LIVIC November 2011

A MESSAGE FROM THE EDITORA MESSAGE FROM THE EDITORA MESSAGE FROM THE EDITORA MESSAGE FROM THE EDITOR

So some people have been saying we’ve been spoiling you. The commi�ee

have not been res�ng upon their laurels a�er delivering an unforge�able

four bridges pub crawl. (An event so acclaimed that MechEng have

asked us for advice on how to run such a successful event. AMATEURS)

Instead we’ve upped the ante, following the department wide vote Zagreb

has been chosen as this year’s interna�onal tour des�na�on and sign up

has commenced! James Musgrave, our esteemed events officer, has

not only organised a civil engineering bar night at the union for mid

November but already begun planning for the Christmas Dinner.

Furthermore plans are afoot for a trip to the Olympic site to see how

development is progressing and hopefully see some vibra�ng hammers in

ac�on. On top of all that here’s another edi�on of Livic. Wow are we good

to you or what?

In this months jam packed edi�on of Livic you can relive the excitement of

the pub crawl. Normally we do an ar�cle about the a�ermath of this

tradi�onal event, but in this case a picture really does say more than a

thousand words. Joseph Ruxton takes you through how he spent his

summer in Oman. An experience he very much enjoyed. Also Livic has

added a new lifestyle sec�on to keep you up to date with the lives that

people lead outside the Skempton building. In the first ar�cle, Elizabeth

Crow discusses food and drink.

The commi�ee have been so good to you, it’s only fair to give back. Livic

would welcome any aspiring journalists who want to write an ar�cle.

Perhaps you’ve got a great story about your summer work placement

(preferably not in Oman), want to let people know about a civil

engineering masterpiece, or even if you’re a budding photographer.

Get in touch at ev409@imperial.ac.uk

Best Wishes, The Editor

Picture credits go to Jof Ruxton for the front page and Mo Mahbub for page 3, if

you’ve got pictures you’d like to see in Livic. Send them to the above email address.

The ci�zens of Zagreb are delighted to have been chosen to host this year’s Civsoc interna-

�onal tour. Happy residents were heard exclaiming, ‘Uzmite ruku je ostavila mene’ and,

‘Zašto si me dira tamo’ when ques�oned by our reporter. The sign up has already occured

and those lucky ones who have obtained places on a trip of a life�me will be no�fied shortly.

ZAGREB FACTS

• The average temperature for Zagreb

during February is about 2 degrees.

So warm clothes are essen(al.

• Croa(a is not a member of the Euro-

pean Union, some of you may need

to get visas!

• The currency of Croa(a is the Kuna,

at the current exchange rate, one

Great Bri(sh Pound will buy you 8.7

Kuna.

• An average meal in a restaurant will

set you back around 40 Kuna while

a pint in a bar is only about 20 Kuna.

ZAGREB ATTRACTIONS

• Arena Zagreb: the modern ice

hockey and handball arena

• Zagreb Cathedral: originally built

in 1093, a8er many renova(ons

it s(ll remains the tallest building

in Croa(a

• The Kaptol: the medieval heart of

Zagreb

• Marshall Tito Square: modestly

named the most beau(ful square

in Croa(a

* reward may be issued in Zimbabwe dollars

A Summer Abroad with IAESTEA Summer Abroad with IAESTEA Summer Abroad with IAESTEA Summer Abroad with IAESTE

I presume many of you are currently deciding what construc�ve things to do next summer…. (or

perhaps not) I’m just going to propose an alterna�ve plan to a conven�onal placement that is

the IAESTE scheme. This is an interna�onal exchange scheme for students, which not only

provides an opportunity to get technical experience and improve your cv but also to travel and

get a bit more socialising in!

I was sent this summer to the interes�ng

Sultanate of Oman in the Middle East. At first I

didn’t really want to go, this feeling increased as

I actually found myself siCng on a plane with no

real idea of what to expect there (although the

IAESTE UK organisa�on had told me the

technical details). But this was the start of a very

interes�ng six weeks indeed…

In Muscat I lived with 30 other students from around the

world who quickly gave lots of Omani survival �ps,

mainly about where to get alcohol in what is a strict

Muslim country. I quickly made friends with lots of fun

Germans who started straightaway to show me their

network of pubs, clubs and bars and how to avoid the

ones with ugly Moroccan dancers!

My placement consisted of working on a wide range of projects, mainly to do with water and

highway engineering. All the people were very suppor�ve and o�en they would take me on trips

out to the surrounding areas (although my manager eventually got a bit suspicious of the

number of ‘site’ visits I went on) so I really got to see what life is like for the average Omani.

By Jof Ruxton (Civsoc Treasurer)

A typical group of IAESTE Hoodlums

This guy loved being in Oman

I packed so much into my �me there so here is a bullet point summary, as you would

expect from a lazy engineering student like me:

• Lounging around with drinks and shisha at vari-

ous bars

• 4x4 driving in the sand dunes

• 3-day trip to Dubai- visi�ng tallest building in

world, fastest water slide, biggest mall and

amazing nightlife…the works

• Fresh mango juice every morning

• Trip to bo�om of country to see life there (flights and accommoda�on at expense of

university!)

• Visit to Turtle Beach

Overall I had a fantas�c experience and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to

have a lot of fun and experience a life working abroad. Please come say hi and ask me ask

me more if you like!

By now I guess you’re tempted so here are the details of what to do to get involved:

• Join the London IAESTE local commi<ee (who meet at Imperial, usually on Thurs-

days). Mee�ngs are followed by an obligatory pub trip of course!

www.iaestelondon.co.uk

www.facebook.com/iaeste.uk.london

• Check out the IAESTE UK web page at

www.iaeste.org.uk and keep checking for the

ini�al sign up which will need to be done by the 1st

December.

A Message from your Events OfficerA Message from your Events OfficerA Message from your Events OfficerA Message from your Events Officer

Thursday 17th

November marks the first Civsoc bar night of the year. For

freshers, it will be your first chance to take over the union bar and let

outrageous an�cs ensue. You can gloat over all your friends that didn’t make it

on the Zagreb trip, reminisce about that naked run over the millennium bridge

or that fresher who had his hard hat thrown into the Thames. If we’re lucky

Dale might even have given the beer bong back and the commi�ee will all neck

a pint for your pleasure. Think of it as the pub crawl without Brunel or Bridges.

There have also been whispers of a return of Civ eng golden boy Hamish Muir,

who is described by many as the greatest thing ever to happen to Imperial. If

for no other reason you must come to meet him!

All jokes aside it would be great to see people there. It’s always a great

atmosphere and a casual drink or two with all your Skempton favourites is a

wonderful way to round your evening off or prepare to go mental on a night

out. All the details will be appearing soon and I’m sure it will not be one to

miss.

Vincent was determined not to lose his

hat in the Thames

How many freshers can you see in this picture?

Prizes are not given for correct answers

Thursday 17th Nov

7.00 In the Union Bar

Tickets will be on sale in the airport lounge next

Monday and Tuesday.

£7 ticket buys entry and 4 beers/ciders

PPE IS NOTNOTNOTNOT MANDATORY!!!

FOOD and DRINKFOOD and DRINKFOOD and DRINKFOOD and DRINK

After a hard week’s work on site (or in the of�ice) the civil engineer needs to unwind by

enjoying a hearty meal, a time to relax and de-stress over a home cooked creation or in a

favouriterestaurant.TheLIVICFood&Drinksectionaimstoboostyourculinaryknowledge.

The White HorseParson’sGreen

RestaurantReview

In the northern corner of Parson’s Green

stands the long established Fulham favourite,

TheWhiteHorse.Knownforitsunpretentious

seasonalmenus,extensivedrinksselectionand

reasonable prices. Its location makes this

restaurant perfect for the large proportion of

ImperialStudentswholiveinorveryclosetoFulham.Therearetwomaineatingareas,theupstairs,inwhichyoufeelas

though Nelson could have plotted his defeat of the French over a cheeky pint, the second (and my favourite), the

downstairsconservatory,whichhasanintimatefeel,withcandlessetintotheexposedbrickwalls.

I’llstartwiththefood,whichissuperbandexcellentvalueformoney,TheWhiteHorseoffersatypicalgastropubmenu,

and is regularlychanged tosuitwhat’s inseason, fromgametoseasonalvegetableswith thespecialsboardupdated

even more frequently. My favourite dish over summer was the Seared Duck’s Breast Salad (£12). The breast was

perfectlycooked,crispyon theoutsidewithapink,tendercentreandwasaccompaniedbyadelicioussaladofgreen

beans,grilledfetacheese,dressedmixedleaves,babynewpotatoes,sweetplumtomatoesandbeetroot.Thesaltinessof

thefetareallycomplementedthesweetnessofthebeetroot,tomatoesandbalsamicdressing.Butdon’tworry,thisisn’t

aplaceknownforitsponcy,complicatedsalads,afavouriteofmyboyfriendistheheartyportionofclassicBritish/ish

andchips,servedwithfreshmushypeasandhollandaisesauce(£11),youde/initelygetyourmoney’sworthwiththis

dish.Icanalsorecommendthelambshankandtheseabass(butsomedishesaremeantforpayingparentstotreatthe

hardworkingsonsordaughtersto!)Thepuddingsalsocomeindecentportions,enoughfortwotoshareandthecheese

board(includingsomeexcellentlychosencheeses)couldeasilybestretchedtothree.TheChocolate,AlmondTorte(£5)

from this season’smenumustbe tried. It is a classicexampleofabeautifullybalanced, bitter, sweetpudding, and is

complementedby thick creme fraiche, the textureof the tortemademore interesting by theuse of groundalmonds

insteadof/lour.

AtTheWhiteHorse there isnodrinksmenu, insteadthereexistsanA4drinksbook.Beingabout theonlypersonat

Imperialwho doesn’t drink beer, I cannot personally vouch for TheWhiteHorse’s renowned beer and ale selection

(from£2.80 a pint), but I have it on good authority that it is fantastic. The ever helpfulwaiters andwaitresseswill

happilyhelpyoutailoryourdrink toyourmeal (TheWhiteHorsealsoholdregularbeerand foodmatching lessons)

However Ican tellyoumoreabout theamazingwineselection,asastudent their cheapestwine(at£3.70aglass) is

excellentvalue,verydrinkableand isaperfectaccompaniment to the redmeatdishes (and theducksalad!). At the

WhiteHorsethereisnoconceptofacheap,bland,acidic‘house’wine.Havingtakenacompletewinebuffonacoupleof

occasions,I’mprettysureyouwon’tbedisappointedwiththeselection.

FormeTheWhiteHorseistheperfectplacebothforaromanticmealorarelaxeddinnerwithfriends,I’venevercome

awayfeelingdisappointed,neitherwiththefoodnortheprices!Theatmospherefuelsconversation,andevenifyou’re

talkedout,youcanalwaysresorttopeoplewatching;TheWhiteHorseisnormallyfullof‘Tarquins’!

ElizabethCrow

Civil Engineering Jokes Civil Engineering Jokes Civil Engineering Jokes Civil Engineering Jokes

So you’ve overused the jokes from the first edi�on. People are beginning to realise you’re a

fraud. Copying other peoples jokes and trying to pass them off as your own, who does that?

Never fear the second instalment is here!! And this �me they’re topical. I hope you appreciate

how hard I had to look these ‘gems’:

Ask a Mathema(cian what's 1 + 1, the answer will be 2

Ask a Physicist, the answer will be between 1.9 and 2.1

Ask a Mechanical Engineer, the answer will be 2 +/- 0.1

Ask a Computer Programmer, the answer will be 10

Ask an Accountant, they will ask you what you want it to be.

Ask a Civil Engineer, the answer will be 9 (to be on the safe side).

A bunch of engineers are siCng around at a party, discussing the nature of the God, and who designed

women.

The mechanical engineer states that God must also be a mechanical engineer because "if you look at all

the pulleys and levers that drive the body, how the tendons and muscles and bones all work together,

well, it's just amazing."

The chemical engineer says that no, God has to be a chemical engineer because "if you look at all the

chemical processes that drive the body, how the hormones and the brain and the glands and everything

else all interact, well, it's just astounding."

The electrical engineer says that no, God has to be an electrical engineer because "if you look at the

circuitry of the body, how the thousands upon millions of nerve cells transmit signals from one part to

another, well, it boggles the mind."

The civil engineer speaks up last of all and says, no, God is definitely a civil engineer, because "only a

civil engineer would run a sewer through a playground."

In some foreign country a priest, a lawyer and an engineer are about to be guillo�ned. The

priest puts his head on the block, they pull the rope and nothing happens -- he declares

that he's been saved by divine interven�on -- so he's let go.

The lawyer is put on the block, and again the rope doesn't release the blade, he claims he

can't be executed twice for the same crime he is set free too.

They grab the engineer and shove his head into the guillo�ne, he looks up at the release

mechanism and says, "Wait a minute, I see your problem......"