gair rhydd - Issue 916 by Cardiff Student Media

gair rhydd

FREE

CARDIFF'S STUDENT WEEKLY

freeword - EST. 1972

ISSUE 916 FEBRUARY 22 2010

Living legend

PHOTOS: Jake Yorath

PHOTO: Christina Mackie

Features gets up close and personal with Sir David Attenborough >> page 14

Say a little prayer Emma McFarnon News Editor The University has made provision for quiet rooms after years of campaigning from religious students. as part of the University’s Equal Opportunities Policy, the rooms have been established to provide space for students and staff to study, pray or reflect. Two of the University’s buildings, Humanities and Trevithick, will now have a dedicated quiet room and quiet space respectively, whilst other buildings, including at the Heath Campus,

will be timetabling quiet room space during the working week. The University hopes that the rooms will enhance the quality of working life for all members of the University. The University’s Islamic Society have been campaigning for prayer rooms for many years. In 2007, rhydd revealed that Muslim students felt humiliated after having to pray in communal areas due to the lack of prayer space available. In 2006, Cardiff rated second to last for prayer facilities in the International Student Barometer, a survey of international students in 30 top universities.

Muslims pray five times a day, and students have long complained that the lack of designated rooms in University buildings means their studies are disrupted, as they have to go home to pray. Many students are often forced to pray in hallways and stairwells. In 2007, the University set up a Quiet Rooms Working Group to consider the feasibility of assigning more space to prayer rooms. A report carried out by the group concluded that additional facilities were necessary, and they began taking steps to ensure that suitable venues were provided. Now, three years on, the University

has agreed to provide specially designated rooms across the University campus where members of staff and students can pray, reflect or meditate. A member of the Islamic Society, Abdul-Azim Ahmed, said: “The Islamic Society and Muslim students in general have been campaigning for more prayer facilities on campus for a very long time, so the new quiet r– –ooms will be warmly welcomed and really improve the student experience of Muslims, and no doubt of all religious students. continued on page 2

Going for gold Sport meets Olympic Gold Medalist Ben Ainslie >> page 33

Right-winger Michael Howard tells Politics how to win students' votes >> page 18

02 NEWS

EDITOR Emma Jones 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 POLITICS Damian Fantato COLUMNISTS Tim Hart Oli Franklin 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 Jon Evans James Hinks Adam Horne Lucy Morgan Robbie Wells CONTRIBUTORS Morgan Applegarth Jonathan Bird Elizabeth Blockley Lauren Cowie James Davies Laura Davies James Dunn Alex Evans Jon Green Rae Greenacre James Griffiths Amy Hopkins Ayushman Jamwal Abigail Johnson Helena Lewis Pippa Lewis Christine Pinkard Benjamin Price Louis Smith Sophie Spence Natalie Stone Chris Tarquini Lucy Trevallion Sarah Vaughan Vicky Weaving Tom Wilkinson

NEWSDESK

07908 551922 NEWS@GAIRRHYDD.COM

Taf welcomes return of real ales Jonathan Bird Reporter The Taf celebrated the return of real ales when they hosted the relaunch event last Tuesday. Those with a gair rhydd voucher were able to claim a free half pint, while free traditional pub food was provided for drinkers at the bar. The first guest ale was Bread of Heaven, which is produced locally at the Brains brewery. Previously, similar ales have been made available at the Taf after a decision at the 2009 AGM passed a motion to introduce real ale and local cider to the Taf.

The motion, which was proposed by the Real Ale and Cider Society, received little support from the Union executive and some opposition from the commercial staff. However, the motion carried due to popular support from the floor. This commitment offered an extra choice for drinkers while it remained commercially viable. Last year’s sales were disappointing, and a continuation of real ales was considered to be unviable. Pints of Bread of Heaven didn’t appear to be selling as well as the commercial drinks on the launch night. However, this may have been due to the placement of the tap at the quiet end of the bar, far from the main

drinking area. Jamie Mac of the Real Ale and Cider society said: “We as a Society want to see variety in the Taf from locally-sourced cider and ale, alongside the lagers and spirits produced by multinationals.” To support the reintroduction of real ale to the Taf, the society intends to make sure students are aware of it. Jamie Mac declared that the society intends to host regular socials and meetings in the Taf. The Bars Committee will review the success of the re-introduction in three months time with a sales evaluation. As a result, the future of this choice rests in the hands and pockets of drinking students.

PHOTO: Jake Yorath

gr gr

gairrhydd | NEWS@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY FEBRUARY 22 2010

Cardiff finally Mecca decision ! " # $ % # & ' ( ) * + om front page ! " # " $ new Quiet Rooms will help students balance their various commitments much better. Whereas previously there would a frantic dash to the local mosque during free periods, or scouring buildings for a free room to pray in, students will now be able pray much more comfortably and conveniently. “Muslims have five daily prayers that punctuate the day – although the timings change throughout the year so there can be as many as four within a university day and as few as one during the summer. The BioScience Quiet Room, which has been available for several years, is very busy; dozens of people use it daily. Other makeshift prayer locations (for example, under a flight of stairs in Trevithick) are also used extensively. The new Humanities Quiet Room is already struggling to cater for the numbers using it. “We thank the University for the new Quiet Rooms.” Professor Terry Threadgold, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Staff and Diversity, said: “The quiet rooms give all students and members of staff access to a quiet place for their own personal use, whether this be for religious reflection or to take a moment or two away from their busy working day to

gather their thoughts. “The rooms are another step forward for the University’s positive working environment initiative and reflect our commitment to equal opportunities.” Publication of the availability of

the quiet rooms will take place during September of each year. Information regarding the provision of the quiet rooms is available to download, and incorporates detailed guidelines for the use of the quiet rooms and a timetable indicating availability.

For information on the availability of rooms during the 2009-10 session, students should visit www.cardiff. ac.uk/estat/roombookings/index.html.

Debt puts research jobs under threat Researchers at Aberystwyth fear jobs will be lost Morgan Applegarth Reporter Researchers at Aberystwyth University face job cuts as a consequence of the research facility's £2.4million debts. The researchers, who are employed a the Institute of Biological, Environmental & Rural Sciences (IBERS), one of Aberystwyth University’s af-

filiated research centres, are being cut to help recover the debt. However, it is hoped that a majority of the 70 cuts will be done through “voluntary redundancies and retirement”. The proposal has been criticized in an area whose economy is relied heavily upon public sector funded jobs. The Farmer’s Union of Wales (FUW) have called upon Westminster to provide urgent extra funding to the university as a bid to save the feared

cuts. FUW President, Gareth Vaughan, said: “Over the years spending on scientific research has been scaled down and now is the time that we should be seeing an increase in funding for the type of work being carried out at IBERS, given the importance of agriculture in terms of climate change and feeding the world.” Students at the University also hope the job losses will be avoided, as they fear the ramifications of such

a movement may affect their studies. Over 1,000 students have opposed on Facebook, demanding a meeting with the University's Vice-Chancellor Noel Lloyd. The threat of job loss comes at a time when unemployment in the UK has seen a slight decline, according to the Office for National Statistics. In Wales, unemployment is down 2,000 from last month.

NEWS 1 EDITORIAL & OPINION 8 COLUMNIST 12 FEATURES 14 POLITICS 18 TAF-OD 22 SCIENCE & ENVIRONMENT 23 JOBS & MONEY 24 LETTERS 25 FIVE MINUTE FUN 29 SPORT 31

NEWS 03

gairrhydd | NEWS@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY FEBRUARY 22 2010

Cleverley does it again

Cardiff Maths undergraduate takes European title Benjamin Price Reporter Cardiff University Maths undergraduate and Welsh boxing sensation, Nathan Cleverly, became European light-heavyweight champion on Saturday February 13. Cleverly, 23, started the fight well by flooring his Italian opponent, Antonio Brancalion, with two big right hooks at the end of the fourth round. Brancalion, who was the former European champion, did manage to keep going. However, the Welshman continued to rain punches down on his opponent before referee Jean-Louis Legland stopped the fight midway through the fifth round. Cleverly began this match-up undefeated in all of his 18 professional fights, with an impressive record of six successive knockouts. He now adds this European belt to his growing collection of titles, which includes British champion and Commonwealth champion. Eyes are now firmly set on the big one: world lightheavyweight champion. Cleverly, an undergraduate of Mathematics at Cardiff University, completes his final examination in the

Faculty of Applied Mathematics on May 27. "I’m done then, and this will become a career rather than just a hobby. Up to now, boxing has just been a pastime for me, a sport. I’m just part-time in the gym. My education has come first up to this point. But once my degree is finished, I’ll be putting 25% more into it." Whilst considering his chances of becoming a future world champion, the Welshman said: “I need a bit more patience before I move up to world level and this is a good platform for me. My power is increasing and I'm developing all the time thanks to my step up in weight.” A former student at Enzo Calzaghe’s world-renowned gym, Cleverly becomes only the seventh Welshman to hold all three belts. However, the boxing champion’s father, Vince Cleverly, who is also his current trainer, insists that leaving the Calzaghe camp was the making of the new European lightheavyweight champion. Cleverly senior said: “I think the proof of the pudding is in the eating. He’s done the business, he’s had seven fights [since leaving Calzaghe], six knock-outs.” Cleverly celebrates his victory over his Italian opponent

After long-standing discussions over many years, a pilot GUM clinic will be introduced to the Student Health Centre on Park Place. The clinic will be operated as a satellite of the Newport Road clinic, as part of a partnership between the local health authority, the University Health Centre and the Students' Union. This long-awaited service is in-

tended to alleviate the existing Newport Road provision of sexual healthcare which is overcrowded, poorly advertised to students and situated a significant distance from the student neighbourhood. While the Students' Union has welcomed the service, there are initial concerns that the pilot program will be only able to see a small number of students, as infrequently as once a month. Moreover, the pilot scheme will operate on a first come first served ba-

sis, which could lead to lengthy waiting times and there is no guarantee of being seen on the same day. The clinic has, however, promised that students who are not seen on the day will be seen at the Newport Road clinic. The meetings at the clinic will be used for the initial diagnosis and/or treatment of STIs. Follow up contact and treatments will be done via post or during secondary appointments at Newport Road. The first two sessions will be held on February 24 and March 10.

News asks Cardiff students if they would consider using the new service

Vanessa Bradley, 3rd year, Biology "It's definitely a good thing that they're bringing a GUM clinic closer to the student community. I think it will encourage a lot more people to go and get checked out which can only be a good thing in the long run."

Laurence Blair, 2nd year, Medical Engineering "I think the clinic needs to be open more than once a month. If someone has a health problem, I imagine it can worsen substantially in a month. Ideally, students should be able to see someone as soon as they notice the problem."

A Cardiff University student was assaulted whilst walking home from a night out last week. The female victim was pushed to the ground but her scream managed to panic her attacker, and he quickly fled the scene. Police say the incident occurred in the early hours of Thursday morning, and are currently investigating the matter. Student Liason Officer, PC Bob Keohone, was keen to remind students of the importance of personal safety, urging female students in particular to walk in groups at night and carry personal safety alarms whenever possible. Any witnesses should contact South Wales Police on 01656 655 555.

Your chance to grill a candidate

GUM clinic comes to Park Place Edward Dolding Welfare Officer

Student assaulted after night out

Laura Lee, 2nd year, Welsh "I don't think I'd be embarrassed going to an all-student GUM clinic. After all, we're all adults and should be getting checked our regularly anyway. Introducing a GUM clinic to the Healthcare Centre can only be a good thing."

Cardiff gets multicultural Alex Evans Reporter A new initiative run by Cardiff University is looking to explore issues of multiculturalism in the UK. The (Re)-Constructing Multiculturalism Network will bring together both academic staff and postgraduate students from Humanities and Social Sciences analyse issues relating to multiculturalism. The project is set to look at a number of key concerns of multicultural research, including religion, minority languages, cultural identity and the destruction of multicultural communities through ethnic violence. It is hoped that the new research network will contribute to the formation of government policy as well as further public understanding of the issues around multiculturalism. The research comes in the wake of recent terrorist atrocities, such as the 9/11 attacks and the 7/7 bombings in London, which have highlighted multiculturalism issues in the UK and the western world as a whole. Professor Chris Weedon, from Cardiff University’s School of English, Communication and Philosophy, who also chairs the research organisation, said: “This research network will engage directly with communities, seeking to promote creative partnerships between them and academic staff and postgraduate students”.

Cardiff students will have the chance to grill candidates in this year’s video hustings for Students’ Union elections. Anyone with questions for the candidates in general or questions specific to the various roles can email elections@cardiff.ac.uk by Sunday February 28. Hustings will be filmed the following week, and will be available online at cardiffstudents.com. The live Question Time will also still take place in the Great Hall on Tuesday, March 9 and all students are invited to probe candidates. Campus-wide polling will begin the following day. One ballot box will be placed in the Students' Union Reception, and students are also invited to vote online via vote.cardiffstudents.com. The count will take place on March 15.

Charity chance for journey planners Students can win £500 for charity and £100 for themselves thanks to new National Rail website bestvaluefares.co.uk. To be eligible to win, go to the website and plan the longest rail journey in Great Britain for under £100 using only advance and promotional tickets. Entries will be judged on miles travelled, creativity of route and the number of great British destinations visited. The journeys must be planned for Monday March 1, and entries must be submitted by February 28. Students do not need to actually travel on the journey. Four winners will win £100 each, and one overall winner will get to make their trip for free and receive £500 donation to the RAG charity of their choice. Full terms and conditions are available at bestvaluefares.co.uk/ ragweekchallenge

04 NEWS

gairrhydd | NEWS@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY FEBRUARY 22 2010

Go Global has arrived Daniella Graham Features Editor This week sees the annual Go Global Festival of Culture and Diversity taking place at Cardiff University. The festival, now in its third year, consists of a series of events hosted by the Students' Union, the Cardiff Guild of Societies and the international student community. Go Global kicked off on Friday with a concert of international music in CF10 by Wind Band and Big Band. There are a number of different events taking place throughout the ten day festival including workshops, lectures, and music performances. There will also be international themed food in the Taf all week. The Go Global finale, Global Village, looks set to be the festival's highlight. There will be a variety of performances including singing, dancing and a fashion show as well as free international cuisine for everyone to sample. For more information on all of the events see the Go Global brochure, available from the Students' Union, or visit the 'GO GLOBAL' Facebook group.

THE WEEK'S EVENTS saturday 20th

Stamp Out Inequality in Healthcare Workshop, 2pm-4pm, Nelson Mandela Room Experience Erasmus, 2pm-4pm, Aneurin Bevan Room World: Welsh Open Review for Life and Development, 9am-4pm, Engineering Building FOD VII Dinner, 6.30pm, Great Hall gair rhydd PICK OF THE DAY FOD VII Performance, 8pm, Reardon Lecture Theatre. The Malaysian Society present a musical play with the theme 'Heritage'

sunday 21st gair rhydd PICK OF THE DAY Go Global World Cup Tournament, 10am-2pm, Talybont 3G pitch. Teams representing different countries battle it out to win the Go Global World Cup, which is presented at Global Village.

MONDay 22nd

Meditation Talk and Taster Event, 5pm, Rona Griffiths Room Harry Potter Reading, 8pm, Gareth Edwards Room gair rhydd PICK OF THE DAY The Clothes Exchange, 8pm, CF10. A clothes swapping event hosted by RAG and the Fashion Society. Uncle Meat and The Highway Children, 9pm, Solus

TUESDAY 23rd Anime Library, 6pm-9pm, Nelson Mandela Room gair rhydd PICK OF THE DAY Boombox v Bhangra, 9pm-2am, Solus. A Bhangra DJ and resident Boombox DJ go head to head.

wednesday 24th Childhood Anxiety Lecture, 12pm1pm, Psych LT3

Personality Tests, 1pm, Union Manga Session, 6pm-9pm, Nelson Mandela Room

gair rhydd PICK OF THE DAY Invisible Children, 6pm-9pm, Julian Hodge Building. Model United Nations Cardiff and Invisible Children (NGO) tell the story of child soldiers in Northern Uganda. AIESEC Information Session, 6.30pm-7.30pm, Aneurin Bevan Room RedStock ,7.30pm-11pm, CF10

THURSDAY 25th gair rhydd PICK OF THE DAY Beer Festival, 2pm-12am, Great Hall. The Real Ale Society present their annual beer and cider festival, with a selection of Welsh and English beers, ciders and even mead! Cosplay Cafe, 5.30pm-9pm Debate: Giving Aid to Africa, 8pm, Aneurin Bevan Room

FRIDAY 26th

Beer Festival, 2pm-12am, Great Hall Clay Making, 7pm, Gareth Edwards Room Refugee Rhythms, 7.30pm-1am, CF10

saturday 27th Mehndi, 7pm-late, CF10

sunday 28th Global Village, 5.30pm-9.30pm, Great Hall

NEWS 05

gairrhydd | NEWS@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY FEBRUARY 22 2010

Policy Exchange report The Importance calls for higher fees of Being Earnest gair rhydd view

Sarah Vaughan Reporter

A thinktank study this week has resulted in an urgent call for University tuition fees to be raised by up to 55%. The study, which was lead by thinktank Policy Exchange, claims that the quality and standard of a university degree will seriously deteriorate unless fees go up. The currently capped £3,225 annual fee could potentially rise to a possible £5,000 according to the prestige

ACTING UP: 'Another strong tribute to the talent in the society'

Natalie Stone Quench Arts Editor As the most famous of Wilde’s plays, and arguably the most beloved, any production of The Importance of Being Earnest has a whole lot riding on it. However, Act One’s version certainly did not disappoint. The cast outshone even the beautiful set and costumes, the whole production being more polished than the silver teapot on Algernon’s living room table. The director, Tabetha Glass-Jackman, aimed to highlight the endless stream of Wilde’s comedy, in a way she often felt other productions did not. She can rest assured that her attempts were highly successful; her direction made the most of every line in the play, and had the audience in stitches for its entirety. A cross-dressing Lady Bracknell could easily have been a disaster, a recipe for blithely scathing over the subtle witticisms that Wilde has become famous for in exchange for more obvious gags. Yet Rhys Ifan Williams’ straight under-taking of the role was completely convincing, add-

ing yet another level of hilarity to the source material. The roles were perfectly cast, with no weak link among them. Every member of the cast transformed absolutely into their character, creating an escapist, satiric world of high society that remained untouched throughout. Tom Webb in particular, whether engaged in professions of love or the nibbling of afternoon snacks, became Algernon down to the very slightest of nuances. The two main romantic entanglements were performed brilliantly, not forgetting the endearingly awkward exchanges between Miss Prism (Georgia Bradley) and Rev. Chasuble (Chris Fussell). A lot of laughs were also provided by Richard Ford in his extremely sardonic portrayal of Lane. The whole production was utterly professional, another strong tribute to the excessive levels of talent in Act One. Apart from leaving feeling desperately hungry for some cucumber sandwiches, afternoon tea and more than just a few muffins, I cannot fault it. And yes, that is completely in earnest.

of each university. Another reason for this urgent call to raise fees is the £449m government cut in higher education funding, a reduction of over 5%. Across the country universities are preparing for cuts in their funding which could cause a large number of job cuts and even course cuts. Among these changes, concerns have been raised over how future students will be affected, particularly those from poorer backgrounds. Wes Streeting, the President of the National Union of Students, has stressed that if different universities

charge different fees based on their reputation and current status, this would consequently “price poorer students out of the most prestigious universities”, resulting in yet more barriers for well-qualified, yet less financially fortunate students. Anna Fazackerley, the study’s author, argues that the plans to raise tuition fees are for the students’, and the country's, benefit. An increase in university fees will help to “retain Britain’s position as a global leader in higher education”, creating a “fair system in which institutions that serve students well are rewarded.”

06 NEWS

gairrhydd | NEWS@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY FEBRUARY 22 2010

University responds Cardiff hosts charity conference to ENCAP changes Gareth Ludkin News Editor Cardiff University has responded to concerns raised over the reorganisation of the ENCAP administrative office. The University has defended the decision, promoting the benefits it will provide both for staff and students. A University spokesperson said: “The School of English, Communication and Philosophy is relocating its administrative offices in order to ensure that the excellent service provided by the staff who support various degree programmes can be sustained and enhanced in the face of the increasingly complex demands of providing administrative services to a large multidisciplinary school. “Moving the eight programme administrators from separate offices spread across floors one, two and five of the Humanities Building to one large location, next to the School Academic Manager and Academic Support Officer, will enable them all

to work more closely and effectively as a team.” They added: “The decision to make this move has been taken after a lengthy review of our support systems as a whole through full discussion with our administrative staff and those in other Schools who have undergone similar processes, and with a careful regard for the needs of academic colleagues and students. The practical details of the proposed office plan are still under discussion and will be communicated to students as soon as they are confirmed.” The University has defended the attentive and personal service of the administrative staff, and they remain confident that a flexible and welcoming environment suitable for all the needs of students and staff will be maintained. If you would like to have your say on this issue, a dedicated email has been set up to answer your questions: encap-changes@cardiff.ac.uk Alternatively, search for "Save CLCR Office" group on Facebook.

SKIP: Last year's national conference

Gareth Ludkin News Editor Last week, over 100 students from across the UK descended on Cardiff University to take part in the Students for Kids International Projects (SKIP) national conference. The conference brought together students to discuss plans for action against global health inequalities. SKIP is a healthcare student-led UK-based charity, which supports child welfare in communities throughout the developing world. The charity, which was founded in Cardiff in 1999, has grown to develop a dozen branches across the UK.

vÕ ÞÊvÕÀ Ã i`Ê } ÊµÕ> ÌÞ ÃÌÕ`i ÌÊ>VV `>Ì

Since 1999, SKIP has continued to successfully operate through the time and dedication of healthcare students at universities across the UK. Each group continues to support vulnerable and impoverished children worldwide by sending hundreds of volunteers around the globe. Over 200 students from the charity will undertake projects over the summer, focusing on health promotion, water sanitation, nutrition, education and the facilitation of the enablement of disabled peoples. The weekend’s conference provided students with the opportunity to share ideas, knowledge and expertise with each other. Students who attended the conference were able to develop and promote their future cam-

paigns and projects. The conference included workshops, lectures, an ideas cafe and a series of reports aimed at improving SKIP’s independently-run projects in Europe, Asia and Afria. Chris Lander, the Assistant Coordinator of SKIP National said: “The national conference is the setting for inspired debate and idea-sharing between extremely motivated and passionate healthcare students. It’s an electrifying atmosphere to be in.” Speakers at the national conference discussed a variety of topics designed to support the university groups in their life-changing work, and the entire weekend was deemed a great success by all those involved.

-Õ iÀÊÊ VV `>Ì Ê >Û> >L iÊÌ À Õ} ÕÌÊ Õ Þ]Ê Õ}ÕÃÌÊE -i«Ìi LiÀ

All bedrooms include your own private en-suite bathroom Available in 3,4 & 5 bedroom flats with a television & Sky package included in each flat and broadband available in every bedroom

ÀÊ ÀiÊ v À >Ì ÊV Ì>VÌÊÌ iÊ6 VÌ À >Ê > Ê > >}i i ÌÊ"vwViÊ \

äÓ ÓäÊÎx ÊxääÊ V>À` vvJÛ VÌ À > > °V Ê v>Ý\ÊäÓ ÓäÊÎx ÊxäÇÊ

Victoria Hall, Blackweir Terrace, Cardiff, CF10 3EY

ÜÜÜ°Û VÌ À > > °V

welcome to your

vÕÌÕÀi

NEWS 07

gairrhydd | NEWS@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY FEBRUARY 22 2010

You'll never guess what...

A lucky snap Cat-in-a-can

Blowing hot and cold

Cat turns up at rescue home despite having its head in can

A bar owner in Switzerland has thought of a way around the smoking ban by cutting out holes in the wall. Dino Lottaz cut three holes in the wall of his restaurant in Bosingen for patrons to have a hole for each arm and a larger hole for their head. Smokers can therefore hold their cigarettes outside and blow the smoke out as well through the head hole. Lottaz said: “It’s a bit of a joke but it actually works quite well. My clients seem to approve”.

Roadrunner A Dubai student who has totted up traffic offence charges of $97,000 (£61,888) has finally been caught by police. For two years the man continued to elude officers after collecting numberous speeding tickets. The student was forced to pay fines of $69,754 immediately. He must find a further $27,247 if he is to get his previously seized 4x4 car back. Local media said that the man, who committed 400 separate offences, has had his driver's licence revoked.

Icy abode

Emma McFarnon News Editor

LUCKY FIND: Fisherman finds tourists' camera

Tomos Clarke Reporter A Spanish fisherman got more than he bargained for in his nets this week when, among his catch he uncovered a digital camera. More amazing was the fact that the camera was still in perfect working order and the memory still contained photographs. Rather than throw the camera overboard, trawlerman Benito Estevez uploaded photographs from the camera's memory card onto the internet where they quickly spread around the globe in an effort to find the camera's rightful owner. One photo showed a man wearing a woolly tourist hat from Oxford, another shows a woman posing with the Queen Elizabeth 2 cruise liner in the background. Laura De Klein recognised the couple as friends of the family and contacted them with the news. Understandably stunned, she said: “When

I rang them to say their camera had been found they just couldn’t believe it. They were totally thrilled". Dennis and Barbara Gregory lost the Nikon P90 camera whilst travelling from New York to Southampton aboard the Queen Mary 2 in October 2008. It was knocked overboard as the couple rushed to watch a pod of dolphins that were sighted off the bow of the ship. Mrs Gregory, 53, said: “We jumped up and rushed to the side and it happened – Dennis didn’t have the camera strapped round his neck and it slipped out of his hands.” She went on to thank Mr Estevez saying: “To think the Spanish fishermen has gone to such efforts on this – it’s very touching." The camera spent an incredible year and a half on the seabed and considering the incredible pressure at such depths it is astounding that the photographs survived, it is even more astounding that the owners were identified.

Staff at an animal rescue centre in Fife were amazed when a lost cat found its way there, despite having its head stuck in a food can. The Scottish SPCA, which runs the unit, said the female must have been scavenging and got her head stuck. Colin Seddon, manager at the centre in Middlebank, Dunfermline, said: “She may have got the can stuck on her head and then became disorientated; it's lucky she wasn't hit by a car.” “Luckily no damage was done and the little cat was very pleased to be freed from the discomfort that comes with having your head stuck inside a tin can.” The cat wandered into the centre on Sunday morning and, after being

checked over, was transferred to the Scottish SPCA's rescue unit in Balerno, Edinburgh. The animal charity said it is possible she was dumped by someone who thought the unit was a rehoming centre. Local inquiries have not tracked down her owner. Mr Seddon said: “She is a friendly and well looked after cat and she was wearing a distinctive black collar with bright green cats' eyes imprinted on the material. “Because she's in such good condition, we'd hope that she's simply lost. If that is the case, then we'd encourage her owner to contact our animal helpline (03000 999 999) to get their lucky black cat back." We're sure the drama has given the cat paws for thought next time she sees an empty can.

STUCK: Hungry cat manages to find way to shelter

XXX Russian billboard Emma McFarnon News Editor An unemployed man from Ohio has built himself a four-room igloo in his back garden. 25-year-old Jimmy Grey, who has been out of work for almost a year, built the igloo as a project to keep himself busy. His four-room creation has 6-foot ceilings and an entertainment room, complete with cable TV and surround sound. He powers the TV with an extension cord plugged into an outlet in the garage. The project took Grey over a month, and required him to use a truck to collect extra snow from neighbours' houses.

PORNO: Drivers get more than they bargained for

Russian police have arrested a prankster who hacked a giant video billboard to show a pornographic movie. The two-minute clip was displayed at midnight on a screen above a busy main road, south of the Kremlin. The spectacle brought traffic to a complete standstill as cars slowed down to watch. The film has sparked controversy, since nudity on Russian TV has been banned since before the Soviet Union fell in 1991. Police say the hacker gained control of the screen by breaking into an

online company’s server in the volatile southern region of Chechnya. “The hacker is a highly-educated, temporarily unemployed and extremely advanced internet user. The scandalous film was the talk of the town,” police said. Rossiya -24 television said an elderly motorist suffered a heart-attack at the wheel after seeing the pornographic billboard. Some people took pictures of the 9-by-6-meter display with their mobile phones, and posted them on the internet. However, passer-by, Alyona Prokulatova told Associated Press: “I was so shocked that I couldn't even shoot video or take a picture of it.”

08 OPINION

gairrhydd | OPINION@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY FEBRUARY 22 2010

British interNational Party? The new BNP membership rules don't really mean the party has changed Pippa Lewis Opinion Writer In a move which only five out of a possible 300-400 members rejected, the British National Party (BNP) has voted to allow nonwhite people to become members of the party. Viewed by many as the last obstacle in its pursuit to be recognised as a legitimate party, the BNP now welcomes ethnic minorities into its ranks – or so the party claims. The constitutional changes are the result of a threat of legal action from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), which had declared their membership limitations as unlawfully discriminatory. Such efforts to become inclusive have been dismissed by anti-racist campaigners as purely ‘cosmetic', arguing that the constitutional change makes no difference to the BNP’s core racist ideology. Although it must be noted that the

new constitution of the BNP is not available to the public and has not yet been approved by the EHRC, it is questionable whether the constitutional changes will have gone far enough to appease the judges. The changes that have been implemented are likely to be purely superficial in an attempt to avoid legal action and to gain political support. Thus, the ideological basis at the core of party, and that which its members believe, will undoubtedly remain unchanged, still alienating ethnic minorities.

The changes that have been implemented are likely to have been purely superficial In a statement to the BBC, BNP leader Nick Griffin said: “They [ethnic minorities] will be accepted, they’ll be welcomed, providing they’re there to do the things we want to do, and pro-

viding they accept and agree with our principles, which is that multiculturalism, we believe, has been a failure. It was imposed on the British people without any consent, by the political elite. It’s still going on, it’s madness and it’s time to shut the doors.” It is clear, then, that the BNP are supportive of the membership of nonwhites on the proviso that they are willing to abide their fundamentally racist principles based on the concept of white supremacy. With foreign policy aims including that to ‘reach an accord with the Muslim world whereby they will agree to take back their excess population, which is currently colonising this country, in exchange for an ironclad guarantee that Britain will never again interfere in the political affairs of the Middle East’, changing the policy on membership is hardly likely to attract much more support. Furthermore, at a BNP meeting last Sunday, The Times journalist Dominic Kennedy was forcibly removed by security guards for an unfavourable

article on the BNP that he had published previously. Contrary to the victimised and misunderstood image that the BNP has attempted to claim after Griffin’s appearance on Question Time, this recent incident has shown that the party has by no means changed their conduct. In addition, such incidents show how little respect the party has for basic liberties such as freedom of speech by banning journalists likely to print critical articles.

This incident shows how little respect the party has for basic liberties On paper, it is possible to argue that the BNP are the changed party who are no longer discriminatory towards ‘non-indigenous British’, yet if you look beneath the surface, the deep-seated beliefs of the party still

remain and are not likely to disappear any time soon. However, one thing is for sure: with the arrival of their first non-white member – a 78-year-old Sikh man – the BNP will not be free from the race debate any time soon. Simon Darby, a BNP spokesman, saw the potential acceptance of the new constitution as a ‘stamp of approval’ for the party claiming that “if anyone says we are racist, we can say ‘no we’re not, it’s been proved in court.'" Surely, in contrast to this statement, it is the actions of the party that indicate its beliefs, rather than cosmetic changes formulated to prevent legal action from the EHRC. What is clear after the events last Sunday is that it will take more than an open membership policy for the BNP to really change its ways.

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

OPINION 09

gairrhydd | OPINION@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY FEBRUARY 22 2010

There is never an excuse

Mans' right to a free, fair trial is not subject to intellectual debate

Oli Franklin Opinion Editor Rarely am I sickened and enraged by an opinion piece. And in my job as editor of this section for gair rhydd, I see a fair few, trust me. Reading the Daily Mail, sure, or perhaps The Sun. So when an article was published in the Independent entitled ‘We not only have a right to torture, we have a duty,’ I was a little shocked. The article by the journalist Bruce Anderson, for those who haven’t read it, is a lengthy attempt at morally justifying torture – for reasons pertaining to the war on terror – for the greater good. Throughout this article (search for it on The Independent website, I implore you), Anderson delightfully vindicates the Pakistani army’s use of torture through comparing their situation to the religious extremism in the 1590s. Well, Bruce, of course, if they did it back then, surely that’s equivalent of the Middle East now, right? The article is rich with delightful little quotations such as this: ‘However repugnant we may find torture, there are worse horrors, such as the nuclear devastation of central London, killing hundreds of thousands of people and inflicting irreparable damage on mankind's cultural heritage.’ Perhaps Mr. Anderson missed the memo about journalistic integrity: not needlessly fear-mongering in order to cause scandal. Perhaps he is just a terrible writer. Who am I to judge?

One thing is certain though, is that his overt concern with ‘cultural heritage’ over the human rights of individuals is as aloof as anything I have seen in recent years. He betrays an almost absurd dislocation from any sense of moral compass. Indeed, in his closing paragraphs he argues in favour of torturing a terrorist’s wife and children; in the name of national safety. How this atrocity of judgement has not received more national coverage is astonishing. In America, at least Keith Olbermann would have had a hearty rant about him on NBC to put him in his place, but here? Nothing. Therefore, permit me to quickly point out the flaws in this horrifically shortsighted argument. The argument, often put forward by the Cheney camp of neo-conservatives, is that the rights of an individual should be forsaken in favour of the greater good. This is how those involved in Guantanamo, in Abu Ghraib, in waterboarding and rendition have all doubtless justified themselves and put their sinful souls at peace. This approach is not only morally and legally wrong, but it ignores the real issues. In order to repair our relationship with religious fundamentalists who seek to harm us, we must take the higher ground. Torture and warfare do little but fan the flames and ultimately lead to horrific retribution. The same retribution that is spelt out in audio tapes and in videos of decapitations and other sickeningly brutal exchanges that have characterized this decade-long ‘war on terror.’

This moronically brutal faux-common sense school of thought is a few short steps down the path that lead to the Gulags, to Aushwitz, to the Killing Fields. Saying that they did it in the 1590s is no excuse. And to have the affront to suggest that the torture of women and children might in some situations be morally acceptable is unbelievable. Let’s see you volunteer yourself to be waterboarded, or your son or daughter, and see what you think then. I don’t mean to come across as callous or close-minded. Some may argue that my response misunderstands the point of such a challenge, and would ask me to question my moralistic notions of justice. To you, I say no: drivel like this merely reinforces it. Torture is wrong, disgusting and unnecessary. And it is such self-serving atrocities that have lead to the West’s vilification in the Middle East. It is such disgusting assertions that mean that after almost ten years, we are still embroiled in conflict across the globe on religious grounds. To you reading this, I urge you to make up your own mind. Have a think about the brutality of drowning a man to the brink of death, then of doing the same to a woman and a child. Imagine that child gasping for breath, being violently sick but unable to vent itself for the sodden rag stuffed down its throat. Think of that child blindfolded, whipped and beaten. Then ask yourself if that could ever, ever be right. WATERBOARDING: Is it ever justified?

Holy Jesus, God was right! Perhaps today's secular society can still learn something from religion

Liz Blockley Opinion Writer Reading an interview yesterday with Masoumeh Ebtekar, a former Iranian Vice President and women’s rights activist, was an eye-opening experience. In the discussion with Nathan Gardels in Prospect magazine, Ebtekar condemns the modern Western world’s obsession with consumerism, lack of morality and violent nature. Her terror of Western values permeating Iran and the Middle East is clear as she explains how the state must control the influence of the West and ‘the younger generation must face […] the Spice Girls.’ Never has a more terrifying prospect been conceived of. Admittedly, the article is from 2002 and is therefore somewhat outdated. But perhaps, somewhere amongst this Iranian Vice President’s arrogance and holier-than-thou attitude, there

may be some sentiments that might be worth listening to. A 2004 survey which polled people in ten countries concluded that the UK is one of the most secular nations in the world, with only 67% of people believing in God compared to around 80% in most other countries. Only Russia and South Korea were as cynical as we are, and that has to be worrying. I definitely do not subscribe to Ebtekar’s view that we are all heathens, pursuing pleasure ‘in a life that is otherwise empty and meaningless’, eating McDonald’s and listening to the Spice Girls. Ebtekar does herself no favours by implying that Iran has got everything sorted whilst we are all on our way to a nice fiery afterlife. I was particularly angered by her assertion that ‘the way we dress – promiscuous or modest – sends a message about how we want to be regarded.’ The obvious insinuation being that all women in the UK dress like cheap hookers whilst their Iranian counter-

parts conform to a more moral code of dress. However, unlike Ebtekar, I prefer the high road to taking cheap shots at people, so instead of tearing her argument to pieces I’ll examine some truths she may have accidentally hit on. She argues that we have become too concerned with materialism and when our lives become difficult or stressful seek solace in the wrong places, such as drugs or alcohol. She argues that ‘religious values offer a guide for living that is not just right for yourself, but for humanity as a whole.’ Now I love consumerism and I cannot foresee my scepticism about the existence of any God changing, but perhaps the secular majority of the modern Western world would benefit from more religion in their lives. You don’t have to believe in God to subscribe to the fundamental basis on which the Bible is founded. The Ten Commandments are a pretty good guide to life. I’m going to scrap the first five because in this article we

don’t believe in God, but the rest seem like fairly reasonable dictates. Honour your father and mother: conducive to a happier family atmosphere. You shall not murder: I think we can all agree this is an excellent rule.

The Ten Commandments are a pretty good guide to life You shall not commit adultery: no-one likes adultery. Except you, Tiger Woods. The others referring to loving your neighbour and so forth are also extremely valuable ideas that I am trying, despite the fact that my neighbours have an inexplicable love of playing Cheryl Cole’s music at all hours of the day and night, which surely must justify an exception to ‘You shall not murder’. Perhaps in a society where tabloid fodder consists of compulsive adultery

and brutal murders, an examination of the religious values on which Britain is founded would not be so terrible a thing. Of course you do not need religion to be a moral person, but if the Church of England was to modernise and accept that a steadily decreasing number of people believe in God and instead focus more strongly on moral beliefs instead of worship, perhaps more people would find comfort and guidance in the Church? What we should learn from Masoumeh Ebtekar’s pompous, misguided words is that no country has achieved the perfect way of life. In Britain, we may feel strongly that many practices in Iran need to be subject to critical analysis yet we could still learn valuable lessons from people in Iran who feel the same way about Britain. Instead of solely condemning one another for what we perceive to be major faults, occasionally it might just be worth examining the positive practices we could adopt too.

10 OPINION

gairrhydd | OPINION@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY FEBRUARY 22 2010

Students need to wake up to rape Despite what 71 per cent of women have said, no always means no Lauren Cowie Opinion Writer We’ve all heard the phrase ‘she brought it upon herself’, but can the victim of a rape ever be to blame? Yes they can, according to a recent online survey called Wake Up to Rape. Zebra crossings are marked by black and white painted strips across the road and flashing amber beacons. The Highway Code says that motorists 'MUST give way when someone has moved onto a crossing'. If I step onto a pedestrian crossing and a car hits me, then it is the driver’s fault. No question. It is their responsibility to stop. Yet I still look before I cross the road. I protect myself from the speeding driver, the distracted driver, the irresponsible driver. Why? Because I want to take every precaution to avoid being hit by a car.

If you go out showing a bit of leg, do you think that you deserve to be raped? I also carry a personal alarm. I don’t wear a short shirt with a low cut top. I wouldn’t go back to the house of a man I didn’t know. I don’t drink so much that I don’t know where I am. I don't do these things because I don’t want to get raped. But in the same way that if I didn’t look at a zebra crossing: if I put myself in a vulnerable situation with a man and he doesn’t stop when prompted, then it is his fault. I know that the world isn’t perfect and you may be a fool and not look, or you may be stupid and naïve

forcibly made to, then that is rape. The idea that going back for a drink at a man’s house means it’s ok for him to rape is ludicrous. For example, imagine you do actually want to have sex with someone but neither of you have any condoms. You say no. If he goes ahead then that is rape, but most women surveyed would say that that is your responsibility. Whatever happened to freedom of choice?

enough to think that a man will be able to control himself. If you present yourself on a plate, you can expect that someone will try and consume you. But it is not your fault. You are not the one who has done the wrong thing. And it is not you who should have to take responsibility. Learn from your mistake. Be safer; try to protect yourself next time, but don’t blame yourself. If you say stop then it is the man's responsibility to do so. Unfortunately, I am one of a few women who think like this. In the survey of over a thousand people, 71% of women thought a woman should accept responsibility when getting into bed with a man. A third would go as far as to blame the victim if they had dressed provocatively or gone to the attacker’s house for a drink. As a woman, rape is a scary thing. You don’t ever want to be put in a situation where you feel out of control. Maybe women put the blame at the foot of the victim because it makes them feel less scared themselves: perhaps thinking ‘If I take a different route home, if I don’t flirt, then I won’t get raped’. We must, though, come to accept that the majority of rapes are not by strangers, but by people the victims know and trust. This finding was corroborated by a 2005 study into rape victims. The public need to realise that the friend that drives you home, a family member, even a partner, is more likely to force himself on you than a stranger lurking in the bushes. So what constitutes rape? To me: no means no. Stop means stop. If a woman, or a man, says they don’t want to, then that is that. I don’t care if you have gone out dressed in an Ann Summers bunny costume. I don’t care if you’ve gone back to someone’s house. If the time comes and you don’t want to have sex andgo

These are the women that serve on our juries If you go out showing a bit of leg, do you think that you deserve to be raped? Do women truly think that going out in a figure-hugging dress makes them to blame if some bastard can’t keep his cock to himself? Apparently so. And these are the women that are serving on our juries; women that obviously don’t grasp the concept of consent. One in five people say that they have been made to have sex when they didn’t want to, yet the rape conviction rate remains surprisingly low. The Home Office estimates that 95% of rapes are never reported. Of those that are, only around 6.5% result in conviction. With so many people holding backwards attitudes, it’s no wonder more people don’t come forward. Another study suggests that twothirds of jurors in criminal trials do not even fully understand a judge’s legal directions. This can’t be allowed to carry on. Rape cannot and should not be allowed to become a social norm. The fundamental right of a human being able to choose with whom and when they have sex must be respected.

Poor Marx for AGM motion The 'Student & Teachers, Unite and Fight!' motion simply wasn't a good idea Amy Hopkins Opinion Writer We all know that the AGM can be dull. I attended last year purely due to the fact I was on the committee of a society, so when I was asked to anchor Xpress Radio’s live coverage of the event I was extremely sceptical of how the other anchors and I could broadcast a remotely interesting live show. Bar babbling on in a monotone fashion for three hours about who was speaking next, I couldn’t see much potential for high drama. However, when I did some preAGM research on the motions that were to be debated, there was one in

particular that stood out: ‘Student & Teachers, Unite and Fight!’ The fact that it was proposed by a member of the Socialist Students set alarm bells ringing, but on the surface it looked like a good idea. It talked about confronting job cuts at Cardiff University, getting better funding for education and even increasing the minimum wage to £8 an hour (a bit utopianist but good-natured surely?)

An £8 an hour minimum wage would cripple the economy The ‘Youth Fight for Jobs’ motion had the support of some

unions, and even a Labour MP (John McDonnell, chair of the Socialist Campaign Group). Who in their right mind would oppose such a common sense bill? I would. The bill posed as a non-partisan drive to help out students and staff at Cardiff University, but in reality it was an attempt to push through a Socialist party agenda right under the noses of the student body. Under point four of ‘the AGM resolves’ was the resolution ‘to support the Youth Fight for Jobs demonstration on the February 17’ one of the only concrete proposals in the entire motion. Michaela Neild, Academic and University Affairs Officer, bravely took to the floor to mount a rebuttal of some of the motion, in particular that of the proposed £8 an hour wage,

which would clearly cripple an already wounded economy. Edmund Schluessel then went on to talk about a brilliant motion that would help students and lecturers achieve a perfect education system at no cost to anyone. It’s a shame that this motion he was talking about was nothing like what he had actually proposed.

This isn't about your indiviudial views, it's about politicising the SU So what is Youth Fight For Jobs? Google it and see the kind of hits you get. Not only is it a Socialist march but it has some rather unsavoury characters in charge. Organiser Ben Robin-

son claims that it’s ‘open to all young people, apart from scabs and fascists. Many young people in the leadership of the campaign are socialists, including myself’. Charming rhetoric from one of the leaders of an organisation that Mr Schluessel tried to sneakily gain university support for in what was otherwise a good motion, ruined by a Socialist power-grab. The question isn’t your political views (for the record I’m hardly a rabid right-winger), but whether we politicise our Union and, if so, whether we do it an underhand manner or an open fashion. Thankfully the AGM saw sense and clearly voted the motion down, but it raises the question, should we let motions onto the floor unless they clearly state their true intentions?

gairrhydd | NEWS@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY OCTOBER 26 2009

NEWS 05

12 COLUMNIST

gairrhydd | OPINION@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY FEBRUARY 22 2010

Hypocrisy puts Olympics on a slippery slope T he Winter Olympics has been going for just over a week now. Enjoying it? Even know it is on? I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t, as Tim Lovejoy pointed out on Twitter, most of it is on BBC Three or Eurosport. The sport nut that I am, though, I have been watching it like a hawk. Only for a fortnight every four years am I interested in ski jump, bobsleigh and skeleton bob. These extreme sports do not usually interest me but the allure of the Olympics make it appealing. Sadly these extreme sports, or luge to be more precise, has cast a shadow over this sporting spectacle with the death of the Georgian competitor, Nodar Kumaritashvili. The perilously thin line between extinction and glory is naturally vital to the curious appeal of extreme sports. Perhaps its advocates feel that

they are only truly living when they are really close to dying. The French existentialist JeanPaul Sartre could even have been talking about luge racers when he wrote: “What the artist adds to the canvas are the days of his life: the adventure of living, hurtling towards death”. If the track was safe, why has the course been shortened to begin at the women’s start position, thus reducing speeds around the closing corners? If the precautions are sufficient, why has a fence been placed at the top of corner 16? If the structure was blameless, why has the steel support pole against which Kumaritashvili shattered his skull been belatedly padded? Worse still is the fact Kumaritashvili only went down the course 26 times compared with his Canadian colleagues who had KUMARITASHVILI: Tragic victim

been down it at least 300 times each. How far has the notion of Olympianism been morphed from the original vision of Baron De Coubertin? The very fact that an organising committee was prepared to undermine the medal prospects of overseas competitors — even to the point of taking risks with their safety — reveals the sham at the heart of the Olympic ideal and the hypocrisy of the Olympic Charter, with its talk of dignity, solidarity and the “harmonious development of man”. Not that we should be terribly surprised by this. Even at its most noble, the Olympics is about the pursuit of sheer individualism, not idealism. The Olympics have never expressed an ethical imperative, only ever a selfish one. The Games are,

to put it bluntly, remorselessly immoral and ultimately Darwinian. Economists call it a zero-sum game: my success is synonymous with your failure, my joy with your despair, my glory with your ignominy. It is this mindset that makes nations yearn for the glory and success of a gold medal. War without the guns, as George Orwell once noted. All sports are pseudo-war, even darts. Not that there is anything wrong with this. Competition and hierarchy are inevitable and indispensable aspects of the human condition. But that does mean we should portray the Olympics as this image of purity. We should be pointing out that when the ethos of winning at all costs exceeds the constraints of basic morality, the consequences are both depressing and deadly.

Tim Well Spent: The mysteries of a handbag Tim wonders just what girls need those huge handbags for

omething that we don’t appreciate, especially as students, is time. Unless, of course, you have an essay deadline tomorrow and you haven’t even started the reading. Time then becomes a valuable resource – and not one to fritter away on Facebook. University, if nothing else, gives students three main skills: how to survive a hangover with nothing more than two eggs, a pint of water and pinching your hand; how to write 4,000 word essays in an afternoon, and perhaps most importantly, to appear to be constantly occupied by doing nothing. Or this might just be me. Procrastination is a difficult skill to master but that hasn’t stopped me from trying. Having been ill since the New Year, NHS Direct has become one of my favourite procrastination tools, trying to diagnose what I have. So far it has ranged from the common cold to human monkeypox. Other tools have been Facebook applications, soduku, solitaire, recreational masturbation… One thing I would not consider to be wasting time, however, is sitting on the lavatory. Did you know that in an average man’s life he will spend 56 weeks on the lavatory? These are probably the happiest and most peace-

ful moments in a chap’s life. Unfortunately an ex-girlfriend of mine couldn’t see eye to eye with me on this. So when I put it to her that, in the amount of time I had wasted waiting outside her house while she was looking in her handbag for her keys or her phone when it was ringing, I could have written a symphony to rival Beethoven, she wasn’t that impressed. It would have been quicker for her to purchase a carrier-tortoise and use it to deliver a handwritten letter to a caller rather than searching for her phone in that handbag of hers. Seriously, how much do you need in a handbag? The British and American army should consider themselves fortunate they have only been searching the Middle- East for WMDs and Osama Bin Laden. They’d certainly find looking through my ex’s handbag for her iPod a harder task… In a moment I’m not particularly proud of, I had a look through the handbag in question and this is what I found: the armed forces can relax because I found the elusive iPod, as well as make-up, a diary, an umbrella, paracetamol and even more make-up. This, I’m told, is nothing out of the ordinary, but what I did take exception with was four pairs of sunglasses. When I raised this with her she said,

‘well it depends on what outfit I’m wearing’. But what about the spectacles? You don’t need them to read. ‘Well you never know when you will.’ So I suppose there is a hearing aid and a walk-in shower in there too? I didn’t dare look any further just in case I discovered where Al-Qaeda have been hiding and had my hand blown off by the smoking barrel of an AK-47. I cannot understand why you would want to carry your every possession around with you wherever you go. No, really, when you’re going into town you do not need £10 worth of Drachma. We’re not in Greece, and, if you haven’t noticed, they switched to the Euro in 2002. If you need help, ask a passer-by. When I go out I take my keys, my phone, some money, some mints, my iPod and my notebook. And if I’m off to a lecture or the library I might take an A4 file or a couple of books. I still manage wearing just a t-shirt and trousers. And I cannot forget my wallet, because in it is the most important thing to a man. No, it’s not a football season ticket or a strawberry flavoured condom, it is pages torn from a newspaper so I have something to read when I’m seemingly dawdling on the lavatory. Posh's handbag is nearly bigger than she is

gair rhydd

FREE

CARDIFF'S STUDENT WEEKLY

freeword - EST. 1972

ISSUE 916 FEBRUARY 22 2010

This week... Living legend

PHOTOS: Jake Yorath

PHOTO: Christina Mackie

Features gets up close and personal with Sir David Attenborough >> page 14

Say a little prayer Emma McFarnon News Editor The University has made provision for quiet rooms after years of campaigning from religious students. Introduced as part of the University’s Equal Opportunities Policy, the rooms have been established to provide space for students and staff to study, pray or reflect. Two of the University’s buildings, Humanities and Trevithick, will now have a dedicated quiet room and quiet space respectively, whilst other buildings, including at the Heath Campus,

will be timetabling quiet room space during the working week. The University hopes that the rooms will enhance the quality of working life for all members of the University. The University’s Islamic Society have been campaigning for prayer rooms for many years. In 2007, gair rhydd revealed that Muslim students felt humiliated after having to pray in communal areas due to the lack of prayer space available. In 2006, Cardiff rated second to last for prayer facilities in the International Student Barometer, a survey of international students in 30 top universities.

Going for gold Sport meets Olympic Gold Medalist Ben Ainslie >> page 33

Right-winger Michael Howard tells Politics how to win students' votes >> page 18

14 FEATURES

gairrhydd | FEATURES@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY FEBRUARY 22 2010

Quite frankly,

We all love life. And planet earth. If only they were on t If you read on you can find out as Features is charme Sarah Powell Sub Editor I think that it’s safe to say that no name is more synonymous with natural history than that of Sir David Attenborough. A positive hero in natural history broadcasting, his documentaries are enjoyed by millions of viewers worldwide and his grounded demeanour and effortlessly soothing voice have helped to promote the importance of the duck-billed platypus and the beauty of the vampire squid. Perhaps I should make this clear from the offset — to be honest, I’m a bit of a David Attenborough geek. I’ve always classed myself as a nature lover, so have been a huge fan of his documentaries for a long time, but ever since he showed me planet Earth ‘as I’ve never seen it before’, I’ve been hooked. It has become rather a joke between my friends, to whom I will regale the diverse beauty of the star-nosed mole, or the intimate details of the life of the preying mantis, that my perfect night is to stay at home and watch the latest episode of Life on iPlayer. Wild, I know. So, with this in mind, you can imagine the extent of my excitement when the man himself agreed to let yours truly interview him. With shaking hands, I dial his number and after what seems like an endless number of rings, I am greeted

with the characteristically soporific tones of Sir David Attenborough himself. Is it too soon to ask him if he will narrate my life? Surprising maybe, despite his various accolades, Attenborough remains extremely personable, showing himself to be patient enough to grant a naïve amateur journalist an interview! Perhaps this is the reason that he is so often described as a national treasure and why he has previously been voted one of the most trusted people in Britain.

"According to the UN, over half the human race is cut off from the natural world" After a few pleasantries, he dives straight into telling me about his latest trip to Antarctica, where he has been busy researching and filming for a new series, The Frozen Planet, which is due to be aired in the autumn of this year. The new series, which will focus on life in both the Arctic and Antarctic, is an attempt to document a comprehensive history of the polar regions. It will also provide a record of the ways in which climate change is affecting glacial landforms and the challenges that this poses to the wild-

life living in the regions. “I plan to go to the North Pole on April 1 to continue filming – although I hope that the date isn’t too significant! There are currently five film crews situated in the Arctic and Antarctic, and they have been collecting footage of the wildlife at each location for the past two years.” Whilst Sir David claims that he “just does the easy bits” of knitting the narration of the programmes together, his natural history filmmakers have been busy capturing footage of the diverse and fascinating wildlife: including polar bears, Arctic wolves and wandering albatross. “The film crews do all of the hard work really, although I do appear in the first and last programmes, the latter of which deals with mankind’s activities in the polar regions, and the impact that this is having on the climate and wildlife that coexist there.” This strong conservational ethic runs throughout many, if not all, of Sir David’s documentaries. His programmes are perhaps famous for their focus on the benefit of conservation through education, which is a sentiment that he has held throughout his life. When speaking about his delight in the natural world, his voice noticeably brightens with enthusiasm: “I make programmes about the natural world because I am interested in it and the programmes are for people who are interested in conserving it, as I am.

LEGEND: Out of the five, I'd put my money on Sir David

“I think almost everybody can appreciate the natural world, and for this obvious reason, are interested in conserving it. Everyone understands that the natural world is in danger, partly because there are almost three times as many people in the world now as there were in the 1950s, and so the natural world is placed under great pressure. Because of this, I have an obligation to the animals that I think are so important and so interesting, to explain that this cannot continue. "So it isn’t that I’m starting off as a campaigner, I started off being, and still continue to be, a naturalist, who feels that it is incumbent upon me to do something.” And “do something” he certainly has. Since embarking upon a career in broadcast journalism with the BBC in 1952, Sir David has lent his knowledge and characteristically dulcet vocals to an astounding number of natural history documentaries, including the famous Planet Earth and Life on Earth series. Such programmes have encouraged us to forget our everyday lives, and instead immerse ourselves in a world of unparalleled beauty and fascination as we are wowed by the ritualistic mating dances of the Birds of Paradise or astonished by the unique footage of a polar bear emerging bleary-eyed from hibernation and rolling sleepily down Arctic slopes. His programmes, full of stunning visuals and soothing narration, reveal to us a world that inspires awe, and one which we cannot help but fall in love with. Sir David believes that this deep appreciation for the natural world is a vital and innate part of human nature: “I do not believe that there is a child born that has not started off being interested in nature. You watch them in the garden, turning over stones and looking for insects, they are fascinated by this extraordinary things that share life with us. “It may be that some people lose this sense of wonder, and if they do, they lose a treasure, but an awful lot

of people do not lose it. It may become latent, or they may not have the opportunity to exercise it, but if they do get the opportunity they become interested, and you only have to see the viewing figures of the programmes to learn that there are huge numbers of people who are interested.”

I took a degree in Zoology, but then had to spend two years in the Navy Whilst the level of public interest in Sir David’s documentaries is unquestionable, there is a notable tone of regret in his voice as he laments the fact that television is perhaps one of the only mediums through which many people will be able to connect with the natural world. “According to the United Nations, over half of the population is now urbanised, which means that over half the human race is cut off from the natural world to a greater or lesser degree,” he says. “Nowadays you have to travel a lot further to come into contact with animals and nature, and so the natural world that they know can only be seen through documentaries. It’s rather sad really, isn’t it? “Paradoxically, however, people

FEATURES 15

gairrhydd | FEATURES@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY FEBRUARY 22 2010

a living legend

the telly for all to see. They are?! Who presents them? ed by Sir David Attenborough's soothing tones... know a huge amount about the natural world — they know a vast amount about the strange and wonderful creatures on our planet. They know what chameleons are, and what the duckbilled platypus is, and what an ayeaye is…” (Incidentally, it’s a type of lemur, native to Madagascar, which has a unique, elongated finger that it uses to extract grubs from trees. Just in case you were wondering…) “So you see, people do have this incredible knowledge and affinity for the natural world – and why? Not because they’ve seen these animals in the wild, or even seen them in zoos, it’s because they’re from television. So television plays a crucial role in preserving the continuity of the natural

world, so to speak.” Over the years, Sir David has become a household name in television documentary-making, achieving worldwide fame and critical recognition for his contribution to natural history broadcasting. Alongside the much-coveted Knighthood, he has been awarded an extensive list of honours, signified by the daunting string of letters after his name and the sheer number of interesting new species that have been named after him. Despite his astounding career in television, Attenborough admits that he never consciously devised his broadcasting style, and conversely, seemed to fall into broadcasting by default. “I took a degree in Zoology in Cambridge at first. Of course, this was at the end of the war, and at the time conscription was the law, so I had to spend two years in the Navy and afterwards I didn’t feel like rejoining the student crowd and doing a doctorate. I didn’t really think that I wanted to be a research scientist either, so it was a case of, well, what else can I do? “So I got my first job as a research editor on a science journal, which sounds like a rather grand title, but it was more about putting in commas really. And after two years of doing this extremely boring job, I saw an advert in the newspaper for a trainee televi-

sion producer. Well, I ended up getting the position, and I remained working as a producer until 1965. “Of course, now, it’s much more difficult to get into, isn’t it? But at the time, people were actually having to be persuaded to go into television. Adverts were always encouraging us to go into it, saying ‘Oh, well why don’t you just give it a go’ and all that.” During his subsequent 58 years in broadcast journalism, Sir David has been witness to dramatic advancements in film production; whilst he fondly remembers the ‘golden years’ of documentary making, the world of broadcast journalism has seen vast innovation throughout his career, allowing natural history filming to be revolutionised. “In 1952, television was relatively new, you see, radio was the big thing back then, and so when I took my first job as a television producer, filmmaking was completely different. At that time there was little film, and we didn’t really have much money at our disposal, so we had to film most sequences in a studio and interpose this with footage of live sequences. “The first time I actually appeared on camera was after I put up an idea to the company I was working for to organise an expedition with London Zoo to go to West Africa to collect animals – and I was going to film it. Unfortunately, the man from the zoo who was going to demonstrate in the studio and show the animals was ill, and so I was told to stand in for him – it was simply a case of, ‘you’re here, so you can do it’. Things were very different then.” It is possibly thanks to sudden increased popularity in television and natural history documentaries that the issues that affect our planet and natural environment are brought to our attention. Whilst Attenborough’s documentaries have the capacity to entertain, they also encourage the viewer to bear witness to the rapidly changing world around them, and raise awareness of ethical and environmental issues that place pressure on the natural world. His programmes espouse the need for the protection of the natural world, and clearly articulate the dangers posed by over-fishing, deforestation and, of course, global warming.

“Where global warming is concerned, I think that all we can do is keep on talking and arguing about it. I think it would have be very naive to assume that all of the global nations can sit down together and agree about global warming, and then will suddenly accept the same ambitions and objectives, and the same responsibility of cost and expenditure that conservation measures would involve. But I do think that the debate has moved on, people have become more concerned and convinced than they were, and we’ll just have to keep going.” And what about his views on the gross over-population of our planet? Sir David makes no secret of his support of the Optimum Population Trust, which promotes the return to a more environmentally sustainable population. He recently highlighted his concern about the rising population phenomenon in a Horizon programme, in which he warned of the dangers

increased human activity will have on the natural world.

His dodgy knees seemingly won't dampen his enthusiasm for presenting “The one hopeful solution is that in every instance where there is female emancipation, where females have the vote and the right to education, and where there is the medical ability to provide birth control — in those instances, the birth rate will drop. “In most cases, women do not want to have families of 12 where five will die, and everywhere you look, where you can provide medical facilities such as birth control, and literacy and

the possibility of women making up their own mind and not being dictated to, I think that the birth rate will fall.” Sir David’s desire to protect the planet that he so deeply cares about is clear. And after all, how can he help but desire the preservation of a natural world that he has been so intimately connected to? Similarly, how can we, his viewers, enjoy the complex diversity and beauty of the world shown to us, and not want to work towards conserving it? But, after his 58 years in film-making, will he ever run out of energy? “Oh no, never!” He exclaimed. And despite his “dodgy knees” that prevent him from climbing trees the way that he used to, it seems that his enthusiasm cannot be dampened: “I’ve got another few series planned to come out after The Frozen Planet yet, so… we’ll see what happens!” I for one, cannot wait.

TOUCH: He lost his bloody iPhone in the grass

16 FEATURES

gairrhydd | FEATURES@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY FEBRUARY 22 2010

You are not alone

To mark Eating Disorders Awareness Week, Features talk to an ex-anorexia sufferer and take a look at what support is available Helena Lewis-Smith & Christine Pinkard Features Writers

"I believe that although the driven nature of my personality contributed to my eating disorder, it was the same trait that ultimately saved me. "I was put into an outpatient treatment program but it was three years until I was discharged. During my initial weight gain I became convinced I was huge and did not make it to a healthy weight. Within my first year of treatment I was told that I was not expected to make a full recovery. I wasn’t trying to be thin or look good. I just wanted to look the same as everyone else. "The lowest points during my eating disorder were not when I was at my lowest weight. When my weight was out of the danger zone my unit was less worried about me. However, on the inside I felt worse than ever and was cutting myself in an attempt to cope.

In our culture, we are constantly bombarded with the message that being thin will make you attractive, successful, and happy. As a result, many people feel dissatisfied about the size and shape of their bodies. The pressure causes some to turn to dieting, even when they aren’t overweight. At least 1.6 million people in the UK suffer from eating disorders. Eating Disorders Awareness Week 2010 marks the launch of ‘BEAT Cymru’ – a new branch of the UK wide eating disorders charity BEAT, dedicated to Wales. But what is it that makes some people develop full blown eating disorders when they’re exposed to all the same images and pressures as everybody else?

"I was so tired of leading such a secretive, lonely and painful existence"

At least 1.6 million people in the UK suffer from eating disorders The issues involved in eating disorders are much deeper than just wanting to be thin or to look like a supermodel. They are serious and complex illnesses, and low self-esteem is often common among sufferers. When people feel bad about themselves in general, their weight may be the one thing they think they can change that will make them happier. For others, however, body image isn’t even a big part of it at all. People who develop eating disorders also tend to set very high standards for themselves. They may find it hard to accept themselves as less than perfect, which can be both a cause and a result of low self esteem. This means they are likely to be more critical of themselves in general, including the shape and size of their body. Current research also suggests that there are likely to be genetic factors that make someone more likely to develop an eating disorder. However, with the right help, full recovery is possible. It often takes from several months to a few years to be completely free, and a lot of hard work is required on the part of the sufferer and the people supporting them. But the journey is always more than worthwhile. Most people need professional help in order to overcome an eating disorder. Seeking help for the first time is often a very daunting prospect, but is likely to be one of the most important

decisions the sufferer ever makes. People are often reluctant to ask for help because they don’t think they are ‘bad enough’ and won’t be taken seriously. However, it is a myth that you have to be emaciated to have a serious eating disorder, and no one should be deterred from seeking help for this reason. It is essential that help is sought as soon as possible, since the earlier someone starts treatment the easier it is to recover. The first port of call is usually the GP, who can refer you for more specialist help. You can also go to the University counselling service for support - a service many people have very positive experiences of. During treatment, issues such as self esteem, body image, eating behaviours, attitudes to food and relationship problems are likely to be addressed. There is also a self-help group run by the charity BEAT that meets in the University Health Centre (47 Park Place) every Monday at 6.15pm for an hour. The group is very informal and people often attend before starting professional help or alongside it. Meeting others in similar situations often helps people feel less alone, and

sharing experiences and ideas for recovery can be very helpful too. If you think someone you know might have an eating disorder, it is usually best to let them know how you feel. They may not be ready to acknowledge it, but make sure they know you are there for them when they are ready to talk. Encourage them to seek help, and do not take responsibility for their illness upon yourself. One girl who has made a full recovery from anorexia agreed to share her story with gair rhydd.

"Each mouthful made me terrified of the weight it would make me put on" "I never actually intended to lose weight. It began just as a resolution to eat more healthily. I was 14, and had become aware of the start of my natural teenage weight gain. But within

weeks it had spiralled into an obsession and I gradually became afraid of eating anything. Each mouthful made me terrified of the weight it would make me put on. I started to feel freezing cold and exhausted all the time. I could barely concentrate at all and passed out a few times. "Eventually it went too far. I have vague memories of a blur of doctors and scary phrases such as ‘risk of heart failure’ and ‘hospitalisation’. In the end I was told I had a few days in which to begin my weight gain otherwise I would be put into a paediatric ward. I was taken out of school for a while, given a daunting meal plan and told to get on with it. Looking back, the most terrifying thing about it was that I genuinely had no idea that I was so underweight – I was convinced I was larger than most of my friends. "For some reason, at this point something kicked in. Contrary to the stereotype of an anorexic, controlling my weight was never the most important thing in my life. I was determined not to go into hospital because I didn’t want to get behind on all the things I wanted to achieve, both in and out of school.

"When I was 17, I had a major turning point. Although the thought of giving up my eating disorder had always terrified me, I eventually realised that it couldn’t be any worse than the past three years had been. I was so tired of leading such a secretive, lonely and painful existence. I never chose to get an eating disorder, but I believe that in the end recovery was a choice that I had to make for myself. "Recovering from my eating disorder was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, but also the most worthwhile. It had been my protective barrier from the world for years and felt like an important part of my identity. But with it gone, I began to catch up on some of the experiences I’d missed out on over the five years I was unwell for. "I was no longer socially isolated, I had a body that made me look my age, rather than prepubescent, and I could concentrate again. Above all, as I realised that I had the power to make real and lasting changes I gained some self worth back." For more information, help and advice, go to www.b-eat.co.uk.

FEATURES 17

gairrhydd | FEATURES@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY FEBRUARY 22 2010

Support our veterans

Military veterans trying to enter higher education can suffer problems, but the University Veterans Institute offers support Vicky Weaving UVI Features Writer

way, just by offering up a couple of hours of their time and by being sensitive to the needs of service users, they would be able to pay back some of that debt.” In recent years the nation’s treatment of its service personnel, veterans and their families has come under increasing public scrutiny and criticism. Both civilian and military commentators have raised concerns that the Government is failing to uphold the principles of the Military Covenant, the mutual agreement between the nation and the Armed Forces whereby the nation promises to ‘value and respect them as individuals, and to sustain and reward them and their families.’ In a recent interview, Simon Weston OBE, a veteran of the Falklands war and Fellow of Cardiff University was quoted as saying: "This country is good at honouring its war dead as this costs little… it is not so great at honouring its war living."

Discerning students will have already weighed up the merits of taking part in a CV-bolstering term-time activity, one offering genuine engagement, invaluable training, and the opportunity to work with a nationally recognized institution. Well, if for whatever reason, you’re looking for such an opportunity, you might like to read on. This article introduces you to just such an opportunity, working with the University Veterans Institute (UVI).

The University Veterans Institute was established in 2006 November 11 2009 marked the third anniversary of the inauguration of the UVI. This year, the event was celebrated in the Senior Common Room of the Glamorgan Building, following the first of three veteran symposiums centring on narratives of war. Dr Louis Rawlings (HISAR) kindly facilitated the evening as our opening speaker, and was supported by military veterans, whose service spans seventy continuous years. So what is the UVI; what does it do? The UVI was established in 2006 by postgraduate students from the Universities of Cambridge, Cardiff, Oxford and Warwick. The current Dean of Veterans, Daniel Gordon, summed up the Institute by saying: “We support service personnel, veterans, their families and their dependants…the support we offer is simple: we advise people on how to access Higher Education and the Modern Apprenticeship.” When asked how, Gordon continued: “in most cases the soldiers and families we work with are isolate.. The client might be an infantryman on operations in Afghanistan, the wife, or child of an RAF technician stationed in Canada or a sailor serving aboard ship.” Most don’t have basic access to the knowledge and resources many of us had when tracking down our undergraduate courses. We aim therefore to bridge the distance by offering HE access information specific to the geographical, educational and employment needs of service users. “This service includes discussion of funding, access criteria, not to mention an insight into uni life at different institutions.”

REMEMBRANCE: Veterans and University Veterans Institute representatives The UVI help and encourage people making the already huge transition from military to civilian life, our part being to specifically support access to higher education. We offer a personal, tailored service that eases the transition, making it more successful than might otherwise have been hoped. The success of the UVI has now been overtaken by sheer demand, and support is currently needed in two key areas: the first centres on the Case Manager role, addressing what the individual would like to accomplish in relation to their own employability. This job is usually carried out by a PhD candidate, a postgraduate student or a 3rd year undergraduate, whose own experience allows them to understand the needs and trajectory of the service user. The second role is the Caseworker role, this focuses on the educational aspect, dealing with UCAS course requirements, course duration, higher education institutes, identifying sources of funding for university, dealing with LEA’s and so on. This role is best carried out by undergraduates since they have the most recent and therefore relevant knowledge of how to access Higher Education. The announcement that the institute would be expanding its current provision was made by the Dean of Veterans, who himself serves in the Royal Navy, on November 11 during the Armed Forces presentations held last year at the Postgrad Café. The Remembrance Day commemoration focused on the life stories of Jack ‘Whiskey’ Lloyd (Parachute Regiment 1942-58) an Arnhem, Palestine

and Suez veteran, and Tom Perkins (Royal Tank Regiment 1950-60) a Korean War veteran and later member of the Special Air Services Regiment. They were joined by serving members of the armed forces in the form of Royal Marines Chris and Shane, who despite being in their early twenties have served twice in Afghanistan and had both participated in operations in Iraq and Kosovo. Each spoke, often humorously, of their frankly humbling lives and experiences in uniform.

Many veterans don't have access to the resources needed to research university courses On this occasion, the party was given a tour of the University buildings and resources, culminating in a trip to the Union bar, where they were put immediately at ease by a warm and generous Cardiff welcome. Notably, amongst those present on the night were the University rugby team, who must be praised for their affable and welcoming behaviour. Complimenting the young warriors of the rugger team were the All-Charmers Cheerleading squad who posed whilst sharing cheerleading insights with the young Marines. These Marines are prime examples of the type of people that the UVI helps. From the point of initial contact, the

Institute matched Shane and Chris to their respective case managers, Cheryl and Mike. In turn they were allocated caseworkers, from within their area of interest and matched to Philip and Patrick, undergraduates with specific pathway knowledge, in this case, Law and Business trajectories. Besides the obvious advantages, this interaction additionally places the service user at the hub of a multi-layered network of associations. Both the client and the workers benefit from this mutually rewarding interaction: the client gains an appreciation of the options open to them in HE, whilst the caseworkers and case managers have the opportunity to work in an environment of choice and the opportunity to offer real support and services to upwards of 10,000,000 potential service users. Through an abundance of real and diverse experiences this consultancytype role allows any aspiring student to develop much sought-after interpersonal and leadership competencies that can be taken forward into the labour market, postgraduate study and life generally. Cardiff students have effectively offered assistance, advice and a friendly voice to military personnel and their families who are looking at the possibility of accessing HE in the future. This is more than just another student society. Cheryl Allsop, Case Manager and Finance Director, says: “Many of our workers cite a personal debt they feel towards our servicemen and women and maintain if they could help them in some small

Cardiff students have offered assistance, advice and a friendly voice to veterans The statistics surrounding ex-service personnel are equally shocking: whilst most ex-servicemen and women make the transition from military to civilian life without major incident, a small but significant proportion fall between the cracks. It is estimated that one in ten prisoners and one in ten homeless people are ex-forces and around one third of the Armed Forces are diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Mental health issues have certainly taken their toll with our Falklands veterans: more have committed suicide since the war than died during it. Whilst we lack the expertise required to meaningfully support many such problems facing our veterans, we are masters of the educational field and will continue to support the military. If you would like to get involved, or are interested in finding out more, please get in touch by email gordonda@cardiff.ac.uk. We are also interested in contacting ex-military personnel, currently enrolled on HE courses, who may not be aware of additional funding offers available.

gair rhydd

FREE

CARDIFF'S STUDENT WEEKLY

freeword - EST. 1972

ISSUE 916 FEBRUARY 22 2010

This week... Living legend

PHOTOS: Jake Yorath

PHOTO: Christina Mackie

Features gets up close and personal with Sir David Attenborough >> page 14

will be timetabling quiet room space during the working week. The University hopes that the rooms will enhance the quality of working life for all members of the University. The University’s Islamic Society have been campaigning for prayer rooms for many years. In 2007, gair rhydd revealed that Muslim students felt humiliated after having to pray in communal areas due to the lack of prayer space available. In 2006, Cardiff rated second to last for prayer facilities in the International Student Barometer, a survey of international students in 30 top universities.

Going for gold Sport meets Olympic Gold Medalist Ben Ainslie >> page 33

Right-winger Michael Howard tells Politics how to win students' votes >> page 18

22 TAF-OD

gairrhydd | TAFOD@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY FEBRUARY 22 2010

PHOTO: Dafydd Meurig

Hedfan i’r nyth

Owain Rhys Lewis

Taf-od Writer

Ers blwyddyn bellach mae Nyth wedi bod yn diddanu criw bychan a ffyddlon gyda cherddoriaeth fyw yng nghaffi Gwdihw. Wedi ei sefydlu’r llynedd gan Alun Gaffey (y merlyn mwyaf blewog o’r Race Horses) gyda phwyslais pendant ar gerddoriaeth acwstig, bu’n arbrawf lwyddiannus mewn gigio hamddenol heb fwci bo dyn sain ar gyfyl y lle. Aeth y nosweithiau o nerth i nerth, a bellach dyma ddefod fisol i nifer o’r rheini sydd â diddordeb mewn cerddoriaeth gyfoes yn y ddinas. Eto, bu’n rhaid i Gaffey adael y Nyth gan fudo yn ôl i’r gogledd, ac yn ei le daeth pedwar gwr bonheddig i gadw’r cywion bach yn gynnes gyda cherddoriaeth ac ymddiddan.

Heb os mae’r noson wedi ffynnu ers hynny. ‘Dwi’n cofio mynd i’r Nyth cynta, o’dd hwnna’n literally yn Gaff jyst yn sefyll mewn stafell yn chware gitâr cos o’dd o’n skint,’ medd Dave Jones un o’r trefnwyr, gan ychwanegu fod y noson ‘’di mynd yn lot fwy na beth o’dd o’n cychwyn’. Yn wir, mae’r gwreiddiau acwstig wedi eu diosg fwy na heb, gyda bandiau megis Llwybr Llaethog, Sibrydion a’r Zimmermans wedi dod a chreu twrw mawr yn y misoedd diwethaf ac wedi meiddio tarfu ar esmwythyd pobl mewn ty bwyta gerllaw. Cryfder Nyth o’r cychwyn cynta oedd ei allu i gynnal noson o gerddoriaeth o bob math a gwneud hynny’n hollol ddwyieithog gan ddenu cynulleidfa eang. Gwelir nifer helaeth o fyfyrwyr Gym-gymaidd, aelodau, cyn-aelodau a hanner aelodau’r ‘SRG’, cyfryngis

y BBC a phob ystrydeb arferol arall sydd yn ffurfio cynulleidfa gig Cymraeg ei iaith. Mae yna eraill llai tebygol, pobl ddi-Gymraeg yn aml, heb syniad o’r hyn sy’n digwydd a heb nabod mam y boi ar dryms. Dyma sy’n ei wneud yn hollol unigryw, ac i Gaerdydd fel dinas. Ni fuasai hyn yn bosib mewn llawer o lefydd. Felly pan ddaeth hi’n amser dathlu pen-blwydd Nyth yn flwydd oed, roedd gorfoleddu a llawenhau ac roedd holl rigmarôl parti hen ffasiwn yn amlwg; baneri, balwns, y gêm hiraf o pass the parcel erioed i gael ei gynnal i’r dwyrain o Grymych a math o stondin creu hetiau papur a gafodd ei feddiannu gan fyfyrwyr hanner meddw’n ceisio bod yn ddoniol. Yn anffodus roedd casét Bryn Fôn yn canu Tecwyn y Tractor ar goll ac felly bu’n rhaid troi yn hytrach at

dalentau’r Gwyddel, y Creision Hud a Jen Jeniro. Agorwyd y noson gan Y Gwyddel, a.k.a Connor o Plant Duw, ei ail berfformiad yn Nyth. Mae safon ei ganeuon yn uchel ac mae’n gwneud defnydd da o un gitâr i roi dyfnder a chyfoeth i ganeuon gwerinaidd syml, ond tanseilir yr holl ymdrech gan ei anallu i gynnal nodyn. Gyda Plant Duw, mae hyn yn gweithio; yn yr achos hwn doedd e ddim yn taro deuddeg. Yn ail cafwyd set hanner acwstig gan y Creision Hud a lwyddodd rywsut i gymhwyso eu pop aml-onglog a rhythmig i rywbeth reit dawel a swynol. Braf hefyd oedd eu gweld yn ceisio gwneud ambell beth newydd, gydag Ifan Williams yn chware’r banjo a chlicio’i fysedd fel petai’r diafol yn trigo ynddynt.

Gorffennwyd y noson gan yr anhygoel Jen Jeniro, band sydd wedi cael ei anwybyddu gan drefnwyr cyngherddau a chynhyrchwyr radio am lawer ry hir. Rhannant yr un gallu â’r Super Furry Animals i greu crefft o ailadrodd, gan lunio sain seicadelig hyfryd sy’n mynegi rhyw ddelfryd nad yw’n bodoli o’r haf. Does dim ots mai’r un gân sy’n cael ei chware naw gwaith. Ma hi’n gan wych. Fel y dywed Dave Jones, ‘Ma Clwb ar nos Sadwrn yn ffycin seven quid am Sibrydion neu rywbeth, os ti’n dod i gig Nyth gei di Llwybr Llaethog, Sibrydion a bandiau newydd llai adnabyddus am ddwybunt’. Pwy mewn dirwasgiad all ddadlau â rhesymeg o’r fath? Felly, da chi, hedfanwch i’r Nyth yn haid o gywion bach.

gairrhydd | SCIENCE@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY FEBRUARY 22 2010

SCIENCE & ENVIRONMENT 23

The geo solution? James Griffiths explores of the latest contraversial technologies hoped to combat climate change

News in brief Newsbites Increase in palm oil suggested A recent study published in magazine PNAS has stated that an increase in production of ecofriendly fuels could lead indirectly to destroying the rainforest in the Amazon region. The cultivation of cane sugar (for ethanol) and soy beans (for biodiesel) has expanded enormously over the last few years. 88 % of the newly added space for cultivation consisted of former cattle run. Cattlemen are now forced to the edge of the Amazon, where they have to deforest new areas to obtain pasture ground. The study suggested growing the more fertile oil palm tree. This would reduce the additional needed area from 108.100 km2 to only 4200 km2. Compulsive gambling could be genetic Recent research has revealed that there could be a neurological basis to high-risk speculating. Two women with a rare genetic disorder were required to make gambling choices after being a presented a gift of $50. The participants made every bet regardless of the risk. Their tendency to "loss aversion" seems to be the result of damage to a small part of their brain (the amygdale) which is responsible for processing fear. One of the researchers concluded: “Monetary loss aversion has been studied in behavioural economics for some time, but this is the first time that patients have been reported who lack it entirely."

GEOENGINEERING: Could it help save the Polar Bears?

James Griffiths Science Writer Amidst the recent cold snap, global warming has probably been far from most people’s minds. And while Britain and much of northern Europe freezes in its coldest winter for 30 years, southern Australia is suffering a record summer heatwave. Weather and climate are never far from the headlines and an increasing range of solutions loosely termed 'geoengineering' have come to prominence. Geoengineering, sometimes called ‘climate engineering’, refers to deliberate human efforts to manipulate the Earth’s climate in order to mitigate or counteract the effects of man-made climate change. Geoengineering may refer to both mitigation, and adaptation strategies to global warming, and relies on contributions from most branches of science and engineering. One of the best-known and most advocated geoengineering solutions is carbon sequestration. Carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere may be ‘sequestered’ (or stored) in a number of ways. CO2 can be directly captured from the air, by reacting the gas chem-

ically with sodium hydroxide or calcium oxide. This may be used to reduce emissions from a ‘point source’ (e.g. a factory smokestack) with the chosen chemical heated in a trough where it reacts with the CO2. Another method of carbon sequestration involves pumping large quantities of CO2 into stable geological formations underground. Candidates for carbon storage could include oil and gas fields, saline aquifers and ‘unminable’ coal seams. Currently, research is going into making sure that CO2 that has been injected underground does not return to the atmosphere.

Of course there will be risks if we interfere with the environment A third way proposed to remove atmospheric CO2 involves stimulating growths of phytoplankton (tiny marine organisms) in the Southern Ocean, which, if provided with iron in large enough quantities, can take up CO2 through photosynthesis. Again, research is ongoing into the possible detrimental effects that dumping many

tons of iron into the planet’s oceans could have.

One suggestion is to launch a fleet of giant mirrors These methods outlined are termed ‘carbon capture and storage’ (CCS), and address the twin problems created by increasing atmospheric CO2, namely global warming and ocean acidification. Perhaps this is why so many experts prefer this mode of geoengineering, including the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Chair, Rajendra Pachauri, but much remains unknown CCS and its effects and reliability. Other methods of geoengineering focus not on removing CO2 but on reducing the amount of sunlight which reaches the Earth’s surface and is then trapped by the atmosphere. These methods are collectively called solar radiation management (SRM), and intend to reduce the amount of solar radiation reaching Earth. There are many ideas for ways of doing this including painting house roofs white and launching a fleet of highly reflective mirrors attached to satellites into the Earth's orbit. This proposal suffers

from both high costs and technical complexities. Although many of these proposals rely on unproven technology, or require much more intensive research, there is the possibility that they could make a difference. Ken Caldeira, of the Carnegie Institute sums up the hopes of geoengineering advocates: “Our climate model simulations suggest that if we produce a world with a lot of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, even relatively crude climate engineering could bring the climate closer to how it was before those greenhouse gas emissions. It would not be perfect, but it would be pretty good." Others, such as John Shepherd of Southampton University, do not agree: "We are not advocating geoengineering. It is not an alternative to emissions reductions." There will undoubtedly be risks if mankind decides to interfere in a system as huge and complex as the Earth’s climate. But as the United Nations have failed to produce definitive emissions targets, geoengineering is increasingly looking like a more necessary strategy to to drive CO2 levels down.

Junk food could make you less sensitive to pleasure Scientist Paul Johnson has conducted an experiment in which he fed rats with cheesecake and bacon in an attempt to understand obesity. The rats soon started to eat twice what the control rats (who weren't fed cheesecake and bacon) could gulp down. Johnson found the reason for their craving lay in the pleasure centres of their brains. The junk food eaters had became less sensitive to pleasure and so a normal food ration didn’t give them pleasure anymore. As a result, they needed twice as much food as the control rats to make them feel good. The research is hoped to help in the treatment of drug addiction. Deferred commercialisation of India first GM vegetable crop. India, the largest producer of aubergines in the world, started the production of a GM crop called BT brinjal in October 2009 but have just announced a moratorium on the operations. Indian seed company Mahyco, a partner of massive corporation Monsanto, say that the GM vegetable is more resistant to natural pests. Nevertheless, environment Minister Jairam Ramesh has been sensitive to public and farmer protests and has decided to conduct more independent scientific studies and tests. Anti-GM pgroups claims that BT brinjal could cause cancer and other serious health problems.

24 JOBS & MONEY

gairrhydd | JOBS@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY FEBRUARY 22 2010

Volunteering pays off It may be unpaid work, but volunteering is worth it in the long run Katie Greenway Jobs & Money Editor

fantastic heights, it has become more opportunities that you take on can difficult to differentiate ourselves provide relevant experience for the from the masses and to put ourselves career of your dreams and, most of in sure stead of getting the jobs that all, employers appreciate the fact that Students, of all people, appreci- we apply for. We need another outlet you have dipped into your free time to ate competition. We have already besides academia where we can excel gain further experience. Cardiff University's Career Service competed with hundreds of thou- and show our potential future employsands for our university places, ers exactly what we’re made of and to offers taster sessions where you can many of us have played sports or display the dedication we are willing sample many different industry secjoined societies that have a com- to exercise in order to secure the fu- tors. You can also look at Cardiff Volunteering (www.volunteering-wales. petitive edge. Therefore by your tures we aim for. There are sporting stars who can net) where you will find hundreds of second or third year, you are fully aware of how competitive the job showcase their talents on the net- charities and other humanitarian ormarket will be, even without the ball, football, hockey or rugby pitch. ganisations that need volunteers. You can polish your communicasmall complication of a global re- There are those who can play instruments, those who are into politics or tion, numeracy, advocacy and leadercession. Each graduate placement involves debating, those who can sing, who can ship skills, and unleash your humanifierce competition, further increased dance; anything to show that you are tarian side. It is also a perfect way of by graduate jobs being cut and more not just another one of thousands of putting your fingers in many proverbial pies: you can sample many differgraduates being churned out, together students with a BA or BSc. However, for those of us who do ent areas of work without committing with those graduates reaching higher grades. Law at Cardiff University, for not have an art or a sport or an activ- or spending money. You can then show, when you apexample, requires three As at A Level. ity that we are good at, there is always At graduation, you need an excuse for volunteering. The downside to volun- ply for jobs, that you have an array of not acheiving a 2:1 or a first, alongside teering is that you don't get paid for experience. It might also help you decompleting all the necessary work the hard work and the hours that you cide which career is right for you. are It is probably the best way of beput in, but there moral rewards experience, such as solicitor’s place- and potential professional rewards in ing able to take and give back at the ments, mini-pupillages and so on. With more graduates reaching these the future. Furthermore, the roles and same time.

(

( '

SVC: a great way to volunteer in Cardiff

! " #$ %!&' ( & ( ) " * " ' + , - . " - * / ' ) ! ) " ! " # $ # " %& ' ( ") # + ) 0 " %!&' 1' ' / " 2 * 3 4 ! " " , " 5 6 5 #$ - 5 ! 1 ! / " 5 #$ 7 ' & ( ) 8 ! ) 9 5 " ' + , - . ) - : . " 0 5 ; 5 #$ 2 * 8 ) 7 2 2 * " - * / ' ) ! ) " !

) 3

4 5 5 ; 5

8 * * ) < *** # ++ # ,-# & 2 * * ,. / #, # 0 01

LETTERS 25

gairrhydd | LETTERS@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY FEBRUARY 22 2010

the Comments from the week’s news, opinion, features and sport at www.gairrhydd.com Euthanasia: the right to decide

friends or I reAd the papers beforehand and so that’s not ideal. Dominic Stone

Lianne Wilson Hear hear and damn straight. Liam Lord Agreed, with one minor objection. Even Terry Pratchett made this one odd statement, which is all I object to: That the Panel for Assisted Dying is one you apply to for permission. That’s my objection- They’re our lives, not the government’s, not the panel’s. Why are we talking about permission? Notification is, in my opinion, the better term to use. Still, I’m bloody glad that some long overdue changes might actually occur in this area.

Democracy in action Lianne Wilson Nice to see a sensible AGM for once in terms of decisions and quoracy. Nothing very stupid passed, which is nice. Also, if the Union ignores the advice regarding minimum membership, it’ll be a travesty. I’ve met absolutely no-one in favour of raising it and the AGM, which is a far better body for that kind of decision than Student Council, was clearly against. James I agree. Nothing too exciting but pretty well handled. I also think 20 members should be put through however you can see why they suggested it; my society has been getting less and less and they’ve been letting more and more join. That’s not a reason to punish existing societies tho. Also I feel a bit put out about not voting but tbh none of my

I’ll just throw my 2cents in here. As a member of the Union Executive and Student Council, I think I speak on behalf of every voting member of the Council that there was a resounding feeling against that particular issue amongst the student body. All members of student council received an e-mail yesterday detailing the time and date of the next meeting (23rd February at 6:30pm) but leaving the venue TBC. Something which has not happened before. My understanding of this would be that someone proposed having the meeting in the Great Hall so that more members of the Student Body could have their say, if not a vote. However, if it remains in the normal venue – students are still more than welcome to come along and voice their opinions. Finally, I think it should be noted that there are too many members of Student Council who are planning on running in the Union Elections (not including myself) who, if they decided against the clear opinion of the student body would suffer at the polls. But to clarify, electioneering will not the basis for the decision taken – thats not how we roll. At the end of the day, I’m a pretty insignificant cog in a big machine – but when a venue is confirmed for the meeting, I will do all I can to ensure that the right people make that information publicly available in the right places so everyone can come and play their part.

Hmm, I think I’m somewhat in the middle on this. On the one hand I only check Facebook about once a week, on the other hand I have my friends’ status updates on an RSS feed…. Either way, cracking article, sir. The tone made me smile.

This article made me think a lot more, not only because I also attended Four Oaks Primary School, but also because things like this make people reevaluate the position our country has taken – and in my opinion the right position.

Liam Lord

Sleeping on the job

“Texting, I thought. Harsh, considering I was standing there, but still, we all do it. But no. I glimpsed over her shoulder and noticed, to my horror, that she was actually checking Facebook. In a club. Whilst I was wooing. Needless to say, I was a bit taken aback, to say the least. That is, until in some mystical moment of karma inspired coincidence, I looked around and saw a guy doing exactly the same thing – on his iPhone. A wave of realisation hit me like an Asian tsunami (what, too soon?). We have all become a massive bunch of cnts. Pardon the language.” Write more Oli, I demand you write more.

Josh Beattie

The truth about Saddam's regime Rhys

neither do you

This is really good article, I think that more people should read about the suffering of the kurds while Saddam was in power. I do think that the left mainstream has been completely wrong about Iraq, that they think that Iraq would be better off as a dictatorship rather than a democratic country, and that Blair is the real war criminal, rather than the man who committed genocide. I wish the best of luck to you Bnar.

Lianne Wilson

Reis

iHave no life and

forum

I know Dom personally and think he’s a top chap and have definitely seen him put a brave face on at difficult times to keep other people smiling. I would also like to add that I’ve been really really impressed with Gair Rhydd features in the past two weeks. Features about Depression, students with disabilities or moving from Iraq are the sort of stories I believe people want to read. More continued focus on students please Emma Jones.

Cheer champs Another Supporter I think whether you think of cheerleading as being a sport or not (which is what I assume your argument is, Cynic, seeing as you can do all these things on a night out) is irrelevant. The fact is that they are a cardiff team means they deserve to have the support that every other squad gets. Whether you play football, volleyball, tennis, whatever – every victory is a victory for cardiff. Adam Troth I find it incredible that so many people are getting their spankies in a twist over such a trivial matter as the (supposedly excessive/completely justified

to celebrate the successes of a niche event) coverage of Cardiff’s cheerleaders. Depending on your whim, most people see cheerleading as either in the mould of several other female dominated sports, namely a thinly veiled form of institutionalised pimping, or yet another half-baked American idea which has crossed the Pond with about as much success as the Titanic. I do jest of course, I simply find it staggering how much interest this story has generated. And now I’m contributing to it. To further the publicity. How ironic. It’s like rape on your wedding day. Jason Thomas Whilst I agree with some of the cynics comments (to a degree) about the legitimacy of cheerleading as a sport i do find it difficult to agree with their analysis of the editorial judgement behind this backpage story. To me it looks like a classic university rag backpager – Uni team does well + good picture of girls in skirts = win win. Editorially it makes perfect sense, especially since it’s a team that gets hardly any coverage (this is the first i’ve heard of this team before). Much better have a story about a Cardiff team beating a bunch of school kids than yet another story about the rugby team. It’s also nice to see a debate about the gair rhydd’s editorial polcies – not everyone will always agree but surely dialogue like this is the best way to keep imoroving the paper – although it is dissapointing when people (comment no 18 in particular) start turning such discussions into – my teams better than your team… Good to see the Gair Rhydd sparking such debate – keep up the good work!!

Away on a placement? Heading abroad?

Stay in touch with

www.gairrhydd.com NEWS, LIVE DEBATE, FEATURES, SPORT, QUENCH, EXCLUSIVE CONTENT AND MORE

26 LISTINGS

'X' marks the spot...

gairrhydd | LISTINGS@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY FEBRUARY 22 2010

YOUR INDEPENDENT LISTINGS GUIDE Monday

22nd February As you can probably tell, X-Factor has arrived in Cardiff. We at listings are not impressed by this. Not only is it removing the culture from this city for a week, it will inevitably be a great excuse for passive-idiotstudents (and little girls) to get all excited about their extraordinarily average stars. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against the Simon Cowell Empire, as it has to be said, he has done quite well for himself. It would be foolish for a struggling student to criticise a man soley on his success. What we do have a problem with, is the idiots who munch down on all the commercial interests without thinking, and then bump the winner of X-Factor to number two because they want to rebel. Even Cowell himself said he didn't care personally if Joe Somebody got to Number 1, as he has had a fair few in the past. The only person that gets upset by this, is Joe Somebody himself. Perhaps, instead you should actually engage in culture, by trying new things, rather than going to the same places every week. I used to think pitching up to Clwb was me playing my part. But I was no better than those going to Revs each week. We urge you to try the small nights around Cardiff. Most of the time they are better, but you have to give them a chance. There is always something interesting on at The Globe, Toucan, Vulcan Lounge, Shot in The Dark, Submission, Milgis etc... If you haven't heard of them, you cannot complain that Cardiff is boring, perhaps you are boring.

FUN FACTORY, Solus, FREE Fun Factory is still producing entertainment for those already haemorrhaging cash. Free entry and super cheap drinks are a perfect way to enjoy yourself and keep your new purse strings in check. COURTNEY PINE, Globe, £20 World famous saxophonist fusing hip-hop, jazz and groove; one of the most exciting and talented performers around. Credited with transforming the face of contemporary British Jazz, Courtney Pine is revered across the world for his innovative style and love of playing live. MARINA & THE DIAMONDS, BRISTOL, SOLD OUT Quirky electro pop and piano songstress in the mould of Katy Perry meets Dresdan Dolls. Sold out in Bristol tonight, BUT, the sexy popstar is in Cardiff very soon — look out for more info... Or better yet, go buy a Kate Nash record... It's the same but better (and not a rip off).

Tuesday

23rd February TUBELORD, CAI, £2 Formerly known as Says Ago, they play BiffyClyro-meets-Foals-style rock. HOT CLUB DE PARIS, Clwb, £6 Hard-to-pin-down threesome Hot Club De Paris, are a mixture of modern pop and indie bringing a new spin on the classic britpop band of the mid nineties and the post punk of the eighties. Formed in 2004, and after practising harmonies like there was no tomorrow, Paul Rafferty, Matthew Smith and Alasdair Smith got a record deal and have been touring ever since. Some say they sound like the BeachBoys - throw in a bit of Pulp, Dexy's Midnight Runners and the Arctic Monkeys and you may be getting close. EIGHT LEGS, Barfly, £5 This London based four-piece who were asked to soundtrack a Dior Homme catwalk show in Paris in 2006. Their sound is poppy but edgy; downbeat and modern, yet wearing its punk heart on its sleeve.

Wednesday 24th February

X-FACTOR LIVE, CIA, LIMITED Another round of popstar hopefuls compete in the UK's biggest talent search. Judged on appearance, personality, stage presence and dance routines by Simon Cowell, Cheryl Cole, Danni Minogue and Louis Walsh, the contestants are whittled down one by one each week by public vote often enduring a barrage of abuse from the judges in the process. The prize for the winner is a £1million record deal and an enormous amount of press coverage with the show becoming more popular each year. The live arena tour features the finalists from this year's show, plus other "memorable" contestants. THE LASH, Solus, £3 AU societies on the "Lash." See how many pictures you can get of footballers' baubles and cheerleaders in nipple tinsel. STRAIGHT LINES, Clwb, £5 Straight Lines was initially conceived by lead vocalist and guitarist Tom Jenkins and drummer Dane Campbell after the demise of their previous band. Despite the band’s short existence, Straight Lines ability to pen infectious rhythmic anthems has not gone unnoticed and they have already secured forthcoming support slots with Kids In Glass Houses, Young Guns, Attack! Attack!, The Automatic and Motorhead!

Listings out...

Students’ Union, Park Place, 02920 387421 www.cardiffstudents.com ◆ IV Lounge, 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

gairrhydd | LISTINGS@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY FEBRUARY 22 2010

LISTINGS 27

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

25th February

26th February

27th February

28th February

MOTHER MAE I?, CAI, £2 An inclusive night of anything goes. Expect everything from electro-pop to dirty beats via all manner of friendly filth with an electric undercurrent. Expect lollipops. Expect limbo bears. Expect riot showgrrrls. Expect friendly faces. Expect dress-up room. Expect street performance. Expect DnB sometimes. Expect surprises. Expect free pink fizz. Expect girls. Expect to be picking glitter out of your stubble on Monday morning.Dance Code: Hell Yes.

CATE LE BON, Clwb, £7 Cate grew up in Cardiff's French quarter and made her name as part of Neon Neon but is at her best when solo. Equal parts Nico, Bobbie Gentry and her own emotional observations. Aptly supported by Goldierocks. Entwining taste with style, zest and motion, her sets and appearances are more performance rather than mere, tame exhibitionism building, and popping just when the ambience is ready, and the crowd screams for more. Goldierocks is infecting the capital and beyond.

CEASERS ROME, Barfly, £5 The swelling sound of voice and drums make their performance controlled yet volatile. Along with clever songwriting, their energetic presence bring a smile to the viewer and despite the small stage, they shake the venue. With a mix of brilliant guitar attack then long sustained sounds, there is no need for a synth to create an atmosphere. Despite the power of the guitar, it's not uncontrolled. No chaotically mashed sounds - just perfected riffs

COME PLAY, Solus, £3.50 Come Play is still the student location on a Saturday. So.... yeh... do that.

SYLOSIS, Barfly, £9 SYLOSIS are a forward thinking UK thrash metal band. Hailing from Reading, SYLOSIS set out to create a modern, epic new take on the old school thrash metal blueprint. The bands sound is comprised of fast, aggressive riffing, thunderous drumming, intricate guitar lines, shredding solos, fierce vocals and haunting ambience. Unashamedly, there is also an abundance of melody and dynamics. SYLOSIS pride themselves on not only their heaviness but the attention to detail of their song-writing. Every song is cleverly crafted into its own identity and structured to perfection.

X-FACTOR LIVE, CIA, LIMITED X-Factor is on again... HADOUKEN + THIS CITY, MMH, £12.50 London/Leeds-based grime hybrid being touted as "the next Klaxons." 'They sound angry, they sound smart and they sound like something you'll be hearing a lot more of in the coming months'. Supported by This City who have been compared to Bloc Party, Talking Heads and At The Drive-In, this Brighton five-piece play a unique blend of contagious indie-hardcore combining rugged guitars, disco-punky beats, punchy vocals and heartstring-ripping lyrics. DISCORD, Barfly, £3 Expect to hear: 36 Crazy Fists — 30 Seconds To Mars — Avenged Sevenfold — AFI — The Automatic — At The Drive In — Atreyu — Alkaline Trio — Alexisonfire — Anti-Flag — Biffy Clyro — Blink182 — Bullet For My Valentine — Brand New — Bring Me The Horizon — The Cure — Coheed & Cambria — The Clash — Coal Chamber — The Distillers — Deftones — Disturbed — Depeche Mode...

X-FACTOR LIVE, CIA, LIMITED Another chance to catch X-Factor...

THE DUDES ABIDE, Clwb, £3.50 Saturday night at Clwb is probably the longest running DJ night in Cardiff, clocking up 27 years and it just keeps on getting better. Offering three floors of the best tracks from a variety of genres Clwb has cherry picked the best DJs currently gracing the decks in Cardiff and put them all on the same night. X-FACTOR LIVE, CIA, LIMITED YAY. More X-Factor...

FULL FAT ANTI-SOCIAL, 10 Feet Tall The Full Fat Anti-Social presents an alternative night of quality drinks and music for party people on a Sunday and takes place across three bars: Mr Smith's, 10 Feet Tall and Buffalo Bar! COFFEE & TV, Vulcan Lounge, FREE Go for a sociable drink at the newly opened Vulcan Lounge in Cathays. With a great menu and student deals, fly over to the Vulcan.

XIU XIU, Cardiff Arts Institute, FREE Experimental band pronounced 'shoe-shoe' who the NME have favourably compared to the Dirty Projectors.

(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 29

gairrhydd | FMF@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY FEBRUARY 22 2010

EASY

sudoku.

MEDIUM

Mystic Smeg Aries, March 21 – April 20 Monday Tuesday, Happy Days, Wednesday Thursday - not so much. Taurus, April 21 – May 21 People think Dean Gaffney is better looking than you. Gutted. Gemini, May 22 – June 21 Gimme gimme gimme a man after midnight. Go on. I'm gagging for it.

quick crossword. Across

Down

9. Artist's workroom (7) 10. Sickness (7) 11. An artistic movement in 19th century France (7) 12. Pixie (7) 13. Sailboat (9) 15. King (5) 16. The floating wreckage of a ship (7) 19. Religious rite (7) 20. France's longest river (5) 21. An explanation of the fundamental reasons (9) 25. Suppress (7) 26. Show off (7) 28. Near the kidneys (7) 29. Male chicken (7)

1. Cloth (6) 2. Renter (6) 3. Eight in Roman numerals (4) 4. An introductory textbook (6) 5. Borderline (8) 6. A moderately quick tempo (10) 7. Another name for mobile phone (8) 8. A broad flat fish with a poisonous spine (8) 14. Mishmash (10) 16. Moonstone (8) 17. Death notice (8) 18. Arrange in due order (8) 22. Bar (6) 23. Savvy (6) 24. Withstand (6) 27. Once ____ a time (4)

Cancer, June 22 – July 22 You'll do anything for love, but you won't do anal. Leo, July 23 - August 23 Start to worry this week – you're getting too awesome. Virgo, August 24 – September 22 Can't pick up the gair rhydd this week? There's an app for that. Libra, September 23 – October 23 Trouble at home? Move to Milton Keynes – City of Dreams. Scorpio, October 24 – November 22 You'll consider blacking up this week. Don't. Sagittarius, November 23 – December 21 Oh you. You silly mare. What have you done! Shit yourself again, eh? Capricorn, December 22 – January 20 Shave off that RIDICULOUS beard. It's unbecoming for a lady of your size. Aquarius, January 21 – February 18 You went on holiday with eight condoms and came back with nine?! Ouch. Pisces, February 19 – March 20 90% of those wishing you a happy birthday only remember because of Facebook.

THE WORD ON - SPORT 31 Top Five Lucy Morgan gives the word on Andy Powell's DRUNKEN SPORT STARS antics and the culture of drinking within sport gairrhydd | SPORT@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY FEBRUARY 22 2010

Whether it be cheating on their wives or taking charge of a golf buggy, sports stars haven’t been coming across too well lately and, as the arrest of Wales' back-row Andy Powell last weekend highlights, alcohol is often the fuel behind their foolery. While Welsh fans were still celebrating an incredible 31-24 victory over the Scots at the Millennium Stadium last weekend, Powell’s partying came to an abrupt end when he was caught driving a golf buggy towards the M4 and (surprise, surprise) subsequently failed a breathalyser test. He has since been dropped from the Welsh squad for “behaviour contrary to the squad’s code of conduct”. As Team Manager, Alan Phillips, stated "This kind of behaviour cannot be tolerated in a professional, elite sporting environment and we have acted quickly and incisively in order to leave no ambiguity over the dim view we take of this situation." Powell certainly wouldn’t be described as one of the quieter members of the squad and he is no stranger to media coverage of his drunken antics. During last year’s Six Nations the 28 year-old was one of a group of players in trouble after police were called to a ‘disturbance’ at a Cardiff pub. This year’s incident is certainly up there with the more ridiculous antics of drunken sports stars, and news of his behaviour dominated the sporting headlines within hours. Sure, let’s have a laugh at him. It is easy to see the funny side of the story and it seems many people are happy to celebrate his stupidity. Within hours of the incident, an “Andy Powell Appreciation Society for Driving a Golf Buggy down the M4” was set up on Facebook and,

FLINTOFF: Feeling tender...

1. FREDDIE FLINTOFF: A pioneer of drunken shenanigans. 2007 saw Freddie having to be rescued from being stuck out at sea after a drunken pedalo incident.

2. CRAIG BELLAMY: When he was at Liverpool, Bellamy attacked teammate Riise with a golf club. Golfing equipment and booze seems to be all the rage these days.

POWELL: Tiger's golfing antics are still worse... to date, has over 90,000 members. However, take away the humour of the situation and a serious issue – one that is consistently reawakened in the sporting world – is brought to light: that of Sports stars and their apparent inability to control their drink. Powell is not the first sporting star to find himself in trouble after a few too many. In another incident involving golfing paraphernalia, Craig Bellamy attacked fellow Liverpool team mate Jon Arne Riise after taking issue with the fact that he was not willing to sing a song on a Karaoke night. Who could forget the events of the cricket world cup of 2007 when Freddie Flintoff infamously had to be rescued from the sea after falling from a pedalo whilst under the influence? Flintoff was subsequently sacked as team vice-captain and suspended for one match. The Public and the Media were keen to criticise the players on these occasions and surely rightly so? After all, these are high-profile sports men who have an example to set. Rugby, in particular, has a history of drunken tomfoolery. On the Lions tour of 1968 the squad embarked upon what one local hotelier called "unmitigated drunken revelry" and it seems things haven’t really changed. Last Summer French Rugby International

Mathieu Bastareaud was thrown off the tour to New Zealand after claiming he was attacked by five Kiwi Rugby Fans only to later reveal that he had in fact sustained the injuries after falling over drunk in his hotel room. So, if this has been going on for so long, why all the furore now? The problem is that nowadays we live in a world of 24 hour news and increased media coverage of our sporting heroes. Whether they like it or not, their job means that they are in the spotlight 24/7 and consequently have to be on their best behaviour at all times – no wonder the pressure gets too much!

"Rugby, in particular, has a history of drunken tomfoolery" All the same, sports stars have to realise this and take responsibility for their actions. We hear it said over and over again, but they are role models and young children look up to these people and idolise them. It’s a responsibility that can’t be taken lightly and, at the moment, doesn’t seem to be taken seriously by all. So what’s the answer? Back in May

last year, Tottenham coach Harry Redknapp announced that he would be introducing a drinking ban after members of his squad were arrested for an alleged racially aggravated assault after a night out went “too far”. Many people believed this to be a little extreme but Redknapp was clear in his objective stating that “footballers shouldn't drink. [They] should dedicate their lives to playing”. A blanket ban does seem a little extreme as after all it’s only the idiotic minority who end up in such situations. I’m sure almost every sports star has enjoyed a night out yet somehow have managed not to find themselves getting a golf buggy ride home. It is, however, easy for us to take the moral high ground. I’m sure nearly everyone has felt the need to let off steam at some point and we’ve probably all got drunken tales to tell but in the end, your average joe isn’t in the glare of the public eye, and sports stars have to take this role seriously. In the end, sports stars are paid to be athletes and are paid to look after themselves and stay fit – by drinking they are not doing their job. As Harry Redknapp brilliantly put it: “You shouldn’t put diesel in a Ferrari.”

3. IVAN UKHOV: In 2008 the Russain high jumper seemed a little bit worse for ware when he took to the field. Check out the link. h t t p : / / w w w. y o u t u b e . c o m / watch?v=oZq-6PL8L6A

4. MATHIEU BASTAREAUD: The Frenchman was involved in an incident where he claimed to have been attacked whilst in New Zealand. Turned out he just hurt himself whilst being drunk. Oh the shame!

5. PAUL GASCOIGNE: The antics of Gazza were legendary.The Geordie joker famously immitated his 'dentist chair' booze session after his goal against Scotland in Euro 96'.

32 SPORT- WARM UP Previews in Robbie Wells predicts a Carling Cup upset when brief Aston Villa meet Manchester United at Wembley

gairrhydd | SPORT@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY FEBRUARY 22 2010

Champions League Inter Milan vs Chelsea Another British club visits the San Siro this Wednesday as Chelsea take on Serie A leaders Inter, Milan. John Terry will be looking to put recent events behind him as he leads his side out in Italy. Manager Ancelotti will be keen to replicate Man United's success of last week as they were the victors in their own AngloItalian tie. Ancelotti will know the ground only too well as he recently left Inter's rivals AC Milan after eight years at the club to join Chelsea. Mourinho will also be desperate to remind us of just how good a manager he is and will be relishing the chance to square up against his old club. Just like in last week's match, there will be plenty of world class talent on display. All eyes will be on Drogba, who has been on top form of late. Many people are predicting that the victor of this match will go on to win the tournament. We'll just have to wait and see...

IRB Six Nations England vs Scarlets Last year England were beaten by the Irish at Croke Park by one point. Martin Johnson's men will be ruing the opportunity to take revenge for last year's defeat and continue their winning start to the 2010 campaign. Ireland's pre-tournament ambitions of winning two consecutive tournaments were dashed last week by the French, who were comfortable visitors in Paris. Although England have won their first two matches, their performances have been less than convincing. Their narrow victory over Italy in Rome highlighted this, where England were sucked into playing a game dominated by kicking. With injury and suspension striking Ireland and two poor performances so far, I can see England just pipping this one.

I was beginning to think I’d never see the day that Aston Villa would find themselves at Wembley again; for a time under David O’Leary it only looked possible if it was in a Championship play-off. But, four seasons under Randy Lerner and Martin O’Neill, and the sight of silverware is firmly in the sights of the one-time giant of the game. And then Manchester United came along. Ominously as ever, Manchester United are beginning to look a real threat again, after their perennial sluggish start to the campaign. The league this season has seen the very best look very ordinary on occasion, but February to May is traditionally when Manchester United switch off the auto-pilot and begin to take off. More importantly, playing for a trophy is not going to faze the United players - they’ve been there, done it and swapped shirts all before. Looking through the Villa team, there’s Scottish Cup experience and very little else when it comes to winning medals. A team largely made from young, England fringe players will probably not send shivers down the spine of the likes of Ryan Giggs, who has won more medals in his career (30) than there are players listed in the first team squad at B6. You’d think he’d share them about a bit. One medal he missed out on though came in 1994, when the league champions, and heavy favourites to complete a domestic treble, lost to a Villa side whose heartbeat was a big centre back discarded from Manchester. Whilst the similarities between Paul McGrath were more striking with Martin Laursen, Richard Dunne has taken on the mantle of the two Villa greats with ease this season. Two years after that great triumph against the champions, Villa lifted the trophy for a fifth time against Leeds United. Not since 1996 has new silverware graced Aston, however. Meanwhile, 22 trophies have been added at Old Trafford. To say Villa have been living in the football wilderness for 14 years is to put it mildly. This season, however, fixtures between the two sides have been unbelievably tight, with only one goal

Willem Dafoe beats Aston from JLS in breakdancing competition scored in 180 minutes of play, and that, most incredibly, came from Gabriel Agbonlahor at Old Trafford: the first win for Villa away to Manchester United since 1983. Maybe the tide is beginning to turn, though probably not. Anyone watching either of those games will have seen a Villa side rely on a fair amount of luck to go without conceding in either game. Manchester

O'NEILL: A rubbish Usain Bolt

United will not have forgotten the costly defeat in December. Nor the goalless draw that should have been more, were it not for Nani’s reckless sending off in the first half. That moment of immaturity will cost him a place in the final, though many reds fans are probably quite glad of that. His one time billing as the next Ronaldo was beginning to look not so ridiculous after a couple of decent games, but the erratic nature of his play leaves Antonio Valencia a much safer bet for the wide right berth. In getting to the final, United had only one real scare, against their fierce local rivals. Sir Alex Ferguson’s usual ploy of blooding some of the youngsters was put on the backburner in favour of knocking out City at all costs, much to the joy of thousands of Gareth Barry-hating Villa fans. The Villa route was less comfortable. Cardiff were the unfortunate losers in round three, thinking that they’d earned a replay only for the linesman to chalk it off. Then Sunderland were beaten only by some goalkeeping heroics from Brad Guzan, who will feel he has done enough in this competition to keep out the older Brad (Friedel),

and reserve his place for the final. The semi-final saw Blackburn score a glut of goals though, and some fairly nervy goalkeeping by Guzan may make O’Neill think twice about keeping faith with the young American. One selection choice is for sure, and that is Wayne Rooney. The England man has been scintillating this season, even when being told to hold the line by himself. Whilst every pundit in football has mentioned that he has benefited from getting in more advanced positions this term, it is really the added pressure on his young shoulders that he is thriving on. The absence of Cristiano Ronaldo has left Rooney with double the workload, which his footballing appetite is glad for. If past meetings are anything to go by, United will think they can walk this one, but Villa’s history in this competition is better than the Manchester giants, with five wins to three. The nature of cup games suits Villa perfectly, as they can soak up pressure and hit teams on the counter attack. For that reason, and because I support the Villa, I’m predicting a trophy back in Birmingham come February 28.

Carling League Cup Final: Editors' Predictions Adam Horne: Aston Villa have taken four points off United this season, so there is no way that any United fan can go into this fixture confident of a win. This is also Villa’s first cup final for a long time; they will be fired up and raring to go. Ferguson tends to play a lot of youth players in these Carling Cup games, but I don’t see this happening against Villa. They are a clever, well-organised side and will hurt any teams that attack too eagerly. United do, however, have the pedigree for these big ties, and I would expect them to overcome the tough test Villa are likely to provide.

James Hinks: Aston Villa this season have been United's bogey team after beating them one nil at Old Trafford. However, United have great experience and prove over and over again that they can step up ther game and perform in big matches. Also, United seem to have come out of their bad run and have their key players coming back, even though Rio may be missed as he gained an extra match ban for his appeal against a violent conduct charge. United 2 - 1 Aston Villa, Villa to score first.

Jon Evans: A win in this match is far from a given for United. Aston Villa have highlighted their footballing credentials to all this season and have already beaten them in the league this year. They also have some exciting young players who are likely to feature in South Africa this summer. Fergie's side have a couple of key players missing but I feel the strength of their squad should cancel this out. They are only too familiar with Wembley and will be eager to regain the trophy they won last year. The match will be a close one, but I can only see United pinching it with their vast experience.

Lucy Morgan: After reaching their first final in 10 years, Aston Villa will be aiming for a victory this weekend. They may be up against last year's winners but, having played United twice already (winning one and drawing the other), it seems that Villa look likely to come out on top. O'Neill will be looking to add to the League Cup winners medals he won as a player with Nottingham Forest in 1978 and 1979 and I'm backing him to lead Aston Villa to victory in the Carling Cup Final 2010.

FEATURES - SPORT 33

gairrhydd | SPORT@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY FEBRUARY 22 2010

James Davies interviews Britain's three time Olympic gold medalist Ben Ainslie CBE... Knife-edge decisions, adrenalin rushes, extreme weather, bitter rivalries, heart-stopping races – they are all in a day’s work for sailing’s ‘Superman’, Ben Ainslie. Ben has won four Olympic medals including successive golds in the last three Olympic Games, making him not only a British hero, but quite simply our greatest Olympic sailor ever. He is a true Olympic superstar, up there with the likes of fellow Olympians, Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps.

In addition to his three Olympic golds and one silver, Ben has won eight World and European Championships during his illustrious sailing career to date. He has also been crowned ISAF World Sailor of the Year twice, and won British Yachtsman of the Year four times. Without question, Ben is the most accomplished competitor in British sport today. From his proudest moment, representing Team GB, to one tough decision that almost risked destroying his career, Ben gives an insight into his life and explains why he can’t be second best. Ben Ainslie, CBE, was born in Macclesfield on February 5, 1977. As the son of Roderick Ainslie, one might expect young Ben to take an interest in water sports: after all, his father captained the first Whitbread Round the World Race in 1973. Ben explained, “My parents were keen sailors so they got me into the sport but purely from an enjoyment point of view. When I was nine I was given a hand-me-down, second hand dingy, which is what most kids learn to sail in and it went on from there.” What started as a hobby quickly turned into a way of life, and by the age of 16 the talented sailor was already Laser Radial World Champion. Reflecting on his childhood, Ben said, “Where we lived was quite remote so it made catching up with my friends difficult, so sailing really became the big thing for me and my big focus as a kid. "I came up through the youth divisions, like all other sports, so it was a gradual progression. It wasn’t one day that I suddenly woke up and decided I want to be a professional sailor or go to the Olympics. When I was 18 I won the Youth World Championships and three months later I won the Olympic trials for the 1996 Games. That was really the big turning point for me in terms of actually seeing it as a sport, where I could become a professional and I could do it full time.” At just 19 years old Ben, an ambitious and ferociously competitive young man, won his first Olympic sil-

PHOTO: CHRISToPHE LAUNAY

"It was agressive but sometimes in sport you need that to win"

Ainslie wonders whether he left the oven on ver medal in the 1996 Atlanta Games. Looking rather relaxed, the Olympic legend revealed: “I think in many ways winning a silver medal was very good for me because it gave me the determination to go out four years later and work that much harder to go one step better, so it wasn’t all bad. Although it was pretty frustrating at the time.”

Looking somewhat relieved, as he relived the marathon duel, Ben commented, “It was incredibly intense but I managed to get there and do the job,

so it was a huge relief. When you’ve got that sort of fierce rivalry againstsomebody, to actually come out on top was a massive relief more than anything.” What Ben did to beat the Brazilian in Sydney has been questioned in some quarters and regarded as unsporting by certain critics. “It was a little bit frustrating at the time. There were a few sporting commentators who didn’t know anything about sailing who were questioning the fairness of it, but actually within the history of sailing it wasn’t that new and certainly I didn’t break any rules. It was just very aggressive sailing. But sometimes in any sport, that’s what you need to win.” His most recent win was gold at the Beijing Olympics in 2008. Ben commented: “The gold in Beijing was very special because it was my third consecutive gold which meant a lot.” So has Ben dared to imagine what it would be like to be coming home for the gold medal, on home water, in Weymouth with the union flags flying? After a brief chuckle, Ben said, “It’s a scary thought. Winning a gold medal on the home waters where I grew up, learned to sail and trained would be a pretty surreal feeling and something very special.” It’s no secret that the British Olympic Association are targeting a number of key sports for medals, rowing, cycling and sailing are top of that list. It has been argued that these are all fairly exclusive sports, as you have to have a certain amount of funding behind you in order to compete. This argument however doesn’t stand up with the affable Olympian.

“I think there’s always a bit of a misconception. All Olympic sports at the top level are elite, but if you go down to the grass roots in sailing, I think it’s one of the highest participation sports in the UK. The big thing is to encourage the youngsters to get involved and make them realise it’s not that hard at the grass roots to get into a sport. It’s then up to you to take it as far as you want.”

"I never dreamt that I would one day win an Olympic gold"

Although kids all over the globe dream of representing their country and becoming the best in their chosen sport, Ben rather humbly admits he couldn’t have imagined achieving all he has. “When I was a kid I dreamed of maybe going to the Olympics and somehow winning a gold medal, and perhaps one day being involved with the America’s Cup, but I never dreamt I would be where I am today, but I doubt most people do.” The talented sailor continued, “I think if you love doing something, and you’re inspired, you set about on the track to try and do as well as you can and who knows where it will take you.” Another gold in two year's time would certainly help promote sailing and judging by his track record you wouldn’t bet against Ainslie making it four golds from four games.

Quite simply our greatest Olympic sailor ever Four years later, Ben achieved every athlete’s dream, winning an Olympic gold at the Sydney Olympics in 2000. Ben revealed just how ruthless he is, admitting to fierce rivalries, above all with the Brazilian, Robert Scheidt who robbed him of gold in his first Olympics four years previously. Ben remarked, “It was an epic race with a man who has a fantastic name! It was one of those classic rivalries that had gone from 1996. In the four years leading up to Sydney, we were competing against each other in various events which either he or I would win. It came down to the final race in Sydney and I basically had to take him out so it was some pretty aggressive tactics.”

Ainslie sails away form competition

34 SPORT - IMG IMG NETBALL STANDINGS IMG NETBALL

PREMIERSHIP

Diff

Pts

LAW A

+43

ECONOMICS

CARBS A

PHARMACY A

-6

CARDIFF A

PSYCHOLOGY A

-5

ENGIN LOCO

-2

CARBS B

-35

IMG NETBALL

DIVISION 1 P

Diff

Pts

BIOSCIENCE

+48

DENISTRY

+33

ENGLISH A

LAW B

Cardiff B

-28

SAWSA

-13

SOCSI A

-16

JETS A

-42

IMG NETBALL

DIVISION 2 P

Diff

Pts

MEDICS A

+35

SOCSI B

PSYCHOLOGY B

+36

EARTHSOC

GYM GYM

-14

ENGLISH B

-24

PHARMACY B

-34

MEDICS B

--11

IMG NETBALL

Diff

Pts

JOMEC

+31

Economics B

+14

POLITICS

Navy Netball

Christian Union

-9

Engin Auto

HISTORY

-24

Cardiff Jets B

-27

UPCOMING FIXTURES PREMIERSHIP Carbs B Carbs A Law A Economic A

V V V V

Engin Loco Cardiff A Psycho A Pharmacy A

DIVISION 1

Law B

Bioscience

Cardiff B

SAWSA

V V V V

Socsi A Dentistry Jets A English A

English B Psycho B Pharmacy B

V V V V

JOMEC

Economic B

Jets B

Sub-Standard 5-0 Magnificent Following a narrow 1-0 defeat the previous Wednesday to Law B, Sub-Standard raised their game and dominated this encounter for the majority of the match. Magnificent XI’s defence were put to the test right from the off with the deadlock eventually being broken by Sub-Standard’s centre midfielder, Ron Paramore. Magnificent XI found it difficult to get a foothold in the game as

Jon Green Sports Writer

V V V V

Time Team 3-0 Crusaders AFC Time Team, who have to date been the whipping boys of IMG, finally proved themselves last week by achieving their first ever win. Cardiff Crusaders, a more than capable opposition, could not keep up with Time Team’s speedy and precise counter attacks. The game started at a quick pace with both teams full of confidence after some decent runs of form. Cardiff Crusaders put plenty of pressure on the eventual victors, but sturdy performances from Lewis Randall, Sam Pointer, Dan Tunicliffe and team captain Jon Green, kept the Crusaders at bay. As the pitch deteriorated, both teams struggled to wade through the mud. With 20 minutes on the clock, the Crusaders pushed forward in hope of a goal. Time Team capitalised on this with their trademark counter attack as Joe Nelson found the net after a lucky deflection. A momentary fumble by Time Team’s keeper gave the Crusaders their best chance of the half

Philosophy 2-0 SAWSA

Medics A

Philosophy FC continued their impressive start to life in IMG football Division Three with a 2-0 win over SAWSA on Wednesday afternoon. On a sodden pitch and with weather conditions less than ideal, the level of football left much to be desired by both teams. Despite the conditions, the first 20 minutes were dominated by a Philosophy team playing some superb counter-attacking football. As Philosophy’s midfield three bossed the middle of the park, it seemed only a matter of time before the first goal went in. However,

Christian. U Engin Auto Navy Politics

hard, mounting several attacks on the Sub-Standard defence. However, none of their efforts seemed to really threaten the score line. Several substitutions from either team late in the second half revitalised the game’s earlier tempo. Despite Magnificent XI beginning to dominate the fifty-fifty challenges as the game progressed to the final stages, it took until the last minute of the match for Sub-Standard to add a fifth goal. A through ball from the replacement right winger, George Salmon, found striker, Ben Pearson, who showed that he’s clearly back to his best as he smashed home an 18 yard effort rounding off a very satisfying result for Sub-Standard.

with the ball just missing the post. A rousing half time team talk saw Time Team start the second half with style, as an incisive ball by James Fidgett allowed Janil Ramesh to break the line and finish with a curling lob. Crusaders then took control for much of the second half, with Time Team struggling to keep them at bay. Heroics from Time Team’s keeper, Keith Leung, saved a well-aimed penalty from Ian Smith. Just minutes later Crusaders once

again came close, only to be stopped by Time Team’s Andy Ferrao clearing off the line with a composed header. As the pressure on Time Team grew, Crusaders committed more players forward leaving them exposed at the back, allowing several counter attacks. Some wild finishing from Ady Platt kept Crusaders in the game. Joe Nelson managed to finish a counter attack with a speculative effort, going in off the post, sealing Time Team’s first ever win.

IMG FOOTBALL STANDINGS IMG FOOTBALL

PREMIERSHIP W

Diff

Pts

Carbs

Samba Tigers

GymGym

MOMED

Law A

-1

Klaw FC

-3

Earthsoc

-4

AFC Cathays

-12

IMG FOOTBALL

DIVISION 1 P

Diff

Pts

Engin FC

Psycho Ath.

+18

AFC History

Economics

Socsi

Engin Auto

-7

Inter-me-nan

-6

--17

Sporting Lesbian

IMG FOOTBALL

DIVISION 2 P

Diff

Pts

EUROS FC

Real Ale Madrid

Sub-Standard

Chemistry

Pharm AC

-3

Law B

-4

J-Unit

-6

Magnificent XI

-10

IMG FOOTBALL

DIVISION 3 P

Diff

Pts

Philosophy

JOMEC

KAY FC

Myg Myg

AFC Time team

Opsoccer

-4

SAWSA

-4

Crusaders

-9

UPCOMING FIXTURES PREMIERSHIP KLAW FC CARBS Earthsoc Gym Gym

V V V V

Law A

V V V V

SOCSI

V V V V

J-Unit

V V V V

Crusaders

MOMED FC Cathays S. Tigers

DIVISION 1 Sporting TIME TEAM: Spot the other team...

Economics

Philosophy leave SAWSA short of ideas

Socsi B

Earthsoc

Sub-Standard continued to play an expansive game which asked many questions of the opposition’s defence. Sub-Standard striker, Jack Green, added the second goal and soon followed it up with a great turn and snap shot inside the penalty area, adding a third to his team’s tally. Sub-Standard started the second half with equal ambition as the first. The other half of the Sub-Standard strike force, Ben Pearson, added a fourth with his head, finally ending his recent goal-drought. The middle of the second half saw the game turn scrappy, particularly from a Sub-Standard point of view. In addition, Magnificent XI showed much heart and continued to fight

Time Team dig deep to uncover win

Gym Gym

DIVISION 3

History

Benjamin Price Sports Writer

DIVISION 2 Medics B

Battle of the ironically-named football teams

DIVISION 3

gairrhydd | SPORT@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY FEBRUARY 22 2010

with the aid of some heroic defending and commanding goalkeeping SAWSA managed to see out the barrage with no damage done. The rest of the first half was a tight, cagey affair with neither side able to string a decisive sequence of passes together. One moment worth mentioning came in the 25th minute when Philosophy’s versatile right winger Ian Reardon’s injury woes continued as he was forced off with a re-occurrence of a long-running leg injury. The start of the second half saw SAWSA come out of the blocks quickly and it was they who looked most likely to take the lead in a game where the first goal was always going to be crucial. However, just ten minutes into the second half came the turning point. Having weathered everything SAWSA had to throw at them, it was

Philosophy who took a deserved but somewhat controversial lead. From a ball whipped in from the left, a packed six yard box was sent into chaos as a number of headed challenges were contested, after which the ball fell to midfield general Mike Rodwell at the far post, who appeared to handle the ball not once but twice before smashing it high into the roof of the net. Screams from the SAWSA defence were drowned out by the celebrating opposition as the referee turned towards the half-way line, having given the goal. From then on it was Philosophy who took control of the game and a second goal came just ten minutes after the first when central defender John Williams got on the end of James Donaldson pin-point cross to produce a towering header at the far post.

Inter Psycho

History Engin Auto Engin FC

DIVISION 2 Magnificent Chemistry Real Ale Euros

Law B Liege Pharm AC

DIVISION 3 JOMEC Myg Myg Philosophy SAWSA

Opsoccer KAY FC Time Team

BUCS - SPORT 35

gairrhydd | SPORT@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY FEBRUARY 22 2010

Aber go if you think you're hard enough

continued from backpage... PHOTO: ABIGAIL JOHNSON

Abigail Johnson Sports Writer

Cardiff Ladies 45 - 9 Aberystwyth A rescheduled match due to the bad weather before Christmas saw Cardiff face Aberystwyth University as the underdogs. Tina Lee captained Cardiff to an impressive win with every member of the team playing fantastically despite a lack of substitutes for the home side. Cardiff not only dominated Aberystwyth but now also dominate the League. Cardiff are currently untouchable being over a hundred points in the lead with one game still to play. Right from the kick-off Cardiff dominated the game, remaining in possession of the ball, and the backs quickly gained lots of ground. After the ball had been kicked to touch, Cardiff won the lineout with scrum half Meg Tudor quickly reacting to allow Tina Lee to score the first try for Cardiff, which was easily converted by Meg. The Cardiff forwards were clearly the

CARDIFF: Dominant

Redhawk Misery

ABER: Her team mates told her to Gr-Aber bosses around the ruck area, as loosehead prop Fran Manzi won the ball back and Tina Lee kicked the ball up towards the Cardiff try line. A knock on resulted in a scrum, which Cardiff won, and a second try scored by Sally Tuson and a conversion followed. The next part of the game saw Cardiff struggling in the scrums due to having a much lighter pack and some illegal binding by Aberystwyth, resulting in a penalty against them, which allowed Meg Tudor to travel the ball the distance of half the pitch. Excellent tackling by Jen Hawkins playing at number eight, saw another break and try by an on-fire Sally Tuson. Aberystwyth then came back with a vengeance and a penalty against

Cardiff in the Aber half saw them take the kick to gain three points. However Cardiff did not allow Aber to dictate the pace of the game for long, as the ball was taken by tight-head Mary Poytner and Meg Tudor dodged the entire of the Aber back line to score and then convert, leaving the halftime score at 26-3. The second half saw Cardiff start strongly winning an Aber scrum and the ball was nicely passed along the back line, especially by Emma Fox who ran a fantastic line right through the Aber team to come within yards of the try line. Tina Lee went across the line to score and Meg converted to make it 33-3. Aberystwyth then gained control of the ball, however a

line out won by Cardiff in their half saw them change the direction of the game. A scrum at the half-way line saw a breakthrough by Sally Tuson and a quick offload to Tina Lee saw a try right under the posts, another conversion by Meg, 40-3. Another penalty saw Aber choose to kick it and take the three points, testament to how they were unable to break through the Cardiff defence. With ten minutes left of the game, Sally Tuson scored another try to make it a hat-trick, due to some excellent catching by full-back Blanche Lumb, soon after Aber chose to kick another penalty, leaving the final score 45-9.

Cardiff Dance having a ball in 'boro Rae Greenacre Sports Writer Last Saturday, Cardiff Dancesport packed up their dancing shoes and set off for Peterborough to compete in the Southern Universities Dancesport Competition, where over 18 universities and 500 couples were competing in Latin and Ballroom dancing. With a reputation for being the loudest team at any competition and known for upholding a high standard of performance across the board, the Cardiff team were looking forward to a great day of competitive dance. The day started off with the Ballroom section, where Cardiff put on a great show, with Ali Naeem and Kirsty Milsom finishing sixth out of over 60 couples in Beginners’ Quickstep. In Intermediate Ballroom, David Nahrgong and Sophie Howles placed sixth as well after dancing some beautiful Waltz, Quickstep and Foxtrot. Michael Chen and Luiza Patorski were awarded sixth place in their division, Ex-Student. After a short break for lunch, the Latin section kicked off, with many

Cardiff couples dancing their way through several rounds. In the Novice section, partners Steven Griffiths and Aimee Cridland performed amazingly, and earned themselves a brilliant second place for

their confident and energetic Jive and Cha-Cha dances. Again, Chen and Patorski proved their dancing calibre by coming sixth in Ex-Student Latin, giving Cardiff some excellent results in the Open events.

SAFETY FIRST: Officials obviously expected a fiery competition

Following the brief interlude of Rock-and-Roll (Non-Acrobatic and Acrobatic), which was both terrifying and thrilling to watch, the competition moved on to the highly competitive Team event. As ever, Cardiff put their best dancing feet forwards and performed at their usual high standards, with both the B and C teams finishing in the top six for their division, a very impressive result. With a quick change of outfits, the competition moved on to the last competitive event of the day: the Offbeat round, where teams from universities have three minutes to perform a routine where any style of dancing goes, except Ballroom and Latin. Cardiff put in a great effort with their selfchoreographed routine (plaudits to Griffiths and Cridland again) – ‘The Good, The Bad and The Welsh’ – but were unfortunately robbed of first place, coming in at a close second instead. This capped off a great day for Cardiff, with excellent results in all areas of the competition. The team are looking forward to their next competition in two weeks' time in Blackpool with much enthusiasm.

Resisting pressure to collapse their defensive structure, and playing a more mobile, sniping, attack, centre Rich Penhale's forwards helped check the opposition's dominance, both in Cardiff's zone and on their attacking break-outs. Despite this, and hardhitting forward Sam Hayman's switch with defender Matt Hoff, however, Southampton's attritive attack wormed another three goals past the besieged Clubb before the buzzer signalled the end of the second. The final period saw Hayman return to the wing, and cool skater John Griffiths rotated into a defensive role by the ever dynamic Grieve. A move that paid off quickly with the Redhawk's first goal, fed by winger Rogers and whipped from Hayman's stick into the top corner after a masterful step around the goalie. This was to be Cardiff's death throes. However, they could not lift their hopes or battered bodies to any more of a retaliation: the game ended 11-1 to Southampton. Cardiff A expected no less of a challenge when they rose from the second division, and though they collapsed in the changing room, their resolve stands firm ahead of their last stand with league-leaders London in two weeks' time.

Netball fifths' promotion push Laura Davies Sports Writer

Tensions were high this week in Cardiff’s penultimate game of the season as they faced the team at the top of their league with both sides hoping for promotion. The game got off to a quick scoring start with Wing Attack Natalie Bird and Centre Lucy Wollam creating space and moving the ball quickly up the court. With excellent positioning from Goal Attack Laura Byrne, the ball was easily fed into the circle and, despite efforts from RAC’s defence, the shots kept going in. A change that brought Laura Harding onto the wing saw the second half start at a quick pace. Both sides were fighting hard for the ball, causing minor mistakes which the opposition could capitalise on. With Cardiff having taken a lead of seven goals, RAC were coming back strong, but tight defence from Fiona Galsworthy and Claire Sladen helped maintain the lead. In the third quarter, the goal difference was brought back to just three, but shooting from Harriet Taylor and Laura Byrne saw Cardiff secure a lead of five as they entered the last quarter. With the win in sight, Rio Daniels worked hard on the wing to keep possession and doubling RAC’s points in the final quarter gave Cardiff the convincing win. Cardiff face Bristol in two weeks' time and victory will mean promotion into the next league.

Sport gairrhydd

PHOTO: NATALIA POPOVA

INSIDE: IMG, The Word On... Andy Powell's Drunken Fiasco, Carling Cup Final Preview and Ben Ainslie Interview

Spitfires gun down Redhawks

Tom Wilkinson Sports Writer

Southampton 11 - 1 Redhawks Despite nearing the end of a tough first season in the top division, the Cardiff Redhawks A team arrived at Southampton with their spirits buoyant. Having felt the unusual speed of the Spitfires' attack keenly on their last encounter only a week before, the sight of a larger than standard rink promised Cardiff's defence an even greater challenge. Nevertheless, with

alumnus-veteran Brian Wynnstanley having made the trip down from Sheffield to fill out the injury-weakened D-squad, there seemed some hope of holding off (or at least catching) the Spitfires' offensive aces. The puck hit the ice, and the hosts quickly pressed the attack. Cardiff's first line just withstood the initial charge to preserve the team's forlorn hope, with their opponents' afterburner break-outs twice getting far enough to test the talents of goaltender Mike Clubb. With the faster side bearing down, the Redhawks' forwards were compelled to make only cautious advances, and found these checked by the,

adequate, opposing defence. At the break in play, the lines were changed for the lactic acid to cool, and the second line found the initial onslaught abated. With the momentary advantage, however, Cardiff overextended themselves, and found their defensive line broken by Southampton's blitzkrieg as the puck changed possession. The Redhawks' defence stooped back to their zone, and a well timed pokecheck gunned down the hosts' initial 3-on-1 drive. Nevertheless, with all three foreign forwards regrouped against Cardiff's two defenders, and support still on the way back from the offensive zone, it

took only a lucky deflection from the post to put Southampton in the lead. Apparently worse, though his rally cost the Spitfires their momentum, it also cost Cardiff defender Tom Wilkinson a fatal exacerbation of the sprain he'd suffered two nights earlier against Oxford. Cardiff found themselves with only a line and a half of defenders, against the most potent of attacking squads. There was only one choice that could preserve their offensive hopes: student coach and Cardiff Comets Womens' player, Suzi Grieve, made the unprecedented step onto the ice, and into violent, full checking, first division, hockey.

Unused to skating against a woman, the Spitfires showed no chivalry, and threw checks at every opportunity; but bruised Suzi was sublime, and her's and Mark Mikulasik's defensive line held until the closing minutes of the first period. At that point, the weight of the attack, which had increased the scoreline to four - nil, held the forwards' defensive play compressed into Clubb's net. The situation looked bleak as the first period closed 6-0, but the Redhawks returned to the second with heads and strategies refreshed. continued on page 35

GAIR RHYDD AND QUENCH MAGAZINE IS PUBLISHED BY UNIVERSITY UNION CARDIFF, PARK PLACE, CARDIFF CF10 3QN n REGISTERED AS A NEWSPAPER AT THE POST OFFICE n GAIR RHYDD RESERVES THE RIGHT TO EDIT ALL CONTRIBUTIONS nTHE VIEWS EXPRESSED ARE NOT NECESSARILY THOSE OF THE PUBLISHERS nGAIR RHYDD IS WRITTEN, DESIGNED, TYPESET AND OUTPUT BY STUDENTS OF CARDIFF UNIVERSITYn nJAMES HINKS WOULD DO ONLY FOUR OF LAST WEEK'S BACK PAGE CHEERLEADERSnPAUL 'PAEDO' STOLLERY: I DON'T TRUST MYSELF WITH KIDSn I'M OKAY WITH JOKES ABOUT PAEDOPHILIA BECAUSE I'M OUT OF THE DANGER ZONE FOR THAT nJAMIE THUNDER: I HAVEN'T TONGUED SARAH POWELLnADAM HORNE: WHEN HE SAYS "THE RIVER RUNS RED", IS THAT THE SAME AS WHEN SHAKIRA SAYS "I'M ON TONIGHT"?