gair rhydd - Issue 856

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ISSUE 856 NOVEMBER 26 2007 CARDIFF’S STUDENT WEEKLY free word - EST. 1972

INSIDE...SHAG WEEK/XPRESS LISTINGS/THE POWER OF PHOTOS

LIGHTING UP

PHOTO: Ed Salter

Samantha Shillabeer News Editor

THIS ISSUE:

black rebel motorcycle club swn festival gender blender

Students will now be provided with designated smoking areas outside the Union following a Student Council vote last week.

The decision was made after an overwhelming majority voted to make the balconies surrounding Solus available to smokers.

A further selected area next to the Taf has also been proposed.

Vice President of the Students’ Union, Rowena Vassallo, put forward the motion when it transpired that creating designated smoking areas would incur no extra cost to the Students’ Union.

It stated that the balconies outside the Union’s main licensed trading areas should be opened up in accordance with relevant legal requirements, and that these smoking areas would be treated on a trial basis.

The motion was passed by 57 votes to four, with one abstention.

The main smoking area, which will be opened in the next few weeks, will be situated on the balcony behind the Junction Bar in Solus.

It will hold up to 150 people at any one time, and be supervised by Union safety stewards.

The two chosen sections will be on trial for the next three months and come under review again at the next Annual General Meeting (AGM) in February.

Since the national smoking ban was introduced to Wales on April 2, the Union and its licensed areas have been a non-smoking zone.

This decision was made at last year’s AGM, when students voted against spending any money on supplying facilities for smokers.

someone once told me mr scruff you are what you eat

It was thought at the time that providing outside smoking areas would cost in excess of £50,000.

However, the Union’s balconies are currently being renovated to fit in with health and safety regulations, meaning that these areas can now be used to cater for smokers.

Despite the Student Council almost unanimously agreeing to pass the motion, concerns were raised regarding the decision to allow people to light up outside the Taf. It was suggested by one student that there would be a possibility of students passively inhaling smoke when entering the bar and using the cash points outside.

Vassallo acknowledged these apprehensions, but said: “It is important for students to know that these smoking areas will be open for a trial period only and the policy will be reviewed again by February after consultation with students.

“We have had a period of time without smoking facilities and now we are going to be able to see the positives and negatives of providing them.”

She added: “Our main priority is to ensure that all students are able to enjoy the Union and hopefully the new policy will allow this to happen. At the very least it will prevent people from having to smoke on the Union steps.”

Oz Thakkar, a third-year Journalism, Film and Media student, spoke of the benefits the smoking areas will offer to both the Union and its students.

He said: “I’m sure it will encourage more people to attend Union nights. Towards the end of last year I stopped going as much because of the smoking restrictions but now I’m back again on a weekly basis.”

plus all the latest music film arts book digital reviews

02 gairrhydd

NOVEMBER.26.2007

NEWS

NEWS@gairrhydd.COM

At a glance...

15 4

1994 last time Britain was not represented in an international football tournament

2

lecturers return from 1927

15 - Considers the risks of defining the term ‘Britishness’

Inside this week...

SON

awarded to the Cheerleading Society

51 - Men’s 1sts triumph over Exeter at home

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plete their gold expedition

Sport

The Millword

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gairrhydd

NOVEMBER.26.2007

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NEWS

NEWS@gairrhydd.COM

SPINELESS

Bindery takes a beating after plummet in finances forces its closure

Corinne Rhoades News Editor The University’s only bindery is to face closure, gair rhydd has learned.

According to the University Council the Bindery, part of the Information Services (INSRV) Directorate, has witnessed a severe loss of money over the past four years.

Now it is thought that the growth in electronic journals will see print binding become obsolete.

The Bindery currently processes 60,000 to 70,000 journals per year A spokesperson for the University said: “The University is moving towards an increasing number of e-journal subscriptions, and it is likely that, within five years, theses will be submitted electronically.”

But the closure will also mean that Bindery staff, all of which have worked at Cardiff for over 14 years, could BINDERY: Under threat

Right royal NUS Wales research rescues damsels in distress Another accolade awarded for Cardiff’s academic ad ances Pamela Debattista Reporter

In recognition of its research excellence, Cardiff University’s Institute of Medical Genetics has been awarded one of this year’s Queen’s Anniversary Prizes.

The accolade has been awarded for the pioneering research into the genetic causes of disease, as well as the development of new diagnostic tests and treatments for them.

Achievements of the department include identifying genetic links to Huntington’s Disease, enhanced screening for families at risk of disease and training counsellors to support patients and families in coming to terms

with the results of genetic tests.

The director of the Institute, Professor Julian Sampson, said: “Our approach is to ensure that advances in genetic knowledge deliver direct benefits to patients and their families.”

He added: “It is a huge honour to have our work recognised in this way.”

An investment of £4.8m has been made in order to expand new laboratories to carry out further research into cancer genetics.

This award is the third of its kind to be granted to Cardiff University, and the second major tribute that Cardiff University geneticists have received recently.

Professor Sir Martin Evans received the Nobel Prize just five weeks ago for his advances in stem cell research.

lose their jobs.

One staff member told gair rhydd they were angered by the decision, It could see students be forced to seek binding services elsewhere, while the move to electronic submission is being completed.

“We deliver to the departments, collect from the departments and issue submission certificates,” they said.

“The move to electronic won’t be completed until a few years down the line. Where are the students going to go until then?”

The University Librarian Janet Peters expressed her sadness at the plans.

She said: “We are actively working with the Bindery staff to seek redeployment opportunities for them, and of course will keep students informed of alternatives while thesis binding is still required by the University.”

The Bindery currently processes 60,000 to 70,000 journals per year and 7,000 to 8,000 undergraduate theses per year, as well as offering soft binding services.

Plans to close the Bindery could be enacted by August next year, but Jonny Cox, the Students’ Union President, said: “I am fully confident that the students will still have full access to a quality bindery at an equal price.”

Lee Macaulay Investigations Editor NUS Wales has narrowly defended the position of women’s officer after six students’ unions attempted to relegate the position to part time in favour of a sabbatical Welsh language officer.

Aberystwyth Guild of Students and Bangor, Newport, Lampeter, Glamorgan and Trinity College Students’ Unions, all proposed a motion to NUS Wales Winter Council that would have seen the NUS Wales constitution changed to allow the Welsh Language officer to be full time.

However, the proposal faced heavy opposition from NUS Wales and the council vote went to the wire with 25 votes against and 24 votes for, causing the motion to fall.

In light of the marginal vote, the council instead passed an amendment to force NUS Wales to carry out a Governance Review and to present the results at next year’s Winter Council.

The move to reform comes at the same time as NUS UK prepares to present its proposals for nationwide reform to an extraordinary national conference in December.

04 gairrhydd

NEWS Cardiff to review BBC news coverage

NOVEMBER.26.2007 NEWS@gairrhydd.COM

Going for gold

Andy Boreham Reporter The BBC Trust has announced plans to launch a review of the network’s news coverage of the four UK nations.

Research to inform the review will be carried out by academics from the Cardiff University School of Journalism.

The academics will analyse the coverage of the local and national elections next spring, as well as four weeks of coverage this autumn.

The review has been commissioned amid allegations that the non-English nations have been poorly served since the introduction of devolution.

Elliot Pill, course director for the MA in international public relations at the Cardiff School of Journalism has said: “In terms of the political and social agenda, I think Wales is overlooked and it’s about time there’s a review.”

The trust expects to receive and publish the final report in early summer 2008.

Heath waiting times slashed

Melissa Moore Reporter A new ‘minor injuries’ facility at Cardiff University’s Hospital of Wales has proved to be a major success in cutting down waiting times.

Over £200,000 has been invested in the new services for serious cuts, bumps and minor fractures which constitute over 85% of patents seen at A&E. Originally people with such injuries had the longest waiting times, exceeding government guidelines for treatment within four hours.

But now a Council Health Watchdog has praised the new system for allowing minor injury patients to be seen within a matter of minutes.

However, leading A&E consultant at Heath, Hugo Dowd, urged that those with more minor ailments such as colds and flu should refer to a GP, NHS Direct or a local pharmacy.

HIKERS: Reaching the summit

Kirsty Witchell Reporter Ten members of Cardiff University’s Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Society completed their Gold expedition in the Lake District over the summer break.

The expedition, which lasted four days and three nights of completely self-sufficient hiking and camping, finished in Buttermere.

Over the course of the trip, the

participants walked for eight hours daily, skirting lakes and climbing mountains, while carrying all their equipment on their backs.

Leanne Allum, a student who went on the hike, said: “It was a fantastic achievement; mentally and physically exhausting!”

More recently, on October 18, those who completed the trek gathered to give presentations to fellow students about their experiences and discuss a topic, chosen before the trip, which

Volunteers wanted to help abroad

they studied along the way.

One group chose to study the impact of tourism in the Lake District while the other decided to present the Lake District to children through ‘Gregory the Bear’.

It takes a lot of hard work to prepare and undertake such an adventure with the possibility of facing unexpected challenges; hence training for the expedition was vital.

Cardiff University Duke of Edinburgh Society run a course in

expedition training, covering areas such as navigation, emergency procedures, camp-craft and hygiene amongst others.

They organise practice expeditions to Dartmoor, the Brecon Beacons and Snowdonia with a qualifying trip to the Lake District in July 2008.

Anyone who is interested in joining the society can visit www.gohike.co.uk or email dofes@cf.ac.uk.

Cheer-leaders

Cardiff based charity BACCUP are looking for students to support orphanage in Belarus Melissa Moore Reporter A Cardiff University based charity is recruiting volunteers to provide work and support for the Novinki orphanage in Minsk, Belarus.

Five medical students established the Belarussian Aid for Children Cardiff Undergraduate Programme (BACCUP) in 1999 to provide support for the orphanage, which was in need of development to provide the children with the care they deserve.

The programme has since proved highly successful, and has helped to raise standards within the orphanage.

Novinki is home to over 200 children and BACCUP sends over 600 volunteers a year to specialise in helping children with conditions, which include Down’s Syndrome and high dependency illnesses.

BACCUP volunteers play with the children, take them on trips outside the orphanage and bring aid to the orphanage.

In addition, BACCUP also employs a carer to continue promoting high standards of care over the year at times when volunteers are not there.

During their time abroad, a group leader in Belarus and the committee here in the UK will support volunteers throughout their experience.

Recruitment is taking place this month, and the charity is looking for students from Health Care and Allied Health Services.

Further information can be obtained from www.baccup.org.uk.

Fundraising events planned in Cardiff include Speed Dating on November 26 in CF10 at 8pm, and a HealthCare ball at Holland House on the February 8.

CHEERLEADERS: Bringing it on

Emma Jones Reporter Cardiff’s Cheerleading Squad have been awarded the title of Most Organised Student Society in Cardiff.

The Snakecharmers were announced as winners of the CPS Homes Student Society Sponsorship Competition last week.

Student societies had to register as many votes as possible by text and online in order to be given the title and a £500 cash prize.

Clubs have been battling it out over the past three weeks but the Snakecharmers eventually came out on top with 561 votes.

Ultimate Frisbee came a close second with a total of 529.

Cheerleading captain Charlotte Knowles said: “Winning this competition means a lot! The money will go towards subsidising many things for the girls and will enable us to enter additional competitions, allowing us to raise the profile of the squad and represent the University to a high standard.”

gairrhydd

NOVEMBER.26.2007

05

NEWS

NEWS@gairrhydd.COM

Coming back to the future Abigail Whittaker News Editor Two Cardiff University academics have recently returned from a month on BBC’s The Coal House, a new reality show following three families living the lives of their ancestors in a 1927 coal mining community.

Professor Joe Cartwright of the School of Earth, Ocean and Planetary Sciences and his wife Dr Annabel Cartwright, a research fellow in astrophysics, entered their family for the project which involved living for a month without heating, electricity or running water in Blaenavon, South Wales.

Speaking before the project started, Annabel, who has a keen interest in the history of working people, said: “What appeals to us most is that instead of just looking at history, we’ll be stepping into it and living it.”

During his time on the series, Joe worked hard shifts at Blaentillery Drift Mine, which is the last working mine of its kind in the UK. He said: “I worked really hard down there. I have never been so exhausted, every day.

“Mining is a wonderful job. We should be proud of the very few people still left in the industry.”

The parents were also extremely proud of the way their daughters adapted to 1920s-style schooling and

an environment where they had to create their own entertainment.

Both Cartwrights are now back at work and slowly re-adjusting to modern-day life.

Speaking about the programme creation, BBC Wales Executive Producer Martyn Ingram said: “In 1927, coal was the lifeblood of Wales, and through The Coal House project we want to capture a way of life and a time which will soon be lost for ever.”

Action from The Coal House aired three evenings a week on BBC One Wales.

To view footage from the series visit www.bbc.co.uk/coalhouse.

MINING THE PAST: The ‘coaly’ Cartwrights

Uncertain future for Portia Nicholson Reporter Cardiff students may no longer be able to dial 101 in non-emergency situations, after the Home Office pulled funding from the scheme.

The service was originally set up for the public to report non-emergency crimes in locations indicated by the shaded areas on the map.

However, the 18-month-old number could now be facing the axe.

But 101 Communications Officer Emma Thomas stressed that the lack of

funding “does not necessarily mean the end of 101 in Cardiff”.

The Cardiff Community Safety Partnership, responsible for 101, are now said to be trying to secure funding for its future.

Ms Thomas said: “Talks are currently ongoing within the partnership and farther afield, in an attempt to secure a future for what has been such an incredibly successful number, for both South Wales Police and Cardiff Council.”

But, with Home Office funding set to end in three months, the time in which to secure alternative financial support is

running out.

Peter Vaughan, South Wales Police Deputy Chief Constable, said: “We knew that securing a future for 101 with the withdrawal of all funding from the Home Office would be difficult.

“However, achieving our goals for the service will be even more difficult now that the Home Office has given us a limited amount of time to source and secure alternative funding,” he added.

It is thought that the Welsh assembly will be asked for a cash handout in order to keep the service going.

Giving them a break University breakdancers gather for their first club night which is set to become a regular fixture Abigail Whittaker News Editor Last Wednesday marked the opening night of a new regular event for Cardiff University Breakdance Society (CUBDS).

Held at ‘The Basement’ in Las Igualas, there was a promising turnout for an evening of breakdance performances covering a range of musical genres.

Plans for the event began in September when the society

was approached by a promoter at the Freshers’ Fayre and asked if they would be interested in having their own club night to use as a social setting for members, whilst also providing breakdance and music based entertainment for patrons attending the night.

The society is already populated with approximately 100 members, and this figure continues to rise each week.

They run classes through Park Place gym every Wednesday and Saturday and encourage budding breakdancers

with any level of experience to get involved.

90% of the society’s members have no experience before joining.

Treasurer of CUBDS James Johnson said: “The night was a good success considering it was the first time for the event.

“We are hopeful that the success will continue and hope to expand to bigger venues in the future, possibly Oceana and Q Bar.”

Step-by-step student care Shazia Khawaja Reporter

The counselling service at Cardiff University has recently been revised in order to improve student care.

The new step-by-step service, named ‘The Cardiff Model’, has been put into action following a year-long internal review.

It will now not only offer students equal opportunities to access counselling but also ensure that nobody is kept on the waiting list for unreasonable periods of time.

The Cardiff Model differs greatly from many other counselling services offered at other universities around the country, in that it uses an online questionnaire as the first point of reference.

Students seeking counselling will be asked to complete the secure Self Referral Questionnaire, designed to aid the therapeutic process by helping clients find solutions rather than problems.

Following this is a 90-minute consultation geared upon ‘solution focused brief therapy’, with additional sessions available on appointment if required.

Drop-in sessions called ‘space4u’ have also been established to allow easy access to information.

John Cowley, Head of the Counselling Service said: “The Cardiff Model will enhance the quality of service on offer to students. Waiting times will be down and the variety of delivery methods will be increased, thereby benefiting students and the University.”

The Counselling Service continues to monitor the success of the new model.

06 gairrhydd

NOVEMBER.26.2007

WORLD NEWS World News in brief Ruth Smith Reporter

NEWS@gairrhydd.COM

Devastation

In the pink Bangladesh continues to grieve as it

suffers in the wake of the Great Cyclone

An Italian pensioner who painted his house pink is facing the prospect of five years in jail.

75-year-old Giuliani Contadino’s home improvement, in the Cinque Terre national park, proved illegal due to its location in a Unesco world heritage site.

Unesco, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, aims to promote collaboration.

Contadino is reported to have told police covering the incident that if it was such a problem then they could help him to repaint his house.

Half-wit

A Chinese woman who complained of feeling stiff and weak has been discovered to only have half a brain.

Doctors discovered through MRI scans that the 39-year-old woman from Wuhan city only has grey matter on the right side of her brain.

But the woman has no problem communicating, which is unexpected as it is only the left side of the brain that is thought to control language.

Penniless

A Led Zeppelin fan bid £83,000 in a charity auction for a pair of tickets to see the group play.

Kenneth Donnell from Glasgow forked out the sum to see them in a one-off reunion gig in December.

More than one million people applied for the 20,000 tickets available, which went on sale at £125 in October.

Led Zeppelin split in 1980 after the drummer John Bonham died choking on his own vomit.

Anneka Buckle Reporter The Great Cyclone, which in 1970 took the lives of an estimated 500,000 people, has struck again flattening villages across the coast of Bangladesh.

Bangladesh is one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world, with annual floods, cyclones and a perilous transport network.

The cyclone, which roared in from the Bay of Bengal, brought with it winds of up to 240kph and driving rain.

According to the Red Cross an estimated 900,000 families, which is roughly 7,000,000 people, have been affected by the devastation.

Survivors on the isolated southern coast, where many areas were out of reach for aid convoys, gave warning that they would soon die unless help came.

On Monday, they grieved and buried

their loved ones as they waited for aid to arrive.

Most of the deaths are said to have been caused by the giant wave that engulfed coastal villages, as well as flying debris and falling trees that crushed flimsy bamboo and tin homes.

However, thanks to an effective early warning system, at least 1.5 million coastal villagers fled to shelters before the storm.

Pope Benedict XVI called for “every possible effort” to help the victims of

the cyclone in Bangladesh and offered his prayers for the dead.

The confirmed death toll from the cyclone reached 3,113, while 3,322 were injured and 1,063 missing.

It is thought the cyclone will be felt for many months to come, with agriculture officials stating that rice and other crops had been badly damaged.

Speaking after the disaster, Mohammad Salam, a farmer in Khulna. said: “Life shall never be easy. We are destined to suffer.”

Wildman thing Undermined Portia Nicholson Reporter Four travellers recently spotted two ape-like wildmen near the Lichahe River in Shennongjia, China, reports have claimed.

The Changjiang Times reported that the travellers, who had been sightseeing near the isolated river, had seen two wildmen that looked like ‘large tall animals’.

However, the sighting was apparently brief as the wildmen vanished quickly into the forest on being noticed.

The travellers reported their sighting of the creatures to workers at the Lichahe Forest Administration Bureau soon after the event.

Two forest administrators then returned to the site where the creatures had been spotted; footprints on the grass, some broken tree branches and wild fruits were apparently discovered there.

The term ‘wildman’ is commonly used to describe many varieties of hairy humanoids that people claim to have sighted over a number of years.

Researchers in cryptozoology search for these creatures that are believed to exist but for which there is no conclusive evidence.

Their findings show that witnesses often report the creatures as having bare faces, bare genital areas, and being covered in a thick hair or fur.

Upon sighting these creatures, witnesses often believe that they are looking at a human who, inexplicably, has hair growing all over his body.

A leading theory about wildmen once thought that if humans were to live like animals in the wilderness they would grow hair over their bodies to retain heat and survive.

This theory is now largely disregarded due to a lack of evidence to substantiate the claims.

Credible evidence is yet to be found to support the existence of wildmen.

Elaborate hoaxes and digitally manipulated photographs have largely cast aspersions over the validity of eyewitness accounts and sightings.

If the reports from Shennongjia are confirmed as positive this is the expected to be the first time that wildmen have appeared in the area in several years.

Chinese authorities are said to be contacting the four eyewitnesses for further details and a thorough search is to be made along the Lichahe River.

Investigation results are to be announced at a later date by local Chinese authorities.

Piers Horner Reporter Mining companies operating in Africa are guilty of human rights violations and causing environmental damage, a recent report has alleged.

The pressure group War on Want, has identified a number of companies supported by the UK in Africa which it accuses of failing to meet important aspects of their codes of conduct.

Calls have also been made for the UK government to intervene to force mining companies to meet their social responsibilities.

Cases against the companies include the spillage of cyanide at Ghana’s largest gold mine, operated by the AngloGold Ashanti group.

The group is also accused of creating a climate of fear in local communities during ‘swoops’ against illegal miners in the area.

Members of local populations

in some countries have also, it is claimed, been forcibly resettled to make way for mines.

However, the report goes further to accuse mining companies of aggravating conflict all over the globe, often as a result of attempts to suppress community opposition to mining in their area.

Reacting to the report, the mining companies have claimed that some allegations are inaccurate or out of date.

In response to claims that it has been guilty of negligent practice leading to toxic leaks in Zambia, the mining firm Vedanta Resources said it has spent “several million dollars” rectifying leaks.

A spokesman for the company also reiterated that they take human rights, the environment, and relationships with local communities seriously.

Until now the British government has refused to intervene in such issues, referring to them as ‘business matters’.

gairrhydd

NOVEMBER.26.2007

07

NEWS SPECIAL

NEWS@gairrhydd.COM

RAG WEEK 2007: A round-up

gair rhydd’s William Taylor provides a summary of the biggest student fundraising week in recent years

William Taylor News Editor Cardiff Raise and Give (RAG) Society united students and staff across the University last week in fundraising efforts that raised in excess of £1,900 for charity.

Students became fundraising fairies for a specially re-named ‘Fun-draising’ Factory, in Solus, which kicked off the week long event.

The week of fundraising, better known as RAG week, takes place annually and is the largest fundraising event in the society’s calendar.

RAG week collections were in aid of Tenvous, a local cancer charity and Children In Need.

Glow sticks were sold, many students donned red face paint and over £350 was raised in the first night of collecting alone.

The fundraising continued on Tuesday with the Union executives submitting themselves to anyone who wished to donate and cream pie them.

Rowena Vassallo, Vice President of the Students’ Union, said: “As a sab-

batical team, we are all really keen to be involved in helping students and their fundraising events in any way we can.”

Collections at Rubber Duck and the popular student night Bounce were also very successful during the week.

But the climax of the week came on Friday, where RAG took over the Students’ Union in aid of Children In Need.

Friday’s fundraising activities included a popular bake sale; a campus

“RAG week proves how our student body can unite and make a difference” -wide event encouraging everyone to wear ‘Red for RAG,’ while donating for doing so and a charity-shop-themed ‘Access All Areas’ in Solus nightclub.

Sally Airey, Societies, International and Postgraduate officer, spoke highly of RAG and the week of charity

events.

She said: “The RAG team really involved more students and staff this year, which has been very admirable and I only hope it sets a precedent for the rest of the student year.

“I felt it was really important that the Union and the University fully supported RAG week’s worthy cause and it just proves how our student body can unite and make a difference,” she added.

Airey was joined by many of the non-sabbatical officers to be locked in a box and they were not allowed out until they had raised enough money.

Their team

efforts raised a staggering £400 i n less than two hours.

Toby Willis, President of RAG, said of the week “As a committee we would like to thank Students’ Union marketing for helping us with our campaign, the executive, students and staff, and first and foremost, Sally Airey, who championed the week and her support was invaluable.”

RAG week In numbers... fundraising events throughout the week

8

£1,905

raised by students and staff in five days

1

very happy Pudsey bear

gairrhydd

NOVEMBER.26.2007 OPINION@gairrhydd.COM

freewords Est. 1972

Support for sport This year 51 students at Cardiff University will receive bursaries from the Sport and Exercise Department’s Sports Bursary Programme The scheme itself is one that should be celebrated in the University as it provides crucial support for Cardiff’s elite athletes.

For students competing in high level sport across the world, the financial benefit of the Sports Bursary Programme is fantastic as it enables opportunities which may otherwise be ruled out by a student budget.

Further to the financial assistance is the support network it offers. The recipients have been awarded these bursaries for their commitment and dedication to their field. But with academic commitments, it is also important that students have the necessary support so that their academic commitments are not compromised. gair rhydd looks forward to publishing the successes of these students in the forthcoming year.

Guardian Student Media Awards Congratulations must go to former gair rhydd writer Helen Thompson, judged as runner up for Best Diversity Writer at the Guardian Student Media Awards. gair rhydd and Quench missed out on the hotly contested awards for best newspaper and magazine. York University’s York Vision took home the title of Best Newspaper while Tower Hamlets Summer University won Best Magazine for their publication Nang.

The awards, which were judged on the issues published in 2006/07, were slightly disappointing for Cardiff student media, which is used to regular commendation for its efforts. Nevertheless, last year’s publications were popular amongst the student body, and many former editors and sub-editors have gone on to major publications as a result of their work.

As ever, we will ensure that our high standards are maintained throughout the academic year, and endeavour for more recognition at next year’s awards.

Apology gair rhydd would like to apologise for any offence caused by the image in last week’s TV section accompanying the programme Hands on Nature.

The image is in no way representative of the standards we aspire to at gair rhydd, and we regret its publication.

Editor Amy Harrison Deputy Editor Ben Bryant Co-ordinator Elaine Morgan News William Taylor Abigail Whittaker Samantha Shillabeer Corinne Rhoades Investigations Lee Macaulay Politics

09

EDITORIAL & OPINION

Thou shalt not kill

Jamie Thunder criticises the Catholic Church for declining to support pro-abortion charities for rape victims in Africa

R

ed Nose Day. It’s a time of forced wackiness, zaniness and all out craziness when people do ‘random’ things and dress up in ‘mental’ outfits. But it’s not all bad – it also helps to raise money for various good causes throughout the world, right? Not at my secondary school.

In my five years there, no donations were taken, no one wore red noses, and no events in support of the charity were organised (or indeed allowed). The reason? My school was Catholic, and the top brass objected to the purchase and distribution of condoms in Africa with the money raised by Comic Relief.

Don’t get me wrong, the school in general was generous and very good with charity work; there were countless appeals for CAFOD, The Good Shepherd and various other charitable organisations, and the money that would otherwise have gone to Comic Relief may well have been ‘redistributed’ to other charities. It’s just that when it came to a charity that carried out acts as objectionable as protecting people against AIDS and unwanted pregnancies or relieving a rape victim of the need to bring up the child of the rapist, their generosity vanished like Bartimai’s blindness.

Such actions aren’t confined to individual schools, either. This summer, the Vatican (it’s always the Catholics) urged the world’s one billion baptised Catholics to stop donating to the human rights charity Amnesty International due to “the organisation’s pro-abortion about-turn”. Funding coming directly from the Church’s coffers has also been regularly withdrawn from UNICEF over concerns about their promotion of contraceptives and stance on abortion.

The Vatican asked 1 billion Catholics to stop donating to Amnesty International On the surface all this might seem reasonable; why should the Church support charities that act in direct conflict with their stated beliefs? Surely they should be allowed to choose who or what they support, just as ordinary people are? This argument may sound persuasive, but then again ordinary people do not usually claim to be some sort of guiding moral force in the world, and their actions do not usually

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THE VATICAN: in a world of its own theoretically affect almost one sixth of the world’s population.

Catholics may argue that it is the principles of their religious beliefs that prevent them from supporting certain charities, but it would make far more moral sense for them to forget the principles and focus on the issues.

By denying access to lifesaving or life-changing contraception or abortion options, and patronisingly ‘saving’ people from eternal damnation based on a system of belief that may or may not be true (and cannot be proven either way), the Church is effectively sticking two fingers up to the people affected by AIDS and rape. The message sent out is clear: my principles > your life.

And by refusing to provide condoms the Church is condemning millions of people to death, and by refusing to help fund abortions (and remember, these are not just any abortions; these are exclusively abortions for rape or incest victims) it is destroying millions of lives by forcing an extra mouth to feed upon families which often are extremely poor to start with. All because one ‘infallible’ individual with mas-

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sive unquestionable power believes it should be so. How very moral.

For those without religious belief, refusal to help innocent victims often seems absurd and ultimately inhumane.

For those with such belief, it’s important to ask whether the world will really go to Hell if people are educated about safe sex or if a woman is given the right to choose in extremely extenuating circumstances. Or is it more likely that Hell will be reserved for those who indirectly but knowledgably cause the premature and painful deaths of millions and rob countless more of the chance of a good life?

The Pope is well aware that his actions will cause the deaths of millions It’s easy to invoke the sixth Commandment (“thou shall not kill”) to justify an anti-abortion stance and it Melissa Moore, Emma Jones, Shazia Khawja, Portia Nicholson, Ruth Smith, Anneka Buckle, Piers Horner, Jamie Thunder, Aisling Tempany, Ted Shiress, Emma Davies, Magdelane, Quartey, Sarah, Shearman, Elain Llwyd, Lois Gwenllian Jones,

is just about possible to stretch it to justify an anti-contraception viewpoint.

But the same logic, if applied to the consequences of withdrawal of funding, implicates the Catholic Church as a whole in the violation of the Commandment, something which is an astounding hypocrisy.

The Pope is well aware that his actions will mean the deaths of vast numbers of people – far more than the one child ‘murdered through abortion’ – yet he continues to issue orders designed to cut funding for charities that don’t do as they’re told. The Church may claim to be moral, but how can anyone claim to be so when they refuse to help innocent victims?

The Vatican may set itself up as a moral force in the world; one which acts in the best interests of humanity to keep us from Hell. However, this attitude is in absolute disharmony and is entirely inconsistent with its actions regarding charity funding. Ultimately it would seem that whilst the Catholic Church may speak so much of the abyss, its morals only run as deep as the surface.

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10 gairrhydd

NOVEMBER.26.2007

OPINION

OPINION@gairrhydd.COM

You booze, you lose

Is Drinkaware’s idea of a unit calculator warning students of their drinking levels a work of genius or a giant miscalculation? Richard Ward speaks out

I

n issue 854 of gair rhydd, Lisa Evans reported on the latest bright idea from DrinkAware campaigners – the unit calculator.

Built into a mobile phone, it will allow people to work out how many units they are drinking and supposedly, as a consequence, reduce student alcohol consumption.

However, far from being a helpful measure, this and the related ‘Know What’s In It’ campaign merely reveal a remarkable naïveté towards student drinking habits. Do the creators of this scheme really think that university students are only getting drunk because they don’t realise that 10 pints of beer means they’ve had 20 units? Do they also think that, upon this realisation, the student will suddenly abstain from drinking? I can just imagine someone getting out their Nokia in Metros, inputting their five doubles, two pints and three Squashed Frogs and exclaiming, “Oh my God, 17 units! I had no idea I was such a drunkard. Right, that’s it.

No more binge drinking for me. Ever.

From now on it’s one Appletini and then onto the water.”

that I am not in any way trying to make light of alcoholism and its related illnesses. It’s clearly a serious issue and DrinkAware should be praised for their efforts. Instead, I am hoping to illustrate that trying to get 20-year-old students to stop drinking with mobile phones is like trying to stop a charging rhino with a Kleenex – futile.

Many students are proud of the amount of units they get down them

The campaign reveals a naïveté towards student drinking habits

Unfortunately, this phone software isn’t the only patronising approach employed by DrinkAware campaigners. Their website is full of helpful rhetoric, with the page for 18-24-yearolds informing the reader that “possible consequences of drinking too much include…headaches and hangovers”; something that any student can’t help but know either from direct experience

ILLUSTRATION: Osian Haines or from watching their housemate appear at 2pm the day after a night out looking like death warmed up. The phrase, “Don’t try to teach your grandmother how to suck eggs” springs to mind here.

Unsurprisingly, as reported in the article, a student, when asked about the

mobile phone idea, said: “I doubt it will work. Most students don’t care about the amount of units they drink.” However, while she is right, it goes further than that. Many students are proud of the amount of units/pints/doubles they’ve managed to get down them and are pleased to have smashed their weekly

quota as set by the Government. The point here is that students like drinking and getting drunk to help them unwind from studying; to make them feel more confident on the dancefloor; to enjoy themselves while they can before getting a 9-5 job and so on.

I would like to point out at this stage

We students know about the dangers to health, the blurred vision, the dreaded hangover etc. that alcohol brings, but many of us decide to carry on anyway – much like people smoking despite the threat of cancer, or people having unprotected sex in spite of the risks posed

by STIs. Such contradictory behaviour shows that this is a complex issue, requiring much more thought than silly software for phones. One obvious suggestion is that the DrinkAware people need to have more consultation with their target audience to stop ridiculous ideas such as this getting off the ground in the first place.

Furthermore, what would be helpful is if drinking establishments acted a bit more responsibly themselves. For example, perhaps bar staff should stop serving people who are clearly way past the point of being able to operate a mobile unit calculator. Another idea might be for venues to desist from offering deals like 2-for-1 cocktails and £1 doubles, which obviously are only going to aid the average student in his or her binging. Because unlike a mobile phone campaign, money is one thing that students will pay attention to.

Harry Potter and the Aisling Tempany of Wrath T here was a scene in my first English Literature seminar last year when, upon being asked what my favourite book was, I couldn’t think of any one book. Someone suggested Harry Potter, and I screamed at them. The tutor said they were allowed to name Harry Potter, despite my objections, as their favourite book, but, strangely, no one mentioned Harry Potter ever again. And I thank God for it. I just hate Harry Potter.

Harry Potter is one of the worst phenomena to have appeared in the last decade. Oh, they say, isn’t it wonderful how children are reading books again? Excuse me for asking, but when exactly did all children stop reading? I don’t know which is worse: illiterate children or children who’ve only read Harry Potter. Or,

even more irritatingly, the children who can’t learn anything unless it involves that book – like the school in Nottingham which teaches them Harry Potter spells in between the three Rs. OK, it seems to work there – but heaven help them when they get to high school and realise that actually, no, life’s problems can’t all be solved with a spell and an invisible cloak.

I fear that my degree will have entire modules dedicated to it But I’ll leave the children alone.

Children can’t help themselves. No, the truly, truly awful thing about Harry Potter is the grown-ups who read

it. You all know whom I mean. You’ve probably lived with one of them. They got dressed up, with fancy dress costumes, scarves and their ‘sorting hats’ left over from Hallowe’en, camped outside Waterstone’s two days before the book’s release, because they just must, must, oh they must be the first to read it. They refused to speak to you until they’d read the whole thing.

They were determined to finish first.

They cried for days about the ending (which was utter pants, as is anything where people come back from the dead). When you meet them, they ask you if you’re Gryffindor or Slytherin.

Can I remind you adult fans that Harry Potter was meant to be a children’s book? There’s something really weird and almost paedophilic about Harry Potter slash fiction. Slash fiction can be scary anyway – Lord of the Rings fans, I’m looking your way

– but HP slash is a whole new world.

Perhaps now Dumbledore is definitely gay, they’ll all calm down.

The truly awful thing about Harry Potter is grownups reading it

I feel slightly sorry for Daniel Radcliffe, who buffed up and got naked in Equus so people would take him seriously and see him as something other than Harry Potter (it didn’t really work: it just got those sexually frustrated fans buying front-row tickets to a seriously freaky play to fulfil their desires and see naked Harry).

Only slightly sorry, though – he’s making enough money, after all.

I’m actually slightly concerned by

how many English Literature students seem to be obsessed with it. Is no one else like me? Does no one else read Icelandic sagas and modernist novels involving the Holy Grail for fun? I fear that, by next year, my degree will have entire modules dedicated to Harry Potter, and I’ll be left crying on my own in the corner. Life is cruel, and the Harry Potter fans are everywhere.

I await their hatred, telling me I’m a cultural snob; that I’m snotty and highbrow, and that I should lighten up. But if I ever were to lighten up in my reading taste, or anything else, I wouldn’t be turning to Harry Potter.

I could only put up with The Goblet of Fire in the cinema on the promise of the presence of David Tennant (mmm, David Tennant.) I suffered for those ten minutes, and I never will again.

gairrhydd

NOVEMBER.26.2007 OPINION@gairrhydd.COM

Mature cheese-d off At the hedonistic heaven of Higher Education, even young twentysomethings can feel like Methuselah’s great-uncle.

Portia Nicholson asks: what makes a mature student?

C

oming to university wasn’t an easy decision for me. Unlike my fellow coursemates I did not choose the conventional straight-from-school route; instead, I spent many enjoyable years in a variety of jobs, living in different places in this country and abroad.

At the grand age of 23, though, I decided it was time to come home and begin the process of starting a career and becoming a ‘proper grown-up’.

Having already studied an HND a few years previously, I felt readily equipped to deal with the rigour of studying, and imagined many in-depth conversations over cups of ground roast Jamaican coffee about the state of Iraq with my fellow students. Age could not possibly be an issue – after all, I was only five years older than most undergraduate students, right?

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OPINION Cardiff, Disability and me Life experience and life lessons with columnist Ted Shiress

Y

ou will no doubt be reading these words in the week after November 21, the day that, twenty years ago, changed my life in a way no other day could. This was my day of birth.

8.35am I was born, at a healthy size and weight; however, moments later it was noticeable that I was in some distress – the blue head symbolising a lack of oxygen to the brain was a slight hint! This was not serious: just a quick rush to the intensive care unit and everything would be fine. So, my parents waited…and waited…and waited.

It soon became apparent that no midwife was in any sense of urgency, and that time of waiting did something to me no person could ever do. A month or two later, after a physiotherapist studied the intonation in my crying, it was confirmed that I, Edmund Alan Shiress, have Cerebral Palsy.

So, twenty years after that day, what have I learnt? Well, not much really, except life is harsh in some ways – get over it and, most importantly, don’t try to change it. I know that sounds incredibly morbid, but I don’t believe it is.

At the grand age of 23, I decided it was time to begin the process of starting a career Imagine, then, my horror at receiving my induction pack in September with the depressing stamp: ‘Mature Student’. As I flipped through the pack it was filled with details about ‘coffee mornings’ and group activities to make the transition into Higher Education easier. To make matter worse, my Student Union pack followed, promising many nights filled with drunkenness and debauchery.

Just where is the middle ground?

With so many student nights being centred around drinking until you’re unconscious, where do the people who just want a nice glass of Chardonnay, wishing to remain sober enough to leave at a reasonable hour so as not to miss Newsnight, go? I have no particular interest on going on a whistle-stop tour of Cathays and puking outside nine different bars. I enjoy the odd glass of poison but in a pleasant and comfortable environment of leather armchairs and actually being able to hear myself think.

Worse still, I actually appear to be the oldest person on my course. I sit in my lectures surrounded by bright-eyed eighteen-year-olds discussing how well they organised their Sixth Form party. Suddenly, five years feels like a

11

lifetime, as I sink into my seat trying to remember what I actually did at sixth form.

Imagine my horror at receiving my induction pack with the stamp: ‘Mature Student’ Seven weeks into my course and my transition has been somewhat rocky (maybe I should have attended some coffee mornings). I dread the inevitable Monday morning question, “What did you do at the weekend?’ from people who have no real desire to hear my answer, as they desperately want to recount their ‘hilarious’ Friday night encounters of drinking 12 bottles of VK and throwing bags of chips at taxis. As I meet their inquisitive stares, I wonder: should I say that I attended several hedonistic parties in Talybont, hosted in

the housing equivalent of a shoebox, where I proceeded to drink three times my body weight in brightly-coloured alcohol pops through a funnel, snog 41 complete strangers and pass out with someone weeing on my head?

Suspecting that I could not quite pull off such an elaborate lie, I mutter something about having a glass of Merlot, complemented by a lovely microwave chocolate pudding from Marks & Spencer, and falling asleep in front of Parkinson. “Oh, were you ill or something?” enquire several of my fellow students in varying stages of acidic hangovers. I replied along the lines of just wanting a quiet night in as I am currently saving my money for a new vegetable steamer. I now realise that if I do not wish to draw attention to my age, I must stop referring to vegetable steamers, Michael Parkinson and things that happened in ‘my day’.

Still, all this life experience must account for something. Having lived in a dilapidated caravan with a chainsmoking Essex girl (please don’t ask),

ILLUSTRATION: Hannah Jones I feel I can now budget better than the Chancellor. I no longer feel the need to fall asleep in my own vomit.

Do not try to be different for the sake of it

I have a glass of merlot and fall asleep in front of

The way I found to enjoy life is just to be the person you want to be.

I know many people with disabilities who have forced themselves to conform to the convention of what they see as “normality” as much as possible. Experience has told me this route requires a lot of effort without much gain.

Likewise, do not try to be different for the sake of it. OK: this is where I, currently trying to resist an outbreak of air guitar to ZZ Top’s Blue Jean Blues, stand on thin ice. But I like to believe an odd taste in music is something I was born with, and like my disability, it is not something I try to hide. It may take a while, but true friends are the people who ignore your imperfections and admire you for being you – not those who give you a brief confidence boost for being ‘one of them’.

I am not one of these people that is proud of their disability: I can’t run, cook proper meals or woo the chicks on the dancefloor. Yeah, it sucks. However, one must remember that the grass is always greener on the other side. I also lead a great life full of good friends and a lot of respect.

That is what should be focused on; yes, accept the bad, but cherish the good.

Parkinson

I also don’t have to live in a ninestory student housing nightmare, with drum and bass blaring through my walls 24 hours a day, peeling post-it notes off the fridge that read, “Where the fuck are my fish fingers?”

Apparently, though, life experience amounts to nothing when some fresh-faced eighteen-year-old asks you incredulously, “Why have you come to uni when you’re SO old?” Excuse me while I pop the kettle on, have a shortbread and think of the appropriate ‘mature student’ response; I’ll get back to you as soon as I’ve finished watching Parky.

It really is that simple!

E-mail today opinion@gairrhydd.com

12 gairrhydd

NOVEMBER.26.2007

OPINION

OPINION@gairrhydd.COM

Blood, sweat and smudged mascara

Kick-off may be at 3pm, but it’s handbags at dawn. Emma Davies discusses the politics of female sports in Cardiff

P

icture the scene: it’s a university sports hall with six trampolines set up, three panels of judges and lots of people in leotards. People are competing, showing off their routines as groups of others, mainly stood in their teams, stand around and watch. You can practically hear each group muttering criticisms, no matter how minute, of each routine completed by someone not on their own team. You can practically see the thoughts in the air: please mess up, please mess up. Welcome to the world of the trampolining competition. Want to know the funny thing? I’m not even that competitive a person. But I can’t deny that it’s infectious.

Don’t get me wrong: I’ve never found any bitchiness within the trampolining club here, and I’m glad of that, obviously. Sometimes I do wonder if I am the only one this lucky. It seems that bitchiness in general is rife within the Cardiff female sports scene. One of the most dramatic – and, to my mind, shocking – examples of this can be seen in the fact that one of my friends has recently been bullied off of one of the sports teams here. She’s no shrinking violet and isn’t shy in standing up for herself – not at all the kind of girl you’d expect (if this is the kind of thing you ever can expect) to be the victim

Almost every other girl I’ve spoken to has said their teams are rife with cliques and élitism

ILLUSTRATION: Kevin Lewis

Bitchiness is abundant within the Cardiff female sports scene

can’t-actually-believe-I-really-did-that kind of way, that she’d shoved over an opponent in a netball match for being in her way. Not commendable behaviour, perhaps, but at least it was someone on the opposite team.

of bullying.

She’s not the only one to experience this in some form or other, either.

Almost every other girl I’ve spoken to about this has said that their teams are rife with cliques, élitism and favouritism. It seems to be the case with many teams that if you’re in with the captain, you’re into the match teams. Not exclusively, of course – obviously talent is

important as well. But I’ve heard that being popular counts for a fair amount too.

Personally, I find this all entirely baffling. Maybe it’s because I’ve never been involved in sports such as football, hockey or netball that I don’t quite understand this. I’ve always preferred individual sports, myself. However, the idea of participating in a sport – of

giving up hours of your time per week for training, matches and competitions – simply to spend half your time being nasty to people in your team just doesn’t seem to fit. I get too stressed out by conflict, so situations like this don’t appeal.

I did have an amusing moment a few weeks ago when a housemate came home and told me, in an embarrassed, I-

Is this a Cardiff-specific phenomenon? Again, from what I can tell, no.

It does, however, appear to be fairly female-specific. OK, so this might not seem to be the most surprising of conclusions. We’re girls. We bitch.

Not that every conversation between girls degenerates into a Mean Girls style bitch-off, but it certainly is a girly trait for the most part. Men do sport, too, though. None of the guys I know have been able to give me much in the way of examples of this sort of thing in sports teams, the odd light-hearted fresher-bashing aside. It’s odd, isn’t it?

Isn’t it time to sort this out? Professionalism aside, sports are meant to be fun and enjoyable. If you’re good at them, even better. If not, at least you’re giving it a go. Clichéd, I know – but it’s true. What’s the point in doing something you don’t enjoy? The problem is, if girls are going to spend their time bitching about their teammates and forming exclusive cliques, more people may be put off from joining.

Remember, it’s all fun and games until somebody loses an eye.

An offer they can’t refuse

Magdalene Quartey examines the new ‘Operation Alliance’ scheme, which will see one-to-one talks between gang leaders and the constabulary

L

eaders of seven gangs will be told gun crime has to stop or police will come down hard on them, Scotland Yard has said. Led by Commander Shaun Sawyer, Operation Alliance aims to disrupt and dismantle criminal gangs, and wants to hold the meetings with gang leaders in January.

I think that having tried all areas possible without success, the police have decided enough is enough. Perhaps sitting down and talking faceto-face with these so-called gangs seems the only available alternative towards a final solution to this insurgence that has swept through our communities in recent years.

To be honest, I thought it very unusual for the police to take such a step, and my view was that it would appear they were submitting to the whims of the gangs, or acknowledg-

ing some form of defeat. This view is put across by Norman Brennan of the Victims of Crime Trust, who said the police should not be “negotiating with criminals”.

The police are sending the right message He continued, “The sad reality is that a considerable number of gang members have an arrogant contempt for anyone and everyone. Some have no regard for the value of life; they have an attitude of ‘live by the gun, die by the gun’.” A sad reality, but one that appears to be the norm, and perhaps also a huge contributor to why some of these gangs aren’t afraid to bear guns and kill.

It seems an amiable approach to

the problem, to allow gang leaders to speak up about what exactly it is that causes them to turn to guns and, in effect, infiltrate communities with fear and violence. Obviously, if talking and negotiating fails, the police have promised to mount a huge crackdown, taking no prisoners. This sounds like a fair deal, since some of these gangs are apparently made up of youths with troubling emotional issues that need “careful handling” (oh please). Maybe a few of them are deeply troubled and require help, but the ‘emotional issues’ card just seems to be overplayed to the extreme, to the extent it is almost an excuse allowing gang members to be let off scot-free.

It’s all well and good that they want to follow a successful strategy, but gun crime in America is different from British gun crime and the fact it worked in Boston gives no guarantee of its success here. We cannot expect

to deal with it in the same way the Americans do. But perhaps the police’s increasing frustration with the situation is enough to drive them to new areas in search for a solution.

The ‘emotional issues’ card seems to be overplayed Maybe in a weird, twisted way it will allow the police to gain some insight, but I cannot shake the feeling that Operation Alliance might just be a way of telling gang leaders that this is their last chance before the real crackdown begins – a fair bargain, but too little too late, perhaps.

Gangs are menaces to society, and if I had my way I would run them all down (not literally, of course).

However, that would probably just

infuse more rebellion and most likely provoke an increase in violence, so all we can do is sit and wait for the police to do whatever it is they are trying to do.

Yes, it seems like desperation and to some, talking to gangs is nothing better than ‘kowtowing to criminals’, but as I’ve said, none of us seem to have come up with a better solution of curbing gun crime – nor stopping youths joining these criminal lifestyles, which claim young lives year in, year out.

Besides, the police are sending the right message: that if people genuinely have problems that are causing them to resort to crime, society is willing to help them, but no longer tolerate their meaningless and thoughtless acts of violence.

It seems that we have no choice but to leave it up to the police as usual.

OCTOBER.22.2007 FEATURES@gairrhydd.COM

gairrhydd

14

FEATURES

14 gairrhydd

NOVEMBER.26.2007

LETTERS

LETTERS@gairrhydd.COM

letters@gairrhydd.com Welcome and croeso to gair rhydd’s letters page, the place for students to have their say about the things they care about. So, if you have an opinion on any topic we would love to hear from you. Whether it be a student issue, in the news, or one of your own. Contact us at letters@gairrhydd.com or you can voice your opinions on specific articles online at gairrhydd.com.

Blonde and Brilliant Dear gair rhydd, I am writing in to defend us blondes.

The Blonde people are a tiny genetic group as are the Redhead people.

Contrary to what many people believe, it is NOT acceptable to degrade, harass, demean, and insult any human being because of the way they are born to BE. Blondes are human BEings. The very name Blonde only exists because it means us. Our problem is that we Blondes have a massive army of Brunettes hiding behind us and knifing us while rifling our pockets.

These are the Bleached Brunettes and the key to their power is the name Blonde.

Without a GOOD name to hide behind these vacuous sub-standard Brunettes would find it difficult to peddle their flesh the way they do, in public, now. Seriously, imagine Paris Hilton striking a lewd pose accompanied by the caption, ‘Bleached Brunette Porn Video Icon Heiress Doing Sequel For Money’ or Jessica Simpson showing her boobs captioned ‘Bleached Brunette Boob Bombshell Moment #999,999.’

They’ve had all the power over all

the women of all normal colours and it’s time we all took that power away from them.

They’re not better than us, in fact, we are all better than them. Brunette, Blonde, Black, Red, Gray, Brown, White are all better than bleach colour.

phoney celebrity endorsements destined for the bottom drawer or the bin before the season is over!

For me the choice is simple - I recently invested in “green” Chopper Couture and love it! Check out their website and their latest rock rhapsody collection; its fabulous!

Carol E. Cox

Green Fashion

Once Frustrated...

Dear gair rhydd,

Dear gair rhydd,

I am writing in about the article and comments on “Is green fashion really green?”

If the fabrics used are from sustainable resources such as bamboo or lyocell (wood pulp); the embellishments organic in nature or at the very least environmentally friendly and the fashion in question fair trade produced; then perhaps one should decide whether or not the ‘green fashion’ in question could be considered quality “investment pieces” to be enjoyed over and over; or just another mass market brand with the short life-span typical of cheap off-shore produced fashion marketed with all the usual hype and

I wanted to write in to express some frustration! Cardiff is a capital city, and with that should come all the perks of major cities yet we don’t seem to get it.

Anyone who would come to visit Cardiff would see that it has a beautiful city centre with an even more beautiful civic centre, all the bars and pubs you need, a rapidly-improving shopping centre and some great art facilities too.

Even with Chapter Arts Centre – one of my favourite places in the world to go – we don’t get all the great indyfilms that other major cities do..or even other non-major cities.

I absolutely love the sound of a new Irish independent film called “Once”.

It has been profiled on radio stations such as Radio One and sounds like an amazing short film which was made with such a low budget but has already grossed millions more pounds than ever expected!

And yet it is in no cinemas in Wales at all! The nearest cinema you can go see this film is in Bristol!

Why oh why is it always so hard to get exactly what you want, just because we’re a small city!

New number coming next week

Elizabeth Start

Your Comment on Left-Wing Politics

Letter of the week Ageless Dear gair rhydd How old am I feeling right now?

I’m scared. I’m starting to sound more and more like my ancient parents every day!

Not only am I finding myself less able to do two nights out in a row, let alone the fortnight straight I could manage in Fresher’s week, but I’m starting to hear myself say…”I used to watch that when I was a kid”!

What is with the massive resurgence of all the 80’s and 90’s movies which I loved as a kid…are we already a generation old enough to have childhood favourites as being retro and vintage? Surely we are still basically-children ourselves?

Not so, according to the film industry. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (or as the hip youngsters call it, TMNT!) was the major blockbuster which reminded me, slightly bitterly of my favourite sick-day movies I watched over and over on video tape as a child!

And its never quite the same, the cartoon/puppet-style animation, with splinter’s training almost comincal now, never looses its magic touch whether I watched it as a 6 year old or a 23 year old!

But now the animation uses the latest in digital technology and ises. Science is a method of inquiry.

If you believe that science has broken promises, you have misunderstood the nature of science.

Finally, many people seem to make the mistake of misunderstanding the meaning of a scientific theory. Evolution is a theory as much as gravity or electromagnetism. Would he ask us to prove that things fall to the ground or that lightbulbs shine?

I agree that RE should remain in schools. However the original article did not really object to it. What it objected to was the systematic and fundamental way that religion is allowed to affect our schools and indoctrinate children with their beliefs.

In any other case this would be considered unacceptable, yet when it comes to religion, it is a part of our society.

Yes, children should be educated about religion - no, they should not be indoctrinated with it.

Richard Wood

Dear gair rhydd, I feel that a lot that has been written on left-wing and right-wing politics has been slightly incorrect and incredulous. Instead I wish to put my opinion forward.

Apparently by clinging to the pillars of freedom of speech and tolerance us “left-wing bigots” provoke intolerance in the world. Can anyone spot the judgmental, intolerant and self-defeating argument here? I feel it is right-wing itolerence not left.

I do not agree with Dawkins’ way of promoting his views. Neither do I agree with most of the Catholic Church’s, yet I would not call them religious Nazis!

Science does not make any prom-

Onwards and Upwards Dear gair rhydd, I wanted to write in and say how proud I am to be studying at Cardiff University, after the week-beforelast’s article “Moving On Up”.

Cardiff University definitely deserves its place in the top 100 elite universitites of the World. Every time I discuss with people what course I am doing (Journalism) they sound so impressed, claiming that the JOMEC school at Cardiff is the best in the

looks more real than most of us do after a heavy night out…it almost ruins the memory!

Add to that transformers which, being a major tomboy, I was extremely into, and you’ve got a slightly worrying trend! Don’t the major industries have enough imagination to come up with own new creative ideas instead of stealing all the magic from our favourites?

Before you know it there’ll be a Labyrinth 2, or a neverending-story returns (or rather continues as it is, I suppose, never-ending…). I have no problem with serials (although often they go too far - Rocky 5 and 6 in case..), many of them are classics in my eyes such as Silence of the Lambs, Lord of the Rings, and personally of course, the Die Hard Films! But there comes a point where trilogies turn into revivals that are simply a bit past their date!

Lets keep our memories where they started so that movies like Batteries not included, Gremlins and Ferris Bueller’s Bad Day Out can remain as much loved as they always have been without the ruining touch of new and modern technology. Bring back the old days…says grandma.

Rebecca Stevenson

country, But its not just Media and Journalism, or Broadcasting, that we excel in. Most courses at Cardiff are at the top of their game, with lecturers and tutors excelling in their professions and writing manyof the main texts we study; not because of lecture-ego, but because they are simply the best out there.

Cardiff is also leading its way in its student media, its fantastic students union and its multi-national incorporation. Now we are really getting things moving as students too, passing regulations turning the University into Fair-Trade status, and having some of the most lively, fun and effective student voting campaigns I have seen.

Mybe we don’t have the name that Oxford or Cambridge have, but we are a red-brick university, we have serious history based here in Cardiff and we are a capital city in which many thousands of students from around the globe are excited to visit for the duration of their courses, and love it.

Rankings are not everything. Whilst I don’t agree schools should be ranked (children forced into education react very differently, from very different areas, and excel at many different subjects), as I think that they are so varied and offered varied opportunities, universities have a pledge for higher-education. Hence, the ranking system will really push universities to provide the best facilitieis they can.

Given the cost of studying abroad in the USA, or elsewhere, I feel it is a real achievement for Cardiff to rank so highly, and being a Cardiffian myself, I am proud to say I am from here. No Welsh-mocking jokes here please!

Dave Llewlyn

gairrhydd

NOVEMBER.26.2007

OPINION

L w r Mi L o D

OPINION@gairrhydd.COM

the...

15

Defining: The Issue

...in the papers

T

The Guardian

here’s something potentially dangerous about definitions.

I’m not talking the meaning of cornflakes here. Or akimbo. Or papilionaceous. Though each are fine words with their own merits. What’s got me rankled, and very concerned, is the recent obsession that seems to have gripped the country in its attempt to define nationality – to pin down precisely what it means to be British.

I’m not saying that I can’t see the appeal. For politicians it provides an ideal vehicle to display their unfaultable patriotism, such as Gordon Brown’s recent pledge of “British jobs for British people”. For us, it’s very comforting to be told what we are, or at least, should be, as it gives us something to aspire to (perhaps) – makes us feel as if we are ‘a member of the gang’, or not as the case may be, which is where the trouble begins.

The inherent problem with constructing a fixed definition of something as intangible and diverse as a nationality is that it will inevitably lead to omission, and as Star Wars’ infinitely-wise Yoda might put it, omission leads to alienation; alienation leads to segregation; segregation leads to suffering.

For from the moment it is established that to be British is to be x, y and z, then questions of worth and perhaps even rights will be put to all the a-ws.

Because unfortunately, however much we try to persuade ourselves we are drawing distinctions in non-divisive areas such as national attitudes (stiff upper lip), cuisine (fish and chips and cups of tea), institutions such as the Monarchy and – irony – democracy, there will, without a doubt, be those who use this debate to propagate racist and xenophobic beliefs.

Many would have no qualms with this per se – freedom of expression, after all is the feature which the majority of us (61%) rate as the most defining characteristic of Britishness, according to a government survey conducted in 2005. And I’d be one in that majority.

Debate is essential to democracy. But, and this is a substantial but, there is a risk that the polarization of liberalism and right-wing fanaticism (i.e. the ideological Nazi figure which Britain

D

A UNITED FRONT?: Is it wise, or even necessary, to distinguish a precise definition of Britishness? bull-doggedly clings to) is allowing a culture of ‘socially-acceptable’ racism, as highlighted by Ronan Bennett last week, as he argued that novelist Martin Amis’ sustained Islamophobic comments, were indeed a form of racism, for which his peers, and society, had largely failed to taken him to task.

This quest to re-establish a supposedly lost identity has culminated in the discussion of a new education initiative to teach schoolchildren the values and traits which characterise Britishness.

Pupils at a school from Surrey have

Everything in Alaska seems to be about being the biggest. It has the highest mountain in North America, more coastline than the rest of the U.S. combined, the largest forest, and over three million lakes. The only thing not

very big is the price paid to Russia in 1867 at 5.9 cents per acre. Bargain.

So, in conclusion, my argument is defunct. Cardiff might be a tad chilly, but Alaska is sooo much cooler.

In so many ways.

The inherent problem with a fixed definition of a nationality is that it will inevitably lead to omission already begun their (re)education with the addition of a three-part component to their citizenship lessons, under the banners, ‘Britishness – What’s the score?’, ‘Towards a British Charter’ and ‘Who’s your Great Briton?’ This is in conjunction with 51% of participants in a recent Yougov survey believing that Britishness should be taught as part of the curriculum, as 56% think

That’ll be the day...

Winter has settled in Cardiff, but whilst you curse cold sores, chill-blains and runny noses, November 25 is an opportunity to feel a little less hard done by, as it’s Alascattalo Day – a day for all things Alaskan.

controversy last week as the president of Oxford University Students’ Union came under fire by many, including the Defence Secretary Des Browne, for inviting Holocaust-denier David Irving and the leader of the British National Party (BNP), Nick Griffin to speak at an event called Free Speech Forum. A similar furore occurred earlier this year in May at Bath University, where an

invitation to Nick Griffin to speak was withdrawn due to ‘reasons of public safety’. The BNP is notorious for its attempt to define Britishness and the overtones of xenophobia which reside in its policies. In its stance on immigration, the BNP state that ‘we, the native British people’ (emphasis added) are becoming ‘an ethnic minority in our own country’ and that if their party were elected, they would encourage all immigrants to ‘return to their lands of ethnic origin’. I want to laugh at the ludicrousness, but can’t find anything funny about such conscious bigotry.

While it could be construed as an insult to think the public cannot hear a fanatic speaking without swallowing the views, this does suggest the government has a stance. Which is why I find it odd there’s such an urgent compulsion to establish a ‘British Charter’ in the country’s schools and risk (greater) estrangement among the public. Can we not celebrate the fact that a simple definition is so hard to come by?

Britishness should not be a debate that is off-limits, but it is a debate which must be handled extremely carefully. We cannot lose sight of the power of words.

that it will reinstate national identity into the youth of today. Ignoring the methodological problems of opinion polls, you only have to read a copy of the Daily Mail to see evidence of this panic that ‘real Britain’ is being ‘watered down’ by other cultures. What baffles me is that this fluid amalgamation of race, nationality (and arguably faith) is precisely what ‘real Britain’ is about, and always has been. Celts, Anglo-Saxons, Romans, Vikings, Normans, for instance?

This ongoing debate coincided with

Alaska is one of those places on my ‘to go’ list, though I’m not sure why.

From what I’ve heard it’s a barren, freeze-your-bollocks-off sort of place (a record -80 F), though they do have moose and plenty of gold.

on’t take drugs, kids – that’s the message ground into us from an early age at school and on Grange Hill.

In my experience, however, the focus was always on recreational drugs.

As a result, the drug-busters seem to have left a number of gaps in their net – namely in the shape of medical drugs to boost performance.

According to the British Medical Association, more and more students are using drugs such as Ritalin (a mild form of amphetamine) and modafinil, both of which are traditionally prescribed to sufferers of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), to stimulate cognitive functions during periods of increased academic pressure such as examinations.

There’s no right or wrong answer on this issue. Some say it’s no better than sports competitors taking performance-enhancing drugs, and should be penalized, while others suggest it’s no different from downing a pack of caffeine pills or five cans of Red Bull.

It’ll be interesting to see where this trend heads.

Not in the papers

A

s with most of my wacky university experiences, it occurred after a night-out.

Last week one of our group thought it would be a good idea to climb into Winter Wonderland. Two security guards appeared (I assume they live in the Ferris wheel, as I saw no other hut – or should that be igloo?) Suffice to say, said member of our group made a hasty exit and the usual repartee ensued.

Them: ‘Wot do you fuckin’ think your playin’ at?’ Us: Drunken jeering.

‘Great job, working as security at Winter Wonderland, mate.’

Suddenly we found ourselves in a showdown. I say, showdown. It was actually one security guard pushing one of our group, and through bared teeth, informing us he had a degree – in finance – and in any case, if he ever saw my mate again, he’d “kill him”. Completely proportionate reaction, really.

We’re planning our next trip to Winter Wonderland with anticipation, though I’m slightly concerned about the ‘security’s’ access to all those sharp blades on the ice skates…

16 gairrhydd

NOVEMBER.26.2007

POLITICS

POLITICS@gairrhydd.COM

Splitting the Liberal Atom Lib Dem supporter Sarah Shearman gives us her take on the latest Lib Dem leadership contest

I

will openly admit, in the style of Charles Kennedy in an AA meeting, that I vote Liberal Democrats. But why do I feel this hesitation in disclosing such information? Perhaps it is because the Lib Dems are often considered a party with whose main purpose is to serve as an anti-conservative buffer in predominantly middleclass constituencies.

Or perhaps it is due to the continual mockery many of the their politicians receive: whether it be the alcoholism of Charles Kennedy, Sir Menzies Campbell’s age, or Mark Oaten’s homosexuality scandal. So with the votes cast for the new leader what can we expect from the contenders and the future of the party?

profile of the party, and unlock the stalemate of British politics. As a Lib Dem supporter I feel this approach serves their voters well.

Their spat on the Politics programme was triggered by a report released from Huhne’s press office, which labelled Clegg ‘Calamity Clegg.’

After denying all knowledge of the document Huhne took the opportunity to accuse him of “flipflopping” on certain policies. An angry Clegg rebuked, “I have said to you until I’m blue in the face that my position is very clear on all the issues.”

‘Nasty’ is a word that has been recently associated with the party after it forced Charles Kennedy to stand

The two contenders, Chris Huhne and Nick Clegg, are both middle aged family men, who graduated from Oxbridge, trained as financial journalists, served in the European parliament and arrived at the House of Commons in 2005.

‘Nasty’ is a word that has been recently associated with the party They are also matched on many policies, most notably their strong desires to lead a campaign of civil disobedience against the ID card plans. They both aim to raise the

Tim Hewish analyses the stance of both men during a simmering BBC Question Time last week Their background...

Huhne appeared the more qualified and his hard talk on substance in economics suggests he could rival Mr.Brown and show up Gordon’s weaknesses in his supposed sound judgements and firm hand over British economic interests.

Clegg played down history and he had a positive comeback countering with a passion that seemed genuine, giving his reasons for getting into politics as his ‘history’ to end child poverty and the unfair society he feels Britain is in.

Nuclear weapons system: Trident...

NHS...

Clegg was more focused on a breaking up of the central control structure i.e. nation-wide, but local for the people on the ground making decisions, much akin to Cameron’s rhetoric on de-centralised power and individual autonomy in health choices.

Huhne wanted health care to be free on point of access, as did Clegg but perhaps he got this argument over more effectively.

Clegg played on a story about a disabled boy wishing to travel with his friends to school, while the council had a business deal with a taxi firm that wouldn’t permit this new travel arrangement. This was a personal responsibility story, where the mother was given control of his funds and could make her son happier, the system less bureaucratic and actually save money.

Clegg appeared to desire a full disarmament in 2010 with the UK using her nuclear weapons as bargaining chips to other nations, wishing to see a large reduction.

Huhne was of a different view.

Though in policy he disagreed with Trident, he wasn’t against nuclear weapons in theory. If the threat is there we need a deterrent, he insisted. However since 1989 the climate has changed so Britain needs less weapons. Only rogue states capacity for nuclear weapons is a major concern, rather than stopping a super power with a full arsenal turning on British soil.

down due to his personal drinking problem. Now surely these embittered rows between the two men highlight a disunity that exists which may threaten its popularity?

With Brown and Cameron’s bickering gaining endless media attention, it seems that the notion ‘all publicity is good publicity’ is being employed here.

Indeed, Huhne and Clegg are names that do not fail to make the news these days. It is worth, therefore, considering Clegg’s statement: “It might be the Liberal Democrat members who decide this contest, but it’s the British people who are listening”. It’s true: more than anything this argument has put the third party back in the limelight.

It took a while... to weed out the differences as both praised their past two leaders and tip-toed around areas of hung parliament solutions by dodging the murmurs of a coalition movement – something they should really come clean about.

They were equal on tax measures, i.e. green taxes to pay for the lowest income tax of 16% in Europe, but again attacking the very rich and not aiming tax hikes on the middling classes.

Contenders on Cameron Clegg spoke about having the same year on his passport and that they both became political at the same point, but Cameron choose Thatcher policy and right wing ideals. Clegg saw the perceived damaging effects of this and sided with a Lib Dem agenda and a belief in society, not the individual, that ruled all for pursuit of profit, not overall goodness.

Huhne made a strong case for Cameron not having true green connections and wittily said that Cameron’s new Tory tree doesn’t have deep roots in environmental interest. Cameron only saw it as a weapon he could use to show the Tories had changed and primarily to get him elected 18 months ago, while Huhne said he had always been passionate about the environment.

School and voting ages...

Both spoke common sense: at 16 you can die for country, but not vote. Both agreed that keeping children in school until 18 is a bad idea, as not all are academic, and said telling a 17-year-old they must stay on or else seems unfair.

A call for vocational courses by Huhne was impressive, but did fall into the trap that this was for the ‘knowledge wars’ that neo-liberalism has produced. He commented that getting 16-year-olds to vote should be more about getting the 40% of people to vote who are disenfranchised with the system.

What was good to see was how both saw this ‘16 crusade’ as a pseudo-liberal message, as 16-year-old voters wouldn’t be a significant change to voting patterns.

In sum...

I feel Huhne was on the back foot coming into this as Clegg is seen as the young pretender, but under pressure Huhne felt more assuming and more transparent, whereas Clegg was a little more defensive and tried a few smoke and mirror tactics.

If I were a floating voter I would side with Huhne on this one-off performance, but whether he is the future of the Lib Dems remains to be seen.

gairrhydd

NOVEMBER.26.2007 POLITICS@gairrhydd.COM

Miliband: EU A thou wisdom

Mellssa Moore Political Correspondent lmost exactly 20 years after Margaret Thatcher made her eminent Euroskeptic speech in the Council of Bruges denouncing the emergence of a “European super state,” David Miliband has enthusiastically pronounced the EU as a “model power.”

When all the while PM Gordon Brown is across the pond asserting that indeed relations with America remain paramount after all.

In his speech last week at Bruges, Foreign Sectary David Milibandmarked the European Union as Brit-

But Labour is divided over Europe, with Miliband emerging as a more prominent advocate than Gordon ain’s “most powerful tool” for ensuring global stability, proposing an extension of its defence arm and the expansion of the single market into North Africa and the Middle East by 2030.

Yet, Britain seems slightly caught in the middle as Brown focused on reigniting the US-UK relationship, astutely declaring himself a “lifelong admirer” of the United States.

MILIBAND’S MAGICAL EU POWERS

17

POLITICS Critics, already riled after the disputes over the proposed EU Constitution Treaty, are wondering if the EU is ever truly going to come up with goods to meet Miliband’s rhetoric and if so, are Thatcher’s fears of creeping EU Federalism coming true?

Nevertheless, progressing further, Miliband tried to justify that the EU was developing a new ‘raison d’etre’ in response to the current political and economic climate; protectionism, terrorism and environmental issues need new ‘hard’ tools that will identify the EU as the most attractive instrument for ensuring stability, he argued.

However, Miliband hastened to add that the EU will never replace nation state sovereignty, defending that in fact it will help to protect our own borders in ensuring security through the promotion of democracy and tackling conflicts abroad.

Yet, not surprisingly, these remarks have rumbled some ministers both at home and across the waters. Especially in relation to the Foreign Secretary’s stipulation for bringing “hard power” in balance with the EU’s softer tools for military governance and intervention.

Even the Labour Party is a rather divided camp over the Europe question, with Miliband evidently emerging as a more prominent advocate than Prime Minister Gordon Brown; whose speech last week took a different route, marking the US as our “most important” ally.

Considering that Miliband claimed the EU would provide an alternative to the traditional superpowers such as the US, it seems the government is undecided over where loyalties lie.

Any call for a growth in the defence element of the EU always spawns anxious cries over diminishing national sovereignty and rising supranationalism. Naturally therefore a speech such as this immediately becomes a proxy for the inevitable ‘European Question,’ which was seen with the debate over the treaty referendum.

Following his speech many asked that if, as campaigned by Miliband, the intervention capacity of the EU grows, are we diluting national border defences, including our own?

Quite evidently, “there is a fork in the road,” argued by Miliband, who endeavoured that the focus must now be on “internal not external challenges; institutions rather than ideals,” and by doing so he pointed out that if not, European leaders risk “losing our hard power by not being prepared to intervene”. Miliband highlighted his case by arguing that despite the cumulative military might of European countries combined, almost no intervention and aid has been provided for the crisis situation in Darfur. “Frankly embarrassing,” he denounced it.

This division of our PM and Foreign Secretary over foreign relations evidently highlights that Britain sooner, rather than later, must choose its path and have the tenacity to stick to it.

As Sarkozy cuddles up to America, and the EU plans to institute the treaty (of which we still have our own apprehensions), we fear being left behind in both camps if Britain doesn’t commit fully enough to either. And Britannia can’t afford to be left without a date for the dance

18 gairrhydd

TACHWEDD.19.2007

TAF-OD

TAFOD@gairrhydd.COM

Piced dros Goleg Ffederal Cymraeg Llawn

Coleg Ffederal: Realiti nid breuddwyd

Bydd piced bwysig yn cael ei chynnal ym Mae Caerdydd yfory. Dyma Elain Llwyd i ddweud mwy wrthych

Elain Llwyd Gohebydd

Y

fory, ddydd Mawrth y 27ain o Dachwedd cynhelir Piced tu allan y Senedd ym Mae Caerdydd. Piced ydyw a gynhelir gan NUS Cymru, Undeb Myfyrwyr Cymraeg Aberystwyth, Undeb Myfyrwyr Cymraeg Bangor a Chymdeithas yr Iaith. Penderfynwyd bod angen dangos ein presenoldeb gan fod HEW (Higher Education Wales) yn lansio’u strategaeth Addysg Gymraeg, a’i gyflwyno i Aelodau’r Cynulliad.

Wrth gwrs, ar un olwg, cam cadarnhaol yw hyn. Onid oes galw wedi bod ers blynyddoedd am gam o’r fath?

Oes, i raddau. Lluniwyd y strategaeth hon cyn i’r Llywodraeth gyhoeddi eu bod yn cefnogi sefydlu Coleg Ffederal Cymraeg. Daeth y cyhoeddiad hwn fel rhan o gytundeb Cymru’n Un, sef

Nid un adeilad o frics a mortar fyddai’r Coleg... darlithwyr a myfyrwyr ar wasgar yn ddaearyddol - yn unedig o ran gweledigaeth dogfen y glymblaid rhwng Llafur a

Phlaid Cymru. Hollbwysig felly yw sicrhau nad yw’r Llywodraeth yn derbyn strategaeth HEW yn ddi-gwestiwn, ond yn hytrach yn cadw’u haddewid, a sefydlu Coleg Ffederal Llawn yma yng Nghymru.

Term amwys ydy Coleg Ffederal erbyn heddiw, felly gwerthfawr fyddai nodi ei phrif amcanion. Strwythur ydyw sydd wedi’i selio ar yr egwyddor o hawl sylfaenol ar addysg lawn yn yr Iaith Gymraeg, Nid un adeilad o frics a mortar fyddai’r Coleg. Darlithwyr a myfyrwyr ar wasgar yn ddaearyddol, ond yn unedig o ran gweledigaeth ehangu ysgolheictod cyfrwng Cymraeg.

Wedi’r cyfan, pobl nid adeilad sy’n creu coleg. Yn ystod y cyfarfod ddydd Mawrth, bydd Cymdeithas yr Iaith ac NUS Cymru yn cyhoeddi dogfen sy’n

Un Ffordd Mas i

Fflur Dafydd a’r Barf Adolygiad o albwm newydd sbon Fflur Dafydd a’r Barf Lois Gwenllian Jones Gohebydd

D

dechreuodd mo’r noson hon fel yr oeddwn i wedi ei obeithio. Roedd traffig Caerdydd yn hurt bost, a finna ar frys i gyrraedd yr orsaf drenau erbyn chwech o’r gloch i ddal y tren nesaf i Gaerfyrddin. Wel, ddigwyddodd hynny ddim ac mi gollish i’r trên.

Roedd pris y tacsi gefais i yno yn ddrud, tocyn trên yn ddrytach a’m hwyliau yn wael. Felly dyma aros am awr arall ar fy mhen fy hun yng ngorsaf drenau Caerdydd Canolog wedi pwdu, efo coffi sâl i’m cadw i’n gynnes. Daliais y trên nesaf i Gaerfyrddin ac roeddwn i yno mewn pryd ar gyfer noson lansio albyn diweddara’ Fflur Dafydd a’r Barf, Un

nos Wener mi gefais fwynhad o’i set ac erbyn hyn rydw i wedi fy argyhoeddi ei bod hi’n gantores ac offerynnwraig o safon. Cafodd Einir, sydd hefyd yn gantores cefndir Fflur Dafydd, gymeradwyaeth wresog ac roedd hi’n ddewis addas fel agoraid i’r lansiad.

Fflur Dafydd a’r Barf ganodd nesaf.

Roedd hi’n set wefreiddiol. Mi ganon nhw ganeuon yr albwm newydd Un Ffordd Mas i gyd. Cyflwynodd Fflur y gân gyntaf er cof am Ray Gravell a fu’n gefnogwr brwˆd o’i gyrfa ers y dechrau.

Roedd swˆn y band yn gryf a phob un a oedd yno yn mwynhau eu sain i’r ei-

Ffordd Mas.

Cyrhaeddais Clwb y Cwins yng Nghaerfyrddin gyda dwy ffrind o brifysgol Aberystwyth yn gwmni i mi ac wrth y drws i’n croesawu ‘roedd Fflur Dafydd yn ei siaced fach las nodweddiadol, yn diolch i bawb am ddod, ac yn llawn brwdfryddedd a chyffro am y noson oedd o’n blaenau.

Einir Dafydd a’i band oedd y gwesteion arbennig a oedd yn agor y noson.

Nid fi yw ffan mwyaf Einir Dafydd ond

Fflur Dafydd: Yn ei siaced fach las

thaf. Fe ganon nhw y ffefrynnau (er mai ar yr albym hwn y mae nhw) fel Dala Fe’n Ôl a’i fersiwn newydd hi o Y Gân Go Iawn a gafodd ei chanu’n wreiddiol gan ei chyn-fand, Y Panics. Pan ddaeth diwedd ei chân olaf, roedd pawb fel arfer mewn gig lwyddiannus yn gweiddi am fwy. Mi ail ganodd Sa’ Fan ‘Na sy’n prysur dod yn un o ganeuon mwyaf poblogaidd yr albwm.

Gadawodd y gân olaf bawb yno yn awchu am fwy. Dyna’r peth sy’n gwneud Fflur Dafydd a’r Barf mor atyniadol, mae’r caneuon yn heintus o wahanol fel eu bod yn gadael y gwrandawydd yn erfyn am fwy. Nid oes neb tebyg yn y SRG. Bob tro yn ddi-ffael mi fydd y band cyfan wedi ymgolli yn y gerddoriaeth gyda phob curiad y byddan nhw’n ei chwarae yn dod o’r galon.

Er gwaetha’ fy nhroeon trwstan yn ceisio cyrraedd Caerfyrddin, rydw i mor falch fy mod i wedi mynd yno.

Gwelais Fflur Dafydd a’r barf nifer o weithiau dros yr Haf yng ngwyliau cerddoriaeth Gymraeg led led Cymru ac ar fy ngwir rydw i’n eu mwynhau nhw fwy pob tro.

Mae’r albwm Un Ffordd Mas ar gael yn y siopau ar y 19eg o Dachwedd.

esbonio’i strwythur syniadaethol yn ogystal â materion ymarferol ynghylch y gweinyddu beunyddiol. (Am gopi, cysylltwch â mi ar LlwydEH@caerdydd.ac.uk Realiti, nid breuddwyd yw Coleg Ffederal erbyn hyn – mae’n bolisi Llywodraeth. Er hyn, rhaid sicrhau nad polisi wan fel Deddf Iaith ’93 gaiff ei basio, a dyna’n bwriad ni wrth bicedu ddydd Mawrth. Rhaid pwyso ar y Llywodraeth i fabwysiadu cynllun wedi’i selio ar y syniad o gorff statudol newydd er budd datblygu Addysg Gymraeg a sicrhau bod llif arian sylweddol ac annibynnol yn mynd tuag ar sefydlu a chynnal y Coleg.

Rhaid manteisio ar y cyfle hwn.

Coleg Ffederal Llawn sydd angen arnom, nid cyfaddawd HEW os oes

dyfodol gwirioneddol i Addysg Uwch Gymraeg. Wrth ddod i’r Piced dydd Mawrth gallwch ddangos eich cefnogaeth mewn ffordd ymarferol ac arwyddocaol. Byddwn yn ymgynnull o flaen y Senedd am 5:00yh nos Fawrth - os ydych yn gefnogol i’r ymgyrch erfynaf arnoch i ddod gan fod hwn yn gyfle gwirioneddol i ddylanwadu ar Lywodraeth Cymru. Eich dyfodol chi sydd yn y fantol, manteisiwch ar y cyfle.

Am fwy o fanylion am ddydd Mawrth cysylltwch ag Elain - LlwydEH@caerdydd.ac.uk. Am fwy o fanylion am Gell Cymdeithas yr Iaith Prifysgol Caerdydd cysylltwch â’n Swyddog Cyffredinol, Ifan Rees - bifan@ hotmail.co.uk.

Wedi i mi fod yn crafu pen drwy’r wythnos ynglyn â beth i ‘sgwennu ar eich cyfer chi yn y rhifyn yma, cafodd ffrind i mi syniad go dda. A dweud y gwir, mi oedd o’n syniad gwell na ‘go dda’. Mi fues i’n holi ffrindiau a chymdogion ac yn gofyn iddyn nhw feddwl am y ffaith mwyaf diddorol yr oedden nhw’n gwybod amdano. Gobeithio y cewch chitha’ yr un faint o fwynhad ac a gefais innau yn eu darllen Dim ond un waith y gall Panda ‘get jiggy’ mewn blwyddyn - Mathew Phillips *Os ydych yn torri gwynt (neu’n rhechu!) yn barhaol am 6mlynedd a 9mis, fe fyddwch wedi cynhyrchu yr un faint o egni ag sydd mewn bom atomig Dafydd Gwyn Thomas *Gall ‘cockroach’ fyw am 9 diwrnod heb ei ben cyn iddo lwgu i farwolaeth Gwion Meilir Owen *Ni all bobl hoyw roi gwaed - Awen Eleri Williams *Mae hi’n cymryd tua wythnos i wneud dim ond un ‘jelly bean’- Eurgain Evans *Mae pobl sy’n ysgrifennu hefo’u llaw dde yn byw ar gyfartaledd, 9 mlynedd yn hirach na phobl sy’n ysgrifennu â’u llaw chwith - Manon George *Llysieyn yw Melon Ddwˆ r ac nid ffrwyth - Eurgain Evans *Y tebygolrywdd o gael eich lladd wrth ddisgyn allan o’ch gwely yw 1 mewn 2 filiwn -Gwenno Llwyd Jones *Dolffin yw’r unig anifail, ynghyd â dyn sydd yn ‘get jiggy’ o ran pleser Gwion Meilir Owen *Gall malwoden gysgu am 3 mlynedd - Gwenno Llwyd Jones *Ym Mhrydain, rydych 16.7% yn fwy tebygol o gael eich llofruddio nac o ennill y Loteri Genedlaethol - Elliw Mai Hughes *Mae gan Cerddorfa Genedlaethol Monaco fwy o aelodau nag sydd gan fyddin y wlad-Huw Alun Foulkes *Ar ôl y Beibl, y deunydd ysgrifenedig mwyaf poblogiadd yw catalog IKEA Ffion James *Mae 10% o halen y byd yn cael ei ddefnyddio ar ffyrdd America - Robert Dylan Gaffey

19 gairrhydd

SCIENCE & ENVIRONMENT

The power of a picture

With the increase of extreme weather conditions, and their consequential devastating results, Sophie Cole suggests is it time we asked ourselves why their frequency is multiplying and how ‘we’, the average citizen, can contribute to changing this

L

ast Friday saw the news of a powerful cyclone hitting Bangladesh’s coast, causing both death and destruction. Hundreds of thousands of people were evacuated before the storm hit the coast from the Bay of Bengal. Nonetheless, some were left behind. The government’s disaster agency estimated the confirmed number of dead at 606.

Although the true extent of the damage is still unclear, it is logically deduced that tens of thousands of homes have been damaged and the recent crop harvest is likely to have been fully destroyed. The national infrastructure has fallen victim to the cyclone and The Home Ministry in Dhaka said several districts could still not be contacted, furthermore, the authorities had been struggling to get food, medicine, tents and blankets to the affected areas.

It is devastating to hear of the consequences of extreme weather conditions, especially those that hit countries with vulnerabilities of infrastructure and finance. News footage and paper’s photographs have the power to provoke a pang of sympathy, but, do not poke at our minds with the stick of guilt.

The British population do not view these natural happening as a consequence of actions, as, after all, they are, in essence, a ‘natural’ occurrence; something conjured up by the planet’s forces alone. It is time industrial countries acknowledge the correlation between their carbon emitting ways and the increasing occurrence of these devastating weather conditions.

Although Bangladesh is ‘used’ to cyclones this one was recorded as a category four storm, the most powerful so far in the season. Casualties from cyclones have been significantly reduced as a result of early-warning procedures and the development of a network of storm shelters. Still, the physically weak housing structure, cyclones, and climate changes as a whole, have the power to eradicate the steady economic

and social progress of Bangladesh and Asia in general.

Nonetheless, Asia, as a whole is especially vulnerable; with half its population living near the coast, billions are directly defenceless to sea-level rise driven by a warming world. It is suggested this is the ‘ideal’ stage for the human drama of climate change to be acted out upon.

A report by a coalition of environment and aid agencies calls for urgent action to avert this threat. The Working Group on Climate Change and Development says industrialised countries must cut carbon emissions massively by mid-century. The coalition calls on the UK government, particularly, to set an example by championing renewable energy.

It is time to acknowledge the correlation between carbon emissions and extreme weather conditions The report - ‘Up In Smoke? Asia and the Pacific’ - says Asia is “effectively on the front line of climate change”, as it is home to almost two-thirds of the world’s population. The report’s author, Andrew Simms of the New Economics Foundation (NEF), said: “If those painfully won improvements in social and economic conditions can be blown away in a few but increasingly frequent and extreme weather events, we have to rethink about how we go about meeting people’s basic needs.”

The coalition had previously published a study in October 2004 saying global warming threatened poverty reduction and urged industrial countries to cut their carbon emissions dramati-

cally. However in the light of recent events it has said such action is now “even more pressing”.

The report comes as world leaders prepare for UN climate change talks in Bali next month. Nazmul Chowdhury, from the Disappearing Lands project, says: “Before the Bali meeting, we must make our voices heard, and demand international leaders take urgent and ambitious action.”

It is crucial that Britain is aware of the shift needed in the attitudes of itself, and of other developed countries, as without this Asia’s vulnerability will continue to be exploited, as will further communities worldwide, who, ironically are contributing least to climate change. The Western world needs to start a discussion about emission reduction targets that are in line with science, as opposed to in response to what negotiators think they can ‘get away with’.

As well as cutting global emissions by at least 80% by 2050, the report calls on richer counties to lead by example and champion renewable energy. The coalition says Asian countries need to be convinced not to go down the fossil fuel energy route of “get rich quick, stay poor long”.

Again, the ball lies in, predominantly, countries like Britain courts’ to make adjustments to combat climate change. It seems like a different story every week, but with the same message: salute sustainability, rise to the challenge, and set an example. And, if anything can instil a difference in attitudes, then it is pictures of Bangladesh, devastated. Charts, chemical reactions and scientific diagrams fail, for the average person, to provoke thought and alter mindsets. Pictures, news coverage and illustrations of a continent in turmoil CAN arouse an awareness that our behaviour is, ultimately, contributing to death, destruction and a standstill of social progress and this is the positivism that comes from these ‘natural’ happenings. Look. Think. React.

Make the change.

NOVEMBER.26.2007 SCIENCE@gairrhydd.COM

034 Promotions & Marketing Staff South Wales £6.50p/h Ongoing

007 Catering Assistants Cardiff Bay £5.50 Ongoing

National radio station are looking for street team members for promotional work to include sampling, distribution, branding, flyering, data capture and on air activity across South Wales and the South West. You must be upbeat, chatty and reliable

Coffee shop requires people for general customer service duties. You should be smartly presented, flexible and reliable.

Various day/evening or weekend shifts available, uniform and meals on duty provided.

006 Telephone Interviewers Cardiff £5.52 Ongoing

033 Forum Members Cardiff £35 per session attended

Market research company require people to conduct interviews over the telephone and then enter all details into a computer system. You must have a confident telephone manner and a good standard of spoken English. Various shifts available.

A consultancy company working on behalf of the government are looking for 18 - 25 year olds who have been driving for less than a year, or who have not yet passed their test, to take part in a new Young People’s Forum on learning to drive that is being set up in Cardiff.

gairrhydd

NOVEMBER.26.2007

JOBS & MONEY

JOBS@gairrhydd.COM

Graduate

G

raham Har tt, 2 3 , graduated in 2005 with a Bsc in Biochemistry. He now works as an Orthopaedic Sales Consultant.

What is your job title?

I’m an Orthopaedic Sales Consultant for the company Synthes.

Where are you based?

I’m based in Pembrokeshire, but each sales consultant has their own territory and as it’s a world wide company you can pick an area to apply for.

Briefly describe what your job involves eg your day to day responsibilties?

I work for Synthes, the world’s leading trauma implant providers.

My company provides implants for the internal fixation of fractures and broken bones.

I have four hospitals on my territory that I look after, from Pembrokeshire to Cardiff.

Each day I travel to one of my hospitals and assist surgeons in theatre that are using our equipment and ensure the operations run smoothly. I also train surgeons and theatre staff on how to use any new equipment that Synthes brings out and on any new techniques or innovations in the field.

How did you apply for your job?

Briefly describe any interview/ their male counterparts. assessment process the you went through.

I knew I was interested in being in medical sales so kept an eye out for opportunities and saw the job advertised on the Synthes website.

I had an informal interview with a territory manager and then a full day interview of presentations, practical aptitude tests and questions that included problem solving.

What is the best/worst thing about your job?

A key part of my job is assisting in operations. I love the satisfaction of an operation going well with our equipment and a hospital coming back to Synthes each time.

I have assisted in operations as serious as multiple bone breaks, due to horrific car accidents, and pins in legs due to sporting injuries, so it never stays the same.

As my hospitals are situated within a 70 mile radius I spend a lot of time travelling between them which can get tedious. However, the brand new company car each employee gets makes this bearable!

What advice would you give to students that are thinking of entering the same field?

Be confident in your abilities and never be daunted by the prospect of competition or the gruelling interview process. If you believe you are capable the chances are you will succeed.

21

Still a Man’s world?

Recent reports suggest that the glass ceiling in the work place is far from broken. Laura Hinson takes a look at why we’re still seeing gender differences in the office

T

he BBC has reported that research currently indicates the pay gap between male and female directors of companies and public bodies has widened.

Female executives were found to be paid 22% less than their male counterparts last year, compared to the year before when there was a 19% gap. In a British society which prides itself on equality and modernisation, these statistics are immensely damning.

These figures mark a huge setback in efforts to maintain equality in the workplace; the results were collected by the Institute of Directors, from analysing the pay of 3,500 directors.

The worst sectors were the Service and Voluntary sectors where male directors were earning an average of £70,657 while females were paid £56,933. It is believed that while male directors enjoy a pattern of significant pay rises, female salaries stay broadly unchanged.

It is distressing to see the gap in pay between female and male directors because according to statistics the average pay gap between male and female employees has been getting smaller over the last decade. It is now the smallest that it has ever been. Conservative Leader David Cameron has called for a public debate on ways of tackling the ‘unacceptable’ pay gap still existing between men and women.

Cameron spotlighted how the pay gap not only makes child poverty worse, but also prevents women reaching their full potential, while at the same time contributing to poverty in old age for many women who have worked hard all their lives.

Although the government recognizes there is a problem with the inequality in salaries between men and woman, have they actually introduced any legislation to make it better?

Shockingly, the last piece of legislation introduced to close the gap between men and women’s pay differences was

over 30 years ago when the Equal Pay Act was introduced in 1975!

This Act meant that people had to be paid the same regardless of their gender. When the Act was introduced, the gap between men and women’s hourly

The last piece of legislation introduced to close the gap between men and women’s pay differences was over 30 years ago

Student Success Anna Mileweski Jobs & Money Contributor

R

esults of the largest ever survey of graduate experiences has recently been published, presenting promising findings for the graduate job market.

The survey, conducted by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) tracked 25,000 students three years after they graduated, concluding that approximately three quarters (74%) were in full time paid work, with only 2% ‘officially unemployed’.

Eight out of ten of these graduates were in what HESA named ‘gradute

level’ occupations.

Adding to this, the governmentbacked research found that the average graduate salary rises by roughly 37% in the first three years of employment.

The average salary of UK graduates was found to be standing at £23,000, whilst those who stayed on to gain post-graduate level qualifications fared better, earning an average of £28,000.

The current findings, coupled with those of a previous study which established that graduates earn £100,000 more than those with only two A-levels, are being seen as proof that higher educations is one of the most beneficial choices a young person can make.

average earnings in full-time employment was 30 per cent compared to 18.4 per cent today.

According the the legislation, women have a right not to be paid less than someone of the opposite sex doing the same work or similar work or different work that is of equal value to their employer.

The Government claims that so far they have improved the existing tribunal procedure for making an equal pay claim, and made a commitment to get 45% of large organisations to undertake a pay review by April 2008.

As well as these measures, the Women and Work Commission has

developed a report which details the progress on the measures in place.

They aim to dramatically improve the prospects and career options of women in the labour market, including the development of a £500K fund to support initiatives to increase the availability of quality part-time work, creating a programme of exemplar employers, which 115 companies have signed up to.

In a report on how women can advance in the world of work, The Women in Work Commission stated that they believe that girls should be encouraged to think about non-traditional jobs as well as apprenticeships for women, especially in sectors with skill shortages.

As part of this, they want to see £20m in government funding to raise skill levels, promotion of quality parttime work, matching jobs and skills locally, development and training of ‘equality representatives’ and better careers advice for schoolgirls.

Commission chairwoman Margaret Prosser said it was an outrage that the gender pay gap was one of the worst in Europe. She states that ending job segregation would benefit the economy by as much as £23bn.

With women’s hard work being unrewarded and the standards remaining so unbalanced it is not surprising that recent figures showed a massive rise in equal pay claims being taken to employment tribunals. The number of claims has increased hugely. More than 44,000 claims were made in 20052006; an increase of 155%.

The Equal Opportunities Commission states that Britain’s sex equality laws are in desperate need of modernising if the work to tackle discrimination is to progress.

With reports that women are still being sacked for being pregnant and massive pay gaps still in existaence, it seems that even if things are getting better for women at the bottom, women at the top simply cannot compete with

23 gairrhydd

NOVEMBER.26.2007

FEATURES

FEATURES@gairrhydd.COM

World AIDS Day

With December 1 marking World AIDS Day, Anneka Buckle breaks the silence and speaks out about AIDS

T

alking about AIDS is never a conversation that unfolds easily; usually people just stop talking all together. Sadly, it’s often easier to think that AIDS is something for other people to worry about. For a lot of students, AIDS triggers thoughts of drug users, homosexuals and believe it to be caught by people who have an overactive sexual desire.

Kate Saltrick, a second year Geography student says that for her’ AIDS is something she associates ‘with Africa where programs like Comic Relief pay great concern to those suffering.’ But there is more to this epidemic and as World AIDS day creeps up on us, its important students take the threat of HIV seriously. To be able to protect yourself, you need to know the facts, and know how to avoid becoming infected.

World AIDS Day is taking place on 1st December 2007 and aims to break the silence about HIV in the UK. They say ignorance is bliss but by opening your eyes to HIV you can ultimately break down the ignorance and fear around a virus that over 40 million people have to live with world-wide.

Although we know HIV is bad news, it’s good to know exactly why and how the virus can be transmitted. HIV seems to have such a high scare factor because unlike many other viruses, there is still no cure for AIDS. Nonetheless, a combination of various drugs can reduce the virus, which causes AIDS to virtually undetectable levels. Sadly, some people mistakenly believe the drugs to provide a cure AIDS and this has led to fears that people are becoming complacent about the disease. So what happens once your infected? Firstly, the virus attacks the immune system and as an infected person you will be open to a large number of illnesses.

“Heterosexual contact is the most frequent cause of AIDs in the UK” The diseases include pneumonia, Kaposi’s sarcoma - a form of purplish skin cancer not normally seen in young people before the advent of AIDS and dementia. Luckily however, HIV is relatively difficult to transmit, as it does not live for long outside the body.

It is carried in the semen, vaginal fluids, breast milk and blood and the main transmission routes are through sharing needles, sex, blood transfusions, transplants, getting infected fluid into open wounds and breast feeding.

The current situation in the world is highly worrying. It turns out that AIDS is everywhere and not just in the poorest of countries, which seems to be a primary attitude. In high-income nations, HIV infections have historically been concentrated principally among

injecting drug users and gay men.

These groups are still at high risk, but here’s a shock: heterosexual intercourse accounts for a growing proportion of cases and now in the UK, heterosexual contact is the most frequent cause of newly diagnosed infections.

“World AIDS Day is about increasing awareness, fighting prejudice and improving education” The diversity of the AIDS epidemic is even greater in Asia than in Africa. The epidemic here appears to be of more recent origin and many Asian countries lack accurate systems for monitoring the spread of HIV. Half of the world’s population lives in Asia, so even small differences in the infection rates can mean huge increases in the absolute number of people infected. Following new surveys conducted in 20052006, India is now thought to have between 2 million and 3.1 million people living with HIV. Other large epidemics are present in China (650,000), Thailand (580,000) and Myanmar (360,000). The total number of people living with HIV in Asia is probably between 5 and 6 million.

However, it is in Africa, in some of the poorest countries in the world, that the impact of the virus has been most severe. At the end of 2005, there were 10 countries in Africa where more than one tenth of the adult population aged 15-49 was infected with HIV. World AIDS Day is not just about raising money, it’s also about increasing awareness, fighting prejudice and improving education. The day will remind you there’s still a lot of things to be done and the virus is far from gone.

There are approximately 70,000 people living with HIV in the UK and about a third of these don’t even know they are infected. To show your support, the organisation is providing red ribbons to be worn as a simple and powerful way of challenging the stigma around HIV and AIDS. On the 1st December, students wearing the red ribbon, which will be available in a variety of shops across the city centre, will be uniting together for a great cause creating instant recognition. The red ribbon has been an international symbol of AIDS awareness since 1991 and was created by the New York based organisation Visual AIDS, which brought together artists to create a symbol of support for

the growing number of people living with HIV in the US. The red ribbon is the result of collaboration between community artists who wanted to create a non-copyrighted image that could be used as an awareness-raising tool by people across the world. Also, one to note in the diary, on the 7th November from 8.30 am - 5pm, the University Hospital of Wales, Heath Park, Cardiff will be running a stall to raise awareness in preparation for World AIDS Day. Red Ribbons, condoms and information will be given out to all passing through the Concourse area that day.

Any money collected will go towards our local trust fund to help local people living with HIV and AIDS. Progress can be made not only by the organisation but by students also. If you’re reading this and have itchy feet already, then you can campaign with the organisation and make your voice heard for free HIV treatment for everyone in the UK and to make sex and relationships education compulsory in schools. You can also begin to raise money to support the National AIDS Trust by organising a red-themed fundraising event such as doing a

sponsored run, bike ride or whatever takes your fancy dressed completely in red.

Or even better, seeing as all students love a knees-up, organise a red-themed party or red-themed dinner party for friends and ask everyone to make a donation. Or if you want a more low-key interaction with the organisation you can become a friend of World AIDS Day on MySpace and Facebook. Social networks are a powerful and effectiveway to show your support for World AIDS Day and help raise awareness of HIV among your friends and acquaintances. Why not change your Facebook status or your MySpace quote to read

“It’s important students take the threat seriously” “Today I’m talking about World AIDS Day” on 1st December and add the virtual red ribbon to your profile.

It’s a big problem that is easy to avoid if you wish, but even the smallest of changes can make a difference. And on the 1st December, when you reach for that chocolate for the first day of advent, why not take a moment to support World AIDS day and go out and buy a red ribbon. I know people living with HIV seems like something you’ll never have to face in life but someone new around the world has to face it everyday and the more we discuss it, the better their chances are for getting the help and understanding which is so often neglected.

The virus attacks the immune system.

It’s carried in semen, vaginal fluids, breast milk and blood.

Over 40 million people carry the virus worldwide.

Transmission routes include sharing needles, blood transfusions, sex, transplants and breast-feeding

24 gairrhydd

NOVEMBER.26.2007

FEATURES ■ ShAg

FEATURES@gairrhydd.COM

Week ■ ShAg Week ■ ShAg Week ■ ShAg

ShAg Week is here A message from Education and Welfare Officer, Jo Plummer

T

his week sees our Union’s first ever ShAg week, full of fun and educational things revolving around sex and relationships!

The week wants to raise awareness of three important issues a) sexual health and practice, b) our lovely and active Sexual Health Awareness Group (ShAg), and c) the problem of sexual health provision in the wider community.

At the risk of sounding like gran, it appears that some students’ attitudes towards practicing safe sex have become somewhat lax.

The week aims to relight the passion inside us all to avoid STIs and stay

healthy, by giving some information on the less pleasant side of sex.

We will be holding a series of events organised by our non sabbatical officers in the unit opposite our letting shop on the ground floor, so please pop in and get involved!

We hope that students will learn about ShAg and the free advice service they provide in their Union office on the 3rd floor, on Wednesday and Friday afternoons, 12pm-4pm. There is also a permanent bucket full of condoms for you to pick up from outside the office,

freely and discreetly, because safe sex shouldn’t mean expensive sex.

The week also sees the launch of a petition for the improved funding of the GUM (Genito-Urinary Medicine) Clinic on Newport Road. In 2005 the clinic was open five days a week. Now in 2007, as a result of staff shortages and funding cuts, it is only open three and a half days a week. In a Capital city this is not good enough, and you can support us in our fight for a better service by signing the petition in the Union 1st floor reception during the week.

So, please get involved in one of the events during the week, look out for publicity, or even better contact ShAg at Shag@cardiff.ac.uk

‘You can’t catch anything if you suck on it’... ...and more sex myths by Sherif Khalifa and Jesnie Barry

“It doesn’t matter if I get an STI cos they’re all curable” Tell that to someone who has recurrent, intensely itchy, tingling, red, oozing warts on the shaft of their penis or around their vagina and they will say “bull shit”. Say that months later during their next flare up and they’ll probably punch you. Last time I checked HIV wasn’t curable either.

“I don’t care if I get an STI, they only harm girls anyway” Ever pissed and it burns? Now imagine that same feeling every time you piss but it’s so painful you’re nearly crying at the urinal. Then add in a discharge coming from your penis between every piss and staining your CKs, not to forget being painful. Plus, which woman in her right mind is going to go near your oozing cock?? Now they’re not just girly-issues. Oh, and Chlamydia (the cause of the above) can also lead to epididymitis – infection and inflammation of some of the tubes of the testicles – basically a pain in the bollocks. But ladies, don’t think you avoid any of the hideous things – you can get a burning sensation when you wee, a horrible, mucky discharge and salpingitis – infection and inflammation of the Fallopian tubes which is not only painful, but may lead to irreversible infertility.

“You can’t catch anything if you suck on it.”

And I bet you say that in the sweetest of tones, don’t you? Well you’re wrong. Your ‘partner in crime’ can still catch your various diseases including gonorrhoea that will produce a horrid and mucky sore throat. Then there’s the syphilis – that’s the one that caused King Henry VIII’s insanity and death.

Oh, not to forget HIV.

■ ShAg

“AIDS is a disease of junkie/ gays/tramps/black people etc” No, AIDS is a disease of humans, ALL humans of ALL races, that’s why the virus that causes it is called the HUMAN Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) not the black junkie immunodeficiency virus. And most cases are due to sexual intercourse NOT drug abuse. Heterosexual intercourse was responsible for 2/3 of all cases of HIV in 2005 - so is it really a disease of the aforementioned stereotypes?

“I’m too big to fit into condoms.”

Dream on, Bobby. You wish. Unless you name is Aberdeen Angus and you’re actually a bull this is not going to be true. And if you want to continue to be so cocky (excuse the pun), you can always buy (or pick up for free from ShAg) LARGE condoms (yes they do exist!). But girls, if he says he’s that big I’d be worried about having a traffic bollard spoiling my insides.

“It doesn’t feel as good” There’s been incredible progression in the development of condoms; you can get them so thin it hardly feels like your wearing them! It also feels better than any of the infections that you could get. And girls, it’s better than childbirth – let’s face it, any unprotected sex, even if you are on the pill, is risking conception. So imagine having to sign your newborn’s birth certificate with that smarmy, greasy, Italian “stallion” sitting next to you, signing his name below where it says, “FATHER”.

“Balloons are just as good Durex’s finest” If someone seriously says this to you, man or woman, and you are actually still considering shagging him or her, you need to book yourself into see

a psychiatrist ASAP. Oh and run away, as fast as your drunken feet will take you.

“You can’t get pregnant if we do it standing up/woman on top/ in the bath/wearing a bra/whilst eating Brussel sprouts etc” Our survey says…eheh…. I’m afraid that’s the wrong answer. Any contact between the vagina and semen can lead to pregnancy….

“But I’ll pull out in time” No you won’t, matey. A couple things will happen in this scenario: you’ll get carried away or “forget” and your little sailors will end up in the ocean that is her uterus and will end up beached on an egg; or you will pull out but unbeknown to you the Armada has set sail. Both can end up in pregnancy.

Both don’t protect against any STIs or HIV. “But you/I can’t get pregnant ‘cos you’re/I’m on/just before/ just after my/your period” You’d be surprised at how long sperm can survive inside a woman’s lady bits. And you’d also be surprised at how variable a woman’s ovulation can be compared to her period. So play it safe and wear a freebie condom from ShAg. (Or you’ll end up playing Mummy and Daddy with the Vampire you met at the Halloween party at Rubber Duck).

“I’m/you’re a virgin, I/you can’t get pregnant first time” First of all there is no scientific evidence to support this claim. Sorry, what I mean to say is that it’s absolute bollocks. Secondly, it’s bollocks. Thirdly, it’s bollocks. You can become pregnant from any unprotected sex, whether it be your first time or you nine hundred and fifth time.

Sherif Khalifa & Jesnie Barry ShAg

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f you’ve taken all this in, and managed to read to the end without feeling sick, then you’ll probably want to get yourself protected!

That’s where ShAg comes in.

We’re located on the third floor of the Student’s Union at the end of the AU corridor in the SVC office.

We provide all your basic protection needs, including, regular, large, flavoured, extra safe, naturelle, non-latex and female condoms. We also stock dental dams (for your oral sex needs) and lubricant.

The drop-in centre is open every Wednesday and Friday afternoon from 12pm-4pm so come along and stock up, it’s free! There are trained ShAg mem-

bers on hand to give you advice and information on the most common STIs and other related issues. Otherwise, for all you shy people, there is a condom bucket in the corridor for discrete collection.

So don’t be shy, come and see us!!

ShAg is also a major fundraiser in the Students’ Union. You might have seen us a few weeks ago at Rubber Duck and Access All Areas collecting money by selling glow sticks and ribbons and giving out free condoms.

We were the ones with the t-shirts with the giant “Willie man” on the back.

You’ll be pleased to know that from all your generous donations, we managed to raise over £800 for Tenovus Cancer Charity.

Thank you!!

Cardiff GUM clinic at the Cardiff Royal Infirmary is located on Newport Road (the road with the Engineering and Physics Building on).

You can ring the GUM clinic for appointments on 029 2033 5207 or 029 2033 5208 There is a walk in service at the GUM clinic from Monday to Friday. The doors open at 8.40am and people are served on a first come first served basis, so it is important to come early as there are limited spaces.

It usually takes 1-3 months from infection for genital Hepatitis B is much easier to get than HIV and can warts to appear, but can cause permanent liver take much longer. disease and cancer. Most people have no obvious symptoms, and there is no known cure.

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STIs, liver disease, warts and all Chlamydia

blood of the infected person and can be contracted in many ways: sexually (vaginal, oral or anal); sharing of needles including tattooists; infected blood transfusion (has happened in past but now blood is tested for this virus and many others including HIV).

It is highly infectious and three quarters of people show no symptoms. Liver cirrhosis will develop after around 20 years (so you’ll turn yellow and feel shit) and one third of people develop an incurable and aggressive liver cancer that will spread to their bones. The treatments only slow down the disease and there are no cures or vaccines.

A bacterial infection of men and women spread by sexual intercourse.

Causes inflammation of the urethra (the tube you wee through), which will burn every time. Or it may have no symptoms until it’s caused irreversible damage such as infertility. It’s easily prevented by the use of condoms. Treatment involves antibiotics (which have their own side-effects) and abstinence from sex and alcohol for 4 weeks!

Gonorrhoea An infection of the throat, eyes, bowel, cervix and wee-hole. Spread through unprotected sex and symptoms that can start to appear after as little as 3 days after the ‘encounter’. Men, this is one of the few times we can say we get it worse than women, with a discharge seeping from the penis and a burning sensation every time you wee or ejaculate and maybe even an inflamed anus which is agony on each and every poo.

Ladies, you might consider yourselves lucky or unlucky, but your likely not to have any symptoms though you too may have pain upon weeing and vaginal discharge. Complications can include inflammation of your prostate and testicles or ovaries and infertility.

Treatment involves antibiotics (though resistance is becoming a problem) and alcohol and sex abstinence until it’s cured.

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) This is a retrovirus, which means it hides itself inside your own DNA. This makes it hard to treat as it has become part of you. The HIV virus infects white blood cells, impairing the body’s defences against infection. Then AIDS develops when the immune system has become severely damaged. It’s carried in the blood and can be caught from: unprotected sex (vaginal, oral or anal) with an infected person; sharing of needles; an infected blood transfusion; or from an infected mother to foetus during pregnancy, birth or breastfeeding. There are usually no symptoms for months or even years after initial infection has occurred but early symptoms may include fever, lethargy and persistently swollen glands (these are very non-specific). Many people remain free

Hepatitis C Another virus that lives in the

In 2006 there were 376,508 new sexually transmitted infection diagnoses at GUM clinics in the UK, an increase of 63% since 1997 Sexually transmitted diseases can be transmitted through oral sex. It is important to use protection, for example, Dental dams or flavoured condoms, all available at the ShAg office.

of symptoms until they develop Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome or AIDS, which may be more than 10 years after initial infection. Due to the virus depleting the body of white blood cells the main symptoms of HIV/AIDS are long-term, lingering infections or unexpected infections: TB -symptoms of a cough with bloody phlegm, a fever, night sweats and weight loss; candida (thrush of the mouth gives a white tongue which can be a sign of HIV/ AIDS but can be due to many other causes); pneumocystitis – a fungus growing in the lungs which gives a dry cough and high fever.

HIV can be diagnosed by a simple blood test, with results usually available within a week but it cannot be detected for at least 3 months after infection has occurred. There are many drugs available to treat HIV but THERE IS NO CURE. The current treatments just aim to reduce the progress of the disease, though they have their own terrible side effects, and have increased the lifeexpectancy of a person with HIV/AIDS to around 15 years after infection. So if you contract HIV during your years as a student you’ll live to be in your midthirties – you’ll live but I can’t promise to what extent and what quality.

How can you prevent HIV infection?

1. Safe sex – the most common form of transmission is heterosexual sex so use a condom (“Use a rubber and your mum won’t blubber”); 2. Don’t share needles – most areas have needle exchanges where you can swap old needles for new ones; 3. Don’t be ignorant – HIV infects all people of every race, creed and sexual orientation.

You can receive HIV tests at the Terrence Higgins Trust and get the results within an hour. It is confidential and free and is open to everyone. Tuesday 6-8pm at the Terrence Higgins Trust, Canton House, An estimated 63,500 adults aged 15 to 59 435-451 Cowbridge Road East, Canton, are living with HIV in the UK, but a third of Cardiff, CF5 1JH. 029 2066 6465 Condoms are free from the NHS and from ShAg on the third floor of the student union.

those people haven’t been diagnosed.

AIDS develops when the immune system has become severely damage.

You cannot get HIV from kissing, touching, hugging, shaking hands, sharing crockery and cutlery, coughing or sneezing, making contact with toilet seats, getting insect or animal bites, or eating food prepared by someone with HIV.

Sharing toothbrushes and razors can pass on Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C.

The HIV virus infects white blood cells, impairing the body’s defences against infection.

Heterosexual intercourse was responsible for two thirds of all cases of HIV in 2005.

Up to one in ten sexually active young people have Chlamydia.

Male condoms are 98% effective when used according to instructions.

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Rape laws leave victims in the dock

As Britain’s rape victims are left too scared to go to police, with the prospects of conviction depressingly low Emma Thomas uncovers the desperate need for change in the nation’s rape laws

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hame, fear and embarrassment are all common feelings expressed by rape victims who find themselves unwilling or even unable to contact police for help.

Victims of abuse have such little faith in our justice system and such fear of the culture of blame in our society, which so often positions the victim as the criminal.

The ironic twist of the situation is that because victims are too scared of judgement to report rape to the police, physical evidence of the crime has often disintegrated before a victim can be examined. In the 21st century, society’s disapproval of rape victims and the law’s obligation to obtain evidence combine to leave victims in a helpless position, unwilling to face the glare and unable to prove the truth when they gain the courage.

However, as with any such area of ambiguity within our law system, the issue is not so simple. As a consequence of the increased voyeuristic nature of our society and the desire to mass produce celebrities before ceremoniously and painfully bringing their career down to a shattering death, what was once the kiss and tell has become the rape and tell.

Society’s disapproval of rape victims and the law’s obligation to evidence combine to leave victims in a helpless position I do not wish to make a decision on the validity of any particular rape appeals. I simply wish to state that there has been a dramatic rise in the number of cases wherein an innocent man has been accused of rape in order to satisfy the vendetta of a scorned woman. I must stress that the gender here is not specific, as I and members of Buckingham Palace’s press office are aware, rape pleas are not specific to the female victim framework.

The problematic structure of Britain’s rape laws has recently been projected onto the agenda of political debate. The Conservative Party Leader, David Cameron, addressed the Women’s Conservative Organisation earlier this month with the statement that “Rapists in Britain think they can get away with it”. Whilst we do not need to see changes instated which would put any sexually active man in a position vulnerable to accusation, it is refreshing to see the issue raised within the political agenda.

Yet I remain cynical on the presentation of the issue. Fabricating the problem beyond its truthful framework may act simply to compromise respect for the issue and validity of changes made. According to recent research which is attributed only as “commissioned by the Conservatives”, half of all British men believed there are some situations in which it is acceptable to force a woman to have sex. Interpret this generalisation as you will, but consider the attitudes of the men you know and remember the power of lies, damned lies and statistics. My message here is that the problem of rape should be presented bare. The genuine facts alone are shocking enough to provoke change, unnecessary fabrication merely taints the issue as one more policy used to fight the election battle. Rape is not an issue which should be adopted as fashionable policy to win the female vote.

Recent research has shown a dramatic decline in the success of conviction in rape cases, causing the UK to have the lowest conviction rate than any other country in the European Union. Police records from 2006 show that only 1 in 5 incidents reported to the police leads to a prosecution; this is comparatively low compared to 1 in 3 cases in 1977.

The problem specific to our law system is clear when we are compared to our neighbours, Ireland. The Irish statistics show that 12 out of every 20 cases are successful - that is 300% more than in Britain.

Whilst these figures are sufficiently concerning on their own, they are entirely misrepresentative of the scale of rape. It is almost impossible to accurately measure the number of rape victims for whom their ordeal has remained a personal and silent experience. Research which has attempted

to ascertain how many victims of rape simply do not come forward to police, estimates that the number of reported rapes amounts only to 25% of rapes which actually occur. When this figure is combined with the low conviction rates, it is evident that

In 2005-2006 the police recorded 14,443 reported rapes.

Of these cases only 796 convictions were made only 1.5% of rape victims will see justice achieved through the successful prosecution of their abuser.

Society has found itself in a catch22 situation. In order to win justice for rape victims, we must improve the accuracy and efficiency of rape laws. This cannot be achieved simply by changing the laws alone, as the laws are designed to work effectively in a utopian state. Instead a contextual analysis of the situation shows that long lasting and effective change must come from a change in culture. For this to be achieved we need better education on the frequency of rape, and more accessible channels through which rape victims feel they can bring their experience and emotions to light in co-operation with the police. The shift in focus needs to incorporate and understand the perspective of the victim.

Recent Conservative Party proposals have placed sex education as the key to changing the culture of blame surrounding rape. The current curriculum for sex education is value-free, in the sense that it relies on a factual description of intercourse, for fear of encouraging underage sex by attaching an emotive label. Recent Tory proposals have suggested that sexual consent should be included in the curriculum in order to educate children on the moral issues involved in sexual abuse.

It must be considered what effect this would have on children when considering the variation of maturity within primary school children. 10

and 11 eleven year olds are often only aware that they have strange feelings towards the opposite sex because “they smell”. It is difficult to imagine how to explain to such children that not only do members of the opposite sex love each other when they mature, expressed in the physical act of love, but that occasionally this act is used as a weapon to assert power and hatred.

Perhaps my fears are outdated, that in fact primary school children in 2007 are miniature products of our sexualised society. They watch their favourite artist perform on stage in tiny leather clothes tied up in a cage as her male dancers prowl around her animalistic . Through this process of sexualisation, women are devalued as objects as opposed to equals. This objectification acts as the first step to justify sexual violence. For children female role models are admirable for their sexual appeal; misogyny is institutionalised within popular culture. As a result of social learning their interpretation of success is equated with sexual objectification.

But does this actually prepare them to understand the concept of rape?

The second half of the problemsolving process lies at the hands of the government. The current government has admitted that conviction rates are exceptionally low.

In 2005-2006 the police recorded 14,443 reported rapes in England and Wales. Of these cases only 796 convictions were made.

Physical evidence is weak as women often leave it too long to report the crime. Victims are also unwilling to appear in court to give evidence for fear of further violence - especially considering the low conviction rates, a victim may be vulnerable to further abuse from the accused. It has been suggested that rape case proceedings should follow similar lines to domestic abuse practises. In this practise, the victims are filmed giving evidence to the police when they initially report the incident. It is hoped that such emotive footage would replace the power of having the victim present in court.

However, this suggestion may magnify the fragility of objectivity within court proceedings and the use of public jurors, leading to higher rates of miscarriages of justice. Once again the false claims of rape are having

a detrimental affect on the power of the justice system to help genuine victims of rape.

Due to government cutbacks in the budget allocated to help rape victims, the number of Rape Crisis Centres in England Wales has more than halved. Rape Crisis is the help-line organisation which aims to support 80,000 victims of rape or attempted rape every year. Rape Crisis believes they are the only place that victims of rape can turn for objective support. This is the pillar upon which rape victims are intended to lean for emotional support. Unlike the police force, Rape Crisis have no motive to interrogate or pursue a conviction. In effect, the Rape Crisis centres aim to be a haven for rape victims, to shade them from the glare of the blame culture which is currently placing victims in the dock. The power of this objective aid is reflected in the strength of their research. Rape Crisis estimate that 1 in 4 women will be a victim of rape or sexual violence during their lifetime.

“Victims suffer a huge amount of stress, they need to know someone is there for them who has no agenda whether or not they go to court” If this is the reality that can only be witnessed through approachable services, then it is clear that the harsh face of the justice system is deterring victims from reporting the crime.

This results in a distorted perception of the scale of the problem facing Britain.

Rape Crisis Centres survive on money granted from the Ministry of Justice Victims Fund, which has been cut repeatedly in recent years, leading to more and more centre closures. In 1985 there were 84 centres in the UK, in 2007 there are now just 32. Rape Crisis predicts that many victims will find it harder to report the crime or get emotional support if the closest centres are out of reach.

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While rape is still a social issue on which we struggle to achieve black and white within the law Cerys Isfryn asks why the issue is still so taboo for our society

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, like most people I imagine, find it extremely difficult to talk about rape. But why is it in British society that rape is still a taboo subject that we just can’t talk about? This inability to speak out is glaringly obvious in the conviction statistics, and surely it has to become a priority to change.

The lack of understanding on what constitutes as rape is also a problem.

Most of us only see rape as it appears on The Bill or in films. The reality of it is somewhat different, and we could benefit by gaining a better understanding of what constitutes rape.

The Government could, and should, change things by introducing better education on rape in the classroom. Sex education in Japan has been compulsory since the 1970s,

with sex educators being well informed on rape. Since the 70s, there has been a decrease in sex crimes in Japan, which can partly be attributed to educating properly about rape and other sex-crimes. Surely this could only be the case if we were better educated on rape, not in the cringeworthy way I was shown during a sex education lesson how to put a condom on a banana, but in a nonpatronizing and informative way.

Although you can only really learn from experience, teaching this way would at least give some food for thought.

Armed with this information, we have to also learn to protect ourselves. Rape alarms should be given to university students for free, especially during busy times like Freshers’ Week. Despite seeming a bit

over-cautious, carrying an alarm on a night out brings a peace of mind that you have some defence at least in the worst-case scenario. Self-defence classes would be another great way of keeping safe, and should be better publicized. Men can help by speaking up when they hear other males stereotype women or make sexist or homophobic put-downs.

Rape cases are made even more difficult to convict due to false allegations that are sometimes made.

False allegations muddy the waters of who as been assaulted and who hasn’t. In turn this creates an inherent, and unfair, cynicism within the law system against the alleged victims of rape.

The number of rape offences in the UK has risen drastically since the year 2000. This graph is provided by www.crimestatistics.org.uk.

your thoughts...

Each Rape Crisis centre is currently responsible for victims within a geographical area of 1500 square miles.

Money which would previously be allocated to fund such support centres has now been distributed to fund Sexual Assault Referral Centres.

These centres are run by police and health care professionals. Their aim is to help rape victims immediately after a rape has been reported. It is hoped that this initiative will help gather sufficient evidence to uphold a conviction, whilst simultaneously sending a clear signal that rape will not be tolerated. Whilst such centres are heading in the right direction to ensure that conviction rates improve, focus on the legal element of victim support may neglect the emotional aspect of a victim’s experience, and essentially the clinical approach may lead to fewer rapes being reported.

RASA is a Rape and Sexual Abuse centre run for victims of sexual violence in Merseyside. Jo Wood, a service co-ordinator there believes rape victims need the emotional sup-

port to continue a case through to justice, “These women suffer a huge amount of stress, they need to know someone is there for them who has no agenda whether or not they go to court”.

Ultimately rape centres need to offer a duality of support for victims.

The improvements in services will increase conviction rates but the social element which has prevented so many victims seeking justice needs to be tackled with sincerity. It is naive and reductionist to hope that a purely clinical and legal approach is the solution to an issue which is so laden with elements of emotional, power and victim psychology.

For more information you can visit www.rapecrisis.org.uk.

The New Pathways Rape Crisis Centre for South Wales in based in Merthyr Tydfil.

Telephone: 01685 37910.

James Fidgett, an Archaeology student, thinks the university needs to improve student safety.

“I think free or cheap night buses running from town up to places like University Halls and Talybont would make it a lot safer for girls at night. They do this at other universities, and it seems to work well there, so maybe Cardiff should have the same system.

I’d say the best way for girls to avoid sexual assault is to just be sensible, and tell their friends where they’re going at all times. Maybe have a partner for the night that’ll look out for them, because with a big mingling group of people it is easy not to miss people.

There are hundreds of pervy guys in Cardiff, and every other town in the country. You can see them circling like vultures in Oceana and Walkabout. If a girl really does want to go somewhere with the guy, then just make sure that her friends know, but she will always be running a risk.”

Rachael Kyte, An Optometry student, thinks responsible drinking is the key to protecting against rape.

“I think that more should be done by bar staff in clubs to regulate how much people drink. If they see that they’re drunk, they shouldn’t serve them at all. The majority of rape cases occur when people are drunk, so preventing them from drinking excessive amounts would help ensure that they stay safe. Bouncers should be made more responsible for the people they throw out of clubs too, maybe make sure that they get a taxi. More taxi ranks could be set up around the city centre as well, so less people have to walk home. Back home in Ireland, taxi ranks are easily accessible, so getting home is easier and far safer, for both guys and girls.”

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Where no man ha A CAVING QUEST

A

n idea of a cave to some can be a place steeped in an inhospitable darkness that envelops the riddle of tight passages and seemingly bottomless voids that threaten to swallow the hapless caver. In contrast, the subterranean world can also be an inviting place with grand chambers abundant in ivory white cave formations with endless wide passage spanning far in to the distance.

Whatever your perceptions might be, there are underground experiences to be had that might go beyond your expectations.

Each summer a cohort of Cardiff University’s Caving Club (CUCC) go on a caving expedition to the Dachstein region of Austria. A number of other cavers from University clubs and veterans from elsewhere in the U.K. and

Austria join together to explore and survey the vast undiscovered systems that are scattered across the limestone plateau. Being situated at 1500-2500m altitude it is a region of “alpine caving”.

This means that it has a constant underground air temperature of, at most, 3°C and it can sometimes be much colder when a strong draught blows, which can allow for the formation of ice underground. The cave systems often descend to hundreds of metres in depth and the trips commonly last for more than twenty hours with no chance to sleep. These combined factors make for physically demanding trips, where suffering is often inevitable and you must accept that everything from careless mistakes to uncontrollable circumstances may cost you your life.

However, the opportunity for exploration and further discovery of untouched

virgin cave reigns supreme over any trepidation that one may have. Journeying to a place where few will ever visit is the unquestionable allure of it all.

Burnie’s Pot is named in memory of an ex-Cardiff medical student Ian Holmes, an experienced caver and a member of numerous expeditions to Dachstein, stated that “caving in the area is a whole different ball game to caving in the U.K. It’s not everybody’s thing and could be considered to have some of the hardest caving you’ll find anywhere in the world. It requires a certain tolerance and patience to physi-

cally demanding situations. It helps to be able to keep going and push yourself no matter what.”

“Burnie’s Pot”, named in memory of an ex-Cardiff medical student, was one such cave this summer that required a strong ethos for perseverance. The exploration of the 450m deep Burnie’s Pot continued over a four week period and each trip was rarely under twenty hours long. The monotony of these regular trips combined with physical exhaustion often resulted in a misery that many cavers come to enjoy.

The winding horizontal squeezes in between the vertical sections were awkward, time consuming and could easily fatigue a strong caver carrying large amounts of rope, metal work, drills and general supplies. The maze of sharp limestone could also confuse and disorientate. One caver lost his way

in a series of squeezes and was forced to strip down to just his pants, take his helmet off and curse his way through a slot no wider than three packs of cards laid lengthways.

The cavernous shafts of Burnie’s Pot was a fragile environment; boulders the size of vans and collapsed pillars as tall as houses would lie wedged on one small point either side of the shaft wall, seemingly defying gravity as they hovered high above the floor. As threatening as these distinct features were, descending around and beneath these precarious monstrosities was unavoidable. Many of the shafts were lined with steep walls of loose rubble that required one to gingerly bolt around the teetering piles for a safe passage.

The environment made one feel as if they were within an unstable house of cards; a minor disruption could eas-

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as gone before: T

This summer, Cardiff University Caving Club made history when they explored caves in Dachstein, Austria. Caving Club President Matthew Traver reports.

A tight squeeze: a dangerous quest

ily lead to a torrent of rock wiping out your friend below or severing your rope. Having seen a friend nearly have his face sheared off by a fist sized rock ricocheting off a wall from sixty meters up, treading lightly was a serious matter and, in an unforgiving and high-risk environment, trusting and respecting your partners was a necessity.

As hard as you may try to be cautious, stupidity and neglect can still try and thwart you. Of course it is never your fault. Feeling the irritating gnaw of the cold, myself and Alex BurtonJohnson, a fellow CUCC member, sat perched half way up a shaft on one of the many hovering boulders as Ian drilled and bolted a traverse around a corner. We huddled around the small stove under the survival shelter like two mumbling tramps desperate for warmth. We got carried away eating,

forgot to turn off the stove and finally dozed off only to awaken with dry mouths, spinning heads and nausea.

Now we were babbling inanely about feeling ill. I said to myself, “maybe I’ll just light my acetylene lamp for some warmth?” My potentially deadly mistake was overheard by Ian as I moved to light the gas.

“Uh, guys, you may not want to do that unless you want to spark all that gas you’ve built up in your shelter and go up in a ball of flames…” he spoke with a distinct nonchalance.

We switched off the stove, discouraged by the thought of our burning bodies flying aimlessly skywards in the chamber, despite how warm we would have felt. We named that particular section of cave “The Last Flight of the Hindenburg”, a good lesson had been learnt from our own bad judgment.

Schmelzwasser Höhle was another promising discovery. With the closure of a 750m deep cave called Pig Pen II at the start of the expedition, due to it ending in an impenetrable hole, many were hoping for another deep cave to focus on. Schmelzwasser certainly lived up to expectations after being explored to a depth of 850m, nearly twice the height of the tallest building in the world. After almost four weeks of continuous work, the bottom of the vertical system was reached and found to join up with a large horizontal passage, as high as three double-decker buses and equally as wide. A long time passed surveying and exploring this area, but it is still not yet known where this passage leads. The only watch between the team was forgotten, meaning they went over their return time by six hours. A rescue was coordinated only to find

Only 2% of the world’s caves have been discovered them re-ascending back to the surface, unaware they had been on a thirty hour non-stop trip. Had the reality of the situation been any different, a rescue at such depths would have taken many hours and a lot of man power.

Members of CUCC have also been on subsequent expeditions back to the Dachstein region to assist the main expedition leader, Joel Corrigan, on promising projects. Only weeks ago members returned from a trip in to the 100km long Hirlatz Höhle cave system to carry equipment in preparation for a dive of a submerged passage that will take place in late December. Future trips

are also planned in pursuing a number of climbs that are believed to lead in to unknown parts of the cave that will also require camping underground.

The saying that there is nothing left to explore is far from the truth. With only 2% of the world’s caves having been discovered, there is an ample source of adventure and exploration still to be had. If you love being in the mountains and the outdoors consider exploring what also lies beneath your feet. If you would like to join us caving sometime and experience it for yourself please get in touch with CUCC anytime by visiting www.muddydragons.co.uk or joining our club’s Facebook webpage to find out more.

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NOVEMBER.26.2007

FEATURES Xpress Radio coming to a venue near you... m FEATURES@gairrhydd.COM

With Xpress Radio back online, on form and on tour, Kate Warren and Rachel McWhinney tell you everything you need to know about your student radio station

Uni Hall

l

ia Talybont Soc

r

e b m e c e D h t 8 Saturday

Saturday 1st

December

Xpress Radio is coming to a halls of residence near you!

December marks the first Xpress Radio Roadshow in years, and promises to spice up your (potentially dreary) student life. Carefully selected mainstream and specialist DJs will be taking over Uni Hall on Saturday 1st December from 7pm onwards and bringing the best new music right to your door.

Continuing our tour around Cardiff Uni’s hotspots, we’ll be trundling down to Talybont Social on Saturday 8th December.

So get your party dresses on and boogie on down as we bring Xpress Radio to you.

Illustrations: Nev D’Souza

Xpress Radio, your student radio station, is back online for another year. To tune in, log on to www.xpressradio.co.uk from 9am right through until 2am. Mainstream DJs command the airwaves from 9am until 6pm, when Specialist DJs carefully select their favourite tunes for your entertainment. Witty chitchat and bloody good music all in the comfort of your own squalid habitat. What more could you possibly want? For those in need of some serious cultural therapy, the Xpress News Team bring you news bulletins on the hour, every hour, seven days a week.

For a news marathon, tune in to eXposure for your weekly dose of current affairs. www.xpressradio.co.uk is where it’s at, so be there or be square.

NOVEMBER.26.2007

gairrhydd

31

FEATURES meanwhile listen at www.xpressradio.co.uk FEATURES@gairrhydd.COM

Mainstream

Specialist

gairrhydd

NOVEMBER.26.2007 TELEVISION@gairrhydd.COM

.

HOT

!TELLY!

33

TELLY NOT

Now with Self-Censoring!

Lovely Things: Let’s all take a moment to appreciate the nice things in life. Is there anything more wonderful than a kitten, or Terry Wogan, or Songs of Praise? Telly sure doesn’t think so! Hugs & kisses

FILMS THE FOOTBALL FACTORY, S4C, TUESDAY What else are you gonna do on a Tuesday? Sit in your fuckin’ armchair wankin’ off to Pop Idol? Then try and avoid your girlfriend’s gaze as you struggle to come to terms with your sexless relationship? Then go and spunk your wages on kebabs, fruit machines and brasses?

Fuck that for a laugh! I know what I’d rather do. Tottenham away, love it!

WHALE RIDER, BBC2, SATURDAY One girl dares to confront the past, change the present and determine the future. It’s star, Keisha Castle-Hughes, popped a kid out at seventeen! She’s had an oscar nomination and a kid, what have you done?

THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT, CH4, FRIDAY See Saturday Pick Cher is a rich, beautiful, charming and popular girl who learns about inner beauty etc while giving a girl a makeover. There is sure to be hilarious hijinks along the way and an ending with a message for us all. The perfect teen comedy.

J

ust as QI starts its final few shows and we fear a life without a BBC panel show, an older friend makes its return. Buzzcocks is back! Thursdays now have an added excitement for those of you who don’t already have the joy of writing the Telly pages.

I know some people may have preferred Mark Lamarr as a presenter and try not to enjoy Simon Amstell’s similarly rude and often surreal humour, but they are missing out. Amstell is superb. Just the other week he was wrestling Jessica Hynes, which for any Spaced fan brings a feeling of pure envy ,especially as the experience was wasted on the openly gay Amstell.

Most importantly, he is also not afraid to insult the guests, once to the point where they stormed off the show. If the wit and cruel humour isn’t enough for you, Amstell also has great hair which has to make him a good person, doesn’t it? It’s certainly something

Lamarr, occasionally with creepy Jimmy Carr’s solid hair effect, was lacking.

Amstell isn’t alone of course, he has his duo of team captains to help keep us tax dodging students amused. Lovely, lovely, Bill Bailey can’t help but entertain with his odd troll features and wacky jokes, reminiscent of that of your uncle you’re only allowed to see once a year. Sadly, Bailey is too busy to make all the shows this series as he is touring cities like Cardiff to spread mirth and good cheer.

On the plus side, for three shows Thursdays become doubly Booshtastic as the brilliant Noel Fielding takes Bailey’s seat. I’m all warm merely at the thought of it.

Phil Jupitus rounds off the lineup managing to be funny not merely because of his size, though of course it will inevitablly come up.

People make a living out of realising fat is funny; Jo Brand anyone?

With a regular line-up so good, the

show seems guarenteed to bring happiness to our lives, just so long as Bill Oddie isn’t allowed back on.

Ultimately, the guests can make or break the show, often it is best if they are quieter, so Amstell has plenty of time to get his digs in.

Last series Bill Oddie tried way too hard to be funny and came off as irritating, which was hardly surprising, and Preston just couldn’t take anyone insulting his darling Chantelle. They are in the past so now we must move on. Last week the guests were the right mixture of interesting and useless; Kimberely Stewart completely dwarfed

by Jessica Hynes’ credibility. Amstell even said to Stewart “What a bitch that Jessica Hynes is, comes here with her... career.” How we laughed! There may even have been snorting. Lethal Bizzle also deserves a special mention for being surprisingly well spoken, just shame about the name.

I won’t pretend to be a great music fan and say that I’m shouting out the answers to the intros round at the TV, because you don’t need to be a music fan to watch, thank god. As with all good panel shows the questions and general format don’t really matter, all you need to do is put genuinely funny people together and sit back and watch. Buzzcocks is unique for often putting in easy target guests to fuel the comedy which is a cruel aspect I love.

This should be a great series, Buzzcocks always is and last week was no exception. I see no reason not to watch; there’s nothing else on until The Mighty Boosh.

Just whatever you do, don’t watch Sold instead, it would be a crime against Telly.

ADVERTS

Fudge Tunnel

The commercial giant, that is Tesco, has taken on that other commercial giant, that is the Spice Girls, to star in their Christmas advert this year. Pushing Tesco trollies, the five Spices attempt to look like the everyday shopper. Yet I can’t help but wonder if I have ever seen anyone wander the aisles in skin tight leather trousers, a la Victoria Beckham, with their hair curled to perfection, a la Geri Halliwell. Nevertheless, the girls produce a fab advert worthy of mention, as they hide behind packets of pasta and all other things conventional, in order to shop in Tesco for the ‘perfect’ pressies for each other.

Nasty Things: Coffee ice-cream is a poor excuse for a chilled desert, I’d take a cool creamy slice of vienetta any day of the week, month or year. Cherry pie is where its at.

SOAPS

Coronation Street is indeed making the transition this week from family soap to full blown drama when Maria drops the ultimate bombshell that we’ve all been waiting for, telling Liam she’s expecting his baby. Yet this is far from the happy beginning you’d expect, as street cow Carla has been thrown into the mix just to complicate the situation. Liam has feelings for Carla, who is his ex-sister in law, who was originally married to his brother who died in the factory… you get the picture!

Carla is now dating Tony, who Liam originally had his suspicions about and when a jealous ex-girlfriend rocks up to the factory looking for Carla, it can only spell out trouble. Elsewhere, in soap world Ronnie and Roxy prepare to open their new club, R&R, in Eastenders. Will all go to plan? Of course not!

Serious Cat

A public transport timetable is a listing of the times that public transport services arrive and depart specified locations. Timetables are published in various forms from comprehensive books covering an entire system or continent, to small cards that list the departure times from a single location.

34 gairrhydd

NOVEMBER.26.2007

TELLY

TELEVISION@gairrhydd.COM

MONDAY

26th November Mongolian Proclamation Day

The Royal Family at Work BBC1 8.30pm

Foo Fighters: Live in Hollywood C4 12.50am

Nigella Express BBC2 8.30pm

BBC 1

BBC 2

The Jeremy Kyle Show ITV1 9.25am ITV 1

Channel 4

Human Guinea Pigs five 7.30pm

five

6:00am Breakfast 9:15am What’s Really in our Food 10:00am Escape to the Country 11:00am Open House 11:30am Bargain Hunt 12:15pm Cash in the Attic

6:00am CBeebies 10:30am Around Scotland 10:50am Primary History: Saxons and Vikings 11:10am Primary Geography 11:30am Hands Up! 11:45am Watch 12:00pm The Daily Politics 12:30pm Working Lunch

6:00am GMTV Newshour 6:58am GMTV Today 8:35am LK Today 9:25am The Jeremy Kyle Show 10:30am This Morning 11:10am ITV News Headlines 11:15am ITV Wales News and Weather 11:20am This Morning 12:30pm Loose Women

6:10am The Hoobs 7:00am Freshly Squeezed 7:30am Everybody Loves Raymond 8:00am Just Shoot Me 8:30am Frasier 9:00am Frasier 9:30am Teen Trouble 10:30am Britain’s Deadliest Addictions 11:00am The Unteachables 12:00pm News at Noon

6:00am Kids TV 9:00am The Wright Stuff 10:30am Trisha Goddard 11:30am five news 12:00pm Home and Away

1:00pm BBC News; Weather 1:30pm Wales Today; Weather 1:40pm Doctors 2:10pm Neighbours 2:35pm Diagnosis Murder 3:20pm BBC News and Weather 3:25pm CBBC:Pitt and Kantrop 3:50pm CBBC:Secret Show 4:00pm Animalia 4:35pm Lizzie McGuire 5:00pm The Sarah Jane Adventures

1:00pm Bobinogs 1:10pm Science Clips 1:20pm Emotional Literacy 1:30pm Around the World in 80 Treasures 2:00pm Animal Park: Wild in Africa 2:45pm Escape to the Country 3:45pm Flog It! 4:30pm Food Poker

1:30pm ITV Lunchtime News and Weather 2:00pm 60 Minute Makeover 3:00pm Rosemary Shrager’s School For Cooks 4:00pm Midsomer Murders 5:00pm Chris Tarrant’s Great Pretender

12:30pm It’s Me or the Dog 1:00pm How Clean Is Your House?

1:30pm Small Railway Journeys 1:45pm Trail to Hope Rose 3:25pm Countdown 4:15pm Deal or No Deal

12:30pm Cooking the Books 1:00pm Zoo Days 1:30pm Russell Grant’s Postcards 1:40pm Love Is a Four Letter Word 3:20pm five news update 3:30pm Search and Rescue

5:25pm Newsround 5:35pm Neighbours 6:00pm BBC News and Weather 6:30pm Wales Today; Weather 7:00pm The One Show 7:30pm X-Ray 8:00pm EastEnders 8:30pm Monarchy: The Royal Family at Work 10:00pm BBC News; Regional News; Weather 10:25pm Wales Today; Weather 10:35pm Live at the Apollo 11:20pm Inside Sport 12:00am Imposter 1:30am Weatherview 1:35am Sign Zone: Run on the Bank: Northern Crock 2:05am Sign Zone: Countryfile Summer Diaries 3:05am Sign Zone: No Plan, No Peace 3:55am Sign Zone: Take on the Takeaway

5:30pm five news

5:15pm The Weakest Link 6:00pm Eggheads 6:30pm Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two 7:00pm Mela Drama 7:30pm Mastermind 8:00pm University Challenge 8:30pm Nigella Express 9:00pm Dragons’ Den

6:00pm Wales Tonight 6:30pm ITV Evening News and Weather 7:00pm Emmerdale 7:30pm Coronation Street 8:00pm Wales This Week 8:30pm Coronation Street 9:00pm I’m a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!

10:00pm Have I Got News for You 10:30pm Newsnight 11:20pm Last Orders for Guinness?

11:50pm BBC Four on BBC Two:London Calling

10:30pm ITV News and Weather 11:05pm Fire! Fire!

11:40pm It’s My Shout Awards

12:50am Joins BBC News 24 2:00am Hindi Urdu Bol Chaal

12:05am Zero Tolerance: Tonight 12:30am Great Welsh Roads 12:55am UEFA Champions League Weekly 1:25am ITV Play: Make Your Play 4:10am Quincy, ME

PICK OF THE DAY It’s Me or the Dog, C4, 12.30pm Since Supernanny took the spotlight as the solution to tame your troublesome kids, it wasn’t going to be long before they invented a version for your dogs to compete in the ratings. Victoria Stillwell puts the dog owners through their paces, tellng them exactly what to feed their dogs, how to respond to their dogs and basically, how to treat their dogs like humans. It’s riveting stuff! I never knew that throwing a stick in one direction can send out entirely different messages to the dog, than if you threw it in another!

Stillwell is deep, man! I’m sure dog training classes will see their numbers plummet once people realise they can do exactly the same thing from their comfort of their own home whilst under the guidance of Stillwell - they’d be mad not to!

5:00pm The Paul O’Grady Show 6:00pm The Simpsons 6:30pm Hollyoaks 7:00pm Channel 4 News 7:55pm 3 Minute Wonder: Turner Prize 2007

6:00pm Home and Away 6:30pm Cooking the Books 7:00pm five news 7:30pm Human Guinea Pigs

8:00pm Megatumour 9:00pm Boy A

8:00pm The Gadget Show 9:00pm Street Crime Live 10:00pm Blind Fury

11:05pm The Dead Pool 12:50am Foo Fighters: Live in Hollywood

11:45pm The FBI Files 12:45am The X Games

1:55am World Cup Skiing Highlights 3:45am Supporting Acts 4:00am gcsEASE: Hot Wired 5:40am Making It 5:55am Making It

1:30am NFL 4:50am Race and Rally UK 5:15am French Football Championnat

-

Le

gairrhydd

NOVEMBER.26.2007

TELLY

TELEVISION@gairrhydd.COM

TUESDAY What’s really in Our Food BBC1 9.15am

Meet the Ancestors BBC2 11.10am

BBC 1

BBC 2

Chris Tarrant’s Great Pretender ITV1 5.00pm

35

27th November Manolo Blahnik’s Birthday

Booze: A young Person’s Guide C4 9.30am

ITV 1

Channel 4

Massive Machines five 7.30pm

five

6:00am Breakfast 9:15am What’s Really in Our Food 10:00am Escape to the Country 11:00am Open House 11:30am Bargain Hunt 12:15pm Cash in the Attic

6:00amCBeebies 10:15am Numberjacks 10:30am Watch 10:45am Friends and Heroes 11:10am Meet the Ancestors 12:00pm The Daily Politics 12:30pm Working Lunch

6:00am GMTV Newshour 6:58am GMTV Today 8:35am LK Today 9:25am The Jeremy Kyle Show 10:30am This Morning 11:10am ITV News Headlines 11:15am ITV Wales News and Weather 11:20am This Morning 12:30pm Loose Women

6:00amKids TV 7:00am Freshly Squeezed 7:30am Everybody Loves Raymond 8:00am Just Shoot Me 8:30am Frasier 9:00am Frasier 9:30am Booze: A Young Person’s Guide 10:30am Britain’s Deadliest Addictions 11:00am The Unteachables 12:00pm News at Noon

6:00amKids TV 9:00am The Wright Stuff 10:30am Trisha Goddard 11:30am five news 12:00pm Home and Away 12:30pm Cooking the Books

1:00pm BBC News; Weather 1:30pm Wales Today; Weather 1:40pm Doctors 2:10pm Neighbours 2:35pm Diagnosis Murder 3:20pm BBC News and Weather 3:25pm CBBC: Pitt and Kantrop 3:50pm Secret Show 4:00pm Animalia 4:30pm Prank Patrol 5:00pm Blue Peter 5:25pm Newsround

1:00pm Shakespeare: The Animated Tales 1:30pm Around the World in 80 Treasures 2:00pm am.pm 3:00pm Wild in Africa 3:45pm Flog It! 4:30pm Food Poker 5:15pm The Weakest Link

1:30pm ITV Lunchtime News and Weather 2:00pm 60 Minute Makeover 3:00pm Rosemary Shrager’s School For Cooks 4:00pm Midsomer Murders

12:30pm It’s Me or the Dog 1:00pm How Clean Is Your House?

1:30pm The Return of the Native 3:25pm Countdown 4:15pm Deal or No Deal

1:00pm Zoo Days 1:30pm Monkey Life 2:00pm Ride Clear of Diablo 3:35pm five news update 3:45pm Mystery Woman: Oh Baby

5:00pm Chris Tarrant’s Great Pretender

5:00pm The Paul O’Grady Show

5:30pm five news

6:00pm Wales Tonight 6:30pm ITV Evening News and Weather 7:00pm Emmerdale 7:30pm UEFA Champions League Live: Manchester United v Sporting Lisbon

6:00pm The Simpsons 6:30pm Hollyoaks 7:00pm Channel 4 News 7:55pm 3 Minute Wonder: Turner Prize 2007 8:00pm Property Ladder

6:00pm Home and Away 6:30pm Cooking the Books 7:00pm five news 7:30pm Massive Machines 8:00pm Titanic’s Final Moments: The True Story

9:45pm I’m a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!

9:00pm Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares

9:00pm CSI: Miami

10:30pm ITV News and Weather

10:00pm Sex in the ‘00s: Dear Deidre 11:05pm Secret Millionaire 12:05am Bluesqpoker.com Grosvenor UK Poker Tour

10:00pm CSI: NY

11:05pm UEFA Champions League Highlights 12:05am ITV Play: Make Your Play 4:10am Quincy, ME 5:00am ITV Nightscreen 5:30am ITV Early Morning News

1:05am Betfair Turbo Tennis Zaragoza 2:05am World Cup Skiing Nordic 4:00am Hot Wired 4:25am Hot Wired 4:50am Borrow a Baby 5:40am Making It 5:55am Making It

11:00pm Law and Order: Special Victims Unit 12:00am Urban Legends 12:30am Urban Legends 1:00am Football on Five 2:00am NBA Basketball 4:30am Football Italiano

5:35pm Neighbours 6:00pm BBC News and Weather 6:30pm Wales Today; Weather 7:00pm The One Show 7:30pm EastEnders 8:00pm Holby City 9:00pm Spooks

10:00pm BBC News; Regional News; Weather 10:25pm Wales Today; Weather 10:35pm The Chief 11:15pm One Foot in the Grave 11:45pm Film 2007 with Jonathan Ross 12:15am Me without You 1:55am Sign Zone: Cranford 2:55am Sign Zone: Great British Journeys 3:55am Sign Zone: Take on the Takeaway

6:00pm Eggheads 6:30pm Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two 7:00pm Dragons’ Den 8:00pm Oz and James’s Big Wine Adventures 8:30pm Heston Blumenthal: In Search of Perfection 9:00pm Earth: The Power of the Planet

10:00pm The Eight Hundred Million Pound Railway Station 10:30pm Newsnight

11:20pm Long Way Down 12:20am Joins BBC News 24 2:00am Key Stage 3 Bitesize Revision English 2 4:00am Key Stage 3 Bitesize Revision Maths 2

PICK OF THE DAY Loose Women, ITV1, 12.30pm

Who ever would have thought that getting four middle-aged women together and sitting them down for a good gossip would make for excellent TV viewing? Certainly not me, but it’s safe to say I am addicted!

My days are usually arranged around the show (sad, I know) and the anticipation as to the identity of the daily guests usually occupies my thoughts each morning. It’s perfect lunch time viewing and you get to let off steam at the same time! I have to say though, since presenter Kay McAdams left, it never has been the same, but with the constant hot topics to fuel conversation there never ceases to be a dull moment. Among the ‘loose’ co-presenters you’ve got Carol McGiffin the controversial,opinionated one, Colleen Nolan the gobby one, Sheree Murphy the yummy mummy and Jane Macdonald the glam more mature one - a fabulous combination if ever there was one!

36 gairrhydd

NOVEMBER.26.2007

TELLY

WEDNESDAY Sign Zone: Rogue Traders BBC1 3.10am

Man Stroke Woman Loose Women ITV1 12.30pm BBC2 11.20pm

BBC 1

BBC 2

TELEVISION@gairrhydd.COM

28th November Mauritania Independence Day

The Big Drugs Debate C4 9.30am

Pleasures for Sale five 11.10pm

ITV 1

Channel 4

Five

6:00am Kids TV 7:00am Freshly Squeezed 7:30am Everybody Loves Raymond 8:00am Just Shoot Me 8:30am Frasier 9:00am Frasier 9:30am The Big Drugs Debate 10:30am Britain’s Deadliest Addictions 11:00am The Unteachables 12:00pm News at Noon 12:30pm It’s Me or the Dog 1:00pm How Clean Is Your House?

1:30pm The Bedford Incident 3:25pm Countdown 4:15pm Deal or No Deal

6:00am Kids TV 9:00am The Wright Stuff 10:30am Trisha Goddard 11:30am five news 12:00pm Home and Away 12:30pm Cooking the Books

6:00am Breakfast 9:15am What’s Really in our Food 10:00am Escape to the Country 11:00am Open House 11:30am Bargain Hunt 12:15pm Cash in the Attic

6:00am CBBC 11:30am am.pm

6:00am GMTV Newshour 6:58am GMTV Today 8:35am LK Today 9:25am The Jeremy Kyle Show 10:30am This Morning 11:10am ITV News Headlines 11:15am ITV Wales News and Weather 11:20am This Morning 12:30pm Loose Women

1:00pm BBC News; Weather 1:30pm Wales Today; Weather 1:40pm Doctors 2:10pm Neighbours 2:35pm Diagnosis Murder 3:20pm BBC News and Weather 3:25pm CBBC

1:00pm See Hear 1:30pm Working Lunch 2:00pm Animal Park: Wild in Africa 2:45pm Escape to the Country 3:45pm Flog It! 4:30pm Food Poker

1:30pm ITV Lunchtime News and Weather 2:00pm 60 Minute Makeover 3:00pm Rosemary Shrager’s School For Cooks 4:00pm Midsomer Murders

5:35pm Neighbours

5:15pm The Weakest Link

5:00pm Chris Tarrant’s Great Pretender

5:00pm The Paul O’Grady Show

5:30pm five news

6:00pm BBC News and Weather 6:30pm Wales Today; Weather 7:00pm The One Show 7:30pm The Green Green Grass 8:00pm Watchdog 8:30pm The Enforcers

6:00pm Eggheads 6:30pm Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two 7:00pm Top Gear 8:00pm Ben’s Zoo

6:00pm Wales Tonight 6:30pm ITV Evening News and Weather 7:00pm Emmerdale 7:30pm Coronation Street 8:00pm The Bill: Moving Target (Part 3)

6:00pm The Simpsons 6:30pm Hollyoaks 7:00pm Channel 4 News 7:55pm 3 Minute Wonder: Turner Prize 2007 8:00pm How to Look Good Naked

6:00pm Home and Away 6:30pm Cooking the Books 7:00pm five news 7:30pm Binge Britain: Diet Doctors Specials 8:00pm Diet Doctors: Inside & Out

9:00pm The Nature of Britain

9:00pm Heroes 9:45pm Heroes Unmasked

9:00pm I’m a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!

9:00pm Secret Millionaire

9:00pm Murder at 1600

10:00pm BBC News; Regional News; Weather 10:25pm Wales Today; Weather 10:35pm The National Lottery Draws 10:40pm Evicted Update 11:45pm Man about Dog 1:10am Weatherview 1:15am Sign Zone: Antiques Roadshow 2:10am Sign Zone: Earth: The Power of the Planet 3:10am Sign Zone: Rogue Traders

10:00pm The Eight Hundred Million Pound Railway Station 10:30pm Newsnight

10:30pm ITV News and Weather

10:00pm Love Trap

11:20pm Man Stroke Woman 11:50pm Charlie Brooker’s Screenwipe 12:20am Joins BBC News 24 2:00am Key Stage 3 Bitesize Revision: Science 2 4:00am Expressive Arts: The Art

11:05pm Superhuman - Giants 12:05am ITV Play: Make Your Play 4:05am The Jeremy Kyle Show 5:00am ITV Nightscreen 5:30am ITV Early Morning News

11:05pm Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares 12:10am The White Stripes: Video Exclusive 12:15am First Cut: Sleep With Me 12:45am Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip 1:45am Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip 2:35am King of the Hill

PICK OF THE DAY The Enforcers, BBC1, 8.30pm This wonderful show features the BBC following round a bunch of ‘hi-tech’ bailiffs. I’m not really sure how a bailiff could be hi-tech unless they had robotic arms and lasers and other cool gadgety stuff. Then they would be like robocop and he was cool. He was all metal but had a human chin. I wonder if he had a choice of which bit to have human like, I would keep my eyes. They are quite lovely. Anyhoo, in this weeks episode, someone threatens to knife one of the bailiffs. This would probably be ace to watch cause being hi-tech and all, its all bound to kick off. I can almost guarantee that someone is going to get shot and there will be cool 80’s music in the background. God I love TV!!!

1:00pm Zoo Days 1:30pm Russell Grant’s Postcards 1:45pm Aftershock 3:30pm five news update 3:40pm Loving Evangeline

11:10pm Pleasure for Sale 12:10am Winning Poker with Jesse May 1:10am NHL Ice Hockey 3:40am The X Games 4:20am A1 Grand Prix 5:10am Golf: The President’s Cup

gairrhydd

NOVEMBER.26.2007

TELLY

TELEVISION@gairrhydd.COM

THURSDAY Regional News BBC1 10.00pm

Heroes BBC2 11.50pm

BBC 1

Sold ITV1 9.00pm

BBC 2

37

29th November Ryan Gigg’s Birthday

Giving Up the Weed Zoo Days C4 9.30am five 1.00pm

ITV 1

Channel 4

five

6:05am Kids TV 7:00am Freshly Squeezed 7:30am Everybody Loves Raymond 8:00am Just Shoot Me 8:30am Frasier 9:00am Frasier 9:30am Giving Up the Weed 10:30am Britain’s Deadliest Addictions 11:00am The Unteachables 12:00pm News at Noon 12:30pm It’s Me or the Dog 1:00pm How Clean Is Your House?

1:35pm Water Stories 1:45pm Winchester ‘73 3:25pm Countdown 4:15pm Deal or No Deal

6:00am Kids TV 9:00am The Wright Stuff 10:30am Trisha Goddard 11:30am five news 12:00pm Home and Away 12:30pm Cooking the Books

6:00am Breakfast 9:15am What’s Really in our Food 10:00am Escape to the Country 11:00am Open House 11:30am Bargain Hunt 12:15pm Cash in the Attic

6:00am CBBC 12:00pm The Daily Politics 12:30pm Working Lunch

6:00am GMTV Newshour 6:58am GMTV Today 8:35am LK Today 9:25am The Jeremy Kyle Show 10:30am This Morning 11:10am ITV News Headlines 11:15am ITV Wales News and Weather 11:20am This Morning 12:30pm Loose Women

1:00pm BBC News; Weather 1:30pm Wales Today; Weather 1:40pm Doctors 2:10pm Neighbours 2:35pm Diagnosis Murder 3:20pm BBC News and Weather 3:25pm CBBC

1:00pm Around the World in 80 Treasures 2:00pm Animal Park: Wild in Africa 2:45pm Escape to the Country 3:45pm Flog It! 4:30pm Food Poker

1:30pm ITV Lunchtime News and Weather 2:00pm 60 Minute Makeover 3:00pm Rosemary Shrager’s School for Cooks 4:00pm Midsomer Murders

5:35pm Neighbours

5:15pm The Weakest Link

5:00pm Chris Tarrant’s Great Pretender

5:00pm The Paul O’Grady Show

5:30pm five news

6:00pm BBC News and Weather 6:30pm Wales Today; Weather 7:00pm The One Show 7:30pm EastEnders 8:00pm Waterloo Road

6:00pm Eggheads 6:30pm Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two 7:00pm The History Detectives 7:30pm Jamie and Derek’s Welsh Weekends 8:00pm Arrange Me a Marriage 9:00pm Never Mind the Buzzcocks 9:30pm Lead Balloon

6:00pm Wales Tonight 6:30pm ITV Evening News and Weather 7:00pm Emmerdale 7:30pm Fishlock’s Castles Of Wales 8:00pm I’m a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!

6:00pm The Simpsons 6:30pm Hollyoaks 7:00pm Channel 4 News 7:55pm 3 Minute Wonder: Turner Prize 2007 8:00pm Britain’s Real Monarch

6:00pm Home and Away 6:30pm Cooking the Books 7:00pm five news 7:30pm UEFA Cup Football

9:00pm Sold

9:00pm The Queen’s Wedding

10:00pm BBC News; Regional News; Weather 10:25pm Wales Today; Weather 10:35pm Dragon’s Eye

10:00pm Sport Wales 10:30pm Newsnight

10:00pm I’m a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!

10:30pm ITV News and Weather

10:00pm Without a Trace

10:10pm Californication 10:50pm 30 Rock

11:05pm Question Time 12:05am This Week 12:50am Holiday Weather 12:55am Sign Zone: Heston Blumenthal: In Search of Perfection 1:25am Sign Zone: Oz and James’s Big Wine Adventures

11:20pm The Graham Norton Show 11:50pm Heroes 12:35am The Cult of... Adam Adamant Lives!

1:05am Joins BBC News 24 2:00am GCSE Bitesize Revision 4:00am GCSE Bitesize Revision

11:05pm In The Name Of The Children 11:35pm Waterfront 12:05am ITV Play: Make Your Play 4:05am The Jeremy Kyle Show 5:00am ITV Nightscreen 5:30am ITV Early Morning News

11:00pm Shameless 12:05am Coming Up: Imprints 12:40am 4 Music:Dubplate Drama 1:10am Narc 3:05am Gangland Graveyard 4:05am KOTV 4:30am Trans World Sport

11:20pm A Girl’s Guide to 21st Century Sex 12:00am Quiz Call 4:00am Dutch Football 5:10am Football Argentina - Highlights

9:00pm The Street

PICK OF THE DAY Arrange Me A Marriage, BBC2, 8.00pm Some 30-something lady is uber desperate to get married and she can’t find a man herself so she gets an absolute stranger to sort her out on national television. This can only be ten shades of amazing. The stranger in question is Aneela Rahman. How very stereotypical of the BBC to front a show called arrange me a marriage with a mumsy looking asian woman.

Anyway Aneela gets all the 30-something’s friends and family to find her a suitor and they come up with this Stephen guy. Now if I was this 30-something I would be offended ‘cause he is not exactly a hottie AND he is a dairy farmer. This show puts the fear in me, I know I will be on there once I hit my 30s and my looks start to fade. Hang on, my looks will never fade.

1:00pm Zoo Days 1:30pm Russell Grant’s Postcards 1:40pm Aftershock 3:25pm five news update 3:35pm Flood: a River’s Rampage

38 gairrhydd

NOVEMBER.26.2007

TELLY

TELEVISION@gairrhydd.COM

FRIDAY EastEnders BBC1 8.00pm

30th November St Andrew’s Day

Strictly Come Danc- Chris Tarrant’s Great Sticks and Stones ing: It Takes Two Pretender C4 11.00am BBC2 6.30pm ITV1 5.00pm

BBC 1

BBC 2

ITV 1

Channel 4

Cooking the Books five 12.30pm

five

6:00am Breakfast 9:15am What’s Really in our Food 10:00am Escape to the Country 11:00am Open House 11:30am Bargain Hunt 12:15pm Cash in the Attic

6:00am CBBC 10:15am Educational TV 11:45am Something Special 12:00pm The Daily Politics 12:30pm Working Lunch

6:00am GMTV Newshour 6:58am GMTV Today 8:35am Entertainment Today 9:25am The Jeremy Kyle Show 10:30am This Morning 11:10am ITV News Headlines 11:15am ITV Wales News and Weather 11:20am This Morning 12:30pm Loose Women

6:10am Kids TV 7:30am Everybody Loves Raymond 8:00am Just Shoot Me 8:30am Frasier 9:30am Drugs: The Lowdown on Getting High 10:30am Britain’s Deadliest Addictions 11:00am Sticks and Stones 12:00pm News at Noon 12:30pm It’s Me or the Dog

6:00am Kids TV 9:00am The Wright Stuff 10:30am Trisha Goddard 11:30am five news 12:00pm Home and Away 12:30pm Cooking the Books

1:00pm BBC News; Weather 1:40pm Doctors 2:10pm Neighbours 2:35pm Diagnosis Murder 3:20pm BBC News and Weather 3:25pm CBBC:7

1:30pm Around the World in 80 Treasures 2:00pm Animal Park: Wild in Africa 2:45pm Escape to the Country 3:45pm Flog It! 4:30pm Food Poker

1:30pm ITV Lunchtime News and Weather 2:00pm 60 Minute Makeover 3:00pm Rosemary Shrager’s School for Cooks 4:00pm Midsomer Murders

1:00pm How Clean Is Your House?

1:30pm Checking Into History 1:50pm Cheaper by the Dozen 3:25pm Countdown 4:15pm Deal or No Deal

1:00pm Zoo Days 1:30pm Russell Grant’s Postcards 1:35pm Seasons of the Heart 3:35pm five news update 3:40pm The Brooke Ellison Story

5:00pm Trapped 5:25pm Newsround 5:35pm Neighbours

5:15pm The Weakest Link

5:00pm Chris Tarrant’s Great Pretender

5:00pm The Paul O’Grady Show

5:30pm five news

6:00pm BBC News and Weather 6:30pm Wales Today; Weather 7:00pm The One Show 7:30pm A Question of Sport 8:00pm EastEnders 8:30pm The Green Green Grass

6:00pm Eggheads 6:30pm Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two 7:00pm The Money Programme 7:30pm Scrum V Live

6:00pm The Simpsons 6:30pm Hollyoaks 7:00pm Channel 4 News 7:30pm First Cut: Karaoke Soul 8:00pm A Place in the Sun 8:30pm Ugly Betty

6:00pm Home and Away 6:30pm Cooking the Books 7:00pm five news 7:30pm Will Work for Nuts 8:00pm World’s Strongest Man Super Series

9:00pm Have I Got News for You 9:30pm Armstrong and Miller Show 10:00pm BBC News; Regional News; Weather 10:25pm Wales Today; Weather 10:35pm Friday Night with Jonathan Ross

9:30pm The Tudors

6:00pm Wales Tonight 6:30pm ITV Evening News and Weather 7:00pm Emmerdale 7:30pm Coronation Street 8:00pm Bringing Down the House: Tonight 8:30pm All New Airline 9:00pm I’m a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!

10:30pm ITV News and Weather

9:30pm My Name Is Earl

9:00pm NCIS

10:10pm Max and Paddy’s Road to Nowhere 10:40pm Max and Paddy’s Road to Nowhere

10:00pm Law and Order

11:35pm Working Girl 1:25am Since You’ve Been Gone 2:55am Weatherview 3:00am Sign Zone: Top Gear 4:00am Sign Zone: You Can’t Fire Me I’m Famous 4:45am Joins BBC News 24

11:00pm Newsnight Review 11:35pm Later...with Jools Holland 12:35am Blast 12:40am Brothers in Trouble 2:20am Star Trek: The Next Generation 3:05am Star Trek: The Next Generation 3:50am Joins BBC News 24

11:05pm Barry Island 11:35pm Numb3rs 12:20am ITV Play: Make Your Play 4:15am Karen Sisco 5:00am ITV Nightscreen 5:30am ITV Early Morning News

11:15pm Ugly Betty 12:15am Transmission With T-Mobile 1:20am 4 Music: Beat Stevie 1:35am 4 Music: Empire Square 2:00am 4 Music: Dubplate Drama 2:25am Goalissimo!

3:20am World Cup Snowboard 5:10am Grudge Match

11:00pm Angelo’s 11:30pm Valley of the Sex Dolls 12:00am Quiz Call 5:05am Nick’s Quest 5:30am Nick’s Quest

10:20pm Coast 10:30pm Newsnight

PICK OF THE DAY Diagnosis Murder, BBC1, 2.35pm This is one of the brilliant lighthearted crime dramas from the nineties that seem to always find their way back onto TV. These are the shows that have murders, scandal, mistresses and strippers all on the BBC just after lunch. There may not be well crafted stories, snappy dialogue or, god forbid, character development, but what you do get is pure light entertainment. You’re never really sure why a doctor is quite so interested in murder cases all the time, any more than why the writer in Murder She Wrote knows so many people involved in crime, but does it really matter? Diagnosis Murder doesn’t demand much from you so don’t demand anything from it and you won’t be dissapointed. You’ve got to love any show with Dick Van Dyke in it, he was in Mary Poppins! And he has a moustache!

gairrhydd

NOVEMBER.26.2007

TELLY

TELEVISION@gairrhydd.COM

SATURDAY Amatuer Boxing BBC 1.00pm

The Theory of Flight BBC2 12.05am

BBC 1

BBC 2

1st December World AIDS Day

Babe: Pig in the City How to Cope ITV1 1.30pm With Rejection C4 3.45am ITV 1

39

Channel 4

The Gadget Show five 10.00am

five

6:00am Breakfast 10:00am Saturday Kitchen 11:30am Rachel’s Favourite Food for Living 12:00pm BBC News; Weather 12:10pm Football Focus

6:00am CBBC 11:45am Sportsround 12:00pm Animal Park 12:45pm Jesse James

6:00am CITV 11:45am ITV News and Weather 11:55am ITV Wales News and Weather 12:00pm Saturday Cooks

6:10am The Hoobs 7:00am Goalissimo!

8:00am The Morning Line 8:50am T4:One Tree Hill 9:50am T4:Friends 10:20am T4:Mobileact Unsigned 11:25am T4:Friends 11:55am Transmission With T-Mobile 12:25pm T4:Friends

6:00am Kids TV 10:00am The Gadget Show 11:00am Football Italiano Highlights 11:45am Wild Events 12:20pm Dudley Do Right

1:00pm Amatuer Boxing 2:15pm Rugby Union: Anglo-Welsh Cup 4:30pm Wales on Saturday

2:25pm Film 2007 with Jonathan Ross 2:55pm Whale Rider 4:30pm BBC Switch:Falcon Beach

1:30pm Babe: Pig in the City 3:05pm Bond Season:Live and Let Die 4:20pm ITV Wales News and Weather 4:35pm ITV News and Weather 4:55pm Bond Season:Live and Let Die

1:00pm T4:Charmed 2:00pm Channel 4 Racing 4:10pm The TV Show 4:45pm Time Team

1:50pm Gambit 3:50pm Hour of the Gun

5:25pm BBC News; Regional News; Weather 5:45pm Strictly Come Dancing

5:15pm BBC Switch:Sound 5:50pm Heroes Unmasked

5:55pm Funniest Ever You’ve Been Framed!

5:45pm Codex 6:30pm Channel 4 News

5:45pm Impact Earth

7:15pm Robin Hood 8:00pm The National Lottery: Who Dares Wins 8:50pm Casualty

6:00pm What the Papers Say 6:10pm Paul Merton’s Silent Clowns 7:10pm The Culture Show 8:00pm A Passion for Plants 8:30pm Gardeners’ World Special

6:55pm The X Factor 8:25pm All Star Family Fortunes

7:10pm Deal or No Deal 8:00pm This Is Civilisation

7:30pm five news and sport 7:50pm NCIS 8:45pm NCIS

9:40pm The Omid Djalili Show

9:00pm Have I Got News for You 9:40pm The Company

9:10pm The X Factor Results 9:40pm Saturday Live Again!

9:00pm Evolution

9:40pm CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

10:10pm BBC News; Weather 10:30pm Match of the Day

12:10am Universal Soldier: The Return 1:25am Friday Night with Jonathan Ross 2:25am Weatherview 2:30am Joins BBC News 24

10:40pm Law and Order: SVU

11:15pm The Tudors 12:05am The Theory Of Flight 1:40am The Culture Show 2:30am Solas

11:10pm ITV Weekend News and Weather 11:25pm TV’s Naughtiest Blunders 12:00am ITV Play: Make Your Play 4:10am The Jules and Lulu Show 4:30am The Jules and Lulu Show 5:00am ITV Nightscreen 5:30am ITV Early Morning News

PICK OF THE DAY The Blair Witch Project, C4, 1.10am Is The Blair Witch Project actually scary? Watching at home with the lights on it’s hard to be frightened by a mysterious figure who makes stick figures and rock piles out in the woods at night, it just doesn’t relate to Cathays. The film really comes into effect the next time you are out in the woods at night and you hear a movement in the trees, that’s when you start to get scared. If you’re not in the habit of wandering the woods at night then perhaps this isn’t the film for you, but maybe you should try it some time; it’s wacky fun! For a really great Saturday night tune in and watch The Blair Witch Project, then when it’s over take a wander down to Bute Park and sit in a bush. Take a coat, it’s cold out and I worry.

11:00pm Lenny Henry’s Perfect Night In 1:10am The Blair Witch Project 2:40am 3 Minute Wonder: Can You Believe Your Eyes?

2:45am Bernard Manning From Beyond the Grave 3:45am How to Cope with Rejection

11:40pm Criminal Minds 12:40am Quiz Call 5:10am Wildlife SOS 5:35am Wildlife SOS

40 gairrhydd

NOVEMBER.26.2007

TELLY

TELEVISION@gairrhydd.COM

SUNDAY Countryfile BBC1 11:00am

Wildlife on Two BBC2 5.40pm

BBC 1

The Phantom Menace ITV1 4.15pm

2nd December Anti-Bestiality Day

100 Greatest Family Natural Born Racers Films five 12.50am C4 8.00pm

BBC 2

ITV 1

6:00am Breakfast 7:15am Match of the Day 9:00am The Andrew Marr Show 10:00am Christmas Voices 11:00am Countryfile 12:00pm The Politics Show

6:00am CBBC 10:00am Something for the Weekend 11:15am Match of the Day Live 12:00pm Coast

6:00am The Sunday Programme 7:00am CITV 9:25am The Championship 10:20am Soccer Sunday 10:40am CITV 12:10pm ITV News and Weather 12:15pm ITV Wales News and Weather 12:20pm The Ghost of Greville Lodge

6:10am The Hoobs 6:35am The Hoobs 7:00am Trans World Sport 7:55am World Cup Skiing 8:50am T4:The OC 9:50am T4:Hollyoaks Omnibus 12:20pm T4:Mobileact Unsigned

6:00am Kids TV 11:00am 8 Simple Rules 11:30am Beyond the Break 12:00pm Columbo: Try and Catch Me

1:00pm FA Cup Match of the Day Live 3:30pm Diagnosis Murder 4:15pm Robin Hood

1:00pm Eastenders Omnibus 3:00pm Scrum V Live

2:00pm The X Factor 3:30pm The X Factor Results 4:00pm ITV Wales News and Weather 4:15pm Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace

1:20pm T4:Friends 1:45pm T4:The Simpsons 2:15pm T4:The Simpsons 2:45pm 100 Greatest Family Films

1:30pm Football Italiano 4:20pm Rogue Raiders: Badlands

5:00pm Points of View 5:15pm Songs of Praise 5:50pm Cranford 6:50pm Strictly Come Dancing 7:35pm BBC News; Regional News; Weather 8:00pm Antiques Roadshow

5:00pm Scrum V 5:40pm Wildlife on Two

5:45pm Elf

5:10pm Firecreek

6:10pm The Nature of Britain 7:00pm Earth: The Power of the Planet 8:00pm Top Gear

6:40pm ITV News and Weather 7:00pm Emmerdale 7:30pm Coronation Street 8:00pm Heartbeat

7:30pm Channel 4 News 8:00pm 100 Greatest Family Films

7:05pm five news and sport 7:15pm The Waterboy

9:00pm Cranford

9:00pm BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year 2007

9:00pm Who Gets the Dog?

10:00pm BBC News; Weather 10:15pm The Blair Years

10:00pm Long Way Down

10:55pm ITV Weekend News&Weather

11:20pm Take Me Home: The John Denver Story 12:45am The Sky at Night 1:05am Weatherview 1:10am Sign Zone: Watchdog 1:40am Sign Zone: Holby City 2:40am The Nature of Britain

11:00pm Match of the Day 2 11:50pm The Graham Norton Show 12:35am Heroes 1:20am Chopper 2:50am Joins BBC News 24

11:10pm Eric Clapton: The South Bank Show 12:10am Alpha: Did It Change Their Lives?

1:00am The Making of The Golden Compass 1:25am Trapped

PICK OF THE DAY Elf, C4, 5.45pm On the second day of Christmas my true lord gave to me, a Will Ferrell Christmas movie! Yes we’re only just out of november and channel four are already reeling out the christmas films.

Will Ferrell is Buddy, a very tall elf raised at the northpole. He’s bigger than all the other elves and finds out his biological father is James Caan, but he lives in New York so Buddy goes to visit him. When he gets to the big apple he finds that people have lost their Christmas spirit, if you want to keep yours then catch this film, it’s great for the kids and Ferrell is also funny for adults. Telly loves the wholesomeness of this heart warming movie and only wishes it could match it.

Channel 4

five

9:00pm Bad Boys II

11:00pm Dylan Moran: Like, Totally 12:00am Animate! TV 1:05am Bluesqpoker.com Grosvenor UK Poker Tour 2:05am King of the Hill 2:30am Red Planet 4:15am 3 Minute Wonder

11:45pm Disorderly Conduct 12:50am Natural Born Racers 1:20am NFL Live 4:50am The X Games 5:35am Motorsport Mundial

Baboon

gairrhydd

NOVEMBER.26.2007

41

FIVE MINUTE FUN

FMF@gairrhydd.COM

found on facebook

SUDOKU

Housemate done something stupid?

1. Log on to the book of face 2. Join the group ‘Found on Facebook’ 3. Upload embarrassing photos 4. Pick up gair rhydd on Monday and laugh

Send more oddities!

COMPETITION CROSSWORD Across

Down

1. Foreigner.

3. Like a two-bit apple?

5. Coquette.

6. “Send in the _____!”

9. Short year.

11. Anger.

13. Ostinato phrase.

15. Mist.

17. Sounds like an honest guy...

19. That is small!

20. A small island.

21. Fancy fishhook.

23. Repeated, injury.

24. Top of rainbow.

26. He “Wasted Days and Wasted Nights” to stardom.

27. Central European river.

2. See (into the future?).

3. Canis lupus.

4. Male Hominid.

5. “New Blood” or “New Nightmare”.

7. Lay to rest, Mafia style.

8. Part of a play or movie.

10. A large quantity.

12. One ten-millionth of a joule.

14. “_____ and the Argonauts”.

16. Hootin’ bird.

18. River, in taco territory.

19. Lay to rest, gangland style.

22. Past past participle of “be”.

23. Evil.

24. Fermented molasses.

25. “The”, in German.

Exercise your mind...

WINonal ers ng p A aini tr sion ses

Then exercise your body at

Put your entries in the competitio

n box outside gair rhydd

Every week gair rhydd will be giving away a gym package to one lucky entrant who correctly completes the competition crossword, courtesy of Dave’s Gym.

Every winner will receive a free personal training session with one of our qualified instructors. This can be a gym workout, weight-training, boxing or Thai Boxing session. You will also receive a personalised gym programme and a free guest pass so you can come back for another workout, or try one of our studio classes: choose from HipHop, Khai Bo, Bodypump and many more. This prize is worth approximately £35!

Conditions: Use of any of our facilities are subject to our terms and conditions and at the user’s own risk. An appointment must be made for the session. Prize must be claimed within four weeks of notification. It is not exchangeable for cash and is not transferable to any other party. Dave’s Gym: Tel: 029 2046 0232 E.mail: enquiries@daves-gym. co.uk Web: www.daves-gym.co.uk

NAME....

EMAIL....

How to enter: Simply complete the crossword opposite and drop it into the crossword competition box outside the gair rhydd office on the 4th floor of the Students’ Union. The first correct entrant to be plucked from the box every week will win the Dave’s Gym package.

42 gairrhydd

NOVEMBER.26.2007

LISTINGS

LISTINGS@gairrhydd.COM

This Week: Amy Wino-house makes a trip down to the C.I.A, along with Canadian crooner Michael Bu Amy Winehouse @ CIA Wednesday 28th Nov. SOLD OUT. Listings Editor Josie Allchin Recommends

W

The Winehouse - best damn hair in the business

Michael Bublé @ CIA Fri 30th Nov SOLD OUT

Listings Editor Dan Jones recommends

M

ichael Bublé. Some may argue that it isn’t ‘cool’ to like Bublé because people think it’s mostly middle aged to nearly dead women who go to his gigs and listen to his music. This is something I indefeasibly resent! Me, my middle-aged Mother and my 89 year old Gran love nothing more than sitting with a packet of Worthers and listening to Bublé’s rendition of ‘Moon River’. Oh...hang on...

Well anyway, whatever, I reckon he’s a class act and you would struggle to find a single person on this earth who’s heart wouldn’t melt as Michael smoothly takes you through his version of ‘Come Fly With Me’! Well ok, maybe not those involved in or are affiliated with Lockerbie, 9/11 or have seen the film Turbulence.

Heavily influenced by such childhood heroes as Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, Canadian Bublé is a natural crooner and could have easily slipped into the Rat Pack,

Coming up...

especially with his Italian heritage which is apparent in his black hair and confident swagger on stage. Whereas Sinatra and Martin were in a league of their own in terms of their popularity and the way in which they defined a genre and indeed a entire lifestyle, I believe Bublé has a more natural talent for singing than both ‘Rats’, which is tangible in his incredible versatility as a vocalist, equally at home with a soppy ballad as he is with an upbeat, swinging Jazz classic.

Bublé honed his skills as a showman through years of performing in hotel lounges and smoky bars - gigs his grandfather, a plumber, helped the underage singer secure by trading his plumbing services. By the time 14-time Grammy winner David Foster met him in 2000, Bublé already knew exactly what he brought to the table - a warm, engaging voice and unassailable taste in music. His debut album was an international smash, going Top Ten in the U.K. and Canada, and earning him his first award for Best New Talent in 2004. The follow-up, It’s Time, sold more than 5.5 million copies, and has remained on the Billboard Traditional Jazz charts for a staggering two years and in the Number 1 slot for more than 80 weeks, an all-time record.

A superb talent whose live shows are renowned for sending women, old and young alike, completely mental, throwing knickers, catheters and god knows what else at his feet. (Oh, and by the way, I don’t ‘love’ him - I like him a little bit more than a normal amount, which is fine. Alright?)

ell, where to start? The start of Ms. Winehouse’s current tour has been the stuff of soap-opera story lines Eastenders writers could only dream of.

Amazingly enough though, the Winehouse saga is all real, and I don’t know about anyone else, but I am completely addicted.

What crazy thing will she do next? What hotel was she spotted at this time looking rather worse for wear? The whole will she/ won’t she turn up to the gig drama – it’s all utterly addictive.

Winehouse really hit the big time with her second album Back To Black, and it hasn’t stopped since then. Before that, however, she released her debut album Frank in 2003. The record was nominated twice in the 2004 BRIT Awards, in the Best British Solo Artist category and Best British Urban Act. In the same year she went on to win an Ivor Novello song-writing

Great Eskimo Hoax

award for Best Contemporary Song (‘Stronger Than Me’), and as if this wasn’t enough, the same album was shortlisted for the 2004 Mercury Music Prize.

It took a full two and half years for Winehouse to release her famed second album, and it wasn’t until 18 months after the release of Frank that she thought about writing any new material. Following a meeting with producer Mark Ronson, “Back To Black” was apparently written in six months, and Winehouse cites Ronson as being a true inspiration.

After the notorious cancellation at V Festival and many tour dropouts since then, the coming months really are high profile for the singer.

Not to mention the pressure to perform, or the immense legacy she’s made for herself to live up to.

So the first performance at the Birmingham academy wasn’t great – late, looking a shambles, and just downright awful. To be honest though, I was really hoping that she’d prove us all wrong, that she’d show up and do the best damn performance she’d ever done. But, her past few dates have actually received not too bad a review – her performance at the Newcastle academy was described as “eerily fantastic” (The Guardian), and describes how after every song there was a “rapturous applause and ovation from the audience”.

Lets hope then, that things are looking up for our troubled songstress, and that with every performance she’ll regain the reputation of awesomeness that she, deep down, really deserves. If she turns up, that is.

Cut Off Your Hands

Xpress Radio’s Gig Of The Week...

Foals + Cut Off Your Hands + Great Eskimo Hoax @ Clwb, 26th Nov. 8pm.

Kicking off the festivities tonight are the UK based three-piece Great Eskimo Hoax. Gentle keyboards, accompanied by funky drumbeats and trumpet blasts will set the tone for tonight’s gig and its slightly experimental edge. Having finished recording

Foals?

their debut album ‘Of Many Victories’ which came out in Japan on 10th November, Great Eskimo Hoax will be selling it at this gig and quite possibly their new EP too. Following GEH are New Zealand band Cut Off Your Hands.

In contrast to the name, their music is full of melodic vocals and happy clapping. Single ‘Still Fond’ has enjoyed radio airplay recently and the end of the road to success is in sight for this four-piece. Headliners tonight are the hot, hip, and new Foals. Signed to Transgressive Records, uni-dropouts Foals have enjoyed success nationwide. Following appearances on Jools Holland, features in NME and The Guardian, Foals continue their tour in Cardiff and finish next month by supporting Bloc Party in London. Their single ‘Balloons’ is out on 3rd December, so get down to Clwb to see if they live up to the hype.

Roy Chubby Brown @ St David’s Hall, 30th Jan...

Christmas Party: Guest Comedians @ The Glee Club, 20th Dec...

French & Saunders @ Millennium Centre, 2008

gairrhydd

NOVEMBER.26.2007

43

LISTINGS

LISTINGS@gairrhydd.COM

uble. But not at the same time, obviously.

Monday... 26/11

Tuesday... 27/11

Wednesday... 28/11 Thursday... 29/11

Fun Factory @ Solus, SU Cardiff’s own alternative music night. Also features DJing by Oddsoc and bands put on by LMS. 10pm - 2am. Free entry with NUS. £3 otherwise.

Snug @ Glo Bar So I’m guessing some sort of evening out...

With DJs? 9pm - 3am. Free. Bargain.

Parka + Delorentos @ Barfly Parker are an Indie rock band from Edinburgh.

‘Their unique brand of cowbell electronic rock has record labels, venues and music lovers across the UK in a sweat’- Double Speak.

7.30pm. £5.

Shaolin Kung Fu Masters: Shaolin Monks @ St David’s Hall The ultimate masters of Kung Fu, this touring group of Buddhist Monks present a martial arts and oriental dance experience featuring ordained Soldier Monks from the Shaolin Temple in China’s Henan Province. Cool.

7.30pm. £16 - £25.

The Black Crusade Tour: Machine Head + Trivium + DragonForce + Arch Enemy @ CIA £25. Check venue for furher info.

Planet Rock @ Clwb Ifor Bach The one and only rock request night, originating from a Cardiff music society way back. You ask, and they play the rock, metal and goth classics.

You can also request via MySpace.com/planet_ rock_club. 9pm - 2pm. £3.

Jazz On The Level: Kit Holmes + John Etheridge @ St David’s Hall John Etheridge is a renowned jazz fusion guitarist, founder member of Seventies Canterbury rock outfit Soft Machine and best known for his work with Stephane Grappelli. Contact venue for more info.

HelloGoodbye @ SU Released that awful song that started off “I like... where we are” or something like that. They might be the best thing you’ve ever seen live though.

7.30pm. £12.50.

Robert Greygrass @ Chapter Arts Centre Young man talks about the spirtual practices of his Lakota heritage. 7:30pm.£6/£4.

Gobsmack! Juice Vocal Trio @ Corbett Road Concert Hall Man-made music incl. beat-boxing and other amazing musical feats. 7.30pm.

Rubber Duck @ Solus, SU Dressed up clubbing for jocks and pretend jocks.

10pm. £3.

Popscene @ Clwb Ifor Bach Three floors of great music, including breaks, beats, blues, rock and indie. 10pm - 3am. £4.50/£3 before 11pm.

Unite: Resident DJs @ Clwb Tafod (NosDa) Alternating between DJs and acoustic music.

8.30pm - 1am. Contact venue for prices.

Horace Andy + Dub Asante Band + Matic Horns + Terror Sounds + Operator Wally + Full Crew @ The Point Hailing from Kingston, Jamaica, reggae veteran Horace ‘Sleepy’ Andy has been producing nothing but the finest music in the industry for over thirty years earning him legendary status both in Jamaican music and reggae worldwide.

The Ghost Frequency @ Barfly Their Myspace says they sound like a giant genre gang bang. Nice. 7.30pm. £5.

The Electric Cwtch: Julia Harris @ Glo Bar ‘Urban acoustic’ or ‘F*** off folk’ you decide. 9pm. £3.

Pick Of The Day

Foals @ Clwb Ifor Bach

Indie-funk five piece The Foals, who make an irresistible blend of electronic-pop, dirty disco and pulsating indie-tech. Punked up, funked out and most definitely music to get down and boogie to. ‘…one of the hottest new bands in indie - they deserve your immediate and total adulation’, says the NME (blimey, they must be good then). Pioneers of the this whole new DIY movement in the music industry, they’ve managed to make quite a name for themselves. If you have a ticket, this is a good time to catch them before they hit bigger venues. 7.30pm £7.

Friday... 30/11 Access all Areas @ Solus SU More unadulterated fun at the union, and another way to make people drunk. Promises the best alternative music and beats for you to boogie to.

10pm - 2am. £3.50 / £3 adv.

Big Linda + Sons of Albion + Zenyth @ Barfly

Big Linda - Jim Morrison-esque fronted London Town blues/grind band.

Sons of Albion - Rock band featuring the son of Robert Plant.

Zenyth - Zenyth have been highly praised as a live band, while producing numerous catchy rock songs. Using classic rock influences, they create an original, modern sound combined with excellent musicianship. This fresh rock sound has gained Zenyth much acclaim, having won the Rock on the Beach battle of the bands competition in Mykonos. 7.30pm. £5.

The Family: The Panacea Society + The Stilletoes + My Cat Can DJ @ Tommy’s Bar The Panacea Society - Andre Stitt & Matt Cook have been recording as The Panacea Society since 2003. 8pm. £4.

Pick Of The Day

Christmas With The Rat Pack: The Rat Pack @ St David’s Hall Festive performance of the Rat Pack Live in a seasonal twist to the hit West End show.

Celebrate the Christmas season with Rat Pack renditions of classic festive tunes, including Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, Let It Snow and White Christmas. With a talented cast and 15-piece orchestra belting out classics such as The Lady is a Tramp, New York, New York, Fly Me to the Moon and My Way, this is sure to be a swingin’ affair!

7.30pm. Contact venue for ticket details

Pick Of The Day

RAID - An HIV/AIDS Fundraiser @ Solus Hosted by the lovely people at Cardiff Universities People&Planet and SHAG (Sexual Health Awareness Group) for the third year running, there will be three rooms of live music, featuring Cardiff based May Contain Nuts and Julia Harris. There’ll also be one big fat mix of music, ranging from rock, jazz, punk, plus reggae and Brazilian DJs. And, as if this wasn’t enough, they’ll be standup comedy, short films, stalls including a cake sale and a lucky dip. Drinks offers also on all night. 9pm - 2am. £3.50adv/£4.

Saturday...

01/12

Come Play @ Solus, SU Union-run night of rock, pop, dance and general debauchery. Party tunes in the main room and Traffic DJing in the side room. 10pm. £3.50.

The Lazy Bones Tour: The Displacements @ Barfly The founders of Leicester’s D-Day club night.

With their blend of indie, big beat and psychedelic style, tight harmonies and a bit of good ol’ fashioned attitude, they are kicking up a storm on the music scene. Christian O Connell of xFM Radio, said ‘The Displacements were amazing’ after a live performance on air. With recent appearances on the Steve Lamacq show and a packed-out slot at Summer Sundae, it is no surprise they are tipped for the top. 7.30pm. £5.

The New 1920 @ Barfly Cardiff-based indie-rock band.

12.45pm. £5.

Royworld @ Barfly London popsters as heard on XFM. For ticket info contact venue.

Pick Of The Day Electric Eel Shock @ Clwb Ifor Bach These Japanese rock’n’roll monsters’ phenomenal energetic shows have gained them an extraordinarily loyal fan base across the world. Their music is clearly influenced by Led Zep, Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden, but it’s delivered with the kind of insane humour that only the Japanese can manage.

After supporting Bloodhound Gang on their 2005 tour, the band are now headlining their own shows.

7.30pm. £8.

Pick Of The Day

Thin Lizzy + Diamond Head @ St David’s Hall The boys are back in town! Classic 70s rockers reformed and back on the road. The current line-up is John Sykes (guitar/vocals), Scott Gorham (guitar), Marco Mendoza (bass) and Michael Lee (drums).

The Diamond Head are one of Britain’s most influential and original rock bands who have inspired the likes of Metallica and Megadeth.

They now often play as an acoustic line up and continue to produce new material as well as re-inventing much of their back catalogue.

7.30pm. £24.

Sunday...

02/12

Buffalo Sundaes Garden Party: Fireworks night special @ Buffalo Bar Music until 3am, heated outdoor marquee and a mini fireworks display, amazing! 7pm-3am. Free before 10pm. £2/3 after.

SOLD OUT The Greatest Hits Tour: McFly @ CIA Teenage punk popsters McFly - who take their name from the ‘Back To The Future’ films - are Tom Fletcher, Danny Jones, Dougie Poynter and Harry Judd. Tom lost out to best buddy Charlie in the Busted audition - but they are obviously still friends; McFly supported Busted on their 2004 tour and have been unstoppable ever since.

Bee Gees Magic @ St David’s Hall A tribute to the Bee Gees playing all their greatest hits including Staying Alive, Night Fever and Tragedy. 7.30pm. £13-£18.

The Start @ Barfly 7.30pm. £7.50 Women Stepping Out Present: A Celebration Of African History: Wilford School Of Dance + The Project + Congo Man + Gentle Touch + Jukebox + 3 Jay & Co. + More.

12.30pm. £5-£3.

Pick Of The Day

Resurrected: Patrick Monahan, Matt Price Patrick Monahan - Half-Iranian, half-Middlesborough comic who is a rising star on the comedy circuit. Full of an insatiable lust for life, his exuberant comedy greets the audience like a sex-starved spaniel would greet a trouser leg. A natural-born performer, he exudes charisma from the stage (and often off it, when he scuttles into the crowd...!)

8.30pm. £5.

Baitshop @ Barfly Student clubnight at Cardiff’s most renowned alternative music venue. Playing your usual mix of rock, indie and dance. 10.30pm. £3/£2 with NUS. The Hotrod Disco: Resident DJs @ Buffalo Bar Lots more lovely music at Buffalo. 8pm - 3am.

Free. As a bird.

Mabon + One String Loose @ Clwb Ifor Bach Two traditional celtic sounding bands rock up to Welsh Club. Get your jigging shoes on. 7:30pm. £8.

Here Come The Classics: Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Wynne Evans @ St David’s Hall Royal Philharmonic Orchestra - Founded in 1946 by Sir Thomas Beecham and described by the Daily Telegraph as ‘a true premier league orchestra’ Wynne Evans - A classical tenor with Welsh National Opera.

Future Sounds: El Goodo + Ladyfingers + The Gentle Good + Lindsey Leven @ Buffalo El Goodo - Cardiff based, El Goodo play furry fuzzed-up psychedelic pop similar to that of the Super Furry Animals or Grandaddy. 8pm-3am. £3

Pick Of The Day The Stone Roses Experience @ Barfly

The most precise and successful Stone Roses tribute band to date. The Ian Brown looks slightly more evolved and is probably a better live singer. They’re pretty mental and their madness tends to escalate as they get more into their set and start to believe they actually are The Stone Roses.

8pm. Contact venue for more details.

Venues...

Students’ Union, Park Place, 02920 387421 www.cardiffstudents.com Clwb Ifor Bach (The Welsh Club), 11 Womanby Street 02920 232199 www.clwb.net Barfly, Kingsway, Tickets: 08709070999 www.barflyclub.com/cardiff Metros, Bakers Row 02920 399939 www.clubmetropolitan.com Glo Bar, 4 Churchill Way, 02920 237177 Dempseys, Castle Street 02920 252024 Iotas, 7 Mill Lane 02920 225592 Incognito, Park Place 02920 412190 Liquid, St. Mary Street 02920645464 The Philharmonic, 76-77 St. Mary Street 02920 230678 Café Jazz, 21 St. Mary Street 02920 387026 www.cafejazzcardiff.com NosDa, 53-59 Despenser Street, Riverside 02920 378866 St. David’s Hall, The Hayes 02920 878444 www.stdavidshallcardiff.co.uk Chapter Arts Centre, Market Road, Canton 02920 304400 www.chapter.org Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay 0870 0402000 www.wmc.org.uk The New Theatre, Park Place 02920 878889 www.newtheatrecardiff.co.uk The Sherman Theatre, Senghennydd Road 02920 646900 www.shermantheatre.co.uk The Glee Club, Mermaid Quay 0870 2415093 www.glee.co.uk Cardiff International Arena, Mary Ann Street 02920 224488 The Millennium Stadium Can’t miss it. www.millenniumstadium.com The Point, Cardiff Bay, 029 2046 0873. www.thepointcardiffbay.com

44 gairrhydd

NOVEMBER.26.2007

PROBLEM PAGE From the Desk of

TEd

PROBLEMPAGE@gairrhydd.COM

e m so

d n Ha

He’s a ruddy good lad.

Ted Handsome’s Celebrity Chefs I Could Beat In A Straight Fist Fight An Occasional Series

I realise that this side column is developing into nothing more than a vanity project for yours truly, but do you know why this is?

Fuck you that’s why. It’s my goddamn column and I’ll fill it with whatever ego-massaging filth I want. This week, I am taking on the massed ranks of celebrity chefs. To make it fair, I have decided to only challenge male chefs to a fight, and also because I am slightly scared of what a drunk Delia Smith might do to my gorgeous visage.

No. 1 - Gordon Ramsey This preening tosser would be too concerned with taking his shirt off and swearing to actually put up much of a fight. However much like every other ugly person in the land, he has nothing to lose if he gets hit in his pockmarked gurning shit-eating face of his. It looks like he tried to french kiss a barrel of old bells and spanners. However, as all and sundry seem to agree, I look like a bronze statue of a Greek god and so I genuinely have something to lose. Luckily when I punch it sounds like a car door slamming and it feels like being hit by a truck.

No. 2 - Anthony Worrall-Thompson I’m not even sure whether this snivelling little half-beard/half-dwarf combination is actually deserving of my fists of fury. What a complete and utter tosser. The last thing I need on a Sunday morning is to see his potato head beaming his shit-eating shit grin for all to see. Not only this, but if he really will insist on having his hairy tits out on display and sexualising food I really will vomit all over my crush Egyptian cotton bedsheets, the dirty little sodhat.

No. 3 - Jamie Oliver I know that this is essientially tantamount to treason in this current climate, but I simply cannot stand this fat-tounged mockney twat. Look at him, gurning around his trendy London flat smashing vegetables around using his rough labourers hands into an unrecognisable pulp, all while his idiotic, beanie wearing friends guffaw and guzzle cheap white wine, while listening to Toploader. What an absolute twat, I mean what kind of a grown man would want to drive a Volksvagen Minivan. I don’t even think that you could even call it a ‘fight,’ as it would inevitably turn into a bloodbath.

Kicking Oliver’s bollocks out through his own windpipe would give me a feeling akin to 1000 blowjobs.

A letter about loafers Dear Ted, I’d like to consider myself somewhat of a sartorially elegant young man. However I often find myself in a right old pickle about precisely what I wear and how I wear it. In fact, my choice of attire has often dropped me in the proverbial dog’s nonsense. In fact, in one particular incident I very nearly ended up losing my life to some enraged locals.

Apparently wearing a full WWII British Army Officer’s uniform is not acceptable attire for a Christening. in Germany. Although, I suppose I could have probably not painted on a bullet hole onto my left temple, and I guess that screaming ‘Up yours, Fritz,’ probably didn’t do much for Anglo-Teutonic relations, but I’m hardly Henry Kissinger, so it’s not really up to me in the first place! How was I to know that this

could have been percieved as xenophobic? I mean, we all like that episode of Faulty Towers where John Cleese plays an ignorant English oaf who is openly racist toward a German family who are seen as a humourless and uptight. I mean, how far from the truth could that be? Anyway, what I really want to know is what colour belt shoe I wear with a pair of brown loafers?

Yours, Matthew Voltage

belt should never be worn with black shoes. However, I believe that the colour of a gentleman’s socks is more important and should be of similar hue to the shoes, as they are in closer proximity to the shoes in question. Therefore, I’d advise young Matthew to dispose of the brown loafers and instead buy himself some nice new black Chelsea boots.

Yours, Ted

Dear Matthew, Traditionally, the hue of one’s shoe should match that of the belt, and so a brown belt would usually suffice. However, brown shoes have fallen out of favour in recent years, and one tends to find black shoes are the vogue these days. Again, the traditional view is that a brown

A letter about the plight of the cravat Dear Ted, Thank you very much for your prompt response to my first letter, on the subject of my brown shoes. I have to say that you were 100% correct! I went home, and had a look at the loafers, and I realised that you’d have to be a right old cockfor-brains to wear those! Therefore, seeing as how you are quite the expert on gentleman’s etiquette, I wonder whether you have any more tips and tricks for a struggling young gent, such as me?

Yours Matthew Voltage (again) Dear Matthew.

I’m actually quite glad that you have interrupted my day once again to pester me with inane requests to reinvigorate your substandard wardrobe, as it has given me the perfect opportunity to discuss a cause that

I feel does not get the exposure that it deserves; the plight of the cravat.

A cravat is essential to any gentleman’s wardrobe, and the fallout from omitting such a silken appurtenance is astronomical. I should hope that none of the many gentlemen reading this article in gentlemen’s clubs throughout the land would like to be seen as a bounder or a cad by his fellow man or more importantly, any fillies that may be knocking about.

There are a few basic rules to the correct way to wear a cravat. The first being ‘a cravat should be worn ‘twixt collar and skin.’ The second rule is the same as the first. There is no third rule. I imagine that many of the sartorially challenged members of our fraternity are expecting some form of diagrammatical guide to the ins and outs of the various ties, folds and lashes that one associates with the cravat. Well, with

the greatest respect, you can all go and whistle for it. For, if you are the respectable gentlemen that you wish you were, it does not matter how you tie your cravat. Loop it, tie it, hell even glue it to your rippling pectorals. If you are a refined gentleman it will not matter. However, one final issue of etiquette. Be wary of who’s in your presence when you do decide to ‘loosen the noose,’ because if you were to attempt this in the presence of a lady, she would immediately become aware of your dastardly intentions, and would become all to familar with your somewhat singular intentions for the rest of the evening.

Yours, Ted

Dear fair reader, Wasn’t thos issue a lovely change from the usual shambles that i try to peddle? I actually gave some genuine advice for a change, wasn’t that lovely of me? I quite like this new proactive Ted Handsome, I’m not entirely sure what is making me so focussed and some god-damned helpful, but something in my chemical makeup has finally been blanced. This is either due to my new healthy attitude to life, and the macrobiotic yoghurt subsitute that the current Mrs. Handsome is forcing me to start eating. or, more likely, it was the several fat lines ofr high quality horse tranquilizers and the bevy of loose harlots that joined me in my study whilst I composed this missive. One of those two.TH xxx

gairrhydd

NOVEMBER.26.2007

45

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Musical Magic!

he Producers was first released on film in 1968 and then later on in 2005. The Wales Millenium Centre is now showing the all-singing, all-dancing glamorous musical version.

Mel Brooks’ hilarious new musical The Producers is finally coming to Wales Millennium Centre. The Producers is the tale of down-on-his-luck theatrical producer Max Bialystock and his hapless accountant Leo Bloom, who hatch the ultimate theatrical scam to raise more money than they need to produce a sure-fire Broadway disaster: ‘Springtime for Hitler’ - the musical! Based on the hilarious film, The Producers is one of the funniest musicals of all time, and, unlike ‘Springtime for Hitler’, is a guaranteed smash! Peter Kay, comical genius, will perform at Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff, in the this amazing musical.

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Maroon Five!

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46 gairrhydd

NOVEMBER.26.2007

SPORT

SPORT@gairrhydd.COM

The IMG Roundup

Butthead’s Premiership challenge consigned to History books Alex Alsworth IMG Reporter AFC History 3 - 1 Butthead FC

GROUP A D

L

Diff

Pts

1

GymGym

5

4

0

1

26

12

2

Economics

5

3

1

1

6

10

3

SOCSI

5

3

1

1

1

10

4

Music Buteys

5

3

0

2

-6

9

5

H. Dragons

5

1

0

4

-3

3

6

AFC Cathays

5

0

0

5

-24

0

P

W

GROUP B

IMG FOOTBALL

PHOTO: DAVE GREEN

Butthead FC lost their 100% record and with it a place in the Premiership after a battling 3-1 defeat at the hands of AFC History.

Butthead went into the game as the only team on maximum points not secure of a place, knowing that a defeat along with a sizeable victory for Mini Street Elite over Inter Me-Nan would cost them a top two spot on goal difference. History knew anything but a victory would be likely to see them left in Division One. Both sides were fired up, but it was History who had the early impetus and they made their early pressure pay when, after a well-struck free kick, Jeremy Barton reacted quickest to make it 1-0.

History enjoyed the lion’s share of possession in a somewhat scrappy first half, with nerves showing on both sides. The next goal was always going to be crucial.

Butthead missed out on the chance to

equalize when Ben Keen’s penalty was saved midway through the first half.

And History who went into half time with a 2-0 lead after a fine individual effort by Nathan Farmer from outside the box.

The second half began with almost immediate controversy after History took a quick free kick. While Butthead keeper Rob Knott was still setting up his wall, the ball rolled unchallenged into an empty net. The referee seemed to have given the goal, but, after a few strong words from an unhappy Butthead team, corrected himself and forced the free kick to be retaken. The second free kick hit the reformed wall and resulted in a corner.

As the second half developed, Butthead began to impose themselves on the game, but were unable to convert the extra possession into any clear cut opportunities.

They were handed a lifeline after being awarded a second penalty, which Ben Keen failed to convert again, but this time was on hand to head in the rebound- his blushes (almost) saved.

At 2-1 this was still anyone’s game, and goalkeepers at either end made

Football Tables IMG FOOTBALL

Butthead FC: Unlucky saves to keep their teams in it with a scrappy midfield battle ensuing in the centre of the park.

But it was History’s day and when Farmer headed in his second at the death, Butthead could only wait for the Mini Street 5-1 victory to filter over and confirm their fate.

The result gives History a chance to

improve on the third placed finish that they achieved in the Premiership last season.

Meanwhile, Butthead must pick themselves up and finish what has been a much-improved season with an assault on the Division One title that they must surely be one of the favorites for.

P

W

D

L

Diff

Pts

1

AFC History

5

4

0

1

14

12

2

Mini Street Elite

5

4

0

1

10

12

3

Butthead FC

5

4

0

1

7

12

4

Inter Me-Nan

5

1

1

3

-10

4

5

Law B

5

1

0

4

-8

3

6

Real Ale Madrid

5

0

1

4

-13

1

GROUP C

IMG FOOTBALL P

W

D

L

Diff

Pts

1

CARBS

5

4

0

1

13

12

2

ChemSoc

5

4

0

1

6

12

3

Psycho Athletico

5

3

0

2

5

9

4

Blazin’ Business

5

2

0

3

-4

6

5

Cardiff Crusaders

5

1

1

3

-3

4

6

Japsoc

5

0

1

4

-17

1

GROUP D

IMG FOOTBALL P

W

D

L

Diff

Pts

1

Engin Locomotive

5

4

1

0

18

13

2

J-Unit

5

3

1

1

26

10

3

Pharm AC

5

2

2

1

6

8

4

Uni Hallstars

5

2

0

3

-8

6

5

Earth Soc

5

1

1

3

-20

4

6

Optometry

5

0

1

4

-22

1

GROUP E

IMG FOOTBALL

Jubilant J-Unit overawe the Allstars Alex Wilson IMG Reporter J-Unit 9 - 1 Uni Hallstars

IMG Football Results Wednesday 21st November Group A SOCSI 6 - 3 AFC Cathays Music Buteys 2 - 1 Economics GymGym 7 - 3 Havana Dragons Group B Real Ale Madrid 2 - 3 Law B Mini St Elite 6 - 1 Inter Me Nan AFC History 3 - 1 Butthead FC Group C JAPSOC 0 - 6 Psycho Athletico Blazin’ Business 3 - 1 C. Crusaders CARBS 4 - 5 Chem Soc

Group D Earth Soc 2 - 2 Optometry Uni Hallstars 1 - 9 J-Unit Engin Locomotive 2 - 2 Pharm AC Group E Engin Auto 4 - 3 Engin Numatic SAWSA 6 - 6 JOMEC MOMED 1 - 1 Law A

deserved their goal before the break, taking advantage of J-Units lack of communication at the back.

The second half began differently to the first: Uni Hallstars managed to disrupt J-Units passing and find some form of their own.

However, they were unable to turn this into goals and the second half did not have the same excitement.

As the game started to draw to a close J-Unit made some substitutions that turned out to be inspirational. The eighth goal saw Alex Wilson receive the ball which he controlled with a magical

W

D

L

Diff

Pts

MOMED

5

4

1

0

13

13

2

Law A

5

4

1

0

13

13

5

3

0

2

-3

9

3

touch and with Premiership glory set in his sights, he blasted the ball into the corner of the goal.

The final goal saw Ed Penfold dispatch the ball into the roof of the net with extreme ease.

This was a good game with Uni Hallstars showing signs of good form. They will hope to improve on this in order to see a good second half of the season in Division One. It was J-Unit who stole the show, however, with a blistering performance that bodes well for their challenge to in the Premiership.

Engin Automotive

4

SAWSA

5

1

1

3

1

4

5

Engin Numatics

5

1

0

4

-16

3

6

JOMEC

5

0

1

4

-8

1

Netball Tables GROUP A

IMG NETBALL

D

L

Diff

Pts

1

Law A

5

5

0

0

81

15

2

CARBS B

5

3

0

2

15

9

3

SOCSI B

5

3

0

2

-5

9

4

Gym Gym

4

2

0

2

-9

6

5

Biology

4

1

0

3

-32

3

6

Engin Automotive

5

0

0

5

-50

0

P

W

P

W

GROUP B

IMG NETBALL

PHOTO: DAVE GREEN

AS THE IMG came to its final stage both teams were looking for victory to guarantee Premiership status.

An exciting and enthralling game was expected with both teams going all out to secure a win.

When the game kicked off the balance quickly swung in favour of J-Unit as they started to play the kind of football that they have been promising all season. The passing was quick and accurate and the movement fluid: this was the football that J-Unit knew they were capable of and that really only belongs in the Premiership.

As J-Unit piled on the pressure there were a succession of missed chances and finally a disallowed goal which was ruled offside.

Then with a touch of class James Pressley threaded the ball to Wayne McNeill to give him a golden opportunity that he took emphatically.

If this was not bad enough for Uni

Hallstars, they lost possession straight away from the kick off and could not prevent J-Units’ clinical attack that saw James Pressley double the lead.

As J-Unit continued to dominate the game Hallstars buckled under the pressure and gave away a penalty when they scithed down the left winger Huw Williams. Wayne McNeill shouldered the pressure with ease and dispatched the penalty to bring his tally to ten for the season.

Once the penalty was scored not much looked like stopping J-Unit who continued to play sublime football. The fourth came from a devastating cross, met by Steve Long, who bundled the ball over the line.

The next goal saw Wayne McNeill complete his hat-trick in style as he controlled the ball from a throw in, ripped through the Hallstars defence, and buried the ball in the net.

Not one to enjoy living in Wayne’s shadow, James Pressley got his hattrick with a well taken strike from the edge of the box.

Uni Hallstars stayed positive throughout the first half and thoroughly

P 1

J-UNIT: They think they’re G-Unit

IMG Netball Results Saturday 17th November

CARBS B 7 - 14 GymGym A Economics B 19 - 6 Uni IWC B Uni IMG A 18 - 1 Uni IWC A SOCSI A 13 - 3 English A

IMG Netball Results Wednesday 21st November Engin Automotive 5 - 15 SOCSI B Law A 14 - 6 CARBS B Optometry 1 - 22 Law B CARBS A 11 - 8 Economics B English B 2 - 29 Engin Locomotive Economics A 26 - 5 Pharmacy A Uni IWC A 7 - 2 Psychology Christian Union A 5 - 7 Medics A Uni IMG B 5 - 18 SOCSI A English A 23 - 0 Medics B

D

L

Diff

Pts

1

CARBS A

5

5

0

0

104

15

2

Economics B

5

4

0

1

50

12

3

Law B

5

2

0

3

-5

6

4

Engin Numatics

4

2

0

2

-10

6

5

Uni IWC B

4

1

0

3

-23

3

6

Optometry

5

0

0

5

-116

0

GROUP C

IMG NETBALL P

W

D

L

Diff

Pts

1

Economics A

4

4

0

0

124

12

2

Pharmacy A

5

4

0

1

34

12

3

Engin Loco

5

3

0

2

52

9

4

English B

4

1

0

3

-82

3

5

Newspaper Journos

2

0

0

2

-56

0

6

Pharmacy B

4

0

0

4

-72

0

GROUP D

IMG NETBALL P

W

D

L

Diff

Pts

1

Cardiff Uni IMG A

4

4

0

0

49

12

2

Dentistry

4

3

0

1

29

9

3

Christian Union A

5

3

0

2

8

9

4

Medics A

5

3

0

2

3

9

5

Cardiff Uni IWC A

5

1

0

4

-33

3

6

Psychology

5

0

0

5

-56

0

P

W

GROUP E

IMG NETBALL

D

L

Diff

Pts

1

SOCSI A

5

5

0

0

49

15

2

Cardiff Uni IMG B

5

4

0

1

36

12

3

English A

5

3

0

2

30

9

4

J-Unit

4

1

0

3

-32

3

5

Medics B

5

1

0

4

-63

3

6

SAWSA A

4

0

0

4

-20

0

gairrhydd

NOVEMBER.26.2007

SPORT

SPORT@gairrhydd.COM

The IMG Roundup

Rampant Locomotive derail English

English have no reply to steadfast SOCSI Rachel Greenwood IMG Reporter SOCSI A 13 - 3 English A A WELL-DESERVED victory for SOCSI A has all but ended English A’s ambitions for Premiership netball in the second phase.

SOCSI A’s performance, professional without being spectacular, was enough to beat an English side that performed below their usual level of skill and accuracy.

SOCSI made their mark on the game immediately, capitalizing on their initial centre pass to open the scoring, and before long they had raced to a 4-0 lead.

Their dominance was based on composure on the ball and accurate passing, combined with some uncharacteristically inaccurate shooting from English which thwarted some flowing moves produced by their centre court play-

ers. In contrast, the SOCSI shooting was excellent, perfectly matching their well-worked movement up court.

English regained some poise to make the score 7-2 at half-time.

This raised the prospect of a more evenly contested second half, but English’s hope was soon quashed as they failed to hit their opponents hard from the first centre pass. This was the pattern of the second half in which English failed to test the nerves of the SOCSI players.

SOCSI’s first half lead ensured that they were in the comfort-zone and so had no need to force the play. Despite this, their continued shooting accuracy extended their lead. English heads dropped as they realized the game was lost.

This game promised to be an epic encounter between two talented teams.

English’s challenge, however, never materialized.

SOCSI, who have a 100% record in

Claire Osborne IMG Reporter Engin Loco 29 - 2 English B

NETBALL: Easy if you’re tall the group stage with only one game left, and will fancy their chances of challenging for the Premiership.

English will look to their final group

game against Medics B to confirm their place in the First Division, where, with more consistency in their game, they will be a difficult team to beat.

The Mini Street Gang batter Inter Me Nan Jake Parkinson IMG Reporter Mini St. Elite 6 - 1 Inter Me-Nan MINI STREET Elite continued their remarkable first season of IMG by hitting Inter Me-Nan for six in the last match of the group stages.

A hotly contested and physical game started well for Me-Nan as they struck the opening goal within the first 15 minutes. Good work by Lucas Osbourne culminated in a chance for Steffan Gwilym Sion Rees-Edwards.

His miscue fell to Billy Spolly who finished coolly.

Me-Nan’s solid defending and speed on the break meant the first half ended with their 1-0 lead still in tact.

And their backline held impressively firm under increasing stress, until two refereeing decision changed the game on the hour. The official, Alan Wiley, allowed a Luke Jones goal to stand even though it had been clearly called offside by the linesman.

Then everyone’s best friend Jonnie Bradbury was adjudged to have conceded a penalty by Wiley, although the tackle seemed to be fair and outside the area. Jones dispatched confidently to double his tally.

After these travesties of justice Me-

47

Nans’s confidence was shattered and a header by James Griffiths intended for his own goalkeeper was intercepted and finished by Laurence Carrington.

Me-Nan rang the changes in their line up in the hope of salvaging something from the game. Good chances fell to Derek Yeung and Jack Straw.

However, a huge clearance by the MSE stopper allowed Carrington to score his team’s fourth. Carrington doubled his tally moments later and Medi George added a fifth.

A disillusioned Me-Nan had salt rubbed into their wounds on full time as Mr Wiley gave yet another penalty.

A tangle between an MSE striker and

centre-back Jason Donovan was called foul by the referee, from his excellent position at the opposite end of the field.

Adam Challonder smashed the ball underneath the unlucky Carson to make it 6-1, a score that both teams will admit did not truly reflect the game.

Other results meant that Mini Street Elite achieved the fantastic feat of finishing in the top two and gaining entry to the Premiership in their first IMG season.

Me-Nan on the other hand have to settle for Division One football and are eagerly awaiting the onset of the refereeing course.

AFTER DISAPPOINTING results against Economics and Pharmacy A, Engin locomotives bounced back with a storming result against English B. English B put up a good fight in an enjoyable, well-balanced game, but Engins’ shooters proved resilient and were on unstoppable form.

Passing was strong in the centre of the court between key new players Mari Jones and Jess Dzuibinski, and was held together well by centre Charlie Barnard.

At half-time, Engin led 12-2, in spite of English’s best efforts, including some good breaks. But Engin came back stronger than ever, determined to rack up a big score.

With Megan Cumberlidge feeding into the circle, Claire Osborne scored successive goals at the beginning of the second half.

With 5 minutes to go, the English shooter scored a great goal from the edge of the circle. But it was not enough, with Engin defenders Jenny Lockley and Sune Geldenhuys batting away any further shots on goal.

Engin Locomotives have finished third in their league and are keen to impress themselves on the first division next week.

IMG SNAPS: MOMED welcome, and we offer a

Do you have a

Why didn’t you enter

good standard of football.

team chant?

a second team?

Ffyciwhc bant Gym Gym and

It’s not what we’re about: we’re

“You want to be, Momed FC”

one big social team and we felt

Who are your main rivals?

Law B and Pharm AC over

it would have divided the squad.

the years, although they

Why are you so

pose no threat this year.

unpopular?

With 105 players, the

Certain teams spend too much

post-match showers

MOMED: Looking for friends

How’s your season going?

so many players?

Funniest story from

time bitching about how we do

must be crowded?

Guaranteed Premiership

We are a very successful and

a team social?

things, instead of concentrat-

With nicknames like ankle

spot after four games -

longstanding football club.

Jonny “bad” Astleys’

ing on their own game. We

tapper, lunchbox, girth and

don’t worry about it!

Our reputation and hard work

mangina-rabbit-lurch across

like to get on with it and do

ramrod, use your imagination.

on the recruiting front helps.

many a dancefloor.

things to our own standards.

How do you attract

We’re not a clique, everyone’s

PUT YOUR TEAM IN THE SPOTLIGHT... E-mail us at sport@gairrhydd.com

48 gairrhydd

NOVEMBER.26.2007

SPORT

SPORT@gairrhydd.COM

THE WORD ON... ...the positives of non-qualifcation George Pawley Sports Editor

P

oor old Ian Wright. The ‘voice’ of England won’t be sitting in a studio believing that ‘this is the year’ this time.

There won’t be any recordings of Wrighty jumping up and down when ‘the boys’ score and keep the dream alive.

One can only imagine the mournful coverage of Euro 2008 when it finally comes next summer; montages of the miserable moments as Christian Panucci ruined Scottish hopes, Scott Carson failed to repay Steve McClaren’s faith in him and Wales…well, there are too many to mention. At least Alan Hansen will be his critical, pessimistic self, compared to the man we saw in France ’98, who looked as if he’d had his wedding anniversary the night before whenever the Tartan Army were on the march.

How can we sum up the disastrous qualifying campaigns for all the home nations?

Starting here in Wales, the national football side have been about as consistent as Amy Winehouse’s live performances. A 5 – 1 capitulation against Slovakia at the Millennium Stadium was followed by a 3 – 1 win over Cyprus where the Welsh side oozed confidence and Craig Bellamy was magician-like as stand-in skipper of a young side.

This continued right through the group fixtures; a near-embarrassment at the hands of San Marino, then a credible draw against World Cup semifinalists Germany.

Bellamy is too temperamental, Gareth Bale is too young to fill the unfathomably large boots of Ryan Giggs, John Toshack is too stubborn to sort out his differences with a

player of real quality in Robbie Savage.

The very thin silver lining on the storm-cloud of Welsh football was seen in the form of its Under 21 side, however: a 4 – 2 victory over France, who boasted N’Zogbia, Gourcuff, Remy and Kaboul among others may provide hopes of a qualification, but not for a while.

Onto bonnie Scotland, who had dialled the phone number of a hotel complex in Austria, but were forced to hang up by Georgia, whose teenagers left the Scots with too much to do against World Cup holders Italy.

It was a magnificent qualifying campaign; no-one could have given them a hope beforehand. The dark days of Berti Vogts were banished into history by Walter Smith firstly, and Alex McLeish continued this good work as the Scots fought to the final whistle of the final game.

But with the momentum from the Parc des Princes, failing to qualify should surely be regarded as at the very least hugely disappointing for a team who continue to live up to their tag of being ‘specialists at glorious failure’.

It won’t be long though. As second seeds for World Cup 2010 qualification, the hard-working, youthful, passionate squad will be an opponent no-one wants to draw; the future, as some fans say, may well be tartan.

Contrast this with the (quite literally) richly gifted English. Not to emerge as group winners, let alone not even qualifying, is almost indescribably bad…but I’ll try my best.

It wasn’t just a pitiful performance against Croatia; there were a string of selection errors, an underestimation of opponents, an apparently appalling lack of strength-in-depth in actuality,

and a general over-hyping of many of the players.

Selection errors were obvious in the final group game. Regardless of the goalkeeper debate, and complain all you want about injuries, Beckham’s experience and talent was badly missed.

Owen Hargreaves’ omission resulted in a loss of grit in the midfield that was needed due to the state of the pitch, and Lescott’s inclusion is still questionable at such a high level.

I remain firmly in the Peter Crouch camp; he offers so much as either a substitute or starter. But Gerrard and Lampard never gelled effectively under McClaren, and their confusion in attack was blatant; the amount of second balls won by England after Crouch’s knockdowns caused a significant imbalance

When the camera pans down the line-up most of the players just look soulless and uninterested when pushing forward.

Playing one up-front, at Wembley, in a game where a point is required, was asking for trouble. Croatia, evidently, have a very talented side; after the gratefully received lifeline from Tel Aviv, the entire set-up should have bucked up their ideas.

Strength-in-depth is becoming critical in football. You can’t win the league without it; the back-up players are crucial to success. Clearly, the same is applicable to the international

game. Scotland can bring on players like Kris Boyd, who has a prolific goalscoring record coming off the bench, and trust them to do whatever the manager asks of him.

For England, on paper their substitutes bench is full of talent and value. £16m Darren Bent bagged hatfuls against all Premiership opposition in a relegation season, and with the ‘premium’ on English players in the transfer market, that price tag could be justifiable.

He isn’t just bench-sitter for England though, and the same goes for Jermain Defoe. England sides recently have been full of guys like this, bit-part players for club and country.

Though not strictly a home nation, the Republic of Ireland have had a strange time of it. Steve Staunton has gone, Stephen Ireland went missing, and with a good squad, how they weren’t closer to the qualification zone is baffling.

All this is on paper obviously - reality doesn’t follow suit.

As for the Northern Irish, what a remarkable story. To go from so low to so close is more unbelievable than England’s failure.

For a team who didn’t know how to score, they gave themselves a genuine, if unlikely chance to qualify. And this is a nation with a population of just 1.5 million; nowhere near the pool of players that even Scotland have available to them.

What to do then? The idea of rekindling the Home Nations tournament could be spectacular. England must find some pride in playing for their country.

When the camera pans down the lineup most of the players just look soulless and uninterested.

Put them in the cauldron of Hampden Park, let them get kicked around, let them listen to the roaring atmosphere and see how the Scottish players respond. It would be better than friendly fixtures too; competitive at least, captivating at best.

The international set-ups could all develop and the cost of losing to such fierce rivals for whatever reason would teach the management and players valuable lessons when it comes to the big matches.

We’ve all seen the passion that the Six Nations provides. It may also solve a small economic matter; England’s failure to

qualify for the Euros could be costly to the tune of £2 billion.

If anything, all the players who couldn’t do the business in the qualifiers will be sitting at home, watching a downbeat Wrighty moaning about how we could have beaten X, Y and Z and won the whole damn thing.

The only positive thing to come from all this is that, for once, all the players will get in a proper pre-season, get injured less, have a real think about why there are no dragons, saltires, or crosses flying out of car windows and, hopefully, may even remember why they love the beautiful game.

Euro 2008 hopes have gone, but this could result in the best ever domestic and European campaigns for British players, and (maybe) see you in South Africa.

gairrhydd

NOVEMBER.26.2007

SPORT

SPORT@gairrhydd.COM

Ning Li raises his concerns over the commercialisation of Uni sport state-side THE FAMOUS Michigan State University, of the USA, had a very bad day recently - not for any academic-related reason, but because their men’s basketball team lost a home game to Grand Valley University, who are given a “Division II School” status by the NCAA. The National Collegiate Athletic Association runs and regulates all athletic competitions between American universities. It divides different universities into different athletic divisions based on the university’s popularity and numbers of enrolment.

The NCAA see Grand Valley University as a relatively small school, with 23,000 registered students, and is not competitive enough to challenge bigger institutes. While 46,045 shocked MSU students tried to swallow the defeat of their basketball team, ranked 8th nationally, their university had already made the front news of sports websites across America.

This marks the start of another exciting season of American college basketball. It all dated back to 1904, 13 years after the game of basketball was invented by Dr. James Naismith, when basketball was introduced to Harvard University as a part of physical education. 103 years later, universities from all 50 American states now participate in NCAA’s glory road to the Final Four, hoping to make their appearances in annual ‘March Madness’.

‘March Madness’ refers to all the buzzes and craziness during every year’s NCAA basketball tournament time in March. Under the national and growing global attention, 65 universities will send their men’s and women’s basketball teams, selected by the NCAA based on their performances through out the season, to play in a six-rounds tournament on the road in numerous cities.

A university education has never been undermined in this way before It is similar to the FA Cup. Any good team could see an end to their season on a particular bad night. Kansas University has been there - they entered the 1997 tournament with only one defeat and 37 victories all season, but lost to

Arizona in the third round.

The tournament also clashes with spring break, which is a popular getout-of-town type holiday made for American students.

To me, a road trip and some mad basketball is what March all about, and I think to many Americans too.

But the new generation are a real concern. It is now harder and harder to find a true ‘student-athlete’ like Michael Jordan or Magic Johnson, who would see gold in a college education rather than basketball.

The modern generation comes to university for one or two years and leaves.

They see playing in a basketball powerhouse university and being highlighted

by ESPN every night as their chances to make sure their names are heard, for a big money contract in NBA to come.

Although the NCAA has made changes in their rules to ‘force’ some study time for athletes, it has only motivated a few. During the 1990s and early years of this century, student athletes were legally allowed to step up to the NBA from high school straight away.

Kevin Garnet did it, as did LeBron James. They were told by their coaches and NBA representatives that they were good enough to play in the NBA at age of 16 or 17 and they proved it, thanks to their inexhaustible talents.

However, not everyone has as much potential. Many high school hopefuls lose their places only a few years after entering the NBA. The NCAA decided to make things right in 2005. It implemented arguably one of its most controversial rules, which demands at least one year playtime at university for any high school graduate.

The NCAA have hoped universi-

ties could somehow convince their student-athletes to stay in education as long as possible, preventing a blank mark in higher education if they fail in their NBA careers in the future. The changes were made, but the reality is still worrying.

It looks like the NCAA rule of at least one year playing time at university cannot stop talented athletes jumping to NBA early.

Kevin Durant was a freshman student at Texas University last Autumn and now he is playing for Seattle Supersonic day-in and day-out scoring 20+ points every game. This year’s top ranked player, Michael Beasley, who enrolled in Kansas State University, has made it clear that he has no intention to continue playing for the Wildcats after next summer.

A university education has never been undermined in this way before. On the other hand, with the temptation of a multi-million dollar contract, young students deserve some sympathies for their choice. For more than a hundred years, the focus for a student athlete has been education.

But when such extreme commercialisation on basketball courts of American universities, the question of the ‘right choice’ is getting more and more difficult to answer.

Stumped Ben Walker Cricket Reporter

CARDIFF NARROWLY missed out on progressing from their BUSA regional group last Saturday, despite beating UWIC for the second time in succession.

Cardiff's loss to last year’s national indoor champions Exeter and UWIC's win over Exeter meant that Cardiff went out narrowly due to their inferior overall run rate.

The day began badly for Cardiff as the random draw meant that Cardiff, UWIC and Exeter, arguably the three favourites to progress, were put into the ‘group of death’. All three sides were cursing their luck on looking at the other, far easier, group of Glamorgan, Bristol and Bath.

The cursed overall run rate fell decisively in UWIC’s favour and Cardiff, in spite of their victory over them, returned home empty handed The first game of the day saw UWIC beat a surprisingly lacklustre Exeter side with relative ease. Effectively this meant that Cardiff had to beat UWIC or their hopes of progressing out of the group would come to an end before it had really begun.

The match started with Cardiff being put into bat by the confident UWIC side. This feeling was no doubt added to when, after a nervy opening ball, Joss Bess was run out for a lowly two in the first over. Justin Yau then struggled to deal with UWIC’s impressive bowling attack as he was stumped for 10 whilst trying to up the run rate. At this point Cardiff looked a long way away from posting a respectable score, let alone a competitive one.

Thankfully last year's 1st team captain Chris Allen and the fresher Peter Exley took the fight back to UWIC. Allen made 32 and Exley 33, along with a useful 12 from Simon Wil-

liams, the trio hauled Cardiff up to the 112 mark.

Cardiff got the start they wanted when Williams got rid of Marsh in his second over and after Provis was run out for 14 the game was hanging in the balance as UWIC were 42-2. Hope now rested for UWIC on Hodges but when he appeared to tweak a hamstring whilst completing a quick single the axis seemed to shift in Cardiff’s direction.

But in the face of some excellent bowling from Exley and Bess and the obvious pain, Hodges carried on, despite the obvious pain he was in, by using a runner and UWIC reached the last over needing 18 runs to win with two only wickets left. Walker was handed the task of bringing Cardiff home in the last over and despite being hit for six from his second ball, he held his nerve to earn his team a hard fought win by all of 9 runs.

Next up came Exeter in the second and final game of the group stage.

However, they would have to do it without the wicket keeper Yau who had prior commitments. Cardiff won the toss and chose to bat. The charged up Exeter opening bowlers, Carol and Beany tore through Cardiff’s top order as Bess, Adam Bennett and Allen went for 0, 3 and 4 respectively.

Williams (26) and Exley (19) provided an admirable fight back but after both were run out Cardiff were still only on 55. The last man Walker made an undefeated 26 that got Cardiff up to 96 all out.

Cardiff knew that defending this total would be tough and they needed a good start. They nearly got it as well when Walker seemingly had Exeter’s key batsman, James, caught behind in the second over, only for the umpire, inexplicably, not to give it out.

James went on to make a quick 25 and take the game away from Cardiff.

Despite excellent bowling once again from Williams and Exley, Cardiff lost by two wickets.

At this point the cursed overall run rate fell decisively in UWIC’s favour and Cardiff, in spite of their victory over them, returned home empty handed.

Nevertheless Cardiff left with their heads held high after once again beating their arch rivals and giving last year’s national champions a tight game.

I’m in the mood for dancing Neil Humphryes Dance Reporter

DANCE: Fred & Ginger

49

CARDIFF UNIVERSITY DanceSport Team kick-started their competition season last Sunday at Kings Hall, Stoke-on-Trent with a triumphant performance achieving promising results in all dance categories.

The day started with the ballroom section, and beginner couples including Charlotte Parsons and Amy Bartholomew, Gaurav Malu and Kirsty Lim, and Fleur Portman and Samar Hamdi-Wafa

progressed through several rounds in both waltz and quickstep, as did some of the novice couples, including Christopher Lee and Helen Mckenzie, and Neil Humphryes and Nicola Barker.

David Lewis and Emily Morris, dancing their first competition at intermediate level achieved a superb result and made it to the semi final of tango, whilst our advanced couple Mike Chen and Luiza Patorski did well in quickstep and foxtrot.

The ballroom section ended with the Warwick Four Dance, in which the eight couples representing Cardiff progressed through several rounds.

The Latin section began with the beginners’ cha-cha and jive, in which the couples got several callbacks, and Parsons and Bartholomew made it to the jive quarter final, a fantastic achievement at their first competition.

Cardiff’s novice Latin couples also did brilliantly, reaching the quarter- finals in both cha-cha and jive, and Chris and the intermediate Latin event saw one of our best results of the day when Humphryes and Barker made it to the jive final and were placed 6th overall.

They also reached the semi final of the rumba. Chen and Patorski also achieved a good result in the advanced samba

and paso doble.

The evening team match was a huge success for Cardiff B team who reached 2nd place in division two. Cardiff A team also did well and qualified for division one.

Despite the incredibly high standard of dancing set by other universities, the competition was a great success and a brilliant start to the year for Cardiff DanceSport and all the dancers involved, especially those competing for the first time. The weekend left the entire team in high spirits and raring to go for the forthcoming competitions.

50 gairrhydd

NOVEMBER.26.2007

SPORT

SPORT@gairrhydd.COM

The famous five

BASKETBALL: Hoop-ray

Josh Pettitt Hockey Reporter

CARDIFF Medics’ 1sts ............. 17

Marsh attacks Jack Zorab Sports Editor CARDIFF Men’s 1sts ................ 70

PLYMOUTH Men’s 1sts ............ 61 CARDIFF LEAPT to the top of BUSA 2B after a very entertaining match against Plymouth at Talybont. The close run matches have, invariably, gone the way of the opposition this season but Cardiff’s squad ensured that there would be no fourth quarter heartache on Wednesday.

Cardiff started the match at a frantic tempo. Roberto Saletti shaking the scoreboard from its idleness in the first 30 seconds with a 3-pointer. It was the start of an impressive haul of 26 points for the Italian, who provides the crux of the Cardiff attack. The bulk of these points came from swift break-outs as point guard Will Marsh released his forwards to storm down the flanks before cutting in at speed and finding Saletti, who would more often than not reward his team-mates’ work with a finely timed basket.

Whenever Cardiff took their foot off the gas, though, Plymouth managed to sneak back into the game thanks to two very talented brothers playing at point and shooting guard. The shooting guard’s accuracy threatened to put Cardiff behind at the beginning of the

make-or-break 3rd quarter as he sunk three 3-pointers in a row, all from just behind the 3-point arc.

Plymouth’s superiority in this period met with Saletti’s one dip in form and had it not been for the superb efforts of power-forward Matt Garton and Ben Hughes, the away side may well have forced an unlikely and much needed victory.

Three minutes later the same salvage crew turned plunderers as a full strength Cardiff five, ran the smaller and tiring Plymouth side ragged to the delight of the Cardiff coaching staff and the bench. Plymouth had no answer and had to call a time-out just to stop the pillage.

From here on in Cardiff were in exhibition form laying-up from set-plays with ease and pulling down the boards when they had to. When Nick Parnell got a run out the match was all but over but it didn’t stop him grabbing a quick fire six points which served to show the strength of Cardiff’s roster this season.

The team’s next match is against a Bath side lying third in the league but with two games in hand. Bournemouth in second also have two games in hand so staying at the top of the table may be out of Cardiff’s control. But Wednesday’s display showed the squad’s strength in depth and impressive offensive quality.

With any luck though the maths may work out in Cardiff’s favour.

CARDIFF MEDICS secured a vital away victory against UWE Bristol to continue their six match unbeaten run in BUSA Premiership B. The Medics travelled across the Severn full of confidence after last week’s demolition of Reading. This game was crucial to the Medics’ aspirations for promotion as a win here would put comfortable breathing space between themselves and close rivals Swansea.

However, the opening exchanges were anything but inspiring with the Medics seemingly shying away from confrontation and being put on the back foot by a well drilled UWE pack. The pressure was beginning to tell when a careless penalty was gifted to the opposition deep in Cardiff’s half. It seemed that Cardiff were in deep trouble, showing lack of resolve and an absence of their usual passion, when the referee was forced to stop proceedings after picking up a hamstring injury.

This short break proved to be a blessing for the Medics who rallied to Hywel James’ call for greater composure and commitment on the ball. When the match resumed (after an appearance from Richard Hill, the ex-England scrum half, as referee) the Medics appeared to be a different team. The forwards showed greater determination and knocked back the waves of UWE

Cardiff capitalise in London Natalie Blyth Hockey Reporter CARDIFF Ladies’ 1sts ................ 5 ST MARY’S Ladies’ 1sts ............ 1 COMING OFF from a victory last week, Cardiff were in high spirits, and they did not disappoint against bottom of the table St. Mary’s.

However, the home team took an early lead in the first half from a breakdown on a scrappy corner, it was relatively lucky that ‘keeper Hawes was on form to save a controversial penalty flick. This was a wake up call for Cardiff and they soon grew in composure and through a series of fluid

movements they won a series of short corners themselves. Sophie Blair was the first to convert, with a superb strike at goal, which put the team on even terms with their competitors at the end of the half.

After an uplifting team talk, Cardiff came out with a renewed vigour and not long after the whistle, Livvie Thumb was next to score after she deflected an impressive cross ball from Fran Aban, into goal. This was good linking play, between the newcomers into the squad and gave the team uplift and a drive to score. The third goal came from Amy McGowan, who pinched the ball off centre back, Tamara Fateh, and drove into the circle only to beat the keeper with an almighty cross shot to make it three for Cardiff. The freshers

CARDIFF Men’s 1sts .................. 2 UWE Men’s 1sts ........................ 1 AFTER THE high of last weeks win, Cardiff had a trip to UWE, the only team to take points from the Welsh boys this year.

Cardiff started well, but had problems capitalising on their attacks

The away team were able to win a number of short corners, which are usually lethal, however UWE’s backs were able to counteract the corners with solid defending.

It looked as if a moment of genius was needed to break the deadlock and this was delivered by Kieren Zeale.

Nick Gough picked up the ball outside the 22 and rounded a man before pushing a weighted ball through a needlehead that Zeale ran onto and caressed the ball passed the advancing ‘keeper.

1-0 at half time was a fair reflection

of the half, however it did not take much from the home team to get back in the game.

Cardiff again started the half at a high tempo, but then a break in play halted their rhythm, which allowed UWE to get back in the game. Pressure from their attackers was rewarded with penalty corners, but they were unable to equalise.

UWE did eventually make it 1-1 from a set play that was slipped to a striker at the edge of the circle, who finished well. Cardiff struggled to play

their normal game with the UWE players continuing to foul and break up Cardiff’s moves.

It was end-to-end stuff and with minutes to go a UWE player at the backpost lost his marker and scored to make it 2-1.

A frustrating day out for Cardiff where a win could have been a major boost in the league standings. Notable performances came from Dai McGahon and Dave Balls but their outstanding defensive capabilities proved not enough.

also played well, creating several opportunities for the forwards and after continuing pressure and quick thinking, the fourth goal was soon to come.

Once again another cross from Aban, set up a goal for Amy Bowring, who, through a blazing battle of skill, beat the last defender and slotted the ball home. The fifth and final goal came from an outstanding aerial ball from defender Natalie Blyth to forward Zara Sadiq, who outpaced the opposition defence and roofed the ball into the top corner to secure the game.

Overall it was a very convincing win and an impressive attacking display, which took the team to within 3 points off the lead in the BUSA Premier South.

PHOTO: JAKE YORATH

Welsh pie crumbles in Bristol C. Kent Hockey Reporter

However with two minutes to go UWE launched one final, daring attack from within their own half, culminating with their full back chipping the ball dangerously into the Medics 22. The match may have slipped from Cardiff’s grip in this moment as the ball bobbled treacherously and almost eluded the entire scrambling defence. Cardiff eventually reclaimed possession and kicked the ball to touch concluding this classic encounter 17-10.

The match truly belonged to the senior players in the team with all five old stagers putting in suberb performances that dragged the team to what proved to be a crucial victory in the Medics’ continued assault on the title. Much like a fine claret; the grand old men of Cardiff Medicals’ Rugby just keep getting better with age. However they would be the first to admit that this year’s vintage isn’t bad either.

PHOTO: MATT HORWOOD

PHOTO: JAKE YORATH

UWE Men’s 1sts ...................... 10

attacks and the back line fizzed into life with a great midfield combination from the veterans James and Gough to put David Price-Smith away for a fine score.

Cardiff maintained their efforts and dominated both possession and territory but after a speculative kick from the Medics UWE broke away down the flank to score and put UWE ahead against the run of play. The Medics again were forced to rise to the challenge; cue the reliable boot of Sion Crabtree and parity was reached at 1010 just before half-time.

The second half brought with it a revised game plan from the Medics’, as they decided to play solely in their opponent’s half. The forwards’ hard graft was beginning to tell as John Jackson and Tom Cleand were at their destructive best in the loose whilst the front row started to dominate the scrum.

Under this scrutiny it was inevitable that Bristol would yield in some area and although Cleand and Dafydd Evans went close it was left to James Gough to once again provide the moment to write home about. A player very similar to Mike Catt in terms of pace but thankfully in vision also; what he lacks in pace he makes up for in vision, once again putting DPS over for a crucial score.

All Cardiff needed to do was to kill the game, something that has proved to be problematic for the Medics this season. Crabtree and Evans’ excellent kicking games were paramount in restraining their frustrated opposition and it seemed the game was all but over.

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PHOTO: ED SALTER

Card’s stack comes tumbling down

Jack Zorab Sports Editor CARDIFF Men’s 1sts ................ 12 EXETER Men’s 1sts ................. 38 CARDIFF UNIVERSITY Men’s First team competed toe-to-toe with Exeter men’s firsts for the bulk of their Premiership South A clash on Wednesday.

However, as in previous matches,they succumbed to their better-conditioned opponents in the final twenty minutes

of the match. Their decision-making and physicality dropped off just a notch in this period, and it was enough to allow Exeter to take control of the match; they didn’t waste the opportunity, scoring 22 points in the last quarter of the game.

After 60 minutes had gone the score was 16-12 in Exeter’s favour, as a fired up pack quelled Exeter’s sizeable units up front in all areas of the game, bar the scrum. Aaron Fowler, Ed Hampson and the captain Aled Mason led a scratch forward pack that showed to their more established opponents, despite being at the foot of the table, that playing Cardiff at Llanrumney is always a tremen-

PHOTO: ED SALTER

Ross Howell Football Reporter CARDIFF Men’s 2nds ................. 3 BRISTOL Men’s 2nds ................. 1

Seconds match firsts’ effort

then by the even sturdier goal post. Five minutes later though, Bristol were duly rewarded with their goal albeit as a result of a defensive mistake. It seemed at this moment very likely that Cardiff would have to endure a tense and nervy last ten minutes if they were to come away with all three points.

But in search of an equaliser, Bristol poured men forward and bombarded the box at every opportunity, yet were continually foiled by the brilliance of Bennefeld and a resolute defensive rear guard. After successive corners Cardiff were under the cosh, but through Dan D’Souza they delivered the hammer blow. Coming on as a late substitute, D’Souza ran free from the half-way line and once he composed himself, his deftly hit shot went past the on-rushing keeper.

This 3-1 victory sets up a mouthwatering clash with Cardiff 1st’s next week – a game Cardiff 2nd’s will go into brimming with confidence as well as a realistic chance of upsetting the form book.

per hand. “It comes down to the decisions we made when we were in point scoring positions. We were camped on their line for periods of the game, but just a wrong decision here and there meant we couldn’t convert our chances into tries.” This was none more evident than in the last 20 minutes when a pass was intercepted whilst Cardiff were in a good attacking position and an Exeter player ran 80 metres for the match breaking try. An unlucky bounce and then a missed tackle soon after meant the score-line, not for the first time this season, reflected unfairly upon Cardiff.

In adversity though, Fowler is manag-

ing to unearth ‘a few gems’ that can only be good news for the rest of the season. “Players like Joe Cant, Huw Thomas and Iain Maclure have had a chance to display their talents, but what we really need now is confidence and experience, which only comes from playing and winning.” Cardiff have a crucial game against Bath around the corner that may decide whether they stay up this season. But first they face the quite formidable opposition of Hartpury College. Fowler commented that, “Next week is all about pride, pride in the performance and in the team.”

Jemima Harris Lacrosse Reporter

and leadership, Cardiff continued to up their game with a look of victory in their eyes.

In the final quarter every goal for Bristol was matched by Cardiff, with goals from Vernon, Cath Brookes and Tessa Brown producing ecstatic sideline cheers.

An excellent solid defence from Lisa Mafia and Ellie Fraser helped to bring down the tiring Bristol attack.

Goal Keeper Tiree Atkinson showed great skill throughout the match saving the majority of shots on goal. Her acrobatic moves were key in denying Bristol the win.

With Cardiff a goal down, the last few minutes proved tense, the home team dug deep and a tremendous team effort produced the equaliser. The final push came from Sarah Crowley, who lunged towards the goal to score, and crowned Cardiff the champions in an incredibly close game.

CARDIFF Ladies’ 1sts ................ 9 BRISTOL Ladies’ 2nds................ 8 The match against Bristol at Llanrumney got off to a flying start as Cardiff took the lead minutes into the first half, spurring the team on for what was to arguably be one of their most challenging games of the season.

The Bristol team, refusing to be silenced, caused concern from the first whistle with an impressively tight defence and strong passing. Superb play from Cardiff’s Sue Chandler and Alex Lodge in attack ensured that the Bristol’s defence had a challenge on their hands, resulting in Chandler scoring 4 out of the final 9 for Cardiff.

The fight was truly on and with Captain Lizzie Vernon’s strong determination

PHOTO: ED SALTER

WITH PREVIOUS experience of playing Bristol this season, largely thanks to the Captain, Jones, who had ruthlessly called the last fixture between the two sides off, due to Bristol’s lateness, Cardiff knew they were in for a hard fought encounter, one which would certainly be no ‘walkover’.

With that in mind, and a vital three points at stake, Cardiff started brightly in what was an evenly contested first fifteen minutes. Hywel Pegler went closest for the visitors with a low, wellplaced effort from the edge of the area which Bristol’s goalkeeper did well to parry.

Shortly after, the breakthrough came.

A driven ball across the box from Gareth Davies evaded the Bristol backline and found its way to the feet of Ryan

Hughes, who reacted and adjusted well to confidently finish in Lineker-esque fashion from six yards.

For the rest of the first half central midfield players Dan Jones and Pegler became more influential and began to dictate proceedings. With Bristol subject to speculative, long-range attempts, Cardiff started to pass with greater intent and authority and doubled their advantage with a well-worked counterattacking move.

Jamie Gallagher fired dangerously across the box only for Bristol’s full back to divert the ball into his own net.

So Cardiff went in at the break two goals to the good.

In the second-half Bristol took the game to their opponents and began to force the issue. Although Bristol played with greater endeavor, Cardiff absorbed this pressure and attacked well on the break. Hughes produced a stunning save from the host’s keeper.

With fifteen minutes remaining Bristol were hands to the pump, yet they were denied twice in quick succession, first by the sturdy Benni Bennefeld and

dously tough task.

Head coach Martyn Fowler was pleased with this facet of the game; the application of all of his players and the team’s varied game plan put Exeter in trouble as the forwards picked and went around the ruck. This put less pressure on their backs and the main beneficiary of this was Cody Rees. The fly half’s kicking out of hand was massively helped by having the luxury of a few extra yards, whilst his place kicking was also watertight as he bagged four penalties from four attempts. Fowler, though,was frustrated that Cardiff didn’t keep it tight for more of the match, as that’s where Cardiff really had the up-

Last Gasp

Sport 14 gairrhydd

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OCTOBER.22.2007

INSIDE: College Basketball, a downbeat IanFEATURES@ Wrightgairrhydd.COM & all the BUSA and IMG news

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FUND TIME

Sport & Exercise announce the successful candidates for the Sports Bursary Programme 2007 George Pawley Sports Editor

51 STUDENTS from Cardiff University have been accepted onto this year’s Sports Bursary Programme, the Sport and Exercise Department has announced.

The programme aims to assist athletes in reaching their full academic and sporting potential during their studies, and intends to provide financial assistance to help chosen athletes develop their talents, while also establishing a

network of support for these students as they try to combine their studies with continued excellence in sport.

Financial assistance is a key need for students who require funding to compete at their optimum level. Sailor Robbie Allam recognises this is of critical importance to his development: “I compete in sailing events all over the world, this year my team have been to five different countries including Russia and Bermuda, and for a poor student it’s hard to afford. The award helps finance my competitions and enable me to become a better sailor and move on

up the world rankings.”

The bursaries are awarded on the basis of a number of criterions, including current level of competition, past achievements and prospects for the future. The scheme allows the university to attract athletes of a high calibre, from a wide range of sports, to Cardiff.

The range of this year’s applications has thrilled Cardiff’s Head of Sport, Gary Stephens, who commented: “We are delighted by the diversity and quality of applicants for this year’s Sports Bursary Programme. It is exciting for us to be in a position to assist the high

calibre athletes Cardiff University continues to attract.

“The programme offers the athletes valuable support whilst they balance the commitments of their sporting career and the demands of studying at university full-time.”

The support services supplied by the university include advice and treatment from professional physiotherapists, psychologists and nutritionists, while the beneficiaries of the Bursary scheme enjoy free access to the gym facilities at Talybont and Park Place.

Martial arts expert Ed Dennis praises

this in particular, remarking: “The free gym membership means I can pop into the gym any time, really helping with my physical conditioning for judo.”

A further extension to the programme is the organisation of regular workshops and presentations, which range from practical sessions on physical conditioning to interview skills and time management as athletes prepare for life after graduation.

For more information including application guidelines, visit www.cardiff. ac.uk/sport/performance/bursary

GAIR RHYDD AND QUENCH MAGAZINE IS PUBLISHED BY UNIVERSITY UNION CARDIFF, PARK PLACE, CARDIFF CF10 3QN REGISTERED AS A NEWSPAPER AT THE POST OFFICE GAIR RHYDD RESERVES THE RIGHT TO EDIT ALL CONTRIBUTIONS THE VIEWS EXPRESSED ARE NOT NECESSARILY THOSE OF THE PUBLISHERS THE GAIR RHYDD IS WRITTEN, DESIGNED, TYPESET AND OUTPUT BY STUDENTS OF CARDIFF UNIVERSITY n GAIR RHYDD EDITOR IN SCALLY TAXI RUN-OFF SHAME n MESSAGE TO THE GUARDIAN STUDENT MEDIA AWARDS JUDGES - YOU SHOULD’VE GONE TO SPECSAVERS n ZORAB: “I’VE GOT THE CHEESE HEADACHES” n HEWISH SERVES UP BIRTHDAY FEAST: “HAVE THESE, THEY’RE MADE BY MARKS & SPENCER, AND MARKS & SPENCER ARE JEWISH” n LEE AND ABBY - A MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN, THEY BOUGHT THE SAME FIRST SINGLE n DO NOT CHANGE THIS BLUE BAR COMMENT n I’ll CHANGE THIS ONE THEN! n BRYANT AND DAVIES - CIVIL PARTNERSHIP DUE SOON