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Page 13 Page 22

The Stag
The University of Surrey Students’ Union Newspaper
FR
EE

Tuesday 29th March 2011 Issue Number: 30

FEATURES IGala:
memories of home
for Iranian students
Censorship in Iran takes a toll
on their performance and
University of Surrey to
charge £9,000 tuition fees
unites them in the face of the
world. Read more on page 10.

SCI & TECH Mobile

phones health? TOM GOULDING
400,000 protesters March for the Alternative in London News Editor

Does talking on your mobile
phone increase your brain
activity? Is it healthy to be on
the phone talking for hours?
Do you know about the 50
minute experiment? Find out on
page 14.
SOCIETIES Dancing
the night away
Surrey dancers go to the Inter-
Varsity Dance competion in
Liverpool. See page 20.
ARTS Rebecca Black
Youtube sensation Rebecca
Black is the talk of the world. Is
“It’s Friday” your favourite song
as well? Or do you feel strongly
about it? Read more on page 27.
SPORTS Competition
Attention Rugby Fans: The Stag
had paired with the RFU to
offer one lucky reader a pair of
tickets to the Emirates Airline
London Sevens extravaganza.
Go to page 31.
T
he University of Surrey has
become the sixth university
to con�irm it will raise the
cap on tuition fees.
Surrey’s decision to charge
maximum tuition fees, a bid that
was rati�ied by the university’s
council, will be put into action
from September 2012 amid
severe cuts to government
funding. The next academic year
will see £940m slashed from
English universities’ budgets for
teaching and research, as well
as 58.1% cut in the funding for
buildings.
Vice Chancellor, Professor
Christopher Snowden said, ““We
have to accommodate a cut of
over 60% in our annual teaching
grant and, in addition, a 70% cut
in our annual capital teaching
grant, whilst supporting students
from low-income families as part
of our access programme.”
Professor Snowden was also
concerned that an immigration
policy recently proposed by the
government would reduce the
number of international students
attending UK universities. He
said, “There are also uncertainties
about the impact of proposed
Saturday 26th March: Around 400,000 protesters marched through London to vent their frustration over the immigration policy which, if
impact of the Government’s budget cuts. The main march, organised by the Trade Union Congress (TUC) implemented, are very likely
was joined along the way by an education bloc, two contingents from elsewhere in London and a plethora of to reduce the number of
other people affected by the cuts agenda. As the TUC march headed to Hyde Park to hear speeches from Ed international students studying at
Miliband and TUC President Brendan Barber, protesters elsewhere fell victim to police violence as peaceful
occupation of businesses known for tax avoidance turned to rioting. See page 4... Continued on page 4
 Editor’s Letter Your Stag Team
A nd here it is, the last two weeks of term are finally here. For some this has
brought happiness, for others the stress of finishing off assignments and
dissertation has increased to a level where we are glued to the library. The last few
Comms Officer | Chris Whitehead
ussu.communications@surrey.ac.uk.

weeks have been eventful on campus, for those of you who were unaware; it was Editor | Mariam Nasir
IFestival which was a massive success this year. The IGala night was a colourful editor@thestagsurrey.co.uk
cultural celebration which can be seen in our centre page spread! I participated
this year for Asian Society, teaching a few people how to dance on stage – this Deputy Editor (Design) | Bakita Kasadha
turned out to be quite a fun experience. design@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Monday 21st March was a big night for us at The Stag since it was our first event
in collaboration with MADTV and GU2 in The Living Room. The Red Carpet event was a success and Design Team | Zoe Kitchener, Rowan Ling, Amrin
thank you all for attending and making it possible! Have a look at the centre pages for some amazing Lokhandwalla, Jack White, Stacey Hunter &
pictures from the night. Charlotte Clarke
So that was the recap. The next two weeks are also going to bring excitement on campus – it is
election time! The Students’ Union sabbatical positions are being elected and all the candidates need Deputy Editor (Marketing) | Eunice Njag
your support! Voting begins on 4th April and closes on the 8th April. So please remember to vote online marketing@the stagsurrey.co.uk
and support your choice. This is an opportunity to have your voice heard.
Lastly, the nominations for the Student Awards have been extended to Friday 1st April. Please Marketing Officers | Harriet Drudge , Imogen Jones &
nominate societies or individuals who you think deserve to be recognised through their efforts with Kristel Tchamba
their involvement. You can find the nomination form on the union website.
Have a relaxing Easter break and we will see you in May! News Team
News Editor | Tom Goulding
Mariam news@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Team | Andrew Markland & Jack White

Features Team
Features Editor | Jyoti Rambhai
features@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Team | Charlie-Louise Akintino & Fran White
(Fashion) | Christie Campbell &Nisha Aubeeluck

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

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

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

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

The Stag is an editiorially independent newspaper and is Music Editor | Lorna Salmon
published by the University of Surrey Student’s Union. music@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Team: Liam Conroy

The Views expressed in the paper are those of the individual
Sports Team
authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the
Sports Editor |Marisa Guerreiro Da Costa
educational team, the Students’ Union or the University of Surrey.
sports@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Surrey & Berkshire Media Ltd.
Copy Editors | Remy Richard Martin, Vijay Bhaskar,
8 Tessa Road, Reading Yemi Dipeolu, Nicole Vassell & Faha Zahid
RG1 8NS copyteam@thestagsurrey.co.uk

The Stag reserves the right to edit all submissions and the right to Webmasters | Ankur Banerjee & Andy Smith
decide which articles are published. webteam@thestagsurrey.co.uk

Please direct all enquiries to the relevant section editors.

news@thestagsurrey.co.uk
News
Off Campus!
Tom Goulding
News Editor
‘
National resilience’ might be a
fusty, old-fashioned term in a
world plagued by civil war, no-
fly zones and Charlie Sheen, yet as
the series of cataclysmic disasters
that shook Japan earlier this
month continue to wreak havoc,
the determination of the island
nation to persevere has been
nothing less than admirable.
Hours of rolling news footage
continue to show the devastating
aftermath of the earthquake
that hit off the northern coast
of Japan on 11th March. The
ensuing tsunami swept entire
communities away in an instant,
leaving thousands homeless and
countless more missing.
Next came the unexpected
news that the Fukashima nuclear
plant had been damaged in the
disaster, and a race against time
to prevent a core meltdown
on the scale of Chernobyl was
immediately underway. The
looped footage of hydrogen
explosions rocking the reactors
has done nothing to calm the
nerves of the Japanese population
or the international community.
Both Germany and China have
incidentally suspended the
construction of their nuclear
power stations, while many
Western countries have advised
their citizens to leave Tokyo,
despite pledging their support
to assist the crippled country.
Since then, further reports
have indicated that radioactive
material may have leaked into the
Tokyo water supply.
In Britain, it is almost
impossible to appreciate the
magnitude of these events. Many
stared at their television screens
Fires blaze after Japan is hit by a tsunami
finding the waves impossible to
comprehend. The inevitable jokes
spread by text message were
arguably merely symptoms of
this disbelief. As with the Boxing
Day tsunami in 2004, the idea
of a wave capable of destroying
towns in the blink of an eye is a
concept entirely alien to our own
shores; many had only previously
witnessed similar scenes in such
hyperbolic, Hollywood-inspired
scenarios as Deep Impact. The UK
has not been pummeled by a tidal
wave since the 18th Century, and
its only recent “earthquakes” have
managed to shake its bookshelves
rather than its skyscrapers. It is
therefore completely unfeasible
to contemplate how we would
cope under such pressure.
At the time of writing, the
severity rating of a nuclear
crisis in Japan is currently at 5
out of a possible 7. The clichéd
opinion that many have repeated
over the past ten days is that a
nuclear power station should not
have been built on a fault line to
begin with. It is a statement that
is about as helpful as someone
suggesting that every natural
disaster in human history could
have been averted if people had
not built civilizations at the base
of volcanoes or on coastlines.
There are often extensive social
and economic factors behind the
construction of nuclear power
stations, which are relatively safe
The Stag NEWS 03
New Virtual
Learning
Environment
for students...
have your say
Professor Nicholls
Y
ou may have seen my weekly
updates on SurreyNet. You
may even have heard about
the recent workshop run by KPMG
where students were asked for
their input into the University’s
vision – but how much do you
really know about the project to
replace Ulearn with a new Virtual
Learning Environment?
The University wants to
replace Ulearn with something
that is easier to use, and which
lets users do more with it. For
the past few weeks KPMG have
been working with staff and
students across the University
to understand the things that
technology could do to help
improve the student learning
experience – from automatically
© Claire Bradley
filling in admin forms to videoing
lectures and posting them online!
The result of this work is a soon
to be published vision statement
and cost-effective in comparison outlining the ways in which
to their fossil fuel alternatives. new technology can benefit the
Jean-Claude Favez once University.
wrote, “Of all the forms of Coming up are more
wisdom, hindsight is by general workshops which will look at
consent the least merciful, the the details of what Ulearn’s
most unforgiving.” There is little replacement must be able to do.
consolation in dictating what Through KPMG, I am keen to
could have been done to prevent have as many students involved
a crisis that has already affected as possible throughout the whole
so many people. It is important process, and we are planning
to support the efforts of the some more workshops to get your
plant workers, who are currently views on what technology should
battling to cool the reactors at do for you.
the likely expense of their own If you can spare a couple of
health. In terms of providing the hours in the morning or afternoon
solution to Japan’s long-term of Monday 4th April, and would like
recovery, nuclear hysteria is no to attend one of these workshops,
substitute for the determination please email:
of its people. ussu.grapevine@surrey.ac.uk.
04 NEWS
Future students face maximum
tuition fees as Government cuts
result in Surrey joining the ‘£9k club’.
Continued from front page
UK universities.” A decline in non-
EU students is expected to have a
negative impact on universities,
as many are dependent on the
income from the higher fees that
they already provide.
There were additional fears
that by not charging higher
fees, the perception of Surrey’s
quality would be damaged.
While Universities Minister
David Willets recently stated
that the £9,000 fees should
only be charged in “exceptional
circumstances”, experts predict
that the most universities will opt
to charge the maximum amount
in order to distance themselves
from competing institutions.
Local Liberal Democrat
Councillor Chris Ward voiced
his opposition to the decision,
challenging the Vice Chancellor
to publish how the University will
accommodate poorer students
under the new system. He argued,
“Guildford is already the most
expensive place to study outside
London and this news will further
deter poorer students from
Dark Knight Special
Effects Expert Found Not Guilty
Heath Ledger in his penultimum performance
Samantha Arnold
S
pecial effects expert
Christopher Corbould, has
been found not guilty of
failing to ensure the safety of
cameraman Conway Wickliffe, 41,
who died on the set of the film The
Dark Knight, at Chertsey, Surrey.
The award winning special
effects expert, who recently won
an academy award for his work on
Inception, was unanimously found
not guilty at Guildford Crown
Court on Monday 14th March.
Corbould claimed that he
had informed crew members,
including the cameraman, about
every detail of the stunt. “It’s
thoroughly explained to them
before,” he said. “I would never
put someone in the position
thestagsurrey.co.uk
The Stag
picking Guildford.”
“We have moved into an arena
where choice in higher education
is not based on your brains, but
on your bank balance. That is
disgraceful.”
Oliver Deed, Chair of the
Fees would effectively
triple for students
starting in the 2012
academic year.
University of Surrey Labour
Students society, also released a
statement criticising the move. He
said, “This is very disappointing
news indeed. The Vice Chancellor
now has to outline how he will
increase provision for students
from poorer backgrounds.”
The University has insisted
that although the fees would
effectively triple for students
starting in the 2012 academic
year, a new package of bursaries
and free waivers would not deter
those applying from low-income
families. Professor Snowden said
where they didn’t know every
single detail of what’s going on.
That’s inconceivable.”
Wickliffe was filming out the
back of a 4x4 with a handheld
camera, not strapped down, when
the car hit a tree during the re-
hearsal of an action sequence on
a Chertsey industrial estate. The
New Zealand born father of two,
died at the scene due to extensive
head injuries.
Chris Humphreys, Corbould’s
lawyer, told journalists that
they were very happy with the
outcome. He stated, “World-class
actors do not put their livelihoods
and wellbeing in the hands of
people that don’t put their health
and safety first. Directors and
producers do not entrust that
kind of money to someone that
doesn’t put safety first.” 
that the priority was to “safeguard
the student experience” while
maintaining a system of access
based “only on merit and not the
ability to afford a high-quality
education.”
The University of Surrey will
now join Exeter and Durham, as
well as members of the Russell
Group, Oxford, Cambridge and
Imperial College London as the
sixth university to charge the
£9,000 fees. Leeds and Liverpool
are also expected to vote on
proposals to charge the maximum
amount in the near future. Mr.
Willets warned universities that
they could face further cuts to
their teaching grants if they set
fees too high.
The vice-president of the
National Union of Students,
Usman Ali, said: “With every
additional university that joins
the ‘£9k club’, the government’s
assertion that their rushed plans
would be a good deal for students
collapses further.”
What do you think of Surrey’s
decision to raise tuition fees?
Email your opinions to
news@thestagsurrey.co.uk
A young mother bring her child to
protest at the loss of the widely
popular Surestart scheme.
More protests
hit London as
400,000 march
Jack White
News Reporter
D
emonstrations have swept
through London again on
the biggest day of protest
Britain has seen since the march-
es against the Iraq war.
The March for the Alternative
was organised by the Trade Union
Congress (TUC) in response to
news@thestagsurrey.co.uk
attacks on working people by
Government cost-cutting. TUC
President Brendan Barber said:
“We’ll make the case that there is
an alternative to this focus on the
deficit and austerity.”
Although the main march
followed a route through
Westminster and along Regent
Street to Hyde Park, a number of
other marches were due to feed
into this as the day went on.
By four o’clock, a contingent
of the march had stopped
outside the Fortnum and Mason
department store – well known
for its popularity with the rich.
A number of protesters from
the UK Uncut campaign against
tax avoidance walked straight
in and sat down. Although
police opposite who had been
protecting a branch of the
Santander bank were unable to
stop the occupation immediately,
several groups of riot police were
brought in.
As riot police closed in on
Fortnum and Mason, the mood
began to turn sour, with some
protesters beginning to throw
water bottles and sticks. This
soon developed into a riot. To the
anger of the protesters, the much-
criticised kettling tactic was
employed as well as brutal use of
the truncheon.
Riots continued into the night
at Trafalgar Square.
06 NEWS
Union
stands firm
against
attacks on
education
Jack White
News Reporter
I
n a motion passed at its last
executive meeting, University
of Surrey Students’ Union
(USSU) has stated its opposition to
trade union strikes, but also said
it “will support action to maintain
the quality of student education
at the University of Surrey in the
short and long term.”
Academic trade union UCU
has been moving towards strike
action over changes to pensions,
cuts to university budgets and the
threat of redundancy. Under the
scheme proposed by universities’
management, lecturers would
pay more into the pension fund
and employers would pay less,
resulting in an effective pay cut.
Staff are already being asked to
accept a pay rise of only 0.4%,
when inflation is currently
running at around 5%; another
effective pay cut.
New staff will not have access
to the final-salary pension in the
new scheme, meaning that their
thestagsurrey.co.uk
The Stag
Some of the strikers and student supporters at one of two pickets on 22nd March
career would not reap the same
benefits upon retirement.
Joint Branch Secretary of UCU,
Rob Fiddler said: “The employers
want to get rid of the final salary
pension scheme and replace it
with an average earnings scheme
for new staff. However this will
also mean that existing staff will
have their pensions undermined,
as if no new staff contribute to
a pension scheme, that pension
scheme will whither and die.
“We’re also out on strike on
Thursday over proposals for a
national redundancy scheme and
national pay.”
In its motion, USSU calls for
teaching time lost due to strikes
to be made up. It is unclear yet
whether or not this will happen,
since a strike is specifically the
withdrawal of an employee’s
work.
These first strikes come
the week after the University
announced its intention to charge
the full £9,000 tuition fees, due
to cuts to teaching and research
funding.
news@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Students raise
awareness
of green and
ethical trade
issues
Charley Mason
News Reporter
S
urrey students have been
working together over the
last fortnight to stage a
variety of creative and exciting
events that promote sustainable
living and fair trade.
Students held events that
varied from a recycled jewellery
workshop to an economics
debate. The CEO of Traidcraft UK,
the largest Fairtrade Company
in the UK, gave a lecture on
fair trade in the 21st century. 
There was also a “no clothes”
night at Rubix, the Student
Union nightclub, where students
donned boxes, plastic bags and
paper all in the aid of going green!
Students worked together to
raise awareness by giving away
free Fairtrade chocolate, ice
cream and fruit over the course of
the week, a very popular activity
that also drew attention to the
campaigning that the Surrey
People & Planet group do for
environmental and social justice.
“Poverty can be
abolished...
Empathy is powerful.”
Nicholas Barber, a member of
People & Planet at the University
of Surrey said, “Sustainable
economics, climate change and
equality are grounded in fair trade
and fair living - Poverty can be
abolished if we continue to work
global awareness with local fit
solutions! Empathy is powerful.”
The People & Planet group at
the University of Surrey was set
up to raise awareness at Surrey
of UK and global environmental
and ethical issues. http://
w w w. f a ce b o o k . co m / g ro u p .
php?gid=2218895182&ref=ts
Fairtrade Fortnight is an
annual national fortnight of
action promoting the sale of fair-
trade products in order to ensure
a better lifestyle for farmers and
workers in developing countries.
For more details contact
Nicholas Barber: nb00110@
surrey.ac.uk or 07972689477
08 FEATURES The Stag features@thestagsurrey.co.uk

Features
A Simple Guide to the ‘Hows’ includes university education.
In particular let’s have a look
at the University of Surrey; after
cash from things like the Research
Park. Unfortunately it’s nowhere
near enough to cover the drop in

and ‘Whys’ of the £9,000 Fee

all, that’s where we are.
Most importantly Surrey will
be receiving a lot less money for
teaching and capital expenditure.
Now, you all know what teaching
funding. We’re also aiming to be a
top 10 UK University and top 100
in the world; so cutting teaching
and buildings doesn’t sound too
healthy. That leaves one reliable

S
o, the University of Surrey
will be charging £9,000
tuition fees in a couple of
years’ time. That’s a lot of money.
So why are they doing it?
Well, you may have heard
about all these government cuts
looming on the horizon. The UK
government is now in almost one
trillion pounds of debt (that’s
£1,000,000,000,000 for those of
you who like numbers). So like
a student deep into overdraft
resorting to Tesco Value noodles,
it’s decided to cut back a bit on
MALCOLM
HUNT
USSU President
the expenditure for a few years
to stabilise things a bit (not to
get out of debt mind, just to avoid
getting further in).
Now, last year alone the
government borrowed about
£155bn to help pay for things it
was doing. That means to avoid
going further into debt it’s got to
cut back by £155bn this year, or at
least £155bn in total over the next
few years. That’s a lot of Tesco
value...
The result of all this �inancial
pruning is a lot of unhappy people
in a lot of unhappy professions
being told they have a lot less
money to spend. In particular
local government (that’s your
county and borough councils) has
seen big cuts. Another major area
of cuts is ‘business’. That’s what’s
most important to us today, as it
is but you may be slightly less
clear about capital expenditure
(or CapEx for the kool kids). Well
CapEx (clearly I’m a kool kid) is
the money the University spends
on buildings and maintenance etc,
so it’s pretty important. Unless
you like having your lectures in a
�ield instead of a lecture theatre...
All in all this means the
university can either spend less
on things like buildings and
teaching or it can get the money
from elsewhere. We’re lucky that
at Surrey we earn a bit of extra
place to get the money from: the
students.
When we hear something
bad is about to happen we often
like to �ind blame. Have students
been getting it too easy? Is
the University being overly
zealous with the new fees? Is
the government being too keen
with its cuts? Or did previous
governments simply leave us with
too much debt and unsustainable
spending in the �irst place?
I’ll leave that for you to decide.

UoS hosts London

and South East BUCS
Conference cup �inals
club, especially as this was their �irst
year playing in the British University &
College Sport (BUCS). They won the cup
today and they have won their league! A
TRUNG great 1st year!
USSU VP Sports The Rugby Women’s match was
against Middlesex University. A tightly

F
irstly I would like to praise Kara
Glassborow, the Students’ Union
Activities Administrator for
organising the �inals at the Surrey Sports
Park. Kara has worked endlessly to get
the event organised and making sure
all the teams across the region arrived
alright. Working alongside her on the
day to co-ordinate the event, it proved to
be a tough action packed day. There was
so much going on behind the scenes – it
was madness!
I would like to congratulate all our
teams who have competed and those
who have reached the �inals! It is always
a celebration to get this far.
The �inals in fencing consisted of
both our Surrey teams playing against
each other for the gold and silver. The
1st team won with the 2nd team as the
runners up. Despite this, it is a true
win all round for the club with both
teams celebrating for reaching the �inals
together after the game.
Our volleyball men’s team were
against Essex University. It started with
a close �irst game, but once our boys got
going, they steamed ahead winning their
match three games to none. This has
been a successful year for the volleyball
fought match becoming even more tense
at the end when an accident occurred on
the pitch, leaving the Middlesex captain
injured on the �ield. The match was
halted for a while and then the decision
was made to move to another pitch to
�inish the game. The sun was setting and
there was only 90 seconds to play on a 12-
12 tie on points. Whilst the ambulance
was busy aiding the injured player on the
original pitch, our girls continued to play
and in the dying moments, Middlesex
scored a try, narrowly winning against
our team. The girls did a great job and
was awarded their silver medals.
As I am writing this article, the
women’s tennis team is still playing
outside having been playing for hours.
It really is now a great �ight, battling the
tedious hours and seeing the sun set
right in front of them. Good luck to them!
Many of our teams have won their
leagues as well and this is a cause for
celebration!
Remember to check The Stag for the
latest results!
So what now? We look forward to
beating Kingston in the Varsity Games
on the 30th March 2011.

thestagsurrey.co.uk
features@thestagsurrey.co.uk
When Royal Mail sent
my parcel back to me
Snail mail: the postman speeds your parcel all the way from your house to... your house.
Lasika Jayamaha
Features Team
H
aving always experienced
a good service from
the Royal Mail, I was
confident that when I sent a
parcel over to Sri Lanka by Air
Mail, it would reach there, no
questions asked.
However, this was proved
wrong, for three days later on the
Friday I received an email from
Manor Park Reception saying
that I have a parcel that needs to
be signed for. When I went down
to the reception, I was given the
very parcel I had posted earlier
that week. I was very angry and
annoyed. There was no point
in talking to the receptionists
there, one because they wouldn’t
be able to do anything about it
and two, as I knew that whatever
happens now, the parcel was
never going to get there on time.
The following Monday I took
Is the end
really near?
Tanuja Rai
Features Team
I
was shocked and saddened
by the news that stirred the
whole world, when on 11
March the eastern coast of Japan
was hit by a earthquake of mag-
nitude 8.9. Due to geographi-
cal location, earthquakes are
frequent in Japan; but this time,
not only was it very powerful,
it started a 7m tsunami killing
thousands of people, leaving
the parcel down to the University
Post Office, and stated to the
lady behind the counter (the
same lady who had stamped the
previous week), that ‘the parcel
had been delivered to me instead
of being on a place to Sri Lanka’.
She didn’t seem surprised at
it being returned and mentioned
that another gentleman had
walked in with the same
complaint earlier on, only that
was local post whereas mine was
Air Mail.
Isn’t there supposed to be a
clear distinction when sorting
local and foreign post?
She suggested that I take it
to the sorting office in town as
there was nothing she could do
about it. I had no time to go into
town and agreed for the parcel
to be re-posted. I wasn’t happy
at all.
Wanting to complain I went
to the Royal Mail website, but
could not find an appropriate
many homeless and even setting
off widespread fire. As I watched
the news of this terror, I could do
nothing but just shudder and
pray for people residing there.
There also seems to be an in-
crease in hatred and violence all
around the world, I am starting
to believe that we and our Earth
are destined to be doomed,
probably not in 2012, but some-
time soon.
Scientists say all these natu-
ral disasters have occurred be-
cause of the geographical rea-
sons, astrologers believe this is
due to earth, moon and planets
movement, environmentalist
believe overpopulating and over
© Graham Richardson
link and gave up not wanting
to waste any more time on the
matter. I did however, spoke
about it on Twitter and to my
surprise received a reply from
Royal Mail few days later.
They wanted me to get back
to them with all the details
including a photograph and
receipt of the returned parcel for
a refund. I didn’t have a picture of
the parcel but emailed all details
and was given a reference.
They were very apologetic
towards the whole situation,
stating that this kind of
mishandling is very rare and
wrote to me confirming that
necessary action had been taken
with the local delivery office and
enclosed a book of stamps as a
gesture of goodwill.
Although I was happy with
the way in which they treated
the complaint, I will always have
the doubt of my post getting
delivered on time.
pollution in earth is the reason
and theists believe it’s the anger
of God.
All beliefs differ but with
humans thinking themselves
superior of all and misusing the
Earth and its resources, the end
seems really near. We have all
seen the nature’s ability to bring
enormous disaster and human
activity to an abrupt standstill.
There’s still time to think about
our actions. Not just on saving
our Earth, but also among us, we
all should try to treat each other
with respect and come together
to solve this problem now.
The Stag
BUSINESS
The puzzle of “success”
Peter Bailey
Business and Finance
S
uccess is a much debated
quantity. Some measure
it with financial achieve-
ment, others in spiritual or
emotional fulfilment. It is the
title attached to many things in
History, emblazoned on every-
thing from naval destroyers to
software development houses.
The debate will rage on, but as
we are all on a limited mortal
coil lets focus on the business
context of success for us as stu-
dents.
Often depicted by flashy cars
and lofty aspirations for money
and power, business success
exerts a powerful draw on stu-
dents and graduates. I am sure
we are all striving for our own
brand of success in our studies
and job searches. Whatever it is
that motivates you, chances are
it is different to the next person.
Now you may think this seems
obvious, but do we manage to
keep this in mind when slap-
ping certificates of success on
ourselves, and each other?
There is much to be said for
stepping back and taking stock
of traditional metrics of success
whether they be cash, power,
cars, or even a trophy husband
or wife. Not to say you shouldn’t
strive for these things, only that
you might want to decide if they
are actually what you want or
whether you have unwittingly
Success is a measurement you
set yourself.
thestagsurrey.co.uk
FEATURES 09
slipped into a rat race for these
goals along with your peers. I
place building a personal net-
work of friends and business
contacts, or teaching someone
a new skill to be equally justifi-
able claims for ‘success’.
By laying out what is your
own definition of success you
have taken the first step towards
entrepreneurial endeavour.
Many great business founders
established themselves from re-
writing the rules of engagement
whilst their competitors were
napping.
Take Mr Zuckerberg for
example: Facebook may be
valued at a staggering amount
(despite comparatively little
profit), but one gets the feel-
ing he measures his success by
enacting a concept and revolu-
tionising social interactions.
It is therefore possible that
the yardstick of success that
the public often measures him
against is not the same one he
uses on himself. James Dyson
has done exceedingly well out of
his cleaning appliances, but he
wouldn’t have got there with-
out the trickle of success and
reassurance from prototypes
knocked up in a shed. There
is a constant but often woolly
pressure from our parents, aca-
demics and not least ourselves
to achieve success. By breaking
this down, we as students can
begin to do what we keep being
told to do. That is to shape the
next generation of business.
If you feel successful when
you turn a fiver into fifty over-
night then go for it, but likewise
if you get a rising sense of
satisfaction from starting a
none-profit company or vol-
unteering at a local institution
then don’t be afraid to tally it up
against your successes column.
A man called John Wooden
once said "Success is the peace
of mind which is a direct result
of knowing that you did your
best to become, the best you are
capable of becoming."
10 FEATURES
"Y'know what
really grinds
my gears?"
People’s reaction to
the slightest bit of Sun
BAKITA KASADHA
Features Team
C
alm down! Okay, arguably
last week was warm(ish),
but I’ve been observing this
irrational behaviour for some
time.
Yes, it’s been cold and dreary
for the last few months but sun
does not equal heat. Busting out
the Roman sandals, shorts and
�loral vest top because the sun is
bright will not distract us from
the goose bumps on your arms.
The sun (and heat) will soon be
here, just be patient!
And as for the people who
seem to wear their surfer shorts
all year, even in winter months,
around campus – well I don’t
want to talk about them. They’re
just crack heads.
I swear I’m not a moany mare
all the time, it’s just that I’m one of
the few who realise a cardi is still
a necessary garment and it really
grinds my gears!
"Y'know
what really
oils my gears?"
Phil Collins and
coach journeys
BAKITA MASALA
Unknown
L
istening to his 'Groovy Kind
of Love' on a coach journey
makes me happy.
Knowing that I'm going on
a mini break with friends to
Amsterdam where we'll stop off in
Belgium for chocolate (which will
be eaten after lent) and alcohol –
priceless
thestagsurrey.co.uk
The Stag
Iran: a war of words...
The Iranian society make their bows at iGala
PRIYA PRASHAR
Contributor
I
ran is no stranger to the
pitfalls and advantages of the
media. In a country where
print media, television and radio
are under state control, the
Internet provides a refreshing
platform for Iran’s �lourishing
opinions and views. Iran’s
struggle for power and peace
is played out the most in the
media spotlight; this is however
paired with one of the strongest
and most advanced censorship
systems. Freedom of speech is
a right entitled to every human
being but somewhere along the
line some people are getting the
short straw.
The last two weeks the
University of Surrey has been
home to the International
Festival, a celebration of colour,
culture and diversity across
campus. A chance for societies to
showcase what it is that makes
them proud of their culture.
On Friday the 11th of March the
centre piece of the festival took
place which was the IGala night.
It was a chance for students to
demonstrate their culture via
short stage performances. For
some however a black cloud had
been hovering over their cultural
celebrations.
The Iranian society has
taken a well established role in
International Week performing
in the IGala for many years. This
year the society’s performance
faced criticism from a minority of
students. We must bear in mind
that this year’s performance
was much more political than
seen in past years; this was the
basis for the society wanting to
keep it a surprise from everyone.
They gained consent from union
of�icials to do this with the �inal
performance only to be revealed
on the �inal night. Everything was
running smoothly until the night
before the actual IGala where
society members were told to
shorten the footage, the possible
reason being that the violent
Opposition is something that the Iranian people
are not new to... A group of people coming
together in the face of adversity will have its
desired affect no matter where in the world.
references in the performance
would be found unsuitable
for children in the audience.
Opposition is something that
the Iranian people are not new
to. With this decision came a
wave of anger from the society.
Ironically with the help of the
social networking site Facebook
a protest was organised and on
the morning of Friday the 11th
a crowd of 30 Iranians amassed
outside the student union
of�ices. The protest was in no
comparison to the protests that
Iranians face on a daily basis
however its impact was the
same. A group of people coming
together in the face of adversity
will have its desired affect no
matter where in the world or
size of the crowd. With a short
civilised meeting between the
union of�icials and the society,
a compromise was reached
and their performance was one
which resonated through the
audience.
features@thestagsurrey.co.uk
© Sha Mk
Here is one performers
opinion of that week’s events
Soroosh Saberiyoun (Business
Management )“ IGala is a festival
to showcase the culture of a
country at the moment politics
is at the core of all Iranian
life culture so why shouldn’t
it be at the forefront of our
performance”? The seriousness
of censorship is often
misunderstood, and as British
citizens’ a concept we often take
for granted. OpenNet of�icials
refer to Iran as “one of the most
extensive technical �iltering
systems in the world”. It is home
to an ongoing struggle for the
right to free speech constricted
but a government intent on
A bystander, Neda Agha-Soltan was killed by an Iranian Government
paramilitary during the protests over the 2009 presidential election.
silencing their people.
In the 2009 elections we
all witnessed on a public scale
how extreme Iran’s censorships
laws are. Social networking
sites were blocked; the likes of
Facebook, Twitter and Flickr
were all stopped in the run up
to the elections; a main outlet
of speech was halted for the
republic of Iran. This censorship
only intensi�ied after the unrest
began.
Although the government
decreased Internet bandwidth
to a limit so mobile videos could
not be uploaded this didn’t stop
the 40 second video of Neda (an
Iranian student) being shot in
the eye reaching the world in less
than 24 hours.. She went on to
become the voice of the Iranian
people and their struggle for
change.
It is apparent that attempts
at censorship do have a negative
in�luence in people’s plights
for freedom, but bearing what
happened in the union of�ices
in mind, if the intent is strong
enough people coming together
in the name of change can
have a positive affect be it in
Iran or anywhere in the world.
Some may think this is a petty
comparison to make, but maybe
this is what it will take to bring
the plight of Iran to the everyday
people of Europe.
History has shown that
when people of power make a
systematic attempt at silencing
the public, the only way to
oppose is by �ighting back
even if this involves the loss
of innocent blood. Freedom
that we take for granted such
as the right to vote, and other
things we take for granted were
only won because people were
willing to do whatever it took
to win their cause. We must
not underestimate the power
of protest nor forget what is
happening in the world outside
Surrey.
features@thestagsurrey.co.uk The Stag FEATURES 11

Solo Travel
I decided to go with the latter,
as I could see this guy was pretty
genuine, and I’d lamp him if he
tried anything (yeah right). So
onto the back of this bike I got,
(Part 2 – Kolhapur, Maharashtra) and we jetted off to his friend’s
shop. Weaving through traffic
with no helmets on, I decided ev-
Mark Allen try.” eryone goes so slowly that if you
Contributor “Where are you going? Why did hit each other, you’d just fall
are you in Kolhapur? Why are you over, uninjured. We chat about

I
n a place like Kolhapur, there alone? What job do you have?” India, and he then invites me back
are no tourists. People every- These questions become the to his house to meet his family.
where stare at you, wondering standard ones asked, and often Again, I said yes. So off we go to

why you’re here. This is especially
true for a solo traveller, as they of-
ten ask “where are your friends?”,
to which I reply “They’re all stud-
ying, working etc”.
Due to the time of year and
the extended monsoon that India
decided to have, I found myself
sheltering under a Chaii stall in
torrential rain at night. I chat to
lots of people, mainly to shelter
under their umbrella for a bit. A
man called Ranjeet pulls up on a
motorbike, and the usual conver-
sation begins.
“Where are you from?”
“UK...”
*puzzled look*
“England.”
“Ah yes yes...very nice coun-
become tedious beyond belief.
But I always answered, as they
were often really interested by
what you had to say. Trying to
describe my job was near impos-
sible, and they always asked me
to sing a song. This particular
gentleman however, asked me to
come with him on his bike, back
to his friends shop to give me a list
of where to visit. In this situation,
you can go two ways:
1. “Say ‘No’ to the Strangers”,
as the old Police campaign for
kids goes (I always thought it was
ridiculous). He could be a nutter
who’s going to mug you.
2. Go with it, and see what
happens. Introduce him to Mr
and Mrs Pain if needs be.
his house, I meet his lovely family,
have chaii, and then he drops me
at my hotel.
“Tomorrow. You come to my
house for breakfast.”
Right you are.
Thus begins my many visits
to Ranjeet’s house. Meeting his
family, having some awesome
food (including poah: flattened
rice and potato with green chillies
– bit of a shock at 8.30am), and
learning about their culture.
He told me to visit a temple out
of town. So, armed with a piece
of paper with the name of it writ-
ten in Marathi, I got on the local
bus. Now these aren’t like your
delightful TFL beauties. These
are ageing TATA trucks that look
The New Palace at Kolhapur, India
like they have been in numerous
accidents on their way from pre-
WW2. Health and Safety experts
would have kittens. Once again,
I’m the only white person for
miles around, and this soon gen-
erates some interest from a local
(I think out of confusion more
than anything). I tell him where
I’m going, and he informs me that
his brother is picking him up on
his motorbike, and that he can
drop me there as his house is on
the way. Of course, I say yes, and
we get off the bus in what is rural-
ish Maharashtra and three of us
© Ankur P
hop on.
On the way, he turns round as
says “My house is on the way. We
stop for chaii?” And of course, I’m
game. Sure, I had the pang of “I’ve
just met this guy, it could all go tits
up,” but you slowly realise that by
using a little bit of common sense
and judgement you can meet and
experience the culture so much
more than most travellers.
I did this throughout my trip,
and they often turned into some of
the most memorable experiences
from the whole three months.

Yes to Fairer The ‘Yes’ argument outlined

What’s the difference between alternative promises because they know they can get away

Votes Campaign
vote and the current system?
The current system the UK uses is first past
the post (FPTP) where you vote by putting a
cross next to the candidate you want to win and
whoever gets the highest number of votes wins.
Things are a little different with alternative
vote (AV). First of all, you rank the candidates
in order of preference, 1, 2, 3, etc. To get a clear
winner, AV uses a knockout system. In each round
the candidate with the least votes gets knocked
out and counting begins again.
If your candidate has been knocked out then
your vote goes to your next preference. This
means that in each round everyone gets one vote
so everyone gets a say in who wins even if their
favourite candidate was one who didn’t stand
much chance of winning.
The counting keeps going until a candidate
gets the support from at least half of the voters in
a round – so whoever wins has the support of at
least 50% of the voters.
Local campaigners advocate changing to the alternative voting system Do I know AV from somewhere else?
for forthcoming General Elections. You should do. AV is the same system the
student union uses to elect sabbatical officers
George Potter give people more say, help end – they use it because it means that whoever is
Contributor ‘safe seats’ and where no MP can elected will represent the largest number of
be elected unless at least half of voters possible. It’s also the system used by all
with it. Under the current system most votes
have no affect on the outcome so all politicians do
is focus on the small number of swing voters they
need in order to win.
A change to AV will mean MPs will have to
work harder to win and keep your support.
Under AV your next MP would have to aim to get
more than 50% of the vote to be sure of winning.
At present they can be handed power with just
one vote in three.
Ranking candidates also gives you more say
in who comes first and who comes last. If your
favourite doesn’t win, you still have a say. It’s as
easy as 1, 2, 3…
With FPTP many MPs have their ‘safe
seats’ for life. AV will let you force complacent
politicians to sit up and listen, and reach out to
the communities they seek to represent.
In short, AV keeps what works with our current
system, and eliminates many of its weaknesses.
Ultimately, if someone wants to represent your
community they need the votes of the majority of
the community. That’s why you should support
alternative vote.
Why bother to vote in the referendum?
This is quite literally a once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity to change the voting system. If

O
n the 5th of May the UK
will hold a referendum
on whether to change our
voting system to the Alternative
Vote voting system (AV).
At Yes to Fairer Votes we’re
campaigning for people to vote
Yes. AV is a system which will
force politicians to work harder,
the people in the constituency
support them - under the current
system, an MP can be elected with
as little as 3 in 10 voters backing
him or her.
We aim to answer most of the
questions you may have about it
below
three major parties to elect their leaders.
Who are you?
We’re Surrey Fairer Votes – part of the national
Yes to Fairer Votes campaign. We’ve got Labour
supporters, Lib Dems, Tories, Greens, UKIP-ers as
well as lots of independent supporters.
Why vote yes?
At the moment, politicians from all parties
you don’t vote in normal elections then you can
always vote again next time, but if you don’t
vote in this referendum then you’ll never get the
chance to change the voting system again. A No
vote will be used by politicians to say that people
are happy with the way things are and any chance
of changing the voting system will be lost for a
generation. If you’re fed up with being ignored
by politicians and feel that nothing ever changes,
or if you just want a fairer say, then vote Yes for a

www.yestofairervotes.org ignore young people and feel free to break small change that will make a big difference.

thestagsurrey.co.uk
12 FEATURES
Fashion Spotlight:
Fashion Blogs
Nisha and Christie
Fashion Team
T
his week we were con-
tacted by fellow student
Hon Lam, who has a
fabulous blog site called Model-
Campus, featuring fashionable
students on campus. Hon was
lucky enough
to attend
the Bernard
Chandran
Collection
AW11 and
the Jena:Theo
p r e s e n t
Valkyrie
AW11 fash-
ion shows at
London Fash-
ion Week
this year and
shares his
experiences
of his time at
such a major
fashion event on his blog. Below
are some pictures and an extract
from his fashion report:
“...Armed with a new sense
of belonging in this strange and
intimidating world I headed for
the exhibition – a trade show for
designers to present their latest
collection and pitch them to the
buyers on hand in preparation
for this autumn. Introductions
at the exhibition begin with
squinting eyes and meandering
necks, as everyone tries to fig-
ure out who it is you work for,
before deciding how much of
their time to dedicate to mak-
ing you feel like King. Two lovely
ladies from Mitsi mistaking me
for a buyer (either that or they’re
avid ModelCampus fans) latched
on, before presenting me with a
series of their latest handbags
made of ostrich shin and, their
piece de resistance – pirarucu
(essentially a giant fish) skin?!
Whilst I enjoyed the flattery
and attention I received, fear-
ing I would be caught out as
an amateur, I opted to move on
and explore the other displays
on offer. Some truly remarkable
designs were on hand and see-
ing them up close and personal,
I could really appreciate the
quality of the work... This year’s
autumn winter fashions should
be very exciting! ...”
Check out the report at:
modelcampus.wordpress.com
thestagsurrey.co.uk
The Stag
Spring/summer style 2011
Hollie Rowe-Roberts
Fashion Team
S
pring/summer 2011 style
encompasses everything
you could want from
fashion. In the way of patterns,
bold prints are huge whilst
minimalist plain items remain
gorgeous.
One particular item which
is absolutely necessary this
year is a maxi skirt. Designer
label Jil Sander gave this style a
whole new level with the neon
structured skirts they showed
off at Fashion Week. Teamed
with a plain white t-shirt, this
look is hot. Whilst maxi is often
very boho, midi skirts are huge
in street style. It used to be the
mini-skirt that stood out, but
knee-length skirts have made a
Above: Silk shirts give your look a bit of edge
Right: Jil Sander structured skirt
Springtime shoes
Nisha and Christie
Fashion Team
T
he most difficult decision
when it comes to spring
time fashion is footwear.
It’s too warm for boots yet too
cold for sandals. So what are our
options? Well we have picked
out three very different pairs
that are all perfect for spring.
Tan is the perfect colour
for this time of year; it helps to
brighten up your look at a time
when black is becoming too
dull and ‘wintery’. The chunky
heel and platform make these
sandals comfortable and chic;
they will also most definitely
Tan, buckle detail sandals,
River Island £54.99
huge impact this year. Consider
some cute little ankle socks and
a sheer blouse for a slightly
preppy look, a floral crop top for
boho, or just a short sleeved silk
shirt for a bit of sophisticated
chic.
By the way of materials,
crochet is hippy-gorgeous and
perfect for summer festivals/
beach days. Silk shirts stay
stylish as they have for the past
few seasons, giving any look
a little edge. Clogs, bum-bags
and colourful eyewear give your
summer wardrobe a bit of fun,
contrasting to the neutral make-
up that we see every summer.
Hot red lipstick and hot red nails
are amazing, as is big vampy
hair. If big-hair isn’t your thing,
try a scruffy fishtail plait or a
high-head pony.
see you through the whole of
the summer. These shoes work
with a variety of looks from a
cute one-shouldered dress to
a jeans and blouse combo. You
can purchase these tan, buckle
detail sandals for £54.99 from
River Island.
We love these off white
fringed loafers for a more casual
spring look. They are the perfect
shoes to team with a cute pair
of ankle socks and a skirt. We
think these will be great for
uni because they are really
comfortable and yet a little bit
different. Pick up this must-have
from Topshop for £50 or £45
using student discount.
Off-white fringed loafers,
Topshop £50
features@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Finally, a pair of wedges
are a must have for springtime.
This particular pair help give a
simple outfit a little bit extra as
they really stand out. They are
not too high which adds to their
comfort, and because they are
black they will go with pretty
much everything. We love the
canvas wedge as this is what
makes them great for spring and
summer. Grab these at www.
asos.com for £60.00, and don’t
forget ASOS now does an NUS
student discount, which means
you could get these great shoes
for £54.
Black/canvas wedges,
ASOS £60
© Roberto Castaño
Hard-working student becomes
hard-playing clubber
Sun, Sea and No
Suspicious Parents
Fran White
Features Team
I
t is that time of year when
groups of friends start to
plan and book their holidays
away from their parents.
Being students, clubbing
holidays are definitely the way
forward, well for one week
during the summer! One of the
most popular destinations is
the fabulous island of Ibiza.
Getting there: Easy – many
airports and cheap airlines fly
out to Ibiza regularly.
Time of year: The season
runs from June through to
October. Best times to go would
be July or September as many
clubs have closing parties,
which are some of the best you
will see.
Where to Stay: San Antonio
is in the centre of everything:
you have the west end right
on your doorstep allowing
you to stumble home in the
early hours. Taxis are cheap,
accommodation affordable.
Although Ibiza town sounds
attractive, it is expensive and
has a slightly different clientele
to that of British teenagers
rolling around drunk. It is best
to visit the town as buses run
from the bus station in San
Antonio.
Where to go: You must have
at least one night out in the
west end – there is a huge array
of bars, with so many different
offers to choose from.
The Ibiza Rocks hotel – it
attracts top artists usually
playing on a Tuesday. Try to get
tickets.
Es Paradis and Eden – two
of the biggest clubs in San
Antonio, they are often used as
after-parties if you buy a ticket
for a band at Ibiza rocks Hotel.
Pacha – you have to go! One
of the best clubs in the world!
Be careful, it is in Ibiza town
and you need to buy tickets in
advance. Plan a way of getting
back or buy tickets that include
transport.
features@thestagsurrey.co.uk The Stag FEATURES 13

Games
Answers in the next edition of The Stag. Send your answers to editor@thestagsurrey.co.uk to get a mention in the paper.

Sudoku Wordsearch
7 4 8 2 M O C G G E U G P

9 3 4 O S D N P V P I R

2 8 6 7 T G N I I H O E V

2 9 5 O N E E I J S C C

2 3 R I E L I E E E H

3 4 1 B R H E A B N U B

4 8 7 5 I P T R V S I X K

7 5 6 K S C I O I G Z A

1 8 9 3 E H Q R V O T E A

The words to find are:

Crossword
• censor • research
• ibiza • spring
• motorbike • theend
1 • phil • vote

4 Last Issue’s Sudoku Last Issue’s Crossword

5 6 7 3 9 1 2 4 5 8 M O

1 5 4 8 3 6 7 2 9 B E A N S
6 R C
2 8 9 4 5 7 3 1 6
C N A A
7 9 1 6 2 7 4 5 8 3
S L E E P T R
7 3 5 1 6 8 2 9 4
O P H
8 4 2 3 9 5 1 6 7
S A O
5 2 8 7 4 9 6 3 1 B U I L D I N G
3 6 7 5 8 1 9 4 2 R
8
4 9 1 6 2 3 8 7 5 E N E R G Y

Last Issue’s Wordsearch

L I F R K Q Q T C
T A V I U M P K O
DOWN ACROSS
1 Everyone wants it, 2 Short thing. You bleed C P T J N U I R L
but the ones that feel from it. E Y V I R A I S O
they have it invent it 5 Head Boy sounds like a
L D E R P G N L U
themselves mountain
3 Radiation runs it; Libya, 7 Madman likes to take the E P O V H S B C R
US, UK and France play it edge of, but puts a gloss C C H T R M O O E
4 Effects man is... on
6 The one for us isn’t as 8 The new one at Kolhapur K B S F C U V H X
one with the one for staff looks pretty old L A E P P A S F V

thestagsurrey.co.uk
14 SCIENCE & TECH
Science & Tech
Facebook vs pornography
EMMA COOPER
Science & Tech Team
S
ocial networking sites are
more popular with UK inter-
net users than pornographic
Social networking
has overtaken
entertainment in terms
of popularity.
ones, according to new �igures.
An internet research compa-
ny says that in January, sites like
Facebook accounted for 12.46%
of all online traf�ic.
That’s the equivalent of 2.4
billion hits or one eighth of all
web visits. In comparison, en-
tertainment websites, including
pornographic ones, accounted for
12.18% of traf�ic.
It’s the �irst time social net-
Mobile phone users, Beware!
It has been suggested that speaking on your mobile phone for long periods of time could harm your brain.
EMMA COOPER
Science & Tech Team
H
ere’s one number to keep
in mind during your next
mobile phone conver-
sation: 50. A new experiment
shows that spending 50 minutes
with an active phone pressed up
thestagsurrey.co.uk
The Stag
working has overtaken entertain-
ment in terms of popularity. Of
those, the social networking site
Facebook accounted for more
than half, or 56%, of visits.
It was also found that one in
every eight people leaving a so-
cial network visits another one
immediately after. Facebook, for
example, is a key source of traf�ic
for many smaller social networks;
while almost a �ifth of people
leaving Twitter go on to visit an-
other social network.
The news comes days after
Facebook announced more than
30 million people in the UK had
signed up as members.
This has also favoured highly
in terms of people’s relation-
ships as pornography and other
entertainment websites such as
gambling ones have the most det-
rimental effects on relationships.
Trust issues and secrecy prob-
lems emerge when one half of a
couple develops a sex or gambling
addiction.
to the ear increases activity in the
brain. This brain activity probably
doesn’t make you smarter. When
mobile phones are on, they emit
energy in the form of radiation
that could be harmful, especially
after years of mobile phone usage.
The human brain is sensitive
to the electromagnetic radia-
However some people are
now arguing that Facebook is be-
coming as addictive as these tra-
ditional entertainment websites,
with some people spending up
to 17 hours a day logged in and
© lipar
tion that is emitted from mobile
phones. All types of radiation are
waves that carry energy from one
place to another. Radiation is an-
other way to say energy; it doesn’t
mean the energy is always radio-
active. Mobile phones emit radio
waves, the type of radiation that
carries the least amount of ener-
sciencetech@thestagsurrey.co.uk
actively brows-
ing the web- site! As with
gy. Radio waves are different from
the radiation used in X-rays or
nuclear power plants, which have
50 minutes with an
active phone pressed
up to the ear increases
activity in the brain.
much more energy.
The 47 participants in the ex-
periment had two Samsung mo-
bile phones strapped to his or her
head, one on each ear. The phone
on the left ear was off. The phone
on the right ear played a mes-
sage for 50 minutes, but the par-
ticipants couldn’t hear it because
the sound was off. After 50 min-
utes with two phones strapped to
their heads, the participants were
given PET scans.
A PET scan is a way to see
what’s going on inside the body.
It’s like the opposite of an X-ray:
A person is injected with a chemi-
cal that produces radiation. That
chemical goes to the part of the
body that the scientists want to
study. There, the radiation acts
like light: it’s absorbed in some
places, passed on in others, and
all addictions come withdrawal
symptoms and these addicted
browsers also experience with-
drawal symptoms which include
shaking hands and becoming
more aggressive.
re�lected in others. By studying
those patterns, the scientists can
see what’s happening inside the
body! Fancy huh?
The PET scan showed that the
left side of each participant’s brain
hadn’t changed during the experi-
ment. The right side of the brain,
however, had used more glucose.
These right-side brain mobiles
were using almost as much glu-
cose as the brain uses when a
person is talking. This suggests
that the mobiles there were active
even without the person hearing
anything. That activity, the scien-
tists say, was probably triggered
by radiation from the phone.
For those who don’t want to
wait to �ind out for sure whether
mobile phones are bad for the
brain, there are ways to talk more
When mobile phones
are on, they emit
energy in the form of
radiation.
safely. You can have short and
sweet conversations, use a speak-
erphone or keep the phone away
from your head!
sciencetech@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Radiation risk from Fukushima
HELEN FINN
Science & Tech Editor
O
n 11th March 2011 a huge
earthquake and tsunami
overwhelmed Japan.
The Fukushima Daiichi nucle-
ar plant was devastated by ex-
plosions after the 9.0-magnitude
earthquake.
Radiation has been
leaking into food
produce.
The nuclear reactors work by
heating water into steam to turn
turbines to generate energy. The
earthquake caused the system to
automatically shut down the reac-
tors, stopping nuclear reactions.
The cooling systems failed be-
cause the tsunami had damaged
the power supplies. This meant
that water stopped circulating
and began to boil, creating steam
which then reacted with the fuel
rods to create hydrogen gas. This
then exploded, causing the dam-
age to the reactors.
Gene Therapy Breakthrough
for Parkinson’s Disease
Gene therapy could offer some improvement for Parkinsons sufferers.
HELEN FINN
Science & Tech Editor
G
ene therapy has been suc-
cessful in treating people
with Parkinson’s.
Parkinson’s is a motor system
disorder characterised by trem-
ors in hands, arms, legs, jaw and
face.
It is often accompanied by im-
paired balance and coordination.
thestagsurrey.co.uk
The Stag SCIENCE & TECH 15
Reactor 1 – explosion rips off
roof – 12th March
Reactor 2 – Explosion (pos-
sible radiation leak) – 15th March
Reactor 3 – Explosion destroys
building (possible radiation leak)
– 14th March
Reactor 4 – Fire damage –
15th-16th March
To try to cool the reactors,
of�icials used sea water distrib-
uted from helicopters. They also
used boric acid, which hampers
nuclear reactions. There are now
talks of burying the plant in sand
and concrete to prevent radiation
from being further released.
Radiation has been leak-
ing into food produce – spinach
grown up to 75 miles from the
Fukushima nuclear plant. Milk
© IgorPodgorny
was also found to contain levels of
radioactive iodine far higher than
the legal limits and the Health
Ministry also advised villagers liv-
ing near the plant not to drink tap
water due to higher levels of ra- Smoke billowing from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant after the reactor explosions.
dioactive iodine. However, these
levels pose no signi�icant health of radioactive iodine. These tab- of customers wanting the drug tection Agency says: “There is no
threat. lets enter the thyroid gland and which is not normally available health risk to people living in the
In the UK, there has been a prevent any of the radiation from over the counter – however the UK from the release of radioac-
demand for potassium iodide being absorbed into the body. government does have stockpiles tive material from the Japanese
tablets which block the uptake Pharmacists reported hundreds for emergencies. The Health Pro- nuclear power plant.”
be successful in clinical trials.
Parkinson’s patients have
reduced levels of gamma-Ami-
nobutyric acid (an inhibitory
neurotransmitter in the central
nervous system) in the subtha-
lamic nucleus.
The trial concentrated on in-
fecting cells with a gene to in-
One person in every
500 has Parkinson’s.
That’s about 120,000
© gully snap
people in the UK.
crease the production of gamma-
Aminobutyric acid (GABA). 22
It is caused by a loss of dopamine- patients were given the virus and
producing neurons in the sub- 23 patients were given a placebo.
stantia nigra. The patients who received the
There is currently no cure for gene therapy showed a 23.1%
Parkinson’s, but there are drugs increase in their motor function,
available to alleviate the symp- and the placebo patients im-
toms. proved by 12.7%.
One person in every 500 has Parkinson’s UK approves the
Parkinson’s. That’s about 120,000 study, but says that further re-
people in the UK. search is needed.
A study by The Lancet Neurol-
ogy journal found gene therapy to
Red Carpet Party...

presented by Surrey Student Media

Courtesy of Aaron Rush
Ifestival presents...

Igala
18 SOCIETIES
Societies
Brunei Society Do More Society
give their
March update
HAZEL BEE
Contributor
O
n the �ifth of March, the
Brunei Society celebrated
their country’s 27th
National Day in the university.
Brunei’s National Day falls on
the 23rd of February every year
to mark its independence from
British protection. The event was
open to everyone in the university
with the aim to share the Bruneian
identity and culture.
Brunei’s National Day
falls on the 23rd of
February every year to
mark its independence
from British protection.
The event was open to
ever
The event was held in the
Grif�iths Lecture Theatre on
Saturday afternoon. The room
was well-decorated with Brunei
�lags and the Bruneian guests
were donned in their traditional
Malay attires, to demonstrate
their pride for their nation.
The event started with the
recitation of AlFatihah and short
speech from the President, Muiz
Hasbi shortly after. To highlight
The Bruneian Society celebrating their 27th National Day in the Griffith’s
Lecture Theatre on the 5th of March
thestagsurrey.co.uk
The Stag
the patriotic spirit among the
Bruneians, the National Anthem
was sung together, followed by
a recitation of Iqrar- a pledge of
the national day. There were also
cultural performances throughout
the afternoon, where committee
members and fellow Brunei
Society members presented two
acting performances, Jong Batu
and Puteri Lela Menchanai and
two singing performances. The
event ended with a photo session
and guests later indulged in local
Malay dishes.
To foster close ties among
Bruneian members and to
promote their motherland, the
Brunei Society participated in
the iExhibition, which was a
part of a two-week celebration
of international cultures in the
university. Information on Brunei
was provided by distributing
attractive posters along with
tasty Malay cakes served during
the exhibition. There was also an
opportunity for people to come
and take pictures in traditional
Malay attire.
The society aims to organise
more events in the future. The
Brunei Society will be holding
their 2nd Annual General Meeting
on 30th of March, 5pm in the
Union Committee Room. Please
come along and encourage your
friends to join and support us!
The winners of the Community quiz that was held in Park Barn.
S
ince we appointed our �ive
new project leaders just
before Christmas, we have
all been very busy organising
some exciting events for Do>More
society and all students. Since
then Jess Homewood and George
Akpabor organised a community
quiz in Park Barn, which went
down with huge success. There
were 6 teams competing for cash
prizes. We received enthusiastic
feedback from those who
attended and the winners kindly
donated their money to charity.
After their triumph in that
Importance of connection
between Surrey societies
JAHIR RAFIQ
Contributor
T
he University of Surrey
Student Union is home to
diversi�ied and interesting
societies across the world. It
has cultural, special interests
like games, religious and many
more different societies. All the
societies do different kind of
programmes and events.
For instance, ISoc holds
awareness of international
concerns while Chess Society may
hold a big chess tournament. They
all have different approaches
to celebrate their culture and
keep their members engaged
in a friendly environment. It’s
quite handy for members to keep
motivated and keep in touch
with near and dear ones. As the
societies plan to do something
they need to manage a good
societies@thestagsurrey.co.uk
event, Jess and George have
already moved on to their next.
Finalisations are being made for
a football tournament at Surrey
Sports Park for students in local
schools. As always, volunteers
will be needed to help with the
running of the event, and an email
will be sent out soon with any
information you may need.
Also coming up, we have
an arts and crafts afternoon in
a residential care home, offering
the residents a little variety from
their normal routine. Volunteers
will be needed for this to work
number of obstacles. It takes time
and above all, it requires a great
deal of co-operation between
the organizers. It so happens
that people �ind some bits of
preparation of events confusing
and sometimes they have to
They all have
different approaches to
celebrate their culture
and keep their members
engaged in a friendly
environment.
abandon a nice plan just because
they don’t know what they are
after and what needs to be done.
This same problem could
be faced by different societies
and they all turned down their
problems by their means. Yet the
with small groups, and help to
organise and use the art materials.
On 31st March, a new
committee will be voted in and
running the society next year. The
positions we currently have in the
society are:
President, Vice President/
Secretary, Treasurer, Publicity &
Marketing and Webmaster.
If you would like information
about any of these positions then
please email us at ussu.domore@
surrey.ac.uk. You can also visit
our new website.at www.
surreydomore.co.uk.
same problem could be addressed
by different means, if there was
inter-connection between the
societies organizers as they could
have easily followed the previous
instance without any hesitation or
whatsoever to solve the problem
(e.g. how to keep foods warm). If
Society A put up their last events
problems in the page and Society
B learns from it – that would
make life much easier.
That’s why inter-connection
between societies are the need
of the day. We could just set up
a facebook page and share our
views, our struggling points and
we could solve the problems by
discussing and sharing our own
practical scenarios. It will not
only encourage societies to hold
more diversi�ied events but also it
will make important but frequent
tasks easier for the organizers.
societies@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Islamic Society
Dalia Barakat
Contributor
I
f I asked myself one ques-
tion,
What would it be?
What does Islam mean to me?
 
To me, Islam is peace and
tranquillity,
A lesson to be learnt for all
humanity.
It teaches us justice and how
to be fair.
And how for the hereafter we
must prepare.
A religion full of affection and
love.
A constant blessing from up
above.
 
Islam to me represents equality,
Where men and women,
Rich or poor,
Arab or English
And many more,
Are all treated the same,
In front of God, no matter the
name.
 
Islam brings freedom in every
respect,
And our prophet’s teachings I
wish to reflect.
To keep my promise I was
taught to do,
And not to say anything that
wasn’t true.
I should care for the sick and
help the needy.
And in this life I should not be
greedy.
To not be a hypocrite I should
practice what I preach,
And if I have wisdom I should
share it and teach.
 
Islam guides me to the path
that is right.
And brings me from darkness
The Stag SOCIETIES 19
BioSoc : upcoming events
in to light.
It teaches me all of the good very positive feedback for each of (BioSoc, ChemSoc & PhySoc)
morals. Deb
Contributor our events this year, not only from creating the ULTIMATE SCIENCE
And how we should refrain biosciences students but people PUBCRAWL - ‘Get Your Geek On’.
W
from quarrels. hen I say Biosoc do on other courses too. Don’t just Search facebook for “The Ultimate
I should treat others how I’d you think: ‘Biosoc take our word for it though, come Science Pubcrawl - GET YOUR
like to be treated. isn’t aimed at me; I along and find out for yourselves! GEEK ON!” to get more info.
And keep a level head and not don’t need to read this’? Whilst The committee have worked So, which science / society are
be conceited. Biosoc is a departmental society hard this year to mix things up a you going to support? Pick your
If I am kind to others, I will be fundamentally created for bit and create a variety of events colour (Biosoc; Blue, Chemsoc;
rewarded. biosciences this doesn’t mean so that there was something for Green and Physoc; Red) and get
And all my good intentions are that it is an exclusive society. everyone - and there is still more your wristband! You can buy
recorded. We welcome people from every to come! wristbands from your preferred
  discipline to join our social On the 6TH APRIL 2011 for the society at the meagre cost of
Islam gives me purpose in life. events and have a say in how they first time in Surrey’s memorable £2.50; this will gain you entry
For paradise, I will always feel the society should be run. history, there is going to be a EVERYWHERE we go in town
strive. Biosoc events are open to three way collaboration of the AND the union (check Facebook
I must not give into material everyone; we have received lots of science departmental societies for details).
desires.
As I can take nothing with me
when my time expires.
Except of the good and bad I
have done.
And when my time comes
there is nowhere to run.
So I must try to do my best,
In this life, as it is a test.
 
Islam is my liberation.
A gift for all of creation.
Passed down from every
generation.
Perfect, from the moment of
revelation.
There are no faults, so do your
observation.
Islam is my religion,
And it brings me salvation.
 
Islam is unity.
With my brothers and sisters
here with me.
Supporting each other in
university.
And I am sure that you would
agree,
It is like a big, close family.
Helping each other to be the
best we can be.
We’re proud to be Muslims
and represent our society.
Be part of Surrey Islamic
Society by visiting www.
surreyisoc.net or join our
facebook group ‘Surrey
Islamic Society’ J
thestagsurrey.co.uk
20 SOCIETIES
PhotoSoc: “The eyes have it”
Radu
Contributor
T
he rapid evolution of
photography in recent
years has seen the
development of technical
features which allow the
photographer to go beyond
the limits of classical picture
taking. The downside is that
photographers now spend more
time searching for technical
perfections and worrying
about their equipment than on
creating an expressive, personal
image. In this “back to basics”
exhibition, the members of the
Photography Society display
Inter-Varsity Dance
Competition at Blackpool
Roo Kirk
Contributor
I
t’s fair to say that the entire
team felt an interesting mix
of nerves, excitement and
anticipation for this year’s Inter
Varsity Dance Association (IVDA)
competition in Blackpool. In
the few days leading up to the
competition there are many
preparations to be made, from
deciding how daring to be with
the darkness of a spray tan to
hunting Guildford’s high street
for a skirt that fits, you can never
be too prepared. But on Friday
afternoon the time came to grab a
seat on the minibus and set off on
the long drive to Blackpool, each
of us praying we had everything
we needed.
One of the most challenging
parts of the competition was
dragging ourselves from our
thestagsurrey.co.uk
The Stag
their latest work, combining a
variety of styles, subjects and
interpretations. The linking
element is the use of a single,
antique lens for all of the works
exhibited. This constraint
frees the photographer from
concentrating on equipment
and forces creative thinking to
achieve the most striking and
emotive images. For each image
created, behind the lens were
different photographers with
their own personalities, styles
and abilities. In front, subjects
as diverse as they come. The
common denominator – the one
lens – has seen it all.
warm, comfortable beds at 6am to
paste our faces with make-up and
gel our hair firmly to our scalps.
Luckily we had just enough time
to enjoy a full cooked breakfast
to give us plenty of energy for the
long, long day ahead that was for
those who could manage it. Some
of us opted for simple toast as our
stomachs were so full enough of
butterflies it is doubtful sausage
and egg would have fitted. The
walk to The Winter Gardens from
our hotel was not a long one,
however when you are carrying
your own weight in food and your
own weight again in make-up,
it can feel like a mammoth trek.
However, it is more than worth it:
from the moment we stepped into
the Empress Ballroom we were all
infected by the excitable energy
running through the air.
I know that for a moment I
lost all my nerves, all I felt was
societies@thestagsurrey.co.uk
excitement and an urge to rush
onto the floor and dance!
The day started with a chance
to have a quick whirl around the
floor to warm up and then the
competitions began. The dazzling
dresses were accompanied
by some spectacular dancing.
There was some really tough
competition and most importantly
every dancer performed with
a beaming smile on their face.
Many dancers had not stepped
into a dance shoe until arriving © Fredric Frennessen
at University only a few months
ago, yet everyone went out there
dancing with so much passion
and enthusiasm that whether you
are a competitor or spectator you
cannot help but smile with them. The University of Surrey team at the Inter-Varsity Dance Association
In addition to the competitions competition in Liverpool
there were demonstrations from there is the disco to look forward floor. Now that really is dancing at
some of the country’s best dancers, to. Now I’m not sure how many its best.
which were both entertaining people can say they have done a We all felt so proud and lucky
and inspiring to watch. Every conga of a few hundred people, to be part of this event. We all
mouth in the room gaped as we but I can. There is nothing more had a great time and owe a lot of
watched the acrobatic rock and uplifting than goodness knows thank-yous to the committee and
roll dancer be flung like a scarf how many people, shattered from to Vicki and Fred for their support
around her partner’s neck before dancing, all grabbing each other and teaching. I know I certainly
being whirled back to the ground. by the shoulders and parading can’t wait until next year!
After a long tough day of dancing around the Empress Ballroom
dancetheatre@thestagsurrey.co.uk The Stag ENTERTAINMENT: D&T 21

Dance & Theatre

Is society ready for
site speci�ic dance?
HANNAH JELLIMAN blend into their surroundings
Dance Reporter or stand out by creating a
subversive situation in everyday

L
ast week I was dancing on
the path outside Austin
Pierce and began to notice
the reactions of passers by. Their
shock, and in some cases slight
fear, at what my friends and I were
doing brought me to question
whether our society was ready
for site-speci�ic dance, or was it
all just too much for the everyday
public.
‘Site-speci�ic dance’ is dance
that is performed in somewhat
unconventional spaces: a �ield,
high street, corridor or in my case
a pathway to one of the busiest
lecture buildings on campus. Our
piece did not aim to shock or make
passers by uneasy, but many did
not know how to react to people
standing on benches, performing
arabesques right next to a bus
stop. In this situation, even though
it was just a rehearsal, the general
public had become an involuntary
audience.
In fact, I believe it is these
exact reactions of an unexpecting
audience that make site-
speci�ic dance so fascinating.
Choreographers often experiment
with how the dancers can either
spaces. How the ‘audience’ reacts
is an interesting re�lection of
society: some people stand and
watch, some ignore the dancers
completely, and some quite
literally run away. None of these
are an ‘incorrect’ reaction, but
all show how this increasingly
...a �ield, high street,
corridor or in my case a
pathway...
popular form of choreography
can affect the public in entirely
individual ways.
Going back to my original
question, I don’t think site-speci�ic
dance is ‘too much’ for the general
public; the reactions created and
how the public respond is an
important element of a lot of site-
speci�ic work, especially as the
dance world in general becomes
more experimental and merges
into everyday life.
So look out, a site-speci�ic
dance could be about to break out Dancing throught the night: site specific dancer wraps up warn for evening performance
right next to you!

Butter�ly Deaming Tour

REVIEW Freq is visually stunning but still a
THE BUTTERFLY DREAMING TOUR work in progress. If it could forego
ELECTIC THEATRE its technical limitations and realise
Henri Oguike Dance Co. a smoother set up that echoes the
choreography’s effortlessness, then
LUCY AL-ZOGHBI Oguike would be on it a winner.
To follow there is Toccato, a
aptly named Ghost Opera, the aural
setting was ear-piercing, spine-
tingling, dramatic. This piece is at
times serenely still and at others it
is restlessly agitated.
Contorted lines depict the
butterfly’s habitual movement

H
enri Oguike’s The Butterfly
Dreaming tour reached its
final venue at Guildford’s
Electric Theatre. A triple-billed
evening was to follow with solo
work Freq opening the programme.
The piece, which looks at the
relationship between dancer and
water on stage, is set on Elena Zaino
who gives a focused performance
that becomes compelling to watch.
The dance-water relationship
is initiated as Elena tentatively
approaches the raised platform
located centre stage. She later
finds a more realised confidence
when drenched under the flow of
running water. Brightly-beaming
stage lights enhance the water’s
movement as it trickles, flicks,
bounces off the dancer’s body and
hair – almost in a dance of its own.
cheeky, show-off full company
piece with no gimmicks just
dancing. Set to a series of cello
suites by J.S Bach, Oguike returns
to one of his trademarks - music.
Movement is exquisitely
executed by the company who
tackle the complexities of a multi-
layered musical texture with ease.
It is a pity then, that a make-do
recording provides the aural setting
for this performance, particularly
as the originally intended live
musician would, no doubt, have
heightened the atmosphere through
the deep, haunting sounds of the
cello.
Inspired by the Far East, the
title piece of the tour, Butterfly
Dreaming, concludes the evening.
Small lights are suspended from
the ceiling as if stars shining in a
dark night’s sky. Set to Tan Dun’s
only to be contested - suddenly
- by stand-alone positions of
tremendous strength and flexibility.
Brightly-beaming stage
lights enhance the
waters movement.
Butterfly Dreaming gives glimpses
of emotional connection between
dancers but sadly these remained
just that – glimpses.
Unfortunately, the structuring of
this programme seemed haphazard
and had none of the wow-factor that
was shown in the company’s 10th
anniversary performances in 2009.
Nevertheless, HDOC puts
its mark on contemporary dance
through a unique exploration of
bodies on stage.

thestagsurrey.co.uk
22 ENTERTAINMENT: Film
The Living Room
REVIEW
THE LIVING ROOM
PATS DANCE STUDIO

SIAN GOLDBY
O
n entering the familiar
space of PATS dance
studio, an unusual
scenario awaits me.
A small child is happily
toddling around the space,
surrounded by six plainly-clad
dancers who are all making an
attempt to copy the child. To
the audience’s cooing delight,
the little girl marches around
with innocent glee, completely
unfazed. This familiar scene of
literal child’s play welcomes the
audience, so we can all begin the
piece at the same level.
After this brief prelude the
stage is then lined with the six
dancers, now childless. The
dancers address each other
fondly but con�idently, names
and �leeting comments in
different languages scatter and
rebound across the space like
electric currents. A clear game
structure becomes apparent,
as each dancer takes on the
The latest at the Yvonne Arnauld
thestagsurrey.co.uk
The Stag
‘character’ of a certain piece of
living room furniture. Shouts
of ‘I’m the arm chair!’, ‘No... I’m
the arm chair!’ spark comical
battles between the dancers as
they crescendo; elbows rigidly
marking out shapes in the space,
spines snaking and hands neatly
folding the air. The use of witty
timing makes this simple section
effectively engaging, and the
immediate introduction of the
dancer’s names makes me feel
connected to the performers,
I’m part of the family, part of the
furniture.
Then, my of�icial welcome.
Yael Flexer addresses us by
reeling out a list of things
that we must expect from the
performance, what there will and
will not be, who will be dancing,
when they will be dancing, and
pretty much the whole structure
of the piece.
There are no illusions of
grandeur here. We are all adults
now and this is a time for adult
conversation and re�lection.
The living room is transformed
into that mysterious shadowy
place that you imagine after
bed time as a child, once play
time is over and the land of the
living belongs to grown-ups.
Flickering lights accompany a
glitchy electronic sound track.
Dancers walk purposely into the
awaiting space, arms slice and
torsos fold and invert themselves,
enveloping in before whipping
in momentum and suspending in
mid air.
Sounds of crackly digital
sketching are combined with
live cello as the dance tidily
An overarching theme
of the everyday
household
shifts between complex duets
and explosive unison. The piece
follows this prescribed and
increasingly predictable text –
dance – text linear structure as it
progresses. Contrasting snippets
of heavy duty dance with
stripped down text, designed to
enhance the everyday quality of
the piece.
This pedestrian element is
subtly interspersed amongst the
more virtuosic parts, cleverly
injecting elements of playfulness
and humanity. An intimate duet
is mirrored by two couples,
with meaningful eye contact
and rash yet warmly placed
palms are pressed onto chests
and thighs; sensual yet charged
with dynamic immediacy.
The movement vocabulary of
the dancers is impressively
compelling, yet is not exempt
from moments of over repetition.
Luckily it sits comfortably within
the comparatively short time
frame of the piece.
A heavily pregnant Yael sits in
the corner, playing Barthes’ dead
author. The piece is something
she has created, yet somewhere
along the way she let it go, and
now it is just playing along by
itself, taking the audience on a
journey of its own accord. She
can but narrate this resulting
detritus of everyday living.
An overarching theme of
the everyday, the household,
the living room, infuses itself
within this piece. It is like an
impressionistic visit to Ikea,
complete with clocks and pot
plants, old married couples and
newly weds, and ‘subliminal jazz
hands’ cheekily appearing in the
lighting department.
film@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Q&A
with Yael Flexer
Your piece, The Living Room
explores inhabiting a domestic
space. What inspired you to
create this piece?
It’s become more than that. It’s
about living and time – we live
through time – then it all disap-
pears. There is a sense of the
casual, the way we are with each
other.
There’s also the element of not
separating the stage from real life
– dispelling the boundaries.
What else inspires you to cre-
ate work?
It’s hard to say… I get very
inspired by my dancers who
are incredible. Conceptually, I’m
always interested in getting rid of
the fourth wall.
Some of it is more personal
– who I am in time, who they
(dancers) are.
What is dance about for you?
As a choreographer it’s about
intention and what cannot be
said in words. But then some
things cannot be said in dance –
I’m interested in that relationship
between words and movement. I
want dance to explore the poetics
of the human being.
REVIEW
MURDERED TO DEATH
YVONNE ARNAULD THEATRE
DIR: Giles Watling
LEXI SUTTON
B
eing a big fan of the
traditional English
‘Whodunnits’, I was very
excited to see this particular
play.
Having some great actors,
including Victor Spinetti and
Sandra Dickson, helped.
The play started out well,
establishing two women living
with a butler who have guests
over the weekend. Within the
�irst half an hour, one is dead.
Memorable characters
included ‘Joan Maple’, a
wonderful adaptation of ‘Miss
Marple’ and a detective who
hadn’t a clue about what he was
doing.
This was a fantastic play
with a great cast, suspense and
an interesting murder at the
end.
However the second half
dragged; and the audience’s
concentration waned.
Thankfully the wonderful
characters of Pierre and
Elizabeth Hartley trumping on
bought the audience back just in
time for the ending.
I really enjoyed this play and
if you ever get the chance to go
and see it, I would thoroughly
recommend it.
dancetheatre@thestagsurrey.co.uk The Stag ENTERTAINMENT: D&T 23

Film
All Time
Disney Classics
Jyoti Rambhai
Features Editor

L
ast issue’s ‘Grind my Gears’
article got me thinking...
back to the good old
nineties, when Disney was at the
heart of everything we watched.
So looking back and after asking a
number of people their favourites,
here is our Top 25 all time,
animated Disney classics:

1) The Lion King (1994)

2) The Jungle Book (1967)
3) Aladdin (1992)
4) Beauty and the Beast (1991)
5) Bambi (1942)
6) Snow White and the Seven
Dwarfs (1937)
7) Toy Story (1995)
8) The Fox and Hound (1981)
9) Alice in Wonderland (1951)
10) Lady and the Tramp (1955)
11) The Aristocats (1970)
12) Monsters Inc. (2001)
13) Cinderella (1950)
14) One Hundred and One
Dalmatians (1961)
15) Dumbo (1941)
16) Tarzan (1999)
17) Fantasia (1940)
18) Pocahontas (1995)
19) The Rescuers (1977)
20) Robin Hood (1973)
Rhett Butler and Scarlet O’Hara in Gone with the Wind

The Best of the Best

21) The Many Adventures of
Winnie the Pooh
22) Mulan (1998)
23) Sleeping Beauty (1959)
24) The Hunchback of Notre
Dame (1996)

The Stag team pic(k) their favourite films

25) Hercules (1997)

Rachel Gildea, Dance and Theatre Editor, The Wizard of Oz

My favourite film is The Wizard of Oz. Always has been. So attached to all the characters and the story of a girl trying to find her way to her
dreams and then home again is poignant

Nicole Vassell, Copy Editor, High School Musical

Yes, that’s right. When I watched this for the first time, I was 15 and enjoyed it more than my nine-year-old sister, to whom it was probably
aimed. The songs are incredibly catchy and I unashamedly know the moves to their main dances. So what that I’m quickly approaching 19? This
movie cheers me up instantly and is a nice injection of cheesy fun to a rainy day.

Ankur Banerjee, Webmaster, Crimson Tide

I happen to be fan of 'war films' in general; I consider Crimson Tideto be among the best. Gene Hackman and Denzel Washington face-off
with unshakeable conviction and logic to deliver an action film that is sure to make you think about the philosophy of warfare.

Jack White, Design Team, The Wicker Man

Ultra-Christian Scottish policeman Edward Woodward goes to a island inhabited by pagans to investigate the disappearance of a young girl.
The Wicker Man has one of cinema's most horrifying and infamous climaxes, yet is a strangely homely film.

Marisa da Costa, Sports Editor, Before Sunrise

Céline and Jesse, two strangers meet on a train and decide to spend a day together in Vienna which leads them to discover the connection of
love and the ephemerality of time.

Mariam Nasir, Editor, Gone with the Wind

The beautiful story of Scarlett O’Hara’s love life during the emancipation proclamation in America is one of the most inspiring stories ever
told on film. Her determination to overcome every issue she faces with robust and undying attitude is something I admire greatly. This film
maybe 4 hours long but it is definitely worth the time.

thestagsurrey.co.uk
24 ENTERTAINMENT: Film
Priya Prashar
Contributor
ACTION REPLAYY
Cert PG, 134 mins

Dir VIPUL AMRUTLAL SHAH
Elizabeth Pettigrew
Contributor
THE ADJUSTMENT
BUREAU
Cert 12A, 106 mins

Dir GEORGE NOLFI
H
ow many times have
you heard the saying,
‘everything happens
for a reason’? Someone ran
over your cat, “well that sucks,
but everything happens for a
reason!” You get fired “I’m sorry,
everything happens for a reason
though, your boss was a douche
anyway”. It is a consoling cliché,
yet simultaneously it can be
completely infuriating.
Matt Damon has been on
a serious roll lately starring
in award winning hits, True
Grit, Inside Job and now The
Adjustment Bureau. The
previous rant applies to the
latter of the films. Matt Damon
lives in a world where our paths
are already set for us, ‘fate’ as
we call it, ironically is already
prophesized and our destiny
is just a mere illusion. Imagine
thestagsurrey.co.uk
The Stag
A
ction Replay is not your
average Bollywood film –
it has the usual will-they-
wont- they love story, paired
with an underlying storyline of
science fiction. Romance and sci-
fi may seem a odd combination
especially when it comes to
Bollywood, the jury however on
whether it is a success or not is
yet to be decided.
The lead male Bunty (Aditya
a World where free will didn’t
exist, the decisions we think
we make, are actually already
planned out for us, and we
stick to the plan, provided by
the man. Fate and chance are
philosophical concepts, and it is
difficult to build a film around
these concepts but Director
George Nolfi conquered this
challenge in his adaptation of
Roy Kapoor) refuses to marry
his long-term girlfriend because
he has grown up seeing his
parents Kishan (Akshay Kumar
) and Mala (Aishwarya Rai) fight
throughout a long, turbulent
marriage since he was born .
Even on the night of their 35th
wedding anniversary they fight
as sworn enemies and Bunty is
determined to go back in time
to mend the phase were their
Philip K Dicks short story. It is a
film that makes us question our
concept of reality, much like The
Truman Show.
However the Science Fiction
is sometimes lost amongst the
romance, and is used mainly to
spice up the eternal narrative
of forbidden love. Although its
true Sci-Fi roots should have
been further established and
relationship began to fall apart
in hope of saving his own future
with his girlfriend.
The film is full of retro 70s
glamour cheesy lines and overall
horrendous costumes, this is
however all part and parcel of
the fun of the film.It doesn’t
claim to be a serious Bollywood
drama, and its songs such as “Zor
Ka Jhatka “ are proof of this.
developed, Nolfi produced a
heart gripping film that keeps an
audience on edge, rooting for Matt
Damon to change fate, hoping
that love will again, conquer all.
So if you’re in the mood for some
quick wit, love, and other drugs,
watch The Adjustment Bureau.
Enjoy some popcorn munching
and entertainment!
film@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Best chick
flicks of
all time...
Mariam Nasir
Editor
I
f there is an evening you have
free to chill with your girl
friends then these are the
films you need to watch. Popcorn,
face masks and a chick flicks are
the best way to relax and forget
about those pending deadlines...
just for a couple of hours!
1. Pretty Woman: here
is the contemporary love story
between a business man and a
prostitute. They encounter each
other when he asks her for some
directions and then is unable get
over her charismatic character.
Her free-spirited personality
clashes with his boring, no-
nonsense behaviour and
eventually they have to teach each
other and meet half way – whilst
falling in love.
2. The Wedding Date: this
story of a single-girl making it to
her sister’s wedding is one which
makes you laugh as well as cringe.
She hires an escort to make her
life easier with her family but
essentially ends up falling for the
escort who is just doing his job.
3. The Holiday: if you have
been considering a break from
your life then this is the film for
you. The story of two women who
have had enough with their lives
decide to swap their homes and
switch continents in order to find
whatever it is that is missing from
their lives. Interesting fact from
this film is that some of it is shot
in Surrey.
4. A Walk to Remember: I
know this is a cheesy film but it is
definitely a must watch for chick-
flick lovers. When Jamie begins to
help Landan with his lines for the
school play she makes the request
that he should “fall in love” with
her. He laughs it off, considering it
the least of his worries but like all
boys, he ends up doing just what
he is told not to. This beautiful
teen romance is definitely going
to make you cry so have the tissue
box ready!
5. Tangled: this spin on
the classic Rapunzel is, to say the
least, amazing. Not only does her
hair have magical powers, she
actually escapes from the tower
and discovers the reality of her
life whilst being with a fugitive.
This story will definitely get you
laughing from the start to the end.
dancetheatre@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Literature
The low-commitment
novel is the new read
Miranda Sullivan
Literture Reporter
I
t seems that as a pastime,
reading a book is a pretty low
priority for most students.
Even literature students seem
to read only what they have to
and this is understandable. In my
spare time (and I am counting
the time when I should be doing
work!) the last thing I want to do
is sit down and concentrate on a
novel.
My worn-out attention span
is barely able to cope with an
episode of “Gypsy Weddings” at
the end of the day, and I would
hardly describe my course as
labour intensive.
Pick up and put down! Naked by David Sedaris is an NYT bestseller
However, I do miss reading
for pleasure, and I think I have
discovered a solution. I have
recently invested in a series of
short stories – for my course,
I admit – but as a result I have
rekindled my love of reading in
these bitesized stories.
Titles such as What We Talk
About When We Talk About Love
(not quite as slushy as it sounds)
by Raymond Carver, and Naked
by David Sedaris, have proved to
me to be the best of both worlds
– light and engaging reading
without the commitment of an
full sized novel!
For those with limited time,
or limited concentration, I would
definitely recommend!
New Magazine
T
he first issue of the
free student-led glossy
magazine Potlatch is now
out!
The magazine’s issues
are to be released once
every semester and feature
a collaboration of creative
writing from both students
in the English Literature
Society and English
Literature lecturers. It is
a brilliantly designed 45-page
edition and features striking
pictures from the Photography
Society as well.
I was...
A great deal of thought and
James Castle
Story Writer
I
can’t remember where I was
but I know it was somewhere
wide, or flat. It was sunny, or
maybe it was just hot. I know it
was definitely hazy, I remember
the haze that you get when it is
so hot your eyes cannot function.
Your world congeals in the
heat. There was a person, I
don’t remember if it was a man
or a woman, and they stood
absolutely still and blankly
stared at me. The way someone
who is mad might do. They stood
there for a long time, maybe an
hour. Yes an hour or something
like that. I was a little uneasy
around them but I didn’t try
to call out to them. Instead I
shuffled around, trying to avoid
their gaze. No that is wrong, I
did speak to them! I called out,
hulloo’d them, insulted them
and joked at them, but I got no
reaction. The man, yes it was a
man, just looked at me. He wore
a heavy coat in the heat. And his
coat was dark grey. Grey like the
ground as if he had grown from
the ground to stare at me. But
then what was the ground?
I don’t really remember
what it was made out of but I
remember the way it felt on my
feet. It felt like loose pebbles
with maybe some grass. No, not
grass; moss. Pebbles and moss
The Stag
creativity has gone into the
artwork surrounding each
written piece, with vibrant,
eclectic designs and the written
pieces lead from romance to
murder, dancing to butterflies,
desperation to freedom. I would
definitely suggest picking up a
rubbing my feet as I shuffled
in the presence of the man
felt like being back in primary
school, waiting to run a race
for the sports day and feeling
the ground through my black
plimsolls and staring into my
mother’s eyes as she stood
encouraging me. That staring
man - or maybe it wasn’t a man…
I am unsure, I’ll just call them a
person – was like a sculpture of
that earth, that is a good way to
describe it.
So after I had shuffled in
front of that person for an hour
they started to back away into
the haze from the heat – or was
it the mist of the cold? I don’t
know. As they went I heard a
mechanical screeching and a
great rumble in the earth. From
behind an enormous vehicle,
a truck, came and several tall
figures grabbed me. They
weren’t rude to me but they were
firm. They bruised me. No they
beat me, yes they beat me and
bruised me and pushed me into
the truck and into darkness.
I don’t remember if there was
anyone else in there, but I know
it was dark. There could have
been other people. I think there
was the flicker of a lighter or a
match but that could have been
something else. I stayed lying
down in the back of that truck
for a long time, surrounded
by total darkness, hearing the
thestagsurrey.co.uk
ENTERTAINMENT: D&T 25
copy.
The editor’s note features a
quote from If on a Winter’s Night
a Traveller: ‘Relax, concentrate.
Dispel every other thought.
Let the world around you
fade.’
Most of the team are
graduating at the end
of this year, so if you’d
like to get involved
in the future issues
of Potlatch, please
email potlatch.editors@gmail.
com, and they will inform you of
the date and time of their next
meeting.
rolling of the wheels on the road.
I remember when I was a boy
laying in a house I was visiting
and it was pitch dark.
I was in my cousin’s room
and it had a feeling of reverence,
of acceptance. Outside a fountain
gently trickled and with my
open eyes I was transported
into a type of conscious sleep.
This is what it was like in the
back of this truck, only different.
I don’t know, I may have been
unconscious from the beating.
Then I remember that the
truck stopped and I was taken
to somewhere to stay put. It was
a very small space, somewhere
inward looking. It was gritty
everywhere, and I just sat on a
chair. No it was a bed of concrete
that cut into my legs.
No one came to me in this
place and there was only dim
light, as if it was night time, or
maybe morning. I just sat there
and sat there and sat there and
sat there. I was just in a room
sitting. I
don’t remember where or
why or how I got there but I was
there. I don’t remember what I
was doing but I remember the
space. It was wide I think, or flat.
It was really hot I think and the
sky was clear or maybe it was
only hot and hazy.
I don’t remember. I can’t
remember.
26 ENTERTAINMENT: Film The Stag film@thestagsurrey.co.uk

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dancetheatre@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Music
Sunday can’t come too soon
Rebecca Black -‘Even Deaf
People Are Complaining’
Lorna Salmon
Music Editor
I
f you have no idea who
Rebecca Black is, all you
need to do is type ‘Friday’
into Youtube. The last
time I viewed her video it was
at around the 22 million view
mark. I’m sorry to have to
give you this information, but
in all honesty, I’m giving you
the option to do this willingly
before the song hits the clubs
and you receive the biggest most
drunken ‘what the hell is this
****’ shock in the near future.
Latest viewing figures
‘Friday’ is the latest Youtube
overnight sensation by Rebecca
Black, a young American eighth-
grader.
She had always wanted to be
a singer, so her Mum sent her off
to a wonderful dream-weaving
studio called ‘Ark Music Factory’
to make a music video. She might
sound all sweet and innocent;
but it’s all her fault I’m sat here
typing this article, as I had the
ridiculous song in my head all
night and subsequently this
morning. You heard. I’ve lost
sleep over this strangely catchy
song, and it hurts.
As aforementioned, the song
shot to overnight success and
went viral via Youtube. The
After deliberating forever over which seat in the car to take, Rebbecca fails to buckle up
reason? It has been coined as an
‘unintentional parody’ due to the
outrageously unoriginal lyrics.
Here’s just a taster of the organic
lyrical beauty of ‘Friday’:
It’s Friday, Friday,
Gotta get down on Friday,
Everybody’s lookin’ forward to
the weekend, weekend!
- temperamental weather we’ve
Partyin’, partyin’ (Yeah)
Partyin’, partyin’ (Yeah)
Fun, fun, fun, fun!
- proper day of spring. Naturally,
7:45, we’re drivin’ on the
highway
Cruisin’ so fast, I want time to
fly!
- Whale which I feel compliments
Yesterday was Thursday,
Thursday
Today i-is Friday, Friday
(Partyin’)
We-we-we so excited
We so excited
We gonna have a ball today
Tomorrow is Saturday
And Sunday comes afterwards
Wow. This song really does
have everything. A foot-tapping
beat, repetitive lyrics (fun, fun,
fun, fun...), alternative grammar
use (we so excited?), rebel teens
breaking the law (what the hell
are eighth-graders doing in a
convertible?) and even a nice
little Sesame Street-esque ‘days
of the week’ lesson towards the
end. Because Rebecca, without
you, I would have had little or no
clue as to what day came after
Saturday.
Recently, following her new
Black’s new video - can you contain the excitement?
found fame, Rebecca Black had
an interview on GMA (Good
Morning America), where
Presenter Andrea Canning
asked her about her experiences
The latest thoughts from YouTube
so far, defending the song as
being ‘catchy’ and a bit of ‘fun’
The Stag
(fun, fun, fun, fun). During the
interview, Canning focused on
the more serious connotations
of Rebecca’s fledging pop career.
Many Youtube users left vicious
comments like: ‘I hope you
cut yourself and get an eating
disorder so you get pretty. Cut
and die.’ Needless to say, her
Mother was quick to retort by
saying ‘I wanted to kill a few
people’. The darker side of the
Internet has shown its ugly face
as expected.
Despite losing sleep over this,
I could hardly say I wished death
and an eating disorder upon
the poor girl. Maybe she could
just send out complimentary
ear plugs upon the release of
her album? Because let’s face
it – an album is going to happen.
Regardless, ‘Friday’ is out there
right now; so we all need to be
respectable citizens and deal
with this young teenager’s
dream come true with maturity.
Or we could just make a few
more parody videos.
thestagsurrey.co.uk
ENTERTAINMENT: D&T 27
FIVE
A
DAY
This week I’ve been listening
to a mixture of tracks;
partly dependent upon the
been having. Saturday the 19th
was a beautiful sunny day which
to me represented the first
each season deserves a few key
tracks to get you in the mood.
Now, at Number 2 this week
is a new song by Noah and the
the newly glorious weather
perfectly. Die-hard fans might
say it can’t beat the old album;
and though this may be true, I
say it’s an endearingly cheerful
song that sums up the new
season. So this fortnight is
dedicated to upbeat, optimistic,
let ’s-all-dr ink-and-be-mer r y
one
songs. Enjoy.
All My Best Friends Are
Metalheads – Less Than Jake
(Hello Rockview)
two
‘L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N.’ – Noah
and the Whale
( L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N.)
three
‘Opposite of Adults’ – Chiddy
Bang
(Opposite of Adults EP)
four
‘Last Summer’ – Lost Proph-
ets (Start Something)
five
‘Mushaboom’ – Feist ([500]
Days of Summer)
28 ENTERTAINMENT: Film
New music review
SAM BOLTON
Music Reporter
HOPE ST.

KASSIDY
Already christened the
‘British Kings of Leon’, the
gauntlet has been set for
Scottish rockers Kassidy. With
such mighty expectations it’s
nothing short of astounding that
they have completely and utterly
shattered them.
Recorded between the
Rubbergum studio that titled
the band’s �irst EP and their
own home studio, Hope St is,
at its heart, a rock album but
driven by four powerful acoustic
guitars not just leads drowned
in distortion.
‘Die Young and Save Yourself’
How I grew old and still listened to emo music
ALEXANDRA WILKS
Music Reporter
T
he Smiths are my favourite
band. Perhaps some may
consider them a guilty
pleasure but I don’t. I think they
are unrivalled and possibly the
greatest band that there ever
was (excluding the Beatles). But
don’t worry I’m not here to wax
lyrical about my undying love for
Morrissey or indeed the whole
of the ’80s. It’s funny that some
would consider the ‘80s as a bit
of a write-off period musically
or consider bands like Soft Cell
as de�initely falling under the
header of ‘Wedding Disco’ or
‘Guilty Pleasure.’
For me, my guilty pleasure
is a modern band. A modern
American band. I used to be a
really big emo. Admitting this is
causing me quite high levels of
discomfort. I like Arcade Fire and
my favourite colour is pink. I’ve
renounced all but one of my emo
indulgences. That indulgence is
Brand New.
I liked a plethora of emo
bands: Jimmy Eat World, Taking
thestagsurrey.co.uk
The Stag
It’s thanks, in part, to
this refreshingly powerful
instrumentation Kassidy
are able to experiment and
transcend genre almost
effortlessly.
After ‘Stray Cat’, the foot-
stompingly enthusiastic
opening, the pace changes to
make room for the sounds of the
Wild West on ‘That Old Song’.
There are also occasional nods
suggesting inspiration from folk
rock which are most apparent on
fervent track ‘The Traveller’ and
‘Oh My God’.
Particularly obvious on
closing track ‘The Betrayal’ is
the record’s blues in�luence;
slightly reminiscent of ZZ
Top’s most blues driven
rock. Repeatedly, it hints at
a crescendo before cutting
away to the chorus. Eventually
Back Sunday, My Chemical
Romance, The Used, but most
notably Brand New. Brand New
were my number one favourite.
I hear their most recent albums
have been very good but the only
ones I ever listen to are their
2001 release ‘Your Favourite
Weapon’ and 2003’s ‘Deja
Entendu’. When I listen to these
two albums I feel angry and
confused (just as I did when I
was 13—16) but most of all I
feel young. Brand New meant
something to me, pathetic though
that might sound. They meant I
didn’t have to be the person my
parents or teachers wanted me
to be. They meant I was part of
something that older generations
could never understand. Emo
was a youth movement and
Brand New embodied the
movement for me. The anger
in songs like ‘Seventy Times
Seven’ (‘Don’t apologize! I hope
you choke you die!’) helped me
get through those angsty, spot-
ridden teenage years.
I went to see Brand New
when I was about 14. It is one
of my very best memories. I
film@thestagsurrey.co.uk
the simple riff is overcome
by the lead guitars which
disappointingly fade the album
out instead of ending on the
powerful climax it deserves.
The album is consistently
strong but excels at the exciting
and energetic. Future single,
the beautiful, ‘I Don’t Know’
and ‘The Lost’ are some of the
record’s �inest tracks. Both, like
the opener, are inspiring and
lustrously manic maelstroms
of sound that will undoubtedly
work incredibly in a live setting.
The boldness of this young
band’s debut has already
caught the eye of many; and
understandably so. Ditching
convention in the quest for
harmony, Kassidy, acoustic
guitar in hand, have stamped
their musical mark with the
diverse and exhilarating
Hope St.
Friday 18th March
Chav Night
Friday 25th March
squeezed myself into Topshop’s
skinniest drainpipes, wore two DJ Alex Collins +
studded belts (to show I was
hardcore) and cut my fringe even
Friday
riday 1st April
further into my eyes to mark
the occasion. Embarrassingly, I
Benji Boko
actually cried during the set (at
‘The Boy Who Blocked His Own
Shot’). I found it that moving. I
went with my best friends and
we used about four eyeliner
pencils between the eight of us.
We screamed, shouted, danced,
‘moshed’ and yes, cried together.
Hey, as lyrics go, these ones are
pretty emotional: ‘You are the
smell before rain/You are the
blood in my veins.’ (I am glad,
however, that I decided against
getting this tattooed around my
wrist, as was my original plan.)
Brand New reminds me of
being a teenager and will always
have a place in my heart and on
my spotify. Even if The Smiths did
steal their position as ‘best band
ever’. But perhaps Brand New
knew that would happen anyway,
as they said in ‘Mix Tape’, ‘You
always criticise The Smiths and
Morrissey/ [But] I know you’re a
sucker for anything acoustic.’
sports@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Snowsports round up and the return of Whiteout!
Snowsports in Val T, high up in the French Alps.
SNOWSPORTS COMMITTEE
O
n the 1st of January 2011,
over 200 students made
their way to the resort of
Val T, high in the French Alps. Due
to the fact that we were travelling
after most of us had experienced
a heavy night bringing in the New
Year, the majority of the journey
was fairly subdued, although we
had Red Bull on hand thanks to
their generous sponsorship to get
us through the journey! However,
there‘s always one who breaks all
exceptions and sits on the very
limit of what doctors would deem
survivable. This year it was none
other than our very own social
sec, Dave ‘Rave’ Smith, who start-
ed the holiday as a mess and was
consistent throughout! He is now
renowned.
However, once we reached the
New sports club: judo
CRAIG HAYNES & STUART SAVILLE
An exhilarating Olympic sport,
a martial art, a means of self de-
fence, and great exercise too! Yet
Judo is much more than this; with
traditions and rich cultural herit-
age surviving from the times of
the Samurai, who developed Jiu
Jitsu (from which Judo is derived)
as a means to defeat opponents
when unarmed in battle.
Essentially Judo is a grappling
art, in which the ultimate aim is to
throw your opponent onto their
back to score ‘Ippon’, and win the
�ight. (This is much harder than it
thestagsurrey.co.uk
resort and put our glad rags on,
the mayhem ensued and didn’t
stop until we returned to cam-
pus on the evening of the 9th. The
days were �illed with exploring
the slopes and trying to avoid in-
jury (Not so successful for some –
So�ia Cristofoli, Kat Macguire and
Trung to name a few!), whereas
Once we reached the
resort and put our glad
rags on the mayhem
ensued and didn’t stop.
the nights were a whole less civi-
lised affair. Fancy dress was key
and people were out to impress.
I think for the majority of holiday
goers, fancy dress out�its made
up most of their suitcases! The
themes of Techno Toga, Crazy
sounds!)
But how is Judo different to its
forbearer? At the heart of Judo is
the focus of sparring; or ‘Randori’
With traditions and
rich cultural heritage
surviving from the times
of the Samurai.
as we would call it.
To allow Randori without inju-
ry, all of the inherently dangerous
throws and joint-locks have been
Cartoon and From the Wilderness
produced some outstanding ef-
forts. Overall though, the highlight
had to be Wednesday night, which
was held in the super club Malay-
sia. All of the other Universities in
the resort were present and rival-
ry was high. Surrey Snowsports
proudly donned the best out�its
(at least in our opinions!) as the
118 118 army and proceeded to
rave the night away in our ‘stach-
es and sunglasses. We all made
lots of new comrades and the
memories that we have will last a
lifetime – however a large major-
ity of the photos taken will never
see the light of day again! A truly
successful trip.
Snowsports is not all about the
trip though. We’ve also been com-
peting countrywide and showing
off our skiing and snowboarding
skills against other universities.
We’ve had a few dif�iculties with
removed; although don’t worry,
there are more than enough still
left!
It takes many years to master
The Stag
our competitions; particularly as
one of them was cancelled in De-
cember due to the snow. Can you
believe the irony of a Snowsports
competition being cancelled for
too much snow?!
So now for a competition
round up:
Skiing
Surrey 1 have done really well
this year qualifying for Kings �i-
nals in May (Dry Slope Competi-
tion). We have placed 3rd in one
round which is a real achievement
given the level of skiing in the
Southern region.
Surrey’s 2nd team have also
performed well with a few new
skiers showing a lot of promise
for future years. They just missed
out on �inals by one spot this year.
During BUISC (Indoor Snow
Competition at Milton Keynes)
we had 8 competitors competing,
6 males and 2 females. Everyone
skied very well in both team and
individual but we only managed
to get one competitor, Callum
Peace to place in the national �i-
nals.
Snowboarding
The highly acclaimed snow-
board team are carrying on their
proud tradition of being awe-
some. At KINGS Regional they
quali�ied for Finals by placing
2nd in a controversial showdown
against Portsmouth.
At BUISC Regionals, the
snowboard team quali�ied for
�inals. Newcomer and defector
from Liverpool Snowsports, Jess
Rowden got 4th place in Giant
Slalom earning BUCS points for
Surrey. Erik Story placed 11th in
GS which barely quali�ied him to
�inals, but also placed 2nd in the
Slopestyle Jam. The other board-
ers performed admirably, but due
to insane levels of competition,
didn’t qualify.
At BUISC Nationals, the snow-
all of the throws, holds, chokes
and joint-locks: your knowledge
of which is represented by your
grade, from white belt through to
black belt (1st-10th Dan grades).
The University of Surrey Judo
Club warmly welcomes all abili-
ties, ages and genders, so don’t
hesitate to try something differ-
The University of Surrey
Judo Club warmly
welcomes all abilities,
ages and genders.
ent, exciting and totally amazing!
Training with our 3 fantastic
BJA quali�ied coaches is free, and
we’ll even kit you up in one of our
SPORTS 29
board team managed to climb all
the way up through the knockout
races to a 3rd place, and can now
consider themselves the third
best team in the country.
Surrey Snowboarders are
proud to announce that they
have an international competi-
tor amongst them. Titus Trossèl
has obtained an FIS license and is
now competing internationally in
Boarder Cross.
Now on to the social aspects
of our beloved club: Snowsports
At BUISC Regionals,
the snowboard team
qualified for finals.
will be donning our posh frocks
and attending Colours Ball. If you
want to join us at our table, just
contact us via the Facebook event.
“Snowsports does Colours Ball”
for more details as to how to get
tickets.
We are also in the process of
planning a summer extravagan-
za, but more on that nearer the
time….don‘t want to let all our
cats out the bag at once…need to
keep a little bit of mystery around
us.
Now, AGM is on the 11th of
May at 7pm in the Living Room.
Do you think that you have what
it takes to be on the Snowsports
Committee and organise all these
crazy goings on? Contact the com-
mittee via Facebook and we’ll be
able to give you an idea of the
roles and responsibilities to ex-
pect. We need passionate people
to continue the club, so don’t hesi-
tate to get involved!
That’s all from us at the mo-
ment. Don’t forget - Whiteout T-
Shirts on sale next week!
loan Gis (Judo Garb) for the ses-
sion.
We pride ourselves on the
welcoming, bubbly atmosphere
we maintain - so come along to
our next training session with a
friend (or alternatively someone
you don’t like and want to throw
around) to take a break from
studying and de-stress yourself.
Training time: Thursdays 8:00
pm-10:00 pm
Location: Studio A, Surrey Sports
Park
Contact: Stu Saville (President)
E-mail: Ussu.Judo@surrey.ac.uk
Find us on Facebook too!
30 SPORTS
It’s all up for grabs now
Having recently beaten Manchester United at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea are going to Old Trafford.
SAM LIMBERT
Sports Team
T
rophies are being polished
and victory speeches are
being prepared, however
Curtains down : the beautiful game
DECAP
I
t is probably the great-
est show on Earth and it is
watched across the globe in
most countries, if not all. The Pre-
mier League is coming to an end
but not without any entertain-
ment, �ireworks, gashes, body
bags, battles and of course goals.
Again, I expect this to go down
to the wire and to the �inal day.
Manchester United has been try-
ing to tighten their grip on the
title but an ever-battling Arsenal
is tapping them on their shoul-
ders. With Manchester City and
Chelsea also vying for the grand
prize it does not get any more
exciting than this. Man Utd have
returned to winning ways by just
managing to get one over Bolton
despite their losses to Chelsea
and Liverpool respectively. With
an ever-growing injury list and
still competing in the F.A Cup and
Champions League, will Sir Alex
Ferguson and his red army come
out victorious at the end of the
day?
Arsene Wenger has some
work to do in order to restore be-
lief in his not so young gunners. I
The Stag
before the end of season football
prizes are given out, fans will
have nerves shredded as they en-
joy and endure one of the craziest
seasons in recent memory.
The Premier League looks set
think they have now come of age
and the excuses of inexperience
and a lack of maturity have long
lived their course. After being
eliminated in three-cup competi-
tions in the space of two weeks
this may be a blessing in disguise
for Arsenal and could provide the
killer instinct they may need to
leap frog Man Utd at the top of the
table.
Chelsea also needs to be men-
tioned with ever growing belief
and Carlo Ancelotti’s men begin-
ning to �ind their rhythm again.
With the League and the Cham-
pions League being the only hope
of silverware for the champions
of England, they will have a say
in it all. A double header in the
Champions League Quarter-Final
against Manchester United prom-
ises two mouth watering explo-
sive football �ixtures for both sets
of fans and indeed the neutrals.
Manchester City, Tottenham
Hot Spurs and Liverpool’s efforts
must not go unnoticed. Man City
have the most expensive football
squad in the league worth over
£150 million and with still a sniff
of the title and an F.A Cup Semi-
�inal against city rivals Man Utd
could play a big role in this show;
© lyxaaron
for a tight �inish at both ends of
the table with the unpredictable
campaign continuing. At the top,
Manchester United lead Arsenal
by �ive points, however the chas-
ing Gunners have a game in hand.
The Premiere League is coming to an end but not without any entertainment, fireworks and battles.
could this be an unworthy invest-
ment should they not win any sil-
verware? Spurs have had an excit-
ing season with more highs than
lows with notably their involve-
ment in the Champions League.
Their priority lies in securing
Champions League football for
next season. Liverpool’s purchase
of Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez
looks like some smart business
to me, in a move to replace a lost
sports@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Should both sides stay close to
each other, the decisive game
could be when the teams meet at
the Emirates on 1st May. How-
ever, should both slip up, Chelsea
are showing signs of improve-
ment and could yet regain their
crown. Having recently beaten
Manchester United at Stamford
Bridge, Chelsea go to Old Trafford
on the 7th of May.
Even though the top of the ta-
ble is grabbing the headlines, it is
even closer at the bottom as teams
This season has had
all the excitement and
thrilling unpredictability.
scrap for every point to avoid rel-
egation. The bottom eight teams
are only separated by three points
with no one able to predict who
will end up in the Championship
at the end of May. There’s also the
chase for the Champions League
with Liverpool and Tottenham
hoping to catch Manchester City
and Chelsea in the top four. With
less than ten games to go, every
match for the rest of the season
could have a massive effect up
and down the table.
In the FA Cup, there is the
prospect of a Manchester Derby
at Wembley on 16th April in the
semi-�inal, with the winners fac-
Fernando Torres. They have been
picking up results and looking
more like the Liverpool people
used to know. Could they peep
their competitors to fourth place
and qualify for Europe?
The bottom of the table is just
as exciting with the relegation
battle going on. Picking the three
teams that will be relegated is
not an easy task. With �ive points
separating 20th placed Wigan
thestagsurrey.co.uk
ing Bolton Wanderers or Stoke
City in the �inal. Manchester City
are looking to �inally win a trophy,
after all the money they’ve had
pumped into the club; and would
love to deny their closest rivals
another shot at silverware.
Whereas Manchester City are
pinning their hopes on the FA
Cup, Manchester United are still
hunting a treble with the Champi-
ons League quarter �inals throw-
ing up some interesting ties. The
Red Devils face Chelsea, whilst
Tottenham Hotspur have to beat
Real Madrid to make the semi-
�inals. All three English clubs have
the extra incentive of the �inal be-
ing at Wembley, although holders
Inter Milan and the ever danger-
ous Barcelona are still in the com-
petition to potentially stop them.
This season has had all the ex-
citement and thrilling unpredicta-
bility that the World Cup last sum-
mer didn’t always have, so fans
are set to be on the edge of their
seats until the end of May with so
much up for grabs in every game
and in every competition.
(30pts) and 12th placed Fulham
(35pts), this battle will also go to
the wire and probably the last day
of the season.
It will be an exciting epilogue
to yet another eventful season,
with all to play for. There is the
Title at stake, Champions League
quali�ication and survival. Do
not miss the closing down of yet
another episode of the beautiful
game.
sports@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Win tickets to the Emirates
Airline London Sevens
T
he Stag has teamed up
with the RFU to offer one
lucky reader a pair of
tickets to the Emirates Airline
London Sevens extravaganza
at Twickenham Stadium on the
weekend of 21nd and 22rd May.
Last year’s event saw almost
80,000 fans �lood through the
gates over a sun-drenched two
days, and organisers are aiming
to break the 100,000 barrier for
the beach-themed 2011 event.
Sun, sand and Sevens will be
the name of the game and fans
are urged to dig out the �lip-�lops
and sombreros and enjoy the
weekend in style.
On the pitch, 16 international
teams including England,
South Africa, New Zealand, Fiji,
Klitschko retains WBC Heavyweight title
MARISA DA COSTA
Sports Editor
World Champion Vitali
Klitschko retained the title for the
6th time in a surprisingly short
�ight against previously unbeaten
Odlanier Solis.
Just three minutes into Round
1, Solis, who was on course to win
the round after a strong start, re-
ceived a short right hook to his
The referee Guadalupe
Castro awarded the
defending champion a
technical knock-out.
temple and twisted his knee as
he fell backwards. With Solis un-
able to fully recover his balance,
and to the disbelief of Klitschko
and the 19,000 spectators at the
Lanxess Arena, Cologne, the ref-
eree Guadalupe Castro awarded
thestagsurrey.co.uk
Argentina, Australia, France,
Canada, USA and Wales will be
part of a feast of high-octane
rugby as they �ight it out for
points in the HSBC Sevens
World Series, a competition that
pits the �inest national sevens
sides on the planet against each
other across eight different
tournaments.
Come along to experience
the �lowing rugby and party
atmosphere as the world’s top
nations contest the most action-
packed rugby event on the
calendar.
To enter simply answer the
following question:
Which team won the 2010
Emirates Airline London Sevens?
a) Australia b) South Africa
World Champion Vitali Klitschko retained the title for the 6th time.
the defending champion a techni-
cal knock-out.
c) England
Don’t worry if you’re not
successful - Tickets are available
from just £15 for adults and
£10 for juniors from www.rfu.
com/londonsevens or by calling
0844 847 2492. To �ind out more
about the tournament and to
get behind the England team
check out www.facebook.com/
LondonSevens
The competition closes
at 5pm on 5th April 2011
and is open to over 18s only.
Terms and conditions apply,
full details of the RFU’s ticket
and competitions terms and
conditions are available from rfu.
com/tickets. Send your answers
to editor@thestagsurrey.co.uk.
Later the Cuban, known as “La
Sombra” was diagnosed with an
The Stag
anterior cruciate ligament rup-
ture, articular cartilage damage
and meniscal tear in the right
knee and awaits surgery, yet con-
�irmation of the injury has done
little for Klitschko’s disappoint-
ment who apologized to fans who
were expecting a longer �ight.
According to the Arena’s
spokesman, La Sombra’s manager
Jose Perez, “knew about the pre-
vious problem, but it was thought
it would go away if there was
enough training and the muscle
stabilised the knee.’’
Solis faces a 6 to 9 month re-
hab period and has made pub-
lic his intention to �ight again as
promoter Ahmet Oner hopes for
a re-match; “The �irst round was
exactly as we had promised: ex-
citing, spectacular and competi-
tive heavyweight boxing on a very
high level. I think the way the �ight
started calls for a re-match.”
In the mean time, British �ight-
er David Haye, who will �ight the
SPORTS 31
younger Klitschko brother this
summer, commented on the 2004
Olympic champion’s abilities “So-
Solis faces a 6 to 9
month rehab period
and has made public his
intention to fight again.
lis knew how to beat Vit, but years
of obesity stopped him from be-
ing able to execute.”
Haye is also the only �ighter
standing between the Klitschko
brothers and domination of the
heavyweight division.
Vitali will �ight Tomasz Ad-
amek of Poland, who moved to
the heavyweight division in 2009,
next September in the newly built
Wroclaw City Stadium, Poland.
32 SPORTS The Stag sports@thestagsurrey.co.uk

Sports
Sporting success as Surrey students
play Conference Cup Finals
MATT BURTON the �irst and second Surrey teams.
The women’s rugby �irst team
set up a �inal versus Middlesex

A
superb week of sport at the
University of Surrey saw no
fewer than �ive teams book
a place in the BUCS Conference
Cup Finals, which were held at
Surrey Sports Park on Wednesday
23 March.
Surrey proved they have
some of the finest fencers
in the south.
Both men’s fencing teams,
the women’s rugby �irst team,
the women’s tennis team and the
men’s volleyball team competed
against other Universities
from the south for a chance to
be crowned Conference Cup
champions.
Surrey proved they have some
of the �inest fencers in the south
with both the men’s �irst and
second fencing teams securing an
all Surrey Conference Cup �inal!
The �irst team beat Brunel 1s 135-
116 and the second team beat
higher placed Portsmouth 1s 134-
106, setting up a �inal between
1s after an impressive 40-20 win
over Sussex �irsts, with their �inal
due to kick off at 3.00pm.
In tennis, the women’s �irst
team beat Royal Holloway 2s
8-4 to secure a �inal against the
London School of Economics �irst
team.
Finally men’s volleyball beat
East London �irsts 2-1 and also
went on to play the Cup �inal.
There was heartbreak for the
Surrey men’s badminton 1s who
narrowly missed out on a place
in the �inal on rubbers after a 4-4
draw with Sussex. In squash, the
men’s second team went out in
the semi-�inals, going down 4-1
at Essex. The women’s badminton
team also missed the chance to
compete in the �inals with a 5-3
loss away to Brighton.
Elsewhere in BUCS The university’s fencing team ensured it was an all Surrey Conference Cup final.
competition, the women’s netball
�irst team won their league with were crowned champions with between the University of Surrey netball, rugby, taekwondo, tennis,
one game to spare. Surrey, who one game still to play, with a and Kingston University. volleyball and more. Last year’s
this year are coached by Surrey current unbeaten record of eight Surrey will take on Kingston competition ended in a tie, so
Storm captain Tamsin Greenway, wins and a draw. in a host of sports including both universities will be looking
won the South East Conference On Wednesday 30 March, badminton, basketball, boat, to lift the trophy for the �irst time
3A after securing a 35-34 victory Surrey Sports Park will also canoe, polo, cheerleading, fencing, this year.
away to Portsmouth 2s. The team be hosting the Varsity Games football, golf, hockey, jiu jitsu,

More medals for Surrey as Jiu Jitsu club attends UK National competition
EMILY GREEN applying pressure to joints or gold in throwing; Emily Green
applying strangles or throwing and Oliver Gardner won bronze
them to the �loor . medals in groundwork.

T
he University of Surrey
Jiu Jitsu club has recently
competed at the 2nd of their
annual UK National competitions
and have brought back medals for
the UoS!
In this Judo style competition
(Judo is a sport derived from the
martial art of Jiu Jitsu) you have
several ways to win determined
by the nature of the competition.
These are by pinning someone
to the ground until they cry (that’s
how I won anyway!); or well,
until a certain time has elapsed;
Surrey’s Jiu Jitsu team 2009-10. by making them submit through
Last year the club came
away...with three medals
but this year the total
haul is five.
Last year the club came away
from the Judo style Nationals with
three medals but this year the
total haul is �ive: Ellie Brodie won
gold in the throwing and silver
in the groundwork competitions
respectively; Chris Caldwell won
A lot of fun was had by
everyone and we’re looking
forward to the grading coming up
in a few weeks’ time.
This brings a total haul of UK
National Level medals to 12 for
the year with 4 golds, 2 silvers
and 6 bronzes and a total of 32
BUCS points for the University.
A special thanks goes to the
club committee for the �lawless
organisation and to our instructor,
Chris James, for being rather
awesome in general.

thestagsurrey.co.uk