Gair Rhydd - Issue 853 by Cardiff Student Media

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ISSUE 853 NOVEMBER 05 2007 CARDIFF’S STUDENT WEEKLY free word - EST. 1972

INSIDE...FEATURES/JOBS&MONEY/NEWS/TAF-OD/OPINION

GOING LIVE

After 9 months in the making, CUTV finally launches William Taylor News Editor After almost one year of hard work and planning Cardiff Students’ Union’s premier TV station launches on Monday. Under the name of CUTV, the new student TV station is set to change the face of Cardiff University’s student media. Students will now be able to view programmes on screens inside the Union, and on demand from their computers at home. Oz Thakkar, Head of Production at

the station, told gair rhydd: “CUTV creates a great opportunity for Cardiff students to make a visual impact on the media scene.” The launch of the station comes after an extended period of lobbying the Students’ Union into funding for the station. The station’s Controller, Huw Thomas, explained how the initial stages of setting up were considerably stressful. He said: “This year has started off with a heavy workload, as I have actually had to get the TV station up and running. “This involved negotiating with

the Students’ Union to buy new equipment, innumerable meetings and further negotiating about using Union resources to help CUTV get started.” But budget problems seem to be faced by many student TV stations across the UK. Andrea Vassallo, Controller of Nottingham Trent University’s TV station during 2006-07, described her experiences of setting up Trent TV from a ‘very limited budget’. She said: “A crucial factor in making Trent TV a success was having the dedicated support of another full time member of staff who was an endless fountain of knowledge for all things to

do with student TV.” Vassallo continued to praise student media and the opportunities it provides to students. She said: “Student radio and TV stations offer the chance to report on live events as they happen and are able to convey messages to audiences in a way that is much faster, more accessible, and often easier to take in.” CUTV currently outputs a range of programs from news and sport coverage, to music documentaries and dating shows, with pre-production on a feature film currently underway. Huw Thomas told gair rhydd he had high hopes for CUTV.

He said: “We are currently working from a very small space on the 4th floor, and hope to expand as we prove ourselves to be a valuable asset to the Union’s student media portfolio. “A year ago this project was a dream, but thanks to the enthusiasm of the Students’ Union and the unquestionable talent of Cardiff’s students, we’re ready to go on air.”

• Check out the website: www. cardiffunion.tv • Inside: Meet the CUTV Exec Team

SPORT/POLITICS/SCIENCE&ENVIRONMENT/LISTINGS/TV

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NOVEMBER.05.2007

NEWS

NEWS@gairrhydd.COM

At a glance...

18 4

This week... In numbers

0 tolerance

for racism

new Cardiff student TV station

FAST FORWARD

>>>

News

Features

Sport

4 - Get up to speed with everything CUTV related

20 - Features write on the rise against racism week

48 - Read how Cardiff Netball beat Bedford

ONLINE Exclusive Web Content Apple, floods and Debenhams lock in Sadie Brown writes on the dream of a fan advert for ipods coming true

Louisa Majer writes on the Debenhams student lock in

week until RAG week

weeks until Christmas

Ceri Isfryn explores a new scheme where maps will be used in South Wales to prevent flooding

gairrhydd

NOVEMBER.05.2007

NEWS

NEWS@gairrhydd.COM

Raising awareness EXPERT: Julie Williams

Pioneering Alzheimer’s project Steph Cockroft Reporter

Carrian Jones Reporter Cardiff University students have been doing their bit for the cause this October by raising money for Breast Cancer Awareness month. Over 44,000 people in the UK are diagnosed with breast cancer each year, a figure which includes over 300 cases of male breast cancer. Around one thousand women die from this disease each month.

But, with more research being done every day, an estimated 80% of women diagnosed with breast cancer will survive for at least five years. Friday October 26 saw Xpress Radio campaigning for Breast Cancer Breakthrough. Xpress members manned a pink stall in the Union reception all day, with the sale of pin badges, phone charms and wristbands raising just short of two hundred pounds throughout the day. Any Access All Areas goers would have been hard pushed to miss the girls

kitted out in pink and topped off with pink wigs collecting for Breast Cancer Breakthrough last Friday night. The girls, armed with collection buckets, sold the remaining badges and wristbands, along with pink glow sticks and sweets. The Xpress girls were joined by Shag and RAG in Access All Areas, who were also collecting for Breast cancer awareness. RAG, who also sold pink glow sticks, raised a total of two hundred pounds on the night.

XPRESS: Doing its bit They also collected on Saturday night for Meningitis, and raised four hundred pounds for that charity. A cake sale on the third floor of the Union helped to raise an additional £70 for Breast Cancer Breakthrough, bringing the total to £544. A spokesperson from Xpress said: “Thank you to anyone who donated to these charities. Your money is going towards a good cause.”

Meditation Resolving referencing ambiguity tutorials are set to eradicate the long-term confusion over education Online referencing consistency amongst Cardiff University students A new university in Scotland is set to add transcendental meditation to the usual higher education curriculum. Folk singer Donovan, famous for 60s hits such as Mellow Yellow, has joined forces with Twin Peaks director David Lynch to found the institution. The Invincible Donovan University will embody the pair’s belief that transcendental meditation can enhance the learning experience as well decreasing violence, crime and stress in schools and colleges. Lynch has practised the technique for over 34 years Donovan said: “We have gone into some of the most deprived areas and turned around kids with violent emotional and behavioural problems.” Popularised by the Beatles in the 1960s, Donovan has practiced this technique for forty years, while Lynch has recently promoted the method to schools in the United States.

Daniel Madden Reporter A student-led campaign is set to influence the way students employ referencing in university assignments. Students from Cardiff University have complained that there is ambiguity within different schools as to how referencing of other academics’ work within essays should be implemented. This has long been the cause of confusion, leading to poorly sourced work and detrimental marks. As a result, Information Services have developed online tutorials for the Harvard, OSCOLA and APA referencing styles. Rebecca Mogg, a key contributor to these valuable tools, said: “There are short interactive tutorials and printable guides which outline the main methods of referencing in a way which is clear and user-friendly.” The University’s Learning and Teaching Committee will convene

on December 12 to consider further propositions regarding the concerns that students and lecturers share in this area. Claire Wardle, Teaching and Learning Officer in the JOMEC department, commented on the vital nature of the proposed reforms. She said: “While accurate referencing may seem a pedantic exercise, it is intrinsic to the overall integrity of aca-

demic work.” The tutorials can be accessed at http://www.cf.ac.uk/insrv/educationandtraining/guides/citingreferences/index.html.

Cardiff University experts are to conduct the largest medical research to date to help tackle Alzheimer’s disease. The worldwide project has been launched in the hope of finding previously unknown mutations that contribute to the risk of developing the disease. Research will involve analysing DNA samples from 14,000 people across the UK and US. 6,000 of these patients are expected to have late-onset Alzheimer’s whilst 8,000 will be ‘healthy’ patients. The technique being used, genome wide association scanning, scans the entire human genetic blueprint, also known as the genome, in order to compare the samples. Professor Julie Williams, Team Leader of the research project, said that the size of the project was due to the sample size. She said: “A large sample size is needed due to the genetically complicated story involving many genes.” Professor Williams added: “The study will produce some valuable insights. We need to build a complete picture of the different pathways that lead to the disease.” It is estimated by the Alzheimer’s society that 700.000 people are affected by the disease in the UK alone, with expectations that this figure will double in 20 years. Symptoms include becoming forgetful, confused and lost, as well as the tendency to act inappropriately. Hallucinations are also common. The project is being supported by a donation of over £1 million from Britain’s largest medical research charity, The Wellcome Trust. Professor Richard Morris, Head of Neuroscience and Mental Health, highlighted the project’s importance. He said: “It is essential to develop the knowledge on the underlying cause of the disease. The genome-wide association scans offer a powerful tool to do just this.”

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NOVEMBER.05.2007

NEWS

NEWS@gairrhydd.COM

The lowdown on Cardiff Union’s new TV station Meet the exec...

Will Taylor – UGC Editor and Creative Consultant I edit the material that students submit to the TV station, be it of a night out or some news footage that they have caught on their mobile video phone, and so on. I then edit through this material and it goes online at the CUTube section of the website, www.cardiffunion.tv.

Rachel Henson – Head of Music Programming My role involves co-ordinating the music programming on CUTV. I work with a fantastic music team, whose purpose is to showcase Cardiff’s musical talent and bring musical info and entertainment to our viewers.

Rob Walters – Chief Engineer My role in brief is making sure the programme-making departments can concentrate on programmes without having to worry too much about equipment. I maintain the equipment and solve any problems that may arise, liaise with the Union’s IT staff, set up equipment ready for use where required and work with Programming to train crew on use of the equipment.

The Music Department is important because almost everyone is passionate about music of one kind or another. It’s a big part of our society, so it’s natural that it plays a part in CUTV. We also provide opportunities for emerging talent to get themselves known to the student population, which can only be a good thing!

The Technical department is important because it encompasses the behind-the-scenes work that allows programmes to be made. Particularly if something goes wrong, we need to find a solution quickly.

User generated content is important because now the media, especially the broadcast platform are putting an ever increasing reliance on UGC. With this in mind I think it is important for students to be engaged with the TV station and also to simply have the chance to have some fun. Oz Thakkar – Head of Production Due to my experience in film-making over the last five years including my time spent in New York, I have been able to bring this expertise to Cardiff and alongside running production of CUTV, I am acting as a mentor to aspiring members. In my role as Head of Production I have to ensure that planning, fabricating and executing the content runs seamlessly and at a professional level. Some may see CUTV as simply a student television station, however I want to bring CUTV and Cardiff student media to surpass expectations and be the best.

James Temperton – News Editor

Sarah Farthing – Head of Sport

I have to report the news basically! We’ve got a news team of about twenty people and I’ll be helping to organise news stories to cover, people to interview and things to go out and investigate.

My role involves going out on a weekly basis filming Cardiff University sports teams. This includes matches, making fun team profiles, and filming training. I’ll be interviewing players pre- and post-match too, for example, to see what their mood is like, if they want to make any score predictions and also ask them afterwards how they felt they did.

As the gair rhydd has shown, students in Cardiff are hungry for news and information both about their Union and about the student world in general. CUTV News will aim to go beyond the headlines (clichéd, but true!) in order to add another dimension to the news coverage already available at the Students’ Union. INTERVIEWS: Emma Jones and Shazia Khawaja PHOTOS: Ed Salter

The Sports section is important because Cardiff University prides itself on some of the best teams out of the UK universities. It’s also a fun way to raise the profile of a particular sport which may not get much attention.

Huw Thomas – Controller I am equivalent to Station Manager at Xpress Radio, in that I have an overseeing and co-ordinating role at CUTV. I’ve also had to select who will lead all my teams, and make sure they are adequately qualified for their positions. There have been innumerable meetings with various departments at the Students’ Union to get CUTV up and running. This has included a big marketing campaign, as well as negotiations about using Union resources to help CUTV get started. We are currently working from a very small space on the 4th floor, and hope to expand as we prove ourselves to be a valuable asset to the Union’s student media portfolio. The launch will be great, and I am confident that CUTV is going to grow from very humble beginnings to be the best student TV station in Britain.

Chloe Shollheifer – Head of Events and Promotions My role involves arranging socials and parties, including the launch party on Monday November 5. Promoting involves publicising CUTV and telling everyone about it by flyering, etc. My section is important because not many people know what CUTV is so we have to create a lot of hype about it.

gairrhydd

NOVEMBER.05.2007

NEWS

NEWS@gairrhydd.COM

Getting in the swing of it Three student jazz bands and two societies joined forces as part of the recent Oxjam Music Festival to raise money for the charity Oxfam. Oxjam is a month-long music festival that takes place throughout October every year, where people hold their own events to raise money for the charity. Andrew Farquharson, Musical Director of the Cardiff University Big Band, organised the jazz night entitled ‘In The Swing of It’ which was held at Talybont Social on October 27. Speaking after the event, Andrew said: “I am so pleased with how it has all gone this year. Our aim was to raise more than the £450 we got last year,

and we have smashed that to raise over £670. “I can’t thank everyone enough for their support – as musicians, technicians from the Live Music Society, door staff and helpers, or audience members.” He continued: “All bands involved were fantastic and really captured the idea of the Oxjam event – raising money, making music, and helping to end poverty.” A CD of the event is being produced, and anyone interested in getting a copy should contact the Big Band at bigband@cardiff.ac.uk. CDs are £5, with £4 of this being donated to Oxfam.

Dramatic inconsistencies Lea Blake Reporter BIG BAND: Jazzing it up

Shouting from the tree-tops Stacey Jeffreys Reporter Residents of Cathays Terrace were rudely awakened on Monday by a half–naked man howling ‘like a wolf’ from the top of a tree. The Czech national triggered a major police operation whereby the road had to be blocked off as three officers and an interpreter persuaded him to return safely to the ground. Onlookers explained that the unshaven man was covered in mud and only wearing a pair of black tracksuit bottoms having kicked off his shoes under the tree. At one point he tried to remove his trousers, but was dissuaded by a policewoman. Neighbour Martin Townley first spotted the man hiding amongst the leaves of the large tree. He said: “He’s been there since 6.30am. When he woke me up I thought it was a dog howling, he was crying. “I came out to have a chat with him but he just said ‘leave me alone, it’s my tree’.” After having sat on a lower branch of the tree opposite Lidl for two hours, the Czech man finally swung himself down and was taken away in the police van. Officers wrapped the man in a blanket and drove him away after he was checked over by medics.

Having your say Huw Richards University Registry First year undergraduate and postgraduate students are being given the chance to complete an online survey, ‘Coming to Cardiff University’. The survey has been designed to offer new students the opportunity to answer questions on why they chose Cardiff and their early experiences of university life. Students who complete the survey are entered into a prize draw, offering the chance to win a laptop or Amazon vouchers. This is the third consecutive year that the survey has been run. The results of the survey form part of Project Q, an initiative run jointly by the University and the Students’

Union. Project Q seeks to act upon the views of students at different stages of their university life and to enhance the student experience. Last year over 2,300 students responded to the survey. It is hoped that the response in 2007 will be even higher. Students’ Union President Jonny Cox said: “The survey is essential in enabling students to give feedback about their student experience so far. The University and Union are constantly striving to enhance the student experience at Cardiff.” A personal email has been sent to all new students which provides a web link to the survey. Further details on student surveys, including Project Q, are available at http://www.cf.ac.uk/studx/index.html.

The amount of work you put into your essays may be less significant to their mark than how tired the essay marker is or the size of the font you use, it has been revealed this week. The final instalment of the Burgess report and a new book ‘Developing Effective Assessment in Higher Education’ suggests that the marking of undergraduate work is massively inconsistent. One study discovered that the same piece of work received higher marks when submitted using a larger typeface. Another report concluded that differences of eight or nine marks out of 25 are common. Sue Bloxham, author of the new book, said: “There is limited research on marking given the amount that takes place each year, but what is there is consistently depressing in relation to issues of reliability, and this is particularly the case for assignments such as essays and in

disciplines such as the arts, social sciences and humanities.” Strategies to remedy the problem include double marking and blind marking which has just been introduced in the School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies here at Cardiff. Justin Lewis head of JOMEC said: “We try to ensure that our marking system is as consistent as possible and, on the advice of our external examiners and on our own initiative, have taken a number of steps over the last few years to facilitate this.” Cardiff Business School have had these measures in place for much longer. Although they are useful at preventing inconsistent marking, the report this week proposed the most effective way to increase standards is through student participation, engaging students from the beginning in assessment of their own work against standards. The report has added further pressure to the argument for scrapping the current degree classification system.

Triumph, tragedy and tycoons Corinne Rhoades News Editor

£1,000 is on offer to Cardiff University students who enter into a Dragons’ Den-style business competition next week. As part of Student Enterprise Week, beginning on November 12, students are being encouraged to put their entrepreneurial skills to the test and get involved in a business competition. Organised by the St Paul’s Community Development trust and run by Cardiff’s Student Enterprise Unit, the event will give students the opportunity to showcase their business ideas in front of local entrepreneurs. The entrepreneurs will then take on the role of the judges, much like in the BBC programme Dragons’ Den. £1,000 prize will be given to the

winning business, to be judged in a London-based final next semester. Student Enterprise has put on the week, which will also be running other competitions, in a bid to raise awareness of the support available to budding student entrepreneurs. Josie Beckett, a Cardiff University graduate, received help from Student Enterprise when setting up her own fashion label, whereisjosienow.com. She said: “In my opinion, there is no more valuable experience than starting your own business. “Fresh from university, you have few financial responsibilities and plenty of energy to put into making your dream a reality.” Details about Student Enterprise Week can be found from Student Enterprise on the third floor of the Students’ Union, or at www.enterpriseweek.org.

CHALLENGE: Who will slay the dragons?

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NOVEMBER.05.2007

NEWS

NEWS@gairrhydd.COM

Cardiff costs less City safe for

Rachel Simons Reporter Cardiff has been rated as the cheapest UK capital for students, an independent website has found. The website, push.co.uk, rated universities on the average cost of groceries, union drinks and accommodation. It was hoped that the findings would help prospective students when deciding which universities were good value for money.

Johnny Rich, the editor of Push, said: “students need the facts to make informed choices.” The costs of the London Royal Academy of Music were found to be double that of Bradford University. But Wales was deemed one of the cheapest areas for students to live in, with all Welsh universities coming below average and four in the top ten. Cardiff University was rated seventh, ahead of its in-city rival, UWIC due to cheaper groceries and drinks.

Lisa Evans Reporter

Cardiff has been named ‘the safest city in its cohort of cities’, by Welsh MP Alun Michael. Cardiff University has developed a violence prevention scheme, which has proved so successful that the Government is considering applying this policy in England. The scheme was developed by Professor Jonathan Shepherd and aimed to curb violence. Since the scheme’s introduction there has been a dramatic decline in the number of alcohol-related street crime in Cardiff. Such success has been achieved through constantly encouraging victims to speak out about any incidents that have occurred. As a result of the scheme’s success, attention has been drawn from Secretary of State for Health, Alan Johnson, who met with Professor Shepherd. The Cardiff Violence Prevention model was discussed and Johnson said, “I found the visit very interesting.”

PHOTO: Ed Salter

Cardiff’s low prices pave the way for cheaper student living

students

TAF TRAIL: Student friendly route

Is Cardiff good value for money?

“I’d say it was good. Some of the bars are expensive on weekends but there are student bars during the week so it’s ok.”

“You’ve got to remember that it’s a capital. You need to work though, you can’t just live on the student loan. But generally, it’s not too bad.”

“It’s cheaper than where I live in Birmingham. It seems to be more expensive for things like taxis and, on the whole, transport seems more expensive here.”

“Food shopping is about a tenner and I don’t drink so I don’t spend money on booze. It’s annoying giving exact change for the bus but that’s a small price to pay.”

“Clothes are quite expensive. It’s like they’re trying to take advantage of students. Food is quite good and there are quite a few restaurants around which helps.”

Kathy Turner First year Politics

Shane Davies Second year Philosophy

Matthew Strange First year Law and Politics

Olivia Cottrell First year English Lit

Richard Edwards First year Biomedics

PHOTOS: Christofer Lloyd

gair rhydd’s Magdalene Quarley asks students for their views

gairrhydd

NOVEMBER.05.2007

WORLD NEWS

NEWS@gairrhydd.COM

Celebs smoked out Emma Barlow Reporter A state of emergency was declared in California last week as services were still desperately fighting to control the forest fires. Blazes have covered the area stretching from Santa Barbara to San Diego, forcing hundreds of thousands of people to evacuate their homes. Amongst the hundreds of thousands of people being forced to evacuate their homes are a number of stars who own property in Malibu, including Mel Gibson and Jenifer Aniston. At least one person has been killed and approximately half a million have been forced to leave their homes in the worst affected area, San Diego County. Meanwhile the less reported fires in

Waiting until the cows come home

COW: Ready for rustling

CELEBRITIES: Get them out of there

Navodita Panden Reporter Cattle rustlers have kept the police on their toes in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province with a sudden rise in cases of cattle theft. The National Anti-Stock Theft Forum said more than 62,000 cows were stolen in the area last year. The KwaZulu-Natal Agricultural Union’s security desk said that at least 15,000 cows, seven thousand sheep and nine hundred goats had been stolen so far this year. Some cattle are stolen by local villagers to stock up their kraals after they have lost their cattle to raiders. But most cattle are stolen by syndicates who sell them for their meat to butcheries in Mpumalanga, the Eastern Cape, Swaziland, Mozambique and Lisotho. The Head of KwaZulu-Natal Agri-

cultural Union said: “Syndicates will use every mode of transport available to them.” In the wake of a huge number of robberies in the past, the police stepped up their surveillance of larger vans. But the rustlers still found their way around and succeeded in outwitting the police in transporting animals in smaller cars. Police in Zululand said they found two cows and two goats squashed in the back of a tiny Fiat Uno. The authorities said in another instance rustlers had crammed two cows and seven goats into a Toyota Tazz before being caught and asked to pull over. Local police spokesman, Captain Jabulani Mdletshe, said: “Police have been keeping watch on vans and trucks travelling at night. “Now they are using small cars to avoid detection,” he added.

An end is in sight for the horrific African conflict which has spanned two decades There are renewed hopes for progress in resolving Africa’s longest-running conflict after acting commanders in the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) met high-level Ugandan government officials in the capital Kampala last week. Acting commanders Mike Anywar and Ray Achama were met at Kampala’s Entebbe International Airport by government representatives in the first visit by such officials in 20 years. Later, they also met the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Affairs, Dr Stephen Kagoda.

In Kampala to consult with the government on the ongoing Juba peace talks, the representatives also helped to arrange security for the visit of an LRA peace delegation due later in the week. The government and the LRA signed a pact on ‘reconciliation and accountability’ – which had proven a particular obstacle to peace talks – in Juba earlier in the year. Until now, however, the LRA has been slow to commence consultations. Peace talks in Uganda have been continuing since August 2006, but have been dogged by rebel concerns over bias and security issues. During their visit, it is reported that the LRA commanders appeared nervous, acting with suspicion towards the

gathered press photographers, and appearing to want officials to accompany them during their transfer from the airport.

Over 25,000 children are thought to have been kidnapped by the LRA since 1987 Excited to be in Kampala, however, Mr Anywar said: “I am happy to be home. This is my first time in over 10 years.”

World News in brief Ruth Smith Reporter

Bridal train-ing

the Amazonian Basin are also continuing to cause concern. The blazes have devastated a huge area, sending up clouds of smoke covering Brazil and eastern Bolivia, causing trouble for some commercial flights. The autumn rains would usually have prevented the fires from spreading out of control, but the rainy season this year has been late and less intense than usual. It is feared that the burning will have catastrophic effects on the environment. Hylton Murray Philipson, of the Rainforest Concern charity, said: “These fires are the suicide note of mankind.”

Prospects for peace Piers Horner Reporter

The violence in Uganda has continued since the late 1980s, following the overthrow of then President Tito Okello. The LRA was formed in 1987 under the leadership of Joseph Kony, who claims to be a spiritual medium. The conflict has been characterised by many stories of horrific human rights abuses by members of the LRA, which is also notorious for its use of child soldiers. Over 25,000 children are thought to have been kidnapped by the LRA since 1987, while 12,000 people are thought to have been killed in the conflict, and nearly two million civilians displaced.

In tribute to the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games a Chinese man ordered a 200-metre long wedding dress for his prospective wife. Ken, from Guangzhou city, originally wanted the dress to be 2008 metres long, but decided this would be too difficult to handle. Instead it was precisely 200.8metres in length with 208 butterfly knots. The dress took three months to make in Ken’s local factory, and the wedding photographer had to spend five hours arranging the train.

Struck dumb

In protest at the mayor closing down all the brothels and bars in the Bolivian city El Alto, prostitutes have sewn together their lips as part of a hunger strike. At least 40 women are known to have taken part in the action, with a spokeswoman saying that the women are fighting for their jobs’ survival. The Mayor, however, was fed up with underage drinking and crime in El Alto’s red light district. Student activists agreeing with Mayor Fanor Nava, are also partaking in a hunger strike.

Dead wrong

A drunken, dressed-up zombie was recently mistaken for a corpse on a train in Germany. The 24-year-old sleeping man was travelling home to Hamburg after a Halloween party. Fellow passengers had thought the fake blood covering his hands and face was real. Police were called to the scene and the man, when woken, was instructed to remove his make-up before continuing the journey. A police spokeswoman said Halloween is not very well known there so no one was expecting anyone in costume.

gairrhydd

NOVEMBER.05.2007

EDITORIAL & OPINION

OPINION@gairrhydd.COM

freewords Est. 1972

The start of something new The lights are ready, the cameras are rolling, and now it’s time for ACTION. This year we are remembering November 5 for an altogether different reason: the launch of Cardiff Union Television, CUTV. This latest addition to Cardiff’s already successful media portfolio is long overdue, but now it is here things can only get better for Cardiff’s Student Media. At present the setup is far from ideal. Working from what is affectionately known as the ‘broom cupboard’ and without any studios, one may be inclined to think that the output may suffer as a consequence. But working against these odds is a team of passionate individuals. Fuelled with determination these individuals are not letting anything stop them from making their documentaries, news programmes and sports shows. It is clear when watching these programmes that the obstacles faced are overcome by commitment and dedication to the cause. The opportunity for experience that CUTV provides is invaluable. The professional standard equipment that has been invested in, provides perfect opportunity for students wanting to gain TV experience. As with gair rhydd, Quench and Xpress Radio, CUTV’s content, website and promotions are all made by voluntary students. Although the station only opened for members to join at this year’s Freshers’ Fair, it recruited almost one hundred enthusiastic members. Like all the areas of student media, CUTV is an opportunity for all students to take part in, regardless of what course they study or whether or not they want to work in the media. All too often student media is regarded as a group of JOMEC and ENCAP students, but the opportunity is here for all Cardiff students. Special thanks must go to last year’s gair rhydd editor, Perri Lewis, who was instrumental in setting the wheels in motion for CUTV. So if you want to see what all the fuss is about it’s easy. From 10pm on November 5, all you have to do is log on to the internet, type cardiffunion.tv into the address bar, and sit back and enjoy the shows. If, when watching CUTV, you feel inspired to make your own show, get in touch and be a part of something new. Editor Amy Harrison Deputy Editor Ben Bryant Co-ordinator Elaine Morgan News William Taylor Abigail Whittaker Samantha Shillabeer Corinne Rhoades Investigations Lee Macaulay Politics

Postbusters

Who ya gonna call? Still the Royal Mail, says Gareth Ludkin, who values heritage over a postman’s pay rise

love the post. There’s nothing like receiving an unexpected package through the door on an early, frost-covered morning. And call me sad but I still find the concept of sending and receiving letters incredibly romantic. The recent postal strike, the first for a decade, has threatened my love of receiving post as thousands of letters, parcels, presents, cards and oddly shaped packages lay undelivered in Royal Mail sorting offices throughout the country. What a nuisance for us all, especially for businesses who rely on the Royal Mail day after day, not to mention the fact I still haven’t received that CD I sent off for. The postal strike baffles me. Their dispute over pay and pension plans seems to me, as an objective observer, to be greedy, obsolete and a waste of time. The Royal Mail was not in a healthy state prior to the recent strike, with debts piling up, and the hole in its pocket has steadily been getting bigger.

lic, should show them some loyalty. As a result of the compromise that was reached, the CWU bargained a 6.9% pay rise, consolation on pension planning and flexible working hours to be trialed. Workers were concerned that their jobs were in jeopardy as the Royal Mail has been looking extensively into modernising in order to keep up with the competition and to give us the best service possible. For this I cannot fault them, but their modernising plans were reportedly going to cost thousands of employees’ jobs, with a switch to more machinery.

The Royal Mail is a huge national employer; to lose them would be disastrous

The postal strike baffles me Hence the strike has threatened to be the latest and final nail in the Royal Mail coffin. Other companies have cropped up in competition with steady growth and profits and, perhaps more significantly, have absorbed some coporate companies that the Royal Mail relies on heavily. Personally, I have had little to no problem with the Royal Mail, and so I feel it is a shame that the business has been brought into disrepute. Postmen and women across the country do not seem to be helping themselves in this war of words. They are effectively destroying the reputation of their employer, and in the long term damaging their future job security. While this may seem to be a very short sighted move by mail employees, the main inspiration for the revolt appears to be the greed of the Communication Workers Union. Adam Crozier, Royal Mail’s chief executive, worked hard to pull the Royal Mail out of a losing battle and had turned the company round to a stable position, only for this strike to intervene. I feel the Royal Mail do not deserve the harsh criticism they’ve received in the media in the past few years as it is a part of

Tim Hewish Editorial and Opinion Huw Davies Chris Croissant Paul Martinovic Columnist Adam Millward Sport George Pawley Jack Zorab Stephen Florey Pete Dean Scott D’Arcy Listings

Josie Allchin Dan Jones Letters Emily Akers GRAB Tom Bentley Hannah Jobs and Money Jess Best Science & Environment Sophie Cole Features James Temperton Jenny WIlliams

our country and our heritage, with roots dating back to 1516. It is certainly not a history that we should just disregard for the sake of a few grumpy workers who haven’t had a lie-in for 6 months.

It is not a heritage we should disregard for a few grumpy workers I’ll be honest: I don’t know the exact details of what they were receiving, or what unionists have now negotiated, but I can’t help but feel that they have

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ILLUSTRATION: Osian Haines been motivated by greed. They know that they have the Royal Mail by the scruff of the neck. It needs workers to deliver the mounting post ad without them their business will collapse. They need the postal workers on their side for an efficient system, even if they are being unreasonable. The strikes have cost an estimated £200m, a massive and frankly avoidable loss for a business that has been a nationally recognised British institution for many years and pioneered the modern postal services. In recent times it has struggled to cope with modernisation and I feel that we, the British pubStacey Jeffreys, Huw Richards, Lea Blake, Rachel Simons, Lisa Evans, Emma Barlow, Navodita Panden, Ruth Smith, Piers Horner, Gareth Ludkin, Amir Khan, Ted Shiress, James Wheeler, Melissa Moore, Maddie Quartey, Alex Wilson, Adam

The Royal Mail still remains the choice of postal service for the average person. It has worked effeciently for years delivering mail speedily and at reasonable prices. Yet the time when it was a monopoly is long gone and competition, for better or for worse, is pushing the Royal Mail harder and apparently making workers believe they’re being hard done by. Royal Mail is a huge national employer: to lose them would be disastrous. Yet unionists at the CWU are not doing anything to protect postmen’s jobs in the long term. Their greediness seems totally unjust and has caused a lot of people to lose faith in the Royal Mail. Personally, as far as pay rises go, I don’t believe postmen and women are up there with the most deserving. This is not a disservice to the great work they do - I for one couldn’t get up at 4 in the morning everyday - but struggling young nurses and teachers have to work incredibly hard to earn a crust doing jobs that are far more deserving of a substantial pay rise. As I have already stated, I am a little hazy over the exact grievances the Communication Union has with the Royal Mail, but I do feel that the union has seen the recent vulnerability of the Royal Mail and decided to take advantage. I think this is unacceptable, whatever the reasons the workers may have. It’s a hard life but please just don’t grumble too much, the disruption isn’t worth it.

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10 gairrhydd NOVEMBER.05.2007

OPINION

OPINION@gairrhydd.COM

Walking a fine line Last week’s front page story detailing the apparent discrimination of a gay couple in Solus has sparked anger, controversy and outspoken support for both sides. As Ben Bryant discovers, however, there is a twist to the tale...

n Friday 19th October, Leigh Crabtree and his partner were kissing by the dancefloor in Solus nightclub in the Students’ Union. According to Leigh, this was ‘not a lot, or in a vulgar way, but just the same as any other straight student couple’. A safety steward (bouncer) then approached the couple and told Leigh to stop kissing his partner, or to leave. It is a series of events that reads like a textbook account of discrimination: a gay couple forced to refrain from engaging in the kind of behaviour that is practised freely in the Union on any given night by any given heterosexual couple. It reads like an account of enforced heterosexuality at the hands of a vindictive bouncer. It has since transpired, however, that there is a further twist to the tale. Since the publication of the article in gair rhydd last week, the safety steward has claimed that on the night in question a male third party was complaining about the behaviour of Leigh and his partner. The man became aggressive and the safety steward decided that the safest thing to do would be to ask Leigh and his partner to desist and move away from the area. The steward was, he claims, acting in the interests of the safety of the students in Solus. This simple addition to the sequence of events nevertheless presents a minefield of ethical implications, because the actions of the steward are cast in a different light. The safety steward claims that his actions were motivated not by prejudice, but rather by a need to defuse the situation and secure the safety of the students. In short: he would have acted in the same way regardless of the students’ sexual orientation. He is backed by Steven Symonds, the Operations and Trading manager at Cardiff Students’ Union: ‘There wasn’t an issue with them kissing. What the issue was is that another student has become aggressive about this, and is complaining about this, and the safety steward has taken the view… that the safest thing that he can do in that situation is ask Leigh and his partner to move to a different area.’ Symonds argues that the steward had to ‘make a snap decision about how to ensure the safety of these two individuals’. Faced with such a decision, he chose what he saw as the most appropriate way of securing the safety of the students. The emergence of these new details provides some justification for the seemingly irrational actions of the safety steward in question. There are, however, a few issues that remain unresolved. Symonds contends that the safety steward had only the safety of the students at heart: their sexual orientation did not influence his decision. This is a suggestion that I find extremely difficult to believe. In Solus, as in any nightclub, you will not be able to see the night through without witnessing several straight couples kissing.

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This is an accepted (and thankfully celebrated) aspect of visiting a nightclub. It is laughable, in my mind, to suggest that aggressive behaviour towards a heterosexual couple would be met with anything less than a severe warning. Yet even if the steward in question had made a decision that was not influenced by the couple’s sexual orientation, he was not doing his job properly.

The contemporary refrain of the homophobic is ‘I don’t mind gays... I just, y’know, don’t want to see them at it’ It is simply not the duty of a safety steward to discipline couples for kissing. Neither is it the job of a steward to act on behalf of another student’s homophobia. It is, however, their job to placate potentially aggressive individuals. It’s all very well rebranding bouncers as ‘safety stewards’, but if they’re ineffective in their main purpose of kicking out aggressive individuals, they’re not doing their job properly. Let us suppose, for the purposes of argument, that the steward was not swayed in his decision by even the slightest unconscious murmur of homophobia: by moving the gay stu-

dents rather than attempting to remove the aggressive individual, the steward’s actions convey the message that aggressively homophobic behaviour is acceptable and, moreover, that kissing (gay or straight) is, at least in some cases, not acceptable. Even if he had not thought that he was acting in a manner that constituted sexual discrimination, the safety steward’s actions were still condoning the homophobic behaviour of the complainant. It is clear to me, as I believe it is to anyone, that it is the aggressive student, and not the gay couple, who should have been asked to leave. Regardless of whether the steward would react similarly to a complaint received about a heterosexual couple, his actions were effectively condoning homophobia. Symonds agrees that the safety steward should have attempted to placate the aggressive student rather than splitting up the gay couple. He is keen to point out that the investigation is ongoing, but at this point, based on the evidence he has been presented with, he maintains that the actions of the security steward did not amount to sexual discrimination. Contradictory as this statement may seem, as Trading and Operations manager for the Union it is, of course, in Symonds’s interests to say so. But perhaps it is easy to see why this incident has aroused so much confusion and contradiction. It is hard not to have any sympathy for the steward’s actions:

he was forced to make a snap decision, and he was purportedly acting with good intentions.

It is the safety steward’s job to placate potentially aggressive individuals I suspect, however, that the widespread confusion and sympathy in support of the steward’s actions is testament to the unwritten rules of a society that insists on privileging heterosexuality. There is a broad, unacknowledged social consensus that homosexual behaviour is something that must be tolerated rather than celebrated: a practice that is acceptable only so long as it is away from the eyes of the public. I wonder if, despite the safety steward’s claims, his judgement was not affected by an unconscious affirmation of these unwritten rules. The contemporary refrain of the homophobic can no longer be ‘I hate gays’. It is instead the subtle but familiar (and equally detestable) ‘I don’t mind gays… I just, y’know, don’t want to see them at it’. Perhaps this is the reason behind that student’s abhorrent complaint on Friday night; after all, we can hear him thinking, the gays have their gay clubs and their gay culture. What more do they

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NO TO GAY

ISSUE 852 OCTOBER 29 CARDIFF’S 2007 STUDEN free word - T WEEKLY EST. 1972

Union lau nches inv to stop kiss es ing boyfrietigation after gay student to nd in Solu ld s

Corinne Rhoade s News Editor

Leigh Crabtre Solent Universe, a Southampton ity student his boyfrien , and d Cardiff Univershad decided to visit (CUSU) having ity Students’ Union about its Friday heard ‘good things’ nights. But their evening a security steward was cut short when allegedly asked to stop kissing them by The steward, the dance floor. them through who had earlier helped another incident the couple’s involvin g re-entry to the them to ‘take club, asked it they made othersoutside or stop’ in case He added that feel ‘uncomfortable’. the pair could ‘taken it to a quiet corner’, have claims. Leigh With Solus which he had being the first club in attitudes, Leighever encountered such his actions from was quick to defend the security comments. steward’s He said: “They were just really I know they rude, can people but we get that way with drunk were “A student club completely sober. should we didn’t do anything be tolerant, ridiculously over the top, vulgar or have to be told I shouldn’t to The third stop,” he added. year Photogr student said aphy he left Cardiff and embarra shocked ssed at his treatment. ‘appalling’ Leigh and his boyfriend, a University student, Glamorgan are now awaiting the result of a by the Studentstwo-week investigation nature of events. ’ Union into the true But although the incident of its kind is the first to Union, others be brought against the have suggeste is not a gay d that Solus friendly environm Sally Wood, ent. the Union’s newly

THIS ISSUE

appointed Lesbian, Gay, Bisexua Transgender l and (LGBT) offi met a lot of cer, people on the said: “I trail who felt campaign atmosphere uncomfortable with the at spoke to prefer Solus, most of those I to go to the in town.” gay clubs A day into said: “There’s her new role, she a lot that needs to changed.” be In spite of Trading and this, Steven Symonds, Operations Manage CUSU, insisted that the events r for on October alleged 19 formed incident. an isolated After he received the complaint Wednesday, last he said: “I have already been in correspo forth with Leigh, ndence back and which indicates seriously we how are taking it. “We’re aiming within two weeks, to have it sorted out but in reality looking to get we’re this week,” he it resolved by the end of continued. Steven went staff will be on to confirm: “Security briefed on the code practice in of these circumst instance does ances. This Union’s generalnot reflect the Students ’ practice.” In an attempt to determin action needs taking, CCTV e what may be analysed footage witness is also . An interview with a expected to take an effort to validate place in the claims. Jonny Cox, CUSU Presiden was adamant t, that any of discrimi nation would accusations seriously. be taken He said: “It hard line, whereis important to take a all students and breaches are found, their guests comfortable in the Students should feel ’ Union. “We have policy which an equal opportunities is outlined constitution. in our investigated, All complaints are and where found, action a breach is is taken.”

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want? Unfortunately, the burden of acting as a moral compass for the drunken masses fell upon a security steward, who took the safe option rather than the ethically sound one. His actions may have been in good faith, but they were no less repugnant. As this investigation has shown, determining discrimination with intent is rarely as simple as separating the homophobic from the tolerant and, despite his behaviour, I doubt that the dismissal of the security steward in question would achieve anything constructive. He was, however, guilty of a profound misjudgement that may have been rooted in some form of prejudice. It was a remarkable mistake to make, and for that he should be disciplined. Whether or not Solus is a gay-friendly environment remains to be seen. It is beyond the reach of the Union to attempt to subvert a social championing of heterosexuality and a vast and complicated social conditioning against homosexuality. It is not the duty of Solus to provide an edifying environment - they are, after all, in the business of entertainment. And, needless to say, it is the students themselves who seem to present the biggest homophobic threat. What the Union should never be expected to do, however, is take actions that amount to the support of discriminatory behaviour. By refusing to acknowledge this incident as a case of discrimination, I fear that they are walking a fine line.

gairrhydd

NOVEMBER.05.2007

OPINION

OPINION@gairrhydd.COM

Khanage

Amir Khan looks set to avoid a prison sentence despite being found guilty of dangerous driving. Richard Ward bemoans celebrity status and its place above the law

Cardiff, disability and me

Ted Shiress explains the trials, tribulations and joys of having a support worker

“P

lease could I have some assistance?”

ritish boxing superstar Amir Khan has just been convicted of careless, rather than dangerous, driving. “Careless”, in this case, being speeding, running a red light and breaking the leg of a pedestrian crossing the road. Now I’m no legal expert, but surely the term ‘careless’ implies accidentally doing something through lack of attention. I hardly see how storming past other cars on the way through a red light fits this description. So instead of a prison sentence, Khan received a sixmonth ban and £1,000 fine – which is sure to make a huge dent in his wallet. This all begs one question: would the judge have been so lenient if he wasn’t famous? It’s not the first time a celebrity has been reported to have magically evaded the long arm of the law. Alex Ferguson and Ronnie O’Sullivan both avoided traffic offences being upheld; and who can forget Nicole Richie’s 82minute prison term?

The blasé attitudes to crime displayed by these ‘icons’ reflects the sad celebrity-centred culture we live in However, one cannot ignore the numerous stories of the regular Joes getting ‘lenient’ jail terms either. According to road charity Brake, “every year, people bereaved and seriously injured by road crashes are confronted with a justice system that lets them down”. This might then suggest that the sentences meted out to celebrities

are not really anything special after all. But does laying the blame on legislation really tell the full story? As the International Herald Tribune reported in an article on the issue, “high-priced lawyers helped [Lindsey Lohan and Richie] evade stronger punishment.” Such lawyers include the UK’s very own Nick Freeman (a.k.a ‘Mr. Loophole’), a specialist at getting cases thrown out on technicalities. In one example, he somehow managed to get a drink-driving businessman off the hook even though he was four and a half times the legal limit. The Guardian’s Steve Boggan concluded from this that “if you have enough money then it seems you can get off almost any charge”. But how is this fair? Is anything more undemocratic than a guilty man being let off the hook because he’s rich and another doing time because he can only afford a less-savvy lawyer? And Attorney Harland Braun’s suggestion in the Tribune that celebrities have more to lose if they get convicted because it could affect their insurance policies and ergo their careers is, quite frankly, offensive. As far as I am concerned, these overpaid egomaniacs should think of such things before they break the law. Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time, as they say. Unfortunately, in some cases, it seems these celebs have actually been giving their misdemeanours some consideration – in terms of a crime severity to publicity ratio, that is. What is really quite unnerving about that last thought is the prospect that celebrities believe they are acting risk-free. Worryingly, though, it is a rare occasion – as when he defended Caprice – when a lawyer like Nick Freeman can’t find a loophole for his client to wriggle through. As Freeman himself says, he loses very few drink-

driving cases. And Freeman’s continuing success can only fuel a celeb’s fantasy that their social status puts them above the constraints imposed on the rest of us – which it doesn’t. Really, someone should tell Amir Khan that you can’t run people over just because you’ve got a decent jab, inform Kate Moss that using cocaine – which photo evidence suggests she does – is illegal even if you have ‘the London look’, and remind Russell Crowe that you cannot assault hotel staff like they’re Gladiator extras.

‘Mr Loophole’ managed to get a drink-driving businessmen off the hook even though he was four and a half times the legal limit The blasé attitudes to crime displayed by these ‘icons’ merely reflects the rather sad celebrity-oriented culture we live in; where, seemingly, the worse a public figure behaves, the more revered they become. In other words, we are encouraging them. As evidence of this phenomenon, I draw your attention to Exhibit A: the aforementioned ‘Cocaine’ Kate Moss. For most people, being embroiled in a Class A drug scandal would bring about a downturn in fortune. But in the upside-down world of the wafer thin supermodel, her earnings have actually increased since the allegations began. And just as Harland Braun had us believing that celebrities lose work as a result of crime!

Before coming to Cardiff, I was persuaded countless times to sign up for this incredibly empowering new scheme called Direct Payments. The clue is in the title for this one, guys. Basically, I get the dough, I find my own workers and I pay them (OK, perhaps a tad oversimplified, as I am in fact attached to a payroll service who administer my money). In many ways this system sounds great, putting the client as ‘Number One’/the employer/the boss – what could be better? The only downside is the boss is also the one who is in charge; therefore when people do not turn up it is essentially my responsibility to sort it out. Finding workers was a hard and seemingly endless task. Right from the start of my first year I advertised all over the university for students who wanted to work for me; however, no one really replied. Two people wanted to take up some evening shifts. Mainly, though, I had to find people from outside the university who always seem to have a habit of coming and going, plus whose services, and possibly intellect, often leave a tad to be desired. Currently, I employ two workers, Sandra Thomas and Melanie Biggs. Sandra was the only person to reply to the advert I placed in local job shops, and is everything I expect in a professional “carer”. She is obviously used to dealing with clients with learning difficulties and perhaps unfamiliar with the tasks a student with purely physical dif-

But what can actually be done to address these imbalances of justice? Unhappily, despite the gross unfairness of the situation, lawyers will never charge the same fees for all, because some are simply ‘better’ than others. However, none other than Mr. Freeman himself is hoping to redress this through his Keep on Driving service. According to the website, by signing up for £99 a year you “get immediate access to advice from a qualified legal advisor 24/7”. And “if representation is required at court, Keep on Driving can arrange it at a much discounted cost”. Quite what sort of discount we are talking about is unclear. I would also question whether offering even more people the chance to exploit the law is a good thing. So what about closing the loopholes that are actually allowing people to get away with behaviour which could ultimately take a life? After all, if the law was more solid, then it wouldn’t matter

ficulties may set her. We have very little rapport, and sometimes I feel I am assisting her. My other worker, Melanie Biggs, is the exact opposite; however, some could argue I am breaching a social taboo in employing her as she is my best friend. Unlike Sandra, she has no experience in working for people with disabilities; so, logically, one would assume that her services would be inferior.

It almost seems wrong that my most efficient employee is the inexperienced one However, we have always enjoyed going food shopping and making meals together as we happen to appreciate very similar food. So I simply asked her if she would appreciate doing it every week and getting paid for it. Hang out with your best friend, eat good food, get paid – what would you say? Plus, I find her shopping skills far superior; as she is used to shopping for herself and buying similar items, I now have no fear of opening my fridge and finding all the wrong food. With no offence to her, it almost seems wrong that my most efficient employee is the inexperienced one. I suppose what this shows is that experience and qualifications mean much less than actually being on the same wavelength as the person you are assisting. whether you were being represented by Nick Freeman or not. Unfortunately though, canny lawyers are like skilful burglars – they can always find a way around the security system, no matter how many times you update it. The verdict is, then, that when it comes to celebrities trying to evade

Would the judge have been so lenient if Amir wasn’t famous? the law, we are left with the vain hope that the next one who finds him or herself in the dock will suddenly develop a conscience and actually accept the consequences of his or her actions.

gairrhydd

NOVEMBER.05.2007

OPINION

RASPUTIN@gairrhydd.COM

R A S P U T I N The cost of living

he Canadian writer Stephen Leacock once said, “Each section of the British Isles has its own way of laughing, except Wales, which doesn’t.” The cheeky swine. It’s not even true. Because were he around today, he would find that the students at least have something to laugh about – it’s bloody cheap to live here. A week or so ago, the website Push. co.uk released the results of its study of living costs for university students, including a ranking system of universities from cheapest to most expensive. The study focused on three areas: firstly, the cost of student housing, based on an average taken from local rental costs and the price to live in halls of residence; secondly, the cost of a round in a student bar and a local pub; and finally, how much a student would expect to pay for a ‘typical’ grocery shop, including Rizlas, condoms and – naturally – a Pot Noodle. Good to know some stereotypes are here to stay.

you afford that? Suddenly you can’t help but feel for these poor unfortunates (unless you’re a sadist, in which case Push.co.uk’s list is a source of comedy rivalled only by Doctors’ desperate attempts of late not to get cancelled). There is, unsurprisingly, a noticeable geographic trend in expense. The closer you get to London, the more likely it is that you’ll be selling your organs to buy Marmite. Only four of the twenty most expensive universities are situated outside the English capital. Of course, anyone studying at the Royal Academy of Music, London

(the most expensive institution, with living costs double those of Cardiff) is likely to be fairly well-off. If your cello case isn’t lined with money, it’s probably because your butler ran off with the cash. Obviously not all of their students were born with silver flutes in their mouth, and I wouldn’t like to accuse the Academy of economic elitism, but clearly secondary school students without much money would never aspire to attend such a university short of a scholarship and free helicopter. And yes, many students there may be on scholarships. But they still have to pay £147 a week in rent.

Are poorer students being priced out of some universities? And, as one might expect, Wales is a veritable bargain, with Glamorgan and the University of Wales, Bangor third and fourth in the list of 135 (and Lampeter and Swansea Institute also making the top ten). Bradford and Bolton Universities topped the list, but, unfortunately for their students, remain inextricably located in Bradford and Bolton. Cardiff comes out of it pretty well: 22nd in a huge ‘league table’, and three places above UWIC (wahey!). What fun. But scroll down the list to the more expensive universities and it all gets a little worrying. £500-odd a month just in rent? How on earth do

So are poorer students being priced out of certain, perhaps ‘better’ universities? One in three students at the three most expensive universities (Oxford, Imperial and the Royal Academy of Music) is privately educated. But with this study assessing local environment as much as the universities themselves, there’s not much anyone can do to make these areas more welcoming to poorer students, short of building more Lidls and closing expensive bars (*cough* Inncognito *cough*). Universities could lower the cost of their accommodation but only to the detriment of themselves, and local landlords are, quite reasonably, probably not all that bothered about the issue. The most attractive solution would be to scrap top-up fees, which exacerbate students’ financial problems a great deal. NUS Vice President Wes Streeting commented: “If the Government were to allow these universities to set even higher top-up fees, potential students from lower socio-economic backgrounds could find their choices severely restricted.”

One in three students at Oxford, Imperial and the Royal Academy of Music is privately educated Top-up fees have been frozen until 2009, so unless Mr Streeting is behind with the times, he’s concerned about what will happen when this promise runs out in two years’ time. Personally, I think they should be frozen further – forever – frozen like the chips at the bottom of my chest freezer, never to be seen again. Or just binned altogether. Say, there’s an idea.

IMPERIAL: Imperious

Lies, damn lies and statistics esearch supposedly suggests that August-born pupils are “significantly” less likely to attain five good GCSEs than those born in September, and that “the biggest factor affecting children’s performance is the age at which they sit the tests”. Both quotes are taken directly from BBC News Online. Not only is that second statement overly broad and incredibly unlikely to be true – probably more the fault of the BBC reporter than the IFS report – but the results themselves amount to little more than a useless statistic, for several reasons.

Firstly, it’s not particularly helpful. Secondly, it’s obvious, really, that children born in the autumn would perform slightly better than their summer-born counterparts because, well, they’re up to 11 months older. It’s only worthy of a mention if the difference is, as the BBC calls it, “significant”. And therein lies the problem. There is not a significant disparity in the statistics. 55% of girls born in August achieve five GCSEs of grade A* to C, compared to 60% of girls born in September; and for the boys, the ratio is 44% to 50%. Probably more worrying here is the continuation of the boy/ girl divide in exam results – more than

10% according to these figures – but instead the focus has been on that piddling 5% difference between pupils born at opposite ends of the school year. What use is that? Even if 5% represents several thousand children, the ‘gap’ is not enough to cause concern. After all, the study would probably produce other, similar statistics of equally little worth. On average, left-handed people die seven years earlier than right-handed people, but that little fact is quite rightly condemned to pub trivia rather than a published – and publicised – report. The BBC, too, is guilty of alarmism here. There is nothing in the statistics to prompt the headline and opening gambit, “Summer-born children do significantly worse in exams

than those born earlier in the school year”. The article even uses the absurd phrase, “the August birth penalty”. Still, their enthusiasm does excuse – almost – the imbecile of a woman who, when asked in the street, said the results would make her rethink the timing of her pregnancy. It’s not too far away from the codology of astrology, with its ‘Pluto being obsequious in the realm of Virgo and Leo violating Saturn when Venus’ back is turned’. Ah, wise woman, do not get thine bun in thine oven until the ides of March, for a child conceived in Autumn and born in Summer will only ever be a plumber. Bollocks. Save the number-crunching for when it’s of some use.

Impervious to cyanide, shooting, strangulation and poppy sellers

Satire?

ardiff University was shaken last week by the revelation that two homosexual men were the subject of some controversy in Solus, the thriving hub of the Students’ Union’s well-renowned club scene, just for being students at Southampton Solent and Glamorgan University. The couple decided to visit Cardiff University Students’ Union (CUSU) having heard “good things” about its level of education. But their evening was cut short when a security steward allegedly asked them to stop talking about subjects deemed “inappropriate” for a club night at such a prestigious university. The steward asked them to “take it outside or stop” in case their presence made the other, more intelligent students feel “uncomfortable”. He added that the pair could have “taken it to a quiet corner”, such as Bath or Exeter. There have been previous accusations that Cardiff’s Students’ Union, and Solus in particular, is not overly welcoming to students of other universities, but this is the first time a non-Cardiff student has been confronted by staff on account of their intellectual inferiority. A former President of the CUSU is (unreliably) reported to have said, “If we’d wanted to go to Glamorgan or Southampton Solent, we’d have tried harder in our A-Levels.” Union bosses are currently looking into reports of the event, and claim they are keen to investigate the cause of such tension. DISCLAIMER: Rasputin does not really believe students of other universities are less intelligent than those attending Cardiff. It’s satire. Sort of. Better than The Tart, anyway.

14 gairrhydd

NOVEMBER.05.2007

LETTERS

LETTERS@gairrhydd.COM

letters@gairrhydd.com Welcome and croeso to gair rhydd’s letters page, the place for students to have their say about the things they care about. So, if you have an opinion on any topic we would love to hear from you, whether it be a student issue, in the news, or one of your own. Contact us at letters@gairrhydd. com or you can voice your opinions on specific articles at gairrhydd.com. We look forward to hearing from you.

Dear gair rhydd, I am writing in response to the article on Green Taxes. Last week’s letter on Green Taxes repeats several standard environmentalist dictums that, upon closer examination, to me, transpire to be inaccurate. Take the description of flying abroad as “one of the least necessary yet most damaging causes” of climate change simply isn’t the case. Instead, a far greater source of carbon emissions is domestic power use. Therefore the biggest threat is not flying, but increasing population. Projections (from the IPCC’s report) suggest that, if our economies become more localised and globalisation curbed (as the Greens would wish), then by the end of this century we will see a world population of 15 billion. The most practical way to slow population growth is to increase total global wealth, since richer people have fewer children. In this case - with increased globalisation and free trade, necessarily including air travel - population will level out at around 7 billion, with, obviously, far less domestic carbon emissions caused. Additionally, it’s possible to replace technologies such as air travel with cleaner alternatives, such as hydrogenbased power. Clearly restricting those technologies now isn’t conducive to R&D. If high-powered sports cars had been disincentivised 10 or 20 years ago, then the Tesla Roadster - an electric sports car capable of reaching 130mph and travelling for 250 miles

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU... i want pie... what there’s no pie? lol.lol.lol Helloooo Harriet Street ladeez. Mwah x Thanks for putting me in found on facebook! Wooo I’m famous. how much do stamps cost?

before requiring a recharge - would never have been developed, and nor would its more “sensible” saloon cousin currently in production. By all means institute Green Taxes. But the level at which they’re set ought to be at exactly the cost of the corresponding carbon emissions (around 10p per litre of petrol or £10 per passenger for short-haul flights) and not, necessarily, to discourage use of cars and planes. Chris White

Thus, I drank only what I knew I could handle. As with most events in Cardiff, whether it be black tie balls or nights in the Union, it was Freshers that were passed out on the streets or vomitting everywhere - they just need time to settle in! Maybe the next one should be done much later in the year. All in all, I had a great birthday and am already looking forward to the next Carnage night. Don’t let a few unexperienced teenagers ruin it for everyone. Laura Cutler

Don’t We Really Love Carnage? Dear gair rhydd, Following the recent front page story that slated Cardiff Carnage, I thought I should let the readers know what a great time I had. I’m a third year student, generally go out 3 times a week, and have attended many events in Cardiff. The Tuesday of Carnage was my birthday, so I went out to celebrate with some friends and had one of the best nights of my university career. Friends from other universities have always raved about these organised pub crawls and I was not let down. Being out with 1800 other students, all with the same goal, was brilliant, especially with everyone wearing matching ‘personalised’ t-shirts. I moved at my own pace and bumped into more friends along the way while constantly reminding myself that I had to make it to Solus still standing up!

what time is it? bring back the phil collins casebook. did anyone else watch spooks on tuesday... oooooooooooo tv is my favourite bit in gair rhydd, but the crossword is too hard. choclate mousse sandwiches are my new favourites. try them!!!

text: 07964308150

Too Green to See Clearly

Un-OrgyAcceptable Dear gair rhydd, As a student of this noble university, I feel the school newspaper reflects student life and to an extent, the integrity of the student body. While leafing through issue 850 of the student weekly I noticed a striking photo titled ‘Wife Swap’ on page 15. I understand that the pictures in the TV guide section contain a certain comical twist to it. However, I am sure most students would agree that a picture of a sexual orgy in a university paper lacks propriety and is quite distasteful. I understand that this may seem trivial and a tad extremist but such a disturbing picture has no place in a university newspaper and serves no purpose as to explaining the TV programme. The publication of this picture reflects poorly on the student body and Cardiff University as a whole.

Letter of the week Fair Trade for Who? Dear gair rhydd I am writing in to comment on the article “The EnvironmentallyFriendly Choice?”. Fairtrade might do wonders for reducing the guilt of westerners, but it actually does jack shit for the world’s poor. Let me explain. Historically, not one person in the world has been lifted out of poverty by fair trade or other similar neo-socialist schemes. Free trade is the only way any country has ever done so - look at China and India for striking recent examples of this - more people lifted out of absolute poverty last year than ever before. How? Simple, demolishing barriers to free trade, liberalising markets and getting rid of subsidies. They were lifted out of poverty because they could sell their products in the developed world’s market. Fairtrade is just another unfair trade barrier. It manages the production and sale process from start to finish. Most annoyingly it dictates to producers in the third world how to spend the extra money from the higher prices. For example. Instead of investing the money into new technology, pesticides or anything else that might make the production process more efficient and therefore environmentally friendly, or stuff that genuinely raises the quality of life in those countries like proper running water or elctricity supply, the money is spent FOR them by fairtrade organisations on stuff like mudhut schools or outdoor latrines or those godawful ONE water ‘playpumps’, stuff which have lots of great pictures of smiley black kids to show the folks back home but punches way below the bar of what the people could have and what they deserve. Basically, fairtrade is more a way of us in the developed world feeling

good about ourselves, rather than genuinely wanting what’s best for the poor. The Fairtrade Foundation allows entire towns to call themselves ‘fairtrade towns’, but this badge of honour is a cheap way of connecting the sympathy of ordinary people with the plight of the poor. Places like Africa and South Asia do not want to be the world’s charity case. More than anything they need investment in infrastructure and development. The reason Africa gets screwed over by floods, droughts and famines is because they are not sufficiently developed to deal with those disasters. If they could invest in proper flood defences for example, not only would they be able to better resist present day floods, they would also be in a better position to deal with the possible consequences of global warming. It’s odd how environmentalists wax lyrical about about the third world being worst hit by global warming, yet it is environmentalism that is the main barrier to the third world being in a position to adapt to it because ‘Gaia might not be happy if you build concrete flood defences’. The article exposes one of the many ulterior motives of the environmental movement - lecturing the rest of us as to how we live our lives. Old puritannical virtues such as abstinence, deferred gratification and a spartan lifestyle together with discredeited Malthusian fear-mongering about the end of the world are reborn in the article and the environmental religion as a whole. Can we really presume that Third World farmers aspire to nothing more than sustaining our ethical lifestyles, especially when that means they are effectively forced to adopt those ‘ethical’ values themselves? Rob Prior

Maddie

Last year gair rhydd presented an anthology of your poetry, short stories and art in creative words... WANTED: writers and illustrators for the next volume. email: books@gairrhydd.com with your submissions by 20th November

creativewords gairrhydd’s first Crea tive Writing Anthology

A collection of Short Fiction, Script Writing Poetry from Cardiff stud and ents

contents Short Fiction Short fiction

An introduction...

It has been years since creative writing has had a regular spot in gair rhydd. It is often treated like a guilty pleasure; everyone is doing it, but they don’t want to admit it. The idea of a creative writing anthology at first seemed daunting - were people really ready to expose their secret writing? Yet it turned out to be a breeze. Due to the oozing talent of our rising stars, creative writing is back. The word was out amongst gair rhydd contributors, and with the help of the English office, e-mails started flooding in. Full portfolios of glorious prose clogged up the account, sheets of poetry littered the is all collected to be enjoyed office, and now it by all. And there is even better news: gair rhydd wants to make this a regular occurrence, so keep your senses peeled for the next instalment.

A collection of stories, prose and micro short -fiction

Script Writing

Gangsters and knive

Poet ry Poe

try

Editor: Avalyn Daisy Illustrations: Andr Beare ew Style

Poems from all years ,a kaleidoscope of subjec t matter

For more work visit:

www.gairrhydd.com

/creative_writing

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16 gairrhydd

NOVEMBER.05.2007

POLITICS

POLITICS@gairrhydd.COM

Breaking Up is Hard to Do James Wheeler Political Correspondent

he West Lothian Question has been raised again, I excitedly told my housemates, and three totally blank faces stared back at me. The West Lothian Question is based on the issue of devolution (the transfer of certain powers to a regional political body), and how much power should rest with the upper-tier level of government, that of Westminster. Its bone of contention is that is it right for Scottish MPs to be able to vote on English-only issues, whereas English MPs have no say in Scottishonly matters, because such issues are debated in the Scottish Parliament instead? This controversial subject area is so named because the MP for West Lothian in the 1970s raised it frequently during his time in Parliament, though it was originally raised earlier in the 20th Century in reference to Ireland. What solutions are out there? Well, the most recent answer put forward by the Tory Sir Malcolm Rifkind, and now being poured over by Team Cameron, is to have an “English Grand Committee,” consisting of purely English MPs, which would vote on English matters.

has been described somewhat bluntly by some commentators as ‘having no merit except logic.’ Hmmm. This still leaves the problem of over-representation of Welsh, Scottish and NI concerns, and underrepresentation of English concerns in the Palace of Westminster. Is it just another level of bureaucracy or a shift to de-centralised rule with power closer to the individual? Another poinmt is: does the level of representation matter to the average apathetic man on the street? My Northern Irish friend couldn’t care less about England’s interests. Yet it is important to everyone in the UK, as it affects issues that affect each of us, from education and tuition fees to healthcare and transport. There’s also the problem of navigating around the ‘Barnett Formula,’ which sets government spending levels in each of the constituent nations of the UK, and determines that the amount spent in Scotland will be about £1,500 per head higher than in England, with Wales in between the two. Should Kifkind’s plan go ahead, it would surely be one step further down the muddy road of dis-union, whereby Scotland would, after hundreds of years, be an independent state.

In response to this, Alex Salmond, Scottish First Minister, said the Tory proposals didn’t go far enough, considering it important to “do the job properly as opposed to having some spatchcocked solution to appeal for

Is this just another level of bureaucracy or a shift to de-centralised rule? votes in Middle England.” He believes that the solution is to have an English Parliament along the lines of the Scottish Parliament. The source of the dilemma is that in 1991 Labour suggested “Home Rule All Round” – a system whereby each area of the UK is given lower tier assemblies; NI Assembly, Welsh Assembly, Scottish Parliament, Greater London Authority & English Regional Assemblies. The latter, Regional Assemblies, were brought into existence in the late 1990s - but you infrequently hear about them and as such they’re going to be abolished in 2010. This solution

Politics Editor Tim Hewish returns to his native home counties and interviews a local Tory councillor, Joel Foley, who sheds light on what it is like being a young person in the supposedly grown up world of politics Firstly, Was there a defining moment that made you decide to run for a place on the council? No not really, I was interested in politics and always one to shout at the TV when the news came on. However, it got to a point where you can stop shouting and go out there and start doing something about it. For example, I started working for my community doing sports and charity events. How did you go about standing as a councillor? Join a party! At a local level…go find your branch and meet as many people as you can…try and get your name to circulate by doing such things as leafleting and talking to main members. Never be afraid to go beyond your realms…if you do it wrong once you know how to do it right the next time How long did you campaign for and what did you learn from it? The key thing is know your audience and work intensely in the last few days of campaigning. After work every night I was knocking on doors in my residential ward until the sun went down. I must have knocked on over 1,000 doors. You’ve got to plan your day, your week and your month more than you normally would. For instance, focusing on what you are going to be writing in the second leaflet while you’re distributing the first. You spend most of your campaign life doing 4 or 5 jobs so it’s no easy feat Do you think it is hard or easy for young people to be heard by political parties? It’s very easy for a young person to

I was interested in politics and always one to shout at the TV when the news came on

JOEL WITH OUR VERY OWN GAIR RHYDD get involved if they want to. Though it running in the dark. is easy for a young person to construct Could you give a brief account of your weekly meetings and what is artificial barriers. It is more work than you’ve ever required of you as a councillor? There are two types of meeting. done in your life, but if you are willing to do that then you are going to be First is the Council meeting that is successful. It is the words that come short and sharp, which consists of votfrom your mouth, not how old you are ing and debate. The other is the Group or how you look that matter at the end meetings, which is just your party, and this is where the massive debates go on of the day. What do you think is the biggest all though the night. You voice your opinion and objecthing you’ve learnt during your short tions in private then sign off on the years in the council chamber? It’s a lot less political than I same hymn sheet in council meetings. thought…the overall goal is to help the Do you receive many letters community. Also the first few months from young members of the were like your first days at school, as community? Not really…they don’t really know you don’t know what you’re doing and what a councillor is. A young person you don’t know any one. You’ve got a meeting with such may not be as attached to their comand such a person in this room, but munity as they haven’t lived there that you have no idea where the room is, long, and they often may see it as a what the person looks like and what temporary home. the thing is about. You hit the ground Would you say getting a council

seat is the most natural way to progress through politics? I hope so! Haha – there are lots of different ways…not just one door. If you can prove yourself as a community leader you can move up. Many students are idealists with a pure political view. Has local politics shown you that it is more about compromise and co-operation? Political ideals don’t really play a part and as you said it is more about compromise than ideological debating at a local level. How would you get more young people to become interested in local politics? Young people think ‘this person can relate to me…I’m not just shouting at a wall…here is someone who can understand my needs or something I’m not happy with.’ The major example of this for me has been housing: young first-time buyers. If there is no one on the council in a similar situation i.e. with a mortgage, it may be hard for them to sympathise with this cause, but I myself am going through similar problems at present. Do you think young people are switched on to only style over substance? In a way yes – young people have what I call less ‘faith’ and they need to see things…though in reality a councillor or MP could be working twice as hard in an office, but who are we to know this? Seeing is believing for them. Should MPs listen to students? All they hear from us in the media are top-up fees. We don’t pay tax, own a home, a car or have a long-term

job. MPs should listen, but opinions do shift over time…after three short years graduates start working and a whole load of different problems arise. Opinions change and priorities shift… one thing you might believe at uni might become obsolete and you think ‘I was completely wrong there.’ Uni is a temporary thing and with that comes a temporary lifestyle and views. In your own CF party what sort of activities do you do to reach out to prospective voters? The primary objective is that you’ve got to be seen. It’s not enough to have a small banner on the main Tory web page. We have started to help in fund raising and other non-political events… it then becomes a real organisation by doing real and physical things. Facebook and myspace are becoming places of debate among the more political students, almost like a forum for young people to voice their concerns. Do you think such sites are a resource parties can tap into? US parties, it has been reported, are looking into it. Maybe…though many view such fads as Americanisms. Some things will work and others will not… only time will tell. Last election it was political text messages and that didn’t work and was a complete failure! There is a Youth Council to get involved in, but facebook is really only there to express your opinion, that is all it is …a soap box. In terms of doing something active it is very limited… you can only really see what people are thinking and feeling but that’s it.

NOVEMBER.05.2007 SCIENCE@gairrhydd.COM

gairrhydd

SCIENCE & ENVIRONMENT

Temperature change threatens biodiversity

A new scientific study presents figures that connect mass extinction with rising temperatures. Navodita Pande explores the recent research and its reception

he latest findings of researchers at the University of York and the University of Leeds suggest that global biodiversity may face mass extinction due to rising global temperatures. The research that was published in the Royal Society of Proceedings B analysed the fossil record for the last 520 million years indicated that the Earth is going to hit the same extinction-connected warming in the next 100 years unless greenhouse gas emissions are curbed. Estimated against low-latitude sea surface temperature for the same period scientists found that global diversity (the richness of families) is related to temperature and has been relatively low during warm “greenhouse” phases. The extinction during such phases are relatively high. “Our results provide the first clear evidence that global climate may explain substantial variation in the fossil record in a simple and consistent manner,” said Dr. Peter Mayhew, one of the researchers. He added, “Our findings may have implications for extinction and biodiversity change under future climate warming.” This study compared data sets on marine and land diversity. It is found that four out of the five mass extinction events on Earth are associated with greenhouse gases (warmer, wetter conditions) instead of icehouse phases (cold, dry conditions). These include Earth’s worst mass extinction ever 251 million years ago when 95% of all species were lost. The relationship between global temperatures and levels of biodiversity is of increasing concern even though no clear link between the two has been clearly demonstrated. Dr. Mayhew himself goes on to say in his paper, “Prima facie our results from the fossil record endorse those of ecological models, which demonstrate that expected future warming will adversely affect biodiversity. However, several qualifications are necessary.” He adds, “We need to know why temperatures and extinctions are linked in this way.” Drawing from a huge number of sources and references, the statistical study is well-explained, detailed, scien-

This is the first clear evidence that global climate may explain substantial variation in the fossil record

SCIENCE IN BRIEF THE GREATNESS OF GREEN

Cardiff University’s Architecture research has found that buildings green with vegetation could reduce temperatures, helping people turn down the air conditioning on hot days and saving huge amounts of energy. Professor Phil Jones, Head of School, and PhD student Eleftheria Alexandri compared the impact of ‘greening’ buildings in nine cities. The computer models used temperature data from each city’s warmest month found that the air around every building would be cooler by up to 11°C with green walls and roofs. The research, found in New Scientist, stated that the hotter the climate, the greater the cooling effect would be. Professor Jones said: “Greening buildings will not only make cities more comfortable to live in, but could also save energy by significantly reducing the demand for air-conditioning on hot days.”

CUT RISK OF CANCER; SLIM DOWN

FRAGILITY: Rising temperatures present many of the creatures with a bleak future tifically researched and methodical. University of Texas biologist Camille Parmesan, who studies how existing species are changing with global warming, said she was “blown away” by the Mayhew study and found it “very convincing”. Some scientists, however, choose to differ on this study. Geological Sciences Professor Richard Alley of Pennsylvania State University said, “This will give scant comfort to anyone who says that the world has often been warmer than recently so we are just going back to a better world.” Critics say that the findings linked mass extinctions with rising temperatures but did not try to establish a cause-and-effect. For example, the most recent mass extinction, that included the dying off of dinosaurs, probably was caused by an asteroid collision as scientists theorise, and Mayhew agrees. Massive volcanic activity has also been considered responsible for dinosaur extinction. Additionally, a second study presented at a scientific convention on Sunday links high carbon dioxide levels to past extinctions. The author of the second

study said he does see a cause-and-effect between warmer seas and extinctions. Mayhew also found increasing carbon dioxide levels in the air coinciding with die-offs but predicted that temperatures better predicted biodiversity. Even according to the Nobel Prize winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), those high temperatures that coincided with mass extinctions are about the same level that are forecast for a century from now if the world continues its growing emission of greenhouse gases. The IPCC said in April, “20 to 30 percent of animal species assessed so far are likely to be at increased risk of extinction” if temperatures increase by 3 to 4 degrees Fahrenheit. “Since we’re already seeing threshold changes in ecosystems, one could expect that there’s going to be severe transformations,” said biologist Thomas Lovejoy, President of the H. John Heinz Centre for Science, Economics and the Environment in Washington. Hence there are several indications to show that it’s time we make a concerted effort to curb the growing emission of carbon dioxide. The “new climate

Since we are already seeing threshold changes in ecosystems, one could expect there’s going to be severe transformations pact” signed in Washington by leading international politicians seems to be a microscopic effort in that direction. At the informal environment gathering, the US Presidential candidate John McCain added, “The climate debate is over.” The question that still looms large is whether the action is being stepped up to counter the ever-increasing emissions of carbon dioxide gases. The answer to the climate debate and climate action perhaps lies in the “devolution” notion of Matthew Spencer, Chief Executive of Regen SW, the renewable energy agency for South-west England. He told BBC, “We can only tackle this global problem if we make climate change a very local issue.”

The World Cancer Research Fund carried out an inquiry into lifestyle and cancer, and issued the results in the form of ‘recommendations’. These include not gaining weight as an adult, avoiding sugary drinks and alcohol, and not eating bacon or ham. It targets all, stating everyone must aim to be as thin as possible without becoming underweight. The research sees body fat as a key factor in the development of cancer; it estimates its significance as higher than previously thought. Professor Martin Wiseman of the investigation said: “Cancer is not a fate, it is a matter of risk, and you can adjust those risks by how you behave. It is very important that people feel that they are in control of what they do”. 3 million of the 10 million cases of cancer which are diagnosed across the world each year could be prevented if the recommendations were followed, Professor Wiseman indicated. Nonetheless, two-thirds of cancer cases are not thought to be related to lifestyle, and there is little people can do to prevent the disease in these circumstances. Specifically, researchers say people should stop eating processed meats. Sugary drinks should be avoided, as these make you fat, and fruit juice consumption should also be reduced. Cancer specialist Professor Karol Sikora said: “The main message I would have is not to worry about it, to enjoy life, if you like a glass of wine have it, and a small amount of meat is not going to harm you.”

18 gairrhydd

NOVEMBER.05.2007

FEATURES

FEATURES@gairrhydd.COM

Rise against raci The 5th of November marks the beginning of Rise Against Racism week. Features Editor Emma Thomas gives you the facts on the event

ighting the British National Party, stereotypes within Islamophobia and political correctness, all themes of some of the planned talks to improve student’s awareness of racism. Rise Against Racism is celebrating its third annual week of events aimed to celebrate cultural diversity. Students across universities within the UK can look forward to a week of talks, films, music and campaigns to raise awareness of the current issues

and to fight racism within our university and within the local community. Last year the event was supported by 20 students unions across the UK. Special celebrations included a Diwali Festival in the Royal Albert Hall. The initiative is run by the Student Assembly Against Racism (SAAR), NUS Black Students campaign and the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone. They also organize annual festivals in London’s Finsbury Park. The free antiracist music festival, called, Rise: Lon-

don United, took place on Sunday 15 July 2007 at Finsbury Park. Featuring acts from the world of hip-hop, indie, pop, jazz and reggae. This was the seventh year that the event has been organised to oppose racism and celebrate the diversity of London. This year’s event attracted over 100,000 visitors, old and young alike and is the biggest event of its kind in Europe. The line-up featured British acts including Birmingham born Jamelia and the comedian Bill Bailey.

Melissa Moore is in her second year at Cardiff, studying International Relations and European Politics. Here’s her low-down on why we should all take note of Rise Against Racism Week

tatistics put forward from the NUS organisation claim that up to 20% of its membership includes black students and yet they are among the least represented group in the democratic structures of the organisation. Only 4% of elected sabbatical officers are black and further examples of under representation can be seen across national levels of the student organisation. The ‘Rise Against Racism’ campaign hopes to tackle these inequalities with an anti-racism movement across our campuses organised by NUS Black Students Campaign and the Student Assembly Against Racism (SAAR). This November will see the third annual student ‘Rise’ scheme, bringing the movement of the ‘Rise’ festival in London -the largest anti-racism festival in Europe- to universities across the United Kingdom. Many believe growing concerns in British society such as immigration, the Iraq war and terrorism are leading to a growing segregation of different ethnicities in our society, allowing for racism’s survival in our modern, democratic, liberal culture. The deaths of young black citizens such as Stephen Lawrence bleakly illustrate this. Yet, although Britain has made leaps and

bounds throughout the later 20th Century in attempts to end racial indiscrimination, this ugly prejudice still remains at the surface; preventing the erosion of the inequality gap between white and non-white ethnicities. This is reflected in the higher education system, where the Rise campaign claims that black students are continuing to experience disadvantage, because of missing out on academic welfare support and existing on the fringes of university activities. These are crucial provisions of the Students’ Union, and it seems they simply aren’t

The student population is the crucial element in promoting zero-tolerance of racism, and a celebration of multiculturalism being provided for one-fifth of all students. Clearly more needs to be done, but there are questions of whether tactics such as festivals and campus events are really the effective way to

tackle such a lengthy, complex and deeply integrated problem. Since its establishment, the movement has continued to spread, and it sees the student population as the crucial element in promoting zero-tolerance of racism, and a celebration of multiculturalism in the ever increasing diverse cultural landscape of the UK. To prevent an increase of inter-racial tension, ‘Rise’ argues for a need to prevent this impinging on the experience of further academic study for black students. More students from ethnic minority backgrounds are entering higher education and there is a need to accommodate the growing diversity in our campuses. Outside of the campus arena, the movement is also seeking to stem the increasing electoral support for the British National Party. As a staunch advocate for an all-white Britain, many see the BNP’s growing popularity as an indicator of mounting hostility towards ethnic minorities in the UK. Also highlighted is the growing trade-off of civil liberties for national security in the war against terror, supplementing what ‘Rise’ sees as further non-white marginalisation. So, is the ‘Rise Against Racism’ campaign motive of spreading antiracism through campus activities really enough to tackle these deepening prob-

lems? These are issues on a national scale and some question the ability of ‘Rise’ to stimulate protest from the higher education sphere. However an illustration that it may well be gaining ground is the annual, free ‘Rise: London United Against Racism’ festival, which took place in Finsbury Park in July this year, attracting over 100,000 people to take part in spreading its message.

Students were traditionally one of the most politically active members of society London was the starting point for the ‘Rise’ campaign, as the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone set about revitalising it on his appointment. He believed that the festival was “a way to bring communities together to celebrate and show we have more in common than what divides us.” Furthermore, he argued that one of the reasons for establishing the operation was for a stand against racism in the wake of “the rise of the far right across

Europe”. ‘Rise Against Racism’ is eager to establish that, as a movement which brings together people from different religions, races and nationalities, students can send out a peaceful but defiant message of stamping out racism in their campus. However it remains to be seen whether it can truly bring effective change, especially as the 21st Century has seen a growing trend of protest movements through mass, peaceful, enjoyable lobbying such as “Make Poverty History” and “Live 8” which seem to deem that the majority will only protest on these issues if self-interests are satisfied. A free concert often sweetens the tooth to bring people to a protest; uniting enjoyable events with the feel-good factor. Students were traditionally one of the most politically active members of society, however there is growing political apathy seen, particularly in this demographic. Therefore it seems that this campaign, in its initiatives to engage with today’s student culture, and bringing awareness through nationwide festivals and events, is a significant chance to truly make progress in our universities for acceptance of multicultural representation, and bringing the student body to ‘Rise Against Racism.’

gairrhydd

NOVEMBER.05.2007

FEATURES

FEATURES@gairrhydd.COM

ism week 2007

Maddie Quartey is a first year student at Cardiff, studying English Language and Philosophy. She gives us her views on the state of racism in the UK

f all the domestic issues covered by the British press, few have been so influenced and shaped by the press as the question of race. To a decisive extent it has been the press which has defined the nature of the ‘race problem’ in this country. Previous studies of press coverage of race relations from the 1970s have shown how media images of black people invariably stressed ideas that they caused trouble and took what belonged to whites (say their jobs and homes). The press, especially some popular newspapers (whose names I‘m choosing to withhold) has largely been seen to have played a negative role, at worst having exacerbated and inflamed racist sentiment in Britain with powerful concoction of stereotyping of black people, scaremongering and scape-goating.

Why do we feel the need to make such a bold exclamation every year? Recently we have seen politicians and some sections of the media

increasingly stir up racial hostility amongst different communities, so it seems a perfect timing for the annual rise against racism week this November 5. Rise against racism sees student partake in an annual series of events coordinated by the Mayor in partnership with the Student Assembly Against Racism (SAAR) and the NUS Black Students’ Campaign. Since its launch, the NUS Black Students’ Campaign and SAAR have taken the message of rise nationwide, involving student unions across the country in a wide range of initiatives and activities. Student Rise provides an opportunity predominantly for London students to make a stand against racism and celebrate diversity. The event is linked to the Rise: London United Against Racism festival, which is the largest anti-racist festival in Europe. This event happens every year, so the question has to be asked why we feel the need to make such a bold exclamation with the turn of every year? The answer to that question should be obvious, really. There are still elements of racism in today’s society, which many students want to make a stand against in the belief that they can make a difference. As expressed very confidently by a student body,

“as students we have an important role to play in ensuring that racism is challenged and confronted on our campuses and colleges. We want to live in a society where all cultures and religions are valued and respected”. It’s evident that Britain is much more inclusive today than it was, say, in the 80s, but there is still a long way to go in terms of equality. There’s need for the media industry as a whole to examine and confront its own institutionalised racism and to become more reflective of the society in which it operates. Advocating this point is Sherry Dixon, editor at large of black women’s monthly Pride magazine, who explains that black media is struggling because of such cultural reasons and institutional racism from mainstream organisations. Racism and racist attacks are still experienced particularly by Londoners. But London’s strong anti-racist agenda shows that racism can be driven back and London’s success as a city shows how multiculturalism works in practice. Organisers of student rise believe that the initiative can have a real impact by bringing together students from different backgrounds and building an anti-racist future. It’s difficult to understand why, in certain cases, broadcasters silently label genuine opinions and concerns

of black people, ‘black power’ and therefore ‘extremist’ and therefore ‘wrong’ and thus exclude them, or ‘cool them out’ in the studio. Stuart Hall accurately said, “The thrust towards black consciousness - like the thrust towards more overt racism - are deeply rooted in the real historical situation: they won’t disappear because they affront broadcasting’s liberal sensibilities.” The media, on the whole, naturally gravitate to the liberal middle-ground: they find conflict and oppression - the real conditions of black existence - difficult

The press have inflamed racist sentiment wih stereotyping, scaremongering and scape-goating and awkward. They tend to redefine all problems as failures in communication. So then perhaps such racism should be made an open discussion, to allow both sides of the spectrum a fair chance of speaking out. However, some would disagree with the view that the British press

has a tendency to stereotype anything to do with black people, from being the average criminal to being the jobless welfare dependent. Apparently there’s more to do with the type of stories the media chooses. “You have to look at the finer detail. The media look for stories that connect with their readership - in particular, human interest stories,” according to Phil Hall, former News of the World editor. He continues that, “Unfortunately, newspapers and television are commercial enterprises - they are looking for human interest stories, and it is detail that really makes stories take off. They are, obviously, trying to sell newspapers’’. Ultimately, racism in the press, both at the level of employment and in its influential printed product, sufficiently reflects the institutionalised relations of inequality that persist between white and black people throughout British society. It is the daily racism within British society that provides the cultural backdrop for the daily racism that pervades our newspapers. A challenge to press racism is a vital part of the wider challenge to racial inequality in other forms

20 gairrhydd

NOVEMBER.05.2007

JOBS & MONEY

JOBS@gairrhydd.COM

Use your head.....

Will you

Time and again students contemplating the big wide world say that they are considering going into teaching. Jobs and Money looks at the training options, and the information available to help make the right choices for you

Jess Best Jobs & Money Editor

picture of the determination and drive organisations like TDA are looking for. For more information on any aspect of teacher training visit www.tda.gov. uk or call their teaching information line on 0845 6000 9991.

f you can’t do, teach. Or so the saying goes. Teaching has become an increasingly popular profession to enter in to, appealing to a broad range of degree subjects and offering the opportunity of full time, secure employment. And the holidays aren’t bad either. But just how do you go from sitting in a lecture to standing in front of a class full of kids? Finding out about options for teacher training can be difficult, with various programmes available, complex funding initiatives and if you’re thinking about training in the immediate future, application deadlines breathing down your neck. The Training and Development Agency, a public body of the Department for Schools, Children and Families, are an essential first stop if you are looking to teach. They can provide comprehensive information on all aspects of teacher training at both undergraduate and postgraduate level. For most of you reading this, postgraduate training will be the next step. Any form of study, or initial teacher training (ITT), aims to award Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) to students, permitting them to teach in any state school in the UK. The postgrad schemes here can be broadly split into two categories: higher education training and school centred schemes. The course offered in a traditional teacher-student set up is the PGCE, or postgraduate certificate of education. It’s a familiar abbreviation to most people, but it’s worth considering what the course itself actually entails. Its primary focus is on developing your teaching skills rather than your knowledge in a particular subject, therefore, it is generally assumed that you have a degree in the subject you wish to teach at a later stage. The course combines traditional lectures with placements in schools, but having already spent over fifteen years on the receiving end of the education system before becoming part of the structure yourself, it is worth considering whether this type of course is for you. The alternative is to jump straight in at the deep end by doing school centred initial teacher training (SCITT). This has students gaining the qualifications ‘on the job’, working in schools and gaining the skills and confidence needed to work in a classroom environment. The SCITT is normally run between a group of schools, with one acting like a “home” school, with periods spent at the subsidiary schools as well. Although there are no Welsh school

Charlotte Harvey Teach First Cardiff Brand Manager

The PGCE Training Scheme...

Post Graduate Certifiate of Education or PGCE.

Length of study...

1 year

full time, 2 years part time.

Where...

Universities and colleges nationwide.

groups currently participating in the scheme, there are some on the English/ Welsh border that might have some links with Welsh institutions. Graduate debt is something regularly discussed in these pages, and it’ll come as no surprise that it is of no less concern when you’re doing yet more study. Luckily, there are bursaries available. Part of the TDA’s role is to provide funding for teaching, and if you’re completing your SCITT in England, you could be eligible for a bursary to the tune of £6000-£9000. Similar amounts are available for PGCEs undertaken in England, and those who study in Wales could receive between £4200-£7200, with an additional tuition fee grant of £1800. Funding for teaching in the Welsh language is also available. Getting your hands on the cash depends on several factors, such as the route you choose and the subject you intend to teach, but there is also the possibility of “golden hello” payments up for grabs once you qualify. So that’s a lot of figures. And a lot of abbreviations. But there are some more philosophical considerations to be made. What age group you want to teach, where you want to do your training and what method would be appropriate to you are all worth considering. And

Deciding on options for teacher training can be difficult with various programmes and complex funding

Why bother with teaching at all? Aren’t all teachers over worked and underpaid? scary though it may be, what kind of job you want afterwards. These training programmes will allow you to work in any state school in the United Kingdom, but there is also the private sector to consider. As private schools act like independent entities, they may have entirely different requirements for their teachers, and if this is an area you are considering, then it would be worth investigating these. Regardless of state or private, no two schools are the same. An inner city school in Manchester will require a very different teaching approach to a rural school in the Scottish highlands. So why bother with teaching at all? Aren’t all teachers underpaid and overworked? Not so, says TDA’s Head of Recruitment John Connolly: “We don’t want to be complacent about such reports, but in our experience the downtrodden teacher stereotype is rarely a reality. Teaching can be an enjoyable job every day. It can provide a full career for people who want to challenge themselves, with plenty of opportunity for promotion. The moment when a child understands something for the first time because of your teaching is what makes it such a rewarding job.” So, if you can’t do, teach, goes accepted wisdom. But far from being the choice of the unable, teaching is a challenge. The revised message of “use your head” is perhaps giving a more realistic

Good for... Building up your confidence gradually through traditional lectures and placements. Apply through... Graduate Teacher Training Registry (GTTR). Some institutions ask you to apply directly. You can apply to four institutions for secondary teaching and tw for primary teaching. When to apply...

For primary teaching, PE. and history you must apply by the end of November the year before you wish to begin studying. For all other subjects you can apply between September and June.

The SCITT Training Scheme... School

Centred Teacher Training or SCITT.

Length of study...

1 year

full time.

Where...

Groups of schools in

England.

Good for... Spending more time in a practical training environment. Some (though not all) also award PGCE certificates. Apply through...

Graduate Teacher Training Registry (GTTR). Some institutions ask you to apply directly. You can apply to four institutions.

When to apply... Before the September of the year you want to begin studying.

et’s be honest, the first year is all about freshers and scraping 40%. In the second year however, the work starts to kick in, but the panic does subside for a while. It is only in the third year you realise it is probably time to cram in those CV workshops and get your life sorted. For me, big decisions used to be what to wear on a night out and where I was going to hang my washing in my ridiculously small student house. Yet, towards the end of my second year, I really started to panic. My parents were on my case about what I was going to do after graduation and there were careers talks being thrown at me left, right and centre. I soon realised that I hadn’t considered where I was actually going in life (deep). If you are starting to ask yourself this, my advice to you is don’t panic too much. Up until the end of this summer, I hadn’t a clue (I even went to a careers talk entitled ‘I don’t have a clue what I want to do’- the rhyming title enticed me in). What I have found, however, is if you put the research in you may just find you will land on your feet. In my second year I found myself telling people I was going to do a graduate scheme after my degree. The term ‘graduate scheme’ sounded impressive at the time and I felt like I had some form of direction in my life. In spite of this, I hadn’t actually thought a graduate scheme through. I knew if I got on one there would be, potentially, big money, security, and a chance to work in London. Alongside this, it would provide me with an excellent start to my career.

Graduate

my Forsyth graduated from Worcester with a BA (hons) in Initial Teacher Education for Primary Teaching. She now works as a class teacher in Worcestershire. What is your job title? Year 1 class teacher. Where are you based? Lickey Hill Primary Worscestershire.

School,

Did you do any postgraduate study/ training? The three year degree scheme I did awarded me Qualified Teacher Status, and included placements in various schools, so I was not required to do any extra training, What does your job involve, e.g. your day to day responsibilties? I get to school for 7.45am. The first few hours of my day are spent getting resources ready for the day’s lessons; books, materials etc. I then have to

gairrhydd

NOVEMBER.05.2007

JOBS & MONEY

JOBS@gairrhydd.COM

u Teach First?

However, I couldn’t help but feel there was an all-too impersonal feel to this route. I started to ask myself, do I really want, at this time in my life, to delve into a career path that would solely revolve around corporate business? I wanted to do something rewarding (without sounding like a cliché). Something where I could make a difference, rather than just being one of thousands working for a mass firm. Over the summer I started to do some research and found a part-time job that would be great for my CV. The job was to be a brand-manager for a charity based graduate scheme called

Big decisions used to be what to wear and where I was going to hang my washing in my student house Teach First. At this stage in my summer all I had managed to do was go to Glastonbury, move back home, and eat massive amounts of home-cooked food. I thought it was time to ‘sort my life out’. I spent time on my application form (very important!) and went for the job. Luckily, I got it. I had heard of Teach First before but I thought it was too challenging for me. The scheme, in a nutshell, transforms graduates into inspiring leaders, making then ready to excel in any management career. It does this through a combination of intensive teacher training and experience in challenging London, Midlands or North West secondary schools with an innovative leadership and management skills programme.

I loved the sound of the leadership development programme, but the innercity secondary-school part put me off. I realised this was no soft option! However, after I had done the training for my brand-manager role, I changed my mind. When I found out who supports the scheme (Deloitte, Accenture, JPMorgan are just a few) and discovered it was at number 14 in The Times Top 100 (for anyone that doesn’t know, this is the careers bible for third years) I could not help but be impressed. We made a visit to one of the schools in London and I was surprised at its quality and what it had to offer. I soon realised that everything Teach First offers was exactly what I had been looking for. The teaching would give me both the maturity and the skills that I would need in order to be successful in the future. The two-year scheme definitely does not limit your options. If you love the teaching you can stick at it, if on the other hand you want to move onto other things after the two years you are not obligated in anyway to stay at the school. Roughly 60% of Teach First participants go on to do other things. I think it is this that has attracted me to apply for a place. I get my rewarding experience alongside earning money and gaining new skills; without doubt this is the best of both worlds. Although you get thrown in at the deep end, you will be on a salary from the start and you get a choice of where you want to be positioned. Make no mistake though, Teach First is a demanding option. After just six weeks of training you’ll be standing in a real classroom delivering real lessons to real students. On the positive side, the demanding experience that the scheme provides offers a unique journey, that will involve learning, self-discovery and personal growth.

Teaching in numbers 25,000 schools in the UK

£20,133

The starting salary for a teacher in Cardiff as of September ‘08

2 times as Alongside this, you won’t be on your own. You will be joining a group of bright, articulate, passionate people who, like you, have decided to do something different: to change livesand have loads of fun on the way! So now I am spreading the word around university like a mad woman. I have finally found a graduate scheme that offers me everything I want. Now it’s back to making the decisions of what to wear for a night out and where to hang my washing.

If you want to find out more about Teach First visit www. teachfirst.org.uk, or email me on HarveyC1@cardiff. ac.uk. Alternatively, have a look on our facebook group, Teach First- Cardiff. We are recruiting for 2008 in all subjects. The deadline dates: History, Geography, Citizenship and Modern Foreign Language is Friday 30th November. For all other subjects, the deadline is 28th March 2008.

You’ve done the training. So what’s it really like being a teacher? morning duty, meeting the children in the playground and bringing them into the classroom. I teach three lessons in the morning and sometimes I might have playground duty as well. My lunch hour is spent preparing for the two lessons in the afternoon and when the school day ends I deal with any queries parents might have. This can be about anything, from concerns about a child’s reading and writing development to arrangements for children with disabilties. After home time, I put together any classroom displays that the children have made, and possibly try and get some marking done. I normally leave

I deal with any queries parents have; anything from a child’s reading to children with disabilties

for home around 6pm. It’s a pretty demanding job and in the evenings I’m normally planning for the next day’s activities. How did you apply for your job? Describe any interview/assessment process that you went through. I applied through Worcester County Council. Teaching jobs are advertised on their web site, and then I sent off an application form and a supporting statement detailing the work experience I had, my philosophy on teaching and why I was the right person for the job. I was then interviewed for the position. What is the best/worst thing about your job? The best thing is that even if you’re having a hard day, as soon as the children walk through the door, they’ll say or do something hilarious and it will instantly brighten up your day. Although it can be stressful, every day is different and you’re never likely to get bored. The worst thing is the work load.

It is really hard work. The fact that these childrens’ education is your responsibility is quite scary Even after you’ve finished work you never really wind down. You’re always thinking about what you could do tomorrow. Dealing with parents can be difficult too. They are always going to think that their child is the most important and you have to be diplomatic a lot of the time. It is really hard work. Even after doing a teaching course, nothing prepares you for the amount of work, and the fact that these childrens’ education is your responsibility. It’s quite scary. What advice would you give to students thinking of entering the same

field? Be as organised as you can. When you do any work experience, try and build up a portfolio of what you did when you were there. Take pictures of any displays you made or activities you prepared for the children, and then take this along to job interviews with you. I didn’t have this and it would have been really useful to be able to provide evidence of what I’d been doing rather than just talking about it. Once you are in the job, take each day as it comes. You can never know everything and everyone makes mistakes. It’s hard being the “perfect teacher” all the time, but you will get used to the routine and start feeling confident in your abiltity to teach.

Do you know anyone who has do graduated recently and gone into employment? If so and you think they wouldn’t mind talking to us, email Jobs & Money at: jobs@gairrhydd.com

may teachers find their work rewarding compared to marketting, IT and accounting industries

40,000

people began their teacher training last year

£90,000

The potential salary for a headmaster

60% The

amount of Teach First students that go on to careers outside of teaching.

Come and see us on the ground floor of the Students’ Union. New jobs always available.

027 Mystery Shoppers Cardiff £7.50 per visit Ongoing

A company that works to support the Challenge 21 initiative needs 18 & 19 year olds to go into bars, order alcoholic drinks and then report back on their findings. You must be honest, reliable and accurate and will also need internet access.

The National Graduate Fair for Wales 100s of graduate jobs on offer under one roof!

029 Flyering Team Members Cardiff £5.60 Ongoing

Music promotion company require staff to promote artists around the local area. You must be confident, a great communicator and most importantly, honest and reliable! Evening and possible Saturday daytime hours available

Cardiff International Arena

Thursday

10am – 4pm

8 & 9 November 2007

Friday

10am – 3pm

• • • • *Ple

030 Casual Relief Support Workers Cardiff £5.98 Ongoing

A non-profit organisation that provides support to adults with disabilities is looking for support workers to assist clients in their homes and communities. You should be patient, and able to work well in a team. Flexible shifts available.

033 Forum Members Cardiff £35 per session attended

In Partnership with all the Welsh University Careers Services

A consultancy company working on behalf of the government are looking for 18 – 25 year olds who have been driving for less than a year, or who have not yet passed their test, to take part in a new Young People’s Forum on learning to drive that is being set up in Cardiff.

To pre-register to attend please visit:

ase

conta

www.gowalesevent.co.uk

Career Seminars Career Advice Clinics Career Workshops Free transport from your Uni campus*

er rs s c t yo u r U n i ve r s i t y c a re e

vic

FREE ENTRY

*UST lNISHING YOUR DEGREE 7OULD YOU LIKE TO TEACH 0'#% 3ECONDARY )NFORMATION -ORNING 4UESDAY TH .OVEMBER )F YOU WOULD LIKE TO ATTEND PLEASE REGISTER BY CONTACTING +ELLY (ARSANT ON OR EMAIL KELLY HARSANT SIHE AC UK

4HE 3WANSEA 3CHOOL OF %DUCATION HAS VACANCIES FOR A WIDE RANGE OF ONE YEAR 0OST 'RADUATE #ERTIlCATE IN %DUCATION COURSES AT 0RIMARY AND 3ECONDARY LEVELS COMMENCING 3EPTEMBER 4HIS EXCITING NEW 3CHOOL OF %DUCATION IS THE LARGEST PROVIDER OF POST GRADUATE EDUCATION AND TRAINING IN 7ALES AND WORKS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH TRAINING SCHOOLS FROM #ARMARTHEN IN THE WEST TO .EWPORT IN THE EAST AND INTO THE 3WANSEA .EATH 0ORT 4ALBOT AND #ARDIFF VALLEYS

35"*%#43 /&&%2%$ !4 3%#/.$!29 ,%6%, !2%

&OR THESE SHORTAGE SUBJECTS YOU RECEIVE A 4RAINING 'RANT OF a AND A 4EACHING 'RANT OF a

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"IOLOGY

(ISTORY

#HEMISTRY

'EOGRAPHY

0HYSICS

&OR ALL 0RIMARY 0'#% COURSES YOU RECEIVE A 4RAINING 'RANT OF a

7ELSH

3CIENCE

-ODERN &OREIGN ,ANGUAGES

-ATHEMATICS

3UCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF THE COURSE GIVES YOU A 0'#% #ERTIlCATE PLUS 1UALIlED 4EACHER 3TATUS

"USINESS 3TUDIES

)#4

!RT

$ESIGN AND 4ECHNOLOGY

&OR ALL OTHER NON SHORTAGE SUBJECTS YOU RECEIVE A 4RAINING 'RANT OF a

&OR THESE SHORTAGE SUBJECTS YOU RECEIVE A 4RAINING 'RANT OF a AND A 4EACHING 'RANT OF a

&OR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT +ELLY (ARSANT %MAIL KELLY HARSANT SIHE AC UK 4EL 0LEASE NOTE 4HESE lGURES ARE SUBJECT TO REVIEW FOR ENTRY

&REEPHONE

gairrhydd

TACHWEDD.05.2007

TAF-OD

TAF-OD@gairrhydd.COM

MWYNHAU ‘MONTSTER JAM’

Tra roedd y rhan fwyaf o bawb arall yn Clwb Ifor Bach ar gyfer gig Meic Stevens ar nos Sadwrn olaf mis Hydref, roeddwn i mewn digwyddiad ychydig bach yn wahanol: ‘Monster Jam’! Gwilym Dwyfor Golygydd Taf-od

arllenais yn ‘gair rhydd’ yr wythnos diwethaf fod Stadiwm y Mileniwm, yma yng Nghaerdydd wedi cael ei enwi ymhlith y tri lleoliad gorau yn y byd ar gyfer cyngherddau, gan arbenigwr yn y diwydiant cerddoriaeth. Does dim angen bod yn arbenigwr i sylweddoli ei fod yn lleoliad gwych ar gyfer gwylio rygbi a phêl droed hefyd, bydd unrhyw un sydd wedi bod yno yn gwybod hynny. Ond ar berwyl hollol wahanol yr es i yno ar nos Sadwrn, Hydref y 27ain: ar gyfer ‘Monster Jam’! Fel y rhan fwyaf ohonych mae’n debyg, doeddwn i erioed wedi bod mewn cystadleuaeth ‘monster trucks’ (neu anghenfil dryciau efallai?) o’r blaen, felly doeddwn i ddim yn siwr iawn beth i’w ddisgwyl. Petawn i’n gwybod beth oedd o fy mlaen mae’n debyg y byddwn wedi mynd ag ‘ear plugs’ hefo fi, achos mae gen y cerbydau yma sŵ n , coeliwch chi fi! Dwi ddim yn deall dim am geir nac injans na dim byd felly ond dwi’n cymryd fod gan y ‘monster trucks’ beiriannau go fawr yn eu gyrru, a gyda to’r stadiwm wedi ei gau roedd y sŵn yn fyddarol, a’r awyrgylch yn drydanol . Rhannwyd y gystadleuaeth (oedd yn fwy o sioe mewn gwirionedd) yn ddwy ran. Rasys oedd hanner cyntaf

y noson. Roedd y cerbydau yn rasio un waith o amgylch y stadiwm gan fynd dros ddau rwystr yn y broses. Roeddynt yn rasio yn erbyn y cloc i ddechrau er mwyn gweld pwy oedd yn rasio benben a’u gilydd yn y rownd go-gynderfynol. Yna roedd rownd gynderfynol a rownd derfynol i weld pa un oedd cerbyd cyflyma’r noson. Cerbyd o’r enw ‘Escalade’ oedd hwnnw o ran diddordeb! Braidd yn ddiflas oedd y rhan yma o’r noson a dweud y gwir, gan ein bod yn gweld yr un peth i bob pwrpas tua ugain o weithiau. Doedd yr Americanwr oedd yn malu cachu ar ei feicroffon rhwng bob ras ddim yn helpu’r achos chwaith. Er fod angen rhyw fath o arweiniad i beth yn union oedd yn mynd ymlaen, roedd y cyflwynydd yn mynd ar fy nerfau i braidd. Yn ail hanner y sioe roedd yr hwyl yn dechrau, gyda’r gystadleuaeth ‘freestyle’. Cyfle i’r gyrwyr ddangos

Yn ail hannner y sioe roedd yr hwyl yn dechrau eu hunain oedd hwn mewn ymdrech i ennill pwyntiau gan y tri beirniad. Roedd gan bob gyrrwr funud a hanner i wneud argraff mewn cystadleuaeth oedd yn ymdebygu i gystadleuaeth ddawnsio! Roedd mwy o amrywiaeth yn y gystadleuaeth yma gyda’r gyrwyr

rhywbeth y dylai pawb fynd i’w gweld phlant ifanc i’r stadiwm oedd y sŵ n yn ceisio gwneud bob math o bethau unwaith yn eu bywydau! Os ydw i wedi byddarol, ac roedd yn bosib gweld bod i blesio’r dorf a’r beirniaid. Gorffentanio’r awydd ynddoch, mae ‘Monster rhai teuluoedd wedi gadael yn gynnar nodd ambell i ymgais gyda’r cerbydau Jam’ yn dychwelyd i Gaerdydd flwydoherwydd hynny. enfawr wyneb i waered, a mwg yn dod dyn nesaf felly ewch ar bob cyfrif! Ar wahan i ambell ffactor negydallan ohonynt, ond roedd hyn i gyd yn dol felly, roedd hi’n chwip o noson, ychwanegu at fwynhad y gynulleidfa. ac yn sicr mae’r ‘monster trucks’ yn ‘Jurassic Attack’ oedd yn fuddugol y tro hwn wedi i ymgais gyrrwr y cerbyd hwnnw dderbyn deg allan o ddeg gan y tri beirniad. Nid ‘monster trucks’ yn unig oedd i’w gweld ar y noson. Rhwng y ddwy gystadleuaeth gwelwyd draig fetelaidd oedd yn bwyta ceir ac yna ceir bach yn rasio yng nghysgod eu brodyr mawr bwystfilaidd. Ond heb os nac oni bai uchafbwynt y sioe hanner amser oedd y beiciau modur ‘motocross’. Gyrrwyd y beiciau modur yma ar gyflymder uchel i fyny rampiau cyn i’r gyrwyr wneud campau tra roedd y beiciau yn yr awyr! Roedd ambell un o’r triciau yn anghygoel! Doedd neb yn eistedd yn y rhesi gwaelod am resymau diogelwch, ond roedd y lefel ganol a’r uchaf yn llawn dop. Mae’n debyg felly fod tua chwe deg mil o dorf yno, yn gymysgedd o bobl ifanc a theuluoedd, ac ambell i selogyn. Yn sicr, roedd yn achlysur teuluol gyda’r plant wrth eu boddau a’r tadau hefyd mae’n debyg! Daeth ambell un o’r gyrwyr i fyny i’r eisteddle tuag at ddiwedd y noson i roi teganau a hetiau i ambell blentyn lwcus, a roedd cyfle hefyd i gael llofnodion ar GRAVE DIGGER: Un o’r ‘monster trucks’ oedd yn cymryd rhan yn ‘Mony diwedd. Yr unig anfantais o ddod â ster Jam’

Cyflwr ariannol Canolfan y Mileniwm

Y Ddawns Ryng-golegol

Ffion James Golygydd Taf-od

Os fuoch chi’n Aberystwyth dros y penwythnos, mi fyddwch yn gwybod hyn yn barod. Ond at y flwyddyn nesaf, dyma’r ‘Do’s and Dont’s’ Rhyng-golegol!

dechrau’r mis, cafodd Canolfan y Mileniwm ym Mae Caerdydd ychydig o newyddion drwg. Cawsant rybudd eu bod mewn perygl o fethu â thalu dyledion. Erbyn hyn, credir fod y dyledion wedi cyrraedd uchafswm o tua £13.5 miliwn. Nid oes modd gwadu nad yw’r ganolfan yn sefydliad o’r radd flaena, ac yn wir, mae’n haeddu cefnogaeth pob un sy’n trigo yma yng Nghymru. Er hyn, mae’r Cymry’n poeni’n arw am sefyllfa’r ganolfan. Ond mae’n debyg mai’r prif beth sy’n poeni’r cyhoedd yw pam na chawsant wybod am y problemau hyn ynghynt? Ac a oedd y Llywodraeth yn ceisio cuddio’r gyfrinach? Gobaith y ganolfan yw y bydd Llywodraeth y Cynulliad yn cyfrannu er mwyn ad-dalu’r dyledion a chodi eu grant i £4 miliwn y flwyddyn. Dywedodd y gweinidog diwylliant, Rhodri Glyn Thomas mai pobl Cymru fydd yn talu dyledion y ganolfan. Ond ydy hyn yn wirioneddol re-

alistig? Pam y dylai pobl Cymru dalu hyd yn oed mwy o arian i’r ganolfan, sydd wedi cael cannoedd o filoedd gan bobl Cymru i’w sefydlu eisoes? Ydych chi wedi bod yng Nghanolfan y Mileniwm yn gweld sioe yn ddiweddar? Ydych chi wedi sylwi mai canran isel iawn o sioeau Cymraeg sy’n cael eu perfformio? A wnaeth y prisiau uchel eich synnu? Pwnc sy’n peri poendod i nifer yw prisiau tocynnau mynediad. Sut all y ganolfan fod mewn dyled a hwythau’n gwneud cymaint o arian allan o werthu tocynnau sy’n hynod

ddrud? Fel myfyrwyr a phobl ifanc Caerdydd, fe hoffwn ni glywed gennych am eich profiadau o ymweld â’r ganolfan. Os cawn ddigon o adborth gennych efallai y gallwn fynd a’ch sylwadau at lygad y ffynnon. Er bod pobl ifanc yr ardal a Chymru gyfan yn cael budd o’r ganolfan, gan fod Eisteddfod yr Urdd yn cael ei chynnal yno (pob tair blynedd!) nid yw rhai yn credu fod Canolfan y Mileniwm yn haeddu lle mor arloesol yn niwylliant Cymru.

•

• • • •

• Canolfan mewn creisis?

Dewch â digon o ddillad cynnes, sach gysgu a gobennydd hefo chi… mae llawr y gampfa lle byddwch yn cysgu yn gallu bod yn eithaf caled ac oer! Ceisiwch benderfynu faint o arian yr ydych am ei wario cyn cyrraedd Aberystwyth - gair o gyngor… byddwch yn realistig! Cofiwch leinio’r stumog ar gyfer dydd Sadwrn. Cofiwch gefnogi eich tî m pê l-droed a phêl-rwyd. Cofiwch wisgo Crys-T eich coleg ar y dydd Sadwrn – Dyna ydi holl bwynt y penwythnos! Cofiwch gefnogi Caerdydd, ac nid Bangor, Aber, Abertawe na Chaerfyrddin!

•

• • •

• •

Os ydych chi eisiau stopio i fynd i’r toilet ar y ffordd i Aber… peidiwch â mynd i’r dafarn… ewch i’r toilet! Peidiwch ag yfed gormod ar y nos Wener…ma’ gynna chi ‘all dayer’ dydd Sadwrn! Peidiwch â thrafferthu trio mynd i mewn i Bantycelyn… dio ddim werth y drafferth! Peidiwch â phenderfynu mynd am napan ganol y pnawn dydd Sadwrn - mae peryg i chi beidio deffro a cholli’r gig! Peidiwch â thrio cerdded i fyny allt Pantycelyn…mai’n andros o allt. Peidiwch â chanu ar y bws ar y ffordd adref...un rheol sydd – cysgwch!

gairrhydd

NOVEMBER.05.2007 TELEVISION@gairrhydd.COM

HOT

!TELLY!

TELLY NOT

in Technicolour, Now With Correct Times!

Child Beauty Pageants: Pure entertainment in a shiny satin dress. Lots of little kiddies dressed like Barbie Dolls sashaying about trying to look attractive. They tend to just come off looking bizarre even terrifying. It is the most amusing thing in the world ever. I am especially a fan of the fat mummys, who happily apply tanning lotion to their kids and whiten their teeth. They are so clearly living through their kids. Its pure fascination.

Child Beauty Pageants: This is just child abuse in a shiny satin dress. These poor darlings are polished to some wierd idea of what perfection looks like. This involves lots of fake tan and teeth whitening. The swimsuit portion of the contest sends shivers up my spine. The kids have their bikinis sellotaped on and do a mini parade. Why a swimsuit section is needed lord knows? All the kiddies are going to develop complexies or worse yet become Paris Hilton.

FILMS

SOAPS

AMERICAN SPLENDOR, C4, SATURDAY

Paul Giamatti is a depressed, diseased comic writer in this Harvey Pekar biopic. We follow Harvey as he hobbles through a sad life, learning to put his wry humour into comic form which ultimately leads to him meeting his soul mate and fellow depressive Joyce. The film is interspersed with interviews with the real people from the story who comment on the story as it unfolds. Not your typical film, American Splendor is funny and consistently refrains from glossing over the darker periods of Pekar’s life.

ong Way Down is a documentary series charting Ewan McGregor (of Stars Wars fame) and Charlie Boorman’s (little known actor) motorcycle trip from John O Groats down to South Africa. A few years ago they went east from London to New York, this was called Long Way Round and spawned a book and DVD. It’s a boy’s adventure for the whole family to enjoy, and its very watchable, though Telly has some problems with it. A lot is made of the friendship between Ewan and Charlie; in fact the show is more an epic romance than a road trip documentary. It all starts off very innocently, there is much backslapping and they’re always saying to the camera how much they admire and respect one another. They discuss how much they enjoyed doing Long Way Round and how they loved spending time with each other. Its all very Brokeback Mountain really, two men go off into the wilderness every so often to bond. It’s hardly the wilderness though, they are accompanied by two support vehicles (4x4s to you and me), and they have satellite phones and Ipods wired up to the Helmets. They even have PR contacts in all the countries they visit. On the plus side they do Charity Work with Unicef, which is very commendable, but it’s marred by the gruesome twosomes’ self satisfaction at doing it. One can’t help but laugh when Charlie Boorman talks about using his Celebrity to help out with poverty. Now let’s get back to the romance. To be fair, Charlie seems more into Ewan than Ewan seems into him. When it emerges that McGregor’s wife Eve will be accompanying them for a few weeks of the trip, poor Charlie turns into a green eyed monster. His sense of rejection is hilarious, I was squirming in my seat. However, Charlie will be happy with their stop off in Egypt, the duo go skinny dipping in clear blue sea, the scene strongly resembles a soft porn B Movie. The Motorcycles themselves are referred to in a rather phallic manor, they seem to become penis substitutes. In fact if you replace the word motorcycle with Penis the whole show becomes even more entertaining. Now Telly is very aware that we may have given Ewan and Charlie a bit of a ribbing, but we’re semi-joking. They’re nice guys and we would sure like to get out of our editorial thrones, clamber down from our Ivory Tower, and ride into the Sunset. Peace out Boys and Girls.

ADVERTS

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Hollyoaks has gotten good again yay!! This week Jacqui like a dickhead gives Tony an ultimatum, her or his son. OBV he picks his son so she is well gutted. To make matters worse he shags Mercedes (the girl not the vehicle). Its all going to kick off! Happy days. In Corrie unfortunately twat boy aka David doesn’t die. He goes about trying to ruin Sarahs life. First step, puts her wedding dress on a Guy Fawkes bonfire. Now I don’t know about you tv readers but that’s a bit tame and that is specifically why I hate David. He is the worst evil person ever. I mean if he put Sarah in the dress and chucked her on the bonfire that would be amazing. At least then I would respect his efforts. Bloody amateur. Eastenders is still ace, Sexy Sean asks preggers Tanya to run away with him. I hope she says yes ‘cause Max is a dick. I loathe him.

Serious Cat

A wide range of reproductive modes are used by snakes. All snakes employ internal fertilization, accomplished by means of paired, forked hemipenes, which are stored inverted in the male’s tail. Most snakes lay eggs, and most of those species abandon them shortly after laying; however, some species are ovoviviparous and retain the eggs within their bodies until they are almost ready to hatch.

26 gairrhydd

NOVEMBER.05.2007

TELLY

TELEVISION@gairrhydd.COM

MONDAY Celeb Scissorhands BBC1 1.35am

Mastermind BBC2 7.30pm

BBC 1

BBC 2

5th November Bonfire Night CUTV LAUNCH! (more telly)

The Great Pretender Day I Got the Sack ITV1 5.00pm C4 11.30am

ITV 1

Channel 4

Gothika five 11.05pm

Five

6:00am Breakfast 9:15am Real Rescues 10:00am Homes under the Hammer 11:00am To Buy or Not to Buy 11:30am Bargain Hunt 12:15pm Cash in the Attic

6:00am CBBC 10:50am Primary History 11:10am Primary Geography 11:30am Hands Up! 11:45am Watch 12:00pm What the Victorians Did for Us 12:30pm Working Lunch

6:00am GMTV Newshour 6:58am GMTV Today 8:35am LK Today 9:25am The Jeremy Kyle Show 10:30am This Morning 11:10am ITV News Headlines 11:15am ITV Wales News and Weather 11:20am This Morning 12:30pm Loose Women

6:00am Kids TV 7:30am Everybody Loves Raymond 8:00am Just Shoot Me 8:30am Will and Grace 9:00am Frasier 9:30am Vocation, Vocation, Vocation 10:00am Educational TV 11:30am Day I Got The Sack 12:00pm News at Noon 12:30pm Room for Improvement

6:00am Kids TV 9:00am The Wright Stuff 10:30am Trisha Goddard 11:30am five news 12:00pm Home and Away 12:30pm Joey

1:00pm BBC News; Weather 1:30pm Wales Today; Weather 1:40pm Neighbours 2:05pm Doctors 2:35pm Diagnosis Murder 3:20pm BBC News and Weather 3:25pm CBBC

1:00pm Educational TV 1:20pm Emotional Literacy 1:30pm Open Gardens 2:00pm Animal Park: Wild in Africa 2:45pm Escape to the Country 3:45pm Flog It! 4:30pm Food Poker

1:30pm ITV Lunchtime News 2:00pm 60 Minute Makeover 3:00pm Rosemary Shrager’s School for Cooks 4:00pm Midsomer Murders

1:05pm 3 Minute Wonder: 25 Years On 1:15pm Monte Walsh 3:25pm Countdown 4:15pm Deal or No Deal

1:00pm Joey 1:30pm Monkey Life 1:55pm Silencing Mary 3:40pm five news update 3:50pm Jane Doe: Eye of the Beholder

5:25pm Newsround 5:35pm Neighbours

5:15pm The Weakest Link

5:00pm The Great Pretender

5:00pm The Paul O’Grady Show

5:30pm five news

6:00pm BBC News and Weather 6:30pm Wales Today; Weather 7:00pm The One Show 7:30pm X-Ray 8:00pm EastEnders 8:30pm Coal House

6:00pm Eggheads 6:30pm Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two 7:00pm The Miner in Art 7:30pm Mastermind 8:00pm Autumnwatch

6:00pm Wales Tonight 6:30pm ITV Evening News 7:00pm Emmerdale 7:30pm Coronation Street 8:00pm Wales This Week 8:30pm Coronation Street

6:00pm The Simpsons 6:30pm Hollyoaks 7:00pm Channel 4 News 7:55pm 3 Minute Wonder: Rory Peck Awards 2007 8:00pm Dispatches

6:00pm Home and Away 6:30pm Penguin Adventure with Nigel Marven 7:00pm five news 7:30pm Human Guinea Pigs 8:00pm The Gadget Show

9:00pm Panorama

9:00pm Dragons’ Den

9:00pm Doc Martin

9:00pm Deep Water

9:00pm Street Crime Live

10:00pm BBC News; Regional News; Weather 10:25pm Wales Today; Weather 10:35pm Movie Connections

10:00pm Have I Got News for You 10:30pm Newsnight

10:00pm Commando: On the Front Line 10:30pm ITV News

10:50pm The Football Factory

10:00pm Interview with a Cannibal

11:15pm Inside Sport 11:55pm Pure 1:30am Weatherview 1:35am Celebrity Scissorhands 2:35am Sign Zone: Buy to Debt? 3:05am Sign Zone: Countryfile Summer Diaries 4:05am Sign Zone: Heston

11:20pm The Money Programme 11:50pm This World 12:20am Royal Television Society Huw Weldon Memorial Lecture 2007 1:00am Joins BBC News 24 2:00am Vocational Bitesize 4:00am Vocational Bitesize

11:05pm The Food Show 11:40pm The Guest List 12:05am Tonight 12:30am Great Welsh Roads 12:55am Al Murray’s Happy Hour 1:55am Star Bites 2:00am UEFA Champions League

12:30am Sophie Scholl: the Final Days 2:40am Unreported World 3:05am Dispatches: How to Get Ahead in Africa 4:00am Express Yourself 4:15am Express Yourself 4:30am Express Yourself

11:05pm Gothika 1:00am NASCAR Nextel Cup 1:25am NFL 5:10am Seniors Golf

PICK OF THE DAY The Football Factory , C4, 10.50pm Football Factory is A to the Amazing! Where else are you going to find classic lines such as this here beauty...‘I was only expecting cornflakes and a quick wank.’ Danny Dyer gets to pretend he is from Sarffff Landaaan and as such is hard as fuck. He goes around slapping other football fans with bricks, it is such fun. It does get a bit more deep (emotionally not sexually you dirty beasts) when Dyer starts having visions of impending doom and it all ends a bit sadface. Be warned though, it will make you want to don a burberry scarf and swagger around saying things like ‘you muggy little Si’. When in this state, you will want to pick a fight with someone who is bigger than you. Please don’t, you will get hurt!

gairrhydd

NOVEMBER.05.2007

TELLY

TELEVISION@gairrhydd.COM

TUESDAY Queen’s Speech Broadcast BBC1 6.55pm

Wild in Africa BBC2 2.55pm

Loose Women ITV1 12.30pm

6th November Tajikistan Constitution Day

Autopsy: Emergency Urban Legends Room five 12.00am C4 11.05pm

BBC 1

BBC 2

ITV 1

6:00am Breakfast 9:15am Real Rescues 10:00am Homes under the Hammer 10:30am The State Opening of Parliament 2007 12:15pm Cash in the Attic

6:00am CBBC 10:30am Celebrations: Passover 10:45am Friends and Heroes 11:10am Ellery Queen 12:00pm What the Victorians Did for Us 12:30pm Working Lunch

6:00am Kids TV 7:30am Everybody Loves Raymond 8:00am Just Shoot Me 8:30am Will and Grace 9:00am Frasier 9:30am Vocation, Vocation, Vocation 10:00amEducational TV 11:30am Day I Got The Sack 12:00pm News at Noon 12:30pm Room for Improvement

6:00am Kids TV 9:00am The Wright Stuff 10:30am Trisha Goddard 11:30am five news 12:00pm Home and Away 12:30pm Bear Attack

1:00pm BBC News; Weather 1:30pm Wales Today; Weather 1:40pm Neighbours 2:05pm Doctors 2:35pm Diagnosis Murder 3:20pm BBC News and Weather 3:25pm CBBC

1:00pm Shakespeare: The Animated Tales 1:30pm Crawshaw’s Watercolour Cruise 1:55pm am.pm 2:55pm Wild in Africa 3:40pm Flog It! 4:25pm Food Poker

1:30pm ITV Lunchtime News 2:00pm 60 Minute Makeover 3:00pm Rosemary Shrager’s School for Cooks 4:00pm Midsomer Murders

1:30pm The Magic of Ordinary Days 3:25pm Countdown 4:15pm Deal or No Deal

1:30pm A Cooler Climate 3:30pm Love Is Strange

5:00pm Blue Peter 5:25pm Newsround 5:35pm Neighbours

5:10pm The Weakest Link 5:55pm Queen’s Speech Broadcast

5:00pm The Great Pretender

5:00pm The Paul O’Grady Show

5:30pm five news

6:00pm BBC News and Weather 6:30pm Wales Today; Weather 6:55pm Queen’s Speech Broadcast 7:00pm The One Show 7:30pm EastEnders 8:00pm Holby City

6:00pm Eggheads 6:30pm Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two 7:00pm Dragons’ Den 8:00pm Autumnwatch

6:00pm Wales Tonight 6:30pm ITV Evening News 6:55pm Queen’s Speech Broadcast 7:00pm Emmerdale 7:30pm UEFA Champions League Live: Liverpool v Besiktas

6:00pm The Simpsons 6:30pm Hollyoaks 7:00pm Channel 4 News 7:55pm 3 Minute Wonder: Rory Peck Awards 2007 8:00pm Property Ladder

6:00pm Home and Away 6:30pm Penguin Adventure with Nigel Marven 7:00pm five news 7:30pm Massive Engines 8:00pm Bali Bombings: The True Story

9:00pm Spooks

9:00pm Classical Star

9:00pm Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares

9:00pm CSI: Miami

10:00pm BBC News; Regional News; Weather 10:25pm Wales Today; Weather 10:35pm The Chief

10:00pm Match of the Day Wales 10:30pm Newsnight

10:00pm Summer of Noise 10:30pm ITV News

10:00pm Brat Daughters

10:00pm CSI: NY

11:15pm Imagine... 12:05am Film 2007 with Jonathan Ross 12:35am Tapeheads 2:05am Weatherview 2:10am Celebrity Scissorhands 3:10am Digital Stories

11:20pm Long Way Down 12:20am Joins BBC News 24 2:00am Further Education: Skills for Life in Context 4:00am GCSE Bitesize Revision

11:05pm UEFA Champions League Highlights 12:05am ITV Play: Make Your Play 4:10am Quincy, ME 5:00am ITV Nightscreen 5:30am ITV Early Morning News

11:05pm Autopsy: Emergency Room 12:05am The Fanbanta Football Show 12:40am Bluesqpoker.com Grosvenor UK Poker Tour 1:40am KOTV 2:05am Phones4U Urban Beach Tour 2:35am Racing Rivals

PICK OF THE DAY UEFA Champions League Live: Liverpool v Besiktas, ITV, 7.30pm Liverpool are bottom of Group A with one point after three matches. Tonight they face Besiktas who embarrassed the 2007 finalists two weeks ago. Now at Anfield the underfire Benitez has a point to prove with Gerrard and co out for revenge. Defeat tonight would all but end any remaining hopes for qualification to the last sixteen and would put the Rafalution under serious threat. Their Turkish counterparts are flying high in the Turkcell Super Lig, trailing a mere three points behind leaders Galatasary. While the Reds obviously have the quality to win comfortably, they will have to show the spirit which was so prominent in previous campaigns, but which seems to have deserted them this season. Rafa also needs to get a grip and shave off his ridiculous goatee. It’s obvious he’s put on weight and wants facial hair to help frame his pudgy face, but it just makes him look like he’s having a midlife crisis. Then again he probably is, so fair play. Still makes me LOL though. Rafa just hasn’t been the same since Pako Ayesteran left.

Channel 4

Camp:

Mums

Five

and

11:00pm Law and Order: Criminal Intent 12:00am Urban Legends 12:30am NBA Basketball 3:00am Football Italiano 4:20am French Football Le Championnat

28 gairrhydd

NOVEMBER.05.2007

TELLY

WEDNESDAY Queen’s Speech Response BBC1 6.55pm

Heroes Unmasked BBC2 9.45pm

BBC 1

BBC 2

Loose Women ITV1 12.30pm

ITV 1

6:00am Breakfast 9:15am Real Rescues 10:00am Homes under the Hammer 11:00am To Buy or Not to Buy 11:30am Bargain Hunt 12:15pm Cash in the Attic

6:00am CBBC 7:25am Newsround 7:30am CBBC 9:30am Autumnwatch 10:00am Finley the Fire Engine 10:15am Numberjacks 10:30am The Flying Gardener 10:45am Family Xchange 11:30am am.pm

1:00pm BBC News; Weather 1:30pm Wales Today; Weather 1:40pm Neighbours 2:05pm Doctors 2:35pm Diagnosis Murder 3:20pm BBC News and Weather 3:25pm CBBC

1:00pm See Hear 1:30pm Working Lunch 2:00pm Coast 2:10pm Animal Park: Wild in Africa 2:40pm Escape to the Country 3:40pm Flog It! 4:25pm Food Poker

1:30pm ITV Lunchtime News 2:00pm 60 Minute Makeover 3:00pm Rosemary Shrager’s School for Cooks 4:00pm Midsomer Murders

5:25pm Newsround 5:35pm Neighbours

5:10pm The Weakest Link 5:55pm Queen’s Speech Response

6:00pm BBC News and Weather 6:55pm Queen’s Speech Response 7:00pm The One Show 7:30pm Inside Out 8:00pm Watchdog 8:30pm Coal House 9:00pm The Nature of Britain 9:50pm The Nature of Britain

6:00pm Eggheads 6:30pm Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two 7:00pm Top Gear 8:00pm Autumnwatch

10:00pm BBC News; Regional News; Weather 10:25pm Wales Today; Weather 10:35pm The National Lottery Draws 10:45pm Coal House: Work Hard, Play Hard 11:30pm ONE Life 12:15am Karma Babies 12:50am Talk of Angels 2:25am Weatherview 2:30am Celebrity Scissorhands 3:30am Digital Stories 3:40am Sign Zone: The Truth about Property

Secret Millionaire C4 9.00pm

Channel 4

TELEVISION@gairrhydd.COM

7th November Rio Ferdinand’s Birthday

Just Cause five 9.00pm

Five

6:00am Kids TV 7:00am Freshly Squeezed 7:30am Everybody Loves Raymond 8:00am Just Shoot Me 8:30am Will and Grace 9:00am Frasier 9:30am Vocation, Vocation, Vocation 10:00am Educational TV 11:30am Day I Got The Sack 12:00pm News at Noon 12:30pm Room for Improvement 1:30pm Great British Brands 1:45pm McBride: Dogged 3:25pm Countdown 4:15pm Deal or No Deal

6:00am Kids TV 9:00am The Wright Stuff 10:30am Trisha Goddard 11:30am five news 12:00pm Home and Away 12:30pm Snake Attack

5:00pm The Great Pretender

5:00pm The Paul O’Grady Show

5:30pm five news

6:00pm Wales Tonight 6:55pm Queen’s Speech 7:00pm Emmerdale 7:30pm Coronation Street 8:00pm Trinny and Susannah Undress the Nation 9:00pm Happy Birthday BAFTA

6:00pm The Simpsons 6:30pm Hollyoaks 7:00pm Channel 4 News 7:55pm 3 Minute Wonder: Rory Peck Awards 2007 8:00pm Selling Houses Abroad 9:00pm Secret Millionaire

6:00pm Home and Away 6:30pm Penguin Adventure with Nigel Marven 7:00pm five news 7:30pm Binge Britain 8:00pm Diet Doctors: Inside & Out 9:00pm Just Cause

10:00pm Never Mind the Buzzcocks 10:30pm Newsnight

10:30pm ITV News

10:00pm Love Trap

11:20pm Kath and Kim 11:50pm Sigur Ros: A Culture Show Special 12:20am Joins BBC News 24 2:00am GCSE Bitesize Revision 4:00am GCSE Bitesize Revision

11:05pm Real Crime: The M25 Rapist Married to a Monster 12:05am ITV Play: Make Your Play 4:05am The Jeremy Kyle Show 5:00am ITV Nightscreen 5:30am ITV Early Morning News

11:05pm Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares 12:10am Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip 1:10am Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip 2:10am Your Face or Mine? 2:35am The Crazies 4:30am Headland 5:25am Countdown

9:00pm Heroes 9:45pm Heroes Unmasked

PICK OF THE DAY Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, C4, 12.10pm I feel like I shouldn’t really like Studio 60, it being yet another glossy American “dramedy” filled with attractive people and witty dialogue that I never seem to encounter myself walking through the SU. Despite this, Studio 60 has managed to draw me in. It’s mixture of Matthew Perry, Dawn from The Office, digs at Christianity and it just being plain entertaining has had me watching every episode. I realise lots of people will hate this show, I never got on with The West Wing with which Studio 60 shares it’s creator, but if you’re bored sometime after midnight on a Wednesday then tune in, for my sake. If you really don’t like it you will be happy to know it’s been cancelled anyway so this series is all we get. Damned Americans!

1:25pm Mary Higgins Clark’s Lucky Day 3:25pm five news update 3:30pm Open Heart

11:00pm Pleasure for Sale 12:05am PartyPoker.net World Open III: The Final 1:35am NHL Ice Hockey 3:45am Boxing Classic 4:20am ITU Triathlon 5:10am The X Games

gairrhydd

NOVEMBER.05.2007

TELLY

TELEVISION@gairrhydd.COM

THURSDAY Home Under the Hammer BBC1 10.00am

Coal Stories BBC2 11.30am

BBC 1

BBC 2

60 Minute Makeover ITV1 2.00pm ITV 1

6:00am Breakfast 9:15am Real Rescues 10:00am Homes under the Hammer 11:00am To Buy or Not to Buy 11:30am Bargain Hunt 12:15pm Cash in the Attic

6:00am CBBC 7:25am Newsround 7:30am CBBC 9:30am Autumnwatch 10:00am Finley the Fire Engine 10:15am Educational TV 11:30am Coal Stories 12:00pm The Daily Politics 12:30pm Working Lunch

1:00pm BBC News; Weather 1:30pm Wales Today; Weather 1:40pm Neighbours 2:05pm Doctors 2:35pm Diagnosis Murder 3:20pm BBC News and Weather 3:25pm CBBC

1:00pm engage International Bowls Open 3:10pm Escape to the Country 3:40pm Flog It! 4:25pm Food Poker

1:30pm ITV Lunchtime News 2:00pm 60 Minute Makeover 3:00pm Rosemary Shrager’s School for Cooks 4:00pm Midsomer Murders

5:25pm Newsround 5:35pm Neighbours

5:10pm The Weakest Link 5:55pm Queen’s Speech Response

6:00pm BBC News and Weather 6:30pm Wales Today; Weather 6:55pm Queen’s Speech Response 7:00pm The One Show 7:30pm EastEnders 8:00pm Waterloo Road 9:00pm The Street

10:00pm BBC News; Regional News; Weather 10:25pm Wales Today; Weather 10:35pm Dragon’s Eye

11:05pm Question Time 12:05am This Week 12:50am Holiday Weather 12:55am Celebrity Scissorhands 1:55am Sign Zone: The Fall of BP’s Sun King 2:25am Sign Zone: Who Do You Think You Are? 3:25am Sign Zone: Nigella Express

8th November St Michael’s Day

Drive Time Murders C4 1.40pm

Channel 4

A Girl’s Guide to 21st Century Sex five 11.20pm Five

6:10am Kids TV 7:00am Freshly Squeezed 7:30am Everybody Loves Raymond 8:00am Just Shoot Me 8:30am Will and Grace 9:00am Frasier 9:30am Vocation, Vocation, Vocation 10:00am Educational TV 12:00pm News at Noon 12:30pm Room for Improvement 1:30pm Supporting Acts 1:40pm Drive Time Murders 3:25pm Countdown 4:15pm Deal or No Deal

6:00am Kids TV 9:00am The Wright Stuff 10:30am Trisha Goddard 11:30am five news 12:00pm Home and Away 12:30pm Tiger Attack

5:00pm The Great Pretender

5:00pm The Paul O’Grady Show

5:55pm UEFA Cup Football

6:00pm Eggheads 6:30pm Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two 7:00pm Rick Stein’s Mediterranean Escapes 8:00pm Autumnwatch 9:00pm The Life and Times of Vivienne Vyle 9:30pm The Peter Serafinowicz Show 10:00pm Sport Wales 10:30pm Newsnight

6:00pm Wales Tonight 6:30pm ITV Evening News 6:55pm Queen’s Speech Broadcast 7:00pm Emmerdale 7:30pm The Ferret 8:00pm The Bill: Tortured Soul 9:00pm The Killer in Me

6:00pm The Simpsons 6:30pm Hollyoaks 7:00pm Channel 4 News 7:55pm 3 Minute Wonder: Rory Peck Awards 2007 8:00pm River Cottage: Gone Fishing 9:00pm The Mummy Diaries

8:00pm UEFA Cup Football

10:00pm Police, Camera, Action! 10:30pm ITV News

10:00pm Without a Trace

10:10pm Californication 10:50pm 30 Rock

11:20pm The Graham Norton Show 11:50pm Heroes 12:35am engage International Bowls Open Extra 2:00am GCSE Bitesize Revision 4:00am GCSE Bitesize Revision

11:05pm Burn Hollywood Burn 11:35pm Waterfront 12:05am ITV Play: Make Your Play 4:05am The Jeremy Kyle Show 5:00am ITV Nightscreen 5:30am ITV Early Morning News

11:00pm Shameless 12:05am 4 Music: Ibiza Rocks with Sony Ericsson 12:35am 4 Music: Dubplate Drama 1:00am Hyderabad Blues 2 3:10am My New Home 4:10am 3 Minute Wonder: North Circular Stories

11:20pm A Girl’s Guide to 21st Century Sex 12:05am Quiz Call 4:00am Dutch Football 5:10am Football Argentina - Highlights

PICK OF THE DAY The Bill: Tortured Soul, ITV1, 8.00pm Why have episodes of The Bill got such overly dramatic titles and how far back does this go? I’m all for the pun heavy episode titles that come on during the opening shot in Casualty but methinks The Bill is taking itself a bit too seriously. Whatever happened to the gentler times of the “will they, won’t they” romance of PC Polly Page and Dave Quinnan, though admittedly she did get incredibly creepy towards the end. I want to see my friendly neighbourhood bobbies walking the beat again. My message to The Bill is to calm down and bring back the old theme tune then maybe I’ll start watrching again.

1:30pm Russell Grant’s Postcards 1:40pm Heart Full of Rain 3:30pm five news update 3:40pm UEFA Cup Football

30 gairrhydd

NOVEMBER.05.2007

TELLY

TELEVISION@gairrhydd.COM

FRIDAY You Can’t Fire Me A Passion For Plants I’m Famous BBC2 8.00pm BBC1 3.45am BBC 1

9th November Diwali

This Morning ITV1 10.30am

BBC 2

ITV 1

6:00am Breakfast 9:15am Real Rescues 10:00am Homes under the Hammer 11:00am To Buy or Not to Buy 11:30am Bargain Hunt 12:15pm Cash in the Attic

6:00am CBBC 10:50am Landmarks 11:10am The Maths Channel - Year 6 11:20am The Maths Channel - Year 6 11:30am Coal Stories 12:00pm The Daily Politics 12:30pm Working Lunch

6:00am GMTV Newshour 6:58am GMTV Today 8:35am Entertainment Today 9:25am The Jeremy Kyle Show 10:30am This Morning 11:10am ITV News Headlines 11:15am ITV Wales News and Weather 11:20am This Morning 12:30pm Loose Women

1:00pm BBC News; Weather 1:30pm Wales Today; Weather 1:40pm Neighbours 2:05pm Doctors 2:35pm Diagnosis Murder 3:20pm BBC News and Weather 3:25pm CBBC:

1:30pm engage International Bowls Open 3:15pm Escape to the Country 3:45pm Flog It! 4:30pm Food Poker

1:30pm ITV Lunchtime News 2:00pm 60 Minute Makeover 3:00pm Rosemary Shrager’s School for Cooks 4:00pm Midsomer Murders

5:35pm Neighbours

5:15pm The Weakest Link

6:00pm BBC News and Weather 6:30pm Wales Today; Weather 7:00pm The One Show 7:30pm A Question of Sport 8:00pm EastEnders 8:30pm Coal House 9:30pm Have I Got News for You 10:00pm BBC News; Regional News; Weather 10:25pm Wales Today; Weather 10:35pm Friday Night with Jonathan Ross

11:35pm The Armstrong and Miller Show 12:05am The Last Castle 2:10am Weatherview 2:15am Celebrity Scissorhands 3:15am See Hear 3:45am Sign Zone:You Can’t Fire Me I’m Famous

Odd Girl Out C4 1.50pm

Will Work For Nuts five 7.30pm

Channel 4

Five

6:10am Kids Tv 7:00am Freshly Squeezed 7:30am Everybody Loves Raymond 8:00am Just Shoot Me 8:30am Will and Grace 9:00am Frasier 9:30am Vocation, Vocation, Vocation 10:00am Teen Tycoons 10:30am Tricky Business Two 11:00am The Market 11:30am Day I Got The Sack 12:00pm News at Noon 12:30pm Room for Improvement 1:30pm Great British Brands 1:50pm Odd Girl Out 3:25pm Countdown 4:15pm Deal or No Deal

6:00am Kids TV 9:00am The Wright Stuff 10:30am Trisha Goddard 11:30am five news 12:00pm Home and Away 12:30pm Dingo Attack

5:00pm The Great Pretender

5:00pm The Paul O’Grady Show

5:30pm five news

6:00pm Eggheads 6:30pm Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two 7:00pm Run on the Bank: Northern Crock 7:30pm Never Say Die 8:00pm A Passion for Plants 8:30pm Gardeners’ World 9:00pm The Tudors 10:00pm QI 10:30pm Newsnight

6:00pm Wales Tonight 6:30pm ITV Evening News 7:00pm Emmerdale: The Dingle Family Album 2 7:30pm Coronation Street 8:00pm The Waste Watchers: Tonight 8:30pm Doc Martin

6:00pm The Simpsons 6:30pm Hollyoaks 7:00pm Channel 4 News 7:35pm Unreported World 8:00pm A Place in the Sun: Home or Away

6:00pm Home and Away 6:30pm Home and Away 7:00pm five news 7:30pm Will Work for Nuts 8:00pm Nick Baker’s Weird Creatures

9:00pm Ugly Betty

9:00pm NCIS

11:00pm Newsnight Review 11:35pm Later...with Jools Holland 12:40am Blast 12:45am Bowls: International Open Extra 2:10am Star Trek: The Next Generation 2:55am Star Trek: The Next Generation

11:05pm Never to be Forgotten 11:35pm Numb3rs 12:20am ITV Play: Make Your Play 4:15am Karen Sisco 5:00am ITV Nightscreen 5:30am ITV Early Morning News

10:30pm ITV News

PICK OF THE DAY Comedy Showcase: Free agents, CH4, 10.30pm This is apparently a dark comedy romance set in a talent agency starring the one out of Green Wing that looks like a donkey. It is part of Channel 4’s 25th anniversary celebrations and as it is a one-off comedy I really don’t know whether it will be any good or not. However I do know that Anthony Head will be in it, and for me that is more than enough. You know Tony, he was in Buffy and Little Britain (don’t hold it against him) and can charm the knickers off the Pope. You don’t need to love him like I do, just hang around after Earl and bask in Tony goodness. You never know the show might even be funny.

10:00pm My Name Is Earl 10:30pm Comedy Showcase: Agents

1:30pm Russell Grant’s Postcards 1:40pm Sweet Hostage 3:40pm five news update 3:45pm The Hollywood Mom’s Mystery

10:00pm Law and Order Free

11:05pm Father Ted 11:35pm Father Ted 12:05am 4 Music:Transmission With T-Mobile 1:10am 4 Music:Empire Square 1:35am 4 Music:4Play: Justice

11:00pm Most Evil 12:00am Quiz Call 5:10am Wildlife SOS 5:35am Wildlife SOS

gairrhydd

NOVENBER.05.2007

TELLY

TELEVISION@gairrhydd.COM

SATURDAY

10th November Brittany Murphy’s Birthday!

Final Score BBC 4.30pm

Heroes Unmasked

BBC2 5.45pm

BBC 1 6:00am Breakfast 10:00am Animal Park 10:45am Lord Mayor’s Show 2007 12:10pm BBC News; Weather 12:20pm Football Focus

1:10pm Bowls: International Open 4:30pm Final Score 5:10pm BBC News; Regional News; Weather

5:30pm Outtake TV

6:00pm Strictly Come Dancing 7:20pm Robin Hood 8:05pm The National Lottery Draws 8:15pm Casualty

9:05pm Festival of Remembrance

BBC 2 6:00am CBeebies: 12:00pm Animal Park 12:45pm Adam’s Rib

2:20pm Film 2007 with Jonathan Ross 2:50pm A Walk to Remember 4:25pm BBC SWITCHFalcon Beach

ITV 1 6:00am CITV 11:50am ITV News and Weather 11:53am ITV Weather 11:55am ITV Wales News and Weather 12:00pm Saturday Cooks

1:30pm Home Alone 4 3:05pm You Only Live Twice 4:15pm Regional News & Weather 4:30pm ITV News 4:43pm ITV Weather 4:45pm You Only Live Twice (cont)

Friends C4 10.00am Channel 4 6:10am Kids TV 7:00am Goalissimo! 8:00am The Morning Line 8:55am T4:British Academy Video Games Awards 2007 10:00am T4:Friends 10:35am T4:Mobileact Unsigned 11:40am T4:Transmission With T-Mobile 12:20pm T4:McFly: The T4 Special 1:00pm T4:Charmed 2:00pm Channel 4 Racing 4:00pm Red Bull Air Race 4:45pm Time Team

5:10pm BBC SWITCHSound 5:45pm Heroes Unmasked 5:55pm What the Papers Say 6:05pm Coal House 6:35pm Paul Merton’s Silent Clowns 7:35pm Shooting the Past 8:35pm Stephen Poliakoff: A Culture Show Special 9:05pm A Real Summer

5:45pm Funniest Ever You’ve Been Framed!

5:45pm Codex

6:45pm The X Factor 8:15pm All Star Family Fortunes

6:30pm Channel 4 News 7:15pm Deal or No Deal 8:00pm Not Forgotten

9:50pm Friends and Crocodiles

9:00pm The X Factor Results 9:35pm The Kylie Show 10:35pm Parkinson

9:05pm My Best Friend’s Wedding

11:40pm ITV Weekend News and Weather 11:50pm ITV Weather 11:53pm Regional Weather 12:00am ITV Play: Make Your Play 3:58am ITV News Headlines 4:10am Antiques Auction 4:30am Antiques Auction

11:05pm Lucas and Walliams’ Perfect Night In 1:15am American Splendor 3:00am 4 Music:Dubplate Drama 3:25am 4 Music:Transmission With T-Mobile 3:55am King of the Hill

10:40pm BBC News; Weather

11:00pm Match of the Day 12:10am Halloween III: Season of the Witch 1:45am Friday Night with Jonathan Ross 2:45am Weatherview 2:50am Joins BBC News 24

The Kylie Show ITV1 9.35pm

11:40pm The 41st Country Music Awards 1:10am The Tudors 2:05am Bowls Extra

PICK OF THE DAY A Walk To Remember, BBC2, 2.50pm Awwwww, this is the best girlie movie in the world. You will definetly do some sobbing to this shizz and if you don’t then you are OBV Hitler. The basic plotline is bad boy meets church girl, bad boy loves church girl, church girl gets cancer. Can’t ask for anything better than that can you? Although it is a bit of annoying that no one takes a walk as such, let alone a walk to remember. Mandy Moore is in it as well, she doesn’t look that great though mostly because she is dressed like the uber geek and she is relying heavily on the face which isn’t too ace. Whatever happened to the Moore? Haven’t seen her out and about lately, she should do a Lindsay Lohan and raise her profile.

Wild Events five 11.30am

Five 6:00am Sunrise 7:00am Kids TV 9:30am Franklin 10:00am The Gadget Show 11:00am Football Italiano Highlights 11:30am Wild Events 12:05pm The Gnome-Mobile

1:40pm Columbo: A Case of Immunity 3:10pm Santa Fe 4:45pm A Bridge Too Far 8:00pm five news and sport 8:10pm NCIS

9:05pm CSI: Crime Scene Investigation 10:05pm Law and Order: SVU

11:05pm Criminal Minds 12:05am Quiz Call 5:10am Wildlife SOS 5:35am Wildlife SOS

32 gairrhydd

NOVEMBER.05.2007

TELLY

TELEVISION@gairrhydd.COM

SUNDAY

11th November Farmers Day

Match of the Day

Storm Geese

My Boy Jack

Not Forgotten

Buddy

BBC1 8.00am

BBC2 5.15pm

ITV1 9.00pm

C4 6.30pm

five 12.00pm

BBC 1

BBC 2

ITV 1 6:00am CITV 9:25am Sunday Edition 10:20am ITV News Headlines 10:21am Sunday Edition 10:25am The Championship 11:25am Soccer Sunday 12:00pm CITV:Jim Jam and Sunny 12:15pm CITV:Planet Sketch 12:25pm ITV News and Weather 12:28pm ITV Weather 12:30pm ITV Wales News and Weather 12:35pm Problem Child 2:00pm The X Factor 3:30pm The X Factor Results 4:05pm ITV Wales News and Weather 4:20pm Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi

Channel 4

Five

6:00am Breakfast 8:00am Match of the Day 9:30am The Andrew Marr Show 10:30am Remembrance Sunday: The Cenotaph 12:10pm The Politics Show

6:00am CBBC 10:00am Something for the Weekend 11:30am Countryfile 12:20pm Weather for the Week Ahead 12:30pm Rugby League

6:05am The Hoobs 6:30am Trans World Sport 7:25am Racing Rivals 7:50am Freesports on 4 8:20am Adrenalin Rush 8:45am T4:The OC 9:45am T4:Hollyoaks Omnibus 12:15pm T4:Mobileact Unsigned

6:00am Kids TV 9:25am Franklin 10:00am Hannah Montana 10:30am Hannah Montana 11:00am 8 Simple Rules 11:30am Beyond the Break 12:00pm Buddy

1:10pm EastEnders 3:10pm FA Cup Football

1:30pm Gymnastics 3:00pm Bowls: International Open

1:15pm T4:MTV Europe Music Awards 2007 2:30pm T4:Ugly Betty 3:30pm T4:Smallville: Superman the Early Years 4:30pm T4:The Simpsons

1:30pm Football Italiano 4:20pm The Remains of the Day

5:35pm Points of View 5:50pm Paxman on Owen 6:50pm Strictly Come Dancing 7:35pm BBC News; Regional News; Weather 8:00pm Antiques Roadshow

5:15pm Storm Geese 5:25pm Songs of Praise 6:00pm The Nature of Britain 6:50pm Remembrance Sunday: Cenotaph Highlights 7:50pm Coast 8:00pm Top Gear

6:45pm ITV News and Weather 6:58pm ITV Weather 7:00pm Emmerdale 7:30pm Coronation Street 8:00pm Heartbeat

6:30pm Not Forgotten 7:30pm Channel 4 News 8:00pm Wife Swap

6:40pm five news and sport 7:00pm Jackie Chan’s Police Story 2

9:00pm Long Way Down

9:00pm My Boy Jack

9:00pm Mr & Mrs Smith

9:00pm Tightrope

11:00pm ITV Weekend News and Weather 11:13pm ITV Weather 11:14pm Regional Weather 11:15pm Love Child

11:20pm The Fight for the Internet Twins

11:15pm Californication 11:55pm Disorderly Conduct

5:00pm T4:The Simpsons 5:30pm Scrapheap Challenge

9:00pm Learners 10:20pm BBC News; Weather 10:40pm Barbra Streisand Concert

10:00pm Match of the Day 2

11:40pm Green Card 1:20am Weatherview 1:25am Celebrity Scissorhands 2:25am Sign Zone:Watchdog 2:55am Sign Zone:Holby City 3:55am Sign Zone:The Nature Britain

11:10pm The Graham Norton Show 11:55pm Heroes

PICK OF THE DAY EastEnders, BBC1, 1.10pm Catch up time! It is the best thing in the world to watch the ‘enders when you are a bit hungover. You have to love the ‘enders, Big Mo is the best. She is so aggressive it’s ace and Gary comes out with amazing one liners like ‘you are having a giraffe’. My all time favourite character has to be Juley, he had the most amazing accent! He was a combi of every single variation of the London accent. It was a joy to sit and wait for what absolute bullcrap would come spewing out his mouth. Anyhoo, this week is amazing ‘cause Emo Steven has returned possibly as a reformed character, hopefully not. He is so sexual, there is something oh so alluring about a man with a weapon.

gairrhydd

NOVEMBER.05.2007

FIVE MINUTE FUN

FMF@gairrhydd.COM

found on facebook

SUDOKU

Housemate done something stupid?

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

Send more oddities!

COMPETITION CROSSWORD Across

Down

1 A Great Lake (8) 5 A biblical king of Persia (6) 9 Not guilty (8) 10 Warble (6) 12 Poems of heroism (5) 13 Planner (9) 14 Restaurant (6) 16 Surgeon’s knife (7) 19 Roams (7) 21 Sleigh (6) 23 Unsteady in gait (9) 25 The end of life (5) 26 Old-fashioned refrigerator (6) 27 Powerful businessmen (8) 28 Amass (6) 29 Traitor (8)

1 Posted (6) 2 One’s state (9) 3 The anvil bone in your ear (5) 4 Orange-red dye (7) 6 Clarify (9) 7 Twenty-seven in Roman numerals (5) 8 Squeeze the throat (8) 11 Freezes (4) 15 Thus (9) 17 Ceremonial occasion (9) 18 Hitting swiftly (8) 20 Travel in a wind-driven boat (4) 21 Display boards (7) 22 Pursuer (6) 24 Care for (5) 25 Monetary unit of Yemen (5)

Exercise your mind...

WINonal ers ng p A aini tr sion ses

Then exercise your body at

Put your entries in the competitio

n box outside gair rhydd

Every week gair rhydd will be giving away a gym package to one lucky entrant who correctly completes the competition crossword, courtesy of Dave’s Gym.

Every winner will receive a free personal training session with one of our qualified instructors. This can be a gym workout, weight-training, boxing or Thai Boxing session. You will also receive a personalised gym programme and a free guest pass so you can come back for another workout or try one of our studio classes: choose from HipHop, Khai Bo, Bodypump and many more. This prize is worth approximately £35! Conditions: Use of any of our facilities are subject to our terms and conditions and at the user’s own risk. An appointment must be made for the session. Prize must be claimed within four weeks of notification. It is not exchangeable for cash and is not transferable to any other party. Dave’s Gym: Tel: 029 2046 0232 E.mail: enquiries@daves-gym. co.uk Web: www.daves-gym.co.uk

NAME.... EMAIL....

How to enter: Simply complete the crossword opposite and drop it into the crossword competition box outside the gair rhydd office on the 4th floor of the Students’ Union. The first correct entrant to be plucked from the box every week will win the Dave’s Gym package.

36 gairrhydd

NOVEMBER.05.2007

LISTINGS

LISTINGS@gairrhydd.COM

Swn Festival Various venues around Cardiff Wristbands £34/Check venues for individual events. Listings Editor Josie Allchin Recommends So, alas, the summer is over and here we are once again in the dark, damp winter months of Cardiff, and festivals are certainly not the first things on my mind - hot water bottles and woolly jumpers would be more appropriate. But let’s not linger any longer in this depressing state of mind, because here to get us all hot and bothered again is Swn Festival – three days of live music, art installations and theatre performances taking place all around Cardiff. The format of the event is unlike many of the festival giants we see over the summer – Glastonbury, Reading and Leeds etc, but more akin to smaller, quirkier festivals, and boasts the fact that it’s a “crawl” festival, like The Great Escape, SXSW or London’s very own Camden Crawl. And you can bet that every main venue in Cardiff is hosting something cool. On Friday, Clwb Ifor Bach plays host to

Marcus Brigstocke ‘Planet Corduroy Tour’ @ The Glee Club Doors 7pm. £13/£10 NUS Listings Editor Dan Jones Recommends There’s nothing I like more than having a right bloody laugh - ask my mates, they’ll tell you. For those of you that read the listings pages, both of you may have noticed that I have reviewed more than my fair share of comedians. However, there is method to my madness; I am simply trying to spread some joy among my fellow students, as i believe laughter truly is the best medicine. Unless you have an illness that can’t be treated, in which case I revoke my last statement. Anyway, as I was saying, I do like a good larf and at present there seems to be few better at invoking this laughter than Marcus Brigstocke. Brigstocke has emerged as a leftieliberal comedian from the upper echelons of society, and is a self-confessed ‘posh boy from the Home Counties’. Ever present on BBC Radio 4 and with a healthy array of film and TV appearances under his belt, Marcus is fast becoming as renowned for his stand-

Bristol outfit The Duke Spirit (a personal favourite), plus others including new and exciting Welsh band, Truckers Of Husk. Upstairs and downstairs are dedicated this evening to Swn Festival at Clwb, and the night continues with their regular Dude Abides DJ set. At the same time, Barfly is hosting an evening dedicated to Domino Records, who will be presenting some of their best new signings. Not only this, but the Chapter Arts Centre, Buffalo and The Point will also be participating in all things Swn related – and we haven’t even scratched the surface yet, let alone considered the rest of the weekend to come! Talking of which, on Saturday evening, our very own Great Hall will host Cool House, who have teamed up with Swn to host The Annie Mac Presents tour, which will be dropping by to satisfy the needs of all the ravers around Cardiff. Radio 1 DJ herself, Annie Mac, will be manning the decks with support from French dance/pop outfit Cassius, plus sets from Geddes and Simon Baker. Sunday sees the same and more, including a DJ set from Huw Stephens (who masterminded this whole project) and an evening presented by Cardiff’s own Kruger Magazine at Clwb. Buying a wrist-band for the whole weekend will give you priority when getting into the individual events, or you can just turn up and hope for the best. Full line-up info can be found at www.swnfest.com… this is going to be some weekend.

HUW STEPHENS: Swn mastermind

up performances as he is for his ‘off-stage’ antics. His comedy career began in Bristol where he studied drama at University, and he was obviously quite good, as in 1996 he won the BBC New Comedian award. He has since become the major acting, writing and comedy talent he is today. The Edinburgh Festival has proved ground of the happiest hunting for Marcus, having performed there for almost every Festival since his first in 1996, receiving plenty of critical acclaim. Some of his best work, though, has come in the form of his cult TV comedy shows such as ‘We Are History’, in which he plays cynical historian David Oxley CATE LE BON: What a little rascal! in his attempts to ‘recreate’ pivotal historical moments of history in a modern setting. For instance, IKEA becomes the setting for the Viking invasion of Britain in ‘the last bastion of Viking control’. His stand-up style is one of a slightly vulnerable yet highly intelligent political and social commentator, but he also slips in and out of a more eccentric and silly side to great effect, with his ‘posh boy’ Swn Festival Presents: background providing plenty of ammo for his Cate Le Bon, Richard sometimes relentless self ridicule . He plays James & BEIRUT @ with the PC boundaries, and just when you The Point think he’s about to go too far, he takes a Friday Nov 9th step back into safer territory. It’s not difficult to work out the issues on which Brigstocke Cardiff hosts the feels strongest about, as he invites the aufirst Swn Festival dience to share in his rage. Take his views this weekend under on the influence of computer games on kids, the guidance of much-loved Welshman, where he abruptly states, “If Pacman had afHuw Stephens, and oh my has he done fected us as kids we’d be running around in good. The festival kicks off bloody marveldark rooms, munching pills and listening to lously at The Point, with Cate le Bon, Rirepetitive music.” That’s funny. End of. chard James and, most importantly of all, If you like your comedy intelligent, witty and Beirut taking to the stage. Swn is all about dry then Marcus is your man. showcasing local artists, and Penboyr-ian Le Bon is the perfect opening for this city-

Coming up...

Xpress R adio’s Gig Of The Week...

DUKE SPIRIT: Front-Woman Leila Moss

based festival. The mellowness of her performance will prove to be the perfect antidote to hysterical boredom produced by a long and tedious reading week and will set the scene for the slightly more upbeat Richard James. The ex-Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci founding member continues the Welsh-orientated celebrations and promises to create an air of happiness and well-being that headliners Beirut will only build upon until your heart is bursting with goodwill. Trumpets, accordions, ukuleles and the most stupendous voice I have ever heard make Zach Condon the man to watch tonight. Following the release of his new album ‘The Flying Club Cup’, Condon is sure to pull out all the stops as the first headliner on the first day of the first Swn Fest. He will deliver a gig that will leave you grinning like a retard but blissfully unaware and full of trumpety affection. Get on to www.swnfest.com to get your ticket that’ll entitle you not only to this gig but any other at any venue over the weekend. Bloody bargain!

Amy Winehouse @ CIA, 28th Nov... Foo Fighters @ CIA, 13th Nov... The Madness of King George II @ Chapter Arts Centre, 13th - 17th Nov... Bill Bailey @ CIA, 21st - 25th Nov...Kanye West @ CIA, 27th Nov... Rhianna @ CIA, 19th Dec...

gairrhydd

NOVEMBER.05.2007

LISTINGS

LISTINGS@gairrhydd.COM

Monday... 5/11

Tuesday... 6/11

Wednesday... 7/11

Thursday... 8/11

Fun Factory @ Solus, SU Cardiff’s own alternative music night. Also features DJing by Oddsoc and bands put on by LMS, this week - The Low Lights. 10pm - 2am. Free entry with NUS. £3 otherwise. The Lochdown @ Buffalo Presents... Live Drum & Bass. Breaks and Beats 8pm. £4 Stan Stennett’s Bonfire Sparkler @ St. David’s Hall The much loved and very versatile entertainer best known for his roles in ‘Crossroads’ & ‘Heartbeat’. Contact venue for details. The Culture + The Poppies + The Dancing Bullets + The New Tea Party @ Buffalo The Poppies - Band from Wales, not to be confused with Pop Will Eat Itself who are known to their fans as The Poppies. Although, quite frankly, if you do confuse the two you shouldn’t be allowed to this gig in the first place. Inexcusable. 8pm-3am. £3.

Planet Rock @ Clwb Ifor Bach The one and only rock request night, originating from a Cardiff music society way back. You ask, and they play the rock, metal and goth classics. You can also request via MySpace.com/planet_ rock_club. 9pm - 2pm. £3. Forecast: Forecast DJ’s @ Buffalo Bar Indie and rock musical sensibilities played in layed back surroundings. Shades Of Brown @ Sherman Theatre “Whatever shade of brown you are, or want to be, this play will get under your skin”. A thought provoking evening not to be missed. 8pm. £10/£8. Asobi Seksu + Scanners + Think:Fire @ Barfly Another night of awesome live music at one of Cardiff’s most renowned live music venues. £7 adv. Will Haven + Black Cesar @ Clwb Ifor Bach Hardcore, thrash metal band Will Haven released their first album in 2001 and were tipped for major success. They returned in 2006 with the critically acclaimed ‘Hierophant’ and a co-headline tour with fellow heavy metal band, Crowbar. RAAWWRRR... 7:30pm. £8.00.

Rubber Duck @ Solus, SU Dressed up clubbing for jocks and pretend jocks. 10pm. £3. Popscene @ Clwb Ifor Bach Three floors of great music, including breaks, beats, blues, rock and indie. 10pm - 3am. £4.50/£3 before 11pm. Eat The DJ @ Buffalo Bar Free entry. What more can we say? 9pm - 3am. Glo Jam @ Glo Bar A night of dance, breaks and beats an’ all that jazz... 9pm - late. £3. The Magic of Musicals @ St. Davids Hall Tonight brings together a selection of the finest and best loved songs from the most successful West End musicals of all time and celebrates the enchanting melodies of some of our best-loved songwriters in one spectacular show. Expect the likes of Chicago, Billy Elliot and The Lion King. Lalala... 7.30pm. £15.50/£21.50. Unite: Resident DJs @ Clwb Tafod (NosDa) Alternate DJs and acoustic music. 8.30pm - 1am. Contact venue for ticket prices.

Baitshop @ Barfly Student clubnight at Cardiff’s most renowned alternative music venue. Playing your usual mix of rock, indie and dance. 10.30pm. £3/£2 with nus. The Breakfast Club @ Buffalo Club night upstairs in this trendy bar. Hard-core party people only... 8pm-3am.£3. Soul Freedom: Kev KGB Bird + Mike Shawe + Mike Ashley @ Glo Bar KGB is known for his tough, Dutch style hard house and funky, twisted tech house grooves. A master of the underground house scene and international globetrotting DJ who produces music during the week and unwinds at the weekend by playing at parties up and down the UK. 9pm 3am. £3.00.

Pick Of The Day

Luke Pickett + Attack! Attack! + Death Can Dance @ Barfly Death Can Dance - another new British band gaining recognition via the means of ‘cyberlabel’ MySpace. Born in 2005, DCD illustrate a fine mix of pop, hardcore and punk. Still only in their late teens these guys are coming off the back of a gap year in which they’ve tried to breakthrough to the ‘big time’. Luke Pickett - young lad from Harpenden in the Damien Rice category of soft vocals, emotive acoustic and soppy lyrics. Another MySpace merchant, but this guy has genuine talent and is made for the live stage.

Friday... 9/11 Access all Areas @ Solus SU More unadulterated fun at the union, and another way to make people drunk. Promises the best alternative music and beats for you to boogie to. 10pm - 2am. £3.50 / £3 adv. The Dudes Abide: Resident DJs @ Clwb Ifor Bach Funky tunes downstairs at our favourite alternative club. 10:30pm - 2:30am. £4.00/£3.50. Hiroyasu Sasaki @ Chapter Arts Centre A one-off guest performance from a Japanese master of mime: touching, human and with an effortless gift for capturing the affections and wistful poetry of everyday life. Hiroyasu Sasaki will perform a series of lyrical solos inspired from traditional Japanese folk songs followed by a ‘Requiem’, reflecting on global matters. 8pm. £10 - £6. Viola Recital & Masterclass: Simon RowlandJones & Zoe Smith @ The Welsh college Of Music & Drama 1.05pm. £4-£2.

Pick Of The Day

The Monks Kitchen + Pete Greenwood + The Burning Leaves @ Chapter Art Centre The Monks Kitchen - Four childhood friends from West London, The Monks Kitchen are into 30’s folk, the Velvets and Bob Dylan, as well as the likes of The Ink Spots, Pentangle and The La’s. Their hazy driving-around-withthe-window-down country-rock will prove affecting to anyone with a heart and one or more ears. ‘The perfect soundtrack to end your summer and give you a head-start on the autumn… late ‘60s folk-rock a la The Byrds-inspired musical model’ - Drowned In Sound.

Pick Of The Day

Bedouin Soundclash @ Cardiff University’s Great Hall

Bedouin Soundclash has emerged in the past two years as a young group refusing to be classified, while blurring the lines of reggae and rock. Jay Malinowski’s soulful wail and rasp rests on Eon Sinclair’s deep dubbing bass while Pat Pengelly drives a heavy rhythm, blazing their own path in the musical landscape. They played to a raptuous audience last year at the union, hopefully only to be furthered by another awesome night. 7pm. £12.50 adv.

Saturday...

10/11

Come Play @ Solus, SU Union-run night of rock, pop, dance and general debauchery. Party tunes in the main room and Traffic DJing in the side room. 10pm. £3.50. Clwb Cariad: Resident DJs @ Clwb Ifor Bach Contemporary Welsh sounds on all three floors. 10pm - 3am. £5.00/£4.00. The Changes @ Barfly With strong guitar riffs and impressive live performances, they also add some jazz to the mix of their indie rock sound. They were the only unsigned band to play 2005’s Lollapalooza. 8pm. For more info contact venue. Edwyn Collins + Jaymay + The Loose Salute @ Chapter Arts Centre Edwyn Collins - Edinburgh-born singer/songwriter who fronted indie pop group Orange Juice. His big hit came in 1994 with the awesome ‘A Girl Like You’ from his Gorgeous George album. 4pm.

Pick Of The Day

Miss Bollywood - The Musical @ St. David’s Hall Victim of the infamous Channel 4 racist hate campaign, Shilpa Shetty stars in the story of Maya, a classically trained dancer who comes to London to establish her dream dance academy. The show is crammed full of big musical numbers, and astonishing dance routines that will have audiences demanding more. Combining the traditional dance forms of East and West India, Miss Bollywood recaptures the atmosphere and passion of some of the best Bollywood films of the last 40 years. For more details contact the venue.

Pick Of The Day

The Delays @ Barfly Southampton four-piece playing highly unfashionable guitar pop with close harmonies and jingle-jangle guitars; reminiscent of The Hollies with darker shades of Radiohead, early U2 and The Cocteau Twins. The second and latest album “You See Colours” was released in March 2006, and saw a breakthrough when their songs began being used as backing music on the football highlights show Match of the Day. So, in other words, another one of these new fangled inide bands... 7:30pm. £10.00.

Sunday...

11/11

Buffalo Sundaes Garden Party: Fireworks night special @ Buffalo Bar Music untill 3am, heated outdoor marquee and a mini fireworks display, amazing! 7pm-3am. Free before 10pm. £2/3 after. The Black Lips @ Clwb Ifor Bach Fast, funky and fuck you attitude rock from Atlanta, Georgia. Ticket info available from venue. Hell Is For Heroes + My Awesome Compilation (MAC) + Meet Me In St Louis + The Slowdance @ Barfly Hell Is For Heroes - Rising from the ashes of Symposium, HIFH have been receiving some great reviews from the likes of Kerrang, NME and Rock Sound. Unafraid to glam things up, thrash their guitars around and hang upside down from venue ceilings (!), they’re definitely worth catching live. 7.30pm.£10.

Pick Of The Day

Ryan Adams + The Cardinals @ Millennium Centre Ryan Adams - Former guitarist and singer/ songwriter for Whiskeytown, Ryan Adams has revealed a closet folkie-side in his solo material, although he still writes as he performs: with his heart on his sleeve, and punk in his spirit. The Cardinals - Indie four-piece with a slight eighties synth feel, coupled with rousing and anthemic choruses. ‘Brilliant psychedelic guitars, sumptuous rasping vocals, and inspired lyrics…Keep your ear to the ground for these lads.’ – The Crack 7pm. £24.

Beyond All Reason + Glamour Of The Kill + Public Asylum @ Barfly Beyond All Reason are an up-and-coming emocore band from York previously touring under the name Osiris. Anticipate that the other bands playing this evening will be much the same. 7:30pm. £5.00.

Pick Of The Day

Caught In A Rabbit’s Headlights: Milton Jones @ Glee Club Comedian, writer and actor, whose stand-up is full of surrealism, nonsense and sharp wit. He has performed regularly for Radio 4 and his three series of ‘The Very World Of Milton Jones’ have been nominated for the British Comedy Award and won a Sony Radio Award. He was the winner of the Perrier Best Newcomer Award in 1996, and was nominated for the main prize in 1997. He received the Time Out ‘Best Comedy Performer’ prize in 2002. All makes out for a good night, then. £11/10adv/£8 nus.

Venues... Students’ Union, Park Place, 02920 387421 www.cardiffstudents.com Med Club, Neuadd Meirionydd, Heath Park 02920 744948 Clwb Ifor Bach (The Welsh Club), 11 Womanby Street 02920 232199 www.clwb.net Barfly, Kingsway, Tickets: 08709070999 www.barflyclub.com/cardiff Metros, Bakers Row 02920 399939 www.clubmetropolitan.com Dempseys, Castle Street 02920 252024 Iotas, 7 Mill Lane 02920 225592 Incognito, Park Place 02920 412190 Liquid, St. Mary Street 02920645464 The Philharmonic, 76-77 St. Mary Street 02920 230678 Café Jazz, 21 St. Mary Street 02920 387026 www.cafejazzcardiff.com The Riverbank Hotel, Despenser Street www.riverbankjazz.co.uk St. David’s Hall, The Hayes 02920 878444 www.stdavidshallcardiff.co.uk Chapter Arts Centre, Market Road, Canton 02920 304400 www.chapter.org Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay 0870 0402000 www.wmc.org.uk The New Theatre, Park Place 02920 878889 www.newtheatrecardiff.co.uk The Sherman Theatre, Senghennydd Road 02920 646900 www.shermantheatre.co.uk The Glee Club, Mermaid Quay 0870 2415093 www.glee.co.uk Cardiff International Arena, Mary Ann Street 02920 224488 The Millennium Stadium Can’t miss it. www.millenniumstadium.com The Point, Cardiff Bay, 029 2046 0873. www.thepointcardiffbay.com

40 gairrhydd

NOVEMBER.05.2007

LONELY HEARTS

QUEENIE@gairrhydd.COM

lonely hearts Queenie

oners Nochess you feisty filth festivals you, I hope your week has stunk of premature release. And what an unfair week it has been, starting with that brutal extra hour the clocks gave us Sunday morning. I mean honestly, what kind of sick puppy-basher would make us all sit through 1 to 2am twice? I didn’t enjoy it the first time round – 57 minutes staring at a wardrobe, 3 minutes searching myself for a fifth erogenous zone. Then the hands wound back and despair sunk in deeper – pretty soon I was testing out my own foot as a sex aid. The whole episode was like ITV2 followed by ITV2+1: doubly shitastic. Thus the week started on such a turgid footing that I spent much of it in a mild coma. Luckily, a voice as shrill as a penetrated infant’s roused me from this vegetation. Heather Mills. I reckon her initials could stand for more appropriate words. How about: Horrendous Muntface. Hell-bound Moneyfucker? Haggard Mutt? Switch-

with... the queen of your heart Desperately seeking...

ing the letters around works just fine too: Moansome Harlot. Ok, let’s not overrape this sentiment. But seriously, I found those interviews with her more irritating than the rash inside my rectum. Boo freaking hoo, people love to put their lenses in your face and waste forests’ worth of paper writing about your life. So? You’re about to fill every orifice of your life with cash you didn’t earn – stop complaining. Twat! Feel suicidal, do you? Try covering your dark places in ice just to quell their throbbing rage. As for your daughter, if she’s the thing keeping you going then I hope somebody does drop a fridge on her stupid little body. Bottom line: this spherical sphincter we call Earth is lame enough already without peglegged fuckheads whining about their popularity. If I see Miss Millsy, I’m going to yank off that prosthetic limb and beat her into mush, before sticking it up my arse. Tasty.

Let Quench introduce you to the love of your life

(Susan Ann Sulley)

BITTER LEMON Pedantic, bitter, cynical, sarcastic, piss-taking, sulky undergraduate seeks female to ease the pain of the icy grip on his black, lonely heart. Must not mention her boyfriend within five bloody minutes of my meeting her. HUGE TOWER OF PIZZA Aching for your 14” of mozzarella and oregano. Why won’t you return my calls, you Italian stud? I’m tempted by others and I’ve started to stray. Don’t ignore me or you’ll lose me forever. MAN ON ADVENTURE IN THE NORTH TAKES NO PRISONERS Must be honest with me every step of the way and not expect me to stop everything I’m doing at a text message from you. Lancashire based is preferable. HT SEEKS SHARP OBJECT Required to deflate massive ego. All offers via CUTV. VIDEO NASTY Eclectic and open-minded sec-

ond year seeks Cardiff student who loves the ‘camera’. The internet would be a integral part of our relationship. Hope you don’t mind being on it. NOT A STUDENT, NOT YET A GRADUATE RV a.k.a VP seeks a rugged, short, opinionated fittie. Must like cakes, biscuits, pastries, hip-hop and High School Musical. It could be the start of something new... BRAVEHEART Wannabe warlord seeks Cardiff student to dominate and conquer UWIC and Glamorgan Uni. Must be a fan of shouting in a growling fashion. THIS. IS. CARDIFF and etcetera. YOU’LL WANT MORE IN THE MORNING AR wants to be dominated by a Cardiff final year. I’m well into heels and all that. You won’t need any tit tape if you get with me either. GO OFF LIKE A ROCKET Cardiff livewire seeks a girl to spark off this bonfire night. Meet me in Bute Park for

toffee and jacket potatoes. THE GODFATHER SEEKS A NURSE AGAIN To soothe even more mysterious rashes and nights out in less dingy nightclubs then usual. TVG AND TVM RETRACT LAST WEEK’S LONELY HEART We don’t need any companions now thank you very much. We’re quite happy with the ones we have. ENTIRE LIQUID CLIENTELE SEEKS EASILY TRANSMITTED GENITAL INFECTIONS Minimal clothing for easy toilet-based access essential. Must go from nought to creamy in 60 seconds. Orally bourne diseases also welcome. Speak to AM on 07769696969. WANT TO GET IN TOUCH WITH ONE OF OUR LOVELY LONELY HEARTS? E-mail queenie@gairrhydd.com for the thrill of your tiny little student lives (or just 12–or–so drinks in the Taf and some embarrassing sexy time in Taly North.)

Cut out and keep chat up line: Number 14 It’s Rubber Duck and you’ve got your eye on a piece of totty in Solus but you don’t know what to say. That’s where Queenie’s going to help you out with that important first impression. So get ready for my weekly dose of chat up lines that will not fail. Now go get that boy/girl or girl/boy.

Queenie says...

“

Does this drink smell of rohypnol?

”

Surely you know what Rohypnol is? You’re obviously not as lonely as some of the people up above then... blinddate@gairrhydd.com

gairrhydd

NOVEMBER.05.2007

GRAB

COMPETITIONS@gairrhydd.COM

WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN!

pice up your dressing table with the new Headgear Retro range from Morphy Richards. Ditch dull and uninspiring appliances and be the envy of all your friends with the 50s inspired funky pink Headgear Retro appliances. If curls are your thing the Headgear Retro Ceramic Spiral Tong is the appliance for you. The easy to use spiral design on the tong will guide your hair into model curls whilst the ceramic coated barrel, with top temperatures of 200 degrees, guarantees lasting frizz free results. The Headgear Retro Dryer’s individual side fan gives it an alternative look that will add a touch of individuality to your bedroom. It provides 1800W of drying power in combination with 3 heat settings and 2 speed settings giving you complete control of your style.

Sound Soul

Retro Rocks

reating a relaxed atmosphere with his soulful beats and then slowly raising the energy level, Mr Scruff provides us with a collection of esoteric and unusual music. Over the course of the night he provides us with blues, jazz, soul, funk, 60’s R&B, disco, boogie, deep house, reggae, ska, rocksteady, dancehall, electronica, electro, hip hop, african, latin, drum & bass, breakbeat, and any combination of the above.

Both of these appliances retail at £24.99 through Argos but we have one of each to give away completely free! Just answer the question below to be in with a chance of winning, and email your name and address to the email above:

Mr. Scruff is taking the Students’ Union by storm on November 8, that’s this Thursday! We have 2 tickets to give away to a lucky reader! All you have to do is answer the question below and email your name and address to the email address above.

What time period has inspired the Morphy Richards Retro range?

Which of these is not a Mr. Men: a) Mr. Tickle b) Mr. Bounce c) Mr. Scruff

Stereophonics

tereophonics are hitting the CIA on November 18, with their new album ‘Pull the Pin’. They’re everyone’s favourite Welsh band, and to see them in the capital city is an experience you don’t want to miss out on! Playing such hits as Dakota, Superman, A Thousand Trees and Devil, these few dates in the city will be your final chance to snap up tickets before everyone gets their hands on them. Check out the Live Nation website for details on this gig and more upcoming bands hitting the city...... Live nation have given us two tickets to see the Phonics on November 18, for a chance to win email your number, name and answer to the question to the email address above: Who is the lead singer of the Stereophonics? a) Sam Goudie b) Thom Yorke c) Kelly Jones

Fit Fridays!

n Dillon, Texas, football is god and the only time that matters is Friday night. The time when everyone in town avidly watches the fortunes of their number one-rated high school football team, The Dillon Panthers and their new headcoach Eric Taylor. Dubbed as one of the top ten shows of 2006 by Time Magazine and Entertainment Weekly, critically acclaimed TV drama Friday Night Lights has successfully snapped up the ‘Television Program Of The Year’ award from the American Film Institute (AFI) in only its first season! Friday Night Lights catches the drama both on and off the pitch, dealing with the trials and tribulations of growing up in a small town. We have 3 box sets of Friday Night Lights - The First Season, which features 22 episodes on six discs, to give away! You just need to answer the question below and email your name and address to the email above. What film has Billy Bob Thornton not been in? a) Monster’s Ball b) Love Actually c) The Matrix

WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN!

42 gairrhydd

NOVEMBER.05.2007

SPORT

SPORT@gairrhydd.COM

The IMG Roundup

J-Unit run Earth Soc into the ground Alex Wilson IMG Reporter J-Unit 7 - 0 Earth Soc J-UNIT CONTINUED their impressive form on Wednesday with a deserved 7-0 victory over a newly established Earth Soc team. J-Unit always looked likely to take the points but it did not come at a stroll and they had to battle against a large and physical Earth Soc defence. J-unit dominated the opening exchanges, passing the ball fluently. However, the Earth Soc defence continually disrupted any J-Unit attack. But after 15 minutes of continued pressure the breakthrough finally came for J-Unit. A low cross was expertly dispatched by the J-Unit Striker Wayne McNiell. At this point the game was still delicately poised and Earth Soc always looked dangerous through their continued use of the long-ball tactic. Once or twice this tactic unnerved the J-Unit defence but Earth Soc were unable to capitalise.

It was J-Unit who always looked the more dangerous but they had to wait until the end of the half to extend their lead. Wayne McNiell scored his second of the day with an impressive strike from the edge of the box. The second half began with J-Unit being reminded that the game was far from over. A wave of complacency took hold of the back four and Earth Soc had a good chance that struck the crossbar. Called into action by this threat, JUnit picked up the pace and looked to turn their possession into goals. This pressure eventually told, with Wayne McNeill completing his hat-trick by firing the ball between the keeper’s legs. After this J-Unit were assured of victory and Earth Soc rarely troubled the J-Unit goal again. The next J-Unit goal came after a stunning cross from Sam “the bull” Baring which saw James Pressley rise above the huge Earth Soc defence and header home J-Unit’s fourth. Soon after this James Pressley doubled his tally as J-Unit started to show signs of hitting the form they know

Chemsoc dissolve Psycho Adam Thompson IMG Reporter Chemsoc 3 - 1 Psycho Athletico CHEMSOC SECURED their second straight win of the season with a battling defeat of Psycho Athletico. Chemsoc were beaten out of the traps by Psycho, whose early dominance was rewarded with the first goal of the game. The goal came when Chemsoc failed to clear their lines. They were punished when a deflected shot looped high over the goalkeeper’s head and into the corner of the net. The goal seemed to kick start Chemsoc and the game livened up with combative midfield exchanges. Just before half-time Gareth Whitting latched on to a long-ball from the back, before being pulled down just outside the box. Captain and set piece maestro Adam Thompson stepped up and placed the ball into the top right hand corner of the goal, leaving the Psycho keeper with absolutely no chance. With the confidence of the equalizer behind them, Chemsoc started to command the play. While Chemsoc were lucky not to be behind at half-time, it was Psycho, rattled by the loss of a goal, who were happier to see the break. Psycho never looked like they had recovered from the equalizer and seemed to be getting increasingly frustrated with Chemsoc’s domination after half-time. When Psycho gained the ball they were quickly hurried by a Chemsoc midfield led by the terrierlike Joe Fromm. And Chemsoc’s pressure finally told with another set piece from the brilliant Adam Thompson that was finished by

Gareth Whitting. Thompson’s free kick from 35 yards was clipped around the wall for the Chemsoc striker to finish with aplomb. Chemsoc now looked unstoppable and kept the pressure on, but nearly suffered when a Psycho counter-attack released their captain Justin Savage down the right. His cross put the ball on a plate for an incoming Psycho player, who somehow managed to miss with a header from all of three yards. With twenty minutes to go, Chemsoc secured the win when a string of corners finally led to the third goal. A great ball in from Gavin Clifford was only half cleared and it fell to the feet of Alex Dribble. He in turn unleashed a ferocious drive from the edge of the 18yard box, which found its way through the crowded area. The goal was followed by his trademark celebration, similar to that of Shefki Kuqi. This was not Chemsoc’s best performance but it showed that they are resilient and should not be taken lightly. After this win a Premiership spot looks likely. Meanwhile, Psycho Athletico will continue their campaign against a strong CARBS outfit on Wednesday.

IMG Football Fixtures Wednesday 7th November

Group A SOCSI v Music Buteys Gym Gym v AFC Cathays Havana Dragons v Economics Group B Real Ale Madrid v Mini Street Elite AFC History v Law B Butthead FC v Inter Me-Nan

Football Tables GROUP A

IMG FOOTBALL

Diff

Pts

Gym Gym

Economics

Havana Dragons

Music Buteys

-7

SOCSI

-5

AFC Cathays

-11

GROUP B

IMG FOOTBALL

Earth Soc: The new Hallstars?

Diff

Pts

Butthead FC

Inter Me-Nan

AFC History

Mini Street Elite

Real Ale Madrid

-5

Law B

GROUP C

IMG FOOTBALL

they are capable of. The sixth came through Wayne McNiell again, who scored his fourth of the game and his eighth of the season by slotting in from close range. With this kind of form, the golden boot is a very good possiblity for the J-Unit sharpshooter. J-Unit finished off the game with Daniel Williams sliding in to score a

seventh goal from a low Oliver Woods cross. This was a good result for the J-Unit team who didn’t perform to their best and at times struggled against a combative Earth Soc team. Earth Soc will seek to improve on their difficult start to the season against a Uni Hallstars team that have improved drastically since the beginning of last season.

Nice try SOCSI David Weston IMG Reporter Economics 2 - 2 Socsi Economics met Socsi on Wednesday in a crucial rematch of their tight pre-season game. The match started off in much of the same way for Economics, the victors of the original encounter. With just five minutes gone, Economics winger Dave Jenkins found forward Ben Wilkins with a delightful pass down the line. In turn, Wilkins produced the perfect cross for strikepartner David Weston to fire home from six yards. In fact, Economics were unfortunate not to go 2-0 up just moments later. Some captivating interchange play between the Economics midfield and attack dismantled the Socsi defence, and it was only an excellent save from the Socsi keeper that kept the deficit at just a single goal. Socsi offered very little going forward in the first half. Their glimpses of attacking play were immediately

Group C Japsoc v Blazin’ Business CARBS v Psycho Athletico Chemsoc v Cardiff Crusaders Group D Earth Soc v Uni Hallstars Engin Locomotive v Optometry Pharm AC v J-Unit Group E Engin Automotive v SAWSA MOMED v Engin Numatics Law A v JOMEC

thwarted by a well-marshaled Economics defence, leaving the Economics attack to constantly test Socsi’s backline. And Economics were rewarded for their command of the game when their somewhat fortuitous second goal arrived. A well-taken free-kick from Economics defender Hugh Jerome was cruelly deflected by Socsi defender Ben Harris before passing the stranded keeper. Despite relentless pressure from a series of corners, Economics simply could not find the third goal which would have surely put the match to bed. At half-time the 2-0 scoreline was a fair reflection of the game so far. However, the second half saw a seemingly different Socsi team emerge. Although their football wasn’t especially attractive, it proved to be effective. Their change to a 4-4-3 formation enabled them to stretch the Economics defence and, after pressure from both long throw-ins and corners, the breakthrough finally came. Socsi were soon awarded a very dubious penalty after an alleged hand-ball in the box. This was competently dispatched by Socsi’s James Follows, giving the Economics keeper Jack Somervell no chance. The second half then became a rather scrappy affair, with both teams failing to keep possession for any length of time. Socsi’s long-ball game plan was proving difficult for the resilient Economics defence to handle, and two minutes from time Socsi’s target-man, Eliot Holt, headed home from a welldelivered corner to level the score. This was a well-earned point for Socsi but Economics will undoubtedly see this as two points dropped and have much to reflect on ahead of their next game against Havana Dragons. With Gym Gym running away with Group A, this result throws the race for second place wide open.

Diff

Pts

CARBS

ChemSoc

Psycho Athletico

Cardiff Crusadors

-2

Japsoc

-6

Blazin’ Business

-8

GROUP D

IMG FOOTBALL

Diff

Pts

J-Unit

Engin Locomotive

Pharm AC

Uni Hallstars

Optometry

-16

Earth Soc

-18

GROUP E

IMG FOOTBALL P

Diff

Pts

Law A

MOMED

Engin Automotive

-5

Engin Numatics

-6

JOMEC

-2

SAWSA

-2

Netball Tables GROUP A

IMG NETBALL

Diff

Pts

CARBS B

SOCSI B

Law A

Biology

-15

Engin Automotive

-17

Gym Gym

-25

GROUP B

IMG NETBALL P

Diff

Pts

Economics B

CARBS A

Law B

Engin Numatics

-11

Optometry

-19

Cardiff Uni IWC B

-30

GROUP C

IMG NETBALL P

Diff

Pts

Economics A

Engin Locomotive

Pharmacy A

Newspaper Journos

-37

Pharmacy B

-55

English B

-56

GROUP D

IMG NETBALL P

Diff

Pts

Dentistry

Cardiff Uni IMG A

Christian Union A

Psychology

-6

Medics A

-6

Cardiff Uni IWC A

-17

GROUP E

IMG NETBALL P

Diff

Pts

SOSCI A

English A

Cardiff Uni IMG B

Medics B

-11

SAWSA A

-6

J-Unit

-7

gairrhydd

NOVEMBER.05.2007

SPORT

SPORT@gairrhydd.COM

The IMG Roundup English make SAWSA so sore Joanne Smyth IMG Reporter English A 13 - 8 SAWSA

goal attack and goal shoot in particular, created a number of problems for the SAWSA team throughout. Hannah Welling put in a star second half performance on her debut as SAWSA goal defence, often throwing an unexpected spanner in the works of the English attacking team. SAWSA’s introduction of Ellie Salmon at centre was also an important part of their comeback attempt. She made some

IMG Football Results Wednesday 31st October

brilliant interceptions and covered the court superbly. At full-time, the score read English A 13 – 8 SAWSA. It was a well-deserved victory for English A, and they stood out as the better team throughout the match. However, some praise must go to SAWSA for retaining their dignity and overcoming a bad start to keep English on their toes during the second half.

Group A SOCSI 2 - 2 Economics AFC Cathays 1 - 7 H. Dragons Music Buteys 0 - 9 Gym Gym Group B Real Ale Madrid 3 - 3 Inter Me Nan Law B 0 - 1 Butthead FC Mini St Elite 3 - 1 AFC History Group C JAPSOC 2 - 2 Crusaders Psycho Athletico 1 - 3 Chemsoc CARBS 5 - 1 Blazin’ Business Group D Earth Soc 0 - 7 J-Unit Optometry 1 - 5 Pharm AC Uni Hall Stars 0 - 1 Engin Loco

PHOTO: JOANNE SMYTH

While SAWSA played in suitably seasonal colours, Halloween didn’t hold much luck for the team as English A recorded a highly impressive victory. Both teams were eager to get going at first centre pass, but it was English A who took an early advantage, quickly making their mark on the scoreboard. Although SAWSA went 3-0 down in the first 5 minutes, they managed to work their way back into the game with some excellent work from the midfield. Notable contributions were made by Kate Codrington and Bella Peaver at centre and wing defence. As the game gathered pace, SAWSA began to work much better as a team. The tight defending of their opposition, however, ensured that the half-time scoreline stood at 9-3 in English’s favour, leaving SAWSA with a lot of work to do in the second half. At half-time, both teams made changes. English opted to retain most

of their starting side, while SAWSA settled on some major reshuffling to breathe new life into the team. The start of the second half seemed like a different match altogether, with SAWSA finally finding their feet. The play was much more open, and every goal was the result of a hard-fought battle. The increasingly wet conditions meant that both teams had a difficult time getting to grips with the ball. As a result, the ball went out of play quite often, especially on long passes into the circle. SAWSA made a great comeback in the second half, at one point leading English by a goal. But SAWSA’s bad start, as well as the sheer consistency of their opposition, ensured that they never came close to giving English a real run for their money. SAWSA’s shooting pair did have some unlucky misses towards the end, which may have had an effect on the final score. Organization and good communication was the key to English A’s success, with the whole team being very quick on the ball. The excellent passing and shooting skills of English, from their

NETBALL: White girls can jump

Group E Engin Automotive 3 - 2 JOMEC Engin Numatic 0 - 7 Law A SAWSA 4 - 5 MOMED

IMG Netball Results Saturday 27th October

SOCSI B 14 - 2 Biology Engin Loco 38 - 1 Journos Christian Union 9 - 2 IWC A SAWSA A 13 - 14 Medics B

Economics throw the book at English Alice Duggan & Rachel Jones IMG Reporters Economics A 41 - 0 English B OCTOBER 31ST proved to be a hellish nightmare for English B as they faced Economics A in the second game of the IMG season. Given the substantial difference in

the final table position of the two teams last year, it could be said that the outcome of their match in the group stage was inevitable. Nevertheless, both teams took to the pitch with enthusiasm and anticipation of the game ahead. Economics took the first centre pass, and it was not long before they scored what was to be the first of many goals. Cheered on by a very vocal team

of supporters, English put up a spirited defence but were no match for last season’s cup winners. Goal followed goal and English did well to maintain a cheerful outlook despite the evergrowing defecit. At half-time, English made extensive substitutions and came back refreshed and determined to diffuse the Economics netball machine, led by goal attack Katie Sharland and goal shoot Carla

Wenesday 31st October

Jane. Injury then hit the unlucky English side and a further swift substitution was required. The unflappable Economics team played a faultless game; however, the score does not reflect English B’s resilience and dignity to the end. Their monumental defeat did not leave them downhearted and they are raring to take on their next opponents.

Engin Numatic 4 - 15 Economics B Pharmacy B 3 - 20 Engin Loco IWC A 1 - 11 Dentistry English A 13 - 8 SAWSA A Gym Gym A 6 - 10 SOCSI B IWC B 3 - 10 Law B English B 0 - 41 Economics A Cardiff A 5 - 2 Christian Union A Medics B 6 - 18 SOCSI A Biology 7 - 10 CARBS B

IMG SNAPS: Gym Gym Football Who’s your key player?

None, they’re all pretty aw-

We have no one key player,

ful. The players must be

but wingers Mathew Phillips

inspired from within.

If your team was an animal, what would it be?

and Gwion Schiavone pose such an attacking threat.

F*!k off Momed!

Who has god-like status?

A dragon.

Dafydd Healy - mon-

Who are your main rivals?

strous centre half.

perhero in your team,

Engin, History and many more.

Funniest story from

who would it be?

What’s your team ethos?

a team social?

We already have a super-

First win the battle, then

Mathew Philips’ stomp dance

hero: Rob - he is ripped.

play football, and then win

to ‘Holiday’ by Greenday.

GYM GYM: They’re dragons

Team Honours:

What are your expecta-

2005/6- Division

tions for the season?

One champions

To retain our Premiership

2006/7- Premier-

title, playing our attrac-

ship champions

tive, fast-paced football.

If you could have a su-

Can you believe

the game. Always enjoy it.

Best team talk?

Do you have a

it’s not butter?

team chant?

No.

PUT YOUR TEAM IN THE SPOTLIGHT... E-mail us at sport@gairrhydd.com

44 gairrhydd

NOVEMBER.05.2007

SPORT

SPORT@gairrhydd.COM

THE WORD ON... ... The Rugby World Cup’s alternative team of the tournament The Criteria: In order for a player to “qualify” for gair rhydd’s minnows starting line-up his team must have failed to reach the knock-out stages and be outside the IRB’s top ten ranked nations. 1- Andrea Lo Cicero Country: Italy

9- Morgan Williams Country: Canada

Italy never discovered their Six Nations form this tournament but it wasn’t for the lack of application from this Sicilian. Recovered from a poor start to almost drag his country into the Quarters.

The wily old man of Canadian Rugby directed his enormously energetic pack to within a whisker of beating Fiji and Japan. 10- Mike Hercus Country: USA

2- Marius Tincu Country: Romania

Three tries in four matches confirmed his freight-train credentials. A huge tournament. 3-Bogdan Balan Country: Romania

12- Shotaro Onishi Country: Japan

The Japanese pack provided enough ball for their backs to thrive. Thompson was their heart-beat.

6- Finau Maka Country: Tonga

The top performer in the most ferocious back row in world rugby. 8- Takuro Miuchi (C) Country: Japan His Japanese teammates would have run through brick walls for their captain but Miuchi would probably beat them to it.

Part of a very talented Japanese back-line. His nerveless kicking brought an end to Japan’s 13 match World Cup losing streak.

5-Luke Thompson Country: Japan

7-Nili Latu Country: Tonga

Brought the house down when he galloped past Habana en-route to the try of the tournament. Sure to be racing a cheetah soon.

Captained his team in the two games he played. An enforcer in every sense.

Wreaked havoc on French fields this summer. A No.8 who could play anywhere in the Tongan side.

1 1 - Ta k u d z w a Ngwenya Country: USA

4- Ilia Zedginidze Country: Georgia

The Fly-half’s kicking and half-breaks made his country more of a threat than in any previous tournament.

The pin-up in every burger bar in Bucharest. Who says size doesn’t matter?

13- Suka Hufanga Country- Tonga

13 14

11 15

His try against England was pure box office. Scored another against South Africa. A real talent. 14- Giorgi Shkinin Country: Georgia Nearly roused his country to the greatest of all World Cup upsets against Ireland. 15- Pedro Leal Country: Portugal Had the most unenviable task of being Portugal’s last line of defence but excelled against New Zealand, smashing Sione Lauaki and skinning Nick Evans.

gairrhydd

NOVEMBER.05.2007

SPORT

SPORT@gairrhydd.COM

ROWING: Gently Down The Stream

Master Stroke

Lucie Clifford Rowing Reporter

THE ROWING SEASON is now well underway for Cardiff University Rowing Club and with the help of an initial promotional event at Tiger Tiger during freshers’ week, the club saw over 100 new members sign up at the Sports Fayre. Having had a successful season last year, the Women’s and Men’s squads once again got off to a flying start. With the introduction of a new Men’s coach, while under the watchful eye of the new Welsh Coach, the squads have been performing well in training. Indeed, the Women’s squad went on to perform particularly well at Cardiff Small Boats Head last weekend. The coxed four won their category, the coxless four gained the fastest Women’s time of the day and Amy Nihad won novice Women’s sculls.

Both squads are already back in training for the Fullers Fours Head of the River which will take place in London this weekend. Cardiff University Rowing Club have also gained another trophy to add to their collection. Earlier this month Women’s Coach, Rodrigo Sanchez, was awarded Welsh coach of the year. Rodrigo has coached all Women’s crews from Cardiff University for the last year. Some of the most notable results include the Women’s 4+, who reached the quarter-finals at Women’s Henley as well as Silver in Women’s Novice 8s, Bronze in Novice 4+ and Gold for Junior 2- at BUSA Regatta. Rodrigo also spent a considerable amount of time coaching the men for BUSA Regatta where they won Silver in Novice 8s and then went on to qualify for HRR, a first for Cardiff University. Rodrigo is continuing to coach for the club this year to the great appreciation of all members.

Bad Mints Matthew Pearson Badminton Reporter

CARDIFF Men’s 2nds ................. 0 SOUTHAMPTON Men’s 1sts ....... 8 It was a bit of a trek for the Cardiff 2nds this week who faced another grueling match against the Southampton 1st. They’re having a hard time as the newly promoted team but are learning and growing with every match and are just in need of that all important win to lift the spirits of the squad. Proceedings got underway with the singles matches as Matt Pearson and Ray Yang faced up against two strong Southampton players. They both lost in straight sets and no matter what

GUNS: the new knives

Pearson and Yang produced, their opponents always came back with an ever more impressive answer. It was then up to the doubles pairings of Vincent Sanderson and Gareth Lewis and Phil Nicholls and Nick Bullock to clinch some games but again they faced a demanding challenge. The Southampton doubles pairings were given close games, but seemed to edge away when it mattered, winning their first round matches in straight sets. This meant the team was down 4-0 at the halfway stage. It was the same story in the second stage of the match, although Sanderson and Lewis only narrowly lost their second double match 21-17 and 21-18. Looking back at the match it was a valiant effort by all of the players. All sights are now set for a home match against Bournemouth University and hopefully recording that elusive first.

ADRENALINE: Are You Sure No-one Can See Us?

ART ATTACK Geoff Trent Paintball Reporter

30,000 PAINTBALLS. 40 people. 24 games. 15 acres of adventure woodland. A few keen fathers and 3 shoes lost forever to mud. Cardiff’s newest and biggest society, Adrenaline Extreme, celebrated a successful start to University life with a double helping of paintballing goodness, hosted by local agency Delta Force. Sure, there was pain. Yes, tears too. A generous splattering of paint-induced injuries marked the brave bunch, with Adrenaline President TJ Wheeler in a boastful mood when describing his many battle scars. He bragged: “I was hit on my lower face, eyebrow, right thumb, right forearm, right and left biceps, upper back, two on lower back, right buttock, left thigh, left shin, neck,

and curvature of chin.” One battle-hardened ‘baller’ had a very close encounter with a particularly violent piece of paint: “Thankfully the decision to wear boxers rather than briefs paid dividends. A merciful pendulum motion saved my testicle.” Ouch said some. Bring it on said the Adrenaline boys and girls. Certain gamers were more Monet than Montgomery following flashpoints of carnage, relishing in the art, being keen to point out gorgeous paint scars and bruises. Even hairstyles were sacrificed for the cause. The games raged throughout the day, with a staggering 30,000 paintballs fired off in 24 rounds of paintball action. Moments of flag-capturing glory, self-less suicide runs, Rambo-barrel rolls and lots and lots of headshots characterised a memorable day. Cardiff Adrenaline Extreme Society has achieved unprecedented success in its first short weeks of existence,

Trigger Happy

New shooting club requires raw recruits Cardiff student Mark Hampton, who shoots clay pigeons for Great Britain, is looking to start a Cardiff University Shooting Club. He is hoping to add the club to the AU for the 2008/09 season, although they are unofficially operating at the moment. The club are looking to enter into the BUSA championships in February next year and are keen to accept both male and female shooters so that two Cardiff teams can compete. There is likely to be a selection shot before the event so that teams can be finalised. Hampton’s international calibre

should not put off those who are complete beginners as there will be coaching available from the club’s two GB representatives. They are currently using the South Wales shooting ground near Blackwood, approximately 25 minutes outside Cardiff and have negotiated some reduced student rates. For under £10 there is an afternoon introductory session with Hampton’s guidance. Help is available with issues such as storage of equipment and licensing and transport can be arranged. For more information contact Mark Hampton through the Cardiff University Clay Shooting Facebook group.

with over 200 sign-ups in the Societies Fayre. Membership has since risen to almost 300, making it easily the largest new society in the Union. President Wheeler believes that this is just the beginning for Adrenaline. Explaining his vision for the society he said: “We are seeking that rush that few other societies can provide, and with an ambition that the University hasn’t seen before, Adrenaline is growing fast” “Of course, it is about meeting people and having fun,” Wheeler continued, “but the real purpose of Adrenaline is getting people to share their 101’s with each other. Maybe those challenges scare them but they have to face them. We want to take them on together.” Upcoming events include Quadbiking, High-ropes, Gorge walking, Abseiling and Rock-climbing and TJ is keen to stress that any new members are welcome. For more information go to www. cardiffadrenaline.co.uk.

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Tennis taken to cleaners

Settor Tengey Tennis Reporter CARDIFF Men’s 1sts .................. 0 EXETER Men’s 1sts ................... 5 CONTINUING a disappointing start to the season, in which Cardiff are yet to pick up a victory, the visit of a strong Exeter side was far from confidence inspiring for the men’s Tennis squad. The two sides have enjoyed contrasting fortunes thus far, with Exeter joint top of the table and Cardiff languishing near the bottom, in desperate need of

a victory. Cardiff did not get off to a good start and were outplayed convincingly in both of the opening doubles matches as they struggled to match the impressive tennis of an Exeter team who are high in confidence. Although there were flashes of inspiration from Cardiff’s top doubles pair, of George McMahon and Alex Gardner, these were few and far between and contributed to a disappointing 8 - 0 loss. The second pair, John Harvey and Andy Ratcliffe, also took their time to find their feet, and soon found themselves facing a 5 - 1 deficit before they found their form through a mixture of poise and aggression, which saw

Back on track points for the conversion also came from Shepherd. Just five minutes later, good interplay between the forwards and backs resulted in a Cardiff scrum deep in CARDIFF Ladies’ 1sts .............. 41 their oppositions’ territory. Scrum half Hill took the ball blind and BRISTOL Ladies’ 1sts ................ 0 after shimmying her way through a number of players, crossed the line for the score. Cardiff continued to AFTER a disappointing result in exert pressure on a weak Bristol detheir last fixture, Cardiff Ladies fensive line and well executed play Rugby revived their winning form from the backs almost led to a third from last season with a 41 - 0 try in the corner. The home team continued to enjoy home victory against Bristol. Cardiff dominated from the off-set, the majority of possession after the with a superb lineout in the visitors interval, with flanker Louise Steel 22 almost resulting in a try. In the motoring her way through several following play, scrum half Ceri Hill Bristol players to add to the scoretook the ball blind from the back of board. Brilliant rucking by the fora five metre scrum only for Bristol to wards forced Bristol back onto their try line and once again, Cardiff’s clear after being awarded a penalty. Play remained in Bristol’s 22, with dominance at the lineout secured the the forwards securing the ball and ball. A strong drive followed, with a the backs stretching the Bristol de- well executed move by the backs alfence out wide. Despite a number of lowing Roz Lambe to go over for the darting runs by Tina Lee and Simone try. Once again Shepherd converted. Following the restart, Cardiff Shepherd, Cardiff fell short of the line and once again, Bristol cleared quickly moved their way forward, and good support play resulted in through a penalty. Lack of discipline coupled with Claire Molloy scoring in the corner. strict refereeing saw Cardiff give Minutes later, strong rucking by away a string of penalties which al- Becky Blakeway secured the ball for lowed Bristol to advance into Cardiff Cardiff and a scrum was awarded. territory on a number of occasions. The ball was quickly passed out to Strong defensive tackling by Holly Lee who drew a number of Bristol Morris and Kerry Boxall halted Bris- defenders, allowing Shepherd to tol’s attack however, and outstanding come through on the short ball and scrummaging by the forwards saw crash through for her second try of the day. the ball turned over. An amazing solo effort by Molloy Tactical kicking by Shepherd allowed Cardiff to return to the visi- saw her catch the ball from the retors’ half, and confident running by start and weave her way through the the backs took the team ever closer Bristol players, sprinting three quarto the try line. For a short period of ters of the pitch to score her second time play moved back to Cardiff’s of the day. Despite the score reachhalf, but the reliable Shepherd ing 41 points, Cardiff continued to cleared again, allowing the side to apply pressure, with Anwen Harry set up camp near the Bristol line for making a number of good runs out the rest of the first half. Although on the wing. The next fixture against Exeter Cardiff were down to 14 players for a time, another excellent lineout saw away will undoubtedly be one of the ball go straight to Lee who of- the hardest of the season. However floaded to Shepherd, allowing her to the win against Bristol will indicate power her way through the defence to the other teams in the league that and open the scoring. The extra two Cardiff are still the side to beat.

them win three games in a row. Unfortunately this did little more than galvanise Exeter, who upped their level and capitalised on a string of unforced errors from the Cardiff pair, to win the match by 8 – 4. These discouraging results in the doubles left Cardiff with an uphill task, and saw them needing to win three out of the four singles matches to record their first victory of the season. Alex Gardner was the first off court,when his match was cut short due to the withdrawal of his opponent through injury. Although this was not the way Gardner would have liked to win the match, Cardiff were thankful for the respite. The remaining three matches were

played at a high standard, with John Harvey the pick of the Cardiff players. His aggressive, uncompromising baseline play saw him clinch the first set 6 - 1. However, he was unable to maintain this high standard and lost the next two sets in quick succession 1 - 6, 2 - 6, leaving Cardiff needing to win the remaining two singles matches to claim victory. Andy Ratcliffe started positively in his match, unsettling his opponent with a string of winners. However, he could not find this impressive form on the important points, and was left ruing a number of missed opportunities after falling to a 1 - 6, 3 - 6 defeat. George McMahon, who has arguably been Cardiff’s most consistent player

this season, faced Exeter’s top ranked player, and the pair battled it out in a thrilling spectacle. After losing the first set, McMahon upped his game in the second, and looked like he would force the match into a deciding set. Unfortunately, McMahon was unable to convert any of his break point chances and his opponent held his serve to win the set 4 - 6, and clinch a comfortable victory for his team. This disappointing result leaves Cardiff still winless this season, although their captain, Settor Tengey, remains optimistic. He commented: “Although the results haven’t been what we would have liked, the performances are steadily improving and I still have confidence in the team.”

Glam Rocked

Roz Lambe Rugby Reporter

FOOTBALL: Four To The Score

Nick Bowker Football Reporter CARDIFF Men’s ......................... 4 GLAMORGAN Men’s 1sts ........... 1 CARDIFF CONTINUED their perfect start to the season with a well earned victory over a below-par Glamorgan side. Cardiff started the brighter of the two sides with some crisp interchanges through the midfield. Jack Jarvis once again dominated the game aerial and was then able to take control and dictate the tempo of play. The first goal came 28 minutes after good work from Shaun Prince on the right flank. After jinking past two defenders he squared for Andrew Corcoran who slotted home at the back post to make it 1 - 0. Glamorgan switched their the formation to try and get back into the game but this had limited success. They had a shot which flashed inches wide, but apart from that the centre back partnership of Lloyd Jenkins and Adam Wise

snuffed out much of their attacking threat. The second goal came as no surprise, and was a goal Cardiff will be proud of. The ball was switched from right to left and given to full back James Clifford. His angled ball found Andre Stairmand who calmly bent the ball into the top right corner from 20 yards. The score remained 2 - 0 at half time despite Cardiff having chances to increase the lead. Perhaps complacency began to creap into Cardiff’s game, but Glamorgan started the better of the two sides in the second half and it was no surprise when they clawed a goal back after a defensive mix up. The visitors were unlucky not to draw level when they had a chance cleared off the line by James Ford. This seemed to spur the Cardiff players on as they sought to regain dominance in the match. Clifford was unlucky not to make it three after seeing his 25 yard piledriver rebound off the crossbar, but Cardiff did not have to wait long for the third. Prince latched onto a defensive clearance and burst past the Glamorgan defence. The ball sat up nicely for him to volley home from 20 yards; a goal that

seemed to shock the Glamorgan team who obviously felt they were still in the game. With five minutes to go another jinking run down the right flank from Ford left defenders bamboozled, and he was swiftly upended in the penalty area. Ex-Cardiff City player Jenkins stepped up to take the penalty, but placed the ball too close to the ‘keeper and the score looked like it would remain 3 - 1. However substitute Matthew Jones had other ideas. With quite literally the last kick of the game, Jones smashed the ball past the ‘keeper after an amazing 40 yard run. After the game, captain Stairmand could not have been more pleased, saying: “We showed today we are a class outfit. We have gone away to Exeter and now Glamorgan and come up trumps with two wins. It is now crucial we keep up this winning start to the season as there is no room for error.” Man-of-the-match Clifford added: “We battled as a team today and all 11 players worked for each other. Our recent results show that things are starting to fall into place this year and we have the potential to make this a hugely successful season.”

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Rhodes Rules over Exeter

Squeezed Out PHOTO: ED SALTER SQUASH: Spot The Ball

Scott D’Arcy Sports Editor CARDIFF Men’s 1sts .................. 0 BATH Men’s 1sts ....................... 5 CARDIFF lost out in a stern test against a strong Bath 1st team, who prior to the match, were second in BUSA Western Conference 1A. In the first contest, Cardiff’s Sam Tasker put in a brave effort, but could not prevent a 3 - 0 loss. Bath continued to dominate and won the next match

3 - 1, although Cardiff’s Rhys Owen ran his opponent close with an impressive comeback from 2 – 7 down in the third game. Unfortunately, he could not maintain the momentum and his frustration was evident. Things looked more positive in the next match-up with Owain Jones taking the first two games 9 - 6 and 9 - 5. However, his bulky opponent succeeded in fighting back in the next two games, winning both 9 - 4, to set up a tense fifth game, which could have kept the match alive for Cardiff. Jones though, was sapped of all his previous energy and went on to lose the game 9 - 4. It was left to Matt Curry and Rooshab

Shah to rescue some positives from the match. But Curry succumbed to a 3 0 defeat against a powerful opponent, while Shah pressed his rival harder than the scoreline suggested. Two 9 - 5 losses in the first two games ended any hope of a consolatory point. The third game was as edgy as they come, Shah went 8 - 3 down, only to force his way back to 8 - 8. Again though, he lost the momentum and narrowly lost out 10 - 8. Cardiff will hope to turn their fortunes around against a Bath second string, who have lost three on the bounce, in their next fixture.

of the best displays of hockey Cardiff have constructed this season. After the break, Cardiff continued the onslaught, and rookie Phil CARDIFF Men’s 1sts .................. 6 McRackin managed to score on his BUSA debut. Having driven into the EXETER Men’s 1sts ................... 2 D from the right, he beat his opposing man and fired a shot across the ‘keeper and into the goal. Against the run of play though, ExCARDIFF MENS First team have struggled to find their form this eter counter attacked, and with men committed forward, Cardiff were unseason. But in their last fixture, against a able to keep out the surprise assault strong Exeter side, they displayed and conceded a goal. However, within glimpses of brilliance which simply seconds of the restart, Cardiff forward Kieren Zeale found himself in the D tore the visitors apart. After a slow start to the game nei- with the ‘keeper fast approaching, ther team were able to create a clear- prompting him to deftly clip the ball cut goal scoring opportunity. It took a over the helpless opponent leaving an moment of class from Cardiff in the open goal to swallow the ball. Credit must go to Exeter, as they 20th minute to break that deadlock and put them into the lead. Fresher didn’t just roll over and further conJames Gough linked up with Martyn solation came when they scored a White on the right-hand side before penalty flick after the ‘keeper Ferguslipping the ball to Tom Nicholas son fouled an Exeter forward in the who, having seen the ‘keeper go to D. Further pressure from the visitors ground, hit a ‘squeeze’ shot that pen- was absorbed by the solid Cardiff defence and they were able to distribetrated the net. At 1 – 0, Cardiff had their tails ute a quick ball which cued a Cardiff up and begun to play some sublime counter attack resulting in the in-form hockey. The high tempo of their play White finishing from short range. At gave a chance to Dave Hughes to start 6 - 2 Cardiff should have really turned and finish a penalty corner move that the screw, but with Zeale and Nichoseems to have been mastered already las getting sin-binned, the nine men of Cardiff found it a tough ask. this season. For the majority of the game, CarIt was clear that Exeter were unable to cope with the pace of the home side diff controlled their opposition and and a third goal came when pressure this stemmed from a mountainous up front saw the ball drop to Nicholas. performance from Chris Rhodes who, He passed to White, who committed having dominated the pitch with his the ‘keeper before returning the ball skills and inch perfect distribution, to Nicholas which he netted to bag secured Man-of-the-Match. Three his brace and make it 3 - 0. The first games in, Cardiff’s BUSA campaign half concluded having witnessed one continues to be promising.

PHOTOS: JAKE YORATH

HOCKEY: Wall

Tom Nicholas Hockey Reporter

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CARDIFF 59 v 25 Bedford

PUT TO

BEDFORD Cardiff regain their momentum after Brunel defeat as they crush Bedford to move to third in BUSA Premier South

PHOTO: NATALIA POPOVA

Richard Williams Sports Reporter CARDIFF BOUNCED back from a 51 - 42 defeat at the hands of Brunel with a comprehensive demolition of a shell-shocked Bedford at Talybont. Bedford went into the game after back-to-back losses to Gloucestershire and Bath, conceding an aggregate of 152 goals, scoring just 52 themselves. They were met by a Cardiff team who set out to launch a bid to reach the upper echelons of the BUSA Premier South. With a dominant attacking display, Cardiff battered their opponents and moved up to second in the league, three points behind rampant league leaders Bath. Once the game was underway, Bedford took the lead after a good passing sequence, but their lead quickly, and effectively, was stolen from them. Cardiff scored five goals in quick succession, with Sophie Vaughn and Carly Allchurch providing clinical finishing and combining to make light work of the Bedford defence. Another Bedford goal was soon met with a barrage of Cardiff attacks, subsequently widening the score-line from 6 - 2 to 14 - 4 at the end of the first quarter. Bedford seemed to be stuck in the same form which has resulted in them propping up the rest of the league. Throughout the second quarter, the visitors looked to gain a foothold in the match, starting the period with a handful of goals. They became faster and looked to have settled in to the pace of

the game, matching Cardiff’s effort and strike-rate. However, normality soon resumed and Cardiff, who at one point led 21 - 9, embarked upon a blitz of the Bedford defence, scoring an impressive twelve goals in the remainder of the half to post a 33 - 11 score at half time. Cardiff’s main threat was their dynamic pace and movement, which they used to great effect in a series of counter attacks after a number of Bedford’s forays into the final third resulted in loss of possession. The third and fourth periods were, predictably, similar to the first half, with the Bedford defence crumbling under the persistent pressure of Cardiff’s rapid attacks. A succession of early goals in the third period killed off any slight chance of Bedford winning their first points of the season, and Cardiff showed great ruthlessness and finishing skills to win the match. With the pace on show from the home side, fatigue always seemed likely, but their fitness levels remained excellent during the third quarter, which ended at 48 - 16. Bedford, in the fourth quarter, took advantage of some tiring legs in the Cardiff team, though their attacking efforts were too few in number and far too late in the game to have any real sway on the result. Winning so comprehensively at home against a weak Bedford side may not prove to be their greatest result of the season, but moving up to 2nd place in the league is an ideal outcome from the match.

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