gair rhydd - Issue 923

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We laughed aloud and, with the sound, shook the water from the sky.

CARDIFF'S STUDENT WEEKLY

Issue Two Spring 2010

freeword - EST. 1972

Spring Edition inside

Creativity A showcase of Cardiff Students' Photos, Art and Words

ISSUE 923 MAY 10 2010

The start of something new?

Creativity

PHOTO: JAMIE THUNDER

Words Photos Art and dents

by Cardiff Stu

Testing times for medics Final exams delayed due to venue mix-up Jamie Thunder News Editor Medicine students sitting their finals last week were forced to wait for an hour and move to a different venue after the exam room was double-booked with a conference.

Over 300 students arrived at the All Nations Centre last Tuesday May 4 to sit the two-hour Knowledge and Understanding paper, due to start at 9am, but were told by invigilators that a conference was being held at the same place and time.

Students then rang the Undergraduate Office, who were unaware of the problem, and the head of year came down to the Centre and instructed students to move to their usual lecture theatre at the Heath.

Students also had to use a second lecture theatre because the first would have been too small and in breach of exam conditions. The exam eventually started at 10am, and lasted for an extra ten minutes to allow for people to use the toilet.

A University spokesperson said

that the error was down to a misunderstanding between Registry and Academic Services and the All Nations Centre, not because of any error from the School of Medicine. Exams had been booked in November for May 4 and May 5 at the Centre, but when Registry told them the second exam had been moved to the Heath, the All Nations Centre thought both had been cancelled. It then arranged a local government conference for the Tuesday.

A member of staff from the Centre confirmed this account, but added that the University had not provided the usual details before the exam, such as number of students, which would have alerted the Centre to the fact that the exam was still going ahead.

One fifth-year medicine student, who asked not to be named, said most students initially reacted with disbelief.

“At the beginning it was kind of funny and ‘typical Cardiff’”, she said.

“Then it began to get scary, because how would we sit our finals?

“Registry may have been to blame, but surely someone should’ve

checked? This is too important to just leave to chance.”

The University spokesperson said that Registry was “enormously grateful to the Dean of Medicine and to all the staff in the School who played such a vital part in ensuring the examination could proceed that morning”.

A formal report of the circumstances will be produced and considered by the Final MBBCh Examining Board in June, so individual students do not have to report the incident separately.

However, the spokesperson stressed that if any student had any particular extenuating circumstances, they should contact the School.

Although there is no suggestion that the School of Medicine was at fault in this case, the incident is another setback for Cardiff’s medics.

Last year’s National Student Survey ranked Cardiff’s medicine students as the second-least satisfied in the country, and data handling errors last summer meant four students were wrongly allowed to pass their exams and begin working in hospitals.

DAVID AND NICK: As gair rhydd goes to print, Nick Clegg announces that he's with the Tories, and David Cameron says that the feeling is mutual. Will they form a coalition? Only time will tell. Gordon, meanwhile, looks to be out of the picture. Turn to page ten for more.

Election results explained >> page 10-11

02 NEWS

gr gr

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 Paul Stollery Oli Franklin POLITICS Damian Fantato ELECTIONS SPECIAL Paul Stollery Damian Fantato COLUMNISTS Tim Hart Oli Franklin LISTINGS Sarah Powell TAF-OD Nia Gwawr Williams Branwen Mathias Cadi Mai SCIENCE & ENVIRONMENT Amy Hall Priya Raj JOBS & MONEY Simon Lucey SPORT Jon Evans James Hinks Adam Horne Lucy Morgan Robbie Wells CONTRIBUTORS Morgan Applegarth Elizabeth Blockley Alex Bywater Tomos Clarke Alice Collins Lauren Cowie Bob Firmin Rachel Henson Ayushman Jamwal Yaz Langley Pippa Lewis Hannah Pendleton Leah Pickering Ben Price Hector Roddan Luke Stevens Cadi Rhys Thomas Jack Parker

Got a story? Contact us 02920 781436 NEWS@GAIRRHYDD.COM gair rhydd has been Cardiff University's independent student newspaper since 1972

gairrhydd | NEWS@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY MAY 10 2010

Cardiff holds a pair of balls Societies and AU Balls recognise students' efforts

Daniella Graham Features Editor Last weekend saw students' sporting and society achievements recognised in the annual Society Awards and AU Awards.

The AU Awards recognise both individual and team efforts, with categories including Sportswoman and Sportsman of the Year, Club of the Year and Fresher of the Year, and are voted on by the AU executive.

The AU President's Award was awarded to Megon Mitchell, with Team of the Year going to the Men's

Hockey 1st Team.

AU President and President-Elect Olly Birrell said of the Awards: "It was an honour and with pride I was able to present the awards to the Athletic Union. I often feel we don't get to congratulate our clubs and members enough so it is always enjoyable to have an evening devoted to just that.

"I would like to thank them all for being particularly well behaved- they have definitely impressed the Union and the University that's for sure!"

"The awards themselves were difficult to decide on, but the short-listed and winners were truly deserved."

The Society Awards were presented by Luke Franks and Ed Griffiths of Xpress Radio, with an opening and closing speech by President Ed Carey.

Live Music Society, RAG and Malaysian Society were some of the big winners of the evening; RAG came away with two awards and one runner up, whilst Malaysian Society won Best Society and Best Cultural Event for the second year in a row.

LMS won three awards, including Most Dedicated Society Member for President Kay Russant. Kay was justifiably proud: "We were chuffed to be short-listed

for so many awards let alone win anything!

The awards are always a laugh and it's great to see that the hard work of committees doesn't go unnoticed and that they get the recognition they deserve for making their society great for their members."

Jemma Mallorie, Societies and Democracy Co-ordinator, said of the Society Awards: "All societies have been amazing this year and have worked so hard.

The awards were a great opportunity for us to recognise some of their many achievements. I had a brilliant night, and I hope they did too!"

Student opera star scoops prize Pippa Lewis News Editor A Cardiff University opera singer has beaten stiff competition to win one of the country’s most prestigious singing competitions.

Baritone Njabulo Madlala, who is a member of the University’s International Academy of Voice, won the Kathleen Ferrier Award after impressing audiences and judges at London’s renowned Wigmore Hall.

The 28-year old South African was

awarded the prize unanimously, joining an impressive list of previous winners. These include widely-acclaimed opera star Bryn Terfel and Grammy Award-winning soprano, Janice Watson.

The Kathleen Ferrier Award, set up to honour one of the best-loved and most admired British contralto singers in the world, recognises young singers of any nationality who have completed at least one year of study at a UK university.

The eventual winner is awarded £10,000 to aid with the cost of further

study.

On winning the award, Njabulo said; “Winning the Kathleen Ferrier Award is the most exciting thing that could ever have happened in my life. Coming from South Africa to the UK to study, I never dreamt that this would happen!

“Since coming to study in the UK, I’ve been very fortunate whilst at the Guildhall School of Music and now at the Academy of Voice at Cardiff University to meet and work with musicians who are right at the top of their careers such as Dennis O’Neill and

the many eminent artists he invites to the Academy.

“These opportunities, together with the great warmth and support I’ve encountered here, have benefited me enormously, broadening my experience and increasing my chances of having a successful career in opera.”

Njabulo will join a number of Academy students undertaking a three-week residency in the Italian town of Barga where they will perform a gala of operatic arias, perform in a sacred music concert, and also a full-scale opera.

NEWS 1 EDITORIAL & OPINION 9 ELECTION SPECIAL 10 POLITICS 13 FEATURES 14 LETTERS 19 TAF-OD 20 JOBS & MONEY 22 SCIENCE & ENVIRONMENT 23 LISTINGS 25 FIVE MINUTE FUN 27 SPORT 28

NEWS 03

gairrhydd | NEWS@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY MAY 10 2010

Students join marijuana march March calling for legalisation of cannabis attended by students Ben Price News Editor Cardiff University students were among those who attended a march last week held in support of legalising the class B drug, cannabis.

The march, also known as The Million Marijuana March, was attended by approximately a thousand people who marched from Cathays Park to Cardiff Bay. The legalisation of cannabis has been a much debated topic over the past few years, particularly since the drug was reclassified from a class C to a class B drug in January 2009.

The protest march was one of three hundred marches taking place in cities around the world.

The Cardiff leg was organised by 25-year-old debt collector, Rhys Morgan. He advertised the protest on Facebook, which attracted much support.

Although Morgan urged support-

ers not to smoke on the walk, a video of the march which has appeared on YouTube shows protesters using drug paraphernalia.

The video also shows the crowd chanting slogans such as ‘legalise cannabis’ and ‘free the weed’.

Will Campbell, a first year Ecology student, attended the protest. He said he believed that the protest was effective and attracted the desired attention.

Will said that he decided to join the march as he believes the drug classification system in this country is deeply flawed.

“If you look at it logically, cannabis, with zero deaths, should be legal.

Alcohol and cigarettes, which cause millions of deaths per year, should be class A. "The entire drug classification system needs to be scrapped and rewritten as it is out of date in this modern age,” he added.

When contacted, South Wales Police were unavailable for comment on the matter.

SEEING GREEN: Protesters fight for legalisation

Ball line-up receives mixed reaction The announcement of Summer Ball headliners divides opinion

News asks students what they think Sophie Davies

3rd year Sociology "The CYNT tent looks good, especially DJ Zinc and Jakwob. I think that, provided the entertainment is right, it’s a standard price for a ball.

I would recommend that others go, at least once, preferably in your last year before everyone graduates!"

Richard Purchase

4th year Law and German "I went in my first and second years, and I'm going this time as it's my final year. If it wasn't my final year though I would probably spend the money on another night out with my mates. It is quite expensive but it has always been that price. I don't know most of the acts so I'm not over the moon about the line-up."

Katie Stewart

2nd year Optometry "I'm not going to the Summer Ball this year, the main reason is because I don’t like whose playing. Who’s ‘Professor Green’?! It’s a shame because last year was one of the biggest in the country, so with that you would think that we could get bigger and better acts. Having seen the line-up this year, I would rather go on a night out with my friends for the same amount."

Morgan Applegarth News Editor Organisers have received a mixed reaction to headliners Plan B and Tinchy Stryder after announcing the highly anticipated line-up to this year’s Summer Ball last week.

The annual event for Cardiff University and Glamorgan University students has received a degree of criticism over the decision to appoint the two chart-topping acts as headliners, despite tickets selling at a faster rate than this time last year.

Over 500 students have joined a Facebook group, entitled ‘Cardiff Uni Summer Ball 2010 needs a better lineup!’ expressing their thoughts on the line-up and putting forward their own suggestions.

However one member, a student from Lancaster University said, “You guys don’t know how good you’ve got it”.

“Every Summer Ball receives criticism,” said Finance and Commercial Officer Rich Pearce, speaking to gair rhydd. When asked whether he thought last year’s line-up was a tough, act to follow, Rich added; “Last years lineup was fantastic, but received a similar amount of criticism to this year.

“Compared with other student balls, comparatively, our ball is good value.

“Also, our Summer Ball is a nonprofit making event and always has

been” said Rich.

There has also been some opposition toward the price of a ticket, £37, despite the one-day sale price of £32 being the cheapest Summer Ball tickets have ever been sold for.

Unions that run events on the same scale, such as Staffordshire and Leeds, charge £40 and £42 respectively.

“You will never please everyone.

People do not realise how hard or costly it is to book acts for the Ball” said Cardiff University’s Live Music Society President, Kayleigh Russant.

She continued; “Our Ball competes with the Isle of Wight festival every year, so I think the Union has done well getting three massive chart artists for this year”.

Aside from the main tent, there is also a Ballroom tent, as well as the first appearance of the CYNT tent.

“The Ballroom tent has some amazing acts playing like the local King Louis Collective,” said Kayleigh.

She continued; “Also, the CYNT tent is offering some world class DJs, such as DJ Zinc”.

Asked to describe the Ball in five words, Rich said, “the event of the year!”

Reckon you can think of a better way of describing the Summer Ball in five words or less? E-mail our Finance and Commercial Officer with your answer to pearcer@cardiff.ac.uk by this Wednesday, 12pm. The winner will get a FREE Summer Ball ticket!

04 NEWS

gairrhydd | NEWS@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY MAY 10 2010

Beach Break gets the go-ahead Controversial ex-

Gareth Ludkin News Editor Beach Break Live has been given the go ahead after a four-day hearing was undertaken by Camarthen Council.

Campaigners had raised their opposition to the Music festival being held in Pembrey Country Park.

The Beach Break Live festival will take place between June 14-18, but campaigners have said they had been left heartbroken and outraged at the decision to allow the event to go ahead.

MP set for a visit to the University Jack Parker Reporter

Around 120 letters were sent to the council, the majority of which were in opposition to the festival.

Concerns were raised regarding traffic, noise, pollution and drug issues.

Raymond Hall, 63, from Heol Vaughan, Burry Port, told This Is South Wales: “We will still fight against this.

“This park belongs to the people of Pembrey and Burry Port.

“To close it to the public is disgusting.”

But Martin Goddard, lead singer from the Llanelli band Sierra Alpha, who will be performing at the festival,

said: "It is such a good opportunity and it is a shame it has not just been looked at as a really good event, not just for students but for businesses in the town which are struggling.

“We are going to see thousands of people come to the town who have never even heard of Llanelli.

“We are looking forward to representing the town.”

Steve Hicks, a local resident, was outraged by this decision. He told This Is South Wales: “We will appeal this and if needs be we'll take it to the high court. We will use every means possible to stop this coming to the park.”

Baroness Jenny Tonge, a former Liberal Democrat MP who is well known for her controversial remarks, will be visiting Cardiff next week.

The Baroness, who was sacked in February, will be giving a talk on the subject of Israel under the title of ‘Double standards in freedom of speech’.

Back in 2004 she made headlines after suggesting that if she had been put through the conditions of living in Palestine, she may have considered becoming a suicide bomber herself.

The consequence of this was to lose her position as children’s spokeswoman.

In 2006 she received criticism from her own party once again after

claiming that the pro-Israeli lobby had too much influence over the western world. A group of lords attacked her comments, writing that they “evoked a classic anti-Jewish conspiracy theory”, despite her point that the criticism was of the Israeli lobby in politics, not of Jews.

In February of this year allegations that the Israeli Defence Force was harvesting organs in earthquake struck Haiti caught Jenny Tonge’s attention.

Upon suggesting that an independent inquiry should be set up to investigate the claims she was quickly sacked by Nick Clegg.

Chaired by Dr Marcelo Svirsky, a Cardiff University scholar who has written extensively on the Middle East, the talk will be taking place this Thursday May 13 in the Wallace Lecture Theatre, Main Building. Doors will open at 5.00pm.

LETTERS 19

gairrhydd | LETTERS@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY MAY 03 2010

the Comments from the week’s news, opinion, features and sport at www.gairrhydd.com Mr Ambassador, you're wrong Jonathan James Cookson Firstly I would just like to point out that it not a “ridiculous idea” to provide drug addicts with drugs.

If it were, why have Switzerland continued to give the hardcore drug addicts free heroin for the past 10 years now? The program has been successful in reducing drug related acquisitive crime and lowering the spread of blood borne disease and infections not just among the population of injecting users but of the population as a whole. Not only that but more dependent users are now in contact with the clinics that provide the drugs which enables them to be enrolled into treatment more easily. As a result the number of dependent drug users of heroin has decreased and the number of dependent users in work has increased.

The problem I think you are having with not be able to see why it is cost effective is that you seem to have a notion that dependent heroin users have a choice of whether they take the drug. Being a dependent drug user of heroin means that if you don’t take the drug you go through an agonising physical and mental withdrawal.

Your hang over from over dosing on your drug of choice (alcohol presumably) is no where near as severe or lengthy. Dependent drug addicts will do anything to get hold of the drugs and that means

acquisitive crime such as burglary or theft and in the case of a lot of female dependent drug users prostitution. By giving them the drugs which they are going to take anyway we save money through the criminal justice system and from the social costs that would have been incurred from the victims of acquisitive crime. In addition, the supply of drugs is taken away from drug dealers who are concerned with profits and market expansion and into the hands of government.

The drugs for cancer could be afforded if dependent drug users were given the drugs. Obviously it would not be a free for all with everyone getting the drug for free. It is not clear how exactly this process would work in this country but has been successful in Switzerland so it must be possible.

Production of heroin (which is already done legally in this country by pharmaceutical companies) cost roughly £300 a kilogram so the costs of giving dependent users the drugs would cost roughly £5 per week per user.

forum

bye posted 1 day ago 3. Bethany Woods I totally agree with what you have said James, and think that the article was written by somebody who had already made up her mind about drug users before writing it. It is important to consider the debate in depth rather than reacting on a “moral” impulse. posted 5 minutes ago 4. Joe Hawkes I also agree with James here.

The statement that “Coming off drugs isn’t supposed to be easy and probably shouldn’t be” worryingly reflects the views of a large proportion of the public.

Discussions topics related to the drugs problem in this country needs to be based on evidence not knee jerk reactions. We need to give these topics the debate they deserve instead of just dismissing them as “simply ridiculous”. posted 1 day ago 2. nici Hi. I live in Zürich,Switzerland, and here we have had this system for ages. It’s prooved that it works, there are less HIV etc. infections and there are way less junkies on the street.

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Heading abroad?

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06 NEWS

gairrhydd | NEWS@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY MAY 10 2010

Aberyst-win Cardiff witness the fitness Alice Collins Reporter

A new survey by the International Student Barometer (ISB) has been carried out and has named Aberystwyth University as the best place in the world to be an international student.

The ISB is an online survey that asks international students to feed back on their university experience.

Factors taken into account are: reasons for choosing the university, library facilities, accommodation, and learning experience.

Aberystwyth was ranked first out of 123 higher education institutions surveyed across the world, yet it was ranked 100th in the ‘worship facilities’ category and 115th in the transport links section.

These two rankings do not seem so surprising considering its location, however, gair rhydd set out to investigate the seemingly unlikely result that

Aberystwyth came out first overall.

Despite being a well-respected university in it's own right, it is perhaps surprising that Aberystwyth ranked first, not only out of all the universities in the UK, but in the world.

The ISB is run by i-graduate and aims to improve the learning experience for international students. However, after more research, it proved difficult to find concrete results for many universities.

Universities choose to take part in the survey, paying to do so and, therefore, not every institution is taken into account. In fact, Cardiff University did not even take part in the survey this year.

Aberystwyth was not up against many universities at all, as only 123 universities took part.

In the past, universities such as Teesside University have also claimed to have come top and it is, therefore, perhaps it is not surprising that Aberystwyth topped the polls this year.

Ben Price News Editor

Cardiff University is among a long list of universities gripped by a new internet phenomenon.

Fitfinder is the most recent studytime distraction in university libraries around the United Kingdom.

The website has a long list of universities already subscribed to it, with demand increasing from those universities who are yet to be added to it.

The concept of the Twitter-style website is to find a description of someone “fit” and then post a description of them on the site.

As well as being a potential matchmaking site, it has also become an excuse to avoid exam revision.

The site's creator, Richard Martell, a computer-science student at UCL, said: "Sure, you try to do a bit of revision, but you do get a bit bored and you need a bit of light relief."

The question that remains is whether this latest craze will last.

One student at King’s College London wondered whether this, like so many other online fads, was already running its course. “Does anyone feel like Fitfinder’s getting a bit like Chatroulette?”

Upon going live in April, the website received an immediate response, with nearly 3,000 users on the first day. Since then, however, the website has received a complete ban in some universities, including the University of Durham. Cardiff University also experienced a brief overnight ban.

Globe regains licence Cardiff innovate Gareth Ludkin News Editor The Globe music venue on Albany Road has had its live music licence reinstated after extensive soundproofing work was undertaken on the building.

The licence to hold live music was originally repealed in September 2009 after local residents formally complained to Cardiff Council about the noise.

The owner of The Globe, was unable to pay the £26,000 for sound-

proofing but after a series of fundraising gigs and events from local supporters, enough money was raised for the venue to carry out the necessary work.

Tests were undertaken on April 17 to reassess the noise levels.

A number of local residents withdrew their complaints after it was proved that they could no longer hear the loud music.

The licensing committee subsequently held a meeting to reassess The Globe's revoked licence.

Reverend Gerald Lovitt, who had previously objected to the application, said at the hearing: “There had been

a deep drumming beat coming from the venue but with all the work that’s been done, as long as the windows and doors are closed, we can’t hear it.”

In response to the work undertaken on the venue, the Council were able to reinstate the licence and allow The Globe to once again hold live gigs for local music fans.

Councillor Ed Bridges, who chaired the licensing committee, said: “We are confident that the venue can now operate without causing any disturbance to local residents.

“Cardiff has a thriving live music scene, and venues like The Globe are a vital part of it.”

SUCCESS: Cardiff's Annual Innovation Awards

Hannah Pendleton News Editor In its eleventh year, Cardiff University’s annual Innovation Awards has yet again recognised the University’s successful collaborations with industry.

Dr David Grant, the University’s Vice Chancellor proudly said: “This year’s winners are yet again examples of the work that the University is doing to help support Welsh industry and develop new and innovative business solutions.”

This year’s Innovation Prize was awarded to the University’s school of engineering, who worked on a project with the steel maker ‘Corus’, highlighting the exploration of energy efficiency.

It was greatly acknowledged that the engineering department’s centre of excellence has helped workers at Corus to acquire new skills. The company’s director of business improvement and business excellence, Lianne GLOBE: Has had its licence reinstated

Deeming, said that the expertise at Cardiff University means that: “We are maintaining a competitive edge here in Wales.”

The 2010 Award for Innovation went to ‘Q Chip’ and Cardiff’s school of biosciences. Together they formed a ‘micro-lung’ project which is a 3D growth system designed to mimic human tissue. It is said that the system can offer further insight into lung disease and provide alternatives to animal testing.

Cardiff University’s school of medicine and school of computer science and informatics also received recognition during the award ceremony for the development of an ultrasound simulator called a ‘virtual patient’ which will help students to train in sonography.

It seems that Cardiff University’s highly successful research projects are proving valuable to industry in South Wales and will continue to inspire and innovate in the near future. No doubt next years awards will showcase even more groundbreaking research, development and talent.

WORLD NEWS 07

gairrhydd | NEWS@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY MARCH 10 2010

You'll never guess what...

Bear necessities

A 200lb bear was rescued from a tree in California, after it fell asleep after being hit with a tranquiliser dart.

The bear had climbed up a tree in a cemetery in Oxnard, California, and was tranquilised by officials.

Firefighters had to fit the bear with a harness and use a ladder to lower it to the ground.

Bored stiff A Senator in Florida was left redfaced after he was spotted looking at porn on his computer during a debate on abortion.

Senator Mike Bennett was seen looking at an image of topless women during a telephone debate about a controversial abortion bill.

Senator Bennett, who was also seen watching a video of a dog, insisted he opened an email containing the image because he thought the letter was related to the abortion bill being discussed.

When asked about his actions by the Sunshine State News, he said: “I was just sitting there, bored as they were debating the abortion bill.

“I opened it up and said holy s***!

What's on my screen? and clicked away from it right away.”

Spider man-ed

An Australian comic book store owner dressed as Spider-Man became a real superhero for the day, when he caught a thief trying to steal an X-Men omnibus.

45-year-old Michael Baulderstone was dressed as Spider-Man as part of a fancy dress open day at a comic centre in Adelaide, Australia, when he saw a man stealing the book.

Security tapes show Mr Baulderstone addressing the man before stopping him and confiscating the book.

Staff dressed as Jedi knights blocked the door to prevent him from escaping, along with The Flash.

G.I.L.F. Pussy love A RISKY BET: Ghosts sell for thousands INCEST: Grandma to have baby with grandson

Emma McFarnon News Editor An American grandmother has shocked her friends and family, after revealing that she is having a baby with her own grandson.

72-year-old Pearl Carter says she has never been happier, after beginning an incestuous relationship with her 26-year-old grandchild, Phil Bailey.

Pearl, from Indiana, is using her pension to pay a surrogate mother so they can have a child.

“I'm not interested in anyone else's opinion. I am in love with Phil and he's in love with me,” she said.

“Soon I'll be holding my son or daughter in my arms and Phil will be the proud dad.”

Pearl's lover is the son of her daughter, Lynette Bailey, who she put up for adoption when she was 18-years-old.

When his mother passed away, Phil tracked down his long lost grandmother and they quickly fell in love.

Pearl told a local magazine: “From the first moment I saw him, I knew we would never have a grandmothergrandson relationship.

“For the first time in years I felt sexually alive.”

It was during their second week together, after dinner and wine, that

Pearl made her move.

“I called Phil into my bedroom, sat him on the bed, and then I leant over and kissed him,” she said.

“I expected rejection but instead he kissed me back.”

Phil said: “I wanted to kiss her there and then. My feelings were overwhelming.

“I love Pearl with all my heart. I've always been attracted to older women and I think Pearl is gorgeous. Now I'm going to be a dad and I can't wait.

“Yes, we get laughed at and bullied when we go out and kiss in public but we don't care. You can't help who you fall for.”

The pair paid $54,000 to find a surrogate mother and buy a donor egg to inseminate with Phil's sperm.

They placed an advert asking for an open-minded surrogate, and 30-yearold Roxanne Campbell applied.

“Initially I was shocked,” said Roxanne.

“But they're a brilliant pair and I saw how much they loved each other.

I know the baby will be loved too.”

Pearl said: “I am finally going to be a mum and not be forced to give up my child. Phil's going to be a great dad.

“I never in a million years thought at 72 I'd be 'pregnant' and in love with my grandson.”

ROMANCE: Man 'weds' dying cat

Emma McFarnon News Editor A postman in Germany has married his dying cat.

39-year-old Uwe Mitzscherlich unofficially married his asthmatic cat, Celia, after a vet told him she was ill and may not live much longer.

The cat, who Mitzscherlich bought ten years ago, wore a white dress for the occasion, but an actress had to play the registrar, after officials refused to carry out the ceremony.

“Celia has such a trusting charac-

ter. We constantly smooch and she has slept in my bed from the beginning of our relationship, which is unique,” said Mitzscherlich.

Marrying an animal is illegal in Germany, so 56-year-old actress, Christin-Maria Lohri was paid 300 euros to stand in as registrar. She said she could see how close the pair were.

“I thought it was a joke at first, but quickly came to understand that Mr Mitzscherlich wanted to achieve his desire. For Mr Mitzscherlich it's a dream come true,” she said.

Fatal attraction Emma McFarnon News Editor

A study carried out by the University of Valencia has revealed that meeting a beautiful woman can be bad for your health.

Researchers discovered that just five minutes alone with an attractive female raises the levels of cortisol, the body's stress hormone.

Cortisol is produced by the body

under physical or psychological stress, and has been linked to heart disease. It can have a positive effect in small doses, as it improves alertness and well-being. However, chronically elevated cortisol levels can worsen medical conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and impotency.

Researchers tested 84 male students by asking each one to sit in a room and solve a Sudoku puzzle. Two strangers, one male and one female,

were also in the room.

When the female stranger left the room and the two men remained sitting together, the volunteer's stress levels did not rise. However, when the volunteer was left alone with the female stranger, his cortisol levels rose.

The anxiety rate of those men was said to have been similar to jumping from an aircraft.

“In this study we considered that for most men the presence of an at-

tractive woman may induce the perception that there is an opportunity for courtship,” researchers said.

“While some men might avoid attractive women since they think they are 'out of their league', the majority would respond with apprehension and a concurrent hormonal response.

“This study showed that male cortisol levels increased after exposure to a five-minute short social contact with a young, attractive woman.”

22 LETTERS

gairrhydd | LETTERS@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY MARCH 01 2010

OPINION 09

gairrhydd | OPINION@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY MAY 10 2010

freewords EDITORIAL

Est. 1972

The results are (not quite) in Well, surprise surprise, the result we've all been waiting for for four weeks - and it's a hung parliament.

We sat in the office all of Friday waiting for a final decision to be reached, but the paper had to be finally sent to printers before Dave and Nick had reached a conclusion, so I think I'll wait until next week before I discuss that.

In other news, it's been an eventful week. We've elected the Xpress Executive for next year and it looks to be a very talented team. Congratulations to everybody who was successfully elected and good luck for next year.

Now, this is not entirely relevant, but I can't get it off my mind, I'm not going to lie. It's the Cardiff Student Media Awards tomorrow (May 8) - the event that student media have been anticipating for months. Between chasing people for entries, finding judges, chasing judges for feedback, finding a host, making a powerpoint presentation, recording voiceovers, preparing a speech and engraving trophies, I've actually had a ball (excuse the pun).

By the time this edition of gair rhydd comes out, it will all be over, and the winners (well done to them) will all know who they are - which, quite frankly, I can't wait for. Trying to remain tight-lipped in the gair rhydd office over the past few months has been nigh-on impossible.

In other news, I have discovered a plethora of websites/Facebook groups this past week that, for your own enjoyment and benefit, I would like to share with you. If you're bored of revision and fancy a spot of procrastination, check out www.truelad.com tales of laddish exploits which people then rate according to laddishness.

Be careful - you could easily spend a couple of hours on here without even realising it.

Another gem I stumbled across about a fortnight ago was the Facebook group 'Even tho you stabbed ma nan, ur still da 1 4 me'. I don't know if you've seen this, but it makes me absolutely horrified to be British. Essentially, the group has been set up by a girl who wants to tell the world she still loves her boyfriend, Ste, even though he stabbed her nan... to death. I hope for entertainment's sake that this group is genuine; I hope for society's sake that it isn't.

Another good one for wasting time in the library is www.thefitfinder. co.uk, where people post their sightings of fit people from all over campus. Highlights include: "Main (Reception) Male, looks like he's up for a cracking time, I like it come find me in the toilets big boy!! (Looks sexual eating a magic wrap)". Lovely. Enjoy!

Corrections and Clarifications: Two of the articles in World News, Issue 922, should have been attributed to Pippa Lewis and Ben Price.

It's time for dirty talk It would be better for society if we talked about sex more Lauren Cowie Opinion Writer We’ve all had banter in the pub over what our favourite underwear is. Would you rather have sex with someone overly fat or overly thin?

Edward or Jacob? (I know some of you would rather die than be associated with either Twilight character). But when it comes to the nitty gritty we seem to be keeping resolutely silent.

I often feel that my friends perceive me as some sort of sexual deviant purely because I’m happy to be open and honest about sex. But with teenage pregnancy still a massive problem in the UK and STI rates among under25s soaring, isn’t it time we all talked about sex more?

A recent NHS survey showed that 16% of under 25s would not tell their partner if they contracted Chlamydia.

Nineteen percent were “unsure”. Does anyone else find this morally reprehensible: to risk the fertility of your partner out of embarrassment?

A friend recently shared with me that, despite being sexually active, he had never used a condom or been for an STI check. I’m thinking: is it your life’s aim to be on The Jeremy Kyle Show? Seriously, how do so many people get away with such bad practice without friends and family telling them that they are being massive twats before handing them the number of their local GUM Clinic?

Sexual health information is widely available on the net, at your GP and through various charitable organisations. Nevertheless, even among experienced adults (over 45s), STI rates doubled during the ten year period between 1994 and 2004.

Now I’m not suggesting that we should discuss birth control with work colleagues or share intimate moments on Twitter, but just that we try and be a little less embarrassed about the topic. With so many different views and orientations, a bit more willingness to converse and understand can only be a good thing.

All too often we rashly dismiss the views of other cultures, yet I think we could learn some valuable lessons.

Sweden is always used as a shining example of a liberal society, but it’s true – sex education there is based much more around discussion. Subjects of contraception, masturbation, and all forms of sex are debated very early on in secondary education.

At the other end of the scale, many people still hold the religious belief that sex should only happen within a marriage. It would also be valuable to look at why they hold this view and how it affects their lifestyle.

People in Britain have so much more sexual freedom than those in many other countries around the world; but with this freedom comes responsibility and, besides, it’s much more interesting than the election.

Sterilising the addicts You cannot morally stop drug addicts from having children Elizabeth Blockley Opinion Writer Another week, another article about heroin addicts and another chance to really get people riled up about a divisive and controversial issue. This week it’s about Project Prevention, an organisation founded by American woman, Barbara Harris, that pays drug addicts and alcoholics to seek longterm birth control or even undergo sterilisation. The slogan of this charity is ‘Because every baby deserves a sober start!’, a sentiment that surely no-one can disagree with. The goal is admirable; the means controversial.

Those of you who read my article last week will know that I argued against the proposal to provide addicts with heroin at the expense of the NHS, primarily on moral grounds and because of the discomfort that undermining British laws in such a way arose in me. Based on that, you’d probably expect me to be all for the sterilisation of addicts. But on the contrary, and to show my detractors that I am not, in fact, a hard-hearted

right-wing bitch, I’m going to suggest that this programme takes advantage of some of the most vulnerable and desperate people in society.

Harris has already had a great deal of ‘success’ in America and has sterilised more than 3,500 drink and drug addicts for sums as small as $200. It is immediately apparent that the charity’s primary concern is for the unborn children of addicts. Harris has acted as a foster mother to a number of children born to alcoholic or drug addicted parents and has, therefore, seen the damage it has caused them, both emotionally and physically. The scheme wants to prevent children even being born into such an environment, and now Harris is trying to bring it to Britain.

Project Prevention maintain that those who have been involved with their scheme thus far are grateful and supportive of the work they do, which they believe will save the taxpayer money as they will no longer have to pay medical bills for unwell babies.

However, the charity is very open about the fact that the money paid to those who opt for sterilisation will inevitably be spent on drugs or alcohol

and say that ‘It’s none of our business what they do with the money we give them’.

The scheme has worrying undertones of Nazi Germany Perhaps not, but what Project Prevention is doing is effectively putting more money into the drugs industry and taking advantage of people at the lowest point in their lives. If Project Prevention ask a drug addict suffering from withdrawal symptoms and desperate for their fix if they would like to undergo paid sterilisation, the answer is likely to be yes. The people agreeing to this procedure are unlikely to be capable of thinking through the long-term consequences of their actions – namely that if they ever were to go into recovery and lead a healthy life, they would be denied children.

Providing condoms and birth control to people incapable of parenting is a scheme worthy of support; removing someone’s future choice through sterilisation is immoral.

The scheme has worrying undertones of Nazi Germany and the use of eugenics to achieve the perfect society.

Obviously, alcoholics and drug addicts in the midst of their problems are undesirable parents, but what comes next? The state weeding out potential parents in order to prevent their genes being carried on to the next generation is a scary prospect. Do we then start offering to pay people with low IQs to become sterilised in order to create a more intelligent population?

The desire to prevent children from suffering a difficult upbringing with a parent who places drugs above them is one which is completely understandable. However, offering to sterilise drug addicts does not consider their welfare or the long-term implications for society. Harris says she wants to save taxpayer’s money, but the best way to do this is to explore the possibility of rehabilitation and counselling, not continue to provide money to people with which to perpetuate the cycle of addiction. As a society, we should have more schemes to help addicts and try to be empathetic towards their needs, but could we please do it without resorting to eugenics?

10 ELECTION 2010

gairrhydd | POLITICS@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY MAY 10 2010

The results are in!

Tom Rouse Election Editor

T

hursday night’s election has, as suspected, not resulted in a clear majority for any one party. The polling data throughout the campaign and the exit polls on the night itself all pointed towards a hung parliament and as gair rhydd goes to press, the negotiations over who will form the next government are just beginning.

Nick Clegg fired the opening shots, declaring in a speech on Friday morning that the Conservatives had the first right to attempt to form a government due to achieving a majority in the popular vote, But Labour, as the incumbent party, have first shot at forming a government and are likely to turn to the Liberal Democrats as potential coalition partners.

Despite the scale of the defeat, in reality, the outcome was probably better than many within Labour could have hoped for. Retaining 250+ seats and denying the Conservatives an outright majority is a triumph in itself for a party that has seen us through the worst recession since the 1930’s. In particular the party's performance in Scotland and Wales will have come as a source of considerable relief, particularly Scotland where the challenge of both the SNP and the Conservatives was rebuffed.

For the Conservatives, the question has to be ‘what went wrong?’ Every external circumstance had conspired

to provide them with a platform for a potential landslide victory and yet they have been unable to close out the deal. Even “bigotgate”, which looked like it should have been the final nail in Gordon Brown’s coffin, failed to provide the party with the final impetus to cross the finishing line.

Cameron's offer to the Liberal Democrats of a "big, open and comprehensive offer" is a direct result of this failure to secure a majority and the first clear evidence that the country will be governed by either a formal or informal coalition as a result of this election.

The Liberal Democrats themselves will undoubtedly view the result as a failure. Despite a slip in the polls in the week running up to the election, they were still expected to gain their largest-ever share of the votes and the seats. The fact that this did not happen will not only fuel complaints about the supposed unfairness of the firstpast-the-post system, but will also strengthen the position of those who argue that the British people want stable government and are unwilling to risk the country in the hands of an untested party.

Arguably the biggest shock of the night was not to do with who was defeated, but a historical first. Caroline Lucas’s win in Brighton Pavilion was the first ever triumph for a Green MP under a first-past-the-post system anywhere in the world. The Greens were the only minor party to achieve such success; neither UKIP nor the BNP came close to securing a seat, despite

high profile campaigns by both Nigel Farage and Nick Griffin.

Charles Clarke and Jacqui Smith were the big casualties of the night, but neither represented the “Portillo moment” that the Conservatives craved, no current front bench minister was faced with the humiliation of losing their seat. The ‘castration’ of Ed Balls that senior Conservatives had hoped for failed to materialise as Balls just scraped home with a much reduced majority.

Peter Robinson, the leader of the DUP paid the price for his wife’s indiscretion as he lost his seat to the Alliance, a party so small that they don’t even have their own Wikipedia page, (though this may have changed by the time you read this.) This loss will be taken by some to mark the beginning of a sea change in Northern Ireland’s politics, but it is far more likely that this was the response of an electorate frustrated by successive political scandals.

As significant as any political success or defeat, was the widespread problems with the voting system.

These problems took up a large part of thursday night's coverage. Hundreds of people were unable to vote due to insufficient staffing and resources at polling centres. Particularly affected was Nick Clegg’s constituency of Sheffield Hallam where the National Union of students has alleged that local residents were fast tracked to vote ahead of students.

We asked students for their opinion on a hung parliament...

Chanelle Allen

Rob Donnelly

Rich Pearce

"I'm not really "I think it could "I think it will potentially be result in Labour that bothered by a hung quite damaging to and the Lib Dems parliament. It's Britain, at a time merging. A less of an issue to of uncertainty at Conservative both home and win wil come as me than it seems to be to most abroad we need a a shock to most people" strong students after 13 government." years of Labour!"

ELECTION 2010 11

gairrhydd | POLITICS@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY MAY 10 2010

What about Wales?

Damian Fantato Politics Editor

Conservatives Labour Liberal Democrats Other

305 (+97) 258 (-91) 57 (-5) 28 (-1)

*Latest figures at time of print.

T

hursday night was a mixed one for Wales. Most parties were disappointed. The Conservatives, meanwhile, were able to consolidate on their wins in last years European elections (when the Tories won in Wales for the first time in 80 odd years). Ultimately, Labour ended the night with 26 seats, the Conservatives with eight and Plaid and the Lib Dems with three each.

A particularly disappointing night was had by the Liberal Democrats.

They were expected to make significant gains following Nick Clegg’s dazzling campaign and debate performances. On the night, however, they were unable to gain vital seats such as Swansea West and Newport East from Labour. Nonetheless the Lib Dems were able to hold on to Cardiff Central, the constituency in which Cardiff University and its students are largely based, and Ceredigion.

Another disappointment was the loss of Lembit Opik, the controversial Lib Dem MP for Montgomeryshire who gained notoriety for dating a Cheeky Girl and his preoccupation with asteroid impacts. Montgomeryshire was previously considered one of the safest seats in the country. This will come as a huge blow to the Lib Dems. Though as Opik later claimed: “I cannot really analyse it just after the announcement, but I have been sur-

prised. Credit to my opponent [Glyn Davies] – he won fair and square. If you stand in elections you have to be willing to accept defeat as well as victory and this was my time.” He added: “Perhaps it was my brand of politics which people weren’t keen on. Perhaps it was a big surge to the Conservatives”.

"Perhaps people weren't too keen on my brand of politics" Plaid Cymru will also be disappointed with their election performance. On the one hand, their share of the vote was similar to what they received in 2005 and they gained the seat of Arfon, but on the other hand they failed to gain many of the other seats they set out to win; Ynys Mon and Llanelli in particular. Plaid also came fourth in Aberconwy, a seat they hold in the Welsh Assembly and hoped to gain in Westminster. Ieuan Wyn Jones, the leader of Plaid, claimed that the night would be one of “real disappointment” as they failed to make the breakthrough they sought after.

Plaid was quick to point out that the Scottish National Party (SNP) had experienced similar problems in Scotland. Having both been excluded from the three television debates, both nationalist parties are blaming this for their poor showing.

The victors in Wales were the Con-

servatives, who did almost exactly what they were expected to do, and Labour, whose results were much better than anyone had predicted. The Labour Party regained Blaenau Gwent, the former Labour stronghold that was lost in 2005 after an internal party dispute, from its independent Member of Parliament. Labour were also able to hang onto many seats that were targeted by other parties (Ynys Mon, Swansea West and Bridgend in particular). Nonetheless, they ended the night with four seats less than when they started it. It constituted a mixed night for Labour, but they could have done much worse.

The Conservatives, meanwhile, gained five seats, hitting most of their targets in the principality. They robbed the Lib Dems of Montgomeryshire, the undoubted jewel in their election night crown, and notably gained Cardiff North, the Vale of Glamorgan and Aberconwy, achieving exactly what they were expected to but nothing more. The new MP for Aberconwy, Guto Bebb, claims that the Tories were making "very significant gains in Wales". This seems overly optimistic. There were many constituencies where the Conservatives should have done better.

Nobody, therefore, will have real cause to celebrate in Wales over the coming weeks. That said, it is certainly interesting how conservatively Wales has voted in this election considering how taboo the topic is in the principality.

The end of an era? How has Britain changed since 1997?

The average property value in England and Wales in 1997 was has climbed to

£61,984. By 2010 this

£164,455

The percentage of UK homes with internet access in 1997 was

4%. In 2009 it was

73%

In 1997 the Tesco Group could

568

boast stores in the UK. By2009 this had increased to

In 1996/7 obesity related admissions in

2,306

England were at had hit

494

738. By 2008/09 they

8,085

is the number of UK military fatalities since 1997

In 1998 the estimated annual average earnings of a Premier League footballer were

78

In 1997 there were broadcast television stations in the UK. By 2008, this had risen to

940

£190,000. In 2010 they hit

£1,4million 71%

The British Crime Survey estimates that in 1997 the total number of crimes committed was

of people believe that "Britain is becoming a worse place to live"

16.7million

. By 2009 this

had shrunk to

10.7million

Sources: Land Registry, Prospect magazine, Ministry of Defence, Office of National Statistics, Ipsos Mori & British Crime Survey

22 LETTERS

gairrhydd | LETTERS@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY MARCH 01 2010

POLITICS 13

gairrhydd | POLITICS@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY MAY 10 2010

Return of the terrorists

This world, this week

Ayushman Jamwal ponders what the reappearance Road to ruins of Hakimullah Mehsud could mean for the West

H

akimullah Mehsud, the leader of the Tehrik-e-Taliban - a militant group in Pakistan - was reported dead by US officials in January this year after a massive drone attack on militant strongholds in North Waziristan.

Last Monday, a video was published on the internet in which a healthy Hakimullah Mehsud claimed that the news of his death was the work of US propaganda to undermine him. With two armed fighters on both sides, Mehsud accused the United States of being a terrorist state, promised swift revenge against the nation and called

on militant fighters from Iraq and Yemen to remain resilient in their fight against the nation. The video also includes a crude animation of three explosions over a map of the United States, with a picture of Mehsud on the side. Other pictures in the video include the funerals and dead bodies of people who died in the numerous US drone attacks on the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) of Pakistan.

Mehsud has a reputation for being a notorious and cruel militant leader.

He rose to fame in 2007 after he kidnapped over 300 Pakistani soldiers in

TIMES SQUARE: Where it all kicked off

South Waziristan and demanded the release of high profile militants from the Pakistan government. In 2008, he planned and carried out numerous attacks on NATO convoys in the Khyber region and Peshawar, and imposed the jaziya tax (or religion tax) on the Sikh minorities in the Orakzai tribal region.

Before his ‘death’, he also had a reputation for being very media friendly.

He used to invite reporters to interview him about his beliefs and latest exploits, allowing them to film him with his stolen Humvees and taking media crews on tours of the tribal areas. He was given the mantle of leader after the founder of the TTP, Baitullah Mehsud, was killed in a drone attack in August last year.

The video emerged after a botched bombing attempt in Times Square in New York City on Saturday night, when a Nissan Pathfinder packed with explosives failed to detonate. On Monday, Faisal Shahzad, the prime suspect in the case, was pulled off a flight to Dubai from J.F.K. Airport and arrested for interrogation. He admitted breaching the terrorist act and confessed to going to the tribal province of Waziristan, Pakistan, for five months last year to receive bombmaking training.

US intelligence officials have pointed out that the video is a desperate attempt by Mehsud to re-assert his authority over the TTP. According to them, the CIA’s increasing unmanned drone attacks and the Pakistan army’s sweeping incursions on militant targets in Waziristan have left Mehsud with less room to mount a counter-

strategy. This has caused his leadership to be overshadowed by other TTP commanders, namely his rival, Waliur Rehman. However, regardless of the leadership dynamics within the TTP, the full scale reaction of US political figures and the authorities is still uncertain. So far, the reaction has been very reserved and precautionary.

Even though the Times Square incident raised fears of a TTP cell infiltrating the United States, authorities in New York have dismissed the claims that the event was tied to a militant group in Pakistan, stating that the case is still under investigation.

Moreover, New York mayor, Michael Bloomberg, implored New Yorkers not to commit any violence or obscenities against the Muslim population of the city. “We will not tolerate any bias or backlash against Pakistani or Muslim New Yorkers. All of us live in this city and, among any group, there is always a few bad apples,” he said.

New York is currently on high alert, but the botched terrorist attempt and the Mehsud video have so far have been unable to cause a panic in the United States. On the other hand, the role of civilians and law enforcement agencies in locating the bomb and apprehending the culprit have led the incident to be hailed as an example of American resilience to any terrorist threat. In a statement to the press, Barack Obama said, “New Yorkers have reminded us once again of how to live with our heads held high….as Americans, as a nation, we will not be terrorised, we will not cower in fear, we will not be intimidated.”

The end of the rainbow nation?

Damian Fantato examines South Africa's decline into a nation rocked by racial violence and fear

W

e're all familiar with the image that South Africa is often given: the rainbow nation, the paradise of racial tolerance, the example that all other African countries should follow.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Racial tensions in the country are reachng boiling point. The murder of Eugene Terreblanche has proved a catalyst for underlying racial anger.

Terreblanche was the victim of a wave of farm murders that has claimed the lives of 3,000 farmers in the last 15 years, but the subject of attacks on white farmers is one that the African National Congress (ANC) shies away from for fear of comparisons between South Africa and neighbouring Zimbabwe.

The ANC's position, however, is becoming increasingly difficult due to the high level of publicity that the at-

tacks are now receiving.

Race relations in South Africa have not been helped by the outspoken leader of the ANC's Youth League, Julius Malema, who sung an old antiapartheid song that included the line "shoot the boer [farmer]" at rallies.

The High Court has since banned the song, but this decision is currently under appeal.

Malema has also visited Zimbabwe, where he praised Robert Mugabe for land reform policies that have led to 4,000 commercial white farmers being driven off their land.

A supporter of the far-right Afrikaner Resistance Movement (AWB) has said that "Malema is a racist pig and he will pay for this".

The roots of the problem are the South African government's failure to implement land reforms that meet black aspirations but that don't destroy the productive agricultural sector.

EUGENE TERREBLANCHE

It wants at least one third of land in black hands by 2014, but is way off its own target. The land bank, which was set up to finance farm purchases, is broke and its managers are currently under investigation for corruption.

Many white South Africans are speaking of abandoning the country they were brought up in. 800,000 out of 4.4 million white South Africans have emigrated since 1995, and this is expected to rise. Jacob Zuma, the South African President, has claimed there will be no Zimbabwe style landgrabs, but many are not convinced.

Ian Bothma, a tradesman from Terreblanche's hometown who does not share his political beliefs, claims that "we are now in the final days of white life in this country". He is planning on leaving for Australia.

"I was born and bred here but it is time to go. It is unfair to inflict such a future on our children," he said.

A

business leader has claimed this week that at least $300million is being paid in bribes at checkpoints in the Ivory Coast each year.

Jean-Louis Billon, President of the Ivorian Chamber of Commerce, blames the "mafias" within the army and the rebel New Forces, who control the northern Ivory Coast.

The two parties agreed to share power in 2007, but elections have since been postponed and the country remains divided in two.

Talk about it

T

he US Middle East envoy has returned to the region this week in an attempt to restart Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

The Palestinian Authority has refused to attend the indirect proximity talks since March, partly due to Israel's plans to build new settlements in East Jerusalem. The talks themselves have been stalled since 2008.

In November, Israel was forced to suspend building new settlements in the West Bank (which are illegal under international law) after heavy US pressure. The Palestinian Authority, however, will not enter direct talks until Israel completely halts building settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank.

Acropolis now

G

reece has been hit by mass strikes this week as the country protests against planned austerity measures.

The government has planned to slash spending and increase taxes in return for the €110billion rescue package. Wages will be frozen and pensions cut as the country attempts to remove €30billion from its budget over the next three years.

As a result, public sector workers have walked out, and were later joined by transport workers, bringing the country to a halt. Schools and hospitals remain shut.

14 FEATURES

gairrhydd | FEATURES@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY MAY 10 2010

Still LEARNing?

Last year gair rhydd reported on the closure of the humanities provision at LEARN. Almost a year later, what's the situation?

Jamie Thunder News Editor On April 27 last year, a crowd of people sat, stood, and crouched in a cramped lecture room to hear that Cardiff University proposed to cut the entire provision of humanities at the Centre for Lifelong Learning (also known as LEARN).

To the tutors, students, and trade union reps there, for all their bullish words about preventing the ‘bonfire of the humanities’, it looked bleak.

They had 90 days of statutory consultation before redundancies would be formally decided, but the University’s announcement – made before any mention of the plans to the Centre’s Operational Board or any of the four co-ordinating lecturers – seemed final.

Even harder to take, was the reason for the change. The University was required to move all part-time tutors onto a pay scale equivalent to full-time academic staff, but because

almost all tutors at LEARN were parttime and were paid less than full-time staff members who worked the same hours, this would wipe out the Centre’s reserves in a year.

All 250 courses in the humanities were to be cut from the Lifelong Learning Centre Rather than absorb the annual loss into the University’s overall profits or stagger the shift to the new pay scale all 250 courses in the likes of history, music, and literature were to go from the Centre, which offers members of the public the chance to study for qualifications worth up to two years of a degree.

The only other option, concluded the University, was to raise the cost of each module by 20% a year for two years, and this would put students off.

It’s hard to tell if this is true – the busi-

ness plan gave no figures, and the students themselves weren’t asked.

Possible scaling down of humanities provision was also rejected in the business document, although no reasons were given. Tutors, students, and the University and College Union (UCU) staged demonstrations and won the support of local politicians, but the final decision was down to a special meeting of University Council.

At the meeting, on July 20, the Council agreed that no humanities courses should run in September, reducing LEARN’s provision to social science, computing, and modern languages. It also found that the financial and stability research of the original proposal had been ‘conducted thoroughly and appropriately’, but that this had not been shown adequately in the business plan. This was presumably of little comfort to staff and unions who’d had to rely on that business plan to inform their own proposals.

Although it all looked very grim for

humanities at the Centre, there was a ray of light. The Council decided that a skeleton of humanities courses should run in the January semester to determine their financial viability. It would be overseen by two of the coordinating lecturers (one had taken early retirement and the other moved to the University’s history department).

The new courses are only about one seventh of last year's provision, but it's something Nine months on from that decision and it’s looking better still. About 20 courses ran in January and another 15 started just after Easter, and the signs are that they’ve passed the test.

A similar number are expected to run again next year having proved that they’re financially viable, meaning that humanities look likely to stay at

PROTEST: Last year's gair rhydd Editor Ben Bryant and Opinion Editor Paul Stollery join protestors in May 2009

the Centre.

The new courses are only about one seventh of last year’s provision, but it’s certainly better than depriving students who might not have any other qualifications the chance to study humanities. If the University’s business plan had been fully accepted by the Council there’d be no opportunity for that, and the Lifelong Learning Centre would be hugely reduced.

The Centre doesn’t get nearly the recognition it deserves. It’s part of Cardiff University and it’s even in the same building as maths, but a lot of students haven’t a clue what it is or what it does. If it had lost its humanities provision a really important part of the University’s community work would have been lost with it.

So next time you’re sat around wondering what to do with your life now you’ve finished memorising the dialogue in Glee, why not help keep the Centre financially viable and try one of the courses. You never know; you might just LEARN something.

Get it? Yeah. Thought you did.

FEATURES 15

gairrhydd | FEATURES@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY MAY 10 2010

Walk on the wild side

With summer just around the corner, Features encourages you to ditch the revision and make the most of Cardiff's wildlife...

Rachel Henson Features Writer It’s that time of year when we replace lounging in the living room with the library, swap rum and coke for coffee in the small hours and to top it all off, it’s temptingly sunny outside. What better time to get outdoors and discover the wild streak in you? Here are a few ideas to inspire even the most adamant of urbanites:

The Garden/Backyard How to get there: open the back door...

Cathays does pretty well for wildlife if you don’t fancy going far to find it. Before the Easter holidays, a suspicious-looking group wearing red-filtered head torches, standing in a circle around a large speaker outside the Woodville were approached at midnight by slightly confused-looking students who wanted to know if they were conducting a ritual as part of a satanic cult.

A slightly embarrassed biology lecturer tried to explain that they were actually conducting an experiment on nocturnal songbird behaviour, but I fear it may have fallen on deaf ears.

The group managed to hear robins and blackbirds at unearthly hours of the morning, but if you prefer to do your twitching by day, there’s plenty more to be seen.

So far this spring, I’ve seen blue tits, chaffinches, blackbirds, and gold crests in the garden, in addition to the obligatory pigeons, magpies and gulls.

House sparrows have been flapping around Flora Street since the beginning of the year and the bumblebees are out in force now that the weather’s a little warmer.

The nation's favourite insect is the buff-tailed bumblebee If you want to attract birds to your garden, Dr Rob Thomas, from Cardiff School of Biosciences, has the following advice: “It’s best not to put out whole peanuts or bread as it can choke the chicks. Small seeds and fat mixtures are better, and it’s not too late to put out nest boxes”.

Although many invertebrates are neither creepy nor crawly, they are often misunderstood and thought of as pests. Did you know, for example, that there are over 30 species of slug in the UK, only a few of which cause significant problems to gardening folk? Or that, according to a Royal Entomological Society survey, the nation’s favourite insect is the bufftailed bumblebee?

Or that the most hated are greenbottle flies? It’s National Insect Week from June 21, so keep an eye out for the fascinating little fellas this summer.

In the City Centre How to get there: ten minute walk from the Students’ Union...

The peregrine falcons nesting on top of City Hall are a must-see this

spring. Peregrines are the fastest bird in the world, reaching up to 112 mph when chasing their prey, and there’s currently a nest on the clock tower.

The National Museum of Wales has a live camera link in the entrance hall so you can have a good look at what’s going on in the nest, and the RSPB have an information stand outside City Hall during the week.

The Parks How to get there: Bute is accessible from Talybont, town centre and Corbett Road. Access Roath Park from Lake Road or Wellfield Road...

Bute Park is one of the largest green spaces found in a UK city, and it can be a beautiful, tranquil place at times.

If you’ve been looking out for wildlife at the Talybont end, you may have seen salmon jumping over the Black Weir in the autumn, but it’s also possible to see bats flying at dusk, as well as many of the 42 bird species known to frequent the Cardiff area.

Controversial development work is currently underway in the Coopers Field area and around the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, which has seen the removal of living trees and deadened wood - valuable to the smaller critters needed to maintain our urban biodiversity. The path is being widened for ‘health and safety reasons’, to allow two articulated lorries to safely pass each other.

I assume the overall risk assessment accounted for runners, dog walkers, little old ladies and students playing frisbee, who will all undoubtedly benefit from increased lorry traffic in the park, as much as the wildlife will. At least the new £1.4 million access point from Corbett Road will help them get into the park in the first place, because it was a bit difficult previously...

To avoid the lorries, head over to Roath Park. The 30 acre lake has four islands used as nest sites for many bird species including 100 mute swans and the occasionally intimidating goose population.

Roath Park also has a wildflower garden which looks stunning at this time of year and a Victorian glasshouse which houses terrapins, green water dragons and whistling ducks among the foliage.

Newport Wetlands How to get there: follow the brown ‘duck’ signs from the A48, Newport...

GOOSE: Roath's feathered friends

There is a reason to go to Newport after all: The Newport Wetlands National Nature Reserve. It was originally built as compensation for the loss of intertidal habitat during the Cardiff Bay development.

It now acts as a sanctuary for wildlife in freshwater reed beds and along the globally important Severn Estuary shoreline.

BLUE TIT: Strike a pose At this time of year, warblers are arriving from Africa so you may hear them, well, warbling, along with the cuckoos and the unfortunate sounding little grebe, which the RSPB describe as a “small dumpy grebe with a fluffy rear end”.

The reserve is also home to grass snakes, otters, moles and badgers and a recently sighted pair of Marsh Harriers.

Peregrine falcons nesting on top of City Hall are a must-see Parc Slip How to get there: signposted from junction 36 of the M4...

Parc Slip Nature Park has walks around the reserve and is bike-friendly as part of the National Cycle Network.

A group of Cardiff University’s Wildsoc members recently managed to see lapwings, tufted ducks, water rail and the amusingly named wigeon.

The site also has several species of orchid and a quiet walk along the paths might lead to a sighting of an adder - one of the UK’s three native snake species.

Lavernock Point

How to get there: Hop on bus number 88 or 94...

Lavernock Point is a reserve set in Jurassic limestone grassland and meadows. The remains of a World War II battery can be seen in the middle of the reserve, and it’s also the site where Marconi and his colleagues sent the first radio message across the sea to Flat Holm Island in 1897, which, incidentally, is another great place for wildlife. It’s accessible by boat from Cardiff Bay and has thriving seabird colonies and blue-spotted slow worms.

If you’re a hardcore wildlife fan/ procrastinator, then it might also be worth a quick online search for storm petrels in Portugal, as there are still some volunteering places left for the 2010 Cardiff University research projects in A Rocha. Otherwise, Cardiff has an abundance of wildlife if you know where to look, and you don’t have to be an eco-geek in wellies and a woolly hat to enjoy it, although it’s always best to be prepared, but I digress.

Get up and enjoy the spring dawn chorus, take a break in the park or pop in to see the peregrines on the way into town. Sir David Attenborough would.

22 LETTERS

gairrhydd | LETTERS@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY MARCH 01 2010

COLUMNIST 17

gairrhydd | OPINION@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY MAY 10 2010

e b o T . . . .

K N A R F id le Or the

n k li O li F r a f o s g in rant

n

Left hanging S

o there we have it. As I am writing this, the votes across the UK have confirmed what we all expected, and the United Kingdom now faces a hung parliament. As the political wrangling begins behind closed doors to find that elusive majority-ensuring coalition, the blanket of uncertainty that settled across our unsleeping country on Thursday night remains tightly wrapped, and many – particularly Nick Clegg’s Liberal Democrats – are wondering what on earth just happened.

In an admirable moment, Nick Clegg came out on Thursday morning to accept his party’s lacklustre performance and make a stark declaration of intent: that he will stick to his guns, and go with his belief that the British voters have chosen the Conservatives as the party with the mandate to form a government.

For many Liberal Democrat voters, it is a reprehensible notion: that Clegg may form a coalition with Cameron in an unholy-alliance of blue and yellow. Any deal brokered in the coming hours and days will most likely include a referendum on voter reform, which many Conservatives will argue fiercely against.

Whatever happens, as I write this, bleary-eyed on Friday morning, Gordon Brown’s position as incumbent Prime Minister is untenable; I should think by the time you read this, he will already have stepped down – or, I should think he is at least packing his bags – while in the wings, Alan Johnson and the Miliband brothers are surely calculating their chances of challenging the Labour party leadership.

The results, it must be said, are hardly that surprising. All opinion polls in the days running up to the vote pointed to this outcome. What was shocking, however, was the extent to which the ‘Cleggmania’ of the campaign died overnight as the British public chickened out of change and instead cowed to the pressure of the Murdoch media empire. The Sun’s Obama-style portrait of Cameron with

Graphics projected onto Westminster suggest a hung parliament the headline ‘Our Only Hope’ provided a moment of comic relief for the lefties among us as we gathered around the TV biting our nails.

As it turns out, the Obama image was apt, but only in reminding us how utterly ludicrous the idea of a British Obama remains, despite this historic election. Despite speech-after-speech and poster-after-photoshopped-poster going on about ‘change’ and ‘fairness’, it speaks volumes about our country that the hope of three-party politics, promised by the opinion polls after the first televised debate, soon collapsed in a cavalcade of British cynicism and

media fear-mongering. Indeed the only constituency that seems to have truly embraced the notion of change was Brighton Pavilion, which made history by electing the first MP from the Greens – Party Leader Caroline Lucas.

Here in Cardiff, Lib Dem candidate Jenny Willott retained her Central constituency seat, almost certainly due to the overwhelming support of liberally-minded Cardiff students disproportionately altering the outcome of the vote. But a stone’s throw away in Cardiff North, the Tories pulled off a remarkable and vital swing, turning

Cardiff’s red North a defiant shade of blue. And similarly, across the country, Lib Dem seats turned either red or blue as the public wooed by Clegg in the TV debates ultimately reneged on their expected yellow swing and stuck with one of the two major parties.

Over a year ago, on a cold November evening, many of us sat awake as the US changed history and voted Barack Obama into office. On Thursday night, it was a very different story – while many of us sat around our televisions anticipating the results, the morning after there was still no historic speech being made. There is

no jubilation, no triumphant headlines – only a dark and brooding question mark as grey and lacklustre as the drizzling cloud hanging over Cardiff this morning. I hope that by the time you read this the sun is shining – but given Welsh weather, I expect not.

And given British politics, I expect the political picture will remain similarly solemn.

The only ray of sunshine may still, unlikely as it is, remain in the hands of Nick Clegg as he steps in to his predicted role of ‘kingmaker’. That sunshine comes in the hope of electoral reform. The evidence from the electorate is clear: the current system in Britain is (and I’m sorry to use a political buzzword here) ‘broken’.

While the Liberal Democrats secured approximately 23 per cent of the popular vote, they secured just over 50 seats – less than eight percent of those available. Labour, at the moment I am writing this, have 251 seats – more than 38 per cent of those available, despite only receiving 29.3% of the popular vote. The Conservatives have over 36 per cent of the vote – yet are set to achieve over 44 per cent of the seats.

Excuse my frankness, but what the fuck has happened to the notion of democracy in this country when almost a quarter of our voting population are totally ignored? How can we pretend to be a democratic power when the Labour party remain over-represented in seats by almost ten per cent? The numbers speak for themselves. We will soon see whether the rhetoric of change materialises into anything more than big words and broken promises.

The question of government still remains. In the coming days, the country can do little but watch as politicians try to hammer out some kind of deal so that they can govern our country.

The electorate have spoken, and parliament is hung. How ironic then, that it is us who have been left hanging.

8 OPINION

LETTERS 19

gairrhydd | LETTERS@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY MAY 10 2010

the Comments from the week’s news, opinion, features and sport at www.gairrhydd.com National Heroin Service James Cookson Firstly I would just like to point out that it not a “ridiculous idea” to provide drug addicts with drugs. If it were, why have Switzerland continued to give the hardcore drug addicts free heroin for the past 10 years now?

The program has been successful in reducing drug related acquisitive crime and lowering the spread of blood borne disease and infections not just among the population of injecting users but of the population as a whole.

Not only that but more dependent users are now in contact with the clinics that provide the drugs which enables them to be enrolled into treatment more easily. As a result the number of dependent drug users of heroin has decreased and the number of dependent users in work has increased.

The problem I think you are having with not be able to see why it is cost effective is that you seem to have a notion that dependent heroin users have a choice of whether they take the drug.

Being a dependent drug user of heroin means that if you don’t take the drug you go through an agonising physical and mental withdrawal. Your hangover from over dosing on your drug of choice (alcohol presumably) is no where near as severe or lengthy.

Dependent drug addicts will do anything to get hold of the drugs and that means acquisitive crime such as burglary or theft and in the case of a lot of female dependent drug users prostitution.

By giving them the drugs which they are going to take anyway we save money through the criminal justice system and from the social costs that would have been incurred from the

victims of acquisitive crime.

In addition, the supply of drugs is taken away from drug dealers who are concerned with profits and market expansion and into the hands of government.

The drugs for cancer could be afforded if dependent drug users were given the drugs. Obviously it would not be a free for all with everyone getting the drug for free. It is not clear how exactly this process would work in this country but has been successful in Switzerland so it must be possible.

Production of heroin (which is already done legally in this country by pharmaceutical companies) cost roughly £300 a kilogram so the costs of giving dependent users the drugs would cost roughly £5 per week per user.

Discussions topics related to the drugs problem in this country needs to be based on evidence not knee jerk reactions. We need to give these topics the debate they deserve instead of just dismissing them as “simply ridiculous”.

Nici Hi. I live in Zürich, Switzerland, and here we have had this system for ages. It’s prooved that it works, there are less HIV etc. infections and there are way less junkies on the street. bye Bethany Woods I totally agree with what you have said James, and think that the article was written by somebody who had already made up her mind about drug users before writing it.

It is important to consider the debate in depth rather than reacting on a “moral” impulse.

Joe Hawkes I also agree with James here.

The statement that “Coming off drugs isn’t supposed to be easy and probably shouldn’t be” worryingly reflects the views of a large proportion of the public.

Our vote is useless, democracy is flawed Thomas Dent It is all very well to complain about the current system: but Hart hasn’t thought about the problems which any alternatives would encounter. His most fundamental mistake is assuming that the most basic aspects of British democracy are parties and percentages, rather than people and policies.

It is simply impossible to have a nationally proportional system without eroding or destroying the link between the local constituency and the member that serves it – that represents his or her constituents no matter what their party affiliation. Proportional MPs would be mathematical tokens serving to make up the ‘right’ numbers and representing no-one but their national party machines.

Local movements like Respect and the journalist Martin Bell would not stand a chance as their national percentages would be tiny. It would be impossible for truly independent MPs to get elected. A fully proportional system would spell the end of local involvement in the nation’s politics, and give established parties an even bigger stranglehold on power than they already have.

Hart’s other fundamental mistake is that there is mathematical theorem proving that a fully fair voting system

forum

is impossible. Look it up on Wikipedia: Arrow’s Theorem Any system with one-person-one-vote will produce ‘unfair’ paradoxes just like the first-pastthe-post system does.

To complain that the ‘majority is powerless’ to change the system, while at the same time moaning that the local Lib Dem MP is too popular, is downright perverse. It’s only the Lib Dems that would give Hart what he seems to want. If there is a majority in any constituency, it will by definition have power: the power to elect its MP. The only way to lose this power for sure is to cynically throw your hands up and your voting card away.

Steve Crietzman Very well written article, Tim. I agree with your analysis. Our system is profoundly undemocratic.

We’re trapped in a two-party state pretending to be a multi-party democracy. Where we live and who we vote for defines whether our vote counts.

Regarding Thomas’ points above, one by one: Constituency link: It’s simply not true that PR has to hurt the constituency link. Roy Jenkin’ proposed AV+ system is greatly more proportional than FPTP, yet maintains a strong constituency link. The size of the constituencies would be barely bigger than current constituencies. There may only be 500 or so MPs elected the traditional way, with 100 or so acting as ‘top up’ MPs to proportionalise the overall number of seats won, thus compensating those who voted against the incumbent constituency MP with representatives from their own preferred party, who can speak on their behalf.

Independents being harmed: Simply not true, in fact quite the reverse. What

are the odds of a true independent, without party backing, securing the vote of 40% or more of the vote in an constituency? Virtually none, which is why independent MPs are few and far between. However, under PR, you may only need a few % of the vote to gain a seat. This aids smaller parties and independents if they run an effective and popular campaign, whereas they wouldn’t have a hope in hell under FPTP. No fair voting system: This is just silly. If that’s the case, why don’t we just pick a random system and go with that? All voting systems have their advantages and disadvantages, but we know what matters to people. People want their vote to count. FPTP is widely perceived as unfair. People DO vote for parties, most people pay very little attention to who the candidates are what their record is. So given this is the number one factor people most are using to cast their vote, it is logical that their votes are counted with that same logic. If 20% want Party A, they should secure 20% seats/representation.

In addition, PR doesn’t mean the party is in control of candidate lists any more than they are in control over FPTP lists. Infact, FPTP has a choice of ONE candidate per party. PR systems give voters the choice of SEVERAL representatives from each party,, allowing them not only to pick their favourite party, but also their favoured candidate within that party; the most popular candidate for a party will become that party’s first elected candidate.

Final paragraph: I see no contradiction there whatsoever. The system is unfair to his local voters who don’t back the Lib Dems, just as it’s unfair to national Lib Dems who don’t back the parties who get an unfair boost under FPTP. ...read more at www.gairrhydd.com.

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20 TAF-OD

gairrhydd | TAFOD@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY MAY 10 2010

Prynnu a gwerthu yn enw achos da

Merched Pinc Positif

Taf-od Writers

Cafwyd diwrnod llwyddiannus dros ben ddydd Mercher ddiwethaf wrth i ni fel t gynnal un o ddigwyddiadau cyntaf ein hymgyrch ‘Pinc Positif / Positive Pink’, sef ymgyrch i godi cymaint o arian â phosib i ddwy elusen sy’n gwneud gwaith gwych ym mhob cwr o’r wlad – Cancer Research UK a’r

British Heart Foundation.

Dros yr wythnosau diwethaf roeddwn ni a nifer fawr o’n ffrindiau ac aelodau o’n teuluoedd wedi bod yn casglu pob math o bethau at ei gilydd er mwyn eu gwerthu (yn rhad!) yn ein harwerthiant prynnu a gwerthu (Bring and Buy Sale) a gynhaliwyd yn ein ty ni drwy gydol brynhawn ddydd Mercher, Ebrill 28.

Bu’r casglu a’r prisio yn hwyl, gyda’r ty yn llawn bob math o nwyddau gwahanol, gan gynnwys nifer

helaeth iawn o ddillad – gyda rhai eitemau ychydig yn fwy chwaethus na’i gilydd!

Bu’r paratoi diwyd yn parhau drwy gydol yr wythnos ddiwethaf, gyda rhai o’r aelodau o’r ymgyrch yn coginio cannoedd o gacennau i’w gwerthu, tra bod y rhai llai ffodus eu doniau yn y gegin yn cael y dasg o addurno’r ty i gyd yn binc ac yn goch.

Yn ogystal â’r arwerthiant, cynhaliwyd hefyd ocsiwn distaw gyda dillad newydd sbon o’r siop Karen Mil-

len (gyda diolch yn fawr iawn i Fflur Owen am eu cyfrannu), gemau, ac fe werthwyd nifer fawr iawn o docynnau raffl (gyda diolch o galon i bob un o’r cwmnïau a fu mor hael at ein hachos).

Er bod y ddwy elusen yn ymwneud â nifer o achosion trist iawn, ac yn delio gyda dau glefyd marwol sy’n effeithio gymaint o bobl yn ddyddiol, mae’n hymgyrch ni yn un bositif, ac yn un sydd eisiau gwneud gwahaniaeth.

Braint o’r mwyaf felly yw dweud i ni godi dros £1,000 brynhawn dydd Mercher, gan ddyblu ein targed o £500. Dyma swm hollol anhygoel, ac ni allwn ni ddiolch digon i bob un sydd wedi cyfrannu at yr achos hyd yn hyn.

Edrychwn ymlaen yn fawr at y digwyddiadau nesaf – mae ambell aelod yn ddigon dewr i fentro i’r traciau rhedeg... ac fe fydd y gweddill ohonom ni yno yn eu cefnogi bob cam!

blwydd yn ddeg oed a dywedir mai hon fydd y flwyddyn orau eto. Braint llwyr felly bod y trefnwyr wedi penderfynnu ei chynnal yng Nghymru gan fod y digwyddiad mawr hwn yn siwr o roi Cymru fach ar y map.

Byth ers sefydlu Penwythnos Mawr Radio 1 ddeng mlynedd yn ôl, mae wedi datblygu i fod yn un o’r gwyliau mwyaf poblogaidd yn y calendr cerddoriaeth. Nid yn unig oherwydd y llu o artistiaid enwog sy’n cymryd ond gan mai’r Wyl hon ywr fwyaf yn Ewrop i gyd ble nad oes talu run ddima goch i fod yn rhan ohoni.

Ond nid mater o cyntaf i’r felin ydyw gan fod yn rhaid cofrestru ar wefan Radio 1 ar gyfer ymgeisio am y cyfle amhrisiadwy hwn. Bydd 20,000 o docynnau yr un yn cael eu dosbarthu ar gyfer Dydd Sadwrn a Dydd Sul. Caiff y tocynnau eu rhannu ar hap

yn seiliedig ar gôd post. Bob blwyddyn yn olynol, bydd yr Wyl yn rhoi blaenoriaeth i drigolion lleol yr ardal.

O Fôn i Fynwy, bydd y mwyafrif helaeth o’r tocynnau yn cael eu dosbarthu i drigolion Bangor, Gwynedd ac yn ardal ehangach gogledd Cymry gyda’r gweddill yn cael eu dosbarthu ledled y Deyrnas Unedig.

Am y tro cyntaf eleni, bydd yr Wyl hefyd yn hyrwyddo’r fenter byw yn wyrdd ac un o’r gweithgareddau gwyrdd sydd wedi’i threfnu yw fod pobl yn cael cynnig glanhau un o draethau’r ardal er mwyn cael tocynnau.

Yn anffodus, nid pawb fydd yn ddigon ffodus o gael y cyfle i fod yn rhan o’r Wyl enwog hon. Yn wir, rhaid ceisio peidio codi gobeithion eich bod yn mynd i fod yn ffodus gan fod miloedd ar filoedd o bobl wedi ymgeisio am docynnau. Dros y blyny-

ddoedd diwethaf, mae swm anghredadwy o 35,000 o bobl wedi gwneud ceisiadau am docynnau, felly lwc llwyr ddaw i ran y sawl fydd yn ddigon ffodus o gael mynd.

Ond i’r rhai hynny ohonoch na fydd yn llwyddiannus, peidiwch digalonni gan fod Gwyl y Fringe yn cael ei chynnal yr wythnos o flaen llaw.

Gwyl ydyw sy’n dathlu’r swn gerddoriaeth yn lleol gyda phanel arbennig yn cynnwys rhai o DJ’s Radio 1 Bethan Elfyn a Huw Stephens, gan enwi dim ond rhai ohonynt fydd yn dewis y perfformwyr.

Bydd miloedd yn tyrru draw o bob cwr o’r byd i wrando ar y llu o artistiaid enwog yn perfformio ar y 4 llwyfan. Mae’r ‘line-up’ eleni hefyd yn fawr wrth i sêr mwyaf y byd radio a cherddoriaeth gamu i’r llwyfan. O’r ferch dalentog Cheryl Cole i’r band

lleol sy’n prysur gwneud enw eu hunain ‘Yr Od’s’, mae’r rhestr yn hirfaith o’r rhai fydd yn cymryd rhan. Bydd rhywbeth at ddant pawb yn yr Wyl arbennig hon gan apelio at bob cenhedlaeth o’r to iau i’r to hyn.

Anfantais gref yw bod yr Wyl yn cael ei chynnal ar adeg prysur iawn yn y calendr addysg gyda arholiadau di-ri yn cymryd lle ledled y wlad. Efallai y byddai wedi bod yn well petai’r Wyl wedi cael ei threfnu yn nês at yr Haf, wedi i’r holl waith adolygu a sefyll arholiadau ddod i ben.

Mae’n braf eleni hefyd bod y Faenol yn denu pobl ifanc yn hytrach na’r hen stejars. Cyngherddau Opera gaiff eu cynnal yno ran amlaf, felly mae’n braf bod y stâd yn gallu croesawu ieuenctid yr ardal i’w chartref.

Does ryfedd felly bod Cymru yn cael ei hadnabod fel Gwlad y Gân!

Gwynedd, wlad y gan Cadi Mai

Taf-od Editor Heb amheuaeth, Gwynedd yw’r lle i fod yr haf hwn wrth i Wyliau enwoca’r byd ymgartrefu ar diroedd gwyrdd y gogledd. Gyda Wakestock, Gwyl y Faenol a llu o wyliau cerddoriaeth llai yn cael eu cynnal, does dim amheuaeth mai heidio i Wynedd fydd selogion cerddoriaeth y byd.

A pha well ffordd o ddechrau miri’r haf nac yng ngogoniant Eryri yn gwrando ar fandiau enwoca’r swn roc yn perfformio’ n fyw. Wedi gwrando yn eiddgar ers rai misoedd, doedd dim syndod fod trigolion Gwynedd ar ben eu digon pan gyhoeddodd Chris Moyles ar ei sioe, mai’r Faenol ger Bangor fyddai cartref yr Wyl eleni.

Eleni bydd yr Wyl yn dathlu ei phen-

TAF-OD 21

gairrhydd | TAFOD@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY MAY 10 2010

Wel dyna chi flwyddyn Cadi Rhys Thomas

Taf-od Writer

Mae hi’n fis Mai, mae’r haul yn tywynnu – ac mae hi’n gyfnod arholiadau. Sod’s law ta be?! Cwta flwyddyn sydd yna ers i ni eistedd ein arholiada Lefel A, a rwân mi ydan ni’n mynd trwy’r un rigmarôl eto! Ond mae’r ffaith bod yr arholiadau yn agosâu yn golygu rhywbeth arall hefyd, mae’n hamser ni yma yn mwynhau moethusrwydd Senghennydd bron ar ben! A na, tydwi ddim yn bod yn sarcastic – dwi wirioneddol wedi mwynhau byw yma!

Yn bendant tydi Senghennydd ddim byd tebyg i’r Ritz, ond mae o wedi bod yn ‘adra’ i mi am flwyddyn.

Mi fedrai sôn tan Sul y Pys am broblemau Senghennydd; mae ’na sdwff du yn treiddio trwy lawr y gegin dros nos ac yna’n diflannu yn ystod y dydd, dros fisoedd y gaea’ mi oedd y gawod yn oer am dri mis a dwi wedi magu

casineb angerddol tuag at y popty yn y fflat (mi gymrodd hi awr a hannar i mi goginio lasania di rhewi heno, tri chwartar awr oedd di’w sgwennu ar y bocs). Ond er fod ‘na broblemau rif y gwlith, dim am rhain y byddai’n meddwl pan y byddai’n 86 ac yn isda mewn cartra’r henoed yn cofio am y “dyddia’ da”’.

Mae’r flwyddyn yma wedi dod â newid mawr hefyd o ran byw mewn dinas. Tydi bywyd yn Llanfairpwll ddim cweit mor gyffrous â bywyd yng Nghaerdydd! Un o’r pethau gora am fyw mewn dinas ydi’r ffaith fod yna lwythi o siopa yma, fedrai ddim mynd i dre heb biciad i mewn i Topshop!

Mae’r bywyd nos yn well o lawer yma hefyd. Mae genai graith ar fy mraich fel swfyniyr parhaus o Walkabowt, Y lle i fod ar nos Iau! Dwi hefyd yn credu’n gryf mai cerdyn Clwb Ifor ydi’r budsoddiad gora wnai tra’n byw yma, ac mae nosweithiau’r Gym Gym yn rhai grêt bob tro.

Mae’r flwyddyn yma wedi bod yn newid byd i mi. Bellach dwi’n gyfrifol

am bob dim! Er mai petha’ syml ydi coginio bwyd a golchi dillad, mae’u gwneud nhw yn fater arall! Methiant llwyr oedd yr ymgais i wneud cawl cartra’ (“mae o fatha mash” oedd y farn) a dwi wedi llwyddo i shrincio mwy nag un dilledyn yn y peiriant sychu dillad.

Mae hyn i gyd wedi gwneud i mi dyfu fyny, dwi’n gorfod bod yn gyfrifol hefo pres ac yn gorfod gwneud yn siwr fod yna fwyd yn y cwpwrdd a mod i’n smwddio’ nillad. Dwi wedi gorfod dysgu hunan-ddisgyblaeth, dysgu sut i gael y balans yn iawn rhwng gweithio, Facebook a mynd allan.

Heb os nac oni bai, mae ‘leni wedi bod yn flwyddyn a hanner! Dwi wedi gadael adra i fod yr unig Gymraes mewn fflat o Saeson. Dwi wedi gwneud ffrindiau newydd ac wedi ffeindio hen ffrindiau. Felly ar ôl yr arholiadau (a’r dathlu), a thri mis (haeddiannol iawn) o wyliau, mi fyddai’n edrach ‘mlaen i ddod yn ôl yma am flwyddyn wych arall!

22 JOBS & MONEY

gairrhydd | JOBS@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY MAY 10 2010

A paid gap yaah?

Aimee Wigley Jobs & Money Writer

Many of us dream of leaving the grey world of essays, exams and general life behind in favour of travelling the world. Can you think of anything better than exotic experiences in foreign lands? Waking up to endless sunshine? Actually experiencing a blue ocean instead of a brown one? Better yet, imagine getting paid to do this.

Jordan Selig, a Cardiff University Graduate, is so close to realizing this dream. After entering a contest with STA travel, ‘Jordi’ has battled against hundreds of other UK hopefuls to get into the final stages.

How did you find out about the competition?

Well I'd decided to go travelling through Europe. It fitted my budget, but I didn't want to just wander aimlessly about a whole continent. At first I found myself google-ing the usual; 'things to do', 'places to see', 'things off the beaten track' but then my curiosity and need to be busy got the better of me and I started looking to the best way to film the journey etc. In between

about 1000 different sites I found a blog of two girls who'd InterRailed a couple of years ago, the same as I was, with an obscure link to the STA World Traveller competition. It was in a corner towards the bottom of a page commenting on nothing in particular, and not really drawing attention. I had to click it and was so surprised by the amazing competition in front of me I decided to apply immediately.

When did you decide to jack in the job?

Enough was enough after Christmas. I was working as a promotions manager for a restaurant in Cardiff and due to some less-than-perfect organisation within the restaurant I found myself working 65+ hour weeks and doing not only my job, but the job of a restaurant supervisor waiter, and main point of complaint for staff, while still being answerable to all. I loved being busy but I couldn't see this as my career. I'd started as a waiter and intended the job to be temporary. That was 18 months before. I realised it was time to move on.

What gave you the final push?

That's not the whole story as per say. I then worked on my own business with some success. It's called PropBox and

its stocked in the Students' Union joke shop among other places (no I'm not trying to get a free advert here), but I wasn't enjoying it as I knew it wasn't what I wanted to do. What gave me the final push? I knew what I enjoyed and decided it was about time I started doing it. It's that simple. There was no flash of inspiration, just a conscious decision to change track before I got too stuck down the wrong path.

I understand you are in the final 20 of over 500 UK applicants and also the only Welshman. First of all, congratulations! Secondly, how have you lasted so long?

Ha ha ha. First I've got to say I can't take the title of 'Welshman' unless its honorary. I've lived here for six years now and I have some distant Welsh 'heritage' but that aside I'm definitely English. Let's settle on proud Welsh resident?

I've lasted this long by being proactive, and working through the problems along the way. When I found the STA competition I had less than a week before I was due to fly out to the continent and I used it to my advantage. Initially I shot a unique video of me climbing, only to find the microphone we used hadn't worked. So

again, I used that to my advantage. I made a joke out of it, and submitted a blooper-reel style application video.

I adapted.

I've been treating my travels as a job from the moment I entered the competition. I've blogged continuously through Europe to hone my writing style at www.jordistravels.blogspot. com. I've filmed every interesting aspect of my tour with the intention of editing the footage for a professional show reel and have agreed to give a

finished product to CUTV. I've even found myself writing articles on travel equipment and submitting them both to STA and other travel magazines online.

I'd like to say I've stayed in the competition so long because I've been totally focused on treating this like what it is: the best job ever. But I've also stayed in the competition so long because of the impact of my student media involvement.

PARADISE ISLAND: I'm so bitter I can't be witty...

SCIENCE & ENVIRONMENT 23

gairrhydd | SCIENCE@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY MAY 10 2010

The volcano's softer side

Science & Environment look at the cause of that ash cloud, and at what effect it's had on the climate Tomos Clarke Science Writer Over the past few weeks, Europe has been thrown into chaos by the eruption of Icelandic volcano, Eyjafjallajokull. Thousands of flights have been grounded and European airspace closed, leading to chaos and heartbreak for countless passengers.

The ash cloud did not, however, only have negative consequences: levels of CO2 production across Europe plummeted as a result of the grounded flights.

post-war aviation in Europe.

The problem of the ash cloud The eruption took place beneath the glacial ice of Eyjafjallajokull, and when the superheated rock met the cold ice, it shattered, creating the large ash plume. Volcanic ash is a major hazard to air traffic: it damages engines and destroys the leading edges of the wings, affecting the aerodynamics. It can destroy sensitive instruments on the hull of the plane and badly scratch the windows.

The main danger is to the engines.

Volcanic ash consists of small par-

European authorities were not willing to put passenger safety at risk and the blanket ban persisted for over a week. This response was naturally resented by the airlines, who ran a series of high profile test flights proving, they claimed, that the European regulations on ash levels were overcautious. Military testing was also affected with all RAF training fights grounded, including the multi-billion pound Eurofighter Typhoon training.

Flights began again on April 20, with British airspace opening at 10pm. European Airspace was officially re-opened on April 23, as new

the group.

"This has been an excellent opportunity to find out exactly what the environmental impact of airports really are".

Humans are not the only animals to have their flight paths blocked by the cloud. Thousands of geese have been nesting in the Hebrides and the Western Isles of Scotland. The birds, who summer in the Arctic, have sought refuge from the ash on the islands.

They have since attracted a rather large visitor. A gyrfalcon, the largest of all falcon species, has been spotted on the Isle of Lewis. The falcon has a

Land of fire and fce Iceland is a land of fire and ice. It has been sculpted into a geologist's dream by millions of years of volcanic activity and glaciation. Straddling the continents of Europe and North America, the island is being torn apart by tectonic forces as the plates drift apart.

With the constant tectonic activity comes powerful volcanism, but often hidden beneath hundreds of meters of glacial ice. Eyjafjallajokull has traditionally been a quiet volcano and has lay relatively dormant compared to its ill-tempered neighbour, Katla.

Content to sleep beneath its glacier, it is known as the 'lazy old man' by the locals and has not had a major eruption in nearly 200 years.

Brain train failing A recent study of over 11,500 individuals tested the claim that brain training exercises can improve people’s mental skills.

The testers were split into three groups, two of which played training games every day for a period of six weeks.

At the end of the trial, no significant increase in cognitive function was found in any of the three groups.

Although the testers did improve at playing their daily games, this could simply be down to practice rather than necessarily because of any mental improvements.

Current record broken A record-breaking water current has been discovered 3000 kilometres south west of Australia, three kilometres deep in the freezing ocean.

The flow transports over eight million cubic metres of water every second, travelling at over 700 metres per hour.

It is expected to be part of the global ‘conveyor belt’ which forces water around the world between the ocean’s surface and bed.

The conveyor belt has a significant influence over our climate, and so, flows such as these are continuously being monitored for change.

The popular film The Day After Tomorrow was centred around the theory that part of the conveyor belt could slow down due to the melting of fresh polar ice.

Sperm counts falling

Volcanic ash is a major hazard to air traffic On March 20, Eyjafjallajokull spluttered into life, starting with small eruptions in the early hours.

This forced the closure of Icelandic airspace and drew tourists from far and wide to bear witness. On March 31, a chasm 300 metres long opened beneath the glacier and lava began to flow.

Small eruptions continued for weeks, before a major volcanic event on April 14 propelled ash four miles into the air. This changed the nature of the eruption entirely. What had been a minor event, punctuated by relatively harmless lava flows and out-gassing, had changed into an explosive eruption throwing rocks and ash into the sky.

Local residents had to be evacuated as the eruption melted parts of the glacier, causing wild floods to devastate the landscape. But the most significant effects were not at ground level; they were 40,000ft up. At that height, the ash cloud quickly spread south east, covering much of the UK that day, with large parts of the European air space closed afterwards. UK airspace was shut down by the afternoon of April 14 with most of Europe a no-fly zone by April 15. This was the most widespread disruption to

News in brief

Thousands of people had to evacuate their homes...and missed their holidays ticles of pulverised rock and glass formed in the eruption. Jet engines operate at over 1100°C: the melting point of the glass. Once melted, the glass then deposits itself on the engine turbine. Jet engines are highly precise devices, designed to within tolerances of less than a hair's width.

Even the slightest layer of glass causes the engine to fail. The engines suck in vast quantities of air. In fact, they are so powerful, they could suck the air from a house in less than a second. So even very diffuse ash clouds can be dangerous.

In June 1982, British Airways Flight 9 from London to Melbourne encountered ash while travelling over Indonesia. Mount Galunggung had been erupting, in a similar way to Eyjafjallajokull, and the flight path took the plane through the eruption column. One by one, all four engines failed and the plane dived. The rapid descent cooled the engines, while the glass coating the engines shattered, and the engines restarted.

regulations came into force, placing the ash concentrations tolerated at a much higher level.

"This has been an excellent chance to find out about the environmental impact of airports" CO2 levels plummeted A group of researchers from the Environmental Research Group at King's College, London, showed that the levels of CO2 around Gatwick and Heathrow plummeted during the incident. Levels of NO2 and NOx two common aerosol pollutants associated with jet combustion - also plummeted to nearly zero.

"We have always been fairly confident that there was this 'airport effect' but we have never been able to show it," said Dr Barratt, lead scientist of

wingspan of 1.6 metres, and has what is known as a circumpolar distribution, breeding in Greenland, Iceland, Arctic Canada and Norway. They are rarely seen visiting the British Isles.

The wider environmental impact of the ash cloud has yet to become clear. Volcanism is known to have a profound effect on the climate: the Krakatoa eruption of 1883 cooled the world by 1.3 degrees celcius on average. While the current eruption is not on the same scale, it is possible that there will be unforeseen climate changes as a result, especially if the eruption continues for a prolonged period. The previous eruption of Eyjafjallajokull in 1834 lasted many years, so this is most definitely a possibility.

With eruptions still taking place daily, further disruption is possible, if not likely. The wind only need change to a south easterly direction over Iceland and the ash would be blown our way once again, bringing all its disruption with it.

Almost a fifth of otherwise healthy young males aged 18 to 25 suffer from abnormal sperm counts, with only five to 15% of their sperm being considered ‘normal’.

This level of quality and quantity is low compared to other animals.

However, its cause is now better understood - the mother’s environment during pregnancy being to blame.

Although exact links are vague, certain factors can affect the development of early cells within the testes.

For example, a man can reduce his sperm count by 15% or so by smoking, but if his mother smoked during pregnancy, then his sperm count can be expected to be as much as 40% lower.

Android Astronaut Assistant Space shuttle Discovery’s last mission will include taking a humanoid robot to the International Space Station.

As well as helping out the crew with simple and mundane tasks, the robot will test its own ability to cope with the conditions of space travel, such as radiation and electromagnetic interference.

There will also be a challenge in ensuring safety, as tools could easily fall out of the robot’s grip in the negligible gravity. The historic flight is due to set off in September.

20 TAF-OD

gairrhydd | TAFOD@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY MAY 10 2010

Prynnu a gwerthu yn enw achos da

Merched Pinc Positif

Taf-od Writers

Cafwyd diwrnod llwyddiannus dros ben ddydd Mercher ddiwethaf wrth i ni fel t gynnal un o ddigwyddiadau cyntaf ein hymgyrch ‘Pinc Positif / Positive Pink’, sef ymgyrch i godi cymaint o arian â phosib i ddwy elusen sy’n gwneud gwaith gwych ym mhob cwr o’r wlad – Cancer Research UK a’r

British Heart Foundation.

Dros yr wythnosau diwethaf roeddwn ni a nifer fawr o’n ffrindiau ac aelodau o’n teuluoedd wedi bod yn casglu pob math o bethau at ei gilydd er mwyn eu gwerthu (yn rhad!) yn ein harwerthiant prynnu a gwerthu (Bring and Buy Sale) a gynhaliwyd yn ein ty ni drwy gydol brynhawn ddydd Mercher, Ebrill 28.

Bu’r casglu a’r prisio yn hwyl, gyda’r ty yn llawn bob math o nwyddau gwahanol, gan gynnwys nifer

helaeth iawn o ddillad – gyda rhai eitemau ychydig yn fwy chwaethus na’i gilydd!

Bu’r paratoi diwyd yn parhau drwy gydol yr wythnos ddiwethaf, gyda rhai o’r aelodau o’r ymgyrch yn coginio cannoedd o gacennau i’w gwerthu, tra bod y rhai llai ffodus eu doniau yn y gegin yn cael y dasg o addurno’r ty i gyd yn binc ac yn goch.

Yn ogystal â’r arwerthiant, cynhaliwyd hefyd ocsiwn distaw gyda dillad newydd sbon o’r siop Karen Mil-

len (gyda diolch yn fawr iawn i Fflur Owen am eu cyfrannu), gemau, ac fe werthwyd nifer fawr iawn o docynnau raffl (gyda diolch o galon i bob un o’r cwmnïau a fu mor hael at ein hachos).

Er bod y ddwy elusen yn ymwneud â nifer o achosion trist iawn, ac yn delio gyda dau glefyd marwol sy’n effeithio gymaint o bobl yn ddyddiol, mae’n hymgyrch ni yn un bositif, ac yn un sydd eisiau gwneud gwahaniaeth.

Braint o’r mwyaf felly yw dweud i ni godi dros £1,000 brynhawn dydd Mercher, gan ddyblu ein targed o £500. Dyma swm hollol anhygoel, ac ni allwn ni ddiolch digon i bob un sydd wedi cyfrannu at yr achos hyd yn hyn.

Edrychwn ymlaen yn fawr at y digwyddiadau nesaf – mae ambell aelod yn ddigon dewr i fentro i’r traciau rhedeg... ac fe fydd y gweddill ohonom ni yno yn eu cefnogi bob cam!

blwydd yn ddeg oed a dywedir mai hon fydd y flwyddyn orau eto. Braint llwyr felly bod y trefnwyr wedi penderfynnu ei chynnal yng Nghymru gan fod y digwyddiad mawr hwn yn siwr o roi Cymru fach ar y map.

Byth ers sefydlu Penwythnos Mawr Radio 1 ddeng mlynedd yn ôl, mae wedi datblygu i fod yn un o’r gwyliau mwyaf poblogaidd yn y calendr cerddoriaeth. Nid yn unig oherwydd y llu o artistiaid enwog sy’n cymryd ond gan mai’r Wyl hon ywr fwyaf yn Ewrop i gyd ble nad oes talu run ddima goch i fod yn rhan ohoni.

Ond nid mater o cyntaf i’r felin ydyw gan fod yn rhaid cofrestru ar wefan Radio 1 ar gyfer ymgeisio am y cyfle amhrisiadwy hwn. Bydd 20,000 o docynnau yr un yn cael eu dosbarthu ar gyfer Dydd Sadwrn a Dydd Sul. Caiff y tocynnau eu rhannu ar hap

yn seiliedig ar gôd post. Bob blwyddyn yn olynol, bydd yr Wyl yn rhoi blaenoriaeth i drigolion lleol yr ardal.

O Fôn i Fynwy, bydd y mwyafrif helaeth o’r tocynnau yn cael eu dosbarthu i drigolion Bangor, Gwynedd ac yn ardal ehangach gogledd Cymry gyda’r gweddill yn cael eu dosbarthu ledled y Deyrnas Unedig.

Am y tro cyntaf eleni, bydd yr Wyl hefyd yn hyrwyddo’r fenter byw yn wyrdd ac un o’r gweithgareddau gwyrdd sydd wedi’i threfnu yw fod pobl yn cael cynnig glanhau un o draethau’r ardal er mwyn cael tocynnau.

Yn anffodus, nid pawb fydd yn ddigon ffodus o gael y cyfle i fod yn rhan o’r Wyl enwog hon. Yn wir, rhaid ceisio peidio codi gobeithion eich bod yn mynd i fod yn ffodus gan fod miloedd ar filoedd o bobl wedi ymgeisio am docynnau. Dros y blyny-

ddoedd diwethaf, mae swm anghredadwy o 35,000 o bobl wedi gwneud ceisiadau am docynnau, felly lwc llwyr ddaw i ran y sawl fydd yn ddigon ffodus o gael mynd.

Ond i’r rhai hynny ohonoch na fydd yn llwyddiannus, peidiwch digalonni gan fod Gwyl y Fringe yn cael ei chynnal yr wythnos o flaen llaw.

Gwyl ydyw sy’n dathlu’r swn gerddoriaeth yn lleol gyda phanel arbennig yn cynnwys rhai o DJ’s Radio 1 Bethan Elfyn a Huw Stephens, gan enwi dim ond rhai ohonynt fydd yn dewis y perfformwyr.

Bydd miloedd yn tyrru draw o bob cwr o’r byd i wrando ar y llu o artistiaid enwog yn perfformio ar y 4 llwyfan. Mae’r ‘line-up’ eleni hefyd yn fawr wrth i sêr mwyaf y byd radio a cherddoriaeth gamu i’r llwyfan. O’r ferch dalentog Cheryl Cole i’r band

lleol sy’n prysur gwneud enw eu hunain ‘Yr Od’s’, mae’r rhestr yn hirfaith o’r rhai fydd yn cymryd rhan. Bydd rhywbeth at ddant pawb yn yr Wyl arbennig hon gan apelio at bob cenhedlaeth o’r to iau i’r to hyn.

Anfantais gref yw bod yr Wyl yn cael ei chynnal ar adeg prysur iawn yn y calendr addysg gyda arholiadau di-ri yn cymryd lle ledled y wlad. Efallai y byddai wedi bod yn well petai’r Wyl wedi cael ei threfnu yn nês at yr Haf, wedi i’r holl waith adolygu a sefyll arholiadau ddod i ben.

Mae’n braf eleni hefyd bod y Faenol yn denu pobl ifanc yn hytrach na’r hen stejars. Cyngherddau Opera gaiff eu cynnal yno ran amlaf, felly mae’n braf bod y stâd yn gallu croesawu ieuenctid yr ardal i’w chartref.

Does ryfedd felly bod Cymru yn cael ei hadnabod fel Gwlad y Gân!

Gwynedd, wlad y gan Cadi Mai

Taf-od Editor Heb amheuaeth, Gwynedd yw’r lle i fod yr haf hwn wrth i Wyliau enwoca’r byd ymgartrefu ar diroedd gwyrdd y gogledd. Gyda Wakestock, Gwyl y Faenol a llu o wyliau cerddoriaeth llai yn cael eu cynnal, does dim amheuaeth mai heidio i Wynedd fydd selogion cerddoriaeth y byd.

A pha well ffordd o ddechrau miri’r haf nac yng ngogoniant Eryri yn gwrando ar fandiau enwoca’r swn roc yn perfformio’ n fyw. Wedi gwrando yn eiddgar ers rai misoedd, doedd dim syndod fod trigolion Gwynedd ar ben eu digon pan gyhoeddodd Chris Moyles ar ei sioe, mai’r Faenol ger Bangor fyddai cartref yr Wyl eleni.

Eleni bydd yr Wyl yn dathlu ei phen-

LISTINGS 25

gairrhydd | LISTINGS@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY MAY 10 2010

Monday 10th May

FUN FACT TREE, Solus, FREE Fun Factory is still producing cheap entertainment for those too stingy to splurge their student loans. Free entry and super cheap drinks are a perfect way to enjoy yourself while keeping an eye on the purse-strings. Dubstep, DnB, Electro... it's got everything. Don't even question it, just go for it.

LATE NIGHT LIVE, Ten Feet Tall, FREE, 9pm Every week, 10 Feet Tall selects the finest in local, new and up and coming bands to perform in the Rock Room with 50s and 60s garage rock in the bar.

TRUE STORIES TOLD LIVE CARDIFF, CAI, FREE, 7pm Once a month in a smallish room above a nice club in the heart of Cardiff, five people tell others a true story about their lives. Each story is around ten minutes long and delivered without notes. Funny, sad, profound, bewildering, angry, all we ask is that the story is yours and that it’s true. Entrance is free by invitation. Send an email to truestoriestoldlivecardiff@virginmedia.com to be included on the guest list.

Friday

14th May BOOMBOX, Solus, £3.50 Get your weekend off to a good start, with cheap drinks and lots of good music. You can't help but have a good night at the Union, with 99p drinks, and the high probability of bumping into everyone you know. Do it, boom your box.

HELL'S BENT, Clwb, £4, 10.30pm Hell's Bent is Cardiff's only alternative gay night, however, everyone is welcome! It's a fun, relaxed night where you can hang out with your friends and maybe meet some new ones.

When it comes to Hell’s Bent you can be guaranteed to hear at least one song you’ll want to dance to! The DJs play a range of genres from electro, pop and indie, to guilty pleasures and rock.

UK GUNS 'N' ROSES, Clwb, £12.50, 8pm Okay, so it looks like another shitty tribute thing... A full two hour show of classic Guns 'N Roses from this awesome six-piece band. With true talent and a stunning live show, these guys captivate sell-out audiences night after night.

All the classics are lovingly recreated live from Welcome To The Jungle, Sweet Child O' Mine and Paradise City to the later Civil War, November Rain and Estranged.

Tuesday 11th May

FLUX=RAD, CAI, FREE, 8pm A night dedicated to delivering the most exciting new acts into the city of Cardiff. Celebrating all things emerging and providing a showcase for the very best in local live talent, this new weekly night is a voyage of discovery. Sheffield indie-poppers Standard Fare will bring an ace set of tunes and bucket loads of charm, Equally charming and homegrown Cat Mouse Cat support. GO! JUST DANCE, Clwb, £3, 10pm Cardiff's hottest music venue just got a little hotter. JUST DANCE! returns every Tuesday night at Clwb Ifor Bach with one simple mission...to get you dancing all night long. A mixture of modern day pop, rock and R&B thrown together with some cracking blasts from the past. No gimmicks, no false promises...just cheap entry, cheap drinks prices and great GREAT tunes.

EIGHTIES MATCHBOX, Barfly £9, 7.30pm It seems no matter how hard you try, you just cannot destroy the Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster. Pummelled relentlessly by the wheels of catastrophe and forced off road by the signs of confusion it is back, hurtling towards rock and roll like a crazed madman,

Saturday 15th May

COME PLAY, Solus, £3.50 A safe bet for a Saturday night. If none of the other events do it for you, head to the Union for guaranteed good music and cheap drinks.

Not the most imaginative of nights out, but you'll be sure to have a good time. And who said that being able to predict the playlist down to the very last minute was a bad thing?

BACKBEAT SOUNDSYSTEM, CAI, £2 before 11pm BackBeat SoundSystem are the kind of band that could bring the sun out at night. The ultimate in good vibes reggae, their live shows are legendary - so no surprise they’re a firm festival favourite. Plus who better to provide the rest of the evening's music than the Dub In The Pub. These guys could get the most hardened reggae-phobe skanking out.

CAESARS ROME + I AM HOPE, Barfly, £4, 8pm With influences ranging from Thrice, Jimmy Eat World and Brand New to Hot Water Music Caesars Rome from Wales achieve a "wall of sound" with catchy verses followed by anthemlike choruses. I Am Hope are four passionate young musicians from South Wales dedicated to bringing their lyrically esoteric yet optimistic songs to the world.

Wednesday 12th May

THE LASH, Solus, £3.50 The Lash promises 'all the best in chart and cheese', which doesn't really sound all that tempting, to be honest. But, if you're a sporting LAD then it's most definitely the place to be.

LISTEN UP, Clwb, £3 Listen Up has become an institution within an institution. Everybody loves Clwb. Everybody loves Listen Up. Playing a mix of motown, funk, indie and pop amoung three floors of cheap bars and trendy kids, this is the place to be every Wednesday.

BOGOF Orange Wednesdays There's so much good stuff on this week. There's a brand new Ricky Gervais one, and Iron Man II apparently... Take a friend and have a chilled night out away from exam stress.

NO SWEAT WITH SCRIBER & FRIENDS, CAI, FREE, 8pm An evening of acoustic acts, whose hearts are in the right place and influences are from here, there and everywhere! Expect a charmingly ambient evening, as SCRIBER shows his selfproclaimed arty-farty films, amidst music from Inconsiderate Parking, SCRIBER, Ellie Makes Music, Ed Stockham and Halftime Report.

Sunday 16th May

CHARITY CLOTHES SWAP, CAI, £3, 3pm Recycle your wardrobe in a charity clothes swap to raise money for the Wildlife Trust of South & West Wales. Come and refresh your wardrobe…completely guilt free fun for only £3. Basically, raid your wardrobe for items that you no longer wear, and swap them for other lovely items in return. Anything goes, shirts, tops, skirts, dresses, jumpers, cardies, shoes, bags, jewellery….anything you think deserves a good home.

GO TO THE PARK Take advantage of this recent fine weather and talk a stroll in Bute, a stride in the Bay, or just sit in your garden. Unless, of course, you should be revising... or writing an essay.

In which case, get back to it. You should be ashamed.

HAVE A SUNDAY ROAST The Taf do a wicked, and cheap Sunday roast as do the CAI. Have a lie in, and then get some classic comfort food to help beat Saturday night's hangover, the end of weekend blues, or general essay/exam hell. Keep going. I'm sending you virtual hugs as you read.

Thursday 13th May

C,Y.N.T, TOMB CREW, Clwb, £4, 10pm Producing destroying mixes of anything bass heavy - from dubstep to garage, grime, electro-house and old skool - the guys can do no wrong! "Tomb Crew are very much the inebriated and debauched sound of Fun." Apparently.

BETHAN ELFYN AND FRIENDS PRESENTS, CAI, £8, 8pm (FREE AFTER 11pm) The best place to hear new music first in Cardiff, with Radio 1's Bethan Elfyn. Up and coming bands, label showcases, and DJs. This week: Ted Leo & The Pharmacists, Spencer McGarry Season, Bedford Falls, Bethan Elfyn, Lesson No.1 and Loose DJs. TWENTY TWENTY, Barfly, £6, 7.30pm Three Guys based in Essex whose music tastes like an alcopop served on the rocks with a shot of vodka for that extra kick.

HAVE A REVISION/ESSAY BREAK It's a tough time of year for everyone, but it's important to take regular revision breaks to stay sane. Make up for being such a shit partner/friend lately by going for a drink somewhere... anywhere. Or just treat yourself to a bag of Minstrels and a night in with David Attenborough.

Venues Students’ Union, Park Place, 02920 387421 www.cardiffstudents.com ◆ IV Lounge, Neuadd Meirionydd, Heath Park 02920 744948 ◆ Clwb Ifor Bach 11 Womanby Street 02920 232199 www.clwb.net ◆ Barfly, Kingsway, Tickets: 08709070999 www.barflyclub.com/cardiff ◆ Metros, Bakers Row 02920 399939 www.clubmetropolitan. com ◆ CAI, Park Place 02920 412190 ◆ Buffalo Bar, 11 Windsor Place www.myspace.com/ wearebuffalobar ◆ Chapter Arts Centre, Market Road, Canton 02920 304400 www.chapter.org ◆ Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay 0870 0402000 www.wmc.org. uk ◆ The New Theatre, Park Place 02920 878889 www.newtheatrecardiff.co.uk ◆ The Sherman Theatre, Senghennydd Road 02920 646900 www. shermantheatre.co.uk ◆ Cardiff International Arena, Mary Ann Street 02920 224488 ◆

26 XPRESS RADIO

gairrhydd | XPRESSRADIO.CO.UK MONDAY MAY 10 2010

Designed for Cardiff, Defined by you!

Forget Brown, Cameron and Clegg - election fever comes to your Student Radio station...

Hector Roddan Xpress Radio Democracy was well and truly in action this WednesdaY at your student radio station, Xpressradio.co.uk with the election of the new Executive Committee.

With a record number of candidates, there was tension in the warm air when the candidates gathered in the Nelson Mandela room on Wednesday night. Newly elected Station Manager, Luke Franks, was excited for the new year of Xpress: "Congratulations to the new Xpress exec team. We’ve got some great people shaping Xpress next year, with solid ideas for how to improve the quality and presence of your student radio station. All the team are committed to taking Xpress to the next level, including members who have worked at BBC Radio One and the National Student Radio Association.

"However, the Exec and the wider Xpress team are here to represent you and what you want to hear. We’ve listened to the opinions of the survey sent out earlier this year, in terms of a more varied and up-to-date playlist."

The Exec itself has also been reshaped, with the creation of a new Head of PR. Louisa Cavell will be spear-heading a renewed emphasis on publicity for the station, promoting Xpress to the wider student body. With two years experience in presenting, and having served as Head of Mainstream this year, Louisa has the enthusiasm and passion to get the station's voice heard.

Joining Louisa in running the station's off-air team is Jade Calaway, the new Head of Events.

Jade will be responsible for expanding Xpress' presence across campus through roadshows and regular events, including our infamous Christmas Parties!

Getting advertising for the station is a renwed priority this year, with Charlie McWilliams ellected as Head of Sales. The station's branding is due to get an overhall with our new Head of

Design, Benjamin Corry-Wright Kootbaully.

Station Manager Luke had another exciting addition to the promtions team as well:.

"We’re looking to invest in massive promotion, fronted by the addition of new mascot, the Xpressasaurus Rex. It’s shaping up to be a big year."

The on-air team has been completely refreshed as well, with a record seven candidates standing for the heads of the four on-air broadcasting teams.

Taking over as Head of Mainstream, which is broadcast between ten and six every weekday, is Martyn John, who has also pledged to carry forward the eccentric, cowboy based fashion style, (as well as quality DJ-led shows) associated with the station's mainstream team.

It was all change for Specialist music prgramming as well, with Dave Sadd taking on the mantle of Head of Specialist. Dave will be strengthening the branding and diversity of music on Xpress' late-night music shows, as well as further promoting the prestigious Xchange!

shows which showcase the best new music and the best of Xpress' talent from six to eight every weekday.

"It was a very tight contest with two amazing candidates" said Amy Hall outgoing Head of Specialist. "2010-11 is going to be a brilliant year for Xpress Specialist."

After two years as Head of Speech, Hector Roddan has finally been allowed out of the back studio. His successor, Tom Gerken, has pledged some radical rebranding of the station's speech shows, with a renewed emphasis on audience interaction and live shows, alongside brand new quizzes, comedy and drama programmes.

Reeta Toivanen succeeded Charlotte Horau as Head of News. With an impressive CV, including covering social policy and rock music in Finland, Reeta is looking forward to continuing the reinvigoration of the station's news coverage.

As well as our regular hourly bulletins, Reeta will be further developing the station's flagship news show, Xposure!

After a turbulent year, the Music Team has a new and energetic head in the form of Daniel Potts. Daniel has worked closely with Bethan Elfyn, bringing the legendary Radio 1 DJs' toppicks to Cardiff students and regularly covering her sessions in Buffalo Bar. Xpress Sports is on a high after their triumphant Varsity coverage, including broadcasting live coverage of Cardiff's nail-biting defeat from the Liberty Stadium, Swansea. Current Head of Sport, the legendary Eloi Ruegg, was replaced

by James Grover. James pledged to increase the coverage of University sports.

Of course, the whole station couldn't function without our brilliant team of producers. Stepping into the breach left by Ash Thomas and Sean Thorne are Tamsin Grainger and Melissa Mackay, two of the most talented Xpress producers.

However, the most hotly contested position of the evening though was for the two Programme Controllers. All four candidates gave fantastic speeches, but in the end, Sean Thorne and Hector Roddan were elected to the two-person role, with the latter also ellected as Head of Tech.

The one thing all fourteen members of the new team have in common is an absolute passion for student radio. This is a fantastic team that is going to take Xpress to new heights.

The station is still on the look-out for one more Exec member. If you're a computer science student looking for some real experience in web design, we want to hear from you.

"The election process isn't over yet though.

If you want to get involved in any area of radio, we’re always looking for new people. Don't worry if you don't have any experience, we can give you full training. To get in touch, just email stationmanager@xpressradio.co.uk."

LISTEN ONLINE: www.xpressradio.co.uk ✉ studio @ xpressradio.co.uk XPRESS RADIO EXEC: Your new Exec team, from left: Jade Callaway, Daniel Potts, Luke Franks, Reeta Toivanen, Charlie McWilliams, Louisa Cavell, Sean Thorne, Tom Gerken, Martyn John, Dave Sadd. At the front: Tamsin Grainger, Melissa Mackay and Hector Roddan

☎ 077 222 63 888

FIVE MINUTE FUN 27

gairrhydd | FMF@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY MAY 10 2010

EASY

MEDIUM

crossword.

Across

Down

8. Arch type (4) 9. Nonsectarian (10) 10. Acquaint (6) 11. Volunteered (8) 12. Concludes (4) 13. A type of cooking utensil (10) 17. Intellect (4) 18. Bullwinkle for example (5) 19. Stiff and sore (4) 20. Parts in one-hundredths (10) 22. Q-Tip (4) 23. Marvellous events (8) 27. Drub (6) 28. Lyricist (10) 29. Peddle (4)

1. Embellish (10) 2. Dead (8) 3. Meteorologist (10) 4. Remedy (4) 5. Blue-green (4) 6. A picture puzzle (6) 7. Windmill blade (4) 14. Ancient Greek marketplace (5) 15. Rudimentary (10) 16. Practices (10) 19. Incomprehensible (8) 21. Alter (6) 24. Computer symbol (4) 25. Entice (4) 26. Fill to excess (4)

28 SPORT- WARM UP Previews in brief Europa League Final Atletico Madrid vs Fulham Alex Bywater Sports Writer After starting their European campaign away at unknown FK Vetra in July and travelling almost 25,000 miles, Fulham are looking to culminate their incredible season in Europe with victory in the Europa League final on May 12.

Victory against Atletico Madrid in Hamburg would seal not only Manager Roy Hodgson's place in the club's history but also Fulham's first ever piece of European silverwear. After having to pre-qualify to even enter the group stages of the tournament, reaching the final is way beyond the dreams of even the most ardent Fulham fan.

Masterminded by Hodgon's tactical brilliance, Fulham have reached the final after notable victories against some of European football's elite. The comeback and consequent 5-4 aggregate win over Juventus at Craven Cottage will live long in the memory.

Wolfsburg and defending champions Shakhtar Donetsk have also fallen by the wayside as Fulham have progressed.

Bolstered by a storng spine, Fulham have looked solid defensively and Bobby Zamora's goals have made him a potential World Cup candidate for Fabio Capello.

Having controversially rested key players in the Premiership, Fulham should be fresh for the most important match in their history.

Experienced campaigners such as Danny Murphy, Damien Duff and Mark Schwarzer have proved inspirational additions to the squad.

Despite their incredible season, victory in Germany is far from a formality. Although Atletico have not enjoyed their best season domestically, they are still a dangerous team.

Star strikers Diego Forlan and Sergio Aguero offer pace, creativity and above all a constant goal threat; as Liverpool found out.

Although Atletico offer a severe threat, the same has been said of most of the other teams Fulham have eliminated. I expect the match to be a tight affair, probably decided by a single goal. Having toppled some of the best teams on the continent, Fulham can complete their extraordinary journey by claiming the trophy in Hamburg.

Zamora to score the winner in a 1-0 Fulham win.

gairrhydd | SPORT@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY MAY 10 2010

Adam Horne previews Amir Khan's light welterweight Title defence against Paulie Malignaggi at Madison Square Gardens On May 15 Amir Khan’s life-long dream will finally come to fruition. He faces a showdown with American boxer Paulie Malignaggi at the Mecca of boxing; Madison Square Gardens.

It will be the second time Khan attempts to defend his WBA light welterweight title, the first resulting in a 76 second knockout victory over Dmitry Salita back in 2009. The fight also marks King Khan’s debut in the US his breakthrough on American soil, and what better than the chance to beat Malignaggi on his home turf.

Khan still has a lot to prove in many people's eyes "It's my American debut, it's going to be very exciting to fight over here and it's been my dream all my life to fight in New York as a professional.

"It would be a great feeling to beat him in his home town."

Khan also realises that his name, regardless of the result on the night, will go down in history.

"To come here and fight will mean in the history books it will say 'Amir Khan fought at Madison Square Garden'.”

No doubt Khan will be desperate to win on the night, and in doing so, make a name for him self in America as he pushes for global recognition.

However he still has a lot to prove

Who are you staring at?

Khan's positive attitude can flaw Malignaggi in many people’s eyes, and the jury is still out in regards to some of his weaknesses. Salita himself publicly announced that he believed Khan possessed a weak chin in the build up to their fight last year. Had he concentrated on his own chin instead he may not have been knocked out within 76 seconds.

Nevertheless there have been fears over Khan’s chin in the past, I refer, of course, to his famous 54 second defeat at the hands of Breidis Prescott in 2008. Londoner Kevin Mitchell has been vying for the chance to fight Khan for a while and suggested that “It's been proven, anyone who can half-punch, Khan's vulnerable against”. He also suggested that Khan picked this fight carefully because his opponent offers no threat. “Malignaggi is made for him because he doesn't punch.”

Khan himself has admitted that he chose this fight mostly for financial reasons. He is reported to be earning around $1.1 million from his showdown with Malignaggi, but has admitted that the only way to allay criticism surrounding his ‘weak chin’ will be to fight one of the division’s big hitters

next.

Paulie Malignaggi will be keen to get his revenge on English boxing after he lost in 11 rounds to Ricky Hatton back in 2008. His last fight was a rematch against Juan Diaz in Chicago last year which he won by unanimous decision 116-111. His record shows that he likes to go the distance in fights, which would suggest he has a great deal of stamina, as well as being a tough, tidy boxer. He possesses little power in his punches, which would explain why he has only five knockouts in 30 fights. Instead he relies heavily on his exceptional hand speed and movement around the ring.

He likes to punch from his hips, something few boxers can do unless they harbor his kind of speed.

Khan should be free to adopt a more attackminded approach However, this will present Khan with a good opportunity to land plenty of headshots. Malignaggi keeps his left arm tucked next to his waist, and

his right by his chest, leaving his head totally exposed. Khan will need to take advantage of this on the night.

Despite lacking any sort of power, Malignaggi still has an impressive fight record, only three losses in 30 fights. However, Khan possesses just as much speed and agility around the ring. His only real weakness, as I’ve mentioned is his chin, which would explain exactly why he’s fighting Malignaggi. The American poses no threat to Khans chin due to his lack of power, which should leave Khan free to adopt a more attack minded approach.

Khan has only one loss to his name as a professional boxer, and has a slight height advantage over Malignaggi, standing at 5ft 10, whilst Malignaggi stands at 5ft 8.5. Malignaggi will present a few dangers to Khan, but I fully believe Khan will be able to return home with a comfortable win.

He will match Malignaggi for speed and movement, and there might not be many big punches, but Khan will no doubt take advantage of the American’s exposed head, which will lead to a dream debut for King Khan in America. Khan to win in the sixth.

Khan vs Malignaggi: Editors' Predictions Robbie Wells: Malignaggi has clearly stolen Snoop Dogg's haircut, and i fancy him to steal Khan's title off him on the 15th. His record might not be quite as great as Khans, but he's on home turf, and has a proven ability to last the distance in fights, whilst Khan has struggled with stamina on the odd occasion. Unless Khan can borrow Renee Zellweger's chin for the night, he's in trouble. We all know that's Khans weakness, and such an obvious weakness is likely to be easily targeted by Malignaggi. I can see Khan's American debut going horribly wrong. Malignaggi to win by unanimous points decision.

James Hinks: Khan absolutely battered Salita in his last fight, and he'll be high on confidence coming into this one.

Malignaggi seems like he's a decent enough fighter, but his failure to guard his face worries me, and I think Khan will take advantage of this.

Freddy Roach has been great for Khan as a trainer, and this will be a successful American debut for the 23-year-old from Bolton. He's fast, powerful and will have no problem defending his title for a second time.

Khan to win in the third.

Jon Evans: Malignaggi has fantastic hand speed and boasts a good record with only three defeats to his name. He managed to go 11 rounds with Hatton two years ago and will have the big advantage of fighting in front of the home crowd. Khan on the other hand is maturing into a fine boxer, and under the guidance of Freddie Roach, seems to be fulfilling his potential. Khan's suposed 'weak chin' will always be mentioned when going into a fight, but I can't see Malignaggi troubling him. Khan's speed and power should prove too much for the man from Brooklyn.

Khan to take it in the fifth round.

Lucy Morgan: This being Khan's first fight in America - a country he hopes to take by storm - he is likely start out a little cagey. Malignaggi will also be extremely confident with a home crowd and an arena he knows well. Having said that he has a poor knockout rate - just five in the last 30 fights.

Khan is likely to start the fight cautiously but, under the guidance of Roach, will settle after the first few rounds. By the latter rounds he will step up the pace. If Khan can use his speed and power to back Malignaggi up, he should be in no doubt of claiming a victory.

30 SPORT - FEATURE

gairrhydd | SPORT@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY MAY 10 2010

James Davies speaks to Australian cricket legend, Justin Langer, about his formidable cricket career, his love of boxing... and his herb garden

Looking out over the County ground, from the Sir Ian Botham stand, in Somerset, I start to lose count of the number of times Justin Langer has run around the edge of the boundary.

His match had been finished for over an hour, but instead of packing his kit bag and leaving like the rest of the team, the former Somerset skipper was out on the pitch, as he always is after a day’s play, circling the playing field of Somerset’s ground, in Taunton.

“I like to finish a game with twenty laps” he panted. “I believe if you have a healthy body you’ll have a healthy mind.”

“When I finish cricket I’m definitely going to run a marathon.”

This, perhaps, is one of the reasons why the man was once called ‘the best batsman in the world’, by Mark Waugh, has frustrated many of those on opposing teams.

His focus, determination, passion and desire is paramount, and clear from the minute you look into his steel blue eyes. This man means business.

First to practice every morning and the last to leave, Langer explains, “The pain of discipline is nothing like the pain of disappointment. I don’t see enough of it really. If you really want to be the best at something you’ve got to be disciplined in your choices for what you want to achieve.”

He continued, “I’ve always been fascinated by boxers. They train so hard and get so switched on you can actually see the focus and all the hard work they’ve put in. I’ve always found that interesting because that’s how you’ve got to be when you walk out to bat. It’s not rainbows and butterflies. You’re going out to fight. Unless you’re aggressive as an opening batsman you’re going to get injured or even worse, out.”

As we began to walk around the edge of the pitch, I fail to understand what it is about this gritty player that has enraged England’s cricketers over the years.

Far from being an ominous figure,

LANGER: Cameras make him sweat

swan.

The duo who “missed each other” when they were apart would openly exchange bear hugs in the middle, and always gave the impression of two boys living out a dream.

“Matthew Hayden’s my best mate, and I think that’s why we formed such a successful partnership at the top order for so long. How many people can say they go to work with their best friend? It’s always going to motivate you.”

"Without cricket, I might have turned to writing, or even become a doctor"

LANGER: The only superhero to carry a stump, it ain't no thang-er and someone Nasser Hussain openly said he could have strangled, the Aussie legend is rather genteel and softly spoken. In fact, the first thing that struck me about Justin was how shy he was - and very polite.

"Losing the Ashes in 2005 was a big kick up the backside" This may not strike you as particularly surprising, unless you’ve had experience of other superstar sportsmen.

Getting them to turn up on time and answer the simplest question can be a nightmare – if, of course you manage to get anywhere near them in the first place!

Today’s players are also more of-

ten than not totally controlled by their management teams, agents and sponsors. But during my interview, Justin turned off his phone and gave me his full attention.

When we weren't discussing his illustrious cricketing career, the pocket-sized philosopher chats longingly about his family, his love of writing and his garden, which he calls his “sanctuary”.

“In my rose garden”, he explains,“I’ve got an apple tree, a peach tree, a nectarine tree, a big olive tree and my herb garden.”

Like a philosopher, the man who is small in stature but tall in enthusiasm asks me, “Do you know how good it is to pick your own herbs, from your own garden, for your own cooking?

He continued, “We get so caught up in the hustle and bustle, and the business and the stress of everyday life, that we don’t make time for the things that really matter. It’s a cliché, ‘wake up and smell the roses’, but it’s true”.

He assures me, “When you smell a rose it really gets you back living in the mould.”

Although the proud father of four is always in his garden, back home in Perth, he assures me it isn’t always to inspect the roses, or pick herbs for his tea, as it is here, at the bottom of his “backyard” - as he calls it - that he has his own, custom-built gym. “I use it for training”, he said, with a huge grin. “It’s a great place to meditate and just escape from everything. It’s like my own little world.”

Although his wife, Sue, was aware he intended to build a place to train, she visualised something small. A place that could house a treadmill, a couple of weights and perhaps a stretching mat.

He failed to mention the punch bag,

the custom-built boxing ring and how a former SAS soldier, covered in tattoos, would arrive every morning to supervise his work-outs.

It is here that he prepared meticulously for the 2006/2007 series, in which the England cricket team were demolished five-nil and to put it conservatively, embarrassed.

Langer, who is a huge boxing fan, explains, “The fight is won before you get in the ring, so I trained like a heavyweight fighter. Losing the Ashes in 2005 was a big kick up the backside and the catalyst behind us regaining that little urn. It gave us determination and a new lease of life.”

"I love Muhammad Ali. He was such a brilliant, beautiful athlete" The gym is a shrine to his all-time sporting hero, Muhammad Ali. “I love him”, Langer says with a smile. “He was such a brilliant, beautiful athlete.”

With a certain amount of vigour he continued, “The walls are covered in scribbles from a black felt marker”.

He said, “I’ve got quotes everywhere. Quotes about courage and discipline. When I walk in there and look up they keep me going in the right direction. Sometimes I’ll read something and think to myself, ‘I’ve got to have that on my wall’.”

Although the left handed batsman recognises his hard work has helped him achieve what he set out to accomplish, he also regards his close bond with, fellow opening batsman, Matthew Hayden as a key factor that helped him turn from yesteryear’s ugly duckling into a stroke-playing

Reflecting on what has been an incredibly successful career, full of ups and downs, Justin tells me about his fondest memories: “I think winning those sixteen straight Tests was probably our greatest achievement as a team. It’s hard enough to win two straight, let alone 16 straight, so to me that was a great thrill. But winning my last Ashes series and beating India, in India for the first time in thirty five years was also special.”

This led me nicely into my next question. What would you be doing now if you hadn’t made it in the way you have done? After a short pause, Justin turned to me and with the humble eloquence he showed throughout my interview he explained: “If I hadn’t become a cricketer, I’m not sure what I’d be doing to be honest mate. Because Australia has such a beautiful climate, I was always playing sport when I was a kid. It was just a natural inkling to play the game.”

But after another short pause, Justin continued: “Having said that, I’m quite a determined and passionate character, so whatever I set my mind to I hope I would have been successful. I would have loved to have been a doctor or a physiotherapist at school but cricket took over. But I love writing too, so who knows.”

Having reached the pinnacle of sporting success, I wondered what advice he would give the next generation of cricketers who wished to become, if possible, the next Justin Langer and achieve all he has accomplished throughout his illustrious career?

“It’s very simple James”, Justin said confidently. “You can achieve anything you want to, if you put your mind to it. Obviously you have to have a certain level of natural ability but nothing beats practise. I think it’s very important to have a very positive mindset and a lot of self belief.”

As we get towards the end of our second lap around the boundary, Justin, ever the philosopher, turns leaving me with something I thought about the whole way home. “Remember James, twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the things you did.”

BUCS - SPORT 31

gairrhydd | SPORT@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY MAY 10 2010

As the final event in the windsurfing calendar, and the only BUCS event of the year, Cardiff truly shone last weekend coming away with an impressive array of medals and the overall BUCS windsurfing shield at the national competition in Calsot.

Coming into the competition it was clear that Cardiff were the ones to beat.

After the many events held throughout the year, Cardiff showed great potential, finishing well in all divisions.

With a 28 strong squad of windsurfing club members, Cardiff made an impressive entrance on Friday night with the largest group of competitors from one university, arriving in style in their unmissable bright yellow hoodies.

A good forecast on the Saturday allowed for the majority of the racing to take place. In the beginners division many Cardiff windsurfers got knocked out in the earlier heats, however, Jason Marsh who had been successful in earlier events, managed to make it into the final, earning valuable points for Cardiff. Meanwhile in the intermediate racing, Ben Milton was placing high in the men’s category and Leah

Pickering and Natalie Gidney were representing well in the women’s category. After the six heats, Milton was narrowly beaten by a Nottingham windsurfer to earn a silver medal and Pickering managed to secure a further silver medal for Cardiff.

In the males' advanced racing there was stiff competition for Cardiff in the form of a Professional Windsurf Association sailor from Durham and experienced racers from Cambridge.

Rob Richardson, Nick Smallman and Will Jones fought hard in the heats but failed to qualify. It was Cardiff’s most successful windsurfer Seb Willis, who brought it back for Cardiff, managing to make it to the final, again winning valuable points for Cardiff.

The Sunday brought the long awaited advanced team racing, the most exciting event of the competition. With a strong Cardiff team consisting of Seb Willis, Rob Richardson and Will Jones, the racers would complete four relay heats around a buoy and back. The whole of the Cardiff squad watched with anticipation as the Cardiff team fought off stiff competition from Cambridge and St. Marys, winning all but one of the races, allowing them to achieve the well earned gold medal and securing the overall gold for Cardiff.

Cardiff sub-aqua team rescue mother and son

SUB AQUA to the rescue

Bob Firmin Sports Writer Seven new trainee members of the Cardiff University Sub-Aqua Club spent a weekend in West Wales enjoying their first open water dives in the sea, following a successful winter of theory and pool training.

Whilst enjoying the fine weather between dives on the Sunday, the SubAqua Club was approached by a member of the public who had been alerted to two stranded kayakers around the coast from Martin’s Haven. One kayaker had capsized and was unable to drain their kayak, resulting in both being stranded on the rocks beneath tall cliffs.

Gareth Roberts and Bob Firmin, two of the club’s long-standing and experienced Diver Coxswains and Open Water Instructors, raced to their aid in the club’s RIB (rigid-hulled inflatable boat), Indecision. The strand-

ed kayakers were quickly located, approximately one nautical mile from the beach.

One was very cold, having spent a long time submerged while attempting to right her kayak. Operating the boat close in to the dangerous rocky shore, the second kayaker - a young boy - was immediately retrieved into the safety of the boat. The two kayaks were stowed onboard and his mother was then safely recovered.

The kayakers were returned to dry land where they were met by their family. Following the successful rescue, Indecision and both instructors returned out to sea to carry out the final training dives of the weekend, before returning home to Cardiff and a well-earned sleep.

The grateful family of the rescued kayakers kindly gave £20 to the SubAqua Club’s shore group. The money will be donated to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) by the Sub-Aqua Club.

Sail away, sail away, sail away...

At the prize giving, the results were revealed not only for the winners of the BUCS event that weekend but also the winners of the overall Student Windsurfing Association series taking into account results from the many events throughout the year. These results showed the true domination of Cardiff University, with Seb Willis

winning the advanced racing series and coming 2nd in the wave series, James Goody achieving 2nd place in the freestyle series and the race series, and the Cardiff advanced racing team remaining unbeaten even at the BUCS event.

The amount of medals won during the weekend named Cardiff as the

overall winner of the BUCS windsurfing shield, an award previously taken home by either Southampton or Cambridge.

It was a truly successful weekend for Cardiff University Windsurfing Club and a trend that they hope will continue for next academic year.

Rifle club get UK silver place Luke Stevens Sports Writer As many of you will know; before Easter the BUCS finals were held in Sheffield. This event enabled many of the sports clubs from the University to compete against other Universities in the largest competition of its type in the UK. In the rifle shooting event, the Cardiff University rifle club qualified for the final, seeded seventh. This event was invitational, open to the top eight teams in the UK. The club competed through three rounds of competition in a knockout-style event, beating Newcastle and London to reach the final against Aberdeen. Aberdeen beat Cardiff in the final, although this meant the Cardiff club still obtained the silver position. This is the highest the club has ever finished and a great achievement. The team consisted of

JFK didn't stand a chance

Luke Stevens, Nadia Cracknell, James Lothian, Rob Beer, Rhys Bowley and Louise Bungay. On the same weekend the finals for the individual competition were also held, with both Luke Stevens and Nadia Cracknell competing, both being in the top 20.

Previous to this event, four members of the club competed in the Welsh indoor championships in Swansea.

Rob Beer obtained gold in class B, Rhys Bowley obtained fourth in class C, Ryan Marks obtained fifth in class C and Lyndsay Smith obtained bronze in class D. After Easter, the club competed in the BUCS outdoor event at Appleton, the largest UK University shooting event. This event involved shooting 40 scoring shots at 50 metres and 40 at 100 yards, giving a score out of 800. Seventy-one people competed, including some of the best shooters in the UK, several representing Great

Britain. From the Cardiff club, Luke Stevens obtained tenth, Rhys Bowley 21st, Rob Beer 25th, James Lothian 34th, Louise Bungay 42nd, Nadia Cracknell 46th, Paul King 59th, Megan Yates 63rd, Bliss Vishwakarma 66th and Zoe Bassett 68th. The team of eight (Luke, Nadia, James, Rob, Rhys, Louise, Bliss and Paul) came sixth. The quartet (Luke, Nadia, James and Rob) came ninth. Also at the event, an international match was shot consisting of a team of ten. The Welsh Universities team consisted of Luke (Captain), Nadia, James, Rob, Rhys, Louise, Bliss, Paul, Megan and Helen Warnes (from the University of Glamorgan). The Welsh Universities team came third.

Also this season, the postal league scores have resulted in Nadia Cracknell and Luke Stevens obtaining top twenty positions in the BUCS individual competition finishing tenth and

PHOTO: LUKE STEVENS

Leah Pickering Sports Writer

PHOTO: LEAH PICKERING

Cardiff sail to BUCS windsurfing shield

Sport gairrhydd

INSIDE: BUCS, Justin Langer interview, The Word On...Money's Part in Football's Demise and Preview of Khan v Malignaggi

Alex Bywater Sports Editor

Cardiff Medics Rugby Club have been champions of the UK for more than a decade, achieveing their twelfth consecutive win at the Medical Schools' Cup Final at Cardiff Arms Park last week.

This incredible achievement was secured after a tight win over Nottingham Medics by 19 points to 13. A sizeable crowd turned out to roar the Medics on to victory.

This year was Cardiff’s sixteenth successive final. Although this season has not been one of their best in recent memory, the loss to Bristol Medics has spurred the team on to even greater heights.

With an electric atmosphere generated before kick-off, Cardiff looked to dominate from the start. However, in the early stages, Nottingham

PHOTO: ALEX BYWATER

The invincibles

camped themselves in Cardiff’s twenty-two. The opposition fly half and full back both initially looked a threat.

This pressure amounted to nothing as Cardiff put their stamp on the game with two early and well-worked tries. Outside centre, Darius Williams, hit a great line off a set piece move and had the pace to take him to the line. The score was converted by captain and full back, Sion Crabtree.

Straight from the restart, great ball retention from the forwards provided field position and a slick, well-worked move from the backs resulted in right winger, Ifan Patchell, going over in the right-hand corner.

The conversion was missed, though Cardiff had still built up a comfortable 12-0 lead by the half way point of the first period.

Nottingham responded in spirited fashion with some sustained possession, though they failed to find

a way past Cardiff’s solid defence.

Nottingham switched the ball from side to side, but did not have the cutting edge to score tries. This was the major difference between the teams; Cardiff looked like they were able to score tries at any time; their back three providing a constant danger.

Nottingham’s sustained ball retention was rewarded when Cardiff conceded a simple penalty in front of the posts, which was converted by the Nottingham full back.

This gave the Nottingham supporters brief hope, but it was quickly snuffed out when Cardiff went straight up the other end and added their third try of the half. More slick interplay among the backs resulted in a line break for winger Duncan Neickle, who looked dangerous all game. He fed inside centre, Nick Gill, who crossed for a seven-point score.

Nottingham responded with another penalty to narrow the margin

at half time to nineteen points to six.

The opening stages of the second half were scrappy with neither team managing to gain momentum.

Cardiff made changes ten minutes in, with captain Crabtree moving from fifteen to ten to exert a greater degree of control on proceedings.

Despite this tactical move, Cardiff were not able to exert their first-half dominance, and Nottingham came back into the game.

A succession of penalties were kicked to the corner as Nottingham looked for the try that would get them back into the game. In contrast to Cardiff’s backline, Nottingham struggled to cross the white line as diagonal running and a lack of killer instinct blighted their attacking game.

As a result, Nottingham looked to their forwards and were rewarded with a push over try in the far corner.

The conversion bought the visitors to within a converted try of victory.

Though Cardiff failed to score any points in the second half, they held on for victory by nineteen points to thirteen and retained the National Medical Schools' Cup. Darius Williams was named Man of the Match for a powerful and committed performance at outside centre. Captain Sion Crabtree was understandably delighted with the result, commenting: “We have had a mixed season in BUSA, although we did beat both Dublin and London United Hospitals.

“It’s a relief to win the match; we let Nottingham back into the game by sitting back. In all honesty, though, its 12 years in a row now that we have won this competition and a win is a win.” Although Crabtree described winning as a, “relief” the truth is that Cardiff’s win was much more comfortable than the score line suggested: a fact that indicates that a thirteenth title in 2011 could well be on the cards.

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 JAMES HINKS HAS STOLEN PHILLIP SCHOFIELD'S HAIRSTYLEn DANIELLA: I WOULDN'T MIND BEIUNG SPIDERMANNED IF I WAS IN AN OFFICIAL RELATIONSHIPn DANIELLA: AS LONG AS HE LETS ME SHUT MY EYES FIRST nSTILL DANIELLA: DEPENDS HOW LONG WE'VE BEEN GOING OUT THOUGH- LESS THAN A WEEK, THEN MAYBE NOT! n DANIELLA: I'VE NEVER BEEN SPIDERMANNED! PAUL: TEXT ME WHEN YOU HAVEn

THE WORD ON - SPORT 29

gairrhydd | SPORT@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY MAY 10 2010

Yaz Langley gives The Word On... money's destruction of world football

Sol Campbell moved to Notts County in 2009, dropping down a bizarre three divisions to mix it with the amateurs in League Two. There was only one reason behind this move, he wanted some more 'Al Green.'

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It's refreshing to hear that several Pompey players are happy to waive bonuses

I've got Sol but I'm not a soldier

FOOTBALLING MONEY GRABBERS

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Once upon a time, football was about 22 men on a muddy field playing just for the hell of it; nowadays, our clubs have been taken over with Prima Donnas more interested in scoring with glamour models than goals.

The driving force behind this inevitable evolution is, like everything else, money- it doesn’t take an expert to recognise that football has become less about sport and more about business. The leagues are stock markets, the players, commodities. The sad thing about it all though, is that they don’t seem to care as long as they can get a WAG on their arm and sixteen cars on the drive. Instead of our players making the back page they make it to the front by flaunting their glamorous lifestyles.

Worse though, are the players willing to just completely dismiss their loyalty for that big fancy cheque.

Take Sol Campbell for example, who will now forever be hated by formerly admiring Spurs fans after betraying them for their rivals. Same too, of Harry Redknapp, who left his loyal fans in Pompey to work down the road with their nemesis Southampton (this was before he left for the second time of course); and no one can forget the day Rooney held up his Man U shirt ever so proudly not long after sporting a ‘Once a Blue, Always a Blue’ shirt

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Sven Goran Eriksson must have seriously racked up the money in recent years. He became Notts County's director of football, then became Ivory Coast's coach. He must be rolling in Johnny Cash.

Well that definitely trumped Coleen's Valentine's day card ever so proudly. Fickle? Only when there’s money involved.

Yet with all the financial strain Pompey are under, we’ve not even heard a peep from the players who continually didn’t get paid on time.

Although most of us normal civilians would agree they’re already too rich for their own good, it didn’t stop the one and only Sol Campbell. Not only did he throw a tantrum, but he sued as well, adding insult to injury to a club he belonged to for years. He can now add Pompey fans to the list who will never welcome his return - and all because he couldn’t afford to keep up payments on his mansion, poor lamb.

Perhaps that’s why it’s so refreshing to hear several Pompey players such as Dindane and Kanu, are more than happy to waive contract renewals or bonuses – some up to a £100,000they’re fully entitled to, in order to play for their team on the (eleventh) pitch at Wembley. They’ve shown that beneath all the money, business deals and filthy rich Russians, there are still those who genuinely love the beautiful game.

Jamie O’Hara is a brilliant role model for this - admitting just before the semi-final he would actually rather Portsmouth beat Tottenham. Despite the fact that he belongs to Spurs, they

pay his wages and he’s actually grown up supporting them, he’d still just rather be able to get out there and play on the big day.

Utaka, another example of a player who, for once, was embarrassed when his wages were reported much higher than they were at £80,000 a week, simply because he didn’t want the fans to think he was ‘sapping’ money that the club doesn’t have.

This long awaited attitude adjustment couldn’t come soon enough after John Terry’s captaincy was stripped and given to the squeaky clean Rio, who of course couldn’t be more deserving. Well that’s what he had us believe until his token mistress sold her story - inevitably.

The only other humbling example in footie I can think of, is the beloved Giggsy, who chose to play for Wales over Sierra Leone and hypothetically England (contrary to popular belief, he wasn’t eligible for England, but the point is he would’ve chosen Wales anyway). And that was so long ago I can’t even think of a metaphor for it.

These occasional signs of basic humanity are so rare that when I typed in humble footballers in Google, all that appeared was banter about humble pie-paella for Barcelona in some sophisticated wit - one of them by ap-

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parent football expert Collymore. And we all know he talks shit.

Beneath the money, there are still those who genuinely love the beautiful game The old gem in British journalism, is that we build ‘em up to knock ‘em down - but we don’t. They build themselves up to the point their massive heads explode in a mess of orgies, drug-test failings (or our own Rio oops - I - forgot Ferdinand) and drink driving crashes, while the public take delight in this.

This is why, in the world we live in, the good stories rarely make the headlines - making it easy to portray footballers as twats with more money than they can add up - and they are, largely.

I guess what my point is that despite the majority, these examples show there are still those who are trying to make their way through the glamorous woodwork and get out there on that muddy field to play just for the hell of it.

There's only one reason Arsenal fans brandish wads of cash at Ashley Cole when he plays against his former club. He loves the stuff, which would have helped his move to Chelsea

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Beckham was still one of the top players in the world when he left Real Madrid. He could have gone anywhere... instead he chose LA Galaxy for financial reasons.

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Many of the new arrivals to Eastlands this season will have had to purchase reinforced wallets after their move. I wonder if their money will make up for lack of Champions League football?