Issue 999

gair rhydd Monday February 25th 2013 | freeword - Est. 1972 | Issue 999

Quench

The countdown begins Students’ Union elections 3rd - 7th March

The time of year is upon us again: elections. Soon, the crossroads on Park Place will be littered with fancy dress wearing students, campaigning for a Sabbatical role worth £20,000.

With the recent reshuffle of the Sabbatical positions and the downsizing of the team from 8 to 7, competition is set to be fierce.

Over the years, much controversy has been raised about whether the positions are worthwhile, and whether the amount of money spent on them can be justified with student awareness and interest so poor.

Traditionally, student

interest in the elections has been remarkably low, with only sixteen per cent of students turning out to vote last year. This figure was down three per cent on the previous year, when nineteen per cent took part in the elections, indicating a worrying trend in student interest.

As covered in last weeks gair rhydd (issue 998), the elections will fall over reading week. With the campaigning commencing on Sunday 3rd March and ending on Thursday 7th, many students will potentially have returned home for reading week, meaning that they may not have chance to experience the candidate’s manifestos and enthusiasm, and make an informed decision. This too is a worrying indicator for the potential turn out.

The 2011 elections were marred by various

Opinion look at the reactions to Oscar p10 Pistorius’ trial

disputes between candidates, from allegations of candidates setting up alternative polling stations, to claims that candidates abused loopholes in the rules to acquire significant numbers of t-shirts to boost their campaigns.

The 2012 elections saw rules set up to specifically combat similar abuses occurring. However, they were not without incident, when one candidate running for the position of AU President was forced to withdraw from the race after an incident at The Lash caused his membership to be revoked. Afterwards, several people posted on Twitter about the event, drawing attention to the incident.

Student awareness of the elections have also been cause for concern, with Chris Williams, current Head of Student Media claiming: “many candidates, myself included, had to tell people what the elections were, why we needed to vote and what our roles were.

I spent a lot of time

with potential voters talking about all of these things before I could start discussing my policies…simply because we didn’t feel enough people knew or understood the process”.

Questions were also raised last year when a survey was conducted to examine the effectiveness of the sabbatical officers’ presence around the University, with only one third of students recognising the elected officers when presented with a photograph of them. Out of those who knew they were sabbatical officers, only 12.5 per cent were able to name them. Only 12 per cent recognised the President of the Students’ Union, whose job description reads “the public face of the Union”.

In last years issue 981, it was discussed whether the elected officers were worth the £20,000 spent on their annual salary, with former Finance and Commercial Officer Nick Matthew stating, “the elections are ninety per cent a popularity contest”. The sabbatical officers’ role includes managing the Students’ Union budget, communicating with members of staff and representing student interests.

Most current officers agreed that manifestos were a vital part of keeping the election process fair. Ex-Au President Ollie Devon declared, “I think the manifestos are one of the only factors that stop it from being a popularity contest”. Yet despite this, none of the officers in the 2012 election year were able to deliver on their manifestos. The previous Head of Student Media, Oliver Smith said: “manifestos are very outdated: the promises you make often have very little relation to what you actually do. When coming into the job, you have lots of projects you want to do, but then you have so many things thrust upon you which you did not expect”.

Nevertheless, it will be hard to avoid the elections. With much free chocolate, fliers and interrupted lectures, the forthcoming week promises to be a memorable event in the university calendar. The Sabbatical Officer team are an important part of the way the Union functions, with the decisions they make affecting every student on many different levels. They have the ability to bring about the change that students want to see and every vote counts in electing worthy candidates. AH

Science meets Rex, Women’s fencing the one million dollar beat York to make p33 p20 semi-finals bionic man

2 / Editor’s Note

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A note from the editor...

News 4–7 Opinion 9–13 Politics 14–16

Science 18–20 Societies 22–23 Taf-Od 26–27 Puzzles 28 Listings 29 Sport 32-36

EDITOR Chris Williams $0 03%*/"503 Elaine Morgan CREATIVE DIRECTOR Luke Slade 46# &%*503 5PN 1BSSZ +POFT NEWS Kendal Archer Tom Eden Anna Hickman #FUIBO +POFT OPINION Alice Briggs Nick Evans Alex Greig COLUMNIST Liam McNeilly POLITICS Thom Hollick Rachel Lewis SCIENCE Rhiannon Davies Alexey Underwood SOCIETIES Bethan Lyons LISTINGS Beth Gregory 5"' 0% Tomos Lewis SPORT Ross Martinovic +BNFT 4IBQMBOE GAIR RHYDD AND QUENCH MAGAZINE ARE PUBLISHED BY UNIVERSITY UNION $"3%*'' 1"3, 1-"$& $"3%*'' $' 2/ t REGISTERED AS A NEWSPAPER AT THE POST 0''*$& t ("*3 3):%% 3&4&37&4 5)& 3*()5 50 &%*5 "-- $0/53*#65*0/4 t 5)& 7*&84 EXPRESSED ARE NOT NECESSARILY THOSE 0' 5)& 16#-*4)&34 t ("*3 3):%% *4 83*5 TEN, DESIGNED, TYPESET AND OUTPUT BY STUDENTS OF CARDIFF UNIVERSITY

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Never one to shy way from the public eye, Emeli Sande picked up two Brit Awards at last weeks Brits.

The singer (famous for her multiple appearances at the Olympics) picked up Best British Female and Best British Album.

Want to help make the paper?

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Proofreaders wanted!

Got a keen eye for grammar?

Or just enjoy free pizza on Thursday nights?

Come up to the office every Thursday for free pizza and proofing.

Watch out next week for a special manifestos edition of gair rhydd - giving you the best insight possible into who to vote for in this years student elections.

$IFDL PVU UIF GPMMPXJOH XFFLT TQFDJBM FEJUJPO as gair rhydd reaches a ridiculous 1000 issues! *ODMVEJOH B SF QSJOU PG UIF first ever gair rhydd.

gair rhydd would like to thank the following for their articles and help in making this issue: Contributors Georgia Hamer, Kathryn Lewis Lauren Boyd, Edward Searle Will Mortimore, Jimmy Dunne Jacob Dirnhuber, Chloe May Alice Briggs, Chris McSweeney Beth Gregory, Matt Harding Sadichchha Pokharel, Alice Tobin Ashley Bebbington, Greg Landon Alejandro Faini, David Mason Peter Marshall, Mei Yen Chang David Hodson, Sophie Howells

Sarah Hay, Felicity HolmesMackie Heledd Lewis, Cerith Rhys Jones Victoris Farrant, Jony Price Charlie Young, Emma Fox Rosie Beeston Proof Readers Lauren Boyd, Anne Porter Ishbel Mackenzie, Sum Sze Tam Jacob Dirnhuber, Matthew Jones Menna Jones Michael O'Connell-Davidson

3

Monday February 28th 2012 | @mediacsu

News in brief

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Germany: Germany has moved closer to equal rights for gay couples after ruling that a ban on successive adoption by non-hetrosexual parents to be unconstitutional. Under the repealed law, when one person has adopted a child, their sameďŹ second parent. Gay rights groups have however claimed that the decision still falls short of giving homosexual couples the equal rights to which they are supposedly constitutionally entitled.

Brussels:

Iran:

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India: A strike in India, described as 'the largest in the history of the world' is expected to end soon, after industry experts estimated the damage to the nation's economy to be between $3.7 billion and $4.8 billion. The strike, called by 11 of India's biggest trade union, is in response to the failure of the Indian government to "tackle  better enforce labor laws, offer universal social security and ensure pensions for all."

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In this week’s issue...

News look at the Islamic society's call for a prayer hour p5

Opinion question the point in taxing fizzy drinks and junk food

Science look at the building of a bionic man

p10

p20

The Labour party have come out in support of a mansion tax - politics investigates p14

In Sports Team Talk this week, they chat to CARBS p32

4 / News

Intake increase at Cardiff 2.5 % 13% Georgia Hamer News Writer

Latest figures provided by Cardiff University have shown a surprising increase in the number of students enrolled in the current academic year, in spite of the staggering increase in tuition fees.

It was predicted that the trebling of tuition fees to £9,000 would lead to a fall in the number of university applicants, yet statistics published by the University appear to show quite the opposite. The number of current undergraduate students in Cardiff exceeds 16,700, a 2.5 per cent increase on the previous academic year. Statistics show the number of international students, unaffected by the increase in tuition fees, has risen by 10.7 per cent in the last year. The number of UK students, in comparison, has increased a mere 1.7 per cent.

Postgraduate courses have seen an astounding 21.1 per cent increase in overseas students whereas the number of UK postgraduates has in fact fallen 6.1 per cent.

Although it should be noted these figures merely provide an early snapshot of the year and are subject to change, with a significant number of students enrolling at different stages of the year, particularly in Nursing, part-time

undergraduate programmes and postgraduate courses.

Following major changes, allowing universities to accept as many students as they wish providing they achieve the minimum requirements of two A grades and a B at A-level, Cardiff’s intake of undergraduates rose by an overwhelming 669 students.

This means the number of undergraduate students who enrolled in 2012 was 5,799, a 13 per cent increase on the previous year. This was the third largest increase amongst the Russell Group HEIs. Figures are set to increase further as the number of university applicants rises; as of 1st February Cardiff University had received 31,183 new applications, 12 per cent higher than in 2012 and a staggering 9 per cent higher than the national average.

Dave Roylance, Head of Undergraduate Recruitment and Widening Access believes students are drawn to Cardiff because of its “reputation for research-led teaching, high graduate employment and because of its capital city location”. He said, “Cardiff is one of the most popular universities in the UK and these impressive figures put it well ahead of the national average rise in applications. It is pleasing that the effort put into student recruitment by staff across the University is reaping rewards.

“Our success in recruiting undergraduate students was recently recognised by The Telegraph, who named Cardiff as one of the UK’s fastest growing universities in 2012 in terms of undergraduate enrolments.”

Interestingly, recent reports have found that whilst, on the whole, university applications are increasing, it is not consistent across degree programmes.

The number of applicants for Medicine and Dentistry has risen significantly, whereas the number of English applicants has declined, suggesting students are seeking more for their money, as well as more promising job prospects. A degree in Medicine, infamous for working students hard, commonly consists of 9 till 5 hours including placements. In comparison humanities subjects, focused more on independent study, have far less. First year English Language and Literature students at Cardiff University receive just 9 contact hours a week.

This equates to approximately 180 hours a year, having accounted for two reading weeks, exam periods and holidays, working out at a frightful cost of £50 per hour.

Although the average student debt for those enrolled in 2012 predicted to be over £50,000, it would certainly seem few have been deterred.

increase in first year undergraduates enrolled in 2012

increase in total number of undergraduates at Cardiff

16,700

total number of undergraduate students enrolled at Cardiff University

10.7% 6.1% increase in international postgraduate students

decrease in native postgraduate students

31,183

UCAS applicants to Cardiff so far

Cardiff University’s green promise Kathryn Lewis News Writer Cardiff University’s Vice Chancellor, Professor Colin Riordan, has this week signed the ‘Green Education Declaration’ as part of the University’s pledge to prevent climate change.

The signing of this innovative declaration establishes Cardiff University’s commitment to reducing their carbon emissions and leads the way as an example of good practice, not just for the students but for other educational institutions and the broader community.

As part of the declaration, the University has vowed to incorporate education concerning climate change into their curriculum, to encourage the government to develop a low carbon future in the universities sector and to stimulate positive sustainable behaviours in their students.

People & Planet, the student group behind the declaration, believe that education on climate change is crucial in becoming a low carbon community. The

“

As part of the declaration, the University has vowed to incorporate education concerning climate change into their curriculum

Green Education Declaration was part of a campaign lead by the People & Planet Society at Cardiff University. The campaign was backed by the President of the Students’ Union, Harry Newman, and the Union’s Welfare and Community Officer, Megan David, who was delighted with the news, commenting, “I think this is a brilliant symbolic step forward for the University, with the new Vice Chancellor demonstrating his commitment to sustainability and the environmental movement.”

The campaign by the Cardiffbased society sought to make staff and students more aware of the need for institutions such as universities to consider the environment. After society meetings, a letter was compiled by the People & Planet society campaigns officer, Matt Becket, and sent to the Vice Chancellor.

On receiving confirmation that Professor Colin Riordan had signed the letter, Megan David commented, saying “It is great to see such support from the University on these student led envi-

ronmental campaigns!”

As well as signing the declaration, Cardiff University is planning to employ a new Energy Manager, in a step to make the University more carbon efficient.

Over the next few years, the University will also be working on a new strategic plan to incorporate their improved commitment to our environment.

However, Cardiff University is currently a mere 75th out of 145 on the People & Planets ‘Green League’ of universities, which compares their environmental and ethical performance.

The People and Planet organisation is a student movement across the whole of Britain with over 2000 volunteers, interacting with 200,000 students. The group campaigns for human rights, poverty and environmental issues across the globe.

As the organisation is independently led, they rely on a very tight budget consisting of small donations. In 2012 the group organised the biggest week of student action against climate change ever to take place, in

which 140,000 university students got involved.

The presence of this inspiring society at Cardiff University is encouraging, and the University’s Welfare and Environment sector is paying attention; Megan David explained what other steps Cardiff University are taking to go green, “I am currently looking at ethical investment and the corporate social responsibility of the University with senior members of University staff. I am also delighted to be launching the first ever ‘sustainability awards’ for staff and students.”

The Green Education Declaration was only launched last year.

However, 30 universities have already signed up, including Cardiff Metropolitan University and Swansea University. If you would like to get involved in the fight against climate change you can join Cardiff’s People & Planet society or even become a national volunteer with the organisation itself. For more information go to http://peopleandplanet.org/getinvolved.

News 4–7

Monday February 25th 2013 | @gairrhyddnews

5

Islamic Society call for prayer hour Tom Eden News Editor Cardiff University is now considering introducing a timetable break between 1pm and 2pm on Fridays to accommodate jummah prayer, which is compulsory for Muslims.

The International Student Officer Abdullah Sheikh spoke to gair rhydd to highlight the problem many Muslim students face when lectures, seminars or practical work clash with this compulsory prayer. He explained that Friday is a holy day for Muslims and the Qur’an directly instructs them to obey this call to prayer.

“It is the day where Muslims gather and pray the Friday afternoon prayers together in harmony. To a Muslim student, this act is of utmost importance”, he said.

Islamic Society President, Abdelrahman Elashry Mohamed added to this, saying, “these prayers have to be done at the local mosque, and because we believe that the Qur'an is the word of God, we must go.” He said that on other days of the week, Muslims are required to pray five times a day, but there is a small leeway when they they can do them. Friday is the exception, which is why he feels that it is

important, especially with the amount of work Islamic students could potentially miss.

When first contacted, the University informed gair rhydd that this time was already a dedicated lunch hour for all undergraduate students. Further investigation found a wide range of subjects which had scheduled classes at this time. This evidence was put to the University, and a spokesperson has said that, in accordance with the University’s policy and guidelines on religious beliefs, “If there is a conflict between the timing of classes and religious needs, students should draw this to the attention of the relevant staff.”

However, the guidelines say that some courses have compulsory attendance aspects and that the University will not be able to offer flexibility regarding the time of these elements.

The University spokesper-

“

Following our enquiry, the University has informed us that this proposal has now been brought to the attention of senior University staff and is being considered.

son stressed that they were not aware of any disciplinary action being taken as a result of missing classes because of absence for religious purposes.

Abdullah says he had tried to engage with the University over this issue, saying “I had a meeting with Patricia Price, the Pro-ViceChancellor and showed her the number of signatures on the petition, and considering we hadn’t really pushed it, it’s quite a good number. If she’d wanted more in order to implement this idea, we would get them. She laughed this off.”

When pushed as to whether the University would consider protecting this time on a Friday, in line with the needs of Muslim prayer, the spokesperson said, “we pride ourselves on the level of engagement we have with our student body.” This issue had not, according to the University, been brought up as a concern at any staff-student panel meeting in

this academic year, and had not been mentioned in any responses to the ‘Welcome to Cardiff’ survey conducted in the first term.

Following our enquiry, the University has informed us that this proposal has now “been brought to the attention of senior University staff and is being considered.”

Abdelrahman cites Swansea University, who have got the hour free from timetabled classes. He says a big factor for supporting this campaign is the impact on students' educations. “I’ve spoken to a lot of Muslim students and they have said, that because of the compulsory nature of jummah prayer, they have had to make the difficult decision between choosing to miss the Friday prayer, or miss their lecture” he said. gair rhydd will continue to communicate with the University and report on this campaign.

Staff sacrificed to save money Lauren Boyd News Writer The University announced a Voluntary Severance Scheme on Monday, giving a years pay to eligible staff that agree to leave their posts. The University expects that between 200 and 400 members of staff will take up the offer.

The University has set aside funds to pay for the Voluntary Severance Scheme and if they run out of it the scheme will close early. The Vice-Chancellor has justified the Severance Scheme in his message to staff by explaining that Cardiff University has a below average income for a Russell Group university.

In addition, Cardiff spends 59% of its income on staff, compared to a Russell Group average of 54%.

The scheme is part of the Uni-

versity’s new strategy, “The Way Forward”. Although the University is getting rid of staff members, the Vice-Chancellor claims that a crucial part of the new strategy is investing in people.

According to information published by the University, it is hoped that academics who are not obtaining enough research or industry funding will take up the Voluntary Severance offer.

An important part of the strategy is increasing the amount of research funding the University receives. To achieve this, Cardiff is collaborating with Exeter, Bath and Bristol. It is expected that this new group, the Great Western 4, will be more effective in competing for research grants than the individual universities.

The University has set aside funds to pay for the Voluntary Severance Scheme The Welsh Conservative leader, Andrew R T Davies, has said that the Voluntary Severance Scheme is “unusually generous”.

To be eligible for the scheme, a member of staff is only required to have worked at the University

for 2 years. Deductions are only made from the amount awarded to staff if they earn over £30,000 and the University will spend £350 + VAT on legal advice for each member of staff taking up the Voluntary Severance offer.

Mr Davies has raised concerns that the scheme is not good value for money. The scheme appears to be an expensive way to reduce staff numbers and it will have to be justified better in the future, because it uses public funds.

Currently, Cardiff University employs 6,150 people, so the Voluntary Severance Scheme could reduce staff numbers by up to 6%. Margaret Phelan, Wales official for the University and College Union (UCU), said the Voluntary Severance Scheme “is not the first stage in a move towards compulsory redundancies.”

6 / News

The Indian connection that Cardiff University is exploring options to open an office in India, to open in 2013, which will develop university partnerships with alumni and businesses.

Speaking just before he leaves for the visit, Professor Riordan said that the trip “is an ideal opportunity to help promote our engagement with Indian businesses and develop internships and work opportunities both for Cardiff graduates from India upon their return as well as for home students to spend time studying or working in India.”

India provides roughly 30,000

Edward Searle News Writer

The Vice-Chancellor of Cardiff University, Professor Colin Riordan, is set to visit India in order to improve educational links with the country. He will join representatives from other leading universities within the UK in a business and skills-based initiative.

The trip, organised by both UK Trade and Investment (UKTi) and the Department for Business Industry and Skills (BIS), is aimed at strengthening international collaborations, encouraging recruitment from the country and developing internships and work opportunities.

Cardiff University has strong links already with the country.

In 2011, a Cardiff University-led team found a water bug in New Delhi, which drew much needed attention to the state of Delhi’s sewage system.

The University also has a close relationship with the Asian College of Journalism in Chennai, as well as successful collaborations with many other leading universities, including IIM Calcutta and the Indian Institute of Science Bangalore.

It is little surprise therefore

international students to the UK and has one of the world’s fastest growing economies, yet continues to face the challenges of poverty and inadequate public healthcare.

The Indian Government proposes, therefore, to expand both the capacity and quality of their education system and by 2020 aims to have in place 40 million new university places and 11,000 new secondary schools.

Professor Riordan hopes the “international distinction and impact” of Cardiff University will help boost Wales’ ability to help

with the demand. Whilst visiting the country Professor Riordan is keen to promote Cardiff University’s online collaboration with the government-backed Futurelearn.

The system, set up by the Open University in 2012, brings together a range of free, open, online courses from leading UK universities, in the same place and under the same brand.

British Prime Minister David Cameron hopes that the system “will encourage many more Indian students to take the next step and study with a UK university.”

“

The system will encourage many more Indian students to take the next step and study with a UK university

The God debate: does he exist?

Will Mortimore News Writer Tuesday night saw the meeting of two mammoth minds at the keenly anticipated “Does God Exist?” debate as a part of Cardiff’s Go Global Week. Peter Williams, philosopher and Christian apologist who works with the educational charity “Damaris”, defended the notion of God’s existence, whilst Chris Norris, the distinguished research professor in philosophy here at Cardiff University, was attacking it.

Attendance was high, with over 400 present, as the two host societies, the Cardiff University Christian Union, represented by Edward Foster, and the newly formed Cardiff University Atheist, Humanist & Secularist Society, represented by president Owen Spalding, had both done a fantastic job promoting the event. The high attendance may have also had something to do with the exorbitant mass of free baked goods that was on offer during the brief interim.

Williams, as defender of the motion, began by outlining four arguments for the existence of God, all of which warrant more description than can be offered

by a brief newspaper write up.

These four were the moral argument; the argument from design; a version of the cosmological argument involving quantum theory and the ontological argument.

Attendance was high, with over 400 present Professor Norris then attacked the motion, appealing to a number of arguments and empirical claims. He conceded that the argument from design has

historically been a rational one, though he argued that the rise of Darwin’s theory of natural selection had effectively dealt a death blow for that particular line of argument.

Norris then disbunked Williams’ use of quantum mechanics in his defence by suggesting that the chaotic theory can too easily be used by proponents of either side of the debate, thus rendering it obsolete.

Throughout the debate, Williams held to his original four arguments, variously compounding them, defending them from

Norris’ rebuttals, and on occasion suggesting that his opponent had strayed from the argument at hand, and into the realm of the characteristics of God, rather than this initial notion of his existence.

The two debaters undoubtedly displayed their intellectual muscle

Norris’ key points focused on the acts of evil that have historically been committed in the name of religious belief, a point with which Williams readily agreed. Norris also argued the morally dubious character that would arise if indeed the traditional account of the monotheistic God was personified.

A number of attendees agreed that the debate, whilst entertaining, thought provoking, and hosted in a warm, collegiate manner, was nonetheless found somewhat wanting. The two debaters both undoubtedly displayed their intellectual muscle and powers of rhetoric, and yet too seldom

did the arguments and counterarguments meet head-on in a way in which a truly gripping debate must. Professor Norris, briefly questioned after the debate, felt that “questions weren’t coming from a preconceived position, which showed that people were genuinely engaged with the debate”. Student Farhran Zubar agreed, also commenting on the “really friendly atmosphere; there was no tension.”

The result of the popular vote of those in attendance was: 168 against the notion, 141 for the notion and 21 unsure of the notion.

The Islamic Society President, Abdelrahman Elashry Mohamed, attended the event and said, “it was an amazing idea. I've spoken to Ed Foster about organising a debate between Christians and Muslims.”

All in all, the Cardiff University “Does God Exist?” debate was a well attended, fun and engaging event, and a fantastic start to Cardiff’s “Go Global Week”. Both societies can be contacted via Facebook by searching for “Cardiff University Christian Union” and “Cardiff University Atheist, Humanist & Secularist Society”.

News 4–7

Monday February 25th 2013 | @gairrhyddnews

7

Alcohol-free social centre for University Hall residents Following the closure of the University Hall bar, the opening of the replacement alcohol-free “Social Centre” this year received a positive student response. Costing approximately £325,000, the intention of the renovation was to improve the social area, which had previously been unpopular among residents. Yet the success of the centre is still to be determined. First year University Hall resident, Jimmy Dunne, investigates.

The University Hall bar was closed several years ago, and there was little protest to the closure at the time.

The bar had been making very little profit, perhaps as a result of its close proximity to student halls where students already had access to cheaper, pre-purchased alcohol. Thus, the bar functioned on a poor business model.

Yet with the announcement of a new “Social Centre”, there was certainly excitement among University Hall residents. The centre would replace the bar, and be fitted with pool tables, Xbox booths and sofas.

It was to be an “alcohol-free zone”, perhaps with the hope that profits would rise as students would frequent the space for reasons other than drinking.

An email was sent to every University Hall resident before the Christmas holiday, announcing that the opening would take place in mid-December.

Returning in the New Year, students were excited to make use of

the new facilities. Unfortunately, the centre had not been completed, and students were informed that it would not be finished until after the exam period.

However, a month after it was scheduled to open, students were permitted entry to the new “Social Centre”, and, generally, the areas was received well by most of the students.

The centre would replace the bar, and be fitted with pool tables, Xbox booths and sofas The centre consists of a large, open plan room, painted green, pink and cream. The space is very similar to that of The Lounge on the third floor of the Students' Union. The chairs are almost identical, and are set at the same supine angle. The Xbox booths are also similar to those that house the PCs in The Lounge.

One wall is filled with a gigan-

tic TV screen, while table-top speakers allow students to plug in their iPods and play music of their choosing. The walls are lined with pool tables that cost only 50p a go.

On the day of the opening, staff carried round platters, giving away complimentary nachos with salsa. Crates of free soft drinks were also made available, and many students took advantage of these offers.

Personally, I was impressed with the place. Two flatmates raced on Forza and played on the pool tables.

My flat and I spent a couple of hours chatting over inanities, spying on people we had never seen around the halls before, and listening to music before leaving, our coats filled with stolen soft drinks. We all expressed a desire to return, just for a couple of hours after a lecture or on a weekend maybe?

It’s been a couple of weeks now since we went to the Social Centre at University Hall. It

wasn’t initially a conscious decision, but we wanted to see what had happened since it opened.

We decided that people found the chairs very comfortable, but not so much as their beds. They found the idea of playing music appealing, but their headphones were better quality. Crucially, they liked the company, but found it to be the same that they bonded with in the kitchen over Freshers. Only without beer.

Personally, I was impressed with the place I went in one day last week to reassess my opinion for this article, before damning it in print.

The tables all boast a mini-magazine called Cosmo on Campus, artfully scattered but ultimately left alone. I look around to see who put the television on, but there is no-one there, not even a member of staff; the smell of paint is still fresh, but both pool

tables are missing their cue ball, rendering them effectively useless. I go to kill time on the Xbox, which is safely secured behind a locked cage to prevent theft, and find that someone has simply opened the disc drive and stolen the games.

Before I’ve even sunk into a chair, I realise that the only thing to do is go online, for which I – and apparently every other resident of Uni Halls – have a laptop.

As I turn to leave a group of lads walk in, one clutching a mint 50p and striding to the table.

I’m outside when I remember the missing cue ball, and almost rush back in before I hear the muffled crash of the machine dispensing its red and yellow contents, followed swiftly by a softly muttered, “Bollocks.” Deciding to say nothing, I went back home to tell the story to my flatmates, who I found chatting over a cup of tea, in the kitchen. And that’s the heart of the problem; who needs a “Social Centre” when you have a kettle?

Cardiff students Go Global Jacob Dirnhuber News Writer Last week, Cardiff University hosted the annual Go Global festival, a non-profit event that, according to the Students' Union, focuses on promoting the “incredible diversity and culture that exists within the Cardiff student body.” The festival, which ran for a week, organised a vast range of events, the majority of which were organised by the 160 extra-curricular societies the University has to offer.

The festival, which ran for a week, organised a vast range of events One of the most anticipated events occurred on the 18th of February. The “Britain and the EU” debate, which was hosted by the Debating Society took place in the Great Hall. Speakers included Wayne David MP, a former MEP and former shadow

Minister for Europe, arguing in favour of the UK remaining in the EU, and a representative from UKIP, David Bevan, who argued against. Adam Curtis, the Societies Officer, was of the opinion that pro-EU side “sort of smashed it,” claiming that Bevan “seemed confident at the beginning but wasn't very eloquent answering the questions,” a view that was apparently shared by the audience. A second, slightly less-heralded debate took place on Tuesday, between the Christian Union and the Atheist Society, the title of which was “Does God exist?”

It also garnered much attention and was a closely matched debate, with a friendly and engaged audience.

The aim of Go Global is to promote different cultures. With this in mind, there were several international events, the largest of which was the Erasmus Society’s International Food Fest, which was held on the opening day.

Those wishing to attend had a choice between paying an admission price of £5 or bringing a dish native to their country. On his Go

Global blog, Adam Curtis praised the variety and organisation of the evening. He said, “There must have been over a hundred different dishes from all over the world, and they tasted incredible. Add this to great company and a good atmosphere and what more could you want?”

Religion was also on the agenda, and on Wednesday 20th, there was a display of Symbols and Artefacts of the world's religions. Attendees were presented with a list of 20 symbols or artefacts, with prizes awarded to those who could correctly identify the most.

Whilst some events, such as the Clothes Swap were designed for

the attendees to directly benefit from, several attempted to raise money and awareness for charitable causes. One of the most prominent of these was the Refugee Rhythms event, organised by Star, which attempted to “raise funds and awareness for refugees and asylum seekers living in the UK.” One of the most popular events, which took place on Thursday, was the Real Ale and Cider Fe s t i va l .

When interviewed by gair rhydd, Ryan Bowen of the Real Ale and Cider Society was optimistic about the prospects of success. He said, “This year we've done a lot more advertising. For example, on the Facebook page last year it said there

were about 400 people attending. This morning there were 610 people attending. Obviously that's no real indicator of how many people actually come but the fact that 200 more people are aware of what we're doing is a good sign.”

The largest event was the Erasmus Society’s International Food Fest, which was held on the opening day He added, “This is the fourteenth festival we've done so far and we're just hoping this years will be as good as previous years, if not better. We're trying to keep a long standing tradition going, and hopefully to get bigger and better every year.”

Overall, the week was a huge success. Hundreds of students were involved, and an awareness of different cultures was emphasised.

‘We were really

impressed

by the Maintenance Team at CPS Homes. They were

extremely

helpful Thanks guys’ Their help & support has been invaluable.

and got in touch with the landlord straight away.

Josh, Rhymney St

9

Opinion 9-13

Monday February 25th 2013 | @gairrhyddop

For & Against

Should rape suspects remain anonymous until proven guilty?

Following the proposal by senior lawyer Maura McGowan that rape suspects should be given anonymity, Chloe May and Alice Briggs debate the pros and cons of such a move

U

For

pon the formation of the coalition in 2010, the idea of anonymity for suspects of sexual crimes was a surprise inclusion in the list of promises, yet was dropped in the face of criticism. But this week the question of anonymity for suspects was brought to light again after the chairman of the Bar Council of England and Wales, Maura McGowan, stated her belief in anonymity for suspects until they are proven guilty. Speaking to BBC Radio 5, McGowan claims she desires the change in law to protect suspects from the ‘stigma’ that sexual allegations carry until they are proven guilty.

Victims and alleged victims of rape and other sexual offences have been granted anonymity since 1976 to prevent humiliation on the victim’s part and to encourage other victims to report attacks. Until 1988 anonymity (for suspects) was also granted under this act. After anonymity was revoked, judges stated that the acquittal of a man accused of rape was enough to clear his name and reputation. Yet is the proven innocence enough to clear the air of suspicion around the suspect?

And is acquittal enough to rescue the ruined lives caused by a publicised false accusation?

Joining McGowan in her interview with the BBC was Terry Harrison, a man falsely accused of rape in 2007. He claimed that ‘innocent until proven guilty is a load of rubbish’ and suggested

that he was still being judged despite being proven innocent. Harrison affirmed that his official acquittal was not enough to rescue his reputation, nor compensate for his experiences before he was proven innocent. He described his contemplation of suicide, as well as his experiences in a prison filled with convicted rapists and paedophiles. Anonymity for innocent suspects would not prevent them facing these atrocious situations, but would assist them in creating or recovering a life once they are acquitted.

When considering how the warped minds of some women have seen men deliberately falsely accused of rape, the question of anonymity seems obvious.

There will always be scope for angry and vengeful people to exploit the justice system’s ability to ‘name and shame’. Harrison’s accuser was jailed for three months after he was accused, for perverting the course of justice, yet her malicious attack still affects his life today.

Anonymity for suspects of sexual offences would help ensure the protection of the innocent their acquittal. Many share the view that acquittal is enough to redeem the name and reputation of innocent suspects, yet this cannot always be guaranteed. A person who has committed such a crime as rape should be named and shamed but this should be saved until they are convicted, to prevent possible humiliation of the innocent. CM

A

“

If defendants in all cases were given anonymity, open justice, our biggest protection against the abuse of power, would effectively end

Against

senior lawyer has said that suspects in sex cases have the same right to anonymity as the complainants.

Maura McGowan QC, chairman of the Bar Council of England and Wales, believes that their identities should be protected until proven guilty, because of the ‘stigma’ surrounding sexual allegations.

In my opinion, her acknowledgment of this stigma proves in itself the flaw to her argument.

McGowan is wrong to claim that those accused of rape are a special case because of the stigma they face. Sexual assaults are undoubtedly a heinous crime but accusations of terrorism and murder are no less grave, and the consequences for anyone unfairly accused no less traumatic. If defendants in all cases were given anonymity, open justice, our biggest protection against the abuse of power, would effectively end.

Home office data shows that 85% of rapes don’t get reported. Granting anonymity for suspects singles out rape cases from other crimes, and could therefore further discourage victims from reporting sex crimes, as their case is already doubted.

The treatment of those involved in sex cases gained recent attention after Frances Andrade, a victim of sex abuse of a child, was thought to have committed suicide as a result of the aggressive questioning she was subjected to from the defence barristers. This illustrates the brutal nature of rape trials.

I believe that McGowan’s proposal is based on the widespread myth that women often lie and make false allegations about rape.

However, Home Office research has estimated that only around 3% of rape allegations are actually found to be false. The public scrutiny that all suspects face is therefore deserved in the majority of cases.

History suggests that rapists rarely have just one victim, so when a name of a suspect is made public it can encourage other victims to come forward and tell their story. The Jimmy Savile case demonstrates perfectly the benefits of suspects being named.

As Savile was named, many of his victims had kept their story secret, while others had been punished for speaking out. Allowing rape defendants the right to anonymity risks of serial rapists going unconvicted and could place future victims in danger.

This is not the first time that anonymity for defendants has been suggested. In 2006 it became the Liberal Democrats party policy, and in 2010 the coalition government proposed its reintroduction into law. Women were outraged, including female MPs of all parties, and the government was forced to withdraw. I think it unlikely therefore that McGowan’s argument will lead to another re-evaluation. AB

10 / Opinion

You can't tax fat into oblivion

Chris McSweeney questions the point of the proposed junk food and fizzy drink tax

I

n 2001, the nation was given a clear and unapologetically bold warning by sportswear giant Reebok. However, according to recent research, this cautionary message has gone unheeded. The warning was, of course, “Belly’s Gonna Get Ya”, and in 2013, 99.99% of Britons are morbidly obese. Slim and athletic people are now an endangered species who only exist in porn films and adverts, and if you’ve managed to waddle to the Students’ Union to pick up a copy of gair rhydd, congratulations on not suffering a coronary on the way over there.

Last week, the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, which represents nearly every doctor in the UK, published a report that included a number of recommendations. The most notable of these was that the Government should take a stance on fizzy drinks and junk food more reminiscent of their policy on cigarettes: high taxation, low advertising, everything under the counter. Industry figures are less than impressed, with numerous corporate-scumbag spokespersons already whinging about unfair treatment and flawed science.

In all fairness, the Academy has got statistics on its side. The UK is already Europe’s flabbiest nation, with one quarter of adults classed as obese. Apparently this figure is predicted to double by

2050, and presumably quadruple by 2080 – meaning there’d be more obese British people than there are British people.

However, the Academy’s proposed solutions to this issue sound unsettlingly nanny-state in principle; a 20% tax on sugary drinks, a reduction in fast food outlets near schools and leisure centres, a £100m budget for interventions such as weight-loss surgery, and a ban on advertising foods high in saturated fat, sugar and salt before 9pm are just a few of the suggested interventions.

That’s right: adverts for McDonalds would be subject to the watershed.

Getting the already over-taxed public to fork out more money on things that make it a little easier to get through the day is not a great social policy The issue with the majority of health advice is this – we know.

We all bloody know. High-calorie foods go straight to your ass; sugary drinks make your teeth fall out; this energy drink may cause unexpected anal discharge, etc.

We are all constantly reminded of how basically all of life’s pleasures often come with an excruciating and horrifying downside.

Getting the already over-taxed

public to fork out more money on things that make it a little easier to get through the day is not a great social policy. Education and better awareness of these issues are much more likely to be successful. But wait, we can go even further than that.

There is a very rewarding side to eating healthily that is very often totally overlooked. I recently read an article by a Cardiff student in an online publication, in which they complained that they didn’t have the cash to shop for healthy food at a local farmer’s market, and were forced into a diet of Pot Noodle and Domino’s Pizza. Bullshit. On weekends, there are farmer’s markets just off Albany Road and the Riverside. Veg is cheap. Meat is slightly above average supermarket price, but I promise that £20 at the farmer’s market can stretch to at least breakfast and dinner for a week. Yes, this does work out cheaper than what you’re spending at Tesco already. Cooking meals with a side of veg is easy as hell, and I swear you will feel a sense of personal satisfaction on having actually made something that by far surpasses any number of successful Pot Noodle stirrings.

This stuff isn’t hard; all it takes is the motivation to get to it. Education is where it starts, taxes be damned – and if it doesn’t work, at least we’ll be a content popcorn-shovelling society. So eat your greens, lard-butt.

The real tragedy of Beth Gregory takes a look at the press has approached the death

H

erNameWasReevaSteenkamp.

This was the hashtag that began trending on Twitter on February 15th, as a reaction to the way Reeva Steenkamp, the woman shot in the early hours of Valentine's Day, reportedly by Paralympic hero boyfriend Oscar Pistorius, had been portrayed by The Sun and the other tabloids that day.

The images on the front of the tabloids, as well as the words within them, showed absolutely no respect for Steenkamp, or remorse for her death. On the front page of both The Sun and the Daily Star were pictures of the young model in a bikini – sexualising, trivialising and glamorising her murder. The Sun continued this objectification by rarely calling Steenkamp by her name in the corresponding article, usually referring to her simply as

Oscar Pistorius’ "girlfriend" or "model girlfriend". On the front of the Daily Star, Steenkamp was simply referred to as a "model" and a "lover".

To The Sun, her name does not matter. Nor does she as a person.

Apparently all that matters, other than Pistorius’ arrest, was the fact that Steenkamp looked attractive modelling in a bikini. Many took to Twitter to show their outrage.

As one user of the above hashtag, @weldonwk, aptly pointed out, "Yesterday Sun was outraged about pics of pregnant Kate in a Bikini. Guess the deceased don't deserve same respect".

While The Sun and the Daily Star may have reached a new low in the representation of her death, it has raised issues with how other forms of the popular press, and how other forms of the media in general, have handled Steenkamp's murder. Just taking a glance at many of the articles on the topic throughout the Brit-

New Kid Sadichchha Pokharel Opinion Writer

Moving to a new place is always a little frightening. But having to move to a different country and live away from your family for the first time ever is a whole new level. Having lived in two very different countries – first Nepal, then Zambia – I have experienced how depressing moving to a new place can be. I took me a full year to adjust to living in Africa, despite living there with my family.

So when I first arrived in Cardiff, I was quite prepared to face all the terrifying challenges that headed my way. However, to my amazement it took me less than a week to feel at home in this strange place. The size of the city and its unexpectedly friendly environment instantly made me comfortable. Cardiff is not so big that you feel lost, but big enough

for you to enjoy all the perks of living in a city. Since it is also pretty multicultural and has an enormous student population, I found myself fitting right in.

That being said, I have had my share of troubles. For someone coming from Zambia, where it hardly ever rains, the Welsh weather is awfully depressing, to say the least. I had a hard time getting used to not seeing the sun for days. Then there were those unavoidable moments of culture shock. Although I don’t agree with the stereotypical notion of British formality, I have learnt that going out in sweatpants and flip-flops is not highly appreciated in this country. I was given odd looks while going to Tesco in my old grey sweatpants during Freshers’ Week. I have never worn them outside the halls since. It also took me a while to get used to rain jackets and bulky

Opinion 9–12

Monday February 25th 2013 | @gairrhyddop

11

Steenkamp's murder Oxford play to stereotypes questionable manner in which the of Reeva Steenkamp ish press paints a dire picture of the matter. On February 16th, many newspapers, such as The Independent and The Guardian, published articles on how Pistorius "wept" in court. While this may be newsworthy, it was a fact that took over the entire news media, overshadowing that his tears were not the real tragedy.

The tragedy was that a young, innocent woman was killed.

Apparently all that matters, other than Pistorius’ arrest, was the fact Steenkamp looked attractive modeling in a bikini It’s not only the British press who have trivialised the death of Steenkamp. In South Africa, two days after Steenkamp's murder, reality show Tropika Island of Treasure was aired, in which Steenkamp features. While to many there may be no problem with this show being aired, it could be called into question whether it was in very good taste to air such a show so soon after her death. On top of this, South Africa’s City Press published a controversial and graphic comic strip, illustrating the potential details of what happened the night of Steenkamp’s death. These illustrations literally turn the event’s of that night in to a cartoon, further trivialising Steenkamp's murder and detracting from the reality of the events.

Steenkamp’s murder has also been trivialised through the use of social media. While Twitter has largely responded negatively to Steenkamp's portrayal with the hashtag mentioned above, there are inevitably controversial tweets to match. For example, former Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott cleverly took a screenshot of Eton-educated Tory MP Jesse Norman tweeting a tasteless joke: "Roses are red, violets are glorious, never sneak up on Oscar Pistorius". While there will always be controversial jokes spread about big news events, it is worrying that figures with a presumable level of influence would use social media to make light of such a tragic event.

When a terrible tragedy occurs, we can expect some controversial comments to spread both within the printed and digital/ social media. However, the tasteless and – quite frankly – disgusting attitude the media have taken towards Steenkamp’s death is worrying. The press have a duty to inform and serve the public, not portray negative images of an already dreadful event. The media’s overall attitude towards Steenkamp’s murder and Pistorius’ trial, both within the UK and across the globe, has been one that has trivialised, glamorised and sexualised Steenkamp’s murder, while simultaneously objectifying her, both through the images and the words produced, literally rendering Steenkamp nameless.

in Town

boots, and a few disastrous walks in the rain before it became a habit to carry an umbrella with me everywhere I went. Food has been an issue; my halls are partcatered, and although I am not particularly picky, there are only so many fish and chips one can eat. I am not much of a cook, and there are times when I crave food from back home. Being unable to go home for several months makes it worse.

I have to admit, I have grown to love Cardiff, and I am hardly exaggerating when I say that there is no other place I would rather be Yet, in spite of the occasional difficulty, I enjoy living in Cardiff. I like the halls, my crazy hall-mates, and the great nights

out with my friends. I love how I am able to stand out as a minority and still get accepted here, and how I feel a sense of belonging. I feel lost and homesick at times, but independence has its own charms. I am still getting to know the city, adapting to a new culture and learning to get by on my own, and so far it has been very exciting. I have to admit, I have grown to love Cardiff, and I'm not exaggerating when I say that there is no other place I would rather be.

Everyone has an opinion. Email us your ideas at opinion@ gairrhydd.com

Matt Harding

Opinion Writer An Oxford University college has been taken to court over accusations made regarding the handling of one particular applicant. The college in question, St. Hugh’s, is alleged to have discriminated against poorer students after withdrawing its offer made to a student because he could offer no proof that he could cover the required £12,900 living costs.

The case, in which Judge Armitage QC has reserved judgement until a future, unspecified date, was brought about by the student, Damien Shannon. His claim, that by imposing a figure that is “not obtainable” for most people, has led to the accusation of the college being in breach of the Human Rights Act. The college requires students to prove they can cover costs of £12,900 for living expenses such as accommodation. This figure has been set by the university as a means of ensuring the students

have the ability to cover all costs, and was determined by an annual survey of college bursars.

A spokesperson for the college said, “we consider this preferable, not only for the institute, but for the welfare of the individual student, as it prevents dropouts and disruptions partway through a course”.

Shannon stated that “the effect of the financial conditions of entry is to select students on the basis of wealth and exclude those not in possession of it”.

This point follows Shannon’s move for the motion of removing the financial requirement of the college altogether. He had calculated that, after taking out a loan to cover tuition fees, he could live off the £9,000 he had already acquired, and that the additional £3,000 was only a figure the university required, not one that met with everyday circumstances.

The spokesperson for St. Hugh’s college said, “The requirement that postgraduate students provide a guarantee in order to take

up their course at the University of Oxford is made clear to applicants,” with the lawyers representing the college requesting that the student’s suggestion to remove financial requirements, be thrown out.

The issues raised throw open wider questions about how elitist Oxford and Cambridge still are. For many years, these two have been boasting of a great change in their nature of operation, where anyone who is good enough will be granted entry.

This move reflects the considerable efforts of these two universities to attract a wider range of students, including their participation in state school UCAS fairs. However, with figures suggesting that up to 40% of Oxbridge students were privately educated, they seem to still carry the stigma of particularly posh institutions for people who come from money.

This assumption about Oxford has become such a widely circulated idea that it isn’t surprising that a student feels he is being persecuted for being unable to meet financial requirements.

Despite this, the fact that the university still openly defends its concern over what their students' bank balance will be for the duration of their study only further promotes how out of touch the institution is with current student feeling.

12 / Opinion

Another setback for graduates?

Secretary for Work and Pensions Iain Duncan Smith stated that a Geology degree and shelf-stacking were of equal worth.

Opinion writer Ashley Bebbington asks if this is belitting to students or if graduates have become too high and mighty

G

eology, essentially the study of the Earth, is a discipline that is vital in the discovery and mining of fossil fuels such as oil, mining minerals that are used to make fertilisers, and maintaining transport infrastructure. It would seem that without these exploits, the creation and maintenance of a supermarket would be an impossible task, which makes Tory politician Iain Duncan Smith’s recent comments that shelfstackers are more important than geologists somewhat perplexing.

Iain Duncan Smith, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, has come under scrutiny this week for comments he made regarding geology in an interview on The Andrew Marr Show. He was speaking in relation to a case in which a Geology graduate opted to claim jobseeker’s allowance rather than stack shelves, and stressed that no graduate should feel as if they are "too good" for such work. He then patronisingly asked "smart people" to consider whether the geologist or the shelf stacker is more important when next shopping at a supermarket.

This just goes to show that Duncan Smith has made these

comments without any real prior knowledge on the subject, as without the field of geology, the supermarket as we know it today would not exist. Without expertise from the field of geology, minerals used in fertilisers would not be available, making the mass production of crops, on which supermarkets rely, a near impossible task. Additionally, geologists are instrumental in the mining of fossil fuels such as oil, which are necessary for transportation of goods and in manufacturing the plastic that is required to make packaging.

His comments must leave a bitter taste in the mouths of those currently studying geology, especially as they were made by a man who voted in favour of tripling university tuition fees back in 2010. It seems unfair that Duncan Smith has given more value to an unskilled job than a profession that requires a universitylevel education.

I understand that the point he’s trying to make is that everyone who is able to work should work, regardless of whether they are overqualified for the jobs available, and rightly so, but making such ill-informed comments towards such an important discipline only serves to make him

“

What Iain Duncan Smith seems to have overlooked are the financial implications of encouraging graduates to take minimum wage jobs.

appear foolish and ignorant.

First-year geology student Matthew Webber, who is studying at Cardiff University, said that geologists are vital in the supermarket business as "food that has to be imported is brought over on vehicles which run on oil, as well as being made from metals that were probably mined by geologists. The building materials to make the supermarket itself also have to be mined." He did, however, later go on to sympathise with Duncan Smith, saying that graduates "working on shelves would stimulate our economy and create plenty of taxable income", noting that many geology graduates opt to move abroad in search of work.

Another thing Duncan Smith seems to have overlooked are the financial implications of encouraging graduates to take minimum wage jobs. Higher education is currently funded by a loan system, in which taxpayer money is loaned to students and paid back when they are earning more than £21,000 per year. This is intended to make those on minimum wage exempt from repaying student loans, so by encouraging graduates to take minimum wage positions, the money that is loaned to such people would be wasted

and never paid back. Third-year geology student Laurie Geraghty, who will soon take on a graduate job, meaning he will become a taxpayer and begin to repay his student loan says he will be "livid" if the government push people to waste this investment by encouraging them to take on minimum wage work.

It seems to me that Duncan Smith has lashed out at those who wish to further their lives by attaining further education, but doesn’t seem to realise that to attain a degree students have to put in at least three years of hard work. You can therefore understand the frustration of graduates who face the prospect of working a minimum wage job when they have invested three years of their life and a lot of money into gaining such a qualification. This is the latest in a long line of comments and policies put forward

by Conservative politicians that seek to limit and restrict higher education in Britain, when expansion of the mind and of knowledge is something that needs to be funded and utilised.

Opinion 10–13

Monday February 25th 2013 | @gairrhyddop

W

ith most people still coming to terms with the tragic death of Reeva Steenkamp on Thursday, February 14th, pictures began to emerge that evening of the vile and tasteless showcase of misogyny that would, the following morning, occupy newsagents nationwide in the shape of The Sun’s front page.

Beth Gregory, writing on page 10, has discussed the media reaction to the case, which has shamefully seen the trivialisation of the death of a young woman; an event which has seen a backlash from a huge number of people, epitomised by the hashtag, #HerNameWasReevaSteenkamp trending on twitter as images of the front page emerged.

Whilst it’s a little disappointing that it takes a front page like this to bring the discriminatory nature of The Sun in to the consciousness of certain people, it has at least provided even more reason to discuss the nature and appropriateness of The Sun.

It isn't for the Union to decide what can and what can't be read by its students In addition, the debate surrounding page 3 is perhaps more prominent than ever in recent years, with campaigns growing against it and Rupert Murdoch suggesting that he may be persuaded to pull the page.

He recently admitted in a Twitter exchange that it has become outdated, although failed to acknowledge its objectification of women.

Students at the University of York are now proposing a motion that will stop the Students’ Union shop from selling The Sun. One of the students fronting the campaign, Helena Horton has said, “this is not about 'banning The Sun', it is about taking it out of the Union shop so we are not forced to support it by proxy, and so that the Union doesn't profit from prejudice.”

While this may be more appropriate than a committee taking the executive decision to remove the publication, as was the case with LSE in 2012, I’m still not sure that silencing their

13

by Liam McNeilly voice by removing it entirely is the best way to go about it.

I can appreciate the angle from which this campaign is coming.

They claim that this is a motion in the interests of the student community, and for the Union to maintain its policy against sexism and discrimination generally. It's an admirable position to take but I fear that there may be an important aspect of this issue being ignored.

Would it not be better if the students of York understood the issues at hand and themselves chose not to buy The Sun, rather than having the option taken away from them?

At Cardiff Students’ Union, we are all too aware of the issue of freedom of speech, and the silencing of voices that we do not agree with. The recently failed motion that attempted to implement a No Platform policy for racism and fascism was overwhelmingly rejected at the AGM two weeks ago. Students voted to maintain the principles of a freedom and the press and freedom of speech in Cardiff, but this case in York seems to have quite similar underlying themes.

While many students from across the UK can relate to Horton’s general sentiment, that The Sun is guilty of fostering some of the deepest prejudices, it isn’t for the Union to decide what can and can’t be read. It would strike me as the Union endorsing a political position by banning particular newspapers.

Rather than removing it, a successful campaign and discussion of the issue could see a drop in sales, forcing the Students’ Union to remove it. Imagine this scenario being being summed up by the image of surplus copies of The Sun left alone on a stand, having been shunned by students who wouldn't be seen buying one. That would surely be far more satisfying than forcing its removal from the shelves.

If this were the case, there would be a legitimate economic argument for taking it off the shelves, but while The Sun continues to sell copies, you have to ask a more pressing question.

Why are people continuing to support a newspaper that continues to be embroiled in scandal and draped in disgrace.

It’s important to recognise that Horton has promised a referendum on this issue, but referendums in students’ unions

Twitter

aren’t always the most democratic of processes. Considering that only 86 Cardiff University students voted in a referendum on whether or not to attend last years NUS Demo, how many York students actively involved in this decision, or even made aware of the fact that a newspaper is being removed from their Union's shop?

I would love nothing more than to see The Sun, among others, be removed from the shelves of my newsagents, but

because they no longer sell copies, and not because they have been banned from circulation.

As soon as those in positions of power begin silencing those they disagree with, they contradict the principles of freedom and anti-discrimination that they hold themselves.

It's interesting to note that since the Hillsborough disaster, and The Sun's involvement in the disgraceful cover-up story, hardly a single copy of The Sun has been sold on Merseyside, and

this isn't because the authorities have declared a regional ban on the paper; it's because the people of Merseyside were made, in the most tragic of circumstances, of The Sun's venom and the power and influence they hold in publishing that venom. So why not kickstart a nationwide campaign to do the same? Make people aware of the issues at hand, and allow The Sun to die an organic death. I would take both greater comfort and pleasure if this were the case.

14 / Politics

Labour favour a mansion tax

Politics writer Greg Landon reports on Labour's recent declaration of support for the Liberal Democrat policy of a mansion tax, and looks forward to the next election

O

n February 14th, Labour leader, Ed Miliband announced that his party would begin pursuing a policy “to tax houses worth over £2 million,” and “would the use the money raised by a mansion tax to reintroduce a lower 10p starting rate of tax.”

The 10p tax rate was scrapped

by Gordon Brown in 2008, a move which Miliband labelled “a mistake.” Miliband went on to claim that lowering the starting rate of tax would “benefit 25 million basic rate taxpayers” and “put Labour were it should have always been; on the side of working people.”

The opposition leader did not however outline how much owners of £2million properties would have to pay, only that the size of the new 10p tax band would depend on the revenue raised from a mansion tax.

The suggestion is opposed by many prominent Conservatives, some of whom have already made their views on the matter very public. London mayor Boris Johnson wrote a scathing article in The Telegraph, in which he sarcastically told homeowners not to repair or upgrade their houses, in case they unwittingly improved them to a point where they could be valued above £2 million. He also criticised the fact Londoners would be a significant disadvantage because of higher house prices, and the fact that the policy only applied to single homes, not property portfolios.

He went on to ask: “what about someone who owns several houses, all of them worth £1.9 million: why should he or she pay noth-

ing, while someone who owns just one pricey home gets totally clobbered?” His final verdict: the policy is “ill-thought-out, unjust and un-British.”

The policy is not set in stone, with both Ed Miliband and Shadow Chancellor, Ed Balls, quick to point out that Labour would not finalise any tax policies until the release of its pre-election manifesto. Rather, Miliband himself labelled it as a “signal.”

Perhaps even more telling than the move itself is the Liberal Democrat reaction to it. One could accuse Labour of rehashing, or at least drawing heavily from Lib Dem ideas on the matter in recent years. In fact, in their 2010 manifesto, Nick Clegg’s par-

ty proposed a tax of “1 per cent on properties worth over £2 million.” Nevertheless, the Lib Dems have not shared the anti-Labour view on the matter taken by their coalition partners.

Indeed Vince Cable said he “welcomed” the move, saying it was "an idea whose time has come,” although he did admit Labour was "probably playing political games." Cable went on to say his party’s position would be defined entirely by how Labour worded their plans, but he seems to be a supporter of the move, stating: "It's a very sensible proposal which is designed to deal with extreme inequalities of wealth. It's also designed to puncture the bubble in massive

house prices, particularly in London and the south east at the top end of the range.”

A potential coalition split over the issue seems to be worrying Tories, with David Cameron warning a holiday-bound Nick Clegg not to side with Labour on the issue, after the Lib Dem leader ambiguously stated that he simply wanted “greater fairness in tax.” Labour is attempting to rally Liberal Democrat support on the issue, and is planning an opposition day motion in the House of Commons before the 2013 budget is released on March 20th.

Given that the taxing of luxury homes and goods is traditionally a Lib Dem policy, and was

Editor’s comment

I

f its not too much of an indulgence, I would like to take this opportunity to engage in a bit of idle speculation about the next election. Of course it is over two years until we will be formally invited to give our opinion in the usual democratic manner, but we political hacks need to provide our own sustainance from time to time.

Current polling is suggesting that perhaps the least likely outcome of the next election would

be a Conservative majority government. This has been made even more difficult thanks to the failure of boundary reform. As things stand, coalition politics looks here to stay, whichever way the electorate leans.

This is why these new revelations are significant: it appears as if Labour is positioning themselves in order to better facilitate negotiations with the Lib Dems in the event of another hung parliament. Certainly their two

included in their pre-election manifesto, a coalition split over the issue is certainly plausible.

Also, with notable cracks having formed in the coalition since its inception, serious questions are being asked over where the Lib Dems will stand at the 2015 election. This could potentially be a make-or-break issue for the coalition in the long run, because if Nick Clegg and his party fail to support a policy that was theirs before it was Labour’s, it will indicate an almost unbreakable loyalty to the Tories.

One Labour source tauntingly summed it up well when saying “Here is a chance for Nick Clegg to prove he can keep at least one of his [pre-election] promises”.

Thom Hollick Politics Editor

parties' memberships are more closely aligned with each other than with the Conservatives, but it is difficult to see a similar reconciliation between the party leaderships.

Whatever the outcome, it seems apparent that a fairer tax system will be on the agenda for any future government. The public backlash against tax avoidance is just bubbling under the surface. It will not take much to bring this to a head.

Politics 14-16

Monday Feburary 25th2013 2013| |@gairrhyddpol @gairrhyddpol January 28th

15

Intrigue surrounds the death of ‘Prisoner X’ Alejandro Faini Politics Writer

An Israeli Mossad agent, also known as ‘Prisoner X’ has been found to have hanged himself in a detention centre in Israel.

The man identified as Ben Zygier, acquired the name ‘Prisoner X’ after the Israeli government held a gagging order on any details of his arrest or suicide. Mr Zygier was kidnapped by Israel from a hiding place and charged for treason in January 2010.

The Australian-Israeli citizen was allegedly responsible for leaking secret information to Australian Intelligence in the trips he undertook whilst working as a Mossad agent. According to reports, Mr Zygier shared information concerning plans for a top secret operation in Italy, as well as the existence of an electronic company set up to spy on Arab countries and Iran.

Mr Zygier has also been linked to the assassination of the Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Mabhouh who was drugged and suffocated in his hotel room in Dubai during 2010. He allegedly looked for protection in the United Arab Emirates in exchange for information concerning the murder of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, but was kidnapped by Israel.

After the incarceration, the Israeli government did not acknowledge the existence of the prisoner and a gagging order was

issued to prevent any information concerning the case to be published. This use of censorship was critiqued by the leader of the left-wing Meretz party, Zahava Gal-On: “When an unknown prisoners commits suicide and nobody knows who he is, how does that fit with a democracy with law which is proper?”

Criticism has also been received from the Association for Civil Rights in Israel who have asked for a reduction of the gagging order and questioned the

necessity of the censorship.

However, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has labelled Israel as an “exemplary democracy” committed to the freedom of speech, and has argued that the secrecy of intelligence agencies is important to maintain state security.

The Israeli Parliament has stated last week that the ‘Knesset’ legislative branch of government will be in charge of the investigation, although the gag order is still in place regarding Prisoner

X’s records. Under this ruling, all journalists have been gagged from talking about the case. In Israel they must sign an agreement which prohibits any military and security information from being published.

The case has resulted in perhaps one of the most difficult diplomatic issues between Australia and Israel due to the use of Australian passports by the Mossad agents who participated in the operation.

During Mr. Zygier’s activities,

Australian Intelligence had attempted to investigate the agent for suspicion of fraudulent and espionage use of his Australian passport. However, their request for more detailed information from the Israeli government has been rejected, even though it is clear that that the government and family knew about Zygier at the time.

The remains of Ben Zygier are now at the Chevra Kadisha Jewish cemetery, Melbourne, Australia.

Cameron to redirect aid spending Thom Hollick Politics Editor

Now that health spending is subject to an effective cut thanks to the major restructuring of the NHS, the only department that still enjoys ring-fenced spending commitments is the Department for International Development.

The government's commitment to international development is a result of a commitment to UN targets. The targets dictate that developed nations should spend at least 0.7 per cent of gross national income on aid to developing nations.

However, this £10 billion budget has come under sustained scrutiny from parliament, not least from Conservative backbenchers. The most recent criticisms came last week when David Cameron suggested that some of this development money could be redirected away from aid to instead fund more defence projects. The Prime Minister's argument was that peacekeeping and military operations would promote stability and security.

Currently these types of proj-

ect are funded by the defence budget, but as has been widely reported the MoD funds have been tightly squeezed recently.

This announcement follows David Cameron's visit to India last week, in which the focus was definitely on trade and economic cooperation, rather than aid targeted to alleviate the extreme poverty on the subcontinent.

Last year the government had even announced it would no longer be providing aid to India, and the Indian government responded somewhat ungratefully, saying they didn't want the support anyway.

It is worth noting that even though India is a fast-growing economy, with its own space programme and nuclear deterrent, there still remains 400 million individuals living bellow the international poverty line, surviving on 1.25 US dollars a day. Perhaps as much as 68.7 per cent of the entire population lives on less than 2 US$ a day. India is home to about a third of the world's poor.

Back to the issue at hand: it is difficult to say what the effects of this change might be. The Prime

Minister seems fairly adamant that these redirected funds will not go towards improving the combat capabilities of our armed forces. As one Downing Street source made clear; "you can be sure that we are not going to use this money to buy any tanks".

But that may be beside the point. Peacekeeping work was formerly carried out by the MoD; by transferring it onto the DfID books the Prime Minister is directly increasing the funding available for military pursuits.

The Government will claim that they are still complying with the UN's 0.7 per cent target, but the spirit of humanitarian solidarity must be diluted somewhat.

It is of course a highly complex issue. In reality you cannot fully distinguish between the situations that demand food and medicine parcels, and those that require troops for training purposes or assistance in establishing law and order infrastructure. All different approaches are needed if we are serious in

helping the developing world to navigate its way out of poverty, or build states that are more effective at protecting their citizens.

This may all add up to a compelling reason to rethink the structure of our aid spending, but I fear this may be being done for the wrong reasons. Conservative backbenchers are thirsty for a much more isolationist foreign policy, at a time when we are focussing on restraining the public finances. Other Cabinet Ministers are seeing their budgets slashed, so Justine Greening is being put under increasing pressure to justify the special treatment for her department.

We should resist the demands of isolationist fiscal hawks. We want an effective international development programme, but we shouldn't allow current problems or inefficiencies to be an argument for its abolition all together. When David Cameron is touring the world championing British industry, hopefully he will see that in this complex international world we need to consider what we are able to give, as well as what we are able to get.

16 / Politics

First Minister demands policing powers Ashley Bebbington explores Carwyn Jones’ proposals for further Welsh devolution

T

he Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones has submitted a number of proposals which could bring more devolved powers to the Welsh Assembly, including policing, elections and roads.

The proposals have been put forward to the Silk Commission following a report in November recommending that the Welsh government should be allowed to raise its own taxes. Jones said that “decisions that affect Wales should be taken in Wales” and the reforms will allow the Welsh government to improve the quality of life for Welsh citizens.

Carwyn Jones placed most emphasis on policing powers, which would include the courts, prisons, probation and the creation of a separate Welsh legal jurisdiction. He also called for the appointment of a Welsh member of the Supreme Court, which would increase the presence of Wales in the Higher Courts of the UK.

Wales’ lack of police power has become increasingly hard to justify The Criminal Justice system is the only mainstream public service that Wales has no power over, a situation that Mr Jones says is becoming “increasingly hard to justify”. The newly elected South Wales police commissioner Alun Michael has supported Jones’ proposals, he said: “Policing, community safety and reduction of offending are integrally bound up with other areas of public policy”, over which the

Welsh government already has powers.

The Silk Commission was established in 2011 to re-evaluate the powers of the Welsh Assembly, and produced a report in November 2012 proposing a series of new financial powers be devolved to Cardiff Bay. A further report on devolved powers is expected in 2014, and Carwyn Jones’ recent comments appear to be an attempt to influence the outcome of the report.

from the UK Treasury.

Plaid Cymru support the proposals made by Mr Jones, but believe that they do not go far enough, calling for further powers to be devolved to Cardiff. A

has speculated that the proposals may not have the full backing of the Labour party. She also lamented the fact that the First Minister failed to call for such changes when his party were in

opinions therefore hold a great deal of weight within the party.

His ideas will certainly be taken seriously in Westminster, especially if the Labour party return to power at the next general

spokesperson for the party called the First Minister’s approach “slow lane” and said that it would “leave the major levels of power at Westminster”. They went on to say that “the question is not of which powers should be transferred to Wales, but when they should be transferred”.

power in Westminster, which infers that partisan conflict may damage the chances of such propositions being green-lighted by the UK Government.

Williams also noted that Labour had criticised many of the propositions put forward in the Richard Commission of 2004, despite the fact that many of Jones’ proposals mirror the ones in that commission. She says that if Labour had listened back in 2004, then ‘we would be much further along the journey of having a proper parliament for Wales’.

Despite the Lib Dems’ criticisms, it is worth noting that Carwyn Jones is the most senior Labour politician in the UK, and his

election. In addition, the Respect Agenda, set up by Tony Blair to help give power back to local communities ensures that David Cameron must at least take Mr Jones’ views into account.

The proposals would give Wales a greater range of powers that brings the Assembly more in line with the Scottish Parliament, which currently has more influence over Scottish affairs than the Welsh Assembly does over those in Wales. Politicians in Wales have long complained that the Scottish Parliament has more powers than the Welsh Assembly, so hopefully these measures could address this iniquity.

“Decisions that affect Wales should be taken in Wales” The proposal for Wales to also have control over Assembly and local elections has been supported by the Electoral Reform Society who have called for swift action to be taken. Its director Stephen Brooks has recommended that the UK and Welsh governments move quickly to implement such changes.

Brooks said that the methods of electing Assembly members and local councillors are matters that ‘only concern Wales’ and that a move towards reform should be made before 2015. He also highlighted the fact that Wales is the only country in the world other than Ukraine that doesn’t allow prospective political candidates to run for both local and regional elections, and that this is a matter that needs addressing.

The First Minister stressed that no referendum would be required for the proposals, and that no powers would be returned to Westminster. If passed, however, the proposals would need to be backed up by budget transfers

Wales could also be granted powers over elections and roads The proposals are a ‘vision’ for the long-term and, if agreed upon by the Silk Commission, will come into practice by 2021. However, the leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats Kirsty Williams

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18 / Science InSight

Cardiff guidelines assist UN David Mason

Science Writer A paper, co-authored by Professor Mark Bruford of Cardiff University School of Biosciences, has proposed an innovative new set of measures that may be used to monitor global biodiversity.

The paper has been published following a recent United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), which has emphasised the importance of preserving the planet's biodiversity. It has set international targets, including halting the loss of biodiversity as soon as 2020. In order for this to be achievable however, a way to accurately measure biodiversity and biodiversity loss is required.

At present, it is estimated that 0.1% of the world's species become extinct every year.

Whilst this may not appear important, biodiversity is vital to the survival of our planet and race. Biodiversity ensures growth of crops, purity of water, and affects all aspects of the natural world. For each species that goes extinct, numerous others are affected: predators, prey and parasites.

0.1% of the world's species become extinct every year

The paper, co-authored by Cardiff University and the Biodiversity Observation Network of the Global Earth Observation (GEO), sets out measures that may be used to measure biodiversity. It puts forward the development of Essential Biodiversity Variables (EBVs) to collect data on biodiversity change that may be collated globally. At present, no globally recognised system for recording and observing biodiversity exists, yet almost 100 competing systems have been submitted to the United Nations in order to meet the proposed 2020 targets. Two thirds of these systems, suggests Mark Bruford, "lacked evidence-based information on biodiversity change".

Potential variables suggested in the paper have been scored according to importance and divided into categories. It is hoped that those proposed will feed into the CBD's targets for 2020, including furthering awareness of biodiversity, as well as safeguarding some ecosystems and species.

Study finds riverborne drug residues affect fish behaviour Peter Marshall

Science Writer It's pretty common knowledge that scientists like to discover weird things, like the formula for perfect toast or the fact that frogs won't jump out of water that's slowly brought to the boil.

Actually, after a quick wikipedia check, I don't think that the latter is true. Regardless it makes the point, scientists like to discover weird things. The reasons for this, as far as I can see, are twofold; these types of experiments are more fun and they tend to get more media coverage.

So, upon hearing that a group of Swedish scientists had discovered that psychiatric drugs make fish, as they put it, “more efficient eaters," I initially put the

whole thing down to the nerdy, sadistic leisure activities that we all know go on behind any selfrespecting scientist's front door.

Yet, shocking though it is, this is probably not true. The fact is that fish may be taking these drugs in the wild, with little to no prompting from scientists at all!

A whole cocktail of drugs are being flushed down our loos

The Umea University led study proposes that psychiatric drugs used by humans to cope with anxiety are, post-excretion, being flushed into waterways where they affect fish behaviours. Laboratory perch exposed to similar levels of Oxazepam as those found in rivers and

streams were noted to act in a bolder, more anti-social way, and tended to be more efficient eaters.

If wild fish, many of which have been found to have similar concentrations of the drug in their muscle tissue as those used in the study, are indeed acting in a similar way, then the ecosystem that they belong to may be compromised.

For example, if the perch, high on Oxazepam, eat more than their usual share of zooplankton then algae may thrive leading to frequent algal blooms.

Of course, attempting to

Perch fish

predict the effects of the fish’s modified behaviours is incredibly difficult. The dosed fish may, on the other hand, be more vulnerable to predation causing zooplankton levels to rise and algae levels to fall, and is further compounded by the fact that a whole cocktail of drugs are being flushed down our loos and a whole plethora of wildlife live in our waterways. A scary thought.

Smallpox Vaccines: A Cure for Cancer?

Mei Yen Chang

Science Writer In what must be a promising breakthrough in the field of cancer research, recent studies have shown that the genetically modified vaccine for smallpox can triple the survival time for liver cancer with only mild, flu-like side effects.

The results, published last Monday in the journal Nature, have indicated that the vaccine is able to prolong the lifespan of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, a particularly malignant form of liver cancer, for over 14.1 months. The results are

The smallpox virus

significant given that Sorafenib, despite being the best existing medication for this cancer, only prolongs life by three months.

These studies were carried out by injecting three modified doses of the vaccine - codenamed JX-594 - directly into the liver tumours of patients over thirty days. Patients who received a lower dose subsequently survived for, on average, 6.7 months, while other patients receiving a higher dose reported a higher survival period of 14.1 months. At the end of the study, two of the patients on the highest viral dose were still alive two years after the treatment.

"It's a very substantial survival benefit," says Laurent Fischer, president of Jennerex, the company in San Francisco developing the treatment under the trade name Pexa-Vec.

Three modified doses of the vaccine were injected directly into the liver tumours of patients Recent research on the efficacy of treating cancer with viruses has been spurred on by improvements in genetic engineering.

Developments over the last few decades have allowed scientists to customise viruses that attack tumour cells and simultaneously direct the immune system to select and destroy cancerous cells.

Pexa-vec was customised by removing the gene coding for thymidine kinase, an enzyme that infects dividing cells, to reduce the likelihood of healthy dividing cells being infected.

Instead, two genes increasing activity in cancerous cells would be targeted - one gene being associated with an epidermal growth factor receptor, which stimulates the cancer to grow; the other being associated with a vascular endothelial growth factor, which enables the cancer to garner its own blood supply. The activity of

both genes would be significantly reduced, causing the infected cells to wither and die.

Pexa-vec also carries extra genes to prod the body's own immune system into action against the cancer. These genes would encourage the immune system to produce granulocyte colony stimulating factor and Lac-Z, proteins which respectively increase the production of white blood cells at sites of infection and earmark the infected cells for destruction.

Pexa-vec also carries extra genes to prod the body's own immune system into action against the cancer

In an unexpected development, Pexa-vec was also found to have spread to and shrunk secondary tumours outside the liver. Some tumours disappeared completely, whilst most showed a partial destruction on MRI scans. The destruction in secondary tumours were on par with the destruction in primary tumours.

Though a larger trial would be needed to confirm the results, Jennerex is optimistic that the vaccine shows promise against other types of cancers. This includes kidney, colon, lung, and gastric cancer, as well as melanoma.

Science 18-20

Monday February 25th 2013 | @gairrhyddsci

Pioneering lens 'cures' red-green colourblindness Sophie Howells Science Writer

American researcher Mark Changizi has serendipitously discovered that that his innovative ‘Oxy-Iso Filter’ lenses can potentially be used as a remedy for colour blindness.

Changizi, a theoretical neurobiologist, explained that human vision "evolved above and beyond that found in other

related skin colour phenomena.

Typical human vision is based on the functioning of three types of cones on the retina: short, medium and long wave frequency receptors, also known as blue, green and red cones, respectively.

To strengthen the perceived vibrance of green and red colours, blue and yellow are sacrificed

ceived vibrance and contrast between green and red colours, blue and yellow light perception is sacrificed.

Daniel Bor, a researcher at the University of Sussex who has the condition, trialled the lenses and gave the following verdict: ‘My daughter’s baby monitor has a yellow light on it and normally I can see that. But with the glasses on, it was completely invisible.' He went on to comment, ‘I wouldn’t wear them all the time but if I was going to an art gallery or a flower show, I’d take them with me. I’d really welcome them then.’

While the glasses are now available and have brought promise and hope to those suffering from colourblindess, there is still room for development, as the loss of blue and yellow colour vision is, obviously, an area needing improvement.

Call to arms issued to combat misleading clinical trial data Politics Editor

You may be aware of the current TV series Utopia, a dystopian drama that depicts a near future where pharmaceutical companies collude with government, and illness is big business.

One of the scandals in the programme embroils a civil servant who is blackmailed into putting in a large order for a Russian flu vaccine against a virus that doesn’t exist yet. The storyline is darkly comic and reminiscent of a conspiracy theory, so comparing this to reality may seem farfetched.

However, in 2009, the NHS spent 5% of their total pharmaceutical budget on the drug Tamiflu, which governments worldwide spent billions on too.

The drug, produced by the company Roche, claimed to reduce the ‘complications’ (the trade name for death or pneumonia) of influenza, but when a series of academics searched for the trial data for the drug, many of the trials were nowhere to be found.

UK Robot Car nears completion David Hodson Science Writer

mammals... allowing us to sense colour-signals on the skin, including blushes, blanches, as well as sensing health". His lenses were originally designed to aid medical professionals in detecting bruising and veins on the skin of patients by further enhancing the perception of red and green colours and, therefore, our ability to study bloodflow-

Dichromatic colour blindness, the most prevalent type, occurs when there is a deficit in one of these cone types. The innovative lenses work by filtering out certain wavelengths of light which compete with the ability to perceive red and green.

For example, in order to strengthen the per-

Rachel Lewis

19

After many Freedom of Information Act requests and lobbying of the company, the data was finally released and revealed that Tamiflu was actually no more effective than paracetamol. Billions of pounds of public money worldwide had been wasted, and patients felt cheated.

Data was finally released and revealed that Tamiflu was actually no more effective than paracetamol This incident was not isolated, and this trend of withholding trial information has been labelled “a cancer at the core of evidence based medicine”. Around half of all human trials carried out in medicine are not published, and positive trials are twice as likely to be published as negative trials. Academics have called this problem “publication bias”, but it is more than that: it is ethical misconduct. Doctors across the NHS need to read full trial data to assess the risks and benefits

of a drug before prescribing it to patients. If this data is not available, the patient could be subject to unnecessary harm and opportunities for appropriate medical care could be missed.

The campaign request is for trial data for all drugs in current and previous use Investigative medical journalist Ben Goldacre has initiated the campaign ‘AllTrials’ to resolve these systematic flaws within medicine. He is encouraging all academics, companies and journals to publish their trial data to help end this research fraud. The campaign request is for trial data for all drugs in current and previous use; if action isn’t taken soon, this information could be lost forever.

E n c o u r a g i n g l y, GlaxoSmithKline has signed up to AllTrials, although they

have not been wholly compliant so far in releasing information.

With the support of public interest and scientific institutions, the campaign could help resolve a problem regulators have been dragging their feet through for decades, and finally allow for full transparency in evidence based medicine.

Oxford University has been hitting the headlines this week after its Department of Engineering Science presented a car which can learn how to drive itself along previously driven routes.

The principle of the selfdriving car has existed for roughly half a decade. For example, the internet conglomerate Google boasts that its self-driving car has travelled 300,000 miles without any accidents. To put this into perspective, however, the UK conjures up a cumulative distance of roughly 6 million miles for every single serious road accident there is per year. The key difference between Google's car and Oxford's car is the cost.

Google’s car uses 3D rotary laser technology which costs approximately £150,000 per unit, whereas Oxford's car uses simple lasers and cameras which only cost £5,000.

Professor Newman of the Oxford RobotCar UK project believes that this can be reduced even further to cost a mere £100. He added: "Our approach is made possible because of advances in 3D laser mapping that enable an affordable car-based robotic system to rapidly build up a detailed picture of its surroundings…

Because our cities don't change very quickly, robotic vehicles will know and look out for familiar structures as they pass by so that they can ask a human driver 'I know this route, do you want me to drive?'"

Whether or not this technology will be safer than manually driven cars is yet to be tested, however, Professor Newman also believes the self-driven car will be commercially available within fifteen years.

20 / Science

Meet Rex, the million dollar bionic man

Made using artificial organs and limbs, Rex demonstrates how many parts of a person can now be replaced with a man-made alternative. How long will it be before these artificial body parts become better than the real thing? Science Writer Alice Tobin ponders this question and discusses whether Rex is living proof of the validity of the bionic implants concept.

Fitted with the face of his creator, the bionic man looks like something from a sci-fi film. However, he isn’t a fictional character from the future; every part of his body is either a prototype or already in use.

Costing over a million dollars, he is the combined product of some of the most advanced technology we have available today.

Rex, short for robotic exoskeleton, was made for the Channel 4 documentary ‘How to build a bionic man’, and is now on display at London’s Science Museum.

You can look right into his chest, and see his mechanical heart pumping blood Dr Bertolt Meyer, who led the project, didn’t immediately take to his bionic doppelganger. Born without his lower left arm, the Swiss psychologist has a hand worth £30,000, and says that he feels that something is missing if he doesn’t wear it. The bionic man has two of these limbs,

along with lower legs that are so fine-tuned, that their designer, Hugh Herr of MIT, can use them for rock climbing. Rex also has retinal implants designed for people with retinal degeneration to see the outline of shapes, and cochlear implants currently used by the deaf.

Rex is the combined product of some of the most advanced technology You can look right into his chest, and see his mechanical heart pumping blood which comes in the form of the paste used in emergency transfusions.

He also has a spleen-on-a-chip, an artificial pancreas, a prototype kidney, a trachea and the voice software used by Stephen Hawking.

The future is fast approaching Hot on the heels of the unveiling of the Bionic man are two more revelations that could make future prosthetics even more life-

like. A brain implant, developed by a team led by Miguel Nicolelis at Duke University in North Carolina, has been tested in rats and may one day allow people with prosthetic limbs to ‘feel’. It works using infrared light, which is invisible to us, and could even be used to give people a ‘sixth sense’. Meanwhile, the first prosthetic hand that can ‘feel’, developed by Silvestro Micera at the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne in Switzerland, works by being connected up to the nervous system, and is now ready for the first patient.

The bionic man may not be that life-like, but gives us a glimpse of how the future might look. With evermore advanced technology, we may soon have to ask how bionic we want our bodies to become.

The Human Brain Project Sophie Howells

Science Writer One billion euros have been granted to European research initiative, the Human Brain Project (HBP), directed by Henry Markram. The project will see academics from Cardiff University and around eighty other institutions, collaborating to create a multidisciplinary model of the human brain: neuroscientists from cognitive, behavioural and genetic backgrounds, chemists and mathematicians to name a few.

A predominant aim of the HBP is to increase scientific understanding of how the brain functions. As they uncover how physical matter such as neurones and chemicals give rise to previously intangible thought processes and cognitions, science may begin to reveal explanations to long unanswered philosophical questions

about consciousness and human intelligence.

Secondly, HBP aims to analyse medical data and incorporate this into the model so that medical professionals can more efficiently diagnose brain disorders, such as mental illness. With the links between psychological disorders and potential physical causes, such as chemical imbalance and genetic predisposition, being clarified, it is hoped that physicians will be better equipped to identify the signs of mental illness much earlier on.

Compared with current diagnostic tools such as the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM V) and International Classification of Diseases (ICD 10), which are largely symptom based, this model will enable professionals to detect early signs of disease which may be identifiable before the appearance of associated

symptoms. In addition, the model will provide a platform on which to test potential treatments. Codirector of HBP, Professor Richard Frackowiak, explains, "there will be ways of testing potential drugs, where you won't need to use animals, where you'll be able to use something that approaches the human, and where you'll have some information of how good the treatment's going to be in correcting the defect."

The model will provide a platform on which to test potential treatments The third goal of HBP is to develop computing technology comparable to the human brain, known as Neuromorphic Computers, in addition to applying the brain models to virtual robots. Modern day computers are limited in that they do not have

the flexibility, learning or analogical reasoning that humans show.

However, using the ideas of synaptic plasticity and human learning, the project will begin to develop computing hardware that is far more flexible and adaptive in responding to new problems.

A previous research initiative, the Blue Brain Project, also directed by Henry Markram, successfully mapped cortical columns in rats in a computer model, representing around 10,000 neurons. The team then continued to use these cortical columns to build and represent larger scale brain regions. This initial success will provide the foundation and building blocks for future progress in the HBP. The project, if successful in meeting its objectives, will have considerable implications for psychology, neuroscience, healthcare, medicine and technology, as well as numerous other fields.

Within the European region, treatment of brain diseases costs more than cancer, diabetes and heart disease, combined. In the UK alone, there are 800,000 people with dementia which is set to rise to over 1 million by 2021, according to the Alzheimer's Society. HBP could be set to combat these figures by discovering and developing new treatments and better understanding.

Representatives of the HBP are promoting the benefits and positive implications of this project, however with computer technology developing rapidly, one possible outcome might be the creation of Artificial Intelligence similar to that in popular science-fiction films such as 'A.I.' and 'I, Robot'. Could this project be the first step towards 'a brave new world' in which free thinking computers and humans coexist? Only time will tell.

22 / Societies What Societies are up to this week....

Monday 25th February-6pm Islamic Awareness Week Hamza Tzortzis gives a talk on 'Is Life Just a Game' in room 2.27 in the Law Building.

Tuesday 26th- 7pm-8pm The Cardiff Students for Life Annual General Meeting is being held at the Mackintosh Pub. Wednesday 27th- 10am-1pm Guess the Wales vs. Scotland score!

Head over to the Law Building and offer your predictions for Wales's next Six Nations game, all proceeds raised go to charity.

Thursday 28th- 6pm Islamic Awareness Week Yvonne Ridley tells of her Islamic journey in the Julian Hodge

Friday 1st- 8pm Islamic Awareness Week Question Time & Grand Dinner Temple of Peace Saturday 2ndNational Student Pride Weekend The LGBT society are travelling to Brighton to attend the annual Pride Weekend.

Sunday 3rd-

If you think there's something we should be reporting on, send us an e mail: societies@ gairrhydd.com

A Houdini Jailbreak!

Sarah Hay

Societies Writer The annual Jailbreak took place last weekend, with 14 teams attempting to escape not just Cardiff, but the United Kingdom.

With last year’s winners managing to get to Switzerland, this year’s teams faced the mammoth task of aiming to get further afield.

The winning team for this year’s Jailbreak event, appropriately named ‘Houdini’, managed to arrive at Fontainebleu in France and returned to Jailbreak Headquarters with just seven minutes to spare last weekend!

They utilised their skills of begging, blagging and choice time management, resulting in their success.

‘Big Booty Bitch-

es’, ‘Wyverne Wonders’ and ‘Norfolkin-Chance’ escaped to Paris.'

8 other teams managed to cross the channel, with teams arriving in Amsterdam and Caen whilst others were unable to leave the confines of the United Kingdom. The team that reached Amsterdam, ‘North Pole or Nothing’, decided to pull out of the race and instead chose to enjoy the rest of their weekend.

‘Big Booty Bitches’, ‘Wyverne Wonders’ and ‘Norfolk-inChance’ escaped to Paris. The ‘Master Bakers’ travelled all the way to Rotterdam via Antwerp in a Porsche. The ‘Gentleman’s Hitchhiking Society’ spent an evening in Brussels. ‘3 Lost Girls’ ended up in Falaise and visited William the Conqueror’s castle after getting a taxi paid for by

two drunk couples. ‘Villa Monkeys’ made their way to Calais and ‘4 Shades of Brown’ visited Dieppe in France.

The arduous tasks of hitchhiking and blagging providing an adequate challenge, with several teams not managing to cross the British border, yet all teams managed to get out of Wales.

Although the sponsorship raised from this year’s Jailbreak event will not be revealed before we go to press it is clear that the 2013 volunteers did not manage to travel as far as those in 2012.

Last year, the victors arrived in Geneva and returned to Cardiff in a mere forty-eight hours but it seems this year the general public were less generous to volunteers. Perhaps an event like this reflects the economic state of the United Kingdom in contrast to last year. Restrained or not, all will become clear with the unveiling of the grand jackpot on Friday, with funds raised going towards several SVC projects in the local community, including helping disadvantaged children.

Holly Mennell, whom I interviewed last week, seemed excited for the event with the hope her team would arrive in Amsterdam or Berlin. Holly, Jacob and Mia only managed to arrive at Dover and return to Cardiff in the forty-eight hours last weekend. Dover and back is an infallible achievement, the team felt that family and friends were the most giving in terms of sponsorship – but the people they met whilst hitchhiking were most helpful. Among these, Jacob told me that those who spend their careers on the road such as lorry and coach drivers were full of advice and help although unable to give the three musketeers a lift! Holly, Jacob and Mia initially planned

to raise £300 between them but managed to raise somewhere in the region of £400, a more than ample contribution towards the grand jackpot, which will be announced on Friday. According to the team, the jailbreak experience is thoroughly enjoyable and they would recommend it to all. They also revealed that they did not feel unsafe at any point in the trip, which is reassurance for those considering getting involved next year. Jacob is even considering hitchhiking home to Devon soon in order to save himself some pennies!

It is clear that Jailbreak is a brilliant opportunity for any Cardiff student who wants to

have a once in a lifetime experience whilst actively supporting a great cause. The event has thrived yet again amongst the students and volunteers of Cardiff University. All the participating teams should be congratulated merely for getting involved with Jailbreak. A special mention goes to those working hard behind the scenes - the unsung heroes of Jailbreak.

All in all, it doesn’t really matter how far the volunteers got or how much they raised as all donations will help make a positive difference. Who’s up for getting involved next year?

Societies 22-23

Monday February 25th 2012 | @gairrhyddsoc

23

A Streetcar Named Desire - A Review Felicity Holmes-Mackie Societies Writer

Set in the whirling life of New Orleans, A Streetcar Named Desire tells the tangled tale of Blanche Dubois, her spiralling decline and those characters caught up in her fall. Tennessee Williams’ play is certainly seductive to a drama group in the rich thematic elements and vibrant theatricality of the script, but it is also a play subject to Williams’ artful yet specific stage directions.

For example the script requires complex lighting, sound and props, not to mention the several rooms, two storeys and iron spiral staircase! Clearly this was a brave undertaking for Act One’s Rob Thomas (director) and team, but one which, despite its challenges, is hugely rewarding at the outcome.

The play is rooted in its setting and hot, smoke-blue jazz, delivered by the streetcar band,

brought this first to the audience in the dark at the YMCA Theatre.

Then the lights rose on the rundown apartment and raw life of street vendors, gossips and the delightfully jabbering Eunicefrom-upstairs (Naomi Bell). This vivacity continues through the

'The play is rooted in its setting and hot, smoke-blue jazz, delivered by the streetcar band.'

play with interactions between Eunice and Steve (Tom Mclean).

If you are lucky (as I indeed was) one of the vendors may even throw one of their ‘red hots’ into the audience. Raised eyebrows aside, this raw, colourful scene of dilapidated sensuality and multiculturalism creates a resounding discord between the setting in which soft, white, Southern Blanche Dubois (Hattie Lamb) finds herself in when

she turns up at her sister Stella’s door. She must then choose to adapt or perish.

Stella chooses to adapt. Played

by Catherine Douglas with irrational actions, she is torn between loyalty to her sister and trusting her husband. It was thought-provoking to see Stella played with rationality and reason as opposed

'The Blanche onstage was most rightfully quivering and unstable, masked and exposed all at the same time.' to the trance-like state she is usually associated with.

Meanwhile, a frightfully brutish Stanley Kowalski (Sam Bailey) stood out on stage amongst the other characters. A very animalistic, primitive portrayal resulted in some hair-raising moments as Stanley bellowed for his wife,

and intense silence also fell as he, both metaphorically and physically, smashed and destroyed his way through the plot.

Mercifully contrasting with the violence of Stanley but also carrying his own emotional baggage, a classic, bear-like Mitch came from James Rollinson.

Mitch and Blanche had some particularly wonderful encounters in this production which were filled with poignant stage chemistry. The actors were well synchronised and earthy Mitch contrasted splendidly with flighty Blanche Dubois.

The Blanche onstage was most rightfully quivering and unstable, masked and exposed all at the same time. Her spiralling decline was central and theatrical and captivated the audience with tendrils desperately flung wide and seeking. This desperation emanated from Blanche and the delicacies and spirited fight of her character were fabulously

represented in a tension between rigid, desperate self-control in the body and quivering, mothlike tone in the voice. The chilling Varsouviana Polka played behind one of Blanche’s significant speeches was interpreted in a haunting way reminiscent of horror, and all elements in that moment came together in a thrilling discord for the audience.

The discords of desire and death, New Orleans and the South and grandeur and decline were played out by the amateurs expertly. It was clear to see both audience and cast were affected by the power of the play as it ended, resulting in sober bows and earnest applause. The production is a fantastic achievement for the cast and team, and a high standard of theatre was reached for a complex and challenging piece.

All involved should, and I am sure will, feel extremely proud by final curtain fall.

Interview with Rob Thomas, Director of Act One's A Streetcar Named Desire Bethan Lyons Societies Editor

How have you adapted the play and what aspects, if any, have you changed?

There were very strict rules set by the licence providers, with no adaptations permitted. We did, however, adopt a different method of staging as to what the audience may have expected.

The stage featured a complex 1 and a half level split, containing four different scenes. Props were a major element of our staging, we hired 1950s style street lights and even a full 1950s esque kitchen.

What does Act One’s audition process entail?

The plays that Act One will per-

form are decided at the end of April, after a new committee has been elected. Auditions begin around October time, with an initial audition and then a recall.

This is then followed by a friendly debate amongst committee members as to who receives the individual parts.

Why did you decide to stage a production of A Streetcar Named Desire?

As a director, the elements of the play particularly appealed to me, with the backdrop of the post-war setting alongside the economical changes America was experiencing. The presence of a struggle between modernisation and traditionalism was prevalent in 1940’s America, particularly with the southern desperation to cling on to traditional values. This ten-

sion between old and new values is epitomised through the confrontation between the characters of Blanche and Stanley. Blanche’s stubborn, southern, traditionalist mentality contrasts with Stanley's views as a modern thinking immigrant, with their values effectively portrayed by Hattie and Sam respectively. We also choose to push the comedic elements of the play, with Tom and Naomi, who played the characters of Steve and Unis receiving a brilliant reception from the audience.

This also helped put the play into perspective as the amusing scenes allow the audience to further appreciate the dramatic moments. I also feel that the issues addressed within the play are still prevalent today, as the play directly preceded the civil rights movement that changed the dy-

namics of modern America.

Do you feel that the production has been a success? In hindsight, are there any elements of the play that you would change?

I feel that with the play, the cast and crew have achieved everything we set out to. We hope that we have created an atmosphere for the audience, through the presence of the live jazz band during scene changes. This helps to include the audience and maintain their focus. It also allows the message of the play to be conveyed more efficiently. Hopefully we have created an experience for the audience; one that they will not forget in a hurry.

If I could change one aspect of the production it would be the presence of more resources and

an increased amount of time.

Having said that, it is clear that even within the confines that Act One faced, we have achieved what we intended to. Although it is an amateur production, both cast and crew have treated it like a job, reflected in the professional standard of the production.

I think that everyone involved will feel a tinge of sadness when the final curtain falls.

What is the next production in the pipeline for Act One, and when will it be performed?

The next show is Clue, which will run from the 26th Feb-2nd March at the YMCA theatre in Roath.

It is a murder mystery comedy based on the board game Cluedo.

For any additional information, visit www.actonetheatre.org.uk.

26 / Taf-Od

Gyda cystadleuaeth gerddorol mwya'r calendr i gerddorion Cymru yn cael ei ddarlledu nos Wener yma, Heledd Lewis sy'n eich cyflwyno i gystadleuwyr 2013

E

O taf D

leni, cynhelir y gystadleuaeth 'Cân i Gymru' ar Fawrth y cyntaf, a hynny yn y Coal Exchange yma yng Nghaerdydd.

Dyma gystadleuaeth sydd wedi ei chynnal yn flynyddol ers 1969 sy'n rhoi cyfle i artistiaid Cymru gyfansoddi a pherfformio cân yn y Gymraeg, a chaiff y gwylwyr gyfle i bleidleisio am eu cân gorau.

Y beirniaid a dewisodd y rhestr fer eleni oedd Lisa Gwilym, Gai Toms, Griff Lynch a Gwilym Dwyfor, ac yn sicr, maent wedi dewis caneuon sy'n amrywio'n helaeth o ran genres. Mae'r fformat arferol wedi'i newid ychydig flwyddyn yma gan mai chwe chan yn unig fydd i'w chlywed ar y noson, o'i gymharu â'r wyth arferol, a bydd yr enillydd yn derbyn gwobr o £3,500.

Am y tro cyntaf, mae'r holl artistiaid sydd ar restr fer y gystadleuaeth wedi derbyn £900 o bunnoedd yr un er mwyn gweithio gyda chynhyrchydd a stiwdio gerddoriaeth i greu eu trac. Dywedodd Lisa Gwilym, "Mae'r artistiaid wedi derbyn £900 yr un i

recordio'r caneuon mewn stiwdio o'i dewis felly mae'n wych o beth bod y gystadleuaeth ar ei newydd wedd yn rhoi cyfle i'r cerddorion ifanc 'ma fuddsoddi yn eu cerddoriaeth ac aros yn driw i'w s n eu hunain." Yn ogystal, fe gyflwynir gwobrau Selar a gwobrau Roc a Phop BBC Radio Cymru ar y noson, sy'n gyfle i S4/C ehangu ei chefnogaeth i'r Sîn Roc Gymraeg, a bydd yr enillwyr hyn yn derbyn gwobr o £1,000 yr un.

Felly, gyda fformat newydd i gystadleuaeth sydd wedi bod yn rhedeg ers cymaint o flynyddoedd, pwy yw'r artistiaid sydd wedi mentro cystadlu eleni? A sut ganeuon a allwn ni ddisgwyl eu clywed?

Cyn-enillydd y gystadleuaeth yn 2010, Alun Evans yw'r enw cyntaf ar y rhestr fer. 'Breuddwydion Ceffylau Gwyn' yw ei gân eleni. Dyma gân bop eithaf sionc ei naws, gydag alaw afaelgar.

Mae wedi hen arfer perfformio'n unigol o dan yr enw 'Alun Tan Lan', ac ef fydd yn perfformio'r gân ar y noson.

Merch ifanc sydd wedi dod i amlygrwydd ar y sîn yn ddiweddar yw Catrin Herbert, a hi yw

cyfansoddwraig 'Ein Tir Na Nog Ein Hunain'. Dywedodd ei bod yn awyddus i roi teimlad hafaidd braf i'r gynulleidfa gyda'r gân bop hon sy'n sôn am hiraeth a phlentyndod.

Gweithiodd Elin Parisa Fouladi gyda Ben Dabson i gyfansoddi eu cân 'Aur ac Arian'. Dyma drac sy'n dywyllach ac arafach ei naws na'r caneuon blaenorol. Mae'r ddau wedi gyrru eu cân at Sterling Sound yn Efrog Newydd ble bydd Ryan Smith yn meistroli'r trac; mae'n debyg fod y g r hwn wedi gweithio ar draciau Beyonce ac Iron Maiden yn y gorffennol.

Yna, cawn 'Amser Mynd i'n Gwlâu' gan Geth Vaughan a Pete Jarvis. Ceir gwead eithaf tenau i'r gân hon, a gyfansoddwyd wrth i Geth geisio suo Dundee, ei gi bach newydd i gysgu. Dyfrig Evans, o'r band Topper gynt a gynhyrchodd y trac, ac ef fydd yn ei pherfformio ar y noson.

'Bywyd Sydyn' yw enw cân Rhydian Lewis, myfyriwr gradd Meistr yma ym Mhrifysgol Caerdydd, ac aelod o'r band 'Hud'. Perfformir y gân sy'n sôn am fyrder bywyd gan Rhydian ac Ifan Davies- aelod o'r band

'S nami'.

Rhys Gwynfor ac Osian Huw Williams yw cyfansoddwyr y chweched gân sydd ar y rhestr fer, sef 'Mynd i Gorwen hefo Alys'. 12 bar bl s yw strwythur y gân a cheir unawd gitâr yn y canol. Y mae'r ddau gyfansoddwr yn aelodau o'r band ‘Jessop a'r Sgweiri’.

Dywedodd Rhydian Lewis, un o’r cyfansoddwyr eleni, “mae yna’n sicr ddyfodol i’r gystadleuaeth efo’r fformiwla newydd.

Mae’n gyfle i roi arian i hybu bandiau ifanc a’u hannog i gystadlu a chyfansoddi cynnyrch newydd.

Mi wnes i fwynhau gweithio efo Rich Roberts yn y stiwdio– dwi wedi arfer recordio efo fo gyda’r band. Ar y noson, mi fydda i

braidd yn nerfus am ganu’n fyw ar y teledu – yn enwedig heb hogia ‘Hud’ efo fi! Ond mae hi’n fraint cael bod ar restr fer mor safonol eleni, a dwi’n edrych ymlaen at glywed yr ymateb i fy nghân!”

Rhwng 21 a 28 Chwefror, bydd cyfle i glywed y traciau yn fyw ar y rhaglen 'Heno' ar S4/C am 7:00yh, neu gallwch wrando ar s4c.co.uk/canigymru. Caiff y gystadleuaeth ei darlledu am 8:25yh nos Wener, Mawrth 1 ble bydd cyfle i'r gwylwyr bleidleisio am eu cân gorau. Bydd yr enillydd yn mynd ymlaen i gynrychioli Cymru yn yr W l Ban Geltaidd yn Iwerddon ym mis Ebrill. Felly, pwy fydd enillydd Cân i Gymru 2013? Chi sy’n penderfynu. Pob hwyl i bob un o’r cystadleuwyr!

Rhydian Gwyn Lewis

Straeon OD o bob rhan o’r byd... Wythnos yma, milwyr yn gorymdeithio i gân SpongeBob...

C

afodd dyn tywydd yn Awstralia embaras wythnos diwethaf wrth iddo ddisgyn yn anymwybodol yn fyw

ar y teledu.

Roedd y dyn tywydd, Grant Denyer, sy’n aml yn cyflwyno’r tywydd mewn ffyrdd eithafol, yn hedfan mewn awyren ‘stunt’ wrth siarad gyda’r cyflwynwyr yn y stiwdio. Bron yn union yn dilyn iddo chwerthin gyda’r cyflwynwyr am beidio bod yn sâl ar yr awyren, fe aeth Denyer yn anymwybodol oherwydd y ‘GForces’. Mae fideo o’r cyflwynwr

yn yr awyren wedi bod yn hynod boblogaidd ar YouTube ac er ei embaras, fe ddywedodd Denyer ei fod yn falch, mwy ‘na dim, ei fod ddim wedi chwydu.

Yn y cyfamser, yn Rwsia fe gafodd dyn oedd wedi bod yn anffyddlon i’w gariad ei ddal ganddi wrthi iddi weld o ar fersiwn Rwsiaidd o Google Streetview. Wrth i Marina Voinova chwilio am gyfeiriad ar y rhyngrwyd, daeth llyn o’i chariad ym mreichiau merch arall. Yn annhebyg i Google, nid yw’r fersiwn Rwsiaidd yn rhoi ‘blur’ ar wynebau pobl.

Bu newyddion rhyfedd iawn yn amgylchynu’r rhyngrwyd wyth-

nos diwethaf wrth i lawer fideo ymddangos, oedd yn honi i ddangos milwyr o Rwsia yn gorymdeithio i diwn cân ‘SpongeBob SquarePants’. Yn ôl y sôn, mae’r milwyr yn mwynhau gorymdeithio i’r gan yn ystod misoedd oer y gaeaf yn Rwsia, mewn ym-

drech i godi ysbryd ei gilydd. Mae nifer o wefannau yn ymddangos i amddiffyn yr hawliad fod y gân yn boblogaidd ymysg y fyddin ac er i lawer fideo gynnig prawf, mae’n dal i fod yn anhygoel o anghredadwy.

Taf-Od 26-27

Dydd Llun Chwefror 25ain 2013 | @taf_od

27

David Jones yn ei chael hi ar ôl sylwadau ‘sarhaus’ am rieni o’r un rhyw Cerith Rhys Jones Taf-od

Mae’r Ysgrifennydd Gwladol dros Gymru wedi derbyn sylw sylweddol yn y cyfryngau Cymreig a Phrydeinig yn ystod yr wythnosau diwethaf oherwydd sylwadau a wnaeth yn ystod cyfweliad ar raglen ITV Wales ‘Face to Face’ gyda golygydd gwleidyddol y sianel, Adrian Masters.

Yn ystod y rhaglen, fe drafododd David Jones AS ei ddaliadau gwleidyddol cryfion fel Ceidwadwr, a’i ymlyniad wrth y ffydd Gristnogol. Bu hefyd yn trafod ei agwedd at fywyd, sef bod rhaid gweithio er mwyn llwyddo, yn enwedig yn sgil llwyddiant ei dad fel perchennog nifer o fferyllfeydd yn Wrecsam. Yn ogystal, fe soniodd am ei amser fel Aelod Cynulliad, a’i gred y gwahaniaethwyd yn ei erbyn oherwydd yr oedd yn rhaid iddo ddatgan ei aelodaeth o’r Seiri Rhyddion.

Ond, yr hyn a gododd gwrychyn nifer yng Nghymru a Phrydain ehangach oedd y drafodaeth rhwng Mr Jones ac Adrian Masters am y bleidlais ddiweddar yn Nh ’r Cyffredin am briodas gyfartal.

Er iddo nodi ei fod yn cefnogi perthnasau cyfunrywiol, a bod yna ‘bobl yn fy mywyd i sy’n bwysig imi ac sy’n hoyw’, pan ofynwyd wrtho paham y pleidleisiodd yn erbyn Bil Priodas (Cyplau o’r Un Rhyw), ei ymateb oedd: ‘Roeddwn i’n un o ddau weinidog yn y cabinet a bleidleisiodd yn ei erbyn ac hynny am resymau

amrywiol. Yn sicr yn nhermau fy etholaeth, roeddwn yn teimlo yr oedd etholwyr Gorllewin Clwyd yn gryf yn erbyn y newid. Ond hefyd, rwy’n ystyried priodas fel sefydliad sydd wedi datblygu tros lawer o ganrifoedd, er mwyn darparu amgylchedd glud a diogel i fagu plant, sydd yn amlwg yn rhywbeth na all dau bartner o’r un rhyw wneud. Nid yw hynny i ddweud o gwbl fy mod yn erbyn partneriaethau cyfunrywiol sy’n sefydlog ac yn ymroddgar.’

Mae genai deimlad nad dyma ddiwedd saga ddiweddaraf hon y mae'r Blaid Geidwadol yn ei hwynebu Yr unig weinidog cabinet arall a bleidleisiodd yn erbyn y Bil oedd yr Ysgrifennydd dros yr Amgylchedd, Bwyd, a Materion Gwledig, Owen Paterson. Yn ogystal, fe bleidleisiodd Stephen Crabb, sy’n weinidog yn Swyddfa Cymru, a phob un arall o Aelodau Seneddol y Ceidwadwyr yng Nghymru, yn erbyn y Bil. Er i lond dwrn o Aelodau Seneddol y Blaid Lafur hefyd bleidleisio yn erbyn y Bil, fe ymatebodd Ysgrifennyd yr Wrthblaid dros Gymru Owen Smith, sy’n Aelod Seneddol dros Bontypridd, yn chwyrn: ‘Mae’r ffaith fod dal i fod y math hwn o farn wrth graidd cabinet y

Torïaid yn fwy o dystiolaeth bellach nad oes gan y Torïaid afael ar y Brydain fodern, a bod honiad David Cameron, fel nifer o’i addewidion, ei fod wedi newid ei blaid, yn ddim mwy na geiriau gwag. Mae sylwadau David Jones yn hynod o sarhaus, a dylai ymddiheurio yn syth.’

Yn siarad yn ystod Rhagfyr 2012, fe ddywedodd arweinydd Plaid Cymru am Mr Jones: ‘Mae angen i’r Ysgrifennydd Gwladol symud i mewn i’r 21ain ganrif…Rydym yn cefnogi’n frwd y cais i atal gwahaniaethu ac anghydraddoldeb yn y gyfraith ac ry’n ni’n cefnogi priodas ar gyfer cyplau o’r un rhyw.’

Er fod y Prif Weinidog. David Cameron yn gefnogwr brwd o briodas gyfartal, pan ofynwyd wrth lefarydd ar ei ran yn yn Heol Downing a oedd y Prif Weinidog yn teimlo fod sylwadau Mr Jones yn dderbyniol, fe ddywedodd fod ‘priodas hoyw a mabwysiadu gan bobl hoyw yn faterion i’r cydwybod ac yn hynny o beth, rhoddwyd pleidlais rydd ar y mater. Mae’r Prif Weinidog yn cefnogi’r ddau.’

Mae’r grwp ymgyrchu ar faterion LHDTh Stonewall Cymru wedi ymateb gyda ‘thristwch’ i sylwadau’r Ysgrifennydd Gwladol trwy ddweud: ‘Rydym yn drist fod Ysgrifennydd Gwladol Cymru wedi gwneud sylw sydd mor sarhaus ac anghywir. Mae yna nifer o fathau gwahanol o deulu yng Nghymru heddiw, gan gynnwys nifer o gyplau o’r un rhyw sy’n magu plant. Mae’n tanseilio’n fawr iawn y teuluoedd hynny a’u plant pan glywant y math hwn o sylw di-sail.’

Mae'r grwp LHDTh Stonewall Cymru wedi ymateb gyda 'thristwch' i sylwadau'r Ysgrifennydd Gwladol Cyn y bleidlais yn Nh ’r Cyffredin, cynhaliwyd arolwg gan YouGov ar ran Stonewall Cymru fis Ionawr, a ddangosodd bod 83% o bobl yng Nghymru o’r farn y dylid mynd i’r afael â rhagfarn yn erbyn pobl lesbaidd, hoyw, deurywiol, a thrawsrywiol, a bod 85% o’r gred y dylai pobl LHDTh allu fod yn agored am eu rhywioldeb. Dangosodd yr arolwg hefyd bod 62% o Gymry’n cefnogi cynlluniau’r Llywodraeth Brydeinig ar gyfer priodas gyfartal.

Mewn datganiad wedi iddo ymddangos ar Face to Face, fe ychwanegodd yr Ysgrifennydd Gwladol: ‘Gofynwyd wrthyf ar raglen

Face to Face paham y pleidleis i a i s yn erbyn cynlluniau ar gyfer priodas i bobl o’r un rhyw.

Ymatebais fy mod wedi gwneud hynny ar sail fy marn fod y briodas yn sefydliad sydd wedi datblygu trwy’r canrifoedd er mwyn darparu amgylchedd ddiogel a chlud er mwyn magu plant.

Fe bwysleisiais fy mod yn cefnogi perthnasau ymroddgar o’r un rhyw. Rwyf hefyd yn

cymeradwyo partneriaethau sifil yn gryf. Ni ddywedais yn y cyfweliad na ddylai partneriaid o’r un rhyw fabwysiadu plant, ac nid hynny yw fy marn.

Yr hyn a geisiais dynnu sylw ato yw gan na all partneriaid o’r un rhyw gael plant yn fiolegol, mae sefydliad y briodas yn un, yn fy marn i, a ddylid ei gadw ar gyfer partneriaid anghyfunryw.’

Fis Rhagfyr, fe gafwyd ymateb chwyrn tuag at sylwadau gan Aelod Seneddol Ceidwadol arall o Gymru hefyd – David Davies, yr AS dros Fynwy. Yn siarad gyda BBC Wales on Sunday, dywedodd bryd hynny ei fod yn ‘meddwl y byddai’n well gan y mwyafrif o rieni pe na bai eu plant yn hoyw, oherwydd bod rhieni am gael wyrion, os am ddim arall.’

Gyda’r Bil yn dal i fynd trwy’r broses seneddol – y mae wedi bod yn cael ei drafod yn y pwyllgorau yn ddiweddar – ac ers i Ysgrifennydd yr Wrthblaid dros Gymru ysgrifennu at y Prif Weinidog David Cameron yn gofyn iddo alw ar David Jones i dynnu ei sylwadau’n ôl ac ymddiheurio’n gyhoeddus, mae gen i deimlad nad dyma ddiwedd y saga ddiweddaraf hon y mae’r Blaid Geidwadol yn ei hwynebu.

“

"Ond hefyd, rwy'n ystyried priodas fel sefydliad sydd wedi datblygu tros lawer o ganrifoedd, er mwyn darparu amgylchedd glud a diogel i fagu plant, sydd yn amlwg yn rhywbeth na all dau bartner o'r un rhyw wneud"

28 / Puzzles

Sudoku

kakuro

Easy Kakuro #1 grid so that each run of squares 15x15 Kakuro Puzzles KrazyDad, Book 3 Fill33in the adds upbyto the toEasy Sudoku Puzzles by KrazyDad, Volume 3, Book Each Sudoku has a unique solution that can be reached tal in the box above or to the left. Use only numbers 1–9 and logically. Enter numbers into the blank spaces so that each never use a number more than once per run (a number may recur in the same row, in a separate run). row, column and 3x3 box contains the numbers 1 to 9.

Sudoku #1

5

6 6

3

9

3

9

9

17 4

29

3 7 1 2 3 5 5 9 8 5 7 3 2 6 9 7 7 5 8 8 5 2

4

4

11 11 17

44 22

16 12

3

18

17

22 10

15 3

5 17

4

27

13

27 14

17

8 8

29 10

30

30 20

9

4

12

20

8 10

14 24

4

11

5 11 28

10

10

17

8

6

16

3

7

17 18

9

4

17 20

9

14

11 15

36 8 16

8

18 6

7

5

8

6

10

4 © 2012 KrazyDad.com

© 2012 KrazyDad.com

Rhys’ Riddles

Fill in the blank squares so that each row, each column and each 3-by-3 block contain all of the digits 1 thru 9.

If you use logic you can solve the puzzle without guesswork.

Share the experience International student Need a little help? The hints page shows a logical order to solve the puzzle. with yourpage younger Use it to identify the next square you should solve. Or use the answers if you really get stuck. brother or sister! enjoying Cardiff?

Steve has found himself in a Vietnamese prison.

He needs to escape. The only way in and out of the prison is via a rickety bridge which takes 15 minutes to cross. The bridge is guarded by a single guard who sleeps for most of the day, only Need some help? visit krazydad.com/kakuro St David’s Catholic College is Cardiff’s waking every 10 minutes - without fail - to check specialist sixth form college. We for escapees. If he sees the bridge is empty, he educate over 1500 students of different will return to sleep for another 10 minutes. If he nationalities in a modern self-contained sees someone trying to visit the prison he will campus in the city. wait until they arrive and send them back. If UÊ "ÛiÀÊxäÊ«Ài Õ ÛiÀà ÌÞÊV ÕÀÃià he sees someone trying to escape he will shoot UÊ {ä¯Ê Ê>ÌÊ Ê iÛi Ê ÊÓä£Ó them (with 100% accuracy). Since Steve wants UÊ ÝVi i ÌÊ ÃÊÜ Ì Ê V> ÊÕ ÛiÀÃ Ì ià to escape alive, how can he outfox the security UÊ -«iV > ÃÌÊ1 -ÊÃiÀÛ Vià guard?

Kakuro puzzles are like a cross between a crossword and a Sudoku puzzle.

Instead of letters, each block contains the digits 1 through 9. The same digit will never repeat within a word. If you add the digits in a word, the sum will be the number shown in the clue. Clues are shown on the left and right sides of “across” words, and on the top and bottom sides of “down” words.

UÊ *iÀà > ÊÌÕÌ ÀÊÃÕ«« ÀÌ UÊ "ÛiÀÊ{ÎäÊÃÌÕ`i ÌÃÊ«À }ÀiÃÃi`ÊÌ Ê Õ ÛiÀà ÌÞÊ ÊÓä£Ó

UÊ Ê`i` V>Ìi`Ê ÌiÀ >Ì > Ê vwVi°

St David’s College, Cardiff

See our international prospectus and >«« ÞÊ iÊ>ÌÊÜÜÜ°ÃÌ°`>Û `Ã V °>V°Õ ÌiÀ >Ì Ûi ÞÊi > Ê ÕÀÊ ÌiÀ >Ì > Ê vwViÊ ÌiÀ >Ì > ÃÌÕ`i ÌÃJÃÌ `>Û `Ã V °>V°Õ

Last week's solution:

UÊ ¼ } ÞÊÌÀÕÃÌi`Êë à À½ÊLÞÊ1 Ê À`iÀÊ }i VÞÊv ÀÊ1 ÊÛ Ã>Ê>«« V>Ì Ã

The key is to put 1 and 8 in the central 2 boxes. These two numbers only have 1 adjacent number. This forces the position of 2 and 7. There are a few combinations of final positions, but here is one:

www.st-davids-coll.ac.uk

UÊ -" ÊÌÕ Ì

The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield and government to gain ground.

-- Thomas Jefferson

2 6 9 3 1 6

28

10

A successful person is one who went ahead and did the thing the rest of us never quite got around to.

9

4 8

Listings 29

Monday February 18th 2012 | @mediacsu

MUSIC

Example Monday 25th February at The Motorpoint Arena. 6.30pm. Tickets: £28.75 Mama Rosin Tuesday 26th February at The Moon Club. 7.30pm. Tickets £5 Spectres Wednesday 27th February at Buffalo. 8pm. Tickets £4 Exit 10 Thrusday 28th Febraury at Clwb Ifor Bach. 7pm. Tickets £8-£10 The Alarm Friday 1st March at Solus. 7pm. Tickets £18

THEATRE

Act One Presents: Clue Tuesday 26th February- Saturday 2nd March at the YMCA theatre.Tickets £6.

Blood Brothers Monday 25th February-Saturday 2nd March at the New Theatre.

Standard tickets from £9-£32.50.

The Cunning Little Vixon Thrusday 28th February at the Millenium Centre. Tickets from £5-£40

CLUBS The Lash Wednesday 27th February at Solus. 10pm - 3am. £3 in advance, £4 on the door Obey! Friday 1st March at Undertone. 10pm Comeplay Saturday 2nd March at Solus 10pm - 2am. £4 in advance £5 on the door.

ART & CULTURE

Buffalo Boutique Monday 25th February. Selling vintage bargains, rarities, hand made crafts, and one off finds.

At Buffalo. 7pm. Free entry.

David Tress Exhibition Featuring some of Tress's Expressionistic paintings. At Albany Gallery. Ends on 2nd March.

32 / Sport

BUCS Review Ladies lacrosse dominate Exeter at home Victoria Farrant

game.

Cardiff University’s play has been closely linked with local Premiership team Cardiff Harlequins in a succession of matches this year. The ladies played a friendly game against Quins’ ladies team with a final score of 8-3. Goal scorers for University included Frances Kay, Emma Collins and Emma McVeigh and they donated several players to the Quins side. The men have also played for Quins in a game against Swansea Hawks, winning 10-7.

Cardiff also have an exciting mixed tournament against Kings College London coming up. The event promises plenty of friendly banter as well as a chance for more mixed game play, in preparation for tour in a few weeks’ time when the club will be off to Spain.

Sport Writer

In what proved to be a tense and exciting game against Exeter University, Cardiff women's lacrosse team have earned their place in the BUCS Trophy semi-final.

After having had this game postponed once before, along with several other cancellations, the ladies were keen to play their first match of the new year, gathering a crew of supporters on home turf to add to the atmosphere of this important match.

Despite an early goal from Exeter, Cardiff played well from the off and managed four goals in the first quarter, with two apiece from Amy Rochford and Emily Cecil. In the second quarter Exeter once again only managed one goal, whereas Cardiff built on their success and scored a further six. Goal scorers in this quarter included Rochford, Cecil, KitKat Nicholas and co-captain Anjuli Seaborne.

With a half time score of 10-2, Cardiff were now looking strong for the second half and used their half time break to regroup.

The third quarter saw goals from co-captain Emily Weighton, Seaborne, Rochford and another four from Cecil.

Cardiff carried this exceptionally strong lead into the final quarter. While Exeter stepped up late in the game, their three goals were matched by Cardiff’s final three from Rochford, Seaborne and Cecil. Outstanding defensive play from GG Gore Browne, Liv Burke and goalkeeper Catrin Williams meant that the game finished with a score of 17-7 to

Cardiff. The girls are excited for their upcoming matches and this performance bodes well for the semi-finals against Cambridge 2nd team.

The men’s team have played consistently well all season, taking them through to the BUCS semi-finals also. They have since achieved a 9-8 win against Bath University in a close and difficult

CARDIFF: Anjuli Seaborne, Emily Weighton, Amy Rochford, Emily Cecil, KitKat Nicholas, GG Gore Browne, Kitty Hobhouse, Tina Battersby, Charlotte Jones, Olivia Burke, Nia Jones, Sophie Jones, Gabbi Shields, Catrin Williams, Kate Turnor, Flo Barker, Gaby Glennon, Ellie van Klaveren

Firth blows away the competition in Cornwall Jony Price Sport Writer

Last weekend, Cardiff Uni Windsurf Club descended on Cornwall for the second round of the Pura Vida SWA Wave Series.

Day one of the competition saw light winds and a small swell, not enough for windsurfing but perfect conditions to run the Sam Ross National WindSUP Championships. SUP (Stand Up Paddle) Boarding is one of the largest growing water sports in the world right now, and with the ability to attach a windsurf sail, allows windsurfers to clock some time on the water even when conditions aren’t ideal.

Competition was tough, but it soon became clear that Cardiff’s very Own Tommy Firth shone through in these conditions. He fought off other competitors left right and centre to make it through to the final, but there was no stopping our Tommy.

The final saw meaty waves and fierce competition, but nothing could slow Tommy down as he stole the show, taking first place and officially making him the

first ever UK National WindSUP Champion! Will he defend his title next year?

Day two in Cornwall saw a huge improvement in conditions.

Thirty Knots of onshore wind

rounds, all making their way to face each other in the Semi-Final.

Joe Shuttleworth’s freestyle skills shone through, (perhaps a little unnoticed by the judging panel) and Tom Firth battled hard to

and a decent swell allowed the second round of the SWA Pura Vida Wave Series to get underway.

Cardiff’s Joe Shuttleworth, Will Jones, Tom Firth and Jony Price made easy work of the first few

take the double crown after his success on the previous day.

Unfortunately, the heat draw didn’t allow for an all-Cardiff final. In the end it was Will Jones and Jony Price who impressed

the judges enough to make it through.

Competition organiser Jo Wright said: “The overall result was an extremely tightly fought affair with Will Jones (Cardiff), Jony Price (Cardiff), Mike Ellis (Southampton) and current tour leader Ben Page (Southampton) all making it through to the final.

"Will’s jumping skills shone through, nearly landing a few back-loops. However, he couldn’t quite find the consistency he had shown in earlier heats, so took 4th in the final.

"Mike showed how all his recent time on the water is paying off with a great forward off the lip and some solid wave riding to take 3rd.

"Jony, who has just returned from his storm-chaser mission to Ireland, stole the show when it came to wave-riding, achieving the highest wave score of the day to take 2nd.

"Ben put in a stellar performance throughout all of his heats and after pulling off the forward in the final and showing some great wave riding skills, he took a much deserved win.”

Men's hockey ease into the Welsh final Charlie Young Sport Writer

Cardiff University Men’s Hockey 1st Team moved into the Welsh Cup Final on Sunday with an impressive 6-2 semi-final victory over Wrexham, giving them the opportunity to win the tournament for the second year in a row.

After going behind early on to a goal from a short corner, Cardiff hit back immediately with an outstanding diving deflection from captain Charlie McCartney.

The boys quickly asserted their authority over the game by racing out to a 4-1 halftime lead; McCartney's contribution shortly followed by goals from Danny Wills and Todd Freedman. Then, a surging run by James Croft late in the first half resulted in a penalty stroke, which was calmly converted by McCartney.

Shortly after the break, Cardiff scored once again with a strong finish by Tom Beak to put the result beyond doubt. However, Wrexham, not discouraged by the score line, fought back admirably, claiming a second goal. It could have been more were it not been for some imperious defending by Ultan Watson and some fine saves by goalkeeper Andy Hughes. On the rare occasions when Hughes looked troubled, his defenders backed him up heroically, including an outstanding goal line block from Will Teagle.

The game was wrapped up with a late score by James Croft; the goal coming just moments after being hit in the head by a dangerous aerial ball.

A strong all round team performance was easily enough to see off Wrexham and put a very strong Cardiff side into the final and with a good chance of retaining their title against Swansea University on March 24th.

Sport 32-36

Monday February 25th 2013 | @gairrhyddsport

33

Cardiff Ladies edge out Newcastle in tough encounter Emma Fox Sport Writer

Cardiff Ladies Rugby will meet arch rivals Cardiff Met in the BUCS Championship quarterfinals after an impressive 20-15 victory away at Newcastle.

Cardiff started strongly, with some of the best breakdown work the team have performed all season and the forwards securing the ball well for scrum half Emma Fox to get clean ball out to the backs. This saw the centres Holly Hearle and Ellie Davis make some great breaks and, with fullback Rachel Kidner creating the extra man in attack, Cardiff often worked the overlap and made metres. Cardiff enjoying the majority of possession saw Newcastle trying to slow the ball down illegally and conceding a penalty in their own 22.

Cardiff looked to capitalise on this and, with a great carry from Anna White, they did just that, her score putting Cardiff ahead at 5-0.

Newcastle came back fighting from the kickoff and were determined to steal the ball to gain some possession. Eventually, an isolated Cardiff player meant the girls conceded a penalty for holding on. Newcastle made good ground on a kick to touch, and work through the forwards

towards the whitewash. Their quick pick-and-goes proved too much for the Cardiff defence and, after a gruelling 10 minutes of defending, Newcastle slipped over the try line to even the score at

ing the half time score at 10-5 to the visitors.

Harriet Vaughan took the place of Hannah Campbell on the flank at the interval, Cardiff’s final replacement of the day. New-

on the blindside to touch down, making the score 15-10 to Cardiff.

Cardiff were soon back in Newcastle's 22. The backs cut some great lines that wreaked havoc in their opponents’ defence, and

5-5.

Cardiff had confidence and soon regained the lead. After some great carries from the likes of Steph Bird, Awen Prysor and Harriet Cox, the forwards sucked in the Newcastle defence to open up space for the backs. Crisp passing down the line saw quick ball make its way to Bridget Taylor out on the wing for her to dive over the line. Cardiff were offtarget with the conversion, leav-

castle brought on many fresh legs, which showed in the first 10 minutes of the half when the hosts worked their way up the pitch and went on to score, evening the score line at 10-10.

A good talking-to under the posts from captain Tash Doyle saw Cardiff come back fighting and, once again, Cardiff edged towards the try line. The forwards made ground and Maria Waghorn cruised through a gap

some great strength from centre Hearle saw her held up 10 metres from the line. The pack latched onto the ball and, from a driving maul, Hearle reappeared over the try line to extend Cardiff’s lead to 20-10.

In the latter part of the second half, Cardiff were plagued by injuries. Key player Alice Stean was knocked out and, after yet another faultless performance, had to go off. Davis stepped up to

10 and, although carrying an injury Karen Davies, came back on at 12. Despite this novel line up, Davis distributed brilliantly at fly half, and Davies made a powerful break through the line only to go down with a new injury and Cardiff were forced to go down to 14 against Newcastle’s 15 for the last 20 minutes of the game.

Some great defence out wide from the likes of Anna Hickman and Rachel Kidner held Newcastle off, but in the last 10 minutes, Cardiff conceded a soft try as the home side gathered a lucky bounce from a hack and chase to cross near the posts.

The Cardiff girls still came away with a 20-15 win, however, despite Ellie Davis, Karen Davies and Alice Stean all ending up in Newcastle A&E. The physical game took its toll on the girls but the long journey up north was not in vain in the end.

CARDIFF: Rachel Kidner; Bridget Taylor, Holly Hearle, Ellie Davis, Anna Hickman; Alice Stean, Emma Fox; Maria Waghorn, Anna White, Steph Bird; Karen Davies, Awen Prysor; Hannah Campbell, Harriet Cox, Tash Doyle.

Bench: Lauren Cooper, Harriet Vaughan.

Ladies fencing team put York to the sword Rosie Beeston Sport Writer

After performing outstandingly in the Western Conference last year, Cardiff Women’s fencing team moved up to the Southern Premiership. Having lost one of their key members from last year, it was going to be tough to make their mark on the league, but they were ready for a new challenge.

In the season so far, the team has faced Oxford, Imperial College London, Cambridge and University College London. Following their tough league fixtures, the ladies sat at a strong third place after their first season in the Southern Premiership.

This meant that in the Championship knockouts the Cardiff Women would face York, who finished in the same position in the Northern Premier League.

Having never fenced York before, the women were eager to prove their worth and secure an all important victory and gain a spot in the semi-final.

Without the aid of experienced fencers Abi Difford and Elen Tomlinson, who make up the majority of the foil team, Cardiff toiled to retain 21 points against 45 and York took an initial point lead in the foil section of the match. Considering that foil is York’s most dangerous weapon, keeping the points difference this low was an achievement with everyone stepping up to the plate to provide a decent basis for the other two weapons to build on.

Things were hotting up as next was épée, the strongest category in the Cardiff repertoire. There were no problems in taking York apart, gaining a score of 45 to their 30. The épée team consisted of Amy Radford, Lucy Ridsdale and Lydia Fuller, who are all part of the Cardiff High Performance Program. They all fenced exceptionally and with excellent technique. This decisive win spurred the team on to push for victory in the next weapon and the ladies were confident of an outright win.

will take place in Cardiff against Imperial who dominated the Southern Premiership this year, but the Cardiff ladies retain high hopes of making it in to the final.

The men’s fencing team has also excelled this season, finishing in top place in their league.

The boys also fought their way to the semi-final, destroying the University of East Anglia to get there. In a heated away match, the final score was an astonishing 114-97 to Cardiff.

Cardiff fencing is performing incredibly, having scored the most BUCS points per team so far this year. With a large influx of new members, Cardiff fencing promises to be a strong team for years to come and remain a strong presence in the BUCS leagues.

It all came down to the sabre, with captain Tessa Lomax, Amy Radford and Rosie Beeston taking to the piste. Tensions were high as entry to the semi-final rested on the next 9 bouts.

Cardiff retained a strong lead throughout to finish with a decisive 45 points to 23.

Cardiff sailed through to the semi-final with an overall score of 111 to 98. The semi-final match

CARDIFF: Amy Radford, Lucy Ridsdale, Tessa Lomax (Captain), Lydia Fuller, Rosie Beeston, Elen Tomlinson, Abi Difford

34 / Sport

Round-up

Team Talk: CARBS FC Captain Liam McDermott discusses CARBS' Premiership chances with James Shapland

E

known as a tough team to beat over the past few years. Do you and the boys feel the pressure of this reputation at all?

We have always been the team to beat. I think it has stemmed from the fact we had an unbeaten campaign not so long ago. But it’s great for us, we know we are

ven before the start of a new IMG season, teams are aware of the threat posed by the Business School outfit, CARBS. With a strong reputation to live up to, the pressure is certainly on their captain, Liam McDermott.

So far, the team have lived up to the hype, unbeaten throughout Phase 1 and kicking off Phase 2 with two convincing wins. Surely one of the favourites for the IMG Premier League title, Liam explains what makes them tick.

last year so we’ve had to recruit a lot, but fair play to the freshers who have come in. They have gelled in our team really well and, best of all, we have a good mix. I cannot fault their commitment to IMG football but their social attendance is questionable.

How would you describe the CARBS style of play?

Born in Stoke, I’ve only ever been taught route one football. So I quickly ousted the 3-2-4-1 foreign tactics we had last year to an oldschool 4-4-2. As much as it pains me to follow the Tony Pulis style of play as I’m a Port Vale fan, I

How do you think the season is going so far?

Really well. We are undefeated this season, although we have had a few slip ups along the way, drawing with a couple of teams in Phase 1. Despite that, we’ve managed to score plenty of goals – the highest in our group – and kept it relatively tight at the back, which is certainly a positive to take into Phase 2.

Feedback on the new structure of the IMG this year has been pretty good so far. Any thoughts?

IMG has definitely had a shakeup for the better. Cari (the AU President) has ensured that it has been well organised and clearly structured. I have no complaints, so, all in all, very satisfied.

Unbeaten so far, you must be confident going into Phase 2 of the season?

Absolutely, it’s great to have the winning feeling in our squad and it has given everyone a real buzz. We’ve got to remain confident, but it’s vitally important we don’t get ahead of ourselves.

We’ve acknowledged that being in the Prem means there are no easy games so we’ve just got to keep a level head and take one game at a time. Maintaining the unbeaten status is going to be a real challenge but we’ve established a winning mentality and I am quietly confident that we will remain unbeaten come the end of the season.

CARBS

have

become

some quiet nights in watching films while one of the boys cooks some food – Loaty’s a top chef!

Seriously, the social side has been awesome. Suj - "The OnePint Wonder Social Sec" has organised some memorable nights out. Most of them end up at The Lash, but we’ve hit Tiger recently only to be quids in for VIP and a bottle of bubbly each – unbeknownst to the bar staff as they left loads of stock outside the booth. Nearly forgot to mention each social involves starting at Dave Isaacs’s house as he takes a lot of persuading.

always in for tough and fiercely fought games as teams always pull out their ‘A’ game against us. But we don’t hide - we know it’s down to us to build on this reputation. In all honesty, the better the reputation the easier job I have in terms of attracting new players and getting people to play.

Has there been much of an upheaval in your squad this year?

Yes, there have been a lot of major changes. The nucleus of about seven or eight players graduated

well

Who have been your standout performers this year?

Obviously, being skip, I’ve got to say the whole squad. It’s difficult to single certain players out as we’ve performed extremely well as a group. That said, I’ve got to add that I’ve already scored six from centre-half, a greater tally than a couple of our strikers, which is a bit embarrassing. In all seriousness, without sounding cheesy, the whole squad have been standout performers which is shown by the three-way tie in Man of the Match awards.

have to say it has been working a treat so far. We haven’t been playing aerially all of the time.

We have actually played some decent, tidy football on the deck, but I’m gradually stamping that out, especially as the pitch conditions are deteriorating.

How is the social scene for the CARBS boys? What does a typical night out involve?

We have had some great socials.

I think, this year, we’ve been to some flower arranging classes, trips to the theatre – definitely recommend Les Mis. We've had

After a great start to Phase 2 with convincing wins over FC Euros and Law A, you must be confident about the rest of the season. What are your ambitions?

I’ve said all along I’ve wanted to win the Prem during my time here. I’m graduating this year so it will be great to bow out on a high. It was a good win against Euros but we needn’t kid ourselves - they had a weakened team. Saying that, we had the bit between our teeth and came out deserved winners. Hopefully, we will have a bit of a run and the Championship may well just come our way. But, who knows?

There is some tough competition but, if we stick at it, I’m confident we will be there or thereabouts come the end of the season.

Division Two Premiership

Division One

W

D

L

GD

Pts

P

W

D

L

GD

Pts

1

Engin Automotive FC

2

2

0

0

4

6

1st XI

2

2

0

0

2

6

2

Time Team

2

2

0

0

2

6

2

AFC Dentistry

2

1

0

1

1

3

3

OPSOC

2

1

0

1

3

3

3

Cardiff Mets

1

1

0

0

1

3

4

Gym Gym

2

1

0

1

2

3

3

4

CHAOS FC

2

1

0

1

0

3

5

Law B

1

1

0

0

1

3

0

0

5

Cardiff Uni IMG 1st

2

1

0

1

0

3

6

C-PLAN AFC

2

1

0

1

0

3

1

-1

0

6

Inter Menan

1

0

1

0

0

1

7

Chemistry FC

1

0

0

1

-1

0

0

-1

0

7

Engin Loco FC

2

0

1

1

-1

1

8

JOMEC FC

1

0

0

1

-2

0

1

-3

0

8

History AFC

1

0

0

1

-1

0

9

Computer Science FC

2

0

0

2

-4

0

1

-7

0

9

Cardiff Uni IMG 2nd

1

0

0

1

-2

0

10

Too Big To Fail

1

0

0

1

-5

0

P

W

D

L

GD

Pts

CARBS FC

2

2

0

0

6

6

1

2

SOCSI

2

2

0

0

2

6

3

Roath Park Rangers FC 2

1

0

1

6

3

4

FC Euros

2

1

0

1

-2

5

EarthSoc

0

0

0

0

6

Momed AFC

1

0

0

7

Psycho Athletic

1

0

0

8

Law A

1

0

0

9

Pharm AC Mens XI

1

0

0

1

P

35

Sport 32–36

Monday February 25th 2013 | @gairrhyddsport

The Tip - Off: Dental In this week's Tip-Off, Ross Martinovic speaks to Dental Netball captain Jess Morrick

F

the moment and we hope to continue this.

rom humble beginnings in 2008, Cardiff Dental Netball are going from strength to strength.

After starting out as a purely recreational outfit, Dental are gradually buying into IMG's competitive element and are now aiming high.

Jess Morrick's girls enjoyed a highly satisfactory Phase 1 campaign before Christmas, winning three and losing three of their games in Group D, which also included Gym Gym, Pharmacy B and HistorySoc. Their efforts were only enough to earn them a place in Division Four in Phase 2, but Jess is highly confident in her squad's capabilities this semester and their campaign has started positively.

They suffered an agonising 6-5 defeat to the league's pacesetters Pharmacy B in their previous outing last Wednesday, but that came after an emphatic 17-7 victory over Cardiff Medics B in their first match.

Their record is admirable given the low numbers of girls in the School of Dentistry, with most of their opposition in IMG having the luxury of much greater numbers from which to select.

Dental's results so far have left them poised nicely in midtable, and Jess is looking forward to their remaining fixtures.

Has there been much of a shake-up in the squad this year? How many players have you kept hold of ?

Our squad is fairly similar to last season with the majority of players being second and third years.

However, we did have five freshers joining in September who have been a great addition to the squad and have fitted very well into the team.

Who would you say have been your star performers this year?

Any girls that have caught the eye in particular?

Aw, that's so difficult to answer!

We definitely have more than just one star performer - when the team is focused all the girls really perform their best. I must say, though, that our shooters have been unstoppable this year!

Where would you say the strength of your side lies? Any positions where you are particularly strong?

It’s really hard to say but I think the strength of our side lies in our shooters. We aren’t the tallest of teams, so our attack and defence have to be on top form to deal with some of the taller teams and get the ball into the semi-circle.

How easy is it to recruit from the School of Dentistry?

Dentistry isn’t actually a very big course, with an average of 35 girls in each year so it is very hard to have enough people interested to have a big squad. However, we have around five from each year who are all very dedicated to the team.

How are things going for you this year, Jess? Are you pleased with your squad's efforts so far?

We were very pleased with our run before Christmas. We won six games out of the eight and we’ve continued this success after the New Year with a victory against Cardiff Medics B. We’re playing really well as a team at

What's the social scene like

Division One

P

W

D

L

Pts

1

ENCAP A

2

2

0

0

6

2

Cardiff Uni A

3

2

0

1

for Dental Netball? What does a good night involve?

We’ve had a few nights out as a squad and still won our games the next day! We are starting to think we play a bit better after a night out - maybe an excuse for more socials! Everybody has their own way of making a scene on the socials, whether it’s spilling an entire bottle of vodka or meeting the Australian rugby team.

Who have been your toughest opponents this year? Have there been any particularly difficult matches that spring to mind?

We have had some really tough

Division Two

P

W

D

L

Pts

1

SOCSI A

3

2

0

1

6

6

2

Pharmacy A

2

1

1

0

4

matches, but I would say our games against Pharmacy B always challenge us the most. They really do have some great players, especially their tall defenders.

Being a short team can be really challenging for the shooters to get those goals over them.

How did things begin for Dentistry in IMG? What do you enjoy the most about it?

Dentistry joined the IMG league around five years ago and we have enjoyed carrying on the tradition and being a part of it. We started off as a very laid back, ‘just for fun’ team but our competitiveness is definitely growing!

Division Three

P

W

D

L

Pts

1

Chemistry

3

2

1

0

7

2

OPSOC

3

2

0

1

6

The organisation of both the netball and football IMG competitions has attracted fairly widespread praise this year.

Is that something that you agree with? Is there anything that you would like to see improved?

Yeah, I think there has been a lot more consistent participation reflecting how well the league has been organised. However, we feel that some of the umpiring has been a little disappointing and that the referees are not quite as attentive as expected. But, other than that, we really enjoy being a part of IMG.

Division Four

P

W

D

L

Pts

1

Pharmacy B

3

2

0

1

6

2

HistorySoc

3

2

0

1

6

3

CARBS A

2

2

0

0

6

3

Cardiff Medics A

2

1

0

1

3

3

SOCSI B

1

1

0

0

3

3

Bioscience

3

1

1

1

4

4

Law A

3

2

0

1

6

4

ENCAP B

2

1

0

1

3

4

CARBS B

3

1

0

2

3

4

Cardiff Dental

2

1

0

1

3

5

Psychology A

2

0

0

2

0

5

Cardiff Uni B

2

1

0

1

3

5

JOMEC

2

0

1

1

3

5

EUROS

3

1

0

2

3

6

Law B

1

0

0

1

0

6

Engin Auto

2

1

0

1

3

6

URNU

2

0

1

1

1

6

Cardiff Medics B

2

1

0

1

3

7

Engin Loco

3

0

0

3

0

7

EarthSoc

3

0

1

2

1

7

Psychology B

2

0

0

2

0

7

Gym Gym

2

0

1

1

1

Women's lacrosse thrash Exeter in home encounter << page 32

cardiffstudentmedia.co.uk /gairrhydd

Sport Monday February 25th 2013 | Issue 999

Cardiff Ladies victorious up North!

Sport editor Ross Martinovic reviews a successful week of BUCS action for Team Cardiff

C

ardiff University Fencing Club led the way for Team Cardiff last week with impressive victories for both the men's and women's teams.

The women's squad made the long trip to York for the BUCS Championship quarter-finals and performed admirably, coming away with a 111-98 win and setting

up a final four clash against Imperial or Birmingham (full report on page 33). Their male counterparts, meanwhile, emerged emphatic 135-58 victors over strugglers UWE 2nds in the league.

The women's lacrosse team were also big winners, defeating high-flying Exeter 2nds 17-7 in a league and cup double header.

The triumph saw Cardiff leapfrog Exeter into top spot in West-

Ladiesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; rugby fix date with Cardiff Met << page 33

Women's fencing set up a final four clash against Imperial or Birmingham with a 111-98 win at York ern 1A, while earning a place in the semi-finals at home to Cambridge 2nds in the BUCS Tro-

phy (full report on page 32). The men's squad were also victorious, beating Bath 8-7 in their top of the table clash in Somerset.

Men's hockey were 1-0 winners over UWE, keeping the pressure on leaders Exeter 2nds, while the women recovered from their loss on penalties to Oxford Brookes in the Trophy last Monday with a 2-0 win against Cardiff 2nds.

Cardiff Women's Rugby Club

had a mammoth journey north, which proved worthwhile as they held on to defeat Newcastle 20-15 in the Championship (full report on page 33).

The netball team were beaten comfortably 49-27 at Bristol, while American football and women's basketball suffered heavy 33-0 and 75-18 losses at Bath and Southampton respectively.

The Tip-Off: Dental Netball << page 35