gair rhydd - Issue 863 by Cardiff Student Media

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ISSUE 863 MARCH 03 2008 CARDIFF’S STUDENT WEEKLY free word - EST. 1972

THIS ISSUE:

welsh cult icons plus all the latest music, film, arts & book reviews PHOTO: Ed Salter

the cribs interviewed & reviewed

features get nostalgic fashion shoot for spring

CANCELLED Rubber Duck looks set to undergo a radical revamp after last week’s event was abanoned due to poor ticke sales Corinne Rhoades News Editor The doors to Solus were locked last Wednesday night after poor ticket sales forced the cancellation of Rubber Duck. The club night, which is run by the Students’ Union (SU) and was

traditionally popular with sports teams, has been suffering from a decline in attendees since midway through last semester. In a bid to boost sales, a string of offers were devised to try and revamp the night. Last Wednesday’s Rubber Duck had a Pub Golf theme which was set to involve students drinking at 9 different holes before returning

to the ‘clubhouse’ in Solus. But the Students’ Union Entertainments Department cancelled the event at 9.30pm because “not enough tickets had been sold to give those who’d already bought their tickets a good night”. The previous week under a hundred people were left in attendance by the end of the night.

A spokesperson said: “We recognise that the night only works if the club’s full, so rather than see just a few people in there we decided to cancel.” As a consequence, students who had bought tickets were refunded and given drinks vouchers. Junction, Solus’ bar, was also kept open so students could stay but

many chose to continue their night elsewhere. Vicky Williams, Social Secretary of the Ladies’ Rowing team, attended Rubber Duck after a social the week before its cancellation. Continued on page 4

INSIDE: SPORT/LISTINGS/TELLY/INTERVIEWS/FEATURES

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this week in gair rhydd: Features celebrate International Women’s Day

24 NUS Extra under scrutiny

Cardiff Cobras kicked out of league

Sudoku

52 header fashion

Nautical

Go on... ease yourself into your Monday morning. You know what to do!

Ahoy! This look is back once again. Stripes, waistcoats, anchors and denim - welcome aboard! Whether it’s a sailor accessor y or a top-to-toe uniform, this trend is smart, chic and the definition of summer. It’s best for boys to limit it to simple stripes, while for girls it’s a cooler alternative to fussy florals. The style is accessibl e and affordable; you can sail the high seas via the high street.

WEB DATING: NOT JUST FOR GEEKS MARDI GRAS IS DEAD

Skipper Samuel A. Strivens

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The alcohol was flowing last week as Cardiff Students’ Union celebrated its 11th annual Beer and Cider Festival. The event, which was organised by the Real Ale and Cider Society, took place on Wednesday and Thursday February 26 and 27 in the Great Hall. As well as offering a range of drinks from across the country, the festival was host to a variety of live music performances, including a recital from Cardiff University’s Windband society. It is estimated that over the two days, 200 gallons of cider and 720 gallons of ale were sold, contributing to profits of £4,000. This money will be donated to Ty Hafan, a children’s hospice in the south of Wales. Dani Welter, Computer Science

PHD student and General Organiser of the festival, spoke of its success. She said: “I think the festival’s popularity comes from the fact that we offer students something different to the usual bars and clubs. “We provide a wide range of real ales and ciders at competitive prices and give students a great atmosphere in which to enjoy their drinks.” Steve Wright, a 3rd Year Philosophy student, echoed these thoughts. He commented: “There is so much choice and the low prices mean you can sample many different beers and ciders.” But despite being held in high esteem by students, it is likely that the festival will not take place again. Welter explained: “The festival has become more and more expensive to run over the last few years and we are finding it increasingly difficult to offer students competitive prices whilst still raising money for charity.”

PHOTO: Ed Salter

Students take to local tipples Samantha Shillabeer News Editor

Much ado about nothing

Nihilistic and Doctor Nut take the last two Battle of the Bands semi final slots PHOTO: Chris Beale

Cardiff Flashmob society hold pointless protest at the Students’ Union to prove students’ political involvement is truly alive and kicking

Jesse Scharf Reporter Last Wednesday saw over 30 students gather in protest behind the Students’ Union building. Waving placards, beating drums and blowing whistles they chanted loudly in favour of their cause.

But this cause was “nothing”. Chants of “what do we want? Nothing! When do we want it? Never!” rang out as the group, members of the Cardiff University Flashmob Society, marched though the Union and into the University’s main building. Groups of surprised sixth-form students, who were visiting the University for an open day, also

witnessed the event. At the Welsh Assembly building the protestors were asked to move on, before being refused entry back through the main building by a security guard. Asked why they had come on the protest members replied: “No reason”. To take part in future Flashmob events email flashmobsociety@cardiff. ac.uk.

Missing scooter witness plea At around 2.30am on Tuesday morning, a student’s mobility scooter went missing from outside a takeaway restaurant on

Salisbury road. Police investigations are currently ongoing and CCTV is being checked. Anyone with any information has

been urged to contact the relevant authorities. Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously on 0800 555111.

Cath Duddridge LMS Correspondent

The final heat of Battle of the Bands saw some amazing performances, from four extremely diverse acts. It was impossible to predict how the voting was going to go, but after much deliberation from the judges and audience members (some of which had travelled from Bristol to support the acts) Nihilistic and Doctor Nut came in ahead of Langur and New Fast Black to gain a place in the semi finals which are to be held on March 6 and 13 in CF10 – tickets are on sale from the Union Box office and online at www. sutickets.com. LMS Exec and judge O.J. was very happy with all the performances in Heat four, describing winners Nihilistic as a “mix of punk rock vocals and drums with metal guitar riffs, which complimented each other extremely well to create unique original sound.” He also enjoyed the “over the top vocals and catchy beats” of runners up Doctor Nut. Nihilistic, who gained a massive 56% of the judges’ vote were “very happy” to go through, and are encouraging everyone to come and vote for them in the second semi final.

Semi Final: Thursday 6th March Location: CF10 Time: 7.30pm Price: £3

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Duck goes CUTV: ready for action under - continued from page 1 She said: “I think we were the only team there. It needs to be reinvented because too many people realise it’s just the same thing. They go to Oceana or Revolutions instead; that’s just where everyone’s going.” The decline of Rubber Duck affects the Union’s Recycling Your Student Pound Campaign, which encourages students to go out in the Union so that the money they spend will be put back into SU services. SU Vice President Rowena Vassallo said: “When new clubs open in town, the Union usually loses students for four to six weeks, but then sees them return. “This year we’ve been unlucky in that two major clubs have opened, meaning students have stayed away.” Despite this, the SU Entertainments Department said that tickets are continuing to sell out for their other club nights. gair rhydd also spoke to many sports teams who said they enjoyed Rubber Duck.

Male Football squad player Robert Owen said: “We go because we get sponsorship, but the boys generally enjoy it and it is our union.” He added: “The only problem I can see is that we need to be in at 8.30, which is quite early.” The Entertainments Department said they were trying to turn ticket sales around long before last Wednesday’s cancellation, with a recently established Entertainments Committee and Rubber Duck Satisfaction Survey. But last Wednesday’s cancellation has prompted them to gather student feedback on a wider scale. A Rubber Duck forum will take place in the coming weeks that will canvass, review, and re-review student ideas to radically improve the night. Students have also been reassured that there will be an event put on for the end of term. There will also be the SU’s annual Varsity party in April, which they have promised will be “more spectacular than ever”.

Melissa Moore Reporter CUTV is getting ready for its largest broadcast event since its launch last November. The television station will be covering the Students’ Union elections by way of a massive outside broadcast which will see results streamed live online and on screens around the Union. CUTV are also filming manifestos for each candidate and will be

streaming a live broadcast of the candidates’ question and answer sessions. Huw Thomas, controller of CUTV, said: “We’re really throwing our weight behind the Students’ Union elections as it’s such an important event on the academic calendar. “The people who are elected will be accountable to Cardiff’s student body, so it’s absolutely essential we allow students to see who wants to represent them – and why.”

He added: “CUTV has gone from strength to strength and I’m determined that the elections will feature as one of the highlights of our first year on air.” Nominations for this year’s elections closed last Friday, and campaigning will begin on March 10. For more information on CUTV and the upcoming elections visit www.cardiffunion.tv and www. cardiffstudents.com. PHOTOS: Ed Salter

Put down your arms “Donate, don’t gair rhydd

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Student campaigning across the UK pressures top universities 2. 9 m ill io n to stop investing in arms people died of aids

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Corinne Rhoades News Editor Students across the UK took part in a nationwide protest last Wednesday February 27 against their universities’ financial investments in the arms trade. The event was organised by Campaign Against the Arms Trade (Caat). In November 2006, gair rhydd reported Cardiff University to be among 45 institutions in Britain that owned shares in arms manufacturers. The University’s financial investment included shares in the world’s fourth largest arms company BAE systems, which was under investigation by the Serious Fraud Office in 2006 following allegations of bribery and corruption. In May last year, Cardiff University Students’ Union (SU) made calls for the University to rethink its ethical investment policy, holding meetings with the University’s governing body and

What can you do about it?

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this year

discriminate”

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CARDIFF’S STUDEN 04 2006 T WEEKLY free word - EST. 1972

Health pay a visit to the University’s counselling service

ARMLESS Features on Worl d Aids Day Page 16

saying that “progress had been made”. Last Wednesday, Cardiff students did not participate in Students vote to fight the Universi ty ov an organised protest due to a arm s investmen er ts lack of awareness. Student Council calls for the Universi SU President Jonny Cox wit ty to sever lin ks h arms trade said: “I think the way that The execu tiv mandated to e are tak e action we can really effect change is through working with the University to talk over their new investment strategy. “It is something I am looking to concentrate on a little more once elections have finished, as this signals an extremely busy period for the Students’ Union.” Protesters campaigned at various Russell Group universities, including University College London where passers-by were asked: “Can we interest you in any missile components today?” On the same day at Cardiff University, the Flashmob society staged a ‘pointless protest’, shouting: “What do we want? Nothing.”

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Joanna Dingle

News Editor invested external ly by companies they employ to that Council manage and immediately STUDENTS HAVE The motion highligh their finances. thought condemned the it was the sort University’s ts the fact that “as student fees investment of thing Student in in manufacturer Council should by passing a arms University, the Univers part fund the passing motions be motion at Student Council ity should listen about. which calls for to the opinion of students “I them to sell in matters Universthink it’s important that relating to investm their shares. the ity has pressure ent.” The motion, which It also indicate put on it to change its policy was proposed s that other universi after one third-ye ties have policies - all, it is suppose on investments, after that prevent rhydd’s front pagear student saw gair investm dly trying to be the ethical.. more in arms’, urges article entitled ‘Up involvedent of money in compan ies “I’m not expectin remove any money the University to for Cardiffin the arms trade, and calls g the passing they have invested the motion to University to do of in arms compan make the Univers the same. Third year Jesse ies. turn ity on uits Scarf, policies This includes who brought but am really happy the issue to any money which that we have been is rhydd articlecouncil, said: “I read gair thoughts be known” able to let our before the last Student Four weeks ago, . gair rhydd reported

B A E systems is currently under investigation Serious Fraud by the Office, allegedly on Cardiff Univers bribery in their for corruption and ity’s ownership dealings with shares in two of many Britain’s top ten of countries’ governments. companies. arms One of theses countrie Over half of s is Saudi Arabia, its August 10, was investment, as of atrociou a country with a record of s human rights in BAE systems which describe abuses. They , are also s European defenceitself as the “largest Pinoche alleged to have paid General t, ex-dictator of “top 10 US defence company” and a Argentina a company”. Continued on Page 6

Students are in favour of relaxing the ban that prohibits gay and bisexual men from giving blood, a forum held by the Students’ Union (SU) has found. At a forum to discuss the NUS campaign Donation Not Discrimination last week, an informal vote was taken in which the majority of students voted that they agreed with the campaign’s aim to give gay and bisexual men a chance to donate. Gay and bisexual men are currently banned from giving blood due to fears that receivers may contract HIV. Chaired by the Debate Society, between 20 and 30 people were in

attendance at the forum to listen to a talk by the NUS Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Officer. Issues such as improving the HIV testing process and the lowered HIV levels in countries that have already lifted the ban were then discussed. Sally Wood, Cardiff SU’s LGBT Officer, said: “There was definitely an interest in campaign action, and that’s something the Union could look into.” The forum comes before the Welsh Blood Service visits the SU on Monday and Tuesday of this week to encourage students to donate blood.

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MARCH.03.2008

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Volunteering Frenzy and other events, will be going directly towards the running of SVC’s 35 volunteering projects. SVC Manager Andrea Dare said: “This event was vital to raise the funds needed to operate many of the projects students volunteer on, and to continue to support the community. “The money raised will be vital to enabling the students to continue making a positive impact on the environment they are part of.” During the week SVC co-ordinators also manned a stall in the Students’ Union. This proved popular, with several students signing up and registering their interest in the remaining volunteering opportunities available this term. All through the week volunteers were also painting a jungle-themed design onto boards that will form part of a sensory garden being installed at Ty Gwyn School for special needs pupils. The garden is designed to enhance

the playtime activities for the children and to help them interact with their surroundings. The final fundraiser of the week was Speakeasy, a night of live music with bands and DJs, on Thursday February 28. In excess of 200 people turned up to support the event, which was held in CF10. With stalls from other societies, games, and a raffle, Project Worker Sarah Day said that everyone enjoyed the night. She commented: “Speakeasy was a great success providing students with an eclectic evening of entertainment. A great time was had by all.” Student Volunteering Week was originally started in 2001 to coincide with the International Year of Volunteers. It has since become an annual fixture in the student volunteering calendar.

PHOTO: Ed Salter

Student Volunteering Cardiff (SVC) celebrated the nationwide Student Volunteering Week in style last week. The organisation held a variety of events throughout the week to raise awareness of volunteering and celebrate the work that students do in their community. On Saturday February 23, volunteers completed a sponsored 5km Fun Run in Bute Park. After a warm up led by the Funky Arse Disco Dancers, 86 runners completed the course, which went along the western side of the River Taf before crossing over Blackweir Bridge and finishing near Cardiff Castle. Many competitors ran in fancydress costumes, which included a rubix cube, bumblebee and ladybird, and all participants received a day pass to the Vitality Gym, among other goodies, on completion of the course. All money raised from the Fun Run,

Rebecca Smith Reporter A series of events aiming to promote Islam in a positive light and dispel myths surrounding the religion will be held this week by Cardiff University’s Islamic Society. ‘Islam Awareness Week’ starts on Monday March 3 and will run until Thursday March 6. It will include a series of discussions and screenings that aim to present a clearer idea of the teachings of Islam. President of the Islamic Society Mohsin Malik said Islam is often misrepresented in the media and the awareness week aims to “differentiate between truth and fiction”. The events will also allow Cardiff

Healthy living for future generations Oliver Lewis Reporter

PHOTO: Ed Salter

students to have discussions and debates on controversial issues such as women in Islam and Shariah law. Events are taking place across Welsh universities during March. Committee member Abdul-Azim hopes Cardiff University will become a “beacon” of example in accepting and understanding Islam as a religion that has existed in Britain for centuries. Over 300 people attended last year’s event and this year’s organisers predict the week to be even bigger. It begins at 6.30pm on Monday March 3 with a free dinner at CF10 followed by a live performance and screening of the story of the prophet Muhammad. Entry to the events is free and more information can be found at www.cardiffisoc.co.uk.

Biobank Cymru, a Cardiff University-based medical project and the first assessment centre of its kind to open in Wales, has celebrated its 10,000th participant, a Ms Audrey Hirst. Ms Hirst stated that she was motivated to participate in the multimillionpound project because of its goals to prevent and treat serious illnesses. Biobank Cymru aims to build a “rich health resource” for scientists and doctors, helping them to understand why certain people develop particular dis-

eases including cancer, heart disease, and dementia. First Minister Rhodri Morgan launched the project in October of last year. It is lead by Dr John Gallacher of the School of Medicine’s Department of Epidemiology, who earlier in the week celebrated the project’s success in Wales in a speech to a delegation of Assembly Members and researchers. He said: “There is a tremendous feelgood factor in taking part and knowing you are contributing to the better health for all in future generations.” Biobank Cymru will continue to recruit in Cardiff for the next three months.

Specialist care secured for cancer patients Vicky Beddow Reporter Plans for a new Cancer Education Centre have been announced for South Wales. Cardiff University’s School of Nursing and Midwifery Studies will be joining Velindre NHS Trust to secure specialist care for cancer patients. Based at Velindre, the Centre for

Cancer Care and Rehabilitation will provide expert educational opportunities for those caring for patients. Not only will advice be given to health professionals but also to patients, carers and volunteers. Director of Velindre Anne Mills said: “There is a requirement for health and social care workers to have the specialist knowledge and skills to deliver the expert care identified as needed by cancer patients and their

families.” With the focus placed on patientcentred educational opportunities, the centre promises better care for the individual and an enhanced quality of life. Cardiff University will be working in close collaboration with Velindre NHS, mapping existing educational provisions and subsequently developing new programmes of training. Speaking with enthusiasm Vice

Chancellor Dr David Grant remarked: “Cardiff University is at the forefront of world-leading cancer research. We are extremely proud to be involved in this innovative partnership.” Cardiff’s School of Nursing and Midwifery Studies shares this commitment and recognises the importance of its role within the project. Professor Sheila Hunt said: “We aim to create a vibrant, responsive and innovative Centre which will ensure

all health and social professionals have the appropriate knowledge and skills to deliver the best care, at the best level and in the best place.” The launch of the Velindre Centre will be an important development for cancer services in Wales. Through the University and the NHS’s collaborative efforts, the project should ensure greater awareness towards both the needs of sufferers and their carers.

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Dr David Kelly (1955 - 2008) David Kelly received his Ph.D. degree from the then-flourishing Chemistry Department at the University of Salford under the guidance of Professor Stanley M. Roberts and Dr Roger Newton. This was followed immediately by a prestigious Postdoctoral Fellowship at Oxford University, where he worked with Professor Sir Jack E. Baldwin, FRS. During this latter appointment, David worked on various aspects of the emerging field of the use of radicals in Organic Synthesis. Between them, Baldwin and Kelly produced a number of important and seminal contributions to this very active and competitive area. These high profile research activities acquitted him well in the synthetic or-

ganic chemistry community and it was therefore no surprise when, in 1984, he secured a lectureship in organic chemistry at University College, Cardiff. He soon established a flourishing research group, which was mainly focussed on the chemistry and synthesis of various insect pheromones, an important field in view of the damage caused to many crops by insect predation. Throughout his career in Cardiff, he maintained an active research group and it is significant that these activities are distinguished by the fact that two former members of the Kelly group have gone on to forge successful careers of their own as lecturers (now both senior lecturers) in other UK University Chemistry Departments. In later years, his research continued to be characterised by a remarkable

level of insight and lateral thinking, which was always aimed at achieving a deeper level of understanding in a particular area of the science. Along with these activities, he will no doubt be remembered for his presentations of chemistry to a wider audience, across the whole spectrum ranging from specialised chemical students to lectures to the general public. He had the outstanding gift of being able to project his chosen subject and always retained his audiences’ attention; few would ever fall asleep during a Kelly lecture. He had a remarkable ability to enthuse about and explain chemical principles and his memorable lectures on chemical attractants and insect pheromones, amongst other subjects, were delivered with a keeness and style

which was inimitable and which will be remembered throughout the UK. Throughout his career in Cardiff, David was a great supporter of the chemistry conferences which were held at the University of Wales centre at Gregynog, especially the annual gathering of younger UK organic chemists and the high profile ESBOC chemistry-biochemistry meetings. His absence from subsequent meetings will be keenly missed by organisers and participants alike. The same is true of his colleagues in Cardiff where he always contributed a significant share of both teaching and administrative tasks. This obituary was kindly written by Professor David Knight

Million pound spending fails Arts opportunities to curb university dropouts Sian Owens Reporter

More than one in five of the 230,000 full-time students entering university each year - an estimated 50,000 - drop out before graduating Claire Lawson Reporter Since 2002 there has been no improvement in the number of students dropping out of university, despite £800 million being spent in a bid to tackle the problem. MPs revealed last week that the rate of full-time students abandoning their degrees has not changed, and remains at 22%. The cross-party Public Accounts Committee conducted the report, placing the majority of the blame on the fact that there was a drive to widen participation in higher education. Universities are now attracting around 31% of their students from nontraditional backgrounds. Many believe that this has led to students from poorer backgrounds being

accepted into university with a lack of pastoral support. Consequently, they have not been able to afford the financial strain which university life poses, and have been forced to drop out. Chairman of the Committee Edward Leigh claimed that “universities must get better at providing the kind of teaching and support services that students from under-represented groups need”. The report showed that other factors also contributed to the high dropout rates. These included students having physical or mental health problems, being dissatisfied with their chosen course, as well as having financial problems. Cardiff University Health and Welfare Officer Jo Plummer suggested that another reason could be the lack of focus on core skills at A-level.

For example, a student with high grades in science-based subjects may struggle when required to write essays at degree level. She proposed that a focus on key skills by all universities would help to reduce the drop out figures and “vastly improve students’ grades and their confidence in their ability to complete their degree”. It is thought that universities who are part of the Russell Group and produce the most research, of which Cardiff is one, tend to have a higher retention rate than others. A Cardiff University spokesperson said: “ Each year the government sets a benchmark for student retention and Cardiff has exceeded its retention benchmark in recent years. The figure for first year undergraduate students that did not continue with their course in 2006/7 is 6%.”

5000 apprenticeship schemes have been created as part of a government strategy to provide young people with more opportunities in the creative arts. The apprenticeships, which will be available to those between the ages of 14 and 25, will be offered in subjects such as film, fashion, music and design. They have been described as aiming to make Britain the “Hollywood” of new creative industries of the future. The BBC, ITV and The Royal Shakespeare Company have all signed

up to assist the Department for Culture, Media and Sport with their new plans. The apprenticeships are hoped to be in place by 2013 and will involve five hours a week spent developing young peoples’ creative talents. It is also hoped that the new scheme will bring schools, colleges and universities closer together. Culture secretary Andy Burnham said: “We want to take raw talent, nurture it and give people the best possible chance of building a successful business.” There are, however, concerns that these apprenticeships will provide young people with unstable, short-term careers.

Voting concerns voiced Student Councillors last week elected not to have an extra two days of voting for this year’s Students’ Union elections, despite the fact that entire departments will have broken up for Easter before voting begins. Due to Easter falling early this year departments who traditionally give their students a reading week in week six have moved this to week eight – the week before Easter holidays begin. This has led to worries that hundreds of students will be at home and therefore not cast their votes. Campaigning for this year’s elections will run from Monday March 10 to Friday March 14, with voting taking place on Monday 17 and Tuesday 18. The motion put forward at Student Council posed to extend voting to Thursday March 13 and Fri-

day March 14, but it failed to gain enough support to be passed. Students argued that an extra two days of voting would not give candidates enough time to campaign and gain support. Rowena Vassallo, Vice-President of the Students’ Union, urges students who will not be in Cardiff to register their vote by post instead. She said: “Your vote is your fundamental opportunity to have a say in how your Union is run, and how your views are represented at university, local and national level. She added: “It is really important that students exercise their vote and elect candidates who will address the issues that matter.” The deadline for postal vote requests is Monday March 10. Students can submit their request by visting www.cardiffstudents. com/elections.

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Universities have been reduced to “engines of the economy”, a prominent vice chancellor has claimed. According to Professor Mike Thorne of Anglia Ruskin University, students have been encouraged by the government to view higher education as merely a tool for getting a job. Professor Thorne said: “The pendulum has swung too far in favour of an instrumental view of education.” He added that this has caused students to view their university study as a “means to an end with no real interest in what the degree is about”. Professor Thorne also accused government education policy of being “treasury-motivated” and not what employers want from their graduates. In addition, Professor Thorne argues

Your Uni: your words “I want to get a job in this field when I graduate, but that doesn’t make me enjoy the course any less.”

Hossein Babareza First year Business Management

“I think my degree will make me more employable but I don’t necessarily want to do something law related.”

Stefi Rolfe First year Law and Criminology

that the link between education and the economy is presently stronger than in the past, an assertion which backs up his claims. He said: “The government sees education as just for jobs, what goes on in school is constructed around that instrumental end.” He added that employers do not want the “instrumental view of work” that this leads to. This view has found favour with Lewis Elton, Honorary Professor of Higher Education at University College London, who said Professor Thorne was “absolutely right” in his concerns. But Sir David Watson, from the Institute of Higher Education, said that students are not simply in the business of “purchasing a degree”, citing the evidence from student surveys which show students want university budgets to be spent on services such as library books and computers.

Emma Jones asks Cardiff students why they chose to study their course “I couldn’t get onto any other course at Cardiff but the more I study it the more I enjoy it, so I’ll probably get a job in this field.”

Ted Hayden Third year Chemistry

“I’ve always loved English. I chose history because I liked my A-level teachers but I’m not really enjoying it.”

Lizzie Church Second year English and History

Nash doesn’t need to read Emma Barlow Reporter Pop star Kate Nash has sparked debate among universitycritics after she questioned the importance of higher education during her acceptance speech at the Brit Awards last week. The Brits, which took place on Wednesday February 20, saw the singer scoop the award for Best British Female Solo Artist. On receiving the award, Nash, who attended the BRIT school and studied for free in performing arts and technology, said: “Not everybody is academic and not all of us get into

university like, but don’t worry if you don’t.” Her sentiment has been supported by education charity Edge, which believes education needs to include practical and vocational elements.

“Not everybody is academic and not all of us all of us get into university like” Edge Partnership Director Jonathan Bramsdon said: “For those who don’t

PHOTOS: Natalia Papova

A vice chancellor’s claims prompt fears that students no longer love learning

Jonathan Evans Reporter

PHOTO: Natalia Papova

Learning to work

see university as the right way forward for them, there are other practical routes that are equally as valuable and fulfilling.” However, The Russell Group, an association of 20 of the UK’s elite universities, including Cardiff University, places a high value on education to degree level. Its Director General Dr Wendy Platt said: “University will increase [students’] options in the future, boost their earning potential, raise their selfesteem and confidence, and provide both an enjoyable and intellectually stimulating experience.”

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MARCH.03.2008

WORLD NEWS World News in brief Ruth Smith Reporter

NEWS@gairrhydd.COM

A real-life Italian Job

English Ejected Millions of euros worth of jewellery stolen from Damiani showroom while the Oscars were taking place

Elle Smith Reporter A campaign launched in Venezuela last week is urging citizens to stop using English words instead of their own Spanish equivalents. President Hugo Chavez’s government is encouraging company workers to stop the use of English business terms such as words like ‘staff’ ( where ‘equipo’ is preferred), ‘marketing’ (‘mercadeo’) and ‘password’ (‘contrasena’). Chavez is also trying to get radio stations to play Venezuelan music in an attempt to urge the country to embrace their cultural and literary roots.

Triple Trouble

A 16-year-old girl called Pamela has just given birth to triplets in Argentina making her now a mother of seven. At the age of 14 she had a son and at 15 she had her first set of triplets. The most recent set of triplets are all girls and were born prematurely. Both Pamela and her children are well but the situation has sparked debate across Argentina. Pamela will now be able to seek more governmental assistance, yet many Argentines have been arguing that instead she needs more advice on contraception.

Lacing up

Police dogs in Düsseldorf, Germany, are to now be equipped with shoes when on patrol to prevent paw injuries. The shoes are made of blue plastic and all of the 20 police dogs are currently being trained to walk in them. This move comes after many dogs have been injured stepping on broken beer bottles – particularly in the old part of town famous for its pubs and often drunkards. The shoes are blue to match the officer’s own uniforms and come in three sizes.

Thieves posing as policemen stole several million euros worth of jewellery from a Milan showroom on the day of the Oscars. Seven men, dressed in police uniforms, came through the cellar wall of the showroom on Sunday February 24 before tying up staff and running off with some of Damiani’s most valuable pieces. It has been reported that prior to Sunday’s heist the robbers had dug an underground tunnel from a building under construction next door to the jewellery store. The seven men, unarmed and unmasked, crept through the tunnel and came through the wall as staff above them in the store prepared the jewels for a celebrity Oscars party. The gang proceeded to burst into the showroom, tied the staff up with plastic cable and sticky tape and locked them

in the bathroom. The manager was then taken to the safety deposit room and forced to empty the lockers. The robbery was conducted in a matter of minutes. The thieves then made their escape via the same tunnel through which they entered, leaving very little trace. Police say it was an extremely professional job and are working on a theory that the robbers may have had some inside knowledge. The real value of the items stolen is not yet known, but it is thought to be millions of pounds worth of gold earrings, necklaces, bracelets and rings, which were all studded with diamonds. Damiani had supplied, among other jewellery, the diamond-studded bracelet worn by British actress Tilda Swinton (pictured right), who had just accepted the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress at the Academy Awards ceremony in the US at the time.

Anger in France as pupils name and shame bad teachers on web

Turkish ground incursion sees military troops enter Northern Iraq Portia Nicholson Reporter

Laura Hinson Reporter A French website which allows pupils to rate their teachers is being threatened with legal action by the Educational Establishment. The site, www.note2be.com, has been hugely popular with students since it started on January 29 this year, but has been met with outrage from the Teachers’ Union. After a court hearing last week, judges are expected to give in to the pleas of teachers and unions to deem the site an “incitement to public disorder” and a breach of privacy. In court, lawyers for the unions and individual teachers said that the site broke the privacy law by publishing teachers’ names and ratings and that it also breached their rights to be assessed only by their superiors. About 150,000 pupils a day are visiting the privately owned note2be.

com, which translates as “mark to be” in franglais. It was founded by Stéphane Cola and Anne-François Lastic, two entrepreneurs from Paris, who were influenced by such sites as ratemyteachers.com in the United States, and similar sites in Britain and Germany. Its opening slogan, subsequently withdrawn, was “Seize Power, mark your teachers!” 50,000 teachers have so far been named and rated between one and 20, similar to the French school marking system. The average is 14, a figure which defenders of the site say demonstrates its far-from-slanderous nature. Lawyers for the site argued that it is an expression of freedom and in Germany unions failed to close down their equivalent site, spickmich.de. Teachers were rated only in a professional way under six criteria: whether they are “interesting, clear, available, fair, respected and motivated”.

Turkish troops have crossed into Northern Iraq in their first major military ground incursion against Kurdish rebel bases in nearly a decade. The Turkish military have stated that their only target is Kurdish guerrillas. The Iraqi government has condemned the Turkish invasion into Iraq and has called on Ankara to withdraw all the troops immediately. Ankara said its troops were supported by fighter jets, and would leave Iraq when their objectives were achieved. Speaking in parliament, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan insisted that “terrorists”, not civilians, were the targets. Turkey, he added, had “the right to eradicate those who destroy the peace and comfort of its citizens”. The Turkish Military is seeking members of the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK), which is considered to be a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the European Union and the United States. For several decades Turkey has been fighting a battle with Kurdish rebels in the south-east who want to form an independent Kurdistan.

More than 30,000 people have been killed since the PKK began fighting for a Kurdish homeland in southeastern Turkey in the early 80’s. The country has regularly mounted aerial attacks and small-scale commando raids on PKK positions in Iraq. This, however, is the first time it has sent a significant force into Iraq. Reports state that the PKK have been using bases in Iraqi Kurdistan to launch attacks into Turkey. Iraqi authorities are failing to stop the PKK from using the area as a safe haven. Since the attacks have begun, the Turkish military claims it has killed 153 rebels and lost 19 soldiers, whilst the rebels of the PKK say they have killed 81 soldiers. Neither report can be independently verified. PKK fighters are reported to be taking advantage of the bad weather, which is said to be preventing Turkish air support from attacking Kurdish media inside Iraq. In Washington, State Department officials called on Turkey to limit the scope of its ground incursion in northern Iraq and bring it to an early conclusion.

10 gairrhydd

MARCH.03.2008

INVESTIGATIONS

INVESTIGATIONS@gairrhydd.COM

GIVING YOU EXTRA?

PHOTO: ADAM GASSON

gair rhydd takes a look at ‘the definitive student discount card’ and finds out if they are worth the plastic they are printed on when shopping on the Cardiff High Street...

Portia Nicholson Investigations Reporter

US Extra cards aren’t value for money in Cardiff according to an investigation by gair rhydd. gair rhydd visited several retailers in the Cardiff area that are only supposed to offer student discount to National Union of Students [NUS] Extra card holders and found that our Cardiff university cards, that bear the NUS logo, were accepted by many of the retailers. The retailers including Subway, Topshop and Claire’s Accessories all of which are on the ‘exclusive discount’ list of NUS Extra discounts. However, the staff at these retailers accepted a Cardiff University ID card, which bears the NUS logo, and offered us discount. One of the retailers that accepted Cardiff ID card was Claire’s Accessories. But when gair rhydd contacted Claire’s to find out their student discount policy they replied: “I can confirm Claire’s only accepts the NUS Extra card and the students can receive 20% off all full priced items only.”

Many students have accused the NUS of being a ‘discount club’

The NUS has previously accepted that not all retail workers will recognise the difference between an NUS Extra card and university ID or library card and urges students that obtain discounts with their exclusive discount partners without showing an NUS Extra card, to report them to the NUS. Given that many retailers in Cardiff will accept any form of student ID

when offering student discount, gair rhydd asked Cardiff Students’ Union president Jonny Cox as to whether he thought NUS Extra Cards have benefited Cardiff students: “The benefit of NUS Extra cards come in the discounts that they offer that are no longer available with just a normal student card. It is a national scheme that any student in higher and further education can be a part of. This means that there are better and more discounts on a national level for those who have NUS Extra cards than there were previously on a local level.” During this year’s Freshers’ week, Cardiff Students’ Union promoted the NUS Extra card on the Union website, www.cardiffstudents.com and used an empty shop outlet on the ground floor of the union, so that students could sign up for an Extra card. But despite the publicity during Freshers’ week, Cardiff Students’ Union confirmed to gair rhydd that only 1,112 E x t r a c a r d s have been sold so far this academic year, which made £5,226 for CUSU. Whilst this s o u n d s like a substantial amount of money, it’s a long way off from covering the Union’s cost of NUS affiliation, which according to figures released at the recent AGM, was £46,000 last year. And that’s a drop in the ocean compared to CUSU’s trading income of over five million pounds. We asked a range of Cardiff students what they thought about the Extra card, and not all of them were entirely satis-

NUS Extra is the world’s second biggest paid-for student discount card fied, Cardiff graduate, Paul O’Callaghan said: “Paid for one of these in April last year - never arrived, no email nothing... rubbish”. Lucie Stoker, a third year Law student told gair rhydd: “Most shops give you discount with a normal NUS card so why pay for a privilege we already have? I’ve never been asked for an NUS Extra card so the shops that are associated with it are clearly minimal, it’s not worth the money.” Mo Bennalick, a first year Law and Criminology student said: “I bought an NUS Card in Freshers’ week because it looked cool. However I feel I was greatly deceived. I used it once on Amazon before I lost it. I can’t say I particularly miss it.” Given Cardiff students’ low opinion of NUS Extra, gair rhydd asked Dave Lewis, National Treasurer for the NUS whether he thought the scheme had been a success: “This is a second year of a national roll out of NUS Extra, on the back of a trial in the North West of England during 2005/6. NUS Extra brought in over one million of new income into students’ unions last year”. gair rhydd requested figures for

this academic year from the NUS to the reply that “this year has delivered a similar outcome.” gair rhydd also asked the Mr Lewis the number of cards sold since the beginning of the scheme: “During last year’s first year of the national roll out we sold 250,000 cards, and to date during 2007/8 we have sold 232,000 cards. This is an increase of 7% to date year on year. NUS Extra is the world’s second biggest paid-for student discount card, and although we are someway off Brazil.” He added “there is every opportunity to build upon the success of the last two years, recognising the areas for growth, and ensuring students get discounts and offers which make a real benefit to their life in education.” NUS Extra was first approved for introduction by the March 2006 NUS Annual Conference in Blackpool. It was highly controversial and was opposed by a number of Students’ Unions. At the conference, individual Unions both tried to get the scheme scrapped, or asked for the trial to be extended for another year to provide them with more data. Both options were eventually voted down by conference, and it was agreed that the scheme would be introduced. The NUS told conference the introduction of the Extra card was necessary for the financial survival of the NUS as it faced a £700,000 financial deficit in 2005. In the NUS regional conference summer in 2006 National Treasurer Joe Rukin suggested that the NUS needed an ‘alternative income stream’ and that traditional NUS Cards were becoming ‘less relevant due to increased competition’. The causes of the NUS’s financial troubles were believed to stem from a downturn in spending at university student unions, one of the national body’s main sources of funding. It is thought that

stu-

dents a r e spending less at the student union bars, opting instead to socialise at home with friends. The union blamed the financial shortfall on historical problems, including a “bad investment in a computer system, overspending, and a bloated administration.” The cards that cost £10 per academic year, promised exclusive discounts at a number of high street and online retailers that would only be available to the students who had purchased an NUS Extra card. The NUS Extra website describes the card as “the definitive student discount card with a range of

NUS Extra brought in over one million of new income into students’ unions last year exclusive discounts, offers and competitions designed to make student life more exciting, more memorable and more rewarding.” The site also told buyers that “Your Students’ Union also benefits from the card as a portion of the £10 you pay goes back to them so they can invest in more services, activities and events for you - so the transac-

gairrhydd

MARCH.03.2008

INVESTIGATIONS

INVESTIGATIONS@gairrhydd.COM tion between you and your Students’ Union has wider reaching benefits.” Currently of the £10, the national union gets £1.50, the university union £4.70 and the rest is spent on administration costs. The NUS told us that the money generated so far by individual unions “has been used in places like Reading for coaches to national demonstrations, laptops in Glamorgan, increased funding for sports clubs and societies in Salford, increasing union activities in Exeter College and funding for increased campaigning activity at Wolverhampton. NUS Extra card sales make a difference to the activities of a students’ union, and it must continue to do so.” The card however has caused outrage at certain unions since its launch and many students have accused the NUS of being a ‘discount club’. In 2006 Cambridge University Students’ Union refused to distribute the NUS Extra card and stated “CUSU thinks that charging students for the chance to save money is unacceptable and voted against the new scheme at the NUS national conference.” Bournemouth University Students’ Union also voted against the introduction as they thought the card was a “rip off for students”. Bournemouth union also discussed boycotting the NUS Extra card before deciding to let students choose whether or not to buy one. Rob Stroud, Student Rep Coordinator at the University of the West of England Students’ Union, attended the 2006 NUS national conference where

the motion to introduce the cards was passed. He told gair rhydd that he believed the introduction of NUS Extra has caused confusion: “One of the main questions around it is - does NUS want to promote itself as a discount providing organisation, or as a membership organisation, where one of the many benefits is getting a discount. What do students see NUS as?”

Cardiff Students’ Union confirmed to gair rhydd that only 1,112 Extra cards have been sold so far this academic year The cards have also come under fire on several social networking sites with groups such as ‘Petition against NUS Extra cards’ and ‘Just say no to NUS Extra’ being set up by disgruntled students. On these sites many students discussed what stores offered student discount without showing an NUS Extra card. The cards look set to stay for the time being as they re-launched in August for the 2008/2009 academic year, The NUS has reported that the “Extra card will allow students to save a massive £98,577,500 over the course of the next academic year. Back for the third year, the NUS Extra card will mean average savings of over £281* per year for each student.” The cards saw further discounts be-

ing added in 2007, Gemma Tumelty, NUS President said, “NUS is working hard to ensure we meet the needs of students today. Students told us last year that they wanted discounts on basic essential everyday items such as toilet-

ries and food, so this year NUS is proud to introduce Subway, Superdrug and McDonalds to the list of NUS Extra discounts.” Despite the extra discounts, some Students’ Unions though have reporting low numbers of Students buying NUS Cards, including Bristol University Union which recently reported “there has been an extremely low take-up - less than two per cent of Bristol students have purchased the card.” According to the NUS though, the Extra cards are ‘extremely popular’ with students as they reported that in 2006/2007 academic year the cards were taken up by more than “250,000 students. Of these, 80% said they would recommend the card to their friends. This year we aim to further meet student needs with the introduction of Extra partners such as Matalan - giving students even more discounts than last year.”

The NUS further highlighted that there had been a 40% increase in card sales at Further Education students’ unions, which the NUS say are traditionally underfunded a n d continually fight t o get any

budget allocated. The NUS told us that “This is one of the crucial development areas going forward, it is within these unions that NUS Extra can make a significant impact upon learner voice strategies, and it is within these unions where this money is most needed.” Students across the UK though seem unhappy with the Extra card, the website Money Saving expert, set up by Cardiff graduate Martin Lewis, features a number of discussions about the NUS Extra Card. “My student ID (King’s College) has the NUS logo on and the words ‘member of NUS’ printed on it. I also am refusing to buy the NUS Extra card as I know the union already pay £7 per student for membership, so why on earth should I pay Extra?? From my experience so far Orange will accept student card without Extra (in store at least), All arcadia shops (e.g. Topshop, Miss Selfridge, Dorothy Perkins, burtons etc), MacDonald’s. The only place I’ve

been refused is HMV. I tried to argue that my student card had the NUS thing on but they were having none of it.” Another student on the site posted “I got refused at Subway Loughborough; they said it had to be the Extra card or at least say subway on it.” Some students were even encouraging others to go into stores that are only supposed to accept NUS Extra cards to give student discounts to see if they would accept a normal University student card, one student posted “Go into the stores that say they do student discount, get your stuff, go to the counter, ask if they do student discount with a normal card. if they do, then great, if not just say ‘ok, well I’ll go elsewhere to get this’ and then put your stuff. If enough people do this, they’ll realise that they’re actually going to lose money.” Despite the NUS reporting that the Extra Cards brought in one million pounds of income last year, student paper York Vision reported in November 2007 that figures show that the NUS lost over £1.1m of student money last year - with NUS Extra cards, designed to drag them out of financial turmoil, contributing a LOSS of £18k. The website also states that in 2006/2007 the NUS’s predictions on the income of NUS Extra were ‘significantly overstated’. gair rhydd asked the NUS what they thought the future was for NUS Extra card and their response was “NUS is absolutely committed to the card going forward, and will be increasing the quality and breadth of discounters. The NUS also acknowledged that “we recognise the areas for improvement, and will be working hard over the summer to deliver a product for next year’s student body which reflects the principles of NUS, delivers additional funding to students’ unions, but above all, is recognised as the must have discount card for students.”

No NUS Extra card? Want some money off? gair rhydd scoured Queen Street to find out which stores will give you your ‘exclusive’ discounts WITHOUT the Extra card... No NUS Extra? No worries!

Sorry, you need a bit Extra here...

gairrhydd

MARCH.03.2008

EDITORIAL & OPINION

OPINION@gairrhydd.COM

freewords Est. 1972

Beer and Cider Festival Last week’s Beer and Cider Festival was once again a massive success. As the print deadline looms the total amount raised for charity at the event is estimated around £4000 - whoever said drinking was bad? It is sad news from Dani Welter that the event may not take place again next year on account of increasing costs. The retractable seating that is to be installed in the Great Hall over the Easter break will also impact the running of the event with lectures over the hall. So with added costs of beer and the prospect of having to hire an external space to house the event it does seem overwhelmingly to appear as though the 11th Beer and Cider Festival will be the last. On both Wednesday and Thursday night of last week, the Great Hall was completely packed inside with people enjoying their pints of Espresso Stout and Thrappledouser, while queues outside stretched down to the Sengenhydd Road entrance of the Students’ Union. The festival is very special and is an event that has been a highly anticipated each year by students at Cardiff over the last decade. Congratulations to the Real Ale and Cider Society for putting on such an amazing event. As they say in Wales “lechyd da”.

Rubber duck takes a dive While the Great Hall was buzzing with life last Wednesday as the ales flowed, Solus kept its doors closed and Rubber Duck was cancelled. The new clubs that have opened in the city centre have been stiff competition for Rubber Duck. Wednesday nights in Solus used to be sell-out nights as the BUSA and IMG teams came out in full force after an afternoon of matches. The sense of team spirit (and team rivalry) was the essence of Rubber Duck, and it is a shame to see that spirit fade. The Students’ Union is acting in a very positive way as they are currently inviting feedback from students about what they want to see in Solus on a Wednesday. With students coming together to work on a new and improved club night, the outcome should be something that revives the spirit for which Rubber Duck was once renowned.

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

The car’s the star Jake Yorath asks why football gets all the attention when motor racing is so much more interesting

ello sport fans. Hello, especially, sport fans who are bored of football, and bored of the so-called ‘Big 4’. People can say, “Wow, the rugby/snooker/ athletics/caber-tossing season looks great this year,” and far too often the reply is, “So what? This is the most open Premiership season for years – look, Man Utd. have signed…” I never know what comes next, because I tend to have either fallen asleep or begun to imagine them buried under the weight of Wayne Rooney’s daily wages in penny coins. So I don’t hold out much hope that you’ll read much more of this column, or even if you do, that you’ll take much away from it. Sad fact of life. Actually, though, there is a bloody good alternative, and it’s an alien thing to many. It’s called ‘Motorsport’. I’m not talking about Formula One – the world’s only sport where the advert breaks are more entertaining (and less full of adverts) than the actual programming. I pray this year that MotoGP will be available on BBC iPlayer, because never before has so much entertainment been derived from men wearing leather. You may have heard of Valentino Rossi – I’d argue there’s no one more talented at what he does than the little Italian.

All sport pales into comparison, in my humble opinion, to sports car racing But if a few guys in one-piece outfits riding something powerful and throbbing isn’t your thing, then there’s still a whole world of options. Touring car racing is something you might have heard of as well. How many other sports can you name that have had their top echelons dominated by a Briton for four years? And just because he won the last four titles (once as a ‘European’ championship, then another three times when it became a ‘World’ title), it doesn’t mean it wasn’t ten times more entertaining than watching Cristiano Ronaldo being paid to fall over and cry for ninety minutes. For example, this year, I believe five drivers could win the title at the final round; last year, the number was eight (including two unrelated people called

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FLASH CAR: Ronaldo can cock off Muller). And there’s a British series too, with just as much action – from beautifully-crafted “wish I could have done that on TOCA 2” overtaking to crashes very nearly as dramatic as the latest blockbuster car chase.

Never has so much entertainment been derived from men wearing leather However, all sport pales into comparison, in my obviously humble opin-

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ion, to sports car racing. By now, you probably think I’m as crazy as those blokes with the placards on Queen Street, but I’ll plough on. Nothing can surpass the feeling of 600 raging horses fly past your astounded figure, punching your chest, splitting your ear and shaking the ground. As a young lad, my dad took me to see some cars racing around a racetrack, and I admit I was pretty damn excited – and from the first time to the last, I don’t know anyone who has ever lost that excitement. It’s nearly as good as the best sex you’re ever going to have – and it’s way better than that one-nighter you picked up at Tiger Tiger, who turned out to be a man with Jesse Scharf, Chris Beale, Melissa Moore, Rebecca Smith, Oliver Lewis, Vicky Beddow, Claire Lawson, Sian Owens, Jonathan Evans, Emma Barlow, Natalia Papova, Elle Smith, Laura Hinson, Ruth Smith, Portia Nicholson, Jake Yorath, Lucie Apampa, Richard Jeffries, Andy

lipstick. It’s good on TV, but it’s worth every penny you’ll spend if you go to Silverstone to see it live. It’s called (and this is pretty bad, but bear with me) the Silverstone Supercar Showdown (told you), and it features the FIA GT Championship. April 19-20 will be one of the best weekends of my year – and the entire weekend costs about half that of a night out. In conclusion then…I probably don’t need to write another sentence, because either you’re not reading anymore, or you’re not going to listen, or you know what I’m talking about already. Hello to you five hardy souls – I’ll see you in April.

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14 gairrhydd

MARCH.03.2008

OPINION

OPINION@gairrhydd.COM

The Holocaust Trail

David Cameron has called trips to Auschwitz a ‘gimmick’. Two writers ask whether the Holocaust overshadows recent atrocities Lucie Apampa

ast week David Cameron made a pretty obvious political faux pas: he called Governmentsponsored Auschwitz trips for sixth formers a “gimmick”. As a man generally either respected or reviled for his skilful blend of PR and politics you have to wonder how the Tory leader did not foresee the upset and demands for apologies that were to follow. Didn’t he realise that any comment or action even approaching a perceived lack of respect for the victims of the Holocaust is seen as tantamount to stamping one’s feet whilst shouting ‘Heil Hitler’? Cameron had obviously forgotten the near suspension of London Mayor Ken Livingstone when he unwisely likened a Jewish journalist to a concentration camp guard, or the widespread abhorrence that met photographs of Prince Harry dressed as a Nazi officer at a costume party. Clearly, the wounds of the Second World War have not yet healed. The education minister Ed Balls – no doubt excited by the prospect of reversing the direction of the ConservativeLabour baiting of recent weeks – has gone so far as to question David Cameron’s lack of a ‘basic sense of decency’ over his ‘gimmick’ comment.

mainstream programming and education is seen as evidence of an enduringly imperialist, racist Government for whom black victims hold far less worth than white victims, and though there is credibility in this argument, I would argue that the situation is rather more complex. Studying for GCSEs at the age of fifteen, you would be forgiven for believing that you belonged to a morally superior nation; one that fought the evil forces of the world and liberated the oppressed; one that stood on the side of the ‘right.’ Certainly not one who would arm the oppressors and ignore the plight of their victims, or who would stand by

supplies the Sudanese Government with arms. This incident has not yet been eclipsed into history and there still remains the possibility of the West learning from its mistakes in Rwanda and taking substantial action to help the victims of yet another genocide. The current occasional condemnation of the Sudanese Government by world leaders will not be enough. Similarly, it is not enough for us to hark back to the stiff-upper lipped Britain of the 1940s that defeated Gerry and put an end to the murderous regime of the Third Reich. It helps no one to skip over more recent history in favour of returning yet again to the topic that

Julia McWatt

he Holocaust is a sensitive subject, even 70 years after the Second World War. It would be hard to argue that children should not learn about such an important part of history and with this in mind, Gordon Brown has announced new Government plans to fund school trips to Auschwitz. Most people would agree with the Government that this is vital in helping students to try to comprehend what went on within death camps and what humans are capable of doing to each other.

I doubt the Iraq war will feature on the syllabus in years to come

Students should know the failures as well as successes of the Government

However, having taken the time to consider which exact aspect of the Auschwitz trips it is that is deemed ‘gimmicky’ by the Tories, I have found myself in the unfortunate position of defending the Conservative leader. For a little reading reveals that Cameron’s issue lies with the cost to schools of these ‘Government-sponsored’ foreign trips, not the trips themselves. Turn to The History Channel, or indeed look at the historical content on any channel, and you will no doubt be inundated with documentaries about Hitler, his henchman and his concentration camps. This is largely reflective of school education where we are told that we must be taught about the horrors of the Holocaust in order to learn its valuable lessons and to prevent any such atrocities occurring in the future. What we are not so widely taught, however, is that the future has already unraveled before us, demonstrating the complicity of Britain and other rich nations in the atrocities of Chile, Cambodia, Rwanda, the former Yugoslavia and Darfur – just to name a few. So why are these more recent genocides not learnt about? Why does Brown not sponsor trips to Rwanda whose shocking genocide took place less than fifteen years ago? For some, the gaping omission of the 1994 Rwandan genocide from most

school history syllabus – yet surely other mass genocides are important for children to learn, especially if they are more recent and perhaps therefore more relevant to today’s education. Look at Rwanda, for instance, or even the latest atrocities in Kenya. These demonstrate that this kind of behaviour is still occurring and teaching students about more contemporary events will help children achieve a better understanding, not only of what happened but also of the sensitive political climate that we have. The Holocaust will always take precedent due to the British involvement in the Second World War. But surely it is time to stop glorifying British behaviour and start to look at history in a more objective way? Events still have significance whether they took place here or in another continent, and whether we were involved or not. History in schools has a bad habit of focusing on the success of Britain and I doubt very much that the Iraq war will be featuring on the school syllabus in years to come. But just because it has not been a success for us, does that mean it should be ignored?

THE HOLOCAUST: a route we can’t get off and watch whilst country leaders encouraged their civilians to murder their neighbours because of their ethnicity or political beliefs. For the great story that is the Second World War is one of a classical Hollywood narrative: of good triumphing over evil. It is a war remembered with few ambiguities and remains a dominating part of the curriculum and an enduring symbol of British pride. Britain’s involvement in more recent conflicts that have been marked by genocide cannot, unfortunately, be pointed to as sources of pride, but rather of shame and embarrassment. I point to the Rwandan genocide because it was relatively recent, but it is by no means the lone example. Even today, Government-supported Janjaweed militia in Darfur are systematically killing and raping black Africans whilst the Olympics host China

we can be assured will fill us with pride and self-assurance. School students should know about the failures – as well as the successes – of the role of British Governments in past atrocities. No doubt, a trip to Auschwitz will be a moving and significant event for any student, but if that student leaves with the sense that the world has learnt its lesson from the Holocaust, then one can only assume that they are woefully ignorant of more recent, if less reported, world events. Perhaps it is time that we all became more educated about the history of our lifetimes, rather than the black and white histories that seem so foreign and disassociated from us. We do need to learn from the past, but this past should not be so dominated by the events of one war whose horrors – though so well known – have clearly not taught us half as much as they should have.

However, David Cameron has once again hit the headlines basked in controversy for describing this new scheme as a “gimmick”. The Tory leader has come under fire from the press, Labour ministers, The Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Holocaust Trust. Your reaction to David Cameron’s comment is probably like mine: how can the man say something so insensitive? Of course he’s bound to criticise Labour’s policy as Leader of the Opposition, but on an issue such as Auschwitz he should have more consideration and tact. However, if you look at it more closely, Cameron may have a point. There is room for debate on the issue and after all, should history in schools be limited to the Second World War and the Holocaust? It dominates most of the secondary

The Government does have the right idea about getting children out of schools and the prospect of visiting Auschwitz will bring reality to what they learn, rather than sitting in a classroom hundreds of miles away. Cameron is not arguing that the trips to the camp themselves are a bad idea, but more about the way the Government has gone about it. On the surface it looks like they are being proactive, but schools are still required to pay £100 for each pupil they take on the trips, therefore not sufficiently funding their proposals. If they were really serious about the importance of these trips, they should be willing to fund them entirely. Labour’s educational policy to get children out on school trips to explore the subject in greater depth is a good idea on the surface. However, more consideration needs to be made about the subject that these trips are based on and how to widen the opportunities that are given rather than restricting it to the Holocaust. If these plans are to work, the Government also needs to fully commit themselves to the planning and the funding, or else it could easily become another meaningless, failed policy – or as David Cameron put it, a “gimmick”.

gairrhydd

MARCH.03.2008 OPINION@gairrhydd.COM

Killyourself.com

Richard Jeffries reacts to the claim that Social Networking Sites such as Bebo and Facebook might have triggered the tragic young suicides in Bridgend

write with absolute certainty when I make the suggestion that everyone who is reading this has heard about the recent string of tragedies in Bridgend, dubbed the ‘suicide town’. For the benefit of the uninitiated, the past year has seen 17 suicides of young people in the county of Bridgend. This includes the most recent victim, a 16-year-old called Jenna Parry. While the media circus surrounding the apparent contagion of the town with the ‘suicide bug’ has heightened, I have managed to largely ignore the sensationalist reports that have linked each and every one of the deaths to membership of Social Networking Sites (SNSs) such as Bebo, Myspace and Facebook. However, I was prompted to have my say by the quite incredible article on the subject in Issue 861 of gair rhydd. To suggest that the spate of deaths can be characterised by a nihilistic philosophy perpetuated by the use of SNSs is absolutely beyond comprehension. Any attempt by the mass media to

OPINION Cardiff, Disability and me Ted Shiress writes about custard wrestling. No, really

Why does the topic of SNSs keep cropping up? tie these deaths together using a yarn so weak is more indicative of a lack of alternative motives with which to create such a link. If there was any evidence that some or all of the tragic victims had accessed websites relating to suicide, it could be reasonably proposed that these sites may have contributed to their collective demise. The media has latched upon the victims’ memberships of SNSs such as Bebo and Facebook, sites that are used by millions of other non-suicidal young people all over the world. Solid evidence of any kind is conspicuous by its absence; as South Wales Police Chief Constable Dave Morris explains, “A number had access to social networking sites but there’s no suggestion that anybody used these sites as a means to take their lives.” To put this media hysteria into perspective, take a step back and consider the public reaction if a spate of suicides was blamed on the youngsters’ consumption of chocolate, wearing of socks or playing of video games. All perfectly reasonable activities enjoyed by young people throughout the country, suicidal or not. So why does the topic of SNSs keep cropping up? While I won’t pretend to hold anything more than a basic understanding of philosophy, the term ‘nihilism’ is used to describe a feeling of helplessness associated with the general pointlessness of life itself. Indeed, reports have pointed to the shrine-like Bebo pages dedicated to those who have claimed their own lives, suggesting that copycat suicides have resulted from a desire to be immortalised in a similar fashion. I treat this suggestion as seriously

as I treat the report from one vitriolic reporter who attempted to find a link between alternative model agency ‘The Suicide Girls’ and the suicidal trend. Whether pages of mourning on SNSs are within the realms of taste and decency is debateable, but the idea that the young people of Bridgend are so bored of drink, sex, drugs and life that the only box left unchecked is their very own Bebo memorial extends the debate beyond belief.

mon method of suicide, and alcohol and marijuana are listed as contributory factors. The typical victim profile was of a young person showing no signs of discontent taking his own life after a relatively minor incident. Certainly the study of Micronesian suicides exposed a link between alcohol and marijuana abuse and the instance of suicides, corroborating the claims from several corners that the teens in question may have used either substance.

Any attempt by the mass media to tie these deaths together using a yarn so weak is indicative of a lack of alternative motives with which to create a link The debate does, however, throw up an extremely interesting piece of research conducted in the early 1990s. In the Pacific Ocean, just off the coast of Australia, sits a cluster of islands collectively known as Micronesia. Here, young male suicide rates exploded over a short period between 1960 and 1986 from an initial rate of eight per 100,000 population to a staggering 200 per 100,000. Many of these deaths share similar characteristics to the Bridgend suicides. Hanging was the most com-

It also provides a possibility for action to address the problem before it has the chance to accelerate any further. In Micronesia, provisions of counselling and support were stepped up in order to offer the young people an alternative to a Lemmings-esque march towards an untimely demise. In this respect, the explosion of media coverage on the subject of suicide may be seen in a positive light. If people are made more aware of the existence of depression as a genuine illness,

perhaps we will be better equipped as a nation to deal with these seemingly isolated instances of mental anguish. Social Networking Sites are certainly not without their controversies, but surely their portrayal as a mitigating factor in this issue is completely wide of the mark. The interesting work of Malcolm Gladwell describes the contagious nature of behaviour, suggesting that it can just as easily be applied to society as to medical illness. In Micronesia, he claims, teenagers were literally being infected with the suicide bug, and one after another they were killing themselves in exactly the same way under exactly the same circumstances. Can behaviour be transmitted from one person to another as easily as the flu or the measles? In fact, I don’t think you have to go to Micronesia to see this pattern in action. Isn’t this the explanation for all kinds of societal trends, such as teen smoking or the persistence of shootings in American education establishments? This opens up a whole new chapter in the debate, and one for which an answer will not be easily forthcoming. In the case of suicide, it’s not as simple as asking the victim why they did it.

ast your minds back to the story of how the shameful ‘Schmel’ irresponsibly left Ted Shiress alone in Tesco’s. The offences have become worse; she was seen physically abusing Ted infront of a crowd of students. This was at the Go Global custard wrestling event in the Great Hall. Infront of spectators, she continuously knocked Ted down. OK, I have done this joke before, so I think one paragraph is enough. But yes, my g’ole chum Mel and I took part in the custard wrestling. However, good friends or not, the idea of getting up and competing with someone much more physically able and somewhat taller than you may seem quite odd – especially after what I wrote in last week’s column. So, why did I volunteer to do it? Well, the answer is: fun. As soon as I arrived I signed up to partake in the wrestling. However, this was before I thought about the consequences. I probably would not know whom I’d be fighting – therefore, I felt uncomfortable in knowing a potentially embarrassing situation was going to occur. My opponent may feel uncomfortable fighting me. By virtue of some miracle, my name was called with Mel’s. At that point the two of us seemed to smile and breathe a huge sigh of relief. What then followed were four of the most fun minutes I spent since the cracking gig I went to the previous Tuesday!

Making things ‘even’ can be far more patronising Obviously, she did not hurt me; she was, however, pretty insistent I stayed down as long as possible (although I did pull her over twice). It was not hard to keep me down anyway since the floor was so slippery. She actually said to me afterwards: “I know I’m usually very protective of you but I was having so much fun I wasn’t caring what people were thinking!” I feel this is an attitude that sometimes needs to be taken. Yes, it may have looked fairer if she flopped to the ground every time I touched her. However, the reality is that there are two very well-acquainted people having immense fun in a pool of custard – surely pretending anything can only take the sense of fun away? Sometimes making things ‘even’ can be far more patronising than just accepting one is more physically able.

16 gairrhydd

MARCH.03.2008

OPINION

OPINION@gairrhydd.COM

Who’s your Daddy?

An inauspicious blog post has led to furious online debates on nepotism, youth culture and the rise of ‘cyber-bullying’. Paul Martinovic attempts to make sense of it all “Hello. I’m Max Gogarty. I’m 19 and live on top of a hill in north London.”

or some readers of The Guardian website this introduction is destined to exist alongside “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” and “We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold...” in openingline infamy. Not because of any literary or intellectual significance in fact, quite the opposite. No, this opening gambit will remain seared into the memory of those who read it simply because it heralded the beginning of one of the fiercest and most interesting social debates in years. A brief recap for those who avoided ‘Gogargate’ - on Valentine’s Day morning an article appeared on The Guardian ‘Comment is Free’ website written by Max Gogarty, a 19 year old writer for Skins about to embark on his gap year to India and Thailand. In a blog that was advertised to be the first of many, Max’s cliche-ridden, poorlywritten article promised to keep us fully updated on “the debauched beach parties, the dodgy days with ‘washing machine’ tummy, [and] the messy latenight stumblings into bars”: that is, if he hadn’t already spent his gap year fund back at home on “food and skinny jeans.”

Bloggers seethed at the apparent shamelessness of it all

Before long the first, eerily prescient comments from the website’s users began to appear: “Whose son is Max then?” Shame on you Guardian,” grumbled one. “Oh Christ, this guy’s going to get an absolute hammering,” said another. As the word began to spread on various message boards, the blog briefly became the hottest thing on the internet, with hundreds of comments appearing in a matter of hours - most of them hilarious, many powerfully vitriolic, a few unneccessarily spiteful, and almost all of them negative. By late afternoon, some of Max’s now increasingly interested audience began to uncover some intruiging facts about young Max – most tellingly, that Max’s father was one Paul Gogarty, reknowned travel journalist , head of a leading travel P.R. firm (“... our contact book is priceless...we use it to access the most important journalists and travel editors, providing them with story ideas we know will work,” reads the website) and a former travel editor of the Guardian. Suddenly, the story was no longer just about Max. Bloggers seethed at the apparent shamelessness of it all, and their indignation only intensfied when opinion pieces appeared in later

editions of the Guardian and the Observer characterising the commenters as envious failed writers turned “cyber bullies”. Paul Gogarty (replying on the website using the screenname ‘Maxdad’) announced that Max would not be continuing the blog and denounced the cruelty of some of the comments as “shocking, if quintessentially British.” Over the next few days, it became clear to anyone visiting the Guardian website that absolving themselves of any responsibility and attacking their own readership was perhaps not the best way to stifle the furore – as one blogger memorably put it, “if you get egg on your face, wipe it off: don’t put your head in the oven and pretend you were trying to bake a cake.” Days later, a couple of anti-Gogarty opinion articles appeared on the Guardian website, but by then the damage had been done. The comments sections of the various blogs covering the Gogarty affair were littered with users vowing to never visit the website or buy The Guardian newspaper again. As a snapshot of modern Britain, the Gogarty scandal is incredibly telling. First of all, it demonstrates how much the internet has changed the way journalism works. Blogging allows journalists to receive instant feedback on their work, sometimes positive but mostly negative. This is the nature of the internet - the anonymity it provides means that occasionally some genuine malevolence will appear in some comments, but on the whole the reaction to Max’s article resulted in an intelligent, reasoned

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debate. Most of the The Guardian’s condemnation of the cyber bullies centred around the idea that criticising a 19 year old for naivety was unfair. But the fact is that his work was checked and knowingly submitted into the public sphere on behalf of a leading national newspaper. Why should he be treated differently to any other journalist? And Max is a prat, no question about it. His article was awful and his decision to give up writing the blog after the outcry demonstrates a thin skin and a lack of conviction that should discount any thoughts he might have of becoming a serious journalist, 19 or otherwise. But Max isn’t the real villian here. Most of the vitriol from online commentators was directed at the commissioning editors of the The Guardian and Paul Gogarty. At the very least, the piece seems like a cynical attempt by The Guardian editors to appear ‘down’ with the ‘kidz’ – “Hey guys! Don’t be afraid to fill us in on all your kra-zay teenage shenanigans! We watch Skins too, you know! We’re interested.”

As a snapshot of modern Britain, the Gogarty affair is incredibly telling Let’s get something straight – not all teenagers are interesting, or talented. Most of them are unbelivably boring. Hell, if I wrote an account of what

NEPOTISM: nice work if you can get it I got up to when I was 19 and on my Britain.” The reality is more complex than gap year, I promise you it would be the single most boring paragraph ever that – in the current climate of job huntwritten. Just because Skins is written ing, knowing how to get a job and make by teenagers doesn’t mean that it has contacts is as necessary as having the a greater cultural value than something required job skills. This has resulted written by an older writer. J.D. Salinger in an increasing number of talented was 32 when he wrote The Catcher in people who are unable to find work as the Rye. How about Ghost World, one a result of not being able to ‘play the of the more celebrated fictional stud- game’. This is the real reason there was ies of female adolescence? Written by such a fervently negative response to two middle aged men. Our increasingly Max and his blog –years of simmering consumer-driven society has led to an frustration among the self-appointed increased focus on the input of teenag- ‘deserving’ finally boiling over when ers in a desperately misguided attempt the reality of the modern job market to appeal to the all-important youth was made a little too explicit by Max market, with frankly mediocre results and company. (*cough* Skins *cough*). An even more cynical interpretation of the circumstances surrounding the commission of the piece is that it was a result of pure, unashamed nepotism. For the benefit of the lawyers I should point out that there is absolutely no evidence linking Paul Gogarty’s PR firm to the article’s commission. However, The uproar has begun to die out now, it should be obvious to anyone with even the most basic understanding of and the focus of crusading bloggers has journalistic writing that it is at best reverted back to more traditional tarincredibly unlikely that Max’s hack- gets such as George Bush, reality TV, neyed, unfocused piece was selected and the seemingly unstoppable career of Alan Carr. But for anyone reading and published purely on merit. Which raises another issue: is the this who is looking to get employed afidea of a meritocracy completely dead? ter university (i.e. all of you) the story As a budding entrant into the media of Max should not be forgotten, as it industry myself, I have been told reserves as a stark reminder of the kind of peatedly that it’s who you know, rather inequalities we can expect to encounthan what you know. Paul Gogarty ter when heading out into the big bad claimed that the negative response was world of job hunting. Best stock up on a result of Max being “bright and 19 skinny jeans while you still can. and middle-class - and that’s a crime in

Not all teenagers are interesting. Most of them are unbelievably boring

It really is that simple! E-mail today opinion@gairrhydd.com

gairrhydd

MARCH.03.2008

OPINION

OPINION@gairrhydd.COM

The Rennisonce

Dusk has fallen

Age recrimination I’ve never subscribed to the idea that dying before getting old is brilliant, regardless of anything Roger Daltrey has to say about it. And having seen The Who last summer, I’m most glad they didn’t follow through on that lyric. Perhaps it all depends on your childhood experiences, particularly with grandparents. Many of us I’m sure were put through episodes of abject misery involving nans or grans. The wholly unnecessary pre-visit grooming enforced by anxious parents is an example that springs to mind, as does the outrageous smell that hits the nose as you wipe your feet on their doormat - some demonic mixture of damp, slippers and church. But odours and hairbrushes aside, I always fancied myself as an OAP. The thought of getting money each week from a post office, just to piss it away on wine and crosswords, while all the time explaining to the world what’s wrong with everything; this was all very attractive. And still is. But now, in my graduation year, my illusions have been shattered. I am old. This, right here, 22 years and a fortnight into things: this is being ancient. Sure, I’ve still got a good 56 years, four months and 17 days to go, but that’s not the point. I am old because being old has become a caricature, not a number. Whiny, sleepy, slightly senile and utterly unproductive: these traits equal old, and these traits equal me. Nobody uses the phrase ‘You’re getting old’ in any chronological sense; it is used to tell people like me that I’m one grey hair shy of representing every negative elderly stereotype there is. Yet I flick the TV over from Countdown and find some news programme with another ‘And finally...’ involving some 80-year-old marathon runner or 90-year-old poledancer. Clearly, the candles on the cake have little bearing

BRUCIE: more pep than an English Lit graduate - FACT on a senior’s ambition or achievements. Numbers are nothing. Just look at Bruce Forsyth. Have you seen his wife?! So, taking stock: old people are getting younger; useless graduates like me are getting older. Since throwing my cap in the air I have found it a challenge to perform even the most fundamental of tasks, such as cooking. Over the past week, I have cooked for myself once. Begrudgingly. Brucie has been on Jonathan Ross, held beauty queens on each arm and staged a live tap-off with a youngster. That’s dancing. Not obscure paedophilia. What, then, the hell has happened? Is it all down to the stress of completing an English degree? (snigger) Is it

Top 10 things graduates can no longer do 1) Resist regular yawning any time past 10pm

6) Feel appropriate busting some moves in Rubber Duck

2) Neck consecutive shots without needing a good sit down

7) Look at a photo of Jordan and not shake one’s head solemnly

3) Believe in any political agenda aside from intense council-hatred

8) Go a week without referring to a news story as a ‘disgrace’.

4) Watch an hour of ad breaks and not throw a shoe at the TV

9) Look in any way kindly upon street-based charity workers

5) Produce witty, informative comment in a student newspaper

10) Host a house guest for over eight seconds without offering tea

the proliferation of viagra amongst the over-65s? Is it al-Qaeda? Probably. As I pondered these questions, staring into my mug of cocoa, I flicked over the TV once more and came upon an answer. “Have you had an accident in the last five years that wasn’t your fault?

horrible part: that the excuse for being a nation of excuses is that we live in a nation of excuses. I blame feeling old on me being unable to take responsibility for anything. And now responsibilities have snuck into my council tax-paying life, I feel about 105 in how unable I am to cope.

We are a generation of excuses, raised on headlines of witch hunts and pointed fingers - and therein lies the horrible part If so: “be more careful next time,” I chimed in as usual, following up with a self-satisfied chuckle. Then it dawned: responsibility. The truth about actually getting older is that it isn’t about grey patches or bingo or splendidly fictitious war stories; it’s about responsibility. One thing that will age a man like no other is responsibility - getting a job, finding a house, paying the bills, cleaning the bath. These are the things that make us feel old, rather than the convenient stereotypes of aching joints and evenings of Bridge with friends. And responsibility is the one thing we really suck at more than anything else. That advert, for example: clumsy? No problem, it’s your boss’ fault - sue him into the ground. Stupid? Blame your teachers. Poor? Blame the Treasury. Eduardo? Blame Taylor. We are a generation of excuses, raised on headlines of witch hunts and pointed fingers - and therein lies the

It is, in some respects, a difficult cycle to break. But it must be broken. The consequences of a society that passes the buck until it comes around again could be catastrophically rubbish. In politics, the supposed leaders of our land have been quietly endorsing this philosophy for years. Check out the news right this instant: all those MPs have been taking the piss with their expenses, but it’s the speaker Michael Martin who seems to have received the buck, taking the flak presumably because his Commons chair is sat in the middle. This rampant culture of blame is one cause of the fear, oppression and division that are starting to bubble on Britain’s surface. We suspect others before ourselves, while years of fingerpointing can leave us helpless in the face of life’s solitary challenges. Whatever happened to holding your hand up and confessing, “My bad”?

Milling it over...

As you may be able to tell from the snappier witticisms and vastly improved grammar, your regular column monkey Mr A.A. Millward has abandoned you for this week, leaving the man who taught him all he knows in his place. I should like to point to the second superfluous initial that I have added above, which stands for Assclown. Mr Millward rang me earlier this week to plead for salvation. Having apparently taken on more than he could handle in the game of life, I was only too happy and kind and wonderful to offer a helping hand by upstaging him for one week only. And yet, in a flagrant attempt to fuck me right off, it has come to my attention while setting these words down that the swine is currently gorging himself on ale and cider mere floors below me in this Union of ours. As much as my inner fury simmered like some tempestuous pan of rice, I was stopped in my tracks by a curious thought. I know Mr Millward loves Cardiff’s student media machine, as do all the gr guys and gals, yet I seem to care even more about it many months after the last hooruh of my third year. Not that I want to pin my loyal if rather pathetic self to the cross or place a spotlight on how lame I am, but it’s interesting how we grow so familiar with our uni habits and even come to pine for them when they’re gone. For example, an acquaintance of mine insisted in her second and third years to sentimentally cut through Sengenydd on her way back from town, despite living in utterly the other direction. And several of my male post-student chums still quench their meat thirst at Chicago Bulls as they did back in the days of Union fun, even if their night has been spent on St Marys Street. It never occurred to me back when my cheeks were rosy that I would think about staying in Cardiff, let alone Wales, after my degree was done and dusted. It always seemed rational that I would return to Hampshire, where the village greens are unblemished and the accents are those of a BBC wet dream. I doubt many do think about Cardiff as a home rather than just a uni, and by the time they do it suddenly seems like an obvious choice. Obvious, because of all those little habits we develop and only recognise once we’ve already rented out a cosy end-of-terrace and started paying council tax. And so, despite the student life being technically in the past, it is every little life detail I established during that time which keeps me rooted here without question. And so I see no wrong in revisiting my past endeavours with the same enthusiasm, because moving on is not an absolute concept.

18 gairrhydd

MARCH.03.2008

LETTERS

LETTERS@gairrhydd.COM

letters@gairrhydd.com

Dear gair rhydd, I would like to draw to the attention of the wider student body the danger of ducks in Cathays terrace. Yesterday I was delivering leaflets in the aforementioned street and I was attacked by a duck which certain students ( and you know who you are) have adopted as a form of ‘guard duck’! I quite accept the need for stringent security measures to be adopted against unwanted guests but the keeping of vicious and rather dangerous winged creatures cannot, under any circumstance, be condoned. Personally, I blame last year’s Union Executive for encouraging students to dress up as ducks for the ‘Duck Off Fees Campaign’. Being a trendy and fashionable person I realise that one duck on Cathays Terrace today, is, tomorrow, a hundred ducks across campus given the rather juvenile propensity of undergrads to copy each other. There is also a serious Health and Safety issue- namely the collection of several ducks on campus could result in

the

an outbreak of avian flu. I would be grateful for the thoughts of others on this matter and how the danger of duck assaults can be avoided to the satisfaction of the pro and antimallard lobby.

head for, but it was a fantastically great read! Well done guys! Anon

Earring found

Chris

Sex-tacular! Dear gair rhydd, I wanted to write in and say how fantastic I thought the Quench Sex Issue was, as it really opened up a fantastic issue in a really good read! I thought that a great range of issues were covered and a massive injection of comedic value made the whole piece a worthwhile read! It didn’t take the patronising approach that most publications on sex usually do, talking to us as if we’re 15-year-old readers of Bliss. Instead I really felt it spoke to us about relevant issues and experiences, that really interest and affect our lives at university. Maybe sex isn’t such a taboo subject in the day and age when a streaker on the pitch isn’t even worth moving your

Dear gair rhydd, I found an earring sometime last Tuesday night (26th Feb) on Park Place, outside the Law / Psychology buildings. I’ll happily return it to anyone who gets in touch with me and can describe it. (As well as replying to this letter on the gairRhydd website, Facebook lists only one ‘Edward Mason’ in Cardiff...I’m sure you can use your imagination as to how I’m available.) Edward Mason

In response to “Going Nuts” (Issue 862) Dear gair rhydd, Elliot Cook would be pleased to

know that if he complains to his school’s IT manager, they’ll be happy to transfer him over to a Groupwise email client - used mostly by staff and postgrads, with 10 times the memory and flawless access. I had to start a PhD before I found this out. If enough undergrads apply for the transfer, hopefully the IT service will be ‘persuaded’ to give you all a decent email client so you don’t eat all the memory reserved for researchers. Will, BSc

Cyclists cause mayhem Dear gair rhydd, Now, I’m all for doing my bit for the environment and all, but I’ve had enough with all these bloody cyclists in Cathays. I appreciate that by cycling to lectures that cyclists are doing their bit in cutting carbon emissions, but please, please, please, please can cyclists abide by the laws of the road when riding on

This week has seen a great deal of debate online at www.gairrhydd.com. Here are some highlights from the forums: Freshers’ Week under threat · Issue 862, by Portia Nicholson Tiffany Corrine Dow : Feb 23, 09:35 pm I entirely agree with this. I felt quite left out this last semester, because I don’t binge drink and most events revolved around drinking. I understand it loosens people up and is a very easy party to throw, but until I don’t have to smell vomit on the way to class in the morning (which still happens) I don’t know if the student body is responsible enough for the amount of drinking events it is offered. Caleb Woodbridge : Feb 26, 01:26 pm I think it would be great if the Students’ Union put on some fun freshers events that didn’t revolve exclusively around loud music and excessive amounts of alcohol. That kind of thing isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, and the SU should provide a broader range of social activities for freshers to meet and have a good time. Rather than accepting bingedrinking as inevitable, as Johnny Cox seems to do, the SU should

promote positive alternatives. Tom : Feb 26, 08:34 pm — Whilst I agree that there should be an alternative offered for the boring farts, I don’t think banning drinking during freshers’ week is fair. I didn’t get excessively drunk during my freshers’ week and I certainly didn’t vomit in the street as has been assumed everybody does but I still had mega fun. Leave people who WANT to do what THEY want to do alone. Thomas Carroll : Feb 26, 10:40 pm Perhaps this is a stupid question, but how exactly can one go about banning freshers’ week? They can’t ban the sale of alcohol to freshers anyway. I know most people go to all the union nights at the start of the year but banning those will only mean freshers will get drunk at some of the clubs in town and the union would miss out on alot of revenue. It’s only a 1-2 week thing anyway so I don’t see what the whole fuss is about. Mark : Feb 27, 01:48 am Thomas is absolutely correct, you can’t put a load of 18-year-old fresh-

ers together and tell them not to go get pissed. By all means offer alternatives, but you can’t legislate against this type of thing when the opportunities exist for people to go out and get pissed.

Jon : Feb 26, 06:16 pm What’s even more disgusting though is the fact that the treatments that she, and many others, need to live aren’t available or affordable in her own country. If we’re going to bring her back then it would only be fair to bring everyone else from around the world who can’t afford or don’t have

Anon

forum

access to the medical treatment that they need too. Why isn’t Mrs Sting donating £10,000 to everyone needing dialysis in Ghana? Let’s think bigger picture rather than making a fuss about a single case.

Star support for deported Ghanaian cancer Mammal, man or sufferer · Issue 862, mineral? · Issue 860, by Melissa Moore by Sophie Cole Chris : Feb 26, 06:06 pm What’s disgusting that Lib and lab councillors in Cardiff have all received illegal payments and Labour refuse to repay them whilst this lady is deported to sure death: surely there has to be a better way to run Welsh society than in this atrocious, immoral way????

the roads. When you see a red light, it is almost instinctive that you stop, so why do cyclists in Cardiff insist on cruising through the red lights, especially when there are people crossing the road!!! Twice this year I have had to swerve to avoid collision with a cyclist, and on both instances the cyclists have carried on by without even looking or stopping to apologise. All the cars stop at the lights when they turn red, and just because you have just two wheels and don’t use any petrol, doesn’t grant you the privilege to ride through without stopping. The cyclists that do this are causing a real hazard to students and the local community’s health. Another gripe I have with you cyclists is your lack of bells. How the hell am I - and others - supposed to hear you when you come whizzing up behind on the pavement - yes on the pavement because loads of you cycle on the pavement! Or if you can’t invest in a bell why don’t you try those clacking things you used to put on wheel spokes when we were younger. Anything, I tell you, so that we can hear you bloody coming.

Caroline : Feb 24, 10:37 pm A quick correction to your article. The fusion of human/animal egg/ sperm combinations will not occur. Animal sperm is in no way involved. All that is involved in the creation of hybrids is an animal egg cell that has had all of its genetic material removed. This is not “fertilized” but has “somatic cell nuclear transfer” performed on it. Essentially, the interspecies somatic cell nuclear transfer involves taking a human DNA containing nucleus and putting it in an empty animal cell. There is no mixture of egg and sperm involved.

gair rhydd

FREE

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

INSIDE...

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

87.7FM

PHOTO: Ed Salter

Quackers!

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

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POLITICS

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The Cuban Mission Crisis? Arnaldo Hernandez Diaz

, a student at Cardiff originally from Cuba, gives us his analysis on the retirement of Cuban leader Fidel Castro, and how he believes the Cuban nation will take shape post-Fidel

ince February 24th , Cuba has a new president, Raul Castro Ruz. It’s a position occupied for more than 30 years by his older brother Fidel and the 614 members of the Cuban parliament elected him unanimously. His election consolidated a transition that started on July 28, 2006 when Fidel Castro underwent surgery and ceded power, at that time temporarily, to his brother Raul. This was the first time in 48 years that one of the world’s longest serving heads of state wasn’t in control. Now that he has stepped down for good, the question on everyone’s lips is: what happens in Cuba now? For the last 50 years politicians and experts around the world have said that without Fidel, changes in Cuba would be fast and radical. And in 2006, as news of Fidel’s illness and his temporary handover of authority spread, there were plenty of predictions about the imminent collapse of the Cuban government. According to the N.Y. Daily News reporter Albor Ruiz “People here suggest - or hope - that change may finally be coming.” “That time’s coming,” said US president George Bush in a speech. “Now is the time to stand with the Cuban people as they stand up for their liberty.” However, the reality seems to be different.

Even under Fidel, he began to make important economic changes, including improving the relationship between the government and private farmers, and introducing a farmers market, run by the army, which gave the general population access to better and cheaper products. In the political arena, Raul has yet to show his hand, but small signs of change are there. He has made declarations about improving relations with Washington and was open to discussions about human rights with the Spanish government. Last summer he organised a national debate in which five million Cubans were allowed to express their opinions about the nation’s future for the first time. But what about ordinary Cubans, what do they want? Of course Cubans want change, but change made by themselves and the new president has promised some popular measures already. For example, Cubans are not currently allowed to use hotels frequented by tourists and he has ADIDAS: NEW COMMUNIST ECONOMIC MODEL

said that practice will end and he has also announced a relaxation in the rules about foreign travel for Cubans. . Other possible reforms in the agricultural system, industry, property law, low pay or in the rules concerning foreign investment will take longer, but are some of the new government’s aims. Despite any possible changes and Fidel’s retirement, the revolution seems to be stronger than it was ten years ago. In the early 90s the country suffered a severe economic crisis as a result of the ongoing American embargo and the break-up of the Soviet Union, which wiped out almost all of Cuba’s financial support. But as a result of the assumption of power by left-wing governments in Venezuela, Bolivia, Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay, the system has more support in Latin-America and the island now has important economic agreements with giants like China and Venezuela. There even seems to be some thawing in relations with the US. Since 1959 all the White House administrations have tried to force a regime change in Cuba by way of economic embargo with no success whatsoever. Despite the embargo, Cuba in recent years has been allowed to buy food from the United States on a cash-only basis. Also European and other foreign

tled the power the victor will wield is with congestion charge reforms, which quite formidable. He will oversee the probably means a reduction in this Metropolitan police force, a massive annoyance. Furthermore, the bumbling pretender budget of £11.3bn, possess major decision making power on transport that is getting tough on political-correctness will affect the commuter belt, notably in policing and wants full time police the congestion charge and will also officers not more community support have a say in how London’s skyline is officers. Ken on the other hand is sticking forged over the next decade. Boris has attempted to go for a with his weird mix of socialist rhetoric classic conservative attack focusing on housing and social justice while hudon crime and transport. With such dling up to Big Business and property manifesto pledges as a new modern day developers. He is also pursuing with route master to retain the heritage of the venom a hike in congestion charges iconic bussing of Londoners, twinned with a planned £25-a-day for 4x4’s and WHOSE FACE WILL ADORN LONDON’S SKYLINE COME MAY?

sports cars. As for housing, Ken wants 50,000 new affordable homes, while Boris wants more family-sized homes and ‘beautiful designs’ whatever the latter means. Putting the manifestos to one side, this contest will be the first major test of electoral strength for Gordon Brown; if he were to lose it would highlight the shifting tide of Labour’s coalition in the south east of England. A Boris victory would signal that Cameron’s new Conservatives are on the ascent. Boris has a profile akin to Dave so the vote on May 1st will provide a useful litmus test for the Tory leader’s own electoral chances. Why, may you ask, does this matter for residents of Wales? With the growing mood of further devolution through out the Kingdoms, surely mayoral power could be the next logical step to convey Welsh party. Cardiff does indeed have a Mayor, but his role is more ceremonial than that of his London counterpart. It would certainly be interesting to view Labour’s hypothetical Cardiff policies, as devolution has allowed them to appear in a shade of red not tinged with Blair or Brown’s centrist progressive ideology. An injection of Mayoral personality race might boost the rather dull image

Raul Castro has been Fidel’s righthand man for 48 years and he strongly believes in the revolution as a member of the generation that built it. Furthermore, he is the second secretary of the Communist Party and Defence Minister. “Only the Cuban Communist Party can guarantee Cuban unity and so will be the real heir of the confidence that people have in its leader”, Raul said recently. After his nomination as President Raul declared that he will continue to consult his brother about the main political state decisions. However, there may be gradual change. Raul is seen as more pragmatic on the economic side, in his first speech as president he declared that he wants to fight beurocracy and start a re-evaluation of the Cuban peso.

There is no clear signal that one of the last communist countries in the world is going to change radically in the near future companies have ignored the U.S. sanctions by investing in Cuba, primarily in the tourism industry. The only communist country in the West hemisphere, but for the moment there is no clear signal that one of the last communist countries in the world is going to change radically in the near future; as the Communist Party still has absolute control of the economy and defence. There has been an improvement of the life of most Cubans, the country is secure, and the international back-up is growing because the nation still represents a viable alternative to a great part of the world. There could be any economic transformation, but the new government’s agenda will always be the construction of a neo-socialist society.

Can London’s election fever reach Cardiff?

Tim Hewish Politics Editor

eaders do not despair, for every Obama and Hillary the US has we have our own Boris and Ken. Perhaps not in the same league, the London Mayoral election is still none-the-less an important facet of politics. Under the fanfare of the US elections, coverage of London’s elections may not hit the global headlines, but as a major capital in Europe, it can represent a shift in the future political landscape. With no vote on our Prime Minister or the EU treaty, it is somewhat welcoming that Britain gets partial representation. A recent poll from a left leaning pollster places Red Ken two points ahead of Boris with 49% of the vote if there was a straight run off between the two; however the numbers quickly morphed with preferences for the three main contenders - Ken would receive 37%, Boris 28% and Paddick 14%. With similarities to US pollsters and how incorrectly they each predicated the Primaries, another poll produced by YouGov is expected to place Boris way out in front with 44% to Ken’s 39%. The race officially begins on the 18th March, but after the dust has set-

of the Sennedd. As a jovial aside, back home in my native county we have an annual weighing of the mayor, traditionally to see if he has gorged himself on our finances or worked himself into shape, which can be a delightful bit of pomp for the community. So come what may, this election battle is going to be the only race our British press can sink its teeth into. And with the two characters being so divisive, the floppy haired and verbally accident-prone Boris clashing humorously with a balding ‘newt like’ archaic socialist (Boris’s definition, not mine) Ken Livingstone, this should be all the political entertainment the British public need this Spring.

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SCIENCE & ENVIRONMENT

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Has non-organic food reached its sell-by date?

James Hinks rebukes the stereotypical notion that living off the earth’s natural produce will result in health and happiness as he reviews farming methods, mineral depletion and added hormones

umans are designed to live for 120 years, but who knows anyone who has lived to that age? The justifications for this are multi-factorial. Medics suggest the main reason for this is an unhealthy lifestyle, with the lack of nutrition being a key component. Two-times Nobel prize winner Dr. Linus Pauling makes the link between insufficient nutrition intake and mineral depletion in soil. He asserts that this is highly detrimental to our health: “You can trace every sickness, every disease and every ailment to a mineral deficiency.” Intensive farming has caused a huge reduction in mineral content of soil. These farming methods have resulted in the plants using an excess of 60 minerals with a return of only three. The Earth Summit Report in 1992 epitomised the negative consequences, illustrating the global state of mineral depletion of soil. Europe was shown to be lacking 76%, with another 80% in the USA. Subsequently, one can conclude that the nutritional level of the food we eat is diminishing. For example, nutrient losses in the flour-refining process show that there is a 60% calcium, 85% magnesium and, more worryingly, 98% chromium loss. In this sense, organic farming is eas-

Organic farming is the answer, as the traditional system produce minimal mineral depletion ily viewed as the answer, as its processes produce minimal mineral depletion. The traditional organic farming system sustains nutrients through crop rotation of nitrogen – fixing crops and animal waste fertilisation, which replenishes the soil with nutrients. Furthermore, the pesticides, insecticides and chemical fertilisers, used in intensive farming, not only upset the pro-biotic balance of the soil but also our ability to assimilate the little nutrients left in the food. But do not worry, there are solutions; we are not destined to nutrient deficiency eternally. One possible resolution is a long-term investment by the Government, which would help to implement the returning of micronutrients to the soil. Sadly, this success is highly unlikely in the modern farming industry, particularly where supermarkets are forcing the farms to continually cut costs dramatically.

What seems more likely is us making the changes ourselves. That’s right, kids: the pressure is on us – again! To ensure that your body gets all it needs, pay that little extra for vitamin supplements and organic food. Although we students begrudgingly reach into our pockets, remember the money spent on these measures is insignificant compared to the amount the average student puts into our consumerist society. Spending a little more on organic food is a small price to pay for the essential benefits nutritional foods ensure for our health.

The notion that milk is key for the development of children is equivocal to the myth that ‘crusts make your hair curly’. A study in the journal Paediatrics has shown that the high acidity in milk actually creates calcium loss, defeating the very reason why we are told to drink milk. But unfortunately this seems to be the least of our concerns. Cows on non-organic farms are fed masses of hormone supplements, resulting in the development of the disease mastitis. Mastitis leads to pus forming on the udders – pus cells that, ultimately, end up on our

The high acidity in milk actually creates calcium loss, defeating the reason why we are told to drink milk

Frosties (up to 400 million per litre of milk). One of the many supplements they are fed is IGF-1. Alarmingly, even a small increase of this hormone in humans can severely increase the risk of cancer. Furthermore, two-thirds of the cows used for milk are pregnant or have just given birth, so hormone levels are already high. Subsequently there could be a cocktail of 35 different hormones in your milk. When you break down the contents of milk, you will see that it is infiltrated with saturated fats, a main contributor to heart disease. Additionally, an excess of saturated fats have been linked to many diseases, including arthritis, multiple sclerosis and Crohn’s disease (need the list go on?). Professor Jane Plant CBE claims that cow’s milk is perfect for calves but potentially detrimental to human health. Ms Plant claims we should “eliminate all dairy” from our diets. It is hard to reverse the hegemonic view on an integral dietary component in western society; however, we must look to other cultures that survive on alternative milks. Many studies have shown that these lifestyles are much less prone to the problems linked with dairy products.

ARE THESE ACTIONS REALLY PLANE STUPID?

Sophie Cole suggests that the climate campaigners of last week should not be condemned; instead, praised

ast week saw two demonstrations against the construction of the third runway at Heathrow airport. Each was performed by separate activist groups; both of equal spectacle. Monday’s media was infiltrated by the images of four Greenpeace campaigners breaching security at Heathrow Airport by climbing on top of a British Airways aeroplane and branding it with the slogan ‘Climate Emergency – No Third Runway’. Wednesday produced another security-questioning stunt, as protesters from the group Plane Stupid found their way onto the roof of the House of Commons, where they revealed banners and threw down paper planes, which were said to be made from documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act. For the authorities whose security procedures have been shown as inadequate, these are embarrassing times. However, for a generation striving for sustainable living and thus preserving

of the planet, surely these actions are considered far from ‘plane stupid’? Do not be misunderstood: this article does not ask for the eradication of planes, trains and buses in its applaud of last weeks’ protests. It simply asks whether such major development really needs to go ahead.

The building of another runway could constitute no change After all, Britain has more than 40 airports to its name – four explicitly within Central London. Do we not have the resources already to cater for incoming tourists, outgoing business people and cargo? More importantly, can the Government afford to legitimatise this development that, in essence, demonstrates a complete disregard for

reducing carbon emissions? Matthew Knowles, a spokesman for the Society of British Aerospace Companies, stated that such stunts “are becoming tiresome and do nothing more than peddle inaccurate propaganda.” This may be the case. In theory, the building of another runway could constitute no change. It does not necessarily mean more planes, more noise and more air pollution. In fact it could offer a more effective system of transport, with increased resources. Nonetheless, how do we know this? Are you aware of the intricate details surrounding the whys and whats in regards to the expansion of Heathrow? With little justification and, ultimately, contradiction between what the Government asks of us and what they allow, changing the much-publicised ‘death row’ accommodation of the planet is further from our front doorstep than the impending third runway.

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FEATURES

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FAIR TRAD

As fair trade fever hits Cardiff for a fortnight of ethical spending, Portia Nicholson investigates what its really like to live life on a student budget the fair trade way

he concept of Fair trade has come a long way since its beginnings in the 1980s. Many shops around the UK now stock ethically sourced products such as tea, coffee, bananas, apples and chocolate. The Max Havelaar Foundation launched the first Fairtrade consumer guarantee label in 1988 on coffee sourced from Mexico. Here in the UK, the Fairtrade Foundation was established in 1992, with the first products to carry the FAIRTRADE Mark launched in 1994. Fair Trade is more than a label on a coffee jar though; Fair trade is an organised social movement and marketbased model of international trade. Fair Trade promotes the payment of fair price in addition to social and economical standards in areas related to the production of a wide variety of goods. Notably the produce mostly comes from developing countries, in order to help communities move towards becoming more financially and economically self-sufficient. The Fair Trade website describes Fairtrade as “a strategy for poverty alleviation and sustainable development. Its purpose is to create opportunities for producers and workers who have been economically disadvantaged or marginalized by the conventional trading system.” The Fairtrade foundation has eagerly stressed in a recent press release that “Fairtrade Mark is the only independent consumer label that ensures farmers in developing countries receive an agreed and stable price for the crops they grow that covers the cost of sustainable production, as well as additional income for farmers and workers to invest in the future.” The Foundation states that for a product to display the Fairtrade Mark it must meet international Fairtrade standards which are set by the international certification body Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International (FLO). These standards are agreed through a process of research and consultation with key participants in the Fairtrade scheme, including producers themselves, traders, NGOs, academic institutions and labelling organisations such as the Fairtrade Foundation. Fairtrade status also requires a

minimum price for produce. Fairtrade minimum price is the minimum price that a buyer of Fairtrade products has to pay to a Producer Organisation for their product. It is not a fixed price, but should be seen as the lowest possible starting point for price negotiations between producer and purchaser. It is set at a level which ensures that Producer Organisations receive a price which covers the cost of sustainable production for their product.

Only 10% of the premium consumers pay for Fair trade goods goes to the producer This means it also acts as a safety net for farmers at times when world markets fall below a sustainable level. However, when the market price is higher than the Fairtrade minimum, the buyer must pay the market price. Producers and traders can also negotiate a higher price, for example on the basis of quality, and for some products, FLO also sets different prices for organic crops, or for particular grades of produce. The popularity of Fairtrade has spread rapidly throughout the UK and indeed the world. According to the Fairtrade Press office “More than 3,000 products have been licensed to carry the ‘FAIRTRADE’ Mark”. The variety of products carrying the label including coffee, tea, fruit, and cotton has seen retail sales of Fairtrade certified products top £290 million in 2006 and have grown 40% year-on-year over the past five years. Analysts IGD report that nearly a quarter of shoppers claim to have recently bought fair trade products, up from 11% in 2003. IGD predicts growth in annual fair trade spending will average 11% over the next five years to total £585m by 2012. Whilst Fairtrade has amassed international praise it has also attracted some criticism. Critics of the labeling scheme have branded it a ‘marketing hype’ and argue that shops are profiting from conscience-salving customers who are willing to pay more for

Fairtrade goods and that not enough of the money reaches the farmers. Some Critics also regard Fairtrade as unfair interference that encourages overproduction of certain crops and makes farmers dependent on handouts. Most fair trade agreements are with cooperatives of small farmers; the fair trade cynics consider it ineffective at helping other systems and believe that it holds back mechanisation. Brink Lindsey, vice president for research at the Cato Institute, Washington DC has said “The ‘fair trade’ movement bills itself as an ethical alternative to the exploitative squalor of capitalism-as-usual. Which is kind of amusing, since it is only because of capitalism’s immense wealth-generating productivity that a market for the movement’s products exists at all.” A recent article in The Guardian features a highly critical report by the Adam Smith Institute (ASI). They stated that Fairtrade “is little more than a marketing exercise intended to maintain fair trade’s predominance in an increasingly competitive marketplace.” The report went on to say that fair trade is ‘unfair’ because it offers only a very small number of farmers a higher, fixed priced for their goods. These higher prices come at the expense of the great majority of farmers, who are unable to qualify for Fairtrade certification who are left even worse off. The ASI report additionally says there are many “inconvenient truths” about the movement. It says many of the farmers helped by fair trade are in Mexico, a relatively developed country, while few are in places like Ethiopia. It claims that four-fifths of the produce sold by Fairtrade-certified farmers ends up in non-fair trade goods, and typically just 10% of the premium consumers pay for fair trade actually goes to the producer.

Harriet Lamb, director of the Fairtrade Foundation, came to the defense of Fairtrade. Her response to the report’s claims was “Fair trade is already making a big difference to the lives of more than seven million people in the developing world, but there are millions more we’d like to reach. 2007 was a phenomenal year of growth for fair trade bananas, for example, with one in every five bananas bought from supermarkets now Fairtrade certified.

80% of produce sold by Fairtrade certified farmers ends up in nonfair trade goods

On the other hand, this means four in five bananas still aren’t fair trade, and we’re determined to change those odds.” Despite the criticisms, many workplaces, schools and Universities are keen to jump on the Fairtrade wagon and try and obtain Fair Trade status. Cardiff became the world’s first Fairtrade Capital in March 2004, an award certified by the Fairtrade Foundation. Members of Fair Trade Cardiff include Cardiff Council, Cardiff Fair Trade Forum, CAFOD, Christian Aid, Fair-Do’s, Oxfam Cymru, People & Planet, The Cooperative Group, and concerned individuals. Cardiff City Council has stated that there are now over 150 shops, cafes and organisations selling and using fairly traded products in Cardiff. There are now more than 300

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DE FEVER Fairtrade products and meet Fairtrade producers. The bus experience will inform ‘passengers’ about Fairtrade, inspiring them to choose Fairtrade products in their daily shopping and give a better deal to disadvantaged producers. Local Fairtrade campaign groups in each location will be hosting high-profile events to complement the onboard activities. Cardiff University and the Student’s Union has been encouraging staff and students to get involved in Fair Trade fortnight. John Cowie, Students’ Union Ethical & Environmental Officer said: “Fairtrade Fortnight is a great opportunity for Cardiff to promote our status as a Fairtrade University to staff and students and also hopefully show more people that making some small, easy consumer choices can have a hugely positive impact on the lives of people in the poorest countries.”

The popularity of ethically sourced products shows no signs of slowing

Fairtrade Towns and Cities across the UK, as well as nearly 4,000 Fairtrade Churches and 35 Fairtrade Synagogues. Universities have been keen to obtain Fairtrade status and many have made significant changes to the products they stock in both shops and café’s to show their commitment to Fairtrade. Oxford Brookes University became the first Fairtrade University in 2003, it was quickly joined by the University of Birmingham and then the scheme really took off as People & Planet groups across the country took up the challenge. There are now over 60 Fairtrade Universities and Colleges in the UK, with many more working towards status. Cardiff University and the Student’s Union were both awarded Fairtrade status last year. The University has stated that “Cardiff University & the Students’ Union are committed to supporting, promoting and using Fairtrade goods.” According to Fairtrade, for a university or college to obtain Fairtrade status they must “ensure that

Consumer awareness and concern is putting industries like coffee and cocoa under pressure Fairtrade products are available in as many places as possible and they raise awareness of Fairtrade and the benefits that it brings to producers in developing countries with students and staff. A Fairtrade University or College is one that has made a commitment to supporting and using Fairtrade.”

Fairtrade is hoping to raise awareness and its status with the upcoming Fairtrade fortnight. The annual Fairtrade Fortnight campaign is promoted by networks around the country including charities, trade unions, student groups, churches and other faith-based organisations. The two-week annual campaign (25 Feb – 9 March) celebrating products carrying the Fairtrade mark, began in style at London’s South Bank featuring ‘a fairground with a difference’ The event includes a Fairtrade tea cup ride, a towering Helter Skelter, a Fairtrade coconut shy, candyfloss made with Fairtrade sugar and a Fairtrade fortune teller. The Fairtrade foundation are hoping that the events over the two week period will give visitors the opportunity to sample some of the 3,000 Fairtrade items now

certified and to learn more about Trade Justice. A series of talks by Fairtrade producers from countries around the world will also give visitors a chance to meet the farmers and workers behind the products, and learn first-hand the difference that Fairtrade is making to their communities. Last year an estimated 10,000 separate activities and events took place during Fortnight, with everything from Fairtrade parades, concerts and debates to tea dances, fiestas, fashion shows and family days. This year the Fairtrade foundation is encouraging people to get on board with Fairtrade quite literally by launching a Fairtrade bus. The specially adapted open-top campaign bus will set off from London on a grand tour of eight Fairtrade Towns and cities across the UK during the Fortnight, including Cardiff on March 8, where the bus will be stopping off in the Oval basin in Cardiff Bay. The bus will be spreading the word about Fairtrade and calling on local people to Change Today, Choose Fairtrade - the theme of Fairtrade Fortnight 2008. The bus will also be the focus of interactive displays and activities, live music, discussions, competitions, and the opportunity to sample delicious

A series of events will mark Fairtrade Fortnight, including: Fairtrade fashions on show at the Students’ Union Global Village Event and stalls in the Union run by the student People & Planet society. Fairtrade product samples will also be available for tasting at University Coffee Shops and Cyber Cafes and there will be a daily meal deal featuring Fairtrade in University restaurants (3 - 7 March). The University has said that “Fairtrade products are an established part of University life and are offered by the University’s Residences and Catering Division which caters to some 25,000 students and 6,000 staff, running four restaurants, 11 coffee shops and cyber-cafes and two student bars. The Students’ Union has mirrored these achievements in its shop, restaurant and bar.” It looks like the popularity of ethically sourced products shows no signs of slowing as growing consumer awareness and concern about sustainable and ethical food sourcing is putting firms in industries like coffee and cocoa under pressure. There have been calls for an independent trade watchdog to properly regulate the international food supply chain if we as a society are to truly create a more sustainable and ethical food market. The viability of such a scheme is something which could possibly be debated in the future if there is a substantially greater demand for ethically sourced products.

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- March 7 2008 - March 7 2008 - March 7 2008 - March 7 20

INTERNATIO WOMEN’S D

Amy Budden explains what the 4th March celebrations symbolise for women worldwide where honour killings are known to be rife. It seems appropriate then that such a conference should be held to mark International Women’s Day as honour killings stem from ideas surrounding male honour and female subservience in many different cultures. Ms Nammi, a Kurd from Iran who chairs the International Campaign Against Honour Killings noted, “Men and sometimes even women believe that women are a possession of men. Women have to wear certain clothes. They are not allowed to laugh in the street, to fall in love or be loved, or to go out without permission. Breaking any of those rules puts a woman’s life in danger.” The conference encourages those who attend to consider such issues that concern the everyday lives of some women with an empha-

sis on understanding, questioning and discussion. Moreover, attendees will have the opportunity to meet and discuss issues with professionals in the field of ‘honour’ related violence. Guest speakers include Nazir Afzal, OBE, director of the Crown Prosecution Service, London West, Shahien Taj, director of the Henna Foundation, Jagdeesh Singh, brother of honour victim Surjit Athwal and Wayne Ives, head of the Forced Marriage Unit at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Education Solutions The conference is aimed at front line practitioners including Cardiff Council staff, education, health and social care staff, domestic violence officers, community safety officers,

“

Its satisfying to see our local council taking a proactive attitude towards equal rights in a multicultural society

“

arch 8 will mark International Women’s Day, uniting women across the globe. First observed in 1909, this significant day will pay tribute to the success and achievements of women worldwide. Indeed such is its importance that numerous wide-ranging events are being hosted across Cardiff. Although various global corporations support International Women’s Day, local recognition of the event brings its importance into our everyday lives. The events being held in Cardiff include a ‘girls night in’, hosted in House of Fraiser on March 4th from 6pm – 9.30 pm. The aim of the evening is to raise money for Cardiff Women’s Aid, a domestic abuse charity. Described as an evening ‘for any woman who likes pampering’ the event is working towards raising awareness about the day whilst raising money for charity. As such the evening will include complimentary chocolate, liquor and a 10% discount in store. On a more political note, City Hall is hosting a free and groundbreaking conference on March 4th between 9am and 4.30 pm, concerning the ‘Pressures, Risks and Consequences of ‘honour’’. The conference will investigate what can be done about honour killings in a bid to raise awareness about honour related abuse in families. This day is being organised by Cardiff council in conjunction with the Henna Foundation and is the first of its kind to be held in Cardiff. It comes in the wake of increasing concerns over the safety of women in Wales. A top authority on honour crime, Diana Nammi commented, “honour killing is a widespread phenomenon. It may happen anywhere - Cardiff or Newport, Bristol and the South West.” Decisions that many may consider to be trivial can result in some women being ousted for ‘dishonouring’ their families. As a consequence the women are often sent away to relatives in countries such as Pakistan and Iran

police, court and law agencies, indicative of how the conference aims to make a real difference in women’s lives. That such an interest should be roused speaks volumes about what the day has come to symbolise. The council event is not only motivated by a drive towards equal opportunities for all, but also by a duty of care to see that women who are downtrodden receive support, advice and help. While events will be occuring worldwide, it is satisfying to see our local council taking a proactive attitude towards equal rights with an appropriate recoginition of International Women’s day in a multicultural society.

Cardiff Unives Newman tells story of spend Day with Cher

hile still a student in the sixth form, I was invited to attend International Women’s Day, March 2005 at the Rhonddda Sports Centre, Tylorstown. I imagined in my naivety a day of man-hating speeches and bra-burning sessions. What ensued, however, was nothing of the sort. I’d never been one to get on my soapbox about women’s rights. As far as I was concerned, there was no need for an International Women’s Day anymore; inequality was no longer an issue. Modern women were university graduates, bosses of successful companies and businesses, even Prime Ministers. My power-suit-wearing deputy head was the perfect candidate to accompany a group of us to the event. We’d never heard of International Women’s Day, let alone celebrated it, and therefore felt no desire to be part of it. But on hearing that there would be a celebrity guest speaker attending, we soon warmed to the idea - the mention of a ‘free buffet’ finally sealed the deal. As soon as we arrived we had to go through an unusually high level of security checks that had been put in place especially for the occasion. Bets started being placed on who the celebrity guest speaker would be. With police at every corner we guessed it would have to be someone of superstar status. Half way through the buffet reception the chairwoman burst through the entrance of the function room waving her hands; they had arrived. We all took our seats and watched the doors being opened by two men in black suits as Cherie Blair swept in, followed closely by an entourage of around ten others, including a film crew. It wasn’t exactly Madonna, but we were pretty impressed nonetheless. After all, it’s

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008 - March 7 2008 -

ONAL DAY

sity Student Anwen s gair rhydd her inspiring ding International Women’s rie Blair

Housing Standards Are you concerned about the standard of your rented accommodation? Seek advice from the ARC! Also, larger houses (3 storeys with 5 or more students) have to meet new standards and landlords are required to obtain a license from the council.

The world really is our oyster; a very different picture to that of women just decades ago not every day the Prime Minister’s wife comes to town. Her manner of speaking bared no resemblance to that of her husband’s. There was no echo of his famous ‘Education, education, education’ speech, she gave a genuinely friendly and at times humorous address. She highlighted the importance of inspiring women to set their goals high and celebrated many local women’s achievements. With regards to us young women in the room, she urged us to work hard and grab hold of every opportunity that came our way. After a time of questions and answers, followed by much applause, Cherie came to sit at our table and asked us what we thought of the discussion. I admitted that it had opened my eyes to the privileged position we find ourselves in as

women today. She went on to ask us what universities we had applied to, what we were hoping to study and what we wanted to become eventually. Her encouraging response to our different aspirations made me realise that we had it all on a plate really. As clichéd as it sounds, the world really is our oyster; a very different picture to that of women just decades ago. All the while the men (including our local MP and assembly members!) were serving the women tea and coffee; an amusing image that stuck with me. I was always aware of the struggles that women had gone through to gain freedom of speech and specifically to get the vote; a historical feat! But history lessons could tell you that. My involvement in International Women’s Day made me realise that setting aside this one day wasn’t simply to remind us about the negatives of the past or even to get international recognition of it. On the contrary, International Women’s Day is a celebration of the opportunities that have become ours to embrace today, and a time to consider new ways of paving the road to a future of even greater opportunities for the generation of women to come.

The Advice & Representation Centre is based on the 3rd floor of the Students’ Union. We are open every weekday, 9.30am – 4.00pm.

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MARCH.03.2008

INTERVIEWS

INTERVIEWS@gairrhydd.COM

- innocence project- innocence project - innocence

Are the Guilty REALLY Guilty? INNOCE

Freedom is something most of us take for granted. However, it is this that differentiates the general public from those in jail. But they deserve it, right? Annika Henderson talks to Seniorlecturer and Cardiff Nexus Innocence Project Co-ordinator, Dr Paul Mason about the faults of the criminal justice system and how students can help those who it has let down.

Annika Henderson Interviews Editor

ince deciding to do his PHD on ‘The Presentation of the British Prison on Television’ 17 years ago, Cardiff University Lecturer Dr Paul Mason has been actively working to combat social inequality and abuses of power within the criminal justice system. He also runs the Prison Media Monitoring Unit and co-ordinates the School’s Innocence Project, as part of the UK Innocence Network. Paul is a member of the prison abolition group No More Prisons and the European Group for the Study of Deviance and Social Control. He edited [jc2m] Journal for Crime,Conflict and Media Culture 2004-6 and has also taught at KIJAC in Kosovo and is a member of the Addis Research Group in Ethiopia. Can you briefly explain what the Innocence project actually does. The innocence project was originally set up in Bristol by Dr Michael Naughton and it deals with wrongful convictions; those people that maintain innocence in prison. It was set up based on the American Innocence Project where students worked with solicitors to get people off death row. This was set up in Britain to do much the same thing, the difference being we deal with cases obviously not on death row and also that aren’t necessarily only to do with forensic evidence because the one in America only deals with forensic evidence. So what we do is we invite students to come along and work on real cases, mostly murders or very serious cases where people are imprisoned for a long time and we look for new evidence on the actual files in relation with a solicitor to get those people out of prison. So do you go through some form of selection process when dealing with the cases? Cardiff happens to have the database for the whole of the Innocence Network. So, the Innocence Network is the umbrella term for all the University Innocence Projects and the centre of it is Cardiff and the Law School. Every

time a case comes in the prisoner writes to the Innocence Network and then Julie Price in Law gets her students to briefly analyse the case and say what kind of case it is, whether they think there’s a claim, whether it’s a case we can deal with and then those cases that we think we can proceed with get put in the giant filling cabinet. Then any time anybody from an Innocence Project around the country wants a new case, they go to Julie who gives them one of those cases. So, what’s your response to the people who brand the Innocence Project as a bunch of ‘raving lefties’? Well, I don’t think criminal justice is about left/right. Criminal justice is about people who have been put in prison for the wrong reasons and I would have thought innocence cuts across any political background. On the website you emphasise that it’s about educating and not about

“Innocence is a good word because it implies innocent eyes, fresh eyes, new eyes and that’s one of the advantages that students have.” campaigning, so what’s your stance on this as a representative of the Innocence Network? I buy into the Innocence Project because of the way it’s funded, which is partly through donations but also through fund-raising and via Universities. Universities are keen to say that it’s about education and it’s about students getting a chance to work on real cases, because most of the people involved in Innocence Projects are Law students. The Cardiff Nexus Innocence project, which is based in JOMEC but has students from other subjects, is an interdisciplinary Innocence project and so we decided to call it Cardiff ‘NEXUS’ to reflect the fact that we are

interdisciplinary. Do you ever have much trouble with the local authorities or the police when trying to go through the cases? We keep them out of it. We try to not let them know what we are doing because there’s always a danger that the police...we had one case where there were accusations of police corruption and it’s not really in our interests to allow the police to know that we are investigating because files... how shall we say... ‘mysteriously’ disappear. Our main concern is dealing with the prisoner, so we correspond with the prisoner and every time something happens that’s different we write to them with updates. It’s very important to remember that a week in a prisoner’s life is a long time. Whereas we work from week to week and try and meet once a week, a week’s along time for a prisoner to wait for a letter so we try to keep in mind that the prisoner needs to be kept informed and feel that somebody on the outside is doing something for them. You can see from the Guildford 4 case that it can definitely take a long time, so how do you keep going? Do you keep looking for new avenues to explore? Well the key thing is that in order to get the case sent to the CCRC (The Criminal Cases Review Commission) you need to have fresh evidence. Now, you can use evidence that’s been used before as long as you use it in a different way or ideally you want to find something new. That’s why Mike Naughton, who set up the project, says Innocence is a good word because it implies innocent eyes, fresh eyes, new eyes and that’s one of the advantages that students have. They’re not coming into it with a world weary ‘I’ve seen this case before’. It’s new to them, they’re excited, they’re determined, they’re driven and they’re enthusiastic and I think we keep going through our desire to see justice done and our desire to see innocent people released from prison. So when you take a case on, do you just assume they are innocent? We never assume. You never assume.

Mumia Abu-Jamal

Dr Paul Mason Anything legal has to be backed up, so we’re very honest with the student and

“I would have thought innocence cuts across any political background.” if the student feels that a person... On our oldest case we’ve had somebody say ‘I think this person is guilty’ and we are totally respectful of that opinion and that person. If they say they think that person is guilty, we respect them for saying that and then they must leave the case because everyone working on a case must believe that the person is innocent otherwise there’s no point doing it. It’s a hard, long slog and you’re going to have your metal tested along the way. You have to deep down, honestly believe that that person you are working for is innocent. So what should students do if they are interested in getting involved? We welcome students from all departments, all schools, you don’t have to have any legal background or be doing a law degree or anything like that. Most people on the project here in the Nexus Project don’t have any legal experience. The only legal experience comes from me. All they have to do is e-mail me: Masonp@cardiff.ac.uk and then they can either come and talk to me first if they want to know more about it, come along on Monday 5 til 7 JOMEC 1.40. Paul will be hosting the ‘In Prison My Whole Life’ screening on March 6 and will give a brief talk on the Innocence Project. For More information: http://www. innocencenetwork.org.uk/

Annika Hende director Marc to writing and Mumia’s trial, of the police a corruption tha the way Annika Henderson Interviews Editor

quick glance at the cast of In Prison my whole Life and it appears that every American has something to say about the case. One may be surprised to find the likes of philosopher, Noam Chomsky and rap-artist Snoop Dogg in the same film but this simply reaffirms the diverse nature of the debate, which has kept America and arguably the entire world at the edge of their seats for 25-years. Any director willing to make a film about such a delicate and controversial matter would have to have a lot of guts. Cardiff-born Marc Evans seems an unlikely candidate and admits: ”when I started, I didn’t know anything about Abu-Jamal”. It was only after scriptwriter William Francome, a man who has been obsessed with the Abu-Jamal case after coincidentally being born on the same day he was arrested, showed him a digital movie on the case that he began to form a deeper understanding of the true nature of the American Justice system and got gradually more engrossed by the case. “I was brought up on the American Dream and the civil rights movement” Marc explains “and these were kind of secret histories”. Evans, renowned for his dark films such as My Little Eye (2002) and Resurrection Man (1998) once said “you don’t choose your films in a strategic or career-minded way. You just find stories that interest you and some get made and some don’t.” The fact that Francome, a middleclass, Mumia-obsessed white kid was

gairrhydd

MARCH.03.2008

INTERVIEWS

INTERVIEWS@gairrhydd.COM

e project - innocence project - innocence project -

ENT until proven GUILTY? Annika Henderson Interviews Editor

n 1981, black-panther party activist and radical journalist Mumia Abu-Jamal was sentenced to death for the murder of police officer Daniel Faulkner. Never before has a case divided people so dramatically or been so highly contested and debated. A short walk down the shadow-cast grimy side-streets or the deserted under-

ground car-parks of Philadelphia, the scene of the shooting, is all you need to appreciate the extent to which this city has been divided. ‘Free Mumia’ slogans stencilled onto concrete pillars and ‘cop-killer’ etched into park benches. This city is in mourning. It’s mourning the loss of justice. Whether you believe the sentence to be fair or the entire case to be a miscarriage of justice, the way things stand now, neither party is satisfied. The case remains open.

Police Officer Daniel Faulkner.

erson talks to Welsh filmc Evans about how he came d directing a film about , the uncooperative nature and the astounding at has been uncovered along to write the script intrigued Marc. “I saw it as an interesting approach” he says. “It wasn’t really a film that came from me; it was a film that i got involved with and, getting involved, I became very interested.”

Police Corruption Evans soon found himself entangled in the case and witnessed first-hand, the hostile nature of the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP). “The FOP is a very politically-strong lobby group in America” Marc explains, “and it is particularly powerful in Philadelphia” he adds. “They’re an intriguing group of people because on the one level they’re very very reciprocal” he states, recalling the time when Abu Jamal had a street named after him in Paris and in response the FOP put Danny Faulkner’s name on a street. “They basically think of Mumia as a cop-killer who is not worthy of anybody’s attention,” he says.

“He emphasises that the film is not about goodies and baddies but about everybody’s right to a fair trial” Marc questions whether the police’s uncooperative nature was a result of apathy or policy, but concludes: “my impression is that they have a policy that it’s easier not to talk to people...not to give you the opportunity to get into a

conversation with you as some kind of ‘Raving Lefty’ who wants to misquote them or whatever.” In response I questioned what made him so inclined to believe that AbuJamal was indeed innocent, to which he replied: “Amnesty International make a very compelling case for the miscarriage of justice that was his trial.” I probe further and he elaborates: “There’s three things which happened in his trial which I think were indiscreet: There’s how the jury was dealt with, how the jury were told that they wouldn’t really have to worry about the death sentence because he’d have loads of appeals and also the racism of the judge who was a member of the FOP, who said ‘I’m gonna help them find the n****r’” “So, that is enough of a reason in the first place.” he argues. Evans believes that parallels can be drawn between this ‘catch the bad guys at whatever cost’ mentality and American films. “If you look at American movies and if you look at what an American hero is for example, much of the time you have this cop, played by Bruce Willis or something, who plays a bit against the rules but ultimately he gets his man” says Marc. It is this ethos of “I know who the bad guys are and I’m gonna get them and it doesn’t matter if I break the rules a bit”. Marc claims the police have adopted these ideas themselves. “That’s all well and good if you’re always getting the right guy” he says “but if you’re getting the wrong guy...” Evans pauses and begins to ponder for a minute. It appears that the Mumia case has truly become something personal to him.

Director Marc Evans He continues “I think what happened in Philadelphia in the seventies just became so common place and their way of operating and there is a case to be made to say that the police assumed it was Mumia Abu-Jamal, actually knew it probably really wasn’t and caught him anyway because at the end of the day he was in the category of bad guy.” However, he passionately adds, “You can’t run a country like that!”

Right to a Fair Trial He emphasises that the film is not about goodies and badies but about everybody’s right to a fair trial. He explains: “the bottom line is a film can’t be a judge and a jury. The primary objective of the film is to say this guy cannot be taken out of context of the situation. Number one: he’s on death row for twenty-five years. Number two: on the basis of a trial that was not fair. In many way, therefore, the guiltiness or innocence of the crime might become secondary.” When pushed for his own opinion

“I was brought up on the American dream and the civil rights movement” on the case he adds, “if you want my personal opinion I think he’s definitely innocent of first degree murder, which is what he’s been convicted of.” From what has been said, it appears that the police’s views have been dismissed in the film. So what about the police? Do they not get a chance to say their piece? “I don’t think the film can be completely neutral because of where we’re coming from, but I think in a way, if it was a piece of straight journalism, I don’t think it would stand out” he says. However he reassures that “you have to be open-minded and fair and i think we were very fair given the material we had to work with.” Having said that, he admits, “there is much more in the film about Mumia’s world than there is about their world”.

“But there’s historical facts in there” he adds. “I am very glad Amnesty are behind it because it makes it easier for the audience to watch a biased film, which it essentially is, but it’s an objectively biased film” he concludes. It appears that the film is indeed bias but it does not pretend to be anything else. Evans, like many others, has been drawn in by the tragic nature of the case and has emerged backing one side. The controversy surrounding this case will never disappear because both sides are so sure they are right. One cannot bring Faulkner back, neither can Abu-Jamal get back the 25-years he has spent on death row. A clear solution is therefore never possible.

The Welsh premiere of ‘In Prison my Whole Life’ will take place on Thursday March 6, from 6 til 8pm, in room 2.27 of the Law Building on Park Place. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Marc Evans and both are open to all free of charge.

Not yet registerd with Jobshop? If you would like to recieve free regular updates about great parttime job opportunities within the University, Studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Union and outside, please come and see us. You can find us on the ground floor of the Studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Union and we are open between 10am4pm Monday-Friday.

gairrhydd

MARCH.03.2008

JOBS & MONEY

JOBS@gairrhydd.COM

A Helping Hand?

Conflicting reports about the University’s Student Contingency Fund have been circulating recently. Emily Woodrow investigates who’s entitled to it, and what it’s really for.

had never heard of the Financial Contingency Fund, or ‘hardship fund’ as students like to call it, until I went round to my friend’s house recently. He was talking with his friends about how one of them had managed to bag a hefty sum of non-repayable money from the University, while boasting about how they were all going to sign up and try and blag some dosh for their ‘beer money’ fund. This left me confused. Why was money being given away so effortlessly to people I was certain weren’t exactly struggling money-wise? And with what appeared to be little care or consideration for what the money was being spent on? So I went to meet with Cardiff’s Student Support Centre to discuss the fund with them, and I realised it wasn’t quite as easy to bag some cash as the boys had made out. If you are struggling to pay off your overdraft from first year, or maybe you’re just finding it hard to balance up your outgoings to your income, you could be entitled to support from the Financial Contingency Fund; money given to Cardiff University by the Welsh Assembly Government intended to help those students in need. As long as you are eligible for a student loan and can prove that you are struggling to gather together adequate funds to live on, you could be given a helpful amount of money by the University to pay off your debts and see you through the remaining weeks until your next loan comes in. Each year universities are given a considerable amount of money to help those students in need. The amount given to Cardiff, which this year is particularly high, is used to aid those students who show a need for it, or those who have to pay for additional costs which others don’t due to differ-

ing circumstances. This could be, for example, that someone at home is ill, causing an increase in journeys home. Costs for a necessary course field trip or merely because it is assumed that third year students don’t have the time to get a part-time job and therefore don’t have enough money to survive on comfortably without it. Although initially aimed at helping third years, the Welsh Government has now changed the rules. This means that the Financial Contingency Fund is now also able to help both first and second years; those who may have squandered away their loans out of pure excitement, or used more than they had due to a lack of knowledge about caring for their money and

spending wisely. Cardiff Student Support Centre are not overly concerned about what each individual’s money has been spent on. They calculate an average rent total

“Many students go through a bad patch of overspending. We are not here to criticise them for that” and an average reasonable weekly expenditure for a typical student. This is then balanced out against any income

You’re hired! Jess Best Jobs & Money Editor

new website which allows you to be interviewed by top entrepreneurs such as Duncan Bannatyne and Ruth Badger has been launched to help Britain’s failing interviewees. And it could potentially help you if you’re searching the graduate job market. BeMyInterviewer.co.uk gives you video access to the interview questions used by the likes of Dragon’s Den regular Duncan Bannatyne, The Apprentice runner up Ruth Badger and the founder of Ann Summers Jacqueline Gold.

Once they have asked you the question, they’ll give you an insight into what the question is designed to find out and what would make a good answer. Internet recruitment company Jobsite has released statistics which suggest jobseekers’ poor interview skills have seen them miss out on £2.3 billion in pay rises in the last 12 months. That’s an average of £750 per jobseeker. So to practice being put under pressure, you could have Duncan Bannatyne saying to you: “I’ve interviewed 20 people for this job. Why should I employ you?” Or Jacqueline Gold asking you “Are you a born leader or a born follower?” And they tell you the answers that

would get you the job. If you still have concerns about the interview process then there’s also an “interview surgery” where you can ask any questions you might have.

including student loans and an assumed income which could include savings, money earned from holiday jobs and an overdraft. To get the ball rolling, all you need do is visit www.cf.ac.uk/financialsupport/ fcf/index.html and fill in an application form. If deemed appropriate, you will be assisted in completing a form which calculates your overall expenditure and how much you’re falling short by. You will then be asked to provide 3 months worth of bank statements to show that costs such as accommodation and fees are being taken out and causing you to remain short of money. Although 3 months worth of statements may seem an insufficient amount to ascertain how a student has managed to spend all their money, this is in fact stricter than any other Welsh University. Every department at the University is also called yearly by the Support Centre so they remain informed about which courses are more time consuming than others and that this may be the reason a student cannot get a part time job and therefore has a lack of money. Sheila King from Cardiff University Student Support Centre encourages all students who are struggling to at least fill in an application form and see if they are eligible . “We appreciate that everyone is entitled to some leisure money and that many students go through a bad patch of over-spending which we are not here to criticise them for. “Our role is not only to offer money to those students most in need and try and help those with deficit, but also to offer advice on how to spend your money wisely whilst at University.’’ For more information check out the website at www.cf.ac.uk/financialsupport/fcf/index.html

CE0 of Jobsite Keith Potts says interview preparation like this is the key to success, but its something many job hunters fail to recognise. According to their survey, only 13% of people practice interview questions with friends and family, and for 5% of people their only preparation is wearing lucky pants or a lucky charm. “BeMyInterviewer is a completely new way to prepare for interviews. “As well as giving users a chance to get a feel for the interview situation and what they can expect, candidates gain genuine insights from real business leaders into how they interview.”

Graduate

iki Nixon, 23, graduated with a Comparative Media degree in 2007. She now works as a Community and Events Fundraiser in Harrogate What is your job title? Community and Events Fundraiser for Henshaws Yorkshire, a charity for the blind or visually impaired and those who may suffer with other learning difficulties. Where are you based? Henshaws College in Harrogate, North Yorkshire What does your job involve, e.g. what are your day-to-day responsibilities? I have to plan, promote, budget for and produce events to raise funds for all Yorkshire services within the charity. Community events include local schools, community groups, church groups etc who may be interested in family orientated events, coffee mornings, arts and crafts fairs and music or art appreciation events. Corporate events include an annual gala dinner, golf days and information events. Other events we get our supporters involved in include marathons, triathlons and adrenaline events. After the initial booking of venues and event planning, my day-to-day duties include ensuring the individual fundraisers, e.g. marathon runners have all the training information, fundraising ideas, press coverage and general support they may need. How did you apply for your job? Briefly describe any interview/assessment process that you went through I saw the advert in the local paper and applied online. It was a two hour interview process, including a tour of the college facilities showing me the areas where fundraising was needed. This was followed by a written exam in which I had to create a three year strategy in getting a fundraising team up and running. The interview itself was 45 minutes, followed by a 15 minute presentation on how I would organise the annual gala dinner, taking into consideration time planning, budgeting and promotion. What is the best/worst thing about your job? The best part of the job is knowing that you are creating fun events that people want to attend. It is all for entertainment, so everyone wants to be a part of the work you are doing. The worst part is not spending as much time with the service users as I would like to. What advice would you give to students thinking of entering a similar field? Gather as much experience as possible. Fundraising is not well paid, but whilst still at university charities are always asking for volunteers, so just give one hour a week to show dedication and you will gain a lot of valuable experiences on the way. Event planning is more difficult, but apply to do as much work experience as you can afford to do. Don’t expect to walk into a job without the relevant experience.

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MAWRTH.03.2008

TAF-OD

TAF-OD@gairrhydd.COM

Oes Pwynt i’r Bonws? Dim ond hogiau Cymru all ennill eu gemau i gyd ym mhencampwriaeth y chwe gwlad eleni bellach, ond a fydd y bri y gysylltir â’r gamp lawn mor amlwg os y bydd system bwyntiau bonws yn cael ei chyflwyno yn y dyfodol? Gwilym Dwyfor Golygydd Taf-od

Mae Shaun Edwards, hyfforddwr cymhorthwyol tîm rygbi Cymru, yn ddiweddar, wedi galw ar i bencampwriaeth y chwe gwlad fabwysiadu’r system bwyntiau bonws, ond pa mor dda yw’r syniad yma mewn gwirionedd? Bydd llawer ohonym y mae’n debyg yn teithio i’r Iwerddon y penwythnos hwn gan obeithio y bydd Cymru’n amddiffyn eu record diguro am eleni. Ond yn dilyn canlyniadau y rownd ddiwethaf o gemau y mae’n bosib bellach, y gall Gymru ennill y bencampwriaeth heb gyflawni’r gamp lawn, felly nid yw buddugoliaeth yn Iwerddon yn orfodol. Mae pawb arall wedi colli un gêm erbyn hyn, felly gallwn ninnau fforddio colli un hefyd, ond does dim dwywaith

mai camp lawn yw’r ffordd ymlaen os am ennill mewn steil.

Rydym o fewn dwy gêm at y gamp lawn, felly ‘c’mon Cymru’! Dyna pam, na fyddai’r system bwyntiau bonws yn gweithio ym mhencampwriaeth y chwe gwlad yn fy marn i. Achos pe bai’r system arferol (honno a ddefnyddir yng Nghwpan y Byd a’r Cynghrair Celtaidd a.y.y.b.) yn cael ei defnyddio, byddai’n bosib cyflawni camp lawn heb ennill y bencampwriaeth! Nid mathemategwr mohonof, ond gyda’r system bwyntiau bonws, gallai un wlad ennill pob gêm, ac ennill

Pa Un Yw Cwis Gorau Caerdydd? Gwilym Dwyfor Golygydd Taf-od

el myfyrwyr, pa ffordd well i gyfuno ein haddysg a’n bywyd cymdeithasol na mynychu cwis tafarn! Dyna pam y penderfynais werthuso tri o gwisiau Caerdydd ar eich cyfer. Cynhelir cwis yn y Flora bob nos Iau, sy’n noson digon addas ar gyfer digwyddiad o’r fath, wedi’r cwbl, mae peint neu ddau jest y peth i baratoi rhywun ar gyfer y penwythnos. Mae’r cwestiynau yn ddifyr a’r awyrgylch yn gyfeillgar, ond gall dod o hyd i le i eistedd fod yn orchwyl anodd os nad ydych yno mewn da bryd. Tueddol o ganolbwyntio ar rhyw actorion Americanaidd hollol ddiethr i mi y maent yn y rownd luniau bob tro, ond cwyn bersonol yw honno wrth reswm. (Cyn belled bod gennych hogan ar eich tîm fe fyddwch yn iawn!) Ar nos Sul y cynhelir y cwis yn yr Woodville. Dyma noson addas unwaith eto, achos erbyn gyda’r nos ar ddydd Sul mae rhywun yn barod i godi o’r t^y yn dilyn diwrnod o ddioddef. Efallai nad yw’r awyrgylch cystal ond mae’r cwestiynau yn ddigon heriol a diddorol. Uchafbwynt y cwis hwn heb os yw’r rownd glai, ble mae pob tîm yn gorfod ateb gyfynion

y dasg trwy greu model allan o glai! Dyma syniad gwreiddiol ac mae’r cwis hwn yn haeddu clod, petai ddim ond am hynny!

Cyn belled bod gennych hogan ar eich tîm fe fyddwch yn iawn! Ar nos Sul hefyd y cynhelir cwis y Mochyn Du, ond dim ond ar nos Sul olaf bob mis. Mae’r system fisol yma yn rhoi rhywbeth i edrych ymlaen tuag ato. Menter Caerdydd sy’n trefnu’r cwis hwn ac felly ceir rhai cwestiynau ar faterion Cymreig, sy’n cynnig rhywbeth gwahanol i’r ddau gwis arall. Ond wrth gwrs, y prif wahaniaeth yw’r cyfrwng achos hwn yw’r unig gwis Cymraeg allan o’r tri. Felly, er nad yw ei leoliad mor gyfleus â’r Flora a’r Woodville i fyfyrwyr sy’n byw yn Cathays, mae’n werth mynd draw ar nos Sul ola’r mis ar gyfer y cwis hwn. Mae dipyn o elyniaeth gyfeilgar wedi datblygu dros y misoedd rhwng dau dîm o fyfyriwyr felly byddai’n braf gweld mwy yn ymuno yn yr ornest!

pedwar pwynt bob tro, a gorffen ar ugain pwynt. Ond gallai tîm arall ennill dim ond pedair gêm, ond cipio pwynt bonws bob tro, a chasglu ugain o bwyntiau hefyd. Ac ar ben hynny, gallai’r tîm hwnnw gael pwynt bonws wrth golli yn erbyn y tîm sy’n cyflawni’r gamp lawn, ac ennill y bencampwriaeth ohrerwydd! Rwyf yn hoff iawn o’r system bwyntiau bonws fel arfer gan ei bod yn anog rygbi agored ymosodol (byddai’n hunllef i Loegr!), ac rwyf yn cytuno â Shaun Edwards yn hynny o beth. Ond byddai rhaid addasu’r system ar gyfer y chwe gwlad. Byddai rhaid cynyddu’r nifer o bwyntiau am ffuddugoliaeth neu rhywbeth. Ond ta waeth, ar hyn o bryd, Chwe Gwlad eleni sy’n bwysig a rydym o fewn dwy gêm at y gamp lawn, felly ‘C’mon Cymru’!

Edwards yn ei ddyddiau chwarae: Un am rygbi cyffrous bryd hynny hefyd!

Philbennetts y Cwm yn Clwb

Parhaodd y naws rygbi mewn gig yng Nghlwb Ifor Bach yn dilyn y fuddugoliaeth yn erbyn yr Eidal, wrth i’r Philbennetts gynhyrfu’r dorf! Gwilym Dwyfor Golygydd Taf-od

afwyd gig ragorol yng Nghlwb Ifor Bach ar y nos Sadwrn wedi gêm Cymru a’r Eidal! Dwi’n ffan mawr o Gwibdaith Hen Fran felly doedd y ffaith i mi fwynhau eu set nhw ddim yn sioc, ond mwynhad annisgwyl a gafwyd wrth wrando ar Y Philbennetts! Cast Pobol y Cwm yw’r Philbennetts a’u dilynwyr i bob pwrpas, a hynny yn hytrach na safon eu cerddoriaeth oedd y rheswm i mi gael gymaint o hwyl yn eu gwylio. Does yna ddim enwogion yn perthyn i’r bywyd diwylliedig Cymreig mewn gwirionedd, neb sy’n cerdded o gwmpas gyda gwarchodwyr neu mewn sbectol haul yng nghanol Gaeaf i osgoi ceiswyr llofnod. Yr agosaf a geir at hynny mae’n debyg yw actorion ein hopera sebon annwyl. Waeth i neb geisio hawlio nad ydynt

yn gwylio Pobol y Cwm, achos mae pawb yn gwneud o dro i dro! Dyna pam y mae pawb yn gwbod pwy yw’r actorion ac yn cyffroi ryw fymryn wrth eu gweld.

Felly Hywel Llywelyn yn mynd trwy ‘midlife crisis’ oedd yn canu... Mae’n debyg felly, y byddai ambell i hen ddynes wedi gor gyffroi o weld cymaint o gast y rhaglen yn yr un lle, ar yr un pryd, ond diolch byth, mi lwyddais i, i atal fy hun rhag pasio allan mewn ecseitment a dwi yma i adrodd yr hanes! Andrew Teilo oedd y prif leisydd, Mark Flanagan ar y gitâr a Rhys ap Hywel ar y drymiau. Efallai fy mod i’n blentynaidd ond roedd na

rhywbeth yn fy isymwybod yn gwneud i mi feddwl mai’r cymeriadau yn hytrach na’r actorion oedd ar y llwyfan. Felly Hywel Llywelyn yn mynd trwy ‘midlife crisis’ oedd yn canu, Jinx oedd a’i fraich wedi gwella digon i strymio’r gitâr, a Jason oedd wedi dychwelyd o Awstralia i daro’r dymiau! Ar ben hynny, roedd hi’n ymddangos bod Sara a Ffion yn ffrindiau mawr a Gwyneth yn cyd-dynnu’n iawn â gweddill merched y cwm! Ond ar wahân i’w newydd-deb ac elfen o hiwmor nid oedd Y Philbennetts yn cynnig llawer yn fy marn i. Wedi dweud hynny, am ar hwyl yn hytrach na’r arian y mae’r tri yma mewn band heb os nac oni bai felly pob parch iddynt. Sêr y noson oedd hogiau Gwibdaith, ac er nad oeddynt hwythau ar eu gorau fe wnaethant hen ddigon i ennyn gwerthfawrogiad y dorf feddw, a Ffion, a Sara, a Gwynerth, a Cai, a karen, a...

gairrhydd

MARCH.03.2008 TELEVISION@gairrhydd.COM .

HOT Dinner Date: Cardiff Film Society’s homage to the French new wave, search youtube for “dinner date” and “Cardiff”, it’s not quite television, but oh well.

!TELLY!

re you fed up of watching aliens and dinosaurs rampage around Britain, horny teens having “issues”, endless reams of self-help programmes and mediocre sitcoms on the BBC? Then be thankful for America and for UK TV channels realising they can buy good shows from the US to hide their own shoddy productions. ITV1 in particular is bringing in two great shows Dexter and Pushing Daisies in particular. Dexter is pure TV heaven; a darkly funny drama that is wellacted and brilliantly written, not something we’re used to, but we’re gonna have to cope. Dexter is a forensics expert working in Miami with a normal girlfriend, steady job and good relationship with his sister. Sometimes when a serial killer goes unprosecuted Dexter simply drugs them, ties them down, tells them what they have done wrong and kills them, not before taking a trophy sample of blood of course.

We felt the earthquake too

Strangely Dexter is the hero of this show; we see everything from his point of view as he narrates his way though each episode. After a few weeks you’ll find yourself supporting the serial killer as he butchers others and goes about his normal life. You will fear Dexter getting caught and revel in his triumphant slaying. Disturbing though this may be, it sure beats watching Newsnight. It takes some impressive acting chops to make you sympathise with a mass murderer, but fans of Six Feet Under will know that Michael C. Hall is just the man for the job. He expertly plays the cold-blooded killer, the loving boyfriend and the friendly work buddy, switching between them with ease. It doesn’t hurt that he is a bit visually exciting. You may by now have guessd Dexter doesn’t think like most people, unless you too are into a bit of vigilante justice, his odd mental state coming through in his mildly pretentious voice over.

SPORT With this year’s Champions League more open than Lindsay Lohan’s legs we go into the second leg of the first knockout round with the tension higher than Pete Doherty shooting up on the top of the empire state building. Arsenal face Milan at the San Siro and will be dissapointed Dida is injured, a goalkeeper who couldn’t catch the clap in a Mexican whorehouse. The following day Chelsea take on Olympiakos with manager Avram Grant under pressure to get a result, Ambramovich has already booked the hotel rooms for the Moscow final. This week’s terrestrial televisual treat comes from ‘The Theatre Of Dreams’, as United look to mute the Lyon’s roar, happy hunting boys.

FUDGE TUNNEL

TELLY

KNOT

Alpine butterfly knot: If you want a strong knot with a fun name, then look no further than the alpine butterfly knot - it’s favoured by climbers.

Dexter may have a beautiful girlfriend (Darla from Buffy) but he has no feelings for her. Dexter has a girlfriend simply because he thinks he should. in fact Dexter does a lot of things just to appear normal, why else would you join a bowling league? Over the series it is slowly revealed why Dexter is so abnormal and why killing comes so easy to him, he feels no guilt nor even necessarily a sense of justice, he just loves a good murder. We also get a recurring baddie, the Ice Truck Killer, who kills without reason and starts to leave messages for Dexter as if playing a game. I find it hard to think of a more suprising and enjoyable show than Dexter; it’s a very unreal situation made to seem incredibly real, something which is far too rare on TV. If you are fed up of watching shows simply because they are so bad they’re good then Dexter is for you. It’s so good it’s great.

SOAPS Eastenders continues to centre on Tanya and her devious efforts to lure Max into her rather scary and increasingly frightening trap. I, for one, would not like to get on the wrong side of that woman; she is a mind not to be messed with that’s for sure! But this week, her game-plan reaches its climax and we are led to question whether she will actually go through it…come on Tanya,

you’re a red blooded woman, show us some proper, ‘Enders stylee drama! Meanwhile, Ian continues to follow Clare around like the little, drooling love-sick puppy he is! I cringe for the poor guy, he’s the most pathetic and idiotic excuse for a Walford resident there is! But then again, every soap has to have a village idiot and Bealey boy just happened to be around at the time when ‘Enders creators were looking for theirs! Aw, Bless!

FILM RAMBO III, ITV1, MONDAY Because you can’t get enough of Sylvester Stallone all sweaty in a vest, a third Rambo was made, and we are all the worse off for it. Good for some crazed action in Afghanistan, not so good for a story. CARRIE, CH4, SATURDAY A lesson in never pouring blood onto the crazy girl who is abused by her mother. This film is genuinely unnerving, much more so than the average thriller in cinemas today. You know Carrie is going to go crazy and kill people, the fun is waiting for it to happen and laughing at John Travolta in his small role. TERMINATOR 3: RISE OF THE MACHINES, BBC1, SUNDAY Just before Arnie decided he was better suited to governing a state than butchering a script he let us have one last outing with this iconic role. Sadly the third in the trilogy is hugely disappointing, nowhere near as good as the new TV series starring the breath-taking Summer Glau. This week we learn that it is OK to just have the one sequel.

32 gairrhydd

MARCH.03.2008

TELLY

TELEVISION@gairrhydd.COM

MONDAY Watchdog BBC1 7.30pm

A Good Woman BBC2 8.30pm

BBC 1

BBC 2

Mummy, Stop Drinking ITV1 12.55am

3rd March Jessica Biel’s Birthday

Batty Man C4 10.00am

ITV 1

Channel 4

Breaking Into Tesco 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 10:30am 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

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 Making It 6:10am The Hoobs 7:00am Freshly Squeezed 8:00am Just Shoot Me 9:00am Will and Grace 10:00am Batty Man 11:00am Teen Taboos 11:30am My Crazy Life 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 Bobinogs 1:20pm Primary Geography 1:30pm Murder Most Famous 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

1:05pm Eating for Britain 1:20pm The Moonraker 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: We’ll Meet Again

5:00pm Newsround 5:15pm The Weakest Link

5:15pm Recipe for Success

5:00pm Goldenballs

5:00pm Richard and Judy

5:00pm Five News with Natasha 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 Eggheads 6:30pm Brainbox Challenge 7:00pm The Twenties in Colour: The Wonderful World of Albert Kahn 7:30pm Mastermind 8:00pm University Challenge 8:30pm A Good Woman

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

6:00pm The Simpsons 6:30pm Hollyoaks 7:00pm Channel 4 News 7:55pm 3 Minute Wonder: An Eye for an Eye 8:00pm The Fake Trade

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

9:00pm The Palace

9:00pm Stephen Hawking: Master of the Universe

9:00pm Breaking into Tesco

9:00pm Life in Cold Blood

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

10:00pm Pulling 10:30pm Newsnight

10:00pm News at Ten and Weather 10:35pm Rambo III

10:00pm Without a Trace

10:00pm Outlaw Bikers

11:05pm Damages 11:50pm Inside Sport 12:00am The Boys of Sunset Ridge 1:30am Weatherview 1:35am Sign Zone:Spartacus 2:35am The 92 Year Old Danger Junkie 3:15am Wanted Down Under Revisited

11:20pm The Money Programme 11:50pm Lonesome George and the Battle for Galapagos 12:20am Joins BBC News 24 2:00am Talk Greek 1-6 4:00am Mediterranean Cookery

12:25am UEFA Champions League 12:55am Mummy, Stop Drinking 1:20am Hidden Loves 1:45am Nightwatch with Steve Scott 2:40am Loose Women 3:30am Make Me Perfect 4:20am ITV Nightscreen

11:55pm 4Music Presents... 12:25am The Shockwaves Album Chart 12:55am 4 Music:4Play: Duffy 1:05am 4 Music:4Play: Passenger 1:15am World Cup Skiing 3:15am Red Bull Air Race 4:00am Ancient Egypt

11:05pm Fortress 2 12:00am Disorderly Conduct 1:00am NASCAR: The Sprint Cup 2:05am USPGA Golf 2:55am Sunshine Tour Golf 3:35am NBA 360 4:25am French Football

PICK OF THE DAY A Good Woman, BBC2, 8.30pm Get ready everyone and put your bonnets on, it’s time for another period piece filled with romance and betrayal. Helen Hunt, famously not that attractive yet oddly fanciable, plays a husband stealer opposite Scarlett Johannson’s naive young bride. I think you can guess what comes next. Obviously Hunt tries to steal away Scarlett’s rich husband and events all come shockingly to a head at Scarlett’s 20th birthday party. All sounds very exciting doesn’t it? I really find the idea of someone leaving Scarlett for Hunt a bit mad. I know who I’d choose.

02920 229977

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

gairrhydd

MARCH.03.2008

TELLY

TELEVISION@gairrhydd.COM

TUESDAY Urban Spaceman BBC1 11.05am

Mad Men BBC2 11.20pm

BBC 1

BBC 2

Dexter ITV1 11.40pm ITV

4th March Patsy Kensit’s Birthday

Coming out to Class C4 10.00am Channel 4

Zoo Days five 6.30pm 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 10:50am Primary Geography 11:10am The Last Duel 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 11:15am ITV Wales News and Weather 11:20am This Morning 12:30pm Loose Women

6:00am Kids TV 7:00am Freshly Squeezed 8:00am Just Shoot Me 8:30am Frasier 9:00am Will and Grace 10:00am Coming out to Class 11:00am Teen Taboos 11:30am My Crazy Life 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 CBBC

1:00pm Educational TV 1:30pm Open Gardens 2:00pm am.pm 3:00pm Murder Most Famous 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 Shoeshine Stories 1:05pm Where There’s a Will 1:10pm The Fighting Seabees 2:55pm Come Dine with Me 3:25pm Countdown 4:15pm Deal or No Deal

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

5:00pm Newsround 5:15pm The Weakest Link

5:15pm Recipe for Success

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 Holby City

6:00pm Eggheads 6:30pm Brainbox Challenge 7:00pm This World 7:30pm Wainwright’s Walks 8:00pm Island Parish 8:30pm Johnny’s New Kingdom

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

6:00pm The Simpsons 6:30pm Hollyoaks 7:00pm Channel 4 News 7:55pm 3 Minute Wonder: An Eye for an Eye 8:00pm Supersize vs Superskinny

6:00pm Home and Away 6:30pm Zoo Days 7:00pm Five News with Natasha Kaplinsky 7:30pm Animal Rescue Squad 8:00pm Monster Moves

9:00pm Hotel Babylon

9:00pm Horizon 9:50pm Coast

9:00pm The Woman Who Stops Traffic

9:00pm CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

10:00pm BBC News; Regional News 10:35pm Week In, Week Out

10:00pm Mock the Week... Again 10:30pm Newsnight

10:00pm News at Ten and Weather 10:40pm UEFA Champions League Highlights

10:00pm Shameless

10:00pm CSI: Miami

11:05pm Urban Spaceman 11:55pm Film 2008 with Jonathan Ross 12:25am Man Dancin’ 2:15am Weatherview 2:20am Sign Zone:Tropic of Capricorn 3:20am George Melly’s Last Stand

11:20pm Mad Men 12:10am Joins BBC News 24 2:00am Spin 4:00am Techno

11:40pm Dexter 12:40am Nightwatch with Steve Scott: Crime 2:25am Loose Women 3:15am The Jeremy Kyle Show 4:10am ITV Nightscreen 5:30am ITV Early Morning News

11:10pm Bring Back... Grange Hill 12:10am Late Night Poker Ace 1:05am World Cup Skiing 3:00am KOTV 3:25am Triathlon 4:00am Jamaica 5:15am Real Science

11:00pm Law and Order: Criminal Intent 12:00am The FBI Files 1:00am NBA Basketball 4:15am Race and Rally UK 4:40am Football Italiano 5:10am Neighbours

PICK OF THE DAY Hotel Babylon, BBC1, 9.00pm Can you see lots of bright colours? Are you being wowed by “stylish” camera moves? Does everything seem ridiculously over the top? If so then you must be watching Hotel Babylon, the Beebs attempt at the sort of glossy drama America does so well. Somehow this had made it to a third series, losing Tamzin Outhwaite along the way, and is as crazed as ever. The acting isn’t great, the story lines often aimless, plot points pointless, and I get the feeling that they think plenty of razzle dazzle will be enough to satisfy. Personally I’m more frazzled than dazzled.

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

02920 229977

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34 gairrhydd

MARCH.03.2008

TELLY

WEDNESDAY Surviving Suicide BBC1 10.40pm

Wonderland BBC2 9.50pm

BBC 1

The Oldest Record Shop In The World ITV1 11.10pm

TELEVISION@gairrhydd.COM

5th March Ted Handsome’s Birthday

Shameless C4 11.05pm

Channel 4

A Painted House five 3.00pm

BBC 2

ITV 1

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 CBeebies 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 11:15am 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 Gay to Z 10:00am My Big Gay Prom 11:00am Teen Taboos 11:30am My Crazy Life

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

1:00pm See Hear 1:30pm Working Lunch 2:00pm Murder Most Famous 2:45pm Coast 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

12:00pm News at Noon 12:30pm A Place in Spain: Year 2 1:15pm River of No Return 2:55pm Come Dine with Me 3:25pm Countdown 4:15pm Deal or No Deal

1:45pm Neighbours 2:15pm Home and Away 2:45pm Animal Rescue Squad 3:00pm A Painted House

5:15pm The Weakest Link

5:15pm Recipe for Success

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 My Family 8:00pm Whistleblower

6:00pm Eggheads 6:30pm Brainbox Challenge 7:00pm Weatherman Walking 7:30pm The Money Programme 8:00pm Bill Oddie’s Wild Side 8:30pm Johnny’s New Kingdom

6:00pm Wales Tonight 6:30pm ITV Evening News and Weather 7:00pm Emmerdale 7:30pm Coronation Street 8:00pm The Bill: Going Under

6:00pm The Simpsons 6:30pm Hollyoaks 7:00pm Channel 4 News 7:55pm 3 Minute Wonder: An Eye for an Eye 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 Traffic Cops

9:00pm Torchwood 9:50pm Wonderland

9:00pm Rock Rivals

9:00pm Grand Designs Revisited

9:00pm Extraordinary People: The Fastest Man on No Legs

10:00pm BBC News; Regional News 10:25pm Wales Today; Weather 10:35pm The National Lottery Draws 10:40pm Surviving Suicide

10:30pm Newsnight

10:00pm News at Ten and Weather 10:35pm The Ferret

10:00pm Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares USA

10:00pm The Punisher

11:35pm Born Yesterday 1:10am Weatherview 1:15am Sign Zone:The Money Programme 1:45am Sign Zone:Antiques Roadshow 2:45am Sign Zone:Wanted Down Under Revisited

11:20pm Desi DNA 11:50pm BBC Four on BBC Two:Indian School 12:20am Joins BBC News 24 2:00am Class Clips 3:00am French Shorts 4:00am Key Stage 3 Bitesize Revision

11:10pm The Oldest Record Shop In The World 11:40pm Free Ride 12:10am Nightwatch with Steve Scott: Crime 1:55am Loose Women 2:45am The Jeremy Kyle Show

11:05pm Shameless 12:05am 4 Music:R.E.M: Live at Dublin Point 1:05am 4 Music:The Shockwaves Album Chart Show 1:35am First Cut: The Triple Nipple Club

12:20am PartyPoker.net Poker Den: The Big Game II 1:50am NHL Ice Hockey 4:20am World Supercross Championship 5:10am Neighbours 5:35am House Doctor

with

Natasha

PICK OF THE DAY Rock Rivals, ITV 1, 9.00pm Fresh from the success of shows such as X Factor and Pop Idol, ITV have inventively conjured up a serious drama of the same format. Michelle Collins stars alongside onscreen hubbie Sean Gallagher in a malicious and conniving battle of the sexes! Revenge is well and truly a dish best served sweet! Oh and if you cast your mind back to the frankly amazing days of Footballer’s Wives, you’ll notice lesbian Hazel (Alison Newman) has a part to play too!

02920 229977

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

gairrhydd

MARCH.03.2008

TELLY

TELEVISION@gairrhydd.COM

THURSDAY Eastenders BBC1 7.30pm

Murder Most Famous BBC2 1.30pm

BBC 1

The Bill: Ashes to Ashes ITV1 7.00pm

BBC 2

ITV 1

6th March Alamo Day

My Big Gay Prom C4 10.00am

Channel 4

Britain’s Funniest Comedy Characters 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 CBeebies 10:30am The Chat Room 10:50am English Express 11:10am Coming to England 11:30am See You, See Me 11:50am Primary History 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 11:15am ITV Wales News and Weather 11:20am This Morning 12:30pm Loose Women

6:00am Kids TV 9:00am The Wright Stuff 10:30am Trisha Goddard 11:30am Build a New Life in the Country - Was It Worth It?

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 Mister Maker 3:25pm Take a Bow

1:00pm Open Gardens 1:30pm Murder Most Famous 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

12:00pm News at Noon 12:30pm A Place in Spain: Year 2 1:00pm The Black Shield of Falworth 2:55pm Come Dine with Me 3:25pm Countdown 4:15pm Deal or No Deal

12:30pm Five News 12:45pm Law and Order 1:45pm Neighbours 2:15pm Home and Away 2:45pm Animal Rescue Squad 3:05pm Columbo: Butterfly in Shades of Grey

3:30pm CBBC 4:35pm The Smokehouse 5:00pm Newsround 5:15pm The Weakest Link 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 Waterloo Road

5:15pm Recipe for Success

5:00pm Goldenballs

5:00pm Richard and Judy

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

6:00pm Eggheads 6:30pm Brainbox Challenge 7:00pm Torchwood 7:50pm Torchwood: Declassified 8:00pm Crufts 2008

6:00pm Wales Tonight 6:30pm ITV Evening News and Weather 7:00pm Emmerdale: Ashes to Ashes 8:00pm UEFA Cup Live

6:00pm Home and Away 6:30pm Zoo Days 7:00pm Five News with Natasha Kaplinsky 7:30pm Rough Guide to Luxury Destinations

9:00pm Ashes to Ashes

9:00pm That Mitchell and Webb Look 9:30pm The Catherine Tate Show

6:00pm The Simpsons 6:30pm Hollyoaks 7:00pm Channel 4 News 7:55pm 3 Minute Wonder: An Eye for an Eye 8:00pm Jamie at Home 8:30pm Jamie at Home 9:00pm Phone Rage

10:00pm BBC News; Regional News 10:25pm Wales Today; Weather 10:35pm Dragon’s Eye

10:00pm Sport Wales 10:30pm Newsnight

10:00pm News at Ten and Weather 10:40pm Your Channel

10:00pm Big Bang Theory 10:30pm Skins

9:00pm Britain’s Characters

11:05pm Question Time 12:05am This Week 12:50am Skiing Weather 12:55am Sign Zone: Edwardians in Colour: The Wonderful World of Albert Kahn

11:20pm Empty 11:50pm Ideal 12:20am Tropic of Capricorn 1:20am Joins BBC News 24 2:00am Key Stage 3 Bitesize Revision Maths 2 4:00am Key Stage 3 Bitesize Revision

11:10pm Sharp End 11:40pm Free Ride 12:10am Nightwatch with Steve Scott: Emergency 1:50am Loose Women 2:45am The Jeremy Kyle Show 3:35am ITV Nightscreen

11:35pm The Sopranos 12:40am The Anatomists 1:35am Deterrence 3:25am Trans World Sport 4:25am Richard and Judy 5:25am Countdown

12:05am Quiz Call 4:00am Football Argentina 4:40am Dutch Football 5:10am Neighbours 5:35am House Doctor

PICK OF THE DAY Skins, CH4, 10.30pm I need not give this programme an introduction, for it is the ultimate craze currently sweeping the nation. Now I refused to succumb to the temptation of watching a programme about love-sick teens with problems aplenty. However one Thursday night I decided to see what all the fuss was about and now I’m hooked! No longer will my Thursday evenings be a tiresome affair, for I have ‘Skins’ to watch and the lovely Nicholas Hoult to lust after!

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

02920 229977

with

Natasha

8:00pm Build a New Life in the Country - Was It Worth It?

Funniest

Comedy

36 gairrhydd

MARCH.03.2008

TELLY

TELEVISION@gairrhydd.COM

FRIDAY A Question of Sport BBC1 8.30pm

7th March Rik Mayall’s Birthday

E-Mail is Ruining My To Kill a Life Mockingbird BBC2 7.00pm ITV1 1.30am

BBC 1

BBC 2

Mum’s Gone Gay C4 10.00am

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 CBeebies 7:00am CBBC 10:25am Fun with Phonics 10:30am See You, See Me 10:50am Primary History 11:10am English Express 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 Murder Most Famous 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

5:15pm The Weakest Link

5:15pm Recipe for Success

6:00pm BBC News and Weather 6:30pm Wales Today; Weather 7:00pm The One Show 7:30pm My Family 8:00pm EastEnders 8:30pm A Question of Sport

Zoo Days five 2.50pm

Channel 4

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

5:00pm Goldenballs

6:10am 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 Gay to Z 10:00am Mum’s Gone Gay 10:35am How To Dump Your Mates 11:00am Teen Taboos 11:30am My Crazy Life 12:00pm News at Noon 12:30pm A Place in Slovakia 1:00pm Eating for Britain 1:15pm Sign of the Pagan 2:55pm Come Dine with Me 3:25pm Countdown 4:15pm Deal or No Deal 5:00pm Richard and Judy

6:00pm Eggheads 6:30pm Brainbox Challenge 7:00pm E-Mail is Ruining My Life 7:30pm World Indoor Championships Live 8:00pm Crufts 2008

6:00pm Wales Tonight 6:30pm ITV Evening News and Weather 7:00pm Emmerdale 7:30pm Coronation Street 8:00pm Lying for a Job: Tonight 8:30pm Coronation Street

6:00pm The Simpsons 6:30pm Hollyoaks 7:00pm Channel 4 News 7:35pm 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 New Tricks

9:00pm Last Orders 10:30pm Newsnight

9:00pm Sacha Baron Cohen: New Heroes of Comedy 10:00pm Alan Carr’s Celebrity Ding Dong 10:50pm The Law of the Playground

9:00pm NCIS

10:00pm BBC News; Regional News 10:25pm Wales Today; Weather 10:35pm Friday Night with Jonathan Ross

9:00pm Moving Wallpaper 9:30pm Echo Beach 10:00pm Al Murray’s Happy Hour

11:35pm National Lottery Euro Millions Draw 11:40pm Damages 12:25am Critical Assignment 2:10am Weatherview 2:15am Sign Zone: Horizon 3:05am Sign Zone: The Choir Revisited 4:05am Sign Zone: Wanted Down Under

11:00pm Newsnight Review 11:35pm Later...with Jools Holland 12:35am Doomwatch 2:05am Star Trek: The Next Generation 2:50am Star Trek: The Next Generation 3:35am Joins BBC News 24

11:00pm The Late News and Weather 11:40pm Real Crime: Killed by a Perfect Son 12:40am Nightwatch with Steve Scott: Emergency 1:30am To Kill a Mockingbird 3:40am ITV Nightscreen 5:30am ITV Early Morning News

11:25pm Big Bang Theory 11:50pm TV Heaven, Telly Hell 12:25am 4 Music: The Shockwaves Album Chart Show 1:00am The JD Set Presents: Wombats 1:15am 4 Music:Beat Stevie 1:25am 4 Music:4Play: Simian Mobile Disco

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 2:45pm Animal Rescue Squad 3:00pm Greenmail

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

with

Natasha

10:00pm Law and Order: Special Victims Unit

PICK OF THE DAY National Lottery Euro Millions Draw, BBC1, 11.35pm Only the National Lottery can build up so much anticipation and hope in a nation only to have them dashed in a cascade of crudely painted plastics balls. Nothing fills my little dark heart with joy more than the thought of millions of people weeping into flimsy bits of paper, that once represented hope but are now yet another mark of their crippling failure as members of society. For a show that lasts only five minutes, it is a tad amazing.

02920 229977

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

gairrhydd

MARCH.03.2008

TELLY

TELEVISION@gairrhydd.COM

SATURDAY Love Soup BBC1 9.30pm

Tin Men BBC2 7.10pm

BBC 1

The Other Sister ITV1 11.10pm

BBC 2

8th March International Women’s Day

We Were Soldiers C4 11.55am

ITV 1

Channel 4

Extraordinary Animals five 10.30am 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 7:00am CBBC 12:00pm Sound 12:30pm Them 12:45pm Falcon Beach

6:00am Kids TV 9:40am Dancing on Ice 10:45am Dancing on Ice: The Skate Off 11:15am Coronation Street Omnibus

6:10am Kids TV 7:00am Goalissimo! 8:00am The Morning Line 9:00am T4: The Hills 9:25am T4: V Festival 2008: Preview 9:55am T4: Hollyoaks Special: Summer’s Got a Secret 10:55am T4: Friends 11:25am 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 Extraordinary Animals 11:05am Kart Racer 12:55pm Neighbours

1:00pm Six Nations Rugby 3:05pm Six Nations Rugby

1:30pm The Sky at Night 1:50pm Film 2008 with Jonathan Ross 2:20pm And Then There Were None 3:55pm Monk 4:30pm Wales on Saturday

1:30pm ITV News and Weather 1:40pm ITV Wales News and Weather 1:45pm Richie Rich 3:25pm Diamonds Are Forever 4:45pm ITV Wales News and Weather

1:00pm T4:Age of Love 2:00pm Channel 4 Racing 4:05pm Deal or No Deal 4:55pm Jamie at Home

3:00pm The Mirror Has Two Faces

5:15pm Match of the Day Live

5:10pm What the Papers Say 5:20pm Wildlife on One 5:50pm BBC News

5:00pm ITV News and Weather 5:15pm Diamonds Are Forever

5:30pm Factory

7:40pm Weakest Link: Dr Who Special 8:30pm The National Lottery Draws 8:40pm Casualty

6:10pm Coast 7:10pm The Culture Show 8:00pm Crufts 2008

6:15pm All New You’ve Been Framed! 6:45pm Harry Hill’s TV Burp 7:15pm Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway 8:30pm Duel

6:30pm Channel 4 News 7:00pm ER 8:00pm Grand Designs Revisited

9:30pm Love Soup

9:00pm White

9:30pm Guilty Pleasures

9:00pm We Were Soldiers

10:00pm BBC News 10:20pm Match of the Day

10:00pm Have I Got Old News for You 10:30pm Boxing: 2008 WABA Championships

10:30pm Parenthood

11:30pm Cursed 1:00am Friday Night with Jonathan Ross 2:00am Weatherview 2:05am Joins BBC News 24

11:30pm Tin Men 1:20am The Culture Show 2:10am Six Nations Rugby 3:50am Six Nations Rugby 5:30am World Indoor Highlights

11:30pm ITV News and Weather 11:45pm Parenthood 1:10am Nightwatch with Steve Scott: Mystery 2:05am The Other Sister 4:20am ITV Nightscreen 5:30am ITV Early Morning News

Athletics

Willie’s

Wonky

11:35pm Wife Swap 12:40am Carrie 2:25am Repo Man 3:55am One Minute Past Midnight 4:10am Salvage Squad 5:10am Grudge Match 5:20am Countdown

Willie’s Wonky Chocolate Factory, C4, 5.30pm

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

5:25pm Five News and Sport 5:40pm The Man without a Face 7:35pm Ice Road Truckers 8:35pm NCIS

9:30pm CSI: NY 10:30pm Law and Order

PICK OF THE DAY Don’t be fooled by this amazingly clever title, this show is not about a real life Willy Wonka much to my dismay. It is instead about a man called Willie who likes chocolate... a lot. He is on a mission to make us British folk eat and cook more chocolate. I for one think this is not only a foolish idea but downright irresponsible. We are going through a supposed obesity epidemic and some tosser is trying to get us involved with unhealthy fats. What cheek!

Chocolate

02920 229977

11:30pm Crimes that Shook the World 12:30am Quiz Call 5:10am Wildlife SOS 5:35am Wildlife SOS

38 gairrhydd

MARCH.03.2008

TELLY

TELEVISION@gairrhydd.COM

SUNDAY The Andrew Marr Show BBC1 9:00am

Last Man Standing BBC2 11.00pm

BBC 1

Dial A Mum ITV1 1.00am

BBC 2

9th March Bow Wow’s Birthday

Love and Money C4 7.00pm

ITV 1

Channel 4

Freaky Friday five 4.10pm

Five

6:00am Breakfast 7:50am 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 12:15pm EastEnders

6:00am The Sunday Programme 7:25am KIDs TV 10:10am Championship Goals 11:10am F1 Preview 12:10pm Columbo: Murder with Too Many Notes

6:05am Making It 6:10am Kids TV 7:00am Trans World Sport 7:55am World Cup Skiing 8:50am T4: Friends 9:20am T4: Friends 10:00am T4: Hollyoaks Omnibus 12:30pm T4: Vanity Lair

6:00am Kids TV 10:00am It Pays to Watch Extra 11:00am How Do They Do It? 11:30am Lonely Are the Brave

1:00pm Diagnosis Murder 1:45pm Match of the Day Live 4:00pm Life in Cold Blood 4:50pm Songs of Praise: School Choirs Competition 2008

2:10pm Moto GP 2:40pm Six Nations Rugby

1:55pm The Crocodile Hunter Diaries 2:20pm ITV News and Weather 2:25pm ITV Wales News and Weather 2:30pm Agatha Christie’s Poirot 4:30pm Dog Rescue

1:35pm T4:The Hills 2:10pm T4:Friends 2:40pm T4:Smallville: Superman the Early Years 3:40pm T4: The Simpsons 4:15pm T4: The Simpsons 4:45pm Desert Island Shipwreck

1:30pm Football Italiano 4:10pm Freaky Friday

5:30pm BBC News and Regional News 5:50pm Match of the Day Live

5:00pm Coast 5:15pm Crufts 2008

5:00pm The Funny Side of the Street

5:45pm Time Team

8:00pm Lark Rise to Candleford

6:15pm Ski Sunday 7:00pm Crufts 2008

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

6:45pm Channel 4 News 7:00pm Love and Money 8:00pm Wife Swap

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 The Client

10:00pm Match of the Day 2

12:15am Weatherview 12:20am Sign Zone:Around the World in 80 Gardens 1:20am Sign Zone: Holby City 2:20am Sign Zone: Watchdog 2:50am Sign Zone: What’s Really in our Food

11:00pm Last Man Standing 12:00am Moto GP 1:00am Ellery Queen 2:30am Super League Show 3:15am Inside Sport 3:55am World Indoor Highlights

Willie’s

Wonky

6:00pm Five News and Sport 6:10pm The Taking of Pelham One Two Three 8:00pm Ice Road Truckers

Chocolate

9:00pm Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines

10:00pm Crash

Athletics

11:00pm ITV News and Weather 11:10pm David McVicar: The South Bank Show 12:10am The Muslim Jesus 1:00am Dial A Mum 1:35am Chef v Britain 2:00am Under One Roof

12:05am Alan Carr’s Celebrity Ding Dong 2:05am Brat Camp: Mums and Daughters 4:50am Unreported World 5:20am Countdown

11:05pm Fortress 2: Re-entry 12:55am Winter X Games 1:50am Boxing: Fight of the Week 3:05am Arenacross 3:55am Arenacross 4:45am Motorsport Mundial 5:10am Wildlife SOS

PICK OF THE DAY The Funny Side of the Street, ITV1, 5.00pm I bet you, dear reader, are wondering what street the bigwigs at ITV have chosen to have a chuckle at for an hour. I was hoping it would be the one street in Cheltenham where no one had mowed their lawns and moved their sofa’s outside. Unfortunately the street is Coronation Street and the show is a look back at all the funny (?!) bits. Alas we can’t all get what we want.

02920 229977

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

gairrhydd

MARCH.03.2008

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

9. Downpour (7) 10. When the moon blocks all sunlight (7) 11. Retaining (7) 12. Something distilled (7) 13. Barred temporarily (9) 15. Consumed (5) 16. Of the Round Table (7) 19. Bishopric (7) 20. Form of Japanese poetry (5) 21. Everywhere (9) 25. Cooked with dry heat (7) 26. Lack of attention (7) 28. A South American hero (7) 29. Cancels (7)

1. Skin irritations (6) 2. Supernatural creatures (Scandanavian) (6) 3. Abominable snowman (4) 4. Presented (6) 5. Relied on (8) 6. Lighthearted (10) 7. Sprawl (archaic) (8) 8. A term of imprisonment (8) 14. Thorough (10) 16. 17. 18. 22. (6) 23. 24. 27.

Turnip cabbage (8) Worthy of being copied (8) Quivers (8) A period of play in baseball Ice rains (6) Most recent (6) Musical bookings (4)

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 crossword, courtesy of Dave’s Gym.

Every winner will receive a free personal training session with one of our qualified instructors. This can be a gym workout, weight-training, boxing or Thai Boxing session. You will also receive a personalised gym programme and a free guest pass so you can come back for another workout or try one of our studio classes: choose from HipHop, Khai Bo, Bodypump and many more. This prize is worth approximately £35! Conditions: Use of any of our facilities 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.

40 gairrhydd

MARCH.03.2008

LISTINGS

LISTINGS@gairrhydd.COM

This Week: Listings wins awards for outst

MUSIC

COMEDY

MONDAY MONDAY BIG LINDA @ BARFLY - What an awesome name to start off with So the other week I saw the film Juno, which I really enjoyed. Howin this week’s pages. A Jim Morrison-esque fronted London Town ever, it did make me want to be a little bit pregant. Is that worrying? blues/grind band. 7.30pm. £5. Showing at all good cinemas near you. EITHA TAI FFRANCO + ALUN TAN LAN + JO MACGREGOR @ TOMMY’S TUESDAY BAR - New live music from one of Cardiff’s new up and coming venCOMEDY CLUB @ CF10, SU - Thank goodness for this, otherwise we’d ues. 8pm. £4/£3. really be scraping the barrel for things to say. TUESDAY WEDNESDAY KYTE @ BARFLY - Ambient Indie from Leicestershire band Kyte, We have really noisy neighbours, and I mean REALLY noisy. Basically, making shimmering lo-fi and emotional intrumentals. Chilled out, she must be faking it or he must be Superman, if you catch my drift. man. 7.30pm. £5. THURSDAY HADDONFIELD + THE HIDDEN SWITCH + DEAD PLEASURES + OUR KITTIE FLANAGAN + DAN QUINN + GEOFF NORCOTT + VERY SPECIAL LAST NIGHT @ BUFFALO - A night of punk rock with some of the most GUEST @ GLEE CLUB - Sold out. What. is. the. point. 7.30pm. £11.50 exciting new bands in the genre. Dead Pleasures and Our Last Night - £5.50. Alive have been described as “horror punk”. What the hell is that? FRIDAY £4. Check venue for times. MICKY HUTTON + TOMMY CAMPBELL + MICK FERRY + GEORGE EGG WEDNESDAY @ JONGLUERS - George Egg is an unusual and accomplished stand-up TRASH FASHION @ BARFLY - Twisted rock’n’roll and with surreal stories, hilarious observations shiny disco-punk from London. Pure Groove Records and a massive array of visual delights. An has described them as “the Slipknot of rave”. View ‘off the wall and away with the fairies’ coat your own peril. 8pm. £5. median. Plus, all pictures indicate that he THURSDAY looks like an egg. THE SYCAMORES + ME AND THE MAJOR + JULIA SATURDAY HARRIS @ CLWB IFOR BACH - Arguments reign over Oh look, it’s MICKY HUTTON + TOMMY whether Julia Harris is ‘urban acoustic’ or ‘f**k-offCAMPBELL + MICK FERRY + GEORGE EGG folk - either way we end up with a new hilarious genre. @ JONGLUERS again. Comedy night with 7.30pm. £5. top names from the national circuit. Ticket STRAY BORDERS + MAYBE SHE WILL + THEO @ includes free entry to Club Risa - dancing CLWB IFOR BACH - Theo is gaining a reputation for till 2am. 8pm. £10. the most interesting one man band around at the LITTLE HOWARD AND THE MAGIC PENCIL mintute. 8pm. £5. OF LIFE AND DEATH: THE BIG HOWARD AND FRIDAY LITTLE HOWARD SHOW @ WALES MILLENDEAD MEADOW + RIGHT HAND LEFT HAND + YOUTH NIUM CENTRE - Big Howard is the cartoonist MOVIES @ CLWB IFOR BACH - It’s getting late and I’m so therefore the human, and Little Howard Trash Fashion - Barfly on Wednesday growing impatient with writing these. Yet more bands is the cartoon character who interacts with you’ve never heard of. the audience - sort of like Roger Rabbit and SATURDAY Bob Hoskins. From 1.30pm. Oh hang on, MUDFLAPS + LO STAR + FUTURETOWN @ BARFLY this is a show for children. £10.00/£8.00 ... Mudflaps! 7.30pm. £5. concessions/£5.00 under 16s SUNDAY SUNDAY 4FT FINGERS @ BARFLY - Four-piece skate punk rock band from ChelDisclaimer - I don’t actually want to be pregnant. And also, it’s Mothtenham. 7.30pm. £5. ers Day. Be a good son/daughter and give the old dear a call.

LMS Battle of The Bands: Semi Final Pt.1

CF10 ◆ 06/03/08 ◆ £2/£3 ◆ 7.30pm Listings Editor Josie Allchin Recommends

here really is nothing better than live music, in my humble opinion. In fact, there’s nothing better than good live music. Whether it be some big, famous band playing stadium venues and festivals, or some band playing at Solus when they’re just about to hit the big time – nothing beats the feeling you have knowing that you saw them first in such an intimate space, when everyone else, kicking themselves that they weren’t quicker off the mark, wants a piece of them. (This happened to me and The Kooks - although it wasn’t long until constant radio play really ruined them for me. Felt good at the time though. In fact they were supporting The Subways – whatever happened to them?) Anyway, my point is that live music, especially when it’s new, is really rather special. So thank the good Lord that university seems to be the place where people dedicate time to finding it, nurturing it and promoting it. Hello, Cardiff University’s ‘Live Music Society ’ our very own, well, live music society. As part of the Society’s drive to promote new and live music of any

THEATRE

MONDAY CARDIFF BITES: STAND UP DRAM TUESDAY A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM true love never did run smoothly. R marry Demetrius, Hermia risks ba Athenian forest with her lover Lysa Helena, her love unrequited but in a group of artisans - rude mechan ing a play to perform at the weddi Hippolyta. When Oberon and Titan ies, quarrel, supernatural boundar unleashed in the haunted forest Matinees 2.30pm Thu & Sat. Pric WEDNESDAY ORCHESTRA CONCERT SERIES: TRA @ ST. DAVID’S HALL - A prog Symphony), Ravel (Piano Concert 7.30pm. A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM @ THURSDAY AN EVENING OF MUSIC: SERE EVANS. JEFFERY HOWARD @ ST raising event for the Celebrate performed will be from the Angli to Music Theatre, passing thro 7.30pm. £8 - £6. A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM 2.30pm. FRIDAY A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM @ SATURDAY A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM 2.30pm. SUNDAY THE ANGEL’S LEAP: THEATRE M TRE - Belgium’s Théâtre Maat pr about a mum and dad angel - and tive leap into solo flight. Perform no words this is a treat for childre 1.30pm. £8.

genre, their annual ‘Battle of The Bands’ stands out in the Union’s calendar as one of the biggest, most exciting events to hit student life – and that’s no over-statement, for lovers of new, fresh and exciting live music right from the heart of the student body, this really is something not to be missed. The competition comprises of four ‘heats’, in which two bands from each compete for a place in the semi final rounds – finishing dramatically in the highly contested final, where the winners will take home £300, a recording session at Offshore Recording Studios and a slot playing at the Summer Ball (and to honest, usually outshining the ‘headliners’). This Thursday we find ourselves at the first semi-final round (and a step up in venues from the Talybont Social to CF10), featuring Sheafson, The Three Aces, Zenyth and the runner up from last week’s fourth round heat. And expect high quality music from all contenders – Sheafson bring to your ears an assault of loud guitars that can only be described as down-right heavy rock, and The Three Aces describe themselves as ‘classic rock, citing bands like Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath and Guns n’ Roses as influences – devil horns at the ready! Zenyth round off the mix by bringing the sound of indie sensibilities guaranteed to get you moving. So, calling all live music lovers (and even those who don’t - what a perfect introduction to its wonders) – this really is going to be an awesome evening, and a great way to support the many musical talents the students of Cardiff have to offer. Sheafson - Fighting for a place in the BOB final.

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

MARCH.03.2008

LISTINGS

LISTINGS@gairrhydd.COM

tanding contributions to comedy. No Joke!

E & ARTS

MA @ DEMPSEYS. 7.30pm

M @ NEW THEATRE - The course of Rather than submit to her father and anishment or death to elope into the ander. Demetrius follows, chased by ntent on his seduction. In the woods nicals led by Nick Bottom, are creating of Theseus, Duke of Athens and nia, the King and Queen of the Fairries are crossed and magical forces t upon lovers and actors. 7.30pm. ce: £23 - £7.

: LONDON PHILHARMINC ORCHESgramme of works by Mozart (Prague to) and Prokofiev (Symphony No 5).

@ NEW THEATRE. 7.30pm.

ENDIPITY, CANTORIAN, TIM RHYS T. AUGUSTINE’S CHURCH - A fund The Child charity. The repertoire ican Choral Tradition right through ough some Welsh rep. and opera. @ NEW THEATRE. 7.30pm. Matinee

@ NEW THEATRE. 7.30pm. @ NEW THEATRE. 7.30pm. Matinee

MAAT @ WALES MILLENNIUM CENresents a beautiful, colourful piece, d their new baby angel’s first tentamed on trampolines, with music and en aged 3+ years and their families.

GOING OUT MONDAY FUN FACTORY @ SOLUS, SU - Cardiff’s own alternative music night.

Also features DJing by Oddsoc and bands put on by LMS - this week, Ascari. 10pm - 2am. Free entry with NUS. £3 otherwise.

TUESDAY Could give the comedy club a go, I did it the other week and had a good night but got thrown out for heckling. You get the odd ‘comedian’ who’s shit but whatever innit. JUMPING JACK’S - Marketed as the ‘best night out in town’. It isn’t. WEDNESDAY RUBBER DUCK @ SOLUS, SU - SUPPORT THE DUCK!! It’s dying on its arse. I remember the days when you could hardly move in there come midnight, not just through how much snake bite you’ve chucked down your throat, it was absolutely rammed! 10pm - 2am. £3.

OCEANA - I went there last night and got thrown out but can’t remember what for. Mental. £3. THURSDAY BOUNCE @ WALKABOUT - Went there last week, didn’t get thrown out but probably could have done if I’d tried. PHILHARMONIC - never been but heard it’s good. 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’S - Good on a Friday. Lots of posh people though so watch out for big hair, jangling bracelets and filo-faxes. SATURDAY COME PLAY @ SOLUS, SU - Saturday night mayhem, Union style. 10pm - 2am. £3.50. ANYWHERE IN TOWN if you fancy getting your little student head smashed in by some bhoyos. Ave it! SUNDAY Like Josie said earlier, it’s mother’s day so spare a thought for your old dear and do something nice like polish her bone china or shave the cat.

THE MATCHES BARFLY ◆ 06/03/08 ◆ £7 ◆ 7.30pm Listings Editor Dan Jones Recommends

riginally known as ‘The Locals’, this four-piece punk/rock band from Oakland California play some pretty cool alternative rock with an occasional mainstream touch. Their influences include fellow East Bay pop-punk bands like Green Day and Rancid, as well as more mainstream bands and musicians like Elvis Costello, David Bowie, The Who and Joe Jackson. The band gained notoriety early on for their ‘commo-promo’ (or commotion promotion) approach to getting noticed. This involved the band taking their acoustic guitars and playing outside of various local venues as concerts for larger acts were letting out. The band eventually started producing their own shows called L3 (Live, Loud & Local), which became a launch pad for many other bands such as Zebrahead. Eventually, under the new name The Matches, they self-released their debut album, E. Von Dahl Killed the Locals. Then soon after landed a record deal on Brett Gurewitz’s pitaph Records, although they had already previously released the album E. Von Dahl Killed the Locals without a re-

SOCIETIES This week it’s Islam Awareness week, with stalls and exhibitions happening from Monday until Friday.

MONDAY

Muhammed: The Past Comes Alive! @ CF10 - Free dinner and a perfomance about prophet Muhammed in a way you’ve never seen before. 6.30pm. Free.

TUESDAY Women In Islam: Discover The Truth @ Law Building - Learn about the true status of women in Islam. Are women really oppressed? Why do women have to wear headscarves? All your questions will be answered. 6.30pm. Free. WEDNESDAY ‘The Muslim Jesus’ @ Wallace Lecture Theatre - A video screening on the Islamic belief regarding Jesus. Was he God? Was he a prophet? What does Islam say about him? 6.30pm. Free. THURSDAY ‘Shariah In The UK?’ @ Law Building What is the shariah law? What does it constitute and represent? Should it be allowed in the UK? Followed by open Q&A about Islam. 6.30pm. Free. SUNDAY My editor has just informed me that it’s ‘Ladies Night’ in CF10 tonight. Come along for a good girly sesh of wine, popcorn, music and fun! Oh, and hopefully we’ll raise some money for a really worthwhile cause - all proceeds will go to the Dignity! Period campaign, which provides sanitary products for women in Zimbabwe. 7.30 - 11pm.

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

cording contract, Epitaph Records re-released it. The band has quickly made a name for themselves throughout the US and are now trying to do the same in Europe, as they are currently on a huge tour. They have even tried to extend their audience to the hiphop crowd by playing on a song by US rapper MC Lars (me neither), something that proved to be a mild, if not spectacular, success. The Matches’ second album, Decomposer, was released in 2006 and marked a change to a more experimental alternative rock sound, as opposed to the pop-punk sound of their first album. The Matches were on the massively popular Vans Warped Tour 2007 supporting the album, along with bands such as Biffy Clyro, Gallows and Killswitch engage. A very decent band whose live performances are known for being tight and energetic. Well worth a look-see!

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 ◆

gairrhydd

MARCH.03.2008

XPRESS RADIO

STUDIO@xpressradio.CO.UK

monday 3rd

tuesday 4th

wednesday 5th

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-10.30pm 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

thursday 6th

friday 7th

saturday 8th

sunday 9th

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

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

press radio sponsored by www.pigsback.com/cardiff

mainstream show of the week: back of the net

45 minutes of cutting-edge sports news, debate and chat. Covering the latest issues, and the best and the worst of the week gone by. The University‘s ONLY talk-based sports show, hosted by Richard ‘Scunthorpe on his own’ Brown, Sim ‘Jewell for Liverpool’ Eckstein and Tom ‘there‘s 30 million people in Birmingham isn‘t there?’ Woods. No Ads. Just lads.

Wednesday: 5.15pm til 6pm

gig of the week dead meadow/ youthmovies friday 7 march

If, like me, you are battling intense disappointment at the cancellation of An Evening with Antony Costa due to “filming commitments”, Clwb Ifor Bach offers some consolation this Friday, filling its stage with a trio of bands sure to fill that empty space with raucous noise. Supporting headliners Dead Meadow are Oxford based quintet Youthmovies. According to adorable music-deity Steve Lamacq, Youthmovies sound like ‘a post-hardcore brainstorming session on where music should go next’. Don’t let their somewhat pretentious classification as ‘prog-rock’ put you off – this band produces a mas-

sive variety of tunes, some of which you may absolutely hate, but others which you might end up loving such as The Naughtiest Girl Is A Monitor. Also supporting tonight is Cardiff-based two piece, Right Hand Left Hand who follow in Youthmovies’ steps with progressive rock, featuring chugging guitars alongside electronic experimentation. Headliners tonight come in the form of international LA-based Dead Meadow. Formed in 1998, this band is tipped to become the Dinosaur Jr. of the Noughties and was featured as a highlight of last year’s Green Man Festival. The three-piece are currently signed to Matador Records and cite their major influences as early 70s hard rock and 60s psychadelia. As the name suggests, Dead Meadow create somewhat dreamy, trippy stoner-rock and unlike their support acts, these guys aren’t trying to be different or progressive. They hit Cardiff relatively early on in their international tour that sees them touching down in France, Italy, and Germany before their extensive tour in their American homeland which means they should give you a rather good show. RM

xpress radio chart 1. Foals - Cassius 2. Kylie - Wow 3. These New Puritans - Elvis 4. Los Campesinos! - Broken Heart Beats Sound Like Break Beats 5. Art Brut - Pump Up the Volume 6. Johnny Foreigner - Some Party Scenes 7. The Teenagers - Love No 8. Shocking Pinks - Emily 9. Late of the Pier - The Bears Are Coming 10. We Are Scientists After Hours

as judged by the xpress radio music team

specialist show of the week:

saturday night therapy Tune into Saturday Night Therapy, 8.30pm to 10pm every week for a collection of the latest and most thunder pounding punk rock tunes out there to sooth your weekly troubles away, scream along to the songs we play to make it all OK. Well, a little better we hope at least! Playing everything from a little stamp your feet pop-punk, skank around ska and even a little well earned scream your nuts off Hardcore.

saturday: 8.30pm til 10pm

44 gairrhydd

MARCH.03.2008

PROBLEM PAGE

From the Desk of

TEd

PROBLEMPAGE@gairrhydd.COM

e m so

d n Ha

He’s a ruddy good lad.

Ted Handsome’s Scourges Of the High Street An Occasional Series

I sodding well hate shopping. If I ever need anything, I’ll usually send the hired help to pick up half a kilo of Columbia’s finest or a couple of bewildered Eastern European girls. However, due to an unfortunate meeting of minds between Pablo, my Mexican assistant, and a tire iron, I had to go and bloody do the shopping myself! Like a prole! So, as I wandered through the urban nightmare of St. Mary’s Street trying to find a decent Miliner and Apothecary, only to find that they have all been replaced with pig ugly monstrocities like Next and Gap. I mean, for Christ’s sake, calling a shop Gap implies all the vacancy of the people that shop there.

No. 1 - Topshop

I had heard talk of this mythical place, in which it is almost impossible to tell the men from the women, a place where the cheekbone and fringe is lord. I actually wandered in, completely unaware that it did not even bloody sell top hats! Instead I was struck by the fluroescent hell that I had inadvertantly strolled into. i saw tweenagers, barely 16, wearing reveali n g t-shirts bearing the legend ‘Made In T h e 80s,’ or a similar vacuous legends. Simply awful.

No. 2 - Marks & Spencer

penI finally said, Percy Pigs are ace.

No. 3 - Starbucks

I was struck by the definite sense of ennui that clouded my judgement and enchanted my soul as soon as I stepped over the threshhold. I found myself gripped with a strange desire to buy overpriced, pretentious sandwiches and bland and inconsequential clothing. I wandered, like a walking corpse, clutching exsive bread and cheap underwear, until disappeared up my own arse. Although, that

Coffee comes in 2 types: with milk and without milk. Don’t try and tart it up with fancy names a n d concepts (iced coffee? What the jazz fuck does that even mean? What yuppie fuck would even think of drinking such an awful concoction?) The sort of awful idiot who thinks that by drinking posh coffee that they are in someway better than us Joe Nescafes, is exactly the same sort of moron who pays attention to Jamie Oliver. It is for this reason that I hate this place.

A letter about the sacking it off. Dear Ted, I’m really not sure about this whole university lark anymore. I’m not learning anything, and I’m increasingly struggling with the high pressured lifestyle that it entails. I’m spending too much on books, and I am finding myself drinking more and more in order to fall asleep at night. It’s always been a dream of mine to join the army, and I think that now seems to be a good enough time as any to take that definitive step in changing my life forever. However, my parents have always wanted me to go to university, and I’m pretty sure that they’d be crushed if I gave up on it with

over half my degree already completed. I really don’t know what I should do, and I was hoping that you could possibly offer me some advice? Yours Joanne Cholera Talybont South My dear Joanne Now what’s all this talk about the army? The Army is no place for a lady; while you girls are off knitting and buying flowers, us lads are off fighting Johnny Foreigner for King and Country. I didn’t even know that regulation had become so lacking that they even allowed fillies into

University. At least the golf course has not compromised on tradition. Why don’t you try a nice secretarial role, or perhaps a nursing job. We’ll always need nurses and secretaries, so there’s no need for you to worry your pretty little head over silly army ideas. If you are still feeling a little bit down, why not go and buy some lovely shoes, put on some make up and sing us all a lovely song. that’d cheer you up, wouldn’t it? Yours, Ted

A letter about fitting in Dear Ted, I’m a pretty cool guy. I have several baseball caps and I have also got a Sony Walkman, upon which I play all the latest rap tapes. I’m always seen skateboarding and doing sick tricks for the benefit of the whooping crowds. Unfortunately, it seems that many of my adoring fans are slowly but surely leaving me in favour of one of my rivals, who recently got a tattoo. Now, while I love being cool, and I love that people see me as a wicked cool guy and i would love to compete with my rival, but my mum has always said that one of my best features has been my almost babylike skin. I don’t want to ruin my complexion

just to keep up with what’s hip and jiving, but I still would love to keep my fans, if at all possible. Have you any suggestions? Yours, Terry Catfood, Roath Terence, Being cool is more than just a state of mind, it’s a lifestyle. You can’t just pick and choose what elements of cool you want; it’s all or nothing I’m afraid. Now, do not fear, because I have several options for you to keep yourself at the top of the cool charts, without having to necessarily violate your perfect skin. Option 1 - Wear a leather jacket. Leather

jackets are cool, because an animal had to die in order to make it. Option 2 - Tuck a cigarette behind your ear. Cigarettes are also cool because they have the potential to kill you. Option 3 - Try rolling your sleeves up. This will make you look like you mean business and are therefore nto to be messed with; ie cool. Finally, Option 4 - Wear sunglasses inside. Sunglasses are meant to be worn outside, and so if you wear them indoors, you are counter culture and are of course, cool. Yours, Ted

Dear fair reader, This week, I have mainly been projectile vomiting and passing out. I think I ate some bad beef, because for most of the week I have been acting as some sort of disgusting sprinkler system. It came to a rather traumatising head on Tuesday, when I found myself literally shouting soup into a rapidly filling toilet bowl. My pale and shaking form uneasily grasped the flushing mechanism, only to be gripping with a spasm that seemed to eminate from my very core. A torrent of semi-digested effluvia and bile rose from within myself only to delicately lash the interior of my bathroom. In spite of my digestive tribute to Jackson Pollock, my stomach was unrelenting, emptying yours truly until all I could feel was the almost comforting burn of acid against pallette. TH xxx

gairrhydd

MARCH.03.2008

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!

Saving Pennies

ith the exciting launch of Xpress Digital last Friday we have even more good news. Pigsback, the student saver website, are sponsoring Xpress going Digital in the next few weeks!

Pigsback.com/cardiff is a leading community website that rewards and entertains its members. Our membership stands at 600,000 and we work with some of the UK’s leading brands and retailers, bringing together unique offers and competitions to provide an entertaining and rewarding experience for our members. Pigsback.com/cardiff is a new and exciting way to optimise your on-line experience. When you register at www.pigsback.com/cardiff you will receive a free welcome token of £2.50. Using the site you can earn more and more ‘piggy points’ which will increase your piggybank (one piggy point is the equivalent to 1p) and allow you to redeem your piggy points on a range of goods (e.g. Box of wine, Boots voucher or even pigsback merchandise) Being a member of pigsback.com/cardiff allows you access to unique offers from around the city. You will be able to locate a business and see what special offers they have, exclusive to pigsback.com/cardiff. You will then be able to download any vouchers and print them off to redeem in stores. (e.g. 2 Pints for 1, buy a main course and get the second half price, 2 for 1 on all t-shirts) So sign up today at www.pigsback.com/cardiff (which is totally free) and start earning your piggy points and get access to exclusive offers in Cardiff! To be in with a chance of winning £100 in iTunes vouchers just answer this question by checking out www.pigsback.com/cardiff and following the link to enter the competition! Listen out on Xpress for some hints and clues about the question below! Question: Who won Best New Group at the Brit Awards 2008? P.S Don’t forget, you can only enter by checking out www.pigsback.com/cardiff

Mani @ Access

egendary bassist Mani, formerly from The Stone Roses and now in Primal Scream, will be hitting Access All Areas this Friday.

Mani has a distinctive rich playing style that combines a fast moving rock style with a dance rhythm or dub groove. AAA is constantly providing students with the ultimate Friday night out, previously James Righton of The Klaxons went down a storm at AAA in Solus. For a chance to win tickets to see Mani at Access All Areas this coming Friday, just answer the question below and email your name and address to the email address above: What is the name of Primal Scream’s latest album? a) Prime Time b) Riot City Blues c) Vanishing Point

WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN

46 gairrhydd

MARCH.03.2008

SPORT

SPORT@gairrhydd.COM

The IMG Roundup

Real Ale brought right down to Earth Sean Discombe IMG Reporter Earth Soc 4 - 0 Real Ale Madrid

Football Tables

REAL ALE: Cramping their style in from the left that went over the Real Ale keeper and nestled into the top corner. The game was finally finished off when Nick Smalland battled to win the ball in the middle of the pitch and threaded a neat pass down the wing for Mortimer to latch onto. Some trickery in the corner by Mortimer made enough space for him to swing in a cross, which was stuck on the volley by the incoming David Barnes, who claimed Earth Soc’s fourth and final goal. Earth Soc pushed for more goals and

came close again right at the very end when Aled Evans fired through a crowd of players in the Real Ale goal, only to be denied by a fine save from the Real Ale goalkeeper. Having maintaine their one hundred per cent record, Earth Socwill go into their encounter with Japsoc full of confidence. Meanwhile, Real Ale will hope to regain the form that they have shown previously in their Division Two campaign when they play an improving Optometry side.

Psycho left with Hall-scars Toby Fairlamb & Alex J. Prior IMG Reporter Uni Hallstars 3 - 1 Psycho Ath.

IMG Football Results Wednesday 27th February Premiership AFC History 1 - 1 GymGym Chemsoc 3 - 1 Economics Mini Street Elite 1 - 1 Engin Loco Law A 3 - 3 MOMED J-Unit 4 - 0 CARBS

Furnish played a neat ball through to striker Jamie Brown who drew the game level. The goal helped spur on the Hallstars’ players, who suddenly began to dominate the game, pinning Psychos in their own half. This pressure told when Chris Swatridge’s header was palmed into the path of Chris Leigh who put the Hallstars ahead.

PHOTO: DAVE GREEN

UNI HALLSTARS came from behind to beat Division One rivals, Psycho Athletico, in emphatic fashion. This highly anticipated encounter was a must-win game for the teams. Both sides needed three points to have an outside chance of title glory in the IMG First Division. Within minutes of the start, Psycho showed their desire to win by capitalising on a poor Hallstars’ goal kick. Psycho striker Justin Savage collected the ball mid-way in the oppositions half, before showing his strength to slide the ball calmly past the on-rushing goalkeeper. The opening forty-five minutes continued in a similar fashion with the Psycho players out-competing their opponents all over the pitch. However, they failed to make their supremacy tell, as they were rarely able to turn possession into clear-cut

chances. They were also tight at the back, reducing the Hallstars’ strikers to long range shots and hopeful set-piece routines. The second half could not have been more of a contrast from the first, with the Hallstars’ midfield finally getting a foothold in the game. Hallstars’ increasing share of possession at last paid dividends. Mark

IMG: A marathon not a sprint Division One Blazin’ Business 2 - 1 Music Buteys Butthead FC 1 - 1 SOCSI Inter Me-Nan 3 - 1 Pharm AC Uni Hallstars 3 - 1 Psycho Ath. SAWSA 4 - 0 Engin Auto Division Two Law B 1 - 1 Havana Dragons AFC Cathays 3 - 2 Japsoc Optometry 2 - 0 Cardiff Crusaders Engin N. 1 - 1 Mini St. Elite Earth Soc 4 - 0 Real Ale Madrid

Premiership

IMG FOOTBALL

PHOTO: DAVE GREEN

EARTH SOC recorded an impressive victory against Real Ale Madrid in a match that could go a long way towards deciding the league. Both sides knew that a loss would seriously dent their chances of winning the IMG Division Two. It was Real Ale who started the brighter of the two teams, playing at a high tempo with a good interchange of passes that led to some decent shots. Each of these, however, were saved by Earth Soc goalkeeper William James. It wasn’t until after 20 minutes that Earth Soc settled into the game and began to assert some pressure. With conditions affecting their style of football, it was a long kick downfield by William James, skillfully brought under control by Owain Mortimer, that led to the opener. The Real Ale defence stood off him, and after making room for the shot, Mortimer drilled the ball with his left foot into the bottom corner. Real Ale picked themselves up straight away and went at Earth Soc with everything they had. But Earth Soc’s well-disciplined defence, led by the vocal Sean Discombe at the centre, prevented Real Ale creating any em-

phatic attacking opportunities. Real Ale started the second half most promisingly, with their midfielders breaking through only to fire wild efforts at the Earth Soc goal. And it was Earth Soc that came closest at the start of the second half. Out of nowhere, David Barnes, at the centre of the Earth Soc midfield, picked out a pass over the top of the Real Ale defence. This, in turn, was flicked over the outcoming Real Ale goalkeeper by Daniel Lawrence. Mortimer calmly struck the ball into the net to claim what he thought was his second. However, the goal was disallowed for offside, and this seemed to fire up both sides. As the referee struggled to keep a control on the game, tempers flared and rash challenges flew in from both sides. And it was from a set piece on the edge of the Real Ale area that Earth Soc took the lead. John Kilgallon stepped up to take the set-piece and fired a shot with so much venom and swerve that it went straight into the top corner. The Real Ale goalkeeper could do nothing but appreciate the strike. This second goal opened up the game as Real Ale pressed for goals. However, it was Earth Soc that took advantage of the more open play. Kilgallon scored his second when he put a looping cross

IMG Netball Results Wednesday 27th February Premiership Cardiff IMG A 12 - 6 SOCSI A Law A 9 - 4 Dentistry Pharmacy A 9 - 4 Cardiff IMG B CARBS A 16 - 9 Economics B

Psycho Atletico, who appeared shellshocked, began to work their way back into the match, creating a few half chances. Hallstars found it hard to play their brand of football under this pressure and seemed to be settling for their current slender lead. However, Hallstars did break forward with ten minutes remaining to put the game firmly out of sight. A brilliant pinpoint cross from Chris Leigh was perfectly met by the head of Rich Campbell, high on confidence following his hat-trick one week ago, whose goal continued an impressive goalscoring streak. The jubilation was etched on the faces of the Hallstars’ players, who are beginning to gain a reputation as a second half team. This was truly a game of two halves in which the Hallstars’ superior finishing gave them a deserved win. The three points puts Uni Hallstars firmly in the title hunt, yet they know they cannot afford anymore slip-ups if they are to triumph over the impressive competition.

Diff

Pts

Engin Locomotive

J-Unit

AFC History

Law A

MOMED

GymGym

Chemsoc

-6

Mini Street Elite

-8

Carbs

-5

Economics

-11

Division One

IMG FOOTBALL

Diff

Pts

SOCSI

Blazin Business

-2

Butthead FC

Uni Hallstars

-1

Inter Me-Nan

-3

Pharm AC

SAWSA

-5

Engin Automotive

-5

Psycho Ahletico

-7

Music Buteys

-11

Division Two

IMG FOOTBALL

Diff

Pts

Havana Dragons

Earth Soc

Real Ale Madrid

Optometry

-2

Law B

AFC Cathays

-8

Engin Numatics

-8

Cardiff Crusaders

-11

JOMEC

-4

JapSoc

-13

Netball Tables Premiership

IMG NETBALL

Diff

Pts

Economics A

CARBS A

Cardiff IMG A

Law A

Cardiff IMG B

-16

Pharmacy A

-29

Economics B

-8

Dentistry

-31

CARBS B

-6

SOCSI A

-49

Division One

IMG NETBALL

Diff

Pts

English A

Law B

Engin Locomotive

Medics A

SOCSI B

Christian Union

-8

SAWSA

-30

GymGym

--33

Engin Numatics

-15

English B

-88

Division Two

IMG NETBALL

Division One English A 22 - 3 English B Division Two Medics B 9 - 3 Psychology Pharmacy B 8 - 3 Cardiff IWC A Biology 20 - 0 Optometry J-Unit 20 - 0 N. Journos

Diff

Pts

Medics B

J-Unit

Psychology

Biology

Cardiff IWC A

Pharmacy B

Cardiff IWC B

-17

Optometry

-20

Engin Automotive

-27

Newspaper J.

-140

gairrhydd

MARCH.03.2008

SPORT

SPORT@gairrhydd.COM

The IMG Roundup Psychology not a patch on the Medics

Praise for AFC Cathays

Lizzy Wray IMG Reporter

Darren Jury IMG Reporter

Medics B 9 - 3 Psychology

the Medics who looked comfortable in their positions. A frantic Psychology needed to regroup and play as team but the game was beginning to look lost for them. They took a conciliatory goal as the game was drawing to an end, but instead of giving Psychology a muchneeded boost it only seemed to inspire the Medics who were soon back on form. The Medics scored another three goals in the final minutes and the game finished 9-3. This was not an accurate reflection of the tight nature of the match but stands testament to the Medics superior determination and desire to grind out a win. After the game, Medic Captain Lucy said: “it was always going to be a closely fought match, but I couldn’t be more pleased with the result so close to the end of the season.”

AFC Cathays 3 - 2 Japsoc AFC CATHAYS stretched their unbeaten run to 3 games with a 3-2 victory over Japsoc. The first goalmouth action of the game saw Cathays forward Tim Kershaw get in behind the Japsoc defence and coolly slot a shot past the Japsoc goalkeeper, only to see the ball hit the post and agonizingly bounce back out. And it was Kershaw who put Cathays ahead shortly after, finishing a well aimed Tom Smith cross to finish from close range. Cathays dominated the early exchanges, with Kayne Putman striking the woodwork and Ben Davies forcing a good save from range. They led 1-0 at half-time, but they should have been further ahead. Japsoc started the second half brighter, causing confusion in the Cathays penalty area. A well-aimed cross was headed just over by the disbelievingJapsoc striker. However, Cathays increased their

THE ONES TO WATCH: FOOTBALL PHOTO: NICK WARRENER

MEDICS EDGED out an extremely nervy top-of-the-table encounter against Psychology. Psychology and Medics B have been exchanging places at the business end of Division Two since Christmas, and with only two games left there was no room for mistakes. The opening minutes proved predictions for a close game to be accurate. Despite some clever centre court play, both teams failed in the final attacking drive. This meant that the score line was unbroken for some time. Psychology had many unlucky misses but, equally, the Medics seemed unable to make anything happen from their numerous free throws. Eventually, Psychology’s GS delivered the first goal of the game, but it was immediately answered by Medic Captain Lucy Emmett, who showed impressive versatility in an unfamiliar position. As the ball continued to travel up and down the court without consequence, the scoring partnerships were merely spectators in what was very much a game of the centre third. Both teams lacked pace, not helped by the frequency of long, loopy and often inaccurate passes, and the attack needed to be pushed forward with more force. Psychology took the lead for the second time at the end of the second half but unsurprisingly the Medics were not behind for long, equalising just before the half-time whistle. The second half mirrored the first, and with very little inspiring play it

was questionable how much these girls wanted a win. However, the Medics asserted themselves on the game when they took the lead. An accurate goal from far out seemed to boost their confidence and knowing they had to hold on to this advantage they found space on court, making each pass count. While a resilient Psychology team seemed resolved to absorb pressure, the Medics were finding their rhythm and took another two easy goals in quick succession. Psychology fought hard to get back into the game and excellent interceptions from their GK Claire Perry denied the Medics many chances. But she could not hold them back on her own. The Medics were on a scoring streak that extended their lead to 6-2. The slower game, in which the teams exchanged long loopy passes, favoured

NETBALL: Reach for the stars

Engin Loco v History: The Premiership is extremely close, with 5 teams challlenging for the title. This match is a real 6 pointer: the winners will stand a fantastic chance of winning the league while losing should not be contempated be either side.

lead when Bryon Watkins converted from close range after a melee in the box. There was debate as to whether or not it had crossed the line, but the linesman gave the goal and the score was now 2-0. Undeterred, Japsoc maintained their impressive second half display and pulled a goal back from a corner. The game remained tight until Cathays substitute Yomi Salami rounded the goalkeeper only to see his shot hit the post. However, Byron Watkins was again in the right place at the right time to score from the deflection. This was his second of the game. With only 5 minutes remaining, Japsoc committed players forward. They scored again when their centre back finished in the area. But the goal proved to be a consolation and the game finished 3-2. Cathays probably shaded the match because of their impressive first half performance, but in the second half Japsoc never gave in and were always in the game. It is now 7 points in a week for Cathays, who will look to continue this form against Havana Dragons next week.

THE ONES TO WATCH: NETBALL Economics A v CARBS A: Year-in-year-out these teams are amongst the strongest in IMG. Both sides are unbeaten in the league and this match could determine who will emerge with the Premiership Championship come the end of the season.

IMG SNAPS: GymGym Netball What are your expecta-

Teams that have most im-

for three hours. She’d fallen

tions for this season?

pressed you this season?

asleep in the girls’ toilets!

To arrange some more amaz-

J-Unit because, as a new

ing socials (and to achieve a

team, they’re doing brilliant

If your team was an ani-

good position in our division!).

in Division Two. Respect!

mal, what would it be? A dragoness.

GYMGYM: Dragonesses

Best training session?

Where do you go for

Going to the new Cardiff

your team social?

If you could have a super-

swimming pool to improve our

Anywhere and everywhere that

hero in your team, who

speed on the water slides.

has alcohol and a dance floor.

would it be and why?

But we usually end up at Duck!

Probably the woman from

What are your recent

because training ses-

achievements?

sions were introduced.

Who’s your key player?

Three years ago we went

This year we made it to

Each member of the

Funniest story

as she could stretch from

through a season without a win.

Division One so, who knows,

team is as vital as each

from a social?

the centre pass and score

Last year the team improved

maybe we’ll win next year!

other. We play as one.

One of the girls went missing

a goal every time.

the film The Incredibles

PUT YOUR TEAM IN THE SPOTLIGHT... E-mail us at sport@gairrhydd.com

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THE WORD ON... ...the fallout after ‘that’ tackle on Eduardo da Silva Dan Jones Listings Editor THREE MINUTES into the Premier League game between Birmingham and Arsenal at St. Andrews on Saturday, a tackle was made by Birmingham defender Martin Taylor on Arsenal’s Eduardo da Silva. The tackle resulted in a red card for Taylor, but, more importantly, resulted in the Croatian Eduardo suffering a double compound fracture to his left leg, leaving his foot almost totally separated from his body.

CRASH: Keane on Haaland

The seriousness of the injury was immediately apparent as Eduardo laid motionless on the turf as both sets of players and medical staff looked vis-

ibly distressed at what they saw. As a full St. Andrews fell silent, it took the best part of ten minutes for doctors and physios to treat the player and then safely remove him from the pitch, to the concerned applause of both sets of fans. After witnessing such a terrible injury, the significance of the following football match fell away as the incident rekindled memories of the horrific injuries of the past and served as a potent reminder of the risks one takes playing any sport. The tackle by Taylor was mistimed, careless at worst, but it was neither malicious nor violent. Since Saturday many players and managers who know the player well have made it clear that Taylor is not the sort of player to intentionally hurt an opponent. Steve Bruce, the ex-Birmingham manager who brought Taylor to St. Andrews said, “Martin Taylor is the biggest, gentlest man… He would never, ever do anything malicious”. The unpleasantness of the situation was compounded by the immediate reaction of some sections of the media and, in particular, the comments made by the Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger. At a time like that, what you need is a short period of time for consideration and contemplation, particularly from those directly involved, so that when the time comes for people like Wenger to pass comment they don’t make rash, knee-jerk statements. Ultimately it is their reaction which is likely to shape that of fans and the

media alike. Unfortunately, Mr. Wenger chose BANG: Gerrard on Naysmith

not to give himself any time to think carefully about his views on the incident. Immediately after the game in a television interview, he claimed that the tackle was “horrendous” and that Taylor should “never play football again”. He even likened what he did to that of a murderer, saying, “It is like a guy who kills only once in his life. There is still a dead person.” Since then, Wenger has had the decency to retract his attack on Taylor after a few hours of reflection (or perhaps a few hours of hassle from his board of directors), but by then the damage had been done.

The tackle by Taylor was neither malicious nor violent Some of the media commentary that has since followed the game has been very over the top and some just seem to be scaremongering. In The Times on Monday, one article said that Eduardo had been the victim of a “vicious

gladiatorial bout more familiar with the Coloseum”, a comment I feel grossly neglects the fact that what actually happened to Eduardo was indeed gruesome, but all the same a very unfortunate accident. In the fresh aftermath of the injury, the Monday papers knew exactly how to draw in their readers – by identifying a villain. And there was no more obvious villain than Martin Taylor. The Birmingham manager Alex McLeish spoke of how Taylor was “mentally shattered” by the incident, in feeling responsible for putting a fellow professional’s career in jeopardy. However, since it happened Taylor has received numerous death threats from Croatian and English fans, and was even harassed by Croatian journalists as the player attempted to leave the club’s training ground. Also, and what I believe to be a result of certain comments made after the match, an internet petition was set up demanding that Taylor be suspended from the game indefinitely. I don’t remember such dramatic and publicised calls for the careers of others players who have been responsible for such incidents. What about Roy Keane effectively ending Alf Inge Haaland’s career? Eric Cantona assaulting a fan during a game? Yes, OK, they were punished, but nowadays these players are celebrated heroes of the modern game. Players like Keane, Cantona, Gerrard, and Vieira (playing under Wenger at Arsenal) have all been involved in incidents where they have clearly tried to harm their opponent, Keane even admitting so in his autobiography. Go back 20, 30 years and you find the same thing, and worse. Vinnie Jones, Ron ‘Chopper’ Harris, Billy Bremner -

WARNING: the pictures below are not for the faint-hearted

WALLOP: Taylor on Eduardo

all notoriously violent yet all seem to be excused because that was the ‘nature of the game’ back then. Yet now, after what has happened to Eduardo, the media has branded the English game as too dangerous, as too violent, and the lunging tackle of the British centre-half is suddenly the only way of stopping the silky skills of Johnny Foreigner.

Taylor was ‘mentally shattered’, feeling responsible for putting a fellow professional’s career in jeopardy I can’t help but think that Taylor is a victim of the reputation of those more famous than himself, those whose contribution to the game was great enough for the media to excuse the more violent elements of their game. In a sport as popular as football, the media, and those involved in the sport professionally, have a responsibility to protect as well as denigrate those that play the game. Thankfully, Taylor has received some support, even from Eduardo himself, saying that “If he (Taylor) does come to visit me, I will let him. I forgive him… it wasn’t deliberate”. Players need to be protected from dangerous tackles. The media have a right to vilify those who intend on hurting other players. However, professional sport comes with many risks, and some of them occur via genuine misfortune, and when the victim of such misfortune can himself see that he has just been extremely unlucky, others should not take it upon themselves to whip out their spoons to stir the pot.

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Cardiff boss lacrosse

NO 3: Magic Richard Jeffries Lacrosse Reporter CARDIFF Ladies’ 1sts .............. 21 UCL Ladies’ 1sts ....................... 3 CARDIFF LADIES capped an unbeaten BUSA league campaign with a total demolition of their playoff rivals, Eastern Conference champions UCL. Both teams were vying for promotion to the pinnacle of BUSA Lacrosse, the Premier League, and the Cardiff

camp expected a close match. In the end, though, it was embarrassingly easy for the Cardiff girls, who showed no mercy in their vicious assault of the UCL goal. Astonishingly, it was UCL who drew first blood as they took advantage of poor concentration in the Cardiff defence to go 2-0 up within the first minute of the game. It was far from a declaration of intent from the visitors, however, as that first minute was probably their only period of real threat. For Cardiff, attack really was the best form of defence, as strong pressure from Cardiff’s front line pinned UCL inside

their own half. Centre Sue Chandler halved the deficit with a penalty before Sarah Crowley’s accurate pass found Lizzie Vernon, who brought Cardiff level with a goal from a tight angle. Chandler struck again to take Cardiff into the lead, before Crowley again provided the pass for Vernon to notch her second and Cardiff’s fourth. Cardiff continued to probe the UCL defence with prolonged possession around the fan, and the Crowley-Vernon combination supplied Cardiff’s fifth goal on the 15-minute mark. UCL started the second quarter as they had the first, seizing onto a loose

ball and quickly moving upfield to score. However, Cardiff’s attacking pressure prevented UCL from making any further forays forward. UCL’s goalkeeper repeatedly saved from Cardiff captain Vernon, but was unable to prevent Chandler from scoring her third and Cardiff’s sixth soon after. As the game began to open up, Cardiff defender Ellie Fraser confidently dealt with several UCL attacks, and was able to set up the Cardiff attack with her gazelle-like running. UCL struggled to cope with Fraser’s pace, but she was unable to find the net as the goalkeeper twice denied her efforts. On the stroke

of half-time, Chandler again found the net to extend Cardiff’s lead to 7-3. If there was any doubt about Cardiff’s domination, it was immediately dispelled in the first five minutes of the second half. Cardiff came out all guns blazing after the restart and a four-goal burst from Chandler, Vernon, Crowley and Ewen put the game beyond the visitors’ reach. To UCL’s credit, they managed the occasional counter attack, but were unable to trouble Cardiff keeper Tiree Atkinson. Cardiff’s superior strength and pace showed through as they continued their domination, Crowley notching her second before the rampant Fraser was twice denied by UCL’s overworked keeper. With Cardiff entering the fourth quarter holding an unassailable 12-3 lead, they could have been forgiven for taking their foot off the gas. Captain Vernon had other ideas though, displaying incredible dexterity to control a high pass and dispatch the ball past the UCL keeper in one fluid motion. She repeated the trick immediately from the restart, before Fraser scored the goal her colossal performance deserved. Cardiff continued to press home their advantage and Vernon netted three more goals to take her tally for the day to an incredible ten. Catherine Brookes and substitute Vanessa Groark combined to set up a goal for defender Sam Olney while the tireless Chandler produced another moment of brilliance to beat two defenders and finish in style. At 20-3 UCL continued to battle hard but there was still time for one more goal, Ellie Fraser capping a fantastic performance with a second goal just before the end. Cardiff’s captain Lizzie Vernon praised her team after the game, commending them for ending a successful season on the highest of notes. In truth, the 21-3 scoreline flattered UCL, who had their keeper to thank for a succession of saves from Vernon, Fraser and substitutes Suzanna Byers and Emily Winkworth. With promotion to the upper echelons of BUSA Lacrosse secured in such a convincing manner, Cardiff’s Lacrosse teams are sure to be a major force in next season’s competition.

Super-tramp Achtung!

Lauren Grew Trampolining Reporter

IN THE run-up to the BUSA finals, Cardiff’s Trampoline squad traveled the relatively short distance over the bridge to compete in the Bath Open. The team was keen to continue their earlier successes this season and cement their reputation as a force to be reckoned with. Sunday’s competition saw the welcome return of two of Cardiff’s veteran trampolinists Helen Mann and Sian Souter, who were instrumental in securing victories for the club in previous years. The day got off to a flying start when Cardiff achieved a double, gaining silver in both the Advanced Men’s and Ladies categories, thanks to solid performances from Craiger Solomons and Liz Hills. The third medal of the day went to Kim Atkins, whose faultless routine in the Experienced Ladies category earned her first place.

Once again, the Intermediate Ladies flights had the highest number of entrants, all of whom were closely matched, making this an especially difficult category for both competitors and judges. Despite this, Maxine Harle beat off stiff opposition to claim first place, closely followed by Jess Phipps who took a well-deserved third, despite injuring her leg in training. The afternoon brought with it Russian Roulette, synchronised style, whereby willing competitors are put into the hat, drawn at random and given a partner with whom they must complete a synchronised routine with, having had only one practice. Thankfully, Cardiff trampolinists were up to the challenge as Eva Murray and partner took bronze and Liz Hills and partner took silver. The day was capped off by Cardiff also securing two bronze medals in intermediate and advanced teams thanks to Nakita Wright, Jess Phipps and Eva Murray and Liz Hills and Helen Mann and Sian Souter, highlighting another impressive group performance.

Calling all AU Clubs

TRAMPOLINING: Actually Mental

THINK YOU’RE the fastest in the Athletics Union, or the next Lewis Hamilton? Want to prove it? Here’s your chance...Cardiff University Motorsport Club are organising an Inter-Club Race of Champions at TeamSport in Cardiff on Wednesday April 16. The race will take the format of a two-and-a-half hour endurance race, with up to seven drivers competing per team. TeamSport have generously offered the event at half-price, so it works out at £100 per team. Places will be allocated

on a first-come-first-served basis and all entries must be in by 5pm on Thursday March 6. For more details on the event or to book, please contact Henry on henrywilliams2000@hotmail.com.

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Rowers show their medal

Hock, line and sink-her

Nick Wright Rowing Reporter

Lauren Perry Hockey Reporter

LAST WEEKEND Cardiff University Rowing Club travelled to Nottingham to race at BUSA Head. Following the club’s successful sponsored row on the steps of the Students’ Union the week before, CURC achieved some very positive results on the River Trent. In the morning division the men’s and women’s senior boats hit the water to tackle the 5k course. The men’s coxed four and quad, competing in the Championship category, got the day off to a strong start without setting the world alight. The women’s senior eight came second, sandwiched between two Durham crews to secure a silver medal in the Junior category. The most notable performance of the day was that of the Novice Women’s eight who won their category sweeping away tough competition to bring

back a BUSA gold medal. This success has laid down a precedent, as Cardiff won this category last year, breaking the course record. In the novice coxed fours event, both the men and women rowed strongly with the women picking up a silver medal, the novice men ‘A’ boat missing out on a bronze by only a few seconds and the ‘B’ boat achieving a very respectable mid-table position. In the afternoon, the main focus of the men’s squad this year, the men’s Championship eight pushed hard to achieve a place in the middle of a very competitive division whilst the women’s coxed four beat some very good crews to come in the top half of their category. All squads are now back training hard on the River Taff in preparation for the Women’s Head of the River, Head of the Taff and Men’s Head of the River, with one eye on the Welsh Boat Race against Swansea on the 16th April to be held in Cardiff Bay.

CARDIFF Ladies’ 3rds ................ 2 EXETER Ladies’ 4ths ................. 1

ball enabled Exeter to equalise. Fortunately, Cardiff did not let their heads go down, and strong words form coach Duncan Stevens inspired the team to progress forward. In attack Cardiff worked hard to create openings, and were rewarded just before half-time.

HAVING PROGRESSED further in the BUSA cup than ever before, Cardiff Ladies’ 3rd team were eagerly awaiting Exeter’s challenge. With the obvious disadvantage of unknown territory regarding the waterbased pitch the match was to be played on, Cardiff set out with the intention of just holding their own. However, this was not the case. Cardiff easily dominated the first 15 minutes, creating many chances in front of goal. Laura Vasey opened the scoring with an excellent undercut goal in the 6th minute. Cardiff were unable to fully capitalise on their possession, though, which saw Exeter battle back. Dogged defending kept Exeter’s goal chances to a minimum until an excellent through HOCKEY: Love definately

PHOTO: JAKE YORATH

RUGBY: Actually quite muddy

Roz Lambe Rugby Reporter CARDIFF Ladies’ 1sts .............. 11 EXETER Ladies’ 1sts ............... 19

Cardiff double up CARDIFF Men’s 1sts .................. 6 GLAMORGAN Men’s 1sts ........... 3 CARDIFF PROGRESSED into the next round of the Welsh Cup after overcoming a 3-1 half-time score, to triumph 6-3 against Glamorgan. The game was forced into extra time after a scintillating second half from the home side, which more than made up for a lethargic first half that was void of any rhythm or imposing attacking play. A Nick Gough hat-trick, along with goals from David Hughes, Tom Bacon and Martin Freshman rewarded Cardiff with a win which looked unlikely given the first half. Despite the game starting with some open, competitive hockey, the skill fizzled away into a scrappy affair. Glamorgan displayed a strong passing game, which seemed to be the undoing of Cardiff early on. A penalty corner goal from Hughes awarded Cardiff the lead half way through the first period, but three goals

Megan Langley took full advantage of a fluid attacking movement, chipping the opposing goalkeeper to put Cardiff 2 - 1 ahead. Motivational words from captains Ceirios Jones and Nicky Traynor at the interval saw Cardiff start positively in the second half. However, Exeter were rejuvenated, and fought hard to come back from a goal behind. With much of the possession, Exeter looked more like scoring and it was only excellent defending by the consistently solid Cardiff back four that stopped a second equaliser. But Cardiff were able to hold on to their one goal advantage until the final whistle for a well-deserved team victory. This win puts Cardiff into their first ever BUSA cup semi-final, against either the University of Portsmouth 1sts or Kings College London 1sts. The team would like to thank all travelling supporters, who were fantastic spurring the team towards victory.

Cards lack Ex appeal

HOCKEY: Love actually?

Richard Williams Sports Reporter

without reply from Glamorgan put the visitors in a comfortable position at half time. Cardiff had struggled to display any momentum, flair or panache in the first thirty-five minutes, but the second period was a far different story. Glamorgan were fortunate not to concede more than the two goals that saw Cardiff draw level and force extra time. The home side’s ferocious energy delivered a goal almost immediately after the break. A well built attack down the middle allowed Tom Bacon to thrash a brilliant finish past the keeper, to give Cardiff hope after the demoralising first half. With Gavin Vullmer pulling the strings going forward, the play was focused solely in the Glamorgan half. Any threat of an attack was quickly dispelled by a strong defensive showing, led by the irrepressible David McGahon. This allowed Cardiff to maintain and dictate the tempo, as well as keep up the pressure on a fading Glamorgan side. Nick Gough’s last gasp equaliser forced extra time, and the extra period was largely the same as the second half.

Cardiff scored a further three times, making mockery of the 3-1 defecit at half time. Martin Freshman then converted in the move of the match, after two perfectly placed passes in a foray down the left flank. The move was set up after another failed Glamorgan attack, with Cardiff showing how to counter attack effectively and decisively. Freshman drove the ball home from the left side of the area into the bottom right, leaving the ‘keeper with no chance. Just like their ‘keeper, Glamorgan were to be helpless to defeat. Gough then netted twice in the second period of extra time, displaying a strong range of attacking attributes. His second goal came after a lovely dribble down the left flank and cutting inside, swerving around the defender and curving his shot past the ‘keeper. His second came after Glamorgan, who had moved forward in numbers, saw the ball passed through their defence from deep through to a number of Cardiff players in attack. A short ball allowed Gough to complete his hat trick, and seal a comprehensive win which looked unlikely after a below-par first half.

CARDIFF LADIES rugby team ended their BUSA campaign with a disappointing loss at home to eventual league winners Exeter. The visitors got their initial break straight from the first kick-off and remained in possession for the opening five minutes; however, Cardiff made sure they did not advance, with Claire Molloy eventually stealing the ball. It was passed out to flanker Louise Steel who bombed her way up to the Exeter 22 with a penalty being awarded to Cardiff in the 15th minute. Flanker Molloy then duly took the score to 3-0 in the home side’s favour. From the restart, Cardiff put pressure on Exeter and drove them back into their own half. Scrum-half Ceri Hill stole the ball and spun it out to the backs, who cleverly switched play to the other side of the pitch and advanced into the visitors’ 22. Exeter managed to get the ball back, but a strong tackle by Fran Acuna stopped any chance of them making a break. Despite this good defending, Exeter forced themselves into Cardiff’s 22 where they were awarded a number of scrums and lineouts. Excellent discipline at the breakdown, coupled with quick reactions, saw Emily Baird steal one of these lineouts and hand possession back to Cardiff. This allowed Molloy to kick the ball upfield and force the Exeter

fullback to knock on 5m from the line. Cardiff broke blind from the scrum and passed out to centre Nic Skehan who set up a driving maul. Clearly the stronger pack, Cardiff pushed the visitors back and it was Claire Molloy who finished off the move by touching down for the try. This left the score at 8-0 going into the interval. The visitors came out strongly following the break and after just four minutes, a quick 5m penalty was passed out to the wing for the try. The conversion was missed but the score stood at 8-5. Cardiff fought back and were awarded a penalty after Exeter played the ball on the floor. Molloy converted which took the score to 11-5 and re-opened the points margin. Cardiff continued to apply pressure and almost scored again when Anna Soryal was passed the ball 10m from the line. She was tackled, however, and ended up injuring her leg and having to go off. Exeter then managed to push Cardiff back into their 22 and secure the ball, getting it out to the wing and taking the score to 11-12 following the conversion. 15 minutes later, Exeter again touched down for the full 7 points after creating then exploiting the overlap. With minutes to go, Cardiff headed straight for the tryline with breaks from Eleri Davies and Nic Skehan, but the ball was held up over the line on a number of occasions. Despite these spirited attempts to get back into the game, time was up and the final score stood at 11-19 to Exeter. Although no points were gained from this fixture, overall Cardiff have had a successful BUSA campaign and finished the season in third position.

Sport 14 gairrhydd

FEATURES

OCTOBER.22.2007

INSIDE: Cardiff’s sailing prodigy, Sport survive a gairrhydd.COM FEATURES@ water polo challenge & the Full IMG Breakfast PHOTO: SAMUEL BUCKLEY

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Cardiff miss out on National Championships after pitch chaos sees Cobra Tomaszewski ejected

AMERICAN FOOT-BRAWL

George Pawley Sports Editor

CARDIFF UNIVERSITY’S American Football team, the Cobras, have been eliminated from the British Universities’ American Football League (BUAFL) following a mass brawl in their final league game of the season against Bristol Barracudas. The incident that caused BUAFL to make their decision, and reject a subsequent appeal lodged by Cardiff, involved a referee being knocked to the ground during the fracas, which occurred in the dying minutes of the fixture. The Cobras needed to win by 13 points over Bristol to rank as one of the top eight university sides in the country, and therefore qualify for the National Championships. And with Cardiff holding a commanding 23 - 0

lead, their qualification was seemingly assured.

“It was an unfortunate incident that sometimes occurs in a heated sporting environment” Touchdowns from Jake Heath and Paul Jarvis had seen the Cobras take complete control of the game, while the impressive defence team had given up just a handful of first downs all game as they continued to boast one of the best defensive records in the Southern Conference. With time all but elapsed in the final quarter, and with Bristol needing to punt on their forth down, Cobra Sam

Williams blocked a Barracuda offensive player, which led to a scuffle between the two. With Cardiff’s offensive and Bristol’s defensive teams preparing to come on, as well as the players already on the field, the confrontation quickly escalated. As the melee came to an end, both sets of players picked themselves up and tried to regain their composure. But Cobra Nick Tomaszewski, in the process of helping someone up, stumbled and knocked over one of the match referees. Another referee spotted this, and immediately ejected Tomaszewski from the game. Ejection usually means the player concerned misses the next game, however, given the league system and the qualification scenario; the result of this ejection was Cardiff’s failure to progress to the National Championships. With five teams on five wins and three losses, and only three playoff places up for grabs, a tiebreaker was launched by BUAFL. The first category under

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scrutiny was fines, which includes ejections; therefore, the ejection of Tomaszewski in the Barracuda match indirectly eliminated the Cobras from National Championship contention. Describing the brawl, Cobras’ Vice President, Steffan Powell, commented: “It was an unfortunate incident that sometimes occurs in a heated sporting environment, but what our player [Tomaszewski] has been accused of is unfounded. It is frustrating that our season is finished at a time when we were picking up momentum.”

“The fact that we lost three games fair and square is a much bigger issue” The Cobras appealed against the decision on the grounds that the rule stating that a player can be ejected from

a game for intentionally assaulting a referee had not been violated; the clash between referee and player was simply an accident. However, the appeal to BUAFL to overturn the ejection was rejected, abruptly ending the Cobras’ season. Unfortunately, due to ongoing discussions with Cobras’ representatives concerning the match, no-one from BUAFL was available to comment at the time on either the incident or the reasons for the rejection of the appeal at the time of going to press. Powell expressed his dissatsisfaction at this outcome, saying: “We are disappointed at the rejection of the appeal as it seems to go against all reason. What’s the point of the appeal process if incorrect decisions cannot be overturned?” Regardless, Cobras Head Coach, Dr Tim Macy, conceded: “The ejection is only one factor of why we aren’t still playing. The fact that we lost three games fair and square is a much bigger issue.”

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 n THE GAIR RHYDD IS WRITTEN, DESIGNED, TYPESET AND OUTPUT BY STUDENTS OF CARDIFF UNIVERSITY n 2008 PEACOCKS CATALOGUE ARRIVES AT OFFICE FOR MENON n NOT REALLY ANY NEED FOR A JOKE ABOUT THAT IS THERE n GR OFFICE BECOMES BLISSFUL PARADISE OF WORLD CLASS STUDENT JOURNALISM...WITHOUT LEE n AWARDS DEADLINE LOOMS n I WOULDN'T BOTHER TO BE HONEST, IT’S IN THE BAG n MILLWARD DESERTS COLUMN IN BRITNEY-LIKE BREAKDOWN n D’ARCY’S INDECISION MEANS JACK AND AMY LEAVE MENTALLY LATE. LOCAL TIME: 01:53 n ALE FESTIVAL MESSES UP HALF PINT FLOREY n ZORAB CHECKS IN AT HOTEL HARRISON n CLEAN FUN n

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PHOTO: NATALIA POPOVA

Aqua-batics

WATER POLO: Splash time for grown-ups

gair rhydd learns to play ball Scott D’Arcy Sports Editor AS SOMEONE who has not swum regularly since primary school, my reaction to the idea of playing water polo was tentative. While ‘trying something new’ was not my New Year’s resolution, it was still an exciting, if not slightly nervous, prospect to be able to have a go at this amphibious sport. Water polo is something fresh and different from the typical grounded sports that gain most public and press attention, although it does not suffer for this. In truth water polo was not on my sporting radar until quite recently and I had some misconceptions about the nature of the sport when it came to entering the water. The session started off with some passing practice to warm up and to my surprise the ball was heavy and inflexible. I had expected a soft and easily catch-able beach toy, but once I got the hang of the technique I felt more at ease.

Some helpful tips from the players on how to score in the shooting drills could not prevent me from shooting wide from three yards, but their warmth and willingness to my intrusion was comforting. My determination to stay afloat and not embarrass myself meant scoring was not my main focus, but when one of my shots finally hit the back of the net I felt a sense of relief rather jubilation. The fact that the keeper made a half-hearted attempt at a save was kind, but my shot failed to impress the on-looking lifeguards, perhaps because they were looking to see if I was drowning. Next came the seven-a-side game, which was highly competitive and a great display of power and skill. My stint on the left wing was punctuated by a series of races against an incredibly strong swimmer, all of which I lost, even when I had a headstart. I did manage to set up a goal on the only occasion I managed to break free of my marker and gain possession of the ball, but my pride was short-lived as yet another dash down the wing ended in defeat.

It is hard to fully appreciate how tough water polo is just by watching the game. The strength needed is exceptional, as the sport tests physical stamina and mental endurance. I have to admit I was struggling after half an hour; the occasional gym session was probably the only thing that kept my head above the surface. The fact that most of the team look like they should be modelling for Calvin Klein does count for something because water polo is a very physical sport, but this should not deter anyone from having a go. When asked if I would be coming again next week, I replied that I was too unfit, but this courtesy was a prime example of the friendly atmosphere of the club. I have to admit that while I would certainly play water polo again, albeit on casual terms, I prefer, like many, to keep my feet on the ground. Still, if this global warming business means we all end up having to live under water, at least we can still enjoy a bit of sport.

Sailing on the crest of a wave Peter Dean meets student and world-class sailor Robbie Allam

VERY STUDENT that enjoys their sport dreams about competing against elite sportsmen. For most, this will never materialize beyond the realms of fantasy. IMG footballers will never compete against Cristiano Ronaldo, and BUSA tennis players are unlikely to do battle with Andy Murray. However, Cardiff student Robbie Allam regularly pitches his nautical talent against the best professionals in the sailing world. Ranked 73rd in the world and seventh in Britain, Allam is seriously good at match racing sailing: he skippers the best student team in the United Kingdom. Allam’s team are the holders of the Danish Youth Championship and have come second in the Mermaid International in the Isle of Wight. This season they have qualified for the BUSA National Championships held in April, and look likely to represent Britain in the World University Championships. Allam and his team are rising stars in the sport of match racing sailing.

“We consistently compete with professionals and the only way to get better is by beating the best”

Allam not only competes against amateurs, for when he races at ASAF Grade One and Two events his opponents are experienced professionals. He has even competed on the prestigious World Match Racing Tour. Indeed, in the King Edward VII Gold Cup, the Cardiff sailor raced against Paolo Cian and Bjorn Hansen, who are respectively ranked third and fifth in the world. Cian

has even skippered in the Americas Cup, the most prestigious event in the sailing calendar. Allam clearly revelled in the chance to compete against the best sailors in the world: “We were in awe of these guys. Just a year ago I had been watching them on the TV. We got thrashed by Cian but were close against Hansen. His experience saw him through on the day.” Match racing, the class of sailing in which Allam competes, involves two sailing boats racing around a course. It is differentiated from a fleet race, which almost always contains three or more competitors. Each regatta has between eight and ten boats that compete in a round-robin format. Allam will normally race each of his competitors once, hoping to get enough victories to see him into the final. Allam is keen to emphasise the attractions of the one-on-one format of match racing: “Match racing is the most exciting form of sailing because the boats are usually close.” He enthused, “it’s all about winning each race – there’s no second place.” The match racing format is an extremely demanding type of sailing. As helmsman, the man in charge of steering the boat, Allam has to take into account changing sea conditions, the strength of the wind and the movements of the opposing boat. With so many variables, Allam relies on the competency of his young crew: “Match racing is very much a collective effort. Without my team, I wouldn’t get anywhere.” With teammates Adam Richard at university in Sheffield and Jez Fowke in Exeter, Allam has to plan their training and competition carefully. The Cardiff student is skipper and takes charge of the organisation and the finances. As a full-time undergraduate, Allam is grateful for the bursary that he receives from Cardiff University: “Unlike France and Australia, in which match racing sailors can get financial help from their

federations, sponsorship in Britain is more difficult to come by. The money that I receive from Cardiff University is incredibly useful.” When he is not sailing or organising his next event, Allam is most likely to be seen working out in Park Place gym. A heavier boat is an advantage in match racing sailing because it travels flatter through the water, so it is not surprising

that Allam is keen to see his team put on more weight: “The limit for each team is 350kg and at the last weigh-in we were 16kg below. I go to the gym three or four times a week to try and gain bulk.” Third-year politics student Robbie’s ambitions for the future are both sporting and academic: “I hope to get a place on a Law conversion course next year

and if I am successful I anticipate that I will have to scale down the sailing. We want to give the sailing one more push before September.”

“It’s all about the winning – there is no second place”

SAILING: Not for the weak stomached

Robbie will be taking his team to an ASAF Grade One event in Alacante in April, where most of his competitors will be top-class professionals. This prospect is one that he relishes: “We consistently compete with professionals and we know that the only way to get better is by beating the best.” Allam’s enthusiasm for his sport is engaging. His excitement for match racing is married with a fervent belief in the abilities of his team: “We really want to see how good we can be. My ultimate goal is to be in the top 20 in the world.” Given Allam’s growing stature in his sport, his grounded and self-effacing manner is refreshing. He is more comfortable when enthusing about the excitement of sailing than publicising his personal achievements. He is also as keen to talk about his sailing faux pas as his successes. Early on in the interview he smiles ruefully as he describes an unfortunate incident that happened at a recent regatta: “I was sailing too close another boat and we crashed. We cracked their rudder so unfortunately we lost our damage deposit.” As long as he stops crashing his boat, Allam’s future in sailing looks rosy; expect to see him challenging at the top of the match racing rankings. Whether he goes on to turn professional or not, he will always have the satisfaction that he has competed against the best in the world and given them a run for their money.