gair rhydd - Issue 929

gair rhydd Monday September 27 2010 | freeword – Est. 1972 | Issue 929

FREE INSIDE: The pudding issue Quench satisfies your sweet tooth <<plus the latest film, music and culture Inside this week:

Trouble ahead?

With the arrival of Freshers’ Week, tension rises as Cardiff residents raise concern over anti-social behaviour and waste management.

News, page 4

And so it begins Our resident columnist offers his own insight into the debauchery of Freshers’ Week Columnist, page 10

Media blackout Opinion discusses the situation in Pakistan and analyses the reasons why the floods appear to have dropped off the media radar Opinion, page 8

American dream?

After the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq Politics counts the cost of ‘victory’ and thinks about the future situation Politics, page 15

Student stereotype

Can’t get no satisfaction Pippa Lewis News Editor Medical students at Cardiff are the least satisfied with their course in the United Kingom, according to the findings of the National Student Survey (NSS).

Only 58% of students are satisfied with the overall quality of their course compared to an average of 82% across the UK. While many are satisfied with the quality of teaching - 89% of students find the course intellectually challenging - satisfaction levels with feedback and assessment are worryingly low with just six percent of students claiming that feedback on assessment has been prompt and 12% claiming that the

feedback provided on work has help to clarify the things which students did not understand.

The management and organization of the course has also come under fire in the recent survey, with just 20% of students feeling that the course is well managed and running smoothly.

Laura Shapcott, a second year medical student at Cardiff University said: “As far as I’m concerned the course is well structured, the only thing which lets Cardiff down is the late, contradicting and sometimes complete lack of communication about what is expected of us for assignments, which leaves students confused and unsure of what to do and whose advice to follow.”

Professor Paul Morgan, Dean, of the Cardiff School of Medicine has

expressed his disappointment in the satisfaction levels found in the survey and has said that it is his “fixed intention is to put Cardiff School of Medicine at the top of this and every other quality measure of medical education.”

Sarah Ingram, Academic and University Affairs Officer said of the findings: “While it is obviously disappointing that final year Medicine students have not been satisfied with the course, these were the last group of students who have been directly affected by the merger [between Cardiff University and the University of Wales College of Medicine in 2004] and the shifts relating to that.

Oliver Luton, the Healthcare Integration Officer has echoed this sentiment. He told gair rhydd: “It

is to be remembered that these students have been in the middle of the organisational re-shuffle and after the marking errors of last year’s examinations many students have a right to feel confused and have queries about the course.”

The NSS results have however also revealed that 86% of final year undergraduates are satisfied with the quality of their course.

This result is an increase on last year’s 85% and above the average of 82% for both Wales and the UK. Cardiff was rated the best in the UK for four subjects, dentistry, opthalmics, pharmacy and biomedical science.

In all, approval rates of over 90% was scored in 22 subjects, covering the humanities, science, engineering, healthcare and the professions.

After the recent article published in The Guardian, Features delve through the evidence to get to the bottom of the ‘messy student’ stereotype Features, pages 18-19

What’s the idea?

Our Science Editor introduces us to Nanotechnology and gives an insight into its future importance Science and Environment, page 20

The Word On...

Sport give you The Word On the Commonwealth Games and whether any top British athletes will be competing Sport, page 27 And more, in Wales’ number one independent student newspaper

02News

gr EDITOR Sarah Powell

CO-ORDINATOR Elaine Morgan DEPUTY EDITOR Dom Kehat HEAD OF DESIGN Paul Stollery NEWS Miranda Atty Morgan Applegarth Pippa Lewis Ben Price Hannah Pendleton FEATURES Zoe Bridger Laura Brunt OPINION Holly Howe Chris Williams POLITICS James Dunn Oliver Smith

Monday September 27 2010 • gair rhydd • news@gairrhydd.com

Students 'get it out' for Cardiff Ben Price Reporter A charity campaign to recycle unwanted goods from student accommodation has proved a great success.

The campaign called, ‘Get It Out For Cardiff ’, was aimed at university students from across Cardiff to collect all the household goods that they no longer wanted and donate them to the charity.

Figures released by the campaign organisers reveal that the recycling project managed to collect three tonnes of clothing, a tonne of food, 244 electrical items (152 of which passed the function and PAT testing for re-sale), and half a tonne of bric-a-brac.

Speaking on behalf of the campaign, Student Liaison Officer, Kieran McCann said: “An initiative like this offers optimism and fills me with enthusiasm.

"With your help we have donated tonnes of items; a win/win for all, not least of all the environment.

"Everyone involved should be immensely proud.

"I think this is an example to all and sets a precedent.”

The items of clothing donated were handed over to the Salvation Army for sale, from which the profit will be used to purchase more beds for the homeless.

The food that was collected is to be used by FareShare in order to help relieve food poverty in vulnerable UK communities.

The bric-a-brac items were sold at a fete held in the Students’ Union, where all proceeds from the sales went to RAG (Raise And Give).

Mr McCann wishes to thank all KCT partners, waste management, the halls of residence managers and staff, Cardiff Self Storage, Waste Management, the charities, unions and universities and everyone involved.

He further added: “We already have exciting plans and thoughts to make this bigger and better for the coming academic year and hope you will be keen to help out.”

It is hoped that such recycling efforts will continue this year, with the hope that it will be even more successful next time around.

COLUMNIST Henry Burton XPRESS Luke Franks SOCIETIES Sarah Powell Cosimo Montagu LISTINGS Sarah Powell SCIENCE & ENVIRONMENT Tom Clarke Jack Parker SPORT Alex Bywater Lucy Morgan Alex Winter

Want to contribute?

Come to our recruitment party on Monday October 4 in Solus.

NEWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 OPINION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 08 POLITICS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 COLUMNIST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 FEATURES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 LETTERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 SCIENCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 PUZZLES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 LISTINGS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 SPORT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Cardiff Hooters goes ahead Pippa Lewis News Editor Cardiff City Council has confirmed that it has approved the Hooters application to open a restaurant in the city after no valid objections to the license were made.

The restaurant, planned for Mary Anne Street near Cineworld in the city centre has caused controversy among locals with the Cardiff Feminist Network and the Socialist Party staging protests against its opening.

Campaigners claimed that the chain reinforced the ‘damaging and patriarchal view of women as sex objects for male gratification’ and increased the threat of harassment on the streets.

A second year student said of the opening: “The fact that Hooters is opening is not a subject that should be open for debate and does not need to involve feminism. It would be an issue if the contract of employment was in itself sexist or demeaning to women. However it is not."

Although the council has said that they did receive a number of complaints, none of them counted as valid objections under the Licensing Act 2003.

Chair of the licensing sub committee Ed Bridges said: "Under the terms of the Licensing Act, the council must grant a license where no valid objections are made… it is up to the people of Cardiff to decide whether or not this establishment will succeed in the longer term Hooters has defended attacks of sexual exploitation on it’s website: ‘Hooters Girls have the same right to use their natural female sex appeal to earn a living as do super models Cindy Crawford and Naomi Campbell.

To Hooters, the women's rights movement is important because it guarantees women have the right to choose their own careers, be it a Supreme Court Justice or Hooters Girl.’

Above: Students collected half a tonne of bric-a-brac for charity Photo: Kieran McCann

Several societies slashed Charles Dodgson Reporter This year saw the disaffiliation of several of Cardiff ’s societies, ending the support given to them by the student’s Union.

Overall 11 societies were disaffiliated including Socialist Worker Students, Custard Wrestling, Cheese, Russian and Pagan societies.

While some societies always fold

naturally at the end of each year due to the graduation of passionate individuals who drive the societies, this year saw particularly high numbers of disaffiliations as the Guild decided to be stricter about adherence to its key principles of membership.

Lack of attendance at society forums, failure to attend training events, the mismanagement of allocated funds and the general lack of activity are all cited reasons Co-

simo Montagu, the Societies Officer, gave for the disaffiliation of the societies.

However, Cosimo has told gair rhydd that the disaffiliation procedure had been fair and that all societies had been given the chance to appeal.

The Union is hoping that the disaffiliations will act as a reminder to societies that the support and finances given to them comes with responsibilities, and that more so-

cieties will take this forward as a message.

With some Unions such as Warwick cutting their number of societies by a third due to their financial situation, Cosimo stated the Guild needs to be able to demonstrate that all societies are active and deserving of support to effectively resist future cuts as not all deem societies essential.

News03

gair rhydd • Monday September 27 2010 • news@gairrhydd.com

Lock it, Hide it, Keep it South Wales Police champion a new initiative to tackle crime in Cathays Vicky Smith Reporter South Wales Police are heading up a new initiative to tackle crime in Cathays.

The ‘Lock it, Hide it, Keep it’ campaign attempts to highlight the risk of crime in the Cathays area and raise awareness of what students can do to help prevent such crimes from happening.

The publicity campaign was borne out of discussions with various focus groups of students and local residents, who decided upon the eye-catching design and slogan as the best way to convey the crime prevention message.

This campaign is part of a new initiative to reduce crime in the Cathays area, where there are increasing numbers of student residents.

During previous crime awareness exercises it emerged that some students lack awareness of the risk of crime.

Operation Saturn, a scheme led by the South Wales Police and run by student volunteers, attempted to highlight the risk of crime by performing a controlled door-opening exercise.

The exercise revealed that there were 150 doors left open in student properties in the Cathays sector.

PC Steph Samuel from the South Wales Police, told gair rhydd that in some of these open properties there were no people inside at the time.

It is believed that crime is targetted at student property due to the high number of students living in one residence.

PC Steph Samuel said: "Thieves target student homes because they know that if they get inside, there will be a high number of laptops, or

Pictured: Some of the student police officers who are working as part of an initiative to reduce crime mobile phones to steal."

While Cardiff is a safe city, students are encourgaed to stay vigilant against the risk of crime, especially during Freshers’ Week.

PC Steph Samuel said: “We hope that the new initiative, alongside Operation Saturn, can help to reduce crime in Cathays, and raise more awareness about what students can do to prevent being a target of crime.

"Already, Operation Saturn has helped to reduce the amount of student related crime from 60 incidences in 2008 to 41 in 2009.

"Our aim is to reduce these numbers even further."

Cardiff implements Zero tolerance policy Rose Savage Reporter Cardiff University Students’ Union is set to champion a pioneering campaign; Zero Tolerance, piloted by the National Union of Students (NUS) which will reinforce and promote the safety of our Union and its students.

As one of only five Student Unions across the UK and the only union in Wales to be chosen by NUS, Cardiff Students’ Union is set to take forward this exciting new bid set to expand the safe sentiments of the Union.

Olivia Bailey, the NUS Women’s Officer told gair rhydd; "I'm delighted that Cardiff are one of the Unions piloting this exciting new project. By challenging sexual ha-

rassment, Cardiff will transform the experiences of students just trying to enjoy their nights out."

Focussed specifically on sexual harassment, the campaign will raise awareness of this crime not only in the Union but seeks to establish cross-institutional policies between the University and the Union, contributing to Cardiff being further renowned for its safety.

This Campaign comes as a result of ‘The Hidden Marks Report’ conducted by NUS, a research project which delves into female student’s experience of violence towards women, carried out from August 2009 – March 2010, Welsh respondents accounted for over 10% of the response rate highlighting a range of incidents.

The Elected Officers told gair rhydd: “The union strives towards

offering an area of support for all students and therefore the Zero Tolerance campaign is a preventative mechanism which adheres to our ethos of safety, comfort and enjoyment of the Students’ Union.

“So what does this mean for the students of Cardiff University? Students should already know the safe space and ethos the Union offers its students and the secure grounds the University keeps, however achieving this bid is set to increase students awareness, comfort and piece of mind while at university, whether it be day or night.”

This is set to be a high profile campaign to run for the whole academic year where all Union and student staff, security staff, clubs, societies, and welcome crew will receive training concerning the Zero Tolerance campaign.

By stepping on board with this campaign the Students’ Union is leading the way in championing the rights of women across a national arena.

Estelle Hart, the NUS Women’s Officer for Wales said: “The NUS women's campaign wants to make sure every student feels safe in their own student union and confident to speak out against any behaviour that negatively affects their experience. The Zero Tolerance campaign is a great way to educate and support students and I'm delighted that Cardiff are leading the way in this vital and groundbreaking campaign” For more details on this campaign contact Rose Savage on welfareandcampaignsofficer@cardiff. ac.uk.

freewords EDITORIAL est.1972 Misery for Medics?

It seems that we can't go for very long without another 'Misery for Medics' story. Throughout my time here in Cardiff, the medical students haven't been far from the pages of gair rhydd.

Since the original 'Misery for Medics' story in 2008, gair rhydd has featured many news articles on the problems that medical students encounter.

From poor exam co-ordination, to an outright shocking organisational failure ("Fundamental and systemic failure" anyone?) it is clear that Cardiff's medical students are being consistently let down by their University.

And so is it any surprise that we're in the same position, just a few years after the original story? Two years down the line and we're perhaps in a worse place than before in terms of medical students' satisfaction, with only 58% of our medical students claiming to be satisfied with their course. When you compare this to a national average of 82%, it is clear that Cardiff is doing something wrong.

But what?

Now, more than ever before, medical students are getting the priviledged treatment.

Recent investment in the Heath Park Campus has led to the current construction of a shockingly expensive new building, while the recent redevelopment of the IV Lounge has given medical students their own personal hub of social activity, with further plans to develop the support and welfare services in the 'Heath Hub'.

And don't forget the shiny new Healthcare Intergration Officer, a special position created to increase representation of the Heath Park students down here at Park Place.

Ask yourselves: which other course group has had such phenominal financial investment?

Do any other student groups have their own designated fulltime, paid, Elected Officer?

I think you'll find that the answer is a resounding 'No'.

So, what is going so wrong up at the Heath Park Campus?

We have a Healthcare Officer who promises to 'intergrate' this body of students, while the new Dean of Medicine is claiming to give his "fixed attention" to ensure that Cardiff School of Medicine is at the top of the rankings.

So where can the problem possibly lie? I don't have the answer, unfortunately. And, despite the tone of this editorial, I am actually in complete sympathy with our medical students, who are being done a disservice by their University and by their lecturers.

Measures are in place to help improve the situation at the Heath, but I sincerely think that we need to take serious, practical action to ensure that we can improve the experience of what is a huge proportion of our students. For once, we need to do more than just talk the talk.

This will be a step in the right direction, at least.

04News

Monday September 27 2010 • gair rhydd • news@gairrhydd.com

Troublesome neighbours Local residents prepare for Freshers' Week and dread the arrival of the students Hannah Pendleton News Editor The arrival of this years Freshers' week has triggered concern and preparation from the residents in Cathays, with the expectations that the Freshers' celebrations will be a problem for local residents.

The Cathays Partnerships and Communities Together (PACT) held a meeting where residents voiced their concerns surrounding the behaviour of new and returning students upon their arrival in Cardiff.

Anti social behaviour, waste and parking were among the main topics causing concern.

Police were present at the meet-

ing, informing residents that police officers are now allowed to confiscate alcohol from students drinking and causing problems in public areas.

It was also acknowledged that due to sport socials, Wednesdays are always a disturbance throughout the year when students are in Cardiff.

Police Officer Steph Samuel said: “We know that we will have an influx of students at this one time in the area.

"I can guarantee you; there will be designated officers for this issue.

"Also, any issues to do with students will be graded as high prior-

A group of Cardiff University archaeology students have uncovered a complex of monumental buildings located outside the Roman fortress in Caerleon, near Newport.

The discovery was made partly by chance as the archaeology students were learning how to use geophysical equipment in an area outside the perimeter of a Roman fortress.

This major unearthing of new Roman buildings, on one of the best known Roman settlements in Britain, is said to change the way in which we think about how Britain was conquered and occupied by the Roman forces over 2,000 years ago.

Dr. Peter Guest, of Cardiff University, who is leading the project, claimed that the layout and scale of the buildings that have been discovered look like they should be at the centre of a town or city.

He continued: “It is difficult to be certain about what we have found because nothing like this has been discovered in Roman Britain be-

Got an opinion?

Turn to Features on p 18 for the full debate << Or comment at gairrhydd.com

Kieran McCann, student liaison officer stated: “What we have been

doing is producing posters for all the private rented accommodation sector.

"The community have concerns over all sorts of different issues and we are working hard to have information for when students move in.

“We are working towards creating sustainable communities, making everyone and especially students more socially aware.

"We aim to contribute to a sustainable community where we come together to help create a cleaner, greener and safer environment for everyone”.

Interested in this issue? Turn to our Features pages to join in the debate >> p 18-19

Above: Waste collection is one of the biggestconverns for local residents

Monumental discovery Ben Price News Editor

ity when reported and there will be officers working day and night to deal with this.”

fore.

"The buildings’ ground plans suggest that they were of some importance.

"We think that they could have included markets, administrative buildings like town halls, bathhouses, store buildings, or even possibly temples.

"The biggest is enormous and must be one of the largest buildings known from Roman Britain.”

Over the past four years, students and staff from Cardiff University have uncovered eight barracks blocks, three granaries, a monumental metal workshop and a large store building.

These discoveries among many others over the years have led historians to agree that Caerleon was one of only three permanent legionary fortresses in Britain during its Roman occupation.

The other two are to be found in York and Chester.

The excavation on this large site at Caerleon, which has been open to public tours, has lasted over a month and will conclude on September 17.

There's an app for that Miranda Atty Reporter The Student Support Centre has developed a new Iphone application in time for Freshers’ week.

The app functions as a support guide to life in Cardiff, with useful maps, contacts and a budget calculator.

Students can download the app from a link on the Cardiff University website to the Apple Itunes and the Itunes U stores.

The app’s money calendar will include fixed information including student loan payment dates, residency payment dates and Student Support Centre workshop dates, while also allowing students to input their own diary dates.

Students will also be able to manage their money on a daily, a weekly, monthly or even yearly basis by allowing them to input their income and expenditure and showing a daily balance based on their personal information.

There will also be links to brief videos available, which give handy tips on managing money and student life.

News05

gair rhydd • Monday September 27 2010 • news@gairrhydd.com

Graduates warned of Cardiff Council challenging job market set to clamp down Students warned of the fierce competition in the graduate job market Hannah Pendleton News Editor

The class of 2010 and future graduates have been warned of the fierce competition they will face in the graduates job market.

The number of applicants for each job vacancy has increased from 48 last year, right up to 70 this year.

This figure arrives at the same time as job vacancies are predicted to fall by up to seven percent.

Now 78% of employers now demand higher quality degrees at a 2:1.

According to the survey by As-

sociation of Graduate Recruiters, students who graduate with a third class degree stand little chance of success in the now highly competitive job market.

The Association of Graduate Recruiter’s Chief executive has said: “They need both short-term and long-term career goals because you’re graduating in a very tough climate.

"It doesn’t mean you should be put off applying for the profession of your choice.”

Gilleard goes on to state that: “Too many young people go to university because it’s expected of them and they don’t think it through from a personal perspective - what will it be like, apart from having a good

time.”

David Willets, the Minister for Universities argues: “But a degree is still a good investment in the long term and graduates have a key role to play in helping Britain out of the recession.

"We are committed to making it easier for current graduates to find work.”

Aaron Porter, the president of the National Union of Students has said: “We are concerned that the savage cuts to the public sector will create further unemployment and will make the lives of graduates tougher in an already difficult jobs market.”

on drinking laws Hannah Pendleton News Editor Recently it has emerged that Cardiff City Council have expressed their support of the Government’s new plans for a change in Britain’s drinking laws.

The new plans are set to provide police and councils with more control over alcohol licensing and venues in troublesome areas most associated with binge drinking.

Ed Bridges, the Licensing Chief for Cardiff City Council said: “They are looking at reducing the amount of evidence we would need for a saturation zone, so we could perhaps enlarge the saturation zone around

St Mary's Street.”

“At the moment, it is very difficult without a huge amount of work from the police.

"If they reduce the evidential basis it will help us spread licenses throughout the city instead of being concentrated on one or two streets.”

The University Hospital of Wales has also expressed concern over the level of binge drinking on St Mary's Street which has become Cardiff ’s prime location for a night out.

A surgeon from the University Hospital of Wales stated: “Levels of drunkenness out there late at night in St Mary Street are still almost epidemic in proportion.”

The UK's biggest Potential LGBT film festival problem comes to Cardiff Increased competition for university leaves many prospective students without a place at their top choice Pippa Lewis News Editor Thousands of potential students look set to miss out on university places in the UK this year due to a combination of record numbers of applicants and a major decrease in places available through clearing.

A cap on places has been set, with the Government cutting the number of additional places from 20,000 to 10,000.

There have been 660,953 applications for undergraduate study this September.

This is an 11.6% increase on last year.

In addition, there are likely to be tens of thousands more applicants hoping to be awarded places through clearing.

The University and College Union for lecturers and academics, (UCU) predicts that as many as 170,000 potential students may end up without university places.

The recent funding cuts to higher education mean that universities are not able to meet demand

by allocating extra places.

Universities belonging to the Russell Group have received a reported six per cent increase in applications and in London the rise in applications for some universities is as high as 19%.

Sally Hunt, General Secretary of the UCU said: “Today’s figures make frightening reading.

"Other countries are increasing the number of graduates to compete in a high-skill knowledge economy, yet our government seems intent on doing the opposite.”

Mary Curnock Cook, the Chief executive of UCAS reassured applicants that the UCAS team would be there to offer advice to anyone who did not meet the condition of their offer this year.

She said that overall the acceptance rate of those applying is still roughly 70%.

“You’ve still got a good chance of getting into higher education.

"But I don’t think anyone wants that to be a walkover” she said.

Anna Siemiaczko Reporter

The Iris Prize lesbian and gay film festival presenting itself in Cardiff for the fourth time since its launch in 2006 is an event for both film lovers and those who are interested or appreciative of the LGB communities in Cardiff, Wales and beyond.

The Iris Prize is the most rewarding gay and lesbian film festival in the world. With a prize of £25,000 it awards film writers an opportunity to create another film in today’s declining and undervalued financial climate.

The programme, although given a selection of UK premieres, is based on short films.

It presents 17 nominated films and 13 nominees from a pool of others selected by the Iris Prize Panel.

What makes the Iris Prize successful is its appeal to many audiences, the festival is growing in strength year by year, becoming a new partner and a competition for affiliated festivals around the world.

Whether straight or gay this offers a rare opportunity to see Gay and Lesbian film at its finest.

Mark Anderson, the Head of

Above: Iris Prize Director, Juanma Carrillo the LGBT+ Association at Cardiff University said to gair rhydd: "In such a wonderfully liberal and diversely progressive city such as Cardiff, the Iris Prize Film Festival is welcomed by all with open arms.

"This internationally, acclaimed film phenomenon, shares ties with 17 LGBT sister festivals worldwide, such as Sydney, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Berlin, thus attracting the very best cinematography to Cardiff.

"By showcasing a number of UK premiere feature films and exciting, fresh new short films, the Iris prize truly reflects a fresh perspective on the real LGBT+ life of today.

This diamond in the rough is a must see for all the youth and student community here in the capital."

World News 06 Sexy shopping

Morgan Applegarth News Editor Research by the University of Westminster has found that high street shopping can create moments of sexual arousal.

In their study of 50 volunteers, scientists concluded that consumers who are offered discounts or promotions on a range of goods, can produce mental reactions that match those produced when faced with erotic images, such as pornography.

The study measured participants' eye movement and emotional response, scoring them out of 10 as they were tempted by consumer offers, such a free audiobook with every tub of Marmite purchased.

Presidential address?

Gareth Jones News Editor US President Barack Obama has written a children's book which is to be published on November 16, two weeks after Congressional midterm elections.

The book - Of Thee I Sing: A Letter To My Daughters - was written before Mr Obama took office in January 2009.

The 40-page book pays tribute to 13 Americans, from the first President George Washington to baseball legend Jackie Robinson.

Mr Obama has already published two books which have become bestsellers.

The cover of his new book shows an illustration of his two daughters, Sasha and Malia, walking their dog Bo. Proceeds from the book are to go to a scholarship fund for the children of soldiers killed and disabled in wars.

The book is being published by Random House, which signed a three-book deal with Mr Obama in 2004, Associated Press news agency said.

Pillow love Miranda Atty News Editor A Korean man has fallen in love with, and subsequently married, a large pillow. Lee Jin-gyu , 28, dressed the pillow, known in Japan as a 'dakimakura', in a wedding dress for their special marriage ceremony.

One friend said of Lee and his new bride “They go out to the park or the funfair where it will go on all the rides with him.

Then when he goes out to eat he takes it with him and it gets its own seat and its own meal.”

A class to die for... I - robot A burning issue Ben Price News Editor Zombie studies have entered the curriculum at the University of Baltimore in the United States.

Students at the university who are taking English will study zombie films and read zombie comic according to the Baltimore Sun. The new course, which promises to "get you ready for a zombie apocalypse", invites students to devour classic zombie films and comics.

Jonathon Shorr, Chairman of the University’s School of Communications Design said: “They think that they’re taking this wacko zom-

bie course, and they are.

"But on the way, they learn how literature and mass media work, and how they come to reflect our times."

He also stated that the reason for introducing this course was in order to keep up with the demand for “interesting, off the wall” course.

Shorr also argued for the cultural worth of the subject: "It's a back door into a lot of subjects," he told the Baltimore Sun. Detailing the modules of the course, Shorr said that instead of essays, the students will write horror scripts or draw storyboards for their ideal monster movies.

Jack Turner Reporter A University in Abu Dhabi has built the world's first fully automated Arabic-speaking robot.

The robot that can have intelligent conversations with humans - based on information gathered via the internet and through social networking sites.

However, making the leap from lab project to commercial application remains difficult largely because of funding.

In Dubai, a series of networking events have been launched in an effort to bring together investors and entrepreneurs.

Morgan Applegarth News Editor An Australian lawyer sparked up controversy after using pages from the Bible and the Koran to smoke joint's of marijuana.

The self-confessed Atheist, from Brisbane, posted videos of himself onto YouTube, titling the videos 'Bible or Koran - which burns best?'

Alex Stewart, 29, has re-ignited outrage amongst Muslim communities.

This incident has come just days after a US pastor had retracted to burn a copy of the Koran on the 9th anniversary of 9/11.

Despite his claims that the burning of religious documents is 'no big deal' and that they were "just books", Stewart has since removed the video from the broadcasting website.

Opinion08 Pakistan's media blackout Chris Williams Opinion Editor I’ve just been trawling through the BBC news pages about a certain story that seems to have dropped off the radar, as if nothing had ever happened and everything has magically become fine.

Pakistan’s flood has been an interesting one in the way that the media have reported it, in the first few days of it happening, the news lapped it up – pleased to have such a story that hit so many news values, but now it’s almost impossible to find any information on it.

The crisis is still ongoing, that’s obvious for anyone to see, so why isn’t the coverage?

Thinking back to stories that really captured the interest of the public and mobilized them into action you can see that all of them have one thing in common: media coverage.

People gave to Maddy McCann’s campaign because they saw her face on the newspapers everyday, they also pledged as much money as possible to the earthquake in 2004.

What disgusts me is the facts about other disasters in which we felt more inclined to give lots of money to.

The tsunami in 2004 generated a massive response from across the world and in total the world gave just under $10billion to the aid effort in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

At the time of writing this, the world has given just $45million to Pakistan’s relief effort.

The problem I have with this is that there are more people currently being affected by the flooding in Pakistan than by the tsunami of

Above: Thousands are still being denied aid during a humanitarian crisis in Pakistan 2004, about four million more.

It’s not fair.

We could argue that we’re tightening our belts because we’re just coming out of a recession and all the rest of it, but people are dying out there and their blood is on our hands.

Hell, India – one of Pakistan’s richest bordering countries – hasn’t given a single cent to the relief effort.

Nothing at all.

It’s disgusting to think that countries can turn around to their neighbor and give them nothing.

In our country I blame the media.

This story has dropped off the radar as if nothing ever happened or, if it did happen, that everything is now okay and we don’t need to worry about the people within the affected country.

What makes all of this about a million times worse is that the media describe the summer as ‘silly season’ (due to their being a distinct lack of news-worthy articles and a greater number of stupid articles that make the press).

Yet we’re unable to hold this massive story of a humanitarian crisis for more than a few weeks.

It says a lot about human nature that we’d be so selfish as to not give

money and aid to our fellow man in their desperate time of need – just because we’re experiencing a monetary crisis of our own.

For once, we need the media to help and aid us in knowledge about what’s going on around the world.

I fear without them, we’ll end up with more humanitarian disasters like Pakistan being overlooked by the rest of the world.

Martin Luther King and 'Tea Party' Politics Holly Howe Opinion Editor At the end of August the infamous ‘Tea Party’ movement held a ‘Restoring Honour’ rally attracting tens of thousands of people.

Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin spoke vaguely about their aims for the US, Palin in particular making about as much sense as usual, "We must not fundamentally transform America, as some would want. We must restore America and restore her honour."

The ‘Tea Party’ vehemently deny their obvious racism, and during this rally were told to leave their racist placards at home (one of the milder examples seen earlier in the

year: ‘The zoo has an African lion and the white house has an lyin’ African!’)

This isn’t the first rally of this type held this year, and it isn’t even the most offensive in terms of speakers and placards, yet it has proved to be the most controversial.

The rally in late August was held on the August 28, a date which might not invoke immediate recognition to the British, but for the US it was a significant occasion - 47 years to the day that Martin Luther King delivered the ‘I have a dream’ speech.

Not only had the right-wing seized King’s anniversary, they also had the audacity to hold the rally in the exact same place, The Lincoln Memorial.

The Party claimed that they ‘didn’t realise’ and then suggested that King himself held the same values that they were campaigning for.

This is the same group that tells its followers that Obama is a racist communist that hates white culture.

Polls have shown that members of the Tea Party are disproportionately white males over 45-years-old with a higher than average income yet they still argue that they are an inclusive Party.

They throw terms around such ‘family values’ (code for no Gays) and ‘low taxation’.

They lament the loss of true American Values in society, and suggest that these American Values

are upheld by Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin, one of whom suggested that Obama acted too quickly after the Haiti earthquake and the other thinks that you can see Russia from Alaska.

Not that the Russia thing has anything to do with moral values; it’s just stupid.

It is understandable that holding this rally on King’s Anniversary and then denying that the Party even knew about the clash is inflammatory. Even more so when both Palin and Beck had the impudence to compare the participants to Civil Rights campaigners.

The timing of the rally is even more interesting due to the current controversy surrounding the Ground Zero mosque.

The building of a mosque and cultural centre had been proposed close to the Ground Zero site, but has been met with anger from campaigners who have suggested that the completion of the project would be akin to Nazis erecting a monument next to a Holocaust museum.

Sarah Palin is one of the high profile campaigners against the mosque, and yet claims to have been entirely ignorant that the Tea Party movement can have caused any offence.

Palin and other mosque campaigners conveniently ignore the fact that Muslim does not equal terrorist just has they conveniently ignore that they themselves can cause offence through juxtaposition.

Opinion09

Monday September 27 2010 • gair rhydd • opinion@gairrhydd.com

The beautiful game tribes?

Chris Williams Opinion Editor So it's begun. The one event of the summer every sporting fan eagerly anticipates: The start of the Premiership.

To fans, it is a momentous event, bringing back the great titans of the best league in the world and starting another battle for the coveted Premier League trophy.

To others, though, it’s a nuisance.

It clogs up the TV schedule on a Saturday and Sunday and creates a tribal instinct in pubs across the country.

A few days ago I was speaking

to a friend who claimed that all of the fans of football were just part of tribes, and that they were louts who were intent on hating and berating footballers and their opposing teams.

The one thing that every male had in common was football He, obviously, wasn’t a fan of the sport and particularly wasn’t a fan of the fans.

In all honesty, lots of my friends aren't fans.

It doesn't phase them that Chel-

sea had an astonishing 6-0 win on the opening day of the season, or that newly promoted Blackpool stunned even themselves in winning 4-0 (in one of the most shocking displays of football on the first day of the season in years).

But many of them take the view that football is a tribal thing, that football is so ritualistic and so primitive that, instead of supporting a team, you’re supporting a tribe.

Not only is this untrue, but I’d go further than that; football is an international language.

I spent four weeks in Nepal this summer and the one thing that every male had in common was football.

At any point, if you were stuck for conversation all you had to mention was the ensuing World Cup or a Premier League team and you had hours of conversation ahead of you.

Football clogs up the TV schedule and creates a tribal instinct in pubs across the country.

Yes, there are those who fight and chant and deliriously hate teams – acting on their primitive instincts like leaders of their tribes,

but there's another side to football - one, which I think, holds more prominence today than ever.

The side I'm thinking of is a peaceful one. People coming together for a common cause and with a common belief and love of certain players.

Some fans will return to their ‘tribes’ in the coming season and see it as an opportunity to chant, shout and be the louts that the tabloids lap up year on year.

But I hope to see many more, particularly as the ‘underdog’ teams return to fight again for survival and for the pride of being the unsuspected victors in those big games.

Too much information

Above: Are we putting too much pressure on public figures to reveal personal information?

Holly Howe Opinion Editor

We are a nation obsessed with the notion of celebrity.

Although this is not a new revelation, recent news stories have thrown forward an interesting question: what exactly do we expect from celebrities?

Firstly, William Hague, arguably not a ‘celebrity’ but a public figure, has been forced to issue a highly personal and lengthy press release after months of speculation about his sexuality.

In the statement he not only denied a relationship with his advi-

sor, Christopher Myers, but also revealed that his wife has had ‘multiple’ miscarriages.

We will consume informtation about other people's lives, just as long as we can judge them for it afterwards.

Some publications, and Labour leadership candidate Ed Balls, have now suggested that it was unnecessary of Hague to issue such a de-

tailed statement.

Celebrities are hounded for information about their private lives yet when they offer the information voluntarily (through interviews, or even worse...reality TV) they are accused of being manipulative and contrived (which of course they are but a public figure’s actions are never chance).

When David Cameron issued a picture of himself and new baby Florence, many bloggers suggested that he was ‘using’ his daughter in order to create empathy with the public, yet millions of magazines are bought each year by people who feel entitled to see the first pictures

of other people’s offspring.

Tony Blair’s memoirs, released this week, are obviously more personal than Hague’s statement and have reportedly being selling extremely well.

We will consume information about other people’s lives, just as long as we can make a judgement on it.

Not only on how they live their lives, but also how we came to hear about it in the first place.

We will happily read Hague’s statement or look at pictures of baby Florence as long as we can condemn them for making them so readily available.

Yet celebrities cannot moan about this double standard.

How often do we ‘Facebook stalk’ an old friend or ex searching for information about their lives only to judge people who write detailed statuses about what they had for lunch or their sex lives?

We are a desperately nosey culture, but are affronted if someone acknowledges it.

We can never have ‘too much information’ but will act offended if we get it.

So just upload those 789 holiday photos but act surprised if somebody mentions having seen them.

Columnist 10

Monday September 27 2010 • gair rhydd

A new year begins again

I

t's the first week of Freshers, and a whole new group of people are starting their journey through university life. It can be a daunting experience leaving home and starting again in a new city, unless you‘re from Reading, in which case your overall emotion is probably just relief. But it’s a rite of passage that everyone goes through and usually involves less sobbing in a corner than you’d previously feared.

Part of the fun of starting university comes with deciding which societies you’re going to join. It only takes a walk through the Freshers' Fayre to realise just how many different options there are, from serious clubs like rugby and hockey to the silly and more light-hearted clubs like custard wrestling or The Liberal Democrats.

And if there’s still nothing you like then you can even apply to start up your own; I tried to set up a historical re-enactment society for enthusiasts, but made the mistake of only re-enacting events that occurred in the last ten years, and organised some frankly disappointing days out ploughing landrovers into the front of Glasgow Airport. Other misjudged events included Let’s Be Racist About Shilpa Shetty Evening and Robert Mugabe Pub Golf, though we did have some good laughs dressing up as Paula Radcliffe then shitting ourselves.

Another rite of passage in Freshers' Week is getting to know all the people in your flat, and deciding whether or not they’re mentally sound. When I first started halls, I

heard that in every flat there’s always one wierdo who’s completely unaware of his own social awkardness, but in my flat, none of the other five people I met were like that at all. I remember I had loads of hilarious nicknames in Freshers', “Henry”, “Henry Burton”... you know, loads, and we used to have these great little in-jokes, like that time everyone refused to engage me in conversation for two years. In many ways the friends you make in halls really are friends for life, so treasure them, though do make sure they give you the right numbers as it seemed to be a common mistake to type in ten ‘0’s instead.

For those returning for second

“

It's not buggery if you're both laughing

year, the biggest change from Freshers will be living in houses. One word of warning when you move in: make sure you photograph every surface of the house, as letting companies will take every opportunity to charge you for damage you couldn’t possibly have caused, like underground pipe erosion, or chimney weathering. I once had a friend who came home to discover he had been billed for the building of a large metropolitan area around his property, after Keylet tried to claim it was a detatched country house when he moved in. This is if your house is in working order when you started living in it; we left things a bit late this

year and ended up with a house that looks a bit like it was designed as part of someone’s GCSE tech coursework, with rooms so obscurely proportioned that for some reason I’ve got a bedroom the size of Anne Frank’s, but a bathroom so vast that every time I sit down for a poo I feel lonely.

I’ve also learnt that trying to get landlords to agree to anything is a bit like trying to get the SS to put on a panto, and any problem short of a fire will be approached with all the enthusiasm of a cavity search. Last year we were under the care of a landlord so wealthy he genuinely appeared on an episode of Secret Millionaire, where he lived for a week in conditions not particularly far off our own and then had the cheek to say things like, “there’s no hot water here it’s awful”, despite taking several months to fix our boiler.

The biggest injustice is that my mum watched the programme and said “he came across quite well”, which annoyed me, because the only way you could not come across as ‘quite well’ on a programme based around you giving money to unsuspecting members of the public is if you threw it on the floor in front of them and laughed as they scrabbled to pick it up.

Whatever happens, be sure to make the most of this year., as times ahead look set to be tough; tuition fees are rising, jobs are scarse, but no matter how hard it gets, always ask yourself the same question - what would the Pakistani Cricket team do? Buckle in the face of the odds, or make sure things went their way? At least their fees have stayed affordable.

Letters To The Editor In which our readers ask a series of common questions. This week: getting settled into the new year.

I was thinking of joining some kind of charity organisation this year. What options are there?

Cardiff is a great place to start volunteer work, with organisations that deliver food and water to desolate third-world countries, like the Welsh National Assembley, to education programmes like Spark that aim to teach villages around Bangor to understand fire. Alternatively, if you’re looking to really make a difference then why not join the

British Neurological Patronage, a poorly-acronymed support service for stroke patients which gets its offices smashed up on a regular basis. Help The Aged are also a good bet, especially in the Winter when the workload gets a lot lighter.

I’ve fallen in love with a girl from my flat, but I don’t know if she likes me back. Is it a mistake to pursue something?

It’s not strictly a no-no, but it does put a lot of pressure on your friend-

ship if it doesn't work, as we all know sex can be awkward enough at the best of times. I still rarely talk to my uncle. If you really do want to discuss your feelings, then you have to make sure that you approach the conversation in a way that doesn’t make her feel emotionally responsible and guilty if she says no. Either that or tell her you’re dying. But make sure you chose something that has a plausible quick recovery, I’ve been dragging round a dialysis machine for years and it's a pain in the arse.

Helo! Rwy'n siarad Cymraeg ac yn dechrau yng Nghaerdydd 'leni. Oes unrhyw gyfleuoedd i gymdeithasu gyda siaradwyr Cymraeg eraill a chynnal fy mamiaeth?

Please spell-check your questions before sending them in, it is rude.

And lastly, the winner of this week’s “hilarious misunderstanding” competition goes to Sandra, 53 from Dorset, who tickled us all

with the humorous story of how she only just found out her husband was gay. She jokes in her three-page letter: “I can never trust again, I’m going to die alone,” very funny there so well done Sandra. Though could you please let us know where to post your book vouchers, the paper was a bit soggy in places and we can’t make out the name of the motel.

Big thanks to everyone who wrote in with their stories. Next week’s competition theme is “botluism”.

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Politics The American Dream?

A review of Tony Blair's Journey Page 15 >>

13

With the recent withdrawal of US troops from Iraq, James Dunn counts the cost of 'victory' after a seven year conflict...

Seven years after President George W. Bush infamously declared victory for the US in the Iraq War, American combat troops have finally withdrawn from the war-torn country.

The announcement and the aftermath of the withdrawal have been met with a mixture of responses by citizens.

Most view it as a mixed blessing.

While many disagreed with the concept of occupation and others had to live with what harm or good the troops did, the country now faces the very real possibility of increased al-Qaida insurgencies.

Others fear the influence that neighbouring Iran will now be able to exert over a country with a weakened, half-trained militia and a newly established infrastructure.

Khalid Ismali, a carpenter in Falluja, reported to The Guardian that most believe the government are 'controlled' by Iran.

The international media often ask whether or not the war was a 'success'. But rarely do they offer a critique for this, aside from toppling Saddam Hussein.

If that were the sole measure, the war would have been successful by the end of 2003.

What the Iraqi people must now face is the legacy of the occupation, irrespective of American achievements.

The Americans, and indeed our own forces, have left behind them a situation that could border on a civil war.

At the start of the invasion, the Iraqi population were categorised into two separate and seemingly unrelated groups: the Sunni and the Shia. Saddam Hussein was a Sunni Muslim.

In recent years, a number of Sunni leaders have been assassinated by members of their own parties for a dual sense of betrayal.

Those seen as working too closely with the American forces – dubbed the mokhtalin which literally translates as 'invaders or occupiers' - are often seen by their own factions as betraying Iraqi independence. Doctors in Tikrit and Mayors in Falluja have reportedly received a number of threats for such.

The Shia Muslims, on the other hand, have escaped this self-persecution. Perhaps because they have not been associated with the old rule, the Shia demographic has managed to gain the majority of ruling seats in government.

However, the tension that has risen between the two groups, largely but not solely due to the Western labels, is one that could very possibly

Above: Is the American presence in Iraq actually beneficial? boil over.

A dramatic volume of negative press has surrounded the American withdrawal.

This was spurred on, and in no part caused, by the widely played video of an American soldier crying: 'We've won. It's over. We brought democracy to Iraq!'

What, after all, has been won?

The country of Iraq is going to have to bear the consequences of the invasion. America has, yes, sacrificed an awful amount in the past seven years.

Margaret Griffis reports that 3494 Americans have died in combat alone since the war began; one in four American troops have suffered injuries during the conflict.

The path from Iraq has been paved in American loss. As for democracy, the political sphere is in a more confused state than when Hussein was in power with what is now an international power struggle.

American forces have endured a number of controversies since 2003.

Soldiers accused of beating and breaking the Geneva convention; the shooting of civilians; destruc-

tion of cities with not enough done to aid those left.

Taha Bidawi, a mayor chosen by Falluja before the Americans entered the city has spoken to a wide range of international media outlets about his experiences.

He feels that things are much worse than under the old regime.

Unemployment is higher than ever, and the security services are still inadequate to the do job they have been training for.

The American presence is all that is keeping a semblance of safety in the country.

Since the city was largely destroyed during the American attack four years ago, little has been done to restore common services to the public.

The memory of an attack in 2003 outside a primary school – now called The Martyrs – still rankles.

American soldiers shot dead 13 protestors without warning or provocation, according to Wikileaks.

While the rural communities are still facing an uphill struggle after the invasion, much of what the Americans have done has benefitted the country.

Baghdad is now close to thriving once again. Employment there is higher than it ever has been since 2003.

A large number of former Sunni residents have returned to their former homes and are living side by side with Shia Muslims. And Baghdad is the city where the threat of Iran, Saudi Arabia and Turkey is being given voice.

The security forces that have been trained in the capital by the Americans is, however, one of the best in the country. The American occupation has aided Baghdad, for the most part.

While the war has extended for a lot longer than originally anticipated, the American withdrawal comes at precisely the right time.

The security forces are now stabilizing themselves, and the government is no longer under a dictatorship.

While there is a huge amount of confusion as to where the country goes from here, an American presence will still be there until the end of 2011.

Barack Obama announced that all combat operations will have

ended by August 31.

In August, sixty five thousand military personnel were stationed in Iraq.

Only fifteen thousand of those are combat soldiers. Iraq will still have fifty thousand American troops to train their security forces and aid the transition for government. Thorough infrastructure plans have been approved, including potentially rebuilding many of the provinces damaged by their invasion.

The 2011 deadline will, more than likely, be renegotiated. For the indefinite future, America will serve Iraq as it recently has South Korea – an active deterrent to ambitious neighbours.

So was the Iraq War a success for the American troops, and did they win as some have claimed?

They have suffered. The Iraqi people have suffered. Both have sacrificed a phenomenal amount.

But once all the forces truly withdraw and return the country to its people, only then will Iraq be able to live freely once again. And that is before al-Qaida have even been considered.

14Politics

Monday September 27 2010 • gair rhydd

The price of a nuclear Iran Politics asseses the possibility of a pre-emptive strike if the Iranian dictatorship succeeds in becomming a nuclear nation Alistair De Kare Silver Politics If the Iranian dictatorship succeeds in becoming a nuclear power the following things will have happened.

International law and the credibility of the UN would have been flouted by the Iranian theocracy.

The EU and IAEA in its negotiations with Iran would similarly experience a loss in credibility in its failings to regulate and prevent Iran going nuclear.

For the Iranian people they would further be at the whim of the Revolutionary Guards, the guardians of the programme.

A successful consummation of the programme will entrench and irrevocably enhance and consolidate their aggressive faction in the dictatorship.

Iran will have the ability to project violence vis a vis its proxies beyond its borders with impunity.

Any Hezbollah subversion of Lebanese democracy or a strike on Israel would be harder to counter with a nuclear godfather.

The Israeli Palestinian conflict will become impossible to solve as the rejectionist Palestinians will become even more a proxy of the Iranian regime calling for the elimination of the Jewish state and the right wing in Israel would have been vindicated in their belief that concessions are a waste of time.

President Obama’s dream of a non-proliferation treaty will go down in history like the League of Nations and will create major new security challenges and shifts in the balance of power.

It is interesting to note that in the region it has been well known that Israel has had nuclear weapons for years .

Yet that never compelled any Arab regimes to embark on nuclear proliferation.

Yet with the growing aggression of Iran over a dozen Arab states are now embarking on nuclear proliferation.

For the Israelis however the onset of the nuclear Iran is incompatible to the long term survival of the Jewish state and the 100 year old Zionist dream of a safe haven for the Jews. To the Israelis Iran poses the gravest threat since Hitler.

If the strike successfully cripples the programme it will have removed a list of existential worries.

The immediate spectre of a nuclear, theologically driven Iran would have been removed. Israel would receive secret thanks from moderate Arab regimes many of whom share Israel’s intense fear of a nuclear Iran. Israel would have countered nuclear proliferation across the region which is the goal of President Obama.

A consensus has emerged that the likelihood of an Israeli strike

on Iran is 50% by July next year. Israel twice successfully destroyed an enemy’s nuclear programme back in 1981 in Iraq but most recently in 2007 against Syria’s reactor.

Israel adopted a doctrine after the Holocaust in the 1960s that no regional adversary should be allowed to reach nuclear parity with the reborn and still besieged Jewish state.

"The world must prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon..."

President Obama made his strongest remarks towards the issue during his campaign for the presidency, while visiting Sderot, the town in southern Israel that had been the frequent target of rocket attacks by Hamas.

“The world must prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon,” he said. “I will take no options off the table in dealing with this potential Iranian threat.

However, the Israeli’s cast doubt on the President who directly positioned himself as the antithesis of his predecessor George Bush.

Following Obama’s speech in Cairo in 2009 many Israeli officials shared the view with one senior Israeli official who said: “ we don’t

believe that he is the sort of person who would launch a daring strike on Iran.

"We are afraid he would see a policy of containing a nuclear Iran rather than attacking it.”

If the Israelis reach the firm conclusion that Obama will not, under any circumstances, launch a strike on Iran, then the countdown will begin for a unilateral Israeli attack.

“If the choice is between allowing Iran to go nuclear, or trying for ourselves what Obama won’t try, then we probably have to try,” Officials have said.

This leads to the question as to whether Prime Minister Netanyahu would risk jeopardising the special relationship with the US that he is aware is paramount to the existence of the Jewish state.

“The only reason Bibi [Netanyahu] would place Israel’s relationship with America in total jeopardy is if he thinks that Iran represents a threat like the Shoah,” an Israeli official who spends considerable time with the prime minister told me.

“In World War II, the Jews had no power to stop Hitler from annihilating us. Six million were slaughtered. Today, six million Jews live in Israel, and someone is threatening them with annihilation. But now we have the power to stop them. Bibi knows that this is the choice.”

The diary of an intern A Cardiff student gets political during her summer internship Laura Dunn Politics It's always great to spend your summer in another country, especially when having been selected to undertake an internship.

For several years I have been interested in American politics, and with optimism running through my brain, I decided to apply for a placement in the United States Congress.

After several months of anxious waiting, I heard back from the Intern Co-ordinator for Congressman Patrick Kennedy (D:RI.) I had been accepted as one of their summer interns, and I would begin in late July.

The first day of any new internship is always nerve-racking, and as I ascended the glimmering white stone steps of the Cannon House Of-

fice Building I felt excited for what I was about to experience.

On my first day I learned how to effectively answer the phones, sort the mail and how to distribute faxes and letters from constituents.

These would be my main daily tasks throughout my internship, with the fun and interesting jobs soon to follow.

When the House was in session, I would regularly take bill amendments and lists of new co-sponsors to the Democratic cloakroom, as well as heading to the House and Senate galleries to listen to debates on current pieces of legislation.

One of the busiest days was the last meeting before recess, where all 435 representatives were on the House floor, as well as the emergency session to pass an education and healthcare funding bill.

Some of the highlights of the internship have been meeting Speak-

er of the House, Nancy Pelosi and the Democratic Majority Leader, Steny Hoyer as well as Congressman Kennedy.

I attended a reception celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, an awards ceremony for Congressman Kennedy as well as meeting many other members of Congress and their dedicated staffers.

Outside of the internship, I have visited many of the sites that DC has to offer.

I've visited the White House and the memorials by night and taken advantage of the many free Smithsonian museums.

I have lived through a tornado in my first week in the city, an experience which knocked out the power in my house as well as uprooting a large tree and blocking off the street!

Only in America!

I believe that any internship is great experience in gaining practical skills and knowledge for a future career.

An internship on Capitol Hill was something I had dreamed of for some time.

It has improved my CV, making it stand out in a competitive employment market.

Committing to spending a summer or a semester in another demonstrates to future employers you are willing to do something different, as well as giving you both something interesting to talk about at an interview!

At a time when work experience and employment is extremely tough for both undergraduates and graduates, an internship abroad will bring worthwhile benefits and the wow factor to your resume.

I would recommend the experience to anyone.

Above: The Iranian Pre

Politics15

gair rhydd • Monday September 27 2010

Blair's Journey James Dunn Politics Editor

Above: Blair is most happy when causing controversy

esident. Below (left): Laura Dunn and Kennedy. Below (right): Kim Jong-Il

In his new book, the former Prime Minister claims that he was blackmailed by Gordon Brown, his former Chancellor who lost the election because he strayed from the principles of New Labour.

The Journey has allowed Mr. Blair to re-emerge into the political world this week due to his impressions Gordon Brown, the Princess of Wales and on the Iraq and Afghanistan invasions.

According to the most successful Labour leader in history – they were in power for 13 years – Gordon Brown attempted to blackmail him over the cash-for-honours scandal.

After the initial story broke in August 2006 – of donations being given to the party in return for peerages – Tony Blair vetoed the Chancellor’s suggestion to hold an inquiry into the scandal.

To allow the Labour National Board to do so would be 'unbelievably prejudicial' as there was no cause for it.

In allowing a national inquiry from their own party when there was nothing to investigate, the government would have been fuelling any speculation that the story was true.

In The Journey Tony Blair recalls that a mere two hours after seeing Mr Brown, the then Treasur-

er Jack Dromey was on live television demanding an inquiry.

While the Chancellor maintained that he had not spoken to Mr. Dromey, the Prime Minister was always suspicious.

Blair has certainly caused as much controversy with these memoirs as he did during his political tenure From this moment on, Mr. Blair records how the popularity for him and party 'fell like an arrow'.

Often, Mr. Blair considered sacking Gordon Brown because of his 'zero emotional intelligence' but felt he was a man better kept 'inside and constrained'.

Most critics anticipated these memoirs would be a long sought after apology for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Tony Blair famously refused to be drawn into an apology during the Chilcot Inquiry in January.

Here, the public was again disappointed.

The former premier said that while Iraq has become a 'nightmare' that he did not foresee, he would still take the same course of action.

Even though the Iraq dossier was misleading – in that the country did

not harbour Weapons of Mass Destruction – he believes that Saddam Hussein would be virtually unstoppable if he were still in power.

Mr. Blair states: 'He writes: “Do they really suppose I don’t care, don’t feel, don’t regret with every fibre of my being the loss of those who died? Tears, though there have been many, do not encompass it.'

He also recalls how not only did his popularity plummet, but how he lost a number of close personal friends who simply couldn’t comprehend his actions.

The former Prime Minister has also claimed that we must be prepared to mount an international attack on Iran in the event they are successful in developing a nuclear weapon.

Tony Blair has been especially forward in these memoirs.

He reveals how he thought Diana, Princess of Wales, was as much of a manipulator as he.

Both recognised the emotions of others and knew how to guide them – an unspoken criticism that Gordon Brown couldn’t.

He also writes that he advised David Miliband that he could `win it` if he had run against Mr. Brown for the Labour party leadership once he stood down.

Tony Blair has certainly caused as much controversy with these memoirs as he did during his political tenure.

Kim Jong-who?

Meet the mysterious leader of North Korea James Dunn Politics He came to power with a campaign that attributed him with superhuman powers (including the ability to manipulate the time and weather).

He technically rules via the wishes of his dead father (whom he is a physical incarnation of) and he recently opened an account on twitter…

Yes its Kim Jong-Il, North Korea’s “Dear Leader”.

Now approaching 70, speculation is rife that Kim Jong-il is poised to name his son Kim Jong-Un as his successor.

But who is this mysterious character that is set to take over one of the world's nine nuclear-equipped states.

As with all figures in North Korean politics, very little is known about Kim Jong-Un. Few photos even exist of the young ruler-to-be and even his birthday (either 1982 or 1983) is a

mystery.

What is known of his history is that he studied at the International School of Berne in Switzerland under a false name and now works

With so little known about Kim JongIl and even less known about Kim Jong-Un, Korean politics can sometimes feel a bit like guesswork for North Korea’s national defence commission as well as being a member of parliament, again both under false names.

And as for his personality, most of the information about him comes from Kim Jong-Il’s former sushi chef Kenji Fujimoto, who described him as “exactly like his father” sharing his “violent temper”.

Kim Jong-Il and Kim Jong-Un recently returned from a trip to China, being one of North Korea’s most important allies.

It is believed that this trip was to seek support for Jong-Un to become Kim Jong-Il’s successor from the Chinese government.

At the same time back in North Korea, Kim Jong-Il has been busy creating the same cult of personality for his son that surrounds him.

From declaring his son’s birthday as a national holiday to encouraging his citizens to sing a ‘song of praise’ to his son, the newly declared “brilliant comrade” of North Korea.

With so little known about Kim Jong-Il and even less known about Kim Jong-Un, North Korean politics can sometimes feel like a bit of guesswork.

However what experiences with other non-democratic regimes have taught us, Cuba being a prime example, is that with new leadership sometimes comes new direction.

18 LETTERS

gairrhydd | LETTERS@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY OCTOBER 05 2009

Features18

Students: anti social 'vermin' or victims of media hype?

Laura Brunt and Zoe Bridger trawl through the recent press in order to cut through the student stereotype...

S

o, 27,000 students are descending into Cardiff for the start of term, but it seems that there are a number of local residents less than pleased to

see us.

Summer is over, and it’s time to move in to our new houses.

Whether that is the delights of university halls or the student village of Cathays, the end of September will be a busy time for landlords and students alike.

But a recent article published by The Guardian has highlighted a number of issues that are creating tension between the students and the local residents.

Waste problems, alcohol nuisances, parking spaces and anti-social behaviour are just some of the concerns that The Guardian describes as ‘an onslaught of street problems’.

But is it really fair to say that Cardiff students are anti-social and oblivious to the families and local residents living in Cathays?

Laura Brunt and Zoe Bridger discuss the accusations in light of fresher’s week.

The Yes Argument : Students are anti-social The walk back from lectures is always complicated by various mounds of rubbish scattered like landmines across the streets of Cathays.

Old, mouldy food lies amongst plastic wrappers in the thin and smelly bin bags that have been torn open by sea-gulls.

I know, I sound like a middle-aged woman who hasn’t had any fun for the last 20 years, but seriously, is it so hard to put out rubbish without it go-

ing all over the street?

And if it does go all over the street, get on some rubber gloves and clean it up, instead of stepping over it every time you go into your front door.

Local residents who have lived in the Cathays area all their lives are feeling intimidated and frustrated by the behaviour of the students and I don’t blame them.

If people acted like this in any other area of the city there would be complaints and neighbourhood schemes to sort it out, but because the students easily outnumber the local residents, the feeling is that they are fighting a losing battle.

I used to be woken up regularly by the sound of wheelie-bins being pushed over all down the street.

I know everything is a lot funnier when you are drunk, but surely the novelty of pushing over a bin can be overcome once we get to university?

I am not saying for everyone to stop having fun – far from it.

I am just saying that if we had a little bit more respect and awareness we could still have our fun without pissing off everyone else in the meantime.

In the article published by The Guardian online, police officer, Stephen Samuel, attempted to reassure local residents.

She said: "We know that we will have an influx of students at this one time in the area.

"I can guarantee you there will be designated officers for this issue.

"Also, any issues to do with students will be graded as high priority when reported and there will be officers working day and night to deal with this."

But isn’t it a shame that because of us there will now be police officers patrolling the area that is now graded

as a ‘high-priority’.

Surely it is more important to keep the police free to handle potentially serious situations in the city instead of being called out to sort out some drunken students.

Having said that, it is yet to be seen whether the police will actually do anything about the issues, but the very fact that local people are worried about our return says something.

‘Joedave’ commented on The Guardian article, saying "slum landlords need to be fined if they don't care for these lovely houses such as on Woodville road which is 95% rentals.

"Sadly we who own and care for our houses have to live with this with the value of our properties plummeting due to the plague of neglected litter strewn houses which are now the majority."

Perhaps calling Cathays a ‘slum’ is a tad over the top, but there is no doubt that us students could make things so much better for the local residents and stop the need for police intervention with just a little bit more respect and consideration.

So sort it out, I say, and we’ll all have our fresher’s fun.

The No Argument: aren’t anti-social

Students

Oh God, they’re at it again.

The local residents of the Cathays area are always looking for some reason to criticise and blame us students for the smallest of things.

A bit of rubbish is really not the end of the world, and perhaps if there were better waste disposal schemes from the council, bin bags wouldn’t be ripped open by sea-gulls as they wait to be collected.

I am going in to my last year at

Pictured: Are students solely to blame for the household waste litters the streets of the Cathays 'slums' or is this a simple case of media hype? Photos: Hannah Waldram

Features19

gair rhydd • Monday September 27 2010 • features@gairrhydd.com

The other side of the story: students join in local campaign to clean up the streets of Cathays. Photo: Kieran McCann

Cardiff University and I can’t wait to get back to Cathays.

If you consider that there are 27,000 students at Cardiff, with the majority living in the student areas, I don’t think we do too badly.

Every year there is the same hyped up story about the dreaded fresher’s week and the amount of carnage that is strewn across Cathays and the surrounding areas.

But I think it is all an over-reaction.

The media like to make students out to be some sort of ‘vermin’ because it adds a good slant to an otherwise petty neighbourhood story.

In the article published by The Guardian online, there is a big section on the lack of parking for local residents.

The article says that ‘parking in Cathays has also become an issue in the last month as members of the Islamic faith attend their local mosques regularly as part of the month of Ramadan.’

But Ramadan this year is from August 11 to September 9– a time when

most students are not yet back to Cardiff.

And if there are too many permit holders for a given area, then the council need to restrict the number of permits per household and keep track of how many are issued in certain areas.

Calling for students not to take their cars to university is completely unreasonable.

We, as students, have as much right as anyone to park in the area.

A spokesperson for the university pointed out that ‘Cardiff University's 27,000 students are estimated to contribute between £150 and £200 million annually to the local economy.

In addition, the income to the private housing sector within the Cardiff City-Region is also significant.

The students not only contribute to Cardiff's diversity, vibrancy and culture but to the success and future prospects of the city.’

Just because there are a few idiots out there who push over wheelie bins and cause problems doesn’t mean that all students are anti-social and in

“

The media villanise students as 'vermin' in order to add interest to an otherwise boring story

need of police supervision.

Freshers' week is, granted, a time of partying and drinking, but there needn’t be such a barricade of resistance against our fun.

The vast majority of students drink at their homes and then go to clubs, getting home quietly and without trouble.

If the local residents are so concerned about the value of their houses falling and the appearance of Cathays, they should deal directly with landlords.

The houses we are expected to live in are often far below the standards of normal rented housing and because we are students we are supposed to be okay with it.

My last house has electricity wires all over the place, the plug sockets would spark, the plumbing was dodgy and the mould and paint work on the walls was awful.

And yet the landlords very often keep all of the deposit from the students in order to ‘fix’ these problems.

Yes, students can be anti-sociable, but it is very unfair and even preju-

diced to label us all ‘vermin’.

The standard of housing in Cathays is the responsibility of the local council and the landlords as well as the students and if we all work together, instead of causing tensions, there will be nothing to worry about.

Phew! Glad I got that off my chest... now, who’s for a drink?

Want to write for gair rhydd?

Come to our Media Recruitment Party on Monday October 4 for a chance to get involved.

No experience necessary.

Science 20 What's the little idea?

Tom Clarke Science Editor It’s on your food and in sun cream.

The Romans used it to colour glass and the space shuttle needs it to reenter the earth’s atmosphere.

If you’re reading this on gairrhydd.co.uk then you’re reading data stored on it and if you’ve got a hard copy then it couldn’t have been printed without it.

Some say it will bring about Armageddon whilst others are hailing as the only solution to global warming.

Nanotechnology is everywhere and we depend on it every day, you just can’t see it.

Nanotechnology or Nanotech is the manipulation of matter on the atomic and molecular scale. It is the science of the vanishingly small, working on scales of between 1 and 100 nanometres.

When you imagine that 1nm is a billionth of a meter, or 1 millionth of the diameter of a human hair, you get an idea of the smallness of the work that is undertaken.

It is in many ways the most modern of scientific disciplines, but its roots go back nearly 2000 years. The Lycurgus Cup is an exquisite roman glassware cup. In direct light it is jade green, but when light is shone through it the colour becomes ruby red.

Research has shown that nanoparticles of a Gold/Silver alloy are present in the glass. When light falls on the glass, the green portion is reflected giving the glass its colour, however when light is shone through the glass the nanoparticles block light of shorter wavelengths, including the green leaving it to appear red.

Unwittingly we have used nanotech in many other aspects of our history, from heavy industries such as Steelmaking and Vulcanising rubber to artistic pursuits such as painting and sculpture.

But Nanotechnology as we know it conceptually arose in a lecture in 1959 by the physicist Dr Richard Feynman.

In “There’s Plenty of Room at the Bottom,” he argued that by incrementally manufacturing smaller and smaller tools, there was no reason why it was not possible to manipulate even individual atoms.

He offered a prize of $1000 to the first person to devise a method to fit the entire Encyclopaedia Britannica on the head of a pin.

Today nanotechnology is enjoying a golden age, with unparalleled investment from all sides as companies and governments rush to tap its unbounded possibilities.

The biggest proponent of nanotechnology is the microchip industry.

Many of the techniques routinely used in other branches of the field were developed by companies such as Intel and IBM. A prime example of this is STM.

STM is a microscopy technique that uses a quantum effect called “Tunnelling”.

This allows us to create high resolution images of atomic surfaces, even with enough resolution to see individual atoms.

This allows you also to manipulate atoms on the surface of metals, dragging them around like billiard balls.

IBM famously drew out their logo using 35 individual Xenon atoms on a Silicon wafer using STM. The industry needs to constantly innovate, microchips now are constructed on the 32nm scale whereas 10 years ago they were 100 times larger.

These small, complicated components are manufactured in a novel process known as photolithography.

Layers of silicon are removed using high intensity laser light, before adding more layers by a process known as vapour deposition.

The most modern techniques use high intensity X-rays to do this as they have a smaller wavelength than optical light.

These techniques are starting to be applied to the construction of nanomachines. Work on miniature versions of rotors, turbines and pumps is underway across the globe.

The aim is to one day build machines that can operate and the nanoscale, perhaps even within our own

Above: bodies. It sounds like science fiction, Nanotechnology, but such devices are no more than 50 it's pretty small. years away by some estimates.

One of the other useful applications of nanotechnology is Catalysis.

Catalysts play a vital role in our everyday lives, although you could be forgiven for not noticing.

They are unobtrusive but the vast majority of modern plastics, pesticides and fertilizers have a catalyst involved somewhere along the production line.

Nanocatalysts have great catalytic activity and are widely used. This is because metals don’t behave as metals on the nanoscale; they can be very reactive when normally they are inert.

Take Gold for example, bulk Gold such as found in jewellery and electric wiring is highly inert. It never corrodes or reacts.

But if you break up the gold into nanoparticles something mindboggling happens.

The gold becomes highly reactive, catalysing a whole host of reactions and when small amounts of Palladium or Platinum are added to the mix the results can be astonishing.

This is because at such small particle sizes, the surface area of the catalyst can be huge and because the ratio of surface area to volume is so great the energy of these catalysts is

“

Machines of the future will be so small, you won't even see them

very high indeed.

Cardiff's very own Professor Graham Hutchings was amongst he first to describe this behaviour.

His group at the Cardiff Catalysis Institute routinely develop novel gold based catalysts with applications from Hydrogen Peroxide Synthesis to Oil Spill clean up.

There are however some health worries regarding nanotechnology.

Nanoparticles can cross into the blood of animals and humans, even permeating into the cells of our bodies.

Indeed there has been much exciting research undertaken into using nanoparticles as novel drug delivery vehicles for cancer patients or Alzheimer’s treatment.

These vectors would be able to inert the drugs directly into the cells where they are needed, lowering the required dosage of some of these dangerous chemicals. But the toxicity of these substances is unclear.

However dangerous or not, Nanotechnology will become an even greater part of our lives in the years to come.

With the worlds insatiable demand for cheap energy and high tech gadgets it is inevitable that the machines of the future will be so small, you won’t even see them.

Listings 22

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday Thursday

27th Sept

28th Sept

29th Sept

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

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

BRAINLOVE RECORDS TOUR, 10 Feet Tall, £5, 8pm Mat Riviere, Napoleon IIIrd, Pagan Wanderer Lu, Stairs To Korea and Brainlove Records DJs perform at an absolutly cracking venue.

FLUX=RAD, Clwb, FREE, 8pm FLUX=RAD is a regular occurance at Clwb these days. Expect tunes from awesome new bands and great live acts that you're bound to find exciting. This week Clwb plays host to Brilliant Colors and La La Vasquez. While I haven't actually heard of either band, these nights tend to be pretty good and well worth checking out.

JUST DANCE, Clwb, £3, 10pm Cardiff's hottest music venue just got a little hotter. Just Dance returns every Tuesday night at Clwb Ifor Bach with one simple mission...to get you dancing all night long.

A mixture of modern day pop, rock and R&B, thrown together with some cracking blasts from the past. No gimmicks, no false promises... just cheap entry, cheap drinks prices and great, GREAT tunes.

HAMMERTIME, Barfly, £3, 7.30pm Basically, this is a 90s themed night, thus, the website is replete with witty (read: terrible) puns on ridiculous song titles from what was, frankly, a pretty mediocre decade for music. But, if this is your thing, then definitely GO! I won't see you there.

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

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

BOGOF Orange Wednesdays There's so much good stuff on at the moment including the amazing Scott Pilgrim vs The World and Inception. Have a chilled out night.

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

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

1st Oct

2nd Oct

3rd Oct

BOOMBOX, Solus £3, 10pm Playing an eclectic mix of Electro, Funk, Drum and Bass, Hip Hop, Dubstep and Breaks with a turntablist twist. Featuring dance classics, chart remixes and old school classics. Expect to hear Pendulum, Calvin Harris, Dr Dre, David Guetta, Major Lazor, A Skillz, High Contrast, Prodigy and much more. To be fair, it's the cheapest Friday night this side of the bridge, fulfilling all your student needs, and perfect for bringing those visiting mates too. Go ahead kids, BOOM YOUR BOX. HELL'S BENT, Barfly, £4, 10.30pm Hell's Bent is Cardiff's only alternative gay night and everyone is welcome. It's a fun, relaxed night where you can hang out with your friends and maybe meet some new ones. You can be guaranteed to hear at least one song you’ll want to dance to. The DJs play a range of genres from electro-pop to indie, guilty pleasures to rock.

MAYDAY PARADE, Clwb £10.50, 7pm 'Mayday Parade writes songs that bring out the addict in all of us.' Apparently they're so good, I haven't even heard of them.

COME PLAY, Solus, £3, 10pm A safe bet for a Saturday night. If none of the other events do it for you, head to the Union for guaranteed good music and cheap drinks. Not the most imaginative of nights out, but you'll be sure to have a good time.

And who said that being able to predict the playlist down to the very last minute was a bad thing?

TOP SHELF JAZZ, The Globe, £5, 7.30pm Top Shelf Jazz are a four-piece hot swing jazz outfit with a Noel Coward-esque quality all of their own and with a dangerous hint of gypsy swing. Bringing you their anarchic, original songs full of filth and lechery, Top Shelf Jazz are sure to get you going with their deliciously filthy swing.

This band are, without doubt, my own personal favourites and I will almost certainly be there tonight!

BEERFEST, Solus, £3, 12pm Pretty much exactly as it says on the tin...

Think Oktoberfest meets Wales, copious amounts of beer chugging, frivolities and maybe even a spot of beer pong. Ideal!

THE OFFICIAL FRESHERS' BALL, Solus, £14.95, 9pm With the hottest lineup to be found at any event this Freshers, Cardiff University Students’ Union is proud to welcome Zane Lowe, Skream, Diana Vickers and Roll Deep to perform at the official Freshers Ball 2010. This looks set to be a brilliant night, with live performances from some pretty talented people.

There are more acts to be confirmed for this exclusive event, so be sure to get your tickets as soon as possible, as it will sell out.

HAVE A SUNDAY ROAST The Taf do a wicked, and cheap Sunday roast as do the CAI. Have a lie in, and then get some classic comfort food to help beat Saturday night's hangover, the end of weekend blues.

TUBELORD AND TALL SHIPS, Buffalo Bar, £5, 7.30pm A friend of mine highly recommends the pleasure of both Tubelord and Tall Ships.

And his music taste is really rather good.

So on that basis, I would suggest that you go and check this out as it promises to be a very good evening.

30th Sept DJ YODA’S STOP, LOOK AND LISTEN AUDIO VISUAL TOUR, Solus, £9.95, 9pm Purely on the basis that there looks like there is nothing else of worth going on anywhere in the city tonight, maybe this will be worth your time... Duncan Beiny aka DJ Yoda is no ordinary scratch DJ. His seminal How To Cut & Paste series showcased a tongue-in-cheek mixing style that prompted Q Magazine to declare him: “one of the ten DJs to see before you die”, whilst Hip Hop Connection voted him: “one of the top three DJs in the world”. To be honest, I have never heard of this guy in my life, and I don't think I'm worse off for that fact. However, unless you want to come up to the gair rhydd office to do some proofreading for us (which we would greatly appreciate) then perhaps you should go and groove your tits off to DJ Yoda. I mean, who would trust someone who calls himself DJ Yoda...

Y&T, Millennium Music Hall, £15, 7pm Who says classic rockers are an endangered species? gair rhydd does. Don't go.

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

Puzzles

23

sudoku.

EASY

HARD

Found on Facebook:

crossword.

Across

Down

1. Snoozing (8) 5. Azotic (6) 9. Habitually reserved and uncommunicative (8) 10. A type of ski race (6) 12. Giggle (5) 13. Absence of the sense of pain (9) 14. Mediate (6) 16. Alleviate (7) 19. Deferred (7) 21. Frustrate (6) 23. Extemporaneous (9) 25. Froth (5) 26. Harden (6) 27. Large primitive fishes (8) 28. Worn away (6) 29. One of a kind (8)

1. Agree out of court (6) 2. A news scoop (9) 3. Bandage (5) 4. Relate (7) 6. Unlawfully (9) 7. Irritates (5) 8. Yokefellows (8) 11. Carnival (4) 15. Sacrosanct (9) 17. Devoted to pleasure (9) 18. Suck in (air) (8) 20. Fool (4) 21. Make a series of quick explosive sounds (7) 22. Leaves used for seasoning (6) 24. Former Hungarian monetary unit (5) 25. A gesture of indifference (5)

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Xpress Radio 24

LISTEN ONLINE: www.xpressradio.co.uk ✉ studio @ xpressradio.co.uk ☎ 077 222 63 888

25

STAR Societies get rewarded Cos Montagu Societies Officer STARs or the Student Activities Recognition Scheme are awarded every year to recognize the top end of student achievement in societies.

Bronze, Silver and Gold awards recognize societies’ engagement in areas such as fundraising, Union participation, events with the local community, Go Global and promoting student development.

Last year only three Gold awards were given out, these are the societies leading the way.

Here, we give you a brief insight into what these societies have been up to.

The Malaysian Society has for the last two years been rewarded with the Guilds ‘Best Society Award’.

Aiming to both support Malaysian students and promote the rich and diverse Malaysian culture, the society has over 200 members from all ethnic backgrounds.

The annual Festival of Diversity (this year FOD VIII) is one of the highlights of the society calendar, a combination of traditional Malaysian fare for dinner and a musical play which won the Best Cultural Event of 2010.

Amongst other fund-raising activities the Malaysian student work to protect the indigenous Penan tribe in Sarawak, and it is there work in these areas as well as the range of

activities they offer to Malaysian and nonMalaysian students alike that has seen them consistently recognized as Cardiff ’s foremost society The Windband last year competed in the National Concert Band Festival, winning the Silver award whilst competing against ensembles from across the UK. Windband also conducts a highly successful annual Easter tours – 2007 saw them travel to Dublin (Ireland), 2008 to Nantes (France), 2009 to Stuttgart (Germany) and in 2010 to Glasgow and Edinburgh.

The society is very proud of being completely audition-free and therefore open to anyone, regardless of experience.

Last year saw the Libyan society pick up the award for the ‘Best Small Society’.

Promoting Libyan culture to all students despite their small numbers, the Libyan society aims to dispel a lot of the bad press surrounding their country by hosting events such as the Libyan Open day attended by ambassadors and students alike.

Seminars and poetry nights are also regular activities of the society which aims to share Libyan culture with all those willing to engage with it.

The following societies achieved the Guild’s Silver award for promoting student development and Union involvement: Cardiff Asian Society, Model United Nations, Psychology, RAG, Cardiff RAT Pack

Societies

Monday Sept 27 Spanish and Italian Society : UV Bar Crawl - Vulcan lounge to MistaJam dj set in Tiger Tiger. Wear plain white Tshirts - Vulcan Lounge, 7.30pm

Medsoc : ‘Back to School’ - School uniform mandatory, at the IV Lounge 8pm

Tuesday Sept 28 Architecture Society : Freshers’ Pub Crawl - Starting at the Woodville at 8pm, ending at ‘Fail’ launch party

Christian Union : Lunch talks - Jesus and Jason Bourne: Will I find myself here?

- Kokos, 1pm

Wednesday Sept 29 Music Society : Music Pub Crawl - music themed fancy dress in the Woodville, 8pm

Computer gaming society : Trip to v-sync (gaming centre) - Meet front of the Union, 1pm

MathSoc : Welcome Back Meet - Koko Gorillaz, 7.30pm

Thursday Sept 30 Ahlul Bayt : Freshers Welcome Dinner - Spice Root (Cardiff Bay), 8.30pm

Christian Union : Breathe - Enjoy free live music in a relaxed atmosphere in Kokos 8pm

Friday Oct 1 TRAFFIC: Cirque Du TRAFFIC - Huge bassline, circus themed mash-up - Cardiff Arts Institute, 9pm-4am

Tea Party Society : First Social - Relax with Tea and Cake, meet outside the Union 2.30pm

Saturday Oct 2 Law Society: Introductory BBQ - First social event, bring friends, drinks and enjoy - Bute Park, 1pm

Islamic Society: Bus Tour and Meal - Girls only. Sit back and see Cardiff’s beauty

LGBT+ : Coffee Morning - Meet the committee and other freshers in the Vulcan at 11am

Sunday Oct 3 Roleplaying and Wargaming Soc: Meet & Greet - Meet the society and play some games!

- Ernest Willows pub (City Road), 7pm

CathSoc : Freshers Welcome Party - Nibbles and drinks after mass - 62 Park Place chaplaincy, 6.30pm

Christian Union : Try-a-church - Go with others to local churches - Meet front of Union, 9.20am

Above: The Malaysian Society perform at Go Global

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

Sport 26

Alex Bywater gives his thoughts on the Heineken Cup competition

I

n what was a fantastically successful year for French rugby, Toulouse captured the 2009/10 Heineken Cup after France had secured the Six Nations Grand Slam with a narrow victory over England.

After claiming their fourth Heineken Cup, a new record, Toulouse will be favourites to retain their crown.

However, with this year’s tournament looking like one of the toughest ever, this is far from a forgone conclusion.

This is shown by the fantastic calibre of teams competing in what is arguably the strongest group stage the tournament has ever seen.

With the tournament kicking off on October 8, even the early stages of the competition looking hard to predict.

Calling a winner at this stage looks nigh on impossible.

Having said that, the reigning champions should progress from Pool 6 where London Wasps should be the only team to offer any sort of resistance.

The enterprising play of the Toulouse backs, a feature of their play in last year’s competition, should see them top their group.

Wing Vincent Clerc, the leading try scorer in the competition’s history should receive plenty of ball from half backs Byron Kelleher and David Skrela.

The solid platform laid by the forwards - the Toulouse scrum took Biarritz to pieces in last year’s final, will see them progress easily from their group.

With the English clubs struggling to match those in France in recent years, clubs from the Magners League look like those most capable of matching the continental sides.

Munster, one of the heavyweights of the competition will again be to the fore.

With their forward pack as powerful as ever, led by Paul O’Connell, Munster are capable of challenging Toulouse.

However, they have been drawn in

Pool 1 along with The Ospreys, Jonny Wilkinson’s Toulon and English side London Irish in what looks like the most competitive group in the early rounds of the tournament.

Munster’s Magners League rivals The Ospreys, now led by Welsh second row Alun Wyn Jones, look like they will follow Munster through from Pool A. Their back line boasts some of the best names around with the likes of Shane Williams, Tommy Bowe and Lee Byrne offering a serious threat.

Ryan Jones, freed from the captaincy may also thrive.

If their forwards can secure regu-

lar set piece ball, something that let them down last year, then they too can challenge for the title.

Llanelli Scarlets and the Newport Gwent Dragons complete the Welsh sides in this year’s competition though neither are strong enough to make it to the latter stages of Europe’s premier competition.

Irish side Leinster, semi-finalists last year and led by Irish captain Brian O’Driscoll look certain to progress to the latter stages.

Although rugby in the northern hemisphere is frequently criticised as inferior compared to the free flowing rugby produced in the southern

“

Calling a winner at this stage of the competition looks almost impossible

regions, this year’s Heineken Cup looks like being one of the best since its’ introduction in 1995.

Last year’s semi finalists; Toulouse, Biarritz, Munster and Leinster look like the teams that will fight it out for the trophy.

Leicester will offer the biggest threat from England along with outsiders Northampton.

In an open contest, I will go for Munster to win the trophy at The Millennium stadium on May 21 and re capture the trophy they won at the same venue in 2006.

27Sport

Monday September 27 2010 • gair rhydd • sport@gairrhydd.com

Alex Winter gives The Word On The Commonwealth Games...

A

pan-Britannic-panAnglican contest and festival every four years as a means of increasing the goodwill and good understanding of the British Empire – what a jolly nice idea.

The initial proposal of the Reverend Astley Cooper in 1891 would spawn a second major multisport event. Only the Olympic Games has a longer history than the Commonwealth Games, the 19th edition of which is currently underway in Delhi.

India, the overseas heart of the former British Empire, is a fitting venue for the event which began life as the Festival of Empire in 1911 – a sporting celebration of the coronation of King George V – and grew into the Empire Games – first held in Hamilton, Canada in 1930.

Just six sports competed at those first Games, but the event has developed both sportingly and politically.

The word “Commonwealth” was introduced in 1954 and the modern Commonwealth Games incepted in 1978 where ten sports were included.

The current edition features 17 sports, but the modern Commonwealth Games has been relegated far down the pecking order in the priorities of modern athletes.

So much so that Sir Chris Hoy – treble gold medallist at the Beijing Olympics – is skipping the Games to be in top shape for the European Cycling Championships, which acts as the qualifying event for the Olympic Games.

Alex Salmond must be crying into his haggis – it’s a surprise the Scottish Nationalist hasn’t tried to move one or both of the events and offered up 20 laps of Hollyrood as an alternative, such is the desperation for Scotland’s first minister to cling to any hint of Scottishness on the world stage (he bemoaned the BBC for not screening England’s One Day International cricket match with Scotland earlier this year – good job they didn’t, otherwise Salmond’s men would have been humiliated in front of a far larger audience).

With Hoy’s absence, and Victoria Pendleton also unsure of defending her Commonwealth crown, cycling has been reduced to a second string event, with the best of Europe naturally more focussed on Olympic qualification.

Granted there are few European Commonwealth nations but British domination of the sport means that many leading contenders will be

absent: Australia now might win a few medals in the velodrome.

Australia won’t be winning as many in the pool though: treble Olympic champion Stephanie Rice is set for surgery as she begins her preparations for London 2012.

Who on earth indeed but Aussie coach Leigh Nugent wants a full strength squad for London: “We’ll be taking a step back to take a step forward,” he said.

And in that short quote, one gets an impression of how the Commonwealth Games has become the equivalent of the Johnston’s Paint Trophy: worth having a go at if you’re not very good.

Zoe Derham is a basket case. The hammer thrower from Gloucester finished fifth at the 2006 Commonwealths in Melbourne.

Her first tilt at the Olympics two years later ended in a nondescript 35th place.

The cricket equivalent being making your highest first-class score against a University side, noone wants their grandest moment to come in an event where two thirds of the world’s competitors are absent; but i’m sure the Caicos Islands will provide stern opposition.

That is half the reason why the man selling athletics at the moment, Jamaica’s Usain Bolt, doer of extraordinary things, will also miss the Games.

Bolt wouldn’t feel like walking the last tens yards in a 9.47 second run in Delhi, even if one of his main rivals, Asafa Powell, competes.

A Commonwealth Games title to him would be like Alex Ferguson adding the Blue Square Bet Premier League to his trophy cabinet. Small fry.

Besides, the television audience wouldn’t be high enough for Bolt – no advertising executive in Manhattan will be watching.

Jessica Ennis won’t be boarding the plane either. The new British pin-up is also too big time for the Commonwealths. And that’s no dig; she gave a rather arrogant excuse: "I sat down with my coach and we decided the Commonwealth Games isn't a good option this year," she said. Many agree Jess, gold medals aren’t a good option if the competition will be a walkover – celebrating would be an embarrassment.

Like scoring a hundred against Scotland.

Whoever is celebrating in an English vest will be transported to a Women’s Institute meeting: Jerusalem is now the victory song.

The absence of 'God Save The Queen' completes the transformation of the event from a gathering

Above: Will any top British athletes participate in the Commonwealth Games this year? of a united British Empire to a celebration of self-determination and nationalism.

But why Great Britain feels the need to fire the flames of nationalists by competing as four separate teams in a complete mystery.

It’s such a shame because the

one chance to top a medals table is removed as pennants earned by the Isles are diluted into four. And now a famous hymn is being hideously abused: Edward Elgar did not compose music for it to be blasted out of speakers in a stadium. Let’s just hope Phillips Idowu knows the

words.

At least the Commonwealth Games has something to get the chests puffed out: Her Majesty’s Baton Relay, beginning at Buckingham Palace, once again opened the event.

Sport

The Word On: The Commonwealth Games << Inside

Above: Elliot Dudley prepares for his next challenge

Surfing to success Paul Jones Sports Writer Cardiff Student and Sports Bursar, Elliot Dudley, has successfully broken the world record for ‘stand up paddling’ across the English Channel.

Elliot is a longboard surfer and his career has been hugely successful to date, culminating in him finishing seventh in the World Championships in Costa Rica last Summer.

Some of Elliot’s other career highlights include becoming European Longboard Champion in both 2005 and 2007, British Longboard Champion in 2007, British Longboard Tour Champion in 2005 and 2008 and Welsh Longboard Champion for the last five years consecutively.

The culmination of these recent

successes was Elliot’s selection to be one of only two Longboarders in the Great Britain team for the World Surfing Championships 2009.

Elliot was part of a group of five surfers who attempted to ‘stand up paddle’ across the English Channel for Surfers Against Sewage.

Surfers Against Sewage are an environmental NGO and are celebrating 20 years of fighting for cleaner seas around the UK. The English Channel is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the World and at a distance of 21 miles presents a really tough challenge to Elliot and the rest of the team.

Stand up paddle surfing involves standing on a surf board and using one outrigger paddle as an oar for steering and control, it’s an emerging global sport with a Hawaiian heritage.

It gives those who try it a really

tough ‘core’ workout as well as testing general fitness, strength and most importantly balance.

Preview The Heineken Cup << Inside The Guinness World Record for crossing the English channel by paddle surfing is currently an impressive five hours and nine minutes but this was completed in the ‘prone’ position.

Therefore, Elliot was fully aware that should he complete the challenge standing up he will be the first person to ever cross the channel in this way and hence be the World Record holder.

After a few days of waiting for the best possible weather conditions the Surfers Against Sewage team decided the weather, swell, current and shipping lanes were in the best conditions to attempt the challenge.

The team successfully managed to cross the channel although the current and ship wake meant they had some difficult moments along the way.

However, Elliot’s hours of training both on the water and in the gym paid off as he touched down in France in a fantastic time of five hours and 38 minutes.

Not only does it now mean he is a European Champion in his Sport but he is also part of the Guinness Book of World Records.

Perhaps more importantly to Elliot are the funds that he and the Surfers Against Sewage team have

raised by completing this challenge.

Elliot has been a major part of the University’s High Performance Sport Programme throughout his time as an undergraduate student and recently graduated with a Law and Politics degree.

Recognition must be given for the way he has managed his time effectively whilst at the University.

Training is never straightforward due to the geographical issues of surfing in the UK but whenever possible Elliot can be found at either Llantwit Major or Rest Bay (Porthcawl) in the hope of finding some decent waves.

After the significant contribution he has made to raising the profile of Cardiff University Sport in the last few years we’d like to thank Elliot wish him the best for the future.

GAIR RHYDD AND QUENCH MAGAZINE IS PUBLISHED BY UNIVERSITY UNION CARDIFF, PARK PLACE, CARDIFF CF10 3QN • REGISTERED AS A NEWSPAPER AT THE POST OFFICE • GAIR RHYDD RESERVES THE RIGHT TO EDIT ALL CONTRIBUTIONS • THE VIEWS EXPRESSED ARE NOT NECESSARILY THOSE OF THE PUBLISHERS GAIR RHYDD IS WRITTEN, DESIGNED, TYPESET AND OUTPUT BY STUDENTS OF CARDIFF UNIVERSITY • BANTER IS LACKING • HONEY GOT A BOOTY LIKE POW POW POW • D.LIGHT SWALLOWS MONEY TO KEEP IT SAFE • SAVAGE: "I AM A FIT RADIATOR" • ANCHOVY TOAST? • I HAVE A PULSATING ERRECTION • HEY DARLEEENG • POWELL GETS THE PUPPIES OUT • NOBODY LIKES A DICK PANDERER • "I'M SO RAPEY" • NOTHING PRINTS IN THIS JOINT... • COUGAR?