gair rhydd - Issue 986

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Monday October 15th 2012 | freeword - Est. 1972 | Issue 986

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A it s a f t of ar t oo cap ti m o k u ta m m y o p in ow uc e a sp m , uc n h a n o d r h m f to e on m o ey y

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gair rhydd and Quench

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2 / Editor’s Note

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Want to join the team?

EDITOR Chris Williams

Listings / Puzzles Editor Good with design?

CO-ORDINATOR Elaine Morgan

Know the best places to go out?

Email editor@gairrhydd.com to find out more

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Luke Slade SUB-EDITOR Tom Parry-Jones NEWS Kendal Archer Tom Eden Bethan Jones Anna Hickman

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

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

Greta Isaac session

Rachel Sermanni session

CONTRIBUTORS Michael O'Connell Ruby Constable Natasha Smith Lauren Milkins Bethan Lyons Vicky Chandler Greg Landon Kyra Folkes Beth Gregory Catherine Ross Rachael Boraston Niloufar Campbell Megan Heffey Cathie Lunn Virginia Bonet Felix Bramley Harry Thompson Louice Tapper Jansson Cerith Rhys Jones Luke Smith Lauren Boyd Bonnie Brown Weidi Xue Victoria Pease David Mason Angharad Hywel Gerallt Rhys Roberts Steven Hicklins Michael Delew Jacob Dirnhuber Callum Davies Ross Martinovic Edward Searle

PROOFREADERS Bonnie Brown, Alex Evans, Jacob Dirnhuber, Sophie Webster, Michael O'Connell Davidson

Don Broco interview

Check it out at www.cardiffstudentmedia.co.uk/cutv A note from the editor...

T

he front page this week is probably going to ruffle a few feathers. Be you an IMG player or not, it’s an interesting one.

Our news story on the result of an IMG Netball and Football survey, coupled with Sport's story on IMG Football registration (it having to be kept open a week due to lack of sign-ups), shine a bad light on the way the University has run IMG sports.

In fact, with IMG rugby there as a comparison, it really calls into question why anyone would decide to pay any money to the University for IMG sports when it could so simply be organised

by students off their own back.

I say this as an IMG footballer myself.

This year is my fourth year of IMG, and it’s for that reason that these stories really strike a chord.

Ask any IMG footballer from last year and they’d completely agree – small problems, organisational issues and increased cost (with little benefits for it) really anger those involved.

But news stories aside, the design on the front cover really needs to be hailed and praise is certainly due for Luke Slade.

But enough about us.

We’re well into uni good and proper now. Lectures are into their third week and freshers are trying to find that balance between attending lectures and going out at night.

In short, I’m jealous and I miss

it.

I remember my first few weeks at uni and I think I worked it out fairly quickly. The drunken nights were followed by headache-filled mornings and awkward decisions on which lectures to attend. They were a few weeks of making new friends and ridding myself of the ones who, in Freshers', I was just being polite to.

With nights out, I got into the swing of it fairly quickly and knew which to go to and which to not bother with. The ones I didn’t bother with tended to be with that boring lecturer who just read off his slides, or the one who inconsiderately decided to do a 9am on a Thursday after The Lash.

It never bothered me that per lecture I was probably missing out on around £100 worth of

tuition fees and I never gave it a second thought in any of my three years at Cardiff.

But looking back, I think I was a bit misguided.

Students are now paying £9,000 fees for a service that, at times, is not worth the money.

But worse still, those who can make the changes to your lecturers don’t know.

They don’t know that Dr Soand-so will drone on for 40 minutes about his cat rather than chat about your subject and, importantly, they don’t know that you’re unhappy about it.

This leads me conveniently onto a new survey we’re launching: tinyurl.com/ratemylecturer.

Tell us what’s wrong and we will tell the University what they need to do about it.

3

Monday October 15th 2012 | @mediacsu

World news

Greek protestors gave German Chancellor Angela Merkel a welcome to remember when she arrived in the country on Tuesday. Protesters in the capital, Athens, dressed up as German World War II soldiers, with Nazi swastika armbands. Many Greeks hold Germany responsible for austerity policies forced on their country in return for international bailouts. SK

A man who won a cockroach-eating competition in America has mysteriously died. Edward Archbold, 32, became ill shortly after winning the unusual competition. He was the only participant to fall ill and the cause of death is still being determined.

Mr Archbold had planned to sell the prize, a python, to a friend of his who took him to the contest. DA

Kenyan protestors have demonstrated outside parliament to voice their anger over large new bonuses for MPs. The MPs passed an amendment to a law that would award each of them a $105,000 bonus next year, the cost of which is likely to be covered by increased taxes. This has sparked public outcry, with many calling the MPs thieves and vultures. DA

Words by Stuart Knapman, Sarah Hazelwood and Daniel Angelini.

Tweets about Xpress Radio getting five Student Radio Awards nominations

On October 2nd, Marcello Di Finizio scaled St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican City 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

4 / News from << continued front page

Review into University’s Intra-Mural Games reveals

Frustration for IMG teams the league’s systems, calling for “more regular updates,” “experienced referees,” as well as “stricter rules.” One participant damningly claimed “the guy running it didn’t have a clue.” Participants also had additional issues with money, with requests for increased funding.

“the guy running it didn't have a clue”

Michael O'Connell Davidson News Writer Cardiff University’s Intra Mural Games have come under heavy criticism from last season’s athletes, with complaints stemming from lack of communication and poor organisation.

Administered by the Athletic Union, the Intra Mural Games (IMG) are a series of recreational sporting events undertaken by university staff and students.

Anybody can enter a team into the league providing that they pay fees dependent on the sport, and competitors are able to choose between football and netball. Despite a sustained level of interest, IMG rugby is not offered due to health and safety concerns.

However, in response to a recent feedback survey, participants complained of a number

74% of footballers

disagreed that the league was run professionally of issues. Those who partook in IMG football were especially displeased, and when asked if the IMG league was run professionally, 74.3 per cent of respondents replied with either ‘disagree’ or ‘strongly disagree’.

When questioned about the structure of the league, 64.1 per cent of participants did not agree that it worked well, and when asked if they considered themselves up to date, over half of participants felt that they were

not. Many complaints were also levered at referees, with one respondent describing the disparity between the Universities 6th team referees and IMG referees as “massively unfair.”

Netball responses were somewhat more positive, with 66.7 per cent of participants agreeing that the league met their expectations.

However, those who engaged in netball echoed many of the criticisms held by those who participated in the football league. Only 40.3 per cent of respondents felt that the IMG league was run professionally, and a further 50 per cent chose to mark answers other than ‘agree’ or ‘strongly agree’ when asked whether the league worked well.

Anonymous comments suggested many improvements to

Under half of participants thought that the league was good value for money, with 51.2 per cent of respondents from the football league marking answers other than ‘agree’ and ‘strongly agree’. Netball was similarly divided; exactly 50 per cent of participants answered that they agreed or strongly agreed, with the remaining 50 per cent either remaining neutral or disagreeing outright.

The Intra Mural Games are a costly investment. For example, entering a team into 11-a-side football requires a one off fee of £250. Responses to the survey showed that this compounded the irritations of entrants; among other issues, one netball captain complained that while her team raised £500 in sponsorship money, this did not cover even half of the costs involved.

In addition, the event itself is not profitable for the University.

Expenditure for IMG Football narrowly outstripped the income that supported it; pitch bookings in particular accounted for much of the expense, costing over £3000.

When questioned about the level of dissatisfaction, the University failed to respond.

Response to the survey was not entirely negative. Many ath-

A

from whoever was attempting to run the league.

Looking at the financial breakdown of where the money went, there are several notable expenditures. Firstly is the laughable cost of ‘game day administrators’ – who, like the Loch Ness monster, probably don’t exist. Another dubious (read: fraudulent) claim is the £465 allegedly spent on 31 first aid kits for the teams, which no one received.

Some things look less than promising going into the new season. At the time of going to print, there had only been 21 teams registered with the league, a third less than last year, and consequently the

64%

believed that the structure of the league did not work well The University responded to the above stating that, "Cardiff University Sport were not consulted over the questions produced for the survey and as such have not been provided with the results.

"We have been provided with some statements included in the survey. The structure of the IMG programme for season 12/13 has been extensively discussed with elected officers from the students' union, employed staff in the students' union and members of staff from the University Sports department. Appropriate and reasonable suggestions from the survey will be adopted into the programme for season 12/13."

Tom Eden News Editor

Editor’s comment s a captain of an IMG football team this year, I have a personal interest in how the organisers of IMG respond to the, quite frankly, terrible feedback from last year. I hope there are actions instead of hollow promises, rumour and speculation.

One of the most telling statistics from responses to the survey was that no one at all strongly agreed with the statement ‘IMG was run professionally’. This may have something to do with how the majority of organisation happening between captains, and a void of helpful interaction

letes commented that they were happy to be able to experience their sport of choice while forgoing the serious time commitment of joining one of the Athletic Union teams. In addition, many respondents had high praise for their teammates, and were glad of the exercise and social opportunity that the games provided.

With this years games to kick off soon, whether there will be any improvement in quality remains to be seen. Despite criticisms from those who responded to the survey, 91.7 per cent of netball participants agreed that they would return to the league next year, and it looks like the event is set to remain a popular fixture.

However, early figures for football may contradict this, as participants were not queried as to whether they would return to the league.

registration process has been extended by a week. In addition, the joining fee remains at an eye watering £250, which, in light of how it was spent last year, rightly raises a few eyebrows.

I must be clear; this was based on experience of last year, and there can be a cautious sense of optimism about for the upcoming season; for example, the rumours that, at last, there will be qualified referees. This was a very sensitive subject last year; with one beautiful rant on the IMG football Facebook group a highlight of the season. There was also contention in the fact that Cardiff University 6ths regularly had qualified referees, presumably subsi-

dised by the AU. This points towards an intrinsic issue that may lie at the heart of the poor organisation: accountability.

The IMG leagues are controlled by the University, whilst many other organised sports are under the jurisdiction of the Full Time Elected Head of the Athletic Union. This contrast is striking, in that we don’t seem to have a personal point of contact.

I must stress that despite these organisational niggles, I am looking forward to the start of the season, and will wait expectantly for our first aid kit.

5

News 4–8

Monday October 15th 2012 | @gairrhyddnews

shortcomings, lack of communication and poor organisation

IMG rugby struggles against AU Chris Williams Editor While IMG Rugby and Netball are recording low levels of satisfaction, the underworld of IMG rugby is thriving, with more teams joining this year.

Groups of students have formed rugby teams from different schools in the University - with some teams even having enough players for ‘A’ and ‘B’ teams. Sources close to gair rhydd have suggested there are up to 240 players currently in the league, with more being added this year.

The teams do not book pitches and play without post protectors or proper referees. Captains have to referee each half, unless there is a dedicated referee who occasionally gets paid - at a cost to the players of around £1 each.

Many of the teams involved are in some way affiliated to cer-

tain schools - with some taking on their names and crests.

One player, who asked not to be named, stated that “the underworld of IMG Rugby is thriving, with more and more Cardiff students choosing to play for ‘IMG’ rugby teams rather than the AU Rugby team.

“The number of teams forming and adding to the unofficial IMG league is increasing year on year, which is adding to a very competitive yet inclusive league of rugby that is currently not supported by the AU.

“The number of teams forming and adding to the unofficial IMG league is increasing year on year” “IMG rugby welcomes players ranging from academy level to first time players, and unlike the AU, all players are given a fair and equal opportunity to take part in

the game; therefore truly representing what university sport is actually about.”

With many questioning the effectiveness and efficiency of IMG Football and Netball, it is worrying that our source claimed, “We have no staff or official structure to organise and book games for us. We do it all off our own back, for free, and manage to cope perfectly well.”

The cost for IMG rugby is virtually nothing, gair rhydd’s source said, “As a team we didn’t charge a joining fee. We charged the players for the kit package (which was roughly £40 for the playing kit, which is being extended to a full training kit this year) and a social shirt. Currently, there is no financial support from the AU. Therefore clubs have sourced funding, mainly through nightclub and letting agencies, to fund such things as training equipment, subsidised

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kit cost and referrees.”

The clubs we spoke to were previously sponsored by nightclubs with a letting agency taking over sponsorship this year.

The University also cite the shortage of qualified refs as another reason for not doing IMG rugby Yet in spite of this growth, IMG rugby is still not accepted by the Students’ Union or the University.

An official statement, signed by both Stuart Vanstone – the University’s Head of Sport and Exercise - and Cari Davies, AU President, states that “Cardiff University and Cardiff University Students’ Union do not and will not sanction any contact rugby activity outside the three established rugby clubs.”

Whilst there previously was a rugby programme, the statement

accepts that “teams previously involved with the now suspended rugby programme are continuing to play rugby.”

In the stern worded statement, they state that “the terms ‘Cardiff University’ and ‘Cardiff University Students’ Union’ and any artwork, including any crests, logos and designs are copyright to the organisation and must be immediately removed from any communication, publicity or clothing.”

The Students’ Union cite the WRU’s code of practice as a reason as to why the Union cannot facilitate IMG Rugby. The code of practice states, “all competitive senior rugby activity must be officiated by qualified level 2 referees”.

They also cite the shortage of qualified referees as another reason for not doing IMG rugby.

Another reason given by the Union is that on occasions where they have been able to get referees the level of injuries were “unacceptably high and the referees involved expressed severe reservations to the point where they would not undertake refereeing activity for us.”

Martin Fowler, director of rugby at Cardiff University, said that, “there are ample opportunities to play rugby that is NGB sanctioned and safe, both internally and externally, I am more than happy to point all students who wish to play rugby in the right direction.”

Union Development and Internal Affairs Officer, Kieran Gandhi, said on the issue, “I don’t think the AU fully understands why students chose to play IMG Rugby, but the fact they chose to play IMG rugby should be supported (like IMG football and IMG netball is) rather than conveniently ignored.”

The stuttering start to the IMG Sport season appears to only further the case that a group of students do not need to be part of the University’s structure to successfully put a season of sport together.

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6 / News

International Students’ registration nightmare Ruby Constable News Writer International students have been queuing throughout the night only to be turned away outside the Overseas Visitors Record Office in Greater London this week.

The legal requirement that overseas students report to the police station in question has caused a human backlog, as 30, 000 students – roughly a third of the entire international student population in the UK – desperately attempted to procure a police registration certificate (PRC) in order to begin their course before the week deadline.

The registration process has been chatoic in previous years but never to such an extent The registration process has been chaotic in previous years but never to such an extent. A statement released by the Metropolitan Police claims that this is “usual for September and October”, which raises the question as to why it is so poorly managed.

Metropolitan police were forced to deny entry to those they would not have time to process, meaning hundreds of students were turned away when the office opened at 7:30 am, some of whom had been waiting for hours

on end.

The OVRO website does warn students that they will on occasion have to close at very short notice, and also implores students to refrain from queuing during the night “in the interest of health and safety.” However, for overseas students who are new to the country, queuing for hours in typical English weather only to be asked to come back the next day may not be seen as the warmest of welcomes.

The sudden increase in those waiting to obtain their right to study in the UK has attracted the attention of Daniel Stevens, International Students Officer for the National Union of Students, who questions why overseas students even had to register again when the UK Border Agency already holds all their details. The Home Office responded to this query by stating that the local police implement this process.

The attention drawn to what can only be described as an incredibly damaging administrative error has caused the OVRO to change their system, so that now it is possible for students to register online and simply present themselves in person at the office before the end of December.

This change may improve matters for international students in the future for the better, but those who had to queue this year may not be so forgiving.

Xpress nominated for Best Student Radio Bethan Jones News Editor Cardiff University's Xpress Radio Station has been nominated for five awards at the Student Radio Awards 2012.

The Student Radio Awards are a huge celebration of the diversity of content and talent in student radio and aim to help launch the next generation of radio talent into the industry.

The awards have 12 categories altogether, with a shortlist of six nominees in each category. The radio station has to be part of the Student Radio Association to be involved in the awards.

The five nominations are in a variety of categories. Sean Thorne was nominated for Best Male, and Pete Robertson has been nominated for Best Newcomer. Xpress received a nomination for Best Entertainment Programme for Chris Browning’s show, produced by Jo Southerd. They were also nominated for Best Outside Broadcast for a

Radio Drama programme called ‘Sherlock Holmes and the Hordes of Dracula’.

However, Xpress’ most excit-

ing nomination was for the Best Student Station.

The five nominations are a great achievement and a reflec-

tion of the excellent programmes Xpress have been producing.

Winners of the prestigious Gold awards in all categories re-

ceive prizes from the sponsors, including work experience on big radio shows, one-off shows on major networks and equipment for their stations.

Xpress Station Manager Hannah Cook has said she is “extremely proud of her team and all the hard work they have put into the Xpress shows.”

Xpress’ biggest competition is undoubtedly URN (University Radio Nottingham), who achieved 10 nominations, as well as URY (University Radio York), who were nominated for six awards.

The Student Radio Awards will take place in November at the indigO2, part of the O2 Arena complex, presented by Radio One’s Gemma Cairney and Nick Grimshaw.

Over the years student radio has launched the careers of Kevin Greening, Scott Mills, Kevin Hughes, Simon Mayo and Alex Zane to name a few.

7

News 4–8

Monday October 15th 2012 | @gairrhyddnews

New Student Development Service opens in Union Natasha Smith News Writer

The new Centre for Skills, Enterprise and Volunteering has now opened on the second floor of the Students’ Union as a welcoming place for students to visit.

The grand opening took place on the October 9th, unveiling its light, open, modern interior.

Although similar services have

been available to Cardiff students in the past, this brand new centre has been described as a onestop-shop for employability services. The centre gives students opportunities to gain valuable enterprise skills and volunteering experiences, which may be difficult to find elsewhere in the current economic climate.

Harry Newman, the President of the Students' Union, started

proceedings by highlighting the fact that as tuition fees have risen, so have students' expectations. He thanked the university for funding the project, and emphasised the fact that the main aim of this new centre is to enable students to make the most of their university experience.

This brand new centre has been describes as a onestop-shop for employability services

The centre was officially opened by the new Vice Chancellor and President, Professor Colin Riordan, who said that this was the second public event he had attended, and that both had been in the Students' Union. This seemed fitting, as he believes that a good relationship between the Students' Union and the University is extremely advantageous for students.

Stressing the difficulty graduates face when seeking employment in the current economic

2012 miles in 2012 Lauren Milkins News Writer

Phil Packer, a veteran of the Iraq War who was paralysed from the waist down is walking 2012 miles in 2012 for charity. His challenge, dubbed ‘BRIT 2012’ has taken him through Cardiff on his journey to walk across every county of the UK. He is completing the challenge to raise awareness of the BRIT charity, which aims to build a ‘Centre of Inspirational Excellence’, where charities can send young people facing any trauma to regain their self-worth, selfbelief and self-confidence.

He can be described as a true inspiration, and Cardiff University had the privilege of welcoming him to the University on day 254 of his walk. He was shown around a one-mile route that included the Welsh Assembly, the Cardiff Museum and the main buildings of the university.

He commented on how it was a pleasure to meet Cardiff students, and that if he could go to university he would make the most of every opportunity available.

The following day, Phil also visited Morgannwg College in

Aberdare, which is one of the largest providers of Further Education and training in Wales – his aim is to visit several educational institutions to encourage them to complete 2012 miles as teams or as individuals and to encourage businesses to fund the centre.

The challenge is scheduled to conclude this December in London, where Phil is aiming to have raised £15 million.

We wish Phil the best of luck on completing this enlightening task.

climate, the Vice Chancellor stressed how important enterprise skills are becoming. It soon became apparent that the new Centre for Skills, Enterprise and Volunteering is exactly what today’s students need.

There is constant emphasis placed on becoming more employable, hence the need for more than just a university degree on a graduate’s CV; getting involved with this service is a great way to enhance a student’s CV. From confidence and team

building exercises, to First Aid training, choosing to utilise this service could see students walking away from Cardiff University with not only a degree, but also certificates of professional development or health, safety & wellbeing. In addition to enjoying a new and refreshing learning experience, this service also gives students the chance to meet new people.

Cardiff University back in top 20 Bethan Lyons News Writer

Cardiff University has been recognised as one of the UK’s top 20 universities in the latest Sunday Times University Guide, climbing several places since the 2012 rankings. Cardiff also placed significantly higher than any other Welsh University, retaining its standing as the best University in Wales.

At 89 per cent, Cardiff's highest ever recorded level of student satisfaction has undoubtedly helped the University to attain a place in the top 20, with many impressed by these figures, including David Roylance, Head of Undergraduate Recruitment, who said: “It’s pleasing that Cardiff has again been recognised as one of the UK’s leading universities. Public recognition of our achievements is always welcome but we are far from complacent.

We continue to work to ensure a high quality experience for all our students.”

The scoring system consists of criteria including student satisfaction, quality of research and teaching, degree results achieved,

entrance qualifications held by new students, retention rates, graduate employment levels and the ratio of students to staff.

The Times University Guide is often regarded as the foremost guide due to the importance it places on student satisfaction and teaching standards. Alistair McCall, Editor of the Sunday Times University Guide, stated, “Our league table rewards those universities which have placed great focus on providing top quality teaching, with prompt

and useful feedback on students’ work and assessment. If a university provides a great student experience, can offer good graduate job prospects, plus a strong track record for degree completion and outcomes, good rankings and students will follow.”

The data used in the guide was sourced from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) for the academic year 2010-11, the 2102 National Student Survey, the national funding councils and from 126 UK universities.

8 / News

Carnage causes predictable media backlash Vicky Chandler News Writer

Carnage UK â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the event notorious for its heavy boozing and even heavier partying â&#x20AC;&#x201C; filled the clubs of Cardiff last Sunday with hundreds of first year undergraduates participating in the infamous student experience.

This time, the fancy dress theme, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Pimps and Hoesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, meant nothing was left to the imagination as female students took to the streets in suspenders, knickers and killer heels. This produced the predictable shrieks of outrage from some national newspapers, with the Daily Mail going as far as describing some outfits as â&#x20AC;&#x153;the fancy dress code of a prostitute.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Some of the behaviour witnessed at Carnage was embarrassing,â&#x20AC;? comments first year student Elisabeth Allen. â&#x20AC;&#x153;People were lying in the streets covered in vomit and a boy even collapsed in one of the nightclubs.â&#x20AC;?

Of course, events like Carnage UK can encourage excessive binge drinking and anti-social

behaviour; one reveller â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a shoeless, hysterical female â&#x20AC;&#x201C; had to be restrained by a police officer.

But the event, which has received harsh media criticism in the past, doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t just target Cardiff â&#x20AC;&#x201C; it takes its antics on a tour of 44 university towns around the UK.

newspapers are hardly incriminating â&#x20AC;&#x201C; no harm was done.â&#x20AC;?

This comment rang true with the authorities also; the South Wales police stated afterwards

that despite the amount of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;intoxicatedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; teenagers that filled the streets of Cardiff that night, there were actually no arrests.

Most of Cardiffâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s students will

go on to get excellent degrees and the only hangover Carnage UK will have left will be a distant memory of a great night.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;We're only young once, and the pictures printed across newspapers are hardly incriminating - no harm was done â&#x20AC;?

Many of the pictures posted across social networking sites by students following the event showed the evening in a different light, with the majority of people having harmless fun. The newspapers, of course, chose to depict only the worst excesses of the night.

The media and other critics are very swift to target the Welsh capital as being the heart of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Binge Britainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, but as another student stated: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re only young once, and the pictures printed across

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9

Opinion 9 - 12

Monday October 15th 2012 | @gairrhyddop

For & Against

The twelve weeks of Christmas

It's October and with Christmas merchandise already widely available in the shops, opinion writers Kyra Folkes and Greg Landon discuss whether we get too excited too early for Christmas.

C

For

hristmas is without doubt the best time of year.

There’s a magical, warm and tingling excitement that only comes around Christmas time. From Boxing Day one year, to Christmas Eve the next, I look forward to this special holiday.

For me, the festive season is particularly important, because it involves a lot of time spent with my nearest and dearest. We are able to cosy up on the sofa with as many mince pies as we can stomach, with the excuse of ‘Well, it is Christmas…’.

Christmas Day itself is not necessarily what I look forward to the most, it can at times be a little underwhelming, especially as the day draws to a close and you realise perhaps you shouldn’t have quite so eagerly helped yourself to that third portion of stuffing. Really, it’s the build-up that makes Christmas just so wonderfully exciting. In my opinion, the Christmas countdown can never come too early! To all the scrooges out there: Is it really surprising that the shops are lining their shelves with Christmassy goods already? With all the depression of a recession, it’s no wonder that shops want to set their stalls out early. Also, many of us will have begun our Christmas shopping already – I know I have – in order to spread the cost out over a few months. Organisation is key!

Christmas provides us with something to look forward to as the cold winter months creep in – it softens the bleakness of bitter, grey days and long, dark nights and lifts everyone’s spirits. Parents must be thrilled at the excuse to bribe their children to be well-behaved for weeks beforehand. For example, whilst browsing the Disney store in Cardiff, (for research purposes, obviously), I overheard a little boy yelling to his father "But I don't want Santa to bring it for me, I want you to buy it for me now" to which his father calmly replied, "If you carry on behaving like this young man, Santa won’t be coming at all." To the father’s smug satisfaction, his son quickly shut up and went to sulk behind a giant display of cuddly Buzz Lightyears .

The thought of Christmas in October will either send a shudder down your spine, or, like me, transform you back into your overly-excitable five-year-old self. I say, embrace Christmas now and make the most of every early festivity that you can. This is a time for celebration, and too many people try to resist it with conventional excuses such as ‘Christmas shouldn’t be mentioned until at least December’.

In my opinion, just as a dog isn’t only for Christmas, Christmas isn’t just for December: it should be for all and at any time of the year they wish. KF

A “

I understand a company’s desire to start capitalising on the most profitable time of year as early as possible; but should the general public really have to put up with it?

Against

s someone who celebrates and enjoys Christmas both for its religious meaning and its sense of goodwill, I can appreciate people trying to capture the benevolence of the holiday a few weeks early. However, even its most ardent supporters would struggle to argue that flashing bulbs and two-for-one deals in October have anything to do with the spirit of December 25th.

For whatever reason you choose to celebrate it, Christmas time has the potential to be a unique time of unity, generosity, and family. Nevertheless, putting up decorations now, that last well into the January sales, contribute to Christmas fast becoming an extended period of over consumption, and in many cases, tackiness.

Of course, I understand a company’s desire to start capitalising on the most profitable time of year as early as possible; but should the general public really have to put up with it? Christmas is just one of several holidays to have become so materialised, they arguably matter more to producers and retailers than the people celebrating them. Is there ever a time in this country when shops don’t have an excuse to jam annoying seasonal memorabilia down our throats? At least we generally don’t see decora-

tions going up over two months early for other seasonal holidays.

Imagine the absurdity of seeing Easter eggs in January or pumpkins in August.

On another note, I find the fascination with ‘getting into the Christmas spirit’ strange, given the UK’s climate. Rarely are summers dry and warm here this year’s weather being particularly depressing. October is traditionally the last month of the year when a couple of nice days creep through, so why set up for a celebration that will potentially take place during one of the coldest, wettest and most miserable times of the year weather wise? Forget mulled wine and carol practices – break out the flip flops and barbeque for the few times the temperature hits 20 this month, because you won’t be able to again until April.

Believe it or not, I do love Christmas, and it is my favourite time of year despite this Scroogestyle rant. However, I have no time for businesses trying to kick start their Winter profits in October, by laying out holly and advent calendars. A fine example of capitalism at its worst, and by impulsively purchasing these ‘Christmas deals’ as early as we do, we encourage shop owners to start playing Bing Crosby and Slade earlier each year. So don’t buy into Christmas in October, go out and enjoy Autumn instead. GL

10 / Opinion The Glastonbury effect: The importance of festivals As Glastonbury 2013 sells out in record time, Opinion writer Beth Gregory examines the British love of festivals and looks at why they are such an large part of British summer.

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unday October 7th.

8.30am. I’m sat, still half asleep, on the sofa, staring at my laptop, wishing I’d got up earlier because the server is already too busy. That’s right, this is the morning Glastonbury tickets go on sale, and it would seem like the whole world wants one.

This year, Glastonbury tickets sold out in record time: 1 hour and 40 minutes. The fact that Glastonbury wasn’t on last year only added to people’s desires to attend, knowing that there was a strong possibility the line up could be bigger and better than ever before. While thousands of people will have missed out on the opportunity of tickets, many people, including myself, succeeded. The UK now has hundreds of festivals, big and small, but it’s fair to say that Glastonbury is the biggest, not just in the UK, but in the world. There is a capacity of around 180,000 people, tickets are viewed as gold dust, and unlike many festivals, Glasto caters for all manners of taste, musically and otherwise.

There are big bands and there are smaller acts that will appeal to a certain niche. Despite the fact that it is now pretty much winter, the hype that surrounded Glastonbury ticket sales has got everyone planning next summer’s festivals.

festivals across Europe, that are making a name for themselves and attracting people from the UK to pick up their backpacks

people might not enjoy this. It’s muddy, you’re outside, you have to set up a tent, the showers are probably more gross than not

some of the festival experience without having to camp. Personally though, I think camping at a festival is half the fun. Yes it can

Festivals are unlike anything else.

It’s like the best bits of life put in to a massive field

This is the morning Glastonbury tickets go on sale, and it would seem like the whole world wants one I don’t feel like I’m exaggerating when I say that festivals are a different world. It’s like being in a bubble, separate from the outside, where anything can happen. The impossibilities and the boundaries are broken down. I have heard friends refer to some festivals as being ‘magical’, and there are so many festivals now, that everyone’s tastes can be catered for. My best mate loves dubstep, so she would never come with me to Reading Festival, but loves what Global Gathering and Creamfields can offer.

And I probably wouldn’t want to go to Download (too heavy) or V (too generic) but the likes of Bestival, Glastonbury, Reading & Leeds are festivals I will always be keen for. People aren’t just staying inside the constraints of the UK either. Many are getting on a plane, or taking road trips to European festivals. Benicassim in Spain, Exit in Serbia, and Outlook in Croatia, are just a few of the

been camping.

Nowadays, festivals are about more than just the music. While many festivals are centered around the music, other dimensions have been added, to give festivals an extra flavour. Many have fairs. Some have silent discos at night. Glastonbury has pretty much everything, with bars, clubs, and all sorts to do after hours, or during the day when you want a break from watching all the bands. There's also loads of variety when it comes to food.

It’s no longer just a chip van. You can get pizzas, Mexican, and vegetarian and vegan foods at festivals. Because of all the different goings on at festivals now, I think it’s pretty much impossible to not have a good time. Even when something bad happens, like losing your friends in a crowd, it normally all comes together and doesn’t alter the festival experience.

and head a little further south than the Isle-of-Wight.

Nowadays, festivals are about more than just the music I’ve met many people who claim they hate the idea of festivals, because of the whole camping element. I can see how some

bothering to shower, and festival toilets aren’t exactly pleasant. But nowadays, people can still enjoy festivals even if the thought of camping makes them shudder, with the option to ‘glamp’ for an extra fee at many festivals, where you can stay in tipis or luxury huts. There is also the rise of one day festivals such as Slam Dunk, or simply one day tickets to some festivals, so people can enjoy

be disgusting, but without wanting to sound more disgusting, you get to a point where you don’t even care. You have fun with friends and make many more.

I’ve met people I consider good friends through camping at a festival. Festival Camping is like a separate experience in itself and people usually come away with funny and happy memories they wouldn’t of had if they hadn’t

Festivals are unlike anything else. It’s like the best bits of life put in to a massive field. You have the option to see loads of bands, some you will know, some you may not. You get to drink as much as you want without any judgement. And everyone is so laid-back, that making new friends is an inevitable part of any festival. Glastonbury say on their website that ‘the rules of society are a bit different, a little bit freer’ and that Glastonbury is a place capable of giving you ‘enlightenments’ and ‘awakenings’, and I think this is true of all festivals. Festivals can make you see the world around you in a totally different light, because it really is so different from ‘real life’. A lot of the time at festivals, I find myself questioning why life can’t be like a festival every day.

At festivals you come away with so many amazing memories that will stay with you for life, as well as new friends, and a new sense of perspective. And you will often annoy anyone who didn’t go by telling them your tales for weeks on end afterwards, as you try to battle your way through post-festival blues. To me, festivals are a necessary escapism to get away from the hectic realities of life, and to experience something you can’t find anywhere else other than in a festival field.

Opinion 9-12

Monday October 15th 2012 | @gairrhyddop

Galloway banned from N.U.S Catherine Ross Opinion Writer

George Galloway’s remarks were lonesome; that can be agreed upon by everyone, even the Daily Mail and Guardian see eye to eye on the issue and that alone is an achievement of immense proportions. Redefining the WikiLeaks, founder Julian Assange’s alleged assaults on two Swedish women as ‘bad sexual etiquette’ is demonstrably insensitive and offensive to the 90,000 women and men that are raped every year in the UK. That figure by the way equates to approximately 230 a day, slightly less than ten an hour, and I wonder if Mr Galloway sees these people as little more than victims of ‘bad sexual etiquette’ too.

This politician, author and ‘journalist’ has become a mouthpiece for rape apologists across the UK and the National Student Union has thus justly labelled him so. They have also banned him from speaking at universities and N.U.S events as of a motion passed on September 26th.

The N.U.S states they will not give a platform for ‘rape apolo-

gists’ to speak. Galloway in an astoundingly hypocritical move, has decided to sue the N.U.S for ‘defamatory’ statements. Could,

The N.U.S states that they will not give a platform for ‘rape apologists to speak’ I wonder, the 90,000 victims of rape sue Galloway for his trivializing comments? It is doubtful, but the very idea that George Galloway has the gall to sue the N.U.S after making such repul-

sive remarks is baffling. The National Student Union is well within its rights to ban people who spout prejudice or bigotry or factual falsehoods and Galloway is a prime example of all of the above. Galloway’s comments are empirically incorrect under UK law. The Sexual Offences Act of 2003 states a person commits rape if their partner “does not consent to engaging in the activity.” Allegedly, this is exactly what Julian Assange did, and by saying otherwise Galloway, as well as being incredibly insensitive, con-

tradicts UK law.

Julie Bindel of the Guardian summarised the situation accurately, “Some liberal-lefty men have been bending over backwards to rewrite definitions of rape to suit their blanket adoration of Assange. They seem to be too stupid to work out that you can admire and defend WikiLeaks without canonizing its founder.

In the world of Assange-lovers, women who allege rape and sexual assault are either lying vixens or silly unsuspecting pawns in the fight between freedom fighters and the US.” This is perfectly true, and I suppose there are many on the N.U.S board who support Julian Assange’s efforts to promote freedom of information and decry Bradley Manning’s imprisonment. However, this in no way allows for unrestrained comments by white, middle class, middle aged men about a subject that they have little understanding of. The N.U.S’ decision to ban him from events was a wise choice which shows that students and their unions are unflinching when it comes to those who accept or promote violence against women or rape of both genders.

Animal testing: A cruel necessity

Nilou Campbell, writing for Opinion, gives her own take on the recent news story about Cardiff University's animal testing involving sewing the eyes of kittens shut.

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ecently, Gair Rhydd reported on a story that Cardiff University has horrified the public, by conducting an experiment that involved sewing shut one eye of a group of kittens. It was condemned by the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection (BUAV) as 'cruel', and even Ricky Gervais took to Twitter to ask, "Honestly, how does this happen in so called civilised society?"

Read the comments below any of the many articles published online by national newspapers and you'll see pages of readers who've been horrified by the study. It doesn't exactly feel like the best time to be announcing, 'I study at Cardiff University'.

Struggling to decide how I was going to begin this article, I asked my housemates what they thought about the experiment and I got exactly the response that I was expecting. I think it would be anyone's gut reaction, and it was certainly mine - that it sounds horribly cruel. Great Britain is a nation of animal lovers, or at least we'd like to think so – there are more animal welfare charities than you can count, a pet in every other household and

TV programmes about Top Dog Models. Other countries look at the UK and are surprised by our fervent attachments to our pets.

I'm certainly hugely attached to

It might even be why they chose to come to Cardiff. Other universities who pride themselves on the same thing will no doubt have carried out animal research

my cat, however often she vomits on my favourite clothes.

I'm certainly proud to be part of a university that conducts world-class research in so many different areas, and I'm sure that's true of many students here.

of some kind, but because they haven't conducted this research, or because they've done horrible things to rats rather than kittens, they aren't being mentioned in the Daily Mail or the Telegraph.

As a Cardiff student I feel a

little scapegoated. I do wonder if a lot of the outrage has been directed towards the university, simply because cats are so cute?

Would the story have even be picked up by the national newspapers if something uglier or that we have less emotional attachment to had been used, like rats or pigs? In which case, what makes this more cruel?

As a student, it feels a lot of the time like our university defines at least, a part of who we are. You are a Cardiff University student.

You make jokes about Cardiff Metropolitan. When people ask you where you're studying, you tell them proudly.

Whether or not you agree with the experiment carried out, it can feel shaming to have so many voices in the media and on internet forums condemning your university, and it might even feel as if they're condemning you.

You feel associated, though as a student in a different School, in a different building, on a different part of the campus, you might find it quite difficult to feel responsible for research that was conducted two years ago by a School that has nothing to do with yours.

11

The Stoptober diaries Rachael Boraston Opinion Writer

With the current stop smoking campaign in full swing Rachel Boraston gives us a fly on the wall account of her housemates attempt to quit cigarettes.

For those of you who don’t know, Stoptober is a new Department of Health initiative to get smokers to give up for 28 days in october. Just like that. The hope is, if they can quit for a month, they can then quit for life. Easy right? Wrong.

My housemate totally got on board with this initiative, being the only smoker in our house, quitting seemed like a logical, and beneficial thing to do. Electronic cigarette in hand, she sat down on the sofa on day one and committed to the cause. 20 minutes later….she was jonesing for her nicotine. Credit where credit is due, she stayed strong that day, sucking desperately on the E-cig, probably simulating more cigarettes then she would ordinarily smoke. Things only got worse…

Day 2 and after a stressful day of lectures (a whole two hours) She raced home for some support…all she wanted was a cigarette. The E cigarette came out and she sat on the sofa, eyes glazed, thinking of ‘the old days’ when real rolies were smoked and life was good.

We had a party on Saturday.

As booze and social smokers flooded our home, Stoptober became a distant memory and the promise of a smoke free 28 days was discarded. In all fairness though, how realistic is it, to give up smoking just.like.that?

Intentions can be good, and will power strong, yet with numerous opportunities to smoke, and the stress of impending deadlines, joint bank accounts and dear friends throwing up in your bedroom, (blame the party), is it realistic to be expected to go cold turkey just because it’s October?

Plus, Stoptober is so demanding, so finite. I’m not making excuses because she’s my friend, or maybe I am, but shouldn’t it maybe follow the pattern of ‘Cut-backtober’ and ‘No-smoke -vember’ (ok so maybe they need a little work), but if that was the case, I think my friend might have it in the bag. Let’s see if the next two weeks are any more successful… ? om on d.c i in yd op rrh an gai ot @ G on i in op

12 / Opinion Savile: Justice can't be served from six feet under

Opinion writer Megan Heffey investigates the allegations made against dead entertainer Jimmy Savile, the futility of posthumous accusations and where the blame really lies

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ir Jimmy Savile, a showbiz legend, recognised for his outstanding career in broadcasting and charitable contributions with the honour of a knighthood, has just had the roles of paedophile, sexual assault villain, and rapist posthumously added to his already varied CV. A recent police inquiry has been launched into allegations that during his career, Savile sexually abused a number of teenagers, with the exact figure currently unconfirmed.

These claims have come nearly a year after the star’s death, which begs the question as to whether or not it is worth raising these issues, and accusing a man who can no longer be held accountable for his alleged actions.

Is this fair?

Personally, I believe the public have taken the easy option, in choosing to blame a dead man who is unable to refute the claims. It is unfair to lay these accusations on someone who hasn’t got the chance to defend himself.

So far, although police have officially recorded eight criminal allegations against Savile, they remain unproven. Isn’t innocent until proven guilty the cornerstone upon which our Criminal Justice system is based?

I firmly believe that it is always

fair for justice to be obtained under these circumstances, but

searching for justice from Savile at this point literally leads to noth-

ing other than a dead end. What about those still alive who could be said to have been at fault? The newspapers which have been quick enough to condemn Savile, could have broken this story at the time. Aren’t we forgetting about all those journalists who claim to have heard the rumours about Savile’s inappropriate behaviour when it was happening?

The Sun, which is campaigning to have Savile’s knighthood posthumously removed, has published stories with less than a whiff of truth to them; the confessions of journalists in relation to Savile are tantamount to evidence in comparison. I find it just as pertinent a question to ask, if journalists knew these apparent assaults, why newspapers didn’t act at the time they were being committed and publish the story? The publication of this information could have undoubtedly helped some of these victims obtain justice at a time when the accused would be able to pay for his crimes, and could have potentially prevented some of the later assaults.

In an interview with Sky news, Esther Rantzen has publicly acknowledged that she could have acted sooner, and exclaimed her “regret” for ignoring a child who had brought forward claims. Isn’t that worthy of a little blame? I think so.

The need for closure after psy-

chologically traumatising events is understandable, and the aim of this is not to belittle or question the legitimacy of these allegations. However, couldn’t it be said that closure came with his death and the reassuring knowledge that no one else would be harmed in the way the victims were? What other closure can these victims hope to get now, when the perpetrator of these crimes is dead? It is too late for justice for the victims of these crimes from Savile, because he cannot be punished. It is as pure and simple as that.

In an interview with Sky news, Esther Rantzen has publicly acknowledged that she could have acted sooner These claims have eclipsed any positive contributions that this broadcasting legend made during his life, and the legacy that he left behind has been tarnished to the point of no return. Savile will forevermore be known as a rapist, and an abuser. Surely this has to be considered justice, as whatever happened in the past, there is only one definitive truth about Savile in the present: Jim certainly can’t fix it now.

The scarecrow with brains but no job Cathie Lunn Opinion Writer

Last week, the BBC reported on an english and music graduate from Bangor University, who’d taken a rather unusual graduate job as a Human Scarecrow. Jamie Fox from Norfolk, scares Partridges off a field of rapeseed oil for £250 a week, wearing a bright orange coat. And no, this isn’t a joke. He actually does.

While we may find this amusing, we have to ask how the farmer convinced this young graduate that taking this job was a good idea. Jamie says his friends doing more conventional high-end grad schemes are jealous because he spends "all his time outside playing the ukulele and ringing a cow bell", I have my doubts. I expect behind the politeness they all think it’s a huge waste of time and a massive waste of his degree.

This case provides food for thought: What are the best and worst graduate schemes? What jobs do we feel are more appropriate for a University graduate and which ones draw parallels with the paper round we did back in year six? The Telegraph reports

that the best graduate schemes to enter, are those based around Investment banking, Law and Oil/ Energy based companies. In fairness, some of the starting salaries are massive, and I’m starting to

think I could put up with a lot for a salary that would let me buy as many shoes as that would. They also report on some less obvious industries, such as Consumer Goods Manufacturing, which

apparently pays above national average (United Biscuits are currently hiring, which means you get to work for McVities). Apparently, the industries to avoid are the Public Sector and Retail,

where wages are £6,000 below the national average and job security is less certain.

I think it not only depends on whether you have the degree/ knowledge base required without needing further education first, but on who you are as a person.

If you spent your entire loan in Fresher’s week and are now crying to Natwest for an overdraft, then maybe Investment banking isn’t for you. Similarly, if you have slight criminal tendencies, maybe give Law a miss. Most universities give you a set of transferable skills that you can apply to various industries. Whatever you did your degree in, there’s a significant amount of well-paid graduate schemes that have opportunities for further career growth.

Therefore, I think the real answer is the best grad schemes are sensible career paths for you, where you choose something you like if possible, but make sure you can live off it too. The best advice is , think ahead, because I bet being a human scarecrow won’t seem so funny come Winter and Winter is coming.

Politics 13-17

Monday October 15th 2012 | @gairrhyddpol

13

Hugo Chavez elected for fourth time in Venezuela

As the 58 year-old President returns to office once more, Politics writer Virginia Bonet looks at some of the questions around the democratic process in the country.

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After discovering the results, Chavez announced in the Venezuelan media: “I promise you I’ll be a better President”

n Sunday October 7th, Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez was re-elected for another six years, bringing his time in power to 20 years.

The results of these latest elections highlight that after 14 years the Venezuelan people still support the promoter of the 'Bolivarian Revolution', as he won with 54 per cent of the votes, contrasting with Henrique Capriles, his main rival, who gained 44 per cent.

In spite of this 'comfortable' victory for Chavez, the new coalition party United Front, has managed to close the gap that existed between Chavez and his opponents. Comparing the result of 2006 and 2012 we can see that support for PSUV has dropped by almost ten points.

Chavez no longer holds the secure 63 per cent; he now only has 54 per cent, which is possibly the reason why after discovering the results, Chavez announced in the Venezuelan media: “I promise you I’ll be a better President”.

United Front is a coalition of political parties that opposed Chavez’s government and thought that by choosing a single candidate they would defeat the President in the elections. Consequently, in February 2012 Henrique Capriles, governor of the State of Miranda and the youngest ever deputy in Congress, won the primary elections.

Since then, Capriles’ popularity has escalated due to his proposed policies, which he described as “centrist” and “humanist”. As a result, over 6 million people voted for him in the elections, which is almost twice as many votes Mr Rosales had, Chavez’s most popular opponent in the 2006 polls.

Although it was clearly a defeat for Mr Capriles, some analysts consider these results as a success for the opposition as its influence is growing and expanding. According to Carlos Romero,

a political analyst, “This is being seen as the last time Chavez will be able to win. The opposition are catching up”.

Since President Chavez revealed in June 2011 that he was being treated for cancer, the debate has begun as to who should be his successor within the PUSV. However, Chavez has used his unlimited access to media in order to ensure that his followers know that he has beaten the disease and he is ready to keep taking the important decisions in Venezuela.

His campaign has been taking place mostly through the media, as by law, President Chavez’s official speeches must be broadcasted; he even hosted a weekly TV and radio programme where he explained his policies and encouraged people to vote for him.

However his legal use of the media has been questioned as he made a speech on TV during the

'Election Silence', also known as 'The Reflection Day'. This is a ban on political campaign prior to a presidential election to allow a 'cooling-off' period for voters to think and reflect on events before casting their votes.

Consequently this speech was a violation of the law and the Venezuelan constitution.

Another significant point concerning the Venezuelan campaign was the death of three leaders of the Union Front who were murdered by fanatic chavistas, Chavez supporters.

Chavez has been very popular among the masses, as many people have benefited from expropriations and nationalisations carried out in an attempt to distribute equally some of Venezuela’s wealth more equally. Since 1999 income inequality has been declining steadily but crime rates in Venezuela are the highest in the world, which has

led to social insecurity.

Right now, inflation in Venezuela is around 27 per cent because of the over-valued currency and the under-performing industry.

Although Venezuela has the fifth biggest oil industry in the world, it is not perfect because Chavez has been subsiding oil to Cuba and other Latin American countries in order to spread the influence of the 'Bolivarian Revolution'. This is known as petrodiplomacy.

On January 10th 2013, Hugo Chavez will be inaugurated for another six year term as Venezuela’s President, however, if poor health brings an end to his presidency in the first three years, elections would take place once more.

Chavez’s intention is to continue the policies he has been executing for the last 14 years in social, economic and diplomatic affairs.

Venezuela's capital, Caracas

14 / Politics

Conservative conference 2012 Osborne announces £10bn in welfare cuts Felix Bramley Politics Writer

As the Government looks to be stalling in their aim of balancing the budget and clearing the public debt by 2016, Chancellor George Osborne has announced measures to cut a further £10 billion from the welfare budget.

Osborne suggested that the cuts would comprise the limiting of housing benefits for under-25s, limiting the number of children in a family who may be supported by benefits and allowing the rate of inflation to exceed increases in benefits – amounting to the likelihood of a gross drop in benefits.

Osborne argued at the Conservative party conference that he could not justify giving flats to unemployed young people when workers twice their age are unable to afford their own property. The national housing federation has expressed their disappointment in such a policy, claiming that it will put many young people at risk of homelessness. Meanwhile, the homeless charity, Crisis, has called the proposals "counterproductive, ill-considered and irresponsible". The CEO of Crisis argued that “living at home is not an option for young adults who have escaped from violent or difficult homes”.

The idea of limiting the number of children for whom poor families may claim benefits is meant to deter families from having children they can’t afford to support. However in reality, when deciding to have a baby, parents do not always consider financial implications first, if the baby is planned at all. Child Poverty Ac-

tion Group said the proposals were “abhorrent”, accusing the Chancellor of marking-out children as “second-class citizens” from birth.

By not increasing benefits ahead of inflation, Osborne is allowing benefits to drop in real terms each year – furthering the attack on society’s most vulnerable. This week, opposition leader Ed Miliband has been criticised

by Conservatives for attempting to adopt the traditional Conservative mantra; ‘One Nation’. One Nation conservatism, thought up

by Conservative Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli, emphasises paternalism in society, with the rich looking after the poor. Ironically, it appears that Conservative policy is currently as far away from this strand of conservatism as it has ever been.

Despite desperate attempts to bring the budget deficit under control, the Conservative party have ruled out a mansion tax – strongly favoured by their coalition partners the Liberal Democrats. Osborne stated that the budget cannot be balanced “on the wallets of the rich”, after David Cameron vowed not to introduce it on The Andrew Marr Show last week. Both Cameron and Osborne are maintaining, however, that the rich will “pay their share”. Any evidence of this whatsoever remains to be seen.

While the Conservatives are unwilling to back the Lib Dems' mansion tax, the Lib Dems state that they will not support the proposed £10 billion cuts to welfare. Last month, at the Liberal Democrat Party Conference, Nick Clegg stated that he would

not allow the “wild suggestion” of such cuts.

However, as has been proved time and time again, what the Lib Dems claim to want and what they get are often very different things. Surely everyone remembers Clegg’s promises to block rises in tuition fees?

Clegg allowed the welfare budget to be cut by £18 billion at the start of the coalition; a further

controversial. Conservatives will argue that it is the only way of cutting the deficit without deterring growth through tax hikes for the rich, acting as an economic disincentive for high earners.

However, these cuts prevent UK economic growth too. The expendable income of those on benefits will drop, meaning less money will be spent in the economy, causing a drop in growth.

The International Monetary Fund has just announced that it expects the UK economy to shrink by 0.4 per cent this year, a massive drop on the 0.2 per cent growth forecasted in July.

The Conservatives have pointed out that Labour are ignoring the deficit, with Miliband not once mentioning the word ‘deficit’ in his party conference speech. Attempting to deflect attention to the opposition’s failings may be difficult though. The government are expected to announce over the next few weeks that they are currently down on their deficit, borrowing and debt targets, opening them up to even greater levels of scrutiny.

£10 billion cut would be a further, severe dent to Liberal Democrat confidence in Nick Clegg. As a result, this will be a huge test of Nick Clegg’s leadership. If Clegg does bow down to pressure from his coalition partners once more, the resentment from his party may make his position as party leader untenable.

There is no doubt that the budget deficit must be reduced and the quickest way of doing this is through government spending cuts, but to cut welfare so heavily, just two years after similarly massive cuts to it, is extremely

Justice Secretary repositions himself Harry Thompson Politics Writer

At the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham, Chris Grayling made his first major policy announcements since being appointed Justice Secretary in David Cameron's recent Cabinet reshuffle. The media have portrayed him as a prime indicator of the shift to the right that the reshuffle represented; a concession to rebellious Tory back-benchers, who have been disappointed and angry with the governments more socially liberal policies, such as the impending legalisation on gay marriage.

There is substantial evidence to support these claims too. In 2010, Mr Grayling backed the rights of B&B owners to ban gay

couples on religious grounds, and just this week announced that homeowners should be allowed to use more than the currently defined 'proportionate force' to protect their homes from being burgled.

Mr Grayling spoke at the party conference of a ‘rehabilitation revolution’ However, the shift to the right hasn't been as clear cut as many expected. The first non-lawyer to hold the post of Lord Chancellor since 1558, this week announced policies clearly focused on that most sensible of doctrines, despite somehow evading the manifestos of the two main parties for

years: rehabilitative justice. Mr Grayling spoke at the party conference of a 'rehabilitation revolution', stating that "if people go to prison they are very likely to come back again", and outlined his plans to counter this.

He hailed a programme where older prisoners take a new, first time inmate under their wing, and work to prevent them reoffending. The older inmates are rewarded financially if their younger counterpart does not reoffend. This, proponents of the programme argue, gives new offenders a clear insight into what awaits them if they continue on their current path, and gives older inmates a financial incentive to help them come to this realisation. Indeed, Mr Grayling himself stated that he could think

“

The motivation for this seems to be money-saving; send less people to prison at a time of never-ending budget cuts

of "no-one more powerful" to promote rehabilitation among younger offenders, a surprising backing considering the scheme was started by his predecessor (and perhaps an ideological foe), Ken Clarke.

Mr Grayling's insistence that he is not the tough right-winger he is painted as in the media is given further credence by the fact that he also shot down a traditional favourite policy of the right-wing grassroots, stating "I have never supported capital punishment". The right wing of his party are also unlikely to

Politics 13 - 17

Monday October 15th 2012 | @gairrhyddpol

15

Hunt comment signals possible change to abortion law Louice Tapper Jansson

Politics Writer Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt’s recent comment on changing the law on abortion has been met with criticism from several directions. In an interview with The Times, Mr Hunt confirmed he is still convinced that the legal limit for the termination of a pregnancy should be halved from 24 weeks to 12. Although he expressed that this was a personal view, many are now worried that this could soon become government policy.

Due to the adverse reactions, Prime Minister David Cameron had to defend his party colleague.

look favourably on the rehabilitative mentoring programme, with some viewing it as immoral to give money to prisoners, and possibly even offensive to the victims and their families. The right have also traditionally indulged in a populist stance on justice, favouring a victim-centred approach and heavy handed punishments, such as Margaret Thatcher's 'short, sharp shock' programme for young offenders in the 1980s.

New Labour under Tony Blair also took this route, with their approach being immortalised in the

In an interview with BBC, Mr Cameron stated that “the Government has no plan at this stage to bring forward legislation in this area”. He stressed that the comment made by Mr Hunt was an individual view and that Members of Parliament should vote according to their conscience.

Mr Hunt, who has previously voted for a change to the legal limit of termination, says that abortion should not be allowed after 12 weeks. The statement is apparently based on scientific evidence and not on his personal Christian beliefs. To The Times, he explained that, “it’s just my view about the incredibly diffi-

phrase "tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime". Money spent in poor areas to alleviate the crime-enhancing effects of poverty, yes, but a heavy handed approach when it came to sentencing and prisons nonetheless.

The political benefits of these strategies can be huge, helping

cult question about the moment that we deem life to start”.

Mr Hunt is convinced that the legal limit for terminating a pregnancy should be halved from 24 weeks to 12

Much of the heavy criticism derives from the fact that Hunt was recently appointed health secretary. Many, including Labour’s Shadow Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, are concerned that women’s health is not prioritised. She struggles to see how there is enough medical evidence to back up Mr Hunt’s statement.

Most members of the Conservative Party, including Prime Minister David Cameron, are supportive of a modest lowering of the present limit of 24 weeks.

However, many Tory members are disappointed with the timing of the statement with the Conservative conference dominating the headlines. They may now have to state their views on abortion, distracting from discussions on other important issues.

Part of the issue seems to be whether Mr Hunt merely answered honestly to a question.

One could ask whether it is suitable for the Health Secretary to express his own personal opinions on health when in a public role. When Mr Cameron claims that the government has no current plans of suggesting a change to the legal limit, but that he

perceptions of both strength and compassion (toward the victims), so it is perhaps no surprise that both major parties in the UK have subscribed to them in the last decade or so.

It seems Chris Grayling has used the party conference to shore up support in his own

would support a modest change, he could be indirectly supporting Mr Hunt’s opinion.

As mentioned earlier, Jeremy Hunt is not the only Conservative MP who is in favour of changing the current allowance of 24 weeks. The new Culture Secretary and Women’s minister Maria Miller has stated that

women.

A change of the legal limit might be supported by some parts of the population. In two recent surveys by YouGov and Angus Reid, it was revealed that the majority of those who voted in favour of lowering the limit were women. This could be a sign that many believe that the

she would vote to lower the legal limit on abortions from 24 to 20 weeks. The Telegraph reported Ms Miller's claims that due to developments in science, a 20 week limit would be more suitable, since doctors are able to keep a foetus alive outside of the womb after 24 weeks.

It could be problematic to refer to science without also recognising the needs of women.

Clare Murphy, from the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, is concerned that a new 12 week limit would most affect vulnerable women. Although 91% of all abortions are carried out within 12 weeks, according to Ms Murphy a pregnancy sometimes is not revealed until the 20th week.

Halving the legal limit would mean denying care to affected

present 24 week legal limit is no longer reasonable. People might believe that it is now too easy to go through with an abortion. If the government wants to reduce unwanted pregnancies, more money could instead be diverted towards sex education.

According to Guardian journalist Michele Hanson, Mr Hunt is “obsessed with a silly idea” and does not know enough about the issue. Ms Hanson is convinced that any lowering to the legal limit would mean an increase of unwanted births as well as child poverty. Meanwhile, Ms Murphy is convinced that abortion is not used as contraception. She stated to the BBC that “Women are the best makers of moral decisions when it comes to abortions”.

party by announcing new rights for victims of burglary, and also to attempt a rejection of his image as a right-wing attack-dog, in favour of a more centrist, reasonable image to match his heightened power and profile, in the wake of his promotion to a major cabinet post.

get cuts; or to position himself as both a popular figure with his party's grassroots and backbenchers, and to send a centrist message to the voters of the United Kingdom. With the most recent opinion polls finding Labour 10 points ahead of the Tories and Ed Miliband an astonishing 15 points ahead of David Cameron, following the Labour leader's resoundingly successful conference speech, perhaps Chris Grayling won't be the only prominent Conservative trying to paint himself as a potential leadership contender.

Older prisoners take a first time inmate under their wing, and work to prevent them reoffending The motivation for this seems to be either a money-saving exercise; send less people to prison at a time of never-ending bud-

16/ Politics

Bill to put Welsh and English on an equal footing Cerith Rhys Jones Politics Writer

Assembly Members in Cardiff Bay have passed a bill which puts Welsh and English on an equal footing in the National Assembly and the body which employs staff and provides services for AMs, the Assembly Commission.

The Official Languages (Wales) Bill, which is yet to receive Royal Assent, will make both Welsh and English official languages of the National Assembly and will ensure that neither language is treated more favourably than the other.

The Official Languages (Wales) bill will make both Welsh and English official languages of the National Assembly That said, members of Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg (The Welsh Language Society) have expressed disappointment that amendments put forward by Lib Dem AM Aled Roberts and Conservative AM Suzy Davies were not passed. Their amendments would have ensured that all records of proceedings at the Senedd – including meetings of some of the most obscure committees – would have been available bilingually.

That follows months of cam-

paigning to ensure that the record of proceedings during Full Plenary, which includes First Minister’s Questions on Tuesdays, would be available bilingually; the Bill, as passed, will provide for this.

Speaking after the Bill was passed, a spokesperson on behalf of the Society said that it had to "express disappointment that members of different political parties did not support Aled Roberts’ and Suzy Davies’ amendments that would have ensured

bilingualism in the Assembly.

We are also concerned about the quality of the debate; questions are being raised about the truth of some of the statements made during the course of the debate".

Comments about the amendments published on social networking sites suggest that language campaigners’ disappointment is directed mostly at Plaid Cymru AMs, five of whom voted against Ms Davies’ amendment. Only two Plaid Cymru AMs voted in favour of Mr Roberts’

amendment, which called for all proceedings at the Assembly to be interpreted between Welsh and English.

Disappointment is directed mostly at Plaid Cymru AMs, five of whom voted against Ms Davies' ammendment Former Plaid Cymru-Green

MP for Ceredigion Cynog Dafis questioned on Golwg360 how often Suzy Davies uses Welsh during meetings at the Assembly and noted that if Welsh-speaking AMs were to make more of an effort to speak Welsh during Assembly proceedings, they would be translated automatically into English.

Writing on Facebook, the influential language campaigner Hedd Gwynfor commented: "Thank goodness that Plaid Cymru still has some principled AMs…it’s a pity that they make up less than 20% of the group. We must therefore ask, what is the point of Plaid Cymru now?"

Senior Plaid Cymru AMs including Dafydd Elis-Thomas and Rhodri Glyn Thomas, the Assembly Commissioner with responsibility for language, responded by saying that the fact that the Assembly had shown its support for both languages was a matter for celebration, and that difficult but practical decisions had to be made.

As expected, all Labour AMs voted against the amendments but commenting on the passage of the Bill, Presiding Officer Rosemary Butler said it was "an historic day in the history of devolution and of Wales" and that "our commitment to the Welsh language can no longer be questioned.’

Royal Assent for the Bill is expected during the coming months.

Welsh Secretary vows to create a competitive Wales David Jones has promised to work with Labour in Cardiff Bay; Politics writer Luke Smith reports.

T

he Conservatives have never found it easy in Wales.

Thatcherism and the closure of mines in the '80s left behind a legacy of unemployment, poverty and crime in the Welsh valleys. This decision also left a sense of deep mistrust towards Conservatives throughout South Wales. Labour’s decision to bring forward devolution, a strategy they opposed for many years, made life unbearable for Conservatives.

Now David Jones, the new Welsh Secretary, faces not only an economically challenged region but also a politically challenging one. He faces a defiant Labour-led Welsh assembly who have so far remained popular despite the harsh economic times.

Their policies have often contradicted Tory policies and have sometimes led to embarrassment for the UK government. Decisions to cap tuition fees, maintain free prescriptions and to re-mark GCSE English papers have sometimes provoked an angry response from Westminster.

However these strategies, unlike the UK government’s, have been popular amongst the voters.

According to a poll

by ICM, young people are more likely to understand a foreign language than pensions Mr Jones faces a momentous task in bringing together the UK government and the Labour-led assembly. He has argued that Wales is an area that over the last 13 years has become “progressively poorer”. As Welsh Secretary, he will be judged on whether or not he can remedy this. The Government’s strategy for Wales is one of competition. He stated: “We want Wales to be competitive with the rest of the world.”

The Prime Minister supported this statement, explaining how the Foreign Office will also do all it can. “We're helping sell Welsh goods around the world, we are taking into account all of Wales' needs,” said Mr Cameron.

Mr Jones has already revealed

some of the initiatives he will encourage in order to bring about economic growth. He will support a new Nuclear power station site on Anglesey, a decision that may bring about a backlash from environmental activists, but one that will bring jobs and money to the area. In addition to this, he has pledged to upgrade infrastructure across Wales, including high-speed rail links throughout North Wales and improvements to the M4 and the A55. These improvements will hopefully benefit the Welsh economy. More broadly he’s spoken about his aims to unleash the economic potential of the Welsh ports Holyhead and Milford Haven but as of yet, has not revealed in great detail how he will do so. It is hoped that these initiatives will boost Welsh competitiveness in Europe.

But will this be possible? Perhaps, but only if Mr Jones receives support from the Welsh Assembly. He has urged for better co-operation between the Welsh Government and Westminster declaring: “I’m not competing with Welsh Government.” This didn’t stop him from criticising

the record of Labour Governments that have been in power in Cardiff and Westminster over the last 13 years. He’s also tactfully pointed out that "economic development is the devolved responsibility of the Welsh government, which is of course a Labour government”. This may sound painfully familiar to many commentators; Another Con-

servative Welsh Secretary with great ideas and vision, scuppered by the red tape of the Welsh government. Jones says he wants a strong Wales, but the question many will be asking is whether his voice is strong enough.

For more on this story, go to www.cardiffstudentmedia.co.uk/ gairrhydd

Politics 13 - 17

Monday October 15th 2012 | @gairrhyddpol

17

China’s growth forecast cut to 7.7% by IMF Lauren Boyd

Politics Writer The IMF have cut China’s growth forecast for 2012 to 7.7 per cent.

This is mostly due to a fall in demand for Chinese exports from the US and the eurozone.

Lower growth will have knock on effects in other parts of Asia, such as Malaysia and Thailand, because these countries rely on China for trade and investment.

Growth in East Asia is at its lowest since 2001 – worse than it was during the financial crisis. This slow down is worrying because East Asia accounted for half of global growth in the last three years.

Lower growth in China will have the biggest impact on developing countries. According to economist Dambisa Moyo, China has been on a “global shopping spree”, buying up raw materials, because it believes that resource scarcity will lead to commodity wars.

Up till now, China has buoyed up developing economies in the Middle East, Africa and Latin America by buying commodities from them at high prices. China consumes 43 per cent of world metals, 10 per cent of the world’s crude oil and even bought a mountain from Peru.

In all sub-Saharan African

countries surveyed by Pew Research Centre, people believed China was more beneficial to their country than the US. In Zambia for example, Chinese companies employ 13 Zambians for every Chinese worker, increasing employment in the country. Zambia and Chile are likely to be the worst affected, because their economies depend most heavily on the export of raw materials.

The IMF recommends that China improves its social safety net to increase growth, because Chinese people currently aren’t spending because they are saving

for retirement and worry about health costs.

The IMF is usually a strong supporter of austerity measures, so it’s significant that they would recommend welfare reform. The welfare state in China was gradually eroded after free market reforms began to be introduced in the 1980s. Consequently, poor people in China are often unable to afford health care. A four-yearold was brought to one hospital in China after drinking pesticide and died after the hospital refused to treat him without being paid.

A change to the ‘hukou’ sys-

tem would also stimulate growth.

The current system means that people who migrate to the cities are not entitled to welfare provisions there, such as use of the local schools. These urban migrants have less security and consequently spend less money.

Although it is important that a developing country has higher levels of growth than an advanced economy, growth hasn’t created the stable society that was hoped for. Despite a fourfold increase in material living standards since 1990, surveys suggest life satisfaction has not increased. The threat of mass suicide at Apple’s Foxconn factory shows how bad conditions can be for some of China’s workers.

The lack of safety net has lead to a decrease in life satisfaction from the bottom third of society.

China’s growth has also led it to be the biggest source of carbon emissions in the world.

The IMF expect that growth will increase to 8.2 per cent in 2013 due to local government spending and rapid approval of investment projects. Growth would be expected to slow down again once China reaches a certain level of wealth, but countries such as Japan had double digit growth when they were richer than China is now. There could

also be demographic problems in the future due to China’s one child policy.

Advanced economies are a major cause of China’s poor growth, but are unlikely to be badly affected by it. There will, however, be a reduction in some corporate profits. Rio Tinto, the second biggest mining group, which is based in the UK, has already had to cut costs. Japan is the advanced economy most affected by China, but this is because of the dispute over the Diaoyu islands. China has stopped buying many things from Japan, including Toyota cars and this has led to a 0.8 per cent reduction in Japan’s growth.

The US sees China as competition and both presidential candidates have been very antiChina in their campaigns. Obama launched an ad-campaign accusing Mitt Romney of sending jobs to China. It is widely believed in the US that China deprives US workers of jobs, by holding the value of its currency down, making its exports cheap. China also subsidises certain exports leading to many trade disputes between China and the US. On the other hand, China is a large market for the US auto industry having sent $1.3bn dollars worth of car parts to China in 2010.

Biggest reform to pensions in over 100 years Politics writer Lauren Boyd looks at recent shake-ups in pensions savings schemes.

A

s part of the biggest reform to pensions in over 100 years, all workers in the largest firms were automatically enrolled on workplace pension schemes last week.

The reforms, drawn up by the last Labour government, have attracted cross party support and have been welcomed by charities and trade unions. The reforms are considered vital because fewer than 50 per cent of employees currently contribute to a pension.

Employees who choose not to opt out will contribute a minimum of 0.8 per cent of their pensionable earnings to the scheme.

This will be topped up with a 1 per cent employer contribution and 0.2 per cent tax relief, more than doubling their pension pot.

Young people will be particularly affected because only a third of people under 30 are saving for retirement at the moment.

According to a poll by ICM, young people are more likely to understand a foreign language than pensions.

It is thought that young people may opt out of the scheme because they do not understand it, or because they are making

large student loan repayments.

A graduate with the new, larger student loan, who was earning £25,000, would be making £30 a month student loan repayments.

This might be a financial burden substantial enough to cause them to opt out of putting £13 a month into a pension.

According to a poll

by ICM, young people are more likely to understand a foreign language than pensions It is important that people starting work now save for retirement because by 2050 there will be only two workers for each retired person. This demographic change will make it even harder to support the elderly. Joanne Segars, head of the National Association for Pension Funds, believes that young people need to be educated about money and that some do not even understand compound interest.

It may be that young people and employees in general are wary of pensions, not because they are uneducated about money, but because what they do know about pensions is negative.

There have been plenty of scandals surrounding pensions,

the most famous being the Maxwell scandal. Robert Maxwell, head of the Mirror Group which owned the Sunday Mail and Daily Mirror, stole 450 million pounds from his employees’ pension funds. After the theft came to light, Maxwell was found dead in mysterious circumstances.

Even when theft is not involved people may not receive the pension they expected. Equitable Life offered a Guaranteed Annuity Rate but when people became eligible to receive their pensions, Equitable Life didn’t have the money to give them.

The National Employment Savings Trust, which will look after many of the new workplace pension schemes, should be a safe place to save money. It will be responsible to government and is run by independent trustees.

The default saving option with NEST is very cautious because the size of investments going down puts young people off saving. These low risk investments may not provide enough money on retirement. People who are auto enrolled on a pension may not save any more for retirement and end up with a very small pension.

Although the pension reforms are widely supported they may not benefit everybody. For example,

older, low paid workers may lose access to some of their means tested state pension by saving with this scheme. Age Concern recommends that the government should introduce a flat rate state pension so that people are not penalised for saving. The coalition government had initially included this in the budget. The government decided against it because they were worried about

alienating the “grey vote”, who were already unhappy about the so called “granny tax”.

The scheme does little to benefit the higher paid who often prefer to invest in property. The face of the auto-enrolment campaign is the football executive Karren Brady who, despite the campaign slogan “I’m in”, has no pension of her own.

Apoorv Kumar Arya

AP for PG! Weidi Xue

Improvement Not just change

Disabilities Officer Sophie Hayden

Taking the label OFF disabled.

Part-time officer candidates

Postgraduate Officer

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Find out more about your candidates online at cardiffstudents.com Candidates Questions: on CUSU Facebook page on Monday October 15th from 6pm–8pm. If you want to ask a question, send it to elections@cardiff.ac.uk

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20 / Columnist

C

ardiff Uni students made it into the Huffington Post this week, not because of our academic or extracurricular activities, but because we made up a big chunk of students attending Carnage. That’s not exactly news worthy or controversial, but the theme was.

To many (including the Carnage organisers) ‘Pimps and Hoes’ is just one of many fun fancy dress themes. In fact, students actually voted for this theme and the event sold out.

To many others of us, the event throws up a couple of serious issues. Our lovely Women’s Officer, Sam Hickman, is one of those people who sees the problems with this theme, and she began an online petition to ‘never have such a mysoginistic theme again.’ Hickman, and Cardiff’s Welfare and Community officer, Meg David argue that this theme trivalises a very serious issues.

Across the world today, including in Britain, the sex industry enslaves men, women and children.

Their bodies are bought and sold like objects. Since I learnt about the extent of modern slavery, I’ve tried to raise awareness about the issue and support charities doing the same thing. This theme seems to fly in the face of that. As one student, Paul Davies wrote on his Facebook page, ‘why not dress up as rape victims next time?’ That’s not to say all ‘hoes’ are victims of slavery but many are.

The company Varsity Leisure Group, who run Carnage have responded to criticism of their event by explaining that the event was chosen by students and that they’re not the only company running events with this theme. This just gives me more reasons to worry. This response just shows how far is still to go in educating the public about the atrocities of the modern slave trade. I wonder how many people would still find this theme ‘fun’ if they had been enslaved by a pimp...

Curious about whether the Huffington Post article I mentioned brought up anyone thinking along the same lines as me, I had a quick look at the comments section. I was left disappointed.

The consensus seems to be that anyone who has a problem with this event is just a boring prude.

Perhaps I am because I just don’t get the joke. When there are so

by Katie Bennett-Davies many other fancy dress options, I don’t understand why someone would want to dress up as a person who makes money from selling people for sex, like they’re dodgy knock-off watches. Call me what you want, but I’d rather dress up as a Smurf any day.

This isn’t the only issue that has been brought up by the ‘Pimps and Hoes’ theme. The big controversy has begun a debate about the way students, in particular women, dress on nights out. For me, this isn’t so easy to answer, mainly because I don’t like telling people how to dress. I definitely don’t think you deserve more or less respect depending on what you’re wearing. Although I don’t think I dress like a “slut”, at least not these days anyway, I would happily go on a ‘Take Back the Night Slut Walk’. If a guy walks out in just a pair of pants, people wouldn’t think it would be okay for women to pounce on him like a piece a meat, it shouldn’t be like that for women either.

So it’s not that I think I should tell people what to wear or that I think that what a person is wearing is ever an excuse for rape, but of course I have opinions. Like a lot of teenage girls often I wore more revealing things to get attention from guys, I usually didn’t end up with the kind of attention I wanted. And the guy I married wasn’t attracted to me because I wore a skirt so short you could see my bum cheeks. That doesn’t mean I shouldn’t show any flesh or wear something that shows off my figure. I do believe that my experiences taught me that what I wear, whatever the reason, does send messages to other people.

You can look hot and sexy, without wearing skirts that are shorter than belts and tops that cover up less than a bra. Okay that was an exaggeration, but you get my point. If you can only get attention by dressing that way, then it’s not the kind of attention that you want. Feminism brought women the opportunity to wear what we want. Now we’re wearing clothes that are saying we don’t want that respect and marketing ourselves as walking asses and boobs. Why would any guy or girl have respect for me if what I’m wearing says I have no respect for myself.

When I get dressed, I do think about what I’m saying about myself. I want people to think I’m attractive, but I don’t want them to think I have no respect for my

body. I want them to notice my smile before my boobs. Frankly I don’t need validation from some random guy in a club that I’m sexy, and even if I did need to increased my self-esteem I don’t think that would be a solution.

Rather than showing my confidence by wearing something revealing, I would wear something

completely different to what all the other girls are wearing. With a great variety of boutique and vintage shops in the arcades in Cardiff it’s not that difficult.

I don’t see why a company as big as Varsity Leisure Group can’t apply this same rule of thumb and come up with something more creative with their fancy dress

Twitter

ideas. They could buck the trend and actually come up with some original fancy dress ideas instead of using a theme like ‘Pimps and Hoes’, which is offensive and encourages women to be seen as objects which can be bought by the highest bidder.

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22 / Science

Meningitis: know the risks

In the wake of Meningitis Awareness Week, Science editor Alexey Underwood looks at the dangers of meningitis and how they can be avoided

M

eningitis is a deadly disease characterised by the inflammation of the brain and spinal cord’s protective tissues. It can be caused by a variety of infections and can kill in less than four hours.

Unfortunately, little is known about meningitis by the general public. This would not be such an issue if the symptoms of the disease were particularly alarming – indeed, it would attract immediate attention. With meningitis, unfortunately, this isn’t the case, and the disease can easily go unnoticed until it’s too late.

The symptoms of meningitis are worryingly similar to those of flu or a bad hangover, so, for example, a simple self-misdiagnosis of a severe case of 'Freshers' Flu' could, without the correct prior knowledge, have truly drastic consequences.

that full awareness of the symptoms and risks associated with the disease is vitally important, because until a vaccine is developed for all strains, everyone in the UK is still at risk of contracting it. There are eight key symptoms of meningitis that, when identified in time, can prevent the disease from spiralling out of control. These are fever, severe headaches, neck stiffness, vomiting, photosensitivity, drowsiness, joint pain, and, crucially, a skin rash that doesn’t turn white when pressed. The last symptom is an indicator of septicaemia – blood poisoning brought about by infection. This usually signifies a medical emergency.

All students attending Cardiff University are advised to check with their GP clinic whether they have received the correct vaccination programme in their infancy before starting their courses – this process is simple and involves nothing more than

The meninges are a system of protective membranes that envelop the brain and spinal cord.

When inflamed, they can put damaging pressure on the delicate neural tissue contained within, resulting in outcomes such as brain damage or death. Perhaps the worst thing about this condition is how gravely it can deteriorate in a matter of hours. The inflammation itself can be caused by a number of factors, including bacterial or viral infection.

Most people born in the UK are vaccinated against meningitis and a series of other diseases in their infancy. While these vaccines protect against a number of meningitis strains (Meningitis C, Pneumococcal meningitis and Haemophilus Influenzae type B), they offer no protection from the Meningococcal group B bacterium, which causes 90% of cases in the UK. This is simply because a vaccine against it doesn’t yet exist. It is for precisely this reason

10%

of UK residents are meningitis carriers

contacting the relevant surgeries and asking for the information.

This applies to both local and overseas students. In the unusual case of an individual not having yet received the appropriate vaccination, the problem is resolved by arranging for one to be made free of charge by a GP. The ease with which this is all done really means there are no excuses!

Those planning to visit certain areas such as Saudi Arabia or sub-Saharan Africa in particular should make sure their vaccinations against meningitis are up to date.

Meningitis awareness is especially important at university.

Simply put, the risks of contracting the disease at university are amplified. One in four 15–19 year olds carry meningitis-causing bacteria in the back of their throats, and when students from all over the world are thrown together into close proximity for a long period of time, the risks

become obvious. While the bacteria cannot survive outside their human hosts, they can be passed on from one human to another through close and intimate contact – which students experience quite a lot of. Furthermore, meningococcal bacteria are easily transmitted through saliva and nasal discharge, making meningitis a disease that can be spread through coughing, sneezing or sharing eating utensils.

Many students at university are away from home for the first time, and, if we’re being quite honest with ourselves, our health isn’t always at the top of our list of priorities. On the contrary, hangovers, 'Fresher’s Flu' and even some STDs are proudly worn by some sufferers as figurative badges of extraversion or “laddishness”. However, considering the risks of meningitis and the ease with which the risk of contracting it can be reduced, it’s really worth making the effort.

90%

of UK cases are caused by Meningitis B, which has no vaccine

10%

of meningitis victims die

4 hours

are all it takes for meningitis to kill

25%

3,400

of victims are left with severe disabilities

people in the UK are affected every year

Mouse study shows promise for human infertility Bonnie Brown Science Writer

Groundbreaking research undertaken by Japanese scientists could pave the way to overcoming infertility in both men and women.

The scientists, led by Dr Katsuhiko Hayashi of Kyoto University, investigated the possibility of converting mouse stem cells into primordial eggs cells, or oocytes, which are needed for reproduction. The study built upon the group’s earlier research from 2011, which found that male gametes could be created from stem cells.

The experiment successfully showed that it was possible to

synthesise mouse oocytes not only from embryonic stem cells (ESCs) but also from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) created from some types of skin cell.

The skin cells were reprogrammed back into a stem celllike state before being converted into oocytes, which was achieved using proteins that exert control over cell growth and differentiation.

The resulting oocytes were contained in “reconstituted ovaries”, baths of supporting cells and substances normally found in natural ovaries. This environment helped the oocytes develop and mature. The matured oocytes were later fertilised in vitro and transplanted into surrogate adult female mice. The experiment was successful in providing a number of healthy offspring, who in turn went on to have offspring of their own.

So, what are the implications for human cells? If the iPSC technique could be modified in such a way as to become successful in humans, it could potentially mean that human reproductive capacity would not be limited by

age factors such as menopause. It beggars belief that all that would be needed for such a procedure are skin cells to induce stem cell conversion from.

Speaking about the possibilities of applying the technique to humans, Dr Hayashi said: “It is impossible to adapt immediately this system to human stem cells, due to a number of not only scientific reasons, but also ethical reasons.” He explained that the difficulty of predicting the longterm health effects of any children conceived in this way was an important factor.

Another problem is synthesising the proteins needed by humans to help transform stem cells into eggs and sperm, which

are very different to those used in the mice study.

This project is clearly still a work in progress, but a potential source of hope for those who suffer from infertility, particularly post-menopausal women who want children genetically related to them.

Researcher Dr Eveyln Telfer of the University of Edinburgh, not involved in the study, explained that the research has “no clinical relevance” to human egg cells, as the knowledge of how these cells develop is still very limited. On the other hand, she did suggest that, “if you can show it works in human cells, it is like the Holy Grail of reproductive biology.”

Science 22-23

Monday October 15th 2012 | @gairrhyddsci

‘Cauldron’ cocktail is deadly drink Weidi Xue

Science Writer Do you want to drink something that looks like it came out of a cauldron? This is probably a question that Oscar’s Wine Bar in Lancaster asked many of their customers before serving those who replied 'yes' with a cocktail that contained liquid nitrogen.

Gaby Scanlon was celebrating her 18th birthday and, like any teenager-going-on-adult, most probably decided to celebrate in extravagant style by purchasing the fanciest cocktail available.

The 'cauldron cocktail' certainly looked the part due to its mysterious smoky nature. Unfortunately, shortly after its consumption, the drink also caused her to be rushed to hospital in order to have her stomach removed.

Liquid nitrogen, or LN2, is particularly dangerous due to its characteristic low temperature.

When in gaseous form, nitrogen makes up 78% of the Earth’s atmosphere. It stays as a gas until it is super-cooled to temperatures below –196°C, at which point it becomes a liquid. Liquid nitrogen is extremely unstable when it comes into contact with any surface that is significantly warmer than its own. For example, it immediately boils when it is dropped on ice and can cause serious injury when in contact with human tissue. The experience can be compared to getting full-blown frostbite in less than 10 seconds on the affected area; now imagine that same process inside a stomach.

Despite the many stories of chefs such as Heston Blumenthal experimenting with liquid nitrogen while cooking, it has always primarily been a tool for extremely fast freezing as opposed to an actual ingredient. News of this bar using the substance as an ingredient should come as a shock and highlights the fact that little research was done prior to the creation of this cocktail. Clearly,

in the case of Oscar’s Wine Bar, marketability and shock factor seemed to come before the safety and wellbeing of their customers.

Miss Scanlon is said to be in a stable but critical condition after her emergency operation.

The liquid nitrogen caused a perforation in her stomach lining, requiring a gastrectomy to resolve the issue. The procedure involves complete removal of the stomach and connecting the oesophagus directly to the small intestine. All the food that she now consumes bypasses the digestive processes usually occurring in the stomach, so her diet will need to be changed accordingly. The cocktail bar has since stopped serving the cauldron cocktail and has been fully cooperative in the inquiry.

Marketability and shock factor seemed to come before the safety and wellbeing of the customers There are many recipes online that advocate the usage of liquid nitrogen in cocktails, but any ingestion of this substance should be avoided. An alternative to liquid nitrogen is dry ice, carbon dioxide in solid form. Dry ice exists at a relatively warm temperature of –78°C, making it a less dangerous ingredient. It fizzles when submerged in water and also creates a “cauldron” effect. As a result of its sublimation, solid carbon dioxide instantly turns into a gas when warmed, bypassing the liquid phase. As such, it cannot be ingested. However, it can still cause frostbite-like damage when in its solid form, so great care must be taken when handling it.

Maybe it’s best we just leave the cauldron effect alone?

Aspirin found to decelerate cognitive function decline Victoria Pease Science Writer

A study published in the medical journal BMJ-Open examined whether a low dosage of acetylsalicylic acid – also known as aspirin – influences the rate of cognitive decline in elderly women with a high risk of heart disease.

Research was limited to residents of the city of Gothenburg in Sweden, where high cardiovascular risk is not routinely treated with aspirin. They therefore provide a unique comparative group for study.

Although the results showed that a long-term daily intake of aspirin assists cognitive abilities in various memory and arithmetic tests, the rate at which participants developed dementia in age was not affected.

The study involved 681 women

between the ages of 70 and 92, of which 601 women were categorised as being at high cardiovascular risk. During a five-year daily course of low-dosage aspirin, cognition and mental health were measured at various stages in a Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), which included tests such as verbal fluency, visualspatial tests, naming ability and memory word tests. After five years, a follow-up study of 489 women was conducted, of which 129 were taking low-dose aspirin (70–160mg) on a daily basis, and further 94 were taking other antiinflammatory drugs.

Although results showed that the MMSE score generally fell among participants, women with a daily intake of low-dose aspirin declined significantly less in scores than those that had unequal intakes. Women who had

taken aspirin for the entire fiveyear period (66 in total) even increased in MMSE scores. Factors taken into account to provide representative study results include participant age, genetic factors, participants’ cardiovascular risk score and the intake of other anti-inflammatory drugs.

Researchers running the study thus suggest that there is a neuroprotective effect provided by a daily intake of low-dosage aspirin in elderly women at high cardiovascular risk. It ought to be taken into account, however, that the MMSE is based on observational criteria, excluding subtle changes in cognitive ability. For more significant study results and a better understanding of the protective effects related to the intake of aspirin, randomised control studies over longer time periods would be necessary.

“Revolutionary” British scientist wins Nobel Prize David Mason Science Writer

The experience can be compared to getting full-blown frostbite in less than ten seconds

23

British scientist Sir John Gurdon, 79, has received the 2012 Nobel Prize in the field of Medicine, for his ground-breaking work with stem cells and cloning.

His research, published in 1962, proved that the genetic information available within amphibian cells is sufficient enough, when implanted into an egg, to develop into a clone of the donor.

Described by the Nobel committee as having “revolutionised” science, Gurdon shares this Nobel Prize with Japanese scientist Shinya Yamanaka. Professor Yamanaka expanded upon Sir John’s research in 2006, showing that adult skin cells could be genetically reprogrammed into stem cells, able to function as any

other cell type.

These cloning techniques permitted further research into the subject, eventually resulting in the iconic cloning of Dolly the sheep in 1996. Sir Ian Wilmut, the researcher leading this work, is reported to be very pleased with the prize being awarded this year to both recipients.

Sir John’s research overthrew beliefs of the time, that specialised cells could not be reassigned, after being taught as such, as a graduate student of Oxford in 1958. Prior to his university education, Gurdon's school report indicated his aspirations of becoming a scientist were “quite ridiculous.” In accepting the prize, he thanked the UK for supporting basic and general scientific research, leading to his discovery, which was “purely of scien-

tific interest”.

“It is particularly pleasing to see how purely basic research, originally aimed at testing the genetic identity of different cell types in the body, has turned out to have clear human health prospects,” he remarked.

It is hoped that the techniques used by both Gurdon and Yamanaka will revolutionise medicinal potential, with the possibility of using a patient’s skin sample to create stem cells, capable of repairing damaged tissues. As for the future, Sir John has said that he intends to dedicate at least part of his share of the approximately £750,000 prize to a scheme to fund PhD students after their original funding has dried up.

24 / Societies

Focus on a new Society: Krishna Consciousness

gair rhydd looks from the perspective of a student at how Cardiff’s Krishna Consciousness Society is faring in its first year as an affiliated society.

Vanessa Platt

Societies Editor Having succeeded in impressing enough to become affiliated to the Guild of Societies, the next challenge for the committee of a new society is attracting fellow students and building up a sufficient number of members – one of the provisos for remaining affiliated. With that in mind, gair rhydd will be taking a positive, light-handed and yet focussed look at how the new societies of this year are performing in the eyes of a student who attended their event.

This week Societies at gair rhydd caught up with Sarah, a 3rd year undergraduate, who went along to a taster session / social held by Krishna Consciousness.

Her knowledge and awareness of Krishna Consciousness before the event were sketchy: "I had an uninformed idea that they were a branch of Hinduism", she said, "but mainly I had simply heard of them, from when they have been collecting money in the street for charity, for example." It would seem, for a start, that she had gone to the right society for insight: based on the 16th century Indian religious movement of ‘Hare Krishna’ and modernised in 1965 by the founding of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness in New York City, this society follows the teachings in the sacred Krishna text, the Bhagavad-Gita (‘As It Is’) and offers ‘a platform to evolve the mind’, as well as ‘to give direction in life and reveal a deeper level of insight by connecting with like-

minded people’. ‘Like-minded people’ include not only those of Krishna persuasion, Sarah found a characteristic of friendly openmindedness which she found very positive and which left her feeling, as she put it, ‘pleasantly surprised’. ‘I thought that perhaps it would be hard to get on with people of a different religion to

A Krishna Parade in London

they made taste amazing’ and very in keeping with the Krishna principle of avoiding meat and egg (the scientific term being ‘lacto-vegetarianism’).

Having enjoyed speaking to them at the Societies Fayre, Sarah decided to go along and see what they were about. I asked about her first impressions of the event and society. "It was a very well organised meet & greet" she reflected. ‘Those in Krishna Consciousness t-shirts were very welcoming. There was a good introductory talk with a PowerPoint presentation to introduce committee members, show what they normally do

as a result, sounded inquisitive, friendly, and refreshing. It took students new to the idea of Krishna a little outside their comfort zone, but not too far and not too quickly, making it likely that this young society will gain a valuably reflective and faithful group of members this year.

We wish them a rewarding year ahead.

and can offer, like classes in yoga and meditation, and tell us about their series of ‘Think Out Loud’ sessions, as well as their vegetarian cooking sessions at Café Atma, which sound good’ The ‘meet’ part of the event was organised so that everyone spoke to someone new, and "we were asked to find out a little about them - in particular, why they were there that night and what they would take to a desert island with them."

Taking that final question, there was then a more in-depth talk given on the basics of Krishna, says Sarah, "which, as best as I can summarise it, discussed the nature of human emotional

connections as something which originate from within us. This could, perhaps, be approximated to the idea of humans having a ‘soul’. I was listening intently for a statement of what Krishna followers actually believe, and I asked the speaker what ‘spirituality’ was, too, but I didn’t get the definitive answer I thought I would." It would seem, perhaps, that the difference between ‘spirituality’ and ‘philosophy’ lacked sufficient distinction at this point – philosophy always having been found, by most people, the more complex of the two! ‘Spirituality’, even if it is ‘practical’ and ‘applied’ to life, is not always a ‘philosophy’, after all, and the society uses all these terms together to describe themselves on their website – indicating a highly-developed and perhaps outwardly complex belief system. But there is no doubting that the event was a success: "I am planning to go back," said Sarah, adding finally that "there was a nice mix of people who already had Krishna persuasions and those who were just curious" - the atmosphere,

Thursday, October 18th - Debating Society's

Friday, October 19th - Capoeria Society's Friday training

Society's the Great

debate training evening in

with Contra Mestre

Amnesty International's

Tuesday, October 16th - Cooking Society

Wednesday, October 17th - African Caribbean Debate, 5 - 7.30pm. Part

the Humanities Cafe in the

Claudio Campos, 7.30

first social meeting at

social, 7.30 - 10.30pm,

of a nation wide debate

ENCAP building, 7 - 9pm.

- 9.30pm, Talybont

Milgi's Cafe, City Road,

Koko Gorillaz. If you are

tour taking place in the

They meet every Thursday

Sports Centre. Beginners

7 - 9pm. We will be in the

interested in taking part

Large Chemistry lab, Main

for debate training.

always welcome! Wear

Milgi's Yurt looking at the

in our "Come Dine With

Building, which should be

comfortable clothing and

campaigns that Amnesty is

Me" events then do come

a very enlightening and

indoor shoes or barefoot.

focusing on at the moment

along!

enjoyable event.

Cost £4 per class for

Monday October 15th -

It took students a little outside their comfort zone, but not too far and not too quickly.

myself, but it wasn’t at all. I made it clear that I was a Christian, and I still felt very welcomed by what is obviously a really open, friendly group of people."

Free food was advertised, but Sarah was also very pleasantly surprised to receive a full ‘free meal! - a vegetarian dish of pasta and cauliflower which

Vishnu, the principle diety

students.

Societies 24–25

Monday October 15th 2012 | @gairrhyddsoc

25

Students for Kids International Projects Vanessa Platt Societies Editor

SKIP Cardiff is a branch of ‘Students for Kids International Projects’, a national, volunteerled charity with branches across different universities in the UK. They aim to develop and maintain sustainable, community-based projects aimed at improving the health, education and welfare of vulnerable children.

The charity has its origins in 1999, when five medical students from The University of Wales College of Medicine, as it was then called, were invited to the Novinki Children’s Home outside Minsk; one of thirty five orphanages in Belarus. The two hundred young people aged five to twenty five living there, all had disabilities ranging from the mild to the severe; from

autism and Down’s syndrome to schizophrenia and cerebral palsy.

Many children such as these were victims of an impoverished society. Their families often lived in Minsk but were too poor to afford childcare or to remain at home to look after them. The children in the Novinki Home were regarded as objects to feed, wash and change, rather than children who deserve loving care and stimulation. The ‘highdependency’ children there were, at that point, being looked after by two carers who worked 24 hour shifts.

The next year, 60 students travelled out to Novinki in groups of 12 to work in the Orphanage washing the children, feeding them properly and changing them from their urine-soaked clothes.

Naomi, a member of SKIP,

told gair rhydd that "going on project provided me with an amazing experience whilst being incredibly challenging. It was very rewarding to be able to make even the smallest difference to a child’s life. Being student-run, SKIP allows for flexibility and lots of opportunities to become involved. I would definitely recommend it."

SKIP at Cardiff has been working in two orphanages for disabled children in Belarus for the last 13 years, aiming to reduce the stigma of disability

It was very rewarding to be able to make even the smallest difference to a child’s life and improve the general care of the children. Due to the project becoming unsustainable we have, unfortunately, had to withdraw from Belarus, and SKIP at Cardiff took on the name of the national body in place of their previous name, ‘Belarussian Aid for Children Cardiff Undergraduate Programme’, or BACCUP. Now the branch is in very exciting times, as we are setting up a new project in Zambia.

In the summer just gone, we conducted a research project into the possibilities and, due to the successful results, we are currently in the process of developing this new Zambian project in time for the summer of 2013.

We are now looking for anyone, of any degree discipline, who may be interested in volunteering in Zambia next summer. Healthbased degree student volunteers are especially valuable. If you would like to get involved in this exciting project, please do come along to our Welcome Evening on the Tuesday October 16th at the Large Chemistry lecture theatre,

Main building, at 7pm.

Alternatively, you can always check out our website www. s k i p k i d s . o r g . u k /p r o j e c t s / skip-cardiff-belarus or go to our Facebook group (search for ‘SKIPCardiff’) for more information. Thanks to Naomi Woods from SKIP for her extensive collaboration on this article.

Plaid Cymru New this year, they are the student movement of a grassroots, community-based party which wants to see an independent Wales achieve economic prosperity and social justice through decentralist socialism.

26 / Taf-Od

Andrews i benodi pwyllgor i drafod dyfodol yr Eisteddfod Genedlaethol Yn fuan wedi'r cyhoeddiad y bydd yr Eisteddfod Genedlaethol yn dychwelyd i Lanelli yn 2014, Angharad Hywel sy'n trafod newidiadau i draddodiadau a threfniant y brifwyl

Y

O taf D

r wythnos ddiwethaf cyhoeddwyd fod yr Eisteddfod Genedlaethol am ymweld â thref Llanelli yn 2014; yr ail waith ers 2000 i’r Brifwyl gael ei chynnal yno. Ynghyd â’r cyhoeddiad hwn, nodwyd bwriad Leighton Andrews y Gweinidog Addysg a Sgiliau, i benodi pwyllgor i drafod sut all yr Eisteddfod newid gyda’r oes.

Dydy’r drafodaeth am newidiadau i’r Eisteddfod ddim yn newydd. Ceir awgrymiadau bron yn flynyddol. Wrth gwrs mae’r Eisteddfod wedi newid ac addasu yn aruthrol dros y canrifoedd, gan ddod yn Brifwyl Cymru a chwmpasu diwylliant Cymraeg yn ddathliad 8 diwrnod bob blwyddyn. Ond y cwestiwn mawr ydy sut effaith gaiff y newidiadau yma ar yr wyl, ac ar brofiad yr Eisteddfodwyr?

Yn syml, y prif reswm dros awgrymu newidiadau i’r Eisteddfod ydy’r colledion mawr a welwyd dros y blynyddoedd diwethaf. Bu £47,000 o golled yn dilyn Eisteddfod Blaenau Gwent 2010, ac yn waeth, bu £90,000 o golled wedi Eisteddfod Wrecsam 2011. Gwelwyd arbedion i geisio newid y patrwm yn Eisteddfod Bro Morgannwg 2012, wrth i gorfforaeth yr Eisteddfod fynd ati i geisio arbed £200,000.

Dros y blynyddoedd diwethaf gyda’r dirwasgiad ariannol, mae pobl wedi cwestiynu sut mae cyfiawnhau colledion o’r fath, yn enwedig gan fod yr Eisteddfod yn derbyn nawdd o £506,400 gan lywodraeth Cymru pob blwyddyn.

Ond nid yr Eisteddfod yn unig sydd yn derbyn nawdd ariannol wrth grws. Mae llawer i wyl gelfyddydol yng Nghymru yn derbyn cymorth ariannol gan y lly-

wodraeth. Ac nid y llywodraeth yn unig sy’n ariannu’r Eisteddfod, mae’r ardal penodedig hefyd yn codi arian er mwyn cynnal y brifwyl. Yn wir, bellach disgwylir i’r ardal godi rhwng £300,000 a £320,000 drwy gynlluniau cymunedol.

Un o brif sialensau’r Eisteddfod yw ceisio ehangu apêl yr wyl.

Ceir tua 160,000 o ymwelwyr â’r wyl bob blwyddyn. Er y niferoedd sylweddol, mae’r Eisteddfod eisiau apelio mwy mwy i bobl ddi-gymraeg, a Chymry na fyddai fel arfer yn mynychu’r wyl. Nid gwyl i siaradwyr Cymraeg yn unig ydy hi, ond ‘gwyl i unrhyw un sy’n awyddus i gael blas ar ein hiaith a’n diwylliant.’. Ond a fyddai ceisio apelio fwyfwy i bobl ddi-gymraeg yn pergylu ein gwyl ni y Cymry?

Bu newidiadau i’r Eisteddfod yn barod eleni ym Mro Morgannwg. Roedd hon yn Eisteddfod lwyddiannus iawn o ran profiadau eistedfodwyr, er fod niferoedd o

bobl a fynychodd yr wyl i lawr, yn enwedig gyda’r newidiadau yn llwyddo i ychwanegu at awyrgylch y maes ei hun. Eleni, dim ond un safle bwyd a bar a gafwyd ar y maes, ynghyd â digwyddiadau MaesC yn cael eu cynnal ar lwyfan perfformio’r maes. O ganlyniad, roedd Eisteddfodwyr yn aros ar y maes yn mwynhau’r adloniant yn hwyr i’r nos. Gwelwyd hefyd newid ym maint y pafiliwn, gan ei gwneud yn llai, a newid y cynllun seddau tu mewn iddi.

Newidiadau ariannol oedd y rhain, ond bu newidiadau hefyd i Orsedd y Beirdd. O hyn ymlaen dim ond prif enillwyr yr wyl châiff eu hurddo i’r wisg wen, gyda phawb arall yn cael eu derbyn ar yr un lefel, hynny yw Derwydd - y wisg las neu werdd.

Mae datblygiadau diwylliannol wedi bod yn rhan o’r Eisteddfod erioed, megis y penderfyniad i gael pabell roc ar y maes y dilyn protest hynod swnllyd gan y Trwynau Coch yn y 1970au. Does

dim byd o’i le ar wneud newidiadau; mae pob diwylliant angen newid.

Un o brif sialensiau'r Eisteddfod yw ceisio enhangu apêl yr wyl Mae’n debyg mai’r newid mwyaf a welwn dros y blynyddoedd nesaf fydd i’r lleoliad. Awgrymwyd dylai’r brifwyl ymweld â lleoliad parhaol bob yn ail flwyddyn, gan deithio i ardaloedd eraill yn y blynyddoedd bwlch.

Does dim gwadu byddai hyn yn hynod ymarferol, yn enwedig oherwydd maint yr wyl. Er engraifft, yn ôl pob tebyg does dim safle gyda digon o le gwastad ym Mhen Llyn nac Eifionydd i gynnal yr Eisteddfod bellach. Ond mae’r traddodiad o symud o ardal i ardal yn flynyddol yn rhan annatod o’r wyl, ac mae’n hynod bwysig gan ei fod yn dod â chymuned yr ardal benodedig at ei gilydd i godi pwyllgorau, cynnal

côr ac i godi arian. Dywed yr Eisteddfod fod yr wyl yn ‘uchafbwynt cynllun cymunedol dwy flynedd a mwy’. Drwy ymweld ag ardaloedd gwahanol bob blwyddyn pwysleisir y canfyddiad mai gwyl y cylch a gwyl y Cymry ydy hon. Llwyddir yn aml hefyd i helpu deffro’r iaith a’r diwylliant Cymraeg a Chymreig yn yr ardal, yn enwedig yr ardaloedd hynny sydd yn ymddangosiadol yn ddigymraeg. Mae rhai yn poeni felly byddai rhoi’r gorau i deithio mor aml i’r ardaloedd hyn yn achosi mwy o ddad-gymreigio.

Mae hwn yn amser cythryblus iawn i Eisteddfod Genedlaethol Cymru, yn enwedig gyda phenodiad panel i gyfrannu awgrymiadau er mwyn gwneud newidiadau mawr. Dim ond amser a ddengys a fydd newidiadau am y gorau i’r wyl, ac a fydd yr Eisteddfodwyr brwd a newydd yn eu cefnogi.

Straeon OD o bob rhan o'r byd... Wythnos yma, bwgan brain byw a dyn yn dwyn un doler...

M

ae graddedig o Brifysgol Bangor wedi darganfod ffordd ryfedd iawn o wneud prês - wrth weithio fel bwgan-brain. Mae Jamie Fox (na, dim y rapiwr/actor americanaidd), a astudiodd Saesneg a Cherddoriaeth yn y brifysgol, yn ennill dau gant a hanner o bunoedd yr wythnos am eistedd mewn cae, mewn siaced oren lachar tra’n chwarae’r

ukelele a’r acordion, tra’n disgwyl am adar i lanio ar y cae. Dyma pryd mae Fox yn mynd i waith ag yn codi i ofni’r adar i ffwrdd.

Dwi’n clywed be’ rydych i’n ei ddweud - “Mae hynny’n swnio’n waith caled iawn i raddedig o Brifysgol Bangor wneud!” - Ond mae’n rhaid i ni roi siawns iddynt!

Yn yr Alban wythnos diwethaf, fe wobrwywyd ddau Banda gan y bwrdd twristiaeth swyddogol, am eu llwyddiant mewn denu twristiaid i’r wlad. Mae’n debyg fod

Tian Tian a Yang Guang (y pandas), wedi denu oddeuty 500,000 o ymwlewyr i’r wlad ers iddynt symud o Tseina i sw Caeredin, a dyma pam y dewisiodd y bwrdd twristiaeth eu gwobrwyo gyda’r wobr arbenning wedi ei wneud allan o fambw. Doedd gan y Pandas ddim sylwad i wneud ynglyn a derbyn y wobr.

Yn y cyfamser, mae dyn yn America wedi cael ei arestio am geisio dwyn un doler o fanc.

Mae’n debyg ei fod eisiau mynd i’r carchar am reswm sydd ddim

yn hollol glir. Mae’n anhebygol y bydd cyfarwyddwyr Hollywood yn cwffio am hawlio i wneud ffilm o’r lladrad anhygoel hyn. Buaswn yn mynd mor bell a dweud y bydd yna ‘Tipyn o Stad: The Movie’ yn cael ei ryddhau cyn i stori’r dyn hyn ymddangos mewn sinemau.

Taf-Od 26-27

Dydd Llun 15fed Hydref 2012 | @taf_od

27

Penwythnos o gyffro a cherddoriaeth ddi-baid: ydi, mae gwyl S n yn ôl am flwyddyn arall Gerallt Rhys Roberts sy'n eich cynghori chi am y penwythnos o gerddoriaeth gwych sydd i ddod

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ros y penwythnos bydd canol Caerdydd unwaith eto yn llawn o S n. Wedi holl wyliau’r ‘Haf’ yn y gwynt a’r glaw, G yl S n yw heb os nac oni bai g yl ddinesig orau Cymru, gyda degau ar ddegau o fandiau yn chwarae mewn amryw o dafarndai, clybiau a llwyfannau agored ar draws y ddinas. Dyma gyfle na all unrhyw fyfyriwr sy’n dod i Gaerdydd golli felly er mwyn profi’r gorau o gerddoriaeth o Gymru a tu hwnt, a hynny ar stepen eu drws. Gyda rhywbeth at ddant bawb, mae’r safon yn bendant o fod yn uchel, gyda tast cerddorol Huw Stephens fel un o’r trefnwyr yn stamp amlwg ar yr yl. Ac fel y gellir disgwyl o glywed rhaglenni Huw ar Radio 1 a Radio Cymru, mae’n sicr o roi’r detholiad gorau o fandiau ac artistiaid Cymraeg ar bob llwyfan.

Yn O’Neills ‘bach’ (yn agos i Owain Glynd r) ar nos Iau mae’r band ffresh o fryniau Gogledd Cymru, S nami, yn chwarae er enghraifft. Yn enillwyr Brwydr y

Bandiau C2 Radio Cymru yn 2011 mae’r band pop-roc catchy (gyda enw perffaith ar gyfer chwarae yn yr yl!) wedi mynd o nerth i nerth, ac wedi cefnogi yr Ods yn ddiweddar yng Nglwb Ifor.

Mae Tom ap Dan wedi creu dipyn o enw i’w hun yn ddiweddar hefyd – gyda’i frand unigryw o gerddoriaeth gwerin, gyda dôs da o’r blws. Yn Dempseys yn hwyr nos Iau gallwch ganfod Tom gyda’i gitâr yn y gornel, yn awyrgylch perffaith ar ei gyfer.

Yn y Buffalo nos wener, bydd un o fandiau mwya poblogaidd y sîn roc Gymraeg, Y Bandana, yn denu torf. Gyda dau o'i haelodau yn astudio'n Gaerdydd, mae'n siwr y bydd y Buffalo yn llawn myfyrwyr a bydd digon o gyffro.

Neu os am brofiad gwahanol, draw ar y nos Wener yn Under-

tone, clwb yng ngwaelod Ten Feet Tall - rownd y gornel i O’Neills, gallwch wrando ar gerddoriaeth Ifan Dafydd. Yn gyn-aelod o Derwyddon Dr Gonzo, mae wedi troi ei fryd at gerddoriaeth electronig erbyn hyn, sydd wedi cael ei gysylltu â James Blake, gan ddenu diddordeb mawr yn ei fideos ar YouTube, a chael cefnogaeth dda ar lwyfan Reading yn gynharach eleni.

O’r electro-dubstep i’r acwstig - Casi Wyn sy’n canu ym mar Gwdih - dros y ffordd i Cineworld (sydd yn debyg i dylluan ar yr ail-olwg!), b’nawn Sadwrn.

Ar ôl hâf llawn o gigs, ar y gitâr neu wrth y biano mae baledi Casi yn si r o’ch swyno - yn gyfeiliant gwych i beint yn y dafarn eclectic hon.

Dyma gyfle na all unrhyw fyfyriwr sy'n dod i Gaerdydd golli Pâr na alwch eu colli yn ystod y penwythnos, bron yn llythrennol oherwydd eu llwyfan ar fandstand yr Hayes, yw Llwybr Llaethog. Wedi 25 mlynedd rhyfeddol o fod ar flaen y gâd gyda hip-hop

a dub Cymraeg mae’r brodyr John a Kevs yn dal i gigio’n galed, ac wedi rhyddhau albwm newydd yn ddiweddar. Bydd eu nodau bas yn si r o wneud i bobl ddawnsio wrth wneud eu siopa ar bnawn Sadwrn!

Neu os am glywed caneuon poblogaidd ar eu newydd wedd mewn ailgymysgiadau, mae Plyci yn artist gwych i orffen y penwythnos ar nos Sul yn Gwdih .

Yn hen enw i yl S n, mae ei fersiynau glitchy-electronig o ganeuon Gruff Rhys, er enghraifft, yn atseinio o guriadau Daft Punk.

Dim ond o gynnwys llond llaw o artistiaid Cymraeg gellir gweld pa mor eang yw’r hyn sydd ar gael yn yr yl hon. Hydnoed os nad ydych am fentro i rai o’r gigiau rydych chi’n si r o deimlo’r awyrgylch yng nghanol y ddinas.

Ond colled byddai peidio bod yn rhan o’r yl – prynwch fand garddwn S n, a cael eich s -yno wrth archwilio rhai o leoliadau gigs mwyaf hynod y brifddinas – a chael brêc o Walkabout, Glam a’u tebyg am unwaith!

Erthygl sy'n lladd ar y iaith Gymraeg yn pechu AC Peter Black Wythnos yma, mae Taf-od yn trafod erthygl oedd yn feirniadol o’r iaith Gymraeg, a’r ymateb i'r erthygl

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“

Mae’r iaith Gymraeg wedi cael ei siarad ers cannoedd o flynyddoedd ac wedi goroesi gwrthwynebiad gan bwerau llawer mwy na cyflwynydd ‘The Weakest Link’ ag ysgrifenwr i’r ‘Guardian’

ros wythnos yn ôl, fe cyhoeddwyd erthygl gan Simon Jenkins ar wefan y ‘Guardian’ a drafododd ieithoedd bychain a tafodieithoedd o gwmpas Prydain Fawr. Yn yr erthygl, mae Jenkins yn gwneud sylwadau negyddol ynglyn a’r iaith Gymraeg a’i dyfodol. Chlywais i ddim am yr erthygl na’r hyn a ddyweddodd am y iaith Gymraeg, hynny yw, tan i Aelod Cynulliad De Orllewin Cymru, Peter Black ymateb i’r erthygl, yn amwlg wedi ei bechu gan eiriau Jenkins.

I roi y sefyllfa mewn cyd-destun i chi, roedd erthygl Jenkins yn trafod marwolaeth y dyn olaf a oedd yn siarard iaith ‘Cromarty’, iaith fechain iawn, oedd yn cael ei ddefnyddio gan ychydig iawn o bobl yng Ngogledd yr Alban.

Gyda’i farwolaeth ef, mae’r iaith hynafol hefyd wedi diflanu mewn i’r gorffenol. Mae Jenkins yn parhau i drafod ieithoedd lleiafrifol, fel Catalan a Cymraeg ag ymysg ei sylwadau, mae’n honni mai y prif reswm fod y Gymraeg wedi goroesi yw oherwydd iddi gael ei gormesu gan y Saeson drwy gydol ei hanes. Yn ogystal a hyn, mae’n awgrymu fod y Gymraeg yn cael ei orfodi ar y bobl, a fod ieithoedd sydd wedi ei gorfodi ar

y bobl gyda hanes o fethiant ym Mhrydain. Sylw arall, a wnaeth gythriddo Peter Black, oedd sylwadau Jenkins oedd yn awgrymu fod perygl y gallai y Gymraeg ddilyn trywydd yr iaith Gatalan drwy gymysgu ymreolaeth wleidyddol â hawliau ieithyddol, ac y gallai hyn olygu fod Cymry di-Gymraeg yn symud allan o’r Gymru er mwyn chwilio am swyddi a bod eu gorfodi allan yn mynd yn groes i hawliau dynol.

Ymatebodd Black i’r sylwad hyn drwy ddweud a’r ei flog arlein: “Dydw i ddim yn ymwybodol o unrhyw swyddi blaenllaw sy’n gofyn am y Gymraeg fel un o’r hanfodion ac nad oes modd llenwi’r swydd honno o’r herwydd...” Mae Black yn mynd ymlaen i ddweud fod “...creu’r myth hwn o gysur ei [Jenkins] ddesg yn Llundain ddim yn helpu nac yn glyfar.”

Er fy mod yn cytuno gyda’r hyn mae Black yn ddweud yn ei ymateb i Jenkins a gymaint ag ydwi’n anghytuno gyda’r hyn y mae Jenkins wedi ysgrifennu, oes angen i ni fel cenedl gael ein pechu mor hawdd? Yn enwedig gan sylwadau a barn pobl sydd i bob pwrpas gyda ychydig iawn o ddylanwad ar y cyhoedd? Pan fu i mi ddarllen erthyglau ynglyn a’r digwyddiad, cefais fy’n atgoffa o’r helynt a ddilynodd syl-

wadau Anne Robinson ar raglen ‘Room 101’ dros ddeng mlynedd yn ôl, pan ddywedodd hi ei bod hi ddim yn hôff o’r Cymry. Ddeallais i byth pam oedd ei sylwadau mor ddadleuol, a pham y cafon i, fel Cymry, ein pechu gymaint.

Beth yw’r ots os yw cyflwynydd ‘The Weakest Link’ ddim yn hôff ohonnym? Mae’r iaith Gymraeg wedi cael ei siarad ers cannoedd o flynyddoedd ac wedi goroesi gwrthwynebiad gan bwerau llawer mwy na cyflwynydd ‘The Weakest Link’ ag ysgrifenwr i’r ‘Guardian’, oes angen i aelod cynulliad ymateb mor ffyrnig i sylwadau di-ddim fel yr rhain a wnaiff Jenkins?

Mewn cyfnod ble mae bron i unrhyw bwnc i weld yn ddeunydd derbyniol ar gyfer jôc, mae natur

ymatebion i sylwadau unigolion fel Jenkins yn fy rhyfeddu.

Pam yn union mae Aelod Cynulliad angen gwario amser ar rhoi ymateb i sylwadau di-ddim, wnai byth ddeall.

Yr hyn yr ydwyf i yn ddadlau yw bod gadael bob sylwad a caiff ei wneud am ein iaith neu ein cenedl i’n pechu, rydym ni ond yn dangos gwendid. Yw hi’n amser i ddechrau anwybyddu sylwadau fel hyn, fel aelodau cynulliad a fel cenedl, sydd efo cymaint mwy o broblemau i wynebu? Y tro olaf i mi edrych, dwi’n sicr fod problemau mwy yn y wlad ‘na geiriau un ysgrifenwr y ‘Guardian’ ag efallai y dylem ni daro mwy o sylw ar y problemau hyn.

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sudoku.

30 / Puzzles INTERMEDIATE

Steve is given a mystery ball and is told that it has a whole-number weight between 1 and 40 lb (inclusive).

Steve has some balance scales and 40 weights (also whole-numbers between 1 and 40 lb) Steve must pick ONLY four weights so that no matter what the mystery ball weighs, he will be able to determine its weight using just the balance scale and these four weights.

CHALLENGING

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?

P T E T

What weights should Steve choose?

F

A U

L R

Rhys’ riddles.

answers.

Explanation: if there are X face-up cards in within the first 13 cards, then there will be (13 – X) face up cards in the remaining 39 cards. By flipping the first 13, there will now be X cards facedown, therefore (13 – X) cards face-up, the same as the first pile.

Steve takes the first 13 cards off the top of the deck and flip them over. This is the first pile. The second pile is just the remaining 39 cards as they started.

INTERMEDIATE

CHALLENGING

Last week's answer

Listings 30-31

Monday October 15th 2012 | @mediacsu

Listings

31

16th 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.

Quench

15th 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.

18th Django Django

17th

Part of Festival, the magnificent Django Django will be at the SU. 7:30pm, £10

Cardiff Blues v Toulon

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.

20th Comeplay 19th

21st The first home game of the Heineken Cup season graces Cardiff on Sunday.

Tickets between £18-£22 at Cardiff Arms Park

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.

Greta Isaac Armed with her trusted acoustic guitar, Isaac pours her soul out over raw folky harmonies. It’s easy to tell that she takes great inspiration from the likes of Bon Iver, Laura Marling and Joni Mitchell, and this earnest singer has the potential to captivate a crowd as eloquently as her idols.

Chapter Theatre, 8-8:45pm

15th – 21st October

32 / Sport

Cardiff student to make splash in 2014 Conor O'Gorman

Sport Writer The Commonwealth Games is perhaps the best-known multisporting competition across the globe, after the Olympics, of course. Comprising 54 separate members, all but two of which were a part of the original British Empire, the Commonwealth Games bring together the most elite athletes from each participant country and pits them against each other in a range of sporting events. A major difference between the Olympics and Commonwealth Games is that there are no qualifiers for the latter. Each country that wishes to enter a team can do so and subsequently there are currently 71 participating teams.

Perhaps due to this lack of selectivity, the Commonwealth Games is pleasantly more surprising than the Olympics and

opportunity to meet a member of Kenya’s Commonwealth swimming team and one of the top five best female swimmers in Kenya; and guess what: she’s studying in Cardiff University.

Being spotted as a youngster by her parents, Anham Salyani found her niche on the shore outside her beach house in Kenya.

As she describes it, living in this type of environment meant she had to be able to swim. By the time Anham was 10 and swimming competitively, it was apparent that her swimming skills went a little further than doggie paddle in the sea. Anham went on to shine in school, captaining the girls’ water polo team and taking up diving. Originally, Anham wanted to dive competitively, but since the facilities weren’t really there, swimming was the next best thing. She went on to win the Victrix Ludorum swimming

your-sport mantra, it seems like a lot more fun. Anham has even taken up kitesurfing alongside the rigorous University swimming training.

It’s commonly understood that behind every great athlete, there’s a supporting and loving family shouting from the sidelines. The initial impression Anham gave was that she found her own way into competitive swimming, but when this idea was put to her, the look on her face said it all. Anham’s parents were behind her every step of the way, monitoring her training, her diet, and all of her competitions. Now they continue to do so by means of regular telephone calls. Tough love.

As well as training for the Commonwealth Games, Anham hopes to compete in the BUCS competition for Cardiff University in November. Since swim-

Kenya and compete in the butterfly event (her speciality). While living in Kenya, she trained nine times a week, so it’s up to the Swimming and Water Polo Club to meet her standards. We’re definitely up for the task!

It was a pleasure to meet Anham and it says a lot about Cardiff University as a serious sporting institution to have an elite athlete competing for us. We are constantly increasing the intensi-

gives countries a chance to shine in sports that might be less typical and less familiar for them.

There are many examples of this, but for us here in Cardiff, one stands out.

When you think of Kenya in terms of sporting competition, swimming probably isn’t first to mind. In this year’s London Olympics, Kenya was most notable for its strong presence in long-distance running, bagging 11 medals in total, all of which were won in athletics. However, if you’re under the impression Kenya’s athletic prowess ends there, you’re severely mistaken.

Kenya has a swimming team and they’re pretty damn good. This week, gair rhydd Sport had the

competition after accumulating the most points in a swimming meet.

As previously mentioned, swimming isn’t what Kenya is known for, and when quizzed about this, Anham responded with the fact that Kenya pays a lot of attention to mainstream sports such as football and rugby, so to be a swimmer was fairly unusual.

She adopts an admirable attitude: "If you love your sport, nothing else matters".

Anham played various sports throughout her childhood, including rounders and the aforementioned water polo. When compared with the fast-track method Britain’s athletes are trained by, involving a stick-to-

ming is such a huge sport here in the UK, BUCS will be a great opportunity for Anham to test out her trademark butterfly stroke against a wide variety of athletes in her age group. In terms of times, she’s fairly confident – who can blame her! When asked how the University’s squad training compared to her own, it was apparent that she was surprised by the level of fitness our team has. From personal experience, there is no doubt that training for the University is intense, but it’s definitely a good thing if we impress someone who has swum in the same pool as Ryan Lochte!

The next Commonwealth Games is in 2014 in Glasgow.

Anham is hoping to qualify for

ty of sport in Cardiff, and now we are welcoming Commonwealth athletes into the ranks, the bar is being raised once more. If you haven’t already, it’s time to dust off those goggles and get down to the pool. You might see me flapping round, or Anham gliding past you. gair rhydd Sport would like to wish Anham luck in her training at Cardiff University.

Sport 32–36

Monday October 15th 2012 | @gairrhyddsport

33

Cardiff City: From Blue to Red Steven Hickling

Sport Writer It seems like the Bluebirds are going to have to change their tune after Cardiff City owners introduced the first drastic kit change in over 100 years. The Cardiff City faithful are opposed to the change of their home kit from blue to red, and the ‘Keep Cardiff Blue’ campaign group has had no affect.

Cardiff City have played in blue shirts as their home kit for 104 years, including during the glory years of the 1920s, in which they won their only FA Cup in 1927. This colourful history is perhaps something that the new Malaysian owners – headed up

by Tan Sri Vincent Tan Chee Yioun and Dato Chan Tien Ghee – should have given more consideration before making what chief executive Alan Whiteley himself has said is a "radical move".

Back in May, when the plans for the change in colour were leaked, the fans’ reactions were varied with some heavily opposing the proposition.

The board then announced that, in light of the vociferous opposition by a number of fans, the team would continue to play in

blue at home this season. Yet just weeks after this statement it was revealed that Cardiff’s new home kit was to change to red as originally planned.

As a possible peacemaker, the new badge sports the Welsh dragon with the motto ‘Fire and Passion’ beneath it, but also maintains the traditional bluebird at the bottom of the crest.

Nevertheless, on August 17th, the ‘Keep Cardiff Blue’ campaign had planned a protest before the home game against Huddersfield Town, but were urged against it by the police.

The new ownership said the new red kit will make the club more popular in the Asian market, a football fanbase whose interest in the Premier League is growing rapidly. In their culture, red is considered a lucky colour, whereas blue is quite the opposite. And perhaps a little new superstition might be just what the supporters and players need.

The 2009/10 season ended with defeat as Cardiff missed their chance to attain Premier League status, with a play-off final defeat to Blackpool. The 2010/11 season ended with a similar stumble at the last hurdle, with a 3–0 defeat to Reading in

the semi-finals. And to really cap off Cardiff’s miserably bad luck, a 5–0 aggregate defeat to West Ham in the 2011/12 play-offs again denied them a top-flight place.

But this season’s points speak for themselves. Cardiff are leading the pack with 22 points after 10 games. A lucky break, perhaps?

And the kit is not the only thing that’s changing. Despite not having the same decorated history as some of the Premier League clubs like Manchester United and Liverpool, the man with the money, Tan Sri Vincent Tan Chee Yioun, seems to be imitating their growth in that market and has begun to emulate it with Cardiff.

This summer, Cardiff City bought Kim Bo-Kyung, the 22-year-old South Korean midfielder. The acquisition of the South Korean international looks similar to the purchase of Park Ji-Sung for Manchester United (who also wear red) back in 2004.

His transfer fee of around £4 million has surely paid for itself in playing performances, as well as – from a marketing point of view – the positive PR generated by having the South Korean captain.

This new purchase is part of an

investment plan that has potential to lead to Cardiff becoming a bigger global brand, and there is also money going in to better facilities for the players and fans.

The key question remains; can the fans forgive the new owners and see the positives that come

with breaking tradition?

Despite being a risky manoeuvre, it is sure to pay dividends in the near future, perhaps leading Cardiff to Premier League status and catching up with their noisy neighbours, Swansea City.

Gangnam style? It's just not cricket!

Rhys Clayton Sport Editor

One of the things I love most about sport is the emotion involved. Beating your enemy, an amazing comeback, a last minute winner, the underdog beating the favourite. None of these things would be complete without a celebration. I’m not talking about Alan Shearer-style one hand in the air. For top marks, you need originality, an understanding of the audience and occasion, a showman’s panache, and possibly a hint of arrogance to rub your competitor’s nose in it. My

personal top five celebrations all have an element of the above.

So in honour of the West Indies’ Gangnam dance, here is my personal top five sporting celebrations: 5. Digby Ioane – The Dougie / Caterpillar. For those of you who don’t know, Digby Ioane is an Australian rugby player, and quite probably the best dancer in the rugby world. His first celebration came after a field-length try for the Queensland Reds against the Bulls. After grounding the ball, he immediately spun into a beautiful caterpillar spin.

The second celebration was made even better by the fact that it was done in the Grand Final of the Super Rugby competition.

After scoring a brilliant matchwinning try, the “Digby Dougie” was shown to the world. Just about anyone else would have looked a complete idiot. Digby just looked cool.

4. Usain Bolt – Mobot. Conventionally, it’s the inventor of the celebration that gets the plaudits. I’m sorry, Mo, but I think Usain Bolt doing the Mobot was even more suave. Is there a greater showman than Mr Bolt? I adore anyone who isn’t afraid to neglect the perfunctory of sport, and Usain is the epitome of this.

Doing the Mobot when he won the 4 x 100m relay was genius, and it perfectly reflected the nation’s love for the Games. One of the images of the Games for me was the picture of Bolt and Mo Farah trading celebrations. n.b. Bolt’s most famous move – the Lightning Bolt, or to use its proper title, 'To Di World' – is no longer a celebration in my book.

When it is appearing on T-shirts, it’s not longer a celebration. It’s an institution!

3. Danny Graham / Michu – various. OK, I’m being biased here, but this is my personal list.

What’s the point of being sport editor if you don’t include the things nearest to your heart? For

those of you who don’t know, Danny Graham and Michu are both players for Swansea City.

Danny Graham celebrates by sticking his tongue out, putting his thumb by his mouth, and pointing his little finger. I’ve never watched Geordie Shore, but it’s copied from that.

Michu’s celebration is a variation of the traditional holding your hand to your ear to ask the crowd, “where has all the noise gone?” He cups his hand, and almost wiggles it about. As I’m writing this, I realise they both sound really weird. Put into action, however, after you’ve just scored the winner against Arsenal (as Graham did last year) or thrashing QPR (as Michu helped to do this year), they’re the greatest celebrations in the world.

Let’s hope we’ll be seeing both celebrations this Saturday when the Swans beat Wigan.

2. West Indies – Gangnam Dance. Is there no end to Gangnam’s power? It has now even infiltrated the sporting world.

After the West Indies’ fantastic ICC World Twenty20 win, a pre-planned team Gangnam was brought out to great effect. Obviously, the über-cool Chris Gayle was leading the way. As the commentator said, “the Gangnam style will go on all night”, and all sorts of other activities as well! It also proved why world cricket is

a better place with a successful, vivacious West Indies – on and off the field.

Also, an honourable mention to Novak Djokovic, who was coerced into an impromptu Gangnam after winning the China Open. He played along diligently, but was no Chris Gayle. Not such an honourable mention to Kevin Pietersen’s curious effort in the television studio, but full marks for effort.

1. England cricket team – The Sprinkler. What can I say about The Sprinkler? For many cricket fans, me included, it encapsulates everything that was so great about the 2010–11 Ashes tour in Australia. It represented the unique team spirit that Andy Flower and Andrew Strauss had engendered in the squad. To be at the MCG for the Boxing Day Test, and to see the whole team do the Sprinkler in front of the sensational Barmy Army was sporting Utopia. It goes without saying that the effervescent and hilarious Graeme Swann was at the forefront of the initiative. It’s fair to say that in that glorious winter, the Sprinkler took over Britain (or the cricket-loving public in Britain). To beat Australia at cricket is special. To completely outclass them in their own backyard – thanks to a sprinkling of genius – is out of this world.

34 / Sport

Diving in football: how do we stamp it out?

Michael Delew

Sport Writer Diving is once again the main talking-point of this weekend’s action. White Hart Lane and Anfield were the venues of simulation this week as Gareth Bale of Tottenham Hotspur and Luis Suárez of Liverpool were caught taking unnecessary tumbles.

With diving occurring so regularly and becoming an incessant feature of sports media coverage, how do we stamp it out of the game before it becomes accepted as something inevitable, which is the indication seeing as little action has been taken to prevent it.

No longer do players see staying on their feet as a duty to the game, something David Moyes has revealed he has tried to implement in his Everton team.

City, has publicly voiced his concern over diving and insisted that a three-match ban should be adequate punishment and, generally, the consensus is that punishment is the right angle to take.

However, is a three-match ban sufficient? Imagine it is the final day of the season and a hypo-

times neglected is the fact that punishment already exists for diving in the form of a yellow card, which you could say is a punishment referees do not exercise enough, possibly due to the pressure situations associated with refereeing; for example, a linesman and official not getting

this in mind, how could diving be eradicated from the game by means other than the decisionmaking of the main referee?

A referee behind the goal is a suggestion that has been recently tested to try and aid decisions regarding whether the ball has crossed the line. Although argu-

It is the respoibility of the FA to implement legislation to tackle the diving issue head-on

Diving is becoming an incessant feature of sport media coverage FIFA vice-president Jim Boyce has come out this week and labelled diving as a "cancer" within the game. However, there needs to be a clear distinction on what constitutes a dive, as there are varying levels of simulation.

Firstly, there is the clear dive where there is no contact between the players involved, which is what we saw with Gareth Bale this weekend – a clear offence. Secondly – and this is where the distinction needs to be made – there are exaggerated dives, where contact is made but potentially not enough to force a player to be brought down, so therefore a player is still trying to cheat the referee by drawing contact from an opponent.

Once you’ve established what constitutes a dive, you can then move on to how to discipline diving. Tony Pulis, manager of Stoke

thetical team desperately needs a goal in order to take the title or avoid relegation; would a player or manager accept a three-match ban as a consequence of a lastminute tumble in the box, if such a tumble guaranteed their team silverware, or perhaps more lucratively, retained their top-flight status.

Furthermore, what is some-

a clear view of the action and also the pressure of, in some cases, a crowd exceeding 70,000. With

FIFA vice-president Jim Boyce has labelled diving as a "cancer" within the game

Lacrosse at Cardiff Continued from back page The day was a resounding success, as the team excelled against many of their university counterparts, and saw stand-out performances from James Gibson and Charlie Quarry. The men eventually finished third in the competition, losing narrowly to local club Cardiff Harlequins, who the university work closely with during the season, offering more coaching, and more playing time.

The early indications are that this team has the potential to go one better this season and claim silverware, and considering that numerous players represented Scotland in the international Rhino Cup 2012 in Belgium in late

A more viable system would be live video evidence, where, just as the decision needs to be made, an independent panel will make the decision, just as they do on crucial decisions in cricket and rugby. The only negative aspect of this is the time-consuming nature of this method and largely people would like the game to remain past-paced. However, I see this as a weak argument and, considering the amount of money involved in football, it surely would not hurt to make sure the decisions are made correctly. It also reduces the controversy sur-

September, a tournament featuring some of the best young players around Europe, success can’t be too far away.

After the disappointing results of the previous year, which saw the Cardiff Ladies first team finish at the bottom of the table, the pre-season has been one of rebuilding and restructuring; training has been harder with a stronger influence towards fitness.

Media Secretary Victoria Farrant states that the team “will definitely come back stronger this year” as they aim to reestablish themselves among the country's very elite. With an influx of new members for both teams, and substantial interest from freshers, there is a sense that la-

crosse at Cardiff will certainly be stronger than ever this season.

This could be boosted further by the introduction of both male and female second teams. The club currently experiments with mixed teams in tournaments, training and on tour, but the undeniable long-term goal of establishing a mixed second team would ensure competition for places, and would certainly raise performance levels. This season is definitely one that cannot be missed!

Follow Cardiff University Lacrosse on Twitter @CardiffLacrosse.

ably flawed, seeing as Ukraine were denied a perfectly legitimate goal at this year’s European Championships, it is a system that has been suggested in the prevention of simulation. It is probably unlikely to be a successful method, considering its poor impact on goal-line decisions in the past, but it would be a progressive move if this was to take place.

rounding these decisions; managers are less likely to be infuriated at important stages of a match, allowing referees to focus on the game and try to allow the game to flow without the influence of those on the touchline, and players will be aware that their actions are going to be more thoroughly scrutinised, leading to less simulation.

It is still the sole responsibility of the Football Association to implement legislation that truly tackles this issue head-on. The law-makers of football should accept that more serious punishments would lead to players seriously considering their actions. Although it removes some of the natural decision-making elements of the game, flowing football by seeing players stay on their feet and playing football as it should be is surely a step in the right direction for the sport.

Ex-Cardiff student to defend world title in Los Angeles Jacob Dirnhuber

Sport Writer Former Cardiff University student Nathan Cleverly, who graduated in 2010 with a BSc in Mathematics, is hoping to make a successful defence of his WBO light-heavyweight title in Los Angeles this November.

The 25-year-old boxer was due to fight Vyacheslav Uzelkov in his home city of Cardiff, but chose to make the switch to Los Angeles in a bid to raise his profile outside Europe.

Dismissing claims that his performance would be affected by the loss of the home advantage, Cleverly described the chance to fight in front of the American fans as “a dream come true”, stating that he “won’t be overawed

by the occasion.”

Despite the fact that a victory in November would provide the Welshman with a fourth world title, Cleverly believes that he will be the underdog in Los Angeles, a position that he relishes.

“I think this will give my performance a sharper edge because the pressure to perform will not be on me,” he claimed in a recent press conference.

When asked about the prospect of fighting Beibut Shumenov and Tavoris Cloud, who have so far been reluctant to face him in South Wales, the outspoken Cardiff native pledged to “go to their own territory and embarrass them into facing me”.

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Monday October 15th 2012 | @gairrhyddsport

Youthful England put to IMG numbers the sword in World T20 dwindle Callum Davies

Sport Writer England arrived in Sri Lanka in September for the World T20 tournament as defending champions, but following an earlierthan-expected exit at the Super Eight stage, the players and management have been left to pick the bones out of an arduous campaign that saw them win just two of their five games.

England couldn’t have kicked off their defence in more dominant fashion. Bowling out lowly Afghanistan for 80 was the statement Andy Flower’s men needed on their hunt for further glory in the shorter format.

It looked as though the squad had put the recent Kevin Pietersen 'Should he play? Shouldn’t he play?' saga behind them, but the heavy defeat to India in their next outing proved that the exclusion of the third-highest run scorer in T20 Internationals was still a bone of contention for supporters.

Questions will be raised regarding Andy Flower's squad selection for the tournament England met a resurgent West Indies after advancing to the Super Eights, and with Chris Gayle adopting a more level-headed exhibition of batting, as opposed to the gung-ho approach we are more accustomed to, they posted a total beyond the reach of England’s youngsters.

Despite beating a poor New Zealand, the final nail in the coffin came as England lost their final

game to hosts Sri Lanka in comfortable fashion, and the inquest began into what went wrong.

When Andy Flower announced the squad for the World Twenty20, the omission of Kevin Pietersen from the squad was a decision fraught with risk. The ECB was adamant that it was the correct judgment, but with his track record in T20 Internationals, when England failed on the batting front, his presence was sorely missed.

Further questions will also be raised regarding Andy Flower’s squad selection for the tournament, KP aside. He maintained before the curtain-raiser that his side would adopt an aggressive approach and one full of youthful exuberance, but what they had in potential, they lacked in big match experience. In fact, the five highest run scorers in the tournament were all over 30 years of age and had been playing international cricket for more than seven years.

Another glaringly apparent pitfall was that of the top order batting. Throughout their time in Sri Lanka, England’s average opening stand was eight. This contributed to the off-colour Craig Kieswetter ending his tournament left out of the side to face the hosts in Colombo. Stuart Broad’s assessment was altogether more frank when he admitted that, taking everything into consideration, his team “just wasn’t good enough”.

It can be said that England were devoid of a middle-order player who would restore the innings should things go awry. Australia had Mike Hussey to bail them out in times of crisis, and Sri Lanka

Ross Martinovic

Sport Writer Continued from back page.

had captain Mahela Jayawardene atop the order, and using his technical nous, led his team all the way to the final.

England aside, the theme of the tournament appeared to be the revival of past glories for some, not least the champions themselves, the West Indies. Although Australia proved that they were still a force to be reckoned with – the talent of Mitchell Starc being unearthed and the ever-reliable Shane Watson winning the player

of the tournament – Darren Sammy and his side may have brought about a new dawn for cricket on the islands.

Their belligerent approach to batting in the top order revolved around Gayle and Marlon Samuels, who were blistering throughout. Add to this their displays of bravado and celebration, twinned with the expert captaincy of Sammy, and they were worthy winners of the 2012 ICC World T20 competition.

AU signs new Kukri deal Tom Parry-Jones

Sub-editor The Athletic Union has signed a new kit sponsorship deal this year with international sportswear brand Kukri. The initial contract will last until the end of June next year, but there is an option in the agreement for a two-year extension if both parties agree.

This new contract includes both on-field and off-field kit for club members, with the off-field stash available via an online ordering service.

The service will be provided on an opt-in basis for the first year. The highest profile clubs to have specifically opted out of the service this year are men’s rugby, who have a deal with Under Armour, and men’s football.

However, a large number of

“

One of the major concerns raised regarding the new kits is that they are not Fair Trade

clubs have already spoken to Kukri about kit orders, among them hockey – who have already received theirs – and netball.

One of the major concerns raised regarding the new kits is that they are not Fair Trade. Students’ Union regulations require that any clothes purchased by the charity (i.e. the Union itself) must be Fair Trade in origin.

However, according to AU President Cari Davies, the regulations may not necessarily apply in this situation. “If it was the Union paying for it all,” she said, “obviously we would have to abide by the ruling, but since it’s students buying the kit, it doesn’t really apply.”

Kukri has a longstanding affiliation with the Athletic Union, having previously provided kits

for a number of its teams, including rugby, netball, lacrosse and American football.

They also have strong links with BUCS, having been the organisation’s official kit supplier since 2010, when they signed a six-year sponsorship deal.

Kukri was selected as the AU’s new kit provider following an extensive tender process involving a number of companies, with the final decision made after consultation with various AU teams.

Established in 1999, Kukri is one of the fastest-growing sports brands in the world, having extended from their base in Walton-le-dale, Lancashire, to as far afield as Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

The seven-a-side competition, meanwhile, suffered a similar decline, with a mere seven teams enrolled, leading to IMG Sports Coordinator Mat Richards’ decision to delay the start of the season by seven days.

“We have seven entrants for the seven-a-side competition and 20 for the 11-a-side so far,” Richards explained.

“These are lower numbers than we have had for previous seasons, so I'm looking at extending the registration deadline from October 10th to October 17th, with fixtures starting on the 24th.

“I will confirm this with the teams and hopefully get a few more signed up.”

The primary reason for the marked reduction in participants is the disbanding of sides containing a majority of graduating senior players.

There are, however, three new faces in the 11-a-side competition after unattached players formed Roath Park Rangers, OPSOC and Too Big To Fail, and Richards urged other free agents to follow suit, regardless of skill level.

“IMG provides sports provision for approximately 900 participants on a bi-weekly basis,” he said.

“From a sports participation and social aspect, it is very important in improving the experience of Cardiff University students during their time here.

“The 11-a-side competition will be divided into four groups from the start and seeded from last year’s leagues.

“Hopefully, this should mean that, although it cannot be guaranteed, teams and players of similar abilities will compete against each other.”

Richards also appealed for any aspiring referees to become involved in the competition as the Athletic Union seeks to improve officiating in the IMG, which, to date, has been virtually non-existent with substitutes from other teams forced to referee matches.

Anyone wishing to participate in the IMG as an official or enter a team should contact Mathew Richards at RichardsM13@cf.ac.uk ?

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

Sport

Where it all went wrong for England in this year's ICC World Twenty20 <<Page 33

IMG football season delayed

This week in Sport, Ross Martinovic reports on the significant drop in numbers signing up and competing in the Intra-mural football competition. It would appear that last season's unfa-

vourable feedback (as reported on page 4) is manifesting in the form of reduced participation.

The start of the IMG Football season has been postponed with the number of teams registered

to play in the 11-a-side competition down by more than a third since last season.

With the opening round of fixtures set to be played this week, only 20 11-a-side teams had con-

Uncovered: Lacrosse is back on the field Edward Searle Sport Writer

This year the spotlight will be on

lacrosse at Cardiff more than ever.

With last year’s relegation of the women’s first team, the men’s first team coming close to both league

and cup success, and triumph in both the male and female Varsity fixtures, this season promises to be equally as enthralling.

There is even more to play for now: can the women bounce back and seek an immediate return to one of the highest leagues in BUCS? Can the men go one better and claim silverware? And can both teams retain the bragging rights in Varsity? The men have certainly started preparations early; while the ladies were taking the traditional fitness approach to pre-season, the men were hitting it hard.

In early September, they were in Gloucester competing in the Midwest Lacrosse 6s Tournament, which boasted teams from both university and Premiership level.

Victories against Birmingham, Trowbridge and Gloucester followed an outstanding 7–0 beating of local rivals Swansea Hawks.

Continued on page 34

firmed their intention to participate by last Wednesday’s deadline, a fall of 38% from the total of 32 the previous year.

Several of the IMG Football’s most established names, includ-

ing 2011/12 Premiership outfits KLAW, Port Fail and Y Gym Gym, were absent from the list of participants.

See page 35

In the red Cardiff City's kit change: a step too far for some fans?

See page 33