The Stag
FR
Editor: Mariam Nasir
NEWS p. 3
Vice Chancellor
Questioned Over
Poorly Built
Student
Accommodation
(Story continues on page 4)
Mascots Enter
Facebook War
Bakita Kasadha
On Tuesday 23rd November,
Rusty Buck the Buckingham-
shire University mascot started
an unprovoked war on Steve
Stag, the University of Surrey
Student’s Union mascot. Rusty
Buck created a facebook page
named, Rusty Buck is 100%
better than the Surrey Univer-
sity wannabe Steve the Stag!!!
Steve returned in kind and in
the space of one and half hours
Steve had 270 fans whilst Rusty
had only managed to accumu-
late 60 fans over the week.
Issue 24 | The University of Surrey Students’ Union | thestagsurrey.co.uk
23231 Novartis Meningitis ad 272x40-SUR-LOVE-AW.indd 1
The University of Surrey Newspaper
Thursday 9th November 2010
FEATURES p.8 SCIENCE & TECH p.14
Steve Stag, Surrey’s friendly neigh-
bourhood mascot
Steve currently has 619 sup-
porters compared to Rusty’s
119 (which include Surrey stu-
dents who have merely joined
to tell Rusty screen to screen
that Steve is better than him).
(Cont. on page 6)
SOCIETIES p.18
Professor Christopher Snowden, The University of Surrey’s Vice Chancellor, has faced new
accusations over poorly constructed halls of residence from students living at Manor Park.
Sports Park discussion hits home
on important issues
Sam Smith
O n Tuesday the 23rd of No-
vember the Surrey Sports
Park discussion took place
under ‘the Forum’, which al-
lows you, the student, to make
your opinions known about
key issues of University life.
I’m ashamed to say that there
were plenty of spare seats and
those occupied were mainly by
sports club committee mem-
bers. However they all had a
very good reason to be there,
it was time to let Surrey Sports
Park know what we thought of
their system.
EE
Editor-In-Chief: Chris Whitehead
ARTS p.21 SPORTS p.29
The Panel consisted of the
President Malcolm Hunt, the
Union Chair Rowan Ling, Gavin
something we’d turned up to
complain about! I digress; the
questioning began with our
Baker (Sports and Perform- president putting forward the
ance at Surrey Sports Park), issue of monthly instalments
Iain Woodley (Acting CEO of on memberships. He made the
Surrey Sports Park) and Greg fantastic point that we pay for
Melly (Director of Corporate 12 months when they know we
Services at the University of can only use it for a set number
Surrey). of months while we stay in the
Guildford area. Greg took this
To start with, we were shown question, saying that from
a promotional video of Surrey January next year, 6 month
Sports Park, which in my eyes memberships will be avail-
seemed kind of pointless as we able and that mistakes made
knew what it was, it seemed as in the past are being corrected.
if they were trying to show off (Cont. on page 32)
Meningococcal meningitis is caused by Neisseria meningitidis and there’s a 25%
chance that this bacterium is lurking in your throat right now*. We’re conducting
a 12-month clinical study looking at whether both investigational and approved
vaccines can reduce N. meningitidis spread among university students. During 6 clinic
visits, you’ll receive close monitoring plus financial compensation as thanks for your
time. If you’re a student aged 18-24 and would like to know more, text VACCINE 10 to
80880 or call 0800 269 847† or visit www.studentvaccine.co.uk
* Only 1 in 10,000 of people with N. meningitidis go on to develop meningitis. † Local rates apply.
V72_29_PrintAd3_v2_11 Aug 2010
25/11/2010 17:29
Editor’s Letter Your Stag Team
Winter has officially arrived. It is the time of the year when none of us
want to leave the warmth of our beds and go out in the cold. My advice Comms Officer | Chris Whitehead
is wrap up tight because deadlines are looming in front of us so we can’t ussu.communications@surrey.ac.uk.
afford to get sick. To those of you who sent snow pictures in, thank you
Editor | Mariam Nasir
so much since they look amazing, turn to the centre pages to see them.
editor@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Another big thank you to those who helped and supported the World
AIDS Day campaign. The campus was truly red and it is all because of Deputy Editor (Design) | Bakita Kasadha
you lovely people!! design@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Design Team | Zoe Kitchener, Rowan Ling,
Amrin Lokhandwalla, Jack White, Stacey Hunter
So, last edition of the year. Feeling a bit nostalgic, those of us graduating in 2011 have only 5
& Charlotte Clarke
months of university left and frankly, that is a terrifying thought. January resolutions anyone? I
think mine is to finish coursework 2 days before the deadline, let’s see how that one goes! Deputy Editor (Marketing) | Eunice Njagi
Last thing on the agenda – FLIRT! Tickets giveaway. Find the hidden Christmas tree with the pink marketing@the stagsurrey.co.uk
Marketing Officers | Harriet Drudge , Imogen
baubles in this edition of The Stag and you can be the lucky winner! (Hint: you are warm) email me
Jones & Kristel Tchamba
your answer at editor@thestagsurrey.co.uk or join the facebook event and post on the wall. Those
of you who haven’t “liked” The Stag on facebook, please do so for latest updates! Our aim is to get News Team
to 1000 “likes” before 2011! News Editor | Tom Goulding
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!! Watch out for the next edition next year news@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Team | Andrew Markland & Jack White
Mariam
Features Team
Features Editor | Jyoti Rambhai
features@thestagsurrey.co.uk

Science & Tech Team

Science & Technology Editor | Helen Finn
sciencetech@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Team| Rachel Lismore-Burns & Emma
Cooper

Societies Team
Societies Editor | Utkarsh Sharma
societies@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Team | Jahir I. Rafiq & Apoorva Sondhi

Arts Team
Dance & Theatre Editor | Rachel Gildea
dancetheatre@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Team | Lucy Al-Zoghbi, Sian Goldby &
Alex Sutton

Film Editor | Ollie Sim

film@thestagsurrey.co.uk

Literature Editor| Christina Webb

literature@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Team| Demitri Levantis, Miranda Sullivan
& Hollie Rowe-Roberts

Music Editor | Lorna Salmon

The Stag is an editiorially independent newspaper and is music@thestagsurrey.co.uk
published by the University of Surrey Student’s Union. Team| Liam Conroy
The Views expressed in the paper are those of the individual Sports Team
authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the
Sports Editor |Marisa Guerreiro Da Costa
educational team, the Students’ Union or the University of Surrey.
sports@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Surrey & Berkshire Media Ltd. Team | Latoya Andrée Kessie, Sam Limbert,
8 Tessa Road, Reading Shubham Sharma & Sam Smith
RG1 8NS
Photography Editor | Naomi Davidson
The Stag reserves the right to edit all submissions and the right to
decide which articles are published. Copy Editors | Emma Armitage, Vijay Bhaskar,
Yemi Dipeolu, Nicole Vassell & Faha Zahid
Please direct all enquiries to the relevant section editors. copyteam@thestagsurrey.co.uk

Webmasters | Ankur Banerjee & Andy Smith

webteam@thestagsurrey.co.uk

thestagsurrey.co.uk
news@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Off Campus!
Tom Goulding
News Editor
I n this issue, the end of the
world is nigh on Yeonpyeong
Island, financial unrest in Dub-
lin and two celebrities solve the
age-old question of science ver-
sus religion…
Uncertainty is prevalent in the
world this week. In fact, so un-
certain are world affairs at the
time of writing that everything
could have changed by the
time this is distributed around
campus.
First up there’s North Korea:
the totalitarian state which last
week warned, “If the US brings
its carrier to the West Sea of
Korea at last, no one can pre-
dict the ensuing consequenc-
es.” Not entirely surprising giv-
en their usual declarations of
apocalyptic doom every time a
South Korean citizen so much
as lights a cigarette two miles
from the border. However, the
subsequent rise in tension be-
tween the two neighbouring
countries after an exchange of
artillery fire on November 23rd
has meant that for the first
time since the 1950-53 Korean
War, such antagonizing state-
ments are now being taken
rather seriously.
In Seoul, 1,000 marine veter-
ans have burnt effigies of North
Korean leader Kim-Jong-il (the
evil puppet in Team America:
World Police who may or may
thestagsurrey.co.uk
The Stag NEWS 03
not have died at some stage
last month according to inter-
national speculation) while
Orwell enthusiast brother of
rightwing Daily Mail nut Pe-
ter Hitchens) and Tony Blair
ence members who were lucky
enough to secure tickets for
the event in Toronto, Canada,
mid-debate, some protestors
were keen to point out the hy-
pocrisy of this statement.
protestors took to the streets (you know, that catholic con- Hitchens made the better ar-
demanding a tougher response vert who found himself drink- gument with 57% agreeing So there you have it, science
to the North’s persistent heck- ing two glasses of wine a night with his position. He topically has officially won. Make sure
ling. The news comes after to ease his conscience after compared the concept of God you read the next Off Campus!
North Korea revealed the prog- condemning thousands of in- to a “divine North Korea” while to find out whether Jedward
ress they had made in their hi- nocent people to death in Blair took the stance that re- can prove that democratic val-
tech uranium enrichment facil- Iraq and Afghanistan) have ligion is a “banal progressive ues aren’t all they’re cracked
ity, despite diplomatic efforts settled the debate over which framework by which to live our up to be. It may just be that
to halt the country’s nuclear is right: science or religion. lives”. Judging by the “Arrest Kerry Katona has a convincing
program. According to the 2,700 audi- Blair” signs that were unveiled counter argument.
Ireland was another country
to see demonstrations this
week, after the government
announced that four years of
financial austerity lay ahead.
As the EU sought to deliver
an €85bn bailout package
to the nation’s banking sys-
tem, 100,000 angry Dubliners
marched on the capital to pro-
test the severe cuts that were
being pushed on Irish work-
ers. The EU’s recommendation
that the minimum wage should
be cut completely, while those
responsible are bailed out,
echoes the policy that saw RBS
face the indignant wrath of the
general public early last year.
The UK’s share in the bailout
is estimated to be at £10bn, a
move that may provoke many
in this country to take to the
streets. At least the students
won’t be lonely.
On a lighter note, Christopher
Hitchens (the atheistic, George Activists condemn N. Korean attack
The Stag Team wishes you a
Merry Christmas and a happy
New Year
We will see you in the New Year!
Have a great holiday!
04 NEWS The Stag news@thestagsurrey.co.uk

VC’s Lunch Talks about Students’ Qualms

Residents expressed their dis-
satisfaction with Manor Park
accommodation at a lunch
hosted by Professor Snowden
last month, in which student
representatives were encour-
aged to voice any concerns
they might have about the uni-
versity. Students complained
that noise insulation inside
the buildings was not satisfac-
tory, stating, “Accommodation
services should be doing a lot
more.”
Criticism was also raised con-
cerning university managed
property off campus, where
one student argued there had
been a “slow response” from
the accommodation services
to address the issues of leaks
and mould.
One undergraduate student
however, thanked the Vice
Chancellor on behalf of Manor
Park residents for resolving
the urgent heating and water
problems that had affected the
site at the start of the semes-
ter.
Professor Snowden replied that
he was happy to address the
issues raised during the lunch,
agreeing that a “minimal level
of customer service should
be expected”, but that while
no one should have to endure
noise he was unconvinced that
the building contractors had
not done a thorough job, “Sur-
rey accommodation is built to
the highest specifications.”
Professor Snowden went on to
add that the university is trying
to gain planning permission for
a new reception area at Manor
Park, which will include a bar
and restaurant. He was open to
the suggestion that a postbox
should also be made available
on the site.
Another topic up for discus-
sion involved the severe cuts to
higher education that are likely
to affect universities as early as
2011. Professor Snowden told
students that some universi-
ties are calling the next two
years “the valley of death”, and
was pessimistic about hopes
that student protests could
change the situation.
He stated, “The 70% cuts are
not up for debate, they are in
the government’s comprehen-
sive spending review”, before
adding, “There is no plan B. The
government have no back up
plan if the cuts fail.” He warned
that any alternative might see
a reduction to student places
in higher education.

Professor Snowden was how-

ever keen to emphasize that
Surrey is not a “debt-collecting
agency” and that he under-
stood student hardship. He
maintained that help and sup-
port will still be available for
those students who need it.

Did you know...

Did you know...
The Stag is late because Santa’s colours were originally green and white before Coca-
because the server to ac- Cola changed them to red and white to compliment their
cess The Stag’s emails shut colours?
down so we could not
receive any articles?

Police Clamp Down as Student

Activism Grows
Tom Goulding
News Editor

P olice tactics have come
under scrutiny, following
an increase in student dem-
onstrations across the UK last
month.
The protests, which saw GCSE,
A-level and University stu-
dents take to the streets in a
nationwide walkout against an
increase in tuition fees, were
partially organized by the Na-
tional Campaign Against Fees
and Cuts. Between 50,000 and
130,000 students were esti-
mated to have taken part across
the UK, with significant march-
es in London, Manchester, Liv-
erpool, Leeds and Cambridge
making the headlines. Occupa-
tions and sit-ins are at the time
of writing, are still ongoing in
student unions; 200 students
have announced they are pre-
pared to “stay indefinitely” in
one function room, angered
by the UCL compliance policy
towards the coalition educa-
tion reforms. At The University
of Surrey, the Surrey Union
Anti-Capitalists demonstrated
against the Browne Review
proposals during the early af-
ternoon outside Starbucks on
campus, but little other effort
was made to join in with the
national protests.
Criticism that the metropolitan
police were unprepared for the
violence witnessed at the NUS
Demo, led to the force defend-
ing the controversial tactic of
‘kettling’ during the second
wave of student protests on
November 24th this year. The
kettling tactic was infamously
used to contain protestors dur-
ing the G20 demonstration in
April 2009, when accusations
of brutality were levelled at the
metropolitan police, following
the death of Ian Tomlinson.
Police forcibly contained an
approximate 5,000 students
who marched on Whitehall in
London. Two officers and 15
students were injured in the
struggle, while 32 student ar-
rests were made. A spokesman
for the NCAFC condemned the
use of kettling stating, “The ac-
tions of the Metropolitan Police
yesterday were absolutely out-
rageous…Children as young as
13, 14, or 15 were not allowed
to leave and were intimidated
by hundreds upon hundreds
of riot police and treated very
badly when all they were do-
ing was exercising their demo-
cratic right to protest.”
However, the metropolitan po-
lice defended their decision.
“Our job is to facilitate peaceful
protests”, they told MPA mem-
bers, “But we have to get the
message out that when it goes
beyond the peaceful that it is
criminal. It is quite clear that
criminal acts took place.” Chief
Inspector Jane Connors told
the press that the measures

thestagsurrey.co.uk
news@thestagsurrey.co.uk
had been used as a last resort,
stating, “Police officers came
under attack and we needed to
make sure the violence didn’t
spread out across the streets.”
Some students expressed in-
dignation towards their treat-
ment through acts of violence.
A riot van abandoned in the
middle of the crowd was van-
dalized, while a group of 1,000
protestors eventually released
NUS
comments on
student
protests
NUS
R esponding to a wave of
student action across the
country, Aaron Porter said that
peaceful protest is a vital way
of showing the government
that huge numbers of students,
parents and families are justifi-
ably angry about the proposed
education cuts.
Aaron Porter, NUS President,
said:
“NUS has not organised pro-
test action today. Two weeks
ago, NUS organised the big-
gest student demonstration
in a generation and I told that
crowd of 50,000 peaceful pro-
testors to continue to organise
and campaign in their commu-
nities and on their campuses
as politicians prepare to vote
on the future of fees and edu-
cation funding.”
“Peaceful protest is a vital way
of showing the government
the huge numbers of students,
parents and families who are
justifiably angry about the
proposed cuts to further and
higher education. Individual
students’ unions and across
the country have shown they
are more than capable of orga-
nising excellent peaceful pro-
tests that bring together their
communities and we will sup-
port them fully in doing that.”
“I am very aware of the over-
whelming anger and strength
of opposition from students
and their families to the Gov-
ernment’s miserable vision
for the future of our educa-
tion – but I am also aware that
we need to win over hearts
and minds to our cause and
violence will not help us to do
that.”
thestagsurrey.co.uk
from the containment area
smashed windows and hurled
objects in Trafalgar Square.
Accusations have been made
that the van was deliberately
placed among the students to
encourage scenes of anarchy.
One anonymous Twitter user
posted, “The police van was a
complete set up, conveniently
planted right in the middle of
the street with no police any-
where near it. At two o’clock
Your Communications Officer’s Guide
to the White Stuff
Chris Whitehead
Editor-in-Chief
O ur dreams of a white
christmas may just
come true this year as pe-
riods of heavy snowfall are
on the horizon (if not here
already).
The University and Guild-
ford as a whole has experi-
enced dangerous weather
conditions for the last few
years due to snowfall, and
the likelihood of this oc-
curring again looks high. So
what should you do if you
wake up to inches of snow
in the morning? Follow Your
Communication’s Officer’s
Guide to the White Stuff for
safety and peace of mind:
1. Got a mobile phone? Go to
http://union.surrey.ac.uk/
sms/ and enter your phone
number. That way you can
be texted when weather
causes closures on campus.
2. Check your emails- any
University closures, time-
table changes etc. will be
emailed to you as soon as
they are known.
3. Think about your own
safety! If the University isn’t
closed then don’t automati-
cally head out to lectures. Is
your route safe? Is it wise
to drive? Would walking be
safer? Are the trains run-
ning? Public transport web-
sites are often a good start
if you use trains or buses to
get to University.
4. Can’t get to campus? Don’t
worry! While timetables will
we were told we could leave
in “about ten minutes to two
hours”, and we were still there
gone 9pm.”
With more walkouts and pro-
tested planned each week, the
student movement against
education cuts is gaining mo-
mentum. Britain’s most senior
police commissioner Sir Paul
Stephenson warned that the
“game has changed”, prompt-
continue where possible you
will be able to catch-up with
some extra reading or by
getting lectures and hand-
outs from Ulearn. It is your
responsibility though.
5. Got a deadline and cannot
submit your work? Unfortu-
nately deadlines will stand,
unless the festive season in-
stils generosity into your tu-
tors! Many submissions are
now online anyway. But you
can always submit evidence
of mitigating circumstances
if you are really stuck. See
your department for how to
do this.
6. Have an examination?
This will affect us most after
the christmas break, but you
The Stag
ing many critics to argue that
he is now condoning the use
of barbaric methods in future
protests. A video released on
YouTube has shown evidence
of a mounted police charge
on students, a tactic which the
MET had previously denied.
A spokesman for the MET had
said, “Police horses were in-
volved in the operation, but
that did not involve charging
should always assume in the
first instance that your exam
will go ahead! Should any
postponements occur then
you will be notified by email
or via the University web-
site. Start times of exams
that still go ahead could be
delayed by up to 30 minutes
to help you get to campus
safely and on time.
7. Live in University Accom-
modation (Campus, Manor
Park, Bellerby Court and
Hazel Farm)? If you have
any problems or difficul-
ties then contact your Court
Reception first. Should this
not work give Security a call
on 01483 682002. As a last
resort the Accommodation
Office can be contacted on
NEWS 05
the crowd.” He added: “I dare
say they [officers policing the
Whitehall demonstrations]
were doing the movements the
horses do to help control the
crowd for everyone’s benefit,
which has been a recognised
tactic for many, many years,
but no, police officers charg-
ing the crowd – we would say,
‘No, they did not charge the
crowd.’”
01483 682466.
Snow is great fun and, in
Guildford in particular, can
create some amazing pic-
turesque landscapes. But
remember that it can also
be very dangerous regard-
less of how you are getting
around in it. Wrap up warm
with gloves and a scarf and a
good coat. Wellies are great
too. If you go out to build
snow men then remember
your camera! Stock up on
hot drinks and snacks to
keep you healthy and warm.
But most importantly, of
course, enjoy yourself!
06 NEWS The Stag news@thestagsurrey.co.uk

Burma: The Understat-

t ion - More i
ed Dictatorship
va nv
oti ig
M
e

or
r

a ti
Mo

Andrew Markland

on

Taking the stairs instead of the lift and getting off the
bus a stop earlier will all help keep you healthy in
body and mind.

Walking more, dancing around your halls, cycling into town, all contribute to making you feel
healthier and happier.

For more advice on staying healthy in body and mind, contact Student Health Care.
If you feel troubled and want to talk to someone, try the Centre for Wellbeing

Student Health Care - T: 01483 68 9051 E: studenthealthcare@surrey.ac.uk

Centre for Wellbeing - T: 01483 68 9498 E: centreforwellbeing@surrey.ac.uk

Beautiful landscape of Burma

(Cont. from front page) As a treat for gathering over

...Students (on both sides)

have taken it upon themselves
600 supporters, Steve is go-
ing off for a dry-clean! But the
competition is not over, if you
O n Saturday, Burmese NLD
leader, Aung San Suu Kyi,
met with a top United Na-
to join their opposing groups, would like to support Steve, tions official in her home. The
one Rusty Buck’s fan posted search ‘Steve the Stag is 100% Nobel Peace prize winner has
a picture of a dead Stag on better than Rusty Buck FACT’ been vocal about pursuing
Steve’s fan page. on the facebook search engine. democratic reforms since her
release on November 13 from
more than fifteen years of
house arrest. But she has also
been careful not to verbally
challenge Burma’s ruling gen-
erals. Since the military coup
in 1962, the Military Junta
have rendered Burma poverty
stricken, with few schools or
hospitals, iron-fisted censor-
ing and ruthless suppression
of dissidents. Burma recently
held an election, something
that has not happened there
for the past twenty years. This
was a rare chance for a change
back to democracy for the Bur-
mese people. Unsurprisingly
the election was a mere facade
to give the regime some spu-
rious legitimacy. The Junta’s
minion, the Union Solidarity
and Development Party, won
80% of the votes of parlia-
ment. This was inevitability,
as like most historical dicta-
torships people were coerced
into voting for it. Furthermore
where a USPD candidate ap-
peared to be losing, the count
Steve showing that he can have fun..or trying to mate
was ceased and the candidate
thestagsurrey.co.uk
would win. Whether the USPD
won or didn’t win is irrelevant
anyway. With any outcome, the
Junta’s leader, General Than
Shwe, will still be supremely
despotic. Comparable to Kim
Jong-Il and Robert Mugabe he
has a severe lack of empathy
for his subjects (his refusal to
allow foreign aid groups in to
assist the injured in the 2008
cyclone is proof of that). His
flamboyance is legendary, for
example needlessly spent mon-
ey on a pointless new capital in
the middle of the jungle, whilst
ignoring the financial needs of
his citizens. He is a true mega-
lomaniac. He is so confident of
staying in control, the release
of Aung Suu Kyi, a symbol of
freedom to the Burmese, will
amount to nothing.
Others have likened her re-
lease to that of Nelson Man-
dela’s in South Africa, but it
is a false comparison, which
only raises false hopes. The
two are not comparable. The
apartheid regime was scared
of the strength that the ANC
possessed, and they were suf-
fering from international sanc-
tions imposed on them. By
comparison, there is no cohe-
sion between anti-government
groups and Western Sanctions
have no impact. Burma is rich
in natural gas, oil, timber and
other resources and surround-
ing Asian countries eagerly do
business with them.
In addition to vote rigging,
the military regime have en-
sured their unwavering domi-
nance through a coterie of
corporate cronies. The gener-
als launched a huge privatisa-
tion programme this year in
which government facilities,
sea ports, the national airline,
schools and even hospitals
were put out to auction. While
the regime may proclaim that
the scheme led to much need-
ed reforms, it is clear to the ob-
server that the newly minted
tycoons who bought the assets
will want to rock the boat any-
time soon.
Burma is truly one of the most
undemocratic countries in the
world. Yet, it goes unnoticed
by the West. The rest of the
world seems deaf to the suf-
fering of its fifty million peo-
ple. While the release of Suu
Kyi was commended over in
Britain, we fail to realise the
bigger picture. While Burma is
not perhaps as threatening as
other dictatorships in the east,
their illegitimate rule and sub
standard treatment of citizens
should not go unchallenged.
 Meningococcal meningitis is caused by Neisseria meningitidis and there’s a 25% chance that this
bacterium is lurking in your throat right now*. We’re conducting a 12-month clinical study looking at
whether both investigational and approved vaccines can reduce N. meningitidis spread among university
students. During 6 clinic visits, you’ll receive close monitoring plus financial compensation as thanks for
your time. If you’re a student aged 18-24 and would like to know more, text VACCINE 10 to 80880
or call 0800 269 847† or visit www.studentvaccine.co.uk
* Only 1 in 10,000 of people with N. meningitidis go on to develop meningitis. † Local rates apply.

V72_29_PrintAd4_v2_11 Aug 2010

08 Features
Wagnerian
Tragedy
Malcolm Hunt
USSU President
S o, it’s been snowing.
Now I could tell it’d been snow-
ing because (shock of shocks) I
looked out of the window and
saw snow. Nothing surprising
Societies System
to Get Overhaul
Osama I Salih
USSU VP Societies
T he last couple of weeks
I have been working
with the elected societies
executive team that is listed
below trying to review our
societies system. This review
process is done in order to
come up with a benchmarking
scheme to allow societies to
develop and progress through
the scheme. At the moment
the scheme is being developed.
Further information on this
will be available in the future.
We have now got a new
activities coordinator Helena
Vardy, who joined us on
Monday last week. I would
The Stag
there. But then even if I hadn’t
looked out of my window
I’d have still known it was
snowing. That’s because, as
the first flake fell, hundreds
of Surrey’s finest professional
Facebookers logged on and
changed their statuses to point
out the obvious.
Now that’s something I can
just about accept. After all we
live in the UK and it only snows
for a few days a year here.
It’s a big enough event that it
warrants a status – however
much it points out the blinding
obvious. There are however
some Facebook updates I will
not tolerate.
Have you ever seen someone
log on to tell the world they
“are really missing a certain
someone” or that they are
“feeling so sad right now”?
These statuses are just
annoying. Who are you really
missing? Why are you so sad?
like to welcome her to Surrey
University Students’ Union.
Helena will be working along-
side me and will also be
organising all the trips and
activities. For any general
information and purchase
orders required please contact
her on h.vardy@surrey.ac.uk.
Now the time has come to be
thinking of the International
Festival and organising it. For
those of you who do not know
what this is, the International
Festival is a two week period
held on the 7th-18th March
2011. The two weeks will
enable societies to promote
and share their culture with
all the students and staff here
at Surrey University. There is
usually an exhibition held in
Rubix that allows societies to
be present and share some of
the tasty cultural foods that
the societies enjoy. Towards
the end of it there is usually the
IGALA - a show that the inter-
national societies do on stage
in the main hall that demon-
strates more of their culture
by acting, singing, dancing
or sometimes even a fashion
show. In order to be part of the
organising team please contact
Helena Vardy h.vardy@surrey.
ac.uk by Friday 24th December.
There will be other oppor-
tunities to volunteer and help
during those two weeks but for
now make sure you sign up.
If you’re “really missing” your
best friend who was recently
hospitalised in a freak boating
accident then I really feel
for you. I want to offer you
comfort and support. On the
other hand if you’re “so sad”
because Wagner just got kicked
off X Factor then I feel nothing
for you. I do not want to offer
comfort and support. I do not
care about your silly Wagner
and his emotional trauma.
This is not the only thing
that annoys me about
Facebook. I also hate those
pesky applications that keep
appearing in your news feed
and notifications.
I’m not going to lie, like every-
one else I get that slight feeling
of excitement when I log in and
see I have new notifications.
Maybe someone’s ‘liked’ that
witty Facebook status I left
last night? Maybe someone’s
uploaded more photos of me
Societies Executive
Team 2010-2011
Secretary
Trudy Shearer
Arts Officer
Daniel Manthorpe
International Officer
Ramin Torabi
Departmental Officer
Adam Spindler
Special Interest Officer
Daniel Jenkins
Students Supporting
Students & Student
Run Services (SSS/SRS)
James Wilkinson
To contact the team
please send an email
addressed to the relevant
officer that deals with
your category on the
following email:
ussu.societiesexec@
surrey.ac.uk
doing (yet more) totally ridicu-
lous facial expressions?
Of course not. Instead “Lucy
Tyerman has ranked you her
3rd tallest friend”. Now this
isn’t something I needed to
know. Similarly I don’t need
to know my friend is playing
‘Hungry Blocks’ or ‘Café World’.
Worst of all I don’t want to be
told I’ve been forcibly added
to a group I don’t want to be
part of – particularly if that
group has anything to do with
X Factor’s Wagner.
Also, don’t call your events “My
Birthday”. I have no idea who
you are and therefore I have
USSU Works with
Sports Park
Trung
USSU VP Sports & Recreation
Sports Park Q&A
Okay so we had the Surrey
Sports Park Q&A on Tuesday,
23rd November. For those who
missed it, the Questions and
Answer that were asked on the
night will appear on the Union
website soon. The outcome
was good; SSP felt that the
questions were good feedback
and are looking to address the
comments as best they can.
From this event, the Union’s
relationship with the Sports
Park has been made stronger
and we are working together
into improving Student Sport.
thestagsurrey.co.uk
news@thestagsurrey.co.uk
no idea if I want to attend your
birthday or not. Either give
your event a funny name that
makes me laugh or include
your name in the title. It’s not
hard.
I had a job interview today. It
went well; I said some things,
an HR lady smiled, the trains
worked despite the snow and
I was even given some free
chocolate. I did find out that
being 6’3” and sitting directly
opposite a 6’4” man on the
train home isn’t good for leg
room though.
Ho-hum. I’m off to relax and
check Facebook.
New Clubs Start!
In the last article I spoke
briefly about starting up Judo,
Table Tennis and Boxing clubs.
Progress has been made! Judo
and Table Tennis have start-
ed their training and Boxing
is soon to follow. For more
information please email the
clubs at:
ussu.judo@surrey.ac.uk
ussu.tabletennis@surrey.ac.uk
ussu.boxing@surrey.ac.uk
This makes a total of 38 clubs
at Surrey!
Dodgeball Tournament
© Kevin N Murpy 2009
Ever seen Dodgeball the film?
Well you can re-live it at the
Dodgeball Tournament in the
Sports Park on Friday 17th
December, 3-6pm. It costs
£30 to enter your team and
you need squads of 10 (six on
the court) with a minimum
of two females. Fancy dress
is compulsory!
If you are interested bring
your entry fee and register
your team at the Sports
Park Reception.
features@thestagsurrey.co.uk
What Does Snow
Remind You Of?
Jyoti Rambhai
Features Editor
W hat I find interesting
is how when it comes
to snow, it is the children
who get excited whilst many
adults just find it a nuisance. I
personally am a little kid when
it comes to snow: waking up and
looking out the window to
find roof tops, roads, trees
and pretty much everything
covered in this white layer,
puts a huge smile on my face,
and I am sure I’m not the only
one.
By the time this article is
published, things will definitely
have changed, but right now
it is the end of November and
it is has snowed where I am
in my hometown, Leicester.
Unusual for winter to come
so early I know, so I asked a
number of different people,
what snow reminds them
of. Read below and see if
any of them are close to your
response:
A Look at Lionhead
Fran White
F or anyone who doesn’t
know the name, Lionhead
is a video games company
located in University of
Surrey’s home town of
Guildford. It is the company
behind games such as Black
and White and Fable.
Some of the students reading
this may be interested in
Lionhead as an employer.
Because of this I had a chat
thestagsurrey.co.uk
“Snow reminds me of Christ-
mas, so it makes me feel Christ-
massy.” (Karen, 19)
“Cold, extremely icy and bad
driving conditions.” (Sharon,
30)
“Snowmans, snow angels and
snowballs.” (Jamie, 6)
“You know winter has officially
arrived when it snows, makes
me want to snuggle up next to
fire.” (Nikita, 37)
Apart from the cold and icy
roads, it seems snow is associ-
ated with Christmas, despite
the fact that we haven’t had
a white Christmas for good
number of years. For me it’s a
time where you can wrap up,
go outside and have fun. So
next time you see snow out-
side your window, enjoy it, it
doesn’t come very often.
with Lionhead’s chief technical
officer Tim Rance, to discuss
what Lionhead had to offer
students in terms of employ-
ment and technology.
Graduate Employment
• Lionhead boasts a good rate
of graduate employment
and employed four
graduates this year alone.
• All available positions
"Y'know What Really Grinds My Gears..."
Time Moving Too Fast!
Bakita Kasadha
Deputy Editor
O k, I guess it’s a sign that
I’m having fun and being
productive, but seriously, the
end of the year already?
Christmas is fast approaching,
but it wasn’t fast approaching
a month ago. Don’t people
Fable III is the latest in Lionhead’s acclaimed fantasy series
are posted on Lionhead’s
website (link provided at
bottom of article).
• The relevant degrees are
crucial and must relate
to maths, science and
computers. The degree
must be at the 2:1 level
at least and C++ is also
essential.
• Any applicants should
apply by the end of
February.
Internship
• Lionhead has a range of
internships for students
wishing to make a career
out of programming.
• There is a 3 month intern-
ship in the summer.
• They also do 6 month
internships, which start
in April and are currently
looking for applicants.
The Stag
know to look out for the Coca-
cola advert before they put up
their Christmas decorations?
But back to time... week 10 of
semester one and I feel like
I haven’t done enough work.
This year, Will proposed to
Kate, a record number of
students voted in Students’
Technology
• Lionhead is involved with
cutting edge technology,
such as Microsoft’s recently
released Kinect .
• They are also interested
in exploring what can be
achieved with sensory
input, i.e. Milo and Kate -
more about seeing what
could be achieved than
producing a product.
• This push to develop new
technology that advanced
what was possible was
present in Fable 2, with the
orb system that allowed
for integration of a game’s
single player and online
elements in a way that
is rare for games at the
moment.
• Lionhead offers great
opportunities for people
who love programming.
Working at Lionhead will
FEATURES 09
Union Executive elections,
Gaga wore a dress made
of meat and the Tories got
elected into Government...
with a helping hand from the
Liberal Democrats.
I, on the other hand, barely
had enough time to update my
Facebook status! But next
semester will be different
(I think I joined a Facebook
group saying the exact same
thing last year).
Oh please don’t let me wake up
tomorrow to find that I’m 50
years old.
Merry Christmas everyone!
I swear I’m not a moany mare
all the time, it just really grinds
my gears.
present you with challenges,
both in hardware and in
creating tools that will
enable you to make a game.
• Before you become either
a programmer or someone
who works with graphics
you need to know which
you wish to focus on in your
career. Switching from one
to the other is unusual.
For more information on
what Lionhead has to of-
fer you as a student go to:
www.lionhead.com/students
10 FEATURES
What does Christmas
mean to you?
Lasika Jayamaha
C hristmas has become a
universal celebration and
we all have different reasons
for celebrating it. Most of us
look forward to December as
a month of holiday, where we
take time off to spend with our
family to celebrate Christmas
and welcome the New Year.
To me it means a little more
The Excitement, the Parties, the Sales, the Presents,
I Think You’ve Guessed What I’m Talking About...
Fran White
H ere we go, we’re off,
Christmas has begun
and I imagine when this is
printed advent calendars will
already be on sale, possibly
one of the few items on sale
before boxing day, but I’m not
complaining.
We all know the Christmas
Story, we’ve all been in
the nativity play, yes I was
Mary, although I think this is
simply because I was the only
7 year old who would yell loud
enough, I couldn’t sing and I
was wrapped in an old table
cloth, brilliant parent made
outfit.
Christmas always brings about
The Stag
than that. As a Christian I
believe it is a time to celebrate
the birth of Jesus Christ. As I
reflect on making the crib at
home each Christmas and the
baby laid in the manger, I see
that it brings hope, restoration
and dignity to the lowest and
down-trodden. It is a time of
hope for those who have lost
hope in everything the world
a large amount of nostalgia,
most teenagers wish they
were kids again, secretly long-
ing for presents from “Toys ‘r’
us”, parents remember their
Christmas’ gone by, they revert
to being teenagers by getting
way too drunk at their own
Christmas Party. Kids wish
that Christmas would last
forever or that Santa would
come every night, although a
part of me does wish this too,
it would make life extremely
easy. People remember the
stories about how Santa would
get in, I know he comes down
the chimney but our house
didn’t have one so my Mum
told me he came through
the lounge window, which
incidentally was the smallest
window ever, how I believed
that I’ll never know.
has to offer. As I recall the
visits to elders’ homes, child-
rens’ homes and hospitals to
sing carols I know it is a time
to share the Angels’ message
to the Shepherds of peace and
goodwill, of reunion, change of
heart and forgiveness. It is a
time for fighting to cease and
welcome Christ into our midst
through our neighbours and
strangers.
Today most of us associate
Christmas with Santa Claus,
shopping, figgy pudding, bright
lights, clothes sales and parties.
It has become commercialised
and this has made us forget
the true meaning of Christmas.
It has become another reason
to make money. We get ready
to celebrate by going shop-
ping, decorating our homes
and offices, sending cards and
sharing gifts with one another
and having a good time. We
get so caught up in everything
the world has to offer that we
forget whose birthday we are
celebrating. However, it is
not something that happened
overnight, it came through the
years.
Christmas is a time for giving
and a time for getting,
Christmas is peace, a time to
rejoice in the good that we
see. And I know everyone has
different beliefs, but just ask
yourself what does Christmas
mean to you?
Come Christmas day there’s a
buzz around each household,
except from those who went
out the night before, I’ve been
there and the buzz is replaced
by a headache and slightly
queasy stomach. Still there’s
excitement somewhere in us,
the present opening ceremony
begins, some rip presents
as though they’re going to
disappear if they don’t open
them quick enough and
others, mainly adults do it
slowly, “save the wrapping
paper”, scissors appear to get
off the awkward packaging
or to open the present from
the relative who uses the
extreme cello tape. Parents
always want to investigate each
present, to see its potential,
which is almost a code to see if
they can play with it too.
features@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Has Britain Found All Its Talent?
Miranda Sullivan
I n our talent show culture it
is easy to forget the hand-
ful of individuals who have
made it past the judges and re-
mained in the public eye – for
the right reasons! The reality
is that most of us enjoy the car
crash moments of shows such
as Britain’s got Talent, The
Xfactor and The Apprentice
more than the actual result.
And rightly so! But is there
a point at which the viability
of these shows comes at the
expense of any real talent?
Although I haven’t been
following Xfactor religiously
this year, I’ve witnessed
enough of the auditions to
conclude that as a microcosm
of Britain’s talent, it’s embar-
rassing. But then, as one of
my housemates aptly pointed
out – would any self respecting
musician actually enter the
competition?
As for The Apprentice – how
many does Alan Sugar need?
Everyone seems to have a
different take on Christmas,
some people love it right
from when it seems to start in
September up until the end
of January, others celebrate
it just in December and some
people just aren’t fussed when
Christmas is or all the hype
surrounding it.
Personally the sales bring a fair
amount of excitement, I never
really understood Boxing
Day, we didn’t do that much
for it in our house, but in
recent years it has become
the family shopping day to
the sales, it’s a big event, it’s a
shopping marathon.
Christmas TV brings about a
large amount of discussion,
there’s planning needed, you
thestagsurrey.co.uk
© rustyallie 2010
I hate to accuse a Lord of
“selling out”, but it can’t be
denied that this is precisely
what he has done. Surely the
lack of any real business talent
in the board room proves that
he must be making from the
program substantially more
than the salary he is promising
to the winner. Among quotes
from last week’s episode came
the line “babies can’t talk to
you” in a sales pitch for a heat
sensitive baby growth, and
after being told to meet Lord
Sugar at the science museum
for their next task, one bright
spark deduced “I think this
task will be about science… or
museums.”
Are the scouts just not looking
hard enough? Or has Britain
really found all its talent?
© Michael Cavén 2009
practically have to make your
own TV guide to ensure you
don’t miss out, Christmas
specials of every TV drama,
we watch soaps that we
never normally do just to say
we watched it, classic films
are always on at Christmas
although we’ve watched them
100 times we still insist on
watching them again.
Christmas is about tradition,
each family; culture and
country have their own. We
all get excited in some way or
another, things wind us up
about Christmas but we can’t
deny we love sitting in front
of a TV for two weeks straight
eating as much as we can buy
its pretty much standard.
Merry Christmas!
features@thestagsurrey.co.uk The Stag FEATURES 11

Don’t Judge a Book

by Its Cover
Mrs B

“H i my name’s Pam, I come from a family with a

very short anger span. My clothes are the nic-
est, my arse is the tightest, my hairs always looking
good! And when it comes to my books let’s just say
I’ve got the looks to make the teachers say ‘come as
you would’. So I paint a pretty picture with old ink.
Believe me there’s more to me that meets the eye.
At home my life ain’t comfortable, three siblings
though they are far from friends, my mum looks at
me in shame says I just don’t fit in. So I wear the
glass slipper just like Cinderella hoping that the
hailstones don’t hit me from under my umbrella.

Tired of Sleeping?
She says my make up looks ugly and I’m just 19 so
in her eyes I’m too young to start living the English
dream. How could you be around four people and
still feel alone, if you hear my heart, it don’t beat, it
groans. So my family life is just another box that I
lock up, so at uni that’s where this boisterous front
goes up. They see a pretty face and don’t ask ques- James Lind
tions, they see my big smile, and think I’m having a
living worthwhile. But the anger I feel is so intense,
draws me in, sucks my blood and I’m waiting. Sus-
I t’s 4am, and the essay’s
due in just a few hours.
You’re sitting at your desk
one that’s said to be far
more effective.
stood, there is strong evidence
that disrupted sleep relates to
a host of different problems
pense. So I drink a glass in despair hold it up to
with your computer. At this Modafinil is a drug that later in life. A study at the
the air towards my family, who wouldn’t give two
point, as you’re drifting in was discovered by French University of Warwick has
shits for me, because when I was 13 my dad raped
and out of sleep, you start to scientists in the late 1970’s. shown that getting less sleep,
me, mum said it was ok, I looked at her as I lay laid
wish that you’d done this all Originally developed for sleep even as little as one or two
from his done duty, pictured my childhood story
earlier. Most of us have disorders, this new ‘wonder hours less than their usual,
‘sleeping beauty’. So in that house of five, there was
suffered through nights like drug’ is now seeing use in the makes people twice as likely to
one and her name was Pam who held a glass in her
this only to pay for it the next US Air Force and is becoming develop fatal heart problems.
hand, and in the other a knife for her very short an-
day. We all know that a sleep- increasingly popular among The same study revealed that a
ger span, it was too much for her this time. So she
less night can spell disaster students. Modafinil not only regular sleep schedule of seven
fell on her knees and cried, “Without further a due
later on, but what if there was a keeps you awake and alert hours a night was necessary to
can I get a drum roll please...”
way to stay awake for days at a (sometimes up to 40 hours at a stay in top condition.
time without having to endure time), it also increases memory

I n today’s society we are too quick to judge people from trivial the consequences of muddy
things like appearance. Every individual is different, which thinking, slow reactions and
means that every person has something different going on in disrupted sleep cycles?
their lives that a common outsider would not be able to see. So
before we go judging a book by its cover know that there’s a fine Forget caffeine. While it
line between “appearance” and “reality!” Mrs B. improves mental and physical
performance, enough of it
Hello I’m Mrs B and I will be taking you through a period of flashy, can result in annoying and
dark, gruesome, controversial and sexy articles in the months to potentially dangerous side
come. Feel free to email me on mrsb_11@hotmail.co.uk if you effects, such as shaking or
have any questions or issues you’d like to discuss on this present heart problems, not including
topic, ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover’ or if you want me to the ‘crash’ afterwards. Now
discuss something you feel strongly about, feel free to email me. there’s a new drug in town,
capacity; all of this with
minimal side effects. But while
the drug may be relatively
harmless, the effects of the
resulting sleep loss may be far
more severe. Sleep deprivation
can cause irritability, tension,
aggression and even paranoia;
none of which are particularly
helpful come exam time.
While the true purpose of
sleep is not yet entirely under-
As much as it would be useful
to be able to stay awake and
productive 24 hours a day,
most experts agree that doing
so isn’t a good idea. While the
odd Red Bull-fuelled night of
work may not do any damage,
your body will thank you
later down the road for
consistently adequate sleep (by
not killing you).

The Northern Lights are

caused by particles from the
Sun interacting in the Earth’s
magnetic field. In places like
Iceland, the aurora can be
seen clearly.

thestagsurrey.co.uk
12 FEATURES
Fashion
Statement Necklaces
A ny girl knows that access-
ories can make or break an
outfit! One way to bring yours
bang up to date is statement
jewellery – whether you choose
drop earrings, a cocktail ring or
a statement necklace you can
instantly update your outfit!
If you take style inspiration from
anyone this season it has to be
The City star Olivia Palermo!
Olivia has an amazing eye for
accessories and is always the
epitome of perfection both
on and off the red carpet. In a
recent interview with Models1
Olivia stated: “Accessories
are really important, and a
lot of my focus is on that. It
completes an outfit and adds
a creative spin, whether it’s
a pendant or earrings.” As
Christmas is fast approaching
us why not try a beautiful
statement necklace to dress up
your outfit!
Here are our top picks from
the high street:
1
2
The Stag
Hi guys, welcome to our last, Christmas edition of 2010! This week we have lots of fashion
features for you including our top dresses to keep you looking sensationally stylish for all
those upcoming Christmas and New Year parties, a fabulous gift guide for him and her and a
feature on accessories and statement jewellery. Plus we have our regular best dressed feature.
We hope you enjoy it and have a wonderful Christmas and a happy New Year!
As ever if you have any ideas, comments or feedback, we would love to hear from you. Email
us at: cc00206@surrey.ac.uk/na00107@surrey.ac.uk.
Nisha and Christie xxx
Jackets from Topshop
1. Accessorize – This Egyptian
inspired necklace will
definitely make you stand out
with its gorgeous jewel tone
Fur jacket from H&M
colours and unique shape.
(£16.00)
2. Dorothy Perkins – This all
black statement necklace
seems Gothic inspired with
its lace and beadwork. Try
layering it over a, casual top
and skinny jeans for a fash-
ionable day outfit. (£15.00)
3. Topshop – This elegant,
vintage inspired necklace
would be the perfect addi-
tion to any outfit for a stylish
night out. (£40.00)
4. ASOS – This stunning gold
Best Dressed of the Week:
Leighton Meester
necklace would look fantastic
with a plain LBD - instant
Glamour! (£38.00)
G ossip Girl is renowned
for being one of the most,
fashion forward television
3 shows of the moment, show-
casing lustworthy outfits from
numerous designers week
after week. Although Leighton’s
dress sense is very different
from her perfectly put together
alter-ego’s Blair Waldorf, there
is no denying they are both
equally stylish.
For a photo call in Madrid
4
Leighton chose a black mini
dress from Versus Fall 2010
collection, a fashion label that
is fast gaining notoriety with
celebrity clients including
Cheryl Cole, Kim Kardashian
and Alexa Chung. On first
glance Leighton’s LBD may
seem simple, but it’s the shape
and cut of the dress that keep
it interesting. The fuller skirt
is completely on trend this
season and the dress is velvet -
features@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Snood from Topshop
the ‘go-to’ material for design-
ers at the moment. Leighton
also chose perfect footwear,
Pierre Hardy Circle Platform
Sandals that keep the look
fresh and add a pop of colour.
Flawless make up and soft
waves complete this simply
classic look.
thestagsurrey.co.uk
<
Faux Fur Jackets:
Bizarre Combo
or Daring
Fashion Item?
Hollie Rowe-Roberts
F aux fur jackets have been
reintroduced over the past
few years in the high street
stores, and whilst some adore
the cosy warmth and chic look,
the style can often appear a
fail. So what to do?
Fur jackets look gorgeous
with biker boots and skinny
jeans, but is it something you
want to invest in this year,
as it may be a look which is
forgotten by 2011? The same
can be said for the fur trimmed
gilets this year. I personally
love the aviator style hats and
jackets: they keep you warm
with an element of military
punk in the style. But will this
look catch on for long? So the
question is; do you invest in
a jacket you may never wear
after this year? Depends on
how much colder it gets!
Headbands this year, thick and
furry, actually surprisingly keep
you nice and toasty when the
ice hits and you can barely feel
your nose! Although the top of
your head is exposed, it really
does feel like you’re wearing a
radiator on your head! Another
warm item is the snood! Not
only is it a fun name to say, but
it can be wrapped around your
head multiple times, as a scarf,
hood, or even a mini-cape!
These little winter-warmers
can be found throughout
Guildford town centre, in
Topshop, H&M, River Island
and the incredibly cheap
Primark! So there is no excuse
to be freezing this year!
features@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Christmas Gift Ideas
Women:
1. Perfume is always a great
choice for any woman at
Christmas! We suggest
Daisy by the wonderful Marc
Jacobs, the scent is fresh
and not too overpowering
being described as: ‘Always
elegant, always enchanting
– but not too serious’.
2. Beauty/ Skin Care Gift Sets
are a perfect choice for
Christmas as they give the
opportunity to try a range
of products from a brand
instead of buying one item
at a time, plus the cost is a
lot cheaper – an all round
winner! There is a fantastic
range to choose from,
from Mac, Benefit, Cli-
nique, Liz Earle and many
more; there is something to
suit everyone!
3. Winter Warmer – As the
weather insists on getting
colder, there is no better time
to start layering your winter
clothes and where better to
start than the perfect winter
coat! We love this one from
Miss Selfridge, the cut is
stylish but incredibly
feminine, with slight puff
shoulders and cute bow
finishing details! We suggest
you snap this one up quickly,
we have a feeling it won’t be
around for long!
4. Finally for those who are
simply too difficult to buy
for there is the ever faithful
gift card! With almost every
shop carrying the gift card,
you’ll be spoilt for choice!
1 so deeply into us for years that
2 86,500 people living with HIV in the UK. Of these, 35,050 are men who have sex with men
thestagsurrey.co.uk
Men:
5. Like perfume, aftershave is
an easy go to gift for the man
in your life. We like Gucci by
Gucci, Sport Pour Homme
which regularly features
in the top 10 lists for men’s
fragrances and is described
as: ‘An easy-to-wear, casual
fragrance features crisp,
citrus aspects that channel
the energy of active, outdoor
moments.’
6. River Island Black Hooded
Faux Leather Bomber Jacket
- Leather Jackets are a key
A/W 2010 trend for men and
a perfect present for the cold
winter months. We love this
one by River Island, already
a favourite on the company
website.
7. Vouchers - Like with gifts
for women, vouchers can
be the perfect gift for any
fussy man.
5 a gamble on HIV just because
6 told to worry about HIV – we
3 can cause – the wave of com-
Comments
HIV is not a gay disease
Chris Ward
Assumptions that gay and bi-
sexual men are more at risk
of HIV is creating a dangerous
wave of complacency, argues
local Councillor Chris Ward.
It can be pretty much described
like this in a nutshell. If you’re
straight, you worry about
pregnancy; if you’re gay you
worry about HIV. This isn’t,
of course, based on any scien-
tific or medical fact. It’s a sum-
mary of the things society has
told the different “groups” to
be concerned about, informed
by past experiences of an epi-
demic that hit the gay commu-
nity when it was much smaller,
much more geographically
marginalised, and in many cas-
es fighting state-sponsored
oppression from the authori-
ties. Indeed, as gay and bi-
sexual men are (wrongly) still
banned from donating blood in
this country, the view remains
institutionalised within a na-
tional public service.
Perhaps this is the reason why
in every year for the past dec-
ade, a much larger proportion
of HIV diagnoses has been
through heterosexual rather
than homosexual contact – this
figure is rising. The gay com-
munity has consistently been
can’t go into a gay bar, open a
gay magazine, or even discuss
sex without infection being
brought into the conversa-
tion. It means that gay men
like myself have had it instilled
every time we engage in sexual
activity we could be at risk; so
we make sure we have safe sex
and that we get tested regular-
ly. For the damage this myth
placency that strikes in every
survey or study of heterosexual
attitudes towards sex, we must
do all we can to dispel the idea
The Health Protection Agency report released in 2010, shows that there are an estimated
and 28,350 were born in Africa. This means that both of these groups account for 73% of
all people living with HIV in the UK.
For more information please visit, www.hpa.org.uk
In 2008 less than 1% of people living with HIV died.
The Stag
that HIV is a gay disease.
December 1st is supposed to be
a day not just to create aware-
ness of HIV and prevention, but
also to tackle HIV stigma. There
are many people of various dif-
ferent backgrounds living with
HIV in this country today who
face a barrage of prejudice,
mostly originating from scare
stories about the epidemiol-
ogy of the virus. World AIDS
Day rightly attempts to chal-
lenge these views, so it’s ironic
that in the last edition of The
Stag there was an article from
the Student Care Services stat-
ing that gay and bisexual men
were “most at risk” from HIV.
The statement is misleading,
damaging to those in the closet
who have yet another reason
to fear being gay, and danger-
ous because it emits the idea
that what you are makes you
more at risk of HIV than what
you do. I make this very clear:
those who are most at risk of
HIV are those who have unsafe
sex. It’s a simple message, but
it breaks down prejudices and
ensures that nobody is taking
a flawed set of statistics state
that their socioeconomic group
is less at risk than others.
The blood donation ban on gay
and bisexual men epitomizes
the problem of erroneous
views on HIV. As it’s backed
by a medical institution it is
automatically viewed with a
reputation of legitimacy. How-
ever, when you look closely
at the criteria, the so-called
“science” behind the ban falls
apart. If you had sex once in
your lifetime with a man, with
a condom, you are banned
from donating blood for life.
If, however, you’re a hetero-
sexual woman who had sex
with man who is HIV-positive
without a condom 13 months
ago, you remain able to give
blood. More disgracefully, it
won’t insist that if you have
had that sort of exposure, that
you should get tested. It states
that you shouldn’t give blood
“if you think” you are at risk of
HIV. Gay men are not afforded
that opportunity to self-assess
– we are treated like purveyors
FEATURES 13
of death the moment we have
our first sexual experience,
no matter how long ago and
regardless of any subsequent
HIV test that shows our blood
to be clean. This criteria is not
just unscientific, it’s insane.
I’m sure the article by the Stu-
dent Care Services was well-
intentioned and I wanted to
recognise that here. However,
the message must change. HIV
does not care who it infects,
nor does it care which lives it
destroys. When it comes to
attitudes towards HIV, society
at large would do much better
to spend a bit of time under-
standing the infection, how it
spreads and the anti-retrovi-
ral treatment available. This
would address both the need-
less prejudice towards those
who are HIV-positive as well as
helping prevent further infec-
tion. If anybody picks up a sin-
gle message from this article,
I hope that it’s to remember
that if you are engaging in pen-
etrative sex, always use a con-
dom. If you’re on campus you
have the added benefit that
you can get them for free from
either the Students’ Union or
the Health Centre. If you’re
ever worried about infection
there is a dedicated GUM clinic
at Farnham Road hospital near
the back of the railway station
as well as at the University
Health Centre. Appointments
you make there are confiden-
tial and do not get marked
against your official medical
record – you don’t even need
to give your real name if you
don’t want to. If you’re partic-
ularly worried and want a re-
sult straight away, St Thomas
Hospital just outside London
Waterloo Station (35 minutes
on the train from Guildford)
can do a finger-prick test that
will get you a result within an
hour.
Whether you are straight, gay,
bisexual, or whatever; the sim-
ple message to prevent HIV is
this: when you’re having pen-
etrative sex, always use a con-
dom. Let’s end the prevalence
of this virus, as well as the
damaging myths surrounding
it.
14 SCIENCE & TECH
2010: What a year!
Rachel Lismore-Burns and
James Stokes
W e’re all extremely de-
pendent on technology
and science, whether through
our income, for our health or
just day to day living. The old
days of using a wrangler to
dry out your washing are long
gone and going just 10 min-
utes without using some form
of modern technology is a rar-
ity. But with all that we already
have, just what new technolo-
gy has caught the imagination
this year (and hopefully, for
its creators, caught our hard
earned pennies) and what
scientific breakthroughs have
been causing a stir?
One of the most noticeable
technological advances of the
year was undoubtedly the tab-
let personal computer. Whilst
the idea was first put forward
by Microsoft in 2001, it is only
in the past year that the con-
cept has really taken off. All of
the major technological names
(Microsoft, Apple, Samsung,
Blackberry...) have them and
Student satellites show Surrey influence
Jack White
O n Saturday 27th Novem-
ber, UK Students for the
Exploration and Development
of Space (UKSEDS) held a
workshop on satellites at the
Norman Lockyer Observatory
at Sidmouth.
Particularly in evidence was
The Stag
they really have revolution-
ised modern life. Fast-forward
a few years time, and they will
have become commonplace in
the home (think Smartphones
a few years ago).
Another major change in tech-
nology has taken place in the
cinema. How many films did you
see this year that were in 3D?
All of the blockbusters knew
that to be able to even compete
for the top film spot they were
going to need to embrace this
new technology – Clash of the
Titans, Resident Evil: Afterlife,
Shrek Forever After, Avatar,
Toy Story 3, Harry Potter and
the Deathly Hallows (Pt 1) and
countless others were all shot
in 3D. Will we see a new cat-
egory at the Oscars next year:
‘Best 3D Film’? 3D films have
been featured in IMAXs since
the 1980s-90s but it was the
Academy Award winner Ava-
tar that really got 3D technol-
ogy noticed throughout the
world and started the 3D trend
of 2010. Watching 3D movies
is possible due to the use of
special motion picture cam-
eras that record scenes from
two perspectives. The glasses
that you wear have two lens-
es that have polarised filters
(things that allow our eyes to
selectively absorb light). These
lenses have different orienta-
tions. This means that our eyes
see the same scene but due to
the different lenses it appears
the advance that the Universi-
ty of Surrey itself has brought
to the space industry. Surrey
was a pioneer of the idea that
smaller can be better and the
talks on cube satellites even
had accompanying photos of
tiny Surrey satellites mounted
on a rocket nosecone, next to
a car-sized military craft.
This commitment to small sat-
ellites has been seized upon
by the MyPocketQub project,
which aims to revolution-
ise basic access to space by
building 5x5x5 cm satellites
from cheap components and
open source software. Stu-
dents and enthusiasts will be
that we are seeing it from two
perspectives; this creates the
3D illusion. Simple!
A development of 3D cinema
is the 3D television – an idea
that was first proposed by Sir
Charles Wheatstone in 1833!
The technology used is largely
the same and the brands to
monopolise on this idea so
far are mainly Panasonic and
Samsung. Toshiba is develop-
ing a full 3D TV where the 3D
illusion is experienced without
the need for glasses. This is
done by aligning the pixels in
such a way that it eliminates
the blurriness that we would
see if we removed our glasses
whilst watching a 3D film in
the cinema. For a 12 inch TV
you are looking at paying about
£1000!
In the gaming industry, the Nin-
tendo Wii catapulted to the top
encouraged to build the sat-
ellites and design their own
space experiments to be up-
loaded once the satellites are
sciencetech@thestagsurrey.co.uk
of the market in 2006. Subse-
quent technological advances
have led to the development of
a new and even better standard
of gaming – such as the Kinect
for Xbox 360. Whilst the Wii
used motion sensor handsets
to record your movements and
propel them into the game, the
Kinect requires no such hand-
set as the sensor device will
pick up your gestures, speech
and objects that you use and
translate this into game play.
The Kinect sensor device uses
a camera, depth sensor and
multi-array microphone to
provide motion capture and
facial and speech recognition
abilities. It can capture up to 6
people simultaneously includ-
ing two active players and can
pick up on 20 different places
of movements in the body.
Moving on from technol-
ogy, we come to the scientific
breakthroughs of the year. In
medicine, the main and most
significant breakthrough has
got to be the HIV vaccine. Sci-
in orbit.
Small spacecraft can be
launched at a fraction of the
thestagsurrey.co.uk
entists have discovered an-
tibodies produced by people
who suffer from HIV which can
neutralise many strains of the
virus. Whilst this research is
still very much in progress and
only just starting out, it has the
potential to be revolutionary
and life-changing.
Another important advance is
in the prevention of heart at-
tacks. The benefits of omega-3
fatty acids have been known
for a while but now there is a
new medication called Lovaza
that has 4 times the amount of
omega 3 found in fish oil cap-
sules. In studies it has been
found to reduce the risk of
heart attack for those who are
at a high risk or have had one
previously.
There has also been the discov-
ery of an ‘altruism gene’ at the
University of Bonn. Their re-
search indicates that a specific
gene may vary from person to
person which results in some
of us being more charitable
and giving than others.
So there you have it, a summa-
ry of how science and technol-
ogy has been brought forward
to new heights in the past year.
We will return next year to
keep you up to date with the
latest and most remarkable
discoveries and advancements.
Merry Christmas and a Happy
New Year from your Science &
Tech team!
cost of a full-size satellite, by
nestling them next to their
larger cousins.
The UKSEDS workshop also
saw demonstrations of cut-
ting edge software for the
simulation of space and mili-
tary missions, and the design
of spacecraft control systems.
Later in the day, attendees
were given the chance to ex-
periment with the Arduino
electronics prototyping sys-
tem, which is used to design
the MyPocketQub satellites.
www.ukseds.org
 sciencetech@thestagsurrey.co.uk The Stag SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 15

Top 10 tech gifts for Christmas

Emma Coo�er
1) DS Lite
Great for travel between uni-
versity and home on those
long journeys up and down
the country. Play Mario Bros or
Brain Training and keep your
mind from ticking over.
Nintendo for £69.99.
2) iPad/ tabs
Read a book, browse the inter-
net, check emails, play chess
and much more on the new
breed of technology hitting the
market. The iPad was one of
the biggest releases this year
but they do hold a hefty price
tag so have a browse and you
can find a similar good qual-
ity brand for much less. From
£429.
3) Radios
Go old school and find a ra-
dio for Christmas. Roberts do
some lovely ones that are great
quality too. Check out these
stunners, £90.
4) Cameras
Digital cameras range in price
from about £60 to £130. If
you’re looking for a hardy
camera that you can take into
Rubix and also use to capture
moments, the best on the mar-
ket for price and megapixel
quality is: Nixon Coolpix L22
£59 for 12 megapixels and 3.7
zoom.
5) Alarm clocks
9 o clock lectures; we all hate
them but we have to go to
them! So why not treat your-
self to something a little more
reliable than the alarm on your
phone, which often becomes
monotonous and irritating.
A pink LCD 7cm alarm clock
from Tick Tock Clocks is only
£11.95.
6) Laptops
If your laptop is getting a bit
slow or you fancy treating a
member of your family to a top
tech gift this Christmas, a lap-
top would surely go down well.
Duo Core processers and stor-
age capabilities can baffle most
of us but you can’t go wrong
with Acer or Dell for cheapness
and of course Apple Macs are
excellent for high performance
and their stunning designs.
browsing TK max the other day
I spied some adorable straight-
eners that were only £10 but
where literally tiny! Ideal for
7) Printers travel or keeping those pesky
Dread printing at university? fringes in check. (Lonka)
Why not invest in a printer this
year? The best option is to opt
for a higher quality printer that
has cheaper ink cartridges as I
have often fallen into the trap
of buying a cheap printer only
to find that the cartridges cost
me an arm and a leg to refill!
9) Remote control wand
Embrace your inner wizard
and ask for one of these uni-
versal remote controls. So
lights and televisions are at
your command; £49.99.
10) Remote control helicopter
Not overly useful but great fun
8) Straighteners nonetheless. You can pick one
Girls and guys love a cheeky
up from Argos for £50.
straightening before a night
out on the tiles. Obviously,
GHD’s are still the leading in
the market with their ability to
not only straighten your hair
but curl, wave and style it to
your very wish (£99). Reming-
ton does some lovely cheaper
ones at half the price. Whilst

‘Tis the Season inches to our waistlines and

Add this to lack of exercise,
Helen Finn and we are looking at one big
Science & Tech Editor
health problem!
our blood pressure and blood
sugar levels also increase.
‘But this is once a year!’ I hear
you cry. Well, maybe not just
once – one third of Britons
will in fact eat three Christmas
lunches this year.
So here are my tips for surviv-
ing Christmas dinner:
• Drink water while eating your
meal. This will help you fill up
so you don’t eat too much.
• You can also fill up on veggies
as these are lower in calories
than the meat.
• A champagne breakfast
sounds like a great idea at the
time, but when you are con-
suming more sugars, it takes
longer for your liver to metab-
olise the alcohol.
• You can swap some of your
food for healthier alternatives,
for example; lose the skin on
your turkey, bake your pota-
toes instead of roasting, and
make bread sauce with semi-
skimmed milk.
And now some general Christ-
mas advice:
• Try going for a brisk half-hour
walk. This will release feel good
endorphins and helps suffer-
ers of SAD (seasonal affective
disorder) – people who expe-
rience normal mental health
throughout the year, but feel
depressed during winter.
• Keep warm by wearing sever-
al layers of thin, warm clothing
and drink plenty of hot drinks.
• No one wants to spend Christ-
mas in a hospital - sprinkle salt
on wet or icy steps.
• Be prepared by ordering re-
peat prescriptions early to en-
sure people have all the neces-
sary medication.
• Finally; students, enjoy it!
This is your only guilt free day
until summer – a day to relax,
do no revision, and eat good
food.

B eing a student, one of the

things I am most look-
ing forward to this Christmas
is having some proper home
cooked meals. Christmas is,
after all, the one time of the
year that it’s socially accept-
able to eat as much as you can
and then pass out on the sofa
in front of the television. It’s
no wonder that the average
person eats three to four times
more food than they actually
need over the festive season.
The Christmas dinner itself
(turkey, roast potatoes, pigs in
blankets, etc) contains about
1000 calories and 50 g fat. The
guideline daily amounts are
2000 calories and 70g fat for
women; and 2500 calories and
95g fat for men. But let’s not
forget the extras; Christmas
cake, mince pies, mulled wine
etc, which amount to about
2200 calories. Add these to the
dinner, and you’re over your
GDA in one meal. This adds

thestagsurrey.co.uk
 Ka sadha

Surrey painted campus

Bakita

red...
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Wi lliam
a u rence
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MAD

Bakita Kasadha

r
Mariam Nasi

Aaron Rush
h
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Aar

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thestagsurrey.co.uk
 Khalifa
Ashraf

Khalifa
Ashraf

Lasik
a Jay
ama
ha

Lynsey Moffat
Ebru M
ehmet

...But the
skies
Ebru Mehmet
Chris W
hitehe
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to paint it
white

Salmon
Lorna

Lynsey
M offat

thestagsurrey.co.uk
18 SOCIETIES
Food For unity & Humanity
Bangladeshi Society
There is nothing beautiful than
a nice gathering of nice people.
It’s very obvious and some-
times barely impossible to ne-
glect our cry for a nice gather-
ing. And what could be better
than - chucking a mouth-wa-
tering dinner with charity and
unity in mind. That’s exactly
what the newly born Bangla-
deshi Society has just done. It’s
fairly easy to assume that that
turned out to be a massive suc-
cess.
It was a casual shivering cold
night down here in University
of Surrey and a silent affirma-
tion was made with more vig-
or of enthusiastic Bangladeshi
students in Surrey on 11th of
November this very year. As
par the plan, we gathered on
time in front of Austin Pearce
Building to rebound, to show
the world that we can make
difference whatsoever tiny it
is.
The main program was sur-
rounded by some tiny little
aims and clarifying once again
that “united we stand, divided
we fall”. It’s quite common to
lose motivation on our study
Welcome to the Brunei Society
Ha�el Bee
On the last society standing
held on 8th November, a mile-
stone was marked for the
Bruneian students here in the
university as the Brunei Soci-
ety was finally ratified. It was
aimed at representing inter-
ests and welfare of the Brune-
ian students at Surrey Univer-
sity as well as encouraging and
advising potential Bruneian
applicants to the university. As
a cultural society, another aim
is to promote Bruneian culture
and linguistic values. The tiny
country of Brunei, a Muslim
sultanate, with a population
of 407,000 is situated in South
East Asia. Although Brunei be-
came independent from Brit-
ain in 1984, it still has a strong
culture and tradition similar
to their neighbouring country,
Malaysia. The Brunei Society
is affiliated with the Brunei
Student’s Union, a centralised
student support network for
Bruneian students around the
United Kingdom. The Brunei
Society had their first AGM
The Stag
from time to time and we are
right there to reinforce and
settle the exact vigor with
which we made our way to
Surrey. None work better than
a sizzling dinner with some se-
rious business in agenda.
As Bangladeshi rich culture
shows – recreation and hu-
manitarian work can come
hand in hand. It’s more im-
portant for us look after the
underprivileged young back
in country than anything else.
As Bangladeshi Community
has already proposed to help
“JAGO” an NGO to help poor
students with their education,
it’s high time to give it a go
ahead. That’s what makes the
gathering sublime and fruitful
out of our busy student life.
Whatsoever tiny our endeavor
is – we really don’t mind. What
we aspire after is - we initiate
a noble cause and we carry on
Bruneian Students at their �irst AGM
on 25th November and elected
their first executive committee ture of Brunei you can drop
team. Amongst many things,
the society intends to organ- com
ise various social activities
in line with the Bruneian Na-
tional Ideology of MIB such as
Eid Celebration, the National
Day Celebration, intercultural
events and so on. The Brunei
Society membership is open to
all students from the Universi-
ty of Surrey. The Brunei Society
hopes to keep an everlasting From L to R: Hazel Bakar, Zai-
relationship with the Student dah Shahminan & Muiz Hasbi
Union and effectively, the Uni-
versity. If you are Bruneian or
just interested in the fascinat-
societies@thestagsurrey.co.uk
contributing as much as pos-
sible with our 100%. Honestly
that’s how all the great work
begins and we are delighted
that we actually had much
never short of energy or en-
more that what we expected
thusiasm. We just need a prop-
out of the dinner.
er plan and a steadfast aim to
make this world even a better
Another thing we took into ac-
place.
count is making sure members
know each other and anyone
can share his or her difficulty
with maximum comfort. That’s
how sharing and caring work.
Nevertheless, we are famous
for our flexible pattern of min-
gling with people literally from
all over the world.
As long as the food is con-
cerned, the dinner was simply
mindboggling. We had food Do>More is a Student Run Service (SRS) that focuses on volun-
of great quality and delicious
teering and helping others. Getting involved with the society
taste. Everyone enjoyed the
contemporary deshi dishes. offers the chance of learning life skills and enhancing yourselves
It’s of great pleasure to en- for when you leave university whilst enjoying yourself helping
joy the best dishes of country the local community.
outside the country- literally
thousands of miles away from
The society is relatively new, but has already had huge success
home. The feeling is different
in past events. These include students planting trees around the
and none of us refused that
we would have missed a great Guildford area, regular fundays with young children doing arts
thing had we not turned up for
and crafts, a day of activities with homeless and disadvantaged
the program.
people and assisting with large scale events such as Chase walks
It’s our noble goal to contrib- and the Sports Relief Mile. We have recently designed a new
ute to the world with the best area within the society, which involves students running their
possible things we can. We are
own projects in specific aspects they are interested in. The new
project leaders will be announced soon.
Our committee are working hard to constantly think of new
events for students to be involved with and we appreciate any
ideas and help from you all. Please feel free to come along to our
meetings and events to show your support. Our meetings are on
Thursdays at 5pm, we meet at the purple chairs then move to
‘Splosh’, a meeting room in the students union.
To get in contact with the society, email us at ussu.domore@
surrey.ac.uk or like our Facebook page, facebook.com/Surrey-
DoMore. Whatever your passion or interest is, we aim to put you
in touch with individuals and organisations who share the same
goals and enable you to meet new people and make new friends.
ing cul-
an email to: brusurrey@gmail.
thestagsurrey.co.uk
 societies@thestagsurrey.co.uk The Stag SOCIETIES 19

Court Life Mentoring

Keeping the Eid spirit
Rawan Hammuda
Eid doesn’t seem too different
than any other, at the Univer-
sity of Surrey. People greeting
each other, children playing
and shouting at the top of their
voice, but hang on a second...
what made Eid at University of
Surrey unique was the cultural
diversity! People from all ages,
from all over the world, coming
from all spheres of life unite on
this one day of Eid-ul-Adha for
the same purpose.
Islamic Society at University of
Surrey ensured that Eid cele-
brations would be packed with
activities to keep everyone on
their toes! Tuesday the 21st No-
vember was probably the busi-
est day Surrey ISOC has experi-
enced in over a year. There was
a big, bright bouncy castle in
the student hall, which kept the
children energetic and having
a very good time. Presents and
sweets were given out gener-
ously, making sure every child
had a smile on their face. Pass
the parcel, Pictionary, henna
painting, face-painting and the
Jenga game kept everyone oc-
cupied, of all ages. This kept
the Eid spirit alive on campus.
are a sign and they have to act
upon them. Prophet Abraham
(peace and blessings be upon
him) had a dream that he was
about to sacrifice his son Ish-
mael (peace be upon him). This
is something so horrific that
nobody would imagine having
to do such a thing, especially
to their own child! However,
Prophet Abraham was so obe-
dient to God that he was will-
ing to do so. When he told his
son Ishmael that God had or-
dered him to sacrifice him this
was Ishmael’s response:
“O my father, do as you are
commanded. You will find me,
if Allah wills of the steadfast.”
(The noble Quran chapter:37,
verse: 102)
Eid day begins very early
with Muslims praising God
and gathering for a small talk
and prayer. At Surrey Univer-
sity this took place at the stu-
dent hall. People greeted each
other so warmly as though
they hadn’t seen each other
in a long time. This made the
whole atmosphere like a great
big family. It was fantastic. The
international students who
couldn’t celebrate Eid with
their families, shared the joys
of Eid with their Muslim broth-
ers and sisters on campus.
People brought a dish of their
cultural foods and put them on
the back table in the hall, add-
ing an exotic taste to Eid on
campus.
Surrey Islamic Society wants
to bring the message across
that Eid at Surrey is smashing!
Surrey Isoc welcomes all faiths
to join in our Eid celebrations.
Gospel Choir
at Christmas
Lasika Jayamaha
Whether you are a ‘pro’, or just December.
want to give it a go…
Look out for us at the Univer-
The Gospel Choir is a group of sity of Surrey Carol Service,
around 40 students that share Carols on the Dance Floor, the
a passion for fun and music! Street Child Africa concert at
the Cathedral, and the Boiler
This society is not run by the Room Carol Service in town.
music department, but is an
independent society that wel- It’s never too late to join!
comes people from all areas
on University, and all levels of
singing!
Bring a friend and come along!
You may have seen us during
Fresher’s Week, at Open Mic or Mondays, TB10, 6pm -
at University events last year, 8pm
like the Union Awards and IG-
ala.
We have our very own Events For more information check
out our Facebook page http://
Week to celebrate the run up
to Christmas from the 8th-15th www.facebook.com/Gospel-

Muslims celebrate Eid twice a

year. Eid-ul-adha is the second
Eid that Muslims celebrate in
the year. Eid-ul-adha remem-
bers the story of Prophet Abra-
ham (peace be upon him) and
his order from God to sacrifice
his son Ishmael (peace be upon
him). Muslims believe that all
dreams that all prophets have,

thestagsurrey.co.uk
20 SOCIETIES
MechSoc
Ha�el Bee
MechSoc is a departmental so-
ciety for Mechanical, Medical
and Aerospace (MMA) engi-
neering students. Basically, ev-
ery student in these disciplines
is part of the society. In total,
there are about 450 students
in the MMA division at all lev-
els from undergraduate level
through to PhD level. However,
as any other society, it is open
to any students who wish to
join. As MechSoc is a depart-
mental society, one of its aims
is to assist its members aca-
demically.
Although engineers have fun
in lectures, we all like to spice
it up a little bit outside lectures
too. The society does a lot of ac-
ademic as well as social events.
Since the start of the term,
or visit their page at www.mechsoc.com
Did you know........
A giraffe can go longer without water
than a camel?
thestagsurrey.co.uk
The Stag
there have been six events, two
of which were academic. The
academic events included a
trip to the SSTL centre situated
on campus, and a trip to MBDA,
the world’s second largest
missile manufacturer. On the
last social event, 24 MechSoc
members travelled down to
Camberley for two 15 minutes
sessions of awesome GoKart-
ing. It was the first GoKarting
event organised by the year’s
committee members. The so-
ciety intends to organise an
event every month. Other so-
cial events include bowling,
paintballing, barbecues, nights
out and pubcrawls!
For more information about
the society, feel free to contact
ussu.mechsoc@surrey.ac.uk
societies@thestagsurrey.co.uk
St John Ambulance
Christmas Round Up
This year our society took off to
a great start with overwhelm-
ing interest at the Freshers’
Fayre; many of the students
that signed up with us con-
tinued to come along week af-
ter week and we have a great
group of freshers learning vital
life saving First Aid skills and
having fun!
More experienced members
have been working hard to cov-
er our duties in the Students
Union. Every Wednesday and
Friday night our society staffs
the First Aid post underneath
Rubix to provide immediate
help to students on a night
out. Not only is this a great op-
portunity to practice the skills
members learn in training but
we cover some of the busiest
nights the Union provide and
are guaranteed a fun, busy and
sometimes challenging night
on duty!
You may also have seen us in
the lecture theatre concourse
this November holding our
‘Big Tea Cosy’. If you brought
a tea or cake from us, thank
you, you will be supporting the
great work we do both on cam-
pus and in the local area.
For more information about
what we do, to find out when
and where we meet or to con-
tact us about coming along and
giving it a go please visit: www.
surreylinks.com
Be not ashamed of mistakes and thus make them crimes
-Chinese philosopher & reformer (551 BC - 479 BC)
If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes
to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.
- Nelson Mandela
A coward is incapable of exhibiting love; it is the prerogative
of the brave.
-Mohandas Gandhi
music@thestagsurrey.co.uk
MuSIC
You're a Woman, I'm a Machine
Mi�e Sherloc�
I n 2004, the fairly unknown
duo Death From Above 1979
released their first and only
studio album, called ‘You're a
Woman, I'm a Machine’. Taking
influence from the heavy metal
genre, as well as modern dance
music, the bass heavy pair cre-
ated a new sound. The band
consists of just two members:
Toronto based Jesse Keeler
on bass guitar and Sebastien
Grainger on drums and lead
vocals, with backing synth on
selected tracks.
Opening with a track called
‘Turn It Out’, you get a state-
ment suggesting what is to
come: an unimaginable, raw
sound from a bass guitar that
would excite anyone’s ear-
drums. My favourite song on
the album remains ‘Blood On
Our Hands’, as it was the first
track I heard from the band,
and made me want to check
the rest of it out. It is a simple
track, with a simple drum beat,
which enables Grainger to sing
at the same time. In the extend-
ed version of the album, you
BEST LIVE EXPERIEnCE -
‘Slipknot in the Spotlight’
Venue: London Dock-
lands Arena
Band: Slipknot -
16/02/02
Interviewing: Andy
'Panpipe' Vale
What was your favourite
song?
Surfacing. It's pretty much
their call to arms. On paper
or when you're having a guf-
faw with mature friends the
song sounds quite childish,
however when you’re going
for it and you're deep in the
moment then it's an intense
experience.
even get a cheeky Justice remix
thrown in for good measure.
The title track ‘You're a Wom-
an, I'm a Machine’ is my sec-
ond favourite on the record.
It is one of the fastest songs in
this album, and resembles the
Drum ‘N’ Bass genre that is in-
creasingly popular currently. It
is hard to describe the sound
of this album, as it is nearly im-
possible to compare it to any-
thing current. I can only ask
you to give it a go, and I hope
you will not be disappointed.
Sadly, the band broke up
What was your favourite
moment?
It was my first gig and I
was 14, so I was easily im-
pressed by pretty much an-
ything. Joey Jordison's drum
solo on a huge rotating, tilt-
ing platform was special.
The energy throughout the
whole thing was manic and
the percussion was as tight
as a gnat's sphincter. But the
coolest thing for me person-
ally, was the fact that they
filmed their first live DVD
there and my first crowd-
surf (during Spit It Out, it's
on youtube) was clearly
captured on film forever.
shortly after the release of this
album, so I will never get the
chance to witness one of their
infinitely energetic shows. In a
way, I am glad they broke up.
Given the simplicity of the mu-
sic; a second album may have
ruined their sound. Keeler
formed a new project, called
MSTRKRFT, who many of you
may have heard of or seen live
at one of the many festivals
they have played at in the last
couple of years, who boast sim-
ilarities to Death From Above.
So, give it a listen and you won’t
be disappointed.
What was good about the
venue?
Nothing. It was a **** hole
and I'm glad they've demol-
ished it.
What band would you like
to see next?
Every single artist on the
bill for Say Something Live
Music Night on the 16th of
December. Failing that, I've
been listening to Two Gal-
lants a lot lately, they sound
like poetic hobos and I'd like
to see them under a bridge
sometime. Maybe Tom Waits
again too.
The Stag SOCIETIES 21
5-A-DAY
If you’ve been watching the new se-
ries of ‘Misfits’ on E4, you’ll no doubt
recognise our number one this week:
‘Echoes’ by The Rapture. This song is
fast-paced and furious and takes its
rightful place on top this week. By con-
trast, at number 3 we have ‘If I Had
a Boat’, a beautifully harmonic track
from a brand new artist on the scene,
James Vincent McMorrow, a definite
act to watch out for in 2011.
1. Echoes – The Rapture
(Echoes)
2. Doncamatic (feat. Daley) –
Gorillaz (Doncamatic)
3. If I Had A Boat – James
Vincent McMorrow (James
Vincent McMorrow)
4. Hero – Regina Spektor
5. Little Secrets – Passion Pit
Open Mic Night
atmosphere and impressive
Liam Conro�
variety of music it is definitely
a night not to be missed.
T aking place at Channies
every Thursday is a hid-
den gem of the Guildford mu-
In the New Year, the music sec-
tion will be doing a fortnightly
sic scene that gives Surrey stu- review of Open Mic Night, so
dents the best opportunity to
be sure to head to Chancellors
showcase their own musical
Bar for your chance to perform
abilities and appreciate the tal- and be interviewed by The
ents of others. With a relaxed Stag.
thestagsurrey.co.uk
22 ARTS: Music
LOCAL BAnD SPOTLIGHT -
‘Bordeauxxx’
Lorna Salmon
T his week I interviewed
‘Bordeauxxx’, a band you
may well recognise from their
recent performance at Rubix
for the ‘Say Something’ tour.
The gig went down a storm
at the Union, and here at The
Stag, we can’t wait to see what
Bordeauxxx have in store for
us next.
How would you describe
your sound?
Fun, fast, upbeat indie pop
with occasional glockenspiel,
Yuletide Gig Guide
Andy Vale
C hristmas is coming and
with it we see a decline in
coursework (for some) and you
probably want to have a couple
of good nights out before you
totter off. If you like your mu-
sic then there are over 80 gigs
in Guildford in between now
and Christmas, we have cherry
picked seven that might be of
interest:
The Martin Harley Band
9th December 7:30pm
The Boileroom
£6 advance from wegottick-
ets.com
Martin Harley is a nationally
renowned songwriter and gui-
tarist that plays a raw style of
roots and blues music. I once
saw him tear up Channies
Open Mic Night for 45 minutes
because nobody wanted to go
on after him. His sound has
been developed from travelling
all over the world and he can
go from a raucous slide guitar
stomper to a mellow folk bal-
lad with the greatest of ease.
Despite being from round here,
he hardly ever plays Guildford
with his full band so this is well
worth checking out.
Song to check out: Martin Har-
ley – Love In The Afternoon
thestagsurrey.co.uk
The Stag
synth and fruity 4 part vocal
harmonies.
What bands inspire you the
most? Every band we play a gig
with who are nice, friendly and
down to Earth! Bordeauxxx
don’t like egos.
Do you have an album/E.P.
out?
We recently recorded our de-
but EP Mother’s Ruin, with 3
of our own tracks plus a remix!
It’s available to download for
free at bordeauxxx.bandcamp.
com, you can listen to it for free
at myspace.com/bordeaux-
Say Something Live Music
Night
16th December 8:30pm
Rubix
£4 in bookshop, £5 on door
The Students Union’s own live
music night returns one more
time before Christmas. This
one is Indie-without-being-up-
its-own-arse and as these gigs
are only on twice a term none
of the bands on this bill are
there to make up the numbers.
Headlining will be The Stanley
Blacks, who combine a rough
garage sound with epic stadi-
um twists. In main support will
be Sissy & The Blisters, who
are causing a scene among the
pointy-shoe brigade in London
for their reckless and free-reel-
ing live show. Former Surrey
student Marcel Legane is also
on the bill, playing his smooth
progressive pop to what will
be a very
apprecia-
tive home
crowd.
Opening
will be
the strong
blues-rock of Brother & Bones,
who are one of the best bands
to come out of The ACM in re-
xxmusic, and we sell pretty
CD’s with a student price tag
at gigs.
What was your best gig to
date?
We played Leefest this summer,
alongside The Futureheads,
The King Blues, Hot Club de
Paris and loads of other re-
ally cool bands (along with
our friends Marcel Legane and
Starsmith). A great gig at an
amazing festival with some fun
post-gig camping antics!
When is your next gig?
We recently supported Johnny
Midgar
23rd December 7:30pm
The Boileroom
£5 from wegottickets.com
For those of you who will be
in the area over the Christ-
mas holidays Midgar will be
headlining The Boileroom’s
Christmas party. One of the
tightest emotive metal bands
you will see, plus almost every
female who sees their show
ends up wishing that they
were going out with someone
in the band rather than their
own boyfriend. But they’re so
damn good that I’m happy to
overlook this fact. Having re-
ceived big support from Ker-
rang, Rocksound and count-
less blogs, there are few words
I can heap on to the piles of
praise that this band has been
receiving.
Song to check out: Midgar –
Lead Your Children To The Sky
dancetheatre@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Foreigner at the Boileroom
on Thursday 25th November
which we were really excited
about. Our next gig in Guild-
ford will be in February, and
we’re also preparing for a gig
in London very soon.
Any final words for the
readers?
Lost In Wonderland
14th December 7:30pm
The Backline
£5 on door
Infectious Middle Eastern
vibes, groove oriented heavy
metal riffs and soft atmospher-
ic ballads. The raw unadulter-
ated sound of Lost in Wonder-
land comes punctuated with
fire and intensity; it reminds
me of recent epic computer
games that have eschewed or-
chestras.
Songs to check out: Lost In
Wonderland - Vicious
Subsource
17th Dec 7:30pm
The Boileroom
£6 advance from wegottick-
ets.com
Hundreds of people saw these
guys bring their live Dub-punk
riot to the Union back in Oc-
tober. Wherever they go they
obliterate all before them and
are one of the most exciting
live underground bands in the
country right now. If you can’t
get tickets for Christmas Flirt,
then this will be a most suit-
able end of year party.
Song to check out: Subsource –
Dark Is The New Light
We’re all Surrey students so
add us on Facebook!
Facebook: search Bordeauxxx
Also, search ‘Bordeauxxx
Heartstrings’ on Youtube, to
watch our DIY music video we
made involving a room, instru-
ments, and loads of balloons.
New Rising
15th December 8:30pm
Fahrenheit 55
Free
New Rising are a perfect
acoustic party band, infectious
beats and passionate raw vo-
cals. BBC6music’s Tom Robin-
son describes them as having
“liquid guitar, great flow, sharp
groove. Playing so tight you
just couldn’t slip a Rizla be-
tween any of the beats.” They
don’t play Guildford too of-
ten, so make sure you get this
chance to see them for free in
the intimate settings of Fahr-
enheit 55.
Song to check out: New Rising
– Feel Like Going On
Free For All
12th December 7:30pm
university Hall
£3 on door
Lastly, here is a gig featur-
ing only Surrey students. The
famous Free For All nights
feature a huge mix of genres
displaying the wide variety of
talent here at the University.
Support your fellow students
and come along.
Hope you enjoy some of these.
I will also point out that I
would’ve included Patrick
Wolf at The Boileroom, but at
the time of writing it is sold
out. If you go along to any gigs
and enjoy them, then why not
write a review and send it in
to The Stag? Send it to music@
thestagsurrey.co.uk
music@thestagsurrey.co.uk The Stag ARTS 23

New Single Reviews
Liam Conroy
Olly Murs
Thinking Of Me
Despite losing out on the title
of X Factor winner last year,
Olly Murs found his place in
the music industry with his
debut single ‘Please Don’t
Let Me Go’. Murs’ new single
‘Thinking Of Me’ attempts to
recreate this success with an-
other reggae-inspired tune.
Unfortunately, no matter how
many times Olly Murs refers to
‘Bob Marley’ he will never be
considered a credible reggae
musician and the dodgy dance
moves that made him famous
on The X Factor are back again.
The simple lyrics describing a
nostalgic look back on lost love
give the impression of a reggae
nursery rhyme. However, the
success of ‘Thinking Of Me’ lies
in its simplicity as a sunny pop
tune to chase the winter blues
away. Murs will not be the next
Mercury Music Prize winner
but fans of The X Factor will
enjoy his progress from obscu-
rity to a recognised artist of
playful pop tunes.
Willow Smith
Whip My Hair
Willow Smith, daughter of Hol-
lywood actor Will Smith (see
what they did there with the
names?!) has recently burst
onto the music scene with her
debut single ‘Whip My Hair’.
Following in the footsteps
of Rihanna both stylistically
and vocally, the precocious
pre-teen exudes confidence
with an instantly memorable
hook “I whip my hair back and
too bad and would certainly release of ‘Poison’ she is back
get people moving but after a with a bang. The well-crafted
few plays it quickly loses its pop tune is produced by Re-
appeal and with such a repeti- dOne, the musical mastermind
tive hook it becomes more of a
gimmick. There is also some-
thing slightly uncomfortable
about a 9 year old (yes, 9!)
with such impressive swagger
commanding “all my ladies” to
follow her lead. She may ap-
peal to young girls of the same
age wishing to emulate her but
anyone older might want to
look for slightly older musical
idols! responsible for the success of
Lady GaGa, and ‘Poison’ looks
Nicole Scherzinger to follow this trend. The up-
Poison beat tune has a pounding beat
and memorable chorus that
With new single ‘Poison’ will go down a storm in clubs,
Nicole Scherzinger proves bars, cars and bedrooms alike.
who was the real driving force Scherzinger also gets the op-
behind the success of the Pus- portunity to show off her im-
sycat Dolls. Scherzinger’s pre- pressive vocal abilities on the
vious attempt at a solo career song and rightfully confirm
in 2007 was not so success- her position as a solo artist.
ful with ‘Baby Boy’ failing to

dance & theatre

forth”. As a dance tune it is not reach the Top Ten but with the

7734 - Jasmin Vardimon cally demanding (and bruise way the choreography was as-
inducing), the subject matter sembled. The music used was
Sian Goldby
heart wrenchingly close to the loud and mind-bending, by this

J asmin Vardimon Company

are currently in the midst of
touring their new work, 7734,
and I was lucky enough to see
it on the prestigious Sadler’s
Wells stage. Baited-breath
greeted me as I found my seat;
amongst chattering college stu-
dents (who did provide some
hilarious running commentary,
including ‘he’s jokes man... ob-
viously on crack’ referring to
one of the male dancers). Need-
less to say, I am a pretty big Jas-
min Vardimon fan. Having been
following the company since
2005, with slight avid fascina-
tion, my prior knowledge and
expectations for Vardimon’s
new piece were probably high-
er than average. The company
have been performing to criti-
cal acclaim, fuelling my pre-
existing fire and hunger to see
the work.
7734 is a powerful piece to say
the least, as an audience mem-
ber you are handed all of the in-
gredients that make Vardimon’s
work so very compelling. The
movement is extremely physi-
bone; and the performers each
finding the perfect balance
between breathy, undulat-
ing movement sequences and
punchy virtuosity.
One thing I love about Var-
dimon’s choreography is the
excellently timed comic relief,
at moments even catching the
audience out (I found myself
laughing right across into a
Holocaust reference). All this
and they make it look so easy.
This, however brings me to the
use of text in the piece, Vardi-
mon’s handling of speech left
me feeling a little uneasy. Ok, so
the subject matter of percep-
tion and authority was made
as haunting as it possibly could
have been, amongst such im-
ages was a pile of almost naked
female bodies, being ‘burnt’ by
a smoke machine. So for any-
one to come out of the audi-
torium and be completely un-
fazed by this, I would consider
them dead inside. I was meant
to feel unsettled, but it was not
just the harrowing images that
provided this, it was also the
I mean at times a tone akin to
that of tinnitus was emitted, so
it was designed to mess with
our heads (the college stu-
dents had great fun with that
one). At certain sections, mu-
sic came to a jarring halt; and
the dancers, all in place and
ready to go as their ‘characters’
would start a dialogue. Unfor-
tunately, the term over-acting
came to mind. The sections of
pure dance set against pure
dialogue was slightly jarring
on my senses, not to mention
my inner fanatic of the previ-
ous skill at which Vardimon
had effortlessly intertwined
the two. This abrupt reminder
of reality had the successful re-
sult of distancing me as an au-
dience member, meaning that I
left the theatre feeling slightly
affronted, having entered in
heady excitement.
However, Vardimon must have that of human memory becom- So, all in all I would highly rec-
realised the need to distance ing less and less evocative as it ommend seeing this, and for
the audience member, and if I fades and travels along genera- all those hardcore Vardimon
may be so brave to claim that tions, as a kind of natural es- fans out there, you have been
this cleverly displays a theme trangement to periods of high warned!
which frequented the work, stress.
thestagsurrey.co.uk
24 ARTS: Dance & Theatre
Communican’t
Emil� Bo�rne
Tribes
Royal Court Theatre
28th October
T ribes, written by Nina
Raine is a play about be-
longing and the power of lan-
guage, emphasising that all
too often talking doesn’t mean
that we’re communicating. Set
in the dining room of a middle-
class family home, the audi-
ence sees a family who are too
engrossed in their own prob-
lems and the only person who
ever takes the time to listen is
Thought-night: Diversification for the nation
thestag-
The Stag
son Billy, who was born deaf.
This all seems normal for Billy,
until he meets Sylvia, who in-
troduces him to the world of
sign language, leading him to
question the way his own fam-
ily communicate with each
other. The action moves fluidly
between comic scenes at the
dinner table as everyone fights
to have their opinions heard,
and more poignant moments
showing the loneliness that
can be felt by those who have
hearing problems.
In a society where face-to-face
conversation is being replaced
by the likes of mobile phones
and the internet, the play suc-
ceeds in highlighting the dif-
ficulty of portraying your true
feelings in an increasingly indi-
vidualistic society.
While at times I found the con-
stant bickering between sib-
lings tiresome, I thought that
these complimented the more
moving scenes where I really
empathised with characters
such as Billy and Sylvia. Con-
sidering Tribes is only Nina
Raine’s second play, it has
proven to be a wonderfully
powerful insight into the limi-
tations of communication, and
I for one can’t wait to see what
she has in store for us next.
Sian Gol�b�
This week it’s a topic that’s
been on my mind for some
time, in fact since I was lucky
enough to spend a good long
year breathing in the sights
and sounds of London; the hip-
happening-arty-farty capital of
England. This con-
coction of crea-
tivity that the di-
versity of London
offered was highly
intoxicating, and
since being back in
Guildford, I have dis-
covered also highly
addictive. As I tried to
get down to the core
surrey.co.uk
dancetheatre@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Department of Dance, Film and Theatre
Presents:
The Christmas Dance
Show
Friday 17th December, 7.30pm
Saturday 18th December, 7.30pm
Young emerging artists invite you join
them for mince pies, mulled wine and an
evening of entertaining and eclectic dance
featuring African, Kathak, Ballet, Contem-
porary and Hip Hop.
PATS Dance Studio
University of Surrey.
Tickets £6, £3 for students
Book early to avoid disappointment!
Box office:
Tel:01483 686876
Email: boxoffice@surrey.ac.uk
www.surrey.ac.uk/arts
of quite why the metropolis be creative, and as Siobhan
sucked me into its dizzyingly Davies explains ‘we (as dance
vivid world quite so hard that artists) must not get hemmed
I almost fell face-forwards into in’. We do not necessarily need
artistic oblivion; I made a dis- to be experts in all these oth-
covery that I think might have er fields; but an appreciation
an effect on my future aspira- and consideration of how they
tions. Of which key words are work, and how to work within
‘artistic diversity’. Ok, so that them, not only feeds your own
was just a pretentious way of disciplinary artistic practice,
saying ‘I went on placement but, quite frankly makes you
and it opened my eyes’, which more employable.
is universal I believe.
So, it is not often that I go for
The idea of crossing discipli- outright persuasion, but I say
nary borders is so very im- take off those blinkers, step
portant, especially in these out of that one-way street, and
times of economic crisis and climb out of that box - diversify
arts sector cuts, one must un- to multiply!
derstand the importance of ...Discarding of rose-tinted
other art forms and ways to glasses is optional.
literature@thestagsurrey.co.uk
literature
Christmas Holiday Reading!
Christina Webb
S o it’s the last issue of
The Stag this year and
I thought, seeing as there
are plenty of reviews for
reading over the summer
holidays, why are there not
so many for Christmas holi-
days? Snuggling up on a
cold winter’s evening with a
novel in hand by the fire is
just as relaxing to do when
it is too freezing to contem-
plate stepping outside. So
here are a few festive reads
for either yourself or to give
as perfect gifts! Happy holi-
days and happy reading, lit’
Did you
know...
Steve Stag was born
Wimbledon?
That The Stag is two days
late?
This is the third time that
Rowan Ling’s name/face
has featured on the front
page (this was not on pur-
pose)?
David Badacci –
The Christmas Train
Bookreporter – “a story that
takes readers on a journey full
of memorable - and very witty
- characters, and a set of chal-
lenges that will keep readers
saying, ‘just one more chap-
ter.’"
Debbie Malcomber - Falling For Christmas
Bookbrowser Reviews: "...no one does female characters any
better than this author."
Two fun-filled, romantic, easy reads in one book.
‘Call me Mrs. Clauss’
‘Parent Trap’ with a twist;
Clare Keneally is looking after
her four adorable yet very mis-
chievous grandchildren over
the festive season and when
grandfather Jim drops by the
children start to wonder if it
would be a perfect Christmas if
their grandparents fall in love
again.
The Stag ARTS: Literature 25
A generically diverse tale of de-
tective, disaster and romance,
this book tells of a cynical
journalist, Tom Langdon, and
his travel across the US in time
for Christmas. Awakening self-
discovery, his journey is full of
misinterpretations. This nov-
el is suspenseful and thrilling,
yet romantic.
hidden feelings and truths in
Maeve Binchy –
This Year it Will Be
complex, yet not unfamiliar
lives. Her subjects include
Different troubles with exes; never-end-
The Times – “this collection of ing in-law problems; a wander-
Christmas stories warms.” ing husband choosing between
Binchy writes empathetically his wife and another woman; a
about contemporary ordinary child caught in the grown-up
lives and ordinary people, tug-of-war. However, the read
through ideas of change and is still festive, and complete
character growth. She unveils with charm.
‘A Cedar Cover
Christmas’
Alone and with child, Mary Jo
Wyse arrives in Cedar Cove
on the eve of Christmas in
search of her baby’s father.
Left stranded and confused,
the people of the town are pre-
pared to lend a hand.
fddsafdthestagsurrey.co.uk
26 ARTS: Literature
The Road –
Cormac McCarthy
Hollie Rowe-Roberts
T his post-apocalyptic novel,
dramatic and shocking,
has received honours and pos-
itive acclaim since its release.
The story tells of a man and his
young son travelling America
in a post-apocalyptic era, fear-
ing cannibals and the freezing
cold that could kill them. The
mother commits suicide, as a
‘last gift’ to her son and hus-
band. The horrors the story
describes are shocking, heart-
wrenching and terrifying at
the same time. The story fol-
lows the man and son as they
walk alone through ‘burned
Guildford Waterstone’s Upcoming Events
A Signing with... HARRY HILL
Tuesday 7th December, 12pm
Meet TV's funny-man, Harry Hill, who will be signing copies of his hilarious spoof autobiography, Livin the
Dreem.
Festive Shopping Evening with Surrey Life
Thursday 16th December, 6 - 9pm
Carollers, local authors, children's activities, beer tasting and hand massages at this evening of festive
cheer. Booksellers will be on-hand to help find gifts for even the trickiest of relatives, and Costa will be
open for a well-deserved coffee break.
The Stag
America’, fending for their lives
in a wasteland. The story origi-
nated as McCarthy travelled
through Texas, imagining what
the country may look like in the
future. Entertainment Weekly
reviewed the novel: ‘with its
spare prose, McCarthy's post-
apocalyptic odyssey from
2006 managed to be both har-
rowing and heartbreaking.’The
Road was adapted into a film,
directed by Hillcoat, and was
released in America, late 2009.
Winning the Pulitzer prize for
fiction in 2007, this book is a
must read. It shocks and it ter-
rifies, and is one that lingers
long after it is finished.
Sleep
james castle
D
ark clouds roll through
the night sky, blot out the
moon and blur boundaries
between my reverie and the
very real situation that exists
around me. The screaming
and shouting souls trapped in
this field seep into my con-
scious even as I try to delve
deeper into my own mind.
Surrounded by an impass-
able trench and harried by
the soaring daemons of my
subconscious; we are all
Cornerstone and Random House Digital
launch Simon Pegg digital graphic novel
I mmerse yourself in 68 richly
illustrated pages of the Ad-
ventures of Simon Pegg, an ex-
clusive digital graphic noveli-
sation, inspired by the pages of
Simon’s autobiography, Nerd
Do Well.
The graphic novel app will
be available for purchase on
iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch and
UK Android users from 25th
November for £1.79.
Seamless panel-by-panel view-
ing with transitions and move-
ment and intuitive navigation
controls let you embark on a
unique journey through the
story.
music@thestagsurrey.co.uk
in grave danger. As people
stumble to the floor, and are
so trampled, I open my mouth
and elevate my voice to a
plane beyond this express-
ible world and release a light
to rid us of our vile, inhuman
and depraved situation. Filling
the sky with this strong blue
light I cry murder until we are
all blinded by the energetic
din. The daemons recede and
I awaken to my true being. In
bed. At home. Warm. Safe.
As I stir I hear the familiar
sounds of padding around the
house, microwave warming
food and shower running. I
want to go back to my dream,
where I am powerful; a ro-
mantic saviour that sacrifices
Marvel as his superhero alter-
ego traverses the continents
in his customized Pegg Jet. His
mission: to prevent the de-
struction of all life on earth.
A hilarious and brilliantly
crafted graphic novel featuring
thestagsurrey.co.uk
his sight in transcendence.
Instead I drift in and out in my
banal room, filled with flip-
pant objects and simplistic
colours. I am but the average,
perhaps below. I will walk
out of my room, and shuffle
downstairs. Human feelings
will pervade my body, hunger,
discomfort and boredom in
every part of my being. I shall
see my family in a grim light
and will sit and eat to satisfy
my naïve hunger. But I shall
return to my dream soon and
then I will surpass this earth
bound form, I will control the
infinitude of my mind and
exert my soul on others. I will
become divine. Until then I
doze.
the escapades of Simon Pegg, a
ruggedly handsome superhero
(with a body a bit like Brad
Pitt's from Fight Club and an
almost constant thirst for Coke
Zero) and his ever faithful ro-
botic manservant, Canterbury,
as they fight to stop the world
from exploding. Will they get
to Hendon in time to stop evil
criminal Lord Black from car-
rying out his plan to fire his
ancient Egyptian laser beam
into the sun? Will Simon final-
ly capture the heart of flame
haired French cat burglar, The
Scarlet Panther?
film@thestagsurrey.co.uk
FILM
ollie sim
I n many ways, this list has
come too early. Also, as with
most years I do not have the
privilege of seeing films in ad-
vance of next year’s release
date. For example, Jacques Au-
diard’s A Prophet would have
made the list if it were not for
THE SOCIAL NETWORK
(12A, Dir: David Fincher)
I know I am a Fincherphile
and to me, if anyone is get-
ting closer to being “the new
Stanley Kubrick”, it is David
Fincher. In fact, he could be
better because he is not a di-
rector who rambles or fusses
(which Stanley did a lot in
Eyes Wide Shut). What was a
disappointment for me is that
David Fincher was close to do-
ing just that a couple of years
ago with The Curious Case
of Benjamin Button. To me,
David was smart enough to
realise that the whole project
was a load of hooey.
The Social Network was a
re-affirmation of not only
how smart Fincher is, but
also how he has learnt from
that soft mistake to create
something that is sharp as
a razor blade. Between him
and writer Aaron Sorkin, The
Social Network has been made
into a proper, arrogant, clever
film that was thought of as “a
Facebook movie” at first. You
do not have to look closely to
realise that this is not really
about Facebook. It is about an
obnoxious adolescent group
of people who are trying to
thestagsurrey.co.uk
the fact that it was a film that
opened in 2009. Normally, I
would not really give a fudge,
but it was given a UK cinema
release at the beginning of Jan-
uary 2010. So consider it an
unlucky, but honourable omis-
sion.
As for the year 2010 itself, it
was not much different. There
get to grip on something that
stretches beyond their envi-
ronment.
I think credit does not go
enough towards David Finch-
er. It is a film made with wit,
but what makes it a cut above
a ton of other films with ‘wit’,
is its contempt for the world
in which The Social Network
takes place. When has there
ever been a film where Har-
vard has been portrayed as
a gothic, dank, cesspool of
abhorrence? In many ways, it
traces back to Fincher’s past
films such as Seven, The Game
and Zodiac. The dark shades
cover a screen, which is full of
misanthropy and corruption.
While that is going on, The
Social Network is whizzing
at breakneck speed through
montages, precocious con-
versations that are exciting
and indeed satirical. It is a
film that best portrays pride,
social insecurity and a tech-
nological age that has no signs
of slowing down. It is to David
Fincher and Aaron Sorkin’s
credit that they have created
an impeccable and disturbing
piece of film. It might take a
few goes, but it is remarkable.
were some mainly boring,
substandard summer block-
busters. Inception had every-
one up in arms about how it
was a “smart Hollywood film”.
Ambitious, probably, but lav-
ishly hollow it most certainly
was. I am still getting shtick
from people who are laud-
ing Christopher Nolan as “the
THE FATHER OF MY
CHILDREN (12A, Dir: Mia
Hansen-Love)
There have been three excep-
tional family dramas this year
that have been directed by
female directors. One being
the wonderful The Kids Are
All Right, the second being
Winter’s Bone, and the other
is just that little bit better. The
Father of My Children won the
Special Jury Prize at last year’s
Cannes Film Festival and was
directed by a first-timer.
The story is about depression
and how unlikely a family
crisis can be sparked. Here,
it starts with a man who is a
successful film producer. He
is elegant, calm and at first
slightly unflinching. What
then happens is that the film
is simply about someone who
is trying to juggle film projects
and his relationship with his
WINTER’S BONE (15, Dir:
Debra Granik)
What is scarier than being on
your own? The feeling that
no one around you is there
to help you and that is what
makes Winter’s Bone more
discomforting than any other
horror film I have seen this
year. Everyone is threatening.
Everyone is not to be trusted,
and everyone is loyal only to
the local drug baron. That is
The Stag
new Stanley Kubrick”. All I can
say is, maybe some day, but on
the basis of Inception, in your
dreams.
If there was a particular genre
that was standing out in 2010,
then animation has certainly
had a triumphant one. In the
list that follows, I have had it
family. It sounds kitsch, but
hear me out. It is not a film to
be underestimated.
It is almost hushed in it’s
meaning, but what lies be-
neath is an unpleasant feel-
ing of sorrow and grief at
the heart. The portrayal of
everyday activities around
suburban Paris, coupled with
the misery surrounding the
wife and children is almost
stealthy. The husband has a
why the main protagonist’s
venture is such a perilous one
and she need not of gone far.
Debra Granik directs this
deeply unsettling portrayal of
an Ozark family headed by a
19-year old girl who is threat-
ened out of her own home. In
order to get the house back
she needs information on
what happened to her father
who has put their home up as
collateral for bail. Is he dead
or on the run? Only the locals
know and they are not budg-
ARTS: Film 27
narrowed down from a wider
list of contenders, which con-
sisted of four animated films:
Ponyo, Chico and Rita, The Il-
lusionist (no, not that one) and
Toy Story 3. It has been almost
painful for me to include just
one on the list, however make
no mistake that Toy Story 3 has
had some stiff competition.
need to maintain the respect-
fulness of his job and it covers
what many Hollywood films
would never dream of explor-
ing. That is, how a family can
adapt to a man’s life work. For
The Father Of My Children to
dodge easy sentimentality, it
does not just make it poign-
ant, but also make it one of the
most superior Bourgeois fam-
ily portraits in a long time.
ing.
There are points in the film
where you just do not want
her to know. The 19-year old
girl is strong, but at the same
time has no one to turn to. At
each door she knocks on, truly
frightening people who want
her to drop the subject about
where her father is, confront
her. Winter’s Bone is chilling,
atmospheric and throughout
most of the film, uncompro-
mising. The cast is perfect and
the music is one that develops
28 ARTS: Film
SEX AnD THE CITY 2 (15,
Dir: Michael Patrick King)
Watching the first Sex And
The City movie was really a
miserable experience. One, I
knew about the height of its
popularity and that I would be
scorned for not liking it. Two,
it took forever to get through.
Three, I was starting to ques-
tion the state of the portrayal
of women. But then came the
clincher; it soared to the top
of the box office and I knew
there would be another one.
So, here we are. 2010. A new
Sex And The City film. Surely
this one would be shorter.
Surely they would have grown
up. Surely this one will be
less narcissistic. Surely this
one will be funny! Cue a huge,
great big titanium sledgeham-
mer with the enormous letters
spelling, “NO!”. No, no, no, no,
no, NO!
It was so long that my bum
had disappeared and my seat
was now starting to eat away
at my spine. Sex And The City
2 is two hours overlong and it
does a great job making sure
you feel every, single mind-
numbingly offensive minute
of it. And by offensive, I mean
money hogging, consumer
driven, sexually lame drivel of
the highest order. Kim Cattrall
shouting “Lawrence of my la-
bia!” was repulsive enough for
me and this is from someone
AnOTHER YEAR
(12A, )
CHICO AnD RITA
(15, )
thestagsurrey.co.uk
The Stag
who is doing a dissertation on
Video Nasties.
On one side of my mind there
was an ongoing “You cannot
be serious!”. On the other
was a giant urge to slap every
single last character. I do
genuinely think that Sex And
The City 2 has a huge moral
crisis going on. Not only are
these women consumerist
hogs and humourless, they are
filthy rich. There are a couple
of scenes where you think
reality is going to bite them
where it hurts, but no. Instead
it is whinge, whinge, whinge,
whinge, whinge.
“I want a diamond ring, not a
TV, stupid!”. “I have a separate
apartment in case I feel like
I need to get away from my
Mr. Big.” “I was only express-
ing my sexual urge in ABU
DHABI!”. If your perception of
women is ignorant, horrible,
dumb, money-grabbing pigs,
then this is your film. If not,
then you can do better. There
are plenty of films about wom-
en that are funny, fast mov-
ing, clever and entertaining
such as Now, Voyager, Legally
Blonde, All About Eve, It Hap-
pened One Night (suggested
by Carrie herself), Bring It
On or even Love, Actually
with all its flaws. I have just
had enough of being dragged
through a boring, misogynist,
ill-directed, ill-written, unfun-
ny, overlong crap-fest. Usher,
please Carrie me out!
unCLE BOOnMEE WHO
CAn RECALL HIS PAST
LIVES
(12A, )
EAT, PRAY, LOVE (PG, Dir:
Regrettably, it is no surprise
Ryan Murphy)
to hear that Eat, Pray, Love is
thrice overlong. Or to put it
Poor Julia Roberts. Where
another way: Long, long, long.
is that little career of yours
So what do you get from Eat,
going? Apparently, she is on
Pray, Love? You get Boredom,
holiday. Unfortunately, it is
Tedium, Banality. Don’t forget
depicted as “a journey of self-
Fidgety, Restless, Agitated.
discovery”. So first off, Eat,
The film is Pointless, Nause-
Pray, Love need not have been
ating, Lazy. Any redeeming
a film. You had a ball travelling
features? Scenery, Looks, Nice.
around the world Mrs. Rob-
Would you bother seeing
erts and we are pleased for
it again? No, Probably Not,
you. But we have got lives to
Never.
lead, so please do not make it
into a two hour twenty minute
travel log.
HARRY POTTER AnD THE
DEATHLY HALLOWS
(12A, )
unSTOPPABLE (12A, )
film@thestagsurrey.co.uk
A nIGHTMARE On ELM
STREET (18, Dir: Samuel
Bayer)
Michael Bay, producer, contin-
ues his crusade by drudging
through each and every 80s
horror we ever came to ad-
mire. Here, it is A Nightmare
On Elm Street and every sur-
real aspect and dark humour
from the original is swapped
for shoddy acting, grotty visu-
als and an overall retrograde
approach. It is sad considering
that Terence Davies could use
half of that budget to create
something extraordinary.
This retelling is not scary, but
once again relies on the sound
mixer to give a sudden jolt.
That is not horror Mr. Bay,
that is a cheap sound effect
used to wake the audience
up, before we go back to sleep
again. Most of the sequels to
the original Nightmare on Elm
Street were schlock, but at
least they had Robert Englund.
Jackie Earle Haley just feels
like someone who is taking
this whole charade too seri-
ously. The end result is horri-
bly dull and depressing.
sports@thestagsurrey.co.uk The Stag SPORTS 29

Sports roundup
Shubham Sharma
C ricket - Finally, India can
affirm that it still is the
world’s no.1 test team. The
team was criticized for its
bland performance through-
out the series but the win over
New Zealand by an innings
and 198 runs, which is also the
third greatest win for India in
the history, could anneal the
raised eyebrows. Rahul Drav-
id’s monumental 191 and some
other fine performances by the
bowlers, Harbhajan Singh and
Ishant Sharma led MS Dhoni to
lift the cup. They finished the
series 1-0.
The Ashes are underway in
Australia. A jittery perform-
ance by both the teams in the
first innings of the first test and
then a comeback by England
in the second innings, with
Andrew Strauss and Alastair
Cook slamming centuries, re-
assure that this time again,
Ashes is going to be one great
series. Keep watching!
Tennis - The season ending ATP
World Tour Finals saw a resur-
gent Roger Federer crushing
down the top seed Rafael Nad-
al 6-3, 3-6, 6-1. Federer joined
the likes of Ivan Lendl to win
the event for the record 5th
time which is played by the top
8 ranked players of the world.
Also, it was the first time af-
ter 1986 that the top 2 seeded
players met in the final of this
event. The doubles event saw
the pair of Nenad Zemonjic
and Daniel Nestor winning
for the second time. They de-
feated Max Mirnyi and Mahesh
Bhupathi by 7-6, 6-4.
Golf – Germany’s Martin
Kaymer will finish as Europe’s
top golfer this year as he won
the coveted “Race to Dubai” at
the Dubai World Champion-
ships.
Playing on the Greg Norman-
designed Earth Course in the
Gulf, the German pipped his
only rival, Graeme McDowell
as the Briton finished down the
order. McDowell needed a top-
three result to beat the German
to the pinnacle of the money
list but could manage only a
closing 68 for a six-under-par
tally of 282. Kaymer follows in
the footsteps of heavyweights
such as Seve Ballesteros, Nick
Faldo, Ernie Els and
Colin Montgomerie
by ending the season
as European number
one.
Asian games – The 16th
A total of 45 countries partici-
pated in the event. China won
the glittery gold medal a record
199 times, bettering their own
record of 183 gold medals won
in the 1990 Beijing Games.
China was followed by South
Korea, Japan and Iran. Chinese
shuttler Lin Dan won the Bad-
minton singles and was voted
as the Most Valuable Player
(MVP) of the event. The inau-
gural version of T-20 cricket
was won by Bangladesh who
defeated Afghanistan in the fi-
nals. Indian tennis player, Som-
dev Devvarman took away the
honours in both the
singles and dou-
bles, with Sanam
Singh partnering
him in the latter.
Chinese Peng Shuai
repeated the feat in wom-
en’s tennis, partnered by

The league no one wants to win

Asian games just con- Li Na in the doubles. Ja-
cluded in the beautiful pan walked away with
city of Guangzhou. gold medals in both
a good lead at the top. They are A spectacular men’s and women’s
This strange run of results has
beginning to improve, how- opening cer- football. Malay-
Sam Limbert allowed others clubs to creep
ever, with a 7-1 demolition of emony along sia won the
onto the front three, with Man-
Blackburn Rovers. the Pearl hockey

I t’s considered by many to be chester City, Bolton Wander-

the greatest football league
in the world, but I’m beginning
to wonder if anyone wants it to
win.
At the time of writing, Man-
chester United is currently
leading the table, with Arsenal
and Chelsea closely following.
It all sounds familiar until
a closer look at the results
shows all three of those sides
have suffered surprise results
when they had opportunities
to take control of the division.
Just as they looked set to de-
velop a huge lead over the rest,
the team many thought was
infallible, Chelsea, managed
to lose three league games
in four with defeats against
Liverpool, Sunderland and
Birmingham. However, they
have been holding off oth-
ers behind them due to their
inability to secure expected
points.
Interestingly, Manchester Unit-
ed didn’t lose any of their first
14 matches; yet didn’t build
a lead over the others. They
managed to draw half of those
opening matches, including
losing two goal leads to West
Brom and Everton. Had they
converted any of those draws
into victories, they would have
With the two sides above them
suffering, there have been
many chances for Arsenal
to jump over them both and
take the lead. However Arsene
Wenger’s men, de-
spite looking good
away from home,
have had prob-
lems
winning matches at the Emir-
ates Stadium. The worst ex-
ample came when they faced
North London rivals Totten-
ham, knowing a win would see
them lead the league. Despite
being 2-0 up at half time, the
Gunners ended up losing. Al-
though, like Manchester Unit-
ed, a strong 4-2 win at Aston
Villa hints at improvements.
River gold. It
ers, Tottenham Hotspur and
marked was also
Sunderland all within touching
the open- the best
distance of the top four. The
ing of the games which ever event for India, who fin-
middle of the league is also
ran through 16 days involving ished 6th with 14 gold medals.
heavily bunched up with no
42 sports, with sports such as
side seeming able to put to-
T-20 cricket making the entry.
gether a consistent run of good
results.
Based on current points and
scoring rates, it’ll only need
76 points to win the Premier
League this season. To put
this in context, Chelsea won
the league with 86 points last
season, and it was considered
a more competitive division
then.
Despite the leading sides’
seeming inability to main-
tain a charge for the title,
one team will have to win
in May. I think the Christ-
mas period will be vital
with a plethora of matches
that could see the league be-
come more stretched, and I
feel the team that accumulates
the most points in that time
will go on and win the Premier
League.
Then again, in this season of
shocks, it would be hard to be
surprised if Blackpool were
holding the trophy aloft at the
end of the campaign.

thestagsurrey.co.uk
30 SPORTS The Stag sports@thestagsurrey.co.uk

Surrey Sports Results

Key
Surrey Lose Gold
Surey Win Silver
Surrey Draws Bronze
Ranking
Academic Week 7
Academic Week 8
Sport Opposition Comp H/A Result
Badminton (M1) Imperial 2 BUCS A L 7‐1 Sport Opposition Comp H/A Result

Badminton (M2) ROYAL HOLLOWAY 2 BUCS H D 4‐4 Badminton (M1) St Barts BUCS A W 3‐5

Basketball (M1) Sussex 1 BUCS A L 83‐85 Badminton (M2) ESSEX 1 CUP H W 4‐4
Football (M1) Brighton 4 BUCS A W 1‐4 Basketball (M1) Portsmouth 1 CUP A W 73‐86
Football (M2) Royal Holloway 3 BUCS A L 1‐0
Fencing (M1) Queen Mary's CUP A W 116‐128
Football (M3) SURREY 4 BUCS H W 3‐0
Football (M4) Surrey 3 BUCS A L 3‐0 Football (M1) Sussex 1 CUP A L 2‐1
Football (M5) ROEHAMPTON 3 SESSA H P‐P Football (M2) Middlesex 1 CUP A L 2‐0
Football (W1) ROYAL HOLLOWAY 1 BUCS H L 1‐5 Football (M3) IMPERIAL 1 CUP H L 0‐5
Golf (1) READING 1 BUCS H W 4‐2
Football (M5) NW KENT COLLEGE SESSA H L 0‐5
Hockey (M1) ST MARY'S BUCS H L 1‐3
Hockey (W1) READING 2 BUCS H W 3‐1
Golf (1) Portsmouth 1 BUCS A W 1.5‐4.5
Netball (1) Sussex 1 BUCS A W 33‐39 Hockey (M1) Royal Free UCM 2 CUP A Walkover
Netball (2) Royal Holloway BUCS A W 26‐31 Hockey (M2) PORTSMOUTH 4 BUCS H W 3‐1
Rugby Union (M1) Brunel BUCS A Forteited Hockey (W1) IMPERIAL 1 CUP H L 0‐10
Rugby Union (M2) PORTSMOUTH 4 BUCS H L 7‐8
Netball (1) Sussex 1 CUP A L 35‐31
Squash (M1) LSE 1 BUCS H W 4‐1
Squash (M2) Royal Holloway BUCS A L 2‐1
Rugby Union (M2) THAMES VALLEY 1 CUP H Walkover
Tennis (M1) Royal Free Medics 1 BUCS A W 4‐6 Squash (M1) READING 1 BUCS H L 2‐3
Tennis (M2) ROYAL HOLLOWAY 2 BUCS H W 10‐2 Squash (M2) Queen Mary CUP A W 0‐3
Tennis (W1)
Tennis  Royall Ho
Roya Holloway
lloway 1 BUCS A W 4‐8
Tennis (M1) ST MARY'S 1 BUCS H L 4‐8
Ulimate Frisbee (W) UKU South Uni Womens Comp Tournament REG 5th Place
Tennis (M2) KINGSTON 1 BUCS H W 7‐6
Waterpolo (M) Cambridge U‐Polo A L 2‐16
Waterpolo (W) Kings U‐Polo A W 4‐5
Tennis (W1) Royal Holloway 1 CUP A W 4‐8
Waterpolo (W) Cambridge U‐Polo A L  10‐1 Volleyball (M1) READING 1 BUCS H W 3‐1

Surrey snowboarders do the British time for the team duals; Surrey perience for the Surrey Snow-
being the undefeated cham- boarders and a profitable one
pions from KINGS and having for the Surrey Students Union.

university dry slope competition

(four snowboarders and four and tears all came from the
Erik Story skiers) rallied the support of captain, who broke his thumb
the core of Surrey Snowsports during the warm-ups. The rest
for the epic journey to Scot- of the snowboard team per-

A fter weeks of recruit-

ing, practice and small-
er competitions, the Surrey
Snowsports Race Team was
finally ready to face off against
formidable competition from
other British universities
in the largest UK university
snowsports event on Brit-
ish ground. The team of eight
land. All in all, there were 24
brave men and women who
embarked on the horrendous
overnight drive to Edinburgh
in minibuses limited to below
60mph. Arriving at the crack of
dawn, the racers got ready for
a day of blood, sweat and tears.
Unfortunately the blood, sweat
formed admirably in the indi-
vidual Giant Slalom, with Titus
Trossèl receiving 4th and Jes-
sica Rowden, 8th. The follow-
ing day, our brave team would
be competing in Boardercross
team dual slalom.
After a decent night out, there
weren’t many happy faces won BUDS two years ago, was The snowboarders earned a
around the breakfast table at favoured to win. Alas, the team total of 10 BUCS points that
7am in the morning. However, did not fulfil its destiny. Even weekend, and returned home
as the team drew closer to the with the help of former captain with their heads held high.
Boardercross start, they all got and Surrey Snowboard legend,
their game faces on and were Luke Shaw, the snowboarders
ready for action. In a thriller were not able to beat Glasgow.
of a competition, Jessica Row- Under the longing gaze of the
den fought her way to a 3rd current captain and only a
place, proudly winning BUCS handful of loyal supporters, the
points for the first time. Titus snowboarders were beaten by
Trossèl performed commend- Glasgow’s team.
ably and earned 8th place out
of 62 competitors. Now it was All in all, BUDS was a great ex-

thestagsurrey.co.uk
sports@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Gliding Club
Adam Hoskin
E ver seen videos of people
floating around in those
0g simulating planes for train-
ing NASA astronauts to go into
space? How about the one
with the cat?
Ever wondered what it feels
like? Apart from becoming
an astronaut, or very rich (or
Harlequins VS Newcastle Falcons Whacky Sports: Bossaball
Richard Blackburn
Final Score: Harlequins 28,
Newcastle Falcons 20
T his is your local team. At
only £6 return on the train
it couldn’t be easier to see a
Premiership rugby team. And
on 14th November, I took ad-
vantage of this.
Although passionate and loud,
there was a great family friend-
ly atmosphere, where both sets
of fans sat together to cheer
on their side. And with hot
dog roasts being served and a
man with an alcohol backpack
walking around delivering fans
a personal beer service, I knew
I was in for a good afternoon.
The game itself was equally
as entertaining, with Quins
starting strong, they imme-
diately put the Falcons under
pressure, spending the first 2
minutes on their 5 metre line.
And it wasn’t long before their
relentless start payed off; a
break down the wing tore the
Falcon’s defence apart, and
Quins had a try in the right
corner. Well converted from a
thestagsurrey.co.uk
some kind of NASA test cat)
you may think that zero g is
something you may never ex-
perience. However during
aerobatics you can experience
all types of g forces including
‘zero g’. ‘How do I do aerobat-
ics?’ I hear you ask. With the
University of Surrey Gliding
Club of course!
Gliders, being versatile ma-
chines, can do aerobatics
as well as floating serenely
difficult angle, Quins were off
to a great start: 7-0. The Har-
lequins continued to domi-
nate possession for the first 10
minutes. But after 15 minutes,
Newcastle had warmed up
and began to show resilience.
It wasn’t long before their ag-
gression stamped a hold on
the game, charging back into
the Quins half. Although miss-
ing a penalty from 40 yards out
on 18 minutes, their continued
pressure payed off and earned
them a try just to the right of
the posts on 21 minutes. The
try was easily converted to lev-
el the game at 7 all. Game on.
Quins came back with more
resolve, which Newcastle evi-
around the sky. What, like a
loop, I hear you say? Yes, whilst
looking fragile with their long,
thin, high performance wings,
gliders are actually very strong
and some of the more modern
gliders are capable of aerobat-
ic manoeuvres that would ri-
val an Extra 300, usually seen
pulling 10 g at the Red Bull air
races.
So what is a ‘g’? We experi-
ence 1g normally, this is grav-
ity sticking us to the ground;
reduced g (between 0 and 1
g) is what you feel when you
go over a hump back bridge
or go down in a lift. This can
be experienced in a glider by
pitching the nose of the glider
down, if you do it enough you
get to 0g and into negative g,
this is when stuff starts float-
ing around the cockpit (you
dently couldn’t handle legally,
leading to a sin-binning on 26
minutes, and another 3 points
to Harlequins from the result-
ing penalty. 10-7. Quins went
on to make the extra number
count, using their width well,
and with men over, they had a
break down the left hand side,
leading to a well-taken try: 15-
7. However Quins became com-
placent, and with the Falcons
back to 15 men, Newcastle
capitalised on their sustained
pressure and ended the first
half with a couple of well tak-
en penalties to take the score
to 15- 13. Quins came out for
the second half firing; a quick
penalty on 45 minutes and a
huge drive down the left side
led to a penalty try after the
visitors were penalised for in-
fringements in the scrum. This
was easily converted taking
the score to 25- 13. However
a Falcons break in the centre
of the field because of sloppy
passing by the Quins led to a
converted try for Newcastle,
25- 20. However, a nail biting
finish was avoided by Falcons
foul play arising again, leading
to yet another sin-binning, and
a well taken penalty from the
Quins.
The Stag
can make gloves etc float, good
fun). Continuing on the nega-
tive side of things, if you do a
half roll to inverted (look up
and you see the ground) you
are then at -1g. Going back to
positive, the sharper you turn
in a glider the more positive g
you pull (similar to the ‘spinny
around’ fairground ride you
used to go on). With a loop
you are just turning in a verti-
cal plane the whole time and
can pull up to 6g! When this
happens, your body weighs
6 times as much as it would
under 1g. Loops are the most
basic of aerobatic manoeuvres,
Latoya Andrèe Kessie
I
f you like gymnastics, capoe-
ira, football and volleyball,
then Bossaball may be the new
sport you may want to give a
go. I know, I know... some of
the combinations may sound
quite crazy - it’s not every day I
talk to raving footie fans about
gymnastics, but Bossaball
could possibly change that.
So what is it you ask? Bossaball
is closely related to volleyball
except that the court has an
integrated trampoline on both
sides so players can creatively
find ways to return the ball
to their opposing team from
great heights. Some players
like to use the trampoline to
make significant dives, whilst
others make complex capoeira
style returns.
SPORTS 31
there are also rolls and spins
and various combinations of
all three. As you become more
advanced you end up spending
more of your time inverted or
even flying backwards! There
are also competitions where
you are marked on the accu-
racy of 7-8 manoeuvres put
together in a sequence. This
year Joaquin Perez, Andrew
Darley and I, all took part in
national level aerobatic com-
petitions, coming 4th, 1st and
2nd respectively in our differ-
ent classes.
So there you are, start your
NASA 0 g space training today
with the University of Surrey
Gliding Club. Note: we also do
normal, right way up 1g glid-
ing as well.
No cats were hurt in the mak-
ing of this article...
For more information visit
www.ussu.co.uk/gliding or
email us ussu.gliding@surrey.
ac.uk.
Bossaball is a fairly new sport
as the idea was founded and
developed between 2003 –
2005 and is played in many
countries including Spain,
Mexico, Singapore and Saudi
Arabia. The sport has been
used to create many large tour
events with companies such as
Red Bull, Pepsi and Haribo. It is
often paired alongside exciting
Samba music with Samba ref-
erees to head the game.
Bossaball courts are often
found by the beach and is a fun
sport to check out whilst on
holiday. Check out www.bos-
saballsports.com/en for more
information on how to get in-
volved with a cool and innova-
tive sport.
32 SPORTS
Sports Park discussion hits
home on important issues
Sam Smith
(cont. from front page)
I didn’t take too kindly to this
answer, if students want to use
this ‘wondrous’ location, they
have to make long term com-
mitments, what about monthly
memberships? As if someone
was reading my mind, the
statement came that we need
instalments, full stop. Students
cannot afford the amounts be-
ing charged in one go, however
a direct debit may be more
manageable. One very feisty
The Stag
student started to quote other
University Schemes:
“Glasgow University charges
£15 a year for virtually the
same thing (with what I expect
is slightly downgraded facili-
ties) and Queen Mary in Lon-
don has a £115 fee”
Why can’t Surrey charge some-
thing similar? Greg’s response
was that Surrey’s Sport Park
is better value for money than
these other universities and
that Surrey offered a broader
range of facilities. Iain then
made his first contribution
to the evening. Quoting him-
self: Should students have free
sports? – Yes. Can students
have free sports? – NO, it’s im-
practical. Finally a simple and
honest answer!
Moving on in the evening,
questions were asked about
the promotion of a full and
a club membership and how
paying £95 was simply too
much for students to pay if
they just wanted to play for
a club at University. It was
Gavin’s to answer this one, his
main point being that this club
membership was a very late
decision (September 2010)
and that originally it was to
be £120. He continued to add
that the Sports Park was only 6
months old and that it was still
growing as an organisation;
sports@thestagsurrey.co.uk
however Greg felt the need to left on a great point. The feisty
make additional comments: student was back again, asking
Students are the heart of the for a membership scheme that
sports park... One on-the-ball just involved the swimming
member of the audience didn’t pool. Gavin gave the simple an-
like this one bit. swer – No. If we want to swim,
its £2.50 a go. Well, rightly
“If we’re the heart of the Park, enough the student pounced
why can’t we have priority on this, going on to say that it’s
when it comes to training ses- much too expensive for a sin-
sions!?” gle swimming session and that
this price has obviously been
To which Greg responded “I picked due to prices other
don’t believe that is the case Guildford pools charge. My fi-
here...Our Sports Park is very nal note will simple be this:
complex due to the number of “Prices should not reflect one
sports that occur here...Public of the richest areas in the
outweigh student population”. country, especially when you
have students from all over re-
Unfortunately I couldn’t stay siding there, it should reflect
for the whole session, but I their needs and budgets.”
Sub-aqua club
T he Sub-Aqua club teaches
people to scuba dive dur-
ing the winter at the Spectrum
sea food in the evenings.
We’re hoping to run further
pool and in various inland sites training in the spring so if any-
around the UK. It might be cold one is interested in diving then
but it’s worth it as we go off on you should definitely get in
a weeklong diving holiday to contact.
somewhere nice and hot eve-
ry Easter. There are wrecks,
reefs, caves and loads of fun
with everyone in the club. This
year we’re off
to Malta so if
anyone who
already has a
diving quali-
fication
is inter-
ested,
contact us
at chair@ussac.co.uk.
Over the summer months,
our more experienced
divers go to places
such a Weymouth
where there are loads
of interesting wrecks
to dive, and lots of free
thestagsurrey.co.uk