gair rhydd - Issue 959

gair rhydd Monday October 17 2011 | freeword – Est. 1972 | Issue 959

Living water dries up gair rhydd follows the Union’s attempts to resurrect the valuable student service HenryMcMorrow News Editor It has emerged that Living Water, the providers of bottled water to those leaving Cardiff Students’ Union are currently unable to distribute water.

Living Water is a Christian Union affiliated group which has been operating for over four years but has only more recently been associated with the Union. They distribute water to inebriated students leaving the Union on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday evenings.

The group’s objective is to ensure that students are safe when returning home from a night out at the Union.

Comunication has been lost with Spar, the supermarket that formerly donated the bottled water, prompting Living Water to focus on distributing hot drinks instead. Living Water also provide girls suffering from painful feet with flip flops, and blankets to those feeling cold.

A spokesperson for Living Water explained that the group distributed over thirty crates of water per evening during Freshers Week and, on average twenty crates during term time. “Living Water is entering its fourth year of practically helping out students who are worse for wear as they leave the Union.”

“We are all Christians who love chatting with people about the issues in life whether big or small, and will happily answer anyone’s questions as best we can… We are so grateful to Spar for generously donating water to us in the past, and without them we just

News show the week in pictures page 5

Politics examine the effects of devolution page 15

can’t continue.”

Thirty students are regularly involved with the project, with many more volunteers assisting throughout the year. Working from 11.30 pm onwards, they ensure that students are provided with refreshment and support should they need it.

Harry Newman, Societies Officer stated: “We are currently working on drafting a letter to Spar to strongly encourage [them] to continue to support Living Water.

“Personally, Living Water has helped me on numerous occasions after nights out in the Union. They clearly benefit large numbers of students every week as seen by the large quantities of water distributed. It is a hugely valuable service that will be sorely missed.”

Bottled water allows students to take the drink away with them. The cups used for hot drinks are not reusable and thus students are unable to save the drink for later.

Louise Hazeland, fourth year Chemistry student said, “Being a Christian myself I believe it’s a positive thing they are doing. As they are introducing people to the faith through the selfless act of giving.”

Chris Scott, third year Civil Engineering student said “I find it patronising if they try to convert me to their faith but they don’t say much so I let it slide.”

Aaron James, second year Journalism student and Night Leader, and Rebecca Redfern, second year Adult Nursing student and Co Coordinator of Living Water said, “We hope that students will end their night well. Sometimes people really want to talk to us and we hope we can support those who do. People can sometimes pour their hearts out to us and we hope that we can continue to be there for them.”

“We’ve got a massive vision for Living Water, including work around exam periods and attending more of the big nights out.”

Since gair rhydd has contacted Spar, they appear to be willing to reestablish communication with Living Water. We are awaiting a comment from Spar on the issue.

Features explore student related stress page 17

gr EDITOR Oliver Smith CO-ORDINATOR Elaine Morgan SUB-EDITORS Pippa Lewis Yas Langley ONLINE EDITOR Chris Williams NEWS Sheri Hall Henry McMorrow Hannah Pendleton Matt Jones Laura Evans

OPINION Izzy Voss Libby van den Bosch COLUMNIST Lloyd Griffiths POLITICS Luke Slade Sophie Gidley FEATURES Ellen Atkinson Ali Ishaq SCIENCE Jenny Lambourne SOCIETIES Isabelle Roberts

SPORT Jamie Evans Zac Cole Jonathan Frank CONTRIBUTORS Dylan Edwards, Caio Iwan Max Eshraghi, Dom Gwyther Hannah Jones, Alice Briggs Alice Marriott, Bridget Taylor Nick Evans, Amy Pay Barney Willis, Ffion Morgan Megan David, Helen Cox Thom Hollick, Amber Bell Thomas Owain Davies, Stephen House, Sophie Chamberlain PROOF READERS Alec Evans, Jodie Palombo Amandaz Ng Sy Sophie Chamberlain Shreya Das, Ellie Ross Steph Pugh, Alec Care, J. Goh

GAIR RHYDD AND QUENCH MAGAZINE ARE 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

pg. 6

News follow PhotoSoc's forced exit from the Union

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Get involved.

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pg. 15

Politics discuss the latest news regarding Liam Fox

Online team meeting Monday - 6.00pm - gair rhydd office

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Sudoku pg. 22

Science remembers Apple's Steve Jobs

pg. 30

Sport review Vettel's championship win

EASY

Taf-Od Elliw Mair

Monday October 17 2011 • #gairrhydd • editor@gairrhydd.com

sport. taf-od. societies. science. features. politics. opinion. news.

02

For the answer and more puzzles, head over to page 27

News 1-7

Opinion Politics Features Science Societies Listings 24 21 - 22 26 9 - 12 15 - 17 19 - 20

Sport 30 - 32

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Monday October 17 2011 • #gairrhydd • editor@gairrhydd.com

Smoke it like it's art...

'This is why you wear a helmet!'

Sophie Chamberlain News Reporter

Stephen House News Reporter

A YouTube video featuring a South African BMX cyclist has reached almost 5,300,000 hits in the past week.

Evan Van der Spuy was competing in a race across the Albert Fall Dam and Game reserve when a stampeding antelope appeared out of nowhere and knocked the cyclist clean off his bike.

Spuy’s fellow teammate was holding a camera at the time and recorded the whole event.

The increasingly popular YouTube clip collected over three million views within 24 hours of the video going viral.

At the end of the clip, the South African cyclist holds his shattered helmet up to the camera whilst the tagline ‘this is why you wear a helmet!’ reads at the bottom of the screen.

Luckily the cyclist only suffered minor concussion and whiplash. He then Tweeted a message applauding his teammate, Travis Walker, on his excellent camera skills.

Artist Jason Mecier has created a mosaic portrait of American rapper Snoop Dogg out of marijuana joints, hash, cannabis leaves and stems.

The eight inch square mosaic has been valued at $1500 and will be displayed at La Luz de Jesus Gallery in Los Angeles throughout November as part of their 25-year celebrations.

Over his 10 year career Mecier has created a number of portraits of various celebrities including a mosaic of Amy Winehouse made from 5000 multicoloured pills to celebrate the singer’s life.

Such is his reputation that celebrities are now sending him their rubbish.

Mercier said: “Most people send me anything from a shoebox to a trash bag full of things to incorporate into their portraits. I have a bag of Pam Anderson’s laundry, and a letter Paris Hilton wrote to me from prison.”

We speak to Kate Boddington, LGBT+ officer in this weeks 60 Second Interview Whats your officer role?

My role is to represent all the LGBT+ students in Cardiff University and to make sure that everyones voices can be heard.

What are your plans for the coming year?

This year I'm planning a campaign with the AU promoting inclusivity in Cardiff's sports teams. I'm also hoping to raise awareness around sexual health provisions for students. I want to support and engage with more marginalised groups such as trans students as they are often overlooked.

What do you think is the biggest challenge for the year?

I think that the biggest challenge for the year ahead is changing attitudes amongst students to make everyone aware that we still need to work on tackling issues that affect LGBT+ students.

What advice would you give to new LGBT+ students that have arrived in Cardiff ?

Cardiff is a really freindly city so don't be afraid to be yourself. If you want help, support, or just to meet other people check out the LGBT+ Society and look out for the LGBT+ section in Quench.

For more information contact Kate at lgbt_cardiffstudents@ hotmail.com

@Mattoutofhell

the pictures Carnage hits Saw of Carnage in today.

Even with the Cardiff on Cardiff streets of spewing students, I miss the Twitter... place.

Winners.

Competition

60 Second Interview....

Winners:

Andrew Sutherland Stephen Clee Jemma Mallorie Tickets available from the gair rhydd office, 4th Floor of the Students' Union.

Answer: A & B cross = 2 mins A comes back = 1 min C & D cross = 10 mins B comes back = 2 mins A & B cross = 2 mins Total = 17 mins

@LiamLegend

@PeaceLoveEva

Loving The Suns coverage of Carnage Cardiff. Idiot 50 year old journalists need to get of their high horse and stop showing selective media

From Michael Forever to Carnage Cardiff. Major downgrade, but repping for my fam in a doctor outfit.

04News

Monday October 17 2011 • #gairrhydd • news@gairrhydd.com

"We are disappointed in the number of NUS delegate candidates we have received..."

Matt Jones News Editor Cardiff University will not be fully represented at a National NUS conference. Only three students have put themselves forward for election, despite there being four places available.

The NUS Wales Council, which

takes place on November 17 and 18 2011, is the main policy making event for the organisation. It is also an opportunity for representatives from all Welsh universities to discuss the main issues of the past year, as well as the issues for the coming year.

Asked about the University’s failure to attract more students to apply for

the role, the Welfare and Communications officer, Chris Davies said: "Obviously we are disappointed in the number of NUS delegate candidates we have received this year.

The by-elections were in my opinion well publicised around the Student Union and on social media so the lack of interest is an anomaly."

One concern could be that the

lack of delegates attending the conference could result in Cardiff students’ opinions not being represented fully in NUS Wales. However, Chris stated that, "Cardiff is still taking three delegates to NUS conference in addition to further representation to ensure that the voice of Cardiff students is heard at national forums. We will endea-

vour to review the process of elections to ensure that we are doing all we can to represent the students at this University."

The NUS annual conference will take place in Sheffield at the end of April next year.

Part-time officer online hustings takes place

Womens officer

In being part of the Executive officer team you will have the opportunity to make dramatic changes. What is the most important issue that needs addressing and how do you personally intend to tackle this?

Amelia Barker

Bethan Lloyd

I’m not sure that I could point to one thing as being the most important thing issue to tackle, as in society in general, there are lots of things to look at!

The main issue that I am going to tackle as Women’s Officer is the lack of a cohesive Women’s Association.

Claire Travers According to the Hidden Marks report, 7% of students have been victim to serious sexual assault. This report gave birth to the Zero Tolerance Policy.

Tackling sexual assault in the Union is my most important issue, and to do this I plan to expand the coverage and exposure of the Zero Tolerance Policy.

I have created a presentation on Zero Tolerance which I plan to present to AU Council, Academic Council and the University.

This is a great way for student to get involved in issues they feel strongly about and make positive changes. It’s also a vital support network. I will do this by holding regular stalls at the Union and building up a strong membership.

Yasmine Boudiaf My priority is to get an idea of the main issues affecting the women of the University by going around and talking to as many people as possible, it would not be right to assume anyone knows the most important issue at this time.

By-election week Monday October 17 Friday October 21 Voting opens Wednesday 19

Mature students officer

How do you feel you can best provide mature students with a voice and where do you think the Union falls down in representing and meeting the needs of its mature student membership?

Claire Smith

Nick Holbrook

Ruth Akinwale

I am not afraid to tackle issues and have a strong sense of justice, fairness and respect for diversity. I feel let down by the Union; there is no current Mature Students Officer. I try to kid myself that I am young but seeing younger students reminds me that I’m not 18 any more! My needs and no doubt the needs of many mature students are very different to those of younger students. I have been offered nothing additional or different to any other student. That is not to say I or other Mature Students should be a ‘special case’. Far from it, but those who are returners to education can struggle with the transition, and may not want social events that are based around clubs or bars, and may have different needs or more complex lives.

I want to ensure all mature students have as successful and positive a time as possible and that the Union facilities and offer are better tailored to our needs.

A voice for the mature students of Cardiff University is I hope something that everyone can accept as being a good and necessary thing.

If elected as well as being an accessible point of person contact myself or anyone with problems or issues I would look into the possibility of having a mature students column in Gair Rhydd – this would be a public voice and available to any mature student with a grievance, issue, problem or even helpful suggestions.

As stated in my manifesto, there are currently hardly activities unique to mature students including integrating activities like talks; IT assistance; sporting and social activities.

The union itself falls down at the moment as it no real forum for mature students to meet one another in any real way – be it socially, academically or personal.

I am hoping to be able to set these up and also to create a continuous active voice on behalf of mature students – ascertaining what it is that this student population would like and to promote it for this year and years to come during enrolment and Freshers’ Fayre.

What is important for me is that mature students are not excluded and left unattended to; a unique University experience should equally be preserved for them. Please read my manifesto for more on this.

How do you intend on engaging effectively with mature students and working to involve them in all activities and opportunties the Students' Union has on offer?

Claire Smith

Nick Holbrook

Ruth Akinwale

I intend to arrange regular social events, to invite all mature students to contact me to tell me what they want from the Union and from me in particular. Through these, I will be better informed to move the mature student agenda forward.

If elected I would make myself available as a point of contact for mature students both in person here at the Union building and by other forms of communication (e.g. email etc).

For me to fulfil my mandate of being an active voice for the Mature Students’, I will seek to first start by introducing a socials event for all Mature students where we can meet to hear what each has to say.

In all honesty, I do not have all of the answers and so I will be working hard to find out how best to reach out to students, to draw on the experience and advice from existing officers.

I would organise events for the mature student body to attend (if they wanted) and hopefully expand everyones personal database of friends and acquaintances – thus giving everyone a lifeline should they need it or should they not want to go through any official channels .

I will also implement a feedback system on ideas that can be emailed to myself in the Union and create a forum where Mature Students’ can come to speak with me, their representative on pertinent issues and what they would like to see implemented.

06News

Monday October 17 2011 • #gairrhydd • news@gairrhydd.com

Cardiff take another bite of the Apple Dom Gwyther News Reporter Cardiff University has renewed an academic discount deal with Apple for the next four years. The agreement follows previous deals made in 2003 and 2007.

The discount, available to all students and staff, can be used online via Apple’s education store and at the Apple store in Cardiff ’s St Davids 2 shopping centre.

Students can save roughly 14%

off the cost of a new Mac and the discount covers Apple’s entire range of laptops and desktop computers. The computers are particularly useful for those interested in the arts, with Apple’s video, audio and photo editing software built in to the operating system.

It has been suggested that the deal could potentially be very lucrative for Apple, worth up to £300m.

However, a University spokesperson stated: ‘It's a national, sector-wide agreement and the estimated con-

tract value of £300m over 4 years is for the whole of the sector - not Cardiff University. In fact our spend is around £250K per annum.’

The University also subscribes to the National Desktop and Notebook agreement which allows students to claim discount on Toshiba, Samsung, HP, Ergo and Dell computers.

For example, Dell have a tiered discount system offering 2% off the cost of any computer up to £599.

Individual schools within Cardiff University can decide to use

the discount on desktop Macs depending on the requirements of the School’s teaching and research. The school of Journalism and cultural studies for instance has a suite of Mac computers available for postgraduate diploma students.

For students, the best time to take advantage of the apple deal would be around the start of the academic year (August/September) when a promotion allows students to get a free iPod when they purchase their Mac.

PhotoSoc turn to a new Chapter Hannah Pendleton News Editor Cardiff Students' Union Photography Society has lost their darkroom through a decision to convert the space into a storeroom for twenty other societies.

The final decision arrived after several weeks of talks between Photosoc and Harry Newman/student union. They were told nine days in advance of the final deadline date, Monday 10 October 2011, after which any left over items would be removed.

Photosoc have faced weeks of uncertainty about a solution to their impending eviction but were recently informed that they can use Chapter Arts Centre, a city centre location for one year.

Societies officer, Harry Newman commented: “Temporary storage

has been provided inside the building and free transport has been offered within Cardiff.

“We are currently still looking to find alternative provision although talks with Photosoc are still discussing its suitability”.

“It is a great opportunity for Photosoc to have such heavily subsidised access to what is a bigger and better dark room than we would ever be able to offer in house. It is unfortunate that the alternative will inevitably be slightly less convenient but with space in the building at such a premium, I am pleased that we are now able to offer storage which will benefit so many of our students.”

In response to the action to remove the darkroom, Photosoc’s darkroom Manager stated: “The darkroom was set up in the Union over 20 years ago now. It was one of

the reasons I personally chose Cardiff University and I am very sad to see it go. Film photography may not be the most popular but it is still a highly valued art form.

“We cannot believe how the Union is going to get rid of such a huge asset in order to provide some extra storage space; especially after spending so much on the new lounge area. We have tried to appeal to the Union, asking for a compromise or relocation within the Union, but still haven’t had any concrete answers. All they have proposed to do so far is subsidise our members to use Chapter Arts for one year only.

"They may have good facilities there but their opening hours are unsuitable for students (Monday -Friday 9:30 – 4:30 only). And as for next year… who knows! Also the distance makes getting there a lot harder. With the darkroom in the

Union it was easy to pop down between lectures or in the evenings, with Chapter we won’t be able to do that anymore.

“What are they going to use the space for? 20 lockers for societies.

Here at PhotoSoc we feel a decision like this should have gone to an AGM where we could at least make our case to the fellow societies and let them decide. Instead the decision was made through the change over of Societies officers during the summer and we feel we’ve had very little say in the matter.

"We’ve had over 50 people sign up for the darkroom this year and I don’t look forward to breaking this bad news to them!”

Funded by the newly introduced Guild of Societies Fee, work has now commenced on the new storage space designed for twenty societies.

Above: Chapter Arts Centre

Survey: Students spend more on books than alcohol?

Max Eshraghi News Reporter A recent survey has found that students in their first month of university spend more on course-related textbooks than they do on alcohol.

The poll, conducted by Credit Confidential, discovered that on average students spend around £10 more on books than they do on spirits, beer and wine.

Paul Lewis, vice president of Credit Confidential, drew a link to “the continuing economic gloom” which he suspects is having an impact on how students choose to spend their cash Mr Lewis said: “These findings fly in the face of the commonly held view of student life. With fees set to increase next year, and a tough job market facing new graduates, it may be that students are becoming more focused on their studies.”

Cardiff University English student , Stuart Smith, agreed with Mr Lewis: “It is surprising but when you consider next years increased fees and the tougher job market facing graduates, perhaps students simply are becoming more focused on work.”

The study also found that on average first year students spend £86.59 on books during the first month of university compared to third years who spend £73.09.

Third year Politics student, Anwen, said that the difference in spending may be down to maturity of the student: “When you first start university you get huge reading lists and the general message is you have to buy every single book on the list. But by the time you reach third year, you're a lot more in tune with what you actually need to buy and what you can just rent from the library.

“There's no point in buying a £20 book if you only have to read one chapter- it's just a waste of money.”

The survey also found a difference in the amount of money spent on socialising between first years and third years. On average, freshers spent £40.93 per week whilst students in their third year of study spent £73.09.

News 1-7

Opinion Politics Feature Science Societies Listings 24 21 - 22 9 - 12 15 - 17 19 - 20 26

Sport 30 - 32

News07 Students hit by highest unemployment in 17 years Un-happy hour for Polynesia Monday October 17 2011 • gair rhydd • news@gairrhydd.com

Laura Evans News Editor

Students and young job seekers have been advised to try and gain as much work experience as they can prior to leaving education or applying for jobs due to the recent unemployment figures released last week.

On Wednesday October 12, the Office for National Statistics revealed that UK unemployment rose by 114,000 between June and August to 2.57 million.

This is the UK’s highest level for 17 years, surpassing the 2.5million peak seen earlier this year and putting great pressure on the government to come up with better economic strategies.

Young people have been disproportionately affected by the figures discovered. With a growing number of graduates flooding the market, the 16-24 year old age group find it increasingly difficult to find employment.

The number of young people out of work is now close to the

million mark with 991,000 unemployed.

In Wales, the number has risen by 15% with a claimant count of 27,000 for 18-24 year olds. Further findings in Wales show that the number of young people claiming job seekers allowance rose by 600 last month.

A total UK number of claimants is 1.6 million.

“

Young people should look at initiatives such as work experience to differentiate themselves

The Welsh government has called these figures “extremely disappointing” and claims they would fund the creation of 12,000 jobs for young people over three years.

Welsh secretary Cheryl Gillan said: “the launch of sector based economies across the UK would offer training, work ex-

perience and a guaranteed job interview to up to 50,000 over the next two years.”

She welcomed an announcement from the Welsh government on the creation of enterprise zones to nurture businesses around Wales, but added: "I hope that swifter action will be undertaken in implementing them [zones] so that Wales does not fall behind its UK equivalents.”

Undergraduates and prospective employees are warned how increasingly important it is that they gain work experience early on or opt for new opportunities such as apprenticeships.

Liz Field, CEO of Financial Skills Partnership said: "the job market remains extremely competitive, so it is very important for young people to be flexible, some experience is better than no experience.

"Young people should look at initiatives such as work experience to differentiate themselves and develop a range of transferable employability skills that employers look for.”

The University and College Union (UCU) commented on the figures: “We hit record youth unemployment levels at the same time that financial support for college students has been removed, the cost of a university degree has trebled and the Future Jobs Fund has been axed.

“

Young people have been disproportionately affected by the figures discovered

"The government needs to urgently rethink these policies and provide the support young people need to get into education, training and jobs. Otherwise, we risk consigning an entire generation to a life with no jobs, no education and no prospects.”

Hannah Jones News Reporter

Polynesia, Cardiff ’s brand new £2m restaurant, bar and club on St Mary Street, has this week had its bid to extend opening hours declined by Cardiff Council.

Residents of Cardiff ’s Old Brewery Quarter objected to the proposal due to increased noise nuisance from people queuing and smoking outside, and loud music making the buildings vibrate.

Tenants and landlords from the area said turning the Hard Rock Cafe into a “nightclub” was “totally inappropriate in a residential setting”.

However, Polynesia director James Tucker rejects these claims saying that £30,000 had already been spent on limiting noise from the venue. He said “people living in one of the most vibrant areas of the city centre should expect some level of noise.

“

Totally inappropriate in a residential setting

The committee’s decision means that Polynesia will now shut at 1:30am midweek, 2:30am on Fridays and Saturdays and 1am on Sundays.

Sam Al-Asadi, a student from Cardiff University, said he had been to Polynesia once for a Law social and that it was a fun night with great music.

He added: “it seems silly for people to complain about the noise from Polynesia when it is just across the road from Walkabout, Soda bar and many more clubs that are open until late.”

Mr Tucker said the bar had originally created 60 new jobs but because of the shorter opening times he has been forced to hire 30 fewer staff costing people jobs at a time of economic strife.

He has vowed to appeal the ruling or reapply for the extension in the near future.

Politics Feature Science Societies Listings News 24 21 - 22 1 - 7 Opinion 15 - 17 19 - 20 26 9 - 12

Sport 30 - 32

Opinion09 Nepotism: it's all relative when Daddy's the boss Monday October 17 2011 • #gairrhydd • opinion@gairrhydd.com

Alice Briggs Opinion Writer In recent years, graduates are becoming increasingly likely to leave university with a respectable degree, thus heightening the competition for credible jobs. Even at secondary school, there were continual reminders that it is not just the academic achievements we hold, but what experience we can gain, the character we possess and now more than ever, there is a particular focus on the people that we know. However, there has been criticism levelled at placing too much emphasis on the latter.

Nepotism means showing favouritism to personal contacts in the workplace, regardless of their actual value as employees. It is a touchy subject for many, but is it really a problem? I believe that helping acquaintances is instinctive and something which benefits both the employers and the employees. Being familiar with a potential employee can work in a company’s favour, as if they are a known quantity, they are less of a risk. It is in fact an endorsement of somebody’s dependability, and therefore a form of informal character reference.

With the job market as tough as it currently is, it’s necessary to do anything you can to get a job and ensure that it is you that stands apart from the crowd. With this in mind, it is well known that employers consider work experience a major contributing

factor to employment. So, surely using your personal contacts to help you strive to professional success isn’t something we should protest against, but rather encourage; after all, networking in this way is how the business world works as well as demonstrating ambition and initiative.

“

People are likely to disapprove if you mention using contacts to help you get to the top

People are likely to disapprove if you mention using contacts to help you get to the top, on the grounds that others are disadvantaged and there is no denying that being completely self-made is a huge achievement. However, contacts don’t just derive from long term family and friend relationships but, more often than not, people will take on work experience in order to gain the initial contacts that will eventually further their career.

Life is not an equal playing field, if you can find advantages then you should use them.

After all, if you weren’t to take full advantage of opportunities within your reach, there is no doubt another eager graduate will snap up the chance.

Alice Marriott Opinion Writer We are all familiar with the phrase “it is not what you know, but who you know”. Often this comes from the mouth of a high-flying graduate of the prestigious ‘university of life’, but what exactly are the consequences of this attitude? And will you be able to think of an equally chirpy retort on the morning of your first day of a hard-won work experience placement, when you’re confronted with a lazy colleague who’s got the same job as a result of a well-placed uncle?

According to BBC News, one in 10 graduates in the UK are unemployed. In today’s financial climate (and when that loan does eventually stop coming through), this will mean that finding a job quickly will be all the more important. After all, since tuition fees have gone through the roof, UK students have invested so much time and money in their education that they deserve to be given an equal chance by employers. So when your less qualified co-worker storms in and takes the glory, you have every right to be disgruntled. Since when were achievement and credentials overlooked in favour of the simplicity of hiring a friend or relative? We have studied, we have read, we have endured two hour lectures for a reason - we deserve the chance to prove our own skills in our own right.

In a study done by the Higher Education

Statistics Agency in January 2010, the number of students awarded a first class degree has doubled in twelve years, rising to one in seven. Therefore, if it is ‘easier’ to get a wellregarded degree, it becomes increasingly difficult to distinguish between the quality of candidates, meaning people are more likely to take advantage of knowing influential people within their chosen trade.

“

We deserve the chance to prove our own skills in our own right

So the question remains, how are all classes of this generation ever going to be able to succeed and achieve when only people in high places are able to get ahead? We should all be given the opportunity to apply for a job and give the best person the opportunity to succeed based on merit. It is time for nepotism to stop for everyone who wants credit for anything they have achieved. After all, you put the work in!

You Reply: If you feel strongly about any article you have read in gair rhydd this week, and wish to respond, please contact us at Opinion@gairrhydd.com

Opinion

10 The blood, sweat and tears of Cardiff sponsorship

Bridget Taylor Opinion Writer As I have recently discovered, information about who sponsors Cardiff student Union’s sports clubs is not readily available on their website. Is this significant? It is often surprising when we discover who exactly provies the money behind certain organisations. However, sponsorship is a tricky one. If you need money, it is the biggest corporations that have the most to give away, yet they have often become that rich and powerful through dirty dealings and unethical practices.

I asked the Athletics’ Union who sponsored the sports’ clubs and they couldn’t really give me an answer. They said most of them were sponsored by various pubs in the city and their sponsorship would be ‘plastered all over their websites’.

Perhaps I was missing something, but on the sites I looked at, I couldn’t find any mention of sponsorship, although it is not clear whether this is because it’s not information people want to give out, or because they simply presumed a lack of

Last night a DJ ruined my life...

Nick Evans Opinion Writer

These days, the term 'celebrity' is thrown around in an increasingly casual manner. One only needs to look at any series of Celebrity Big Brother to see a plethora of nobodies attempting to claw their way back from obscurity.

There was a time when we had Richards Burtons and Audrey Hepburns who rose to critical ac-

interest. It is vital that university sports’ teams have sponsorship, giving them funds for kit, training and facilities, yet more attention ought to be paid to the origins of such funding. One sponsor of the Athletics’ Union is Endsleigh Insurance, which was created by the NUS to negotiate better rates for students, a relevant sponsor for university teams. However, the Nike ticks that accompanies the recent ‘Team Cardiff ’ campaign shows that the AU also has sponsors with more dubious ethics.

Nike has been trying to reinvent their image in recent years with a new environmental policy, putting emphasis on becoming more sustainable and winning one of the ‘Worlds’ Most Ethical Companies’ award in 2010. Yet just this year Greenpeace launched a detox campaign to remove toxic chemicals from clothes made by top brands such as Nike, Adidas and Puma, that were polluting Chinese rivers.

Nike is known as one of the biggest sport’s corporations in the world, employing 36,000 people and despite campaigns by anti-globalisation

claim on the international stage and screen through grit and determination and rightly earned their place, but thanks to mass media publicising the most pedestrian of accomplishments, we are left with legions of Chantelles, Prestons and everything in between.

Let us take a case in point, Peaches Geldof has recently finished a tour as a 'celebrity guest DJ' with the event company Propaganda.

Firstly, it is questionable whether Peaches Geldof even deserves celebrity status in the first place. She is the daughter of a musician and philanthropist but to the best of my knowledge has done little to nothing that can be considered noteworthy in her own right, so she falls at the first hurdle.

According to Cardiff's Propaganda staff, Peaches did not approach

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and anti-sweatshop groups their revenue has grown enormously with assets now totalling $ 14.419 billion The ubiquitous Nike tick is instantly recognisable and can be found on sports player’s clothes from Tiger Woods to the Indian cricket team, which only adds to their exposure and popularity.

How can the university sports’ teams support a company that has so many human rights’ controversies on its books? Since Nike’s sweatshops were widely reported in 1996, they have tried to reinvent their image, but no giant corporation is going to be completely open about their practices.

Nike was involved in a controversy during the 2008 Olympics, when their sponsored athlete Liu Xiang pulled out supposedly due to an ankle injury, yet it was later leaked that the corporation forced him to leave because he was unlikely to win and Nike were keen not to harm their image.

Furthermore, in the same year, an investigation by Australian news discovered a large number of cases

of forced labour and squalid living conditions, in one of the largest Nike factories in Malaysia. Even in July last year, two-thirds of Nike’s Converse factories didn’t meet required standards for the treatment of workers.

Most of Nike’s factories are in developing countries, where the workers live in abject poverty, supplying cheap trainers to the rich developed world. Mostly we seem to ignore or forget about this arrangement. In being sponsored by Nike, whatever the company now want us to think, we are collaborating in these human rights’ abuses.

However, you could argue that sponsorship is not collaboration; there must be hundreds or even thousands of people and organisations sponsored by Nike, our sports’ teams are just a drop in the ocean, so using their money is not directly supporting their practices.

However, I disagree with this; by receiving sponsorship we are acting as a mouthpiece for their advertising which we are all influenced by, even on a subliminal level. Also, if that money has been gained by

unethical practices then we are encouraging the continued exploitation of people around the world.

If we don’t seem to care where this enormous amount of money has come from, then why should Nike change their ways? We can’t afford to be apathetic towards this issue, despite only being a small group of sports’ teams, we are still supporting a global giant of injustice.

Admittedly, we wouldn’t have much of an impact on the company if we stopped being sponsored by them, but it would give us more peace of mind and we could instead collaborate with a company with more ethical practices. Sponsorship is an agreement and the company that sponsors us is important; we are asserting our values and they are asserting theirs through sponsorship.

Nike may be one of the top sports’ brands in the world, but I can find no pride in the fact that they partake in sweatshop labour, environmental malpractice and contribute to globalisation.

her role with a hint of professionalism or decorum, but was petulant, making demands such as having the entire V.I.P. area for her and her friends, having 'Krispy Kreme' doughnuts waiting for her when she arrived and stating she would only drink a specific kind of Chardonnay. However, this PR nightmare occurred backstage and is not exposed to the public.

If you had hoped for a revelation that Peaches’ musical talent was sufficient to legitimate such brattish behaviour, then you are in for a stinging disappointment. Peaches earned the ire of her audience with the same childish acts she performed backstage. In one performance of her tour, she was said to set a song to play and before sitting down behind her equipment to read a book - hardly what audiences pay

to see. Observe how well real DJs perform their job; Deadmau5, Nero and David Guetta loop, split and merge tracks to create original and groundbreaking music. 'Celebrity guest DJ' is simply a hook line to lure the gullible and vacuous into club nights.

In an age where we are so heavily media-saturated, it seems as though the 'celebrity' aspect of 'celebrity DJ' has become more important than the music the DJ plays, which is concerning and probably incredibly frustrating for genuine DJs. My advice would be to shell out and pay to see a real DJ if you want your money's worth.

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Opinion11

Is devolution wiping out our national identity?

Amy Pay Opinion Writer

Whether we are aware of it or not, incremental devolution in Britain may well have been slowly pushing us back behind the borders of our country over the last 30 years. Instead of existing as a group of four countries under the ‘United Kingdom’ banner, the proposed changes to governmental decisions may be the quiet end of such a union. While being granted our own governing powers in Wales is seen by lots of Welsh people as a positive move, it is also an exercise in cutting ourselves off from the rest of mainland Britain. As students living in Wales, is national identity something we should be bothered about?

Regardless of our opinion on devolution, national identity will have a big impact on who we are. Should Britain be divided up into separate governing entities with little common force, the countries within it would lose their sense of unity.

Some people may not care about where they fit, perhaps because

they feel that their identity is not affected, despite the country they were born in. Others may like to consider themselves to have a certain origin or even a dual identity.

The fact that most administrative forms and questionnaires for British people ask you to define your nationality as ‘one or more’ of English, Welsh, Scottish, Irish and/or British is proof that we feel a sense of belonging to both our home country, but also the entire island. Sectioning ourselves off as a country may cause us to lose the feeling of fellowship amongst nations that so many Brits enjoy being a part of.

“

As students living in Wales, is national identity something we should be worried about?

I am proud of the fact that I was born and bred in Wales. My mum came from a typical Welsh town that upheld the traditions and values of

the country; something which my sister and I have been shaped by, despite the fact that we grew up in an Anglicised Welsh town. In my house, St. David’s Day has always been a big deal; there was no way I could avoid having to wear the ridiculous bucket hat and lace apron to primary school every year on March 1st. As hideously uncool as it seemed to partake in the celebrations, particularly when stood next to kids who didn’t even know who St David was, I always felt special.

It was, and still is, an honour to be linked to my ancestors and the past inhabitants of Wales that made it the patriotic, diverse and unique place it is.

At the same time, I feel equally comfortable with the fact that I am British. I love all aspects of British life: from drinking copious amounts of tea to walking in the rain. I make an effort to listen to the Queen’s Speech at Christmas. I like the fact that a gravy dinner means the same to me here in South Wales as it does to others in Manchester, Glasgow or Belfast. I feel great sadness when I hear that a British soldier has

Faith in our politicians?

Above: Theresa May. Below: Liam Fox and Adam Werritty

been injured, irrespective of which nation of the UK they come from.

These interests and characteristics matter to me and I enjoy sharing them with many other Brits.

Therefore, to have to choose between two national identities that both have a place in my heart, my culture and my sense of belonging

would be near impossible. Devolution may try to force this decision upon me. Whatever the government concludes though, I am at home in Wales as much as I am in Britain, and I want our island to remain united forever, just like the components of my dual identity.

Barney Willis Opinion Writer

the people. Many of you will have read about Theresa May and her inventive story of the illegal immigrant who was permitted to stay in the country because he owned a cat. This later turned out to be a lie, leaving Mrs May quite rightly red faced. Such ignorance is something I really would like to imagine is uncommon among our representatives, but when stories like this surface it is hard not to worry.

Alternatively, you may have kept up with the controversy surrounding Liam Fox’s unofficial adviser, jetting about with him for no obvious or official reason. Even I, as eager to hate Liam Fox as I am, feel this story has been slightly overblown. Considering that Fox’s career survived claiming over £22,000 in incorrect mortgage interest payments and £19,000 in mobile phone charges, I think it is a bit odd to demand that he resigns over having a friend identify himself as an adviser. This story shows how we have come to have a culture of persecution for our politicians; they make a tiny slip up and we are there to give them a kick in the groin before booting them out of Parliament.

With all this said, I think there is a good side to the relentless punishment we give politicians for their slip ups. These people represent nearly 70 million citizens and must therefore be held to higher standards than the rest of us. It is also only right that, when they fail to meet these standards, they should be punished. We must be careful though. It is one thing to come to expect the worst of these people, it is quite another to give up on them altogether.

In my more idle moments, I have found myself wondering if my generally dim view of politicians is fair. It has come to the point that, even if a politician does something commendable, I shake my fist and declare it as nothing more than a hollow bid to secure more votes, rather than a genuine act of public service.

However, if I hear of a politician having lied to the public or committed fraud, I jump on it, and not without satisfaction. I add it to my ever growing list of reasons why politicians are bad people. Perhaps I should be less bitter about the whole business, but I have well and truly lost faith in our leading elite and I do not think that I am the only one.

For many, it is now something of a sport to point out the various and entertaining slip ups made by these people who are supposed to be the best of us. This is the basis of political satire and hugely successful television shows such as Have I Got News For You, but maybe this is not a healthy relationship for us to have with our representatives.

After all, with around one third of people choosing not to vote, it seems that many people have lost faith in politicians and this is actually harming our democracy. I have heard some people say the reason they did not vote is because ‘they are all as bad as each other’. This is both a depressing and worrying state of affairs.

However, it must be said that politicians don’t do themselves any favours if they really do want to be seen as honest champions of

Columnist

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M

any people come to me for advice, especially in the last few days or so. Afterall, I am a stoic MA student, whose eyes they see lightly hiding the half-remembered imprints of many a wisdom-inducing evening spent drunk and laconically quoting Nietzsche ad verbatim.

That’s probably what these people probably think as they ask me advice, presumably. It’s the only thing I can think of as to why these people who probably ask me for advice do so. If you’ve been one of the cue of knowledge seekers tapping at my door in the last week or so, it would doubtless be in want of specific explanation and solace regarding the unexpected and hazy torpor which seems to fall across Uni around the time when 2 weeks after freshers fortnight begins, mystically, freshers fortnight, always, without fail, according to the Gods- ends. They come to me distressed that their timeless invincibility is not what it seemed; acutely aware as they now are of the desperate irony that their two-week bender was fired by the sickly ubiquity of Vodka and Relentless. The endless flyers for Tiger Tiger and Oceana which once reflected their quixotic enthusiasm now only hang heavy in hands tired from the knowledge travelling through them.

It’s one of those unexplainable cycles of the earth I tell them- the gradually enclosing ambience of normal life impatiently imposing itself from the aether. And as they stand there, often in their thousands, hanging tightly onto the fish and bread given unto them, they will feel the strange melancholy of being simultaneously empowered and powerless at once. Now you may think that here it sounds like I’m describing myself as the New Jesus, that’s not for me to say; my point is rather that this time of year seems to bring through clearly a very modern sense of the everyday, one which we students are stuck in the air betwixt by.

Fresher’s fortnight was almost otherworldly for me back in the days I stood amidst it- seemingly bereft of practical concern, almost a work of art for the autonomous frenzied absurdity it was. I’m not sure evoking the Marquis de Sade and Oscar Wilde’s self-justifying aesthetic spirit will get us through court, but it sure made life worth living for a few weeks n’ months.

However, it’s obvious at some dis-

tance, or even courtesy of the shivering of one’s hand clutching a precious hangover glass of coke, that the apparent separation of everyday life and the comforting blanket and alcoholic teat of student existence is somewhat misguiding. Now don’t worry Freshaa, I’m not constituted with the will to begin a headnodding set of parental assertions about jobs n’ work n’ the real world.

No, that is ten-for-penny and there are enough people out there waiting for on-cue anger on a talkshow to a Career footballer who didn’t even ask about students or immigrants or climate change who you can refer to for that. (Also, as a Philosophy student I am, rather aptly, spectacularly unqualified to do so anywho). No, the point is more that post-freshers, our self-constructed student bubble seems both further and closer from the ‘real world’ than we may suppose.

The nihilistic energy of the last few weeks has gone, my ‘Zwacked’ friends (I promise any proceeds from the mention of the Hungarian spirit will go to buying a Jaeger for the poorest and most vulnerable students here in Cardiff). Well the re-entry into normal life is kinda shitty, int’ it? The comfort of the timeless binge had to end at some point, and now we wander Cathays aimlessly, waiting from the next Lash to fall into our laps, knowing it is only we who can bring this upon ourselves- the general sense of no future-ism dashed by the thought that life must go on in spite of this. Alas.

It was thoughts such as these which were as always, sparked by someone altogether more fascinating. My vague realisations were brought on by a short documentary I stumbled across called The London Perambulator, a film about enigmatic writer, Nick Papadimitrou, who documents the outskirt, inbetween, unspoken areas of London close to where he lies in Middlesex. It’s a brilliant and lucid documentary which allows you little by way of biography of a man who coined the term ‘deep topography’- in description of his method and form of collecting remnants of bygone years, surveying the land on his long walks through London’s outer rim. At first he appears a wildly odd, eccentric character- taking long walks not just for some sense of quiet achievement on a Sunday, but instead

Monday October 17 2011 • #gairrhydd

absorbing the minutae of places no one even acknowledges both by archiving the topography, collecting parts of the urban areas (his home is awash with old maps, but also discarded notebooks and architecture books in skips) and also through his writing, which has an odd, passive brooding quality to itA vast yet largely invisible presence hovers over the northern sub urbs of London/ screened from the consciousness of the urban city dweller/ by the pressures of the day to day and a rabidly anthropocentric culture/ Scarp broods, and awaits its benediction.

His rigorous archiving and plain observation of the minutae (he talks even of bits of rust on discarded objects) of the stuff that makes up places which themself have no sense of place is somewhat redemptive- allowing him to demonstrate a fascination with things such as derelict power stations which sees the magic in their now defunct

practicalities, rather than any fauxartistic wonder at their mere decay.

He creates a sense of magic and is described aptly as a Blakean voyager- but one not of the power of pure nature, but of urban edgelands which have slipped from memory if not quite from the earth.

So what, you may justifiably say.

Well for one, he makes discovering the place which one lives in incredibly vital- he talks about wanting to upload all his discoveries to his mind and walking around ‘being his region’. I’m not sure I can quite cope with feeling the weight of Splott’s memory in my noggin’ quite yet, but to ramble back to my point, one certainly can see the joy in the everyday and to celebrate it more after the strangely exhilarating experience of hearing a man talk about abandoned roads for 45 minutes.

What's it mean for studentdom though? Which side of the everyday do we find ourselves drawn to - The Greek opulence and frenzied absurdity that repeated visits to Solus drive us to, or to an acute sense of

place more broadly? The answer, as all good humanities students will know, is of course, a bit of both.

Driving yourself to hermetic student seclusion is the most immeiately charming of prospects- but sadly there's only so many years you can read J.G. Ballard for without going properly insane. Equally, I don't think anyone worth listening to would want us to blandly fill our time remaining on this earth hoping for the suburban dream of a white fence, 2 and a half cars and a blowjob every birthday. I'd rather the answer be obvious by this point, but Cardiff is there for the discovering- not the swathes of green grass across Bute, but the bits in between the tourist guides which are easy to amble through thanks to it being so damn small, plenty of unwritten tales waiting to be found out about., giving the ground you stand on that much more depth.

I'm not telling you where they are.

LG.

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Politics15

Salmond: “The days of Tory PMs telling Scotland what to do are over”

Political Reporter Helen Cox examines Alex Salmond's recent hopes for independence, what this means for British national identity and whether this truly reflects the will of the people

D

“

Referenda suggested many Scottish people want to remain part of the UK

These previous turnouts have suggested that many Scottish people may actually want to remain as part of the UK, or maybe that they have become disillusioned with politics, however the First Minister believes strongly that his referen-

dum will produce an outcome in his favour.

Salmond thinks that Westminster no longer has a role to play in Scottish politics. “I don't believe that the Conservative and Liberal coalition has yet come to terms with the fact that they've no mandate to run Scotland," he said. "This is the third and fourth parties in combination without a majority in Scotland. The days of Tory PMs telling Scotland what to do are over and the fact that David Cameron doesn't seem to appreciate that, and doesn't seem to understand the dangerous territory on which he's treading, is a remarkable feature."

This recent debate has reignited the discussion surrounding the Welsh Assembly. In March of this year, a referendum was held in Wales to grant it more powers without having to consult Westminster.

The result of the referendum was yes, with 63.49% of the vote, but with a turnout of just 35.2%.

There are some that call for complete Welsh independence from the UK, but others that believe that the assembly has already been granted too many powers at once. The Welsh assembly is the first governing

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body in the UK to introduce a compulsory charge for carrier bags. Although this may seem environmentally centered, some perceive it as the assembly’s attempt to prove it is capable of forming beneficial policies for itself. Those that champion Welsh independence claim that this is one of the first steps towards it.

To some, it may just be a small inconvenient charge for a plastic bag, but for others it is the start of something bigger.

“

There are some that call for complete Welsh independence from the UK

Although environmentally positive, not everyone is happy with the way the Assembly has legislated so far. Many areas of Wales actually voted against the move, and even against a Welsh Assembly, and the low turnouts suggest that even more people disagree with the devolved parliament than the 36.6% that voted against it. Not voting may be a way for many to show

Libya liberation

The devolution of power from Westminster to Scotland finally occurred in 1999 after the Labour Government at the time introduced the Scotland Act of 1998 which created the Scottish Parliament. This was down to the result of two referenda questions proposed to Scotland in 1997. The first outcome was that “there should be a Scottish Parliament” with a backing of 74.3% of the vote. The second outcome was that “a Scottish Parliament should have tax-varying powers” with 63.5% of the vote. However, the turnout to the referendum was only 60.4%.

NHS protests

evolution, and notably the question of whether certain areas should be granted independence, has been appearing in the news for at least 30 years, but has gained more attention recently, especially with the coalition government’s approach to Scotland and Alex Salmond’s response. But what exactly is devolution?

Devolution is the transfer of political and legal powers from a sovereign central government (in the UK, this is Westminster) to regional institutions. In the UK, devolution can be seen in a range of places, from local councils to county councils, but arguably most significantly in the form of the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Assembly.

Alex Salmond, the Scottish First Minister, is holding a referendum on Scottish Independence in either 2014 or 2015. This would be a vote in which the Scottish public could vote either yes or no in regards to whether they wanted Scotland to withdraw from the UK and become independent. This would mean, if successful, that Scotland would control all aspects of their political and legal system. At present, although Scotland has more power over itself than Wales, it still answers to Westminster and it is Westminster that controls what Scotland can and cannot decide for itself.

David Cameron and Nick Clegg have both been quick to criticise Alex Salmond over this move in their recent party conferences.

Cameron accused Salmond of being scared to hold a referendum now rather than in a few years, possibly because he suspects what the outcome will be. Salmond is very much in favour of an independent Scotland, not only because this would award him more political power, but it would also cement his place in the history books. He is possibly holding back however, as he recognises that the referendum may not produce an outcome to his liking.

This is not the first time in Scotland’s political history that a similar issue has been raised, and as Scotland is still very much a part of the UK the outcome of the previous referenda speak for themselves.

that they disagree with a proposal, however, unfortunately for them, it is votes that counts.

Some of the actions of the Assembly that on the surface seem quite positive have actually had a negative effect on the country. Yes, those that live in Wales do benefit from free prescriptions, but the waiting lists for treatment are far longer than in the UK. This is a result of how the Welsh assembly decided to spend their allocated healthcare budget. Welsh students also have lower tuition fees than students in England, but surveys have recently shown that the standard of education in Wales has actually declined in recent years, another fact which suggests that the Assembly should reshuffle their spending habits.

Devolution and independence within the UK has always been a highly debated concept, and as of yet no-one has come up with a definitive solution. Unless a referendum produces a 100% turnout, which without compulsory voting is highly unlikely, it is impossible to find out the true will of the people of a country and whether they even want independence.

16

Politics

Thom Hollick Politics Reporter

The Defence Secretary Dr Liam Fox is fighting for his political career this week, after damaging allegations have come to light concerning his relationship with an old friend of his, Adam Werritty.

Mr Werritty is a businessman involved with a number of businesses in defence and health contracting, but Dr Fox’s former flatmate and best man at his 2005 wedding has been stirring up unwanted attention by styling himself as an official “Advisor to the Rt Hon Dr Fox MP”.

He even had business cards made up stating as much, with the Parliament’s portcullis logo proudly proclaiming it, despite being factually inaccurate.

Spreading this untruth may well have been profitable for Mr Werritty, as he was widely seen as the ‘go-to-guy’ for businessmen seeking an audience with the Defence Secretary, but the pressure from the media and the Labour opposition has been on Dr Fox, for either going along with this deception, or being ignorant of it.

The problem is that Liam Fox has been anything but consistent on the allegations. When they first emerged in the business pages of The Guardian, he dismissed them as “wild allegations”, believing a political opponent may be trying to smear him. He later conceded that Werritty had visited him at the Ministry of Defence offices in Whitehall on 14 occasions, and authorised an investigation into whether or not any sensitive information could have been leaked.

Since further questioning, he has increased this to 22 visits, in addition to 18 journeys abroad together to places such as Sri Lanka, Dubai, and for a family holiday at Fox’s Spanish villa.

Labour’s shadow Jim Murphy sees this as a major error of judgement, since Werritty was not employed by the MoD, Parliament or the Conservative party, therefore had no reason to be accompanying Dr Fox on official business abroad.

Liam Fox’s

The fact that he may have been using the trips to further his own private interests by meeting with Fox’s international security con-

“

Fox has been anything but consistent on the allegations

tacts to discuss possible business opportunities makes the whole thing even murkier, leading to mul-

editor’s comment

You've got a friend in me It must be wonderful to have a friend like Adam Werritty. He could come with me on trips and hang around the office and be there whenever I want to offload one of my bad jokes.

You never know, if I asked nicely he might even write up all my lecture notes for me, that is, so long as I pay for all of the travel expenses - a small trade off really for a Fool at my beck and call.

Unfortunately he’s already taken by Liam Fox. You would think he had enough friends really being the defense minister. And Cameron looks like he can take a joke.

Most of my friends make fun of me for being out all day editing a newspaper section let alone sit next

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to me with personal business cards printed. Then again he probably got them free from Printmania.

It is hard to believe that all this friendship was down to devotion. I am not suggesting they are lovers and I’m not suggesting they are using each other; their relationship is simply mutually beneficial.

Laurel and Hardy, Wallace and Grommit and Holmes and Watson… the list of male duos have a new entry this week: Fox and Werritty.

Best of luck to them. All this nonsense of resignation and sacking is absurd, what’s wrong with good old friendship?

Luke Slade

tiple inquiries being set up to see if Werritty, Fox, or anyone else may have profited from meetings facilitated by the public purse.

Elsewhere, another inquiry is being led by the cabinet office as to whether Liam Fox broke the ministerial code of conduct through his behaviour. The ministerial code is considerably wider reaching than the standard legal parliamentary procedures, designed to prohibit the appearance of wrongdoing, as well as wrongdoing itself. It reads: “Ministers must ensure that no conflict

final def

arises, or could reasonably be perceived to arise, between their public duties and their private interests, financial or otherwise.” In a statement, Fox has already apologised for creating a false impression, so it seems fairly clear that the code has indeed been broken.

It is now up to the prime minister, David Cameron, to decide what should be done with Dr Fox, as he holds ultimate responsibility for the hiring and firing of his frontbench team. At the start of the sorry affair pundits seemed certain

PM sets out plans for immigration reform Amber Bell looks into David Cameron's recent speech on immigration commenting on his proposals and their meaning

that Fox was heading for the chop, but he has appeared genuinely apologetic, and regrets ever allowing Werritty to accompany him on business. He doesn’t appear to be willing to stand down of his own accord, but of course that could all change any day.

The fact that Cameron has not taken action yet is in itself interesting: whereas in previous governments a reshuffle of the cabinet was a regular occurrence, in the current coalition the PM seems determined to hold the group together

F

oreign nationals may soon be expected to pass a test on British History and Culture before being granted access to the country, following a landmark speech by David Cameron, assuring “tougher action against illegal immigrants in Britain”.

The PM promised sweeping plans to drastically lower the amount of illegal immigrants settled in Britain, stating the immigration system would be altered so no longer would it “just sound tough, but is tough”.

He announced that the citizenship test would be revised to include questions centred around British society and culture, with common questions such as naming the dates of each patron saint's day for the four UK countries. In the speech, he urged the public to report any

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Politics17

Fears of eurozone debt spreading

£350

for Adam Werritty to stay in the Shangri-La hotel, above, for one night Fox and Werritty made trips in months together

18

fense

at any cost.

Since David Laws’ resignation in the opening days of the new government, almost all of the major figures have experienced gaffes and questions about their judgement, yet none have resigned or been sacked. It will be interesting to see whether Fox has finally managed to push the envelope far enough to break this trend. If not, what possible scandal could occur in the remainder of this parliament that could lead Cameron to rethink the line-up of his government?

suspected illegal immigrants, even appealing to businesses to seek to take on people already in the country, as opposed to “newcomers”. He also declared a need to lower the cap on economic migrants, and expressed absolute agreement with Theresa May's recent desire to rewrite immigration rules, so that any misinterpretations that could result in family life blocking immigration deportations would be entirely avoided.

Mr Cameron also proposed that any families wishing to sponsor an overseas relative to join them in Britain, would be required to pay a financial bond of up to £1000. He continued to say that any relatives joining families must have a firm grasp of the English language, and also be coming to the country with enough money to live on. Such enforcements could have worrying ef-

14

The shadow defence secretary, Jim Murphy, said Fox had "driven a coach and horses through the rules" It is estimated that Werritty's air fares would have come to around

£38,000 Latest: David Cameron is willing to publish details of Adam Wer ritty meetings PM says he will look at publishing list of any meetings between ministers, Downing Street staf fers and Liam Fox's friend

fects on Britain, as Keith Vaz, chairman of the home affairs committee, stated: “This will antagonise settled communities in Britain and enrage our allies such as India.”

“

The immigration system is to be altered so that it no longers just sounds tough, but is tough

It was also confirmed by the PM that any forced or sham marriages would be treated as a criminal offence, declaring anyone found to be breaching this offence would be

Thomas Owain Davies Politics Reporter Riots on the streets of Athens, faltering economies and banks under mounting pressure. We've all caught glimpses of Europe's debt crisis, but what is actually going on?

The majority of the blame, as uncertainty in and around financial markets continues to increase, can be placed on Greece. After ditching the drachma in favour of the euro in 2002, the nation went on something of a shopping spree and spent the better part of the next decade living beyond its means (including the extravagant 2004 Olympics that went well over budget). This led to vast sums of money being borrowed to help ease stress as spending and public sector wages rocketed in a short space of time; with tax evasion on a grand scale throughout the country further exacerbating the worrying financial situation.

In order to rescue Greece a 110bn euro bailout was agreed by the European Central Bank (ECB), International Monetary Fund (IMF) and eurozone member states last summer to help stabilise the economy and assist in repaying its debts.

With the country's cumulative debt totalling approximately 340bn euros (put in perspective, a debt of 31,000 euros per person), the initial loan only goes so far, and so eurozone leaders – via the European Financial Stability Fund (EFSF) have recently met again to submit a further package of financial aid totalling 109bn euros. This sum is yet to be finalised as smaller member states, such as Slovakia, are reluctant to commit funds from their own relatively small economy in order to help what they perceive as larger, financially wasteful nations.

Ultimately Greece's economy needs to be stabilised whilst preventing a melt-down of other European nations, such as Spain and Italy. But despite protestations to the contrary from Germany – currently acting as the continent's Father Christmas by providing large sums of financial aid to a number of different countries – it is viewed by many that Greece will default on its debt. This means it is unable to repay the loan and could potentially lead to even greater and more drastic financial implications for a country already on its knees and for Europe as a whole.

Implications for the UK are not so bad, with a comparatively small interest being held by the government (£2.1bn) and private banks (£8.2bn), but for the likes of the German government (16.5bn euros) and private French investors (31bn euros) the debt is significantly more.

An 'orderly' default scheme would see Greece's bills being repaid over a wider period of time, a 'disorderly' default could mean this money will never get repaid. Whichever conclusion is reached the situation is stretching Europe's banks and wider ramifications could potentially result in a second recession in three years.

Out-going ECB president JeanClaude Trichet, who steps down from his role at the end of this month, fired a warning this week that quick and decisive action is needed within the eurozone to prevent the spread of financial chaos and for politicians to strengthen the EFSF before “governments get dragged down into the crisis [from which] there is no further fall back position”. Whether this advice is heeded remains to be seen.

Is illegal immigration a real problem for the UK? Looking into statistics on overseas population of UK residents, it appears that the top nationalities are far from illegal immigrants.

The first rank is Polish nationality. Polish citizens, just like second ranked Irish and other EU citizens, legally have a freedom of movement and residence among EU countries.

Most of the UK’s residents from India and Pakistan, ranked below, are entitled, according to the Nationality Act, to apply for British citizenships as most of their parents have British citizenship.

But how can the UK improve its immigration policy? The UK has opted out of most of EU im-

migration directives; EURODAC fingerprints system, ‘Blue Card Directive’ on high qualified workers outside EU, repatriating illegal immigrants.

These directives are not perfect but they have measures to deal with the challenges of illegal immigration to EU on the one hand, and market call for high qualified workers on the other. The EU Border Agency FRONTEX has been formed that coordinates national border agencies actions.

But the UK cannot be fully involved as a non-member of the Schengen Area. Maybe it is time to rethink UK attitude to EU immigration policy.

Agnieszka Miszczuk

t n e m m o C

subject to criminal penalties. However, there is doubt as to how effective this will be since the detection of such marriages could require the victim to testify against close relatives.

Such rules are likely to erupt speculations of discrimination, in particular with Mr Cameron emphasising the notion that the “British option” for training and education, should once again be the “best option”. He also expressed the benefits of high-flyers, entrepreneurs and leading scientists migrating to the country, as they would boost the economy, claiming that the “redcarpet” would be laid out for them.

Such discriminatory comments are plausible to uproar, and could easily have a damaging result on British and migrant relations.

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Monday October 17 2011 • #gairrhydd • features@gairrhydd.com

Features19

Take three deep breaths...

And more top tips for stressed out students Ellen Atkinson Features Editor It’s pouring with rain. You have no food in the cupboard. A coursework deadline is looming. Your bank balance is terrifyingly near its overdraft limit. Your flatmates are rowing over whose turn it is to buy toilet roll and you’re somehow stuck in the middle. Sound familiar? If so, then keep reading for gair rhydd features super quick guide to avoiding stress!

So it’s the start of a brand new year at university, you’ve had a funfilled freshers week and are now back into the routine of weekly lectures and seminars. At this stage hopefully life isn’t getting too on top of you. But balancing the conflicting demands of university life can be stressful. In fact, studies have shown that students today are the most stressed in history, with stress being the number one cause of academic disruption for students. And to be honest, it’s no wonder! Whilst university is an amazing time in your life, it is also a challenging time where there are lots of things to focus on – work, relationships, socialising, money, job searching, house hunting, the list goes on. For freshers it can be stressful adjusting to living away from home and for all you final year students the pressure of the fiercely competitive graduate job hunt has probably already kicked in.

Stress is a natural feeling that we all experience from time to time, especially when faced with coursework and exams, and often simply disappears when these tasks are completed. This type of episodic stress can actually be helpful since it pushes you to work harder and increase your performance. But permanent feelings of stress are a whole other story, and long-term stress can seriously impact on your health, academic performance and your enjoyment of university. So here’s a few suggestions to try and keep the stress at bay.

Identify sources of stress Stress experts suggest that the first step to beating stress is to identify the sources. Well, we’ve already listed more than enough potential stressors, but according to the experts sometimes you need to point the finger back at yourself. Try and

think about how your behaviour and habits increase stress, and how you could change them. Do you procrastinate? Do you blame stress on other people or outside circumstances? Do you place unreasonable demands on yourself which you are never likely to achieve? You could also make a list of the things which cause you stress. Seeing it written down can sometimes help you identify what regularly stresses you out, and what steps you need to take to prevent this from happening.

cising regularly is also a great antidote to stress; nothing beats a good work out to release all that pent up stress and tension. Thirdly, try to make sure you get enough sleep.

Again, this is something that often gets neglected when you’re under a lot of pressure and stress can often mean it’s impossible to drift off. But dealing with stressful situations when you’re also over-tired is the worst possible combination, so count some sheep and try to get some sleep!

be in a better frame of mind.

Just say no!

Try and learn to say no to potentially stressful tasks and only take on things which you can comfortably handle. This can be difficult in university, since you can’t exactly forgo your degree, but try and think about the extra things that cause you stress which you could say no to. Also, try to avoid the people who stress you out – you know the type, the course friend who gets competi-

can write down the things you need to do, and the deadline to do them by. Maybe even plan which days you will tackle which tasks so that you are clear what your schedule will be. Being organised with your time can really help you to feel less stressed and hopefully avoid any last minute panics and all-night emergency revision sessions.

Prioritise

It can be difficult to fit in the daily household chores such as cooking, washing, shopping and laundry, whilst keeping on top of your academic demands. So re-evaluate your routine and maybe try to cut some corners. If you’ve got an upcoming deadline then could you order shopping online, postpone your laundry for another day, or persuade a generous flatmate to do your washing up? We all have things that we should be doing most of the time but try to distinguish between what you have to do and what could be crossed off the list or attempted at a later date when you’re feeling less stressed.

Change your attitude

Stay healthy

Make time for yourself

There are healthy and unhealthy ways to cope with stress. Many people react badly to stress by overeating, under-eating, smoking, drinking or really doing anything at all to take their minds off the things that are stressing them out.

But stress puts a lot of pressure on your body, so it’s even more important than usual to stay healthy and be good to yourself. It can be tempting to opt for quick ready meals if you are stressed and don’t have time to cook, but eating healthily and avoiding refined sugar, caffeine and alcohol will keep you on a more even keel and help you deal with your stress more effectively. Exer-

When you are feeling stressed about all of the things you have to do in a short space of time, many people cut out any time for relaxation or hobbies. But try to find a balance between work and play, as this can be the key to your emotional well-being. Even if you have a really busy schedule it’s important to still try and devote a bit of time to an activity which is enjoyable and relaxing for you. Whether that’s playing a sport, listening to music, socialising with friends, anything to take your mind off your worries for a while. Hopefully having a break will mean that by the time you go back to tackling your tasks you will

tive about their grades, and makes you feel as if you haven’t done enough revision, the flatmate who is always asking for a favour, a parent who nags you about your job search. Much as you may love them, if you’re feeling stressed then try to limit the amount of time you spend together for both of your sakes.

It’s all about the timing It really is! One of the biggest causes of stress isn’t the tasks that need to be completed, but a lack of time to complete them in. Try to plan your time well and structure your days so that you manage to fit everything in. Invest in a diary or journal of some sort so that you

Really think about the way you approach a stressful situation.

Changing how you deal with stress could even eliminate it all together.

Be assertive in tackling your stressors, take charge of the things which cause you stress and tackle them head on rather than pretending they don’t exist. Perfectionism = stress, so lower your standards and set realistic goals for yourself, that way you will feel as if you’re making progress. Finally, keep it in perspective. It probably feels like the end of the world at the moment but does it really matter? Will you look back in a few years and laugh about how much you let something stress you out?

And most importantly, don’t go it alone! Sharing your worries with family, friends and tutors can help you relieve stress and make the situation feel more manageable. And if you’re really struggling then go and speak to a GP or the student support services about some ways to manage your stress. Never be afraid to ask for help.

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This week Megan David tells us all about the life of a student activist.

T

he first year of university went very slowly for me. Despite making some great friends and settling in to my course, I was never sure whether I should really be there. Second year, however, was a turning point where my social and political views came together and I started to feel a need to make a difference in the world.

Autumn 2010 Over the summer, after spending time as part of my local Fairtrade group and discussing political issues with friends, I realised that to be happy I needed to make the most of my university experience.

I needed to get involved in a charity or organisation with people who shared my interests. After seeing a People and Planet society stall at the Freshers Fayre, and realising how dedicated the network was to defending human rights, ending world poverty and protecting the planet, I got involved immediately.

At the first meeting I felt overly enthusiastic about ethical and environmental issues and was so delighted to realise that I was surrounded by others who shared my passion. I also became more involved in the Green Party and met activists who had campaigned for more to be done around climate change, and felt keen to make an impact myself. At the start of the term I went to a talk from a speaker for the Global Poverty Project and it really inspired me to try and help others. The words I heard and the images I saw that evening triggered something in me and life started to change.

My first encounter with my activism having an effect on people directly was at a Barclays Graduate training scheme talk. Along with some friends I interrogated the Barclays ambassadors on their ethical and environmental policies - or lack of - which resulted in a lot of resentment from the workers, and some very interesting discussions with other students.

As news spread of Nick Clegg’s betrayal of his policies, the student movement began and I was eager to join the campaigning against the rise in tuition fees. The student demo in London inspired me to stand up for what I believed. The anger at the MPs who had gone back on their word was prominent that day and there was a worry that Thatcher Tory days were returning. Despite the small amount of violence that day, there was a sense of unity amongst the campaigners

since, but my Mum was proud that I was standing up for what I believed in. My lecturer was also very supportive and allowed me to miss a lecture to take part, meaning I felt even more empowered to stand up for future students.

The beginning of the student movement was quite special. Many students felt passionate about the cause, there was hope that we could win this and prevent tuition fees rising. As the months drew on, the public’s spirit seemed to dwell and societies’ reaction to who I had become as a person was changing.

Winter 2010 The initial passion of protest had worn off for the majority of those at the original tuition fees demo as snow appeared on the doorstep of Cardiff students, but there were still some dedicated souls ready to keep me fighting for a cause I believed in. As part of “Action Against the Cuts Cardiff ” I took part in the occupation of a

a well behaved, suburban A grade student came as a shock to some friends back home as my fiery nature shone through.

The student protests built momentum for the rest of society to stand up against the cuts and movements like UkUncut began.

Occupying stores like Vodafone and Topshop was becoming a more prominent part of my day to day life as the tax avoiders were targeted. I knew that when I came back after Christmas, I could not go back to my old self and that I had developed a passion for activism, for devoting myself to worthwhile causes.

Spring 2011 The beginning of the Arab Revolution last spring gave hope to so many individuals across the world.

I can remember my Dad saying “When did protest ever achieve anything?” just before Egypt‘s old president Mubarak stood down. It was a turning point in how my father saw my actions and to students and academics across the globe. Being involved in the larger community in Cardiff by now, I felt keen to stand up for the cuts effecting all individuals, and protested against pension cuts and the NHS. In times of need, it was comforting to see society come together and shout for each other’s livelihoods.

“

I felt like a student from the 70s - determined to start a movement and give a voice to the unheard

and I felt like a student from the 70s – determined to start a movement and give a voice to the unheard.

My family were reluctant of my involvement in such controversial issues, and in some respects my Dad has continued to disapprove of my outspoken, direct action ever

lecture theatre and organised demonstrations throughout the city centre which gained lots of Welsh coverage and achieved great things.

However, the London protest on the day of the national vote, was different. The violence I saw that day from police and students frightened me, but I was defiant that we were campaigning for a serious and important cause and that my activism would not stop. My involvement in such edgy issues and contact with the police after being traditionally

Striving for equality is also a continuing theme in my Sociology degree and has meant that my feminist belief has grown significantly since first year. After reading about “Slutwalk”, I took part in a Cardiff demonstration which was empowering but at the same time controversial for the wrong reasons. It made me feel that as a fiery young woman, life was still very different to how it is for a man. Women are treated differently even in issues of activism where we are campaigning

for equality. At the student protests, the police were definitely more lenient to frightened young women than to the frightened men. This has only fuelled my desire to fight for equality even more.

In 2011 my participation with the Green Party increased significantly as I volunteered to undertake a media internship. As I learnt more about how we need to change our reliance on fossil fuels and take more drastic action to prevent runaway climate change, my every day life was altered a little. Already being vegetarian, I strived to do more simple things to look after my planet, such as recycling and cycling instead of driving. However, the way I perceive TV shows, individuals and the actions of companies changed significantly as I realised how little others think about their impact on society and our future planet. Being so concerned changes the way I see others, which made me question wheher people have changed the way they see me? But my political involvement has become an active part of my lifestyle and I hope it continues that way for the rest of my life.

Year Three This year I hope to become part of the Student Council and fight for our university to become more ethical and environmentally friendly.

I will be campaigning against the Tar Sands in Alberta, attending a demo in London to ban public sector clothes being made in sweatshops and perhaps occupying an oil or gas head-quarters to try and stop the UK's dependency on unsustainable fuels. I will also be supporting Oxfam and the global poverty project on issues such as Fairtrade and food shortages. This of course will be done alongside campaigning against the cuts to our society.

Being an activist means leading a busy lifestyle and campaigning becomes a priority, but not behind trying to have fun with friends, family and my boyfriend. I have learnt not to preach my views but just to let people know that I will live my life focused on trying to make a small difference to the lives of some individuals somewhere in the world. Life seems very merry when you know you are being the best you can be while living life to the full as a university student in one of the best cities for fun and education in the UK.

Science

21 Scientists Develop Pill to Limit Effects of Alcohol

Ffion Morgan Science Writer I am never going to drink again.

These immortal words are uttered every day by people nursing brutal headaches over a coffee and a paracetamol recounting embarrassing stories of the night before. Scientists, however, are currently investigating a pill that would enable you to stay completely sober on a night out and still allow you to drink a large amount of alcohol.

Scientists at the University of Adelaide gave shots of alcohol to mice and observed the effects whilst blocking parts of their immune system using a new drug. They found that even though the subjects were given enough alcohol to make them suitably intoxicated, they were barely tipsy.

In another element to the experiment, the scientists found that the mice showed more balance and better reflexes than those mice that had not been subject to the drug.

Dr Hutchinson, the lead researcher from the university’s Medical Sciences school said of the results: “It’s amazing to think that despite 10,000 years of using alcohol, and several decades of investigation into the way that alcohol affects the nerve cells in our brain, we are still

trying to figure out exactly how it works.”

Understandably, possibilities for the drug to be released for human consumption are circulating but is this a good idea?

We’ve just seen the end of fresher’s weeks in universities across the UK and most of the memories people will have from them are a blank haze of loud music, alcohol, sleep, more alcohol and cleaning up vomit in the corridor.

If you asked most students they would probably say they drank specifically to get drunk. If this is not the sole purpose of a night out for most students then what is the point of drinking alcohol in the first place? You might as well be cracking open the Diet Coke instead of the cider.

“

Could students, in particular, really be keen to forgo such endless sources of hilarity? Or maybe this is the medicine the binge drinking culture needs.

The question this ultimately raises is over the intention of those

Monday October 17 2011 • #gairrhydd • science@gairrhydd.com

Embarrassing drunken moments could be a thing of the past drinking alcohol. It is of course perfectly acceptable for people to consume alcohol simply because they like the taste. However, we are constantly presented with the image of modern Britain as the home of the ‘binge drinking culture.’ Let’s face it - stories of drunken nights out are passed around the lecture room on a daily basis.

Could students, in particular, really be keen to forgo such endless sources of hilarity? Or maybe this

is the medicine the binge drinking culture needs.

Can you imagine the point of the ever-popular drinking game if no one displayed drunken behaviour?

I’m not arguing that behaviour such as this is acceptable or civilised, I’m simply highlighting the problem of marketing a sobriety pill in a society obsessed with the intoxicating thrills alcohol gives.

If the negative effects of alcohol are conquered won’t it spur on

the binge drinking culture to even greater heights, resulting in an increase in alcohol consumption and as a consequence, liver damage?

The alternative to all this would be to not over indulge. After all, if you didn’t drink excessively you would still have a good time riding the high of a small amount of alcohol without having the hangover the next morning. This would in effect deem the ‘stay sober’ pill redundant. Mind you, this is easier said than done.

Other questions have been raised over the research including at what point ‘drunk’ is deemed ‘too drunk’ (surely a subjective matter) and how open individuals would be to actually taking the drug.

However, this research has also led to the possibility of the elusive hangover cure and there’s no denying it could attract a lot of attention.

More so than just considering the implications of such a drug in every day society, it also has possible advancements in identifying those most at risk from damage after long-term drinking.

The findings were published in the British Journal of Pharmacology and can be found here: http://bit.ly/mUHIkD

Cardiff Scientist Invited to Elsewhere in the Science World this Week... ... biofuels, cave paintings and being declared brain dead Join Prestigious Academy Jenny Lambourne Science Editor

Jenny Lambourne Science Editor An expert in nerve cell development working at Cardiff University has been invited to become a member of an elite group of scientists who are leaders in their research fields.

Professor Alun Davies, of the Biosciences school, has been elected into the Academia Europaea after a recent meeting held by the association, which introduces new members by invitation only. Professor Davies told the Cardiff University News Centre that he was “delighted to be elected”.

“It is a recognition of the collective body of research done by my research team and many fruitful collaborations we have had with colleagues in the UK and overseas over the past quarter of a century,” he said.

He now becomes a part of the academy which comprises of over 2000 scientists and scholars across the world and includes specialists in areas of technology, humanities, law and economics amongst others as well the sciences. To become part of the academy, individuals must be nominated by current members and critically reviewed by their peers.

Professor Davies’ work centres upon his research into molecular mechanism relating to the development of nerve cells and currently

In Georgia, Atlanta, the case

leads research by PhD students and fellows of the university.

Already a Fellow of the Royal Society in Edinburgh, the Academy of Medical Sciences, the Learned Society of Wales and a member of the European Molecular Biology Organisation, Professor Davies was also made a Fellow of the Royal Society earlier this year.

Three members of the Neuroscience department within Biosciences are now members of the Academia Europaea and join the School’s director and two Nobel laureates as elected members, a mark of the continuing accomplishments of the school.

of a 55-year-old man has rustled debate about whether guidelines on brain death need to be reviewed after he began to show signs of life on the way to have his organs removed for donation.

The man had been pronounced dead after suffering a cardiac arrest and was being transferred to the operating table as the "anaesthetist noticed he was coughing", explained Adam Webb, who initially pronounced the man brain dead.

Webb's patient had recieved a treatment known as therapeutic hypothermia, which involves a cooling of the body in order to help preservation of tissues and brain cells after cardiac arrest.

Despite the procedure saving lives, it has raised further issues surrounding the criteria used to determine brain death.

There are a variety of techniques currently used to determine brain death, but it is suggested that these features may differ in patients who have recieved therapeutic hypothermia.

Webb published his case report earlier this year and has since received mixed reports from neurologists on whether there is need for changes to the current guidelines used by doctors.

Virgin Atlantic has unveiled plans to produce fuel for its jets from industrial waste.

The Airlines company owned by Sir Richard Branson, claims that its new fuel has half the impact that traditional fossil fuels create and plans to use it on jets flying from London's Heathrow to Delhi and Shanghai.

"With oil running out, it is important that new fuel solutions are sustainable and, with the steel industry alone able to deliver over 15 billion gallons of jet fuel annually, the potential is very exciting," said Branson.

Branson's announcement coincides with the news that from January 1 2012, all airlines will be charged for excess CO2 emissions.

Concerns over ancient

cave paintings in Spain have been

aired after plans were revealed to reopen the caves to tourists.

The Altamira caves in Northern Spain contain paintings that are thought to be around 14,000 years old. Fears have been raised about the heat from tourists which can introduce microbes that can damage the paintings.

The caves were previously closed in 2002 after such microbes were discovered and a team from the Spanish National Research Council has stepped forward to raise concerns that such damage could happen again.

"The paintings are a legacy from the past and their importance exceeds local culture," said Cesáreo Sáiz Jiménez, head of the research team.

The team has argued that bringing tourists back into the caves would also influence the amount of carbon dioxide, and increase temperature and humidity levels which can cause microbes to flourish.

Such microbes are the source of damage to the prehistoric images, which were discovered in 1879.

The team also referred to other caves, such as those at Lascaux in France, where paintings had been irreparably damaged by mismanagement of the environment.

Officials wish to open the caves to boost the local economy although the researchers say that the cost outweighs the short-term benefit.

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Science22

Steve Jobs: A Tribute to the Visionary Jenny Lambourne reflects on what we can learn from the man and his achievements It isn’t often that an individual walks on the face of the planet and changes it forever. You could pitch the case for any number of individuals in the technological world, but whatever your stance is on the Apple Corporation, you cannot ignore the significance of Steve Jobs at its helm.

Since the announcement of his death, magazines, newspapers, social networking sites and the blogging sphere have been filled with discussion on the legacy of the man who took Apple to the pinnacle of many industries.

He became an icon of modern technology, as famous as the logo and the brand that he co-founded, and radically transformed how we use personal computers, listen to music, watch films, communicate and even design right down to this newspaper that you are reading.

However, Jobs’ path to this level was as complex as his products’ designs are simplistic.

The phrase “college drop-out” has appeared all too often in pieces written about Jobs, but this is perhaps inaccurate. He simply turned his attention to something he actually wanted and despite his parents not being able to afford it, he enrolled at Portland’s Reed College and convinced the dean to allow him to stay in college residences and study for free. It is moments like this from Jobs’ history that the elements of what made him so successful – his fierce determination, risk taking and persuasion – can be traced.

When he returned to his home state of California, Jobs’ took up a position at Atari, the games manufacturer where he hoped to save money for a trip to India. Around this time he discovered Zen Buddhism and experimented with hallucinogenic drugs. He once said of Bill Gates that he hoped him well and that he only wished “at some time in his life he had dropped acid or spent time at an ashram."

In 1976, Jobs’ 16-year old friend, Steve Wozniak, showed him a computer he had designed himself. Having no capital or investors, they persuaded a local electrical store to buy 50 items and requested 30 days worth of credit for the parts. Thus, Apple Computers was born, without any financial backing. 12 months later, the Apple 2 was launched and catapulted the two into the technological limelight that was to follow them all the way into the Forbes list.

From here, Apple introduced

Above: Tributes left outside the Cardiff Apple Store as news of Jobs' death reached the public the Lisa, a computer intended as a revolutionary piece of technology which failed and left the company struggling before it launched the Macintosh in 1984, succeeding more favourably than its predecessor. As Apple entered the public domain, so did the profile of its CEO and stories soon circulated about his methods of management.

Jobs’ fierce determination for perfection left many employees feeling as if they were on a “heroshithead roller coaster” as he used brutal management techniques to bring his company to its prime.

In his trademark black turtleneck

“

He is also the man who called one of Google’s engineers on a Sunday evening concerned that one of the letters in the Google logo was not quite the right shade of yellow.

jumper, he would dole out cutting criticism to his employees, branding ideas simply as “shit” before sending them back to their offices to try again.

However, he was also savvy enough to realise that he required someone who had greater business acumen. He visited John Sculley,

“I’m convinced that about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance.”

then head of PepsiCo, drawing him into the Apple hold using the famous line, “Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water, or do you want to change the world?”

The two embarked on a development of the brand, but soon came to blows and Jobs spectacularly left the board and Apple behind in 1985.

Not one to nurture a bruised ego, and certainly not the kind of man to admit defeat, Jobs started NeXT computing, a model from which was used by Tim Berners-Lee to write the beginnings of what we now take for granted as the Internet.

Turning his attention elsewhere, Jobs also grabbed the opportunity to buy what would become the animation studio Pixar from George Lucas and releases such as Toy Story, Monsters Inc and Finding Nemo propelled the studios into the blockbuster lists with Steve Jobs ready to negotiate when Disney came calling in 2006. In a $7.4 billion exchange, Jobs became their largest stakeholder, owning 7% of their shares.

During this time, however, Jobs had monitored Apple closely and in 1997 with those famous powers of persuasion, convinced the com-

pany to buy NeXT, its specialised software and whilst they were at it, reinstate him as CEO of the company he had left 12 years before.

From his reinstatement up to his retirement as CEO in August 2011, Jobs took and introduced the products that would dominate the market and settle Apple into its position as the second most valuable company in the world, behind Exxonmobil.

In 2001 came the iPod and iTunes, both product and software being slammed by the music industry. Consumers proved the critics wrong. Next came the release of the iTunes store in 2003, raising similar criticism in its ability to make money. Yet Apple recognised the potential to earn money continuously through small payments by consumers and it paid off.

In 2007 came the iPhone. Multiple updated models have now been released, including the new iPhone 4S, and 100 million units of these variations have since been sold.

The iPad arrived, again provoking criticism for being surplus to requirement with so many tablets available, but soon dominated the market.

In the face of such criticism, Jobs once said, “A lot of the time people

don’t know what they want until you show it to them”. So he showed it to them on numerable occasions, at every launch of every product, and every fanboi plus more besides realised that they wanted it.

It doesn’t matter whether you have an iPhone or a HTC , if you’re happy with your Microsoft or you sleep with your MacBookAir beside you at night, what is important is that this man, this visionary, is given the credit he deserves for a lifetime of determination that reached far beyond what many people expected and could even expect from themselves.

Yes he was ruthless in his means, but enhancement does not come without sacrifice. Jobs put his name and job in the firing line in order to bring about his vision. At every failure, he went away, dusted himself off and gave it another shot.

This is the man who ruled by perfectionism, who kept his staff up the night prior to the launch of the first iPod fiddling with the headphone sockets because Jobs didn’t think they produced the right clicking sound. He is also the man who called one of Google’s engineers on a Sunday evening concerned that one of the letters in the Google logo was not quite the right shade of yellow.

Jobs' outlook is inspirational and to ignore or downplay not only his business and its technological advances, but himself as an individual, would be foolish. In a speech to Stanford graduates he told them the following: “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.

Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking.

"Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most importantly, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

Stop waving around your Android phone and give your Mac a rest from being shoved in people’s faces. This is not about idolising one brand over another, this is about paying tribute to a man who led a change in the way we consume media and communicate.

He did it with enthusiasm and dedication in the face of criticism and failure and that is something more people in this world could learn from.

R.I.P. Steve Jobs.

Left: Steve Jobs in an article with Playboy Magazine, 1985

"Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I

Right: Extract from Jobs' speech to Stanford graduates, 2005

to lose ... There is no reason not to follow your heart.”

know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something

Societies

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Monday October 17 2011 • #gairrhydd • societies@gairrhydd.com

In profile: The Film Society – or is that DiffFilms?

Isabelle Roberts Societies Editor The Film Society/DiffFilms – bigger and better than ever before?

The Film Society deserves attention – why? Because it exists in two parts: the films, and the production of them. DiffFilms is the production branch of the Film Society and it is really standing out this year: they have organised workshops with scriptwriter Tim Rhys (Friday, November 18 6-7pm), cameraman Gavin Owen (Friday November 5), local film-maker Jody Tozer and Louise, a speaker who has worked for the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and on feature films. Gavin and Jody will be talking about how to optimise the camera and Louise will talk about how to get experience and run and work on a proper film set.

In advance of the camera workshop DiffFilms are also buying a new HD Canon 550d camera, a tripod, sound boom and lenses. The aim this year is to get bigger and better and produce even more short films! Essentially, people who want to work with DiffFilms get to write, shoot and edit their own films – it’s as simple as that. As Production Manager Amy Harding says, “the only limit is your creativity”.

DiffFilms are also branching out into Radio Drama this year by collaborating with Xpress Radio and Act One. This year might just be the best year to get involved.

DiffFilms to join the Film Society and go to the “fantastic screenings and socials or the London trip” reminds Amy Harding.

There are weekly meeting on Wednesdays: This week you can also watch the screening of Pan’s Labyrinth. The screening usually takes place upstairs in ‘A Shot in the Dark’ on City Road with comfy sofas, bean bags and arm chairs. Amy says the place offers “totally private viewing and is very atmospheric. Plus they do amazing cocktails and good looking food”. The society is negotiating to go there every week; however, all screenings and socials are organised through Facebook and Campus Groups if you want to check the latest information. Wednesday October 26 is the Halloween social and screening. Amy hopes that by November 2 people will be in their project groups for theit short films.

If you want to get involved before then email difffilms@gmail.com or go to the Facebook group ‘DiffFilms 2011/12’. You can also sign up on www.groups. cardiffstudents.com/film/about/. When asked why you should join the film society, Amy replied: “We’re very friendly. We like all things film. Pus it’s only £5 to join”. If you’re a budding director, script writer, actor/actress or just like film then this is the society for you.

Recognition DiffFilms also enter their short films into film festivals, Cardiff Student Media awards (such as ‘best script’ and ‘best short film’) and they also screen all their members’ short films at the cinema each year.

London Calling The Film Society also organise regular socials and amazing trips. This week they are going to the London Film Festival from Friday October 21 – Sunday October 23. These film-addicts get to see Miss Bala (www.bfi.org.uk/lff/node/1752), The Monk (www.bfi. org.uk/lff/node/1754) and Martha Marcy May Marlene (www.bfi.org.uk/lff/node/1746).

The whole trip costs £50 and you can pay for it on Campus Groups (the price includes travel, accommodation, and a ticket to see one film). Spare time can be spent exploring London, and a welcome pack is being designed to include tube maps and places to visit.

Interested?

Remember that the Film Society have weekly screenings of a very wide variety of films and that at the end of the month the members vote on what they want to watch. You don’t have to be involved with

Recent Tweets @DiffFilms: Very successful meeting last night. If for some reason you missed it (how very dare you) send me your email and i'll summarise the vitals :) 06th October @DiffFilms: But honestly, we're lovely and we want to hear about your #creative visions for #films made in #cardiff - no idea is out of the question!! 04th October @Amy_JaneHarding: Insane few days lately. But the hard work is paying off. Keep up to date with @ DiffFilms - they are going places this year!! Bet on it. 06th October

Mon 17 October Cardiff Sci-Fi Society Weekly Meeting 7.30pm Milgi's (City Road)

Mon 17 October Historical Social Society

8.00pm in the Taf (Toga Toga at Tiger Tiger)

Tue 18 October Global Brigades Information Evening

7pm Wallace Lecture Theatre

Wed 19 October

Film Society Screening venue to be confirmed

Thu 20 October

Art Society Canvas Painting Session 7pm - 9pm Gareth Edwards Room in SU

Thu 20 October

Act One Society Pub Golf

Fri 21 - Sunday 23 October Film Society

London Film Festival Trip

Fri 21 October

RAG's Pink Party for Breast Cancer All day by the SU steps - cakes for sale!

Follow @GairRhyddSoc for the latest news and info on future articles.

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

26

Listings

Monday October 17 2011 • #gairrhydd • editor@gairrhydd.com

The full guide to your week Monday 17th

Tuesday 18th

Wednesday 19th

Thursday 20th SWN Festival Opening Night

Comedy Club

Glam 10pm-3am, £3 The start of this years SWN festival kicks off at Glam, with Huw Stephens as DJ. Make sure you get a 4-day pass to the rest of the week!

CF10 8pm, £4 Come and see Fergus Craig and Liam Williams, two accomplished comedians perform live in the Union's cosiest venue.

Fun Factory

The Lash - UV Paint Party

Solus 9pm-2am, £4 for all-year entry Fun Factory is an absolute institution in Cardiff. Make sure you pop into Buffers to listen to Rifles & Diamonds and This Modern Youth.

Solus 9pm-2am, £3 Don't wear anything you plan to wear again on this very messy night! The Lash gets colourful on this big night out!

Plus 1 Tiger Tiger 10pm-3am, £3 A classic night out, but to make it extraspecial make sure you book a Lucky Voice for a bit of kareoke and embarrassment.

Friday 21st

Saturday 22nd

Sunday 23rd

er h t O s to e c a l p try!

Comeplay Solus 9pm-4am, £4 There actually isn't anywhere better to go on a Saturday night in Cardiff !

Complay has been rocking the walls of Solus for as long as anyone can remember, it would be a shame to miss it!

Craig Campbell Fancy Footword 10 Feet Tall 6pm-4am, £tbc Offering something a little different in the Welsh Capital, tonight Aidan Moffat and Bill Wells will be entertaining the crowd.

Boombox Solus 9pm-2am, £3 The standard classic, get down for some great drinks and fun. Guaranteed to put the Boom in your Box.

Glee Club 6.45pm-late, £12 Cardiff's Glee Club down at the Bay has to be one of the best places to go on a Sunday night. Although stay away from the front rows, else you may get picked on!

IV Lounge, Neuadd Meirionydd, Heath Park 02920 744948 • Clwb Ifor Bach, 11 Womanby Street 02920 232199 www.clwb.net • Metros, Bakers Row www. clubmetropolitan.com • CAI, Park Place 02920 412190 • Buffalo Bar, 11 Windsor Place www. buffalocardiff.com • 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 Motorpoint Arena, Mary Ann Street 02920 224488 • Glam, Greyfriers Road 02920 229311 www.glamnightclub.co.uk

News Opinion Politics Feature Science Societies Listings 24 9 - 12 26 1-7 15 - 17 19 - 20 21 - 22

Sport 30 - 32

Puzzles27

Monday October 17 2011 • #gairrhydd • editor@gairrhydd.com

sudoku.

INTERMEDIATE

CHALLENGING

word wheel.

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

You have ten stacks of ten identical looking gold coins. Nine of the stacks contain real gold coins, and one of the stacks is made up entirely of fake gold coins. Each real coin weighs exactly 1 gram, while each fake coin weighs exactly 1.1 grams.

Using a digital scale, how can you determine which stack contains fake coins with just ONE weighing?

E A

You can weigh any amount of coins from any stacks, but you only have ONE reading!

I T L

R N

S G

Rhys's riddles.

answers.

-triangles -integrals -gnarliest -entrails -strangle -stealing -retinal -tagline -rentals -tagline -slinger -linger -listen

EASY

INTERMEDIATE

CHALLENGING

-tinsel -trials -single -signal -litres -lanes -lager -liars -liner -real -silt -lie -let

word wheel.

28Taf-od

Monday October 17 2011 • #gairrhydd

Roedd fy wythnos gyntaf yng Nghaerdydd Dylan Edwards Taf-Od Cerdded i lawr y mae pawb ffordd yn syllu ar mi. Mae yna ddyn Asiaidd ar draws y ffordd sydd yn syllu arnaf.

O Law i siopau cebab wyf yn tynnu i stop gan y drewdod drifftio y cigoedd chwyrlio. Maent yn sbin a sbin. Mae'r dyn deisio y doner yn syllu arnaf. Roedd y suddion yn rhedeg i lawr melys y bloc troellog. Mae fy pawennau pallid golau yn cael eu gwasgu yn erbyn y gwydr, pawing ar y cig. Roedd yn dal i syllu.

Beth dyn ydw i? Rwy’n drifft… drifft fel unig enaid. Mae fy unigrwydd i'w gweld yn amlwg i'r rhai sy'n

llwyddo i mi. Maent yn siarad am i mi. Maent yn ffug fy ffasiwn gorliwgar; ni ddylid wyf wedi gwisgo hon cysurus te porffor fel het. Ni ddylid byth wyf wedi gadael fy nhy.

Rhywun wedi gofyn i mi unwaith os byddaf byth yn wir ddim un unrhyw beth. Doeddwn i ddim yn gwybod beth y maent yn golygu. Rwy'n gwneud llawer o bethau.

Rwy'n casglu malwod. Rwy'n cyfrif y ceir sy'n mynd heibio fy ffenestr. Mae goleuadau stryd yn dod ymlaen yn yr 06:32. Mae fy OCD wedi dod yn gêm. Rwyf yn darllen llyfrau yn ôl oherwydd bod y llain bob amser yn rhy drwchus. Wedi dweud hynny, dim ond darllen pamf-

fledi. Yn aml, y rhai yr wyf wedi ysgrifennu fy hun. Hoffwn i chi ddarllen un. Mae'r ddamcaniaeth esblygiad yn dda, ond yr wyf wedi fy hun theori ... Pwy yw'r dynion ar y teledu? Sut oedden nhw'n cyrraedd yno? Pryd y byddwn yn ffrindiau?

Fy hoff bryd o fis diwethaf oedd pan fydd merch yn ei ollwng siopa ac i mi fynd ar draws y ffordd i helpu, ond wedyn y dyn arall yn rhedeg o flaen mi gyrraedd yno gyntaf a Fi jyst yn sefyll yno ac yn ceisio cyrraedd ei brocoli, ond maent ond yn syllu ar Nid yw i mi ac i ddim yn gwybod beth i'w wneud.

Mae gen i deiet caeth - dil a

wafflau - bob amser gyda'i gilydd.

Roedd fy nhad wrthyf tap dwr oedd i'r dyn cyffredin, felly dim ond yfed dwr glaw. Tywydd braf yn broblem ddifrifol ar gyfer fy hydradiad ond Fi jyst cadw dweud fy hun fydd y glaw yn dod. Rhoddais gynnig te unwaith ond mae'n well gen fy dil.

Weithiau bydd y ceir taro fi i lawr mae o fel eu bod nid yn unig yn gweld fi ond dwi'n cadw fy hun yn dweud y bydd y glaw yn dod. Pobl yn gweiddi arna i fynd allan o'r ffordd, ond mae'n ehangach nag ar y palmant ac yn aml yn fwy meddal.

Rwy'n cysgu yn y ffordd unwaith.

Mae'n gymaint feddalach na'r darnau o fetel wyf yn ei ddefnyddio fel

nyth. Dim ond torrodd fy ffêr.

Rwyf wedi 16 malwod, ond mae rhai ohonynt farw pan fyddaf yn eistedd ar eu cregyn bach. Roeddwn i'n meddwl y byddent yn galed ac yn gyfforddus. Rwy'n tynnu un allan o'i gragen unwaith oherwydd Gwelais ddyn Ffrengig i ddod ac yn credu y byddai'r falwen yn fwy diogel ffugio bod yn gwlithod. Troi allan eu bod ynghlwm yn eithaf i'r rhai cartrefi hwy.

Gweler i ddim yn gwneud llawer o bethau. Peidiwch â syllu. Roedd fy nhad wrthyf dim ond pobl yn syllu beause eu bod yn genfigennus. Rydych yn genfigennus.

Rygbi’n Uno Cenedl

Sut mae llwyddiant y tîm cenedlaethol yn atgyfnerthu cenedlaetholdeb Caio Iwan Taf-Od Wrth i mi ysgrifennu hwn, mae Cymru ar drothwy un o’r gemau pwysicaf yn hanes rygbi’r wlad. Y Ffrancwyr yw’r gwrthwynebwyr, a’r cyfle i herio Seland Newydd neu Awstralia am goron bencampwyr y byd yw’r wobr i’r enillydd. Gymaint yw graddfa gêm rownd gynderfynol Cwpan Y Byd, mae son wedi bod dros y diwrnodau diwethaf am gannoedd o gefnogwyr Cymru yn hedfan draw i Seland Newydd er mwyn bod yn rhan o’r achlysur. ‘Nôl yma yng Nghymru fach, mae ymdeimlad o falchder, angerdd a gorfoledd yn lledaenu drwy’r wlad. Mae ffrwd

newyddion Twitter a Facebook pawb yn llawn o Gymry brwdfrydig, pawb yn ffyddiog y gallwn fynd yr holl ffordd, ac yn ymfalchïo mewn llwyddiant ein harwyr. Unwaith eto, mae rygbi wedi llwyddo i roi gwen ar wyneb y genedl.

Tydi hyn ddim i awgrymu fod y genedl wedi ei rhwygo’n ddwy na dim, ond mae’n debyg iawn y bydd y Cymry Cymraeg a’r Cymry di-Gymraeg, y gogs a’r hwntws, a hyd yn oed ein gwleidyddion yn uno ar gyfer y gêm fore Sadwrn!

Bydd hyd yn oed y Prif Weinidog, David ‘Dai’ Cameron, yn Gymro am y dydd. Meddai fod pwysigrwydd y gystadleuaeth yn rheswm digonol i godi baner y ddraig goch yn Down-

ing Street ar ddiwrnod y gêm. Pwy fysa’n meddwl?!

Pam fod rygbi yn gallu dod a’r wlad at ei gilydd fel yr run gêm arall tybed? Bu chwaraewyr fel J.P.R. Williams, Phil Bennett, JJ Williams, Delme Thomas a Gareth Edwards yn rhoi Cymru fach ar fap y byd gyda’u doniau yn ystod cyfnod mwyaf llewyrchus rygbi yn y wlad yma ‘nôl yn y ‘60au a’r ‘70au. Yn wir, mae rhai o gymeriadau a ffigyrau mwyaf poblogaidd y degawdau diwethaf wedi bod yn gysylltiedig â rygbi. Pobl fel yr unigryw Ray Gravell er enghraifft.

Pan drechodd Cymru'r Crysau Duon ‘nôl ym 1905, aeth i lawr yn hanes fel ‘trobwynt yn hanes diwyl-

liannol Cymru’ yn ôl yr hanesydd Martin Johnes. Gellir dadlau fod cenedlaethau o chwaraewyr rygbi wedi troi at y bêl hirgron fel modd o ddianc llymder bywyd o ddydd i ddydd y diwydiannau trwm ac fel ffordd o ddatgan hunaniaeth genedlaethol. Er bod y diwydiant trwm ddim mor weithredol yma mwyach, mae rygbi yn parhau i roi gwen ar wynebau pobl. Mae rygbi wastad wedi cael ei weld fel ‘gêm y bobl’ yma yng Nghymru, a dyna yw ein chwaraeon cenedlaethol. Dyma pam fod pobl o bob oed, ar hyd a lled y wlad yn edrych ymlaen yn eiddgar at y gêm yn erbyn Ffrainc.

Byddai gweld Cymru ar brif lwyfan rygbi’r byd yn golygu gymaint i gy-

nifer o bobl.

Bydd degau o filoedd yn llenwi Stadiwm y Mileniwm fore Sadwrn i weld y gêm ar y sgrin fawr; mae ffenestri tafarndai yn gwahodd cwsmeriaid i ddod draw i fod yn ‘rhan o hanes’; mae pobl yn talu arian mawr i hedfan draw i Auckland; a bydd y mwyafrif o deuluoedd ledled y wlad wedi ei glynu at ei setiau teledu. Beth bynnag wnaiff ddigwydd ar y 15fed o Hydref, mae ein tîm rygbi cenedlaethol wedi dod a boddhad i gymaint o Gymry dros yr wythnosau diwethaf. Dim ond gobeithio, pan fyddwch yn darllen hwn, bydd Cymru yn paratoi at ffeinal Cwpan y Byd.

Sport

30

Monday October 17 2011 • #gairrhydd • sport@gairrhydd.com

Out with the new, in with the old

Dan Wheldon dies, 32, in horrific Indy Car crash

Gareth Johnston assesses the current Cardiff IMG football format

T

he Cardiff IMG football structure has been going strong for a while now, year in, and year out it has allowed teams of varying abilities to compete and play their football in what was considered, a relatively effective and fair system. With 32 teams registered in total, the first half of the season would see each team randomly allocated into a group with 7 others, to form 4 preliminary leagues.

After completing 7 fixtures each, the top two performing sides in each preliminary league would, in the second half of the season, adjoin to form the top division. Those placing third and fourth would form the second division, fifth and sixth the third division, and finally those in seventh and eighth position would comprise the fourth and lowest division.

Inevitably there would be a few fixtures that would see some teams unfairly matched, prior to Christmas, however the format essentially dictated that for the majority of the season, teams would be playing opponents of a similar level to themselves. So, understandably, it came as a shock to many club captains in the past fortnight, to see a fixture list released that had seemingly abolished the post-Christmas division of teams.

Chris Duncan, co-captain of IMG football team Port Fail stated that, “We received an email that was just one season long continuous fixture list, one that seemed to have little

structure. As captains we were wary that this would lead to a lot of very unfair matches, all throughout the season and affect the enjoyment of the game for a lot of our players.

As much as we want to be competitive and be challenged, we also want to enjoy ourselves and ideally be playing teams that are around our level”

“

the top two sides in each league adjoin to form the top division

In response to the numerous comments made by players and captains alike, Matt Richards, current IMG administrator released an email that stated, “In my defence, I couldn’t find any administration or any other info from last year’s set-up, so I went into the league a bit blind” A few days after the original fixture list was released it was, much to the relief of many, reverted back to its old tried and tested format.

To level any criticism at Richards would however be very unfair, considering that in previous years the league had been managed by students who played in the league itself, and thus usually had a fair understanding of how it operated.

However in an interview with the Athletics Union's Membership Development and democracy manager Steve Wilford it became clear that the decision to appoint an admin-

istrator, who was not part of IMG, was taken in light of problems previous occupants had encountered.

“In recent years the league has been run by people who have been also playing in it. Combined with their commitments to their own teams and their university studies it became clear that this was creating a lot of pressure for that individual, including the potential for accusations of bias from other players.'

Steve also commented on future plans to create a more efficient and safer league, he discussed ideas to introduce a program to train referees, so as to have qualified officials for every match. He also urged anybody who is already a qualified referee, or interested in being so to contact the athletics union if they are interested in contributing toward the improvement of the league.

“We are looking to eliminate the need for players to have to referee their own games, and within the next year adopt a program to allow anybody to gain full refereeing qualifications.’’

What is clear is that it is difficult to implement an IMG system that is ubiquitously fair, due to the ever changing nature of teams and their squads courtesy of graduation or the injection of new players. Yet with the old fixture system safely now readopted and a wealth of improvements on the horizon, it seems likely that Cardiff IMG will only strengthen, and become a service that gets as many people, of all abilities, playing football as possible.

Dan Wheldon after Indy Car win

Mike McEwan Sports Writer

W

ith his dashing looks and long, slicked back locks, Dan Wheldon could quite easily have been mistaken for a driver from a bygone era. But this English gentleman from Oxford drove in a supposedly sanitised epoch of motor-racing, a notion which was cruelly dismissed in a blaze of fire and twisted metal at the Las Vegas Indy 300 event last Sunday.

Passing at the untimely age of 33, Wheldon was a name unfamiliar with many British motorsport fans as he plied his trade in America. Despite this, in the junior series, he battled with the widely acclaimed Formula One star Jenson Button, holding his own and making a name for himself in his own right. Although he had the prodigious skill to attract F1 teams, he did not have the sponsorship to secure a drive in the flagship formula of motorsport.

So the American series of Indy Car is where he finally found his calling. He quickly dazzled the motorsport scene with his speed on the track and his good humour off it, Wheldon quickly became a poster boy for the series and a crossover star in the States. It was in the Indycar series where he claimed his greatest accomplishments; he became the first Brit to win the Indy Car title since the esteemed Nigel Mansell, in 2005. He was also victorious in the Indy 500, the piece de resistance of American racing, on two separate occasions.

However, the fateful events of the 16th October seemed to pale all those successes into insignificance.

Wheldon, unavailable to secure a seat for the 2011 season, had been invited to compete in the Indy 300 for an enticing $5 million, if he was able to gain victory starting from the back of the field. It later transpired that the winning figure fell far short of the $5 million suggested; instead the Englishman would have collected just £178,000. Before the race he appeared extremely optimistic; but heartbreakingly, on the 12th lap, after becoming embroiled in a 15 car pileup, he suffered “unsurvivable” injuries and tragically lost his life.

Motorsport has endured a grave reminder of the inherent dangers of its profession and Wheldon’s legacy must necessitate higher degrees of safety in Indy car. The safety of the sport maybe a dubious topic, but what cannot be disputed is that a man of such high ability and moral fibre has been lost. He is survived by his two young boys and wife Susie.

Referee gets it wrong as Wales lose to France Pete Robertson Sports Writer

Wales saw their ambitions of being World Champions dashed at the hands of a 9-8 loss to France last Saturday. However, the match will be best remembered for one particular decision from referee Alain Rolland.

His decision to show Wales captain Sam Warburton a red card in the 18th minute of the match drastically altered, not only the result, but also the spectacle. Warburton's tackle on French winger Vincent Clerc was a poor one, and in most circumstances a yellow card would have sufficed followed by Dmitri Yachvili converting the penalty under the posts.

But for Warburton to be sent off, in the letter of the law, the Welsh captain must have been shown to put Clerc down in a dangerous man-

The challenge which saw red for Sam Warbuton in the semi-final

ner, thus meaning that he drove his head or neck into the ground. However, replays showed that this was not the case, and that upon realising that the tackle was almost too good, Warburton released Clerc from the tackle, refraining from a dangerous spear tackle on the winger.

He then subsequently tried to carry on with the game, unaware that he was mere seconds away from being shown a straight red card.Most impressive of all though was the response of the Welsh players that remained on the pitch after referee Rolland's knee-jerk decision. Despite being a man down, Wales dominated the second half, and had numerous chances to win the match. Had Stephen Jones' conversion gone through rather than hitting the post, or one of James Hook's penalty chances not gone wide of the uprights, Wales would have pulled off possibly the biggest victory in World Cup rugby history.

The 60,000 Welsh fans in the Millennium Stadium who came to watch on the big screens thought that full back Leigh Halfpenny had won the game for their nation with a long range penalty as the game neared its climax. But the Welsh were left in despair once replays showed that the ball dipped just under the posts, giving France the victory.

Nevertheless, Wales can be proud of their team. They may have lost the match by a single point, but they stood up to a strong French side after they lost their captain, and had Warburton only recieved ha yellow card, they may have won the game and gone on to face the All Blacks, in what would have been their first World Cup final.

Look out for next week Gair Rhydd Sport review the Rugby World Cup review.

News Opinion Politics Feature Science Societies Listings 24 1-7 9 - 12 15 - 17 19 - 20 21 - 22 26

Sport 30 - 32

Sport31

Monday October 17 2011 • #gairrhydd • sport@gairrhydd.com

What it takes to make it as a professional

Dale Jones catches up with a Craig Lodge, a Cardiff Uni student who has recently made the jump into the world of professional sport.

W

healthier than ever before; “I’m much more conscious when I’m out now, not to go over the top and make sure I’m in a good enough state to get up and train the next day”.

His only respite comes every Thursday, the rest day, which he devotes to catching up on University work. It’s hard to imagine that amongst all of the training his main priority is the final year of his Criminology degree where the pressures of the long awaited dissertation deadlines are mounting up. His housemates constantly remind him that “recovery is the forgotten session” as it’s vital to relax your muscles correctly during periods before and after intense training to avoid injury.

Every sportsman and woman

hether they are being described as poor role models, questioned about their commitment and loyalty or simply believed to be under performing, modern sportsmen and women are often publicly criticised.

Now that sports stars are instantly given celebrity status as soon as they hit the spotlight, their behaviour outside of their chosen profession is constantly being scrutinised and judged by the world.

Sometimes the criticism is justified, such as the level of irresponsibility shown by the England Rugby team off the field during this year’s Rugby World Cup. However, it’s usually harsh and the offence committed, commonly alcohol related, is either blown out of all proportion by the media or is completely unrelated to their performance and life as a sportsman.

Rifle Club round up Louise Bungay Sports Writer

“

It’s always been my dream

to become a professional rugby player

“

Craig was invited by the Cardiff Blues to train with their Academy team

Are we too harsh on these individuals who have spent all of their lives training and perfecting their skills to be the best that they can be?

I predict many of you would suggest not, considering the large sums of money often carried home by such individuals. However, look at the adjustments every sports star has had to make to their lives, to risk absolutely everything and commit all of their time and effort into succeeding as a sportsman, at such a young age; perhaps the commitment, bravery and determination shown by someone to take that leap would change your mind.

Craig Lodge,20, is a 3rd year student at Cardiff University and is currently taking this leap, I met up with him to find out the lifestyle changes and commitments he is making in order to make it as a professional sportsman.

After impressive early season displays for both Cardiff University rugby team, involving a last –minute pre season win over a Newport Gwent Dragons ‘select’ side, and Beddau RFC, Second Row Craig was invited by the Cardiff Blues to train with their Academy team; ever humble he claimed first off “without the support of the University coaching staff and my teammates, I wouldn’t have been presented with this opportunity. Fact.”

Over the past couple of weeks he

Next time we’re sharpening our knives after another sporting controversy or scandal, maybe we should consider the hours, weeks and years of hard work that have been put in place by the sports star in question, before judging them on the moments of madness that may have led them to the front pages of our newspapers.

Craig Lodge has been snapped up by Cardiff Blues has made the transition from train- where he has to eat more than two ing twice a week and playing once and a half times the amount of calories than the average individual a week with the University firsts, per day and drink up to to training seven times a 20 protein shakes week across all three a week in an atteams he’s curA week in the life tempt to bulk rently involved of a professional athlete up. A lad who with, whilst also and student. used to pargetting stuck ty just as into match Monday: Blues Academy and Cardiff much as days on both University training any other Saturday Tuesday: Blues Academy and Beddua RFC student and Sunday training still has every week.

Wednesday: Cardiff University match his fun at “The trainThursday: Beddua RFC training the Lash ing sessions Firday: Blues Academy training on the Uniwith the acadSaturday: Beddua RFC match versity rugemy are much Sunday: Cardiff University training by socials but more intense, other than that, they don’t last as All the while in full time has seriously cut long but I’m made education. down on his alcohol to work so much harder intake in comparison than ever before”. to his first two years at Cardiff as On top of that he’s also been placed on a strict dieting regime he attempts to become fitter and

seen on television went through this same transitional stage of his or her lives at some point, where sport gradually takes over everything else and the courage it takes to put everything else on hold whilst you pursue your dream is immense. After University Craig’s always wanted to move to London and join the Metropolitan Police but he now has to decide whether to stay and make a go of it with the Academy or not; “It’s always been my dream to become a professional rugby player and now that the opportunity is there I have to take it”.

That doesn’t mean to say that he’s not anxious about his decision; “It’s such a big step, the thought’s always there that if it doesn’t happen and I don’t make it, perhaps I’ve wasted time I could’ve spent working my way through the Police ranks”.

But at the end of the day it all comes down to the hunger and talent of the individual and Craig’s got that in abundance; “It’s not up for me to say whether I’ll make it and play for the Blues or even Wales at some point, there are lots of factors out of my control, but I’m convinced I’ve got the ability and desire to do it.”

It’s clear to see, through Craig, the huge steps one has to take in order to make it as a professional athlete. This particular moment in Craig’s life seems the hardest step of all, to fully commit, to stop everything else and devote all hours of the day to raising his game. So maybe sports stars deserve more credit for their commitment and sacrifice than they’re given!

Student Union members line up their sights

L

ast weekend 4 members of the Students Union team came down to Cardiff University Rifle Club's range to have a go at some target rifle shooting.

Although they all admitted to not having much previous shooting experience, some who had never picked up a rifle before, all 4 turned out to be very impressive shots. After some competition style shooting, the group were split in to 2 teams for a bit of fun rivalry shooting, trying to hit as many discs as possible.

With drinks riding on whichever team won, the competitive spirit certainly came out. In the end it was deemed a draw.

The Cardiff University Rifle Club is looking forward to a great year ahead, building on momentum from a strong finish in BUCS last year.

Follow @GairRhyddSport for the latest sport and info on future articles.

Sport Playing hockey and curing cancer, all in a days work IMG friendly results << Inside

gair rhydd sport exclusive: Jamie Evans interviews PhD student come Cardiff Devil Luke Piggott May I begin by offering our congratulations on signing for the Cardiff Devils Elite League team! How does it feel?

Thanks! Signing for an Elite league team has always been a dream of mine since I was a kid! Cardiff Devils have always been a fantastic organization and have been ever present at the very top, so to pull on an Elite League Cardiff Devils jersey is a real honour. It really feels like I have achieved one of my goals in my sporting career from when I was a kid.

We believe a double congratulations is in order, well done on your remarkable discovery of a way to kill breast cancer stem cells.

Thank you! It really came as a surprise, I have a general project area, and decided to stray from the plan and do something on the side. Like most scientists I just expected there to be no effect, but when I saw how striking the result was, I was quite shocked! I had to do it about another four times before I really believed it; it was very exciting at the time.

Is it difficult splitting your time between the lab and the ice rink?

It means I have a lot of long days, getting up early to go practice four times a week then going straight into the lab until late in the evening. But, it seems to have worked out ok.... I try my best to cram in as many hours in the lab as I can during the off-season too, that makes up for some of the time I may not have during the season.

Considering your heavy workload, how much of a commitment is playing for the Devils?

It's a huge commitment, it is a professional team and I am the only player on the team that has a job outside of hockey, but the commitment is the same regardless. I am expected at every practice and team event, and I honestly wouldn’t want it any other way! To perform well as a team you really need to bond and giving any player special treatment is bound to disrupt that. We have a great team of really close guys this year and that makes a huge difference to our on-ice performance.

How supportive is the school of Biosciences of your extra-curricular activity?

The school has always been very supportive, during my undergraduate degree I was selected to play for Great Britain University team in the World University Games and the competition was right in the middle of my halfyearly exams. The school allowed me to re-take them in the summer. Now I am in my post-graduate studies my supervisor Richard Clarkson is very supportive of my sporting career and is very flexible with what hours I do my work. I am very grateful to him, without his support

Did you ever get to play for the Redhawks during your time as an undergraduate student in Cardiff ?

I never did get to play with the Redhawks, I wasn’t allowed to by the league they played in at the time, the University Ice hockey was just being set up back then and the standard was quite low but I believe the level of hockey is far higher now and it is different rules too. It would have been tough to fit in the training around my ENL schedule too at the time.

Between being a PhD student and a Devil, is Cardiff now your second home?

Cardiff really has become like a 2nd home to me now. Not only because most my friends are here now, and I have been here the past seven years, but also my brother lives here too. So, I don't really have the "family home" in this country anymore! It's a great city and has been the perfect fit for me over the past seven years of my life. People who come to visit always say how much they enjoy it.

If any one has anything sport related (match reports, opinions, news) that they'd like to write about, drop us a line and sport@ gairrhydd.com

CARDIFF 18 -13 SWANSEA Next week Gair Rhydd Sport will be officially launching a Team of the Week feature. We will be working with the Athletic Union president to find a stand out team from Cardiff University. This may be for sporting success or for other achievements such as noteworthy charity work.

However this week we feel it is important to mention the success of Cardiff ’s Rugby teams who travelled to Swansea for one of the grudge matches of Premier League A. After last years Varsity disappointment, Cardiff seem to have really turned things around. The firsts came away 18-13 winners whilst the third team ground out a hard fought 7-0 win. Not to mention the second team beat the highly rated UWIC 3’s 31-10.