gair rhydd - Issue 966

gair rhydd Monday December 05 2011 | freeword – Est. 1972 | Issue 966

Cardiff Strikes

“A crisis we didn’t create”

Workers’ unity: Union flags in front of City Hall in Cardiff

Matt Jones News Editor

On Wednesday, Cardiff University lecturers joined together with other public sector workers from South Wales to strike against proposed government cuts to pensions.

Members of the University and College Union (UCU) congregated at the University before meeting fellow strikers for a mass rally which made its way from City Hall to the SWALEC stadium. It is estimated that around 4,000 strikers attended the Cardiff march.

Around two million people working in the public sector went on strike across the United Kingdom, with 170,000 striking in Wales. The strikes caused significant cuts in public services, resulting in bus services being withdrawn in Cardiff and gridlock in the city centre.

Many students were also directly affected by the strikes with lectures and seminars being cancelled by members of staff who had chosen to strike.

The Students’ Union offered its support to the lecturers on the issue, with the president Marcus Coates-Walker briefly addressing UCU members outside of the University’s Main Building. Cardiff University has opposed the industrial action, stating before Wednesday: “While the University respects the right to strike, it believes the Union [UCU] is wrong to take action which will disrupt students and other colleagues.

“The University remains of the opinion that this is a national-level issue and it is unfair that students should suffer from strike action over decisions they have played no part in.”

As has been widely reported, the government has also strongly opposed the strikes, with David Cameron calling them “the height off irresponsibility” and George Osbourne suggesting that choosing to strike would be futile.

In spite of this, talks have already begun involving both teaching unions and health care unions.

Public sector workers are striking over government plans that will mean they pay more towards their pension, accept an average career salary instead of the current final salary pension, and retire later.

Turn to pages six and seven for further coverage of events in Cardiff

Free inside

Quench & Creativity

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 Jodie Palombo Paul Wilkinson Lindsey Frodsham Amy Campbell Katie Bennett Anna Hickman Anna Raby Lucy Barclay Hugh Rodger Charlotte Wace Russell Gibson Helen Cox Thom Hollick Dana Beltaji Amber Bell Kimberly Dunn Chris Tuckley Tom Parry-Jones Alexey Underwood Kirsty Warren Julianaa Raghu Helen Cameron Beth Hill Amanda Cooper Cerith Rhys Jones Heledd Melangell Williams Oliver Coppins George Dugdale Callum McLagan Rhys Clayton

pg. 6 - 7

News follow the UCU marches on the day of the strike

pg. 12

Opinion take a look at one of the most divisive and powerful figues in British politics

Wishing you a very

Merry Christmas! from the gair rhydd team.

And a Happy New Year!

Oliver Smith Head of Student Media & gair rhydd Editor

pg. 22 - 23

Features give us their essential advice for getting a house p.s first contribution meeting back is Monday January 23

Sudoku

EASY

Taf-Od Caio Iwan Osian Gruffydd

Monday December 05 2011 • #gairrhydd • editor@gairrhydd.com

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

02

speak to Professor Lyn Evans pg. 24 Science about his work on the Large Hadron Collider

pg. 40

In this week's Academics Aside, Sport chat to Dr John Jewell

For the answer and more puzzles, head over to page 34

News 1-9

Opinion Politics Features Science Societies Listings 24 - 26 27 - 29 30 - 32 11 - 14 15 - 18 21 - 23

Sport 40 - 44

03

Monday December 05 2011 • #gairrhydd • editor@gairrhydd.com

Mugged and beaten

Fresher fights cancer

Sophie Chamberlain News Reporter

Jodie Palombo News Reporter

Paul Wilkinson News Reporter

Loughborough University has been awarded The Coca-Cola Active Healthy Living Grant of £300,000 to use the London Paralympic Games as a platform to encourage young adults with a disability to increase their physical activity rates.

The project will run for three years from January 2012 until December 2014.

It will be accessed by researchers in the Peter Harrison Centre for Disability Sport which is a part of the university’s School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences. Experts will collect personal case studies by conducting a series of interviews to get a better understanding of the barriers to participating in sport and physical activity.

Director Dr Vicky Tolfrey of Loughborough University explains: “Recent Sport England figures indicate just 6.1% of Britain’s 10 million people with a physical disability are regularly active in sport compared with 18.5% of the able bodied population.”

“Our continued work with ParalympicsGB will ensure Loughborough plays a part in encouraging sports participation at all levels, as well as developing and supporting Britain’s elite athletes.”

You're never too old to be walked home by an adult, especially if you're a student at Leeds University. In recent weeks, danger has been lurking around every corner in the Yorkshire city. Ten young people have been beaten up and two students have been left hospitalised after muggers ran riot around the University campus. The University is now considering walking students home to try and avoid further trouble.

One first year student was attacked outside his halls of residence by a gang who punched him in the back of the head and repeatedly stamped on his jaw. They told him he “hadn't runaway quickly enough.” In fear of being targeted again, the student wished to remain anonymous.

To tackle this horrific problem, the University has introduced dog patrols around halls of residences and arranged a new free bus service around Leeds, but it seems everyone around the area must watch their backs over the coming weeks.

September, for most students, is about fun, socialising and, unfortunately, poor decisions. For Staffordshire University fresher, Chris Parkes, his first month was probably something worth forgetting. Tragically, Chris was diagnosed with Cancer, and as a result has leave while he seeks treatment.

Chris’ situation puts into perspective all of the petty problems that we may moan about on a daily basis.

The most notable part of this story, however, is Chris’ approach to it. He hasn’t given up dreams of becoming a music journalist. His Cancer will barely set him back, as he intends to be back in university next year.

Chris inspirational attitude towards his illness is something that should be celebrated. He hasn’t sat in self pity.

He’s held onto his ambitions and taken to making jokes about his illness. His extraordinary situation has identified the extraordinary capacity people have to overcome hardship.

Got what it takes to be a Columnist?

Uni watch.

Lufbra grant-ed

Follow your favourite section!

@GairRhyddNews @GairRhyddOp @GairRhyddPol @GairRhyddFeat @GairRhyddSci @GairRhyddSoc @GairRhyddList We're looking for a new fortnightly columnist who wants to let the world know their insights and thoughts.

If you think you've got what it takes, email a 200 word minicolumn to: editor@gairrhydd.com @arusbridger

This week twitter tweets the latest scandals #Leveson

@Taf_Od @GairRhyddSport

@bbcHIGNFY McMullan: "Hacking of Milly Dowler's phone was not a bad thing for a journalist to do" #leveson

@scatatkins Paul McMullan tells #Leveson "privacy is for paedos", as the inquiry digs into tabloid ethics, and McMullan digs towards the Earth's core.

McM just broke the ironyometer again "only paedos want privacy" This is pure chris morris #Leveson

04News

Monday December 05 2011 • #gairrhydd • news@gairrhydd.com

'Game' over for rapper's show

Students choose course over Islamic Society raise £13k in a week nightlife says poll

Sheri Hall News Editor

American rapper, The Game, was forced to cancel his gig at Cardiff Students' Union last week for ‘undisclosed reasons’ by South Wales Police.

The rap artist was due to perform on Monday November 28 but the show was cancelled on the day,

leaving many fans angry.

On receiving the news that his gig was called off The Game tweeted:

“

My Cardiff show was cancelled by the police for undisclosed reasons? So I’ve got an off day in London any suggestions on what to do?

The Students' Union have offered no explanation for the sudden cancellation, which proved an inconvenience to all those who had purchased tickets in advance.

Of the cancellation a spokesperson said: “We have been advised that there are no immediate plans to reschedule this show, and as such full refunds for ticket holders will be available from their point of

Laura Evans News Editor

Last week, Cardiff Students’ Union Islamic Society presented a cheque after they smashed a record amount of money raised during their ‘Charity Week’ earlier this academic year.

At the end of October, ISoc ran their annual Charity Week, where they raised a total amount of £12,792 for Islamic Relief.

Islamic Relief help people suffering from sever malnutrition, especially orphans and other children in less fortunate countries.

They are currently focusing most resource on Somalia.

Charity Week started in 2004 as a collaboration between Islamic Relief, ULU ISOC and over 15 University Islamic Societies in the South East.

Since then, it has reached out to the Midlands, the North, Scotland and Wales regions.

It is a student run initiative that

encourages individuals to sacrifice some of their time and direct their skills and talents to a great cause.

Its success is entirely dependant on the commitment shown by students and the end result is a reflec-

tion of Muslim students in the UK. On their Facebook group, Charity Week Wales is described as ‘an excellent example of the Muslim student community uniting and co-operating to help those less for-

purchase.”

Before being scheduled in Cardiff, The Game performed in London, Birmingham and Manchester without any cancellation problems.

Cardiff Students' Union added: “We apologise for any inconvenience caused as a result of this, but are not in a position to comment further at this stage.”

tunate.’

As part of their fundraising, Cardiff ISoc organised a dinner in CF10, where they made pledges for donations as well as an auction where they raised even more.

Other events throughout the week were held and contributed to the large amount of money raised.

The Cardiff University Islamic Society (Cardiff ISoc) is an organisation formed by students, for students, to increase understanding about the religion of Islam and attempt to dispel the myths and misconceptions surrounding recent world events.

Harry Newman, Societies Officer commented on ISoc’s achievement: "I have never seen generosity like this before in all my life.

"The Union is very fortunate to have such a successful Islamic Society. The Society is entirely student led and they have truly done themselves proud here. Congratulations to Saeed Kidwai and his dedicated committee."

Twenty-four hours of 'hardcore' drama Henry McMorrow News Editor On Sunday November 27, Act One Drama Society presented Hardcore 24. The concept challenges cast, director and crew alike as the play must be conceived, directed, produced and performed within 24 hours, for less than £24.

The group chose to perform a murder mystery in CF10 which served as a bar setting within which the action took place.

Turnout at the event was impressive, the ticket sales at £4 per ticket raised £326, with all proceeds going to Movember charities and the Ka-

tie Piper Foundation.

The performance was interactive, with no divide between auditorium and stage - the audience performed as punters in the bar and were also occasionally hauled up onto stage as murder suspects.

This interactive element created a certain tension that complimented the murder mystery genre, an effect which would have been largely diminished if traditional performer – audience boundaries had been adhered to.

Joy-Aisling Brown, MA English Literature student and Act One's publicity officer explained: “Act One has done several Hardcore

24-style productions, and Ryan Atkinson, director of the event, also directed the one two years ago. The idea behind Hardcore 24 is that 24 people, with a budget of £24, in – you guessed it – 24 hours, write, produce and perform a play. This time, the stated ambition was to make it more challenging by working music into the show as well. The huge success of this year’s Hardcore 24 shows that theatre can be brilliant even when it’s completely sleepdeprived and was written the day before the deadline.”

Tom Parry Jones, 2nd Year Journalism Student, I.T officer of Act One said of the event, “It was amaz-

ing to see what the group had produced in just 24 hours. I think the fact the play was produced in such a short time makes it all the more exciting for the audience as you never know what you’re going to see, nothing is given away. " The event signals the beginning of the Act One season which continued last week with the panto, King Arthur and the Lads of the Round Table and will resume after the Christmas break at the end of January.

Tickets for most Act One performances are available at the Union Box Office and online at www.cardiffboxoffice.com

Extra study spaces open over exam period Extra learning spaces have been made available during the winter and summer exam periods in a number of University locations.

All extra spaces are open on weekdays and closed on weekends.

The Julian Hodge Study Centre and the Trevithick Building IT room are open at all times.

Time

Room

Dates

Main Building

4pm - 9pm

0.52, 0.53

9th - 27th January

Humanities Building

9am - 5pm

0.01, 0.02, 0.06

16th - 27th January

Cochrane Building

9am - 5pm

0.21. 0.24, 0.25

9th - 27th January

Sophie Chamberlain News Reporter A poll has revealed that prospective undergraduates are more concerned about factors such as a university’s reputation and the quality of degree course, rather than university nightlife when choosing what to study.

The poll, commissioned at Lincoln University, asked 518 students to rate the three most important factors when choosing what university to go to in September.

46 percent of those questioned, chose content and structure of a course as the most important deciding factor.

The overall reputation of the institution came in second with 37% percent followed by factors such as the facilities they maintain (35%) and location (30%).

Only one in ten students said that finance was one of their main considerations.

Just eight percent of the students asked chose nightlife as one of their three factors while five percent said a main attraction is knowing that friends will be there.

A mere two percent said that even the attractiveness of students was an important factor.

Vice-chancellor, Professor Mary Stuart, at Lincoln University commented: “It is extremely promising to see that students planning to enter higher education in 2011, have placed a greater emphasis on the importance of course syllabus, reputation of the university and geographic location when making their decisions”.

Rebecca Johnson, a second year Business student told gair rhydd: "The content of my degree course was definitely an important factor when choosing what university to go to but I was willing to compromise that slightly if it meant having a better social life."

Third year optometry student, Katie Demery said that the course quality was definitely the bigger factor: "At the end of the day you go to university for your degree. The good night life is a bonus."

News 1-9

Opinion Politics Feature Science Societies Listings 30 - 32 24- 26 27 - 29 11 - 14 15 - 18 21 - 23

Sport 40 - 44

News05

Monday December 05 2011 • #gairrhydd • Email the newsdesk: news@gairrhydd.com

Libya's future revealed: Ex-Cardiff student shares his experiences Henry McMorrow catches up with Niz after the fall of Gaddafi

serves his level of contact with Libya.

We begin by discussing Niz’s role as campaigner and how this has altered since his return to the UK. "Personally, my role has changed as I am back in the UK, but am still largely involved with things in Libya. We are involved in setting up the Libyan Youth Forum, as well as working on helping and supporting those who have missing loved ones in our 'Mafqood.org' project. We have also started work on our 'Shaheed' project which is focused on building a centralised database of those who were killed in the uprising, and then will work on lobbying to honour their memory in the best way possible. We also have our 'Tafaoul' project - this is the humanitarian arm of the movement; it has adopted a number of families who are finding it difficult to get by in the post liberation period.

"There are many more projects underway - A Social Awarness Campaign geared to raising awareness for issues such as national reconciliation, unity, gun amnesty and tolerance. We are also brainstorming ways in which to deliver books donated from around the world to Libyan libraries, to encourage a new generation of intellects.

"So my role is relevant. But just as relevant as millions and millions of Libyans inside and outside of the country. Everyone, despite their differing views, is contributing to the new democratic makeup of this country.

"What makes this revolution different to the revolutions of old, is that there is no leader, no Che Guevera or Fidel Castro like figures... no national saviour. This revolution was a popular movement, a cry for change from the overwhelming

majority of Libyans. As such, it’s difficult, if not impossible, for anyone to be at the 'forefront' of this struggle."

From an international perspective, and being largely removed from the situation, it is all too easy to sense Libya’s elation and think the struggle is over. However, it’s impossible to gauge how a nation under a dictatorship for over four decades feels when beginning to embark upon the enormous task of establishing democracy. I wanted Niz to describe the feeling in Libya now the initial elation has subsided.

"The atmosphere in Libya after the fall of the regime… [in] August was tense and filled with apprehension. No one knew what to expect and what was next. But the reaction to his death was the most remarkable and most joyous occasion in Libya's history. Streets were filled with men, women and children, dancing and singing. Street parties invaded the capital city of Tripoli. People were bringing food and sweets out to the streets and sharing them with everybody. It was a truly unforgettable moment in Libyan history.

"What it showed to everyone, was how widespread the hatred of Gaddafi was and how popular the uprising was, despite Gaddafi's best efforts to describe our revolution as a foreign conspiracy.

"It’s a generally accepted concept in Libya that 'the hard work starts now'. The revolution was tough. But what is ahead of us is the biggest challenge we face: building a democratic and forward-thinking society out of a nation neglected and oppressed for many decades. This is the real revolution; the last nine months were just about getting rid of Gaddafi.

"On the ground in Libya,

things have certainly become easier without doubt, but that is not to say that Libya is without its problems. Some of these challenges will set us back, and perhaps some of them will cause us to feel like we have failed."

,,

I

n issue 956, gair rhydd interviewed Nizar Mhani, an ex-dentistry student who had joined the Libyan protests in Tripoli.

‘Niz’ - as he is internationally known - had joined the Free Generation Movement, a youth organisation that has campaigned throughout the uprisings in Libya.

During the protests, which began in February 2011, the Free Generation Movement and other dissenting groups, were forced to adopt clandestine modes of protest. Niz and the movement garnered support from international media, with the Washington Post describing Niz as ‘vitally important’. He explained how they ‘managed to be resourceful and carried out some secret interviews’, an exercise that could have resulted in arrest and torture.

Niz explained that his cousin became a martyr of the movement, but claimed that ‘there is no greater honour than to lay down your life for the greater good.’

Since the initial article was published, the assassination of Gaddafi has altered circumstances in Libya. The country faces a new challenge in the form of establishing a democratic regime in a country beleaguered by Gaddafi’s 42 year long de facto control.

Of his future, Niz told us that he ‘couldn’t see [himself] making a decision which involved [him] not returning to Cardiff.’

It is no surprise, therefore, that by our latest interview he has returned to Cardiff to continue his postgraduate studies and complete his contract as a specialist registrar at the University Hospital, Cardiff.

Niz is still perfectly placed to gauge Libyan feeling, as his continued work with the Free Generation Movement pre-

It would have taken a very strong person to resist the urge to immediately kill the man who was the cause of so much destruction

Conversation progressed - how is Libya planning to establish and consolidate democracy?

"First, we have to acknowledge that democratic change is a progressive process. Advanced and well-developed nations are still grappling with concepts of democracy, even today. We need to allow for democratic values to seep into our society gradually. We can't force the issue of democracy overnight. The important thing is the direction of change, and we are moving in the right direction. We're thinking about putting together workshops [with other groups] to have open debates about the issues of democracy and how Libya can form its own version of democracy, not just import one from the West. Of course, the principle object of democracy is the ballot box.

"Libyans have never before voted. We have to introduce the idea that we are voting not for

people to lead us, but for people to represent our voice and to serve us. Hafed Alghwel, an intelect, fellow activist and friend describes it best: 'Democracy is the only way that we can ensure that the powers that be, are the powers that ought to be.'"

Libya has been criticised for the way in which Gaddafi was captured and killed, I wanted to know whether there was a feeling of remorse or whether the feeling of revenge that motivated the act still remained. Of this Niz said: "Consensus has formed in Libya with people standing up and acknowledging that the way Gaddafi was treated before and after he was killed was not according to Libyan custom, nor in accordance with Islamic law, nor acceptable under international law. But let me stress that no one expressed sympathy for this brutal tyrant who spent much of his life oppressing his own people.

"It's easy for me to preach the 'right thing to do'. Sure, I would have liked to have seen him captured, imprisoned and then tried in Libya. But it would have taken a very strong person to resist the urge to immediately kill the man who was the cause of so much destruction in Libya and so much pain to the Libyan people. I don't think I would have been strong enough to do the 'right thing'.

Our treatment of Saif al Gaddafi has shown that as Libyans we are able to correct our wrongs. [He] has recently been captured and has been treated in accordance with internationally accepted human rights. This is a reflection on Libyan society, which is neither barbaric or vengeful, but moderate, peaceful and just."

06News

Monday December 05 2011 • #gairrhydd • news@gairrhydd.com

"What we need is a genuine mass movement"

gair rhydd reports directly from the strike protests in Cardiff City Centre Matt Jones News Editor

had £800,000 worth of cuts and we’re going to have really huge cuts next year. This is part of a plan by the government to make us pay for In spite of a cold November morning at the bottom of the steps of Car- a crisis that we didn’t create, and we’re going to say no.” diff Students’ Union, a significant There was a strong sense of ocnumber of lecturers and students turned out to join the two million casion about the event, with several strikers across Britain protesting of the trade unions and worker collectives represented manning stalls against pension reform.

Industrial action at the Univer- on the pavement. Also, a considersity started at half past ten, with able number of those protesting lecturers and students, including had sidestepped school closures by bringing their children along, many representatives from Cardiff Socialist Students, gathering to listen of whom were relishing the opporto several speeches before joining tunity to make lots of noise with the main demonstration at City their brightly coloured vuvuzelas.

As the clock struck twelve, a choHall. Todd Bailey, president of the Cardiff branch of the University rus of whistles sounded and there College Union (UCU) spoke about was a loud cheer as the tightly comwhy lecturers were striking over pacted line began to move, and the the government’s pension reforms march began.

The route for the march had been before Students’ Union President Marcus Coates-Walker offered the closed off by the police in preparabacking of the student body to the tion, meaning that the busy Kinglecturers, saying, to much applause, sway and Duke Street , next to the castle, were completely closed to “On behalf of the Students' Union, vehicles in one direction. we’d like to say we support The atmosphere as the you in this action tomarch moved today and we hope it wards its destinabrings about the “On behalf of the tion of Sophia right result.”

Gardens crickThe party Students' Union, we’d et stadium then moved to like to say we supwas upbeat, the meeting port you in this action with chants, point for the today and we hope it vuvuzelas main strike brings about the and whistles demonstraright result.” sounding loudtion between ly. Some in the City Hall and Marcus general public Cardiff Crown Coates-Walker, SU also seemed to be Court, where a President showing their suplarge amount of proport for the cause with testers had already arpassers-by clapping and morived. Before long, a sea of torists beeping car horns. flags, banners and placards was visAsked how he would respond to ible as numbers swelled to an estimated 4,000, four times the number students who opposed the strikes, second year history student, Jonaexpected by organisers.

Tomos Evans, a first year student thon Evans, said “It’s about your own future really; if you want to in the School of History, Archaeology and Religious Studies, was live in a country where you don’t present at the protest. Asked why get much of a pension, and you are he had chosen to support lecturers left to work until you pretty much drop dead, then its fine to oppose in the strike, he said: “I think it’s really important to break down those them, but I’m not going to stand by barriers that the media outlets have and let that happen.”

The long line of protesters created, telling us lecturers going on strike will ruin our education eventually reached the rally at the cricket ground at around 12:45. gair sector.

“The attack on pensions is part rhydd questioned Finn Bowering, a of the austerity programme and lecturer from the School of Social that’s already hitting students as Sciences, about the impact of the well. In my school we’ve already current austerity measures and in-

Clockwise from top-left: The UCU begin the march from City Hall; a mother makes a point with her daughter; a Tesco inspired home-made placard; news reporters talk to Edmund Schleussel; protesters march past the castle. creased tuition fees on the current will mean poorer job prospects for graduates. I can imaggeneration of students. ine the graduate job He said: “In the short market will be the term, your job worst hit. prospects will "The coalition govern" T h e s e be a lot poorer. ment’s plan to cut pubstruggles are The coalition lic spending has not centuries old. government’s resulted in its planned The Labour plan to cut Movement public spenddegree of economic has been ing has not growth. [...] I can fighting for a resulted in imagine the graduate more civilized its planned job market will be the working week degree of ecoworst hit." and a shorter nomic growth.

Finn Bowery, working lifetime In a way it’s inlecturer, SOCSI for 150 years.” jured the economy After speeches further and has from Trade Union repreprobably prolonged the period of stagnant growth and that sentatives, some of the demonstra-

tors then moved to the Law Building on Park Place to picket the meeting of the University Senate.

Ex-mature students officer Edmund Schuessel said: “What we need is a genuine mass movement, and we don’t have that yet. The mood is there for action, we just need the trade unions to be taking the lead on doing it. The question [to those who oppose the strikes] is do we have one day of inconvenience now, or do we have the absolute chaos that the cut backs will bring for the next generation?

“After all, what kind of idiot publishes a public sector pay freeze the day before a public sector strike?”

News 1-9

Opinion Politics Feature Science Societies Listings 30 - 32 24 - 26 27 - 29 11 - 14 15 - 18 21 - 23

Monday December 05 2011 • #gairrhydd • news@gairrhydd.com

Sport 40 - 44

News07

gair rhydd gets the lecturer perspective from Nick Parsons, School of European Studies How do you think the day went?

I think it was a very successful day. The number of people out on the streets, not only in Cardiff but nationally, sends a very clear message to the government; it shows the amount of discontent there is on pension reform.

The other thing I thought was impressive was the reaction of the public: as we marched through Cardiff, there were people standing there along the roadsides clapping, and that sort of sympathy is something I’ve never seen before. I think it sends a very clear signal to the government that people have had enough of this. People are genuinely very worried about what’s going to happen not just to pensions, but to public services across the board.

How should students respond to the strike?

The aim has always been not to disrupt students’ education. We’ve had a lot of discussion in the University College Union (UCU) Cardiff about this, and the consensus has been that priority should be given to the services that we provide to students, in terms of teaching and marking and preparing our courses. Obviously, when you go on strike for a day, lectures and seminars will be cancelled, which is an inconvenience, but I think it is no more than that. Often you can cover the material anyway, so students’ education is not going to be ruined by this. I think that sometimes Cardiff University management and the press try to drive a wedge between lecturers and students by saying that all we’re doing is harming students. Missing one lecture every now and again is not going to ruin anyone’s degree. Also, there’s no point in having a strike unless someone is being inconvenienced, otherwise you might as well not do it. The question is really about whether that short term inconvenience is justifiable in the long term interests of students: it’s also about students who come in the future [as well]. If you have a demoralised profession, and you can’t recruit decent people to the profession, the education that we provide for future generations of students is going to be all the more poor.

And of course this will affect current students as well because when they hopefully go onto good careers they will want to see their children getting a good education as well - this is about the future of higher education.

How do you respond to the government’s stance on the strikes, saying that they are futile and will be ignored?

I think it’s a bit hypocritical to charge people going on strike to preserve their living standards with irresponsibility, when the government has slashed budgets across the board, and is harming people’s standards of living. It seems to me that the warning signals were there. People warned this government when they went into power that if they implemented their plans it would lead to very low levels of growth and even recession, and this is what we’re now seeing, so if anyone’s being irresponsible I think it’s the government.

Is striking now the only option for the public sector?

Striking is a last resort. It would be better if the government would sit down with the unions and discuss and negotiate in good faith about pension reform.

That hasn’t happened, and if a government is refusing to talk, there is very little you can do apart from going on strike to get yourself heard. Striking is a way of forcing people back to the bargaining table.

Do you think the government will budge on pension reform?

The government at the moment is basically saying we’ll come back to the negotiating table but we’re not going to budge, which seems to be a pretty contradictory way to behave. When there are one million under 24s unemployed in the country, to push back the retirement age seems an act of madness. The longer young people don’t enter the labour market after they have finished education, the more difficult it is to integrate them, so you’re just storing up problems over the long term around social integration for young people.

There will be room for manoeuvre, my feeling is that people will accept an increase in contribution to protect things such as final salary schemes that do ensure a decent standard of living in retirement, whilst maintaining a decent retirement age. It’s whether there’s a willingness on the part of the government to actually engage in that.

So do you think that the government are trying to sweep the issue under the carpet?

I think youth unemployment could be a major problem for the future. Older people are more susceptible to illness, so you could be lowering productivity by making people work to an age where they’re actually more expensive to employ because you’ve got to replace them whilst they’re off sick.

A common argument against the public sector strike is that many in the private sector still have poor pensions, how would you respond to this?

As far as university lecturers are concerned, these are not public sector pensions; we pay into them, the university also pays into them. They are part of our total salary package. Pensions used to be called the deferred wage; if we didn’t have those pensions now we would have a bigger salary package. So basically this is a wage cut. People say in the private sector people don’t have pensions. The fact is that a lot of lecturers could command higher wages in the private sector, but they accept a lower wage because of that total salary package that does include pensions. So essentially taking that away is ripping up a contract made with us when we started employment. Private sector employees will get a state pension, and it is the tax on my pension that will pay for the present day private sector to get their pension. The way to even things out is to address the private sector problem and give decent pensions to those workers.

Can you talk about the pension cuts in relation with the recent hike in tuition fees to nine thousand pounds?

I think this is all part of an onslaught on higher education. Effectively what we’re seeing is a privatisation of higher education by stealth. The notion that Higher Education is good for society therefore should be at least partly funded by society is going out of the window in favour of the notion that it is something that benefits only the individual so it should be only the individual who pays for it. Students are being saddled with huge levels of debt: the ramifications of this will be quite severe, although we won’t see them for five to ten years. Trying to start off with as much as £60,000 of debt is not an enticing prospect, and I’m not surprised that we’ve seen in this school (EUROS) in Cardiff University a 38% drop in student applications, so already we are seeing the consequence of it.

We need a more highly educated and skilled workforce, so the changes to tuition fees and pensions seem to be counter-productive.

08News

Monday December 05 2011 • #gairrhydd • Email the newsdesk: news@gairrhydd.com

'Raise And Give' reach £1925 in one week Lindsey Frodsham follows what happened during RAG week ‘Raise and Give’ Week began on Monday November 14 with a Food Festival, where societies such as FAD and Act One cooked up delicious dishes from around the world.

During the evening, Solus hosted ‘Take Me Out’ and raised £660 for Peace Direct, a charity which funds peace-building programmes in unstable communities.

On Tuesday, CU DanceSport and the Jiu Jitsu society, ran taster sessions as part of a ‘school sports day’ event to raise funds for Danceaid,

who help poor, orphaned and exploited children. This was followed

by Comedy Club gets RAGGED, a night of hilarious stand-up from Nish Kumar and Naz Osmanoglu.

Everyone got creative on Wednesday, with art lessons from the Anime Society, cake decorating sessions and ArtSoc’s ‘Big Draw’ to raise money for Starlight, a charity which grants wishes of terminally ill children. RAG also ran facepainting stalls and themed games at the Wild West Lash.

Thursday kicked off with ChemSoc leg waxes, followed by the ‘Touch It’ challenge to win an iPod. This lasted over nine hours, until the decision to quit by the last two competitors, so everyone could go home. Both were fundraising for Turner Syndrome Support Society.

The SRSH Catwalk also took place to promote peer-to-peer support for students with eating disorders.

Friday’s big finish was ‘clowning’, when students paid a clown to follow unsuspecting victims until

they matched their donation. RAG President, Roshan Dean, raised £80 for Children In Need by following Societies Officer, Harry Newman, all the way to the official opening of the Heath Campus Cochrane Building. There was also a moustache party and ‘man auction’ to raise money for Movember.

In total, RAG Week raised £1925.12, a Cardiff University record and expected to be matched

by Santander for a total of £3850.24.

Roshan said, “all the things we’ve

been doing have really got our name out there, which will help us become a bigger RAG and put on even bigger events in future.” Harry Newman added, “huge thanks to all Union and University staff who were so willing to facilitate, donate and tolerate the craziness of RAG Week!”

SVC transform school playground Amy Campbell News Reporter On Saturday November 26, Student Volunteering Cardiff (SVC), with help from Cardiff University Art Society, gave a Roath Primary School a playground makeover.

SVC, the student led charity at Cardiff University organised the event, which saw Stacey Primary School’s grey playground transformed into a colourful mass of murals and games.

SVC already has a project at Stacey Primary School, where volunteers tutor some of the children.

Other projects by the student led charity include, working with the elderly, the young and disadvantaged members of the community.

Visiting the school beforehand to ask the pupils what they would like their playground to look like if it were to have a makeover, the children’s’ main response was for it to be more colourful. They also said they would like to have flags painted, to represent the multitude of nationalities at the school. A meeting

with the Primary School's council finalised the plans for the surprise makeover.

Armed with buckets of paint donated by local businesses, around 40 volunteers decorated the playground with an array of artwork including a tree of flags, flowers, rainbows, a goalpost and footballs.

In one corner of the playground, there was even a disco dancefloor area, another request from Stacey Primary pupils.

Lauren Gillingham, from SVC, who volunteered to take part in the makeover is also a coordinator of tutoring some of the children at Stacey Primary. She commented: “the kids don’t really have anything to do at break time but the makeover will make the playground be a much more fun and happier place to be, with all the colourfulness and the games. The children will love it.”

The new playground was unveiled as a surprise for the pupils on Monday November 28.

To find out more on SVC and how to get involved, visit there website at: www.svcardiff.org

News 1-9

Opinion Politics Feature Science Societies Listings 24 - 26 27 - 29 11 - 14 15 - 18 21 - 23 30 - 32

Sport 40 - 44

News09

Monday December 05 2011 • gair rhydd • news@gairrhydd.

L

ast week, students were able to give blood. Many students who wanted to give blood, however, were annoyed when turned away because they did not fit the criteria. Many argued that because blood is tested, ‘bad’ blood would be removed anyway.

Many of the regulations on giving blood are a requirement of European law, while others are advised to the Government by SaBTO. While it may be frustrating for people to be turned away when there is such a need for blood, the regulations are there for a reason. All blood is tested but it is not a fool-proof system and patients receiving blood are in vulnerable conditions. There is a small chance that infections can be missed because there can be a lag time before they show up. Regulations try to reduce this risk.

"I don’t see blood donation Comment... as charity or a good thing to do, but fulfilling a duty"

One of the most controversial regulations was a ban on blood donation by homosexual men or women who have had intercourse with homosexual men. This ban was replaced earlier this year by prevention from giving blood for 12 months after intercourse. Regulation on giving blood after a tattoo has been relaxed to waiting four months. This shows that where there is medical evidence that means regulations can be relaxed, they are.

Kate Bennett discusses giving blood...

Photo: Sabastian Kaulitzki/iStockphoto.com

The reason there is a shortage of blood donation is not because of regulations though. Only 6% of eligible people donate blood, but one in three people will know someone in their lifetime who needs blood.

Many people give feeble reasons for not donating blood, but would not hesitate to take donated blood for themselves or a loved one. For this reason, I don’t see blood donation as charity or a good thing to do, but fulfilling a duty. The pain of giving blood is minimal compared to losing a baby or a parent or sibling.

Students sign up to the UK's Bone Marrow Register Anna Hickman News Reporter

Cardiff Marrow saw a record number of students sign up to the National Bone Marrow Register on Wednesday November 16 2011 at Talybont Social.

The group, which aims to raise awareness, funds and encourage people to donate, worked hard to promote the clinic and their efforts were reflected in the turnout.

167 people signed up, a record for the group, at the temporary clinic.

Potential donors were engaged in a ten-minute chat with a counsellor to confirm they knew what was involved in donating and to check their suitability. They were then required to fill out a form and provide a specimen of saliva.

Cardiff Marrow also increased awareness of the clinic and raised money by holding cake sales throughout the year. In total, they have raised £541.13 this term alone through cake sales held at the Heath Campus for students travelling between their lectures. The money is to go to Cardiff Marrow's parent charity, Anthony Nolan, which matches donors to people who suit their tissue type and are in need of a life-saving blood stem cell transplant.

To promote the clinic held on Wednesday, third year medics Elin Mitford Davies and Sean Martin were part of a great effort to boost sign-ups and serenaded students, the former through singing, the latter using a megaphone.

There is still an opportunity to sign up to the National Bone Marrow Registry and get involved with Cardiff Marrow by joining the Cardiff Marrow Facebook group or Cardiff Marrow on Campus Groups. There will be information on the next clinic, news of what the group is organising in terms of fundraising and the chance to get involved.

Politics Feature Science Societies Listings News 24 - 26 27 - 29 1 - 9 Opinion 15 - 18 21 - 23 30 - 32 11 - 14

Sport 40 - 44

Opinion11 Planting the seeds of knowledge about cannabis Monday December 05 2011 • #gairrhydd • opinion@gairrhydd.com

Opinion considers the effectiveness of a more liberal attitude towards educating children about drugs in light of the release of Ricardo Cortés' new cannabis picture book It's Just A Plant.

Anna Raby Opinion Writer Apparently, It’s Just a Plant, Ricardo Cortes’ book (for children) about a child’s educational journey to learn about marijuana has caused much controversy over the last week; a particularly sensitive line in the story being a quote from the child’s mother: ‘every government can make bad laws’. Arguments are being made in the form of such questions such as is cannabis ‘just a plant’? And should we be exposing children to the politics of pot?

My argument here is yes and this is why.

Whatever happened to freedom of speech and the liberty to educate our society? Knowledge is powerful; once someone has been taught about the positive and negative effects of a drug, it gives them the understanding, competence and confidence to make up their own minds. It seems more than plausible that education about the drug, even when giving both sides of the argument, will have a greater effect of steering kids clear of such activities through the independence of their judgement.

This can be supported by the fact that Holland‘s rate of users is significantly lower than in the U.S.A and is also lower (although through less extreme figures) than most other European countries. Yet, surprisingly, Holland is one of the few countries where cannabis is actually legal.

Even if liberation and education do not deter use of the drug, at least it will be through choice rather than through rebellion. The users will know exactly what they are experi-

“

Lucy Barclay

Even if liberation and education do not deter use of

the drug, at least it will be

through choice rather than rebellion

menting with and it will probably not be half as fun to do once there is nobody telling them not to, apart from themselves.

Furthermore, is this book really written for children? Cortes’ involvement in a previous book Go the Fuck to Sleep suggests otherwise: that the nature of this book seems somewhat tongue in cheek, providing adults with something to chuckle over. The book seems to hold irony by hiding a complex message about the sovereignty of England in the context of a simply written children’s’ book.

The message can be interpreted as such: what justifies the almost arrogance that everything we have been taught thus far is correct? As blessed as we are with such a liberal government, mistakes are still made: was the world not once thought of to be flat? It is possible that by educating the next generation we might find a plethora of new information about cannabis. As we have heard before: every government can make bad laws.

Opinion Writer Ricardo Cortés’s self-published book, It’s Just A Plant follows the story of a young child on a quest to find out about marijuana, after catching her parents getting stoned. Personally, I think if you can’t get stoned without being caught in the act by a four-year-old, the time to hang up the bong is well overdue.

Now regarding your support, or lack thereof, the legalisation of cannabis what does it have to do with children? Cannabis is a gateway drug, you wouldn’t say to a child whilst handing them a pint ‘it’s just a drink’. So why is marijuana any different?

This book makes no attempt to conceal Cortés’s sympathies towards the drug. In an extract, Jackie, (the child in question) asks her mother why it has been banned. Her Mum replies with, “Any government can make a bad law”. Now if we are to believe Cortés is ‘educating’ through the psychedelically illustrated pages of It’s Just a Plant, why then is marijuana being revered?

Or perhaps I’m looking at this too simplistically. Some people have argued that the book needn’t be taken seriously, as children invariably will do the opposite to their parents. However, whilst we can apply this idea to activities enjoyed by the older generation, such as Morris dancing, Countdown and bingo, suggesting children would not take drugs because their parents did is a substantial oversight.

Moreover the book's sympathetic view of marijuana fails to highlight the dangers,

calling into question the books claims to be ‘educational’. The book fails to explain the plant’s role in giving users mental illness or lung cancer. It does not highlight it as a trade, funding gangsters and cruel organisations worldwide. Or, on a individual level, its part in sleep deprivation and paranoia.

While it could be seen as particularly liberal and yet another example of ‘modern parenting’, it is too far and irresponsible. I can only imagine how a potential series would continue. Perhaps ‘Jerry likes happy powder’, ‘They’re only (ahem) Daddy’s naughty books’, and ‘Shall we talk about mummy’s new ‘friend’?’ are just a few of the titles that could follow. Undoubtedly these would be deemed inappropriate and a step too far, why then is It’s Just A Plant a reasonable enough subject matter for a children’s book? Particularly, when it is illustrated throughout with images of drug taking.

“

The book's sympathetic

view of marijuana fails to highlight the dangers

This book is irresponsible: if it truly is trying to educate, why then does it only tell just the one (more jovial) side of the story? I think it is clear that a more balanced outlook is required.

Opinion

12

Police won't play The Game

Monday December 05 2011 • #gairrhydd • opinion@gairrhydd.com

Decades on, and the Iron Lady is still ruffling feathers gair rhydd writer Hugh Rodger reviews the presentation of Margaret Thatcher, one of the most divisive figures in British politics, in the upcoming film release The Iron Lady.

Jamie Evans Sport Editor It isn’t rare for an act to pull out of a concert at the last minute, causing anguish for ticket holders and, unless it’s due to an illness, the blame often falls at the foot of the act. But when the police do so, it’s a different kettle of fish. If there’s a threat to security or a genuine safety concern, it makes sense to pull the plug; no one should be put in harm’s way just to see some live music. But when the concert in question is cancelled due to security fears derived from preconceived stereotyping, it’s fundamentally abhorrent.

This was the case at our Students' Union on Monday night; former Gunit hip-hop artist The Game was scheduled to perform but the news broke Monday afternoon that the police had cancelled the gig just hours before the Los Angeles rapper was due to perform.

He broke the news himself, tweeting; "My Cardiff show was cancelled by the Police 4 undisclosed reasons!?!’’ This came as a massive shock, especially as Cardiff has hosted many hip-hop concerts this year, such as Grandmaster Flash, Public Enemy and J.Cole.

If there were security fears because of an exigency to have the required number of security guards, that would be justified, but that wasn’t the case. There must have been other reasons prompting the police to cancel the gig. Is it that The Game has been labelled a threat because of his troubled background and stereotyping of the people most likely to attend the concert?

It’s no secret that The Game has been affiliated with the notorious Los Angeles gang ‘The Bloods’, famous for their rivalry with other prominent gang, ‘The Crips’. It’s also no secret that he was shot at five times. But this precedes his hip-hop career and he has endured many hardships in his life, as have numerous acts that have been allowed to play in Cardiff, such as Pete Doherty and Snoop Dogg.

It’s also no secret that hip-hop has its roots in black culture, so if a concert is cancelled due to security fears then it sends out negative racial connotations that hip-hop gigs are a danger to the public based on unfounded stereotyping, and that an audience compiled of a largely ethnic majority are more likely to cause trouble than a white majority. The Union has hosted many heavy metal gigs recently, notorious for their ‘mosh pits’ which are in essence an act of violence, albeit voluntary. It’s more dangerous to be in a mosh pit than it is to listen to a rap artist live and that’s coming from first-hand experience.

A

n evil old witch who destroyed British manufacturing, stamped all over the working class and sowed the seeds of all our social and economic ills today, or the greatest Prime Minister since World War II who saved Britain’s economy and took on the unions who held the country ransom for far too long? It would be the understatement of the century to say that Margaret Thatcher remains the most divisive figure in British political history, and the upcoming film The Iron Lady next January will certainly reignite fierce debates between the left and right wing.

With the Conservatives in power again, and the economy teetering on the edge of recession, is it really the best time to release a film depicting the left’s greatest enemy?

The Iron Lady is guaranteed to ruffle a few feathers upon its release, and not just among those who despise Margaret Thatcher. Her children, Mark and Carol Thatcher, reportedly referred to the film as a ‘left wing fantasy’. Others may have misgivings about a defining English character being portrayed by an American actress, while Stuart Jeffries of The Guardian complained that the film’s narrative would overlook ‘rage about what Thatcher, economy destroyer and warmonger, was doing to Britain’ (yet Jeffries overlooks that it was Argentina who invaded the Falklands first) and instead opt for one

that focused on the former PM as ‘a woman triumphing against the odds’. So how satisfied you will be with the film depends entirely on your political views, and so far it sounds as though neither side will be satisfied.

What the film actually depicts, if test screening reports are to be believed, is a frail Mrs Thatcher suffering from dementia imagining having conversations with her deceased husband Denis Thatcher (played by Jim Broadbent) and looking back on the highs and lows of her political career. Meryl Streep certainly had her work cut out by taking on such a challenging role.

Even though she disagreed with Mrs Thatcher’s political views, she said of them; “I feel she believed in them and they came from an honest conviction, and that she wasn’t a cosmetic politician just changing make-up to suit the times. She stuck to what she believed in, and that’s a hard thing to do.”

Streep doesn’t hesitate to take a shot at the attitudes of politicians today, criticising their obsession with producing a professionalised, media-friendly image. Indeed, this criticism is reflected in a scene when Mrs Thatcher decries the lack of ideas in politics, and obvious jibes are made towards David Cameron and Nick Clegg when Thatcher proclaims her dislike of coalition governments. The film’s script is packed with lines that are certain to make today’s leaders stop and think about their own style of leadership. Streep elaborates on

this: “You want people who are willing to find a solution. I admire the fact that she was a ‘love-me-orhate-me’ kind of leader who said: this is what I stand for.”

It’s difficult to deny that Mrs Thatcher makes for a compelling figure to be depicted on the silver screen. Unlike David Cameron, she didn’t quite have the same privileged upbringing, being born to a grocer in Grantham. It’s a subversion of the stereotypical posh backdrop that Tory leaders are believed to come from. However, it’s worth noting that David Cameron is the first Conservative leader to come from a wealthy background since Sir Alec Douglas-Home in 1963. Streep confessed that regardless of political differences, “we [on the Left] were secretly thrilled that a woman had made it.” Even if you’re the type that wishes that the film would conclude with Thatcher being banished to the seventh circle of Hell by the holy alliance of saints Marx, Trotsky, Lenin and Neil Kinnock, the film promises to be an intriguing experience at the very least. Streep has garnered much praise for her performance from early reviews. Writing in The Guardian Xan Brooks called Streep’s portrayal “astonishing and all but flawless.” The film also promises a strong supporting cast, with the brilliant Richard E. Grant playing Michael Heseltine, Olivia Colman (of Peep Show fame) playing Carol Thatcher and Anthony Head as Geoffrey Howe.

Not content with being contro-

versial enough in the fact that it’s a film about Thatcher, the film depicts many key moments in her political career. The infamous sinking of the Belgrano is snuck in there, as reviews have remarked on Thatcher’s cry of the words, ‘Sink it!’

Trade unionists are bound to have their cages rattled, as they will find it a far too kindly depiction of their mortal nemesis.

Yet no matter how infinite your hatred is for her as a person, she was a force to be reckoned with, and was able to control a cabinet of men for 11 years. To be the first to win three successive general elections since 1865 is no laughing matter.

Perhaps this piece sounds overly favourable of a figure whose image is constantly referred to in a negative context, conjured up in these times of economic woe and Conservative government.

The nickname ‘Iron Lady’ was bestowed upon Thatcher by a Soviet newspaper in response to an anti-communist speech and was not intended as a compliment. Yet the name was masterfully manipulated and worn with pride.

If this film is anything to go by, it certainly doesn’t sound like an insult. The Iron Lady was never going to be the most comfortable viewing experience for everyone. Whether you love her or hate her, it’s best to have an open mind and take the film for what it is: a reflection on the life of one of the most divisive, yet compelling and powerful characters of British politics.

Politics Feature Science Societies Listings News 24 - 26 27 - 29 1 - 9 Opinion 15 - 18 21 - 23 30 - 32 11 - 14

Sport 40 - 44

Opinion13 'Honestly Officer, I swear I'm not being offensive!'

Monday December 05 2011 • #gairrhydd • opinion@gairrhydd.com

Charlotte Wace Opinion Writer In 1936, theatre critic Kenneth Tynan was the first man to utter the word ‘fuck’ on television precipitating a formal apology by the BBC, four separate House of Commons motions, and a letter to the Queen.

This contrasts dramatically with current society, where we tune into Gordon Ramsey’s The F word, listen to upbeat songs entitled Fuck You ( Lily Allen and Cee Lo Green), and the average adult swears 14 times a day.

Yet although we have loosened our moral belts as we watch television and may let the odd obscenity

slip if our mobile phone falls down the toilet (it’s surprising how easily that can happen) - having these obscenities yelled directly in your face is somewhat different.

Certainly the recent decision by a High Court judge to overturn a public order conviction of a young suspect who repeatedly used the F-word while being searched for drugs, has caused controversy.

To the anger and dismay of the UK Police Federation, Mr. Justice Bean upheld the appeal of Denzel Cassius Harvey, who was fined £50 for verbally abusing police when he was searched for cannabis in 2009.

The 20 year old shouted at police “F*** this man, I ain’t been

smoking nothing”, and when found without possession, retorted “Told you, you wouldn’t find f*** all..

Magistrates at Thames Youth Court found Harvey guilty of a public order offence, as there was a group of young people in close proximity. Regardless, the high court judge ruled that the swear words were heard “all too frequently”, and that it was “quite impossible” they caused distress.

However, Jonathan Green, lexicographer of slang, describes how ‘there have been three stages of swearing in modern English.’

The 1500s saw blasphemy as the greatest taboo, yet as this became more commonplace (e.g. ‘Oh my God’) words for parts of the body and defecation became the verbal tools to offend.

Yet now, according to Green: “ young people have become less concerned with the traditional swear words. Now it's racist, sexist, homophobic language the sort my father's generation wouldn't think twice about using - that are totally forbidden.”

So was it the language that was really the issue in the Denzel Harvey case, or his attitude to the police?

If it’s the swearing that’s key, shouldn’t Gordon Ramsay have been prosecuted for calling someone a ‘fat, useless sack of fucking Yankee dankee doodle shit’, in front of a TV audience of millions?

Gaps between generations and class are breaking down and as the media expands our horizons, we subconsciously accept different ways of behaviour as normal.

Imagine for example, a straight-

faced and laced Victorian family watching an episode of Supernanny, witnessing the puce and demonic five- year- old Kieran calling his mother a “fucking bitch” for confiscating his Alvin and the Chipmunks Xbox game? True, the language is shocking, but what would be more outrageous is the boy of chimney- shoving age showing such disrespect to his elders.

So then, it may not be the swearing that’s the problem, but its context and intention. When Eminem tells a magazine: “Sometimes I think I do a lot of f*ckin' crazy sh*t but then I don't know what the f*ck is normal”, shouldn’t we just assume that’s just the way ‘the real Slim Shady’ communicates, rather

than feeling personally insulted.

I’m not suggesting that children are taught: “now, e is for elephant, f is for fuck” in schools, and nor am I necessarily condoning swearing - but I don’t believe police officers today would be shocked by the words Harvey used.

However, I do think the way he spoke to them was symptomatic of a lack of respect – for authority, parents, older people, others in general.

In an age where swearing has become commonplace, perhaps it is time to cut the shit and focus instead on why so many of us have so little regard for our fellow citizens.

Looking for the motivations behind the tragedy Russell Gibson Opinion Writer

It is with ardent curiosity that many people have been asking the question ‘why did Gary Speed kill himself?’ The general impression seems to be that of disbelief.

How could such a successful and

popular family man, one with so much to look forward to, actually want to die?

Aside from finding a suicide note we will never know the thoughts and feelings that led him to do as he did. Indeed the circumstances surrounding his death are still vague, and are likely to remain so out of respect for his grieving family and friends.

However, it is likely that at that moment when he decided that enough was enough, there seemed to him absolutely no alternative to attempting suicide.

It is not a decision that people take lightly. Suicide is often the last thing that the person wants to do, but to them all other possible avenues appear shut. For many it is hard to imagine a situation where they could be without hope, but for those with depression hopelessness about the future is a common symptom.

Moreover, it is not a state of mind that you can just shake yourself out of. It is pervasive, strip-

“

It is not a state of mind that you can just shake yourself out of, it is pervasive

ping away all that is positive in a person’s life, leaving them to focus only on the negatives.

With this skewed perspective, people may lack the ability to properly think their way through problems.They may become fixated on certain ideas, blowing them out of all proportion to the extent where they can think about nothing else.

Imagine a world where all your insecurities are laid bare, your worries become manifold and there seems to be no prospect of resolution. In fact, you may believe that things are only going to get worse.

Imagine that, and you may have some insight into why somebody

would want to kill themselves.

If anything positive can be gained from this event, it is an increased awareness about suicide and the reasons people do it. The reasons vary with the people who attempt suicide. But stigmatising it further with ill informed ideas about ‘taking the easy way out’ are not helpful.

I’ve also heard people say that they believe Gary Speed selfish to leave behind his family, including two young boys. However, for any father to abandon his children at such a young age must have taken some overwhelming reasoning. Indeed, people often say they believe that their family will be better off without them.

Imagine the heartbreak that such a revelation could cause.

The stigmatisation of suicide will only make it less likely for people to seek help, and we should not forget that death by suicide is the single biggest killer among men in the 15-44 year old age group. Generally there are around 5500 suicides

recorded each year in the UK. Quick assumptions or speculation may satisfy our requirement for quick answers, but it only ignores the real truth of the matter.

Moreover, it may be part of the problem itself.

It is important to remember that there are many reasons people attempt suicide, and to them, at that point in time, they often believe they have no alternative.

If you are experiencing any of the issues raised in this article, help is available:

Samaritans provides confidential emotional support 24/7 to those experiencing despair, distress or suicidal feelings.

Call 08457 909090 any time.

Or alternatively, call Cardiff Nightline on 02920 870 555 from 8pm to 8am.

Columnist

14

S

ee here’s the thing.

People are tangible, the internet is just not. Is it?

Are we all too accessible, or is being SO accessible a good thing? Do we let people in to our lives too much?

I don’t think I want to tell people what I’ve had for dinner. I don’t think I want people to be able to get my mobile number off the internet. I don’t think I want people to know exactly what’s going on in my life, constantly, 24-7.

For me, it all started with Myspace. Ah, Myspace! It was so exciting back then. Designing your own site, editing all your information, your ‘about me’, and then there was the daily changing of the profile picture.

Was I a little obsessed? Probably.

“

We are all so obsessed with our online persona - are we forgetting that reality is here and now?

Then, there was bebo; a slightly less broad ‘social network’, a more intimate one. I used to change my ‘top friends’ around daily. You could see who was in relationships, and who wasn’t. You could tell people your favourite food without even entering into a dialogue – you’d just put it in your ‘about me’ section.

And then, there was the arrival of Facebook into my life. And ever since then, things have changed. But have things changed for the better or for the worse?

“

If you were to spot a hottie in a lecture and you were intrigued as to whom they might be… Facebook is the ultimate tool

We are all now so obsessed with our online persona – are we forgetting that reality is here and now? Reality is right here. Do we all live our lives through the internet? We are all constantly updating our statuses in one way or another. New people are wanting to be our online friends – and a lot of the time, I don’t even know these people.

And if it’s not our status it’s our relationship status, or our profile picture. Why do we do it? Are we obsessed?

It’s as if we must constantly reinvent ourselves? Are we all in a bid to seem authentic? Why must we prove this to ourselves though, we each know we are real, we each know we exist and our real friends will get in touch with us because, quite frankly they have our numbers or know

Monday December 05 2011 • #gairrhydd

where we live.

Arguably, editing your Facebook page is like having your very own part-time job. It requires skill, wit and much thought. After all, it really does matter who people think you are, or might be. We all feel the need to keep up the façade that life is great and that we are having such a great time, all the time.

I’m frustrated because I’m a part of the trend. Of course I use Facebook and Twitter too... I, along with everyone else, have the Facebook app on my phone, and constantly scan the news feed for uninteresting status updates from people I barely know, from people I, (quite frankly) don’t care much for.

“

Be careful when you leave your Facebook open and you have sneaky friends who run in, frape you and leave you none the wiser. Especially when you are friends with other people’s parents

Tweeting is still a bizarre concept to me, despite the fact that I’ve had Twitter for about a year now.

Yet again though, I still use it. I look

to see what other people are doing, what other people’s statuses are and all the while I’m so busy looking at what other people are doing, that I forget to actually live my life.

Do we all do it because everyone else does? Do we do it because it’s great fun, or do we do it because it is the route of human nature to be interested in other people’s lives, and to be – to put it bluntly – nosey?

We are all interested in other people. We might not care, but we are to an extent interested. This is, I think why celebrity culture is everywhere in our time – it’s a way in which we can tunnel our nosiness. We can see what other people are up to and yet do it in a passive, anonymous way.

Facebook however, is a little less anonymous. In order to check up on someone else, you must yourself have an account, which therefore could make you the subject of someone else’s nosiness.

Has it gone too far? Has Facebook made us all a little too accessible? Will our generation be Facebook users until we die? Or will it fade away?

Is it all too much when you realise that your PARENTS have added you on Facebook? Is there a line that needs to be drawn? Is this taking it too far? Are your parents your friends? Oh the many questions that social networking poses…

I praise those people who buck the trend I speak of, the people who do not conform to the social networking addiction. As the Welsh say: "Fair play!" It takes a brave person to steer clear from the trend that has hooked so many of us. But despite how much I hate the hold social networking has over me, I really don’t think I could be without it. It does, after all have its uses.

“

Arguably, editing your Facebook page is like having your very own part-time job

If you were to spot a hottie in a lecture and you were intrigued as to whom they might be… Facebook is the ultimate tool. You can find out their interests, their favourite television shows, you can really check them out. You can even look at events they may have attended which you could then attend in future… Perhaps Facebook can, in some cases, be used to your advantage.

But be warned, the internet is a tool that can be used to mislead oth-

ers. Creating a persona online can be dangerous. You can be anyone online, anyone but yourself. Be careful when you leave your Facebook open and you have sneaky friends who run in, frape you and leave you none the wiser. Especially when you are friends with other people’s parents. My sincerest apologies to not just my own parents, but to those of a friend and companion Gemma Hitchens’ who have to endure my explicit frapes regarding penises and farting etc, etc.

coincidentally...

• As a twenty year old, with a limited grasp on the world - it is perhaps difficult to understand why a lot of our lecturers went on strike last Wednesday.

I think I’ve got my head around it, and although I’m not 100% sure I understand how exactly pensions work, I am sure however, that as much as I understand the reasons for the strike, I do not sympathise. Public sector workers are very lucky as it is. Furthermore, think of the holidays that teachers and lecturers get! I’m not sure I’d be complaining.

• Okay, so I loved ‘The Only way is Essex’, yes. It grew on me. I loved ‘Made in Chelsea’ too, despite the fact that Millie was irritating and Caggie’s pout was incredibly annoying. I cannot deny that a few tears ran down my face when Cags and Spencer kissed beautifully as Caggie departed for America. I felt it. It was moving-ish. As much as I love the two said programmes, I’m not sure I’m going to feel the same way about the new series of ‘Desperate Scousewives’, but who knows? I might just stumble across it one night whilst procrastinating and end up finding it strangely addictive.

• Apparently, Kelly Rowland has cellulite and apparently ‘she hates it’. Oh Kelly. You may hate your cellulite, but we love you.

We don’t want to hear about your body issues, we love you.

Rowland on X-Factor literally makes my life. With her ‘hey mamas' and her ‘babygirrrrrls’ – a total babe. A great mentor.

Go Kelly.

Feature Science Societies Listings News Opinion 24 - 26 27 - 29 1-9 11 - 14 Politics 21 - 23 30 - 32 15 - 18

Sport 40 - 44

Monday December 05 2011 • #gairrhydd • politics@gairrhydd.com

Politics15

Michael Gove criticises union strikes Hugh Rodger Politics Reporter As momentum for the public sector strikes built, Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Education, delivered a speech two days before the strikes were due to take place and criticised union ‘hard-liners’, who were “itching for a fight”.

Speaking at the Policy Exchange think tank, Mr Gove predicted that 90% of schools would be closed, which would result in parents scrambling for childcare arrangements. He believed that union militants wanted to go on strike to deliberately disrupt economic recovery and inconvenience families.

Mr Gove said, “they want scenes of industrial action on our TV screens, they want to make economic recovery harder, they want to provide a platform for confrontation just when we need to pull together”.

Ed Miliband has repeatedly refused to condemn the strikes, de-

Comment Such a protest is sure to divide the nation’s opinion on whether the strikes are actually necessary.

An opinion poll commissioned by BBC News suggests 61% of people believe public sector workers were justified in going on strike over pension changes. However, many believe that the strikes were a complete waste of time, and show deep ingratitude from public-sector workers who, unlike some, at least have a pension.

It is clear that such radical action on the issue is going to cause trouble for many others. Those affected by the day-long strike include students whose teaching was suspended for the day. Young families will also be greatly affected as many struggle with poorly paid jobs and will have to take time off to look after their children.

While I understand that publicsector workers, particularly lowpaid workers, are going to have an additional burden of extra money to pay into their pensions, I also believe that going for a full-scale strike is going a bit too far at this stage. It does seem rather out of touch to be striking to maintain such luxurious pensions, when so many are struggling to even acquire a job in the current economic climate.

In relation to public-sector pensions, I think the deal that's currently in place is generous, and as I understand it, it will be a good deal that will be offered after the changes. I appreciate people's right to strike, but I think given the wider context of the current economic situation and given the relatively small change overall, maybe strike action is too much.

Alice Briggs

spite acknowledging that he “hated” the large scale disruption it would cause.

Why are the public sector strikes happening? As part of pension reforms, the government are asking staff to contribute more, despite the fact that living costs are rising and public sector wages have been frozen.

“

Ed Miliband has repeatedly refused to condemn the strikes, despite acknowledging that he “hated” the large scale disruption it would cause

A pensioner currently receiving £10,000 per annum would mean a pension of £11,400 in 2016 instead of £12,200. The value of pensions is being cut by 15% due to the switch from the Retail Price Index to the Consumer Price Index, and the government intend to move from a final salary pension scheme to a ‘career average’ pension scheme. This means that the pension a public sector worker will get, will be calculated by the average rate of pay throughout their career instead of the rate they retire on, plus the retirement age will be raised.

Public sector workers are being asked to work longer, contribute more and receive less money from their pension.

The unions are demanding the government to renegotiate pension plans or end the reforms altogether. Regardless of the gloomy prospect of two million public sector workers striking, Gove remains adamant that the government’s posi-

tion will not change, arguing that it is becoming increasingly difficult to fund pensions: “In 2005-06, it cost £5bn to pay teachers’ pensions.

By 2015-16, the cost will have risen to £10bn.

So reform is vital if we’re to be fair to other taxpayers.”

Russell Hobby, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, responded, saying, “after a decade of good industrial relations, blame for any rise in union militancy belongs fairly and squarely at the government’s door: a failure to negotiate in any meaningful sense until the last minute”.

There is some element of truth in Mr Gove’s words – union leaders were never going to be sympathetic to a Conservative government and would always want to give them a good kicking.

Furthermore, Ed Miliband would be stupid to condemn the strikes, given that 90% of Labour’s funding now comes from trade unions.

Yet, with an ageing population and living costs rising, the current pension scheme will be too difficult

A pensioner currently receiving £10,000 per annum would mean a pension of £11,400 in 2016 instead of £12,200

to sustain. The money needs to come from somewhere, and the country simply doesn’t have enough.

George Osborne’s Autumn Statement has painted a very bleak picture with prospects of more pain and less growth for a longer period than anyone had hoped. Mr Hobby is right that much of the blame lies with the government, as they have clearly failed to encoura ge suf ficient growth to ensure t h a t t h e i r reforms will not inflict t o o

much pain to public sector workers. The strikes have shown that they are not afraid to stand up to

“

Yet with an ageing population and living costs rising, the current pension scheme system will be too difficult to sustain

reforms they believe to be unfair and have mobilised a powerful opposition to the government that cannot be ignored.

Public support may be on the union’s side for now, but they can easily lose it with prolonged disruption amid fears of another Winter of Discontent.

Negotiations must be resumed, as stubb o r n attitudes on both sides help no one.

16

Politics

Monday December 05 2011 • #gairrhydd • politics@gairrhydd.com

OECD warns of double-dip recession Helen Cox Politics Reporter Just when it felt like the economy might start to improve, the OECD (the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development – the West’s most prominent economic think-tank) released a warning that proclaimed disaster may be on the horizon.

The latest projections from the organisation predict that the UK economy will contract by 0.03% this quarter, and an additional 0.15% next. The technical definition of a recession is two consecutive quarters of negative growth – meaning that, if these figures prove to be correct, the UK will have entered its second recession in a matter of years.

Though the Christmas shopping rush may not be enough to save the UK from contraction in that quarter, the OECD does predict positive growth overall for 2012, with figures of around 0.5% expected. This is, however, a revised estimate, and a rather gloomy one at that – the original prediction for 2012 growth stood at 1.8%.

The UK is not alone in its misery though. The OECD cut its growth forecasts for all of the major Western economies and warned that if a negative event in the Eurozone occurred, a global contraction may even occur. It explained that the revisions in growth predictions were due to public spending cuts, an unstable exports market and stretched household incomes.

Despite this, the organisation believes that, unless the economy deteriorates further, George Osborne should stick to the budget strategy that he has planned. If deterioration does occur, the OECD believes that "short-term fiscal support would be warranted, for example by easing up on the planned cuts

in public investment, temporarily slowing consolidation”. This would not bode well for George Osborne’s future plans and would require a rethink of his current strategy.

“

The OECD cut its growth forecasts for all of the major Western economies

Ed Balls suggested that the current spending cuts are the main rea-

son for this poor forecast and stated that "we need action and a change of course now to boost jobs and growth and get the deficit down in a balanced way". This agrees with the official Labour Party stance, that cuts are not the way to go – the economy needs a kick-start in the form of jobs and tackling unemployment. Unemployment is also a large issue – it is set to rise from 8.1% this year to 9.1% in 2012.

A spokesperson for the government hit back, blaming the Eurozone for the dismal outlook. They

said, "It's very clear that as an open economy, we are going to be affected by what happens on our doorstep, in the Eurozone".

The overall outlook for the Eurozone is not too bright either – growth of a mere 0.2% in 2012, with the Italian economy actually contracting by 0.5% in 2012. To tackle this problem, the OECD suggested that the European Central Bank should cut interest rates and make borrowing easier for governments in an attempt to rescue the failing economies – this money could be

Welsh government announce £39m stimulus package Prif Weinidog a'r Dirprwy Brif Weinidog yn edrych ar waith gan ddisgyblion Ysgol Tregarth • First Minister and Deputy First Minister take a closer look at work by pupils from Ysgol Tregarth.

spent on creating jobs in at-risk countries and get spending flowing again.

These figures, and the possible fate of the UK, were not met with surprise by economists. The gloomy economic situation meant that many expected this outcome.

"It is hard to see where any growth next year will come from," said David Tinsley, UK economist at BNP Paribas. With the domestic situation unlikely to improve any time soon, the UK’s hopes lie with the international trade market, and unfortunately a report from the US Congress warned "international trade growth has weakened significantly.

Contrary to what was expected earlier this year, the global economy is not out of the woods". This means that the UK is unlikely to exceed the revised growth predictions, if it reaches them at all. Historically, and especially in the recent unstable economic climate, predictions by think-tanks have generally proven to be wrong. Nearly all predicted figures have been incorrect – and in a negative way; for example, inflation and unemployment are usually under-predicted and growth is usually over-predicted or revised back down soon after figures are released.

It’s not all doom and gloom though, as Russell Howard says.

Despite the prediction by the OECD that the Eurozone recession will spread like a disease through Europe, and possibly reach the USA, it seems that Japan is safe. After a disastrous year in which the country suffered from an earthquake and tsunami that led to a contraction of 0.3% in its economy, the OECD predicts a growth of 2% in 2012. As one commentator on the BBC website said, "it’s obvious what we should all do – get some Japanese language classes in quick!"

Katie Bennett Politics Reporter The Liberal Democrats have agreed on a budget for the Welsh government with Labour, part of which is a stimulus package for schools and apprentices.

Finance Minister Jane Hutt said the package would help “generate immediate benefits” for the economy.

The £39m allocated for upgrading school buildings, help businesses hire young recruits and creating apprenticeships among other things, does not go far enough, Plaid Cymru claim. A spokesman for Plaid, Alun Ffred Jones said, “For over six months, Labour has sat back and done nothing, exposing Wales to the full force of the economic crisis. Now, they’re trying desperately to create the impression that this small sum of money will do what’s needed. Quite simply, it will not.”

Feature Science Societies Listings News Opinion 24 - 26 27 - 29 1-9 11 - 14 Politics 21 - 23 30 - 32 15 - 18

Sport 40 - 44

Monday December 05 2011 • #gairrhydd • politics@gairrhydd.com

Politics17

Trident nuclear deterrent to be renewed ahead of time?

Thom Hollick Politics Reporter In this age of austerity and cuts to public spending, there are few items on the government’s expenditure quite as controversial as the nuclear missile deterrent, Trident.

The UK’s submarine-based nuclear deterrent has had strong words being said both for and against it ever since its introduction in 1994, but the debate has been stoked up again lately. The current system is nearing the end of its 25-30 year lifespan before the submarines and missiles become obsolete, and the government must make the decision whether to replace the system like-for-like, design something new, or scrap it altogether.

“

The conservativecontrolled Ministry of Defence appears to be pressing forward and preparing for a renewal in the next few years

It was a very contentious issue at last year’s general election, as the Conservative Party were in favour of renewal, the Liberal Democrats were against it, and Labour was split. Many commentators have suggested that their opposition may have been an important factor in the Lib Dems' increased popularity.

But as luck would have it, it was the parties with diametrically opposed policies that went into government with each other. As a result, the coalition agreed in their early negotiations to postpone a decision on renewal until after the next election in 2015.

So far so convenient, at least as

The package includes £9m to upgrade school buildings, £9m to deliver an additional 130 homes and an extra £4.9m to create 1,800 more apprenticeships.

The Welsh government will also spend £3.5m improving roads in places it is planning to build enterprise zones. There are currently five parts of the country the government has earmarked as zones to help businesses grow.

“

For over six months, Labour has sat back and done nothing

Welsh Liberal Democrats leader Kirsty Williams said: “Our plans to fund the Capital Investment in Schools programme, a scheme to deliver an additional 130 affordable homes and the road enhancements

far as ensuring the integrity of the coalition is concerned. But new information has come to light that suggests the Conservative-controlled Ministry of Defence is pressing forward and preparing for a probable agreement on renewal in the next few years, by spending £2bn on new nuclear weapons plants. Following a question from Westminster’s only Green MP, Caroline Lucas, to Defence Secretary Peter Luff, it was revealed that, despite significant cuts to the defence budget and last years ‘Strategic Defence Review’, the MoD will still be splashing out on a series of new facilities for the assembly and maintenance of nuclear warheads, the processing of uranium, and developing new generations of explosives. According to Peter Burt of the Nuclear Information Service, these plants would be designed to have a lifespan of at least 40 years, suggesting the Conservatives see the continuation of the UK’s nuclear deterrent as a foregone conclusion.

Understandably, this move has come under criticism from Lucas and many others, claiming that is an affront to the democratic processes of Parliament, who have not yet had an opportunity to vote on the issue. It is likely, therefore, that any future administrations, coali-

“

Defence Minister, Peter Luff

The MoD will still be splashing out on a series of new facilities

will protect and promote jobs in the construction sector.

“Having a skilled workforce is a key element in a prosperous economy and that is why we have agreed to fund additional resources to the Young Recruits programme...Youth unemployment is unacceptably high and it is something we must focus on to ensure that we do not lose a generation of young people.”

The Liberal Democrats agreed to enter negotiation talks after Labour failed to gain a majority to pass their budget. At the Welsh government elections last year, Labour won 30 of the 60 seats and so need at least one party to agree to their proposals for them to be passed.

First Minister Carwyn Jones said the Welsh government would not copy the UK government by using the additional £38.9m generated by freezing council tax in England to keep council tax bills down because it would not significantly

help the economy. He added that tax bills for band D houses are, on average, lower in Wales anyway.

The budget also faced opposition from the Conservatives, who were disappointed about the way in which the government intended to spend the money. The Shadow Finance Minister Paul Davies said: “There is nothing new in this package other than a fresh attempt by Welsh Labour ministers to be seen to act on the economy, while spending money which would be better spent by taxpayers themselves.”

The Liberal Democrats, however, said that “the agreement on the economic stimulus package will not only generate immediate benefits for the economy, by promoting jobs in the construction sector, it will also improve the standard of teaching for children in schools, reduce the burden on people who live in fuel poverty and ensure that we have a skilled workforce.”

tion or otherwise, could have their hand forced over decisions on Trident, thanks to the current administration's spending commitments, but that is not something that needs to particularly concern the current cohort of MPs and Ministers; it will be up to their successors to react.

A spokeswoman from the MoD has responded that this £2bn expenditure is important for maintaining the current stockpile of missiles and warheads, and the fact that these plants are also involved in developing new technologies that could one day replace Trident is of

Mrs Hutt said she had considered proposals of how to spend the money across the government, and commented, “this package builds on those actions to boost the economy and develop public services, generating immediate benefits for our economy while complementing our long term aims”. She also pointed towards other government spending commitments intended to help growth.

“

The Welsh government would not copy the UK government by freezing council tax in England because it would not significantly help the economy

The Chancellor also announced additional funding to be allocated

little consequence. Of course, the anti-nuclear weapons lobby are not convinced by this, and have taken this news as a renewed call to arms to fight for complete nuclear disarmament.

So, with that in mind, it is worth considering the arguments again, both for and against the nuclear deterrent. The arguments in favour are fairly obvious: it would have to be a fairly naïve Prime Minister who would willingly call for immediate disarmament, when across the world, North Korea, Pakistan, China, and perhaps even Iran and Syria still possess them, and might be willing to use them.

But on the other hand, it is widely believed by International Relations Scholars, that the greatest risks to international security today come from global terrorism, rather than the fear of nuclear war and mutually assured destruction (MAD).

Then there is the legal argument; the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice, is that the possession of nuclear weapons breaches the Geneva and Hague Conventions, the UN Charter, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. But then international law has hardly swayed government policy in the past.

Finally, there is the moral argument: fair enough, we may want to be safe rather than sorry, but what if David Cameron were to actually use Trident? The office of Prime Minister is effectively constitutionally obliged to commit mass murder if he or she should see fit. Is that the sort of power we want to see given to one person, let alone one whose party only technically has the support of 36% of the electorate?

Either way, I suspect that the Tories will have made more enemies by acting in this premature way than simply those who wish to save money on the defence budget.

to the Welsh government in his Autumn statement last Tuesday.

Welsh Labour have welcomed the additional funds, which will have to be spent over a number of years, but is yet to announce plans for it.

We will not be returning until after Christmas, so have a nice holiday! We are looking to do more feature articles next semester, so if you have anything in mind (politically based, of course), then get in touch and we wuld love to publish it.

Nadolig Llawen from Luke and Sophie

18

Politics

Monday December 05 2011 • #gairrhydd • politics@gairrhydd.com

A step towards true freedom for Egypt

Politics Reporter Dana Beltaji examines the Egyptian elections in the run up to the opening of the polls and comments on the expected results and how this may effect the people of Egypt

U

nrest in Egypt continues, following the February revolution, which saw the ousting of former President, Hosni Mubarak, putting the country under military rule.

Hundreds of thousands of Egyptians took, yet again, to Tahrir Square, to protest against their new government, which have been in power for just over 9 months.

Supporters of the protests have demanded that the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (Scaf) step down immediately, handing power to a newly formed civilian government.

The demonstrations, which commenced over two weeks ago, have been provoked by Scaf ’s attempts to rewrite the constitution, giving them more political power in the country.

The protests quickly spread to various other cities, with Alexandria and Suez also protesting against military rule. Violence was quick to follow the protests with tear gas and rubber bullets being shot at protesters by riot police on the second day onwards of mass protests. The tear gas has been described as ‘more dangerous’ than that used previously by doctors treating victims of the violence.

There were further reports of live ammunition, also confirmed by doctors treating the injured, with a growing total of over 40 dead and thousands injured since the initial protests on November 18. Field Marshal, Mohamed Tantawi, the ruling member of Scaf, has since apologised for the violence.

The violence has also extended

to international journalists. The US-Egyptian journalist Mona ElTahawy, 44, was captured near Tahrir by police forces. She was freed 12 hours later, after increasing international pressure. The assault had left her with a broken arm and two broken wrists. She has also admitted to being sexually assaulted and violently beaten. Her attacks mirror several others targeted at journalists, with reports of other US and European female journalists being sexually assaulted since the start of the protests.

Scaf has further tried to appease protesters on numerous occasions, by initially offering that the cabinet should resign and promising that presidential elections will be guaranteed before July 2012. The Field Marshal’s attempts to compromise did not affect the protesters, however, who refused to leave Tahrir until the military have stepped down and have been replaced with civilian rule. The cabinet has since resigned, with Kamal El-Ganzouri, a former prime minister who served under Mubarak from 1996 to 1999, agreeing to lead a civilian government.

The move was yet another attempt by Scaf to compromise with protesters, who, despite these consolations, have continued to take to the streets, a clear sign that they were unhappy with the decision.

International response has been less definitive than its response towards Egypt’s January uprising. The White House had initially condemned the violence, neither blaming the protesters or the military explicitly. European states, including Britain, have also assumed this position. Washington has since

called for the military to step down immediately, ceding power to the government elected on Monday.

The protests have attracted several different political parties, from the Muslim Brotherhood, to liberal and leftist parties, who are all united in their demand to have the ruling military hand over power. Many of the protesters do not have political affiliations but are nevertheless unhappy with military rule.

The protests have also attracted support from Nobel Peace Prize winner and former head of the In-

ternational Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Mohamed El-Baradei, who has offered to lead a civilian government. His proposition threatens the newly established position of Kamal El-Ganzouri, putting further pressure on Scaf to appeal to the demonstrators’ demands.

Many analysts believe that it is the Muslim Brotherhood who will succeed in the parliamentary elections, despite the protests being largely liberal and secular so far.

Most liberal parties in Egypt are less organised and therefore lack any concrete support.

The Social Democratic Party, a group of intellectuals who believe in a market-based economy and so-

cial justice, have pulled out of parliamentary elections days before they were scheduled.

Liberals fear that the newly elected government will be dominated by religious parties and former members of the National Democratic Party (the former party in power). This is the most likely outcome, which undoubtedly many Egyptians will be unhappy with.

Whether the result of the parliamentary elections leads to further demonstrations, or influence Scaf ’s unwillingness to yield power, remains to be seen.

Twitter on Egypt

News Opinion Politics Science Societies Listings 1-9 11 - 14 15 - 18 Feature 24 - 26 27 - 29 30 - 32 21 - 23

Monday December 05 2011 • #gairrhydd • features@gairrhydd.com

Anti-social

Sport 40 - 44

Features21

Networking

Features writer Sophie Chamberlain discusses how our online acts can affect a major part of our lives

I

think I speak for a lot of students by saying that having Facebook at university is common nature. It’s how we keep updated with the friends we have at home and even with the people you live with.

It’s a communication machine to see who is in a relationship with whom, who looks best in their profile picture and who got absolutely wasted last night. But not everybody wants to know certain things that are broadcasted on Facebook.

And these things could end up affecting our lives in terms of our safety, relationships and even job opportunities.

I would like to point out that I am an avid Facebook user (status updates, photo uploading, event attending, the lot), but in this article I am going to be having a little bit of a moan about the social network, from the little things that aggravate everybody to the safety issues that can affect anyone. Some people are projecting their whole lives onto this website and not even realising it, through means of pictures, groups they ‘like’, people they know, where they live, jobs they have had in the past, the list is endless. But these people could be putting themselves and their future at risk. There are the obvious safety concerns that having a Facebook profile entails, but also the less obvious like putting your future career in jeopardy, as the trend of employers checking prospect employee’s Facebook pages is becoming increasingly popular.

While Facebook is one of the most popular social networks in the world with more than 800 million active users, there are many aspects which irritate its users. I asked some of my housemates what annoys them most and many of the obvious things like ‘how temperamental Facebook chat is’ were among the more trivial aspects like how the new ‘news feed’ slows the whole site down. If I miss one Saturday night of X factor, I don’t even need to watch it on catch up, I can just read the stream of people’s statuses; from exclaiming how amaz-

this was an incredibly stupid thing to do as I was revealing to everyone not only exactly where I lived but with photographic evidence.

I do think some aspects to Facebook are irritating but then again, I think a lot of it is very useful, even to my degree. When doing coursework, I can ask fellow students questions about coursework or revision through a Facebook group and anyone on my course can help and advise me. Fellow students can then read these posts and go on to produce better essays and do better in exams because of it. It also keeps me updated with people at home, whom I may not text or speak to normally.

ing their favourite act was, to how tight Frankie Cocozza’s jeans were and of course how shocked everyone is about the latest act getting voted out.

Some irritating factors of Facebook are of course more impacting than others. I’m sure most of you at some point in your lives have heard the phrase ‘is it Facebook official?’ regarding a relationship. It’s a very loaded question which basically portrays that if you are not in a relationship on Facebook you are not in an official relationship. But surely that doesn’t make sense. If you want to be with someone it shouldn’t matter if the whole of your friends list on Facebook can see it. A couple of weeks ago a friend of mine from home’s girlfriend split up with him and he was devastated as anyone else in a similar situation would be.

The inevitable process of changing his relationship status from ‘in a relationship’ to ‘single’ had to be done.

Subsequently, a few weeks after, the ex-girlfriend was in a new relationship on Facebook. She is at a different university to him, therefore if it wasn’t for Facebook he would have found out maybe a little later after he had had time to get over it and in a much less brutal way than popping up on his news feed.

Even though children and teen-

agers are more prone to safety issues, Facebook can affect people of all ages. Even as students, Facebook can affect our degree by distracting us from coursework deadlines and revision sessions. I’m sure everyone has experienced the urge to ‘just quickly check my Facebook page’ to see if anything has changed in the past five minutes when we should be doing something productive like writing an essay or revising for an exam. The thought that someone could be uploading some interesting photos, inviting you to an upcoming event or merely writing a comical status is much more likely to interest you than staring at a word document or text book. But this could actually affect someone’s degree and subsequently their career. Some even go to the extreme of asking their housemate or friend to change their Facebook password so they can no longer physically access it even if they want to; a desperate but effective attempt to better our studies.

If we do actually pry ourselves away from Facebook enough to get a good degree, it could still go on to affect our career prospect. Many of you will have already been to job interviews and done the routine of making yourself look presentable, rehearsing what you are going to

say, making sure you get there on time, but have you ever thought of changing your Facebook profile?

I’m going to guess probably not. According to The Telegraph, over half of employers reject potential workers after a look at their Facebook page. Employers use Facebook as a means to find out who is most likely to call in sick due to a hangover, or to be on drugs the night before.

Therefore, if you have any pictures of you wrapped around a toilet seat or even with an alcoholic drink in your hand, you could be prone to be opted out of a job opening. They also look for any provocative photos and whether you are lying about your qualifications. But should the fact that you enjoy the odd night out threaten your chances of getting a job? And what exactly counts as a provocative photo? Could you be excluded from a job opportunity for a racy Halloween costume or holiday photos on the beach? Is this just a bit too extreme?

Personally, I think it’s all too easy to lay your whole life out on your Facebook page without even realising it. I got so excited about moving into my new house here in Cardiff for my second year that I posted a picture of the house onto Facebook with the first line of my address as the tagline. In hindsight, obviously,

“

I’m sure everyone has experienced the urge to ‘just quickly check my Facebook page’ to see if anything has changed in the past five minutes when we should be doing something productive But should we be penalised for having a Facebook account by future employees? Yes, OK, as university students we like to go out with our friends here in Cardiff and have a good time and this often includes alcohol, but that doesn’t mean we wouldn’t make a good employees.

That is, of course, what we are here at university to do, therefore if every employer judged students on their Facebook pages, I doubt they would have many applicants left.

Features

22

Monday December 05 2011 • #gairrhydd • features@gairrhydd.

The little house of horrors.

In Features this week, we get some top tips for surviving the student housing search.

Amber Bell tells us all about her housing experiences.

I

t's coming round to that time of year again: Freshers being forced to commit to that awkward conversation over who they plan to live with following first year, and everyone else being rushed to decide whether they want to stay in their humble abode for a further year. It's the burden of not wanting to disappoint anyone, whilst still looking out for your own needs: and only three months in! Not forgetting once you've made the fateful decision, the headache of actually going out and finding that perfect house.

But there are some things you can do and not do to reduce the distance between you and boiling point...

Initially, you need to decide exactly what you all want out of the house. Everyone is bound to have different priorities: some may want big bedrooms, someone else may prefer brand new furnishings, another's main need might be an ideal location, the list could go on and on. It would be naïve to believe one house could encompass every single persons dream list of attributes.

The best thing to do is make a list of everyone's top three features they want out of the house, then from that, draw up three or four necessities that you all agree on.

Let's not forget these are student houses; they are never going to be perfect homes. Once you've all settled and agreed, take this list to every letting agency you view with and make an adamant point that you don't want to see any houses that don't fit the criteria. As students, all letting agencies will try and mug you off with some absolute states of houses: they will be aware that most students will be fairly inexperienced and easily ma-

nipulated when it comes to renting properties.

But don't let them manipulate you. Don't accept that the trash heap of a house you're viewing is “a stunning newly refurbished masterpiece”, when clearly it looks like something off the set of Shameless.

Be prepared: letting agents are trained to sell fridges to Eskimos.

It's key to research agencies, even if this simply consists of asking second and third year friends (if you're a fresher), or seeking help from friends renting with other agencies, to get a picture of their individual experiences. There are so many agencies in Cardiff, and each offer different things, so view with as many of them as possible.

“

Now the two most important words when it comes to renting a property: don't rush.

The smaller agencies are often the best. Expansive ones such as Keylet are renowned for their lack of commitment to help with housing issues. This doesn't come as a surprise when you think of the vast amount of houses they rent. From personal experience (from my own house and other friends houses), this agency may be less than willing to provide you with your actual landlords details. You will probably find this is the case with many agencies, but it is essential to have your landlords details before you sign for the house. If anything goes wrong

with your house (and most likely it will), you can contact them directly rather than spending weeks trying to get your agency to take your problem seriously. For this reason, it may also be a good idea to rent with a private landlord. The landlord will then be committed to the property, therefore it is likely to be in much better condition than houses from agencies, and you as tenants will have a much more personal relationship with them.

Now the two most important words when it comes to renting a property - don't rush. Students are fed the notion that if you don't sign for a house before December, you'll be left living in a home even a stray dog wouldn't want to sleep in. This is nonsense. The amount of student houses in Cardiff is enormous, and often houses get released later in the year. It is vital not to settle for a house that, come September, will make you rue the

day you ever signed for it. And don't be surprised when the second you show any interest in a house, the letting agent begins to sprout a well rehearsed speech about how three other groups had all viewed that house the same day and were all so keen that if you didn't sign there and then, the house would be gone, vanished, vaporised. Even if this is true, you shouldn't sign for the house there and then.

My best advice is to go away and think about it, and even return to the house to speak to the current tenants so you can ask them if there is anything wrong with the house.

I did this last year, and was told to make sure the inventory stated that we needed new beds. Unfortunately, our letting agent, Keylet, failed to write this in, resulting in my own bed breaking apart, one month into us living there, meaning I had to sleep on a mattress on the floor for near on two weeks. It wasn't the best

experience of my student life.

This leads me to a crucial point, check the house you're considering renting inside out, and write any problems into the inventory, then ask to each have a copy of it. Any problems that you don't report will not only have the agency do everything they can to avoid fixing it, but will also result in you being charged for them at the end of the year. But don't be surprised if sometimes even this isn't enough. Last year, my house mates and I signed for our current property on the condition that a large patch of mould in the kitchen would be gotten rid of.

Moving in after summer, the mould was about ten times as big and thick, and travelling across two walls. All the agency did was move the sofas in front of it. It took us three months of constant pestering, professional advice from house surveyors, and daily visits to the agency to have the problem “fixed”; namely two panels were simply placed on top of the mould. The moral of the story? Don't give up.

Housing agencies will wait and wait with the hope that eventually, you'll decide it's just to much effort to keep pursuing the problem. Either that, or don't sign for a house unless there are no foreseeable problems.

Trying to get help for your housing problems can be like fighting a losing battle, so don't put yourself in that situation - it really isn't worth the hassle.

Student accommodation is never going to be a bed of roses. But by keeping certain situations at bay, you can make the best out of what there is out there. Savvy yourself up. Housing doesn't have to be a nightmare.

News Opinion Politics Science Societies Listings 1-9 11 - 14 15 - 18 Feature 24 - 26 27 - 29 30 - 32 21 - 23

Sport 40 - 44

Features23 House hunting: what should you really be hunting for?

Monday December 05 2011 • #gairrhydd • features@gairrhydd.com

Kimberley Dunn shares her advice on how to find the perfect student property.

cluded make sure you take tha into account when you all conside how much you’d be willing to shel out. Additionally, the further ou you house hunt, the lower the ren gets but without the decrease of th quality of housing, so bear this in mind if you’re finding it hard t find a quality house with good rent The bigger houses also tend to be bit further out, so bear this in min as well.

Parking can also be somethin to think about, and most studen houses in the city only offer on-roa parking. Saying this, Cardiff i pretty good for parking and you can grab yourself a parking permit fo almost any street. The first is onl a fiver for a year but it goes up with each permit you apply for. You can also grab yourself a visitors per mit for friends and family to visit which can be obtained at Cardif council or online, along with th resident permits.

H

ouse hunting can be tough, time consuming and frustrating. However, it can also be fun, exciting and rewarding if you manage to bag yourself a good house. So here are a few tips to not only help you find a great student house, but also have a great housing experience.

Firstly and most importantly, don’t rush! There are loads of letting agencies to choose from and then even more student houses after that. Not only this, but there’s more student houses in Cardiff than ac-

“

Sure, that crazy guy next door is probably a right laugh, but would you find him such a laugh to live with every day?

-tual students. So trust me, you won’t be left homeless if you wait until after the Christmas holidays to begin your house hunting! However, if you’re an extra big group, maybe eight or more then it could be a good idea to start a little bit earlier. There are more personalities,

more individual tastes and more people to organise. You’ll be making history if you can manage to get all eight of you in the same place at the same time, and even then you have many more opinions to take into account.

Secondly, really consider the people you want to live with. Sure, that crazy guy next door is probably a right laugh, but would you find him such a laugh to live with every day?

Remember, whether you’re a fresher and considering living with people you’ve really only just met, or a second, third or even tenth year student, the last thing you want to do is sign a contract with people that you don’t really want to live with but are just too polite to say so.

Thirdly, think about where you want to live. Are you more of the “I want to roll out of bed into my lecture” kind of student, or would you rather have a bit of a walk? Sacrificing a roll out of bed location could mean more of a student scene, and I’d urge anyone to consider a bit of a walk and maybe choose somewhere further out, but think about where YOU really want to be.

The main roads of Cathays offer lots of shops, cafes, takeaways and more, so you may want to live just off them. Crwys road offers lots of fast food joints, open until the early hours of the morning. Whereas if you venture slightly further afield, Albany Road and City Road boast

lots of small, independent shops and cafes. So have a scout around and explore!

Once you’ve thought about your location and decided who your house mates are going to be, you’ll start the house hunting. When you do this, try and talk to other students first; see which letting agencies and landlords are any good and which you should avoid.

Do they actually answer the phone when it rings? Are they quick to solve problems in the house? How much is the bond? Are they known within the student population? All the good agencies and landlords have good reputations, so ask people who’ve been in your shoes.

Trust me; it’ll save you a whole lot of difficulty when something does actually go wrong.

When you finally get to that house viewing, look and check the property thoroughly. As a student, every year you will hear at least one of your fellow students complaining about issues like damp, rats, bad heating and more. So check the house thoroughly, look at the seals on the windows and doors, check in the bathroom and even bedrooms for signs of damp. Make sure you ask the students who live there already about things like this; if you ask them when the agent isn’t around, you’ll get an honest answer. You can also ask them what the landlord is like; is he any good? Or is the house

mainly run by the agency?

The main issue to think about however, is the damp. It’s an extremely common problem in student housing and can be a massive

“

Every year you will hear at least one of your fellow students complaining about issues like damp, rats and bad heating.

issue if it’s not treated. It can become a real annoyance to both live with and sort out, so really have a proper look for this when you view a property.

Money is, of course, another thing to consider. Bills are something to think about and many landlords and agencies offer student accommodation with bills included, very handy with large groups or for those of you who like your bedroom nice and toasty! So if you’re interested in that ask your agency to show you student housing that offers this. Also, think about how much rent you can afford to pay.

If you’re renting without bills in-

So those are just a few tips an words of advice for all you student out there who are thinking abou next year’s accommodation. Hous hunting really isn’t a bad experi ence and for those of you who hav already gone through it, I’m sur you’ll agree! Have fun with it an remember to always think abou what YOU really want out of you student house. Most importsntly just don’t rush. You have plenty o time to sort out next year’s accom modation and although everyon will be telling you to look befor Christmas it’s really only the agen cies spreading that idea. So chill ou and sort it when you have enough time. Finally, good luck with you house hunting!

Follow us on Twitter @GairRhyddFeat

24Science Meeting the potential "destroyer of worlds"

Monday December 05 2011 • #gairrhydd • science@gairrhydd.com

He has been accused of being the harbinger of doom, but gair rhydd Science editor, Jenny Lambourne, finds the Large Hadron Collider project leader, Prof Lyn Evans, a cheerful intellectual with splendid taste in ties

A

s head of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, Dr Lyn Evans has come a long way from his roots in Aberdare as a boy who has previously said he “liked to blow things up” as a child.

The LHC is the largest (and most expensive) scientific experiment ever undertaken and was intended to recreate the conditions of the Big Bang in order to learn more about the particles that construct our universe and attempt to explain some of the discrepancies in the Standard Model of particle physics.

To recreate these conditions, physicists use particle accelerators to fire beams of particles at each other at high speed. This is not new.

However, the Large Hadron Collider is the largest and most powerful of these accelerators ever to have been built.

Its sheer size and power can be difficult to comprehend. Having begun construction in 1998, the LHC is constructed of a 27-kilometre ring one hundred metres underground and weighs 38,000 tonnes. Beams of particles are accelerated through this tunnel in specially constructed piping in an ultrahigh vacuum and forcefully collided into one another at close to the speed of light.

To maintain and boost the acceleration of the particles, the ring of piping is surrounded by superconducting electromagnets that create an electromagnetic force so powerful that they effectively conduct electricity without losing any of its energy.

In order for this to remain safe, the magnets must be cooled. Common cooling systems would not be able to cope and so the magnets are brought down to a suitable temperature by liquid helium, leaving the temperature at around -217 degrees Centigrade – colder than outer space.

When the collider was ready for the initial “switch on”, scientists, the media and the world were watching. Creating such immense amounts of energy prompted ‘dis-

cussion’ of the possibility of the LHC to produce microscopic black holes. I use the word ‘discussion’ loosely, as the world latched onto the idea and worked itself up into a hysteria over the so-called “Doomsday machine”. The Daily Mail ran with the headline, “Are we all going to die next Wednesday?” and the Hawaiin courts dismissed a lawsuit from a man calling a halt to the proceedings in order to prevent the world being swallowed up.

Prof Evans, leader of the LHC team at CERN, was branded “Dr Atom” and the creator of the end of the world. Meeting the man who three years ago had his finger on the button to allegedly cause the planet to be destroyed, seemed daunting.

Meeting a cheerful, enthusiastic physicist sporting a red tie with diagrams of atomic structures on it, soon put such qualms to rest.

“

I guess I never realised how much pressure I was under

Asked about the media hype at the time, Evans stressed it was important to take such reactions seriously and emphasised the importance of bringing such projects into the public sphere.

“The first important thing is to explain and I think in general it was well accepted. It’s a fact of life these days [but] it’ll all come back again – no doubt about it!”

Evans linked the outpouring of popular hype to the Internet, describing the frenzy as part of the “dark side of the web” “It’s an amplifier of noise the general public cannot filter so these things get a little bit out of hand.”

However, the collider itself is only one part of the project. Four detectors at various positions around the LHC circuit are used to study various occurrences during its operation. To deal with the magnitude of the data received by the LHC, CERN developed the Grid,

Jenny Lambourne meeting Prof Lyn 'The Atom' Evans (wearing said splendid tie) intended as the development of the World Wide Web and Internet by allowing not only the transfer of information, but also the sharing of computer processing power, software and storage.

Not only in charge of the physical systems, Evans was also in charge of the CERN team, a collaboration of more than twenty countries, including the UK, who have contributed to the project and use the collider for a number of individual experiments, some staying for years at a time.

Having the weight of the biggest scientific experiment of all time and having to manage a permanent staff of more than two thousand, is not a meagre task, but Evans laughed when asked how he dealt with the eyes of not only the scientific population, but also the whole world, on him and the great experiment.

“I guess I never realised how much pressure I was under before,” he said, “and now it’s great.”

He has previously described working at CERN and being part of such a mammoth experiment as “humbling” and has described feel-

“

It’s an amplifier of noise the general public cannot filter so these things get a little bit out of hand

ing “overawed” at the scale of the project. Evans also expressed gratitude for his position as part of such a large collaboration and calling for young and newly graduating physicists to simply “go for it”.

He also praised the efforts of people such as Brian Cox (who has also worked at CERN) for bringing potentially difficult ideas into the public domain and encouraging younger scientists at the start of their careers.

“You don’t need to stay in physics all your life,” he explained, but said that working at such a worldleading organisation as a physicist was a “unique […] especially if you go and work in a big collaboration; you get a lot of experience.”

Evans is characteristically modest about his role as arguably one of the most significant scientific figures of the twenty-first century, previously saying he was one of many successful Welsh scientists and that there would be many more after him “doing great things.”

Lyn ‘The Atom’ Evans, the man who almost brought about the end of the world, is actually a charismatic, down-to-earth leading scientist with a passion for particle physics and an interest in changing the world and the stigma of physicists with boring dress sense.

Many thanks to the Welsh Centre for International Affairs for their invitation to the lecture.

Updates concerning those neutrino results Doubt has been cast on the alleged "faster than light" neutrino results as a team from the same CERN lab suggested that, as the particles did not lose any energy on their journey, they could not have travelled 60 nanoseconds faster than the speed of light.

--Teams in America and Japan, as well as at CERN, will publish the results of similar experiments over the next few months to either support or challenge the initial results.

Societies Listings News Opinion Politics Feature 1-9 11 - 14 15 - 18 21 - 23 Science 27 - 29 30 - 32 24 - 26

Sport 40 - 44

Monday December 05 2011 • #gairrhydd • science@gairrhydd.com

Science25

Particle physics - nine to five

gair rhydd talks to Chris Tuckley, a summer research student at CERN about a typical day at the "office" of the world's leading particle research laboratory

climate. The recent budget cuts to science funding, although not as severe as they could have been, resulted in a massive cut in the number of post-doctoral research positions in the UK (so that large subscriptions to things like ESA, CERN, ESO, etc. could be maintained). However, the number of PhD studentships remained comparatively constant.

While this isn’t necessarily a problem in itself, as many physics and maths PhDs go into finance careers anyway, I certainly wouldn’t like a career in finance.

There is also the option of going abroad, which I have seriously considered having been offered a PhD in the USA, but this too doesn’t suit me. Further to this there’s the inherent assumption that one is prepared to have to move around the country (or even world) every 3 years to a different post-doc, being unable to settle down until the age of ~35-40 and have no job security beyond your current postdoc until this age either.

For me it’s too much of a risk so I have decided to pursue other career options.

How did you get involved with CERN? I applied for their annual summer student program, but in the end I cancelled my application for this as I had got an offer to work with a group from Purdue University (Indiana, USA) through a professor at my old university who spends a lot of time in CERN. What department/project did you work on?

I was part of the Purdue University CMS group. This group work as part of the CMS collaboration, analysing data from the Compact Muon Solenoid experiment. CMS is one two large multi-purpose detectors on the LHC, although there are seven experiments in total, with four large detectors.

Within each experiment (by experiment I mean detector) there are many "sub-departments" which look at more specific events in the detector - this is especially true in CMS and ATLAS. One of these "subdepartments" concerns quarkonia, which is the study of bound quark matter. [...] We look at things like quarkantiquark bound states, where a quark and its anti-particle are "orbiting" one another in its bound state. One of these particles is known as an Upsilon particle. This consists of a b-quark and anti-bquark. My group specialises in the study of these particles, and my work concerned them too.

“

They always keep you on your toes.

You're expected to work very hard if you manage to get there

What did your day to day jobs include?

To carry out the analysis I used a programming framework called ROOT, developed at CERN, along with an additional package called RooFit (developed at Stanford). So the actual programming I did was in C++ and over my time there I wrote about 25,000 lines of code.

But obviously just writing the code isn't good enough, you need to be able to interpret the results you get back and find where any problems in the data you get may lie.

How long were you there for?

I lived in Geneva for about three months, but am still helping in the finishing touches to the analysis and the preparation of it for publication.

Above: Part of the CMS detector at CERN where Chris Tuckley (below) worked What attracted you to work for them?

They're one of the most advanced scientific research labs in the world, and now is an especially exciting time to be there. I didn't need much persuasion to go there!

Have you always been interested in this branch of science?

Originally I was more interested in astronomy and astrophysics, and just a year before my time at CERN I worked for the European Space Agency, but during my last undergraduate year of university I became more interested in more theoretical work (especially in high energy physics), mostly as a result of my project.

How did it feel to be part of such an immense organisation?

Humbling. It's quite nice to think that you're part of an organisation where around 10,000 people work from approximately 100 different countries. Although the admin difficulties can get a bit wearisome sometimes!

How was it to work with such distinguished scientists, engineers and leading thinkers?

They always keep you on your toes.

You're expected to work very hard if you manage to get there.

Are there any moments that particularly stand out when you think of your time there?

Visiting CMS itself was incredible.

The magnet was still on when we went in the cavern, so all electrical items as well as credit cards, watches etc. had to be left outside to avoid breaking them.

The magnetic field was strong enough to make small keys float up to point at the detector and make coins stick to each other (one person got some to stick together edgeto-edge and then they rolled over each other until they made a line pointing at the detector). This is even though the maximum magnetic field outside the detector is about 1/10,000th that inside the detector.

The room is also at a lower temperature and pressure than normal, so the whole sensory experience in there was fantastic. You also have to pass through an airlock to get in

which is designed to only let in one person at a time (it detects footfall, outlines of people and scans your iris) so that no-one can be left in the cavern when the LHC's turned on.

Would you encourage other scientists to get involved with the organisation?

Definitely, it's a great place to work.

And the nearby mountains are a good way of getting away from it all over the weekends!

CERN is a non-profit organisation. Do you think the working atmosphere would be different if there was a more commercial aspect to their work?

Undoubtedly. With commercial considerations comes even more bureaucracy and admin-related headaches (and there’s plenty of admin to consider as it is!). At CERN (at least among lower level staff) there’s a satisfying sense of not having to worry about external politics of funding etc., so one can focus on the work more.

“

I didn't need much persuasion to go there!

What are your future career aspirations?

Touchy topic here; I would love to become a physicist. However, due to several factors it’s not a viable career option for me in the current

Tuckley on the search for the Higgs boson and the exclusion of the minimal version of Supersymmetry: The Higgs absence isn’t a problem until the Higgs is excluded altogether. And even then the LHC will soon explain its absence.

[The Higgs] is not absent until the full mass range has been excluded. At the moment about 80% of the mass range has been, but the remaining 20% might still contain the Higgs. However, if it is fully excluded it would mean that our current ideas of how particles gain mass is wrong. However, the LHC will probe energies at which the alternative mechanism (whatever it may be) will show up.

A more significant, confirmed problem is the exclusion of the Minimal Suspersymmetric extension to the Standard Model (MSSM).

Supersymmetry (SUSY) is a rather nice theory which explains many phenomena which the Standard Model (SM) cannot (for example, dark matter).

In SUSY models each SM particle has a supersymmetric partner, which differs from the SM particle in spin and mass alone. Although most SUSY particles would be very unstable and decay in very short times, the lightest supersymmetric particle is stable. This is usually taken to be a neutralino. This neutralino would only interact through the weak and gravitational interactions, and thus makes a very good candidate for dark matter.

26Science

Monday December 05 2011 • #gairrhydd • science@gairrhydd.com

So what ARE neutrinos? Particle physics explained!

Tom Parry-Jones Science Writer Neutrinos. No, they’re not a new band you’ve heard on Xpress Radio.

They are, in fact, a type of elementary particle - the building blocks that make up all matter in the universe.

Particle physics studies these particles, amongst other matter, and assesses their interaction in order to know more about our universe.

This understanding of particle interaction is encapsulated in what physicists refer to as The Standard Model – an extremely well-tested (and contested) theory that was developed in the 1970s.

We all probably remember a bit from GCSE science classes about protons, neutrons and electrons being the particles that make up an atom. However, these particles can be broken down into smaller, more fundamental units. There are two families of these smaller particles: quarks and leptons.

Quarks are elementary particles that come in six varieties (up, down, strange, charm, bottom and top).

Leptons also come in six varieties, half of which have an electrical charge. The electron is an example of this.

“

Particle physics assesses the interaction of elementary particles in order to know more about our universe

Most matter on earth is made up of a combination of two quarks (up and down) and a lepton called an electron. The much-publicised ‘neutrino’ also belongs to the Lepton family.

In order to study these fundamental particles, companies such as CERN use particle accelerators like the Large Hadron Collider to smash beams of particles together in head-on collisions to make these smaller, fundamental particles appear.

An essential aspect of the Standard Model is the prediction of

Above: The Standard Model attempts to explains sub-atomic particle interaction but unanswered questions in particle physics remain the existence of the particle called the Higgs Boson, which is yet to be found in any experiment to date.

The Higgs Boson holds the key to the origin of particle mass. As such, the search is on and represents a pressing issue in particle physics!

Neutrinos have recently been

the subject of massive debate and discussion in the science community due to controversial new experimental evidence. Neutrinos are generally the least massive of the particles in the Standard Model.

Although they were originally assumed to be massless, the model

requires them to have some mass, albeit very small.

Additionally, neutrinos have no electric charge and are therefore unaffected by electromagnetic forces. They are, however, very weakly affected by the weak nuclear force and gravity. These factors mean that neutrinos are able to travel through large amounts of matter without being affected, but it does make them very difficult to detect.

The property of neutrinos being affected so weakly by forces from other forms of matter, makes them a potential means of measuring and observing several astronomical phenomena that cannot be studied using light or radio waves.

Since neutrinos must have a mass, their speed is limited to less than, but close to, the speed of light.

However, the recent evidence that suggests that they may be able to travel faster than light opens the door to the possibility of fasterthan-light communications and travel, previously the exclusive domain of science fiction. Therefore, these studies into their speed may be of immeasurable value.

Cardiff scientists take on Einstein's theory

Alexey Underwood Science Writer Einstein's theory of relativity looks set to be put through yet another test as an international group of physicists, prepare to launch a new scientific project simulating black hole collisions.

The consortium, headed by Dr Mark Hannam of Cardiff University's school of Physics and Astronomy, have secured time on a network of Europe's most powerful supercomputers, with which they hope to simulate the large-scale cosmic events.

“

Will the researchers only further highlight Einstein's genuine, inimitable genius?

Each of the three supercomputers has the processing power to carry out a thousand billion arithmetic computations per second.

The research team have procured a full year of access to the mighty network of supercomputers, which features a total of 1,900 processors – in other words, 16.7 million core hours of simulation time. According to Dr Hannam, “access to such vast computing resources is a fantastic boost for scientific research in Wales”.

Using the immense computational power and time allocated to them, the researchers hope to construct and run models that will

Cardiff University scientists will simulate black holes to assess Einstein's thinking on gravitational waves help them study phenomena such as gravitational waves, the black holes from which they emanate, and the collisions thereof; in the process pushing Einstein's theories to the limit by attempting to solve the equations of his general theory of relativity.

“Gravitational waves are ripples in space and time – predicted by Einstein almost 100 years ago”, ex-

plained Dr Hannam.

“Gravitational waves are generated by accelerating masses, such as orbiting black holes, similar to the way accelerating electrical charges emit electromagnetic waves, like light, infra-red and radio waves - with the important difference that gravitational waves are far weaker,” he added.

Black holes are caused as a re-

sult of stars undergoing supernova explosions. They have a colossal gravitational field because of their immense density which not even light can escape from. Because of this, scientists have never “seen” black holes.

However, the existence of black holes can be inferred by observing their influence on their surroundings, upon which they exert their

strong gravitational force.

Gravitational waves, according to Einstein, are caused by extremely dense objects, such as black holes, warping the fabric of spacetime around them. Much like the ripples in a swimming pool, these waves propagate outwards - carrying gravitational radiation energy with them.

If Einstein's theory is correct, gravitational waves should be strongest around black holes, as the resulting coalesced black holes would have the mass of millions of stars contained within but a tiny fraction of the size, and would be therefore phenomenally dense.

If the international team of researchers can detect gravitational waves, and furthermore, predict the location of black holes, the chances of finding such cosmic collisions could be increased. The implications of such a discovery would be immense – there currently exists a network of gravitational wave detectors, but it has yet to actually make any detections.

As Dr Hannam explains, “If we could also detect gravitational waves, that would push open a new window on the universe, and tell us about its `dark side'” – referring to the parts of the universe we still know nothing about, due to a lack of observable electromagnetic radiation.

Will the researchers push Einstein's ageing theories past breaking point? Or will they perhaps only further highlight his genuine, inimitable genius, whilst thrusting Welsh scientific research into the global limelight?

Listings News Opinion Politics Feature Science 24 - 26 Societies 30 - 32 1-9 11 - 14 15 - 18 21 - 23 27 - 29

Monday December 05 2011 • #gairrhydd • societies@gairrhydd.com

Sport 40 - 44

Societies27

The University Veterans Institute: Societies Writer Kirsty Warren explains what UVI does The UVI stands for University Veterans Institute and is not, strictly speaking, an affiliated society at Cardiff University.

Nonetheless, Rachel Davies, Kim Jenkins and I sheepishly trundled into the senior common room of the school of Social Sciences, Glamorgan Building, and took up a spot somewhere in the corner. Within seconds, we were greeted by an abundance of jolly faces and a much-appreciated, ice-cold beer.

The members of the UVI immediately began introducing themselves and putting us at ease. Rachel Davies, Kim Jenkin and I are all third year Sociology students and had been invited to this ‘Annual Socsi UVI Drinks' in April 2011 by the current Dean of Veterans, Daniel Gordon.

The UVI (University Veterans Institute) was established in 2006 and, since then, has grown in both size and scope, aiding many Veterans, service personnel and their dependents (VSPD) into Higher Education. The UVI takes an inclusionary approach, working with VSPDs by providing first-hand advice based on personal experience of those who are currently in Higher Education or who have previously completed some form of Higher Education.

The UVI has three aims; our main aim is to successfully aid the transition of VSPDs into Higher Education through advice, personal contact and real-time information. Secondly, we aim to raise the profile of VSPDs by developing a network of students and others who can help confront the lack of information and support received by VSPDs from the state or anywhere else. Finally, we aim to build a relationship with the wider community and to build a relationship with individuals, who are able to transfer their experiences directly through either face-to-face meetings, telephone conversa-

tions, the Facebook group ‘The Orderly Room’ or through social and sporting events organised by the UVI. Kim, Rachel and I have joined the UVI to help the organisation realise their aims and we are now the key points of contact in Cardiff University. We are able to offer guidance about specific courses - our joint expertise covers Sociology, Psychology, Anthropology and Education studies - or we can simply be someone to talk to about more generic concerns such as the way of life at university or Cardiff as a city, as well as some of the societies within the university itself.

Rachel, Kim and I are all keen to join in with helping exservice personnel; our roles within the UVI are based around offering support and advice to those who need it and this is something we will all be focusing on in our third year.

Kim Jenkins commented: "I feel that being a student myself allows me to be a source of the most accurate and reliable information, that way, ex-service personnel can use this advice to make an informed decision about their higher education choices."

Rachel Davies added that "we are here to offer advice, we aren’t here to judge, we just want to help those individuals who have been sheltered from learning the things we learnt and took for granted throughout further education".

I wanted to speak to someone who had received help directly from the UVI, to demonstrate the positive outcomes of getting involved with this organisation. Paul Watson was in the Royal Logistic Corps for nearly seven years. He spent most of his time at the 9 supply regiment, RLC (Royal Logistics Corps) in Chippenham, working as a PTI (Personal Training Instructor) in the gym. He also toured Bosnia and

Kosovo. On leaving his service career, Paul struggled to penetrate Higher Education, until he stumbled across the UVI on Facebook. Paul commented that "working with the UVI has shown me how not only to properly write and structure essays but through Baz [Executive Secretary at the UVI], I have learnt that once you have been in the forces, you are always a member of the family and that giving time to another veteran is worth its weight in gold. Baz didn’t have to spend hours looking over my essays and giving me pointers, nor did he have to sit for hours chatting to me, but he did and does still.

With the help of the UVI, I have passed all my assignments and my exams and I am looking forward to my next academic year, with the help of the UVI." Since gaining support from the UVI, Paul carried out his HEFC (Higher Education Foundation Course) to gain entry qualifications to university, where he is training as a mental health nurse. Paul concluded his interview with some final thoughts about the UVI: "Not only has the UVI helped me academically but Baz has always been on the end of the phone or Facebook Chat when I have had low moments and being part of this organisation has built my confidence back up, in real terms the UVI gave me the kick I needed."

If you would like to get involved with anything that has been mentioned or wish to ask any questions, feel free to contact the UVI team by joining the Facebook page ‘The Orderly Room’.

Kenyan Orphan Project Julianaa Raghu Societies Writer Kenyan Orphan Project was set up by three medical students from the University of Nottingham. It aims to provide support to orphans and vulnerable children. Cardiff University became involved with KOP five years ago, with many students getting involved during this time. Students do their bit by fundraising throughout the year and then participating in a two-week programme in Kenya during the summer.

During the two-week programme, students spend time with various projects – urban, rural and educational. In 2010, KOP supported Kunya Primary School. The school buildings were very unstable and consequently the children had to have lessons outside their classroom, so ongoing work ensured the classrooms became a safe learning environment. There was ample opportunity to teach the children about important health issues, such as hand hygiene and sexually transmitted diseases. We were also encouraged to teach subjects of choice such as geography and languages. Besides teaching, students had the opportunity to help prepare lunch of traditional food such as ugali, maize and beans. Part of the preparation involved collecting buckets of water from a well and carrying it back, which involved walking quite a considerable distance.

During their breaks, students would play games and were encouraged to be creative and dynamic by making their own games.

The urban project supported by KOP is HOVIC, a centre for orphans and street boys, who are given two meals a day and

a place to stay, as well as basic education and healthcare. The HOVIC night shelter is used in the day for orphan girls, who are taught life skills such as computing and embroidery to help support their families.

Another programme supported by KOP is VIMA, which supports foster families and carers looking after children who require a home, food and basic education. Although, the programme sounds hectic, there are many leisure activities available. A whole day of safari at Nakuru National Park provides many very exciting sights to see. Students are be able to venture to the equator and to Kitmayki National Park to see the sun set, which is a beautiful sight to behold.

A major highlight of the KOP student programme is being able to see how the money raised is being put to use, and what an amazing amount of good is being done.

KOP Cardiff continues to raise these vital funds. Our next fundraising event will be a bucket collection on Saturday December 10 between 11am and 3pm at the Hayes. You are more than welcome to join us – just bring along your Christmas costumes! Otherwise, we ask to support us by giving whatever you can afford.

If you can’t make it on that day, fear not, we have created a Just Giving page www.justgiving.com/KOPcardiffuni where you can donate with just a click!

If you are interested in joining the KOP summer programme, please email us at kopcardiff@hotmail.co.uk and we’d be happy to provide you with more information.

!

!

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

Societies

28

Monday December 05 2011 • #gairrhydd • societies@gairrhydd.com

What is more Christmas-y than some creative artwork?

Helen Cameron Societies Writer Cardiff University’s Art Society (Art Soc) is comprised of four committee members - President Kat Dyke, Treasurer Helen Cameron, Secretary Laura Marinica and Hayley Sherlock - who aim to bring a diverse range of events, socials and day trips to members at least once a week throughout the term. Art Soc welcomes both members and non-members to get involved, and with events held in the Students' Union, surrounding Cardiff and beyond, it’s a society that won’t disappoint.

Art Soc really got started in October. We hosted our first social at the Blackweir Tavern, giving new members a chance to meet and get to know the committee. With a drink in hand, members created their own graffiti-style T-shirts, and built precarious and often crumbling towers out of spaghetti and jelly babies. The following week, Art Soc set off on a tour of Cardiff arts, meeting at the Arts Institute and then continuing to places like Cardiff Museum and Kooy Gallery, ending up in Cardiff Bay for shopping and refreshments. Next up was the graffiti social; Art Soc travelled to the Boiler House in Llandaff North, and despite the freezing weather, got equipped with spray cans, huge canvasses and got creative with the help of two professional graffiti artists. Art Soc also hosted a canvas painting session with all materials provided and a scary Halloween cinema trip to see Paranormal Activity 3. Not a bad start to the academic year.

Last month, Art Soc hosted a bonfire and fireworksthemed canvas session, a life drawing session, and helped RAG raise money for charity by putting on a big draw event (basically we had a huge roll of paper and lots of pens for everyone to come and contribute).

There was also a glass painting class, again with all materials provided, where participants could use the carnival-inspired session to paint glasses which could house tea lights to brighten any garden party, or even

to decorate your student home.

Art Soc then got involved with Student Volunteering and their playground makeover project. It was a great chance to have some fun and do something for the local community. Art Soc got stuck in with paint brushes, rollers, masking tape and mammoth amounts of paint to decorating Stacey Primary School on a big scale: mural scale! All those participating in the event were given volunteer certificates signed by Chris Turner (Head of Governance and Registry of Cardiff University), making it a brilliant addition to CVs. This month, Art Soc had another life drawing session on December 1, back by popular demand, functioning as a great way to practice drawing skills. We will be hosting another general social this month, with input from members on which clubs and venues they wanted to visit, promising to be an eventful and enjoyable night out. There is also a day trip to Bath markets and galleries on December 10, promising to be a fun and festive day out. And finally, just to really get in the Christmas spirit there will be an old-school Christmas card-making session in the last week of term, on December 13 in the Gareth Edwards Room in the Union, where we will provide mince pies and end up in the Taf for a festive drink or two…or three.

Coming up next term, Art Soc has more events on the cards for the new term. Canvas sessions, jewellery making, clubbing socials, life drawing, day trips... there is something for everyone, so get involved.

You can see more of Art Soc on Facebook by searching for ‘Cardiff University Art Society’ - or you can login to Campus groups to sign up, register to events, see photos, and generally look at what Art Soc is up to at: http://groups.cardiffstudents.com/art/about/

Mon 05 December RAG Social

8.00pm - 11.00pm - trip to Winter Wonderland

Tue 06 December Jazz Society Spectacular

7.00pm - 10.00pm, The Lounge, Students' Union

Fri 09 December Enterprise Christmas Market

11.00am - 3.00pm, Solus, Students' Union

Sun 11 December

STAR - Poetry and Stories of Refugees 2.30pm, Milgi, City Road

Mon 12 December

Harry Potter Society Yule Ball 7.00pm - 1.00am in CF10, SU

Tue 13 December

Scout & Guide Society Christmas Meal 8.00pm - 1.00am, Ernest Willows Pub, City Road

Thu 15 December Sport & Exercise Medicine Society Talk

5.45pm, 1F09A, Michael Griffin Building, Heath Park

In other news...

Fri 16 December

Windband Christmas Concert

7.00pm - 9.00pm, Music Department Concert Hall

Student Volunteering Cardiff hosted a Winter Ball last night from 7.00pm - 1.00am in the Mercure Holland House Hotel with a red carpet and champagne reception, a photographer, a three-course buffet and live music. Let's hope these amazing volunteers, who devote so many hours to charity, enjoyed their night of fun.

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

Listings News Opinion Politics Feature Science 24 - 26 Societies 30 - 32 1-9 11 - 14 15 - 18 21 - 23 27 - 29

Monday December 05 2011 • #gairrhydd • societies@gairrhydd.com

Storytelling STAR Society Beth Hill Societies Writer At STAR (Student Action for Refugees), we are working to improve the lives of refugees and asylum seekers in the UK. One of the campaigns that we are involved in is the Equal Access Campaign. This campaign seeks to afford asylum applicants the same rights to Higher Education as UK students. Asylum seekers and some refugees are classed as overseas students and must pay university fees on average of £11,650 per year instead of the “home fee” rate of £6,000£9,000. To add insult to injury, they are not allowed to take out student loans, cannot obtain bursaries or scholarships and are not allowed to work. This makes it impossible for the majority of asylum applicants in the UK to even consider furthering their education.

This, I believe, is an incredibly unfair situation. STAR runs a drop-in on Wednesdays and many asylum seekers and refugees who attend are desperate to go to university, but are prevented from doing so by their situation, which is through no fault of their own. There are many professionals (including doctors, pharmacists, engineers and teachers) who want to attend university to convert their skills so that they can make a valuable contribution to British society. In making it so difficult for asylum applicants to get into Higher Education, universities and the government are not only denying people the right to education but are also denying society the skills, knowledge and diversity that these people would like to contribute.

At STAR, we believe that access to education should be an equal right, not a luxury for the privileged. We want Cardiff University to pledge its support and commitment to doing all it can to provide equal access on the basis of merit for UK students, refugees and asylum seekers. We want Cardiff University to follow the lead of Manchester and Leeds, who have reduced their fees for refugees and asylum seekers. We want Cardiff to offer scholarships and bursaries to everyone on an equal basis and to open up as an institution that welcomes and celebrates equality.

We will be talking about the Equal Access Campaign at our storytelling event on Sunday December 11, so come along and become inspired to join us in our campaign to make Cardiff University a place of equality that welcomes refugees and asylum seekers as a vital part of our student population. The Storytelling event celebrates the lives of individuals through the spoken word. It is in the yurt at Milgi (213 City Road) from 2.30pm onwards. We have poet Ivy Alvarez coming to read from her latest collection of poetry; monologues from detained asylum seekers being read

by Act One, and WSSAG, a support group for and made up of female asylum seekers in Wales, will be reading extracts from their book Seeking Sanctuary. The money raised through donation and sale of raffle tickets will be spent on resources for the weekly conversation classes we run on Wednesdays. At STAR, we believe we should use our education to fight for theirs. w

Sport 40 - 44

Societies29

Drama at Xpress Radio Amanda Cooper Societies Writer Xpress Radio is more than just music: radio drama is massively misunderstood. The problem with the name ‘radio drama’ is it just isn’t accurate. Sure, it’s on the radio but it’s the ‘drama’, part that is the problem. Many people assume that radio drama means programming such as The Archers, sitcoms that old ladies tune into day-in-day-out before their afternoon naps… it’s not. Radio ‘drama’ as a term covers any scripted content that is broadcast in a solely audio format, so without the visuals of TV or theatre. It can be any genre, ranging from epic fantasies to the more conventional sketch comedy. After all, comedy duo Mitchell and Webb started their careers on BBC Radio 4 in That Mitchell and Webb Sound and Little Britain started life as a character-based sketch comedy on BBC Radio.

Although radio plays are fairly new to Xpress, there has already been a great amount of interest and several projects are already underway. These include a drama called Foursome, for which the cast has already been decided and will begin recording after the Christmas break, and a historical thriller set around an archaeological dig; which, although currently in the scripting stages, is set to require quite a large cast and offer those involved a real challenge, so budding voice actors should keep their eyes peeled for dates for auditions.

Perhaps one of the biggest projects we have going on at the moment involves sketch comedy. There are several writing teams working on varying projects, ranging from the absurd to the ridiculous, but with more projects in the pipeline there is always opportunity for more people to get involved.

Xpress Radio is also proud to announce that this semester we have been playing the thriller comedy-drama Sherlock Holmes and the Saucermen from Mars, written by Rob Thomas and Rhys Smith. As the title suggests, the series sees Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous detective return on a case unlike anything he has ever encountered before. In short, think Doctor Who meets Sherlock Holmes and you’ve pretty much got it.

The second episode, “Good Heavens, Imminent Death” (broadcast November 26) opens with an old Doctor Watson telling his granddaughter tales of his adventures in his youth with Sherlock Holmes. Old Watson acts as our narrator, painting the picture of what took place. This episode finds Holmes and Watson trapped deep inside the Bank of England, trying to find a way out. Although it is hard at times to follow which of the young

pair is speaking, the voice acting is otherwise fantastic and the characters of young Holmes and young Watson have been cast so well that they sound just as well-educated, young, British men of the period should. The sound effects, original score and all-round mood of the piece create a vivid well-told story of a detective and his assistant trying to decipher a mystery that threatens to change the world in which they live.

So how can you get involved? What if you have no experience? No problem. Xpress Radio is offering full use of our equipment and training in how to record and edit and we’re still looking for writers, producers, directors and actors to join.

If you’re interested in writing, we’re looking for both series and one-off episodes no more than 30 minutes in length (for a series, 10-15 minutes per episode is ideal). Lots of people are unsure what a director and producer do and really it’s quite simple: a director is in charge of casting and making decisions to do with setting the right atmosphere for the piece - telling actors how to say their lines, while producers are in charge of technical aspects, recording, editing and ensuring everything is completed on schedule. Both work as a team and at no point is anyone left to make decisions alone. It's a collaborative, creative effort.

Are you interested? If you think that you could turn your hand to scriptwriting, producing, directing or voice acting then email Speech Programme Controller Amanda Cooper at speech@xpressradio.co.uk or search on Facebook to join our group ‘Xpress Radio Drama’. See you next term!

King Arthur and the Lads of the Round Table Isabelle Roberts Societies Editor It’s Christmas, and Christmas means pantomimes. Act One’s King Arthur and the Lads of the Round Table was performed last week from December 1 to December 3, in the Great Hall of the Students' Union. This is now a running tradition each year, and I had hoped the pantomime would be funnier than Alice in Pantoland (last year’s complete disaster) and return to the standards of Cinderotica. If you saw the teaser for King Arthur and the Lads of the Round Table then you probably didn’t have much hope – you probably assumed, like me, that the Round Table was a ring-of-fire and that the whole show would be a travesty about the debauched ‘lads’, a.k.a. ‘knights’.

Well…I was right: the pantomime was a travesty about debauched lads. Uther is the king of a faraway planet, has an affair that results in Arthur’s birth and sends Arthur to Earth to grow up in a brothel. Consequentially, Arthur spends most of the pantomime dressed in almost nothing, until Merlin turns up and tells Arthur his destiny is to protect Earth. Meanwhile, Morgan le Gay (rather than the usual le Fay) has inherited the throne and wants to start a war with Arthur and planet Earth.

Accordingly, Arthur heads to UWIC to drum up a bunch of lads to protect Earth and the whole pantomime is the lead up to the battle of two armies. Get the picture? I thought so.

I will say that they tried valiantly to make it funny – parts of it were – and they awkwardly put in the usual ‘He’s behind you’ and ‘Oh yes he is’ motifs. They even dragged an audience member up on stage to down a pint. Well what else did you expect in a student pantomime? However, at a length of 3 hours and 15 minutes the pantomime dragged on far too long. I was bored by the interval and wanted to stick pins in my eyes by the time the pantomime finally finished. In fact, it was longer than the RSC’s Morte Darthur and that was at least a proper

Arthurian tale.

Nevertheless, the cross-dressing students did amuse and is at least traditional pantomime. Watching Moran le Gay strut around in high heels was a redeeming feature. Pantomime, however, is a subtler form than people realise and the over-thetop humour resulted in elements that just were not funny. If you like vulgar humour (and lots of students do - there were many laughs from the audience) then the pantomime seems to have gone down well but elements of it just did not work.

Essentially, what this was traditional student pantomime - if I say that Camelot was turned turned into Cumalot you might begin to understand where I’m going with this. And who imagined Guenivere as Quimevere, a dominatrix? Conor Brown, who played Mordred, performed particularly well and the songs, incidentally, were composed by Richard Jackson (who has a band called Albatross Archive) and were rather fun.

I spoke to George Robinson, the director of the pantomime, and he did, in fairness, warn me “if you’re easily offended you won’t enjoy it”. However, when I asked him if he’d actually read any of the Arthurian literature he admitted that he hadn’t and only had only been “told the general legend” and that the pantomime had “no real literary basis” – this much was obvious from what I watched, but it still seems rather a shame to me.

There was, after all, so much potential for a clever, witty script: to anyone who knew the legend properly you could have had Arthur’s long-destined return put in a Cardiffian context. Cardiff University could have “needed” Arthur again. Given the connections between Arthurian legend and Wales, such a manipulation of the story could have been rather good.

Act One, one of the largest and busiest of the societies, have King Lear coming up next term from Jan 31 to Feb 4 at the YMCA theatre. In the meantime there’s always Robinson Crusoe at the New Theatre if you want to chance another pantomime.

W

30

Listings

Monday December 05 2011 • #gairrhydd • listings@gairrhydd.com

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

5th

6th

7th

Thursday 8th

Club Exchange

Fuzzy Logic

The Swellers+ Special Guests

Oceana, 9:30pm, £3.50

Club Ifor Bach, 7:00pm, £8.50

Oceana's Monday nights give you the chance to save some dosh, with Jaegerbombs, Vodka and Kick, Tequila, Sambuca, Stella Artois and all VK flavours all priced at a decent £1.80.

Take your pick from a variety of settings including the New York Disco, Monte Carlo and Parisian Boudoir rooms before heading on to Ice House for the main event. Tickets bought prior only valid before 10:30pm.

The Swellers are a punk quartet from Fenton, Michigan, formed in 2002. Their music is fast and melodic, drawing heavy influences from 1990s skate punk.

Welsh Club continues it's trend of supporting up and coming bands, and if live music isn't for you then there are the other two floors that play a selction of alternative music to keep you entertained.

Mode/ Student Night Revolution 9:00pm-2am, £4

Script Swap 10 Feet Tall+Undertone, 7:30pm, Free

Five writers. Five directors. Five new performances. In a script swapping event to encourage artistic creativity, five writers were given a month to fill in the dots of others work and bring it to life. It could go good, it could go bad, and hopefully it doesn't go ugly, guaranteed entertainment regardless.

Those of you who are experienced on the Cardiff club scene will need no telling where the best night for students in the city centre is on a Tuesday night.

Arguably one of Cardiff's hottest night clubs in recent years, Revolution pumps out R+B, House and electro tunes accompanied with an unparralelled selection of vodka shots and flavours.

If you want to guarantee a smooth entry then arrive before 10pm, to avoid long queues, always packed.

The Lash- Pirate Party Solus, 10:00pm, £3.00

After all the clowning around in last weeks circus themed Lash, it's time for some treasure stealing antics.

In the penultimate Lash before New Year's Eve, Solus will receive a proper pirate makeover, with parrots, ships, treasure chests and numerous Johnny Depp lookalikes.

Those of you hoping to bring a bottle of rum may be left disappointed, seeing as usual you won't be allowed to bring your own booze. However the usual selection of drinks including £1 tequila shots, pints from £1.80, and £1.50 for some Zwack, so there is more than enough to keep you in a merry mood.

The Singstar room as usual, will be in operation if hearing dreadful karaoke is your scene, otherwise just enjoy the standard mix of popular music pumped out for four hours in Solus.

Oh and I wouldn't advise turning up as a Somalian pirate, that's just bad taste.

Example Great Hall SU, 7:00pm, £17.50

Elliot John Gleave, or as he is better known ' Example', is one of the hottest artists in the U.K right now, topping the single and album charts and collaborating with some of the top names in the industry.

His latest album " Playing in the Shadows", went straight to number one in the U.K. charts, with the tracks "Changed the way you Kissed me' and ' Stay Awake' also finding their way to the number one spot in quick succession.

Gleave has adopted the stage name Example, due to what he claims was his nickname in school which arose from his initials (E.g.). Whatever the backstory his talent and ability to get a crowd going is undoubtedly, You simply won't be disappointed if you attend.

Tickets will more than likely sell out so if you're a fan, then contact the student union as quickly as possible.

Tantra at Soda Red Hot World Buffet and Bar St. David's, 5:30-10:00pm, £13.99

Burlesque dancing classes Vitality Gym, 8:00pm-9:00pm, £6.00

Wuthering Heights Chapter Arts Centre, 17:45pm, £4.80

Andrea Arnold (Red Road, Fish Tank) brings her bold direction to this tale of obsessive love and class division, which is based on Emily Brontë’s famous novel. Having been praised by critics and fans of this take on the classic novel differs from previous big screen adaptations and features a relatively unknown yet competent cast. A treat for any Bronte fans.

Dita von Teese, Ross Lee and Bettie Page, all have made careers out of oozing sex appeal and made a great deal of money in the process.

Vitality gym is holding classes that will teach you how, week by week, to become a burlesque/cabaret dancer including under the tutorship of Viva Misadventure.

Guaranteed to make you feel sassy and confident, you will be tassel twirling in no time.

Award-winning new eatery concept Red Hot World Buffet & Bar brings a global taste to Cardiff with a menu that includes: Oriental, Indian, British and European, Sushi, and many more.

Often with these "all you can eat" restaurants the quantity of the food is high, but the quality is mediocre.

This is certainly not the case with the Red Hot Buffet which has won award after award for the quality and consistency in it's production of food.

The range of desserts is also vast, catering for those with a sweet tooth and those who like a selection of fresh fruit after their meal.

SodaBar , 10:00pm, £3.00, Free for girls before 11pm

SodaBar on a Thursday night adopts a somewhat sexist policy in allowing girls in for free before 11pm, though I'm sure a club full of lovely ladies isn't the worst thing in the world to have to suffer.

As one of the more classy venues to visit in Cardiff City centre, Soda offers numerous different rooms, with a basement, roof terrace and dancefloor or suitably styled to a glossy finish. Drinks are priced reasonably too, with Vodka & Mixer , bottled beers and Sambuca & Tequila Shots all setting you back just £1.50. Any attempts to con the doormen, and the entry fee, by dressing in drag will be met with both refusal and mockery.

SCAN

Listings Editor Gareth Johnston

ME @ GRlistings

Cardiff Student Media

News Opinion Politics Feature Science Societies Listings 11 - 14 15 - 18 21- 23 24 - 26 27 - 29 1-9 30 - 32

Sport 40 - 44

Listings 31

Monday December 05 2011 • #gairrhydd • listings@gairrhydd.com

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

9th

10th

11th Christmas+ New Year Listings Overleaf Page 30

Christmas Market 2011 Solus, 11:00am- 3:00pm

Need to do some festive shopping for friends and family in the lead up to Christmas? If so then cakes, cards, handmade jewelry, tree decorations, and all manner of gifts will be available at the annual X-mas market in the Student Union. Various societies will be performing on the day including Dancesport, Three Pairs of Shoes and most exciting of all the Funky Ass Dancers!

101% Pantera Bogiez Nightclub, 7:30pm, £7.00

Tribute is paid to Phil Anselmo, Dimebag Darrel and co in a night dedicated to Pantera, who rose to the top of the worldwide heavy metal scene throughout the 1990's at an electric rate. Darrel's death in 2004 marked a premature end to the band's life, but enjoyment of their work continues to be appreciated and performed to this day. A must for Pantera fans.

Comeplay Solus, 9:30pm-2:00am, £4.00

Every Time I Die If it ain't broken then don't fix it.

Comeplay continues as the Union's most popular night, and with good reason.

Monday nights may have suffered recently in Solus, and people may be going out a tad less in general ,but Saturday nights at the Union are as packed and fun as ever. It is still the best student alternative to town on the weekend.

If you do find that you or your friends have had a little too much to drink, then there is free bottled water available throughout the night, including food in the Taf until late.

Oceana 12:00pm-4:00pm £5.95

Robinson Crusoe + the Carribean Pirates New Theatre ,7:00pm, from £8.50

Solus , 9:30pm, £0.99

It doesn't get any cheaper on a Friday night, with ticket prices at just £0.99, Bottles at £1.50 and shots the same you can save what's left of your student loan and still have a messy night.

The glowsticks, as always, remain a staple at Boombox, as does Killer Tom with his chart classics. For an alternative ,the Side room is covered by One Mission Xpress Radio DJs showcasing their talent.

It's that time of year where the pantos hit town and this year it's King of the Jungle Christopher Biggins alongside ventriloquist Paul Zerdin who has enjoyed sell-out performances at the Edinburgh Festival performing the classic Robinson Crusoe.

If you're looking to get into the Christmas spirit then book your tickets now and don't get cast adrift.

For Tickets to All SU Events

Telephone: 029 2078 1400 Box office

Currently comprised of vocalist Keith Buckley, guitarist Jordan Buckley, guitarist Andy Williams and bassist Josh Newton, The Union sees Every Time I Die returning to their roots in what promises to be a brilliant set.

Best described as 'Melodic hardcore' ETID bring their new wave music to Cardiff performing tracks of their recent album ' New Junk Aesthetic'.

As part of Rocksound magazine's UK tour of 2011, ETID are joined by supporting acts Skycatcher, and additional guests.

Mordiath Bar and Grill- Sunday Carvery

TICKETS ONLY 99p

Boombox

Great Hall 7:00pm £14.00

Visit : www.shop.cardiffstudents.com

If you're hungover from a messy Saturday night then there's nothing better than a big tasty carvery to spruce you back up. A selection of three meats and all the veg you can handle for under £6 gives you the perfect combination to watch the football on any one of the three plasma screens.

Ten Plus One Buffalo Bar, £3.00, £7.30

South Wales punk band Ten Plus One perform at Buffalo tonight.

Open until 4am, bottles start at £2, and pints at £1.80.

Late night beer garden and food also available.

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

Final Final Edition Edition of 2011

This is the final edition of the gair rhydd for 2011, so see w overleaf for details of various things going from now until mid January.

If you haven't got involved with the gair rhydd yet then the next edition is due for January 30th. Contributor meetings will be held from the 23rd, so if you're looking for some experience then come along as there is always a wealth of content to be covered.

Listings Editor: Gareth Johnston

Winter Wonderland: 029 2087 2965 Revolution: 02920 236689 Live Lounge: 029 2132 8159 Walkabout: 029 20 727 930 Metros: 029 2039 9939

Listings

32

Monday December 05 2011 • #gairrhydd • listings@gairrhydd.com

Christmas and New Year

Christmas Party with Meal at the Glee club 23/12/2011 Glee Club, 7:00pm, £29.95

2012 Summer Ball One Day Ticket Sale 16/12/2011 10:00am Onwards Box office

If you’re in your final year in Cardiff, there’s no better way to say goodbye to student life than the Summer Ball. Graduation is only a month after the Ball so now’s the time to gather up your mates and create some lasting memories of your time in Cardiff.

Lash- Sexy Santa 14/12/2011 Solus, 10:00pm-2:00am, £3.00

Mariah Carey, The Pogues, Slade you name it the Lash will be playing it on it's annual Xmas themed night in Solus. Get your red gladrags on and pick up a hat from Poundland and join in the madness on the last Union club night before Christmas.

Drink the Bar Dry 16/12/2011 The Taf , 11:00pm, £6.00

It's the event that encourages drunken behavior on ridiculous levels, and sees the Taf packed full of intoxicated students drinking away the last pennies of their overdraft.

Contact the Student Union BEFORE DECEMBER 13th to purchase your VIP ticket, which will include Breakfast (served 11am-1pm) A Glass of bubbly Entry to Solus VIP T-shirt Q-jump and free re-entry.

If you are able to make it past 6pm then you will have outlasted most people, so perhaps not the best event to attend if you have business to attend to on Saturday. A fitting way to end a term of hard work.....

Lash- New Year's Eve Special 31/12/2011 Solus , 19:30pm, £7.95

If for some reason you haven't gone home to see your family over the Christmas holidays then there is every reason to attend to The Lash new year's eve party, counting down the seconds in style.

With an unbelievably decked out Solus, the usual cheap union drinks prices and the resident DJ's pulling out all the stops This is a New Years Eve Party which won't be an anti-climax and won’t break the bank.

New Year's Party, with Aled from Radio One 31/12/2011 Tigertiger, from 7:00pm, £15

One Direction 21/1/2012 Motorpoint Arena, 18:00, £22.25

New Year's day at Buffalo 1/1/2012 6pm-3am, Free

Working on New year's eve?, going to miss all the celebrations?, well don't worry because Buffalo bar has got you covered, giving you 9 hours to think up your new year's resolutions, and in all likelihood, immediately break them.

The X factor 2010 runners up have enjoyed a pretty substantial rise to success, which considering the demographic they pander to, is hardly suprising.

If like many others you find youself obsessed with their 'irresistable' charm then book your tickets early because, it will more than likely sell out very quickly.

Born and bred in Aberystwyth, 'BB Aled' is the Welsh representative of the UK's favourite breakfast radio show and will be kicking off the New Year in style!

Tickets for this one are probably going to be scarce nearer to the date so head down to Tiger to pick up your advance tickets for £15.00, rather than run the risk of disappointment at the door or paying £20.00.

Aled will be sticking round for a meet and greet and photos well into the early hours.

Laugh your way into Christmas spirits, whilst enjoying a filling meal of your choice, to the tune of stand ups John Fothergill, Jim Tavare and the aptly named Jared Christmas.

Try not to take a mouthful or sprouts during the gags though, spluttering your Christmas dinner everywhere will only provide further ammunition with which to be abused for by the comics.

Cardiff Adventure film festival 15/1/2012- 18/1/2012 Coal Exchange 7:30pm- 11:30pm, £22:00

The Coal exchange will be hosting a three day festival with adventure related films, great local music, and international adventure legends across two seminar halls and one theatre, over three days. If you like adventure and you want a buzz, go along and enjoy the weekend.

Oliver!

From 10/12/2011-21/1/2012 Millenium Centre, 7:30pm, from £19.50

The massively successful and critically acclaimed West end production, and arguably the ultimate Christmas theatre show Oliver is running in the millennium centre over Christmas.

With its ever-popular story of the boy who asked for more, Lionel Bart’s sensational score includes the classics 'Food Glorious Food,' 'Consider Yourself,' 'You’ve Got to Pick-a-Pocket or Two', and of course 'I’d Do Anything,'

sudoku.

34Puzzles

Monday December 05 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?

Going Roman After the success of his calendar cubes in Issue 961, Steve has been commissioned to design some Roman Numerals calendar cubes. How can Steve display all the days of the month (1-31)?

He has been given the following restrictions: 1. Lower case Roman Numerals must be used(i,v,x), 2. All of the 12 faces must be different, 3. Both cubes do not necessarily need to be used for every day.

T Y

Rhys's riddles.

S R A

T E

H G

answers.

Only square numbered doors will be open after the final pass. (1,4,9,16, ...100) You should work it out by finding how many factors each numbered door has.

Any door with an odd number of factors will be open, and square numbers have an odd number of factors.

EASY

INTERMEDIATE

CHALLENGING

Solution for 100 doors

Riddle answer.

36Taf-od

Monday December 05 2011 • #gairrhydd • tafod@gairrhydd.com

Gwlad mewn galar

Digwyddiadur Taf-od 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*

Caio Iwan Golygydd Taf-od

Darganfuwyd Gary Speed yn farw ar fore’r 27ain o Dachwedd, 2011.

Daeth ei wraig o hyd iddo wedi crogi ei hun yn y garej. Roedd o’n 42.

Hyd yn oed wrth i mi ysgrifennu hwn, tydi’r peth dal heb gofrestru’n iawn. Bydd rhywun yn aml yn dweud cliché tebyg yn dilyn marwolaeth rhywun â phroffil mor uchel, ond y tro yma, mae’r golled yn teimlo’n bersonol rhywsut. Mae cenedl gyfan yn dal i ddygymod gydag un o’r digwyddiadau mwyaf ysgytwol ers tro byd, ac anodd iawn yw gwneud pen a chynffon o’r holl beth.

Roedd popeth i weld yn mynd o blaid Gary Speed; roedd yn wr priod ac yn dad i ddau o fechgyn yn eu harddegau; yn gyn-gapten Cymru; ac yn rheolwr i’r tîm cenedlaethol.

Speed oedd y gobaith mawr i bêldroed yng Nghymru - y Meseia a oedd a’i fryd ar adennill parch y cefnogwyr yn dilyn methiant y gyfundrefn flaenorol. Arweiniodd Cymru i bedair buddugoliaeth yn y pum gêm ddiwethaf, a bu’r cefnogwyr yn ddigon ffodus i weld pêldroed nad oedd wedi ei weld yng Nghymru ers blynyddoedd lawer.

Does dim angen i mi fanylu ar ei lwyddiant fel chwaraewr, mae’r ffaith ei fod wedi ennill 85 o gapiau dros ei wlad a'i fod y chwaraewr cyntaf yn hanes yr Uwch Gynghrair i chwarae dros 500 o gemau yn dweud y cyfan. Dywedodd mai ei fraint fwyaf oedd cael bod yn gapten ar ei wlad. Y peth pwysicaf iddo, meddai ef, oedd ei deulu.

Ar ôl darllen a gwrando ar gryn dipyn o deyrngedau, bu llawer yn barod iawn i gymeradwyo ei ‘broffesiynoldeb’ a daeth hyn yn

nodweddiadol o’i gyfnod byr fel rheolwr Cymru. Penododd hyfforddwyr cymwysedig o’i gwmpas megis Raymond Verheijen ac Osian Roberts; gorfodwyd y chwaraewyr i ddysgu’r anthem genedlaethol cyn y gêm; a gweddnewidiwyd y paratoadau i’r gemau. Er gyn lleied yr ymddangosai’r newidiadau hyn, roedd yn gwneud gwahaniaeth mawr, ac yn dwyn ffrwyth ar y cae yn ôl Craig Bellamy.

Mae’r episod hunllefus yma yn un o’r digwyddiadau prin hynny lle bydd rhywun yn gofyn mewn blynyddoedd: ‘Ble oeddet ti pan fu farw Gary Speed?’ Dwi’n cofio ymlwybro o ‘ngwely'r bore hwnnw tuag at y lap-top a mynd syth ar Twitter i weld beth oedd testun trafod y dydd. Daliodd y geiriau canlynol fy llygaid yn syth: ‘Gary Speed is dead’.

Nid fi yw’r unig un i ddod o dan deimlad ar ôl edrych neu wrando ar y teyrngedau i Gary Speed. Anodd iawn oedd dal y dagrau’n ôl wrth weld y newydd syfrdanol yn torri ar Sky Sports News yn fyw, o weld un o ohebyddion y sianel a ffrind ffyddlon i Speed, Bryn Law, yn torri lawr wrth wneud adroddiad tu allan i Elland Road; a bu llawer yn clodfori criw Sgorio, ar ôl i gyfraniadau dewr Dai Davies, Dylan Ebenezer, Malcolm Allen a John Hartson gyffwrdd calonnau'r genedl.

Rhwydd yw gweld pa mor boblogaidd oedd Gary Speed wrth wrando ar rai o sylwadau ei gymheiriaid. Ond yr hyn a ddaliodd fy sylw i oedd gymaint oedd yn adnabod ei deulu yn dda, ac yn ei gyfrif o fel ffrind pennaf: Alan Shearer, John Hartson, Malcolm Allen, Dean Saunders, Robbie Savage, Bryn Law i enwi dim ond rhai.

Dyma fesur y dyn, roedd yn ffrind

mor deilwng i bob un ac, fel ar y cae chwarae, yn ennyn parch gymaint o bobl.

Dros yr wythnos ddiwethaf rwyf wedi darllen sawl blog ac ‘obituary’ ac wedi edrych ar amryw gyfweliad efo’r dyn ei hun ar y we. Yr ymddangosiad olaf iddo wneud oedd ar Football Focus brynhawn Sadwrn, ac mi roedd cwpwl ohonom ni acw yn eistedd o flaen y teledu ac yn gwrando’n astud ar frwdfrydedd ein rheolwr cenedlaethol wrth iddo drafod amserlen gemau nesaf Cymru. Roedden ni’n ymfalchïo yn y ffaith mai hwn oedd llysgennad y tîm cenedlaethol, ac yn ddiysgog yn ein cred mai hwn oedd y dyn i’n arwain i Gwpan Y Byd.

“

Er i’w wraig wadu fod ganddo iselder, mae’r wasg a’r cyhoedd wedi cymryd yn ganiataol mai’r salwch meddwl yma ysgogodd ei weithredoedd

Bron yn amhosib yw amgyffred y ffaith ei fod wedi crogi ei hun rai oriau yn ddiweddarach. Ffordd diflewyn ar dafod o ddweud hynny ‘dwi’n gwybod, ond weithiau dim ond geiriau felly sy’n gwneud i chi sylweddoli pa mor anghredadwy yw’r hyn sydd wedi digwydd.

Mae’n debyg mai’r deyrnged fwyaf gall rhywun fel fi roi iddo yw’r ffaith mod i heb gael fy effeithio gan farwolaeth unrhyw un nad oedd yn aelod o’r teulu gymaint â hyn. Mae’n atgoffa fi o’r teimlad yna pan gollodd Cymru arwr arall yn Ray Gravell. Ond tro ‘ma, mae’r cyd-destun a’r amgylchiadau o gwmpas ei farwolaeth yn gwneud yr holl beth yn gymaint fwy trist.

Gêm beryglus yw ceisio dyfalu, does neb yn gwybod beth achosodd Gary Speed i ddiweddu ei hun.

Neb ond Gary Speed. Er i’w wraig wadu fod ganddo iselder, mae’r wasg a’r cyhoedd wedi cymryd yn ganiataol mai’r salwch meddwl yma ysgogodd ei weithredoedd. Fel y cyfeiriai Martin Samuel mewn erthygl i’r Daily Mail, mae’r digwyddiad wedi sbarduno sawl cynchwaraewr proffesiynol sy’n brwydro iselder i ymofyn am gymorth proffesiynol. Cyfeiriai Samuel hefyd at ba mor sensitif y dylai rhywun drin hunanladdiad. Ond mae hefyd yn cydnabod mae hwn yw un o’r achosion mwyaf anesboniadwy a swreal ohonynt i gyd.

Er bod wythnos wedi mynd heibio, anghrediniaeth a dryswch yw’r emosiynau amlycaf o hyd. Bu ambell un yn ceisio cysylltu â ffôn Speed yn yr oriau hynny pryd dorrodd y newydd, yn y gobaith bod yr holl beth yn un jôc wael a oedd wedi mynd gam yn rhy bell.

Nid jôc mohoni, ond yn hytrach, trasiedi bersonol gyda’r tristaf i ddigwydd erioed yn hanes pêl-droed yng Nghymru. Y realiti yw bod cenedl gyfan mewn galar, a bod dau o blant wedi colli eu tad.

Mae modd i aelodau o'r cyhoedd ysgrifennu mewn llyfr cofio arlein er cof am Gary Speed ar wefan Cymdeithas Pel-droed Cymru: www.faw.org.uk

8fed Rhagfyr 2011 - Parti Dolig Nyth: No Thee No Ess, Tim Ten Yen, Fennel Seeds, Mr Huw, Twll Daear Pry Genwair, DJs. 7:30yh.

Gwdihw, Caerdydd.

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.

Taf-od37 Cyllideb Ddrafft Cymru News Opinion Politics Feature Science Societies Listings 11 - 14 15 - 18 21 - 23 24 - 26 27 - 29 1-9 30 - 32

Sport 40 - 44

Monday December 05 2011 • #gairrhydd • tafod@gairrhydd.com

Cerith Rhys Jones Taf-od Daeth dwy blaid i gytundeb ddydd Gwener y 25ain o Dachwedd ynghylch sut yn union y bydd cyllideb Cymru’n cael ei gweinyddu. Yn ôl y Prif Weinidog, Carwyn Jones AC, daeth ei blaid ef, Plaid Lafur Cymru, i gytundeb gyda’r Democratiaid Rhyddfrydol er mwyn darparu cyllid ar gyfer gwariant Llywodraeth y Cynulliad dros y flwyddyn nesaf.

Wynebodd Llywodraeth Carwyn Jones wrthwynebiad ar draws llawr y Senedd yn gynharach ym mis Tachwedd i’w chyllideb arfaethedig,

gyda’r gwrthbleidiau i gyd yn uno i bleidleisio yn erbyn cynlluniau’r Llywodraeth, ac felly’n gosod Carwyn Jones mewn tipyn o bicil. Dim ond 30 sedd sydd gan ei blaid ef yn y Cynulliad, felly er mwyn pasio cyllid ar gyfer y flwyddyn nesaf, mae angen cefnogaeth o leiaf un aelod o’r gwrthbleidiau.

Pan fethwyd â phasio’r gyllideb ddrafft, dywedodd Paul Davies AC, llefarydd cyllid y Ceidwadwyr, nad oedd y “cynllun gwariant yn cwrdd â gofynion gwasanaeth iechyd, system addysg nac economi Cymru” a bod “angen newid a gwella blaenoriaethau er mwyn i'r gyllideb ateb

gofynion cymunedau Cymru.”

Ategodd Ieuan Wyn Jones AC, arweinydd Plaid Cymru, gan ddweud ei bod yn glir “o'r drafodaeth gan leisiau ar draws y Cynulliad nad yw'r gyllideb ddrafft ar ei ffurf bresennol yn cwrdd â gofynion pobl Cymru.” Mynegodd y byddai’i blaid ef yn pwyso ar Lafur i godi safon ei pherfformiad wrth hybu’r economi Gymreig.

Digwyddodd methiant y gyllideb ddrafft ar yr un diwrnod â chyhoeddi ffigyrau diweddaraf diweithdra Cymru, a oedd yn dangos fod 9.3% o’r boblogaeth yn ddi-waith – y ganran uchaf ers i’r cofnodion cymharol ddechrau yn ôl ym 1992, a’r sefyllfa’n waeth fyth ymysg pobl ifanc rhwng 16 a 24 oed – 22.4% allan o waith.

Gallech ddadlau yn hynny o beth fod y cytundeb rhwng y ddwy blaid yn beth da i’r economi, a dyna’n union beth fyddai Carwyn Jones a Kirsty Williams AC, arweinydd y Democratiaid Rhyddfrydol yng Nghymru, yn ei ddweud. Ar ddiwrnod cyhoeddi’r gytundeb rhwng y ddwy blaid, cyfaddefodd Ms Williams y gallai fod wedi bod yn “haws yn wleidyddol i ni gerdded i ffwrdd,” ond y bydd “ein dylanwad ar drafodaethau’r Gyllideb yn cael dylanwad mawr ar fywydau plant ac yn helpu i rhoi hwb i’n heconomi ni.”

Mae eraill yn anghytuno.

Heblaw’r ffaith mai dim ond £20

Ail-feddiannu Caerdydd Heledd Melangell Williams Taf-od Mae’r mudiad ‘Occupy’ a ddechreuodd gyda 17 pabell ar Wall Street, Efrog Newydd, bellach wedi lledaenu fel brech heintus ar draws y byd. Mae’n fudiad sy’n boendod i’r awdurdodau, a chaiff ei amlygu wrth weld y modd ffiaidd y mae’r heddlu’n adweithio i’r protestiadau. Defnyddiwyd bwledi rwber a chwistrelli pupur i symud y protestwyr heddychlon yma mewn rhai llefydd.

Does dim syndod fod Heddlu De Cymru wedi ymateb i’r ymdrech cyntaf i feddiannu Caerdydd (wrth ymyl y Castell) gyda grym arswydus. Cafodd pobol yn llythrennol eu gwthio o’r fan gan heddlu ar geffylau. Cafodd chwech eu harestio, rhai ohonynt yn fyfyrwyr yn y brifysgol hon. Gwrthododd dau ohonynt rybudd ac maent am ymddangos o flaen llys ynadon Caerdydd yn yr wythnosau nesaf. Beth ddigwyddodd i’r hawl i wrthdystio’n heddychlon? A ydym yn agosáu at fyw mewn gwladwriaeth dotalitaraidd, Orweliaidd?

Pam bod pobol yn fodlon campio yn oerni gaeaf a chael eu ham-

bygio gan yr heddlu? I ba bwrpas mae’r bobol yma yn protestio? Yn syml, gwrthdystiad yn erbyn cyfalafiaeth ydi ‘Occupy’. Maent yn gwrthynebu’r banciau sydd wedi achosi'r argyfwng economaidd, yn erbyn toriadau’r llywodraeth, ac yn erbyn y bobol sydd yn elwa’n fawr ar draul y llai ffodus. Cyfalafiaeth yw'r system economaidd bresennol sydd yn golygu bod pobol yn newynu’n ddiangen, yr amgylchedd yn cael ei ddinistrio ac mai arian, yn hytrach nag anghenion pobol, sydd yn pennu popeth.

Cri'r protestwyr yw ‘Ni yw'r 99%’. Cyfeiria hyn at y 1% cyfoethog, y cyfalafwyr y maent yn eu protestio yn eu herbyn ac sydd a gymaint o rym dros eu bywydau.

Os hoffech ddysgu rhagor am hyn a thrafod be sydd yn amgen i gyfalafiaeth, ewch lawr i Transport House, Heol y Gadeirlan, a siaradwch gyda Occupy Cardiff.

Yr oeddwn yn bresennol ddydd Sadwrn bythefnos yn ôl yn yr ymdrech i ail sefydlu ‘Meddiannwn Caerdydd’. Yr oedd yr heddlu yno yn disgwyl amdanom ac wrth i ni wneud placardiau ar y llawr, fe wnaethon nhw fygwth ein harestio.

Fe wnaethon nhw hefyd fygwth ein

harestio os fydden ni yn gorymdeithio trwy’r ddinas gyda baneri er mwyn codi ymwybyddiaeth ynglyn ag Occupy Cardiff. Ar ôl trafodaeth hir penderfynodd y grwp i gampio yn Transport House, adeilad undebau Cymru. Ni fyddem yn cael ein herlid gan yr Heddlu yma.

Daeth y grwp ‘Bwyd nid Bomiau’ a swper cynnes at y gwersyllwyr ar y noson gyntaf. Dywedodd y rhai a fu’n campio'r noson honno bod rhaid i un neu ddau aros yn effro drwy’r nos gan i bobol feddw ddod draw i gega. Ar wahân i ambell feddwyn mae’r adborth gan y cyhoedd ynglyn ag Occupy Cardiff wedi bod yn ffafriol, mae pobol yn chwilfrydig amdano.

Bydd gweithdai a gwersi Arabeg a Chymraeg yn cael eu rhoi yng ngwersyll Occupy Cardiff. Ewch draw os y cewch chi gyfle am sgwrs, neu i gampio os ydych yn ddewr!

Un nod gan Occupy yw dechrau’r sgwrs ynglyn â be all fod yn ddewis amgen i gyfalafiaeth. Does dim rhaid derbyn toriadau na derbyn yr 1% yn difetha’r blaned hon. Dilynwch Occupy Cardiff ar Twitter neu Facebook os hoffech ragor o wybodaeth.

miliwn yn ychwanegol y mae’r Democratiaid Rhyddfyrdol wedi ei ddiogelu ar gyfer addysg a phlant, a hwythau yn wreiddiol wedi dymuno diogelu llawer mwy, dywedodd Alun Ffred Jones, AC Plaid Cymru, fod y gyllideb yn dal i fod yn newyddion drwg i’r economi yng Nghymru. Ni fyddai’i Blaid ef, meddai, yn gallu cefnogi cyllideb na fyddai’n “cynnwys pecyn sylweddol o fesurau i hybu swyddi a busnesau.”

Daeth ei farn ef yn sgîl cyhoeddiad gan y Gweinidog dros Gyllid, Jane Hutt AC, ddydd Llun yn rhoi manylion am becyn hybu economi’r Llywodraeth, fuasai’n golygu £38.9 miliwn o bunnoedd yn ychwanegol i hybu’r economi Gymreig. Byddai’r arian yn cael ei wario ar bethau megis y ‘Rhaglen Recriwtiaid Newydd’ – buddsoddiad cyfalaf mewn ysgolion, tai cymdeithasol, ardaloedd menter; a’r rhaglen ‘Sgiliau Twf Cymru’. Bydd y rhaglen hon, yn ôl Ms Hutt, yn ychwanegu at lwyddiant rhaglen ProAct, a oedd yn un o brif lwyddiannau Llywodraeth Cymru’n Un (y glymblaid rhwng y Blaid Lafur a Phlaid Cymru).

Wrth gwrs, dadl Plaid Cymru yw nad yw’r cynllun ariannu hwn yn ddigonol o bell ffordd, ac maent yn galw am weithredu llawer mwy grymus. Cyhoeddodd y Blaid fanylion y cynigion a wnaethant hwy i Lafur yn ystod y trafodaethau wedi methiant y gyllideb ddrafft, a’r rheini’n cynnwys cyflwyno cynllun

‘Adeiladu i Gymru’ Plaid Cymru.

Dygwyd y cynllun hwn gerbron y Trysorlys gan Lywodraeth Cymru’n Un, yn ychwanegol at wario £45 miliwn ar brosiectau i hybu swyddi mewn busnesau bychain a chanolig, a mesurau i ymdrin â diweithdra ieuenctid, ac hynny ar gost o ryw £39 miliwn.

Gyda’r Blaid Lafur a’r Democratiaid Rhyddfrydol bellach yn gytûn, mae’n anhebygol y bydd Carwyn Jones ar frys i ofyn am gefnogaeth Ieuan Wyn Jones unrhyw bryd yn y dyfodol agos. Serch hyn, mae Plaid Cymru nawr mewn safle da i gondemio Llafur a’r Democratiaid Rhyddfrydol, tra bo’r ddwy blaid hynny mewn safle i honni eu bod ill dwy yn gweithredu dros yr economi yng Nghymru. Yr unig blaid heb blatfform felly, yw’r Torïaid, a does dim amheuaeth y bydd y Llywodraeth a Phlaid Cymru yn manteisio ar y cyfle i’w condemnio hwy ar eu methiant i gefnogi’r gyllideb, yn ychwanegol at yr hyn y mae’r glymblaid yn San Steffan yn ei wneud (neu ddim yn ei wneud) dros yr economi ledled y Deyrnas Gyfunol.

Rhagfyr y 6ed fydd dyddiad y bleidlais ar y gyllideb, a chawn weld bryd hynny faint o gefnogaeth a gaiff y Llywodraeth. Wrth gwrs, bydd yn rhaid aros yn hirach eto i weld faint o effaith fydd y gyllideb honno’n ei chael ar yr economi yng Nghymru.

Diolch i bawb sydd wedi cyfrannu i Taf-od dros y tymor diwethaf. Os oes gennych chi ddiddordeb cyfrannu tymor nesaf, cysylltwch â ni ar: Facebook: Taf-od 2011-12

e-bost: tafod@gairrhydd.com

Twitter: @Taf_od

NADOLIG LLAWEN!

Sport

40

Monday December 05 2011 • #gairrhydd • sport@gairrhydd.com

Basketballers back on the court

The lock out ends as the season sets to commence on Christmas day Tom Parry-Jones Sports Writer On November 26, 2011, the NBA reached an agreement with its players to end a lockout that had lasted almost five months. The delay in reaching an agreement has seen the season shortened from the usual 82 games to 66, due to begin on December 25, 2011.

The lockout began on July 1, 2011, after the previous Collective Bargaining Agreement (a contract between the league and its players determining wage scales, working hours, training times, etc.) expired.

Negotiations over a new CBA had begun in early 2011, but the parties were unable to reach an agreement before the scheduled expiry date of the extant CBA and the league had to suspend operations.

The major issues surrounding the re-negotiation centred on players’ salaries, which the league was attempting to reduce in order to allay reported losses suffered by 22 of the league’s 30 teams. The league therefore suggested that each team’s salary cap be reduced

of basketball-related income (as opposed to the 57 per cent they were receiving in the previous CBA). The season will now begin on Christmas Day, following a shortened training camp and a two-game pre-season programme.

One of the consequences of the lockout, was that some of the league’s players joined foreign teams in order to continue playing basketball while the NBA was in suspension. The league agreed to this, despite the possibility of players picking up injuries, with the proviso that the players be released from their overseas contracts at the commencement of the NBA season.

Lockouts have not been uncommon in sport in the United States in recent years. The NBA itself suffered a lockout in 1998-99, and the start of the 2011 season of American football’s National Football League (NFL) was almost delayed after their CBA expired on March 3, 2011, and negotiations continued to break down up to the last minute.

from $58 million to $45 million. The National Basketball Players Association (NBPA; the players’ union) disputed the league’s figures and therefore opposed the suggested changes to the wage structure.

The NBA and the NBPA re-entered negotiations on September

“

The major issues surrounding the renegotiation centred on players’ salaries

13, but were unable to reach an agreement and ten days later, the league cancelled the players’ training camp period and the first week of pre-season games. Further meetings also broke down and by November 15, all regular season games up to mid-December had also been cancelled.

A final meeting was scheduled for November 25, and after 15 hours of negotiations, the parties finally reached a tentative agreement, with the NBPA settling for 51.2 per cent

Above: David Stern NBA commisioner

Academics aside....

Name: Dr. John Jewell (Above) School: JOMEC Position: Director of Undergraduate Study His team: Swansea City FC First things first, what is yours earliest memory of Swansea city FC?

Well, the thing is you’ve got to remember when you're welsh its predominantly rugby. But having said that, people do underestimate how important football is in Wales.

Anyway, when I was growing up in, in the 70s, it (Wales) dominated by rugby which was at its zenith really,

so Swansea city didn’t really impact on my radar at all, but around 1978/79, they signed John Toshack from Liverpool as manager, and that changed everything. Because in the next five seasons, they went from the fourth division to the first division, which was incredible. Trouble was, a few years later, we did exactly the same thing in reverse. When Toshack arrived, I was about ten in 1978, that’s when they (Swansea City) started to have any impact on me really. They beat Heartlepool 8-0 at Betch Field and I remember from then on picking up on it (Swansea City)...The first live game I went to was in about 1982, when I was 14 in the FA cup, and we beat Crystal Palace 2-1 I think.

The fact we went from the fourth division to the first division from 1978 to about 1981 that impacts on everyone’s memory in Swansea because it was unheard of, it was wonderful. Then we beat Leeds 5-1 on the opening day of the season.

Swansea have had a prolific rise through the divisions, they went from the fourth division to the first, and then back down, and from then on again have managed to break into the top tier of modern football, the premier league. Is there anyone you would peg that too?

Yes (Roberto) Martinez, he's the architect of all that really. About five

John Jewell on Swansea City

or 6sixyears ago the club was sold for a pound... and was in disastrous state of affairs, but Martinez coming in as a player first, and then as manager brought with him an ethos and a philosophy which helped us.

I remember when he first became manger; the way he spoke was wonderful really. He brought an air of cosmopolitanism with him. When he was at Swansea, up until he left, he was rated so highly for the brand of football we played. And now Brendon Rogers has come in and continued that tradition.

Would you be able to pick one match that would stand out as your favourite?

The Reading playoffs last season, no doubt about it, it was fantastic. We played superbly. There’s no point digging back in to the past, this ones fresh in the memory. It was a really good match, because Reading came back, and we played with style and verve, and all those other clichés... and we won. It was a great match.

And the least favourite?

Always the matches against Cardiff city, there was one recently, when Craig Bellemy scored a spectacular goal. When you go down from the first to the fourth (divisions) disappointments become as regular as night and day. But we lost 8-0 up at

Anfield once and that was bloody dreadful. I remember it vividly, they were scoring so regularly they were showing a replay when Peter Beardsley scored the next one.

As a team this season, Swansea have been brilliant. Vorm in my opinion is one of your best players,at the moment, who is your favourite player for Swansea FC?

We have been pretty lucky for goalkeepers over the years, Willie Goldman, he was a character, and then Roger Freestone, but my favourite player at the moment is Nathan Dyer I think. But the one you want to watch is Joe Allan. I saw him play against Reading in January 2009; he was man of the match.

What is it like watching Swansea play in the Premier League and coming up against the best players in the world every week?

Well I'm quite level headed about this, they are professionals. The great thing about sport, is that it's just 90 minutes of one team against another, (I tend to use these clichés), anything can happen. But they are professional people, any one side should be able to beat another in the same league. It's not as if Swansea aren’t worthy of being there (the Premier league), play off or no playoff, they are worthy of be-

ing in the Premier League. This is where the hyperbole of sport tends to annoy me; it’s not a surprise if Swansea beat Manchester City.

It's fantastic to see Swansea in the Premier League, their style of football is more suited to the Premier League. It's wonderful for the city as well... sport is a tremendous unifier.

If you had to pick an all time favourite Swansea player, who would it be?

I think it’s got to be John Toshack.

Swansea have had lots of great players over the years, players like Jimmy Gilligan and Lee Trundell, but it's Toshack for me. He came from Liverpool, just a tiny bit past his peak and as player-manager he took us up. But I think I should mention Ivor Allchurch, Swansea City fans of an older age, swear he was one of the finest players to have ever kick ed a ball.

Do you think Swansea will stay up in the Premier League this season?

I think the best thing about this season from a Swansea point of view is that Blackburn, Wigan and Bolton are poor. I think Swansea players are settling in now, so in the second half of the season they’ll be stronger. So we will almost certainly stay up.

News Opinion Politics Feature Science Societies Listings 1-9 11 - 14 15 - 18 21 - 23 24 - 26 27 - 29 30 - 32

Sport 40 - 44

Monday December 05 2011 • #gairrhydd • sport@gairrhydd.com

IMG ROUNDUP Football Results Dent-History v. AFC Cathays....8-1 Fenerbahçe S.K. v. Psycho...........2-1 Klaw FC v. University 6th Team..2-0

SOCSI keep unbeaten run alive Oliver Coppins Sports Writer SOCSI...............................................4 Opus 11..............................................3

Economics FC v. Earth SOC........3-1 COMSC FC v. Gym Gym..............2-5 Pharm AC v. Myg Myg...............20-1 CHAOS FC v. FC EUROS..............6-1

SOCSI went four unbeaten with their 4-3 defeat of Opus XI on Wednesday, courtesy of a man of the match performance from Will Turland in a disjointed game played at Heath Park.

Opus XI had in fact started the brighter, with the opening ten minutes seeing SOCSI struggle to keep the ball on the floor and repeatedly concede possession in the middle of the park. However, it was Turland who opened the scoring from three yards, when Opus XI failed to react to Stuart Hall’s long-ranged free kick as it rebounded off the woodwork across Opus’ open goalmouth.

“

Opportunities came exclusively through star player Will Turland Having gained the lead, SOCSI

began to press for a second, with Zac Cole firing high from a good position at the six-yard line and Ben Geeson-Brown forcing a reflex save from the Opus keeper with a downward header.

However, it was Opux XI who would claim the second goal of the game, and also the game’s second goal against the run of play. Opus rose well when attacking a corner, initially forcing a save from SOSCI keeper Jono Frank, before Gweirydd Loan found space to prod home the equaliser.

Neat interchange from Opus then culminated in Frank turning over a fine volley, but it wouldn’t take long for SOCSI to regain their lead, as the remainder of the first half saw them pass well and create numerous opportunities, almost exclusively through star player Will Turland.

A through ball from GeesonBrown let Turland ensure SOCSI took the lead once more, before midfield engine Josh Rudge provided the third with a driven shot from just inside the Opus penalty area.

A second half lacking momentum saw various SOCSI substitutions which ultimately served to

unsettle the side, letting Opus’ Pete Webb round midfielder, Oliver Coppins and defender, Stu Hall, before coolly finishing. Fortunately for SOCSI, an immediate response was found from a long ball, which substitute Chris Webb did well to control before releasing Jono Frank, now in an outfield role, through on goal to seal the win with a first time finish.

“

A second half lacking momentum saw various SOCSI substitutions

The Iceman Cometh Kimi Räikkönen returns to F1

Callum McLagan Sports Writer 2007 Formula One World Champion Kimi Räikkönen has signed a twoyear deal with Lotus Renault GP, finally ending months of speculation as to whether the 32 year old Finn would be back on the F1 grid in 2012.

When he left in 2009, many questioned his motivation, but Räikkönen has said his choice to return to F1 was “easy” stating his “hunger for F1 has recently become overwhelming.” Räikkönen added that he has “been impressed by the scope of the team's ambition” and defended his time in Rallying saying it “has been a useful stage in my career as a driver.”

Räikkönen’s return means that a quarter of the grid, six drivers, would have won the drivers title in their careers. Petrov remains the strong favourite to partner Räikkönen at Lotus Renault, with Bruno Senna another option.

KLAW FC........................................2 University 6th team,........................0 KLAW maintained a 100% record in IMG league fixtures after a hard fought victory against the Cardiff University 6th Team.

KLAW have been sitting at the top of the table on goal difference in recent weeks and took an early lead to raise confidence even further. With barely ten minutes on the clock, Liam Honey ran onto Andy Samuel's flick, before driving a left footed effort into the top corner for his fifth league goal of the season.

“

KLAW were left to reflect on a fine team performance

The University side came back into the game after the early setback, with Rupert Murray scuffing his left-footed effort wide when clean through. To add to the mis-

7th-Dec-2011 14:00 Pontcanna Playing fields Law B Vs Fenerbahçe Cardiff S.K. Law A vs AFC Time Team Gym Gym Vs CHAOS COMSC FC vs Engin Locomotive Cardiff University 6th Team

If you want your team's match report in the paper please send your article into sport@gairrhydd.com

FC EUROS vs EARTH SOC

Follow us on Twitter @gairrhyddsport

Real Ale Madrid vs Port Fail

Above: Kimi Räikkönen ery, the 6ths lost captain, Richard Tweed, to injury moments later.

Despite the mud baths replacing pitches Pontcanna making fixtures all but impossible, it remains possible to play attractive football on the Roath Park pitches. Both sides were attempting to make the most of this by keeping the ball on the ground whenever possible. Elliot Sales and Tommy Cole were causing constant problems on the left flank, with their quick passing, enjoying the closer proximity afforded to them

by KLAW's experimental 4-4-2 formation.

Shortly before the interval, it was Cole who doubled the KLAW lead. Honey raced away from his marker on the right wing, before crossing into the stride of Cole. A loose touch looked to have allowed the defence to recover their ground, but the left-winger remained calm to round the goalkeeper and fire home.

Cardiff University 6ths had it all to do in the second half and came out of the blocks quickly in an attempt to reduce the deficit. Murray remained the focal point for his team's attacking moves, but was

Upcoming Fixtures

A consolation goal for Opus following some neat wing play was converted by Peter Gray from close range and made for a nervy end to the game, but SOCSI held on to claim a narrowly deserved three points.

A KLAW win puts them top of table George Dugdale Sports Writer

Sport41

struggling to free himself from the close attentions of centre-back Elliot Ashford. With Tommy Keohane and Finn Hill putting in a strong shift to limit space in the central third of the field.

“

Cardiff

University

6ths had it all to do in

the

second

half

The 6ths made a string of changes as the game went on, utilizing every part of their large squad.

Despite this, Mitchell Greenham remained largely untested in the KLAW goal. When the 6ths were offered a route back into the game by a rare defensive lapse, the linesman’s flag denied them.

As the referee blew his whistle for full-time, KLAW were left to reflect on a fine team performance that allowed them to take another key three points in their quest for Premier League football after Christmas.

vs Psycho Athletico Dynamo Cathays vs CARBS FC

11th-Dec-2011 14:00 Pontcanna Playing fields Chemistry FC vs Myg Myg Pharm AC Vs Your Mums Athletic FC Economics FC vs JOMEC AFC History vs Inter Me-nan MOMED AFC vs SOCSI Opus XI vs AFC Cathays AFC Dent-History vs KLAW F.C. Bye vs Engin Automotive

42Sport

Monday December 05 2011 • #gairrhydd • sport@gairrhydd.com

Williams bows out

Tom Parry-Jones reviews the Welsh winger's rich and illustrious 11-year international career

O

n Saturday, December 3, Welsh rugby says goodbye to one of its brightest stars. Fittingly, after an 11-year international career, Shane Williams will wear his Wales number 11 jersey for one final game against Australia at the Millennium Stadium. After a successful Rugby World Cup, it will give home fans one last chance to see their country’s leading try-scorer take the field in the red of Wales.

Born in the town of Morriston, near Swansea, on February 26, 1977, Williams took up football after being told he was too small to play rugby; this was to be a theme throughout his career. He began his rugby career as a scrumhalf with Amman United RFC, before moving out to the wing when he joined Neath in 1998.

He made his international debut as a substitute against France in the 2000 Six Nations, and followed it up with a try against Italy in his very next game. Although Williams scored 10 tries in his first 10 games for Wales, national coach Graham Henry deemed him too small to compete at the international level and Williams was left out of the Wales team for two years between 2001 and 2003.

After scoring two tries in a World Cup warm-up game against Romania, Williams was selected for the 2003 Rugby World Cup in Australia

Above: Shane Williams in action for the Lions as a third-choice scrum-half cum his place in the Welsh team was back-up winger. He only made apsecured and he would often be the pearances against New Zealand in first name on the team-sheet. the pool stage and England in the Wales’ opening game of the 2005 quarter-finals, but from then on, Six Nations was against England,

and a try from Williams set up an 11-9 victory. He also scored in games away to Italy and Scotland as Wales went on to win their first Grand Slam since the great side of 1978.

This led to Williams being selected for the British and Irish Lions’ tour of New Zealand that summer, where he equalled the Lions record by scoring five tries in a game against Manawatu.

Although Wales were knocked out of the 2007 World Cup at the pool stage, Williams was still the tournament’s third-top try scorer, with six in his four appearances. He also scored six tries as Wales won a second Grand Slam in four years in 2008, including one in the final game against France that made him Wales’ all-time top try scorer.

His try-scoring exploits in 2008 led to him being named the IRB International Player of the Year.

He was called up for a second Lions tour in 2009, when the team travelled to South Africa. Again, he missed out on the starting lineup for the first two Tests, but in the Third Test he scored two tries as the Lions won 28-9.

Williams announced that he would retire from international rugby following the 2011 World Cup, stating that the 2011 Six Nations would be his last. He was, however, persuaded to put off retirement until Wales’ match against Australia last weekend so that he could say a proper farewell to the people of Wales, and vice-versa.

Shane Williams Facts: • October 3, 1998 – Makes his debut for Neath.

• February 5, 2000 – Comes on as a substitute in Wales’ Six Nations match against France. Scored first international try two weeks later against Italy.

• October-November 2003 – Part of Wales squad for 2003 Rugby World Cup. Scores a try against New Zealand.

• November 29, 2003 – Makes Ospreys debut.

• February-March 2005 – Part of Wales’ Six Nations Grand Slam-winning team.

• May-July 2005 – Selected for the British and Irish Lions tour of New Zealand. Scores Lions record of five tries against Manawatu.

• February-March 2008 – Wins a second Six Nations Grand Slam with Wales. Try against France made him Wales’ all-time top try scorer. Named player of the tournament and 2008 IRB Player of the Year.

• May-July 2009 – Part of the Lions squad for the tour of South Africa. Scores two tries in Third Test.

• 2011 – Plays in his last Six Nations and plays a crucial role in Wales’ run to the semi-finals of the World Cup.

Federer shines at ATP World Tour Finals sport reviews tennis' final sporting event of the year Rhys Clayton Sports Writer

When British hopeful Andy Murray, World number one, Novak Djokovic and Rafa Nadal all failed to make it through to the semi-finals, only one man could re-ignite the ATP World Tour Finals.

Roger Federer became the most successful player in Championship history with a 6-2, 6-7 (6-8), 6-3 victory over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. It was his seventieth win in his hundredth final.

With Tsonga a set and break down, he saved a match point on his way to winning the second set.

But the 16-time Grand Slam cham-

pion showed all his class and experience to retain the title in front of a 17,500 capacity crowd at London's O2 Arena.

The 30-year-old joins Ivan Lendl on an unmatched 39 match wins at this tournament. The ATP World Tour finals is the fourth evolution of a Championship which started in 1970 as the Masters Grand Prix.

When Andy Murray pulled out of the tournament after a straight sets defeat to David Ferrer, the tournament lost possibly the most in-form tennis player. It ended Murray's season with disappointment. Murray's press conference that he was pulling out of the Tour Finals with a strained muscle was a gloomy affair. Insult was added to injury,

when Federer won the tournament, and thus took back the world no. 3 spot.

Janko Tipsarevic, the world No. 9 replaced Murray. However, after one loss and one victory, he ended the group bottom.

There was similar disappointment for Rafa Nadal, whose victory over Mardy Fish was his only success. World no. 1, Djokovic also looked laboured and far below his best. His phenomenal 2011 season has slowly but surely run out of steam, but he still ends the year with three Grand Slam victories and a record-breaking five ATP World Tour Masters titles.

Nadal and Djokovic’s poor showing allowed for Tomas Berdych,

David Ferrer, and Tsonga to qualify for the semi-finals. Federer was the only player to win all his group games, and his straight sets semifinal win over Berdych came as no surprise. Whilst the dogged Ferrer was also beaten in two sets by Tsonga.

First year nursing student, Alexandra Spray, did not find this year's tournament as good as previous years. Spray, who is a member of the Cardiff University Tennis Club, said, "I love watching Andy Murray play, and he is my favourite player.

When he left the tournament, I lost a lot of interest. Plus, the fact that Djokovic and Nadal were not at their best made it a forgettable competition. I hope next year, the play-

ers arrive fresh, fit and motivated.

It's what the British tennis loving public deserve."

As the season ending finale, tennis lovers across the globe were hoping for a fitting climax. Thankfully, Federer provided just that.

News Opinion Politics Feature Science Societies Listings 1-9 11 - 14 15 - 18 21 - 23 24 - 26 27 - 29 30 - 32

Sport 40 - 44

Monday December 05 2011 • #gairrhydd • sport@gairrhydd.com

Your Pitch:

Sport43

George Dugdale reviews depression in sport

Above Left: Kelly Holmes; Above Right: Frank Bruno

Since his recovery, Bruno has been honest about the cause of his problems: “My trainer, George Francis, once said to me that the hardest fight would be when I retire. I didn’t understand what he meant. But when you’re used to getting up at seven o’clock, going running, to the gym, sparring, doing press conferences, after-parties, retiring is the worst thing that can ever happen to a sportsman.”

This is the key aspect that we may never understand. We have never lived life always striving to achieve our next goal in the public eye and we have never known our lifestyle change entirely overnight in the manner than a retiring athlete would.

Speed is not the only tragic loss at the hands of depression, in 2009, German goalkeeper, Robert Enke, 32, stepped in front of a train having battled depression following the death of his daughter.

The story of Kelly Holmes provides proof, however, that there is a way back. Whilst training for the 2004 Olympics, Holmes suffered from injury problems and became depressed. Due to the doping rules, she was unable to use anti-depressants, turning to self-harm as a form of catharsis. She said: “Everything in my life at the time was wrong. When you’re in it, you don’t see a way out.” Holmes has since admitted to considering suicide before winning two gold medals in Greece.

“

All too easily we, however we forget these people are just like us

W

Above: Robert Enke who tragically took his own life hat is a profes- a gaping hole in football. We would sional athlete? be better served not knowing the reasons behind Speed's passing, but Talented? Dedicated? At the the tragic loss of a football manager with some of his greatest achievepeak of physiments still ahead of him, provides cal condition?

In truth, an athlete is usually all a stark reminder that success does not breed immunity. In recent times, of the above. However, when asking somebody for their thoughts on some of sport's largest names have some athletes, it wouldn't be long struggled to fight their demons bebefore you were informed that they hind closed doors. are overpaid and detached from the real world.

This is the illusion that the media has created over the protagonists Mental illness pays no atin one of the world's most exposed industries. The wealth of athletes tention to bank balance or at the highest level is undeniable.

They have big houses, a multitude profile of expensive cars and lucrative sponsorship deals. All too easily, however, we forget that these people Former heavyweight champion are just like us. Beneath the public Frank Bruno is a high profile case profile, they are still human. of depression after a sporting caThis week, we are left with the reer. In 2003, Bruno was taken from most poignant of reminders as to his home under the Mental Health the fragility of life.

Act, before being sectioned and diThe loss of Gary Speed has left agnosed with bipolar disorder.

“

Marcus Trescothick, Andre Agassi, John Kirwan, Michael Yardy, The list goes on.

Only a matter of hours before Speed's death, Stan Collymor himself a long-term sufferer of depression – used his Twitter account to explain how he was feeling during his current bout of depression, one that he described as his worst for six years. The former Liverpool striker wrote: ''If, like me, you have been there many times then you will know this...it's bloody dark but the clouds ALWAYS lift, so do everything you can to help yourself through. Open up to help and the fog will lift. You are not alone. Stan Collymore, depressive and broadcaster."

Mental illness pays no attention to bank balance or profile. Now, more than ever, we can see that the gulf between sport stars and the ordinary person is not as broad as we think. Fundamentally, we are all the same.

Gary Speed MBE R.I.P 1969 - 2011

Above: Gary Speed in action for Bolton Wanderers FC Jamie Evans Sports Editor Bill once famously said, "football isn't a matter of life and death, its more important than that." Never were these words more significant than they were last Sunday, when the devastating news broke that the Welsh manager, Gary Speed had sadly passed away. What followed was a ubiquitous feeling of numbness and despondency, which permeating not only the footballing world, but also the sporting world as a whole. A man who, on the surface, was seemingly in the prime of his life.

The amiable Welshman had recently carried a young Welsh brigade to their best run of results for over 15 years and the furture looked very bright under his guidance; but sadly, he ended his own life at the tender age of 42. He leaves behind his wife Louise, and his two children Tommy and Eddie.

He was an inspirational leader on and off the field, captaining every club he ever played for, before making the leap into football management, taking over the reins at Sheffield United before becoming manager of his home nation.

The left-footed maestro became the first ever player to amass over 500 Premier League appearances, turning out and captaining Leeds United, Everton, Newcastle, Bolton and Sheffield United during an illustrious career that spanned over 20 years. He also achieved a staggering 84 caps for his country between 1990 and 2004, playing the majority of those as a captain.

He was renowned for his powerful headers, his tactical awareness

and his thunderous left foot. He was universally regarded as one of the nicest men in sport and can undoubtedly be described as one of the most promising young manager in the world.

His tenure as Wales boss was beleaguered to begin with, but after a bedding in period, he appointed Aaron Ramsey as captain and established a platform of young, talented players that play an exciting breed of high-tempo football. He impressively led Wales from 117 to 45 in the FIFA World Rankings, with successive wins coming against top level nations such as Switzerland, Bulgaria and Norway. This platform, along with his illustrious professional career, his philanthropic nature and his kind personality form the legacy that he leaves behind.

Tributes for the great man have poured in, in abundance, with every football match played since mourning his loss with either a minute of silence or a minute of applause, none more poignant than the emotional displays at the Swansea City game against Aston Villa and at Cardiff City's Carling Cup tie with Blackburn Rovers last week.

Aaron Ramsey, whom Speed appointed as Wales's youngest ever captain, said: "The world has last lost a great football manager but, even more sadly, a great man. He will be missed by all." His former team-mate Alan Shearer, who spent six years with Speed at Newcastle, said: "Gary was a magnificent person - bright, fun and a wonderful family man - who lit up every room he walked into. I am proud to have been his friend and I will miss him dreadfully." May he rest in peace.

Sport

Gary Speed 1969-2011 << Inside

gair rhydd Sport exclusive:

Callum McLagan interviews Welsh rugby international referee Nigel Owens

O

n Friday, November 25, Ysgol Glantaf held a rugby game to raise money for charity. The game’s referee was the top referee in Wales, Nigel Owens. After the game, I spoke to him about life as a professional referee and his career so far, starting back with what inspired him to take up refereeing when he first began. “ No inspiration really, purely by chance, and looking back now, a bit of luck. I just started helping out when I was in school. I was in Form six in school, 16 years of age, and a sports teacher had a seven-a-side competition on for the Year Sevens and was struggling for referees, so I said I’d help out and that was it then. The fact I enjoyed it and just took it from there really.”

During a game of professional rugby the referee will often cover over eight kilometres. They must be among the first to every ruck or maul and up with play at all times, all the while wearing a vest allowing them to be mic’d-up, which aren’t especially light either. To get to, and maintain, IRB fitness standards requires a lot of hard work away from the games.

“It’s not just...you know, ‘go out jogging twice a week and then ref on a Saturday.’ Those days are gone.”

Above: Nigel Owens in action

So what is the training regime for a top level referee?

“It’s quite vigorous actually. Weights sessions three times a week and then a running session or a sprint session about twice a week as well and plus some sort of different recovery or rehab sessions as well. So it’s quite a bit of training, a bit of hard work.”

For Owens, this hard work has reaped dividends. During his career, he has refereed in the last two Rugby World Cups, refereed in both the Six Nations and the Tri Nations tournaments and numerous times in the knockout stages of the Heineken Cup, including Above: Nigel Owens officiating a scrum during an international tour match between Australia and England two finals. I was intrigued to know what occasion he would pick in the world refereed the knockout and Munster and after his perfor- referee, Owens recalls his experiout as the pinnacle of his career so stages. So to be one of those top five mance in these two games, he was ence of the event. far: is a great honour really.”

“I remember it quite clearly, acappointed as referee for the final at tually. But from my position in the “Umm, it’s strange...there are Which was more of an honour, the Millennium Stadium. It is clear lots of pinnacles because, different to be asked to referee the quarters that, as a proud Welshman, Owens game as an official, I don’t think games, different occasions, differ- or to be asked to be an assistant ref- remembers the occasion very fond- there was much else I could do at the time.” ly: ent fixtures you know? To referee eree in the final? a Tri Nations is a pinnacle. To refI don’t think there are many who “Oh to referee the quarters, be“I was so pleased I got the final eree your first Six Nations match cause I’m a referee you know? So that year because it was in the Mil- would disagree with his view ,that will always be something special. for me, refereeing obviously...but lennium Stadium and to get an op- the good thing for rugby itself was To referee South Africa v New then again, it’s an added bonus then portunity to referee the Heineken that the incident didn’t affect the fiZealand, which is probably the big- to be assistant referee in the final.”

Cup final doesn’t come along that nal result, before adding with a wry gest game in world rugby, they’re What’s the World Cup experience often, because there are so many smile, all pinnacles. But then, you know as a referee? good referees in Europe. To then get “I don’t think we’ll see any more I think overriding all that, I would blood capsules in the game for a “It’s great. It improves your ref- the final in 2008, a game with two of say it would have to be refereeing ereeing because you’re refereeing the big powerhouses of European while now!” in the World Cup. You know, that’s quite intensely for a period of time, rugby, Munster and Toulouse, and With time running short, I had every referee’s pinnacle and to get with your peers as well. And also as in my home country as well in the time for one more question, the ada knockout game this year, New well you learn off each other and Millennium Stadium. I never get vice he would give to anyone thinkZealand v Argentina, is the pin- you’re in that environment then the opportunity to referee in the ing of taking up refereeing: nacle so far. If I’ll be about for the where everyone helps together, Millennium Stadium in front of ''Enjoy it. That’s the main thing. next World Cup then obviously the pulls together and learn off each a sell-out crowd, with an interna- Because when you start out it’s a pinnacle then would be to do a semi- other as well then. So you know, it’s tional match-day atmosphere. So it hobby, and it’s only the very few of final or a final.” a great learning curve as well ac- was great to have the final and plus us who are lucky and able to do it as the occasion to referee in the Mil- a career.”

How did you feel when you were tually and I think you tend to find lennium Stadium as well...it was told you’d be refereeing in the that most referees will certainly He is quick to add one last tip: improve after they’ve refereed in brilliant.” knockout stages?

“Be fair and honest with every“Relieved, because there were 10 the World Cup.” A year later, he was awarded the thing, on the field and off because it’s only by being fair and honest of us out there and we knew that After his first World Cup in 2007, final at Murrayfield. However, unprobably...five of us may miss out he was given a quarter-final of the less you are a Leinster fan, the im- and admitting when you’ve made on it you know? And actually five Heineken Cup. I watched him refer- age that stuck in the memory from mistakes that you can learn from of us did, so the top five referees ee his semi-final between Saracens that year was ‘Bloodgate.’ As the them and you’ll improve.”

TEAM OF THE WEEK: (IMG) Pharmacy FC Congratulations to Pharmacy FC who beat Myg Myg an astounding 20 - 1 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 •