UNIfied - Christmas 2011 by Christ Church Students' Union

What’s with all the orange stuff???

‘You Say, We Do!’ campaign has taken over the campus Loris Clements

CCCU graduate recieves national award ... page 5

Reviews - films, games, pubs and many more ... pages 8-9 & 12-13

Arts, fashion and crafts - everything you need to know this Christmas ... pages 14-15

With any luck, you’ve noticed a lot of orange around the place lately. Across the campuses, we’ve been rolling out a new campaign to make sure our students know what the University does in response to their feedback. There are a few must-do surveys for students. There’s the University Student Survey, regular feedback opportunities with your course tutors or Programme Directors, and when you’re in your final year as an Undergraduate student,

you should be able to take part in the National Student Survey. Why does it matter? Moira Helm, Director of the University’s Change Programme, explains: “We look very carefully at what your feedback tells us about your student experience. Over the years, we’ve responded in different ways– some big, some small. Augustine House was built as a direct result of student feedback – and your continued comments are helping us to keep developing and improving the services our students need. Current projects include new student accommodation at St

George’s, including a new SU building.” The

campaign

materials

you’ll see around carries some examples of things that ... ... story continues on page 3 ...

The C Word Comedy Club Register is launched in Broadstairs ! ... NOW! Adem Djemil Broadstairs Broadstairs is known for many things, Charles Dickens, Folk Week, the beach, and its live music scene but you can now add comedy to

that list as the C Word Comedy Club hosted its first gig night at the CCCU Broadstairs Campus. Organised by the Students’ Union and local comedian Andy Hodder, the C Word hopes to fill the comedy void in Thanet, and after the successful night held at

Horizons Bar on Monday 14th November things are looking good.

Geoff Haworth

The night was compered by Margate based Steve Bradshaw who was joined by comedians from the local, regional, and London circuits including Steve Bradshaw, Andy Onions, Dave Bailey, Farrah Lawrence, and Andy Hodder. These may not be household names at the moment but there were no duds in this line-up with the crowd enjoying every act and showing their appreciation.

If you have not registered with a Doctor who is local to where you live, then you must do this NOW without further delay. With lots of bugs about and seasonal ‘flu just around the corner, you need to know you can get to see a GP near where you live at University and NOT where you lived previously at home. If you don’t, then you could have real problems if you get ill.

A crowd of 85, including students, staff, and local residents, were there for this inaugural night and its success means that comedians are queuing up to perform at the next gig scheduled for the New Year, so if you want to see some local comedy then visit www.ccsu.co.uk/comedy for more details.

The easiest way to register is to visit the Student Support web pages at www.canterbury. ac.uk/health-information and follow the advice and links to Canterbury Health Centre or NHS Choices (for those at other campuses), to find a Doctor. We have been advised ... ... story continues on page 3 ...

News and Current Affairs follow us on vimeo: www.vimeo.com/christchurchsu

A word from your editors ... Contributors:

Editors:

Jane Barlow

Adam Beadle

Amy Bray Lucy Brown Joey Burnett Loris Clements Gijsbert van Dalen James Dee

(Comment)

Sam Eskenazi (Entertainment)

Will de Lacy

(News and Current Affairs)

Claire Miller

(Features and Lifestyle)

Alex Nicoll

Adem Djemil

(Sports and Societies)

Olivia Elia

Anca Popescu (UNIFIED editor)

Dan Fitzgerald Geoff Haworth Kate Lismore Rebecca Lonergan Arthur Locke Lauren Miller Tara O’Brien Dennison Packer Andrew Palmer Ashley Pearson Gill Perkins Felicity Ravenwood Tom Rugg Leith Salha Elina Smyrniou Lee Soden Rhian Stone

Welcome to the Christmas edition of Unified! The last couple of weeks before Christmas are here, so get in the festive spirit and buy your plastic Christmas trees adorned with Poundland fairy lights and generic tat. We, your editors, are ecstatic to bring you all the cheery news of the closing year. Whether it’s Sam moaning about having no money to buy a game not from 1995 to Adam doing the typical British staple of whinging about the weather, or perhaps Will covering some dull policies, we’re always here to fill you in on the latest. Christmas time is approaching and so is the end of term, so this edition will have to hold you over the cold winter months while we’re away. We presume you actually use the paper for

kindling rather than reading material, and that’s okay! It’s Christmas time, so do what you want! We’ve filled the paper with interesting, jolly pieces of journalism that are sure to conjure up your Christmas spirit.

We hope you enjoy this edition, and that you can curb your enthusiasm until the next one in January. Happy Holidays! -The Editorial Team

Remember to check us out collectively on Facebook, Twitter and general social media. If you feel like you have that journalistic instinct, feel free to contact us to help us out in the production of this glorious paper! As usual, we love to hear what you have to say and welcome all feedback, so if you wish to comment on any of the articles, please feel free to drop us an email (you can email Anca Popescu at anca.popescu@ canterbury.ac.uk)

Canterbury City Council to the rescue Jane Barlow Students in Canterbury are to benefit from gardening tool banks, garden starter kits and extra recycling and rubbish collections at key times during the academic year - after a bid for funding was successful. The Canterbury Community Safety Unit was given a £5,000 grant from My Place Matters, a partnership funding stream set up by Kent County Council and Kent Fire and Rescue Service to improve the environment. The money is to be used for five student projects, which will be delivered by the multi-agency Student Focus Group. £1,500 has been allocated to set up tool and equipment banks, which students will be able to access through their student unions. The tool banks will include items such as lawn mowers, pruners, shears, spades and forks, with the aim of encouraging students to maintain their gardens. £2,000 has been allocated to provide extra rubbish and recycling collections in student

areas to coincide with the periods during which students are moving into or out of rented accommodation. £500 will be used for a project called Blooming Students. Gardening starter kits will be given out and a competition will be held with the aim of encouraging students to take pride in their gardens and where they live. A further £500 will be spent on a bicycle recycling scheme, to be run in conjunction with KCA. The money will be used to help set up a workshop at which the recycled bikes will be refurbished. It is hoped students will buy and donate bikes. Another £500 has been allocated to staging events at which students will be given information about community safety, waste management, noise, parking, anti-social behaviour, crime prevention and other issues. David Harte, project manager with the Canterbury Community Safety Unit, said: “We were very pleased that our bid for funding was successful. This will help us to get a number of

projects off the ground – which all aim to ensure the local and the student population live together harmoniously and to improve the environment. “With a student population of over 35,000, many living in houses of multiple occupation, it is important that we address any issues which might arise. “We have had complaints about students not looking after their gardens, but found the problem was often that the young people did not have the tools required. This is why we thought the tool banks would

be a good idea. The Blooming Students project links to this – with the aim of encouraging students and landlords to improve the appearance of gardens and to take pride in the area. “The last few weeks of the academic year are hectic with work being finished off and then large scale movement out of rented accommodation. This can result in large amounts of rubbish being piled up in gardens or on the street. This is one time when we would want to offer extra rubbish and recycling collections.”

News and Current Affairs

How Personal Is Your Tutor??? With the rise in tuition fees and an ever changing University structure, the Union has decided to tackle the issue of personal tutoring which has been a reoccurring problem for Canterbury Christ Church students.

Although there is University policy stating that students are entitled to a ‘Personal Tutor’, the extent to how far the tutors are personal and cater to student needs has been questioned over the past few years. Since becoming elected

into full time office, one of the major issues students have brought to me this term is regarding the Personal Tutoring System and/or the lack of a functioning one with comments from students such as ‘I’m a third year and i’ve never met

my Personal Tutor’. This is something that the Union wants to take on. We believe that every student who is entitled to one should be able to have direct access to one as they are a key giver of advice

You Say, We Do! Register ... NOW! ... story continued

... have changed over the last year. You might have noticed changes to the cafés across the campuses – with better spaces and new menus, but did you also know that the University invested an extra £200,000 in 2011 on new books and resources for all subjects? Or that new servers have been installed to give you better, faster access to IT? Silvia Rasca, your SU President, said: “We think it’s really important that our students know that their comments are listened to and acted upon, and this campaign aims to achieve that that. Sometimes when the University changes something and doesn’t tell you, it’s hard to understand what the value is of telling them what’s wrong

(or right!) about the student ... story continued experience. We want all our students to feel that they are ... of issues in Broadstairs, encouraged to speak up and where some GPs are saying have their feedback listened they are not taking on new to!” patients - DO NOT GIVE UP... try another and another. If, after If you’ve had particular three unsuccessful attempts, comments about the you have still not got a GP then Programme you’re on, you can you MUST contact the Kent expect to get feedback from Primary Care Agency (KPCA) your Programme Director via - just Google KPCA Kent for your Blackboard account in the more info or phone them on New Year. But to find out more 01622 655 000. The KPCA will about what’s been happening send you a form to fill in and across the University, go return and, once processed, to www.canterbury.ac.uk/ will write to you advising of yousaywedo. You can also the surgery to which you have email the University from that been allocated. This process page with more feedback. should only take a short time, but make sure you do it NOW And don’t forget to go back and don’t wait until you are ill. to the page after the 2012 National Student Survey and If you need urgent medical University Student Survey to treatment you MUST NOT go see what’s happened to your to the Accident and Emergency feedback this time! department of the local

hospital (unless it is a genuine accident or emergency), but you can present yourself at any GP surgery in the area and request an ‘immediate and necessary appointment’. But importantly, get registered with a local Doctor NOW, and don’t wait until you get ill - it’s too late then.

and support throughout the ‘student experience’. Certain faculties have displayed that the ways in which personal tutors interact with students surpass expectations and fulfils the students’ basic requirements. Though this is the case, there are some faculties that lack consistency and a clear and concise working model. As Vice President of Welfare & Education for your Students’ Union, I believe that the University should have set policy when it comes to personal tutors, so all students gain from the experience. Students will be paying a lot more for their tuition as of 2012, and therefore as a Union we shall be campaigning through this academic year (2011/12) for a comprehensive review of the university wide Personal Tutoring System. This term has already seen the launch of the campaign with a survey carried out by student reps via a number of means. The response has been overwhelmingly successful. The next stage will see us on campus, getting video voxpops of student views in regards to personal tutors. Find out more about the campaign by emailing me at jo.bartson@ canterbury.ac.uk.

The National Student Survey - ready to launch The National Student Survey amd the University Student Survey are in their final stages of preparation before being launched in January 2012 results help shape CCCU’s public profile and also helps prospective students decide where to go to university and what to study.

Gill Perkins Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU) wants to know what ALL its students think of their learning experience and from the 16th January 2012 you will be able to speak your mind. The University wants to know what is doing well, but more importantly what could be improved. It will be asking you what you think about all elements of your learning. For instance, experience including teaching, assessment and feedback, academic support and so on. Why take part? Your opinion really matters! The University uses your feedback to make

If you are a final year undergraduate student, you will be asked to take part in the NSS; Ipsos Mori, who runs the survey, will send you an email invite. All you need to do to complete the survey is go to www.thestudentsurvey.com any time from the 16th January to the end of April. Last year’s USS i-pad winner, Wayne Kelly, student from the department of Music

changes to help make your learning experience better and also to improve things for future students. You may have seen

the ‘You Say, We Do’ messages around campus and on the website. Not only that, but the National Student Survey (NSS)

Not yet in your final year? Then the University Student Survey (USS) is for you! All non-final year undergraduates and all post-graduate taught students are eligible for the

USS. Just log on to StudentNet and click the link in webnote any time from the 16th January to the end of April. Every online entry receives £5.00 print credit. Also, CCCU students taking part in each survey will have a chance to win £500 cash or one of ten £50 cash prizes. If you have any questions please contact the Student Survey Unit (studentsurveyunit@ canterbury.ac.uk) or the Students’ Union (su.president@ canterbury.ac.uk). You can also visit the Student Survey Unit website at www.canterbury. ac.uk/support/student-surveyunit/

News and Current Affairs follow us on twitter: www.twitter.com/christchurchsu

Attempting to set a spotty & dotty Guinness World Record for ‘Children in Need’ 2011 Elina Smyrniou ‘Children in Need’ is an annual British charity appeal featuring the much loved mascot, Pudsey Bear. The charity appeal itself is one of three high-profile British telethons and the money collected goes towards organisations supporting children in the UK aged 18 and under who have mental, physical or sensory disorders or those who are

going through rough times in their lives. This year, Christ Church Students’ Union exceeded in supporting them and not only raised £1526.90 but also attempted to break a Guinness World Record! Our inventive Sabbatical Officers organised two great events, the first being a ‘School Assembly Night’ organised by the SU, taking place on Wednesday 16th November where all

students were encouraged to get back to their high school days through great activities and dressing in old school uniforms. Rover, our union mascot, was photographed playing table tennis and singing the appropriate hymn, ‘Living on Prayer’. All this raised a good deal of money for charity, and Rover had a blast. An all-day event hosted more activities for both students and the local community, including the visit of former Lord Mayor of Canterbury, Cllr Pat Todd. Doughnuts and cupcakes were sold, faces painted, and more money was raised. Perhaps the biggest event of the day was the attempt of a new Guinness World Record; the highest number of people wearing spots. On Friday 18th November students, lecturers and staff met in front of the Student Union wearing ‘Pudsey Spots’. A photo was taken, by Kentish

Anca Popescu, Vice-President (Student Activities) and former Lord Mayor of Canterbury, Cllr Pat Todd

Gazette and is now pending to be approved by the Guinness World Records! In the evening a pyjama themed ‘Canterbury’s Got Talent’ commenced where competitors, judges, and the audience showed up wearing pyjamas to show support for ‘Children in Need’. The night was a great success and Christ Church students

showed a great sense of community, resulting in raising the astonishing amount of £1526.90! The aim to help underprivileged children across the UK in having a safe, happy and secure childhood has taken a step forward with the incredible contribution of the Students’ Union and all the participants!

Who runs the world? ... Girls, of course! Elina Smyrniou ‘As the Women’s Officer of the SU, it is part of my role to promote awareness on Women’s Rights and I will therefore attempt to do so through articles and other activities.’ Is Patriarchy over? Historically, the male has always been the dominant figure in social hierarchy. In fact, the patriarchal society disqualified women of rights and status, rendering them legally unrecognised and unable to make decisions. In today’s society, the law has progressed; gaining women multiple rights, but it is still in question whether these rights equate to a fair treatment of women. The fact that women were not considered as active

members of society meant that men were the ones who controlled most, if not all, areas of society. Effectively, the laws and regulations of formal and informal conditions were shaped in a way that could benefit mainly men, as they were the ones making the changes. This applies to the various day to day institutions it affected, including education, politics, religion and the domestic routine. Consequently, the two genders had to fulfil the expectations of society by conforming to the roles created for them, meaning women had to abide to society’s predetermined roll of mother, or housewife, rather than something more ambitious. However, this changed after the victory of the ‘women’s suffrage’ movement, which granted women the right to vote, and subsequently allowed them to integrate more within society. Once they

gained these rights, women started using their abilities to reach men in areas such as the workplace, the political environment and generally all the areas that they were deprived of before. Unfortunately, women acquiring rights was not enough to bring full gender equality within society, due to the traditional prejudice of seeing women as less able than men. In addition, the nature of women and their physical structure often brings about the question of whether they can perform as well as men. This is a question too big to answer here, but the focus of the following articles will fall on the nature of gender discrimination in today’s society. For instance, the rates of employment which are distinctively lower for women who are around the ‘maternal age’ indicates that a woman

is discriminated against in her capacity to become a mother, but not necessarily for wanting to become one.It is important to note that gender discrimination does not necessarily depend upon the laws which are enforced within a country or a community. It rests more on general attitudes towards others and the realisation that differences don’t need to be

damaging. Effectively, women can achieve as much as men if they are given the chance. Thus, having briefly discussed the historical transformation of the society and its rooted traditional views, the following articles will analyse discrimination in contemporary statistics, viewpoints on gender equality and the works of successful women.

News and Current Affairs

CCCU Diagnostic Radiography graduate receives National UK Student Radiographer of the Year Hilary Rose graduated with a first class BSc (Hons) degree in Diagnostic Radiography in May 2011. The academic staff unanimously chose Hilary as a worthy recipient of the Agfa Healthcare Student of the Year Prize which was presented to her by the Dean of Health and Social Care, Hazel Colyer at the graduation event. She was chosen as a worthy candidate

as she also demonstrated a true commitment both to the profession, the teaching and to her cohort. She won the Society and College of Radiographers (SCoR) “Diagnostic Student of the Year” award after demonstrating extreme dedication to her studies. This award was presented to her

at a prestigious event hosted by the SCoR at the “House of Commons” on the 8th of November. During her degree course, Hilary required major hip surgery leading to a hip replacement. Despite being in pain prior to her surgery, she did not miss any placements, maintaining her usual high standards and managed her post operative rehabilitation around her studies. Previously employed by the English Institute of Sport for Elite Athletes, Hilary has coached various sports teams. She supported the hockey team at the Beijing Olympics and continues to coach the Olympic women’s hockey team. Hilary undertook her 3rd year dissertation study investigating the use of MRI and ultrasound for rotator cuff injuries. She was keen to research sporting injuries and how best to diagnose these to be able to aid and support

athletes. Hilary loved the clinical aspects of her training, with very positive patient feedback and excellent interaction with clinical staff and students. As she progressed Hilary became a role model and mentor to junior students. She has developed into a well-rounded professional radiographer. Her maturity and familiarity with dealing with members of the public meant that she was able to empathise with patients and put them at their ease. Hilary’s clinical mentor said she certainly deserved her first class degree. She commented that she knew that Hilary would have no trouble finding a job in radiography, despite the numerous competition and austere times of the NHS. Her hardworking and generous nature makes her an asset to any department. Although Hilary was a student in training,

her mentor believed many of the staff also learnt from her. Hilary was the cohort rep for the whole of the 3 years and was greatly admired in the way she represented and articulated her cohorts concerns. Hilary was considered by the radiography team to be an excellent student role model. She demonstrated to the team over her three years at CCCU that she was dependable, hard working and empathetic. She regularly supported and organised events for her own cohort and volunteered to support other cohorts both within the programme, the placement setting and engaging in SCoR events. Hilary is now employed at Royal Bournemouth General Hospital where she is enjoying the challenge of working in a busy friendly department and living in a beautiful part of the country.

How to become a successful entrepreneur! Tara O’Brien Inspiration is not a word used lightly for young people, but Stephan Eyeson can definitely be categorised as just that. I met up with the student who has his own online business, which has really taken off and he still is here studying for his third and final year of his Health and Psychology degree. Q: What was your motivation for starting your own business? A: To be honest, I never was really interested in going into business. I got an F for my business GCSE. My family are all business people, running their own businesses and I just thought that wasn’t for me. What happened was, I just started out to solve a problem. I used to play professional basketball and I wanted to go to America, however due to the timing of when we get our results here in England and when America need them are

quite separate. When I received my results it was too late to gain the amazing scholarship offered to me in America. This was a big blow for me and I wanted to create something which made it easier for people to get into America without having to just rely on our academic results.

friends first. However I was determined to make it work and finally through a company, Angels den, (where investors and entrepreneurs network), I met an investor who liked my idea. Through this I have learnt building close relationships with contacts is incredibly important.

I then talked to a family friend mentor who at first told me my idea wasn’t great and tried to put me off. The mentor did this to push me and I’m glad he did. When he realised I was serious, he made me read loads of industry magazines and told me to make a business plan. Through this process I taught myself a lot for example how to make and organise my own cash flow.

Q: Where do you want to go after uni? A: Next year when I complete my degree I hope to be involved in techstars. This 3 month intense programme is where, investors and experts train young entrepreneurs giving advice and helping create innovative ideas into profitable businesses.

Q: As a young person what difficulties did you face?

Q: Your business is online would you consider having a business which is not?

A: One main difficulty that I faced was investors. A lot of investors told me to wait until I finished university and just do it as a small thing with your

A: Well I would consider going into merchandising and selling but I like new business. I prefer the online side of things. Companies like

innocent smoothies inspire me; they use their office space in a completely new way. As I never intended to have a job behind a desk, I hope to have a headquarters where I include a space to play basketball with my employees. Q: What would you say to encourage other students that want to be entrepreneurs? A: Know your target market, build a network through linkedin and Twitter, experience

is as important as a degree, know your competitors Stephan is a unique individual and one which will continue to strive through the tough times and the good. His biggest motivators are, to love what he does, to have the freedom to make his own rules and most of all to have fun. Stephan’s story is one that gives us hope and as he says, “We only have about 50 years of working time left”, guess we better get started then!

Comment follow us on vimeo: www.vimeo.com/christchurchsu

Erasmus - an opportunity to see the world Gijsbert van Dalen Studying abroad is an experience you will never forget, without having a delay in your study. In most cases you can even get extra funds to do it. So why are most UK students around me not so enthusiastic about it? Not so long ago, I was at my University in The Netherlands waiting desperately for an e-mail from our International Office, hoping that I could study in the UK for a few months. I wasn’t the only student who was nervously looking at my screen. It seemed like everyone who had the chance had applied to study abroad, and were waiting for the approval

e-mail, which could arrive in our mailboxes any moment. Luckily, I got my approval and am now studying at the CCCU for the first semester. And I am really enjoying my time here. It is the whole experience of having the chance to perfect my English and meeting new people from all kinds of countries that will help me to never forget these three months. However, I am surprised about the lack of British students around me who are interested in studying abroad. It is by far not as popular as it is in the Netherlands. Some students don’t even know that the opportunity exists. Even when they do, they don’t seem very enthusiastic about it.

I guess it has something to do with the language. For me, improving my English skills really improves my career prospects. UK students only need their mother language to communicate in other countries. On account of this, I think UK students don’t feel it is really necessary to study in another country. But believe me, there are many other reasons for studying abroad. Nothing is more exciting than discovering a new country. When you are somewhere for more than three months, you actually have the time to adapt to a new culture. Also, because of the differences in the way of teaching, you will have another view on the topic that you are

Canterbury Christ Church Erasmus students visiting London

studying.

different cultural backgrounds.

Last but not least: you are part of an international community that tries to get most out of their short stay. So expect a lot of parties when you become friends with people from all over the world, from many

So think again about studying abroad. There are a lot of great countries you could go to, and it’s rather cheap. Don’t miss this opportunity, and maybe I will see you soon at my university back home!

Sustainability grows at Christ Church University Felicity Ravenwood You might not know it but all across the University staff in departments and buildings across the campuses have been signing up to become Environmental Champions, and be a driving force from the ground level up towards making the University more energy conscious and environmentally aware. This academic year, Christ Church has taken another big step towards taking responsibility for a sustainable and environmentally conscious

future for the university by employing another two members of staff dedicated to a sustainability agenda – my colleague Lucy Brown is here to manage a project called ‘Green Impact Universities’ which has teams within departments working towards a behavioural change with regards to energy use and recycling within the University. My name is Felicity Ravenwood, and I am here to give the Sustainability Champions network some dedicated time and attention, because from this year on, we want students to join the project

too! We’ll be working with the Student Union to support campaigns like Go Green Week and Fairtrade Fortnight, with National initiatives like Student Switch Off and we hope to set up a number of smaller projects across the year, fuelled by you and the things you want to see happen. Think we could be doing more to improve the green areas on the campuses? Let us know. Want those recycling bins all over campus more clearly labelled? Get in touch. Interested in learning some skillsets by project managing your own campaign? Join the team, get stuck in. If there’s enough interest, we’d like to help the Students’ Union set up a People & Planet society. Groups like this exist at over 70 colleges and universities in the UK, and they’re doing great things with it. People and Planet are behind the Green League, in which our university has now earned its 1st Class award. They are a driving force behind campaigns and projects to try and end world poverty and protect the environment. We’d like to do as much as we can, both staff and students,

to show that we too care, and want to make a difference. Throughout the rest of this term you’ll get Accommodation Environmental Champions visiting you if you’re in University accommodation to give you some advice on cutting down your food and energy bills, and how and what you can recycle. You’ll see us getting stuck in to events across the campus, working on the front line alongside you, and you’ll start to see our growing presence across the university as we kick off our projects for the year. You can always tell where we’re involved, because you’ll see our strapline across the bottom of it: EDUCATION | TRANSFORMATION | SUSTAINABILITY. We’ll be launching our own newsletter at the end of this term to keep you up to date on what

we’re doing. To join our student team and get involved, drop us an email at sustainability@ canterbury.ac.uk and look us up on Facebook (search CCCU Sustainability) and Twitter (#CCCUSCN) if you use those too. We look forward to working with you!

Comment

Anca Popescu: an ‘Awesome Vice-President’

James Dee Whenever I have made a visit to the SU I’m always sure that I’ll find Anca Popescu, Vice President (Student Activities) working hard at her desk. The day of this interview was no different, she was deeply engrossed in her emails as I arrived, but soon after she took me for a coffee to Touchdown where the interview began.

I started by asking Anca if the role of a Sabbatical was what she had expected it to be, when she ran for the role in March. ‘No. I had expected to be working a 9-5 day, but it turns out there is a lot more work to do around here.’ It would be no lie to say that Anca is extremely hard working. She puts a huge amount of effort into all the tasks she undertakes, and ensures the best possible standard is met, no matter how long it will take her. Anca also added that although the workload is greater, it is ‘extremely enjoyable, and very rewarding.’ Unified is a perfect example of her strong work ethic. Anca told me that ‘Unified is one of the most rewarding aspects of my job, but it is also hard work.’ The last Halloween edition saw Anca pulling ‘All-Nighters’

to ensure that the paper was completed on time. As students we don’t realise what work goes into the production of the SU newspaper, but Anca has shown that it is no easy task. She has decided that this year there will be more editions of the newspaper, which also adds to her workload. Anca’s role not only includes Unified, she is also the Sabb responsible for CCTV, CSR, all student societies and Raise and Give (RAG). Recently we have just had the Children in Need Friday, which was a brilliant success, no thanks to the leadership and hard work given from Anca. It is clear that in her role as VP (Student Activities), Anca is right at home. And when asked what she would like the students to remember her for, she simply said, ‘as an awesome VP, who

isn’t here for the sake of it.’ I’m sure all students will agree that Anca doesn’t need to worry; we all think she is ‘an awesome VP.’

the right choices are always made to benefit all students. Anca Popescu is an ‘Awesome Vice President’ and we should all be very proud of her.

I concluded our interview by asking Anca what advice she would give current students at CCCU. She responded: ‘Enjoy your time at uni. It is a once in a lifetime experience that only a few people get to enjoy. Take up every opportunity that is given to you, and just get involved!’ This interview has shown me that Anca is a Vice-President we can all be proud of. She is extremely hard working, making sure that every decision and choice she makes will improve the student experience. She has an overwhelming commitment to serve all students, and a determination to ensure that

Touchdown Cafe The Problem of British Snow

No has bean, just more beans! Why does snow keep shutting Britain down? Lee Soden

Kate Lismore’s article in the last Unified outlined the tremendous success of the Touchdown concept and I agree with her in respect of the problems with queues being longer than we would like, given the popularity of the facility. However, rather than Touchdown being a has been, I am pleased to say we have looked at how we can alleviate the queues to ensure more students, staff and visitors can use the main Touchdown facility. With that in mind we will be launching Touchdown II in the Senior Common Room area of Anselm in the early part of 2012. This will give the opportunity for staff, who are using the

Senior Common Room, to be offered the same range of products and importantly the same quality coffee This should alleviate the queues and also take into account the closure of the existing Students’ Union cafe and bar at the end of May 2012. I hope that this change will assist students in reducing the struggle for a caffeine pick me up and increase the opportunity for other students to use the Touchdown facility. As always, if there are any other areas that any students would like to raise in respect of facilities services, please let us know through the FM helpdesk facilities-helpdesk@canterbury. ac.uk, 01227 782325 (extn.2325), or email me Lee Soden, Director of Facilities Management.

Adam Beadle I’m writing this a month, at the earliest, before you will read this. Therefore, I don’t know if it did snow, didn’t snow, is about to snow, or is snowing. Hell, for all I know, we could be in the middle of a new ice age and not even know it. But if it did snow, I can guess what happened. Britain is known for having particular problems with just about any type of snow, judging by the fact everything annually shuts down because of it. The minute it starts snowing, all the news channels will change their headline stories from whatever social, international or financial quagmire that’s affecting the world that day to stories of school closures, grit shortages and planes being grounded. All in-between enough footage of people slipping over to make you think that Britain is now one massive episode of You’ve Been Framed. So why does this happen every year? Well, the problem seems to be thanks to whatever form of climate change we’re

experiencing, our winters are getting harsher. Think about this: When I was little and growing up in Sussex, you would be lucky to have snow last for a few hours or maybe, just maybe, a day. Once upon a time, my old secondary school never shut its doors on a snow day, even if trying to do the school run was suicidal. Now, it shuts down every time the snow arrives. That tells me that Britain, historically, isn’t prepared for this sort of thing. In the 20th century, there were seven white Christmases in London. Most people don’t think to prepare for something that has a 6% chance of happening. There is a 1 in 14 million chance of me winning the Lotto’s Jackpot, but I don’t prepare for life as a multi-billionaire.

That’s why we don’t get enough grit stored or have even enough snow ploughs. In this time of everyone from central government to town councils having to make harsh cuts, the public would moan endlessly if whatever form of government were to spend the money on something that for most of the year doesn’t get used and even then might not get used for years on end. Think about how many potholes could be filled in using that sort of money. Do you want a safe street all year round or once in a year? That’s the particular problem of British snow: No one seems prepared for it. And with a strong case for climate change going to make our winters a lot worse, I believe we are obviously going to need to, somehow, find a solution to it.

Entertainment follow us on twitter: www.twitter.com/christchurchsu

Film Review: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation Rebecca Lonergan ‘National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation’ was directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik, starring Chevy Chase, Beverly D’Angelo, Randy Quaid, Juliette Lewis and many more classic stars. This yuletide film centres around the main character Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) and his attempts to make Christmas unspoiled and perfect; but Clark’s life isn’t that simple. We are introduced to his disillusioned neighbours and dysfunctional relatives. His estranged in-laws are hard to impress and his family don’t want their goofy yet hilarious husband/father to fly off of the handle. Throughout there is mild language and gestures, however this does not take away from the films charms and genius. We first meet Clark Griswold and his family on the road; they are travelling to find the perfect “Griswold family Christmas tree” This trip has many hilarious slap stick circumstances; resulting in Clark and his family narrowly escaping death from under a log lorry! When they get home, Ellen

(Beverly D’Angelo) tells Clark that all of their family are coming to stay. This horrifies both of them because their families aren’t what you would call normal. It is when his family comes that we see that there are a few underlying troubles. Later on we are introduced to Ellen’s moronic cousin Eddie (Randy Quaid) and his white trash brood; who park their rundown camper van in Clark’s driveway. Much to Clark’s surprise Eddie plans to stay for the entirety of Christmas. Eddie’s family have financial difficulties due to their father “holding out for a management position”, so his Children do not have presents for Christmas. Clark and Ellen offer to help out, even though Clark has secretly put money down for a pool to be installed before summer because he is expecting a bonus from his boss. The film goes onto show other hilarious situations, for instance Aunt Bethany’s cat goes up in flames after eating a Christmas light, and much to Clark’s horror so does his “Griswold family Christmas tree”. He then finds a substitute in which they are attacked by a crazed squirrel. There is also

kidnapping and then the whole house is broken into by the FBI. Chevy Chase and Bethany D’Angelo’s performances cannot be faulted, their facial expressions alone are comical. Christmas Vacation is light, silly and has many funny moments. It is full of puns and hidden innuendos for adults, and amusing circumstances for children to watch and enjoy. In the end there’s a real sense of family and community which is what Christmas is really about. Although their house is now wrecked and the Christmas tree burnt down, it does not take away from their Christmas spirit.

Production year: 1989 Country: USA Runtime: 97 mins Director: Jeremiah S. Chechik Cast: Chevy Chase, Beverly D’Angelo, Juliette Lewis, Johnny Galecki, John Randolph, Doris Roberts

Rating

Gig Review: Death Cab for Cutie at the Apollo Kate Lismore Back again to tour the UK at the tail end of their May 2011 album release of ‘Codes and Keys’, many who have listened to the band’s previous albums may find this offering to be, well, happy; an odd change in direction for a band best known for its melancholic guitar riffs and thoughtful lyrics. However, it was at the Hammersmith Apollo that signs of the band’s well-loved sound returned. Playing only four songs from the new album and delving into a rich back

catalogue of old material, the audience loved it. Having read of their slightly lack lustre performance at Kent’s very own Hop Farm Festival over the summer, I was eager to see the band in action and critique them myself. I cannot profess that I was cool enough to discover Death Cab on my own. Instead, I was introduced to them through the drama filled lives of the characters in ‘The O.C’ aired back in 2003, director Josh Schwartz made the band synonymous with any woe that befell the beautiful teens, so I decided to check them out.

It seems that it was not only me who discovered Death Cab through that medium; I overheard one 16 year old in the crowd say that they had first heard “Meet me on the Equinox” a song they performed for the movie ‘New Moon’. Further pop culture kudos go to the band as they appeal to a whole new generation of music lovers by performing on the soundtrack to the second instalment of the multi-million Twilight franchise. Kicking off the night with ‘Bend for Squares’ off of their 1998 debut album the night

continued with ‘Cath..’, ‘You are a Tourist’, ‘I will Posses Your Heart’ and of course a lingering acoustic rendition of ‘I will follow you into the Dark’. The crowd warmly singing along to Ben Gibbard’s quiet, emotional voice. With news of frontman Ben splitting up with actress Zooey Deschanel (supporting actress in such films as (500) Days of Summer and Elf) it is not surprising that the band stuck to old favourites as the majority of Codes and Keys was said to be inspired by his 2010 marriage to Deschanel. Despite

the

sadness

the break up, I’m sure some diehard fans were thinking that at least this might give the band material to return to their sombre roots in their next album. Overall, a fantastic set and a crowd that loved the trip down memory lane.

Date: Wednesday

16th November 2011

Location: HMV

Hammersmith Apollo

Rating

Entertainment

The Creative Writing Society - hidden talents I’m a woman of my word And I’m more than the years that have made me All the same on black, black days I’m more of a child than a lady. But give a song and I’ll sing it, ... Lend me a heart, won’t I make it shine? Bring me the paper child of a promise That in my dreams was mine And I’d stare right through my daze And pull the indigo from under the moon, I’d stare right through the velvet twilight That makes the fools and lovers swoon. So lie with me amidst the fading blue And we’ll chain ourselves with flowers, And praise that clouds that cast us To the dungeons of their towers, And we’ll speak of silenced voices And the lands so far away ‘Til the light stalks us to whiteness, By Megan Ami Bray And I’ll wish that we could stay.

Chapter 1 Shadow’s purpose

battles against unconscious foes.

Eyes open he saw the drifting sky sway into an arc of slumber. The darkened landscape rose around him, the seeming tips of a deity’s pure white nails capping the stone grey mounds. The casting shadow of the sapphire waters glistened in resonance of the fading light. The spectral breath of the approaching night grassed the delicate emerald carpet caressing its hundred thousand tongues. Day had passed by in the moments his mind lived epic ages and fought countless

A low roar whispered across the landscape forcing a renewed alertness to the solemn figure. Lifting off of the grassy mat his eyes scanned for whatever hidden beast lay near. Pulling on his fur lined boots the young boy saw a figure watching him from the lakes edge. What’s that? He thought. His mind’s inquisitive, impetus nature charged and he began to run. The silhouette stood firm as if staring him down with some unearthly power. Being a boy, however,

She does not care for flowers...or gifts bestowed with due affection. “They are not love!” she cried. “They are a hollow, cheap reflection”. For they shall not endure the ages, beautiful though they may be. But what I write upon these pages, all eyes evermore shall see.

his life is driven by curiosity not cautiousness. Looking down he traversed the many holes cratering the ground for worry of falling in. The grass quickly turned to sand and stone under his feet. Who is that? What was that noise? Did this make that sound? Reaching the water’s edge reflected his confusion in nature’s mirror. A myriad expression of puzzles coursed through his facial muscles as he took stock of his surroundings. The figure was gone. No sign remained of the shadow’s presence in tracks, nor smell. Only the muddled musings of his mind materialised from its existence. The sky fell disappeared into the void between night and day as if a portal’s event horizon between life and rebirth. A low roar whimpered around him with echoing severity. He now saw the pack of wild beasts closing in on him. The native wolves preferred a challenge; they waited for their prey to fear them. Now they would strike. He felt the cold waters lapping at his heels as he was backed into lake. Dawns chill

sent rings of pain up his legs as they prowled ever nearer. He saw no other option. Turning on his predators he jumped into the black abyss. Years spent fishing and swimming in the lake allowed him a brief resistance to the cold, wet freedom that released him from the wolves. He turned to the surface and began to oar his arms. Legs following close behind. He was shooting for air. His face found release at the top as his mouth filled with breath calmed his lungs. The beasts stood poised on the rim cowering at the water waiting for their meal. I need to get around them. Need to scare them. How can I… A figure stole his mind’s attention. It sat upon the bottom of the lake not ten feet below him. He dove again. Eyes fastened on it he swam. The figure turned, walking into the unwater cliff as if through solid mater. He didn’t care, he followed down. Light shown below as if riding the ripples. He followed. Reaching the light he discovered a sharp upward

By Dan Fitzgerald

twist into a small cave under the land. Light spilled onto his soaked face from a lonely lantern as he crawled out of the water. The figure was gone again, but its purpose came clear. A woman’s body lay under collapsed rock, clutching a book in hand. Taken aback by the deathly image he took the bundle of paper. Turning the few undamaged pages gave little clue to its owner but spoke of a man, a ring and marriage. I have to find him. He deserves to know. Adrenaline removed the dark reality from his thoughts and left a task to be done. He removed the broken ring from her finger, held the torn book and returned into the water. Bright warmth ran to his body as if pulling him to the surface. The Sun hovered on the horizon greeting his discovery with kindness. The wolves were nowhere to be seen and he now had a quest to fulfil. Climbing onto the sand he sat in the morning air drying. “Find him!”

By Andrew Palmer

Album Review: Florence and the Machines Rhian Stone Florence and the Machine took the world by storm with their first album ‘Lungs’ in 2009 with such hits as ‘Dog days are over’ and ‘Raise it up’. I have been lucky enough to see the glamour queen of rock pop in concert and can say without a doubt that she and the rest of the band give an amazing performance. It is no understatement then to say that I, along with the rest of the world, was awaiting their second album eagerly. So what do I make of ‘Ceremonials’? Florence and the Machine have a sound that is like no other and they solidify this sound in their second

album. With heavy drum beats and howling vocals, there are elements of blues, motown, gospel, celtic melodies and folk in all of their songs. Particularly in such songs as ‘Lover to Lover’ or ‘Only if for a Night’. There is a spacey quality in Ceremonials that leans towards similar artists such as Kate Bush. However, it is Florence’s dark and romantic vocals steal the show. Songs such as ‘No light, No light’ start off slow and then builds up and up with strong powerful ballads, a range of drum beats, bells, harps, strings and keyboards enhance the climatic epic standard of this record that focuses mostly on love, unrequited, lost, powerful and all-consuming love. Some critics have branded Florence

and the Machine’s songs as ‘overly melodramatic’ and ‘superfluous’, however I have to disagree. With their range of musical influences Florence is able to reflect an area of life that is rarely delved into. Not love per-se but the raging emotional turbulence that comes with trying to find your place in the world, along-side someone you love. Tracks like ‘heartlines’ (particularly the acoustic version) are a good example of this with lyrics such as ‘and this fantasy, this fallacy, this tumbling, echoes of a city that’s long overgrown, your heart is the only place that I call home, I cannot be returned.’ Ultimately ‘Ceremonials’ is an album that is both spiritual and emotional. It is an album not

for the faint-hearted but for the arty eccentric types, those who want to become lost in clashing, colossal melodies and tribal beats. It illustrates a creative

freedom that is rarely seen in the pop world, significantly following in the wake of ‘Lungs’ and for all Florence Fans out there it will not disappoint.

Entertainment

Santa’s arrived! Pull up your sleigh and sn

Jokes ... Why did the reindeer wear sunglasses at the beach? Because he didn’t want to be recognised. What do you call a penguin in the Sahara desert? Lost. What do snowmen eat for breakfast? Snowflakes. What did the reindeer say when he saw an elf? Nothing, reindeers can’t talk. How would you scare a snowman? Get a hairdryer! Why is Christmas just like a day at the office? You do all the work and the fat guy with the suit gets all the credit. Christmas is the time when people put so many bulbs on the outside of their houses, you don’t know if they’re celebrating the birth of Jesus or General Electric.

Entertainment

nuggle up for some festive fun and games!!! Find out what your Ho-ho-horoscope will bring you this Christmas ... As a perfectionist, this Christmas you wish to cover all bases. This will make Christmas incredibly stressful for you Virgo. In order to achieve what you want you must seek outside help from others. The results may pleasantly surprise you.

Career, career, career is all you will be thinking about in the first few weeks. Slow down Pisces, you require balance in your life and the holiday season is the only way to achieve it. Get into the Christmas spirit with friends and family and you will find this stability.

Its going to be a madhouse this season Libra. Make a plan and stick to it, it will be the only way to stop those last minute holiday rushes. Keep the mistletoe handy, a new romantic opportunity will become apparent in mid-December. Remember that the new year will bring a new lease of life also.

As the Christmas season flowers, Long distance communication becomes critical. You will need to pay attention and keep these in order for success. By Christmas Day life will be at its best for you enjoy the company of those you love. Keep your heart open Aries.

Be on the lookout for new opportunities, you don’t want to miss one that will make this holiday the best yet. This year you have learned what really counts in life. It is important to remember this over the Christmas season. Stick with those you love and you won’t go wrong.

Watching the purse string this Holiday Season could pay off big for you. Gifts of a personal nature are more important than expensive ones. This year has been a learning curve for you Taurus, remember to take stock of this over the Christmas period.

The first few weeks of December will drag for you but never fear, after the 15th you will feel as if there is a new breath of life in you. You will feel great and ready to celebrate the holidays with friends and family, particularly if a special gift is involved.

December will make you realise how important your loved ones are to you. This could lead to major changes in all your relationships both platonic and romantic. Pay close attention to what has been said and you will find the others are reciprocal to your actions.

You are the life of the party this month. Everyone will want to spend time with you and will be attracted to your positive attitude and success. By keeping yourself busy you are able to get over the hard times that have affected you over the last year. Keep going Capricorn, you’ll be fine.

Slow down Cancer. You have been taking too much on. Things will happen in their own time and there is no reason to rush them. By going with the flow, you and others around you will have a much better Christmas.

Dreams will come true for you this month Aquarius. Change is on the horizon and it is for the better. Don’t however neglect the person in your life who loves you the most. They are there to teach and help you along the way to your success.

You will have a burst of creative energy this month which will come in handy for present making as money will be tight around Christmas. Use this energy well and others will respond gratefully. Remember it is the thought that counts.

Entertainment follow us on vimeo: www.vimeo.com/christchurchsu

Interview with Platform Location ... Rhian Stone ‘Eight years of experience and the passion of good old English spirit beating at their heart, that’s Platform Location for you. Their track Candlelight brings to mind flavours of the Arctic Monkeys at their most tender and stripped back, tinged with edges of the campfire troubadour. This is British rock at its most bittersweet - not afraid to get in touch with its emotions when it needs to. As the steely guitar solos crack their way around the song’s foundations, the track builds to Snow Patrol levels of emotion-tugging steadfast, reliable.’ Q: How did the band form? And how long have you been together? A: The band originally formed about 8 years ago in Chelmsford, Essex, under the name “No Added Sugar” which was originally started by Phil Twite (lead singer/guitarist) and had a different line up at the time. The band released the first debut album (which Phil says was rubbish) called “Unsung Album Of The Century”. 2008 signified the end of “No Added Sugar” and the beginning of the band “Platform Location”. Phil T, Phil Spencer and Ben Widdall met at the University of Hertfordshire. The two Phil’s lived with each other so they naturally became really good friends. It took until the last year of Uni for Ben to finally become part of the band after helping the others out with one or two of their gigs which he had to play drums on Candlelight. So the decision was made to include

me in the band since they liked my drumming and to allow Spence to play electric guitar, which automatically boosted the sound and pretty much re-created and transformed Platform Location! Q: How would you describe your sound? A: Hmmm this is a tough one…I guess you could say pop rock/alternative/acoustic. One day we will rock up and play our hearts out to a London crowd with a full band set up with the 4 of us whereas another day we will be playing a really nice acoustic version of our set with just the 3 of us (or just Phil T!) on an open mic night back in Chelmsford. We have been told we remind people of Snow Patrol and Coldplay, especially the song Candlelight. Q: What makes you different from other artists out there? A: I guess what makes us different then most other bands out there at the moment is the fact we are very spread apart from each other! Even though we met each other and formed at Uni we all now live back at home. Most people think it’s crazy and we must get nothing done but actually it works out not as bad as you would think. We mainly use a thing called ‘DropBox’ which is pretty much our hub where we put song ideas and tracks into for all of us to take out, hear and work on. So most of our work is done together in a way but form different parts of the country ha! The other thing which makes us different to most modern young bands in the industry today is the mentality we have as a band. Most bands

out there today forget about why they started as a band in the first place...for the love of music and the experience of playing your material to other people, and there is nothing better then the feeling of other people feeling connected to you through your music. The way we look at ourselves as a band is through this ethic. The one thing we would love the most about getting signed and ‘making it’ is the fact we would all be doing what we love doing together, as a family, for a living and to play live to people that care and feel connected! Q: Who/ what are your main sources of inspiration? A: If you were to ask the other guys in the band, they would instantly without a shadow of a doubt say John Mayer. Especially the two Phils. Pretty much all of their main inspiration comes from him and to be honest i never used to like him, but now after spending so much time with these guys, i can see where they are coming from! He is just an amazing guitarist and song writer! Me on the other hand, my main inspiration is Coldplay. The way they work together as a band, is like a family and the views they have towards their music and the way they connect to their fans, is just amazing. That’s what I see in us, a family that connects through music and have the thrill to put on the best show we can! Q: What do you mostly write about? A: Through the years the songs have mainly been written by Phil T since he is the brainchild behind then band

and is the only original member from the beginning. But now we have started writing songs together as a band and most of the time all the material we write are either based on life experiences we have had and about a scenario that you may have or someone else you know has been in. We like to write about things that really connect you to the music. Q: You’ve recently released a video for your single ‘Candlelight’. How does the video reflect the song? A: Aaaa yes the Candlelight video! We are really pleased with this video, it has turned out a lot better quality than we originally expected since it had pretty much no budget! And the reactions we have been getting from it and the song is just amazing! Phil T came up with this song on the spot of a gig a long time ago! He had an idea for a chorus and just decided one night to just go into it and blag it on the spot. Sounds

ridiculous but it’s the honest truth! It has gone through a lot of changes since that night and has slowly made its way into the form it is today after being changed and fiddled with quite a lot. Candlelight symbolises the fact that in some way everyone can relate to each other since deep down we are all similar but it’s just the different life experiences we each have that make us different. What the video does is it puts one scenario that most people have experienced in some way which is love, loss, hope and happiness.

... for the rest of the interview, please go online and visit: www.ccsu.co.uk/unified Soundcloud: http://soundcloud.com/ platformlocation BandCamp (Free Online ‘Candlelight EP’): http://platformlocation. bandcamp.com/

Sustainability Champion’s Network Film-Club On Thursday the 24th of November, the CCCU Sustainability team linked up with the Media, Art & Design department to bring you the launch of the SCN Film-club! We screened ‘The Pipe’ (2010), by director Risteard O Domhnaill. In this moving and inspirational documentary film, a small Irish

village takes on the might of the Shell Oil corporation. The Pipe tells the story of the community of Rossport who found themselves in conflict with Shell and the Irish Government when gas was discovered off the coast of their remote village. The hard truth is that so

long as we all remain so hungry for energy, we must continue to dig up beautiful and environmemtally sensitive areas. This is necessary in order to get finite resources out of the ground and (eventually, after lots of prosessing that itself takes much use of resources) into our cars, our lights, our

cookers and our computers… Film is a great medium for story-telling, raising awareness and generating debate, so with your help we can build an exciting space for making real change happen – both at CCCU in its own greening quest, and also ‘out there’ in

the world at large. Be part of something, and join us whilst having fun! Get in touch with us at sustainability@canterbury. ac.uk if you are interested in helping out with future screenings, or if perhaps you want to suggest a film.

Entertainment

Game Review: Stronghold 2 Sam Eskenazi As Christmas is coming up, what better games to review other than those released for the holidays such as the torrent of AAA games in November. Unfortunately, being a student, I was too skint to even afford one of these games. Assassin’s Creed: Revelations, Stronghold 3, TESV: Skyrim; not a one could I get with the money I have.

So, instead, I’m going to briefly review Stronghold 2, a game a few years old that is awesome in its own right; maybe its successor will be even grander! But, I wouldn’t know. Student.

Stronghold 2 is a medieval castle-building sim, with the chief goal of killing the enemy lord. The single player game is quite silly; a plot centred on restoring the monarch chased out of England, and you becoming the eventual Knight

Champion of a Britain in the times of the Viking invasion. It’s a pretty standard RTS in the sense of gather resources, get soldiers, kill things, gather more resources, but it incredibly addicting to mix and match your forces to a particular army composition; building your walls so that they protect every last little bit, with an inner wall in case of a breach, and a backup of Swordsmen in case... yeah, you get the idea. I was pretty addicted in my days, I’ll admit. The campaign is funny, interesting and actually damned difficult in places, taxing you to your utter limits as to where you should fire that oh so important catapult in campaign levels where you only get a fixed amount of troops. Unfortunately, once you leave the main campaign there isn’t really much to do. The skirmish games are inherently flawed in that they assign arbitrary limits on your construction and recruitment which require levelling up. The enemies are on the same

system, except they will not level up. They will continue to use the same preset troops and castle patterns that they’ve been coded to use, leaving the entire Skirmish AI appallingly predictable and utterly futile. The multiplayer is quite laughable in its bug-riddled state; it’s impossible to play a LAN game for more than 10 minutes without a crash, and more far-reaching matches just fall short of the competitive quality that similar RTS games

like Warcraft 3 provide. This is a game that was great in its time, as well as bringing new things to the illustrious table of PC RTSs. However, despite the shiny new graphics over the first iteration and new things to play with (like torturing your villagers because you’re a sadistic person), the game leaves so much to desire. That’s why I can’t wait to actually afford the most recent addition and send endless Spearmen to their deaths.

Tech Review: Samsung Galaxy S2 be patient with the keyboard especially if you have larger fingers like me, but once you text everyone on your contact list bragging about your sexy new phone, you will get used to it.

Ashley Pearson Getting that new gadget for Christmas is important when you are a fan of technology, and with all these new additions to the tech world, it can be hard to find what is best for you to unwrap on that special day. So, it is my duty to provide you with my choice for this winter. Whilst you are wrapped up warm round the Christmas tree, be sure to have a Samsung Galaxy S2 to unwrap to make it a perfect Christmas. This phone has pretty much everything you could ask for from a mobile device. A super large screen so you can show off those pictures of your girlfriend to people at the other end of the room. It’s also nice and bright so

everything looks so beautiful and you can’t help but rub your fingers all over the smooth screen to send those texts and play those fun little games.

there. The games are great fun, and I personally recommend Fruit Ninja to truly benefit from the colours and response of the 4.3 inch screen.

Speaking of games, this device pretty much has it all with the Android App Market. If you want a game, it will likely be on

Call quality is amazing, and texting on the touch screen keyboard is very quick once you get used to it. You may need to

Facebook is a big part of anyone’s mobile life these days, and the Android App for this is great. You will find yourself able to take a quick picture, and upload it to your profile straight away and share with all your friends, as well as benefit from all features of the Facebook website on your phone. That is excluding the Facebook Games by Zynga of course. No more Farmville for you (trust me, it’s a good thing). With regards to the camera it’s a super snazzy 8 megapixel one, with the ability to record in HD 1080p as well, which is perfect for grabbing some video footage of your friend trying to

do “planking” on the top of a bus and falling off. It will prove to be a great YouTube hit! The Homescreen is responsive. You can add shortcuts to your apps on a number of pages which you can scroll through, or you can add widgets, such as the latest headlines from BBC News. Whatever takes your fancy, you will be able to find it in the Android Market. Overall, this is an amazing device. It’s super fast, super large, and super light. If you want a mobile, and don’t want to splash out on the iPhone which is proven to be not as good as this phone in a variety of ways, then you know what to do! Get online and find yourself a good contract deal, because on a student loan, I don’t think buying it outright for £500 will be the best thing to do!

Features and Lifestyle follow us on vimeo: www.vimeo.com/christchurchsu

It’s A Boy-Girl Thing!

The androgynous trend - add a hint of masculine sophistication to your wardrobe this winter. ambiguity to your wardrobe. For inspiration look to this year’s Autumn/Winter shows which brought another round of man inspired outfits from several designers: Michael Kors with sharp tailored pant-suits, Jaeger with houndstooth, wide legged trousers and chunky knits and Jason Wu with wool coats, stylish blazers and high collared blouses.

Claire Miller This winter, man up and introduce a hint of androgynous

Marlene Dietrich, the 1930’s Hollywood starlet, was one of the first women in popular culture to add a male touch to her wardrobe. She regularly donned tailored suits accessorizing with hats and ties. Dietrich proved that introducing a manly element to

your wardrobe doesn’t mean losing femininity. With her golden curls and red lips she managed to maintain elegance and glamour but with a factor of intrigue brought by the smart tailoring. Masculinity in women’s fashion has been used by designers and high-street brands for decades, whatever the occasion, casual or formal; this trend can fit the brief. Possibly the most well-known take on androgyny is Yves Saint Laurent’s ‘Le Smoking’ which “empowered woman” and revolutionized women’s fashion in the 60s. In Laurent’s own words “le smoking is an indispensable garment... because it is about style, not

fashion. Fashions come and go, but style is forever.” Yves Saint Laurent has regularly reused the tuxedo in his designs,, often developing and reinventing the classic outfit.

The British fashion icon, who is known for her distinctively personal and modern style, has been seen wearing a smart Philip Lim tuxedo on the red

Androgyny isn’t confined to the catwalk; it’s also popular on the red carpet and in the windows of high-street stores. The look can be achieved at any price range with a crisp white shirt; pair of fitted or wide leg trousers, tuxedo style blazer and stilettos and for an extra hint of Hollywood glamour opt for a deep red lipstick. The masculine trend doesn’t necessarily need to be formal; television presenter Alexa Chung often demonstrates just how versatile it can be.

carpet but is also often caught in brogues, baggy knits and blazers. This look can easily be incorporated into your winter wardrobe and as well as being on trend it’s also ideal for the winter months. Winter is all about layering so find inspiration from Paul Smith’s Autumn/Winter 2011 collection and layer on the boyishness. An oversized knitted jumper, tailored blazer or tweed coat will hit the criteria and keep you warm throughout winter. If a budget is your main concern, prowl the second hand stores, vintage markets and online auctions in search for oversized knits that will beat high street prices.

Tweed Coat £85, Topshop. Blouse, £14.99, Chunky Knit Jumper, £19.99 and Bag, £14.99, H&M. Tassel Loafers, £14.99, New Look (10% student discount at Topshop & New Look)

Whatever style you choose you won’t have to look far to find something to bring this trend to your wardrobe.

... for more information about this winter’s fashion, please go online and visit: www. ccsu.co.uk/unified Tweed Coat £85, Topshop. Blouse, £14.99, Chunky Knit Jumper, £19.99 and Bag, £14.99, H&M. Tassel Loafers, £14.99, New Look (10% student discount at Topshop & New Look)

Features and Lifestyle

Review of a Fashion Blog – Girl with Curves Rhian Stone In a skinny centric world, there are so few fashion blogs like Tanesha Awasthi’s ‘Girl with Curves’. The title, ultimately, says it all. She is a stunning woman, 5’10 with curves to

make Marilyn Monroe blush. What I found attractive about the blog was not so much the clothes she wears (although of course that is an important quality for any fashionista) but because she truly is a real woman, with lumps and bumps and bad hair days. She doesn’t talk about size, she talks about shape as she argues that size is just a number and ‘we’re all shaped differently’. One of the most refreshing aspects of the blog is that she is completely honest. She states that it is important to dress your body according to your shape to make you look your best and above all that ‘once we accept ourselves as we are those around us will follow suit, including the industry and society at large.’ This is perhaps the thing that I most admire about the blog.

She takes aspects of the female body that are normally seen as flaws and creates a look that will not only flatter those areas but will accept and promote them, not apologise for them. So, with that in mind, and the fact that the holiday season is upon us, what advice does she give to all us curvy girls out there to wear this season and look good? First of all, looking good whilst practically being warm is something that most of us struggle to achieve. She advises that on cold, winter days comfort and warmth can be attainable whilst looking good. In several outfit ideas she opts for a simple black knitted poncho, overlapping a white long sleeved sweater (white and black is a key look this season) with dark jeans and brown calflength heeled boots. It is the accessory of a brown leather

and suede handbag that really completes the outfit and makes it a perfect ensemble to wear to any casual occasion, whether you are shopping in town with friends, or attending a lecture. But what about evening wear? Christmas is, for many of us, a time of celebration and the glitz and glamour of partying. How can we achieve this look whilst celebrating our curves? The answer is a simple LBD (little black dress) and a glamorous winter coat. Here Tanesha wears a tight fitting black dress with a plunging neckline to accentuate her natural curves. The dress is a sophisticated take on 40s and 50s glamour, and by ending just above the knees it hides any areas those less confident may wish to cover up. The coat with a faux-fur trim is really the staple piece of the outfit, adding a touch of

colour and allure to the entire outfit. Combined with vintage accessories, it is a staple outfit for all curvy girls out there. To find out more about Tanesha’s blog please check out her website on www. girlwithcurves.tumblr.com. Merry Christmas and happy shopping, you will all look fabulous no matter your shape, height or size!

Christmas Craft Tutorial

How to create hand-made love heart decorations in easy steps for your Christmas presents. can then use a simple blanket stitch.

Rebecca Lonergan What better present than a handmade gift for loved ones. Not only does it cut down costs for Christmas, it also allows you to explore your creative side. These love heart decorations are fun and simple to make. Choosing your material is key, you can coordinate your fabric with the ribbon and buttons that you use. You can match the colours of a room or copy traditional Christmas colours e.g. gold, red, green, cream and silver. There are some fun and quirky shops that sell fabrics in Canterbury; ‘The Sewing shop’ situated on Sun Street and ‘C&H Fabrics Ltd’ on St. Georges Parade. What you will need: Scissors, pins, pack of needles, thread, felt, fabrics, thin ribbon, buttons, decoration filling. 1. Firstly you need a stencil for the fabric: here is a link which will help

5. Once the bow is attached, sew a little button of your choice in the centre of the ribbon where the bow joins up.

make sure they are back to back, so that the decoration can’t be seen. With a simple yet tight stitch, start to sew where the lines were made earlier. Do not sew all the way around as you will need to fill it with stuffing. Leave about an inch to fill the heart with, preferably have the hole at the bottom of the heart, as it will be less noticeable there.

6. Next step is to put this all together. Taking the two pieces of fabric from earlier,

7. Turn the heart back inside out and make sure it is the shape you would like it.

4. After the little heart is sewn on, make a bow out of your ribbon, then sew the bow into the centre of the little heart.

create your template http:// www.stephanieboon.co.uk/ narrativeself/index.php/howto-design-and-draw-yourown-heart-template/. 2. Once you have your heart template, draw it out on the back of your piece of fabric then cut around the heart, cut about a centimetre away from the line around the heart. Create two of these, that way they can be sewn together to fill in later. 3. Now it is time for the decoration, I decided to put a heart within a heart. So I created a smaller template and sewed felt in the middle of the fabric heart. Felt is great because it does not fray, you

Now put the filling in the hole, put in as much as you wish. 8. Now you have to sew the hole up, this takes a lot of care because it has to be unnoticeable. Pinch the fabric and carefully sew the two pieces together. 9. Now you have your very own decoration. All you need now is a little bit of Ribbon sewn onto the top of so you can hang it on your Christmas tree.

Features and Lifestyle follow us on twitter: www.twitter.com/christchurchsu

How to have a thrifty Christmas ... Claire Miller Living on a student budget can be difficult, particularly by the end of the first term; finances are low, heating bills are high and Christmas shopping has begun. It is all too easy for the stereotype diet of value beans and 16p noodles to become a reality so it’s important to have a few money saving tricks up your sleeve to ensure you’re not left penniless during the festive season. For me shopping for gifts has always been one of the many highlights of Christmas, I love being able to splurge without the guilt, however on a student budget it seems less festive and fun. Luckily, there are a number of ways to effectively save or even make money from

your seasonal shopping. A simple, but effective idea is to arrange a Secret Santa; get together with friends and pick each others names out of a bowl. It is a fun way to ensure that everyone gets a gift without spending a fortune, make sure you agree on a price limit, that way everyone receives a gift of similar value. Making gifts is a great way to save money and have some fun, if you enjoy being creative and have a bit of time to spare there are plenty of simple gifts that you can make. The idea of making gifts may seem a little daunting but you don’t have to be Martha Stewart to get crafty. Something as simple as a jam jar can be the foundations of a fantastic ‘upcycled’ gift,

if you are a brilliant baker, dry cookie mix layered in a jar with a fabric jar topper, pretty ribbon and handwritten tagged instructions makes for an unique and personal present. If you do your Christmas shopping online, cashback services can be a great idea. All you have to do is sign up to a cashback website such as cashback.co.uk or quidco. com and you can make a small percentage of what you spent back when you shop on certain websites. On cashback.co.uk you receive your cash when your balances reaches £50. Offers include: 6.25% cashback from H. Samuel and up to 4% cashback from Play.com which are both popular stores for Christmas gifts. I have found

that being prepared is also a great way to save; buying cards and wrapping paper after Christmas can knock 75% off the cost, plus it prepares you for next Christmas and bagging a bargain is always a bonus. Keeping to your budget whilst

trying to find ‘the perfect gift’ for everyone on your Christmas list can be difficult. But by following some thrifty guidelines you can effectively save money. Good luck with your bargain shopping and have a great Christmas!

The Vegetarian Debate – To be or not to be? hypocrisy which has made me question my meat eating habits but also the issue of the ethical treatment of the animals we consume. I have, time and again, traumatised myself with various animal welfare campaign footage of animals being mistreated before and during slaughter, and as a result I have sworn off pork altogether. Cutting out one type of meat is not very difficult but cutting out all meat most definitely is, especially if, like me, you were raised a carnivore. However, a little bit of research may just persuade even the most enthusiastic meat eater.

Lauren Miller To be vegetarian or not to be vegetarian? That is the question. Now far be it for me to take Hamlet’s cry of desperation and trivialise it however, the issue of becoming vegetarian or vegan may not simply be a trivial lifestyle

choice any longer. I absolutely love animals and the issue of vegetarianism has been one which has bugged me for some time. As I have bitten into a big juicy beef burger or tucked into various animals for Sunday roast my own sense of hypocrisy has not escaped me. I love animals yet I choose to eat them. It is not only this

Our planet is vastly over populated, 6.5% of all the people who have ever lived are alive today; that is a staggering statistic. The overall population of the world is currently estimated to be roughly 7 billion and according to the National Geographic special population series this number is set to rise to 9 billion by 2045. One of the major threats to mankind’s survival (aside from nuclear war) is starvation. We simply do not have the

resources to feed the world (thanks for trying anyway Bob Geldof). Some advocates of a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle posit that if instead of grazing livestock we grew more crops such as soy there would be significantly less starvation in the world. Of course, just going veggie is not going to solve the problems of over population over night, however, it could help; in fact it may even decrease global warming. Global warming experts say that the methane produced by cattle contributes more to greenhouse gases than all the cars in the world. If all that does not convince you, then how about cutting

out red meat for your heart as studies have shown that vegetarians are less likely to die of heart disease than meateaters. I personally am setting myself the goal to be fully vegetarian by New Year; I have tried it before... and failed miserably but this time I will make it stick. So why not follow in the footsteps of Sir Paul McCartney and say no to meat? After all it might just help save the planet! And if not that then while I watch my loved ones tuck into their turkey, gammon, lamb, beef etc. this Christmas, I may feel a slight mouth-watering envy as I munch on nut roast but I can also take a smug pleasure in the fact that I am not tucking into Babe.

Features and Lifestyle

Christmas Delight: Sugar Cookies Olivia Elia Ever see an episode of The Simpsons where the kids get individualised Christmas cookies? Christmas trees for the girls and bloody daggers for the boys? From that, I decided that I needed to make them. You are only limited in terms of shapes and icing by your imagination! You will need: • ½ cup of butter • 4 eggs • 2 cups of white sugar • 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract • 1 teaspoon of salt • 2 teatspoons of baking powder • 5 cups of flour

1. Firstly you need to mix together the butter and sugar until it has a creamy sort texture.

it slightly thinner if you want to make a few more cookies. I personally like thick dough cookies though.

2. The stir in the eggs and vanilla extract.

7. Using cookie cutters cut the dough into shapes and place on a baking tray. Normally when I make them for Christmas I use, Christmas tree, star and holly cutters. However a simple circle works just as well.

3. Add the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix together so that you have a soft batterlike mix. 4. You now need to leave the mix in the fridge for at least an hour, although it can be left overnight. 5. Just before you take the dough out of the fridge, pre heat the oven to 200 degr C. 6. Roll out the dough so that it is ½ inch thick, you can do

8. Cook them for 5-8 minutes, depending on how soft you want them. I find a little softer is better as they tend to harden once they cool. 9. Once they have cooled down, decorate them with either a light dusting of icing sugar or use coloured icing to decorate them. A nice sugar

dusting works best for stars, while I like to add some green

and red colouring to the trees and holly.

Homemade hot chocolate Advertisment space

for Christmas snuggles Olivia Elia This is my all time favourite drink on a cold winter night; it’s perfect for a night in watching TV or a few films. You can guarantee that anytime me and my boyfriend sit down on the sofa he will whine for me to make this: incidentally, he once attempted to make it himself and had an interesting idea to put some raspberry flavoured chocolate in it as well. Not my kind of thing, but if it works for you! It only takes 10 minutes to make and has double the taste of instant hot chocolate. You will need: • Dark Chocolate 75g • White Chocolate 75g • Milk Chocolate 150g • Milk 2 cups • Vanilla Extract 2 tsp • Sugar 2/3 tsp (depends how sweet you want to make it) • Marshmallows 1. Firstly measure out 2 cups of milk; I normally do this in the cup I will be using to drink it so that I get a full cup of hot chocolate. Pour the milk into a saucepan. Remember to put a

little bit more than a full cup for each, so you can top it up! 2. Break all the chocolate up into small squares and add it to the saucepan. Don’t worry if there are still a few large pieces of chocolate they will just take a little longer to melt. 3. Turn on the heat and stir for a while until the chocolate starts to melt and the milk turns brown. 4. Stir in the vanilla extract and the sugar. 5. At this point I would taste a spoon full to make sure it is

sweet enough, feel free to add as much sugar as you want. I try to limit it to 3 tsp in a lame attempt at being healthy. 6. Leave it to cook for a few more minutes, before taking off the heat and stirring. 7. Pour it in to cup and add the marshmallows to the top. You could also add whipped cream and a flake if you have them. Once you have tried homemade hot chocolate the instant stuff will never taste the same again. And you can trust me on that.

Christmas Creative Writing Anthology A collection of tales and poetry based upon this festive time of year. Pick up a copy from the Laud Bookshop counter. Each booklet is free though any money donated would be greatly appreciated (donation tins next to anthologies). All proceeds will be donated towards the `TIME OUT` charity to buy presents for unprivileged people around Canterbury over Christmas. Happy Holidays!

Master PandR’s Art Competition Attention Artists and Photographers! I’m running an art contest on my YouTube channel. The contest has no restriction on artistic method; you could do a water colour, acrylic, take a photo (editing allowed), create something using any method you can think of with the theme ‘Fantasy’, as long as it is AN ORIGINAL PIECE. Entries will be posted on DeviantArt where online users can vote; once a short list has been made the remaining images will be judged and the winner will be showcased on my facebook page, DA page and YouTube channel. E-mail your pieces to MasterPandR@hotmail. co.uk with the subject “Art Contest 2011”. Closing date is the 31st December 2011. The winner gets £10 and bragging rights. Good luck and I hope to see some great pieces.

Sports and Societies follow us on vimeo: www.vimeo.com/christchurchsu

Confessions of an International Rugby Player Leith Salha ... story continued

... last minute prep our coach and captain gave us our talk, as they were talking it dawned on us that we were good enough to win this game, we had the best back line in the competition and some very experienced forwards that could do their jobs very well. Our captain then led us out for the national anthem, as we stood there singing I had never

felt so proud. The game kicked off and although I don’t remember much it was evident that both teams had played good hard hitting rugby. Despite the great effort me and the boys put in we ended up losing the game. Looking back we had let ourselves slip and our discipline lacked control and Qatar took full advantage of this to put the game out of reach.

disappointment however was short lived because wining is not everything, I had the most

amazing time and I met some quality rugby players who I can proudly call my teammates.

Plus I get to brag about playing international rugby even if it is a small country.

I would be lying if I said that I was not disappointed, I never like to lose. The

The hidden truth Society round-up so far behind ‘Hide & Seek’ Tom Rugg ... story continued

... Biggie Smalls departed this life is believed to be a falsification, instead it is supposed that they were merely involved in a game of hide and seek, if this happens to be factual Elvis would obtain Wally’s world championship title, being ahead by ten years. Recently People have begun to question whether or not hide and seekers’ salaries are well justified leading some to suggest the sport has lost its

Dennison Packer Every week our Societies are doing something new, whether it’s putting on a performance, entering a competition or simply having a get together or a social! As your Christ Church Student’s Union Societies Officer, I will be updating you all on what’s happening within the Societies Federation (SocFed) of our Student Body within each edition of Unified this year. Dance Society Last Wednesday the Dance Society put on a show in the Student’s Union raising money for charity which was very successful! They showcased 5 different dances that they’ve all been working on this term,

meaning. With professional hide and seekers attracting rewards of £20 in prize money accusations of the sport becoming too commercialised are inevitable. But we must not lose sight of this internationally beloved sport real meaning, to reveal the concealed. The public consciousness of the sport is bigger than ever, a recent survey has estimated 62.3% of the world’s population would partake in hide and seek during a zombie apocalypse or alien invasion. I urge you to grab a friend, count to ten and begin a search for the unknown, you’ll be the better for it. Let the hiding begin! with genres including Hip-Hop, Street Dance and a few more! The Society is also keen to announce they will be competing against UKC Dance Society on Saturday 3rd December! The scoring works by the volume of the audiences cheer, needless to say they need your support! This will also be a prime opportunity to see what they are up against in terms of preparation for Varsity 2012. The competition will be held at UKC, so they already have the upper hand! I implore all of you to get in touch and go along to show your support! Drama Society The Drama Society are currently rehearsing for an up and coming horror themed show called ‘Phantasmagoria’.

The show has been written by their own writers, with the performance itself consisting of three different stories. Performances will be on the 3rd and 4th of December. Come along! Labour Society The Labour Society have been busy lately getting involved in local political events. On the 12th October David Milliband came to Kent and the Society got the chance to meet him, do some active campaigning in Canterbury and have a private reception in the evening with Milliband and KLS (Kent Labour Students) up at UKC. As well as this, the Labour Society has been regularly attending various talks, delivered by Gareth Thomas MP, Peter Skinner MEP and Richard Angell. The Society also has a talk coming up from our very own Martin Watts, of our Politics Department, on “The History of the Labour Movement and its many roots”. Video Gaming Society Our Video Gaming Society has been developing recently with plans in the works for a TeamSpeak server and also a dedicated gaming server. The society regularly holds their own tournaments and LAN parties for fun on multiple platforms weekly and is always looking for keen new members. They would also like to announce that they are attending a Street Fighter tournament on a local cinema screen soon and implore you to

come along! The entry is only £3 and this goes to charity! Still not convinced? The top prize is a games console! If you would like to get involved you can find the society on Facebook, just search the group name ‘CCCU Video Gaming Society’. Good luck! LGBT Society The LGBT Society have confirmed that they will be attending Student Pride in Brighton on February 25th (Date TBC) of next year which

they are currently in the process of organising. They plan to arrange transport and accommodation to the city of Brighton & Hove to make it a full weekend away! Also coming up is a Gay Pride Night in December being held a local pub in Canterbury, all are invited! Last but not least, the Society are looking for a Political Campaigner to join the committee! If this sounds like you, get in touch!

Sports and Societies

Lacrosse - isn’t that the game with the weird sticks?

Alex Nicoll gives Unified the inside gossip from Men’s Lacrosse and their updates is only going to get bigger.

Alex Nicoll Everyone has seen lacrosse at some point, whether it’s that sport on American Pie or in the new series of Teen Wolf, maybe you have just seen some guys walking around University with their sticks. How ever you may have seen it, lacrosse is a sport that is on the rise in England, and with the world championships having taken place in Manchester last year it

With the rise of the sport there may be many misconceptions of the game. Isn’t it a womens sport? Haven’t I seen the girls from the Kings School walking around with their pink lacrosse sticks? Well yes you may have very well seen this, but that image could not be any further from the mens side of the game. There are 3 different variations of lacrosse (mens, womens and mixed), but only mens lacrosse has

extreme bodily contact. The men’s game can be very violent with full takeouts being an ever constant threat to players, with it never being pleasant to be slashed with a metal pole time and time again. There are rules of course, but with the only real penalty being sent off for 1 minute it’s more likely than not you’re going to find yourself bruised and battered after a game! Helmets, shoulder pads, gloves and arm guards are therefore all requirements to any player, in order to protect against the many possibilities of an injury. So what about your University lacrosse team? Well Canterbury Christ Church lacrosse has been going on now for seven years and like any sport the team has made an impact to Christ Church with its fixture nights and ever constant support for the Student Union. The team has also had the privilege over the years of gaining awards such as team

of the year and the Varsity award at the Sports Federation dinner. As well as playing games, socials take place every Wednesday where you can find the lads putting away a lot of beverages. It’s always a good laugh with more than a few drunken stories emerging. Christ Church Lacrosse play in two leagues, the first is the standard BUCs that all of the university teams’ play for, the second is SEMLA Division 2 (South England Mens Lacrosse Association). Having been promoted last year the team has had to contend with big Saturday teams like Oxford and London. The SEMLA league also gives the team the opportunity to play in the flags competition which is a fancy term for a cup. This means that Canterbury could be playing anyone in the southern leagues. Last year we drew Aberystwyth, thank goodness it wasn’t away! So if you fancy a change from

the monopoly of normal life and want to join a club with more going on than a bear that has just discovered a bee hive then you can come down to training or socials to see what’s happening. Everyone is welcome and no previous experience is required. Training: Polo Farm – 6 O’clock (meet at the SU on Thursdays). Socials: Penny Theatre – Start from Half 7 on Wednesdays. If you would like to contact the team you can call or text the president Steven Riley on 07584076767.

Do you know what INTO Lacrosse actually is? some even arrive in tutus and neon tights to help keep it fun and casual. INTO Lacrosse will also be offered as a Try sport option by the university in your second term, so if it’s something you like the sound of and want to give it a go please get in touch with the sports centre or contact your INTO Lacrosse organisers - Eoin Baldock and Lauren Jordan on imb11@

Joey Burnett INTO Lacrosse is a new participation initiative which has arrived at Christ Church University and is delivered by the English Lacrosse Association. It is a chance for anybody who has never played lacrosse but would like to give it a go in a very casual manner to come and play. We supply sticks, balls, goals and everything else you will need, in fact all you have to bring is yourself and an optional bottle of water. The INTO game we play is non-contact and is played by both men and

women. The idea is to have fun, do some physical activity and to do it with a lacrosse stick in your hand. INTO Lacrosse is being delivered at a large number of universities across the country and is taking off in a big way. Students currently account for the majority of the sports new intake and that is something English Lacrosse is looking to push further and develop. Sessions usually start with some fun games to get people relaxed and involved, then slowly move onto more

games revolving around basic lacrosse skills. Once this is done we always finish up with a tournament allowing you to test out the new skills you have learnt. We run regular sessions which people with no experience in lacrosse are able to attend as casually as they like. Surprisingly this also suits the experienced players that turn up. The whole session is based around playing sport and having fun whilst doing it,

canterbury.ac.uk. If you like the idea of trying something new but can’t offer the commitment playing in a BUCS team requires or if you simply wish to meet new people and casually play some sport, want to know what this is all about, whatever the reason please do come along to the INTO sessions and have some fun. You can also find us on Facebook and Twitter.

Sports and Societies follow us on twitter: www.twitter.com/christchurchsu

Hide and Seek

The Hidden Truth behind the World’s Most Loved Sport Tom Rugg For centuries hide and seek has been at the forefront of sporting events, with its unpredictability and eventual cohesion it has a place in everyone’s heart. An activity that is soon to become Uzbekistan’s national sport hide and seek begun with humble beginnings, first played in ancient Britain circa 3000 BC to 2000 BC. Shrouded in mystery, Stone Henge’s function is often deliberated. However the debate is soon to be over, a new interpretation has been presented, and archaeologists now believe the iconic stone monument was constructed in an attempt to create additional hiding places for the ancient inhabitants of England. Hide and Seeks historical significance does not end there, it existence is well documented in Greece,

Also in Unified Sport this issue... Page 18 ... DENNISON SAYS IT!

Dennison Packer tells us what the societies have been up to this term where it quickly become an Olympic event eventually being discontinued; hiding in bushes and trees unclothed was becoming increasingly uncomfortable. The longest recorded hide and seek was 47 years by means of the hider being concealed within a rhino stomach, the game would have lasted longer had the rhino not had a serious bout of diarrhoea. The current World Champion, Wally, is yet

to be found. With the dress sense of a barber pole, he would seemingly be easy to find but Wally defies all odds being secreted since 1987. In recent years University students have idolized Wally’s ability to hide and try to incorporate his skills when assignment deadlines transpire. Several conspiracy theories have developed around the the idea that Elvis, 2Pac and ...

Page 19 ... LACROSSE IS BACK! Lacrosse inside-out from our Sports and Societies, Alex Nicoll Lacrosse - the sport that’s becoming more and more popular worldwide

... story continues on page 16 ...

Page 18 ...

International Rugby Player

PHANTASMAGORIA

Leith Salha tells Unified how he started playing for Lebanon’s National Rugby Team before University Leith Salha The Lebanese rugby football union federation was formed in 2009 and the first rugby team was the Beirut Phoenician Rugby club (BPRUFC). The BPRUFC was formed in October 1995 in response to a request from the British Embassy for a rugby team to play HMS Cardiff, a Royal Navy warship that docked in Beirut for a few days in November 1995. Since then rugby union has grow and grown in Lebanon and I was lucky enough to selected for the national team. It was a hot evening in the middle of May and I was about to receive my second international cap for Lebanon. We were going to be playing Qatar in the HSBC Asian five nations final taking place in Dubai. The atmosphere in the changing room was electric, every single one of us were up for it as we were all still on a high from our win in the semi-

A round-up of the societies and their achievements so far

A new CCCU Drama Production that will blow your mind away The Drama Society is putting on yet another amazing play

Season so far ...

Alex Penn, president of Rugby, tells us what the club has done this term Alex Penn

final two days earlier. As we were kitting up the jokes were flying around the changing room but that all stopped as soon as we stepped out on to the pitch for our warm up. Every one of us switched on as we realised we had a final to win. The warm up was the same that we had been doing at every session but this one felt different, it felt like the start of one of the most important moment of my life. As I was

warming up I saw my family arrive in the crowd, and there was also an unexpected visitor, my housemates dad who lives and works in Dubai had come to watch me, this gave me an extra push because the last time he saw me play was when his sons team smash my home club, possibly one of the worst games I ever played in. I had to prove a point. As we went back to the changing room and donned our playing shirts and took care of any ... ... story continues on page 16 ...

With an extremely varied start to this season for C4 Men’s Rugby the 1st team started with a struggling pair of defeats despite a major influx of talented fresher’s to the team as well as extremely high standard, entertaining rugby. Yet in following wins for the 1st team it proved that all the team needed was time to gel and wins against proved they were back on the right track. With the 2nd Team also well strengthened to the extend thanks to the new recruits they

faced the Kent 4th and 3rd team in their opening 2 fixtures after gaining promotion last season. Walking away from both games against bitter rivals Kent with 2 massive victories, 6 points for the league, only 25 points conceded and a massive 100 points scored; the 2s season has got off to a flying start. With both teams facing the teams at the top of their respective leagues this Wednesday the push as a club is definitely on for 2 wins and to make sure that both teams keep their place in the hunt for play off spots.