gair rhydd - Issue 985

gair rhydd

5

Monday October 8th 2012 | freeword - Est. 1972 | Issue 985

Cardiff Students’ Union ranked

th

in the UK p8 >>

...but students studying Welsh are least satisfied Full coverage of the National Students’ Survey on p4-5 >> Fakebook: do social Ed Miliband looks Science discovers networks create the delights of like a leader at superficial relationships? p12 last p16 homeopathy p22

2 / Editor’s Note

gr EDITOR Chris Williams CO-ORDINATOR Elaine Morgan CREATIVE DIRECTOR Luke Slade SUB-EDITOR Tom Parry-Jones NEWS Kendal Archer Tom Eden Bethan Jones Anna Hickman OPINION Alice Briggs Nick Evans Alex Greig COLUMNIST Liam McNeilly POLITICS Helen Louise Cox Thom Hollick SCIENCE Alexey Underwood Rhiannon Davies SOCIETIES Vanessa Platt LISTINGS vacant TAF-OD Tomos Lewis SPORT Rhys Clayton Viktor Tsvetanov James Shapland CONTRIBUTORS Ellen Davies Cat Ross Rachel Boraston Bethan Lyons Sarah Hazelwood Emma Browne Meg Crancher Beth Pickard Kyra Folkes Alice Bryant Sarah Rowlands Peter Marshall David Patterson Dylan Mitchell Natalia Spyridaki Luke Smith Louice Tapper Jansson Nilou Campbell Sarah Philips David Mason Konstantina Tzelepi Cerith Morgan Cerith Rhys Jones Felix Bramley Ben Babcock Ross Martinovic Liam McNamee Callum Davies GAIR RHYDD AND QUENCH MAGAZINE ARE PUBLISHED BY UNIVERSITY UNION CARDIFF, PARK PLACE, CARDIFF CF10

ARE NOT NECESSARILY THOSE OF THE DESIGNED, TYPESET AND OUTPUT BY STUDENTS OF CARDIFF UNIVERSITY

Want to join the team?

Listings / Puzzles Editor Good with design?

Know the best places to go out?

E mail editor@gairrhydd.com to find out more

Writers / contributors / producers / camera operators / editors Join in at any time by coming to our Monday evening meetings at 5pm in the Students' Union.

A note from the editor...

S

omeone pointed out to me that, so far, every front page that we’ve done has, in some way, referenced the University... and that a few of those may not have put the University in a positive light.

“Are you just trying to damn the University and question everything that it’s doing?”, they’ve asked, as if I’ve a personal vendetta with the building across the road. It’s been turned over in my head a lot since then. I’ve questioned whether what I’m doing is right, but I’ve come down on one side and I feel it’s best I justify myself here. gair rhydd is written by students, for students. It’s a free newspaper offering exactly what it says on the tin: a “free word”.

As the editor and an elected officer, I’m obviously in an awkward position. The people who may be annoyed at the stories we've printed will probably have to sit awkwardly next to me in meetings over the next year. But at the same time, I'm answerable to the students.

If I chose not to report on the fact that the University has lost thousands of pounds and ignored that a member of staff was under suspicion of having doctored their research, then I don't feel I'd be fully doing my job as an elected officer.

As soon as I pander to the awkwardness in meetings or how the university (or anyone else for that matter) may feel, I've lost my editorial independence and I've lost my ability to represent students.

But then, there is another thing that comes into play: truth.

None of what has been printed has been proven to be false or taken out of context or a downright lie, as far as we knew when we were going to print.

To me, that's the most important thing. Truth and honesty are two words so rarely spoken in newsrooms, but to me they're of paramount importance.

So, as long as it's the truth, and as long as I believe that we are working in the interests of students, and as long as the work is always written by students, I'll carry on.

3

Monday October 8th 2012 | @mediacsu

World news

An American farmer is believed to have been eaten by his pigs.

Last Wednesday, Terry Vance Garner never returned from feeding his animals with remnants of his body later discovered within the pig enclosure.

Pathological tests have so far been unable to determine the cause of death, although investigators have not ruled out the prospect of the farmer dying due to natural causes. BL.

1 Billion

The Former President of the Philippines, Gloria Arroya, has been arrested whilst she was at an army hospital. The alleged charges against her included the misuse of state funds. Namely, that she took $8.8m (£5.5m) from the state lottery charity fund to use for her personal gain.

KA

The Egyptian courts have found one of their most powerful businessmen, Ahmed Ezz, guilty of money laundering. A fine of 20 billion Egyptian pounds (equivalent to £3bn) has been handed to him – this is on top of a 10 year sentence he is already serving. EB.

Marcello Di Finizio scaled St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City in order to protest an EU directive. Di Finizio was holding a sign that read "Help!

Enough Monti. Enough Europe.

Enough multinationals!". The legislation supposedly threatens 600,000 jobs at Italian seafront resorts. SH

Facebook has now reached one billion people on the planet, one in seven are now connected to this social network. This amazing figure was revealed by the CEO and founder of facebook Mark Zuckerberg this week with figures expected to grow. MC. Words by Bethan Lyons, Sarah Hazelwood, Emma Browne, Meg Crancher and Kendal Archer

Tweets for the week as Facebook passes 1 billion users

4 / News from << continued front page

NSS results reveal the levels of satisfaction in Cardiff students

Bethan Jones News Editor Despite Cardiff University achieving its highest ever recorded level of overall student satisfaction at 89 per cent in a recent survey, individual subject schools have shown some worrying results.

The National Student Survey (NSS) gives university students across the UK the opportunity to have their say on how satisfied they are with their university in a number of areas. These areas included teaching, assessment and feedback, academic support, organisation and personal development.

Based on proposed statements, students ranked their opinion from ‘definitely agree’ through to ‘definitely disagree’.

One of the areas of the survey asked students to rate their overall satisfaction at their university. The results were analysed to show students that either ‘definitely agree’ and ‘mostly agree’.

Some of the results for Cardiff University students’ overall satisfaction were particularly interesting. The Welsh School, who last year stood at 93 per cent overall satisfaction, has seen a marked drop of 22 per cent of students satisfied with the University. CPLAN, City and Regional Planning, have also seen a large decrease of 20 per cent, seeing them now standing at 75 per cent of their students feeling satisfied at Cardiff, as opposed to last years 95 per cent. The EUROP School, which holds Politics and Language courses, also saw a 10 per cent decrease to 77 per cent content students.

Just as significantly, CARBS, Cardiff’s Business School saw an increase of 26 per cent, to 90 per cent overall satisfied students.

The School of Medicine has also increased by 15 per cent to 85 per cent overall.

At Cardiff University, assessment and feedback has been highlighted as a particular problem area. Just over half of the whole university, 67 per cent, are satisfied with the feedback they receive from lecturers and through the assessment process. This seems an alarmingly low figure.

The Welsh School’s satisfaction level with feedback on assessment has dropped by 21 per cent,

The Best Students' feedback proves to be positive in certain areas of the University increase in overall satisfaction within the Business School, which is the biggest increase in the University

satisfaction rate for ENCAP students

of students believe that their career prospects have improved as a result of their degree

of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences students 'Definitely agree' or 'Mostly agree' that their course has stimulated their interest in the field of study to only 49 per cent altogether.

SHARE, Cardiff’s school of History, Archaeology and Religion, showed only 55 per cent satisfaction with feedback, a 24 per cent decrease on last years figures.

Interestingly, the MEDIC School has increased their satis-

faction level with feedback by 17 per cent. However, this still only brings the schools altogether satisfaction level on feedback to 47 per cent. The Students’ Union Heath Park Officer, Hannah Pask, has commented on the low figures for Medicine courses:

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“There have already been considerable changes made to feedback for OSCE exams and we hope this can continue across all assessments in the future. There is still considerable work to be done; therefore I plan to work closely with the university to en-

sure continued improvement.”

She also said: “Student satisfaction needs to be at the forefront of the university's mind to ensure that their students are getting the most out of their time at Cardiff.”

Beth Button, Cardiff Students’

Cardiff 02920 471 222 208 City Road CF24 3JG

papajohns.co.uk ‘Papa’ John Schnatter Schnatter, Founder of Papa John’s

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The Worst The schools of Welsh and Medicine prove themselves dissapointing with high levels of student dissatisfaction fall in satisfaction regarding 'feedback and assessment' for students studying Welsh

PHYSX 93 per cent ARCHI 93 per cent SOHCS 92 per cent SOCSI 92 per cent

EARTH 92% ENGIN 92 per cent ENCAP 91 per cent BIOSI 91 per cent PSYCH 90 per cent CARBS 90 per cent

fall in School of History, Archaeology and Religion students' satisfaction with assessment and feedback

the Welsh school, it does not account for other schools that have shown dissatisfaction in particular areas of the survey. For instance, the MEDIC school, which has shown some dissatisfaction in certain areas, is a much larger populated school, compared to the Welsh school, which has a considerably smaller number of enrolled students.

However, Beth Button, has said that “comparatively to other Welsh Universities such as Bangor, it is speculated that perhaps Cardiff University does not provide enough bilingual services, which would explain the Welsh school’s clear disengagement with the University”.

In spite of this, the percentage of Welsh speaking students at Cardiff University is markedly

According to the NSS statistics, the percentage of satisfaction among students who responded to the survey is here recorded in ascending order according to overall levels of satisfaction.

OPTOM 95 %

of students who studied Welsh who were satisfied overall with their course

the University, a Cardiff University spokesperson said: "The number of students taking Welsh to degree level is small, and even one individual equates to several percentage points. Given that, it is probably inevitable that results will vary from year to year.

However, we take these results very seriously and have already instigated several modifications to our provision.”

The spokesperson also stated that the adoption of the Student Charter by the University and the Union, with a strong commitment to the Welsh language, “will hopefully see an improved engagement between Welsh speaking students and the Students’ Union.”

Although this reasoning does account for the low figures for

Rundown of student satisfaction in Cardiff University Schools

PHRMY 97 per cent

of Medics replied that they were satisified overall with feedback on their course

Union Education & University Affairs Officer, has said that she aims to “tackle the view on feedback”, believing that individual schools need to “improve their communication with students”.

The University has a 4-week turnaround time period for all assessments, which often involves double and external marking.

Button has said that it is essential to explain to students how this process works, and the logistics behind it, to ensure students do not become disengaged during this time.

Throughout the NSS survey, the Welsh School’s results in general showed a lot of dissatisfaction with different elements of the University. In response to this clear lack of engagement between the WELSH school and

5

News 4-8

Monday October 8th 2012 | @gairrhyddnews

JOMEC 89% lower than other Welsh Universities, and therefore it has not been considered a priority.

Button has said: "Whilst the low scores in the school of Welsh are worrying, I hope that an active and on-going conversation with the school, students, and the Welsh students' officer will mean that we can get to the bottom of students' dissatisfaction and work together to overcome any issues they may be facing.”

The NSS results have highlighted some areas of concern for the University to consider.

In spite of these problem areas, and the low results for certain schools in terms of feedback and assessment issues, the University has actually improved in all areas of the survey since last year.

SONMS 88 per cent DENTL 88 per cent CLAWS 88 per cent COMSC 86 per cent SHARE 85 per cent MEDIC 85 per cent CHEMY 85 per cent

MATHS 81% MUSIC 81 per cent EUROP 77 per cent CPLAN 75 per cent

WELSH 71%

6 / News Cardiff ’s Students’ Union voted fifth best in the country Chris Williams Editor Cardiff Students’ Union has been rated the fifth-best in the UK, according to the latest set of National Student Survey (NSS) data released this week.

Students who undertook the NSS were asked how far they agreed with the statement “I am satisfied with the Students’ Union at my institution”. 83 per cent of students who answered the question for Cardiff 'definitely agreed' or 'mostly agreed' with this statement.

Sheffield was the highest-rated Union, gaining an impressive 95 per cent.

The average satisfaction level of Students’ Unions across the UK was just 66 per cent, with the average satisfaction in Wales being slightly better at 69 per cent.

Russell Group Universities fared the same, with the average satisfaction rate being just 69 per cent. In the Russell Group, only Leeds fared better than Cardiff – with 90 per cent.

Cardiff Students’ Union President Harry Newman said, “I’m very proud of the Union for achieving such a strong result nationally. We have always known that our services here are excep-

tional, but these figures prove it.

“They will be a powerful tool for us as we now have a metric for satisfaction... The University will see this success here, and it is now my job to inspire them to fund us such that we can become number one.”

Newman said that the result

Average SU satisfaction in UK

66%

was “entirely thanks to the tireless efforts of our 2,000 volunteers and 500 Union staff members”. However, the results were not entirely positive.

The NSS data broke down, by school, students' satisfaction with Cardiff Students’ Union. Worryingly, only 50 per cent of those

95%

satisfaction rate achieved at Sheffield University's Students' Union

who answered the NSS from the School of Welsh agreed that they were satisfied with the Students’ Union. Of this, Newman said: “I would like to dig a little deeper into why any dissatisfaction exists by working closely with our Welsh Students’ Officer and asking students.

83%

“I would be foolish to speculate and act until this consultation has been completed.”

The results also brought the Students' Union Evaluation Initiative (SUEI) under the spotlight. SUEI looks at the way that students’ unions are run and their democratic structures, as well as various categories such as “what makes the union so special?” and “what is the union trying to achieve?”. The purpose of it is to assess unions and encourage them to deliver the best possible service to students that they can.

Cardiff Students’ Union went through the scheme and were awarded a bronze award, yet, within the NSS, beat every union that won silver (except Loughborough) and every other union that gained a bronze award.

Newman claimed that, “while SUEI does not only recognise unions for great student satisfaction; ‘providing for members’ is central to it. To this end, SUEI as an award has here been proven to be flawed. It does still have value in providing the impetus for unions to change for the better and be more student-led, but us only achieving bronze comes as a disappointment, as students have clearly demonstrated here that we are of a gold standard.”

of students agreed that "I am satisfied with the Students' Union at my institution"

Students’ reaction to the University’s blunder Emma Carragher Sociology 2nd year

"You wouldn’t expect a university to get caught out like this"

Chloe Pierce

English Lit. & French 1st year "It’s ridiculous how selfish these fraudsters have been in times of austerity"

Aaron James

Journalism, Media & Cultural Studies 3rd year "I’ve been defrauded before, so while it’s unfortunate, I’m sympathetic to the University"

Tom Eden News Editor

Bruce Maclachlen

Cancer Studies Phd

"It sounds like an honest mistake. It wasn’t the University’s fault, it was a simple yet effective scam"

Anthea Crowe

Journalism, Media & Cultural Studies 2nd year “You'd think that a university would be more careful and carry out relevant checks.

It's a big sum of money and could be used to benefit the University and students.”

Rhiannon Hopley

English Lit. & French 1st year

“I’m considering finding some headed paper – it might help pay my tuition fees!”

News 4-8

Monday October 8th 2012 | @gairrhyddnews

7

Student Council becomes Ministry of Change Kendal Archer News Editor

What was previously known as the Student Council has now been rebranded as the Ministry of Change. Yet it is not just a change of name. The system has been totally restructured to ensure there is a greater level of student democracy. Societies & Democracy Co-ordinator Emma McKeogh insists that the changes that have been made will give the silent majority of students a voice, and will encourage them to get involved with the decisions made by the Union.

In the final Council meeting of last year, concerns were raised that the Council ‘suffered from a lack of engagement’, and that it needed to reach out to more students, particularly those who did not realise that they had a say in decisions made by the Union.

In previous years, any suggestions or ideas would have been presented to the whole Council at each meeting, which would have consisted of 60 people. The meeting would have been this large because representatives from all societies would have been present. Many of the issues would not, therefore, be relevant to all members who attended the meetings and not particularly efficient.

Moreover, such conditions in meetings meant that there was concern that not all elected officers were continuing to present their ideas and uphold their duties as Society Council members, although Miss McKeogh emphasises that there was a core group of very committed members who continued to attend and implement change within the Union.

Further concerns were raised over the continual return to similar ideas at each meeting, and

fears that the elected student representatives did not offer an accurate reflection of the Cardiff University student voice as a whole.

Hence, the renamed Ministry of Change plans to implement many reforms this year.

Once such change is the creation of the three Forums: the University Forum, the Union Forum and the Community Forum.

Each Forum will be made up of a Chair, six students that have been elected by a cross-campus ballot, six randomly selected students, two full-time officers and two part-time officers.

It is hoped that the indiscriminate selection of six random students from across the University to represent a society in the Ministry of Change will resolve problems such as a lack of engagement from the student community. It will also reach out to those students who may not realise they have a voice in the decisions made by the Union, and encourage them to get involved.

With the creation of the different Forums, it is hoped that any similar ideas that have been raised repeatedly will be treated more efficiently, and that this restructure will generate a greater diversity in ideas as students realise their ideas will be directed to a more specific place.

that it is achieving its full potential.

Although only 16 people in the Forum will be able to cast a final vote, any student is able to attend the Forum meeting and debate for or against the proposed idea, and can be elected to run in as many Forums as they like.

The Union wants to make sure that all students are able to get involved

The system has been totally restructured to ensure there is a greater level of student democracy The University Forum discusses issues relating specifically to the University; the Union Forum will deal with issues relating to the Union; and finally, the Community Forum will respond to any issues relating to the city of Cardiff, as well as the local community. All Forums will meet twice in the first and second terms, and once in the third term.

The aim of the regular meetings is to ensure that all societies are keeping in touch, and up to date on all projects and issues.

collectively process all submitted ideas to be presented at the appropriate Forum meeting, where it will be debated whether to implement the idea or not.

This means that every student has a say, their voice will not be ignored, and that students can implement changes in the University, the Union, and within the community.

A further change that will be implemented is the creation of the Scrutiny Committee. The Scrutiny Committee consists of the Chairs of the three Forums (University, Union and Community), and seven students selected by cross-campus ballot. The aim of the Scrutiny Committee is to scrutinise the elected officers’ work and monitor the progress of any ongoing projects they have undertaken. This is to ensure every society is maintaining top performance, and making sure

While this may all seem slightly intimidating, the Union wants to make sure that all students are able to be involved. As such, there is an option on the Union website to submit any ideas that an individual may have. It is a quick, easy and efficient way to submit any ideas students might have regarding any changes they wish to see made in the running of the Union. Once an idea has been entered, it will be forwarded to the Forum Chairs’ Council.

The Chairs of each Forum will

If 75 per cent or more of the council vote in favour of an idea, then it is passed. If 75 per cent or less vote against the idea, then it is rejected. Anything that falls between these two categories gets put to a campus-wide referendum; this way every single student has a say in the choice. Miss McKeogh hopes that this will "improve democracy" and hopes that once students see they have a voice, they will be more inclined to put forward their own ideas and get involved.

If you want to elect yourself, nominations to become a member of the Council are open until 12pm on Wednesday, October 10th. You can elect yourself to be a member of any of the Forums, so you can be present at Forums that are likely to deal with issues you are particularly interested in, or you can join more than one.

There is an online nominations form to fill out, which is provided on the Union’s website, or the option to get a form directly from Emma McKeogh, the Societies and Democracy Co-ordinator on the 3rd Floor of the Union.

Societies see huge rise in membership Tom Eden News Editor

Societies Officer Adam Curtis has declared himself “pretty stunned” at a huge rise in membership of societies.

Statistics this week show that the Freshers’ Fayres were an undoubted triumph, with huge increases in both membership and revenue. Following a successful Athletic Union Fayre, which saw a six per cent increase in membership and revenue, the two-day Societies Fayre surpassed this with a massive 24 per cent rise in new members. This is a great achievement, especially in light

of the falling revenue and attendances seen in recent years.

A real emphasis on advertising through social media has played its part Mr Curtis believes several factors contributed to this superb outcome, having worked closely with all societies in order to promote the huge range and number of societies available.

He explained that a real emphasis on advertising through social media has played its part, saying: “We had been aiming for this [increase in membership] with

more Facebook advertising and a Facebook event that attracted 900 people.”

Inside the Fayres, which were held in the Students' Union's Great Hall, further initiatives were in place to improve the experience for all involved. The Brass Band Society and the Debating Club both won awards for their friendliness and approachability throughout the two-day event.

This year also saw a large increase in the number of students signing up online, with twothirds of society members using the web to register their interest in participating in the vast range

of activities available across the Students' Union.

For those that missed out, there are plans for another, smaller

fayre, to take place during “Sort Your Life Out Week”, which will happen from November 19th to 23rd. This is a great opportunity to try out more of the 157 societies on offer to Cardiff University students.

One moment during the final day, which epitomised the goodnatured atmosphere within the Great Hall, was when a gunfight broke out between the Nerf Society, and the Journalism Society. gair rhydd is pleased to report that, due to the foam ammunition, there were no fatalities.

8 / News

Causing Carnage before it's even begun Ellen Davies News Writer

October 7th sees the return to Cardiff of Carnage, a fancy dress themed night that is a must in many students’ social calendars.

Voted the number one student night in the UK since 2004, Carnage is seen as a fun-packed night of drinking and socialising.

Yet the event is no stranger to controversy, with criticism being levelled at the large consumption of alcohol and riotous behaviour associated with the bar crawl.

However, this year, it is the event’s theme, which calls for students to dress up as 'Pimps and Hoes', that has caused uproar. Many have questioned the wisdom of a theme, which can be seen to trivialise sexual slavery and prostitution. Criticism has also been levelled at the theme as it is gender binary with little room for interpretation.

While female students are encouraged to dress provocatively, male students are told to dress as

'pimps', men who exploit women for financial gain. Given these negative associations, it is no surprise that both the Union’s Welfare Officer and Women’s Officer have expressed concerns with regards to the potential glamorisation and trivialisation of the sex industry as a result of the event.

Many have questioned the wisdom of a theme which can be seen to trivialise sexual slavery Welfare Officer Meg David, has expressed her concerns about the theme as it “not only trivialises violence against women in the sex industry but also encourages men to dress as 'pimps' – men who use manipulation and violence to coerce women (and sometimes men) into prostitution in order to take their earnings. In doing so, the event condones such activity despite hundreds of individuals in the UK currently being enslaved in

sex work against their will”.

Such is the outrage of some members of the student body that a petition has been launched calling for Carnage to change the theme to something less misogynistic and derogatory.

It seems that Cardiff isn’t the only university that is launching action against Carnage, with Leeds, Essex and Sheffield Universities also calling for a change of theme, although the company has yet to agree to this.

The Women’s Association have contacted Carnage to express their concern, but the company’s response has been less than encouraging.

In a message to Sam Hickman, our Women’s Officer, Carnage fails to acknowledge that the 'Pimps and Hoes' theme is potentially offensive, and instead state that students themselves chose the theme, including those from Cardiff University.

Carnage insists that "fancy dress is the central focus of all events and this has always been

the case", and they note that 'Pimps and Hoes' is a common theme for a number of fancy dress events. It is clear from their response that Carnage is unwilling to reconsider their theme and with the event fast approaching, only time will tell whether Car-

diff University students are concerned enough by Carnage’s controversial decision to avoid the occasion. However, with T-shirts sold out online, it seems that this year’s attendance will be as high as ever.

Cardiff binge-drinkers shamed in new book Rachael Boraston

News Writer Many of you will be familiar with photographer Maceij Dakowicz, who captured residents of Cardiff on St Mary’s Street on indulgent nights out in a series named Cardiff After Dark.

The photographs as a whole display drunken clubbers at their very worst and paint a less than impressive view of Cardiff’s nightlife and binge drinking culture.

Dakowicz, a former student of Glamorgan had been documenting the vibrant and often undignified night life of St Mary’s Street and the infamous Chippy Alley for five years before releas-

ing his art, which received mixed reviews.

The photographs were first

released in September 2008 and, after much outrage from fellow Cardiff residents, and varied dis-

gust, judgement and mockery from audiences across Europe, the photographs are now being released as a book. What is interesting about Dacowicz’s work is the many different ways in which people have interpreted and responded to it.

The series received critical acclaim from professionals at the Festival of Photojournalism, and can be likened to Martin Parr’s lurid yet intriguing images of New Brighton from the 1970s, which are now considered as famous cultural photography.

Many locals are angry at the overtly alcohol-fuelled and extreme presentation of Cardiff, a city with so much more to of-

fer than inebriated violence and vulgarity. Others shrug it off as simply just a part of Great British culture.

Dacowicz admits that he would never find such interesting and extreme subjects to photograph anywhere else in Europe. In 2011, the Daily Mail ran the headline "Captured on our streets by a foreign lens, the shaming images that turned Britain into a laughing stock", which encouraged resounding fury at Dacowicz.

However, he is only documenting what is before him. Perhaps the fury should be directed more toward the serious and shocking spectacle of excess that has been discovered here.

Funding bias for international societies Cat Ross

News Writer After the success of the Societies Fayre last week, with thousands of students signing up and experiencing the benefits of societies, sports teams and clubs, financial bias within the University has been uncovered by gair rhydd.

It appears the University volunteers additional funding to societies specifically created for international students over UK students. It is believed that foreign students are more likely to continue studying when encouraged by clubs or groups from their originating country. The University is helping out and aid-

ing the continuation of international societies – far more than those created for and by home students.

It also appears that the motive is based on money. International students pay considerably more than students from within the EU do to go to Cardiff, which gives the University an incentive to provide £2,500 of additional finance to international societies.

While this has been going on for some time – and is by no means a secret – the realisation comes as popular societies such as the Economics Society have lost their affiliation with the Students' Union.

The Students' Union sets a standard that all societies must reach to continue; Presidents should attend training forums, actively participate in University life, run regular events and essentially ensure the society is worthwhile. However, reliable sources close to gair rhydd implied that some international societies eligible for funding are not living up to these expectations.

In response to claims of bias in providing extra funding for international societies, the University insists “international student societies play a crucial role in enhancing the student experience and in supporting international

students during their study at Cardiff University”. They also expect “a return on investment in terms of PR and marketing opportunities”.

The University volunteers additional funding to societies specifically created for international students over UK students Adam Curtis, Cardiff Students' Union Societies Officer, agrees wholeheartedly with the funding, for reasons such as the fact that

"international students create multiculturalism within university and therefore enhance the university life for everyone, allowing British students to experience cultures, ideas and even cuisines that they otherwise would be unable to participate in."

Curtis also points out that, divided between each society, the money provided is not significant – approximately £150 per club – which, relative to other spending, is trifling. The University also states that “funding is not provided as a matter of course”, and additional finances can be applied for by any society, but not necessarily provided.

11

Opinion 11 - 14

Monday October 8th 2012 | @gairrhyddop

For & Against

The rise of student fetish work

With part-time, minimum-wage work hardly making a dent in £9,000 tuition fees, many students are turning to fetish and escort work to fund their education, Sarah Rowlands and Peter Marshall discuss

F

For

etish work may conjure images of BDSM and 'kink' for some, such as bondage or master/slave relationships, but the reality is more innocent. Fetish work is a term for everything from selling toenail clippings and dirty underwear to allowing someone to watch you smoke.

Fetish work occurs predominantly via online interaction; the lack of proximity between the worker and the customer adds an element of safety to the trade and removes it further from the domain of escorting and prostitution. To address the issue, I, personally, don’t think that there is anything morally wrong with fetish work.

A moral objection would typically involve the claim that either of the parties involved – the fetish worker and the client – are subject to exploitation. It is a fact, whether we like it or not, that the fetish market is dominated by male fetishes, meaning that most of the work is available only to females. So, does fetish work exploit females? Does it tarnish or cheapen them? For it to do so, the default status of women would have to be characterised by purity and virginity and such tacit sexism, in my opinion a hangover from a less enlightened, more spiritual and

less egalitarian time, which is also responsible for the view that men who sleep around acquire trophy collections, while women who do the same become sullied.

If, hypothetically, I could sell a pair of my sweaty boxers, I don’t imagine that many of my peers would be concerned that I’d been degraded. More likely they would slap my back and buy me a pint. Why then should it be any different for women?

The second question is whether fetish work exploits the client.

The answer, again, is no. The client chooses to seek out fetishes in their own private lives; this is not within the public domain.

Indulging one’s fetish is a luxury and those who do so know this. I can’t foresee a situation in which somebody bankrupts themselves by buying sixty tons of toenail clippings and, even so, people have the right to spend their money on what they like.

If somebody wants to buy something that others perceive as worthless or perverse, nobody has the right to stop them (a fact that must continually delight Mr Damien Hirst). Thus, if students can make a quick buck and remain safe, then long live Fetish Work! It pays better than most conventional jobs – about £7 for used panties – freeing up more time to study. PM

Y

“

A moral objection would typically involve the claim that either of the parties involved, the fetish worker or the client, are subject to exploitation

Against

ou poor freshers. I feel for you, I do. £9,000 a year?

Blimey. Nick Clegg saying he’s ‘so, so sorry’ really isn’t going to make much of a dent in that, even assuming you can survive the undergrad years without scrambling for the first paid part-time position you can find. No wonder so many students are turning to online retail in their time at uni. But let’s be honest: selling your old DVDs and clothes on eBay is one thing.

Selling your used underwear, sweaty gym kit and toenail clippings from a fetish website is quite another.

"Hang on half a tick", I hear you cry. What is this newfangled student loan supplement/substitute? Well, in short, student fetish websites are a means of making money by selling soiled items of personal clothing, photographs of young women’s feet (yes, I know), and – even more bizarrely – hairs and toenail clippings. Hannah, an online undies retailer and a student at RWCMD, mentions that doing this "kind of makes me feel like a porn star or something", but admits readily that it isn’t a job that pays well; rather, that it gave her a little extra cash while in uni, and now she does it "because it’s part of who I am."

Wow. Catering to this semipornographic market online is now part of who she is? If that’s not worrying, I don’t know what is. In a culture in which every woman from Adele to Kate Middleton is judged on what her body looks like (uncovered or not), it’s saddening to find that otherwise smart, young ladies are falling into the trap of thinking that the sex business is empowering, rather than demeaning, to themselves and womankind. Hannah’s assertion that she loves doing this – “what better way to start your day than to read a bunch of e-mails complete strangers send you telling you how beautiful you are and how great your body looks?” – rings as hollow to my ears as the protestations from The Sun that, of course, their Page Three models are taken seriously as intellectual women; they just like showing their breasts off in public.

Yes, every girl wants to be told she’s beautiful. But by a bunch of knicker-sniffers online? No thanks. On that note, one does have to wonder about the men on the other side of the email – if they’re willing to pay for a pair of ? om underpants you’ve on d.c i peed on, they in yd need help, not op rrh n i dirty undies. t a ga o SR G on@ i in op

12 / Opinion Freshers: A fortnight in review Bethan Lyons

Opinion Writer Freshers' has been one of the most enjoyable experiences of my life so far; I have met loads of people I would never normally cross paths with, and got to know them with a little help from my old friend, alcohol.

Many of the events themselves are pretty standard – it’s the people you meet that make them so memorable; arguably the best night I’ve had here was a night spent playing drinking games and getting to know my flat-mates.

Those who attended the Freshers' welcome party will vividly remember the buzz and atmosphere that marked the true beginning of Cardiff Uni Freshers' Week. The highlight for me has to be the first night, during which my flatmate and I attempted to walk through the McDonalds Drive-Thru; we were devastated when they wouldn’t serve us as we didn’t have a vehicle, and unfortunately our car noises and yelling of registration numbers apparently did not suffice.

At the beginning of Freshers', I was grateful for all the free ‘goodies’, until I was given the same aforementioned ‘goodies’. My room is now overrun with flyers, and resembles the letters scene in Harry Potter, with me taking the starring Uncle Vernon role.

Another highlight of Freshers' was attending the various fayres, where most people staggered around looking worse for wear, their faces telling the tales of the night before. Like most, I found myself in this state and ended up giving out my email address to many societies I had no intention of joining; I merely wanted free food.

Where else other than during Freshers' is it socially acceptable to roam around in the early hours in a giraffe onesie, ending the night watching a subtitled and somewhat surreal version of Pingu.

Writing this post-Freshers', I am genuinely gutted that it has finished. A feeling of postFreshers' depression has set in.

Symptoms include a poor night's sleep, due to my incredibly hard mattress; dehydration, due to reduced alcohol consumption; and the knowledge that I will actually have to wash my own clothes, hindered by my lack of domestic awareness and slight fear of what may lurk in the laundrette.

I am already looking forward to being a refresher next year, but first I have the prospect of spending the next year generally abusing my liver, and of course widening my knowledge and progressing onto year two…

Fakebook: is social networking creating superficial relationships?

Beth Pickard assesses the new superficiality of relationships due to social network sites

O

ver the last few years, technology has exploded to such a degree that we live in a world of absolute and instant communication, unbounded by time or space. It encompasses almost every aspect of our lives, now contributing to the making and building of relationships.

Social networking enables us to be in constant contact and build substantial relationships with people we have never even met. Without a doubt, this capability is nothing short of beneficial, both in our private and working lives; however, it is this that makes me question whether social networking results in the portrayal of inaccurate relationships and indeed inaccurate and idealistic images of ourselves.

Are we all contributing to an online world of fake identities and fake relationships that then shape our judgements of real people and real relationships in the real world?

Years ago, if you met a guy at a party, the next you would hear from him would be via letters, which would take days to travel down the country before you travelled miles to see each other again, whereby you may then be like ‘actually, not too keen, soz’.

But at least this decision was based on knowledge of getting to know the real person. Today you can meet someone out, and without even exchanging more than a name, you can log straight

into Facebook and access every little detail about them. You can see where they’re from, how old they are, their relationship status, which of your friends knows them, and what they do. Then, with slightly more thorough stalking (and as a generation we are unashamedly expert at this activity), suddenly you know what hair style they had two years ago, that they have a pet chinchilla, that they got wasted in Glam last week and that once, a year ago, they may or may not have gone out with that awful girl from your seminar (cue more stalking). Assuming a lack of privacy settings, you can basically see every behavioural flaw, trait and opinion of what you only assume to be genuine aspects that make up this person’s life, taken as fact to make an executive judgement on them.

Through personal experience, I can safely say that these misjudgements can go two ways, depending on the way in which you mould your individual social network account. On the one hand, there are people who take a ‘don’t care’ attitude about the implementations of the content on their personal page. They’ll happily upload and be tagged in uncompromising photos. They’ll write status updates and tweets on every thought that enters their heads and just generally display their every opinion to the eyes of anyone who comes across them.

Now, I’m all for being honest and open, but when strangers, and not to mention potential employ-

ers, take this as a direct reflection of you as a person, it may not go down as well as if they met you in person and realised that you’re actually pretty reserved and wellmannered. In contrast, there are people who edit and tailor their page to the extent that, on meeting them in person, you don’t recognise them, whether through the images they display or the personality they put across.

We have never been more accessible, yet through social media, we have also never been more detached. It is a form of escapism where users can transform their lives to how they wish

to be perceived, turning our lives into dramas or comedies, and as a result, genuine relationships become warped from those of reality. Our social sites show we are real, as if without everyone seeing or reading about our lives, we don’t have one, and thus often we try to show it as more of what we want it be and less of the stark reality. Hopefully, as more older people use social networking as a genuine social reference, the younger generations will follow suit in order not to be wrongly judged. Or maybe we can just make do with good, old-fashioned conversation.

#facebook #relationships

Opinion 11-14

Monday October 8th 2012 | @gairrhyddop

13

Drugs Live: a convincing ecstasy trial?

Alice Bryant considers the validity of Channel 4's recent televised drugs trial and whether it was an accurate portrayal of the effects and possible uses of MDMA

L

ast week, Channel 4 had the nation on tenterhooks as we anticipated the airing of Drugs Live: The Ecstasy Trial, a televised experiment in which volunteers would take the illegal drug MDMA to see what effect it has on the brain. Any hopes of seeing dramatic images of drug-induced celebrities live on our screens, however, were quickly dashed as host Jon Snow explained that most of the testing had already taken place in a controlled, medical environment. Viewers were left, instead, to watch video footage of the trial, hear interviews from leading professors, and explore the scientists’ findings via a giant plastic brain.

The main purpose of the project, funded by Channel 4, was to explore the possibility of using MDMA to treat illnesses such as depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Professors David Nutt and Val Curran, who appeared throughout the twopart programme, argued that the euphoria the drug often provides could counter the negative

thoughts and emotions felt by sufferers.

The main purpose of the project was to explore the possibility of using MDMA to treat illnesses Having personally witnessed the effects of depression on those around me, this is a topic close to my heart, and I was intrigued to discover more. The sceptic in me was soon roused, however, as a few things gave cause for concern. Firstly, the Medical Research Council had previously refused to fund the experiment.

If the research was really so important and "ground-breaking", why did the scientists resort to the support of a public television broadcaster? The other thing that didn’t sit right was the fact that Professor Nutt led the trial.

In 2009, he was dismissed from his position as Chairman of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs after controversially claiming that horseriding was more dangerous than taking ec-

stasy. Although this may have been unfair of me, I found it difficult to take anything he said seriously after learning this.

I was also disappointed by the content of the programme itself, and struggled to see how the results of the experiment supported the professors’ argument.

They claimed that MRI brain scans of the volunteers showed the drug would have the desired mood-lifting effect, but at times the volunteers’ own reactions seemed to tell a different story.

I struggled to see how the results of the experiment supported the professors’ argument At least two volunteers said they felt physical effects of the drug, but none of the emotional effects, and even more fascinating was the case of ex-SAS soldier Phil, who, instead of feeling calmer,

felt distrustful and violent while on the drug. Professor Curran quickly dismissed his reaction as an "anomaly", which I found both confusing and alarming, considering Phil was one of only 25 volunteers (some of whom actually received a placebo drug instead of the MDMA). What the professors also appeared to ignore was the fact that most of the volunteers experienced a few days of low emotion after taking the drug. Surely it would therefore be contradictory to prescribe it as an antidepressant.

All in all, neither the professors nor the programme itself succeeded in convincing me that taking MDMA in its current form would effectively treat mental illness. Although Nutt and Curran tried to present it as so, my opinion is that the evidence broadcasted was far from conclusive.

It would be obnoxious of me to argue that there is no truth to their claims – I hope that there is and that an effective drug can perhaps be developed in future – but I highly doubt doctors will be prescribing the class A drug any time soon.

Cardiff University life: A fresh perspective Kyra Folkes

Opinion Writer Upon hearing the news of Cardiff University’s recent record levels of student satisfaction, I begin to wonder what my time here will be like with my first couple of weeks as a forerunner. When I first visited Cardiff, I can remember standing outside a quaint boutique nestled within the city centre, my fingers fumbling enthusiastically over the keys of my Blackberry, desperate to phone my mum and tell her how much I loved it, and how sure I was that she would too. As well as the hugely cosmopolitan and atmospheric city, I smiled the whole way round the university’s open day, positive that it was the place for me and suddenly determined to work hard in my A-levels so that I could be accepted onto my dream course.

During my second visit to Cardiff, my father and I were approached by a man as we were looking puzzled with a map in hand, attempting to find the university after a two-mile detour in the opposite direction. I was a little taken aback at first – I must admit I thought perhaps he was – in want of more sophisticated terminology – ‘a bit of a weirdo’.

In my previous experience of cities, people do not tend to head straight for you, but instead

and appeal. Although I feel the odd pangs of anxiety and homesickness, these will probably ease as I settle into a routine.

I can remember at that moment deciding that I was not intimidated one bit by this new place

sweep across the pavements with their eyes fixed to the floor, focused on their own individual needs and desires. However, this individual simply turned out to be a kind Welsh man asking if we

needed help; asking purely because we looked a little lost. And I can remember at that moment deciding that I was not intimidated one bit by this new place.

Although it may still be early

in the academic year, I can happily say that my expectations of University life and my course are being met – my flatmates couldn’t be lovelier if they tried and my degree is bursting with interest

Reflecting on how satisfied you are with your university – Cardiff or otherwise – is important because it is essentially a reflection of your happiness. Not the happiness of drunken elation that most freshers hold for the entirety of Freshers' Week, but happiness in terms of being content and maintaining an overall sense of wellbeing. In my opinion, if you are not wholly satisfied with what you expect from university, and particularly if these expectations are not met, then it is not worth spending £9,000.

So clearly what we can grasp from this is that Cardiff University is keeping its students very satisfied, in my opinion through providing opportunities so priceless they make the prospect of debt seem worth it.

14 / Columnist

by Liam McNeilly

T

he long, drawnout John Terry saga appears to be coming to an end. Last week, the former England captain was found guilty of using abusive words towards Queens Park Rangers’ player Anton Ferdinand; words that made reference to race, and as such breached Football Association rules. With Terry banned for four games, and fined £220,000, it was hoped that the matter had reached a conclusion, but debate continues, with numerous aspects of the case remaining unclear in the eyes of many.

Why, for example, does the FA appear to have been substantially more lenient in this case, than that of Luis Suárez, who was banned for eight games for a similar offence last year?

Why, despite being cleared of all charges in court, has an independent FA panel reached a guilty verdict? Why has it taken almost a year, with the possibility of an appeal still to come, to reach a verdict? And why, despite his already tarnished reputation, do some people continue to defend Terry to some extent?

They are all issues that have lacked clarity to some extent.

However, while there remain different opinions and interpretations of events, there is an answer to all of those questions.

On the surface, banning the Chelsea captain for four games, months after Liverpool’s Suárez was banned for eight, suggests a substantial lack of consistency, especially as both Suarez and Terry’s defence hinged on a similar argument around the context in which racist terms were used.

23/10/11 Incident takes place at Loftus Road and is reported to the police

There is further apparent inconsistency. Despite Terry’s ban being half that of Suárez, his fine is five-and-a-half times greater than the Uruguayan’s £40,000.

I don’t see how this can be the case, but it is believed that the FA have their reasons.

It is believed that Suárez's mutiple uses of the term ‘negro’ amounts to his misconduct being greater than Terry’s one- off remark. In terms of the fine, it is thought that the wages of the players were bought in to consideration. They have been fined a similar percentage of their wages.

While this provides an answer, it's not necessarily an acceptable one. I feel that the conduct of the players makes them equally as punishable and that both should serve eight games. A punishment of four games is only one game more than a standard red card, for an offence substantially more serious. Take in to consideration that Joey Barton was banned for 12 matches after his outburst on the final day of last season.

I also find it very unlikely that Terry’s wage is five-and-a-half times that of Suarez. I imagine the general public will not be able to accept this reasoning either, and will understandably feel let down by the apparent leniency.

As previously mentioned, the context of the players' language played a big role in both cases, and this forms the basis of why Terry was not found guilty in court. He claims that use of the racist term was used sarcastically after Ferdinand accused him of making the remark. The prosecution had to prove beyond all reasonable doubt that Terry had used phrase “f**king black c**t”

21/12/11 Terry is charged by the Metropolitan Police with using racist language

01/11/11 Police launch investigation.

Terry interviewed under caution later that month

in a manner meant to be offensive or insulting.

The Football Association, however, is not required to clarify the context of utterances referring to race. Making any “reference to colour and/or race” in any context is a punishable offence under the rules of the FA. As such, Terry’s argument was never likely to suffice.

The fact that this case is only now reaching its climax has also caused a lot of people to question how it has been handled by the FA. After all, as the timeline shows, this is something that has caused numerous controversies over the last 12 months.

While this is the case, you have to remember that the criminal proceedings that took place restricted the FA’s powers to launch their own investigation.

Therefore, they waited for the outcome of the court case before making their own charge under their set of rules.

This doesn’t mean that the FA’s course of action has been exemplary. The way in which they have handled the case has posed many other questions, some of which appear to have been forgotten in light of the recent verdict. For example, stripping Terry of the England captaincy without the knowledge of the then-manager, Fabio Capello, was extremely questionable, not only bringing into disrepute the

03/02/12 Unkown to Fabio Capello, Terry is stripped of England captaincy. Capello quits one week later

28/01/12 Chelsea beat QPR in repeat fixture in the FA Cup. Prematch handshakes are not observed

authority of the manager, but also punishing someone who was yet to be found guilty.

There is also the continuing debate over whether or not John Terry is in fact racist. Many are quick to brand him as a racist, and it’s no surprise considering his already questionable reputation. It’s rare that anyone outside of Chelsea FC says a good thing about his off-field personality. I recall Craig Bellamy – himself a controversial figure – saying, “I know what JT’s like, nothing surprises me about him. I’m not going to comment on him. Everyone in football knows what that guy’s like”, relating to Terry’s affair with the ex-girlfriend of then-Chelsea and England team-mate Wayne Bridge.

John Barnes, the former Livepool and England player and a pioneering black footballer, suggests that Terry is guilty of ‘unconscious racism’. This is the suggestion that Terry’s comments were not born out of any deep-lying racial hatred, but a lazy use of offensive language.

This in no way defends the comments made by Terry, but aims to provide clarity for those who might see racism as something clear-cut. It has to be appreciated that there can be a middle-ground, while accepting that there is no place for such language on a football pitch. He should be able to serve his ban

13/07/12 Following the European Championships, Terry is cleared of all charges at West London Magistrates' Court

16/05/12 New England manager Roy Hodgson includes Terry in Euro 2012 squad. Ferdinand's brother, Rio, is omitted

for his lack of judgment, without being associated with racist hate groups (Twitter users suggested that the English Defence League were chanting “There’s only one John Terry” at a recent gathering).

Many fail to see the importance of the issue though. You only need to look at YouTube comments to see that many feel his comments were acceptable.

“But Anton Ferdinand is black and he was probably being a f**king c**t” is the most-liked comment on a slow-motion video of Terry making the remark. Another, claiming to be a spokesperson for “all right minded football fans”, called in to the radio station talkSPORT to vent his disapproval of the sanctions handed to Terry. He believed that the incident should never have been reported to the police, and that the whole incident was something of nothing. I certainly didn’t give him permission to be my spokesperson.

This could be even more of a problem for British football and its relationship with racism.

Fans who feel that this process was unnecessary and perhaps feel that football is above the law are stopping things from moving forward yet further. To paraphrase, what happens on the pitch does not stay on the pitch.

This summer, the British public expressed shock and disgust at a BBC documentary highlighting the problem of racism and anti-Semitism in Eastern Europe. At one time, the problem was similar in this country, and to not have a complete zerotolerance approach to all racist language is to fall back towards that era.

15/09/12 QPR and Chelsea meet in the Premier League. Ferdinand refuses the handshakes of both Terry and Ashley Cole

27/07/12 Two weeks after the verdict, The FA make their own charge. Terry requests a personal hearing

23/09/12 Terry announces international retirement four days prior to being found guilty by FA

16 / Politics

Labour conference 2012 Dylan Mitchell

Politics Writer His critics say he’s too geeky. He called himself a ‘policy wonk’.

Mitt Romney called him ‘Mr Leader’. What exactly is Ed Miliband, and does it matter?

Miliband seems to have struggled for potent public credibility since he was elected as leader of the Labour Party two years ago. It should be noted too, that Romney’s name for him was only thought up when he couldn’t remember his actual name. At a time when scoring points from an increasingly unpopular coalition government should be straightforward, he went into Tuesday’s keynote speech at Labour Conference 2012 under considerable pressure to prove himself as Prime Minister material.

The UK has a history of rebuffing the awkward geek The predicament that Miliband finds himself in is that voters aren‘t convinced he cuts it as a political heavyweight, even though his party’s positioning on things like responsible capitalism and fair taxation finds favour. The devil is in the delivery. Miliband’s slightly awkward characteristics give the impression that there’s no substance behind the rhetoric, even if the argument seems solid on paper.

The UK has a history of rebuffing the awkward geek, of course.

Despite a win in the 1992 General Election against weak Labour opposition, John Major was comprehensively beaten in 1997 by smooth political machine Tony Blair. Gordon Brown may have

been ousted anyway in 2010, but is it a coincidence that it was at the hands of slicked-back David Cameron?

Pre-conference, a poll carried out by Opinium showed just 28% of likely voters could imagine Miliband as Prime Minister, while 63% could not. His overall approval rating stood at -17, with 23% of those polled thinking he is doing a good job, and 40% thinking he isn’t. While he polls at or around the same levels as David Cameron, the public perception of him clearly needs to change if Labour are to regain power in the next general election.

Within the Labour Party, Miliband’s popularity, both as a leader and as chief policy-maker, gains momentum. The party leader is seen as competent, passionate and likeable, although the words ‘inspiring’ and ‘dynamic’ are rarely used to describe him.

Although 29% of the Labour voters polled by Opinium could not imagine Miliband as Prime Minister, approval ratings among this group (and among the party’s membership) are improving.

It is one thing to convince your own party, and quite another to convince the voters. Miliband’s conference speech may have gone a long way to making the difference. Speaking for nigh on an hour, without notes or an autocue, Miliband delivered a speech of wit, confidence and popular appeal. Rather than try to counteract the criticisms of geekiness, the Labour leader and his speech-writers are embracing them. Who better to solve that irksome economic situation than someone comfortable with numbers? Who better to run a country than a bookish intellectual?

It is a smart move to highlight the personal, as well as political, differences between himself and David Cameron. It is a smart move to highlight the differences between himself and Tony Blair too. Miliband will do well to take this speech as a starting point for a long election fight. His hour at the conference was spent telling the party faithful his story, from his birth into a first-generation immigrant family, through comprehensive school and on to his political career.

He now needs to add meat to the bones, as his speech was relatively policy-light. This is becoming a growing concern for those within the party, and an easy target for the Coalition in parliamentary exchanges. He does, however, have the luxury of a little time, and should benefit from his appointment of Jon Cruddas as his chief policy reviewer.

He now needs to add meat to the bones, as his speech was relatively policy-light It should be good news for Labour that Miliband has decided to embrace his ‘geekiness’. In confronting his critics head-on, he can force the issue on to policy.

The Labour leader is an essentially decent man – he was named

by The Daily Telegraph as one of the ‘saints’ of the expenses scandal – and he was a responsive and progressive minister in government. The step up from decent minister to Prime Minister is a big one, though, and the step up from party leader to Prime Minister isn’t much smaller. Miliband

is heading in the right direction, and his hour on the podium this week will have convinced many of his abilities as a convincing orator and forceful political advocate. Translating all of this into votes will be difficult, but

the country may well be sold on the idea of this ‘policy wonk’ as a leader before too long.

Free prescriptions: something for nothing?

Politics writer David Patterson examines Labour's commitment to retaining free prescriptions in Wales after the 2016 Assembly elections. Is it a spending priority?

“

Since 2007, surveys have shown that being able to manage their own health, without fear of rising costs, has led to a fall in the number of patients refusing medication on financial grounds

T

his week, Wales’ First Minister Carwyn Jones has reaffirmed his party's commitment to providing free prescriptions on the NHS, a key issue forming the cornerstone for Labour’s 2016 manifesto.

In a speech made at the Labour Party conference, Jones stated that he wanted to be able to “look young people in the eye and say we had done right by them”. As a first step in this direction, he has made free prescriptions on the NHS an essential part of Labour’s manifesto for the 2016 elections.

The Minister said that he wanted

to “protect” young people from the “excesses” and “devastation” of the Coalition by keeping lowcost healthcare. He argued that, if it was free to see a doctor, then why not to dispense medicine as well?

The English Labour Party leader, Ed Miliband, congratulated him, saying he was very proud of what Jones was trying to achieve by prioritising the NHS. Miliband doubted that England would be able to afford free prescriptions, which raises the question: can Wales?

According to government figures, in 2011, the average Welsh citizen received 22 items on pre-

scription, leaving the NHS to foot a bill of £594 million. To dedicate himself to another term of free prescriptions in the current political climate of austerity is a bold financial statement for Jones to make, but Labour are showing a united front on this policy.

Edwina Hart, the Health Secretary, reported that Wales cannot afford to drop the free prescription policy, as it has made a substantial “positive difference” to the lives of many Welsh citizens, particularly those suffering from potentially fatal conditions like cancer. Medication for these conditions is expensive but necessary, and in some cases suf-

ferers were not taking essential medication. But since the policy was introduced in 2007, government surveys have shown that, as a result of people being able to manage their own health without fear of rising costs, the number of patients refusing medication on financial grounds is falling.

Labour hope that this established policy will now start to help young people, particularly those looking for work. In England, when employed, prescription costs rocket from nothing to £7.70. This creates an incentive to stay unemployed and keep claiming state benefits. By maintaining free prescriptions, the barrier to

Politics 16 - 19

Monday October 8th 2012 | @gairrhyddpol

has abandoned their leftist, trade union roots, and focused only on playing it safe until 2015.

For most of us, the days of Tony Blair are faded childhood and teenage memories, of days when politicians were harmless

shiny men on television and not the tiring ideologues whose ideas plague our future prospects.

With the ConDem government trebling tuition fees, privatising the NHS and failing to tackle graduate unemployment, much student anger is rightly focused upon David Cameron and his increasingly right-wing cabinet. It’s easy to forget, though, that much of their action is simply the continuation and expansion of Labour’s legacy.

It was Labour, for example, that initiated tuition fees at their original £1,000, trebled them to £3,000 and then, during their final months in office, gave a former BP boss the job of reviewing them yet again – a process that ended in their latest trebling.

Even following the rise, Ed Miliband’s Labour has admitted they would lower fees only to £6,000; effectively a partial agreement.

Meanwhile, Labour expanded Private Finance Initiatives, contracted out cleaning and catering services in the NHS and supported Academies, all creeping towards more privatisation.

That may seem like a long time ago, and now the party has new faces, perhaps it’s time to give them a second chance. Ed Miliband supported the 'Yes' campaign on the AV referendum, but failed in uniting the whole party in favour of change. His backing for House of Lords reform again failed to provide crucial support in Parliament. Meanwhile, most Labour councils are failing to stand up against the cuts, even working with the Tories against the administration to force through cuts in areas such as Brighton.

Perhaps it is no surprise that

nomic growth and a fall in unemployment figures. Everybody wins.

However, this promise of economic growth and welfare falls into what the Scottish Labour Leader, Johann Lamont, has

called the “something for nothing culture”. Only a week earlier, she condemned the growing reliance on benefits and called upon the UK to face up to the “stark reality” of our economic situation: nothing is for free. In fact, she went as far as to question the need for the free prescriptions policy, and whether it was really benefitting the Welsh community. “When people are facing fierce wage restraint and rising living costs… I believe our resources must go to those in greatest need.” The NHS is paying for something that the majority of citizens can already afford. Perhaps the money could be put to better use.

The Welsh Conservatives have echoed Lamont’s words, querying the prioritisation of the prescription policy and calling upon Labour to change its focus to other sectors of the struggling economy. Welsh Conservative leader

Labour try to make up lost ground at their party conference in Manchester

Jack Parker Politics Writer

This week, Labour’s conference in Manchester helped to reassert their position as a party of the centre right – a party that

work as a result of high medical costs is removed. Those who are ill have more disposable income, they return to work quicker and those who are searching for jobs have no health costs to consider.

This should lead to faster eco-

Labour failed to turn words into action on electoral reform; why would they when first-past-thepost would give them a sizeable majority if an election were held tomorrow. It is with projected victory in 2015 that the Labour Party united in Manchester this week for their conference, to reassure its membership and give the country a taste of things to come.

The truth is that austerity, which requires keeping wages low, is not the solution Labour delivered nothing inspirational: regulation of the banks, more affordable housing, more apprenticeships and other opportunities for young people. They were old ideas, recycled from old manifestos and a sad display of the classic Labour mindset. Meanwhile, the party continues to alienate core trade unions and their members, agreeing with the government to uphold a public sector pay freeze.

It’s clear why: fighting for a pay increase for workers when many are unemployed seems illogical at first, and so Labour has taken the easy, safe road rather than fighting for what is right.

The truth is that austerity, which requires keeping wages low, is not the solution. It didn’t work in the past and it isn’t working now, with a double-dip recession and a private sector failing to make up for the harsh public sector cuts. Labour aren’t proposing a proper level of investment in our infrastructure or in our people, which would get our economy moving again. Nor are they

Editor's note

17

proposing radical shifts towards a more equal society funded by a strong crackdown on tax evasion or higher taxation on the super rich. Instead, they’re keeping the public and private sector workers as poor as each other, talking about ‘fairer cuts’; a lighter, slimmer version of the same axe.

What we need is a smaller rich– poor gap, a gap that grew under the last Labour government, with all workers being able to afford a full, decent life, and paying taxes along the way, which will pay off the deficit in the medium term.

The public aren’t falling for it either. Although Labour remains popular as a party, the Labour leader is trusted less than David Cameron to make the right economic decisions, at least according to a ComRes poll published on Tuesday. Similarly, only onein-five of the voting public believe Ed Miliband would make a good Prime Minister, almost half of Mr Cameron’s personal ratings. It’s no surprise, then, that Miliband’s keynote speech felt more like a dramatised autobiography, talking about himself rather than his ideas.

Labour is a centre-right party, supported by left-wing trade unions and grassroots members whose support is maintained only because the political system is too old and rusted to change with the times. Labour is not the party of a balanced, fair economy, of a sustainable future, or of electoral change that promotes real democracy. Labour are hogging the centre-right, keeping to what people know and offering nothing risky that might upset their endgame in 2015. Unfortunately, their plan will probably work, but only if we let it.

As I watched Ed Miliband give his speech to the Labour Party conference in Manchester this week, I was struck by the completely different persona that the man was able to put across. The awkward, bookish figure we have grown accustomed to over the last couple of years seemed to disappear, to be replaced by a confident public performer who made no attempt to hide his differences to other people, at the same time as highlighting his similarities.

The response from his audience was almost uniformly

positive, but it was not just Labour figures that applauded his triumph, even his Conservative critics were impressed. The pressure is now on for David Cameron to make an equally impressive speech at the Conservative conference next week. If he fails to do so, this could be a major turning point in this parliament.

Here we have presented you with two contrasting views of Labour's prospects. Let us know what you think.

Email: politics@gairrhydd.com Twitter: @gairrhyddpol

Andrew RT Davies, responded to Jones' promise: “Can he look them in the eye and explain why school buildings are crumbling… [and] why youth unemployment is rocketing?” The Conservative consensus is that the £594 million

could be – and should be – better spent on reviving the economy and creating jobs for young people searching for work.

18/ Politics

Inquiry into South African mine shooting begins Natalia Spyridaki Politics Writer

Six weeks after the massacre of 44 people during a strike at a South African platinum mine, a judicial commission of inquiry has officially opened.

On August 16, 34 miners died after police opened fire on a gathering of workers striking for higher wages at the Lonmin mine in Marikana, South Africa. The police shootings followed the death of ten people, including two policemen, during weeks of unrest at the mine, making a total of 44 deceased. The judicial commission of inquiry has been set up by South African President Jacob Zuma, and aims to investigate the roles played by the police and the management of the mine, as well as the controversial actions of unions and government.

A three-member panel led by retired Supreme Court of Appeal Judge Ian Farlam will form the commission and work on the investigation over a period of four months. The final report must be submitted within a month of the investigation's completion.

At the opening of the commission, the names of the deceased were read out one by one and a minute of silence was held in their memory. Judge Ian Farlam, outlining what he hopes to achieve through this mission, stated that “getting to the truth of what, how and why it happened will be part of the healing and restoration process”. A senior council representing family members of the deceased proposed to postpone

the proceedings for a period of 14 days in order to ensure more time to consult with his clients.

The commission rejected the request, but promised a speedy process.

During the commission’s inspection at the site where the deadly shootings took place, a large group of protesters were present, carrying printed signs that read, “Don’t let the police get away with murder.” It is well understood that a considerable number of South Africa’s public expresses doubts and concerns over whether the commission will be capable of unearthing the truth and delivering justice.

Later in September, the remaining striking miners agreed to end their strike and return to work upon acceptance of a pay

rise up to 22%. However, the problems do not appear to have been resolved as strikes and unrest have spread to other South African mines.

Among the various disturbing inferences of the massacre is the fact that the killings on August 16th were the most deadly police action since the end of apartheid in 1994. The brutal images of the police opening fire on the striking workers spread across the nation and brought unpleasant memories of South African police behaviour in the dark old days. Almost two decades after Nelson Mandela successfully transformed the ruling ANC (African National Congress) from a movement of racial segregation to a democratic political party, widespread concerns have again

arisen, questioning the future and direction of South Africa as a nation.

But what is really behind the Marikana massacre? The rivalry between the AMCU (Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union) and the NUM (National Union of Mineworkers) has been widely blamed for feeding the violence. According to the miners, the battling unions repeatedly failed to represent their interests.

It seems that the two unions, while trying to outdo each other in negotiating wages, inflamed disagreements and conflicts. For their part, the unions place sole responsibility for the massacre with the police. The police in turn claim that the shooting was an act of self-defence against the heavily armed protesters. It is

fairly obvious that the fatal incident brings to light a serious lack of leadership at almost all levels, including the government, the trade unions and the police.

The inevitable implications of the massacre are also worth noting. The turmoil in Marikana has already negatively impacted South Africa’s platinum industry, which constitutes two-thirds of the proven reserves of the precious metal. More specifically, Lonmin has already lost six days of production as a result of the violence, equivalent to 15,000 platinum ounces. The violence will also hurt the image of South Africa’s unions, which are expected to lose a great deal of their credibility. The profile of President Zuma will also be impaired, considering his distant, impassive attitude in the early stages of the strike.

“Marikana is the latest example that South Africa is still a traumatised nation", commented Father Michael Lapsley, a veteran of the anti-apartheid struggle.

"The past still continues to infect the present. That is why a project of national healing is needed”.

The long-lasting challenge of income distribution between rich and poor in South Africa has to be faced. South Africa is in need of a turn towards meritocracy that rewards hard work and excellence. We can only hope that Marikana shootings will provide the incentive for a political, social and economic reconstruction towards a new, fairer South African republic.

BNP cause offence at Ulster Covenant Event

Politics writer Luke Smith looks at an offensive comment by BNP leader Nick Griffin

O

ver the last decade, Nick Griffin has become one of the most recognisable, reviled and infamous figures in modern British politics. In a week that sees the Labour faithful flock to Manchester for their annual conference, Griffin was in Northern Ireland at the Ulster Covenant event at Stormont.

Last Saturday, Griffin stirred up the already contentious issue of unionism, attacking Catholic republicans via Twitter, referring to them as “Fenian bastards”. As usual, this all too typical comment from the leader of the BNP triggered a commendable response of outrage and contempt from both unionists and republicans alike. Nichola Mallon of the SDLP referred to his words as an “incitement to hatred”. Christopher Stalford of the DWP echoed her comments stating: “the values the BNP represent are the antithesis of unionist values.”

For those among Griffin’s crit-

ics who believe this may mark the beginning of his downfall, a watershed moment where he removed his ambiguous public image and revealed himself in his true colours, are likely to be disappointed. Once again, Griffin has hijacked a public event – in this case the centenary of partition in Ireland – and has used it as a mouthpiece for his party’s agenda. Although he stressed his presence at the event, which many civil leaders felt they could have lived without, was as a member of the public, his comments have undoubtedly brought his party some much needed publicity.

However, much to the delight of his many critics, his PR stunt may yet backfire. The police have now confirmed they will be investigating his comments, which could be interpreted under UK law as inciting racial hatred. Griffin has also been in this position before: the MEP was convicted in 1998 for distributing material likely to incite hatred and received a suspended sentence for his troubles. Later, in 2005, he

was acquitted for racial hatred.

However, an arrest and subsequent trial may only bring further publicity and provide him with a soapbox from which to preach.

Although this latest gaffe may have provided vital publicity and may encourage his supporters, for Griffin personally this was probably a mistake. For years now, he has attempted to make his party look electable, distancing himself from the National Front, the English Defence League and holocaust deniers, portraying his party as one of free speech and as defenders of justice. Words like “Fenian bastards” are not exactly those of a statesman and will not endear him to the broader public.

Griffin has refused to withdraw his comments, stating: “It wasn’t about Catholics; it was about the operatives of the Republican grievance exploitation machine.” However this incident is resolved, the controversy is likely to continue. There will no doubt be a debate on the role of free speech and social networking in society, as Griffin's com-

ments were made via Twitter to a global audience.

It is vital that people do not make the mistake of regarding Griffin as a mostly harmless

pantomime villain; his position on immigration, human rights and the holocaust are more than questionable and do not make for a good MP.

Politics 16 - 19

Monday October 8th 2012 | @gairrhyddpol

19

Punk band Pussy Riot’s appeal suspended Politics writer Louice Tapper Jansson looks into the controversy in Russia

I

n early March this year, three members of Russian performance group Pussy Riot were arrested on charges of hooliganism, and were later sentenced to two years in prison.

Their crime was a protest song performance held in Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, aimed at Russia’s then-Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin.

The events have caused reactions all over the world. There are two sides to this story: one side claims that the conviction is politically motivated and a violation of human rights; the Russian authorities and the church instead argue that the performance violated the law.

Leading up to this year’s presidential elections in Russia, there had been hopes of Vladimir Putin stepping aside, allowing for reforms of the corrupt and stagnant Russian political system. However, in March, Putin was elected president for the third time.

Since then, a number of protests have taken place in the country.

The protesters argue that the elections were not fair and that a re-election should be held. As a consequence of Putin coming to power yet again, several journalists and other activists have been arrested. The Russian authorities deny that the recent crackdowns are politically motivated.

The group performed a ‘punk prayer’ with the chorus "Virgin Mary, Become Feminist / Virgin Mary, Hash Putin Away" About a month before the election, Pussy Riot performed in a cathedral in Moscow. According to the website ‘Free Pussy Riot!’, the group performed a ‘punk prayer’ with the chorus "Virgin Mary, Become Feminist / Virgin Mary, Hash Putin Away". Guards removed the activists from the church less than a minute into their show.

Following the incident, three members of the group – Maria Alyokhina, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Yekaterina Samutsevich – were put in detention and in July sentenced to prison. Pussy Riot are not alone in expressing their dissatisfaction at having Putin in power. The Russian MP Gennady Gudkov was recently excluded from the Duma (the Russian parliament) due to his unlawful involvement in business deals.

However, it would appear that the real reason for the exclusion was his criticism towards Putin.

Gudkov used to be a follower of Putin, until the government de-

“

As of today, anyone who says something that Putin does not approve of might face criminal charges

cided to make it harder for the opposition to organise protests.

Gudkov also began to react to the unfair societal conditions and the overall direction the country was headed.

The recent development in Russia, with arrests of demonstrators, journalists and music artists, has caused reactions in the press. Some are asking themselves whether Russia is turning into a dictatorship; as of today, anyone who says something that Putin does not approve of might face criminal charges.

Pussy Riot describe themselves primarily as a feminist performance art group fighting for human rights. However, a great part of the case against them has been built around their alleged disrespect towards the church.

The court in Moscow defined the act as "hooliganism motivated by religious hatred".

There appears to be disagreement on what the group actually is guilty of. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch are some of the organisations that support the punk band. In their view, the arrested members should be regarded as prisoners of conscience. Their show should not be seen as an act of hooliganism, but rather as a protest in

which they used the human right to free speech.

Considering the close relationship between the Russian state and the church, it is perhaps not that surprising the authorities have taken the case so seriously. According to the Russian journalist Anna Arutunyan, the church and Vladimir Putin are heavily dependent on each other; the church can help Putin gain legitimacy, while Putin can help the church regain its popularity.

Therefore, it would seem that they have a common interest in the arrest and conviction of the band.

Many, such as Yekaterina’s father Stanislav Samutsevich, argue that the sentence is fixed in advance What makes the story even more complicated is that there seems to be disagreement regarding the matter within Putin’s own political party. According to BBC, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has suggested that the time the band spent in detention was in fact enough punishment and that they should be released.

Although he is said to be disgusted by their actions, he argues that they have had enough time to think about their "foolishness" while in detention. Meanwhile, the church, which was enraged by the performance, has urged the band to repent. Repentance would apparently benefit the band’s case, as well as their souls.

This will most likely not happen as it might also imply a confession to the hooliganism charges.

The hearing is set to continue on October 10th due, to a disagreement between the lawyers Pussy Riot were supposed to have their appeal heard on October 1st. However, the hearing is set to continue on October 10th, due to a disagreement between the defense lawyers. It appears that one of the defendants, Yekaterina Samutsevich, has demanded another lawyer. The reactions to and hopes for the hearing are not optimistic. Many, such as Yekaterina’s father Stanislav Samutsevich, argue that the sentence is fixed in advance.

22 / Science

Homeopathy: a quack science?

Nilou Campbell Science Writer

Since Jeremy Hunt was appointed Health Secretary, it has been widely reported that he has, in the past, expressed his support for homeopathy being provided on the NHS. It is somewhat unclear whether Mr Hunt's support means that he believes homeopathy works or whether he simply believes that patients should have the option. Whichever it is, he has certainly put the issue back up for discussion.

The problems begin when you start to examine whether or not homeopathy actually works.

The science behind it is, at best, flimsy. It is based on the principle that, if you take a substance that creates certain symptoms in a healthy person, it will be able to cure those symptoms in a diseased person. The relevant substance is diluted by the measure of 1 part of the substance to 99 parts of water, and then 1 part of the resulting solution is taken and diluted with another 99 parts of water, and then that's repeated again and again and again, sometimes to the point where a negligible amount of the original substance remains in the solution.

It doesn't take more than a working knowledge of Ribena to know the more you dilute something, the weaker it becomes Homeopaths call this process 'potentisation', and believe that the more diluted the substance is, the more powerful it becomes.

However, it doesn't take more than a working knowledge of Ribena to be familiar with the

concept that the more you dilute something, the weaker it becomes.

A theory called water memory is used to explain the concept that dilution can strengthen a substance. The theory holds that the diluted solution will still act as if it contains the original substance.

It is unproven and basically implausible.

It is an essential component of evidence-based medicine that treatments undergo a systematic review. This is a review where all research on a certain treatment is gathered and analysed to try and reach a solid conclusion on the treatment's effectiveness.

While there are some clinical trials that support homeopathy as a clinically effective treatment, several systematic reviews have concluded that there is not enough proof that homeopathy has a significant positive effect when compared to a sham treatment (a treatment with no medi-

cal effect, such as a sugar pill) to warrant its use in clinical practice.

One such review is ‘A systematic review of systematic reviews of homeopathy’, which was led by E. Ernst and reported in the British Journal of Clinical Pharma-

cology Review in 2002. This concluded there was no homeopathic remedy that was demonstrated to yield clinical effects that are convincingly different from placebo.

This finding was supported by a recent review into the effects of homeopathy in the British Journal of Dermatology, ‘Homeopathy for eczema: a systematic review of controlled clinical trials’, also led by E. Ernst, into the effect of homeopathic treaments on eczema, which failed to show that homeopathy is an effective treatment for the disease.

It is true that some patients find that homeopathy helps them, but this can be attributed

to the placebo effect, the effect seen when a patient taking an ineffectual treatment believing that it will work begins to see an improvement in their symptoms.

The placebo effect is a very powerful phenomenon and it can be seen with all types of drugs. It is

the reason why clinical trials usually put one group of subjects on a placebo drug in order to gauge accurately whether the new drug is actually effective or not.

In 2010, a Select Committee on Science and Technology also concluded that homeopathic remedies had no effect beyond the placebo, and though the Government agreed with this conclusion, it nevertheless decided to continue providing these ‘remedies’ in the interests of patient choice, despite the Committee's conclusion that to do so ran the risk of the Government being seen to endorse it as an effective treatment. It is considered

unethical for doctors to prescribe placebos for their patients; it therefore smacks of double standards that the Government effectively funds just that when it funds homeopathy.

At a time where cancer treatments are not funded because they cost too much, we divert money to treatments that don't work any better than a sugar pill Besides, just because the remedies aren't toxic, doesn't mean the practice can't be. In 2006, the BBC filmed homeopaths telling patients that homeopathic remedies could be taken as an effective protection against malaria (they really can't), which could have led to deaths if the 'remedies' had been taken in lieu of conventional preventative measures. This illustrates the fact that patients who swap conventional treatment for homeopathic remedies could end up leaving themselves open to serious disease.

Maybe in an ideal world, where the NHS has a bottomless pit of money, spending £4 million on homeopathy wouldn't be a problem. But at a time when the NHS faces extreme budget cuts, when cancer treatments that do work are not funded because they cost too much money, and when nurses (clinically proven to make patients better) are losing their jobs, it seems wasteful to divert money to treatments that, at best, don't work any better than a sugar pill and, at worst, may end up causing the NHS more money when its called upon to fix the problems that homeopathy left untreated.

Possible clue to life on Mars discovered Sarah Phillips Science Writer

Evidence of water has been found

by NASA’s Mars rover, Curiosity.

Scientists are describing this as a watershed event, one that suggests that a stream once flowed on the surface of the Red Planet.

Curiosity is a roving chemistry laboratory the size of a small car.

It landed on the planet on August 6th for a two-year mission, which will primarily target a threemile-high mound of layered rock within the Gale Crater. Analysis of a slab of rock from within the crater has indicated the existence of an ancient fast-flowing stream on Mars’ surface.

Images of rounded stones cemented into the slab of rock were recently released, and are believed to be from the floor of a stream between ankle- and kneedeep. The images are similar to those of terrestrial riverbeds. Curiosity scientist Rebecca Williams of the Planetary Science Institute in Tucson, Arizona, explained that the embedded stones were too large to have been moved by the wind.

It is yet to be decided by scientists whether this discovery warrants chemical analysis, or whether Curiosity should search elsewhere for minerals that could have supported and preserved life.

"The question about habitability goes beyond the simple observation of water on Mars," said lead scientist John Grotzinger of the California Institute of Technology. "Certainly flowing water is a place where microorganisms could have lived. This particular kind of rock may or may not be a good place to preserve those components that we associate with a habitable environment."

The discovery of this ancient river bed is significant in the search for life outside planet Earth. While there has been strong indirect evidence that Mars was once a watery planet, this is the first observation to confirm that streams once flowed

on Mars.

“Plenty of [scientific] papers have been written about channels on Mars with many different hypotheses about the flows in them. This is the first time we're actually seeing water-transported gravel on Mars,” said William Dietrich of the University of California, Berkeley, the science coinvestigator on the project.

Based on examinations of the sizes and shapes of the stones in the river bed, scientists have predicted that the river may have flowed between 3.5 and 4 billion years ago.

“A long-flowing stream can be a habitable environment. It's not our top choice as an environment

for preservation of organics, though.” Dr Grotzinger said.

We're still going to Mount Sharp, but this is insurance that we have already found our first potentially habitable environment.”

Mount Sharp is a mountain within the Gale Crater whose rocks have been formed by sedimentary processes. It is likely that these rocks have preserved some geological indications of life. NASA hopes that Curiosity’s mission will provide some scientific clues that could ultimately lead to the discovery of fossilised life forms on Mars.

Science 22-23

Monday October 8th 2012 | @gairrhyddsci

23

Mice provide clues to scar-free healing David Mason Science Writer

Science fiction has collided with reality, as recently published research suggests that mammals may be better at tissue regeneration than previously thought.

While this phenomenon has long been an interest of research in other animal classes, a recent publication has found that this sort of regrowth is possible in some mammals.

Some varieties of African spiny mice have particularly brittle and weak skin, useful as an escape mechanism from predators.

When necessary, the mouse can quite literally tear out of its skin – leaving, in some cases, up to 60 per cent of skin behind in order to escape. Truly amazing, though, is their ability to completely regenerate this skin and regrow hairs without any scarring.

The research, published in the journal Nature, suggests this is

the first tissue regeneration of its kind observed in mammals.

Other animals have previously demonstrated such regenerative qualities – for example, starfish and salamanders, famously able to regrow entire limbs after removal.

The discovery has prompted a push by scientists to further understand the mechanisms behind scar-free healing. Lab testing has revealed that the mice were also able to heal large, circular holes punched through their ears, along with all necessary hair follicles and sweat glands. The study also showed that the mice were able to produce blastemas, effectively bundles of stem cells much like those used by salamanders, in order to reconstruct missing or damaged tissues. It has previously been assumed that a key factor in mammals’ lack of regenerative ability was their inability to produce blastemas. The discovery that mammals can, in fact,

produce and use blastemas has naturally prompted the question: can this eventually be utilised by humans?

Though the growth of stem cells is possible, the other key difference between the tested mice and other mammals is their extracellular matrix, a microscopic proteinaceous mesh considered essential for successful tissue healing. The mice appeared to deposit extracellular matrix into their wounds at a slower rate than other mammals, causing the University of Florida’s Dr Ashley Seifert, one of the researchers behind the study, to suggest that “slowing things down is the path towards regeneration”.

Though we are still a long way off being able to even begin to transfer these findings to research on humans, the discovery that the capability to regenerate tissue exists in mammals is one of great importance. There are

hopes that this sort of regeneration could one day be harnessed for natural and scar-free healing, yet considerable further research into the area is necessary.

Testosterone linked to reduced lifespan Alexey Underwood Science Editor

Castration may have a lengthening effect on the lifespan of human males, a recent study has suggested.

The Korea University researchers involved in the project have since postulated that testos-

terone, found in reduced quantities in castrated men, could have a detrimental long-term effect on the male body – possibly by impairing the immune system or damaging the heart.

The study, published in Current Biology, involved analysing the birth and death records of men of various ancient Korean

noble families – crucially, 81 eunuchs who served the powerful Chosun Dynasty.

It was found that the eunuchs lived up to 19 years longer than their non-castrated counterparts, reaching an average age of 70. The non-castrated men only lived, on average, to their early 50s.

The analysis builds on earlier

suggestions that sex hormones affect aging, inferred in part from the tendency of women to live longer than men. However, in the past, these aging disparities could have been put down to lifestyle differences between the genders. By limiting all subjects of the study to the same social circle and sex – male members of

Korea’s noble classes – the possibility of lifestyle being an impacting factor on aging was reduced.

Of course, no concrete scientific conclusions can be drawn from a study of a sample of ancient paperwork. However, the findings are tantalisingly controversial and provide a possible direction for further research.

In the light of these findings, Science writer Konstantina Tzelepi reflects on some simple methods of prolonging human longevity – some widely accepted and some more unconventional.

The great outdoors

Konstantina Tzelepi Science Writer

Longevity arguably depends on two major factors – genetic material and lifestyle. Recent research has revealed that only 20–30 per cent of the average human lifespan depends on DNA, with the rest determined by diet, exercise and daily habits. As such, by leading an active and healthy lifestyle, we have a fairly large degree of control over how long we live.

Dark chocolate

Being outside in clean air allows for a better flow of oxygen to our internal organs, and our bodies work better as a result of it.

Red wine Red wine contains resveratrol, an antioxidant that has been shown to slow the signs of aging in various studies.

Although fattening, dark chocolate is rich in antioxidants, which regulate blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Dark chocolate is also a great energy source.

Relax

Be with your loved ones

Think positive!

A positive mindset will enable you to have a better mood and improved general mental health.

It has been repeatedly shown that stress is linked to various undesirable health consequences. Therefore, relaxation can contribute to the normalisation of heart function and blood pressure.

Play chess

Mental activities can promote longevity by increasing neuronal signalling within the brain. This is linked to a reduction in the risk of suffering from neurodegenerative diseases later in life.

Sleep well

The health benefits of a good night’s sleep are plentiful; for example, the immune system is thought to be strengthened by it, along with the obvious advantage of increased energy in the morning.

This not only strengthens friendships and family bonds, but helps avoid feelings of loneliness and depression.

Exercise Research published recently in the Journal of the American Geriatric Society has shown that women who engage in 20 minutes of daily aerobic exercise enjoy a lower risk of suffering from a lethal disease.

24 / Societies

The view from the top

gair rhydd catches up with Societies Officer Adam Curtis for news, views and a peek at Go Global 2013…

Vanessa Platt Societies Editor

VP: "gair rhydd recently heard the views of certain societies on their recent fall into the ‘probation’ list (designed for societies whose committees do not perform specified Societies Guild requirements adequately enough to maintain their affiliation). The process was criticised by the English Literature Society, for one, as ‘unfair’, primarily because the new year’s committee is left with the repercussions of the last committee’s failings. What response would you give to this view?"

AC: "I would, first of all, agree – it’s unfair on current committees that they are essentially punished for something they had no part of. It is important to remember, however, that, if we are to maintain the high standard of societies that we are currently so proud of and for which we are admired as a university, we can’t be light-handed with committees who don’t put the hours in – we need to be heavy-handed to keep the quality high. Being put on probation is intended to offer a society the potential to improve, and if they don’t, it’s an effective way of telling us that they don’t have the motivation, members, or impetus to carry on. It’s a warning system to a society, basically."

VP: "One committee complained that being on probation currently means they are given no funds by the Guild, making them essentially moribund and forcing the current committee to work on a completely different set of ropes to usual. Is this a fair estimation,

in your view, of what probation intends to achieve?’

AC: ‘Not at all – it is much more positive than that. Societies on probation don’t have their resources limited in any way: they can still apply for Guild funding in the normal way, and will get it if, like every other society, they can qualify what they want the money for. They can still use If we are to maintain the high standard of societies, we can’t be light-handed with committees who don’t put the hours in.'

Union transport and storage too.

It is a much more positive thing in reality, and these societies are working, I would say, on the same ropes as everyone else – they simply have more to prove."

VP: "So probation, then, is a kind of motivational tool?"

AC: "Exactly" VP: "You’ve alluded to your dissatisfaction with the current system by which societies are managed, which includes such things as the probation system.

How do you want to see the system change?"

AC: "I would like to introduce an alternative to the year-long probation period we currently have, that is impacting the society’s next committee, and somehow replace that with probation which comes into effect during the term of the problem committee, so they experience at least some repercussions of their own bad management. There is, of course, a fair chance that such a committee simply wouldn’t care, but it would perhaps spur a few into action by highlighting

Monday October Tuesday, 8th - Sci-Fi & Fantasy October 9th -

the problem before it goes out of their hands."

VP: "A rigorous system of probation would definitely separate the mediocre societies from the worst, but would you be content with fewer societies if they were of a higher quality?"

AC: "No! I am working to see a high number of high standard societies, and definitely want the tally of societies to increase over the year, as it has been already, as we reach out to more students and encourage them to give their time to a society and to establish new ones with the support and guidance of myself and the Guild. Right now, I am aiming to maintain a low rate of growth."

VP: "You recently mentioned to gair rhydd that you would like to see course-based societies flourishing, but this year alone there seems to be a trend of course-based societies failing – the Economics Society having been disaffiliated and English Literature and Maths being placed on probation. Could you offer any explanation for this?’

AC: ‘That is a good point, and it is hard to say with any certainty. I think there has been an expectation among members of course-based societies that everyone will get along because they share a course – obviously untrue – and the society ends up having nothing much holding it together. A committee that doesn’t communicate, a bad President – anything can make a society struggle. A lack of peer support and academic focus can mean, in some cases, that members don’t feel it holds enough value for them in return for their time and money."

VP: "If you work in a hospital all day, you are unlikely to want to go home and watch a hospital drama, I suppose! Now… can our readers have a sneaky peek at your plans for Go Global this year?"

AC: "Yes! We have stats that say that last year, the week saw over 5,000 students attending events. So this year I want to build on that success, bringing in more international societies and keep the high quality of last year. We’ll have a new venue for Global Village, for a start: having approached St David’s Hall and the New Theatre, we have reserved the New Theatre

for the date we wanted, Sunday February 24th 2013. St David’s was a little too big (2,000 seats) and expensive (around £1,600) for the capacity we’re aiming to fill – up to 1,000 seats, which the New Theatre offers. For the week, I’m hoping to double the amount of publicity and marketing this year, broadening out the appeal of an event that sells itself effectively, but that I want to give that extra boost with more events in the week and more groups and societies involved. Global Village is also getting a new name, but I’m not saying anything else…"

Wednesday, October 10th -

Thursday, October 11th -

Friday, October 12th - Vegetarian &

Liberal Youth Society

Music Society's weekly

Vegan Society Welcome

Society Monday Meeting

Duke of Edinburgh

Cinema trip to see The

lunchtime Concert, 1:10

Social, Vulcan Lounge, 2

at Milgi's Cafe, City Road.

Society's 2nd social!

Campaign. We'll meet

– 2:30pm, Music Concert

Wyeverne Road, 7 - 9pm.

For cakes, drinks and

7.30 in Room 1.40, Main

outside the front steps of

Hall, Corbett Road.

Come to get to know like-

chats with other sci-fi and

Building. We'll be happy

the Students' Union from

Come to hear the great

minded people and have

fantasy fans.

to answer any queries you

7pm. Don't forget your

musicianship of Cardiff's

some food, drinks and fun!

have and hopefully get to

Orange Wednesday codes!

Music students playing a

know you over a pint after!

Please RSVP so we can

wide variety of genres.

See you there!

gauge numbers!

25

Societies 24-25

Monday October 8th 2012 | @gairrhyddsoc

Express Yourself!

Vanessa Platt Societies Editor

Passionate about dance?

Interested in taking up a new hobby? Or simply looking for a chance to let go and escape from the burden of your degree? Then Expression may be the society for you!

Expression is a unique dance society that caters to all abilities: it does not matter if you're professionally trained or completely new to dance; everyone is welcome! Entering our third year, we are fairly new to the guild of societies Fairly new to the Guild of Societies.

At last years Global Village performance, the society wowed the crowd with a dance showcase ranging from classical contemporary to edgy and modern, to a much more commercial style. That's what is so great about Expression.

We take inspiration from styles across the spectrum to create exciting new pieces of dance.

Since then, we've been getting our name known, and are looking forward to recruiting more members and delivering more fantastic performances.

I joined Expression in January this year, and was immediately welcomed into the society as if I'd been there since the very first class. The friendly vibe and complete absense of any form of judgement made it so easy to find my place amongst the members.

Being a smaller society, there is a real closeness between the members, which helps to get rid of any nerves anyone might feel.

No one is there to judge your dancing; we're all just there to take part in something we love

and have a great time doing it!

There's a lot of oppurtunity for performance with Expression too. Throughout the year we have recurring performances (such as Circus of Horrors and Global Village) but we also do one off performances in clubs

and events. This year we are looking to increase the number of performances we do, and also to collaborate with other societies aswell. We hope to not only join up with other dance societies for events and hopefully put together a big dance showcase, but also team up with some of the charity societies to help them out with some fundraising through performances. With so many talented and inspirational societies in the Guild, it seems a wasted oppurtunity not to work alongside them at some point!

ComScI is an award winning society dedicated to the students of the School of Computer Science and Informatics, but also designed to allow students of all degree disciplines to interact freely with each other outside of the academic environment.

Saying this, there is no pressure what so ever to take part in the performances. Members can be as involved as they want. If you don't feel confident enough to perform, it does not matter, and it certainly will not affect your class experience! We run three classes a week; a dance class, a technique and strength class and a flexibility one. All classes are non-compulsory, so you don't have to worry about missing a class if you can't make it. It's such a relaxed environment, members can feel free to attend as many or as little classes as they want. The three classes are a great way to keep fit and improve your stamina, ultimately improving your dance ability.

We also run workshops every so often, particularly around exam time, where we bring in teachers of various dance experience to choreograph and teach new routines to us. As well as this, there will be frequent socials and trips throughout the year; a great chance to mingle with the rest of the society and gain some great experiences in the meantime.

As Social Secretary, I hope to arrange a trip to London around Christmas time to see a West End show, and a trip abroad next year. Any ideas are more than welcome!

That's another thing about Expression: every voice will always be heard.

We pride ourselves on taking into account every single members thoughts and opinions. If you have any ideas on what we could do to improve the society, or thoughts on new performances or socials, we want you to speak up! If you have any pieces of choreography you want to put to the class, or

want to get involved with warmups or cool downs, we welcome you with open arms. We want everyone in the society to feel valued and to realise how much of an integral part they are of Expression.

So if you want to get involved with our vibrant society, or just see what we're about, come

The Microsoft event is open to students on all degree schemes and is invaluable for the support it could provide.

along to our first taster class on Tuesday October 9th at 8pm in the Aneurin Bevan room (top floor of the Union). All dance classes will be held on a Tuesday in the same place at the same time. If you're still not sure if you're ready to commit, we will also be holding another taster session the Tuesday after. Until then there's no need to sign up on Campus Groups. When you are ready to sign up, the price for the year is ÂŁ25, which covers all classes throughout the year.

Following this, there will be a welcome social on October 17th, an excellent chance to get to know new and old members.

All details can be found on our facebook page: www.facebook. com/groups/expressionsoc. We hope to see you soon!

26 / Taf-Od

Miliband yn canmol llywodraeth Cymru Cerith Rhys Jones Taf-od

Mae arweinydd y Blaid Lafur, Ed Miliband, wedi canmol yr hyn y mae Prif Weinidog Cymru Carwyn Jones a’i lywodraeth ym Mae Caerdydd yn ei wneud er mwyn mynd i’r afael â diweithdra yng Nghymru.

Ar ddechrau Cynhadledd y Blaid Lafur ym Manceinion yr wythnos ddiwethaf, roedd Mr Miliband yn siarad gyda Gohebydd Seneddol BBC Wales David Cornock. Yn ei gyfweliad a oedd yn canolbwyntio ar Gymru – unig ran y Deyrnas Gyfunol ble mae’r Blaid Lafur mewn llywodraeth – dywedodd Mr Miliband bod llywodraeth Carwyn Jones yn brwydro ac yn pwyso yn erbyn yr hyn sy’n digwydd yn San Steffan.

Bron 25% o bobl rhwng 16 a 24 mlwydd oed yng Nghymru yn ddi-waith

O taf D

Fis diwethaf, cyhoeddwyd papur academaidd gan Brifysgol Sheffield Hallam yn honni yr oedd 195,000 o bobl oed gweithiol yng Nghymru yn ddi-waith, serch y ffaith bod y Swyddfa Ystadegau Gwladol yn dweud mai 132,000 o bobl sy’n ddi-waith. Mae’n debyg bod y duedd yng Nghymru yn wahanol i’r duedd ehangach yn y Deyrnas Gyfunol.

Dywedodd Mr Miliband mai pwrpas y Gynhadledd oedd i ofyn ‘sut allwn ni ail-adeiladu Prydain a sut allwn i ail-adeiladu ein heconomi fel bod swyddi gyda’n pobl ifainc, fel bod modd taclo’r argyfwng mewn safonau byw, a fel bod modd helpu busnesau bychain. Rwyf o’r farn bod llawer allwn ni ddysgu o’r hyn y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn ei wneud.’

Un o brif bolisïau Llywodraeth Cymru yw cynllun Twf Swyddi Cymru, fydd yn creu 12,000 o swyddi i bobl ifainc tros gyfnod o dair mlynedd, mewn tair cyfran o 4,000 o swyddi. Amcangyfrifir

gan y Swyddfa Ystadegau Gwladol bod bron iawn 50,000, sef bron 25%, o bobl rhwng 16 a 24 mlwydd oedd yng Nghymru yn ddi-waith; nid yw hynny’n cyfri pobol yr ystyrir yn ‘ariannol anweithredol’, fel myfyrwyr.

Pan gyhoeddwyd y ffigurau swyddogol ddechrau mis Medi, fe alwodd Ysgrifennydd yr Wrthblaid dros Gymru ar David Jones, yr Ysgrifennydd Gwladol newydd, i ddelifro ar ei addewid mai’r economi fyddai ei flaenoriaeth.

Ar yr un pryd, fe alwodd Llefarydd y Ceidwadwyr Cymreig ar Fusnes am fwy o gyd-weithio rhwng Llywodraeth Cymru a Llywodraeth y Deyrnas Gyfunol er mwyn creu swyddi.

Ond, yn ystod y Gynhadledd ym Manceinion, fe ddywedodd Carwyn Jones wrth gynrychiol-

wyr o hyd a lled y Deyrnas Gyfunol bod bwlch amlwg rhwng y ddwy lywodraeth. Dywedodd bod Llafur mewn llywodraeth yng Nghymru yn ‘amddiffyn pobl Cymru rhag distryw’r Toriaid a’r Democratiaid Rhyddfrydol.’

Mae Carwyn Jones yn ystyried cadw at ei ymrwymiad at bresgripsiynau am ddim fel ran o hynny. Mewn cyfweliad cyn ei araith i’r Gynhadledd, dywedodd y Prif Weinidog y byddai presgripsiynau am ddim a thocynnau bws am ddim i bobl tros 60 mlwydd oedd yn parhau i fod yn ymrwymiad ym maniffesto’r Blaid Lafur yng Nghymru ar gyfer etholiadau’r Cynulliad yn 2016.

Roedd Ysgrifennydd yr Wrthblaid dros Gymru Owen Smith yn cytuno â’r Prif Weinidog, gan ddweud bod budd-daliadau a lles

cyffredinol yn rhan o’r ‘glud’ sy’n cadw’r gymdeithas at ei gilydd.

Serch hynny, dywedodd bod dadl ddilys i’w cael ar y mater.

Mae’n debyg taw dyna yw barn arweinydd y Blaid Lafur yn yr Alban, Johann Lamont. Mewn araith i aelodau ei phlaid hi ddiwedd mis Medi, dywedodd ei fod yn hen bryd i’r Alban droi ei chefn ar y ‘diwylliant something-for-nothing.’ Gan gyfeirio at bolisi presgripsiynau am ddim llywodraeth yr SNP, fel y Llywodraeth Lafur ym Mae Caerdydd, gofynnod Ms Lamont ‘beth sy’n flaengar am Brif Weithredwr sy’n ennill mwy na £100,000 y flwyddyn yn cael ei bresgripsiynau am ddim, tra bod pensiynwr sydd arno angen help yn cael ei ofal wedi torri?’

Roedd Ed Miliband rywfaint yn gymysglyd ar ei farn am bres-

gripsiynau am ddim wrth siarad gyda David Cornock; yn wir, nid oedd yn glir a oedd yn cefnogi Ms Lamont ai peidio. Dywedodd yn unig nid oedd o’r farn y byddai Lloegr yn gallu fforddio cyflwyno presgripsiynau am ddim, ond ei fod yn gyfforddus gyda datganoli fel trefn lywodraethol sy’n galluogi pobl leol i wneud eu penderfyniadau eu hunain.

Am nawr felly, mae’n glir mai’r economi, a chreu swyddi, yw ffocws y Blaid Lafur yng Nghymru ond eto, nid yw’n amlwg pryd yn union fyddan nhw’n sylweddoli mai efallai mai dim mwy na phlastr ar fraich wedi ei thorri yw eu ‘hymdrechion.’

Straeon OD o bob rhan o'r byd... Wythnos yma, pelen wallt anferth a mêl amryliw...

M

ae doctoriaid yn India wedi bod yn brysur yn tynnu pelen o wallt allan o stumog merch 19 oed, wedi iddi fod yn cnoi ar ei gwallt ag yn bwyta sialc am wythnosau. Pan lwydodd y doctoriaid i echdynnu’r belen, roedd yn pwyso dros 1.8kg!

I roi hynny mewn persbectif i chi, mae’n gyfwerth â thua dwy fag o siwgr arferol. Er, dwi’n amau’n gryf os oes blas tebyg...

Sôn am bethau melys, mae gwenynwyr yn Ffrainc wedi darganfod bod eu gwenyn yn cynhyrchu mêl lliw glas a gwyrdd ac maent y credu mai ffatri M&Ms tua chan cilomedr i ffwrdd sydd ar fai. Mae’n debyg bod y gwenyn wedi bod yn bwyta gweddillion lliwgar o’r ffatri, oedd mewn tro yn cael effaith ar liw'r mêl yr oeddent yn cynhyrchu. Mae’r gwenynwyr yn dadlau eu bod methu gwerthu’r mêl lliwgar, ac mae’n bosib y byddent yn chwilio am riw fath o iawndal am y colle-

dion. Er nad ydynt wedi rhyddhau datganiad eto, mae’n debyg y bydd ymateb Mars, perchnogion M&Ms, rhywbeth yn debyg i “buzz off”...

Mewn newyddion rhyfedd arall, wythnos diwethaf cafodd dau ffrind eu gwahardd o fwyty “allyou-can-eat” yn Brighton am fwyta gormod. Fe’u gwaharddwyd gan berchennog y bwyty a gwynodd eu bod yn bwyta mewn i’w elw - yn llythrennol. Yn honedig, roedd y pâr yn stwffio eu ffordd trwy dros 5 bowlen o ‘stir-fry’

bob amser oeddent yn ymweld â’r bwyty.

Taf-Od 26-27

Dydd Llun Hydref yr 8fed 2012 | @taf_od

27

Chwaraeon a'r anthem genedlaethol Cerith Morgan sy'n trafod pwysigrwydd canu'r anthem cyn gemau pêl-droed a rygbi, a dewisiad rai o aelodau Team GB i beidio canu Ar ôl haf llawn o chwaraeon, un pwnc sydd wedi dod i’r amlwg yn ddiweddar yw’r Anthem Genedlaethol. Wrth wylio gemau pêldroed a rygbi rhyngwladol Cymru a’r Gemau Olympaidd, mae’r cwestiwn a ddylai’r chwaraewyr ganu’r anthem wrth gynrychioli eu gwlad neu beidio yn cael ei ddadlau’n ffyrnig.

Ers i mi ddechrau gwylio gemau pêl-droed Cymru, ni allaf gofio gweld mwy na llond llaw yn canu’r anthem genedlaethol, ac yn aml iawn, nid yw gwefusau'r un chwaraewr yn symud wrth i gerddoriaeth 'Hen Wlad fy Nhadau' lenwi Stadiwm y Mileniwm.

Yn ystod ei gyfnod fel rheolwr tîm pêl-droed Cymru, fe wnaeth Gary Speed annog y chwaraewyr i ddysgu geiriau’r anthem cyn iddynt wynebu Lloegr yng ngemau rhagbrofol i’r twrnament Ewropeaidd. Er iddynt golli’r gêm, gwelwyd gwelliant ym mherfformiadau’r tîm rhyngwladol, wrth iddynt ennill pump allan o’r wyth gêm nesaf. Fe gollwyd yn erbyn Lloegr ag Awstralia, dau dîm oedd ymhell uwchben Cymru yn ôl tabl safleoedd FIFA, ond roedd perfformiadau'r crysau cochion ar y cae yn ddigon parchus, ac yn cynnig digon o obaith i'r dyfodol.

Yn ei ddyddiau fel chwaraewr, Speed oedd un o’r ychydig rai a oedd yn canu’r anthem cyn pob gêm ac roedd llawer o’r farn bod cyfleu ei wladgarwch wrth ganu’r anthem genedlaethol yn chwarae rhan mawr yn ei berfformiadau ar y cae. Wrth gofio perfformiadau diweddar Cymru, mae’n rhaid dweud fod nifer o’r chwaraewyr yn edrych fel nad oeddent eisiau bod ar y cae yn cynrychioli eu gwlad. Efallai y dylai Chris Coleman mabwysiadu agwedd tebyg i un Gary Speed tuag at canu'r anthem er mwyn adfer y balchder o gynrychioli Cymru.

Fe fyddai rhai o’r chwaraewyr pêl-droed yn elwa wrth wylio un o gemau rhyngwladol y tîm rygbi a dilyn eu he-

siampl nhw. Wrth edrych ar Alun Wyn Jones yn bloeddio’r anthem, mae’n amlwg ei fod yn barod i roi popeth dros ei wlad am yr 80 munud dilynol, ac mae’r angerdd yma’n cael ei drosglwyddo i’w gyd-chwaraewyr, ac hefyd i’r cefnogwyr. Mae cefnogwyr sydd yn cefnogi’n angerddol gystal i’r tîm a dyn ychwanegol ar y cae, a buasai pob un ohonynt yn ymateb yn well pe bai chwaraewyr yn dangos gwladgarwch brwdfrydig cyn y gêm.

Wrth drafod y ddadl am yr anthem genedlaethol, m a e ’ n r h a i d sôn am

chwaraewyr Cymru yn gwrthod canu anthem genedlaethol Prydain Fawr – God Save The Queen.

Er fy mod i'n teimlo’n gryf y dylai pob Cymro ganu 'Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau', rwyf yn deall pam iddynt wrthod canu anthem sy'n cael ei ddefnyddio gan Loegr yn ogystal â Phrydain Fawr. Yn y byd chwaraeon, Lloegr yw gwrthwynebydd mwyaf Cymru, - does dim angen edrych ymhellach na chan enwog Stereophonics – 'As long as we beat the English' i gadarnhau hyn. Mae’n hawdd gweld felly pam na fyddai’r Cymry yn y tîm yn hapus i ganu anthem sydd yn cael ei chysylltu gyda’r gelyn.

Roedd y dicter a ddangostwyd tuag at y chwaraewyr am wrthod canu’r anthem yn amlwg yn y wasg. Roeddent yn feirniadol iawn o Ryan Giggs – capten tîm Prydain Fawr. Ond wrth gofio nad oedd Giggs yn un am ganu anthem genedlaethol Cymru yn ystod ei

yrfa rhyngwladol, gellir dadlau nad oedd disgwl iddo ganu anthem Prydain Fawr yn ystod y Gemau Olympaidd. Roedd Craig Bellamy o’r farn fod y ffaith bod Lloegr a Prydain yn rhannu’r un anthem yn symbol o ddominyddiaeth Lloegr, ac fe wrthododd am y rheswm hyn. Roedd eraill o’r farn fod God Save The Queen yn golygu dim i’r Cymru, ac rydw i'n siwr y byddai chwaraewyr Saesneg tîm Prydain yn teimlo’r un fath, os mai Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau, neu Flower Of Scotland oedd yr anthem.

Gwelwyd yr un dicter tuag at chwaraewyr tîm pêl-droed benywaidd Prydain wrth iddynt wrthod canu’r anthem yn y Gemau Olympaidd, ond wrth gofio geiriau chweched pennill anthem Prydain Fawr a Lloegr, “Rebellious Scots we crush”, nid yw eu distawrwydd yn syndod.

Yn draddodiadol, mae geiriau anthem genedlaethol yn dang o s

teyrngarwch tuag at y wlad. Er hyn, teyrngarwch tuag at y frenhiniaeth yw anthem Prydain Fawr. Os nad yw chwaraewr yn cytuno gyda’r frenhiniaeth, mae’n hawdd deall ei amharodrwydd i ganu.

Gyda gemau pêl-droed pwysig i dîm Chris Coleman yn agosau a profion yr hydref yn nesau i'r tîm rygbi cenedlaethol, mae'n debygol y daw'r pwnc yn ôl i golofnau'r papurau newydd yn y dyfodol agos.

Mae Taf-od yn chwilio am fyfyrwyr i gyfrannu erthyglau trwy gydol y tymor. Os oes gennych chi ddiddordeb mewn ysgrifennu erthygl, cysylltwch â ni, ar e-bost neu ar Twitter: tafod@gairrhydd.com

@taf_od

sudoku.

28 / Puzzles INTERMEDIATE

CHALLENGING

Steve is standing in a pitch-dark room. Steve's friend Tristan walks up and hands him a normal deck of 52 cards. Tristan tells Steve that 13 of the 52 cards are face-up, the rest are face-down. These face-up cards are distributed randomly throughout the deck.

Steve's task is to split up the deck into two piles, using all the cards, such that

word wheel.

How many words of three or more letters, each including the letter at the centre of the wheel, can you make from this diagram? We've found 20, including a nine-letter word. Can you do better?

each pile has the same number of face-up cards. The room is pitch-dark, so he can't see if a card is faceup or face-down as he does this.

T C

How can he accomplish this seemingly impossible task?

R R E

S E

U R

answers.

INTERMEDIATE

Rhys's riddles.

CHALLENGING

Steve should ask Rob to shoot again without spinning. As the first chamber was blank, this means it could have been any of four possible chambers. Only one of these chambers has a bullet next, hence 1/4 odds. The odds of a bullet when spinning again are 1/3.

Last weeks riddle answer.

Listings 28-29

Monday 8th October 2012 | @mediacsu

Listings

9th Get ready to revel in a night of retrobased frivolity and immerse yourself in nostalgia. Every Tuesday in Solus, you can enjoy a flashback to your early musical years. Expect the best party classics from years gone by, including your favourite anthems.

8th Our brand new alternative music night continues for its second week.

Every Monday, we’ll have the widest varieties of music, including indie, rock, hip hop, ska, punk, dubstep, electro and much more, right inside your Students' Union.

12th GrimSoc Presents...

Grimsoc proudly presents Inner Fire, Insuna and Recluse, three up-and-coming melodic metal bands from around the UK. All with several years experience of rocking hard and each promoting a new album, these bands will be sure to impress!

11th The best in live stand-up comedy

10th

29

Four brilliant comics from the top of the UK and international comedy circuit. This week including Ben Norris and Paul Tonkinson.

Top Shelf Jazz 7:30pm – 1am Les Enfants “Déspicable”, direct from Lucifer’s drinks cabinet: a band whose original tunes are so distinctive and licentious that they spawned their own delectable style: ‘Filthy Swing’.

Impeccable vulgarity & sartorial elegance.

There really is only one place to be on a Wednesday, so make sure you head to Solus for the Union’s worstkept secret. Between free giveaways and drink offers, The Lash is a unique experience that is fulfilling every possible way.

14th THE HOP 7:30pm – 3am, 241 cocktails all day and great music all night

13th Comeplay Comeplay has been the biggest student night in Cardiff for eight years and is known for having the biggest tunes across three rooms, competitions, prizes, and bumping into everyone you know at uni.

8th – 14th October

ÂŁ1,000 for free!

grab-a-grand do you want ÂŁ1000 for your student society?

Vote now at facebook.com/cpshomes * T&Cs apply

www.cpshomes.co.uk

32 / Sport

Cardiff student excels at World Duathlon Sport editor Rhys Clayton talks to 23-year-old medicine student Lewys Young to find out how he juggles his degree and sporting commitments

L

ewys Young from Pontyclun has just achieved the incredible feat of a silver medal at the World Duathlon Championships in Nancy. Those in Cardiff University Athletics and Cross Country Club, or anyone who knows him, will tell you how dedicated he is to his sport, and the silver medal is no less than he deserves. But how did he do it?…

Hi Lewys; you were recently very successful at the World Duathlon Championships.

Huge congratulations on your silver medal. I guess all the hours of training are worth it now?

Indeed. It was a long hard year. I qualified for the Championships back in March in Liverpool, and I managed to qualify.

Actually, I had a bit of a disaster the day before qualification. I crashed my parents’ and my car, and they were both written off.

The worst part was that my bike was in the car at the time; I was more worried about my bike than the car! I spend so many hours on it that you get quite attached, you know? (the bike’s called Sheila, by the way. It’s the fastest thing on two wheels!) So I raced with a half-broken bike the following day, albeit slightly more tenderly that normal. I didn’t want to risk it totally falling apart on me.

Well, I’m glad the bike held up OK! You combine your sport with an intense medical degree. Where do you find the time?

You’re right, it’s pretty full-on.

It means a lot of early starts and late finishes. Getting up at 5am is a usual occurrence. I’m currently on placement in Porth, and when I’m on placement, I have to train before work starts or late in the evenings. I end up eating tea at 11 at night! I’m not the type of person to lounge around on the sofa.

I enjoy training just as much as watching TV. I think any elite athlete has to have a brilliant mindset to get him up at the crack of dawn. How does Cardiff University support its elite sporting students?

They help in any way they can.

For instance, they gave me time off to compete in Nancy. The University has a High Sporting Performance Programme, which is funded by the University, as opposed to Students’ Union money. As you would expect, it’s aimed at people who want to continue their sports at high level and carry on their studies.

I’m actually being interviewed by the Programme soon, and hopefully they will accept my applica-

tion and I will be on board. It’s helped countless athletes in the past. If successful, I’ll get access to great sporting facilities, specialised strength and conditioning coaches – the sort of things that give you the crucial extra 1%.

You’ve had great success in the duathlon, but I hear you’re considering adding a swim to make it a triathlon?

Well, I started out just running.

Then added a bike. And now my coach, who is ex-coach of threetime world champ Helen Jenkins, has persuaded me to take up swimming. I’m not a natural in the pool, but I’m working hard to bring it up to standard.

You’re also involved with the Cardiff University Athletics and Cross Country Club. I can say from personal experience how tough your Tuesday night sessions are. I get the feeling that you enjoy pushing yourself, and others, to their limits.

Yeah, I get a twisted satisfaction from pushing myself until I feel sick! And I like watching other people suffer as well! It makes me feel better when I know others are suffering as well; but it’s all for their benefit because, at the end of the day, you need to work at your hardest to get the

most out of it.

I’ll hopefully be doing as many Tuesday and Thursday sessions as possible. By all accounts, lots of people have joined the club, but some people consider me infamous due to my hard sessions.

When I try to get anyone to join me at running club, the first thing most people say is “I’m too unfit, I’ll be at the back”. What would you say to these people?

For a start, everyone has to begin somewhere. The athletics clubs are brilliant at making sure everyone takes part, no matter what fitness level. We have lots of ways to cater for all levels, with one of my favourites being the staggered reps technique. I started of as a 16-stone rugby second row! So anything can be achieved if you put your mind to it.

The Cardiff half marathon is coming soon. Will you be taking part in that?

I won’t be, sadly. As a multisport athlete, I need a break after a long season. It’s going to be a generally quite quiet period between now and Christmas. But I’ll be there to support. It’s a great event for the city.

What’s next for Lewys Young? Are you hoping to compete professionally?

“

The athletics clubs are brilliant at making sure everyone takes part, no matter what fitness level

Not right now, study takes too much time! My main aim is to start off as a doctor when I complete my degree. In the short term, I’m going to put everything into triathlon. Actually, due to the double running element (run, then bike, then run), most athletes find duathlon tougher than triathlon. I’m hoping to make the elite Duathlon GB Team next year, then progress to the Welsh triathlon team, and then compete on a national level. Three or four years down the line, the ultimate dream would be to compete professionally in triathlons, but we’ll see.

Thanks Lewys. Once again, congratulations on your silver medal, and I wish you every luck in the future.

I’d encourage anyone who wants to push themselves and get fit, join the University Athletics and Cross Country Team, and you could be the next Lewys Young.

Sport 32-36

Monday October 8th 2012 | @gairrhyddsport

33

A new start for Lewis Hamilton Felix Bramley Sports writer

Last week, Lewis Hamilton agreed a deal to sign for manufacturers Mercedes, which will mean leaving his boyhood team McLaren.

Hamilton has been with McLaren for his whole career, breaking a number of records in the process. After becoming the youngest driver to secure a Formula 1 deal, signed by McLaren and put on a development scheme when he was just 13, Hamilton went on to become the youngest World Champion while at McLaren. He has also recently been described as “the best driver” in Formula 1 by triple world champion Niki Lauda, emphasising his stature in the sport.

Hamilton left in the hope that a new environment may bring success McLaren’s contribution to Hamilton’s development has been enormous. As a result, much has been made of Hamilton’s decision to leave. Many have stated that Hamilton’s decision came down to monetary greed, forgetting all that McLaren have done for him. While Hamilton will be on a higher-earning contract at Mercedes, he argues that the move was motivated by a search for a new challenge.

It is a convincing argument too.

Hamilton’s new £15m-a-year contract only earns him a marginal amount more than he earned with McLaren, who even report-

edly matched the offer made by Mercedes. For others, it seems that Hamilton simply became frustrated. He has not won anything in four years at McLaren and after another disappointing year Hamilton clearly felt it was time to go, in the hope that a new environment may bring success.

Hamilton has not claimed any more World Championships since dramatically crossing the line in Brazil to clinch the 2008 World Championship. When Hamilton won in Brazil, the world was at his feet. He was the youngest and the best and everyone expected him to go on to smash all records,

which unfortunately did not happen.

But it is not for a lack of talent that this hasn’t happened, rather due to a lack of focus. Hamilton has led a pop-star lifestyle, surrounded by constant media attention and a celebrity girlfriend.

It has been easy to slip off the boil while with McLaren, the same team he has been with his whole career.

However, there is no guarantee that joining Mercedes will provide Hamilton with immediate success, if any at all. Though McLaren have struggled to meet expectations this year, current-

ly running second in the Constructor’s Championship table with just five wins. Mercedes as a team have won only once this season and are trailing 135 points behind McLaren. After taking this into consideration, it would not be an exaggeration to state that, by joining a much less successful team, Hamilton is taking an enormous risk.

At the same time, it is thought that the changes in Formula 1 regulations that will be introduced in 2014 will benefit Mercedes. In 2014, a V6 1.6 litre turbo engine will be introduced, and Mercedes are thought to be well-suited to

such specifications. Moreover, with the backing of Team Principal Ross Brawn, who has won over half of all World Championships won this century, Hamilton has every reason to be confident with his new team.

While I don’t think money played a huge part in Hamilton’s decision making, the boundless commercial freedom in his new contract does allow him to earn more through commercial endorsements than he was able to with McLaren. But to benefit from such commercial freedom he will have to succeed at Mercedes. Hamilton truly believes that Mercedes are a team that can win championships and he is determined to make it happen.

Unfortunately, Hamilton’s arrival spells the end for Michael Schumacher at Mercedes. After a disappointing comeback spell, having failed to win a Grand Prix across the three seasons he has been back, Schumacher is retiring at the end of the season.

Schumacher's announcent puts an end to speculation that he was to join Sauber next season, but he may yet have some involvement in the Mercedes technical team next year, working alongside Hamilton. Having won a record 91 Formula 1 races and seven World Championships in his career, he is widely regarded as the best F1 driver of all time and could have a great impact.

Mercedes will be hoping that they have just signed the man to emulate Schumacher’s success, and with Hamilton under Schumacher’s guidance, they just might have done.

To KP or not to KP? The return of the genius Felix Bramley

Sports writer Kevin Pietersen will be brought back into the England cricket side.

After the controversy of his infamous texting saga, Pietersen has been awarded a four-month England contract to play all forms of the game. The Pietersen situation has been the subject of much discussion after he sent text messages to South African opening bowler Dale Steyn slating the then-England captain, Andrew Strauss. However, upon the announcement of Pietersen's return, both the ECB and Pietersen himself flatly stated that the rumours of his texts containing advice on how to bowl to Strauss were not true.

It is uncertain how such a bold move by the ECB will go down in the changing room. After the threats to retire and Pietersen's general behaviour, it will be sur-

prising if he is fully welcomed back into the team. It is a risky move because the team dynamic could easily change with Pietersen's reintroduction, having adverse effects on performances.

It is uncertain how such a bold move will go down in the changing room However, judging by England's sorry display in the ICC World Twenty20, it would appear that someone with Pietersen's experience and match-winning ability is greatly needed in the England side. With Strauss now retired, England need all the experience they can get to aid the new, inexperienced captain, Alastair Cook.

Pietersen, whose experience extends to captaining England, also

has a Test average of 49.5, the second highest in the England team. An experienced run-hitter could be very useful on the Test tour of India this winter, where traditionally England struggle to post big totals.

Pietersen has felt alienated in the England side for a short while.

When the parody Kevin Pietersen Twitter account was created, Pietersen was offended and felt that his team-mates were behind it. Such alienation is clearly what led to Pietersen’s behaviour as he betrayed his team mates. For his reintroduction to be effective, he will have to leave behind his insecurities and give his all to the cause to prove to his team-mates how much wearing the England shirt means to him.

If he does, get ready to see one of the most destructive players in Test history return with a bang.

34 / Sport

Cardiff University’s elected officers to go the distance for charity Ben Babcock

Sport Writer On Sunday, October 14th, all eight of Cardiff University’s elected Students' Union Officers are to undertake the gruelling course of the Lloyds TSB Cardiff Half Marathon. The officers have decided to enter the event as Charity Runners in support of the Ehlers–Danlos Support Group.

In its 10th year, the Cardiff event is fast becoming one of the most popular half marathons in the UK, with organisers expecting over 15,000 entrants. Runners of all abilities will take part, ranging from the elite competitors to “Average Joes” simply aiming to complete the challenging course.

And no marathon would be complete without the classic fancy dress runners.

close to the heart of Beth Button, the Education & University Affairs Officer, who pioneered the idea of running in support of the EDS Support Group. Beth’s close friend, Hannah Cykowski, a for-

life-altering heart condition that can drastically affect your life.

Hannah writes a frank, open and honest blog explaining more about the condition, as well as documenting her day-to-day life,

and beyond. So far, the team have raised a total of £165 and continue to receive donations.

The officers had joked about the idea of running the half marathon last year and somehow it

mer Cardiff University student, was diagnosed with the condition last year. As well as suffering from EDS, Hannah has more recently been diagnosed with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS); a condition closely associated with EDS. POTS can be a debilitating and

highlighting what it’s like to live with both conditions. The blog is aptly titled ‘Stretchy Hannah – Giving Elastigirl a run for her money’.

As well as raising money for the Support Group, the officers are hoping to promote awareness of EDS in the student body

has become a reality. The gang began training in August and organised a few practice runs. However, Freshers' Week came along, and the pull of Cardiff’s nightlife seems to have somewhat overtaken the desire to train. As Beth admits, “training took a bit of a back-seat” so it’ll be interesting

As well as raising money for the Support Group, the officers are hoping to promote awareness The officers’ chosen charity supports sufferers of Ehlers– Danlos syndrome – or EDS, as it is more commonly known – a condition affecting the body’s connective tissue. Although not particularly well known, it is estimated that the syndrome affects 1 in 5,000 individuals.

The condition is particularly

to see if they’ve recovered from all those Zwack Bombs come race day!

There seems to be a friendly rivalry among the eight officers, with everyone downplaying their chances of winning and getting the bragging rights come Monday morning. Beth ideally aims to complete the run in less than two-and-a-half hours, but she’ll be pleased just to finish the race.

When pressed on who’s going to win, Beth was quick to pile the pressure on AU President Cari Davies, saying that “she has to win, since she’s AU President,” but we’ll have to wait and see.

Our very own Head of Student Media, Chris Williams, said: "I haven't started training yet. I did a couple of halfs last year and found them OK. I'm just looking forward to the post-race recovery session! I'm not fussed on my time, it's all for a good cause!"

For those of you who want to cheer on the runners, it starts at Cardiff Castle before finishing in the City Centre. The atmosphere will most certainly be electric and our officers would greatly appreciate your support.

Read Hannah's blog at http:// hannahcykowski.com/ To donate, please visit http:// www.justgiving.com/Cardiffelected-officers

We are expecting a battle to survive this season – Fowler Ross Martinovic

Sport Writer Cardiff University Director of Rugby Martyn Fowler has played down his side’s chances of success this season and believes that they face a battle to retain their BUCS Premier League South A status.

After gaining promotion from Premier League South B in 2011, Cardiff enjoyed a fantastic first season back in the top tier, finishing third in the league and lifting the Varsity Trophy at the Millennium Stadium following a comprehensive victory over arch-rivals Swansea.

They face a battle to retain their BUCS Premier League South A status But in the face of competition from dedicated sporting universi-

ties such as Cardiff Metropolitan and UWE Hartpury, Fowler feels that building on those achievements will be a tough ask.

“Last year was a particularly successful year at the end of a three-year cycle, culminating in the first team finishing above all the Welsh universities for the first time in any of the Welsh universities’ history,” said Fowler.

“It will be difficult but not impossible to emulate those successes.

“I know that with our league opposition Cardiff Met, Hartpury, Exeter, Bath, Glamorgan and Swansea’s ability to recruit players on sports degrees, with lower academic entry qualification and impressive bursary schemes, we can expect a real fight to retain our Premier A status.

“The goal is to win as many home games as possible and remain in Premier A.” Part of Fowler’s unwillingness to promise further progress is borne out of the departure of a

number of last year’s squad, particularly from the front five.

Cardiff’s pack, skippered by talisman Jake Cooper-Woolley, was a real strength for the Welshmen last season and was the cornerstone of many of their victories.

I predict a tough first semester, with us getting stronger every week But Fowler, who was appointed Director of Rugby at Welsh Premiership outfit Cardiff RFC at the end of the last campaign, has cause for optimism in the form of his back line, who he believes will be the envy of the league this year.

“We have a back line to die for, which is as good if not better than most Welsh Premiership teams,” he revealed.

“We have the potential to select the likes of Tom Rowlands (Bedwas), Matt Purssell, Will Jones (Cardiff), Max Woodward (Cardiff), Ross Wardle (Bedwas), Elliot Jones (Neath), Rhys Howells (London Welsh) and Charlie Simpson (Ebbw Vale).

“Underpinning players of this calibre, we have a wealth of talent behind the scrum.

“The main priority this season is to develop a pack that is setpiece and contact area efficient and capable of providing a platform for the backs to score tries from.

“Given the academic calendar and the contact time to date, I predict a tough first semester, with us getting stronger weekby-week.”

Fowler’s new charges will face a stern test of their mettle when they travel to Bath, last season’s league winners, on Wednesday for the opening fixture of the campaign.

Sport 32-36

Monday October 8th 2012 | @gairrhyddsport

35

Europe’s stars shine on final day at Medinah Callum Davies Sport Writer

When Martin Kaymer knocked in the decisive putt on the 18th green at the Medinah Country Club in Chicago on Sunday afternoon, he brought to an end one of the most gripping Ryder Cup weekends in the tournament’s history.

The most prestigious event in golf had witnessed a magnificent fightback, and under the guidance of team captain José María Olazábal, Europe clinched a 14 1/2–13 1/2 victory on American soil when all hope had appeared lost.

Over the course of the weekend, many players stood out on both sides, but on Friday and Saturday, the Ryder Cup rookies looked to have stolen the show. In what was one of the strongest American teams for a generation, the standout pairing was undoubtedly that of debutant Keegan Bradley and Phil Mickelson, both of whom looked in imperious form in the fourballs and foursomes, brushing aside each of their European opponents with consummate ease.

Their fellow first-timers, US Open champion Webb Simpson, and Jason Dufner, also garnered acclaim for an in-form Team USA,

but Europe themselves uncovered a gem on Friday afternoon.

After a long toil against the tide for much of the day, Nicolas Colsaerts held off the challenge of a mediocre Tiger Woods and an out-of-sorts Steve Stricker. Nonetheless, the Belgian captivated the crowd with a stunning round of 62 to announce himself on the biggest stage, win a valuable point for Olazábal’s men and set Europe back on course to retain the trophy.

The late Seve Ballesteros was at the heart of the European recovery Despite this, the foundations for Sunday’s drama were undeniably laid on Saturday evening.

Trailing 10–5 with one fourball to go, up stepped Europe’s man of the hour Ian Poulter alongside Rory McIlroy, to card six consecutive birdies in the last six holes to claim victory at the last.

Poulter’s putt on 18 to drag the score back to 10–6 was pivotal in motivating a team that had been outplayed and outclassed for sustained periods. However, his influence was not entirely down

Snowsport in the spotlight Continued from back page.

The individual events also saw a great deal of success for Cardiff. Claire Brown and Grace McCutchan finished 2nd and 10th respectively in the Ladies Slalom and James Colston won the Men's Boarder Slalom. To cap off an already extraordinary stint in the league, our Ladies team won their categories beating both Newcastle and Loughborough to the top spot.

The first BUCS competition of the year was the annual trip to Edinburgh for the British University Dry Slope Championships (BUDS). Around 2,000 students from universities all around the UK come together to compete and socialise, and once again Cardiff achieved some amazing results.

Individual triumphs came from Sarah Hoefflin, who finished 1st in the Ski Slopestyle and 3rd in Big Air, and Tom Bayles coming 2nd in the Boarder Cross. On top of this, the team also came 2nd in both the snowboard duals and ski duals, and 3rd in the overall university championship – our best result yet.

Next on the calendar was the British University Indoor Ski Championships (BUISC) which, needless to say, saw the Cardiff team produce a stunning performance. Both ski and board teams qualified 4th for the finals, with nine individuals qualifying, notably Kirsty Hatcher coming 2nd in the Ladies Ski and 3rd in the Ladies Ski Slopestyle, with Tom Bayles winning the Male Board event. However, the stand-out individual was Sarah Hoefflin who brought home gold yet again for Cardiff in the Ski Slopestyle.

Subsequently, these achievements resulted in Sarah being shortlisted for 'Sports Woman of the Year' by the Athletic Union.

The main event of the year consisted of travelling to Saalbach and Hinterglemm to compete in the British Universities Alpine Championships, where our best result was 3rd in the ladies ski duals. Next year, the Cardiff ski team will be heading to Alpe d'Heuz to compete for a week during the Easter holidays.

to the exceptional display of golf produced. His passion and doggedness in the face of an American onslaught was vital in ensuring the game stayed competitive entering the final day, and was a decisive factor in the shift of momentum.

His record of four wins from four matches, which makes 12 points from 15 in his Ryder Cup career, ensures that he enters tournament folklore, but credit must also be given to his partner for two of those four victories, Justin Rose. His sensational turnaround in the final two holes against Mickelson, who until then had appeared infallible, was yet another turning point in a rollercoaster final day.

Although the champagne flowed following the stunning revival, thoughts turned to one man who was absent throughout.

His silhouette emblazoned on the sleeves and bags of the European team, the late Seve Ballesteros was at the heart of the European recovery. The Spaniard lived on in European memories to inspire the most dramatic European comeback of all time.

The greatest comeback ever?

Liam McNamee

Sport Writer Botham vs Australia in '81, USA vs Europe in the '91 Ryder Cup, Liverpool’s epic feat against Milan in 2005; all great achievements, but were they really up to the standard of José María Olazábal’s men last week in Medinah, Illinois?

Retention of the Ryder Cup appeared nigh on impossible after 14 matches, when Team Europe found themselves 10–4 behind.

However, after a sleepless night, captain Olazábal managed to produce some inspirational words to rally the European troops.

Well, everyone except boy wonder Rory McIlroy, who, following a time difference disaster, only arrived at his tee time with 10 minutes to spare. The world number 1 required a police escort to ferry himself through the Chicago traffic to eventually stumble out of the car and onto the first tee. However, the young Irishman showed his class and, with only three practice swings on the first, completed an astonishing front 9, once again showing his impressive psychological resilience.

With McIlroy leading the way, Team Europe managed to claw back a four-point deficit and clinch a momentous victory.

But even with all these heroics, it is still hard to overshadow the tragic grievance that plagued the European team and the rest of the golfing world. To mark the occasion, the European team wore the colours of Olazábal's close friend, the late Seve Ballesteros, who died last year after struggling with a brain tumour.

Sergio García outlined the Spaniard’s influence over the team: "I have no doubt in my mind that he was with me today all day. Because there's no chance I would have won my match if he wasn't there."

A five-time winner of the Ryder Cup as both player and captain, Seve had a tremendous impact on European golf and, in an emotional speech, Olazábal dedicated the team’s success to the great man.

This kind of sentiment demonstrates the passion and commitment on the European tour today and emphasises Europe’s status as a great rival to American golf.

These qualities came to the fore as Martin Kaymer held his nerve to hole the decisive putt of the 39th Ryder Cup. The Americans teed off on the 17th three times with the chance to win the match but the Europeans' steely resilience inspired the biggest comeback on foreign soil in the 85 years of the Ryder Cup, potentially even surpassing the Americans’ comeback achieved in the 1991 competition.

It is the teamwork, professionalism and sheer determination that, for me, makes this the greatest sporting comeback ever accomplished.

? te ri m w o to d.c e d lik rhy u r yo gai ld @ ou ort W sp

Sport

Lewis Hamilton leaves McLaren for Mercedes <<Page 33

European victory in the Ryder Cup

In this week's Sport, Callum Davies and Liam McNamee reflect on the European team's astonishing comeback â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the comeback that secured Europe a one-of-a-

kind win in the 39th Ryder Cup, which took place in the fields of Madinah Country Club, Illinois.

In one of what we could comfortably dub as the most gripping

Ryder Cups ever witnessed, the European team came back from a 10â&#x20AC;&#x201C;4 deficit to retain the trophy on American soil. With the United States requiring only four-

Success on the slopes

The Cardiff Snowsports team had a hugely competitive and successful end to last season, collecting an array of honours and achievements.

Cardiff dominated the Western League this year, coming first in all three categories (mixed, la-

dies and boarders). Our second mixed team finished fifth in the league, and our third team came 10th, with both teams boasting impressive wins over 1st and 2nd teams from other universities.

The 2nd girls team agonisingly missed out on a podium finish

by a single point, settling for 4th place. These inspiring results meant Cardiff breezed through to the finals with five out of the seven entered teams.

Continued on page 35

and-a-half points from the 12 on offer on the final day, it seemed that an American loss in this year's edition of the competition was out of question. For all that,

the Europeans, led by captain Jose Maria Olazabal, struck back to eventually achieve what only a few believed was possible.

See page 35

Sport talks to Lewys Young, Cardiff's World Duathlon silvermedalist p32 >>