gair rhydd - Issue 965 by Cardiff Student Media

gair rhydd Monday November 28 2011 | freeword – Est. 1972 | Issue 965

“The coalition refuses to change course even in the face of evidence”

Afternoon tea with Ed Miliband Luke Slade & Sophie Gidley Political Editors Contemplating an interview with Ed Miliband is rather daunting. After considering pages and pages of possible questions any sense of anxiety seems to disappear when you’re finally in the room with him and he asks for a scone and cup of tea. He is, after all, just a man who so happens to be leader of the opposition. Regardless of your political stance, it is difficult to deny the sense of reverence that surrounds

Sandwich success Hannah Pendleton News Editor Issue 964 of the Gair Rhydd re-

Ed Miliband’s character. Even at first glance, he commands a space and draws an interest. After fulfilling other official engagements in Wales, he arrived in an undistinguished Ford to open a new office for Jenny Rathbone, Assembly Minister for Cardiff Central. Such a modest arrival from a leader who wants to be the working class hero. His face through the passenger seat window was like a television screen moving through the street. The façade was broken when his driver stepped out of the car, a man

no working class person would instantly warm to: tall, aloof and public school. After the pomp and circumstance that entails from such an event, he made his way into a side room where he was to have an interview with a couple of humble political editors. If it is possible to be both warm and brooding at the same time, then this is the impression Ed Miliband achieves, and it is much to his advantage. He is a tall man with slight hands but a firm handshake - a character of refreshing ambivalence.

As we took a seat, scone and tea served, we were curious to know why he chose the Labour Party, especially since, during his youth, his older brother, David, was already paving the way to becoming a politician. “I grew up in a Labour household,” he said, taking a sip of tea, “so that obviously informs your politics. “In the end I chose the Labour party, well not in the end, but because I believe in a fairer, more equal, more just society and I felt that Labour was the best party to

achieve that. “One of the foremost experiences for me when I was growing up was the miner’s strike in 1984-85 when I was 14, which effected Wales a lot. I just felt there was such unfairness about what was being done to a specific group of workers who seemed to be fighting against the odds and not being listened to. So I think it’s experiences like that which helped shape my politics and who I am.”

ported on student concerns over the lack of ingredient information available on food packaging within Cardiff Students’ Union. Following the publication of the story, the Union has taken prompt steps to ensure that this information is now clearly visible. Sandwiches sold in the Taf, the Kitchen and the Union shop failed

to display both ingredient information and allergy advice. Although it is not a legal requirement for food which is packaged in-house to contain this sort of information, people suffering from severe allergies had to be very cautious when purchasing these products from the Union. Nick Matthew, Finance and Commercial Officer and Food and Bev-

erages Manager, Mark Cheeseman explained that the Union was in the process of producing a product portfolio which would be available in all of the locations serving food products. Now both ingredients and allergy advice have been incorporated into the Students’ Union food packaging. Nick Matthew was unavailable

to comment on this latest development.

Continued on page 14

gr EDITOR Oliver Smith CO-ORDINATOR Elaine Morgan SUB-EDITORS Yas Langley James Dunn 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 Natalie Healey SOCIETIES Isabelle Roberts

SPORT Jamie Evans Zac Cole Jonathan Frank CONTRIBUTORS Sophie Chamberlain Cathy Tuke Laura Oliver Dana Beltaji Jennifer Kendall Rebecca Johnson Paul Wilkinson Helen Cameron Nick Evans Hugh Rodger Anna Hickman Rhiannon Davies Anna Raby Anthony Gray Kate Boddington Alexey Underwood Christina Tran Shavy Malhotra Non Mererid Jones Elliw Mair Nia Davies Mike McEwan James Fooks Iestyn Scourfield Rhys Clayton Sam Thorpe George Dugdale

pg. 4

News find out what Universities have out-boozed us

pg. 9

Opinion discuss whether the government should have a say about what you do in your car

Last chance before Christmas to...

Get involved. pg. 18

Features looks at LGBT+ phobia in Universities

gair rhydd - Monday - 5.00pm Nelson Mandela Room (28th Nov) Cardiff Students' Union

Sudoku pg. 25

Science finds out if our genes control our darker urges

pg. 37

Sport have a chat with Duncan Bloy in their new series, Academics Aside

EASY

Taf-Od Caio Iwan Osian Gruffydd

Monday November 28 2011 • #gairrhydd • editor@gairrhydd.com

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

For the answer and more puzzles, head over to page 31

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Monday November 28 2011 • #gairrhydd • editor@gairrhydd.com

World News

You are what you eat Paul Wilkinson News Reporter A Serbian man, Branko Crnogorac, has given up his favourite pass time after a brush with death. The 80 year old was treated by doctors after choking on a bike pedal. Branko explained the incident by revealing that he had accepted a dare, from a friend, to eat a bicycle. Branko, it seems, was a connoisseur of metal. He claimed that since the age of 20 he had eaten over 25,000 light bulbs, 6,000 vinyl records and 12,000 forks. It is no surprise then that doctors removed 2 kilos of metal from his stomach during surgery. After his emergency surgery, the Serb admitted that he had to stop as he clearly couldn’t digest metal like he used to, adding, that his bizarre habit was “not healthy.”

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04News Cardiff drunk under the table and screwed over by Met and Glamorgan Monday November 28 2011 • #gairrhydd • Email the newsdesk: news@gairrhydd.com

Leeds Met Cardiff Met Glamorgan

Cardiff *

*20.3 units on avg. per week

Sophie Chamberlain News Reporter Studentbeans.com has produced a league table of how many units the average student from different universities across the UK drink each week. Two thousand two hundred and twenty-seven students from 68 universities took part in the survey and answered questions, including whether or not they drank alcohol, what alcohol they drink and how much they spent on alcohol. Leeds Metropolitan University came out on top with an average of

also conducted a University Sex league. Three of the top five universities that appear in the Drinking League also appear in the top five of the Sex league. These include the University of Glamorgan, Cardiff Met and Leeds Metropolitan, with Aberystwyth also appearing. Cardiff ranked 13th. You can track how many units of alcohol you consume through a link on Studentbeans website, with a free downloadable programme on drinkaware.co.uk.

What the Cochrane Building means for us Cathy Tuke gives us the tour.

Salford

26.7 units of alcohol a week. Cardiff ’s very own Cardiff Metropolitan came third with 26.1 units and Glamorgan came in at fifth place with 22.2 units a week. Cardiff University’s average weekly intake is 20.3 units a week, leaving its students sixteenth on the league table, whilst universities such as Salford, Hertfordshire and Kingston trail at the bottom with alcohol consumption as low as 5.9 units a week. To put things into perspective, one pint of ordinary strength beer, cider or lager is two units. The government advises a daily intake of 3-4 units for men and 2-3 units for women. Earlier this year, Studentbeans

am ashamed to admit I first stepped into the Cochrane building precisely 30 minutes before it was officially opened, where, as a member of Medsoc, I found myself suddenly expected to offer tours through this seemingly endless labyrinth of a building. Needless to say, what followed was a rather embarrassing hour of leading the suited-and-booted guests in completely the wrong direction, suggesting the exit was left when it was right and making up uses for floors I was frankly unaware existed, let alone intimately familiar with. Despite this first rather bewildering impression however, having since been back to explore at my own pace, I have been extremely impressed with the facilities the new Cochrane building has to offer not just Medical students, but all those studying healthcare professions at Cardiff. For those of you that don’t know, the £17m, five-storey Cochrane building was officially opened by Sir Ian Chalmers last Friday at the Heath Campus, which also happened to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the University Hospital of Wales. This new development allows the integration of all five healthcare schools into one new building, allowing students from different disciplines to study together under one roof, as well as alongside postgraduates and NHS clinicians. Our clinical skills laboratories (previously situated in Ty Dewi Sant) have been relocated to the third floor and upgraded beyond recognition; not only is there more space but they also contain high-tech simulation environments containing several state-of-the-art medical manikins and a fully functioning mock-theatre for simulating the surgical environment. The area with the biggest immediate benefit to all healthcare students however, is the new library, open 24 hours a day and with a large number of workstations which, for myself and all those others who have a tendency to leave revision too late, will doubtless be invaluable during exam season. Previous library facilities have been simply too small to accommodate the needs of our rapidly expanding student body; the number of medical undergraduates alone has increased from 130 to 300 in the last seven years, whilst remaining in buildings that are now 40 years old and designed to teach a very different curriculum. Another advantage to the extra space in the Cochrane building, is the fact that there are now more areas in which us penny-pinching students will be able to eat the sad remains of our homemade sandwiches at lunchtime. Previously, it has been a challenge to do so without being shouted at by the staff in the Heathfield’s cafe, with the alternative being stealing a chair off an elderly patient in the concourse and tactically finding a half-empty Costa cup to sit beside. I am fully of the opinion therefore that the Cochrane building is a fantastic addition to the provisions for healthcare students at Cardiff. It will allow us to continue to attract the best students, lecturers, researchers and clinicians to South Wales, enabling us to maintain the reputation Cardiff already holds as an international centre for teaching and research. And after all, considering the £4m which has just been spent on a “unique, multicoloured hexagonal facade” down at Biosciences, it could only get better.

Comment...

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News05

Monday November 28 2011 • #gairrhydd • Email the newsdesk: news@gairrhydd.com

"We intend to stay as long as it takes to get our message across" gair rhydd spoke to activists down at the current Occupy Cardiff camp Laura Evans News Editor Since Saturday November 19, a number of activists have been protesting in Cardiff to support the global Occupy movement against banking expenditure, large corporate businesses and other issues. Occupy Cardiff has set up camp outside Transport House on Cathedral Road near the city centre and protesters claim to remain there "until their message is heard and when they decide a way forward." The demonstration was originally positioned on the Cardiff Castle grounds earlier this month, but activists were removed due to an 1875 bylaw, which allowed police to send the group elsewhere. It is reported police arrived armed and on horseback and that six arrests took place during the removal. Now, Occupy Cardiff protesters are camping outside the Unite Union building where they are protesting peacefully and are provided with aid from Unite. One of the people involved in the occupy movement said: "Unite are being really friendly, bringing us tea and providing everyone with toilets and showers." Protesters say that people within the camp have different aims but many are against capitalism. gair rhydd went down to the Occupy Cardiff camp last week to speak to activists. Many of them were there to raise awareness of issues surrounding social inequality, seeking justice for all and pro-

testing against banking systems, capitalism, the government and poverty. Amongst the activists, were many students from around Cardiff. Shroukie, 19, who is part of the movement and a Life Long learning student at Cardiff gave her opinion: "I know that not everyone in this camp is anti-capitalist but to me, it’s mostly about the capitalist system. It seems like it’s the root of all problems. We’ve tried marching against the cuts but it didn’t work. So we’re trying to give it another approach by occupying. If this doesn’t work, then we’ll find an alternative. It’s a lifetime thing." Lloyd James, Occupy protester

and 2nd year student at Glamorgan Atrium, commented: "People are fed up about the moral way in which this system is all about and we’re beginning to find out that it thrives upon social inequality. We have the banking crisis where essentially they’ve gambled people’s taxes and through that, they’ve lost and what we’ve seen as a result is the cutting of the public sector jobs. We’re expected to pick up the pieces. We don’t feel like we have to pay for the crisis that the 1% elite has created." When asked to comment on about the recent education cuts, Lloyd responded: "we’re seeing education cuts and the government are tre-

Above: Occupy Cardiff protesters gathered at the camp Top-right: Sign advertising the Occupy camp

b l i n g tuition fees. The implementation of tuition fees in the first place was a bad move. Education should be a right and not a privilege." He added: "I think we need a fundamental change in society from how it works to how the system is. I don’t believe capitalism works. I’m not speaking on behalf of the movement, I’m speaking on behalf of myself that capitalism is inherently bad. Exploiting workers who create production and then keep the profits to themselves. If the lower are creating the products, then they should get some of the profit back. Workers should be respected and not exploited." Another of the student activists felt strongly about the recent education cuts. Jonathan, 2nd year Philosophy student at Cardiff University said: "We’re very lucky in Wales because we get a lot of help. Anyone from a low-income family will be

Sabbatical Officers' training expenses revealed Chris Williams Online Editor Figures show that £10,156.52 was spent on two weeks’ training of the current sabbatical officer team. The figures, released by Finance and Commercials officer Nick Matthews, show that it cost £730.83 to train each officer and details their two external trips to Tenby and Oxwych Bay. Both trips were used to train the incoming officers, but the costs incurred by senior management teams, the CEO and the previous year’s sabbatical team are also included. The budget for the trips away was decided by the previous sabbatical team and funded by charity money. The accommodation costs in Tenby were the single most expen-

£2,668.45 Total spend on food and drink

£730.83 Cost per person of officer training

sive outlay at £3,790 as last year’s incumbent officers also attended to discuss what skills they had learnt during their time as sabbatical officers. Food and drink costs for both the trips totalled £2,668.45 with the actual two days of training run by Leadfel Action costing £2,075, just 10% of the total spend. Training is undertaken each year for the new sabbatical team but this is the first year the costs have been released and scrutinised. Finance and Commercial Officer, Nick Matthews, said, “I very much doubt that we would be achieving the successes that we are now, had we not learned about each other, our team's strengths and weaknesses, and ourselves in that period.” “Cardiff Students' Union is not

in the business of wasting money. Processes and systems are always being analysed to see if they can be otherwise effectively achieved in a more cost-effective way.” It has been confirmed that the training will be reviewed by the team before next year. Oliver Smith, Head of Student Media, said, “I believe the costs of the handover are equivalent to the value received by the officer team” “The event was run by a professional external leadership and team-building company, that I believe the team benefitted from greatly.” Healthcare Integration Officer, Sarah Halpin, said of the course, “I thoroughly enjoyed the handover process and most importantly learned more about myself."

provided with a fair amount of support. I feel for them in England because a lot of people will be put off going to university because of it." Edmund Schluessel, who is also part of the campaign, explained how long the protesters intend to stay for. He told gair rhydd: "We intend to stay as long as it takes to get our message across and to decide a way forward. We will be joining in the Trade Union strike and march in Cardiff on November 30. The camp is a staging ground. We all know the current system is deeply broken; the camp is where we make plans on how to fix or replace it."

Obituary We would like to offer our condolences to the friends and family of Sarojkant Mishra who sadly passed away on Sunday November 13. Sarojkant was studying a History related Masters, he leaves behind his wife in New Delhi, India.

06News

Monday November 28 2011 • #gairrhydd • Email the newsdesk: news@gairrhydd.com

Research Centre Gair Rhydd discovers the University's latest research breakthroughs

Health consequences for criminals revealed

The Violence and Society Research Group has recently published findings demonstrating an evident link between offending and poor health in later life. The Research Group used data from 400 South London men, studied since the age of eight. Reaching the age of 48, the men have now been re- examined, revealing that high rate continuing offenders were four times more likely to have been hospitalised in the past five years than other groups (including non- and adolescent offenders) and the risk of disability was 13 times higher; 13 of the 17 men who died had a criminal conviction. Professor Jonathan Shepherd commented, “At a younger age, offenders do seem to be healthier in many ways than non-offenders.” The cause of this complete reversal of earlier health patterns is not clear. Shepherd proposes high-risk behaviour and lifestyle, or contact with the criminal justice system and, therefore, knowledge of the benefits system as potential reasons for these findings.

Laura Oliver

High IQ linked to drug use Men and women in their 30s who scored higher IQ scores during childhood are twice as likely to have taken illegal drugs such as cannabis and cocaine, amphetamines and ecstacy in the previous 12 months, an illuminating study has revealed. Data was examined by Dr James White from Cardiff University’s

4.9% of British workers victims of violence

Aims for reductions in laboratory waste

Research led by Cardiff University has found that half of British workers have been ill-treated within the past two years. The report titled, 'Insight into ill-treatment in the workplace: patterns, causes and solutions', found that 4.9% of workers were victims of violence, 22.3% felt they were treated in a disrespectful or rude way, and 27% felt they were ignored. The survey found that workers in the public sector were 'particularly at risk' of ill-treatment. 72% of attackers were customers or members of the public. Employees in the private sector were more likely to suffer assaults from colleagues. Ill-treatment of workers was higher among disabled employees, those with long-term health risks, younger staff, and gay, lesbian, or bisexual workers. The report also finds that managers and supervisors are responsible for two-thirds of incidents involving unreasonable behaviour, but they can also be victims of similar treatment. The report will be presented as part of the Festival of Social Science in London.

A Welsh research team is hoping to decrease the waste produced by laboratories by redesigning the use of laboratory gloves. Dr Paul Brennan, of Cardiff University's School of Medicine, is leading the effort by bringing together scholars from three Welsh Universities. Dr Brennan explained a department of 50 people can generate over ten tonnes of waste annually, which probably ends up incinerated or in a landfill. The project is focusing on the laboratory nitrile gloves, aiming to have them made from a renewable source rather than using non-renewable oil based processes. The long-term vision is to eradicate laboratory waste completely. Dr Leanne Cullen-Unsworth, who is also part of the team, said the venture is using innovative ideas from multiple disciplines across Cardiff University's Schools, with experts from Bangor University and Aberystwyth University also contributing. The Welsh Crucible, a programme that focuses on furthering research potential in Wales, funded the innovation.

Dana Beltaji Centre for the Development and Evaluation of Complex Interventions for Public Health Improvement (DECHIPHer) from just under 8000 people in the 1970 British Cohort Study, an ongoing population based study. The study takes into account socioeconomic factors, educational merit, and current and previous drug use, as well as IQ scores during childhood and adolescence, where a prominent correlation was found. Findings showed that men who

Jennifer Kendall scored a high IQ at the age of five were twice as likely to have recently used amphetamines, ecstacy and several other illicit drugs. The link was even stronger among women, who were more than twice as likely to have used cannabis and cocaine in the previous 12 months as those with comparatively low IQ scores. Dr White, research leader, said: “Although most studies suggest that higher child and adolescent IQ leads to the adoption of a healthy lifestyle, other studies have linked

Increased chance of survival for prostate cancer sufferers A recent study conducted by the NCIC Clinical Trials Group of Queens University, Canada, alongside the UK Medical Research Council, has found that offering a combination of radiotherapy and hormone therapy to patients suffering with prostate cancer could substantially increase their chances of survival. The study involved a group of men mainly from the UK and Canada, suffering with locally advanced prostate cancer. Half of these were treated with hormone therapy alone and the other with a combination of the two. From those who received the combined treatment, 74% were still alive after seven years compared to 64% of those receiving singular treatment. The researchers concluded that those who received a course of radiotherapy on top of hormone treatment were half as likely to die. With prostate cancer being the cause of 10,000 male deaths in the UK each year, the results of this trial could prove extremely beneficial. Professor Malcolm Mason of Cardiff University’s School of Medicine stated, “the next stage will be to ensure that the results of this trial are implemented into treatment recommendations as quickly as possible.” Rebecca Johnson higher childhood IQ to excess alcohol intake and alcohol dependency in adulthood. Although it is not yet clear exactly why there should be a link between high IQ and illicit drug use, previous research has shown that people with a high IQ are more open to new experiences, novelty and stimulation.”

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Opinion09 Smoking in cars: should the government butt out? Monday November 28 2011 • #gairrhydd • opinion@gairrhydd.com

Opinion considers the implications that the British Medical Association's proposed UK ban on smoking in cars would have for both our health and our civil liberties.

Paul Wilkinson Opinion Writer My argument in favour of the smoking ban in cars is simple: it will save lives and money. The British Medical Association revealed that the toxins in a car, when someone is smoking, is a whopping 23 times more concentrated than in a smoke filled pub. If a smoker wants to put himself in this environment, then that’s his or her prerogative. The real victims however, are passengers who are fortunate enough to passively enjoy this less-than-fresh air. It is the young who will particularly benefit from the ban. Children who are unknowingly inhaling large amounts of smoke when travelling with a smoking adult may well end up with health problems later on in life. I think a ban would be justified as a method to protect the health of these children, who are unfairly having their health put at risk as a consequence of someone else’s bad habit. Smokers, predictably against the ban, will also benefit. The ban would mean less opportunity to smoke, reducing the amount of harmful toxins that enter their bodies as well as hopefully seeing a reduction in life threatening diseases. For those trying to give up, knowing what they are doing is illegal might reduce the temptation. Critics see the ban as an attack on civil rights as well as being impossible to enforce. I personally feel that the right of people not to suffer the health consequences associated with second hand smoke outweighs the right to light up in the car.

People are also disgruntled because the ban would mean that people are unable to smoke whilst alone in the car.

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As well as the health benefits there would also be long term savings for the NHS

While I understand this issue, perhaps people do have the right to smoke if it’s only harming them; it would be impractical and costly to attempt to enforce a ban that only applied when passengers were in the car. Besides, if you’re not allowed to eat or drink whilst driving, then why should you be allowed to smoke? As well as the health benefits there would also be long term savings for the NHS. Research at Oxford University in 2009, discovered that smoking diseases cost the NHS over £5bn a year; a figure which, I’m sure you’ll agree, is staggering. This makes it a public issue; tax payers are footing the bill for other people’s habits. Banning smoking in cars may well reduce this figure, meaning that essential resources can be reallocated. As far as I’m concerned, it’s a win, win, situation. The NHS saves money on smoking diseases and people live longer. What’s the downside?

Helen Cameron Opinion Writer First it was your local pub, forcing you out in the rain to have a cigarette and now there have been calls to ban smoking in cars. Not just taxis and minicabs used for work purposes, but privately owned vehicles as well. Smokers' lobbying group Forest have fought back, stating there is ‘no justification’ for a ban at all, and Director Simon Clark added that the "legislation is a gross overreaction. What next, a ban on smoking in the home?" While no part of the UK has yet taken the plunge, countries elsewhere in the world have, such as the US, Australia and all of South Africa. However, whilst, those countries have introduced legislation, their main focus was on stopping smoking where children are present. I fully agree that no child should be subjected to smoking in cars, as they have no choice in their method of transport. However, an adult has the choice and the right to decide what they wish to do in their car when alone, or with other adults. These adults have greater control over their decisions and the ability to choose not to travel with smokers if if they find the habit particularly offensive. The British Medical Association claim a complete ban would also greatly improve road safety, as smoking is a distraction for the driver. I agree it was correct to ban using mobile phones in cars after evidence of distractions causing crashes, but think, have you ever heard of a crash caused by the dis-

traction of smoking? I haven’t. Even a Department of Health in England spokesperson said "We do not believe that legislation is the most effective way to encourage people to change their behavior." Yet the BMA are justifying the ban on this very fact. So if the medical officials and media dictators encroaching on our freedoms can't even agree, why should we be expected to back them?

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An adult has the right to

decide what they wish to do in their car

Additionally, associations such as Asthma UK and the British Heart Foundation argue that any ban should only cover children. These are the associations who undertake the research, know the facts and agree that the ban should only be with regard to children. Surely such esteemed medical professionals know what they are talking about? You might disagree and say that the BMA are more competent medical professionals, with reliable statistics, the ones to be trusted and supported over the ban. But where exactly is the validity in the comments that are used so excessively in media articles on the matter, such as the claim that levels of toxins in a car can be up to 23 times higher than in a smoky bar. The evidence is lacking. Without factual confirmation, this is merely a propa-

Opinion

Monday November 28 2011 • #gairrhydd • opinion@gairrhydd.com

Can happiness ever be arranged?

Opinion writer Nick Evans discusses his views on arranged marriage in light of his family's own experiences and how the tradition fits in with an increasingly secular western culture.

et me begin by stating that I do not intend to discuss whether I believe arranged marriage is 'right' or 'wrong', this is more an opinion on the social and cultural complexities of arranged marriages, supplemented by my own personal experiences of it. In contemporary society, we tend to think of arranged marriage as something that is traditionally restricted to South Asia (Pakistan, Bangladesh, India etc.) but the truth is that arranged marriages were commonplace in the western world up until the turn of the 20th century. Whilst not institutionalised like the marriages of the Indian sub-continent, they were still fairly overt. One needs only look to the union of Victoria and Prince Albert as an arranged marriage of convenience, supposedly unifying a great deal of Europe as Albert's Saxe-Coburg line was affiliated with most of the

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ruling monarchs in Europe. Arranged marriage is still common amongst European aristocracy, though it is not made apparent so as not to contradict any notions of democracy, free choice and egalitarianism. However, it is the case that for the most part, arranged marriages in the modern day are associated with those of the Muslim, Sikh and Hindi faiths and I will construct my opinion of arranged marriage around a specific case study; my father. My father is a Muslim (born in Pakistan, raised in Manchester) who was married at the age of 19 to a girl of his parents' choosing. I asked him if he thought it was unfair that he had no choice in who he was meant to spend his life with, to which he responded 'I just didn't question it, no one did, that was just how it was done'. Seven years (and five children) later, my father claims he had something of a 'breakdown' and ran away from his fam-

At the age of 32, my father was once again, I feel, press-ganged into another marriage

ily ‘as I became more mature and more assured in my own opinions, I started to realise that this wasn't the life I had chosen for myself and performed an incredibly immature and irresponsible act of rebellion in running away to Wales [where he met my mother and subsequently my brother and I were born] but it was the only way I could think of acting against a system that I felt had wronged me.' He stayed in Wales for 5 years but his past eventually caught up with him and his family forced him to return to Manchester and lay to rest the spectres he had left behind. Unbeknown to him, his family had already arranged a second mar-

riage for when his first wife was eventually divorced. So, at the age of 32, my father was once again, I feel, gang-pressed into another marriage which he apparently showed no objection to, out of respect to his family. My father's story raises many interesting questions. Firstly, is being married at the age of 19 fair? My opinion is no and I form that on the basis that regardless of faith or ethnicity, children raised in the UK will generally mature at a fairly standard rate. I don't think any individual raised in a cultural climate such as ours will be emotionally developed enough to make a lifetime commitment at the age of 19. Secondly, we see the overwhelming power of family in traditional South Asian culture. My father accepted his second arranged marriage without resistance because the family as an institution told him he must. Once again, I do not see how this can be compatible with supposedly living in a state of free choice; the perfect example of a culture clash in practice. Ironically, despite his traumatic experiences of arranged marriage, my father has arranged marriages for some of his children. When I remarked how ludicrous that seemed, considering the circumstances, he replied "this is the Muslim faith and I won't break tradition because of my own bad experiences. I don't doubt that it would be more practical for my children to pick their spouses but that's not what we believe, it's my right to exercise my faith and I won't allow where or how I live to change that." My father's pragmatic answer made me open my eyes to a much larger picture. Arranged marriage

is but a small part of a much larger schema; if a Muslim wants to call themselves a Muslim, or a Hindu wants to call themselves a Hindu, there are rules they must adhere to, taking the good with the bad, which is the case with any faith, I suppose. We have a scenario of contemporary culture vs. tradition and it is my anticipation that with regards to arranged marriage, contemporary culture will win out and I form this opinion on a sociological front. The family, which was once by far the strongest agent of socialisation, is becoming weaker and the socialising power of peer groups and mass media is becoming evermore prevalent. Furthermore, the media will always reflect the dominant ideologies of the state and as generation after generation of Sikh/ Muslim/Hindu families become entrenched deeper in western culture, I believe we will see a movement toward a more secular state if waning faith in Protestant/Roman Catholic is any indication to go by. To summarise, arranged marriage has a long established history in many faiths and, in my opinion, cannot be contested by any individual outside those faiths. Tolerance toward all faiths must be an integral part of our state and if change is to occur, it will occur internally. However, the very institution of arranged marriage and all that it connotes conflicts directly with so many ideologies that we hold in high esteem that it is difficult to endorse. As mentioned, this is a culture clash in motion and one that will only be resolved with tolerance and patience.

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Monday November 28 2011 • #gairrhydd • opinion@gairrhydd.com

Opinion11

The riots may be over, but the Twitter police stay on patrol Chris Williams Online Editor

In a knee jerk reaction, many politicians came out after this summer’s riots calling for a shutdown of social media sites during times of ‘civil’ unrest. Louise Mensch backed the plans, claiming that '[the] World won't implode' if sites were shut down. Ms. Mensch was right, the world won’t implode, but our freedom of speech may do. What seems to have been forgotten, is that before the social media revolution of the past ten years, people spoke to each other without using the Internet. If you kill social media for a few hours, you’re not going to kill a riot. I remember hearing about the riots and how Blackberry Messenger and Twitter were used as tools to spread information from both sides

- police used it to warn people away from certain areas, whilst the rioters used it to advertise which Tesco was now available for looting. The recent ‘technical problems’ that Blackberry users experienced were caused by a flawed, fragile service, rather than government intervention. However, it is disconcerting to think that comparable intervention has been seriously proposed by Cameron’s government. Mensch has forgotten the important fact that, as much as she doesn’t like it, we enjoy freedom of speech. We can talk to each other, Tweet each other or even write on each others ‘walls’ to our hearts’ content. We shouldn’t be prevented from doing so. If the government censor our tweets, what will they do next? Will they be censoring me as I talk to friends in the pub like some sort of throwback to the Stasi? Perhaps they’ll scan my e-mails and phone calls to make sure that I’m not saying anything untoward about the government or inciting riots from my Twitter account (although I think James Murdoch knows someone who’d be able to do that for them). It’s ridiculous to think that you can control what people say and even more ridiculous to think that you can control what they post on the Internet. Of course, in America, they’ve already set a precedent. Not content with policing the world, they’ve forced Twitter to hand over information on Icelandic MP Brigitta Jónsdóttir’s Twitter account after her involvement with WikiLeaks. Apparently we don’t, as Jónsdóttir contended, have the same civil rights online as offline. Although, in spite of the fierce invasion of privacy, if the US gov-

ernment would like access to my Twitter, then they are welcome to it. I tend to post about things I’m doing and occasionally random thoughts I have. Examples of my exhilarating posts include: “Boring lecture...” and “These potato waffles are great.” The American government can have those for free, I don’t care. Here’s the thing: I believe in absolute freedom of speech. If someone wants to express their conspiracy theories involving aliens, spaceships and the British National Party, then fine. I won’t care and I’ll think you’re pretty stupid, but I will support your right to say it. No post or Tweet can be so offensive that it calls for the infringement of civil rights by a social media ‘blackout’, even if it promotes nicking Reebok Classics from a deserted JD Sports. As soon as you start to say that you must censor something, you move into dangerous territory. The

floodgates can be opened until, before you know it, every post on the Internet and every Facebook update is censored, so it looks like ‘the missing words round’ from Have I Got News For You. Comedians such as Ricky Gervais, Frankie Boyle and even Jimmy Carr, take the view that you have to have no prejudices in comedy - everything is free to laugh about - and the same principle ought to be engaged when considering the censorship of social media. Let’s face it, it doesn’t matter whether you try to censor someone in times of ‘civil unrest’, because of Wikileaks or because you simply don’t like what they’re saying, we’re free to say what we want, when we want. If ‘the powers that be’ manage to shut down Facebook or Twitter, I’m sure we’ll find another social network to use or another way to voice whatever it is we’re saying.

Why blogs aren't worth the paper they're not written on Henry McMorrow News Editor Blogging is becoming increasingly pervasive. A term first invented in 1999, it is a fusion of the two words, web and log and describes a website, or part of one, where content is uploaded and which often provides space for visitors to comment. When talking about blogs, it’s important to distinguish between those that are utter trash and those that are slightly less so. The spectrum ranges from blogs, which serve as nothing more than a personal diary, where people outline their daily routine in mind-numbing detail, to the murky world of opinion, covering anything from fashion to politics. The latter are perhaps slightly less futile than personal blogs, with their primary crime lying instead in their facilitation of spurious discussion. Bloggers revel in streams of

consciousness validated solely by themselves and their followers. Even the word ‘followers’ suggests some kind of messiah/disciple relationship. A key motivator for the people choosing to blog, is a quest for world-wide validation and the appeal of people religiously ‘following’ their words. Blogging leaves us feeling that mere action is not valuable unless documented and that even thought isn’t worthwhile unless it’s published on the web. It damages authenticity, leaving non-bloggers as vestiges of a true world and raising bloggers to exulted ranks, which the exhausted, retiring masses cannot reach. Blogging is ultimately one-sided. It promotes the inauthentic relationships which technological advances of the 21st century have all too well precipitated. The blogger writes, the ‘follower’ follows – and

occasionally replies and thus this relationship negates any form of valuable, equal interaction. My point is that without being officially published, all the blogger is doing is promoting their own opinion with no official validation at all. It seems that the writer believes their opinion is valuable enough without the true authentication that legitimate publication brings. The murky world of blogging is a dirty one, where opinion becomes fact and ‘followers’ become a virtual entourage, feeding the rapacious appetite of the attention-hungry blogger . The thing is, I’m not sure the world is real if we rely on the faceless (often very mediocre) words of a few, who fill the world’s stage with their knowledge or advice. This relentless bombardment of unfettered opinion only serves to further diminish the role of face-to-

face human interaction. The only way in which an argument or opinion is fully valuable is if it can be refuted or debated, thus allowing all parties to arrive at the best solution. Admittedly blogs do often incorporate interactive elements but the ability of the ‘follower’ to discuss is limited however, as meaning can easily become distorted if not coupled with traditional communicational tools. In fact, the ability to reply can do little more than endorse the belief that this level of futile discussion is true and meaningful. It is current technological advances in the way we communicate, of which blogging is a typical example, that help to reinforce the legitimacy of self promotion that is already the life-blood of the middle classes. Yes we are aware you’re on a ‘gap yah’, we don’t need to hear about

your every move and most can probably wait to hear about your ‘travels’ when you return. Then we can engage in mutual conversation (but please keep the photos to a minimum). True, media has been around in a number of guises for many years, but primarily in an informative capacity. Blogging is intrinsically self indulgent and personal. The plethora of blogs out there means that blogging encourages extremism of which traditional media curbs. It is the level of competition which troubles me most. It seems like humankind is reaching for the nearest virtual loudspeaker to scream how right they are to whomever is impressionable enough to listen. Task complete: opinion immortalised. Their proof? Just check out how many ‘followers’ they have. If you want my advice, I’d invest in a diary.

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mazing as it seems, we must all now cope with the idea of Christmas and the end of another year being rather impetuously right round the corner. Tis’ the season to be jolly, and I am, more than usual, looking forward to the time off. Once twas a time where I’d stare into the warm fireplace deep into December, decorated beautifully with tinsel and such and see naught but existential woe at the month left until people would be back in Cardiff. Not so now, I look forward to the jollity and simple pleasures with a relish that could only be described as middleaged. Where once I yearned for presents to distract me from the humdrum, I now can only hope I can crack out a Christmas jumper somewhat sooner than the 25th. Please don’t hate on me, 18 year old me. But if there’s one thing that cheers me more than Christmas, it’s end of year lists of things. They are amazing. I definitely love them. Amazing, just brilliant aren’t they? It’s really brilliant and amazing how they brilliantly take the spirit of late night Channel 4 talking heads lists and manage to make that even more mummified in written form. It’s true. In fact, I have actually been lucky enough to get hold of the EMN Hot List of 2011. Must’ve been some kind of PR leak or accidental EMN internet bug, but as I was writing my article about how brilliant end of year lists are, brilliantly 4 hours later, it appeared on my computer, on Microsoft word. Crazy shit- here it is.

to bring out its inner monster. His five hour symphony, 'The Leaking Radiator in my Bedsit' actually drove one audience member to suicide. Deep. Performances are rare and prized 3. Derek 7568 You probably haven’t heard of him, have you? You prick. 2. Jeremy Jones He is actually, unlike all the others, really good. Beautiful lyrics, crafted writing. God, it hurts us, but some people might've actually seen him outside of an East London squat. If we put him here, it may sign his death knell and ruin it for his fans, but at least we get to add sincerity to the list of other things we’re good at bullshitting. 1. Argen Grinterk This guy. We nearly had like, an aneurism when we saw him. He's a vegan, who mocks prejudice by impaling goats with his electro-synth guitar. Out there. So obscure he doesn't even know he's a musician yet, he creates folk-grunge 'movements' rather than songs. Songs are so conformist. Not only is he a vegan, he's also 3 minorities you haven't even heard of. Take that, racist hegemony. We're so for equality. He'll be the big thing of 2065.

EMN Hot List 2011 – Like, a PR statement or whatever. 2011. A year. Not in the past or future, but like, still now, but also almost gone. You’ve probably missed out on the Hot hitters of the year, because you have some guff like a job or read books n’ boring crap. Madness. Want to listen to music, but can’t be bothered to lift your hand, as it’s so encumbered by ironic jewellery? (I know the feeling, I carry a stuffed badger on my right index finger. It’s like waay futile). Sometimes it’s too hard to actually listen to lyrics, innit? Just write down what you mean n’ tell me or something. Well, that’s what we do every year at EMN. What better way to end the year than to list crap. We, personally think there’s something ironically beautiful about lists. So fascistic, so intimidating. Jesus I love liststhey’re so rigid and straight and overflowing with unsubtlety. Jesus probz loved lists too- don’t tell me that beard and use of religious iconography wasn’t a massive headtrip. Even

his dad loved lists - Thou Shall Not Kill, Thou shall feign obscurity in an attempt to mask one’s inner idiocy. All that crap. Crazy subversion of the Eodipal complex, right? F'in classic. Screw ambivalence, here’s our top 5 Hot people of ‘2011’, as if that’s even its’ name.

6. Ayeria Tanks Yeah, we got 6 in our top 5? Screw you, maths. Can’t hold us back. She played a groundbreaking concert in April which was so good no one came. That’s literally how groundbreaking she is. If you weren’t there, you might as well do the only decent thing this year and top yourself before the 31st.

5. Umbridge Gartronkel This brit-school graduate has been making waves with her arse-pop outfit An Umbridge over Rumbled Waters. The sound of a Silver rabbit humping the synthetic leg of a reanimated post-rock Joy Division, it’s been put on at least 7 mixtapes in Camden this quarter alone. I smoked salmon with her at the Roxy once off a dwarfs back. It was off the brain.

Phew! Good to see these things right! Good to know all our cultural experiences have been pointless. What a conclusive list too. I sure will be checking them out as soon as. Although, if you look them up now, you're already behind the times, as they are already making next year's Cool list out of glowsticks. shockwaves and leather. So, rather than do that, I'm going to be so ahead of the curve and post-modern, I'm going sit at home, and actually enjoy music I like, not stuff in a list by the EMN. Craziness. And I won't put a beige tinged instagram of a cityscape on my tumblr with a quote I stole off the internet of a Philosopher I've never even read, and I won't reblog a photo of a book I've never read. It'll be so. Existentially. Subversive. Authenticity, its the new black.

LG. 4. Miller Miller Miller Miller Miller Miller Miller Miller Having just dropped out of college, Miller Miller Miller Miller Miller Miller Miller Miller has been blowing minds citywide. Not actually capable of playing any instruments, he specialises in ambient recordings of his experience of the city, remixed

With apologies to Nathan Barley.

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“I think the issue of intergenerational justice We were keen to hear from Labour’s relatively new leader about the direction of political rhetoric. How much meaning is contained within short phrases such as: “ten years of Labour government”, “same old Tories”, “time for change” and, more recently, from Ed Miliband “out of touch”? Interested to know how Ed Miliband proposes that he is different from David Cameron, we questioned what truly separates the major parties. “I think in the end you judge people on their deeds and not on their words,” he said, defending his use of ‘out of touch’. “The thing I feel about the current government is they’ve got to be out of touch to be doing what they’re doing. You’ve got a million young people out of work and they are say-

ing nothing can be done. Now, how out of touch with the needs of the country can you be when that’s the view that you take?

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The coalition has made a dramatic change, but for the worse

“I think ‘out of touch’, the notion of the Conservatives being out of touch, the idea of them being out of touch, is getting at something quite deep about the sense the country has that this is a government that just doesn’t seem to be listening. It seems to be quite arrogant, quite high-handed in what it thinks and it doesn’t seem to listen to people. It refuses to change course even in the face of evidence. Now, we use

the phrase ‘out of touch’ because I think that defines the way they’re going about what they’re doing.” We had to press him here because the Coalition has been in power for only 18 months. Is it fair for Labour to be placing so much blame on the Coalition? Labour must surely assume some responsibility. “I think they have made a dramatic change, but for the worse. I don’t pretend that everything was easy when we were in power. We were coming off a big global recession and global difficulty yet we were trying to head things in the right direction. But then the Coalition came in, they took a big, big judgement, and made a big call which was that we need to just cut as far and as fast as we can and then it will all be okay. Now, clearly it was not okay and I think they were totally wrong in the first place. I think what has made it worse is that they think it’s more important to stick to their failed plan than to say ‘well actually maybe it hasn’t worked out and we’ve got to change course.’ That’s why we, the Labour party, have a duty to stand up for all of those people who are just feeling incredibly helpless in the face of what is happening.” For us it is still not clear whether there is a palpable difference between Miliband and Cameron. Now more than ever, to fulfil the expectations of the British people, the blurring between party boundaries seems ever changing and less defined. It seems that we have reached a stage where it is incredibly difficult for a party to gain an outright majority. “I think the boundaries are much less blurred, actually, I think the boundaries have become much

sharper. In a way some years ago people would have said that the boundaries have become more blurred. But I think, you know, David Cameron went through a phase of pretending to be a different kind of Tory but that turns out not to be the case.” Has he in fact just confirmed what we were trying to assert? Cameron claims to be a new kind of Tory but Miliband claims to be taking Labour in a new direction. It appears that he is moving Labour

forward, but what is difficult to tell is whether anything has really changed. “I think the situation is so grave for the country it brings out differences between the parties. They say ‘lets keep on cutting, lets carry on with the plans we’ve got’. We say totally different; you’ve got to actually inject some money into the economy to get it moving again. So there are big differences between the parties. I’ve got a strong view that we’ve got to change the way

There is a crisis of confidence in the Hugh Rodger Politics Reporter In a crisis of confidence, public trust in the British press has been brought to an all-time low following the aftermath of the News of the World phone hacking scandal. A YouGov survey revealed that 58% of the British people believe the hacking scandal has damaged their levels of trust in UK newspapers, while 51% said they were reluctant to trust any domestic news organisations following the revelations. This has dealt a further hit to the public image of journalists, who in a 2009 survey by the Royal College of Physicians were cited as the least trustworthy public profession at just 19 per cent. Compared to its EU neighbours, the UK press is consistently rated lower in levels of trust by domestic audiences, and with the hacking scandal so widely covered in countries such as the United States, the

crisis of confidence British newspapers face is one that has gathered infamy across the globe. During a speech at the Society

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58% of the British people believe the hacking scandal has damaged their levels of trust in UK newspapers

of Editors conference, Justice Secretary, Ken Clarke, has warned newspapers not to ignore this crisis of confidence in the industry, particularly in the wake of the ongoing Leveson Inquiry which began on Monday November 14. In a statement released by the inquiry, it has outlined how it will address “the culture, practices and ethics of the press, including contacts between

the press and politicians and the press and the police”. The inquiry will also “consider the extent to which the current regulatory regime has failed and whether there has been a failure to act upon any previous warnings about media misconduct.” The notion of an untrustworthy tabloid press is nothing new, but the rise of media empires like News International has seen the relationship between politicians and the press become more collaborative. Cosying up to media moguls like Murdoch has meant reluctance on the part of politicians to criticise wrongdoing by the press which “seemed to get in the way of the currying of favour that politicians have engaged with editors and proprietors over the years.” The Justice Secretary asked the media not to become ‘paranoid’ over potential reforms of press regulation, stating that no one will threaten the freedom of the British press.

The current regulatory body for British newspapers and magazines is the Press Complaints Commission (PCC), which MPs have described as having as much use as a chocolate teapot. David Cameron and Ed Miliband have criticised the body for its absence and toothlessness towards the hacking affair, calling for serious reform or to replace it with a new regulator altogether. In his speech at the Society of Editors conference, Clarke assured the press that any serious proposals for reform would be left to the Leveson Inquiry, adding that: “We don’t want imposition of ludicrous quangos or statutory provision, but we do want some balanced response.” Paul Dacre, editorin-chief of the Daily

Mail, argued last month that overregulation would “put democracy itself in peril.” There is indeed a danger in scapegoating the entire UK newspaper industry for the wrongs committed by the News of the World, and too much state intervention can have several implications. Michael White in the Guardian cites French journalists’ reluctance to report rape allegations against Dominique StraussKahn as an example of this. Yet the weak initial response to reve l at i o n s of the phone

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is going to be a huge issue of the next decade” quence of more people going to universities. So when five per cent of people went to universities it was a very unusual thing. Now 35 to 40 per cent of people go to university and I personally think that’s a good thing, not a bad thing. “What you have to do is create the jobs for graduates. One in five graduates are currently doing a job which doesn’t require a graduate skill and so you’ve got to create those jobs. I think you’ve got to get the economy moving to be able to do that. “Secondly, you’ve got to have proper opportunities for people who don’t go to university. People used to think that vocational training and apprenticeships were all out of date, it’s all for the past, it’s all heavy manufacturing. It isn’t and people who thought that were wrong to think that. I think you’ve got to have proper career pathways for both sets of people.”

“ Above from left to right: Luke Slade, Sophie Gidley, Jenny Rathbone, Ed Miliband and Olly Smith our society, the way our economy works, not just to go back to business as usual. We have to aspire to something much, much better, something quite different. So, I actually think the boundaries are not blurred. I think that this time, of all times, there are big choices that can be made about what happens in the country and where the country goes.” With a whisper in our ears and

only crumbs of scone left, we were allowed one last question, which of course had to be focused on graduate unemployment. We know the worry surrounding our options after university. In a highly specialised society in which we have to study one specific degree, are we almost too highly educated where a degree alone is now simply not enough? “This is inevitably a conse-

British press hacking scandal brings into question the current effectiveness of the regulation of the British press. Mr Clarke argues that knee-jerk reactions for revenge on the press would be unwise. While he is correct, the PCC is far too inefficient at tackling breaches of conduct by newspapers. In most cases, papers are requested to publish an apology the length of a tiny column, but if the paper refuses, the PCC has no power to compel any compliance. Tabloids are ever so keen to declare business as usual, but the PCC’s lack of power is epitomised by the number of times newspapers can get away with making the same mistakes over and over without fear of further action, apologising for their errors with column inches which are in fact more insignificant than worthwhile. Starsuckers, a 2009 British investigative documentary also exposed illegal requests made by tabloids to access medical records of celeb-

rities, which the PCC failed to act against. The hacking scandal reflected on serious ethical problems of journalism. In American magazine Newsweek, a former News International executive outlined how Murdoch established a culture “where you do whatever it takes to get the story, take no prisoners, destroy the competition.” This encouragement of lawbreaking has seriously damaged the reputation of newspapers in the public eye, with Murdoch’s dominant ownership and influence of the press creating an effect of collateral damage. The Leveson Inquiry can be expected to establish some firm but fair proposals for an efficient and active regulatory body without the need for radical state intervention and encourage a greater willingness by the British press to hold power to account and expose any initial wrongdoing if it is to ever regain the trust of the British public.

You’ve got to say young people should not be unemployed for more than six months

But our point was that with the current state of the job market, people are forced to gain a higher education and to choose a specific pathway early on. However, this seems to cut off other choices because once you’re in that career’s slipstream and find that you can’t get a job, there are limited options. “Look, I think being a young person today holds huge opportunities. I think the issue of intergenera-

tional justice is going to be a huge issue of the next decade. In other words: what is this generation doing to make sure that life is fair for the generation coming up, so that you don’t end up with £9,000 tuition fees, no jobs, and unable to get on the housing ladder. “I think it’s a massive, massive challenge. I think, you know, the good news is that there are more opportunities than ever for young people. Even when I went to university 20 years ago I don’t think I would have thought about doing what people today think about doing, like going to the developing world for instance. I think the horizons have broadened massively, but the challenges are just as massive for this generation.” Interrupting his rather general answer we compelled him to specify. It’s all very well talking about the challenges that young people face but how do we actually address them?

What Twitter has to say about the Leveson Inquiry:

“Look, you’ve got to do two things. You’ve got to get the economy moving and generally getting the economy moving will help graduates. Secondly, you’ve got to say young people should not be unemployed for more than six months. “We have something called The Future Jobs Fund which helps graduates and non-graduates. A recent report came out about what it had done in creative industries and three-quarters of the people went on to get long-term jobs afterwards. You can’t accept young people, graduates and non-graduates, being unemployed. “You know, I’ve got this phrase, ‘the promise of Britain’, which is the idea that the next generation does better than the last and I think that is really under threat. That’s where politics comes in, that’s why politics does make a difference.”

Politics

Monday November 28 2011 • #gairrhydd • politics@gairrhydd.com

Paving a democratic future for Burma Anna Hickman Politics Reporter One year has passed since Burma’s military junta was dissolved and a civilian government installed. However, has this year of civilian rule made the progress the country so desperately needs? It seems a fully functioning democracy is unlikely to fall into place but there are signs, albeit small ones, that Burma is on its way to a better future. From 1962 to 2010 Burma suffered under military regime, becoming one of the least developed countries in the world. Key industries were controlled by military-run enterprises. Censorship became the hallmark of the government and covered not only the media and internet, but also poetry, films, criticism of the government, bad news, reports of natural disasters and even football defeats were closely edited. The armed forces in control of the borders were accused of perpetrating the black market trade of heroin. Yet this past year has seen many milestones indicative of Burma’s recovery and development since the end of the regime. Aung San Suu Kyi, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize and head of the National League for Democracy (NLD) has been released after spending nearly twenty years in detention because of her campaign to bring democracy to the country. In 1990, the NLD won the election by a landslide but were not allowed to take power. They boycotted the national elections in 2010, which did in fact see the end of the military regime, as Aung San Suu Kyi was banned from running and claimed they were bound to be a sham. There was doubt as to whether the NLD would re-register after this boycott, but on the November 18, the party agreed unanimously to re-join the political process for the as yet unscheduled by-elections, demonstrating their faith in the new leadership. Aung San Suu Kyi,

Above: Aung San Suu Kyi an international figure of peaceful protest has admitted that changes are being brought about.

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There are signs that Burma is on its way to a better future... changes are being brought about

Another major landmark has been a suspension of construction on the Myitsone Dam, despite active

protest from China. The proposal to build the dam at the confluence of the Irrawaddy and N’Mal River bought together scholars, conservationists and political activists, including Aung San Suu Kyi, in protest. The reservoir would have measured 296 square kilometres and destroyed a region renowned for its civil unrest, high biodiversity and susceptibility to natural disasters. Ninty per cent of the energy generated was destined for China. In halting the construction, the government has shown that their concerns go beyond receiving money and political support from the Chinese despite the cost to the

Burmese people. There have also been changes to the law, which, although subtle, proves that power is gradually being given back to the people. Legislation has been passed allowing the formation of labour unions, giving workers rights of international standards. Private education has been legalized and internet control and press censorship relaxed. Yet, civil unrest is still rife and the heroin trade still strong. The economy must be set right before trade can be boosted, wages raised and standard of living improved. It is also currently still flailing with an exceptionally low rate of

First Minister proposes Welsh Jobs Fund Political Editor Sophie Gidley looks into Labour's Welsh Jobs fund and examines Carwyn Jones' proposals amidst recent criticism

growth. The World Health Organization ranked Burma as 190th, the worst performing of all countries. However, the new government should still be given credit for the progress that Burma has made in the past year. It aimed for, and received, the chair of the Asian Summit in 2014, which it had been denied in 2006 on the basis of its human rights record. This gave credit to the government for the progress it had made and means Burma will receive the free trade area and it so desperately needs for its economy to finally improve.

s the entire nation struggles under the fragility of the current economic climate and public spending cuts mount, Carwyn Jones has recently announced a pledge to create more jobs for youth in Wales. With Welsh youth unemployment rising, the First Minister declared that Labour will help young people into employment through a new scheme titled The Welsh Jobs Fund. This scheme aims to create 4,000 new jobs a year for three years and promises to offer “a real job” to the hardest-hit young people who are struggling to find work. The programme will cost up to £25m a year and employment will last at least six months, paid at or above the minimum wage for 25 hours a week. It

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Treasury fails to address rising unemployment

Politics Reporter Hugh Rodger comments on how the government is taking on youth unemployment, staggering figures since 1996 and Labour's five-point plan response

nemployment has risen once more to a staggering 2.62 million, jumping to its highest rate since 1996 in the third quarter of the year following a “slow and painful contraction” in the jobs market. The figures from the Office for National Statistics revealed that young people have been hit particularly hard by this latest setback, as youth unemployment rose to a

is hoped that employers will then subsequently extend pay, hours and the length of contract. It is also hoped that these jobseekers will learn valuable skills and work habits that employers demand, as well as giving them confidence to pursue future employment. Commenting on his proposal, Mr Jones said, “What we want to do is fill the vacuum that’s been left by the Tories axing of the Future Jobs

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Unemployment has risen once more to a staggering 2.62 million Fund. We can’t afford to lose another generation to unemployment as we saw in the 1980s. We have to offer the young people of Wales hope in these difficult economic times. They need to know the Government is on their side.” The scheme has become possible following the council tax freeze in England, which has provided the Welsh Government with £39m. Mr Jones’ pledge followed recent

The programme will cost up to £25 million

record high of over one million. The report proves particularly embarrassing for Chancellor George Osborne’s deficit reduction plan which has struggled to overcome poor growth levels and rising unemployment, with no signs of short or medium term improvement. As a result, net borrowing levels are expected to increase to £412bn over the next few years, exceeding the four year total of £389bn forecast by the Office for Budget Responsibility for Alistair Darling’s plans during the last Labour government. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) polled over 1,000 private, public and voluntary organisations, revealing that many firms are anxious to increase their workforce adopted a ‘wait and see’ policy amidst ongoing global economic turmoil and the eurozone crisis. As a result, unemployment will inevitably rise. Long term results also proved bleak, with the outlook for next year predicting further loss of confidence. This comes as a further blow to the coalition government’s hopes that the private sector would soak up losses from public spending cuts. Mark Hoban, financial secretary to the Treasury, immediately responded by blaming the UK’s grim economic situation on the eurozone crisis. “The chilling effect of the eurozone casts a long shadow over our economy.” This proved to be an incredibly poor excuse, as Lord Oakeshott of the Liberal Democrats argued: “All economists know that unemployment is what we call a lagging indicator, and it’s been steadily on its way up and it’s not about the immediate eurozone crisis.” Liam Byrne, Labour’s shadow work and pensions secretary attacked the government’s deficit reduction policy. “The government’s econom-

criticism from other Welsh parties who claim that little is being done to ease the current troubles of unemployment. Statistics show that unemployment in Wales has risen drastically, reaching figures of 131,000, a 16,000 increase, and official figures place the unemployment rate at nine per cent. Of those aged 18-24 years, 27,200 are claiming support. This is an increase of 15% on last year. Criticism came from Welsh Lib Dem leader Kirsty Williams, who called for more spending on education, particularly for the least

A few organisations have made a start, with the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) suggesting a return to a jobs guarantee for the long term unemployed. The Centre for Economic and Social Inclusion have called for a subsidy costing £150 million to create 75,000 jobs for long term unemployed youth on the Work Programme, a “fundamental overhaul of the employment and skills system for 16-24 year olds” placing emphasis on maximising skills attainment and subsequent employment, and recommended a Universal Youth Credit to support

employment, education and training. These are some interesting and practical solutions the government must consider instead of clinging to the Work Programme which lets young people down because it is too monolithic and lacks the flexibility to handle so many different groups including youth unemployment, family breakdown, ex-offenders and incapacity benefit claimants. Labour has also drawn up a fivepoint plan in response to the dire unemployment figures. The party has suggested a £2bn tax on bankers’ bonuses to fund 100,000 jobs for young people to build 25,000 houses, a temporary cut in VAT to help high streets and families, a one year VAT cut to 5% on home improvement and a one year national insurance tax break for small businesses taking on more workers. Labour’s plan however, lacks bite, and comes off as simple short term gesturing. The £2bn bonus tax amounts to little more than peanuts, as the UK borrows this amount every four days. This £2bn will supposedly fund 25,000 homes, but companies would need to meet costs for things such as land use and materials while employing young people presumably unskilled in construction, and would have trouble making money to stay in business. The other points advocate more spending without any details of where the money would come from and how much it will all cost. The main political parties are all desperate to appear to be committed to reducing youth unemployment but with spending cuts, a global economic downturn and many more graduates leaving university to compete in a shrinking jobs market, it will take much more than soundbites and short term gestures to tackle this perfect storm of unemployment.

well-off pupils whilst Plaid Cymru leader Ieuan Wyn Jones said there was a danger young people could suffer the same fate as the "lost generation" who found themselves out of work in the 1980s and 90s. However, Wales alone is not the only one suffering as dismal figures are reflected across the UK. National unemployment has reached a 17-year high after 114,000 were added to official figures between June and August of this year, with the total of those unemployed estimated at 2.57m. Youth unemployment has similarly reached

a record high of 991,000, while the numbers claiming jobseeker's allowance increased for the seventh month in a row to 1.6m. Business and Enterprise Minister Edwina Hart stated, “Today's figures are extremely disappointing and reflect the unstable global economy. Whilst many of the macro economic levers are the responsibility of the UK government we are continuing to do all we can to support businesses in Wales." It seems that other parties who are keen to see immediate action take place have warmly welcomed the First Minister’s announcement. As long as Mr Jones follows through with his pledge then it not just the Welsh Parties, but most importantly the youth of Wales, who can hope for better prospects in the near future.

ic policies – spending cuts and tax rises that go too far, too fast – have choked off growth and led to record levels of unemployment, with youth unemployment soaring.” The instinct of blaming outside influence, which have not had time to even effect unemployment, shows a woeful lack of responsibility on the government’s part for the economy’s failure to provide any growth. Youth unemployment has always proved problematic and has never dipped below 500,000 since the 1970s. For Chris Grayling to refer to youth unemployment as a “mere distraction” is a slap in the face to the plight of demoralised graduates and school leavers failing to get onto the jobs ladder. With an everincreasing number of graduates competing for an ever-dwindling number of jobs, the government seriously needs to start coming up with some imaginative ideas to prevent more contractions in the market.

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Labour's plan lacks bite and comes off as short term gesturting

The youth unemployment rate is at 9 per cent

Politics

Monday November 28 2011 • #gairrhydd • politics@gairrhydd.com

The importance of being earnest Politics Reporter Rhiannon Davies examines the transition from Silvio Berlusconi to Mario Monti as Prime Minister of Italy's government and how much influence Berlusconi may still have

ollowing the resignation of deeply controversial and embattled Italian leader Silvio Berlusconi, Mario Monti has been sworn in as Prime Minister of Italy. He was invited by President Giorgio Napolitano to form a new government after new austerity measures were passed by both houses of parliament. Berlusconi had already lost his majority in the parliament and his leadership was widely regarded as an obstacle to Italian economic recovery. The passing of an austerity package agreed with the EU was the final blow to his leadership. However, there remains controversy over his resignation. Despite widely being regarded as a laughing stock abroad, Berlusconi has retained considerable number of supporters within Italy. It remains to be seen how stable or long-lasting the current government will prove to be. While Mario Monti has stated that he intends to stay in office until the scheduled elections in 2013, Berlusconi’s party have made it clear that once urgent reforms are passed, they wish to see the country return to the polls. The direction that Italy takes in the coming years will depend considerably on whether Monti’s government proves to be stable enough to implement the austerity measures.

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Monti is a well-respected economist, and his qualifications will prove highly necessary

Monti is supported by the head of the Christian Democrat Centre Union, Pier Ferdinando Casini, along with most of the centre-left parties. President Giorgio Napolitano has also been unusually assertive in his support of Mario Monti’s new government, describing the current economic situation in Italy as “ the moment of the test". He said, "the interest of the country is in broad support for the [Monti] government. It is the point on which all the political parties should come together.” However it is quite possible that Monti’s tenure will be brief. While his appointment was equally welcomed by the European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso and EU President Herman Van Rompuy, who issued a joint statement welcoming Mr Monti's appointment as "a further encouraging signal of the Italian authorities' determination to overcome the current crisis", there remains considerable opposition to him in Italy,

particularly from the right. A long tenureship would most probably be beneficial for Italy. Monti is a well-respected economist, and his qualifications will prove highly necessary now he is faced with the task of regaining the EU’s and investors' confidence in Italy’s ability to pay its 1.9 trillion euro public debts. He will have to build on the package of economic reforms and deficit-reduction measures passed on the day of Berlusconi’s resignation. Those reforms forsee 59.8 billion euros in savings, to be done via both spending cuts and tax rises. State property will be sold, there will be a freeze on public-sector salaries until 2014, and stringent new measures will be introduced to fight widespread tax evasion. The reforms seek to calm the panic that Italy may be forced to default, and have set out to ensure a balanced budget by 2014. The markets themselves responded cautiously to the change in leadership, with European financial markets slightly opening up and the euro rising against the dollar on Asian markets. The Italian treasury needs buyers for 200bn euro (£170bn) of the nation's debt by the end of April and Italy did manage to sell 3bn euros ($4.2bn, £2.6bn) of new five-year bonds on Monday, in what was widely regarded as the first test of Mr Monti's leadership. However, it had to pay more to borrow the money, a rate of 6.29%, a sour note for Mr. Monti that indicates a continuing unease in the financial sector. Yet, compared to Berlusconi, Monti commands considerably more confidence from investors. When Berlusconi delayed his expected departure from office, the interest rate on Italy's government bonds shot above 7%. No eurozone country has yet survived such a rate without requiring a bailout. It was this that was the ultimate blow to his leadership. Many Italians feel that the government is not equipped to solve a problem which they feel emanated from outside of Italy. Silvio Berlusconi captured this mood in his departing speech when he described Italy’s economic woes as “a crisis which wasn’t born in Italy, which wasn’t born because of our debts, which wasn’t born because of our banks and which wasn’t even born in Europe". He called for greater support for the euro currency saying that it needed a bank which could act as a lender of last resort. He said that the European Central Bank should be the guarantor of the euro. It remains to be seen whether there is the political will within Brussels to get this done. Berlusconi’s resignation will help Italy gain political credibility in the EU. He was notoriously beset

by repeated scandals, from allegations that he appointed women to cabinet positions on the basis of their appearance to suspected links with the Mafia. Concerns had also been voiced about the extent of his media empire, Mediaset, which owns three of seven state channels. He remained defiant, however, in the face of his resignation, saying in a speech addressed to the Italian people, “I would like to say something to all the people last night who were cheering at the news of my resignation, I would like to make clear that from tomorrow I

will double my efforts to renew Italy". Much speculation has greeted this last remark, as many had assumed that he would leave politics upon his resignation. His party, the Freedom People, has committed to choosing a new leader and Angelino Alfano, its current secretary, has been named by Berlusconi as the most likely candidate. Mr Alfano was formerly the youngest Minister for Justice in the history of the Italian Republic, a role he left on June 1 2001. Like his former boss, he has been the subject of allegations of links with

the Mafia. Daily newspaper La Republicca reported he had attended the wedding of the daughter of the suspected Mafia boss of Palma di Montechiaro, Croce Napoli. If appointed as party leader, he will arouse many of the fears of corruption that dogged Berlusconi. If he can wield a significant influence in parliament, it is feared he would seek to derail the implementation of reforms by the Monti government. An early election resulting in a victory for Alfano would likely prove disastrous for Italy’s chances of economic recovery.

Features

Monday November 28 2011 • #gairrhydd • features@gairrhydd.com

Sizing up a weighty issue In Features this week, Anna Raby gives us some top tips for beating the Freshers 15

n the U.S. the average freshman gains 15lbs in their first year at university; this has become known as the “freshman fifteen”. It is also not foreign to hear of UK students gaining weight and when putting the situation into perspective, it seems that weight gain is almost inevitable. University is a magical place for students; a new start to life, entering a new world with no one to tell them when to be home, when to wake up and most importantly, what to eat. Students become suddenly engulfed by the infinite choice of cheap takeaways and bargain booze deals just waiting to be consumed at their leisure. One hurdle to jump is choosing your waistline over convenience. For example, the concept of fast food becomes all too convenient: little effort, cheap and deliciously tempting (especially the morning after a night of drinking!) Another “convenience” is Chippy Alley: after a hard night of partying, what could be more rewarding than chips with cheese and a generous dollop of mayonnaise? Chocolate

and sweets also become hugely convenient when working hard on coursework or when carrying the stress of looming exam pressures. Furthermore, with limited space in shared cupboards, fridges and freezers and with fresh fruit and vegetables not only being expensive, but also just waiting to go mouldy, ready meals (sugary, calorific, salty ready meals) become the epitome of convenience. What is difficult, but essential, to remem-

ber is that these “conveniences” will eventually take their toll. You must resist temptation if you wish to leave university without looking like a Teletubbie. A major contributor to excess calories relates to a popular student pass time: drinking alcohol. Whether it is drinking a pint at the pub, having a glass of wine whilst catching up or ordering that extra shot

at the bar, it is a guarantee that you will lose pounds, but from your wallet, not your waist! A pint of guiness contains about 250 calories (equivalent to a burger) a 175ml glass of wine contains about 130 calories (equivalent to a slice of cake) and a spirit mixer contains about 150 calories. It would be ludicrous to eat 5 or 6 burgers or slices of cake, yet it becomes acceptable when in the form of an alcoholic beverage. Although alcohol does not contain fat, it does contain calories and the number of calories in alcohol is second only to that of fat. At 7 calories per gram, one beer a night can add up to an extra 1000 calories a week, resulting in a weight gain of about a pound a month. So, how can students sidestep the trap of excessive weight gain? Here are six tips of how to live as a modern, healthy student: 1) Less sugary or salty snacks. If you buy them, you will eat them. Save them for special occasions and even then, share them with friends. Not only will you be saving excess weight, but also money out of your pocket. 2) Go easy on cheese! It is easy to get into the habit of adding cheese to every meal, be it spaghetti bolognese or mashed potato, but a slice of cheddar cheese is about 130 calories, and those calories do add up. 3) Cut down on unnecessary late nights. Late nights are likely to result in eating snacks throughout the night and the lack of sleep will encourage an increased appetite the next day. 4) Avoid pizza. One may think they are satisfying all their bodily needs, cheese for your dairy intake, a vegetable option giving you your five a day along with the crusty base for your carbohydrates. But, in reality, pizza is renowned to be delicious yet devilish, so, again, save it for

special occasions. 5) Exercise. Do not limit it to walking backwards and forwards for lectures or to and from the pub. Activities like a football game, a tennis match or a zumba class three to four times a week will burn off fat, improve your metabolism and give the added bonus of extra endorphins that will boost your mood. Or you could simply go for a run. A run does not have to be boring or feel obligatory; take it as an opportunity to explore your city: take a

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You must resist temptation if you wish to leave university without looking like a Teletubbie.

route you have not been before and see where you end up. Joining sport societies is also a good way to exercise; whilst learning new skills and meeting new people, it is a fun way of achieving a healthy figure. 6) Think in terms of moderation. Nobody expects you to refuse drinks on a night out, nobody expects you to avoid Chippy Alley, nobody expects you to give up sugary or fatty foods at all costs, but moderation is key. All you can eat? Moderation. An open bar? Moderation! Tam Fry, of the National Obesity Forum says:"The best thing universities can do is set up gyms... They need to include things like yoga, tai chi and Pilates, and make people feel comfortable, and not like they are being dragooned into exercising… Cookery lessons and specially produced recipe books showing students who may be catering for

themselves for the first time how to prepare cheap, healthy meals would also help”. Universities have no legal duties to ensure their students maintain a healthy weight, but many do encourage it, for these healthy eating habits are, essentially, life skills. For example, at a university in Lincoln (Pennsylvania, USA), students were made to take mandatory body fat index tests and for those classified as obese, attendance to a healthy living class was obligatory. Most other universities do not take it this far, but they do promote and support healthy living. Bristol University has introduced a new programme called ‘Fit & Fabulous’ which gives talks from elite sportswomen and provides female students with self defence classes. At Anglia Ruskin University the ‘sports and wellbeing’ department provide a team who do “health MOTs” on campus. They also provide a 12 week ‘Slim and Trim’ programme involving a weekly weigh in, advice and support which helps students who want to lose Christmas weight. Loughborough runs a healthy living and weight loss club (free of charge) which, in its first semester, achieved its members losing an average of 2.5kg each. Overall, university is about gaining new friends, new experiences and (arguably most importantly) an education; weight should not be a primary concern, but it is important. Modern students do seem to be getting the hang of this “new healthy eating thing” and Anglia Ruskin’s president of the student’s union claims that over the past decade students are tending to be healthier. To end on a promising example: their all day and evening bar (which also served food) was, due to popular demand, converted into a gym.

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gair rhydd • Monday November 28 2011 • features@gairrhydd.com

Your Space.

Sport 36 - 40

Features21

We want to hear your stories: anything goes. Just drop us a line on features@gairrhydd.com. This week Anthony Gray talks about facing his demons and overcoming his stammer.

have had a stammer ever since I could speak. It has taken over my life in ways other people can never even begin to imagine. But what am I most afraid of ? What truly terrifies me? It’s probably telling people that I have a stammer and being seen as someone who is different. So here I go. Facing your fears is the only way to beat them. I’ll give you a brief insight into the frustrations I face as a person who stammers. When I was growing up, I was very covert with my stammer, meaning I avoided words and situations. This included substituting words, sometimes to such an extent that what I said made no sense at all. This meant I was generally perceived as a shy, timid and incompetent individual. Of course, this wasn’t the case at all; I longed to show people my true, outgoing, friendly personality. ‘If only I could talk like they do,’ I would tell myself.

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I longed to show people my true, outgoing, friendly personality

One example that stands out for me is when I was 11. It was an English lesson at school and we had all prepared presentations to give. My turn came around and I got up in front of everyone and blocked on my first sound. I coughed to cover it up, thinking people wouldn’t notice. I tried the word again blocked, and coughed again; and again; and again. This time I tried changing words. Lo and behold, the same thing happened. At this point I was

sweating and I could feel the tears coming. I indicated that I wanted to go get a drink of water to clear my throat. I then stayed in the toilets, hiding, for a good 40 minutes until the bell for lunch time came and saved me. Eleven years on and my stammer had evolved. I had grown up and now had the mentality of ‘if you’re not going to be patient and listen to me, then jog on.’ I didn’t care what people thought of me. I had become an overt stammerer. When I spoke I would attempt to push past the block. My face would tense up, my muscles would spasm and my mouth would make odd clicking noises while I tried to force a word out. I rarely avoided words, but I did avoid situations. I would go back to being covert when new people were around. My friends had to order my drinks for me in the pub, something I will be ever grateful for. Through my civil engineering degree, I palmed off my part in presentations to other members of the group. I was relatively comfortable with this situation. But I was coming to the end of my degree, how on earth could I do things like job interviews? I finally reached breaking point at Christmas 2010. As per standard, my Dad rang my Nana and had a little chat. He then passed the phone to my brother to continue the conversation. It would be my turn next. Familiar thoughts were rushing through my mind; ‘I can’t do this. There’s no way I can talk on the phone right now. I could walk out... I could pretend I need the toilet...I could...’ Too late; the phone came to me. ‘Hello Anthony,’ my Nana said sympathetically while I struggled to make any sound at all. I was trying to say ‘Hi,’ but nothing would come. Nothing but the familiar sound of my struggling vocal

chords. ‘How are you?’ Nana would move on to, in the hope that I could answer. I couldn’t. After a few failed attempts at ‘I’m good thanks,’ I gave up and thrust the phone back into my dad’s hand, then stormed off; an emotional wreck. I needed to get help with this. That was when I contacted the McGuire programme. It had been brought to my attention a few times before, with Channels 4’s Stuttering School, and also the work that Gareth Gates was doing to give the course more publicity. It was my last hope. In July 2011, I attended my first McGuire course at the Wynford Hotel in Cardiff. Four days of intense work that would change my life forever. After learning a new breathing technique and addressing the avoidance issues that had held me back for so many years, I was able to finally control my speech. The McGuire programme is run

by stammerers for stammerers. In this respect it is a unique style of speech therapy. Every course instructor, coach and graduate of the programme has been through the process themselves and has come out a stronger and more confident person. The programme does not provide a cure for stammering, but a method to control my speech. I am not aiming for fluency, I am striv-

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My face would tense up, my muscles would spasm and my mouth would make odd clicking noises

ing for eloquence. The effects that the four days had on me can be seen on YouTube, just type in ‘Anthony Gray McGuire DVD.’ Since the course I have done countless things that I would never have even dreamt of before. I’ve done several public speeches, in-

but I’ve met some amazing people who now mean the world to me. I hope to repay the McGuire programme back by becoming a coach and helping others to overcome their stammers. My speech, along with my confidence and self-belief, is continuously improving. There are eight different locations for the UK McGuire courses, with many more in Ireland and across the world. The next course in Cardiff will be from July 25 to July 29 2012.

There are 8 different locations for UK McGuire courses. The next course in Cardiff will be in July 2012

troduced myself to hundreds of people and ordered in bars and restaurants. I’m taking classes in Russian language at Cardiff's Lifelong Learning Centre and can’t wait to do the oral exam. Most importantly, I’ve spoken to my Nana numerous times on the phone! Not only that,

If you stammer, or if you know someone who stammers, then I strongly recommend looking into the McGuire programme. It has changed my life. You can find out more information on the website: http://www.mcguireprogramme. com/

Features

Monday November 28 2011 • #gairrhydd • features@gairrhydd.com

LGBT + phobia in universities

In this Features issue, Kate Boddington, the LGBT+ Officer argues bullying and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is rampant in an educational environment

e are all students and it is pretty evident that we’re a diverse bunch of people here for one aim: to study and gain qualifications, hopefully acquiring some life experience along the way. Yet why is it that in a place of education, learning and development that the retrograde attitude of LGBT+ phobia is still tolerated? A 2007 Stonewall report says that 65% of young lesbian, gay and bisexual people have experienced homophobic bullying, which is probably far more than most people realise. LGBT+ phobia is a term used to mean a range of negative attitudes towards LGBT+ people – those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or trans. This includes fear, hatred, prejudice, aversion and many other types of hostile behaviour. LGBT+ phobia can take different forms. From verbal abuse to assault, it all counts. It is more common to hear the term homophobia, meaning prejudice against gay people and lesbians but this term excludes biphobia: specific prejudice against bisexuals, and transphobia: hatred and prejudice of trans people. This article talks about LGBT+ phobia so all forms of prejudice are included and people are not marginalised. Whether you can see it or not, there is LGBT+ phobia in universities, including Cardiff. From the perspective of someone who has spent hours on the LGBT+ Association stand at Freshers’ Fair, it is easy to see the way that some students recoil when they see you’re on the stall with the rainbow flag. For those students who have to pluck up the courage to approach that stall, it’s the reaction of others that they are afraid of. Anyone who has heard homophobic comments will realise there is a stigma in language around being gay, and that can have a really negative effect

on people. Research published in the British Journal of Psychiatry in 2003 showed that discrimination and intolerance of gay people led to higher rates of mental anxiety and suicidal behaviour than in their straight counterparts.

object, such as ‘my computer’s being so gay!’ it still carries the same implications. Many people do consider language like this to be just banter, but it’s important to realise that not all students do. Considering that 92% of young

ised by their students. However, if the staff does address incidents of LGBT+ phobia then they are helping by teaching students an element of responsibility and respect, and not allowing offensive language

It concerns me that some people find it acceptable to use offensive language without regard to the consequences of their actions. Do those who openly use words like ‘gay’ and ‘dyke’ as offhand comments think of the way that they are appropriating language that is directly insulting towards a large sector of society? LGBT+ phobia is there: even if a comment is made in jest, it can still be offensive. If I were to ask people whether they had ever heard derogatory comments when in university, while people may feel uncomfortable implicating themselves, many would recognise the odd comment. Whether you see it as wrong or not, everyone’s heard ‘that’s so gay’ being used as an insult, and regardless of whether this comment is made directly to a person or about a person behind their back, it is still wrong. Even if the comment refers to an inanimate

lesbian, gay and bisexual people who reported bullying have experienced verbal abuse, it might become more obvious that comments can be upsetting. One thing that a lot of people may not realise is that you don’t have to be LGBT+ to be victimised by these comments. Anyone can be a bullied in a homophobic manner, whether those words are applicable to that person or not. In terms of where we see LGBT+ phobia within Cardiff, it is there in halls, but it is also there in the actual university itself. This environment should in theory be less tolerant of ignorance due to the presence of staff, however there are still offhand comments that can be offensive. Being victimised in an academic environment can really alienate students from their course, whether the perpetrators are aware they are causing distress or not. It is also an issue that staff members may be the targets of LGBT+ phobic comments and feel unable to combat this due to being victim-

to be perpetuated. However, LGBT+ phobia is a wider problem than just in our universities – it is rife within schools, often when children are too young to understand why their comments can be offensive. This attitude has pervaded our culture and it is frustrating – it is socially inacceptable to use racist comments, however unfortunately LGBT+ phobic, misogynistic and ableist remarks are all still a problem. The implications of the most common slur, ‘that’s so gay’, are that being gay is a bad thing. We need to question why and how that negative association has come about. Though LGBT+ people are reclaiming their identities in a liberatory fashion, people continue to appropriate these terms as negative. There is no reason why it is a bad thing to be gay, or bi, or trans, or a lesbian. Being able to accept your identity is very important to being happy, which is why we need to tackle the causes of LGBT+ phobia so that we can move beyond this. We need to take up ignorance and fear by tackling them through education. We need more educa-

tion around these issues, not just in our universities, but in schools as it is with childish playground bullying that LGBT+ phobia initially becomes a problem. People need to feel that they can stand up against insulting language – both if it is aimed at them, but also if it is aimed at others. Often those who are most vulnerable are least able to speak up for themselves due to fear, so it is vital that people who are not afraid to combat LGBT+ phobia do so whenever they see it. It is easy to make a difference. Stop using ‘gay’ as an insult. Ask other people why they continue to use this term when it is offensive to a lot of people. Call people out when their use of language offends you. We need to take an attitude in our university where we promote equality and inclusion as opposed to creating areas of exclusion and division. Let’s get beyond this. Homophobia means people feel unhappy with who they are because of other people's prejudice. It's when living your life becomes hard because of bullying or harassment. It can be snide comments or outright physical abuse. It's even the fear of doing something because of the reaction it might provoke - of being afraid to hold your partners' hand on a busy street because of the looks you might get. Hell, it's even saying "partner" when what you are really thinking is "boyfriend" or "girlfriend".’

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Monday November 28 2011 • #gairrhydd • features@gairrhydd.com

Sport 36 - 40

Features23

The immense power of Green

Rhiannon Davies discusses the 'Student Switch-Off' and how the most minimal of our contributions can help save energy and the world we live in

niversities all over the country are taking part in the Student Switch Off. An energy saving competition between halls of residence, it aims to spread awareness about energy saving tactics and promote environmental awareness. The Cardiff organisers offer prizes to students who post photos of themselves saving energy on their ‘Cardiff University Student Switch Off ’ Facebook page. On top of that the winning hall of residence gets an end of year party. So how successful is it? Well, disappointingly Cardiff University Switch Off is doing reasonably, but not spectacularly well. It currently has 500 'likes' on Facebook in comparison to York’s paltry 200, although Birmingham University is well and truly trouncing us with 700 likes.

Given that it rewards students with fortnightly prizes for saving money, you’d think it would be more popular! The switch off page offers useful energy (and cash) saving tips such as: 1) Switch off your lights and appliances when you're done using them 2) Put a lid on your saucepan when cooking 3) Put an extra layer on, not the heating 4) Don't over-fill the kettle It's not just the student switch off which is trying to incentivise students to save energy. Liberty Living, one of the largest private hall providers in the country, runs a

scheme that offers to donate £20,000 to struggling African schools if the electricity in its halls is used sufficiently sparingly.

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The Energy Secretary, last month called opponents of the plans “curmudgeons and fault-finders”, not a promising sign that he’s willing to engage with the issue!

All this is happening in the back drop of increased environmental awareness across the country and indeed globally. You may have noticed that you are now being charged for plastic bags in whichever supermarket you shop in. This is the result of a law passed by the Welsh Assembly aimed at improving the country’s green credentials. Meanwhile, across the pond, the Obama Administration have struck a deal with car-makers to raise fuel efficiency to an industry average of 35.5 miles to the gallon by 2016. This is the most significant government action to improve car fuel efficien-

cy in the USA since President Ford in 1975. Over in Brittany, La Rance Plant, a tidal barrage that harvests the energy of the tides, and converts it to energy for use on the national grid, has been in use since 1966. It generates 70 megawatts of power on average and has easily paid for itself. EDF, its owners say La Rance's tidal energy costs 0.20 per kilowatthour, which is less than the company's average cost for energy derived from power stations. Now it’s being mooted that one should be built in the Bay of Fundy, over on the east coast of Canada, home to the highest tides in the world. 100 billion tonnes of Atlantic seawater flow in and out of the 270-kilometer bay every single day, giving it the potential to generate 17,000 gigawatts of energy per year, according to World Energy Council estimates. However, a controversy has broken out amongst scientists and politicians over the use of wind farms. The U.K. has 3,421 turbines — 2,941 of them onshore — with another 4,500 to be built under government plans to improve Britain’s supply of renewable energy. The Duke of Edinburgh came under fire recently over comments that wind farms were “fairy tales” which did not work, however there are many scientists who agree. The problem is that unlike tidal barrages, they cannot generate energy all the time. Whilst the tides

of the sea are constant, wind is far more unpredictable. The argument is that because the wind farms cannot produce energy all the time, there still needs to be another energy source to back it up. There is also the fact that the National Grid was not designed to accommodate energy supply which could be so variable. Added to this, it has also proved necessary to turn wind turbines off during particularly windy weather after noise complaints from nearby residents. Some believe we should create “pump storage” schemes, which would use excess energy from wind power to pump water into reservoirs to generate further electricity in times of high demand and low supply. However others retort that this is too inefficient and costly. The cost has drawn particular attention after it emerged that the average electricity customer is paying £90 to subsidise the building of such farms; and that the work is being contracted to foreign companies, who are being paid to the tune of £500 million. Despite the debate, it looks as if the continued building is bound to go ahead. Chris Huhne, the Energy Secretary, last month called oppo-

nents of the plans “curmudgeons and fault-finders”. Not a promising sign that he’s willing to engage with the issue!

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Liberty Living runs a scheme that offers to donate £20,000 to struggling African schools if electricity is used sufficiently sparingly

Whatever the disputes over how Britain can better utilise renewable energy, it remains the case that we need to reduce our reliance on oil by cutting down on our consumption. Whilst the infrastructure for creating renewable sources of energy is a debate at a national level, cutting back ultimately starts with us. So get involved with the Student Switch off to earn yourself some prizes and do your bit to reduce the U.K.’s carbon footprint.

24Science

Monday November 28 2011 • #gairrhydd • science@gairrhydd.com

The rise of 'smartdrug' use to improve mental function Alexey Underwood Science Writer

A surprisingly high proportion of the population may be turning to pharmacological stimulants to enhance their cognitive functions, a joint survey carried out by New Scientist and the BBC's Newsnight has suggested. The online survey, anonymously completed by 761 people earlier this month, revealed that 38% of those asked had previously taken socalled 'smart drugs', of whom 92% said they would do it again, and nearly 40% had apparently bought the drugs online. In the light of these figures, gair rhydd examines the hotly debated issues surrounding the 'smart drug' phenomenon. Nootropic drugs, otherwise referred to as 'smart drugs' or 'brain steroids', are pharmocological products which serve to improve mental functions including memory, cognition, concentration, motivation and attention. These drugs exploded into public consciousness relatively recently you may perhaps be familiar with the concept if you have read Alan Glynn's The Dark Fields or have watched the film Limitless which it inspired, in which the protagonist takes an impossibly potent cognitive enhancer and is able to achieve seemingly superhuman levels of

intelligence, charisma and productivity. Although the concept is obscenely far-fetched when depicted on celluloid or the pages of a thriller novel, these drugs really do exist, and they really do work. In fact, only last month nootropic drugs were found to improve the mental abilities of sleep-deprived doctors in a study carried out by scientists from Imperial College London and the University of Cambridge, the results of which were published in the Annals of Surgery. The problem, however, is that in fact most, if not all, 'smart drugs' were never designed as cognitive enhancers for healthy individuals - but for sufferers of neurological disorders. Modafinil, a popular neuroenhancer, is usually prescribed to promote wakefulness in narcoleptics. Ritalin, another popular favourite, is normally prescribed to help ADHD sufferers concentrate. As such, very little is known about the side-effect profile of such drugs on healthy individuals. It is perhaps somewhat shortsighted to regularly enjoy the benefits of these drugs with absolutely no clue about what long-terms effects they may have on the healthy mind. Furthermore, not even the perceived beneficial effects of the drugs are known for sure; many users do indeed report improved academic results and cognitive en-

hancement – others, however, report to experience nothing but fruitless agitation and sleeplessness. 'Smart drugs' are well and truly stationed in the middle of a landmine-riddled moral no-man's land. Modafinil, for example, is illegal to supply without a prescription, but legal to purchase, possess and consume. Therefore, it is readily available to the internet-savvy public although it is vital to consider that many online pharmacies are subject to very little regulation, so customers can never be sure whether their purchases are truly genuine and safe to consume. Due to this, there is concern that a two-tier system could be created within academia and the workplace if the drugs entered widespread circulation, whereby wealthier individuals would be able to simply purchase intelligence, if you will, and gain superiority over their less fortunate peers. Would academic examinations test our natural mental capacity or the chemical prowess of pharmaceutical firms? Is there still a point to being intelligent at all, if available drugs exist which can level out individual differences? If everyone were to take these drugs, do the very principles of intelligence and competition become insignificant? Or should we welcome the possibility of reaching our true mental potential?

t n e m m o C “I don't see any problems with smart drugs, but I am disconcerted by the lack of research into the side-effects at the moment." David Hodson, Year 2 (Molecular Biology)

“People have always been able to purchase intelligence in one way or another, be it by hiring private tutors or buying the best text-books. This is no different, it is just a newer, more pharmacological manifestation of an ageold phenomenon.” Peter Stephens, Year 3 (Politics and International Relations)

“It is immoral and unfair if people knowingly take these drugs specifically to gain an academic advantage over others. The regulation of these drugs should be more tightly controlled; perhaps they shouldn't be so readily available.” Clair Sandilands, Year 3 (Social Policy and Criminology)

“Why should this be any different? We are constantly consuming neuroenhancers in one way or another anyway (caffeine and even fatty foods). Where do you draw the line?” Rachel Summons, Year 1 (Mechanical Engineering)

Study by Cardiff University scientists suggests brain regulation can help manage Parkinsons patients' symptoms Alexey Underwood Science Writer A potential new method for managing and alleviating the symptoms of Parkinson's disease may have been discovered by a team of scientists at Cardiff University, according to the results of a recent paper published in the Journal of Neuroscience. Although still in its infancy, a new technique involving an innovative application of fMRI neurofeedback has been found to lead to an improvement in the motor performance of patients suffering from Parkinsonism. Researchers from Cardiff University’s MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics & Genomics and School of Psychology placed patients into an fMRI scanner and showed them the real-time readings from the scanner. The patients were instructed to carry out a motor task – finger tapping – and their improvements in this task in response to the feedback and consequent selfregulation was measured. fMRI, or functional magnetic resonance imaging, revolves around the concept that oxygen-rich blood, when exposed to a strong magnetic field, resonates in a different manner to oxygen-poor blood. By exposing patients to a very

strong magnetic field, the fMRI scanner is able to pick up areas of the brain which are rich in oxygenated blood, and are therefore highly active. Furthermore, using this technique, it is also possible to quantify the degree of activity in a particular area of the brain.

“

It does have the potential to alter the course of motor symptoms and possibly reduce drug requirements in early disease

In the case of neurofeedback, the real-time data is fed back in graphical form to the patient in the scanner, who can try to modulate their mental state in response to the displayed activity in a target part of the brain. Neurofeedback has been previously used to manage emotional states in schizophrenics, and it has also been used in some clinical applications – but never as a way to enhance motor performance in Parkinson's patients. The trial was carried out on five

Above: In the UK, one in 500 people has Parkinsons, the majority aged over 50. Every hour, one person is diagnosed with the disease

Parkinson's patients. With this preliminary investigation showing promise, the inventive application of neurofeedback is currently undergoing larger-scale clinical trials. “We found that the five [Parkinson's] patients who received neurofeedback were able to increase activity in brain networks important for movements and that this intervention resulted in an overall improvement in motor speed – in this case, finger tapping”, explained Professor David Linden, leader of the study.

This neurofeedback procedure is thought to maximise the usefulness and versatility of the deficient neurones of the diseased brain, whilst being completely non-invasive and having no known side-effects. It is important to bear in mind that this experimental new technique will not have any drastic effects on the progression of the neurodegenerative disease, but it can perhaps slow it down slightly and alter its course. The psychological aspect of this treatment is also of crucial importance – it places the patients in a position of control, lending them an increased feeling of self-confidence, and teaches them a self-management technique that they can also use at home and outside of the hospital. Professor Linden stressed the importance of being aware of the study’s limitations: “We have to be clear: this research won’t stop the progression of the disease nor should it offer sufferers false hope – but, it does have the potential to alter the course of motor symptoms and possibly reduce drug requirements in early disease. “This may have the effect of delaying more severe motor complications and improve the quality of life of patients affected by Parkinson’s disease.”

Societies Listings News Opinion Politics Feature 1-6 9 - 12 14 - 18 20 - 23 Science 26 - 27 28 - 29 24 - 25

Sport 36 - 40

Monday November 28 2011 • #gairrhydd • science@gairrhydd.com

Science25

Do mutant genes control our urge to kill? Christina Tran investigates to what degree our biology controls our psychopathic tendencies and explains the science behind neurolaw

hat conflict boasts more ambiguity and perseverance than that between good and evil? It is the central theme in narratives both modern and archaic. We like to believe we are distinct from the animal kingdom by our possession of a moral conscience (indeed, the word ‘humanity’ defines both ‘humankind’ and the quality ‘altruism’), yet it is impossible to claim that we are all wholly benevolent. We consider psychopaths outcasts of society, a tarnish of humanity, anomalies of a race chiefly sympathetic in nature. However, scientific research is now beginning to challenge the definition of a psychopath. Genetic profiling and analysis of the brain’s electrical circuit has brought into question whether some of us are more biologically inclined to psychopathic tendencies than others. Is it possible, even morally appropriate, to claim that killers like Russel Williams hold little responsibility for their actions? Instead, could we claim that abnormalities of the brain trigger their brutality? At what point can we draw the line and appoint killers biologically responsible for their wrong-doings? A biological profile of the typical psychopath could help us track down murderers before they have the chance to kill- and warrant the actions of those who did.

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You can see glimmers of moral judgment even in the first year of life. Some sense of good and evil seems to be bred in the bones

If we consider the possibility that the behaviour of a typical psychopath is inherent, we must ask whether a sense of moral code is innate from birth. At six months, neonates can barely walk or even recognise their reflection in the mirror. According to psychologists, however, morality is inbuilt and the development of an ethical inclination occurs even before a baby starts to talk. The study into neonates at Yale University aims to reshape the general consensus that our moral code is entirely determined by nurture. Instead, it raises the question of whether our brains are hardwired into identifying good and evil by the beginning of birth. Babies at Yale University were presented with a puppet show show-

individual to aggressive and volatile behaviour, are those who rape and murder responsible for their actions, or do their psychopathic traits go beyond their control? And if we are able to distinguish a psychopath from their biological profile before they kill, must we do something to prevent triggering their volatile behaviour- or else will the responsibility of their actions fall on our own shoulders? Where do we draw the line between accountability and biological weakness? In other words, are they accountable for their actions or are they helpless at the control of their biology? Here lies the concept of ‘neurolaw’- the modern conception to implement neuroscience to defend the guilty in the courtroom.

“ Above: Could mutant genes bring out the Hannibal Lecter in you? Below: Russell Williams, convicted murderer described as a "walking Jekyll and Hyde" casing two characters with a good and a bad sense of morality. When a ball was given to both characters, the good toy gave the ball back whilst the bad toy ran away with it. Subsequent to the show, the babies were expected to pick between the two contrasting personas. Seventy per cent of neonates involved in the study chose the good puppet with 30% choosing the bad puppet. Is it therefore possible that the 30% have no innate moral code? It is possible that their inclination to choose the bad puppet owes to a preference of appearance and loss of interest (or attention) to the show itself. However, the 70% proportion is substantial enough to suggest that, as neonates, we are bred with an innate touch of ethical and empathic awareness. Professor Paul Bloom, who led the study suggests, “with the help of well designed experiments, you can see glimmers of moral judgment even in the first year of life. Some sense of good and evil seems to be bred in the bones.” Could our moral code be hardwired from the beginning of birth? Such an implication should be assessed with vigilance. It is still recognised, and should not be dismissed, that nurture plays a fundamental role in one’s perception of ethical rights; our moral understanding hinges on our upbringing and who decides for us what is right and what is wrong. Our biological profile is our secondary pivot, working with the notion of nurture to sway our behaviour toward good or evil.

Brain damage relating to the psychopathic profile manifests itself in two types of aggression- reactive (as a response mechanism to threat) and instrumental (directed with intention). The orbital frontal cortex is believed to regulate reactive aggression. Another area of the brain, the amygdala, acts as an emotional modulator, with the potential to be affected by both genes and the environment (e.g. maternal stress or drug abuse). The dysfunction of the amygdala is known to contribute to emotional impairment. In normal individuals, the impulses signalling aggression from the amygdala are inhibited. Our conscience and moral understanding, on the other hand, is derived from the functioning of our orbital cortex. Low activity in the orbital cortex manifests itself in the inclination toward psychopathic behaviour. With its dysfunction, impulse

control takes flight, amygdala-derived aggression takes over. To those without functioning amygdala, it alone acts as the director of aversive conditioning and passive avoidance learning - two forms of psychological learning which underpin our sense of moral awareness. Satisfaction from eating a meal, social interaction, reading a book or other activities is non-existent. For the rare few, this draws in the perverted pleasure to induce pain. A common theme emerges in the morphology of the brains of psychopathic killers: a functional loss in the orbital cortex and a dysfunction of the amygdala. Brain deformities are just one half of the story - the other being the ‘warrior gene’, Monoamine Oxidase A (MAO-A) is an enzyme known to cause the breakdown of prevalent neurotransmitters of the brain. The low activity form of this enzyme correlates to aggressive behaviour in many observational studies. The low-activity variant, furthermore, is apparent in twothirds of populations exposed to a history of warfare, for example. In a study at Brown University, individuals with the low-activity variant reported high levels of behavioural aggression, particularly when subjected to provocation. Yet it isn’t just our biological processes which determine our psychopathic tendencies. The environment around us acts as a trigger to relay these biological predispositions into action. If genetic make-up and brain dysfunction can predispose an

Where do we draw the line between accountability and biological weakness?

We have relied on the archaic notion of evil to define the aberrant behaviour of the volatile and the dangerous. We are slaves to the neuronal pathways of our brains - they control our behaviour, moral understanding and conscious thought. When neuronal activity takes a turn for the worse, abnormal behaviour is elicited. We must not forget, however, that the way in which we behave is founded foremost by our social context. There will always be the potential ‘Hannibal Lecter’ among us; the type whose brain patterns specific to the understanding of ethical parameters and virtue are in a state of sheer disorder. If this is the case, the concept of ‘free will’ is turned on its head; have we any free will, or are there considerable limitations to the notion? With the tools and technology to distinguish the psychopath before expression of their psychopathic behaviour, will we, and how will we, prevent criminality with valid conviction? We have the potential to enter the realms of Spielberg’s Minority Report - ‘Murder Can be Prevented. The Guilty Punished Before the Crime Committed.’

Societies

Monday November 28 2011 • #gairrhydd • societies@gairrhydd.com

In Profile: The Traffic Society

Isabelle Roberts Societies Editor What is Traffic? If, like me, you were wondering what Traffic actually is – and it turns out it’s nothing to do with red, amber or green stoplights or, in fact, anything to do with vehicles – then you’ll be pleased to learn that Traffic is Cardiff University's DJ and Clubbing Society. Traffic has been dedicated to providing an alternative and underground music scene to Cardiff students for many years. If you're bored of the regular Cardiff nightlife scene, then Traffic could well be for you – the society endeavour to carry on that festival vibe all year long by having monthly events, socials and trips to other cities on a quest for the best the club and festival scenes there are.

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The society endeavour to carry on that festival vibe all year long...

What does Traffic do? In the past year Traffic have booked acts such as Jazzsteppa, High Rankin, Ed Cox, Gentleman's Dub Club, Gypsy Unit, Squire of Gothos, Disco of Doom, Alejandro Toledo and the Magic Tombolinos, Vid Warren, Sleep When You’re Dead Crew and have been involved with other Cardiff music tycoons such as Aperture, CYNT and Signature. At each of these events our Traffic resident DJs hold their own and have really started to get noticed as credible artists around Cardiff. Why should you get involved? This year’s Traffic Society president, Hannah Davies, answers that “Traffic is one of the best ways to get involved with the music you love during your time

at Cardiff University. We work interactively with our members and our very own dedicated committee to host unique events – full of bass, beats and fancy dress (optional yet advised). You don't need to be a DJ or a music know-how. I know I'm certainly not, a passion for the underground music scene and a willingness to let your hair down once in a while is all that is needed. I personally met some of the best friends I've ever made through Traffic, because we share this common ground, and the after-parties definitely help. Obviously, going out is THE most important thing to think about at Uni, but if you're money-conscious, then maybe you should know that for just £2, Traffic membership you would receive the benefits of discount entry to all Traffic nights, including to some of Cardiff's best nights such as: Aperture, Signature, CYNT, CAI events, SugarDrop, OBEY and Hospitality. Furthermore, there is an exclusive 10% discount on all music and clothing at Catapult, plus a discretionary discount on DJ equipment on request. “We, here at Traffic HQ, are currently looking for new members to join TRAFFIC and therefore to join in our party, but at the same time we are looking for up and coming student DJs to play out at out events and potentially become residents for Traffic during their time at Uni. Send mixes or info into the Traffic facebook page (search ‘Traffic Cardiff ’)." What do Traffic have coming up? December 10 is the TRAFFICvsALLSORTS December 15 is the DRONEBOY event.

TRAFFICvsSIGNATUREvs-

For more information or to get involved, email trafficsoc@hotmail.co.uk or visit http://groups.cardiffstudents.com/traffic/about/

Mon 28 November Engine Society Social 8.30pm beginning in the Taf

Tue 29 November Fruit and Veg Co-Op

11.00am - 4.00pm 3rd Floor of SU (collect fruit and veg)

Tue 29 November Debating Society: Occupy Cardiff ?

7.00pm - 9.00pm Large Shandon Lecture Theatre

Thu 01 - Sat 03 December

Act One Pantomine 7.00pm Great Hall

Thu 01 December

WildSoc talk on Brown Hares 7.30pm Wallace Lecture Theatre

Sat 03 December

WEMS - Gorge Walking 8.00am - South Wales

Sun 04 December Scout and Guide Society Social

8.30pm Cocktail Evening

In other news... SKIP Cardiff is a student led, non-profit, registered charity, which for the last 12 years has been sending out Cardiff Students to volunteer in orphanages in Belarus. SKIP Cardiff is holding a fundraising event - Mulled Wine and Mince Pie Night - on December 2 at Pretence, 83 Whitchurch Road, 7pm. They are raising money to fund Teacher's wages for the next year. For more information or to found out about any other SKIP projects please visit www.skipkids.org.uk or email Skipcardiff@googlemail.com.

Sun 04 December

Jazz Society Social Time tbc at Cafe Jazz

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

Listings News Opinion Politics Feature Science 24 - 25 Societies 28 - 29 1-6 9 - 12 14 - 18 20 - 23 26 - 27

Monday November 28 2011 • #gairrhydd • societies@gairrhydd.com

Sport 36 - 40

Societies27

The Composition Performance Society present…

Rambo: The Opera

Isabelle Roberts Societies Editor ‘Yes, it really is happening’ was the slogan on the first posters for this event. I don’t think anyone believed it was possible, but for one night only it really is happening: the Composition Performance Society is staging a two-and-a-half-hour opera entirely composed by two undergraduate students – Martin Humphries and David Roche – about Rambo. Yes, you did read that right. I remember thinking ‘Rambo? Why Rambo?’ so I posed this question to them. “That’s part of the fun,” David replied. “The contrast between the action-hero stereotype and the high-art of opera is ludicrous. It makes the opera very funny.” So are you using all the Rambo films? “We swiftly realised there were no women in the first Rambo film, so we took the second Rambo film and made it a prequel and we used the only female from that for all the arias and ballets. The films have been quite mixed up, but the result is comic.” By now I was thinking that it sounded like a parody, or a pantomime, made into opera and this was soon backed up. “The ballet sections are interesting. They are ballets…or, well, they fulfil the function of ballets,” David said enigmatically. It is, however, a proper opera: solid music for two-and-a-halfhours and two intervals as well. The opera contains 13 principal singers, a chorus of 20 singers, has a 35-piece orchestra and involves three ballet sections. “The music students were none too pleased,” Martin commented wryly – “we’ve accosted most of them to perform. The sheer size of this is ridiculous. We have lots of societies involved – the Jazz Society, Big Band, Expression Dance, Windband, Brass Band, String Orchestra, TCUPS and so on. When we began no-one thought it could be done, but I think we wanted to show that it could be.” Surely, I asked, it must be difficult getting that many students together to rehearse? The answer was yes. Rehearsal is limited, but involves a lot of weekends and sessions of up to eight hours. Rehearsal has gone on for five weeks at the moment, meaning only two months of rehearsal before the live performance. “Yes, but everyone is adept at their instruments,” Martin reminded me. “We know a lot of them as well,

and part of the fun of rehearsal is that we know the people we have written the parts for.” By now I was wondering if David and Martin were truly mad. “It has been physically ruining,” David laughed, “but entirely worth it. The problem is that we not only co-wrote, but also co-produced, staged and conducted. We didn’t give ourselves a lot of time either.” I asked why they wanted to put on an opera, and when they decided to do so. “We planned this idea in April,” Martin explained, “and we booked the concert hall so we had no way to back out of the idea. However, when we came back from summer we realised we had only written about 20 minutes each, but we told each other we had done far more. Thinking we had to catch up with one another we each wrote our sections of the opera in about six weeks.” Was it not odd, having two composers on one opera? “Perhaps, but our music tastes are similar and the parts gel together really well. Opera is easy compared to other compositions. It’s loud, there are big bangs and there is sad music. It’s less tricky than more subtle, instrumental music.” If you say so, Martin. “Honestly. We have counter-tenor villains (high voices) and it’s all been a bit of geeky fun. The costumes go ridiculous in the second act too because we have Rambo remembering things, so it becomes quite exaggerated through his memory like a dream sequence from a film. For example, a soldier goes from having a few medals to being covered in them. The hats get bigger.” And all of this with a budget of £200. Impressive. Convince me to go then, I said. “I don’t think I’m overblowing it to say that this is the best music anyone has ever written in the history of mankind,” joked David. "Martin and David certainly have a very humorous attitude, and I can imagine the opera is really very funny. “We both refused to write in anything but a quill,” David continued, but admitted that “we have had to stop rehearsal because everyone has been laughing too much.” So what do you hope to achieve, then? Attention for the Composition Performance Society? “It’s a new society so we wanted to start off big. However, the main aim of the society is to facilitate the recording of undergraduate composition. It would be useful for applications, interviews and so on.” Tickets are going fast. It’s such an amazing, crazy thing to do, I’m not surprised and with a venue that is capped at 220

seats (and that same venue booked up till after Christmas), this is a one-night-only extravaganza. Would you do another? They look at one another warily. “It might be possible to restage this summer, if there was enough interest, and if people were willing to perform again,” Martin said. But do another? Only time will tell. Rambo: The Opera, is being staged by the Cardiff University Student Composition Performance Society on December 9 in the Cardiff University Concert Hall at 6.00pm. All profits from the performance are going to charity. To reserve tickets (£3 for students; £5 for non-students) email HumphriesMT@ cardiff.ac.uk

Are you: Putting on a play? Playing in a concert? Hosting an event? Doing a workshop? Raising money for charity? Going on a trip? Then write about it! Email: societies@gairrhydd.com If you would like to join a society, or see a full list of opportunities, visit: http://groups.cardiffstudents.com/societies/home

Listings

An Insight To Winter Wonderland gair rhydd contributor Shavy Malhotra checked out The Winter Wonderland this week

Monday 28th

Monday November 28 2011 • #gairrhydd • listings@gairrhydd.com

Tuesday

Wednesday

29th

30th

Club Exchange

Ice Rink

Richard Parks- Special Lecture Micheal Griffiths Building, Heath Park Campus, 6:30pm, Free

Ex-Welsh rugby star Richard Parks, gives a guest lecture at the Heath this Monday to talk about his time as a Cardiff Dentist student, and of his outstanding efforts to contribute to cancer research. In 2010, Richard became the first person in the world to scale each continent’s highest peak and stand on both poles (the North Pole, South Pole & summit of Everest) within the same calendar year. Having played for his country, battled frostbite on Everest, and raised the Welsh flag upon Kilimanjaro, Richard has already achieved more than most of us will in a lifetime, so take up this opportunity to listen and speak to a truly inspirational man.

Winter Wonderland is sure to attract a lot of visitors with its traditional ‘Admiral Open Air Ice Rink,' offering opportunities to pro skaters as well as amateurs. Don’t forget to reach the rink half an hour prior to the session time to gear up with shoes and skates. Entertainment

Piff the Magic Dragon + The Pyjama men Glee Club 10:00pm-2:00am, £3.00

Piff the Magic Dragon, as seen on ITV's Penn & Teller: Fool Us, is an award-winning stand-up act in a league of his own. Combining stunning magic, delightfully deadpan humour and a penchant for princesses, Piff has dazzled audiences across the country everywhere.

Pokersoc Poker nights at the Union The Kitchen, 7:00pm, £5.00

Get your Poker face on and join in with the weekly night of gambling antics in the Students' Union this Tuesday. With an average turnout of over 30 people and plenty of cash prizes available, it provides a competitive night out and a chance to hone your skills for the big time!

There is plenty to keep people of all ages entertained, including classic fairground games, and a visit from Bjorn the Polar bear on Dec 4. The newly designed Ice café is perfect for relaxing inbetween attractions with a vast menu and plenty of hot drinks on offer.

The icing on the Wonderland cake is the ultra-adventurous BT Infinity Star Ride. The BT Infinity is a 60m high spinning chair ride, captivating the visitors with thrilling views of Cardiff City. Opened by Gareth Bale two weeks ago it's not for those afraid of heights!!!!

The Game, real name Jayceon Taylor, a California rapper was attacked in his home in 2001 and shot five times; he survived a three-day coma and decided on a career in music His 2005 debut album, The Documentary, entered the charts at No. 1, selling 600,000 copies in its first week alone earning two Grammy nominations in the process. With the cancellation of Club Exchange, Solus pays host to a massively successful talent and any fans of Ice Cube or Dr Dre will find themselves at home with what The Game offers.

Solus, 10:00pm-2:00am, £3.00

The Lash continues it's tradition of providing the Union with bizarre themed nights, and this Wednesday is no different with the Cirque du SoLash special. Expect to see Clowns looking dodgy, Tigers jumping through fire and baby Elephants walking tightropes.... possibly. In the unlikely event that such acts fail to attend, then you can occupy yourself with the usual mash up of popular music, R+B and perhaps even a dirty bit of dubstep whilst you drink away your student loan. DJ Scott Kirby will be in charge of providing the top quality audio entertainment. However, if you prefer the soothing melodies of cats screaming, there is always the Singstar room next door. * If you like to cake on the make-up, which lets face it, many of you do, then arrive early to receive your free face paint courtesy of The Lash so you can scare off all the drunken louts.

Addictive Wednesdays- Frankie Cocozza

The Game (R.E.D Tour) Solus, 7:00pm, £22.50

Main Attraction Infinity Star Ride

The Lash- Cirque Du So-Lash

Oceana 10:00pm-3am, £4.00

Life Drawing Cardiff Arts Institute 7:00pm- 8:30pm, £5.00

For something completely different, attend the Cardiff Arts Institute to take part in life drawing classes. Whether you are a novice or an expert, all abilities are welcomed, but be warned if you are uneasy around nudity, as it will involve a fair amount of it.

If you're an X-Factor fan then I guess that you will have some view on Frankie Cocozza, and his numerous scandals on the program this year. Whatever your stance, you can catch him at Oceana this Wednesday for a live set, meet and greet and if you're lucky maybe a photograph with the most controversial figure from the series. You may even get to join Frankie in the VIP area, although I would imagine some would be more enthused about this prospect than others. All advanced ticket holders get a free Vodka and Red Bull on entry, Jagerbombs start at £2 with six shots available for £6.

SCAN

Listings Editor Gareth Johnston

ME @ GRlistings

Cardiff Student Media

News Opinion Politics Feature Science Societies Listings 9 - 12 24 - 25 26 - 27 1-6 14 - 18 20 - 23 28 - 29

Sport 36 - 40

Listings 29

Monday November 28 2011 • #gairrhydd • listings@gairrhydd.com

Thursday

Friday

1st

2nd

Saturday 3rd

Sunday 4th

Capital FM Cardiff Santa Jog

Ace Freshley (Kiss lead Guitarist) Coal Exchange, 7:00pm, £20.00

The man responsible for strumming the chords to all the Kiss classics comes to the Coal Exchange, to perform a selection of songs from both his band and solo career. An absolute must for rock fans, considering the opportunity to meet and chat with Ace after the show to talk about his various experiences in the industry.

Castle Mews, Bute Park, 10:30am, £12.00

Smack presents Magnetic Man's Benga Sodabar, 9:00pm-3:00am, £5.00

Dubstep Phenomenon Benga, part of the massively successful trio "Magnetic Man" stops off at w Sodabar for one night only. If glossy, The Only way is Essex styled nightclubs are your thing then SodaBar offers the perfect combination of cheap drinks and vanity obsessed punters. That aside, it promises to be an electric experience that is well worth the money.

Act One presents King Arthur and The Lads of the Round Table Great Hall, 19:00, £5.00

As ever, Act One’s annual Christmas Pantomime promises to be a hilarious evening of entertainment, taking a traditional, well respected legend, turning it on it’s head and giving it a modern and sexy twist. Anyone who enjoys student orientated banter, catchy songs with silly lyrics, and the opportunity to get drunk and shout at the performing actors, this is for you. Anyone else… you might want to stay in with the X-Factor this holiday…

Capital FM has organised a Santa fun run in Bute park to raise money and awarness for the British Heart Foundation. Everyone is welcome to participate, and the best dressed Santa will recieve a prize on the day. To participate in the Santa madness and contribute to a worthwhile cause, arrive before 10:00am to register.

I Am The Avalanche Clwb Ifor Bach , 19:30pm, £10.00

Justice for the 96 in aid of the Hillsborough justice campaign

BoomBox Solus , 9:30pm-2:00am, £3

Solus, 7:00pm, £17.50

Solus, 9:30pm-2:00am, £4.00

In 1989, Liverpool football club suffered one of the biggest tragedies in the history of football, as 96 supporters and fans were killed in the Hillsborough disaster. Many feel that justice has still not been served, so the likes of The Clash, Mick Jones and The Farm will be performing in a star studded line up. An absolute must for Liverpool fans.

Boombox has, of late, been struggling a bit , but with cheap drinks, great music and glowsticks galore, it is somewhat difficult to see why. Considering the fickle nature of Cardiff students clubbing habits, it won't be long before its packed to the rafters once more again. Killer Tom, as always provides the music, with the usual of free bottled water and a wide selection of post booze grub dished up in the Taf.

For Tickets to All SU Events

Box office

Comeplay

Telephone: 029 2078 1400

Visit : www.shop.cardiffstudents.com

Just your standard Comeplay, i.e the best alternative Cardiff city centre on a Saturday night. Guaranteed to be packed and blaring out music so loud that you can't hear yourself scream, there's enough to justify the ridiculously long queues on the steps of the union. Ensure you have your ID ready and waiting, to make the mundane process of entry that much quicker.

Millenium Stadium Tickets: 08442 777 888 Millenium Centre: 029 2063 6464 New Theatre: 029 2087 8889 St David's Hall box office: 029 2087 8444 Motorpoint Arena: 029 2022 4488 Swalec Cricket Stadium: 029 2041 9315

A second-generation post-hardcore act, I Am the Avalanche, features members of several earlier emo and screamo outfits. I Am the Avalanche was — unsurprisingly, for w an emo band — first inspired by a bad breakup. After writing a number of songs about failed relationships, they moved on to create a more diverse style and have enjoyed a steady rise into public awareness. Having opened for Paramore recently, IATA will be playing tracks from their latest and crticially acclaimed album Avalanche United.

Winter Wonderland: 029 2087 2965 Revolution: 02920 236689 Live Lounge: 029 2132 8159 Walkabout: 029 20 727 930 Metros: 029 2039 9939 Cardiff Blues Tickets 0845 345 1400

News Opinion Politics Feature Science Societies Listings 9 - 12 1-6 14 - 18 20 - 23 24 - 25 26 - 27 28 - 29

Sport 36 - 40

Puzzles31

sudoku.

Monday November 28 2011 • #gairrhydd • editor@gairrhydd.com

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 a nine-letter word. Can you do better?

100 Doors You have 100 doors in a row that are all initially closed. You make 100 passes along the doors starting with the first door. The first time through you visit every door and change the state of the door (if the door is closed, you open it; if its open, you close it). The second time you only visit every 2nd door (door #2, #4, #6 ...). the third time, every 3rd door (door #3, #6, #9 ...), etc, until you only visit the 100th door.

T E

Which doors are open after the 100th pass?

Rhys's riddles.

E A P

N L

H S

answers.

Step 5 – Time 9ß The 7 minute timer stops giving 9 minutes Step 4 – Time 8 The 4 minute timer stops, flip over the 7 minute timer Step 3 – Time 7 1 minute left on 4 minute timer, Flip over the 7 minute timer Step 2 – Time 4 Flip 4 minute timer over Step 1 – Time 0 Turn both timers over

EASY

INTERMEDIATE

CHALLENGING

9 Minutes (last week)

Riddle answer.

32Taf-od ‘Llusgo enw da Kate Roberts drwy’r baw…’

Monday November 28 2011 • #gairrhydd • tafod@gairrhydd.com

Non Mererid Jones Taf-od

Ar ddydd Iau Tachwedd 18fed, cyhoeddwyd cofiant hynod ddadlennol Alan Llwyd sy’n datgelu ffeithiau syfrdanol am ‘Frenhines ein Llên’ - y cofiant llawn cyntaf ar fywyd a gwaith Kate Roberts. Yn ogystal â hyn, darlledwyd rhaglen deledu yn trafod y cofiant ar ddydd Sul, Tachwedd 20fed. Yn y rhaglen hon canolbwyntiodd Ffion Hague ac Alan Llwyd ar drafod cyfunrywioldeb Kate Roberts, ac yn amlwg, fel y gallwch ddychmygu, dechreuodd

rhai Cymry ‘traddodiadol’ gwyno a swnian fod Alan Llwyd, a’r cyfryngau yn ‘stwffio’r busnes gays ma lawr gyddfa bobol’ (gweler ‘A oedd Kate Roberts yn hoyw?’ – gwefan Golwg360). Nid ‘baeddu’ bri Kate Roberts a chreu ‘sgandal’ yn ei chylch yw nod Alan Llwyd wrth awgrymu ei bod yn gyfunrhywiol. Y mae’n drueni bod rhai yn credu mai ‘cyhuddiadau’ afiach yw ei honiadau ynghylch rhywioldeb Kate. Edrychwn ar y sylwadau dan yr erthygl ar wefan Golwg360; y mae cynnwys rhai o’r

Kate Roberts: Mae cryn drafod wedi bod yn dilyn datguddiadau am rywioldeb un o lenorion mwyaf Cymru

sylwadau ar y wefan yn erchyll, er enghraifft: ‘Dyma ni unwaith eto, llusgo enw da drwy’r baw. Does dim tamed o dystiolaeth bod kate yn hoyw, a dyle fod cywilydd ar Alan Llwyd i cyhuddo hi o’r fath beth, wedi colli parch mawr tuag ato – bobol bach, be nesaf – Cynan, Waldo a Twm o’r Nant, Morcambe a Wise, Laurel a Hardy yn pansies hefyd. Neno’r tad mae’n amser stopio y fath rwtsh sbeitlyd a PC nonsens ma. STOPIWCH TAFLU BAW!’ (sic). Mae’n amlwg mai ym 1911, ac nid 2011, y mae’r penboethyn hwn yn byw. Cysyllta gyfunrhywiolaeth â brytni, sy’n hollol anfaddeuol, ac yn amlwg cred mai sothach yw’r drafodaeth am rywioldeb Kate. Y mae’r Cymro rhagfarnllyd, hen-ffasiwn hwn yn ymgorffori’r hyn a yrrai Gymry cyfunrhywiol o’u gwlad i ddinasoedd Lloegr i chwilio am ddihangfa a diogelwch rhag y culni piwritanaidd Cymreig. Fodd bynnag, y mae’n braf gweld fod y mwyafrif o’r unigolion a ddefnyddia’r wefan wedi’u ffieiddio gan y sylwadau rhagfarnllyd. Yn bersonol, yr wyf yn synnu nad oes ymchwil wedi bod cyn heddiw i rywioldeb Kate Roberts. Pam briododd Kate ddyn hoyw, er enghraifft, a hithau’n ymwybodol o’i rywioldeb? Y mae’n hawdd cynnig fod Morris wedi priodi Kate er mwyn ceisio celu ei gyfunrywioldeb. Rhoddai’r briodas ddiogelwch

iddo ef rhag y gymdeithas ragfarnllyd, heterorywiol-ganolog, ond beth a gynigiai’r briodas i Kate? Yn ogystal, ni cheir unrhyw sôn am ryw heterorywiol yng ngweithiau Kate. I fod yn deg, ni cheir unrhyw fath o gyfeiriadaeth rhywiol yn ei straeon o gwbl. Fodd bynnag, ceir ysgrifennu synhwyrus iawn, er enghraifft wrth iddi ddisgrifio pryd a gwedd merched, eu dillad ayyb. Hefyd, sylwer mai’r merched sydd drechaf yn ei straeon, a rhoddai fwy o sylw i gyfeillgarwch rhwng merched nag i berthynas rhwng gwr a gwraig mewn rhai o’i gweithiau. Wrth gwrs, sylwadau byrbwyll, arwynebol iawn yw’r rhain gennyf. Fodd bynnag, wrth i ni fynd ati i ailddarllen gweithiau Kate, yr wyf yn sicr y down ar draws mwy o elfennau hoyw yn ei gweithiau. Y mae sawl un yn dadlau nad oes gan Alan Llwyd ddigon o dystiolaeth gadarn i gefnogi’r honiad fod Kate yn gyfunrhywiol. Credaf fod y bobl hyn angen sylweddoli y bu rhaid iddo, fel cofiannydd, dyllu a thyrchu a chwilio ac ymchwilio a darllen; mynd trwy llythyrau, ysgrifau, cyfrolau a llyfrau dirifedi â chrib mân er mwyn ysgrifennu cofiant llawn a gonest am Kate. Nid darlleniadau a dehongliadau personol o’i gweithiau yn unig yw sail honiadau Alan Llwyd ynglyn â rhywioldeb Kate. Daeth ar draws un llythyr arwyddocaol wrth ei waith un diwrnod sydd i’w weld yn

cadarnhau cyfunrhywiolaeth Kate. Ysgrifennodd Kate lythyr personol at Morris tua deufis ar ôl iddynt gyfarfod am y tro cyntaf ac yn y llythyr hwn disgrifia ei arhosiad ym Mhontardawe gyda cigydd a’i wraig. Disgrifia harddwch gwraig y cigydd cyn mynd ati i’w disgrifio’n rhoi ‘clamp o gusan ar fy ngwefus. Nid oedd dim a roes mwy o bleser i mi...’. Yn wir, gellir dadlau mai lled-ffantasi oedd cynnwys y llythyr hwn. Serch hynny, hyd yn oed os na ddigwyddodd y gusan, y mae chwantau cyfunrhywiol Kate yn amlwg. Nid ar chwarae bach yr awgrymodd Alan Llwyd fod Kate yn gyfunrhywiol. Pwnc personol a sensitif yw rhywioldeb, ac er bod rhai pobl biwritanaidd yn hoffi meddwl eu bod yn medru ymwahanu oddi wrth eu rhywioldeb, y mae cyfeiriadedd a hunaniaeth rywiol yn rhan annatod o unigolyn. Yr oedd yn iawn ac yn gyfiawn i Alan Llwyd a Ffion Hague ganolbwyntio ar rywioldeb Kate Roberts am hanner awr gyfan ar y teledu. Y mae darganfyddiad Alan Llwyd ynghylch rhywioldeb Kate yn taflu goleuni newydd ar ei straeon. Yn wahanol i ambell un rhagfarnllyd ar wefan Golwg360, credaf fod angen ‘stwffio’r busnes gays ma lawr gyddfa bobol’ a thrafod rhywioldeb yn aeddfed ac agored os yw’n cynnig persbectif newydd ar weithiau un o lenorion mwyaf Cymru’r ugeinfed ganrif.

Nadolig Llawen? Elliw Mair Taf-od

Cyn i bobl feddwl taw fi yw’r Grinch, hoffwn esbonio taw'r Nadolig heb unrhyw amheuaeth yw amser gorau’r flwyddyn i mi gyda’r mins peis, carolau, goleuadau, anrhegion, toffee nut lattee yn Starbucks. Mae’r rhestr yn ddiddiwedd. Fe allwn yn ddigon hawdd ysgrifennu papur newydd cyfan yn rhestru’r rhesymau rwyf yn caru’r Nadolig. Ond eleni, mae ychydig o bethau wedi fy nghorddi ac rwyf wedi llunio rhestr o bump peth sydd wedi fy ngwylltio dros Nadolig 2011: 1. Ychydig o ddyddiau yn ôl roeddwn yn darllen ar y we am ddyn digartref, Gary Cooper, sydd wedi bod yn byw mewn lloches bws ers dros dair wythnos yn ardal Penarth. Penderfynodd Gary addurno ei loches gydag addurniadau Nadolig (gweler y llun ar y dde) a pham lai gan ei bod hi'n Nadolig wedi’r cwbl. Ond mae trigolion Penarth wedi anfon cymaint o gwynion at y cynghorydd lleol am ei fod yn creu niwsans drwy roi yr addurniadau i fyny, nes bod yr heddlu wedi cael eu galw i dynnu'r addurniadau i lawr. Yn amlwg, nid oes llawer o hwyl Nadoligaidd yn

perthyn i bobl Penarth. Gadewch y dyn i fod, gwnaeth darn o dinsel byth ddolur i neb. 2. Siopau Cardiau Caerdydd Rydych chi ddinasyddion Cymraeg Caerdydd siwr o fod yn gwybod yn iawn faint o broblem yw dod o hyd i garden pen-blwydd Cymraeg i’ch mam ac nid wyf yn credu bod siopau Caerdydd erioed wedi clywed am Santes Dwynwen, ond dros y Nadolig mae siopau cardiau Caerdydd yn mynd yn waeth. Fel cyn weithiwr yn y siop Cardiau Clintons, rwy’n llygad dyst i’r hyn sydd yn digwydd yn y siop dros Nadolig. Mae’r nifer o gardiau Cymraeg sydd yna drwy’r flwyddyn yn warthus beth bynnag ond dros y Nadolig, er mwyn gwneud lle i’r cardiau Nadoligaidd, maent yn symud y cardiau Cymraeg i gefn y stafell stoc ac felly nid ydynt ar werth i’r cyhoedd. Efallai y byddwn yn medru dod o hyd i le yn fy nghalon i’w maddau os byddant yn gwerthu cardiau Nadolig Cymraeg, ond na, nid oes un cerdyn Nadolig Cymraeg yn Clintons, a’r hyn sydd yn gwneud y sefyllfa yn fwy chwerthinllyd yw pan oeddwn yn gweithio yno llynedd, roedd yn bosib prynu carden Nadolig i’r ci! Roedd rhyw fath o asgwrn mewn amlen ac roedd y ci yn medru ei agor neu rywbeth gwirion fel yna.

Yn amlwg mae cwn yn bwysicach na’r Gymraeg i Clintons. 3. Siopau - Wel un siop yn fwy na’i gilydd, Primark. Rwy’n teimlo fel sardîn mewn tin yn Primark ar unrhyw ddydd Sadwrn cyffredin, ond gwae chi os fentrwch dros riniog Primark ym mis Tachwedd a Rhagfyr. Mae mwy o bramiau yn cael ei wthio o amgylch Primark na beth sydd yn storfa mothercare, mae’n anhygoel, ac yn amlwg chi sydd bob tro yn y ffordd er taw nhw sydd yn gwthio'r pram fel ffwl i fewn i chi. Yn ogystal, mae gofyn i chi fod yn gwisgo bicini cyn mynd mewn i’r siop gan fod perygl uchel o lewygu yn y gwres. Wnai ddim hyd yn oed ddechrau am faint y ciwiau yn Primark! 4. Rwy’n siwr bod pawb yn cofio slogan enwog Marks and Spencers dros y Nadolig: ‘Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without M & S’. Hoffwn i edrych ar y slogan mewn ffordd wahanol, 'Christmas would just be Christ without the M & S'. Nid wyf erioed wedi gweld fy hun yn llawer o Gristion ond dros y Nadolig, yng nghanol yr holl anrhegion, mae lle i Iesu o hyd yn nathliadau’r wyl yn ein cartref ni. Y gwir yw, os ofynnwn ni i blant heddiw pam yr ydym yn dathlu'r Nadolig, rwy’n 100% siwr na fyddai pawb yn gwybod yr ateb,

ac rwy’n credu ei fod yn warthus ein bod yn dathlu gwyl heb fod pawb yn cofio neu hyd yn oed yn gwybod y rheswm pam. Ond y peth trist yw na allwn wneud dim i newid hyn mewn gwirionedd, rhaid derbyn taw gwyl fasnachol yw'r Nadolig bellach. 5. I fod yn onest, rwy’n caru'r Nadolig gymaint, nid oeddwn hyd yn oed yn medru dod o hyd i bump peth negyddol. Rwyf wrth fy modd

bod carolau ar y radio ddechrau Tachwedd a bod pob un hysbyseb yn gwerthu rhywbeth ar gyfer y Nadolig, ac rwy’n credu bod cwyno am y Nadolig mewn rhyw ffordd ryfedd yn ychwanegu at gynnwrf y Nadolig. Nid oeddwn yn disgwyl gwell gan gwmnïau fel Clintons ond rwy’n credu dylai pobl Penarth gofio gwir ystyr y Nadolig a dangos ychydig o gariad Nadoligaidd at Gary Cooper.

Taf-od33 Cyfarchion o Ffrainc... News Opinion Politics Feature Science Societies Listings 9 - 12 14 - 18 20 - 23 24 - 25 26 - 27 1-6 28 - 29

Sport 36 - 40

Monday November 28 2011 • #gairrhydd • tafod@gairrhydd.com

Nia Davies Taf-od Pan mae unrhywun yn penderfynu astudio ieithoedd fel gradd yn y Brifysgol, mae treulio blwyddyn dramor yn dod law yn llaw gyda’r cwrs. Felly, pan nes i benderfynu astudio Ffrangeg a Sbaeneg ym Mhrifysgol Caerdydd, o’n i’n gwybod y byddwn i’n treulio hanner cyntaf y drydedd flwyddyn yn Ffrainc a’r ail hanner yn Sbaen fel myfyrwraig Erasmus. A dyna ble’r ydw i nawr; Caen, Basse-Normandie, Gogledd Ffrainc tan ganol mis Ionawr, ac yna fe fyddai yn Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Gogledd Sbaen o fis Chwefror hyd ddiwedd mis Mehefin. Os ydych chi’n astudio un iaith, fe gewch chi’r cyfle i fod yn assistante mewn ysgol dramor yn dysgu Saesneg, ond nid yw hyn yn bosib i’r sawl sy’n astudio dwy iaith, ac felly’r dewis yw naill ai gweithio neu astudio fel myfyriwr. Fe wnes i benderfynu mynychu’r Brifysgol yn Ffrainc ac yn Sbaen gyda’r gobaith o gwrdd â nifer o bobl debyg i fi tra’n parhau i astudio a byw bywyd myfyrwraig. Gan fy mod i yn Ffrainc am llai na hanner blwyddyn roedd cael ystafell yn y llety myfyrwyr bron yn amhosib, felly fe wnes i benderfynu dewis yr opsiwn ‘home stay’, sef byw mewn cartref Ffrangeg gyda theulu Ffrangeg. Mae’n help aruthrol o ran siarad a deall yr iaith, ond mae e hefyd wedi fy helpu i

setlo yn y wlad a dod i adnabod rhai o’r traddodiadau. Un gwahaniaeth mawr ym mywyd teuluol y Ffrancwyr yw’r ffordd maen nhw’n cynnal pryd o fwyd teuluol. Bues i’n ddigon ffodus i gael gwahoddiad i bryd o fwyd tebyg gyda’r teulu cyfan ac heb orymateb o gwbwl, fe wnaeth y pryd bwyd pum cwrs bara chwe awr! Dyma’r cyfle i’r teulu i gyd ddod at ei gilydd i fwynhau bwyd a gwin. Gan fy mod i’n byw tua chwarter awr o’r Brifysgol, mae’n rhaid i mi ddal bws ac yna tram. Mae’r system drafnidiaeth yma yn anhygoel ac yn hawdd iaw. Mae’n bosib prynu cardyn am 30 Ewro y mis sy’n eich galluogi ddefnyddio pob bws a thram mor aml ag yr hoffech. Mae’r brifysgol fan hyn yn wahanol i Brifysgol Caerdydd gan bod popeth ar gampws. Mae mwyafrif y myfyrwyr yn byw, yn astudio, ac yn bwyta ar gampws y Brifysgol. Pryd o fwyd tri chwrs amser cinio am llai na 4 Ewro… bargen a hanner! Ac mae’n rhaid i mi hefyd ganmol safon bwyd y wlad…dim brechdan ham a phecyn o greision – ond salad i ddechrau, dewis o gig, pysgod a pizzas di-ri, a digon o ddewis i bwdin gan gynnwys ffrwythau ffres a chacennau. Yn amlwg mae gweld eisiau pethau o adref, yn bennaf teulu a ffrindiau, yn anorfod. Mae’n hawdd iawn dod o hyd i rywbeth yn lle baked beans, ond mae’n anodd iawn dod o hyd i un o’ch teulu a’ch

ffrindiau. Ond un o’r amseroedd anoddaf i fi eu cael yn Ffrainc oedd yn ystod Cwpan y Byd Rygbi. Fel yr unig Gymraes mewn crys coch Cymru, mewn tafarn llawn Ffrancwyr, nid oedd y canlyniad rhwng Cymru a Ffrainc yn un hawdd i’w lyncu! Roedd gweld neu glywed Ffrancwr yn fy ngwneud i’n flin am ddyddiau, a chredwch chi fi, ar y pryd, doedd dim ffordd o ddianc rhagddynt, roeddent ym mhobman. Yn amlwg, gorymateb o’n i, ond Ffrainc oedd y lle gwaethaf yn y byd i fod ar y pryd, yn bendant. ‘Dwi wedi dod dros sioc ac iselder y penwythnos yna erbyn hyn, ac nid yw pob Ffrancwr yn fy ngwneud i’n flin rhagor. Diolch byth am hynny, neu byddai’r misoedd diwethaf yma wedi bod yn annioddefol! Yn ystod fy amser yn Ffrainc ‘dwi wedi cwrdd â phobl arbennig ac wedi cael profiadau gwych. ‘Dwi wedi cael y cyfle i fyw bywyd fel Ffrances a profi traddodiadau a diwylliant y wlad. Ond yn bennaf, rwy’n teimlo fy mod i wedi cyflawni un o brif fwriadau’r amser dramor, sef gwella fy iaith. Mae’n wir ei bod hi’n anodd meistroli iaith nes eich bod chi’n byw bywyd drwyddi bob dydd, ac er bod fy iaith yn bell iawn iawn o fod yn berffaith, ac hefyd yn bell o fod yn rhugl, mae’r misoedd diwethaf yma yn Ffrainc wedi rhoi hwb i fi ac i fy iaith. Y camau nesaf i fi nawr yw edrych ymlaen at y Nadolig, at gael gweld teulu a ffrindiau, cyn dychwelyd yn

ôl i Ffrainc i wneud arholiadau mis Ionawr. Yna byddaf wedi gorffen fy amser yn Ffrainc ac yn hedfan draw i Sbaen i ddechre’r holl beth eto. Fe fydden i’n bendant yn annog unrhywun sy’n cael y cyfle i dreulio amser dramor i wneud hynny.

Heb swnio’n rhy gawslyd, mae wir yn ehangu eich gorwelion, ond mae e hefyd yn antur, a beth yw bywyd heb ychydig bach o antur? Cewch ddarllen am brofiadau Nia yn Sbaen y tymor nesaf.

Digwyddiadur Taf-od 2il Rhagfyr 2011. Dwr A Thân: Cadeiriau'r Urdd 2011 gyda Llyr Gwyn Lewis. 7:30yh. Capel y Crwys, Caerdydd. Trefnir gan Cymrodorion Caerdydd, noddwyd gan Llenyddiaeth Cymru.

Eisiau cyfrannu erthygl, adolygiad, neu hysbysebu digwyddiad? Cysylltwch â ni ar:

3ydd Rhagfyr 2011 - Gig Nadolig Rhanbarth Morgannwg Gwent (Cymdeithas yr Iaith): Heather Jones, Alun Battrick, JJSneed, Jamie Bevan a'r Gweddillion, DJs. Cychwyn 6yh (ar ol y rygbi) Clwb y Bont, Pontypridd. Mynediad yn £5

Facebook: grwp Taf-od 2011-12

7fed Rhagfyr 2011 - Noson Nadoligaidd: Huw M. 6:30yh. Amgueddfa Werin Cymru, Sain Ffagan. 7fed Rhagfyr 2011 - Gig Taliesin yn 50: Y Niwl, Richard James + nifer o feirdd a llenorion yn cynnwys y Prifardd Rhys Iorwerth. 7yh. Bunkhouse, Heol y Santes Fair, Caerdydd. £8.50 *yn cynnwys tanysgrifiad blwyddyn i Taliesin*

e-bost: tafod@gairrhydd.com

Rhagfyr 8fed - Parti Dolig Nyth: No Thee No Ess, Tim Ten Yen, Fennel Seeds, Mr Huw, Twll Daear Pry Genwair, DJs. 7:30yh. Gwdihw, Caerdydd.

Twitter: @Taf_od

10fed Rhagfyr 2011 - Noson lansio yr albym Troi a Throsi: Yr Ods, Creision Hud, Violas. 8yh. Clwb Ifor Bach, Caerdydd. £5. 11eg Rhagfyr 2011 - Cwis Nadolig Cell Caerdydd (Cymdeithas yr Iaith) yng nghwmni'r cwisfeistr enwog Geraint Criddle. Tafarn y Diwc, Treganna, Caerdydd. 14eg Rhagfyr 2011 - Noson lansio yr albym Gathering Dusk: Huw M, Georgia Ruth, Siddi, DJ Meic P. 8yh. Gwdihw, Caerdydd. £3.

Uchaf: Huw M Isaf: Y Niwl

Sport

Monday November 28 2011 • #gairrhydd • sport@gairrhydd.com

The F1 season draws to a close Mike McEwan reviews a year of Formula 1, identifying its best drivers and most dramatic races.

fter eighteen races of searing asphalt, burnt rubber and daring manoeuvres, scattered over five continents, the 2011 Formula One carnival draws to a close in hallowed surroundings at the undulating amphitheatre known as the Interlagos circuit in Sao Paulo, Brazil. This traditional season finale will culminate a term which has seen the consecutive coronation of a peerless German, the fraught breakdown of a British prodigy and technical innovations bearing wheel to wheel combat in exceptional volume. A brief appraisal of this season could lead one to disregard the year as little more than unerring, processional dominance by Sebastian Vettel; however, this assessment would fail to capture the adept skill and high drama on show. It is indisputable that Vettel has stamped his authority on the F1 kingdom in 2011. His speed and precision in qualifying have acquired him fourteen pole positions to equal Nigel Mansell’s all time record, whilst his consistency and metronomic style in

race-trim have secured him eleven victories. Testifying to his performance this year has been his thorough overshadowing of inferior teammate Mark Webber; an outperforming that discredits the theory his success is creditable only to his masterfully refined Red Bull car. No longer can Seb be hailed under the nickname ‘baby Schumi’, Vettel is weaving a triumphant, trophy laden legacy of his own. Yet the season showcased far more than a Red Bull whitewash. For the patriots amongst us, the all British pairing of Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button at Mclaren was an amicable but impassioned battle of two national treasures. This year, it was undoubtedly Button who outshone his colleague with sterling victories in Canada, Hungary and Japan capping a season in which he raised his stock significantly, enrolling as the lone worthy adversary to the imperious Vettel. Hamilton’s term was marred by impetuous conflict with both his teammate and sparring partner Felipe Massa, frequently resulting in chassis crunching mishaps. He has admitted to personal issues, the

deaths of two close friends and the cessation of his long-term relationship with Nicole Scherzinger, as disturbing his focus sparking his downturn in fortune. Despite his woes, Hamilton collected three victories and vows to return in trademark swashbuckling fashion for 2012. As for the technological modifications which revolutionised F1 for the start of the current season, the consensus seems to be that they were an overwhelming success. The introduction of overtaking aids such as DRS, which stalls the back wing, and KERS, which supplies a limited boost of energy administered by the driver, have transformed F1 into a frenetic, unpredictable sport in contrast to the tedious, log jams of yesteryear. The standout race of the season was the meet in Montreal, Canada, which unfolded under leaden skies and on a dampened track. In a contest which saw luminaries such as Hamilton and Fernando Alonso succumb to the chaotic conditions, it was left to Button to emerge unscathed and victorious after overhauling Vettel on the final lap; a closing act that was as unforeseeable as the mist enveloped track. For me, the driver of the year must be awarded to the ever gritty Fernando Alonso who has wrestled his unwieldy Ferrari to an impressive nine podiums in the face of encumbering expectation from Italy. Foretelling the outcome of next year is inconceivable in the changeable world of F1, but the likelihood is that Vettel and Red Bull’s dominion will persist. However, the cast of fearless rivals comprising the perennial contenders of Ferrari and McLaren will return once more to vie for the hotly contested prize in sports most glamorous festival of speed.

Top: This season's dominant Vettel. Above: Vettel leads during the dramatic Canadian Grand Prix.

Cardiff Cobras open their season with a win

Cardiff had the edge over Plymouth Blitz during a closely fought contest. James Fooks Sports Writer Spirits were high on the long trip to Plymouth following a successful pre-season campaign and Cardiff were quietly confident. Following warm-ups and the coin toss, Cobras kicker Alex Brew got the game underway. Plymouth Blitz started offensively strong, gaining yards both on the ground and through the air, droving down the field on the Cobras defence. However, the defence held strong and stopped Plymouth, allowing the Cobra offense, led by quarterback Tom Williams, to take over. Cardiff immediately replied with rookie running back Ben Fowle taking a sweep 80 yards down the field for a touchdown.

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Neither team’s offence was able to break down strong defensive play

Inspired by the strong play of the offence and some tricky runs by Alex Brew, Cardiff ’s defence continued to perform well with big tackles from linebackers Ollie Devon and James Fooks and club President, Larry Hunt, at defensive end. Blanket coverage by defensive backs Tom List and Pete Brockway was also crucial. However the physical Plymouth team kept pushing and scored on a long reverse play just before half time and then converted the 2-point attempt to go 8-6

Above: Cardiff Cobras on the run.

ahead. The second half saw much of the same as the first, with neither team’s offence being able to break down strong defensive play until the deadlock was at last broke in Cardiff ’s favour. In the last two minutes of play: Alex Brew caught a sensational pass across midfield from quarterback Tom Williams, giving the Cobras great field position which led to a touchdown grab by second year wide receiver Josh Hurford and the Cobras went wild. Their celebration was premature however, the referee brought play back for a Plymouth penalty. Cardiff responded with an almost identical play, Tom Williams linking up again with Hurford for a referee-approved touchdown to take a 14-8 lead, with mere seconds left to play. As the Blitz offense took to the air to try and cover as much ground as possible in the short amount of time, fresher defensive back, Pete Brockway, intercepted a Plymouth pass on a fantastically executed play. With that, the offense knelt out the game, and the Cobras won their first game of the season. Next week brings more of the same for Cardiff, who will face bitter rivals Bristol Barracuda at Fortress Llanrumney. The Cobras, who haven’t lost at home in three seasons and are unbeaten in 10 games, will look to continue this streak against one of the teams fancied as National Championship contenders in what promises to be an outstanding and tightly-fought contest.

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IMG ROUNDUP Football Results

Law A condemn Fenerbahçe S.K

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Upcoming Fixtures

Law A v. Fenerbache.....................6-1 Gym Gym v. Law B.......................8-1 COMSC FC v. Time Team............3-1 Psycho Athletico v. Klaw FC........1-3 Dynamo Cathays v. Engin Locomotive...............................................1-10 Fc EUROS v. Engin Automotive..0-0 Real Ale Madrid v. Carbs.............0-2 Economics v. Your Mum's Athletic....................................................8-3 Earth Soc v. Chemistry..................................................8-0

Iestyn Scourfield Sports Writer Law A................................................6 Fenerbache S.K................................1 Law A, playing their 5th game of the IMG season, were looking for a big victory today following their disappointing loss at the weekend. They faced a resilient Fenerbahce team, who have been putting goals past a few of the bigger teams in the IMG, so a wary attitude was required and due respect for the opposition. On a surprisingly dry and sunny day at Pontcanna playing fields, Law A started off as the stronger team, dominating possession in the early stages and stringing several passes together in midfield. Fenerbahce looked dangerous on the counter as they made the most of Law playing the game at a very slow tempo. They created a couple of chances, however Law goalkeeper Craig Brooke was up to the task in mopping up any balls put over the top. Law took the lead midway through the first half after nice work in the middle from Dave Wong and Rob Shipton. They spread the play nicely to Simon Evans on the wing, who cut past his man and

crossed the ball into a dangerous area. The helpless Fenerbahce defender could do nothing to avoid putting the ball in his own net. Law continued to dominate possession with the defence able to link up with midfield due to the Fenerbahce players sitting deeply. However, a lot of frustration crept into Laws’ play with players attempting to do too much on the ball and feeding in sloppy passes. This gifted possession to the dangerous counter attackers of Fenerbahce, whose right and left-wingers had an excellent game. The second goal came 10 minutes before the half time break with David Garner claiming a goal from

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At half time, the game was all but over

an attempted cross, which lobbed the flapping Fenerbahce keeper. The second half was a different story, with returning squad members, Nick Matthew and Jack Wellington, coming on from the bench to add a physical presence in the middle and more importantly a

bit of vocal support for skipper Iestyn Scourfield. Law dominated from start to finish in the second half, playing the remainder of the match in Fenerbahces half of the field. Players grew greedy, as there were countless chances for the lads upfront and midfield. The remaining goals came from David Garner grabbing his second, Nathan Adams getting two after excellent gambling on the keeper’s spills and Rob Shipton. The Fenerbache goal came from a quick counter attack seven minutes from time pouncing on the majority of the Law team being up in their box. Overall it was a good counter-attacking performance by Fenerbahce and a solid performance for the Law team who now go on to face Law B in a highly anticipated grudge match and AFC Time Team to close the first semester. Captain Iestyn Scourfield was sure to remind players that missing so many chances will count double against the bigger teams they are likely to face in the second phase of the competition in the New Year.

Academics aside.... Duncan Bloy

Name: Prof. Duncan Bloy (above) School: JOMEC Speciality: Media law His Team: Manchester United FC for over 50 years. 1.What are some of your earliest memories, watching United? It was in 1962, in a cup game against Chelsea. Nobody sat back in those days, the atmosphere was fantastic, and United won the game, so it was a great first experience. I saw George Best for the first time in 1963 and even then I knew he was going to be something special, and of course the 1968 European cup win, is something that I will never forget. 2.If you were to Pick one match as

your Favourite, what would it be and why? I was lucky to watch Pele at the world cup in 1966; if only briefly, but for me the one match I will always remember is the 1963 FA cup final where Utd beat Leicester 3-1. It was a time where it felt like something special was happening at Man Utd, and considering the Munich disaster of 58; it felt as though the club was recovering and moving on to greater things. 3.You’re least favourite? The 1957 FA Cup final, without a doubt. Having already won the league, United had the chance to be the first team to ever win the domestic double. However, I remember as a youngster watching the game live, and the Utd keeper, Ray Wood, was taken out in a challenge that would never be allowed today. There were no substitutions back then, so the defeat was very hard to accept, and has stayed with me ever since. 4.Sir Alex’s most important player? For me any player that stays at a club for 20 years has to rank above

those around him. Ryan Giggs has played with some great players, Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney but I think he has given the type of service that we are unlikely to see again. 5.Your All time United XI, and Player?

Over 50 years I have seen some fantastic talents at Old Trafford, but George Best ranks above the rest. His skill on the ball, his arrogance, and natural talent are far above and beyond any other player that I have seen and I think anyone else who was privileged to see him would share that sentiment.

Bill Foulkes

Bobby Charlton

Nemanja Vidic

Paul Scholes George Best

Deniss Law

KLAW F.C. vs Cardiff University 6th Team AFC Cathays vs AFC Dent-History SOCSI vs Opus 11 Inter Me-nan vs MOMED AFC JOMEC vs AFC History Your Mums Athletic FC vs Economics FC Myg Myg vs Pharm AC 4th-Dec-2011 14:00 Pontcanna Playing fields Port Fail vs Chemistry Fc EARTH SOC vs Real Ale Madrid

Engin Automotive vs Dynamo Cathays Gary Neville

Ryan Giggs

Fenerbahçe S.K. vs Psycho Athletico

CARBS FC vs FC EUROS

Peter Schmeichel

Tony Dunn

30-Nov-2011 14:00 Pontcanna Playing fields

Critistiano Ronaldo

Law B vs Law A CHAOS vs COMSC FC AFC Time Team vs Gym Gym

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Monday November 28 2011 • #gairrhydd • sport@gairrhydd.com

Darren Lockyer ends career on a high Rhys Clayton looks back at Australia's Four Nations triumph

Above: Darren Lockyer lifts the Four Nationas trphy. and gold of the Kangaroos. Lockyer uttiah Muralitharan’s final is the record Test cap holder (59) and the record try scorer (34). The ball in international cricket champion player bowed out at the was a wicket highest level in the best possible way, and not even his comical sliced (his 800th in Test cricket), Gareth Edwards and conversation effort could wipe the Phil Bennett both retired after the smile off the 34 year-old's face. Wales, who are coached by rugby 1978 Welsh Grand Slam, and Franz Beckenbauer ended his reign as league legend Iestyn Harris, qualiGerman national manager after fied for their debut Four Nations winning the 1990 world cup. Now, tournament after The Dragons won after leading Australia to the 2011 their place by winning the 2010 Gillette Rugby League Four Nations European Cup. Wales performed title, you can add Darren Lockyer's fantastically well to win all three fixtures in the round-robin tournafinal rugby league game to the list. ment involving themselves, France, Not only did Lockyer finish his career with silverware, he scored the Scotland and Ireland. Their build up to the tournament was rocked game's final try, which helped Ausby the shock retirement of dual tralia seal a comprehensive 30-8 victory over England in front of 34,174 code international, Gareth Thompeople at Elland Road. The third 4 as. Thomas, who captained Wales to their famous 12-11 victory over Nations tournament, contested between Australia, New Zealand, Eng- France to win the European Cup, land and Wales, was Australia's 2nd announced his decision just four days before the tournament began, time as winners. Australian captain, Lockyer, may citing the fact that he could no longer give a hundred per cent to his not be a household name in British rugby. sport, but the rugby league legend The tournament started with a is one of the most lauded and famous players ever to wear the green trans-Tasman affair, and a repeat

of the last two Rugby League World Cup finals, with Australia taking

on New Zealand at the Halliwell Jones Stadium in Warrington. The Australians had a relatively untroubled night, winning 26-12, and sent an early warning out to England and Wales. England responded with a resounding 42-4 win against Wales. Sam Tomkins starred with four tries, and he will make his first appearance in rugby union this weekend for the Barbarians against Australia at Twickenham. He will start on the wing for the star-studded team, who are being coached by world cup winning coach, Graham Henry. The highlight of the group stages was the Super Saturday at Wembley, which saw Australia run out 36-20 winners over England and confirm their final spot, whilst New Zealand thrashed Wales 36-0. The double-header attracted a healthy 42, 344 crowd, and it was the first time international rugby league has been at Wembley since 1997. With Australia already qualified, a final spot was up for grabs in the England-New Zealand clash at

the KC Stadium in Hull. A fantastic English performance saw New Zealand defeated 28-6, thus securing their final spot, and a showdown with Australia the following weekend. Australia tuned up for the final with a 56-14 victory over Wales at Wrexham's Racecourse ground. Australia's Jonathan Thurston ended the tournament as top scorer with 56 points (3 tries and 22 goals), followed by England's Kevin Sinfield with 30 points, whilst Sam Tomkins and Ryan Hall excelled with 5 and 4 tries respectively. Australia showed their extra class and talent to overcome England in the final, they will reflect on what could have been, but will take many positives out of their 4 Nations showing. Additionally, there is the extra motivation to close the gap on the dominant Aussies with the 2013 Rugby League World in Cup being in England. The home Rugby League World Cup will be part of the UK's "Golden Decade of Sport".

Above: 2011 Four Nations winners Australia.

Sam Thorpe reviews the Rugby Firsts victory over Bristol

he Men's first XV snapped their fourgame losing streak this Wednesday, with a 22-7 win over last season's league winners, Bristol University first XV. The much needed home win will do a lot to raise spirits in the club, after a string of difficult away games. Things began poorly for Cardiff after an interception led to an early converted try for Bristol. Cardiff quickly answered back though,

with a Cameron Pimlow penalty bringing the score to 3-7. The score remained this way until the half time break, with possession and territory swinging both ways throughout. A yellow card for Bristol gave Cardiff a surge of energy towards the end of the first half, but after reaching the Bristol 5m line with an overlap, the ball was knocked on and the chance was squandered. The Second half however was a completely different story though with Cardiff making an impact on

the scoreboard almost immediately. A chip and catch from scrum half Jonny Macdonald broke the Bristol line and his offload then freed centre Rhys Howells to score the try. The conversion hit the post, leaving the score at 8-7. Following this, Cardiff kept pressuring and looked a far better side than they had before the break. Solid line out ball from the forwards allowed Cardiff to dominate possession and before long, Craig Lodge was able to hit a great line through

the heart of Bristol's defence before passing to hooker Arthur Ellis for Cardiff's second try. Ill discipline from Bristol gave away a string of 3 penalties throughout the 2nd half, which fly half Cameron Pimlow slotted to send Cardiff into a solid 19-7 lead. Mid way through the second half, Bristol were able to rally and put them on Cardiff's five-metre line where after giving away a penalty, Cardiff lost a man to the sin bin. Bristol were unable to capitalise

however, losing possession from their lineout, having opted to kick to touch. Following this, another kicked penalty by Cardiff gave them the last of the game's points and a win, which they desperately needed. Elsewhere in the rugby club, the seconds XV were able to record a clean sheet in a 13-0 victory over the Cardiff Medics second XV. This win gives the 2's their fourth win in four games and leaves them firmly atop their league table.

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Your Pitch:

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Is a British proposed life-time ban too strong?

Above: Banned British athlete Dwain Chambers Rhys Clayton Sports Writer The dispute of whether drugs cheats should face a life ban has been brought into the headlines by the proposal the British Olympic Association (BOA) has put forward, in that a life time Olympic ban is the required punishment for athletes found guilty of cheating through drugs. However the BOA's ban has faced opposition from the World Anti-Doping Agency who declared it "non-compliant." Even if the BOA are unsuccessful in their attempt to enforce life bans, they are determined that serious offenders will have their public funding stopped. But Britain cannot be the only Association with a life ban in place. It is either an all inclusive, worldwide ban; or no ban at all. Athletics and cycling in particular have been dogged with drug scandals since Ben Johnson was stripped of his Olympic Medal and world record in the 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics and the 1998 Tour de

France and the ‘Festina Affair’. To have some of the best competitions in the sporting calendar so deeply tarnished is a crying shame. The most significant Olympic rebuke in recent times has been the lifetime ban handed down to British 100m sprinter Dwain Chambers. Who, in 2003, was given a two year ban from the sport and is prohibited to compete in any future Olympic games, despite still being the British No.1. The argument for a lifetime ban comes into difficulty when considering instances in the past. Athletes from all sports, including LeShawn Merrit, Alberto Contador, Shane Warne and Kolo Toure, have disputed their positive drugs tests with the explanation they were caused by taking contaminated, but legal, substances. In these cases, we have the moral conundrum of whether to believe the fabled superstars of their sports, or condemn them for being ignorant to the rules surrounding banned substances in the first place. Foolishness is an expla-

nation, not mitigation. LaShawn Merritt, the now infamous 400m American sprinter, failed three drugs tests in the winter of 2009/10 for a banned steroid, however he argues that the drug found it’s way into his system because he was taking a ‘’male enhancement drug.’’ Merritt has now overturned his drugs ban, and will appear at the 2012 Olympics. The fundamental question for sport fans is ‘are we watching a fair, honest game?’ Sport has numerous ills that need addressing, and over recent years we have seen match fixing, ‘Bloodgate’ and, most recently, the fixed no-balls in cricket. The problem with the BOA’s life ban argument is about the imbalance between its approach and that of other sports respective governing bodies. If you take the moral high ground and have a zero tolerance policy for drugs, what about all the other forms on cheating? Who is to

say taking drugs is more a form of cheating than diving for a penalty in football? Also, where do missed drugs tests stand? The lifetime ban to Christine Ohuruogo and the £50,000 fine and eight month ban dealt to Rio Ferdinand show two separate approaches to the same issue. Most fans would agree that performance-enhancing drugs are the one malevolence above all others that makes supporters doubt the whole principle of sport. The moment when a competition is so clouded by suspicion that the entire sport is in danger of being irreparably tarnished will be a sorry day for all involved. For sport to flourish and survive, it requires our belief, but while it may never rid itself of dishonesty completely, perhaps the best way to protect it from drugs, is to support the BOA‘s life ban proposal for convicted drugws cheats.

Below: America's LaShawn Merritt

Cardiff Ladies' get off the mark against Bath

Anna Hickman Sports Writer The Cardiff Ladies Rugby team secured a well deserved win against Bath in their recent league game, ending a barren string of results. Throughout the tough encounter, both sides were fairly evenly matched but Cardiff drew ahead then defended impressively to hold out for the win. Cardiff started strongly in the first half with Claire Molloy striking a confident penalty to take the lead, however the team’s impressive play did not stop Bath scoring a try soon after. Bath’s lead was overturned when fresher Rosie Lewis stormed past Bath’s defence in a fantastic run to score under the posts. Claire Molloy displayed fine kicking form and converted the try to make the score 10-5 in Cardiff ’s favour. After half time, Bath overtook Cardiff with a converted try capitalising on gaps in the Cardiff defence, but the lead didn’t last long as captain Meg Tudor scored to regain the advantage again at 15 – 12. Once again, Bath proved to be worthy opponents and crossed the line themselves through a converted try. In the final fifteen minutes, Claire Molloy broke through the defence to edge Cardiff ahead by one point. The remainder of the game saw a display of extraordinary defence despite Bath’s strong attacking skills. Meg Tudor and Amy Jack repeatedly held up potentially winning try attempts from Bath. Cardiff played out of their skin and displayed a competitive drive to secure the win over their English rivals.

Sepp sparks controversy again: George Dugdale looks at the FIFA presidents slip-ups

epp Blatter stunned football last week by claiming that discrimination should simply be settled by a handshake after the game. For the highly controversial FIFA President, this is not the first time that his comments have attracted criticism. The 75-year-old Swiss was voted into the role in 1998 in an election that has since been overshadowed by this sort of allegation that has blighted Blatter's reign. In 2002, the President of the Somali FA publicly

claimed that he had been offered $100,000 for his vote. Whilst he rejected the offer, at least 18 other members allegedly accepted. The claims of corruption within FIFA would return later, but Blatter's often-harmful penchant for ill-judged comments has become a trademark feature. In 2002, Blatter suggested that female footballers should wear tight shorts and low cut shirts in order to increase the popularity of the sport worldwide. Unsurprisingly, the condemnation of Blatter was fierce from within the women's

game. Pauline Cope, the England goalkeeper at the time, described the FIFA President's comments as “completely irresponsible”. To complement his error of judgment, Blatter later accused the IOC of conducting their finances “like a housewife”, in reaction to further allegations of FIFA corruption. Six years later, Blatter claimed that the game's millionaire superstars were “modern slaves” as Cristiano Ronaldo attempted to maneuver a transfer to Real Madrid., much to the irritation of Sir Alex Ferguson.

Blatter's history of offending society extends far beyond women. In 2008, Blatter responded to questions about homosexual participation in football by saying “there are gay footballers, but they don't declare it because it will not be accepted in these macho organisations”. Two years later, when quizzed about Qatar's ability to host the World Cup despite homosexuality being illegal in the Arab state, Blatter joked that gay fans should “refrain from any sexual activities” throughout. Former basketball star and gay rights campaigner John Amaechi

condemned Blatter's words as “absurd”. Blatter's reign continues to be highly controversial. Although his 'football for all' concept has been worthy of credit, with the 2010 South Africa World Cup successful in the short-term at least (doubts remain about the cost and true legacy of the tournament), pressure continues to build on FIFA's top man the longer his tenure continues.

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Round up of the Formula 1 season << Inside

Cardiff's cricketing star

Gareth Johnston interviews England Ladies' cricketer and Cardiff student Heather Knight

eather Knight is a 20-year-old Cardiff student, who has found herself at the top of the game in women’s cricket in the last few years, having represented England in both One Day and Test cricket. gair rhydd sport spoke to her about her career so far and what inspired her, as well as her life as a Cardiff University student and her plans for the future. “ I was about eight years old when I started playing. I went along with my brother to a few sessions and really began to enjoy it, so I just carried on from there. I’ve been a fan of the game for as long as I can remember, looking up to the likes of Paul Collingwood and Marcus Trescothick, so to begin with it was just a great source of fun. But as time went on I found myself progressing throughout the various levels and it soon became something that was very important to me.” Heather found herself excelling at an early age, and in subsequent years found she was playing regularly for her local team, Plymstock CC. She attracted the attention of Devon, who soon recruited her to play in the minor County Championships.-

Above: Heather's headshot

“I played for Devon for the first time when I was about 11 years old, firstly for the boy’s team and it was a few years later that I managed to get on the women’s circuit, which I didn’t know too much about, as it wasn’t too well publicised at the time. But I got a great welcome and didn’t feel the pressure to perform, so I began to enjoy my cricket and a little while later I found myself playing with real confidence.” To say that Heather excelled while playing for Devon would be quite an understatement, as she topped the run scoring in the 2008 LV County Championship, hitting 390 runs at an average of 95.7. This, however, paled in comparison to her achievements. The following year, as she smashed all previous records to top the batting leaderboards with a staggering 622 runs at an average of 155, including four centuries and a high score of 161*, catching the eyes of the England selectors en-route.” “2008 was a great year for me but I think 2009 is the one that really propelled me forward. I think it was a combination of confidence and sheer force of runs that led to my selection for the national women’s academy shortly after. Despite this, it still came as a quite a surprise when I got the call to play for England, I was in my first year at Cardiff at the time, so it was a fair amount to take in.” There seems to be little doubt that cricket was the most important thing to Heather growing up, but aside from this she managed to maintain a successful academic record and now finds herself in her 3rd year of an undergraduate degree in Physiology at Cardiff University. “It’s always been a bit of a balancing act, playing cricket and keeping up with my work, but Cardiff University have been great in helping me get around my England commitments, such as offering me extra support due to missed lectures or tutorials. Last year, I was selected for the England squad in

Above: 5th in from the right, Cardiff university student Heather Knight poses for England team photo

the middle of the exam period, but the university was more than understanding and offered to move my exam dates to accommodate it, so they’ve been nothing but a help, and my coursemates have been supportive as well.” Like any sport however, there is only a finite period of time that somebody is able to play for, before they have to find an alternative career path. In comparison to the England men’s team, the women earn a substantial amount less; therefore, many of its members have to find a job to support their career. “We aren’t paid enough from international cricket for it to be considered professional, so a lot of the girls have got other jobs that they

do, and some like me, are studying for a degree. I’m not too sure if I'll pursue a career in coaching after I stop playing, or whether I’ll continue to be involved in the game in another capacity, but I’m glad to have my degree to fall back on and when the time comes I’m sure I’ll have a clearer mind as to what I’d like to do, but for now I’m just happy to enjoy my cricket.” Looking at Heather’s experiences, it is clear that the stigma that is attached to cricket, in as much as it is a “gentlemen’s” sport, is unwarranted on many levels. Heather’s ability to manage a university degree alongside her sporting commitments, highlights the fact that women’s cricket can offer numer-

ous opportunities for young women, while allowing them to pursue a successful academic career. “I couldn’t recommend a career in cricket enough, it’s allowed me to travel around the world, go to some amazing places without paying a penny and represent my country whilst meeting some pretty incredible people along the way. I’m playing the sport that I love and I’m hoping to be selected for the England tour to New Zealand next month, which will hopefully be another amazing experience. I would say to girls of any age to just get involved, and if anything to just play for fun, it’s already given me a great deal and hopefully there is more to come.”

TEAM OF THE WEEK: Cardiff Ladies Football Cardiff 1st 8 - 3 Swansea 1st "it was great to beat them by so much" Sophie Gidley GAIR RHYDD AND QUENCH MAGAZINE IS PUBLISHED BY UNIVERSITY UNION CARDIFF, PARK PLACE, CARDIFF CF10 3QN • REGISTERED AS A NEWSPAPER AT THE POST OFFICE • GAIR RHYDD RESERVES THE RIGHT TO EDIT ALL CONTRIBUTIONS • THE VIEWS EXPRESSED ARE NOT NECESSARILY THOSE OF THE PUBLISHERS GAIR RHYDD IS WRITTEN, DESIGNED, TYPESET AND OUTPUT BY STUDENTS OF CARDIFF UNIVERSITY •