gair rhydd - Issue 880

gair rhydd

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CARDIFF'S STUDENT WEEKLY

freeword - EST. 1972

US ELECTION SPECIAL >>page 12

ISSUE 880 NOVEMBER 3 2008

WAVE OF SUCCESS

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INSIDE:

Opinion

MAN FALLS 20 FEET & BREAKS LEG

Seakittens: do fish need rebranding? >> page 8

Features

Emma Jones News Editor

A man is recovering in hospital after falling from a Union balcony and breaking his leg following Fun Factory last Monday.

Paramedics were called to the steps at the base of cafe CF10 at

around 2 o’clock on the morning of Tuesday October 28, following student night Fun Factory in Solus.

The identity of the male and the exact injuries he sustained are as yet unknown.

It is also not yet known whether the male fell or whether he deliberately jumped to the bottom of the

steps outside of CF10.

CCTV footage shows a man exiting the Union via the fire escape in Buffers, the side room of Solus, just prior to the incident. Footage indicates that the man does not re-enter Solus through the fire doors.

A Students' Union spokesperson confirmed that a man had been

found by paramedics at the base of the Union steps on Monday night, It had been suggested that the fall was caused by a slip; however, the spokesperson said, “the Union has received no official notification of an injury being sustained as a result of a slip accident.”

The investigation is ongoing.

PHOTO: NATALIA POPOVA

FUN FRACTURE-Y

The sex education debate >> page 20

Sport The Word On: The masked failure of British Tennis >> page 32

02 NEWS

News.............. 1

2 months, and still no MedClub

PHOTO: SIM ECKSTEIN

gr

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John Thompson Reporter

Editorial & Opinion........... 8

Em Cetera...... 11

Politics........... 12

Letters............ 17

Features.......... 18

Jobs & Money............. 23

AU GIVES SOMETHING BACK: CARDIFF ATHLETICS UNION PRESENTED A CHEQUE TO THE WELSH RUGBY CHARITABLE TRUST. THE £7,000 WAS RAISED DURING VARSITY WEEK LAST YEAR.

Miskin Street gets a mystery makeover

Despite two months of pressure from the Union, Cardiff University has so far failed to make any significant headway with the MedClub redevelopment project.

The Students' Union presented a policy on MedClub to Cardiff University in August this year.

However, despite assurances from the University, it is looking increasingly unlikely that the redevelopment of MedClub will begin in November as planned.

The redevelopment of MedClub has been a controversial topic for years, and the University's approval of inserting a bar into the plans has been particularly difficult to acquire.

The Union is currently waiting to see the changes that the University has made to its original plans.

STAR Society shows support at sleep out

Taf-od.............. 25

Science & Environment.... 27

Xpress............ 28

Five-Minute Fun................. 29

Listings........... 30

Sport............... 32

gair rhydd has been Cardiff University's independent student newspaper since 1972.

Roz Warden Reporter Emma Jones News Editor Residents of Miskin Street woke up on Tuesday morning to find their houses covered in paint.

Several front doors and some cars were splashed with red and yellow paint some time between Monday night and Tuesday morning.

Gillian Couch, a resident of the street, arrived home from work at around three o’clock on Tuesday morning and said the paint wasn’t there then, but when her housemate

left later that day for her nine o’clock lecture, the paint was still wet.

Miss Couch said: “I am not that bothered because the paint is flaking away and washing off in all the rain we’ve been having. If it had been proper paint I’d have been more annoyed.”

It seems this is not the first time Miskin Street has experienced some criminal activity: a car parked on the street recently had its window smashed, while one of the houses on the street has been burgled twice already this term.

Cardiff University STAR Society (Student Action for Refugees) showed its support for local asylum seekers and refugees by participating in a 12-hour sleep out on Queen Street.

Organised by Cardiff-based charity Home4U, in association with various local churches, the event aimed to raise awareness of the ‘Still Human, Still Here’ campaign, which fights for the thousands of asylum seekers in Britain who are left homeless and impoverished upon refusal of asylum.

As campaigner Rev. Steven Hill of Trinity Methodist Church explains, in such cases “you get absolutely nothing... you become a living ghost”.

Amongst those participating in the event was former asylum seeker Bekele Debela of Ethiopia, who was himself destitute in Swansea for 16 months before being successfully housed in Cardiff.

Further support was provided by Julie Morgan MP, who commented: “I think it is so important that attention is drawn to the plight of destitute asylum seekers. I applaud the efforts of the STAR group.”

Away on a placement? Heading abroad? In bed with a hangover?

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Grant cuts are bad news for middleincome students A government blunder means that middle - income students may no longer be eligible for partial grants Emma Barlow News Editor University applicants from middle-income backgrounds will be worse off next year due to a massive government blunder, it was revealed last week.

The government has spoken out about plans to change its policies on which students are eligible for grants.

It will scale back plans to expand student numbers after a government blunder left a £200m black hole in the universities budget.

40,000 fewer students will be eligible for partial grants and there will be 5,000 fewer places than expected next year after the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills underestimated a hike in demand.

Ministers said they seriously underestimated a boom in applications, which saw 40% of students qualifying for a full grant.

Students from families with an in-

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come above £50,000 will still have a right to a loan, but no grant.

Currently young people from families earning between £50,000 and £60,000 are entitled to a very small grant.

A spokesman for the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills said the reduction had been necessary to help fund students from poorer backgrounds – who enjoy more generous maintenance grants – because they were taking up university places in greater numbers than expected.

People from families with an income of up to £25,000 will receive a grant of £2,906 – the same as last year, after allowing for inflation.

The universities minister, John Denham, acknowledged that mistakes had been made in the calculations but insisted that the new student funding package, which will affect those starting university in England from next year, would not penalise students from the poorest homes.

The cap on student numbers for

next year has also been set at 10,000 additional places instead of the originally proposed 15,000.

It is likely to add to the pressure building up in university applications this year caused by a minor boom in the university-age population as well as rising results in schools.

Oxford and Cambridge, which set the earliest deadlines, reported a 12% increases in applications this year.

An aide to Denham said: "We are saying we need to slow down a little bit to make sure we are not overshooting." The changes are hoped to make savings of £100m.

Wes Streeting, president of the National Union of Students, said: “Obviously it is very good news that more students from lower-income families will be going to university.”

“But the measures laid out by the government to compensate for this will inevitably hit new students from middle-income families at a time when they are struggling to cope with the impact of the credit crunch.”

By-elections begin - but where are all the candidates?

Emma Barlow News Editor Voting begins on Monday 3 November 2008 but there appears to be a definite lack of campaigning.

Although all the positions are filled, many only have one nominee making for an uncompetitive election, which may explain the lack of cam-

paigning presence around the university.

There were only two posters on the front of the Student's Union as gair rhydd went to print.

The positions up for election this week include: Heath Park Campus, Intra-Mural Games Chair, Postgraduate Support Officer, Welsh Affairs Officer and Women’s Officer.

The new face of Miss Cardiff?

A Cardiff University student is in the final stages of the Miss Cardiff competition Sarah Powell News Editor Cardiff student, Sadia Ghaffar has made it to the final stages of the competition to become Miss Cardiff.

Sadia, who studies Law at Cardiff University, is the only Cardiff student who has entered the competition and has been selected from the hundreds of applicants to become one of the final 22 girls.

The competition places high impor-

tance on charity work, and Sadia told gair rhydd of her extensive amount of volunteering; “I have worked with BAWSO, a charity which helps women and children subject to domestic violence.”

She has also helped Cancer Research UK, a charity that is close to her heart.

Her Facebook group ‘Please Vote Sadia Ghaffar for Miss Cardiff 2008’, gives more information of the charity work Sadia has been involved with, alongside personal information and a

character description.

“I think it is important that people know my personal qualities so that they can vote based on the qualities I have,” she told gair rhydd.

The results of the competition will be held on Friday 7 November at Oceana. To show support for Sadia students are invited to join her Facebook group ‘Please Vote Sadia Ghaffar for Miss Cardiff 2008’.

Voting will be conducted via telephone or text message and details can be found on the facebook group.

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Wha's occurin'?

Christmas lights turned on by Nessa and Bryn Sian Symons News Editor

This year, two of the UK’s biggest entertainment stars will be switching on the Christmas lights in the Civic Centre.

On Wednesday 12 November, Ruth Jones and Rob Brydon, who play Nessa and Bryn in the award-winning Gavin and Stacey, will begin the Christmas celebrations with the big switch on.

The pair are joined by Only Men Aloud, who won the BBC’s Last Choir Standing competition.

The event, which begins at 5.30pm also marks the opening of the bmibaby Cardiff Winter Wonderland. For the eighth year in a row, it is looking to attract over 50,000 visitors to the ice rink.

Councillor Nigel Howells, Execu-

tive Member for Sport, Leisure and Culture said: “Ruth and Rob are two of the most popular stars in the UK and Only Men Aloud are big news at the moment, so we are extremely pleased to have them all here in November to launch another sparkling season of winter festivities.”

The city centre lights will be switched on simultaneously with a display on the front of Cardiff Castle, a unique set of lights depicting artwork by young people from 22 youth clubs across Cardiff. The artwork, undertaken as part of the Portrait of a Nation project and supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, was inspired

by Cardiff's heritage.

Also, on 15 November Cardiff Bay will be holding further Christmas celebrations. Here the switch on will be combined with a free live music stage, a fire show and free buses.

New look Student Council starts Sarah Powell News Editor The new changes to Student Council have been implemented and were on show at the first meeting of this term on Tuesday 28 October.

The election process was hindered when only 14 candidates put themselves forward to be voted onto a board of 13.

Efforts were made this year to make Student Council more democratic by electing a representational body of 60 people, made up of the Academic Council, 15 members from the Athletic Union and Societies, 15 members from key minority groups and 14 members from the student body.

However, representation within the block of 60 was compromised by a

Born Slippy

lack of interest from the general student population.

The Council is made up of a diverse mix of students ranging from undergraduates, society members, activists and postgraduates.

Some of the elected representatives stated their reasons for being part of the council. Mia Hollsing said: “I want to encourage an active, fighting Union.” Nina Williams, another member, said “I just love meeting new people.”

As well as changes to the make-up of the council, it has also been decided that only elected council members can vote to pass or reject motions.

The changes to student council were hoped to put an end to undemocratic decisions being made by a minority of the student body.

Students fall foul of Kitchen bar's slippery floor Emma Barlow News Editor A slip inside of Solus last week that resulted in a broken arm has raised concerns over the refurbished flooring.

Lizzie Baker, a third year, slipped over on an area of wet flooring in the Kitchen at Comeplay on Saturday 18 October and broke her arm.

Lizzie expressed her concerns about the slippery floor: “I do think there is an issue with safety, in particular with the floor being so wet all the time and no real effort made to mop spillages

up or install non-slip flooring.”

However, Lizzie was keen to stress that her fall was partly her own fault: “At the end of the day I was an idiot for not looking where I was going and have well and truly learnt my lesson!”

A third year medical student, who wished to remain anonymous, has also sustained injuries after falling over in the Union.

She said: "It's dangerous; the floor gets more and more slippery as night goes on and as it's dark you can't see where you're going. It's not helped by people pushing you."

A spokesperson for the Students' Union said: “At this time the Union has received no official notification of an injury being sustained in Solus nightclub as a result of a slip.”

They continued: “The Union has procedures in place to deal with spillages in the nightclub as quickly as is possible and ensures that all floor surfaces at least meet the recommended slip resistance for a floor in a nightclub.”

Falling over at the Students' Union's various club nights is not a rare thing as innebriated students often find themselves falling foul to spilt drinks.

THE KITCHEN: Full of slippery customers?

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Welsh MP attacked at Erasmus scheme will parents' party benefit Welsh universities Katy Gorman Reporter

The high profile Welsh MP, Adam Price was attacked on Saturday 25 October.

The Camarthen East and Dinefwyr MP, 40, was on his way to his parents' 50th wedding anniversary when a gang of youths set upon him.

He received stitches for cuts on his face and suffered a black eye.

The attack was completely unprovoked and Price's spokesperson has said: "He was very unfortunate and is now leaving the matter in the hands of the police."

Five men have been arrested and bailed in connection with the event and Mr. Price is now recovering at home.

Price gained his high profile by campaigning on issues such as the war

in Iraq and links between former PM Tony Blair and the steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal, which won him a parliamentary inquisitor of the year award in 2002 from Spectator magazine.

Sarah Powell News Editor

Welsh students and universities are likely to benefit from plans to extend the European Union's Erasmus student exchange programme.

Proposals to increase the number of scholarships for European students have been approved. This should see an rise in the number of students studying abroad as well as increasing the number of students coming to and from Europe from outside the EU. The plans are likely to be a great boost for Welsh universities, as they will now be able to attract many of the best foreign students and academics.

This will be helped by an increase in funding to promote links between

Welsh universities and those outside Europe.

Already many Welsh students are making use of the Erasmus project, with a total of 458 students studying abroad in 2007/08.

The Plaid MEP, Jill Evans, who represents the whole of Wales in the European Parliament, said: "The aim of this multi million pound scheme is to help our universities attract the best foreign students and academics, forge links with institutions abroad and make it easier for our students to study abroad. Already, the scheme has proved extremely popular in Wales with hundreds of Welsh students studying overseas every year thanks to Erasmus, and hundreds of overseas students coming here to study.

Recession - not all bad news for universities

Universities will benefit from increase in mature students wanting a career change as people lose jobs.

Eleanor Joslin Reporter Despite the fact that UK universities are facing a loss of £77 million, with the recent collapse of Icelandic banks, they can still expect to gain in other areas.

Previous recessions show that postgraduate studies, overseas students and Open University degrees may increase, with the potentially difficult recruitment situation ahead.

Janette Rutterford, professor for financial management at the Open University business school said: "For universities it's good…people who become unemployed tend to study to improve their chances in the future."

Open Universities offer the ability to stay at home and study part-time

around jobs to cover university costs.

"You typically see increases in the number doing MBA's, law and accounting courses as these can be globally recognised," Rutterford adds.

Universities will also benefit from people wanting a complete career change. Manchester Metropolitan lost money with the Icelandic bank collapse but has since seen a rise in interest, from people with a financial background, regarding their nursing course.

Professor Rick Trainor, the president of the vice-chancellor's group Universities UK said: "With increasing numbers of people applying to university, it's clear they still see higher education as a worthwhile investment in their future."

State school students missing out on university because of bad advice Sarah Powell News Editor A new report by The Sutton Trust charity has uncovered that poor educational guidance is preventing many academically talented pupils from non-privileged homes from going to university.

The report highlights that state school pupils are receiving "inadequate and inappropriate" careers and education advice, which means many young people with the potential to go to university are not applying for places.

The findings of the report have

been presented to the prime minister's advisory group, the National Council for Educational Excellence (NCEE), and include some suggestions for support and guidance which should be targeted at primary school pupils, as well as a proposal that all secondary schools should appoint a senior member of staff who will provide upto-date advice and information about applying to university.

The trust has also warned that poor educational and careers guidance could be a particular disadvantage to talented pupils from poorer homes, because they may not receive the support they need to apply to more com-

petitive universities.

A recent review carried out to investigate schools’ careers and education guidance packages found that only half of the 16 and 17-year-olds interviewed said the support they had received had been helpful; 58% said they would have liked more.

James Turner, the charity's director of policy, said: "Today's school pupils need to negotiate an increasingly complex educational landscape, and the fear is that too many are making ill-informed choices early on which effectively put them out of the running for certain university choices and careers later in life.”

Wes Streeting, president of the National Union of Students, said: "NUS has long called for better guidance about higher education for state school pupils. This report provides a compelling case to improve information in schools so that people from non-traditional backgrounds are judged on their ability and potential to succeed."

The higher education minister, David Lammy, has said that the government have accepted the NCEE recommendations as part of the ongoing work to improve educational guidance in schools.

News in brief: Innovation challenge begins Students can win £1,000 for their Society, AU Club or IMG team in a new competition, which launches next week.

The npower Innovation Challenge is due to run in Enterprise Week. The deadline for teams to enter is Monday 10 November 2008.

The competition will be a series of 'Apprentice' style challenges, teams will be given an object and asked to come up with and idea of how to use it.

A panel of judges will then pick the winners will be awarded at a prize-giving event.

For more information see Student Enterprise on the third floor of the Student's Union.

Queue better sports facilities Students are being encouraged to queue outside the university gym as part of Project Queue.

The protest will be taking place on Tuesday 4 November at 5.30pm to demonstrate the need for bigger and better facilities.

At 6pm The Great Sports Debate begins in the Great Hall.

There will be University representatives and it provides an opportunity for students to get their voice heard.

Young people on show in Cardiff St David's Hall is hosting an exhibition about what it means to be a young person from Cardiff in 2008.

Hundreds of young people from the city have taken part in the Portrait of a Nation project, which has seen teenagers from across the UK explore the impact of cultural roots on their identity.

Natasha Hirst, a member of the Heritage Lottery Fund which is backing the project, said: "We've provided the platform for young people to voice what matters to them."

"This exhibition will provide a fresh insight into our city and our cultural identity created entirely by the young people who will shape our future."

The Cardiff Portrait of a Nation exhibition is in the St David's Hall foyer between November 3 and 8, from 10am until 4pm. Admission is free.

06 NEWS

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UNION WATCH

Sarah Powell rounds up the week in student media

Harry Potter and the Dumbledore look-a-like EXETER EXPOSE

A professor from Exeter University denies speculation that he is the inspiration for the character Dumbledore from J.K Rowling’s famous Harry Potter series.

Prof. Peter Wiseman, the professor of Roman History, does concede that he shares a slight resemblance with the character in the earlier editions of

the book, but asserts that Rowling did not base the character on him.

The professor knew Rowling personally, as he taught her at the University between 1983 and 1985, which led to The Guardian reporting that Rowling “is said to have based Dumbledore on the splendidly bearded Peter Wiseman.”

Wiseman responded by saying; "I'm afraid that this rumour is no more than journalists' invention."

Bog standard MANCHESTER STUDENT DIRECT Toilets have sparked major debate at Manchester Students’ Union, with discussions about the new non-gender facilities.

Manchester’s Student Direct Newspaper reported that 40 students turned up to ‘The Big Debate: Toilets and the Union’, and event which was meant to give students a chance to voice their opinions about the new facilities.

The debate began when it surfaced in the national press that one set of toilets in the Student's Union had been de-gendered, with the traditional ‘male’ and ‘female’ symbols replaced with signs simply reading ‘toilets’ and ‘toilets with urinals’.

Although none of the students at the debate argued against the toilets, there are a few dissenting voices who claim that they were not consulted about the new facilities.

There have also been claims that the media has misrepresented the issue and exacerbated the debate.

No-ah and the Whale YORK NOUSE York Student's Union are currently pursuing a refund from the agency representing the band, Noah and the Whale, who were meant to headline the York Freshers’ Ball.

The band, who failed to make their appearance, have attributed this to the

ill-health of their frontman, Charlie Fink.

Students were left feeling disappointed after the event; one student said, “I feel like I’ve paid £30 to go to a racecourse and buy all my own drinks” The Union used a DJ as a substitute when the band failed to play at the event.

Cambridge Dean uses Facebook to spy on students CAMBRIDGE VARSITY A Cambridge Dean adopted an alter ego on the social networking website, Facebook, in order to spy on students who has joined a protest group.

The group, St John’s Has Banned Us Taking Wine into College, was protesting against the recent reduction in the amount of alcohol that students can take to their formal events.

The Dean, whose real name is Dr. Linehan, called himself Pedro Amigo and joined the group, where there were nearly 100 messages posted in

protest of the boycott.

Varsity, the Cambridge Student Newspaper reported that students became suspicious when some of the most outspoken protesters were called to the Dean’s office.

It has also been claimed that as soon as students began debating the identity of the mysterious Pedro Amigo, his profile soon disappeared off Facebook, incurring further suspicion.

The report in Varisty suggested that Dr. Linehan was using the website to "find" and "discipline" students, "targeting" those who he felt had "gone too far". However Dr. Linehan has described the report as “baseless”.

WORLD NEWS 07 Woman arrested for virtual murder Also in NOVEMBER.03.2008 NEWS@gairrhydd.COM

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the news...

Katie Chidwick Reporter

In this bed I thee wed

Rachelle Simons Reporter A Japanese woman playing on the Korean game Maplestory has been arrested offline for the online murder of her 'husband'.

The 43-year-old piano teacher faces a fine of £3,000 or five years in prison if charged. Maplestory is set in a fictional world where players, represented by digital images called avatars, fight monsters but also develop

personal relationships, sometimes leading to an online marriage.

The woman's fictional husband issued her avatar with a divorce. She was quoted as saying that the divorce was sudden: "I was suddenly divorced, without a word of warning. That made me so angry."

So angry that she was driven to murder, logging on under his alias and deleting his avatar but she insists she was not intending any form of offline revenge.

She was later arrested on suspicion of illegally accessing a computer and manipulating electronic data as she used his ID and his password to carry out the fictional murder.

After her arrest she was transported 630 miles to the city of Sapporo where her 'husband', a 33-year-old office worker, lives.

She is currently waiting in jail to find out whether or not she will be charged.

Poor online conduct is usually dealt

with within the confines of the game, where players can be banned or have their online possessions confiscated.

Yet there have been other cases where online lives have spilt over into reality. In August, an American woman was charged with plotting the real-life abduction of a boyfriend she met through the virtual reality website Second Life.

Boar-dering on ridiculous

Wild boar declared as Uproar at anti-porn law Pakistan's Emma Jones number one nuisance News Editor An anti-pornography law passed in Indonesia has met with serious opposition.

The law, which would ban images, gestures or talk deemed to be pornographic, has sparked protests across Indonesia, but especially on the predominantly Hindu island of Bali.

Among the protesters were artists, women’s groups and non-Muslim minorities who worry that they could be victimised by the law.

Unsurprisingly, there have also been demonstrations in favour of the law by those who believe Indonesia is suffering from a case of moral degeneration.

According to Islamic parties, the law is necessary to protect women and children against exploitation and to curb increasing immorality.

It is not only extreme Islamic groups that are backing the bill though: many moderate Muslims are also in favour of stricter controls on pornographic material.

The original version of the law wanted skimpy clothing banned at

tourist resorts. It was also initially going to allow members of the public to help prevent the spread of obscenity, but this provision was unpopular with critics.

More than 100 legislators walked out of parliament before the vote.

They said that the law’s definition of pornography was too broad and that it contradicted Indonesia’s tradition of diversity.

Baby Jim Aditya, a women’s rights activist, said: “We’re worried it will be used by hard-liners who say they want to control morality."

Supporters of the law, however, argued that it still allows for artistic expression and that is does not target non-Muslims.

“This law will ensure that Islam is preserved and guaranteed,” said an MP from the Democratic Party.

"The law is also meant to preserve arts and culture and not destroy them."

Violators of the anti-pornography law could face up to 12 years in prison or be fined up $750,000 (£455,000).

The president must sign the bill before it comes into effect.

Sarah Powell News Editor A major cull of wild boars has been launched in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, after they broke into a high security zone around the presidential palace.

So far, dozens of the animals have been shot or poisoned in the culling campaign around the palace.

Local authorities are blaming a recent population boom in the hog species for the infiltration of the high security zone.

The animals have since become a public nuisance, causing serious accidents and property damage, Raja Mohammad Javed, director of the Capital Development authority, blames local citizens for the "spiralling hog population" as they leave rubbish in empty plots in the city, which attracts the animals.

The city of Islamabad is located in the foothills of the Himalayas, providing the boars with a perfect habitat to breed.

Mr. Jayed said, "We have hired hunters to track and kill the hogs, and they are sent out whenever a complaint is received."

At the moment there is no accurate figure of the number of boars in the areas around the presidential palace.

This week the world's heaviest man tied the knot with his long term girlfriend, Claudia Solis, at a ceremony in Mexico.

Manuel Uribe weighs around half a ton and arrived at the wedding on the back of a flatbed truck in the custom made bed he has not left for six years.

The ceremony was attended by over 400 guests and featured a 5 tier wedding cake which Uribe avoided according to doctor's orders.

Roast beef

A single lightening strike has killed 52 cows on a ranch near the Uruguayan capital Montevideo.

The cows were discovered by the ranch manager lying in a row against a wire fence after the bolt struck it during a storm.

Meteorologist, Fernando Torena, told El Pais newspaper he wasn't surprised by the event but admitted it was "very bad luck."

Pom-pom mom A woman from Wisconsin has been arrested after stealing her 15-year-old daughter's identity to join the local high school's cheerleading squad.

It is claimed Wendy Brown attended a day of classes at Ashwaubenon High School as well as cheerleading practice and even went to a party at the coach's house.

Ms Brown, who is 33, is currently facing charges of identity theft and has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.

08 OPINION freewords Est. 1972

Slippery Customers

It appears that students are experiencing even more trouble than usual at staying upright after a few drinks in the Students' Union.

The Kitchen is one of the big success stories of the Union this year, transforming a previously under used area of the Union into a buzzing social space both day and night.

One side effect of the refurbishment of Solus that nobody anticipated, however, is that a layer of snakebite transforms its spanking new, polished floor into an oil slick beneath the heels of many a blotto punter eager to strut their way to the bar.

This led to Lizzie Baker breaking her arm after a fall two weeks ago. But gair rhydd has witnessed countless occasions whereby bewildered students have lost their footing in the corridor between The Kitchen and Solus, only to be hoisted up in the arms of an expectant security guard.

While broken bones are fairly rare in these circumstances, incidences of the odd bruised coccyx, twisted ankle and pranged funny bone are definitely on the up this year. Still, while the new flooring may lack the traction control of the kind of quagmire carpeting that they have in Metros - the sort that allows you to lean at a 45 degree angle and still stay on your feet - it more than makes up for it in style.

Which was all very well until somebody actually suffered a pretty nasty injury. Judging from the number of spills that seem to occur, however, perhaps it was only a matter of time before somebody damaged more than just their pride.

Corrections and Clarifications

NOVEMBER.03.2008 OPINION@gairrhydd.COM

Save the sea kittens?

Emma McFarnon thinks PETA have got it all wrong with their new campaign

W

hen you take a look at this photograph, what do you see? It’s a stupid question, but while most of us are quick to respond with: “it’s a fish, obviously” it seems that People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals would give you quite a different answer. They would tell you that this slimy little creature is in fact…. a sea kitten.

Yep, that’s right, a kitten – of the sea! It’s all part of their latest campaign to re-name fish in an attempt to discourage people from killing them for food and hooking them for sport.

What on Earth does a fish have in common with an domestic pet?

Why are PETA downplaying this problem's seriousness by using cartoons?

The organisation has claimed that if fishes’ ‘similarities’ to cuter, more popular animals were highlighted, people would be less likely to hurt them. As campaign-coordinator Ashley Byrne, points out, “who could possibly want to put a hook through a sea kitten?”

So, if the idea were to take off, the next time you hit your local fish bar after a drunken night out, you’ll be asking for “sea kitten and chips” – with ketchup, please!

Fish are no more sea kittens than my pet cat is a 'land fish'

Last week's Taf-Od article, Dim PETA are renowned for their radiond 13 milltir, was written by Ifan Patchell and not Dafydd Loughran cal tendencies, with a bizarre philosophy that seemingly considers the life as stated. of an insect equal to that of a human being. Many of us will remember their infamous supermodel fronted anti-fur campaign, and the organisation on record as having compared factory farming to the Holocaust.

By suggesting that we should rename fish to sea kittens, they seem to have taken absurdity however to a whole new level! Correct me if I’m Editor Ben Bryant Deputy Editor Hazel Plush Co-ordinator Elaine Morgan News Emma Barlow Emma Jones Sarah Powell Sian Symons Editorial and Opinion Jamie Thunder Emma Davies Politics

convinced them that in doing so they have violently murdered Tara the Tunafish?

Children are generally quite fussy eaters anyway, and if this campaign were to take off, PETA could potentially land parents with yet another food that their kids won’t touch. The way in which they are driving their message home seems unethical, not to mention ludicrous.

However, this is not to undermine

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CATFISH: no need for a name change wrong, but it seems that fish are no more ‘sea kittens’ than my pet cat is a ‘land fish’. PETA intend to highlight their similarities to more popular animals, but what on Earth does a fish have in common with our typical domestic pet?!

The idea is pretty odd whichever way you look at it, but what makes it all the more infuriating is the fact that they have chosen to promote this idea directly at children.

Their campaign includes a series of sea kitten bedtime stories and computer software allowing young people to design and name their own kittens; meanwhile the group have been found to be campaigning outside numerous American schools.

This, for me, is where the real problem lies. Would it be acceptable for a group of vegetarians to stand in Sub Editor Graeme Porteous Proof Readers Laurel Burn Charlene Anderson Huw Davies Emma Davies Contributors Katy Gorman, Eleanor Joslin, Cody Brulee, Roz Warden, Sim Eckstein, Rachelle Simons, Katie Chadwick, Emma McFarnon, Jonathan

a school playground displaying pictures of butchered cow in an attempt to stop kids from eating hamburgers?

Of course not, so why is this any different?

It's a devious way of promoting their message by taking advantage of children's nature It’s a devious way of promoting their message, taking advantage of children’s vulnerable and gullible nature.

Plus, how is a parent supposed to get their child to eat fish as part of a healthy balanced diet if PETA have Evans, Paul Strollery, Simon John, Charlie Callahan, Luke Alexander Snell, Oliver Poncelet, Siobhan McGurk, Chris Tarquini, Jenni Summers, Oliver Franklin, Rachelle Simmons, Charlene Anderson, Alison Dairy, Ceri Isfryn, Elin Gwyn, Richard Wood, Adam Horne, Daniel Gardner, Dan Lang, Ed Salter, Joe Davies, Will Viles,

the issue PETA are trying to address.

Their farcical campaign aside, the abuse of fish by the fishing industry should arguably be a concern to all of us.

More than 17 billion fish are killed for food in the US alone each year, while sport fishing kills 245 million animals annually. Without any legal protection from cruel treatment, fish are impaled, crushed, suffocated, or sliced open and gutted, all while they’re fully conscious.

PETA claims that fish are abused to such an extent that it would warrant criminal charges on cruelty if the victims were dogs, cats, or even cows or pigs. Therefore it seems this problem warrants genuine consideration, so why are PETA downplaying it’s seriousness by using cartoon fish and bedtime stories to promote their message?

In doing so they are arguably running the risk of belittling the issue at hand. Equally, if you log on to their website, (http://www.peta.org/ Sea_Kittens/index.asp) you will find that their campaign is also extremely uninformative, with no figures or any explanatory introduction.

Moreover, their idea to re-name fish entirely is so extreme that most have chosen to ridicule and dismiss the notion altogether, so PETA have actually failed in their objective to get people thinking cruelty towards fish.

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OPINION 09

NOVEMEBER.03.2008 OPINION@gairrhydd.COM

Why Gordon should go green

Jonathan Evans believes that environmentalism is not just good for the planet; it's good for the economy too

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re we nearing judgement day with the economy? According to a new report by the New Economics Foundation we have already passed debtonation day. It is not yet in a conventional dictionary or in textbooks, but its obscurity does not detract from its significance to us in a time of financial meltdown.

Debtonation day was August 9th 2007, and was the point when the UK reached another tipping point in our ‘boom and bust’ cycle of debt, which Gordon Brown said he had put to bed One positive to come out of the current economic crisis is the amount of coverage alternative energy methods get in the press and in everyday conversation. Unfortunately these socalled alternative methods do not seem to hit a chord where it really matters: in government. A document by the Green New Deal group in particular has drawn recent attention, pouring scorn on the famous saying ‘There Is No Alternative’ to endless growth.

Simply put, the Green New Deal identifies a triple crisis: the current financial crisis, accelerating climate change, soaring energy prices and de-

pendence on oil. The solution to this does not include a return to an idealistic age of pre-industrialisation and horse and carriage; it is realistic and rooted in the 21st century.

Unless you have been living on Mars for the past year, the financial crisis is undoubtedly in your consciousness, and most of us have an idea, however roughly, of the causes.

I’m not going to bore you with the economics, sub-prime and all that you already know. But I believe that at its root, the crisis is an environmental problem that needs an environmental solution.

The economy and environment are inextricably linked Without trying to be apocalyptic, climate change, caused largely by us, is the biggest threat to mankind today, and the science is overwhelmingly present to prove it. Anybody who has watched An Inconvenient Truth will have been left in no doubt of the truth of this science. Despite this, a small band of climate change deniers still

exist, often sympathetic to the arguments of, if not funded by, large and polluting corporations at risk of political action tackling global warming.

Grappling the finer points of the science on climate change is not what is now needed; governmental action and real solutions are what is needed. With political will, an energy and transport revolution could happen right now as the science and technology is already in place for it to happen. We could, as the Green New Deal suggests, make ‘every home a power station’ by improving our energy efficiency, building solar panels on our roofs and so on.

In this context, our individual green energy target of 15% by 2020 is a good start but does not go far enough when other European countries such as Germany and Sweden are taking the lead in this field with targets of 30% and greater all round investments. The evidence of climate change and finite energy resources suggests we must move much faster than we currently are.

On some levels this will for lasting change is already here, but not in the way that is needed. The world

invested over $100 billion in renewables for the first time in 2007, mostly through private and not governmental action. At the Conservative Party conference this month we were told in no uncertain terms by Shadow Chancellor George Osborne that there is ‘no more money’ to be spent on anything!

Bail-outs of banks seem to be ok; big investment in renewable energy and our future seem not to be.

The financial crisis is environmental What the Green New Deal suggests I think is very important, that is more realistic fossil fuel prices including the cost they have on the environment, such as CO2 emissions. Whilst this would be to the chagrin of the aviation and transport lobby, it could provide an economic incentive to bring alternative fuels, energy and the jobs associated with these to the forefront.

It is scandalous to hold onto the belief that caring about the environment means that economic growth becomes impossible. As darkly comical as it may be, global warming needs mobilisation of governments on the level

of preparing for war.

The economy and the environment are inextricably linked and need to be treated this way. We are rarely told of humane and sensible alternatives such as the Green New Deal, and the obstacles and idealism of a world of clean, renewable energy seem too high for our chastened politicians to bear.

From the window of opportunity provided by the current crisis in the financial markets, it would be criminal if the solution to it does not tackle the problems of climate change and energy with a ‘clunking fist’. Global warming and the crisis of energy are acknowledged by governments all around the world as real (well, maybe not by George Bush or Sarah Palin).

They know the science; all we need is the action to follow up the words.

On Monday November 3, Dr. Molly Cato, economic spokeswoman for the Green Party, will give a talk about the positives of the 'recession' and how we can get out of it. It will be held at 6.45pm in the Beverton theatre (room 1.40) in the main University building.

Marmite madness

Banning yeast-based spreads is quite low down on Paul Stollery's list of things to do to improve the nation

M

armite: you either love it or hate it. Apparently Ceredigion council feels the latter, as it's recently banned Marmite from the school menu.

The council say they have taken it off the school menu as it contains too much salt. Does anyone see a severe lack of logic there? Because unless the canteen in the Ceredigion Council Hall serves marmite by the bowlful, it’s really not going to be an issue.

So here’re the facts that the folks running the council failed to see: Many breads have salt levels of up to 0.7g per slice, and in the recommended child’s portion of Marmite, there is 0.1g salt. Despite not living in Ceredigion, I really do hope that the people in charge up there can tell which out of those two numbers are bigger. They

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have lost all sense of perspective, and haven't considered that you don’t use much Marmite on your toast. Put it another way, if anyone can find me the address of the council member who banned Marmite, I will buy them a year's supply of the stuff; one jar.

And with the list of child health concerns bigger than you can shake a stick at, is banning Marmite really a priority? Here’re a few things that the council should address first: Obesity. Currently, 25 percent of boys and 33 percent of girls between the ages of two and nineteen are considered overweight or obese. How many schemes have been introduced that are actually having any affect on this issue at all? Alistair Darling (who I don’t trust, as no one with hair that white still has black eyebrows) sees it fit to tax the hell out of everything that

could be considered the tiniest bit unhealthy. Yet has anyone seen the price of a bag of Snack-a-Jacks recently?

Should banning Marmite really be a priority?

Smoking. Having quit smoking six weeks ago I can finally sit on the dizzyingly high smoke free pedestal, and declare that all smokers are disgusting. Ok, maybe I’m just jealous.

But if one more 12-year-old asked me if I’ve ‘got a lighter bruv’, I will hold him under until the bubbles stop.

Drinking. We all drank before we were supposed to; it’s as much of a rite of passage as deciding whether you do actually love or hate Marmite. But I’m talking about the well-documented

rise of the chav, which the Government has done nothing to address. If you can outlaw Marmite, why the hell can’t you outlaw Burberry?

If the Government is insisting on Britain staying the ‘nanny state’, at least get rid of the aforementioned.

But seriously, how long will it be before the only two items on the holy ‘approved list’ are celery and foods made with tofu? It appears everything is bad for you nowadays, either it gives you high blood pressure, or diabetes, and here’s a worrying fact; all dairy product increase the possibility of getting cancer.

So don’t worry folks, kids are fatter than ever, out of control, and there is currently a large group of them drinking cider and blaring Sean Paul outside my house, but at least they’ll have 0.1g less salt a day.

LOVE OR HATE: we hate it

It really is that simple!

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10 OPINION

NOVEMBER.03.2008 OPINION@gairrhydd.COM

The birds and the bees

Extending compulsory PHSE lessons to younger children could provide mixed messages, thinks Simon John

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verybody knows what’s taught to children in school these days: Maths, English and Science. But Sex and Relationships? Our Government is currently on the verge of making sex and relationship lessons compulsory for everyone from the ages of five to 16, partly to strengthen compulsory education and partly to combat teenage pregnancy and rising teenage abortion rates in the UK. Recent polls have found that out of 1,000 people, more than two thirds supported the implementation of these lessons. However, with rising pressure on education authorities to squeeze in so much compulsory education into such a short space of time, it seems more necessary to question if these Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) lessons are more important to our children’s wellbeing than learning how to count or read?

The head of the Association of School and College Leaders, John Dunford, stated in a recent interview that: “In ASCL's view it would be extremely detrimental to make PSHE compulsory or to change the revised secondary curriculum orders in any way at this point.”

This statement came after complaints by many that a severe re-juggling of the national curriculum had

already cramped in as much education as possible, continuing to point out that much of the information to be taught in the PSHE lessons was already within the curriculum in one form or another.

Are these lessons more important than learning to read?

This being said, it is quite unusual that more and more people should continue to support the PSHE lessons in their thousands. If much of the PSHE information is already available in the curriculum then why is there still a steady level of teenage pregnancy in the UK? Government reasoning seems to be that introducing a level of sexual information into the schools starting at a younger age may prepare teenagers for full outcomes of their actions and put a halt to early teenage promiscuity.

Those shocked at the initial idea of a ‘sex and relationships’ lesson for those under 11 were calmed when Schools Minister Jim Knight explained that: “We are not suggesting that five and six year-olds be taught sex. What we are saying is we need to improve in particular the relationship

education, improve the moral framework and moral understanding around which we then talk about sex later on in a child's education.”

Parents throughout the UK breathe a silent sigh of relief, knowing that their children are primed for the daunting but eventual talk about the birds and the bees, yet another fear among many is that the PSHE lessons will skip the parental influence altogether and settle for an impersonal Government midway where the only opinion that will matter is the one of the ruling Government.

A poll of 1,000 people found two thirds to be in favour of these lessons First year Welsh and Spanish student Kayleigh Davies commented that: ‘The whole idea of a Sex and Relationships lesson seems stupid when you’re missing out a whole aspect of influence from friends and family. I mean, the playground is where we all learned most of that stuff anyway.’

This point holds true for many people who agree that sex and relation-

The American Dream

PRIMARY SCHOOL: PHSE proposed for ages five to 16 ships can’t possibly be taught when a child’s relationships are being taken out of the equation altogether. Isn’t it better for a child to learn how to conduct a relationship within a circle of friends?

Nevertheless, the matter of sex and relationship lessons is still one of highly mixed opinion, with many supporters backing the idea on grounds of strong educational merit, and many

who oppose the PSHE pointing to its troubling introduction into the curriculum.

If you aren’t quite sure what side you’re on yet, ask yourself this question: is it highly hypocritical for a government to outline standards for relationships when even ex-minister John Prescott was able to have an affair with his secretary in 2006?

Charlie Callahan on why we really need Obama

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AMERICA: on the brink of a black President?

n August 28 1963, Barack Hussein Obama had just passed his second birthday; as a young African American he would have had little idea of the significance of this day. Fastforward 45 years to the day and you would find this same African American giving the speech of his acceptance to be the Democratic candidate for the 2008 Presidential Election.

This time, Barack Obama recognises the significance of this day: it is not only the anniversary of Martin Luther King’s famous speech, but a day when once again hope is given to millions of Americans as it confirms the first time there has been a black man running for the Presidency. But, amid the celebration, a bitter irony remains: the irony that this man who

represents the hopes of millions could be snatched away, just as the man that represented the same hope 45 years earlier had been.

Today, with election day less than a week away, Obama has gained a lead in the opinion polls ahead of his rival, the Republican candidate John McCain.

This lead seems unlikely to change

'Change' is the all-important word here, as it was in 1963 as the pair enter the run-up to the election, which more often than not boils down to the two trading blows with each other – often meaninglessly as

most voters are aware of the policies favoured by each candidate and have more or less decided who they will vote for.

However, this year’s opinion polls may wind up being meaningless, or at least this is the worry of many Obama supporters. For, although many have shown support for the Democratic candidate so far, the reality is that there is still a lot of racism within the country and that many voters, at the end of the day, will not be able to find it within themselves to vote for a black man who has an Islamic name.

Furthermore, though there are devout Republicans who recognise the problems that have been created during the Bush era, and there are many similarities between Bush and McCain, will these people be able to justify such a dramatic change of routine?

This is the worry, and the hope is that they will change their stance: after all, ‘change’ is the all-important word here, just as it was in 1963.

America is in a transitional period in its history, and it needs a leader to repair the damage created and to restore its fading reputation as the

world’s leader. Many of Obama’s policies aim to address this both politically and economically – for example, aiming towards the expansion of trade (in particular on exports) while encouraging the growth of fair trade.

Obama also aims to tackle the problem of climate change, one which the Bush administration has failed to address. He is proposing to increase funding and job opportunities for research into clean and green technology. This should reassure doubters outside of the US that the government is willing to tackle this issue, and may act as an incentive for other countries to follow suit where possible.

Furthermore, Obama has made it his aim to end the war in Iraq, but has given a clear indication that he will not back down against terrorism, claiming: "I will end this war in Iraq responsibly, and finish the fight against al-Qaida and the Taliban in Afghanistan. I will rebuild our military to meet future conflicts. But I will also renew the tough, direct diplomacy that can prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons."

This stance, in contrast to McCa-

in’s, should reassure Americans and the rest of the world (Britons in particular) that America, under Obama, will be less inclined to be the initiator of violent action. At the same time, this should lay to rest the belief held that Obama has Islamic tendencies and an association with extremists.

America has been the leading world power for the last century, but at present the world, and possibly its own people, are losing faith in its ability to lead. In order for it to lead well it in turn must be led well, and Obama has the intellect, cultural experience and charisma to be the leader that America and the world needs.

He epitomises the term ‘the American Dream’, having come from a humble background with the odds stacked against him, and has ended up in the position to be arguably the most powerful and influential man in the world.

The sad truth, however, is that the man who may be able to change the fortunes of America and how outsiders regard it may not get this opportunity due to people not being able to change their mindset.

COLUMNIST 11

NOVEMBER.03.2008 OPINION@gairrhydd.COM ILLUSTRATION: Nathan Hughes

Spreading the word?

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here are a lot of good things to be said for buses. You can curse them when they don’t turn up according to the timetable, which means that you can spend most of your life cursing them.

You can insult someone by telling them that they look like the back end of one. If you’re Wendy Cope, you can write a poem about how bloody men resemble them. You can even plonk religious adverts on the side of them, if you’re so inclined.

The problem with the latter is that people sometimes get all uppity about it, which is exactly what Guardian blogger Ariane Sherine did. Back in June, Sherine decided that she’d seen one Christian slogan too many on public transport and formulated a plan. On 21 October this plan came to fruition – donations are being collected through website justgiving.com in order to fund a set of atheist bus adverts reading: “There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life”.

Free speech should cover all religious and nonreligious views The aim was originally to raise £5,500, but the current total stands at over £100,000 and the adverts will begin running in January 2009. The website claims never before to have seen such support for a campaign.

The campaign has been contro-

ing to watch is Dead Set, obviously I doubt that anybody is going to be suddenly converted to the atheist cause (thinking about it: is there actually an atheist cause, per se? I’ve always thought of atheism as an absence of cause) just because a bus happens to trundle past them brandishing a poster which tells them that God probably doesn’t exist.

These adverts are designed to get people thinking

ATHEIST BUSES: hitting London January 2009 versial and initially faltered until vocal support was pledged by Richard Dawkins who vowed to match donations up to the sum of £5,500.

Dawkins’ main reason for this lies in what he sees as the complacency of organised religion which he views as “accustomed to getting a free ride”. I hope he’s not speaking literally about the free ride: surely he’s seen how bloody expensive these bus adverts are?

While Dawkins believes that “thinking is anathema to religion”, some Christian groups have been completely opposed to this viewpoint.

Christian think-tank Theos director Paul Woolley has actually donated £50 towards the campaign himself, in the belief that the adverts will actually steer people towards thinking about

God. Not quite what Sherine had in mind, but never mind.

This will be the first atheist advertising campaign, which is groundbreaking Nevertheless, these adverts are designed to get people thinking, and hopefully that’s what they’ll achieve.

Regardless of the stance that people arrive at on the issue, the fact that they’re contemplating something deeper than what they’re going to watch on telly tonight is definitely a good thing. Except if what they’re go-

The word ‘probably’, incidentally, was apparently included in order to minimise the risk of breaching the Advertising Code. This is much in the same vein of Carslberg being able to claim that theirs is probably is the best lager in the world – people are less likely to argue when there’s a qualifier in there.

This is beside the point, though.

Early morning and late afternoon – presumably the times of day when most people catch buses – are not the best times of day for religious revelations: you’re either still struggling to keep your eyes open and to wake yourself up, or you’re zoned out from a long day and itching to get home.

People are unlikely to turn to the person sat beside them and exclaim: “Hey! That bus says there’s no God and do you know what? It’s got a point!” but maybe they’ll muse over the advert later on in the day. To boil it down to the barest bones: thinking is good; passive acceptance is bad. And that’s passive acceptance of anything,

including atheism itself, not just of the existence of God. The bendy buses will be the UK’s first ever atheist advertising campaign, which I reckon is pretty groundbreaking.

I have no problem whatsoever with religious messages being broadcast to me over public transport: the Alpha Course is of no more offence to me than the offer of free career advice; passages of the Qu’ran provoke my ire no more than information on the availability of the ‘flu jab. Free speech ought to be encouraged, and so if religious organisations can spread their beliefs in this medium, why not atheist organisations?

To boil it down to the barest bones: thinking is good; passive acceptance is bad

Free speech, as I see it, should cover all religious and non-religious views.

As long as an anti-religious view is not being presented in a deliberately offensive manner (I say “deliberately” in order to allow for the fact that there is always going to be disagreement between religions as to what is and isn’t considered offensive), then where is the harm in it? We’re all adults, and as such can choose to disregard or ignore the things which we don’t agree with.

Now, off you go: get on with enjoying your life.

HEROES and VILLAINS

I

’m always slightly sceptical about any hyped-up new TV series. If everyone’s talking about it, it’s bound to be a disappointment. Desperate Housewives, Lost, Heroes – all of these have passed me by, their absence leaving no discernable void within my happy little world.

Dead Set, though – that one’s a different kettle of fish altogether. Or even a different plague of zombies, if you’ll

indulge me on that one.

See, I am one of the world’s few remaining Big Brother fans. I really do love it, no matter how naff it is.

And zombies, well...if you try to tell me that you’ve not planned out what you’d do if they suddenly began to attack, I’ll tell you that you’re either lying or seriously lacking in imagination. So, two of my favourite things.

But what would happen if you merged the two into one show?

E4: heroes You’d get a bloody ace series, that’s what. Okay, Dead Set might feature the downright awful Jaime Winstone, but it does also offer Davina McCall as a guts-gorging member of the undead. What more could you want?

Charlie Brooker? Oh, go on then: he’s actually the brains behind this televisual mini-miracle.

Even better, the series is being shown on a daily rather than a weekly basis – perfect for people like me. If a show is on weekly, I’m more than likely to watch the first episode and get ridiculously impatient to find out what’s going to happen next, exhaust Google for spoilers and eventually resign myself to having to wait until

next week for all to be unveiled. And then, when next week finally rolls around, I’ll forget to tune in. Short attention span, see.

Dead Set appeals on so many levels – I know there’s a lot of people out there who’d like to send a plague upon the BB house for real, and there’s also a lot of people who just like watching people getting eaten by zombies. It’s Halloween, though, so it’s excusable.

E4: we salute you.

12 POLITICS SPECIAL

NOVEMBER.03.2008 POLITICS@gairrhydd.COM

Historic US presidential elec

Luke Alexander Snell analyses the all important US election debates ahead of this week's historic presidential vote

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midst the near daily speechmaking, scathing advertising, grassroots activism, big business funding, media sensationalism and partisan push polling lies the holy grail of the American election season: the Presidential debate.

The tradition of the televised Presidential debate began in 1960. These were the arguably election winning series of clashes between an inexperienced yet inspiring New York Senator and an unfortunately sweaty and 12-o-clock shadow clad Washington insider.

Coming into the 2008 debates one couldn’t help but draw comparisons between this year and Kennedy vs.

Nixon: a match-up between the new kid on the block with a head full of dreams and the bastion of experience and political know-how. What was delivered was a series of tightly fought rhetorical battles featuring the spectacle of the most watched Vice Presidential debate in history.

The almost postponed first debate took place in Mississippi on September 26th. McCain attended the event despite a proposed suspension of his campaign to deal with the financial crisis. Quite appropriately, said topic dominated almost half of the debate, the candidates dueling on how to tackle the worst economic dilemma since the fallout of the 1929 Wall Street crash.

Neither candidate offered specifics on a solution or answered whether they would support the bailout bill being drafted at the time. Obama seemed more at ease, while McCain battled the accusation that his free-market ideals were the cause of the crisis and that what he offered was a continuation of the last eight years.

The debate moved on to foreign

policy, McCain’s home turf and the source of much criticism of Obama.

McCain highlighted Obama’s lack of experience and their disagreements on the use of military power, as well as the Illinois Senator’s policy to meet the leaders of hostile countries without pre-conditions. He “doesn’t understand” the key issues accused McCain, while Obama criticised McCain’s strong support for Bush and the Iraq war. What resulted was a tie, with opinion polls slightly favouring the Democratic nominee.

The only Vice Presidential debate of the season was the next event. In a bizarre reversal of the match-up of the previous week, the debate in Missouri pitted the long tenured Democratic Senator Joe Biden against the Republican greenhorn Sarah Palin.

This was Palin’s opportunity to regain credibility after a slew of gaffes, such as her highly embarrassing ignorance of the Bush Doctrine. However, the Alaskan Governor only managed to avoid such a mistake occurring again, probably due to her recent crash course in foreign affairs under

Scores of American voters will head for the polls tomorrow the tutelage of diplomat extraordinaire Henry Kissinger.

Biden confidently touted his decades as a Delawarean Senator, questioning Palin’s credentials but focusing his arguments on McCain. The Senator wisely avoided a confrontational style averting any accusations

If you've got something to say about the US elections, make sure you come along to the Cardiff student McCain vs Obama debate jointly hosted by the Debating, American and Politics societies.

The debate will be taking place MONDAY 3rd @ THE ATTIC in KOKO GORILLAS Doors are at 7.30 for an 8pm start, Offers on drinks and music to follow

of sexism from spectators. The finale featured Biden’s heartfelt recollection of his tragic family past whilst discussing healthcare, contrasted with the Governor’s ever-present winking and folksy rhetoric seeming overly cocky.

Presidential debate number two was held on October 7th in Tennessee. In a town hall format, the candidates faced an audience of undecided voters. Again the economy stole the show and Obama pushed his middle class rescue package, blaming the financial crisis on the incumbent President and McCain’s allegiance to him.

“I know how to get America working again”, protested Senator McCain, in turn describing his solution of energy independence and buying up of “bad mortgages”.

Briefly covered were energy, education and health policy in which McCain glossed over the issues. Obama explained his priorities specifically, with energy issues taking precedence.

Obama and McCain also clarified their attitudes on healthcare calling it a “right” and “responsibility” respectively.

On foreign security Obama’s credibility was questioned: “We don’t have the time for on-the-job training,” claimed the Arizona Senator. Obama responded by questioning McCain’s judgment on Iraq, a campaign McCain had predicted would be quick and easy. Debate #2 was a marginal victory for Obama who orated confidently where McCain often tripped over his words.

The third debate, on 15 October in New York, arguably starred neither presidential candidate but Ohio resident Joe ‘The Plumber’ Wurzelbacher.

The head-to-head debate focused on domestic policy in which the candidates clashed over healthcare, taxes, abortion and of course, the economy.

Enter Joe The Plumber a case Obama brought up as an aid to clearly explain his economic recovery and tax policy, with McCain’s rebuttal equally detailed. In fact, McCain proved more assertive and confident than ever in this debate, crucially securing a rhetorical victory, however, the public still preferred Obama’s performance according to the polls.

Scores of American voters will head for the polls tomorrow, their heads full of information from over a year of campaigning. These key lead up debates could prove to have been crucial for thousands of undecided swing voters and with Obama coming out on top it certainly looks like a mirror image of the 1960 election could be on the cards.

Obama assasina

Olivier Poncelet takes a look at t after a plot to assasinate Obama

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week before the presidential election in the USA, US officials announced that two young white supremacists had been arrested in Alamo, Tennessee. Daniel Cowart, 20 years old and Paul Schlesselman, two years younger were planning on killing 102 Afro-American children and the black presidential candidate, Barack Obama.

Court documents disclosed last Monday show that their intentions were to murder 88 black children and behead 14. These figures are highly symbolic among ‘white power’ movements. ‘88’ stands for the Nazi greeting ‘Heil Hitler’, H being the 8th letter in the alphabet and 14 being the number of words in the following slogan: ‘We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children’.

This slogan, inspired by Mein Kampf, was made up by David Lane, a member of the Order, a white supremacist

group, very active during the 1980’s.

Its members advocate the necessity to get rid of the non-white people in the USA and remove the ‘Zionist-occupied government’ of the US. The two young adults, who met one month ago on the internet, were charged with illegal possession of shotguns, attempted robbery at a gun shop and threats against a presidential candidate. A detention hearing will take place on Thursday in Memphis.

The pair, who did not really think they would succeed in achieving their goal of killing Obama described their plot after being arrested. They intended to drive a car covered with Nazi symbols, including the swastika, and shoot Obama through the windows while wearing white tuxedos and top hats.

They also admitted to having shot at the window of a church attended by many African Americans.

Barack Obama has been protected by the Secret Service federal agency

POLITICS SPECIAL 13

NOVEMBER.03.2008 POLITICS@gairrhydd.COM

ction nears thrilling climax Sarah Palin has been a rich source of political satire during this election but how much has comedy changed public opinion? Siobhan McGurk investigates

T

he extraordinary final few weeks in the race for the White House have left everyone with a wealth of topics up for discussion. Some ask if racism will scupper Barack Obama at the final hurdle, whilst others wonder why Joe the Plumber has no official plumbing license. Few can deny that the biggest buzz on the streets and in the media in the lead up to the election has been Tina Fey’s recent impersonations of Governor Sarah Palin on Saturday Night Live.

For those of you not familiar with Fey, she is the woman who brought us Mean Girls and Emmy Awardwinning 30 Rock. One look at her and you’ll beg to ask the question ‘Were Fey and Palin separated at birth?’ It

briefly with Fey, and later in a sketch featuring Amy Poehler rapping; possibly one of the most hilarious and memorable moments in US political history. The Governor came across as both likeable and easy-going. Will ‘Caribou Barbie’s’ appearance on SNL improve her standings in the polls? Whatever the final result, it’s clear that these sketches are having serious effects on public opinion. Fey has demonstrated Palin’s deficiencies to a wider audience, many of whom are undecided voters. This has led newspapers, including The Telegraph to name Fey “the most influential woman in America.”

However many Republicans criticise the ‘liberal elite media’ (often with fair reason) they take their influence seriously. John McCain’s popu-

self in order to try and improve his image. But this year there is something completely different about comedy’s role in the US election. Its impact has never been so great and never have candidates appeared on so many light

Comedy is definitely no stranger to American politics

entertainment programmes. It may be too early to conclusively answer why this is, but a strongly pro-left media, general political apathy and the candidates’ inability to relate to the public may be of some importance. Audienc-

"LIVE FROM NEW YORK...IT'S SATURDAY NIGHT"

ation plot foiled

the threat of racism in America was uncovered (USSS) since May 2007. Such stringent protection has already proved to be necessary when three men planning to assassinate the young presidential candidate were arrested at the Democratic convention in Denver in August. One of them was known for his links with Neo-Nazi movements.

Forty years after the end of the segregation, Barack Obama could become, if elected, the first black president of the USA. The issue of racial discrimination has been latent in the campaign without ever becoming a real issue, but the race to the presidency has shown that a part of the country still fears the difference of skin colour. Indeed, Obama is still seen by a certain number of Americans as a terrorist, and a woman recently said at a McCain meeting that Obama was an “Arab”. According to a Gallup poll released in June 2008, 56% of the Americans think that racism is widespread in their country.

Barack Obama made no comment about the arrests but did however stress the need for unity in his final speech in Ohio: “We are one nation, all of us proud, all of us patriots”.

was this striking similarity, along with a brilliant Alaskan accent and clever script writing that has turned the first sketch into comedy gold. One quick web search will produce pages of items related to the sketch and to two subsequent, equally hilarious sketches from Fey. In fact, the clips have received over 10 million hits online and SNL’s viewing figures have risen to their highest in 14 years.

But we must ask ourselves what effect do these sketches really have on the US elections? Commentators on the elections certainly seem to enjoy them. “I can see Russia from my house” has become a catchphrase and the term ‘Tina Fey Factor’ has been floating around amongst those who see the sketches as detrimental to the VP candidate’s credibility. What’s more, polls seem to suggest that the ‘Fey Factor’ is a reality. The Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion concluded that Palin’s popularity actually fell after the Saturday Night Live sketches.

The Republicans certainly seem to be rattled. On a recent appearance on ‘The Rachel Maddow Show’, David From, Bush’s former speech writer, launched a scathing attack on the “heavy sarcasm” of the media, accusing them of “turning (politics) into a sport”.

The night of the 18th of October added a whole new dimension to the discussion when Sarah Palin herself appeared on SNL. Despite grumblings within the Republican Party, the selfconfessed Tina Fey fan participated in two short sketches. She appeared

larity suffered when he refused to appear on ‘The Letterman Show’, after previously agreeing to participate. A regretful McCain later appeared, tail between his legs saying he “screwed up”. The Republican candidate managed to redeem himself by participating in witty banter with David Letterman. This particular episode won the highest ratings since Oprah’s appearance and may help McCain win back support previously lost.

Comedy is definitely no stranger to American politics. You need only think of Bill Clinton urging Al Gore to watch satirical impressions of him-

es have found an honesty in comedy that has been painfully absent in the politics. It might also be worth considering the role of the Internet, which increased the audience of SNL by two thirds and distributed clips globally.

But perhaps it’s simpler than that.

McCain has provided, in the form of Sarah Palin, the richest of comedic material. And he just happened to place it in the hands of her identical twin, the wittiest comedienne on the US scene.

14 POLITICS SPECIAL The British perspective

NOVEMBER.03.2008 POLITICS@gairrhydd.COM

Chris Tarquini finds out what its like to be a Brit campaigning for Barack Obama

Richard Lane is the creator of politicana.co.uk, a website that takes a British view of American politics. A former Hillary Clinton supporter, he is now campaigning in America for Barack Obama.

I spoke to him to gather his insights into this historic race.

With recent polls showing Barack Obama with a strong lead, do you believe Election Day will be as tight as the last two elections?

I think that ultimately it could be a close election. I think Barack Obama's current advantage in the polls will close significantly between now and Election Day. This is a 'stab in the dark' for pollsters as they have no previous experience of polling for an African American Presidential candidate. The

'Bradley effect' - the phenomenon that black candidates typically perform some 5 points better in polls than they do in actual election results suggests that the result won't reflect the current polls.

The Presidential race has had alot of coverage in the British media, why is it so important to Britain and the rest of the world?

None of the big problems that Britain, Europe and the world face can be handled without the leadership of the United States. Whether it is tackling terrorism, controlling the global financial markets or controlling climate change, nothing can be achieved without America’s participation and leadership.

There has been a real vacuum of lead-

ership from the White House in the past 8 years and I think Britain has felt this more than most. There was a real sense that we put a lot on the line to support the United States following the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and that we got very little in return for our loyalty and sacrifice. I think we are desperate for a more even partnership with the US. As someone who campaigned for Hillary Clinton, do you believe both she and Obama have done enough to capture enough of the women’s vote to win in November, or do you believe Sarah Palin could take a large part of this sector of the electorate?

Palin's negatives have steadily grown since her shock pick as John

McCain's running mate and the dominant narrative that has developed is that she simply is not ready to be vice president. I find it hard to believe that any woman who was a passionate supporter of Clinton's would pick McCain/Palin policies over those of Barack Obama. Anyone who has a concern for the environment or who defends a woman's right to choose would not find much in common with Sarah Palin.

I do think she has mobilised the Republican base, so the choice of Sarah Palin may motivate some women from groups such as the 'religious right' to the get to the polls.

What are the main challenges facing the next President and why do you believe Barack Obama is the best man to take them on?

The inbox of the incoming presidency has never been bigger - energy supplies, Wall St, a $700bn bailout, climate change, Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan, NATO, Georgia, Russia, China, American infrastructure, a substandard education system and college costs.

I genuinely believe Obama’s priorities are in line with what America needs. I firmly believe that America’s strength and power throughout the world does not come from its military power but from the attractiveness of its values - freedom, justice, democracy. These are not American values, they are universal human rights. And if America can once again attract people to its values and its promise without resorting to force or coercion, then it will maintain its place as the world’s super power.

Mccain or Obama?

Jenni Summers and Oliver Franklin make the case for each candidate Barack Obama

S

enator Obama’s campaign for change has resonated across the world, and not only because he represents a break from the abuses and failures of the Bush Administration. Character is his chief asset: from his inspirational oratory, his calmness under the stress of the presidential debates to his thoughtful intelligence, it is clear that Barack Obama is the man to lead America into a new era.

From a substantive policy point of view, he did not back the war in

Iraq from the word go; a bold political stance to take considering Hilary Clinton voted in favour of the war.

Hopes are high for a new, more diplomatic approach emphasising multilateralism, including the possibility of a more reciprocal special relationship between the United States and Britain.

On the economy, Mr. Obama has consistently out-performed John McCain during the campaign, he understands the harsh realities of the global financial crisis, and he also appreciates the implications international recession will bring Obama represents progress and

renewal, and hopefully it will not be too long until the many wrongs perpetrated by George. W. Bush will finally be undone.

John McCain

T

he favourite for this momentous U.S election has always been Barack Obama, but John McCain wouldn’t be as bad as many (particularly those in the media) like to make out.

There would be some distinct advantages for the UK as a nation if John McCain became president, primarily economic. John McCain is a stalwart

champion of the free market economy that has helped the economic boom of the last 8 years and, due to the economic coupling between Europe and America, we need their economy to be as successful as possible so that we benefit.

Barack Obama has worried a few politicians and economists this election with his sometimes seemingly isolationist foreign policy which could make trade and foreign investments much more difficult if it was implemented - something which would be catastrophic for Britain.

John McCain also has a commendable public service record - he is fa-

mously bipartisan, an important attribute for a President. His stance on the Iraq war has been wrong, but Barack Obama’s 16 month withdrawal plan has been discredited by many senior commanders on the ground and in Washington.

Although there are major similarities, a McCain presidency would not be a continuation of the Bush-Cheney regime. The contrasts between Barack Obama and John McCain are stark and this is clearly a turning point in history for America and the World.

Let's hope the American people make the right choice.

Who should win?

Rachelle Simmons asks Cardiff students

Jane: 4th Year Neuroscience.

Amelia: Second Year English Lit.

Jose; 3rd Year Music [genuine American]

Christina: 4th Year Medicine

"As America is such a superpower, we need someone openminded and forward thinking to act as a global representative."

"I wanted Hilary Clinton to be the Democrat's candidate but now it's Obama I think he's a legend!"

"Barack will be assassinated, and McCain's going to die anyway so we're really voting for a Vice President...Sarah Palin's just a ridiculous, national joke and Binden is invisible."

"I'd be genuinely scared if McCain won, but don't trust the American people to vote for Obama even when they've been waiting to get rid of Bush for such a long time"

Elections 2008

E -VOTING IS HERE! vote from home at

www.cardiffstudents.com

3 &4 NOVEMBER 2008 RD

TH

LETTERS 17

NOVEMBER.03.2008 LETTERS@gairrhydd.COM

letters@gairrhydd.com Wheelie Bad Dear gair rhydd, What a joke... After eagerly awaiting the roller disco last night (Saturday 26th) in the Great Hall nothing could have prepared us for what a disgrace it turned out to be. I thought buying tickets in advance would save time and effort when we got there, but clearly not.

When entering we were forced into a queue. OK, fair enough, but a queue that stretched far outside the Union which we were in for no more than an hour and a half was ridiculous. We were told people had to sign papers and put on their skates - what the hell? Since when did that take hours?

Staff clearly did not know what was going on and when asking what was happening I was rudely and somewhat shockingly told, "Don’t ask me - get back in the queue, now."

It all seemed a bit of a joke to the door staff. Not only this but when needing to use the toilets we were

the

refused this basic right by the same doorman, who was clearly on a power trip, saying, "I don’t care, you are not going - get back in the queue, now." Were we just supposed to wet ourselves in the queue then?

However, the HIGHLIGHT of my night came when the SAME doorman clearly felt the need to repeatedly call me stupid.

So all in all we paid for a ticket for a grand total of 30 minutes skating.

Great.

Oh, wait - we got a free ‘VK bottle’ drinks voucher so everything must be fine.

What a sham.

Robert James Selwood First year JOMEC student Ben Eagle, Cardiff Students' Union Events Manager, replies...

On behalf of the Students' Union i would like to apologise to all those who bought tickets and were dissatisfied with the Roller Disco.

Although hailed a success by the couple of hundred students that did make it in, we acknowledge that those

that didn't were greatly disappointed.

The main problem, the length and slow speed of the queue, was largely due to the company contracted to bring the skates bringing half the amount they were supposed to (a fact that only became apparent halfway through the night). This was then compounded by students exchanging skates in the wrong size, further slowing the queue. As soon as staff became aware of the queuing problems they began to advise people they could obtain a refund or face a long wait to get in. We do understand that after having looked forward to a night, a refund is not the same as a night of memories and would like you to give us a chance to rectify this. We will be considering running another Roller Disco after Christmas but will obviously be in talks with another company to provide the skates service. We'd like to offer all those who were unable to get into this event the option of a greatly reduced ticket next time. Please email wellsf@cf. ac.uk to take advantage of this. An investigation has already been launched regarding the member of

security staff as a result of feedback received from union staff working on the night. It is felt that this member of staff did not portray the new improved image that the Union's contract security provide. Once again I offer Robert and anyone else who may have encountered hostility our sincerest apologies.

Duck won't kick the bucket?

As a proud northerner myself, to read that Rubber Duck is set to 'conquer the north' with a weekend of nights out made me pretty angry.

The introductory line to the piece on the Cardiff Students website claims that "The North is a mysterious place" which Cardiff is "set to conquer." Great. So because we are Cardiff, and see ourselves as better than those lot 'oop north’, we have the right to claim that the north of England is mysterious and lesser than

Comments from the week’s news, opinion, features and sport at www.gairrhydd.com Meeting Mr Miliband Llew Jones ------Isn’t it incredible that the President of Cardiff Students' Union actually welcomed a Government Minister to Cardiff who slavishly supports tuitition and top up fees?

A man who is a representative of a government that is attacking education by capping places at university to 10,000 next year and cutting the financial assistance given to the poorest?

Our President is not representing the interests of students, but instead thinking about his future career and sucking up to politicians. What a

muppet!

Sickening!

And David Miliband is also a guy who has slavishly voted for the disastrous wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and whose role in the recent crisis in the Caucases was to rachet up tension, while making pious statements about those who invade other peoples countries (er, better get your own house in order).

But the interviewer here can’t even put Miliband on the spot over Iraq and a million dead.

It is a disgrace that this New Labour scumbag was given celebrity treatment at our Student Union.

Mark ------I doubt the Foreign Secretary,

let alone a mere Government Minister, would have agreed to an interview if all it involved was a socialist student throwing red paint over him and accusing him of personally torturing small Iraqi children.

If you believe that our SU President is sucking up to a current Cabinet Minister to further any future career then you either haven't being keeping up with the polls or you don’t credit our President with that much intelligence. Frankly, if he wanted to further any perspective career then a chat with any Shadow Minister would probably be better.

The Foreign Secretary went to Georgia after the Russians had invaded - I think the tension levels

we are?

A visit up north for these 250 students will be an education of proper culture, great cities, fantastic nightlife and brilliant people. Little Henry from public school won’t know what’s hit him in Leeds and Sheffield!

Oh, and on the subject of it being a ‘Rubber Duck’ tour… didn’t Rubber Duck die a death months ago? So are we trying to educate the North on how to have a night out with a night that wasn’t successful enough to survive in the apparently superior nightlife of Cardiff?!

Not only is it laughable that the Union has resorted to regional division to promote nights out, but now they are using defunct club nights as means of promoting the tour! Brilliant!

The North does nights out better than ANYWHERE else in the country. So if you are going on the tour, prepare for a cracking night out, but dream on if you think Cardiff will EVER conquer northern England.

Rob Brown Third year JOMEC student

forum

were pretty high by then, don’t you?

The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq may have been misguided and somewhat costly, though not by modern standards (think Vietnam). I would point out that it would be incorrect to suggest the Foreign Secretary ‘slavishly’ voted for those wars; firstly, a majority of MPs did so on all sides of both Houses, and secondly the parliamentary whips were removed for those votes, so there was nothing slavish about it.

I doubt asking the Foreign Secretary about the war dead in Iraq would have achieved anything but cut the interview short. Besides he (the Foreign Secretary) would probably have just said that whilst a low level insurgency is continuing on Iraq the Americans are handing

over operational areas to the Iraqis at an increased rate; in fact, they handed another over today to the Iraqi Security Forces, only four such areas are now under US control and it seems that whoever will become US President they will be handed over soon too.

The facts are that Saddam and his regime are gone and Iraq, whilst fractured along secretarian lines, does have at least a hope for a new existence as an emerging democracy that would not have been conceivable even after the First Gulf War in 1990/91. Does that justify the misrepresentation and downright lies?

No, frankly, I don’t think it does, but I don’t think that necessarily means that we should want to turn the clock back.

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18 FEATURES

NOVEMBER.03.2008 FEATURES@gairrhydd.COM

Banging your head against the w

With National Stress Awareness Day on 5th October, Charlene And an in-depth look at what stress is, why we get stressed and how to

T

he term ‘stress’ seems to hold different meanings to different people.

Reading this, you may immediately get a flashback of that time you were up at five a.m. banging your head against your laptop trying to finish that coursework which was due in four hours, barely thinking straight because of the worry, tiredness and eight cans of Relentless had caused you to go into mental meltdown.

Well, that’s my experience of stress and sometimes just hearing the word ‘stress’ is enough for my brain to conjure up an image of my desk drowning in books and papers, and a cacophony of Lord Denning quotes racing wildly about my head.

53% of students are more stressed since coming to university

For others, however, stress may have nothing to do with over-work.

Perhaps you think of your empty wallet, or your overflowing laundry basket. Perhaps you are reminded of that heated argument you had with your housemate or parent, or those problems you had with your boyfriend or girlfriend. Some people may even get stressed over the future, worrying about career prospects or relationships. In fact, with the current issues of the credit crunch, political tensions and health worries it seems that the media expects us all to be stressed over something or other.

Effects Stress has woven its way into every day, and everyone's life. We all know someone who has suffered from stress, whether it be serious enough for them to take time off work, or just enough to put them in a bad mood for a day.

Stress is a growing problem in the UK Most of us have suffered from stress at some point in our university lives. Some of us may even be suffering from stress right now. We even associate 'stress' with other feelings and emotions, such as tiredness, tearfulness, frustration, maybe even headaches. However we see stress, or whatever we associate it with, it is a growing problem in the UK, and students are among the groups whom it is increasingly affecting the most.

I asked 14 second year students, studying various subjects at Cardiff

University (excluding medicine) what stress meant to them and I was not really surprised to find that to all of them stress was a recognised and undesired state of mind making it difficult to focus. However, only two people identified academic work and exam pressure as the sole causes of their stress. For the majority, stress was seen to result from having to deal with a number of pressures at one time, especially balancing studying with other social commitments, extra-curricular activities and even paid work. Interestingly, 8 people recognised that time pressures and meeting deadlines caused them to feel stressed. Matthew Curtis, a second year studying Law and Politics said: "Stress means I've got too much on my mind! I only get stressed when I'm behind with uni work and I don't feel I have enough time to do it all. Especially when I'm at work all weekend.” Some of the stu-

dents I asked didn't even feel that uni work made them feel stressed at all.

A few people felt that worrying about family and friends and such problems were the main causes of stress. Luke Scanlan, who studies Communications said: "The thing that stresses me out the most is girls to be honest. I'm normally good at work and exams."

Symptoms Many signs of stress are easy to recognise, such as the loss of ability to focus or difficulty unwinding. But people often fail to remember that stress can be a physiological response to things that are upsetting us as well as a psychological response. This means, that stress can affect our body and behaviour as well as our mind and emotions. Physical symptoms of stress include headaches, backaches, muscle tension, diarrhea, constipa-

tion, nausea, dizziness, frequent colds, chest pain, rapid heartbeat, weight loss or gain, insomnia and loss of sex drive. If you think you are experiencing any of these, you should see your doctor or a health care professional, as they can determine whether your symptoms are stress related.

14% of Britons consider their work to be 'extremely stressful' In fact, research has suggested that being stressed actually increases your chances of becoming ill. A study conducted on American university students (O'Leary et al, 1994) found that during exam time, the students' levels of T-cells (the white blood cells

responsible for regulating the immune system and making direct contact with the antigen) were "sufficiently lower than before the exam period". The students were also found to have more health problems, especially "respiratory-tract infections", such as the common cold, tonsillitis, sore throat etc.

We've all felt rough around exam time, but could stress be the epicentre of the coughs and sneezes circulating the exam hall?

Some of the psychological effects of stress, however, are far more difficult to recognise, especially since stress seems to cloud our mind with the negative. Many sufferers of stress report memory loss and constant worrying. Stress can even affect our temperament, causing us to be more 'on edge', short-tempered, restless and overwhelmed. As Karen Gregory, a second year studying French and Welsh put it: "Stress is when the op-

FEATURES 19

NOVEMBER.03.2008 FEATURES@gairrhydd.COM

wall...? Deal with it! derson takes

o recognise it

posite personality of yourself comes out, and you feel like this monster is trapped in the walls of your brain, and every time something else stressful crops up the monster is about to pop!"

Facts and stats According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) statistics, almost 14% of working Britons consider their work to be ‘extremely stressful’. In 2006/2007, around 530,000 believed they were suffering illness caused by stress, and this number is increasing.

In fact, the number of people selfreporting stress related symptoms has doubled between 1995 and 2001.

People aged 16-30 are most likely to be stressed but not seek help Stress is the main cause of loss of working days; in the UK, an estimated 13.5 million working days were lost due to stress. That’s about 29 days per year per affected individual. The highest proportion of cases of stressrelated illnesses last year were with females, although between 1999 and 2006, it was males who took the lead.

The highest rate of work-related stress is estimated to be in the 16-44 age group, however, within this group, people aged 16-30 are more likely to experience stress but not report it or seek help. And sadly, that’s the group most students are likely to fall into.

Symptoms can include headaches, muscle tension and loss of sex drive For students, the statistics on stress point in the same direction as they do for the general working population, suggesting that stress is becoming more common, or that people are recognising stress or believing themselves to be stressed far more than they did a decade ago. The Student Living Report found that over half of students (53%) said they had become more stressed since starting university, and a recent survey (MORI) pointed out too little money, being in debt and juggling university work with other commitments to be what students saw as the most stressful factors of university. The same survey found that 59% of students who did paid work during term time found it "interfered with their studies" and they struggled to get the right balance.

M

any could argue that the best way of dealing with stress is to solve the problem that is causing it. But people seem to forget that stress cannot be boxed up and simply disposed of at a whim.

Stress is not a term to be taken lightly; there are many kinds of stress, for example being stuck in a long queue when you have a time restraint, exams, stress of finding something to wear for a party etc.

But all of the above do have one thing in common- with the right approach suited to the type of stress, they can be managed. So read on for some stress management skills...

Over time numerous effective stress busting techniques have developed that help to calm the nerves and relax those muscles. Stress management deals with our responses to stressful situations and so reduces their impact on our health and daily living.

Self talk Try some self encouragement: talk to yourself and tell yourself that “You can do this! I [insert name] can do this. It is possible. I will do my best to fulfill my potential.” This probably would work well during exam stress. Building up confidence is an effective way of convincing oneself that the task ahead is not impossible, and that if hard work and effort is put in, the desired outcome is achieved.

Gearing yourself up for carrying out action makes it more likely that you will be satisfied with the outcome.

Logical thinking and planning is also effective in reducing stress. Systematically making a list of things to do can help you see the light at the end of the tunnel. If you have a huge pile of lecture notes to learn in a short period of time, simply dividing the lecture notes into days will help calm you down and make the impossible seem possible. Well, only slightly.

Exercise Pumping up that heart and making your muscles work is a brilliant way of relieving tension and helps to relax the body. Exercising also releases endorphins, a chemical in the brain that makes us feel happier.

We all know that happy people equal less stressful people.

So playing basketball, tennis, hockey, going to the gym, jogging etc can all help to relieve stress and, as exercising keeps us healthy, it means that when we do get stressed our bodies will be better able to combat the effects of stress.

Even jumping up and down and punching a pillow could help relieve some of that stress... not that we’d recommend it at all.

Change of environment

Apparently, literally removing oneself from the stressful situation physically helps to reduce stress.

A brisk walk in fresh air is thought to help clear the mind and refresh the body. Stress is often linked to the environment where you experience it; by remaining in that environment you only serve to worsen your anxiety. Distracting oneself from the stressor (stress stimulus) is also seen to be beneficial if it can be done. Watching television, listening to music, or even playing games can distract a person from a stressful situation.

Thinking positive Positive thinking or optimism can actually make a person happier and less stressed, as these kinds of individuals possess a strong, determined mindset that is bent on conquering any trial that they happen to come across. Pessimistic thinking is detrimental when managing stress, as these individuals just give up and let the stress overwhelm them. So think positive!

Faith For those with a religion, believing in a force greater than oneself can be an effective way of dealing with stress, as it introduces the idea of hope when faced with difficulty and removes despair. Experimenting with faith and spirituality (whatever your religion) could help people to

Sana Khan investigates a variety of methods for combatting stress accept the outcome of a situation that is beyond their capacity. Most religions believe that trials are a test of faith so if you are faced with a trial, some people find it comforting to believe it is part of a greater plan.

Faith or no faith, simply counting to 10 and clearing your mind of everything should do the trick of busting that stress- after all, “What will be, shall be!"

Sharing worries “A problem shared is a problem halved”: talking to other people and off-loading your concerns can make you feel less stressed, especially if you are talking to loved ones. An external viewpoint on the situation is always helpful in putting things into context, and so the ‘stressor’ is ultimately seen differently, which might help you to respond to it in a more positive way.

Meditation “Ommmmmmm...”

Meditation, if performed correctly, is a fantastic way of dealing with long-term chronic stress. Many people feel tranquil and peaceful after meditating and so it is worth giving this stress busting technique a try. Yoga, an ancient Eastern practice, involves meditation breathing control, mental imagery and stretching. It is aimed at bringing together the mind, body and spirit.

Doing various stretches and exercises, whilst breathing in a slow and controlled way, energises the body

and reduces stress. Some of the benefits of yoga are: • reduced stress • sound sleep • reduced cortisol levels • improvement of many medical conditions • allergy and asthma symptom relief • lower blood pressure • smoking cessation help • lower heart rate • spiritual growth • sense of well-being • reduced anxiety and muscle tension • increased strength and flexibility • slowed aging process Massage, self- hypnosis, acupuncture and herbal teas are all additional methods of relieving stress.

Even laughing is proven to reduce stress, so bring on the laughing clubs! Reducing toxin intake (e.g. alcohol and tobacco) and improving diet is essential in combating stress long term.

Ultimately, every individual is unique, so one could argue generalising stress management is not possible. Understanding the type of stressors that affect you is vital in finding a stress management plan. The trick is to find a method that suits you best- it could be really crazy such as taking a powernap, or less crazy like making a cup of coffee, or even crying. Life would not be the same without stress, don’t you think?

20 FEATURES

NOVEMBER.03.2008 FEATURES@gairrhydd.COM

BE PREPARED!

As the government announces plans to provide relationship lessons to children as young as five and Scouts are being given free condoms, Ceri Isfryn questions whether sex education has gone nuts...

P

enises come in all shapes and sizes, just ask John Prescott and his chipolata.

But to be quite frank, if I was a guy, I’d be insulted by the use of bananas to practice putting condoms on in sex education lessons.

My male pride would cringe at the suggestion that my manhood might resemble a bendy, browning banana.

It’s undeniable that sex education lessons need to be dragged, kicking and screaming, into the 21st century.

The number of abortions performed in the UK in 2007 rose by 10%, and over 40,000 teenagers a year are getting pregnant. So it’s commendable that the government are finally drawing up plans to shake up the system once and for all.

Your sex education cringes relived...

“For our sex education, the school invited couples in so we could question them about their sex lives. We got to ask them how much they did it, about their dodgy experiences, everything! It was a bit of a piss-take really.”

Alex Packham, 1st year, Business Management “We had to watch a cartoon video of the whole process. I can’t say that a cartoon erection was the most pleasant thing I’ve ever seen…”

Scott Whiley, 1st year, Accounting and Finance “We watched a video, and when the guy in it ejaculated, the boy next to me threw up all over me.”

Alex Saunders, 1st year, Politics and Philosophy “I had to put goggles on whilst putting a condom on a banana, just so we could imagine what it’d be like with “beer goggles” on.”

Mia Helmich, 1st year, Earth Sciences "When I was 11 we had mass sex education classes. I had to put a condom on a cucumber in front of about 60 people!”

Ali Robertson, 3rd year, History

They propose to make sex education compulsory to all students in England from the age of 5. Initially, it will be a case of ‘relationship’ lessons, before progressing to ‘body parts’ around 8, before fully smashing the stork illusion by the age of eleven.

Sex is an unavoidable topic in today’s society. Fern Britton playing with dildos at 10am on This Morning epitomises our nation’s fascination with sex. So I agree wholeheartedly that children should be taught the science of sex and body parts, but is it really ‘age appropriate’ as the government proposes to be teaching children at the age of five about relationships?

"The Government wants to see the whole nation fornicating" Two thirds of those questioned in a BBC survey would support sex education from the age of eleven onwards.

Jules Hillier, of sexual health charity Brook, claims that the new plans on sex education prepares primary school children for ‘healthier sex and relationships later on in lives’.

Bike sheds have commonly been seen as the universities of sex for so many teenagers, so it’s about time that some proper education was put in force. Young men are brought up thinking that every woman looks like the busty, blonde porn stars they’ve been watching late at night, and every young woman expects Mr Darcy.

In the same way, I think that dishing out condoms to the Scouts is a much needed reality check for an organization that until now has been living in an Enid Blyton penned world. Despite being a slightly morbid image, a Scout waving about a condom is a symbol that the UK has finally stopped adopting an ostrich-like attitude of sticking its head in the sand regarding what its teenagers get up to.

However, primary school teacher Catherine Hughes disagrees: “At the age of five, planting ideas of relationships in heads so young would be to tarnish their innocence once and for all. Children come from all different backgrounds, so to present one standard idea of a relationship and teach it at that age could potentially be problematic.”

If someone had tried teaching me at the age of five that kiss chase actually had some kind of deep moral significance, I would have been mortified.

The innocence sense of excitement achieved by pecking Ben Pearson on the cheek would have been wiped

away in one traumatizing lesson.

Different religions all have different stances on sex, so it’s hardly surprising that several religious groups have reacted angrily to the new plans. Stephen Green, national director of Christian Voice, said the proposals would only "encourage experimentation" and contribute to the rise in teenage pregnancy and infertility. He said the idea of teaching young children about sex is "a wickedness" from a government that wants to see "a whole generation fornicating."

Extreme as this may seem, he has a point. Parents need to play a more active role in their children’s lives, in what’s becoming an increasingly nanny-state. Should we really expect teachers to be telling children the facts of life? Cringe worthy as it may be, that chat off the old folks is a crucial part of growing up, and who better to tell you about it than the ones who evidently know their birds from the bees.

My grandmother once offered me the chat citing she had plenty of experience My grandmother once offered to

give me the chat, citing ‘I have plenty of experience!’ At the time I wanted to crawl up into a hole and die. Thinking back now though, it might not have been such a bad idea. Here was a woman who understood my perceptions of relationships, and could provide me with the knowledge I specifically needed about sex.

Stiff British upper lips won’t allow this type of chat to happen in every household. However, investing more money into teaching parents how to talk to their children would be a far better idea than introducing stock ideas of what’s what. If children’s circumstances don’t allow them to conform to the generic ideas of sex and relationships introduced in the classroom, children’s anxieties about sex will only be increased.

In a society where mixed sex relationships, adoption and single parenting is increasingly common, it’s likely that such circumstances will be overlooked by teachers trying to maintain a matter of fact attitude during sex education lessons.

A survey revealed that of the 40% of high school students who admitted to being sexually active, 25% engaged in sex whilst drunk. Figures like these highlight that the Government needs to take a better stance on teaching about alcohol in schools. Just as we’ve always adopted the hands on approach to sex with the condom and the ba-

nana, schools should introduce winetasting sessions at schools, to educate pupils and quash the taboo surrounding drinking.

How is the government going to know if its sex education plans are actually effective? Are pupils going to be celebrating A’s in GCSE Sex in a few years time? Surely, introducing concepts of sex to children as young as eight will only encourage experimentation and curiosity?

Bike sheds have commonly been seen as the universities of sex Only time and statistics will tell if the plans will tame our generation of pram-faced parents, or if they will pave the way for a generation of nymphomaniac teenagers. I only hope that it won’t be a case of mothers all over the country knowingly packing condoms in their children’s lunchboxes, next to the Disney yoghurts and the triangle, jam sandwiches...

For more information of sexual health, or for free condoms, please contact ShaG on: Tel : 029 20 781485 E-mail us : ShaG@cardiff.ac.uk

FEATURES 21

NOVEMBER.03.2008 FEATURES@gairrhydd.COM

Dyslexia Awareness Week

As Dyslexia Awareness Week comes around once again, Alison Dairy looks at the impact of dyslexia on Cardiff University students...

D

yslexia Awareness Week 2008 runs between the 3rd and 9th November. A number of preconceptions surround dyslexia, chiefly whether it is ‘real’ or not. The week aims to raise awareness so we become more dyslexia friendly.

About 10% of the UK population is affected by dyslexia to some degree. 4% of these are classed as severe whereas 6% are mild to moderate cases.

So what is Dyslexia?

Dyslexia is a learning difficulty which varies greatly in severity. It often occurs alongside other specific learning difficulties, such as Dyspraxia or Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD).

A lot of uncertainty surrounds the causes of dyslexia, with even more speculation circulating the medical world about how it affects people. One confirmed fact is that it is not linked to intelligence levels. Many dyslexic people have continuing difficulties with reading, spelling, writing, memory and organisation.

It can also cause problems with arithmetic and recalling number facts.

However, there is evidence that dyslexic people notice strengths in tasks involving creative and visually based thinking, such as the ability to generate fresh ideas, practical problem solv-

Dyslexia need not be a road block to achievement ing skills, and artistic talents.

The degree to which it causes a problem depends on many factors, including the severity of the dyslexia, the type of teaching and support received, as well as the personal strengths and abilities of the individual.

Dyslexia need not be a road block to achievement as it can be properly managed with suitable teaching and training.

Dyslexia Action emphasises that ‘the key to success is through improving skills and by developing compensatory and coping strategies through an understanding of individual strengths and weaknesses.’

How can Cardiff help?

Cardiff’s Student Support Service provides a Disability and Dyslexia Service (DDS), which offers confidential advice and support for students who are disabled, have specific learning disabilities such as dyslexia, or long term medical conditions.

Services are available at both Cathays Park and Heath Park campuses.

The DDS supplies several resources

for students: study skills and technology assessments, provision of support workers or note takers, dyslexia tuition, screening for dyslexia, loan equipment, assistance with Disabled Students’ Allowance applications, alternative examination arrangements,

"I don't want to be treated differently to everyone else" and disability-related IT sessions.

Examinations are a stressful time for everyone but are potentially even more daunting for someone with learning difficulties.

Hence, Cardiff University students who suffer from learning difficulties can take advantage of concessions which include extra time, and/or use of a word processor or scribe.

Full-time students may be eligible for the Disabled Students’ Allowance.

It can be used to pay for additional costs which arise as a direct result of a disability, such as specialist equipment, essential texts, or specialist help.

This is claimed from the Local Education Authority.

Other options include, a local charitable organisation, Dyslexia Action: who fund a small number of bursaries each year, or the local Dyslexia Action Centre, who may be able to advise on local sources of funding.

So what's it like?

In order to gain a full understanding of dyslexia, I interviewed a 2nd year Cardiff student who suffers from the learning difficult: Do you feel the university does enough for dyslexic students?

‘Yes, they have a great set up to help you and best of all they don’t mother you. They do enough to get you through without making life too easy, so you can be the same level as everyone else.

What day to day problems do you face?

‘Well my problem is not with reading or writing. I do have trouble with spelling but I just keep practicing. My main problem is that I can’t think in a straight line or organise my thoughts very well.

"The more you practice the better "My advice would be to get stuck in you will cope" rather than avoid I don’t take any help from the uni- the problem" versity because I don’t feel I really need it. I have known about my dyslexia since I was 7 years old. In particular, I don’t like to take extra time in exams because I feel that I achieve more when I get a good grade using the same time as everyone else.

Yes my grade might be higher if I had extra time, but I don’t want to be treated differently to everyone else.’

When most people write essays they start with an introduction and move through. I don’t write like this, I jump around, writing it all out of sync.

Remembering is sometimes a problem so I leave post-it notes everywhere or set alarms to remind me to do something.

Mnemonics are another great way to remember things when revising.’

What advice would you give to someone who suspects they may be dyslexic?

‘My parents noticed that I may be dyslexic because I had strong oral skills but found writing and spelling very difficult.

Because I was diagnosed early, I had lots of time to find ways to deal with it, but if you think you are then go and get tested, there is no point struggling.

If your problem is with reading then just practice a lot. Basically, whatever the problem my advice would be to get stuck in rather than avoid it.

The more you practice, the better you will cope. There is always help available and it should be used but I prefer to also try and fix it myself, not just rely on others.

I just want to get to a level where I am the same as everyone else!’

Some dates for your diary...

Monday 3rd November !Student Support has a stall in the union reception, for those who think they may be or those who are dyslexic. If you are interested or feel you need help go along and have a chat. !Education welfare officers will be wandering around campus to chat to students.

Tuesday 4th November !Dyslexia and Disability Committee Meeting, 17:45-18:30 Rona Griffiths Room on Students' Union fourth floor. It is your chance to give feedback on the University’s services and support.

Further information can be found on Facebook "Dyslexia and Disability Group Cardiff"

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JOBS & MONEY 23

NOVEMBER.03.2008 JOBS@gairrhydd.COM

Get a quick cash fix I

s it just me, or is everyone skint? The madness of Freshers' Fortnight, or month as it has been for some of us, is finally dying out and it’s been an expensive bout of hedonism.

Now, as well as buckling under the pressure of the mass of work that’s been piling up whilst we’ve all been determinedly steering clear of it, there’s the added stresses of trying to survive on a serious budget.

Anyone else conveniently avoiding opening their bank statements or checking their balance at cash points?

That student loan doesn’t look so much like free beer money now does it?

So, perhaps it’s time to get our figurative thinking caps on and come up with some quick-fix answers to our cash flow problems. There’s got to be a couple of ways to earn some dosh in a cosmopolitan city like Cardiff, without sacrificing too much time or pride, right?

A flat mate of mine recently ran out of money...completely. To avoid the shame of having to call her parents for a handout, she got a job as one of those really annoying club promotions people that harass you on the street - “Come to this completely different, not-like-every-other club night because it’s going to be totally wicked and we’ll give you a million percent off of everything for an hour, so then you’re wasted and will willingly give us all your money, yeah?”

Admittedly it’s not ideal. But, it’s well paid and there are good perks.

But what about those of us that don’t want a regular job, using the ridiculously bad excuse that it will distract us from all the coursework that we really cannot tear ourselves away from?

Another of my friends is trying desperately to become an eBay millionaire. It is true that the internet seems

to rule the world at the moment and there are crazy people out there that will buy anything in an effort to be ‘kitsch’. A half eaten box of tic-tacs?

Just what I’ve always wanted!

I am aware though, that some of you may not want to sell complete crap to strangers for a living. If you don’t wish to compromise your morals, you could always try getting creative.

You’d be surprised how much money you can make busking in a busy high street, especially on a Saturday. Although, it is a little embarrassing and you’ve got to have some talent to back it up – otherwise you’re just some weirdo ruining James Blunt songs (as if they couldn’t get any worse).

Failing this, you could always see if the Job Shop at the union has any

temporary work available. Occasionally you can pick up the odd night’s waitressing or bar work, which should keep you in super noodles for another week or so, even if it isn’t regular money.

Alternatively, you could just try spending less. If you cut down on your living expenses and stop buying luxuries, you’ll make your loan stretch a lot further. If you go to Tesco’s at night, everything tends to be cheaper, especially if you take advantage of the special offers. Cooking your own meals usually ends up much cheaper than buying ready meals or eating out, so chain yourself to the hob and see what you concoct!

Also, don’t make the fact that you get student discount force you into buying ridiculously overpriced clothes.

I’m one of the many who has been indoctrinated into obtaining way too many store cards, which are the root of all evil. Definitely getting the scissors out later!

It’s hard to avoid certain expenses, like alcohol, which I agree, is pretty much a necessity for student living.

But, for those of us with expensive addictions, it may be time to stop burning our cash and pack in the fags.

As for me? I’m certainly feeling the strain and am ready to heed my own advice...tomorrow.

Siobhan the student tycoon

Siobhan McGurk is still a student at Cardiff University. In her final year studying History, she seems like your average student, if it wasn't for one thing: She owns her own business! The Saturday girl turned budding entrepreneur tells us how she made it happen.

Briefly tell us what kind of business you have.

I run a small business as a partnership. It’s a Welsh food and drink shop within the Natural History Museum in St Fagan’s and basically we are there to promote and sell 100% Welsh produce to locals and tourists.

ommended Venture Wales, who are the ones who have primarily worked with us offering business advice.

Where did you get the idea of starting your own business from?

Well, we created a business plan and after discussing various figures we approached some banks for a small loan. Then we approached Finance Wales, who offer loans with low interest rates to businesses that help the Welsh economy, thanks to funding from the Assembly Government.

I worked in the shop since I was 16, as a Saturday girl initially, gradually taking on more responsibility. Then in the summer of 2007, the company that owned the shop went bust and then myself and the manager, who happened to be a friend of mine, thought that we could either hang our heads and cry or do something about it.

Who did you seek advice from when starting the business?

Initially we rang Business Eye, they give advice on where to go for various types of information. They rec-

Concerning the financial side, where did you get the capital?

How do you juggle your student life with being an entrepreneur?

It’s very difficult, I am very worn out at the moment but I am lucky that my business partner works there fulltime. A lot of what I do is over the phone or via email.

Apart from being shattered, are there any other disadvantages or,

hopefully, advantages?

It is a steep learning curve, but once you have done it you feel more aware of the business world. You also improve communication skills and, of course, the financial benefits are great if it all goes well! The main disadvantage is that it encroaches on to spare time for socialising and homework.

What advice would you give to other students, who are considering starting their own business?

Make sure that you have an idea and a business plan that you are passionate about. Then seek out advice there is a lot of good, free advice around.

Is the dreaded credit crunch affecting your business at all?

Not massively at the moment...it has increased the price of food bought in and transportation costs. We have

absorbed them though up until now.

People are still spending as much, but I do foresee that this will change, especially over Christmas.

And, finally, St Fagan’s as a whole, is it experiencing any changes in frequency of its visitors that may affect you?

It has actually seen its number of visitors go up! People are looking for cheaper days out and St Fagan’s is free so that has had a knock-on effect to the cheaper franchises.

That must be the only positive outcome of the credit crunch! Good luck for the future and thanks for the insight into your business!

To see Siobhan’s business for yourself, head on down to St Fagan’s (free entry of course) and drop in for some authentic Welsh food at Gwalia Stores.

TAF-OD 25

NOVEMBER.03.2008 TAF-OD@gairrhydd.COM

Beth ddigwyddodd i arwyr ein plentyndod?

Elin Gwyn

Contributor

M

ae rhaglenni teledu i blant ar S4C yn warthus! Efallai bod hyn ddim yn eich poeni fel ‘oedolion’ ond wrth edrych nol ar raglenni plant fy mhelntyndod, teimlaf bod y genhedlaeth nesaf yn colli rhan bwysig o fagwraeth Gymraeg.

Beth ddigwyddodd i Sion Blewyn Coch, Wil Cwac Cwac, Swperted a Sam Tân? Maent bellach wedi eu cyfnewid am gyfieithiadau gwael o raglenni Americanaidd. Pan fod ‘Mona the Vampire’ ymlaen ar y BBC, ni ellir ddisgwyl i blant Cymru wylio ‘Mona y fampir’ (cyfieithiad ofnadwy!) ‘Bywyd cudd Sabrina’ neu ‘Tylwyth od Timmy’. Mae rhywbeth reit anghyfforddus ynglyn a gwrando ar actorion cymraeg yn ceisio gwneud lleisiau gwirion sy’n apelio i blant. Mae’r canlyniad yn boenus!

Dwi’n cofio’r dyddiau da, yn eistedd ar lin Taid yn gwylio Slot Meithrin am oriau ar ol ysgol. Caffi

Sali Mali, Slici a Slac, ffalabalam, Anturiaethau Syr wynff a Plwmsan, Martin Geraint wedi meddwi (ella ddim) a Wcw! Rhaglen ar ol rhaglen yn profi oes aur teledu plant. Ond, erbyn hyn mae’r dirywiad yn aruthrol. Fel rhywun sy’n parahau i fwynhau rhaglenni, ffilmiau a llyfrau i blant, nid oes gan S4C unrhywbeth gwreiddiol na chymreigaidd i’w gynnig.

Efallai bod yr erthygyl hon yn gwbl amherthnasol i fywyd myfyrwyr ond mae myfyrwyr yn tueddu i fod yn hiraethus am ddelweddau o oes pan doedd dim ots sawl marc gaethoch am draethawd na cynlleied o amser sydd ar ol i orffen llyfr. Efallai bod yr erthygl hon wedi atgyfodi atgofion melys o’ch plentyndod ac wedi mynd a chi nol i’r stad ddiniwed honno pan yr oll oedd yn eich poeni oedd os buasai Swperted yn llwyddo i ddal Dai Tecsas mewn pryd!

Ydych chi wedi gweld Sion blewyn coch yn ddiweddar? Mae’r cyfuniad o gerddoriaeth atgofus, swynol ar darluniau trawiadol yn ei wneud yn gelfyddyd. Dwi’n hiraethu am gartwns

mewn oes pan mae popeth yn gyfrifiadurol. Efallai bod America yn enwog am eu rhaglenni i blant ond roedd gan Gymru wir dalent. Beth ddigwyddodd i oes aur teledu plant?

Mae Llyfr Mawr y Plant bellach wedi cael ei addasu ar gyfer y llwyfan ac bydd y ddrama’n cyrraedd Caerdydd mis nesaf. Rwyf yn argymell i chi fynd i ei weld os yw eich hiraeth chi am anturiaethau Wil Cwac Cwac mor gryf ac fy un i! Bydd yn cael ei berfformio yng Nghanolfan y Mileniwm 4 Tachwedd (1.30 a 7.30). Efallai taw dyma sydd ei angen, atgyfodi straeon o hanes yr iaith. Troi nol at y gorffennol er mwyn gallu uniaethu gyda ieuenctid Cymru, nid ceisio bod yn fodern ac Americaneiddio S4C. Dylai Cymru gadw at ei gwreiddiau a gwynebu’r dyfodol heb ildio i ddiwylliannau dylanwadol. Dylai ein hunig sianel gymraeg allu cynhyrchu rhaglenni cymreigaidd a gwreiddiol a thrwy hynny magu cariad at yr iaith yn yr ifanc.

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OCTOBER.22.2007 NOVEMBER.03.2008 SCIENCE@gairrhydd.COM

SCIENCE & ENVIRONMENT 27

Sometimes happy, sometimes sad...

Suffering with bipolar disorder is emotionally draining, and has an increasing prevelance amongst students, explains Priya Raj

B

ipolar disorder (BD) is a type of mood disorder. It has been referred to as manic depression in the past, and this term is still used. It is a psychiatric illness that causes major disruptions in lifestyle and health.

Most people start showing signs of bipolar disorder in their late teens with the average age of onset being 21 years. On occasion, some people have their first symptoms during childhood, but the condition can often be misdiagnosed at this age and improperly labelled as a behavioural problem.

Some of the risk factors associated with bipolar disorder are thought to be other biological family members suffering with the disease, periods of high stress, drug abuse or major life events such as the death of a loved one.

New studies suggest that many of those affected are students at university who are all too often unaware that they are suffering with a recognized medical problem. Aside from genetic predisposition, a new environment together with increased stress levels can trigger the onset of the disease in such students.

Bipolar disorder symptoms are characterized by an alternating pattern of emotional highs (mania) and lows (depression). The intensity of signs and symptoms can vary from mild to severe. The signs and symptoms of the manic phase include euphoria, ex-

treme optimism, poor judgment, rapid speech, risky behaviour, increased sexual drive, decreased need for sleep, and an inability to concentrate to name but a few. The depressive phase of bipolar disorder is characterized by feelings of sadness, hopelessness, thoughts of suicide, anxiety and guilt.

There are two main types of bipolar

disorder: Bipolar I disorder, classified as having at least one manic episode with or without previous episodes of depression. The second is Bipolar II disorder in the event of at least one episode of depression together with a hypomanic episode.

(A hypomanic episode is similar to a manic episode except that the symp-

toms last for a much briefer period of time, usually only a few days.)

All too often, the signs and symptoms of bipolar disorder are dismissed as ‘growing pains’ or antisocial teenage behaviour.

James*, a first year English student at Cardiff University was recently diagnosed as having the disorder; “It

was horrible. I would try and blend in at school and hide my problems but that just made it worse. The teachers would get angry with my behaviour in class; I felt like a fraud.” For James, suffering with bipolar put his education on hold and resulted in him attending university two years later than originally planned: “I was so depressed after finishing school, I just couldn’t bring myself to start a whole new chapter of my life feeling like that”. James was lucky enough to receive excellent advice and support from his local G.P. There is no cure for BD but, with proper therapy, people with this disease can lead stable and productive lives. Bipolar disorder will not get better without medical treatment.

Now scientists from Cardiff University have discovered that bipolar disorder may be linked to the control of the activity of brain cells, with a gene called Ankyrin 3 showing the strongest association.

Discoveries such as these prove exciting as they lead to the possibility for new, improved medications as the drug targets are much better understood.

Even though there is as yet no known cure, current treatments mean quality of life can be improved.

*Names in this article have been changed for confidentiality reasons.

Opposites attract:

Richard Wood discusses the impact of magnetism on everyday life

M

ost of us have never wondered how magnetics have an impact on our everyday life.

For the majority of students, their exposure to magnetics came in primary or secondary school science courses, where it seemed pretty cool that there was this clearly strong, yet invisible force able to stick things together and create electricity where there was none. Some of you might remember the converse, creating electromagnets by winding wire round a nail. Everyone had a compass at some

Everyone had a compass at some point, but this is where most knowledge stops

point, but this is where most people’s knowledge stops. Even for physics or engineering students, it’s generally one or two modules over a three-year course. When you consider the impact that magnetics have on our daily lifestyle, this is quite staggering. How

many magnetic devices do you think you have in your house right now, for example? You might be thinking that your fridge has a magnet in the door, or maybe you have some magnetic letters or words on it, about a hundred or so. Maybe you remember that the electric motor in your washing machine contains two or more permanent magnets. You probably can’t think of anything more.

I’m writing this on a laptop computer now. I would imagine every one of you has a computer. Mine, a couple of years old, has an 80gb hard drive, made up of 613,230,120,448 individually controlled magnets. Literally hundreds of billions of tiny areas on a ceramic disc that can be flipped between north and south poles to represent 0 or 1 as needed. Only 20 years ago, my family’s computer had no hard drive. What did computers use before this invention? Floppy discs or datatape, both magnetic. VHS and audio cassettes? Magnetic. If you haven’t moved over to LCD or plasma TVs yet, your TV is creating a picture by shifting moving electrons in a magnetic field. Your phone uses the movement of a magnet inside a coil of

use moving magnets to convert the kinetic energy into electrical energy.

One of the most valuable medical inventions of the last 50 years has been the MRI machine, standing for Magnetic Resonance Imaging. It generates an incredibly powerful magnetic field and looks at the changing vibrations of the electrons in your body to determine exactly what you’re made up of and where.

Your TV is creating a picture by shifting moving electrons in a magnetic field wire to generate electric signals. Electric guitars work the same way. Every speaker you have does the opposite and uses electric signals to generate movement. If you have a car, every time you start it, you’re utilising magnets in the alternator.

In the next generation of hybrid cars, the electric motor, with its em-

bedded magnets, takes up even more significance.

Outside your possessions, the generation of electricity uses magnetism at almost every stage. When burning coal, oil or gas, or in nuclear plants, the electricity is generated exactly the same way – the fuel is used to heat water, which drives turbines, which

Magnetism and magnetic technologies have an enormous impact on our everyday lifestyles. Maybe you will never notice them, but perhaps when you stick an electricity bill on your fridge with an angry note for your housemates, you’ll think about where it came from.

28 XPRESS

NOVEMBER.03.2008 XPRESS@gairrhydd.COM

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Mainstream

Mainstream

Mainstream

Mainstream

Specialist

Specialist

9am-10:30am Alice and Mel Breakfast Show 10:30am-12:30pm Loud Noises 12:30pm-2pm Show and Tell with Amy 2pm-2:30pm Quiz 2.30pm-4:30pm Sports Show 4:30pm-6pm Lee Macaulay on Xpress

Specialist

9am-11am Three Girls & A Gay 11am-12:30pm Hilary and Heather Show 12:30pm-1pm The Xpress Debate 1pm-3pm Madame Audrey's Lunar Cake Shop & Delicatessen 3pm-4:30pm Rebekka & Mikey in the Afternoon 4:30pm-6pm Rich & Britt Afternoon Show

9am-11am 3 Man Bundle 11am-1pm Gossip Girls with Seetal & Lily 1pm-2.30pm Point Blank 2.30pm-3pm The Weekly Summit 3pm-4pm Louisa & Beth Afternoon Show 4pm-6pm Luke & Ed Show 7pm-8pm The Housemasters 8pm-9pm Leah Eyon Show 9pm-10pm The Take Over 10pm-11pm Martin Sharpe Show 11pm-12am - Rhys James

9am-11am Filing the Gap with Emma & Alexis 11am-12:30pm Kat & Ash Show 12:30pm-1pm The Trawlermen's Sweethearts 1pm-2pm Star and Moo Show 2pm-4pm Sporties 4pm-6pm Sam & Greg Show 7pm-8pm Curly Joe and Ginger's Countdown Conundrum 8pm-9pm Xposed 9pm-10pm Thursday Night Annihilation Appreciation Society 10pm-11pm Subversion 11pm-12am Dan and Petch's 80s Hour of Power 12am-1am Peter & Coralie Show

6pm-7pm The Xhibition 7pm-8pm Transmission 8pm-9pm Gig "n" mix 9pm-10pm Holly & Carys Show 10pm-11pm Superstar DJ's Here We Go! 11pm-12am Anything Alternative 12am - 1am Richard Gale Show

Specialist

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Just Added

Mainstream

Mainstream

Mainstream

A selection of the best songs added to the playlist this week, all of which can be heard on mainstream shows.

11am-1pm Al & Steve Show 1pm-2.30pm 2 Girls, 1 Mic with Sally & Susie 2.30pm-4:30pm TNT 4:30pm-6pm Ben O'Clock Radio

Specialist

6pm-7pm International Superhits 7pm-8pm The Hype Machine 8pm-9pm The Argument 9pm-10pm The Essential Gig Guide 10pm-12am Flo Jam Sessions

6pm-7pm Kat, Kimba & Ruth Show 7pm-8pm Tom & Billy Show 8pm-9pm Andrew Rhys Lewis Show 9pm-10pm Megan & Charlote Show 10pm-11pm Hedonism 11pm -12am Pete Blackley Show

10am-11am Hair of the Dog 11am-12pm Wake Up with Henry & Oscar 12pm-2pm Jack and Tom Delusion

Specialist

2pm-3pm PushPop 3pm-4pm Naomi & Beth Show 4pm-5pm 3 Man Bundle 5pm-6pm Milo Mitchem Show 6pm-7pm Frankie & Tegan Show 7pm-8pm Ruari & Liam Show 8pm-9pm The Pigeon Hole 9pm-10pm Alice & Monique Show 10pm-11pm Ian Hall Show 11pm-12am Richard Gale Show

Mainstream show of the week: Loud Noises

Listen in as Ben, Dan and Rich provide entertaining banter to keep you going until lunch.

As well as playing some amazing tunes the show includes the lyric game, can you beat the listeners top score of 9? Plus ask the Cajee's where a different member of Ben’s family answers your questions, with no subject being off limits anything could happen.

11am-11:30am The Beautiful Hesitation 12:30pm-2pm Laura, Dora & Lucy Show 2:30pm-2:40pm Across the Corridor 3pm-5pm The Student Radio Chart Show 5pm-6pm Crapbox

Specialist

1. Ida Maria - Oh My God 2. Clinic - Tomorrow 3. The Shortwave Set - Glitches 'N' Bugs 4. Lykke Li - Little Bit 5. Friendly Fires - Paris

6pm-7.30pm Classical Show with Hannah & Co. 7:30pm-9pm Jazz Society Show 9pm-10pm Daneka

Mainstream show Listen out for: Sŵn festival Competition All this week Xpress will be giving you the chance to get your hands on some highly sought after Swn festival tickets. That's three days of live music and events all across Cardiff, including performances from 150 bands. So to be in with a chance of winning just tell us, if could only take one thing to a festival what would it be? For further details tune in during the week or go to www.xpressradio.co.uk

Specialist show of the week:

The Holly and Bo Radio Show Holly and Carys bring a cosmopolitan vibe to the Indie radio show genre by combining some banging tunes with good old girly chat, making it the ideal pre-going out accompaniment. Listen out for the hairbrush tune, a pop classic to sing along to plus this week the girls are talking about secrets, if you had a secret superpower what would it be? Basically girls will love it and boys will learn from it. For more show updates and topic discussions join the facebook group.

Huw Stephens Interview

Radio 1 DJ Huw Stephens chats about the Swn festival, including bands worth checking out, plus some of his favorite artists and a guilty pleasure track.

Aired on the Xhibition - Monday from 6pm.

Monday: 10:30am till 12:30pm

www.xpressrado.co.uk

Monday: 9pm till 10pm

FIVE MINUTE FUN 29

NOVEMBER.03.2008 FMF@gairrhydd.COM

found on facebook Housemate done something stupid?

sudoku.

1. Log on to the book of face 2. Join the group ‘Found on Facebook’ 3. Upload embarrassing photos 4. Pick up gair rhydd on Monday and laugh

EASY

Quick Crossword Across

Down

1. Healers (6) 4. Type of industrial action (2-4) 9. Cash-dispensing equipment (inits) (3) 10. Suffers (9) 11. Florida city south of Fort Lauderdale (5) 12. ___ for 10, film starring James McAvoy (7) 14. Type of driving licence (11) 17. Capital city of Cyprus (7) 18. Crime of lighting fires (5) 20. Spicy pizza topping (9) 22. Anger (3) 23. Toady, sycophant (3-3) 24. Allocate (6)

1. Alleges or picks up (6) 2. South American dance (5) 3. Fetches (9) 5. Bladed pole for moving through water (3) 6. Tripp Darling's wife in Dirty Sexy Money (7) 7. More experienced (5) 8. Period when shooting game is not allowed (5,6) 13. Oddities (9) 15. Prescriptions (7) 16. Confine within bounds, as in a camp (6) 17. Pretty cold (5) 19. Speculative or futuristic genre of literature and cinema (3-2) 21. ___ Mendes, star of the 2007 thriller We Own the Night (3)

Send more oddities!

MEDIUM

2

1

3

HARD

4

5

6

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8 10

9

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this week's

G

- spot

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Here's the Glynster getting a cheeky shnog from Laurence Jackson and lovin' it!

Spotted Glyn?

Glyn, BB7 screen god is studying Welsh and Spanish at Cardiff University. Snap a picture

23

24

of him and send us your sightings!

Join the gair rhydd G-spot facebook group and upload!

30 LISTINGS LISTINGS GETS YOU GREEN TO HELP BB'S 'G-SPOT' GLYN He first appeared in our very own gair rhydd G-SPOT, and now Glyn wants to help us all go green. So we thought we would help him out and suggest five easy ways to 'Go Green'.

Turning off lights If you have all vacated a room, why not turn the light off instead off running up your electricity bill (hence saving all the precious money that we students don't have) and also saving the environment.

Switch all plugs off When you have finished with an appliance why not turn it off at the wall and save more energy! Yes, it's a little bit more effort but it'll be worth it in the end.

Put the TV on standby You may not believe it but by everyone putting the TV on standby, we can save enough electricity to power 2.7 million homes a year.

NOVEMBER.03.2008 LISTINGS@gairrhydd.COM

MONDAY 3rd Nov

TUESDAY 4th Nov

FUN FACTORY @ SOLUS Indie, alternative, old 90’s classics and ROCK!!

7pm-2am, free entry.

BRYAN ADAMS @ CIA Ah, how the mighty have fallen. Seventy-two weeks at number one couldn't save him from being regularly and somewhat embarrassingly confused with his almost namesake Ryan Adams in 'serious' conversations about music. My Dad still likes him though. All together now, 'I GOT MY FIRST REAL SIX STRING...'

7.30pm, £37.50 DIGITAL @ OCEANA Another student night with plenty of music to boogy the night away to. Why not join in the fun!

9pm-3am VODKA ISLAND @ TIGER TIGER Enjoy your break away to the Vodka Island last week? Fancy going back? A word to the wise - it's not really an island. That would just be ridiculous. No one would be stupid enough to turn up in trunks and armbands.

Ahem.

Free before 9pm, £3 after LIFE @ GLAM Another generic student night trying to be different! But not succeding! But hey, why not try it anyway!

10pm, £4

AMUSED DJ'S @ CLWB IFOR BACH Resident DJ'S will be rocking the club again as students make fools of themselves by getting drunk and dancing like their uncles.

9pm - 3am, £3.50 GET LOST @ LIQUID Not the best name for encouraging young, hip twentysomethings to go to your club it has to be said. Whatever happened to Shipwrecked?

9pm - 3am, £3.50 AIM @ GLO BAR Collective presents AIM hip hop party. £3 before 11pm, £4 after, £2 NUS PAUL HEATON @ SU Remember The Beautiful South and the Housemartins? Yes! Then you will probably be wetting yourself with excitment as frontman Paul Heaton takes the stage at the SU. Playing alongside special guest Cerys Matthews. From the jungle to the SU. What a treat!

MEDSOC PRESENTS CIRCUS OF HORRORS @ OCEANA Following on from the success of last year's Full Moon Party, Cardiff's Medsoc present another much-anticipated night of horrorific frolics - organised and promoted, rather weirdly, by two history students.

8pm-2am, £TBC

WEDNESDAY 5th Nov SUMMER WED @ CLWB IFOR BACH Summer wed? I thought the summer was over. Oh well no harm in trying to prolong it!

As it happens the sun is out now!

10pm - 3am, £3.

SIN BIN @ SOLUS This is DEFINITELY the place to go if you are looking for a fit girl!! The sports teams are going to be out in force. Pop, chart, fitties and LAAAAAAAAADDDDDSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS Free entry 7-9, £3 after COCK AND BULL @ TIGER TIGER Have they managed to pull you away from your union club night? Let's hope not!

Free entry, 8pm SHOTGUN RULES @ REVOLUTION Popular student night at Revolution battles with Sin Bin for the coveted AU crowd. I'm still voting SIN BIN. 9pm - 2am, £2.50 WEIRD SCIENCE @ 10 FEET TALL An indie, alternative night playing past and present classic hits and guess what guys!

It's FREE!! BONUS! 11pm - 3am, FREE HEGG MINOTHI DUO @ CHAPTER ARTS CENTRE Improvised music from an acclaimed Norweigan electro- acoustic duo.

Use energy saving bulbs I will admit it can be annoying when the light doesn't come on brightly straight away but if you are only going to be nipping into the room, you'll be saving loads of electricity.

Mond

ay nig hts at Cardiff

Stude nts’ U nio

n

Unplugging your phone charger We all often make this mistake and leave our phone chargers plugged in when we have finished with them. Why not make the change and unplug it to save energy, because what we all forget to realise, is that even though it is turned off, the charger is still taking electricity because it is plugged in.

Here is your chance to make a change and all you have to do is make a few slight adaptations. So join Glyn and 'Go Green'.

Students’ Union, Park Place, 02920 387421 www.cardiffstudents.com ! Med Club, Neuadd Meirionydd, Heath Park 02920 744948 ! Cardiff Box Office, 02 0870 9070999 www.barflyclub.com/cardiff ! Metros, Bakers Row 02920 399939 www.clubmetropolitan.com ! Dempseys, Castle Street 02920 252024 Mary Street 02920 230678 ! Café Jazz, 21 St. Mary Street 02920 387026 www.cafejazzcardiff.com ! The Riverbank Hotel, Despenser Street www.river www.chapter.org ! Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay 0870 0402000 www.wmc.org.uk ! The New Theatre, Park Place 02920 878889 www.newtheatr www.glee.co.uk ! Cardiff International Arena, Mary Ann Street 02920 224488 ! The Millennium Stadium www.millenniumstadium.com ! The Point, Card

LISTINGS 31

NOVEMBER.03.2008 LISTINGS@gairrhydd.COM

THURSDAY 6th Nov GLAMOURPUSS @ GLAM New club in town fighting with Walkabout for students but is it any good? I guess you'll find out. But, personally, the name says it all. TACK! 9pm - 4am, £3 NUS MISCHIEF @ TIGER TIGER Another boring generic student night.

9pm - 2am, £4 - £5 BOGIEZ @ THE POINT Resident DJ'S playing their same old music but this time with a rocky twist. £9 IGLU AND HARTLEY @ BARFLY This one is not to be missed. A new up and coming band playing IN THIS CITY! 7.30pm RANCID @ SU If your are into your punk music, then this is the place for you! The band are from America, formed in 1991, have had 6 albums and rose to prominence in 1994.

Just a few facts about them you might want to know. £15

FRIDAY 7th Nov LUSH @ SOLUS R’n’B, poppy stuff, funky house & electro.

Free entry 7-9pm, £3 after.

VOODOO @ RISA Student night.

9pm-3am, £4 KATIE MELUA @ CIA She is the closest thing to driving me crazy but if you fancy a bit of Katie, why not head down and see how crazy she can drive you.

7.30pm, £28.50 RED LIGHT COMPANY @ BARFLY A five piece alternative rock band from London.

7.30pm, £5

SATURDAY 8th Nov THE ILLEGAL EAGLES @ ST DAVID'S HALL If you like the Eagles, You'll love the illegal Eagles.

7.30pm, £18.50 COME PLAY @ SOLUS Possibly the best established night at the Union. Better music this year too.

9pm - 2am, £3

SUNDAY 9th Nov

TORN @ BUFFALO BAR A mix of childhood classics, cube beats, slinky baselines and 80s/90s tunes.

10pm- 4am, Free

GRAMMATICS @ BARFLY Experimental Leeds based art-poppers using standard song structures that leave you whistling their melodies.

7.30pm, £6

LEONARD COHEN @ CIA What a man! No need to say anything else but Hallelujah!

8pm ME AND YOU CLUB @ 10 FEET TALL Resident DJ'S kicking up a storm in their unruly rock and roll party including indie, rock and pop with new tunes and classic alternatives.

11pm- 4am, £5 COOL HOUSE APPRECIATION @ GLO BAR If you are looking for a mellow soulful music night, I recommend Glo Bar. 10pm- 4am, £3

NIZLOPI @ CLWB IFOR BACH An original and talented acoustic duo. Their offbeat touching lyrics and mix of celtic, hiphop and motown influences will definitely have the crowds jumping.

8pm, £10 DRUM 'N' BASEMENT @ THE BASEMENT Top notch drum and bass music to keep you jumping all over the place all night.

9pm- 3am, £4

WIN!

A ROOM ON RUBBER DUCK'S NORTHERN TOUR WORTH £177!

Who said the duck was dead? Relive the bygone glories of Rubber Duck and get elegantly wasted with two of your mates in some of England's finest cities, before retiring to the minimalist decadence of your private bedroom. We have another room for three on Rubber Duck's Northern Tour that must be won by one lucky soul. To enter, answer this simple question: upon what night does the club night Sin Bin occur? Send your answers to competitions@ gairrhydd.com and you could be winging your way to Sheffield and Leeds very soon!

2920 781458 www.cardiffboxoffice.com ! Clwb Ifor Bach (The Welsh Club), 11 Womanby Street 02920 232199 www.clwb.net ! Barfly, Kingsway, Tickets: 4 ! Move, 7 Mill Lane 02920 225592 ! Incognito, Park Place 02920 412190 ! Liquid, St. Mary Street 02920645464 ! The Philharmonic, 76-77 St. rbankjazz.co.uk !St. David’s Hall, The Hayes 02920 878444 www.stdavidshallcardiff.co.uk ! Chapter Arts Centre, Market Road, Canton 02920 304400 recardiff.co.uk ! The Sherman Theatre, Senghennydd Road 02920 646900 www.shermantheatre.co.uk ! The Glee Club, Mermaid Quay 0870 2415093 diff Bay, 02920 460873 www.thepointcardiffbay.com ! Tommy’s Bar, Howard Gardens (off Newport Road) 02920 416192 !

32 SPORT

NOVEMBER.03.2008 SPORT@gairrhydd.COM

THE WORD ON... ...the masked failure of Britain's Lawn Tennis Association Josh Pettitt Sports Editor

B

ritish tennis appears to be thriving, at least on a superficial level. Andy Murray has confidently secured his position in the upper echelons of the game and the budding Laura Robson looks set to set to break with the tradition of dull mediocrity that has dominated the women’s game since Virginia Wade.

However the reality is far darker than this optimistic brief. Britain boasts an underwhelming two players ranked in the top 100 in the world in both the men’s and women’s rankings.

There is an alarming lack of depth to the men’s game, with the British number two, Alex Bogdanovic looking set to slip outside the top 200 mark.

Never is Britain’s dearth of talent more evident than when Britain attempt for the umpteenth time to battle their way into the World Group stage of the Davis Cup. The sigh of inevitable disappointment is almost audible when Bogdanovic nervously sidles onto the court to receive his regular drubbing at the hands of far more accomplished athletes.

Although we may not be enamoured by the ranting and gurning of Andy Murray, he is undeniably talented and a true competitor. However, it is not the abilities of the players themselves that I wish to question, but the very position that tennis occupies

within Britain’s sporting and social identity and how this affects the success of British tennis.

The model for a successful tennis nation lies just acorss the channel.

The Lawn Tennis Association, the primary organisation for funding and developing young talent in Britain, are given a budget of roughly £48 million a year, half of which are the proceeds donated by the All England Club. In comparison to the meagre £1.2 million budget of the Serbian tennis federation, currently one of the most successful tennis nations, it could be argued that the LTA are not spending their money wisely.

The mismatch between budget and success is most evident in the LTA’s most recent appointments to their coaching team. The LTA has played host to some of the greatest coaching talents in the world. The two most notable being Brad Gilbert, whose former charges included the two world number ones Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick, and Peter Lungren who oversaw the meteoric rise of Roger Federer.

Although the LTA appointed these coaching super stars with the best intentions, their employments inevitably took a farcical turn for the worst.

Both coaches were briefly given the thankless task of attempting to convert Bogdanovic’s so called “potential” into success. Unsurprisingly both soon became disillusioned with their new employers and subsequently left the LTA with a substantial pay cheque for their troubles.

The model for a successful tennis

nation lies just across the channel.

France, our nearest sporting neighbour with a similar budget to our own, dwarfs our miniscule 100,000 competing players with an astounding 1.5 million. This staggering difference is evidence of the difference in position that competitive tennis holds within French society. Unfortunately tennis in Britain seems to have adopted the guise of a niche sport reserved for the jolly toffs of the middle class. For the rest of the masses tennis holds a novelty value that passes as quickly as the English summer.

However with the far more popular winter sports of rugby and football, the individual and expensive sport of tennis is yet to gain a foothold within British mainstream sport. The inclement British weather is largely responsible for tennis’s inaccessible nature.

Either outside courts are flooded or indoor courts are too expensive to use on a daily basis. Andy Murray chose to desert the chilly Dunblane for the more exotic Bruguera camp in Spain to hone and develop his game into what it is today. And yet the war torn Serbia has managed to produce some truly revelatory talents in the past few years.

Perhaps what this would suggest is that talent can only truly be moulded into the form of a true competitor when faced with adversity. Ana Ivanovic, current holder of the French Open, had to practice amidst bombings and our very own Andy Murray had his own brush with death when he was forced to shelter under his desk during the Dunblane massacre. High level tennis is an intense, high pressure environment and sacrifices have to be made if the individual is to succeed. Even the apparently contented Tim Henman has often alluded to his “lost childhood” due to the lonely nature of competitive tennis.

These compelling stories are not necessarily the norm but it demonstrates the lengths people will go to

achieve their seemingly unrealistic goals.

The position tennis holds within British sporting culture is still deeply rooted in the comfortable image of balmy summer evenings and wooden club houses. As much as I admire the achievments of Tim Henman, his extraordinary efforts only anchored tennis more firmly in the realm of the middle classes and failed to appeal to a wider demographic.

Wimbledon is the central focus of British tennis, and although it is a priviledge to host the greatest tournament in the world, it seems it has also cost us our champions in recent years.

The hallowed turf and the sudden appearance of spotless white clad tennis players lulls the public into the belief that tennis has remained a gentleman’s game, where the “best man” should always win. Andy Murray’s brash on court demeanour has exposed the nation to the nasty side of tennis that the far more likeable characters of Henman and Rusedski could never successfully or marketably reveal to the British public.

There is an alarming lack of depth to the men's game.

Tennis players, like any other sportsmen, need a compulsory anamlistic and ruthless drive to succeed.

Other sports in England thrive on the role models that their sport produces.

John Terry’s all consuming competitive nature is evident in every single

tackle he takes on the pitch. Similarly, the authority and passion Lawerence Dallaglio stamped on every performance contributed hugely to rugby’s growing popularity within Britain.

Perhaps most importantly of all, these two sporting characters are accessible in a way that Henman and Rusedski never were.

Murray has exposed Britain to the reality of competitive tennis. He may seem to the traditional tennis fan to be loud, awkward and at times rather annoying, but at last Britan has a player suited to the daunting task of bringing British tennis into the 21st century. If British tennis sees a sudden upwards spiral in popularity in the coming years, it will be thanks to the stellar performances of the sulky Scot rather than the previously ineffectual and costly LTA. The LTA’s directive is finally showing signs of change under the guidance of Roger Draper, with greater emphasis on competition and junior participation at the forefront of his new vision. However the Lawn Tennis Association might first be advised to immediately address their somewhat anachronistic name . The time of summer lawn tennis is over and Britain desperately needs a new and modern image to reinvigorate Britain’s lost sport.

SPORT 33

NOVEMBER.03.2008 SPORT@gairrhydd.COM

PHOTO: LIZ WRAY

The IMG Roundup

EUROSceptics Dan Lang IMG Reporter J-Soc 8-3 EUROS

Samba magic Adam Horne IMG Reporter Samba Tigers 5-4 Men United

HOTO: LIZ WRAY

DESPITE THE ADVERSE weather conditions at Trelai on Wednesday, Samba Tigers and Men United produced a nine goal thriller to brighten the mood. The Tigers continued their solid start to the season with a hardfought yet somewhat fortunate victory against Men United FC. The first 15 minutes saw United dominate and they almost took the lead through a smart shot from distance by Dave Calvert, but the ball sailed just wide. Minutes later, United were denied once more: Morgan Harrie’s shot was stopped by a spectacular diving save from the Tigers stand in goalkeeper.

Despite United’s early pressure, it was the Tigers who took the lead. An initial save from United’s reserve goalkeeper led to Tigers attacker Pepe Edgley tapping in from close range.

United heads seemed to drop instantly, and the Tigers took advantage.

They went close moments later, cruelly denied by the quagmire of a goalmouth, the ball rolling to a halt just short of the goalline. Their missfortune did not last long however and they soon doubled their lead, Pepe Edgley grabbing his brace as United failed to clear a cross.

The Tigers then seemed to move up yet another gear in a 10 minute period before half time that saw them net two more goals, one of them a scorcher from Max Barrett.

At 4-0 down it seemed United were facing an inevitable rout, yet a floated

cross from Ed Stroud was met by Rich Spencer who delicately lobbed the ball over the oncoming goalkeeper, giving United a glimmer of hope at the break.

Despite the Tigers ascendancy in the first period, the second failed to follow the same pattern. United came out fighting and dominated from the first whistle. They were soon rewarded with a fine goal after an accurate through ball was picked up by Nick Doncaster who slotted home with ease.

At 4-2 it looked as though United were back in the game, but minutes later their goalkeeper gave away a clumsy penalty. Pepe Edgley calmly stepped up to net his third, claiming a well deserved hat-trick in the process.

However, United failed to crumble and poor defending from the Tigers saw centre back Tom Heggs poach a goal from a corner. At 5-3 United still had hope and for the final 20 minutes there was only one team in the game.

Nick Doncaster took the initiative with a storming run down the right flank and followed it up with a 25 yard screamer that left the 'keeper stranded as it nestled in the top corner of the net.

Despite United’s pressure in the final minutes, the Tigers defence remained solid. United failed to make any of their chances count as they tried in vain to snatch a point in what ended a pulsating game. With the match ending 5-4, a draw would have perhaps have been the right result; United’s second half endeavour worthy of sharing the spoils, yet no one could complain about the quality on show.

Despite the setback J-Soc continued to cause EUROS problems and extended their lead further with Dan Lang powering home a header from a Llywelyn Cadman-Davies corner following some slack marking. CadmanDavies again got an assist to his name as his fierce strike stung the goalkeeperís hands and Ben Cajee was on hand to complete his hat-trick from the rebound.

J-Soc continued to pile the pressure on EUROS who, despite looking good on the break, were unable to get hold of the ball and the rout was completed 10 minutes from time as Will Pearce powerfully drove home a Rich Gale cross to make it 8-3. That was how it finished with J-Soc running out comfortable winners, leaving EUROS firmly rooted to the bottom of the Group C table.

PHOTO: LIZ WRAY

PHOTO: ED SALTER

DESPITE COMING INTO the game on the back of a heavy defeat to Law B in week one, EUROS started the game the brighter and quickly ran into a two goal lead against J-Soc. Two long balls over the top caused massive problems for the J-Soc defence and EUROS were able to capitalise with a couple of clinical finishes.

However the lead was relatively short-lived as J-Soc began to impose themselves on the game. Llywelyn Cadman-Davies pulled one back with a close range finish before they pulled level when a Craig Fawcett corner was flicked on by Ben Cajee and volleyed into the net by Vince Fielder.

On a boggy surface both teams were finding it difficult to get into a rhythm but it was J-Soc who managed to find a way through with Ben Cajee tapping in after some more good work from Craig Fawcett down the left.

That was how it stayed until half time and the teams went into the break with the match finely balanced.

As the second half got underway, J-Soc began to stamp their authority on the game, playing some clinical, passing football and creating good opportunities. Their lead was extended with the best move of the match; some good interplay between Ben Cajee and Llywelyn Cadman-Davies set up Rich Gale who burst into the box and slotted ball home with a neat left-foot finish.

EUROS, though, came back with a great goal of their own, their striker firing a sweetly struck shot into the corner of the net from 20 yards.

IMG: GOAL FEST

Economic decline Daniel Gardner IMG Reporter Economics 1-6 Law A WEDNESDAY'S SCORELINE at Trelai was perhaps an unfair reflection of a game which saw Law A under pressure for long periods. The opening half hour was fairly scrappy, with windy conditions and a boggy pitch not aiding the flow of the match.

However, with Gareth Davies controlling the tempo for Economics in the middle of the park, they looked the more likely to score; Ben Wilkins came close for Economics when his header was well saved by the Law goalkeeper. Meanwhile a frustrated Law side were restricted to shots from distance that did little to trouble the Economics' defence.

Then came Law’s breakthrough. A hopeful ball upfield was chased down

by Law’s striker and as Economics'

keeper Matt Smith came out to clear his lines, he cannoned the ball against defender Sam Brooks, who was unable to prevent the own goal. The goal seemed to stun Economics and Law grabbed a second before the break as a neat pass into the their striker saw him slot the ball under Smith despite looking offside.

The second half began in much the same way as the first, with Economics controlling the tempo and creating numerous chances. They were rewarded when a David Jenkins corner was headed in by centre back Steve King.

Economics rallied and Adam Ganon was proving a handful upfront with his physical presence upsetting defenders. However, Economics had little time to settle before a long throw caused uncertainty at the back, and Law’s midfielder was able to bring the ball down and volley home from close range.

Shortly afterwards came the turning point of the game. Economics

launched a long ball up field and Law’s defender miscued his clearance before the ball looped up over the goalkeeper. The ball was heading into the net until the 'keeper clawed the ball to safety. Although the referee signalled a corner, many spectators and subs standing behind the goal claimed the ball had crossed the goalline.

The disappointment of not being awarded the goal disheartened the Economics team as Law further increased their lead through a header from a corner. They scored a fifth after a well placed lob and the sixth quickly followed with a precise finish from midfield, sealing their win in the last twenty minutes. Economics battled hard in a game from which they deserved far more.

Despite the loss, Economics will still fancy their chances of grabbing one of the two coveted promotion places, and Law A will feel they are in the driving seat for top spot in the group.

34 SPORT

NOVEMBER.03.2008 SPORT@gairrhydd.COM

A bridge too far Four-ced out CARDIFF 1sts.........................38 BRUNEL 1sts..........................38 EVEN THE most knowledgeable of netball spectators would have been hard pressed at any stage to predict a winner as Cardiff and Brunel ended in a 38-38 deadlock.

In what was a passionately fought game of breathtaking intensity, lightning movement and precise passing of the highest order, neither team had the initiative for long before the opposition had stolen in straight back.

If there was anything to choose between the sides it was shooting accuracy. Throughout the first half especially, the visitors were missing by the smallest of margins in stark contrast to the pinpoint shooting of their Cardiff counterparts.

It was frustrating in particular for Cardiff goal attack and team captain Carly Allchurch. Allchurch, who lead by example at the front, missed a last gasp chance to beat the Brunel squad in a penalty shoot at the final

whistle. Until that point, it was anyone's game.

The first quarter opened with Cardiff gaining the momentum and an early 3-1 lead. But almost as quickly as the ball changed hands, the momentum swung Brunel's way.

Despite some opportunistic intercepts from Cardiff, the next seven goals were Brunel's and the home side seemingly had no answer to the NETBALL: Tight margin

PHOTO: CHRISTINA MACKIE

Joe Davies Sports Reporter

onslaught.

Courtesy of some super shots by Jo Allan, the goals soon enough returned and Cardiff broke out into a 12-7 lead with the visitors looking as overwhelmed as the home side had earlier.

Brunel made a pretty good fist of clawing back the deficit after the break, and not before long it was 1414. Eager to gain control, both sides made unforced errors but unlike the first quarter, neither seemed to be able to break out of the deadlock.

The third quarter saw substitutions made and a noticeable improvement in performance by both teams. It ultimately finished, however, as it had started: one goal separating the two sides after another 22 goals.

Some particularly aggressive play on Brunel's part characterised the final quarter, which saw them levelling the scores another six times.

Captain Carly Allchurch afterwards said the result was "A brilliant performance for the third game, a really physical game and everyone kept their cool.

"We're looking forward to playing Bath in two weeks – the winners of the league last year."

Cardiff continue revival

Tomos Morgan Rugby Reporter CARDIFF Men's 1sts.................9 OXFORD BROOKES Men's 1sts..3 CARDIFF CONTINUED their minirevival with a win at Oxford Brookes.

After last weeks win at home to UWE and a loss away to Welsh 4th Division side Betwys on Saturday in a friendly, the focus returned to the league.

Returning to the team this week was Ed Hampton, whose absence had been sorely missed at open side flanker, especially in the away match in Hartpury two weeks ago. Hampton's addition to

the team added an extra dimension to the already strong set of forwards that Cardiff have this season.

Things didn't all go according to the script for Cardiff as no. 8 Mark Squirrel got sin binned five minutes in.

The loss didn't affect the team too much with fly-half Jack Perkins again finding points with his boot. Later in the game, kicking duties were taken

by Cameron Pimllo, who had moved from full-back to fly-half.

Things started to go smoothly, with Cardiff leading 9-3, but in the last 10 minutes the referee made a contentious decision by binning Pimllo for not releasing the player.

Cardiff remained focused and defended valiantly with 14 men until the final whistle to secure the win.

Chairman Gethin Watkin Thomas said after the match "Another great win, especially as it was away from home.

We did really well in the last ten minutes, despite a horrendous decision by the ref, and credit should go to all the players and especially to my fellow winger Giancaolo Hadfield for some great cover tackles in the last distressing moments."

Cardiff play at home next week against league leaders Oxford Greyhounds, a feeder team to the Oxford blues. The Greyhounds dispatched Swansea 78-0 two weeks ago on their own turf, but do not travel well. This would be another big win for Cardiff if they can topple the league leaders on their own patch.

PHOTO: CHRISTINA MACKIE

RUGBY: On the up

Will Viles Sports Reporter

CARDIFF Ladies' 1sts................0 BRISTOL Ladies' 1sts................4 BRISTOL CAPITALISED on Cardiff’s slow start to the season with a comfortable 4-0 victory on an icy afternoon at Talybont. Four first half goals compounded another disappointing result for the home side, who need to start firing if they are to haul themselves off the bottom of the table.

Cardiff entered the game determined to earn their first points of the season, but three goals in the first twelve minutes from the visiting attack immediately punctured any hope of a win.

Early Bristol pressure culminated in a well-worked opening goal in the 8th minute. Erin Ruxton’s weaving run and cross found Lexi Brown in front of goal and the forward lifted the ball high into the net.

The away team doubled their lead two minutes later with a near identical goal. Lorna Bowman again found Ruxton’s dribbling too hot to handle down the right and Charlotte Tuplin pounced to tap in her own rebound following Sinead Roberts’ initial stop.

Cardiff appeared crestfallen and it was not long before Bristol’s Georgie

Twigg poked a third past Roberts in the confusion of a deflected penalty corner in the 13th minute.

Cardiff tried to respond, but the ball would just not stick with the forward line and the defence appeared to have no answer to the excellent forward dribbling of Ruxton and Twigg.

This became apparent in the build up to a superbly taken fourth Bristol goal. Ruxton ran into the area and passed the ball to Georgie Margiotta with her back to goal. Cardiff’s defence was again too slow in the tackle and the midfielder skillfully managed to lift a reverse stick shot over Roberts and into the net.

At the interval, one would have been forgiven for predicting a much heavier defeat, however the home team put in an admirable second half performance to prevent Bristol’s advantage from widening.

In particular, goalkeeper Roberts made numerous saves to deny the impressive duo of Ruxton and Twigg including a first-rate reaction save with the stick at shoulder height.

The final whistle came as a welcome sound to the home side, who did not manage to muster a shot on target during the seventy minutes of play.

Their current form is causing deep concern, but a second half clean sheet will give the squad hope of earning a positive result in their next match against Bath.

Bourne supremacy Niall Allen Golf Reporter

GOLF: Swing low

CARDIFF Men's 1sts.................0 BOURNEMOUTH Men's 1sts......6 CUGS FIRSTS were unable to build on last week’s victory at Hertfordshire and crashed to a 6 – 0 whitewash against a far superior Bournemouth side.

With usual first team captain Gareth Higton unable to play, the side were led by Oliver Stevens, whose job was not made easier by the withdrawals of first team regulars Gareth Rees and Ben Hepburn. These withdrawals meant call-ups for Vice President Kieron Gregson and Dave Poirer, who was making his first appearance of the season. The line-up was completed by President Chris Orr, Alex Howe and fresher Robin Hughes.

Things started badly for CUGS, with several team members losing ground on their opponents within the opening few holes but a Gregson led resurgence around the half way stage left CUGS in contention in a number of matches. Gregson, who had himself been 2 down after 3 holes, fought back to be 1 up through the 12th and

he was aided by solid performances from captain Stevens and the ever reliable Howe, who refused to let their opponents stretch their lead.

With Poirer having lost 7&6, Orr 5&4 and Hughes 4&3 the pressure was on CUGS remaining trio to win their matches and secure a half for the team. Despite their best efforts the surviving three were unable to hold on with all of them eventually losing out on the penultimate hole; thus completing a 6 – 0 rout.

When asked about CUGS’ second defeat of the season, stand in captain Stevens commented: “I can’t fault the effort of the guys today; we were just outplayed by what was a very strong Bournemouth team. It’s important we don’t dwell on this defeat and make sure we bounce back next week”.

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Saints slashed Blown away

CARDIFF Ladies' 1sts............129 SOUTHAMPTON Ladies' 1sts..122 CARDIFF LADIES' fencing team earned their second consecutive win this week beating Southampton ladies 129-122.

First was foil, fenced by Morwenna Perrott, Signe Springe, Charlie Dyer and Jo Chen. Cardiff took an initial lead and were 10-3 up after two bouts.

Southampton then made a strong re-

turn winning their next bout 12-3, however Cardiff’s Morwenna Perrott took Cardiff back into the lead where they remained for the rest of the match.

Despite the loss of foil specialist Perrot for the anchor bout of the fight, sabruer Jo Chen stepped in to take her place against Southampton’s captain Lindsey Badger, helping Cardiff win foil 45-41.

Next was Sabre, fenced by a full sabre team of Jo Chen, Rose Gordon and Charlie Dyer and reserve Charlotte Cole. Cardiff again took an early lead, and once again Southampton replied with an excellent performance.

However, Cardiff replied with an 8-0

taking them back into the lead, eventually winning sabre 45-36.

The final weapon was epeé. Despite a strong performance from Cardiff’s epeé team of Natalie Brown, Bethan Amphlett, Jayne Huxtable and last minute substitution Jo Chen, Southampton was able to win 45-39. The defeat was irrelevant however, as Cardiff had won again on both points and weapons after an excellent display of fencing from both teams. The team now hope to continue this performance when they face last year's league winners Aberystwyth away next week.

PHOTO: CHRISTINA MACKIE

HOCKEY: High flyers

CARDIFF Men's 1sts.................7 MARJON Men's 1sts..................2 CARDIFF PRODUCED a scintillating second half performance to thoroughly outclass a traveling Marjon side, with Gav Vollmer claiming a high quality hat-trick.

In bitterly cold conditions at Talybont, Cardiff began brightly and, in similar fashion to a fortnight ago, took a deserved early lead; an accurate through pass from wide right let in Phil Wilkinson, the winger slid the ball across the face of goal into the path of Marty Freshman, who made no mistake in coolly slotting home to put Cardiff one up. Had it not been for a brave Marjon clearance, the home side could have extended their lead, with Felix Flower going close.

Somewhat against the run of play, Marjon equalised midway through the

CARDIFF HURRICANES Ladies'...4 CARDIFF UNIVERSITY Korfball firsts beat local rivals Cardiff City Hurricanes in their first game of the season.

After a cagey start to the game, both sides scored in quick succession, making the score 1-1. Sarah Louise Burgess, who proved to be an influential player throughout the game, made a key early contribution for Uni. The divisions swapped and again two goals were scored in quick succession. Burgess provided Uni's goal once again with a great running-in shot against her opponent.

City took the lead for a third time through a long shot after the divisions swapped. However, good offensive play from proved too much for City to defend and Uni responded to equal the score once again.

With the score standing at 3-3, Cardiff Uni really got into their stride.

They recycled the ball well, ensuring that any shots put up were collected and their offensive play started again.

Two great long shots from Jason Green and Lucy Czaplicka ensured that Uni had a decent lead of two goals going

Cardiff crushed

Seventh heaven Phil Haynes Sports Reporter

CARDIFF Ladies' 1sts................7

into half time.

After a quick pep talk from the coach and a substitution, Cardiff started the second half strongly. They defended well against City, picking up any loose balls, intercepting passes and defending the few shots that City were able to put up.

Great offensive play from Phil Hodge and James Croston ensured that City were made to work hard in defence. However this was to no avail as Burgess scored her fourth goal of the game. The collection and recycling of the ball kept Cardiff in possession for the majority of the second half.

However, City turned the ball over and scored a great long shot. With five minutes of the game to play, Cardiff brought on two of their more experienced players who caused trouble for the tired City players.

Jack McNamara intercepted a pass and passed to an unmarked Claire Richardson who scored the final goal of the game, providing Cardiff with a 7-4 victory.

The result was even more significant considering the squad wasn't at full strength and it was the first game of the season. With Cardiff University firsts taking on Cardiff University seconds next time, the team will be hoping that their successful start will continue.

first half – too much space was given to their striker, who produced a precise finish from a difficult angle.

Spurred on by their change in fortunes, the visitors from Plymouth enjoyed a spell of pressure, this combined with uncharacteristically careless defending from Cardiff led to a penalty corner, duly dispatched by the visitors. Stung into action, the home side seized control of the half, forcing a penalty corner of their own, which was saved well by the Marjon goalkeeper. The equaliser was not to be denied, however, with good work on the left by Huw Proctor setting up Kieran Zeale to put the home side back on level terms. Hugely encouraged by this, Cardiff maintained their pressure and consistent failure to clear from Marjon resulted in them conceding a penalty corner for obstruction. A well-rehearsed move allowed Jamie Longstreet to finish shortly before the break.

Desperate to stamp their authority on the contest, the second half saw Cardiff force the hapless Marjon

backline into making errors, scoring two goals in quick succession. A tricky run from Freshman almost let in Zeale for his second shortly before a howler from the Marjon right-back gifted Vollmer a one-on-one; he made no mistake in giving the home side a 4-2 lead. Freshman was involved again for the fifth goal, combining with Billy Hughes to let in Tom Moore, who drilled home from inside the D. Cardiff were now playing with an undoubted swagger, punctuated by a beautifully improvised finish from Vollmer; receiving the ball inside the D, he neatly spun and flicked the ball around his perplexed Marjon marksman, giving the ‘keeper no chance.

From a Hughes free hit, Vollmer claimed his treble with an outstanding top-corner smash, completing the rout. Cardiff could even have added to their tally, constantly peppering the Marjon goal before the final whistle provided salvation for the vanquished Plymouth outfit.

Susanna Byers Lacrosse Reporter CARDIFF Ladies' 1sts................5 BRISTOL Ladies' 1sts..............18 CARDIFF LADIES' Lacrosse suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of their Bristol counterparts at Llanrumney.

Cardiff were well aware of Bristol's thrashing of Cambridge last week and knew that they would have to give everything to be successful.

With the weather having taken a rather cold turn, the ladies headed down to Llanrumney early to prepare for the match.

Bristol started strongly and managed to gain goals early on, despite the efforts of Cardiff's defence to keep them out of the goal area.

Philippa Tyler was able to score Cardiff's first goal of the match in an attempt to turn the corner.

The second quarter saw Cardiff's focus and concentration fade as Bristol got stronger, scoring several goals in quick succession.

Cardiff's defence worked hard to fend Bristol off, but unfortunately the lack of teamwork left Cardiff trailing 11-1 at half-time.

After a stern talking to at half-time, Cardiff finally woke up for the second half. The defence worked hard, with Ellie Drury and Elly Morris registering goals after trying their luck at the other end of the pitch.

Cardiff suffered a blow when Elly Morris had to leave the pitch injured after the ball hit her in the face.

The attack swiftly took the job into their own hands with Emily Winkworth and Chaz Ewen trying out set plays.

Cardiff also benefitted from the experienced Sue Chandler returning from her travels. However it was Georgie Saunders and Anna Tomlinson who brought Cardiff's final score up to five.

Despite Cardiff's late surge, Bristol had already streaked ahead and the comprehensive win saw them move to the top of the table.

PHOTO: CHRISTINA MACKIE

Charlie Dyer Fencing Reporter

Claire Richardson Korfball Reporter

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FEATURES

OCTOBER.22.2007

INSIDE: All the big BUCS results, the full IMG FEATURES@gairrhydd.COM roundup and the failures of the LTA

SURF'S UP

-GAIR RHYDD AND QUENCH MAGAZINE IS PUBLISHED BY UNIVERSITY UNION CARDIFF, PARK PLACE, CARDIFF CF10 3QN

Will Lemay Surf Reporter

A WEEKEND of consistent, powerful surf coupled with glassy conditions set the scene for a stoked Cardiff team to carve their way to third place at this year's BUCS surfing championships.

A surge in entries this year meant a cap was imposed to 100 women and 200 men. These figures make the BUCS event the largest British surfing competition - only the English Championships attracts a bigger entry.

Having come second last year, Cardiff stuck to their guns and sent the same team back into the surf. The A team, consisting of Rob WebsterBlythe, Elliot Dudley, Rob Miles and Tom Hayman, did not disappoint.

Dudley and Webster-Blythe both proceeded through to the semi finals, and Webster-Blythe surfed well in the first semi-final to ensure progress to the finals. Elliot Dudley surfed in the second of semi-final and looked set to cruise through after an impressive display; however, to the surprise of everyone watching, the judges disagreed.

In the women’s competition, Cardiff put forward four girls to compete this year including; Claire Moody, Jo Davies, Teagen Wilson and Amy Murphy. On the Saturday the girls surfed well progressing through at least one round, with Wilson pushing through to the semi finals.

Falmouth surfers dominated the men’s competition, with both Josh Leatherbarrow and Fabian Baker making it to the final where they encountered Cardiff’s Webster-Blythe and Jacob Downs of Plymouth A. At the end of the heat it was Falmouth who succeeded with Josh Leatherbarrow taking first with Fabian Baker coming second and Jacob Downs and WebsterBlythe taking third and fourth respectively.

After the final Webster-Blythe commented: “I really enjoyed the comp, it's one of the biggest in terms of entries and as a result there's lots of rounds and lots of surfing to be done. After so much effort to get to the final it's disappointing not to have done better but I'm really pleased with our performance as a team. By placing in the top 3 Universities here for the second year in a row, we've shown that Cardiff are a force to be reckoned with when it comes to surfing.”

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