Issue 27 - University of Surrey Students` Union

Transcription

NEW H.E. LIASON OFFICER
THE STAG MEETS PC EMILY
BAND, THE NEW
CAMPUS CONSTABLE
WIFE CARRYING
EXPLORE THE STRANGE
WORLD OF FINNISH
AND ESTONIAN SPORT
Page 31
Page 11
The Stag
The University of Surrey Students’ Union Newspaper
Tuesday 15th February 2011
FR
EE
Issue Number: 28
UniS maintains
reputation as a
leading institution
FEATURES
Malcolm talks about money,
Georgie asks if you’re too
trusting and Stef talk about
finding a job. Check out the
Sabbs on page 9.
SCI & TECH
Sleep deprivation causes
obesity or not...
Find out on page 18.
CHRIS WHITEHEAD
Communications Offi cer
T
he University of Surrey’s
Annual Review for 2010,
released in early February,
shows how the institution
continues to be one of the leading
places to work and study in the
UK.
The Review, which is
available to read in full via
Surrey Net, begins with a
motivational message from
the Vice Chancellor Professor
Snowden detailing how Surrey
has developed since its younger
days in Battersea over a
century ago. The University
has now entered the top 20 in
The Guardian league table and
entrance levels have risen for
new entrants, marking a rise
in the standards of students
coming to study here.
Further into the Review
various areas of particular
achievement can be seen.
The University has a proud
reputation with its research
facilities and capabilities, and
this has strengthened in the
last year. The Times Higher
Education quotes that “Surrey
conducts the most ef�icient
research of any UK university”,
SOCIETIES
Find out what your favourite
societies have been up to on
page 20. Two great events to
read about
ENTERTAINMENT
Read all about the Oscar
nominations; a review on
Black Swan (from a dancers
perspective) and get your
music’s 5-a-day
SPORTS
University of Surrey campus
an accolade that brilliantly
capture the capabilities of
research academics and staff.
Recent research projects have
improved the �ights against
Tuberculosis and Cancer, while
the Centre for Communications
Systems Research has attracted
nearly £5million of income
from research alone. Overall,
the University has seen a 30%
increase in research awards
being achieved.
A continued focus on space
technology has lead to Surrey
being named number one for
Continued on page 4
News about the Champions
League; read about the
Gliding Club and find out all
you need to know from the
results table on page 30
Editor’s Letter
With the new term starting, everyone is slowly
getting over reading week and getting into the routine
of lectures. It is that time of the year when we are all
glad that January is over but we also miss it because
only a few months left till end of year. All final year
students are probably worried about dissertation
while also being anxious about the vagueness which is
next year. Anyway, good luck with those chapters and
literature reviews!
It is Student Volunteering Week starting 21st
February to 25th February, it is the time to give back to the society and
what better opportunity than join Do>More. Be it Project Leader or just a
volunteer, organising events and helping the community is also an amazing
experience. Apart from that it is also RAG Week starting 21st February in
which RAG has organised a week full of events and opportunities for the
students t help raise and give. Starting with the Safer Sex Ball and ending
with the Jailbreak, it promises to be a week bound to give a great experience.
Have an amazing fortnight, see you next edition!
Mariam
THe next deadline is Friday 18th 2011
Wanted: driver. Email marketing@the stagsurrey.co.uk for more details.
Wanted: photo editor. Email editor@thestagsurrey.co.uk for more details.
Your Executive Team
President | Malcolm Hunt: Ussu.president@surrey.ac.uk
VP Education | Stef Jones: Ussu.education@surrey.ac.uk
VP Welfare | Georgina Hancock: Ussu.welfare@surrey.ac.uk
VP Sports | Trung: Ussu.sports@surrey.ac.uk
VP Societies | Osama Salih: Ussu.Societies@surrey.ac.uk
The Stag is an editiorially independent newspaper and is
published by the University of Surrey Students’ Union.
The Views expressed in the paper are those of the individual
authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the
educational team, the Students’ Union or the University of Surrey.
Surrey & Berkshire Media Ltd.
8 Tessa Road, Reading
RG1 8NS
The Stag reserves the right to edit all submissions and the
right to decide which articles are published.
Please direct all enquiries to the relevant section editors.
Your Stag Team
Your Stag Team
Comms Officer | Chris Whitehead
ussu.communications@surrey.ac.uk.
Editor | Mariam Nasir
editor@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Deputy Editor (Design) | Bakita Kasadha
design@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Design Team | Zoe Kitchener, Rowan Ling, Amrin
Lokhandwalla, Jack White, Stacey Hunter &
Charlotte Clarke
Deputy Editor (Marketing) | Eunice Njag
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Marketing Officers | Harriet Drudge , Imogen Jones &
Kristel Tchamba
News Team
News Editor | Tom Goulding
news@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Team | Andrew Markland & Jack White
Features Team
Features Editor | Jyoti Rambhai
features@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Team | Charlie-Louise Akintino & Fran White and
(Fashion) | Christie Campbell &Nisha Aubeeluck
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
Entertainment Team
Dance & Theatre Editor | Rachel Gildea
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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
music@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Team: Liam Conroy
Sports Team
Sports Editor |Marisa Guerreiro Da Costa
sports@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Copy Editors | Emma Armitage, Vijay Bhaskar,
Yemi Dipeolu, Nicole Vassell & Faha Zahid
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Webmasters | Ankur Banerjee & Andy Smith
webteam@thestagsurrey.co.uk
The Stag
NEWS 03
News
Million Mile
Row for Charity
Rob Nolan
News Reporter
O
n Friday 4th February,
The University of Surrey
Boat Club Rowing Team
descended upon the amphitheatre, armed with four rowing
machines, with the aim of completing a million metres rowing
through the night in aid of Parkinson’s UK and USBC.
The rather grey and damp
weather
conditions
were
awakened by the presence of
bright yellow and blue splash
jackets, the whirring of the
rowing machines and the shaking
of collection tins, quickly filling
due to the generous donations of
students and staff. Fortunately,
the severe wind did not disrupt
the event, and USBC continued
to rack up the metres.
Since being diagnosed
with Parkinson’s, he has
not let the illness get in
his way
As darkness fell, the club
retreated indoors to the Austin
Pearce foyer to continue rowing
through the night, an ample
supply of Red Bull motivated the
night shift of rowers to keep on
going, with Fran Lee, women’s
captain rowing through the
half million mark just before
midnight. More rowers joined
the effort after a visit to
Rubix, some sporting togas,
unorthodox attire for rowing,
but this only added to the spirit
of the proceedings.
As the sun rose, the rowers
continued to plough down the
distance and relocated to the
Brooklands Tesco and M&S for
the remainder of the challenge.
President,
Rob
Nolan,
commented, “I am extremely
proud of everyone in the club
who has dedicated so much time
and effort for this challenge,
Parkinson’s UK is a great charity
to be working with to raise funds
for the vital work that they do.
A big motivation for the club
was Roddy Lee, the women’s
captain’s father, since being
diagnosed with Parkinson’s, he
has not let the illness get in his
way and has raised thousands of
pounds with sponsored events
for Parkinson’s UK. The funds
raised for the club will enable us
to buy a new set of rowing oars
and maintain our existing oars
to compete at BUCS in May and
Henley in June.”
Did you know?
One person in
every 500 has
Parkinson’s. That’s
about 120,000
people in the UK.
Nick Bright helping with the million mile row
Protect International Student’s Rights
NUS
P
Coutesy of Students’ Union
Steve the Stag embracing multiculturalism
Surrey
Does
Thorpe
Park
roposals by the UK Border
Agency to change the Tier
4 visa system will limit the
number of international students
coming to study in the UK.
International students are
important to this country as
they boost the UK economy by
£12.5 billion a year, according to
the British Council.
The proposals would:
• Restrict the number of
institutions that can offer access
courses below degree levelmany international students
use this as a way of gaining the
skills needed to study at a UK
institution;
• Raise the English level
requirement for non-native
English speakers;
• Close the Tier 1 post study
work route;
• Remove access to a poststudy work visa
• Limit the entitlement of
students to work and sponsor
dependants.
•
All
these
measures
would dramatically decrease
the number of international
students coming to the UK and
prevent many from making
a great contribution to this
country.
• Around 46 per cent of
international students come
through some kind of subdegree preparation course.
StudyGroup estimates that
20,000 people who work at
institutions offering access to
higher education courses for
international students could
lose their job as a result of the
proposed changes.
Make sure you
book your seat on
Saturday
2nd April
Buy your tickets
in the
Union Shop
For more information
www.ussu.co.uk/
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NEWS
04
The Stag
Courtesy of the University of Surrey
Courtesy of the University of Surrey
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A happy Professor Snowden
Did you know?
University of Surrey graduates are the most
employable in the UK, according to recent
data published by the Higher Education
Statistics Agency (HESA). It discovered that
96.9% of Surrey students were found to be in
employment six months after they graduated
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Community bene�its are
varied
volunteering �inancial time for the higher
also documented. The Review and
says that students living in and projects for students that education sector.
Professor Snowden says that
around the campus contribute bene�it communities around
around £100million to the Guildford, Surrey and the world, Surrey “continues to prosper
region, while the University is with several students winning academically and �inancially,
one of the largest employers in national awards for their meeting the challenges of the
commitment.
recent
government
policy
the area.
Other areas noted include changes”, and that the University
Continued
hosting
of
special interest lectures and the increasing satisfaction in remains committed to enhancing
debates, arts exhibitions and the overall student experience student experience.
performances and engagements through new modern facilities
Continued from front page
(Subject to change)
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thestagsurrey.co.uk
We stock all of your
morning and lunchtime
essentials and double up as an
international food store on campus!
The Stag
‘Soft’ Subject Students “Avoiding a
Challenge”, States New University Guide
TOM GOULDING
News Editor
F
resh evidence has emerged
that top universities are
more likely to accept students who study traditional
subjects at A-level. The Russell
Group, a lobbying organisation
for Oxford, Cambridge and several other elite universities across
the country, has published a
guide that recommends students
to take Maths and Science if they
want to succeed in gaining a
place at a prestigious institution,
rather than the ‘soft’ subjects
that many choose to opt for.
The
guide
reinforces
rumours that steering clear of
traditional options may damage
a student’s university prospects,
stating, “If you plan to take more
than one perceived ‘soft’ subject,
some caution may be needed.” It
goes on to ask students why they
might be avoiding a “challenge”,
in favour of such subjects as
media studies, art and design,
photography
and
business
studies. However, the guide
does not go so far as to con�irm
what constitutes a ‘hard’ or
‘soft’ subject, only that the latter
courses may be “vocational or
have a practical bias.”
The universities minister
David Willets has praised
the guide as a “welcome step
towards leveling the playing
�ield for prospective students”,
after previously telling vice
chancellors last year that he
believed in “pushing for greater
transparency” to reveal how
places in higher education are
decided by top institutions.
Education Secretary Michael
Gove also responded to the
revelations, stating that an
entire generation had been
misled over which quali�ications
matter in the long term. He
said, “A generation have been
betrayed by Labour ministers
who denied poorer children the
chance to go to top universities.”
Shadow Education Secretary
Andy
Burnham
retorted,
criticizing the attitude of the
coalition government and The
Russell Group towards so-called
‘soft’ subjects. “We must also
focus more on developing routes
into work for young people who
don’t plan to go to university.
Michael Gove has very little to
say to these young people, and
his curriculum and league table
reforms are sending a very
clear message that vocational
learning is second best”, he said.
espond with the previous
Labour Government’s support
of vocational courses. In 2004,
only
15,000
non-academic
quali�ications were undertaken
in schools, compared to almost
575,000 by 2010.
There is also concern that
the recommendations made
by the guide are convoluted,
and insinuate that many wellestablished A-level courses are
obsolete in light of the complex
screening process administered
by elite universities. Science and
Maths are almost universally
acknowledged as respectable
A-levels, even if they are
irrelevant to the prospective
student’s chosen degree. Other
examples in the guide reveal
that students should take a
History A-level to study Law
at university, and an English
A-level to study History.
The debate over what
constitutes
an
important
TOM GOULDING
News Editor
L
iberal Democrat Councillor,
Chris Ward, has warned
that frequent �looding in
the underpass between campus
and Tesco poses a risk as well as
a hindrance to students.
Last month, �looding in the
smaller of the two underpasses
caused major disruption
to students who use the
pedestrian route to travel to
and from Tesco, the hospital
and the research park.
On one occasion, over two
feet of rainwater was recorded
in the passageway, forcing
students to cross the A3 slip
road.
Councillor Ward, who
brought the dangers of using
the slip road to the attention
of Surrey County Council, said
he had “advised alternative
pedestrian routes” to students.
He also urged the Council to
ensure that drainage problems
were investigated and �ixed to
prevent �looding in the future.
“The underpass was �looded
twice in one week and it is
clear there is another factor
rather than just rainwater
gathering. It was reported to
me that over�lowing drainage
was pumping water into the
underpass.”
He added, “My colleagues and
I will keep up the pressure to
ensure this problem is resolved
permanently.”
Surrey County Council has
so far declined to release a
statement regarding the issue.
Complete the national student survey
visit the website from 7 february
survey for
An independent
rgrAduAtes
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finAl-ye
OPENING TIMES
MONDAY TO SATURDAY
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11.00AM - 11.00PM
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RAG WEEK BEGINS
11.00AM - 8.30PM
21ST OF FEBRUARY
11.00AM - 7.30PM
MONDAY TO FRIDAY
SATURDAY & SUNDAY
22nd March in Rubix
subject for prospective students
to study is still ongoing. In
response to Gove’s recent
support to reintroduce Latin to
Did you know?
the school curriculum, Burnham
argued, “It is a strange message
indeed in this day and age to say
it’s OK to do Latin but not ICT.”
17/0
to
23/0
Tickets £7.50
NOW on sale in
the Bookshop
In 2010 traditional subjects remained
the �irm favourites with students, with
English, maths, biology and history - as
well as psychology - the most popular
choices.
Safety Concerns Raised Over Underpass Flooding
Drainage problems resulting in �looding force
pedestrians to �ind alternative routes to a from Tesco
NEWS 05
Courtesy of Louisa Wenham
Buy online | www.seetickets.com
SURREY DOES
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25-28TH
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JACK WHITE
News Team
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EMBATTLED NUS President,
Aaron Porter has again
Tickets been
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students, this time at Glasgow
University.
Porter was in Glasgow for the
Young Labour conference last
weekend, when he took time out
to visit the university. Students
there have occupied and reopened
the Hetherington Research Club,
hitherto the union and society for
Glasgow postgraduates. The club
£2
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Students were angry over Mr
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NEWS
The Stag
Off Campus
TOM GOULDING
News Editor
I
n an attempt not to retread
common ground, this edition
of Off Campus! will focus solely on the headline-grabbing revolutionary chaos, which is still
developing in Egypt. Apologies
in advance if this is already old
news by the time you’ve picked
up your fresh copy of The Stag,
but the alternatives included the
further exploration of Silvio Berlusconi’s perverted sex life, or another bumbling BBC apology for
Top Gear’s politically incorrect
middle-aged waf�le.
In case you’ve spent reading
week lying in your own �ilth,
watching episodes of Sun, Sex
and Suspicious Parents, here is
a recap of exactly what’s been
happening in Egypt. On January
25th, a day that coincided with
an Egyptian National Holiday,
thousands of people took to the
streets of Cairo and other major
cities, in order to protest against
their leader, President Mubarak.
After the Tunisian revolution
last month, neighbouring Arab
states are quickly waking up to
the idea that change is possible.
Egypt is a traditionally passive
nation, but years of political
suppression, phony elections
and economic fragility have
�inally led to its people saying
enough is enough.
Cynics would also argue that
Mubarak is a Western stooge,
a US-sponsored dictator who
has only held on to power due
to a state of emergency law,
which has ruled in Egypt for
over four decades. Under the
rule of emergency law, political
opponents can be detained
and the police given greater
freedom to use force to maintain
public order. There are 17,000
known detainees currently
incarcerated under this law, with
some estimates doubling the
initial �igure. Censorship is also
condoned by the establishment;
until three weeks ago the only
way an article even objectively
referring to the possibility of
revolution would have seen
publication in Cairo, would
have been at the expense of the
journalist’s personal freedom.
The Muslim Brotherhood,
a group that has been named
as predominantly responsible
for the Egyptian uprising, had
previously been targeted by the
emergency law and declared
as a threat to the people. Until
the demonstrations picked
up momentum, the United
States was in favour of this
arrangement, but the increasing
Egyptians unite against tyrannical leader
popularity of the group among
the protestors has forced the
once pro-Mubarak nation to
reconsider its position. US
Secretary of State Hilary Clinton
has gone so far as to welcome
the
Muslim
Brotherhood’s
participation in talks to end
the chaos on the streets of
Cairo. It comes as no surprise
to many commentators that
Obama would rather stabilize
the situation in order to
secure the investments his
administration has made in the
Egyptian military, rather than
hang on in support of Mubarak,
whose pro-Israeli views make
him a bene�icial ally, albeit an
expendable one.
At the moment, concessions
are still being negotiated
between the US, Mubarak’s
government and pro-democracy
groups to end the demonstrations
and restore order to Egypt.
There are rumblings that
suggest many of the protestors
will not accept the introduction
of more liberal policies, but will
instead call for the ousting of the
current government altogether.
Thousands have already been
killed or injured in clashes
between rival factions on the
ground, and skirmishes with
the police. At present Mubarak
has only con�irmed that he will
not run for President during the
elections in September but is
determined to stay on, arguing
if he leaves now there will be
chaos. In the days to come,
this declaration could cost him
dearly.
Complete the National Student Survey
Visit the website from 7 February
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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
The Stag
FEATURES 09
Features
Let’s Talk
About Money
MALCOLM HUNT
USSU President
M
oney is an amazingly
complex thing. I should
know – I spent many a
painful hour in the �inal year of
my degree pouring over bonds
and derivatives, markets and
currencies.
Thankfully most of that stuff
doesn’t matter to you; the happy
student. To you money is what
you pay at Tesco when you want
to buy food. A ‘hedge’ is something to avoid on your way back
from Rubix rather than a method
of �inancial risk mitigation.
But there are a couple of
things about money that really
do matter to you. Firstly, how
much you have (or don’t have)
and secondly what you get in
return when you have to give it
away.
Take, for example, £20
pounds of your hard earned Sterling. When you part with your
£20 in exchange for dinner out
with your friends you’re probably quite happy. You’ll laugh and
talk; drink and eat; �inish and
As a charity we don’t
have any shareholders
at all; all we have is our
student members.
pay. Great! Money well spent.
But what if that money goes elsewhere? What if instead of a fun
evening with your pals your cash
is wasted on something rubbish,
like an X Factor Christmas single?
Result: you’re pretty peeved.
So whenever you give away
your pounds and pennies you
want to be getting something
back. Well, what about if you did
get something back, not once, but
twice? That’d be awesome right?
Well, funnily enough that’s
what I can offer you whenever
you visit Rubix, Chancellors, the
Living Room or the Union shop.
When you go into a normal
shop you’ll pay your money into
the till. The money is then used
to pay some bills, some staff and
various other things. What remains is given to the people who
own the business – the shareholders.
In the Students’ Union it’s
a bit different. As a charity we
don’t have any shareholders at
all; all we have is our student
members. Your money will go
into the till just the
same. It will pay the
bills and the staff just
the same. But at the end
of the day all the money
that’s left over will be
paid back to you – in the
form of club and society subsidies,
subsidised
minibuses,
more money
for student
projects and
refurbishing
the building.
So remember that next time
you pop down to Channies for a
bite to eat: you’re kind of paying
yourself. That’s what we mean
when we say ‘not for pro�it, just
for students’.
Until next time, have a great
week.
Are You Too Trusting?
Students invite crime by leaving ground-�loor windows open
GEORGIE HANCOCK
USSU VP Welfare
S
o it’s been a very busy few
weeks in the world of welfare. Now students have
�inished exams it seems every-
one has some time to spend on
other things, meaning I have
been preparing for lots of activities. Housing Awareness Week
will have happened by the time
you read this and hopefully it will
have been a big success.
On the 1 February I organised
a free self-defence class to which
30 people turned up. It was a
good giggle and I personally
learnt some new skills. The
reason behind this was to give
people some empowerment if
they felt threatened and it is part
of a campaign I’m running based
on the Hidden Marks report, by
the NUS.
Another element of the
campaign was to look at security
on campus. I went for a walk
around last week with members
of security, estates and the Police.
I was shocked by the number of
people who live in ground �loor
accommodation who had left
their windows open and weren’t
in their room. I could have easily
popped my hand in and taken a
I could have easily...
taken a good handful of
laptops.
good handful of laptops. Whilst
Surrey is one of the safest places
in the country, no one is immune
to crime. If you leave your
window open then it is an open
invitation for a burglar to steal
your laptop, with all your work,
all those cherished photos and
memories that you haven’t saved
elsewhere.
Please just think about where
your room is and how easy it
might be to nick your laptop.
Don’t make it easier by leaving
your window open.
Other than that, everything
else is ongoing: still doing work
with Arriva Buses to make sure
that they are improving, and
feedback would be welcomed. I
am also working with Guildowns
Health Centre and the University
to see where there might be
gaps in provisions for students
and making sure students get
the best quality of care possible.
This links in with the big changes
going on in the health services
and �ighting to make sure
students don’t lose out.
If you have any interesting
ideas in relation to welfare
please let me know by popping
in to see me or emailing me at
ussu.welfare@surrey.ac.uk.
Can’t Find Your
Path in Life?
You’re Not Alone
STEF JONES
USSU VP Education
F
or those of you that had exams in January I hope you
all enjoyed a well-rested
Reading Week. After exams I used
to enjoy spending at least one
whole day in my pyjamas eating a
large amount of food and watching �ilms that required little brain
power. However this time I have
been a little more productive. I
have attended meetings about the
National Student Survey (NSS)
and the Professional Training
Year along with �ilming for MAD
TV’s new episode.
So now we are in Semester
Two; Reading Week is over and
students are back to lessons. The
�irst-year students are beginning
to realise that next year it gets
serious; some second-years are
interviewing and �inalising their
placement; and �inal-year students are starting to realise that
this is the �inal hurdle. I assure
you everything does work out for
the best, but if you have concerns,
I can help you or point you in the
direction of someone who can.
The next step for me in life is
�inding a job. Now this has begun
to panic me, I sometimes feel like
I am the only person who can’t
decide what I want to do in life.
Every time I go onto a job search
sight I never know where to start!
I took twenty minutes of my
day to �ill out those what-jobyou’re-most-suited-for tests. The
results said betting shop manager.
I mean seriously? So at this point
I decided it was time to pay a visit
to Careers. If there are any people out there who are panicking
about the future, I would suggest
just booking an appointment just
to give yourself a helping hand on
how to look for a job.
thestagsurrey.co.uk
The Stag
10 FEATURES
Inception: The Visions
& Dreams of Revolution
© Darkroom Productions
Democracy • Tyranny • Oppression • Revolution
HANANE ZAHROUNI
Features Team
A
n idea so simple yet so
dif�icult to obtain, has been
planted into the minds of
Arabs from the beginning ¬– is
beyond containment – yet the
government continues to resist.
A pattern that has been set in
Tunisia and a �lag that represents
more than an act of protest; but
a connection, admiration and
inspiration to Egypt in wanting
their say, has been on the move.
Tunisia is now a dream come
true. The Dictator and President,
Ben Ali, who was once fearsome
and thought to be invincible, fell
and �led rapidly. After 23 years of
suffocation, he and his controlling
family were �inally demolished by
the citizens.
Whilst the challenges are
awesome, the seeds for planting
democratic dreams have begun by
the display of people’s power in
Tunisia.
Now, after 30 years of Hosni
Mubarak, Egypt is behind in
economic development and lacks
democracy as well as distributive
justice. The country and its people
have suffered incredibly.
From tear gas to rubber bullets,
being crushed alive by army tanks
and shot out of arrogance are the
few methods of torture that have
killed the people of Egypt, yet
Police conditioned by the
president’s regime detained
people in captivity without trials.
It was they, not the citizens
corrupting the country, by
The incapacity to dream is a
slow death. The Tunisian street
vendor, Mohamed Bou’azizi’s
act of suicide by burning, on
17 December resonated with
made them all stronger – stronger
to �ight for freedom!
Christopher Nolan’s Inception
had a goal, a motive where “once
an idea takes hold of the brain, it
is almost impossible to eradicate.”
Nolan’s
leitmotif
�inally
released shockwaves and a
powerful resonance in the Middle
East including both Tunisia and
Egypt. There was no democracy,
no freedom of speech, nor the
right of vote. Educated citizens
�led their country from fear of
his torture and the ones that
remained were either imprisoned
or manipulated to his command.
He was not expecting a new
generation of well-educated
citizens to refuse his authority.
burning down stores and supplies,
murdering and raping innocent
citizens in front of their families
and burning prisoners alive.
Conditions such as education
and employment across the whole
of Egypt have been deteriorating
for most people, leaving more
than half the nation in poverty
and causing an
economic
meltdown after stealing the
country’s resources and history.
The government is undertaking
“reforms” allowing monopolists
to get richer, regardless of how
the rest of the Egyptians are
doing. They are corrupt to their
bones, forging votes, denying the
people any form of speaking their
true voices.
all those concerned with the
human condition. The ensuing
engagement through Twitter,
Facebook, rap music and fearless
protest in Tunisia – and right
now in Egypt – represent a united
stand for popular independence.
For Mubarak’s era, the end is
approaching after almost 30 years
“From Tunis to Cairo, the ‘people’s power’ and our faith represents a
watershed, an Inception in the making and not dictators that are invincible.
It now serves as a river of democratic streams with a �ierce ‘thirst for selfgovernance by the oppressed across the Arab geography.”
In memory of all of my family and friends who gave their life for the freedom of their children. God
Bless all of you. Special thanks to Larbi Sadiki, Senior Lecturer in Middle East Politics at the University of Exeter for his help and comments on this article.
thestagsurrey.co.uk
of ruling a dead-end government,
whose army far outweighs that
of the ousted Ben Ali in size,
strength and loyalty. It prevents
a repeat of the Tunisian scenario;
the impending doom has already
been decided in the streets of
Egypt.
The words Ben Ali articulated
a little too late were: “I have got
the message.” The sooner both
governments declare that, the
better life is for Tunisia, Egypt and
the rest of the Middle East.
Attempting to follow a
peaceful route by signing a
freedom statement was exiled
and the signers were shadowed.
Egyptians have been left with no
other choice. It is their right to
live, and to have a better life for
their children. A change is due:
now.
The Stag
FEATURES 11
An Interview with an Officer
study business or not. At what
other time in life can you work
five different jobs (and still sleep
in till 11am), start your own business with financial backing from a
charity (the University), or rake in
some daily cash from simply letting people look at your bedroom
for five minutes? Add to that the
wealth of experts on your doorstep in any field on Earth and you
have a winning combination.
It is said the four things you
need to start a business are
knowledge, capital, drive and
commitment. The first two are
readily available from Universities across the country so you are
already half way there.
If you feel like you can provide the rest then why not go for
it? Whoever you are there will
be something that you are good
at, and chances are someone else
wants what you can give.
Few can match our agility in
exploiting personal talents as we
are yet untainted by the grind of
corporate life. Remember, that it
has been decided by birth that the
next generation of managers, en-
Editor
Courtesy of the University
T
PC Emily Band, the new Higher Education Liaison Officer for the
University’s Stag Hill campus.
PC Band’s Top Five Security Tips
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Shut windows and lock them even if you leave
the room for thirty seconds – that is all it takes
for someone to steal a laptop.
Lock your door: if your neighbour left their window open, they provide access to your room!
Hide valuables whenever you leave your room –
out of sight, so criminals might not make effort
to find them.
Mark items with UV pens so that if they are found
the police are able to track them back to you.
Be responsible: if you see anything or anyone
suspicious call security or 999.
Get Rich Quick (But You
Will Probably Die Trying)
Peter Bailey
Contributor
A
s students in uncertain
times, many of us face the
challenge of how to earn a
crust. Past the initial elation of receiving loan payments, it doesn’t
take long for the cold hard truth of
overdrafts to settle in. That is unless of course you are one of the
‘Van Wilders’ of this life in which
case what I have to say still applies (if anything more so).
You might be reading this expecting a get-rich-quick scheme
which you can read, start up, and
cash out before you have time to
finish your coffee. Unfortunately
that isn’t going to happen. The
days of “easy money” are gone,
much like the days of cheap oil.
With the rapid pace of today’s
business there is the real danger
that the majority of easy revenue streams have already been
tapped. Much like the oil industry
we are now left sifting through
sand and deep pools for something that used to spring up so
readily.
Sure genuine innovation still
shines through from the Zuckerbergs and Jobs’ of this world,
but as the various incarnations of
their stories will show, it is rarely
an easy process even if the eventual business looks like a personal
license to print money.
But never fear because you are
sitting on a goldmine, although as
the Chileans will testify mining is
rarely easy. University life is riddled with opportunities which are
ripe for the picking whether you
M:
E:
M:
E:
M:
E:
M:
E:
M:
E:
the Disney magic. It was a bit
different from my usual holidays, before that I went to
Uganda.
What is your favourite place
to be?
Relaxing somewhere with a
cocktail in my hand.
Where are you planning to go
for your next holiday?
That would be my honeymoon; I am getting married
in September. We are going
to Zambia, Botswana, Namibia and South Africa. Camping
out the whole time, not at all
luxurious but adventurous!
What annoys you most about
students?
When they are drunk and
won’t go home.
What do you like most about
them?
They are very chilled and
friendly – happy to chat to
me.
What is an interesting fact
about you?
I had 7 piercings, a tattoo
and purple hair at one stage
in my life! Also, I joined the
police force at the age of 19.
Choices:
Iphone/Blackberry?Iphone
Facebook/Twitter? Facebook
Starbucks/Costa? Starbucks
Grease/Dirty Dancing? Dirty
Dancing
Tea/Coffee? Coffee
© epsos.de
he new addition to campus
staff is Emily Band, a police officer from our local
county who is stationed on campus. Her official title being Higher
Education Liaison Officer, she is
here to deal with any problems on
campus, providing reassurance,
reducing crime and essentially
building and strengthening links
between students and the police.
At the moment she is stationed in
town but soon she will be available at Senate House where the
rest of the security staff is situated. As she just started work a
couple of weeks ago, her daily
routine involves meetings and
getting to know the campus and
its staff.
As part of raising crime awareness around campus, PC Band is
working closely with VP Welfare
Georgina Hancock, “Emily is a
fantastic addition to the university. It’s great to have someone to
work with on issues like security
and offer extra protection to students on campus. We have some
excellent ideas in the pipeline and
I’m looking forward to testing
them out!” The addition of lights
around campus is one of the joint
efforts between the university
and the students union.
Her job title may be a bit intimidating to some but PC Band
is one of the easiest people to
talk to. When I met her for this
interview, I was a bit intimidated
by the uniform but I soon came
to find that behind all that she is
just as friendly as any member
of staff. After the formal part of
the interview was over, I learned
that not only did she go through a
punk stage but that Jersey Shore
is her guilty pleasure! Read on
more to get to know your police
officer better.
Mariam: What is your favourite
song?
Emily: My Ipod has literally
everything on it. I’m
a closet Beyonce fan.
I like Stereophonics a
lot as well as cheesy
musical songs – Moulin
Rouge and Dirty Dancing are definitely in my
favourites!
M: What is your favourite TV
show?
E: Eastenders! I am totally obsessed with it, never miss a
single episode. I like cooking shows like Master Chef
as well. And of course, Jersey
Shore is my guilty pleasure.
M: Favourite Film?
E: That would be Moulin Rouge;
I recite every word to it,
much to the annoyance of my
fiancé. And then I start singing
M: What do you do in your spare
time?
E: I try going to the gym, trying
to love it. Take my dog for
a walk. Oh and I live for my
holidays!
M: So where was your last holiday?
E: It was to Florida, got to love
Mariam Nasir
trepreneurs and directors are already among us. All that remains
to be decided is, will it be you?
If you are interested in business
and want to take up any of the opportunities mentioned here, then
please contact me at pb00009@
surrey.ac.uk.
thestagsurrey.co.uk
The Stag
12 FEATURES
Take a leap. Make some
sort of New Year love life
resolution, especially for
the day.
Couplets
Valentine’s: a Quick Guide
for Singletons and Couplets
Samantha Arnold
Get together with some
of your single friends and
do something different.
Try ice skating, hitting
the cinema or better yet
go see ‘The Blanks’ perform at the Union (they’re
performing on Valentine’s
Day).
• Failing that, how about
dedicating a little more
time to the most important individual: you. Take
a break from work and
enjoy a little rest and relaxation.
Guys:grab a beer, play
some Xbox and/or
watch a match.
Girls:grab a glass of wine,
a romantic movie
and your favourite
magazine.
• If this doesn’t work, then
do something to make
sure next year is not the
same. Go to the many
singles night. If you’re
normally a shy person,
this is your time to shine.
Contributor
Singletons
If you’re single, chances are
the 14 February is the only day of
the year where you’ll consider a
criminal record, more than willing to strangle every couple that
dares to walk past. If time inside
isn’t for you, perhaps you’ll ring
every singleton in town and find
a date for this one day a year –
just so you don’t feel alone.
It’s apparent that this time
of the year has become the cornerstone for couples across the
UK to flaunt their relationship
status.
Don’t fear, although normal, this feeling is completely
unfounded. So what if some of
your friends celebrate their love
for the day? You get to celebrate
being single all year!
• Remember: it is just another day, a holiday created by the card companies!
Love Letters?
Jyoti Rambhai
Features Editor
H
ow many of you would be
surprised if I said that love
letters are a dying phenomena? Well it’s true.
Recent surveys have shown
that love letters are becoming a
thing of the past. Instead, people
send love text messages or emails.
I asked some random Surrey
students, “Whether they would
send either love letter or a love
email/ text message to their partner,” and it seems that it is 50/50
over here. But that’s not the case
everywhere.
Sending a love email or text
message is a lot more convenient,
I give you that. But it takes away
the whole essence of a love letter.
Writing a letter makes it more
personal. You could spray it with
perfume or embed a rose in it –
it’s just him/her and you know
they took the time and effort to
write those words, to think about
you. It is keepsake. Sure you can
print out an email, but how do
you know they haven’t just copied
and pasted it, they haven’t added
that touch of them on it? It’s not
the same.
Writing love letters isn’t just
for those in a relationship – it can
be a way to initiate one. It doesn’t
have to be a long letter, just a couple of lines to bring a smile on that
special person’s face and show
that you are thinking of them.
thestagsurrey.co.uk
If you’re in a relationship,
you’re probably wandering what
to get your sweetheart. Common
questions include: what they’ve
got you and how best to spend
the day; do you spend lots to
impress or is the cheap-yet-personal approach better? There’s
no clear cut answer, but a clear
indication is how long you’ve
been together.
New relationships (up to 6/9
months or so) – Don’t try to be
overly sentimental. You might
scare your partner, and no-one
wants to end Valentine’s Day
with a TV dinner in hand! By all
means get presents, but try not
to get silly expensive ones. It’s
what’s on the inside that counts.
At this point the most important thing is THE CARD!
I also would not recommend
going to a restaurant or drinks at
a bar or cook a meal at home.
Long term relationships (6/9
months to forever) – The problem with long term relationships
is you usually try to get a present to beat last year’s Valentine’s
Day (or each other’s presents).
Try and think of something different to do – it’s the time you
spend together that counts.
Take your partner for a picnic (if
the weather is happy to oblige).
London Dungeons is always a
good one – men get to be the macho protectors and women get to
be damsels in distress.
Of course for anyone, whether single or not, there is always
the favourite option: completely
ignore it because, let’s face it,
does it really mean anything to
you? Surely you don’t need an
excuse to go out as a couple or
find yourself a partner...
"Y'know what really
grinds my gears?":
People Who Can’t Take the Hint
Bakita Kasadha
Deputy Editor
I
know a lot of you will probably
agree with this one if you don’t
it’s probably you that can’t
take the hint!
Example one: I watched my
work mate (we work in a bar)
serve this guy she was polite
enough.
“What can I get you?”
“What beer do you drink?”
“Oh I can’t stand beer/lager, I
wouldn’t be much help.”
“Well what else do you drink,
I’ll buy you that.”
“(pause) Sorry I can’t drink at
work.”
“How about orange juice?”
“Get that for free.”
“Oh well, how about—”
“So what would you like to
drink again? (Please take the
hint)”
Example 2: constantly updating your Facebook status in hope
of a comment, but failing that
happily settling for a couple ‘likes’.
Clearly, you’re not that interesting. Take the hint. Or (let’s have
a positive mental attitude) you’re
Facebook friends just don’t have
the right banter – delete them and
start again.
Which annoyingly brings
me onto my next irritation (yes
people, 2-in-1): my Facebook addiction. I’m not one of those previously mentioned (people are
jumping all over my status). But
why do I feel this constant need
to refresh my page and hope I
get a white number in a red background on the top left hand corner
of my Facebook page? This problem has resulted in me living two
lives: one as Bakita Kasadha and
the other as ‘Bakita Masala’ (my
alter ego) who is far more interesting. She (rightly or wrongly) is
irritated by people who comment
on their posts.
I do it, but only if you do it to
me. Is it that you have to have the
whole conversation on your wall?
Is it that you’re just too lazy to
click on my name, type a couple
of words and click post. Or is it
(as I suspect), you want to appear more interesting than you
are? You hope that other people
will jump on the post resulting in
a mass of banter which will validate what you already know: you
inspire all online entertainment.
I swear we’re not moany
mares all the time; it just really
‘Grinds our gears’.
The Stag
FEATURES 13
Would You Let Me?
MRS B
Features Team
T
© David Goehring
he greatest day of your life:
you’ve been planning it
since you can remember.
That big fancy church hall,
about �ive hundred guests all
dressed up. You’d be sure to arrive in a horse and carriage, better still a top line Bentley! And the
ring looks so promising. You’ve
imagined how your bridesmaids’
dresses will be, and the best man,
from every last detail down to his
cuf�ling.
The reception will be to die
for. Chocolate fountains; fruit
tree; your name carved out of ice.
Mouth watering starts, the main
and as for the desert...! The entertainment would of course be a
famous star, that’s a fact.
And you! You’re sitting on
the high table in front of all your
guests. You’ve imagined it all. But
there’s just one thing, you’re gay!
In 2004 the Civil Partnership
The fact is, we don’t
choose who we fall in
love with...
Act was passed and came into effect in December 2005. It gave
same-sex couples, who entered
into them, the same rights and responsibilities of marriage.
These partnerships were
called ‘gay marriage’ by the British media, however the government made it clear that they were
not marriage.
It’s a disheartening situation
for same-sex relationships knowing that what they truly stand for
is not fully embraced by society.
How long is it going to be until the
government ‘really’ hears them
out? Aren’t we living in a democratic society?
People still try to seek liberty,
free speech and justice before the
law; it’s been a recurring factor. It
happened in the time of Malcolm
X and Martin Luther protesting
for something they believed in.
But is same-sex marriage a belief?
The fact is, we don’t choose
who we fall in love with so I say
let’s all have our say!
Keep your emails coming to
mrsb_11@hotmail.co.uk
FRAN WHITE
Features Team
W
e’ve all seen shampoo:
it comes in bottles and
makes our hair clean
and nice-smelling.
However
when standing in the supermarket do you ponder for �ifteen minutes over the “right one” for you,
or do you simply pick one up and
go?
When you’re watching the TV
adverts do the slogans from the
companies make you feel like the
product is worth it?
How is it that these techniques
in advertising draw us towards
each and every new product they
create? How many times have
you heard “Pantene Pro-V’s new
formula…” or “L’Oreal colour protect, the UK’s number one colour
care programme.”
The creators behind the adverts know exactly what will draw
you towards the shops. No matter how much you want to resist
them, they then �ind a way of putting the product on offer, making
it un-resistible just like it promises to make your hair.
The adverts use startling images to grab our attention and
annoy us. I have found myself at
home watching adverts of women
with stunning, shiny and luscious
hair, while running my hands over
my head and feeling the rough
frizzy mess that is supposedly my
hair.
It does anger me, but the techniques work. I then want that
shampoo to make my hair stunning, shiny and luscious.
Shampoo adverts will often
talk to us as though we are completely brain dead. They seem
to �ind that by doing this we all
feel as though we will have learnt
something once the ad is over. Is
this true?
I don’t agree. Once I have an
advert that talk to me as though
I’m completely stupid. The other
technique is to use jargon that
no one understands, but people
often think it sounds clever and
complicated, it must work.
For those thirty seconds they
control us, and grasp us.
The word “Extra” is one of
the most commonly used words
– why? Well one, it sounds like
we are getting something extra
for our ridiculously spent money.
Two, it makes the product sound
so new – like it has had a huge
amount of extra effort put into it,
where they have spent so much
time in the Amazon jungle hunting down new extracts to put in
each and every shampoo bottle
on the Tesco shelves.
My conclusion with these
shampoo adverts is that one way
or another they will always think
of something new. Most likely, at
some point we’ll be the ones to
pick it up and try it. But I highly
doubt that they will ever simply
“transform” our hair – it certainly
hasn’t transformed mine.
© Kennedy Garrett
Introducing a Shampoo So Great, They Need
to Bring Another One Out in Two Months’ Time
If your hair doesn’t already look like this, no amount of shampoo is going to make it.
thestagsurrey.co.uk
14 FEATURES
The Stag
The Golden Globe Awards
Nisha & Christie
Stag Fashion Gurus
W
hen it comes to
awards season it’s
just a matter of fact
that there will be an unlimited
selection of gorgeous gowns
on the red carpet and The
Golden Globes were no exception. The awards, held on 16
January, brought out our favourite stars in all their glory
and the array of gowns was
vast. From the voluminous
ball gowns from designers
such as Monique Lhuillier and
Oscar de la Renta, to the sleek
and chic dresses from designers such as Atelier Versace and
Armani Prive, it was a truly
stylish event!
Best Dressed of the Week – Awards Special
Angelina Jolie in Atelier Versace
O
ur favourite of the night
by far was Angelina Jolie
in this sensational showstopper. Atelier Versace designs
are typically sleek and chic, perfectly crafted with moments of
drama whether it be cut outs on
the dress, the choice of stunning
colours or finishing details such
as crystals.
With Angelina’s gown the
attention to detail makes this a
creation of utter perfection, the
flowing length of the gown elon-
gates Angelina’s body frame,
whilst the cinched-in waist
ensures the dress doesn’t just
hang on her. The dress is backless
– providing all the drama needed
for such an event! Plus the entire
dress is covered in Swarovski
crystals providing that irresistible
touch of shimmer. The beautiful
emerald colour is a step out of
Angelina’s normal comfort zone
of black gowns, but her risk absolutely paid off because we love
this look on her.
Kim Kardashian
Shows Off Her
Perfect Dress Sense
Nisha & Christie
Stag Fashion Gurus
K
im Kardashian is
everywhere at the
moment, her popularity is
huge in the States and her profile
is continually rising in the UK.
This is great for us because we
think she always looks amazing,
day or night.
Kim looked stunning when
she attended the 2011 SAG
Awards last week. She wore an
elegant, plum dress by Marchesa,
which shows off her fabulous
curves and the colour worked
really well with her skin tone.
thestagsurrey.co.uk
Kim Kardashian proved
once again that she is bang on
trend when it comes to the red
carpet, the chiffon material and
the embroidery on the shoulder
and bodice makes this dress the
perfect choice.
Kim is wearing this season’s
hottest colours, which is why
we love this day time look, the
layering of camel, tan and beige
colours is perfect for spring and
a great alternative to black. Kim
manages to make this outfit both
glamorous and relaxed. She does
this by teaming her jewellery
and high heels with jeans and
by putting her hair up into an
everyday bun.
The Stag
FEATURES 15
Games
Answers in the next edition of The Stag. Send your answers to editor@thestagsurrey.co.uk to get a mention in the paper.
Sudoku
Wordsearch
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1. Wacky sport requires a
spouse (4,8)
2. Students avoiding one
say guide authors
3. Birth place of the University, sea conjugation
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6. Perhaps you have too
much, to leave your
window ajar
7. Under the road, one
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desks of the Council
10. A play on words
Valentine
Love
Flirt
Blanks
Raise
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3. Musical group is also
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4. Saint, openly persecuted but secretly adored,
celebrated this week
5. Both struggle and
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8. Watery application also
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9. Top athletes in league
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thestagsurrey.co.uk
16
FEATURES
The Stag
The Stag
FEATURES 17
18
SCIENCE & TECH
The Stag
Science & Tech
Shutting Down
the Internet
Helen Finn
Science & Tech Editor
O
n 27 January, Egypt’s government withdrew most
routes to Egypt’s networks from the internet’s global
routing table, making most internet addresses unreachable.
This occurred just hours before
the largest planned protests, and
just after a video of the shooting of an Egyptian protestor was
published.
But how has this whole
situation come about? It was
inspired by the successful
overthrowing
of
Tunisia’s
president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali
over his police state control of
Tunisia. The people took to the
streets, protesting against the
unemployment and corruption,
and it lead to Prime Minister
Mohammed
Ghannouchi
taking control of the country.
Protests in Egypt started on
25 January over the corruption
of their tyrannical leader of
30 years, Hosni Mubarak.
Rigged elections, constitutional
manipulation and rising food
prices have been catalysts to the
riots; the largest in Egypt in 40
years.
The first step the government
The Typewriter
Helen Finn
Science & Tech Editor
T
he incorrect fact from
last issue’s list of 50 science and tech facts was
that the typewriter was invented by Qwert Yuiop who
left his signature as the order
of the top keys. This is a fairly
common internet myth, which
states that this Hungarian immigrant chose the order of the
keys by making the top line
read his name. This is totally
false; Yuiop isn’t even a Hungarian word.
The first practical modern
typewriter was invented by
thestagsurrey.co.uk
Christopher Latham Sholes
and was patented in 1868.
The
QWERTY
layout
does not in fact make typing
faster; the keys were put
in this order to slow down
typing. One of the problems
of the typewriter was that
the keys jammed easily. The
original layout of the keys was
arranged alphabetically. Amos
Densmore, a teacher who
studied letter-pair frequency
(for example ‘th’ is the most
common bigram) suggested
a layout that would separate
the most common letter pairs.
This meant that the type bars
would come from opposite
directions, so not to clash and
jam the typewriter.
took was to block Twitter,
although they denied the fact.
This incited anger among the
Egyptians, and also drew the
world’s attention to Egypt. They
then blocked Facebook which
was being used to coordinate
protests.
But how did they turn off the
internet? It all depends on how
much control the government
has over Internet Service
Providers (ISPs), companies
that give access to the internet
and other related services, such
as email. For example, China has
a lot of control over ISPs, and
has turned off the internet in
some regions in the past. There
are two main ways of doing this,
to power down devices or the
change the routing tables.
In Egypt, the government
owns Telecom Egypt, the
main ISP. They shut off
the
international
telecom
interconnection
facilities,
preventing
internet
traffic
between Egypt and the rest
of the world. However there
were
ways
around
this;
some companies had private
internet connections and some
smartphones were able to access
the global internet. Internet
connections came back online
on 2 February.
Could this happen to us?
It’s unlikely; as the internet
continues to grow, as does its
complexity, making it harder for
a government to have absolute
control.
Sleep Deprivation
Causes Kit-Kat
Deprivation
Rachel Lismore-Burns
Science & Tech Team
O
ver the recent exam period, I frequently heard my
friends saying that they
were pulling all-nighters so that
they could cram in all the revision that they needed. However,
does staying up all night and depriving your body of sleep have
any dangerous consequences on
the body?
A recent study at the
University of Colorado has
unearthed some surprising
facts about the effects of the allnighter. Losing a night of sleep
apparently causes the body
to burn an extra 161 calories.
A new weight-loss plan you
may think? Unfortunately not,
“Sleep deprivation
has been linked to
obesity”
because the body makes up for
this energy loss the next day
and continual sleep deprivation
has been linked to obesity and
depression.
After one all-nighter, the
body will try to compensate the
next day and night by conserving
energy. In the Colorado study,
once the participants were
allowed to sleep, they burned
on average 228 fewer calories
than one would on a typical day
not following sleep deprivation,
showing that pulling an allnighter may still affect you even
once you’ve allowed your body
to sleep. Once the participants’
sleep patterns had returned to
normal it was found that they
burnt around 96 more calories
a day than they did when their
body was recovering from sleep
deprivation. So that’s around
5g of extra fat that the body is
keeping if it has been deprived of
sleep (about a Kit-Kat’s worth).
Exam-time is a busy period
and sometimes all-nighters are
inevitable. However, it is worth
noting that sleep deprivation
does have extreme effects and
should not become a routine
occurrence.
If you do need to stay up all
night then just try to regulate
your sleep pattern as soon as
possible and perhaps lay off the
Kit-Kats for a while.
Sweet Dreams...
Or Else?
Nataliya Gerasimova
F
rom Artemidorus, the
‘Dream doctor’ of Ancient Greece, to Dr Psychoanalysis himself, Sigmund
Freud; the human ability to
dream has always been a bit
of a brainteaser. Dreams were
seen as messages from the
gods or even as an ultimate
remedy to all diseases. Since
then, humankind has acquired
an extensive understanding, to
say the least, of fundamental
neuron-signal processing (or
so we hope). Ironically though,
it seems that we are probably
as ignorant of the function of
dreaming as we were centuries ago.
A number of scientists, including Robert McCarley from
Harvard University, argue that
dreaming is a passive, and, most
importantly, a physiological process. His research team argues
that dreams are merely concomitant events of REM (Rapid
Eye Movement) sleep, bearing
no psychological meaning whatsoever. The somewhat opposite
‘Freudian’ movement insists that
dreaming is a dynamic AND very
‘psychological’ phenomenon - the
very clue to our unconsciousness.
REM sleep is a period late in
the sleep cycle in which the brain
becomes ‘up-and-running’, thereby increasing heart rate, blood
pressure and showing very characteristic electroencephalograph
patterns and fast beta rhythms,
very much like those during
wakefulness. During REM sleep,
the large voluntary muscles, ‘antigravity’ muscles, get temporarily
paralyzed due to disconnection of
the brain from sensory input. In
simplistic terms, this mechanism
can be compared to an off-line
computer. Consequently, it comes
as no surprise that REM sleep is
often suggested to be the exact
time in human behaviour when
most brain ‘software’ gets ‘updated’. The computer metaphor links
REM sleep and essential programming of the central nervous
system. Indeed, several studies in
the mid-1960’s showed that repetitive neuron firing during REM
sleep in human foetuses was associated with neuron growth and
development. REM sleep cycle is
exactly when most dreaming occurs, and, as a result, the latter is
often considered to be related to
‘programme installation’ just as
well.
As so often happens with scientific excitements, there is lack of
an evidence base behind this theory. No actual biological function
has yet been identified to be improved or restored by REM sleep;
or dreaming, for that matter. Indeed, as far as the body concerns,
cells do not sleep. With regard to
brain function per se, scientists
have long speculated whether
REM sleep actually performs any.
Although it is widely accepted
that total sleep deprivation does
impair one’s ability to perform
tasks that require being alert, the
same cannot be said about lack of
REM sleep. In fact, most of the additional studies that tried to make
a connection between lack of REM
sleep and mental performance
have been eventually disproved
with more research.
Today, dreaming phenomenon
retains the status quo in the scientific community, holding the
middle ground between conceptual and imperical disciplines. It is
a rather tricky niche: dreams are
no longer perceived, or used as
a substitute word for, consciousness, repressed desires and wishes Freud once claim they were.
Nor are they seen as a ‘biological’
The Stag
SCIENCE & TECH 19
Dr Psychoanalysis himself, Sigmund Freud
mechanism; at least for now. So
are dreams meaningful? Nobody
knows, probably not even Google.
We wait and see. And brainstorm.
Stressed? Try Meditation!
Emma Cooper
Science & Tech Team
E
ver feel stressed? Of
course you do. We all
get stressed and find it
difficult to cope sometimes.
Particularly during stressful
periods of our lives such as
exam time, family problems
and relationship worries. Scientists now suggest that one of
the best ways to de-stress is to
meditate.
We can learn how to transform our mind from negative
to positive, from disturbed to
peaceful, from unhappy to happy.
Overcoming negative minds and
cultivating constructive thoughts
is the purpose of the transforming meditations found in Buddhist tradition. This is a profound
spiritual practice you can enjoy
throughout the day, not just while
seated in meditation. While meditation is found in a lot of religions,
such as Buddhism, you don’t have
to be religious to enjoy the benefits of meditation.
Meditation is particularly useful for university students when
they are studying. The relaxation
and increased mental agility, combined with the ability to absorb
greater amounts of information is
useful when studying, revising or
taking examinations. People who
meditate are also said to enjoy
greater self-knowingness and this
brings them greater self esteem
and contentment. If you’re prone
to the odd mood swing this could
help decrease these too.
In general, people who meditate, both adults and children
alike, develop or unfold greater
intelligence, mental agility and
endurance. What’s not to love?
Meditation has now shown
to also change your brain which
could lead to more long term benefits of stress relief. The research
shows that when M.R.I. brain
scans were taken before and after
the participants’ meditation regime it was found that there was
increased gray matter in the hippocampus, an area important for
learning and memory. The images
also showed a reduction of gray
matter in the amygdale, a region
connected to anxiety and stress.
A control group that did not practice meditation showed no such
changes.
You can join meditation and
yoga classes at the University of
Surrey. So why not stop by the
Health and Well-Being office? - located in University court.
thestagsurrey.co.uk
20
SOCIETIES
The Stag
Societies
Formula Student Society
T
Apoorva Sondhi
he Formula Student (FS)
Competition is one in
which teams from Universities around the world participate in a variety of static and
dynamic events taking place in a
different continent each year.
The
FS
Competition
originated in the United States
started by SAE Incorporated in
1981. In 1998, a demonstration
event was held in the UK with
two US and two UK cars. The
competition was considered a
worthwhile venture and has
proved a success in the UK as
well as many other counciety
encourages student engineers
to use their technical knowledge
and design ingenuity to produce
original, high performance
vehicles.
The UK event for 2010 is yet
thestagsurrey.co.uk
David Coulthard, Red Bull at the Singapore Grand Pix 2010
to have a confirmed location, but
the 2009 event was based at the
prestigious Silverstone racing
circuit. 2009 witnessed the
first ever class 1 entry from the
University of Surrey, who earned
a very respectable place of 35th
out of 82 entries. The 2010 entry
is looking to build on the success
of the previous year and aims to
challenge the top competitors.
Until recent years, usually
final year MMA (Medical,
Mechanical and Aerospace) and
electronic engineering students
got a chance to work on this
project.
With the formation of this
new society, a new opportunity
has surfaced for students from
all disciplines with an active
interest in cars, to contribute
to the Formula Student Project.
This society also offers a
platform for students to learn
and practically experience the
dynamics of designing a racing
car.
Apart
from
gaining
practical knowledge in the
newly refurbished Engineering
Workshops, we also plan to
make regular trips to motor
racing events.
Malaysian Society
B
efore each exam period, the
Malaysian society organise
a small gathering between
Muslims, which involves praying
Allah for His guidance, mercy
and help as we believe every
affair and outcome lies under the
decision of Allah. , to Him alone
we pray and to Him alone we
ask for help to make things easy
and to make our affairs end with
goodness and may Allah increase
our knowledge and grant us
understanding.
After the prayer, there was
a talk as on the importance of
knowledge to us both in this
world and in the hereafter, a talk
on how knowledge can be wasted
if not applied and how knowledge
can bring us out of darkness and
ignorance.
“......’Allah is sufficient for me,
none is to be worshiped except
He. I put my trust in Him, and He
is the ‘Lord of Supreme Throne.’”
- At-Tauba: 129
The Stag
SOCIETIES
21
*
*
thestagsurrey.co.uk
22
ENTERTAINMENT: D&T
The Stag
dancetheatre@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Dance & Theatre
Programme Black Swan puts dance
in the popular spotlight
of Events
A Collaboration
An evening of dance presented
by two local dance companies,
Actual Size Dance Company and
Nutshell Contemporary Dance.
Actual Size is a student led company based at the University of
Surrey which enables students
to practice and utilize skills
learnt on the BA Dance and Culture course. Nutshell is a small
contemporary dance company
working in London and Surrey.
As well as making and performing work for the stage, Nutshell
takes dance to unusual locations and to those who may not
actively seek it. The companies
present an eclectic programme;
including contemporary group
and solo choreographies, dance
film and improvisation.
(£3, £2.50 students. Wednesday
16th: 7.30pm, PATS Dance Studio
01483 686 876)
Carmen, Mahler and Finzi
The University Symphony
Orchestra and Choir return to
Guildford Cathedral for their annual concert, with a wonderfully
full programme and a chance to
hear highlights from one of the
great 19tht century operas. Carmen, the gypsy girl working in
a cigarette factory, is adored by
Don José; but it’s the bull fighter
Escamillo who she falls for. This
cannot end happily!
Bizet’s music, in all its brilliant
and vivid colours, wonderfully
captures the essence (love and
jealousy) of French novelist
Merimee’s wild story.
Finzi’s popular choral cantata,
Et In Terra Pax, and Mahler’s
glowing and optimistic 4thth
symphony will complete an energetic and exciting programme.
(£12, £5 students. Saturday 19th:
7.30pm, Guildford Cathedral
01483 686 876)
Lucy Al-Zoghbi
T
he eagerly-awaited Black
Swan opened in cinemas
across the country last
month, and has produced an
array of reactions.
On one hand there is critical
acclaim for Darren Aronofsky’s
psychodrama, as a piece of
great cinema with a strong
cast, complex characters and
an interesting reinvention of
Tchaikovsky’s classic Swan Lake.
On the other hand, there
are the dance critics, prima
ballerinas and balletomanes
who look at the Black Swan
as a misrepresentation of the
ballerina.
Nina, played by Natalie
Portman, is portrayed to be
a prim and proper twenty-
something, dressed in pink
and hording cuddly toys in her
bedroom. Cliché aside, Nina is
gentile, committed and hard
working as a principal dancer of
a New York ballet company.
The plot thickens as Nina’s
previous strength of character
demises into extreme fragility
- she is introduced to sex, drugs
and rock ‘n’ roll, marking the
beginning of the end with her life
spiralling out of control in bouts
of torturous paranoia.
It seems apparent that,
regardless of whether the Black
Swan is viewed favourably
or more critically, the film is
proving to be a huge box office
success.
A sterling cast and a horror
movie slant create a wealth of
interest, which does a great
deal for the promotion of
dance. Dancer or no dancer, the
Black Swan is drawing in new
audiences and breaking down
the social divide of a high-art
dance form and, for that reason,
I would proudly recommend this
film to anyone.
Hannah Jelliman
having: the dancers writing on
their surroundings, themselves
and each other, in a physical,
expressive and emotional
sense, reflecting on the feeling
of writing and the effects it
can have on an individual.
The musicians too were
improvising, showing a more
free and interpretive view of
collaboration.
Finally, ‘Protocol’
choreographed by Sian Goldby
and composed by Sandy
Dobson played with ideas of
communication and connection
between the dancers and
the musicians. There was an
interesting mix of the dancers
clearly following the musicians
and the musicians being
influenced by how the dancers
were moving showing an equal
involvement of both the music
and movement in the creative
process.
Surrey’s Choreographers & Composers Weekend
REVIEW
The Student Fundraiser
A fun – filled dance evening
consisting of a wide variety of
dance techniques and styles. The
event is student led and promises to be entertaining for all!
Featuring current students at
the University of Surrey in their
own choreographies as well as
professional choreographers’
contributions. All money raised
is being donated to the Dance
Department.
(£6, £4 concessions. Wednesday 23rd : 7.30pm, PATS
Dance Studio 01483 686 876)
thestagsurrey.co.uk
D
espite only having 2
days to create a new,
innovative piece of work,
the standard of the creations
from the Choreographer and
Composer weekend, which took
place on the last weekend of
January, was extremely high.
The weekend involved dance
and music students working in
collaboration to create some
very individual and exciting
pieces. The pieces were
performed on the 30th January,
providing an inspiring insight
into the talent of our students.
The first piece, ‘Arrivals’,
choreographed by Olive Kane
and composed by Emmi Tingey,
explored ideas of busking,
journeys and running out of
time. The 2 dancers and 6
musicians worked together,
moving around the space and
transferring roles, creating a
unified feel.
The next piece had a much
different feel. Choreographed by
Dean Cartwright and composed
by Mark Gilyead, this piece was
influenced by a stimulus of anger
and taking things out on people.
Although the 2 dancers and
band of musicians seemed to
exist separately, the piece was
clearly created with both the
dance and music influencing
each other.
The third piece explored
a different method of
collaboration. ‘Graphemes’,
choreographed by Priscilla
Drummond, and composed
by Amr Okba was inspired by
...an inspiring insight
into the talent of our
students.
Overall, the show offered a
wide, exciting range of work.
Dancers and musician’s
alike worked effectively
together under pressure to
create creative individual and
experimental performances.
film@thestagsurrey.co.uk
The Stag
ENTERTAINMENT: FILM
23
Thought – night ‘You are here’
SIAN GOLBY
T
his week, I’ve been
thinking about the
importance of art and its
function in the world today. It is
my opinion that without art or
music or creativity, the world
would not be worth living in.
The beautiful colour palette
of life would be drained into
obscurity; the rich human
tapestry would be all mouldy
and horrible. This may seem
a little melodramatic to some,
but the sheer act of trying to
imagine the world without
artistry has left me in depressed
bewilderment. Is there such a
thing as life without art? If we
consider how far art has come
in terms of thinking (I’m sure by
now we must be on post-postpost modernism?) Art can be
found in the most mundane and
positively arbitrary places, and
still be considered creative and
conceptual.
Art forms are often
considered to be an in�luencing
factor in the extending and
challenging of horizons in
human perception. However,
the question is when will this
expanding of boundaries stop?
Surely it will get to a point and
then just fold back in on itself in
retrograde? Apologies if this all
sounds a bit Matrix, but there
is some evidence to suggest
this is already happening in
some �ields. Take fashion for
example, high street stores at
least, are littered with recycled
trends from a variety of eras.
But how do we move forward
in creativity without being
‘futuristic’? This term itself
being highly out of date.
Arthur Danto, in his writings
about post modern art, claims
art history ended with Andy
Warhol. Once Warhol created his
Brillo Box, (pretty much exactly
what it says on the tin/box if you
were wondering), art history
came to its climax. After this,
there was nowhere else to go.
If anything could be
considered art, then there would
be no stone left un-turned,
no creative nook or cranny to
be discovered. Danto may be
correct in a way; however art is
also mostly always a reaction
to the past and previous ideals.
You can’t get anywhere without
being in�luenced by history, and
contextually including parts of
the past.
Take music for example, some
of the best bands of the present
are in�luenced by the best bands
of the past. Perhaps we have
now entered a new realm where,
instead of rebelling from the
past, we use it, manipulate it and
learn from it.
Have we entered a new era
of in�initism? The era where
anything is possible? Don’t
worry folks – there will be
plenty of room for as many postin�intisms as you can �it in!
Want to help young people,
but short on time?
Any time
Any day
Anywhere*
Mentor & support young people
online who are affected by bullying &
discrimination
Training on campus
Friday 25th Feb
Email
11-5
ussu.volunteering@surrey.ac.uk
06DK02
to sign up
* with a computer and internet connection)
thestagsurrey.co.uk
24
ENTERTAINMENT: Film
The Stag
film@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Film
The Stag’s Oscars Special
Best Picture
T
he Best Picture category
has been a veritable
scattershot of predictions
from other members of the critical
community. I have to admit,
I’m still unsure. There is every
possibility that The King’s Speech
will win over the voters more
than the harder sell, The Social
Network. To me, it is between
those two and I would not be
surprised if the latter loses out to
the more seductive [The] King’s
Speech. However, the Academy
proved to me that they were
smarter last year when voting
for The Hurt Locker over Avatar. I
am still holding out for The Social
Network. It would be great to give
Hollywood that deserved pat on
the back for producing one of the
sharpest studio �ilms of the past
years.
If there were a trump card
to be had, it would be Toy Story
3. Is now the time to give way
to the animated �ilm? Who is to
know? Remember, The Lord Of
The Rings? Are they saving the
accolades for the third one?
Once again, I am not sure. Your
guess is as good as mine, as long
as it is not Inception. The baggy,
hollow, pretentious, uninspired
piece of emptiness that has fooled
most audiences into thinking it’s
smart. The good news is that it
has little chance of winning. As
for The Social Network, I cross my
�ingers.
Nominations
BLACK SWAN
(15, )
THE FIGHTER
(15, )
INCEPTION
(12, )
THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT
(15, )
THE KING’S SPEECH (12,
)
127 HOURS
(15, )
THE SOCIAL NETWORK
(12, )
TOY STORY 3
(PG, )
TRUE GRIT
(15, )
WINTER’S BONE
(15, )
Jesse Eisenberg and Justin Timberlake in the hit smash film The Social Network
Best Director
The Stag has tipped David Fincher to
win an Oscar this year.
Again, this is David Fincher’s
year. It should be his time after
several overlooks for �ilms such
as Seven and Zodiac. As much as I
love David Fincher, the Academy
were wrong to nominate him
for the whimsical The Curious
Case of Benjamin Button two
years ago. His in�luence on The
Social Network is understated
in comparison to Aaron Sorkin’s
script. Never has Harvard looked
so dirty and corrupted and only
David Fincher could pull that off.
On the other hand, Tom Hooper
could steal away the shining light
on David Fincher, as The King’s
Speech is a �ilm to win over a lot
of minds more easily than The
Social Network.
Nominations
DARREN ARONOFSKY
(Black Swan)
DAVID O. RUSSELL
(The Fighter)
TOM HOOPER
(The King’s Speech)
DAVID FINCHER
(The Social Network)
JOEL COEN, ETHAN COEN
(True Grit)
thestagsurrey.co.uk
The Stag
Actor: Leading Role
were wrong to nominate him
for the whimsical The Curious
Case of Benjamin Button two
years ago. His in�luence on The
Social Network is understated
in comparison to Aaron Sorkin’s
script. Never has Harvard looked
so dirty and corrupted and only
David Fincher could pull that off.
On the other hand, Tom Hooper
could steal away the shining light
on David Fincher, as The King’s
Speech is a �ilm to win over a lot
of minds more easily than The
Social Network.
Nominations
JAVIER BARDEM (Biutiful)
JEFF BRIDGES (True Grit)
JESSE EISENBERG (The
Social Network)
COLIN FIRTH (The King’s
Speech)
JAMES FRANCO (127 Hours)
Actress: Leading Role Nominations
Natalie Portman gives it her all
in Black Swan and her dedication
to the role of a psycho-obsessive
ballerina is apparent. It is no surprise that she will most certainly
win. The other nominees give
a good run at the prize though.
Annette Bening has never been
better in The Kids Are All Right
and her age is her asset. Jennifer Lawrence deserves a bright
acting future ahead and Michelle
Williams is fascinating in Blue
Valentine.
ANNETTE BENING (The Kids
Are All Right)
NICOLE KIDMAN (Rabbit
Hole)
JENNIFER LAWRENCE
(Winter’s Bone)
NATALIE PORTMAN (Black
Swan)
MICHELLE WILLIAMS (Blue
Valentine)
The competition is undoubtedly between Christian Bale
and Geoffrey Rush. I think the
Academy will be more won over
by Geoffrey Rush’s eccentricity
than Christian Bale’s. Either way,
they both deserve the accolades.
What I am more pleased by is the
inclusion of John Hawkes as an
unstable, meth addict in Winter’s
Bone. He is the dark horse, but I
am hoping this name check leads
him on to better things.
CHRISTIAN BALE (The
Fighter)
JOHN HAWKES (Winter’s
Bone)
JEREMY RENNER (The
Town)
MARK RUFFALO (The Kids
Are All Right)
GEOFFREY RUSH (The
King’s Speech)
Actor: Supporting Role
Nominations
Documentary
Nominations
The two standouts for Best
Documentary are Restrepo and
Inside Job. Restrepo is a raw,
un�linching and nerve-tangling
experience that was in my
opinion, the best documentary
last year. Inside Job is an angry,
though restraint documentary on
the incompetence and audacity
of Wall Street during the global
�inancial meltdown. Exit Through
the Gift Shop might be more of a
spectacle for the Academy to vote
on (ooo, will Banksy turn up?).
However, Restrepo is brave and
the most subjective documentary
out of the lot. If the Academy has
any sense, which it can, it will
EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT
SHOP (15, *****)
GASLAND (PG, *****)
INSIDE JOB (15, *****)
RESTREPO (15, *****)
WASTE LAND (N/A)
duly award Best Documentary to
Restrepo.
ENTERTAINMENT: Literature
25
26
ENTERTAINMENT: Music
The Stag
Literature
Makers
JAMES CASTLE
I
t is a grim conception - age.
To count our years, mark
time and judge our distance
from the ultimate. A fascination
with these numbers and signals
of degeneration dominated the
life of Candelario Marcos to such
an extent it seems worth writing
about. On his 50th year, 5th
month and 8th day he sat with
his grandchild - a bright young
boy of only 9 years and 1 month
- in his dark study pouring over
calendars and statistics and in 8
words he showed his obsession.
“I am one quarter of the way
downhill.” This prompted the
most bizarre expression in the
usually mild child – let us say
one of shock and bewilderment –
and a question,
“What do you mean? That
sounds scary, abuelo.” Looking
up from his papers Candelario
held a look close to pity. Calling
the child to sit on his knee, he
sought to explain himself and in
Comical
Wedding
MIRANDA SULLIVAN
P
rince William and Kate
Middleton’s story is to be
turned into a three part
comic. This will be the work of
political satirist and cartoonist
Rich Johnston, who is currently
developing the series charting
the relationship of the soon to be
royal couple.
The publication will coincide
with the wedding and appear
in three issues. The
�irst focuses on the
Prince’s story, the
second, on Kate’s,
and the third,
brings the two
together.
While
on
the
surface
kitsch
and
light hearted,
the comic will
also
tackle
more serious
events such as
Diana’s death.
Johnston says, “It’s a monumental
event in the life of William, so
you see him at the funeral. You
also see Kate, watching the news
report and being affected by it.”
Although not released until
April, Kate and William: A Very
Public Love Story is already
available to order online.
A rival comic has also been
announced by US publisher
Bluewater, which is due for
release around the same time.
However,
Johnston
seems
unperturbed, stating, “It’s being
printed in America, written
by Americans and drawn by
Americans. The way
the British relate
to the monarchy
is different. We
understand their
�laws – they kind
of become part
of us...There is a
loving mockery.”
a grave voice he spoke slowly,
“There are some facts of
life that we can deduce from
mathematics and a clear
understanding of time. Look,
it has been shown by clever
men that people normally
live until they are 80 and I am
50.” Candelario, held up some
paper by way of demonstration
or proof, “So we are on our
way downhill from 40 years
onwards. I am 10 years through
this so I am a quarter of the way
downhill. See cherub, simple!”
Smiling Candelario looked into
the lad’s eyes and was confused.
Instead of some joy at a new
understanding of the world
there was the beginnings of
tears.
“Come now, hijo, it’s not scary.
It’s just the game we play in. As
I grow older my body will start
to fail and less and less will I
be able to play and run until
eventually I go to sleep forever.
That is just what happens. It’s
nothing to be scared of!”
Book Bytes
Crying, the child ran from the
room in search of his mother and
a softer outlook on the world.
Calling after him Candelario
moved to the door of his study
and frowned. “Surely this
isn’t the way children should
react; they are on the uphill,
everything is good for them…”
he thought. On returning to his
large comfortable chair he sat
and brooded on the episode for
some time before returning to
the pacing out of his demise.
The room was very hot due
to the sun shining, obscured
behind the heavy red curtain
that hung between him and
the outside world. Just audible
were the shrieks of playing
children, in some game with
their father – Candelario’s son
– while their mother watched
on from the porch laughing and
conspiring some ribald prank
with Candelario’s wife. She was
a woman full of joy who barely
kept note of which day it was,
never mind which year.
When February Comes
Shervin Hejazi
Letter from The Tower by Anne Boleyn
“Your Grace’s displeasure and my imprisonment are things so strange unto
me; and what to write, or what to excuse, I’m all together ignorant.”
This Valentine’s day curl up with your loved one by the �ire and listen to the
heartbreaking letter written by Anne Boleyn to her lover Henry VIII from the
tower of London on 6th May 1536.
As actress and
ebrated ‘Love
Hotel’s series
As she
one
attached
author Lucy-Anne Holmes reads aloud from the celLetters of Great Women’ as part of the Bloomsbury Street
of Book Bytes, Anne’s plight comes alive.
begs for her life from the man who once adored her,
can’t help but be thankful that, whether single or
this Valentine’s day, you are sure to have more luck
Maybe I am naïve
To think this time, this year
You will �inally leave
The boy you love with fear
When February comes
Know, that I remain still
Ambitious in my hope
That his shoes, I will �ill
Alas, if you decide
Your pain is worth your love
My feelings I shall hide
Another year, my love
With patience, I will stay
And I will wait in line
Anticipate the day
You’ll be my valentine.
African boy on an English throne
Bryan Dramiga
Am I an outcast because the Motherland doesn't feel like home?
I know my heritage. So who are you to make me, a brother?
Feel so alone. I know my roots. So spare your animosity.
Does the colour of my skin mean I have to share the same philosophy?
I am the bastard child of Africa.
The adopted orphan of a united kingdom... Neither feels like home.
Home is a collection of fond memories.
There I am king. There I am never alone.
My throne of childhood thoughts & optimistic idealisms.
Is the only thing I see set in stone...
There I am the African boy sitting on an English throne...
thestagsurrey.co.uk
28
ENTERTAINMENT: Music
The Stag
Music
Thin Lizzy guitarist dies at 58
The legendary Irish blues and rock guitarist Gary Moore died in
his sleep yesterday while on holiday on the Costa del Sol, Spain
CHRISTINA WEBB
T
he shock of the guitarist’s
death must be with many
music lovers at this time,
and it de�initely resounded
within my dad, brother and
boyfriend – all of whom were
massive fans of the artist’s
renowned, skilful fretwork.
As soon as the latter found out
the news, he was on the phone to
my dad to tell him the news. It
was slightly eerie as he had just
been listening to Moore
when he received
the phone call. My
boyfriend
had the
chance
to bump
i n t o
him
testing out a guitar in the G.A.K.
music store, Brighton, last
year, where Moore comically
complained about the frets in the
guitar being “too small.”
All three of them had been
to see Gary Moore in concert
in May last year and loved his
performance, so are grateful to
have experienced that, yet my
dad had planned to perhaps see
him play live again this year. It
really was a shock, especially
due to his age and the fact that he
was a healthy man.
Moore started performing at
a young age, and, despite being
left-handed, he learnt how to
play guitar right-handed. He also
played in the bands Skid Row and
Colosseum II, and though Moore
found his way to fame through
performing in bands from the
mid-sixties, he released his �irst
solo album in the early 70s and
went on to a successful, bluesbased solo career.
The guitarist’s website is
Gibson #1 1959 Les Paul
Standard, Gary Moore
Aged, “Unburst”
Butterscotch Guitar
currently minimalistic, sporting
only words expressing his fans’
sorrow over his death, reading,
“Our thoughts are with his
children, family and friends at
this sad time.”
Scott
Gorham,
another
guitarist with Thin Lizzy, said,
“Playing with Gary during the
Black Rose era was a great
experience, he was a great player
and a great guy.”
Moore replaced Eric Bell in
Thin Lizzy, who stated that he
was still “in shock” at Moore’s
death. “I still can’t believe it,”
he said. He went on to say that
Moore was robust, unlike typical
rock star casualties.
Scott Gorham of Thin Lizzy
said that he would miss Gary
Moore.
“Playing with Gary
during the Black Rose era was a
great experience, he was a great
player and a great guy,” he said.
Gary Moore performed on
stage with a range both genres,
from rhythmical blues to
heavier metal, and major artists,
releasing 20 studio albums.
He will be greatly missed, but
always appreciated by those who
have enjoyed, and will forever
enjoy, his musical talent.
GUILTY PLEASURES
T
his newly formulated
column came to life
just last week as I was
unpacking my belongings back
into my Surrey room. I have
various playlists on Spotify, and
each hold a purpose. Many of
my playlists are named after the
season when I created them; I
do this because it reminds me of
some brilliant bands I may have
forgotten over the months. It’s
always great to stumble across a
long lost old favourite, especially
when handling the tedious
task of organising a bedroom.
Needless to say, along with all
the gems, a few anomalies tend
to crop up.
Before I reveal to you my
secret (soon not to be) guilty
pleasure, I ask you to take a
moment to think of what your
own musical guilty pleasures
are; that way the impact of your
judgement upon me will be
lessened, because, let’s face it...
none of us are perfect really. And
so, with a mixture of hilarity
and shame, I will admit to you
faithful Stag readers my guilty
pleasure; and it is the one and
only Billy Ocean. You heard.
Now my secret is out, I can
let you know why I love this
Caribbean King so much. On
many a car journey across the
country with my parents, I’d be
faced with the tedious task of
just sitting there and dealing
with whatever music my parents
deemed good enough. Whilst
�licking through the regional
radio stations, Mr. Ocean was
a �irm favourite, and I soon got
used to the insane amount of
80s cheese blaring out of the
speakers. In all honesty, it just
became normal, welcomed and
standard. Nowadays, whenever
I hear his most well known
singles, it brings me back to
a simpler time when nothing
really mattered.
Linking in with the nostalgia,
any of you 90s kids reading this
will remember ‘Edd the Duck’,
aired whilst CBBC was at its
very best (an entirely unbiased
view there). My brother was
slightly obsessed with this duck,
and as a result, our parents
decided to buy us Edd the Duck’s
�irst video: ‘Awesome Dood’(
thestagsurrey.co.uk
which was also the name of
his single). In this short �ilm, a
particular scene stands out for
me: Edd decides he wants to
be in the army, and therefore
he must be sent on an army
assault course, spurred on
by Frank Bruno. That’s
right: Frank Bruno. As
Frank yells and pushes
Edd to the extreme, his
endeavours are backed
by a Billy Ocean favourite:
‘When The Going Gets
Tough, The Tough
Get Going’. You
couldn’t make
this up; I just
can’t believe
this isn’t on
Youtube.
It goes
without
saying
this only
increased
my love
for Billy
Ocean.
All in all,
his music
just brings
me back to happier times. It’s
horri�ically cheesy, electronic,
repetitive, and in my opinion
the 80s need to stay in the 80s.
But for Billy, I make an extreme
exception. I can’t help that this
man brings a smile to my face
in the darkest of times, he just
does. As I type this sentence,
the track has just made a rather
over the top key change, and
all I’m thinking is fair play
Billy; fair play. He knew
his audience, he had his
time, and if he can draw
out a smile on my grumpy
face during the exam
period, he’s a guilty
pleasure worth
having.
So, I hand
over to you.
Do you have a
seriously guilty
pleasure that
could topple
mine? email me
music@
thestagsurrey.
co.uk
Billy Ocean, album
cover.
There’ll be Sad
Songs.
Gaymers Camden
Crawl’
(30th Apr-1st May)
Kick starting the festival season
each spring, the Camden Crawl
features over 200 acts. It holds
a reputation for showcasing the
best new up and coming national
and international talent.
Taking place across 50 neighbouring Camden and Kentish
Town venues, for the nifty student
price tag of just £54 (Early Bird),
you’re getting yourself a seriously
good deal.
‘The Great Escape’
(12th - 14th May)
Hosted in 40 of Brighton’s venues,
featuring nearly 500 bands, this is
another festival not to miss. Taking place in May in a vibrant seaside city, this festival is sure to put
you into the summer spirit. And
again, it’s an absolute bargain at
only £35 (Early Bird).
FIVE
A
DAY
My 5-A-DAY this week has
been inspired by one of the
most phenomenal soundtracks
I’ve ever heard. The music is
arguably what makes ‘Pulp
Fiction’ the tour de force of
cinematic brilliance that it is.
Needless to say I was spoilt
for choice with what track to
choose, but decided on the
�irst song of the �ive- ‘Misirlou’
by Dick Dale & The Del Tones.
Slowing the pace down with
track �ive is Jack Johnson,
with his beautiful rendition of
‘Imagine’, originally by the one
and only John Lennon. This song
is perfect for those disgustingly
early 9 o’clock Monday morning
starts, and is responsible for
lifting my spirits when all is
dark and dismal on campus.
It’s a fantastic track; simplistic,
soothing and the perfect pickme-up for the walk to Uni.
1
Pumpkin and Honey Bunny/
Misirlou
Dick Dale & The Del Tones
(Pulp Fiction Soundtrack)
2
‘When She Turns 18’
Christian TV (When She Turns
18)
3
4
‘Lunacy Fringe’
The Used (In Love and Death)
‘The Killing Moon’
Echo and The Bunnymen
(Songs To Learn and Sing)
5
‘Imagine’
Jack Johnson (Instant Karma:
The Amnesty International
Campaign to Save Darfur)
The Stag
ENTERTAINMENT: Literature
29
Chase and Status
-‘No More Idols’
MIKE SHERLOCK
REVIEW
O
h yes, it’s �inally here.
Around �ifteen months
after the release of their
�irst single, ‘End Credits’, the
Chase and Status duo have
released their second
album: No More
Idols. It has been
eagerly anticipated
by devoted fans,
saturated by the
more commercial
based contingent
born
from
the release of
the
endlessly
successful debut,
More Than A lot.
Now, I am not
going to do a track by track
analysis of the album, because
this would ruin the experience
for you all. This album just
speaks for itself.
Chase and Status have gained
a tumultuous reputation over
the last few years; giving them
the opportunity to collaborate
with some notable names. Two
more tracks with Plan
B, ‘Heavy’ with Dizzee
Rascal and ‘Hypest
Hype’ with the scary
Tempa
T
are
among the tracks
that
feature
Dubstep duo slash
Rihanna hitmakers
Chase & Status have
another new single
“Blind Faith”
existing stars, along with more
tracks featuring rising artists.
Liam
Bailey
makes
an
appearance in the latest single,
which was a pleasant surprise
for me and others, as he had
previously performed on the
stage at Rubix. Cee-Lo Green
and Tinie Tempah also appear,
making this album a combination
of everything that is popular
right now.
So I won’t say much more. Chase
BEST LIVE EXPERIENCE
THE ROLLING STONES
Alexandra Wilks

Twickenhan Stadium
What was your favourite song?
Cliché perhaps, but its got to be ‘I
Can’t Get No Satisfaction’.
What was your favourite
moment?
My favourite moment was my
sister blagging us free entrance
and creeping past the bouncers
into the pit and hearing ‘Paint
It Black’ and dancing like mad
things.
What was good about the
venue?
The venue was not amazing and
the sound was poor. It was built
for rugby not music. But it’s a
stone’s throw from my house
and I know it like the back of
my hand!
What band would you like
to see next?
Next I would really like to
see Metronomy. I've never
been to see a band you can
really dance to and I think the
buzz would be amazing.
and Status have branched out to
create a more popular sound that
more people will enjoy and relate
to, without being dubbed ‘sellouts’ and straying too far from
their routes.
Also, if you get a chance to see
the boys live, do it. They smashed
it at Bestival in the summer,
despite the rain, dropping key
tracks from both albums, as
well as some of their well known
remixes . Buzzing.
30 SPORTS
Sports
The Stag
Academic Week 14 & 15
The Return of the Champions League
TENNIS
Sam Limbert
Results Table
M2 Cup
Surrey ...... 8 Reading(2) ...... 4
BUCS M1
Surrey ...... 10 Portsmouth(2) ...... 0
BUCS M2
Roehampton(2) ...... 10 Surrey ...... 2
BUCS W1
Surrey ...... Win SOAS(1) ...... Lose
BADMINTON
M1 Cup
Surrey ...... Win Reading ...... Lose
M2 Cup
LSE(1) ...... 8 Surrey ...... 0
W
hen Europe’s premier
club competition restarts
this week, for many it
signals the beginning of the business
end of the football season. After the
group stages, the knockout rounds
always produce drama, tension, controversy, and in recent seasons, a fair
bit of English success. With all four
English teams still in the tournament, I’ll be giving a brief preview of
their matches.
AC Milan v Tottenham Hotspur –
1st leg: 15th Feb, 2nd leg: 9th March
BUCS M1
Surrey ...... 5 Sussex(1) ...... 3
BUCS M2
Newcomers to the Champions
League, Tottenham Hotspur, surprised everyone by winning their
group to advance to the knockout
rounds. Their 3-1 home win over
holders Inter Milan was the stand
out result. However their key performer in that game and star man of
the season, Gareth Bale, is currently
struggling with injury. Should he not
be fit enough for the tie, Spurs would
have to rely on Rafael van der Vaart
for attacking ingenuity. AC Milan will
be extremely tough opponents, as
they currently sit top of Serie A in
Italy. With the talented attackers of
Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Robinho at
their disposal, Spurs will need two
outstanding performances to progress.
Surrey ...... 8 Kingston(2) ...... 0
BUCS W1
Surrey ...... 7 Bucks(1) ...... 1
SQUASH
BUCS M1
LSE(1) ...... Win Surrey ...... Lose
BUCS M2
Brunel(2) ...... 2 Surrey ...... 1
GOLF
BUCS 1
Surrey ...... 4 Brunel(2) ...... 2
WATERPOLO
BUCS W1
Imperial(1) ...... 25 Surrey ...... 3
Kings(1) ...... 12 Surrey ...... 7
FENCING
BUCS M1
Surrey ...... 135 Surrey(2) ...... 71
BUCS M2
Surrey(1) ...... 135 Surrey ...... 71
CHEERLEADING
Surrey Angels cheerleading squad
achieved 1st place in the ICC
Southern Cheerleading Competition which took place on February
5th 2011.
Arsenal v Barcelona – 1st leg:
16th Feb, 2nd leg: 8th March
Arguably the glamour tie of the
round. Both sides are known for
their idealised style of attacking
play and therefore will produce two
matches to get the football purists
Arsenal and Barcelona’s quarter final showdown for the 2010 UEFA Champions League
purring. These two now have history
following last season’s epic quarter
final that saw Barcelona win 6-3 on
aggregate. A lot of focus will be on
whether Arsenal’s defence can stand
up to the likes of Lionel Messi, whilst
going forward, the Gunners know
they have a chance to score goals.
The key for Arsenal is if they can
keep Cesc Fabregas and Robin van
Persie fit and available as they can
cause the Catalans a lot of problems.
Player of the season Samir Nasri will
be out of the first leg, so Arsenal
will be relying on Fabregas and van
Persie to give them any chance of going through.
Copenhagen v Chelsea – 1st leg:
22nd Feb, 2nd leg: 16th March
Fans of other clubs will see Chelsea as having the best draw of the
English teams. With their recent
league struggles seemingly coming
to an end, the Blues will be optimistic
that they can push on in the Champions League. Should Fernando Torres
find some form after his £50 million move, the strike force of Didier
Drogba and Torres will threaten the
best defences in Europe. This is the
one trophy that’s eluded Chelsea and
they should at least make the quarter finals this year. Even if they don’t
get a good result in the first leg in
Denmark, the Blues have enough attacking options to see them progress
against Copenhagen with the second
leg at Stamford Bridge.
Marseille v Manchester United
Wanted: Driver
– 1st leg: 23rd Feb, 2nd leg: 15th
March
The final English team in the
knockout round is Manchester United, and like Chelsea they’ll be confident of progressing to the quarter
finals. At the time of writing, United
are still unbeaten in the Premier
League so will have momentum going into this tie. It’s ominous for the
rest of Europe that Wayne Rooney
looks to be finding some form, and
alongside the improved Dimitar Berbatov, there should be enough goals
in the team to see off Marseille. The
French side have some dangerous
players like Mathieu Valbuena and
Lucho Gonzalez; however the strong
Manchester United defence is likely
to mean a comfortable progression
to the last eight.
We need help with the distribution of
The Stag. If you are interested email
marketing@the stagsurrey.co.uk
The Stag
SPORTS 31
Wacky Sports: Wife Carrying
Latoya Andrèe Kessie
O
nce again The Stag takes a
visit to the world of crazy,
wacky sports... In this issue we make a quick stop at the
Wonderful world of Wife-Carrying.
Unlike the previous wacky
sports, there have been a variety
of myths as to how this sport was
developed; however all versions
link to a thief named Herkko
Rosvo-Ronkainen. It was said that
Rosvo-Ronkainen was the leader
of a treacherous gang of thieves
that used to live in the Finnish forests and terrorise neighbouring
villages in the late 1800’s. (Don’t
worry we are moving on to the
part that links this to wife- carrying.)
Rosvo-Ronkainen was said
to be accused of stealing from a
nearby village and was then seen
running away with a woman on
his back which then lead to the
term “wife-carrying”. The second
version is based on thieves who
used to steal other people’s wives
by carrying them on their backs
and eventually making the stolen wives – their own wives. The
final version of the development
of wife-carrying tells that RosvoRonkainen trained his gang of
thieves to be stronger and faster
by carrying large heavy sacks
“based on thieves”
which somehow led to the development of the sport as it is based
on an athlete’s strength and stamina.
Although the history of wifecarrying may be seen as worth
a chuckle or two... the sport is
taken extremely seriously. Originally created in Finland, the sport
can now be found in the USA and
across various Asian countries.
There have even been celebrities
supporting the movement such
as Dennis Rodman (NBA Player).
The sport also has an official slot
in the Guinness Book of Records.
In wife-carrying, the contestant must run two dry-land assault
courses and one water based assault course on a track measuring
253.5 metres. It is important that
the wife (being carried) wears
a helmet, weighs at least 49kg
(7.7 stones) and is over 17 years
of age. The person who wins the
course is declared the winner and
wins the prize of the wife’s weight
in beer. The strongest and most
entertaining wife carrier receives
recognition. There are a variety
of styles the wife carrier can opt
for such as: ‘The piggyback’, ‘the
Fireman’s carry’ (over the shoulder) and Estonian Style (wife
hangs upside-down with her legs
around the husband’s shoulders,
holding onto his waist).
It may be safe to say that wifecarrying is certainly a new sport
to watch out for as it has had
Championships in 1997 in Finland and Estonia.
The Gliding Club
Adam Hoskin
I
often get asked, what is
gliding? It seems to conjure
up images of hang gliders
and paragliders jumping off
hills in many people’s minds.
Whilst we can use the same
lift that our hang gliding cousins use to stay aloft, a glider is
a much more developed, sophisticated and higher performance bit of kit compared to a
hang glider or paraglider.
The easiest way to describe
a glider is a plane without an
engine. We either get towed behind another plane, or launched
into the air via a winch; we then
convert this height into forward
“falling with style as
Buzz Lightyear once
said”
speed (falling with style as Buzz
Lightyear once said), slowly descending the whole time. The
challenge is to find lift (air rising
faster than we are descending)
to stay aloft for longer. This can
come in the form of hot air rising
from the ground (thermals); ridge
lift, where wind is forced to rise
over the contours of hills; and also
wave lift where standing waves
are created in the atmosphere allowing gliders to get to heights of
20,000 feet in the UK. All of these
forms of lift can be used to stay
aloft for longer, gain height and
also travel distances across the
country just using the energy in
the atmosphere - this is the real
goal of gliding.
Before you get to the stage of
being a cross-country guru, you
“gliders get to heights
of 20,000 feet in the
UK”
first have to learn to fly the aircraft, which is no mean feat in itself and involves numerous skills,
qualities, time and practice. A
bit of understanding of the physics behind how the glider flies is
helpful and quite easy to grasp;
good hand-eye coordination is es-
sential, and being able to keep a
calm head in stressful situations
is also key. Learning takes place in
a similar way to learning to drive
a car, the glider being fitted with
dual controls so the instructor in
the rear has the same controls as
you and can slowly demonstrate
and teach how they work, giving
you more control and responsibilities on each flight. To start
with, you just learn the primary
effects of the controls but soon
you will find yourself landing and
taking off and progressing to the
point where your instructor is
there just for back up with you
doing most of the flying. Once
you are confident in flying normal circuits, your instructor will
then put you in more challenging situations like running you
out of height and pulling launch
failures, so when you come to going solo you will be ready to deal
with any situation that presents
itself. Then the magic moment of
going solo arrives; if you remember what it was like the first time
you got to drive after you passed
your driving test, it’s like that but
about 10 times better. At first it’s
very scary, not having that safety
guard of the instructor in the back
but then your training kicks in
and you do what you have done
numerous times before and before you know it you’re back on
the ground feeling very proud of
yourself, shaking your instructor’s hand. You have now joined
an elite group and can call yourself a pilot of sorts, definitely a
good conversation topic in the bar
later on.
Ussu.gliding@surrey.ac.uk
thestagsurrey.co.uk
32 SPORTS
Sports
The Stag
£135 Million
Worth of Madness
Results Table
Academic Week 14 & 15
FOOTBALL
SESSA M5
Roehampton(3) ...... 1
Kingston(2) ......6
Surrey ...... 1
Surrey ...... 2
BUCS M1
Portsmouth(2) ...... 1
Surrey ...... 1
BUCS M2
Surrey ...... 3 Greenwich(3) ......2
BUCS M3
Surrey......3
Kingston(4) ...... 2
BUCS M4
Kingston(5) ......2
Surrey ...... 2
RUGBY UNION
BUCS M1
Kingston(1) ...... 36
Bucks(1) ...... 39
Surrey ...... 0
Surrey ...... 0
BUCS M2
Surrey .... Win
Imperial(4) .... Lose
Sussex(2) ...... 57
Surrey ...... 0
BUCS W1
Surrey ...... 50
HOCKEY
Bucks(1) ...... 0
M1 Cup
Surrey .... 6 Royal Free Medics .... 6
Surrey ...... 11 Brighton(2) ...... 1
BUCS M2
Surrey ...... 0
Imperial(3) ...... 0
BUCS W2
Surrey ...... 9
Kings College(4) ...... 1
AMERICAN FOOTBALL
BUAFL
Bath Spa ...... 16 Surrey ...... 0
NETBALL
Former Newcastle United striker Andy Carroll has now transferred to Liverpool FC
Sam Limbert
A
s if the current football
season could not get crazier, the January transfer
window has ended in spectacular fashion with money being
thrown around, primarily by
Chelsea and Liverpool.
Apart from the moves of Darren Bent and Edin Dzeko, it had
been a relatively quiet transfer
window for the Premier League,
with the big clubs keeping money in their pockets. However
that was drastically changed on
deadline day with two deals entering the top ten most expensive transfers in the history of
the game.
In a strange merry-go-round,
Fernando Torres moved from
Chelsea to Liverpool for £50 million whilst Andy Carroll, from
Newcastle United, and Luis Suarez, from Ajax, moved to the
Reds for £35 million and £22.7
million respectively. Chelsea also
brought in defender David Luiz
from Benfica for £25 million to
bring deadline day spending by
just Chelsea and Liverpool close
to £135 million.
It was a day that surprised
many and posed many questions. Hadn’t Roman Abramovich lost some interest in Chelsea?
Don’t clubs need to stop spending ahead of UEFA’s financial fair
play rules? Torres’ form has been
poor, is he really worth £50 million? How is Andy Carroll worth
£35 million? Are both sides
showing desperation to qualify
for Europe? I could go on…
The most noticeable thing for
me from the chaos of deadline
day was the teams that weren’t
involved. The top three, Manchester United, Arsenal and Manchester City, all restrained themselves form joining the madness
of inflated prices, mainly down
to the fact they have the most
settled teams so didn’t see the
need to alter their squads. This
shows that both Chelsea and Liverpool were desperate to bring
in new players to try and haul
themselves up the league, and
due to their supposed need for
players, they were both willing
to pay over the odds for players.
Will Chelsea be much better
with Fernando Torres and David Luiz? Possibly but one has
been in poor form and the other
will need time to adapt to the
Premier League. Will Liverpool
be better with Andy Carroll and
Luis Suarez? Yes, as Torres was
struggling and Carroll and Suarez have the potential to create
a strong partnership up front.
It seems the Anfield club
got the better side of the deal,
emphasised by their victory at
Stamford Bridge with Torres
having an anonymous debut,
however the Spanish striker
does have undoubted quality
when at his best. He’ll have to be
at his best quickly though to justify the mad transfer fee.
BUCS 1
Surrey ...... 33 Reading(1) ...... 26
BUCS 2
Surrey ...... 47 Portsmouth(6) ...... 29
BASKETBALL
M1 Cup
East London(1) ...... 97 Surrey ...... 69
BUCS M1
Surrey ...... 102
Brighton(2) ...... 54
ULTIMATE FRISBEE
Surrey’s mixed ultimate frisbee
team came a respectable 4th place
in a competition which took place
on 29th-30th January 2011.
Ultimate Frisbee Fact
Ultimate frisbee is similar to
basketball in that both sports
forbid the action of travelling.

Issue 27 - University of Surrey Students` Union

Transcription

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