to 8pm at first. The equipment will be provided by Connections, West Yorkshire and the Neighbourhood Support Fund. come along to the launch ceremonies in early April, dates to be announced. Contact Yes Cyber for more details.Telephone 0113 262 0794, fax 0113 262 9890 mob 07831 480 196        evans gallo

POETRY CORNER

The north wind doth blow, And we shall have snow, And what will poor robin do then, Poor thing ? He'll sit in a barn, And keep himself warm, And hide his head under his wing, Poor thing! Annon ‘The Robin’

Now fades the last long streak of snow, Now burgeons every maze of quick About the flowering squares, and thick By ashen roots the violets blow. - Tennyson

When men were all asleep the snow came flying, In large white flakes falling on the city brown, Stealthily and perpetually, settling and loosely lying, Hushing the latest traffic of the town. - Robert Bridges "London Snow"

Hollywood money isn't money. It's congealed snow, melts in your hand, and there you are. - Charlie Parker

He giveth snow like wool; and scattereth the hoar-frost like ashes. He casteth forth his ice morsels; who is able to abide his frost. - Book of Common Prayer Psalm 148, vs. 7

Often you must have seen them Loaded with ice a sunny winter morning After a rain. They click upon themselves As the breeze rises, and turn many-coloured As the stir cracks and crazes their enamel. Soon the sun's warmth makes them shed crystal shells Shattering and avalanching on the snow crust -- Such heaps of broken glass to sweep away You'd think the inner dome of heaven had fallen snow . - Robert Frost "Birches"

DOWN ON THE FARM The Model Farm is on Farm Hill near the junction of Stainbeck Road and Meanwood Road. Always you will find youngsters and the young at heart busy looking after and riding horses and ponies that are stabled there. There are always opportunities for young people who want to work with and get to know about riding horses. However there is also a serious community side to the farm and Joyce the lady in charge is always working with youngsters with this or that difficulty. She takes young people from the Magistrates court who must do 'Reparation or community service; special needs children come from Elmete school and park Lane College sends youngsters who come along to get works experience. To help her in this work she has full time staff and one trainee. One of the main problems is to keep the fence around the farm in good repair or the horses will stray. Unbelievably some make it their business to damage and steal wood from these fences especially around bonfire night. So it is that the Farm is often short of money for materials in spite of the fact that it is really doing such good work. Particularly Joyce told me that she would like teenagers along to help out. So there is the situation - funds are needed and anyone with time and ability to help will always be welcome on the farm. Contact Joyce, Leeds 0113 275 7034

Link is pleased to feature the 'family picture' used by The Chapel Allerton Guide as our front cover. You may have noticed it on the Leeds in Bloom signage by the roadside throughout Chapel Allerton? The Chapel Allerton Guide is a very useful booklet which has been recently distributed across the whole electoral ward of Chapel Allerton. Available to pick up in public places and delivered free to all households, it's unique in promoting local businesses, voluntary organisations and charities through full colour pages of advertorial. Information is also provided by all the major public services organisations including Leeds City Council, West Yorkshire Police, Education Leeds & The Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. The guide provides the reader with a comprehensive source of information which highlights services right on one’s doorsteps. The guide is also available to download in full at www.thechapelallertonguide.org.uk and click on directories. You can search for information on everything the guide covers and more! LINK congratulates Chris Nriapia and his team for producing this fine community resource.

MUSIC LINK MUSIC LINK by Ann Marie       Serbian 'Sal Soul' Brother (continued from last issue) You recently played on Radio B92, Belgrade's coolest youth station. Tell us about it. I did 3 broadcasts in 3 days. B92 is like the main radio station in Serbia and is pretty infamous as it opposed the wars that were going on at the time in former Yugoslavia. When the president tried to shut them down, they went underground and were like a pirate station. What did they think to the Salsa music you played? It just blew their minds. They don't have a Salsa scene or Salsa clubs. Do they listen to Black music? Yeh, they are well in to their Hip Hop. They have their own rappers who rap in Serbian. All these white kids with shaved heads wearing ghetto gear. They're very bling. What are they rapping about - war issues? No, girls and booty. This is why I was a little disappointed 'cos when I put on the music channel they were throwing the same poses and driving in big Mercedes with the top down. From what I heard and -----!

CAUZnFX.CAUZnFX.CAUZnFX.CAUZnFX If you read the last issue of NV Link you will know that the local contemporary rap sensation to offer conscious lyrics as well as looks and style is CAUZnFX. Not only did they impress all with their performance at the last NVLink BBQ but they also continue to keep themselves busy on the circuit. You may have seen the guys perform live at Leeds City Variety as part of the Black History Month in March; at The Fuse Festival also in March and see them at The Light Centre as part of the 'Street Knowledge' Urban Festival on 10th April. Their current album 'Justice System' is out now and can be bought at Crash Records or Drum Loop in Leeds. For further information on this group and/or to download free tracks go to www.iuma.com. Search for Cauznfx and click on the artists page!

Japanese Techno - Where Music Imitates Life

My favourite and strongest artist on the latest 'Tech Housing' compilation album is Hirofumi Goto. His sound has steadily matured since signing to USB and also has Western appeal. His latest single Almeria shows that this guy has been doing his homework. The track is professionally produced and introduces a heavy baseline that kicks in periodically uplifting the tune when necessary. Such dips and highs and sampled lyrics break up the track and lead you on a journey in keeping with the fast pace of life one would expect of Japan. You could definitely see yourself rushing down the street to and from work to this one! In contrast to the hectic pace of tracks that feature on the album is 'Take it Easy' by No Milk. This has what can only be described as a 'Hill Billy' sound. There are lots of interesting effects especially towards the end. Here, No Milk has tried his hand at a little Roy Ayres' type jazzy break which is a good bit of improvisation. Not only does the track's title reflect the music's vibe but also the artist's image. Call me naive, but this is one of the first Japanese guys I've ever seen to sport an Afro! Another promising artist worth mentioning who features on the album is Susumu Yokata. His production is tight and single 'Right Arm' is another track that seems to illustrate the fact that Techno music really does reflect the hectic life the young lead in Japan. It is not a secret that some parts of Japan's history have been repressed and creative identity of the people held back. However, it looks as if the eternal efforts of figures such as Nakai were not in vain. He reappeared in Post War Hiroshima creating the 'Culture Movement'. This gave the people the chance to reassess then change any negative thought processes they had picked up along the way. In turn, this contributed in giving the people a true voice and a new heightened sense of reality. Consequently, almost a century down the line, many artists have been encouraged to continue expressing their true selves via contemporary technology. To a non techno enthusiast, the repetition on some tunes can be monotonous. Some Western DJs have even been accused of using certain USB tracks as a tool (between mixes). However, there is a real spirit of innovation with the Japanese artists from their music, to image through to style and productivity which shows that they are definitely for runners for something good. If the links with the West are attained via collaboration and vice versa the progression and development of this music genre will continue to grow, develop and become stronger.