“Enjoy your inaugural coffee
at the University’s misguided
Dear Sir:
Your Letters P5
ARE THESE
ELECTIONS
FAIR?
NEGATIVE CAMPAIGNING, DISREGARD
FOR CAMPAIGN RULES AND
CONCERNS OVER VOTING SYSTEM
By Gareth Giles
AN investigation by barefacts has discovered that at
least two candidates for the part-time executive elections
have used the popular internet site Facebook to drum up
support prior to the recognised dates for campaigning.
The candidates, who must remain nameless due to
impartiality reasons, have discovered a loophole in the
Union campaign rules which allows for campaigning on
Facebook before the official dates because it is a public
website.
The official campaign rules allowed nominations up
until the 31st October. The candidates then received
a campaign briefing on the 1st November with
campaigning to officially begin at 10am today, the 5th
Issue 1114
and hopefully ill-fated
venture.”
Opinion P8
November. However, these two candidates have received
at least a week’s free campaigning by setting up groups
and inviting people. Both groups had over 100 members
when barefacts went to press.
Statistics about Facebook, the social networking site,
suggest that 85% of students in supported colleges have
an account. If these statistics, from the TechCrunch
website, are correct, it would mean around 11,000
Surrey students have access to the candidates’ campaign
groups before the campaigning dates.
A similar case at Western Kentucky University in
the United States last year resulted in the banning of
candidates for the Student Government Association
from campaigning on the website. Although several
candidates complained that this would impact their
Monday 5th November
The President in
the hotseat!
Alex’s Column P5
campaign negatively, the move was also credited with
the increase of face-to-face interactions within the
University itself.
On one of the Facebook groups created, an opposing
candidate has restated the campaign rules, only to be
called a rude name by several members of the group.
These comments may have been deleted by the time
barefacts goes to press, as the Union has sent out e-
mails in the last few days to remind candidates of
the campaign rules, especially the section which bans
negative campaigning.
Continued on page 4
FREE
ussu.barefacts@surrey.ac.uk

2 NEWS 5th November 2007

News in Brief Emergency on planet

By Ben Miller
Students give PM the thumbs down
earth
Students at Cambridge University dealt a blow to Prime Minister By Ben Miller 1966 to 1997 and was a former British Secretary
Gordon Brown as they said they no confidence in his new Labour of State for Energy and Transport. Howell talked
administration. Members of the university’s debating society voted The assessment by the United Nations about the growing energy and environmental
302 to 95 in favour of the motion: “This House has No Confidence Environment Programme (UNEP) of the state problems facing the planet.
in Her Majesty’s Government.” Last year they gave the thumbs up to of the world’s environment paints an ominous He highlighted the short-term dangers of
Tony Blair. A spokeperson said it was one of the biggest majorities picture of the planet’s health. It warned that obtaining clean energy and the longer-term
in union history. humanity’s future is at risk unless urgent action dangers of global warming. Howell proposed a
is taken: almost every index of the planet’s health three-pronged strategy to deal with the crises,
has worsened over the past twenty years. which included an investment in renewables,
Students clash with police in Venezuela Nearly 400 experts from around the world clean coal and controversially, the expansion of
About 20,000 students in Venezuela clashed with police in a contributed to the report, which warns humanity nuclear energy.
demonstration against President Hugo Chavez’s plans to change the could be at risk if nothing is done to address the His calls for nuclear energy came despite the
country’s constitution and remove presidential term limits. three major environmental problems of a growing dangers nuclear energy poses, particularly in the
human population, climate change and the mass face of global terrorism, and Chernobyl still
Lager lifeguards extinction of animals and plants. looming in people’s minds.
Steve Evans, a leading paramedic for 36 years, is calling for students Much of the natural substances on which However, Howell’s advocacy of nuclear energy
to act as “lager lifeguards”, to look out for their mates who have had human life depends – water, land, the air and comes as no surprise, as he is President of the
too much alcohol to drink. He has issued advice on what to do in atmosphere, are in decline yet the political British Institute of Energy Economists, an
emergency situations, because some students are potentially risking response to the growing emergency has been met organisation that is supported by British Energy
the health and safety of themselves and those around them. Evans with a remarkable lack of urgency. Plc, who own Britain’s nuclear power stations.
said: “Many students drink heavily for the first time when they get The report comes on the back of the
to University and don’t know what their limits are. Lager lifeguards British government’s attempt to get out of its
who know what to do if they see someone in trouble are essential.” environmental commitments and abandon its
renewable energy targets.
editorial team The government is planning to water down
agreements made by Tony Blair in March this
1114 year, of 20% of energy coming from renewables
EDITOR |GARETH GILES | EDITOR@BFACTS.CO.UK by 2020. The u-turn is believed to have taken
place to keep the nuclear industry happy.
DEPUTY EDITOR (DESIGN) | CLAIRE WORGAN | ussu.barefacts@surrey.ac.uk Malcolm Wicks, the Energy Minister denied the
DEPUTY EDITOR (MARKETING) | POSITION VACANT | ussu.barefacts@surrey.ac.uk Government had ever committed itself to the 20
KATHRYN MEDIEN AND BEN MILLER| bf.newsdesk@gmail.com per cent figure. Currently it sources renewables
FOOD EDITOR | VERITY KIRKPATRICK | bf.food@gmail.com for just two per cent of total energy needs.
SCIENCE EDITOR | EMMA ROGULSKA | bf.science@gmail.com The news comes in the same week, Lord Howell
FEATURES EDITOR | AMUL GURUNG | bf.features@gmail.com of Guildford gave a talk at this university entitled:
PG TIPS EDITOR | MARY YIP | M.Yip@surrey.ac.uk ‘Energy security and climate security: conflict or
ARTS EDITOR | JAKE SOUTH | bf.arts@gmail.com convergence?”
SOCIETIES EDITOR | SIMON MOORE | bf.societies@gmail.com David Howell was MP for Guildford from
SPORTS EDITOR | MATT CHEETHAM | bf.sport@gmail.com

A small note
SPORTS EDITOR | ANTHONY HANSON | bf.sport@gmail.com

PUZZLELORD | COLIN EVERETT | ma41ce@surrey.ac.uk

Also, check out the website. www.bfacts.co.uk.
COPY EDITOR | PHILL NATHAN | ussu.barefacts@surrey.ac.uk
We’re trying to put a few stories on every couple
COPY EDITOR | RUMBI KAMBARAMI | ussu.barefacts@surrey.ac.uk

WEBMASTER | JOSH BATES | ussu.barefacts@surrey.ac.uk

from the Ed... of days – mostly the ones that would be out of
date by the next issue of barefacts. Hopefully
those stories should tide you over until you can
MARKETING CO-ORDINATOR | AARON SALINS | a.salins@surrey.ac.uk
By Gareth Giles get your next fill of the ‘facts.
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF | ALEX COLLINS | ussu.president@surrey.ac.uk
Hello all, and welcome to the new edition
of barefacts. You may have already noticed
barefacts is an editorially independent newspaper and is published by the University of Surrey
Students’ Union Communications Office. some changes! The new look we think is more
professional, as well as being more fun. Let us
The views expressed within the paper are those of individual authors and do not necessarily
represent the views of the Editor, the University of Surrey Students’ Union or the University of
know what you think.
Surrey. This publication may not be reproduced in whole or in part, stored in any form, copied Another thing you may want to take notice of
or distributed, without the express permission of the publisher beforehand.
is the joint GU2/barefacts event in Chancellors
Printed by Surrey and Berkshire Media Limited on the 24th November. It’ll be a night of music
Stoke Mill House, Woking Road, Guildford, Surrey, GU1 1QA and mayhem, and I strongly recommend it.
Submission is no guarantee of publication. barefacts reserves the right to edit We’ll also be announcing the results of a very Hopefully you’ll enjoy this issue, anyway.
submissions. Please direct all equiries to the relevant section Editor. special competition, running in the next issue of Remember to vote!
WWW.USSU.CO.UK/BAREFACTS barefacts and on GU2 over the next month.
© USSU COMMUNICATIONS OFFICE 2007
 ussu.barefacts@surrey.ac.uk

5th November 2007 NEWS 3

Surrey: 53rd most expensive
By Ben Miller
university in the country king size Rizla cigarette papers, condoms, HobNobs, Coca
Cola and cheese.
Students at the University of Surrey attend Push series editor Johnny Rich said: “Students pick a lot
the 53rd most expensive university in the more than a course when they choose a university.
country according to a study by Push.co.uk They choose a home, a lifestyle - they even choose how
- an independent website for university much they’re going to pay for it. That’s why Push.co.uk has
applicants. done this research. And it shows even more diversity between
Living costs for students at some of the universities than we would have imagined.”
UK’s universities are more than twice as There was a strong link between high living costs and
expensive as at others, with the cheapest universities with a higher than average proportion of students
universities situated in the north and west of from private schools. Privately educated pupils make up a third
the country. of the student body at the three most expensive universities,
London’s Royal Academy of Music and in addition to St Andrews, Durham and Cambridge, and the
Imperial College are the most expensive and Royal Agricultural College and UCL, both in London.
the cheapest is Bradford, followed by Bolton, NUS vice-president Wes Streeting said: “This survey shows
Glamorgan and the University of Wales in how students from poorer backgrounds may already be ‘priced
Bangor. out’ of attending certain universities. It is no coincidence that
Push says its new cost-of-living index will the universities with the highest living costs tend to also be
offer students a useful guide to help them consider all options when applying for those with high proportions of students educated privately.
university. The index uses three indicators - student housing, groceries and drinks - to The average cost of accommodation was based on a weighted average of the
measure how each university’s living costs compare to the national average. universities’ various housing options and the average rental costs in the private sector
To assess grocery expenditure, Push worked with retailer Costcutter to develop a locally.
student “basket of goods” representing some of the best-selling items in branches The “booze index” was the weighted average of a tray of drinks, including beer,
local to universities. wine and orange juice,
This included a Pot bought in the student
Noodle, cigarettes, beer, Basket of good Accommodation Booze index Total Index bar and a local pub.
National averages £33.54 £71.15 £1.92 £119.52 100.0
University of Bradford £34.86 £40.51 £1.69 £87.21 73.0
Imperial College London £33.39 £117.60 £2.16 £166.11 139.0
Surrey University £36.12 £72.55 £2.00 £122.67 102.6

What’s been happening with GU2?

By Barny Leavers But that’s not all that we’ve been up to. Enthusiastic
freshers were welcomed to the station in week three
of term, and promptly taken on a pub-crawl around
Just a quick article to tell you what your friendly campus
Guildford, not much of which is remembered.
radio station has been up to since the start of term, and
On the 26th of October, Something for the Weekend
it turns out we’ve been up to quite a bit.
gave away a pair of tickets to Thorpe Park. There are
You may have seen, or more probably heard, us hosting
more competitions coming up in the next few weeks,
the main stage at the Freshers’ Fayre, alongside our
so tune in or visit the website for more information.
recruitment stall. We were playing the music in between
In addition, one of the show’s presenters decided to
the societies getting on stage and showing off and offering
present the show wrapped in cling-film in a studio with
up their various freebies. We’ve been streaming over the
no air-conditioning (for reasons best known to him).
internet at www.gu2.co.uk, as well as broadcasting across
He survived, but it’s not something we recommend
the campus on 1350AM since the start of term. There’s
trying at home.
also been lots going on behind the scenes and a full
A few Saturdays ago we took over Chancellors for the
committee has now been put in place.
first outside broadcast of the year. The musical line-up
The schedule has filled up as the Freshers have arrived,
ranged from chart music, cheese, dance music to some
and the old-hands returning from placement remembered
indie thrown in for good measure. We’ll be doing it all
how a radio studio works. During the day you can find
again in a few weeks time on the 24th November, so
the latest in chart music, including things you won’t
make sure you’re there.
have heard before. In the evening and into the night our
Keep checking barefacts and gu2.co.uk for updated
specialist DJs take over and play everything from Rock to
information including schedules, and show information,
Dance to Urban Cuts to Jazz and everything in between!
as well as upcoming events and competitions. And if
We’ve even got an alumni show on Friday nights for all
you’d like to get involved with the madness then come
those people who’ve graduated but can’t bare the thought
along to our weekly meetings in Lecture Theatre E on
of life without University.
Thursdays at 6.15.
ussu.barefacts@surrey.ac.uk

4 NEWS 5th November 2007

Geneticist scoffs at “racist” claim

By Ben Miller Support for eugenics had little to do with its dubious
Johnjoe McFadden, Professor of Molecular scientific credentials and was linked to middle- and upper-class
Genetics at the University of Surrey hit back anxiety concerning burgeoning populations of the poor and
at James Watson’s statement that Africans are waves of immigration.
less intelligent than “Watson Some geneticists investigate the genetic basis of intelligence,
Europeans. creativity, sexuality and criminality but the recent controversial,
Professor McFadden
betrays fears and often disputed
said Watson’s remarks, and suspicions: evidence that genes may indeed be linked to these traits has not
“Follows a long and this time of come as a surprise to sociobiologists who have long argued that
dubious tradition of mankind cannot, uniquely, escape its genetic inheritance.
geneticists claiming
white privileged Professor McFadden said: “The debate that must follow has
that supposed racial Americans of nothing to do with the ill-considered remarks of Watson. Like
differences have a a world that is his predecessors, Watson betrays fears and suspicions: this time
genetic basis. The of white privileged Americans of a world that is slipping beyond
idea goes back to the
slipping beyond
their control.”
birth of the science of their control.”
evolutionary genetics
and its bastard sibling: eugenics.”

Prodigy sends it Biking the Nile for

to outer space
By Ben Miller
Space experts based at the University
of Surrey are set to cement their
place as key players in global
disaster response when it blasts two
more satellites into the earth’s orbit
next year.
On Tuesday 13 November, Dr
Stuart Eves, principal engineer
at Surrey Satellite Technology
Limited (SSTL), Guildford, will be
highlighting their pioneering work
on satellites at a breakfast talk.
The talk, ‘Sophisticated Small
Satellites from Surrey!’ will provide
an introduction to small satellites,
‘the PC computers of space’, and
cover some of the highlights of
missions that have been launched
to date, including the Disaster
Monitoring Constellation and
the GIOVE-A navigation satellite
mission. The future applications of
small satellites, including potential
science, communications, and earth
observation missions will also be
discussed.
SSTL is a world leader in the
design, manufacture and operation
of high performance small satellites.
Formed in 1985 by the University
of Surrey, it was the first commercial
organisation to offer low-cost small
satellites.
The talk will take place at The
Refectory, Guildford Cathedral,
during Enterprise Week. To book a
free place at this seminar visit www.
surrey.ac.uk/res or contact Andrea
Card on 01483 683672, email
enterprise@surrey.ac.uk
Phyllis Tuckwell
By Ben Miller people and their families and friends facing a
Richard Yorke, a Facility Assistant at the life limiting illness, such as cancer. Founded 25
University of Surrey, will be cycling the length years ago, the charity relies on the generosity
of the River Nile, Egypt, in aid of the Phyllis of its supporters in the community.
Tuckwell Hospice in Surrey.
The journey is 270kms, which will be done To support Richard visit www.justgiving.
in over five days through the Nile valley, taking com/richardyorkenilechallenge
in the sights of the Great Pyramids of Giza or you can give money at the collection points
and the Sphinx. around the university.
Richard said: “I got involved with this
adventure when I heard about it on Eagle radio,
and remembered the fantastic job the Hospice
did for my next door neighbour, who died of
a brain tumour recently. They took him in for
respite care to give his wife a much needed
break, and also nursed him at home.”
Richard hopes to raise £2,900 to help the
Hospice which needs £10,000 a month to
continue offering its vital services to those in
need.
Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice cares for local Richard Yorke and his bicycle

Continued from Front Page

THE UNION REPLIES...
In issue 1113 the PG Rant mentioned problems with the union representing
and catering effectively for PG students. The union is committed to
The Union’s decision that the voting system at these
representing all students effectively; we have doubled the PG representation
elections will be manual rather than electronic comes
on exec by splitting the PG officer into taught and research, and will also
amid reports that the voting system on the USSU website
be inviting the PGA president to exec meetings. I also went to the National
did not work for a large percentage of students. This may
Postgraduate Committee meeting in Cardiff earlier this week with the PGA
have contributed to the low turnout of just over 200 for
President to gain a better understanding of PG students and see how other
the faculty representative elections, and meant that a large
unions faced with similar challenges are reaching solutions. We are looking
number of students could not vote.
into providing better events and marketing these more effectively.
Also a worry for the Union could be the large number of
I am committed to ensuring we have a union that represents everyone, and
students who voted to Re-Open Nominations at the last
the last two weeks have been a great kick-start for PG representation at
sabbatical elections, but this problem could be resolved by
Surrey.
the large number of candidates standing this year.
Alex Collins
 ussu.barefacts@surrey.ac.uk

5th November 2007 LETTERS & COLUMNS 5

Dear barefacts,
Letters
As a student here for many years I have always read barefacts rather sporadically.
Ever since it went fortnightly it has been more difficult to follow, and become ever
increasingly easy to miss since stories get rather old pretty quickly. But I’m confused as
to why the month long gap between the first and second edition of the year?
I had expected the new edition to perhaps be “bumper sized” like the issue before
it to compensate for the rather drawn-out absence, but alas, it is just a standard 24
pages. And furthermore, it looks like you couldn’t fill it properly either. Text sizes
ranged from amazingly small to the colossally large, sometimes on the same pages too!
Complete with just blank spaces that made it look all too thin on the ground.
There was, at the very least, perhaps no spelling issues this time (a first for everything)
and a revival of the Societies and Science sections, too. But it has hard to take sentences
like (and I quote from the last issue) it “just goes to show how well respected the
Surrey Students’ newspaper is” seriously when its outward appearance looks like it
could be a struggling secondary school newsletter.
Maybe it is time to put this ancient, embarrassing relic of the University to rest?
Every dog has its day and perhaps this one is on its last legs. The difference between
this latest issue and the above average September edition is baffling to the say the least.
I say we just get The National Student newspaper in as a replacement - it’ll cost the
Union less in the long run..
This is the bit where you tell me it’s made by students for students and reel off a
bundle of excuses. My letter is brutal, maybe harsh, but when a newspaper touts itself
as being amongst the best then a few home truths should be expected - that is, of
course, if my letter ever makes it to print without being censored! So what’s the story
here, o ye of bare essential reading?
barefacts Editor, Gareth Giles replies…
Hi Matt.
Firstly, as you can see, barefacts has been going through a lot of design changes for
this year. Although our first issue wasn’t ready to incorporate most of these changes,
it was still delayed by decisions made by myself and the design team, and for that I
apologise. As for missing stories because of the fortnightly issues, you can find many
stories in between the dates on our website, www.bfacts.co.uk.
The design was rather strange as well, sure. Myself and the design team get little
time to get used to laying up a whole paper, so there are a lot of things we’ve tried to
improve on for this issue. The 24 pages will now be the standard barefacts size. I don’t
want to deliver you a lower-quality paper where we stretch to fill it, so until I have the
confidence that we can fill more than 24 pages every two weeks with the best articles
possible, it’ll be 24 pages.
Hopefully you don’t think of the new design as ‘secondary school’. If you still think
after a few weeks that barefacts should no longer exist, we can chat about it then.
Thanks for writing!
Gareth

Yours truthfully and brutally,

Matt Webber

President Alex Collins speaks to barefacts

By Kathryn Medien A. I am very happy about the fact that we now have four student reps - one for
each faculty. There were various communication issues which left many students
Alex Collins, the current President of the University of Surrey Student Union, unsure of who they could vote for. However, it was the first year we had used that
graduated earlier this year with a BSc in Business Management. He has since voting system and I don’t think it went too badly. We are already revising the voting
then been working in the Student Union, procedure so hopefully next year it will run more smoothly!
representing all you students!
Q. In your manifesto you also said you wanted Rubix to have acts that
Q. President of the Students Union! That students actually want. But with the new plans for the HRB, societies
sounds like a very large role. What exactly does such as NoWave and the drum and bass society will no longer be able
it entail? to put on nights. Will these societies be given an alternative venue if the
plans do proceed?
A. My main role is to represent the students A. The main aim for the HRB is to turn it into a space students will
and be the face of the students union. I attend actually use. Currently the HRB is only utilised when Young’s Kitchen
various meetings across the university, including is open, and a couple of evenings a week when societies hire it out.
the Vice Chancellor’s meeting and the senior Although the current plans do not include a DJ booth or dance floor,
management meetings once a month. My main the union is looking to redevelop Chancellors so the facilities could be
aim is to be known amongst the students and moved. I don’t want to see any societies put out, and there is also the
become a friendly face that students feel they possibility of closing off parts of Rubix for events. At the moment
can talk to. My door is always open! the plans are just that, plans, and can be changed, so if you do have any
suggestions please do put them on the USSU website.
Q. In your manifesto you said that one of aims
was to ensure that all coursework comes back Q. I recently discovered that it costs £20 to join a sports club, on top
with a feedback format. Have you successful in of gym membership, even though some of these clubs don’t require
achieving this? equipment or money from the Union. These prices are quite steep when
you are on a student budget, especially if you want to join more than
A. Yes! I have done my best to ensure that all one. Why does it cost so much and is there any prospect of these fees
coursework feed back is giving in a detailed, being lowered?
timely fashion.
A. I believe that most clubs do require equipment, and the £20 joining fee is split.
Q. You also said that ‘student reps play a vital role in making things that are affecting £10 is put aside for the club the following year in order to secure the future of that
students change’. How do you feel about the low turnout in the recent elections and club and the future of sport at Surrey. A lot of clubs don’t realise that the union can
the fact that many students were actually unable to vote online? offer them a lot in terms of support - we can pay up to 50% of travel costs from
activities and games and we also subsidise clubs who don’t use university facilities.
ussu.barefacts@surrey.ac.uk

6 FOOD 5th November 2007

Serves 2 Mango Chicken Soup - The perfect remedy

for the cold weather!
Ingredients: Method
2 tsp olive oil Stir fry chicken and oil in a large frying
2 skinless chicken breasts cut in pan for 10 minutes until chicken is
to strips cooked through. Drain tinned mango
to separate juice and mango slices. Add
Tomato, Lentil and Basil Soup
450g tin of mango in juice
1 garlic clove mango slices, garlic, leeks and bean Serves 4
100g leek, shredded sprouts to frying pan and stir fry for 3 Ingredients:
50g bean sprouts minutes. Mix together juice, white wine 75g tinned green lentils
½ tbsp white wine vinegar vinegar, honey, ketchup and cornflour 1kg plum tomatoes
1 tbsp clear honey in a bowl. Add to the frying pan and 1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp tomato ketchup stir fry for a further 2 minutes. Serve 2 onions
1 tsp cornflour immediately with rice or noodles. 2 tbsp sun dried tomato puree
Rice or noodles to serve 750ml vegetable stock
Black pepper
Bonfire Night Party 3 tbsp fresh chopped basil.

Food!
Method
Blanch tomatoes in boiling water for 30 seconds to help remove their skins. Peel

Sweet Potato Wedges and chop tomatoes. Fry the onions in the oil for 10 minutes until softened. Stir in
tomatoes, puree, stock and black pepper. Bring to the boil and simmer for 25 minutes,
Ingredients for a large dish of wedges: stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and puree the soup in a liquidiser or with
3 sweet potatoes scrubbed
3 tbsp olive oil Ingenious Dip a hand blender. Return to a clean sauce pan. Rinse lentils and add to the pan with
chopped basil. Reheat gently and serve with crusty bread.
25g butter This dip combines all the
2 garlic cloves chopped finely
2 tsp paprika best dip ingredients!
Pinch of salt and pepper
What you will need:
By Andy Vale
Over the last few
Review of Zizzi’s
Method: 1 avocado peeled and de- years this chain of restaurants has become increasingly prominent in the ever-
Boil potatoes whole for 12 stoned competitive food industry. It has popularised itself with its elegant interior
minutes in a large saucepan of Juice and rind of 1 lemon design and an authentic yet affordable Italian menu using fresh ingredients.
boiling water. Drain potatoes, 2 tomatoes, chopped finely Zizzi’s has built up a solid reputation as a thoroughly competent venue for
rinse with cold water and pat 100g low fat soft cheese with group meals, casual dining and a decent ‘first date’ restaurant.
dry. When potatoes are cold garlic and herbs
enough to handle cut in to 4 spring onions, chopped We visited the Guildford branch as part of a sizeable crowd and were easily
thick wedges leaving the skins finely accommodated. Service was efficient, well-mannered and un-intrusive, just how
on. Heat oil and butter in a ½ tsp Tabasco sauce it should be. There is a mandatory 10% charge for larger groups. Upon entrance
small saucepan with the garlic you are greeted with a grand walk up to the main dining area. So far impressive.
until garlic begins to turn Mash avocado flesh with The dining space is positioned around the large stone oven and cooking area,
golden. Stir in paprika, salt and lemon juice. Add the this extenuates the authenticity which the brand prides itself on. The tables all
pepper. Brush the oil mixture all over the potatoes. Grill remaining ingredients and have a bit of distance between each other, which is a welcome change to the
under a medium heat for 10-15 minutes until potatoes are mix. Serve with crisps, wedges or often over packed eateries on many high streets.
tender and starting to crisp. Transfer to serving dish and fajitas.
enjoy as a meal accompaniment or with dips. The selection of starters is competent but not very imaginative; the usual mix
of salads, breads and bruschetta’s are on offer here with a couple of extra’s. It’s
the basics done extremely well. It must also be pointed out that at this particular

A Vegan’s View When I tell people I’m vegan, most of them look at
me like I’m mad. I, too, used to think vegans were
branch the tomato/garlic breads are of an individual size.

bonkers. Even as a vegetarian I thought they were
taking things too far. Now that I am vegan, I’ve realised that you don’t have to wear sandwich
boards depicting slaughtered lambs, or chain yourself to the gates of dairy farms, or believe in
crystal healing. When I’m feeling optimistic, I think most people live according to their principles,
so really I’m no different. I think the main problem is that people think I want to convert them. I
don’t. I’m just here to do some myth-busting:
Myth 1: All vegans are really skinny: I did lose a few pounds when I became vegan but it’s reached
a pleasant equilibrium, and now I enjoy eating whatever I want without having to worry I’ll gain
weight.
Myth 2: All vegans eat dull food: rice, lentils and plain tofu. My favourite foods: Curry, Chinese
takeaway, Cheese-less pizza, Mixed bean chilli.
Myth 3: It’s really hard being vegan: The only tricky thing about being vegan can be the way some
people react, starting arguments at inappropriate times (e.g. around the dinner table), or asking
questions and then telling me I am trying to convert them when I answer. It can be inconvenient to
be vegan at certain restaurants, but lucky for me I like salad!
Other than this, I love being vegan because I feel much healthier and happier knowing I’m living
the way I think I should.
Pizza is the main order of the day, there is also a few staple pasta and baked
dishes available with enough variety to please even the pickiest of palates; most
are reasonably priced between £5-8. However it’s always worth trying the small
range of Calzone’s (folded pizzas) on offer, a nice extra dimension to pizza.
Languishing at the end of the menu is the salad section, its there if you want it
but it’s nothing special. The wine list is okay, a bit over-priced, but the house red
it good and there is always something to complement your meal.
Zizzi’s is a safe bet for a nice meal out, simple as that. I’ve yet to have a bad
experience there and for the cash strapped student looking for a nice meal out at
short notice it is certainly worth a thought. A two course meal for two including
drinks can easily be bought for under £30.
Tel: 01483 534747
Where to find it: Up to the top of the high street and on
the right, opposite Pizza Express.
Zizzi scores 3.5 / 5

Vegetable Patch: Vegetables that are awesome to add to curry; peppers, courgettes, onions, cauliflower, potatoes, tomatoes, carrots and mushrooms.

5th November 2007
If you want to
contact Emma, e-mail
bf.science@gmail.com!
Random Facts
‘Pogonophobia’ is the fear of beards.
Formula One car generate so much down force
that in theory they could drive upside down on
the roof of a tunnel.
A “jiffy” is an actual unit of time used in
astrophysics and quantum physics equal to 10-
23 seconds. It is the approximate amount of
time it takes for light to travel one fermi (the
diameter of a nucleon).
It is not impossible to sneeze with your eyes
open; it is just a common reflex.
Beluga whales, like other marine mammals, have
a slower heart rate while diving. A beluga whale’s
heart rate slows from about 100 to about 12 to
20 beats per minute during a dive.
A human head remains conscious for about 15
to 20 seconds after it is has been decapitated.
The precise post-execution lifespan will depend
on how much oxygen, and other chemicals, were
in the brain at the point of decapitation.
At room-temperature (27C or 300K) the
average speed of an air particle (at sea-level) is
around 500 m/s or 1100 miles per hour!
ussu.barefacts@surrey.ac.uk
SCIENCE 7
Hoax Buster Case 2:
The De-mystification of Phthalates
By Emma Rogulska
Following on from the myth of the Plastic Bottle Dioxins, I have been asked about another group of chemicals common
in plastics which have received a lot of bad press: Phthalates are a group of colourless, odourless liquids also referred to as
‘plasticisers’. Their principal use is to soften PVC. Plasticised PVC is used in the production of a wide range of products
such as medical implements, footwear, stationery, electrical cable insulation and toys. Phthalates can also be found to a
lesser extent in rubber products, paints, printing inks, adhesives, lubricants and some cosmetics.
Phthalates are organic chemicals produced from oil and are the most commonly used plasticisers in the world. Although
the various kinds in use today have some structural similarity, each one is different in the way it performs.
Not all phthalates are used as plasticisers; different phthalates keep nail polish from chipping, make perfume linger
longer, or make tool handles strong and more resistant to breaking. They can also be used to improve the performance of
adhesives, sealants, paint pigments etc.
Due to their extensive usage, they have undergone extensive testing for possible
health and environmental effects and are among the most widely researched
of all chemical substances. Research findings and current assessments of the
health and environmental effects of phthalates clearly show that they do not
pose a risk to human health or the environment - Phthalates do not persist in
the environment; they biodegrade readily, they do not accumulate in animals or
humans; inside the body they are broken down quickly and excreted.
Concerns regarding plasticisers have been raised on a variety of topics at
regular intervals ever since the early 1980’s. These have included carcinogenicity,
environmental effects, oestrogen mimicking, phthalates in toys, and most recently
exposure via medical devices. However, any fears have repeatedly been shown
to be unfounded. Academia and industry have continually worked together to
address the concerns and conduct necessary research. Consequently, more is
known about phthalates than almost any other group of chemicals.
Over the past ten years, as the evidence has become more convincing, various national and international expert scientific
groups have expressed the view that phthalates are not a potential threat to health, including the EU Scientific Committee
for Toxicity, Ecotoxicity and the Environment (CSTEE) and the World Health Oganisation.
However, it is generally true that whenever you heat something
you increase the likelihood of de-stabilising chemicals. So if
you are cooking with plastics or using plastic utensils, the
best thing to do is to follow the directions and only use
plastics that are specifically meant for cooking. Alternatively
use utensils made of inert materials, for example heat-
resistant glass, ceramics and good old stainless steel.
ussu.barefacts@surrey.ac.uk

8 SCIENCE & OPINION 5th November 2007

Dettol – Advert’s Lame Claim

Advertisements are everywhere, selling products and building brand loyalty. Often
these persuasive messages are based around so-called facts about the product…but are
they facts or merely claims? And further more, are they valid claims that are properly
substantiated or simply a means of winning over consumers?
In this world of product promotion, with brands fighting claw n tooth for market
leadership, I wonder how many of us question the information adverts contain.
Thankfully, governing bodies including the Advertising Standards Association (ASA)
are at hand to help prevent distortion of data. They investigate dubious claims made
in advertisements and ensure companies that mislead consumers are held accountable.
Recently an advert for Dettol, a product owned by the multinational company Reckitt
Benckiser, as prohibited by the ASA on these very grounds.
The commercial showed food arranged on what looked like a wooden chopping board.
But, as the camera panned out the food was revealed be on top of a wooden toilet
seat. The narrative delivered was “Fact, your chopping board harbours 50 times more
bacteria than your toilet seat”. An investigation by the ASA regarding this claim revealed
that the “fact” used in the advert was based on a 2004 study of just five Hertfordshire
households.
In addition to the inadequate number of sample homes used in the study, the ASA
were not convinced that the levels of bacteria found in these homes were typical. In
the absence of further data the advert was in breach of regulations due to insufficient
evidence. It was noted that each of the homes in the study contained an infant under the
age of three, which would have impacted on the overall cleanliness of these homes.
In its defence Reckitt Benckiser stated that “The comparison was made to highlight
the very high levels of bacteria
present in household chopping
boards which are routinely
used for a wide variety of food
preparation activities. It is well
known that meats such as chicken,
for example, can be high in bacteria and that very few households use different boards
for every task, but usually will wipe a board down between tasks.”
The ASA did not find this explanation satisfactory and ruled that it needed to be
proven that most chopping boards harboured dangerous bacteria after they had been
cleaned normally for the advert to run. As the data provided did not do this the ASA
concluded that “the ad misleadingly exaggerated the dangers posed by the bacteria on
chopping boards”.
Consequently Reckitt Benckiser have been instructed not to show the advert again in
its current form. Since then the firm has confirmed, that having finished its scheduled
run there are no plans to repeat the advert.
This incident illustrates beautifully how companies can use statistics to create highly
persuasive values and “facts” by effectively manipulating the quantity and source of data
collected. However, it also shows that we do not have to tolerate intentional deception
from manufacturers and retailers.
In order to ensure the credibility of claims made we need to be less accepting of
information presented and utilise our right as consumers to question the origins of
values quoted relating to products.

Starbucks Drinks Here

By Phil Howard
Many years ago, I sat in Roots for the very first time.
I enjoyed the clean look, the chic furniture and the cafe
style. I felt, as a fresh undergrad, quite grown up. But no
more. The University, in its finite wisdom, has decided
that killing off Roots and replacing it with a Starbucks
will be far more profitable, or at least lose less money.
Roots, you see, ran at a loss. Something like £65k a
year was going from the University coffers down the
drain, and that couldn’t be tolerated. Meanwhile, like
its star-cross’d lover, Starbucks was looking for its first
UK campus venture. They met, Starbucks wooed the
University, and the University followed it home.
Let us straighten out a few facts, to drown the nostalgia,
the rosiness and the cupid here. Firstly, the loss the
University was making was not simply disappearing.
It was effectively a subsidy of the staff and students.
Heaven forbid, in one of the most expensive towns in
the country, where the union can’t afford to dip below
£1.50 a pint more than once a century, that the university
might provide cheap food. Students bring in £35m in
UK fees and grants, before you count the foreign student
fees, and its staff are watching their backs in a corporate
restructure.
Secondly, the University was not being shrewd and
inviting Starbucks to buy its way into campus, giving
up its rights to profits. No. Outside the US, Starbucks
operates a licensed store model. It is not paying to be
on campus; the University is buying in. It pays a license
to Starbucks HQ to be a licensee, and a further royalty
on sales. In return, it gets to use the Starbucks name and
some pretty napkins, and a lot of rules and stipulations
about how it does business.
So in purely monetary terms, whereas there used to be
3 groups - University, Venue and Customers - there are
now 4: University, Venue, Customers and Starbucks HQ.
Previously, the University and the Customers paid money
to the Venue, and the Customers received good quality While the Library restaurant gave way to Rushes many
food. Now, the University will pay Starbucks HQ , the years ago, and the silly upstairs entrance to the library
Customers will pay more to the Venue, the Venue will was finally relocated to the ground floor, the library
also pay Starbucks HQ , and the Customers will receive will soon have a new cafe of some kind nestling by the
caffeine and muffins. In order for the University to windowed wall on the first floor.
do better out of this deal than with Roots, you and I Where students once walked in and out of the library
will have to spend so much more money in Starbucks clutching pages of wisdom, wondering at the sanity of
on campus that we pay for the cost of the license and an institution with a pointless spiral staircase, they will
royalties as well, for less product. soon walk over to the counter, order a latte and wonder at
the sanity of an institution that pays to have a big name
Starbucks: Currently under construction tell it how to run its cafe, then opens a better situated
rival at the same time.
Starbucks will shine, chiefly because students are sheep,
and won’t learn the stupidity of buying into the dream
of a huge multinational before they graduate. But the
hole in the University finances will widen, just as it will
for those poor, blind sheep.
In closing, I give you www.starbucksunion.org, the
union for those Starbucks baristas who find the need
to unite against the megacorp that enforces part time
only work, and acts to break and avoid unionisation,
to the point of a UK national day of action in 10
cities this August. From their press release: “Starbucks
baristas are paid just above the minimum wage and are
subject to excessive working hours and unpaid overtime.
Roots sold meals by day and drinks by night. Additionally, baristas must work at a relentless pace,
Starbucks just sells coffee. 5,000 varieties, perhaps, and resulting in repetitive strain injuries. “
the occasional tea, but not meals. So we are paying to I hope you enjoy your inaugural coffee at the
get rid of a restaurant on campus. Your choices are now University’s misguided and hopefully ill-fated venture.
Chancellors (who will benefit greatly), Seasons, Rushes May it fail so miserably that no other campus is suckered
and Wates. Only Chancellors is not a canteen, unless you in. What was it, University? Were you lonely? Were you
want to book ahead and go to Lakeside. just so pleased to be the one Starbucks picked amongst
The University, having so kindly aimed shoewards and all the other girls that you overlooked the way he talked
reeled off 5 bullets, has left one more avenue to shoot only about himself and never once showed real interest
itself in the foot and has already taken aim. As though in you? Sorry honey, but Starbucks beds six new venues
having Sorrentos and Starbucks was insufficient, it is a day.
adding another place to buy your coffee: the Library.
 ussu.barefacts@surrey.ac.uk

5th November 2007 FEATURES 9

SE
ME XY
TI TI
X Y ME
SE

C E L LORS
GU2 @ CHAN

N TS’
D E Y
STU EMBL
ASS

M E O N !
G U I D E D TOUR TO GA

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GUILDF

Ha
l lo
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n!
ussu.barefacts@surrey.ac.uk
10 PG TIPS
Council Tax Feedback
You may remember that I mailed you all a few weeks back regarding council
tax, thank you to the many of you who responded. Well here is the follow
up…….
The PGA has been working with the USSU to investigate the issue of new
postgraduates paying council tax between their undergraduate and postgraduate
courses. In partnership with the USSU, we held a productive meeting with the
Universities director of accommodation, Richard Paxton. We have also been in
contact with PGA’s across the country to see how they were responding to the
issue.
The overall outcome is that this problem does extend nationwide and whilst
students are legally obliged to pay council tax between their courses, it does
seem a little unfair when you are trying to save for your future studies.
However, a further issue has been highlighted; PhD students who have
concluded their research work but are writing up their thesis are also being
taxed by local councils. Whilst they are technically no longer students, they are
still completing their course and have not graduated and lets face it, a bit more
money in the back pocket is always useful.
The PGA will continue to follow up these issues with the Union and we will
keep you posted through the mailing lists and PGTips. If you have had any
experiences relevant to these issues please mail us at ussu.pga@surrey.ac.uk
Ciarán Fisher
President PGA
Cancer Causes
Contorted: A Rant
By Emma Rogulska
It is now thought that a third of cancer cases may be related to lifestyle, meaning that
more than three million of the 10 million cases of cancer which are diagnosed across
the world each year could be prevented if recommendations were followed, according
to Professor Wiseman, author of a new report on the causes of cancer. The report
was published this week by the World Cancer Research Fund International - “Food,
Nutrition, Physical Activity and the Prevention of Cancer: A Global Perspective”.
It was put together by a panel of leading scientific researchers who examined 7,000
existing studies over five years - supposedly the most comprehensive investigation ever
into the risks of certain lifestyle choices.
The most notable conclusion made by this report was that they see body fat as a key
factor in the development of cancer, estimating its significance to be much higher
than previously thought.
The report also links kinds of food consumed to cancers. In particular, researchers
say people should stop eating processed meats, such as ham, bacon and salami, and
limit the consumption of red meat to 500g a week - although this still means you
could eat, for instance, five hamburgers each week.
This guideline is currently being misinterpreted by many sources due to a lack
of understanding as to what is ‘processed meat’. This is defined in the report as
meats preserved by smoking, curing, or salting, or by the addition of preservatives.
Meats preserved only by refrigeration, however they are cooked, are not classified
as ‘processed meat’. Ham, bacon, pastrami, and salami are processed meats. So are
sausages, bratwursts, frankfurters, and ‘hot dogs’ to which nitrites or nitrates or other
preservatives are added. Minced meats sometimes fall inside this definition, often if
they are preserved chemically, but not always. The same point applies to ‘hamburgers’.
5th November 2007
PGA and PGA Events
15th November
Union see AGM elections for
eye to eye. new PGA committee members
Wates House
By Ciarán Fisher
Postgraduate representation at Surrey has been an issue for some time and the PGA
has been working hard in order that PG representation should reflect the 45% they make
up of the student body. I recently met with our Union President and VP for Welfare
and we discussed at length the issues surrounding postgraduates at Surrey. We all agreed
that the situation had to change drastically. The wheels of this change were already in
motion with two postgraduate officers (taught and research) now sitting on the Union
executive committee; changes were discussed to increase this representation further with
the PGA gaining a voice on the executive. We also discussed how the PGA could work
more closely with the Union than before and how it could expand and diversify the events
that are arranged beyond the humble pub quiz, with a larger budget and more effective
marketing.
On the November 15th the PGA will elect its committee for 2007/08, this committee
will meet with the Union soon after to discuss PG welfare, representation and future
events. Whilst many of these ideas are still in the pipeline, it is refreshing to see the Union
and PGA communicating effectively and hopefully this will continue to the mutual benefit
of everyone; i t will fall to the newly elected PGA committee and the current sabbatical
officers to see that it does.
If you want to get
in touch with PG
Tips, email:
m.yip@surrey.ac.uk
Some sources not having researched the terms of the recommendations made by the
report are claiming “We’re being told to cut processed food like bacon, ham and
sausages out of our diets completely if we want to avoid getting bowel cancer.” And
“The biggest-ever study into the link between diet and cancer suggests food used in
things like fry-ups and hot dogs boosts the risk of serious illness”. This is not what
the report is saying at all!
As Medical Director of CancerPartnersUK, Professor Karol Sikora, said: “The
educational message for the public should be that there are healthy diets and
unhealthy diets but we should keep everything in perspective and not suggest rigid
avoidance. Alcohol, red meat and bacon in moderation will do us no harm, and to
suggest it will is wrong.”
Some articles that I have found regarding the release of this report are rubbish - with
no explanation as to what about the processed food potentially causes cancer. Is the
contents? The processes the food undergoes?
Generally processed foods typically have a higher fat content and lack other things
that other food groups contain i.e. fibre? But that isn’t what the titles of such articles
suggest.
It annoys me that headlines are often misinformative, formulated purely to grab the
publics’ attention - why can’t headlines be catchy without being misleading?
Journalists should stop confusing the public with inaccurate articles blaming
individual dietary items and keep the message simple and clear: exercise regularly, eat
less carbohydrates, lots of fruit and vegetables, reasonable quantities of protein and
don’t eat excessive amounts of fatty food, then you can’t go wrong!
It’s common sense and has been being proven consistently through scientific research
but because of the way it’s delivered in the media people can’t see the simple messages
through the fog of spin given to it.
The overall message of the report is that to have the best chance of avoiding cancer
people need to be fitter and leaner as well as staying at a normal weight.
“Cancer is not a fate, it is a matter of risk, and you can adjust those risks by how
you behave. It is very important that people feel that they are in control of what they
do.”said Professor Martin Wiseman.
 ussu.barefacts@surrey.ac.uk

5th November 2007 CANDIDATES 11

UNION CHAIRPERSON
The Union Chairperson is one of the most public faces of the Students’ Union. Their job includes:

• Upholding the Union constitution, rules and policy,

• Chairing meetings of the Student Assembly and the Union Executive Committee as well as the Annual General Meeting and any
extraordinary meetings of the above groups,

• Chairing meetings of the Student Assembly to ensure maximised participation and record attendance of the Student Assembly’s permanent
members.

There are 8 candidates for this position, including Re-Open Nominations.

Yash Argawal George Grama Alexis Liming

Darryl Tott Alex Woolley RON

Candidates without a picture:

Michael Wilmot Thomas Bottrill

ussu.barefacts@surrey.ac.uk

12 CANDIDATES 5th November 2007

ETHICS AND EQUAL OPPURTUNITIES OFFICER

The Ethics and Equal Oppurtunities Officer guides and helps the Union with its approach to equality and ethics. They also make the student
body more aware of ethical and equal oppurtunity issues.

There are 2 candidates for this position, including Re-Open Nominations.

RON

Candidates without a picture:

Natalie Forrester

POSTGRADUATE (RESEARCH) OFFICER

The Postgraduate (Research) Officer guides and helps the Union with its approach to postgraduate students enrolled on research courses. It
also makes the student body aware of any issues to do with research postgraduates.

There are 5 candidates for this position, including Re-Open Nominations.

Solmaz Golchin Samuel Okord RON

Candidates without a picture:

Susan Jones Matthew Prior

 ussu.barefacts@surrey.ac.uk

5th November 2007 CANDIDATES 13

POSTGRADUATE (TAUGHT) OFFICER
The Postgraduate (Taught) Officer guides and helps the Union with its approach to postgraduate students enrolled on taught courses. It also
makes the student body aware of any issues to do with taught postgraduates.

There are 5 candidates for this position, including Re-Open Nominations.

Joshua Foster Hamza Javaid RON

Candidates without a picture:
Prerna Detwani David Lewis

INTERNATIONAL OFFICER
The International Officer represents the international student body to the Union, as well as informing the student body about international
issues.

There are 3 candidates for this position, including Re-Open Nominations.

Dina Elguindi RON

Candidates without a picture:
Tebogo Elizabeth Tau
ussu.barefacts@surrey.ac.uk

14 CANDIDATES 5th November 2007

ENVIRONMENT OFFICER
The Environment Officer guides and helps the Union with its approach to the environment, as well as making sure its environment policies
are adhered to.

There are 4 candidates for this position, including Re-Open Nominations.

Stanley Edward Megan Estorninho Emma Malfense-Fierro RON

EVENTS OFFICER
The Events Officer helps the Entertainment Committee in researching and organising events for the student body.

There are 6 candidates for this position, including Re-Open Nominations.

Clare Cody- Rebecca Jones Luke McClelland RON

Richardson

Candidates without a picture:

Jamie Grant Claire Bates
HOW TO VOTE
Voting is by paper ballot. Bring your University Card
to one of the three voting stations. They will be in the
Library, the Lecture Theatre Block, and the AP building.
For more information go to the Union website.
 ussu.barefacts@surrey.ac.uk

5th November 2007 HOROSCOPES & DR RUSS 15

Almost Accurate Astrology
What Does Your Week Have In Store?
Aries (March 21 - April 20)
It will be an amazing week for you. About time, eh?
Ideas will start flowing in, and people around you will
find themselves lucky to be with you. Make sure you
acknowledge every comment and every smile.
Lucky Day: Tuesday
Taurus(April 21 - May 20)
You could have a few ups and downs this week.
However, it solely depends on how you react to it. If
you stay calm and wise, things will go your way. You
may struggle financially as well, so watch that cash!
Lucky Day: Sunday
Gemini (May 21 - June 20)
Don’t worry if last week did not work out really great
for you. This week is all yours. Just do not start on the
wrong foot. Nobody is judging you, so be yourself and
you should be alright. Don’t take things too personally
as well, a little bit of humour does not hurt anyone.
Lucky Day: Friday
Cancer (June 21 - July 20)
You have been all play and no work these past couple
of hours. It does not hurt you to meet at least some of
the deadlines this week. It is that time of the year again
to drive yourself forward. After you are all done and
dusted, give yourself a pat on the back and drink away
the night to finish it off.
Lucky Day: Monday
Leo (July 21 - Aug 20)
It’s only autumn, don’t panic! You might find yourself
spending a bit too much for the coming winter. Help is
on the way, but you should pull yourself together. Your
head is full of exciting plans and projects, but some Lucky Day: Monday
time spent planning will avoid disappointment and
distress. Capricorn ( December
Lucky Day: Saturday 21 - January 20)
It is looking good for
Virgo (August 21 - September 20) you this week. There
Snap out of it! Get back to reality. You are no longer are a lot of financial
living with your parents, you are at uni now! You should problems in your way.
be responsible of what you do, and what you leave You might want to
behind. Manage your time carefully as well; you might pull yourself out from
regret it when you are missing your deadlines! your part-time job, but
Lucky Day: Tuesday keep it. You will find
it even harder to cope with your financial struggles
Libra (September 21 - October 20) then. However, everything is not hazy. Your exams will
You can very well personify sociable this following turn out surprisingly good, and you will find yourself
week. Another wonderful week for friendship and love! smiling at the end of the day.
Catching up with old friends, and making love with Lucky Day: Thursday
your new lover, things are looking better for you after
those hectic weeks of drinking and smoking! Aquarius (January 21 - February 20)
Lucky Day: Friday The sun is shining on you this week, even if it doesn’t
in our uni. Try to keep yourself busy, maybe join a
Scorpio (October 21 - November 20) society or two. You might not be that sport person,
You have of deeper understandings of things around but trying something new will not hurt you. You might
you. Your feminine side will blossom this week, and you even like it!
should let it out. Don’t be shy! Stop trying to compete Lucky Day: Wednesday
with your friends, start trying to appreciate what they
do for you as well. Pisces (Feb 21 - March 20)
Lucky Day: Wednesday You should rather remain quiet and reflective this
week. Sometimes saying nothing at all may be the best
Sagittarius (November 21 - December 20) solution. Spending the day peacefully will be ideal for
It’s that Monday morning blues again. You do not want you – but watch out for the weather. Stay out of the
to leave your cosy bed for that hideous 9 am lecture. I rain, you might slip on those wet floors!
mean, what kind of cruel soul would even schedule a Lucky Day: Wednesday
lecture at NINE in the morning! Yes, it sucks; we all
have to do it. So get on with it!

Dr Russ replies... Placements

Should I do Professional Training? Will I miss uni too much? employer with an offer to return when you graduate.
To some, the answer to this question is easy - “I came You might, but remember, some of your friends may If you decide to accept, it means you can concentrate
to Surrey set on doing a placement, I know it’s going to be on PT anyway, so it’s likely to be different whatever on your final year without having to worry about job
help me get a job at the end of my degree, and there’s no you decide. It’s also a good opportunity to make new hunting.
way you’ll stop me”. To others, it’s not quite so simple. friends, and of course, experience an environment which
Doubts may be lingering in your mind. What if I don’t is likely to provide fresh challenges and opportunities. Will it really help my job prospects?
like it? Will I miss Uni. too much? Is it worth the effort Although these can be scary at first, students often say Although it is difficult to prove that a PT year helps
in applying? Will it really help my job prospects? that they have done more things than they ever thought you get a job, at least two things suggest it does. First
they could. Many of these, by the way, could provide of all, Surrey grads are just about the most employable
What if I don’t like it? useful material for demanding application forms and in the country. Second, time and again employers say
To be honest, most students take a while to settle in. interview questions and of course help you find out that students who have completed a PT year have the
New home, new faces, new responsibilities -a bit like what you would like to do after university. kind of qualities and attitudes they are looking for. A
coming to uni. - only you don’t have so much choice degree with relevant work experience is clearly a powerful
about the time you get up in the morning! So it pays to Is it worth the effort in applying? combination when it comes to job hunting.
give yourself time to get used to things and it’s wise to It goes without saying that you will need to set time aside
avoid making hasty decisions even if you feel unbearably to complete the application form and go through the So would you recommend it?
homesick for the first few weeks or so. If it really doesn’t selection process for the placement you have in mind. Definitely. Admittedly it isn’t for everyone, but as a
work out as you might hope or plan all is not lost. For a But there is an advantage to this which is often forgotten. potentially life-changing experience, and as a way of
start, you can chat with your PT Tutor. They may have When you come to apply for jobs in your final year, you improving your employment prospects, it’s hard to beat.
some good advice. Maybe you could pick up another will already be familiar with the process. Demanding It’s also worth adding that last year 94% of PT students
placement or maybe take an extended break and do application form questions look a whole lot easier if said it had helped with their professional development
something completely different. you’ve met them before. You might even leave your PT - not a bad advert from those who really know.
ussu.barefacts@surrey.ac.uk

16 PUZZLES 5th November 2007

Beat the PUZZLELORD ....

2
ARE YOU MAN
ENOUGH?
Colin Everett, our very own Puzzlelord has puzzles
ranging from the easy to the devilishly complex. So if
you need a break from lectures or work try these brain
massagers out!

1 CROSSWORD

Crossword Clues

Clues Across:
1) US award for the music
industry. (6)
4) One who is conceited, self-
absorbed, selfish. (6)
9) Fix, repair. (4)
10) Transparent plastic sheet
used for wrapping. (10)
11) South ------: US state,
sharing a border with Nebraska.
(6)
12) see 22 across.
13) Allegedly common items
found in a woman’s handbag;
plastic sockets into which screws
are inserted into a newly-drilled
hole. (9)
15) Laotians lose Alan
haphazardly to manufacturer of
lifts. (Cryptic) (4)
16) Comfortable; snug. (4)
17) and 23 down. Firework that
spins around a fixed point. (9, 5)
21) A road that’s a dead end. (3,
2, 3)
22) Assertion that you are
correct, beyond reproach; motto
of the London Stock Exchange.
(2, 4, 2, 2, 4)
24) City which hosted a Formula
One Grand Prix on the 27th of
May this year. (5, 5)
25) Dutch cheese that’s made
backwards. (Cryptic) (4)
26) Institution of primary and
secondary education. (6)
27) Talents; gifts. (6)
Clues Down:
1) Caribbean island, originally
named ‘Conception Island’ by
Christopher Columbus. (7)
2) Sound. (5)
3) ------- Howard: Former
leader of the Conservative party,
predecessor of David Cameron.
(7)
5) People who - one would
expect - would marry the brides.
(6)
6) Someone who, or something
that prevents a process from
happening. (9)
7) People who rent a property
from a landlord. (7)
8) Allegedly real devices of
interstellar travel, especially
between all the other unknown
worlds, and this one. (6, 7)
14) Desperate attempt for final
trench? (Cryptic) (4, 5)
16) Detachable tickets that give
you a discount. (7)
18) Metal projectile weapon,
used for catching fish. (7)
19) Eleventh century French
invaders of Britain. (7)
20) Alfred Hitchcock film,
largely focussed on crimes
committed in Bates’ Motel. (6)
23) See 17 across.

Cheater!

1) Grenada. 2) Audio. 3) Michael. 5) Grooms. 6) Inhibitor. 7) Tenants. 8) Flying

Clues Down:

25) Edam. 26) School. 27) Skills.

24) Monte Carlo.
17 and 23 down) Catherine Wheel. 21) Cul de sac. 22) My word is my bond.
15) Otis. 16) Cosy.
1) Grammy 4) Egoist. 9) Mend. 10) Cellophane. 11) Dakota. 13) Rawlplugs.
Clues Across:

5th November 2007
Hello there comrades and welcome to the arts
section of the 3rd edition of barefacts. My name
is Waylon Ma and I am, can you believe it the
introductory writer for this issue, you could call me a
guest co-editor. Inside you will find reviews worthy
of a great Roman general leading an imperial, fully
operational campaign to conquer the world. Such
reviews include the well received Oxjam night at
the Boileroom, Maps live and Kano’s new album
“London Town”. Look out for the hot review of the
new ‘will.i.am’ album courtesy of myself. With the
above in mind all I can say is that I have thoroughly
enjoyed being the co-editor for this section (introduction). I hope the ray
of sunshine I have cast upon this edition will spark great debate and vision
amongst the barefacts editions of the future and set an example for future
arts editors. Right well I must be off, I am a busy man and thus I leave you
with the arts section. Enjoy!!!
Waylon Ma
The Gift
Alison Croggon
The Gift is the First book in a series of four by Alison Croggon. It is set in
the beautifully fabricated land of Edil-amarandh. The books are so richly
described and embellished with extracts of poetry that you will find
yourself believing that the time of great Bards
and Schools of the Light really do exist. The
novel focuses on the story of Maerad who is an
orphan and has for most of her childhood been
a slave in the unforgiving stronghold of Gilman’s
Cot. The only thing she has to comfort her is her
lyre and her ability to play it. A chance meeting
with the Bard Cadvan launches her into a world
of magic which she never knew existed. There
follows a long journey of discovery during
which she finds out that she is a bard of the
school of Pellinor and the possessor of an
immense power (The Gift of the title). This has
lain dormant within her and is finally awoken as
she enters into the battle against the Nameless
One and the Dark.
What makes this book so enjoyable is the strength and depth of the
characters. They are not the typical two-dimensional heroes/heroines of
fantasy fiction. They are damaged and plagued by inner torments in ways
that we can all relate to. Croggon is hugely adept at bringing to life the
landscapes which her characters travel through, allowing you to really
get lost in their world. This book is a truly engrossing read that would be
enjoyed by Tolkein fans or anyone that wanted to escape the real world for
a few hours. One of the best things about this book is that you know when
you reach the end you still have three more gripping instalments to read
and the magic doesn’t have to finish just yet.
ussu.barefacts@surrey.ac.uk
ARTS 17
Send your submissions to
Arts Editor : Jake South
bf.arts@gmail.com
KANO
London Town
679 Recordings
Triumphant, confident, reminiscent, powerful
and deep are words to describe this latest
piece of art from Kano. His last album felt a
bit disorganised and some of the tracks lacked
interest whilst others amazed. His new album
‘London Town’ comes across with a more
consistent sense of style. Whilst still keeping his grime roots and juggling fast
paced well constructed rapping, he has incorporated many aspects from
American crunk music (thudding bass drums and synthetic sounds). It’s
obvious from the music and lyrics that Kano has a great deal to say about his
opinions on various types of people. In the track ‘Fightin’ the Nation’ Kano
speaks of life on the streets in a reminiscent and almost triumphant way. There
are quite a few good vocal hooks that push the album into a wider audience
in ways. There’s happiness, sadness and anger all clearly conveyed through
crisp and clean production. For those who remember the days when Nasty
Crew were on pirate radio with Kano, there’s a strong sense that Kano has
matured somewhat. Instead of just rapping about how his lyrics defeat rivals
and throwing random insults around, he is deeply expressing himself in many
aspects of life.
Personally, I feel this album will excel Kano’s music reputation and perhaps
become an album that gets remembered long into the future. It’s music to
keep your head high to and I recommend this album to all.
Sam Dickison
The Zombie Survival Handbook
Max Brooks
What would you do if you came face to
face with one of the living dead? An unlikely
event I know but still, isn’t it better to be
prepared, to take them out with a devastating
blow to the head rather than run screaming
over the horizon? This book will tell you
everything you need to know to prepare
yourself for that truly horrifying day when the
dead begin to walk the Earth. It includes tips
on selecting the perfect weapon, fortifying
your home, surviving on the run and living in
an undead world. Explaining that you should
not “under any circumstances, try to burn your stairs away with hope of
controlling the fire” and even that “the severed head of a zombie is still able
to bite and must be regarded as a threat.” This is a tantalising mix of fact and
fiction which at times even had me laughing out loud. It would be enjoyed
by fans of George A Romero’s zombie movies or anyone that enjoys the
occasional enthusiastic discussion on zombie slaying.
Clare Butler
ussu.barefacts@surrey.ac.uk
18 ARTS
Oxjam Review
The Boileroom
27.10.07
The month of October
saw many gigs up and
down the country
organised as part of the
now annual Oxjam festival
to raise money for Oxfam. Lucky old Guildford got four whole slices of this
charitable pie with the union providing one event earlier last month. Leading
local venue The Boileroom has seen fit to include three into their schedule,
all proceeds going to a worthy cause with an abundance of the finest local
artists.
Opening the evening was an acoustic set by Andy Wilson-Taylor. He
provided a relaxed opening to the show and was clearly at his most
comfortable inviting us into his own musical world, often using an effects pedal
to add multiple layers to his sound. His vocal performance is competent at
best but the main draw is his technical and widely varied guitar playing style.
Nothing brash, but some subtle delicacies are to be found. Many songs
appear rooted in teenage inwardness and at times they feel a bit awkward
in this Saturday night setting. Also you feel that if he were backed by a
band instead of a loop it would help bring his sound alive a bit more. After
the show he had to hotfoot it to Kingston to play drums for another artist,
suggesting there are other dimensions to this young man than we may have
seen tonight. There is a fair bit of room for blooming into something more,
but Andy is certainly a talented one and will only get better with time.
Following him was Elmor, who on appearance alone look as if they
might as well have been called The Razorkook Chiefs. But such factors can
be deceiving, as was the case here. A sense of reckless abandon was
complemented with incredibly tight musicianship giving their sound a very
energetic directness that demanded attention. Most impressive was their
guitarist who could possibly be utilised a little more but still showed some
real class. The use of a keyboardist helped to give the band a bit more of their
own sound and was probably their secret weapon. They had no trouble
winning over the crowd and ended the show amidst a wall of distorted
feedback, completely destroying the music that had come before it in a
short display of cacophonic brilliance. Providing things don’t go incredibly
wrong for them, this is a band that is destined to play bigger stages.
The tricky job of following such a display fell to The Jump Pilots who, in
their credit, made a full fist of it. They play a set of choppy and upbeat music,
which was made to enthusiastically bob to, but maybe not be remembered
the next day. However they did provide us with the line ‘World War Two
and Playing Chess…’ I didn’t pick up what it was about but it was pleasing.
They play well without taking any risks but don’t quite live up to what came
before.
The Satellite State have an ability to make music that completely
encompasses the listener with a blanket of gently swirling sound. Their soft
rock sound is reminiscent of ‘Disintegration’ era Cure brought up to date and
twisted with early Embrace. Another act the local scene can be quite proud
to have in its stable.
Headliners and Boileroom regulars The Le Brocks were sharply dressed and
delivered an energetic set with their very own brand of Indie rock. Trouble
is, it’s nearly everyone else’s brand too. Singer Will mixes a decent singing
voice with passages of half singing, half slang speaking vocals that is another
common feature in many of today’s bands. This is a shame because when
they soar the music is quite special; if they could leave the trends behind and
find themselves then this could be a genuinely exciting band. But they still
provided a decent close to a night, which had a goal of greater importance.
Many of the artists on display tonight frequently play in the Guildford area
and can easily be found on Myspace. We have an abundance of local talent
and while we are at Surrey it would be a crying shame to miss out on some
of it.
Andy Vale
5th November 2007
Maps/Loney, Dear
KCSU
16.10.07
The evening of Tuesday
16th October guaranteed to
provide bright and exciting
experiences for both my
accomplice Jake Howell and
myself as neither of us had
been to KCSU, or witnessed
the band we had travelled into the capital to see; Maps. Despite the fact
that Maps were amongst the nominees for this years Mercury prize it is still
fair to say that the band remain respectfully unknown to the general public,
which I find a shame. Maps is essentially one mortal man; James Chapman
who wrote the entire debut album “We Can Create” in his Northamptonshire
bedroom using none other than a 16 track recorder. The sound he produced
is that of a repetitive, electronic nature smashed into highly atmospheric
tracks instantly turning ears down to they’re sheer creativity. Due to this I
was unsure of what to expect from the gig regarding live reinterpretation,
however upon entry to the venue it became apparent that this was a live
band situation. Cool.
The support, Loney, Dear were a band that I was reasonably alien with,
having only being familiar with one of their songs well, yet I must now state
that branding this band under the title of “support” for any occasion is a
felony. In the words of Mr Howell Loney, Dear’s performance was “seamless,
seamless”, and that’s no lie. Beautifully captivating, buoyant tunes spilling with
imagination, this Swedish group left every one person smiling. Their use of
humming being a most memorable feature, over the top of the acoustic guitar
melodies, underlying chords and driving drumbeats, the use of humming
replaced lyrics throughout many songs. Sharing many electronic similarities
with Maps in style and genre, Loney, Dear set the scene perfectly.
A pint later and it was time for another session of mind swelling music,
Maps wasted no time exploding into their first tune “So Low So High”.
Winner. The infectious rhythms of each song were highly emphasised through
live performance, with the use of a drummer and additional percussion
including a piccolo snare. Not only did this make the most climactic parts of
the performance so much more powerful, but was visually brilliant to see
James Chapman and his drummer simultaneously battering out beats.
It was evident that the visual side of Maps show had been given careful
thought too. Alongside the use of additional percussion, there was a large
backdrop featuring unusual projected images. Moving for a number of
seconds before returning to their original position and repeating; these
images were highly reflective of the music; emphasising the importance of
the use of repetition and of the curious sounds within Maps.
As much as I enjoy the buzzing Maps rhythms I must admit that they do
all sound very similar, and due to this their performance was all at one
level. Aside from the additional piccolo snare and an extra crash cymbal
alongside one of the keyboardists, the volume of Maps set didn’t vary from
tune to tune. Yet this is a tiny assertion as the quality of the performance was
top, producing a really impressive sound throughout. However due to this
in my mind Loney, Dear did come out on top as they were so brilliant.
You can catch Loney, Dear next on Friday 9th Nov at KOKO, and Maps at
London Forum on the 4th.
Jake South
be calm
 ussu.barefacts@surrey.ac.uk

5th November 2007 ARTS 19

Anarchy Xmas!
Elle Milano
My Brother, The Astronaut

Offering a thumping chorus that you can’t

help but nod vigorously to, Elle Milano’s ‘My
Brother, The Astronaut’ was on its way for a
very impressive review. However what then
materialized was an infusion of My Chemical
Romance and disgruntled pace, which
switched from fast to slow more times than
Russell Brands sexuality. Brighton has offered
more interesting things in the past, although this is not the time or place. The
bands immaturity is evident and the singles lack of structure is disappointing
as I was expecting great things. Will we see more from Elle Milano? It’s hard
to know.
The National
Apartment Story
The core of this singles success is its simplicity.
Simplicity is the key. The haunting vocals
carrying the melody hover above the hasty
paced drum beats, enticing your earbuds for
the chorus that is pure pleasure. This song will
satisfy your every need, but only enough for
you to have to listen again.
Jake South
Exciting news for all! One of our very own Surrey bred musicians is going for
the Christmas number one spot this year! Alison Nichols and a group of others
have formed the band Anarchy Xmas with the mission to emerge triumphant
in this incredible challenge against the industry tyrants. In the song “Smells
Like Christmas Time” not only does Alison play the harp but also lends her
vocal talents. “We’re fed up with manufactured acts” tells Alison, “Its time to
challenge the big boys. This song is festive
pop that you can sing along to after the
turkey dinner and a chance to raise money
for good causes”. Previous years have seen
the Christmas number 1 spot dominated by
acts from TV reality shows, but Alison and
Anarchy Xmas think the time has come for
something different. The band involves
musicians from across the UK and was the
brainchild of Sheffield musicians Iz El-Bahnasy
and Tom Langhorn, who recruited members through the networking website
Facebook. The group already has over 1200 supporters on the Facebook site,
who voted on which song to record, and which charities to support.
Smells Like Christmas Time by Anarchy Xmas is released on the 10th of
December and available as a download from Itunes.com, with all proceeds
benefiting Oxfam, NSPCC, Cancer Research UK, Shelter and Friends of the
Earth. Learn more about Anarchy Christmas at www.christmasnumberone.org
and www.myspace.com/anarchyxmas!

The Coral
Jacqueline

With a number of impressive albums under

their belt, Brits and Mercury nominations
to parade, The Coral have evolved into
one of UK’s most appreciated bands. Call
it what you like, folk, psychedelic, indie or
even ‘country-ska’, the lads from Liverpool
have demonstrated once again their knack
of creating easy foot tapping tunes in
‘Jacqueline’. Simple acoustic riffs and James
Skully’s deep country sound help to form another impressive single by the
7-piece band.

Ben Pook

A thought on the new will.i.am album

by Waylon Ma:

will.i.am
Songs About Girls

It is reasonable, a few things

need changing but it is worthy of a
listen with thy ears.

Waylon Ma
ussu.barefacts@surrey.ac.uk
20 SOCIETIES 5th November 2007
Kaboom – Pyrotechnics Society
Societies Ed – As part of my drive to bring information the varied societies each issue, I bring
you information on one of our newer societies looking bring fireworks and explosions into students
nocturnal lives.

Kaboom was founded last year with the idea of bringing an industry into our social community
that is sometimes perceived as hard to move into. This years Freshers’ Fayre and a move onto Facebook
have allowed the society to bring increased interest in the group and expand the possibilities for the
society. Andrew Raeburn (President) is now in training to become a lead firer, and has been working
on professional displays since early January.

Kaboom operates as an information service. As a society they establish links with existing
pyrotechnics firms and offer Kaboom’s services in return for training. This at the very least leads
to a better understanding of the methods used by companies during their displays and if members
choose to do further training they may in time be deemed suitable to fire a display at the companies’
discretion. The society costs nothing to join, with the only expenses incurred by members are those
of travel to and from display sites and also PPE (personal protective equipment) such as: Hard hats,
boiler suits, goggles, gloves and head torches.

The member base is made up of those who have any interest in fireworks from the observational
level right up to professional Pyrotechnicians. The training starts off with the trainee watching
displays mixed with assisting of set-up, pack-down and then normally they would continue by
shadowing a firer during a display, provided that the company felt they were suitable. This would then in time lead to the trainee being deemed suitable as a firer and then allowed
to fire a display.

The society has been involved in displays using different methodologies, including individual staking, boxes, racks and for some high level displays rigging. Firing the displays
ranges from manual (portfire - lighting stick) to electrical - (button triggered and computer controlled).

Comments from the President, Andrew Raeburn:

“I recommend the society as a chance to have lots of fun doing something unusual as well as an opportunity to find out about the industry from a new perspective. The idea
was actually generated from a conversation about impossible societies to put together however after a little thought and research I realised it was not as impossible as I had once
thought.”

The society is currently in its infancy and is always looking to bring new members in and establish further links with companies’, they can be contacted either by their Facebook
group (Kaboom – USPS) or at surreypyrotechnics@gmail.com

Psychology Society
The society was started in September this year and was started with two aims in
mind:
-To run social events for students in the Psychology department
-To put on discussion groups/talks/debates about interesting Psychology
related topics that you wouldn’t get a chance to talk about in lectures.
With this in mind we hope to develop a stronger sense of community between those
in the department but also enable them to expand their knowledge of the field in a
manner than can advance their future career.
Our first big event was carried out
in traditional student fashion with
a PsychSoc pub crawl with over 60
people attending.
Starting on campus we quickly
headed into town, enjoying many
pubs along the route. Pub games
quickly followed, with one team
having to run to another venue to
retrieve more straws after The Star
ran out; all in the name of winning
a game known among us as ‘The
Boat Race’. Our finishing move for
the night led us to Flares, having
arranged a queue jump and free
entry, leading to a great night of games and cheesy (in a good way!) dancing to 70’s
music.
As a society we are jumping straight onto the events calendar with the nights we’re
organising. On Friday 30th of November PsychSoc are co-hosting a Winter Ball with
MechSoc. The Ball is in Wates House with tickets at only £13.50 each including a
buffet. It will be a brilliant night to get dressed up for, and a good chance to fit a ball
into your social calendar early in the year. Tickets are already selling fast, so please don’t
miss your chance.
All members of the Psychology department, their friends and anyone interested in
Psychology are welcome to join the society. So far all our events have been a great
success and we have just formed a new social committee so there should be lots more
coming soon.
If anyone would like to get involved and join the society or buy tickets for the Winter
Ball they can e-mail ussu.psychology@surrey.ac.uk
Please send any articles, queries, and/or adverts for societies into us at:
bf.societies@gmail.com
An article should aim to be from 200-400 words. Any general societies enquiries
should be directed to Simon Moore (Societies Editor).
If you are interested in forming your own Society or have any questions related to
you society’s interaction with the union please contat VP Societies & ID at:
ussu.societies@surrey.ac.uk
 ussu.barefacts@surrey.ac.uk

5th November 2007 SOCIETIES 21

VP SID... Hey guys, I’m Mark Griffiths (better known as Zeph) and I’m the Vice President of Societies &
Individual Development. This means that I’m your main elected student representative responsible
for societies, culture, and the personal development programs (DAVE & Evolution).

So what is it that I actually do in my role? The VP SID looks after the societies...providing them with support and advice
to help them develop and grow, I also am the lead officer for the Union run cultural events such as Chinese New Year and
International Festival. Further to that I also have a remit over the personal development projects, DAVE and Evolution. Aside
from all my union work I also sit on the Licensed Trade committee for NUS Services Ltd., which is the company that a lot of
Students’ Unions buy their food and drink, etc through, and I’m one of the non-portfolio officers on the South-East Area NUS
Executive committee, pushing forward the issues affecting students in the whole of the South-East of England.

Things are developing very quickly in our Individual Development areas...one of the new projects started this year is Evolution.
This is a social enterprise project designed to give students the opportunity to prepare, plan, and execute a major project. Examples
of these will be the Sports Relief Mile, one week of the International Festival, and the 3 Peaks Challenge. The DAVE project,
designed to give students skills to improve their employability, is undergoing a big redevelopment over this year to ensure it keeps
pace with the extra skills that industry are looking for in graduates, more specifically at the option of experiential learning.

If anyone wants to get hold of me for any reason then I can usually be found in the Activities Centre in the Students’ Union,
and I’m always available via email (ussu.societies@surrey.ac.uk),phone (external: 01483 68 3922, internal: 3922), or msn (ussu.societies@surrey.ac.uk). Cheers!
- Zeph

Anime & Games Society
The society was created in October of 2006 and is more active than most, meeting
at least three times a week. The aim of the society is to unite fans of Japanese style/
influenced animation (Anime) at the University of Surrey for weekly movies, ongoing
anime series and computer gaming.
Finally we also run a World cinema evening (films from Japan, Korea, China &
Europe) every Friday 7pm in Lecture theatre G. This was originally started as we were
surprised to discover that there is not a dedicated society for this already.

We are currently watching three anime series in Lecture Theatre F, Wednesdays

7pm:

Haibane Renmei – follow the tales of the young angelic being Rakka in the walled
city of Glie, where no being is allowed leave.

Lucky Star – follow the lives of several Japanese teens making their way through high
school life.

Blood+ - a series based off the popular anime movie ‘Blood: The Last Vampire’.

Socialising is not limited to our weekly events. We often go to conventions (like the To get involved with the society simply turn up to the subjects that interest you at our
London Expo), read manga and have a society library available for all members. The weekly events (listed below) and vote for what we should watch/play.
last event we attended was the Video games live music concert at the Royal festival
hall where the London symphony orchestra (in an unusual twist) played the themes to Monday: Anime movie 7pm, Lecture theatre G
video game music greats such as Metal Gear Solid, The Legend of Zelda, Mario, Final Wednesday: Games Social 2pm, Helyn Rose Bar (HRB)
fantasy & Halo (among many others). Anime series 7pm, Lecture Theatre F
Friday: World cinema 7pm, Lecture theatre G
Come along on Wednesdays (2pm) to the Helyn Rose Bar and you will find us playing
games across multiple platforms (Playstation3, Wii, Xbox360, DS, PSP, Laptop LAN We have a group on Facebook (The Anime & Games Society) for members to keep
gaming etc) using the projector on the big screen. The social is a place for everyone who in touch with us as well as a university minisite (http://www.ussu.co.uk/anime) and
enjoys games, with the popular choice at the time becoming the game for that session. email ussu.anime@surrey.ac.uk
We recently picked up the new Pro evolution soccer 2008 and Metroid and they have -David Hale , Anime President
quickly become regulars in these sessions already.

Inter Society Socials The first event to Laserquest in Guildford saw over 30 people
joining in from four societies, battling it out over the course of
With an evergrowing number of social activities and events being an hour.
run by societies on campus a new Facebook group has emerged
...Inter Soc! The next up and coming event is Paintball on November 24th.
This will be a team event with rgoups of 15 to 25 people, teams
Created recently this group is now growing as a place for the should be submitted by November 11th with payment following
committees of all the societies to get in touch with each and start shortly. Basic cost is £10 which includes lunch, a team photo,
organise larger socials for all to enjoy, whilst bringing the student overalls & padding, paintball gun (ofcourse!), unlimited air refills
community together. With more than 20 societies already taking and some drinks. For a bit more, lnch and extra paintballs can be
part those not joined up missing opportunities to network. Feel included. Check the Inter Soc group for more details.
free to look up the group on Facebook and start taking part.
- Simon, Societies Editor
ussu.barefacts@surrey.ac.uk

22 SPORT 5th November 2007

Sub TV hits Surrey

Students around the country will today be able to submit video footage of their their friends playing sport on Sub.tv screens.”
sports team to www.sub.tv and have the opportunity to be broadcast across 700 Founded in 2003, Sub.tv operates on 95 university campuses across the UK. The
screens around 95 universities across the UK. Student Unions have signed 10 year contracts to receive the service. Its Airtime system
Sub.tv has developing its website www.sub.tv for the past 6 months to develop a allows it to schedule local programming including advertising across the network.
web interface for university sports teams to upload and broadcast video over the web. Sub.tv features a combination of music, film and sports content. The addition of
Sub.tv has also integrated the video upload interface to their Airtime system allowing user generated sports programming is the first step in creating a network focused on
video content to be scheduled locally and nationally across the entire screen network. student produced content.
The sports channel has been personally endorsed by John Inverdale, the British
University Sports Association (BUSA) President, BBC journalist and broadcaster. He To learn more about Sub.tv,
said “In my day…you would wonder how your rivals at other universities got on. Now visit www.subtvmedia.co.uk or www.sub.tv .
at the click of a mouse it is there on the Sub.tv website”. He went on to say “This is a
For further details, please contact;
fantastic development which will help to increase the rivalry between universities”.
They have initially commissioned 60 student producers to film and edit sports Jenny Duxbury, Sub.tv / jennyduxbury@sub.tv / 020 7881 2558
content every week. They are also running a “Get your team on the screen” campaign
to promote the opportunity across its screen network. Sub.tv expects to receive over
20 hours of content each week.
“There are an enormous number of highly talented students in the UK that are
either studying or are interested in media and video content. We are encouraging that
talent to establish a sports channel created by students for students” said Peter Miles,
founder and CEO of Sub.tv.
“Next Wednesday, students in union bars around the country will be able to watch

Success Early dOars!

By Bethan Corlett
in the future! Well done girls!
The 14th of October saw the University of Surrey Boat Club set off for their first All the members of the Boat Club are really proud of the crews for representing
set of races this academic year, competing at Reading Small Boats Head (a 3.3km race, Surrey so well at the Reading Small Boats Head, and we are all looking forward to
try it next time you’re in the gym!). Entering were three crews and of these, five of the the upcoming races that we will be training for this and next semester. However, as a
members only joined the Boat Club at Surrey at the beginning of this year. At the boat club we are desperately in need of coxes. Callum and Vicky very kindly stepped in this
club we like to get them on the water and experienced early. time as a favour but we need permanent coxes to join the club. A cox steers the boat,
The conditions out on the river were near perfect, and having trained at Walton upon provides encouragement to rowers when they need it the most, and acts as an in-boat
Thames, a similar sized river, the rowers were well prepared. This showed in the results coach. The cox is the one that gets the crew to perform the best they can at crunch
of the race with all three crews performing well in their categories. time and are an essential part of any crew - the rowers can’t do it on their own! We are
The Men’s coxed four won their category with a time of 13:49 minutes, winning by looking for small, confident people who can spare some time at the weekends. If this
a huge lead of 34 seconds. Ben Swire led the crew at stroke, with Pete Brown, Daan is you, we would love to hear from you.
Boot (new to the club), and Tom Barnes. Callum Walker stepped in from his role as Please get in touch with us through
president to cox the crew and did an amazing job of encouraging the boys and leading our forum, linked at www.ussu.co.uk/
Guildford
them to victory. Not only did the boys’ time mean that they won their own category but boat or email our president Callum via
they also beat six of the seven crews in the category above them for time, and were an ms42cw@surrey.ac.uk Heat
agonisingly close 10 seconds away from beating the winners of the other category. Tickets are on sale
The women’s teams had an equally successful day, with NOW from the
the women’s coxed four coming in third at 17 minutes,
9 seconds. An amazing achievement, as this was the first
Students
race for freshers Hannah Hassell and Emilie Albon, both Union Shop
of whom never rowed before September. In the boat with Price: £5
them were Sarah Bell, the girl’s captain, Annie McBain, Includes bus from
keeping the rating at stroke, and Vicky Scott who
kindly returned from her 3rd year placement and coxing
uni or town to
retirement to motivate girls to get them their place on the the Spectrum.
leader board.
As well as the two coxed crews the USBC entered a Next home game:
women’s quad which, due to race technicalities, had to
be entered at two categories above their actual level. For
Tuesday 13th Nov
this reason the club was thrilled when they crew came in DKV Joventut
third, especially as for Sarah, who is used to rowing sweep, Tip-Off 7.30pm
it was her first sculling race. Charlotte Essex at stroke,
Sarah Bell, Joanne Kerr and Stacy Gwilliam came in with
an amazing time of 15:46 minutes, watch out for this crew Picture Courtesy Of Charlotte Essex
 ussu.barefacts@surrey.ac.uk

5th November 2007 SPORT 23

By Matt Cheetam
Sports Editor
Football Talk
Welcome back to Barefact’s interactive Football Talk
section. The past fortnight has seen devastation for
the English national team as qualification to the 2008
European Championships is by no means guaranteed
anymore. England now need Israel to do them a huge
favour and take points off our conquerors; Russia. How
has this happened, is McLaren’s reign in charge coming
to an end? Surely this has to be the case if we do not
qualify? Domestically, as we enter the second quarter of
the season, Martin Jol and Sammy Lee were both relieved
of their managerial duties, the decision to sack Jol I find
perhaps not so surprising, but still hugely unjust. The
Dutchman has guided Spurs on decent European runs
and two consecutive top five finishes. Juande Ramos
certainly has the credentials to succeed at White Hart
Lane, but presumably it’s Champions League football
that is expected in the imminent future, so improvements
are rapidly required to please an alarmingly impatient
board.
is frustrating that Lescott, who had such an outstanding
season last season, has seemingly got noticed and been
called up because of his goal-scoring exploits - he is
currently Everton’s top scorer with 5 goals this season
- defensively he has started the season unspectacularly
for the Toffees.
and Downing there are some high profile names there.
True the losses of Viduka and Yakubu were huge, but I
feel their squad is decent enough to compete better than
they are doing so. Tactically Southgate needs to adapt
further in the Premiership, Middlesbrough play one
dimensionally and over-use Downing. Where do you feel
these sides will be later in the season? Middlesbrough
could end up in a relegation battle if they’re not careful.
End of an Era…
Argentina recently topped another edition of the FIFA
World Rankings, however could their reign at the top
be about to dwindle? A few weeks ago Hugo Tocalli
resigned as co-ordinator of the country’s youth sides.
A name unfamiliar to many, Tocalli had been involved
in the process since 1994. In these 13 years Argentina
won an incredible 5 out of 7 World Youth Cups - the
tournament is for players aged 20 and under. The list
of players who have come up through Tocalli’s ranks is
quite incredible, with top players and future hopes such
as Riquelme, Gago, Mascherano, Milito, Cambiasso,
Messi, Tevez, Aguero and Saviola.

Response… An interesting fact about the Estonia game was that This underlines the success of the project, it is not
Thank you for the response received. After singling out by the end of the game England were playing with two the winning of the trophies that counts. There would
the impressive starts to the season made by Manchester Everton players at fullback, yet neither are first choice be no point in winning those titles if the players that
City and Portsmouth, many felt Arsenal’s sprint start to fullbacks for Everton, and ironically both Everton’s won it were not now household names. Youth work
the season should also be covered, it is true, the Gunners fullbacks are actually English; Tony Hibbert and Leighton is about learning, improving and gaining experience as
are looking formidable at present. When you read this Baines (ex U21 star Baines due a call up?). As with the opposed to accumulating titles. Further praise has to be
they will have just faced United, and a win there could Gerrard and Lampard saga, you cannot simply pick the heaped on Tocalli when it is witnessed how these titles
really turn heads. Both are the Premiership’s form teams form names and then put them in any position. Few were won. Currently there is a surge to find bigger, fitter,
at the moment, hopefully it’ll be a classic. It seems finally players have that versatility at the top level. McLaren stronger athletes to crash into each other all day. Tocalli
Mr Wenger’s transitional period with his youngsters is needs to accept the predicament we are in and not blame however remained focused on Argentine football identity.
over and they are ready to compete at the top of the table any refereeing decisions, in the refreshing way England’s The vision that such a rapid game can be wonderfully
again. In Fabregas they have a player playing the best rugby team refused to blame any controversial decisions influenced and dominated by skilful slight players, who
football of his career at present, and he’s still only 20. in the World Cup Final. use their talent and low centre of gravity to avoid tackles
Problems... and keep the game flowing. Despite not winning the
Many people wrote in criticising the performance of After spending the last issue dwelling on the impressive senior titles to go with those World Youth Cup wins in
the referee in England’s match versus Russia. Was it a starts to the season some clubs have made, some recent years, the artistic, thoughtful football played by
penalty? No. Did we deserve to lose? Again probably people brought to attention those clubs who haven’t Argentina recently has stood out and won the admiration
not. However technically Rooney was offside for his progressed this season in their response. Tottenham of all. This can be linked precisely back to the work
goal, and I do not think the referee’s performance in that and Middlesbrough are two sides in dire predicaments started by Tocalli in 1994. Now their era comes to a
match is the reason behind England possibly not reaching considering the money spent in the last few years. In close. Possibly hope for England in the future after all?
the European Championships. Tactically Hiddink took Tottenham’s case Ramos must shore up the defence. In Have we got the right people seeking out our youth?
advantage of the confusing width we offered on the left. terms of attack Spurs have no problems, with no shortage Maybe a topic for next time…
Lescott was told to tuck in leaving Joe Cole as a makeshift of options; this season only Manchester United, Arsenal
left back at times. Personally their second goal frustrates and Portsmouth have scored more goals. However all 3 Send your responses to these topics and any
me. Firstly the shot wasn’t held by a goalkeeper clearly of those teams put together haven’t conceded more than topics you want brought up in future columns,
lacking any sort of confidence and in my opinion should the 23 goals Tottenham have let in. Serious cause for as well as any sports related articles to
not have been playing in England’s most crucial match. concern considering the personnel playing at the back
A keeper with confidence should have been brought in for Spurs: Dawson, Kaboul and Chimbonda are players
earlier, Carson or Green for me. Anyone then trying of a very high calibre. Tactically something is clearly bf.sport@gmail.com
to blame Lescott at left back should turn their venom missing. Any general enquiries should be directed to either
on McLaren. Lescott has probably played 15-20 senior Matt Cheetham or Anthony Hanson (Sports Editors).
games at left back in his career, he is a centre back that At the Riverside, Gareth Southgate has already stated
has occasionally deputised there for Everton. In his full how Middlesbrough need to get through the next ten If you enjoy reading this column tune into GU2 on
debut he was asked to play out of position against Russia, games, and then bring in some new players in January. Thursdays at 3-4 and check out Matt and Tony’s
away, on an astro-turf pitch, with baffling tactics that he’s I find this an astonishing remark considering they have Sports Show, get in touch on MSN during the show
shouldering the blame for. As big a fan of Lescott as I already spent big on Woodgate, Young, Tuncay, Mido, and talk over anything sport with us…
am, McLaren should have gone for experience and played Aliadiere and O’Neil, half their first team! When you
Phil Neville there or even Shorey, a natural left back. It add those names to the likes of Schwarzer, Boetang, Arca
ussu.barefacts@surrey.ac.uk
24 SPORT 5th November 2007

Sting in the tail

By Roxana Pope (SurreyScorpion Vice Chair ‘07/08) the team, regardless of ability or age, and immediately about team members.
was referred to as a team member as opposed to a
Contrary to popular belief Frisbee is so much more than “beginner.”
“chucking a disc around” yet on many occasions people I have played team sports since primary school but
have said to me, “Frisbee isn’t a real sport.” These people it was my first time at playing Ultimate when I signed
have obviously never played the game. The University up last year. I had a surge of curiosity and intrigue
of Surrey along with universities about the game as it appears as
up and down the country and an “underground” sport; non-
other teams are practicing Ultimate players really don’t know
Ultimate Frisbee, regularly how the game works or the even the
coming together for organised proper way to throw a disc… The
tournaments (including beach fact that your average Joe probably
and overseas tournaments), after wouldn’t know how to play Frisbee
which a drunken social ritual is makes the sport exciting, new and
performed in the evening. quirky;hence why I joined.
Ultimate is a unique sport in Surrey Scorpions is a warm and
that not only are high degrees of welcoming team and if you have
skill and stamina required but it is also a highly social changed your views on Frisbee or feel as if you are up
and friendly game with awards at tournaments for the to the challenge of training with us we would love to
“most spirited team.” Like with no other sport I have see you at our training sessions. More information can
played before, when I joined the Ultimate Frisbee society be found on our website www.surreyscorpions.com
I encountered an equality of the individuals within including team photos, training times and information

By Anthony Hanson
Sports Editor
Creating Genius
An eager fan of tennis, Richard Williams dreamed of raising tennis champions
even before his children were born. Of his five daughters Venus and Serena showed
the most aptitude from a young age. Richard, who had taught himself tennis, spent
hours each day hitting tennis balls with his daughters. Today, he can conclusively
say that he achieved his dream, with Venus being a six-time grand slam winner,
whilst Serena can claim an even more impressive haul of eight. Both have held the
position of number one player in the world. Richard Williams set out to raise a
champion and he did it, twice. This raises an interesting question. Can anyone set
out to raise world class sportspeople? Is sporting genius discovered, or can it be made?
When conceptualising our greatest sporting heroes, we tend to believe that
their performances are so superior and exceptional that their ability comes from
some divine talent which automatically distinguishes them into a higher echelon
than the average person from the off. However, research has indicated that this
may not be the case. There is very little empirical evidence of the talent view of
expert performance. Increasingly the role of “deliberate practice” is being put
forward as the factor that separates club players from international superstars.
The model typically is as follows: performers in a certain domain, for example, a
type of sport or proficiency with a certain musical instrument, start off as children
and participate in the activity for pure enjoyment. After a period, the children reveal
an aptitude in the domain, and their parents decide the child should receive limited
amounts of formal training in the discipline. This fosters habits of regular practice.
At this point, in order to get to the next level, the individual has to decide whether
to commit to their chosen domain full time. If this is the case even more time must
be committed to practice, and more advanced training and teaching facilities must be
sought out. Sometimes parents, such as Richard Williams had to, must make sacrifices
such as moving area or giving up their jobs, in order to give their child the best possible
opportunity to succeed. This third phase ends with either the individual being able to
make a living out of their domain, or giving up full time activity in their chosen area.
However, millions of young people are able to make a living in a particular field.
What separates the good from the exceptional? Researches think it may be the amount
of “deliberate practice” given to the activity over a lifetime. This involves both the age
the individuals started training in their domain, and the amount of hours each day and
each week devoted to practice. By age 20, top level performers have sometimes practiced
hundreds, if not thousands more hours than good performers at the level below them. These
individuals are never able to catch up their more accomplished rivals, as the elite performers
maintain a high level of practice throughout their careers. Current models suggest that
to attain expert performance individuals need to practice for four hours a day, 6 days a
week, for a period of 10 years although, of course, there are variations and exceptions.
There is an assumption that genetics wholly predetermines which individuals will
be best suited to sport. However, recent developments in sports physiology would
indicate that we have more control than we may have previously believed. We of
course know that exercising conditions the body to better handle physical activity.
However, physiological adaptations such as maximal heart-rate and lung capacity
appear to increase when overlapped with the body’s development during childhood and
adolescence. With the exception of height, the characteristics that differentiate elite
performers from the less accomplished seem to reflect successful adaptations of the
body to intense practice extended over many years, including childhood and adolescence.
Most of these adaptations require that practice is maintained. If not, they return to
their normal values. However, there must be a clear distinction between optimal and
maximal training, as overexerting the body can have serious health consequences, such
as damaging the body during one’s career or lasting debilitating effects after, or burnout.
Deliberate practice is in itself rarely fun. For a footballer, like David Beckham, it may
involve endlessly trying to put a free-kick into the same corner of the net on a freezing
winter night. For a tennis player it can involve repeatedly hitting a tennis ball into the
same corner of the court for hours on end until it becomes second nature. And this
is often accompanied by gruelling training regimes to maintain peak fitness. Sacrifices
have to be made. However, these sports people will begin to reap the rewards during
the heat of competition, when their bodies respond to certain situations automatically
and effectively, and they begin to consistently put in high-level performances.
Such a commitment to sporting excellence requires high levels of motivation and
dedication, and it is this that may ultimately separate the very good from the great.
Many people are content with achieving a certain level of proficiency in a given domain, be
it in sport, music or even knowledge based subjects, reaching a stage where they are able to
enjoy their level of mastery, but taking it no further. However, given the increasing weight
of evidence which increasingly puts the power of potential back into our own hands we
must ask ourselves this: what possibilities are open to us if we push ourselves to our limits?
For a more in-depth review of the material discussed here please refer to:
Ericsson, K.A., & Charness, N. (1994). Expert Performance: Its structure and acquisition.
American Psychologist, 49, 725-747.