Bear Essentials
The Official Newsletter of Ursula Hall
Issue 8, 8th August 2011
THE BUSHWEEK ISSUE
Page 2
Mr Ursies: The
Page 3
Christmas in July
Trivia
Green Column
Car Scav
First Year party
Vintage Party
Art Show
Plugs
A Cup of tea with the
URC
Roller Coaster
Crossword
Page 4
Page 5
Page 6
Page 7
Page 8+9
From the Editor
We had an amazing time during bush week, but now it’s time
to fork out for textbooks and get learning again – that is,
assuming you lovely readers don’t have the plague.
(One of) Your Friendly (and slightly more operatic) Editor(s),
Jess !
Love to Write? Keen on Photography?
Then shoot an email to bear.essentials.news@gmail.com! If you have an idea for an
article, pitch it. If you don’t, but still want to get involved, email us and we’ll put
you to work.
1
Issue 8, 8th August 2011
Bear Essentials
!"#$"%&'%(###
)*'#+,-'./0"'
Bush Week wouldn’t be
complete without some of
Ursula’s finest strutting their
stuff on the catwalk for
charity. Last week the
audience was delighted by
what was on offer; they
laughed, they cried, they
discovered things about
Roman’s taste in sleepwear
they’d rather not know.
As the boys put themselves
up for judging from the panel
they competed in several
categories; daywear,
eveningwear, sleepwear, a
few tricky questions and the
much-loved talent section.
There were several highlights
over the course of the stylish
and entertaining evening; not
only did Ben serenade Angus
and Wilson with a heart-felt
ballad, he also threatened to
take it all off for Red Kite (I
don’t think anyone would
lament the loss of that sock).
Oli danced through his postpost-modern interpretation of
“Single Ladies” and shared
his fear of a higher alcohol
tax. We learnt who gave it to
Victor through song form,
James wowed us all with the
Super Mario theme tune on
the flute and no-one will ever
forget Nic’s performance of
‘Singing in the Rain’. Kieran
and Roman looked sure
contenders in the
eveningwear section, yet after
Roman’s nightie and rather
interesting talent (which
Spencer seemed both familiar
with and fond of) the
audience and judges were left
blinking and wondering what
just happened. Dave’s talent,
although he may have
splashed a bit of beer around,
was downright brilliant. The
speaker wasn’t even broken!
Although all the lads were
hilarious, good looking and
did their bit for Red Kite,
there did have to be a winner
to go through and represent
us at the inter-hall stage. Dan,
after doing well in all three
dress rounds and answering
the questions like a pro,
began the talent round by
assuring the audience he was
completely talentless. He then
proceeded to rabbit on in a
very convincing Irish accent
and sing beautifully for us,
which stilled the audience
completely.
Miriam Adams-Schimminger
*What’s worse than finding a
worm in your apple? The
Holocaust.
Mr Congeniality went to Nic
McMaster and People’ choice
went to Nick Bowmer. A big
thanks to MCs Billy (whose
jokes were only nearly as bad
as Angus’*) and Nicole (who
kept up an almost constant
stream of highly Bearphaxable material). Thanks also to
the judges and the crowd but
mostly to the brave men who
put themselves on the line for
charity.
Can’t wait till next year!
23
Issue 8, 8th August 2011
Bear Essentials
1*"&%/23%#&.#4056
Christmas, I have often
thought, is wasted upon the
Australian summer. Forty
degree heat, flies, and
obnoxious relatives too often
reduce an otherwise stellar
event into a catalogue of
disappointments. Thankfully,
none of these elements were
in play on 28 July, when the
Ursula Hall Senior Resident
team took drastic action and
moved Christmas several
months ahead.
Depositing tinned foodstuffs
for charity, keen Ursulites
met in the common room for
pre-drinks and canapes at six
o’clock. There, we were
treated to this year’s SR
video, a funny if troubling
look at the twelve murders of
anti-Christmas.
Shifting over to the dining
room, entertainment was
provided by the Vocal Group,
with their moving renditions
of favourite Christmas carols,
such as Silent Night, as well
as more informally by the
drunken exploits of table
companions. The meal itself
was exceptional, as per usual,
with the Christmas couscous
particularly of note.
Costume for her portrayal of
an elf, with special mentions
given to Sally Jones and
Roisin Carmody. Sadly, my
own costume, consisting
solely of a picture of Jesus
Christ (courtesy of Google
Images) held in front of my
head, escaped notice. In the
door-decorating competition,
B Block came up trumps on
overall Block Wars points,
amidst fierce competition
from other blocks.
Overall, Christmas in July
2011 was an enjoyable
evening combining fine food,
company, and charity, with a
steadfast refusal to celebrate
Christmas alongside the rest
of the world. Now, if only
Easter could be brought
forward…
Nick Bowmer
TRIVIA!
Q1 - What do the
competitors in the Tour de
France ride?
Q2 - how many windows are
there facing the ursies
courtyard?
Q3 - What is the name of the
famous crocodile on
exhibition in the Northern
Territory Museum?
Q4 - "Rehab" was first sung
by which recently deceased
performer?
Q5 - How much can one
receive if they take a Mount
Franklin plastic water bottle
to a collection depot when
sold in SA?
Want $5 of Canteen credid?
Send your answers to:
bear.essentials.news@gmail.
com
Last Issue’s Winner:
Kieran Woolfe
In the prize-giving
component of the evening,
Kaitlin Hawes won Best
34
2
Issue 8, 8th August 2011
Bear Essentials
Hey Ursies!
Semester 2 Greenshield is
coming up, so here are
some handy hints to get
you started. Turn off the
tap when you brush your
teeth and save up to 12L
of water per day! Take
shorter showers- each
minute could save
between 9 - 20L of water!
Turn off and fix leaking
taps- this could save up to
2000L of water per
month. For those of you
with cars, make sure you
use a bucket to wash
them; using a hose could
waste up to 20L per
minute. Don't forget to
check Yogi for upcoming
events. Welcome back
and stay green!
- Chantelle
Car Scav Hunt
Which event, held every Bush
Week, could require you to
produce a Rubik’s cube, a
dog, a team member
submerged in a body of
water, and elevated flirting?
Before everyone rushes for
their email account (5$ of
canteen credit is, after all, not
something to be taken
lightly), let me assure you
that this is not a trivia
question that accidentally
took a wrong turn and ended
up in an article. Rather, it is
an event in which teams of
five take wrong turns, but
hopefully don’t end up in
Ngunnawal. The answer is,
of course, Car Scav Hunt.
Car Scav Hunt is an event in
which teams each have a
sheet of items to photograph,
video or collect, and two
hours in which to get to as
many of them as possible. As
well as those items mentioned
above, teams had to do such
things as travel to the five
distinct peaks in Canberra
(ask an IB runner if you don’t
know them), a location in
which Thor might like to
relax, were he an elderly
retiree (Vikings Capital Golf
Club), and photograph as
many ‘You are now leaving
the ACT’ signs as possible.
The winners of the
competition, with 125 points,
were those in Kieran
Woolfe’s car. This team, not
content with photographing
the boom gate half way up
Mount Stromlo, sent a pair of
runners all the way to the top.
This entirely unbiased article
would thus like to note that
the team won the moral, as
well as actual, victory.
Congratulations are also due
to the team driven by
Anthony Franzi, who came
second with 105 points, and
to Dave for organizing a
stimulating and enjoyable
event.
Kieran Woolfe
First Year Party
The first-year Rubik's cube
party kicked off in the
common room last Thursday
with some crazy colourful
lights and a rocking mirror
ball hanging from the roof.
The Red Frogs Crew were
there helping as usual, giving
out water, red frogs and on
this special night some
coloured lemonade to fit in
with the theme of the night.
Some dedicated first-year
partiers came down nice and
early and rocked out to the
Yeah 3x first-year dance, then
as soon as the pizza arrived
and the doors were opened to
the rest of the college the
party really got started.
Props go to Emily Cheyne for
being the craziest dressed on
the night and to Yoshi for
winning the Rubik's Cube
solving competition, solving a
standard 3x3 cube in
UNDER 25 SECONDS!
Thanks to everyone who
came and all those that
helped out setting up and on 5
the night!
James Adler
Issue 8, 8th August 2011
Bear Essentials
Vintage Party
In true Ursies style, Bush
Week 2011 came to a close
with an awesome Bar Night.
Vintage was the theme of the
evening. I nearly dressed up
as a Shakespearean wench
(taking retro to its logical
conclusion... Mighty Boosh?
Anyone?), but settled on a
1960’s inspired outfit... just
because I really wanted to
wear my blue lipstick... The
two-piece band was fantastic
and kept us feeling nostalgic
with their renditions of “It’s
Raining Men” among other
childhood-defining songs.
The limbo competition was
awesome and the totally –
hard – core Jack Reardon
won with his unmatchable
quads. Mad Skills. The
addition of a photo booth to
our beloved common room
saw people from every era of
life queuing up to get a happy
snap with their loved ones.
So, URC, the photo booth
was THE BEST IDEA EVER
IN THE HISTORY OF
EVER! Thank you very much
for such a swell Bush Week!
Jess Harper
Art Show
As a late arrival to the Art
Show, I was devastated to see
some of the artists retrieving
their works from the common
room just as I made it there.
Thankfully they made up
only a tiny proportion of the
amazing works on offer.
Once inside I realised that
despite arriving too late for
the delicious nibbles, this was
perhaps my ideal way to take
in the art on offer. It felt like a
private showing, no elbowing
for the best viewing angle,
and just enough charming
stragglers to have a good chat
about the works on display.
by the black and white horse
that dominated the far wall,
but obviously my sentimental
favourites were the Ursies
entries by Annabel Joske and
Emilie
Patteson,
Emilie
finished the night with 3rd
place for her work Flame, and
at the time of writing was in
Orange, with one of her
works featuring in the 100
Kilometre
Art
Show.
Congratulations to all Ursies
entrants, and a special thanks
to Sophie and Dan for such a
lovely event.
Matthew ‘Victor’ Dunn
One drawing, for example,
really pushed the boundaries
of
the
medium.
By
emphasising the blank, initial
state of the paper, the artist
made reference to beginnings
and new possibilities. This
was in perfect contrast with
the
bold
outlines
that
portrayed the raw power of
the stylised animal images. In
short, and no doubt exactly as
the artist intended, it looked
like something the mother of
a proud six year old would
put on the fridge. But here
probably isn’t the place for a
debate on postmodernism.
Instead
I’ll
say
how
impressed I was by the skill
and diversity of the works on
offer. I was particularly awed
6
5
Issue 8, 8th August 2011
Bear Essentials
Because Plugging is A cup of tea with
Fun:
the URC
Like to sing? Miss being
in Choir?
Join the Ursula Hall
Vocal Group!
Contact Jess Harper
(u4699575@anu.edu.au)
or Olivia Swift
(u4666931@anu.edu.au)
for more details!
This week we take a sip with
Ursula Hall’s resident
bearded man and First Year
rep James Adler !
What is your favorite thing
about living in Canberra?
College life and the 24 hr
Maccas!
As a first year rep what
kinds of things do you have
to do?
Organise first year party, sit
on IAC and assist with Arts
events/ helping out on the
URC.
If they made a movie about
your life, which actor would
play you?
One word that describes
you!
Martin Sheen (what a guy!)
--Michelle
What Events Are
Coming Up?
Of all the delicious meals the
Ursies kitchen serves up,
which is your favorite?
Check out:
Beef stroganoff
yogi.anu.edu.au
When you aren’t busy being
first year rep, what do you
do during your free time?
to find out… there
you will also find such
fun things as the URC
calendar and the
Block Wars tally.
Mostly got Adler, although
the music teachers liked
calling me Jim.
Bemusing
Play my
keytar/guitar/flute/piano/ha
rmonica… Whatever’s lying
around
When you were 6 years old,
what did you want to be
when you grew up?
A Doctor! I liked how
wearing a stethoscope made
anything louder!
Did you have any nicknames
in high school?
7
6
Issue 8, 8th August 2011
Bear Essentials
A zoo with a
coaster:
Kawasemi
Kawasemi Statistics
Source: rcdb.com
Location:
Tobu Zoo Park, Minami, Saitama,
Japan
Opened:
3/2008
Capacity:
Length:
748.1m
Height:
33.2m
Drop:
Speed:
87.2 km/h
Duration:
01:00
G-Forces:
Inversions:
0
Elements:
most intense coasters I found on the trip, and
one of the best (if you exclude Disney and
Universal). As the stats suggest, the coaster
has a reasonably tall lift, and is quite short.
But for that minute that the ride is in
operation, hmmm nothing else really matters
except drinking in all the forces this monster
has to offer.
After the first drop, the train enters a wide
turn around to pass under the lift hill and
into the tall airtime hill. All the airtime
packed into Kawasemi is not quite what you
would call ‘floater’ airtime in the sense of
feeling weightlessness, yeah no, ‘ejector’ is
the special of the day and the lap bar gets a
significant work out keeping you stapled into
your seat. Following the first hill, a bunch of
dips, dives and turns keep the ride wrapping
itself around itself until a line of bunny hops
return the train back to the station.
Easily the best ride in the park, and as I said
above one of the best I rode in Japan over
the Semester break (not including Disney
and Universal). This was my first Intamin
Mega Lite and I love them and want more –
this is one style of coaster that I would love
to see and ride the world over. Maybe
Australia could get one too? *Cough
Dreamworld.*
With my head still in Japan, this week’s coaster
is once again one living in Japan. Kawasemi is
an Intamin “Mega Lite” coaster that proves
beyond a doubt that size doesn’t matter, and
good things certainly can come in small
packages. Fun size? Not a chance! If Australia
got one of these I’d be a very very happy coaster
enthusiast!
So how do I describe Kawasemi? It’s yellowy
green – think radioactive snot green. It is
compact. It is located at a zoo. It was one of the
8
7
Bear Essentials
Issue 8, 8th August 2011
Crossword:
9
Bear Essentials
Issue 8, 8th August 2011
Across
2 Oldest serving Australian Prime Minister. (6,7)
8 Find or discover by investigation.
10 Soft leather slippers or shoes.
13 Zoned and designed to live in.
16 French term for 'me.' Often used in the Australian drama Kath and Kim.
17 Foolish or unreasoning fondness.
20 Hardware/power tool brand that are 'a cut above.'
22 Small breed of passerine bird with medium to long tail found in many parts of the
world.
23 Brash and impervious to disgrace.
25 Internet slang often used to depict postivie reaction to a humourous act/punch line,
or reduce the bluntness of a potentially harsh statement. (1,1,1)
26 Someone who has been recently married.
30 Not depleted by use.
33 Distinguishing quality or characteristic.
36 Idiom pertaining to superstition that secrets or hidden crimes will eventually be
exposed or discovered.
Down
1 A very young child.
2 Australia's central bank. (1,1,1)
3 To mix or combine.
4 A key ingredient in a piña colada.
5 Name often used to describe agencies associated with conserving the environment.
(1,1,1)
6 An expression that has figurative meaning but cannot be understood if interpreting
the words literally.
7 Japanese dish of thinly cut raw meat.
9 Grass crop grown for its grain. Also referenced in the title oa number of popular
fiction books.
11 Popular American crime drama set in Las Vegas. (1,1,1)
12 Extravagantly; free spending (usually of money).
13 Sorrow or regret.
14 A bog or marsh.
15 Intelligent people but lacking social skills.
18 To exhibit openly; competing in public.
19 Book that records daily appointments or experiences.
21 A very large expanse of sea.
22 Person who journeys to a religiously significant place.
24 Polite or respectful address to men.
27 The crux or central point to a matter.
28 Be more successful than.
29 Treacher to the prophet Samuel.
31 Port located in southwestern Scotland.
32 A snakelike fish.
34 Works produced by skill and imagination.
35 Drink made from infusing dried leaves with water.
10