h2. Ball As a further reminder, tickets are currently on sale for the Physoc Masquerade Ball every day from 1-2pm in the physics foyer! For only £20 you will be treated to a spectacular night at Dock Gate 4 with a buffet meal, live DJ, face painting and other fantastic entertainment sponsored by TeachFirst and Qinetiq. Alternatively, "buy one online":http://physoc.org.uk/ball!! 2009-11-26T18:24:00+00:00 17 Issue 8 for Thur 26/11/09 h2. Nobel Lecture Thursday the 3rd sees the return of the annual Nobel Lecture! This year Dr. Smith and Proffessor Payne will be giving talks on the topic of CCDs and optical fibres entitled: *'Through a looking glass brightly' and 'How to see in the dark'* As always, there will be *free refreshments* beforehand (5pm) with the lecture beginning at *6pm in LTA*. This event is always good fun and a large attendance would be fantastic. Donations are of course voluntary for *The Physoc Christmas Grotto*, but it would be nice to get loads of boxes filled, wrapped and sent! The night will also include plenty of *free beer*, mince pies, mulled wine and other refreshments. We will be showing the *Muppet Christmas carol* as well, to ensure that everyone gets in that festive mood! h2. Physoc Christmas So here it is, Merry Christmas (if a mite early)! We at Physoc have decided that you have all - for the most part - been good boys and girls this year and so are putting on a huge array of fabulous Christmas themed events for you all! Feast your eyes on the information below or head to the "events calendar":http://physoc.org.uk/calendar... h2. The Physoc Christmas Grotto This Christmas, Physoc is hoping to send *gift-filled shoeboxes* to children in need across the globe. It will contribute towards the Christmas appeal coordinated by the Samaritans purse charity, and it involves sending gift-filled boxes to children in parts of Africa, Central Asia and Eastern Europe. It's all part of our *Christmas Grotto night*, happening on *Tuesday the 1st of December* in the seminar room, from *7:30pm* onwards. We've got our hands on a load of shoeboxes that need filling with gifts, and we would be very grateful for any that you are willing to donate! Unfortunately, there are some strict policies on what can be sent - the yays and nays are "detailed online":http://static.physoc.org.uk/opertion_christmas_child.doc. The main point is that all donated gifts should be new. This need not imply they be expensive - most of the suggested gifts can be picked up for a couple of pounds. 2009-11-26T19:03:15+00:00 1