gair rhydd - Issue 906 by Cardiff Student Media

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CARDIFF'S STUDENT WEEKLY

rhydd word - EST. 1972

ISSUE 906 OCTOBER 26 2009

PHOTO: CHRISTINA MACKIE

The Lash

" # $ % & ' ( ) $ " ' * * & + $ , - ( $ . - / ) $ ollowing a series of confrontations Ceri Isfryn News Editor The Students’ Union has declared that all Cardiff University RFC (CURFC) teams are prohibited from attending any events at Solus for the foreseeable future following a string of serious incidents. ! " ! statement came following a confrontation between members of CURFC and the Cardiff Medics RFC at The Lash on Wednesday, October 14, allegedly resulting in one player suffering a broken nose, badly bruised

cheekbone and two black eyes. A statement by the Honorary Chairman of CURFC, Gethin Thomas, claims that the incident occurred after members of the Medic team started “abusing” ! ! medical student who had chosen to play for the University team. “The student in question was at the time on crutches and surrounded by a large group of Medic players who proceeded to taunt and physically push him around.” “In a bid to diffuse the situation, he quickly left the toilets, the medics followed him out and continued this ver-

bal and physical tirade. A fellow club member enquired what was going on and was blindsided in a cowardly attack which resulted in a broken nose, badly bruised cheekbone and two black eyes,” the statement says. However, a witness maintains that, ! " " # to the flurry of activity, it would be impossible to establish whether it was a medic player who inflicted the injuries. The same witness claimed that despite the tensions being resolved within the club, CURFC “took things too far” once both teams had left Solus. Multiple witnesses claim to have

seen a CURFC player taking the Med- and the Athletic Union to establish ics’ captain, Siôn Crabtree, by the what happened in an attempt to resolve throat at the bottom of the Union steps the situation. for no apparent reason. The captain is said to have kept his cool and eventu- ! " # $ % # " " & " # ' ( ) " * ally managed to a m l tl calm c oya his hi aaggressor a na lggrs m ge e d s down. The committee denied any T CURFC C che U om de a R ny ni F m Ce i d t knowledge of this incident, know t i hi nc but said, s s a i l idee d, dge nt “we are are “ a certain cw r that t e ethere t hae he ar many m t r a t e ra i e n ny tit-for-tat t -i reports r t t ebeing be -a bandied baf port about, aor i bout ng ndi t s e but none that can t c ha be substantiated s a ubsn by t t a nt either party.” Medic captain, Siôn, M c Sa e stressed s ptidi tthat t ôn,rha ae c is t n, s e the cooperat team t he has ha e offered off atheir t e full f he m cs r ul eoope i dl r tionto t i the t Union’s Uont he s General G ni Manager M e o on’ ne a na r a g

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gairrhydd | NEWS@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY OCTOBER 26 2009

EDITOR ! " " # $% & ' ( ) DEPUTY EDITOR Simon Lucey CO-ORDINATOR Elaine Morgan SUB EDITOR Sarah Powell NEWS Ceri Isfryn Gareth Ludkin Emma McFarnon Jamie Thunder FEATURES Daniella Graham Robin Morgan OPINION Oli Franklin Paul Stollery COLUMNISTS Tim Hart Oli Franklin POLITICS Damian Fantato LISTINGS Steve Beynon Ed Bovingdon TAF-OD Nia Gwawr Williams Branwen Mathias Cadi Mai SCIENCE & ENVIRONMENT Amy Hall Priya Raj JOBS & MONEY Katie Greenway SPORT Joe Davies Adam Horne Lucy Morgan Robbie Wells CONTRIBUTORS Morgan Applegarth Sebastian Barrett Lizzie Blockley Arzu Bokhari Alex Bywater Laura Davies Alex Evans Luke Franks Cicely Giles Claire Harrington Rachel Henson Richard Herling Amy Hopkins Rhys Howells Ayushman Jamwal Camille Lauvoix Natalia Popova Ben Price 'Raven' Michelle Taylor Marc Thomas Sarah Vaughan Chris Williams Ellen Sutherland-Wootton Jake Yorath

! " # $%# & ' ( )*+ " , )*+ " # $)- ( . ' “I can assure you that the incidents were down to individuals and not due to a vendetta between the clubs. Cardiff University should be proud of having two teams playing at an extremely high standard with a positive future ahead of both clubs,” he added. Two weeks prior to the dispute with the Medic team, a CURFC Fresher received a term-long ban from the Union following a social at The Lash Beach Party on Wednesday, September 30. The team was warned about their behaviour upon arrival by the Union’s Entertainments Manager, Ben Eagle, and had also been previously spoken to by the Head of Rugby, Martyn Fowler. A statement about the incident by the CURFC committee claims that a pair of girls were sat in Buffers in Solus - an area “historically allocated to the rugby club so that [they] can complete [their] post-match games and sing-songs”. “In order to prevent any offence, the two ladies were asked if they would mind moving to another room, however they declined, claiming that they were not worried about the potential boisterous behaviour,” the

statement says. Rugby chants, which contained “a few swear words”, were performed, but the girls were “happily singing along with the boys” according to the statement. Events turned sour when one of the players in attendance, allegedly a fresher who had not yet played for the club, directed abusive language towards one of the girls, who responded by throwing her drink at him. The rugby player reacted by doing likewise and was, according to the statement by the rugby club, “immediately chastised by all in attendance,” and, upon the arrival of the first team, was walked out of the venue. The girls involved telephoned the Union on the night to complain about the behaviour of the rugby player(s), but in addition to the drink incident, one girl claimed to have been slapped on the arms more than once by one or more member of the team. Olly Birrell, AU President, confirmed that the rugby player in question has since been banned from the Union until after Christmas. He also confirmed that there had been at least one incident every week at The Lash where a rugby player been asked to leave. “I have submitted a report about the

PHOTO: KATHARINA JOITE

! ! rr

Rugby boys in Union brawl

incidents in question to the Union’s General Manager. Hopefully after due consideration and discussion, we will see some positive outcomes - possibly a set of guidelines for all sports societies to follow regarding such matters,” he said. A Cardiff RFC committee investigation concluded that in the future, any member acting out of team spirit will be asked to leave the club immediately. “We are all very disappointed that students from Cardiff University have allegedly been involved in incidents against each other. We are looking forward to playing together as Cardiff University students in a united rugby club in the future - a united club where we are capable of competing with the

best teams in the UK,” voiced the committee. “We absolutely refute any claims of anti-feeling towards Cardiff Medics RFC and we as a rugby club have continually promoted the merging of both teams under one banner, under the name Cardiff University Rugby Club,” the statement concludes. A Union spokesman has said: “We believe the Union is a safe place for students to go and we aim to keep it that way. “Until we finish investigations into what happened, find the individuals involved and deal with them accordingly, neither the Cardiff RFC or Cardiff Medics RFC will be allowed into Solus,” they added.

Marathon moments On Sunday October 18 over 11,000 entrants took part in this year's Cardiff Half Marathon. The sell out race saw hundreds of athletes complete the 13.1 mile course alongside a number of professional and international runners The course, which took in many of Cardiff's sights, enjoyed great weather, bringing out an estimated 18,000 spectators. are a just few snapshots of the day, reflecting yet

PHOTOS: JAKE YORATH & OLI FRANKLIN

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NEWSDESK 07908 551922 NEWS@GAIRRHYDD.COM NEWS 1 EDITORIAL & OPINION 8 COLUMNIST 11 FEATURES 12 POLITICS 16 LETTERS 19 SCIENCE & ENVIRONMENT 21 JOBS & MONEY 22 LISTINGS 24 FIVE MINUTE FUN 27 SPORT 29

NEWS 03

gair ydd | NEWS@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY OCTOBER 26 2009

NSS: The results Survey shows Cardiff students are ! " # ! $ % & ' ( # " ' # eedback criticised Jamie Thunder News Editor Uni ersit students are more satis ed with the quality of their course than the average student in the UK, according to statistics from the National Student Survey (NSS). ! ! " ! of students from Cardiff who ! " " # $ the survey ‘mostly’ or ‘definitely’ agreed that they were satisfied with their course, compared to 81% nationally. However, Cardiff students rated the University's assessment and feedback as 'poor', with an average score of 54% overall in this category, The University's overall satisfaction result represents a drop of two percentage points from last year, placing it joint fourth in Wales behind Aberystwyth, Swansea, and University of Wales Lampeter (no longer open). Last year it was joint second. Cardiff also slipped down the Russell Group rankings for satisfaction, falling four places to tenth out of 19 (Oxford did not take part in this year’s survey). Many universities achieve very similar overall satisfaction scores, so a small change in rating can have a big impact on ranking. Cardiff ranked joint 42nd for student satisfaction in the UK this year, down ten places from last year. year’s NSS asked final-year students 22 questions about their course. Students on NHS-funded programmes like nursing were asked six extra questions about their placements. A total of 2,699 Cardiff students responded out of 4,402 eligible. The University scored highly on whether staff were good at explaining things (90% agreed), whether students found their course intellectually stimulating (88% agreed), and whether students could access general IT equipment when needed (91% agreed). 85% of students also agreed that library resources were good enough.

But less than half of Cardiff students who answered thought feedback on their work was prompt, and the same proportion said that it helped to clarify things they didn’t understand. Only 47% felt they received detailed comments on their work. Results for the questions also varied considerably across courses. Just nine percent of Medicine students felt that feedback on their work had been prompt, compared to 75% of maths and statistics students. Medicine students were also less likely to agree that feedback helped to clarify things they hadn’t understood, with 11% agreeing. Only 12% of medics thought they received detailed feedback, and just 74% of Medicine students thought staff explained things well – a long way below the University’s average of 90%. This contrasts with philosophy, where all students who answered said staff were good at explaining things and 73% of them felt that feedback had helped them understand things. Medicine also had a high proportion of unsatisfied students: nearly a third were not satisfied with the course, although this was slightly less than last year. Media and Business Studies also had over 25% of unsatisfied students, and the Media Studies rating fell by 20 percentage points from last year. The mean for satisfaction on medicine courses (excluding medicine-only institutions) was 83%, and the median was 86%. Six institutions had 90% or more satisfied students, and only two had a lower percentage of Medicine students satisfied than Cardiff. Students were also not satisfied with the organisation of the Medicine course, with 70% not agreeing that it was well-organised. This is an increase of three percentage points on last year, but still puts it far below institutions like Edinburgh, where 84% felt the course was well-run. A University spokesperson said: "Cardiff University and the School of Medicine are pleased to see signs of positive movement in this year’s National Student Survey. Students

agreeing with the statement of overall satisfaction has shown some improvement this year. There have also been improvements in the rating of areas including course teaching and personal development." They added that measures had been taken to improve Medics' experience, including the appointments of Professor Paul Morgan last April as Dean of Medicine, and a new sub-dean for assessment who is to lead a 'major review of assessment and feedback' in the School of Medicine. A new position, Director of Medical Education, with responsibility for the undergraduate course has also been created, although the deadline for applications isn't until November 9. The University has also developed an online package to help staff improve their feedback. Michaela Neild, University and Academic Affairs Officer at the Students' Union, said: "It's clear that action needs to be taken to improve the satisfaction of students with feedback on assessement. This problem is most acute for medical students. "I am collecting information on how to improve the satisfaction of medical students on the quality of their feedback. "It is vital that the University take action to ensure that students are getting the feedback that they need." Jack Navein, Healthcare Integration Officer at Cardiff Students' Union, said: "The NSS results are not acceptable and the medical school is not shying away from them. "Everyone in the school is working hard to improve things. The school is and has been reacting to the results, and is prepared to make the necessary changes. Things will improve but it will take time and patience. Any input from students would be valued." Have you had any excellent or awful experiences with feedback? Email news@gairrhydd.com with your name (we won't print it), course, and year of study and let us know

Medics can't get no satisfaction Last year's National Student Survey was the first to reveal what medicine students at Cardiff thought of their course. And it painted a bleak picture. In previous years combined results for dentistry and medicine were given, so it was impossible to determine how medicine scored. The 2008 survey, however, showed Cardiff's Medics to be less satisfied with their course quality than Medics at any other institution in the UK. This year's results are slightly better, but that will be of little conso-

lation to the 89% of last year's finalyears who didn't feel their feedback clarified things. Because only final-years take the survey, any changes will take some time to fully show up. For example, if feedback was delivered much quicker this year, it would probably have little impact on final-years' scores as they would have still endured four years of very slow feedback. However, with scores far below the average for courses at Cardiff, it's clear that medicine is struggling. But why?

The comments submitted alongside the survey results show lectures cancelled at the last minute (often when students have travelled from Cathays to the Heath for the lecture), delayed feedback and marks, and feedback that is often unconstructive and in some cases just states the mark. rhydd has spoken to current Medicine students who have echoed these comments, suggesting that for all the considerable efforts of the School, medicine still needs a shot in the arm.

Q1: Staff are good at explaining things (University average 90%): Course

% 'mostly' or 'definitely' agreed

% point change from NSS 2008

Number of students eligible to answer

Number of students who answered

Medicine

378

242

Philosophy

100

Maths and stats

-3

119

History

-3

177

101

Psychology

154

116

Computer science

n/a

124

Politics

118

English studies

-1

256

160

Law

-5

352

198

Media studies

-8

106

Business studies

-8

321

176

Q7: Feedback on my work has been prompt (University average 46%): Course

Medicine

% 'mostly' or 'definitely' agreed

% point change from NSS 2008

Number of students eligible to answer

Number of students who answered

378

242

Philosophy

-9

Maths and stats

-8

119

History

-3

177

101

Psychology

-6

154

116

Computer science

n/a

124

Politics

118

English studies

-1

256

160

Law

352

198

Media studies

-10

106

Business studies

+10

321

176

Q9: Feedback has helped me clarify things I did not understand (University average 46%): Course % 'mostly' or % point Number of Number of 'definitely' change students students who agreed from NSS eligible to answered 2008 answer Medicine

378

242

Philosophy

-2

Maths and stats

+13

119

History

177

101

Psychology

154

114

Computer science

n/a

124

Politics

118

English studies

-4

256

160

Law

352

198

Media studies

106

Business studies

-3

321

176

Q22: Overall, I am satisfied with the quality of the course (University average 85%): % 'mostly' or definitely' agreed

% point change from NSS 2008

Number of students eligible to answer

Number of students who answered

Medicine

378

243

Philosophy

-8

Course

Maths and stats

-2

119

History

-9

177

101

Psychology

154

116

Computer science

n/a

124

Politics

-7

118

English studies

-6

256

160

Law

-4

352

198

Media studies

-20

106

Business studies

-13

321

176

04 NEWS

gairrhydd | NEWS@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY OCTOBER 26 2009

! " # $ % ! & ' ( " # $ " % " " % & $ NUS welcomes review into SLC

Natalia Popova Reporter

British graduates are causing an increasing educational divide as more students are attracted to the capital once they’ve finish their studies, a new study shows. report, ‘Location, Location, Location’ investigates the widening education gap in Britain and how where you live determines your chances of future employment. The report also demonstrates that where you live is a key indicator of your chances of achieving a degree or " # $ % & ' ! ( ) * qualification. Conducted by the University and College Union, the report looks into the spread of graduates per constituency and in the 21 largest cities. In 2008, Richmond Park (London) came out on top with 63.61 per cent of its working age population with at least a degree or NVQ level 4 qualification. Most of the top performers are situated in the South- East area. The West Midlands, however, stand in strong contrast, hosting a third of the worst performing constituencies. Birmingham, Hodge Hill, closes the list with 9.91 per cent. It has to be noted however, that the capital area has a significant number

of underperforming constituencies too, making London a true “tale of two cities.” Cardiff Central, with 42.5 per cent of its working age population with a degree or equivalent qualification takes the 56th place (out of 628) in the rankings. In contrast Cardiff Central, which takes first place among the Cardiff constituencies, is ranked 96th overall with 7.33 per cent with no qualifications. The study looked at the past four years and concluded that the trends are hardly changing. The areas performing well are seeing a gradual increase and those underperforming, a decrease.

The report also shows that once graduates have left their poorer hometowns, they are unlikely to return. This creates a disproportionate spread of skills across the country. Professor of human geography at Sheffield University, Danny Dorling noted that this situation is specific to Britain: “It’s a very sad polarisation of the country that just hasn’t happened in other parts of the world.” “Research has shown that the cost to the UK economy of educational underachievement is over £18 billion a year”, says the study. Looking back at the 2007 report ‘The Cost of Exclusion’, it looks like the situation has not improved at all.

CITY BOUND: students opting for the city

Ellen Sutherland-Wootton Reporter The Government have ordered a review of the Student Loan Crisis which has left an astounding 88,000 students without financial support, and thousands more with only partial payments. Higher Education Minister David Lammy has appointed two independent experts to conduct an internal review on the issue. Mr Lammy described the situation as having “a profoundly regrettable effect on individual students and their families.” Thousands of first year students have begun their higher education careers without their loans in place, having faced complicated application procedures and overwhelmed help lines The crisis has been blamed upon unprecedented numbers of students applying for financial assistance due to an increased number of students attending university and the economic downturn. This is also the first year applications have been processed by

Student Finance England and not local authorities. The Student Loans Company which has had to prioritise initial payments to ensure students will be able to pay their rent, has promised that all students who applied “on time” will receive full payments by the end of October, however, thousands are yet to receive the rest of their loans. Wes Streeting, the President of the National Union of Students has expressed his relief at the appointment of the trouble-shooters, and hopes that the “SLC will be held to account for a fiasco that has left hundreds of thousands affected by late payments, lost documentation and a miserable start to their first term at university.”

ydd | NEWS@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY OCTOBER 26 2009

NEWS 05

%& &% ' && #& % &to face Cardiff Uni student cleared tougher inspections of groping course mate Elizabeth Blockley Reporter Lord Mandelson has declared that universities should undergo more stringent inspections to prove that their educational standards are equal to prospective inflation in tuition fees. Vice Chancellors' at many universities support raising the maximum tuition fee charge from the current £3,225 to £5,000 or even £7,000. Those in favour of the proposal argue that without greater financial support universities will struggle to provide high standards of education during Britain’s recession. Wendy Piatt, director general of the Russell Group, warns that ‘without increased investment, there is a danger that the success of our world-leading universities will not be sustained.’ However, there have been protests

against the proposals in the university community as students argue that increasing tuition fees would make university inaccessible for many people. Recently six hundred students at Bristol University signed an official complaint against the decrease in contact hours in spite of the increasing cost of university. David Willetts, Shadow Universities Secretary, suggests that this rebellion ‘will be a powerful trend universities ignore at their peril’. A report by The Universities Select Committee supports Lord Mandelson’s plan for tougher inspections, suggesting that degrees from some institutions are not worth as much as those from elite universities. Amongst students, the consensus seems to be that if universities intend to drastically increase their costs, the standard of education must also be raised.

Glamorgan Uni Prof. fakes PhD Alex Evans Reporter It has been revealed that a top professor from Glamorgan University faked a major qualification to receive government grants of over £285,000. ! "#$%&&&#"’Mark Brake, a co-founder of NASA's Astrobiology Institute's Science Communication Committee, claimed a PhD in Astrophysics from University College Cardiff (UCC) in order to receive £285,264 in grants. UCC (now Cardiff University) ! " #$#% , denied that any such qualification had ever been awarded to Prof. Brake, despite its inclusion by the professor in an application form for public funding. The form, submitted to the Swindon-based Research Councils' Procurement Organisation, falsely enabled Prof. Brake and a colleague to receive the funding and successfully complete a six month 'Researchers in Residence' project. Despite the revelations, Prof. Brake still holds his post at Glamorgan University as Director of the Science Communication Research Unit. Prof. Brake has been involved in controversy before. In 1999, the University of Glamorgan received widespread media criticism over its 'Science and Science Fiction' degree ran by the professor. The bizarre qualification enabled students to study Star Wars, space arcade games and the possibility of robots taking over Earth. Since receiving his professorship at Glamorgan in 2002, Prof. Brake has attracted nearly £5million in funding for various research projects and

groups. The academic, author of several science fiction books, was granted £1.5million from the Government's Department of Industry, as well as £3million from the Higher Education Funding council for Wales and £1.5million for his role in the Robotic Cyberspace Community Telescope and Observatory project, the world's largest astrobiology outreach course. A spokeswoman for Glamorgan University confirmed that Prof. Brake did not receive a PhD from any higher education institution. She went on to describe the incident as 'isolated' and added: “The academic credibility of staff at the University of Glamorgan is something of which the University is very proud, and allegations to the contrary are taken very seriously... "This was an isolated incident and the university has subsequently revised its grant application vetting processes to ensure inaccuracies of this nature are not repeated”. Prof. Brake declined to comment when contacted by ! ! hydd.

FRAUD: Marc Brake

Emma McFarnon News Editor A student from Cardiff University has been cleared of molesting a fellow student in his bedroom. 35-year-old Bonfas Odinga, a Kenyan national, was accused of touching a 21-year-old female student while they studied at his accommodation in Talybont. The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, accused Odinga of touching her breasts and sliding his hand down the waistband of her trousers as they discussed his course. She later went on to claim special consideration in her own work because of the trauma he had allegedly

caused her – and was accused by his lawyers of lying for that reason. The woman told Cardiff Crown Court she went to give Odinga some magazines for a project and he made a pass at her. But he told the jury the woman had been the one flirting with him, and that he considered her offer to bring him some magazines as a type of “pseudo-date”. He said he was 7,000 miles from home and wanted to make friends, but was concerned about her being in his room, because of the difference in their cultures. “She was flirting with me – giving me intense eye contact – and complimented me,” he said. “She took off her hoodie and had a short top on underneath.”

Odinga said that the next day he passed her and went to smile, but there was no reaction. That afternoon he had a call to say a sexual complaint had been made against him. Later he said he heard that exaggerated rumours were going around that she was claiming she had been raped. He told jurors: “Just imagine – it was just my second month in a strange country – and I was being stared at because of this terrible stigma.” The woman denied accusations from defence barrister, Stephen Jeary, that: “your complaint has been false from the outset, made knowing that you were not doing well and were going to need special consideration”.

gairrhydd | NEWS@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY OCTOBER 26 2009

new Chapter

Students gambling to pay off debts Emma McFarnon News Editor

PHOTO: KATHARINA JOITE

Sarah Vaughan Reporter Chapter Arts Centre revealed its transformation last week as the long-awaited new developments were finally made fully open to the public. With a capital Lottery award of £1,750,000 and a Welsh Assembly Government grant of £200,000, Chapter Arts Centre has enjoyed a £3.8 million investment, providing a new lease of life to one of Europe’s leading arts centres.

FACELIFT: Chapter's new look Since its opening in 1971, Chapter Arts Centre, which is situated in Canton, Cardiff, has been a centre for some of the most vibrant and contemporary displays of national and international art, dance, music and film. For over three decades this centre has rapidly become a cultural home for the city, opening its doors to over half a million visitors a year. With its popularity and significance as a cultural venue in the City, Chapter Arts Centre the past year has slowly developed and improved its building. Some of the centre's newly developed features include a transformed

welcoming entrance; refurbished cinemas with all the latest technology and comfortable seating; an improved gallery and more space avaliable for hire by local workshops and other events. If you just want to pop in for a look around, a larger and more inviting public quarter in the form of a café bar and outdoor terrace has been given a fresh look. Chapter Arts Centre remains open for business as usual, but the official launch of the new developments will not be until November 24.

. ! " # $ organisation, Gamcare, has said that young students away from ! " # $ % for the first time, alone in their rooms with a laptop are increasingly being tempted onto betting sites. As a result, students are finding themselves even deeper in debt. Andy McLellan, the organisation's chief executive, said: "We are picking up more and more people in these circumstances. They are in debt for the first time and wonder how to get out of it. These students often don't know how to handle money and don't have the risk assessment skills required.” A US ! " # $ % & of college students found that problem gambling affected 7.8% of students. One student was reported to have accumulated debts of $30,000. Gamcare, established in 1997 and partially funded by the gaming industry, published a report on gambling debt this week in conjunction with the Money Advice Trust, Manchester

Metropolitan University and the Salvation Army. It called for universities to campaign against the "silent addiction”, which they say is comparable to drug and alcohol problems. It also urged for more be done generally to "prevent people from gambling excessively". The report suggested that debts of up to £60,000 "might be common" amongst problem gamblers. It also found that understanding of the problem is inadequate. "Awareness of the help available to problem gamblers... particularly among GPs, is equally poor. There is an urgent need to improve education about gambling for young people, alongside or as part of work on financial literacy and understanding chance and risk.” The Government's Responsible Gambling Strategy Board this week also recommended developing "an integrated approach to problem gambling services in partnership with the NHS [and] training for GPs, primary care practitioners and other professionals to identify and screen for problem gambling." It also called for a national helpline that was "independent and separate of any existing treatment services."

Thousands of shoppers flooded into St David’s 2 last week, as the new shopping centre opened its doors for the first time. The £675m shopping centre opened at 10.30am on Thursday, as centre director Steven Madeley officially declared the development open for business. Many of the shoppers broke into a ! as they came through the doors, and within minutes a 300-strong line had formed outside the new Apple computer store. Inside, staff whooped, cheered and clapped with their assembled customers. With over 160 big names, including H&M, Hugo Boss and Paperchase, the complex will be the biggest shopping centre opening in Europe this year. However, to begin with there will only be 50 stores open to the public. It will be another 12 months before the shopping centre is fully let, because the re-

cession has left developers struggling to attract enough retailers to fill the 100-plus units. According to official predictions, eleven million extra shoppers will flock to Cardiff city centre every year now that the centre has opened. The impressive new development, which has been in the works since 2002 with construction beginning in 2006, has space for 300 luxury apartments and will supposedly create an extra 4,000 jobs. Earlier this year employment was the hot topic of debate for St David’s 2, after jobs in the construction of the centre were being given to workers and firms from England instead of Wales. It remains to be seen what effect the centre will have on local businesses and workers. Kay Chaldecott, Managing Director of Capital Shopping Centre, said: "The Partnership today unveils a world class shopping centre and improved public realm... St David's delivers our ambition for quality retail in Cardiff."

EXCITEMENT: Shoppers pour into St David's 2

PHOTO: NATA

Marc Thomas Reporter

LIA POPOVA

St David's 2 opens its doors

NEWS 07

gairrhydd | NEWS@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY OCTOBER 26 2009

You'll never guess what... Dead dummy A dead man was mistaken for a grisly, lifelike Halloween decoration at a Los Angeles apartment complex last week. Mostafa Mahmoud Zayed lay slumped over a chair, decomposing on his third-floor balcony for three days before the alarm was raised. “The body was in plain view of the entire apartment complex” but neighbours mistook it for a “Halloween Dummy”, said a local cameraman. Police say that 75-year-old Zayed died of a gunshot wound to the eye in an “apparent suicide”.

The seven Spirit in year leech the sky Rachel Henson Reporter An Australian robber has finally been convicted after seven years at large. 71 year-old Fay Olson was tied to a chair in her rural home in Tasmania by two hooded thieves who stole money from the elderly victim in 2001. Ms. Olson was forced to open a safe and hand over the equivalent of £200 by the stick-wielding robbers. No conclusive evidence was found during the forensic examination, but an engorged leech was taken away for DNA profiling. Neither the victim nor the police at the crime scene had any visible sign of a leech bite; “We took it from the scene because it didn’t belong there,” said Det. Insp. Mick Johnston. One of the attackers, Peter Alec

Cannon, has now pleaded guilty to aggravated armed robbery. In 2008 he was charged with an unrelated drugs offence, and a routine blood sample was found to contain DNA matching that recorded at the scene of the crime seven years ago. This bizarre conviction could have profound effects on the way crimes are solved in leech habitat countries. Australia is home to over a hundred species of leech which feed on the blood of other animals and can store blood for several weeks during digestion. In addition to their uses in medicine it appears that leeches also have crime-fighting abilities. DNA profiling has been used for more than twenty years to exonerate the innocent and convict the guilty, but extracting the DNA from blood inside leeches has not been recorded before.

Speedy ticket A driver in Switzerland committed 15 traffic offences in just 11 minutes. The 47-year-old sped past an unmarked police car at 100mph, sparking a pursuit on the autobahn during a rain storm. Police caught the Italian man running red traffic lights, weaving through traffic, and driving at twice the speed limit. After his arrest 11 minutes later, he failed a drugs test. “I can't remember a case this serious,” a police spokeswoman said. The man faces a hefty driving ban and a possible prison sentence.

Fastest finger first

LEECH: Crime-buster

Benjamin Price Reporter High rise graveyards have become the new craze across Japanese cities, as the fast-ageing society has a shortage of final resting places. With the cost of burial plots in Tokyo stretching beyond £63,000, Japanese authorities have developed the idea of using five to six storey high, windowless buildings as an alternative to the traditional graveyard. Because the majority of Japanese people are cremated, Buddhist monk, Ryuotoku Ohora, stated that it is possible to get up to seven thousand people in the space provided within these buildings. This is around seventy times more than would be possible in an outside graveyard of the same size. In a traditional ceremony the relatives of the deceased collect the ashes,

pick up pieces of bone with chopsticks and place them in a ceramic urn before burying them under a family tombstone. However, in the new multi-storey graveyards the urns are placed on shelves. Many have claimed that part of the appeal of this modern form of burial is due to it being inside. As one Japanese man has claimed “Our family grave is outside and sometimes it rains and there’s strong wind and you have to fix the graveyard.” So far, three hundred people have placed the ashes of loved ones at Tokyo’s the high-tech, multi-storey graveyard. Eighty-two year old Toshio Ishii has backed the idea, believing it will be “nice” to rest in peace in the company of so many others. Renowned for finding solutions to problems in life, it seems the Japanese now have answers to issues surrounding death too.

Just full of hot air Arzu Bokhari Reporter

Prizes awarded for a recent Somalian radio quiz show included guns and explosives, it has emerged. Winners received a rifle, grenades, and an anti-tank mine for the contest, which tested young men on their knowledge of the Koran and Somalia’s geography. Runner-up prizes included an AK-47, bullets, and laptops. A militant Islamist group, al-Shabab, sponsored the competition which ran during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The group’s leaders say that the competition was intended “to encourage Muslim teenagers to participate in holy war”.

ASHES TO ASHES: Multi-storey graveyard

Parents of a six-year-old boy who supposedly got carried away on a helium balloon could face a prison sentence, after it emerged that the incident was a hoax. On October 15, Richard and Mayumi Heene of Fort Collins, Colorado phoned 911 in hysterics, claiming that their six-year-old son, Falcon, was in their homemade helium balloon, which became un-tethered and began floating miles above the house. His parents searched the house 'frantically' while police from several Colorado counties, the Federal Aviation Administration, and the Colorado National Guard attempted to take con-

trol of the rogue balloon. The search was called off when the boy emerged from a box in the attic, where he had been hiding in order to avoid being punished by his father for something he did earlier in the day. The Heenes were not to be charged for the manpower used to search for the boy, and everything appeared to be fine until the family’s appearance on US talk show ‘Larry King Live.’ When asked why he didn’t come out when his parents called his name throughout the house, Falcon answered, “You guys said we did this for the show.” At once, talks

of a hoax ensued. Heene claimed his son had just been confused, and that he was referring to all the media assembled around him and asking questions. Larimer County Sheriff James Alderden stated on October 16 that he believed that “at this time that it's a real event", and that he didn’t think the family was lying. However, two days later he claimed that the balloon incident was a hoax and publicity stunt in order to promote a reality show. Heene had been pitching a reality show about his family (who had previously appeared on US

reality show ‘Wife Swap’), involving ideas about his small children chasing storms. It later transpired that Heene has a criminal record, which states that on three separate occasions he had lost his temper and become violent towards people around him. He has also previously been reported to the L.A. County Department of Children and Family Services. Sheriff Aldreden said that the Heenes could be charged with the delinquency of a minor (a felony), conspiracy, false reporting, and attempt to influence an officer. The couple may face a maximum of six years in prison as well as a $500,000 fine. The young boy will not be charged. Child Protective Services will also be conducting an investigation.

08 OPINION

gairrhydd | OPINION@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY OCTOBER 26 2009

freewords EDITORIAL

Est. 1972

Lads It's been another eventful week this week. The rugby 'lads' have been caught once again causing trouble in Solus, apparently throwing drinks over a couple of girls and calling them c**ts. Nice. Although the rugby captain has claimed it was just a bit of friendly banter, it's not the first time the team has come under fire for their behaviour. It is common knowledge that the boys often enforce a toilet ban on nights out, and they have before been found to be urinating up against the bars and curtains in Solus... Now I don't know about you, but if I was standing at a bar and I felt the burning sensation of wee on my legs, I wouldn't be best pleased. So, allegedly, they have been banned from The Lash at Solus for "at least" two weeks. A suitable punishment? I don't know, but then the team probably makes the Union too much money on the bars to ban them for life. This week has also seen the results of the National Student Survey, in which Cardiff did relatively well, but failed miserably on feedback on assessments, faring particularly badly in the Medicine department - the latest in a series of blows for the School. If you've got a story to tell about assessment feedback for your subject, good or bad, please send it to us at news@ gairrhydd.com. You can see a full run down of the results on page three. Last Sunday also saw over 11,000 people take part in the Cardiff Half Marathon. Congratulations to everyone who managed it - I felt incredibly guilty and even more lazy watching the participants walk home as I sat traffic on Park Place. Still, I didn't lay off the Krispy Kremes that were brought into the office this week... And finally, St. David's 2 opened in the City Centre this week - a ludicrously expensive project (£675 million) - but a brilliant attraction for the City. See Five Minute Fun next week for a chance to win £50 worth of meal vouchers for the new YO! Sushi at St. David's 2.

Corrections and Clarifications Alex Evans wrote the article 'Privately educated students dominate top universities' on page four of last week's issue, not Marc Thomas as was stated. 'Teachfirst' should have been spelt 'Teach First' in the Jobs and Money article on page 22 of issue 905. The front page last week stated that the Chaplaincy where Father John Owen worked was owned by the University. The Chaplaincy is in fact owned by the Archdiocese; it is not University property.

Migrants in Calais are persecuted with the support and blessing of the UK Border Agency

The horrifying truth

Our attitudes toward immigration are fuelled by lies. The suffering of these desperate people must be exposed 'Raven' Opinion Writer There is a horrific and untold story of human rights abuses on the doorstep of the UK. A friend and I, both No Borders activists based at Cardiff University, spent most of our summer doing humanitarian and human rights work for sans-papiers migrants in Calais, and now I want to set the record straight and to expose as lies and misinformation the widespread perception of these desperate people. by the mainstream media, who would rather paint the French authorities' clearance of 'the Jungle' as some sort of solution to the 'problem' of international migration in Europe, migrants in Calais are being systematically persecuted by the French police, with the support and blessing of the UK Border Agency. At least until the clearances this week, around 1,800 migrants lived in Calais, trying to smuggle themselves into Britain. About 800 Pashtun Afghans lived in the main Jungle in Calais; other groups lived in squats and smaller camps around the town. They are invisible people, 'illegals' with no rights so long as they remain at large in Europe. There are Tajik, Pashtun and Hazara Afghans, most of them teenagers; victims of the NATO war in Afghanistan. They have travelled to build a new life a world away from everything they have ever known. Many are orphans,

their parents killed by coalition troops or by the Taliban. It makes me sick to my stomach to recall these thirteen and fourteen-year-old lads with the steady eyes of grown men, telling me that their families 'are finish', and that they have no-one left in the world.

Coast guards puncture their rubber dinghies and leave them to drown in the Mediterranean There are Palestinians from Gaza, who fled Israel's bombardment at the beginning of the year. To escape they climbed across the border into Egypt, their friends caught on razor wire or shot by Israeli troops. There are Sudanese from Darfur who have witnessed the burning of their villages and the massacre of their families. There are Eritreans who escaped the military whilst on national service fighting a war they didn't believe in against Ethiopia. If they go back they will disappear into torture camps. In their journey across the Sahara, many survived for days without water or shelter while others in their party collapsed and died around them. These people are refugees, and you would be forgiven for thinking they are treated as such. Instead, they are subjected to violence and arbitrary arrest by European police forces. The Greek police arm fascist groups

to hunt them down, and coast guards occasionally puncture their tiny rubber dinghies, leaving them to drown in the Mediterranean. The French CRS, who deal with migrants in Calais, routinely pepper-sprayed the only water point near the Pashtun Jungle, so that no-one could drink until it was cleaned. Routine raids were carried out in which shelters were broken and pepper-sprayed and personal possessions were smashed or confiscated. The Sudanese reported that during a raid about two months ago the CRS put pepper-spray in the food that they were cooking, causing agony when the migrants returned to eat. According to the Eritreans, the CRS once pepper-sprayed a sleeping pregnant woman in a raid on their squat, causing her to miscarry. According to the Dublin II Convention, refugees must claim asylum in the first safe EU country they enter. The vast majority of migrants who enter Europe are caught in either Greece or Italy, where they are fingerprinted and released. They generally move on to somewhere that shares cultural or linguistic ties with their home country, through colonial shared history. But then when they are caught, months or years later, they are deported back to Greece or Italy. Both of these countries are hell for migrants. The police commit acts of brutality against them, and eventually they are forced to leave because they can't find work.What follows is a feedback loop of arrest, deportation and depression until they end up like the thirteen-year-old Pashtun kid we

met who doesn't try for the border anymore, just drinks whiskey and cuts himself. So does this situation justify the actions of the French government in seeking to clear Calais of migrants? Of course not: it's a political show to make it look like something is being done. The situation in Calais right now is that hundreds of young people have been assaulted, arrested and detained while their camps are destroyed, but they are already being released back onto the streets minus their possessions, including shoelaces, money, mobile phones and – inexplicably – green cards.

The French CRS pepper sprayed a sleeping pregnant woman, causing her to miscarry Unless Western governments stop fueling war, poverty and climate change, refugees from the Middle East, Asia and Africa are still going to be arriving in Calais years from now. The squats and camps will be re-established and as long as these people are denied their basic human right to freedom of movement, people smugglers will still ply their trade. Meanwhile, the situation for migrants is worse than ever, no solution has been found, and the British public laps up the lies like dogs at a stagnant pond.

OPINION 9

gair ydd | OPINION@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY OCTOBER 26 2009

It's not a hate crime, you fat prick

Instead of seeking a protective bubble from Mr. Brown, overweight people should try to address the problem of their unhealthy lifestyles Morgan Applegarth Opinion Writer A group of protesters are campaigning for a new law to be imposed that protects fat people. Members of the Size Acceptance Movement (S.A.M) are pushing Government to follow San Francisco in making what they call 'fatism’s' illegal. What this essentially means is that anyone who even as much as hints about someone being fat, can effectively be prosecuted by those subject to such ‘abuse’, that’s if they can be bothered to - I’m going to say they can’t. To add, these ‘had-enough-of-it’ campaigners wish to class it as a hate crime i.e. on the same grounds as race, age or religious discrimination.

The idea that fat remarks are the same as racism stuns me Now I’m no high court judge, but the very idea that remarks about fat people can be placed in the same draw as racial comments (for example) stuns me. History doesn’t lie. Rewind back the years, I put it to you, can we really compare the odd snigger here and there about somebody’s size to the likes of the atrocious racial discrimination seen in the 1950s? Bluntly, the answer is 'No'. Similarly, do the on-going terror attacks we hear day in day out compare to the scrutiny obese people get put under? Whilst researching for this article, I came across some shocking infor-

mation that angered me. According to the Department of Health, 1 in 4 adults are overweight or obese. Here comes the scarier part. They predict that if the nation keeps going at the same rate, by 2050, this will increase to 9 in 10. Going back to what I said about this angering me, I find it inconceivable that we have got to a stage where 1 in 4 are overweight. We have become known as the fat capital of Europe, with more people dying in Britain due to being overweight or obese than anywhere else. As someone who eats well & exercises frequently, I don’t really understand ‘being fat’. For me, it’s like hairstyles or shoes we wear – something we have the choice over. I believe that most people who are carrying more than they should, do so through choice. Be it love for the chippy around the corner or the sheer incapacity to be arsed to go for a run, either way, you’re still that way because you chose to be. I am not so naïve to think that all people who are fat are so because they choose to be. Genetics plays its role for some, hindering the control people have over their weight. So does an individuals' metabolism and even, as some researchers argue, a person's socioeconomic status (plausible, I guess?). But for the majority, weight is controllable. I say to those people; get out there and physi-

cally do something about it. Lose weight and feel great. Go for a walk, take a friend or an iPod to keep you company. Should we sympathise with those too lethargic to be active or constructively encourage them to reduce their increased risk of developing cancer and heart disease? I am against discrimination but I just feel that this law isn’t as severe as those it would be in the same category with… Personally, I feel guilty after a night out in which I’ve drunk my weight in the cheapest pint, followed by a delightfully greasy kebab on the walk home. However, as a result of a nasty calorie in-take, I

hoist myself out of bed the following morning, put on my running shoes and struggle around Bute Park. For me, feeling fat is enough to keep me in good shape. Okay, so I’m aware that the motive behind this law proposal is the discrimination people have been subject to for enduring a few too many 'moment on the lips, forever on the hips' occasions. For example, one member of S.A.M. claims to have “been punched” and “had beer thrown in my face”. Don’t get me wrong, as much as I show a dislike toward obesity, physical violence and discrimination of any kind is completely intolerable. It is 100% unacceptable (but also unavoidable, sadly); people’s lives have been ruined as a result. I just feel there is a fine line between what is offensive and what is critical. I feel that we are reaching a point where freedom of speech is in danger of being abolished because people cannot

take criticism. I mean come on, calling someone fat could lead to being thrown in a cell!? Hell, lets not stop there, lock away people who pass judgment on someone with pink hair or laugh at someone with lips like Pete Burns. Actually, we might as well cut to the chase and just prosecute the whole nation! We’ve all said something about someone, for whatever reason.

Come on, calling someone fat can lead to being thrown in a cell?

This proposal is preposterous, frankly. I’m sure there are hundreds, if not thousands of other cases where people have had pints thrown over them for pettier reasons, but where’s the hate crime law about that? I could go on endlessly covering these issues more in-depth, I would love to, but sadly word count is an issue. For me, this proposal is the cherry on top of some lazy arses. People cannot be bothered to put the effort in to walk around the local park, instead, they’re after a protective bubble from Mr. Brown that they can create by sitting on the sofa, eating chocolate, watching Deal or No Deal whilst typing on their laptop. It is this kind of attempt at changing law that is chipping away at the fringes of society. Do us all a favour, get out there and do something about it rather then relying on other people.

Winston plans to sue over the hate crimes he has recently suffered from... right after this slice of pizza

Why we must allow prejudice

Jan Moir's column in the Daily Mail last week was prejudiced and abhorrent. However just because we don't like it, doesn't mean it shouldn't have been published Paul Stollery Opinion Editor Every now and then a controversial article is published that should cause healthy and informed debate across the nation. Every now and then it does. However, the majority of times it results with most of the public choosing to jump on the inevitable bandwagon, rather than stopping to actually think about the article for themselves. 2 6 article I am of course referring to is the now infamous column written by Jan Moir for the Daily Mail. In short, the column suggested that Stephen Gately’s death was suspicious, and that it was probably the result of him being gay. Just hours after the column was

published, Stephen Fry and Charlie Brooker published comments condemning the article. And just minutes after those comments were published, the bandwagon set off in an unstoppable manner.

Ask someone what they think of free speech, then ask what they think of Jan Moir's article Now, before we continue, I would like to state my opinion on the content of the piece; it was prejudice, outdated and quite frankly, repulsive. Not for a second do I defend her opinion, however we must not forget that this

was all that it was, an opinion. I’m afraid I am about to get rather pompous and quote an American linguist and philosopher: “If we don't believe in freedom of expression for people we despise, we don't believe in it at all” These are the words of Noam Chomsky, a political activist who, as his quote suggests, is a champion of free speech. Yes, rather pretentious of me, however the quote does highlight a factor that many of us have forgotten. Wherever you are reading this, ask someone around you what he or she thinks of free speech, and they will proudly state their belief in the idea. Ask them what they think of the Jan Moir article, and they will, like the true hypocrites the majority of the

public are, begin ranting and raving in an uninformed, contradictory manner about how the article should not have been published as it has no place in modern media.

You don't get to pick and choose who you agree with, that's not how it works As I have previously stated, Jan Moir’s article was offensive and repulsive, but so what? Why is it enough to prevent an opinion being published? Yes, the article breaks many of the codes set out by the Press Complaints Commission, but this is not

what is most worrying about the circumstances surrounding this article. What is most worrying is the fact that the public seem to be in favour of free speech, providing we agree with what is being said. Guess what? That’s not how it works. You don’t get to pick and choose who you agree with. You don’t get to dismiss someone’s opinion purely on the grounds that it is not the same as yours. In the same way Jan Moir is entitled to her opinion, so are you, so feel free to air it in whatever way you see fit. But don’t forget when you are condemning the article, she had every right to write it.

10 OPINION

gairrhydd | OPINION@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY OCTOBER 26 2009

Stay in school, kids. It pays... The EMA scheme isn't a waste of money, simply a just system being abused Cicely Giles Opinion Writer

grant. But should these issues stop those in need of help from receiving it? Why should the violent or aggressive minority – which I in no way condone – deprive those who deserve and want a chance to learn? Going through school can be expensive – whether it’s uniforms, books, transport or stationary. There’s only so much a bus pass will do.

A damning new study by the Local Government Association (LGA) claims that the EMA scheme is a waste of money and should be scrapped. The EMA scheme pays up to £30 a week to students from low-income households (less than £30,810) who stay in education after compulsory age – past sixteen. ! " # $ hope was to encourage pupils to further their education. The government calls the scheme a success, with numbers remaining in education increasing by 4% or more since it began. The LGA disagrees; saying the £300million of money spent each year on EMA makes little difference, as the vast majority ‘would have stayed on at school anyway’.

How many EMA receivers would turn up to class if they weren't paid? Now, I’ve trawled the LGA webpage looking for this study, which by rights should be open to the public, and I can’t find it anywhere. If anyone does, please point it out. I genuinely want to read it. In its absence, I can’t be sure if the LGA ever bothered asking the students how they felt. I did. When I was at sixth form, I volunteered to help a class of pupils

A skilled, more educated workforce can only be a good thing

Sir... When do we get paid? ‘improve their reading’. It felt more like teaching them to read. When asked what they wanted to do in future, one girl said: ‘Go to sixth form because they give you money’. Amongst the sixth-formers I asked, the results were almost unanimously in favour of the scheme. One person was outraged at the idea of scrapping it, as: ‘I would not have got my A Levels without it’. Another said it

had been a big part of his decision to go back to college, and that it made people ‘more punctual’. You see EMA isn’t given automatically to anyone who signs up for a place at a sixth form or sixth form college. It’s dependent on attendance – you don’t turn up, you don’t get the cash. This is supposed to be an incentive to go to classes, and in the case of the college above, on time.

Teachers can withhold EMA for nonattendance (or unpunctuality) unless a valid explanation can be confirmed. I don’t doubt the system is abused. Teachers have reported threatening behaviour from pupils and parents in an attempt to secure payment. Some say students turn up to class to register and then leave again, or claim EMA is ‘divisive’: stimulating resentment from pupils not eligible for the

Not that I pretend all EMA money was spent on school, and it’d be foolish to do so. I knew people myself who would wait until EMA day to go shopping. But they went to class, and they got A Levels. Surely that’s a good thing? Even if they don’t go on to university, a skilled and more educated workforce can only be better for society in the long run. The LGA argue most people receiving EMA would have ‘stayed on at school anyway’. Would they? And how many would continue education, having started? More than one person told me they’d have dropped out if it weren’t for the scheme. How many EMA receivers would turn up to class if they weren’t getting paid to do so? How many unqualified teenagers would be out of education and unable to find a job? Who knows? I don’t think the LGA do.

Don't you dare click 'like'

Imagine being told of your sister's death on Facebook. This has gone too far. Marc Thomas Opinion Writer It was almost two months ago when I logged on to Facebook to read, “R.I.P Bob Dylan” written as a status update. This prompted a short double take and then an apt “Whaat?!” on my part. Fortunately, on this occasion my childhood hero had not expired (although we can be expecting this to happen any day now), but had announced a Christmas album, released last week, leaving many questioning whether his musical talent and image were still alive. Reality: on October 8, one family from Perth were not so lucky. A family member logged on to Facebook only to find that their 16 year old sister had been killed in a car crash only minutes earlier. The friends, who had survived the crash, whipped out mobile phones and politely and tactfully updated statuses informing the world of the young girl's death before police had even arrived on the scene. It is one of the most basic human

murdered his wife because of her relationship status on Facebook being set to 'Single.' It's all fun and games until someone gets murdered.

The idea of some kind of cyber police force is ridiculous

Facebook: good for casual stalking, but obituaries is just too far desires to crave information because, as the old adage goes, knowledge is power. The success of social networking sites like Facebook is that they are driven by a thirst for knowledge - everyone wants to know everything about everyone else. I’m sure there

are not many people reading this who have never thumbed the pages of a Facebook profile stalking a friend/ stranger. The stories of Facebook woe are becoming somewhat stale. Most famous is the story of the husband who

The question is whether or not Facebook is the best medium for serious conversation or dreadful news. I think not. Freedom of speech entails responsibility and sensitivity. The Internet is one of the most democratic institutions to have been invented, perhaps more so than all the other components of a democracy combined: media, judiciary and government. Anyone can add anything they choose to the World Wide Web and send the most unjustified claims and outrageous beliefs into the ether - but like democracy itself, the internet should run on a system of checks and balances. Accepting the idea of some kind of cyber-police to be ridiculous, it's not

hard to see that the two things standing in the way of you and a crazy person (or vice versa) on the internet are your good judgment and, hopefully, their discretion. For example, recently, Bridgend was shocked by the Facebook revelation that Jenna Thomas, 21, had been murdered by her boyfriend. Comments began flooding in on her profile page and at the time of writing the page is still inundated - over four months after her death. Of course, we are not monsters honest sadness over the death of an acquaintance is legitimate. The deluge of comments is a testament to the feelings of hurt experienced by Jenna's friends and family, but perhaps it's time that people began to find other outlets for their expressions of grief? “It's not illegal but we're disappointed for the family,” a police office told the Daily Telegraph Australia after the death of the 16-year-old from Perth. Facebook has gone too far in replacing its 'LOL' and 'LMAO' for 'R.I.P.'

COLUMNIST 11

gairrhydd | OPINION@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY OCTOBER 26 2009

Everything is not fine W

hat do you remember from the last week of news? The postal strikes perhaps, with Billy Hayes, the trade union leader, claiming he is stronger than Arthur Scargill. Or could it be the BNP furore? How about Jenson Button winning the Formula One World Championship? I bet these are the top three answers along with a string of other perfectly adequate suggestions on what featured in the media. ! owever, something 99% of you would not have mentioned, might not have even read, is the “Blood Diamonds” report on the future of the world’s oil supplies. That is in no way your fault as from what I can tell it popped up just once on page 28 of The Guardian midway through last week and nowhere else. Having read the article and the report, which was conducted by the non-governmental organisation Global Witness, it looks like the world is on the verge of a crisis of gargantuan proportions. World oil prices have hit their highest point for a year as US light crude pushed above $79 a barrel. The prices have more than doubled since they reached their lowest point back in spring. The demand for oil, even in this recession, has not subsided and

the Blood Diamond study says that unless governments do not take drastic action then there will be an oil supply crunch. It will be so severe that many of the world’s poor countries will simply be shut off from the world of energy by sky-high prices. And I’m not talking about 100 or even 50 years time, I mean in the next two decades. Governments of all nations have to stop ignoring the fact that the world will soon run out of oil. Their neglect of the issue as well as the media’s blasé look on it means that it is not in the public domain as much as it should be. Instead we get obsessed about John and Edward on the X Factor and how Gordon Brown comes out saying he his standing firm on not declaring his favourite biscuit (according to my sources it’s Kitkats, if you’re actually in any way interested). I think we as a society might have our priorities somewhat mixed up. An oil-obsessed world is going to face a disaster that will affect everyone on this planet but we’re more interested in the literal version of Bonnie Tyler’s Total Eclipse of the Heart on Youtube. Oli Franklin said last week, on this very page, that “everything is fine” and what we are witnessing is the inevitable shift of global power from the USA and the West to China and the

East. The preliminary discussion by some of the biggest countries in the world to change the currency that oil is traded in is not that big a worry. China has a population of one billion people; they should be the dominant global force. That is not the issue. What we should be worrying about is in whatever currency it’s traded the supply of oil will diminish and the cost of it will go through the roof. The International Energy Agency’s figures show there will be a gap of 7m barrels a day between supply and demand by 2015. That’s about 8% of the expected world demand by then of 91m barrels a day. The IEA also expects production from existing oilfields to fall by half in the next ten years. And warned that the world needs to find a further 64 barrels a day of capacity by 2030. That equates to six times the current Saudi Arabian production. Not to worry anyone but that just simply is not going to happen. The discovery of new oilfields has been on a downward trend since the mid-1960s and the prospect of finding that amount of oil is bleak at best. If we don’t act soon we will go back to the dreary days of the 1970s when energy was so scarce we only had three day weeks. What is even more concerning, though, is there will be

Tim Well Spent I

f you asked me last week if I thought I was dependent on the internet or the television I would have said no to both believing that my life is far more active than that. However, this belief was put to the test when I got home at 2pm last Tuesday to discover that both my internet and television were on the fritz. In fact they still are while I am writing this. I sincerely hope today, as you’re reading this, that the problem has been resolved. I have learnt a lot about myself and that is I need the internet to survive. How sad is that? When I got back at 2pm I had a plan of action to write this column, do some research for an interview I had scheduled for the next day and get on with some freelance work I do. This plan, like many good ones, was in pieces as I needed the web to

do all of it. After a five minute ranting and raving session (I really hope the neighbours weren’t in because it didn’t make for good listening, nor was it for the faint hearted) I composed myself and headed back to campus to find a computer. I did most of the work and then headed home with the half hope, by magic, everything would be fixed. It wasn’t. I called Virgin, berated them for something that could well be my fault, and then after hanging up felt a sudden sense of disillusionment. My evening had been planned around catching up on Have I Got News For You and Question of Sport before watching the football. My housemates were just as equally lost. What were we to do? We had fewer options than a Welsh fish and chip shop. After making dinner we got on

more wars and conflicts just like Iraq. I don’t care what anyone says, Britain and the USA started the war for the oil and the subsequent profits of the oil companies strongly attest that. When the situation gets even more desperate Saudi Arabia and Nigeria will come under threat from the likes of the US and China. Who knows the States might even take on Russia for their resources and we’ll finally see the war that’s been on the backburner for the last 60 years.

Everything is fine? Tell me that when they’re digging a thousand mass graves The greatest issue, however, is something I have already briefly mentioned and that is many of the world’s poor countries will be completely cut off. Yes Oli, we may be fine (although I have my doubts that we’ll be safe), but there will be hundreds of millions of people with no fuel, cast back to the Stone Age. There will be famine, disease and ultimately an uncountable number of deaths. Last year’s food riots will look like

a friendly playground argy-bargy compared with what will happen. Everything is fine? To think like that means you might as well live under a rock. Everything is fine?! Tell me that when there are children fighting to the death over a scrap of food on every street corner. Tell me that when Lagos is torn apart for its final oil supplies. Tell me that when they have to dig another mass grave because the other thousand are already overflowing. This is being over-dramatic. This will happen unless we act now and ease ourselves off this oil addiction we have. But what good is it just coming from people like me given a few column inches to bleat about it? The government needs to take the initiative and seriously invest in renewable energies and other sources of energy and soon. If nothing is done now it will be our responsibility to deal with the problems in the future. So I urge you to make your voices heard and make a difference. Whether it’s writing a letter to your MP, joining a campaign, going on a protest or investing millions of pounds into wave energy, it doesn’t matter. Something just has to be done or else everything won’t be fine.

ddiction a y og ol n h c e t y M : k e e This w

with some chores and after what felt like a few hours, but was more like 20 minutes, we found ourselves having a chat in the box room. I’m not sure how we all ended up there but we went to the one room in the house we never use and just chatted. Deprived of television and internet for five hours and this will happen to you. It was like an accelerated form of cabin fever. After being in the box room for no more than ten minutes I had a weird compulsion to start picking at the wallpaper and was already a long way down the path of tearing the whole thing off the wall. I’d just like to point out now I have never done this before. Don’t get me wrong; I have a wild side. I change light bulbs with the switch still on. I even eat and swim within the hour. But this was something else. I could feel my mind

slowly going crazy. Was this what it was like before television? No wonder there were so many wars. Getting desperate we even looked for some board games, despite knowing we had none, just in the hope the previous tenants had left one. With no joy we ended up in the lounge, the television a blank screen. We stared at it, the darkness stared right back, mocking us. I resorted to doing the crossword in my old man’s chair. It doesn’t paint a pretty picture, and it wasn’t. All of a sudden, a text. Thank you God, a message from the outside world. Even though it was informing me my team, Plymouth Argyle, had lost again it was still something to interact with. By 11pm I decided it was time for bed, a mere shadow of the man that went off at 9am that morning, I was dejected and defeated.

24 hours on I am here in my dressing gown, with a slight twitch, just holding on to the hope that the Virgin technician will be here tomorrow. If he doesn’t come who knows what will happen? The internet has taken control of our lives, it needs us to survive and we need it to live. A symbiotic relationship that when broken leaves us lost and a little isolated. How has it come to this, how much further can this relationship go? But more importantly how will I reply to those wall posts and messages on Facebook? If you have learnt nothing else, remember this; we use the machine, the machine uses us and whenever we’re not part of that machine we are lost. The curse and disease of the technological world.

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gair

Animal rights and wrongs Ethical treatment of animals is one of the most controversial topics of recent times. gair rhydd investigates the issue at hand Amy Hopkins Features Writer

first is a certificate of designation which certifies that a research team has the appropriate animal housing and vetinary services available. The second is a project licence which is only issued if the researchers have an acceptable testing programme. The third is a personal licence, whereby the researchers must attain the appropriate skills and experience. The UK is the only country in the world to uphold such complex rules and regulations concerning animal testing. To further the ethical considerations of this applied science, in 1999 Britain introduced the local ethical review.

The widely debated issue of animal testing is subject to various ethical, political and economic speculations. The disturbing images of vivisection presented to us in the media causes many to dogmatically refute the practise and question its relevance to scientific and medical advancements. Divided opinion prevails among scientists, ethicists and the general public. Many claim that animal testing is a brutal practise which allows scientists to easily feed their curiosity at the cost of innocent animal lives. Others argue that vivisection is an integral part of areas ed in five main us e ar s medical advancement al im An the UK: which has, and will of research in continue to, improve for disw treatments the human condition. Developing nes of preventing disease: For centuries, peoeases or way ple have explored the 28% mechanics of the body real and medical through the experimenBasic biologic tation of animals. As search: 31% technology and scienals boratory anim tific intelligence has inBreeding of lasearch: 37% creased, particularly over mostly for re the last century, the quesdiagnow methods of tion is often asked, is aniDeveloping ne mal research any longer sis: 2% necessary? ed in of products us In 1876, the first laboraSafety testingriculture and industry: tory controls for the testing the home, ag of animals were implement2% ed. In 1986 the Animals (Scientific Procedures) This involves the regulation of Act updated and reformed the previous rules to incorporate growing animal research by both a local ethical concerns for the treatment of animals committee and by statutory controls in vivisection. Laboratories must now imposed by the central government. accept strict ethical codes and present Some of Britain’s strict animal testtheir research method and reasons for ing regulations are now spreading to their research before they are granted other parts of Europe, as all European governments have agreed to ban the the use of animals. testing of animals for cosmetic companies by 2010, a rule implemented in Britain since 1998. The purposes of animal testing are widespread. Institutes such as universities, pharmaceutical companies, defence establishments and commercial facilities all use animals to test the Institutes which conduct animal safety of products, to further scientific testing must use the cost/benefit pro- knowledge and to advance medicine. cedure to judge whether the loss of an Many important developments have animal life, or the potential suffering been made in medicine, specifically it may endure, justifies the outcome over the past thirty years, with the use researchers hope to obtain from the of animal testing. Scientists have creexperiment. This procedure is the ated antibiotic treatments and various source of a wider moral debate, as ac- vaccines which modern society now tivists and animal rights campaigners seems to take for granted. Cardiff University are an instituoften argue that the benefit of animal testing can never outweigh the cost as tion that take part in animal testing. it is intrinsically morally wrong to kill In its 2008 research strategy, Cardiff University claim they, ‘strongly supor harm animals. In the UK, scientists must also report the intention and purpose of the ceive three types of licensing before Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act they can legally test on animals. The 1986 […] Our research in this area is

Animal testing is unneccessary in modern society

FACT

almost exclusively on laboratory-bred rodents and fish and is aimed at the alleviation of human and veterinary disease through the advancement of medical, dental, biological and veterinary understanding.’ Cardiff’s research strategy continues to claim that ‘All animal research work at Cardiff is carried out under the strict conditions imposed by the Government.’ Researchers at the university are independently funded to find alternate models to animal testing. In 2007 Dr Phil Stevens allied with the UK’s leading non-animal medical research charity, The Dr Hadwen Trust. Several other researchers at the university, whose work does not involve the use of animals, recently won research funding to find other experimental alternatives. Many Cardiff University researchers therefore acknowledge the wide opinion that experiments should be ethically driven, so much so that sciTESTS: is this treatment ethically viable? entists at the university won the ‘Replacement Prize’ for the in vitro techMany also argue that animal acnique in 2007. Vivisection protestors, ing activist violence: ‘Animal rights however, argue that no matter how extremists have conducted a sustained tivists often overlook the facts and strict or multiple the ethical codes are campaign of harassment and intimida- regulations of animal testing, as new which police animal testing, they do tion against the animal research in- ways of reducing animal suffering are not suffice to compensate for the im- dustry, including targeting people at continually being updated. Another morality and inhumanness the practise home and in their communities.’ This counter- activist argument focuses involves. Activists often argue that an behaviour is not standard among all on other exploitations of animal life, animal’s life entails no less value than activists, but it does raise a paradox in arguing that they are much less bentheir views of ethical treatment. eficial than animal testing. A 2007 sura human’s, and it would be speciesist vey revealed that meat eaters consume to assume otherwise. Therefore all about 2.5 billion animals species should be given that same every year, which is nearly treatment and considerations, as all 1000 times the number of have inherent rights. animals used in research. Many also claim that animal A 2007 survey It is also estimated that sh testing is completely unnecessary ow s the types of animals used nearly 12,900 stray dogs in vivisection: in modern society, as science and are put to sleep each year, technology have so far progressed Purpose bred whilst half of this amount that there are other available means rodents: 83% are used annually in animal to obtain the same information that Fish, amphibia research. And the Environis achieved from animal testing. A ns , reptiles and 15% mental Health Journal estibirds: predominant argument of activist mates that 650,000 vermin societies also claims that animal Sheep, cows, are killed by pest controls in testing is completely irrelevant to gs and other la m UK homes each year. ammals: 1.6pi the understanding of the human rge % The arguments, facts and body as species are so invariably regulations concerning aniSmall mammal different. Therefore any treatmal testing evoke various mainly rabbits s, excluding rodents, ments that may be found through and ferrets: 0 opinions which it seems will the means of animal testing are .7% not be reconciled in the near unreliable. Dogs and cats , all bred for re future. Whilst differing and PETA (People for the Ethino strays or un se wanted pets ca arch, conflicting views on the value cal Treatment of Animals), used: 0.2% n be of human and animal life preworld renowned animal activvail, a general opinion seems ists, campaign for the complete unlikely. Yet the regulations abolishment of animal testing, I t implemented at least attempt to promote vegetarianism and tirelessly remedy the concern that animals campaign for the elimination of the seems that the activist argument fur trade, along with many other ani- against animal testing focuses pre- are subjected to unnecessary cruelty mal issues all over the world. BUAV dominantly on the issue of value, during vivisection, in the meanwhile (British Union Against Vivisection) essentially arguing that the value of allowing vital research to continue. also campaign for the elimination of animal life weighs equal to that of hu- It seems to be a prevailing argument that animal testing is currently necesanimal testing, yet arguably in a much man life. Yet a counter argument from a sary for vital medical research, though more peaceful manner. PETA have gained a reputation to humanist perspective is that the ben- researchers are en route to finding furbe violent in their protests and threat- efits of animal testing will usually ther alternatives which will enhance ening in their pursuit of those in pow- outweigh the suffering caused to the the ethics of science and medical er who permit vivisection. The Home animal as human life intrinsically quality. Office issued this statement concern- possesses more value than that of an animal.

FACT

FEATURES 13

gair ydd | FEATURES@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY OCTOBER 26 2009

Six degrees of separation It is claimed that everyone in the world is linked by only six degrees. Robin Morgan tries to find new friends with this concept I’m sitting here on the World Wide Web, searching for (and no way stalking) people, and it’s all for a feature. It’s definitely not stalking. Honest. ‘Six degrees of separation’ is a theory that one person is only six degrees of separation away from any other person in the world. Hence the name. I'll put it in perspective. If you've met someone (1) who has met Gordon Brown (2), then you are three degrees of separation away from Barack Obama (3). I’ve taken this very scientific theory and applied to scientific journal known as Facebook. You may know it as Facey-B, or FBC. It’s pretty underground. Some hazy explanation later and I’m going to find a few different people with some mutual friends in common with me. You can see the link in there somewhere. It’s tenuous. The challenge has been set. It’s epic. If I could have the X-Factor/E4 man to do a voice over for this article – I would. I’ve got to find myself an actor, musician, politician, a man (or lady – there’s no discrimination here) named Jesus, and another lucky person with the manly name ‘Robin Morgan’. See, it’s scientific. Trying to find actors and other famous folk is quite tricky. I don’t know if you’ve attempted to stalk celebrities before, somehow their actual page doesn’t come up. Unbelievable. Instead, groups like ‘Paddy Considine is Fucking Mint’ or ‘Mmmmmmm Natalie Portman’ tend to crop up. Not exactly what I’m looking for.

That’s right – nothing. I’m sorry. It all went to my head. Moving on… It’s commonplace that most of us would have Googled our own name at some point. Usually there are dull results. Not mine. Oh no. The first thing to crop up is this: “Robin Morgan (born 29 January 1941) is a former child actor turned American radical feminist activist, writer, poet, and editor of Sisterhood is Powerful and Ms. Magazine.” Yep. Pretty reasonable. I’m a writer and poet. Creative boy, me. Former child actor? I’ve done quite well to steady myself after the dizzy heights of stardom. Not like those perpetual arseholes on The School of Comedy, who will soon be in rehab or on an ad-

that people wed, but get off my back. We’re in love. However, there are countless ‘Rob Morgan’s and ‘Robert Morgan’s around, some of whom I might actually have met somewhere. So I’m counting that one, I don’t care what you think. It’s lucky that I live in Wales and have a generic Welsh name. For instance, I have about 50 mutual friends with all the collective ‘David Jones’s on Facebook. Gotta love it. Now for all you religion fans out there, will I have any friends in common with a Jesus? Am I a modern day disciple? A shit version of Bartholomew per chance? Despite losing countless minutes

this whole situation much easier than I anticipated. The world is at my fingertips, in the least Bond-villain kind of way.

I'm literally rolling in celebrity and power I pose each of you a question: how many of you have gone through peoples photos for a disgraceful amount of time, before realising that you’re on number 231, your tea’s gone cold, and has been replaced with a feeling

Simon Pegg is just out of reach of poking distance

I'm like a lazy, apathetic version of Dave Gorman I joined regardless – Paddy Considine is fairly ‘mint’, whereas 'Mmmm is an accurate description of Miss Portman. I'm not sure if people make these groups through a democratic consensus, or every thought that crops up is seemingly good enough to form a group informing the world that 'John Barrowman Rocks!'. Me, I'm a member of 'The Chuch of Kris Akabussi'. I'd advise everyone to join. Yet I digress. My first challenge is to find a film star. A proper one, not an extra or anything. Not to blow my own trumpet, or any other brass instrument, but I am one friend away from Simon Pegg. Oh yes. It’s not in ‘poking’ distance, but definitely shouting distance. Michael Smiley is our mutual friend (he played ‘Tyres’ in Spaced) – a lovely man. Can’t you feel the wave of jealousy over you now? I’ve actually got famous friends. What have you got?

get on with your degree. Either or. So I've got friends in the film, music and religious worlds. Not to mention all my friends in the Morgan clan. Is that it? Is it bollocks. I've got friends in power, baby. I’m friends with MP Jenny Willott. She added me. Clearly trying to spearhead her campaign – she knows I have influence. I should really use this connection to good use, maybe helping out Cathays and Cardiff for the better. Or starting a petition to kill all those who do voice-overs for Spotify ads. I've probably chosen the second best though - I'm using it to pad out an article. Living the dream. It's not hard to find these people. Not in a stalker way - that should be a constant disclaimer when reading this. I guarantee all of you will have just as many links, it's just a matter of finding them. I wouldn't recommend it though, go out and live your lives instead. It's much better. So there we go. I’ve somehow managed to turn this blatant procrastination into a thousand odd words. I did it. It’s like the end of Rocky II, except I hope I’ve been able to understand this. I'd like to think I'm ever so slightly more eloquent than Sylvester Stallone. Don't get me wrong, this is a unapologetic bastardisation of quite a substantiated theory. It's been riddled in popular culture, referred to in a Will Smith film of the same name, and even in Will & Grace. So you know it's good.

FACEBOOK: procrastination's mistress vert for DFS. A feminist? Equal rights are good. Really good, apparently. But this Robin Morgan is a woman. My manly name is tarnished. Spiral of depression here I come. The ‘Dave Gorman’ effect must be used in this experiment. But I’m doing the lazy, apathetic version of his amazing story. I’m sitting in bed writing this, while he went around the world. Fuck him, I don’t have his budget. Yet. But somehow, there isn’t a single other person called Robin Morgan who I’ve got a connection with. It’s heartbreaking. One day I might marry that feminist lady in America, just to create utter confusion during our ceremony. It’s not the usual reason

of my life going through people sporting names like ‘Jesus Jesus Jesus’ and ‘Oh Jesus’, I did indeed find a mutual friend with our saviour, Maria Jesus Mateos Garrido. A woman, you say? Yes, they seemingly have power too. It’s time to accept it. If I was to run for government, with all these links I’d have everyone voting for me. But wouldn’t everyone have the same chance? Obviously I have the charm and charisma, but you can go to classes for that kind of thing. Give Gok Wan a call – he’ll give you some confidence. Facebook is giving us the perfect platform to: stalk, procrastinate, bitch, brag, complain… hell, even whore yourself out if needs be. It’s a dream. But I’ll be honest, it’s also making

of guilt and disgust. I’m guessing it sounds all too familiar. So I continue on my journey of famous discovery. A musician. This six degrees thing is easy. I have a cheeky few friends in common with Lucie ‘Pride of Wales’ Jones off of that X Factor. Wales is clearly a small place. I’m literally rolling in celebrity. There's bound to be some way I'm linked to Cheryl Cole too, but if I was privy to that information, I wouldn't be writing this now - I'd be writing her a marriage proposal in the most romantic of ways: through Haiku. I'll take all the minor celebrity points I get, however. One day everyone should collect their mutual celebrity friends, and battle it off in a Top Trumps fight-to-the-death. Or maybe

There is also 'Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon' - a game that any actor can be, through six Kevin Bacon films, linked to the angry-faced star. I'm sure I could have done this with prior research, aiming higher than the likes of my local MP (no offence Jenny). There are groups on Facebook about this phenomenon, totalling about 5.4 million members. But, like everything else on the Internet, it is bombarded with porn. Not that you needed another excuse to go on it. You can all easily claim the biggest or baddest celebrity link, but remember - with great power comes great responsibility. If you do have the chance to meet Piers Morgan through this system (I've excluded him from my Morgan clan by the way), please use your time well. Not to coin a phrase, but "do a Clarkson" and give him a slap from me. Nice one.

14 FEATURES

gairrhydd | FEATURES@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY OCTOBER 26 2009

Freshers: initiate this Initiations are now a big part of university clubs and societies. Are they just a rite of passage or something more sinister? Claire Harrington Features Writer

When thinking of initiation, the first things that come to mind are definitely alcohol, embarrassment and banter, all served in copious amounts. The stories that emerge year after year about initiations into various sports clubs and societies never fail to shock, and make people shiver at the thought of some of the delicacies that are served up, such as pints of maggots and pet food. Normally, all that remains the following day are a few unexplained cuts and bruises and a beastly hangover. However, every year following initiations, the morality behind these ceremonies is questioned. The National Union of Students (NUS), have been calling for a total ban on these rituals. It is easy to think that with the UK's reputation as a “binge drinking society” that initiations would be purely confined to Britain, but the trend originated from the USA.

The National Union of Students have called for a ban on initiations

In the USA, initiations are known as “hazing” and contain just as much, if not more alcohol consumption and bizarre rituals. This may help to explain why there has been a reported 89 deaths from hazing ceremonies in the USA. For example, last March, members of the Sigma Pho Epsilon fraternity, from Cal Poly Pomona University, blindfolded 14 new members and took them to a desert hazing. Even though this may sound tame, a member thought that it would be a bright idea to douse the bonfire with gasoline for “dramatic effect” forgetting that the students were blindfolded. As he did so, some gas splattered onto one of the blindfolded members which caused him to sustain second-degree burns on his arms, legs and chest. Although this seems like a genuine accident, some of the initiation ceremonies are not so innocent to start with. For instance, back in 2005, a fresher at Rajamangala University of Technology in Bangkok was forced through 10 days of rituals with other students, which included tugs of war with sexual or-

gans, setting pubic hair on fire and crawling along cement floors with his hands tied. With horror stories such as these, it is understandable that some freshers are refusing to even participate in trials to join the teams, as they fear what could happen in their initiation if they do succeed. In Britain, at least three students have been killed as a consequence of initiation ceremonies. One victim was 18-year-old Alex Doji of Staffordshire University, who choked to death on his own vomit in 2003. It is believed that this happened after he participated in a university rugby club initiation ceremony where he was made to pick deflated balloons out of a tub of dog food, chilli and offal. This is similar to an incident that occurred three years ago when Gavin Britton, a fresher at Exeter University, died from alcohol poisoning after his initiation into the golf society. He reportedly consumed four vodkas, three pints of cider, a glass of wine, numerous shots of sambuca, and finally ended in downing a pint of spirits. Last year, as a result of this incident, the university imposed a ban on initiation ceremonies. Gloucestershire University has also implemented a ban on these ceremonies after footage of an initiation was handed to the BBC last year. As part of the initiation students were dressed in Nazi style uniforms, wearing bin bags over their heads and vomiting in broad daylight whilst in public. Closer to home, a Cardiff University netball player has talked about her initiation which took place this term. Her initiation had a farm theme, where the freshers were dressed as pigs and paired with the second and third years who were dressed as farmers. Describing the effort that people had gone to with their costumes,

she commented, “one of the girls was dressed as a tractor, made from a cardboard box – it was brilliant” She explained how the pigs were lined up against the wall with their eyes shut, then the farmers threw a toy into a paddling pool filled with mud. Two of the pigs then jumped into the pool to search for the toy. She said that “my pig was well up for it and was laughing!” “The loser then had to have a drink through a funnel, which went through a pigs head”. As gruesome as this may sound, she stressed that “no one was forced to drink and everyone got to know each other better”. A member of the basketball committee recalled last year's inititiation; "Last year we tied a frozen fish to freshers' arms. As the evening progressed the fish melted, and the freshers were left stinking of fish." "One drunken fresher, when trying to pull a girl in Solus, tried desperately to scrub off the smell of trout with snakebite. Surprisingly enough he didn't manage to pull the girl." A second year law football player said that at his initiation, “the freshers started with a double shot of baileys in a pint of Guinness, which curdled and went lumpy”. He explained how at the begin-

SMASHED: do we drink too much on initiations? “It was a great way to meet new ning of the night, each fresher was given an egg to look after and that the people” she said. A second year student. who wished captain could ask to see it at any time. If they couldn’t show the egg the for- to remain anonymous. believes inifeit was 10 press ups, then a pint, fol- tiations have been unfairly criticised. “Initiations shouldn’t be banned belowed by 10 sit ups. “There was another game we cause they help build team spirit, replayed where everyone had a shot of lationships and teamwork between sambuca, and then the freshers had to students. It gives freshers a sense of pick a second or third year to be their tradition”. partner.” “We were then asked a question, and if we got it wrong, we had to have the shot, and if we got it right then they had to have the shot” he said. “It wasn’t too severe because it was only single shots” He added, “The boys said that if you didn’t want to do something, you didn’t have to.” A study that was conducted in 2004 “Everyone seemed to enjoy it”. A Cardiff second year described by Mike Tinmouth who was a student her joint Cheerleading and American officer at Southampton University, Football initiation which took place suggested that initiation ceremonies last year. The theme was pirates and were popular because they create a sailors, with the freshers dressed as sense of “humility”, and thus helped sailors while the second and third team building. It is a given that at an initiation, years were dressed as pirates. “They encouraged you to drink, but there will be alcohol, fancy dress and no one was forced”, was how she de- strange tasks. There will always be instances where it will be taken too far, scribed the pub crawl. “In each of the bars, we had to but the fact is that the aim behind the have a drink to spell cobra, which is majority of these ceremonies is to put the name of the American Football everyone into the same situation and to help them bond with one another, team.” “For ‘c’ you could have a cider, or and develop a sense of belonging at a coke, for ‘o’ you could have ouzo, University. and so on”.

"Initiations build team spirit... It gives freshers a sense of tradition"

OPINION 9

16 POLITICS

gairrhydd | POLITICS@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY OCTOBER 26 2009

Can Pakistan save the day?

As Pakistan is rocked by terrorist attacks, Ayushman Jamwal explains why we really should be worried

string of suicide bombs and militant attacks have rocked Pakistan and its major cities. They took place between the October 5 and 16 and were orchestrated by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, a Pakistan based terrorist organization. On October 5, the UN Food agency office in the capital Islamabad was bombed. In Ralwalpindi, on October 10, Pakistan’s army headquarters was attacked, followed by a 22-hour hostage situation. October 15, Lahore was hit by three simultaneous attacks on civilian and military administrative offices, and Peshawar was bombed three times on October 9, 15 and 16. All of these attacks have caused the deaths of over 150 soldiers and civilians. The TTP declared that the reason for the attacks was as a pre-emptive strike against Pakistan’s government, intended to halt their plans of a military incursion into the tribal South Waziristan area of Pakistan, which is their confirmed stronghold. Pakistan was planning to clear the area of terrorist camps after their successful campaign to liberate the Swat valley and the Malakand district that was previously under the TTP’s control. The recent revelation of a nexus existing between the TTP and extremists in Punjab emerged when it was discovered that five of the terrorists

involved in the attack on the army headquarters were Punjabi. According to Pakistani defense analyst, Dr. Hasan Askari Rizvi, there has been a rise in extremism in Punjab due to weak government control and the proliferation of certain Islamic schools or ‘madrassas’, leading to the creation of a sectarian and bigoted state of mind, mainly amongst the youth. These have made the province a fertile ground for terrorist recruitment for the TTP. Many cities in Pakistan are trapped within this nexus, which means attacks can be directed from many locations. However, the rampant attacks in the span of 11 days, have not disheartened the nation. Pakistan’s public has placed its support in the government, adamant that effective measures must be taken against all terrorist outfits within the nation.

Weak government control may have lead to a sectarian and bigoted state of mind Many analysts also see the reasons for the attacks as the TTP’s desperation, now at the brink of destruction. Pakistan’s security forces have engaged in nationwide sweeps of madrassas, inns, guesthouses, slums and Afghan neighbourhoods, arrest-

ing over 80 terror suspects and confiscating military equipment from various rented hideouts. The government has placed strict restrictions over the renting out of property and has urged its citizens to report any suspect behaviour. The campaign has been called a success following the capture of Aqeel, the mastermind behind the army headquarters attack, after the successful rescue operation. Since then, many TTP members have been arrested. Most importantly, even after being warned against entering South Waziristan, by the TTP, the army incursion began on October 17. The US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton and her British counterpart, David Miliband have both commended Pakistan’s government on their initiatives in curtailing domestic threats. The United States, however, feels that the TTP may have the capability of acquiring nuclear warheads from Pakistan’s nuclear installations. On October 16, US officials announced the provision of a $200 million military and services package to Pakistan to step up their combat against the militants in Waziristan. Similarly, China has also provided Pakistan with cutting edge surveillance and reconnaissance technology. Pakistan’s government has got to be ready for challenging times ahead. As the world focuses on the nation, it must successfully handle the civilian and military consequences of its campaign, to prove to the world that it is a

pivotal actor in the war against terrorism. South Waziristan is underdeveloped tribal territory where military convoys are easy marks for ambushes. According to Amnesty International, since July, more than 100,000 refugees have left Waziristan and more will follow as the conflict continues. Cities must be prepared to absorb such a displaced population. Moreover, the revelation of the terror nexus cre-

ates another hurdle in the anti-terror campaign. Yet Pakistan’s recent track record has impressed global powers. They recognize that terrorist outfits like the TTP are a major obstacle on the nation’s road towards consolidating democracy and stability in a volatile region. Dismantling the groups is in the interests of all nations and that is why we badly need them to be successful for all our sakes.

PAKISTANI SOLDIER: now where are those terrorists?

Time to question our tolerance

Nick Griffin, the leader of the BNP, appeared on Question Time on Thursday. Rhys Howells was watching attentively

fter much protest and outrage the BNP leader Nick Griffin appeared on Question Time on Thursday, alongside Justice Secretary Jack Straw, Baroness Warsi, Conservative, Chris Huhne, Liberal Democrat, and Playwright Bonnie Greer. But the drama started even before filming began. Protesters from Unite Against Fascism Arrived at the Television Center at around 2:20pm to begin their protests over the BBC's decision to have Nick Griffin appear on the show at all. Around 500 protesters turned up as the show began filming at 6:00pm (though usually live, the BBC decided to pre-record this version). Around 25 of these protesters gained access to the building following a surge of protesters at the main gate when it opened for a car to pass though. They were later removed by police and security staff. One protester was filmed saying,

“This is what they do to protect the Nazis. Shame on you BBC!” as she was dragged from the building. A total of 6 protesters were arrested, one of which was Martin Smith, a Unite Against Fascism national organiser. The disturbances were not limited to London: around 40 protesters demonstrated outside the BBC offices in Llandaff. Mark Byford, Deputy Director General of the BBC, defended the BBC earlier on in the day saying: "They should have the right to be heard, be challenged, and for the public who take part in Question Time and the viewers to make up their minds about the views of the BNP" Unsurprisingly the BNP's stance took up most of the debate. Subjects ranged from the Second World War, Islam, racial identity, what counts as an indigenous population, and immigration. Nick Griffin performed like a true

politician, weaseling his way out of answering yes or no questions, and fighting off alledged misquotations attributed to him, despite solid claims to the contrary, His performance has been accepted as very poor.

"This is what you do to protect the Nazis. Shame on you BBC" “The lies Nick Griffin told in the past have caught up with him today, and I think he's going to be found out for the liar he is”, said an American member of the audience after the show. A highlight of the show was Nick Griffin claiming he “couldn't explain” just why he said he denied the holocaust as part of a statement outside court in 1998, Or why he changed his mind just because of European laws. A

moved which shocked both panelists and the audience. Jack Straw came to his aid saying: “There is no law here which stops you explaining yourself”. Jack Straw also promised protection from French and German Courts so Nick Griffin could explain himself. Mr Griffin went on to say he changed his mind because of radio intercepts by the British in World War II. David Dimbleby also attacked Nick Griffin about a quote he made while with the Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke: “If you put that [Getting rid of all the coloured people from Britain] as your solo aim to start with you're going to get absolutely nowhere” Mr Griffin failed to address the concerns that he was putting up a moderate front to gain support for more extreme views. The key question to be answered is what happens next to Nick Griffin and the BNP? Nick Griffin's poor performance may be questioned by

the party. According to Bonnie Greer Nick Griffin was trembling during the show as he sat next to her. The BNP will still receive media coverage and is not going away soon, but it could also lose a lot of support following this episode. When immigration was being discussed Baroness Warsi said: “We will listen, don't turn to the BNP” as she discussed the merits of an imigration cap with Jack Straw. So it's possible that we will start to see a change within the mainstream parties as well, with them adopting more moderate versions of BNP policy to combat extremism. Nick Griffin hoped that this could launch the Party into the mainstream. This seems unlikely. As Bonnie Greer summed up: “The British people have too much common sense”

gair ydd | POLITICS@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY OCTOBER 26 2009

Fight for our rights! Or not

With the Post Office going on strike, two writers debate whether we should put up with strikers taking control of our country Oli Franklin - Against Camille Lavoix - For

he Royal Mail went on strike on Thursday, having already taken industrial action on multiple occasions earlier this year. We can complain about not being able to receive our letters for a day or two, but the postal workers (and strikers in general) deserve our support. Surely everyone can agree about the lack of decency of the £3m-a-year chief executive who complains about the ‘unjustified and irresponsible’ industrial conflict without acknowledging that there might be a good reason for his poorly-paid employees to protest? Not everyone, obviously, since the government recently commented on the proposed postal strike, describing it as “irrevocably damaging” for the reputation of Royal Mail. It’s important to remember that no representative – even the Labour ones subsidised by the trade unions - is standing up for better working conditions and salaries for postal workers. The only institution doing its job is the Communication Workers' Union (CWU). Who can blame them for feeling that they have been abandoned? They offered a peace deal to the management that was refused. The CWU was forced to take action. As far as they are concerned, they had no choice. The other stakeholder who should be playing a role is simply each of us. Postal worker or not, we should defend one of the last symbols of the public sector in the UK. Going on strike is the sign of a

deep political problem. Our leaders give conferences and claim to ‘back up the union’s call’ but have failed to ensure that the Royal Mail stays in the boundaries of the law. The management will be hiring double the 15,000 temporary staff it usually takes to tackle the seasonal increase. They must have forgotten that employing extra people to do the work of staff who are on strike is illegal. Ironically, there might be some hope: it takes a lot for the public to be concerned and all these illegal actions, political betrayals (Business Secretary Lord Mandelson to not mention any names), colossal salary gap and so on might frustrate the general public and shake the government up a little bit. We might even benefit from this strike.

ow it seems I have to play devil’s advocate in this debate. Not that I’ve got the short straw – much as the liberal student in me can empathise with the Communications Workers' Union over the postal strikes, at the same time I think that their actions have been naïve and will do more harm than good. At the heart of the debate lies the key issue of modernisation and pay. As technologies advance, the move towards a more efficient Royal Mail is vital to keep it competitive when faced against new technologies and competition from the private sector. The CWU must accept that modernisation and efficient cuts are a necessity to keep the Royal Mail afloat, because

let’s be honest: right now it is dead in the water.

The CWU has got to accept that modernisation and cuts are a necessity The strike has got them the media attention they wanted, but not in a positive light. The CWU’s handling of the industrial action has lead to a venomous outcry against the Royal Mail rather than towards it, for understandable reasons. In the current economic climate, the whole work force is suffering pay difficulties, with pay freezes, cuts, and redundancies rife. The strike action has only made this

worse, hurting businesses around the country in a needless and selfish act that is frankly an insult to workers in other sectors. After all, the Royal Mail must accept the difficulties faced by all of us. The key issue surrounds job security – an understandable worry, of course. The CWU need to face facts though. The machinery they are opposing, which would work out the most efficient routes for postmen, is a cost saving measure and more efficient than the employees currently used for the same purpose. In order to keep the Royal Mail in its current form, moves like this are necessary. The Royal Mail has estimated the number of letters and parcels it delivers is dropping over 10% a year, with the rise of new technology. Despite this, in 2008 the Royal Mail made a profit for the first time, precisely due to cuts of this nature. Without these moves, it will be forced to shut down, leaving the door open for the private sector to increase costs and meaning the demise of one of the last great British symbols. These strikes are futile and selfish, and need to stop. Unfortunately, I can see the government giving in before the postmen do.

What do you think? Have your say at www.gairrhydd.com

STRIKERS: love them or hate them?

How to fill space in a newspaper Damian Fantato ponders a question faced by all editors, and shares some private thoughts too

’m not going to lie to you. There should have been a different article here. The only problem is that the person who was supposed to write it didn’t send it to me. So now it’s just you and me. Well. This sure is awkward, isn’t it? The worst thing is that as I write this, there is very little going on in the world. I had intended to write an article about something in the news today. Alas, there’s bugger all. I'm looking at the news and there's nothing. Nada. Zilch. Well, there are some things going on: The US Congress has given the green light for the inmates of Guan-

tanamo Bay to be given a trial on US soil. This means that the detention centre may be closed by January 22, which was Obama’s deadline. The problem is that Congress has only given permission for the inmates to be tried in the USA, which leads me to wonder what will happen to the 200odd prisoners if they are found guilty. In fact, they are not even allowed to stay in the US if they are acquitted and no country is prepared to let them in. Well, China is, but China is also renowned for the amount of persecution to which resident Muslims are subjected. Swings and roundabouts. Berlusconi’s been at it again. He called a female politician “more beau-

tiful than intelligent” on live TV. If all else fails, Silvio will give us news. 100,000 Italian women have signed a petition complaining about this sexist remark. How are they still surprised? For the sake of your political education, I have enclosed a picture of Berlusconi that recently leaked onto the Internet. I think you might like it, but don't worry: I've saved his blushes. Alistair Darling, the Chancellor, has announced that borrowing is the best way to get out of the recession. I don't know why, but I already had a hunch that he might think that. It's alright for him: he's not going to have to pay off the debt. I don't know about you, but I relish the thought of pay-

ing off all that juicy debt. Don't worry, there'll be an election soon. Oh. Shit.. I suppose there's some good news from Afghanistan. There's going to be an election run-off between the current President, Hamid Karzai, and his closest opponent. A bit of democracy never did anyone any harm, and at least Karzai admitted that he didn't necessarily win the election outright. Watch this space for the results of the rigged election runoff. Right. I've filled up all the space that I needed to fill up now, so I'll see you next week. Or not. It depends really whether all my contributors send me their articles or not. Hope you enjoyed the section.

SATIRE

08 OPINION

LETTERS 19

gairrhydd | LETTERS@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY OCTOBER 26 2009

the Comments from the week’s news, opinion, features and sport at www.gairrhydd.com

Going, going, John jjonathan...

The Chaplaincy is not university property. An easliy checked fact. This crowing article only quotes Mr Harding in context, while repeating the offenive culmanly against an elderly minister. He is quite old, and the catholic church does retire it’s ministers. Did you ask the Church or John Owen why he is going, No. Of course this comment won’t be printed in GR, as neither were the vast majority of supportive coments towards the traduced John Owen. The chaplain is not an employee of the university. There are a large body of Catholic students, who have rights. Whilst some may wish Universities to be re-education camps, deviod of sprituality. The human rights will be protected by the university and by the law domestic, european and international. Jamie... ‘Did you ask the Church or John Owen why he is going, No’ I believe Gareth did in fact ask. Father Owen had no comment to make (I think), and the Archdiocese of Cardiff is quoted in the article. The chaplain isn’t an employee of the University, but I think it’s fair to say that the University has some responsibility to ensure that someone who works on University property (as I understand his office is) providing a service to University students

is someone suitable for the role. (I’m not commenting on whether Fr. John is or isn’t suitable here, by the way, just saying that it’s relevant even if he isn’t employed by the Uni) If you could point me to where anyone advocates the University being devoid of spirituality in the article it’d be appreciated. Otherwise I’ll assume that part of your comment is sheer trash. I agree with you that GR should have included some of the website comments in support of Fr. John, though. Gareth... The article states that Fr. John Owen handed in his resignation, which was accepted by the archdiocese of Cardiff. I was frankly not interested in pressing him further for his reasons why, as the article is more interested in how his comments were dealt with by the University. In this article I was not attempting to attack Fr. Owen, but simply update students on the story, many of whom would not have heard about this issue. The article is focused on the University’s handling of Fr. John Owen after the University was criticised for acting slowly, if this did not come across I can only apologise. Samuel... Gareth - Hi, thanks for your

article. I have to say that as a member of the very large student congregation who attends the chaplaincy every Sunday, it’s upsetting to see this once again brought to the front page of gair rhydd. All the same, I thank you on reporting facts without the strong hateful bias of those columnists who first wrote on the issue last year. You are right in that the university don’t employ the chaplain. Maybe it would’ve been better on all sides if they had declared a stance, whether to support Fr Owen, or to condemn the remarks. Those of us who saw the programme realise that the comment Fr John made, was insignificant, though wrong in principle. The chaplaincy is a strong community. There are provisions made not just for Catholics, but also for Anglicans and Methodists. Many students and societies (and likewise non-students) greatly benefit from the facilities, events, and services on offer, and sad though these events have been, the Chaplaincy and Catholic Society will no doubt remain stronger because of them. P.S. – Jamie, Fr John’s office isn’t Uni property, it belongs to the archdiocese. Jamie... Samuel – apologies, I didn’t know his office was owned by the archdiocese.

forum

He’s still a representative of the University, though, as Adam points out.

comments, I think there is sufficient ambiguity that outright condemnation of the man is unreasonable.

James...

Scott...

To Adam – the problem is that, in fact, nothing was said that was explicitly homophobic. I appreciate that homophobia was easily inferred, especially given that Fr. John is Catholic, but I – and many others – are unsure as to whether it was ever implied. Certainly Fr John made some very ill-advised comments, given the context and the subject matter, and on these grounds I think it may be fair to question his suitability to occupy such a prominent position as he did. Further, for whatever reason the chaplain chose to associate homosexuality within the church with sex with minors, there is a point to be made on the subject – being that through what basically constituted the social persecution and non-acceptance of homosexuals in Catholic societies, and the requirements of catholic ministry, many homosexuals did indeed join the catholic clergy. As to what happens when you repress and persecute a sexuality for many years/decades through shame or worse, I would not really like to speculate here; it sufficing to say that there is a very real issue to be considered. Again, I accept that Fr John may simply be the homophobic bigot that you assume, but purely based on his

James those are for really the first time fair and decent assessment of Fr John’s comment.

Dying for the answer Joshua Scaife... This is a really relevant topic at the moment, and I think the legality of these drugs should be questioned: does enhanced alertness constitute an unfair advantage over the normal student? Surely it does. Therefore to allow them to be used corrupts the system. Equally there’ll probably be some harmful long term effects as you’ve said. Thanks for raising this. James Carr... Yeh it was ok….smart drugs suk Jonathan Bird...

Physical excersise and good nutrition, rememains the safest and best way to stomatically (by phyiscal effects on the body) enhance your brains performance. By the way Concerta is approved for adult ADD.

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20 TAF-OD

gairrhydd | TAFOD@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY OCTOBER 26 2009

Bywyd yn yr ail flwyddyn Branwen Hefin Mathias Taf-od Editor

Unwaith eich bod yn dechrau byw mewn ty yn hytrach na neuadd breswyl y Brifysgol, fel arfer ar ddechrau’r ail flwyddyn, digon buan y dewch ar draws y problemau sy'n codi, er enghraifft delio gyda'r perchennog. Pan ddeuthum i a'm ffrindiau i'n ty teras ddiwedd Medi (ar ol talu am fis Awst, wrth gwrs, er nad oeddem yno) roedd disgwyl i ni beintio un o'r waliau ein hunain a hyd yn oed gosod rheilen ar gyfer llenni. Llenni, pa lenni? Ni ddarparwyd llenni yn fy ystafell wely i o gwbl, doedd dim wardrob ac roedd yr unig gadair yn fy stafell yn gwbl annigonol. A phan ofynnodd fy ffrind am lenni ar gyfer ei hystafell hithau yn yr atig ateb y perchennog oedd i osod poster dros y ffenest. Yna, ar ol inni wneud copïau o’r allweddi fe benderfynodd e newid y cloeon felly roedd rhaid gwneud copïau newydd gan bod yr hen rai’n gwbl ddiwerth! Mae byw mewn ty yn brofiad hollol newydd; mae llawer o gyfrifoldebau i ddelio a nhw – hunanddisgyblaeth, talu biliau mewn pryd, cyd-fyw a pharchu arferion pobl eraill, cynnal a chadw’r ty –siopa a choginio, golchi

llestri, golchi dillad, newid y bins, cadw’r lle yn lân a thaclus! Ond mae digon o hwyl i’w gael hefyd ac ambell ddigwyddiad anffodus. Mae myfyrwyr yn dargedau hawdd. Mae’n rhaid bod yn ofalus gyda phwy bynnag sy’n cnocio ar eich drysau! Er enghraifft, daeth rhywun draw i’n stryd ni o’r Ymddiriedolaeth Gwn, (mae hon yn stori wir), gwraig garedig a dymunol a ofynnodd yn gwrtais am nawdd i gwn sy’n dioddef o greulondeb. Mae hi a’i thebyg yn targedu pobl ifanc yn fwriadol, gan eu hannog i wneud cyfraniad misol na fedrant ei fforddio! Peidiwch a chwympo i’r rhwyd fel wnes i! Ond na phoener, gellir cysylltu a’ch banc i ganslo’r taliad. Rhaid cofio sicrhau tocyn parcio swyddogol os ydych am adel car y tu allan i’r ty am ychydig funudau hyd yn oed, neu bydd warden traffig yn rhoi tocyn dirwy ar ffenest eich car tra’ch bod chi’n galw i mewn am i ddadlwytho pethau o adref yn ystod y gwyliau. (Do, fe ddigwyddodd hyn i fi hefyd!) Mae’n rhaid magu annibyniaeth ymhellach yn yr ail flwyddyn yn y Brifysgol. Rydych yn sylweddoli bod y cyfrifoldebau hyn yn pwyso arnoch, ac mae’n rhaid bod yn ofalus gydag arian a bod ar y blaen gyda’r gwaith a’r darllen a sicrhau eich bod yn codi

mewn pryd i gyrraedd seminar erbyn naw. Mae’r rhyddid gennych i wneud yr hyn a fynnoch; fodd bynnag, mae’n rhaid rheoli’ch amser yn gyfartal rhwng cymdeithasu a gweithio. Mae’r amser yn hedfan, ac mae’r pwysau gwaith yn cynyddu, felly rhaid bod yn

ofalus, ac yn wyliadwrus o’ch sefyllfa. Daw cyfrifoldebau eraill i’ch rhan, profiadau ardderchog fel cadeirio’r gymdeithas Sbaeneg, y Gym-gym a llu o gymdeithasau eraill, derbyn rol megis ysgrifennydd neu drysorydd i gor enwog y Waun Ddyfal, a hyd yn

Diogi yn y lolfa: croeso i fywyd yr ail flwyddyn

oed ysgrifennu erthyglau ar gyfer Taf-od yn y gair rhydd! Mae cymaint o bethau i’w gwneud, ond mae’n wych, gan eich bod yn gyfarwydd a phopeth, ac yn nabod eich cyfoedion a’r darlithwyr llawer gwell.

gairrhydd | SCIENCE@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY OCTOBER 26 2009

SCIENCE & ENVIRONMENT 21

Being green on a budget Everyone's feeling the pinch so here are some tips on staying green while watching the purse strings Natalia Popova Reporter In the run up to the Copenhagen Climate Talks, all eyes are on the governments. But it’s not just Obama and Co who can make a change. You can too! I hear you thinking: “Why would you want to, it’s all so expensive and costs so much effort!” Well, I won’t tell you to get a solar panel or wind turbine. These methods are not expensive, need minimal effort and will save you money! Think less impact on the environment and more money in your pocket. Switch to energy saving bulbs. A while ago companies such as E.ON and Philips were giving them out for free but now the government has asked them to stop by the end of this year, as nobody was buying them anymore.

Use the white and green bags. Why? Because they are free and the black ones aren't They are now stuck with thousands of bulbs, so if you have a look in W H Smith, Poundland or Home Bargains they’re selling them for between 10 and 50 pence a pop. They will last for over a year and save you a fair penny. Buy your fruit and vegetables from your Uni Co-op. Order online at www.sife-cardiff. co.uk before 1PM on a Thursday to pick up your fruit, vegetables, stir-fry or salad-bag on the following Tues-

Saving you money while looking tough day. For £3 you will get a variable selection of whatever is available. No plastic bags and you get a lot for your money. Bring your own bags to shops. A lot of them will reward you with extra points on your loyalty card. Well worth it after a couple of months! Use the white and green bags. Why? Because they are free and the black ones aren’t. If you put your recyclable plastic, glass and paper in the green bags and your food waste in the white bags, you’ve hardly got anything left to put in the black ones. Okay, this just saves you a couple of pounds a year, but a couple of pounds is just enough for an extra pint! Re-use paper Bit obvious, but scribbling some-

thing on the back of a printed page will save trees and pennies. Put a hippo in your toilet. No, seriously, take a plastic bottle (with its lid on) and put it in your toilet’s cistern and watch your water-bill decrease, month after month. Install an eaga ShowerSmart. Basically it’s a tiny piece of metal you put at the base of your showerhose. It reduces the water flow by an unnoticeable amount. The only thing you will notice is, once again, a reduced water-bill. You can often get them free via Student Beans and various other sites. Get on your bike. Don’t have a bike? Get one. The average second hand bike in Cardiff will cost you £35 pounds. That’s 4.5 return trips to town by taxi. And you

can take your bike right to where you want to go usually meaning an extra 10 minutes in bed every morning. Plus it’ll keep you fit! Or if you just fancy the odd day ride register with the Cardiff Bike Scheme at www. oybike.com. Pick up a bike from one of the 10 locations and around the city and return it back later to any bike point. Stop buying bottled water. Seriously! It’s your tap water, in a plastic bottle. Might as well get a reusable bottle and fill it up at home. Close your windows when the heating is on. I won't bore you with the physics, but the hot air does escape. So keep yourself warm with the windows closed!

Placebo mystery solved The effects of placebos are not 'all in the mind' Priya Raj Science Editor A placebo is a fake medical intervention. For example, a patient is given an inert sugar pill, told that it may improve his/her condition, but not told that it is in fact medication. Such an intervention may cause the patient to believe the treatment will be helpful and this belief often materializes into substance. If you thought the placebo effect was all in the mind, then perhaps think again. Scientists may have solved the mystery of why many people around the world claim to benefit from remedies that do not contain any active

pain-relief ingredients. The study published in the journal Science, reported how volunteers received laser “pinpricks” to their hands. The volunteers were told that a pain-relief cream had been applied to one of their hands and a control cream to the other. But unknown to the volunteers, an identical control cream was administered to both hands. When people believed that they had received the active cream, they reported feeling 25 per cent less pain and showed significantly reduced activity in the spinal cord pathway that processes pain. The authors suggest this evidence that placebos may work by blocking pain signals from the spinal cord to the brain.

When patients expect a treatment to be effective the brain area responsible for pain control is activated, causing the release of natural endorphins. The endorphins send instructions down to the spinal cord which block any pain signals on their way to the brain. As a result, patients often feel much better regardless of whether the treatment had any specific action. These ongoing events in the brain are similar to the way opioid drugs, such as morphine, work — providing further evidence that the placebo effect is grounded in physiology. The finding strengthens the argument that many established medical treatments derive part of their effectiveness from the patients’ expectation

that the drugs will make them better. The latest studies on antidepressants suggest that at least 75 per cent of the benefit comes from the placebo effect. GP's also observe that patients report feeling better only days after being prescribed antidepressants, even though the direct effects take several weeks to kick in. However, the use of a placebo remains highly controversial. Many doctors feel it conflicts directly with the Hippocratic Oath and the integrity of the doctor-patient relationship. In addition, whilst this study may suggest otherwise, there is not enough evidence to ever consider administering a placebo as the primary treatment option.

Newsbites

Cardiff tumour research awarded A researcher from Cardiff’s Institute of Medical Genetics has won the Welsh Livery Guild’s Merit Award for his research on therapy for Tuberous Sclerosis Complex. Tuberous Sclerosis is an inherited disorder which can lead to tumours in various organs of the body and cause epilepsy and autism. Dr Mark Davies’ work was part of a PhD Clinical Research Fellowship with the Wales Gene Park. He tested whether the drug rapamycin may be able to compensate when genes are not working properly. The treatment led to a reduction in the size of kidney tumours in all of the 16 patients that took part in the trial.

Cardiff activists swoop A group of 20 people from Cardiff University joined over 900 others at the ‘Climate Swoop’ last weekend at Radcliffe On Soar Power Station near Nottingham. The Swoop aimed to highlight UK coal’s involvement in climate change. There were several blocks of activists including some who tried to break into the power station and shut it down and Footsteps to the Future who held a peaceful demo outside the power station. Some activists did manage to get into the power station and there were around 50 arrests made. The police clashed with activists, at times using police dogs. There were injuries to protestors and police.

Stingless wasp found in kent A new stingless wasp has been found in Kent, England and named Encarsia Aleurochitonis. The wasp, which is native to Britain, is a parasite which lays eggs in the live bodies of whitefly. When the eggs hatch inside the whitefly the larvae eat the host insect from inside and emerge as adult wasps. The wasps attack only one host species which prevents them from getting out of control and becoming pests.

Green election candidate criticises Councillor Leader of the Wales Green Party and Cardiff election candidate, Jake Griffiths has criticised Plaid Cymru Councillor Nick McEvoy for his support of the proposed International Business Park at Junction 33 on the M4 which he feels would compromise Cardiff’s Green Belt. At a public meeting about protecting the green belt Griffiths said, “If it gets the go ahead it will give the green light to developers wishing to build on the green belt to work that bit harder to get their proposals through.” McEvoy has however proposed a campaign group to oppose residential developments in the green belt but Griffiths referred to this as a “smoke screen”.

22 JOBS & MONEY

gairrhydd | JOBS@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY OCTOBER 26 2009

Students: apply now, play later

Jobs and Money speak to interview guru and industry expert David Baker about how to increase your chances of employment Katie Greenway Jobs and Money Editor Thousands of hopeful students are losing out on the chance of their dream job – because they are not being pro-active enough and applying now. That’s according to interview and industry expert David Baker, who has 15 years of experience placing graduates in jobs. While some companies such as BT are cutting back on graduate employment others, including Barclays and Microsoft, are creating new placements. “It is difficult to get on to a graduate scheme,” says Baker, MD of interview training firm Evolutions. “However, with the government backing internships and the private sector on the up, many companies are again seeking out top graduates to join their

teams. But it’s vital to get in there early.” Baker is encouraging students to apply now rather than leave it until their Christmas holidays. “A common mistake students make is to leave job applications until their essay deadlines and exams are over,” says Baker. “They need to realise that the majority of graduate schemes for 2010 close in November and December. The application process for these schemes is long and gruelling and it is vital University students learn how to stand out.” Evolutions supplies graduates with one-to-one bespoke interview training and guidance ensuring they give the best account of themselves in interviews. “Evolutions’ training re-builds their self-assurance and teaches them how to make their talents and enthusiasm shine.”

Evolutions’ two-day programmes are run across the UK and candidates receive feedback and role-play recordings from the course. Candidates are also provided with Evolutions’ ongoing coaching and support through over-the-phone advice from trainers until they land the job they deserve. What are your top three tips for preparing for an interview? From the moment you know you have an interview you should prepare for it. Research is key, research the company, the interviewer and questions that may be raised...You need to be confident you are ready. The only way to achieve this is by doing the research. What can you do to make an interview go your way? How can you turn a difficult question to your advantage? Do you have any hints

on ways to answer questions that make you look good? The most difficult questions are meant to expose our weaknesses, a common one being "What are your weaknesses?" Never say you don't have any, everybody has weaknesses. Instead choose an example beforehand then explain what you have done or are doing to rectify it. This demonstrates that you are aware of your shortfalls but you don't just accept them and are willing do what is needed to put them right. This takes us right back to the importance of preparation. Tell me why the training is worth the money? The cost covers many aspects you will not find in other courses. The course is tailored to the candidates’ skills and aspirations.

Each candidate receives one-to-one interview training and expert’s feedback. ‘Evolutions’ uses psychometric profiling techniques and the use of filmed role-play with actors to sharpen graduate interview skills. Each candidate will be given recordings of the course so they can visually see and understand what they need to improve on. Individuals can increase their chances of interview success by 70 per cent and the course will benefit them for the rest of their careers. The course costs £129.78 and it runs in Cardiff. However if you are the type of person that learns by doing, and wants an interactive experience of preparing for interview, this scheme may well be the one for you.

NEWS 03

24 LISTINGS

Listen to Listings It’s a pity as a student that we begin to see the consequences of our antics. Our care-free lives are being prodded by big pointy sticks carved from the tree that money doesn’t grow from. As a student in financial turmoil, I live in fear of the knowledge that my next two years at uni will further my problems significantly. To put a figure on it, these problems will be equal to or greater than £13,000. Ouch. The following may help you to roll around in a £20 note or two at the end of the year. 1: Food wise; shop before closing time on a Sunday – I once picked up about 50 ridiculously reduced Richmond sausages and froze them – they lasted me for months! Also find the magical reduced trolley in Tesco! Alternatively… freeganise (Google it). 2: Don’t be tricked into long, seemingly irrefutable phone contracts - pay as you go. (And not to advertise or anything, but ORANGE! Think of the cinema…) 3: When you inevitably stumble into Chippy lane after a messy night, ‘chip’ in with your mates and order over the free delivery limit. You might just bag yourself a free lift home. 4: Sign up to the union Jobshop – rather than being committed to a part time job you probably haven’t got time for, you can pick up an odd job now and again. It’s easy enough, just go in with your passport! 5: Don't go to Dublin. Trust me.

gairrhydd | LISTINGS@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY OCTOBER 26 2009

YOUR INDEPENDENT LISTINGS GUIDE Monday

26th October GARY MOORE, St David's Hall, £26.50 Bask in the man of Thin Lizzy fame featured in this week’s Quench as he twangs out his latest blues-rock recordings. Catch him before he runs to the world of Celtic rock! FUN FACTORY, Solus, FREE Once again, Monday relies on Fun Factory to provide some fun. Like always, it's free to get in for Cardiff Students. It's difficult to say no to this great alternative night at the Union. CARDBOARD DAD, All week, Sherman Theatre, £10 Have you ever felt alone, wondering if your Dad was the only Dad in the world made of cardboard? Whether this is fictional or not, this is something you can finally relate to. Alan Harris's bitter-sweet comedy tells the tale of a woman who realises that second best is never good enough.

Tuesday

Wednesday

LMS BUSKATHON, Student’s Union. LMS are capable of organising great music events, most notably the success of Battle of the Bands. Today they are in conjunction with Oxjam as everyone is welcome to show off in open mic sessions. Featuring a special guest. Ooooh!

BFG, New Theatre, Cardiff, from £8. Running until Saturday, this production of Roald Dahl’s classic is sure to take you back. For only £8, it is a big friendly bargain.

27th October

FRANK TURNER, Great Hall, £10 One man and his guitar will keep you entertained for what is surely the Union’s bargain of the month. With an unimpressionable shouty yet superb voice, the girls love him and the guys want to be him. COMEDY CLUB, CF10, £4 I know, I won’t have heard of him either, but I’ve never been disappointed after a CF10 comedy night. Except that time when he called me a prick and everyone laughed… CHIC BEAT, Revolution, £3 The brightest night of your life is looming, so get out the glowsticks, UV paint and ridiculous fluorescent socks… its Chic Beat.

28th October

DISCOUNT NIGHT, Yupi Bar, FREE Chart, dance, funk. Free. If this is what you're into, get the funk down and dance to all the tunes you like. SUPA SUPA, Barfly, £1. Bassy indie electro dubstep mashup fare. Cheap and cheerful but still a great night! Barfly have some awesome drinks deals too, so if you are counting your pennies already, this is one for you. CLUB NME CARDIFF Presents: Youves, Buffalo, £3/FREE CLUB NME is back for another week. Expect indie/electro/dance with some of the best DJs in Cardiff. Strangeknife and Andy Johnson will be spinning tunes after a blinding set by Youves! ROBINA SAMUDDIN @ Council Chambers Tempe of Peace, FREE Robina Samuddin gives a talk on Muslim culture from a female perspective. Starts at 7.30pm

Although it is as boring as staring at a sleeping walnut, unless of course you are an economics student, making a budget is an idea worth trying. The uni’s student finance offices on Park Place will also give you some helpful advice – that’s their job!

Students’ Union, Park Place, 02920 387421 www.cardiffstudents.com ◆ Med Club, Neuadd Meirionydd, Heath Park 02920 744948 ◆ Clwb Ifor Bach ros, Bakers Row 02920 399939 www.clubmetropolitan.com ◆ Dempseys, Castle Street 02920 252024 ◆ Move, 7 Mill Lane 02920 225592 ◆ Jazz, 21 St. Mary Street 02920 387026 www.cafejazzcardiff.com ◆ The Riverbank Hotel, Despenser Street www.riverbankjazz.co.uk ◆ St. David’s Hall, Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay 0870 0402000 www.wmc.org.uk ◆ The New Theatre, Park Place 02920 878889 www.newtheatrecardiff.co.uk ◆ The Cardiff International Arena, Mary Ann Street 02920 224488 ◆ The Millennium Stadium Can’t miss it. www.millenniumstadium.com ◆ Tiger Tiger

LISTINGS 25

gairrhydd | LISTINGS@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY OCTOBER 26 2009

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

30th October

31st October

WHOLE LOTTA LED, The Globe, £12. There must be hundreds of Led Zeppelin tribute bands out there, and I’ve seen three. This is one of them, and they were by far the best. By that logic… see you there!

THE WURZELS, Globe, £12. My parents once dressed up as the Wurzels on New Year’s Eve, and I’ve never enjoyed it since. So if you want the day before Halloween to haunt you forever, get off to the Globe, my handsome.

HALLOWEEN AT THE CASTLE, £4. Just like they did in Medieval times, you could be locked in a castle for Halloween. It’s not the most looming of castles, and you probably won’t see a public hanging, but the spirit of it is all there. For those of you who are just too grown up for trick or treat.

OKTOBERFEST, Chapter Arts Centre, Free (until Saturday) With only one German beer making an appearance at the Union’s Oktoberfest recently, I promptly left with a pang of Nazi rage brewing up inside me. But this one sounds promising! Prost! (It means cheers).

COOL HOUSE, Koko Gorillaz, £8NUS This will be Sven Weisemann’s first visit to Cardiff, but I’ve been told to tell you to go and rave to his 3 hour DJ set, doused in all the fake blood and streamers you can find, and make up for the crap name that Koko’s have given this night.

CLUD – Clwb Ifor Bach, £8/10 CLUD stands for Cardiff Luminous Underground Disco, and it ooks well worth checking out. With DJ’s to be confirmed, it’s a psytrance bosh session for Halloween. Don't forget to get your Clwb loyalty card too!

SHOUT OUT LOUD, Great Hall, £12 Miss Dynamite and and a whole host of massive talent grace the Great Hall. At £12 it might become a little pricey (after you have bought your Halloween costume), but if you have the coppers handy, it will be an amazing night!

29th October

REGINALD D HUNTER, Glee Club, £12 A natural storytelling with an endless supply of funny, intelligent and moving material, guaranteed to keep you involved all night. Don't miss out on this if you're a comedy fan! DISCORD PRESENTS: The Last Republic, Barfly, £5 Epic power rock indie with the slick and far reaching appeal of bands like Radiohead and Coldplay. CYNT, Clwb Ifor Bach, £3 It is hard to leave this night out of listings, as it still remains one of the best nights out in Cardiff. Cheap drinks all night, cheap entry and some big tunes. With special guest DJs almost every week, it certainly is set to be a good choice.

BOOMBOX VS VOODOO, Solus, £3 Boombox carries on its great run of great DJ sets with rumours of Passion Pit coming down! This night is in association with Southern Comfort and its new brand - VOODOO! Expect a total decor make-over with Halloween definately on the tarrot cards.

Sunday

1st November OXJAM FASHION, Buffalo, £5 Explore the rather studenty idea of second hand fashion from 6.30pm. Doubling up as a music festival, this will be another good Oxjam night. ISOC 5-a-SIDE FOOTBALL, UWIC From 4pm at the Cyncoed campus, ISOC will be holding a 5-a-side tournament for charity. Also look out for them during the week around the Union, and on Queen Street. LAUNCH PARTY, Mr Smith's Mr Smith lives at 34 Woodville Road. Mr Smith's, previously the Funky Buddha Lounge is a new lounge bar from the people who brought you Buffalo and 10 Feet Tall, nominated for the best in contemporary degign. THE SPECIALS, CIA, FROM £59 Coventry's The Specials are without doubt the definitive band of their generation. In the late 70s and early 80s they pioneered the new British ska sound and racked up 7 top 10 hits whilst exerting an influence on the fledgling genre that is beyond measure. Now reformed to celebrate their 30th anniversary with original members Terry Hall, Neville Staple, Sir Horace Gentleman, Roddy Radiation, Lynval Golding and John Bradbury.

(The Welsh Club), 11 Womanby Street 02920 232199 www.clwb.net ◆ Barfly, Kingsway, Tickets: 08709070999 www.barflyclub.com/cardiff ◆ MetIncognito, Park Place 02920 412190 ◆ Liquid, St. Mary Street 02920645464 ◆ The Philharmonic, 76-77 St. Mary Street 02920 230678 ◆ Café The Hayes 02920 878444 www.stdavidshallcardiff.co.uk ◆ Chapter Arts Centre, Market Road, Canton 02920 304400 www.chapter.org ◆ Wales Sherman Theatre, Senghennydd Road 02920 646900 www.shermantheatre.co.uk ◆ The Glee Club, Mermaid Quay 0870 2415093 www.glee.co.uk ◆ Greyfriar's Road 02920 391944 www.tigertiger.co.uk ◆ Tommy’s Bar, Howard Gardens (off Newport Road) 02920 416192 ◆

26 FEATURES

gairrhydd | FEATURES@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY MAY 18 2009

FIVE MINUTE FUN 27

crossword. sudoku.

gairrhydd | FMF@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY OCTOBER 26 2009

EASY

MEDIUM

Across

Down

1. Undestroyable (14) 10. Apportion (5) 11. Abundant wealth (9) 12. Twirl (7) 13. Hot sauce (7) 14. Mill (5) 16. A preserve made of the rind of citrus fruits (9) 19. Pertaining to pharmaceuticals (9) 20. Young sheep (5) 22. Demolish (7) 25. Deer meat (7) 27. A tiredness of the eyes (9) 28. Blade (5) 29. A caretaker (14)

2. Negated (9) 3. Outer or exterior (5) 4. Shopkeeper or craftsman (9) 5. Unsound (5) 6. A small version of a larger image (9) 7. Incentive (5) 8. Something very ugly and offensive (7) 9. Riffraff (6) 15. Interior designer (9) 17. Pertinence (9) 18. The right to enter (9) 19. Insanity (7) 21. Shakespearean verse (6) 23. Nap (5) 24. Desire strongly (5) 26. Nude (5)

HARD

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40 SPORT

THE WORD ON - SPORT 29 Is Jenson Button a deserving Formula 1 World Champion? Sports Editor Joe Davies thinks he is... Jake Yorath disagrees gairrhydd | SPORT@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY OCTOBER 26 2009

YES

So Jenson Button has become Britain’s tenth Formula One World Champion – and in doing so the first Briton to succeed another at the pinnacle of motor sport since 1969 – but there are seemingly a lot of people who wish to question whether or not he is a deserving and worthy champion. Personally, I think he is as deserving as any other previous F1 World Champion, and in some cases maybe even more so. This year Button won six of the first seven races. No other driver has been at the top of the drivers’ table at any stage this season. In how many

seasons over the last 60 years has the championship-winning driver led the whole way? Not as many as you might think! Last year Lewis Hamilton certainly didn’t; in fact mid-season we had four different leaders of the championship in as many races. People keep banging on about how Button has won since the Turkish GP in June and has limped across the line with a dismal second half of the season. So what? Yes, he may have had a car that even Red Bull couldn’t match earlier in the season, but he knew how to use it – just as Hamilton knew how to use his Mclaren in his debut season resulting in podium finishes in his first nine Grands Prix. By comparison, Rubens Barrichello, the most experienced driver in history, who was capable of beating Schumacher when Ferrari allowed him to, did not. It’s all very well having the best car, but you’ve got to

BUTTON: Punted out of the Belgian GP by Grosjean

Jenson Button. It’s a name we all know now, because of countless loud headlines and even louder exclamations by over patriotic British commentators. I am going to get my bunker ready for a quick exit here - he did not deserve the World Championship. Never before has such a frightfully average talent graced our conscience. Please, British patriots, with your swiftly tossed aside Lewis Hamilton hats upturned to hold the ashes of your nervously smoked Brazilian cigarette butts, allow me to expand. There are two World Champions who have deserved their titles less, and both, like Button, had extravagantly the best car for most of the year. Like Button, at least one of them did his damndest to throw away his title. Their names are

Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve. This year, the Brawn was on a wholly different playing field at the start of the year, thanks to previous (massive) Honda investment. The Japanese giant spent most of last year designing and building this year’s car, because their old one was so bad they gave up. Then the economic rain came and they fucked off, leaving the team with no umbrella and looking decidedly damp around the edges. Along came Ross Brawn, tactician extraordinaire and general Formula One genius, who put his name on the team, shook the car down, and produced one of the greatest debuts of all time. Jenson had the best car, the world’s best tactician and my granddad for a teammate. Well, I thought it was my granddad until midway through the season, when it turned out it was actually Rubens Barrichello. Yes, the one who couldn’t be arsed to race when he was at Ferrari, and instead followed Michael Schumacher round a bit. And then occasionally accidentally got in front, and had to let him

know how to use it, how to work with your engineer to get the perfect set up (something which Jenson mastered at Monaco after a dreadful first practice session), how to stay out of trouble and deliver the lap times. On the other side of the garage, Barrichello bemoaned the braking stability of the Brawn car, which took him half the season to get the hang of. If Button isn’t a worthy champion, then Barrichello certainly isn’t. How can anyone argue the Brazilian deserves the title more on the basis that he’s had a stronger second half of the season when, ultimately, he hasn’t been at the top of the table at any stage this year and has only won two Grands Prix to Button’s six, the first of which came in the thirteenth race of the year? While he may have had problems in qualifying of late, probably due to the pressure of having everything to lose as the season’s end drew ever closer, Button has undoubtedly been the racer of the year. He had a lights to flag victory in Melbourne, made the rest look like amateurs in the rain in Malaysia - with some Schumacher-esque blisteringly fast laps when it mattered just before his pit stop - and pulled off a stunning move on Hamilton in Bahrain, which ultimately enabled him to make it three on the trot. And so the circus moved to Europe where Button continued to romp away. In Spain, Barrichello really should have through again. Sometime during the season, Ross had to poke Rubens with something hot and pointy, to wake him up because that pesky German in the blue car was getting a bit racey. Suddenly, Jenson didn’t have the best car or a granddad team mate, and scored some great mid grid qualifying scores that were made to look alright, but only because Luca Badoer had strayed off the Autostrada by accident. The opposition were almost universally asleep. The best driver in the field was stuck with a deliberately crashing crybaby team mate and a lead weight car, the previous World Champion appeared to be driving the safety car and Kimi Raikkonen was too busy rallying. Massa was hit by some suspen-

won, the strategy should have enabled an easy win for him but he seemed to doze off mid-race, handing the race to Button. Then came Monaco where Jenson gave a master class in conquering the famous street circuit, with his silky smooth style and perfectly set-up car making it look almost effortless.

If Button isn't a worthy champion, then Barrichello certainly isn't Only once this year has Button finished out of the points – at Spa when he was punted out of the race on the first lap by new boy Romain Grosjean – and of the rest only Silverstone, Hockenheim, Budapest, Valencia and Suzuka were not particularly impressive displays. Button drove brilliantly at Monza to finish second having started sixth and had an impressive fight back at Singapore to finish fifth from 11th on the grid. And what can you say about his performance in Brazil? A drive of a champion, quite frankly, with some of the finest, boldest and bravest overtakes I have ever seen. While Button went off the boil at times this season, his rivals failed to capitalise and no one driver really mounted a serious challenge to his lead. Vettel failed to score five times, sion (insert spring pun here), Toyota continued their drive for ever greater mediocrity (it puzzles me why they have not signed Mr Button) and that left Red Bull. They had Adrian Newey, which is, in layman’s terms, like having a horseshoe in your boxing glove. They also had Renault engines, which are shit, no meta-

Webber seven times and Barrichello twice. Barrichello claims that while the first half of the season was Jenson’s, the second half of the season has been his, but he’s only appeared on the podium three times in the nine rounds since Istanbul! And it’s not as though previous champions have shown consistently good form all season long either. In 2007, Kimi Raikkonen eventually decided he was going to mount a championship challenge in July after a pretty lacklustre first half of the season and didn’t head the drivers’ table at any stage, except from after round one when he won in Melbourne. In 2005, Alonso won his first of two titles, but Kimi Raikkonen won as many races as the Spanaird. Two years before that, Michael Schumacher became the first six-time F1 World Champion but only scored one more podium finish than Jenson has this year and scored just one victory in a pretty poor mid-season run of seven races, before limping across the line with a dissapointing eighth place at Suzuka. Just last year, Lewis Hamilton won less races than Button has this year and finished out of the points four times to Jenson’s solitary blip at Spa. Finally, wind back to 1982, and Keke Rosberg became “World Champion” despite winning just a single race. So, for my money, Jenson Button is a very deserving Formula One World Champion.

phor required. They were fast, but despite the best efforts of Sebastien Vettel and Australia’s largest jawed man, Mark Webber, they were always fighting a losing battle thanks to starting about eight months behind on development. It mystifies me why Button had a drive this season. The only thing interesting about him is his beard - and that’s only because that’s better than talking about how ridiculous he looks in a Monster cap.

30 SPORT - THE WARM UP

gairrhydd | SPORT@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY OCTOBER 26 2009

Previews in brief

Lucy Morgan predicts a tough weekend for England as they take on Australia in Rugby League's Four Nations

Arsenal v Tottenham

This Saturday, Wigan’s DW stadium will play host to what looks set to be a thrilling sporting spectacle as age-old rivals England and Australia face each other in the newly-expanded Rugby League Four Nations Championship. Kicking off last weekend, the Four Nations championship is the biggest Rugby League tournament to be held in this country in nine years since the 2000 World Cup and will be beamed live on TV to 30 countries worldwide. The tournament, previously known as the tri-nations, has been expanded this year to include the second biggest league-playing team in Europe, France, and is the first of three Four Nations series planned before the 2013 Rugby League World Cup, with venues rotating between Europe and the South Pacific. France are, however, not looking able to really challenge at an international level and after their abysmal World Cup campaign last year are unlikely to be a major threat in the championship this year. Once again Australia and New Zealand look set to really dominate the championship, although New Zealand will be on the back foot with many key players missing from their squad. Australia are deserved tournament favourites and England will certainly be facing a tough encounter this weekend. The England squad faced a setback ahead of the Four Nations with Wigan Warriors Captain, Sean O’Loughlin, withdrawing due to an injury sus-

Arsenal versus Spurs is always a feisty fixture to note down on the calendar. It is one of many London derbys that never fail to deliver. Past results between both teams are surprisingly close, showing Arsenal to be slightly more successful with 59 victories to Spurs’ 45, while the two teams have shared a total of 42 draws. These figures may surprise some, and suggest that this year we could be in for yet another tantalising match-up. Last season saw the two sides drawing twice: once in a 0-0 stalemate, however the other match was very much a different story. Tottenham found themselves 4-2 in the 88th minute after taking an initial 1-0 lead earlier in the match. However, bizarrely they managed to score twice in the final two minutes thanks to goals from Jermaine Jenas and Aaron Lennon to steal a draw. The most memorable moment of the match of course has to have been David Bentley’s wonder goal for what seemed a million yards out.

The rivalry between the two teams is tighter than Daniel Levy’s purse strings, and this year is certain to see just as much chanting and abuse from fans as usual. No doubt the Arsenal fans will remind Spurs fans that ‘We’ve got Cesc Fabregas…’ and perhaps I shouldn’t finish that chant. Needless to say both sets of fans will want a win. Both teams have performed well so far this season. Defoe appears to be lethal so far, whilst for Arsenal, Van Persie seems to be hitting the post less and less nowadays. Should Ledley King be fit, he will be a key play er for Spurs, who will also be relying heavily upon Wilson Palacios to Anchor the midfield. Arsenal also have a mid-week Carling Cup match against Liverpool, however I expect Wenger to play his youngsters so, older members of the team should be fresh for this match-up. Expect a heated match, with Arsenal stealing a 2-1 victory.

Rising Star: Sam Tomkins

Fighting for Glory: This year's four nations looks set to be another thrilling championship tained in the warm-up match against Wales. O’Loughlin has been particularly unlucky in terms of international rugby in recent years, having missed the 2008 World Cup through a shoulder injury, and will be missed from the England side. The squad are, however, feeling confident this season and are looking to prove a point against their Southern Hemisphere rivals this weekend. England Captain, Jamie Peacock, believes that England have the ability to turn the tables on Australia despite last year’s humiliating 52-4 defeat. However, this time around Peacock believes that with determination and the support of a home crowd the team will definitely be in with a chance of beating the world number one ranking side. This confidence is all very well but England lack strength in their squad and are a very young side, with a number of players such as Sam Tomkins and Scott Moore having to deal with a huge amount of responsibility at a very young age. The pressure is always on when a player puts on an international jersey, but at only 20 years of age that pressure can only be amplified.

England coach, Tony Smith, does not see this wealth of young players as a detrimental factor and believes that they have “shown they can deal with the pressure and do a good job”. Tomkins certainly proved his worth in England’s warm-up match against Wales, scoring a hat-trick in the thrilling 42-12 victory. The Wigan Warriors youngster has been putting his hand up for selection all year and Coach Tony Smith believes that Tomkins is “still progressing” and has a lot more to give.

England lack strength in their squad and are a very young side. The selection of young talent in the England squad may not prove successful in the Four Nations this season, but their emergence into the England side means that the future of English rugby league is definitely looking bright. There is, however, no doubt that Australia will be tough opponents at the weekend. Still hurting from their

World Cup final defeat at home to New Zealand, the Kangaroos will be more determined than ever to make an impact on the Four Nations Championship. Australian hooker, Cameron Smith, last week emphasised this point, stating that his side has clear goals for this season: win the Four Nations and prove that they are still the best Rugby League team in the world. Smith recognises that England are a relatively new squad and will be “a little bit unknown,” but with the right preparation he is sure that Australia have “every shot” at scoring a victory over England at the weekend. The Four Nations is looking to be an exciting tournament this year and with many of the games taking place in the UK, rugby league has the opportunity to reach a far wider audience and fan-base. So, even if you’ve never watched rugby league before, it will certainly be worth your while watching England take on the Aussies this weekend.

England vs Australia: The Editors make their predictions Joe Davies: I can't, for a moment pretend that I know a lot about Rugby League but, judging from what I've read in this fabulous, wonderful, informative preview written by Lucy, an Australian win looks very likely to me! The absence of O'Loughlin, it seems, will be significant for England. Will their young rising stars of Sam Tomkins and Scott Moore be able to take the pressure? Time will tell...

Lucy Morgan: In this fast-paced tournament the pressure is on right from the start and there is always the possibility of surprising results. England will be out to prove a point against their tough opponents and they will have the home advantage. But, with World-Cup revenge on the cards for tournament favourites Australia and a young, relatively inexperienced England side, a victory for the 'Roos is definitely looking likely.

Adam Horne: I hate to bet against my home nation but I can't see past an Australian victory here. They are tournament favourites since New Zealand have lost so many key players. England have also lost a key player in O'Loughlin and possess a very young, inexperienced side. They will look to stop a vengeful Australia, still hurting from their final defeat to New Zealand. They will be massive underdogs, and whilst they will no doubt show passion and youthful energy, I expect Australia to come out on top.

Robbie Wells: Okay, so what that Australia are stuck on favourites for the competition. They are no longer World champions, and hopefully their dominance in tournaments is coming to an end. England are ranked third in the world and they can make a name for themselves as a force without the other home nations. Recent victories over France and more recently Wales show a bit of form. It’s not clever predicting an upset, but that’s exactly what I’m patriotically doing.

IMG - SPORT 31

gairrhydd | SPORT@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY OCTOBER 26 2009

IMG NETBALL STANDINGS IMG NETBALL

DIVISION A

Diff

Pts

CARBS A

+35

English A

+11

Psychology A

Cardiff B

SOCSI B

-7

Pharmacy B

-9

Politics

-11

JOMEC

--35

IMG NETBALL

DIVISION B P

Diff

Pts

Economics A

+31

Law B

+11

Engin Loco

Cardiff Jets A

Gym Gym

-2

Medics B

-7

Christian Union

-11

Navy Netball

--31

IMG NETBALL

DIVISION C P

Diff

Pts

Pharmacy A

+29

SOCSI A

Carbs B

Medics A

Psychology B

-7

League Champions held to draw Alex Bywater Sports Writer MOMED and Economics fought out a hard but by no means boring 0-0 draw at Pontcanna as both teams failed to find that all important goal. After a resounding win against the Magnificent XI, MOMED went into the match in confident mood looking to attack the opposition from the start and gain an early lead. Early pressure led to a series of MOMED corners. Jon Dovey’s set pieces proved a danger, and from one MOMED move Tim Moody bought out a superb save from the Economics goal keeper. This was one of many saves from the goalkeeper who went

on to have a brilliant match dominating his area with great command. With the Economics defence holding a high line and staying firm, MOMED’s final ball had to be precise to break through. Towards the end of the first half, MOMED finally got the ball down on a difficult pitch and started playing better football. This resulted in two great chances for both Sam Cockeram and Jon Dovey. Unfortunately they were not converted and the teams went into the half time breaking level. The second half continued much as the first. Economics also pressed for a lead and hit the bar after a mix up in the MOMED defence. This was a rare lapse in the MOMED defence as the back four stayed solid as a unit throughout.

Despite the scare, MOMED continued to push forward and with Olly Jones tireless up front the possibility of a goal was always likely. With ten minutes left, a foul on MOMED Captain Bob Hodson on the edge of the box gave MOMED the chance to steal the win. Unbelievably Jon Dovey’s free kick hit the top of the bar and rebounded out to safety after a goal mouth scramble. Shortly after, the final whistle blew to signal the end of an even game. There is certainly room for improvement in the MOMED performance, especially with regards to the final ball up front. However credit must be given to a tough economics side who worked hard and won a much deserved point against the current league champions.

IMG FOOTBALL STANDINGS IMG FOOTBALL

Group A W

Diff

Pts

MOMED

Engin Auto

EarthSoc

Economics FC

Pharm AC

JOMEC FC

-4

Magnificent XI

-5

Philosophy FC

--8

IMG FOOTBALL

Group B P

Diff

Pts

Chemistry

Law A

Sporting Lesbian

AFC Cathays

-1

AFC History

-1

SAWSA

-1

Cardiff Crusader

-3

Law B

--4

IMG FOOTBALL

Group C P

Diff

Pts

Samba Tigers

+10

Gym Gym

Psycho Athletico

4 5

Sub-Standard Liege

KAY FC

-3

Bioscience

-6

Opsoccer

-7

Engin Auto

-13

SOCSI FC

-7

Economics B

--25

EUROS FC

--8

IMG NETBALL

DIVISION D

IMG FOOTBALL

Group D

Diff

Pts

Diff

Pts

LAW A

+38

CARBS

+19

Cardiff A

+33

Inter-me-nan

English B

KLAW FC

Cardiff Jets B

-5

Real Ale Madrid

SAWSA

-6

Engin FC

EarthSoc

-13

J-Unit

-6

History

-20

Myg Myg

-12

Dentistry

--31

AFC Time Team

--20

UPCOMING FIXTURES

DIVISION A

GROUP A

JOMEC Pharmacy B CARBS A

Psychology

V V V V

Politics

MOMED FC

Cardiff B

Economics

SOCSI B

Magnificent XI

English A

Pharm AC

DIVISION B Economics Jets A Navy Netball Gym Gym

Engin Auto CARBS B Psycho B

V V V V

Medics B C. Union

V V V V

Jets B Cardiff A History

V V V V

AFC History SPOT THE BALL: hint, it's not in the net

Crusaders

Engin Loco

AU contact over IMG rugby fiasco

Bioscience

Adam Horne Sports Editor

Law B

Pharmacy A Economics SOCSI A

DIVISION D EarthSoc

Philosophy

V V V V

AFC Cathays

V V V V

KAY FC

V V V V

Inter-me-nan

JOMEC FC EarthSoc Engin Auto

GROUP B

DIVISION C Medics A

V V V V

Dentistry English B SAWSA Law A

Since 2007 students participating in IMG rugby at Cardiff University have had to suffer the indignity of playing the lesser, primary schoolesque touch version of the game. However it appears change has emerged on the horizon. This week The Athletic Union has released a letter promising a reform to the good old days of contact rugby in IMG. The letter, written by Stuart Vanstone, Head of Sport and Exercise at the university states: "Cardiff University Students’ Union is currently working towards a solution to be able to provide contact rugby programme for students that is in line with accepted good practice.

This is a long and expensive process, however we are committed to working towards a sucwcessful solution for all involved, ensuring contact rugby can be reinstated." The Athletic Union appear to understand students' anger at the changes, however state that changes made in 2007 were absolutely necessary for student safety. "This was difficult and unfortunate decision that was made with advice from the Welsh Rugby Union… undertaking an activity without consideration to the guidance given by the national governing body significantly increases the risk to participants." Whilst the AU are assuring us that they are doing their utmost to solve this problem, they are desperate to express that any unauthorised contact rugby played at IMG level will not be

tolerated and ask that: "All students involved with contact rugby should be notified that activity should cease immediately. Any players are not insured by either the Students’ Union or WRU. In addition, any personal activity insurance will be invalid where activity takes place outside the guidance or recommended best practice of the national governing body." Those involved in IMG rugby can be pleased that there finally appears to be light at the end of the tunnel. Since the change in 2007 IMG rugby has suffered massively, and these changes are expected to see an increase in numbers joining next year. The AU ask for student’s patience whilst they continue to overcome this problem and strive to improve sport at the university.

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Sport gairrhydd

INSIDE: IMG results, tables and fixtures, the Rugby League preview and The Word On... Button's championship win

Cardiff made to rue mistakes Cardiff 1sts 15 - 24 UWIC 2nds It was a dog-tired and disconsolate Cardiff Uni team that left the field in Cyncoed on Wednesday afternoon. Having taken a 15-3 lead into the second half, they were left to rue the inaccuracy of their goal kicking, having missed all three conversion attempts that surely would have put UWIC away. The team’s inability to capitalise on their early promise typified the day, with the opposition scoring all their tries late in the game. A pack that was the cornerstone of Cardiff’s campaign last year started well, only to fall off the pace at the critical final stages of the game. Early signs this season have shown a reversal of strength from last year, with the backs overtaking the forwards in the pecking order of praise. Harri Morgan at outside centre showed a willingness to run the ball from anywhere, and when he did it was with purpose and power. But what both the forward and back fraternity had in common was insufficient fuel in the engine to see the game out. Cardiff proved they had the flair

to compete with the best, especially when Swansea boy Mike Schropfer turned two UWIC players inside out before slipping the ball to Sam Hewitt for the second try. But the in-your-face aggressive defence that had resulted in an intercept try for Max Woodward in the first half was nowhere to be seen by the time UWIC scored their first breakaway try. Blindside Stu Hendry showed brute strength early on at the breakdown, as did tighthead Jake Cooper-Woolley for his close-quarter try, but the courage and heart Cardiff undoubtedly possess counted for nothing against a team that prides itself on athletic ability. UWIC coach Alun Williams predictably insisted his was the better team on the day, albeit stating that their first half was “f***ing terrible.” His Cardiff equivalent, Martyn Fowler, was less succinct in his analysis: “You can’t deny we played all the attacking rugby. But after our back row faded towards the end of the game, we allowed their forwards to get back into it. We’ll watch the video on Sunday and look at the good, the bad and the ugly - and find some accountability.” Be sure not to miss next week’s grudge match: Cardiff 1sts v Medics.

Glamor-ous fifths Laura Davies Sports Writer

Cardiff 51 - 15 Glamorgan Cardiff Netball 5ths kicked off the season with a massive victory over the Glamorgan 3rds. Dominating the match right from the off, winning the first quarter 11-3, with superb efforts right the way down the court. In the second, Glamorgan were near enough marked out of the game as the Cardiff defence allowed

BUCS Round-Up Results in brackets. Cardiff teams indicated in bold. PLYMOUTH 3 (1 – 3) AFC M 3 GLAMORGAN 1 (11 – 1) AFC W 2 UWE 3 (2 – 2) AFC M 4

them only two goals. The defence were very much on form with teamwork between Fiona Galsworthy and Lucy Wollam forcing the Glamorgan attack to fight for every single goal they got. The Shooters also kept on form throughout; with a near 100% shooting record from Harriet Taylor in the final quarter taking the score to 51-15 to Cardiff. The 5ths made the start of the season a promising one with great displays of determination and teamwork with, I'm sure, more to come. ABERYSTWYTH 2 (4 – 2) AFC MEDICS 2 BRISTOL 1 (1 – 7) BADMINTON W SOUTHAMPTON SOLENT 1 (75 – 72) BASKETBALL M 1 MARJONS 1 (39 – 47) BASKETBALL W ABERYSTWYTH 1 (121 – 128) FENCING M PLYMOUTH 1 (98 – 147) FENCING W UWIC 1 (3 – 3) GOLF 1 SOUTHAMPTON 1 (1 – 3) HOCKEY M 1 ABERYSTWYTH 1 (2 – 5) HOCKEY M 3 GLAMORGAN 1 (1 – 3) HOCKEY W 3 BRISTOL 4 (0 – 6) HOCKEY MEDICS W 1

Tough battle

Tigers' winning streak ends Cardiff’s phenomenal winning streak finally ended on Wednesday with a narrow loss to last year’s champions Solent in a gritty match. Cardiff started strongly, pressing Solent on defence and creating a narrow advantage inspired by Kestas Vakekauskas eight point performance in the first quarter. Cardiff maintained their momentum into the second quarter, with Juan Herrero scoring a hook shot off a nice cross over, and Ioan Nickson breaking out his now trademark baseline spin move to put Cardiff up 35-26 at the half. However, Cardiff’s performance began to sag in the second half, with Solent closing the gap despite strong performances from guards Vesa Ka-

hilampi and Tom Friend. The quarter ended with Cardiff’s lead rapidly diminishing, with the score at 56-54. Caught on the back foot, it wasn’t long before Solent finally took the lead in the fourth quarter, causing Cardiff to battle valiantly until the final minutes. With Cardiff down by four with 11 seconds left, Kostas Kritikos hit a three pointer to narrow the gap to 1, but a Cardiff foul let Solent score both free throws to secure the win. The defeat shows the tougher test Cardiff faces this year in division one. Captain Matt Garton, who finished with 21 points, said afterwards “This was a tough game against the champions in their gym. At spots we looked unbeatable but we’ve got to focus for the whole game. I was impressed with Kestas’s offence and Nickson’s defence. We’ve got to be hungry for success in this league now.’ The team will have to bounce back for their big game against Southampton next week to get their season back on course.

UWIC 2 (5 – 0) SQUASH M 1 BRISTOL 1 (3 – 14) TABLE TENNIS M SWANSEA 1 (5 – 5) TENNIS M 1 UWE 1 (1 – 9) TENNIS W AFC M 1 (0 – 2) HARTPURY 1 AFC M 2 (0 – 2) TRINITY 1ST AFC M 5 (1 – 1) GLAMORGAN 5 AFC MEDICS 1 (1 – 3) HARTPURY 2 AFC W 1 (Walkover to Cardiff) BRISTOL 2 BADMINTON M 1 (8 – 0) B'MOUTH 1 BASKETBALL M 2 (101 – 49) NEWPORT 1 HOCKEY M 2 (3 – 1) UWIC 1

HOCKEY W 2 (0 – 1) EXETER 2 HOCKEY M 4 (1 – 2) GLOUCESTER 2 HOCKEY W 1 (Postponed) GLOUCESTER 1 HOCKEY W 4 (4 - 0) SWANSEA MET NETBALL 3 (38 – 27) UWIC 4 NETBALL 5 (51 – 15) GLAMORGAN 3 NETBALL MEDICS 2 (34 – 13) TRINITY 1 RUGBY MEDICS 1 (31 – 9) OXFORD GREYHOUNDS SQUASH M 2 (1 – 4) GLOUCESTER 1 TABLE TENNIS W (2 – 3) GLOUCESTER TENNIS M 2 (4 – 6) GLOUCESTER 1

Oli Franklin Sports Writer

PHOTO: OLI FRANKLIN

Sebastian Barrett Sports Writer

PHOTO: SEBASTIAN BARRETT

After a promising first half display rugby firsts pegged back due to three conversion misses and an improved UWIC performance

Southampton 75 - 72 Cardiff

Tigers unlucky CAMBRIDGE 1 (13 – 3) LACROSSE W PLYMOUTH 1 (0 – 14) LACROSSE M UWE 1 (46 – 35) NETBALL 1 GLOUCESTER 1 (62 – 22) NETBALL 2 BRISTOL 2 (33 – 27) NETBALL MEDICS 1 BRISTOL 4 (29 – 22) NETBALL 4 UWIC 2 (24 – 16) RUGBY 1 TRINITY 1 (18 – 36) RUGBY 2 GLOUCESTER 3 (19 – 22) RUGBY 4 GLAMORGAN 2 (5 – 3) RUGBY MEDICS 2 UWIC 1 (4 – 0) SQUASH W SWANSEA 1 (5 – 0) MEDICS SQUASH M

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