gair rhydd - Issue 933

gair rhydd Monday October 25 2010 | freeword – Est. 1972 | Issue 933

Quench turns

100

The Birthday Issue

plus fashion//film//music//art

Trick or Treat Henry Burton gets seasonal Inside this week:

Cardiff ’s animal experiments under question Ben Price News Editor Cardiff University has been questioned over its use of kittens for scientific research.

Cardiff City Council’s deputy leader, Neil McEvoy, has requested further details from the University’s Vice-Chancellor, Dr David Grant, regarding the use of 19 kittens for scientific experiments.

The University has been under attack from anti-vivisection campaigners since the South Wales Echo exposed Cardiff for experimenting on 191,549 animals since 2006.

The British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection (BUAV), who campaign to bring an end to animal experiments, contacted Mr McEvoy and asked him to approach the university for more specific information on the kitten experiments.

Following the rejection of a Freedom of Information request sent from the BUAV to the university, Mr McEvoy was asked to meet with the university and enquire further into the nature of the experiments on the kittens.

Explaining why the University failed to answer the BUAV’s request, a University spokesperson said: “The University has responded openly to the Freedom of Information enquiry about the research.”

The University said that it had received a number of enquiries under the Freedom of Information Act relating to the use of animals in experiments and it has provided a response in accordance with the Act. However, in light of the request posted by the BUAV, a University spokesperson commented:“The FoI request it received from BUAV simply requested copies of a

specific document, i.e. the project licenses relating to research (which are held by the Home Office) and this was properly refused on the basis of a number of relevant exemptions that applied in the public interest.”

The BUAV have already issued some details on the nature of the experiments on the kittens on their website. The BUAV said that in one instance, the kittens were implanted with electrodes and screws to record their brains’ electric activity.

The University stated that the claim in the local press that such experiments ‘could be done in another way’ failed to acknowledged the rigorous controls under which these experiments are performed.

A University spokesperson said: “Our research involving animals is rigorously controlled under Home Office authority and supervision, and only work that cannot be done in any other way is permitted under law.”

In light of the effect the experiments have on the animals involved, the University added: “In no case did the experiments described cause severe trauma to the animals. All research involving animals is subject to an ethical review.”

Deputy leader of Cardiff Council, Mr McEvoy, said that it is important for all institutions to remain honest and transparent when publishing details of activities that are in the public interest.

However, Mr McEvoy said that at no point has he called into question the professionalism of the staff involved in the experiments at Cardiff University.

Mr McEvoy intends to meet with the University in the near future to further discuss the details of the animal experiments.

Student Assault Police are appealing for witnesses after a student was sexually assaulted in Cathays News, page 2

Medical problem News reveals that Cardiff medical students could suffer from a decline in placements after graduation News, page 2

Social networking Opinion provokes debate over social networking: are we incapable of non-virtual communication or does the internet supplement our friendships?

Opinion, page 8

Integration?

Features reveals the difficulties faced by international students at Cardiff University and questions the true meaning of integration Opinion, page 10

Americanisation Politics explores the concept of the Americanisation of British politics and examines the impact that this could have on the UK system Politics, page 15

Bee worried Science considers the plight of the honeybee, whose numbers are falling rapidly due to a deadly fungus spore Science and Environment, page 21

Half marathon The government’s comprehensive spending cuts have been announced.

Politics finds out who will be hit hardest. << Full story: page 15

Sport discusses the Cardiff half marathon, which was 193m too short, while some Cardiff students share their experiences of the day Sport, page 29 And more, in Wales’ number one independent student newspaper

02News

gr EDITOR Sarah Powell

Monday October 25 2010 • gair rhydd • news@gairrhydd.com

Police hunt man in connection with Cathays sexual assult

CO-ORDINATOR Elaine Morgan DEPUTY EDITOR Dom Kehat NEWS Morgan Applegarth Miranda Atty Pippa Lewis Ben Price Hannah Pendleton FEATURES Zoe Bridger Laura Brunt OPINION Holly Howe Chris Williams POLITICS James Dunn Oliver Smith COLUMNIST Henry Burton SOCIETIES Bianca London LISTINGS Sarah Powell SCIENCE & ENVIRONMENT Tom Clarke Jack Parker SPORT Alex Bywater Lucy Morgan Alex Winter CONTRIBUTORS Jenny Lambourne Tom Beer Jamie Evans Sarah Philips Charlie Dodgson Katie Murdoch Sion Perks Keith Bugler Luke Slade Hannah van den Bergh Caitlin Hughes Bethan Davies Kristen Myers Ceri Paine Luke de Preux Caroline Dadd Sheri Hall Adam Hunt Sheri Hall Jimmy Richardson Lydia Bluring Ceri Davies Rebecca Smithers Christiana Raht Jonathon Frank PROOFREADERS Georgia Gratton Emma Feloy Sinead Morrison Jessica Andrew Alex Martin Richard Herlihy Bethan Cable Sophie Keeling Original Design: Paul Stollery

Above: CCTV images of the man that police wish to speak to in relation to the assault

Morgan Applegarth News Editor

Cardiff Police are investigating a sexual assault on a female student last month.

The 20-year-old female was making her way back from a night out in the city centre during the early hours of Friday September 26 when she was approached and assaulted

by a man on Cathays Terrace.

The man is seen on CCTV footage walking with the victim through the Cathays area, moments before the assault.

Detective Inspector Tudor Thomas from Roath and Cathays CID commented: “This incident has left the young woman extremely upset and describes it as the worst thing that has ever happened to her.

“I would like to reassure the com-

munity that we are fully investigating this serious incident and would like to appeal for anyone with information, to contact us no matter how insignificant it might seem."

Latest Home Office crime figures show a 13% reduction in sexual offences, or 48 fewer crimes, in Cardiff during the 12 months to June 2010, when compared with the same period the year before.

However, residents and visitors

are advised to follow simple steps to keep themselves safe.

DI Thomas added: "I would take this opportunity to advise people when returning home from a night out to do so in pairs or groups and to stick to well lit areas.”

Anyone with information on this incident is asked to contact Cathays CID on 02920 527267 or anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111

Medical students face uncertain future Miranda Atty News Editor This year the number of medical students graduating in the UK will not match the number of places available on the mandatory NHS training programme that graduates must take part in.

The paid two year NHS programme must be completed by graduate medics before they can qualify as registered doctors.

The programme, which commenced in 2005, has traditionally always provided more places than applicants.

However, this year the combination of a threefold increase in international student applications, around 45 fewer available spaces and a rise in UK medical graduates, has led to estimates that hundreds of applicants will miss out on a place.

A Cardiff University spokesperson said: “The UK Foundation programme is oversubscribed this year

due to an increase in the number of UK graduates and a large increase in non-UK applicants. The exact numbers will not be known until November 30 2010.”

Professor Derek Gallen, the UK Foundation Programme Office’s (UKFPO) National Director, has said that he expects the vast majority of eligible applicants to gain a place on the programme. This is due to an expectation that not all international applicants will be successful, something they will not find out until November 30. However, if the same percentage of international students as last year is found to be eligible there will be around 464 UK applicants likely to miss out on a place.

A 'primary list' of the highestscoring applicants will be placed in foundation schools on December 8, while the lower-scoring applicants are likely to be placed on a 'reserve list' and allocated spaces as they become available between March and July 2011.

"UKFPO has been working on a

contingency plan for oversubscription with the Medical Schools Council and the Departments of Health,” a Cardiff University spokesperson told gair rhydd.

"As a result of this planning process, it is expected that a number of

medical students will not be allocated to Foundation Schools until very late in the process, as vacancies arise. However, they expect that the vast majority of eligible applicants will be placed in a Foundation programme this year."

Above: Heath Park Campus

News03

Monday October 25 2010 • gair rhydd • news@gairrhydd.com

Browne Students raise money for charity Lord review faces Over five tonnes of items were donated to Lord Mayor's charity bric-a-brac sale Jenny Lambourne Reporter A bric-a-brac sale held by students at the start of the term has raised a total of £439.55 for LATCH, the Lord Mayor’s charity.

LATCH is a voluntary organisation established to support the families and patients of the children’s Oncology Centre at the Children’s

Hospital for Wales.

Over five tonnes of items including food, kitchen equipment, clothes and electrical products were donated to the scheme.

The event, which was organised

by Raise and Give, in association with the Student Liaison Officer, Cardiffdigs.co.uk, 'Get It Out For Cardiff' and Cardiff Self Storage, hopes to encourage students to be environmentally aware while sav-

ing themselves money in the process.

All 21 university halls were involved in the scheme. They set up ‘Green Zones’ for the 'Get It Out For Cardiff' campaign before the items were stored with Cardiff Self Storage over the summer.

Councillor Judith Woodman, Cardiff Council Executive Member for Communities, Housing and Social Justice said, “Storing the

donated goods and setting up the sale has helped reduce waste by stopping people having to buy new things, saved everyone money, prevented landfill and donated to a very worthwhile charity.”

After the success of the trialled event, the organisers hope that the bric-a-brac scheme will be repeated in halls and across the city at the end of each term.

Above: Students' bric-a-brac raises money for LATCH

Rugby star reveals medic equipment Tom Beer Reporter Jamie Roberts, who is both a Welsh rugby star and a Cardiff University medical student, has unveiled the School of Medicine’s new medical simulation training equipment.

The new child mannequin was unveiled as part of an expanding simulation centre at Cardiff University’s School of Medicine.

The mannequin can be programmed to show symptoms of a range of different medical problems, ranging from irregular heartbeats to low blood pressure.

It offers students the ability to deal with real life problems and ensuring that student doctors have practice looking after critically ill patients in emergency situations.

Judith Hall, Professor of Medicine, commented: “With the development of the Children’s Hospital for Wales here in Cardiff, it is very important that our medical students train to look after sick babies and children.

“Using this infant mannequin,

they will train to recognise when a baby is sick, they will know when to call senior doctors for help and finally, they will know how to start emergency treatment.”

The mannequin is to be part of the new Cochrane Building.

Opening in 2011, this will comprise an entire floor of simulation equipment designed to test doctors in the most realistic ways possible, so that they gain experience before meeting such emergencies in real life.

At the official unveiling of the new equipment, Jamie Roberts noted the importance of the simulation: “As a medical student this new equipment will help my development and enables me to learn, rehearse and perfect procedures in treating sick patients.

“This new equipment is especially important as it mimics a child – one of the most difficult patients to treat when becoming a doctor,” he added.

Above: Jamie Roberts unveils new medical training equipment

opposition from Welsh MPs Miranda Atty News Editor

The MP for Cardiff Central, Jenny Willott, has confirmed that she will be opposing a rise in tuition fees.

Lord Browne’s review of higher education has recommended that the cap on tuiton fees be lifted to enable universities to charge as much as they think appropriate.

This recommendation is not backed by Ms Willott or fellow Welsh Liberal Democrats Mark and Roger Williams.

“I will not support an increase in tuition fees and I’m deeply concerned about increasing levels of student debt," Ms Willott said.

“I am continuing to lobby Vince Cable and my colleagues on this issue and will make a final decision on how I vote when we know what the Government is actually proposing,” she added.

An Emergency Members' Meeting (EMM) of the Students’ Union has been scheduled to take place in response to both the Browne Review of the future of Higher Education funding and the Comprehensive Spending Review from the coalition government.

The meeting will be open to all students and aims to discuss students’ stances towards the issues of tuition fees and university funding.

The Union does not currently have a policy on these issues, so the EMM has been set up to allow students to vote on the policies and issues suggested.

All students are invited to attend and take part in the debate to set the agenda for the Union and the team of officers.

Students Union President, Olly Birrell said, “this is a turbulent time for higher education and the decisions we take now as a student body can have long term effects for our own education and that of future generations, so it’s vital, now more than ever, to have your say.”

The Emergency Members' Meeting will be held in the Great Hall on Tuesday October 26.

04News

Monday October 25 2010 • gair rhydd • news@gairrhydd.com

hold voice for Show your solidarity Students awareness campaign

Cardiff students stand up for Burma during the UK's first ever Solidarity Week held by the Students' Union Charles Dodgson Reporter Last week saw the launch of Cardiff University's first ever Solidarity Week.

Seeking to engage students, this year Solidarity Week focused on the current political situation in Burma, a country on the northern border of Thailand.

Since the 1988 and 2007 democracy protests, 2,200 political prisoners remain in jail for protesting for greater social and political freedom.

Solidarity Week seeks to raise student awareness regarding human rights abuse carried out by the Burmese Junta, which includes using acts of rape as a weapon of war and the ethnic cleansing of Karen locals.

Organised by Cardiff's Amnesty International Society, Solidarity Week saw numerous societies put on events to inform Cardiff ’s students and local public of issues and engage them pro-actively in fighting for their end.

Highlights of the week included a Debating Society event on whether economic and military sanctions were the only effective way of ending the Junta’s reign.

Tuesday October 19 saw the ar-

rival of the 'Great Big Burma gig' to Cardiff, a night of live music and comedy.

The night raised over £600 to be donated to charitable groups such as Amnesty International and Burma Campaign UK. The money raised can be used to help smuggle aid, radios and televisions across the border from Thailand, as the media blackout in Burma prevents any foreign press from reporting on, or to, the Burmese people.

Solidarity aims to get students into the 60s vibe, where people stood and fought for issues...

Throughout Wednesday October 20, Amnesty International and PhotoSoc photographed students outside the Students' Union with Burmese prisoner numbers on their hands as a symbol of solidarity.

The photos taken are to be distributed to various organisations, including a UN summit discussing issues in Burma. They will also be used as a backdrop to highlight the plight of Burmese political prisoners and the international unity sur-

Slashed: Your Elected Officers taped up various parts of the Union to highlight the vital amenities that could disappear if spending cuts are introuduced to your Students' Union. To find out what you can do to help prevent this, speak to your Elected Officer team.

rounding the issues.

The week finished off with the ‘Speaking Up to the Junta’ talk where notable Burmese speakers, such as Nant Bwa Bwa Phan, described what life is like under Junta rule to Cardiff students.

Societies, Events and Activities Officer Cosimo Montagu highlighted the importance Solidarity Week held, stating: "[Having] awareness on an issue is one thing, but Solidarity Week aims to actively engage both the public and students in affecting real change for the freedoms of the Burmese people.

"Solidarity aims to get students into the 60s vibe where people stood up and fought for issues like this,” he continued.

Oli Lucas, campaigners co-ordinator for Cardiff University's Amnesty International Society said: “The 'Palms up for Burma' campaign is the perfect example of how individuals taking small action can have a huge impact, with over 2,000 people taking part already.”

To get involved with the campaign for greater social and political freedom for the Burmese people, please go to www.amnesty.org.uk/ burma or get in touch with Cardiff ’s Amnesty International Society.

Morgan Applegarth News Editor A group of students belonging to the 'Students For Life' society took to the streets in a ‘Day of Silent Solidarity’ to help raise awareness on the issues of abortion.

Cardiff students donned red stickers, marked with the word ‘Life’, over their mouths as they handed out flyers to passers-by.

'Students for Life' President Alithea Williams told gair rhydd: “I am very glad that we took part in this international event.

“It was definitely a success and

I am very proud of everyone who took part, standing-up for what we believe in.”

“We had few bad reactions and a number of positive comments,” revealed 'Students for Life' Treasurer Isla Harrision.

The global event, organised by pro-life organisation Stand True, was organised in a bid to promote anti-abortion ideals and to ‘provide a voice for unborn babies’.

'Students for Life' publicised the pro-life day in weeks leading up to the awareness protest on Facebook, inviting students to join in.

Students help build a brighter future University students donate their summer to helping improve poverty in Bolivia Sarah Phillips Reporter A group of students from the Cardiff University’s Welsh School of Architecture are being celebrated after spending their summer working on a charity project in Bolivia.

James Mitchell, Su Mei Tan and Julissa Kiyenje formed part of a tenperson team that spent the summer working in poverty stricken areas, building classrooms and workshops

for two orphanages near La Paz. The team collaborated with the Alalay Foundation, a Bolivianbased charity who provide shelter and education for 400 local children, as they worked closely with orphans and members of the local community to help improve education and living conditions In 2007, James, Su and Julissa founded Orkidstudio, a non-profit humanitarian design organisation with the aim of building a brighter future for children and communi-

ties throughout the world.

Describing the inspiration behind the organisation, James said: “I strongly believe that architecture should not be restricted to high budget commissions, and should be used to help people affected by poverty or natural disaster.”

Although the team currently have no future plans in place for Orkidstudio, they do hope to continue work with the Alalay Foundation and return to Bolivia next summer.

Cardiff drops in sustainability index Jamie Evans Reporter The city of Cardiff has dropped to eleventh in the Sustainable Cities Index, having been previously ranked in tenth spot.

The Sustainable Cities Index measures Britain’s 20 largest urban centres by charting their performance with regard to the environment and quality of life.

The Index also looks at the city's future plans for issues such as climate change and quality of air.

Results show that Newcastle regain a top spot, with Leicester following behind in second place.

Brighton, Bristol and London also secured a top ten spot, whereas Hull failed to move from bottom spot.

Craig Williams, Conservative Councillor for Cardiff West spoke of Cardiff ’s placement in the Index: "It is a very worrying trend. I think it is an index that we should seek to top and lead."

He continued: "We must take actions to address this issue."

Councillor Williams went on to

blame the drop in the table on Cardiff's transport policy, stating: "We must get citizens to use more of public transport.

"I think we need a more holistic approach to tackle this."

Cardiff Bus has recently introduced a 'smart-card' scheme for travellers, which is similar to the Oyster card used in London.

A spokesperson for GE, a manufacturing company that judges the index, commented: "Cities are having to count every penny so it's essential that they invest wisely for long-term success."

News05

Monday October 25 2010 â&#x20AC;˘ gair rhydd â&#x20AC;˘ news@gairrhydd.com

Research set to improve vehicle efficiency and carbon emissions Birmingham and Brunel universities work with Cardiff's School of Chemistry for a greener future Hannah Pendleton News Editor Cardiff Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Catalysis Institute in the School of Chemistry is in the process of discovering a new combustion technology that would mean vehicles become less polluting. It is one of the Institute's first after their launch on October 13.

Deputy director of the Institute, Professor Stan Golunski, stated: â&#x20AC;&#x153;The technology that we are developing with our colleagues at Brunel and Birmingham has the potential to recover waste heat and therefore improve fuel economy and lower CO2 emissionsâ&#x20AC;?.

The collaboration is developing a system that will be based on incorporating a catalytic reactor in the exhaust of a vehicle. This will

produce a high concentration of nitrogen and hydrogen that goes back into the engine, where the team will observe how combustion, performance and emissions are affected as a result of this process.

The director of the Institute, Professor Graham Hutchings, has said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Chemistry at Cardiff already has excellence in heterogeneous catalysis, homogeneous catalysis and biocatlysis. The aim is to bring these together with a single institute so that they can grow and provide the focal point for interdisciplinary interactions within Cardiff and externally with academia and industry. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We look forward to welcoming our invited guest to the launch event and to advancing the school and the Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reputation in this important area of researchâ&#x20AC;?.

JOMEC celebrates Cardiff's Centre for Journalism reaches a milestone as the UK's leading journalism school Morgan Applegarth News Editor Cardiff Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s School of Journalism marked its 40th anniversary by hosting a conference to debate the future of journalism.

Cardiff Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s School of Journalism held a celebratory conference on October 15 to mark the schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 40th anniversary.

The â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Tomorrowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Journalistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; conference saw an array of talent discuss, at length the current climate of journalism, as well as the challenges that face the next generation of journalists.

Held in the Bute Building, the conference was attended by a mixture of postgraduates, academics and members of the schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Alumni, including: Chief Correspondent for Channel 4 News Alex Thomson and Senior Editor for Grazia, Hattie Brett.

Deputy Director-General for the

BBC, Mark Byford, was also in attendance.

Speaking to gair rhydd, Director of the Centre of Journalism, Richard Tait commented: â&#x20AC;&#x153;The conference was a great success.â&#x20AC;?

Despite not being in attendance, current students were given the opportunity to view the conference as it was streamed throughout the building. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The conference worked well for our current students who were able to hear, first-hand, crucial debates about the future of journalism,â&#x20AC;? said Tait. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It gave our students exposure to many of the key figures and issues in journalism today.â&#x20AC;?

Aside from the conference, the school further celebrated 40 years with a football tournament between staff and students, as well as hosting a gala dinner in the evening.

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Would you like to teach at primary or secondary level?

Why not study for a PGCE and gain qualified teacher status?

Train in Wales and you could earn whilst studying

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World News06 Shower Scare

LuLu the diva dog

Jimmy Richardson Reporter

Hannah Pendleton News Editor

An Australian women was terrified when she awoke to find someone taking a shower in her home.

The male, who police later identified as her neighbour, was so drunk that he went into the house mistaking it for his own.

Hearing running water, the home alone woman alerted local authorities, who, upon arrival, found the red-faced man sitting on the woman’s porch. He was promptly taken into custody.

A Miniature Pinscher dog in China has recently been discovered to be regularly walking on its hind legs in the streets of the Chinese city of Zhumadian.

If things weren’t already strange enough, despite refusing to walk on all fours, Lulu also carries around a ‘teddy bear handbag' while she struts her stuff.

No one knows why Lulu walks in this way or why she insists on sporting a handbag.

Her owner, Zhou Guanshun, a

Cat-astrophic World's longest domestic cat squeezes into record books Miranda Atty News Editor A 1.16 metre cat has broken the Guinness world record to be named the world’s longest domestic cat.

Stewie, the five-year-old moggy, is a Maine Coon cat, a variety which are also referred to as the ‘gentle giants’ of the feline world. Stewie’s owners, who are from Reno, Nevada, decided to attempt to break the record af-

retired teacher, has no prejudices against his pooch saying, “We loved her instantly."

Will you McMarry Me? Lydia Bluring Reporter Chains of McDonald's throughout Hong Kong are offering wedding packages to fast food fanatics.

The service, dubbed ‘McWeddings’, costs $3,050 (£250) and includes a burger buffet and a wedding cake made of apple pies.

A couple who met in one of the fast food chain’s restaurants approached the franchise with the idea after deciding that they wished to tie the knot in the branch.

McDonald’s wedding receptions will be available from January 2011.

This little piggy went to market Ceri Davies Reporter

A woman from Vladivostock, Ruster being repeatedly told by people sia has had her pet piglet seized by that they were amazed at Stewie’s bailiffs as she had failed to clear her debts. length.

The women, who owed 13,000 rubles (£272), failed to pay off her debts in the allotted 10-day time frame, so the animal was seized.

The bailiffs, ordered by Russian Court Officers, have revealed that they are looking for a buyer for the seven-month-old piglet, which could be sold for around 10,000 rubles.

Lady in Red Morgan Applegarth News Editor Men find women more attractive when they wear red, according to new research.

Research released in the European Journal of Social Psychology revealed that males become ‘more flirtatious’ when addressing women wearing red.

In the study, males were shown pictures of ‘moderately attractive’ women sporting different coloured tops.

Their behaviour in the presence of females was monitored, revealing that males exhibited greater sexual desire if the female was donning red.

Opinion08 Social networking - Good? or bad?

So, with the release of Social Network just under a week ago, social networking sites are a hot topic in the news.

Further to this, as a student paper,

none of us are blind to the amount that we use and get involved with social networking.

But how good actually is it? With security threats at an all time high,

is it the safest and best place to truly be talking with friends? Or is it just a multi-billion dollar industry, built on wasting our time?

The Opinion writers investigate.

A Pro-social Networking Argument Hannah Van Den Bergh Opinion Writer People take account of what I say.

People look at my photos and listen to my own brand of light indie rock in the key of C Minor; I am a selfmade, 21st century God. Or at least that’s what social networking lets me believe. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, and I’d like to reassure you that I’m not complaining (for once); never before has the world had instantaneous, constant communication in the palm of its aging hands.

We are eagerly sat at our computers on the cusp of what has been said to be “the equivalent of the past 100 years of business development seen in just one decade” purely because of the internet. And I like it; the ignorance and intangible belief that someone cares what I think; that someone is reading my blog and “following” my tweets.

It doesn’t matter if I don’t have as many followers as you, or as many

“friends” on Facebook; I’m quite happy with my superfluous self-made self confidence.

Social networking is in itself a revolution. You can tell me I’m wrong; you can condemn it, complain about it, post angry status updates as to why it’s killing “real” communication, but the facts don’t lie. There are more than 500 million active users signed up to Facebook, which is as you probably know the market leader in social networking.

But it doesn’t stop there, far from it. Take MySpace, with “more than 8 million bands and artists” signed up and promoting their music.

Or, the phenomenon that is “couchsurfing” which is seeing a rapid increase, allowing people to connect and meet on a global scale.

And why is it all so good? Simple; because it’s easy. You can chat to a friend in Australia on Skype without paying a penny or moving from your living room.

The omniscient power of the internet, so baffling yet so simple, is be-

ing exhausted by business tycoons on a day-to-day basis. As was detailed in the the Guardian, industries are looking at trends in social networking to plan their next marketing campaign, or investment.

Take GAP as a recent example, after changing its logo and branding it received such outrage on social blogs and forums that it did a complete Uturn and reverted back to the original standard. As an outlet for connecting with people, or making a difference, it is ridiculously successful.

As a society we have to embrace this development. I’m not asking you to set up your own business on Ebay or upload a video to Youtube, but refusing to acknowledge the power and prevalence of this medium of communication is unfathomable. You are wrong in thinking it will just go away. So go complain all you want because at the end of the day I know that you’ll still sign on at home and secretly fail in your attempt to be non-conformist.

Why we can’t be without Facebook...

Caitlin Hughes Opinion Writer You can either use Facebook recreationally, or as a devoted addict. Not having Facebook is simply not an option any more.

How else would you get to amuse yourself with the intimate details of hundreds of people’s lives in an instant? And how else would you get to flaunt your best outfits and plethora

of new, attractive acquaintances in front of your ex, without any awkward confrontations?

It would be almost impossible to find that new best friend you met on a night out if it wasn’t simply a matter of popping their name into a search bar.

Without Facebook, social isolation is a distinct threat, and anyone who refuses to ‘buy into’ Facebook simply hasn’t got enough friends to merit a social networking account.

With friends in universities all over the country, many of us rely on keeping in touch online. Access to photos, updates and comments allows us an insight into their world as it changes, and messaging is quicker and much more convenient than a phone call or letter.

Facebook is an amazing thing that helps us stay connected, and a necessary requirement in this modern age. 500 million people surely can’t all be wrong.

To tweet or not to tweet?

Bethan Davies Opinion Writer I used to be a Twitter-hater. It was insanely popular and my friends used to go on and on about it, so I refused to use it.

The thing about Twitter, though, is that it’s popular for some very good reasons!

I first started using it because it was a quick and easy way to distribute news amongst my friends, even

when I couldn’t get to the internet: Twitter’s text service is easy to set up and completely free if you have unlimited texts in your mobile contract.

It’s easy to become addicted to, but at the same time it doesn’t really matter too much if you miss something.

It’s also surprisingly possible to write something true and sometimes very lovely in just 140 characters: I follow several accounts dedicated to doing just that. If you

enjoy celebrity gossip, Twitter is a new way of interacting with your favourite celebrities; if you want news and politics, many politicians and news sites such as the Guardian and the BBC have Twitter feeds. Or you can just communicate with your mates: the best thing about Twitter is that it can function exactly the way you want it to, no crap, no hassle, no fuss.

Opinion09

Monday October 25thw 2010 • gair rhydd • opinion@gairrhydd.com

The bad side to social networking Kristin Myers Opinion Writer ‘According to Wikipedia, there are 190 “popular” social networking sites.

190. 190 places for the “social” to “network” over topics as varied as religion, lists, autobiographies… candle making, spooning, and making love while wearing bear costumes… OK so I lied about those last ones, but I’m sure that those websites exist.

While I am an avid user of facebook, and twitter, can BBM like the best of ‘em, and have considered using professional websites like LinkedIn, I can say that these websites are, well, trash. I know- I’m a hypocrite.

These websites are supposed to “build social relations among people” (well at least Wikipedia says they are) but I think they do exactly the opposite. We have created virtual worlds where we don’t actually make connections with anyone; instead the antisocial gather online and spend hours poring over photos, statuses, tweets, quotes, likes, groups, and events.

Essentially we stalk each other, and triumphantly call it connecting in a

digital age. These social spaces allow us to be privy to personal details in everyone’s lives, without necessitating face to face conversation and dialogue. As a result, we “know” people… without really knowing them.

We have created virtual worlds where we don’t actually make connections with anyone anymore...

And this is what is most awful about them! Because it not only makes us feel as if we have the rights to comment and judge others (after all we know them- and well right?) but then gives us the space in which we can do these things.

And since we’re not really connected to people, well I mean things like feelings don’t really come into play do they? I don’t think internet bullying (or what I call internet thuggery) would be taken to the

levels it has, if people were to do it face to face. The recent suicide of Rutgers University student Tyler Clementi is a perfect example.

But let’s not be too highbrow- at its most basic levels, social networks are huge burners of time: I, for example, checked twitter, facebook, youtube AND my phone for hours before even writing this, and take away all privacy from our lives.

Ate a good hotdog yesterday?

Take a picture and post it! Getting a manicure? Tweet it! Going green? Blog it! Made a video? Upload it on Youtube! We are so focused on shoving every boring detail of our lives into everyone’s faces, that we don’t even bother to go out and tell people about it ourselves. Instead we are left with people who can’t even do what they went onto Facebook to do in the first place: connect. But you don’t have to agree with me- make a facebook group and let me know.

Facebook's Failings Ceri Paine Opinion Writer Staying in touch with friends, sharing photographs, inventing amusing status updates depending on our current mood, sound familiar?

But are we blinded by a naivety, assuming everyone has the same honest intentions?

Facebook has over 400 million users, claiming to protect and monitor from those attempting to abuse the system.

The sheer volume of users illustrates how easy it must be to slip through. In 2005-6 for England and

Wales there were 29,973 registered sex offenders, an increasing figure helped through avenues such as Facebook used to target young and vulnerable users.

A paedophile created numerous profiles to lure 1,000 young people An article issued in May 2010 reports how a paedophile created numerous profiles to lure 1,000 young people, aged 11-16 and tricked them into performing sexual acts via webcam and into meeting him.

Facebook also provides fraudsters with over 400 million profiles full of personal information waiting to be used and abused for identity theft. In the UK alone stolen identity costs the economy £1.7 billion a year. Facebook allows criminals to gather enough vital information in hours, which should have taken weeks.

Facebook is dangerous, as we feel secured surrounded by friends, believing our profile is for their eyes only. However, in reality we are millions waiting to become the next Facebook victims.

For all the twits out there Luke De Preux Opinion Writer The way I see it, Twitter is just a glorified Facebook status. 300 million more people use Facebook, so if you really have a great need to tell someone what you've eaten or if you've been arrested, then it's more efficient to just use Facebook.

Twitter's use of the word 'follow' is slightly disturbing too. 'Following' (or stalking, as I like to call it) is not an accepted social practice.

This strikes me as counter-intu-

itive for a so-called social networking site.

It's not social networking, it's an interactive gossip column Twitter is the process of reality TV taking over the world. Let's face it, us mere mortals aren't the ones who are being followed. It's people like 50 Cent and Courtney Love or

Premier League footballers who get followed because we get to watch their inevitable plunge into insanity (although I'm fairly sure that Courtney Love has been insane for a while now).

It's not social networking, it's an interactive gossip column.

Twitter is pointless and encourages people to speak their mind when they have nothing interesting to say. It also encourages celebrities to say something stupid or, particularly in 50 Cent's case, offensive just to get more 'followers' to inflate their egos.

Opinion10

Monday October 25 2010 • gair rhydd • opinion@gairrhydd.com

Should drug addicts have children?

Caroline Dadd Opinion Writer “Stop a problem before it happens.”

Makes sense, doesn’t it? These are the words of Barbara Harris, founder of Project Prevention; an American charity currently in the UK offering a £200 cash incentive for drug addicts to get sterilised.

Their reasoning behind this being, that if you can’t take care of yourself; you can’t take care of a child.

Again, this seems to make sense.

Or does it? Who are we to say that a certain group of people shouldn’t have children? Bad parents aren’t just confined to those with drug addictions. Bad parents cross into many areas of life.

What’s being said here is not ‘you’re a drug addict, therefore you can’t have children’ it’s ‘you’re not responsible, you can’t have children.’ Surely then, under this principle, the charity should be offering sterilisation to all those it deems unworthy of pro-creating.

The question for us is ‘where do you draw the line?’

The thing is this project does have a point. Many children suffer emotional and physical abuse due to drug use during pregnancy and later as their parents subject them to a chaotic lifestyle where nearly all money is spent on drugs rather than caring for the child.

These children are often taken into care and find themselves being taken in and out of different foster homes trying to find someone who can cope with the problems inflicted upon them by their own parents.

Ms Harris’ argument is that children should not have to go through that emotional trauma and physical upheaval and I’m sure most of

us would agree. If these pregnancies are prevented then there will be fewer children that have to endure those experiences. Plus, Ms Harris argues, less money will be spent by the taxpayer on the social services that end up looking after a lot of these children.

Of course, many addicts do get clean and the worry is that they will regret their decision later on in life.

What the media has generally downplayed is that the charity also offers long term birth control and reversible procedures. In fact, the majority of their clients in America have opted for long term contraception over sterilisation.

If you can’t take care of yourself; you can’t take care of a child.

With this in mind it makes the charity seem a little less extreme and a little more helpful to drug addicts seriously considering birth control options.

However, people who use drugs can access many types of contraception for free from the NHS. If these people are to make the right contraception decision for the right reasons then they should do so without the added ‘bonus’ of having £200 to spend most probably on more drugs.

Those that would be enticed by this ‘bribe’ would most likely be those who lead very chaotic lives.

They are possibly incapable of making a decision that could potentially change their lives simply because it’s a relatively easy way to get money for that all important

Above: "You're not responsible, so you can't have children" next fix.

Furthermore, this scheme is effectively making the judgement that drug addicts are almost subhuman. They do not deserve to have children. This segregates them from the rest of society. It also stigmatises addicts in a way that makes it less likely that they will come forward for help when they need it most. Do we have the right to interfere or does our duty lie with the children?

As always, there are positives and negatives to this approach. It stops children from being born into a life of troubles, but should the quality of life affect the decisions made here? It’s the age old prolife, pro-choice debate. The parents don’t suffer so much at having to constantly give away their children and they can always opt for reversible contraception if they make it through rehab. For me, it is the cash incentive that causes me to

disagree with Project Prevention.

It is most likely to attract those who are, quite frankly, desperate.

They could end up opting for permanent action and come to regret it later simply because they wanted the money.

The cash incentive, to me, is simply and plainly morally wrong. Yes, children deserve a better life, but who’s to say that one group of people should not be allowed to have children? Certainly not me.

The Problems of Prophylactics Sheri Hall Opinion Writer Jonnys, rubbers, condoms: we’ve all blown them up and let them float around the room and we’ve all tried to pull them over our heads without breaking… but how many of us actually use them to wrap up our love muscles? The Ipsos MORI survey indicates that 49% of under25-year-olds in the UK don’t always use a condom with a new partner.

Is it any wonder that two thirds of women and a half of all men diagnosed with an STI are within this age range?

Although it is clear that many people dismiss ‘safe sex’ campaigns as exaggerated preachings of the prude, some may be convinced to have a change of heart after recent

revelations that an LA porn star has been tested as HIV positive. STIs are like Revels – there’s always one that you really don’t want to get, and I’m betting that HIV is number one on most people’s lists. Filming in California’s multi-billion dollar porn industry has come to a halt and performers are queuing up to be tested as panic sets in. The question has now been raised: should porn stars be made to wear condoms?

It appears to be a simple question with a simple answer. Porn actors should have the same rights to a safe working environment as anyone else. If only we lived in an ideal world.

Condom’s lack of appeal is pretty evident amongst those who are sexually active: they’re unsightly, they smell funny, they taste horrible and, for some, they reduce the feeling of

pleasure so much that it makes a ‘good poke’ seem fairly pointless. If this is the case, why would anyone choose to indulge in a porn fantasy where condoms are involved? The adult film industry, which once saw profits of $14 billion, has suffered in recent years due to the availability of free and amateur porn across the internet; a switch to condoms is sure to cause further damage to business.

‘Bare-backing’ in adult films is also said to have implications for the general public, as some believe that porn influences the way that people have sex. Could this be a reason why so many people discard the use of condoms?

Mandatory condoms in porn are not the answer; an individual could quite easily find some ‘unwrapped’ footage in the vastness of the in-

ternet. However, removing ‘barebacking’ from mainstream porn and turning it into some sort of ‘kink’ could be successful. A larger percentage of porn actors would be reducing risk in their working environment whilst influencing the public to practice safe sex themselves. Continuing to provide ‘bare-back’ porn and portraying it as ‘taboo’ would prevent the market from going underground, raise safe sex awareness and still attract business.

If you have ever bought a packet of cigarettes you will be aware of the health warning messages printed on the side of the packet along with graphic photographs demonstrating the affects of smoking. Surely the purchasing, downloading or viewing of condomless pornography should be issued with

the same warning? Explicit photographs of the infections you could contract by not using condoms is likely to make individuals think twice before freeing willy. Adult sites would also do well to remind individuals that porn stars are vetted every 25-30 days and so are far safer than your average joe in the street.

Porn actors are in a risky line of work to begin with; one that is often dominated by drugs and monetary appeal. As with all jobs, there are hazards which porn stars are obviously willing to accept but making condom usage more mainstream and demonising ‘bare-backing’ could reduce risks to their own health as well as the health of others.

Columnist 12

Monday October 25 2010 • gair rhydd

by

Henry Burton

Halloween season beckons

I

t’s that lovely time of year again when people are allowed to put on masks and threaten old people for sweets, a tradition that I’d happily follow all year round, and it’s easy to see why the holiday’s become so popular. A big theme of Halloween is mischief. Everyone loves a good prank; I often amuse myself by sneaking into Blackwells and hiding copies of A Child Called It under the section titled “parenting guidebooks”, and I have a friend who likes to order takeaway pizzas to Weightwatchers meetings. It’s also a great time of year to play tricks on close friends, as there’s no better way to get revenge on someone than by silly-stringing their house, with the possible exception of attatching a note saying ‘I have 4kg of cocaine stuffed up my arse’ onto their back as they attempt to pass through airport customs.

But there’s more to the holiday than mischief and intimidating the elderly.

It’s also a great opportunity for fancy dress, just so long as you take care to judge the level of effort required; too little and you look like a spoilsport, too much and you find yourself sitting in the corner of a church meeting dressed as Bin Laden. In general I’ve found that it’s always a good idea to check ahead, as this saves much embarrassment at a later point. In my second year I humorously turned up to a Halloween social dressed as the Elephant Man, but then found out that we were actually going for a formal meal to Pizza Express, and had to spend the rest of my evening convincing people in shirts and chinos that I

hadn’t had a nervous breakdown.

Of course, a lot of people will remember Halloween for the games we used to play as kids. I’ll always have fond memories of bobbing for apples; at primary school, we used to amuse ourselves every year by fastening the apples to the bottom of the bucket with string, a light-hearted little joke which lead to the unintended mass drowning of half our nursery class.

Another classic we used to play was the “get blindfolded and guess the object in the box” game, which our PE teacher used to set up for us in his office, with objects varying from a large German sausage to a pair of hairy eggs. Traditions like these helped define my childhood, and I like to try and keep them alive through volunteer events at my local youth centre; events like “Halloween film night”, where we get all the kids from the local area to bring sweets, dress up, and watch spooky films in the dark. Last week was The Human Centipede, and while most of the under 7’s have started to string together sentences again, I can’t help but feel responsible for the ones who needed counselling.

These days, the only scares we face are wondering what we’re going to do after university. I’m slightly terrifed that after 4 years of medical training, the extent of knowledge seems to be saying “are you ok?” when someone falls over in public. I’ve also learnt all my patient skills from watching emotional dramas like ER and Good Will Hunting, and now have to rely on solving every problem by putting my hand on the patient’s shoulder and saying “it’s not your fault” over and

“

And that's how I found out that dad and Juan the gardener were gay

Above: Halloween. Epitomised by flaming pumpkins. over again until they start crying.

Will I ever get anything right? And is it a problem that I still dribble? My shortcomings turn to insecurities, and I am left feeling small and pointless, like Andorra. It got so bad that I even tried to kill myself, but I accidently swallowed a bottle of multivitamins instead of sleeping pills, and ended up making myself healthier.

All in all, I guess we should be thankful for Halloween. It gives us a chance to escape from the real fears in

life, busy ourselves with silly outfits, and carve faces into pumpkins without looking like we’re mentally ill. It’s also the only time when you can wear a Nazi uniform and not get arrested, which, truth be told, is probably a good thing, but still the main reason I have so little fun at Christmas.

Letters To The Editor In which our readers ask Henry a series of common questions. This week: starting university for the first time.

Dear Henry, My girlfriend from home just told me that she’s pregnant.

Should I drop out of university to be a father?

I’d play it by ear. Having a child can sound terrifying, but if Tamagotchis have taught us anything, it’s that babies require little in the way of attention or support, and can live for weeks in their own filth as long as you remember to praise

them regularly. In fact, for people in Merthyr, giving birth is looked upon as a humorous anecdote, and often means little more than rescheduling your Key Stage 3’s. I’d carry on with life as normal, and maybe remember to give it a name before it starts primary school.

Being a student, I can’t afford to shop anywhere other than the big supermarkets, but I detest the way they cut costs through

unethical animal conditions.

Who are the worst offenders to avoid?

Living on a student loan can make it very hard to shop ethically, but it’s important to take positive steps wherever you can. Tescos is famous for treating its livestock badly; to cut costs, animals are housed inside larger animals, and sheep are forced to spend 10 hours a day running their own abattoirs,

everything from admin down.

Meanwhile, poultry conditions at Lidl are pretty much the same as Guantanamo Bay – all the chickens wear orange jumpsuits, are regularly waterboarded, and one of the farmers is hired to creep round the back of the cages and whisper things in their ears like “chop chop” and “you’ll be dinner soon, you fluffy bollock”. The prices at these places may be low, but we must do everything we can to en-

courage responsible brands such as Waitrose, whose animals live in apartments like Centre Parcs and attend regular trips to the theatre.

How stupid would it be to write an article about the Chilean Miners, not realising they were attempting a life-threatening rescue that same week?

Very. You'd have to be an idiot.

What will the cuts mean for us?

Page 14 >>

13

Politics

Presidential Aspirations?

In the wake of claims that British politics is becoming more American, Keith Bugler examines the impact this will have...

T

here has been a great deal of talk about how British politics, in recent years, has become increasingly Americanised. Is this true? What is Americanisation? Is it a bad or good thing?

With the debates, the media coverage, the obsession with political leaders’ personalities, an observer could be forgiven for thinking that the recent general election was some strange hybrid, combining a U.S. presidential election with a traditional U.K. election.

You can now understand why the political commentators of the country were eagerly wondering how the U.S. politics had influenced the general election in May. Think of this as the Americanisation of British politics.

The British have something of a love affair with American culture; think how successful American TV drama is in Britain, and how American films and music are successful across the pond as well. Contrast this with the level of loathing the British public have for politicians.

We live in an age of huge media coverage of our MP's and leaders, and as a nation we hate our politicians.

This is seen as a problem, especially with a declining percentage of the public voting in recent general elections. So politicians hit upon the idea of TV debates; an American idea, this would increase interest among the electorate. It also meant the prospective Prime Ministerial candidates, (in this case Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Nick Clegg) could participate in a favourably viewed method of political discussion. The British love Barack Obama, so perhaps they would look more kindly on the “winner” of the television debates.

Understandably the announcement that there would be televised debates between the three main party leaders drew mixed responses. Sky news seemed enamoured by the idea, with a vast amount of advertising going into hyping up the debates. Political traditionalists muttered amongst themselves that the idea just wasn’t British, and how it wouldn’t work. Conservative supporters were jubilant, crowing about how David Cameron would expose the dour incumbent Gordon Brown. Labour supporters shook their heads; depressed by the idea that the PR adept Tories would have another platform for attack. However, the Liberal Democrats stayed quiet, silently hopeful that their party would finally be on equal terms with the larger two.

Americanisation: A good or bad thing for politics in the UK? The spectre of the debates dominated the election campaign. Lord Mandelson himself said it was unlike any other campaign he had ever known. The first debate was watched by millions of people, and although viewing figures dropped over the next two debates, millions still tuned in. The debates had one massive side-effect, unseen by all the commentators in the build-up.

Cleggmania.

In America, it is the leaders of the two main parties (Republican and Democrat) who participate in the debates: there is no third party.

In Britain, the smallest party participating in the three-way debates made the most impact. The LibDems, who cannot compete with Labour or the Conservatives in resources and advertising, were for the first time given an equal billing on prime-time television. It was manna from heaven to Nick Clegg and co.

Mr Clegg out-performed both Mr Brown and Mr Cameron, especially in the first debate. Young, freshfaced and relatively unknown he made a massive impression on voters throughout the country. This is one key difference between Britain and America; our three-party system is much more unpredictable than their two-party duopoly. Although the Lib-Dems have not won an election in decades (nearly a century) they take key seats away from the two larger parties.

The debates made the election even more unpredictable. The end result was baffling; the Lib-Dems increased their vote share yet lost seats. The Conservatives did not gain an overall majority and Labour clung on to a respectable total of seats. This is in direct contrast to America where the winner of the debates usually becomes president.

Most people seem happy with the idea of the debates. However, it is much more difficult to declare a winner in a three-way competition.

In the U.S. people also go into the election with fewer reservations about the party they usually vote against. This means that a charismatic candidate could make them switch their voting tendencies. This is less likely to happen in Britain where people still often vote based on social background. Although this trend has slowly declined over the past two decades it is still prevalent. It is difficult to imagine the Welsh valleys, northern industrial towns or Scotland voting Conservative. Indeed, the Scottish are in the very awkward position of having a Lib-Dem trying to advertise a coalition to them when only one constituency voted Conservative. Equally Labour very rarely gains seats in the South of England, especially in rural areas. The Lib-Dems are seemingly confined to student populated areas or leafy, affluent suburbs. Our political parties still have too many clearly defined differences. The de-

bates appeal to the undecided voters, but a large portion of the electorate already knows which way it will vote.

Other American influences in our politics are harder to spot. You have to look to Tony Blair to see where it all began. Mr Blair was the most charismatic Prime Minister in Britain’s history. He charmed voters, appealed to them on issues they could relate too, he had a taste for showboating in front of the cameras, and could dominate a U.N. summit. In short he would have made a perfect American president; he was presidential.

A U.S. president has less power than a prime minister. Yet because of this they have to appear charismatic, dignified and perfectly comfortable with the glare of the media. They are, in effect, the face of America. In Britain we have the Royal Family for that job; the Prime Minister gets on with running the country. Tony Blair was the first person in Britain to combine both roles; he moved away from parliamentary policy and brought in “sofa government”, where he would announce the government’s latest policy in an interview with the BBC, for example. Blair became the face of the Labour government.

This was later copied by David Cameron, who sought to detoxify the Conservative name and the inherent nastiness associated with it.

It didn’t work out and Cameron ef-

fectively carried the Conservatives to Whitehall on the back of his charisma and PR skills.

But why should a Prime Minister appear presidential? Gordon Brown certainly wasn’t and even though he commanded a large respect on the world stage (ironically in the U.S. especially) the British public did not warm to him. Angela Merkel (Chancellor of Germany) certainly isn’t a “showy” politician yet commands a huge amount of respect and gravitas.

The British have an older, less excitable political system than the Americans, so why should we try and copy them? Our political model has left us with the NHS, the Welfare State, and a liberally openminded country. Can the U.S. say the same? Why should we try and turn our politicians into celebrities? David Cameron may be comfortable in front of the cameras but he has serious policy deficiencies, and we should not let charisma mask this.

Of course the great irony is that after an election massively influenced by U.S. political culture we find ourselves with a coalition government, a distinctly un-American outcome. Perhaps we should heed the lesson that what works in one system, will always produce a different outcome in another model.

14Politics

politics@gairrhydd.com • Monday October 25 2010 • gair rhydd

Browne Report causes national dismay Politics examines what effect the report could have on University education Katie Murdoch Politics Writer Allowing unlimited tuition fees gives universities free reign to charge students steep fees, especially those like Cardiff University who are members of the elite Russell Group. It will deter students from entering higher education when they know a debt of £30,000-£40,000 will probably be hanging over them later in life. Likewise, universities charging £7,000 - over double the £3,290 that they are now - is bound to put prospective students off, and lower rapidly decreasing student satisfaction even more. But the biggest and most damaging effect of the expected rise in fees is the widening of the gap between the rich and the poor. Those from wealthy backgrounds, and some with possibly mediocre talent, will have the

advantage of sailing straight into top universities. People with less financial support, such as those from poor upbringings, or mature students with families, will have to fight harder to gain scholarships and the funding to cover the costs of university places they deserve. It all sounds a bit familiar.

David Cameron and Nick Clegg have consistently used the term “progressive” to describe plans to raise tuition fees, playing on the ‘change’ rhetoric they seem to enjoy so much. Politicians should curb their use of “progressive” when they no longer know what it means: it’s just another buzz word that has replaced Tony Blair’s “change”.

The review appears to go against what the Liberal Democrats stand for. Or used to stand for. Their manifesto for the general election promised to scrap tuition fees altogether for undergraduates by 2016.

Idealistic? Yes, probably. But all Lib Dem MPs signed the NUS pledge to oppose higher tuition fees before May 6 with 260 Labour candidates adding their signatures, and just 16 Conservatives, adding theirs. The Lib Dems need to grasp any dignity they have left tightly. Vince Cable, speaking in the House of Commons on Tuesday, said that adhering to the NUS pledge was “no longer feasible”. Why not? They knew where the economy was before the election, and had seen reports throughout the Labour government on spending and debt. Why is now any different? I think using the phrase “clearing up Labour’s mess” is growing tired and doesn’t go anywhere near far enough in justifying the cuts we are about to receive in key public services.

Cutting education funding and raising tuition fees is the worst thing this coalition government

could do whilst we’re coming out of a recession. There are so few jobs that when young adults come out of education and are unable to afford the tuition fees of universities, where will they go? Do politicians understand students? I don’t think so. They had no trouble getting into top courses in top universities, and neither will their children. People should be able to get into their chosen universities based on talent, not how much money they have.

I went along to Cardiff Central’s Liberal Democrat MP Jenny Willott’s constituency office a few days after the Browne Review was announced with a handful of other students and some of Cardiff Uni’s Sabbatical Officers. She assured us that should the coalition government propose unlimited tuition fees, she would vote against it. If the government proposed a £7,000 cap, she would also vote against it, unless it

carried with it a proviso that she felt would benefit those from poorer backgrounds. This is deeply important: one of her key pledges when she was elected into the seat in 2005 was to oppose higher tuition fees.

Whether she will keep to this promise is uncertain when her party has such a strong record for changing its mind on key issues.

Though the Browne report only focuses on university funding in England, if the government does follow the report’s guidelines and raises fees to £7,000, it will directly affect Wales. If Welsh institutions do not charge the same, the funding gap between universities in England and Wales will increase heavily, and the difference in quality between universities in each country may widen.

It should be noted that the Browne report is an advisory report. It has not yet become law.

A new age of fairness?

With speculation rife in the media over potential changes to the voting system, Politics investigates the mysterious 'A.V.' system and the costs...

Sion Perks Politics Writer Next May across Britain the good citizens of our island will be voting in a referendum that will radically change the way we choose our governments at future General Elections. If the motion to be put before the people in May is passed it will be one of the most radical changes in the relatively stable world of Westminster politics to happen in decades. Out will go our much beloved and maligned “first past the post” system and in will come a new system... “THE ALTERNATIVE VOTE” (AV).

Even die-hard supporters of AV (and I'm not sure there are many) could not claim that it is easy to explain. In fact one of the main arguments in favour of the current system is that everyone “gets it”. Currently, as I am sure you are aware, the voter puts an X in the box next to the name of the candidate that they wish to see as their MP; all the votes are counted; the candidate with the greatest number of votes then makes a bad, long speech in a municipal sports hall and goes to Westminster to represent you. All sounds fair, yes?

No (cry the supporters of AV).

The difficulty with the current arrangement is that an MP can be elected even if he or she has the support of less than half their con-

stituents. As long as the opposition electorate is divided, an MP can enjoy all the duck houses, moat cleaning and adult entertainment they want with only 20 or 30% support from their constituents if he or she has the largest number of supporters. AV would put a stop to this by allowing the voter to express an order preference – an “alternative” if you will. Instead of putting an X in the box, they could number the candidates, 1, 2, 3 etc. If no candidate get over 50% of the vote then the second preference would be added on as if it were a first preference and this would continue until one candidate had over 50% support.

Get it? Good. It is also hoped by some AV supporters that AV will lead to a more proportional electoral system. Currently the “First Past the Post” system, can create an insane disparity between the number of votes cast and the number of seats a party gets in parliament. Cast your mind back to the 1983 General Election: in this election the Labour party won 28% of the vote and snapping at their heels were the Liberal Democrats (or as they were then called the SDP-Liberal Alliance) with 26% of the vote. Labour won 209 seats, and the Liberals 23 seats.

You do the maths. It is worth noting that AV will not eradicate this problem. In some instances it could, in theory, make it worse. If you want a truly proportional system you need

Proportional Representation (another electoral system which ain't on the table, yet).

While AV would, more than likely, lead to a more proportional system and would ensure that MPs could only represent constituencies where they held more than 50% support, it would also lead to there being a greater chance of coalition governments. While coalitions work, and have worked for many years in many a European democracy, they represent a fundamental shift in the way government operates in the UK. Take, for instance, the much talked about issue of Tuition Fees; the Liberal Democrats pledged to abolish fees in May's election and now they are working as part of a government that is potentially uncapping them. Liberal Democrats would rightly defend this by saying that they had to drop their opposition because coalition involves compromise and the Conservatives are the bigger party. They would, no doubt, go on to say that they have got many Liberal Democrat policies through where the Conservatives have had to compromise. The difficulty with this is that a party that is only likely to govern as part of a coalition can put anything they like in their pre-election manifesto and then after the election, should they be chosen to govern, they can sacrifice inconvenient, unworkable

policies in the aid of coalition and compromise. In short, parties may fight harder for some policies than others during coalition negotiations.

Personally, I am not a big supporter of AV. It is a compromise that no one is really passionate about (45% support at the last count). It has all the downsides of Proportional Representation with the difficulties of coalitions being built in the political shadows behind closed

doors but none of the advantages of a proportional system. The current system nearly always delivers one party government which, despite a the disproportionality, allows the electorate to see a clear link between a party and its actions in government. “If it ain't broke, don't fix it” is a pretty weak argument, but in this case I think it's more “if it ain't broke, don't break it”.

Alternative vote: would it change your choice on the day?

Politics15

gair rhydd • Monday October 25 2010 • politics@gairrhydd.com

The first cuts are the deepest Olly Smith & James Dunn Politics Editors It was always going to be painful.

Now the Coalition Government has finally released their long awaited plans to cut the heavy national deficit.

With the national debt now running at £83 billion, George Osbourne, Chancellor of the Exchequer, has announced the deepest cuts since the end of the Second World War. In a four year plan, which Osbourne introduced as a “hard road” but one that leads “to a better future”, he outlined plans to stem the country's current £120 million a day interest payments on borrowed money. Public expenditure next year will be £651 billion.

George Osbourne announced that he would bring “sanity” to this figure and the country. Mr Osbourne then entered into his detailed explanation of the cuts leaving what he described as “no stone unturned”.

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and the Ministry of Justice look to be the heaviest institutions affected. The BBC - founded in 1922 - is currently undergoing a series of internal crises. Still in the middle of a bitter pensions row with staff, it seems that a senior management cull has begun.

Mark Byford, the Deputy DirectorGeneral, is being made redundant.

His annual salary was in the region of £475,000. Likewise, their marketing ‘supremo’ will leave her post soon. Sharon Baylay has only been with the corporation since May last year and has a salary of close to £310,000.

Already attempting to make internal cuts, the BBC is now being placed under a wide range of other demands. 16% of their budget is to be cut. In return for a license fee freeze of £145.50 for the next six years, the corporation must take on the cost of running two stations: the popular World Service (which the Foreign Office has been running at a cost of £212 million) and the Welsh Language Channel S4C. The latter is expected to take £102 million to run. Plans to give free licenses to those over 75, which would have cost £556 million, have been shelved by the government.

Aside from the Department of Health, and International Development Aid, every government department will have up to 40% of their budget slashed by 2015. The Ministry of Justice looks to be the heaviest hit. According to numerous sources, 14,000 jobs are set to go. Reportedly, 9,940 of those redundancies will be in prison and probation services. A total of 11,000 frontline jobs will go. A government leak - revealed when the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Lib-Dem Danny Alexander, was photographed reading confidential papers - suggested that over 500,000 jobs would be axed from the public sector. The Office for Budgetary Responsibility confirmed the figure would be 500,000

by 2014-15.

The announcement comes with the revelation that there will be less police officers on the front-line, and less prisoners being committed to prison.

The cuts, announced by George Osbourne on Wednesday, included a number of more controversial initiatives. The state retirement age for both men and women was planned to be raised to 66 by 2020.

This will now be brought forward, with a staggering system being introduced in 2018.

The welfare system has also received a welcome boost - of sorts.

In the majority of the morning papers, speculation that benefits could be cut by up to £25 billion was rife. Instead, only £7 billion will be axed. Of this, £5 billion will now be means tested - among these the incapacity benefit, for those claiming mild disabilities - and subject to review every twelve months. Those with serious disabilities will be on a different benefit and will not be affected. For those who are eligible for the benefits, anyone who has over £16,000 in savings or investments will be exempt from receiving payments. This is expected to save £1.5 billion. As well as this, Council Tax Benefit will be cut by ten percent.

The council tax bill is a particularly key part of the cuts. New tenants in council housing will have to intermediate rates, paying up to 80% of market rates. It has also been suggested that these new tenants will not have the ‘right for life’ that current tenants will still enjoy.

In the past, those living in council accommodation would have the option of keeping their house for life and passing it on to their children.

For current tenants, this option remains. But it is rumoured that, for new tenants, this idea will be scrapped. In theory, this will lead to 150,000 new council houses being built in the next four years. £5 billion is the expected figure to be saved from housing benefit reforms.

On top of the cuts, Mr Osbourne expects the Department for Work and Pensions to find savings from the £200 billion benefit bill identified in the Budget. In the past week, a number of financial experts have encouraged the cuts. Last Tuesday, 35 business leaders wrote a letter to The Telegraph. Twelve chairmen and chief-executives of the FTSE 100 were among the signatories. In it, they suggested that the Chancellor must not hesitate or water down any cuts. To do so would potentially lead the country being in £100 billion of additional debt - on top of the current £83 billion - by the end of the current Parliament.

Added to this were the comments of the National Institute of Economic and Social Research on the morning of the announcements. Acting Director Ray Barrell warned that if the cuts were not implemented, and if they weren’t deep enough, then income tax would have to increased

by 2% of the national GDP. Over the next five years, that would mean an extra £1200 of tax for each person.

So what do these cuts mean for the studens? For universities the 7.1% cut will obviously cause them to look to other avenues to replace lost revenue, namely students. Following the recommendations of the Browne Review it wouldn’t be a stretch to guess that some of his recommendations relating to increased student fees might soon be adopted. And for students thinking about the future, the job market will continue to change over the next four years as it adapts to the changes made by the government.

One change is for certain: with an expected 500,000 jobs being cut from the public sector, these will have to be absorbed by the private sector, leading to an ever tighter squeeze on jobs.

Of particular interest to students will be the increased hike in rail fares. The Chancellor has advocated raising the cap on train fares to the RPI plus 3%. While this should improve passenger conditions the bite is going to be felt by all students, not to mention regular commuters. On top of university cuts, the Chancellor also announced that funding will be given for adult apprenticeships; up to 75,000 people will benefit by the end of the Spending Review Period.

The Editors' View

The Editors' View

James Dunn

Oliver Smith

Every government hits a stage where their popularity is hit by their own harsh measures. Normally, the incumbents enjoy a period of bliss. When Labour swept to power with an astonishing majority in 1997, the bliss period lasted nearly four years. It was only then, that their ratings began to slump - and then, only slightly. These cuts, for the coalition, are going to be what will ultimately make or break them.

While harsh in places, they are entirely necessary. In particular, the welfare state and benefit systems have been abused for far too long.

Hopefully, the respective cuts will be what is needed to revive a much beleaguered government department - and one of the more necessary ones. It is fortunate university cuts are not the 79% advocated in the Browne Report. Overall, then, the cuts are harsh. They are divisive. The short term economic climate looks bleak. But they are going to benefit Britain in the long term and see us return to a strong financial footing.

This was never going to be an easy period for any government.

Straddled with the duel factors of a coalition government and a budget deficit hemorrhaging at the seams, the government has produced a co-ordinated and thorough spending review for the UK. George Osbourne hasn’t made life easy for students. However the payoff from this age of austerity (from which even the Queen is not exempt), will be felt by future generations. I’m not an economist. But I can understand the principles which Osbourne described, turning the UK into a “solvent household” rather than ones living on debt. He has invested in the future through the increased expenditure in schools, and invested in infrastructure through making more funds available both at the national and local level. Only time will tell if the coalition's strategy is ultimately successful. These might not be the cuts that the country wants right now, but it’s hard to deny that they aren't the cuts that the country needs.

16Politics

politics@gairrhydd.com • Monday October 25 2010 • gair rhydd

The Politics of the Media Olly Smith Politics Editor Rupert Murdoch recently announced his plans to buy up the remaining 61% of BskyB. However if you read The Sun or The Times you wouldn’t know this, as none of the Murdoch press reported it, and that's exactly the problem.

A key feature of any Liberal democracy is a functioning free press. When MP’s are only given 30 minutes a week to question the government (and public questions are even fewer and far between), the media plays an important role in scrutinising and questioning.

However this role of holding the government to account is only effective when the press are independent of influence.

The problem arises when you have a media empire in the form of Murdoch’s who have their own political agenda, then we have whats known as a conflict of interest.

So what would this proposed merger mean? Well for one Murdoch’s media empire would have a turnover of £7.5 billion, fur surpassing that of the BBC’s £4.8 billion. He would also become larger than the BBC, ITV and Channel 4 combined on the airwaves and the sole owner of 40% of Britain's daily newspapers.

The fear expressed in a letter sent following the announcement

to Vince Cable and signed by the Daily Telegraph, Daily Mail, the Guardian, The Mirror, the BBC, BT, Channel 4 and law firm Slaughter & May, is that Murdoch’s new empire will affect “media plurality”. While Sky News currently operates an independent editorial structure, Murdoch’s current empire works very differently with daily phone calls between Murdoch and his editors to shape the political tone of the day.

One has to wonder, if the Sky empire became controlled in a similar manner, would we see the same sort of censorship seen in the Murdoch media following the announcement of the merger?

In the run up to the most recent general election the Murdoch media backed David Cameron and was thought to be a large contributing factor in his parties successes. If for instance this same support had been infused in the Sky media also (which hosted one of the electoral debates deemed critical in all the parties election campaigns), surely the other parties would face little hope in amassing any quantity of electoral success?

Now it has emerged that high ranking members of Murdoch’s News Corp, including Murdoch’s son James, have been in contact with Vince Cable and the coalition government, up to and including the day of the announcement of

the merger.

Cable surely never expected his time in cabinet would be so controversial, first the row over tuition fees and now being lobbied by a company whose merger he is in a position to prevent or allow.

So will David Cameron’s government, who were backed by Mur-

doch’s empire, and who employs Andy Coulson as his Director of Communications, really block its growth, I think this is unlikely.

The consolidation of the media is rarely a positive development as it always leads to a consolidation of views and opinions, and a narrowing of editorial viewpoints. Really

there is just one editor of The Sun, the News of the World, The Times and the Sunday Times, and that is Rupert Murdoch.

When you include the assets of BskyB, I believe that the sphere of political commentary will become increasingly bland and one-sided.

Rupert Murdoch: Has plans to expand his empire with the complete ownership of BskyB

The three Party Conferences, in Review Luke Slade Politics Writer

Conservatives

David Cameron used his speech to ‘sell’ his big society. After falling flat in the election campaign he does not want to give up on the idea.

He mentioned that he would take troops out of Afghanistan by 2015 and the significance of citizenship as a ‘relationship’. In true Kitchener style he phrased “Your country needs you” coined with that wellworn phrase since the coalition began: “for the national interest.”

But what does this mean, this Big Society? Technically it is the idea of transferring more control to the people. It is giving local authorities and schools more freedom and little girls attaching a pound coin to a letter to help pay for the deficit. It is not, as David Cameron says, a cover for the cuts that will be made to benefits, schools and universities.

His biggest message was the need to “pull together” - or something to

do with ‘national interest’.

The principal announcements at the conference were more of a reaffirmation of direction. Before any powers are passed on to the EU “it will be put to a referendum,” says William Hague, “this will be a referendum lock, and the British people will hold the key.” Equally defence cuts are unavoidable, blaming Labour's "toxic" legacy of economic negligence. Equally the controversial cuts to child benefits were cited. Perhaps the biggest announcement was the ‘Universal Credit’. It is supposedly allowing the majority of the unemployed back into work, save a fortune in benefits, and put a stop to fraud. It is hard to feel somewhat dubious at best about these goals.

Liberal Democrats Nick Clegg’s speech was somewhat a ‘party piece’. His biggest message made very early on: “hold our nerve” implied a change to Britain and British politics. Clegg’s speech was a ‘perfect’ speech; he

said precisely what he was expected to say. The balance of gravity and passion was almost too flawlessly crafted. He flew off all of the LibDem phrases such as “plural politics”, “courage”, “braver, fairer” as well as the old favourite “New Politics”.

He equally hurled up the time old classic “two heads are better than one” – coalition politics in a nutshell. His fervent attack on Labour was full of impeccably timed acerbic quips: “Never in the field of political memoirs, has so much been written by so few about so little.”

He also emphasised the referendum on AV, one of the biggest wins that came out of the coalition talks and will appear in May. The Lib-Dems have attempted to hold true to their ideals; looking to implement a bank levy to show that they are being held accountable for the deficit. Also they are working towards releasing the lowest earners from paying tax.

The Pupil Premium is still within the Lib-Dems mind, but seems to have slipped from the Conservatives: something which both parties supported in their manifestoes.

The biggest goal for the Lib-Dems is reformation: “We’ve always been

the face of change. We are now the agents of change.”

Labour You had ‘Labour’, then the change to ‘New Labour’ you might be wondering: what comes next?

Surely it would revert back to just ‘Labour’: it cannot be new forever, right? Welcome to the ‘New Generation’. Ed Miliband is of course at the head of this new generation and has a few strong archetypes for what the Labour party should be, oh and also he is not Wallace from Wallace and Gromit, Forest Gump or ‘Red Ed’ okay? So grow-up. In his speech he says that over the past thirteen years Labour got a lot right: the minimum wage, the ‘New Deal’, better schools and hospitals, civil partnerships, and devolution.

But he admitted that the party also got a lot wrong: the Iraq war, bank regulation, mass immigration, civil rights, and tuition fees.

Miliband enforces the Labour stance on a paced recovery, urging that the Conservatives’ strategy

is too harsh on the economy. The Unions were warned that Labour will not support “overblown rhetoric” or a wave of “irresponsible strikes”. But Miliband did mention he would back issues such as Ken Clarke’s plans for shorter prison sentences, Theresa May’s review of ‘stop and search’, and perchance Duncan Smith’s plans for welfare reform.

Cameron appeared very natural at his conference, sticking with his ‘Big Society’ in hope that people will take control of their lives and not just live as by-products of indolence. The Lib-Dems became a singular party again; with Clegg assuming his Obama-esque image.

His speech seemed like a collaboration of cut and paste from his previous speeches. Miliband was firm in his Labour ideals, not a ‘token’ as Blair was, but feasibly ‘in touch’.

Unfortunately his speech was just a set up for his leadership.

It went from National Interest to Change and New Politics to Optimism, Optimism, Optimism. If only there was a way to combine them all into some sort of alien right wing, left wing, centre of the face … Coalition?

cre

gair rhydd Presents

ativ it Submit your writing to:

creativity@gairrhydd.com Deadline:15th Novemeber

Features 18

Pain in my ass-imilation Cardiff University has international students from over one hundred countries. Christiana Raht, an international student and post-graduate at Cardiff, tackles the university's methods of integration.

A

ssimilation is a controversial subject. Governments have forced it upon immigrants; teenagers have committed suicide due to an inability to achieve it while others spend their lives fighting against it.

I wanted to assimilate into Cardiff life. I wanted to drink Brains beer, tell some Fresher female to “Lie Down and Think of England” and I wanted to start using the word ‘spiffing’ or ‘lush’ in sentences. Instead I have been thrown into the “ghetto 20s” at Talybont South.

In Talybont South, particularly in houses 20 to 27, International students have been ostracised according to culture, race and language. By placing us away from the locals it in turn creates a stigma that does not welcome intermixing.

For those who wish to make friends with the British the responsibility is entirely upon you. I will never forget the night I went out alone and met the most amazing people who all live in what security fondly call the “Troubled House”.

After much pondering I have come up with three theories to justify this decision to ‘un-assimilate’ the foreigners: 1. The Welsh are afraid I might buy Marks and Spencers out of Jaffa Cakes if I discover how delicious they are 2. The Welsh are afraid I’ll only talk about the time I wrestled a kangaroo in the outback while knocking back a case of Fosters with the brother I am so ‘close’ to.

3. Cardiff wishes to prove to foreigners that Wales was never associated with their British neighbours dark history of colonisation.

All this pondering was done over one of the awkward evenings in which only the sound of a light

switch indicated the existence of my mystery neighbours behind those wooden doors. Whoever invented the word ‘flatmate’ was being extremely optimistic - I prefer to call these people my ‘flat-strangers’.

In the first week of moving to House 27 I had been introduced to one other person in my flat. The remaining flat-strangers were like ghosts.

Now that I have had an opportunity to transfer rooms I have discovered that the only way to be considered is to discover a rare medical disease caused by severe isolation and awkward kitchen encounters.

Regardless of emails about being extremely unhappy I fear it has fallen on deaf ears.

Some of you may presume that as a foreigner I speak very little English, will make your group assessments a nightmare and only hang around with people from the same country as myself. I promise you, I am 23, I partied with the Freshers throughout induction and I am originally British.

Although my personal story lacks euphemisms or cliché metaphors about “friends on a big ship”, I was hoping to find optimistic tales from other international students.

The problem was that over the week of interviewing, word began to spread about the topic of the article.

By mid-week international students were coming up to me offering their stories of woe with the residential offices in exchange for anonymity.

The following two stories turn my heroic stand for injustice at Talybont Court into a pathetic attempt.

“So you know when you arrive at Cardiff people are meant to welcome you. The first thing they said to me was, “You are £5 in debt.” £5! I mean seriously. I just gave them a tenner.

Then when I got into my flat I discovered I was in a disability room. Everything was set lower for someone in a wheelchair. Do I look

handicapped?”

I knew it was rhetorical but I still answered, “No.” “Exactly. And there was no shower.”

So disabled people are not allowed to wash themselves in residences?

Hardly seems in keeping with disability equality laws.

“So where did you shower then?”

“For weeks I went to the gym to shower. I asked the office to please install a shower into my room. They said they would have to get a quote.

"Estimating that it would only cost £30 they denied this and said it would be much more expensive.

Good, I said, because I paid you a lot more than £30 pounds to stay here.”

Complete and utter silence seemed to be the residence office's only solution when cornered with such sensible logic.

Shortly after this incident the student began applying for a transfer of rooms and received no confirmation of her request. Finally at wits’ end with the whole system she threatened with legal action and a published article on her experience.

Meanwhile. “The next morning.”

“What?” She had interrupted my thoughts of Debra Jones’ face when she received the email. Panic comes to mind.

“The next morning the residence office wrote a response and transferred me to Talybont South after the threat.”

“Do you think anything would’ve been done without that email?

“No. I mean I just don’t understand the whole system here. It seems to have a hierarchy.

"In Canada being afraid to walk home alone and not having a shower in your room would be reason enough to transfer.

"Here it seems that disappointment and unhappiness are not reason enough. How can they say that they are doing their jobs successfully when there are people with experi-

Top: A frustrated student waits at the residences office.

Above: Nigerian Cookie enjoys his student life at Cardiff.

Features19

gair rhydd • Monday October 25 2010 • features@gairrhydd.com

Integration or Segration? Houses 20-27 in Talybont South are allocated specifically for international students view and wondered how a person could allow a young woman to walk forty minutes home alone in the dark only to live in a room without a shower.

The afternoon before this interview another international student had a similar crisis with moving out of student residences.

“I was in a Student House in Column Road. The house was just really crowded and the kitchens weren’t very clean. The main reason was that there was no living space.

"My flatmate whose room was next to mine was really cool but we couldn’t really hang out there unless we were in our rooms, which really doesn’t have a place for us to sit.”

Deciding to leave residences for private accommodation was a poorly communicated process. Similar to how she obtained the student flat in the first place.

Only one photo of the interior and exterior was shown online: picking her future living quarters was a game of Russian roulette.

After a short time of living in the student house she sent an email requesting to move and although her account confirmed that her email had been opened she received no

response.

Instead, the residential office sent out her number to people searching for student accommodation. Although it could’ve taken five seconds to respond, she only found out progress had been made when she was inundated with missed phone calls.

The whole desire to move was sparked by “a fit of anger because the kitchen was really dirty and the first available place that I saw online sounded really cool. The next day she [the landlord] emailed back and said the flat was available and I took it.”

Almost a month later she has now moved happily into a flat that is larger than her previous one and has a living room. This happy ending fuelled me with optimism to find an international student loving their life on campus.

Well, if your real name is Cookie then life has always got to be sweet for you. Living in an apartment with only guys actually has its pros.

It is like being in an American frat house. “My guys are from China and Lybia. That’s it. I swear. There are four Chinese guys down the hall. We call it Chinatown.”

He is quick to tell me, “They don’t mind. They have communal meet-

“

I wanted to assimilate into Cardiff life. Instead I was thrown into the 'getto 20s' of Talybont South

ings. I think it is really cute. There is another Chinese girl in the flat above and they have meals together.

"I think my house is a very good mix but not if you look at flats. The flats will have only international students while others will have only British. Together our house is a good mix.”

Cookie is Nigerian who lived in Ghana, Africa before Cardiff. I asked him whether he would have been less likely to intermix with other cultures if his flat were shared with other Nigerians.

“Well, people tend to stick to what they know. I mean it can be a bit daunting and a bit confusing. I have met four Nigerians.

"I joined a Nigerian society. I wouldn’t stick with them. I don’t stick with a particular group. I think it is uni and you are meant to make as many friends as possible. That’s what it is for.”

With that sage advice in mind I head to Talybont Social to make some more friends. I mean, what else did I come to university for?

In response to this article, a University spokesperson told gair rhydd: "There is no intention to segregate overseas students within University

accommodation. However, students are grouped together according to whether they are undergraduates or postgraduates. As overseas and EU students are guaranteed a University room, it does happen that a large number of overseas/EU postgraduate students find themselves accommodated in one area.

"Cardiff University considers integration between overseas and UK students to be a high priority. The University’s International Office welcomes all comments so that these can be further developed.

"The University is committed to providing a high quality service to students throughout the period of student arrival.

"In this particular case, the University believes the student’s requests were responded to promptly and sympathetically and she was given as much help as practically possible.

"The University is obviously concerned that she remains unhappy with the answers she received, and would welcome the opportunity to discuss this further with her."

20Features

gair rhydd • Monday October 25 2010 • features@gairrhydd.com

Your Space.

We want to hear your stories: anything goes. Just drop us a line on features@gairrhydd.com. This week Jonathan Frank encourages us to get involved with LCD's annual charity hitch-hike to Morocco.

Above: Hitch-hiking all the way to Morocco or Prague in the name of charity.

L

ink Community Development (LCD)’s Hitch to Morocco or Prague is a more than worthwhile experience. For those who are looking for that bit of extra excitement and freedom in their lives then this is it.

The widely known 'Hitch' is not only the charity’s biggest fundraising event, but the largest organised hitchhike in the UK. The Hitch has raised over 3 million pounds for LCD’s projects in sub-Saharan Africa and has seen over 5,500 people take part since 1992.

Each Hitcher must raise 375 pounds and this money goes towards developing communities in Uganda, Malawi, South Africa, Ethiopia and Ghana.

This year’s hitch is taking place from the 12 March until the 1 May. Hitch-hiking must be finished by this date, however you are able to spend as long as you wish in your final destination.

I am privileged to be able to write this report as one of the Hitch representatives for Cardiff University, and I can’t emphasise enough how amazing the experience is having taken part in the Hitch last year.

The most frequently asked questions about the Hitch and hitch-

hiking in general is: “is it safe?" and "isn’t it hard?”

I feel my well prepared spiel, given to many prospective Hitchers whilst standing in the pouring rain outside the union pestering people with leaflets, is a good enough response as any: “In the 19 years that the Hitch has been running there have been no serious incidents. Each year there are over 1,000 people leaving the UK wearing the same green t-shirts, so people often recognise you, and in doing so don’t feel threatened."

A highlight of my Hitch was sitting in the back of a rickety old red transit van whilst Irish taxidermists John, Danny and Mickey debated the distance they would take us.

In the end it was 100 miles further than initially planned and I gained a free coat!

It is necessary to add that there is 24 hour emergency hotline available throughout the duration of the Hitch.

Furthermore, we will be giving a full safety briefing prior to departure, and your progress is monitored by LCD’s tracking system throughout the Hitch.

While the final destinations are obviously much cause for excitement, the Hitch itself is definitely the

“

It is an experience of real freedom ranging from the eccentric to the mundane

most unforgettable part of the whole adventure. It is an experience of real freedom and independence during which you will meet people ranging from the eccentric to the mundane.

It would be wrong of me to say that lifts are easy to come by. Former Hitcher Niall Adamson told me about his nine hour wait somewhere outside Valencia: “After nine hours of waiting we almost contemplated a train but luckily enough, we finally managed to get a lift with a crazy old French couple in their camper van!”

The contrasting emotions of boredom and happiness add to the whole experience and by the end of each day you are bound to be exhausted. However, the drive and determination you will experience will get you up and raring to go the next day.

A stand out moment for me was on the first day when after about eight consecutive lifts getting us about 20 minutes down the road each time, we were finally picked up by the wonderful Anne Loure. She let us stay in her flat in Le Mans with her slightly crazy, Guitar Hero obsessed boyfriend Nathan. Kindness like this makes the gruelling moments so worthwhile.

The Hitch offers two destinations; Prague, a 700 mile journey usually taking around four days and Moroc-

co, which takes seven days on average and covers a distance of 1200 miles.

It is easy to see why Morocco, the destination more frequently hitched to, is so sought after: Marrakesh is a beautiful place and like nothing you have ever experienced. Culture shock doesn’t do it justice.

It has a vibrant town centre, which at night becomes absorbed in the sounds of music and chatter coming from the restaurants.

The smoke coming off the meats being grilled freshly in front of you and misty lights adds to a crazy influx on your senses, causing you to become totally lost in another world.

Although I haven’t personally been to Prague, I know that it has a wealth of culture and sights to see, and that the beer is very cheap!

I have my Hitch t-shirt hanging in my room with all the names of the people that gave us lifts on it. It serves as a priceless reminder of two of the most amazing weeks of my life.

So if you are interested please search ‘LCD’s Morocco/Prague Hitch’ on Facebook, or feel free to contact any of the representatives, including myself, at Cardiffhitch2011@gmail. com.

21

Science

Disappearing Honeybees The plight of the honeybee is a pressing issue. The bees are disappearing rapidly.

Science asks: Why are they dying, should we care and what can we do about it?

Rebecca Smithers Science Correspondent Honeybee numbers are falling due to many different variables. Harsh weather conditions meant that in the winter of 2008-2009 one fifth of Britain’s honeybee population was wiped out.

However, most of the significant decline in numbers can be attributed to poor husbandry by beekeepers which leads to infestations of deadly parasites and disease causing pathogens. As honeybees have fewer genes coding for immunity than other species of insect, proper care of their hives is vital as they are more susceptible to illness.

The main reason the honeybees die, as with most species of animal, is disease.

The Nosema fungus spore is a good example. This fungal infection alters the digestive system so that the honeybee cannot digest food thus, killing the bee.

The spore quickly spreads throughout the hive as other honeybees ingest the spore when clearing away the excrement of the ill bees.

Honeybees are much more likely to contract diseases when the hive is under the stress of an infestation of parasites, the most prevalent being the Varroa destructor mite.

The mite feeds off the blood of the host honeybee which weakens their immune system even further.

This issue is more pressing in the West as Western honeybees have no defensive behaviour against these mites whereas Asian honeybees attack the mites to control the numbers.

Humans also kill honeybees through the use of pesticides. Toxins in certain products poison the honeybees by inhibiting receptors in nerve synapses, leading to paralysis and death.

The pesticide is absorbed by the pollen of plants which honeybees take back to the hive where they communicate with the other bees the location of the pollen source. The pollen is stored and consumed by the whole colony so the poisoned pollen collected by a handful of bees can destroy a significant proportion of the hive.

So why should we care about the bees? So much of what we depend on in everyday life comes from pollination of honeybees.

Fruits, vegetables, alfalfa and rape seed as well as certain plants used

in medicines all rely on honeybee pollination. Some of these have a chain reaction and the bigger picture needs to be observed.

Alfalfa is used as cattle feed.

Without as much cattle feed there will be fewer cows for meat, milk and other dairy products.

Rape seed oil is used to make bio-fuel, an important alternative in a world with limited fuel sources. Without the honeybee the fuel crisis will be in even more dire straits. Aside from all the delicious food we will be without, the economic impact of a reduction in the honeybee numbers is huge.

Medicine and pharmacology would be devastated by the loss of flowering plants whose extracts are used in the making of drugs.

Yet hope is not completely lost.

Honeybees are not the only pollinators; bumblebees also pollinate a significant proportion of flowering plants.

However bumblebee numbers are declining significantly too, which is equally as hazardous to life as we know it.

The good news is that, even though a project to reintroduce a species of bumblebee from New Zealand failed in the South East of England, at least five other species of bumblebee have increased in population. Very good news indeed! Nevertheless, only one species of bee can match the efficiency of the honeybee as a pollinator.

The blue orchard bee can pollinate more flowers per minute and is more productive in cooler conditions than the honeybee. They are solitary bees which is beneficial for them as diseases are less likely to be spread.

So could the blue orchard be the solution to the honeybee crisis? Probably not. Solitary bees are not as commercially useful as social bees that live in a colony with a queen who remains in one place.

As solitary bees move around every year to find new places to lay her eggs, which is not very useful for beekeepers as they are nigh on impossible to domesticate and farm with any reliability.

So the honeybees are dying and the remaining species of bee would struggle to match honeybee efficiency: is there anything that can be done?

The infestations of the hives by disease and pests are not all that easy to regulate without interfering with the workings of the hive.

But research at the University of Bath has made use of bioimaging with Diagnostic Radioentomol-

Left: SEM image of the deadly Varroa Destructor mite Right: Unrefined honey Top: All in a days work for the tireless honeybee.

“

A fifth of Britain’s honeybee population was wiped out

ogy.

Mr Mark Greco and his team are developing the technique, which can already produce 3D images of the bee hive with scans taken every ninety seconds.

The scans can be taken so quickly that not only can the position of the queen and other individual bees be tracked, but levels of pathogens and parasites can also be monitored. This accuracy of scanning means that preventative action against pests can be taken just before the level of the infestation reaches a critical level.

Mr Greco and his team are working to develop the DR technique to improve this type of non-invasive supervision which could potentially

save the honeybee.

Simple measures can also be taken by the individual to help prevent honeybee decline such as buying products which fund honeybee preservation.

Some people take up beekeeping, but that is quite a large commitment.

Honeybees thrive on certain plants such as borage, sunflowers, hollyhocks, foxgloves, mints and flowering herbs.

Encouraging people to plant these in their garden or local area will help save the honeybee.

The honeybee is an important component of many ecosystems and without it life as we know it could be gone forever. Watch this space.

Taf-od 22 Mae Myfyrwyr bellach mewn perthynas â Facebook Dychmygu bywydau myfyrwyr heb wefan rhwydwaith cymdeithasol Caio Iwan Taf-Od Ym mis Gorffennaf eleni, cyhoeddwyd fod 500 miliwn o bobl ledled y byd yn defnyddio facebook. Mae’r wefan wedi datblygu yn ffenomen fyd-eang i bobl o bob lliw a llun. Bellach, mae ffilm wedi cael ei ryddhau sy’n olrhain hanes Mark Zuckerberg a’r myfyrwyr Americanaidd eraill a ddaeth i fyny gydag un o’r cysyniadau mwyaf llwyddiannus yn hanes technoleg gymdeithasol.

Ond beth yw dylanwad a phwysigrwydd y wefan i fyfyrwyr yn y byd sydd ohoni?

Mae’n anodd i ni fyfyrwyr ddychmygu bywyd heb wefan rhwyd-

waith gymdeithasol bellach, gan mai ni mewn gwirionedd yw’r genhedlaeth gyntaf i wir brofi dylanwad y wê mewn bywyd o ddydd i ddydd. Ond mae facebook wedi bod yn bwnc dadleuol am wahanol resymau ers ei ymddangosiad cyntaf ‘nôl yn 2004, gyda sawl gwlad megis Pacistan, Iran a Gogledd Corea yn gwahardd defnydd o’r wefan yn eu gwledydd nhw am ei fod yn symbol o ber y gorllewin.

Yn ogystal â hyn, mae wedi bod yn bwnc llosg ymhlith gwleidyddion yn ddiweddar, yn sgil honiadau o ddiffyg diogelwch i ddefnyddwyr ifanc sydd yn fregus i baedoffilia.

Ond mae’n anodd dychmygu y buasai myfyrwyr prifysgolion heddiw

yn cymdeithasu gymaint oni bai am facebook.

Buasai’n anodd i gymdeithasau'r brifysgol yma yng Nghaerdydd megis y Gymdeithas Gymraeg, Undeb Myfyrwyr Cymry Cymraeg, clybiau cymdeithasol chwaraeon ayyb allu darparu gwybodaeth i’w haelodau am yr holl weithgareddau sydd yn mynd ymlaen yn ystod yr wythnos oni bai am facebook. Yn ddi-os mae’r wefan yn hwyluso’r broses o drefnu tripiau, ymarferion côr, gemau chwaraeon ac ambell i daith o amgylch tafarndai a chlybiau nos y ddinas fawr ddrwg! Mae’r wefan hefyd yn ffordd hwylus o ail-gysylltu â ffrindiau ysgol a pherthnasau, ac yn bwysicach fyth o safbwynt my-

fyrwyr, mae’n ffordd dda o wneud ffrindiau newydd.

Y llynedd, pum mlynedd yn unig ar ôl sylfaenu facebook, roedd hi’n bosib am y tro cyntaf i bobl ddefnyddio’r wefan drwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg. Mae’r gwaith caled a wnaethpwyd gan gannoedd o wirfoddolwyr yn dangos fod galw am y defnydd o’r facebook yn y Gymraeg, a bod yr iaith yn gymuned sy’n ffynnu hyd yn oed ynghanol datblygiadau technolegol yr unfed ganrif ar hugain. Gymaint yw dylanwad facebook, gall ei ddefnyddio fel adlewyrchiad o nerth yr iaith Gymraeg ar-lein!

Ond myfyrwyr academaidd ydym ni ar ddiwedd y dydd, ac

anodd yw gweld sut mae’r wefan yn cynorthwyo astudiaethau yn uniongyrchol. Yn wir, mae sawl cwmni wedi gwahardd eu gweithwyr rhag defnyddio’r wefan yn ystod oriau gwaith gan ei fod yn amharu ar eu gwaith ac yn wastraff amser.

Gwrthdyniad yw facebook i waith academaidd, distraction yn unig.

Ond nid yw facebook yn honni i fod yn unrhyw beth ond gwefan sydd yn caniatáu i bobl gymdeithasu a'i gilydd dros y rhyngrwyd.

‘Dwi ddim yn honni am funud y buasai bywydau cymdeithasol pobl yn dlotach heb facebook, mae llawer yn fodlon eu byd heb gofrestru a’r wefan o gwbl. Ond mae’n gwneud pethau gymaint haws. Allgofnodi...

Crol Monopoli Meddw Elliw Mair Taf-Od Nid yw pawb yn ffan mawr o fonopoli, fel dangosodd yr inbetweeners i ni wythnos ddiwethaf ond nid oes angen eistedd o amgylch bwrdd ar ddydd Nadolig yn ffraeo gyda’ch teulu er mwyn mynd o amgylch y bwrdd monopoli. O na, penwythnos diwethaf, fe fentres i a deuddeg o’m ffrindiau i Lundain ar grôl o amgylch tafarndai, 26 tafarn i fod yn fanwl gywir, a’r dasg oedd mynychu tafarn ar bob stryd o’r bwrdd Monopoli.

Rhywbeth anghyffredin ofnadwy yw gweld eich ffrindiau am 6.30 y bore, ond rhaid oedd dal y bws. £15 oedd tocyn dychwelyd i Lundain ar y megabus sydd yn ofnadwy o rad ac er bod y bws mwy fel sauna, cyrhaeddon ni Lundain erbyn 9.30. Prynon docyn teithio drwy’r dydd am £5.60 a oedd yn galluogi ni i fynd ar y bws a’r trên dan ddaearol, profodd y tocyn yma’n angenrheidiol gan ein bod wedi teithio ar o leiaf 10 bws a thrên yn ystod y dydd. Roedd ein hostel wedi ei leoli yn Smart Russell Square ar Stryd Guilford, ac roedd y lleoliad yn berffaith gyda’r trên dan ddaearol ond 2 funud o waith cerdded o’r hostel. Roedd gwely'r un tua £20 ac roedd yr hostel yn lân ac yn ddigon cyfforddus.

Wedi dal y trên a’r bws i Old Kent Road, roeddwn yn ein tafarn cyntaf.

Tacteg bwysig i gofio wrth wneud y crôl hyn i’w i beidio meddwl eich bod yn cl drwy yfed peintiau, os ydych am lwyddo mae’n RHAID i chi yfed haneri ym mhob tafarn gan fod 26 peint yn lawer gormod.

Er nad oeddem yn bwriadu gwneud y crôl mewn trefn, roedd Old Kent Road yn lle call i ddechrau gan mai

hon yw’r stryd sydd bellach allan o Lundain ac nid oedd neb yn dymuno gorffen y noson yn Old Kent Road!

Y George oedd enw'r dafarn gyntaf ac roedd y dafarn hon yn cynnig rôl arbennig i bobl oedd yn gwneud y crôl. Ar ôl i bawb leinio ei stumog, aethom ar y bws i’r dafarn nesaf.

Yr unig broblem oedd gyda chynifer o dafarndai a chyn lleied o amser, roedd rhaid i bobl clecio ei diodydd oedd ond yn gwneud pobl yn fwy ‘jolly’ a theimlad od ofnadwy oedd rhedeg o amgylch Leicster Square a Trafalgar square yn feddw.

Wrth symud ymlaen o dafarn i dafarn roedd yn amlwg bod pobl

eraill hefyd yn gwneud y crôl, felly fe wnaethom ymuno gyda’n gilydd a thrafod tactegau yngln â beth oedd y llwybr cyflyma i’r dafarn nesaf.

Roedd un grp wedi mynd cam ymhellach ac wedi gwisgo fel y ‘dyn monopoli’ a’r darnau chwarae.

Sioc ar yr ochr orau cawsom gyda phrisiau diodydd yn y tafarndai, gyda haneri yn costio rhwng £1.50 a thua £1.85 a gyda 16 diod yn ein system, doedd mynd ar y bysus a threnau ddim yn sbort mwyach, felly rhaid oedd dal tacsis i rai o’r tafarndai, ond gyda 4 person ym mhob un nid oedd yn ddrud iawn. Er ein bod wedi treulio'r diwrnod cyfan mewn

tafarndai, fe wnaethom weld nifer o dirnodau (landmarks) Llundain.

Croesom y ‘tower bridge’ ar y bws a cherddom heibio y Big Ben ac Eglwys Gadeiriol Sant Paul. Roedd hefyd yn ddiddorol i weld rhannau o Lundain nad oeddem erioed wedi gweld o’r blaen a rhai na fyddwn yn gweld eto! (roedd pobl Mayfair yn edrych bach rhy goeth i fi!)

Cawsom doriad am chwarter awr yn Mc Donald’s i bawb gael rhywbeth yn eu stumog, wedyn roedd hi nôl i’r ugeinfed dafarn.

Cyrhaeddom y dafarn olaf yn Stryd Oxford gyda munudau i sbario cyn stop tap ac rwy’ n sir bod y

dafarn yn difaru gadael ni i mewn gan fod rhywun wedi chwydu dros y waliau a’r llawr ar y ffordd allan!

Ond er hyn, cafwyd ddiwrnod a hanner ac fe wnaeth yr 13 ohonom orffen y crôl.

Felly, os ydych chi yn chwilio am rywbeth i wneud ar ryw benwythnos, rydw i’n argymell pawb i wneud y crôl yma, roedd yn gymaint o hwyl, yn rhesymol o rad ac yn brofiad yr wyf yn mynd i adrodd i blant fy mhlant mewn blynyddoedd i ddod.

Societies 24 SIFE lend a helping hand

Monday Oct 25 Bioscience Society: Pub Golf -7pm, The Taf

Timothy Bible Study Group: Bible Study -7pm, Nelson Mandela Room

Bianca London Societies Editor A student-run charity shop in Cardiff has raised over £5000 so far this year.

The project started through the Cardiff University society SIFE, an organisation whereby students seek to create sustainable projects that benefit both the local and global community. Committee member, Jamie Hui, explains how SIFE is all about creating projects that help the local community. “I joined SIFE at the beginning of the year because I wanted to do something more worthwhile with my spare time at University other than poking people on facebook and watching reruns of friends on TV, but I never thought I’d end up managing my very own shop!” Jamie says.

Jamie currently leads a project that involves the George Thomas Hospice Charity, a local cancer care charity in Cardiff. Since July this year Jamie and a group of Cardiff students have been running one of their charity shops in Whitchurch and have so far raised over £5000 for the charity. “Each SIFE project starts with a need and we felt that local charity shops in Cardiff had a huge potential to increase their profits if they made some basic changes to their window displays and pricing strategy.” The participating members began working in the shop but were soon given a huge opportunity: the chance to manage and run their own charity shop. Twelve members gave up their free time over the summer and seized the exciting opportunity. They re-

vamped the shop and filled it with donations from locals with stock ranging from designer labels to cutlery and vinyl.

The volunteers were rewarded for their efforts with a complimentary evening at the George Thomas Hospice Gala Ball at the Hilton hotel where they mingled with many Welsh celebrities.

The project is set to continue for the foreseeable future and as term progresses the committee are desperately searching for volunteers to keep the shop open. It’s all great fun and there’s something for everyone, from creating eye-catching window displays to financial administration or simply helping with the day-to-day running of the shop.

Jamie explains how the society are also hoping to expand the project by creating a partnership with local businesses and stores to set up a donations scheme. To facilitate this scheme the committee are on the look out for people to join the management team. Not only is it a great opportunity to help raise money for the needy in the local community but it is also excellent retail experience for your CV. “We’re also always looking for any donations; we take almost anything from clothes and books to those random gifts you get from your aunt that you never really wanted that are hidden at the back of your cupboard!” So if you have a spare morning or afternoon inbetween lectures and would like to help out or if you just want to find out more please contact Jamie at; Jamie@sife-cardiff.co.uk. Congratulations to all of the volunteer’s and their hard work for this most worthwhile cause.

Tuesday Oct 26 Cardiff Asian Society- Cardiff goes to Bristol - Desi Rendezvous feat. Mumzy -8pm till late

Japanese society and Anime society: Halloween Party -7pm, Top floor of O'Neills, St. Mary's Street

Wednesday Oct 27 Creative Writing Society: Halloween Meeting -Gareth Edwards Room, 8-10pm

Thursday Oct 28 Ancient history and archaeology society: Historical Zombies Halloween Social -7.30pm, Varsity in city centre or front of union followed by Walkabout at 10pm

Islamic Society: Charity Dinner -Great Hall, 6.30pm

Chaos: Science Made Simple -Seminar Rooms 1 & 2, Trevithick Building, 7pm

Friday Oct 29 Real Ale & Cider Society: "Oct-O-Bar" -Meet at 7pm at the SU steps for a trip to the Otley Arms, Treforest. Halloween costumes optional!

Saturday Oct 30 Anime Society: MCM Expo and London trip

9am

KOP: Fundraising cycle -Outside Union, all day

Sunday Oct 31 Engineers Without Borders

-6.30 to 8.00pm, Room T2.09 School of Engineering Erasmus Society: Halloween Party -Union, 10pm

To feature an event or article email societies @gairrhydd.com

Above: Inside the George Thomas Hospice Charity Shop

If you would like to join a Society, or see a full list of opportunities, visit: http://groups.cardiffstudents.com/societies/home

Puzzles

25

sudoku.

EASY

MEDIUM

crossword.

Across

6. Attractive (7) 7. Having the same value (5) 9. Coke or Pepsi (4) 10. Contemplative (10) 11. Feeling or expressing remorse (8) 13. Bring in (6) 15. Flame (4) 17. Remove whiskers (5) 18. Learning method (4) 19. A spring that discharges hot water and steam (6) 20. Pain in the head (8) 23. Effervescent (10) 26. Exploded star (4) 27. Courtroom event (5) 28. Terse (7)

Found on Facebook:

Check out these sexual predators

Down 1. Feelings of anxiety (10) 2. Raspy (6) 3. Lowly worker (4) 4. Broadcast via television (8) 5. A religious splinter group (4) 6. Of which person? (5) 8. A young hare (7) 12. Garbage (5) 14. Concerning (10) 16. Inaccurate (7) 17. Spatter (8) 21. Junkie (6) 22. Mayhem (5) 24. Be in an agitated emotional state (4) 25. Not short (4)

Has your housemate done something stupid? Pissed you off ? Got drunk and made a complete arse out of themselves?

Upload a photo to our facebook group: Found on Facebook, and it might just appear on this page.

Listings 26

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday Thursday

25th Oct

26th Oct

27th Oct

28th Oct

THE LASH, Solus, £3.50, 9.30pm 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.

LIVE MUSIC, The Taf, FREE, 8pm Pretty much what it says on the tin really.

Live music. In the Taf. They had a pretty good line-up last week, so expect great things from this night.

FUN FACT TREE, Solus, FREE, 9pm Fun Factory is an institution among Cardiff students, and therefore you simply must check it out. Playing the very best in alternative music, and with various cheap drinks promotions, you're sure to have the best night of the week here - and I'm not even biased. It's a staple. Free entry and super cheap drinks are a perfect way to enjoy yourself while keeping an eye on the purse-strings.

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.

I AM HOPE, Buffalo Bar, £5, 8pm I Am Hope are four passionate young musicians from South Wales dedicated to bringing their lyrically esoteric yet optimistic songs to the world. Apparently they sound like a mix between Biffy Clyro, Kings of Leon and Alexisonfire. In this instance, they might well be worth a listen.

JUST DANCE, Clwb, £3, 10pm 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...cheap entry, cheap drinks prices and great, GREAT tunes.

COMEDY CLUB, CF10, 8pm It's Tuesday night, and what could be better than getting together with some friends and watching live comedy? Comedy Club selects the finest young talent on the comedy circuit and brings them directly to your union for a stupidly cheap ticket price.

This week Cardiff is proud to welcome Joe Wilkinson and Roisin Conaty - who are charged with the duty of making us laugh until we ache. Joe is a hotly-tipped new face on the comedy circuit, whilst Roisin has been described as "excellent" and "divine".

There's nothing better to do on a Tuesday night, so head on down to Comedy Club for cheap drinks and hilarity.

LISTEN UP, Clwb, £3, 9pm 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 among 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 at the moment including the amazing The Social Network and Mr. Nice. Have a chilled out night.

JAZZ AT DEMPSEYS, Dempseys, £5, 9pm Music ranges from piano or guitar trio, saxophone or trumpet quartet, quartet with vocals to big band. Hear jazz standards made famous by the likes of Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Herbie Hancock, Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, as well as original tunes.

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

29th Oct

30th Oct

31st Oct

BOOMBOX, Solus £3, 10pm Playing an eclectic mix of electro, funk, drum andbass, hip hop, dubstep and breaks with a turntablist twist. Featuring dance classics, chart remixes and old school classics. Expect to hear Pendulum, Calvin Harris, Dr Dre, David Guetta, Major Lazor, A Skillz, High Contrast, Prodigy and much more. To be fair, it's the cheapest Friday night this side of the bridge, fulfilling all your student needs, and perfect for bringing those visiting mates too.

Go ahead kids, BOOM YOUR BOX. EXIT INTERNATIONAL, Clwb, £5, 7.30pm Formed in Cardiff as a vehicle to become the local support for a Melvins show, Exit International wanted to make a noise taking influence from a shared love of Girls Against Boys, Nirvana, The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster, The Pixies.

LATE NIGHT BLUES SESSION, Cafe Jazz, £4, 10pm Everyone loves Jazz. If you miss the Jazz evening at Dempseys on Wednesday, it's worth checking this out. With music from Jack the Biscuit, among others, it should be a chilled out evening if you don't fancy Boombox.

COME PLAY, Solus, £3, 10pm 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?

BOGIEZ HALLOWEEN BASH 2010, Millennium Music Hall, £4.50, 10pm Come on guys, why are you even considering doing something different to Come Play on this wonderful Halloween Saturday night. Get a grip. It's not worth it.

THRILLER (LIVE), New Theatre, £8.50 plus, 8pm See above.

However, if you want to do something a little bit different, I can think of nothing better than a night of spectacular Jackson hits. Thriller Live is a stage & video celebration of the wonderful career of 'the World's Greatest Entertainer'. Don your sparkly glove and put on your dancing shoes- this WILL be a great night.

HAVE A SUNDAY ROAST The Taf does 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 or stave off the end of the weekend blues.

10 FEET TALL SUNDAY SOCIAL, 10 Feet Tall, FREE, 8pm A brand new night featuring Greg Ramshackle and Steve French, whoever the hell they are. However, if you have nothing better to do on a Sunday night and fancy heading out for two-for-one cocktails, perhaps give this a go.

LOOSE HALLOWEEN MINI-ALLDAYER, Buffalo Bar, £5, 6pm It's Halloween and where are you going to be? There's loads going on at Buffalo todayincluding performances from Screaming Females, Bearsuit and the Threatmantics.

With such fabulous names, it'd be rude to do anything else.

BOUNCE, Walkabout, £4, 9pm If you really, honestly, have nothing better to do... actually, no, even that isn't a valid excuse. No reason for going to Walkabout is acceptable in my eyes. Okay, so perhaps you have to go once in your university career, but I know that the debauchery and filth will put you off going again. If you have any personal morals, that is.

C.Y.N.T, Clwb, £4, 10pm Voted as one of the top three nights in the UK by Mixmag. The biggest midweek rave this side of the Bridge. Expect big queues as ravers descend for their dose of electro, techno, dubstep and drum and bass. Advance q-jump tickets from c-y-n-t.com. This is the only legitimate thing to do on your Thursday night.

Venues Students’ Union, Park Place, 02920 814456 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 ◆

Sport 28

Alex Winter explores baseball's British connections ahead of the climax to the season...

The ball once struck off, away flies the boy, to the next destin'd post, And then home with joy.

T

his small poem is the earliest reference to baseball, found in John Newbury's children's book, A Little Pretty Pocket Book, published in 1744. It proved very popular.

But America's favourite pastime can trace its roots further back into British history.

William Pagula in 1330 wrote a poem recommending priests ban a game called "stoolball" from being played in churchyards.

Stoolball is considered to have developed into a modern form of baseball - which is mentioned in Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey, published in 1818. The young English heroine Catherine Morland is described as preferring "cricket, base ball, riding on horseback and running about the country to books."

British baseball developed in the 19th century. It worked rounders into cricket's structure: 11 players on each team; two innings per side; an innings ending when every batsmen is out or stranded on base.

The game was popular along the Western half of Britain, with clubs forming in Exeter, Gloucester, Cardiff, Liverpool and Glasgow.

And it was a member of the Gloucester Rounders Association, journalist John Chadwick, who emigrated to America in 1772 and took with him the game of baseball.

The sport in America brewed, simmered and then took off under the franchise system. Major League Baseball is now a multi billion dollar business: revenue from iPhone subcriptions alone generated $1million in 2009.

But back in Britain, there was no take off.

The more genteel rounders remained the sport of choice on village greens. Cricket was also on the rise.

British baseball did hold its own for a while; enjoying pockets of popularity and even being described as "the artizan's game of South Wales" by a journalist in 1906.

South Wales is one area of Britain where British baseball remains regularly played today. The other is Merseyside and both areas prop up a unique aspect of British sport.

Baseball still survives in its country of birth.

Cricket became the national summer sport and it is with cricket that most sporting observers draw parallels today. These parallels were celebrated this year by the Marylebone Cricket Club hosting a baseball exhibition at Lord's.

Baseball can be seen as a simplier version of cricket. Change batsmen for batter; bowler for pitcher; away-swinger for curveball; and wicketkeeper for catcher. The essence of the sport remains the same - ball is delivered: ball is attempted to be struck away with bat.

Tactical decisions of which player delivers the ball, where fielders are placed and the batting order are key components of both games.

THE CONTENDERS New York Yankees Regular season: 95W-67L. AL Wildcard.

Divisional Series: 3-0 v Minnesota Twins Ball Park: Yankee Stadium, New York.

Capacity: 52,000 Opened: 2009 Texas Rangers Regular Season: 90W-72L. AL West Champions.

Divisional Series: 3-2 v Tampa Bay Rays Rangers Ballpark, Arlington.

Capacity: 52,000 Opened: 1994

New York Yankees' Alex Rodriguez (right) and San Francisco Giants' Buster Posey Britain may have given Americans their summer afternoons, but she has also taken something back. While not quite embracing best-ofseven championship series, play-offs now decide the champions of rugby union and league, cricket's two one-day trophys and promotion and relegation at every tier of the football pyramid.

The argument against a one-off play-off match - one match doesn't decide the best team over the course of a season, like rugby union's Premiership final - is an argument in favour of the longer play-off system that begins this week to decide the World Series.

The best-of-seven format is an intense examination: teams have to reproduce their best into November and with 22 million tuning in. The best team should come out on top over seven matches.

The best team in 2009 were the New York Yankees as they beat the Philadelphia Phillies 4-2.

The series could be repeated this year, with the Yankees searching for a 28th World Series title.

The second most successful franchise is the St Louis Cardinals with ten titles. Yankees rule.

Their move to a new Yankee Stadium in 2009 turned their decade around. No championship for eight years was a lull for such a successful franchise. They traded well and plugged holes in their roster. Their sweep of Minnesota in the Divisional series this postseason was testament to how the organisation had rebuilt after missing the play-offs in 2008 for the first time since 1993. They need to overcome the Texas Rangers to reach their 40th World Series.

The Rangers are searching for their first appearance in the "fall classic". The franchise won their maiden post-season series to reach the league championship, overcoming Tampa Bay

in five games.

Only two other teams have never won a World Series - the Washington Nationals and the Seattle Mariners.

The Yankees and Rangers may not share the same success, but they have shared Alex Rodriguez - arguably the best all-round baseball player of all time. The statistics Rodriguez continues to achieve season-on-season are spectacular. And when he hit Shaun Marcum of the Toronto Blue Jays out of the Yankee Stadium on August 4, he became just the seventh player to hit 600 career home runs.

Philedelphia also had their slice of history this season. In game one of the divisional series against the Cincinnati Reds, Roy Halladay pitched only the second no-hit postseason game in Major League history.

The Reds boasted the best offence in the national league, and in Joey Votto, the best batter. Halladay shut them out as the Phillies began a 3-0 sweep.

The Phillies are gunning for consecutive World Series and possess a pitching staff that could take them to the championship.

Philadelphia have only won two World Series in their history, the last coming in 1980.

That drought is minor compared to the San Francisco Giants. As the New York Giants the franchise won 17 league championships and five World Series. They left their success on the East coast when they moved to California in 1954.

The Giants have won more baseball matches than any other team in Major League History but something needs to happen for the Giants to be coming home with joy in 2010.

Philadelphia Phillies Regular Season: 97W-65L. NL East Champions.

Divisional Series: 3-0 v Cinninati Reds.

Citizens' Bank Park, Philadelphia.

Capacity: 47,000 Opened: 2004 San Francisco Giants 92W-70L. NL West Champions.

Divisional Series: 3-1 v Atlanta Braves.

AT&T Park, San Francisco.

Capacity: 42,000 Opened: 2000 HOW THE SEASON WORKS • 30 teams are divided into the American and National Leagues • Teams are further divided into East, West and Central divisions • There are 162 regular-season matches, played in series of three or four games between two teams on consecutive days • Divisional standings are based on win-loss records • Each division winner and one best second-place (wildcard) from each league qualifies for the postseason •oThere are three rounds of postseason. The divisional series is a best-of-five match series • Division series winners play the other division winner from their league in the best-of-seven match league championship series • The two league champions then meet in the World Series: a best-ofseven play off

Sport29

Monday October 25 2010 • gair rhydd • sport@gairrhydd.com

Controversial half marathon still a success Alex Bywater Sports Editor Sunday 17 October saw a recordbreaking 15,000 people take to the streets of Cardiff for the annual Lloyds TSB Cardiff Half Marathon, organised by children’s charity Barnardo’s. Sadly though, the event has been shrouded in controversy after it emerged post-race that the course was 193 metres short of what should have been the full 13.1 mile distance.

Event officials sighted an obstruction on the course as the reason for altering the original route. The largest single mass participation sporting event in Wales attracts people from all backgrounds including elite runners, amateur athletes and students from the Cardiff area. More than 100 international athletes travelled to Cardiff for the event from across the globe. This year’s race saw a new, but challenging route, starting and finishing on Lloyd George Avenue in the iconic Cardiff Bay. The race was started by Cardiff City striker Craig Bellamy and contained celebrity runners such as Jamie Baulch and Matthew Pritchard from Dirty Sanchez. On a fantastic morning, local residents supported the huge numbers of runners. Winner Edwin Kipkorrir finished the 13.1 mile course in just 62 minutes and seven seconds. Hellen Jemutai was the fastest woman to cross the finishing line in an impressive one hour, ten minutes and three seconds. Both won £1300 in prize money while Barnardo’s estimated that up to £1 million was raised from this year's race, all of which will go to charities. Despite the miscalculation on the length of the route, the event was still a great success. Below, gair rhydd Sport looks at how some of Cardiff ’s students found the race.

Peter Gray: The Cardiff Half Marathon was an excellent experience for me. The satisfaction of completing a half marathon is also a brilliant feeling. As for it being short by 200 metres, I'm not really bothered, yes it’s annoying, but what's 200 metres after running 12.9 miles?

Katie Jackson: I completed the 13.1 miles in one hour 59 minutes. It’s a shame that they didn’t make the effort to correct the length of the course. However, the majority of us were there for the challenge, to have fun and raise money for good causes.

George Randall: Am I glad I did it? Yes. Am I proud of doing it? Yes. Despite the issue of the course being short it was still well organised by the city although it did ruin my PB! At the end of the day though, did it hurt like being smacked about the chops by a big burly valley boy? Yes it did!

Kirsty Spearman: Compared to last year the organisation wasn’t great but, having said that, the course was much better. It hasn’t put me off running it again next year! The fact that the course was short is a bit of a disapointment but it doesn't really affect me. I can see how the professional runners could be affected though.

Sport30 Alex Bywater reports from the Cardiff City Stadium on Monday October 25 2010 • gair rhydd • sport@gairrhydd.com

the Severnside derby and Cardiff's promotion chances

A

fter Cardiff City lost a thrilling play-off final to Blackpool at Wembley in May, the club have fought back strongly in an attempt to reach the top flight. Cardiff have enjoyed a great start to the NPower Championship season and were occupying second place, behind Queens Park Rangers, before the arrival of local rivals Bristol City. The 81st Severnside derby saw a thriller as promotion-chasing Cardiff triumphed 3-2.

Unbeaten at home this season, Cardiff looked like easy winners with Bristol City languishing bottom of the league before kickoff.

However after falling behind to two poor set piece goals, it took all of Cardiff ’s determination to fight back and overturn the two goal deficit. Michael Chopra returned to partner Jay Bothroyd up front for Cardiff after a long layoff with an ankle injury.

This counted for nothing, though as Cardiff were 2-0 down inside ten minutes. First, a free kick left on loan defender Steven Caulker with a free header of which he took full advantage.

Minutes later, Cole Skuse’s corner was flicked on and Jon Stead converted from inside the six yard box. Cardiff ’s poor defending from set pieces looked a real worry.

A shocked Cardiff City stadium fell silent.

Not for long. Chopra set up Bothroyd who finished for his eighth goal of the season. It was Cardiff ’s 3,000th goal in League football.

After the frantic opening to the game, the rest of the first period was a more settled affair. Cardiff saw most of the ball, with full back Kevin McNaughton offering a constant attacking threat down the right hand side.

Bothroyd had a shot tipped round the post by ex-England and Bristol goalkeeper David James.

Cardiff Captain Mark Hudson and Stephen McPhail also went close, the latter hitting the side netting with a close range effort.

Despite the pressure, the home side went into the break behind to the lowly visitors.

Cardiff were level almost immediately after the restart however, as with Peter Whittingham swinging in a free kick from the right hand side.

Evading everyone, the ball nestled in the bottom corner of James’ net to restore parity. Cardiff ’s superior quality in possession began to show as the second half progressed and only a superb point blank save from James stopped Chris Burke giving Cardiff the lead.

Cardiff ’s attacking play is their real threat, with their midfield a class above many of

the other sides in the division. With Whittingham and Burke providing width and anchored by Seyi Olofinjana, Cardiff look a constant threat going forward.

This is the area where Manager Dave Jones will expect them to dominate the opposition. Up front, Chopra and Bothroyd look like scoring at any time.

Indeed, post match, Jones pushed the case that Bothroyd may well be an England candidate. Speaking on the matter Jones said, “if you’re looking for a centre forward at England level, it doesn’t matter what level you play at, he’s good enough.” “He’s got a great touch and he can go past people, he’s certainly worth a look.”

The return from injury of new signing and hero Craig Bellamy should really mean that Cardiff should be looking for a play-off position at the very least come May. The only real worry may be Cardiff ’s back four. The way in which the league’s bottom side scored so easily from set piece moves

CARDIFF CITY KEY FACTS: Captain: Mark Hudson / Craig Bellamy Stadium: Cardiff City Stdium, CF11 8AZ Website: www.cardiffcityfc.co.uk Ticket Information: 0845 345 1400

“

Cardiff's midfield is a class above many of the other sides in the division

must be a worry to Jones.

The manager was understandably angry at the poor quality of defending. “We gave a silly free kick away for the first goal and then a corner" said Jones. "Then we compounded the next mistake and the next by being the wrong side and not picking up" he continued. The remainder of the second half against Bristol City saw Cardiff create plenty of chances as the bottom side struggled to regain possession.

With just over ten minutes left, the comeback was complete as Whittingham burst forward and was brought down by Bristol Captain Carey. Whittingham, with his cultured left foot curled the resulting free kick past James to the delight of the 22,244 strong crowd.

Post match, two goal hero Whittingham was delighted with the club’s fight back. “To go 2-nil down and come back to win the game 3-2 is massive for us” he said. The left winger also described the return of Bellamy as, “a great boost” for everyone at the club. Cardiff followed up their derby victory with a gritty 2-1 win away at Coventry last week.

Both Whitingham and start striker Bothroyd were on target again.

The full-time whistle left the visitors to endure their worst start in the league for 28 years while for Cardiff, the attacking threat offered all over the pitch was an extremely positive sign, this mean that come the end of the season, Wales’ number one club should undoubtedly be in a position to challenge for automatic promotion.

For more Cardiff City news visit Cardiff City Player via the club’s website.

Sport31

Monday October 25 2010 • gair rhydd • sport@gairrhydd.com

BUCS 2010-11 Cardiff offer Gloucester Premiership baptism of fire Lucy Morgan Sports Editor Cardiff 98 - 0 Gloucester Looking to build on last weeks winning performance against UWIC, the main goal set out to Cardiff Mens 1st

by Head of Rugby, Martyn Fowler, was to maintain standards and duplicate the

phase play set a week before in Cyncoed.

Despite scoring early on, this proved to be difficult as the accuracy of many of the set moves proved too much for the Gloucester side to manage with eight of Cardiff ’s 15 tries coming from one phase, from set piece play.

Along with a strong team performance, the match also

featured several moments of individual brilliance including a length of the field try

by Cameron Pimlow, a jinking run from Captain Mark Schropfer - who beat most of the Gloucester pack to score under the posts – and, finally, from find-of-the-year wing Will Jones who gave an individual contribution of 30 points (six tries).

The individual effort

was equally matched by the collective efforts of the pack who, once again, proved to be a real force to be reckoned with, giving the much celebrated backline an armchair ride all afternoon.

Things will quickly start to get tougher over the next few fixtures for Cardiff as they face Imperial and Cardiff Medics in the coming fixtures.

BUCS Fixtures - 27/10/2010 Football: AFC Mens 1 v Hartpury 1 Llanrumney 2pm AFC Mens II v Aberystwyth I Llanrumney 2pm AFC Medics I v UWE Hartpury II llanrumney 2pm AFC Womens I v Worcester I Llanrumney 2pm AFC Mens IV v Aberystwyth II Llanrumney 2pm Badminton: Mens I v Bournemouth I Talybont 1pm Mens II v Aberystwyth II Talybont 3pm Basketball: Womens I v Bournemouth I Talybont 3pm Womens II v Aberystwyth I Talybont 1pm Fencing: Womens I v Bath I Talybont 2pm Golf:

Derby Victory for Cardiff 3rds Adam Hunt Football Writer Cardiff III 3 - 0 Cardiff IV The new season for Cardiff 3rds finally got underway on a Llanrumney pitch bathed in glorious sunshine. A setting fit for the highly anticipated derby fixture against Cardiff 4ths.

The 3rds lost the toss and started the game with kickoff.

This led to the first attack, and a well worked move down the left wing saw Matt Weeks get to the by-line and square the ball for Toby Hazelwood who took one touch and smashed the ball into the top left corner. 4th team goalkeeper Chris Daniels pulled off a worldie giving the 3s a corner.

His efforts however were in vain as Toby made up for his miss and stabbed the ball into the bottom corner giving the 3s a 1-0 lead. They couldn’t take advantage of this momentum and the resulting 40 mins of the first half were scrappy giving both sides plenty of opportunities which both goalkeepers were equal to.

The second half started and the game looked more promising with each team starting to play football in the

Cardiff style.

The 3s however were on top with solid defence from Roddick and Tom Horsfield backed up by good wing play by Matt Weeks. Glorious chances were created and spurned from corners with Tom Horsfield missing a free header and Will Bond hitting the bar and getting a goal chalked off for offside.

Cardiff 3rds however, managed to exert their dominance and got their second goal through a sublime 35 yard screamer from full back Nicky Jones, shame about the celebration really!

The 4ths had a couple of chances on the counter attack with Rich Townsend but nothing was going for them.

The game was then sealed in the 75th minute when James Morris picked up the ball from the midfield, darted inside and drilled the ball into the bottom left corner giving the 3rds a 3-0 lead.

Morris could have had a second a minute later but blazed his shot over the bar. Chances were then spurned from either side, and victory was taken by the 3rds, giving them a good start to a season that should hopefully end in a promotion.

Firsts v Exeter I Vale of Glamorgan golf club 10.30am Hockey: Mens II v Bristol II Talybont 4pm Mens III v Cardiff IV Talybont 2.30pm Medics Men I v Gloucester II Institute of Sport 1pm Medics Women I v Gloucester II Inst. of Sport 2.30pm Medics Women II v Aberystwyth II Talybont 1pm Womens I v UWE I Talybont 5.30pm Womens II v bath II Institute of Sport 4pm Lacrosse: Women v Gloucester I Llanrumney 2pm Netball: I v Brunel I Talybont 4.30pm II v Swansea I Talybont 4pm III v Swansea II Talybont 1pm IV v Cardiff IV Talybont 4pm Medics I v Aberystwyth I Talybont 1pm Medics II v Aberystwyth II Talybont 2.30pm Rugby: Mens I v Imperial I Llanrumney 2pm Medics II v Trinity I Llanrumney 2pm Squash: Medics v Southampton II Med Club Heath Hospital 2pm Table Tennis: Mens I v Exeter I Institute of Sport 2pm Mens II v Exeter II Institute of Sport 2pm Tennis: Mens II v Swansea I Welsh Tennis Centre 12pm Womens I v UWIC I Welsh Tennis Centre 12pm

Sport

Cardiff City look good for promotion << Inside

Above: Rob Blythe battles it out in the finals at Newquay

Surfing Success for Cardiff Cardiff University Surf Club impress at BUCS surf championships Sheri Hall Sports Writer Last weekend was a resounding success for Cardiff University Surf Club when they teared up the waters of Newquay in the British Universities & College Sport championships (BUCS).

Sunshine was abundant for the majority of the competition, although the quality of the surf conditions reduced towards the end of the weekend meaning students were challenged in making the best of what the tide threw at them.

Cardiff ’s men’s team consisted of Jonny Meredith, Rob Blythe, Tom Major ‘Laser’, Mark Thompson, George ‘Predator Love’ Davis, Joss Hawkins, Matt Childs and Sam Joyce, whose efforts all contributed to Cardiff achieving a well-deserved second place for the first time in the competition.

On Sunday, Rob Blythe battled it out in the finals against the likes of last year’s talented winner, Gordon Fontaine of Bournemouth University.

Despite having a maximum of a 2-foot wave to play with, Blythe demonstrated the best of his skills coming 3rd next to Billy Norway of Falmouth in 2nd place and the reigning champion in 1st place.

“I am fairly happy with my result but absolutely ecstatic with the overall team result. It was very rewarding beating Plymouth for the first time.”

“If one or two judging decisions had gone our way we could have easily taken the team top spot from Falmouth – all in all a very close run affair.”

Kay Reynolds, representing Cardiff ’s women’s team, also put on an impressive performance against British champion Gwen Spurlock but was unfortunately knocked out in the semi-finals.

The competition took place at Newquay’s most popular surf location, Fistral Beach, which is the host of several high profile events throughout the year such as the Boardmasters festival and the British National Surfing Championships.

Preview World Series Baseball << Inside The event, which is sponsored by Red Bull, Ticket to Ride and Kukri, is thought to be the largest surf competition in the world with over 350 student competitors from institutions all over Britain taking part over three days. The level of participation beats that of the popular US open which attracts just over 300 competitors.

The beach was not only packed with participants; many people came to provide support for their university or college as well as taking to the waves to improve their surf skills. This meant that surfing space was scarce but students enjoyment was unaffected.

Despite the success of the weekend and the achievements of Cardiff University’s Surf Club, there was an obvious problem with organisation. George ‘Predator Love’ Davis, who came 2nd in his first heat, was prevented from competing in his second heat due to a typo on the competitor’s list, which could have been the difference between Cardiff taking first place. Kay Reynolds also suffered an administrative error, but it was fortunately resolved before she competed.

Ed Curran, Sports Manager for BUCS, commented on the mix-up: “The usual length of a completion of this size is a week. However, we have a need for students to get back

to University to complete their studies. With this in mind, it is possible that there may have been a typo.

However, all students were made aware that if they feel there has been a mistake in the results, that they simply had to go to the BSA tent and make them aware of it.”

Despite some problems with organisation, Tom Major ‘Laser’, Social Secretary for Cardiff University’s Surf Club was happy with the way the weekend was run: "The level of administration that went into the event was phenomenal!

From organising the hundreds of students contracting a new strain of Newquay Freshers’ Flu through dozens of heats, down to details like laminating the weekend-long parking passes to survive the sand and sea air.

"Despite the weak surf conditions, the group’s spirits couldn’t be dampened and we got a cracking result; we really surf better as a team.

Hats off to BUCS and Mijellan!"

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