The Stag - Issue 30

8/6/2019 The Stag - Issue 30

1/32

The StagThe University of Surrey Students Union Newspaper

Tuesday 29th March 2011 Issue Number: 30

FREE

GAMESAll theregularbrainteasers

Page 13

THEATREStage whodunnitMurdered to Deathdissected and examined

Page 22

University of Surrey to

charge 9,000 tuition fee400,000 protesters March for the Alternative in London

Saturday 26th March: Around 400,000 protesters marched through London to vent their frustration over theimpact of the Governments budget cuts. The main march, organised by the Trade Union Congress (TUC)was joined along the way by an education bloc, two contingents from elsewhere in London and a plethora ofother people affected by the cuts agenda. As the TUC march headed to Hyde Park to hear speeches from EdMiliband and TUC President Brendan Barber, protesters elsewhere fell victim to police violence as peacefuloccupation of businesses known for tax avoidance turned to rioting. See page 4... Continued on page 4

TOM GOULDINGNews Editor

IGala:

memories of home

for Iranian students

FEATURES

Censorship in Iran takes a tollon their performance and

unites them in the face of theworld. Read more on page 10.

SCI & TECH Mobile

phones health?

Does talking on your mobilephone increase your brainactivity? Is it healthy to be onthe phone talking for hours?Do you know about the 50minute experiment? Find out onpage 14.

SPORTSCompetition

Attention Rugby Fans: The Staghad paired with the RFU tooffer one lucky reader a pair oftickets to the Emirates AirlineLondon Sevens extravaganza.Go to page 31.

SOCIETIES Dancingthe night away

Surrey dancers go to the Inter-Varsity Dance competion inLiverpool. See page 20.

ARTSRebecca Black

Youtube sensation RebeccaBlack is the talk of the world. IsIts Friday your favourite songas well? Or do you feel stronglyabout it? Read more on page 27.

The University of Surrebecome the sixth unive

to conirm it will raiscap on tuition fees.

Surreys decision to chmaximum tuition fees, a bid

was ratiied by the univercouncil, will be put into afrom September 2012

severe cuts to governfunding. The next academic

will see 940m slashed English universities budgetteaching and research, as as 58.1% cut in the fundin

buildings.Vice Chancellor, Prof

Christopher Snowden said, have to accommodate a c

over 60% in our annual teacgrant and, in addition, a 70%

in our annual capital teacgrant, whilst supporting studfrom low-income families asof our access programme.

Professor Snowden wasconcerned that an immigr

policy recently proposed bygovernment would reducenumber of international studattending UK universities

said, There are also uncertaabout the impact of prop

immigration policy whichimplemented, are very to reduce the number

international students studyi

7

4

82

9

34

28

67

29

5

2

3

34

1

48

75

75

6

18

9

3

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

MO

CG

GE

UG

P

OS

DN

PV

PI

R

TG

NI

IH

OE

V

ON

EE

IJ

SC

C

RI

EL

IE

EE

H

BR

HE

AB

NU

B

IP

TR

VS

IX

K

KS

CI

OI

GZ

A

EH

QR

VO

TE

A


2/32

The Stag is an editiorially independent newspaper and is

published by the University of Surrey Students Union.

The Views expressed in the paper are those of the individual

authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the

educational team, the Students Union or the University of Surrey.

Surrey & Berkshire Media Ltd.

8 Tessa Road, Reading

RG1 8NS

The Stag reserves the right to edit all submissions and the right to

decide which articles are published.

Please direct all enquiries to the relevant section editors.

Your Stag Team

Comms Ofcer | Chris Whitehead

[email protected].

Editor | Mariam Nasir

[email protected]

Deputy Editor (Design) | Bakita Kasadha

[email protected]

Design Team | Zoe Kitchener, Rowan Ling, Amrin

Lokhandwalla, Jack White, Stacey Hunter &

Charlotte Clarke

Deputy Editor (Marketing) | Eunice Njag

marketing@the stagsurrey.co.uk

Marketing Ofcers | Harriet Drudge , Imogen Jones &

Kristel Tchamba

News Team

News Editor | Tom Goulding

[email protected]

Team | Andrew Markland & Jack White

Features Team

Features Editor | Jyoti Rambhai

[email protected]

Team | Charlie-Louise Akintino & Fran White(Fashion) | Christie Campbell &Nisha Aubeeluck

Science & Tech Team

Science & Technology Editor | Helen Finn

[email protected]

Team| Rachel Lismore-Burns &

Emma Cooper

Societies Team

Societies Editor | Utkarsh Sharma

[email protected]

Team | Jahir I. Rafq & Apoorva Sondhi

Entertainment Team

Dance & Theatre Editor | Rachel Gildea

[email protected]

Team | Lucy Al-Zoghbi, Sian Goldby &

Alex Sutton

Literature Editor| Christina Webb

[email protected]

Team| Demitri Levantis, Miranda Sullivan &

Hollie Rowe-Roberts

Music Editor | Lorna Salmon

[email protected]

Team: Liam Conroy

Sports Team

Sports Editor |Marisa Guerreiro Da Costa

[email protected]

Copy Editors | Remy Richard Martin, Vijay Bhaskar,

Yemi Dipeolu, Nicole Vassell & Faha Zahid

[email protected]

Webmasters | Ankur Banerjee & Andy Smith

[email protected]

Editors Letter

And here it is, the last two weeks of term are inally here. For some this hasbrought happiness, for others the stress of inishing off assignments anddissertation has increased to a level where we are glued to the library. The last fewweeks have been eventful on campus, for those of you who were unaware; it wasFestival which was a massive success this year. The IGala night was a colourful

cultural celebration which can be seen in our centre page spread! I participatedthis year for Asian Society, teaching a few people how to dance on stage thisturned out to be quite a fun experience.

Monday 21stMarch was a big night for us at The Stag since it was our irst eventn collaboration with MADTV and GU2 in The Living Room. The Red Carpet event was a success and

thank you all for attending and making it possible! Have a look at the centre pages for some amazingpictures from the night.

So that was the recap. The next two weeks are also going to bring excitement on campus it iselection time! The Students Union sabbatical positions are being elected and all the candidates needyour support! Voting begins on 4th April and closes on the 8 th April. So please remember to vote onlineand support your choice. This is an opportunity to have your voice heard.

Lastly, the nominations for the Student Awards have been extended to Friday 1 st April. Pleasenominate societies or individuals who you think deserve to be recognised through their efforts withtheir involvement. You can ind the nomination form on the union website.

Have a relaxing Easter break and we will see you in May!

Mariam


3/32

[email protected] The Stag

News

National resilience might be a

fusty, old-fashioned term in a

world plagued by civil war, no-

ly zones and Charlie Sheen, yet as

he series of cataclysmic disasters

hat shook Japan earlier this

month continue to wreak havoc,

he determination of the island

nation to persevere has been

nothing less than admirable.

Hours of rolling news footagecontinue to show the devastatingaftermath of the earthquakehat hit off the northern coast

of Japan on 11th March. Theensuing tsunami swept entirecommunities away in an instant,eaving thousands homeless and

countless more missing.Next came the unexpected

news that the Fukashima nuclearplant had been damaged in thedisaster, and a race against timeo prevent a core meltdown

on the scale of Chernobyl was

mmediately underway. Theooped footage of hydrogen

explosions rocking the reactors

has done nothing to calm thenerves of the Japanese populationor the international community.Both Germany and China have

ncidentally suspended theconstruction of their nuclearpower stations, while manyWestern countries have advisedheir citizens to leave Tokyo,

despite pledging their supporto assist the crippled country.

Since then, further reports

have indicated that radioactivematerial may have leaked into theTokyo water supply.

In Britain, it is almostmpossible to appreciate the

magnitude of these events. Many

stared at their television screens

Off Campus!

inding the waves impossible to

comprehend. The inevitable jokesspread by text message werearguably merely symptoms ofthis disbelief. As with the BoxingDay tsunami in 2004, the ideaof a wave capable of destroyingtowns in the blink of an eye is aconcept entirely alien to our ownshores; many had only previouslywitnessed similar scenes in suchhyperbolic, Hollywood-inspiredscenarios as Deep Impact. The UKhas not been pummeled by a tidalwave since the 18th Century, andits only recent earthquakes havemanaged to shake its bookshelvesrather than its skyscrapers. It istherefore completely unfeasible

to contemplate how we would

Tom GouldinGNews Editor

cope under such pressure.

At the time of writing, theseverity rating of a nuclearcrisis in Japan is currently at 5out of a possible 7. The clichdopinion that many have repeatedover the past ten days is that anuclear power station should nothave been built on a fault line tobegin with. It is a statement thatis about as helpful as someonesuggesting that every naturaldisaster in human history couldhave been averted if people hadnot built civilizations at the base

of volcanoes or on coastlines.There are often extensive socialand economic factors behind theconstruction of nuclear power

stations, which are relatively safe

and cost-effective in comparison

to their fossil fuel alternatives.Jean-Claude Favez once

wrote, Of all the forms ofwisdom, hindsight is by generalconsent the least merciful, themost unforgiving. There is littleconsolation in dictating whatcould have been done to preventa crisis that has already affectedso many people. It is importantto support the efforts of theplant workers, who are currentlybattling to cool the reactors atthe likely expense of their ownhealth. In terms of providing thesolution to Japans long-termrecovery, nuclear hysteria is nosubstitute for the determination

of its people.

New Virtual

Learning

Environmenfor students

have your sa

Fires blaze after Japan is hit by a tsunami

You may have seen my w

updates on SurreyNet

may even have heard a

the recent workshop run by K

where students were aske

their input into the Univer

vision but how much do

really know about the proje

replace Ulearn with a new VLearning Environment?

The University wantsreplace Ulearn with somethat is easier to use, and wlets users do more with itthe past few weeks KPMG been working with staff students across the Univeto understand the things technology could do to improve the student leaexperience from automatilling in admin forms to vide

lectures and posting them onThe result of this work is a to be published vision stateoutlining the ways in w

new technology can beneiUniversity.

Coming up are workshops which will loothe details of what Ulereplacement must be able tThrough KPMG, I am keehave as many students invas possible throughout the wprocess, and we are plansome more workshops to getviews on what technology shdo for you.

If you can spare a coup

hours in the morning or afterof Monday 4thApril, and woul

to attend one of these worksplease email:

[email protected]

Professornicholls

C

laireBradley


4/32

Demonstrations have sweptthrough London again onthe biggest day of protest

Britain has seen since the march-es against the Iraq war.

The March for the Alternativewas organised by the Trade UnionCongress (TUC) in response to

thestagsurrey.co.uk

04 NEWS [email protected] Stag

Future students face maximumtuition fees as Government cutsresult in Surrey joining the 9k club.

Dark KnightSpecialEffects Expert Found Not Guilty

Samantha arnold

Special 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 ilm The

Dark Knight, at Chertsey, Surrey.

The award winning special

effects expert, who recently won

an academy award for his work on

nception, was unanimously found

not guilty at Guildford Crown

Court on Monday 14th March.

Corbould claimed that he

had informed crew members,

ncluding the cameraman, about

every detail of the stunt. Its

horoughly explained to them

before, he said. I would never

put someone in the position

where they didnt know every

single detail of whats going on.

Thats inconceivable.

Wickliffe was ilming 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 ona Chertsey industrial estate. The

New Zealand born father of two,

died at the scene due to extensive

head injuries.

Chris Humphreys, Corboulds

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 dont put their health

and safety irst. Directors and

producers do not entrust that

kind of money to someone that

doesnt put safety irst.

UK universities. A decline in non-EU students is expected to have anegative impact on universities,as many are dependent on thencome from the higher fees thathey already provide.

There were additional fearshat by not charging higher

fees, the perception of Surreysquality would be damaged.While Universities MinisterDavid Willets recently statedhat the 9,000 fees should

only be charged in exceptionalcircumstances, experts predicthat the most universities will opto charge the maximum amountn order to distance themselves

from competing institutions.Local Liberal Democrat

Councillor Chris Ward voicedhis opposition to the decision,challenging the Vice Chancelloro publish how the University will

accommodate poorer studentsunder the new system. He argued,Guildford is already the mostexpensive place to study outsideLondon and this news will furtherdeter poorer students from

Continued from front page picking Guildford.We have moved into an arena

where choice in higher educationis not based on your brains, buton your bank balance. That isdisgraceful.

Oliver Deed, Chair of the

University of Surrey LabourStudents society, also released astatement criticising the move. Hesaid, This is very disappointingnews indeed. The Vice Chancellornow has to outline how he willincrease provision for studentsfrom poorer backgrounds.

The University has insistedthat although the fees wouldeffectively triple for studentsstarting in the 2012 academicyear, a new package of bursariesand free waivers would not deterthose applying from low-incomefamilies. Professor Snowden said

that the priority was to safeguardthe student experience whilemaintaining a system of accessbased only on merit and not theability to afford a high-qualityeducation.

The University of Surrey willnow join Exeter and Durham, aswell as members of the RussellGroup, Oxford, Cambridge andImperial College London as thesixth university to charge the9,000 fees. Leeds and Liverpoolare also expected to vote onproposals to charge the maximumamount in the near future. Mr.Willets warned universities thatthey could face further cuts totheir teaching grants if they setfees too high.

The vice-president of theNational Union of Students,Usman Ali, said: With everyadditional university that joinsthe 9k club, the governmentsassertion that their rushed planswould be a good deal for studentscollapses further.

What do you think of Surreysdecision to raise tuition fees?Email your opinions to

[email protected]

Fees would effectivelytriple for students

starting in the 2012academic year.

Heath Ledger in his penultimum performance

More protests

hit London as

400,000 march

JackWhiteNews Reporter

attacks on working peoplGovernment cost-cutting. President Brendan Barber Well make the case that thean alternative to this focus odeicit and austerity.

Although the main mfollowed a route thrWestminster and along ReStreet to Hyde Park, a numbother marches were due tointo this as the day went on.

By four oclock, a continof the march had stooutside the Fortnum and Mdepartment store well knfor its popularity with the A number of protesters the UK Uncut campaign agtax avoidance walked strin and sat down. Althpolice opposite who had protecting a branch of Santander bank were unabstop the occupation immediseveral groups of riot police brought in.

As riot police closed iFortnum and Mason, the mbegan to turn sour, with s

protesters beginning to twater bottles and sticks. soon developed into a riot. Tanger of the protesters, the mcriticised kettling tactic employed as well as brutal uthe truncheon.

Riots continued into the at Trafalgar Square.

A young mother bring her child toprotest at the loss of the widelypopular Surestart scheme.


5/32


6/32

thestagsurrey.co.uk

06 NEWS [email protected] Stag

Charley Mason

News Reporter

Surrey students have working together overlast fortnight to sta

variety of creative and excevents that promote sustainliving and fair trade.

Students held events varied from a recycled jeweworkshop to an econodebate. The CEO of Traidcrafthe largest Fairtrade Comin the UK, gave a lecturfair trade in the 21st cenThere was also a no clonight at Rubix, the StuUnion nightclub, where stud

donned boxes, plastic bagspaper all in the aid of going g

Students worked togethraise awareness by giving free Fairtrade chocolate,cream and fruit over the courthe week, a very popular acthat also drew attention tocampaigning that the SuPeople & Planet group doenvironmental and social jus

Nicholas Barber, a membPeople & Planet at the Univeof Surrey said, Sustaineconomics, climate changeequality are grounded in fair and fair living - Poverty caabolished if we continue to wglobal awareness with loc

solutions! Empathy is power

The People & Planet gro

the University of Surrey waup to raise awareness at S

of UK and global environmand ethical issues. htw w w . f a c e b o o k . c o m / g r

php?gid=2218895182&ref=ts

Fairtrade Fortnight isannual national fortnigh

action promoting the sale oftrade products in order to en

a better lifestyle for farmersworkers in developing countr

For more details coNicholas Barber: nb001

surrey.ac.uk or 07972689477

Students rais

awareness

of green and

ethical trade

issues

Poverty can beabolished...Empathy is powerfu

In a motion passed at its last

executive meeting, University

of Surrey Students Union

(USSU) has stated its opposition to

rade union strikes, but also said

t will support action to maintain

he 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

hreat of redundancy. Under thescheme 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 inlation is currently

running at around 5%; another

effective pay cut.

New staff will not have access

o the inal-salary pension in the

new scheme, meaning that their

Unionstands irm

againstattacks on

educationJaCkWhiteNews Reporter

career would not reap the same

beneits upon retirement.

Joint Branch Secretary of UCU,

Rob Fiddler said: The employers

want to get rid of the inal 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.

Were 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 speciically the

withdrawal of an employees

work.

These irst 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.

Some of the strikers and student supporters at one of two pickets on 22nd March


7/32


8/32

So, the University of Surreywill be charging 9,000tuition fees in a couple of

years time. Thats a lot of money.So why are they doing it?

Well, you may have heardabout all these government cutsooming on the horizon. The UK

government is now in almost onerillion pounds of debt (thats

1,000,000,000,000 for those ofyou who like numbers). So likea student deep into overdraft

resorting to Tesco Value noodles,ts decided to cut back a bit on

the expenditure for a few yearsto stabilise things a bit (not toget out of debt mind, just to avoidgetting further in).

Now, last year alone thegovernment borrowed about

155bn to help pay for things itwas doing. That means to avoid

going further into debt its got tocut back by 155bn this year, or atleast 155bn in total over the nextfew years. Thats a lot of Tescovalue...

The result of all this inancialpruning is a lot of unhappy peoplein a lot of unhappy professionsbeing told they have a lot lessmoney to spend. In particularlocal government (thats yourcounty and borough councils) hasseen big cuts. Another major area

of cuts is business. Thats whatsmost important to us today, as it

includes university education.In particular lets have a look

at the University of Surrey; after

all, thats where we are.Most importantly Surrey willbe receiving a lot less money forteaching and capital expenditure.Now, you all know what teachingis but you may be slightly lessclear about capital expenditure(or CapEx for the kool kids). WellCapEx (clearly Im a kool kid) isthe money the University spendson buildings and maintenance etc,so its pretty important. Unlessyou like having your lectures in aield instead of a lecture theatre...

All in all this means theuniversity can either spend lesson things like buildings andteaching or it can get the money

from elsewhere. Were lucky thatat Surrey we earn a bit of extra

cash from things like the ResPark. Unfortunately its nownear enough to cover the dr

funding. Were also aiming totop 10 UK University and topin the world; so cutting teacand buildings doesnt soundhealthy. That leaves one replace to get the money fromstudents.

When we hear somebad is about to happen we like to ind blame. Have studbeen getting it too easy?the University being ozealous with the new feesthe government being too with its cuts? Or did pregovernments simply leave ustoo much debt and unsustainspending in the irst place?

Ill leave that for you to de

thestagsurrey.co.uk

Features

A Simple Guide to the Hows

and Whys of the 9,000 Fee

MALCOLM

HUNTUSSU President

Firstly I would like to praise KaraGlassborow, the Students UnionActivities Administrator for

organising the inals at the Surrey SportsPark. Kara has worked endlessly to getthe event organised and making sureall the teams across the region arrivedalright. Working alongside her on theday to co-ordinate the event, it proved tobe a tough action packed day. There wasso much going on behind the scenes itwas madness!

I would like to congratulate all ourteams who have competed and thosewho have reached the inals! It is alwaysa celebration to get this far.

The inals in fencing consisted ofboth our Surrey teams playing againsteach other for the gold and silver. The1st team won with the 2nd team as therunners up. Despite this, it is a truewin all round for the club with bothteams celebrating for reaching the inalstogether after the game.

Our volleyball mens team wereagainst Essex University. It started witha close irst game, but once our boys gotgoing, they steamed ahead winning theirmatch three games to none. This hasbeen a successful year for the volleyball

club, especially as this was their irstyear playing in the British University &

College Sport (BUCS). They won the cuptoday and they have won their league! Agreat 1st year!

The Rugby Womens match wasagainst Middlesex University. A tightlyfought match becoming even more tenseat the end when an accident occurred onthe pitch, leaving the Middlesex captaininjured on the ield. The match washalted for a while and then the decisionwas made to move to another pitch toinish the game. The sun was setting andthere was only 90 seconds to play on a 12-12 tie on points. Whilst the ambulancewas busy aiding the injured player on theoriginal pitch, our girls continued to playand in the dying moments, Middlesexscored a try, narrowly winning againstour team. The girls did a great job andwas awarded their silver medals.

As I am writing this article, thewomens tennis team is still playingoutside having been playing for hours.It really is now a great ight, battling thetedious hours and seeing the sun setright in front of them. Good luck to them!

Many of our teams have won theirleagues as well and this is a cause forcelebration!

Remember to check The Stag for thelatest results!

So what now? We look forward tobeating Kingston in the Varsity Gameson the 30th March 2011.

TRUNGUSSU VP Sports

UoS hosts London

and South East BUCS

Conference cup inals

08 FEATURES [email protected] Stag


9/32

Having always experienceda good service fromthe Royal Mail, I was

conident that when I sent a

parcel over to Sri Lanka by AirMail, it would reach there, noquestions asked.

However, this was provedwrong, for three days later on theFriday I received an email fromManor Park Reception saying

hat I have a parcel that needs tobe signed for. When I went downo the reception, I was given the

very parcel I had posted earlierhat week. I was very angry and

annoyed. There was no pointn talking to the receptionistshere, one because they wouldnt

be able to do anything about itand two, as I knew that whateverhappens now, the parcel wasnever going to get there on time.

The following Monday I took

the parcel down to the UniversityPost Ofice, and stated to thelady behind the counter (thesame lady who had stamped theprevious week), that the parcelhad been delivered to me insteadof being on a place to Sri Lanka.

She didnt seem surprised atit being returned and mentionedthat another gentleman hadwalked in with the samecomplaint earlier on, only thatwas local post whereas mine wasAir Mail.

Isnt there supposed to be aclear distinction when sortinglocal and foreign post?

She suggested that I take itto the sorting ofice in town as

there was nothing she could doabout it. I had no time to go intotown and agreed for the parcelto be re-posted. I wasnt happyat all.

Wanting to complain I wentto the Royal Mail website, butcould not ind an appropriate

link and gave up not wantingto waste any more time on thematter. I did however, spokeabout it on Twitter and to mysurprise received a reply fromRoyal Mail few days later.

They wanted me to get backto them with all the detailsincluding a photograph andreceipt of the returned parcel fora refund. I didnt have a picture ofthe parcel but emailed all detailsand was given a reference.

They were very apologetic

towards the whole situation,stating that this kind ofmishandling is very rare andwrote to me conirming that

necessary action had been takenwith the local delivery ofice and

enclosed a book of stamps as agesture of goodwill.

Although I was happy withthe way in which they treatedthe complaint, I will always havethe doubt of my post gettingdelivered on time.

thestagsurrey.co.

Lasika Jayamahaeatures Team

BUSINESSThe puzzle of success

Success is a much debatedquantity. Some measureit with inancial achieve-

ment, others in spiritual oremotional fulilment. It is the

title attached to many things in

History, emblazoned on every-thing from naval destroyers tosoftware development houses.The debate will rage on, but aswe are all on a limited mortalcoil lets focus on the businesscontext of success for us as stu-dents.

Often depicted by lashy cars

and lofty aspirations for moneyand power, business successexerts a powerful draw on stu-dents and graduates. I am surewe are all striving for our ownbrand of success in our studiesand job searches. Whatever it isthat motivates you, chances areit is different to the next person.

Now you may think this seemsobvious, but do we manage tokeep this in mind when slap-ping certiicates of success on

ourselves, and each other?There is much to be said for

stepping back and taking stockof traditional metrics of successwhether they be cash, power,cars, or even a trophy husbandor wife. Not to say you shouldntstrive for these things, only thatyou might want to decide if theyare actually what you want orwhether you have unwittingly

slipped into a rat race for thgoals along with your peersplace building a personal nwork of friends and busincontacts, or teaching someoa new skill to be equally just

able claims for success.By laying out what is yo

own deinition of success y

have taken the irst step towaentrepreneurial endeavoMany great business foundestablished themselves from writing the rules of engagemwhilst their competitors wnapping.

Take Mr Zuckerberg example: Facebook may valued at a staggering amou(despite comparatively liproit), but one gets the fe

ing he measures his successenacting a concept and revotionising social interactions.

It is therefore possible tthe yardstick of success tthe public often measures h

against is not the same one uses on himself. James Dyshas done exceedingly well ouhis cleaning appliances, butwouldnt have got there wiout the trickle of success areassurance from prototypknocked up in a shed. This a constant but often woopressure from our parents, ademics and not least ourselvto achieve success. By breakthis down, we as students cbegin to do what we keep betold to do. That is to shape tnext generation of business.

If you feel successful whyou turn a iver into ifty ov

night then go for it, but likewif you get a rising sense satisfaction from startingnone-proit company or v

unteering at a local institutthen dont be afraid to tally itagainst your successes colum

A man called John Woodonce said "Success is the peaof mind which is a direct resof knowing that you did yobest to become, the best you capable of becoming."

PeterBaiLeyBusiness and Finance

Success is a measurement youset yourself.

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.

Iwas shocked and saddenedby the news that stirred thewhole world, when on 11

March the eastern coast of Japanwas hit by a earthquake of mag-nitude 8.9. Due to geographi-cal location, earthquakes arefrequent in Japan; but this time,not only was it very powerful,t started a 7m tsunami killinghousands of people, leaving

many homeless and even settingoff widespread ire. As I watched

the news of this terror, I could donothing but just shudder andpray for people residing there.

There also seems to be an in-crease in hatred and violence allaround the world, I am startingto believe that we and our Earthare 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 isdue to earth, moon and planetsmovement, environmentalistbelieve overpopulating and over

pollution in earth is the reasonand theists believe its the angerof God.

All beliefs differ but withhumans thinking themselvessuperior of all and misusing theEarth and its resources, the endseems really near. We have allseen the natures ability to bringenormous disaster and humanactivity to an abrupt standstill.Theres still time to think aboutour actions. Not just on savingour Earth, but also among us, weall should try to treat each otherwith respect and come togetherto solve this problem now.

Is the end

really near?tanuJa raieatures Team

G

rahamR

ichardson



10/32

Iran is no stranger to thepitfalls and advantages of themedia. In a country where

print media, television and radioare under state control, theInternet provides a refreshingplatform for Irans lourishing

opinions and views. Iransstruggle for power and peaceis played out the most in themedia spotlight; this is however

paired with one of the strongestand most advanced censorshipsystems. Freedom of speech isa right entitled to every humanbeing but somewhere along theline some people are getting theshort straw.

The last two weeks theUniversity of Surrey has beenhome to the InternationalFestival, a celebration of colour,culture and diversity acrosscampus. A chance for societies toshowcase what it is that makesthem proud of their culture.On Friday the 11th of March thecentre piece of the festival tookplace which was the IGala night.It was a chance for students todemonstrate their culture viashort stage performances. Forsome however a black cloud hadbeen hovering over their culturalcelebrations.

The Iranian society hastaken a well established role inInternational Week performingin the IGala for many years. Thisyear the societys performancefaced criticism from a minority ofstudents. We must bear in mindthat this years performancewas much more political thanseen in past years; this was the

basis for the society wanting tokeep it a surprise from everyone.They gained consent from unionoficials to do this with the inal

performance only to be revealedon the inal night. Everything was

running smoothly until the nightbefore the actual IGala wheresociety members were told toshorten the footage, the possiblereason being that the violent

references in the performancewould be found unsuitablefor children in the audience.Opposition is something thatthe Iranian people are not newto. With this decision came awave of anger from the society.Ironically with the help of thesocial networking site Facebooka protest was organised and onthe morning of Friday the 11tha crowd of 30 Iranians amassedoutside the student unionofices. The protest was in no

comparison to the protests thatIranians face on a daily basishowever its impact was thesame. A group of people comingtogether in the face of adversitywill have its desired affect nomatter where in the world orsize of the crowd. With a shortcivilised meeting between theunion oficials and the society,

a compromise was reachedand their performance was onewhich resonated through theaudience.

Here is one performersopinion of that weeks eventsSoroosh Saberiyoun (BusinessManagement ) IGala is a festivalto showcase the culture of acountry at the moment politicsis at the core of all Iranianlife culture so why shouldntit be at the forefront of ourperformance? The seriousnessof censorship is often

misunderstood, and as Britishcitizens a concept we often takefor granted. OpenNet oficials

refer to Iran as one of the mostextensive technical iltering

systems in the world. It is hometo an ongoing struggle for theright to free speech constrictedbut a government intent on

silencing their people.In the 2009 elections

all witnessed on a public how extreme Irans censorlaws are. Social netwo

sites were blocked; the likFacebook, Twitter and Fwere all stopped in the ruto the elections; a main oof speech was halted forrepublic of Iran. This censoonly intensiied after the u

began.Although the govern

decreased Internet bandwto a limit so mobile videos cnot be uploaded this didntthe 40 second video of NedIranian student) being shthe eye reaching the world inthan 24 hours.. She went obecome the voice of the Irapeople and their struggle

change.It is apparent that atteat censorship do have a neginluence in peoples pl

for freedom, but bearing happened in the union o

in mind, if the intent is stenough people coming togein the name of change have a positive affect be Iran or anywhere in the wSome may think this is a comparison to make, but mthis is what it will take to bthe plight of Iran to the everpeople of Europe.

History has shown when people of power ma

systematic attempt at silethe public, the only waoppose is by ighting

even if this involves the of innocent blood. Freethat we take for granted as the right to vote, and othings we take for granted only won because people willing to do whatever it to win their cause. We not underestimate the pof protest nor forget whhappening in the world ouSurrey.

thestagsurrey.co.uk

"Y'know what

really grinds

my gears?"Peoples reaction to

the slightest bit of Sun

Calm down! Okay, arguablylast week was warm(ish),but Ive been observing this

rrational behaviour for someime.

Yes, its been cold and dreary

or the last few months but sundoes not equal heat. Busting outhe Roman sandals, shorts andloral vest top because the sun is

bright will not distract us fromhe goose bumps on your arms.

The sun (and heat) will soon behere, just be patient!

And as for the people whoseem to wear their surfer shortsall year, even in winter months,around campus well I dontwant to talk about them. Theyreust crack heads.

I swear Im not a moany mareall the time, its just that Im one ofhe few who realise a cardi is still

a necessary garment and it really

grinds my gears!

BAKITA KASADHAeatures Team

"Y'know

what really

oils my gears?"

Phil Collins and

coach journeys

BAKITA MASALAUnknown

Listening to his 'Groovy Kind

of Love' on a coach journeymakes 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

Iran: a war of words..

PRIYA PRASHARContributor

Opposition is something that the Iranian people

are not new to... A group of people comingtogether in the face of adversity will have itsdesired affect no matter where in the world.

The Iranian society make their bows at iGala

S

haMk

A bystander, Neda Agha-Soltan was killed by an Iranian Governparamilitary during the protests over the 2009 presidential elect



11/32

In a place like Kolhapur, thereare no tourists. People every-where stare at you, wondering

why youre here. This is especiallyrue for a solo traveller, as they of-en ask where are your friends?,o which I reply Theyre all stud-

ying, working etc.Due to the time of year and

he extended monsoon that Indiadecided to have, I found myselfsheltering under a Chaii stall inorrential rain at night. I chat toots of people, mainly to shelter

under their umbrella for a bit. Aman called Ranjeet pulls up on amotorbike, and the usual conver-sation begins.

Where are you from?UK...*puzzled look*England.Ah yes yes...very nice coun-

try.Where are you going? Why

are you in Kolhapur? Why are you

alone? What job do you have?These questions become thestandard ones asked, and oftenbecome tedious beyond belief.But I always answered, as theywere often really interested bywhat you had to say. Trying todescribe my job was near impos-sible, and they always asked meto sing a song. This particulargentleman however, asked me tocome with him on his bike, backto his friends shop to give me a listof where to visit. In this situation,you can go two ways:

1. Say No to the Strangers,as the old Police campaign forkids goes (I always thought it was

ridiculous). He could be a nutterwhos going to mug you.2. Go with it, and see what

happens. Introduce him to Mrand Mrs Pain if needs be.

thestagsurrey.co.


I decided to go with the latter,as I could see this guy was prettygenuine, and Id lamp him if hetried anything (yeah right). Soonto the back of this bike I got,and we jetted off to his friendsshop. Weaving through trafic

with no helmets on, I decided ev-eryone goes so slowly that if youdid hit each other, youd just fallover, uninjured. We chat about

India, and he then invites me backto his house to meet his family.Again, I said yes. So off we go tohis house, I meet his lovely family,have chaii, and then he drops meat my hotel.

Tomorrow. You come to myhouse for breakfast.

Right you are.Thus begins my many visits

to Ranjeets house. Meeting hisfamily, having some awesomefood (including poah: lattened

rice and potato with green chillies bit of a shock at 8.30am), andlearning about their culture.

He told me to visit a temple outof town. So, armed with a piece

of paper with the name of it writ-ten in Marathi, I got on the localbus. Now these arent like yourdelightful TFL beauties. Theseare ageing TATA trucks that look

like they have been in numerousaccidents on their way from pre-WW2. Health and Safety expertswould have kittens. Once again,Im the only white person formiles around, and this soon gen-erates some interest from a local(I think out of confusion morethan anything). I tell him whereIm going, and he informs me thathis brother is picking him up on

his motorbike, and that he candrop me there as his house is onthe way. Of course, I say yes, andwe get off the bus in what is rural-ish Maharashtra and three of us

hop on.On the way, he turns roun

says My house is on the waystop for chaii? And of coursgame. Sure, I had the pang ofjust met this guy, it could all gup, but you slowly realise thusing a little bit of common sand judgement you can meeexperience the culture so mmore than most travellers.

I did this throughout myand they often turned into somthe most memorable experiefrom the whole three months

Solo Travel(Part 2 Kolhapur, Maharashtra)

MarkallenContributor

The New Palace at Kolhapur, India

Yes to Fairer

Votes Campaign

On the 5th of May the UKwill hold a referendumon whether to change our

voting system to the AlternativeVote voting system (AV).

At Yes to Fairer Votes werecampaigning for people to voteYes. AV is a system which willforce politicians to work harder,

give people more say, help endsafe seats and where no MP canbe elected unless at least half ofthe people in the constituencysupport them - under the currentsystem, an MP can be elected withas little as 3 in 10 voters backinghim or her.

We aim to answer most of thequestions you may have about itbelow

GeorGe PotterContributor

Whats the difference between alternativevote and the current system?

The current system the UK uses is irst past

the post (FPTP) where you vote by putting across next to the candidate you want to win andwhoever gets the highest number of votes wins.

Things are a little different with alternative

vote (AV). First of all, you rank the candidatesin order of preference, 1, 2, 3, etc. To get a clearwinner, AV uses a knockout system. In each roundthe candidate with the least votes gets knockedout and counting begins again.

If your candidate has been knocked out thenyour vote goes to your next preference. Thismeans that in each round everyone gets one voteso everyone gets a say in who wins even if theirfavourite candidate was one who didnt standmuch chance of winning.

The counting keeps going until a candidategets the support from at least half of the voters ina round so whoever wins has the support of atleast 50% of the voters.

Do I know AV from somewhere else?You should do. AV is the same system the

student union uses to elect sabbatical oficers

they use it because it means that whoever iselected will represent the largest number ofvoters possible. Its also the system used by allthree major parties to elect their leaders.

Who are you?Were Surrey Fairer Votes part of the national

Yes to Fairer Votes campaign. Weve got Laboursupporters, Lib Dems, Tories, Greens, UKIP-ers aswell as lots of independent supporters.

Why vote yes?At the moment, politicians from all parties

ignore young people and feel free to break

promises because they know they can get awwith it. Under the current system most vothave no affect on the outcome so all politicians dis focus on the small number of swing voters thneed in order to win.

A change to AV will mean MPs will have work harder to win and keep your suppo

Under AV your next MP would have to aim to gmore than 50% of the vote to be sure of winninAt present they can be handed power with juone vote in three.

Ranking candidates also gives you more sin who comes irst and who comes last. If yo

favourite doesnt win, you still have a say. Its easy as 1, 2, 3

With FPTP many MPs have their saseats for life. AV will let you force complacepoliticians to sit up and listen, and reach out the communities they seek to represent.

In short, AV keeps what works with our curresystem, and eliminates many of its weaknesses

Ultimately, if someone wants to represent yocommunity they need the votes of the majoritythe community. Thats why you should suppoalternative vote.

Why bother to vote in the referendum?This is quite literally a once-in-a-lifetim

opportunity to change the voting system. you dont vote in normal elections then you caalways vote again next time, but if you donvote in this referendum then youll never get thchance to change the voting system again. A Nvote will be used by politicians to say that peopare happy with the way things are and any chanof changing the voting system will be lost forgeneration. If youre fed up with being ignorby politicians and feel that nothing ever changeor if you just want a fairer say, then vote Yes forsmall change that will make a big difference.

The Yes argument outlined

www.yestofairervotes.org

Local campaigners advocate changing to the alternative voting systemfor forthcoming General Elections.


12/32

Spring/summer 2011 styleencompasses everythingyou could want from

fashion. In the way of patterns,

bold prints are huge whilstminimalist plain items remaingorgeous.

One particular item whichis absolutely necessary thisyear is a maxi skirt. Designerlabel Jil Sander gave this style awhole new level with the neonstructured skirts they showedoff at Fashion Week. Teamedwith a plain white t-shirt, thislook is hot. Whilst maxi is oftenvery boho, midi skirts are hugein street style. It used to be themini-skirt that stood out, butknee-length skirts have made a

huge impact this year. Considersome cute little ankle socks anda sheer blouse for a slightlypreppy look, a loral crop top for

boho, or just a short sleeved silkshirt for a bit of sophisticatedchic.

By the way of materials,crochet is hippy-gorgeous andperfect for summer festivals/beach days. Silk shirts staystylish as they have for the pastfew seasons, giving any looka little edge. Clogs, bum-bagsand colourful eyewear give yoursummer wardrobe a bit of fun,contrasting to the neutral make-up that we see every summer.Hot red lipstick and hot red nailsare amazing, as is big vampyhair. If big-hair isnt your thing,try a scruffy ishtail plait or a

high-head pony.

thestagsurrey.co.uk

Spring/summer style 2011Hollie Rowe-RobeRtsFashion Team

Above: Silk shirts give your look a bit of edgeRight: Jil Sander structured skirt

Springtime shoesT

he most dificult decision

when it comes to springtime fashion is footwear.

Its too warm for boots yet toocold for sandals. So what are ouroptions? Well we have pickedout three very different pairsthat are all perfect for spring.

Tan is the perfect colourfor this time of year; it helps tobrighten up your look at a timewhen black is becoming toodull and wintery. The chunkyheel and platform make thesesandals comfortable and chic;they will also most deinitely

see you through the whole ofthe summer. These shoes workwith a variety of looks from acute one-shouldered dress toa jeans and blouse combo. Youcan purchase these tan, buckledetail sandals for 54.99 fromRiver Island.

We love these off whitefringed loafers for a more casualspring look. They are the perfectshoes to team with a cute pairof ankle socks and a skirt. Wethink these will be great foruni because they are reallycomfortable and yet a little bitdifferent. Pick up this must-havefrom Topshop for 50 or 45using student discount.

Finally, a pair of wedgesare a must have for springtime.This particular pair help give asimple outit a little bit extra as

they really stand out. They arenot too high which adds to theircomfort, and because they areblack they will go with prettymuch everything. We love thecanvas wedge as this is whatmakes them great for spring andsummer. Grab these at www.asos.com for 60.00, and dontforget ASOS now does an NUSstudent discount, which meansyou could get these great shoesfor 54.

NisHaaNd CHRistieFashion Team

Tan, buckle detail sandals,River Island 54.99

Off-white fringed loafers,Topshop 50

Black/canvas wedges,ASOS 60

Fashion Spotlight:

Fashion Blogs

NisHaaNd CHRistieashion Team

This 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

C h a n d r a n

C o l l e c t i o n

AW11 and

the Jena:Theo

p r e s e n t

V a l k y r i e

AW11 fash-

ion shows at

London Fash-

ion Week

this year and

shares his

experiences

of his time atsuch 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

ntimidating 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 oftheir time to dedicate to mak-

ng you feel like King. Two lovely

adies from Mitsi mistaking me

for a buyer (either that or theyre

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-

ng 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-ng them up close and personal,

could really appreciate the

quality of the work... This years

autumn winter fashions should

be very exciting! ...

Check out the report at:

modelcampus.wordpress.com

Sun, Sea and No

Suspicious Paren

FRaN wHiteFeatures Team

It is that time of year whgroups of friends start tplan and book their holi

away from their parents.Being students, clubbinholidays are deinitely the w

forward, well for one weekduring the summer! One omost popular destinations the fabulous island ofIbiza

Getting there: Easy mairports and cheap airlines

out to Ibiza regularly.Time of year: The seas

runs from June through toOctober. Best times to go wbe July or September as maclubs have closing parties,which are some of the best will see.

Where to Stay: San Ant

is in the centre of everythinyou have the west end righton your doorstep allowingyou to stumble home in theearly hours. Taxis are cheapaccommodation affordableAlthough Ibiza town soundattractive, it is expensive anhas a slightly different cliento that of British teenagersrolling around drunk. It is to visit the town as buses rfrom the bus station in SanAntonio.

Where to go: You mustat least one night out in thewest end there is a huge aof bars, with so many differoffers to choose from.

The Ibiza Rocks hotel attracts top artists usuallyplaying on a Tuesday. Try ttickets.

Es Paradis and Eden twof the biggest clubs in SanAntonio, they are often useafter-parties if you buy a ticfor a band at Ibiza rocks Ho

Pacha you have to go! of the best clubs in the worBe careful, it is in Ibiza towand you need to buy ticketsadvance. Plan a way of gettback or buy tickets that inctransport.

Hard-working student bechard-playing clubber



13/32

L I F R K Q Q T C

T A V I U M P K O

C P T J N U I R L

E Y V I R A I S O

L D E R P G N L U

E P O V H S B C R

C C H T R M O O E

K B S F C U V H X

L A E P P A S F V

thestagsurrey.co.

GamesAnswers in the next edition ofThe Stag. Send your answers to [email protected] to get a mention in the pape

7 4 8 2

9 3 4

2 8 6 7

2 9 5

2 3

3 4 1

4 8 7 5

7 5 6

1 8 9 3

SudokuM O C G G E U G P

O S D N P V P I R

T G N I I H O E V

O N E E I J S C C

R I E L I E E E H

B R H E A B N U B

I P T R V S I X K

K S C I O I G Z A

E H Q R V O T E A

Wordsearch

The words to ind are:

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Crossword

DOWN

1 Everyone wants it,

but the ones that feel

they have it invent it

themselves

3 Radiation runs it; Libya,

US, UK and France play it

4 Effects man is...

6 The one for us isnt as

one with the one for staff

ACROSS

2 Short thing. You bleed

from it.

5 Head Boy sounds like a

mountain

7 Madman likes to take the

edge of, but puts a gloss

on

8 The new one at Kolhapur

looks pretty old

6 7 3 9 1 2 4 5 8

1 5 4 8 3 6 7 2 9

2 8 9 4 5 7 3 1 6

9 1 6 2 7 4 5 8 3

7 3 5 1 6 8 2 9 4

8 4 2 3 9 5 1 6 7

5 2 8 7 4 9 6 3 1

3 6 7 5 8 1 9 4 2

4 9 1 6 2 3 8 7 5

Last Issues Sudoku Last Issues Crossword

z

M O

B E A N S

R C

C N A A

S L E E P T R

O P H

S A O

B U I L D I N G

R

E N E R G Y

Last Issues Wordsearch



14/32

thestagsurrey.co.uk

14 SCIENCE & TECH The Stag [email protected]

Science & Tech

Social networking sites aremore popular with UK inter-

net users than pornographic

ones, according to new igures.

An internet research compa-

ny says that in January, sites likeFacebook accounted for 12.46%of all online trafic.

Thats the equivalent of 2.4billion hits or one eighth of all

web visits. In comparison, en-tertainment websites, includingpornographic ones, accounted for

12.18% of trafic.Its the irst time social net-

working has overtaken entertain-ment in terms of popularity. Ofthose, the social networking site

Facebook accounted for morethan 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, forexample, is a key source of trafic

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 than30 million people in the UK had

signed up as members.

This has also favoured highlyin terms of peoples relation-ships as pornography and other

entertainment websites such asgambling 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 gamblingaddiction.

Heres one number to keep

in mind during your nextmobile phone conver-

sation: 50. A new experimentshows that spending 50 minuteswith an active phone pressed up

gy. Radio waves are different fromthe radiation used in X-rays or

nuclear power plants, which have

much more energy.The 47 participants in the ex-

periment had two Samsung mo-bile phones strapped to his or herhead, one on each ear. The phone

on the left ear was off. The phoneon the right ear played a mes-

sage for 50 minutes, but the par-ticipants couldnt hear it because

the sound was off. After 50 min-utes with two phones strapped to

their heads, the participants weregiven PET scans.

A PET scan is a way to see

whats going on inside the body.Its 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 thebody that the scientists want to

study. There, the radiation actslike light: its absorbed in someplaces, passed on in others, and

relected in others. By studthose patterns, the scientist

see whats happening insidbody! Fancy huh?

The PET scan showed thaleft side of each participants b

hadnt changed during the exment. The right side of the bhowever, had used more glu

These right-side brain mowere using almost as much

cose as the brain uses whperson is talking. This sug

that the mobiles there were aeven without the person he

anything. That activity, the stists say, was probably triggby radiation from the phone.

For those who dont wawait to ind out for sure whe

mobile phones are bad forbrain, there are ways to talk

safely. You can have shortsweet conversations, use a sp

erphone or keep the phone afrom your head!

Facebook vs pornographyEMMA COOPERcience & Tech Team

However some people are

now arguing that Facebook is be-coming as addictive as these tra-ditional entertainment websites,

with some people spending upto 17 hours a day logged in and

all addictions come withdr

symptoms and these addbrowsers also experience wdrawal symptoms which in

shaking hands and becomore aggressive.

Social networkinghas overtaken

entertainment in termsof popularity.

a c t i v e l y brows-ing the website! As with

Mobile phone users, Beware!

to the ear increases activity in thebrain. This brain activity probably

doesnt make you smarter. Whenmobile phones are on, they emit

energy in the form of radiationthat could be harmful, especially

after years of mobile phone usage.The human brain is sensitive

to the electromagnetic radia-

tion that is emitted from mobilephones. All types of radiation are

waves that carry energy from oneplace to another. Radiation is an-

other way to say energy; it doesntmean the energy is always radio-

active. Mobile phones emit radiowaves, the type of radiation thatcarries the least amount of ener-

t has been suggested that speaking on your mobile phone for long periods of time could harm your brain.

EMMA COOPERcience & Tech Team

50 minutes with anactive phone pressed

up to the ear increasesactivity in the brain.

When mobile phone

are on, they emitenergy in the form o

radiation.

l

ipar


15/32

thestagsurrey.co.uk

SCIENCE & [email protected] The Stag

Radiation risk from FukushimaHELEN FINNcience & Tech Editor

On 11th March 2011 a hugeearthquake and tsunamioverwhelmed Japan.

The Fukushima Daiichi nucle-ar plant was devastated by ex-plosions after the 9.0-magnitudeearthquake.

The nuclear reactors work byheating water into steam to turnurbines to generate energy. The

earthquake caused the system toautomatically shut down the reac-ors, stopping nuclear reactions.

The cooling systems failed be-cause the tsunami had damagedhe power supplies. This meanthat water stopped circulating

and began to boil, creating steamwhich then reacted with the fuelrods to create hydrogen gas. Thishen exploded, causing the dam-

age to the reactors.

Reactor 1 explosion rips offroof 12th March

Reactor 2 Explosion (pos-sible radiation leak) 15th March

Reactor 3 Explosion destroysbuilding (possible radiation leak)

14th MarchReactor 4 Fire damage 15th-16th March

To try to cool the reactors,oficials used sea water distrib-

uted from helicopters. They alsoused boric acid, which hampersnuclear reactions. There are nowtalks of burying the plant in sandand concrete to prevent radiationfrom being further released.

Radiation has been leak-ing into food produce spinachgrown up to 75 miles from theFukushima nuclear plant. Milkwas also found to contain levels ofradioactive iodine far higher thanthe legal limits and the Health

Ministry also advised villagers liv-ing near the plant not to drink tapwater due to higher levels of ra-dioactive iodine. However, theselevels pose no signiicant health

threat.In the UK, there has been a

demand for potassium iodidetablets which block the uptake

Smoke billowing from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant after the reactor explosions.

of radioactive iodine. These tab-lets enter the thyroid gland andprevent any of the radiation frombeing absorbed into the body.Pharmacists reported hundreds

of customers wanting the drugwhich is not normally availableover the counter however thegovernment does have stockpilesfor emergencies. The Health Pro-

tection Agency says: There health risk to people living iUK from the release of radtive material from the Japanuclear power plant.

Radiation has beenleaking into foodproduce.

Gene Therapy Breakthrough

for Parkinsons Disease

Gene therapy has been suc-cessful in treating peoplewith Parkinsons.

Parkinsons is a motor systemdisorder characterised by trem-ors in hands, arms, legs, jaw andface.

It is often accompanied by im-paired balance and coordination.

It is caused by a loss of dopamine-producing neurons in the sub-stantia nigra.

There is currently no cure forParkinsons, but there are drugsavailable to alleviate the symp-toms.

One person in every 500 hasParkinsons. Thats about 120,000people in the UK.

A study by The Lancet Neurol-ogy journal found gene therapy to

Gene therapy could offer some improvement for Parkinsons sufferers.

be successful in clinical trials.Parkinsons patients have

reduced levels of gamma-Ami-nobutyric acid (an inhibitoryneurotransmitter in the centralnervous system) in the subtha-lamic nucleus.

The trial concentrated on in-fecting cells with a gene to in-

crease the production of gamma-Aminobutyric acid (GABA). 22patients were given the virus and23 patients were given a placebo.

The patients who received thegene therapy showed a 23.1%increase in their motor function,and the placebo patients im-proved by 12.7%.

Parkinsons UK approves thestudy, but says that further re-search is needed.

HELEN FINNcience & Tech Editor

One person in every500 has Parkinsons.Thats about 120,000people in the UK.

gu

llysnap

Ig

orPodgorny


16/32

Red Carpet Party..

presented by Surrey Student Medi


17/32

Igala

Ifestival presents..urtesy of Aaron Rush


18/32

18 SOCIETIES [email protected] Stag

thestagsurrey.co.uk

Societies

Since we appointed our ivenew project leaders just

before Christmas, we haveall been very busy organising

some exciting events for Do>Moresociety and all students. Since

then Jess Homewood and GeorgeAkpabor organised a communityquiz in Park Barn, which went

down with huge success. Therewere 6 teams competing for cash

prizes. We received enthusiasticfeedback from those who

attended and the winners kindlydonated their money to charity.

After their triumph in that

event, Jess and George havealready moved on to their next.

Finalisations are being made fora football tournament at Surrey

Sports Park for students in localschools. As always, volunteers

will be needed to help with therunning of the event, and an emailwill be sent out soon with any

information you may need.Also coming up, we have

an arts and crafts afternoon ina residential care home, offering

the residents a little variety fromtheir normal routine. Volunteers

will be needed for this to work

with small groups, and heorganise and use the art mate

On 31st March, a committee will be voted in

running the society next yearpositions we currently have i

society are:President, Vice Presid

Secretary, Treasurer, Public

Marketing and Webmaster.If you would like inform

about any of these positionsplease email us at ussu.domo

surrey.ac.uk. You can also our new website.at w

surreydomore.co.uk.

Brunei Society

give theirMarch update

On the ifth of March, the

Brunei Society celebratedtheir countrys 27th

National Day in the university.Bruneis National Day falls onhe 23rd of February every year

o mark its independence fromBritish protection. The event was

open to everyone in the universitywith the aim to share the Bruneian

dentity and culture.

The event was held in theGrifiths Lecture Theatre on

Saturday afternoon. The roomwas well-decorated with Brunei

lags and the Bruneian guestswere donned in their traditional

Malay attires, to demonstrateheir pride for their nation.

The event started with therecitation of AlFatihah and shortspeech from the President, Muiz

Hasbi shortly after. To highlight

the patriotic spirit among theBruneians, the National Anthem

was sung together, followed bya recitation of Iqrar- a pledge of

the national day. There were alsocultural performances throughout

the afternoon, where committeemembers and fellow BruneiSociety members presented two

acting performances, Jong Batuand Puteri Lela Menchanai and

two singing performances. Theevent ended with a photo session

and guests later indulged in localMalay dishes.

To foster close ties amongBruneian members and to

promote their motherland, theBrunei Society participated inthe iExhibition, which was a

part of a two-week celebrationof international cultures in the

university. Information on Bruneiwas provided by distributing

attractive posters along withtasty Malay cakes served during

the exhibition. There was also an

opportunity for people to comeand take pictures in traditional

Malay attire.The society aims to organise

more events in the future. TheBrunei Society will be holding

their 2nd Annual General Meetingon 30th of March, 5pm in the

Union Committee Room. Pleasecome along and encourage yourfriends to join and support us!

The University of Surrey

Student Union is home todiversiied and interesting

societies across the world. Ithas cultural, special interests

like games, religious and many

more different societies. All thesocieties do different kind of

programmes and events.For instance, ISoc holds

awareness of internationalconcerns while Chess Society may

hold a big chess tournament. Theyall have different approaches

to celebrate their culture andkeep their members engagedin a friendly environment. Its

quite handy for members to keepmotivated and keep in touch

with near and dear ones. As thesocieties plan to do something

they need to manage a good

number of obstacles. It takes timeand above all, it requires a great

deal of co-operation betweenthe organizers. It so happens

that people ind some bits ofpreparation of events confusing

and sometimes they have to

abandon a nice plan just becausethey dont know what they are

after and what needs to be done.This same problem could

be faced by different societiesand they all turned down their

problems by their means. Yet the

same problem could be addreby different means, if there

inter-connection between societies organizers as they c

have easily followed the previnstance without any hesitati

whatsoever to solve the pro(e.g. how to keep foods warm

Society A put up their last ev

problems in the page and SoB learns from it that w

make life much easier.Thats why inter-conne

between societies are the of the day. We could just se

a facebook page and shareviews, our struggling points

we could solve the problemdiscussing and sharing our practical scenarios. It will

only encourage societies to more diversiied events but a

will make important but freqtasks easier for the organizer

Importance of connection

between Surrey societies

Do More Society

The winners of the Community quiz that was held in Park Barn.

The Bruneian Society celebrating their 27th National Day in the GriffithsLecture Theatre on the 5th of March

HAZEL BEEContributor

Bruneis National Dayfalls on the 23rd of

February every year tomark its independence

from British protection.The event was open toever

JAHIRRAFIQContributor

They all havedifferent approaches tocelebrate their culture

and keep their membersengaged in a friendly

environment.


19/32

in to light.It teaches me all of the goodmorals.And how we should refrainfrom quarrels.I should treat others how Idlike to be treated.And keep a level head and not

be conceited.If I am kind to others, I will berewarded.And all my good intentions arerecorded.Islam gives me purpose in life.For paradise, I will alwaysstrive.I must not give into materialdesires.As I can take nothing with mewhen my time expires.Except of the good and bad Ihave done.And when my time comesthere 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 everygeneration.Perfect, from the moment ofrevelation.There are no faults, so do yourobservation.Islam is my religion,And it brings me salvation.Islam is unity.With my brothers and sistershere with me.

Supporting each other inuniversity.And I am sure that you wouldagree,It is like a big, close family.Helping each other to be thebest we can be.Were proud to be Muslimsand represent our society.

Be part of Surrey IslamicSociety by visiting www.surreyisoc.net or join ourfacebook group SurreyIslamic Society J

thestagsurrey.co.


If 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 allhumanity.t teaches us justice and how

to be fair.And how for the hereafter wemust prepare.A religion full of affection andove.

A constant blessing from upabove.

slam to me represents equality,Where men and women,Rich or poor,Arab or EnglishAnd many more,Are all treated the same,n front of God, no matter the

name.

slam brings freedom in everyrespect,And our prophets teachings Iwish to relect.

To keep my promise I wastaught to do,And not to say anything thatwasnt true. should care for the sick and

help the needy.And in this life I should not begreedy.To not be a hypocrite I shouldpractice what I preach,And if I have wisdom I shouldshare it and teach.

slam guides me to the paththat is right.And brings me from darkness

Islamic Society

When I say Biosoc doyou think: Biosocisnt aimed at me; I

dont need to read this? Whilst

Biosoc is a departmental societyfundamentally created forbiosciences this doesnt meanthat it is an exclusive society.We welcome people from everydiscipline to join our socialevents and have a say in how theyfeel the society should be run.

Biosoc events are open toeveryone; we have received lots of

very positive feedback for each ofour events this year, not only frombiosciences students but peopleon other courses too. Dont justtake our word for it though, comealong and ind out for yourselves!

The committee have worked

hard this year to mix things up abit and create a variety of eventsso that there was something foreveryone - and there is still moreto come!

On the 6TH APRIL 2011 for theirst time in Surreys memorable

history, there is going to be athree way collaboration of thescience departmental societies

(BioSoc, ChemSoc & Phycreating the ULTIMATE SCIEPUBCRAWL - Get Your GeekSearch facebook for The UltiScience Pubcrawl - GET YGEEK ON! to get more info.

So, which science / societ

you going to support? Pick colour (Biosoc; Blue, ChemGreen and Physoc; Red) anyour wristband! You can

wristbands from your prefesociety at the meagre co2.50; this will gain you eEVERYWHERE we go in AND the union (check Facefor details).

BioSoc : upcoming eventsDalia BarakatContributor

DeBContributor


20/32

thestagsurrey.co.uk

PhotoSoc: The eyes have ittheir latest work, combining avariety of styles, subjects andinterpretations. The linkingelement is the use of a single,antique lens for all of the worksexhibited. This constraintfrees the photographer fromconcentrating on equipment

and forces creative thinking toachieve the most striking andemotive images. For each imagecreated, behind the lens weredifferent photographers withtheir own personalities, stylesand abilities. In front, subjectsas diverse as they come. Thecommon denominator the onelens has seen it all.

Inter-Varsity Dance

Competition at Blackpool

Its fair to say that the entireteam felt an interesting mixof nerves, excitement and

anticipation for this years InterVarsity Dance Association (IVDA)competition in Blackpool. In

he few days leading up to thecompetition there are manypreparations to be made, fromdeciding how daring to be withhe darkness of a spray tan to

hunting Guildfords high streetfor a skirt that its, you can never

be too prepared. But on Fridayafternoon the time came to grab aseat on the minibus and set off onhe long drive to Blackpool, each

of us praying we had everythingwe needed.

One of the most challengingparts of the competition wasdragging ourselves from our

warm, comfortable beds at 6am topaste our faces with make-up andgel our hair irmly to our scalps.

Luckily we had just enough timeto enjoy a full cooked breakfastto give us plenty of energy for thelong, long day ahead that was forthose who could manage it. Someof us opted for simple toast as our

stomachs were so full enough ofbutterlies it is doubtful sausage

and egg would have itted. The

walk to The Winter Gardens fromour hotel was not a long one,however when you are carryingyour own weight in food and yourown weight again in make-up,it can feel like a mammoth trek.However, it is more than worth it:from the moment we stepped intothe Empress Ballroom we were allinfected by the excitable energyrunning through the air.

I know that for a moment Ilost all my nerves, all I felt was

excitement and an urge to rushonto the loor and dance!

The day started with a chanceto have a quick whirl around theloor to warm up and then the

competitions began. The dazzlingdresses were accompaniedby some spectacular dancing.There was some really toughcompetition and most importantlyevery dancer performed witha beaming smile on their face.Many dancers had not steppedinto a dance shoe until arrivingat University only a few months

ago, yet everyone went out theredancing with so much passionand enthusiasm that whether youare a competitor or spectator youcannot help but smile with them.

In addition to the competitionsthere were demonstrations fromsome of the countrys best dancers,which were both entertainingand inspiring to watch. Everymouth in the room gaped as wewatched the acrobatic rock androll dancer be lung like a scarf

around her partners neck beforebeing whirled back to the ground.After a long tough day of dancing

there is the disco to look forwardto. Now Im not sure how manypeople can say they have done aconga of a few hundred people,but I can. There is nothing moreuplifting than goodness knowshow many people, shattered fromdancing, all grabbing each otherby the shoulders and paradingaround the Empress Ballroom

loor. Now that really is danci

its best.We all felt so proud and l

to be part of this event. Whad a great time and owe a lthank-yous to the committeeto Vicki and Fred for their supand teaching. I know I certcant wait until next year!

RaduContributor

The rapid evolution ofphotography in recentyears has seen the

development of technicalfeatures which allow the

photographer to go beyondthe limits of classical picturetaking. The downside is thatphotographers now spend moretime searching for technicalperfections and worryingabout their equipment than oncreating an expressive, personalmage. In this back to basics

exhibition, the members of thePhotography Society display

Roo KiRKContributor

The University of Surrey team at the Inter-Varsity Dance Associatiocompetition in Liverpool

20 SOCIETIES [email protected] Stag


21/32

thestagsurrey.co.

Dance & Theatre

Last week I was dancing onthe path outside AustinPierce and began to notice

he reactions of passers by. Theirshock, and in some cases slightfear, at what my friends and I weredoing brought me to questionwhether our society was readyfor site-speciic dance, or was itall just too much for the everydaypublic.

Site-speciic dance is dancehat is performed in somewhat

unconventional spaces: a ield,high street, corridor or in my casea pathway to one of the busiestecture buildings on campus. Our

piece did not aim to shock or makepassers by uneasy, but many didnot know how to react to peoplestanding on benches, performingarabesques right next to a busstop. In this situation, even thought was just a rehearsal, the general

public had become an involuntaryaudience.

In fact, I believe it is theseexact reactions of an unexpectingaudience that make site-speciic dance so fascinating.Choreographers often experimentwith how the dancers can either

Is society ready for

site speciic dance?blend into their surroundingsor stand out by creating asubversive situation in everydayspaces. How the audience reactsis an interesting relection ofsociety: some people stand andwatch, some ignore the dancerscompletely, and some quiteliterally run away. None of theseare an incorrect reaction, butall show how this increasingly

popular form of choreographycan affect the public in entirelyindividual ways.

Going back to my originalquestion, I dont think site-speciicdance is too much for the generalpublic; the reactions created andhow the public respond is animportant element of a lot of site-speciic work, especially as thedance world in general becomesmore experimental and mergesinto everyday life.

So look out, a site-speciicdance could be about to break outright next to you!

HANNAH JELLIMANDance Reporter

...a ield, high street,corridor or in my case a

pathway...

Dancing throught the night: site specific dancer wraps up warn for evening performance

Henri Oguikes The ButterflyDreaming tour reached itsfinal venue at Guildfords

Electric Theatre. A triple-billedevening was to follow with solo

work Freq opening the programme.The piece, which looks at therelationship between dancer andwater on stage, is set on Elena Zainowho gives a focused performancethat becomes compelling to watch.

The dance-water relationshipis initiated as Elena tentativelyapproaches the raised platformlocated centre stage. She laterfinds a more realised confidencewhen drenched under the flow ofrunning water. Brightly-beamingstage lights enhance the watersmovement as it trickles, flicks,

bounces off the dancers body andhair almost in a dance of its own.

LUCY AL-ZOGHBI

THE BUTTERFLY DREAMING TOUR

Henri Oguike Dance Co.ELECTIC THEATRE

REVIEW Freq is visually stunning but still awork in progress. If it could foregoits technical limitations and realisea smoother set up that echoes thechoreographys effortlessness, thenOguike would be on it a winner.

To follow there is Toccato, acheeky, show-off full company

piece with no gimmicks justdancing. Set to a series of cellosuites by J.S Bach, Oguike returnsto one of his trademarks - music.

Movement is exquisitely

executed by the company whotackle the complexities of a multi-layered musical texture with ease.It is a pity then, that a make-dorecording provides the aural settingfor this performance, particularlyas the originally intended livemusician would, no doubt, haveheightened the atmosphere throughthe deep, haunting sounds of thecello.

Inspired by the Far East, thetitle piece of the tour, ButterflyDreaming, concludes the evening.Small lights are suspended fromthe ceiling as if stars shining in adark nights sky. Set to Tan Duns

aptly named Ghost Opera, the setting was ear-piercing, stingling, dramatic. This piecetimes serenely still and at othis restlessly agitated.

Contorted lines depict butterflys habitual moonly to be contested - sud- by stand-alone positiontremendous strength and flexib

Butterfly Dreaming gives glimof emotional connection betdancers but sadly these rem

just that glimpses.Unfortunately, the structuri

this programme seemed haphand had none of the wow-factowas shown in the companysanniversary performances in 2

Nevertheless, HDOCits mark on contemporary dthrough a unique exploratio

bodies on stage.

Brightly-beaming sta

lights enhance thewaters movement.

Butterly Deaming Tour

ENTERTAINMENT: D&[email protected] The Stag


22/32

thestagsurrey.co.uk

Being a big fan of thetraditional EnglishWhodunnits, I was ve

excited to see this particularplay.

Having some great actorsincluding Victor Spinetti andSandra Dickson, helped.

The play started out wellestablishing two women liviwith a butler who have guesover the weekend. Within thirst half an hour, one is dead

Memorable charactersincluded Joan Maple, awonderful adaptation of MiMarple and a detective whohadnt a clue about what he wdoing.

This was a fantastic playwith a great cast, suspense aan interesting murder at theend.

However the second halfdragged; and the audiencesconcentration waned.

Thankfully the wonderfucharacters of Pierre andElizabeth Hartley trumping bought the audience back jutime for the ending.

I really enjoyed this play if you ever get the chance to and see it, I would thoroughlrecommend it.

LEXI SUTTON

MURDERED TO DEATH

DIR: Giles WatlingYVONNE ARNAULD THEAT

REVIEW

On entering the familiarspace of PATS dancestudio, an unusual

scenario awaits me.A small child is happily

toddling around the space,surrounded by six plainly-claddancers who are all making anattempt to copy the child. Tothe audiences cooing delight,the little girl marches aroundwith innocent glee, completelyunfazed. This familiar scene ofiteral childs play welcomes the

audience, so we can all begin thepiece at the same level.

After this brief prelude thestage is then lined with the six

dancers, now childless. Thedancers address each otherfondly but conidently, namesand leeting comments indifferent languages scatter andrebound across the space likeelectric currents. A clear gamestructure becomes apparent,as each dancer takes on the

SIAN GOLDBY

THE LIVING ROOM

PATS DANCE STUDIO

REVIEW character of a certain piece ofliving room furniture. Shoutsof Im the arm chair!, No... Imthe arm chair! spark comicalbattles between the dancers asthey crescendo; elbows rigidly

marking out shapes in the space,spines snaking and hands neatlyfolding the air. The use of wittytiming makes this simple sectioneffectively engaging, and theimmediate introduction of thedancers names makes me feelconnected to the performers,Im part of the family, part of thefurniture.

Then, my oficial welcome.Yael Flexer addresses us byreeling out a list of thingsthat we must expect from theperformance, what there will andwill not be, who will be dancing,when they will be dancing, andpretty much the whole structureof the piece.

There are no illusions ofgrandeur here. We are all adultsnow and this is a time for adultconversation and relection.The living room is transformedinto that mysterious shadowyplace that you imagine afterbed time as a child, once playtime is over and the land of the

living belongs to grown-ups.Flickering lights accompany aglitchy electronic sound track.Dancers walk purposely into theawaiting space, arms slice andtorsos fold and invert themselves,

enveloping in before whippingin momentum and suspending inmid air.

Sounds of crackly digitalsketching are combined withlive cello as the dance tidily

shifts

Documents

The Stag - Issue 30