gair rhydd - Issue 862

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ISSUE 862 FEBRUARY 25 2008 CARDIFF’S STUDENT WEEKLY free word - EST. 1972

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87.7FM

PHOTO: Ed Salter

FUN RUN POSTER p. 26 / INVEST IN SPORT CAMPAIGN LATEST p. 52

XPRESS RADIO: DIGITAL, FM, ONLINE Abigail Whittaker News Editor Cardiff University’s Xpress Radio is to become the first student radio station in Wales to broadcast live on DAB digital radio at midnight on March 1.

To mark the occasion, the awardwinning station is hosting a launch party at Cardiff University’s Students’ Union club night Access All Areas on the evening of February 29.

The digital-themed event will feature live performances from up-and-coming bands and DJs throughout the evening.

This will be the first time during the

current academic year that the station broadcasts live on FM and DAB digital radio, unlike in previous years when the station has secured two fortnightlong broadcasting stints on FM. In October, issue 852 of gair rhydd revealed that the station had been denied an FM licence for a two-week period that was due to begin in December, following the creation of the then new commercial radio station XFM South Wales.

Despite disappointment at the time Richard Collins, Xpress Radio Station Manager, explained that the station would not have been given the opportunity to broadcast on digital

radio this March had the former been granted.

He said: “It’s a shame we couldn’t go on FM in November, but we worked hard to promote the station in other ways.

“Now I think it is important that Xpress moves into the digital era and tries to use as much technology as possible to increase listenership.”

Collins also highlighted the wider broadcasting range of the digital licence, with the potential to attract audiences from Bristol to Bridgend.

In addition, it has now been revealed that XFM South Wales could be taken off the airwaves next month after its

launch under a year ago.

The station had forecast building an adult listenership level of 83,000 in its first year with this figure expected to rise to 95,000 by year three.

But GCap Media, the owner of XFM, recently confirmed plans to dispose of its three non-London stations.

The station’s licence will be put up for sale, but if no buyer is secured by March 28 the station will shut down, handing back its FM licence to Ofcom.

Xpress will be on air at 87.7FM for three weeks from March 1 until the end of the University’s spring semester.

The station has also secured the honour of being the first to reveal the

much anticipated line-up for Cardiff University’s Summer Ball, which is expected in the coming weeks.

Ben Cajee, co-presenter of Xpress show Loud Noises with Ben, Dan & Rich, said: “It’s really exciting that we’re broadcasting on digital.

“We’ve had a lot more time to practice and perfect our shows now.

“I think the fact that we didn’t get the licence in December just made everyone work really hard to produce the best output we can for March.”

Turn to page 41 for Xpress Radio listings

SPORT/TAF-OD/SCIENCE&ENVIRONMENT/LISTINGS/TELLY

02 gairrhydd

FEBRUARY.25.2008

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this week in gair rhydd:

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Politics on X-Factor-style voting

14 Features gets obsessive

16

Student Action for Refugees reveal all about the issues they are currently tackling

Sudoku

Go on... ease yourself into your Monday

Cardiff’s Uni’s own

Students: Vote-aphobes?

international rugby

morning. You know what to do!

superstar: Jamie Roberts

18 Student Volunteering Week

49

read more, interact with others and have your say at

>>

23

www.gairrhydd.com

gairrhydd

FEBRUARY.25.2008

NEWS

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Laura Hinson Reporter Last Monday saw the union launch its ‘Love Without Borders’ campaign as part of an international LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender/ Transsexual people) project.

The campaign aims to provide support for groups in countries where homosexuality is criminalised.

In 10 out of 85 of these nations, the penalty for homosexuality is death.

The launch involved pink and black balloons being released from the third floor of the union, with the 10 black balloons representing the countries where homosexuality is punishable by

death.

LGBT officer Sally Wood said: “I’m really pleased with the launch. It was a beautiful day for it and hopefully this campaign will raise awareness of LGBT people and highlight some of the difficulties that face them.”

Cardiff is linked with an Indian organisation, ‘Sappho for Equality’, an underground organisation which aims to deal with homophobia and provide a safe space for gay and lesbian people in a country where homosexuality is punishable by lifetime incarceration.

An event will be held later in the year to raise money for resources for them.

For more information or to get involved in LGBT events, contact Sally Wood at Woods7@cardiff.

Zenyth victorious in Heat three of Battle of the Bands PHOTO: Christopher Beale

LGBT ‘Love Without Borders’ campaign launched in style

Cardiff to strut its stuff Victoria Beddow Reporter Cardiff is bidding for a spot on the international fashion map.

With fashion weeks held in all major cities across the globe, Cardiff is aiming to become the next stop on the circuit.

London Fashion Week generates an estimated £100m for the London economy every year.

But as a one-off event, Cardiff will be hosting its own fashion week this March.

Names such as Helen Rhiannon will be showcased alongside global brands such as Louis Vuitton, Vivian Westwood and Armani.

The show will also include home talent, with models being brought in from Wales as well as London and Los Angeles.

Taking center stage Welsh capital looks towards an international future after the unveiling of a new logo

Emma Barlow Reporter The city of Cardiff is hoping to take its place on the world stage after the unveiling of a new logo.

The re-branding of the capital has cost the council £45,000 and the logo, which is made up of eight coloured disks intended as a departure from the stereotypical Welsh images of daffodils and dragons, has been met

03

with mixed responses.

Bill Savage, chairman of Cardiff & Co, said he is confident that the brand is something that “the people of Cardiff will be proud to use”.

However, feedback given on the BBC Wales webpage compares the logo to “smarties”.

One Welsh resident also asked why the English ‘Cardiff’ is “inside the circle and the Welsh ‘Caerdydd’ is outside in the cold as an unwelcome addition”.

Providing the event is a success, plans will follow for full catwalk shows this summer and future shows in 2009.

Taye Armani, a catwalk model from Cardiff, was enthusiastic about the opportunities the show will provide for the fashion industry in Wales.

She said: “There are a lot of designers, a lot of models, it’s just a pity we have to go to London and New York to do our work because it’s not here.”

Organisers have already said that they hope the event will benefit the city itself by associating its name with the fashion industry.

Designer Helen Rhiannon said: “If it’s done properly it can be very successful. There are lots of unique designers, there are people that are putting Welsh fashion on the map.”

The event will take place at Oceana Club on March 16.

Cath Duddridge LMS Correspondent

After two amazing heats, the bands in Heat three had high expectations placed on them and they did not disappoint.

All four bands put in quality performances and the end result was one of the closest in BOB history with less than 1% separating the top three.

However it was Zenyth and Screaming Eagle who went through to the next round in first and second place respectively.

Commiserations go to Lights to Lead us and To The Trees who very narrowly missed out.

Tickets for the finals and the semifinals are on sale now from the Union Box Office and anyone wishing to attend is encouraged to buy their tickets as soon as possible.

After the performances, LMS exec Nathan Collins said: “There was a great variety of bands and music styles - something for everyone.”

Zenyth, who came out winners in this close heat said they were “ecstatic” and “suprised” with their win and thanked those who supported them.

Poppy Bennett, who attended the event, said that “all the bands were really good” but that Zenyth were particularly great as they “really got the crowd going”.

Heat 4 Date: Thursday 28th Feb Location: Talybont Social Time: 7.30pm Price: Free

Welsh Pride Corinne Rhoades News Editor Cardiff students are being encouraged to mark St David’s Day with a series of events being run in the Welsh capital.

March 1 will see celebrations taking place across Cardiff to commemorate

the country’s patron saint.

The city is also playing host to the National St David’s day parade, which last year attracted over 2,000 people, for the fifth year in a row.

Beginning at the National Museum for Wales at 1.15pm, the parade will follow a route down St Mary Street, Custom House Street, Bute Street,

Lloyd George Avenue, and The Flourish before finishing in front of the Senedd around an hour later.

Free activities will be on offer at the Sennedd, including Welsh learning taster classes and folk dancing workshops.

For more information visit www. stdavidsday.org

04 gairrhydd

FEBRUARY.25.2008

NEWS PHOTO: Ed Salter

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Playing it fair

Bottled water not so cool Aimee Steen Reporter Councils are spending over £5million on bottled water, according to the BBC’s Panorama programme.

Carmarthenshire is estimated to have spent £70,000, putting it 20th in Wales and England, whilst Cardiff reportedly spent £27,222.

Carmarthenshire Council has defended the estimate, claiming that it was not possible to give an exact amount due to its cost being filed under

general expenses.

Such figures have highlighted the environmental and monetary impact of bottled water consumption.

UK Environment Minister Phil Woolas called the amounts “morally unacceptable”, and statistics show that the transportation and production of one litre of bottled water potentially creates 600 times as much greenhouse gas as the same amount from the tap.

The Union Shop s t o c k s a wide range of water, including an

ethical option in the form of One water, the profits of which go towards providing clean water in Africa.

Dave Woods, Manager of the Union Shop, said: “we sell the water, so we fill the fridges with it.”

But Woods added that sales of bottled water are lowering due to the wider availability of tap water within the university.

Emma Barlow Reporter

facilities.

A new staff website is also to be launched where staff can pledge Cardiff University is set to host their commitment to using Fairtrade Fairtrade Fortnight for the first products at work.

John Cowie, Ethical and Environtime since receiving its Fairmental Officer at the Students’ Untrade status last year.

Fairtrade Fortnight, which will ion, stressed the fortnight’s imporrun from February 25 to March 9, tance in “promoting the benefits of buying Fairtrade products will coincide FREE and raising with the Stuawareness dents’ Union’s around Go Global the issues campaign.

INSIDE: of trade It will injustice”. clude a Fairgair rhydd’s Cowie trade clothing Anthology first Creative Writing added: “Buydisplay at the ing Fairtrade Global Village makes a very fashion show, positive difstalls around ference to the Union run the lives of by the People people in the and Planet third world society, food by giving samples, and them a secure daily meal income and deals in the improving their University’s communities.” catering

gair rhydd ISSUE 845

JUNE 04 2007 CARDIFF’S STUDEN T WEEKLY free word - EST. 1972

creativewords

FAIR PLAY

A collection of Short Fiction, from Cardiff stud Script Writing ents and Poetry

Cardiff Univ Union granted ersity and Students ’ Fairtrade statu Britain’s 53rd Fairtrade univ s to become ersity !" People and Planet pleased with but insist that result, further awar eness needed !"

Corinne Rhoade Deputy News s

committed to promoting ethical Editor sumption.

CARDIFF UNIVER con- Fairtrade SITY: Greenin country.

CARDIFF UNIVER The g up But the move reached FairtradSITY has finally productschoice to buy fairly-traded is one that is consid- tions. helps contribu ered by many months of vigorouse status after and This year saw te to a better to be long overdue. years had fairer environm representatives In 2004, the title ent for the farmers from the campaigseen little development in Just weeks since campaigning. of Britain’s first the University, the People Fairtrade capital the official appli- of developing countries to n for Fairtrade and Planet society, the cation was sent status. work in. city was awarded “We progress The University’s off, Cardiff will to shop meet Council, and a Fairtrade achievement also Cardiff. the 52 other UK join completing the ed to successfully together in a universities already represents a step towards Fairtrade application process Taskforce just group chaired co-ordinator Lydia Wales’ campaign to become in six

by Students’ James Presiden the world’s first said the University was Union achievem meetings, which is a real t Joe Al-Khayat. ‘lagging ent,” Al-Khayat behind’ other higher He said the decision said. education instituto set a more ‘institutional goal’ came after previous Continued on page three

Freshers’ Week under threat The Government’s Higher Education Council could enforce a ban on alcohol fuelled Freshers’ Weeks, as concerns over binge drinking rise Portia Nicholson Reporter Universities are being encouraged to clamp down on binge drinking in Freshers’ Week, where students are encouraged to drink vast quantities of cheap alcohol.

Most university induction weeks see an abundance of cheap alcohol for new students as societies

compete for new members by offering cheap or free drinks and students’ unions organise freshers’ parties.

Gordon Brown’s team is currently exploring whether the Higher Education Council, which distributes public money to universities, could use its powers to ban universities from encouraging excessive student drinking.

However, some universities have already started to take action.

Professor Oliver James, a liver disease expert and Head of Newcastle University’s Faculty of Medical Sciences, told Gordon Brown that he was “appaulled” by the quantity of drinking during Freshers’ Week at his university.

He has already banned adverts for pub-crawls and drinks promotions from being displayed in his faculty building.

Other universities, such as Nottingham Trent, have re-branded Freshers’ Week as “welcome week” to escape its associations with alcohol.

At Cardiff University, however, Students’ Union President Jonny Cox was keen to stress “the reality of the situation”.

Despite drinks promotions already being banned during Freshers’ Week, he said: “When students first come to University and they want to drink, they’re going to drink.

“We feel it is better to have them drinking here where we can monitor levels and ensure they are safe.”

Cox also praised the “dedicated team of bar and door staff” who ensure student safety during the Union’s “busiest time of the year”.

Cardiff lecturer takes to the Desert Island Discs airwaves Laura Hinson Reporter Sir Martin Evans, Professor of Mammalian Genetics at Cardiff University and Noble Laureate, has featured on popular BBC radio 4 programme Desert Island Discs.

The show was aired on Sunday February 17 and involved Sir Martin picking out eight pieces of music, inspired

by Cardiff, books and a luxury item,

which Evans would take on a desert island.

Since winning his Nobel Prize, Sir Martin has received many invitations from all over the world to talk about his exploration into stem cell research, which are now applied to virtually all areas of biomedicine.

His work is used to aid research into new therapies that could help in the battle against diseases such as cancer, cystic fibrosis and arthritis.

gairrhydd

FEBRUARY.25.2008

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Voters’ choice Students vie to voice their views in the SU’s Annual General Meeting

Corinne Rhoades News Editor Cardiff University students have cast their vote on issues affecting their student experience in this year’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Students’ Union (SU).

After a year tackling controversial issues, such as facilities for smokers at the Union and the redevelopment of the Great Hall into a lecture theatre, the student body met to determine the way forward.

Chaired by Jonny Cox, SU President, the first motion to be passed at the AGM was the implementation of a Governance Review for the Students’ Union.

The motion, proposed by SU Vice President Rowena Vassallo, resolved to carry out a full review the Union’s existing constitution in relation to how it can become more democratic.

Despite being met with opposition from students concerned about last year’s as-yet-unimplemented resolutions to form a Student Parliament, the motion was passed with a majority vote.

Plans to continue the operation of the smoking areas outside Solus and the Taf, continue the Union’s boycott of Nestlé, and proceed with a trial period of operating the Great

Hall as a lecture theatre for two and a half days a week also passed with few votes against.

But a motion proposing that the University should campaign to eradicate higher education fees proved controversial.

With concerns about the reality of achieving the proposal’s aim, the motion was split into two: a motion to campaign to eradicate fees entirely and a motion to campaign to stop further top-up fee increases.

The latter was passed by a majority vote.

In the last part of the AGM a motion proposing that the student body provided active support to the rights of oppressed students in Nigeria caused confusion.

With a large number of students having already left the meeting, SU Education and Welfare Officer Jo Plummer deemed part of the motion’s resolves to be unattainable by the SU, stating that to ‘extend an exchange programme’ in Nigeria is part of University business rather than the SU’s.

But in the final moments the motion was passed, with a number of students abstaining from casting their vote.

Students will next be able to review the SU’s progress at Student Council on Tuesday February 26 at 6.30pm.

Royal recognition Cause for

PHOTO: BCA Film Ltd

celebration

Melissa Moore Reporter Cardiff University’s Institute of Medical Genetics has received a prestigious Queen’s Anniversary Prize for excellence in higher education.

The award was presented at a ceremony which took place in Buckingham Palace earlier this week.

It was given for the Institute’s

groundbreaking work into discovering the genetic causes of several diseases, including bowel cancer and Huntington’s disease.

Professor Sampson, Director of the Institute, claimed that students and staff alike were delighted with the recognition and said it was “a great honour to receive the award from Her Majesty”.

The Institute hopes to continue its success with a recent £4.8 million investment in new laboratories for more

work on cancer genetics.

Focus on new methods of earlier diagnosis and treatments have already proved successful.

One treatment for tuberous sclerosis is currently undergoing clinical tests and has already produced initial results in effectively reducing tumour size.

This is the third Queen’s Anniversary Prize to be won by members of Cardiff University staff.

Sam Smith, Chair of the Executive Committee of Student Volunteering Cardiff (SVC), was recognised as an exceptional ‘Young Leader’ at the Leading Wales Awards 2008 last Thursday.

Sam, who is currently studying for an MSc in Sustainable Energy and Environment, impressed judges with his inspirational leadership and passion that he has displayed throughout his volunteering work based at Cardiff University.

Andrea Dare, Manager of SVC, nominated Sam for the prestigious award because of his enthusiastic, supportive and innovative leadership style.

On receiving the award, Sam said: “This is such a honour. Being part of SVC and having the chance to lead a team of so many dedicated people has been a real highlight of my time at Cardiff.”

The award comes as the organisation prepares to celebrate Student Volunteering Week this week.

This is a nationwide event that aims to raise awareness of student volunteering and to celebrate the work that students do in their community.

Volunteer students at Cardiff University organised a 5km Fun Run, which took place around Bute Park on Saturday February 23, with all sponsorship money raised helping to continue to fund the running of SVC

projects in the local community.

A Speakeasy night of live music and DJs is also being held on Thursday February 28 in CF10.

During the week, students and staff from the University will be giving up their time to help paint and construct a sensory garden for children at Ty Gwyn School with the aim of enhancing the sensory development of children with severe learning difficulties.

Furthermore, the organisation is coordinating a clothes collection with all donations going to the Huggard Homeless Centre in Cardiff among other temporary shelters.

For more information about all the events and becoming involved with volunteering there will be an SVC stall in the Students’ Union Reception throughout the week.

PHOTO: Ed Salter

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06 gairrhydd

FEBRUARY.25.2008

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Welsh newspaper Medical inconsistencies fails to materialise Research exposes the varied performance Andrew Boreham Reporter Following last week’s report regarding the launch of a new daily Welsh-language newspaper entitled Y Byd (The World), it has now been revealed that these plans have had to be abandoned due to insufficient funding.

This comes after the Heritage Minister Rhodri Glyn Thomas announced extra annual subsidies of £200,000 for Welsh-language media over the next three years.

A spokeswoman for the Heritage Minister said that the Welsh Assembly Government believed that the extra investment, on top of the £525,000 already being invested, would “make a significant contribution in providing the foundation for a new service.”

However, an independent review, conducted by Dr Tony Bianchi, concluded that the paper would need an annual investment of £600,000 from the Assembly Government, as well as substantial public sector advertising.

The company backing the newspaper, Dyddiol Cyf, has stated that it was “made absolutely clear to the Government” that their investment plans would not be sufficient.

The company added it was “firmly of the opinion” that the Labour-Plaid coalition pledge to support Welsh-medium magazines and newspapers was not being fulfilled.

Dyddiol Cyf is said to be considering “a number of other positive ideas which could give a much-needed boost to the Welsh Press”.

of doctors training at UK medical schools Portia Nicholson Reporter UK doctors vary significantly in performance depending on which medical school they attended, recent tests have shown.

According to new research that highlights the need for a national qualifying exam for all medical graduates, there are clear differences in the performance of almost 6,000 UK medical graduates from 19 different British universities.

The researchers, led by Professor Chris McManus at University College London, assessed the performance of UK medical graduates in the Membership of the Royal Colleges of Physicians exam.

83% of Oxbridge graduates passed the first part on their initial attempt, as did 67% from Newcastle, compared with 32% and 38% of those from Liverpool and Dundee respectively.

Cardiff’s School of Medicine,

Star support for deported Ghanaian cancer sufferer Melissa Moore Reporter

Trudie Styler, film producer and wife of music star Sting, is reported to have donated £10,000 to aid the medical treatment of a terminally ill Ghanaian woman.

Almost £30,000 has been donated to a fund set up to support Miss Sumani, which has now received the support of Ms Styler, who heard about the case through the publicity it received.

Mother-of-two Amu Sumani, 39, was sent back to her native country when her visa expired in January, even though she needs vital hospital treatment which is not fully available in Ghana.

In response, Miss Sumani has received contributions and a great deal of support from all around the UK, including an anonymous donation from a British donor for three months of treatment.

However, her supporters fear her life may be cut short if she does not return to the UK for kidney dialysis that is crucial to her recovery.

The campaign organiser Miss Simmons said: “If we were allowed to bring her back, the doctors here would be able to help as they know exactly what she needs.”

The extradition of Miss Sumani gathered a large amount of criticism from a leading medical journal, which described the move as “atrocious barbarism”.

Ms Sumani, whose state of health is claimed to be steadily deteriorating, was being treated in the University of Wales Hospital in Cardiff.

which has a strong reputation for research, saw the Institute of Medical Genetics recently win a Queen’s Anniversary Prize, which recognises world-class levels of excellence in UK Higher Education.

But the results of UK medical school graduates taking exams between winter 2003 and summer 2006 show that Cardiff had a failure rate of 25.2%.

Given the disparities between medical schools the General Medical Council, which is responsible for setting standards, has proposed introducing a national medical licensing exam, similar to the licensing exam that

currently exists in the US. But medical schools have stated that there is no evidence to suggest it was needed in the UK. The differences in performance are partly explained by the qualifications graduates held before going to medical school, but the research suggests that differences between the teaching focus, content and approaches of medical schools also play a role.

Lectures get interactive

Lucy O’Toole Reporter Cardiff’s School of Medicine has begun using clickers in some of its lectures.

Clickers are hand-held devices that can be used to answer questions in lectures or seminars.

The new interactive lectures work with the lecturer asking the audience multiplechoice questions, to which students respond via the clicker with the answer they believe to be correct; the answers are then displayed on a screen.

Advocates of clickers say they help students communicate with their lecturer and each other during lectures,

as well as helping to check students’ knowledge and progression on the course.

Psychologists have shown that the clickers could benefit all departments, including debates and feedback on lectures.

Kirsty Morgan, a second year Medic, said: “I think they’re a good idea because they encourage students to listen more during lectures.

“Answering questions help facts stick in our head more than they do in normal lectures.”

However, some students are undecided about the introduction of clickers into lectures.

Neil Dullaghan, first year Business student said: “It sounds like it would make lectures more interesting and interactive, but I think the clickers could be easily damaged or stolen.”

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FEBRUARY.25.2008

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This year’s Summer Ball is set to generate record ticket sales, with the potential of becoming the biggest solo university ball in the UK. Tickets are selling faster than ever and students are being urged to buy theirs before Easter.

After the discounted one day sale, which began a month in advance of previous years, the Union has exceeded its expectations for ticket sales.

On Thursday February 21 the number of tickets sold was around 2,700.

By encouraging students to buy their tickets early, the organisers hope to provide “perfect value for money”.

The Ball will be held in Cooper’s Field on June 13 2008.

Tickets are available from the Students’ Union Box Office at a price of £37.

And the winner is...

Last Saturday approximately 250 Cardiff University students completed the 5km Fun Run course around Bute Park to raise awareness of the Invest in Sport campaign.

The hoards set off in staggered sets, but it was Mikey B (pictured right) who completed the course first in 14 minutes 49 seconds, making him this year’s winner. Dan Jones came in second place around 40 seconds after the front runner. The first female to cross the finish line was Cat Wood.

But of course this race was not about the winning but purely the taking part.

This year’s Fun Run was a great success, as it attracted so many participants, revealing the common desire of students to encourage Cardiff University to Invest in Sport.

Participant Phil Richardson commented after the race: “It was great to see so many people running together with a shared goal. Hopefully these continued efforts will make the University realise that sport is something that students really do care about.”

PHOTOS: Ed Salter

Summer Ball record smash

07

Page 52 George Pawley delves into the Invest in Sport Campaign

Students under fire in US gun attack Kate Budd reports on the latest gun rampage to hit America’s college campuses and explores how it has affected the student body in Cardiff Students were under attack at a University near Chicago on Thursday February 14 after a gunman opened fire during a lecture.

A man armed with two handguns

and a shotgun killed six people and then turned the gun on himself.

The incident, which took place at Northern Illinois University, is reported as the fourth shooting at a US establishment within a week.

The gunman had previously studied at the University, graduating in Sociology, but was not currently enrolled as a student.

Police reported that there was no apparent motive to what the

Your Uni: your words “It’s pretty safe.

There seems to be quite a lot of police around and not too much trouble apart from on rugby days.”

Reece Shufflebottom First year Physics

“It’s quite a friendly city. It is a bit scarier living in a city than a town but it is still quite good. Not as scary as London.”

Lucy Robinson First year Medic

University described as a “brief, rapid fire assault”.

The attack injured a further 15 people at the scene and comes 10 months after the Virginia Tech shootings where 32 people were

killed.

Over 1,000 people gathered at the Virginia Tech campus on Monday night, holding up candles to honour those killed in the Northern Illinois attack.

How do Cardiff students feel about their safety at university?

“I wouldn’t say there are many guns in Britain generally. A shooting isn’t likely to happen so it’s not much of an issue around here.”

Liam Jones First year Computer Science

“Shootings don’t tend to happen in the UK like they do in America. If they did it would be a different story.”

Amy Morgan Second year Religious Studies PHOTOS: Natalia Papova

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FEBRUARY.25.2008

WORLD NEWS World News in brief Ruth Smith Reporter

NEWS@gairrhydd.COM

Spielberg ceases role as Artistic Advisor for Beijing Olympics

Driven under

Next month the Geneva Motor Show is due to reveal the first car that can be driven underwater.

The Swiss manufacturer Rinspeed said that the Squba is comparable to something out of a James Bond film.

It is a convertible sports car which gives passengers compressed air masks to breathe.

It can go 10 metres beneath the surface and purposefully has no windows to make it safer for passengers to swim to safety if there were an emergency.

A price for the car has not yet been released.

Age record Cuba enters new era Cuban President steps down from his role due to deteriorating health Melissa Moore Reporter A woman from Jerusalem has recently filled out a new identity card which said that she was born 120 years ago in 1888.

If the information is accurate, this would make Mariam Amash the oldest person alive.

114-year-old Edna Parker from Indiana is currently the eldest living person according to The Guinness Book of Records.

Amash has eleven children, her eldest in her late 80s.

She also has 120 grandchildren, 250 great-grandchildren and 20 great-great grandchildren, according to relatives.

De-bulleted

Faustino Olivera, who served in the Spanish Civil War, has had a bullet removed from his body after almost seventy years.

The 88-year-old is recovering in hospital in Northern Spain after doctors removed the painful lump from his shoulder.

Olivera claims that the bullet was fired by a Republican from a Mauser 98 during the battle of Ebro in November 1938.

Fidel Castro, the 81-year-old President of Cuba, resigned last week.

Issuing a statement in the daily newspaper Gramna, Castro said he was stepping down as a result of continuing health problems.

He stated: “(It would) betray my conscience to take up a responsibility that requires mobility and total commitment that I am not in the physical condition to offer.”

The resignation is expected to usher in a new era of Cuban history.

Castro has been a prominent character in the political scene for nearly half a century since the communist dictator usurped power in Cuba on New Years Day 1959.

The guerilla revolutionary has remained the leader of the country ever since, outlasting 10 American Presidents and several assassination attempts on his life.

Throughout Castro’s reign relations between the US and the Caribbean island have been fraught, peaking with the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, when President Kennedy announced the discovery of Soviet nuclear missiles in

Cuba.

The regime has remained one of the world’s five last remaining communist states despite the end of the Cold War in the early 1990s.

Castro is credited with the regime’s survival, but is nevertheless a controversial figure.

Among his supporters he is considered a fiery liberator and political hero, but critics denounce him as a ruthless, totalitarian dictator who has denied Cuba crucial civil liberties and freedom in speech and press.

The US has responded to the resignation with calls for democracy to be instated in the country, but is not prepared to lift its 46-year-old trade embargo.

President Bush said that there was now an opportunity for the Cuban people who have “been denied their right to live in a free society” to see “the beginning of the democratic transition in Cuba”.

Nevertheless, support ers of the veteran Cuban President urge his brother Raul to continue his legacy.

Power had been handed down to Raul Castro since Fidel’s health began to seriously deteriorate nearly two years ago.

Lloyd Griffiths Reporter Hollywood director Steven Spielberg has voiced his opinion on the continuing genocide in the Darfur region of China.

The dispute has caused the country’s disputed and controversial relationship with the Sudanese Government to come under increased scrutiny.

While the run up to the Beijing Olympics has continued unabated with just a few months left, the preparations were hit when Spielberg announced he would not be taking up his role as Artistic Adviser’ to the games.

He cited that his conscience would not allow him to continue in the position as “the international community, and particularly China, should be doing more”.

In response, the Chinese Foreign Minister said: “It is understandable if some people do not understand the Chinese Government’s policy on Darfur.”

However he added that “empty rhetoric” would not help the situation.

But this is unlikely to convince Spielberg, as well as the 80 international figures, including Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who also voiced their concerns that China’s

role in Sudan was anything other than suspect.

Sudan is filled with hints to China’s role, as Pagodas have sprung up in the capital, Khartoum, and Chinese buses and business are everywhere.

Yet their relationship is clouded in secrecy, including a “far reaching agreement” last year, which has not been allowed to leak to the press.

China exports a healthy amount of their oil from the country, as well as supplying Khartoum with arms, which it has been suggested are being used to drive people from their homes in the ethnic conflict.

Last year, China imported a total of $4.1bn worth of goods from Sudan, mostly petroleum.

The events are sure to increase the pressure on the Chinese Government as the Olympics draw closer.

China’s poor human rights record, as well as increasing contribution to climate change, is sure to be scrutinised.

Many have brought into question Spielberg’s decision, suggesting that sport and politics should not mix.

President Bush has himself been accused of ignoring international pleas for increased help in Darfur, where over 200,000 have now died.

A clean election

Simon Lucey Reporter The recent elections in Pakistan have taken place with little evidence of violence or result rigging, but many suspect that the apparent ease of the situation is unlikely to continue throughout the next few months.

Pervez Musarraf’s parliamentary allies have admitted defeat with the leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q), Chardhry Shujaat, telling the media: “We accept the results with an open heart (and) will sit on opposition benches.”

However it appears that Musharraf plans on continuing his role for the next term, a position that seems untenable given that his supporting party, the PML-Q, won only 42 out of a possible 268 seats.

His rival, Mr Sharif, leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N), is currently campaigning for his impeachment.

Whilst President Musharraf holds onto his position of power amidst numerous campaigns for his demise, the situation is further complicated due to outstanding criminal charges against the leaders of the opposition parties in the country.

Neither Asif Ali Zardari, husband to the late Benazir Bhutto, nor Mr Sharif can legally become Prime Minister because of these charges.

Mr Sharif fled the country in 1999 after being ousted by Musharraf to avoid imprisonment over tax evasion and kidnapping charges, whilst Bhutto’s husband is believed to be guilty of widespread corruption.

But public opinion of Musharraf is low, despite US backing.

On Tuesday in Islamabad, Pakistan’s Daily Times front page article read: “All the King’s men are gone.”

A new President for Pakistan is likely to have global consequences.

If a new President were to pursue a less US friendly agenda there could be huge repercussions creating a vital landmass where terrorists could practise in relative safety.

gairrhydd

FEBRUARY.25.2008

EDITORIAL & OPINION

OPINION@gairrhydd.COM

freewords Est. 1972

AGM: Inevitable Confusion?

Last Thursday’s Students’ Union Annual General Meeting (AGM) was over in just two hours and three minutes. For those who attended last year’s AGM this was a significantly shorter meeting.

This dramatic decrease in the duration of the meeting can be attributed to the common desire to avoid repetitious circular arguments. Students voted, on several occasions, with an overwhelming majority to move straight to vote when procedural motions were called for by student delegates.

But although this year’s AGM was significantly shorter, it was not without its confusions. Prior to the discussion of motions, Jonny Cox (Chair) briefed the attendees of the order of proceedings that discussions would follow.

But as passions for motions increased, confusion followed.

Confusion at AGM seems inevitable given that the procedures followed will only ever be familiar to a select few; namely the Debating Society, Student Council members and a few others with personal interests.

The most confusing part of the evening was the proposition to split the resolves of the motion ‘Campaign to Defeat Fees’. In the midst of the confusion the new split motion was called to a final vote despite the discrepancies that remained with the believes and resolves of the motion. No one seemed to know, or perhaps no one had the opportunity to declare, exactly how this proposal should have been properly presented to AGM. All attendants at AGM had an envelope filled with information about the Students’ Union and a handful of leaflets and stickers. Perhaps this envelope of documents should contain a guide to the debate formalities that are followed at AGM? But it was clear that some speakers hadn’t read the Agenda fully, let alone the silent masses (perhaps due to lack of time or interest), so who is to say that any further reams of documents would be read fully and adhered to?

After last year’s epic AGM, students this year were empowered through the information provided in the Chair’s brief on how to call a procedural motion to end discussion and vote. Perhaps next year’s AGM delegates will be empowered to call for a quoracy check. Sat in a half-empty Great Hall, one student raised the issue of quoracy in Any Other Business, to be met with the response that any questions of quoracy must be raised as a motion is being voted on.

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09

Apply and remand

The number of university applicants has risen 6.7% on last year. Aisling Tempany weighs up the pros and cons of this

M

ore people are applying to university than ever. This should imply that we’re all gradually becoming more intelligent and that more of us than ever have the potential to succeed and fulfil our dreams and ambitions.

University is supposed to be a step towards this. This isn’t the reality, though, and university has become a way to stall the inevitable slog of miserable call-centre jobs with a haze of state-funded drinking, and some academic stuff thrown in.

This isn’t an attack on those who come to university to ‘doss’ in some subject – Cardiff University has a high entry requirement for almost all of its subjects, so most of its students were surely part of the academic elite at their schools. No, this is an attack on a society that leaves us with so few options in life that university is now the only choice for every sixth-former about to finish their A-Levels.

At my sixth form there was a Careers Advisor to help us decide on the vast possibilities of our post-A-Level opportunities. The discussion was meant to focus on whether we would go to university, take a gap year or go straight into work. The advisor simply asked who was thinking about university, shoved a bunch of forms in our hands, and left us to it. I don’t even know what happened to the people who had other plans. One person said they’d been thinking of a gap year, but when they were asked what they’d do, they said they didn’t know. In the end, they filled in a UCAS form to get the bossy careers advisors off their case.

Society leaves us with so few options in life that university is now the only choice The fact is that university should be a complex academic-oriented experience, for those with a specific interest.

It therefore shouldn’t be for everyone.

Several people I know, as well as myself, dropped out of university because it wasn’t working out. There’s a point in the year when you sit in a seminar, bewildered by the topic you’re discussing, trying to work out how your money is supposed to last for another three months, that you suddenly think “What is any of this for anyway?”

There’s only so many times that people

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CARDIFF UNIVERSITY: Beneath foreboding clouds of confused applicants can tell you how few job opportunities there are in your subject before it gets to you. It puts a sting in the joy you felt at doing well at school to know that there are 19,000 other people just like you. Suddenly you’re just irrelevant.

My own sister, never the sharpest tool in the box, dropped out of her second university in her second year, because she also had no idea what she was doing, or why she was doing it.

Really, she didn’t. When she chose her modules at registration, she just ticked boxes on a form pushed in front of her by a secretary. She may never have known what lectures she even attended.

But who ever told my sister that she might have been better off trying to get a job than following everyone else to the nearest ex-polytechnic?

No, the news that more people than ever are applying to university doesn’t make my heart skip in anticipation that one day I will meet someone similar to me; someone equally obsessed with literature, with a conscience and filled

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with confidence but not pompously arrogant. No, it means that next year’s new students will be another group of unsure, uncertain students who aren’t ready for the ‘grown-up’ world. They’ll be another year unsure of their identity and what they want, and bombarded with clichés on how to behave and pound-party drinks offers.

Next year’s new students will be unsure, uncertain and unready for the ‘grown-up’ world’ Every so often, I see a pound-party offer and I think: why is this always the most celebrated part of university life?

Probably because if we thought about it, we can’t come for the academic achievement anymore.

There’s a silver lining to this deSmith, Lloyd Griffiths, Simon Lucey, Melissa Moore, Aisling Tempany, Jamie Thunder, Ted Shiress, Wendy Woodhead, Emily Woodrow, Owen Davies, Alex Wilson, Alex Alsworth, Dave Green, Chloe Gallagher, Kerry Allen, Nick Warener,

pressing academic cloud, though: more mature students than ever (an extra 18% applicants over the age of 25).

I’m always reassured by university’s purpose when I see mature students with plans and goals, fully certain of what they want to do and why. As a mature student myself, at the grand old age of 22, I find myself caught up with only half knowing what I want to do, and half wanting to get drunk and pretend that a friend didn’t laugh at my high marks, because I’ll be joining him at BT next year answering calls from disgruntled customers.

I’m reminded of Jude the Obscure, and the eponymous character’s struggle to get into Christminster and join the academic elite. Nowadays he’d be slumped in a corner of the Union, trying to forget the lack of possibilities beyond Park Place. University is no longer an elite experience, an achievement and an opportunity. It’s just a way of escaping from the realities of life for a few years.

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FEBRUARY.25.2008

OPINION

OPINION@gairrhydd.COM

The mysteries of history Jamie Thunder is alarmed at the number of people who think that Churchill was fictional and Robin Hood lived in Sherwood Forest

ILLUSTRATION: Kevin Lewis

I

t’s official: we’re rubbish. We, as a nation, are comprised of idiots, imbeciles, ignoramuses, morons and nincompoops who bounce around obliviously until someone tells us something, when we pause for a minute to absorb this new information before carrying on having a little bounce.

Venerable British institution UKTV Gold recently conducted a survey of three thousand Brits under the age of 20 regarding their differentiation of fact and fiction. They asked them whether certain figures were real or invented, and the results were scary. But before I reveal just how scary, let’s see how you do, eh?

Okay, first figure: Winston Churchill. Did he really exist or was he the figment of an imagination? Take a moment before deciding, and make your choice. If you said he really existed, congratulations, you’ve made a good start. If you thought he was a fictional character, you’re absurd and should probably read a book. Unfortunately, 23% of those surveyed agreed with you. At least you’re not alone in your ignorance.

Next up is super-sleuth Sherlock Holmes. Real or fictional? If the results of the survey are anything to go by, over half of you will think he really lived at Baker Street. He didn’t. He never existed. Fool. Nor did Biggles or Jonathon Livingston Seagull. Never let it be said that gair rhydd can’t be educational.

I’m sure some of you are thinking here: “Sherlock Homes was fictional?

No shit, uh, Sherlock!” But try the next

one, Richard the Lionheart. The result was pretty evenly split here, so you’ll be in good company either way. Well, less good company if you think he’s fictional, because you’ll be with people who think he was the lion king in Robin Hood. And lions can’t be kings, everyone knows that. Incidentally, over half thought Robin Hood really lived in Sherwood Forest. Disney has a lot to answer for.

The other results of the poll were

no less distressing. Almost a quarter thought that Florence Nightingale never actually existed, and two thirds thought King Arthur really did. It’s easy to dismiss these results as unrepresentative of the population as a whole, but that still means that almost 1500 people think Eleanor Rigby really did keep her face in a jar by the door.

Were you aware enough to separate fact from fiction, I salute you. You may not be a berk. But I bet there

are still glaring gaps in your general knowledge, just waiting to be opened and scorned. Maybe, like a friend of mine, you didn’t know Kazakhstan was a real place until you saw Borat. Or maybe, like me, you had to sheepishly ask a medic friend what men have in the space where women have a womb (nothing, apparently. It’s why men piss themselves less or something).

So where does the blame lie for this dearth of basic general knowledge?

Clearly something is going wrong in our schools if these figures are to be believed, but I don’t recall being consciously taught, to take another example from the survey, that Charles Dickens was a real historical figure and not a fictional creation. Whilst the evermore test-fixated system can’t help pupils to expand such general knowledge, it’s certainly not the only culprit. As anyone who took General Studies will attest, any effort to implement general knowledge into courses is likely to be utterly useless.

The underlying issues here are parenting and apathy. I’m not suggesting that parents should sit their spawn down for an hour at a time and invest them with knowledge, the greatest gift of all, because that would be silly. Just that they occasionally ask them about what they learned today and just give a bit of background information. Put on Radio-bleeding-4 if it helps.

But parenting is only part of the problem; the main problem is the stigma surrounding knowledge and the apathy it breeds. Knowledge is sexy, dammit. When you learn, you exercise the brain. And as Mark Corrigan discovered, when you exercise the brain you stimulate the most erotic muscle in the body. So exercise it! Use Wikipedia’s “random article” button if you must. Just make sure that in 40 years we can look back and decry the next generation’s ignorance from the same position as our parents.

Okay, that ended up a little ranty. So here’s one last “fictional or real” before I finish: Jesus Christ, Superstar. Actually, I’d probably better not go there.

Mirror, mirror, on the wall Emily Woodrow Vanity Lair

criticises for encouraging superficial beauty and asks: who really is the most beautiful of them all?

I

n case you don’t know, the reality TV programme Vanity Lair consists of ten self confessed beautiful people stuck together in a house competing for the ‘who is the MOST beautiful’ prize.

Personally, being surrounded by fake boobs, protruding bones, bleached hair, being attacked hourly by straighteners, mirrors, hair gel and designer (though probably also fake) clothes is my idea of hell.

But I must admit it makes good viewing. Well, when I say good, I mean easy going, let’s all have a laugh at these idiotic people who truly believe having a conventionally perfect body makes them a good and equally beautiful person.

According to the programme’s producers, “The series hopes to explore contemporary notions of what being a beautiful person really means.” Really? Let’s face it, what are the chances that the person

who is the most naturally beautiful will win? Do we honestly think that these air-heads will look deep into the other contestants and rank their inner beauty higher than their outer fake tanned bodies?

They’ve already booted out the person who I would argue was the most beautiful inside and out, though according to the programme ‘was just not beautiful enough.’

No, I’m not talking about Tony who is clearly living in a deluded world of his own, though I must offer my thanks to latest contestant Emmett who decided to chuck him out and has now made for slightly less cringe worthy viewing. I mean really, who throws up because their face isn’t perfectly symettrical? The word ‘bothered’ springs to mind.

Stephanie, in my eyes, was the most natural looking person in there and who, whilst being beautiful, wasn’t totally aware of it and clearly hadn’t entered ‘the lair’ for the same

reasons as the majority of the other contestants. She openly admitted she didn’t feel she fitted in with the other girls (breathe a sigh of relief) and was therefore singled out by Thomas and thrown from the lion’s den. My advice to you Steph would be to run and thank God for this small mercy.

So what do you need to do to stay in the lair? Well, if the producers’ comments are anything to go by, you need merely be yourself and let your inner beauty shine through, regardless of your physical appearance and how aesthetically appealing you may or may not be.

“Beauty is subjective and through this series we hope to challenge the viewer’s notions of what constitutes being attractive, whether it be based on looks, humour or charm.”

Hmmm… can anyone smell something…. it smells like… fake tan! What a load of rubbish.

To name but a few more of the

‘not beautiful enough’ people, Kaveh, who the contestants agreed had the best sense of humour, was rejected immediately from the house, and Kellie seemed sweet enough but apparently didn’t have the same bite as the other girls in there, so of course couldn’t be accepted.

It would appear that to stay in the house, you need to run around in nothing more than a thong, lather yourself up in bath bubbles and act suggestively with a cricket bat.

Mentioning no names… cough cough… Larissa.

So what can we hope from this programme? In a perfect world, the self-confessed flawless people will realise the wrongs of their ways and come to see that inner beauty is more important than outer appearance. They will pour all their makeup down the toilet, sign up for boob reductions, smash all their mirrors and enrol on a stand-up comedian course in an attempt to gain a sense

of humour.

They might even crown one of the less ‘looks-obsessed’ contestants such as Nick or Pavle and take time out from their model lives to reflect on what they’ve done and the person they’ve been.

Realistically however, I have little faith that this will be the case.

Both Nick and Pavle seem close to the chop and if Thomas and Scott continue to mince around in their speedos whilst being teased by lathered up Larissa, they will surely last the test of time and continue to believe that they embody the meaning of ‘beautiful.’

I say chuck Michelle McManus or Matt Lucas in there and see what happens in the outer-beauty versus inner-beauty and humour show down. Call me pessimistic, but I am pretty sure they would prefer to see Kasey or Shani running round in a bikini in the London mansion than Michelle McManus in a hot tub.

gairrhydd

FEBRUARY.25.2008 OPINION@gairrhydd.COM

Working 9 to 5 (or not)

So what do you want to be when you grow up? A question most of us avoid now, and one that Wendy Woodhead believes we shouldn’t be concerned about

H

ot brews; staring into space; free museums; baking cakes; taking baths; reading a book because you really want to… The list of simple pleasures is endless.

Which is why I have sworn off work.

It might sound odd that a hard-working third-year has no desire whatsoever to find a job once she graduates, but I have a long list of reasons why. Mostly I just don’t believe in it because I don’t demand a life based on much more than shelter and a modest amount of bread, meat and wine. (I also don’t plan on having a family to support but that’s a story for another time). So as long as you are willing to compromise your social desires I believe you can get along with doing the least amount of work possible in life.

When I say no to work I do not mean a complete disregard for any kind of work ever again but moreso a rejection of the ghastly rat-race. My purpose in life is to be happy, and there isn’t one job I could think of which would give me real satisfaction.

To see people’s individualism destroyed by years of hard graft is to be able to see straight through the facade of consumerism. I’ve watched friends killing themselves over work so that they could pay for phone bills, clothes and drinks they bought for me on nights out!

The way they put it, having money means the freedom to do nice things.

I’m not complaining, I just don’t see anything liberating about having to throw oneself into a full days work to pay for those nice things. I plan to find part time work as and when I need it, saving up a little cash to keep me going.

In between, I ask only for a little time and space where I can think without the interruption of work. An opportunity usually reserved for retirement.

I despise being asked what I am going to do with my life. When I assure relatives I won’t be aspiring to get a well-paid job because I just don’t have the motivation they laugh and tell me to stop being ridiculous.

I am at university because I enjoy learning, not for its career prospects.

If anything, I enrolled as a very expensive way of buying more time. But that doesn’t mean I owe myself, body and dignity, to the world of work. I will be paying for my education – unlike the ministers who sit in government today – just a little slower than the rest of you!

Lets face it, no one wants to do their job just as much as the next person, and so we get half-arsed attempts at work.

Why do we have failing institutions, missing files and banks that lose our details? At the end of the day these are ordinary human beings, like you or me,

OPINION Cardiff, Disability and me Columnist Ted Shiress thinks you should play sport according to your ability

T

I enrolled as a very expensive way of buying more time

THE RAT RACE: One day, all of this will be yours who are waiting for just that – the end of the day.

There isn’t much difference between a high paid job and a menial job to me, they both have the capacity to send me loopy For the past seven years people have been trying to make me into a suitable candidate for the working world. That is seven years of my youth spent fearing the future, believing I was somehow wrong and lazy because I could not see the point in handing my days over for little return.

Once you’re at university it’s easy

to get caught up in the tide of people preparing for their future. There is a certain calibre of job you are expected to aspire to and you are somehow abnormal if you opt for anything less.

Getting a well-paid job these days is about grooming yourself to take on the competition and to be quite frank I don’t care about competing for a job which will inevitably make me unhappy.

Yes I occasionally like to buy things but all in all I would rather have my time and my sanity. There isn’t much difference between a high-paid job and a menial job to me, they both have the capacity to send me loopy. I must confess, I do at present have a job (although it took me over 3 years to find one), but even that average of 7 hours a week (I’m flexible..) loitering in the library, shelving books is getting a little too much for me.

And even my most exciting working experience to date, a week at the local newspaper, at which they kept me as

busy as possible, still had me fervently checking my watch and staring into space. Every job seems to be an evasion of the real thing I want to do.

As I sit here staring out onto my sunlit back garden I recall an article I once read about Camp Idle (founded by that great institution of indolence, The Idler) at which ten or so Idlers from across the country convened for a weekend to embrace the art of doing nothing in a stigma-free environment.

Amongst reading, philosophising, eating and napping they were given such tasks as to watch paint dry and to ‘wander lonely as a cloud’. What stuck with me was one Idler’s words: “I’m not willing to work hard in a job I don’t want, to pay for stuff I don’t need.”

And that is as best as I can describe my situation to you. The irony is that The Idler remains one of those luxury items which I can’t afford to buy.

11

he story that you will read in a few pages regarding the Paralympics reminded me how sometimes I can feel disability sports can go a bit too far. From my experience of these sports, some are excellent, while sadly others can just highlight someone’s weaknesses. Normally it is athletics that do the latter.

In terms of me, harshly, there is nothing physical (in terms of sport) I can do particularly well. This is why I find disability athletics for people like me so counter-productive.

Now, I’m sure I’ll cause some debate here but athletics (running, jumping, swimming etc) are the types of sport that require a lot of physical ability and less brain-power. Therefore, when watching athletics performed by people like myself you are seeing mostly disability.

I remember my PE teacher at school being able to shamelessly joke with me that I was “crap” at athletics. However, some people do have other kinds of disabilities that still allow themselves to show physical ability. For instance, those with full function in their upper-bodies can provide races that are no-less than nail-biting for anyone who watches.

For those with more complex disabilities, like mine, I think the more tactical based sports are far more worthwhile. My particular favourite was a sport called Table Cricket; I would vouch that this is just about the only sport in which brainpower can beat physical ability.

I won’t bore you with great details of how it is played, but basically it involves whacking a ball that comes to you rolling down a table tennis table towards the green card at the side of the table. The catch being the sides have sliding card fielders on them which the batsman has to dodge. The further up the table the greater the score. However, the trick was not to aim for gold but realise your abilities. For example, there was just under a foot of green directly to your side which no fielder could enter. This would only score two, however it was a guaranteed two. Less physically able players often continuously hit these parts, as it was a guaranteed score.

However, what would be really great is if there was an activity people of all abilities could compete in regardless. Well, there is; and Cardiff University host it 7-9pm every Sunday in The End (Cathays). It is called Chess, a society which I president. So please come!!

12 gairrhydd

FEBRUARY.25.2008

OPINION

OPINION@gairrhydd.COM

R A S P U T I N Pay more, drink less W

hen being persuaded to do something for little monetary cost, such as seeing a free film or buying a beloved but rare album for just £3, have you ever heard the joking phrase, “Oh, come on – you can’t afford not to”?

I have – usually emanating from my own mouth. It’s a stupid thing to say, of course. It actually makes no sense. And yet when it comes to buying booze down your local offie, it suddenly does.

Too much sense, perhaps. There have been fresh calls for the Government to restrict the sale of cheap alcohol. A report by the British Medical Association highlights promotional offers in shops as the main source of Britain’s alleged drinking problem, and recommends that the Government put a stop to them.

Hey, hey, come on now, there’s no need for that. Get down off that ledge. We’ll just go to the pub a little earlier in future, and save those nowso-expensive tinnies for when we really need them. See, look, there’s a happy hour starting soon, lasting from 3 until 7. That’s four hours of happy hour. It’s OK. We’re OK. The BMA report also urges the Government to ban happy hours in pubs – and raise alcohol tax.

Oh Lordy. This is the end. Goodbye, cruel world…

OK, so clearly that’s not your immediate reaction. After all, we’re now having to take out second mortgages to pay for half a gallon of petrol, so we as a nation can deal with a small tax hike on alcohol (if it happens). But as students, we will be most affected by a crackdown on cheap booze – not because we spend a lot of money on it, but because we don’t. We’re cheapskates.

As Chief Perennial Cheapskate, I resent any suggestion of an increase in alcohol prices. I like being able to buy eight cans of Carlsberg for £4.50, not

RASPUTIN

H

in the minimum price per alcoholic unit. This would reduce excess drinking in students and in teenagers.

A study last year claimed teenagers who get away with underage drinking can afford too much. But then that may be because the average 12 to 16-yearold’s weekly allowance is £9.53. How much? When I was a boy it was called pocket money and you got 50p a week to spend on penny sweets and PCP. But the report blamed lavish supermarkets, not lavish parents. Eight bottles of Carling costs only £9 in Sainsbury’s, it gasped. There’s only one thing you can say to that. Don’t go to Sainsbury’s.

(Even better, don’t drink Carling.)

A 10% rise in alcohol tax could reduce alcoholrelated deaths by nearly 30%

BEER: The head is tax because I’m an alcoholic and “can’t afford not to” but because I’ll be buying them anyway and it’s nice to know I’ll have enough change for a Twix.

Sadly, as a supposed grown-up and occasional Viewer Of The Big Picture, I realise it may be more complicated than this. Don Shenker of Alcohol Concern commented “Price is a crucial determinant of how much we drink”, and he’s completely right. Obviously it’s not the only factor, nor even the most important one, but it’s about more than an extra pint; it can mean the difference

between drinking and not drinking. Students go to certain places on a certain night because they have cheap drinks offers. Would they go out otherwise that weeknight? Probably not.

But it’s shops and not bars that are the real ‘culprits’. The price of beer in a pub actually rose 14% between 2001 and 2006, while the price of beer from a supermarket or off-licence dropped 9%. If we are going to address the price issue – and sadly, we probably should – it is the latter statistic we must tackle, through either a tax hike or an increase

presents...guest writer Chin & Tonic

ousing! Now look up and watch all the freshers scatter about you in a frenzy of paranoia. Yes, it’s that time of year again – not only do these winter months signal the start of a plague of runny noses and an epidemic of inbred germs circulating the air, it also marks the beginning of the great student house-hunt. For those needing residences/lodgings/shacks/hovels for the next academic year, it appears to be the time to start searching. But seriously, chill out kids!

It seems to start earlier each year.

Our calendars hadn’t even been turned

(real name Josie Allchin)

to December when I started to see people carriers emblazoned with our favourite student letting agents’ logos ferrying students to and from various abodes around Cathays. But really, this great rush to get a house early on, and the hysteria that seems to surround it, is actually quite unnecessary.

Consider case number one. Eight flatmates from Tal-y-bont sit around their inadequately small table and discuss living arrangements for the next academic year. It’s just before the Christmas holidays and already we’ve got flyers posted under our door from letting agents – minor terror sets in and we were convinced that if we

didn’t discuss this now we’d be sleeping rough for the whole of our second year.

Don’t consider the first half-decent house you see your mansion of choice Come January we’d put down deposits and paid agency fees. Hooray!

We weren’t going to be homeless.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, relationships began to fray and we were left with the prospect of hav-

What I resent about a price hike in alcohol is not that I’d have to pay more – well, all right, it’s partly that – but the effect it could have on shops and pubs.

They aren’t forcing people to drink too much, and don’t deserve less custom as a result of it happening. You have to trust people to drink sensibly. Just the other day I embraced the Taf’s pound a pint offer too eagerly and drank to a debilitating extent – but I wouldn’t call that the Taf’s fault. I wasn’t a victim. I was an idiot.

But at the end of the day, when all has been said and drunk and there’s only warm Oranjeboom left, the BMA report claims a 10% rise in alcohol tax could reduce alcohol-related deaths by nearly 30%. If that’s true, I can’t argue with it.

Damn it. ing to live with people that we didn’t actually like for a whole year. It was hell. Not only this, but the house we had was also falling apart (thank you, Savers, for cheap duct tape) and basically, it was rubbish. We rushed into things that we weren’t sure we wanted to do, and paid for the consequences.

Literally.

So consider this a warning – some friendly advice, if you will. Do not start looking for houses as soon as the clocks go back, do not assume that who you live with in halls will be your housemates for life, and do not consider the first half-decent house you see the mansion of your choice.

So, to finish with the words of Nelson, our favourite TV bully, “Ha ha!” to all those who were “sorted” for houses before Christmas, and a wholehearted good luck to you all.

Now with added guest columnist

Common sense?

U

pon rightly being told after “What happened to... integrity?” that I was possibly tackling issues too big for a short column, I promised others and myself to think about the sad demise of something more specific. I was thinking, “What happened to...God, The Devil and Bob?” but, thanks to some frustrating and pointless people discussions at Cardiff University Students’ Union’s AGM, that’ll have to wait while I have a rant.

The length of this year’s AGM had been discussed, well, at length beforehand, due to last year’s meeting taking on slightly epic proportions (I hear Peter Jackson was considering a film adaptation).

This year was different: in and out in just over two hours, like the world’s most boring sex scene. But the brevity wasn’t for want of trying from some people.

Obviously I have no problem with people expressing their views at the AGM. Why would I? It’s the whole point. That’s why I took issue with two girls behind me who complained about people chatting (“Why would you go to an AGM if you’re not going to listen?”) only to moan dramatically themselves every time somebody asked for the microphone.

Hypocrisy, thy name is F*nky *rse D*sco D*nc*ng.

No, it’s only right people express their views. But for the sake of those with homes to go to, they must be relevant to the motion being discussed.

For example, a to-and-fro ideological argument over university fees won’t affect the actual motion, so wait until you’re home. We all have views. We just air them in appropriate forums.

Similarly, arguing Coke is more evil than Nestlé doesn’t relate to a motion about boycotting the latter unless you’re actually suggesting we boycott everything or nothing.

Opinion. It’s a question of timing.

gairrhydd

FEBRUARY.25.2008

13

LETTERS

LETTERS@gairrhydd.COM

letters@gairrhydd.com Dear gair rhydd, I am writing in response to the article written by Sally Taylor in last week’s edition. It is great to see articles written about the environment, Fairtrade and other pressing issues of global injustice appearing on a weekly basis. However I wish to challenge the assertion that ‘On a student budget, a Fairtrade basket load is pretty unlikely.’

It was pointed out that Fairtrade bananas cost almost double the price of standard Tesco ones. This surprised me as I am always impressed at the increased affordability of Fairtrade products. With this in mind I visited my local Co-op supermarket and had a look at some of the price comparisons between standard products and Fairtrade ones.

The results may come as a surprise to those who believe that Fairtrade products are simply not an economically viable choice for your average student.

Fair Trade Instant coffee granules at £2.05 for 100g cost 60 pence less that the Kenco alternative. Co-op Fairtrade tea bags at £2.15 for 500g cost 75

the

pence less than the Tetley and PG Tips equivalents. The list goes on, with Coop truly irresistible Fairtrade drinking chocolate, Co-op Fairtrade fruit and nut chocolate and Clipper Fairtrade and organic coffee granules all costing less that the non-Fairtrade equivalents.

Co-op is currently offering 20% off all Fairtrade products, including those listed above, making them even better value.

Fairtrade products are indeed affordable for students. Some may argue that they are more expensive compared to budget ranges, such as the Tesco ‘Value’ range. Long gone are the days where most students lived on cheap baked beans and shopped at charity shops for more than just fancy dress.

If people can afford to go out and spend £30 on a night out then surely they can spend a few pence more on a Fairtrade product?

The few pence goes a long way in poorer countries where, members of Fairtrade cooperatives can afford to send their children to school and pay for basic medical needs. Fairtrade pays a small premium which is set aside and spent by the community on social and environmental projects. These basic provisions are unfortunately absent in non-Fairtrade products.

No one is suggesting that the purchase of Fairtrade products alone will solve the crisis faced by millions of small-scale farmers and producers whose livelihoods are constantly threatened by low prices and unfair competition from rich countries. This will only be achieved by changing the current unfair rules of world trade which have contributed greatly to the unimaginable levels of global poverty that exist today.

In the meantime, for the five million people living in developing countries whose improved existence is dependent on the International Fairtrade system, Fairtrade means the difference between a hand-to-mouth existence and being able to plan for the future. Surely that’s worth a couple of extra pence on your weekly student shopping bill.

Elliot Cook

Jonathon Stevens

Go union Going nuts Dear gair rhydd, The University’s internet-based email service, Squirrel, is a complete farce. For students who can-

Dear gair rhydd,

Thomas Carroll : Feb 17, 11:56 pm So you don’t like organised pub crawls? Way to piss on everyone elses parade. Funnily enough, people go on these pub crawls because they actually enjoy them. The “tent sized” T-shirts(they come in all sizes by the way) are a fun souvenir. I think almost everyone loves waking up to see all the nonsensical drawings and drunk chat scribbled on your T-shirt. That’s not something we can get every night we go out.

You also seem to ignore the fact that the price of the pub crawl covers entry into Solus(normally £3).

So that really brings the price of the T-shirt in fact down to £2. Hardly a reason to cry about “lining someone’s pockets”. I am however seriously wondering if you even read your article before submitting it though. I’m amazed at how you go from calling Survival a “corporate pub crawl” to recognising the fact that the proceeds are donated to charity back to the notion that it is a “corporate pub crawl” again.

Organise my own pub crawl with flatmates?? BEST IDEA EVER! Why didn’t I think of that one?!...You actually think these organised pub crawls are the only ones Cardiff students go on? Get real. Carnage/ Survival etc are just an occasional chance for us to go out on a pub crawl with a ridiculous amount of our friends/class mates all at the same time with none of the hassle of organising a night out for hundreds of people.

On a final note, you made a meagre stab at tackling the health and social issues in your 1st few paragraphs. I totally agree, pub crawls aren’t exactly what the doctor ordered. Perhaps my kidneys won’t ‘survive’...but again, I love how you manage to contradict yourself and suggest, further down the page, to ignore your initial health warning and just go on a society pub crawl or one with your mates instead.

Jon : Feb 18, 04:12 pm I don’t think people should be encouraged to do heavy binge drinking, but then again I think they would probably do it anyway, so you might as well make some money from it for the university/charity.

Media the Sharia barrier · Issue 861,

by Jamie Thunder Mark : Feb 15, 10:31 pm A Jewish court operates in London in the same way Sharia law courts operate throughout the United Kingdom, mainly operating as arbitrator in divorce and financial matters. I don’t necessarily have any problem with Sharia courts operating in the UK under the auspices of independent arbitration. However Sharia law courts cannot be able to set legal precedence in any form whatsoever.

All criminal cases must, however, remain under the droit de’regard of the current English and Scottish legal system. Aside from that I, and I doubt most people, will have no problem with Sharia courts settling minor civil cases as independent arbitrators as long as neither party is forced into taking the judgment of a Sharia court when they would prefer a UK Civil Court.

In specific regard to The Archbishop of Canterbury, he’s an awfully intelligent chap but he was bloody stupid to broach such a sensitive subject.

Edward Compton

I would like to commend the Students’ Union for all the work they’ve done this week getting students to look outside the university bubble.

Healthy Week, Go Green and Go

This week has seen a great deal of debate online at www.gairrhydd.com. Here are some highlights from the forums: Too cool to crawl · Issue 861, by Portia Nicholson

Global are all great examples of students being able to make a difference to their local area and their own lives.

Healthy Week has really made think twice about how unhealthy I am now compared to before I started here at Cardiff University and the sabbs should be praised for their efforts in Go Green week in cleaning up Cathays, even if it looked a shithole again the next day.

It still helps to raise awareness about how we can make where we live look better.

It’s also brilliant to see that students aren’t all just apathetic in their time at university especially the parttime members of Team Cardiff and the Freshers’ crew who’ve helped to make the campaigns this month such a success.

I think the change to a single month for each of these campaigns was a great move on the Union’s part as it keeps these important campaigns on the agenda and in the minds of Cardiff students.

not get easy access to Pegasus mail in University libraries, Squirrel is often the only convenient way to access emails from lecturers, other students and course leaders.

I am now in my third year and have never known Squirrel to work reliably.

I constantly encounter errors with the service, and find myself logged out from the email client without warning, often when I am writing a lengthy email or trying to access important information about my course.

It is high time the University’s IT department installed a reliable internetbased email client that worked without constant interruptions because the current provision is an absolute shambles.

Yours,

forum

Revd John Richardson : Feb 16, 11:35 am If Dr Williams had had in mind only what we have already, which includes the Islamic Sharia Council already offering a ‘full blown’ divorce process up to and including a pronouncement of divorce under Shari’a principles, then he would not have spoken as he did about the need for new arrangements.

The key word in what he said seems to be ‘jurisdiction’, as in his phrase ‘supplementary jurisdictions’. To sum this up by suggesting, “all the proposed changes would do is create legally-recognised Sharia courts”, is to ignore the full implications of the word.

As to saying these courts must operate on the basis of genderequality, what kind of Shari’ah is it where unbelievers say what God’s law may or may not allow?

Understandable support for Dr Williams in this article overlooks the fuller implications of what he said.

gair rhydd

FREE

ISSUE 861 FEBRUARY 18 2008 CARDIFF’S STUDENT WEEKLY free word - EST. 1972

INSIDE...NEWS/JOBS&MONEY/FEATURES/TAF-OD/OPINION PHOTO: ED SALTER

Fairtrade Living

THIS ISSUE:

CANNA-BUST Police raid on Cathays house uncovers illegal cannabis factory

Samantha Shillabeer News Editor More than 400 cannabis plants have been discovered in a Cathays house after a raid by local police.

The factory was broken into in the early hours of the morning on Wednesday February 6, following months of police investigations and the gathering of evidence.

It is currently unconfirmed whether the house, which is situated off Mackintosh Place, was home to students.

Cardiff University student and Special Constable Sam Tappenden was part of the team of officers who carried out the raid.

He explained to gair rhydd how the factory operated, describing the property as “a massive greenhouse”.

He said: “The bathtub was filled with fertilizer which was being pumped all around the house.

“In each room we found in excess

of 100 plants along with lighting equipment and fans.”

This is the ninth drug raid that has taken place in the last six months in Cathays alone.

Tappenden revealed that most of the cannabis factories are rented houses which are abandoned by their residents who return only to oversee operations.

Each house can generate up to £250,000 a year through the sale of the drugs.

Tappenden was keen to stress the efforts of the local police to put a stop to criminal behaviour amongst students and other local citizens.

He said: “These raids highlight the message that the police would like to convey: any form of illegal drugs will simply not be tolerated in Cardiff.

“The police have a constant stream of information from a number of sources, and over the coming months we intend to execute more raids and are very confident in uprooting this socially disruptive and illegal business.”

In October, issue 849 of gair rhydd

exposed the high levels of drug related crime operating in the student areas of Cathays and Roath.

It was revealed that addicts will often break into student houses and then sell the stolen goods in order to fund their habits.

With this in mind, PC Bob Keohane, Student Liaison Officer, is urging students to be attentive and vigilant regarding any drug activity which may be going on around them.

He explained that houses being used to grow cannabis often have tin foil covering the windows, air vents coming out of the attics and large compost piles in gardens.

Other signs of drug-related operations include lighting and heating equipment being carried into a house and a lack of activity with residents only visiting once a day.

Keohane said of last week’s raid: “This is just one discovery; it does not by any means paint the whole picture.

There are probably another hundred factories out there which we have yet

to find.”

He added: “If students have any suspicions that illegal activity may be happening in close proximity to them we urge them to contact the police immediately.”

Jo Plummer, Education and Welfare Officer, expressed her views on the dangers of cannabis use.

She commented: “Many students think that the drug is harmless but actually, despite its reclassification to a class C drug in 2004, there is increasing evidence of a link between cannabis and mental health problems, depression and short term memory loss.

“Cannabis can also be detrimental to your degree as heavy use can make it difficult to concentrate and leave you feeling constantly tired and unmotivated.”

Students who have any information or suspicions regarding drug related activity are advised to contact the South Wales Police on 02920 222111 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

features on the issue of body image film meet jack black fashion present: lessons in lingerie travel head to india plus all the latest music, film, arts & book reviews

THE THE BODY BODY ART AS AS ART

JACK BLACK / BLACK KIDS

SPORT/POLITICS/SCIENCE&ENVIRONMENT/LISTINGS/TV

Got something you would like to say?

Log on to gairrhydd.com or email letters@gairrhydd.com

14 gairrhydd

FEBRUARY.25.2008

POLITICS

POLITICS@gairrhydd.COM

The Last Days of Yugoslavia

Melissa Moore show us why the underlying tensions simmering between Euro-Russian sphere of influences will not be solved by Kosovan Independence

A

fter years of conflict and division, Kosovo proclaimed itself an independent state this week and was recognised as such by over 100 countries across the globe.

Yet, despite jubilation on the streets of Pristina, many fear new divisions have now been created as a result, whilst old wounds remain unhealed.

So how exactly has this small Balkan state created such great disturbances across the political seas, amid several countries already clashing heads over its existence?

National reactions to Kosovo is a symbol of how they feel about domestic separatist groups existing within their own borders Kosovo has had a turbulent and often bloody history, a result of being a territory divided by Albanian and Serbian national groups since the 12th Century.

In recent times, the rise to power of the Serbian Communist Party leader, Slobodan Milosevic, during the 1990s sparked bloodshed with the initial revo-

cation of Kosovan autonomy.

The result was a violent civil war resulting in the deaths and misplacement of thousands of civilians. NATO’s intervention eventually brought the conflict to an end and placed the country under UN administration. That was nearly 15 years ago, and still the question of where Kosovo lies reigns on.

Yet what is truly spectacular in reaction to Kosovan independence is the split global reaction to the event, for alas the issue still continues to linger as more than a sensitive topic - particularly across the ever-shifting WesternRussian territorial borders.

For each nation, the adoption or discrediting of the independence declaration is much more than a formal statement by each country; it is a symbol of how they feel themselves about domestic separatist groups existing within their own borders.

It is of no surprise therefore that whilst Britain, France, Germany and Italy have accepted, Greece, Spain and crucially Russia have all declined recognition.

These countries all have their own past with internal nationalist divisions, and are conscious of the substance of their reaction; most noticeably it is fear that Kosovo’s independence will set a precedent. It may embolden secessionist fringes seeking an example.

It is crucial to note that the European

sees the light of day.

Kosovo can now move on with more definitive economic development and the country can push further with the political transition to stable liberal democracy, particularly within the realm of the EU. Yet, despite the obvious joy of Kosovans whose independence celebrations went on long into the night, there always remains the morning-after reality; that of Serbia.

PETTY NATIONALISM OR REAL FREEDOM? Union, the intended surrogate mother from across the political spectrum.

Yet, for others, Kosovan independto Kosovo’s development for the near future, found the issue too divisive to ence is a chance to bring some much needed finality to what was a messy comment on with a single voice.

Originally intending to declare a and, for some, a shameful event of the collective acceptance of Kosovo, even- 21st Century.

It is an opportunity for stability and tually what occurred was a remarkable sight, as a rundown of names was an- prosperity in the Balkans, an area desnounced whilst each country added perately needing closure on the events their name to the list. Yet, if they EU of the previous decade. U.S. President stands divided, the Russians intend to Bush, argued that “it presents an opportunity to move beyond the conflicts of stand chiefly united.

The Russian foreign minister, Sergei the past and toward a future of freedom Lavrov, warned that Kosovo’s declara- and stability and peace.”

Nevertheless, one can only speculate tion of independence could lead to “the destruction of the principles of peace if such rhetoric is simply too optimistic and order and international stabil- for the cold, and all too recent, political ity which have been developed over realities of Balkan politics.

Giving Kosovo independence is cerdecades.”

It is unavoidable that the moves Rus- tainly a quicker solution than attemptsia and others make in this tricky and ing some form of political cohesion or undoubtedly intricate diplomatic proc- coalition between the warring factions, ess will be watched very closely by eyes which may be an ideal that sadly never

The EU, the intended surrogate mother to Kosovo, found this too divisive to comment with a single voice Serbia, angered and feeling somewhat betrayed certainly made its anger known this past week, arguing that independence will unleash “a disaster of unfathomable proportions.” A conflict with Albanians that has lasted the span of several centuries cannot be undone with an Independence declaration.

Various attacks on Kosovo borders and thousands of angry protesters on Serbian streets leaves a reminder that previous sufferings still remain unhealed.

Politics wants much needed X-Factor

Wendy Woodhead uncovers the latest phase of reality TV whereby political wannabes try to engage voters and revive democracy

W

hen Britain went all soppyeyed for stuttering Gareth Gates way back in 2001 little did we know what we were letting ourselves in for. The BBC announced recently that it has acquired the rights to a ‘political idol’ in search of future leaders.

ITV first tried this one in 2005, called Vote For Me – don’t worry if this passed you by, it was apparently a complete failure.

Amongst other things, this proposal seems like democracy gone mad – again. The Next Great Leader is based on the premise that three times as many 18-24 year olds voted in the final of the first Pop Idol as in the last general election.

I suppose the aim here is to get young people interested in current affairs and they thought a good way to do this would be to sensationalise politics even more than it has become in the last decade.

The team responsible for putting the show together would be the BBC Entertainment division, not the current affairs team. And a group of people with ‘creators of Strictly Come Dancing’ on their CV are definitely the kind of

people you want to help bring budding politicians to the fore.

The show was a huge hit in Canada with candidates facing a panel of four former Canadian Prime Ministers: Paul Martin, Brian Mulroney, Kim Campbell and Joe Clark. The winner received $50,000 and a 6-month internship with a leading political body.

The BBC on the other hand has secured the rights from independent producer Distraction to change the format of the show, hoping the culmination in a ‘nationwide vote’ (how very democratic) will encourage ‘citizenship’ in young people.

Citizenship seems to be the buzzword of 2008 and I’m sure by the end of the year we’re all going to have some kind of citizenship complex.

In the proposed UK edition, candidates will be aged between 18 and 25 and must produce a video manifesto of how they plan to make Britain great again.

The panel of former cabinet members and political commentators will then sift through the candidates until four remain.

The remaining four will then have to take part in a live debate on all the

SIMON GIVES HIS DISAPPROVAL hot topics prime-time viewers are keen to discuss: economics, social policy, ethics and the environment. But before you nearly die of boredom, rest assured stage-presence and charisma will be tested.

While in theory the show sounds great - you can be chosen from the masses by the masses - it’s about as close to a referendum we’re going to get.

The reality is that someone out there is putting together a photo-fit of what you want as a politician. In practice,

won’t it just generate more fuel for an already celebrity-obsessed culture?

The show is apparently “the best example of reality prime-time programming that not only entertains, but educates viewers to the challenges our leaders are facing,” believes Michel Rodrigue of Distraction.

He also adds that it is important these viewers understand ‘the necessity to develop the leaders of the future’. I think it’s the last bit that unnerves me the most. In what way do we develop leaders?

He just openly admitted that we are grooming them through the motions of political spin to be all things to all people. Politicians full of empty promises – well, what’s new?

Above everything I just can’t see this working, mostly because Britain just isn’t interested – and it’s not just the youth. Either the whole thing will become so wide of the mark and get completely sensationalised that the point will be utterly lost, or the show will do its job so well it will be condemned to BBC4 and you will never see it.

The most important thing to TV companies is ratings and a bunch of ageing, unrecognisable politicians on the panel is not going to lure in anyone who isn’t already interested.

Apparently the BBC expects to run the show during the next general election, to what avail I’m not sure. Even then, if the show is to gain any success at all it will surely only distract the populace from the main electioneering.

If we really want to give the people of Britain something worth voting for may I suggest the government reevaluate the apathy-inducing electoral system.

gairrhydd

FEBRUARY.25.2008

15

SCIENCE & ENVIROMENT

SCIENCE@gairrhydd.COM

Council may hinder green efforts

FOOD TINS DRINK CANS AEROSOLS PLASTIC BOTTLES YOGHURT POTS MARGARINE TUBS PLASTIC PUNNETS READY MEAL TRAYS GLASS BOTTLES/JARS JAM JAR LIDS NEWSPAPERS PHONE DIRECTORIES MAGAZINES JUNK MAIL OFFICE PAPER CATALOGUES THIN CARD

Sophie Cole, continues to praise the Union’s ‘Go Green’ campaign but suggests its lasting impact may be jeopardised by Cardiff City Council

S

o, here we are, a week on from the Students’ Union’s ‘Go Green’ campaign, those who got involved should still be basking in the ‘I took one for the planet’ lime-light; initiatives which were thrust into our student domain included a Cathays wide litter pick, increased recycling bins within University buildings, give-aways of ‘Go Green’ bags of goodness and the elusive bundles of green recycling bin-bags.

And for all of these ‘raising awareness’ tactics one should still be, firmly, on two feet, applauding the efforts of the Union. For the truth is, sustainable living is something we students should be concerned with on a daily basis; however, this is not the reality of the situation.

Nonetheless, with the active involvement of the Union on this issue and, most importantly, the tinge of green which has permeated into its waste disposal facilities, one can definitely acknowledge the possibly power these changes can have…one hopes that we will allow similar adjustments to infiltrate into our daily living.

Of course, this article is not an entirely tuneful song of the University’s green efforts, there is certainly more that needs to be done, you will not find a recycling bin in every lecture or study room, nor will you come across separate waste disposal bins in your halls’ kitchen. Furthermore, your main library will still print out one piece of paper with every book that every student takes out.

The tinge of green which has permeated into the Union has the power to infiltrate into our lives Nevertheless, in essence, the University does aim to epitomise its sole purpose. It strives to educate, all, staff and students, on contemporary issues, and, for that, one cannot condemn their failings, only praise their elements of success.

However, the vigorously shaking of such campaigns to ‘wake up and smell the fair-trade coffee’ is redundant without the backing of official authorities.

Undoubtedly, no one could claim that Cardiff City Council are not striving for

an ethic of sustainable living; after all their declaration states of a “committed to looking after our environment for future generations”.

Yet, it is difficult for this to resonate when none of their waste and recycling intiatives are applied to the prodominantly student areas of Cardiff. The 2001 census showed that 11% of the Cardiff population were students. With ever ambitious targets for recycling and composting and the continually evolving European Union Legislation that drive for more sustainable waste management practices, the Council cannot afford to, ultimately, eliminate a tenth of its resources, and potentially risk jeopardising its goals for green living.

Although for many, this notion may have seemed to have been plucked from thin air, yet, I ask you…do you know when your green recycling bin bags are collected, and how often? Do you know what can be put in them and, subsequentially, recycled?...Have you ever tried to request more, with no avail?…

More importantly; do you even have green bags within your household?!

The truth of the matter is, that there are huge restrictions as to what can be put within these magical green accessories. For instance, shredded paper and thick cardboard should be kept out. Furthermore, broken glass should not be put in there, of course, this, I assume, is a safety reason.

However, as a member of a female student house, who all consume wine and the sneaky shot of sambuca, spread jam, honey and peanut butter on our toast (sometimes on one slice), I do not deny, we are partial to a pot of Lloyd Grossman’s irresistible pasta sauce. Irrespective of our food habits we do produce a lot of glass, and often, a majority of this, somehow, gets broken. What are we supposed to do, just cease to recycle?! Do not get me wrong, I understand that some of you may be thinking, ‘just go to the glass banks’, and yes you are right, we have cars, so this is possible. However, why should this journey have to be done when some members of Cardiff have this privilege.

Additionally, Cardiff Council’s website informs that, “all people will get the same service, with a weekly collection of general waste and a collection of recyclables and compostable waste”, any of you who are half as aware as me will know that, firstly, recycling waste is only collected fornightly, and second of all, will be asking what constitutes compostable waste and with what

means do we put this aside from the normal waste.

This is not the attitude one would expect from an authority who claims to proiritise the environment When these queries were put to Cardiff Council, or C2C, as they liked to be referred, it was instructed that household members had to ask for the facilities to recycle biodegrable waste.

Sadly, this is not the attitude one would expect from an authority who claims that the “environment plays a key part in our daily lives and we work hard to strike a balance between development strike a balance between development and quality of life in the capital”.

This article does not suggest that the stencil of a dictatorship scheme

PLASTIC BAGS SHREDDED PAPER THICK CARDBOARD WALLPAPER PAINT TINS CLOTHES OR SHOES BROKEN GLASS PLASTIC TOYS KITCHEN FOIL ‘FAKE FOIL’ (CRISP PACKETS) POLYSTYRENE PACKING COAT HANGERS KITCHENWARE ELECTRICAL ITEMS VIDEO CASSETTES CDs/DVDs

should be applied to the tribulations of waste disposal, it simply considers that these facilities should be supplied to all and states that it should not be assumed that certain social groups will not be in-

terested or committed to recycling and sorting their waste. This attitudes alone predetermines the perspectives that the ‘Go Green’ campaigned tried so hard to amend.

16 gairrhydd

FEBRUARY.25.2008

FEATURES

FEATURES@gairrhydd.COM

Living with an ob

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is considered by most to be a trivial ‘mental illness’; a condition akin to overconscientiousness, capable o Yet it has the potential to take over and ultimately ruin lives. Huw D

P

eople often talk about how hard it is to write. The words don’t come, they say. Their mind goes blank. It’s frustrating.

People talk less often about how hard it is to literally write something. To type without backspacing needlessly, deleting and rewriting, deleting and rewriting, addingt letterss to thea end of wordsa, highlighting text for no reason, reading what you’ve written aloud until the words make no sense and having to include random lemon words because…well, you just have to. That’s frustrating.

You see, I suffer from ObsessiveCompulsive Disorder (OCD). I am, however, incredibly lucky: my afflictions are mild and, to an extent, controllable. They’re inconvenient, not incapacitating. I count everything, I wash my hands too often, I sometimes have to turn certain ways and when writing I suffer the obsessive compulsions mentioned above – though, obviously, equally obsessive editing prevents my essays reading like the last paragraph (I’m also keen to point out to any potential employers that it’s a problem I’m rapidly overcoming). These difficulties haven’t taken over my life. I’m one of the lucky ones.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is, cruelly, one of the most widely unrecognised mental illnesses in the world.

Associated in general perception with excess handwashing and checking that doors are locked and ovens are turned off, it is hard to persuade people that it has the potential to make life unliveable. It is, after all, one of the ten most debilitating illnesses known to man.

This is according to the WHO (i.e. the World Health Organisation, rather than Pete Townshend and co.), and its place in the ‘top ten’ is based on loss of income and decreased quality of life.

Sufferer Dan Blackwell experienced the devastating effects of OCD firsthand, agreeing, “It is debilitating, yeah.

Back in 1995, I had my worst ever episode. I was literally moving from the chair to the bed, and from the bed to the chair. I was handwashing two to three hundred times a day. I was having constant panic attacks. I went from being 16 stone to having a 20-inch waist in about six months. I was told I’d either end up in a hospital or dead.”

Colin Putney of leading charity OCD Action acknowledges that admitting to having the condition is incredibly hard.

“I covered it up for 35 years,” he says.

“I never admitted it to family, friends, girlfriends…now I’m open with it.”

He adds, “The main [symptoms of OCD] are counting, checking, hoarding, symmetry and fear of harming people, but it changes.”

A famous example of someone suffering from OCD in its most extreme form is multibillionaire entrepeneur Howard Hughes. Hughes, whose story

“The medical world and the Government don’t recognise what it is” can be seen played out by Leonardo DiCaprio in The Aviator, built up an enormous financial empire before succumbing completely to a debilitating form of OCD thought to have plagued him since childhood, ultimately disappearing from public view altogether.

“Three copies of the same magazine were always presented to him,” writes Charles Higham. “Hughes would reach out, his hands and arms swathed in paper like an Egpytian mummy’s, and delicately, with infinite slowness, remove the middle magazine from its companions. He would repeat, over and over again, the instructions for the other magazines to be burned.” One of Hughes’ own instructions reads,

THE AVIATOR: famous OCD sufferer Howard Hughes

“Use six or eight thickness’ of Kleenex pulled one at a time from the slot in the box…then fit them over the doorknob and open the bathroom door. Please leave the bathroom door open so there will be no need to touch anything when you leave.” Hughes died after nearly 20 years living as a recluse.

But before any OCD sufferers reading this feel too demoralised, take heart in the thousands upon thousands who have overcome OCD to live a normal life – Dan Blackwell, for example. And, for the Heat magazine readers among you, there are many celebrities who refused to let the condition hold them back in their quest for superstardom.

Among others, Jessica Alba, Billy Bob Thornton, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Paul Gascoigne, Natalie Appleton and Cameron Diaz have all confessed in the past to having some form of ObsessiveCompulsive Disorder. Diaz’s case is particularly interesting: not dissimilarly to Howard Hughes, she opens doors with elbows to avoid touching supposedly germ-infested doorknobs. This may seem overtly paranoid to many people, but to Diaz and other contamination OCD sufferers, it is necessary.

Why it is necessary is another matter.

David Beckham, meanwhile, admits to an obsession with symmetry. In fact, his wife Victoria admitted it for him; in her own, inimitable words: “He’s got that obsessive compulsive thing.”

She explained how their fridges are co-ordinated, saying, “Everything is symmetrical. If there’s three cans of Diet Coke, he’d throw one away rather than having three – because it has to be an even number.”

This suggests the ex-England football captain has issues with counting as well as symmetry. Counting is a common affliction for OCD sufferers, and perhaps my own biggest problem. Like Ronseal, it does exactly what it says on the tin: sufferers count to ensure there is the ‘right’ number of something. For Beckham it’s cans of drink in a fridge; for others, it’s pens lined up on a table, coins in a pocket or even bricks in a wall (although obviously this one isn’t changeable – merely ‘countable’).

For (1) me, (2) it’s (3) words (4).

For some time now I’ve found myself unable to stop myself counting the number of words being said in a conversation, in my speech and in others’.

Usually they have to be divisible by three. Sometimes five. Either way, it makes me add extra words when I’m talking, to make up the numbers. Sherbert. Fortunately, I talk too much to be able to count after a while.

I’m not detailing my condition to be labelled a ‘freak’ by anyone reading, nor less for personal attention. I am simply trying to draw attention to some of the many different forms of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, in the hope that non-sufferers might begin to understand, and that sufferers can perhaps diagnose themselves and seek a

“

Use six or eight thickness’ of Kleen at a time from the slot in the box...t over the doorknob and open the bat Please leave the bathroom door ope will be no need to touch anything w

more medical opinion than my own.

So, here’s the breakdown for you.

Two important afflictions are Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD). The former is symptom-based, while the latter refers to a group of personality traits found together in some individuals. It is generally asymptomatic, with the condition being shown through characteristics rather than behaviour.

Now, this is where you have to be wary of paranoia. Having the following personality traits is not tantamount to having OCPD, and they are only a problem if they interfere with dayto-day living. Characteristics include perfectionism, indecisiveness and a preoccupation with detail, as well as an excessive devotion to work, a tendency

to hoard possessions and an insistence upon doing things a certain way. Of course, these personality traits can be perfectly harmless, beyond irritating the hell out of those around you – but if you think you may have OCPD, it is best that you seek confirmation from a specialist.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, meanwhile, is more easily identified.

There are obsessions and there are compulsions. The clichéd actions of public perception’s OCD stereotype – handwashing, checking and so on – are compulsions: thoughts or more commonly actions that a person sees as necessary to reduce anxiety.

These can be based on (sometimes skewed) logic or superstition, and are often recognised by the sufferer him- or herself to be irrational. Carrying them

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bsession

IMAGE: DAVE ROGERS

condition barely deserving of the term of causing no more than minor irritation.

Davies searches for the truth about OCD

“

nex pulled one then fit them throom door. en so there when you leave

out, however, alleviates concern, even when they are completely unrelated to an anxiety – for example, turning around three times will not prevent the roof falling in, but the fact it does not ‘confirms’ the compulsion’s efficacy. It is, in a way, not unlike taking a placebo.

The concern over the roof falling in, if a recurring fear, is an obsession. Obsessions, in this context, are recurrent thoughts, ideas or images imprinting themselves upon the mind. They can take on very disturbing forms; forms the sufferer would consciously never even think of entertaining, such as killing a relative or raping a child. The recurrence of such horrific thoughts and images explains why OCD Action’s Colin Putney says, “It’s a secret illness. People are embarrassed by their thoughts.”

The sufferer will almost exclusively attempt to atone for them, even though they are not his or her fault. This often leads to compulsions.

Regular superstitious rituals can arise from the desire to ‘make up’ for such thoughts. Often these are based on apparent logic but exaggerated – for example, Cameron Diaz’s attempt to avoid germs on doorknobs – but many are irrational. These include everyday superstitions: for example, seeing a solitary magpie may trigger an obsession over a loved one dying (“One for sorrow, two for joy” etc.); saluting said magpie to prevent any unexpected bereavement is an immediate compulsion. I’m not alone in touching wood if anyone mentions future prosperity, and I don’t even believe in it as a superstition, as some do. It is just an automatic compulsion.

Obviously this doesn’t mean everyone with a superstition has ObsessiveCompulsive Disorder; simply that it is more understandable than some may think. Sadly, this leads many to underestimate the potentially devastating power of OCD. “The problem,” explains Dan, “is that the medical world and the Government don’t recognise what it is. I was refused a DLA (Disability Living Allowance) five times. They don’t realise the severity of it. They said, ‘Oh yeah, I know someone with that; I’ve got it a bit; we’ve all got it a bit, haven’t we?’”

Dan’s answer is an increased awareness in the media. “It’s only through the likes of David Beckham, Steven Gerrard and Trisha coming out and talking about it that we can raise awareness. I don’t know if it’s his PR company or what, but Beckham won’t talk about it. And he can be a really positive role model. The answer is a constant, inyour-face, on-screen, ‘You need to get checked’ campaign.”

And what can the two percent of the population who suffer from OCD do in the meantime? “Do as much research as you can. Understand OCD fully. Once equipped with the tools, you can deal with it. It’s a horrible illness to have, I’m not going to lie about that. But with the right CBT, it can be conquered.”

CBT stands for cognitive behavioural therapy. It involves sufferer and therapist working towards rationalising dysfunctional beliefs and looking for alternative ways of dealing with obsessions, compulsions and the anxiety surrounding them. Both Dan and Colin are huge exponents of the treatment; in Colin’s words, it’s “the only therapy that works.”

Although cognitive behavioural therapy is by far the best way to tackle OCD, it does not have to be the first step. Discussing experiences is a good way to start. As well as running workshops, publishing a magazine and striving to increase awareness, OCD Action runs support groups for people suffer-

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Celebrity sufferers

Because famous people suffer from OCD too David Beckham feels he must have a certain number of Diet Coke cans in his drinks refridgerator. They must also all be ‘facing the front’ and be arranged symmetrically

ing from OCD, Body Dysmorphic Disorder (“imagined ugliness”), Trichotillomania (compulsive hair-pulling) and CSP (compulsive skin-picking). “Most support groups consist of half a dozen people round a table swapping experiences,” explains Colin. “It’s sort of like Alcoholics Anonymous. You can reveal very personal things, knowing they won’t leave the room.”

“I was told I’d either end up in a hospital or dead” Also like Alcoholics Anonymous, the first step is admitting to having a problem. It can take OCD sufferers years or even decades to seek professional help; support groups can help them come to terms with their condition. Colin is keen to add, though: “But only therapy can make you better. Go to the doctor immediately and get diagnosed. Then seek cognitive behavioural therapy.”

I do advise anyone who thinks they may have OCD to get a diagnosis from their doctor. I may not have been altogether clear in my attempts to explain the condition, but that’s partly because it is so individual to each person. For those wanting to know more, I recommend the book and self-help manual Understanding Obsessions and Compulsions by Dr. Frank Tallis. The charity OCD Action is an excellent port of call, as is OCD-UK. Both have websites easily found on Google, and contacts within.

As anyone who saw Hollyoaks’ brief flirtation with an OCD storyline will know, it can affect students hugely.

Living in a student house doesn’t help anyone who may have cleanliness issues, let alone contamination OCD. On average, the condition affects men most commonly in late adolescence and women in their early twenties, so it is important that students are aware of it.

It is also important for people to be understanding, even if they don’t understand. Dan’s advice is not to “ridicule” friends with OCD, and I concur.

To anyone who takes offence to seeing the rim of a glass wiped after they’ve used it, it really is nothing personal; it may seem hard to believe, but it’s not.

And to anyone who actually licks the rim of the glass out of protest – well, that’s just not very nice, is it?

Perhaps the most important thing is for sufferers not to feel ashamed. As Dan says, “Never feel bad about having Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.

I mean, I say to people, ‘I’ve never chased a granny down the street with an axe.’ I’m just eccentric.”

And you know what? As long as it’s under control, a little bit of eccentricity is not such a bad thing (21).

17

Cameron Diaz obsessively scrubs her Hollywood home and refuses to open doors with her hands. “I’m not scared of germs,” she says. “I’m just not into other people’s fluids” Jane Horrocks admits to having gone through phases of obsessive-compulsive behaviour. At one stage she regulated her swallowing; at another, how often she blinked Paul Gascoigne is obsessed with cleanliness and aligning his towels.

Gazza also says he can’t leave the house without repeatedly checking doors are locked and lights are off For more information on ObsessiveCompulsive Disorder, call OCD Action’s information and help hotline on 0845 390 6232 or e-mail info@ocdaction.org.uk

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GENERATION Y: V responsibilities.

Essentially, young people recognise their citizenship duty to vote, but feel their participation is ineffective.

Similar sentiments echo that young people feel misrepresented by the current political process. No surprising revelations here then, given that the majority of the members of the House of Commons are over 40.

So what does X-Factor and Big Brother offer us that the Government cannot? It seems young people are thirsty for systems of interactive democracy which offer us a sense of direct empowerment. It seems Simon Cowell has recognised this, and I’m sure his bank manager is ecstatically happy. But, why have politicians been so slow to follow? Or do we really want them to penetrate our popular cultural spaces with politics?

When the Labour Party employed Geri Halliwell to endorse policy, the image was rejected by young people as being too false. Obviously, we aren’t all as shallow and easily manipulated as the men in suits would have hoped. Will invading our mobile phones be more effective.Would you vote Labour if they promised to keep you drinking past 11pm? Would you be convinced by this text; “Couldn’t give a XXXX for last orders? Vote Labour”? If you’re tempted you might like to take a peek at David Cameron’s MySpace page!

While trying to attract young voters via popular culture, some argue politicians are making a mockery of modern politicos. A wider reflection of the trend wherein image and spin dominates the political realm prioritised higher then any policy. It seems important to highlight one tiny other element…the fact that politicians taking their ties off and pulling their FCUK jeans on to be interviewed on Blue Peter is ever so slightly patronising. Moreover, who wants to listen to an MP’s ‘here’s an answer I prepared earlier’ response to questions about their favourite pets?

Are we trapped in a vicious circle or is there a solution, out there in the midst of spin and policy, just waiting to be found? Political parties have resounded to the fact that young people won’t vote, resulting in even less attention paid to gaining young votes. So when election time arrives politicians are more likely to be found

PHOTO : ED SALTER

D

ubbed Generation Y by political marketing strategists, those of us born any later than 1983 appear to have a genetic malfunction; the inability to welcome the realm of politics into our beer and pizza filled existences.

Behind this popular critical image of the drunken youth who thinks that a seat in the House of Lords is a season ticket in a box at Old Trafford, there is a critical condition. Tabloid critics place us as genetically helpless. According to the Daily Mirror “Medical experts have discovered the reason for teenage apathy - their brains make them lazy”. We cannot lie down and take this Neanderthal label, but we must recognise a problem.

The electorate of the future are out of sync with the political system which organises their lives, from bin-day to holiday pay.

In the 2005 British General Election only 44.3% of 18-24 year olds voted. MORI estimates this is a staggering decline from 88.6% of young people who made the effort to put a cross in the box in 1964. In fact, more young people are recorded voters for Big Brother than in the last General Election.

So what has happened in the last decade to make the babies of the 80s so indifferent? This question is in itself essentially flawed. Let’s forget the Vicky Pollards of this world, and instead remember the placard laden youths who hit the streets of London in February 2003 to protest against the Iraq war.

This juxtaposition identifies the misconception. Young people are not disinterested in politics, they are simply disengaged. We are actively interested in politics; however, this manifests in unconventional modes of expression which go unrecognised by the radar of qualitative researchers whose findings parade our apparent negligence.

Enter any Students’ Union bar and you will encounter endless complaints about the standard of living (correction: survival) on a student loan. Yet, stand in the queue at the local polling station and you won’t hear too many iPods breaking the silence. Media voices have it known that young people are now more interested in consumerist pleasures than citizen

RWOOD PHOTO : MATTHEW HO

Students are more likely to vote for Big Brother than in a General Election. But is our label as apathetic non-citizens fair? Emma Thomas asks if we are really so ballot-box shy

Main image: student life involves beer, tv and facebook. Inset images: scenes of student protest show that not everyone flirting in a bingo hall than they are to be playing pool in a youth centre.

So it seems young people aren’t voting, shouldn’t campaigning politicians see that as their problem to solve not ours? Apparently not, rather it seems they have adopted the old saying ‘You can take the horse to water but you can’t make it drink’.

I’d rather say feed it a bag of nuts and it might get thirsty. But less of the

Medical experts have discovered the reason for teenage apathytheir brains make them lazy”

animal analogy, it’s bad enough that we’re told our brains make us lazy.

We need solutions….

A recent POWER inquiry suggested the voting age be lowered to 16 to encourage political participation from a younger age. The idea is that giving young people a sense of responsibility would awaken an earlier engagement in active citizenship, a characteristic typically equated to adulthood. However, sceptics argue, without effective means of activating youth awareness, this plan will simply lower the participation percentage rates… and we wouldn’t want to tarnish such a highly polished government statistic would we?

Perhaps the only effective solution is a totalitarian one. Adopting the Australian system wherein voting is compulsory would most certainly

increase the red tape and cost of elections, but would it convert Britain’s youth into political oracles or provoke resentment in a distanced yet ironically unavoidable system?

Politicians love to let the facts speak for themselves, or should we say let the statistics department do some creative maths. Yet it seems political parties really do want to be associated with youth. New Labour’s 1997 ‘Cool Britannia’ campaign epitomises politicians’ incessant desire to be associated with ‘the future’. The Labour’ party’s pledge cards made five promises, two of which were associated with improving the lives of young people. In respect of the party’s victory it seems the image of a youth led agenda works. But the voting figures suggest it’s not the young which the young agenda attracts.

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VOTE-APHOBICS? U PHOTO : JAMES PERO

ence? Surely 25,000 students have a power to make a change. Do we think that student politics is irrelevant and doesn’t effect us? Certainly nothing is more dear to our hearts than the price of a pint in The Taf? Student elections are a microcosm of national politics. We don’t think we have the power and we can’t associate the consequences with our actions. Perhaps for this year’s elections we should wake up and smell the people power.

Research in 2007 claimed to get information straight from the mouths of the guilty. Questioning young people on politics exposed a general distrust of politicians as a cause of disengagement. Undeniably, a middle-aged man in a suit drivelling political jargon is foreign language to many young people. If only more knew that the translation process would sound something like… Tories to abolish tuition fees…students will have a spare £3000 cash floating around each year…a.k.a an extra round of drinks a day. This brings to question the formal system of po-

PHOTO : JAMES PERO U

67% of young people would vote for politicians who listen and respond to concern

e indulges in apathy Many an occasion in May has witnessed my whole entourage of housemates been congregated around the lunch time edition of Neighbours, when a pile of individually addressed envelopes squeezed through the letter box flops on the hall floor to the sound of election frenzy. Whilst one person is disregarding the local MP’s attempt at personal connection as full of jargon and spin, another is concerned what such mass printing is costing the environment, whilst the rest of us are distraught at the amount of coffee table space, (rare and precious at the best of times) being consumed.

But if we can’t be accessed on the comfort of our own ketchup stained sofa, how can we be captured by politics? Less than 1 in 10 of us think direct mail influences the way

There was a 6% increase in the number of students who voted in the 2007 SU elections compared to the previous year we vote. As a generation for which snail mail is an anachronism, the best way to reach us is through the box. 2 in 5 young people believe that watching party election broadcasts has influenced their voting choice. This is the widest reaching medium of political communication, it is accessible and convenient. Apparently, the government cannot expect success

from methods any more taxing upon an already sleeping youth.

Yet the effectiveness of new mediums could be an illusion. Just because the Liberal Democrats Youth and Students facebook group has 493 members, will every single one make the effort to vote for the party?

Are such political groups just a statement of shallow collectivism evident in our pseudo-social culture? I am a member of the “Pigeon Racing is not just a sport, it’s a way of life and we love it” group…have I ever been anywhere near a pigeon? …No! However, it seems taking politics on-line has made a significant impact on student politics. The 2007 Cardiff Students’ Union sabbatical elections witnessed the multi-media invasion of student politics. 2007 was the first year candidates were allowed to text

potential voters and use facebook groups to canvas support for their campaign. The statistics prove the progress...you loved it.

There was a 6% increase in the number of you voting in the 2007 elections compared to 2006. It seems when politics makes contact with young people through the mediums at our convenience we wake up and listen.

An eternally ‘gimmicky’ month, student election campaigns are filled with silly costumes and catchy slogans, the brainchild of “Education, Education, Education” should learn from.

Nonethless during the 2007 sabbatical elections 3998 students voted (Official Students’ Union Figures).

That means a staggering 84% of you failed to exercise your right. Is this for the same reason we dodge a date with government elections? Do we think our vote wont make a differ-

litical education… alas, I apologise, how can I place under scrutiny a fictional system?

Until a structured system of political education is introduced, the babies of the 80s, 90s and beyond will falter at the first hurdle in civic duty. It is illogical to demand attention when policy fails to be made relevant. Also unrealistic to expect young people to make their ballot paper count when they don’t understand the principles they are voting for.

Today’s youth are not lazy; they have been failed by the political system. It is not young people who are to blame for selective hearing; instead it is the fault of the political elite for neglecting to market their acknowledgement and concern for the interest of young people. As 41% of young people feel their views are not heard, an overwhelming 67% said they would vote for politicians who would listen and respond to concern. This isn’t astrophysics, but why don’t politicians seem to be listening? More to the point, is Rhodri Morgan reading?

Essentially, youth and politics are trapped in an unsuccessful romance, lost in translation. Our political behaviour is simply a reflection of the wider societal trend of individualism defeating collectivism. Young people are frustrated at being labelled a homogenous group of apathetic fools.

But sadly the catch-22 persists - the only way to break away from this image of a dormant state, is to break free from the martyrdom of being misunderstood. Leave the warrior paint at home, get in-line to vote!

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The Destitution

With immigration remaining an unsolved issue, Owen Davis from the Refugees organisation, STAR, explores the severity of the situation a

“T

here are 280,000 refused asylum seekers living destitute in the UK today.”

What part of this statement are you most drawn to? Is it the figure, “280,000”? Is it “refused asylum seekers”? Or is it the word “destitute”? For many, the phrase “refused asylum seekers” is the instant decider. Its hugely negative connotations, created largely by the media, are enough to override whatever else is being suggested. Perhaps if the media had placed anywhere near as much focus on the other key phrase in this statement, “living destitute,” then the opinions of many might be different.

Okay, if we push aside the statement for a moment and concentrate on what exactly is meant by “living destitute”?

According to the Collins Shorter Dictionary and Thesaurus the word ‘destitute’ means: “1. in absolute want” and “2. in great need, devoid (of)” and finally “3. penniless”. Clearly, somebody who is ‘destitute’ is in a pretty bad state.

Destitution in the UK today seems to be an interesting loophole in the idea of a supposedly Christian and humane society. Those who are destitute are in effect second-class citizens. They are denied the most basic human rights that our country prides itself on providing for all, namely access to healthcare and

education. There have been cases where people have been diagnosed with cancer and told to “come back when it gets worse”; in essence the state is leaving people to die. Personally, I do not want to live in a country that is willing to do this to anyone and I am sure neither do you.

Now may be a good time to reassess the statement. Bearing in mind the facts about what “living destitute” actually means, what should take precedence the fact that these people are “refused asylum seekers” or the fact that they are “living destitute”? Amnesty International UK and STAR (Student Action For Refugees) are running a joint campaign which tackles precisely this issue. It is called Still Human, Still Here and it seeks to remind both the government and the general public that the way that refused asylum seekers are being treated in the UK at the moment is a moral outrage.

Asylum seekers are denied the most basic human rights that our country prides itself on The title of this article is ‘The Des-

titution Trap’ which is something that needs to be explained in more detail. At the moment if you are a refused asylum seeker (that is to say somebody who has come to the UK and attempted to gain fully legitimate refugee status and been denied it) then you face deportation back to your country of origin. The problem with this is that many immigrants who seek sanctuary in Britain do so through a genuine fear for their lives in their own countries. Given the huge prejudice against asylum seekers at the moment it is often the case that the home office is able to force the deportation of many whom the threat to their lives is far greater than can be anticipated.

The government currently uses the threat of destitution as a weapon against these people, giving them the choice of a miserable, inhumane life in the UK or any number of horrors in their country of origin, (hence ‘The Destitution Trap’). You may think that this sounds like hyperbole or melodrama. I can assure you it is not; and the reason it is not is because the horrors of the asylum process have been masked from the public eyes and, in many cases, replaced by ‘scare stories’ about asylum seekers in the tabloids. In my short experience (one year) of working with asylum seekers. In Cardiff alone, I have come across stories of people

The reality of life for asylum seekers in the UK has been so hugely distorted being beaten up at airports and others facing deportation to countries where the threat of torture and execution are all too apparent.

Recently, we petitioned the home office to stop the deportation of a local woman back to her country of origin, Cameroon. She had fled Cameroon because she was being forced into a marriage that she did not want to be in.

One of the conditions of this marriage was that she would undergo female genital mutilation. Although this was obviously only her account, we have no reason to believe that she was lying as this horrific abuse of women is very commonplace in Cameroon. After she left her family her father informed the police and put an announcement in a national newspaper offering a reward for finding her. After fleeing to Cardiff in 2005 and establishing herself in the local community it has taken the government two years to process and reject her claim for asylum; she now faces imminent deportation or a life in poverty and hiding in the UK.

Surely you do not have to be a genius to realise that if she is sent back to Cameroon now, especially given the fact that she was wanted by the police, her life is going to be in grave danger.

This is just one example of the injustice of the current system which has impossibly strict and inaccurate rules for what exactly constitutes a claim for legitimate asylum. Incidentally, despite our best efforts, this woman’s claim was still rejected and the last that we heard of her was that she went into hiding.

When it comes to fighting for these people it often feels like we are fighting a losing battle; it seems impossible to convince people of the reality of the situation as there are the constant inanely incorrect counter-arguments from the tabloids. This could continue all day and that is no exaggeration, simply because the reality of life for asylum seekers and refugees in the UK has been so hugely distorted. For the sake of the sceptics, it is worth shedding some true light on the reality of asylum in the UK today: 1. We are not being ‘swamped’ by asylum seekers; the UK is currently host to just 3% of the world’s refugees and ranks 8th in Europe for the number of refugees we house per capita.

2. They are not sponging off the state; or off the ‘taxpayer’ as is often the preferred word. A single person apply-

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n Trap

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A Brief Guide to the Immigration Issue The government is planning to crack down on the number of people arriving in the UK, both legally and illegally over the next five years. The new plans include tightening the borders to deter illegal immigrants, fines for employers using illegal workers and assessment of skills, including English tests.

There will be changes to the way asylum seekers are allowed to stay. Cases will be reviewed every five years to assess if it is safe for them to return home.

Most immigrants come to Britain looking for a better quality of life, in terms of education, healthcare, but mostly as a safe place away from war, political instability, human rights abuses and conflict. The issue becomes more complicated as the government cannot agree on a sensible solution. Some people believe that Britain cannot cope with the number of immigrants arriving into the country and that overcrowding, and lack of jobs and money mean that we must curb numbers. There are also worries about the loss of Britain’s cultural identity. Others think that we should share our trouble-free country and utilise the skills that immigrants offer.

e Student Action for and calls for our support ing for asylum receives approximately £40 per week to live on which is 30% below the poverty line, (it is illegal for an asylum seeker to work so they have no other form of income).

3. They are not crooks, thugs, or rapists; contrary to what the tabloids may have us believe asylum seekers are much more likely to be the victims of crime rather than the perpetrators. A study by Refugee Action found that one in five of their clients had experienced some kind of harassment while 83% of asylum seeking women did not go out at night through fear of abuse or harassment.

The government uses the threat of destitution as a weapon against these people I know by now you’re probably thinking, okay he’s made his point but what is the solution? The answer to that is that the question of asylum is not one that has a straightforward solution. Personally, I think there is a lot of work to be done to support these people; however I am not ignorant to the fact that my view may be different

if I was in the position of somebody whose job had recently been taken by an immigrant. Certainly public awareness needs to be raised about the reality of being an asylum seeker or refugee in the UK and the struggle that they have simply to survive.

The problem of destitution is one with more manageable solutions. The Still Human, Still Here campaign suggests that ‘where an individual cannot be returned safely, through no fault of their own, they should be granted a form of temporary leave that allows them to work and access basic support.’

This seems like a viable option, allowing individuals to contribute to the UK economy and society whilst stopping them falling into abject poverty.

Finally, it is worth pointing out that by continuing to force refused asylum seekers into destitution the government is going against Article 25 (1) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that states that “Everyone has the right to…food, clothing, housing and medical care”. How can we continue to allow this?

On March 5th Amnesty International UK and STAR will be having a national sleep-out to highlight the plight of destitute asylum seekers in the UK. If you wish to take part in the Cardiff sleepout than please contact me at cardiff.star@hotmail.co.uk.

The government believes it’s important for asylum seekers to settle in the country, but closer assessment will be introduced.

Those whose applications are not successful will be sent home.

However, there is a question about whether asylum seekers receive a full hearing: there have been reports that cuts to legal provisions have resulted in limited legal representation.

Also, with 70% of seekers refused asylum in Britain - and only a small number receiving the vital ‘Section 4’ support from the government - the problem of destitution is increasing.

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Team Members Ref: 53

Catering Vacancies Ref: 51

Local cinema requires staff for ushering, retail and box office duties. You must be available to work evenings and at least 2 days over the weekend (Friday evening/Saturday/Sunday).

Applicants must also have good communication skills. £5.52

The official caterers to a national racecourse are looking for bar staff, waiting staff, team leaders, chefs, catering assistants, wash-ups and porters interested in working as part of a team for the duration of a major horse racing event being held from 11th - 14th March. £5.52

Workshop Assembly Technician Ref: 54

Nursery Assistant Ref: 48

Electronic manufacturing company requires assembly technicians for flexible work 10 - 25 hours per week. No specific skills required as full training will be given, but you must have a conscientious attitude and common sense. £5.52

Welsh language nursery school is looking for responsible and caring welsh speakers to assist with general duties including playing and aiding in the children’s development and various domestic duties. Some experience would be preferable, and you MUST be a welsh speaker. £5.52

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FEBRUARY.25.2008

23

JOBS & MONEY

JOBS@gairrhydd.COM

- STUDENT VOLUNTEERING WEEK - STUDENT VOLUNTEERING WEEK -

Graduate

Give it up for

This week sees the start of Student Volunteering Week. Samantha Curry finds out how getting involved can help you with your future career

W

ˆ

ith more and more young people heading off to university each year, employers are increasing being given the opportunity to handpick their new recruits from large groups of graduates.

So when approaching the minefield of the modern recruitment world, it becomes clear that you need to offer far more than a display of academic ability.

An individual needs to set themselves apart from the crowd by offering more than simply job-specific skills.

There is a high demand for graduates with transferable employability skills that can be drawn upon in a range of workplaces and contexts. Individuals who can provide these have an advantage over their competitors.

This essential “X - factor” can be achieved through becoming a student volunteer.

Recent research shows that student volunteers are more likely to get jobs as their commitment to such roles highlights their personal skills and initiative, making them more employable.

A survey for the Charity V indicates that “giving up time and effort to a nonpaid job can greatly enhance a candidates employability”.

The skills gained from volunteering can also be transferred to the work environment as Rachel Campbell, the business advisor from KPMG, highlights; “Those who have volunteered are

often more self confident and selfaware, which certainly comes across in interviews”.

The skills gained from volunteering can also be transferred to the work environment The resources gained by volunteers allow the confident and competent application of essential workplace skills

such as teamwork, leadership, communication, problem solving and listening skills.

These not only enhance employability when seeking a job but also increase productivity once that dream job has been captured.

So how can you get involved within the community and place your own CV at the top of the prospective employment pile?

Cardiff University’s SVC (Student Volunteering Centre) is one of the largest student volunteering organisations in the country.

It offers a helping hand to a wide

variety of individuals and organisations within and around the Cardiff area with real visible results.

SVC aims to empower disadvantaged and vulnerable people, and as a result hopes to broaden opportunities and increase the diversity of the community as a whole.

Volunteers are offered the opportunity to take an active lead in these projects, to improve the effectiveness of the organisation and most importantly to develop their own personal skills.

The breadth of opportunities available for volunteers is vast. With projects in a variety of areas and interests, there is sure to be something that will interest you personally.

Volunteers can choose to get involved in various different schemes within the areas of education, young people with learning disabilities, children, sport, mental health, homelessness, the environment, older people and many more.

Each scheme offers a unique experience that hopes to excel personal growth and development within both the community and the volunteer.

National Volunteering week is fast approaching and Cardiff University will be hosting its own annual Student Volunteering week from 25th February.

This week gives you a chance to get involved in a project, set yourself on the road to a better CV, whilst at the same time making a real difference within the community.

Student Volunteering Week 2008

Case study 1

Case Study 2

25th & 26th February

Suzie Williams volunteers with children with learning difficulties.

Matt Joyce tells us how SVC has helped him when finding a job.

“I have been volunteering for the Ty Gwyn project since October. It is a school for children with severe learning difficulties.

Last semester I worked with a class of children aged around 4 to 6 who were very low functioning, so it was mostly sensory work. We also did group activities with other classes such as music therapy and ‘sing and sign’ sessions, so the children got used to being in social situations.

This semester I am working with a slightly higher functioning class who are a little bit older and some pupils are very verbal. It is quite a mixed group in terms of disabilities, so we have facilities in the classroom to engage all the children. We also take the children out on the bus on a Thursday afternoon which they love.

The work has been very rewarding and a good learning experience as I want to work with people with disabilities as a career.”

“I first volunteered with the Soundbeam project. This project involved music therapy with severely disabled children, and I went on to coordinate the project in my second year.

During my third year, I ran an after school club for 7-11 year olds, and was also persuaded to be the Social Secretary on SVC’s Board of Trustees.

During my final year I became SVC’s Chairman. This gave me an insight into teamwork, managing differing opinions and leadership skills.

Volunteering experience undoubtedly gave me a ‘foot in the door’ to my current job because it demonstrates all of the skills that an employer looks for; teamwork, leadership, responsibility, punctuality, reliability and social responsibility.

It has also given me the confidence to say to my employers that we as a business should have some volunteering projects for staff - an idea they have agreed to.”

SVC stall in the Union reception. Come and find out a bit more about SVC and volunteering.

28th February - Speakeasy!

Night of live music with a raffle in CF10. Entry £3

1st March - Staff Volunteering at Tyˆ Gwyn School.

Creating a sensory garden for children with learning disabilities.

Throughout the week SVC are having a clothes collection for homeless shelters in Cardiff. Please drop off any unwanted items to the SVC office on the third floor of the union.

S

arah Day graduated in 2007 with a combined BA in Journalism, Film and Media and Cultural Criticism. She now works full time for SVC. What is your job title?

I am a Project Worker for Student Volunteering Cardiff (SVC). We are a student lead charity that provides volunteering opportunities for Cardiff students to enhance the lives of disadvantaged and vulnerable people in the community.

Where are you based?

I am based in the Student’s Union, 3rd floor.

Briefly describe what your job involves e.g. your day to day responsibilities.

My job involves running the Home & Away project which works with children with learning disabilities, working with student coordinators and supervising their projects as well as general office duties.

On a day to day basis I talk to students who come into the office wanting to volunteer.

How did you apply for your job?

Briefly describe any interview/assessment process that you went through.

I applied through handing in an application form and had an interview in June. I found out I had the job on the day of the Summer Ball!

The interview was based around my previous experience as a project coordinator for SVC, and other work experience and volunteer work.

I was also asked about my knowledge of the demands placed on students and where I hoped the job would lead me.

What is the best/worst thing about your job?

The best thing about my job is that I get to interact with lovely students who are giving up their time to volunteer in the community. It’s very rewarding and everyday is different.

The worst thing is when students go home for Christmas break or during the summer as it is so quiet in the office!

What advice would you give to students thinking of entering a similar field?

Anyone thinking of applying to work for a charity should try to get as much volunteer experience as possible, as it illustrates that you are committed enough to give up your free time and that you are reliable.

Also try and get involved with a charity as much as possible, and take an active interest in how the charity works.

By going above and beyond your volunteer role you will already have one foot in the door ready for any opportunities that may come up.

Do you know anyone who has graduated recently and wouldn’t mind answering a few questions for Graduate? If you do, e-mail us at jobs@gairrhydd. com

24 gairrhydd

CHWEFROR.25.2008

TAF-OD

TAF-OD@gairrhydd.COM

‘Eisteddfod’ Rhyng-Gol?

Un o uchafbwyntiau blwyddyn goleg y myfyriwr Cymreig yw’r Eisteddfod Ryng-golegol a gynhaliwyd eleni yng Nghaerfyrddin.

Gwilym Dwyfor Golygydd Taf-od

D

wi ddim am droedio’r tir peryglus o enwi pob unigolyn o Gaerdydd a brofodd lwyddiant yn yr Eisteddfod Ryng-golegol yn Nghaerfyrddin ychydig dros wythnos yn ôl. Pe bawn yn ceisio gwneud hynny fe fyddwn yn siwr o anghofio rhywun, felly gwell peidio enwi neb er mwyn cadw’r ddysgl yn wastad! O ran cytadlaethau’r corau a’r partïon daeth y Gym Gym i’r brig yng nghystadleuaeth y parti sioe gerdd a’r côr bechgyn.

Ail oedd Caerdydd pan gyhoeddwyd marciau terfynol y diwrnod. Fel y llynedd, daethom yn ail i’r brifysgol oedd yn cystadlu ar ei thir ei hun; Bangor yn achos 2007 a Choleg y Drindod eleni. Bydd unrhyw un sydd wedi mynychu eisteddfod ryng-golegol yn gwybod bod ychydig o ffafriaeth a dweud y lleiaf yn cael ei roi i’r tîm sy’n cynnal yr eisteddfod, ac wrth ystyried hynny, roedd dod yn ail yn ganlyniad da, bron cystal ag ennill i bob pwrpas! Yn ogystal â chanmol llwyddiannau Caerdydd ar y llwyfan dylid clodfori agwedd y Gym Gym yn y gynulleidfa hefyd. Teg dweud ein bod ar y cyfan, yn rhoi perffaith chwarae teg i’r colegau eraill wrth iddynt gystadlu sydd yn fwy nag y gellir ei ddweud am rai o’r colegau hynny, (heb enwi neb – Aber).

Yn anffodus, ymddengys bod y diffyg gwrandawiad a’r mân siarad yma

wrth i bobl gystadlu, yn nodwedd o’r Eisteddfod Ryng-golegol. Roedd pob coleg yn euog o hyn i raddau gwahanol drwy gydol y diwrnod. Dylid prysuro i nodi nad oedd y sefyllfa eleni cynddrwg a’r llynell pan yr oedd y bar yn yr un ystafell a’r eisteddfod ei hun. O leiaf, eleni roedd strwythyr y lleoliad yn well, a doedd dim swn uniongyrchol o’r bar, er mai hwnnw oedd gwraidd y broblem o hyd y mae’n debyg. Dyma un o lawer o resymau pam y gellid codi’r cwestiwn: ai ‘eisteddfod’ yw’r digwyddiad blynyddol hwn mewn gwirionedd?

Ai ‘eisteddfod’ yw’r digwyddiad blynyddol hwn mewn gwirionedd?

Yn sicr, o ran ymddygiad y gynulleidfa, ac ambell un ar y llwyfan hefyd does dim llawer o debygrwydd yn yr ‘eisteddfod’ hon i Eisteddfod yr Urdd er enghraifft. Tebycach i eisteddfod y mudiad Ffermwyr Ieuanc yw hi o bosib’, ond eto, caiff y cystadleuwyr chwarae teg yn yr eisteddfod honno hefyd. Cyn i neb feddwl fy mod yn rhyw hen ddyn diflas, dwi ddim yn ceisio dweud am un munud bod rhywbeth o’i le ar y digwyddiad rhyng-golegol yma fel ag y mae, cynigia’r awyrgylch ysgafn rhywbeth gwahanol i ‘eisteddfodau’ eraill,

ac mae hynny’n beth da. Ond tybed a ddylid cysylltu’r gair ‘eisteddfod’ â digwyddiad o’r fath? Gair a thraddodiad sydd mor bwysig i hunaniaeth Cymru. A fyddai ffug-eisteddfod yn fwy addas?

Efallai ddim, ond pe bai ffugeisteddfod ar y nos Wener dyweder, yn ogystal â’r eisteddfod ei hun ar y dydd Sadwrn, byddai mwy o le wedyn i’r cystadlaethau ysgafn a’r gefnogaeth swnllyd. Gyda threfniant felly gallai pawb fwynhau cystadlu meddwol ar y nos Wener, ac yna nyrsio eu pen-maenmawr gyda diwrnod o gystadlu safonol ar y dydd Sadwrn, heb orfod dioddef sgets erchyll sy’n cynnwys mwy o re-

giadau na phennod o ‘Ramseys Kitchen Nightmares’! Mae ffug-eisteddfodau rhyng-golegaidd wedi’u cynnal yn y gorffennol a byddwn i yn un person a

Wrth gwrs, gellid gwella ar y sefyllfa bresennol heb wneud newidiadau mor fawr. fyddai yn eu croesawy’n ôl.

Wrth gwrs, gellid gwella ar y sefyllfa bresennol heb wneud newidiadau

mor fawr. Byddai trefnu amserlen y dydd fel bod prif gystadleuthau’r corau ac ati yn digwydd yn nghynt yn gwneud lles. Byddai safon y cystadlaethau hyn ar eu hennill o gael cystadleuwyr sobrach, ac yna gallai pawb fwynhau hiwmor y sgets, y deuawd doniol a’r dawnsio disgo yn hwyrach ymlaen yn y dydd.

Ond waeth beth ddywed neb am y digwyddiad, mae pawb yn mwynhau yn y bôn, ac yn sicr doedd eleni ddim yn eithriad. Mae’n gyfle gwych i weld hen ffrindiau o golegau eraill ac yn esgis am drip bach a newid o Gaerdydd am un diwrnod.

Pafiliwn yr Eisteddfod Genedlaethol: Eisteddfod mwy traddodiadol na’r Eisteddfod Ryng-Golegol?

Ein Byd - Rhan 2

Parhad o drafodaeth yr wythnos diwethaf yngly ˆn â’r papur newydd dyddiol Cymraeg, na fydd erbyn hyn yn cael ei sefydlu.

Ffion James Golygydd Taf-od

Y

n gyntaf, ymddiheuriadau am yr erthygl a gafodd ei gwastraffu'r wythnos diwethaf. Ysgrifennais erthygl ar hanes y papur newydd dyddiol Cymraeg Y Byd, a gwneud rhyw fath o hwyl am ben y Cymry am beidio â gallu cyrraedd targedau mewn pryd.

I’r rheini ohonoch sy’n darllen y papurau dyddiol ac yn edrych ar y newyddion, mi fyddwch yn gwybod beth ddigwyddodd nesaf. Ond i’r gweddill ohonoch, dyma a ddigwyddodd.

Dim ond deuddydd wedi i’m herthygl gael ei gyrru i gael ei phrintio, roedd penawdau’r newyddion yn darllen ‘Ergyd i’r Byd’. Yn syml iawn, ni fydd y papur newydd Cymraeg dyddiol yn cael ei sefydlu o gwbl erbyn hyn.

Y prif reswm dros y penderfyniad yma yw diffyg neu brinder cefnogaeth ac arian. Mae’r cwmni ‘Dyddiol Cyf.’ a

oedd tu cefn i’r papur dyddiol, Y Byd, yn beio llywodraeth y cynulliad am eu penderfyniad i beidio â sefydlu’r papur newydd. Roedd y cynllun busnes wedi gobeithio cael £600,000 o arian cyhoeddus pob blwyddyn er mwyn sefydlu’r papur newydd, ond cyhoeddodd y Gweinidog Treftadaeth, Rhodri

...roedd penawdau’r newyddion yn darllen, ‘Ergyd i’r Byd’...

cyhoeddi y byddai’n gorfod cau o ganlyniad i broblemau ariannol.

Mae aelodau Cymdeithas yr Iaith wedi creu deiseb ar y we er mwyn ceisio arbed Y Byd rhag mynd drwy’r to. Ond, os nad yw’r arian ar gael, onid gwastraff amser yw protestio a cheisio cael cymaint o bobl ag sy’n bosib arw-

y pen draw?

Ydych chi’n gweld bai ar y Cynulliad am beidio â chyfrannu mwy o arian i’r fenter? Yn ôl y son, mae Llywodraeth y Cynulliad yn trin a thrafod beth i’w wneud nesaf ynglyˆn â’r papur newydd dyddiol, ond mae’r dewis yn syml. Unai

...sut a pham nad oed sigon o ariad i sefydlu cynllun papur newydd dyddiol a allai fod yn arf ieithyddol i sicrhau dyfodol y Gymraeg?

Glyn Thomas, mai dim ond £200,000 fyddai ar gael mewn gwirionedd.

Cafodd y Gweinidog Treftadaeth ei gynghori i gefnogi’r syniad o redeg papur newydd dyddiol Cymraeg dwy nodi fod papur newydd Gwyddeleg (Lá mae’n rhaid iddynt gynyddu’r cyllid Nua) yn cael ei gynnal ar £200,000 y a’r gefnogaeth i sefydlu papur newydd flwyddyn. Ond yn eironig iawn, cafodd ail, pan roddodd y papur newydd Y Byd: Yr angen am bapur newydd dyddiol Cymraeg, neu ai’r dewis arall yddo deiseb a fydd yn mynd yn ofer yn yw gollwng cynllun yn gyfan gwbl?

Gwyddeleg ddatganiad i’r wasg yn dyddiol Cymraeg

Gwn fod nifer o’r farn ein bod ni fel Cymry Cymraeg yn haeddu papur newydd dyddiol annibynnol.

Ond pa ddyfodol sydd gan ymgyrch fel hyn pan mae Golygydd Y Byd yn ymddiswyddo'r eiliad y mae’n teimlo mymryn o bwysau ar ei ysgwyddau?

Efallai fod fy erthygl i'r wythnos diwethaf wedi temtio ffawd, ond nid yw hynny’n debygol iawn! Wyddwn i ddim amdanoch chi, ond mi rydw i o’r farn fod rhaid i Lywodraeth y Cynulliad deimlo rhyw fath o fygythiad er mwyn gwneud iddynt sylweddoli fod angen y papur newydd dyddiol yma arnom ni, yn hytrach na’u bod yn taflu pres at sefydliadau eraill megis Canolfan y Mileniwm a’r Ardd Fotaneg (dim byd yn erbyn y rheini wrth gwrs).

Ond, os oes digon o arian i’r sefydliadau hyn gael grant blynyddol yn ogystal ag arian ychwanegol a’r ben y rhain, sut a pham nad oes digon o arian i sefydlu cynllun papur newydd dyddiol a allai fod yn arf ieithyddol i sicrhau dyfodol i’r Gymraeg?

OCTOBER.22.2007 FEATURES@gairrhydd.COM

gairrhydd

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FEATURES

14 gairrhydd

FUN RU OCTOBER.22.2007

FUN RUN

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Brian Dias Chloe Gallagher Manurie Gurdka Shar Katheryn Poole Vardaan Agarwal April Marquch Nia Beagles Phil Henshaw Daniel Henshaw Josh Morris Tom Evans Phil Richardson James Wilding David Phelps Lucy Monk Laura Macleod Iris Koh Chris Powmay Laura Harrington Marked Dafydd Gin Jhen Alex Aowe David Harrington Smith David Underhill Shreenivas Raju Alison Mctiffin Jenny James Daniel Williams Jess Greyson Helen Reay Marc Rosato Jon Seeley Gareth Davies Clair Willson Adam Bruce Smith Nick Warrener Jamie Sammes Nikki Cavill Sarah Okel Mark Pendered Rob Northover Sam Ausitin Amy Mills Gemma Phillips Dan Jones Alex Senn Rich Poulten Robert Elis Dan John Ted Shiress Danio Bent Beckey Wilcock Mikey B Jon Blair Sam Shillabeer Ammelia Chin Luke Smith Ed the spud Natalie Daghedtani Chyi Chern Lee Jared Gethin Rhiannon Phillip Peter Exley Aanye Woodridge Alex Wilson Alex Mackay Katrina Duggan Ellie Joy J R Davies Riece Emmitt Phil Dr Kelso Lianne Russ

FEATURES@gairrhydd.COM

On 16 February 2008 Cardiff student in a 5km fun run to encourage Ca 101.

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Thomas Wright Dan Drummand Riethe du Plassis Oliver Woods Gwil the gay Conran Simon Williams Ben Orr Sam Davies Ed John

UN 2008 OCTOBER.22.2007

FEATURES@gairrhydd.COM

ts donned their trainers to take part ardiff University to Invest in Sport.

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Danielle Jones Tom Dale Elane Brigg Simon MccReddie George Danger Pawley Tiffany L Ross Howel Chris Watkins Alex Alsworth

gairrhydd

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FUN RUN

245. Hannah Wisbey 246. Helen Miller 247. Chloe Upson 248. Becky Smith 249. Matthew Hadden 250. Tom Curtlin 251. Sally Airey 252. Jenny Willis 253. Gareth Lewis 254. Katie Brooker 255. Ed Fowler 256. Lydia James 257. Glenn Addicott 258. Laura Salt 259. Lewis Gewe 260. Mark Evans 261. Thomas Wright 262. Matt Button - Stephens 263. Jonny Sleeman 264. Jo Curley 265. Ben the birdie Bryant 266. Rich Woods 267. Justin Underwood 268. Jon Gait 269. Elliot Morritt 270. Mark Thaller 271. Sally Love-Wood 272. Laura Thomson 273. James Grant 274. Claire Richardson 275. Rachel Thomas 276. Jaymi Hannaford Clarke 277. Sarah Ramsdew 278. Karl Range 279. Martin Engel 280. Vannessa Groark 281 Katie Dick 282. Greg Tompkins 283. Adiesa 284. Ben Cottah 285. James Rooker 286. Anita Holine 287. Lee Macaulay 288. Tom Rolands 289. Tom Jones 290. Ciara Duggan 291. Joy 292. Jo Plumms 293. Lynne Bazza 294. Adam Woodward 295. Megan De silva 296. Rebekah Wisbey 297. Dave Jones 298. Laura Powell 299. Sarah Fox 300. Corinne Locke 301. Jo de Mellow 302. Joe Horton 303. Toby Hazelwood 304. Rhys Davis 305. Henry Whiting 306. D Rocke 307. John Stevens 308. Andy ButtonStephens gair rhydd would like to thank the AU office for compiling this list of fun run participants.

Photography by Ed Salter.

14 gairrhydd

FEATURES

OCTOBER.22.2007 FEATURES@gairrhydd.COM

gairrhydd

FEBRUARY.25.2008 TELEVISION@gairrhydd.COM .

HOT Sleep: There is nothing better than lying in bed half awake knowing that not far away other people are in lectures. It’s pure bliss.

D

!TELLY!

o you need help getting the ultimate orgasm or perhaps you just fancy looking good in the buff or maybe just sorting out your eating habits? Whatever it is televison is here to help. There has a been a recent cultural obsession with self-help programs, from How to look Good Naked with Gok Wan to Dr Betty: The 77 year old sexologist. These programs pose under the guise of helping people and in turn society with the more taboo elements of life but if we, the oh so delightful audience are honest with ourselves it’s all a bit of a freakshow.

Nothing is more appealing than watching Gok transform a frightful looking woman into a frightful looking woman with plucked eyebrows and a dose of confidence. This has little to do with the experience of the individual on the program and more to do with the secret sense of glee that you are nowhere near as ming.

Turning over a new leaf

There is also the sheer amount of bouncing boobs on show. I’ve always queried the need for participants to be topless when they are only testing out face cream.

Either way it gives the boys something to ogle at without the shame attached and a chance for the ladies to compare body shapes.

Channel 4’s Super-

size vs Superskinny follows this trend. Here we have someone who is morbidly obese swap diets with someone who is disturbingly under-

SPORT T h i s weeks live terrestrial football comes from the Riverside as Middlesbrough take on Sheffield United in this FA Cup 5th round replay. Coverage starts from 8:00pm via the Beeb, with Bryan Robson no longer at the helm and Middlesbrough’s lack of form and general shiteness the Blades could quite possibly dump a further Premier League team out of the competition.

Boro will be hoping their £12m man Afonso Alves starts to justify his hefty price tag and

that their fans actually show up. There’s a hilarious video of David Wheater on youtube (search ‘Middlesbrough defender David Wheater) encouraging the Boro fans to show up and support the team, lots of crap about the pride and passion he feels pulling o n the Boro shirt, wanker.

FUDGE TUNNEL

weight. Again we have the classic shots of the participants in just their underwear. It is really not necessary to see these people half clothed, their body shapes are visible enough in their clothes.

This stripping off could be seen as a form of ritual humiliation or somehow empowering. My money is on humiliation because I doubt there are many people sitting on their sofas muttering encouraging words when the ‘supersizer’ pops on screen.

Talking of humilation, it is not only these body confidence programs that indulge, the sex ones do as well. I’ll give anyone a pound if they can explain to me how Virgin School was anything more than the public h u milia-

SOAPS The pitter-patter of teenytiny feet on the Weatherfield cobbles is resounding in my ears, because it’s all about babies and childbirth in Corrie this week...how delightful! Jamie has now returned, to find Violet cradling her new

addition. Yet their

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TELLY

KNOT

The Sheet Bend: It joins two ropes together! If you double your sheet bend it becomes twice as strong.

tion of a socially inept man. It was just a chance for us ‘normals’ who’d been spreading our seed all over the shop to ogle at someone who needed professional help. Testament to this is the existence of numerous facebook groups whom openly mock James the then 26 year old vrigin.

Dear reader, I do not judge those that mock because I too cringed and laughed throughout the program as I did when watching Dr Betty: The 77 year old sexologist.

She described someone’s vagina as a ‘porn pussy’ and everytime she offered to lend a hand I choked on my wholewheat pitta dipped in houmous. My problems with these programs are not the content but with the hypocrisy surrounding it. We as an audience need to accept that these programs are not about helping people, they are the modern day freakshows. And you dear viewer, likes freakshows.

happiness looks set to be turned upside down , in true soap fashion, when Lauren discovers an ad in the paper for their flat. On confrontation, she learns the truth of the couple’s intentions and quickly runs to tell Sean, who is straight on Jamie’s case. However, this, coupled with a fresh inquisition about the birth certificate, just serves to strengthen the duo’s ideas of scarpering with his kid! Poor guy!

Meanwhile. Alex, being the idiot that he is, manages to lose little Amy in the yard, letting her wander off and then ends up locking her in the outside loo! What will Steve do? Lock him up aswell and

FILM BICENTENNIAL MAN, BBC1, SATURDAY Touching film with Robin Williams as an emotional android. We follow him over two centuries as he strives to become human. If you’re looking for a bit of warm and fuzzy then this is your film, let this tale tug at your heartstrings till it hurts.

BLACK KNIGHT, BBC1, SATURDAY Riding on his success from dressing up as an old, fat woman Martin Lawrence brings us the tale of an amusement park worker who wakes up in 14th century England. You hardly need to watch the film, as all the “humour” is tired and predictable. Let’s hope there’s a scene where he teaches the locals all about hip-hop, I live for that level of cinematic artistry.

CHICAGO, BBC1, SUNDAY If you like a good sing-along or just love women in underwear there’s no excuse for missing this musical romp following Roxie Hart on death row. A personal favourite of mine, if not one I’ll admit to.

30 gairrhydd

FEBRUARY.25.2008

TELLY

TELEVISION@gairrhydd.COM

MONDAY Watchdog BBC1 7.30pm

Pulling BBC2 10.00pm

BBC 1

BBC 2

Hidden Loves ITV1 1.20am

25th February Lee Evans’ Birthday

Britain’s Deadliest Addictions C4 9.30am

ITV 1

I Spy five 9.00pm

Channel 4

Five

6:00am Breakfast 9:15am Animal 24:7 10:00am Homes under the Hammer 11:00am To Buy or Not to Buy 11:30am Cash in the Attic 12:15pm Bargain Hunt 1:00pm BBC News; Weather

6:00am CBeebies 10:30am Around Scotland 10:50am Black Britons 11:10am Razzledazzle 11:30am Watch 11:45am Hands Up! 12:00pm The Daily Politics 12:30pm Working Lunch 1:00pm Bobinogs 1:10pm Science Clips

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 Wales News and Weather 11:20am This Morning 12:30pm Loose Women

6:00am Kids TV 7:00am Freshly Squeezed 7:30am Everybody Loves Raymond 8:00am Just Shoot Me 8:30am Frasier 9:00am Will and Grace 9:30am Britain’s Deadliest Addictions 10:00am Power to the People 10:30am The KNTV Show 11:00am The Farm Revealed

6:00am Kids’ TV 9:00am The Wright Stuff 10:30am Trisha Goddard 11:30am Build a New Life in the Country 12:30pm Five News 12:45pm Law and Order

1:30pm Wales Today; Weather 1:40pm Regional News and Weather 1:45pm Doctors 2:15pm Diagnosis Murder 3:00pm BBC News and Weather 3:05pm CBBC

1:20pm Primary Geography 1:30pm Sun, Sea and Bargain Spotting 2:15pm Don’t Get Done, Get Dom 3:00pm Escape to the Country 3:45pm Flog It! 4:30pm Ready Steady Cook

1:30pm ITV Lunchtime News and Weather 2:00pm Dickinson’s Real Deal 2:30pm The Alan Titchmarsh Show 3:29pm Regional Programme 3:30pm The Royal Today 4:00pm Rosemary and Thyme

11:30am KNTV - Philosophy 12:00pm News at Noon 12:30pm A Place in Greece: Year 2 1:00pm A Place in Greece: Year 2 2:55pm Come Dine with Me 3:25pm Countdown 4:15pm Deal or No Deal

1:45pm Neighbours 2:15pm Home and Away 2:50pm Animal Rescue Squad 3:00pm Mary Higgins Clark’s Try to Remember

5:15pm The Weakest Link

5:15pm Britain’s Dream Homes

5:00pm Goldenballs

5:00pm Richard and Judy

5:00pm Five News Kaplinsky 5:30pm Neighbours

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

6:00pm Wales Tonight 6:30pm ITV Evening News and Weather 6:58pm ITV Weather 7:00pm Emmerdale 7:30pm Coronation Street 8:00pm Wales This Week 8:30pm Coronation Street 9:00pm The Palace

6:00pm The Simpsons 6:30pm Hollyoaks 7:00pm Channel 4 News 7:55pm 3 Minute Wonder: Zimbabwe-onThames 8:00pm Checking In to Airport Chaos

6:00pm Home and Away 6:30pm Zoo Days 7:00pm Five News with Kaplinsky 7:30pm How Do They Do It? 8:00pm Fifth Gear

9:00pm Life in Cold Blood

6:00pm Eggheads 6:30pm BrainBox 7:00pm The Twenties in Colour: The Wonderful World of Albert Kahn 7:30pm Mastermind 8:00pm University Challenge 8:30pm Masterchef 9:00pm Transsexual in Iran

9:00pm The Real Knights of the Round Table: A Time Team Special

9:00pm I Spy

10:00pm BBC News; Regional News; Weather 10:25pm Wales Today; Weather 10:35pm X-Ray

10:00pm Pulling 10:30pm Newsnight 11:20pm BBC Four on BBC Two:The Satellite Story

10:00pm News at Ten and Weather 10:19pm ITV Weather 10:25pm Regional News 10:29pm Regional Weather

10:00pm Without a Trace

11:05pm Damages 11:45pm Inside Sport 12:25am White Man’s Burden 1:50am Weatherview 1:55am Digital Stories 2:10am Sign Zone: Olympic Dreams 2:55am Sign Zone: Wanted Down Un-

12:50am Joins BBC News 24 2:00am Suenos - World Spanish 17-20 3:00am Working with the Spanish 3:30am Make Spanish Your Business 1 and 2 5:30am Eurografters: Spain

12:20am UEFA Champions League Weekl 12:50am Expats Under Attack: Tonight 1:20am Hidden Loves 1:45am Nightwatch with Steve Scott: Crime 2:40am Loose Women

11:00pm Without a Trace 12:00am 4 Music: Kimberley Stewart’s Shockwaves NME Awards: Sexiest Man/ Woman 12:15am 4 Music: Kelly Osbourne’s Shockwaves NME Awards: Hero 12:30am Sex Change Hospital

with

Natasha

Natasha

11:00pm Boomerang 1:10am NASCAR: The Sprint Cup 2:00am USPGA Golf 2:50am Sunshine Tour Golf 3:40am NBA 360 4:20am French Football Championnat

PICK OF THE DAY The Alan Titchmarsh Show, ITV, 2.30pm Oh come on, ITV! How on earth has the Titchmarsh managed to blag himself a daily chat show?! It completely baffles me! Sure he can work a garden trowel and lawnmower to perfection, but I’m afraid that’s where his talents end! What ever next...Jade Goody presenting the Daily Politics show?! Now I’m all for giving minor celebs the chance to branch out and spread their wings into other fields great and new...but the only field Titchmarsh should stick to is that of the farming kind! Leave the chat shows to the professionals Alan, because the new Parky you most definitely are not!

02920 229977

20% student discount on all pizzas and starters 62 Crwys Road, Cardiff, CF24 4NN

Le

gairrhydd

FEBRUARY.25.2008

TELLY

TELEVISION@gairrhydd.COM

TUESDAY Film 2008 with Jonathan Ross BBC1 12.00am

Open Gardens BBC2 1.30pm

BBC 1

Ladette to Lady: The Final ITV1 9.00pm

BBC 2

ITV

31

26th February Sandie Shaw’s Birthday

The Woman Who Stops Traffic C4 9.00pm Channel 4

The FBI Files five 12.00am Five

6:00am Breakfast 9:15am Animal 24:7 10:00am Homes under the Hammer 11:00am To Buy or Not to Buy 11:30am Cash in the Attic 12:15pm Bargain Hunt 1:00pm BBC News; Weather

6:00am CBeebies 11:10am Timewatch: Hadrian’s Wall 12:00pm The Daily Politics 12:30pm Working Lunch 1:00pm The Maths Channel - Year 5 1:10pm The Maths Channel - Year 5 1:20pm Primary Geography

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 11:15am ITV Wales News and Weather 11:20am This Morning 12:30pm Loose Women

6:00am Kids TV 7:00am Freshly Squeezed 7:30am Everybody Loves Raymond 8:00am Just Shoot Me 8:30am Frasier 9:00am Will and Grace 9:30am Britain’s Deadliest Addictions 10:00am Power to the People 10:30am The KNTV Show 11:00am The Farm Revealed

6:00am Kids’ TV 9:00am The Wright Stuff 10:30am Trisha Goddard 11:30am Build a New Life in the Country 12:30pm Five News 12:45pm Law and Order

1:30pm Wales Today; Weather 1:45pm Doctors 2:15pm Diagnosis Murder 3:00pm BBC News and Weather 3:05pm Mister Maker 3:25pm Take a Bow 3:30pm CBBC

1:30pm Open Gardens 2:00pm am.pm 3:00pm Escape to the Country 3:45pm Flog It! 4:30pm Ready Steady Cook

1:30pm ITV Lunchtime News and Weather 2:00pm Dickinson’s Real Deal 2:30pm The Alan Titchmarsh Show 3:30pm The Royal Today 4:00pm Rosemary and Thyme

11:30am KNTV - Philosophy 12:00pm News at Noon 12:30pm A Place in Greece: Year 2 1:00pm Small Railway Journeys 1:10pm Seven Days to Noon 2:55pm Come Dine with Me

1:45pm Neighbours 2:15pm Home and Away 2:50pm Animal Rescue Squad 3:00pm Perry Mason: The Case of the Heartbroken Bride

5:15pm The Weakest Link

5:15pm Britain’s Dream Homes

5:00pm Goldenballs

3:25pm Countdown 4:15pm Deal or No Deal 5:00pm Richard and Judy

6:00pm BBC News and Weather 6:30pm Wales Today; Weather 7:00pm The One Show 7:30pm EastEnders 7:57pm BBC News and Regional News 8:00pm Holby City

6:00pm Eggheads 6:30pm Brainbox 7:00pm This World 7:30pm Wainwright’s Walks 8:00pm An Island Parish 8:30pm Masterchef

6:00pm Wales Tonight 6:30pm ITV Evening News and Weather 7:00pm Emmerdale: Secrets and Lies 8:00pm Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?

6:00pm The Simpsons 6:30pm Hollyoaks 7:00pm Channel 4 News 7:55pm 3 Minute Wonder: Zimbabweon-Thames 8:00pm Supersize vs Superskinny

9:00pm Hotel Babylon

9:00pm Horizon 9:50pm Coast

9:00pm Ladette to Lady: The Final

9:00pm The Woman Who Stops Traffic

6:00pm Home and Away 6:30pm Zoo Days 7:00pm Five News with Natasha Kaplinsky 7:30pm Animal Rescue Squad 8:00pm Bermuda Triangle: The True Story 9:00pm CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

10:00pm BBC News; Regional News; Weather 10:25pm Wales Today; Weather 10:35pm Week In, Week Out

10:00pm Match of the Day Wales 10:30pm Newsnight

10:00pm News at Ten and Weather 10:35pm Harry Hill’s TV Burp

10:00pm Shameless

10:00pm CSI: Miami

11:05pm Imagine... Richard Rogers, Inside Out 12:00am Film 2008 with Jonathan Ross 12:30am Movern Callar 2:05am Weatherview 2:10am Sign Zone:Ben’s Zoo 3:10am Sign Zone:Olympic Dreams

11:20pm BBC Four on BBC Two:Whatever Happened to Radio 2?

12:20am Joins BBC News 24 2:00am Sportsbank Special: Dance TV 4:00am Techno

11:05pm Great Pubs Of Wales 11:35pm Police, Camera, Action!

12:05am Nightwatch with Steve Scott: Crime 1:55am Loose Women 2:45am The Jeremy Kyle Show 3:35am ITV Nightscreen

11:05pm Eunuchs 12:05am PartyPoker.com Late Night Poker Ace 1:10am Barcelona World Race 2007/2008 1:35am World Cup Skiing 3:35am KOTV

11:00pm Law and Order: Criminal Intent 12:00am The FBI Files 1:00am NBA Basketball 3:40am Motorsport Mundial 4:05am Race and Rally UK 4:30am Football Italiano

PICK OF THE DAY Supersize Vs Superskinny, CH4, 8.00pm Hmm...the two extremes put into a boxing ring to compete in the most bloody and ferocious battle Channel Four has ever televised! Actually...no! Sorry to disappoint you !Telly! readers, but this is simply a swapsie show, where an extreme overeater and extreme undereater trade in their eating habits to see the effects both forms of diet are having on their health. Presented by Dr. Chris Jessen from ‘Embarrassing Illnesses’, this show makes apparent what a lot of junk food and a lack of junk food can do to you! Oh, and ‘I’m-so-healthy’ Gillian McKeith pops in to make an appearance...well she would, wouldn’t

Every second pizza half price 62 Crwys Road, Cardiff, CF24 4NN

02920 229977

5:00pm Five News Kaplinsky 5:30pm Neighbours

with

Natasha

32 gairrhydd

FEBRUARY.25.2008

TELLY

WEDNESDAY Animal 24:7 BBC1 9.15am

BBC 1

The 92 Year Old Danger Junkie BBC2 9.50pm BBC 2

Free Ride ITV1 11.35pm

TELEVISION@gairrhydd.COM

Relocation, Relocation C4 8.00pm

ITV 1

27th February Peter Andre’s Birthday

Build a New Life in the Country five 11.30am

Channel 4

Five

6:00am Breakfast 9:15am Animal 24:7 10:00am Homes Under the Hammer 11:00am To Buy or Not to Buy 11:30am Cash in the Attic 12:15pm Bargain Hunt

6:00am CBBC 10:25am Fun with Phonics 10:30am What the Ancients Did for Us 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 11:20am This Morning 12:30pm Loose Women

6:00am Kids TV 7:00am Freshly Squeezed 7:30am Everybody Loves Raymond 8:00am Just Shoot Me 8:30am Frasier 9:30am Britain’s Deadliest Addictions 10:00am Power to the People 10:30am The KNTV Show 12:00pm News at Noon 12:30pm A Place in Greece: Year 2

6:00am Kids TV 9:00am The Wright Stuff 10:30am Trisha Goddard 11:30am Build a New Life in the Country 12:30pm Five News 12:45pm Law and Order

1:00pm BBC News; Weather 1:45pm Doctors 2:15pm Diagnosis Murder 3:00pm BBC News and Weather 3:05pm Mister Maker 3:25pm Take a Bow 3:30pm CBBC

1:00pm See Hear 1:30pm Working Lunch 2:00pm Coast 2:15pm Don’t Get Done, Get Dom 3:00pm Escape to the Country 3:45pm Flog It! 4:30pm Ready Steady Cook

1:30pm ITV Lunchtime News and Weather 2:00pm Dickinson’s Real Deal 2:30pm The Alan Titchmarsh Show 3:30pm The Royal Today 4:00pm Rosemary and Thyme

1:00pm 3 Minute Wonder: Shoeshine Stories 1:05pm The Wonderful Country 2:55pm Come Dine with Me 3:25pm Countdown 4:15pm Deal or No Deal

1:45pm Neighbours 2:15pm Home and Away 2:50pm Animal Rescue Squad 3:00pm Lucky Seven

5:00pm Newsround 5:15pm The Weakest Link

5:15pm Britain’s Dream Homes

5:00pm Goldenballs

5:00pm Richard and Judy

5:00pm Five News Kaplinsky 5:30pm Neighbours

6:00pm BBC News and Weather 6:30pm Wales Today; Weather 7:00pm The One Show 7:30pm The Big Welsh Challenge 8:00pm Match of the Day Live

6:00pm Eggheads 6:30pm Brainbox Challenge 7:00pm Weatherman Walking 7:30pm An Island Parish 8:00pm Masterchef

6:00pm Wales Tonight 6:30pm ITV Evening News and Weather 7:00pm Emmerdale 7:30pm Coronation Street 8:00pm The Bill: The Hit

6:00pm The Simpsons 6:30pm Hollyoaks 7:00pm Channel 4 News 7:55pm 3 Minute Wonder: Zimbabweon-Thames 8:00pm Relocation, Relocation

6:00pm Home and Away 6:30pm Zoo Days 7:00pm Five News with Kaplinsky 7:30pm It Pays to Watch 8:00pm Ice Road Truckers

9:00pm Torchwood 9:50pm Wonderland: The 92 Year Old Danger Junkie

9:00pm Taggart

9:00pm Grand Designs Revisited

9:00pm Extraordinary People: Hope for Hayley

10:00pm BBC News; 10:35pm The National Lottery Draws 10:40pm Sky Cops

10:30pm Newsnight

10:00pm News at Ten and Weather 10:35pm The Ferret 11:05pm Ghost Story 11:35pm Free Ride

10:00pm Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares

10:00pm Bram Stoker’s Dracula

11:40pm Primary Colors 1:55am Weatherview 2:00am Sign Zone: Plane Crazy: The Transatlantic Price War 2:30am Sign Zone: Olympic Dreams 3:15am Sign Zone: Wanted Down Under

11:20pm Desi DNA 11:50pm Indian School 12:20am Joins BBC News 24 2:00am Class Clips 3:00am Class Clips 4:00am Key Stage 3 Bitesize Revision English 1

12:10am Nightwatch with Steve Scott: Crime 1:55am The Bank Job: World Premiere 2:20am Loose Women 3:10am The Jeremy Kyle Show 4:05am ITV Nightscreen 5:30am ITV Early Morning News

11:05pm Shameless 12:05am Modern Toss 12:40am Kate Nash’s Shockwaves 12:50am Sadie Frost’s Shockwaves 1:05am 4 Music: 4Play: The Enemy 1:20am Love Trap 2:20am Meeting Helena

12:30am PartyPoker.net Poker Den 2:00am NHL Ice Hockey 4:00am World Supercross Championship 4:50am Dubai X Games 5:10am Neighbours 5:35am House Doctor

with

Natasha

Natasha

PICK OF THE DAY Five News With Natasha Kaplinsky, Five, 5.00pm Good old Natasha Kaplinsky has gone and gotten herself a £1M contract with Five to try to bring some class to their gaudy news show. Unfortunately for all it has merely had the opposite effect on Kaplinsky, as she now reports from a fluorescent set with poofy hair and plunging neckline. I doubt many viewers are going to change news programmes just to follow a presenter and if they do they’ll most likely be scared off by the sheer tackiness of it all.

02920 229977

20% student discount on all pizzas and starters 62 Crwys Road, Cardiff, CF24 4NN

gairrhydd

FEBRUARY.25.2008

TELLY

TELEVISION@gairrhydd.COM

THURSDAY To Buy or Not to Buy BBC1 11.00am

Working Lunch BBC2 12.30pm

BBC 1

BBC 2

33

28th February Peace Memorial Day

The Bill: Spilt Blood ITV1 8.00pm

Power to the People C4 10.00am

ITV 1

Channel 4

The Sharkman five 9.00pm

Five

6:00am Breakfast 9:15am Animal 24:7 10:00am Homes Under the Hammer 11:00am To Buy or Not to Buy 11:30am Cash in the Attic 12:15pm Bargain Hunt

6:00am CBBC 10:25am Educational TV 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 11:20am This Morning 12:30pm Loose Women

6:05am Kids TV 7:00am Freshly Squeezed 8:00am Just Shoot Me 8:30am Frasier 9:00am Will and Grace 9:30am Britain’s Deadliest Addictions 10:00am Power to the People 10:30am The KNTV Show 12:00pm News at Noon 12:30pm A Place in Spain: Year 2

6:00am Kids TV 9:00am The Wright Stuff 10:30am Trisha Goddard 11:30am Build a New Life in the Country 12:30pm Five News 12:45pm Law and Order

1:00pm BBC News; Weather 1:45pm Doctors 2:15pm Diagnosis Murder 3:00pm BBC News and Weather 3:05pm Mister Maker 3:25pm Take a Bow 3:30pm CBBC

1:00pm Open Gardens 1:30pm Sun, Sea and Bargain Spotting 2:15pm Don’t Get Done, Get Dom 3:00pm Escape to the Country 3:45pm Flog It! 4:30pm Ready Steady Cook

1:30pm ITV Lunchtime News and Weather 2:00pm Dickinson’s Real Deal 2:30pm The Alan Titchmarsh Show 3:30pm The Royal Today 4:00pm Rosemary and Thyme

1:00pm A Place in Spain: Year 2 1:25pm Anne of the Indies 2:55pm Come Dine with Me 3:25pm Countdown 4:15pm Deal or No Deal

1:45pm Neighbours 2:15pm Home and Away 2:50pm Animal Rescue Squad 3:00pm Columbo: A Bird in the Hand

5:00pm Newsround 5:15pm The Weakest Link

5:15pm Britain’s Dream Homes

5:00pm Goldenballs

5:00pm Richard and Judy

5:00pm Five News Kaplinsky 5:30pm Neighbours

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 BrainBox Challenge 7:00pm Torchwood 7:50pm Torchwood: Declassified 8:00pm Masterchef

6:00pm Wales Tonight 6:30pm ITV Evening News and Weather 7:00pm Emmerdale 7:30pm Great Welsh Roads 8:00pm The Bill: Spilt Blood

9:00pm Ashes to Ashes

9:00pm That Mitchell and Webb Look 9:30pm The Catherine Tate Show

9:00pm Trial and Retribution

6:00pm The Simpsons 6:30pm Hollyoaks 7:00pm Channel 4 News 7:55pm 3 Minute Wonder: Zimbabweon-Thames 8:00pm Jamie at Home 8:30pm Jamie at Home 9:00pm Cutting Edge

6:00pm Home and Away 6:30pm Zoo Days 7:00pm Five News with Natasha Kaplinsky 7:30pm Rough Guide to Islands 8:00pm Build a New Life in the Country - Was It Worth It? 9:00pm The Sharkman

10:00pm BBC News 10:35pm Dragon’s Eye

10:00pm Sport Wales 10:30pm Newsnight

10:00pm News at Ten and Weather 10:35pm Your Channel

10:00pm Big Bang Theory 10:30pm Skins

10:00pm Species II

11:05pm Question Time 12:05am This Week 12:50am Skiing Weather 12:55am Edwardians in Colour 1:25am Lark Rise to Candleford 2:25am Sign Zone: Olympic Dreams 3:10am Sign Zone: Wanted Down Under

11:20pm Empty 11:50pm Tropic of Capricorn 12:50am Joins BBC News 24 2:00am Key Stage 3 Bitesize Revision Maths 1 4:00am Key Stage 3 Bitesize Revision: Science 1

11:05pm Sharp End 11:35pm Free Ride 12:05am Nightwatch with Steve Scott 1:55am Loose Women 2:40am The Jeremy Kyle Show 3:35am ITV Nightscreen 5:30am ITV Early Morning News

11:40pm The Sopranos 12:50am Autopsy: Emergency Room 1:50am Bodyshock: Kill Me to Cure Me 2:50am Freesports on 4 3:20am Trans World Sport 4:10am Grudge Match 4:15am Richard and Judy

11:55pm Quiz Call 4:00am Football Argentina 4:40am Dutch Football 5:10am Neighbours 5:35am House Doctor

PICK OF THE DAY The Big Bang Theory, CH4, 10.00pm It’s a bad Valentines Day when the highlight of your night is watching a new sitcom simply because there’s nothing better to do. I surprised myself though by actually finding this, the tale of two typical geeks with a crush on their hot neighbour, genuinely funny. It’s hard to admit after trying to create an image of a TV connoisseur but this sitcom is amusing, if not exactly ground breaking. I wonder if it will be as good without comparing to Valentine’s blues.

Every second pizza half price 62 Crwys Road, Cardiff, CF24 4NN

02920 229977

with

Natasha

34 gairrhydd

FEBRUARY.25.2008

TELLY

TELEVISION@gairrhydd.COM

FRIDAY Olympic Dreams BBC1 2.35am

CBBC BBC2 7.27pm

BBC 1

BBC 2

29th February Leap For the Leap Year!

Loose Women ITV1 12.30pm

Richard and Judy C4 5.00pm

ITV 1

6:00am Breakfast 9:15am Animal 24:7 10:00am Homes Under the Hammer 11:00am To Buy or Not to Buy 11:30am Cash in the Attic 12:15pm Bargain Hunt

6:00am CBeebies7:25am Newsround 7:27am CBBC 9:45am Something Special - Out and About 10:05am Me Too! 10:25am Educational Television 11:30am Pod’s Mission 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 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 1:45pm Doctors 2:15pm Diagnosis Murder 3:00pm BBC News and Weather 3:05pm CBBC

1:30pm Animal Park 2:15pm Don’t Get Done, Get Dom 3:00pm Escape to the Country 3:45pm Flog It! 4:30pm Ready Steady Cook

1:30pm ITV Lunchtime News and Weather 2:00pm Dickinson’s Real Deal 2:30pm The Alan Titchmarsh Show 3:30pm The Royal Today 4:00pm Rosemary and Thyme

5:00pm Newsround 5:15pm The Weakest Link

5:15pm Britain’s Dream Homes 5:55pm Party Conference Broadcast: The Welsh Conservative Party

6:00pm BBC News and Weather 6:30pm Wales Today; Weather 7:00pm The One Show 7:30pm The Green Green Grass 8:00pm EastEnders 8:30pm A Question of Sport

6:00pm Eggheads 6:30pm BrainBox Challenge 7:00pm Scrum V Live

9:00pm New Tricks

9:00pm Gardeners’ World

10:00pm BBC News; Regional News; Weather 10:25pm Wales Today; Weather 10:35pm Friday Night with Jonathan Ross

10:00pm QI 10:30pm Newsnight

11:35pm National Lottery EuroMillions Draw 11:40pm Damages 12:20am Final Jeopardy 1:40am Weatherview 1:45am Sign Zone:Horizon 2:35am Sign Zone:Olympic Dreams 3:20am Sign Zone:Wanted Down Under

11:00pm Newsnight Review 11:35pm Later... with Jools Holland 12:35am Star Trek: The Next Generation 1:20am Star Trek: The Next Generation 2:05am Thirst 3:40am Joins BBC News 24

Animal Rescue Squad five 2.50pm

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 Will and Grace 9:30am Britain’s Deadliest Addictions 10:00am Power to the People 10:30am KNTV 12:00pm News at Noon 12:30pm A Place in Spain: Year 2 1:00pm Donovan’s Reef 2:55pm Come Dine with Me 3:25pm Countdown 4:15pm Deal or No Deal

6:00am Kids TV 9:00am The Wright Stuff 10:30am Trisha Goddard 11:30am Build a New Life in the Country 12:30pm Five News 12:45pm Law and Order

5:00pm Goldenballs

5:00pm Richard and Judy

5:00pm Five News Kaplinsky 5:30pm Neighbours

6:00pm Wales Tonight 6:30pm ITV Evening News and Weathe 7:00pm Emmerdale 7:30pm Coronation Street 8:00pm Bringing Down the House: Tonight 8:30pm Coronation Street 9:00pm Moving Wallpaper 9:30pm Echo Beach 10:00pm Al Murray’s Happy Hour

6:00pm The Simpsons 6:30pm Hollyoaks 7:00pm Channel 4 News 7:30pm Unreported World 8:00pm A Place in the Sun: Home or Away

6:00pm Home and Away 6:30pm Zoo Days 7:00pm Five News with Kaplinsky 7:30pm Massive Speed 8:00pm Ice Road Truckers

9:00pm Walliams and Lucas: New Heroes of Comedy 10:00pm Alan Carr’s Celebrity Ding Dong 10:50pm The Law of the Playground

9:00pm NCIS

11:00pm The Late News and Weather 11:40pm Real Crime: The Perverted World of Marc Dutroux 12:40am Nightwatch with Steve Scott: Emergency 2:25am The Great Waldo Pepper 4:15am ITV Nightscreen 5:30am ITV Early Morning News

11:25pm Big Bang Theory 11:50pm 4 Music:Shockwaves NME Awards 2008 1:30am 4 Music: Set Presents Make Model 1:40am Goalissimo!

2:30am World Cup Snowboard 4:25am Richard and Judy

11:00pm Law and Order: Criminal Intent 12:00am Quiz Call 5:10am Neighbours 5:35am House Doctor

1:45pm Neighbours 2:15pm Home and Away 2:50pm Animal Rescue Squad 3:00pm Plainsong

with

Natasha

Natasha

10:00pm Law and Order: Special Victims Unit

PICK OF THE DAY Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, BBC1, 10.35pm Can you smell what the Rock is cooking? If the WWF/WWE star’s odours of greatness have yet to set your nose quivering you’ll have the opportunity to experience the great one, as he drops in for a chat with Wossy. Gillian McKeith will also be on the sofa, and I for one hope The Rock lets her feel the wrath of The People’s Elbow®, I can’t stand that bloody woman (she’s not even an actual doctor). Music is provided by Alison Goldfrapp, Jonathan Ross will sexually harass that woman.

02920 229977

20% student discount on all pizzas and starters 62 Crwys Road, Cardiff, CF24 4NN

gairrhydd

FEBRUARY.25.2008

TELLY

TELEVISION@gairrhydd.COM

SATURDAY Bicentennial Man BBC1 2.30pm

The Culture Show TV’s Naughtiest BBC2 7.10pm Blunders ITV1 11.10pm

BBC 1

BBC 2

35

1st March My Birthday

Vanity Lair C4 11.55am

ITV 1

Channel 4

The Black Knight five 1.40pm

Five

6:00am Breakfast 10:00am Saturday Kitchen 11:30am Take on the Takeaway 12:00pm BBC News; Weather 12:10pm Football Focus

6:00am CBeebies 11:45am Sportsround 12:00pm Sound 12:35pm Them 12:50pm Falcon Beach

6:00am Kids TV 9:40am Dancing on Ice 10:50am Dancing on Ice - the Skate Off 11:20am Coronation Street Omnibus

6:10am Kids TV 7:00am Goalissimo!

8:00am The Morning Line 8:55am T4:Mobileact: Winners’ Story 9:25am T4:The Hills 9:50am T4:Shockwaves NME Awards 2008 10:55am T4:Friends 11:25am T4:Friends 11:55am T4:Vanity Lair

6:00am Sunrise 7:00am Kids TV 9:30am Jane and the Dragon 10:00am Football Italiano Highlights 10:30am Fifth Gear 11:30am Neighbours

1:00pm Rugby League World Club Challenge 2:00pm Keeping Up Appearances 2:30pm Bicentennial Man 4:35pm Wales on Saturday

1:35pm Conference Live 3:35pm Cat Ballou

1:00pm T4:Age of Love 2:00pm Channel 4 Racing 4:10pm The TV Show 4:40pm Deal or No Deal

1:40pm The Black Knight 3:15pm Snowball Express

5:20pm BBC News; Regional News; Weather 5:40pm Weakest Link

5:10pm What the Papers Say 5:20pm Big Jake

1:35pm ITV News and Weather 1:50pm Primeval 2:50pm You Only Live Twice 4:15pm ITV Wales News and Weather 4:30pm ITV News and Weather 4:45pm Bond Season:You Only Live Twice 5:45pm All New You’ve Been Framed!

5:25pm Jamie at Home

5:05pm Only the Lonely

6:30pm Coming Home 7:00pm Eurovision - Your Decision 8:00pm The National Lottery Draws 8:10pm Casualty

7:10pm Culture Show 8:00pm The Hills are Alive

6:15pm Harry Hill’s TV Burp 6:45pm Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway 8:00pm Duel

6:00pm Jamie at Home 6:30pm Channel 4 News 7:00pm ER 8:00pm Grand Designs Revisited

6:50pm Five News and Sport 7:15pm Ice Road Truckers 8:15pm NCIS

9:00pm Love Soup 9:30pm Eurovision - Your Decision 10:00pm BBC News; Weather 10:20pm Match of the Day

9:00pm To Be Announced

9:00pm The Bourne Supremacy

9:00pm Sense and Sensibility

9:10pm CSI: NY

10:00pm Gavin and Stacey 10:30pm Gavin and Stacey

10:55pm ITV News and Weather

11:45pm Black Knight 1:15am Friday Night with Jonathan Ross 2:15am Weatherview 2:20am Joins BBC News 24

11:00pm Gavin and Stacey 11:30pm Gavin and Stacey 12:00am Gavin and Stacey 12:30am Roger Dodger 2:10am The Culture Show 3:00am The Million Dollar Hotel

11:10pm TV’s Naughtiest Blunders 12:15am Nightwatch with Steve Scott - Mystery 1:10am The Wiz 3:25am ITV Nightscreen 5:30am ITV Early Morning News 5:30am ITV Early Morning News

10:10pm Law and Order

11:35pm Wife Swap 12:40am Shockwaves NME Awards 2008: Big Gig 1:40am The Sound of Fury 3:15am Moonrise 4:50am Great Civilisations 5:15am Countdown

PICK OF THE DAY Ice Road Truckers, five, 7.15pm This is a show about truckers, but they’re no ordinary truckers, oh no, these truckers truck on ice! They drive over frozen lakes in Canada, risking their lives to haul much needed supplies to remote diamond mines, and they get paid shitloads to do it. I think this show is good for the following reasons, a) Stuff on ice is good, b) There’s always the chance that the trucks might fall through the ice which excites my taste for chaos, and lastly, c) It goes against some stereotypes of truckers i.e sex offenders etc.

Every second pizza half price 62 Crwys Road, Cardiff, CF24 4NN

02920 229977

11:10pm True CSI 12:00am Quiz Call 5:10am Wildlife SOS 5:35am Wildlife SOS

36 gairrhydd

FEBRUARY.25.2008

TELLY

TELEVISION@gairrhydd.COM

SUNDAY The Last Enemy BBC1 9:00pm

Something for the Weekend BBC2 10.00am

BBC 1

Wild at Heart ITV1 7.30pm

BBC 2

2nd March Texas Independence Day

Strange Little Girls C4 3.10am

ITV 1

Channel 4

The Mighty Ducks five 4.45 pm Five

6:00am Breakfast 7:35am Match of the Day 9:00am The Andrew Marr Show 10:00am The Big Questions 11:00am Countryfile 12:00pm The Politics Show 12:35pm The Politics Show 12:55pm The Politics Show

6:00am CBeebies 7:00am CBBC 10:00am Something for the Weekend 11:30am Animal Park 12:30pm Miss Sadie Thompson

6:00am The Sunday Programme 7:25am CITV 10:10am Championship Goals 11:15am Soccer Sunday 11:45am Great Welsh Roads 12:15pm Barry Island 12:40pm A Mountain To Climb

6:00am Making It 6:05am The Hoobs 6:30am Trans World Sport 7:30am Adrenalin Rush 8:00am World Cup Skiing 8:55am T4: The OC 10:00am T4: Hollyoaks Omnibus 12:30pm T4: Vanity Lair

6:00am Kids TV 10:00am Russell Grant’s Postcards 10:10am The Wild and the Innocent 11:45am Three Godfathers

1:00pm Diagnosis Murder 1:45pm The Borrowers 3:05pm EastEnders Omnibus

2:00pm The Burning Hills 3:30pm Rugby League: Premiership Rugby Highlights 4:15pm Secret Wilderness Japan 4:55pm Scrum V

1:10pm ITV News and Weather 1:20pm ITV Wales News and Weather 1:25pm Midsomer Murders 3:30pm Agatha Christie’s Poirot

1:35pm T4: The Hills 2:05pm T4: Hollyoaks Special: Summer’s Got a Secret 3:10pm T4:Friends 3:40pm T4:The Simpsons 4:15pm T4:The Simpsons 4:45pm Alive

1:45pm Football Italiano 4:10pm Monkey Life 4:45pm The Mighty Ducks

5:00pm Songs of Praise 5:35pm BBC News and Regional News 6:00pm Life in Cold Blood 7:00pm Antiques Roadshow 8:00pm Lark Rise to Candleford

5:40pm Hidalgo

5:30pm Beat: Life on the Street 6:00pm ITV Wales News and Weather 6:15pm ITV News and Weather 6:30pm Dancing on Ice 7:30pm Wild at Heart 8:30pm Dancing on Ice: The Skate Off

5:50pm Time Team

9:00pm The Last Enemy

9:00pm Around the World in 80 Gardens

9:00pm Lewis

9:00pm Factory

10:00pm BBC News; Weather 10:20pm Chicago

10:00pm Match of the Day 2 10:50pm Last Man Standing

12:05am The Sky at Night 12:25am Weatherview 12:30am Sign Zone:Around the World in 80 Gardens 1:30am Sign Zone: Holby City 2:30am Sign Zone: Watchdog 3:00am Sign Zone: Elephant Diaries

11:50pm Rancid Aluminium 1:15am Super League Show 2:00am Joins BBC News 24

7:00pm Ski Sunday 8:00pm Tropic of Capricorn

6:45pm Channel 4 News 7:00pm Love and Money 8:00pm Wife Swap

Willie’s

Wonky

6:40pm Five News and Sport 7:00pm The Sharkman 8:00pm Ice Road Truckers

Chocolate

9:00pm Windtalkers

10:00pm The Green Mile

11:00pm ITV News and Weather 11:15pm June Whitfield: The South Bank Show 12:15am Faith and Music 12:50am The Fog 2:20am Dial A Mum 2:55am Chef v Britain

1:25am Alan Carr’s Celebrity Ding Dong 2:10am Brat Camp: Mums and Daughters 3:10am Strange Little Girls 3:30am First Cut: A Piece of the Moon 3:55am Checking In to Airport Chaos 4:50am Unreported World

11:35pm Disorderly Conduct 12:35am Winter X Games 1:25am A1 Grand Prix 2:15am Boxing: Fight of the Week 3:25am Arenacross 4:15am NHRA Drag Racing 5:10am Wildlife SOS

PICK OF THE DAY Around the World in 80 Gardens, BBC2, 9.00pm This is a program about gardens, not just 1 but 80! Imagine that, all those plants neatly arranged in sexy conceptual formats that would make even the slightly green fingered among us do a love wee. This week it’s all about gardens in China and Japan, two of the world’s oldest gardening cultures don’t you know. I’m excited, its perfect hangover TV and yes I am still hungover at 9pm on a sunday. I am solid!

02920 229977

20% student discount on all pizzas and starters 62 Crwys Road, Cardiff, CF24 4NN

38 gairrhydd

FEBRUARY.25.2008

LISTINGS

LISTINGS@gairrhydd.COM

This Week: The Beer and Cider Festival sloshes its way to the

MUSIC

COMEDY

MONDAY BOY KILL BOY @ CLWB IFOR BACH - A hard-riffing rock four-piece from East London. Guaranteed an ace night of old fashioned rock n’ roll fun. 7.30pm. £8.

WOLVES OF ST AUGUST + STATE THE OBVIOUS + JOHNNY AND THE BANDITS @ BUFFALO - So much room taken up with band names has left me no room for one of our witty, yet informative write ups. 8pm. £3.

TUESDAY THE LINES + DON’T TREAD ON SPIDERS @ CLWB IFOR BACH Instead, find a pint glass and old postcard to scoop up the little scamp. 7.30pm. £5.

THIS CITY @ BARFLY - This band have been compared to the likes of Bloc Party and At The Drive In. If they’re any good, odds are it’ll be a good night. 7.30pm. £5.

WEDNESDAY FORTUNE DRIVE @ BARFLY - A five-piece original vintage rock ‘n’ roll band from Bristol. Were at our fine University last year supporting Juliette and The Licks, and made a great impression. 8pm. Check venue for prices.

JOE JACKSON @ THE POINT - Arriving via the New Wave scene of the early 80s, Joe’s songwriting ranges from teenage angst pop (Is She Really Going Out With Him and Different For Girls) to eclectic jazz pieces. 7.30pm. £22.50.

THURSDAY DUFFY @ CLWB IFOR BACH - I love Duffy, mainly for two reasons - she writes great original songs, and she managed to knock that God-awful Bass Hunter song off the top spot in the charts. 7.30pm. £8.

FRIDAY MANATEES + THE FREEZING FOG + THE KEEP @ CLWB IFOR BACH - Manatees bring their unique rock sound to Womanby Street. 8pm. £6/5.

Boy Kill Boy - Welsh Club SATURDAY DAS WANDERLUST @ BARFLY - Fisher Price pop filled with noisy guitars, bleedy keyboards, fuzz bass, bang crash drums and shouty girl vocals. 7.30pm. £5.

SUNDAY TEEN SPIRIT @ BARFLY - No prizes for guessing who this band are a tribute to. Apparently they’re pretty decent though.

7.30pm. £5.

MONDAY Not much in the way of comedy again this week, and unfortunately I’m pressed for time becuase of the imminent AGM meeting in the Great Hall at half 6. I have probably left it until very late to finish the section, granted, but I’ve had a busy week.

TUESDAY Now I have to drive back home, in my new car by the way (I say new, it’s a twelve year old Corsa but its a new purchase and my first car), but annoyingly my right-side wing mirror is missing and I don’t know how or why. Probably the little rascals that live in my street, they’re always doing shit like that. They spray-painted our front door once.

WEDNESDAY Running out of things to say...

THURSDAY I’ve ran out.

FRIDAY SIMON FOX, KEVIN DEWSBURY, SANDY NELSON @ JONGLEURS Kevin Dewsbury - Kevin knew he was destined to be a stand up comedian when at the age of just eight months he fell ten feet down a stairwell and banged his head on a newspaper rack. Because of this people have been laughing at him ever since. As soon as he steps on a stage the audience quickly realise they are in the company of a natural born performer!

on Momday

Sandy Nelson - This guy could give musical comedy a good name if he’s not careful.

‘Easy going charm and superb audience awareness’ (Scotsman) Simon Fox - Simon Fox is one of the most in demand of London’s stand ups. TV credits include The Frank Skinner Show, Penn & Teller, Give Us A Clue, The Music Game, Ready Steady Cook, Stab in The Dark, Wogan & Jameson Tonight. 8pm. £8.Ticket includes free entry to Club Risa - dancing till 2am.

THEATRE

MONDAY SHOUT! - THE SWINGING SI SWEENEY!!!!! @ NEW THEATRE grow up during the liberating days Immerse yourself in the fashion, a non-stop journey through the i that made household names of s Lulu and Dusty Springfield. Feat Sixties’ hottest hits including D These Boots are Made for Walkin Me and Georgy Girl this show will back and Shout! 7.30pm. Matine Running til Saturday.

TUESDAY WALLFLOWERING: ADAM COOPER - Adam Cooper - A former principal Cooper has also starred in Matth film ‘Billy Elliot’.

Sarah Wildor - Like her husband pal Dancer with the Royal Ballet well-known for their work with M 2.30pm Thurs & Sat. £25 - £7. R WEDNESDAY DEREK ACORAH @ ST. DAVID’S H ed Liverpudlian medium, whose r ‘Most Haunted’ and James Wha following of staunch believers. Fo THURSDAY Shit is happening.

FRIDAY FROM S PLATEAU: SEINDENDAN TRE - In the near future, summer a plateau, patients spend their tim life and death. Oriza Hirata direct performed by his original compan SATURDAY BBC NATIONAL ORCHESTRA OF W info contact venue.

STORYTELLING @ WALES MILLEN SPECIAL: ESYLLT HARKER, MEGA SUNDAY CARDIFF BITES: STAND UP DRAM

Beer and Cider Festival Great Hall ◆ 27-28/02/08 ◆ 1pm-11pm ◆ £3.50 Listings Editor Josie Allchin Recommends

T

his Wednesday and Thursday sees the welcome return of Cardiff University’s Beer and Cider Festival, courtesy of our very own Real Ale and Cider Soci-

ety.

The idea is to raise money for charities in Wales, and all you have you do is turn up and sample some fine local tipples. Easy! Last year’s legendary festival raised a magnificent £5000 for Ty Hafan Chldren’s Hospice, and was apparently their most successful year to date. So, it’s up to us to make it even better this year.

The beverages available to sample this year are as varied as always, with award winning beers from England, Scotland and of course, Wales. The day isn’t only limited to beer though - an array of ciders and perries will also be on tap, plus some organic beers, fruit, coffee and ginger beers, as well as real lager. I’m imagining they’ll be none of

this Fosters or Stella malarky, then.

Added to both evening’s bill will also be a selection of live music, as well as a quiz and lucky dip. And don’t worry, food and snacks will also be available to help soak up all that beer.

The Real Ale and Cider Society has been leading this student run event since 1995, and thanks to the continuing support of the union, and, of course all those beerhungry students, the event has actually become the largest student-run one to take place in Britain - quite an achievement.

So, not only is this a fantastic chance to help raise money for charity, it’s also the perfect setting for pint with friends, and to partake in a little pre-St. David’s Day merriment.

I’ll hopefully see you down there!

Entry costs £3.50, which includes a souvenir glass and programme. Doors: 1pm.

Beer Festival - in full flow.

Students’ Union, Park Place, 02920 387421 www.cardiffstudents.com ◆ Med Club, Neuadd Meirionydd, Heath Park 02920 744948 ◆ Clwb Ifor Bach (The Wels 02920 399939 www.clubmetropolitan.com ◆ Dempseys, Castle Street 02920 252024 ◆ Iotas, 7 Mill Lane 02920 225592 ◆ Incognito, Park Place 02920 412 www.cafejazzcardiff.com ◆ The Riverbank Hotel, Despenser Street www.riverbankjazz.co.uk ◆ St. David’s Hall, The Hayes 02920 878444 www.stdavidshallcardif uk ◆ The New Theatre, Park Place 02920 878889 www.newtheatrecardiff.co.uk ◆ The Sherman Theatre, Senghennydd Road 02920 646900 www.shermanthea Stadium Can’t miss it. www.millenniumstadium.com ◆ The Point, Cardiff Bay, 029 2046 0873 www.thepointcardiffbay.com ◆ Tommy’s Bar, Howard Gardens (off

gairrhydd

FEBRUARY.25.2008

39

LISTINGS

LISTINGS@gairrhydd.COM

e union courtesy of Cardiff University’s Real Ale Society. Hic...

E & ARTS

IXTIES MUSICAL WITH CLAIRE E - Join four fabulous girls as they s of the Swinging Sixties in London. , freedom and fun of the period on infectious and soulful pop anthems stars like Petula Clark, Cilla Black, turing an amazing catalogue of the Downtown, Son of a Preacher Man, ng, You Don’t Have to Say You Love l make you want to throw your head ess 2.30pm Thurs & Sat. £28 - £7.

R, SARAH WILDOR @ NEW THEATRE l dancer with the Royal Ballet, Adam hew Bourne’s ‘Swan Lake’ and the

Adam Cooper, Sarah was a Princit, where they met. The couple are Matthew Bourne. 7.30pm. Matinees Running til Saturday.

HALL - Derek Acorah - Well-respectregular appearances on UK Living’s ale’s radio show has gained him a or ticket info contact venue.

COMPANY @ CHAPTERS ART CENr, in the lounge of a sanatorium on me discussing matters of every day ts his acclaimed 1994 play, which is ny, Seinendan. 8pm. £10 - £6.

WALES @ ST. DAVID’S HALL. For ticket

NNIUM CENTRE - ST. DAVID’S DAY AN LLOYD. Contact venue for details.

MA @ DEMPSEYS. Sold out. Ha.

GOING OUT MONDAY BLACK MONDAY @ SOLUS, SU - Cardiff’s own alternative music night.

Also features DJing by Oddsoc and bands put on by LMS - this week Right Turn Blind. 10pm - 2am. Free entry with NUS. £3 otherwise.

DIGITAL @ OCEANA - After a weekend of being saturated with chav’s and meat heads enjoy a more relaxed atmos at Oceana. 10pm - 3am. £3.

VODKA ISLAND @ TIGER TIGER - “A classier option, popular with the singletons among us.” Um, Why?

TUESDAY BEST BEHAVIOUR @ JUMPIN JACKS - My co-editor stated last week that this was otherwise known as “naked Tuesday”, due to the regular stripping competition. I am worried that he knows this. 9pm - 3am. £2 before 11, £3 after.

LIQUID - Is there really nothing better to go to? Really?

(Josie loves Liquid, I saw her there once and she told me that she loves it more than life itself) WEDNESDAY RUBBER DUCK @ SOLUS, SU - Dressed up clubbing for

jocks and pretend jocks. 10pm - 2am. £3.

IT’S YOUR EDUCATION @ OCEANA - Easily the busiest place on a Wednesday. 10pm - 3am. £3.

THURSDAY BOUNCE @ WALKABOUT - Sweat-fest clubbing for those who like rubbing shoulders and other body parts (voluntarily, or not) against several thousand other people. What fun! 10pm - 3am. Price varies.

FRIDAY ACCESS ALL AREAS @ SOLUS, SU - bit of this and a bit of that. Basically a poor man’s Come Play. 10pm - 2am. £3 BUFFALO - not too bad on a Friday, and free!

SATURDAY COME PLAY @ SOLUS, SU - Saturday night mayhem, Union style. 10pm - 2am. £3.50.

BIG NIGHTS IN OCEANA, TIGER TIGER, LIFE, WALKABOUT, AQUA, BUFFALO, if you fancy a change from the old Come Play.

SUNDAY I LOVE SUNDAES @ BUFFALO - With Matty Fresh, Max Looker, DJ Killer Tomato, Connor and Astrosnooze - Cardiff’s very own mash-up kings.

LIE IN @ YOUR HOUSE - The only sensible thing to do in my opinion.

Unless you’ve made it to someone else’s bed the night before.

SOCIETIES MONDAY Officially the start of Student Volunteering Week! Look out for the SVC stall outside reception today and tomorrow, which will have all the info for the week, and tickets on sale for Thursday’s “Speakeasy!” event.

SVC stall in reception, with more information on Student Volunteering Week, SVC and volunteering. Also on the stall we will be selling tickets to our Speakeasy night later this week.

TUESDAY

SVC stall in reception, with more information on Student Volunteering Week, SVC and volunteering. Also on the stall we will be selling tickets to our Speakeasy night later this week.

WEDNESDAY MATURE STUDENTS’ MEETING - A chance to meet and mingle with other mature students in the humanities cafe. 1pm.

Free.

THURSDAY SVC’S SPEAKEASY! @ CF10 - A night of live music with bands and DJs as well as a raffle with some great prizes to be won. 8pm. £2 with NUS. SATURDAY Saturday 1st March - Volunteering Project at Ty Gwyn School, volunteers constructing and painting a sensory garden for children with learning difficulties. From 10 - 4, please see the SVC Office (3rd floor SU) for more details.

Throughout the week they are holding a clothes collection, for the Huggard Homeless Centre and well as other local homeless shelters. We are looking for good quality clothing, all donations can be brought up to the SVC Office during the week!

Oi! Listings needs YOU...

Does your club or society have future events that need publicising?

If the answer is “yes”, then the lovely people at Listings can help.

Simply email us the details of your event, and we’ll dedicate this column to letting the world know about it. LISTINGS@gairrhydd.COM

Global Village Great Hall ◆ 02/03/08 ◆ 5-10pm ◆ £6 adv Deputy Editor Ben Bryant Recommends

A

s the jubilant climax of Cardiff’s two week celebration of diversity Go Global, Global Village is an annual highlight in the student calendar.

The premise is simple: each nation has a stall of its own which they use to construct a cultural collage of their country. This usually involves a fusion of national foods, drinks and costume. Attendees are then welcome to browse the stalls, taste the different foods and, most importantly, find out more about the myriad of diverse cultures that makes up Cardiff University.

All of this is accompanied by a series of musical and theatrical performances by students taken from different cultural traditions. In previous years, these have always been by turns entertaining, funny and frequently moving.

The performances might be varied, but they’re united in the consistently unbridled enthusiasm of their participants.

Occasionally, you will witness a particularly enthusiastic dancer fall flat on their arse in front of a crowd of hundreds, but it’s all part of the carnival atmosphere that the event cultivates. They can also be unexpectedly moving, particularly when you consider that some of these performances are taken from traditions dating back centuries.

On the whole, diversity is a delicious thing, but stuffing your face as fast as you can with too many amazing foodstuffs before washing it all down with Ouzo will probably end in tears... or at least a dose of Rennie. Bear this in mind and arrive early, otherwise you can expect to be running through the crowds desperately trying to pick up scraps.

Global Village is a surreal experience that shouldn’t just be treated as a cultural takeaway. Taste the food and watch the performances, but above all celebrate the fact that so many histories and diverse cultures are resident in Cardiff University.

sh Club), 11 Womanby Street 02920 232199 www.clwb.net ◆ Barfly, Kingsway, Tickets: 08709070999 www.barflyclub.com/cardiff ◆ Metros, Bakers Row 2190 ◆ Liquid, St. Mary Street 02920645464 ◆ The Philharmonic, 76-77 St. Mary Street 02920 230678 ◆ Café Jazz, 21 St. Mary Street 02920 387026 ff.co.uk ◆ Chapter Arts Centre, Market Road, Canton 02920 304400 www.chapter.org ◆ Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay 0870 0402000 www.wmc.org. atre.co.uk ◆ The Glee Club, Mermaid Quay 0870 2415093 www.glee.co.uk ◆ Cardiff International Arena, Mary Ann Street 02920 224488 ◆ The Millennium Newport Road) 02920 416192 ◆

14 gairrhydd

FEATURES

OCTOBER.22.2007 FEATURES@gairrhydd.COM

gairrhydd

FEBRUARY.25.2008

XPRESS RADIO

STUDIO@xpressradio.CO.UK

the guide the guide the guide the guide

monday 25th

tuesday 26th

wednesday 27th

9am-11am Just the two of us with Alexis and Emma 11am-1pm The Wade and Morrissey Takeover 1pm-2.30pm The Great Al and Steve 2.30pm-4pm Rach in the Afternoon 4pm-6pm Faces For Radio 6pm-7.30pm Spotlight 7.30pm-9pm The Bronze 9pm-11pm Balthazar!

11pm-12am Trash De Luxe 12am-1am Roadtrip 1am-2am On the Decks 2am Xpress Jukebox

9am-11am Sarah and Phil 11am-1pm Shaz and Hannah are the Angry Mob 1pm-2.30pm The Stark and Moo Show 2.30pm-4pm Sam and Greg 4pm-6pm For Your Ears Only with Rich and Gwil 6pm-7.30pm Things Fall Apart 7.30pm-8.30pm Glitches and Prose 8.30pm-9.30pm Urban Science 9.30pm-11pm Roots Chariot 10.30pm-12am One Buk $how 12am Xpress Jukebox

9am-11am Chit Chat with Carly 11am-1pm A Cup of Tea and a Biscuit with Lucy 1pm-2.30pm The Weekly with Mike Thomas 2.30pm-4pm TNT 4pm-5.15pm Kate and Paul do the Sports Show 5.15pm-6pm Back of the Net 6pm-7pm [Insert Pun Here] 7pm-8pm Methu Dawnsio 8pm-9.30pm The Exhibition 9.30pm-11pm Weekday Warmup 11pm-12.30am Funktionality vs. Comatose 2am - Xpress Jukebox

LIVE 87.7FM

&DIGITAL FROM FRIDAY

DIGITAL - FM & DIGITAL - FM & DIGITAL - FM & DIGITAL -

saturday 1st

sunday 2nd

9am-11am We Love Fridays with Char 11am-1pm Suz and Nic’s Pic and Mix 1pm-2.30pm Ciao Bella with Amy Aiello 2.30pm-4pm 3 Men in a Room 4pm-6pm Girls on Top with Han and Jess 6pm-7.30pm Girls, Uninterrupted 7.30pm-9pm The Takeover 9pm-11pm The Plastics 11pm-2am Live from AAA 2am Xpress Jukebox

10am-10.30am Saturday Morning Speech: The Culture Show 10.30am-11am Saturday Morning Speech: Upbeat Quiz 11am-12pm Saturday Morning Speech: Soapbox 12pm-2pm The Jack and Tom Delusion 2pm-4pm Jazz Society 4pm-5pm Classical Show 5pm-6pm Filmage Hour 6pm-7pm Heads in the Clouds 7pm-8.30pm Radio Fun, Yeah?

8.30pm-10pm Saturday Night Therapy 10pm-12am A DnB Spectrum 12am-2am JJ’s Lounge 2am Xpress Jukebox

10am-12pm Living for the Weekend with Matt and Carrian 12pm-2pm Get Roasted with Flic and Lucie 2pm-2.30pm eXposure 2.30pm-3.30pm Rock Solubalization 3.30pm-5pm Root Blue 5pm-7pm Jordi and Alec Show 7pm-8.30pm Dig Le Muzika 8.30pm-10pm The Classroom 10pm-12am Starfish and Coffee 12am Xpress Jukebox

FM & DIGITAL - FM & DIGITAL - FM & DIGITAL - FM & DIGITAL - FM & DIGITAL - FM & DIGITAL - FM & DIGITAL - FM &

9am-11am The Kat and Ash Show 11am-1pm The Grapevine with Hannah and Soph 1pm-2.30pm The Oli and Stefano Show 2.30pm-4pm Hits and Giggles with Claire and Louise 4pm-5.30pm Loud Noises 5.30pm-6pm Xpress Debate 6pm-7.30pm Transmission 7.30pm-9pm Xposed 9pm-10.30pm Signals Over the Air 10.30pm-12am Thrift Store Show 12am-1am Thursday Night Lights 1am Xpress Jukebox

friday 29th

mainstream show of the week:

suze and nic’s pick and mix Yes guys, it is true, someone has indeed been crazy enough to give myself and Nic a radio show- ie the opportunity to discuss random but clearly important uni life issues and make the world a better place…...

Produced by Jose, a Spanish loon, let our soothing voices ease you into the weekend.

You know it‘s going to be good.

gig of the week

das wanderlust / jason soudah barfly saturday 1 march £5/4 Barfly plays host to critically acclaimed Das Wanderlust tonight with support from piano-driven singersongwriter Jason Soudah. Based in Cardiff, Soudah recorded his debut E.P. in 2007 and followed it with a mini-tour of America, appearing at the SXSW Festival late last year.

friday: 11am til 1pm

DIGITAL - FM & DIGITAL - FM & DIGITAL - FM & DIGITAL -

FM & DIGITAL - FM & DIGITAL - FM & DIGITAL - FM & DIGITAL - FM & DIGITAL - FM & DIGITAL - FM & DIGITAL - FM &

thursday 28th

41

Despite Soudah’s somewhat sentimental mawkish pop songs, he is deemed as ‘one of Cardiff’s best kept secrets’ and who am I to tell you any different? Catch him live and he may just charm you into his fanbase. He seems a somewhat odd choice for headliners Das Wanderlust tonight who approach music with a view to having as much fun as possible whilst performing. Since the release of their first two singles, one of which became 6Music’s Mark Riley’s number one single of 2006, Das Wanderlust have enjoyed success touring alongside Maximo Park and Art Brut. Following their appearance at Latitude, they are currently working on their debut album due to be released in 2008. For an unpredictable gig experience, get on down to Barfly this Saturday and catch Das Wanderlust before they get too big for our little Welsh venues.

RM

specialist show of the week: signals over the air

Signals Over The Air offers you an eclectic mix of Post-Hardcore, Screamo and Alternative music. Hosted by Matt & Matt, and under the watchful eye of Producer Phil, we play a mixture of signed and un-signed bands, both local and world-famous.

Our Back2Back Tracks feature gives you the chance to hear and old track and a new track both by the same artist. We also offer you the chance to decide the final song we play every week by voting for songs chosen by us.

Pure. Ear. Sex.

thursday: 9pm til 10.30pm

42 gairrhydd

FEBRUARY.25.2008

PROBLEM PAGE From the Desk of

d E T

PROBLEMPAGE@gairrhydd.COM

e m so

d n Ha

He’s a ruddy good lad.

Ted Handsome Reviews Children’s Drawings An Occasional Series

Children are rubbish. There I said it. All babies are ugly, and look not dissimilar to a fat bug-eyed alien. Therefore, I don’t want some hormonal women clucking and cooing over some little idiot and generally getting in my way when all I want is 20 Lambert & Butler and a copy of Razzle. What’s even worse is the fact that everything that they do is supposedly a work of searing genius and I’m supposed to take it seriously. What a load of sweaty bollocks. Nothing that children do is ever worth merit; with the only exception being when they cause physical harm to another child. Therefore, I think that these kids need to be taken down a peg or two. They need checks and balances, and I am the man to do so.

Where does this little shit get off? Drawing a terrorist shooting a soldier in the cock with some sort of robot horse? Nice one, Littl’un.

3/10

Why do you hate Christmas so much? First you chop off Santa’s arms, and then try and fob me off with the most forlorn looking tree I have ever seen.

2/10 Anna, what the hell do you call this? The rainbow isn’t attached to anything, the butterfly two green tits on its head and the flower is average at best.

Awful.

0/10

A letter en francais (ish) Cher Monsieur Le Handsome, Je suis un étudiant français, habitant ici dans Cardiff. C’est vraiment grand, mais je suis triste parce que je ne semble pas avoir un beaucoup d’amis. Je la pédale aux conférences tous les jours sur mon vélo, avec mes oignons draped autour de mon cou. Je parais charmant dans mon tee-shirt de stripey et mon béret, et ma moustache toujours est taillée.

Que fais-je mal? Pourriez-vous me donner quelque conseil sur la manière de faire des amis ?

Yours, Pierre Blennorragie, Uni Halls Cher Pierre,

Vous êtes un bâtard terrible. Personne n’aime le français, ni leur langue stupide. Je déteste votre vin, votre fromage trop odeure, vos femmes poilues et vos pâtisseries inutilement compliquées. Je ne comprends pas juste pourquoi vous ne pouvez pas parler l’anglais et êtes fait avec cela. Voir ce qu’arrive quand vous essayez l’écriture dans une langue étrangère ? La moitié que l’auditoire sanglant coupe. Comment vous l’aimeriez si je soudain ai commencé à parler une langue différente que vous ne parlez pas ? 見 ますか？ 私は、 あなたが今苦闘してい ると推測しました。私はこれを理解し ていさえしていません。私が何を書い ているかむしろ分かっていなくて、多

分何も書いているかもしれません。多 分私は止まるべきです。私は再びフラ ンス語で書くことを試みるべきである と思います。 少なくとも日本人は、 あ なたたち怠惰で怠惰なヨーロッパ人 がちょうど私たちのものを盗んだとこ ろが、全異なるアルファベットを埋め 合わせるための努力をしました。とに かく、 フランス語に後退してください。 Bien, je suis assez sûr que personne calme lit cette lettre si je peux écrire que j’aime. le lave-vaisselle de singe violet. Je suis assez sûr que je vais lentement insensé. Si, apprécier cette page pendant qu’il dure, parce qu’il reprend lentement ma vie.

Yours Ted

A letter about housemates Dear Ted, I live in a shared house with seven other people. Some are lovely, but one housemate is particularly sticking in my craw. He is seemingly nocturnal, and only exists to ingest a herculean amount of industrial strength animal tranquilisers and listen to 200 bpm Dutch Hardcore Gabba, while firing his vintage WW2 service revolver into the collection of old washing machines and mangles that he has accumulated over the past academic year. All I want to do is to have a quiet life, so that I can listen to my Jack Johnson records and watch Hollyoaks. How should I broach the subject without treading on too

many toes? I really want to be able to have a good relationship with all of the people I live with at the end of the year.

Yours, Nancy Thrush, Canton Dear Nancy, I like this young man that you speak of. He’s a maverick, and I think we should get behind him. If anything, I think that you are the bad housemate, inflicting your awful music upon this poor household. The mewlings of an idiot surfer should only be used against terrorist suspects and only as a last resort. On the other hand, I find the music of INSERT

GABBA to be quite remarkable. As for the drug abuse, well each to their own really. Who are you to suggest that the way you live you life is correct? Who’s the real mad man? The guy with his 2.4 children, his beige carpet and his Ford Focus, or the man naked, covered in blood, weeping into the slaughtered corpse of a Labrador? Eh? Actually it’s probably the latter rather than the former, but perhaps you should lay off this chap. He’s not doing you any harm, and until he does, then perhaps you should leave people alone. In fact, I seem to remember a guy a bit like him, and do you know who that guy turned out to be? Steven Wright, the Ipswich murderer. TH x

Dear reader, This week, I have been travelling on buses.

Apparently a quart of Grey Goose, some Spanish Fly and a handful of blueys does not a good driver make. Anyway, long story short, St Bart’s church now has a nice written-off Bentley parked in its Cloister. Buses are marvellous things, taking the great unwashed around the grey and drab shopping centres of this lovely nation. Unfortunately, some bloody oafs have decided to ruin my journey by playing Gold Mofo McFadden feat. B Diggity Dig or whatever through their mobile phone. I, of course, did the reasonable thing and thrashed them to within an inch of their collective lives. And before any of you decide to congratulate me on being a Clarkson-esque champion of Political Incorrectness, why not fuck off? TH xxx

OCTOBER.22.2007 FEATURES@gairrhydd.COM

gairrhydd

14

FEATURES

14 gairrhydd

FEATURES

OCTOBER.22.2007 FEATURES@gairrhydd.COM

gairrhydd

FEBRUARY.25.2008

45

GRAB!

COMPETITIONS@gairrhydd.COM

WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN!

Drink the Beer Dry

T

he Real Ale and Cider Society is delighted to invite you to celebrate its eleventh beer festival!

Last year’s record breaking festival raised £5,000 for Tyˆ Hafan Children’s Hospice and was their most successful ever. We drank them dry, but this year they’re back with around eighty real ales and over forty traditional ciders and perries, so there’ll be enough for everybody!

This year’s list is as varied as ever, with award winning beers coming from England, Scotland and most importantly, Wales. As well as the reigning Champion Beers of Britain and Wales, we will have organic beer, fruit, coffee and ginger beers and real lager.

The Beer and Cider Festival is held in the Great Hall between 1pm and 11pm on 27th and 28th of February. Entry costs £3.50, which includes an exclusive souvenir glass and programme. A selection of local live music will be performed both nights, as well as the quiz and lucky dip. Food and traditional soft drinks will also be available.

We have an amazing prize this week which is to win entry to either day of the festival, a souvenir glass, 5 pints worth of beer tokens, a festival T-Shirt and one year’s CAMRA membership.

All you have to do to win this prize is answer the following question and email your name and address to the email address above: Which following beer is Wales notorious for? a) Brains Bitter b) Heineken c) Budweiser

Xpress Launch!

T

his Friday will see the simultaneous launch of Xpress Radio on to DAB digital radio and FM. As the first University station in Wales to go digital, Cardiff University is a pioneer in student broadcasting. This means that listeners from Bridgend to Western Super-Mare will be able to tune in to the latest talent as Cardiff University’s award winning station will be broadcast on both FM (87.7fm) and DAB Digital Radio Xpress Radio will be hijacking Access All Areas this Friday to make sure everyone’s involved. To celebrate the digital launch of Xpress Radio we have a pair of tickets to give away absolutely free for two lucky students. Last week AAA held an awesome night with James Righton of The Klaxons and a week on Friday, AAA will present Mani from The Stone Roses live in Solus. Access All Areas always guarantees a night like no other, so don’t miss out!

Simply answer the question below and email your name and address to the email above: What does DAB stand for? a) Digital Access Broadband b) Digital Audio Broadcasting c) Drink Alocohol Beer

WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN!

46 gairrhydd

FEBRUARY.25.2008

SPORT

SPORT@gairrhydd.COM

The IMG Roundup

J-Unit juggernauts stop History Alex Wilson IMG Reporter J-Unit 2 - 1 AFC History J-UNIT CONFIRMED their status as Premiership contenders with a surprise victory over a much-fancied History side.

Hours before this crunch match, the J-unit winger Huw Williams made a controversial remark: “this game will not go down in history, but History will go down.” Little did we know that this statement would prove prophetic.

It was not J-Unit, but the unbeaten and in-form AFC History who started off the stronger team by immediately seizing the initiative. A looping cross

caused confusion amongst the J-Unit defence and allowed the History striker to pounce and open the scoring.

At this stage, things did not bode well for J-Unit as History have looked by far the strongest team this season, and falling behind to them would be a setback for any team.

Yet the goal was just the wake up call J-Unit needed and they quickly lifted their heads to take the game to the opposition.

The remainder of the first half saw good football being played by both sides. J-Unit created some nice chances but their prolific striker Wayne McNeill failed to capitalise. The History defence kept strong and refused to give anything away to a renewed J-Unit side.

Similarly, the J-Unit defence had found some form after their earlier disorganization, and managed to prevent History creating anymore clear-cut chances. At the end of the half, History held the advantage.

The second half began just as tight as the first had finished. J-Unit continued to press forward, however, and were rewarded with a string of corners, from which they found a platform to mount their comeback. Matthew Stokes, having never scored for the Unit, latched onto the ball after a deadly corner and calmly dispatched the ball into the back of the net.

This goal opened up the match, which became an exciting and fast-paced spectacle. History mounted some dan-

gerous attacks and were only denied by a couple of superb saves by the J-Unit keeper, Adam Holdgate.

With the game looking like it could swing either way, it was J-Unit who delivered the killer blow in the last few minutes of the game. J-Unit quickly countered with Wayne McNeill picking out Oli Woods on the wing, who, in turn, cut in and struck the ball with such venom that it was always destined to be the winner.

As the whistle blew, noone could deny that it had been a tightly-fought game, but it was J-Unit who had that extra bit of class and determination to snatch victory. This result has halted History’s unbeaten run and thrown open the IMG Premiership.

Butthead hit all the right notes Alex Alsworth IMG Reporter Butthead FC 4 - 2 Music Buteys

IMG: David and Goliath Evans and Tom Bilton introduced for Butthead to shake-up the attack, and the team came out all-guns-blazing.

Within minutes, a quite brilliant teammove was finished off with Ben Keen nodding a Bilton cross back across goal. With almost his first touch, substitute Evans was there to head it in the goal. Tactically, the half-time changes seemed genius If Butthead thought that they were going to run away with a game, which before kick-off they had seen as eminently winnable, they were brought

THE ONES TO WATCH: FOOTBALL SOCSI v Uni Hallstars: SOCSI are the only unbeaten team in Division One. They have difficult tests against league

MOMED 8 - 5 Mini Street Elite J-Unit 2 - 1 AFC Cathays GymGym 6 - 1 Chemsoc Law A 1 - 0 CARBS Engin Loco. 3 - 2 Economics

Division One

Psycho Athletico 2 - 1 Pharm AC SOCSI 7 - 0 Inter Me-Nan

back down to earth almost immediately. A clumsy challenge from ginger defence-general Dave Wright gave the Buteys a penalty that Ed Osbourn converted with aplomb. Knott went the right way but could get nowhere near the precision spot-kick. At 2-1 down, it was back to square one for Butthead.

It didn’t take long for Butthead to equalise, but it did take a moment of magic. After Buteys handled the ball just outside the right-hand side of their area, Chris Wilcox placed the ball and curled in a glorious free-kick towards

THE ONES TO WATCH: NETBALL favourites Butthead FC and Pharm AC to come but should not underestimate Uni Hallstars. The Hallstars will be riding high after their victory against SAWSA on Wednesday.

IMG Football Results Wednesday 20th February Premiership

PHOTO: DAVE GREEN

BUTTHEAD FC got their season back on track with a crucial win over Music Buteys.

After a shock defeat to Blazin’ Business a week earlier, it was vital for Butthead to get back to winning ways and to keep the pressure up on the teams positioned higher than them in Division One. In a somewhat scrappy and frustrating first half, all the pressure came from Butthead, who were producing spells of fine football. They lacked the cutting edge to make the most of their lion’s share of possession: some nervy play in the final third and a hatful of squandered chances meant that Buteys’ stand-in ’keeper was not troubled with a single shot on target.

Almost inevitably, Butthead were punished for their wasteful finishing, and it was Music that went in 1-0 up at half-time. Joe Price was quickest to react in a goal-mouth scramble that followed a corner. Butthead, with their totemic captain Nick Harrison missing through a knee injury, had looked shaky and unorganised from corners all half. Their Goalkeeper Rob Knott had already had to pull off a great save after an earlier corner was not cleared.

Two half-time substitutions saw Pete

the back post, which beat everyone and flew into the top corner. It was that bit of quality that Butthead had been lacking in the first half and it proved the catalyst for their dominance of the final moments of the game.

Two more goals quickly followed.

Pete Evans scored what will go down as the worst goal he has ever scored, playing what was basically a back-pass to the Buteys keeper which somehow slipped England-keeper-esque through his hands and legs, trickling into the goal. Evans did not even see the ball go in having already turned around in disgust at his shot. The result was wrapped up when Buteys captain Ioan Whittick deflected a Wilcox cross past his own keeper.

Butthead were now streaming forward with confidence and Buteys were despondent. The last 15 minutes saw a string of chances falling to almost everyone on the Butthead team, with defenders Jon Blair and Pete Morrison both making cameo appearances in the Buteys area at times. However, the score remained 4-2.

The last action of the game saw Buteys throw everyone forward for a corner, including the keeper, leaving striker Evans alone on the half way line dreaming of a hat-trick. The ball wasn’t cleared quickly enough, however, and the referee blew for full-time to confirm a win for Butthead that keeps their title hopes alive.

Blazin’ Business 3 - 2 Engin Auto.

Uni Hallstars 5 - 3 SAWSA Buthhead FC 4 - 2 Music Buteys

Division Two

Engin Numatics 3 - 2 Japsoc Havana Dragons 3 - 2 R. Ale Madrid AFC Cathays 1 - 1 Law B EarthSoc 4 - 0 Cardiff Crusaders Optometry 3 - 0 JOMEC

English A v English B: This derby match promises to be a feisty encounter. With the pride of the faculty at stake, it remains

to be seen whether the players will demonstrate the heroic courage of Beowulf, the perception of Sherlock Holmes or play with the wily craft of a determined Iago.

IMG Netball Results Wednesday 20th February Premiership

Economics A 16 - 2 Cardiff IMG A Pharmacy A 14 - 9 CARBS A Cardiff IMG B 8 - 6 Law A

Division One English A 22 - 8 Medics A Engin Loco. 19 - 10 SOCSI B Cardiff IWC A 12 - 11 Medics B Law B 5 - 1 GymGym Division Two Psychology 5 - 3 J-Unit Biology 8 - 5 Pharmacy B

Football Tables Premiership

IMG FOOTBALL

D

L

Diff

Pts

1

AFC History

4

3

0

1

8

9

2

Law A

4

3

0

1

5

9

3

Engin Locomotive

4

3

0

1

3

9

4

J-Unit

4

3

0

1

3

9 6

P

W

5

GymGym

4

2

0

2

5

6

MOMED

4

2

0

2

0

6

7

CARBS

4

1

0

3

-1

3

8

Chemsoc

4

1

0

3

-7

3

9

Mini Street Elite

4

1

0

3

-8

3

10

Economics

4

1

0

3

-8

3

P

W

Division One

IMG FOOTBALL

D

L

Diff

Pts

1

SOCSI

4

4

0

0

15

12

2

Pharm AC

4

2

1

1

9

7

3

Butthead FC

4

2

1

1

6

7

4

Blazin’ Business

4

2

0

2

-4

6

5

Uni Hallstars

4

1

2

1

-1

5

6

Inter Me-Nan

4

1

2

1

-5

5

7

Engin Automotiv

4

1

1

2

-1

4

8

Psycho Ahletico

4

1

1

2

-5

4

9

SAWSA

3

0

1

2

-4

1

10

Music Buteys

3

0

1

2

-10

1

P

W

Division Two

IMG FOOTBALL

D

L

Diff

Pts

1

Earth Soc

4

4

0

0

19

12

2

Havana Dragons

4

4

0

0

8

12

3

Real Ale Madrid

4

3

0

1

9

9

4

Law B

4

1

3

0

1

6

5

Optometry

4

2

0

2

0

6

6

Cardiff Crusaders

4

1

1

2

-4

4

7

JOMEC

4

1

0

3

1

3

8

Engin Numatics

4

1

0

3

-10

3

9

Japsoc

4

0

1

3

-12

1

10

AFC Cathays

4

0

1

3

-12

1

Netball Tables Premiership

IMG NETBALL

D

L

Diff

Pts

1

Economics A

5

5

0

0

91

15

2

CARBS A

5

3

1

1

12

10

3

Cardiff IMG A

6

3

1

2

5

10

4

Law A

4

3

0

1

13

9

5

Cardiff IMG B

5

5

0

2

-11

9

6

Economics B

5

2

0

3

-1

6

7

Pharmacy A

6

2

0

4

-34

6

8

CARBS B

5

1

0

4

-6

3

9

SOCSI A

5

1

0

4

-23

3

10

Dentistry

4

1

0

3

-46

3

P

W

P

W

Division One

IMG NETBALL

D

L

Diff

Pts

1

English A

6

5

0

1

45

15

2

Law B

5

4

0

1

37

12

3

Engin Locomotive

4

4

0

0

36

12

4

Medics A

6

4

0

2

31

12

5

SOCSI B

6

3

0

3

6

9

6

Christian Union

4

3

0

1

-4

9

7

GymGym

5

1

0

4

-33

3

8

Engin Numatics

4

0

0

4

--15

0

9

SAWSA

4

0

0

4

-34

0

10

English B

4

0

0

4

-69

0

P

W

Division Two

IMG NETBALL

D

L

Diff

Pts

1

Psychology

5

4

1

0

48

13

2

Medics B

6

4

1

1

37

13

3

Cardiff IWC A

4

4

0

0

30

12

4

J-Unit

5

3

1

1

22

10

5

Biology

6

2

3

1

20

9

6

Pharmacy B

5

2

1

2

7

7

7

Cardiff IWC B

6

2

0

4

-17

6

8

Optometry

4

1

0

3

-2

3

9

Engin Automotive

5

0

1

4

-25

1

Newspaper J.

6

0

0

6

-120

0

10

gairrhydd

FEBRUARY.25.2008

SPORT

SPORT@gairrhydd.COM

The IMG Roundup Hooray for Economics A

SOCSI left high and dry

Chloe Gallagher IMG Reporter

Kerry Allen IMG Reporter

Economics A 16 - 2 Cardiff A ECONOMICS A extended their unbeaten run with an emphatic win over Cardiff A. Economics came into this game full of confidence having decimated all before them in the Premiership this season. With one of Economics key players missing, Cardiff recognised the opportunity to inflict an upset.

The game started at a fast pace and some swift and accurate passing allowed Cardiff to take an early 2-0 lead through GA Lowri Harry and GS Alex Taylor.

Economics were on the back foot for the first time this season and this spurred them into action: they fought back with two equalizing goals.

The first half was end-to-end with both teams struggling to force a goal

but Economics finally broke loose and managed to pull away for a half-time score of 8-2.

The second half took its toll on Cardiff as Economics capitalized on their silly errors. While Economics intercepted several of Cardiff’s centre passes, Cardiff maintained a strong performance. However, they were unable to convert any successful movements into goals.

The final score of 16-2 did not reflect the quality of both teams’ play. The fact that Cardiff restricted Economics to one of their lowest scores this season is a true testament to Cardiff’s persistent defending. Cardiff’s player of the match was GD Briony Marks whose timely interceptions put Economics under constant pressure.

With Economics a sure-fire bet to win the title, the real race in the Premiership is for second place. As Law, Carbs and both Cardiff teams push for results, all eyes are on the battle for this spot.

Engin Loco. 19 - 10 SOCSI B IN A TIGHT Division One encounter, a resilient Engin Locomotive side secured an important victory over much-fancied Socsi B. Braving dismal weather conditions both teams took to the court in high spirits knowing that the outcome of the match could be crucial to their campaigns for the Division One title.

Although there were periods of strong netball from both sides, this was overshadowed by too much aggressive play.

The game lost its flow and became very scrappy as a number of players were IMG Football Fixtures Wednesday 27th February Premiership GymGym v AFC History Economics v Chemsoc CARBS v J-Unit Mini St. Elite v Engin Loco.

MOMED v Law A Division One Blazin’ Business v Music Buteys

IMG Netball Fixtures Wednesday 27th February PHOTO: NICK WARENER

Premiership Cardiff IMG A v SOCSI A Dentistry v Law A Cardiff IMG B v Pharmacy A CARBS A v Economics B CARBS B v Economics A

GS: Feeling blue

Division One English A v English B Medics A v SAWSA

pulled up for contact.

A fired-up Socsi B side took the first centre pass, but it was immediately intercepted by Engin Locomotive who went on to take an early lead. The match continued to follow this pattern with Socsi struggling to find space on the crowded court as the height of the Engin girls lead to a high number of interceptions. As a result, Engin Locomotive lead the first half 9-4.

The second half proved to be an equally contentious affair as many players were pulled up for contacting their opponents and for footwork. Engin Locomotive continued their scoring run, showing impressive skill within the shooting circle to extend their lead further.

Uni Hallstars v Psycho A. SOCSI v Butthead SAWSA v Engin Auto.

Pharm AC v Inter Me-Nan Division Two Japsoc v AFC Cathays Optometry v Cardiff C. EarthSoc v R. Ale Madrid H. Dragons v Law B Engin Numatics v JOMEC SOCSI B v Law B Christain Union v Engin Loco GymGym v Engin N.

Sunday 2nd March Division Two N. Journos v J-Unit Psychology v Medics B Cardiff IWC A v Pharmacy B Biology v Optometry Engin Auto. v Cardiff IWC B

However, the Socsi girls never gave up and courtesy of some great centre court passes, brilliant team work within the attacking third and accurate shooting, they began to pull a few goals back within quick succession.

Despite the spirited Socsi attempt, the height and determination of Engin Locomotive proved too tough to beat, as they fought their way to a 19-10 victory.

The win could prove vital for Engin Locomotive who are now in a very strong position in Division One. They will hope to continue their success against a competitive Christian Union Side, whilst Socsi B face a tough encounter against Law B.

Simply l-awful Nikki Fisher IMG Reporter Cardiff B 8 - 6 Law A

CARDIFF B ended Law A’s 100% record with a hard-fought victory.

The first half of the match was extremely tight with the teams fighting for possession. Both teams had solid defences that restricted scoring opportrunities. After 15 minutes, the teams were tied at 3-3.

In the second half, fine passes were exchanged in the middle of the court and the teams fought for interceptions.

The Cardiff B attack really stepped up a gear and managed to pull away from Law A in the closing stages of the match.

IMG SNAPS: J-Unit for your success-

Who’s your key player?

Do you have a

ful season so far?

Adam Weatherly.

team chant?

Ask Dwayne Chambers.

Is it fair to say you

“J dash U - N - I - T,

Who’s the best joker?

we’re gonna win the IMG.

Adam Weatherly.

With a nick nack paddy

have an aggressive

J-UNIT: Justin fan club

What are your recent

What are your expecta-

achievements?

tions for this season?

Rounding up the biggest bunch

To win the IMG.

of louts in Cardiff and turning them into Premiership allstars.

How do you account

47

wack give a dog a bone,

style of football?

Who’s the least

why don’t MOMED

We would like to answer

intelligent?

fuck off home?!”

that question by quoting our

Without a shadow of a

sponsor, Dirty Sue: “rumour

doubt, Adam Weatherly.

Funniest story from a social?

has it, J-Unit are nails.”

Teams that have most

Craig Bellamy getting

How would you im-

surprised you over

trollied with us in Dirty

prove IMG football?

the last few years?

Sue’s. Debut soon.

Make Justin Savage (Psycho

MOMED’s professionalism

captain) supreme IMG leader.

never ceases to amaze us.

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48 gairrhydd

FEBRUARY.25.2008

SPORT

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THE WORD ON... ...Oscar Pistorius’ struggle to become an Olympian George Pawley Sports Editor

T

he Olympic dream is a concept personal to each of us. It could be a medal representing the culmination of years of meticulous preparation; the harvesting of raw talent or maybe an outstanding, once-in-a-lifetime performance, never to be replicated.

My perception is slightly hazy; the motto of ‘Swifter, Higher, Stronger’ fails to completely encompass what the Olympics does, and should, represent. The Olympics should be about an athlete having overcome vast obstacles to earn richly deserved acclaim; their personal pot of gold at the end of an emotional rainbow ride, or just a human who may have just captured the imagination of the public. Both can portray the spirit I associate with the Games; it is not the precious metal hanging from a satin sash, but the feeling of unique personal achievement.

There are many representations of these kinds of sensations, highlighting glorious success or heart-warming failure. Contrast the symbolic triumph of Jesse Owens at the Berlin Olympics, the ‘Miracle on Ice’ at Lake Placid and Kathy Freeman’s emotional performance at Sydney 2000 with the efforts of Eddie ‘The Eagle’ Edwards on the slopes and Eric ‘The Eel’ Moussambani in the pool. All have gone down in Olympic folklore for very different reasons, and there they will stay.

South African Oscar Pistorius could well be the next momentous story to enter the Olympic history books, but it seems that Beijing will come too soon for his ambition to become reality.

Pistorius, also known as the ‘Blade Runner’, was born without fibulas and underwent a double amputation of the leg below the knee at 11 months old.

But with the aid of carbon-fibre prosthetic limbs, he has become a Paralympic revelation at just 21 years old, earning a reputation as ‘the fastest man on two legs’ in breaking the world 100, 200 and 400m Paralympic records.

It is the method in which he has achieved these feats however that has sparked a treacherous scientific debate, as Pistorius strives to be allowed to compete against other able-bodied athletes in the Olympic Games.

A study commissioned by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) has discovered that Pistorius’ prosthetic limbs give him a 25% energy saving advantage over able-bodied sprinters, while he may benefit from a larger stride length than most athletes, causing the IAAF to rule

that his j-shaped prosthetics give him both an unfair advantage and violate IAAF rules on technical aids.

Pistorius though, believes the tests undertaken on his running were not comprehensive enough, and is in the process of launching an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport: there is a small chance of him competing at Beijing. The debate over whether the carbon -fibre blades represent a technological advance, such as oxygen tents (which can help to increase lung capacity), or if they are capable of categorisation as ‘performance enhancing’, seems to be endless; it will certainly extend past the closing ceremony on August 24th.

Though the science remains sketchy, these findings may ruin the romanticism and potential of Pistorius’ story, however correct or accurate they may be. On one level, it is imperative all angles of a race needs to be considered.

For instance, though his superior energy levels may give him a slight advantage, it has been said that his blades are a hindrance when in the blocks, as his power output when ‘launching’ may be significantly less, and that he takes longer to reach optimum sprinting speed compared to able-bodied athletes. Furthermore, he has had to learn to be mobile, and is likely to have suffered more setbacks than any ablebodied athlete.

Meanwhile, ethically speaking,

should he attain the Olympic qualifying time to gain a place in the South African squad, it would surely be a travesty not to allow him to compete.

To disqualify him could even be said to be discriminatory; Pistorius himself has commented: “I’m not disabled, I just don’t have legs”. Compare this optimism with the bizarre comments of Elio Locatelli, Development Director at the IAAF, who described Pistorius’ situation as affecting the “purity of sport. Next will be another device where people can fly with something on their back”; a statement of exaggeration worthy of a boxing promoter, and perhaps not representative of any other IAAF members; within the organisation opinion appears to be split.

SCIENCE: Studies suggest Pistorius’ prosthetics give him an advantage

“I’m not disabled, I just don’t have legs” Despite the scientific studies, the ‘blade runner’ is still off the mark when it comes to earning a place to represent South Africa. Individually, he is still short of the 45.95 second World Championship time he would need to qualify for the Olympics at the 400m discipline, though his 400m Paralympic World Record performance of 46.56 second earnt him 2nd place in the able-bodied South African National Championship, which may make him eligible for a place in the 4 x 400m squad should his nation place in the world top-16.

But, as the rather fitting saying goes, it’s not the winning, it’s the taking part that counts for Pistorius. To see him crouching down on the blocks in Beijing would be an iconic image worthy of the Olympic dream. It will represent the conquering of boundaries. One of Britain’s most successful disabled athletes, Dame Tanni Grey Thompson, has recognised Pistorius’ potential to “change the world of Paralympic sport in ways that we never imagined”.

The profile of disability in sport would ascend into the stratosphere, extending awareness to untouched corners of the globe, affecting and inspiring people never exposed to disabled sport, either voluntarily or involuntarily; it’s clear the Paralympics has always been overwhelmingly overshadowed by the Olympics. Admittedly, I have never paid the attention to the former, whether consciously or not, that it deserves, but since first hearing about this particularly fascinating story, I hope I’ll be glued to both.

However, the possibility of underhand decision-making have been

raised. Professor Robert Gailey, who has studied amputee athletes, puts forward a rather dark theory; “Are they [the IAAF] looking at not having an unfair advantage?

“Or are they discriminating because of the purity of the Olympics, because they don’t want to see a disabled man line up against an able-bodied man for fear that if the person who doesn’t have the perfect body wins, what does that say about the image of man?” One can only hope this is merely negative conjecture, even though the view has found favour with Pistorius himself.

Rules are there for a reason; should further scientific findings prove to be conclusive perhaps I’ll reconsider how I feel about this situation. But to deny a 21 year old the chance to become an Olympian on such unfounded theory would be to stifle a struggle against all odds.

As long as Pistorius can set the times required of all athletes to qualify for the Olympics, why prevent a dream becoming reality. If Beijing comes too early, it will hopefully be London’s privilege to provide a finishing line to such a extraordinary story.

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FEBRUARY.25.2008 SPORT@gairrhydd.COM

Man of the Moment

49

SPORT

Jack Zorab meets Cardiff University’s International Rugby star Jamie Roberts

J

“Luckily I can remember everything from the actual day” However, off the pitch he is a lot easier to track down, despite combining his rugby career with studying for a degree in Medicine at Cardiff University. When I caught up with him he

was willing to share his thoughts on his double life.

We started by talking about the Scotland match and what it means to him to play for his country: “It was a special day, unbelievable really because I felt like I wasn’t really there. I definitely had a tear in my eye during the anthems but I’ve done it now and it’s inspired me to get more [caps].”

With regards to the evening’s entertainment after the match though, Roberts’ admits that his memory is a little blurred: “First I had to sing to the team on the bus and I chose Dean Martin’s ‘King of the Road’; I was pretty nervous, but I finished the song. Then at the dinner everyone buys you a drink and I think I went into town after that with my flat-mates but they had to carry me home by 11.30, I was legless. Luckily I can remember everything from the actual day, and I think the night was absolutely brilliant as well.”

Many would say that Roberts is unlucky not to be adding to his cap tally against Italy this weekend, but the return of the very experienced Llanelli winger Mark Jones means that Roberts will have to settle for a place as a nonplaying substitute.

As disappointed as he may have been to be left out of the starting squad, when you consider how far he’s come in the last year, it’s still a great achievement to be considered among the elite players in Wales: “Last year, I was on tour with Cardiff Medicals just watching Scotland vs. Wales in a pub in Edinburgh. It’s crazy to think that a year later I would be playing in the same match.”

It certainly has been a metronomic rise and this season he has scarcely looked back, despite being yellow carded against the Ospreys early in the season. Since then he has made the wing berth his own for the Cardiff Blues, and has performed with equal gusto when given the opportunity to play at his favoured position of fullback. Particularly, it has been his performances against Bath, Leicester, Sale and Glasgow that have led him into the international contention that he now

finds himself.

Of course the other side of his life has not been as well publicised in the last year as his rugby, but it’s still something he takes very seriously: “The university have given me eight weeks off for the Six Nations and my exams are now in July, but it’s still a lot of work” he said of his degree. “Rugby players actually have a bit of time off and I just want to have something else to do away from rugby. Medicine is really interesting, particularly this year being the clinical year. I haven’t witnessed a baby being born yet but the most complicated operation I’ve seen in theatre was a total knee replacement.”

PHOTOS: HUW EVANS AGENCY

AMIE ROBERTS is a hard man to get hold of. Many differing cover defences will be able to testify to this claim; for starters the Scottish.

Roberts made his Wales debut two weeks ago against the Tartan Army and what a debut it was. The special aspect of Roberts’ first cap though, wasn’t the fact that he played with no evidence of fear and attacked with a confidence that belied his years without making any mistakes that could have led to the opposition scoring points (an outcome which with hindsight, Scotland’s poor Nick De Luca would happily have bitten your hand off for had it been offered to him).

Nor that he managed to earn his place among a national team that had the week before recorded the most remarkable and long overdue win against the team that everyone loves to beat; for he did both of these.

The remarkable fact was more that he seemed so inherently comfortable with playing on the international stage that you’d be forgiven for assuming that in a small corner of the Millennium Stadium there is a bed placed next to a rocking chair with a pipe still smouldering on the arm; and that this place, rather than his flat in Cathays, is where Jamie Roberts likes to call ‘Home’.

Shane Williams might have grabbed the headlines against Scotland with his two tries, but it was Roberts’ disciplined and powerful performance in their little-and-large double act that allowed the Welsh Wizard to zoom around the Cardiff turf and leave the discerning Welsh public crying out for an encore.

“I just want to have something else to do away from rugby” On whether there are any other studious types in the Blues squad; there is, “Only Nick Macleod from the senior squad who studies Engineering at UWIC. But there are a lot of youngsters who still study and most academies encourage players to carry on with something else.”

With both careers demanding strenuous hours though, it can’t be easy to do much else, but Roberts’ stated that: “I still have time to socialise and go out but it depends how hard I work.”

He clearly does as he blows the whistle on Robin Sowden-Taylor’s credentials as the worst dancer in the Blues squad due to his ‘standing-by-the-wall -dancing-style’, and reveals that when it comes down to it, Tom Shanklin is probably the man with the best moves on the dance floor.

For now though Jamie Roberts is all about the rugby and in the coming weeks will be trying to do his utmost to get back into the test squad for the French and Irish matches. If he does, then expect him to specialise in making other stadia his home from home and in the process give his opposite man a torrid afternoon.

Car-Wai Lau takes in the business end of snooker’s 2008 Welsh Open THE WORLD’S top 48 snooker players arrived in Newport to fight it out for the Welsh Open crown.

Home hopes of a winner were dashed early in the competition with Ryan Day and Mark Williams losing out to Stephen Hendry and Shaun Murphy respectively in the third round. The tournament was dominated by three previous tournament winners this season and the most successful player ever reaching the semi-finals.

Mark Selby, the Masters Champion, played the three-time winner of this tournament, Stephen Hendry, in the first semi-final. The match was an exciting prospect and did not fail to entertain with big breaks and good safety

battles. Selby took a cagey first frame, which lasted 45 minutes. Hendry then replied with a break of 67 to win the second.

This pattern continued with Selby taking the lead and Hendry levelling until four frames all. Selby showed his form by finally breaking the trend and taking the next two frames with a break of 70 to seal a 6 - 4 win.

The second semi-final involved the reigning U.K. Champion, ‘Rocket’ Ronnie O’Sullivan and the on-form man Shaun Murphy, who won the Malta Cup a week before this tournament.

This was another mouth-watering match between the world number one and two respectively, and they showed

how well matched they are with both players sharing the first four frames.

However, the Rocket soon ran away with the match, scoring three century breaks of 113, 101 and 143 respectively, to seal a 6 - 3 victory.

Selby, known for his comebacks, did the same again This set up a repeat of the U.K. Championship Semi-final, where O’Sullivan won 9 - 8 with a magnificent 147 in the deciding frame in

Telford, and was built up to be an epic and what an epic the capacity Newport crowd witnessed.

The first session was mainly dominated by Selby with good safety play, while O’Sullivan struggled to find his form in the early going. However, O’Sullivan did enough through sheer determination to go 4 - 4 into the final session, which was a fair reflection of the tie.

In the evening session, O’Sullivan got off to a flying start with breaks of 93 and 135 to take a 6 - 4 lead. The next two frames were shared, as O’Sullivan stayed at arms length with a 7 - 5 lead at the mid-session interval.

O’Sullivan took the next frame, and

was within one frame of becoming Welsh Open champion for the third time. However, Selby, known for his comebacks in the Masters and World Championships, did the same again by winning the next three frames to take the match into a deciding frame.

O’Sullivan got in first with a break of 24 but failed to develop the pack of reds sufficiently. With the momentum behind Selby, he made a calmly taken 48 break to complete the comeback with an outstanding 9 - 8 victory and take the £35,000 cheque back to Leicester. Selby was World Finalist last year, and he could perhaps go one better this year.

50 gairrhydd

FEBRUARY.25.2008

SPORT Cardiff Cobras 17 -7 UWE Bullets

Cobras sneak in lowing strong running from former Great Britain Bulldogs Jake Heath and accurate passing from QB Steve

Planet V lleywood

Hutchinson the Cobras began marching up and down the field.

The Cobras converted their steady

Janne Woicke Volleyball Reporter CARDIFF Men’s 1sts .................. 3 ESSEX Men’s 1sts ..................... 1

CARDIFF BEGAN their BUSA Championship campaign with a three sets to one success over the winner of this year’s BUSA South Eastern Conference, the University of Essex.

Since the Welsh selection had only just qualified for playing in the first Western Conference last year by winning the second division they were definite underdogs going into the knockout stage of the BUSA championships.

Despite these circumstances, Cardiff was prepared to justify its presence among the last 16 teams in the country.

After winning the first set by 25 - 17, but losing the second set closely by 23 - 25 the third one proved to be the set determining the outcome of the entire match.

The six Cardiff players kept in mind the fact that no substitutes were available and hence took up the fierce fight against the large Essex squad. The constant influx of fresh players threatened Cardiff’s progress.

A small crowd of around 50 spectators saw Cardiff come close to defeat as the defiant six fought off Essex’s three set points during this crucial

PHOTO: ED SALTER third set. But with the score at 29 - 28 Cardiff finished the business off with a hammering spike by Letvian Robert Kurmis after a neat set-up by Moritz Langemann. Robert Nickel proved his attacking as well as his blocking skills to gain this crucial first set point for Cardiff. The success in this deciding set then spread the spirit of definite victory of the Welsh team and muted the spectators of the opposition.

The hard driven attacks by wing-hitter Prezemek Woznowski and off-setter Stephane Panel were the general key to Cardiff’s success. The fourth and final set was then seen through quite quickly after a row of precise float serves by captain Janne Woicke won 11 successive points and setter Langemann finished it off with some impressive jump serves to finish the set at 25 - 13.

President Nadine Preedy, the game was “a great match with some breath taking rallies, which has shown the way forward for Cardiff University Volleyball Club”.

After having gone through a difficult season and placing third in which is most likely to be the hardest conference, the team had also taken on the challenge of the Students cup this year.

But severe team shortages meant an unrewarding 15th place in the cup was casting shadows over the upcoming so important BUSA knockout fixture.

Nevertheless, the exceptional sion to the quarter finals of the BUSA Cham-

play into points during the second quarter. With the Bullets End-zone in touching distance Cardiff decided to

Kings’ march on Matt Curry Squash Reporter

VOLLEYBALL: Serving it up

run the risky reverse play. The risk paid off as wide receiver Andrew Hardy danced into the End-zone for the games opening score. Later in the quarter the Cobras extended their lead with another touchdown, RB Heath, with defenders bouncing off him, powered over the line. Both touchdowns converted with ease by kicker Chris Hunt.

The Cobras looked eminently comfortable at 14 -0, but with a change at QB and a dogged attitude the Bullets began to fight back. On the first drive of the second half the Bullets trampled their way up field for their first score.

RB Mike Adams taking advantage of some strong UWE Run blocking.

With the score at 14-7 the Cobras would be saying goodbye to any post season play. But thanks to the big boot of Hunt, who restored a 10 point lead with a 30 yard field goal, and an inspired performance for the remainder by the Cardiff Defence, particularly by DE Williams, LB Newman and DBs Slater and Whitaker, the Cobras now go into this week’s final game needing only a victory against the Bristol Barracuda to secure their 3rd playoff appearance in an many years.

end his university squash career just yet, was determined to cause an upset.

However, Curry made a slow start to go down in the first game. Although KINGS COLLEGE Men’s 1sts ....... 4 playing some more confident squash in the second game, Curry struggled CARDIFF Men’s 1sts .................. 1 to find his rhythm loosing this game as well. After setting in the third AFTER AN encouraging victory game Curry raced to a 7-4 lead. Unthe previous week against the fortunately, a series of impatient shots University of Sussex, Cardiff trav- led to Curry’s opponent making a draelled to Kings College London matic comeback to seal the match.

In an attempt to restore some pride for the quarter final of the BUSA for Cardiff, number four seed Tom knockout trophy in high spirits.

Number two seed Simon Goddard Bowers proved to be the hero of the was first on court and struggled to find day. Bowers efficiently used his any weaknesses in his opponent, con- strength and size to his advantage and was able to dominate his oversequently losing the first two games.

Goddard came out fired up in the confident opponent. After taking the third game and through some patient first two games 9-4 and 9-5 Bowers rallying was able to snatch the game. was not going to slow down the pace This provided a morale boost for of his play and continued to domiGoddard who played some efficient and aggressive squash to easily take the fourth game.

However, after such a relentless comeback in the previous games Goddard ran out of steam in the last game and his opponent dominated 9-1 to secure victory.

Number five seed Owain Jones was next to play, and after a good start, unfortunately lost the first game. Jones played his best squash in the second game giving his opponent no chances whatsoever and killing the ball at every available opportunity to take the game comfortably. In response ,the Kings player capitalised on a few loose shots from Jones in the next game to take the third 9-1. The fourth game provided the most entertaining viewing with each player matching each other shot for shot throughout.

After a valiant effort, however, Jones went down 9-7 in the fourth game to lose 3-1 overall.

Number three seed Matt Curry was next on court and, determined to not

nate the middle of the court. After a series of epic shots at the start of the third game there was no chance of a comeback ,and Bowers completed a 9-2 victory in the third game to seal a 3-0 win.

Number one seed Rhys Owen was last to play and lost the first game 9-2.

A closely fought second game followed, which Owen eventually lost 9-5 after a period of lengthy rallies.

The finest squash of the afternoon was saved for the third game with both players playing exceptionally.

Owen saved his finest shot of the day for game point taking the third game 10-8. After such a noble effort in the third game Owen could not maintain his momentum and his opponent, who had superior fineness, was able to capitalise on this to take the fourth game and 3-1 win overall.

PHOTO: ED SALTER

THE CARDIFF COBRAS took the relatively short trip over the river Severn on Sunday determined to right the wrongs of a frustrating defeat at the hands of the UWE bullets earlier in the season.

Having to win by more than 7 points to keep their playoff dreams alive, the Cobras knew that any slip-ups could cost them their season.

The pressure seemed to get to Cardiff early on. Having received the ball from the opening kick-off, the Cobras managed to fumble the ball on the very first play from scrimmage. However, instead of dropping heads and confidence downward, this early set back ultimately galvanised the team.

The infamous Cardiff defence raced onto the field with a frenzied look about them, baying for Bristol blood. The Cobras smashed Bristol backwards, stuffing the run option and leaving the UWE Quarter Back looking thoroughly confused. The Cobras blocked the attempted field goal allowing the Offence to return with the game still at 0-0.

The Cardiff offence returned to the field to produce their most efficient performance of the season so far. Fol-

AMERCIAN FOOTBALL : Rugby with pads on?

PHOTO: STEFFAN POWELL

Steffan Powell American Football Reporter

SPORT@gairrhydd.COM

SQUASH: Valiant princes

gairrhydd

FEBRUARY.25.2008

SPORT

SPORT@gairrhydd.COM

Continued from Back Page However, the mixed successes of this season could be partly attributable to the inadequacy of facilities for training, according to AU President Turner, who observed: “The facilities on offer to students are not fit for purpose, do not supply all students with the opportunity to maintain the minimum level of physical activity recommended. It also poses a major risk to the success of our sports clubs.”

Despite the issues surrounding insufficient facilities, Cardiff is able to support elite athletes through its successful Sports Bursary Scheme.

The bursaries aim to assist recipients in reaching their full learning and sporting potential during their studies, by providing financial and academic support.

51

51 students were accepted onto this year’s programme, which has been praised by Cardiff’s Head of Sport, Gary Stephens, who said: “It is exciting for us to be in a position to assist the high calibre athletes Cardiff University continues to attract.”

Meanwhile, away from BUSA, Cardiff’s Intra-Mural Games represents a hugely successful way for students to play in competitive football and netball tournaments, despite this year’s problems with IMG Rugby.

IMG Chair Andy Button-Stephens highlights: “With over 800 students participating in 30 netball teams and 30 football teams, week in, week out, IMG offers great opportunities for students of all abilities to get involved and play sport.

“However, further investment could introduce new competitions such as mixed volleyball, hockey and tennis, which are offered by other IMG pro-

PHOTO: ED SALTER

FOOTBALL: Good at woodwork

grammes at top universities.”

In light of the renewed efforts to expose the shortfall in sporting facilities at Cardiff, there has been an indication that there are discussions being held regarding facility development from the University. A University spokesperson has informed gair rhydd that development projects include “A purpose-built fitness facility on central campus, the refurbishment of the Field Hall at Talybont Sports Centre, outdoor tennis courts at Talybont and a second hockey astro-turf pitch.”

With these possible improvements in mind, AU President Turner is keen to emphasise the continuing importance of supporting the ‘Invest In Sport’ campaign, encouraging “’Invest In Sport’ is the result of our students voicing their opinion on the current standard of sport facilities available to them.”

Pushing the boat out

SAILING: Better with the wind

Oliver Bennett Sailing Reporter THE RECENT University match racing finals saw Cardiff University Sailing Club enjoy considerable success.

The racing was long and intense, but the CUSC team won five out of six races. The one loss was as a result of a breakage on the boat that the race committee failed to postpone the race for.

However, once that race got underway, Cardiff came very close to overhauling the other boat whose lead should have been outside their grasp.

Cardiff’s slightly under-sized bowman, Maia Walsh, rose to the challenge with an efficient and experienced

handling of the sail. Cardiff’s vastly knowledgeable helm Robbie Allam was very proficient at ensuring the boat was almost always first across the start line.

The rest of the five person team comprised of Oliver Burdell, Oliver Bennett and Chris Sanders. Burdell and Sanders provided a combination of grunt and skill as they trimmed the two main sails.

With no wind on the Sunday, numbers had to be crunched to work out the three qualifying teams, one of which was Cardiff. So another trip back to Queen Mary reservoir in Staines after the holidays will be necessary in order to compete in the finals, for which CUSC is likely to be the first seed.

Cock up Richard Jeffries Football Reporter CHICHESTER Men’s 1sts ........... 1 CARDIFF Men’s 1sts .................. 1 *Chichester win 3 - 0 on penalties CARDIFF’S FOOTBALLERS made the long and arduous journey southeast to take on a Chichester side who had brought about the demise of Bristol the week before.

Cardiff made one change to the side that had comfortably accounted for Greenwich, with club stalwart Dan Jones replacing the unavailable Jack Jarvis in midfield. The midfield was tightly packed on an extremely narrow pitch made life extremely difficult for Cardiff’s wide players throughout.

Cardiff started cautiously as Chichester enjoyed much of the early possession, but were unable to fashion any noteworthy chances. The early action was limited to the midfield with neither keeper being forced to exert himself.

The second half began as the first had ended, without any great drama. Chichester’s long ball game was comfortably dealt with by the Cardiff back line, while all too often Cardiff’s dynamic

counter attacking was undone by the final ball. Cardiff looked particularly dangerous from set pieces, as Lloyd Jenkins won a towering header at the back post and Sean Hogan crashed his volley against the crossbar. Jenkins saw a crisp volley cannon back off the crossbar from a Stairmand corner before stubborn defending prevented first Kwame Asare and then substitute John Young from breaking the deadlock.

However, Chichester rallied in the dying minutes of normal time and Cardiff were thankful to their goalkeeper who spread himself well to deny a home striker in a one on one opportunity.

After dominating the closing stages of the match in almost a carbon copy of the chance he missed last week, Stairmand stylishly lifted the ball over the helpless keeper from 20 yards and into the unguarded net. Cardiff’s celebrations were wild and Stairmand was booked for removing his shirt in excitement.

Chichester threw everything forward for the remainder of the game and were rewarded deep into the 2nd half of extra time. A needless free kick was given away in midfield and Chichester’s keeper launched the ball into the box as their entire team piled forward. Dan Jones’ misjudged his attempted header clear, forcing his keeper into an acro-

batic save. From the resulting corner, the ball was bundled into the net by several Chichester players at once.

Cardiff were unable to find another goal after man-of-the-match Asare had hobbled off with a knee injury, and the referee’s whistle indicated that the match would be decided by a penalty shoot out. Chichester were brimming with confidence, buoyed by their late goal and the knowledge that they had overcome Bristol with spot kicks the week before.

Cardiff were not short of brave volunteers to take a penalty, but were stunned when the Chichester keeper saved impressively first Sean Hogan and then James Ford. Chichester had converted both of their first two penalties, before John Young saw Cardiff’s third attempt beat the home keeper and rebound off the post. The Chichester keeper dusted himself off, shouldering the responsibility of taking the deciding penalty, which he duly dispatched, condemning Cardiff to defeat.

The Cardiff team were devastated, having dominated most of the game only to be denied progress by the lottery of penalty kicks. Cardiff can console themselves with a second chance of glory as they seek to retain the Welsh Cup, starting with a first round tie against Newport University.

lost their first games.

Cardiff’s hopes were further dashed when their second doubles pair, Charlie Austin and Tom Houdmont, CARDIFF Men’s 1sts .................. 3 dropped their first match 9-21, 17-21.

It was clear at the halfway point Bath BATH Men’s 2nds ...................... 5 had the upper hand.

Cardiff were still optimistic that CARDIFF MEN’S Badminton failed they could turn the match around to secure a place in the next and rightly so since Phillips was able stage of the BUSA Trophy when to secure a close win in his second they suffered a narrow defeat in match 21-13, 21-9. Although, it soon appeared there was little Cardiff could their match against Bath 2nds.

Since the Men’s team were able do to stop Bath, as their winning to field their six strongest players, streak continued when Broomfield Cardiff were hopeful that they could was unlucky to lose his next match.

Despite Cardiff’s first doubles pair impose themselves in both doubles winning their second match of the and singles events.

However, despite a good start for day, the second doubles pair, Austin Cardiff with Warener and Ewins tak- and Houdmont, narrowly lost in an ing their first doubles match 21-9, eventful match which went to three 21-16, they were soon on a downward games: 21-16, 14-21, 16-21 resulting spiral when both singles players, Si- in an overall score of 5-3. mon Broomfield and Matt Phillips

BADMINTON: Inevitable cock references

PHOTO: NICK WARRENER

No solace on the Solent

Nick Warrener Badminton Reporter

Sport 14 gairrhydd

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OCTOBER.22.2007

FEATURES

INSIDE: Welsh International Jamie Roberts, all the .COM FEATURES@gairrhydd BUSA and IMG news & the Word On... Oscar Pistorius

STUDENTS REQUEST: ‘CARDIFF, INVEST’

PHOTO: ED SALTER

-250 Fun Runners pressure the University to increase sports investment as Cardiff’s facilities remain under scrutiny -AU President Turner: “Sport and physical activity is vital”

Have your say: sport@gairrhydd.com George Pawley Sports Editor LAST WEEK’S Fun Run marked the one year anniversary of the Athletic Union’s ‘Invest In Sport’ campaign, which was formed to highlight the inadequacy of the facilities available to students at Cardiff University.

Around 250 competitors completed the 5km course, which was run in conjunction with Sport Relief, aiming to raise awareness and lobby the University to improve Cardiff’s sporting infrastructure, which ranked disappointingly in the Good University Guide 2007.

In the guide’s Star Ranking system, which provides a detailed account of university sport, Cardiff gained just 11 from a possible 36 stars (lower than the 16.3% average), placing the University 15th out of the 17 Russell Group Universities that responded. Out of seven

Welsh universities, Cardiff was ranked fifth, while in terms of the whole UK, Cardiff came in at joint 66th.

Last year, the ‘Invest In Sport’ campaign helped to secure a £175,000 investment in a new rubber crumb surface at Talybont, due for completion in September 2008, and is widely hoped this body of support would emphasise the need for further and continued improvements to Cardiff’s sporting facilities.

However, as part of the re-launch of the campaign for 2008, the AU, with student input, have identified areas where they remain disillusioned with the lack of strategic direction regarding physical activities.

The formal recognition of sport as a vital area of the student experience has been identified as a top priority

by AU President Ben Turner, who has expressed: “Sport and physical activity is vital in a university setting because it allows people to have fun while, on oc-

casion, forging lifelong relationships.

“University sport is special because it aids the personal development of students by allowing students to acquire and demonstrate a whole host of skills, including leadership and teamwork skills, and many employers see this as a huge bonus.”

The AU, with student input, have identified areas where they remain disillusioned Commenting on Cardiff’s stance on sport, a University spokesperson stated: “Cardiff University is committed to providing a first class student experience at Cardiff University which includes enhancing the learning, social and sporting environment for its stu-

dents, staff and the wider community as a whole.

“The University is considering further enhancements to ensure our facilities meet the increased student demand created by the rise in student numbers”.

The importance of physical activity is well documented. Recent statistics from the Welsh Assembly Government’s ‘Climbing Higher’ sports strategy have shown that only 30% of adults in Wales are doing enough exercise to gain a health benefit. In addition, sport at university is also reported to help raise aspirations and encourage social inclusion and should be a key element in the ‘social fabric’ of university life.

Furthermore, sporting facilities have been identified as a key ‘attractor’ in student recruitment by the Good University Guide, because of the elements it can bring to campus life. It notes that sport provides: “Exercise for students is a chance to let off steam and make

friends, not to mention good publicity and ‘town and gown’ relationships for the University”.

James Clifford, Chairman of Cardiff University Football Club, concurs with this view, noting: “Sport gives you access to a number of like-minded people and some of the best friends I have made have been through the Football Club.

“Cardiff’s facilities are generally pretty good, but it must now make a decision whether it wishes to be taken seriously as a strong sports university.”

With a BUSA ranking of 18, and with nine teams having played in the BUSA Premier League for their respective sports this year, it is clear that Cardiff boasts a plethora of talent capable of performing at the highest level of university sport.

Continued on Page 51

-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 TURNER WRAPS UP IN SKINS ‘PURELY FOR LOOKS' n INEVITABLE HEADLINE GETS WHEELED OUT FOR 5TH TIME UNDER PAWLEY’S REIGN n WILL THIS EDITION WIN SPORT THE BEST SECTION AWARD? n DOES A BEAR SHIT IN WOODS? n AMY: INVEST IN NON-UNION PROVIDED CLOTHING n MACAULAY - NON-SABB DREAM IN TATTERS n JEREMY GUSCOTT - HE’S A RUDDY GOOD LAD n ZORAB AIMS TO FOLLOW IN MILLWARD’S WAISTCOAT FOOTSTEPS n UNCERTAINTY SURROUNDS WHICH NEWS EDITOR HE’S TRYING TO BAG n HUW ‘DEADLINE DODGER’ DAVIES n DONE

gairrhydd

FEBRUARY.25.2008

37

FIVE MINUTE FUN

FMF@gairrhydd.COM

found on facebook Housemate done something stupid?

1. Log on to the book of face Send 2. Join the group ‘Found on Facebook’ more 3. Upload embarrassing photos oddities!

4. Pick up gair rhydd on Monday and laugh

Across

Down

1. Pistol (7) 5. Accompany as an escort (7) 9. Playwright (9) 10. Give abilities to (5) 11. Comprise (7) 12. A small one-storied house (7) 13. Deliveries (9) 15. An expensive sailing ship (5) 17. Make improvements to (5) 19. Go off (9) 22. Batted by women (7) 25. Flee (with something) (7) 26. Genus of hemlock spruce (5) 27. Taken from the mane or tail of a horse (9) 28. Everlasting (7) 29. Methods, schemes, procedures (7)

1. Persuades sensually (7) 2. Waste water leaves through this (9) 3. Reversion (7) 4. Dampened (9) 5. Sword (5) 6. Noiselessly (7) 7. 2nd most populous country (5) 8. Chemical (7) 14. A yellowwood tree with aromatic leaves (9) 16. Belonging to a company (9) 17. A daughter of Agamemnon (Greek mythology) (7) 18. Haulage (7) 20. Hurries (7) 21. Abides (7) 23. Elicit (5) 24. Laughs (5)

competition crossword

Sudok leaves u fo page 2 r

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 wordsearch, 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 is 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 wordsearch 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.