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December 2011
the
25
years and counting...
ROYAL HOLLOWAY STUDENTS’ UNION MAGAZINE
! s a m X y
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News report Occupy RHUL
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‘Orbitalk’ Your letters
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The science of... AIDS / HIV
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Review Breaking Dawn Part I
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FEATURING:
1 1 0 2 ber
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Beth Bridewell, Ex-Editor
Be sure to enjoy this issue of The Orbital over a mince pie and some mulled wine. I certainly will. I’ve loved editing The Orbital over the last few months but unfortunately my time as Editor has come to an end. I don’t want this to be some dramatic goodbye in which I recite the highs and lows of my experiences with The Orbital. I shall refrain. Instead, I shall simply say that this issue is indeed, a Christmas cracker. I was lucky enough to proofread some of the lifestyle articles, and all I can say is, be prepared to burn off those extra Christmas calories whilst you chuckle away to some of witty reflections of life here at Holloway. Not to mention some great coverage of campus affairs and even our very own Christmas debate. Happy Christmas to everyone, now make you do the right thing and eat, drink and be merry. Beth.
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Issue 5
Dan Kelly, Acting Editor
It’s with sad regret that we say goodbye to our Editor. No more cleaning the office or secret chocolate stashes in the printer. However, as previous editors may have done, we will slather her name across the walls in a shrine-like fashion and bid her the best of luck in whatever the hell she gets up to in her new job! The positives of this issue? IT’S ALMOST CHRISTMAS. So there’s plenty of that ‘stuff’ in here. Get ready for weight gain, family members you wish weren’t related to and a lovely little dent in the bank balance this break, and we’ll see you all in the new year. Dan.
08 The Orbital is the Royal Holloway Students’ Union publication. The opinions published are not neccessarily that of the editorial board. If you would like to get in touch with us for any reason, or just to say hi, then contact one of the editors below: Acting Editor Dan Kelly editor@theorbital.co.uk News Emily Pressnell Comment Craig Gent Regulars Shannon Mizzi Lifestyle Elinor Gittins Reviews Rana Banna Sports & Socs Vacant Online Julian Farmer Art Jack Smale Admin Vacant Executive Editor Sarah Honeycombe sarah@theorbital.co.uk
Contributors: Laura Webber Suzie Jasper Hafsa Zubair Alex Pegler Emma Wilson Ramona Saigol Helen Groenendaal Louie Woodall Dexter Hayes Claire West Kate Devine Dan Costen Tom Watts Hannah Graveling Sophie Meredith Nathalie Versavel Tim Sheerman-Chase Chris Pull Danny Taylor Alischa Wadiwalla Piers Turner Ed Resek Natasha Khaleeq Jamie Robinson Hiba Batool Simon Rawlings Rhea Aldrich Laura Onslow Dominic Thompson Katie Hale Manuela Mitevova Adam Carver Dan Garbutt Doug German Nathan Nasrallah
THE ORBITAL DECEMBER 2011
In this issue...
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20 45 www.theorbital.co.uk
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NEWS 04
News Insanity Radio granted FM licence
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The big story Concerns after assault in cemetary
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Occupy RHUL Students occupy Founders corridor
COMMENT 10
Letter of the week Blowing the loan
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The big debate Christmas: The most wonderful time of the year?
REGULARS 16
Columns Sabbs, Graduate, Abroad
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Orbital archive A look back at a 1998 issue...
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The science of... HIV / AIDS
REVIEWS 31
Games Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
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Film Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn I
LIFESTYLE 37
Hipsters on campus
38
A year abroad Student experiences
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Listings Dates to put in your diary
SPORTS & SOCS 42
MTS summary A round-up of this term
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Cheerleaders: ASSEMBLE! Find out about the Tom Cats
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Insanity Radio s w e N granted FM licence Photo: Insanity Radio
4Laura Webber celebrates this hard-earned recognition of success.
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The Big Story: Safety concerns resurface after recent attacks.
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Occupy RHUL: Read all about the occupation of the management corridor in Founders.
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Got a tip off? Drop us a line if you have any sort of hunch. We love a good story!
IN BRIEF 4
4 The Round-Up 4 The Big Story 4 Occupy RHUL 4 London Lowdown
Editor: Emily Pressnell news@theorbital.co.uk
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n 22 November 2011, after weeks of excited whispers amongst presenters and radio team members, the rumours were finally confirmed: Insanity Radio, our much-loved student station, will be broadcasting on 103.2FM! For those of you who don’t know about Insanity Radio, it is the student radio station of Royal Holloway, currently broadcasting on 1287AM and online at www.insanityradio. com. With very few other student stations achieving an
103.2
FM licence, Royal Holloway is among the pioneers of this exciting experience. Insanity has already been displaying talent. Not only was the station awarded a Gold Student Radio Award for ‘Best Technical Achievement’ earlier this month, but it continues to provide a myriad of music (even airing exclusive tracks before major radio stations) and consistently great shows presented by the students of Royal Holloway. Insanity can now also be heard around campus in locations such as
Medicine, the SU and The Store on Campus. To hold an FM license has long been an aspiration of Insanity. Sarah Honeycombe, Vice President, Communications and Campaigns, said that she was “delighted” that Insanity had been awarded its frequency, and that “it’s a testament to just how hard people have worked and the dedication of the successive Boards and presenters who have been with Insanity over the years". The FM license will also open the doors to greater community involvement, as Gunanika Singh, Station Manager for Insanity Radio, explains: "The announcement of the FM frequency marks the start of an exciting joint venture between Insanity Radio and the local community. The move to Community FM will take Insanity Radio out of the realm of student radio, increasing its responsibility and commitment to serving the needs of the wider community beyond the Royal Holloway campus as well as the students and staff on campus.” From the humble beginnings of Royal Holloway’s Radio Society back in 1997, Insanity has grown into something we can all be proud of. The journey has only just begun, but the enthusiasm and commitment from the whole team suggests a promising future. So, in the next few months, be prepared for the big launch and get ready to tune that radio to 103.2 FM!
Insanity Radio has begun engaging with local people to find out exactly what it is that its broadened community wants from its new FM radio station. If anyone has any comments they would like to share, please get in touch as soon as possible!
Insanity Radio’s new FM frequency!
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The number of shoeboxes donated by Royal Holloway students to this year’s Operation Christmas Child appeal. THE ORBITAL DECEMBER 2011
The big round up...
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ROYAL HOLLOWAY GETS INTO CHRISTMAS SPIRIT 4Suzie Jasper brings us some festively good news!
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tudents from Royal Holloway have collected over 100 shoeboxes filled with a mixture of toys, educational supplies, accessories and toiletries to donate to underprivileged children in countries around the world. The project, Operation Christmas Child, was started by the charity Samaritan’s Purse in 1990, and was embarked on at RHUL by students Lauren Browne and Emily Pressnell in a flash of Christmas-inspired goodwill. The festive mission’s objective was to globally distribute shoebox-shaped goodies; its target was Royal Holloway students with a love for charitable Christmas shopping and present wrapping. It well and truly began the countdown to Christmas on campus. In total, 112 boxes were collected for Opera-
tion Christmas Child with support from the Students Union and Community Action Volunteers. Prizes were handed out for those boxes or societies that showed exceptional creativity or purchasing effort. Anna Snowball from Egham Speak received a Christmas Blow Out ticket for handing in the most creative box, and Natalie Wren received the same prize for donating the best decorated box. Other winners were Annie Tippell, who was the individual who donated the most boxes, RHUL Gospel Choir (society which donated the most boxes) and the Volleyball Team (club which donated the most boxes). If you missed the mid-November deadline, there is still an opportunity to create a shoebox online, enabling disorganised students
like myself to get involved in the spirit of giving last-minute (www.operationchristmaschild.org.uk/shoeboxworld). A massive thank you goes to all volunteers and those who donated!
Photo: Beth Rowley
National media coverage for RHUL resignation 4Emily Pressnell brings you the lastest update from the Classics campaign. Edith Hall, Research Professor in Classics and Drama at Royal Holloway’s Classics and Philosophy Department, has announced her resignation from the university. The decision was made public by Hall with a statement posted on the Facebook wall of the ‘Save Classics’ campaign group on 18 November, and was met with many good wishes and expressions of sadness from students, colleagues, and friends. National publicity was generated, however, when the news was published in the Sunday edition of The Guardian on 27 November, under the headline ‘Professor Edith Hall, one of Britain’s top classicists, quits in row over university budget cuts’.
Holloway. Expressing ‘great sadness’ on the Facebook page, she stated that “the intense stresses of a professional environment in which the senior management do not in my view uphold the values definitive of a university, and whose fiscal competence I do not trust, make it impossible for me to continue teaching and conducting research at Royal Holloway”.
“The senior management do not, in my view, uphold the values definitive of a university”
Hall’s decision is seemingly in response to proposals made by the College last June to cut and reconfigure the Department of Classics and Philosophy at Royal
Since then, Hall has published a letter from Principal Layzell in response to her notice of resignation on the Facebook page. The statement of resignation has already been met with sad responses, colleagues and friends wishing Professor Hall well, although expressing ‘devastation’ at the loss of such a ‘prolific and brilliant classicist’. Remarks were also made regarding Royal Holloway’s Senior Management, suggesting that Professor Hall’s decision may have made an unfortunate, but necessary point.
Photo: Richard Poynder
Turn over for...
THE BIG STORY
Newsflash! A date for the elections of The Orbital’s new Sports & Societies Editor has been announced:
7 December, 6pm onwards, ABF001. Anyone can run, all you need is a two minute speech. Following the resignation of Beth Bridewell as The Orbital’s Editor, elections are due to be held early next term. Keep your eyes peeled for further information! news@theorbital.co.uk
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THE BIG STORY
W
hen it comes to childish pranks and spooky stories, anybody will tell you that graveyards are an undisputed favourite. Every local graveyard has some sort of story or lore attached to it, and St Jude’s Cemetery in the pleasant community of nearby Englefield Green is probably no different. Located centrally, just off of a main road and with plenty of shops and restaurants nearby, St Jude’s Cemetery seems at first, to be quite benign as graveyards go. Recent incidents, however, seem set to change that. Police have confirmed that on November 6, a middle-aged woman from nearby Staines was visiting the graveyard between 3 and 4pm when a young man apparently grabbed her arm roughly. She screamed, and he then fled. The police report states that “the suspect is described as a white man, around 15-years-old, 5ft 6ins tall, slim build and was wearing dark trousers and a hooded top with the hood pulled up over his face.” Whilst the report appealed for witnesses, it appears that progress is yet to be made on this matter. The graveyard is located right in the centre of Englefield Green, and is part of the regular route to campus for many Royal Holloway students living in private accommodation in the area, as well as local residents. The fact that the area is such a main thoroughfare and sees so much traffic during the day prompts us to ask why the graveyard does not have adequate lighting at night. Students living in and around Englefield Green can attest to this fact: “Luckily right in front of the cemetery it’s not so dark; because of the shops and bus stop in front of it there is enough light and it feels
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Safety concer following ceme
4Hafsa Zubair highlights some concering incidents in the local area...
THE ORBITAL DECEMBER 2011
rns resurface etary incident
Photo: Hafsa Zubair
news@theorbital.co.uk
safe,” says Vivianne, a Masters student from Brazil. However, she added that further down the street it “is really, really dark... I do feel a bit insecure going home late at night! Some more lighting would definitely be helpful.” Speaking to The Orbital, Katie Blow, Vice President of the Students’ Union, pointed out that: “we’d also advise students never to walk through the graveyard or dark pathway after dark for any reason and always use well lit routes in order to keep safe,” adding that the Students’ Union “always tries to encourage students to walk in groups or use the SSHH bus to get home safely.” However, this isn’t always feasible and there will be times for many of us do find ourselves walking home late at night, in which case welllit roads are indeed our safest bet. Despite the fact that the Royal Holloway campus is not considered unsafe, this most recent incident is not without precedent. At 10pm on Saturday 27 September 2008, a young girl was sexually assaulted on her walk home from Egham Station by two men on Prune Hill, and in 2007 the man responsible for a string of violent hammer attacks on several women in Egham and Englefield Green – including a 20 year old Royal Holloway student – was finally apprehended and sentenced. While we are lucky to live in a generally safe and secure area, there are criminal elements everywhere. It therefore remains important to keep our eyes open to be aware of any potential risks or threats to safety. The security of all residents in the area is paramount, and if the graveyard poses the risk of attracting miscreants, we need to be vocal about doing something to fix it before a more serious incident occurs.
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NEWS
Students occupy ‘Manageme 4Alex Pegler tells us about ‘Occupy RHUL’, which has been happening in the Founders Building...
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ince Wednesday 30 November, White Paper”. Moreover, the Principal Layzell “knew why the group were the Founders Building corridor, would also have to guarantee “no occupying the corridor”. Hammou also which is home to Royal job cuts, redundancies or adverse told of her belief that the “future lies Holloway’s Senior Management changes to staff terms and conditions”. with the anti-cuts movement”. offices, has been occupied by anti-cuts Furthermore, Professor Layzell would The meeting began with an opening protesters. The RHUL Students’ Union- have to make a commitment to ensure address from Gent, who set out why backed unit are intending to camp out that RHUL does not “enter into the “Principal’s Pledge” was important at the site until Paul Layzell, University relationships with for-profit providers”. to the future of the university. Speaking Principal, agrees to sign the “Principal’s The occupation began on Wednesday on behalf of the students assembled, Pledge” (see opposite page). 30th November, coinciding with the the Students’ Union Campaigns Officer The group, made up of members nationwide Public Sector strikes. declared that they were there because from the Royal Holloway Anti-Cuts Strikes, incidentally, which saw the “they loved Royal Holloway” and cared Alliance (RHACA) and the “Save biggest walk out of civil servants in 30 about its future. Classics” campaign, are Principal Layzell then If Layzell were to fully meet with the group’s addressed the assembled taking a stand against the Government’s Higher demands, he would have to agree to “publicly crowd, discussing each of Education White Paper. the nine points contained The group have confirmed condemn the Higher Education White Paper” in the “Principal’s Pledge”. that they will not vacate the Layzell began by suggesting Management corridor unless Layzell years. At 3pm, with around 50 students that he “wanted to make things better agrees to the demands contained in the present, a public meeting took place. at Royal Holloway and further create aforementioned pledge. Chaired by Craig Gent (Students’ a college that people aspire to attend”. Most crucially, some of the Union Campaigns officer) the meeting He continued by suggesting that statements contained in the pledge was to take the shape of a question and “there are lots of things contained in require RHUL’s Principal to make answer session with the Principal, on the White Paper which are good”. He guarantees that will prevent job losses the topic of the proposed signing of the then went on to state that he was not and the marketisation of the university. “Principal’s Pledge”. able to guarantee that no jobs would More specifically, if Layzell were to Speaking before the meeting, be lost in the forthcoming academic fully meet with the group’s demands, Haneen Hammou, a first year student, year because he was not aware of the he would have to agree to “publicly expressed her view that the session Government funding that RHUL condemn the Higher Education would be crucial in ensuring that Mr would receive for 12 months.
Find out more... Photo: Julian Farmer
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Twitter: @OccupyRHUL Facebook: facebook.com/occupyrhul Blog: occupyrhul.blogspot.com THE ORBITAL DECEMBER 2011
Special report: Occupy RHUL
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ent Corridor’ on day of action Throughout the period in which Layzell addressed the points contained in the pledge, he stressed to the assembled throng, the importance of making sure that the university remained “financially solvent”. This was because, he continued, “the government are not going to bail us out if things go wrong”. The Principal also remarked that he believed “no one listens to the colleges of the University of London”, and so it would be futile for him to attempt to oppose the alleged negative elements of the White Paper on the future of Higher Education. A question and answer session then ensued in which Layzell was challenged on the notion that he has been rendered powerless to lobby the government into amending its proposals on the future of universities in England and Wales. Layzell replied by suggesting that he had attempted to speak to the Universites Minister, David Willetts MP, on this issue. The meeting concluded with Daniel Cooper, President of the Students’ Union, expressing his support for the occupation movement and making the case that the attempts by RHUL’s Management Team to put the Classics Department under threat were not financially justifiable. A reported 29 students stayed the night in the Management Corridor. A meeting was then held on Thursday afternoon involving students from the “RHUL Occupy” movement. The issues discussed included potential welfare issues surrounding the mechanics of a long-term occupation. At the time of printing, the occupation continues and there is no evidence of an immediate agreement being reached between RHUL Senior Management and the occupiers. It is likely however, that the rest of the university will pay close intention to the intriguing confrontation that is developing. news@theorbital.co.uk
Commentary This Pledge was issued to Prinicipal Paul Layzell on 23 November’s Day of Action, and is a product of students involved with SURHUL’s education assemblies. The Principal’s Pledge doesn’t demand anything radical or unreasonable. Rather, it asks him to guarantee the College will remain committed to widening access, student input into governance, and withdrawing the current message
being relayed to staff: “The sky is falling in, redundancies are on their way”. This is not ill-conceived or farfetched, and economic and business cases have been made using management’s own figures. However, the presentation of these analyses have been blocked. Is this the correct way to go about a restructuring proposal which will affect lecturers’ livelihoods and families? Craig Gent
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NEWS LSE
Bursting the campus bubble with the news from colleges across the capital. We are part of the University of London, after all!
The Orbital has teamed up with the London Journalist Support Network, (LSJSN). LSJSN exists to provide support to student led publications and student journalists within the University of London. By being a part of LSJSN, we are more integrated with knowledge of what’s happening with other University of London institutions. This page serves to keep us in the know with London news.
Mounting tension precedes release of Woolf Report 4By Emma Wilson
An independent report by Lord Woolf, former Lord Chief of Justice, into the LSE’s relationship with Libya and the Gaddafi family is to be officially reviewed by the LSE Council this week. After eight months of investigation, five separate issues have been identified to be discussed by the Council, including the School’s acceptance in 2009 of a £1.5 million donation from the Gaddafi International Charity and Development Foundation (GICDF). The money was to be paid over the course of five years in order to support the activities of LSE Global Governance. Following the recent events in Libya, LSE has felt it necessary to halt the Global Governance Program and refuse the remainder of the pledged 1.5 million. The charity is chaired by Saif Gaddafi, an alumnus of LSE. Following criticism of LSE for legitimizing Saif Gaddafi in their acceptance of him as a PhD student, an investigation into
Saif Gaddafi’s work after suspicions of plagiarism is now in its final throes. The public release of Lord Woolf ’s report has been delayed until this part of the investigation is concluded. There are speculations within national media that the report will hold damaging consequences for LSE. The Sunday Times has gone so far as to state that ‘the LSE, an institution with strong links to the Labour party, played a key role in rehabilitation of the Gaddafi regime’. Following the Sunday Times’ rather probing article, there have been some allegations of a leak. This, however, seems unlikely, as Woolf ’s inquiry has been tightly contained and handled with immense confidentiality. The article does not reference a source and does not quote any information directly. According to a source within LSE, the report is ‘little more than conjectures’.
Olympics will delay graduation ceremonies 4By Emily Pressnell
It has been announced that the graduation ceremonies of several University of London colleges will be delayed by the Olympic Games this July. Whilst Royal Holloway is unaffected, students from Kings College, London will have to wait until October 2012 to don their gowns and receive their degrees. Other colleges are yet to confirm the exact dates of their ceremonies, instead releasing provisional dates which
will be finalised this coming January. In a statement from KCL, Anne Poulson (Director of Students and Education Support) and Hannah Barlow (President of KCLSU) said that “the ceremonies will take place on these dates to ensure that both graduands and their guests have the best possible ceremony experience in 2012, allowing for travel and accommodation arrangements to be made without
Photo: beefy_n1 (Flickr) having to compete with those attending the Olympics.” The statement makes light of the fact that visitors to London this summer will commonly be charged over £300 per night for a hotel room, much accommodation already being fully booked. Royal Holloway’s graduation ceremonies remain scheduled for 9-13 July 2012.
THE LONDON LOWDOWN 10
THE ORBITAL DECEMBER 2011
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London lowdown LONDON
London students struggle with high rent 4By Ramona Saigol
As that time of year fast approaches for students, the frantic house search looks set to begin. The competition for decent housing in a desirable location for those no longer eligible for campus accommodation has always been tense. However, this time around students from universities all over London may find themselves more ‘out of pocket’ than in previous years, a new survey concluding that students in London pay on average 61% more for their housing than the national rate. The survey, conducted by Accommodation for Students, claimed that the average weekly price for a single room throughout the UK amounts to a total of £67.11, in comparison to a much steeper cost of £108.03 around London. The rise in prices lies in increased demands for a better standard of accommodation, as well as the increase in the number of undergraduates taking up positions within universities - 5.5% more students being admitted
Photo: davidmasters (Flickr)
per course in 2010 in comparison to 2009. The increasing prices of student accommodation have raised concerns amongst the NUS, who have continually argued that students will soon be priced out of their top university choices,
KEEP CALM & DON’T SIGN!
especially in light of the higher tuition fees set to be introduced in 2012. It’s no coincidence if those part time jobs behind the bar in Medicine seem slightly more appealing than usual to many Royal Holloway students! COLLEGE
4Helen Groenendaal from RHUL Support and Advisory services on sorting out housing and housemates for next year. The Christmas tree has arrived in the Victorian corridor, there is a tin of Quality Street in Founder’s West 170 (thanks PC Parke), and we can hear carols being sung by the choir down the corridor so it seems the festive season is definitely upon us! If you are staying here over the break and want to meet up with other students staying please email the Residential Support Team – ResidentialSupport@rhul.ac.uk – who will be happy to put students in touch with each other. The Village Centre in Englefield Green will be holding a free Christmas lunch on December 25th for anyone who will be on their own; you can reserve a place by emailing linda@ villagecentre.org.uk It’s usually around this time of year that first years start thinking about where they are going to live next year and with whom. Please, please, please don’t rush into signing a contract for
next year – it’s just too early. Follow the advice of VP Education & Welfare, Katie Blow and ‘KEEP CALM & DON’T SIGN’. Even though the start of term seems a long time ago don’t forget you’ve only known your friends here for a few weeks and unfortunately in some cases the people you are great friends with in term one are often not the people you are friends with by the end of year one - so choose your housemates wisely. Even if you are still friends it may be that you’re not compatible as housemates - before you decide who you want to live with think about who fits in with your way of living. If you like to study in peace and quiet it’s not sensible to live with someone who needs music to study; if you work through the day and sleep through the night you might not want to live with a night owl. Sharing a house with your friends has the potential to be one of the best times of your life so make sure you think about
it before making a decision – once your contract is signed you’re legally bound to the house and it is not easy to get released from a contract. The SU Advice & Support Centre are hosting an Accommodation Day in the SU on January 19th and will be joined by representatives from University of London Services, Surrey Police, Student Housing, Support & Advisory Services, Runnymede Borough Council Private Sector Housing, RBC Environmental Protection and Endsleigh Insurance. Watch out for more information in January. We strongly recommend you attend this before even contemplating signing up for a house. The College will be closed between December 23rd and January 2nd but Support & Advisory Services staff are available in case of an emergency. Contact Security on 01784 443063 and they will be able to mobilise support where necessary.
It’s always important to stay up to date with news from Royal Holloway and this page should keep you in the know with College events. news@theorbital.co.uk
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Editor: Craig Gent comment@theorbital.co.uk
Photo: Paul Wilkinson (Flickr)
Blowing the loan Louie Woodall is not the only one feeling out of pocket.
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Societies View: Why philosophy?
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Graduate Unemployment: Where’s the real “something-for-nothing’ culture?
4 The Big Debate 4 Your Letters 4 Societies
The Big Debate: Xmas: the most wonderful time of the year?
hristmas is around the corner and campus is jumping with big ticket events which promise to get us all in the festive spirit. The Formal Hall, SHAG Ball and obligatory SU Blowout demand attendance, while it seems every restaurant and pub in Egham is full to the rafters with clubs and societies holding their Christmas socials. At this time of year when we’re encouraged to spend, spend, spend, am I the only one feeling out of pocket? Most people I’ve spoken to this last fortnight about their social plans have replied with the same depressing mantra: “I’d love to go, but I just don’t have the money.” Certainly, learning to budget is a key part of being a student and most will struggle to get it right, especially in the Autumn term when Hollowegians are obliged to pay subscriptions to societies, kit out their homes and purchase new textbooks. However, students of Royal Holloway have to contend with high rents and expensive costs of living that stretch the termly maintenance loan to the limit. Surrey is the most expensive place to live outside the capital, and campus facilities put the squeeze on with high prices for food and sundries I’ll outline my personal circumstances as an example of how the student budget often doesn’t add up. My total loan for this twelve-
week term stood at £1987. I paid £1500 for the months SeptemberDecember for rent. According to workgateways.com, the average weekly grocery bill for two in London is £60, so I’ll half that to £30 to account for my food allowance. Once the expenses for food and accommodation are factored in, I have just over £10 a week left over as disposable income. In Egham, that can’t even cover a single round down Monkeys Forehead for the housemates. Over the same period, someone working for minimum wage would earn £2918 for twelve 40-hour weeks. A worker would thus have £13 a day to play with after expenses, while the loan leaves me with just £1.50 (although the worker’s figure represents their taking before tax). Small wonder that many students have to find a job to supplement their income, or lean on the Bank of Mum and Dad for financial relief. Students are not workers, even though it is recommended we put in 8 hours per day in study, and we shouldn’t be paid the same as those in the workforce. However, the Surrey experience demonstrates in stark terms that the loan falls far short of ‘maintaining’ a student in term time. While covering our subsistence (barely), it does not enable students to experience university life to the fullest. THE ORBITAL DECEMBER 2011
Your Letters
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From the most luxury study space on campus... Craig Gent explains how OccupyRHUL is putting important issues onto the agenda.
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’m writing this from a very plush meeting room in the Principal’s section of the senior management corridor; arguably in one of the most luxury study spaces on campus. If you hadn’t heard already, the corridor was occupied by Royal Holloway students on Wednesday 30 November in the early afternoon. Demands include withdrawing redundancy and restructuring plans, and the signing of the Principal’s Pledge. The Principal’s Pledge was issued by the Students’ Union education campaign on the 23 November ‘Day of Action’, which was used to heighten awareness around the restructuring of the College. The Pledge asks Principal Paul Layzell to commit to promises such as ensuring no course closures, no staff redundancies and condemning the HE white paper. On Wednesday 30 November, lecturers picketed as part of the largest strike action in 85 years, with the SU officially lending its support to the action. Following this, students made their way to the management corridor to issue their demands and to show solidarity with those on strike. There’s a fundamental democratic deficit at this university. The restructuring proposals which implicate people’s jobs and livelihoods have come about purely on the direction of those at the top, and the consultation period, conveniently held over summer, has been a joke. Not only has no economic or business case been put forward, management have failed to consider alternative cases put forward by students and
lecturers. Management are not the stakeholders in this university. Students and lecturers are the stakeholders, and it is us who serve to lose from management’s recklessness while they pocket a tidy sum for playing axeman before moving on to slash and burn the next institution (Southampton and Sussex are among the previous victims). There is a question of governance here. Management are accountable only to College Council, who receive training on how to be good councillors from management. At the two previous Council meetings, the UCU has asked to be allowed to present its alternative case for redundancies, and each time been blocked. For all the blasé business-speak of ‘losing posts’ and ‘amending the academic portfolio’, the reality is that this affects real people’s lives and families. Considering the gravitas of the situation, is it not beneficial to see all sides of the story in order to make an informed decision? It seems RHUL management are keen to ensure students and lecturers are not able to present their case, but why? It seems either they are keen to keep a lid on the truth that the College is in a tremendously strong financial position and there’s no economic case for cuts, or they purely lack respect for the student and academic body. A consultation is about having both arguments presented, not about one side laying down the law with the other. This occupation is about pushing onto the agenda issues that affect us all, which are not otherwise up for discussion.
Photo: Anti-Cuts Alliance comment@theorbital.co.uk
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the
BIG debate
Xmas: The most won
Misery guts seeks another rock and roll Christmas Dexter “Rioter” Hayes 2nd year Biology
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nyone who knows me is very aware of the fact that I’m a misanthropic bastard for at least ten months of the year. But there is always one day in the concluding months that will have these people, who may or may not call themselves my friends, checking their calendars to make sure that Hell hasn’t actually frozen over and it is in fact that time again. The Event that initiates this sudden change in my behaviour varies; last year for example I was possessed by the urge to perform a festive, if drink-induced, rendition of Fairytale of New York during a brisk walk from Medicine to the Union in November1. This year, in fact just a few hours ago, it was one of my housemates who will not be named2 busting out his best Dizzee Rascal impression as Do They Know It’s Christmas?3 was given its inaugural play. It is often argued that “It is often argued Christmas has become that Christmas over-commercialised and is has become over- no longer about peace and love and other such flowery commercialised things, but big companies and is no longer making money and people about peace and expecting to be lavished with love. Well, yes it gifts. Well, yes it has and no it has and no it isn’t. isn’t. And that’s why I love it. However my favourite And that’s why I part of Christmas is the four love it.” or five week period leading up to the day itself. From Red Cup Day signifying the first time I can make a trip to the nearest Starbucks simply to enjoy an overpriced festive coffee (they taste like Christmas!), to the first time Merry Christmas Everyone can be heard over a crackly PA system in a
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shopping centre, and the Coca-Cola advert (you know the one) appears on our screens, usually causing me to loudly proclaim this to anyone in the vicinity. Or the rare occasion ABOUT: It’s that time of that it snows (my Decembers year again! It’s the time for are mostly spent in a place laughter, the time for joy, the some of you may have heard time for peace on Earth. Or of called The North, so this more realistically the time for is uncommon) and the fact unwanted novelty presents, that mulled wine is a socially mile-long queues in Primark on acceptable daytime drink. Oh, Christmas Eve (just me?), and the time for your grandad to fall over and mince pies. And tinsel. a child’s toy into the Christmas In the words of the (nottree while trying to juggle a so) popular band Reuben, large Baileys and the twiglets. Christmas is awesome. It was very Shane MacGowan. 2 Comment editor Craig Gent. 3 I know what you’re thinking now, is that why I am writing this prestigious column? Yes, yes it is. 4 Yes, Band Aid 20, I’m sorry. At least it wasn’t Band Aid 2. l 1
“It’s a nice time of year but I don’t find it all that exciting to be honest.” - Julian, 2nd year Computer Science
No one really knows when people first started celebrating Christmas, not even Wikipedia. However it is celebrated my millions all over the world each year. For all the tinsel, cheap adverts, festive packaging and the creepy fat guy with all the facial hair and children, Christmas is actually a religious feast (you really ought to know this, as an Earthling, if nothing
“IT’S CHRISTMAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSS!” - Dexter, 2nd year Biology THE ORBITAL DECEMBER 2011
nderful time of the year? Humbug seeks peace, quiet and a decent Doctor Who special Sarah “Grinch” Honeycombe Vice-President (Communications & Campaigns)
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o, Christmas. Sleigh bells ring…and I am absolutely not listening. From carols to the Coca-Cola advert, from tinsel to trees, the entire “celebration” is just appalling. There isn’t a word count in the world else). Scripture tells us that big enough that would allow me almost exactly 2011 years ago, to outline every argument there one silent night Mary had a is regarding Christmas’ inherent little lamb who was taken away awfulness. in a manger by three wise Christmas Day is a religious men (spot the odd one out). holiday. Yeah, fine. What I will However these days people tend always fail to grasp is how and why to spend less time buying each this involves plastic trees and the other such thoughtful gifts as Harrods Christmas Department. gold, frankincense and myrrh; What baffles me further is why a preferring instead to settle for one-day celebration inexplicably socks, seasonal knitwear and needs to take over retail from Quality Street. Has the Christmas October onwards. message been spoiled by its Christmas is a commercialised, commercialization? Is it just seemingly mandatory, period in a cynical attempt to squeeze money out of us? Is the hype in the year where we are all expected fact what makes Christmas so to be delightfully happy and filled special? And most importantly, with good cheer and therefore do Pringles really taste better kind to our fellow (wo)man. We when they come in Christmas could eradicate this expectation packaging? This issue we by simply not being arseholes to ask, for all it has become, is Christmas terrible or terriBRILL? each other for the rest of the year and practising the basic human
“The shopping is always a nightmare but it’s all worth it for Christmas dinner!” - Gemma, 1st year English comment@theorbital.co.uk
kindness promoted by Christmas January through December. There is no need to spend truly huge amounts of money on baubles and the ecological disaster that is wrapping paper. Christmas forces us all to be put in confined spaces for extended periods of time with family and friends we spend the rest of the year “Christmas is a avoiding. This works just fine for about an hour day where we until the realisation that, are forced to actually, there are very good fake happiness reasons why we don’t gather and bankrupt everyone together more ourselves buying often: we simply cannot get along. gifts for people Siblings fight, cousins we don’t like” moan and elderly relatives get drunk to block out the horror as parents with young children paste smiles upon their faces so not to spoil the “magic” whilst propping up Aunt Agnes so her sherry doesn’t drip on the nice new carpet. Christmas has one saving grace: Doctor Who does a Christmas special. Yet even that joy is relegated to Boxing Day iPlayer catch up as it is unwatchable on Christmas Day. Inevitably a child will scream as Daddy can’t make the newest electronic gadget work fast enough/ they’ve had too much chocolate to be able to sit still, and a grandparent just can’t grasp that of course it’s not supposed to be realistic – it’s a sci-fi show aimed at 9 year olds about an alien-fighting 900 year old who flies around in a blue box. Plus last year’s was shit. Christmas is a day where we have good reason to be miserable but are forced to fake happiness and bankrupt ourselves buying gifts for people we don’t like. Bah, humbug? Yeah; and proud. l
“I’m such a baby, normally my mum makes me a stocking and fills it with little toys and nuts, but this year I’m spending it alone so it’ll be mansoup and tuna for dinner.” - Jack, 2nd year History 15
OrbiTALK!
Why philosophy? Founder of the newly-ratified Philosophy Society, Claire West, says the oldest academic discipline is more than musing over whether or not we can ever know anything… or does she?
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hen I tell people I study philosophy, I generally get one of two responses: 1) an awkward silence 2) an awkward silence followed by: “So…are you going to be a teacher then?” These stock responses really encompass the sentiments of a lot of people who don’t really ‘get’ philosophy. (My mum, by the way, is one of these people.) The problem, I think, is that philosophy can appear to be quite inaccessible or, even worse, stereotyped as a bunch of people sitting around discussing whether they really are sitting there discussing anything. I’d be lying if I said that those sorts of discussions don’t happen: they do, quite frequently in one particular seminar this year. However philosophy is so much more than that. Philosophy is political, ethical, and social. When Parliament takes a vote on legislation, the outcome is determined using a Utilitarian principal by which the majority wins. Is that a fair way to make a decision
Photo: wallyg (Flickr)
which will affect millions of other people? Couldn’t it lead to a substantial proportion of people being left unsatisfied? Or is it really the only feasible way to make decisions? Whatever your answer, it’s a philosophical issue, contextualised by social and political factors. Philosophy covers the ethics of abortion, euthanasia, racism, the death penalty, homophobia, religion and hundreds of other prominent social issues. When someone asks for your opinion on any one of those issues, the answer you give will probably fall into one of many philosophical standpoints. Whether you are aware of it or not, philosophy is everywhere. It doesn’t matter if you see any intrinsic value in philosophy; I can almost guarantee that in the last 24 hours you have had interaction with an issue covered by philosophy. For students of philosophy, it has even more to offer, even if there are times when even the title of a philosophical article is enough
to make me question why I even entertained the idea of studying it in the first place. Some people state objections because the issues it is concerned with can never have concrete proof. They suggest because maths and science seem to have found the answer to so many of their problems, they are somehow more worthwhile; philosophy is just left with all the unanswerable and contentious questions. I don’t agree with that statement and neither, I’m sure, would a lot of other philosophers. But even if we work from the assumption that philosophy leaves us with this multitude of unsolvable problems, that doesn’t make it any less valuable. After my lectures, seminars, reading, and essays are over I will of course still have hundreds of unanswered questions. However I will also be left with the ability to think, analyse, assess and judge on a whole different level.
Note from the section editor: This is the societies comment section; giving one society each edition the chance to comment on an issue which has been a topic of discussion within the group. We give you the space, you choose the topic; whether a local, national or international issue, this is an opportunity for societies to give the rest of campus an idea of what their hot topics are and for students to get an insight into a new society every edition! 16
THE ORBITAL DECEMBER 2011
Your Letters
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Where’s the real ‘something-for-nothing’ culture? Kate Devine says we should look at the bigger picture before pointing the finger…in true vitriolic fashion.
Photo: Alan Parkinson (Flickr)
The threat of unemployment looms spectrally over third Precisely that! Working for wages is pretty shit, but working years, and many others besides: the National Office of Statistics for less and calling it a ‘benefit’ is quite frankly inhumane! It put the figure for the last quarter at 2.62 million, with youth is also worth thinking about the kind of jobs that count as unemployment having recently surpassed the 1 million mark. ‘workfare’; mainly unskilled manual work, which provide no Bearing this in mind it seems strange to me that now, perhaps useful training and could be occupied any number of people on even more so than before the crisis, many choose to direct a decent living wage. their anger not towards the circumstances and decisions which The ‘something-for-nothing’ mentality that so many armchair produced the problem, but towards the unemployed people politicians have a problem with does exist, and it is a disgusting themselves. practice indeed, but we shouldn’t look to the poorest parts of I recently read an article in the Independent entitled ‘Diary riot-torn London to find it. Rather, walk a mile or two down of an Unemployed Person’. The article itself was fairly insightful the road to the most affluent areas. and written by a recent graduate (no surprises there). However If several men and women work long hours and do an what was most interesting about it was the veritable diatribe of efficient job, so efficient in fact that sales increase and profits comments below the piece and their recurring theme, which I rise, is it right that some guy living miles away, never having keep hearing: our ‘culture of entitlement’, our ‘something-forseen the shop or met the workers, should profit hugely because nothing culture’ as Cameron puts it. ‘He thinks the world owes he inherited some shares? Is that not getting something for him a living’, ‘nobody owes you anything’ tap the furious fingers nothing? If a banker receives a massive tax-funded bonus after of the angry readers, but the sentiment having caused a financial meltdown, is of their aggravation seems nonsensical “The something for nothing that not something for nothing too? to me. Now I doubt Mr In-joke likes the culture does exist, but we If, Mr (insert weird in-joke name rich elite, he just can’t find any ‘Day used only for posting vitriolic shouldn’t look to the poorest in the Life of a Stinking Rich Banker’ comments), by ‘world’ you mean those blogs to comment on, so he misdirects parts of riot-torn London to his anger, and he isn’t the only one. in charge of your particular bit of it, and by ‘owes you a living’ you mean those in find it. Rather, walk a mile or The Coalition is getting it ever so charge should manage the economy in slightly wrong as well; their solution to such a way as to provide opportunity for two down the road to the most the unemployment problem? Ignore people to use their skills, earn money, the real ‘something-for-nothing affluent areas.” benefit the community and pay their culture’ at the top, and introduce taxes, then, yeah, the world does owe exploitative ‘nothing-for-something’ him a living, and you and me too! It’s not that radical a notion. policy amongst the poorest echelons of society. Whatever your Mr In-joke would prefer the widespread introduction of theories surrounding the cause of this unemployment epidemic, ‘workfare’, a sly little neologism which cunningly sounds if you start to get angry about ‘something-for-nothing culture’, nothing like ‘exploitation’ but has an uncanny resemblance to check you’re getting angry about the real one. it. What is wrong with working for your benefits I hear you tap?
comment@theorbital.co.uk
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From the archives: We take you back to September 1998, only to discover that students remain the same...
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In Your View: Christmas Edition!
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26 The Science of HIV / AIDS: Chris Pull tells you what you can do to protect yourself and raise awareness.
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4 Columns 4 Have you met... 4 Literary 4 In your view 4 Science of 4 Bar Blog
Editor: Shannon Mizzi regulars@theorbital.co.uk
sabb column 4Vice President (Communications and Campaigns), Sarah Honeycombe fills us in on all of the latest SU news...
sleeping on the rather uncomfortable - but delightfully carpeted Management Corridor floor as the Students’ Union representative all whilst contemplating what on earth I’m going to do for my cameo in RAG t appears I shall forever be opening Panto. A panto which, incidentally columns with “we’ve been really closes SURHUL’s (unofficial) busy at SURHUL,” though, the “Production Season.” If you have yet statement does have the saving grace to go and see any of the societies of actually being true. perform, you have to try it. They are We’ve had General Meetings incredible. (shorter, if more controversial than Speaking of RAG, the Naked the first few), One World Week has Calendar is out and you should been and gone, we’ve had senates, definitely pick up a copy. It’ll be raising subcommittees, talks and we money for the Terrance Higgins Trust. launched our I somehow got roped Mental Health “Depression and stress ... will into being in it – twice Campaign, hit 12% of us at some point” – but please don’t use with Mental this as a reason not to Health Awareness Week. buy it. By the time you pick up this issue Unfortunately, there isn’t enough of up, Mental Health Awareness space on this page for everything else Week will have passed. Regrettably, we’ve got going on, so head over to however, the issue around which we su.rhul.ac.uk to check out the rather were campaigning, won’t. One in four packed SU schedule. You could also of us will, in just one year, experience follow me on Twitter (@SURHUL_ some form of mental health problem. ComCam) to get the latest, which will Depression and stress, which are the not only keep you informed of the most common forms of mental illness, latest goings on but will give me the will hit 12% us at some point. This edge on the followers war I currently campaign will be running all year, so have with the other Sabbs, whose please, please get involved. Twitter handles I have just regrettably I have spent the last few nights run out of space to publish.
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He graduated last year, he works in The Hub, he used to design The Orbital. If you don’t know him (which you should): he’s The Tom Watts.
If this column were a television show (and I’ve heard a lot of support for its commissioning) then I guess this would be the Christmas special, which means I’ll be re-hashing classic Christmas plots with myself as the protagonist – rest assured that this doesn’t happen (until the second paragraph at least). So as I sit and watch a skinny Asian boy sing and dance along to Katy Perry’s ‘Teenage Dream’, I realize I have nothing to write – not literally, otherwise you wouldn’t be reading what you’re reading, would you? Exactly. THE ORBITAL DECEMBER 2011
Student Abroad T erm is now well and truly under way and there is a much better structure to my days. I have been able to take a couple of full classes, but generally I work just with small groups in different classrooms. In the 8th class (13/14 year olds) they are studying America and the teacher asked me to prepare a lesson on Alaska. It’s very interesting to see how successful it was in the top level class, and I actually quite enjoyed doing it, but with the next level it was a very stressful lesson! It probably doesn’t help that there’s not really very much to say about Alaska! I have noticed that there doesn’t seem to be any kind of punishment in the German school system - ie, no detention or written warnings. The most I’ve seen is someone sent out of class and someone threatened with a phone call home. The classes are very relaxed, but this often means that those who, with a bit of help, could really excel, kind of just get lost in the clamour. Fortunately, the classes seem to give more respect to me as a guest than they often do their own teachers. Later this week I will be doing the same sort of lesson, but on Wales for a younger class, so lots more photos. The weather has gotten a lot colder recently, and people have being telling me horror stories of how there can be sometimes be snowfalls of up to a metre high in the winter in Germany. I am just praying not to be stranded here for
Christmas. My flatmates are generally alright and often take me to parties they go to – although at one we went to last week we saw a girl’s hair catch on fire. The police arrived about 1.30am, so not necessarily the most successful party, but it was going well until then! I will leave you with an anecdote from my most recent private English lesson, to illustrate the laughs to be had in this job: I asked the student to conjugate the verb ‘to shoot’, to which he answered “shoot, shit, shit?”
Let us proceed: Christmas is a tricky time for a graduate, as you most likely fall into one of three categories: •“Ooh, I have a full time job. I’m looking forward to a few days off over Christmas – Love me” •“Shit, my internship is finishing, I need to find some degrading seasonal work to make up for the money I didn’t make working for free at a PR company.” •“How the fuck am I going to afford everyone’s Christmas presents without a loan??????? AHHHHHHHHH”
Well, I, kind of, fall into each of these categories, and by doing this I have used a literary device to become an everyman and thus relatable to everyone who reads this column; clever, eh? So, instead of hunting for work over Christmas, I’ll be watching every Christmas movie ever made and hoping that the recycled plots rub off on me. This means that I’ll be unemployed, yet working all hours; decorating the house flamboyantly, only for it not to work out; find myself involved with someone who claims to
regulars@theorbital.co.uk
In each issue, we follow Dan Costen’s year abroad working in a German secondary school.
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Dear Auntie Hannah, Student Abroad What is the perfect gift for AG a rocker? I’m invited to this O AU NY boy’s birthday and I want NT to give him something really cool that a rocker would like. He plays guitar and is in a band. Any ideas? Thanks. Sandra x (p.s we’re just friends) A: Well Sandra, If he likes that kind of thing he would love something to put on his desk like a singing pencil sharpener or a new fountain pen. Now he can get a real job and leave those rock’n’roll dreams behind thanks to you. Well done! x Dear Auntie Hannah, What is a good conversation starter with a boy I’ve never spoken to? He’s really attractive and I want to talk to him but not seem like I’m trying too hard. Are there any good tricks? Debbie x A: Well Debbie, There are many easy ways of interacting with the opposite sex. Try bumping into him ‘accidentally’, the harder the better because you can spend longer apologizing and flattering him until the ambulance arrives. Alternatively, you could start having something interesting with you when you see like, like a new fountain pen, or a gazelle, that he may comment on. Enjoy x
If you have a troubling dilemma, then our resident Agony Aunt, Hannah Graveling, is happy to offer you a nugget of advice. Just fire your anonymous queries our way. Get in contact via: regulars@theorbital.co.uk
be an elf/santa/the ghost of my dead father imprisoned in a snowman; and witness a Christmas miracle, restoring the faith I haven’t lost in Christmas. Or I could just eat the cookies my siblings have left out for Santa, justifying it to myself as necessary to my survival as I weep/eat under the mistletoe. Either way it might just be the best Christmas never. Follow Tom on Twitter: @TheTomWatts
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To celebrate The Orbital’s 25th birthday this year, we’re printing some pages from our archive in each edition. We even matched up the page numbers! This spread is from the freshers’ issue of September 1998.
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IN YOUR
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The Tauromachia Nathalie Versavel Nathalie took this in Andalucia when she was on holiday in Spain. This fantastic action shot shows the matador goading the bull. Please send in any photo submissions you have to regulars@theorbital. co.uk with the subject line as “In Your View�.
IN YOUR
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Snowy Guildford Tim Sheerman-Chase Tim took this photograph during last year’s snowy season. The shot overlooks Guildford, and shows children toboganning down the hill. Please send in any photo submissions you have to regulars@theorbital. co.uk with the subject line as “In Your View”.
REGULARS
HIV/AIDS the science of...
Our resident scientist, Chris Pull, tells us how we can protect ourselves and help raise awareness...
As I sit at my desk, trying to work out how to write a light-hearted article about HIV/AIDS, I wonder if writing about the ‘Science Of Christmas’ would have been more appropriate, in what will no doubt be a very festive edition of The Orbital. However, at the time of writing, SHAG week is upon us, and world AIDs day, December 1st, is just around the corner. Also, the chosen charity supported by this year’s SHAG week is the Terrence Higgins Trust, considered the UK’s main HIV/AIDS charity and is also the largest in Europe. Therefore, I feel it pertinent to consider this disease and the science behind it. What is HIV/AIDS? Heck, whilst we’re at it, what even is a virus? A virus is acellular, meaning it is not made up of cells like all other living things. Thus, they do not control what flows in and out of them via a membrane, and they do not carry out metabolic functions, such as respiration, nor do they eat or excrete. So does this mean they are not ‘alive’? They do reproduce (in their own way) and they do contain DNA or RNA, the ‘blue prints’ of life. They are also tiny,
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often about ten times smaller than a bacterium. The typical human cell is 10 micrometres in size, whereas the Polio virus is 0.00001 micrometre- and as a micrometre is one thousandth of a millimetre, we’re talking mindbogglingly small! HIV stands for ‘Human Immunodeficiency Virus’ and the resultant retrovirus (see below) is AIDS, ‘Acquired Immune deficiency Syndrome’. HIV attacks your immune system, which protects you from all other diseases you encounter; this is why HIV is so dangerous and, ultimately, fatal. The latest WHO reports (2009) state 33.3 million adults and children are infected with HIV globally, with 2.6 million new infections arising each year. Where did HIV come from? As with all viruses, HIV cannot reproduce without a host (i.e. a human
cell). All viruses are specific to certain hosts, but they can mutate to infect new ones. This is actually how scientists think AIDs originated, from a similar virus that infects chimpanzees. In Africa, ‘bush meat’ is commonly eaten and will include animals such as apes and monkeys- genetic studies have revealed this is the most likely source of the HIV virus in humans, occurring around the late 19th- early 20th century. From these early infections, the virus has since spread worldwide and is now considered a pandemic. How does HIV/AIDS work? AIDS can enter the body in various ways, the most common being through sex, via bodily fluids, needle sharing by drug users and from mother to baby during birth. HIV cannot be transferred via saliva, urine or sweat, as the amount of HIV particles is negligible. Once in the body, it fuses with a THE ORBITAL DECEMBER 2011
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The science of...
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Photo: physiciansforhumanrights (Flickr)
phase sees up to 10 billion new HIV particles produced a day, quickly reducing the number of white blood cells. This creates fever like symptoms for up to three weeks after infection. Eventually, the body mounts an immune response to these infected cells, and antibodies cling to the HIV in the bloodstream before they are destroyed. However, this can take some time, and the HIV continues to infect new white blood cells. This is known as the secondary infection, and is a slow, but constant process. HIV positive people generally live healthy lives, but once their white blood cell counts fall below a critical point, about 8-10 years after infection, AIDS develops. The lack of white blood cells makes the body susceptible to infections that it would normally be able to fight off. Eventually, death is the result.
may prevent the HIV infection. It is available to people who think they may have had sex with someone with HIV or NHS workers who accidentally get stuck by a needle from an HIV positive person If you think you have been exposed to HIV, do not wait. Get to a sexual health clinic immediately to be tested and receive PEP.
“If you think you have been exposed to HIV, do not wait. Get to a sexual health clinic straight away to be tested.”
human cell and releases its RNA. This RNA then proceeds to manufacture DNA that matches that of the RNA. Now that the blue print is in the same ‘language’ of the human cell, it can invade the nucleus and become integrated into the human DNA there. This creates the provirus, a mix of human and viral DNA. Now comes the clever bit: when the DNA is transcribed by the cell, a normal process that uses RNA to manufacture proteins, the only RNA sequence that matches the provirus DNA is that of the original HIV particle. So, when the DNA is transcribed, the process leads to new viral RNA and proteins being produced, which are assembled by the cell into new viruses. In this way, HIV essentially hijacks the cell, turning it into a factory to create copies of itself. The cells that HIV infects are white blood cells that fight off other infections, and the initial infection regulars@theorbital.co.uk
How do I know if I have HIV/AIDS? You can be tested at any sexual health clinic. Blood samples are taken to test for HIV infection. A window of three months has to pass before HIV infections show up in conventional tests, so although a test may be negative, you should always get tested three months after the last time you had sex. In more recent years, 1 hour HIV tests have been developed and are available at selected NHS institutes. Are there cures for HIV/AIDS? Unfortunately, no (though see below). Despite this, medicine to treat the symptoms and to put off the onset of AIDS have been developed, thanks to money donated by charities, so that if the infection is caught early enough then an HIV positive person can expect to live about as long as if they were HIV negative. However, they are still able to infect other people. If the virus is contracted and diagnosed within a 72-hour window, a person can undergo Post Exposure Prophylaxis. This month long course of drugs have quite nasty side effects but
What can be done to prevent AIDS? Wearing a condom is the most effective preventative measure against sexually transmitted HIV. If you have to shoot up, don’t share needles. In the UK, 86,500 people are thought to be HIV positive. However, in Africa, 22.6 million have the virus, almost 70% of the global HIV cases. This is thought to be largely due to inadequate education and lack of contraception or the condemnation of contraception by various religious groups, which makes unsafe sex the only option for millions of people. Slowly the trend appears to be changing due to the work of organisations such as THT and Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of UNAIDS states: “We have seen a massive scale-up in access to HIV treatment which has had a dramatic effect on the lives of people everywhere.” Global deaths from HIV are down from 3.2 million in 2001 to 2.7 million in 2010. Conclusions Though not a witty or particularly ‘light’ read, I hope this article has illustrated the exceptionally good cause that SHAG week has supported and that everyone wears their Red Ribbon on December 1st in support of HIV/ AIDS research, acceptance and hopeful elimination in the not too distant future. For more information Check out these websites: www.unaids.org www.tht.org.uk
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REGULARS
RHUL RESEARCH 4We bring you the latest news on research being conducted at Royal Holloway, one of the leading institutions for research in the world.
New research in to methods of cyber attack prevention
Photo: jeroenbennink (Flickr)
British intelligence agency, Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), has asked several researchers from Royal Holloway’s Information Security Group (ISG) to begin research on way to prevent and protect the country from future security breaches and cyber attacks. The United Kingdom alone has been attacked in the cyber sphere well in to the millions of times in the last couple of years, and it something that must be dealt with by the government and intelligence agencies on a daily basis. Professor Keith Martin, RHUL’s Director of ISG stated, “The department has long recognised that cyber security is an issue that can only be tackled by co-operation between academia, industry and government, both at a national and international level.” Francis Maude, Cabinet Office minister, gave a statement to Sky News saying,
New project aims to improve the quality of life of dementia sufferers
Photo: benbeiske (Flickr)
RHUL researchers are looking in to how best to improve the quality of life of those suffering from dementia since there is, as yet, no cure or real way to prevent it. In the United Kingdom there are currently 750,000 people living with dementia and this figure is expected to double within 30 years. Dr. Helen Nicholson is running and assessing a new project which allows patients with dementia to participate in fine arts activities including art, drama and dance. The program is called Hearts and Minds and caters specifically to those with Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia as well as those suffering from depression and schizophrenia. The project works on drawing long term memories out of the patients and using them in creative activities. Those with dementia often have excellent long term memories, and but little to no short term memory or recall abilities. Professor Nicholson said: “We know that historically, dementia sufferers have been largely ignored during the latter stages of their illnesses. We hope the Hearts and Minds project will demonstrate that this need not be the case and care staff can be trained to offer exciting interactive activities through performing arts. This is an arts-based inquiry rather than a scientific one… This follows their belief in person-centred care for people with dementia rather than a model that treats it entirely medically.”
Grant awarded for dark matter research The European Research Council has recently awarded RHUL with a £1 million grant to further study dark matter. Dark matter is extremely difficult to research, even though it is thought to make up approximately 85% of the universe’s mass, because scientists still don’t know a lot about it’s properties or how exactly to measure it. It cannot be detected by optical or radio astronomy. Dr. Jocelyn Monroe of the RHUL Physics Department will be heading the project, which has already begun work to develop a new kind of dark matter detector. Dr. Monroe stated, ‘Dark matter is one of the most profound mysteries in science today and nobody has figured out how to see it yet. This detector has the potential to be a completely new observatory and open a new window into the universe.’ 28
Photo: argonne (Flickr) THE ORBITAL DECEMBER 2011
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Bar blog
Medicine Manager, Danny Taylor, gives you the heads up on our much loved bar at the bottom of the not so much loved hill.
Photo: Julian Farmer
Ho Ho Ho!
‘tis the season to be jolly... apparently! Hopefully the first term has sailed by in a blur of wonder and you are going into a Christmas break with no assignments to plough through like the snow that we wish we had to play in! Or maybe not..... Well, before you disappear into the distance with bags full of washing you have a couple of blowout nights to look forward to. The SU will be a sell out as usual so get in quick for tickets up there. If you miss out, don’t worry! Medicine is open ‘til late on the Thursday and Friday for you. As a present we will be putting on a DJ as well.... and it is all free, free, free! Looking forward to 2012, we’re hitting the ground running with the Alumni Sports Day on the
Bar Blog Cocktail Shooters
first Antidote of term, normally the busiest one of the year... arrive early to avoid disappointment! It will be crazy! We will be having a rising new star do a gig at Medicine soon as well. Negotiations are in a delicate stage but we will divulge more in the new year. Calling all gamers out there, we will be looking for the best FIFA player we can find next term with our Xbox up on the projector screen, so get some practice in over the holidays... Same for you, pool sharks: the competition is growing every time and the standard is getting higher, along with the prize pot. Anybody want to do another game night, then? I’m open to all offers... Call of Duty, anyone? So, take it easy over the festive period and catch you all in 2012!
A couple of little winter warmers for you in this issue:
Mint Chocolate
A layered shot of Peppermint Liquor, Kahlua and Baileys.
Bob Marley
A mix of Midori, Jagermeister and Goldschlager.
Photo: Danny Taylor
After 20 mins of searching, here they are:
regulars@theorbital.co.uk
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o s w e i v e
µTheatre Review RHUL’s MTS production of RENT
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Film Reviews: Twilight: Breaking Dawn I and The Rum Diary.
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Art: Leonardo Da Vinci at the National Gallery.
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Write for us: All you have to do is get in contact and pitch an idea, or even come along to one of our regular writers’ meetings. 30
4 Theatre 4 Music 4 Games4 Film 4 Gigs4 Books4 Poetry 4 Art
Editor: Rana Banna reviews@theorbital.co.uk
I’m of the opinion that for any director putting on a show at the Union, the single biggest challenge has to be in transporting the audience away from the grim reality that they are in fact sat on metal chairs in an emotionless SU main hall; a venue of so many tedious general meetings and hangover-inducing strawpedo contests. Thankfully for all in attendance, Musical Theatre Society’s autumn production, RENT, did it superbly. Set on the gritty side of New York, Jonathan Larson’s rock opera follows a year in the life of a bohemian group of friends and their experiences of poverty, drugs and HIV. Not quite leafy Surrey, then. Full credit has to be given to directors Cassie Bending and Emily Hubert; not only was the stage direction impressive (with 19 cast members onstage at one point), but the use of the rest of the hall was well thought out. This was most effective during the number ‘Life Support’ when newer members of MTS were given the chance to shine through, with a particularly fantastic vocal performance from first year, Sam Wall. All the main cast members gave excellent vocal performances throughout, from the harmonies of Dylan Pugh and James Bone to the emotional renditions of ‘Without You’ by Laura Meaton and ‘I’ll Cover You’ by Adam Carver. Personal
highlights (of which there are far too many to mention) include Ashleigh Baker’s performance of ‘Over the Moon’, in which she manages to make sucking milk from a cow’s udder sexy (I know, right?), and more or less any scene featuring Tommy Adamson as Angel. Arguably one of the toughest parts to cast, Adamson managed to skilfully combine excellent acting, singing and dancing, all whilst wearing high heels. The choreography was very strong, ranging from a tango (a ‘Tango Maureen’, to be precise) to a provocative routine performed for ‘Contact’ which had a few of the older members of the audience squirming in their seats! Meanwhile Sarah Martin and Mike Cater gave convincing acting performances, showing the breadth and strength of talent across MTS members new and old at present. RENT succeeded in taking its audience far from the SU main hall and into a whirlwind of emotions through the intimate relationships of the main characters. Superbly acted, sung, choreographed and directed, the unsung heroes of the show were the band, crucial to the polished and professional feel which characterised the entire production. Thank you, Jonathan Larson. Thank you, MTS. Now, who’s going to light my candle..? Craig Gent THE ORBITAL DECEMBER 2011
Music / Game
µAlbum Review R.E.M: Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Garbage (1982-2011) to the expectations built up in the first disc, even with the much loved ‘Everybody Hurts’, ‘Man On The Moon’ and ‘Oh My Heart’ as part of its track listing. The compilation concludes with two of R.E.M’s more recent and previously unreleased tracks: ‘Hallelujah’ and ‘A Month Of Saturdays’,which were originally demo-ed for 2011’s album Collapse Into Now, whereas ‘We All Go Back To Where We Belong’ was recorded in their final session following its 2011 release. In an age where Glee’s cover of ‘Losing My Religion’ receives better musical praise than R.E.M latest studio album, the unmemorable new tracks confirmed what we all knew was in store for the band- the end. Sadly, for a band that had the Just over three decades after they had unquestionable ability of reconciling the formed, R.E.M decided to call it a day, but apparent opposites of power and gentleness not without releasing one final greatest or elation and melancholy within their hits album. The two-disc compilation music, it becomes evident that R.E.M’s grip features forty songs chosen by R.E.M as their on the musical world slid away after the ‘definitive’ collection as well as featuring departure of key songwriter Bill Berry in three previously unreleased songs by the 1997. alternative rock band. Nevertheless, it’s well worth a look if you’re The album itself is essentially a breakdown not familiar with one of the most influential of the three stages in R.E.M’s career: the post-punk bands of the 80s and 90s. I’m beginnings, the meteoric rise, and the sure that, like myself, you’ll see glimpses of fall. Highlights from the first disc of the brilliance of the band that was R.E.M. If you compilation include ‘Talk About The Passion’, aren’t already the owner of R.E.M’s seven ‘So. Central Rain’, ‘The One I Love’ and ‘Orange (yes…SEVEN!) other compilation albums, Crush’. As ever, Stipe’s vague and profound then their latest offering should be high up lyrics along with the signature semi-folk-rock on your Christmas wish-list! Part Lies, Part tempo make these the essence of what the Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage (1982-2011) is band was all about. a true narrative of R.E.M’s rollercoaster career. In contrast, the second disc doesn’t live up Alischa Wadiwalla
µGame Review Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 It was one of the most fervently anticipated games of all time. Queues of avid COD fans laced highstreets across the globe up to 24 hours before the midnight release, and the game continues to sell to the masses. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 has broken the global sales record for a videogame, taking £490m over its first five days on sale. MW3 takes players back to the end of Modern Warfare 2, throwing us straight back into the action with explosive Hollywood scenes and many an ‘OMG’ moment (thanks Piers!). The same characters are back, joined by a few new faces; the campaign story mode nicely wraps up the epic saga laid down by its predecessors. Let’s just say Uncle Sam isn’t too happy about Boris moving into the New York Stock Exchange. reviews@theorbital.co.uk
Not one bit. Usually, when describing amazing video game storylines, we may look for words like cinematic, enthralling, addictive, or maybe even inspiring. In the case of MW3 none of these suffice; this game-play is just ZOMG WE WANNA JIZZ IN OUR PANTS AND PLAY IT AGAIN. The truly global and accurately reproduced locations take you from Wall Street to the seven-star Burj al Arab Hotel in Dubai, with plenty of stops along the way. The arrival of MW3’s multiplayer modes means we now play a game based on team effort. It’s not all for the glory. While the potential quest for individual skill is blatant, multiplayer game modes like ‘Kill Confirmed’ prove that team movement, setting traps, and being aware of your surroundings
expose a player’s true skills. Be part of the team, and you won’t get ‘pwned’ over and over. The fantastic set of new multiplayer maps are adaptations of real cities around the world, including London, New York, and Berlin; and of course include a few dusty battlefields for good measure. Competition? Battlefield 3 has an amazing multiplayer mode, we can’t take that away. But the campaign is, to put it bluntly, terrible. Even in comparison to Black Ops, MW3 has stepped out of a dull and depressing set of graphics and taken a step into the modern gaming scene, with more vibrant, realistic settings, and a much smoother game play. Piers Turner, Dan Kelly & Ed Resek
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Playlist #5 µWhat you can expect to hear over and over again this month Dance With Me Tonight Olly Murs Levels Avicii Nothing’s Real But Love Rebecca Ferguson Take A Chance On Me JLS Talk That Talk Rihanna A Thousand Years Christina Perri I Like How It Feels Enrique Iglesias The One That Got Away Katy Perry It Will Rain Bruno Mars 5 O’Clock T-Pain This Isn’t Everything You Are Snow Patrol Without You David Guetta Good Feeling Flo Rida Paradise Coldplay Wishing On A Star The X Factor Finalists 2011 Our Day Will Come Amy Winehouse Mistletoe Justin Bieber Wombling Merry Christmas The Wombles Merry Xmas (War Is Over) John Lennon All I Want For Christmas Is You Maria Carey
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REVIEWS µPremiere & Film Review Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 ‘Fire and ice, somehow existing together…’ In Westfield, Stratford City with over 3,000 “Twi-Hards” waiting 17 hours plus (in the freezing cold) for a space at the front of the barriers just to see their favourite stars. One fan was a little too crazy and ended up getting arrested, having sent death threats to Kristen Stewart via Twitter. She was definitely not Team Robsten. When the “Twilight Trio” arrived on the white carpet, screams erupted from the crowd as everyone tried in desperation to catch the stars’ attentions. K-Stew (Bella) was typically unenthusiastic but still looked beautiful. Robert Pattinson (Edward) kept it sweet but brief whereas Taylor Lautner (Jacob) made a first-class effort to interact with his fans. For Twi-hards, the wait was finally over and they were definitely excited to see the saga’s fourth installment. Though the film has received a lot of criticism for its perhaps ‘demented’ (Empire) plot it did not fail to break weekend box office records, grossing £13.9 million. There are some brilliant parts throughout the film, including comical wedding speeches, as well as the wedding night, in which Bella shows various insecurities. The long-awaited honeymoon sex scene remained faithful to the book with its feathers and broken
headboards galore. “Then she gets pregnant and the whole thing turned into a genuine horror movie” (Christophe Meyers, 1st Year, Physics Student). Although most characters try persuading Bella to end her pregnancy that could end her life, she remains determined to keep it. Once Jacob finds out that a monster lives in the woman he loves, the audience finally gets to see how life looks through a wolf’s eyes, and a terribly-done conversation takes place between the pack – the CGI was so poor it was laughable, at times seeming quite animated. The pregnancy shows Bella looking horribly gaunt as she tries to force her human body to survive the bonebreaking vampire baby! And the birth itself, again, stays true to the book in its gruesomeness. Stewart’s acting improved dramatically, as she stuttered less and attempted more than one facial expression. Lautner performed his role convincingly, successfully expressing his anger or even humour through sly, sarcastic comments. Pattinson was undeniably charming and intense and played his role well, as did the rest of the cast. The soundtrack was incredible, although there was some, perhaps intentional, dissonance between the
mood of the scene and the mood of the music. For some, the film “started with the melodrama of the 2nd film and continued with the drama of a…soap” (Ben, 1st Year, Computer Science student). However for Twi-hards the film will be ‘fantastic but a bit predictable’ (Ellie Holden, 2nd Year, Drama and Theatre Studies student); the cliffhanger ending will leave fans wanting more, whilst fresh blood will be left amused and eagerly awaiting the final installment. Natasha Khaleeq
disenchanted by the city and its politics. Arriving in San Juan, Puerto Rico he takes a job as a writer for a large newspaper and moves into a dilapidated building with a cockfighter and an alcoholic Nazi supporter. It’s not long before Kemp is thrust into the self-destructive underbelly of the city where he develops an obsession over Chenault (Amber Heard), the fiancée of an American entrepreneur (Aaron Eckhart) who gives Kemp a proposition which would mean using his voice in the newspaper for less than amiable purposes. The film itself is told in the classic chaotic Hunter S. Thompson style and the entire plot takes place around Johnny Depp stumbling, drinking and smirking at things. But this said, the film is far removed from its cousin Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. The drug use and alcoholism, whilst present, take a much more subtle role, leaving the main plot to focus on corruption and inequality... except perhaps for one scene in which Kemp takes narcotics and has a conversation with a tank of lobsters... In a way this focus on the realities of corruption, give the film a more refined
and darker feel, however, at the same time this becomes the film’s undoing. The entire film feels as though there is something missing, the maniacal and violent style of the book hasn’t been transferred to the screen, and without it the film becomes just another quirky yet mundane tale starring Johnny Depp. If any scene is going to cause disappointment it will be the final one. The abrupt and insubstantial ending to the film could be interpreted as one of the stark, hollow conclusions of real life...but more than likely it will just leave people feeling vaguely let down. These complaints aside, the film is worth watching for the few comedic moments, which include a very drunk Giovanni Ribisi (Frank, Phoebes brother, in US sitcom Friends) unexpectedly dressed as a Nazi, or Depp attempting to pull out a man’s tongue. If you’re a massive Johnny Depp fan then by all means go to the cinema and see it, but for everyone else I suggest you save your money and wait for it to come out on DVD. Jamie Robinson
µFilm Review The Rum Diary
Based on the 1998 book by Hunter S. Thompson, The Rum Diary tells the story of Paul Kemp (Johnny Depp), a ‘borderline’ alcoholic journalist who moves to Puerto Rico in an attempt to escape New York after he becomes
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THE ORBITAL DECEMBER 2011
Gig / Book
µGig Review The Smashing Pumpkins at the O2 Academy Brixton
Photo: Rana Banna
On Tuesday 15th November the O2 Academy Brixton was, of course, sold out for The Smashing Pumpkins tour of The Other Side of the Kaleidyscope. The arena was packed with a crowd of all ages (and I mean all ages), from the youths diving into the mosh pit to oldschool middle aged fans ready to take pleasure in some 90’s nostalgia. Famously, Billy Corgan’s unrestrained demand for musical authority over the band has been problematic over the years, and the artist has appointed some decent new band members: Astonishingly talented and young 21 year old drummer, Mike Byre, stunned the crowds with his vigorous expertise; New bassist Nicole Fiorentino; and new
guitarist Jeff Schroeder who, I think it’s fair to say, played with more precision than passion. The God of guitar, the king of composition, the man himself... Billy Corgan, is, however, incapable of disappointment. And yet, while mastery of his instrument never comes into question, Billy Corgan ignored the audience, with mixed results. The legendary front man provided a set list which bordered on self-indulgent at times, focusing more or less entirely on some of The Pumpkins more recent, progressive material. As delightful as their recent direction into more psychedelic, progressive rock may be, it can be argued that the set
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list tested our dedication. Songs such as b-side ‘Starla’ (10 minutes long), or even the extended version of ‘Thru the Eyes of Ruby’, which included a segue into 1991’s ‘I Am One’, would unquestionably have pleased the die-hard fans. And it became clear throughout the show who Corgan was really addressing: the diehards, who knew every word and craved new material. However, this is perhaps not entirely true, with the set providing some real glimpses of how poignant a songwriter Corgan can be. Although we would have loved to hear classics like ‘1979’ or ‘Mayonnaise’, new songs like ‘Lightening Strikes’ and ‘My Love is Winter’ effortlessly sit beside some of his greatest moments. Furthermore, the lengthy guitar solos and ‘jamming’ confirmed Corgan’s trust in his new band members as musicians. All in all, a great gig for the true Pumpkins fans, with a psychedelic stage of swirling colours to match the effortless sounds. The bands new music is always being uploaded on their website, and is made available as a free download, so there’s no reason not to check it out! Rana Banna
µBook Review The Perks of Being a Wallflower What is brilliant about Chbosky’s book The Perks of Being a Wallflower, is that people can so easily relate to it. I honestly couldn’t put it down, and at 256 pages it’s an effortless and engaging read. The protagonist is 15 year old Charlie, who writes in a journal about the ups and downs of his life. The term ‘wallflower’ is associated with his being shy, introverted, and wise beyond his years. Consequently, he struggles fitting in as a freshman at his high school, not the most unpopular person but an individual who is still trying to figure out where he stands in life. The reader learns about Charlie through his journal entries to an unnamed source, and it is through this narrative that Chbosky magnificently captures the feelings of a boy teetering on the brink of adulthood, and the trials and tribulations which come his way. As we understand more about his reviews@theorbital.co.uk
family, friends and teachers, the reader observes the world quite intimately through Charlie’s eyes; from developing his first crush, to making new friends, going to his first party, his first heartache and the strange bond he has with his sister and father. In addition, the book deals with more mature or darker themes such as suicide, drug use, sexuality, dysfunctional families and academic pressures. And so, it is full of tragedy, comedy and plenty of drama. I have yet to come across an individual old or young who hasn’t enjoyed this highly recommended read. In fact it has curiously nostalgic similarities to the style of US Comedy-
Drama The Wonder Years – the protagonist’s reminiscing of his teenage years, the typically relentless themes of teenage angst and the exploring of life lessons in a harrowing but comic manner. The book is quite similar in this respect; however, it provides a more immediate account, with the teenage Charlie recounting his experiences as they happen. The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a particularly good choice of book as our year draws to an end, with Charlie reassuring us that there are always new beginnings to look forward to in life. An ideal indulgent Christmas read for the student in need of some relatable nostalgic escapism – we all live it with him, every page of the book. Hiba Batool
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REVIEWS µPoet Review US-Palestinian poet, Remi Kanazi, comes to RHUL
One of Royal Holloway’s more intimate, yet hugely significant and memorable events simply took place in a small classroom up in the depths of our glorious Windsor Building. Our very own Middle East Society managed to invite the refreshingly talented US-Palestinian Poet and activist Remi Kanazi, during his first UK tour, organised by PSC (Palestine Solidarity Campaign). Just under an hour of his time, on the dark and dismal evening of 29th November, with no more than 20 spectators; and yet with his engaging political poetry Remi ignited the room with effortless authority. Though he may have somewhat rushed the show before another performance at LSE, Remi’s usual animated intensity was not at all compromised. Bursting
with hyperactive energy and desperation to include as much stuff as possible in the limited time, he was undoubtedly successful, filling every minute with plentiful intellectual meaning. The artist insisted we all sit close together in a semi-circle as he stood commandingly at the front, interacting directly with individuals. Remi spoke knowledgably and sincerely of the Palestinian struggle, and its personal significance to him and his family. Ardently and uncompromisingly he promoted freedom for occupied Palestine, expressing himself with clear focus and expertise, and gaining vocal support and regular applause from his enthusiastic audience. His focused yet informal political discussions were accompanied by regularly
interspersed performances of his poetry. These performances were rich with authority, passion and absolute clarity again directly and closely addressing audience members. Particular favourites were ‘The Do’s and Dont’s of Palestine’ in which, through heavy sarcasm, Remi mocks the social taboo of Arabs condemning the injustice of Israel and Zionism, ridiculing how society terrorises these Palestinian victims into keeping their heads down. In other pieces such as ‘Coexistence’, Remi attacks the disintegration and robbing of national identity. And ‘Yaffa’, a poem dedicated to his grandmother and her Palestinian home town explored more personal and beautifully delicate ideas. Overall, Remi Kanazi left us fuelled with his passionate vigour. Many of us left with a signed copy of his book: Poetic Injustice: Writings on Resistance and Palestine, a collection of his poetical works complete with a CD. Purchase your own copy of this on Amazon! Highly recommended by many: Cynthia McKinney (former US Congresswoman and Green Party presidential nominee) admits his work is ‘breathtakingly honest’, whereas John Pilger (award-winning journalist, author, and filmmaker) asserts that the book ‘allows us to feel the power and pain of Palestine’s struggle’. A big thanks to Middle East Society and its President Noor Mansour, for managing to capture this exceptional opportunity during his only tour of the UK, and we can only hope he returns to Royal Holloway soon! Rana Banna
µConcert Review Stephen Sondheim: RHUL’s Musical Tribute Having sat through my fair share of music recitals, orchestral performances and musicals, as I took my seat in the quickly filling Windsor building auditorium on the evening of 26 November, I thought I had a pretty good idea of what to expect. I couldn’t have been more wrong. I had predicted a generic recital of a selection of pieces, well performed and upbeat, but the type of thing where you keep glancing at your watch halfway through. Instead, the entire evening was nothing short of amazing. Like most people, I’m not overly familiar with the works of Stephen Sondheim: I can recite the odd line from ‘Sweeney Todd’ or ‘Into the Woods’, but until that evening I’d never even heard of ‘Sunday in the Park’ with George or ‘A Little Night Music’. Luckily, the balance of well-known and less familiar tunes was perfect. It was obvious that the programme had taken a long time to tailor to the needs of the audience. The song choices were engaging and gave a brilliantly
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humorous tribute to one of the most critically acclaimed song writers in musical theatre. The orchestra is one of the best I’ve heard outside of professional theatre, playing without hiccup for almost two and a half hours. It was this kind of dedication to detail and performance that made the evening such a success. The relatively small company managed to perform as a wide range of characters, switching between songs with impressive ease, a skill that was only bested by their singing abilities. My only slight criticism is that, with some of the louder sections, the volume balance between vocalist and orchestra was slightly off, drowning out the vocalist on occasion. But I am more than willing to put that down to the position of my seat and the acoustics of the oddly shaped room. All in all, the tone of the evening was that of a relaxed and amusing evening with highlights that included the incredibly dark ‘Epiphany’ from Sweeney Todd and
‘Everybody Ought to Have a Maid’, reducing the audience to hysterics. The evening ended with a shower of confetti and a standing ovation from the crowd, the man sitting next to me applauding more than I thought humanly possible. So next time you see a poster or flyer for a RHUL music department event, I strongly suggest you get your tickets as soon as possible as it’ll be a night you won’t forget! Jamie Robinson
Photo: Tom Shore THE ORBITAL DECEMBER 2011
Art
µArt Review Leonardo Da Vinci: ‘Painter at the Court of Milan Exhibition’, The National Gallery
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ead down to the National Gallery for an absolutely unmissable exhibition, which brings together 9 of Da Vinci’s 15 surviving works under one roof. The Leonardo Da Vinci: Painter at the Court of Milan exhibition at the National Gallery is said to be the greatest London exhibition in living memory thanks to the rarity of the Renaissance man’s paintings. According to the National Gallery’s spokeswoman, it is said to be the fastest selling event in the gallery’s history. Despite painting what is arguably the most recognised piece in the world, the enigmatic ‘Mona Lisa’, Da Vinci’s paintings have never been subject to an exhibition before. Thankfully, Luke Syson (curator at The National Gallery), who spent over the good part of five years assembling such a collection of paintings and more than 50 sketches does the great innovator justice. The featured works of Da Vinci are taken from the years in which he was the court painter to Ludovico Maria Sforza between 1482 and 1499. One of the masterpieces on display is ‘The Musician’ and it becomes clear that nobody can capture and manipulate the effects of light and shade quite as brilliantly as Leonardo does. Also on show is ‘The Lady with the Ermine’ (see right), the portrait of Sforza’s 16-year-old mistress, Cecilia Gallerani, showing a trace of a smile; a piece which is exemplary of how Da Vinci gracefully framed the way in reviews@theorbital.co.uk
which individuals interact with the world in one place. Not only is this a chance to comprehend the artist’s understanding around them. of beauty, but also to inform us of the Other pieces include two versions of values and form of medieval art. Don’t ‘The Virgin of the Rocks’, one from the Louvre and the other taken from the Na- miss out on the opportunity to see works of true perfection. tional Gallery’s own collection. Both are The Leonardo Da Vinci: Painter at the completed with superhuman precisionCourt of Milan exhibition will be running even in the smallest of details. at the National Gallery till February 5th The exhibition is particularly success2012. Alischa Wadiwalla ful in emphasising Da Vinci’s success as a painter, rather than as an engineer, or a scientist. Although many consider painting as one of Da Vinci’s subordinate pastimes, it is evident from that he is responsible for some of the most stunning portraiture in the art world. You can own the hottest ticket in town for just £8 thanks to student concessions… though you may find yourself queuing up for 3 hours! Nevertheless, the experience is remarkable. I urge you all to pay a visit to the exhibition and make use of your student cards. It is a once in a life time opportunity to see so much of Da Cecilia Gallerani (The Lady with the Ermine), abt. 1489–90. Vinci’s work gathered
© Princes Czartoryski Foundation
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‘Painting is poetry which is seen and not heard’- Leonardo Da Vinci
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Please, e l y t not another gilet... s e f i L Editor: Elinor Gittins lifestyle@theorbital.co.uk
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4Simon Rawlings has only one wish this christmas...
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Study abroad: Students write about their time spent abroad
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Listings: Events on and off campus for the next four weeks.
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4 Fashion 4 Make Up 4 Travel 4 Listings 4 Food
Comments on fashion trends at Royal Holloway
Maybe I just haven’t had the invite, but is there a chino and gilet club on campus that I’m not aware of? On the average day, I see more gilets than squirrels and it begs the question which one can we call vermin? Like sheep, it seems these ‘chilets’© (chino and gilet fans) move around in herds following a shepherd that I have yet to find. From Polo Ralph Lauren to Primark, the gilet has appeared in many forms yet everyone still appears the bleating same! I’ve been informed that the gilet is great for ‘when you go sailing’ as it gives the arms a lot of space to manoeuvre. Correct me if I’m mistaken but I’m sure the last time I checked, the stream on campus really isn’t ideal for this sport. But what can be done to solve this infestation? Quite simply, sheer off these mass produced matted coats! You might just feel more of an individual... Whilst on the topic of animals, has anyone else spotted that Royal Holloway now has its own colony of both native and exotic creatures? I don’t know if I speak for the rest of campus, but I myself have been
left petrified on numerous occasions this term thinking I’m being approached by a stampede of mice, bears, pandas, rabbits, monkeys, foxes, tigers and yes, even a racoon. This issue has even spread to inside the Founders building, when on a quiet lunch I almost passed out believing I had spotted a bear perusing the dessert selection. You may have guessed it, I’m talking about the many hats on campus that have taken on these peculiars forms. It seems these animal lovers on campus show no sympathy to those who suffer Agrizoophobia (a fear of wild animals) and also to those who have any sense of fashion, or in fact, any sense at all... The last time I saw any acceptable headwear taking on the form of an animal was in the musical ‘The Lion King’, so unless any of our animal lovers on campus have a westend debut approaching, I suggest they leave these hats at home. I hope you all grant my seasonal wish by asking Santa for a coat that isn’t missing its sleeves, and do of course have yourself a merry little ‘chilet’ free Christmas.
Pitch an idea to lifestyle@theorbital.co.uk
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OR... you can get in touch with the lifestyle team and join our mailing list, from which articles will be frequently commissioned, as well as having the opportunity to pitch your own thoughts. You’re also welcome to attend our regular writers’ meetings.
THE ORBITAL DECEMBER 2011
Hiposn ctaempruss
Hipsters on campus
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e as a dickhead. Rhea Aldrich says she loves her lif
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hy are there so many hipsters at Royal Holloway? No, really? Last summer I saw a girl in the south quad with a rabbit on a lead, smoking a pipe... smoking crack more like. Another time, when I lived in Tuke and used to people-watch out the kitchen window with my house mates, we saw a girl that had made a watering can into a bag – No really, I really am serious, she had a load of her books in it. What is wrong with everyone? Is there something about university life that automatically transforms you into a twat? After a couple of weeks does everyone just suddenly think that’s what university’s all about, being a kooky academic sitting around with messed up bed hair wearing Ralph Lauren jumpers , way too tight skinny jeans (you might as well castrate your own penis) and boat shoes if you’re a guy? Or, if you’re a girl, with messed up bed hair wearing something from Topshop, probably way too tight wet look leggings (Congratulations, you’ve given yourself a camel toe love) and high heeled brogues? Look no further than Crosslands or Stumble Inn (or if you fancy venturing off campus then it’s the Happy Man or Virginia Waters for you) on any day of the week and you’ll spot loads, probably talking about something really wanky like the meaning of life in relation to quantum physics over a few pints of bitter, which not one of them actually likes the taste of. That’s the other thing of course. All the things these hipsters are supposedly interested in aren’t real interests! You know they do it all for show, right? Once I had to endure a conversation with one of lifestyle@theorbital.co.uk
these monsters. He had a Mohawk, was wearing a drug rug, (probably bought off a stall in Camden) geek style glasses (standard) and was talking about a stage production he’d just finished directing (yawn). What struck me as laughable and ridiculous, though, was that when he started talking about his production he switched from talking pretty normally, to putting on a posh voice which he probably thought was highly sophisticated and emulated that of scholarly academics. Then he proceeded to quietly correct my housemate’s grammar while she spoke, to his girlfriend. What a prick.
Honestly, life is too short for all this pretentious bullshit. Why don’t you get on with having fun, stop living in your kooky little bubble, get drunk and talk about real things like X factor and I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, not waste your time trying to ram your actually somewhat average intelligence down other people’s throats. Stop buying clothes you don’t actually like but think other people will, stop pretending to be a super cool, super hip university student, because what you don’t seem to realise is that in actual fact what this all boils down to is that you’re a wanker. So stop it, please? Thanks.
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A Year Abroad
LIFESTYLE
4Back from studying abroad, students from Royal Holloway share their experiences.
A Montreal Experience by Laura Onslow
The decision to apply for Royal Holloway’s International Exchange Programme was one I took very quickly. It seemed to take no time at all for paperwork and personal statements to be replaced by visa applications and plane tickets. I soon found myself stood at Montréal Trudeau airport, exhausted after a seven hour flight, realising all the signs were written in French. I don’t think I’ve ever wanted a cup of tea more than I did at that point. Luckily my year in Montréal, studying at Concordia University, was fantastic (lack of decent tea aside). Going from a tiny, campus university like Royal Holloway to studying somewhere with 30,000 students in the heart of a busy and vibrant city was a culture shock of the very best kind. I suddenly didn’t have to worry if I ran out of milk at 11pm. Offering more than just convenience though, living in a large city meant never being short of new things to do or new people to meet. Despite my shocking lack of French language skills (‘Please, just speak in English, ok? Stop trying in French.’), I met people on an almost daily basis: Canadians, French, French Canadians, Americans, Irish, Australians, New Zealanders, Norwegians, Dutch... the year flew past in a blur of multi-lingual, multiaccented travel and fun and, most importantly, experience. And, far too soon, I was again stood bewildered in an airport. Heathrow this time, and all the signs were in English. Photo: Laura Onslow
Studying at NYU by Dominic Thompson
Photo: S J Pinkney (Flickr)
My time abroad really changed my outlook on life in university. I arrived at Royal Holloway with a bad case of culture shock which really spoiled my first year, but going abroad turned that around completely. New York was shockingly busy. Confronted with the challenge of compacting all of these chances for rewards, profit, and fun into a mere ten months, I found inside myself a new confidence and zeal for opportunity. NYU provides an intense academic experience, with plenty of room for intellectual participation from students. I had four hours of classes a day for five days a week, in subjects ranging from philosophy of mind, to the history of the Ottoman empire, to Asian-American literature. Outside of NYU, I took up regular social work, marine conservation, exercise at the gym, and the performing arts, alongside lots and lots of sightseeing (my advice: travel across the States over winter break; look for deals). I left New York with fond memories, new friendships, and a promising business partnership. I would recommend New York to anybody looking for the rush of kicking ass and accomplishing new things every day of the week. It might sound expensive, but the city will surprise you with its rewards – and you might just surprise yourself.
Diving into Melbourne by Katie Hale
Arriving hungry and exhausted after twenty-six hours of travel, then bursting into tears while ordering a cheese sandwich, was how I started the best year of my life. Melbourne was the perfect place to be an international student, with the city’s strong multicultural vibe sitting comfortably alongside its laid-back ‘Australian’ feel. Built on a grid system, it’s difficult to get lost – though that doesn’t mean the best bits were easy to find. Wandering down some of the famous graffiti lanes can lead to discovery of a hidden vintage clothes shop or a science-lab-themed cocktail bar. But as much as I loved Melbourne, it wasn’t all about the city. Diving in the reefs off the coast of Fiji; sleeping in a swag in the Australian desert; the New Year gala at Sydney Harbour Opera House; a meteor shower in Tasmania; skydiving over New Zealand’s Lake Rotorua; snorkelling with manta rays on Ningaloo Reef; riding a camel in the outback; hiking a glacier; sipping a Singapore Sling in the Long Bar at Raffles – travel opportunities were endless and incredible. This time last year I was hurtling through the Australian desert towards a thunderstorm over King’s Canyon. Now I’m writing my dissertation - no contest.
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Photo: Katie Hale THE ORBITAL DECEMBER 2011
The city of one hundred spires... 4Manuela Mitevova recommends a trip to Prague, and has lots of praise for its history, culture and vibe.
Be it a feel of the genuine atmosphere of the time passed, a sip of the best beer in the world or a sight of a UNESCO heritage monument, Prague has something up her sleeve for everyone. With a history reaching back to the Celts, Habsburgs and Communists, the capital of the Czech Republic, Prague, is anything but short of stories to tell. As a consequence, it is littered with historic sights and architectural treasures, attracting thousands of tourists each year. The city has an umissable gothic vibe. Churches lurk out of every corner of the stone-paved old city and the old gate towers and bridges are a constant reminder of this place’s elusive past. The Old Town Square, dominated by the Orloj, the world-famous astronomical clock, is constantly packed with tourists, but also lined with beautiful buildings, horse-driven carriages and cosy cafés, offering just enough side entertainment while you wait for the hourly magical clock show. As you walk out of the old part of the city, the river running through Prague, Vltava, opens up in front of you. Across it runs
one of the most famous bridges in the world, the Karlúv bridge, a remarkable stone structure from the Middle Ages, adorned with no less than 75 statues. Prague is a cultural capital, providing tourists with many activities aside from the sightseeing. Providing an opulent Rococo style State Opera or an equally astounding National Theatre, the cultural calendar is never empty, hosting Tchaikovsky’s ballets or Puccini’s operas. The shop enthusiasts should head to the 750 meter long Václavské square- a step back in time to the communist era of textile shops, book stores and mixed goods. For a much needed break, pop into Café Slávia. In this historic café you can snack on traditional food and desserts, all the while indulging in the river views and the daily live piano music. Prague is a truly majestic city, well worth its worldwide status as a European landmark. Its historic and cultural heritage has injected the place with a heady atmosphere of authenticity and charm, hardly to be experienced anywhere else.
Travel / Food
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Elinor Gittins suggests something different you can treat yourself to this season...
Chocolate and Chestnut cake
Photo: Jim Linwood (Flickr)
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Not another Christmas Pudding...
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Ingredients: 250g dark chocolate 250g butter 250g peeled chestnuts 250 ml milk 4 eggs 125g caster sugar
Photo: GimmeFood
Preheat the oven to 170°C. Grease and line a 25cm round cake-tin. Gently melt butter and chocolate in a pan. In a separate pan, heat chestnuts and milk until it starts to boil. Mash the chestnuts and milk with a potato masher. Separate the eggs and pour the yolks into a bowl with the caster sugar. Pour in the chocolate and the chestnut mixtures and whisk well. Whisk the egg whites until stiff and then fold into the mixture. Pour the complete mixture into the tin and place in the oven. Bake for 25-30 minutes until just set. Serve plain or with cream.
Pumpkin Pie Ingredients: A short crust pastry case 450g pumpkin flesh in chunks 3 eggs 75g brown sugar 1 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp nutmeg ½ tsp cloves ½ tsp ginger Photo: Dr Bacchus 275 ml double cream Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a tin with the pastry case. Steam the pumpkin, place in a sieve and release excess water. Whisk together 2 eggs and the yolk of the leftover egg. Place the sugar, spices and cream in a pin and simmer. Whisk the mixture together. Pour over the eggs and whisk again. Add the pumpkin and continue to whisk. Pour the complete mixture into the pastry case. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Leave to cool and store in the fridge.
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LIFESTYLE 9 - 11 December
December - January
Chocolate Festival at Southbank Centre Square, London
highlights
A tasty outdoor festival where you can find chocolatiers as well as chocolate brands selling their goods. There will be cakes, treats, chocolate making kits and chocolate savoury dishes for you to sample and buy. For more information go to www. festivalchocolate.co.uk FREE
Photo: EuroMagic (Flickr)
Photo: Mag
Bad Santa’s Grotto, Until 10 Dec, Graffik Gallery, London
Go and see a special exhibition of bad santas in quirky paintings, street art and photography. There will also be a Christmas market and several performances. Only on Saturday from 12pm to 6pm. For more information go to www. graffikgallery.co.uk FREE
include the Pajama Men, Idiots of Ants, Anna & Katy, Will & Greg Late Night Gimp Fight and The Penny Dreadfuls. Show starts at 7.30pm. £16.50
The Joy of Sketch, 12 Dec, Lyric Theatre, London The best in sketch comedy will meet for a night of sketch comedy in the West End. The starts
Week #2
Harrods: Inspiring Morocco, Until 18 Dec, Harrods, London Working together with the Moroccan embassy, Harrods has put together a ‘riad’ celebrating Moroccan traditions and culture. There are handicrafts, kaftans, leather goods, ceramics, copperworks, art and more! Over the weekend there’s live Oud music, a spa and traditional mint tea and Moroccan sweets. For more information go to www. inspiringmorocco. com FREE
Image: Vectorportal.com
Underground Christmas, Until 24 Dec, Brunel Museum, London
Over the weekends, the museum opens the basement for a special Christmas location. Head over for Christmas gifts and festive stories. For more information go to www.brunelmuseum.org.uk £5
Photo: aburt (Flickr)
Week #1
4-week LISTINGS 40
THE ORBITAL DECEMBER 2011
Listings
18 Nov - 3 Jan
1 January
Zippos Cirque Extreme, Hyde Park
4New Year’s Day Parade, London
FREE
Hyde Park hosts the family friendly Zippos Christmas Circus, but it also offers a more daring alternative: Zippos Cirque Extreme. This circus strings together a bunch of adrenaline-surging acts including the Brazilians on their motorbikes riding through the ‘Globe of Death’. The show is on daily at 7pm and 8.1pm until 3 January 2012. £7.50 - £9.50
Week #4
Week #3 New Year’s Eve Fireworks, 31 Dec, The London Eye, London What better way to celebrate the new year than by watching the best firework display in London? If you have nothing better to do, then head in for an epic round of fireworks! There will be a DJ ensuring the best atmosphere in town. FREE
Watch the fireworks at midnight and enjoy the rest of the night. What better way to celebrate the end of 2011 than in mystery with a mask! From £75
Dazzle, Until Jan 8, National Theatre, London
It’s an annual jewellery fair with a massive selection of jewellery on sale. It’s the largest European exhibition of jewellery. You’ll be sure to find a unique Christmas present for yourself or for a loved one! For more details go to www. dazzle-exhibitions. com FREE
Johnny Byron is wanted by everyone. The council wants to evict him, his children ask for a trip to the fair, an acquaintance wants to give him a beating and a group of friends wants to get their hands on his drug supply. A play by Jez Butterworth who’s already staged several successful pieces. £25.00 - £52.50
Jerusalem, until 14 Jan, Apollo Shaftesbury, London
Masquerade Ball, 31 Dec, Crowne Plaza, London
A glamorous party to bring in the new year. Receive a glass of bucks fizz on arrival and a 3 course gourmet dinner.
Photo: Geraint Warlow (Flickr)
The annual event returns to London. This time, the parade will feature kings and queens, cheerleaders, stars from West End shows, and bands and dance squads from London and abroad. The parade will pass by Piccadilly Circus, Pall Mall, Trafalgar Square, Whitehall and Big Ben. Come in time for the best view. The themes are the London 2012 Olympics and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.
gnusD (Flickr)
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Photo: Paul McDee (Flickr)
A theatre production for everyone that loves a wild comedy. On the morning of the local fair,
This is where we pick out the cultural highlights on and off campus, ensuring there will always be something for everyone! lifestyle@theorbital.co.uk
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Editor: Vacant sportandsocs@theorbital.co.uk
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Raise and Give: Find out what RAG has been up to this term...
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RHUL Tom Cats: Doug German writes about the cheerleading squad.
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Christians Together: Read about the three Christian socities on campus.
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summary 4 Adam Carver, MTS President, writes about what they’ve been up to and what to expect in the new year...
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missed out! his term has been one of You’d think that we’d stop there, the busiest and the best but no! The end of November in recent history for MTS saw West End performer Deborah (RHUL’s Musical Theatre Society). Crowe join us to run an acting Our term rocketed into place through song master class which getting immediately stuck in to was open to all society members. rehearsals. Week four saw the Again this was a brilliant return of ‘A Night At The Theatre’ opportunity for all our members the Royal Holloway Performing and we’re already confirming Arts Societies’ Variety Show. After dates for her return next term. its successful launch last year After ‘RENT’ we began rehearsals MTS came back this year to make for the first it bigger, smoother “The cast and crew worked ever MTS Christmas and better than before. tirelessly for six weeks to stage Concert, Our cast of 20 .... the most successful MTS featuring a mix of classic performers union show ever!” and new rehearsed Christmas their way songs from Musicals (by the time through ‘This is Halloween’ you read this it’ll have happened from the Tim Burton film ‘The already) and we’ll be taking Nightmare Before Christmas’ numbers from the concert to and ‘Too Darn Hot’ from ‘Kiss me Manor Farm care home to bring Kate’. We threw, along side Dance festive cheer to the community. Society, a massive and hugely So, what next? Next term it’s successful Noah’s Ark Party to all guns firing: Our main Jane launch the show culminating in Holloway Hall Show is Kander the highly anticipated ‘Gunge the and Ebb’s ‘Cabaret’ featuring the President’ results! (Thank You to classic songs ‘Maybe This Time’, everyone who raised over £90 just ‘Wilkommen’ and ‘Cabaret’. Term to see me gunged!). Two will also see the first year’s Running along-side this was only musical ‘Illegally Blonde’ our main production Jonathan (a new show based on Legally Larson’s rock opera ‘RENT’. The Blonde, Wicked and Sweeney cast and crew worked tirelessly Todd). In addition to this we’ll for 6 weeks to stage what was be staging the first ever MTS hailed by audiences as ‘the most weekend show. One Show, successful MTS union show ever’! one weekend’s rehearsal, one It was a pleasure to take part in performance and a whole host of and well incredibly well received other concerts, workshops and gaining standing ovations every trips! So if you’re at all interested night and selling out almost every get involved or come and see an night. The production was a real MTS show – it might be the best collaboration of students from thing you ever did. all years and all departments Follow us twitter.com/RHULMTS working towards a fantastic or facebook us Royal Holloway show with a beautifully powerful Musical Theatre Society. message. If you missed it, you
THE ORBITAL DECEMBER 2011
A quick look lacrosse the field
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A quick look lacrosse the field
Photo: Sami El-Haddadeh
4 Dan Garbutt, Lacrosse President, praises the team’s performace at the halfway point through the season.
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rawing breath at the half way point in the season is always a good time to plan your next steps as a sports club. Lacrosse over the last 18 months has had something of a regeneration. The club has changed its structure, downsizing its committee and streamlining its captains but, the most noticeable difference has been its size. The club has increased in membership consistently over the last 2 years. Lacrosse is not a sport that many encounter in their pre-university careers however, it never fails to ignite that all too familiar passion in those that choose to pick up a stick. It is this passion that, over the last 18 months and in particular
this BUCS season, has given the club an all important confidence boost. A difficult start to the season for the women didn’t dampen their high spirits. Their first game was a loss to Imperial. With a fresh team, the women’s captain, Kat Bentz, has proved they have what it takes to bring this season to their biggest rivals. Outstanding wins against Kings and Portsmouth, both in BUCS and BUCS trophy run, has placed them 3rd in the table, a position long not seen by our ladies. This leaves them facing Oxford or Cambridge in the National Trophy Quarterfinals. Without a doubt, the reorganization of the women’s team from two teams
into one has helped the pitch dynamic. However, the introduction of the nonuniversity southern counties league (SCWLA) has aided in skills acquisition and tactical understanding in the team. The excellent captaining from Kat Bentz, who has found her style as a captain over the last 18 months, has definitely been a great asset to the team. The largest and most important aspects have been the willingness to learn, improve, and play from all the women who have taken part this season. It is ultimately down to all their efforts on pitch creating the effective machine we have today. Here’s to continuing success in the next half of the BUCS season.
The RAG naked calendar... it’s here! 4Dan Garbutt: grab your jingles & jangles and let the bell(end)s ring out for Christmas Day The all new RAG Naked Calendar hit the (top) “shelves” last week with the finest showcase of sporting and society “talent” (read into the meaning of this word however you wish, says Dan Kelly!) on campus this year. Clubs, from Men’s Rugby to Basketball, bared all in aid of RAG. Societies such as Dance Soc and RAG Panto also got their jingles and their jangles out for show. This
sportandsocs@theorbital.co.uk
year’s calendar is hoping to make a huge impact on campus to further the fundraising aspirations of our very own RAG. Special thanks has to go to the Photography Society for snapping so many sports teams’ stray balls but still managing to put a shot in the net. Not forgetting Nahom Shewaybel, Student Activities Assistant, without whom, this wonderful feature of adult art
would not have been possible. So if you are struggling to find that gift for granny or that present for your parents, then why not pick up a RAG naked calendar for £7 from SU reception. At least £2 from the sale of each calendar will go to the Terence Higgins Trust in honour of SHAG week. Don’t forget to play good oldfashioned spot the ball!
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SPORT & SOCS
An outRAGeous term of fundraising Photo: James Farmer (Flickr)
4Louie Woodall, RAG Communications Officer, discusses the past term and future plans...
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he RAG team have had a very busy autumn term. A range of projects, both big and small, were held across campus in aid of a wide variety of charities. We made a big splash in Freshers’ Week, selling special edition t-shirts, glowsticks, sweets and freeze-pops and raising in excess of £500. September also saw the unveiling of next year’s RAG abroad trip to Nepal, where students were offered the opportunity of the adventure of a lifetime in climbing Mount Everest. This has been one of the great success stories of term, with over 70 students signing up, each pledging to raise £2,500 for Childreach International. Other events have also met with great success. The team oversaw the campus-wide launch of Movember,
taking great pleasure in the increasing number of men on campus sporting ornate ‘mos. We would like to thank everyone involved who went unshaven for all 30 days and raised hundreds to fight prostate cancer and other illnesses. These last weeks have also seen the publication of the (already infamous) RAG Naked Calendar, featuring the brave members of dozens of societies who happily posed semi-nude (and sometimes fully naked) in aid of the Terrence Higgins Trust. A bunch of other projects also caused a stir, including a raid in Covent Garden, a campus-wide Christmas Candy-gram service, and an art exhibition at the SU. RAG have also been repeatedly overwhelmed by the desire of sports clubs and societies to take the lead in
all manner of zany projects over the winter months. But we’re just getting started. Next year sees the return of another actionpacked RAG week. Planned events include a revival of ‘Holloway’s Got Talent’, a spoof of the popular dating show ‘Take Me Out’, a slave/promise auction and a campus-wide FIFA videogame tournament, all topped off with a massive RAG night in the SU! It also sees the launch of RAGs first ever JAILBREAK- where students have to get as far away from campus as they can in 36 hours using just their wits, charm and cunning. If you’re waiting until next term to get involved, you’re waiting too long. Email ragchair@surhul.com and sign up now to take part in all the craziness of next term. See you next year!
Racism in Sport
4Dan Garbutt, SURHUL Sports Officer, reminds us to keep respect in sport, whatever race we may be. Football has been a hotbed of controversy over the last few weeks with allegations of racism left, right, and center. From the leadership down to the players, nothing is sacred anymore. Notions of settling racial abuse with a “hand shake” to the possibility of serving time have all been played out in the media; the most recent allegations being laid at the door of England Captain, John Terry.
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Royal Holloway is noted for its high population of international students with many choosing to take part in all aspects of student life. Often, this can be their first experience of the UK and, in many cases, first experiences of western culture where such things as “banter” are seen as essential to friendship. The coming year will see the sporting world congregate in our very own campus with the
approaching Olympics and it is our duty as ambassadors for sport at Royal Holloway to show our acceptance and understanding of other ethnicities, both on and off the sports field. Our performance and achievements are the only criteria by which we should be judged on the sports field. Royal Holloway has shown and will continue to show that, despite high profile cases of racism in sport, we will not sink to their level.
THE ORBITAL DECEMBER 2011
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Chearleaders: ASSEMBLE!
Cheerleaders: ASSEMBLE! Photo: Universityphotographer
Photo: (Flickr)
4Doug German, RH Tom Cats Secretary, tells us it’s not too late to become a cheerleader!
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quick points for those of you who’ve not heard of the RH Tom Cats:
1) We’re Holloway’s cheerleading squad, 2) We’re named after Thomas Holloway, 3) Cheerleading involves gymnastics, dance, jumps, lifting and throwing people into the air, 4) We’re one of the best university squads in the country, 5) You’re not too late to get involved!
Cheerleading is the fastest growing coed sport in the UK, with its origins in the US (where it begun as an allmale activity, believe it or not), and started at Holloway in 2001 as the ‘Tommy Girls’. It wasn’t until the arrival of the first Cheerboys, Lewis Emms, Malcolm Munnelly and Rowan Berger that we became the Tom Cats. Lewis is today working as a cheer coach and has competed at the Olympics of cheerleading: Worlds, in Florida. On top of this, other Tom Cats Alumni have gone sportandsocs@theorbital.co.uk
on to coach squads, judge competitions, and we’ve already got another on their way to Worlds! So, needless to say that the Tom Cats are pretty keyed in to the world of Cheer. One term down, and the Tom Cats are a rather different squad from this time last year. For a start we’ve gone up to having 7 different teams: two cheer, two stunt, jazz & hip hop dance and a recreational team, we’ve been training hard and we’re ready for our first competition on Sunday 4 December (we’ll let you know how it goes!). Recreational cheer is new to Holloway, and opens up cheer to people who don’t necessarily want to commit up to ten hours a week or to the costs of competitions, people who just want to get involved with the Tom Cats and learn some new skills whilst keeping fit (though you can still buy the uniform if you want!). Best of all, we’ll be welcoming people to recreational cheer throughout the year, so if you want to be a part of
the training, the socials, the cheering on at games, volunteering, the fun, and potentially the best holiday of your life, just get in touch via facebook. Look out for the Tom Cats this year, you’ll see us at games, in the Dance Show, stunting and tumbling around campus, and hopefully at our Showcase! Which is going to be even bigger and better than last year. We were Sports Club of the Year last year, and we’re hoping to get lots of you involved this year, so keep an eye out, and if you ever want to step up and try some gymnastics or some cheerleading for yourself, just get in touch.
Want to get involved? Find us on Facebook by searching ‘RH Tom Cats - News, Events and Recreational Cheerleading’ and let us know you’re interested! You can also follow us on Twitter: @TomcatsCheer.
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SPORT & SOCS
Christians Together
4Nathan Nasrallah tells us all about the three Christian unions on campus...
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hristians Together (CT) is made up of 3 groups: UCCF Christian Union, Regenerate and Christians in Sport. All 3 groups aim to serve campus, love students, and create a great environment for both Christians and non-Christians to cultivate friendships and explore faith. They run a variety of different meetings and events, allowing students to find the community and culture they feel most at home in (check out all their facebook pages at http:// www.facebook.com/ChristiansTogetherRHUL)! Christians in Sport meet every Wednesday morning (on match day) to eat, pray together and study God’s word over a breakfast feast (mostly bacon), so that God’s grace is fresh on their minds before they play. Regenerate meet weekly as church-linked cell groups with the main meetings every few weeks where all the cells come together for worship and teaching. UCCF meet every Monday for a great time of fellowship, worship and a guest speaker. The aim of the weekly meetings is to equip and encourage one another to go out and live and speak for Jesus.
Speak is a group of young people standing up against social injustice. They meet every second Tuesday and gone to detention centres, run campaigns for equal employment, and held fair trade parties - to name a few. By joining us, students can expect to grow in their relationship with God, making awesome friends along the way and also ensure that their experience at university is as fun and fruitful as possible. We also really encourage you to get stuck into a local church. There’s a huge variety and most serve Sunday roasts on a regular basis! We have held many exiting events over the term including Lunch Bars with free subway, Dial A Doughnut and Club Mission, where you can get free doughnuts of all flavours! Most importantly we are finishing off this term with a BANG! It’s Christmas, and to celebrate in the cheer and remember the true meaning of Christmas we are holding our annual ‘Christmas on Campus’. Every year it is a huge success, and this year we have added some dance and drama into the mix. The demand was so high last year that
we’re having it over two days this year to accommodate for everyone! Check out our poster here and all around campus, we’d love to see you there! (There are also free mince pies in abundance!) Look out for us next term, and our mission week! We’ll have lots of events then… just to whet your appetites, we’ll be holding things like an open mic night in The Monkeys, an international food night, celebration parties, lunch bars, dial-a-doughnut, club mission and many more! You can’t miss it!
Insanity wants a new logo...* Do you think you can do better? Want your design to be the new face of Insanity? Visit our for website more details...
www.insanityradio.com *Competition closes 9th January 2012
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THE ORBITAL DECEMBER 2011
Start your journey here…
This year sees the launch of a new Royal Holloway award to acknowledge and reward student achievement. Royal Holloway Passport recognises students’ involvement in co-curricular activities – the things you do that complement your academic study, enhance your student experience and give you an employability advantage. Getting Involved
Collecting Points
Enjoy new opportunities and widen
Earn experience points from the following passport providers: Careers Service Community Action Educational Support Outreach Ambassadors Residential Support Students' Union Tutoring & Mentoring
your skill set Make a difference in College and local communities Gain recognition for your co-curricular activities Learn how to impress employers Celebrate achievements at an awards ceremony
Start your journey here…
Register Email your name, student ID and College email address to passportaward@rhul.ac.uk
KEEP CALM AND
DON’T SIGN For any housing advise please contact the Advice & Support centre in the Students’ Union : email vpedwelfare@su.rhul.ac.uk or tina@su.rhul.ac.uk