gair rhydd - Issue 918

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CARDIFF'S STUDENT WEEKLY

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ISSUE 918 MARCH 08 2010

Can you keep a secret?

The plight of refugees

Cardiff students tell Features their naughtiest secrets, from love scandal to family feuds. Shh... >> page 12

>> page 8

Opinion finds out what life is really like for refugees at the Pashtun camp in Calais

PHOTO: MIKE MORGAN

Beauty pageant turns ugly

NUS Wales slam student beauty pageant for exploiting women even though it raised money for children with terminal cancer Ceri Isfryn News Editor

NUS Wales has been subject to heavy criticism after it staged a protest outside the final of Miss University GB - an event held in aid of children with terminal cancer.

The final of Miss University GB was held at the Cardiff branch of Oceana and was in aid of The Joshua Foundation – a charity which arranges activities and trips for children with terminal cancer.

A crowd of between 20 and 30 gathered with placards outside the venue to protest against “the exploitation of women for monetary gain”.

Flyers distributed by protesters claim that “judging women based on their looks erodes their human right to be treated as equals. This is why beauty pageants are an issue for all women, not just those involved in the contest.”

Protest organiser and NUS Wales’ Women’s Officer, Estelle Hart, said: “I don’t think exploiting women in the name of charity is any better than in the name of business. There was a reason that the event was held in a nightclub - they would have made a profit from drinks sales.”

However, Sarah Cornelius Price, who founded the foundation in memory of her son Joshua, who died of cancer at the age of five, questioned their actions.

Addressing the pageant’s audience, Mrs. Cornelius Price said: “As the mother of a child who died of cancer, I think I’m in a good position to advise young people to grasp every opportunity they’re given and to live life to the full.

“Regardless of the kind of empowerment the people outside are talking about, for me, empowerment is about being able to look good, feel good, and most importantly, do good, which is precisely what the young women competing today have done by raising money for the foundation.”

Speaking to gair rhydd after the event, Mrs. Cornelius Price, who is the director of the company Welsh Women Mean Business, added: “When I was just 28 my son was diagnosed with

cancer, and I was 30 when he died. I don't want to belittle anyone’s views but women are struggling with much bigger issues everyday than whether it's okay to have brains and looks.”

The 11 contestants collected a combined total of £6,000 for the charity.

Competitors were required to partake in a black dress round, a swimwear round and an evening wear round.

They were also required to make a presentation for the judging panel, which included Cardiff Blues rugby star and Cardiff University Medic, Jamie Roberts.

The applicant who collected the most amount of money will be crowned Miss Charity and will work as an ambassador for the foundation, helping to raise funds while getting

involved in the families' experiences.

But Ms. Hart maintained: “I’m very much pro-choice and agree that a woman should be able to do what she wants with her own body. But there’s an issue when people make choices that are harmful to other people; beauty pageants promote the idea that women should be viewed simply as sexual objects and so they devalue a large proportion of society.

“We’re not criticising the women who have chosen to take part. The crux of the matter is that the idea of lining women up and judging them according to male-defined standards is harmful to our society.”

>> continued on page 2

02 NEWS

Tom Bacon Jonathan Bird Charlotte Buftan Tomos Clarke James Dunn Alex Evans Rae Greenacre Emyr Gruffydd Mark Hampton Rachel Henson Abigail Johnson Cosimo Montagu Michaela Neild Jack Parker Raven Dave Reynolds Omar Shamayleh James Stonebridge Chris Tarquini Sarah Vaughan Oliver Franklin Sion Perks

NEWSDESK

02920 781436 NEWS@GAIRRHYDD.COM gair rhydd has been Cardiff University's independent student newspaper since 1972

Daniella Graham Features Editor

This year’s Go Global Festival of Culture and Diversity culminated last week in the biggest Global Village Cardiff University has seen.

Last year, just under 500 people bought tickets for the event, but this year an unprecedented number attended, with the Great Hall reaching capacity at 975 people.

Global Village saw a variety of performances, including a preview of Act One’s forthcoming production of Footloose, a performance by Cardiff University Dancesport and many impressive performances by the international societies.

Some attendees were disappointed after the free buffet promised on posters ran out early on in the event, but this did not detract from what was an excellent showcase of the many societies at Cardiff.

Carys Hazell, Societies, Events and Activities Officer, said: “I am delight-

ed with the success of this year’s Global Village. Born of a simple idea seven years ago, Global Village has gone on to become one of the most exciting and meaningful events in the student calendar.

“Global Village enabled us to celebrate the diversity and amazing talents of the student body in a fun and imaginative way and we really are indebted to the hard work of all the societies that made the event possible.”

Go Global ran this year from March 19-28, and included a wide range of events by Cardiff University societies.

Carys said of the annual festival: “We were able to build on the success of last year’s Go Global and Global Village to make this year’s festival bigger and better than ever. One of the principal difficulties in the past has been that Go Global has been perceived as very niche. An important part of this year was breaking down this perception while also ensuring that the ethos behind Go Global remained intact.”

Cardiff Uni women's cricketer receives international honours Sarah Vaughan Reporter A Cardiff University student has recently received international honours playing for the England women’s cricket team.

First year student, Heather Knight, is currently in India representing her country at senior level for the very first time.

Heather, who is studying Biomedical Sciences, is part of the Cardiff University Sports Bursary programme, and has gained a strong reputation for herself over the past two years. She has won numerous awards including player of the series for England Women’s Academy in a series against the Best of Europe in August 2009, top run scorer in ECB LV Women’s County Championship 2009 and top run scorer in ECB Women’s Premier League South 2009, as well as being awarded a place on the MCC Young Cricketers Programme for summer 2010.

Despite joining the England team as a replacement for a player who suffered a hip injury, Heather has already shown that she is worthy of an England cap. Having won the one day series against India, the student was the star of the show as she became the highest scorer of the match, falling one short of half a century.

Heather also managed to fit in representing Cardiff University in the BUCS Indoor Cricket qualifiers last semester. The team performed very well, successfully qualifying for the finals, which were held in Lords Cricket Ground on February 20.

The 19-year-old from Plymouth said that her interest in the sport began when she was eight years old after she went to a cricket session with her brother. She states her parents and teammates as her biggest sporting influences. Her sporting role models are England cricketer, Paul Collingwood, and former Aussie captain, Steve Waugh.

The summer will see Heather playing county cricket for Berkshire in the ECB Women’s County Championship, where she hopes to continue scoring many runs to reaffirm her place in the England Academy squad, a squad she hopes to be a part of for a long time to come as her greatest ambition is to win a cricket World Cup with England.

Stuart Vanstone, Head of Sport and Exercise at Cardiff University, said: “Heather has done fantastically well to be called into the senior squad. For Heather, as a first year student, to be called into a squad of senior international cricketers who have all had great success over recent years, is a credit to her commitment and performance levels in the sport.”

PHOTOS: Tom Armstrong

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 Alex Evans Tom Rouse POLITICS Damian Fantato COLUMNISTS Tim Hart Oli Franklin LISTINGS 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

Global Village comes to Cardiff

Protest causes stir at pageant

PHOTO: Laurie Ions

gr gr

gairrhydd | NEWS@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY MARCH 08 2010

>>continued from front page But the top three contestants, who will now go on to represent their universities at the Miss Universe GB competition, have spoken against the protesters’ actions.

Competition winner and first year History student at the University of Glamorgan, Emma Franklin, said: “If the protesters had put as much effort into helping others as we did, rather than wasting their time standing outside nightclubs shouting their views, then surely the outcome would have been a lot more productive for all concerned.”

Third-placed Pamela Crisp, who is a classical pianist in her final year at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, suggested that the NUS should improve the image of women in its unions out before criticising outside events.

“NUS Wales should think about making a fuss about the lads’ magazines which appear on the shelves of

students’ union shops, which are the real objectification of women. Or maybe they should think about the sexual and degrading displays of behaviour by women which often happen after a few ridiculously cheap drinks at the union bars.

“We all participated for the charity, the experience, the laughs, to push ourselves out of our comfort zones and to meet new people. We do not push our views on protesters – I accepted that they would make their presence felt, but they shouldn’t force their opinion on us either,” she continued.

First year Business Management student at Cardiff University, Alice Watkins, who came second, also disagreed with NUS Wales’ protest.

“If the protesters spent some time with the families and children who are helped by the Joshua Foundation, then I’m sure they’d reconsider returning next year. They could have easily grabbed a bucket to raise money for the Joshua Foundation instead.”

NEWS 1 EDITORIAL & OPINION 8 FEATURES 12 POLITICS 16 LETTERS 19 TAF-OD 20 SCIENCE & ENVIRONMENT 21 JOBS & MONEY 22 LISTINGS 24 XPRESS 26 FIVE MINUTE FUN 27 SPORT 28

NEWS 03

gairrhydd | NEWS@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY MARCH 08 2010

Regulation for Cathays landlords Council decision raises minimum standards for student housing Jamie Thunder News Editor Cardiff Council has agreed to impose stricter licensing conditions on properties in Cathays.

The new requirements will come into force in July, and will require houses for multiple occupants (HMOs) to meet basic safety requirements before they can be let. All HMOs in Cathays will require a licence by 2015.

Landlords will also be banned from renting out such properties if they are not considered to be a ‘fit and proper person’. Having a serious criminal record or a bad housing record will prevent them from letting HMOs. Thousands of students in Cathays living in privately-rented houses will be protected by the scheme, but it does not currently cover other student areas such as Roath.

The five-year licence will cost between £300 and £500 for each property, depending firstly on whether the landlord is already accredited under the existing Wales Landlord Accreditation scheme, and secondly on the amount of work needed to bring the property up to standard.

Liberal Democrat Councillor for

Cathays, Simon Pickard, welcomed the scheme.

“This will have benefits for tenants but will also encourage landlords to look after their properties better and improve the street scene,” he said.

“There will be a publicly-available list of who is the landlord for each property, which will make them more accountable to the local community.”

He added that if students complained about their property or landlord to the council, the property was more likely to be targeted for licencing. Students can contact the council about their housing by emailing privatesectorhousing@cardiff.gov.uk.

Students’ Union Welfare, Campaigns, and Communications Officer, Ed Dolding, said he was “absolutely chuffed” with the result.

“This is a real victory borne of many months of fierce debate and public consultation.

“I’d like to thank everyone for their support throughout the campaign and consultation process, in particular those students who filled out the online questionnaire and joined the Facebook group.”

CATHAYS: Students will have more protection

Invisible children brought to light Cosimo Montagu Reporter An event to raise awareness over the plight of child soldiers in Northern Uganda, hosted at the Julian Hodge building, has raised hundreds of pounds for further education for Ugandan children.

The event highlighted the challenges still facing Uganda and explored the positive impact that popular activism can have on changing the world.

Model United Nations Cardiff University (MUNCU) and Amnesty International hosted the event in collaboration with Invisible Children (IC), an Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) focusing on the plight of child soldiers in Northern Uganda.

The group seeks to alert people about the deadly conflict waged for over 23 years between Uganda’s military and the Lords Resistance Army (LRA) in Northern Uganda, led by Joseph Kony. Over 1.8 million people have been displaced in Northern Uganda due to the conflict.

Donation buckets across the Julian Hodge building's foyer filled up as over 100 students entered the lecture hall.

An introductory talk given by Cosimo Montagu, president of MUNCU, stressed that the crisis in Uganda “is not one of these situations that will simply go away”.

Talks delivered by Samanth Dim-

mock, head of Policy and Public Affairs for the Children's Rights Alliance UK, and Jessica Evan, Community Fundraising Executive for Save the Children, who spoke about the United Nations Convention for the Rights of Children and how to raise awareness about situations where these rights are violated.

Speaking to Herald Wales before the event, Mr. Montagu said: “We are very happy these speakers agreed to attend our event. Combined they have a great knowledge on both the importance of child rights globally and how one can effectively campaign for their improvement.”

Adam Bearne, a 23-year-old spokesman for IC and a postgraduate journalism student at Cardiff University, introduced the documentary titled Invisible Children: The Rescue of Joseph Kony's Child Soldiers. Warning the audience about some shocking footage, Adam said: “What you will see is probably going to challenge you. You will find it difficult to watch but I'm not going to apologise because it is something you have to see.”

The 30-minute documentary follows three American filmmakers as they travel with the UN to document the failed peace negotiations between the Ugandan government and Kony, as well as the brutal aftermath that ensued on Christmas Day 2008.

Images of mutilated children, women and men and stories of orphaned children highlighted the atrocities of

Kony’s terror campaign. The documentary also exposed the plight of child soldiers who are “invisible” as the LRA does not recognise their existence and the parents of the abducted children do not know if they are dead or alive.

No questions were raised by the audience, but a comment made by Sarah Simmon, a PhD student in Social Science at Cardiff University, highlighted the lack of commitment by the international community, namely the Western powers, to arrest Kony and put an end to the crisis.

“If the international community are serious in their commitment to end the LRA genocide, they need to immediately cut off Kony's arms supply, food supply and arrest him when he goes for medical treatment to a well-known nearby country,” she said.

“His whereabouts aren't a mystery because his satellite cell phone is regularly topped up. How can you live with this on your conscience?” she added.

It is the hope of MUNCU and Amnesty that events like this will create enough awareness to start putting the pressure on the British government.

Part of the event was also held at the Wales Millenium Centre, and attendees marched to Cardiff University’s main buildings. They spent the night on the lawns writing letters to the government to raise awareness.

Mr. Montagu explained: “The difficulty lies in the fact that foreign policy

is controlled by the British government.

“Campaigning for this type of event is very difficult in Wales as we are often referred to the British government.”

As well as collecting change in donation buckets, MUNCU raised money by selling IC merchandise and organising a raffle. The total came to an impressive £579.48.

The funds raised will go to the IC Legacy Scholarship Program, which

aims to sponsor children in Northern Uganda to access secondary education and university which is significantly lacking in the region and aids exabducted child soldiers in regaining a normal life.

Mr. Montagu said: “We want students to realise that through collective action we can improve the lives of those anywhere in the world, and that student activism is one of the most potent sources of change, a fact many do not seem to realise.”

04 NEWS

gairrhydd | NEWS@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY MARCH 08 2010

Cardiff applicant jailed for manslaughter of boyfriend Sarah Vaughan Reporter A former A-Level student and Cardiff University applicant was last week charged with the manslaughter of her boyfriend.

Hours after receiving her A-Level results, Katherine McGrath, 19, from Brynteg Comprehensive School, Bridgend, fatally stabbed Alyn Thomas, 23, in the heart, during an argument at McGrath’s family home in Bridgend.

In police interviews, McGrath described the moments leading up to the attack as both frightening and violent, and said that stabbing him was a reaction to him already hurting her.

“He had already pushed me and spat on me. I didn't know what he could have done next. I had no idea what he was capable of,” she said.

During the trial at Cardiff Crown Court, Mr. Justice Griffith Williams said: “Only you know what happened in the kitchen of your own home.

Clearly you and Alyn Thomas rowed.

Whatever the trigger or the cause of that row, my view is that he was not

the only one to act aggressively.”

The judge continued, “I accept that you did not intend to kill or cause him really serious injury and I am prepared to accept that you were provoked in the non-legal sense.”

However, he also expressed to McGrath that to use the knife as a form of self-defense was an overreaction, saying: “You took the life of a young man.”

In an impact statement that was read out at court, Stephen Thomas, the victim’s father, said: “It is a parent’s worst fear – receiving a phone call in the early hours of the morning saying that your child has been admitted to hospital, but then to be told that your child has been stabbed, it turns into a living nightmare.”

On behalf of the devastated family he also expressed the pain that they went through having to choose hymns and clothes for a funeral service rather than “having the honour of taking Alyn shopping for a suit for his wedding”.

Katherine McGrath will now serve five years imprisonment in a young offenders’ institution.

GUILTY: Student jailed for five years

Apprentice star gives students career advice Emma McFarnon News Editor Apprentice star Ruth Badger visited the University of Glamorgan to give careers advice last week.

The entrepreneur visited the University to take part in Experience Works Week, a campaign to highlight the importance of a good CV. All faculties, in partnership with the Careers Service, have been promoting the world of work through a variety of exhibitions, workshops and seminars.

Ruth, who fell at the final hurdle in Sir Alan Sugar’s ultimate job interview, said an attractive CV was vital.

“Competition is fierce for jobs and it’s never been tougher for graduates to get on the employment ladder,” she said.

“I want the students at Glamorgan to realise the importance of real-life work experience when it come to making their CVs stand out.”

The Midlands businesswoman, now 31, runs finance specialist North West Money and her own consultancy firm.

“I can’t stress enough the importance of work experience of all kinds and this coupled with qualifications is the ideal mix.”

NEWS 05

gairrhydd | NEWS@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY MARCH 08 2010

A year in the life of a Sabb Societies, Events, and Activities Officer

Students' Union President

My year as a sabbatical officer has been one of the most enjoyable years of my time at university.

From organising events such as Go Global to being a part of university committees, helping freshers move into halls and writing policy, this year has been a wonderful experience.

Although it is a lot of hard work, I’m impressed daily with the passion, altruism and talents of the students I meet.

The President of the Students’ Union is the key public figure for the organisation.

The role involves relationships with the University and politicians at both Wales and national level. The President acts as Chair of the Board of Trustees and the Board of Directors.

This is one of the best personal development opportunities as well as an ability to shape and influence the student experience at Cardiff University.

Welfare, Campaigns, and Communications Officer I’ve had a tiptop sabbatical year, although in comparison to my History degree it’s been blooming busy!

Working daily with students, many from groups, courses and age groups that I previously wouldn’t have run into has been great.

I’m chuffed with the progress we’ve made on housing, crime, sexual health and Union democracy.

In short it really has been an honour to lead for a year the best Union in the UK. I’d recommend it to anyone.

Academic and University Affairs Officer I’ve had the most incredible year as Academic and University Affairs Officer.

The demands on your time are so varied, from the general duties of being a full-time elected officer, to the responsibility I have for education issues. It is vital to have informed elected student representatives on senior university committees.

This role enables the student voice to be heard by decision-makers in the University.

Head of Student Media

Healthcare Integration Officer

I know you’ve probably heard this a million times, but seriously, this is probably the best graduate job ever.

I’ve had an amazing year as Head of Student Media. I’ve met some great people and had some truly once-in-alifetime experiences. I’ll never have a job like this again.

I would recommend it to anyone without hesitation.

What I've really enjoyed is how varied this year's been - you never really know what is coming.

Sabbs can make a difference, so the elections are important. Whilst campaigning is fun, the result can directly impact you. That idiot dressed like a banana could one day be telling the University what you want, so make sure it's the right idiot!

Finance and Commercial Officer

Athletic Union President

The role of the finance and commercial officer is to allocate the charity budget and to oversee the finances of the whole of the organisation.

It is also up to them to ensure that the organisation's commercial activity is led by students and puts 'students first' at every turn.

I have had an amazing year so far and my successor needs to be able to build on this year and to think of new and innovative ways to do the above.

The AU President represents students who take part in sport whilst at University.

The role exists to ensure that students have good access to sport, that they are given opportunities to take part, compete and win and that they enjoy themselves whilst doing so.

Your AU President will also be the person who will campaign on your behalf to ensure that your interests are represented within all decisions of the Students' Union and University relating to sport.

Rare books for Cardiff Cardiff University is to receive a collection of rare books from Cardiff Council.

The 14,000 books, which include rare bibles and atlases, will be bought for £1.2 million by the University with help from the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales and the Welsh Assembly Government.

The money will then be reinvested in the council’s library services.

The council decided to sell the books, which it says are valued at £3 million, in 2008. But concerns were raised by academics who felt the books shouldn’t leave the city.

Cardiff University put up £500,000 for the purchase, and has to keep them publicly available. It will also work to make some of the books available online.

Pro Vice-Chancellor for Education and Students Professor Jonathan Osmond said the University was “delighted” to have the collection.

“The acquisition of a collection of this size, depth and quality will enable Cardiff University to move into the senior league of humanities research collections and to create opportunities for collaborative research across Wales, the UK and internationally,” he said.

Heritage Minister Alun Ffred Jones said: “I am very pleased to support the co-operation between Cardiff Council and Cardiff University to ensure that the important collection of rare books will remain in Cardiff.

“I am also delighted by the University's plans to raise the profile of the collection by digitising and making books from the collection available online."

Professor: universities need to work with businesses to get Wales out of recession Sion Perks Reporter Engagement between universities and businesses will be key in driving Wales' economy out of recession according to a Cardiff University Professor who addressed the Welsh Assembly last week.

In his briefing to AMs, Professor Phil Bowen, Director of Innovation and Engagement at Cardiff's School of Engineering, spoke of the need for businesses to utilise the resources and expertise of universities like Cardiff.

He said: “Wales’ economic recovery is fragile and businesses need all the help they can get. One of the ways businesses can be helped is to exploit and take advantage of the pool of research, facilities and expertise that Welsh universities have to offer.”

Cardiff has recently established the Knowledge Transfer Centre which is currently working on three projects that it is hoped will strengthen the relationship between the University and local businesses.

In addition to this, the University has also made a strategic partnership with the steel giant Corus to allow larger companies to benefit similarly.

This partnership has already led to Cardiff and Corus launching the Centre of Excellence in Waste and Energy, to allow the Indian-owned company to take advantage of Cardiff's world leading research in this field.

Bowen's words came after the recent publication of an Assembly report which set out the Welsh government's strategy on the commercialisation of research. It warned that unless universities engaged with businesses, their funding may be cut.

IT'S BUSINESS TIME: Co-operation is the key

06 NEWS

gairrhydd | NEWS@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY MARCH 08 2010

Thinktank attacks elite universities for grabbing postgraduate research money Emma McFarnon News Editor

A new report has attacked universities lobbying for research funding to be concentrated in fewer universities.

The report, by the Million+ thinktank, claims that business, the economy and equal opportunities will all suffer if elite universities grab the bulk of postgraduate research money.

In a speech last week to the eighth annual Postgraduates National Policy Conference in London, Paul Wellings, chair of the 1994 Group of researchintensive universities and Vice-Chan-

cellor of Lancaster University, said: “Funding should be more concentrated than it currently is in order for government investment to be channeled as effectively as possible. This would still allow all institutions to provide PhDs if they wish, but provision below the quality threshold would be reliant on fee income rather than government funds.”

But the Million+ report warns that if this happens “there is a real risk that the UK will lose its competitive edge in the international [undergraduate and postgraduate] marketplace, with serious economic consequences for universities and the UK economy”. It argues that concentrating PhD funding

away from these universities harms innovation because these are the institutions that tend to be most successful at identifying new curriculum areas for both undergraduate and postgraduate study – areas that often prove vital for the economy.

Debate over the issue has been sparked by the independent review into the future of postgraduate education, announced last summer by the business and skills secretary, Lord Mandelson, and due to report this spring. Fears that public spending cuts will slash the overall research money available means the issue has intensified in recent months.

Les Ebdon, chair of Million+ and

Vice-Chancellor of the University of Bedfordshire, said: “It's a mistake to think Russell Group and 1994 Group universities are comprehensive. They are very skewed to certain subjects.”

He says the creative arts in particular would suffer if PhD output from post92, or 'new' universities, was reduced.

Diversity would also be hard-hit, because post-92 universities, which are often more closely tied to their local communities and offer more flexible ways of delivering courses, attract the majority of students from ethnic minorities and lower social classes.

Students who need to study close to home for family or economic reasons depend on provision of postgraduate

research degrees at their local university, it argues.

Paul Marshall, executive director of the 1994 Group, says that while postgraduate teaching provision is a mass-market activity that should be supported at all universities, the same is not true at PhD level. “The quality of infrastructure around research teams seems to be an important factor in producing PhDs,” he said.

Wendy Piatt, Director General of The Russell Group of researchintensive universities, says that when resources are tight, it makes sense for funding to be concentrated on the universities that can deliver the best postgraduate research provision.

Fry calls for University cricket academy re-launches bipolar study participants Charlotte Bufton Reporter

SKIP: Last year's national conference RELAUNCH: Academy re-opens

Emma McFarnon News Editor

A Cardiff University cricket academy which has helped to develop players for the first-class game has been re-launched.

The Cardiff MCCU is a cricketing centre of excellence involving Cardiff and Glamorgan Universities and the University of Wales Institute Cardiff (UWIC). The re-launch, which seeks to promote the scheme to aspiring young players, is one of six such initiatives in the UK supported

by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) one of the world’s most famous cricket clubs and owners of Lords Cricket Ground. MCC has recently announced an investment of £1.65million in the six MCC Universities over the next three years.

The centre has an impressive record, winning twice at Lords in recent years to capture the MCC Universities Challenge, and is seen as a high-

achieving MCC University. Cricketers with promise are supported by the centre, enabling them to further their careers and fulfil their playing ambitions whilst at the same time continuing their education.

Commenting on the re-launch, Stuart Vanstone, Head of Sport and Exercise at the University, said: “The centre of excellence provides our students with a performance-focused environment which can enable promising male and female cricketers to excel in the game as well as their studies. The students receive cricket-specific delivery as well as strength and conditioning and nutritional support and other performance lifestyle skills training.”

Outlining the selection process, Director of Cricket at Cardiff MCCU and former first-class player and umpire, Kevin Lyons, said: “Twenty players are selected to form a squad, which partake in a structured coaching and training schedule from October to March, dovetailing into a demanding fixture list until the end of June. It is

a serious nine-month commitment alongside the careful planning of a degree course. Selection is on a yearly basis, and players are assessed not only on technical ability, but attitude, approach and a genuine desire to work hard on their own game and team development.

“Consistent performances in competitive matches and an ability to learn from playing experience is the biggest factor in a player’s development though.”

Cardiff University players who have progressed from the scheme to the professional game include: Mark Pettini (Captain, Essex CCC); James Tomlinson (Hampshire CCC) and Mike Reed (Glamorgan CCC). Both the University of Glamorgan and UWIC have also seen students go on to play at county and national level.

Mr. Lyons added: “It is hoped that the scheme can further support the development of talented young cricketers into the county and international game”.

Stephen Fry has made a plea for people to come forward and participate in Cardiff University’s study into bipolar disorder which is researching how genes can lead to the illness.

The presenter, author and actor, who has taken part in the study along with former pop singer and television personality, Kerry Katona, said that by “choosing to assist one of the greatest problems facing human happiness” participants could help “remove stigma, shame and hidden pain.”

Bipolar disorder, or manic depression as it is also known, causes extremes in a person’s mood varying

FRY: Participants urgently needed

from elation to depression and also affects a person’s ability to function normally.

Currently the study has had 3,000 volunteers but needs to double that number to be able to properly understand the illness. The study is part of the Wellcome Trust Case-Control Consortium which studies the genetics of common, complex, diseases.

Professor Nick Craddock, along with other researchers at Cardiff University’s School of Medicine, are trying to identify the many genes involved in bipolar disorder, as they can influence an individual’s susceptibility to the illness.

Volunteers will be visited at home by a researcher who will ask about their experiences and symptoms. Any information given will be treated in the strictest confidence.

WORLD NEWS 07

gairrhydd | NEWS@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY MARCH 08 2010

You'll never guess what...

A remote location Friends of 19-year-old Huang Chen, a student from Changsa, Southern China have gone a little far with a practical joke.

The students decided to push a TV remote control up their mate's backside after he collapsed unconscious during a drunken night out.

After the remote control was removed, Dr Wei Lung Zhi of Hunan Hangtian Hospital said: “He will be fine in time, but the remote was a write off.”

Flying fish Tomos Clarke Reporter Late last week a small town deep in Australia’s Northern Territory, Lajamanu, experienced a downpour of biblical proportions.

This was, however, not a torrential downpour of rain. Thousands of fish poured from the skies above the village.

Thousands of spangled perch, found commonly in the waterways of the northern territory, bombarded the residents, shocking locals.

Resident Christine Balmer described the scene: “Hundreds and hundreds of fish landed in the town.

Locals were picking them up off the ground everywhere.”

She added: “These fish were alive when they hit the ground - thank God it didn’t rain crocodiles.”

The fish are common throughout much of the northern territory and will live in any large body of still or flow-

ing water.

Lajamanu, however, is on the edge of the Australian desert, over 300 miles away from the nearest river or lake.

An explanation has been offered for this strange occurence. As unlikely as it sounds, Meteorologists from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology suggest that a tornado could have sucked the fish high into the air, up to 50,000ft, before dropping them hundreds of miles from their point of origin.

Mark Kersemakers of the Australian Bureau of Meteorology said: "Once they get up into the weather system they are pretty much frozen and after some time they are released."

This phenomenon has been observed before, in the early 1980s there were reports of similar occurrences in the area. Historically similar cases have been reported. In 1969 golf balls fell from the sky in Florida, and again in 1976 .

FOR WHOM THE WEDDING BELL TOLLS: Newlyweds in prison

Til assault do us part Sarah Vaughan Reporter

Foolish facebooker A wanted criminal has been found after police discovered his whereabouts on Facebook.

Chris Crego pleaded guilty to charges of assault in 2009, but after failing to turn up to his sentencing it was suspected he was trying to escape charges.

Luckily for the police, this particular criminal did not seem hugely intent on escape, as he updated his Facebook and MySpace pages with his current address and place of work. He even uploaded his ‘wanted’ poster.

Unsurprisingly, Crego was found and charged $25,000. He now awaits his hearing.

Arty nudes Last week 200 members of the public gathered to bare all in the name of art.

American artist Spencer Tunick is famous for his photographs of mass nudes in artistic formations at varying locations.

On Monday crowds assembled themselves outside the Sydney Opera House in Australia, while Tunick organised his artistic subjects over a loudspeaker.

Participants were asked to adopt varying poses including lying down, hugging, kissing and waving their arms in the air.

DEAD FISH: Floppy

A newlywed couple in Massachusetts had to spend their first night in separated prison cells after police revealed that the new bride had made an unsuccessful attempt to run over an old flame of the groom.

Marissa Ann Putignano-Keene, 22, is said to have tried to run over the woman, who was with her son at the time, in a car park near the residential area where they live.

She blamed sudden jealousy and protectiveness for her hasty road rage.

The ‘other woman’, although not currently involved in any way with the groom, later admitted to the police that she had previously been in a se-

rious and intimate relationship with him, possibly evoking a reason to be the target of the bride’s anger.

On the day of their wedding, the bride was charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

Her new husband, Timothy Keene, 37, was with her in the car when she made the sudden attempt, and was consequently charged with disorderly conduct.

The happy couple got married at Barnstable Town Hall and police have said that they split a bottle of champagne before leaving the reception together.

Although they didn’t get too far before heading to prison to spend their first night apart, the new Mr. and Mrs. Keene were released with their charges the following day without the means of an attorney.

A clucking good idea

Belgian town introduces chickens to tackle public health risk Rachel Henson Reporter Households in a Belgian town are being offered chickens to help clean up the local area.

Fifty pairs of hens are on offer to residents of Mouscron, who are being encouraged to feed them kitchen scraps.

The introduction of these hens comes after over-flowing rubbish bins were deemed a public health risk in the area.

The new chicken owners will be provided with basic chicken care instructions to ensure their welfare, and will only be given to households with sufficient space to raise two adult chickens.

The town council have 100 hens ready to be distributed, but the decision has been made to pair the chickens with a companion to prevent loneliness.

Applicants must place a bid for the chickens and sign a contract to declare that the hens will not be eaten, sold or given away within the next two years.

The successful applicants must also agree to regular inspection visits by local authorities. Households that have previously received free chickens are not eligible for further complimentary poultry.

Health official, Christophe Deneve, said that the project offers “dual benefit” for people of the town; providing them with free chickens, while reducing the environmental problems associated with leaving waste in the

streets. The project is being promoted as an opportunity for a supply of free, fresh eggs for several years.

Deneve said: “All interested people can send us a letter detailing their motivations. If they live in Mouscron and do not already possess hens, we will give two to them.”

The town of Mouscron is located in the western Belgian province of Hainaut, near the French border, and has a population of 52,000.

This is the third time that chickens have been offered to local people by town officials.

Following the success of previous chicken give-aways, the project coordinators hope to use publicity surrounding this event to promote alternative methods of waste management.

Vermi-composting is another alternative waste management strategy involving worms and manure. It will soon be offered to disappointed residents living in flats who are unable to apply for free chickens.

CLUCKING: Handy

08 OPINION

gairrhydd | OPINION@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY MARCH 08 2010

Suffering on our doorstep For many refugees, escaping a war zone does not mean an end to hardship Raven Opinion Writer You may have heard something in the media about migrants 'massing' in Calais, France, trying to smuggle themselves into the UK. You might well have heard the victory cries of the British government as what became crudely termed the Pashtun 'Jungle' was destroyed in September, and assumed the problem was solved.

You might even have picked up on the negative press that the campaign group No Borders has been getting recently, for the simple act of setting up a shelter for destitute refugees during the coldest continental winter in 30 years.

Understanding of this complicated issue is paper-thin in the UK, and the human victims of politicians' antiimmigrant scapegoating are usually condemned as worthless driftwood, to be kept out of this country by any means necessary.

Until you have spent a few rainy February nights in the Pashtun camp, wrapped in a sodden sleeping bag and running out of things to burn, every inch of you damp and shivering, you cannot understand the suffering

of a refugee in Europe. These people have run away from the bloodbath of Afghanistan and many of them have seen their families bombed or shot in the ongoing war between NATO and the Taliban.

Most people in Calais risk their lives for the kind of things we take for granted We are talking about kids here: roughly half of the Pashtun sleeping out in Calais are aged 16 or under, and some are as young as seven. If a charity gives them a tent to sleep in, the CRS – France's notorious riot squad – confiscate it on sight. Tarpaulins are slashed and blankets are rendered unusable by being doused in pepper spray. The CRS use intimidation tactics and violence to make life hell for migrants in Calais, acting like racist high school bullies given weapons and a mandate by the French government.

Things are little better for the African refugees living in a disused sawmill, dubbed 'Africa House' by its occupants. It is standard procedure for

the CRS to raid the place, fill an arrest bus and dump their captives ten or twelve hours' walk outside Calais, knowing that they have no option but to trudge back in the rain.

Many of these people have seen their villages burned and their families slaughtered by the genocidal Janjaweed in Darfur. In desperation, they burn off their fingerprints as they travel through Europe to prevent identification and consequent deportation.

When they finally get to the UK – the destination of many refugees – their stories will be picked apart by officials until some tiny inconsistency is exposed and asylum can be refused.

As a human being I cannot stand by and watch this situation continue. I volunteered in Calais with No Borders activists from all over Europe. The work was hard but rewarding. Most nights we would stay with groups at risk of police terror tactics. A few activists would get a good night's sleep in a safehouse before doing dawn patrols by car or bike, monitoring CRS activity. When the cops arrived at a place en masse, so would we, and our presence with video cameras would be enough to prevent the worst kinds of harassment and violence, or sometimes enough to prevent a raid altogether.

Still, it was never easy. One night we had to submit to a full search, passport check and stand-up argument with the police to buy the Sudanese time to get away. On another occasion, we managed to guide 20 scared Afghan kids across town to a safer space from under the noses of the CRS, who were preparing to raid their camp, and it took all our efforts to avoid detection.

Daytimes in Calais are more chilled out. We spent each day running errands, teaching English and learning Arabic, and distributing whatever resources we had to offer. We made many great friends that week. 'H', the Sudanese human rights activist whose politics forced him to leave his country. 'A', the Somali travelling to England to finally see his wife and child who had gone missing from war-torn Mogadishu back in the '90s. These people were not charity cases but wonderful, welcoming human beings.

Looking down the streets of Cardiff on a typical night out, I notice the striking contrast. Floods of pissed-up students, falling out of taxis and queuing for the cashpoint. It occured to me that most of my friends in Calais were, at that moment, risking their lives underneath lorries for the sort of opportunities we take for granted. It made

me feel alienated from this University, and from the rest of my generation.

I felt a thousand times more at home chain-smoking by the fire in Africa House, drinking Arabic tea and hearing real life horror stories from the mouths of the voiceless and forgotten.

Silence is compliance, and anyone who fails to do something is partly to blame So what can you do about this situation? No Borders is currently the only group doing human rights observation in Calais and always needs as many activists as possible to be out there.

It is hugely enriching work and there is room for everyone if they have the desire to help.

Silence is compliance, and anyone who doesn't stand up and do something to change the situation is giving the CRS carte blanche to bully, brutalise and oppress those who have suffered so much already.

gairrhydd | OPINION@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY MARCH 08 2010

OPINION 09

Death to capital punishment To protect the innocent we must force America to stop executions America is supposedly the greatest nation on Earth – or so any yank will quite excitedly tell you. Certainly, they are the leading civilised society. Yet they still perform stateexecutions. What kind of example does this set to the rest of the world, when the "land of the free" regularly kills its own kind?

Some will argue that the death penalty is there for the rare cases in which we’re dealing with someone who seems to defy what it means to be human, who operates outside any realm of emotional sensitivity or consequence. Vicious, pre-meditated serial killers. Child abusers.

Terrorists. These people, they argue, aren’t human. They’re completely unhinged and can’t be made to see sense or be salvaged by a prison sentence.

They also argue that there are some situations in which the death penalty is the only solution. Saddam Hussein, for example, was put to death for some truly horrific crimes against his own people. Unforgivable acts of murder, torture and general tyranny. He deserved punishment, without a doubt. But not the death penalty.

Having Hussein put to death made very little sense. He was a brutal dictator, a vicious and evil man. But we are supposedly the Western, civilised world, and we watched idly by as a human being was executed by the state. We failed to lead by example and stop the new Iraqi legal system from performing

Alex Evans Opinion Editor Usually, I’d open with a joke. Or at least, something light-hearted.

Sadly, though, there’s nothing funny about capital punishment. The death penalty. Institutionalised murder.

You probably haven’t heard about Linda Carty's case, reported briefly in The Times last week. She stands to become the first black British woman to be executed in America in over a century. Convicted of abduction and murder, the grandmother awaits her fate on death row in Texas. Her last hope is a re-trial. After all, her first one was a total farce.

Her co-defendants testified against her to protect themselves. Meanwhile, the state-appointed lawyer conducted himself woefully, speaking to Carty for just 15 minutes before the trial.

He even insisted that Carty had to be bribed with chocolate to co-operate.

Highly unlikely, considering that she’s allergic. Furthermore, the British government was not notified of the proceedings at any point.

This woman’s trial was clearly a joke. Is she innocent? Who knows.

But thanks to her obscenely poor treatment by the American legal system, we can’t be sure. And she’s sat on death row. There shouldn't be anyone awaiting execution around whom the slightest bit of doubt about innocence lingers. In fact, there shouldn’t be a death row at all.

a gruesome hypocrisy. Let's not make that mistake with America, too.

Those who commit crimes horrific enough to qualify for execution may not be "human", but we are. And we should know better than to put to death those who we cannot punish into conforming to the norms of humanity.

It digusts me that America permits such barbarism

If Linda Carty really is innocent, the victim of a farcical trial, imagine how many others might be as well.

If there is even one innocent inmate for every thousand savage killers on death row, that ratio is not imbalanced enough to convince me that capital punishment can be justified.

Death is the ultimate deterrent because it is the ultimate; the end. And if there is the slightest risk that an innocent person may be punished, then its use is simply untenable.

It disgusts me that America still condones such a barbaric and medieval practice within its supposedly civilised borders.

Now that a British woman is facing a lethal injection for something she may not have done, it is time we stepped in and told America to stop it.

After all, is our 'special relationship' worth more than even one unjust state execution?

Crime should be punished, but not with a capital 'P'.

America's nuclear bombshell It's time for real cutbacks in arms stockpiles, not more empty promises Jack Parker Opinion Writer Since the bombing of Hiroshima 65 years ago, nuclear weapons have remained a significant threat and a key factor in international relations. Since his election, President Obama has frequently reiterated his hopes of a nuclearfree world, but will recent commitments be enough to make his dream a reality?

Obama’s plans for a new nuclear treaty remain sketchy, but the US and Russia both optimistically agreed last year to reduce their number of warheads to between 1,500 and 1,675 each. Yet despite this sizeable reduction, the quantity of nuclear weapons on both sides of the Pacific is still overwhelming and the question as to why both sides require so many must be asked. As both nations dedicate time and effort to finalising the terms of their agreement, we have to consid-

er whether these actions will provoke any change in the balance of power between these two nations and the rest of the world.

The short answer is a firm ‘no’.

1,500 nuclear warheads is still enough to obliterate any city, state or continent that the US considers to be a threat.

Indeed, once the long-term radiation effects from these potential detonations have been taken into account, both the US and Russia would still have the capability to destroy civilisation, or even cause the extinction of mankind if they so desired So why so much fuss over these new commitments? International tensions are currently high between the US and other potentially nuclear states. A public display of arms reduction can surely only aid the justification of the US in restricting the use of nuclear material in Iran. Also, these reductions are critical if nuclear states are to continue to co-operare with the aims of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). The NPT’s main objec-

tives are to restrict non-nuclear states from gaining weapons and to restrict currently armed states from increasing their nuclear arsenal. However, the NPT suffers from a lack of clarity and even members of the treaty, such as China, have previously been accused of developing weapons with increased magnitude and range. Worse, several countries that are known to or strongly suspected to own armed nuclear weapons, such as North Korea, India and Pakistan, are not even members of the NPT.

It seems Obama's plans are weak promises made for public support Meanwhile, other countries seem to be doing little to reduce their nuclear stockpile. The UK is still likely to renew its trident missile system with current costings ranging from £15bil-

lion to £34billion. There is also much speculation about Israel, which, despite growing speculation, has yet to openly outline its nuclear capabilities.

It may seem, then, that Obama’s commitments are in fact weak promises, made to gain public support without making any major sacrifice for real change. Luckily, there are further commitments on the table.

Obama has also decided to reject plans to develop a new range of nuclear weapons, including the nuclear bunker-busters proposed by George W. Bush, which could have been used to target underground hideouts such as those used by terrorists. However, these proposed weapons would still have created significant radiation fallout that could kill, or increase the risk of cancer for millions of civilians.

Obama’s new pledges are in line with the views of international organisations, but surely abiding by these rules should be regarded as common sense, not the actions of a virtuous political leader? Still undecided are the

rules detailing when the US can use its current nuclear stockpile. A particularly hot debate is whether the US will attempt to justify their ability to use nuclear weapons first in conflict, or whether regulations will be created so that nuclear weapons may only be used in retaliation.. Unfortunately, with increasing fear of the growing threats from the likes of Iran, the US is likely to retain its right to strike first.

Weapons of mass destruction continue to be significant to the international agenda. Restricting the actions of Iran, North Korea and the widerworld will require a severe strengthening of the NPT, which holds their next meeting in May. The possibility of stronger international regulation is likely to be the greatest advantage of Obama’s new plans. A nuclear-free world, however, is only going to become reality if the US and Russia are prepared to overcome the remnants of cold war distrust and make real sacrifices to their global weapon stocks.

Now that would be a bombshell.

10 OPINION

gairrhydd | OPINION@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY MARCH 08 2010

Actually, this will hurt a lot The consequences of a tuition fee rise are potentially devastating Michaela Neild Opinion Writer

genuinely-variable fees would not have a negative impact on widening access. Therefore, it is vital that there is adequate student support in the form of bursaries and the like. The amount of money that is available to help support students while they are studying at university is crucial to ensuring that a student from any background can afford to go. Equality is key.

The possibility of the tuition fee cap being lifted after this year's election raises all sorts of difficulties and dilemmas for Cardiff University for a number of reasons.

However, if the recommendations

by Universities UK are followed and the cap is lifted to £7,000, a typical student wanting to attend a research intensive university in England would see their level of student debt rise to £33,000.

With the Brown Review into Higher Education Funding and Student Finance expected to report later in the year, and the real threat that the tuition fee cap may rise to £5,000 or £7,000 a year, I was pleased to see the article “This won’t hurt a bit…” in Issue 914 of gair rhydd, discussing the pressures on higher education funding and the battle we have ahead of us.

More debt is the prospect if we do not take action Upon reading the standfirst, however: “Why fees should be raised – and why HE funding cuts might not be a disaster”. I resigned myself to the task of writing a follow-up article for gair rhydd in order to provide some Welsh context to the debate, whilst highlighting the fears I have around student debt.

I am pleased that the article acknowledged the detrimental effect variable fees would have on the progress that has been made on widening access to higher education. However, I think the article failed to appropriately discuss the genuine fear for stu-

The idea that the NUS is scaring students about debt is ludicrous

dent debt if the cap is lifted.

Figures show that once interest has been added, the average student will leave university with a debt of around £25,000. Although, at present, repayment conditions are relatively benign, that may not always be the case. Under the current system, when a graduate earns enough, they begin repaying their loan. Here, they would have to be earning over £25,550 a year to offset the interest alone, never mind paying anything towards the actual amount they borrowed. According to the Higher Education Statistics Agency, the average graduate starting salary is £20,000, so it is unlikely that many graduates would be able to reduce the balance of their loan in the

early years of repayment. If the cap is lifted though, the government will no longer be able to afford the current repayment system and the prospect of student loans being subject to ‘real’ interest rates is a serious concern.

Further to this, in Wales, the Assembly Government budget for 2010 asked the sector to generate a five percent efficiency saving, whilst the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW) capital budget is expected to be reduced by £1.4m for 2010/2011 from the previous year.

This will inevitably lead to further cuts in education. In practice, this could mean that less students will be able to enter into an increasingly expensive education sector, at a time

when cuts risk affecting the overall quality of service currently available to students. Less money, lower quality education and more debt is the prospect if we do not take action.

Higher Education in Wales is at risk as the current ‘funding gap’ between England and Wales will widen when central government cut Wales’ overall budget. Because funding allocated to the Welsh Assembly is calculated through what is known as the ‘Barnett formula’, if tuition fees rise in England, Wales will have little choice other than to follow suit.

In the context of this gloomy future, it is student hardship and the future of student support that concerns me the most. I also highly doubt that

Although this is inherently linked to student debt and tuition fees, it can be (and is) a separate debate in itself.

Students’ Unions across Wales have been working with NUS Wales to form a National Bursary Framework that would ensure money allocated from tuition fees for widening participation and for promotion of higher education reaches the students’ pockets that need it the most.

Considering all this, the assumption that the NUS is carelessly scaring prospective students about the level of debt they will be burdened with is ludicrous. It is the responsibility of the NUS to make the government aware of the financial burden students are under. Following the fees review launch, students and students' union officers, including myself, descended on Parliament to meet MPs and encourage them to sign the pledge to vote against any increase in fees, while pressuring the next government to introduce a fairer alternative. I am pleased to report that Julie Morgan MP and Jenny Willott MP have done so on behalf of Cardiff students.

BBC killed the radio station

Does the BBC really need tough love to drag it into the twenty-first century?

Oli Franklin Opinion Editor

Facebook and Twitter have been buzzing this week as the nation has rallied behind 6 Music after the BBC announced plans to cut the channel as part of their strategy review. The station, a cult favourite amongst music aficionados, is facing the axe along with the Asian Network.

Other aspects of the BBC, however, won’t be receiving such vocal support. As well as the radio reshuffle, the review will see the sale of a number of BBC magazines, a halt of 25 percent of the BBC’s online content and a sweeping reprioritisation of television spending, including a cut on foreign

programme acquisition – which could tragically mean the end of Mad Men on BBC Four.

But it does bring the nature of the BBC into question Whilst the headlines have been in uproar, there are reasons behind the review’s cuts. Some commentators have concluded that the cuts are politically motivated, a pre-emptive strike against a foreseen Conservative government. Partly accurate this may be, but in reality this approach is woefully naïve. In reality, this review is long overdue.

That may sound like an odd statement, after all, in many respects the corporation has never been in better health. The BBC News website is a global leader, consistently beating commercial rivals in hits. iPlayer is one of the great success stories of recent times, having revolutionised the way we consume television and radio content. And the production studios continue to roll out world-beating material such as Life and The Thick of It. The cuts should probably go further. And the review should go deeper and ask different questions. The BBC is irrefutably the world’s best and most respected media organisation.

But – and here’s the difficult part – it’s actually become a little too good.

With the phenomenal popularity of iPlayer and the internet, media con-

sumption patterns are rapidly changing. Young people are now increasingly ignoring traditional sources such as TV and radio in favour of online consumption. And that makes the TV licence a bit of an issue.

Similarly, we can now watch Match of The Day live on the BBC Sport website, while in another window we can watch global news unfold.

It’s an incredible achievement and a testament to the wonderful uses the internet can be harnessed for. But as traditional media struggles to respond to the free content on the internet the BBC needs to consider its role in a wider context Furthermore, they need to evaluate their position as a broadcaster. What exactly is it that the BBC should do?

That indeed is the £600million ques-

tion. The answer should lie in its strengths, providing educational programming, quality drama, and the biggest and best sporting events such as the Olympics. What it shouldn’t do is exploit its safety to compete with the struggling commercial sector. That isn’t to say it should bow out to Murdoch’s cronies, far from it, but that the organisation needs to recognise its dependence on the public, and its strengths. Hence why 6 Music should be kept alive.

Mark Thompson may be a contentious figure but his strategic review hasn’t made some grossly offensive error. He merely recognises that the BBC needs to remain the BBC, and stick to its strengths. If that means cutting quantity in favour of quality, then so be it.

OPINION 9

12 FEATURES

gairrhydd | FEATURES@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY MARCH 08 2010

Are you good at keep that they are his own. Some are included on these pages, not as pictures, but the quotes you see surrounding them. Other quotes are from letters he has received.

The psychological element behind PostSecret has not been ignored. In the third book, Extraordinay Confessions from Ordinary Lives, the foreward is written by clinical psychologist Anne C. Fisher, Ph.D. She talks of the universal appeal of PostSecret, and the fact it has "tapped into the universal stuff of being human — the collective, often unconscious level of existence that defies age, culture, gender, economics and so on.

"The healing process in PostSecret is bite-size, manageable. People are hopeful their lives will improve."

The power of reading other people's secrets, however, is where another joy lies. You can decipher the worries and hopes of people you will

almost certinaly never meet, and you can also realise that some people have exactly the same qualms and problems as yourself.

I cannot urge you more to take ten minutes out of your day (you'll only be on Facebook anyway) to log on to the website at the bottom of the page.

Look through half a dozen of them, then Google some more. The logical step is to then go out and buy one of the books. Do it.

These secrets should really speak for themselves, although of course they are all open to interpretation — they are a selection that we receieved at gair rhydd, after months of careful persuasion and casual blackmail.

I'd personally like to thank them all for their time and effort. I hope you enjoy what you see.

For more information, visit: www.postsecret.com

"

O

n January 1 2005 a website was founded on Blogspot, as a social experiment. Every Sunday, it was to be updated with ten new secrets, ranging from people battling with depression and attempted suicide, to confessions of sexual thoughts about co-workers.

Today, the website has grown to receive huge amount of internet traffic; there are websites in tribute to the concept and an online community hosting over 80,000 registered users.

Five books boasting collections of past PostSecrets have been published, the most recent being Confessions on Life, Death & God, released on October 9 2009.

The creator of this entire project is Frank Warren, one man who regularly tours colleges across the United States, hosting lectures about his creation. Frank also includes his own secrets in each book, and makes clear

There are two kinds of secrets: those we keep from others and the ones we hide from ourselves

"

In late 2004, I printed 3,000 postcards inviting people to share a secret with me

"

gairrhydd | FEATURES@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY MARCH 08 2010

ping secrets?

FEATURES 13

" Dear Frank, I have made six postcards, all with secrets that I was afraid to tell the one person I tell everything to, my boyfriend.

This morning, I planned to mail them, but instead I left them on the pillow next to his head while he was sleeping.

Ten minutes ago he arrived at my office and asked me to marry him. I said yes.

USE DOUBLE TEMPLATE ABOVE

16 POLITICS

gairrhydd | POLITICS@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY MARCH 08 2010

world, What's gone wrong, Dave? This this week The Tories are slumping in the polls and can't seem to find momentum. James Stonebridge investigates Iraqi issues

CAMERON: What have you got to be so happy about?

T

he crescendo of the Conservative Party Spring Conference was supposed to be a confident and purposeful speech by a man who was certain to become the country's next Prime Minister.

Instead, David Cameron’s grand finale felt more like a cry for help.

With Lord Ashcroft, one of the Party’s main financial backers, confirming that he is a non-UK tax payer, it has definitely been a difficult week for the Conservatives.

On the same weekend as the Conference, a YouGov poll declared that the Tories were just two points ahead of Labour, which is substantially short of what is required for a Conservative majority in Parliament. It seems that the only bullying Gordon Brown has been doing recently is that of gradually squeezing the Tories into submission. On the other hand, it is perhaps more accurate to say that the Conservatives have failed to step up the pressure on Brown recently.

Cameron told the Party faithful that

they now had a ‘real fight’ on their hands to win the next election. For months he has told us that they would not be complacent in the light of favourable polls, as well as impressive local and European election results.

The tone of his speech suggested that the Party has slacked off, having been mesmerised by persistent prophecies of victory since the advent of Cameron's leadership.

So what has gone wrong? One of the main issues that the Conservatives need to address (and fast) is that many people simply have no idea what the Tories stand for. There has been a significant public relations effort under Cameron that has sought to modernise the Party’s image, most notably through having an environment conscious logo of an oak tree instead of the torch that is associated with the Thatcher years.

David Cameron seems to be crying out for help from his fellow Tories In his speech Cameron emphasised that he would be ‘doubling up on modernisation’. But what exactly is it that would be modernised under a Conservative government? The Tories have proposed widespread cuts on public

spending in order to quell and reverse Britain’s mountain of debt, whilst also being set on improving the quality of education and healthcare. This seems to be an obvious contradiction.

How exactly will they reconcile these differing aims? Having had no real detail on these policies we can only assume that the Tories want a more slimline and efficient public sector that delivers quality services.

A lack of clarity on their part is to blame.

If you look hard enough, the policy detail can be found, such as on the Conservative’s website. But with only two months to go before the election, the Conservatives’ public relations team should really be drumming their ideas into the electorate. This election is certainly winnable, but vague principles are not enough to win over everyone.

Lord Ashcroft’s admission that he is a non-UK tax payer did little to undermine the largely positive reception to Cameron’s speech. The Business Secretary Lord Mandelson, who has twice resigned from government due to financial irregularities, was at the forefront of demanding an inquiry into Ashcroft’s affairs. But with several Labour and Liberal Democrat donors explicitly having the same status as Lord Ashcroft, perhaps it’s best to keep quiet, eh, Mandy?

Time for hanging around

With the increased likelihood of a hung parliament, James Dunn looks at what it all means for Britain

W

hat would happen if you were to put two kids who hated each other in a room together? And then a thrid smaller, slightly more bitter child?

The third kid gets bullied. The first two argue, and eventually one wins, one way or another. Now imagine the room is slightly bigger. It has more people in it – 644 more in fact. The fate of the nation rests on a result.

But, as child-like as a Commons debate can seem to the casual outsider, the matters at stake are far weightier.

And the imminent resolution is far less clear-cut. For the first time since 1996, Britain could find itself governed by a hung parliament. The implications that this would have on the country range from the extremes; it could either have dire consequences or be the catalyst that is needed to reinstate popular support for politics.

It has been accepted for the last few years that Gordon Brown was just keeping Downing Street warm for David Cameron. But few have really examined the feat that the Conservatives would have to pull off in order

to win. They would have to win 116 seats – something that they have not managed since 1931. In those days, winning this amount of seats was far easier. The smaller parties did not have the dominance – if I can be generous enough to dub it that – to win seats in Parliament. Most didn’t even exist.

But with the Liberal Democrats – who I seem to have been supporting subconsciously in my articles – the potential for no majority looms ever more threateningly. They now have far more MPs' in Parliament than they did previously, as well as being seen as the alternative to two of the closest matched parties in history.

The Conservative lead in the polls has been cut from nine points to around five (now at 37 percent according to Ipsos-Mori). And these figures emerged after the revelations of Andrew Rawnsley that Gordon Brown supposedly `bullies` his staff. So with the Conservatives unable to make gains in light of this, Labour dropping no points and the Liberal Democrats posing an ever-increasing threat, a hung parliament seems inevitable.

The effects of a hung parliament

will be fascinating. For one, the Prime Minister retains the Premiership. Gordon Brown will only be forced to step down should the Queen exercise what is left of her prerogative. She can either dissolve Parliament, call another General Election or appoint her own government. This would be the first true exercise of the Royal Prerogative during her reign.

It seems increasingly likely that whoever wins – if anyone gains a majority – will need the support of the Liberal Democrats. And here comes

PARLIAMENT: Stop mucking around

my woeful analogy from earlier. Nick Clegg has stated outright he will support neither Conservative or Labour policies. The third bitter child could be the outright winner.

In the case of a hung parliament, politics faces two options: the formation of a half Lib Dem government, which would represent over half of voters in the country. Or the Queen dissolving parliament and leaving the country in a period of flux. Either way, it seems we have interesting times ahead of us.

D

octors in the Iraqi city of Fallujah have reported an extremely high level of birth defects.

The responsibility is widely thought to lie with weapons used by the US after the invasion.

Fallujah was the site of major fighting in 2004 as the US Army sought to combat insurgency, and it is their use of white phosphorous munitions that is thought to be to blame.

The level of defects amongst newborn babies is now 13 times higher than in Europe.

The US, for its part, claims not to be aware of the problem.

Brazil's nuts

B

razil has refused to bow to pressure from the US to support sanctions against Iran because of its nuclear ambitions.

Both Brazil and the US are backing different approaches towards this potentially nuclear country.

Brazil, which enjoys good relations with Iran, wants to continue with negotiations and claims that to do otherwise would be against its values and principles.

The US meanwhile believes that sanctions should be in place to allow Iran to negotiate in good faith.

Iran, meanwhile, denies that it is developing nuclear weapons.

China v USA

C

hina has announced that its military spending will be increasing by 7.5 percent in 2010 and, while this ends a long period of double-digit growth, it is still a cause for concern.

The USA announced this week that it would be cutting its nuclear arsenal, and has repeatedly insisted that China be more open about it's spending.

A spokesperson has said that China would be more transparent in the future, but refused to say any more.

There has been considerable tension between China and the US since the US sold $6 billion of arms to Taiwan earlier this year.

POLITICS 17

gairrhydd | POLITICS@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY MARCH 08 2010

Have one of your five a day

Damian Fantato has a chat with Alun Mathias, who just wants to make the world a better place... starting out in Cardiff Central

A

lun Mathias is standing for election in Cardiff Central.

You might have heard from him already. In fact, you might have received his book through the post.

The fact that this apparently normal middle-aged man is standing for election isn't on its own remarkable, but there's something different about Mr. Mathias' campaign, something much more interesting.

You see, Mathias is the founder of a new political movement that's starting in Cardiff Central: Five Apples.

"Five Apples was born a couple of years ago, when I started thinking about global poverty and this supposedly unsolvable problem. I just got thinking about whether or not it was actually solvable and whether or not you could actually do something about it. I went onto the internet expecting to find some sort of answer to it and couldn't really find anything. It's been mulling around in my mind since then."

The result of Mathias' thinking was a book: Vicky and the Pit. Last year his thoughts crystallised and he started writing a book about a girl (Vicky) who stumbles upon a pit in a forest which is full of people who are dying because they haven't got enough to eat. Vicky then decides to try to help them.

The allegory is obvious. It's about the world we live in, where some people don't have enough food, clean water and basic health care to survive.

"The Five Apples thing comes from an idea. If we represented the entire wealth of the UK with 100 apples, it would be an interesting question to ask how much of that we give the third world. When we ask kids in school, they tend to say around ten. The answer is less than one half of an apple. We like to think of ourselves as a generous country, but in 2008 we gave 0.3 percent of our wealth towards helping the third world.

This is true of the whole of the rich west".

Mathias' question answers itself. It's his solution to global poverty and the basis for his entire campaign.

"Five apples. That's the proposition. If we chose to give five percent of what we have then instead of talking about this as an interminable problem that can never be solved. In the UK we can do that. Five Apples is about trying to make that happen, arguing for that, or at least giving people the chance to

Vote of confidence

T

he elections watchdog warned last week that more than half of young people eligible to vote are not registered to do so.

The Electoral Commission has said that 3.5 million people are not registered, and 56 percent of 17-25 year olds are not present on the electoral roll.

The Hansard Society, which promotes parliamentary democracy, has also revealed that only 54 percent of people are certain to vote. Participation is expected to be particularly low amongst young, working-class voters.

The Electoral Commission carried out research in eight local authorities in rural and urban areas in a bid to discover how complete their electoral registers were.

Apart from 56 percent of young

CHAVS: They just won't vote

people not being registered, the Commission also found that 31 percent of ethnic minorities were not registered, nor were 79 percent of people who moved house in the last year.

The Commission cannot, however, be certain of the figures until the next census in 2011.

These trends are hardly surpising given the scepticism that is prevalent in people's attitudes towards politicians. The long, drawn out, nature of scandals such as that of the MPs' expenses, seem to be taking their toll on our democracy.

Whether these statistics are entirely accurate or not, they deserve to be worried about for anyone who claims to care about the democratic process.

Our MPs might not deserve to be reelected, but we are the ones who will suffer if few people turn out to vote.

vote for that".

The thing about Mathias is that he doesn't seem to see himself as part of any political system. He's the antithesis of a career politician. Nor, for that matter does he see himself as particluarly extreme.

"If you're talking about party politics, then I suppose that my opinion is that the three main political parties in

the UK are, in policy terms, the same now. Since Thatcher left, the parties have been outflanking each other on their own extreme policies so what you've got is a body of party politicians for whom it is probably beyond their power to behave in a radical way.

That's the politics we've got at the moment.

"I'm only running on the one issue, and I'd be happy to see the main parties pick it up. Over the last 20-30 years, if people start voting for something then the main parties start to change.

That's why I think it's worth doing.

"If people tell me they just don't want to give their money away, then fair enough, but this is essentially what the United Nations thinks. I'm actually just expressing the United Nations' opinion. The work that Jeffrey Sachs did in 2005, which is, after all, only five years ago, was all centered on quantifying the cost of a basic level of welfare for the whole of humanity.

If some people turn around and say, 'thank you, but I don't want to spend

my money on that', then that's fine, but at least hear it and then decide."

Mathias' choice of Cardiff Central is an interesting one. He admits to not living in the constituency himself (though he was born here), and his decision to try an represent it in Parliament is for a very specific reason.

"It's because of the student population. I think that there's more prospect of people who maybe haven't voted before, who are looking for something new to say, someone new to vote for.

I'm hoping students will take hold of this idea and want to go for it.

"Obviously I'm not certain of election! But what I would love to be able to put candidates forward in all university towns and cities across the UK, and have students standing. It would frighten the living daylights out of the mainstream parties if there was a party which was primarily owned and driven by students that could actually get votes. The parties are terrified of something happening that's outside of the current establishment. I'd like to see that happen.

"There are parties out there that are not productive or aimed at the good of our fellow men. That's why it's important to engage in politics. It's important that people make the world a better place. That makes me sound like a proper politician!"

Karadzic goes on trial

Jonathan Bird shares his thoughts on the trial of Radovan Karadzic

D

r Radovan Karadzic, leader of Bosnia’s Serbs during the civil war of the 1990’s, spoke at The Hague last week. He denounced his war crime charges as “fabricated myths” and declared the Serb nationalist cause “just and holy".

Karadzic is facing charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. He is supposedly responsible for the indescriminate bombing of Sarajevo, which claimed 12,000 civilian lives, and the Srebrenica massacre, which was responsible for the death of 8,000 Bosnians.

He began his address to the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in expansive and exuberant tones. “I will defend that nation of ours and their cause, which is just and holy, and in that way I will be able to defend myself too”, he said. Then, tying his reputation to that cause, he stated: “I stand here before you not to defend the mere mortal that I am, but to defend the greatness of a small nation in Bosnia-Herzegovina, which for 500 years has had to suffer, and has demonstrated a great deal of

modesty and perseverance to survive in freedom,” adding that “We have a good case. We have good evidence and proof."

The conflict, which claimed at least 100,000 lives, was due to a Muslim plot and foreign meddling, he alleged.

“There were fundamentalist goals to change the destiny and appearance of the whole region,” he said. “Their aim was 100 percent power, as it was in the Ottoman Empire.” He also claimed that the US had tried to interfere in Bosnia.

The Serbs were “the weaker party, on the defensive all the time”, he claimed. “The Serbs were claiming their own territories and that is not a crime. Their conduct gave rise to our conduct, and that is 100 percent true,” he continued As for the allegation of ethnic cleansing: “It was never an intention, never any idea, let alone a plan, to expel Muslims and Croats,” he maintained.

Survivors of the Sarajevo siege were there to see him declare the shelling of a market in 1994 “a stage managed, trick”. Muhammad Dizdar, a merchant of that particular market

said: "I don't believe The Hague can punish him enough. They should send him back to us here in Sarajevo so we can hang him here in the middle of the city."

He mocked reports of concentration camps where ex-inmates have claimed many were tortured, raped and murdered. He said “investigation centres,” were used to screen populations and remove combatants from refugees.

So what can be said of his strategy?

Well the judges are already familiar with the detailed archive of primary sources and forensic reports. Therefore his denial of a Serb nationalist campaign of ethnic cleansing and genocide will cut little ice. As he said, it is a conflict which has lasted on and off for half a millennium, in which Serb nationalism has appealed to romantic myths of heroic struggles and victimhood. When clan honour and history become political weapons, quarrels are venomous and wars prolonged.

He is perhaps crafting the songs and stories for conflicts of centuries to come.

LETTERS 19

gairrhydd | LETTERS@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY MARCH 08 2010

the Comments from the week’s news, opinion, features and sport at www.gairrhydd.com Sometimes, there is an excuse Lianne Wilson “However, our legal system is mature enough to recognise not only that there are different degrees of murder, but also that sometimes murder is committed in self-defence, and so is the lesser offence of manslaughter.

"By this thinking, surely there are similar degrees of torture? Torture that is wrong, torture that is right and torture that straddles the gulf in between.”

With a logical leap like that you could have crossed the grand canyon.

Also, you seem to have a complete lack of knowledge of the legal system.

Manslaughter isn’t a ‘type’ of murder.

It isn’t murder at all. There is no such thing as murder in self-defence.

Jonathan in America Murder and Manslaughter are called homicide in the first and second degree. There is such a thing as justifiable manlaughter in English law. So Oliver's principle stands.

The ticking bomb were a explosive device as been hiden and will go off.

However the authorities don’t know were it is planted. Is torture justifiable in that, very rare, case?

Rhys There is a danger with the one off case of torture will open the flood gates and make torture an open practice.

If you torture a person over the ticking bomb situation, then despite the best intentions of the people to have it be a one off, torture would start to become common practice.

This would have happen due to the

actions of a few un-elected people, without the general public input (For obvious reasons i concede). There are also many practical reasons not to use torture, as you can’t be sure the person you are torturing know what you what to find out, a person under torture will say anything to make it stop, which will be wrong or at worst intended to harm people. And this is the 21st century, we must have better ways of getting information than they did in the middle ages.

Lianne Wilson Jonathan: Right, but he said “our legal system”. That’s not America, that’s England and Wales.

What do you mean by justifiable manslaughter? Are you talking about diminshed responsiblity, etc.?

“Manslaughter is a distinct crime and is not considered a lesser degree of murder. The essential distinction between the two offenses is that malice aforethought must be present for murder, whereas it must be absent for manslaughter. Manslaughter is not as serious a crime as murder. On the other hand, it is not a justifiable or excusable killing for which little or no punishment is imposed.” – http:// legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/ manslaughter Azzedine Bouleghlimat The problem is, proponents of torture only ever address the ‘is it better to torture one person to save hundreds arguement’.

So while you argue over whether it is right to torture a person and prevent an attack, let me ask the question ‘is it wrong to torture a person who knows nothing?’ I’m not talking about pointless sadism here, but what happens if the person you tortured honestly knew nothing about any attacks. ...read more at gairrhydd.com

Mind the gap, old man observer I am not going to shoot down this form of “love” right away- but I would like to comment that those who enagage in such acts (pardon the pun) must take all appropriate precautions.

For instance, if, as in the Anna Nicole Smith situation, the older party is quite wealthy, that party would be very wise to have a professional draft both a prenuptial agreement and a post-marriage will (as wills made prior to marriage that do not reference the spouse are open to pretermitted spousal claims).

Although, sadly, the security these sorts of legal documents may have is up for grabs right now in the US’s 9th Circuit- if they were to find in favor of the estate of Anna Nicole Smith, all US wills and trusts would be open to circumvention via the bankruptcy code- leading to lots and lots (decades in some cases) of expensive litigation. Let’s all hope that the 9th circuit rules the correct way, thus once again making the world safe for these MayDecember romances.

Motion commotion goes on Chris Certainly an ‘A’ for soundbites.

‘That Chris Tarquini, is democracy in action’ positively Trotskyesque.

I agree it's insulting to claim all YF4J members are socialist stooges, good thing I didn't say all of them are stooges, which I backed up on the website. I noticed you couldn't help but sneak it a little dig about the fact it was tagged under someone elses name in your original unedited article, even though we both know that is down to the editors not to me.

forum

Why did you do that? Don't dodge the question Furthermore I did not call for censorship, censorship is something they do in China, socialist North Korea and previously in the USSR (hmm a pattern emerging?) I merely argued motions should be honest about their intentions and if they aren’t should they be allowed on the floor? An honest question,but if yours was so honest how can you accuse me of trying to censor you? You just appear particularly angry you got found out and voted down. What's your beef with the Gair Rhydd? ... read more at gairrhydd.com Rachelle Simons “Is it right, then, that Michaela Neild, Students’ Union Academic Affairs Officer, lobbied Cardiff Labour Students, albeit unsuccessfully, against our motion?”

No she didn’t.

I assume that you were referring to my comment on last week’s thread where someone from Socialist Students said that Labour Students voted against it at the request of a LS sabb officer. I pointed out that this was incorrect, of the 6 Labour students that I saw, three voted with the motion, two against and one abstained.

Maybe I didn’t make this clear in the other thread but she didn’t lobby us, either. I was with her for about 20 minutes before the AGM and also text her during the AGM and at no point did she encourage us to vote one way or another on that motion.

She didn’t unsuccessfully lobby, she just didn’t lobby.

Edmund Schluessel The information about lobbying comes not from what you mentioned, Rachel, but was raised with me immediately after AGM by another member of Labour

Students who was quite disappointed by the fact that she was doing that.

My previous call for Michaela to be non-partisan following her “clear red water” statement, followed by Student Council’s promting her to pursue the Greens’ signature on the NUS pledge, are both recorded in Student Council minutes for 9 November 2009 and 23 November 2009.

Exec meetings are not minuted so I can’t document discussions that took place there, but you will recall that I did raise the issue of separating party politics from Exec duties at the most recent Exec meeting with regard to another Exec member.

With regard, by the way, to my call for a multi-party debate on education, I’ve just found out today that NUS put out a call in December for “A Debate in Every Union”. I’ve had informal chats with the Debating Society about having such an event here and they seem keen to help, but it do wonder why there wasn’t motion on this earlier.

Egypt v England: predictions Dalia You mention that Egypt are double African Cup of Nations Champions, when in fact they have won the African cup three times in a row and seven times all together!

Ehab Good Luck to both teams, I hope we see a good match. Indeed Egypt has won three in a row, but this game won’t be easy for both teams.

Am definitely supporting England in the world cup, but supporting Egypt tom. I will be happy with a draw or a goal difference. we will see :)

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20 TAF-OD

gairrhydd | TAFOD@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY MARCH 08 2010

Diwedd cyfnod yng Ngogledd Iwerddon Emyr Gruffydd

Taf-od Writer Yr wythnos diwethaf, cyhoeddodd un o ffigurau mwyaf blaenllaw ym myd gwleidyddiaeth Gogledd Iwerddon, sef y Parchedig Ian Paisley, y byddai’n ymddeol fel Aelod Seneddol Gogledd Antrim yn yr etholiad cyffredinol nesaf ym mis Mai. Ffigur blaenllaw ond hynod ddadleuol yw’r Parchedig Paisley. Sefydlodd Eglwys Bresbyteraidd Rydd Ulster yn 1951 a phlaid Unoliaethol y DUP yn 1971, a dywed nifer bod ei natur tanllyd o bregethu ffwndamentaliaeth Gristnogol yn y pulpud wedi dylanwadu’n helaeth ar ei wleidyddiaeth Unoliaethol. Cofia nifer amdano am ei areithiau yn condemnio Sinn FÊin a’r IRA yn ystod y blynyddoedd gwaedlyd o gythrwfl rhwng yr Unoliaethwyr a’r Gweriniaethwyr, ac am ei syniadaeth gref o ymlyniad teyrngar i’r Deyrnas Unedig.

Yn 1998, roedd yn un o brif wrthwynebwyr Cytundeb Dydd Gwener y Groglith a ddaeth a blynyddoedd o ymladd rhwng y ddwy garfan i ben;

gwrthododd Paisley roi unhryw fath o gydnabyddiaeth i ddymuniadau’r Gweriniaethwyr. Fodd bynnag, roedd ei benderfyniad gwta naw mlynedd yn ddiweddarach yn 2007 i rannu grym gyda Sinn FÊin fel Prif Weinidog Cynulliad Gogledd Iwerddon yn drobwynt mawr, gyda nifer yn ei longyfarch am ei ddoethineb i symud ymlaen er budd pobl Gogledd Iwerddon. Fodd bynnag, cafodd ei gondemnio gan nifer o Unoliaethwyr traddodiadol am fod yn fodlon trafod gyda chyn-aelodau o’r IRA. Rhoddodd y Parchedig Paisley’r gorau i’w swydd fel Prif Weinidog Cynulliad Stormont yn 2008, gan groesawu Peter Robinson i gymryd ei le, ffigwr sydd wedi bod yn y newyddion yn aml yn ddiweddar am y sgandal ynglwn â’i wraig, Iris Robinson Yn ôl y Parchedig Paisley, nid yw’n dyfaru am eiliad ei benderfyniad i rannu grym gyda’r Gweriniaethwyr, ac mae’n sicr y bydd pobl Gogledd Antrim yn parhau i gefnogi plaid y DUP yn yr etholiad cyffredinol ym mis Mai. Ei fab, Ian Paisley Junior sydd yn sefyll dros y DUP yn hen sedd ei dad yng Ngogledd Antrim; un o gadarnleoedd Unioliaethol Gogledd

Iwerddon.

Mae ymddeoliad y Parchedig Paisley yn ddiwedd cyfnod go iawn yn hanes Gogledd Iwerddon. Ers 1998, mae tirwedd gwleidyddol Gogledd Iwerddon wedi newid yn syfrdanol, gyda charfanau a oedd yn casåu ei gilydd â châs perffaith ddeng mlynedd yn ôl nawr yn dod at ei gilydd i gydweithio er budd pobl Gogledd Iwerddon. Mae ei barodrwydd i eistedd lawr ar yr un bwrdd gyda chyn-aelodau o grwp terfysgol fel yr IRA yn dangos bod pobl Ulster wedi cael hen ddigon o’r cecru beunyddiol a’u bod yn cydnabod mai trwy fodd heddychlon yn unig y mae modd datrys problemau gwleidyddol.

Fel Gweriniaeithwr fy hun sydd yn wrthun i’r syniad o’r Deyrnas Unedig fel gwladwriaeth, ni allaf ddweud fy mod yn cytuno â safbwyntiau tanllyd y Parchedig Paisley. Fodd bynnag, mae’n rhaid cydnabod ei fod wedi gwneud cyfraniad enfawr i wleidyddiaeth Gogledd Iwerddon dros y blynyddoedd – ac rwyf yn dymuno’n dda iddo yn ei ymddeoliad!

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gairrhydd | SCIENCE@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY MARCH 08 2010

SCIENCE & ENVIRONMENT 21

Stuck stammering Recent research suggests stammering could be caused by genetics. Priya Raj explains all...

Priya Raj Science Editor Stammering, or stuttering, is a problem with the flow and timing of speech which can be interrupted by repetition of a syllable, prolongation of the sound or a complete block.

People are often embarrassed about stammering, but may be quite fluent if they sing, whisper or speak as part of a group.

There are three main types of stammer which keep individuals from speaking efficiently. One occurs when specific sounds are repeated, such as the “s”. This often makes a word such as “sweet” be pronounced as “s-s-s-sweet”.

Another type of stammering occurs when a specific sound is prolonged before the rest of the word is pronounced, such as “sssssssweet”. The third type happens when some speech is blocked so that there is a short period of silence in the middle of a word, such as “s…weet”.

Recent research suggests that the root cause of stammering is "faulty wiring" in the brain, which means that there are problems with the nerve circuits needed for the planning and execution of speech.

However, there is normally no obvious cause for stammering and it is likely to be due to a variety of factors.

Genetic factors could, for example, generate a basic problem with the way the brain handles speech.

Recent studies of young adults suggest disruption of connections between different areas of the brain involved in listening to and producing speech. As a result, there may be reduced activity in the areas of the brain involved in generating speech, such as the ventral premotor cortex, while other studies have found abnormal levels of a brain chemical called dopamine, and increased activity in a brain structure called the basal ganglia.

Meanwhile, environmental factors, such as problems in the home or at school, may aggravate these root abnormalities in how the brain is wired.

Stammering usually begins between the ages of three and five, and 90 percent of cases are evident before the age of eight. One in 20 children will have a stammer at some time, but most recover with or without help.

The condition is four times more common in boys than in girls and in families where a person has a stutter, there's an increased risk that other members will have the same problem.

Scientists have now identified three genes which may cause the problem in some individuals.

The root cause of stammering could be "faulty wiring" They believe that mutations which have already been tied to metabolic disorders may also affect the way in which parts of the brain function. The study, involving cases in Pakistan, the US and England, appears in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Two of these genes, GNPTAB and GNPTG, have already been linked

to two serious metabolic diseases in which components of cells are not effectively recycled. These disorders, known as lyposomal storage disorders, lead to a build-up of a potentially dangerous substance which can cause problems in almost every area of the body, including the brain.

People with this defective gene need two copies to develop the metabolic disorder, whilst only one copy appears to be associated with stammering.

A third defective gene, which is closely related to the other two, was also found among stammerers, but not among the control group.

The metabolic disorders pinpointed can be treated by injecting a manufactured enzyme into a person's bloodstream to take the place of the enzyme the body fails to produce. It is possible that stammering, if confirmed to be caused by the same defect, would respond to similar treatment.

The British Stammering Association said that they welcome the findings.

Plug pulled on 'bad medicine' House of Commons Committee urges NHS to withdraw funding for homeopathic treatments Omar Shamayleh Science Writer A new House of Commons Science and Technology Committee (STC) report casts doubt on homeopathy, stating that there is no scientific evidence to support its effectiveness. The committee is now urging the government to abide by its principals and withdraw funding for homeopathic treatment.

Homeopathy is a type of alternative medicine that emerged in Germany in the 18th century. It is based on a concept called 'the law of similars' which states that introducing a small amount of disease-causing elements into the

body will eventually heal the body from that disease. However, in order to prevent the medicine from complicating the illness, the amount introduced into the body is highly diluted.

This is where the controversy stems from, as some homeopathic remedies are diluted to a point where it becomes a physical impossibility for any molecules of the active agent to be present in the prescribed dose. To put this into perspective, a homeopathic remedy’s typical dilution is the same as adding a pinch of salt to both the North and South Atlantic oceans. It becomes clear therefore that a patient taking a typical dosage of a few pills is highly unlikely to have ingested any amount of the active agents in the medicine.

HOMEOPATHY: Just lotions and potions?

Thus, critics and sceptics of homeopathy argue that patients are basically given sugar tablets. The committee agreed with a previous government assessment that homeopathy has no effect beyond that of a placebo.

Prescribing placebos is, in the committees view, deceitful to the patient and amounts to what is labelled “bad medicine”.

Nevertheless, homeopathy does have high-profile proponents such as Prince Charles. In response to the STC's report, the representative body of non-medicallly qualified homeopaths (the Society of Homeopaths), pointed to the fact that 74 Randomised Controlled Trials (RCTs) of homeopathy, published in peer-reviewed

journals, describe statistically significant results. These RCTs compared homeopathic treatments with either a placebo or a conventional treatments, and 63 produced positive results. Furthermore, researchers at the University of Texas have shown that ultra-diluted homeopathic remedies were capable of killing cancer cells in a test tube.

The report published by the STC went on to criticise the government's policy of licensing homeopathic remedies in a similar fashion to drugs which have undergone extensive testing.

Debate around alternative treatments is growing, with both opponents and proponents presenting plausible arguments.

News in brief Newsbites Slimming fruit fly A study from a team of Texas A&M University researchers has found the taste sensing cells of the fruit fly’s tongue contain an internal daily clock, which determines feeding behaviours — and these same taste sensitivities are very likely apply to humans.

These cells send a signal to the brain telling the animal whether to eat or not depending on the time of day. These inner clocks also affect how much the flies eat. They found that if you eliminated these clocks, the flies eat much more. It seems these clocks suppress the desire for food at certain times of day.

The key to intelligence A team of neuroscientists at the California Institute of Technology, the University of Iowa, the University of Southern California and the Autonomous University of Madrid have mapped the brain structures that control general intelligence.

The researchers found that, rather than residing in a single structure, general intelligence is determined by a network of regions across both sides of the brain.

These regions were found to complement the existing 'parietofrontal integration theory’ of intelligence. The researchers say the findings will open the door to further investigations.

Nanotechnology spark By dipping ordinary paper or fabric in a special ink infused with nanoparticles, Stanford engineer Yi Cui has found a way to cheaply and efficiently manufacture lightweight paper batteries and supercapacitors, as well as stretchable, conductive textiles known as "eTextiles" — capable of storing energy while retaining the mechanical properties of ordinary paper or fabric.

Homes of the future could one day be lined with energy-storing wallpaper. Gadget lovers would be able to charge their portable appliances on the go, simply plugging them into an outlet woven into their t-shirts. The type of nanoparticle used in Yi Cui's experimental devices varies according to the intended function of the product.

Media harming body image The Royal College of Psychiatrists' (RCPsychs') Eating Disorders Section have announced they are concerned about the harmful influence of the media on people's body image and are calling for a new editorial code to stop the promotion of unhealthily thin bodies and the reporting of eating disorders as glamorous.

They also want a kitemark scheme to be introduced whereby a symbol appears on images that have been digitally enhanced to make a model's body appear more perfect.

Jo Swinson, a Liberal Democrat MP, is proposing a parliamentary motion this week supporting the RCPsych move.

22 JOBS & MONEY

gairrhydd | JOBS@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY MARCH 08 2010

Are voluntourists taking too many risks?

Volunteer holidays are the new graduate trend for 2010, but too many travellers are jetting off without making the necessary preparations Katie Greenway Jobs & Money Editor

Almost every week I get sent loads of articles from different companies trying to sell their products or services; services that they feel are in the students’ best interests.

But I received one this week that may be very helpful, particularly following on from the gap year article that we featured last week.

So many students go travelling but do not take out adequate insurance. Insurewithease.com is just one example of a company that feels they can offer students a great service. I would still advise you to shop around though: the Post Office, the high street travel agents, supermarkets, STA Travel and the like will all provide adequate travel insurance. You’ll need to find the balance between necessary cover and affordability, and that will differ with each company.

Insurewithease.com urges budget travellers not to cut corners on travel insurance. As the latest crop of graduates struggle to find work in the current job market, it has been reported

that Voluntourism is becoming one of the big trends for this year.

Volunteer holidays are a good option for graduates looking to learn new skills and gain more experience while they put career plans on hold.

However, travel insurance website, insurewithease.com is urging these new Voluntourists, travelling on a tight budget, not to cut financial corners when it comes to travel insurance.

Otherwise, they could encounter far greater expense than they planned.

“With increasing competition for jobs and university places, gap year travel is expected to rise in 2010,” says Sarah Taylor, Online Marketing Manager for insurewithease.com.

“Volunteer travel looks set to be the hot travel trend for out-of-work graduates, as it offers them a chance to acquire new skills and beef up their CV. However, it is vital they make sure they are leaving home with the right level of travel insurance,” she added.

“The new breed of eco-travel, or taking part in community projects, often involves going off the beaten track, so adequate cover in the event of theft and loss of items is essential, as well as knowing you can access medical assistance if needed.

“When you’re in an unfamiliar place and don’t know the language, it’s important to know there is expert medical assistance and support available in the event of illness or an accident. Insurewithease.com offers specialist backpackers cover, available at the click of a button, so you can sit back and enjoy the trip, knowing you’re covered should the worst happen,” she concluded.

Arranging travel insurance may be the last thing on your mind if you’re about to embark on an exciting foreign adventure, but appropriate cover is essential for any length of trip. If the trip is going to be longer than 31 days, a specialist backpacker travel insurance policy is often the most cost effective choice. Insurewithease. com offers low cost backpacker travel insurance because it understands that backpackers need all the money they can get for the trip itself.

Key benefits include worldwide cover for up to 12 months; cover for hazardous activities and manual work; insurance for backpackers up to the age of 45 and 24-hour worldwide emergency and medical assistance.

Still, remember to shop around, be safe and have fun!

Volunteerism is becoming increasingly popular with graduates

USE DOUBLE TEMPLATE BELOW

24 LISTINGS

So what do I do?

gairrhydd | LISTINGS@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY MARCH 08 2010

YOUR INDEPENDENT LISTINGS GUIDE Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

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. Plus, it's got quite good for those catching up with dubstep, dub, DnB... little bit late, but yeh... go for it.

POP QUIZ, Vulcan Lounge, £1 Come down to the Vulcan Lounge in Cathays for the POP QUIZ. Only £1 entry (per person) with a MASSIVE £100 CASH PRIZE - this will suitably help out your overdraft and bring you smiles along the way. With great drinks deals and a super-sexy quizmaster, this really should not be missed.

NEWTON FAULKNER, St Davids, LIMITED Newton Faulkner makes soulful and heartfelt acoustic blues with a pop edge and a distinctively laid-back style. Hailed by many as the "next Jack Johnson", his music covers many genres, including folk, blues, soul and country.

JEHST, Buffalo Bar, £6 Jehst is the best kept secret in British rap and one of the most consistent artists to break out of the UK over the last five years. This man has built a following and spawned a thousand soundalikes right across the country. Top-notch flows, unconventional subject matter and tight beats mean that the product is always at the top of the tree, while his stage show is without doubt the best of any UK hip-hop artist.

BIG GIG, Clwb, £6 CHRIS T-T: Chris creates fragmented songs that verge on the cool side of lo-fi with his intimate and occasionally gleefully noisy tales of love, life and bus routes!

WILLIAM: Thrilling art rock trio from Lewisham. Fiery chiming chord-rock like the Modern Lovers or Strokes. William have the energetic pop sensibilities of 'Murmur' period REM and pace of The Rakes with guitar ambitions towards Tom Verlaine and the aforementioned Dinosaur Jnr.

8th March

Pretty eclectic week this week. There is something here for everybody, if you're interested. Great nights are popping up all over town.

The standard Union nights are still buzzing along nicely, with THE LASH one of the more popular and successful additions to the spectrum, and BOOMBOX half-off proving to be a massive success.

BUFFALO BAR seem to have pulled their finger out with a number of great bookings, JEHST on Tuesday being a particular highlight.

9th March

2-4-1

10th March

PAGAN WONDERER, Buffalo Bar, £5 Singer/songwriter from Wales plays melodic indie electronica with great hooks, think Bright Eyes meets Aphex Twin. Out to steal the show with his guitar, groovebox, keyboard and a healthy dose of wit and wisdom. 'Whether its Nintendo-folk, folktronica or Casio-coustic, it sounds like someone gleefully hammering together two pieces of a jigsaw that aren't supposed to fit.' — Drowned In Sound.

THE LASH PRESENTS MALIBU BEACH PARTY, SOLUS, £3 Look outside, it's sunny! Okay so it's still only seven degrees but we can dream. Malibu will be turning up the heat with their Spring Mish Mash tour and THE LASH DUNK TANK is back!

However, the main event this week is the arrival of TIESTO at the CIA on Friday. This is one of those acts that you either love or hate. Here at listings we have to stay neutral in the hope that we don't offend anyone. So we think that TIESTO is both bad, and good. It's up to you to decide which camp you sit in.

If you want to do something good yet cheap, try Orange Wednesdays or the Student Beans 2-4-1 deal to delve into Tim Burton's latest adaptation, Alice In Wonderland, starring the standard but brilliant Burton line-up, including Johnny Depp and Helena BonhamCarter.

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

LISTINGS 25

gairrhydd | LISTINGS@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY MARCH 08 2010

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

12th March

13th March

ON THE ROCKS BIG AIR GUITAR GIVEAWAY, 10 Feet Tall, £FREE The On The Rocks team are holding the biggest air guitar competition Cardiff has ever seen!

They have a custom made Jack Daniels guitar to be won for the first 10 Feet Tall air guitar champion of the new decade, followed by On The Rocks' very own Guitar Heroes playing a party starting mix of pop punk headbangers, air guitar anthems and party riffs to start the birthday weekend with a bang!

TIESTO, CIA, LIMITED The Dutch master DJ with his own brand of pumping, dynamic trance and whose sets take you on an aural journey that must be heard to be believed. Voted world's number one in DJ Magazine's prestigious poll for three consecutive years.

TRIBAL BELLYDANCE, The Gate, £15 Tribal Belly Dance — the Urban Gypsy way!

Wild and energetic, celebratory and fun: The Urban Gypsies are a tribe of women that have worked hard to perfect their art. Using world music and simple yet powerful formations their participative style parallels a villge community dance. As seen on Britain's Got Talent semifinals 2008, this vibrant group of dancers love life and want to celebrate!

11th March

RUSKO, Venue TBH, £5 A regular at Fabric in London, Rusko has been making huge waves in the UK's fast emerging dubstep scene, with massive releases on the Dub Police, featuring iconic tracks such as Cockney Thug and Jahova, which are getting played by the biggest DJ's the world over.. Chesus and Rodski are also about, tearing up the dancefloor with their mix of Baltimore, Fidget, Electro, Garage and anything inbetween.

STUDENT COME DANCING, Solus, £3 A host of societies have come together to bring us the mainstream show, with a little twist. The name is pretty much self-explanatory, so if you like dancing, if you like students, if you like cheap drinks and you like Solus, then this is a must for all of you lot out there... whoever you are.

HEAVY ON THE AFRO, CAI, £3/2 Ba Ba Boom presents Heavy on The Afro with Mankala. Mankala is a 5-piece multicultural band playing rhythmic and energetic original music with lots of African, Caribbean and Latin elements. The band brings together musicians from places as diverse as Martinica and Trinidad, Zambia, Canary Islands and England. With a fresh uplifting and rhythmic sound, inflected with a variety of eclectic styles such as zouk, calypso, soca, reggae, a touch of afro-beat and a hint of salsa, Mankala is definitively a live band that will get the party started. African grooves and Latin-funk add up to a night to remember.

GIFT OF THE GAB, Clwb, £12 The unmistakable voice of seminal hip-hop outfit Blackalicious. Best known for funky, tongue-twisting wordplay and insightful lyrics packed with clever metaphors and endless rhymes, Gab stands alongside Lyrics Born and DJ Shadow as perhaps the most prominent members of the famed Quannum collective and one of the most talented MCs in hip-hop.

Sunday

14th March

KATATONIA, Barfly, £11 Five-piece melodic doom metal band from Sweden. Katatonia 'cleanly meshed a dark black metal style into a keyboarded stadium heavy metal style with gothic and atmospheric rock influences, making something which sounds good while bearing a black-ish aesthetic, all while being essentially a rock band creating personal delusions of emotional grandeur.'

THE SNOWBALL, CAI, £CONTACT VENUE Leave the ski's at the door guys. It's time to dust off your best dress and join Cardiff Uni's Snowsports for their annual shindig. DJs, dancing and a super-super special guest.

HAITI EARTHQUAKE BENEFIT, Chapter Arts Centre, Canton, £10 '70s dance night in aid of the DEC earthquake 10 OPINION appeal.

Complementary drink and raffle ticket on entry. Doors 7.30pm.

HAITI FUNDRAISING ALLDAYER, Buffalo, £8 Featuring: GHOSTLINES: acoustic and electronic rock FFAF side-project; EXIT INTERNATIONAL: formed between workmates Fudge (Ex-Martini Henry Rifles / Space in the 50s) and Scott (Ex-Midasuno) in Cardiff as a vehicle to become the local support for a Melvins show, the band wanted to make a noise taking influence from a shared love of Girls Against Boys, Nirvana, The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster and The Pixies.

DOUBLE CROSS: a melodic hard rock band who's album Time After Time attracted good reviews across the globe. Fronted by ex-Mama's Boys and Grafitti vocalist Rick Chase, other band members include Pete Lakin (keyboards/backing vocals), Stephen Kelly (guitars/backing vocals), Gareth Franks (bass) and 'Gripper Groves' (drums/percussion).

As well as... Tiger Please, Peach Fuzz, Kiss Cassidy, the Calling Card and Ped & Jo. COFFEE & TV, Vulcan Lounge, FREE Go for a sociable drink at the newly opened Vulcan Lounge in Cathays. Good cheap menu with student deals.

gairrhydd | OPINION@GAIRRHYD D.COM MONDAY MARCH 01 2010

OPINION 9

HEALTHCARE MUSIC SOCIETY, Church of St Andrew and St Teilo, £5/£3 NUS Wide range of music in aid of the L'Arche Haiti Appeal. Doors 7pm for 7.30pm start.

(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 XPRESS RADIO

PUTTING THE MOCK INTO DEMOCRACY...

It's election time again! And here at Xpress Radio Towers, we're getting quite excited about our brand new, first-time-ever, never been tried before bit elections coverage.

Every day we've got a round-up of all our coverage, exclusive from Xpress Speech.

We'll be out and about all week speaking to students and getting THEIR view on all the elections high jinks. So if you love crazy costumes on the crossroads or think Candidate Karaoke (??) is the coolest thing imagineable, or if you're just a bit tired of the whole shebang, we want to hear from you.

On Tuesday we're broadcasting live from Candidates' Question Time in the Great Hall from 7:00 PM. Even more exciting, on Tuesday at 12 we're broadcasting a LIVE and EXCLUSIVE debate between all the candidates for President. Recording starts at 10:30 in the Student Development Unit on the 3rd floor, so come along for your chance to grill all the candidates that'll be taking your Union forward.

LIVE @ LMS BATTLE OF THE BANDS 2010 Thursdays from 8 PM we'll be bringing you all the bands from the Live Music Society Battle of the Bands Semi-Final 2010 in Koko Gorrilaz!

Doors at 7:30. Tickets £2 in advance from the Students' Union Box Office or £3 on the door.

gairrhydd | XPRESSRADIO.CO.UK MONDAY MARCH 08 2010

Designed for Cardiff, Defined by you! ☛ DJs ☛ NEW MUSIC ☛ SPORT ☛ ELECTIONS

Monday

Tuesday

10 AM: Ditzee Rascal's Student Breakfast 12 PM: Sports Xpress 2 PM: Mrs Goggin's Back Room

10 AM: Milly and Jess' Breakfast 12 PM: Union Request Live!

2 PM: Three Girls and A Gay

Student

4 PM: Louisa and Ally B's Afternoon Show

4 PM: Tamsin and Mel's Afternoon Show

Wednesday 10 APM: Helen and Char's Student Breakfast 12 PM: Cariad' and Cosmos 2 PM: The Kat and Ash Show 4 PM: Luke and Ed's Afternoon Show

5:45 THE ELECTIONS SHOW: ALL THE NEWS, EVERY DAY! 6 PM: XCHANGE! with Tom and Dave

6 PM: XCHANGE! with Megan and Charlotte

8 PM: Escape From the Pigeonhole

8 PM: Rock! Paper! Scissors!

9:30 PM: Getting Fruity!

9:30 PM: Superstars!

11 PM: Superfly!

11 PM Unknown Zone

Friday

Thursday 10 AM: Rachel and Chloe's Student Breakfast 12 PM: Sports Xpress 2 PM: Dead End Radio

10 AM: Dan Potts' Student Breakfast

4 PM: Sean and Harry's Afternoon Show

4 PM: Sally and Susie's Afternoon Show

12 PM: The Queen Of Hearts 2 PM: A Shot of JD

5:45: THE ELECTIONS SHOW 6 PM: XCHANGE! with Three Man Bundle 8 PM: LIVE @ LIVE MUSIC SOCIETY BATTLE OF THE BANDS 2010: Semi Finals 11 PM: New and Obscure

10 AM: The Film Show

11:00: Round Table 12:00 The Well-Meaners 1:00 PM: The Friday Quiz (On A Sunday!)

11 PM: Relaxative

Saturday 10 AM: Rob and Dunc's Student Breakfast 12 PM: Gareth Jones' Temple of Boom 2 PM: The Restoration 4 PM: Community Service 5 PM: AltNation SoapBox

8 PM: What's The Diff?

7 PM: Ten Years Time

9:30 PM: Mr Marvel's Magic Hour

8 PM: Built

11 PM: Living Room Rave

9 PM: The North/South Divide

5 PM: Under The Radar 6 PM: Anything Alternative 7 PM: Hippo In The Hammock 8 PM: Livewire 9 PM: Bringing It All Back Home 10 PM: Ridicule The Mule

2:00: The Trawlermen's Sweerhearts

11 PM: Watts' Occurin'

3 PM: Student Radio Chart Show

9: 30 PM: Bona Fide

6 PM: Alphabetti Spaghetti

1:30: The Rewrite, by Natalie Stone

2:30: Britt + Jen Get Problematic

8 PM: Xpression Sesdsion

6 PM: XCHANGE! with Tomm Barnett

Sunday

10:30: Electile Dysfunction

6 PM: XCHANGE! with Amy and Steven

10 PM: Curly Joe and Ginger's Musical Monopoly 11 PM: And Now For Something Completely Different

Get In Touch...

= ☎ 02920 781 530

☎ 077 222 63 888 ✉ studio @ xpressradio.co.uk Twitter: @ xpressradio LISTEN ONLINE: www.xpressradio.co.uk

FIVE MINUTE FUN 27

gairrhydd | FMF@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY MARCH 08 2010

HARD

sudoku.

EASY

Mystic Smeg Aries, March 21 – April 20 You'll start to notice a few crossdressers this week. You work out what it means.

Taurus, April 21 – May 21 Salsa dancing?! Only a true man would be comfortable with that. Well done you.

Gemini, May 22 – June 21 Nothing to worry about this week, keep being awesome. Everyone appreciates it.

quick crossword.

Across

Down

1. Volunteered (8) 5. Towards the sky (6) 9. Time-related (8) 10. Follows (6) 12. Pertaining to motion pictures (9) 13. Out of place (5) 14. Happy (4) 16. Ecstasy (7) 19. Hero-worship (7) 21. Meat from cows (4) 24. Shenanigan (5) 25. Imagine (9) 27. Leopardlike cat (6) 28. Arduous (8) 29. Tastelessly indecent (6) 30. Increase at a rapidly accelerating rate (8)

1. Inveigle (6) 2. Bewail (6) 3. Gale (5) 4. Glorified (7) 6. Large sweet fleshy tropical fruit (9) 7. Bauxite (8) 8. Catastrophe (8) 11. Cicatrix (4) 15. Breechcloth (9) 17. A sleeveless dress resembling an apron (8) 18. Shoes or boots (8) 20. Covet (4) 21. A double-reed instrument (7) 22. Silver wattle (6) 23. Sell again (6) 26. Permit (5)

Cancer, June 22 – July 22 You know that girl you're chatting to online? Yep, she's a man.

Leo, July 23 - August 23 You're starting to look like Michael Ball. How unfortunate.

Virgo, August 24 – September 22 No bloody way. I don't believe it. With her? That's mental.

Libra, September 23 – October 23 Are you on work experience? Maybe shut the fuck up about it, yeah?

Scorpio, October 24 – November 22 Come to Student Come Dancing this Thursday. You'll meet the man of your dreams.

Sagittarius, November 23–December 21 Horoscopes? More like LOLOSCOPES. Right?

Capricorn, December 22 – January 20 First date awkwardness will hit you.

Learn the juggle, the girls love that.

Aquarius, January 21 – February 18 Tweed - the material of champions. Buy stocks now, thank me later.

Pisces, February 19 – March 20 Gold! Always believe in your soul!

You'll file for bankruptcy.

28 SPORT- WARM UP Previews in Jon Evans predicts a narrow victory for Scotland brief as they take on England in the Calcutta Cup Formula 1 - Bahrain

The Formula 1 season returns this weekend, looking rather different, but never more appetising.

Off-the-track stories are often more exciting than the races in F1, and 2010 is shaping up to be one to remember.

This time last year, Jenson Button's future in the championship was uncertain; this year he teams up with Lewis Hamilton at McLaren as reigning World Champion, after an incredible season with Brawn.

The 2009 Constructors' Champions Brawn, have been bought and renamed Mercedes GP and have installed seven-times World Champion Michael Schumacher as Button's replacement.

To complete the all-German team, Nico Rosberg will be hoping to prove his credentials as a genuine title challenger. Is everybody following so far?

Good.

If the transfers of some of the biggest names in the sport wasn't enough there, two-time champion Fernando Alonso will be racing alongside Felipe Massa in a Ferrari team desperate to reclaim their position at the pinnacle of racing.

In addition, Red Bull line up unchanged, with Mark Webber alongside the prodigious Sebastian Vettel. Red Bull were the only real challengers to Brawn last season, and if the steady progress of the team continues, they will be genuine title contenders alongside the aforementioned teams.

BMW Sauber, however, have been testing well, and could be considered an outside shot for some strong races this year, with the exciting Kamui Kobayashi competent enough to cause an upset.

With so many contenders, and an adjustment to the points scoring, with the winner receiving 25 points and each of the top ten scoring, it is incredibly difficult to predict what will happen in the season opener in Bahrain.

One thing that is certain is that US F1 will not be racing as they could not muster the funding. However, there are still new additions in the form of Lotus, Virgin and the newly-renamed Hispania Racing. Of the new teams, Lotus seem to be the most prepared, with Hekki Kovaleinen and Jarno Trulli providing a great wealth of experience as drivers.

Perhaps with some luck, the talent on display and the amount of teams with serious title ambitions should provide a competition of real excitement on the track. The fear is that, in the elite racing competition, there are too many weak teams, after all this isn't Le Mans. Let the race begin.

gairrhydd | SPORT@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY MARCH 08 2010

The 117th annual Calcutta Cup match will be fiercely contested this Saturday as Scotland welcome England to Murrayfield. Both sides will be desperate for a win after their disappointing results a week ago in what is often one of the most eagerly anticipated fixtures of the championships.

Scotland will be looking to bounce back from their loss in Rome whereas England will be looking for a win after they slumped to defeat at the hands of Ireland. In last year’s meeting England were the victors with a 26-12 triumph, but Saturday’s game is very much up for grabs as neither side has been overly impressive in this year’s Six Nations campaign.

Scotland will be looking to bounce back from their loss in Rome The Calcutta Cup is one of Rugby’s, and world sports, oldest cup competitions. The first official Calcutta Cup

match was contested in 1879, which ended with the two sides drawing. The inspiration for the fixture, however, started in the city of Calcutta, India in 1872. On Christmas day a team of 20 Englishmen faced a 20 man team made up of Irish, Scottish and Welsh players.

The locals enjoyed the game so much that they created the Calcutta Football Club which encompassed various other sports including tennis and cricket. The rugby club, after enjoying relative initial success, eventually disbanded, but to carry on the name of Calcutta, the members withdrew the clubs funds from the bank and used them to create the cup as we know it today. The initial plan for the competition was to have an FA cup style tournament but the rugby authorities thought it best for it to be competed between England and Scotland once a year.

Such is the history of this fixture that there will be added spice to the occasion. England have won 63 of the past encounters, and will be anxious to add to this tally by putting the Irish defeat behind them. One area of

concern for England is likely to be the inconsistent form of Jonny Wilkinson, who actually holds the record for most points scored in this fixture. Wilkinson uncharacteristically missed three kicks against Ireland and seems to be struggling in creating opportunities for his backs.

Such is the history of the fixture that there will be added spice to the occasion England are likely to be without their dynamic full-back Delon Armitage and influential lock forward Simon Shaw. Scotland on the other hand will have limited options in their backline as they are missing Rory Lamont, Thom Evans and Chris Paterson.

Scotland suffered a crushing defeat in Rome two weeks ago and will be desperate to avoid the wooden spoon.

With all points scored by Dan Parks Scotland are struggling to find a creative edge after getting dragged

CHAMPIONS: England will be hoping to come away with the trophy again this year

PATTERSON: Injured in defeat into a scrappy and cagey affair against Italy. Scotland gave away several soft points against Italy and were rightly punished for them.

The Scots seemed to have come on in leaps and bounds over the autumn period but have gone backwards in these championships and a defeat on Saturday could put serious pressure on Andy Robinson’s role as head coach.

Although the dream of winning the grand slam may have been crushed in last week’s defeat to hands of Ireland, England will be going into the match confident and believing that they can still win the Six Nations.

The fact that England dominated possession for large periods but didn’t manage to convert it into points will be of some concern to the England staff. As will the statistic that England only completed 81 percent of their tackles, meaning a staggering fifth of all tackles were missed by Martin Johnson’s men.

Despite England doing far better in the Six Nations in its overall history, Scotland have traditionally done well against England. I can see Saturday’s match being a very close contest with the kickers dominating the game.

Neither team has been overly impressive of late but I feel the Murrayfield crowd may just aid a narrow Scotland victory.

Calcutta Cup England v Scotland: Editors' Predictions Robbie Wells: After so much initial promise from England, the six nations is in danger of being a disappointing tournament. This is perhaps over-the-top considering it is still only one loss out of three, but a slender victory over Italy and a slightly fortuitous win against Wales is hardly inspiring.

Whilst the display against Ireland was pleasing, the result showed that England are maybe not quite there. With France still to play, a win against a Scotland team without a win is imperative to have any chance of winning.

Winning the Calcutta Cup at Murrayfield will be tough work, but the class on the English side should be enough.

James Hinks: It will be a close match that will most probably be determined by the kicking abilities of either side. I think England will narrowly win even with the hostility of the Scottish crowd. Both teams are hoping to bounce back from defeats and get back into winning ways. It's time for Jonny Wilkinson to prove what a world class player he is and I predict that he will get his kicks spot on for this match. Scotland will be fighting for their lives though so it will be a tough test for England.

Adam Horne: I believe England have enough to beat Scotland away from home, despite the fact that they have improved a lot over the past couple of years. The Murrayfield crowd will make it tough for England, but expect to see a much improved performance from Johnson's side. Wilkinson, as usual will be key, as will Flutey's creative streak. How Borthwick leads the pack will be influential upon the final result.

England cannot afford anymore slipups. Lose another game, and the championship slips from their grasp.

I'll stick my neck out and predict an England win by 5-10 points.

Lucy Morgan: This match is going to be very close with both teams looking to bounce back from defeats last weekend. Both teams will be without some key players with Scotland particularly hit by the loss of Chris Patterson and Thom Evans. However, Scotland will have the advantage of playing in front of a home crowd and they have won the Calcutta Cup the last two times it has been played in Murrayfield.

Despite their poor form of late, I have a feeling Scotland may sneak a victory this weekend.

THE WORD ON - SPORT 29

gairrhydd | SPORT@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY MARCH 08 2010

Adam Horne has The Word On how Harry Redknapp helped Portsmouth to historic disaster In the last two years, fans of Portsmouth Football Club have seen it all: FA cup champions, managerial changes, ownership changes, more ownership changes, more managerial changes, and now they find themselves making history, but not in the way they might have hoped.

On February 26, Portsmouth were driven into administration, the first club in Premier League history, a horrible sight for fans of the most successful southern club outside of London.

Only two words could possibly describe how the club has gone from FA cup champions to a Championshipbound side in under two years: ‘Harry Redknapp’.

That’s right, in my mind the blame can only lie with one person. Harry Redknapp single-handedly bankrupted Portsmouth before leaving for bigger and better things at Tottenham Hotspur. When looking at his reign as Pompey manager many people only remember his achievements, and his ability to unearth quality talent on the cheap, before cashing in on them at a later date.

When you look at particular examples, it’s hard to fathom how exactly Portsmouth have ended up in such a mess. Sulley Ali Muntari was bought for around £7 million and sold for around £13 million only a year later. More incredibly, Jermain Defoe joined in 2008 for a measly £6 million and was sold back to Spurs a year later for almost £16 million. Glen Johnson joined for £4 million in 2007, and was sold for a ridiculous £18 million to Liverpool last summer. The profits don’t stop there either. Lassana Diarra joined in 2008 for a reported £5.5 million, and was sold a year later to Real Madrid for a whopping £20 million.

From those four players alone,

fast. After finishing down the bottom end of the table season after season, he decided to buy as many high profile players as possible in a bid to finish high up the table and break into Europe. He did so, turning the club into a top half team, but bankrupting the club in the process.

Fans would have undoubtedly been excited by the investment in such players as Crouch, Defoe, Campbell; but in failing to compete in Europe, the club also lacked the added income required to facilitate such players.

LOST: Dr Seuss is gonna be pissed that someone stole his cat's hat that’s a profit of roughly £44.5 million. Impressive considering they only played for the club for a combined five years.

Well done Harry then, no? No. It’s all very well congratulating Redknapp for his ability in the transfer market, but rarely did people stop and consider the wider issues involved with signing high profile players such as Jermain Defoe, Peter Crouch and Sol Campbell. They come at a price and often the focus is on the initial transfer fee involved in such transactions rather than the ongoing salaries that these players demand.

The wage bill reached £131 million over three years During his time at Portsmouth for example, Sol Campbell was on a reported £105,000-a-week. Over three years at the club, that amounts to a pretty scary amount of money. The ever-prolific goal scorer that is John Utaka was rumoured to be on around

CROUCH: Portsmouth's two-time record signing

£80,000-a-week a while ago. Whether there is any truth in that rumour remains to be seen, however he does have some heavy bonus incentives written into his contract, surely not helpful to Portsmouth’s cause.

David James is on around £50,000a-week at the moment, although there have been recent talks surrounding players taking wage cuts to help Portsmouth through their current crisis.

This has all come too late though: the damage has been done, and with disastrous effect. With administration comes a heavy points deduction, nine points to be precise, and Portsmouth are now all but doomed to grace the Championship next season.

Consider for a moment the amount of money they’ll miss out on through television revenue alone. They can’t cope at the moment even with that money, so without it they’re in serious trouble.

Let’s face facts, David James will never settle for Championship football. He’ll leave, along with various other players Portsmouth will no longer be able to afford. Assuming Avram Grant retains his job, I would assume Portsmouth will make it back into the Premiership within a season, just as Newcastle seem to be doing at the moment, but it’s how they cope when they come back up which will count.

They’ve lost everything they’ve built over the past few years, and all because of an over-willingness to splash the cash.

Frivolous spending has amounted to an astonishing £131 million combined wage bill over the past three years. Considering the size of the club financially, that’s effectively a death wish, and one that’s been granted.

For me they went wrong when Redknapp tried to become too big, too

Harry Redknapp has bankrupted Pompey singlehandedly Harry Redknapp’s now doing the same at Spurs, although luckily for them, it seems as though they have the money to allow him to heavily invest in a new squad. It would be interesting however, to have a look at the current wage bill at Tottenham, and see how it compares to Redknapp’s previous club.

Ambition is fair enough, but try to get anywhere too fast and you’re heading for trouble. Only as Portsmouth went into administration, Arsenal were announced to be the fifth richest club in the world. It does not surprise me therefore that the list of the top 50 highest paid players in the world football contains no Arsenal players. Some may complain that Arsene Wenger does not invest enough in his squad, but what would Arsenal fans prefer? Steady improvement with consistent Champions League football each season, or massive debts and unstable wage structures?

Wenger builds his squads slowly and picks players meticulously, rather than merely providing players with blank cheques if they agree to sign for him, as seemed the case for Redknapp at Portsmouth.

It was careless over-ambition from Redknapp, and may have led to a couple of seasons of joy and jubilation for the Pompey fans, but ultimately the fate of their club lies in the balance, and long term effects far outweigh the short term rewards.

My advice to Redknapp? Build a team slowly and you might just get somewhere. My advice to Portsmouth fans? Don’t let Redknapp anywhere near your wallets again.

Top Five Money-making transfers

1.

CRISTIANO RONALDO: He signed for Man United in 2002 for £12 million. He was sold seven years later to Real Madrid for a world record £80 million.

2.

KAKA: AC Milan paid only 8.5 million euros for the Brazilian in 2003, before offloading him to Real Madrid in 2009 for an amazing 68.5 million euros. 60 million euro profit? Tidy.

3.

ZINEDINE ZIDANE: Juventus paid a measly £3.2 million for the Frenchman in 1996. In 2001, he moved to Real Madrid for a then world record fee of £45.6 million.

4.

LUIS FIGO: Who'd imagine only paying £2.25 million for Luis Figo?

That's what Barcelona did in 1995.

He moved to Real Madrid in 2000 for £37 million, giving Barcelona a tidy £34.75 million profit.

5.

HERNAN CRESPO: Last but not least, the former Chelsea hitman Crespo moved from Parma to Lazio for a then record fee of £35 million.

Not in the top five yet Harry!

30 SPORT - IMG IMG NETBALL STANDINGS IMG NETBALL

PREMIERSHIP

P

W

D

L

Diff

Pts

1

LAW A

4

4

0

0

+73

12

2

ECONOMICS

3

3

0

0

+12

9

3

CARDIFF A

3

1

1

1

-2

4

4

CARBS

2

1

0

1

0

3

5

PHARMACY

3

1

0

2

-11

3

6

PSYCHOLOGY A

4

0

1

3

-18

1

7

ENGIN LOCO

2

0

0

2

-19

0

8

CARBS B

1

0

0

1

-35

0

IMG NETBALL

DIVISION 1 P

W

D

L

Diff

Pts

1

DENTISTRY

4

4

0

0

+49

12

2

BIOSCIENCE

5

3

0

2

+38

9

3

LAW B

3

2

1

0

+14

7

4

ENGLISH A

3

2

1

0

+13

7

5

SOCSI A

4

1

1

2

-6

4

6

CARDIFF B

5

1

1

3

-26

4

7

SAWSA

3

0

0

3

-28

0

8

JETS A

3

0

0

3

-54

0

IMG NETBALL

DIVISION 2

gairrhydd | SPORT@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY MARCH 08 2010

JOMEC maintain winning ways Adam Horne Sports Writer JOMEC 7 - 2 SAWSA Jomec’s glorious run of form in IMG Phase Two looks set to continue as the league leaders netted seven past an out of sorts Sawsa.

Sawsa started the game brightly, with Will Swithinbank forcing through the Jomec backline to bang home an opener ten minutes in, to the bewilderment of keeper Jack Humbleton. Jomec took little time in responding though with enigmatic top scorer Nick Fletcher drawing level before veteran right back and penalty kick

guru Liam Doyle slotted home from a spot kick. Unfortunately for Sawsa more of the same was to follow; a trademark Sean Neagle belter from just outside the box put the journalists 3-1 up before a perfectly placed if slightly fortuitous lob drifted over the hapless Billy Sinclair to put Tom Oakley well in the running for fluke of the season. Jack Williamson only added to Sawsa’s woes by proudly burying his first IMG goal in the dying stages of the first half, putting Jomec 5-1 up going into the second half.

Sawsa did well in the second half to stem the goal flow though on a crater ridden pitch that both sides struggled to get to grips with, with Jomec especially struggling to create the amount

of chances they did in the first half.

Mark ‘Ginge’ Woodall broke the rut though with a powerful drive from outside the box straight into the top corner sending the Jomec boys into ecstasy and putting them 6-1 ahead.

Nick Fletcher then added another to his impressive personal tally to put the game well beyond the reach of a spirited Sawsa team that battled well despite the scoreline. Sawsa goalkeeper Billy Sinclair, unhappy with his sides lacklustre firepower, finished the game taking matters into his own hands by steaming up for a corner and incredulously heading home. The game finished 7-2, with Jomec putting Jomec in a strong position and making them the team to beat in IMG’s fourth tier.

IMG FOOTBALL STANDINGS IMG FOOTBALL

PREMIERSHIP W

D

L

Diff

Pts

1

Carbs

4

4

0

0

+11

12

2

GymGym

4

3

0

1

+5

6

3

MOMED

4

3

0

1

+5

6

4

Samba Tigers

4

2

0

2

+4

6

5

Law A

4

1

0

3

-2

3

P

6

Klaw FC

4

1

0

3

-5

3

7

Earthsoc

4

1

0

2

-7

3

8

AFC Cathays

4

1

0

3

-11

0

IMG FOOTBALL

DIVISION 1 P

W

D

L

Diff

Pts

1

AFC History

4

3

0

1

+11

9

2

Engin FC

4

2

2

0

+3

8

3

Psycho Athletico

4

2

1

1

+18

7

4

Economics

4

2

0

2

+0

6

5

Engin Auto

3

1

1

1

-5

4

6

SOCSI

3

1

0

2

-4

3

7

Inter-me-nan

3

0

1

2

-6

1

0

1

2

--17

1

8

Sporting Lesbian

IMG FOOTBALL

3

DIVISION 2 P

W

D

L

Diff

Pts

1

EUROS FC

4

3

1

0

+8

10

15

2

Real Ale Madrid

4

3

1

0

+6

10

+29

9

3

Sub-Standard

4

2

0

2

+6

6

2

+7

6

4

Pharm AC

4

2

0

2

+4

6

4

-18

6

5

Chemistry

4

2

0

2

-2

6

P

W

D

L

Diff

Pts

1

MEDICS A

6

6

0

0

+74

18

2

SOCSI B

6

5

0

1

+48

3

PSYCHOLOGY B

6

3

0

3

4

EARTHSOC

4

2

0

5

GYM GYM

6

2

0

6

MEDICS B

6

1

0

5

-42

3

6

Law B

4

2

0

2

-3

6

7

PHARMACY B

4

1

0

3

-43

3

7

J-Unit

4

1

0

3

-8

3

8

ENGLISH B

4

1

0

3

--55

3

8

Magnificent XI

4

0

0

4

-11

0

IMG NETBALL

DIVISION 3

IMG FOOTBALL

DIVISION 3

P

W

D

L

Diff

Pts

P

W

D

L

Diff

Pts

1

JOMEC

5

4

0

1

+41

12

1

JOMEC

3

3

0

0

+9

6

2

Economics B

4

4

0

0

+18

12

2

Philosophy

3

3

0

0

+8

6

3

Navy Netball

5

3

0

2

+6

12

3

Opsoccer

3

2

0

1

-2

3

4

POLITICS

6

2

2

2

+9

8

4

Myg Myg

4

1

2

1

+3

3

5

Engin Auto

4

2

0

2

+4

6

5

KAY FC

3

1

1

1

+5

3

6

Christian Union

6

2

0

4

-27

6

6

AFC Time Team

3

1

0

1

-2

3

7

HISTORY

6

1

1

4

-19

4

7

SAWSA

4

0

1

2

-9

1

8

Cardiff Jets B

4

0

1

3

-32

1

8

Crusaders

3

0

0

3

-12

0

UPCOMING FIXTURES PREMIERSHIP Cardiff A Carbs B Engin Logo Carbs A

Dentistry

Bioscience

Law B

V V V V

Psycho

Earthsoc rocked by MOMED trio

Economics

Adam Horne Sports Writer

Law A

Pharmacy A MOMED 3 - 0 Earthsoc

V V V V

Sawsa English A Cardiff B Jets A

DIVISION 2 Socsi B Medics B English B Gym Gym

V V V V

Earthsoc Psychology Medics A Pharmacy

Jets B

Politics

Economics

Momed got their championship charge back on track on Wednesday afternoon when they faced Earthsoc at Trelai.

Having been provided with a week long break due to poor weather conditions both sides were well-rested and raring to go. This showed in the opening minutes as all players on the pitch gave everything for the cause.

A flurry of attacks from the Momed forwards tested the opposition goal on a few occasions, but they failed to find the back of the net. They looked par-

V V V V

JOMEC History Engin Auto Christian

ticularly dangerous from corners and set pieces, denied only by a succession of saves by the Earthsoc keeper.

Momed might have felt aggrieved that they weren’t awarded a penalty mid-way through the half as the ball looked to have struck a defenders hand, however the referee dismissed any appeals.

Frustration was soon forgotten as striker Sam Cockeram broke through on goal, slotting easily past the on-rushing keeper at his near post. Ten minutes later Momed doubled their lead through Oliver Jones, smashing an inspired shot into the top corner from 25-yards.

Earthsoc nearly pulled one back before half time when a long free kick evaded the Momed defence. The

Earthsoc striker connected well with the shot after breaking through, but was denied by the Momed keeper.

Play slowed slightly in the second half, every player on the pitch feeling the exhaustion from a busy opening half. The ever-worsening pitch conditions made it harder for either team to play the football they would have wanted to play.

Earthsoc pushed hard to find a way back into the game, but the Momed defence held firm. The game was settled five minutes from the end when the Earthsoc keeper came out of goal to attack an Earthsoc corner. Momed cleared and it was left to Jon Dovey to slot the ball into the empty net, settling the score at 3-0.

Euros caught breaking the Law Chris Tarquini Sports Writer Euros 3 - 1 Law B

DIVISION 3

Navy

PREMIERSHIP

Tough man Gill proves he is a true football hardman

DIVISION 1

Socsi A

UPCOMING FIXTURES

The big televised match at Pontcanna saw Law B looking to bounce back into contention in the race for the Division Two title against FC Euros who were courting success at the top of the table.

The murky mud of the pitch prevented Euros from playing their usual one-touch football and it was Law who drew first blood with an objec-

tionable penalty flying hard and low into the Euros net, with the referee ignoring Euro’s pleas of innocence.

Despite feeling robbed Euros soon moved to restore order with the elusive Owain ‘Twinkle-toes’ Mortimer making darting runs at the heart of the Law midfield providing a strong case for an equaliser. The breakthrough came from some criminally good play from Jim Arthur elegantly gliding into the Law penalty box with a smooth run that left Law with no defence, his smooth pass was met by Nick ‘Miranda’ Jones to finish off the Euros assault with an equaliser. After

the break Euros continued to cross examine the Law defence, with George showing why he’s being tapped up by Mark Hughes with a lethal finish into the top corner of the Law net. Euros soon found their stride and despite some dangerous Law attacks managed to grab a third, with Nick prosecuting the Law defence with a cold-blooded finish into the bottom corner. A tight game finished with Euros gaining a vital victory in the race for the Copa del second division and leaving Captain Christopher Tarquini judging his team guilty of still being top of the league.

Law A Cathays Klaw FC Earthsoc

V V V V

Gym Gym

V V V V

SOCSI

V V V V

Standard

V V V V

SAWSA

MOMED CARBS S. Tigers

DIVISION 1 Engin Engin Auto Inter Psycho

History Sporting Economics

DIVISION 2 J-Unit Chemistry Law B Magnificent

Euros Real Ale Pharm AC

DIVISION 3 Crusaders Philosophy JOMEC Kay FC

Myg Myg Opsoccer Time Team

gairrhydd | SPORT@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY MARCH 08 2010

BUCS - SPORT 31

UWIC prove too strong for valiant Cardiff's efforts Abigail Johnson Sports Writer Cardiff Ladies 15 - 45 UWIC Cardiff entered the match as extreme underdogs as they had the bad luck of being drawn against UWIC in the first round of the BUCS knock out cup. UWIC being top of the Premiership and having only three tries scored against them in the entire season.

However they had a nasty surprise when they came up against the Cardiff Ladies, who played a clean but mean game, with UWIC having to concede a large number of penalties. The match did not begin well with UWIC’s number 12 quickly breaking free to score under the posts, which was converted.

But after that Cardiff immediately responded, tightening up the defence

with Kiri Shuttleworth putting in a massive tackle that allowed Cardiff to win the ball and work their way up the pitch. A high tackle by UWIC saw the penalty awarded in the 22 and Captain Claire Molloy kicked the ball easily through the posts 7-3, giving Cardiff a confidence boost. Despite excellent work by scrum-half Meg Tudor, UWIC went on to score another try from a lineout in their 22.

Fantastic set pieces by the forwards, especially in the lineouts with Rosie Hutton getting a good foot above the UWIC jumper every time, set the ball up well for the backs. However UWIC’s winger caught a kicked ball and managed to sneak another try through. Moments later hooker Emily Baird stole a UWIC ball in the scrum, allowing Sally Tuson to smash through the defence and a quick kick and chase by Tina Lee gained Cardiff ground, but Cardiff failed to maintain

the ball and though there was constant counter rucking by Jen Hawkins and Mary Poynter, and a fantastic flying tackle made by Heather Warwick, UWIC scored another two trys leaving the half-time score at 35-3.

Second half began with more fantastic defending from Cardiff resulting in UWIC getting frustrated with gaining so little ground that at one point Emma Fox even threw her body over the ball to protect it. UWIC went on to score another try on the wing but missed the conversion. A brilliant lineout by the forwards saw a change in events for Cardiff and allowed Leila Hughes to gain momentum including handing-off three UWIC players. Fran Manzi then came on for Mary Poynter at prop and a driving scrum brought Cardiff within five metres of the try line.

After playing fantastically at fullback, Hazel Watchthorn’s knee gave

way and Louise Mettlainé came on as her replacement. Another awesome scrum saw half the pack dive across the line but Emily Baird landed the first try for Cardiff. After that Cardiff played with more confidence allowing UWIC less time with the play, however they managed to score one last time despite the efforts of Nikki Lovell.

UWIC managed to make one more break but were quickly stopped in their tracks by Louise Mettlainé, after that Cardiff gained true dominance over the game with every member of the team putting their body on the line.

Despite the Ref not allowing what was clearly a try, Cardiff ended a truly exciting game on a high, winning a big scrum by their try line and quick hands resulted from Tina Lee to Leila Hughes resulted in another try leaving the full-time score at 45-15.

CARDIFF LADIES: Valiant effort

Cardiff Athletics team run away with the medals PHOTO BY LOUISE FEENEY

Dave Reynolds Sports Writer

MEN'S ATHLETICS: Chasing the golds

Saturday February 27 saw the revival of the Welsh Inter-University Cross Country Championships in Brecon for the first time since the 1990s.

Athletes from the Cardiff University Athletics and Cross Country Team produced some impressive performances with the Ladies team claiming the Gold and the Men’s team finishing in the Bronze position.

The Ladies team have been flying high all season and sit well clear at the top of the 2nd division of the Gwent League with promotion a cert despite one fixture remaining next week in Bristol. They continued their fine form in Brecon, led by a superb run from Gemma Leahy who in muddy terrain finished second overall. Leonie Woodfinden and Leah Dixon followed closely behind to secure the team win.

Becca Stearn, currently in training for the London Marathon in April, was able to take time out from her training schedule and brought the team home with another strong run. Also running

were Rosie Richards, Tess Loftus and Jess Juster.

The Men’s team were depleted somewhat with injuries and the English national cross country championships coinciding with the event but produced a determined performance none the less. Matt Evans and Tom Woodhouse led the way for Cardiff with superb runs, but strong turn outs

by UWIC and Swansea resulted in a high standard of competition. Aled Anderson and Dave Reynolds brought the points home to ensure Cardiff finished ahead of teams from Aberystwyth, Bangor and Glamorgan.

Cardiff shoot down their rifles Cardiff blitz Blackpool Cardiff University claimed victory of the inaugural Cardiff Cup championship, putting visitors Bath and Bristol in their place.

The first Cardiff Cup championship was held on Saturday February 13, hosted by Treetops shooting ground near Newport, and was intended to be a ‘friendly’ competition practice prior to the national university BUCS com-

petition on the following weekend.

The competition proved to be anything but friendly as the competitors developed rivalries within the mixed university squads, which could not be quelled by the beautiful and serene Treetops’ backdrop.

Cardiff showed early domination of their challengers with GB shooters James Mansfield and Mark Hampton posting scores of 85 and 74ex100 respectively. James’ score was never beaten and so this secured him 1st place individually, yet Bath’s Lisa Thomas shot her way to a 77, showPHOTO: MARK HAMPTON

Mark Hampton Sports Writer

SHOOTERS: Hitting their targets

ing who the hot shot of Bath is. This gave her second place overall as well as ladies’ high gun, and she also led her team into second place, with the remaining three of the top four from her university made up of Myles Corbett (66), James Garlick (60) and Michael Patrick (60).

Cardiff added to their team’s score in the shape of Natalie Davies’ and David Ruddock’s two 67s, giving a Cardiff Cup winning total of 293ex400, 30 targets clear of Bath.

Bristol, put in a brave performance with their small yet developing team, with a 191, made up of Alexander Allen (57), Henry Webber (51), Simon Cornforth (51), and Matthew Knubb (32).

We wish Cardiff all the best in their goal of bringing back the Gold from the BUCS championship at West Midlands Shooting Ground this coming weekend, and we’d all like to thank the fantastic staff at Treetops Shooting Ground for their much appreciated effort. Anyone interested in taking clay target shooting are encouraged to contact Mark Hampton via email: Hammybravo@hotmail.com

Rae Greenacre Sports Writer The 48th Annual Inter-Varsity Dance Competition was held at the Winter Cardens in Blackpool on Saturday February 27 and saw 30 universities from all over Britain competing in Ballroom and Latin dance.

Kicking off the day with the Ballroom section, the Cardiff team was able to produce some strong results.

In Beginners’ Ballroom, which had over 400 couples competing, Cardiff’s Rachel Henderson and Lucy Clewer reached the third round of Waltz, their best Ballroom result of the year.

This was matched by couples Steven Griffiths and Aimee Cridland, and Dan Moore and Jo Shearer who also reached the third round in the Novice Two-Dance. In the Ex-Student FiveDance, Michael Chen and Luiza Patorski produced some great results and were placed eigth, closely followed by Neil Humphryes and Nicola Barker who were 11th, and Dave Lewis and Emily Morris who were placed 14th.

The afternoon moved on to Latin,

where Henderson and Clewer reached the third round of Beginners’ ChaCha, and Ali Naeem and Robin Pampellonne made it to the third round of Beginners’ Jive. Novice couple Matthew Flew and Claire Wilson matched their Ballroom results with their Latin results, making this competition their most successful of the season. For Griffiths and Cridland, it was another triumph when they were placed 26th out of 200 couples in the Novice Two-Dance. Humphryes and Barker were placed 12th in the Ex-Student Five-Dance, rounding off a sparkling set of results for Cardiff in the Latin Section.

Following this, the Rock’n’Roll event took place, with Sam Durley and Laura Wynn performing daring lifts as they danced in the Acrobatic round for the very first time. In the team event, Cardiff were able to get both their A and B Teams placed in Division 1, with the A Team coming in at 19th place out of 90 teams.

Overall, Cardiff placed a respectable 12th out of 30 universities.

Sport gairrhydd

PHOTO: CHRISTINA MACKIE

INSIDE: IMG Round-Up, BUCS, The Word On... Portsmouth's Administration Battle and the Calcutta Cup Preview

Advantage Cardiff Tom Bacon Sports Writer Men's Southern Premier League Playoff First Leg Cardiff 1st 3 - 2 Brunel 1st Wednesday saw Cardiff Men's 1st team take on Brunel in the first leg of the Southern Premier Playoff.

Having suffered defeat at the same stage last year, Cardiff were keen to clinch promotion this time around against a Brunel side who were looking to bounce back to the Premier at the first attempt.

Both teams started cautiously, and although Cardiff kept the ball for the majority of the opening stages, it was Brunel who made early inroads, finding their way into the Cardiff area on several occasions. It was one of those

occasions that provided the first real chance of the game. An attack down the left saw the ball reach the Brunel forward in the circle, and with keeper Tim Cannock left stranded, it was left to Tim Hale and Phill Wilkinson to combine with a last ditch tackle and prevent what looked to be a certain goal, with skipper Wilkinson taking a blow to the head in the process.

This let-off spurred Cardiff into life, and they began to find their feet in the match. James Gough was getting the better of the Brunel midfielders, while Wilkinson and Gareth Needham linked well on the left, and Felix Flower provided a constant threat down the flanks. It was only a matter of time before Cardiff opened their account.

A slick penalty corner routine was finished off by Sam Tasker-Grindley, who fired a well-placed shot just inside the far post to give Cardiff the lead. Cardiff continued to press for-

ward, and it wasn't long before they doubled their lead through the in-form Huw Procter. A quick counter-attack saw Gough run at the Brunel defence before slipping in Procter, who initially miscontrolled but improvised superbly to lift a deft finish over the keeper.

With this goal, Cardiff took their foot off the pedal slightly, and although they seemed comfortable in possession, Brunel managed to pull a goal back against the run of play.

A hopeful ball into the circle wasn't dealt with, and a defensive mix-up presented the away side with an easy chance, which they duly took to reduce the deficit.

Cardiff suddenly found themselves on the back foot as Brunel began to come forward more, and the London side were rewarded with a penalty corner on the stroke of half time. The chance was promptly converted to send the sides into the break on level

terms.

Cardiff made a lively start to the second half, and were back in front within five minutes of the restart.

Dave Hughes picked up the ball on the edge of the area, and showed sublime skill to beat several defenders before squaring for Tasker-Grindley to slot home his second of the game.

Cheered on by the vocal home support, Cardiff took control of the game, and with Hughes running the show in midfield and centre back Jamie Longstreet picking the gaps in the opposition defence, they enjoyed near total domination as they looked to increase their advantage. The Cardiff back four transferred the ball expertly around the pitch, but Cardiff struggled to turn possession into chances as they came up against a strong Brunel press.

As the half drew on, legs began to tire and the chances began to come for both sides. Good work from Flower enabled him to burst through the

middle of the Brunel defence, but his shot was too close to the keeper, while Dai McGahon was also denied from a penalty corner flick.

At the other end, Brunel threatened on the break on several occasions, but the imperious centre back pairing of Hale and Longstreet snuffed out any danger, with Cannock coming off his line to good effect to mop up behind them. Brunel ended the game the stronger side, but despite Wilkinson being sent to the sin bin with a minute left, Cardiff held out for the win.

The side were in high spirits following the game, but Captain Wilkinson reminded them that this was only half a job done, and there was still a long way to go in the tie. Cardiff now take their one-goal advantage into the second leg in Brunel on Wednesday, and will be hoping for a repeat performance to sign off from this year's BUCS campaign in style.

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 nSI LUCEY: DO I KNOW ALEX WELL ENOUGH TO RAPE HIM? n ROBBIE: I HATE BUNCE n DAMIAN FANTATO HAS TAKEN A PREGNANCY TEST BUT WON'T TELL US WHYn EVERYONE HATES BUNCE nROBBIE: I GOT DONE TOO MUCH WHEN I WAS LITTLE nLUCY: I HATE BUNCE n JON: HINKS TOOK A SPECIAL WAY ROUND THE BACK LAST WEEK n CHRIS P BACON n HINKS: I GOT POWER BALLADS COMING OUT MY ARSEn