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gair rhydd
19 Tachwedd 2018 19 november 2018
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Student Senate resolves to ban balloons
Analysis of the Brexit Withdrawl Agreement
by Sam Tilley
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ollowing from the publication of the Withdrawl Agreement last week, the Politics Section have analysed what it means for Wales 17 and the UK.
Astronomy Photographer of the year by Danny Brown
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reenwich Royal Observatory recently announced the winners of their Photographer of the Year competition. Out of 4,200 entries, 24 we’ve picked of our favourites.
Cyfweliad: Rhuanedd Richards gan Llion Carbis
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Bye bye balloons: Cardiff University Students’ Union will no longer use balloons in their buidling or events. Photo credit: Cardiff Balloons by Jess Warren
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n Tuesday, November 13, Student Senate at Cardiff University Students’ Union resolved to ban the use of balloons throughout the Union and in Union events. The motion had been proposed by Nia Jones, Ethical and Environmental Officer, due to their contribution to single-use plastic pollution. The motion stated: “Balloons cannot be recycled in Cardiff and are often a source of plastic pollution following large events like Open Days and campaign weeks. Even biodegradable balloons do not degrade under normal conditions and therefore contribute to litter and pollution in our city. “There was a 50% rise in balloon litter on our beaches between 2015 and 2016. Only around 13% of balloons burst into small pieces whilst more
than 80% come down intact, endangering our local wildlife. “It is best to stop the use of balloons completely and instead use reusable and digital decorations to promote sustainability and reduce waste across campus. Not only will this improve Cardiff University SU’s sustainability footprint but also exhibit good practice to all that visit the Union.” The motion will also aim to lobby Cardiff University to stop the use of balloons in their events. This is because motions that have passed in Student Senate are only applicable to the Students’ Union. As a result, any motion that seeks to include the University must do so by lobbying, and pressuring it to make change. Nia Jones stated: “I am so pleased the balloon ban motion passed in senate, and am grateful for all the comments from fellow senators that
helped to make the motion stronger moving forward. “It’s a great way to build ourselves a platform to continue to lobby the University against single-use plastic and raise awareness of the issue among the student body. “I’d also like to thank everyone who supported the idea on the ideas page of the Union and would urge anyone who has any ideas they’d like to see put into practice in our SU to submit them via the SU website.” Beach litter surveys organised by the Marine Conservation Society have shown the number of balloons and balloon pieces found on UK beaches has tripled in the last 10 years. The Students’ Union have changed the way motions are submitted to Senate as of this academic year. The new system involves upvoting and
downvoting motion ideas, so only those deemed important to students are debated within senate. This now means a motion idea must receive 50 upvotes for it to reach the Student Senate, and be debated and voted on. The motion to ban balloons in the SU reached 52 upvotes. With the Annual General Meeting (AGM) scheduled for this week on Thursday, November 22, all current students at Cardiff University are eligible to vote on motions submitted to the agenda if they attend. In previous years, the AGM has started the ‘Periods in Poverty Campaign’, and the introduction of a Mental Health Campaign Officer. If you would like to submit a motion to be debated at Student Senate, you can do so through their new upvote and downvote system at cardiffstudents.com/ideas.
ewn cyfnod o ansicrwydd gwleidyddol helaeth, ac ymosodiadau parhaus ar rôl y cyfryngau ar draws y Môr Iwerydd, mae modd dadlau fod y cyfryngau yn meddu ar berthnasedd digynsail, ac yma yng Nghymru, mae newid arwyddocaol wedi bod yn ein tirlun cyfryngol Cymreig. Mae Rhuanedd Richards wedi olynu Betsan Powys ar ôl pum mlynedd wrth y llyw fel golygydd BBC Radio Cymru, a chefais y cyfle i gyfweld â Rhuanedd am ei gweledigaeth a’i gobeithion yn ei swydd newydd. Yn naturiol, fel yr orsaf radio Cymraeg blaenllaw, a gwasanaeth newyddion digidol hynod boblogaidd, mae Radio Cymru a BBC Cymru Fyw yn wasanaethau annatod i drigolion Cymraeg eu hiaith, ynghyd â ffurfio cydran allweddol o ddiwylliant Cymreig, a amlygodd Rhuanedd yr awydd i sicrhau fod gymaint o bobl â sy’n bosib yn medru hawlio mynediad at y gwasanaethau yma. “Yn syml, [fy ngweledigaeth] yw i gyrraedd cynulleidfaoedd newydd a chynulleidfaoedd iau o ran y bobl sy’n gwrando ar Radio Cymru a Radio Cymru 2, ond hefyd y bobl sy’n defnyddio ein gwasanaethau digidol. Boed trwy Gymru Fyw, neu yn wir trwy bodlediadau ar lwyfannau amrywiol sydd gennym yn ddigidol. Beth sy’n bwysig yw ein bod ni’n cyrraedd cynifer o Gymry Cymraeg, o ddysgwyr Cymraeg, ag sydd yn bosib...pobl sydd â theuluoedd hefyd efallai lle mae yna un rhiant sy’n siarad Cymraeg, yn hytrach na ddau riant, lle mae yna ddysgwyr, na’r fath o bobl mae rhaid inni ymestyn mas atyn nhw.”
Yn parhau tu mewn Continues inside
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EDITORIAL
Gair Rhydd 2018/19 Coordinator Elaine Morgan
Editor-in-Chief Jess Warren
Deputy Editors Silvia Martelli Reece Chambers Michael Ash
Head of Digital Media Michael Ash
News
Gee Harland Klaudia Jazwinska Emma Ogao Matt Tomlin
Campus Life Ashley Boyle Cerian Jones
Taf-od
Llion Carbis Tomos Evans
For more content, head to gairrhydd.com
word
the free
A letter from the editor
David the Chimpanzee
by Jess Warren
Attenborough’s Dynasties questions our compassion to animal lives
Comment
Alys Hewitt Hannah Newberry Emma Videan
Column Road Karis Pearson
Politics
Charlotte King Silvia Martelli Rhys Thomas Sam Tilley
Advice
Ashavari Baral Katie Lewis
Saunders’ Corner
Sam Saunders
Science
Daniel Brown Jonathan Learmont
Sport
Reece Chambers Rosie Foley John Jones Jack Vavasour George Willoughby
Social Media Editors Indigo Jones Giovanna Coi
Digital Media Editors Maisie Marston Jordan Parker Cadi Thomas
Cartoonist
Louis Mertens
Copy Editors
Sofia Brizio Chris Colbourn Abi Dudbridge Elen Fflur Davies Gemma Hopley
Write to the editor editor@gairrhydd.com
At Gair Rhydd we take seriously our responsibility to maintain the highest possible standards. We may occasionally make mistakes, however if you believe we have fallen below the standards we seek to uphold, please email editor@gairrhydd.com. You can view our Ethical Policy Statement and Complaints Procedure at cardiffstudentmedia.co.uk/complaints. Opinions expressed in editorials are not reflective of Cardiff Student Media, who act as the publisher of Gair Rhydd in legal terms, and should not be considered official communications or the organisation’s stance. Gair Rhydd is a Post Office registered newspaper.
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Compassion: How the human-like portrayal of animals becomes emotive to our society. Source: Ryan Al Bishri (via unsplash)
avid Attenborough, a gem in the nation’s hearts and a familiar voice on screen. But you may have come across another David last week - David the Chimpanzee graced the nation’s television screens with the advent of Attenborough’s latest documentary series, ‘Dynasties’. His newest documentary series from BBC Earth features five different groups of endangered animals and follows their struggles for survival against the demands of the natural world, climate change and intergroup conflicts. David the Chimpanzee started the documentary as the top chimp, leader of the 32-strong troupe in Senegal, and had been for three years. With troupe leaders traditionally lasting no longer than three years at
the top, other strong males among the troupe were seen in last week’s episode challenging him for the alpha position. The way that David was presented within the documentary was incredibly interesting, the videography and portrayal of his human-like facial expressions and such piercing eyes was captivating to the audience. With such an almosthuman soul presented before our eyes, when word came out after the show that David the Chimp had been killed for the alpha position among his troupe, there have been public outpourings of sadness. Yet isn’t this contradictory? We’re affected by this sadness having seen this spectacular creature brought into our homes through the medium of a television screen. But what about the
deaths of so many more chimpanzees and apes across the planet that we don’t see? One emotive scene in a documentary may cause us to shed a tear, but the human race causes far many more deaths to endangered animals than some inter-troupe fighting. Jostling for alpha position is a natural phenomenon, and a fact of life for these chimps, but we humans really have the alpha position in the world, and we are abusing this horrifically. David isn’t the Chimp’s real name, of course it isn’t. He was given this human-like quality, which acts as a barrier to seeing him as an animal. We mourn his death like that of a human, not like an animal. If we mourned him as an animal, then why do we not mourn more than 3,000 chimpanzee deaths each year due to poaching
and trafficking, and the thousands more that die due to environmental problems caused by our hands. I’m not going to debate the effects of palm oil and deforestation on apes in light of the recent Iceland campaign, as this has been done brilliantly by our Comment section this week. However, as the rest of the ‘Dynasties’ series continues, I ask you to question your response more critically. Are you really that caring and compassionate about animals, or are you just sad because you’re watching the struggles of a species whilst some violins play mournfully in the background? Once you switch off your television and go to bed, I ask you to question the sincerity of your sadness, and the way that your everyday actions contribute to the vast harm of animals across the planet.
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Students’ Union
by Hallum Cowell
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here is an imminent higher education debt crisis as many higher education institutions, including Cardiff University, could be in financial trouble. Ministers have been worried by the scale of the debt many Universities are buried under. Recent figures show that UK universities borrowed on average £12 billion since the 2008 financial crash. The universities borrow from banks, private investors and the international bond markets. Reuters published their International Financial Review which highlighted the debt of universities such as Cardiff, Liverpool and Cambridge. Cardiff University borrowed £300 million at 3% over 40 years. Student debt is also poised to rise from the current £100 billion to a trillion pounds. Not only are universities responsible for education but they boost the economy, generating £95 billion and £12.5 billion in exports. Cardiff and cities like it that host universities
benefit immensely from the influx of students. Ministers are yet to act on two crucial issues, however - reforming student debt and the treatment of foreign students by the Home Office. Michael Barber, the head of the university regulator, the office for students (OFS), insisted the government would let higher education institutes in financial trouble go to the wall.He said the OFS will not bail out providers in financial difficulty. “This kind of thinking – not unlike the ‘too big to fail’ idea among the banks – will lead to poor decision-making and a lack of financial discipline, is inconsistent with the principle of university autonomy and is not in students’ longer term interests,” Barber told the Wonkfest higher education festival in London. Barber added: “Should a university or other higher education provider find themselves at risk of closure, our role will be to protect students’ interests, and we will not hesitate to intervene to do so. We will not step in to prop up a failing provider.”
Education spending: Cardiff University borrowed £300 million at 3% over 40 years. (Source: Dai Lygad via Flickr)
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ardiff is home to the Motorpoint Area holding 7,000 people and the Principality Stadium holding 74,000. A new £110,000 million venue is set to double the Motorpoint capacity. The Economy Minister, Ken Skates, told BBC Wales that a venue of this size is “crucially important” for Wales. Planners in the city hope the new venue will host major music artists and events, such as Adele and the World Gymnastics Championships. The new venue is set to be built on the site of the Red Dragon Centre, an entertainment complex home to Capital FM and Heart FM. The centre is due to be demolished to make way for the construction of the new arena. Before the venue is deconstructed, plans are underway to build a new entertainment complex next door. These plans are focusing on revamping the current area of Cardiff Bay in order to reinvigorate the area. Student and Cardiff Bay resident, Zack Ahmed, said: “the new venue will bring more people towards the area and attract new business opportunities too”. With some residents happy about the plans and others not so much there is growing concern over the jobs that will be lost during the reconstruction. Residents have taken
to ‘Twitter’ to express their concerns over the plans. Cardiff and Bristol’s councils have stated that they have been trying to build a venue that would attract visitors from both South Wales and the
South West. Plans in 2003 to build the arena next to Temple Meads Station were scrapped in September as the project was deemed “too risky”. Plans to build a new arena have been in dis-
cussion ever since. Cabinet members are due to grant permission for work to begin next week. The planning applications are expected to be discussed and submitted by July 2019.
To contact our news desk, drop us an email at news@gairrhydd.com
Plans for a new 15,000 capacity indoor arena in Cardiff Bay are set to be finalised by July 2019
NEWS
New indoor arena to be built at Cardiff Bay’s Red Dragon Centre by Taylor Willis
NEWYDDION
UK universities have struggled to repay billions to the government since the financial crash
For more content, head to gairrhydd.com/news
UK faces higher education debt crisis
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Your news desk Arena: Cardiff Bay, where the proposed building will take place (Source: Joncandy via Flickr)
Gee Harland Klaudia Jazwinska Emma Ogao Matt Tomlin
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NEWS
Council proposes plans for Cardiff’s historic buildings by Rhiannon Humphreys
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ardiff Council have drawn up several new planning proposals for the city’s historic buildings in an effort to sustain the maintenance costs, stating that around £23m is required over the next 5 years to carry out urgent work on the sites. One of the most significant proposals is to bring a new Doctor Who exhibition to Cardiff Castle in 2019, in partnership with BBC Worldwide, which will hopefully attract more tourism to the city. This is creating some concern amongst locals, as Castle Street is already a congested area, although, some have spoken out in praise of the council for making an effort to encourage more tourism to the capital. The council also plans to expand the use of City Hall by potentially moving their council offices to a new location in Cardiff Bay, on the site of the current County Hall. This will enable City Hall to be used for more commercial purposes, as currently hiring it out for weddings and conferences does not generate enough sustainable revenue on its own, being “far outweighed” by the commercial costs. Other historic buildings that have been spotted for possible alteration are the Mansion House on Richmond Road, formerly the home of the Lord Mayor, which could be converted into a boutique hotel comprising of 20 rooms. There are also discussions of opening up the four ground floor retail units in St. David’s Hall, so that people can enter the hall through the shop fronts. This may help generate more income, therefore allowing the Hall, which is already subsidised by the council, to carry out the backlog of repairs needed for the building. In a report to Cardiff council’s cabinet regarding the proposed developments, they stated that: “failure to address this backlog will not only lead to increasing costs, but also increase the risk of health and safety incidents relating to a lack of building maintenance”. The report went before Cardiff council’s cabinet on November 15, 2018.
Renovation plans: Mansion House could be converted into a boutique hotel (Source: Seth Whales via Wikimedia Commons)
NUS faces potential bankruptcy
The National Union of Students have announced they are facing financial difficulties and may be facing a deficit of £3m by Emilia Jansson
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letter sent out to stakeholders from President Shakira Martin and action chief executive Peter Robertson, announced that the NUS has not been able to meet the £3m deficit this year and is therefore potentially facing bankruptcy. The letter states that: “The NUS group is facing financial difficulty. We are projected to post a significant deficit this year without enough resource to cover the loss.” The cause of the financial difficulties are highlighted in the letter including: “alongside structural problems we are facing competition in student discounts, trading support and policy and strategic support”. Furthermore, Martin and Robertson encourage collaborative and collective work between all stakeholders to face the competition. Members are encouraged to attend strategic conversations and working with the NUS to protect the interest of students. The NUS is taking measures to address the deficit with the aim of a financial, democratic and corporate
Financial difficulties: Many University students could be affected by the closure of the NUS (Source: Chris Bertram via Flickr) reform by summer 2019. The National Union of Students represents students in the UK higher and further education with around 600 affiliated Students’ Unions around the country. It has been subject to many controversies over the past few years with Students unions such as New-
castle University and University of Hull, choosing to disaffiliate. Benefits of being a member include the TOTUM card (previously known as the NUS extra card) which offer discounts in places around the country and training for Students’ Union staff and elected officers. Cardiff University is part of NUS
Wales, which is the Welsh section of the NUS. NUS Wales is based in Cardiff Bay and has three sabbatical officers which include a President, a Vice President and a Women’s officer. The NUS has faced financial difficulties before, with a 700,000 deficit in 2005.
New proposal could see University tuition fees fall to £6500 Theresa May proposes to cut tuition fees in an effort to ease student debt and make student finance more sustainable by Emma Ogao
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niversity tuition fees could potentially be slashed by 27% as part of the imminent Higher Education Reform proposal. Commissioned by Theresa May, the proposal seeks to address issues concerning the higher education sector, with the first draft proposing that tuition fees be cut from the current figure of £9250 per year, to £6500 per year. A key intention of the plan is to ease students’ of financial debt, and make student finance more sustainable. This academic year, undergraduates in Wales saw tuition fees rise to £9,000, just under the current English maximum of £9,250. Consequently, the average loan balance for Welsh students rose about £20,000 according to figures from the Student Loans Company - a record high for 2018. “People are rightly concerned about value for money, that’s why we’re reforming the system to make it fairer. We have already increased the repayment threshold for graduates and are open minded in our approach” said a spokesperson from the Department of Education The reveal of the plan has triggered a heated debate amongst both staff and students in the higher education sphere. With many UK universities in financial trouble, many worry that re-
duction in tuition fees could worsen their predicament, and could potentially see institutions that are currently struggling be forced to shut down. Higher education experts are also critical that the reform could impact student experience. “Reducing funding for teaching would impact directly on the stu-
dent experience, leading to higher student staff ratios, less hands on lab and practical work and student services stretched past breaking point” says Tim Bradshaw, the Chief Executive of the Russell Group. UK Universities currently wwgenerate £9.5 billion per year, a number which is forecast to rise to £14 bil-
lion in the next five years due to the rising student population. Thus far, the Treasury is understood to oppose the reform on the basis that it would lose approximately £3 billion - a financial drop which could result in the number of places available for undergraduates starting courses.
Student finance: Theresa May’s proposal could slash uni tuition fees by 27% (Source: GOV.UK photo library via Flickr)
WEAR YOUR COLOURS WITH PRIDE
MEDICS VARSITY 2018
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BYWYD CAMPWS
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CAMPUS LIFE
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Your campus life desk Ashley Boyle Cerian Jones
ISOC raise thousands in Charity Week for orphans by Mustakim Hasnath
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ardiff University’s Islamic Society (ISOC) have raised a sum of over £20,000 for charity, as part of their involvement with the nationally held Charity Week scheme, set-up by the worldwide charity, Islamic Relief. Every year, thousands of students both nationally and internationally participate in the scheme which started out in 2003 by a small group of students in London. The project’s tag line, ‘Let’s Grow Together’, reflects its successful venture across Europe, Australia, South Africa and the USA. Over 200 institutions raised vital funds for ‘Charity Week’, which supports orphans and children in need. Months of planning resulted in the week of October 22 to 28 being a busy one for members of the society, as they all took part in an array of activities and opportunities to raise as much money as possible for the cause. From quiz nights, a football tournament and games night, to a henna stall, netball tournament and pamper night, the society demonstrated that raising money for a fantastic cause did not have to be at the expense of enjoying oneself. Some activities even allowed for other societies to get involved. For instance, as part of Charity Week, Cardiff ISOC arranged for an inter-society
bake off, battling it out alongside the Bangladeshi Society, Pakistani Society and Ahlulbayt Society, to be judged by the Baking Society. Members of the ISOC also went out into the community to collect bucket donations for Charity Week - maximis-
“Charity is one of the core beliefs for Muslims all around the world and the act of giving to an orphan is a blessing for one’s wealth” - ISOC President ing the potential for how much could have been earned for the cause. Cardiff University’s ISOC Head of Charity said this year was “One of the most successful Charity Week campaigns for CUISOC… honing in the vision of unity fuelled all the of the fantastic volunteers who worked tirelessly in aid of those less fortunate than us”. Following just over a week’s graft donating, there was no stopping with the outpour of generosity and the society’s determination. The fi-
nale to the campaign was at the annual Charity Dinner in the Students’ Union’s Great Hall. The event saw hundreds of society members, families, community members and distinguished guests praising the efforts of the volunteers and donors. However, it was clear that there was no real end to the donating for the cause. Circulating around social media a week before the dinner, the auctioning of a banana for £6,000 at UCL for Charity Week went viral, and, in true spirit of this, homebaked cakes and bespoke hand-crafted décor each sold for hundreds at the event. The combined total of Cardiff University’s donation for the Charity Week campaign was recently re-
ISOC: Commitee members pose for a picture
The A Capella Society’s Winter Showcase W by Rose HG Baker
ant to attend an amazing night of music, fun, with snacks provided by the baking society? Then come to the A Cappella Society Winter showcase! Held in Y Plas at 7:30pm on Thursday 29th November, the night will consist of all five of our groups showcasing four arrangements that they have prepared and ending with a classic Christmas number. Tickets are available now for £5 at cardiffstudents.com in the “What’s on” section, or can be purchased on the door for £6. Grab them while they’re hot as this is not an event to miss! The competitive groups have been hard at work rehearsing twice a week to prepare for their entry for the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella ( or ICCA) and Voice Fest, two major collegiate A Cappella Competitions. The DeciBelles have gone through a dynamic change, with nine new members and a shiny new Musical Director in the form of Charlie Pittaway. They’ll be showcasing some of their ICCA set at the showcase as well as others, including Murder Song and Salute. We’re looking forward to seeing the new line up perform! Vox have been hard at work hoping to build on their success from last year, after winning the most awards
at the CU A Cappella Awards Evening and reaching the ICCA UK semifinals last year. Featuring some familiar faces (including fabulous soprano Megan Thomas as MD) and brand
The Acappellads are hoping to make their official competitive debut this year by entering the ICCAs. With experienced MDs Phil Sim and Tom Hartley in charge, and some new lads
Winter Showcase Poster: Promoting the A Capella Society’s performances new members, these guys and gals are sure to wow audiences with their outstanding harmonies in California Dreamin’!
vealed at an event held by Islamic Relief, revealing it as £20,030.33. This far exceeds any other institution’s totals in the Wales and West region for the week, with the closest being the University of Bristol’s total of £16,148.31. Together the total amount raised in the entire region comprising of the West of England and Wales was £65.657.71. The president of the society commented: “Charity is one of the core beliefs for Muslims all around the world and the act of giving to an orphan is a blessing for one’s wealth. The righteous act of helping others encompasses the charity week objectives which the Islamic Society was eager to fulfil”.
joining the troupe, there’s never been a better time to come along to the showcase and see the new arrangements these guys have prepared!
Meanwhile, the non-competitive groups consistently amaze audiences with how much they can learn in such a short period. This is Acatude’s first year as an official group, and with five new members and three new arrangements, these girls will wow you with their gorgeous rendition of Unwritten. This group have worked incredibly hard under the guidance of their incredible MD Clarice Thorn and are incredibly excited for their official debut. Finally, our uncapped group, InterChorus, has continued to progress this semester. With over sixty members in the group this year, it is incredible to see how many people are dedicated to learning new arrangements in a noncompetitive environment. David Crowe is continuing as MD, and has gifted the group with another of his incredible medleys. He says: “The A Cappella showcase is this year’s must see event! We’re going to be singing a wide array of songs for you to enjoy, from ABBA to Coldplay. We hope to see you all there!” If you haven’t been convinced to buy a ticket yet, head to our Youtube channel to watch some performances! Check out our Facebook for more info regarding the event if you’re interested, and we hope to see you there!
BYWYD CAMPWS
Supporting Postgrad Tutors
by Jake Smith VP Postgraduate
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f you’re a Cardiff University student, chances are that at some point you’ve been taught by one of Cardiff ’s PhD students. From delivering seminars, marking essays, holding feedback sessions, ensuring safety in experiments or supervising lab based work, PhD students working as Graduate Tutors or Demonstrators deliver a substantial proportion of Cardiff University’s teaching while juggling the not-insignificant commitment of actually completing their PhD. Clearly the support for, and conditions of, these postgraduates who teach has a direct impact on the quality of teaching thousands of Cardiff ’s students receive every year. In my role as Vice President Postgraduate Students’ I hear how rewarding PhD students find their teaching work, but I very often hear as well how they feel they are not being given a level of support and recognition that would enable them to teach to the best of their ability in the University. From concerns over the organisation of teaching, the support they receive
and clarity over duties, many feel their job is being made harder than it should be. After receiving numerous comments from PhD academic reps in the Students’ Union Postgraduate Forums that I chair, and after receiving many emails from PhD students, last year I co-chaired a working group with the University to look into these issues. We heard from University HR, College Postgraduate Deans, the Doctoral Academy and crucially from Tutors and Demonstrators in focus groups and forums. The Students’ Union also conducted in-depth research into the teaching arrangements at comparable Universities. We were able to identify numerous areas where the University could take action to secure more clarity and support for those that teach us. We also heard from many Tutors and Demonstrators that they wish to be given contracts for their work, a practice that can be found across many UK universities. At the end of October,
Image Source: Stan Zurek via Wikimedia Commons
I represented the Students’ Union at a meeting with the UCU trade union and the senior management of Cardiff University to discuss the employment status and connected issues of the Tutors and Demonstrators who teach us. Working with the UCU and the University I hope we can achieve real progress for the postgrads who teach us soon. Postgraduate researchers who teach make a huge contribution to teaching at Cardiff University. They all deserve to feel valued, recognised and supported. By achieving this, thousands of students every year will receive a well-resourced teaching experience, confident in the knowledge that their seminar tutor or lab demonstrator has the support they need to teach, succeed and thrive. There’s a lot more work still to do. If any student, undergraduate or postgraduate, would like to discuss this issue I’d be very happy to hear from you at VPPostgraduate@cardiff.ac.uk.
Image Source: Kevinquickle via Flickr
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Join the Badminton Club!
by Ben Richards
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any new students join the Badminton club each year, whether they have attended one of our GIAG sessions, or have just popped along to the occasional Sunday session with a couple of friends. Our club has existed for decades and is currently on the silver tier category for societies, with aims to become a gold club by the start of the next academic year. We have one of the biggest numbers of memberships of any club within our University, and as a society we offer opportunities to play for everyone, from experienced players who can join our squad, to complete beginners who can play every Sunday at our relaxed and welcoming social sessions from 12-4pm in Talybont sport centre. If you’re interested in playing occasionally then please don’t be a stranger and come along on a Sunday of your choice, each session only costs £3 per week or £30 for the membership which covers you for every Sunday until June. But, if you’re interested in the more social side of things then you’ll be glad to hear we organise socials every other week. We have already had an army themed social as well as many others, and we plan to have many more exciting themed socials to come in the coming months! For anyone who is interested in playing competitively, we have a fun charity Christmas tournament planned on December, 9 in Talybont. For those who are new to badminton and just fancy trying out, then we will be hosting a beginner’s tournament between 12-2pm on that day, with another tournament scheduled from 2-4pm for the more experienced players to compete. We have held two tournaments every year for the last few years, so if you can’t attend this one, we will be hosting another one late next semester. If you’d like to be kept up to date on stuff related to the club then please request to join our Facebook group ‘Cardiff University Badminton’. We post on there regularly about our socials and general badminton things! If you want to find out more information, then please email me on RichardsB10@cardiff.ac.uk and I’ll be happy to help! Hope to see a lot of new faces on Sundays and at our socials on Wednesdays!
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taf od
Y Digwyddiadur
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ma cewch restr o’r holl ddigwyddiadau sy’n cymryd lle dros yr wythnos nesaf sy’n berthnasol i fyfyrwyr Cymraeg Caerdydd. Nos Wener, 23 Hydref - Gêm bêldroed Cymru vs. Albania. Ar ôl herio Denmarc yn y gêm dyngedfennol yng Nghynghrair y Cenhedloedd, bydd gan chwaraewyr ifanc Cymru’r cyfle i fagu rhagor o brofiad yn y gêm gyfeillgar yn erbyn Albania. Nos Sadwrn, 24 Tachwedd - Gêm rygbi Cymru vs. De Affrica. Mae Cymru wedi ennill ond pump allan o’r 34 gêm maent wedi chwarae yn erbyn De Affrica hyd yn hyn. Gyda canlyniad ardderchog yn erbyn Awstralia, y fuddugoliaeth gyntaf am ddeng mlynedd, a fydd Cymru yn fuddugoliaethus unwaith yn rhagor? Os oes gennych unrhyw ddigwyddiadau yr hoffech chi eu hysbysebu yn y Digwyddiadur, cysylltwch â tafod@ gairrhydd.com.
Cornel CMCC
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leni mae Cyfryngau Myfyrwyr Cymraeg Caerdydd yn profi eu blwyddyn lawn gyntaf gydag adran Gymraeg ym mhob rhan o Gyfryngau Myfyrwyr Caerdydd sef Clebar yn Quench a CUTV ynghyd â Xpress Radio a’r Taf-od o fewn Gair Rhydd. Dyma rai o’r pethau cyffrous sydd ar y gweill gyda CMCC dros yr wythnos nesaf. Xpress Radio Eleni, mae gan Xpress fwy o raglenni Cymraeg nad erioed o’r blaen. Dyma beth sydd gan wrandawyr ffyddlon Xpress i edrych ymlaen ato yr wythnos hon. Dydd Llun, 20:00-21:00 Gwyneb Radio Dydd Mawrth, 19:00-20:00 Cicio Sodle’ Dydd Mercher, 7:30-10:00 Crac y Wawr Dydd Iau, 19:00-20:00 Gwylio Gwleidyddiaeth Dydd Gwener, 18:00-19:00 Y Tri Gŵr Ffôl Dydd Sadwrn, 18:00-19:00 Malu ar yr Awyr Dydd Sul, 20:00-21:00 Lawr yn y Ddinas Quench Caiff rifyn diweddaraf Quench ei gyhoeddi ar 19 Tachwedd. Yn y rhifyn yma, mae erthyglau am lle i fynd dros gyfnod y Nadolig, y gwahaniaethau diwylliannol rhwng bod yn fyfyriwr Cymraeg a Saesneg yng Nghaerdydd a sut mae cyfryngau cymdeithasol yn effeithio ar sut y mae pobl yn gweld eu hunain mewn cymdeithas. Erthyglau difyr iawn, felly, sy’n siwr o’ch diddori a’ch difyrru. Am holl newyddion diweddaraf CMCC, dilynwch @CMCC ar Drydar neu ‘Cyfryngau Myfyrwyr Cymraeg Caerdydd - CMCC’ ar Facebook.
Eich unig gyhoeddiad myfyrwyr wythnosol trwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg. Sefydlwyd: 2003 I gysylltu â ni, e-bostiwch tafod@gairrhydd.com Am fwy o gynnwys, ewch i gairrhydd.com/tafod
NEWYDDION
Cyfweliad: Rhuanedd Richards
Golygydd BBC Radio Cymru a BBC Cymru Fyw “Fy nyhead i yw cyrraedd cynulleidfaoedd iau”
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Wedi’i barhau o’r dudalen flaen
nghyd â’r awydd i ledaenu ac ehangu cynulleidfaoedd Radio Cymru, mae Rhuanedd yn llwyr ymwybodol o’r heriau sydd angen eu gorchfygu fel modd o wireddu ei gweledigaeth, gan gyfeirio’n benodol at y parodrwydd i addasu ac i ymateb. “Mae patrymau gwrando, gwylio, gweld a darllen pobl yn newid yn sylweddol, mae eisoes wedi newid yn sylweddol, ac maent yn dal i newid. Beth sy’n bwysig i ni yw bod ni’n gallu addasu a chyrraedd y bobl hynny, tra hefyd yn cadw’r cynulleidfaoedd teyrngar iawn sydd gyda ni, yn enwedig yn Radio Cymru.” Mae’r pwyslais a roddir ar ehangu cynulleidfaoedd a gwrandawyr BBC Radio Cymru yn deimladwy. Cydran o gynulleidfa Radio Cymru sydd wedi mynnu sylw eithriadol yn ddiweddar yw pobl ifanc. Yn wir, cafodd BBC Radio Cymru 2 ei lansio gyda phobl ifanc wrth raidd y syniad, rhan o ymgais i apelio at ragor o wrandawyr, a atgyfnerthodd Rhuanedd bod yr ymateb i’r orsaf – a oedd ond wedi lansio ym mis Ionawr – wedi bod yn gadarnhaol dros ben. “Does dim ffigyrau gwrando gyda ni eto, ond yr hyn allai ddweud, yw bod yr adborth wedi bod yn bositif iawn hyd yma, rydyn ni’n gweld hynny o’r bobl sy’n cysylltu gyda ni. Maent wedi dangos tipyn o frwdfrydedd o gael y dewis, o’r diwedd” “Rydyn ni’n gallu cynnig y newyddion safonol, amrywiol yna, ar y brif orsaf trwy’r post cyntaf. Ond, wedyn, rhywbeth mwy ysgafn, adloniannol, i’r teulu, gyda cherddoriaeth ffantastig ar Radio Cymru 2. Y dasg i fi yw i sicrhau fod digon o bobl mas yna yn gwybod am yr ail wasanaeth.” Dangosodd ystadegau a gafodd eu cyhoeddi ym mis Hydref, fod cynnydd o 18,000 wedi bod yn y niferoedd sy’n gwrando ar Radio Cymru wrth gymharu â llynedd. Yn sgil heriau cynyddol sy’n wynebu’r cyfryngau yng Nghymru, roedd golygydd newydd Radio Cymru yn awyddus i ganmol llwyddiannau’r orsaf. “Beth ‘yn ni wedi gweld yn Radio Cymru, yw bod y gyfran o siaradwyr Cymraeg sy’n gwrando, o ran canran, yr un peth nawr a pum mlynedd yn ôl, sy’n dipyn o beth mewn hinsawdd heriol iawn.” Er gwaethaf llwyddiant yr orsaf i gynnal, ac i ehangu ei chynulleidfa, roedd Rhuanedd yn eiddgar i bwysleisio’r angen i barhau â’r gwaith caled, ac i ddatblygu ar lwyddiant yr orsaf. “Allwn ni bwyso ar ein rhwyfau? Na allwn. Beth licien i yw bod ni’n
YN Y LLUN: Rhuanedd Richards, golygydd BBC Radio Cymru a BBC Cymru Fyw (Tarddiad: BBC Cymru Wales) cyrraedd mwy o bobl eto fyth, a dwi’n credu bod cyfle i wneud hynny trwy gynnig yr amrywiaeth o’r ddau wasanaeth (y ddwy orsaf ), ond hefyd trwy ein gwasanaethau digidol.” Cyhoeddodd Llywodraeth Cymru ei bod am ariannu gwasanaeth digidol Cerddoriaeth Gymraeg fel modd o rymuso cyhoeddusrwydd cerddoriaeth Gymraeg. Petai fod y gwasanaeth yn llwyddiannus gall effeithio ar nifer o wrandawyr Radio Cymru. Serch hynny, amlygodd Rhuanedd bwysigrwydd mynediad at gerddoriaeth Gymreig, a’i goblygiadau ehangach ynglŷn â bodolaeth a phoblogrwydd ein hiaith.
Y dasg i fi, yw i sicrhau fod digon o bobl mas yna yn gwybod am yr ail wasanaeth. “Dw i eisiau bod gymaint o bobl â sy’n bosib, sy’n siarad Cymraeg, yn medru cael mynediad at wasanaethau fel hyn ac at gerddoriaeth Cymraeg. Dechreuais i fy mherthynas gyda’r Gymraeg, go-iawn, wrth wrando am y tro gyntaf ar raglen Huw Bobs Pritchard pan roeddwn i yn y chweched, a sylweddoli bod sîn roc Cymraeg yn bodoli, a meddwl bod hyn yn cŵl o beth, a dechrau meithrin a magu diddordeb yn y gerddoriaeth Cymraeg yma. Wedyn dechrau mynd
i gigs i weld pob math o fandiau’n chwarae. Dyna le ddysgais i fod y Gymraeg yn rhywbeth sy’n bodoli tu hwnt i’r stafell ddosbarth. Felly, os dw i’n gallu cymell pobl eraill, pobl ifanc eraill, i feddwl yn yr un ffordd, yn enwedig pobl fel fi sydd ddim yn dod o gartrefi Cymraeg, dwi’n credu y byddaf wedi gwneud rhywbeth spesial.” Yn sgil llwyddiannau diweddar yr orsaf, ynghyd â’r arweiniad newydd, mae yna grin optimistiaeth a phositifrwydd yn gymeriadau dyfodol Radio Cymru a BBC Cymru Fyw yn gyfredol, ond fel pob diwydiant, nid yw’r cyfryngau yng Nghymru yn amddifad o’u heriau, ac mae Rhuanedd yn awyddus i ymateb i’r heriau yma. “Un o’r pethau mawr yw’r gwasanaeth ar alw. Mae gen i blant yn eu harddegau sy’n gwylio ac yn gwrando ar beth maen nhw eisiau, pryd maen nhw eisiau. Yr her i ni yw sicrhau ein bod ni ar gymaint o lwyfannau â sy’n bosib, bod y dechnoleg yna, ein bod ni’n cadw lan gyda’r dechnoleg ddiweddara, ac yn fodlon addasu beth ‘yn ni’n neud yn hytrach na sefyll ar ein hunfan, rhaid i ni symud gyda’r amser, drwy’r amser... fy nyhead i yw cyrraedd cynulleidfaoedd iau.” Fel y soniwyd eisoes, mae Radio Cymru wedi buddio o bresenoldeb BBC Radio Cymru 2, sy’n ysgogi’r cwestiwn a fydd rhagor o blwraliaeth ar sail gwasanaethau newyddion digidol trwy’r Gymraeg yn grymuso’r tirlun cyfryngol yng Nghymru? Roedd Rhuanedd o’r farn bod angen rhagor o gystadleuaeth, a rhagor o leisiau, ond nid y sector gyhoeddus sy’n gyfrifol am y prinder cyfredol.
“Mae angen mwy, dw i’n meddwl. Fe ofynnodd rhywun i fi yn ddiweddar, ‘ydy’r BBC yn rhy gryf yn wyneb ein cystadleuaeth ni?’ Fy ymateb i oedd mae e bach fel yr economi yng Nghymru, nid y sector gyhoeddus sy’n rhy gryf, y sector breifat sy’n rhy wan. Mae angen sicrhau bod pobl Cymru, yn enwedig o safbwynt newyddion a gwleidyddiaeth, yn ymwybodol o’r penderfyniadau sy’n cael eu gwneud yn eu henw nhw a gyda’u trethi nhw. Felly, dwi wastad yn croesawu mwy o lwyfannau a mwy o gystadleuaeth, mae’n cadw ni ar ein traed, ac yn cadw ni’n ffres.” Wrth ystyried fod Rhuanedd
Dyna le ddysgais i fod y Gymraeg yn rhywbeth sy’n bodoli tu hwnt i’r stafell ddosbarth. ar ddechrau ei thaith fel golygydd newydd BBC Radio Cymru a BBC Cymru Fyw, mae yna lawer o baratoadau ar gyrraedd i ddechrau gwireddu ei huchelgais, a soniodd Rhuanedd am ei blaenoriaethau wrth geisio gweithredu ar ei chynllun. “Fy mlaenoriaeth, yn y lle cyntaf, yw i wrando ar ein gwrandawyr, ein defnyddwyr, i wrando ar ein staff ac ar ein cyfranwyr ar yr orsaf, ac yna pwyso a mesur beth yw’r dyfodol.”
TAF-OD
NEWYDDION
gan Tomos Evans
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Pawen Lawen, Gymru!
Ymgyrch Aled Hughes yn codi calon
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ae ymgyrch y cyflwynydd radio, Aled Hughes, wedi cipio dychymyg miloedd o bobl Cymru a thu hwnt wrth i ysgolion ledled y wlad a phob math o gymdeithasau a sefydliadau gyfrannu at nod o gyrraedd 10,000 pawen lawen (neu ‘high five’). Nod yr ymgyrch yw annog pobl i gyfrannu arian tuag at elusen Plant Mewn Angen wrth i’r ymgyrch wasgaru ar draws Cymru. Roedd disgyblion Ysgol Bro Cernyw, yn Llangernyw, wedi dechrau defnyddio’r term Pawen Lawen ac ers mis bellach, mae Aled Hughes wedi mynd ati i gasglu pawennau llawen o bob cwr o Gymru, gyda’r gobaith o gyrraedd ei darged uchelgeisiol. Dywedodd Aled Hughes, sy’n cyflwyno rhaglen foreol ar BBC Radio Cymru, wrth Taf-od, “Fe ddaeth y syniad ar ôl yr ymateb i’r ymadrodd pawen lawen gyrraedd y rhaglen. Mi oeddwn i’n meddwl ei fod yn ffordd wreiddiol hyfryd o ddweud ‘high five’ yn Gymraeg. Felly fe aethom ni ati i ddarganfod mae plant Llangernyw sy’n ei ddefnyddio cyn meddwl am ffyrdd o’i basio ymlaen trwy Gymru”. Ond, mae’r pawennau llawen wedi cyrraedd pobl y tu hwnt i Gymru hefyd , a bellach wedi troi’r ymgyrch yn un ryngwladol. Dywedodd Aled fod yr ymateb i’r ymgyrch “wedi fy llorio. Syniad syml y gall pawb ei wneud ac mae’r ymgyrch yma trwy’r #pawenlawen cyn mynd ar y lôn i’w casglu yn rhyfeddol...O Fietnam, Patagonia a Seland Newydd - mae yna blant wedi rhannu a gwenu a mwynhau”.
YN Y LLUN: Llun o Pudsey y tu allan i stwidio’r BBC yn Llandaf (Tarddiad: Tomos Evans) Mae’r ymateb wedi bod mor ffafriol fod Aled o’r farn y bydd mwy o bawennau llawen yn cael eu casglu na’r targed gwreiddiol. “10,000 oedd y nod ond mae’n debygol y byddwn i’n nes at 25,000 gobeithio”.
Ond er mai codi ymwybyddiaeth, a chodi arian, ar gyfer elusen Plant Mewn Angen yw’r nod, mae’r ymgyrch hefyd wedi bod yn fuddiol i’r iaith Gymraeg. Ychwanegodd Aled,”Trwy fynd ar daith i ardaloedd sydd ddim yn cael cymaint
o sylw a hynny mae yna elfen arall wedi ei hychwanegu. Mae’n dangos bod y Gymraeg yn gallu addasu a bod yn berthnasol a gwahanol. Mae’n fodd o ddiolch hefyd am y gefnogaeth i Radio Cymru”.
Felly, gyda phawennau llawen wedi codi calonnau Cymry o bob cwr o’r byd, y gobaith ydy y bydd yr ymgyrch yn llwyddo torri trwodd i godi ymwybyddiaeth o waith Plant Mewn Angen ac y bydd llawenydd yn troi’n haelioni.
Yn Trafod yr wythnos hon... Mali Llyfni 1. Pwy wyt ti a beth wyt ti’n astudio?
5. Pe fyddet ti ar yr X Factor, pa gân byddet ti’n ei chanu a pham?
9. Prosecco neu champagne? Pam?
Mali Llyfni, a dwi yn y flwyddyn gynta’n astudio Cymraeg a Hanes.
Unrhyw beth sy’n siwtio Alto, felly ddim byd gan Beyonce ne’ Whitney Houston.
10. Beth oedd y diwrnod gorau iti ei gael erioed?
2. Beth yw’r digwyddiad sy’n codi’r mwyaf o embaras arnat? Crôl teulu ‘leni...
3. Pam penderfynu astudio yng Nghaerdydd? Wel, mi on i wastad isio symud yn bell o adra’ i ryw ddinas, ac isio neud Cymraeg, ac felly dyma pam neshi ddewis dod i astudio’n Gaerdydd.
4. Beth oedd dy air cyntaf? Ma’ Mam yn deud mai ‘mam’ oedd o, a ma’ Dad yn deud mai ‘dad’ oedd o felly, un o’r ddau.
6. Beth fyddet ti’n ei archebu o’r Bwyty Inidiaidd lleol? Ma’ rhaid mynd ‘all out’, felly Popadoms, pilau rice, butter chicken a garlic naan.
Dim un
Ym, sgenai’m cô da, ond ma’r trip teulu riw 7 mlynedd nôl i Blackpool yn sefyll allan.
11. Beth yw dy gàs beth? Beans
7. Pwy oeddet ti’n ffansïo pan oeddet ti’n iau?
12. Beth fyddet ti’n gwneud yn ystod dy noson ddelfrydol?
Brandon Flowers, a dal yn i fod yn onest...
Unai noson mewn efo ffilm a ‘ice cream’, neu mynd weld band mewn gîg bychan.
8. Pwy yw dy hoff fand?
13. Pa taset yn gallu bod yn unrhyw anifail am ddiwrnod, pa un fyddet ti’n dewis, a pham?
Queen neu The Killers, anodd dewis.
Aderyn, er mwyn gallu hedfan o gwmpas y byd.
14. Disgrifia dy hun mewn tri gair. Creadigol, Cyfeillgar a Chymwynasgar?
15. Pwy fydd yn Trafod gyda’r Taf-od yr wythnos nesaf? Ruth Erin Roberts.
Eich adran taf-od Llion Carbis Tomos Evans tafod@gairrhydd.com
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TAF OD
Am fwy o gynnwys, ewch i gairrhydd.com/tafod
CHWARAEON
Cyfnod cryfaf Warren Gatland yn yr Hydref? gan Sion Ford
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YN Y LLUN: Carfannau Cymru ac Awstralia yn cyrraedd y cae cyn eu gêm gyfeillgar. (Tarddiad: Tomos Evans)
oedd dwy gêm gynta tymor gemau’r Hydref, wedi gweld Cymru’n curo Awstralia am y tro cyntaf mewn deng mlynedd o dan arweiniad Warren Gatland. Wrth i sylw pob gwlad ffocysu ar Gwpan y Byd y flwyddyn nesa, mae pob gêm ryngwladol nawr yn cymryd ‘mlaen pwysigrwydd ychwanegol. Mae’r Cymry erbyn nawr wedi pasio hanner ffordd yn eu hymgyrch hydrefol, un gêm sydd i ddod yn erbyn De Affrica. Mae’r Hydref wastad wedi cynnig atgofion o rwystredigaeth, colledion agos ac ystadegau niferus am fethiannau’r tîm cenedlaethol. Ond ar ôl buddugoliaethau yn erbyn Yr Alban ac Awstralia, mae natur y cyfnod rhyngwladol yma - cyfnod olaf Gatland yn yr Hydref - yn wahanol. Fe gafodd y gêm gyntaf ei henwi ar ôl cawr o gyn-chwaraewr, Doddie Weir, Albanwr bonheddig sy’n dioddef o MND. Roedd y gêm yn gymharol ddadleuol, gyda dadl ymhlith y wasg am
ddiffyg cefnogaeth ariannol yr undebau Albaneg a Chymraeg tuag at achos Doddie Weir, yn ogystal â’r feirniadaeth ynglŷn â sofraniaeth gêm ddifater rhwng dau o wrthwynebwyr y Chwe Gwlad, yn herio ei gilydd tu allan i’r bencampwriaeth. Collwyd nifer o chwaraewyr adnabyddus o’r gêm oherwydd iddi ddigwydd tu fas i’r cyfnod rhyngwladol swyddogol, ond wrth i bawb ddechrau adeiladau tuag at Siapan dyma yw’r mathau o gyfleoedd sydd eu hangen i gryfhau carfan ryngwladol. Mae bron a bod pob barn awdurdodol wedi penderfynu taw gêm anghofiadwy ydoedd, ond mae elfennau nodweddiadol i’w cofio. Cafodd Gareth Anscombe ei gêm gorau yng nghrys Cymru, ac fe welsom ddyfodiad Dillon Lewis i’r safon ryngwladol. Ar ôl cyfnod hir i ffwrdd oherwydd anafiadau, braf oedd gweld Jonathan Davies yn chwarae cystal. Prif bwrpas y gêm yn erbyn yr Alban oedd rhoi’r
cyfle i garfan Cymru adnabod ei gilydd yn well cyn i’r timoedd deheuol gyrraedd. Yn draddodiadol, mae’r Cymry wedi dechrau’n araf yn erbyn eu gwrthwynebwyr, ond fe welsom fantais y gêm ynghynt y tro yma. Unwaith eto, nid y gêm fwyaf atyniadol i wylio, ond gan ystyried taw dyma yw’r ail waith mewn deng mlynedd i Gymru curo Aws-
Prif bwrpas y gêm yn erbyn yr Alban oedd rhoi’r cyfle i garfan Cymru adnabod ei gilydd yn well cyn i’r timoedd deheuol gyrraedd.
tralia, ni fydd Gatland yn poeni am hynny. Yn debyg i’r gêm gyntaf, mae llawer wedi beirniadu Cymru’n hallt (soniodd Gwyn Jones ar nos Sul ar ‘Scrum V’ am fethiant Cymru i fygwth llinell Awstralia) ond dyma yw’r math o fuddugoliaeth mae Cymru wedi angen ers maith, yn enwedig yn erbyn y goreuon ac yn ystod Cwpan y Byd. Mae angen ennill gemau, yn gyson, cyn ein bod yn dechrau ystyried natur y fuddugoliaeth. Yn sicr bydd Warren Gatland am weld parhad i’r momentwm sydd wedi adeiladu’r Hydref yma. Ydy e am newid y tîm am y drydedd gêm fel arfer, neu a fydd Gatland yn parhau i brofi chwaraewyr yn ystod ei gyfnod hydrefol olaf? Buasai’n well gen i pe bai Gatland yn cario’r mwyafrif o chwaraewyr ymlaen gydag ambell newid, er mwyn ail-greu’r teimlad o ymgyrchu trwy grŵp pencampwriaeth. Fodd bynnag, mae prawf corfforol yn wynebu’r garfan yn y gêm sydd i ddod yn erbyn De Affrica.
Pryd o Daf-od
Rhodri Davies Rhodri Davies, myfyriwr Cymraeg a Newyddiaduraeth yn y flwyddyn gyntaf, sy’n rhannu ei farn ar y cynnig i newid enw Cynulliad Cymru i Senedd Cymru. Eich adran taf-od Llion Carbis Tomos Evans tafod@gairrhydd.com
Gyda sefyllfaoedd gwleidyddol yn achosi cynnwrf yn ddyddiol yn y Bae, ychydig byddai wedi darogan fod enw’r adeilad yn medru codi gwrychyn cymaint o bobl. Daeth cais gan Lywydd Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru, Elin Jones, i ail enwi’r safle’n Senedd yn hytrach na’r Cynulliad. Daeth y cynnig hefyd y dylid cyfeirio at yr aelodau etholedig fel “Aelodau’r Senedd.” Mae llawer wedi tynnu sylw at enw gwleidyddion San Steffan sef yr Aelodau Seneddol (AS). Golyga hyn felly, mai talfyriad y ddwy swydd fyddai AS. Yn amlwg felly, medrai hyn beri dryswch yn y Gymraeg. Yn y Saesneg, cyfieithir “Senedd” i “Parliament” ac mae talfyriad Member of Welsh Parliament (MWP) y rhy debyg i’r gair “twp” yn ôl rhai. Cynnig arall gan y Llywydd, Elin Jones oedd cadw’r un enw yn y ddwy iaith ac felly “Members of the Senedd” fydd yr etholedig rai. Byddai rhai yn credu bod hyn yn gam gwag
a gwastraff arian fyddai ail frandio’r Cynulliad, ond gwelaf yng nghynnig Elin Jones elfen o genedlaetholdeb. Cymrwch y Senedd yn San Steffan. Mae’n le sydd yn gwneud penderfyniadau sy’n rheoli’r wlad heb lawer o ymyrraeth gan wledydd eraill. Sofraniaeth yn y bôn. Ai dyma sydd ar feddwl Elin Jones? Gyda Chymru’n hawlio’n swyddogol ar Senedd, efallai byddai gennym fel gwlad well statws yn y byd gwleidyddol ac yn ehangach. Mae’n bosibl y byddai hyn yn gam yn agosach at agor sgwrs ehangach am annibyniaeth ac yn hynny o beth, yn ennyn sofraniaeth i Gymru. Gall enwi aelodau etholedig drwy brotocol newydd hefyd fod yn fanteisiol i’r iaith drwy godi ymwybyddiaeth ohono. Byddai bwletinau newyddion mewn ieithoedd eraill yn gorfod dysgu sut y mae ynganu’r gair “Senedd” yn gywir yn yr un modd y maent wedi gwneud
gyda “Plaid Cymru.” Tynna hyn sylw at y ffaith fod gan Gymru iaith sy’n cael ei defnyddio’n barhaus ac o bosibl yn ei ddychwelyd i fod yn iaith o fri. Newid agweddau negyddol tuag at y Gymraeg. Mae clywed “the Welsh Assembly” o hyd ar Newsnight yn gwthio’r Gymraeg i’r neilltu i ryw raddau. Byddai’r defnydd o “the Senedd” yn llawer mwy cynhwysol i’r Gymraeg. Defnyddio’r Senedd fel modd i hyrwyddo’r Gymraeg fel iaith a gwlad yn amlwg yw agenda Elin Jones. Wedi’r cyfan, onid dyna bwrpas datganoli pwerau i Gymru, ein hailsefydlu ni fel gwlad gref sy’n driw i’n hunaniaeth? Yn amlwg, er mwyn cael Cymru annibynnol, mae miloedd o weithredoedd eraill sy’n rhaid eu gwneud ond mae’n gam yn nes at freuddwyd sawl Cymro. Chi’n gweld, mae mwy i enw na’r enw ei hun.
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COMMENT
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Your comment desk Alys Hewitt Hannah Newberry Emma Videan Columnist Karis Pearson
Does the drug education movement mark a new stage of complicity?
Is drug education equivalent to endorsement, or have we just gone too far? Source: iStock (via DrugAbuse.com) By Hannah Newberry
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rugs have been stigmatised from day one - this isn’t necessarily unjustified, but neither has it ever been enough to prevent the popularity of drug use over the years. We’ve lost countless icons and celebrities to drug addiction. We’ve been shaken to the core by Requiem for a Dream, rooted for Renton in Trainspotting and laughed our socks off at McAvoy’s grotesque downward spiral in Filth. Drugs are risky and readily available, but I would not argue for one second that we glamorize them too much, no matter how widespread the discussion on them may seem. They are a part of our culture, as embarrassing as that is (we’ve all seen Skins). Given the recent news headlines regarding drug education and testing, I feel that it’s a far more logistical approach than suppressing vital information that even nondrug users could use to save a life. The recent movements that have sparked much debate, particularly on Twitter, includes that night clubs
have started offering advice to people via posters in toilets, recommending steps they should take if they are doing drugs to minimise risk. Additionally, some parts of England have policesupported drug testing for Class A substances, where you can find out if your sample is too potent or cut with an ambiguous component that could have life-threatening implications. Some feel that this is a promising step forward, while others feel we have simply normalised drug use too far, and the ‘shock’ factor that scares young people away from doing drugs is being undermined every time we publicise ‘tips’ for safe drug taking any further. The Department for Education and Employment accepted that there is ‘no conceivable approach [to] stamp out drug-taking altogether’. So instead of acting as if we’re searching for a means to an end, why don’t we establish safety first? I argue that this is the best attitude to have, simply because alternative approaches are ineffective and more metaphorical than they are useful. Being searched at the doors of
Pryzm, having threats of being banned from Clwb Ifor Bach, seeing police cars pull up outside your local? None of it is enough to stop the evident drug use we see on our own door-step in Cardiff, so this is definitely something that could be implemented and coincide with the wonders and toxicity of the city life we endure with our degree. Does anybody really believe that a ‘shock / scare’ approach would be worth endorsing to a sea of rebellious, stressed out teenagers? By saying that if you take drugs, you’ll either die or become an addict for the rest of your life? It simply doesn’t work. We are curious, easily enticed and sometimes, plain self-destructive. I could even go as far to say that people who take drugs as a form of self harm or to cause damage to themselves would be more intrigued than they would through standardised education. The fear approach cannot manifest itself when everyone knows someone who takes drugs frequently without evident harm. We would be trying to cast a veil over an image that everyone can already clearly see exists.
There is a tactical way to educate people - and I don’t believe education is equal to endorsing recreational drugs. There is no stronger opinion than one that’s independent and informed. Trying to cull proactive discussion and encouraging the idea of ‘druggie’ stereotypes is not only morally questionable but also limits the accessibility of knowledge we have available to us. No one is more likely to go against your wishes than someone who feels patronised. The aim here is to reduce drugrelated deaths, and I can say from my own viewpoint that as someone who has never done drugs, nor wishes to try them, there is nothing about the education that makes me want to give it a go. It just makes me thankful that my friends are being looked out for, regardless of the decisions they make. There is support available in Cardiff University provided by Taith Cymru. They offer one-to-one drop in sessions for students on the first Tuesday of every month. These are between 5 and 7pm at 50 Park Place.
Save the orangutans! Nevermind, that’s too political
By Jennifer Dowling
A
s consumers, we expect to be bombarded over the Christmas period with adverts that lure us towards the ‘supposed’ joy that is brought through giving and receiving presents. We often anticipate the theatrical commercials released by the likes of John Lewis, and are very much used to the ‘feel-good feeling’ they promote. What we are not used to is a Christmas advert that portrays a different message, one of reflection and guilt and that plays upon our feelings of empathy. Such is the case with Iceland’s new advert that draws attention to the environmental destruction caused by the palm oil industry. Its emotive and graphic imagery has been disallowed from being aired on British TV. What is the reason for this ban and is the largely factual advert really causing enough political harm to the general public to warrant its banning? Since the outcry about the advert, a massive animatronic orangutan was set free around London to raise awareness of Iceland’s message. The ongoing support of the cause shows that actually the public is in favour of this type of political messaging. Greenpeace originally released the
advert, but Iceland then adopted it with the aim of it being released to a wider commercial audience. It also follows the company’s promise of eradicating palm oil from all its own branded products. Clearcast, the organisation that stopped the commercials airing, did not ban the advertisement for its content, but rather because it was seen to be in support of a political issue. Under the Communications Act 2003, an advert can be seen to be ‘too’ political if it is ‘inserted by or on behalf of a body whose objects are wholly or mainly of a political nature’. As the advert was derived from Greenpeace, an organisation with strong political opinions, it is therefore considered biased. Is the fact that the advert comes from a politically biased organisation one that condones its banning from mainstream viewing? The advertisement itself contains strong, factual information about the disastrous effects the production of palm oil has upon the environment and arguably, it is information that should be shared. The issue in itself is highly significant in its message, after the UN announced their report warning that we have 12 years to stop irreversible damage to our planet. The advert contains clear and
focused content and addresses itself to ‘the 25 orangutans we lose every day’. Clearcast has found the advert to go against certain advertising rules, yet what disruptive impact does this commercial show? Compare the political message shown within Iceland’s advert to that of Pepsi’s disastrous advert that featured Kendall Jenner. It caused such uproar by making light of significant social issues that the advert was pulled and Pepsi was forced to release an apology to the public.
Iceland’s advert has done the exact opposite and has received over 850,000 signatures on a petition to have the advert shown on TV. The advert was banned for its source rather than its content, but does its backing from Greenpeace warrant such a drastic response? The advert provides clear truths and supplies viewers with knowledge over a large social and environmental issue. Arguably this content is just as if not more important than the supposed political bias of the advert.
Orangutans continue to lose their habitat so that palm oil can be created Source: ghatamos (via Flickr)
COLOFN 13 A second referendum The European ban on single-use plastic is a ruse and we could be doing a lot more would be far from antiby Hannah Newberry democractic
The plastic ban - do we care?
T
he European Parliament has declared a ban on single-use plastics, to try and make the damage to our oceans as minimal as possible. There has been negligible criticism of this move; social media and the general electorate seem to be fairly content with this compassionate decision. However, in reality, I feel we’ve left this decision too late, and changing our personal life habits is nothing more than a last resort. I do not dispute that this is an excellent decision - it’s great that we’re taking more notice regarding our damage to the planet and taking accountability. But are we still just as apathetic while expecting only green protest groups and the government to demonstrate pro-activity? It has to be asked why we start off by targeting things like straws and balloons when the issue at hand undeniably stretches far further than this in terms of the potential for lasting damage. The sad truth is that we can’t take more drastic action when we’re still living in an age where we’re trying to ease voters into a sense of accountability before we can make a significant difference. Pretending that recycling your beer cans and growing carrots in your garden, making you a community guru simply doesn’t suffice anymore. Far too much of the emphasis on environmental protection has been put on companies such as Coca Cola and Evian. While this isn’t strictly wrong, I feel it’s strategic. The UK’s dominating environmental bodies often feign environmental concern rather than targeting
by Emma Videan
B
Why are we only searching for solutions now? Source: US Air Forces Central Command contentious dilemmas. For example, it’s a well-known fact accepted by many high-profile people (including Brad Pitt, who directed Cowspiracy) that eating meat and dairy accounts for a ridiculous amount of damage that’s done to the planet. Do we tackle this? No - there are too many legal hurdles, social stig-
mas and psychological barriers to break, so we opt for the more simple, amenable targets. Some problems are just not perilous enough to risk negotiation on a bargaining table with different parties strung up with different interests. Where do we draw the (empathetic) line? This can also be demonstrated by
over fishing - the European Parliament found dangerous amounts of plastic inside local fish and other life under the sea, and still failed to be concerned for their livelihoods. Instead, concerns stemmed from the fact that it causes economic stagnation for fishermen, and rising health concerns for those of us that eat fish. This is not a compassionate rationale, but one to appease businesses with corporate interests and deep pockets. We are all affected by new plastic regimens - even going to Spoons on a Friday night is now accompanied by a dainty little paper straw in your rum and coke. And we’re sad that all the turtles are choking on our bottle tops so we say it’s worth it, but simultaneously overlook sea-life depletion and order the usual cod and chips again. Our efforts, if not allencompassing, are negligible at best. The UN said that we have twelve years to do something about climate change before we cause irreversible problems for the next generation to come. ‘Climate change’ has been a universally accepted concept for many years (give or take a few contentious battles with Republican senators), and it’s evident that we only became scared when the realisation hit that we’d be expecting droughts, flooding and further poverty as a result. Is this a productive time scale when we’re still only just trying to bite the bullet after thousands of years of evolution? Debra Roberts said regarding this release, that we finally managed to ‘dent the mood of complacency’, and I hope she’s not wrong.
Could a four-day working week work?
ack in September, Frances O’Grady, the general secretary of the Trades Union Congress insisted that evolving technology and communications would cut the number of hours spent at work. She believes that by the end of this century, everyone will have a decent wage, work four days a week. When the report was released, I was working full-time, five days a week in London. My days consisted of getting up at 6am and getting
home at 7pm. Unsurprisingly, reducing the week by one day was hugely attractive to me and I was frustrated by her saying it might take until the end of the century for this to happen! The weekends seemed painfully short, with the Sunday blues hitting after my roast dinner, and trying to fit in socialising and sleep was near impossible. Now that I’ve caught up on hours of sleep, I’m able to reflect on whether I still agree. According to a Labour Force Survey, 49% of all working days lost in
2016-2017 were reported as being due to work-related stress, depression or anxiety. Not only this, but according to a survey by Perkbox, only 9% of people have never experienced work-related stress. Perhaps a fact that is closer to home is that the most stressed worker in the UK is a 25-34 year old male living in Cardiff. I’ve worked in a few office environments and across the board, Fridays are far less productive than the rest of the week. Working in public relations, we discounted Fridays
Could cutting hours cut stress? Source: Pexels.com
for contacting most journalists, as there seemed to be a general trend of getting through to voicemails on this day. What I found most surprising was that on Friday, the train was surprisingly emptier than on a Monday. I could always get a seat on my journey in and back from London. Work-from-home-Friday, as it’s been referred to, could be a solution to an overload of stress from long busy weeks. Many jobs offer flexible working hours and days where work can be done at home and I think that this would hugely benefit those that suffer from workplace stress, many of whom are apparently in Cardiff. A trial of 4-day weeks was conducted earlier in the year in New Zealand and the findings were that work remained up to standard, while teamwork and engagement increased and stress decreased. Overall, I understand that this may not work for all companies right away. There would be a long adjustment period, particularly for companies that deal directly with clients. However, if offices were to allow one day a week for the team to work from home, it would cut down the hours and cost of travelling and could even improve productivity, as there are fewer office distractions.
by Mike O’Brien
S
omehow, in a timeline where Arron Banks, the billionaire cofounder of Leave.EU, was referred to the National Crime Agency by the Electoral Commission for campaign offences, and evidence of Russian interference favouring Brexit mounts daily, Brexiters still find the gall to defend the referendum result in the name of democracy. However much you think you are championing democracy, all you represent is its corrosive detractors - or just maybe - your own pride. Arguments against a second referendum are typically comprised of hackneyed nonsense. The most frequent assertion in my experience is that the notion of a second referendum is an affront to democracy. What sound logic; I for one can’t think of anything less democratic than a vote! Perhaps we should only ever have one election, too, if the will of the people is such an irreversible edict. Those truly interested in logic and reason would surely agree that any decision ought to be balanced in light of compelling evidence, and by Jove, there’s plenty to go around. Academics, businesses both domestic and international, and representatives of vital services almost unanimously agree that Brexit is a guaranteed financial disaster. Had enough of experts? Then you’ll be glad to know that even Leave’s own champion Jim Ratcliffe, once the richest man in Britain, is relocating to Monaco and relocating his production to Germany. He doesn’t have faith in post-Brexit Britain as a place for business - so why on Earth do you? Cynicism, reductionism, and misanthropy deserve no place in politics. Compassion and reason are all that separate us from beasts, and a thorough consultation of both should lead you to the decision that another round of voting - however insufferable - is the most democratic and human option available. Whether it’s for a clearer mandate than a 2% majority, a consultation in light of the clearer economic and cultural ramifications, or a rejection of dirty campaigning and hostile foreign intervention, the EU referendum deserves another go.
Another referendum? Source: Max Pixel
14
COLUMN
Karis Pearson
COLUMNROAD Processed red meat: the steaks are high Red meat tax: public health initiative or poverty attack? Source: Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism (via Flickr) Would you pay twice the price for a bacon sandwich?
R
ed and processed meat has become a big part of our everyday diets. Steak and chips, sausage baps, shepherd’s pie, these are all things many of us eat every day, under the impression that they’re forming a part of a balanced diet. So, what if you were told that by eating meat that is red or processed, you could actually be harming not only yourself, but the NHS and even the economy? The public-health cost attributable to red and processed meat has been predicted in a study by Oxford University, and the findings are enough to make you think twice about that extra sausage. In the study, Oxford University researchers found that meat eaters were increasing the burden on an already strained public health service. Their findings predicted that by 2020, around £218 billion would be spent on health-related issues caused by processed meat consumption. Their proposed solution? Put a tax on red and processed meat, making it more of a luxury item and deterring people from eating it so consistently. Off the bat, this sounds like a pretty solid way to combat the concerns. However, while the toll taken on the NHS because of obesity is huge, more extraordinary is the link between obesity and social inequality, as food choices are largely spurred by factors like income and knowledge. Taxing these products would hit lower incomes the hardest, and if
obesity (a problem at least partly exacerbated by processed meat products) is most prevalent in the lower income social classes, this seems an effective way to tackle the issue. Well, if we want to become a nation of manipulation, then it
Red meat should be a luxury item, but is a classified carcinogen all that luxury? certainly is. Processed foods are choice for families with less money, because they are relatively cheap and easy. If a packet of eight pork sausages from Sainsburys rose in price from £1.50 to £2.69 it would become less readily available to people with less to spend. But is forcing lower income households to look elsewhere for their meals, preferably away from processed meats, the most ethical way to tackle the problem? Using taxes as a deterrent overwhelmingly affects those with less money in their pockets. More should be done by the government to ensure that taxes on products posing a public health concern do not disproportionately affect one group more than another. A brilliant example of a government who has achieved this in one way or another, is Finland.
In Finland speeding fines are calculated according to income, meaning millionaires caught speeding can face fines of thousands. This proves much more effective as a deterrent than giving all those caught the same fine, regardless of how much spare cash they have at the end of each month. That being said, while there should be a fairer way to decide taxes which are imposed on the everyday cost of living, red meat should not be an everyday expense. The age-old excuse for the obsession with red meat is that our ancestors ate it and they were in prime shape, right? Well, it’s true that if you look at popularized images of how our early ancestors’ diets evolved, meat has certainly played a starring role. Writing in the 1950s, Raymond Dart, who in 1924 discovered the first fossil of a human ancestor in Africa, described our hominid ancestors as “carnivorous creatures, that seized living quarries by violence, battered them to death … slaking their ravenous thirst with the hot blood of victims and greedily devouring livid writhing flesh.” While carnivorous we certainly were, it was not always like this. In the Palaeolithic age, our hominid ancestors’ diets varied according to season, geography and most importantly, opportunity. They would eat what they could find, and while meat would’ve played a crucial part, nuts, seeds and berries were more commonly found, and plants actually featured more frequently than meat. Humans would not opportunistically take down a mammoth every week and there would be long peri-
ods when there was no more than a handful of red meat available to feed each mouth on a weekly basis. With no Tesco or Lidl at their disposal, they would not eat red meat nearly as often as we modern humans, who hunt the supermarket aisles for juicy steaks in plastic packets. In reality, we were not the ravenous meat eaters many of us put our excessive meat consumption down to. Red meat has been linked to cardiovascular diseases for years and while I would personally recommend just cutting it out entirely if you can, reports from the NHS recommend no more than 70g of red or processed meat per day. Getting mathematical for a moment, 70g equates to 2.5oz, meaning a 10oz steak is four times the recommended daily portion. While your packet of bacon may outline this 70 g serving size using a very (small) informative sticker, this doesn’t stop people from exceeding the guidelines and going meat mad.
The NHS recommends no more than 70g of red meat per day, roughly 1/4 of a 10oz steak The World Health Organisation classifies beef, lamb and pork as carcinogenic when eaten in processed
form, and as probably carcinogenic when eaten unprocessed. With cancer killing millions of people a year, we’d best be doing everything we can to minimise its risk. Beef, lamb and pork have also been linked to increased rates of coronary heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes. While other products which are considered a concern for public health, like cigarettes, are regulated by the state, should we be doing the same with red and processed meat? Despite the potential benefits a red meat tax could bring to the environment, climate minister Claire Perry told the BBC that it isn’t the governments place to tell people they can’t eat steak for dinner, regardless of its impact on the planet. Other attempts to use tax as a deterrent include the infamous sugar tax, and if that has taught us anything, it’s that most people don’t like being told what to do. Fears of becoming the spoon-fed ‘nanny state’ that Margaret Thatcher so feared keeps us from wanting restrictions on our purchasing freedom, such as a red-meat tax. I suppose an important question is, where do we draw the line? There are countless things which are bad for us, do we want the government tax them all, knowing we might benefit from longer, healthier lives? Or, do we decide for ourselves what to eat, drink and smoke, accepting the consequences in the process. The problem with a red-meat tax is that it would make that decision for those of us without the financial privilege to decide for ourselves.
Monday 19th November Mind Your Head Café This is a new peer support group. Join us in room 4C for free tea/coffee, a tasty treat and a chance to speak openly about your mental health and wellbeing with your peers. Everybody is welcome!
18:00-20:00, Room 4C Students’ Union Tuesday 20th November Film screening: ‘Perks of Being a Wallflower’ Looking for a cosy night out for you and your housemates, or just a chance to unwind after a long day at the library? Join us in The Lounge for an award-winning movie about a teenage boy with depression and anxiety navigating through high school.
19:00-21:00, The Lounge, Students’ Union
Tuesday 20th and Wednesday 21st November Keep Safe: Suicide Safety Skills This is a 3 hour student workshop which aims to provide you with skills to support somebody who may be at risk of suicide, and skills to look after your own mental health.
09:30-12:30, Room 4J, Students’ Union Wednesday 21st November Support Fair Want to find out more about the support services available to you at University? Come along to our Support Fair, where you’ll find all your student led services, ready to tell you more about all the incredible work they are doing to improve student welfare.
12:00-16:00, Y Plas Students’ Union
There will also be stalls across campus throughout the week, come and find us and get your own wristband when you answer the question: “What’s the strongest thing you’ve ever done to overcome difficulties?”
GWLEIDYDDIAETH
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POLITICS
For more content, head to gairrhydd.com/politics
16
Your politics desk Rhys Thomas Charlotte King Silvia Martelli Sam Tilley
Who will be the next First Minister of Wales?
The frontrunners and what they are campaigning for by Charlotte King
What is this election for?
To elect the new leader of the Welsh Labour party, who will also be the new First Minister of Wales. The newly-elected leader will also be the new First Minister because Welsh Labour has a majority in the Senedd. The next National Assembly for Wales election is not until 2021.
Why is it happening?
Carwyn Jones, the current First Minister, is standing down from his position on December, 10 after being the FM for nine years.
When is this happening?
Ballots have been delivered to
voters and the voting deadline is on December 3rd. The results will be counted and then annoucned on December 6th. Carwyn Jones will stand down as FM on the 10th and the new FM will step into the role on December 12th.
Who can vote?
As the result of a recent decision, the Welsh Labour leadership contest will be voted for via a “one-member-one-vote” system. This means that Labour members, members of unions and groups affiliated with Welsh Labour, and individual labours with an address registered in Wales can cast a vote.
Why are these three campaigning?
by Sian Burkitt
To begin a campaign to be the next party leader, you need to gather the backing of at least five Assembly Members to get your name on the ballot. Drakeford, Gething and Morgan all surpassed these boundaries, whereas some names suggested as candidates early on, such as Huw IranncaDavies and Alun Davies, did not.
Who is the most likely to win?
Odds announced by Ladbroke currently state that the odds for the election are: Drakeford 4:1; Gething 4:1; Morgan 12:1.
What about their views on Brexit? As stated already, Drakeford is
anti-People’s Vote whereas Gething and Morgan are pro. Polling suggests that 86% of Labour members support a People’s Vote, which could potentially put Drakeford at a disadvantage compared to his competitors.
Why is the M4 relief road being discussed?
The creation of the M4 relief road was previously only an issue for Carwyn Jones, however the soon to be ex-First Minister has announced that the relief road project will be passed into the hands of his successor. Some say this is a controversial move and that it is unfair to ‘dump’ this debated project onto the next FM. Gething and Morgan are in support of creating a relief road, however Drakeford is more sceptical.
Carwyn Jones, the current Welsh First Minister and Labour Party leader, announced in April 2018 that he will be standing down from this position on December 10th. This instigated a leadership contest, wherein candidates are not only campaigning to be the new leader of Welsh Labour but also the next First Minister of Wales. It has been recently announced by Jones that the next leader, amongst their normal duties, will take on the responsibility of deciding proceedings regarding the controversial M4 relief road. Voting is currently open for Labour Party members and closes on December 3.
Mark Drakeford Currently the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government, Drakeford has served as the Assembly Member (AM) for Cardiff West since 2011, and prior to his political career he was a professor of Social Policy at Cardiff University. His campaign appears to take a leaf straight out of Jeremy Corbyn’s book, positioning him as the ‘no-nonsense, straight-talking’ candidate. Drakeford’s campaign page states that “he belongs to the radical, Welsh socialist tradition and is standing for election to offer that political choice” to the people of Wales. Drakeford’s proposals include closing the gender pay gap, promoting lifelong learning and providing more financial support to small businesses. He has also promised to distribute baby boxes to new parents across Wales, presumably taking inspiration from the similar Scottish Government scheme rolled out in 2017. He is currently the favourite to win the contest, garnering significant support from both within and outside of the Senedd, particularly among the Labour Party’s grassroots movement Momentum. He has the backing of 24 of Wales’ Constituency Labour Parties and 8 trade unions (including Unite, UNISON and CWU). However, Drakeford may struggle to appeal to pro-EU Labour members as he is the only candidate not in favour of a second referendum on Brexit.
Vaughan Gething Gething, the current Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Services, has been the AM for Cardiff South and Penarth since 2011. Before his election to the Senedd he was a trade union lawyer and the first black president of NUS Wales. Gething’s campaign slogan is “Change Takes Courage”. Born in Zambia to a Zambian mother and Welsh father, he is hoping to be the first black leader of a UK nation and has emphasised the importance of change and renewal in his campaign. At the core of Gething’s campaign is his support for the People’s Vote and he has openly criticised Mark Drakeford’s stance on Brexit. He also wants to introduce a new “National Care Service’” to work on the implementation of the living wage across Wales and introduce free university tuition to young people leaving care. Gething has the backing of 2 of Wales’ Constituency Labour Parties and 2 trade unions (GMB and Community). Additionally, Welsh Young Labour and BAME Labour have also pledged their support for this candidate. Despite his emphasis on a second Brexit referendum, Gething has the potential to appear hypocritical to voters, given that he voted against Plaid Cymru’s proposal for a People’s Vote in the Senedd last month which could damage his campaign’s reception among Labour party members.
Eluned Morgan Morgan is the AM for Mid & West Wales and the Minister for Welsh Language & Learning. She was elected as the youngest ever Member of the European Parliament in 1994 and received a peerage in 2011, serving as the Shadow Minister for Wales and then the Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs in the House of Lords until 2016. Morgan promises to go “Beyond the Bubble” of the political elite in Cardiff Bay, focussing her campaign on 3 key issues in particular: the economy, care and the environment. She is also strongly in favour of a People’s Vote on Brexit and promotes how she has experience of leading Labour on the EU Referendum Bill in the House of Lords. She also campaigns her belief in a “One Member One Vote” system for Wales and promises to give more of a voice to citizens in North Wales. Her campaign is backed by 2 Constituency Labour Parties in Wales. However, stacked against Morgan is the lack of trade union support enjoyed by her rivals and, like fellow candidate Vaughan Gething, her vote against Plaid’s motion for a second Brexit referendum may appear hypocritical.
GWLEIDYDDIAETH 17
Cabinet ‘collectivly agree’ on a Withdrawal Agreement But is Theresa May really victorious? We break down the contents of her speech proclaiming an agreement has been reached.
Withdrawal Agreement • The Withdrawal Agreement is the document that sets out how the U.K will leave the E.U. • It comes after months of negotiation between Guy Verhofstadt, the E.U Chief Negotiator, and the former Secretary of State for Brexit, Dominic Raab.
Holding On: Theresa May is looking to secure her job as Prime Minister. Source: Wikimedia
Collective Responsibility
Northern Ireland
• The principle of collective responsibility is when all members of the Cabinet publically endorse all decisions made by the Government. • Allegedly, the Withdrawal Agreement passed through Cabinet with a majority of 18-11, being far from a unanimous decision. • As of publication, Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab and Work and Pensions Secretary Esther McVey have resigned from Cabinet as a consequence of opposing the deal.
• Northern Ireland has been the primary issue during negotiations, largely because it is the only part of the UK to share a land border with the EU. • The DUP, the Northern Irish party providing Theresa May with a majority, are said to have been furious with the arrangment to prevent a hard border between Ireland and its northern neighbour. • This ‘backstop’ takes the form of a temporary customs arrangement between the UK and the EU, an idea that is particulary unforgivable amongst hard Brexiteers.
Intense Scrutiny • Last Wednesday, Theresa May spoke to Parliament on the composition of the Withdrawal Agreement. • It was roundly criticised by members from all parties and it took roughly an hour (and 20 or so questions) before anyone appeared to support it. • With the current composition of Parliament, it is considered highly unlikely that the government will be able to successfuly get the deal through the house.
Out in the Cold: Dominic Raab resigned in the early hours of Wednesday morning. Source: Wikimedia
What’s in the Deal? • The deal marks the end of freedom of movement after the transition period ends in 2020. However, for short term travel to the EU, visas will not be necessary for UK nationals. • It looks like it would be difficult for the UK to strike trade deals with other countries, especially if the Northern Irish backstop was activated. • The deal also would mean that the UK would cease involvement with the Common Agricultural Policy and the Common Fisheries Policy. • Finally, the deal contained details over the ‘divorce bill’ that the UK will have to pay in order to cover its financial obligations following Brexit - this currently stands at £39bn.
What about Wales?
• After expressing outrage that Wales was not mentioned once in the Withdrawal Agreement, First Minister Carwyn Jones joined forces with Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and wrote a strongly worded letter to Theresa May, demanding the devolved powers have a say in future Brexit talks. • Jones also became the latest high-profile politician to back a ‘People’s Vote’, albeit only in the case of a new Conservative leader not calling a General Election.
18
POLITICS
What they have said...
“It’s not about who is prime minister. It’s not about who governs the country. It’s about the constitutional and economic integrity of the UK, that is fundamental for us. And it is not just us. We have many friends within the Conservative party and indeed in some other parties, who believe this deal has the potential to lead to the breakup of the UK.” Jeffrey Donaldson 14/11/18 Chief Whip of the DUP discussing Brexit and their position if there were to be a general election.
“Where I’m at right now is that we should see anybody who feels the passion to get in this race [the 2020 presidential elections], we need them in there. I think the process will play itself out. I haven’t really been paying attention and looking at the candidates. I think there’s just a lot of noise and talk, but it’s still pretty early. Let’s see who wants to roll up their sleeves and get in the race. That’s what the primary process is for”.
Should Cardiff Uni host an Israeli ambassador? Cardiff University Debating Society event ignited protests on campus
“Free Palestine”: Protestors vying for Palestinian independence expressing their disdain outside of the event. Source: Maisie Marston by Maisie Marston debate on campus and engagement ple infiltrating the border to potential- before and doors were promptly closed
C
ardiff University Debating Society has faced criticism after hosting an event with Israeli ambassador, Michael Freeman, who has been the Counsellor for Civil Society Affairs at the Embassy of Israel in London since July 2016. Soon after he was announced to be the event’s ‘High Profile Middle Eastern Guest Speaker’, both students and members of the public raised their concerns on the event’s Facebook page. One commenter described the event as “aggravating”, saying there had been “little care” taken to “balance out this debate”. Others criticised the Debating Society for not hosting a high profile Palestinian representative in a similar event. In response to these criticisms, the Cardiff University Debating Society issued an online statement saying: “we think that it is important to encourage May 14th 1948 Israel declares independence and establishes a Jewish state in Palestine
Michelle Obama 13/11/18 The former First Lady discusses her views on the 2020 U.S. elections.
with views that do not always correspond with your own”, adding that they “do not have the resources to host an event of that kind or of that magnitude” with regards to calls for a opposing speaker. The conflict between Israel and Palestine has recently escalated further due to the exposition of an Israeli special forces operation inside Gaza. Since last Monday, over 460 rockets have been fired into Israel by militants, to which Israel responded with aircraft strikes firing at 160 militant targets. This comes amidst the UN and Egypt’s efforts to broker a truce on the Gaza border. There have been accusations levelled at the Israeli military who have been said to have used excessive force against protesters. In response, the military have said they only opened fire in self-defence and to prevent peo-
October 24th 2012 Palestinians in Gaza fire 60 rockets into Israel
July-August 2006 Israel-Lebanon War
ly carry out attacks. On the night, the Cardiff-based Palestine Solidarity Campaign organised a protest outside of the venue hosting the event. Jeff Hurford, the organiser of the protest, said: “…this is entirely a sham. A debating society invites one person to come along, gives them a few questions, and then of course there is a debate which is obviously absurd. But in a way we’re used to that kind of manipulation. But what is just unbelievable is that we are treating it as though they were just normal people, normal politicians, somebody who is going to defend a regime that is killing people every week”. Among guests and protestors, Cardiff University security officers were present near the protest and the venue, the John Percival Building. As a precaution, attendees were sent the location of the talk a mere few hours
May 13th 2015 The Vatican City recognises the State of Palestine
November 14th 2012 Israel launches military offensive against Palestinian militants in Gaza Strip
10 minutes into the debate. Aliraza Manji, a Cardiff student who attended the debate, remarked that: “the style of debate, in my view, did favour the speaker [and] a conversational approach was not followed. We were held to a strict Question and Answer [format] without room to argue back which kept the ball in his court, not ours”. Manji also said that “the speaker himself, Michael Freeman, brought up in the UK, studied in the UK, was a well-spoken person, embracing the student questions with an open attitude, although on occasion he would avoid questions which he found too challenging. “It was noticeable that throughout the event he was very defensive when people questioned Israel’s actions in Gaza and would deny openly available information”.
December 23rd 2016 U.S. abstains from UN motion condemning Israel
September-October 2015 Escalating violence between Palestinians and Israeli’s
December 6th 2017 Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and moves the U.S. embassy
April 6th 2017 Russia recognises West Jerusalem as capital of Israel and East Jerusalem as Palestine’s capital
A new era for Anglo-Russian relations?
“We don’t claim any leadership in Libya on an economic, political or any other level. We don’t have any ulterior motives and we don’t believe in solutions coming from above. We are working to stabilize the country but we’ve also done a favour to Europe”. Giuseppe Conte 13/11/18 The Italian Prime Minister following the summit held in Palermo, Sicily, to discuss stabilising Libya after its seven-year conflict.
After placing the blame of the Salisbury and cybersecurity attacks on the Kremlin, the PM hopes to pursue more amicable relations with Russia by Hannah Priest
P
rime Minister Theresa May has declared that she will strive to create a “different” relationship between the UK and Russia, following a year of turbulent relations. The nerve agent attack in Salisbury, which targeted double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia, was followed by a series of cyber-attacks in the UK allegedly directed by the Kremlin. It is safe to say that the relationship between Russia and the
UK has not been the most stable in the past year. May was quick to condemn the Novichok attack at the Lord Mayor’s Banquet. However, she also praised and thanked the international collaboration and support from the UK’s allies during this difficult time. She stated: “Together with our allies, in response to the attack in Salisbury, we coordinated the largest ever collective expulsion of Russian intelligence officers, fundamentally
degrading Russian intelligence capability for years to come.” May then addressed how, despite the challenges being thrown at the UK, there remains a strong collection of “likeminded” partners who are working hard to defend the country’s values, democracy and, most importantly, people. The PM also discussed how this is not the relationship the UK wants to have with Russia, promoting and welcoming the idea of develop-
ing a “different” relationship, one “[wherein] Russia desists from these attacks that undermine international treaties and international security” and instead focuses on cooperating with global responsibilities in a peaceful and unified way. May also expressed her hopes that Russia will decide to pursue this unified path, and if so, that the UK will accept their willingness with warmth and kindness. Russia are yet to respond to the request.
GWLEIDYDDIAETH 19 Is Europe ‘Nationalism is betrayal’ fragmenting? Macron and Merkel are an embodiment of unity on Armistice Day by Morgane Diori
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n November 11th 1918, it was officially announced that World War I was over, after four years of unimaginable barbarity. Exactly a century later, French President Emmanuel Macron chose to remember those who fought for his country by calling out against nationalism and arguing for a multilateral world. He did so in front of more than 70 heads of states and dignitaries; among them, US and Russian Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. The French President commenced his speech with a reflection on the Great War and its horrors, emphasizing the importance of remembrance. He emphasised that “by saying ‘our interests first and who cares about the others!’, we erase what is
the most precious to a nation, what makes it live, what makes it big, what is the most important: its moral values”. Macron did not simply declare that “patriotism is the exact opposite of nationalism”, but instead that “nationalism is its betrayal”. He did so in front of his American counterpart, Trump, who had himself declared last October that he was “a nationalist,” because “we cannot have [a globalist]” in power since “a globalist is a person who wants the globe to do well – not caring about our country so much”. The centenary of the end of the First World War was therefore not just historical: it was political. Macron’s plea for fraternity among countries in order to push back the current rise of nationalism was met with confrontation through Trump’s
visible indifference during his own speech. Additionally, not only did the American President choose not to participate in the Paris Peace Forum happening between November 11th and November 13th, he also arrived separately at the Arc de Triomphe, as did Vladimir Putin. Wanted or not, both of their delays symbolized what Macron was rejecting. In a world calling for unity and multilateralism, both the U.S. and Russia seem to stand at a distance. On the other hand, there was a sense of Franco-German friendship during the Armistice Day ceremony in Paris. Standing next to her French intermediary, German Chancellor Angela Merkel also warned about the growing “blinkered” nationalism in Europe. The two leaders also inaugurated a commemorative plaque
that celebrates “values of reconciliation, serving Europe and peace”, whilst the previous talked about the “crime of pride of the German Empire”. Unsurprisingly, Macron’s speech has not come without criticism. After already receiving disapproval for having referred to Nazi Collaborator Phillippe Pétain as a “great soldier” during WWI, he is now also facing more condemnation from members of the French public and historians for honoring in his speech “a whole youth that accepted to die” - when in reality, it is argued that youth were forced to fight in the Great War. Macron and Merkel’s show of unity at the 2018 Armistice Day ceremony suggests the two countries are entering a new era of positive relations and tighter alliance.
It is our duty to preserve the civilisation they defended and to protect the peace they so nobly gave their lives to secure one century ago Macron: The French President. Source: Wikimedia Commons
Merkel: The German Chancellor. Source: Arno Mikkor (via Flickr)
The parallel Paris summit Trump, Putin and their ‘thumbs up’
by Silvia Martelli
A
display of leadership solidarity marking a century since the end of World War I turned into a public exercise of isolation. Although during previous meetings with Emmanuel Macron, Donald Trump has managed to come across as friendly, on the celebration of the Armistice Day held in Paris on November 11 - the US president looked apathetic all the way through. As almost 70 world leaders walked down the Champs Élysées in a phalanx, The Donald opted for the comforts of his limousine. He then sat glumly throughout the ceremony, which Macron seized as an opportunity to reinforce his complete rejection of nationalism. The implicit references to some of the US president’s claims were multiple - there were no doubts about who Macron was referring to when stating that “patriotism is the antithesis of nationalism” and that “nationalism is inherently treasonous”. As is becoming a recurrence on his foreign visits, Trump’s trip to Paris quickly turned into a series of quirks whose debates risk shadowing events of historic significance. As soon as he touched down on French territory,
he posted a tweet that criticized his French host on the basis of a mangling in the US press of some of Macron’s claims, making it sound like he wanted a European army to fend off the US, China and Russia. It was not what Macron said, but Trump railed against him anyway: “very insulting,” he declared. It was a clear sign that the “America First” president was ready to chart his own course during the event. Later in the day, he cancelled a visit to a First World War cemetery in Belleau (where 2,000 US Marines were buried) due to “poor weather”. The excuse was instantly undermined by footage of Angela Merkel, Macron, Justin Trudeau and Trump’s own staff under the lightest of drizzles. In the meantime, the US president was enjoying his hotel bedroom. The only time Trump brightened up was when Vladimir Putin (who was late for the ceremony) approached him - he then flashed a cheerful smile, in sharp contrast with the stiffening of Macron and Merkel as the leader greeted them too. The complicity between the US and Russian leaders was made even more evident by the gestures that followed the handshake: Putin gave Trump a ‘thumbs up’, shook Melania’s hand, then patted The
The glum president: Donald Trump visits the Suresnes American Cemetery outside Paris. Source: U.S. Department of Defence Donald on the arm, who returned the gesture. The escalation seemed to mark the opening of the ‘other celebration’, a hymn to sovereignism - Putin and Trump, standing next to Macron and Merkel, seemed a team on their own. That was, however, nothing unexpected: French authorities had acted preventively, asking the two leaders not to arrange any meetings during the commemoration, fearing that it would overshadow the occasion. The two leaders were even kept apart at a working lunch in the Élysée Palace, as French officials switched their seats
last minute. Regardless, Putin declared that he managed to have a “good talk” at the lunch. Despite Macron and Merkel’s joint efforts to advocate for patriotism rather than nationalism (the difference between the two is subtle, yet substantial) and for international relations based upon willingness to cooperate, some hold a very different opinion of how things should be. Living examples of these are Trump and Putin, who keep interchanging almost a fatal attraction with multiple disagreements - perfectly fitting the logic of sovereignity.
Poland celebrates nationalism at annual Independence March
by Charlotte King
O
n November 11th, while some were celebrating Armistice Day, Poland was commemorating a century since it was freed from the clutches of the German, Austro-Hungarian and Russian empires in 1918. Poland Independence Day is an annual celebration characterised by huge crowds, and some may say sometimes controversial celebrations to mark centenary of the return of Polish sovereignty. The holiday has drawn a considerable amount of attention this year because its fervent celebration of nationalism clashes with French President Emmanuel Macron’s simultaneous pleas to reject nationalist tendencies on Armistice Day. Poland Independence Day entices nationalists and supporters of the farright to Warsaw from all over Europe to participate in a march through the city. This year, over 200,000 people marched through the centre of the Polish capital, led by President Andrzej Duda, and saw political figures marching alongside far-right extremists. In 2017, the event was internationally condemned for encouraging racism, supremacy and xenophobia. Banners were marched purporting slogans such as “Pure Poland, white Poland” - this year, President Duda clarified that promoting offensive material at the march would warrant a policed response.
Everyone is invited, come only with red and white flags.
Following last year’s ‘festivities’, many Polish opposition parties boycotted the 2018 march. It has now become clear that the independence march is a sort of annual commemoration for all who sit on ‘Europe’s political fringe’, opposing its original intention of celebrating Polish unity and the creation of modern Poland. The event is now best described as a display of the political polarisation that runs not only through the country, but perhaps through Europe as a whole. On one side of the fence sit people who claim that Poland Independence Day has been surrendered to radical groups and far-right extremist parties, whilst others argue that since the overturning of the ban on nationalist marches in Warsaw last week, the march is a celebration of the plurality of political views across Poland. However you view the march, it is becoming evident that political fragmentation appears to be cutting across the continent. Macron is refuting nationalism on one side, and on the other 200,000 people are marching to celebrate it. Political polarisation may be running deep throughout Europe.
CYNGOR
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ADVICE
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20
How to balance work and play by Rebecca Hodson
T
hese are meant to be the best years of our lives, our golden days, but how can we make the most of our time while we are being suffocated by assignments and compulsory readings? Our parents tell us what they were up to at our age and how we really should be getting out there seeing the world not sitting in the our rooms crying at the price of stationary. Yet, we full well know if we became the social animals they claim they once were we would get an earful about wasting money and our very expensive education. It seems we just can’t win.
Planning around ‘me time’ is one of my biggest recommendations Now, I’m not saying I have cracked the code myself, but I do give it my best shot. Everything in my life revolves around a plan, call it organised or call it obsessive, but from the order I eat my lunch to how I write an essay, a plan will be in place. While I definitely do not recommend micromanaging every aspect of your life, writing out your weekly timetable lets you visualise when you have free time. Planning around ‘me
L
Ashavari Baral Katie Lewis Columnist Sam Saunders
They key: Mix work and play instead of separating the two. Source: Priscilla Du Preez (via Unsplash) time’ is one of my biggest recommendations to stay on top of mental wellbeing. Knowing you have a section of time dedicated to yourself gives you a desirable goal to aim towards with your work, rather than another assessment. It’s not just me time that need to be considered, but maintaining healthy relationships. You can often use a two birds one stone approach when making time for friends and family by meeting for food, calling them while you walk to
university, or planning weekly food shops together. Similarly with dating, going on walks to make sure you stay healthy, revising together, or testing out new recipes, are all good options to ensure your time together is productive for both of you. Now, I would have to be a complete idealist if I didn’t consider how to balance academic work and play along with having a job. Lots of student jobs allow you to have zero hour contracts, which allow you to cut down your working
hours when academic work picks up. Being clear with your boss about other commitments creates a better working relationship, where expectations are realistic and when academic pressure picks up, work stress has to remain low. Most importantly don’t expect your life to always be balanced, sometimes our schedules need more focus on work than play and vice versa; but either way, make sure you find time, no matter how small, for both.
How to plan a budget trip with your mates
By Emilia Jansson
Your advice desk
Work hard, play hard
ife as a student can feel miserable at times. Nights out are expensive, cooking food is difficult but takeaways will quickly put a dent in your bank account. However, just because you are a student doesn’t mean you can’t have fun. Even students deserve a break and with these helpful hints you can jet off to another country and relax. Firstly, remember to plan ahead and book in good time. Prices are significantly cheaper the earlier you book. Booking early also means that you’ll have something to look forward to in the long-term. Flexibility is also a must for travelling. Sometimes breaking up the route can make it cheaper. Instead of taking the train straight to your destination, how about taking a bus for a portion of that journey and then switching to the train? Although it may extend your journey by an hour or two, it can also be significantly cheaper. Use google maps to figure out if there are big cities en route to your destination where you may be able to change. Bristol airport and Cardiff airport are the closest airports and offer flights to many destinations around the world (or at least the continent) for a reasonable price. If you’d rather jet off elsewhere to places like Ge-
neva, Barcelona or Stockholm? The airports in London basically fly everywhere in the world, however, you may have to be prepared to travel at ungodly hours. Early morning flights from London are usually the cheapest option but living in Cardiff it may mean taking an overnight bus to the airport. Bring your favourite book or try and sleep through the journey, it won’t feel comfortable at the time but it will feel very rewarding arriving at your destination. You may even get to experience the beautiful sunrise when flying. Flying is not the only mode of travel. The Eurostar goes to Amsterdam, France and Brussels and is a comfortable choice but must be booked early for cheap youth prices. There are also buses which are usually very cheap but take a long time. Whilst travelling, try and see if there are student or young persons discounts available. For example, European Union citizens under 25 are able to visit all museums in France for free and in Greece historical sites such as the Acropolis offer discounted student rates. Do some research before your trip to make sure you take as much advantage as possibleof the student discounts. Living in hostels can feel like the
Wanderlust: A holiday doesn’t have to break the bank. Source: Adrien Olichon (via Unsplash)
obvious choice for cheap accommodation, but airbnbs can also offer a cheap, yet more private, accomodation. Airbnbs are usually cheaper the further away from the city centre they are, so if you don’t mind walking (to save money instead of using the public transport), try and see if you can find a good deal for you and your friends. However, if you want to make new friends then hostels may be the best
option for you. Lastly, if you have made international friends at university feel free to suggest visiting them. Not only will you have free accommodation but you will also get a tour of the place from a local who probably knows it better than Tripadvisor. Living on a student budget can make it difficult to travel, but it is still a possibility if you are willing to compromise. Happy travelling!
CYNGOR
Racism- How to deal with it
21
The hardships of discrimination can be overcome by Esther Loi
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rowing up in an environment where I was part of the racial majority, I was oblivious to how pervasive racism was in our society until I moved to the United Kingdom for university. I was slapped in the face with first-hand experiences of racial prejudice that made me realise how being an ethnic minority actually reduced me to someone small and insignificant. As an Asian, I have lost count of the number of times someone has approached me on the streets to shout Chinese greetings at me and laugh hysterically, or to automatically assume that I am from China due to my skin colour. I am tired of stereotypes of Asians only originating from China, as though Asia is a region with only one country. While I get offended by overtly and outrageously racist statements, what perturbs me the most is the unintentional racism weaved into daily conversations, simply because these stereotypes have been confused with reality. There once was a time when I was in class and my tutor brought up an example of the Chinese government’s economic policies, looked at me, and asked me to elaborate on “my president’s actions”. I understand that she genuinely did not know that I was Singaporean, that my first language is not Chinese, and that I was a complete stranger to Chinese politics just like her. Nonetheless, I felt wronged, like my identity was set by a racial stereotype. Is racism so inherently embedded in our society that rude behaviour is not only excused, but normalised?
grees. It is important to raise awareness for racism because of how insidiously prevalent this social phenomenon is. You can do this by sharing your per-
For anyone experiencing racism, the most logical thing to do is dispel these assumptiuons.
You are more than what people perceive you to be: Speak Up. Source : Markus Spiske (via Unsplash)
For anyone experiencing racism, the most logical thing to do is to dispel these assumptions, and to allow other people to understand that their actions were wrong. Racist comments might sometimes stem from ignorance, and this is the best timing to rectify the perpetrator’s mistakes. Always stay calm and begin by politely informing the perpetrator of your
discomfort. Clarify their intent behind their words, as they might not have understood the true implications of their statements. In some situations, especially if the perpetrator is not receptive to learning from their mistakes or is aggressive, it is better to ignore your intuitive feelings of anger, and not waste your efforts preaching to them.
While directly speaking up and defending yourself is the best course of action, it may not be ideal if you are not calm enough to have a productive conversation or if you are in an unsafe environment. Individual incidents of racism actually amount to a larger societal issue that many people, besides yourself, experience in different forms and de-
sonal encounters with racism online to generate some open conversations and to enlighten others on certain microaggressive misconceptions. Find someone, a community group or an organisation that is willing to help if racism takes on a serious persistent form of racial bullying. Speaking from personal experience, I usually do not feel comfortable enough to verbalise my responses to racist remarks. It is honestly quite a frightening experience being on the receiving end of racism, and I often choose to walk away and not retaliate in order to stay safe. Instead, I would confide in someone I trust about the incident to gain some form of emotional support. Ultimately, when you are dealing with racism, it is very important to remember that you are never the one at fault and you should not feel wronged for someone else’s insensitive comments.
Advice for those who don’t know what they’re doing By Eve Lewis
S
o, what do you want to do after university? This question, which so many of us dread hearing, is often met with vague mumblings of half-baked ideas in an attempt to cover up the truth that a lot of us have no idea what we want to do. Often, this lack of knowing what to do next can also cast a shadow of doubt on what we do in the present; how do we know that what we are doing is worth it?
95.7% of Cardiff University students are employed or in further study six months after graduation Source: cardiff.ac.uk
What can we do if we don’t know
Don’t be afraid to stray from ‘your path’.
what we’re doing? I’m lucky in that I know what I want to do and how I want to get there, but I didn’t always, and so here are my tips to help you stop worrying and find a way to discover what you want to do. Find what interests you and look at what it can offer you. If you’re reading this and are in the process of doing a degree then hopefully you have already found something that interests you. If you love your degree, then start looking into what previous graduates have gone on to do with it or make an appointment to see your department’s careers advisor and see what they can suggest. However, don’t be afraid to look into things completely unrelated to your studies! Love music and playing an instrument? Consider auditioning for bands and choirs, and see about getting paid to play. Love travelling? Research careers which allow you visit various countries. Just get out there and try different things until you find something which you want to pursue. Keep doors open. It’s important to remember that
towards the hardest goal. By doing this, you are standing yourself in good stead if you find that
Start looking into what previous graduates have gone on to do.
Don’t limit yourself: You can do anything you want whether it’s related to your studies or not. Source: Lonely Planet (via Unsplash) we are young and that plans can change and that life can throw us some curveballs. For this reason, it is
good to leave yourself as many doors open as possible. If you have a few ideas of what you want to do, work
what you have been working towards is not what you want to do or that you can no longer do it. At least now you have transferable skills from your previous efforts which you can apply to your new goal. Don’t worry! Finally, don’t worry too much about it. I can’t stress enough that you shouldn’t stress. Just focus on the present and try your hardest at everything you do. If you know what you love and try your best, then I can guarantee that eventually everything will fall into place.
22
COLUMN
Much Ado about Housing
H
appy Monday all, I hope you didn’t miss me too much while I was away last week! We had an issue off for reading week, which was actually a lot more beneficial than I realised in fourth year. Anyway, I hope you, my readers, had an excellent week, whether it was spent reading, or if it was just a normal week. I mention this because after reading week is usually the time that students in Cardiff start looking for houses for next year. It’s always felt rather early to me, especially in first year, as you’re all still getting to know one another, and everything is so new, but it is what it is. So, in today’s column, I’ll be giving some advice about finding a house. Namely where you should live, how much you should pay, how many housemates you should have and of course, what you should look out for on your viewings. We’ll start by dispelling an oftrepeated notion, namely that all the best houses will be gone if you don’t start looking straight away. This is complete rubbish and is usually just used by letting agents as a way of getting students to sign contracts as soon as possible, without looking at alternative properties that may be better. My advice here would be to take your time with it until you find a house that you really like, then you may have to act fast. Try to look at as many websites as possible to find a house that you and your housemates will love living in. I’d say you shouldn’t leave it any later than the end of February, as a lot of houses will be snapped up by then, but that still leaves plenty of time. In terms of costs, there’s rent, bills, a deposit and unfortunately, agency fees. The amount you spend on rent and bills will depend on how many people you live with and the state of your house, but I’d say that bills in Cardiff shouldn’t really cost more than £30 - £50 a month, unless you only live with one other person. Rents do vary between agencies, but unless it’s a really nice house and you’re all minted, staying below £400 a month without bills is probably for the best. Deposits for me have usually been around a month’s rent, so it shouldn’t be any more than that. Obviously, your landlord or agency will take any ‘costs’ at the end of the year out of this money, so it’s important that you look after the house, but don’t give away a huge amount at the start. Agency fees (now banned in England) are an unfortunate reality of renting; all they actually are is a payment to the letting agents to take down any listings for your property, as it’s usually part of their agreement with the landlord. I think it’s a ridiculous practice frankly, and why they aren’t banned in Wales as well is a mystery to me, but that’s another topic. I can’t really advise on price, because I paid different sums for both of my houses, but I’d say a good amount
Saunders’ Corner Sam Saunders
Image Source: Oscar F. Heiva via Flickr
Everything you ever wanted to know, but were too afraid to ask...
If this is a real sticking point for you (financially or morally), Cardiff Student Letting (based on the ground floor of the SU) and John Winter (Woodville Road) don’t charge any agency fees.
We’ll start by dispelling an oftrepeated notion, namely that all the best houses will be gone if you don’t start looking straight away
Luckily, there’s quite a range of streets in the student areas of Cardiff for you to choose from. But first, you have to decide which part of Cardiff you’d like to live in; a decision that usually comes down to how early you’re willing to get out of bed in the morning and on your choice of course. If you’re a medicine student (or someone who attends class at the University Hospital in Heath, you’ll probably want to be living closer to the hospital, or perhaps find a natural middle between being close to the hospital, as well as the SU and the Ca-
thays campus. A relatively new consideration that some JOMEC first or second years may be wrestling with is whether to live closer to the city centre than in previous years, maybe on Senghennydd Road, Cranbrook Street, Salisbury Road or one of the roads off Miskin Street, in order to have a shorter trip into the new JOMEC building. Similar thoughts will probably come into the minds of those studying engineering or computer science, for whom Richmond Road is an excellent option. Alternatively, a bike or the train are also good ways to get there. But if your lectures and seminars/tutorials are located on or around the Cathays campus, you’ll be principally looking in Cathays or Roath. The main ‘party streets’ are Miskin Street and Harriet Street, which both have a lot of houses on and are quite noisy, so be aware of this before moving in. Crwys Road, which is at the end of Woodville Road, has a large number of takeaway shops, so if you’re partial to a takeaway, maybe it’s better to live closer (or indeed further away) from all of these temptations. Other than that, it’s just best to take into account how far away your favourite drinking establishment is, as well as a food shop, that long walk with back from Lidl with heavy bags isn’t the best. There’s more letting agents that I can mention that offer houses for stu-
dents in Cathays, but my general advice is to cast your net as far as possible, to look on Google Reviews and to try and speak to as many second and third year students as possible, to get their opinions on who is best to go with. When you’re viewing houses, you need to keep your wits about you and look for hints that the property may not have been taken care of. General wear and tear that’s not been fixed/reported (as it’s relatively early in the year) as well as black spots on
If this is a real sticking point for you (financially or morally), Cardiff Student Letting and John Winter don’t charge any agency fees the walls in the bedrooms or anywhere in the bathroom are bad signs. Mould usually indicates that there’s a leak somewhere, or that the landlord/agency don’t properly clean the property before you move in, so these are definite red flags. You also want to be thinking about room sizes and location, can you see yourself living
there? Will all the rooms be taken without any disputes? It’s unlikely that the second one will happen, so you might have to think about other solutions, like someone paying less rent or no agency fees for taking a smaller room. Just before I go, there’s a few other small bits of advice to impart when looking for a house. Firstly, make sure you read through your contract to see what your responsibilities will be, and what you can expect from your landlord or agency. If you don’t understand some of the legal spiel in the contract, you can get advice from the Students’ Union if you give them the document. Make sure to check which appliances will be included with the house and which won’t be. Buying a microwave is an absolute pain in the arse, and they’re quite a bit heavier than they look. Buying a kettle or a toaster is annoying but not too much hassle, but a hoover is something you definitely want included, so try and negotiate with your landlord on this if you can. Finally, in my experience, it’s better to deal directly with a landlord after you’ve signed for a house than with an agency. The service provided is usually more personal, and in my experience, it’s better to deal with a tangible human than an organisation. As always, I hope you guys find this useful and you’ve enjoyed reading it. Thank you, and I’ll see you next week.
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GWYDDONIAETH
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SCIENCE
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24
Cardiff first UK Uni to develop brain surgery through eye New technique could lower risk of complications for patients
by Lucy Bull
C
ardiff University is set to become the first UK university to deliver a new brain surgical technique. Known as TONES (transorbital neuro-endoscopic surgery), it has potential use in treating individuals who would otherwise need open brain surgery.
Surgeons can accomplish complex operations without it being moved It is thanks to Professor Kris Moe, a world-renowned surgeon who has been assisting the skull base surgery team here at the University, that TONES has come to Cardiff. Professor Moe established this sophisticated technique in Seattle, where he is Professor of surgeries of the ear, nose and throat. The TONES procedure involves the introduction of a small cut through or behind the eyelid, which
allows entry to the brain via the eye socket. One of the many advantages of this revolutionary procedure is it enables surgeons to accomplish complex and risky operations on the brain without it being moved, reducing potential risks. This advanced technique further conserves the optic nerve from any damage, which is responsible for sending visual information from the retina in the eye to the brain. Additionally, the TONES technique protects the nerves responsible for smell; the carotid arteries, responsible for blood flow to the neck, face and brain; and the ophthalmic arteries, consisting of smaller arterial branches that supply blood to the inner retinal layers and back of the eye. History of brain surgery goes back to over 4,000 years ago across Peru and later in Africa, Greece, and Ancient Rome, where the tools for these operations were made simply of metal. Brain surgery has majorly advanced since this time. Currently, surgeons enter the brain through an opening in the skull and remove a bone flap. However, potential risks remain, including complications with speech, memory and vision.
With 11,432 new cases of brain tumours in the UK in 2015 (according to Cancer Research UK), there is an increasing demand for brain surgery each year and it is becoming a more common procedure nationwide. TONES is therefore key to improving the recovery of patients after the trauma of brain surgery and could be an important stepping
stone towards future cutting-edge medical technology. It demonstrates our constant advances in medicine and how we are moving towards more efficient surgeries that could change the state of medicine altogether. Thanks to Kris Moe, patients at the University Hospital of Wales will soon be able to experience this state of the art procedure.
Over £2m to fund Fragile X syndrome research in Cardiff
Investment aimed at developing cure for inherited developmental disorder by Jonathan Learmont
H
indering the development of cognitive abilities and influencing behaviour, Fragile X syndrome is the most common cause of inherited learning difficulties and affects around 1 in 5000 males and 1 in 8000 females. The genetic disorder is caused by an elongated mutation of the FMR1
gene, where the trinucleotide CGG repeats over 200 times when between 6 and 54 is usual. This means the production of the FMRP protein in the body instructed by FMR1 does not occur. As this protein is crucial in brain development, Fragile X syndrome sufferers typically have lower IQs later in life and develop language and speech
Your science desk Danny Brown Jonathan Learmont
Operational: The TONES technique could make brain surgery far safer Source: Pixnio
Genetic: Fragile X syndrome is caused by a mutation of the FMR1 gene Source: Wikimedia Commons
skills more slowly than normal. This sometimes causes ADHD in childhood as staying focused is more difficult. Most males and around half of females can be distinguished by physical features such as prominent ears and jawbones, as well as a long narrow face. The difference between male and female rates is as a result of the FMR1 gene appearing on the X chromosome, so females have a copy of the gene that may not be mutated while males don’t. Consequently, almost all males experience learning difficulties while these tend to occur at a lower rate and be less severe for females. Fragile X syndrome also shares characteristics of autism in its effects on sociability such as increased anxiety and is thought underlie around 1 in 20 autism cases overall. It has also been associated with a higher risk of epilepsy: seizures occur in 15% of males and 5% females. There is no cure for Fragile X syndrome, and currently patients must manage their symptoms with a wide range of medication. However, research commencing in the Medical Discovery Institute at Cardiff University, to be funded by a grant of almost £2.5m by the Medical Research Council, aims to tackle the disorder more
directly. Scientists hope to produce a drug that will inhibit the LIMK1 protein, which is known to be involved in the development of Fragile X syndrome.
It is thought to underlie 1 in 20 autism cases overall
Professor Simon Ward, Director of the Medical Discovery Institute said, “By targeting this protein, we aim to develop a novel medication that will make a difference to the lives of people living with the condition, as well as their families. We have been working closely with the Fragile X Society and the FRAXA charity to improve treatment options.” Such a disease modifying therapy could have a profound impact on improving the lives of patients diagnosed early. It may also reassure future parents who are at risk of passing on the disorder that their children can have a good chance of living healthily.
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Gaining a first ‘InSight’ into marsquakes NASA lander may help us understand how the red planet formed
by Kammy Bogue
A
t around 7pm GMT on 26th November, NASA’s InSight Mars Lander is set to touch down on the red planet, where it will be gathering exciting new data on the structure of Mars. Its journey there will not be an easy one. The InSight Lander took a number of very precise instruments on its voyage to Mars, including six top quality seismometers designed to hopefully measure marsquakes. Such an event would be so valuable because it would provide a tried-and-tested
method to study the composition and structure of Mars as a whole. We’ve measured earthquakes here on Earth with seismometers for this exact purpose many times, and even tried the same thing before on the moon with very interesting results. The Apollo 11 astronauts were the first to carry out off-world quake measurements, and though the instruments were not operational for long they provided the groundwork for more experiments on future Apollo missions. It was throughout these missions that
minute moonquakes were measured which indeed revealed information on the moon’s interior, and NASA are hoping the same can be achieved on Mars. Even though NASA has been successfully landing missions on Mars since 2001 with Spirit, Opportunity, Phoenix and Curiosity, landing InSight will be no simple task. Despite the fact the landing process is predicted to take just six minutes, there are many processes that take place within this time which must
Uncharted: InSight’s seismometers will provide new data on Mars composition. Source: NASA/JPL Caltech
It would provide a method to study the structure of Mars as a whole all be completed perfectly for a successful landing. For example, InSight will have to align itself after separation to enter the Martian atmosphere at 12 degrees; too shallow and it will bounce off, too steep and it will burn up. Its heat shield will also experience temperatures above 1,000 degrees, and also have to open a supersonic parachute and fire numerous small pyrotechnic charges in order to separate from its heat shield and deploy its landing gear. Its descent engines will fire in the final stages to lower it slowly to the ground, and if all goes to plan then InSight will be able to get to work. It is worth remembering that the large majority of Mars is still a mystery to us, as our measurements have previously been confined to just the surface. InSight is set to help us fill in a large gap in our knowledge, which could have implications for understanding the formation and evolution of all rocky planets. Having already made measurements on the seismic activity of the Earth and the Moon, Mars is the ideal in-between size that could really push forward our understanding of rocky planets as a whole and is particularly important as many believe that Mars once had an atmos-
phere just like the Earth’s. To maintain an atmosphere, it is important for a planet to have a magnetosphere, a magnetic field which shields the planet from dangerous particles coming from the sun and prevents its atmosphere from being blown away. This is what current theory suggests happened to Mars and seeing as the magnetosphere of a planet is usually a result of the composition and dynamics of its core, finding out more about the internal composition of Mars could solve the mystery as to what happened to its atmosphere. This is not the first time that mar-
The large majority of Mars is still a mystery to us squakes have attempted to be measured; NASA’s Viking missions in 1976 had this goal in mind, but all previous pursuits have been unsuccessful. Marsquake measurements would be so meaningful to study not only because of the more detailed picture of Mars’ structure it could give us, but also because it could provide evidence for the hypothesis of life on Mars. Life requires a dynamic environment to thrive, and marsquakes would be a form of energy that life could have potentially taken advantage of.
Ancient mummy DNA reveals history of human migration by Milo Moran
F
Genetics show man’s arrival in the Americas happened in unexpected ways
or a long time people thought that the populating of the Americas by humans happened in one clean wave, with our distant ancestors crossing the Bering Strait into North America. However, history is rarely this clear-cut, and two papers recently published have indicated that the process was far more complex, occurring in several stages over thousands of years.
One group arrived 9,000 years ago, and another 4,200 We know that early humans crossed the Bering Strait, which used to be a landmass. The region, called Beringia, was submerged under water after the last ice age. There were two groups involved here, both
migrating east from Africa or Eurasia: the Beringians, who stayed in Beringia, and the Clovis people, who moved into North America more than ten thousand years ago. The Clovis people hunted mammoths, made tools out of stone and ivory, and lived in what is now New Mexico. They were identified by a baby tooth, found in Montana, from an individual known as Anzick-1. For a long time it was believed that the Clovis, who are the ancestors of modern Native Americans, were the only people to migrate down to South America. The first paper, by Harvard geneticist Nathan Nakatsuka, compares the Anzick-1 DNA to that of 49 ancient South American specimens. It concludes that other genetic populations came after the Clovis, changing the genetic makeup of South America. One such group arrived 9,000 years ago, and another 4,200. This radically changes our view of the peopling of the continent, which has been “an oversimplified narra-
tive” for a long time. Further analysis has shown that indigenous South Americans are much more genetically diverse than previously thought: comparison of 10,400 year old Brazilian remains shows that there is a clear relationship between Australian and Paleoamerican populations, suggesting that a population split in two, with half moving south to colonise Australia, and the other half north to Beringia. The second paper, authored by Eske Willerslev from the Natural History Museum of Denmark, shows that although the Beiringians were not
Indigenous South Americans are more genetically diverse than previously thought
Uncovered: DNA from natural mummies indicated multiple waves of migrants arrived in the Americas. Source: Wikimedia Commons related to Australians or Americans, it is highly likely that many groups passed over the Bering Strait bridge. The alternative is that they paddled across the Pacific, which has been described as “unlikely” by Pontus Skoglund of the Francis Crick Institute of London. However, the
group related to both Australians and Brazilians did not appear to leave any remains as they travelled down through the Americas. With the fossil record being so incomplete, it is likely that the small glimpses we do have into the past are all we have to go on.
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SCIENCE
Greenwich Royal Observatory astronomy photographer of the year competition
From over 4200 entries from 91 countries around the world, the winners of this years astronomy photography competition have been announced by Danny Brown
E
very year, for the past ten years, the Royal Observatory Greenwich organise an international astronomy photography competition, allowing photographers around the world, from outright beginners to veteran experienced, to show what they’ve got in the hopes of winning the £10,000 grand prize. As well as winning the monetary prize, the winners and runners up also get their work presented in an exhibition at the Royal Maritime Museum. On the 24th of October, the 2018 winners and highly commended images were announced, from the initial 4200 plus entries from 91 countries and the exhibit was opened for the public, the exhibit will be open until the May, 5 next year. If you are interested in visiting the exhibit to witness the works of art in
all their glory, you can find out more at the museum’s website www.rmg. co.uk/astrophoto. There are nine standard categories: People and Space; Aurorae; Galaxies; Our Moon; Our Sun; Planets, Comets and Asteroids; Skyscapes; Stars and Nebulae; and Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year. As well as these, there are two special categories: Sir Patrick Moore Prize for Best Newcomer; and Robotic scope. In each category, bar the two special categories, there is a winner, a runner up and a couple highly commended images. After looking through all the images, these are the one’s we believe show the stellar beauty that is presented to use here on earth every night... all be it hidden most nights by our british weather.
Transport the Soul © Brad Goldpaint (USA) - WINNER (People and Space) AND OVERALL WINNER
Great Autumn Morning © Fabian Dalpiaz (Italy - aged 15) - WINNER (Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year) On an early Monday morning before taking an exam at school, the photographer decided to go out and take some images. Shooting on a 50mm lens, the photographer got lucky and captured this incredible photograph of a meteor passing over the Dolomites. On the left side of the image the Moon is shining over the stunning landscape of the Alpe di Siusi with the autumn colours only illuminated at 13.5 per cent.
GWYDDONIAETH 27
Castlerigg Stone Circle © Matthew James Turner (UK) RUNNER-UP (Aurarae)
Interested in adding a ‘human element’ to his photographs, once the quarter moon rose and revealed the incredible, vast landscape of the shale hills below the viewpoint, the lone photographer, to the left of the frame, stood motionless while he captured this photograph.
Galaxy Curtain Call Performance © Tianhong Li (China) – WINNER (Sir Patrick Moor Prize for Best Newcomer)
This was the last opportunity in 2017 to see the silver core of the Milky Way before it sunk below the horizon. It was accompanied by the gradual curtain call of Scorpio heralding the
upward trend of Orion in the sky. Meanwhile the season of bright shooting stars quietly arrived. The image is stitched together from a total of twenty pictures.
This was the photographer’s first ever encounter with the aurora borealis in the UK. The Moon was bright enough to illuminate the foreground arena of standing stones perfectly and the aurora surfaced from behind the majestic mountains, giving the appearance that the hills themselves were emitting the ethereal green glow.
Earth Shine © Peter Ward (Australia) RUNNER-UP (Our Moon) The image showcases not just the brilliant solar corona during the total solar eclipse, but the newest possible of new moons, seen here illuminated by sunlight reflecting off the Earth.
Living Space © Andrew Whyte (UK) - RUNNER-UP (People and Space) Situated on a south-coast peninsula, this street falls within a part-night street lighting zone; when the lights go
out, there’s nothing to interfere with the view of the stars. It was a conscious decision by the photographer to feature the unlit streetlamps, hinting how it might be possible to undo the damage and restore awe-inspiring views.
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CHWARAEON
Ynysddu Welfare Living the Welsh Cup Dream
CUP RUN: Ynyddu Welfare average attendances of 20 people but expect 200 when they host Cefn Druids (source: Mac Morgan) by George Willoughby
Y
nusddu Welfare, an amateur team from Wales playing in the Gwent County Division One have embarked on a Welsh Cup fairytale. First-team manager, club secretary and social media manager Ben Murphy has been speaking to Gair Rhydd about his beloved club Ynysddu Welfare FC. "We were founded in 1915 and through the amalgamation of the leagues we have been playing in the Gwent County league. "Over the past three, or four years we have been very close to folding and the club has had to re-build from the bottom and we're starting to reap the rewards of it now," said Murphy. Cup success brings excitement, and the Ynysduu manager was quick to point out the magnitude of the clubs success. "The game against Cefn Druids in December will comfortably be our biggest game. It might well be our biggest game in the next 20 or 30 years." Ben Murphy has a long history with Ynysddu Welfare, so for him, this cup run is a proud moment. "I've been involved with the club since I was 16 and was a player for 18 years. I've also played once or twice
this season. I took over as manager and now this is my third season." Ben has multiple roles within the club so it's fair to say he has a rather busy schedule. "I'm flat-out to be fair, I run the social media and the website. I'm very busy but to be honest I wouldn't have it any other way, I'm a bit of a control freak." After recovering from being on the brink of folding and numerous personnel changes within the club, Ynysddu's cup run has been nothing short of spectacular. "We want to set ourselves up to get the standard of the Welsh League but that's going to cost us close to £50,000 to set a ground up from the start," said Murphy. w "The financial reward is great, but on a personal achievement I reached the third round as a player, but to do it as a manager just tips it a little bit." Cefn Druids play in the top-flight of Welsh football and they will be stern test. "We'll look to take advantage of any little thing we can and who knows on the day we play Cefn Druids, we're going to need a bit of luck, but we had that against Monmouth on Saturday." Preparing for big match is vital, and Murphy has a clear vision on how he wants to set his side up.
"We'll prepare for it the same way we normally do and of course with them being a Welsh Premier League outfit we can analyse them a little bit." Lower league football doesn't always get the attention that it deserves, but a fairytale story like Ynysddu's epitomises grassroots football and Murphy is a real advocate for keeping lower league football going strong. "It's massive, we've recently made the headlines with youth football and it was a bit of a stroke of luck really. A big factor for me is youth involvement in football these days is so low so you try and get a feel-good factor from playing senior football.
It's going to be a huge challenge and we're under no illusion it doesn't get any tougher. Premier League football unfortunately goes away from the working class if you like so its becoming an expensive hobby. We've got a professional photographer who has been turning down Newport because he enjoys the atmos-
phere at our games far more". As a small club in Wales, Ynyssdu struggle for recognition, which is the case for many teams. Being in Wales, rugby always gets the good publicity but there are plenty of good things in football that go unnoticed sometimes." "To be fair we've had some good gates over the year and even last year we tried to get a few games on a Friday night because we having attendances of 150 to 200. I'm confident for the Druids game that we will reach 200 people to watch the game again so for a club at our level in tier five is fantastic and will bring good financial rewards for us". Football is all about perspective, and for Ynysddu, a jump from 20 people watching to 200 makes a such a big difference. "Some of them will never play in a game as big as this and might not play in-front of a crowd like that. It's about enjoying the occasion and I'll make sure the players do enjoy the day but I'm not the type of character to just turn up as I want to win against whoever we're playing," said Murphy. Over his 17 year playing career, Ynusddu Welfare manager Murphy reached the third round once. So, for his players, this could be a once-in-alifetime opportunity that they will be eager to take.
Wales leagues behind in televising female sport
by Rosie Foley
T
hey also covered England Women’s ODI’s and T20 triseries, whilst they are currently covering the national team’s matches in the ICC Twenty20 World. At the forefront of Sky’s female sporting coverage is netball, with the international Quad Series meetings, Vitality Superleague and All-Star Fast 5’s all being shown. Alongside this, all five golf majors will be available for viewers at home. Coverage of women’s rugby is also impressive in England, with confirmation this month that, in addition to the ongoing Red Roses Quilter Internationals, all of England’s Six Nation games will be shown on Sky Sports from February. Furthermore, as one of the most popular sports in the country, a variety of channels, including the BBC, regularly show live coverage of women’s football, at both international and club level. The same can be said for Ireland,
where traditional sports of women’s Gaelic football and camogie are regularly televised. However, whilst Ireland’s women’s rugby team do not get much coverage, the sport has had a breakthrough in Scotland. Dominic McKay, Chief Operating Officer at Scottish Rugby, had said that the union are “working hard to ensure that women’s rugby has the strongest platform possible to broaden the appeal of the game”.
[We' re] working hard to ensure that womens rugby has the strongest platform possible In doing so, this month, Scotland Women reached a deal with BBC ALBA to have an unprecedented num-
ber of games broadcast over the next year. This will include coverage of their Six Nations campaign and the final of the Sarah Beaney cup, the leading Scottish women’s amateur competition. As rugby is the most popular sport in Wales, and female participation in the game is growing, the women’s national team deserve to have their games televised. Whilst an occasional match may be shown on S4C, women’s rugby needs to strike a deal like that of their Scottish counterparts for the game to get the exposure it needs. This also applies to women’s football in Wales. When the Welsh national team came incredibly close to landing a World Cup play-off place in September, questions were asked as to why the game was not televised, with many believing that it would have been had the men’s team been playing. Whilst there may be some who argue that there simply isn’t the demand for televised women’s sport, a recent petition demanding that all of the
Wales women’s rugby games be televised suggests otherwise. Shelley Black started the petition on November 11th, and overnight it had reached 2,500 signatures. Black argues that whilst “major games like the Six Nations are finally starting to get some coverage”, autumn internationals and lower level games are not given the air time that they need, before going on to say how she does not want her daughter or any aspiring girls to “wonder why the ladies games are not valid enough” to be played. This is seemingly a recurring theme in Welsh women’s sport. Both the national rugby and football teams are reaching new heights, yet we as a public are not able to watch it on television. As sports fans, we can only hope that the WRU and FAW can make the necessary agreements for more coverage to be made available for the leading female sports in Wales.
29
Trust in the youth by Sion Ford
I
t’s normally at this time of year when a squad starts to get properly tested. The international period can prove to be a tricky one, with the majority of teams having to rely on the less familiar names to pull them through. While the Blues haven’t lost a host of players to the Team Wales setup, they have lost some crucial figures from their leadership group, and so it will have been with some sense of relief that John Mulvihill has seen some of his younger charges make that step up. In terms of the Blues’ future, the apparent production line of young talent that their academy has produced looks set to continue - this season has seen the emergence of Dillon Lewis as a fully fledged professional, both on the domestic and international scene, while the likes of Aled Summerhill have also made a lasting impression. In fact, when you consider that some of the key positions are occupied by academy products - Jarrod Evans at flyhalf, Tomos Williams at scrum-half, Ellis Jenkins in the back-row, Owen Lane on the wing, Garyn Smith in the centre - it looks as though the strategy of internal development over external recruitment is starting to pay off for the Blues. As with those that are now more established, we’re starting to see another new generation come to the fore. The past few weeks have offered the likes of Rhys Carre and Kieron Assiratti a chance to show what they can bring in the front-row. The Blues game against Uruguay was largely comprised of players from in and around the region’s development squad, and they still managed to comfortably see off a team that has fought its way into the World Cup. In that game, we saw that the Blues backline has the likes of Max Llewellyn and Ioan Davies to look forward to, with both contributing excellent scores. And then there’s still the likes of Ben Thomas to come through - the young fly-half has featured prominently for both Cardiff RFC and the Blues A team, and will certainly be another to watch out for. With the Blues not playing next until the 23rd of November, an away trip to Glasgow is what awaits them. Following that, the Blues will return to the Arms Park as they host Ulster on the 1st of December. Neither game will be an easy win, but then given that their December block involves a home-andaway double header against Saracens before an East Wales derby, the Blues cannot afford to come into this period cold. The next round of fixtures will prove to be a real test for the Blues - players and pundits are always keen to highlight the fact that nobody wins anything when the season is still young, but it’s an inescapable fact that teams can cement their positions during this period. The Blues will have to come back into action with a confidence in themselves, otherwise two fixtures against Saracens start to look more daunting than usual.
Your sport desk Reece Chambers Rosie Foley John Jones Jack Vavasour George Willoughby sport@gairrhydd.com
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SPORT
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Ramsey set for Bayern move
Brighter times ahead? by Reece Chambers
A
fter 88 minutes played against Brighton and Hove Albion, the Bluebirds were sinking to another draw against ten-man opposition. In a game that held tremendous significance even before Dale Stephens’ red card, Sol Bamba’s last minute winner sent the Cardiff City Stadium into jubilation. The win for Cardiff was just their second of the season since their promotion to the Premier League but it was a result that typifies everything about Neil Warnock’s side. Their never-say-die attitude is something that will have to be an underpinning characteristic of their season if they are to stay in the Premier League. It is not disrespectful to say that Neil Warnock’s side appear to lack the quality to stay in the Premier League. Other than perhaps Josh Murphy, none of Cardiff City’s squad have either looked like seriously threatening other teams or providing hope for a sustained run of victories. Cardiff’s first win this season was followed by an away tie to Liverpool which quickly curbed any hopes of a good run in the league with a 4-1 defeat. Similarly, Cardiff will next travel to Merseyside to face Everton after the international break. A key player in recent games has been Iceland international, Aron Gunnarsson. The 29-year-old has returned from injury in the centre of midfield to bring a sense of composure and assurance to the heart of the Cardiff team. His time riddled with injury until October left the Bluebirds short in the midfield area with the likes of Victor Camarasa perhaps given too much ground to cover in midfield. However, now, with the addition of Gunnarsson, Warnock is getting the very best out of Camarasa with more license to get forward and support Callum Paterson. In order to continue their fight against the drop, the midfield could be the most crucial area of the pitch for the Bluebirds. The current preferred combination of Camarasa, Gunnarsson and Ralls looks to offer stability and hard-work but could be lacking in the creativity department. To mention creativity and Cardiff’s recent form in the same bracket, it would be cruel to leave out the energetic and unpredictable Kadeem Harris. Warnock may have surprised a few fans when he announced that Harris was starting against Brighton. However, the selection proved successful as the winger set up the Bluebirds’ first goal against Chris Hughton’s side. The beauty of Harris is that whilst defenders know he has exceptional acceleration, there is little they can do to stop him in full speed. Indeed, he may not be the most technically gifted player in the Cardiff team, but he certainly adds a different element for opposition teams to deal with. With that said, Harris could be a key component to Cardiff’s attacking element this season. Whether he and Josh Murphy can strike a threatening partnership remains to be seen. However, his performance versus Brighton shows that the Bluebirds might not be so reliant on Paterson after all.
Why has Arsenal's 2017/18 Player of the Year got eyes on a move away? by Christian Moore
S
ince he was swiped from underneath Sir Alex Ferguson’s nose in a 2008 transfer from Cardiff City, Aaron Ramsey has proven himself to be a key player and fan favourite at Arsenal Football Club. Under previous manager Arsène Wenger, Ramsey grew into a predominantly box-to-box midfielder becoming an integral cog within the works due to his attacking vigour and engine-like qualities, especially during an arduous 2017/18 season. However, with the appointment of Unai Emery as their first new manager in 22 years, it is looking increasingly likely that Ramsey has entered his final season for Arsenal and perhaps in the Premier League all together. As football agent's grip of pow-
er becomes ever more prevalent around the footballing world, it appears as though the theme of higher wages has reared its head once again. As Arsenal’s wage spend reaches its highest point in history it is not unlikely that Ramsey and his representatives, Avid Sports & Entertainment Group, were driving for a significant wage increase to a reported £250,000 a week.
It is unfair to suggest the Welsh international does not deserve an increase due to his modest wage in comparison to his loyalty to the club.
However, Arsenal unexpectedly withdrew the contract offer to the upset of Ramsey who mentioned that a deal was nearly agreed but that is now no longer the case. With Emery introducing a new generation of football at Arsenal, it is unsurprising that he has given financial priority to recent acquisitions of younger players such as Matteo Guendouzi and Lucas Torreira in addition to further future signings. Considering the preferred formation of 4-2-3-1 under Emery, the increased prioritisation of Mesut Özil fitting into the No.10 role is more beneficial to the team than Ramsey. Due to Özil’s playmaker attributes and unrivalled technical ability aiding the front three especially considering the pace they possess. Additionally, a lack in fluidity does not allow Ramsey to breakthrough to the forwards as Wenger had consid-
ered during previous seasons. With the emergence of Alex Iwobi and Granit Xhaka both having strong starts to the season, it is difficult to see how the Welsh international will fit into the starting side. Many Arsenal fans will view the news as a blow to Wenger’s generation of homegrown players with the likes of Jack Wilshere also departing over summer. However, most will agree that it is a harsh necessity to pave the way for the future. Whilst arguably not quite becoming an Arsenal legend, the midfielder will be remembered for his two FA Cup winning goals and his continuity and loyalty to the club spanning 11 years. It is expected that Ramsey will stay for the remainder of his contract until the summer, with, at the time of writing, Bayern Munich firm favourites to sign the Welsh international.
Anderlecht’s Lawrence the surprise inclusion in latest Wales squad The defender earns his first call up for the national side
by John Jones
W
hen Ryan Giggs announced his Wales squad for the upcoming games against Albania and Denmark a fortnight ago, an unfamiliar face featured alongside the likes of Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey. The shock inclusion of centre-back James Lawrence left many Welsh fans scratching their heads, as the 26-year old was unheard of to domestic supporters, and had seemingly not been involved in the national setup at any age level. The bemusement of Wales’ supporters is hardly surprising, however, as Lawrence currently plays his club football for R.S.C. Anderlecht in Belgium, and, prior to this, has certainly not had the most visible footballing career. Born in Henley-on-Thames, Lawrence qualifies for Wales through his Haverfordwest-born grandmother. After starting his career in the youth systems at both Arsenal and QPR, a family move to the Netherlands saw a teenage Lawrence get snapped up by HFC Haarlem, before moving to Dutch giants Ajax a year later. Under the guidance of childhood hero Dennis Bergkamp, Lawrence grew in both confidence and skill, and, after two years in the club’s youth set up, made his senior debut for Slovakian outfit AS Trenčin, where he won a league and cup double in his first season, before repeating this feat the following year. Lawrence was quick to cement his place in the first team at Trenčin, and some impressive performances over his 86 appearances for the club earned him a summer move to an Anderlecht side who currently sit fourth in the Belgian
First Division. As a commanding centre-back who is also comfortable with the ball at his feet, Lawrence suits Giggs’ fast-flowing style of play perfectly, and the Wales boss is excited to have him on board. “He’s obviously gone under the radar” Giggs said after his squad announcement. “But, he’s someone who fits the profile of how I want to play [and] he’s playing regularly at a very good club. It will be good to see him up close”. Despite the surprise surrounding his call-up, Lawrence is not the only member of the Welsh squad currently playing their club football outside of the UK. Teenager Matthew Smith, who made his full international debut against Mexico earlier this year, signed for FC Twente on a season-long loan this summer after impressing for Manchester City’s youth side, whilst Gareth Bale has won La Liga and four Champions League titles since becoming a Galactico in 2013. Meanwhile, across the border, Jadon Sancho’s exciting displays for Borussia Dortmund, since his £8 million move from City last year, were finally rewarded with a senior England call-up in October, whilst promising young talent Reiss Nelson and Sheyi Ojo are spending this season developing their game on loan at 1899 Hoffenheim and Stade Reims respectively. The reasons for this growing trend seem plentiful. Most obviously, playing outside of the domestic leagues gives developing players a more rounded experience both on and off the pitch, and forces them to incorporate new skills into their overall game. “It’s a different way of living, a differ-
ent culture, a different way of playing football” Smith mused in an interview with the BBC. “I’m seeing the world, and I’m seeing football in a different way to many people as well”. The same can be said for Lawrence, who contends that his “very educational” time at Ajax took his game “to another level”, and helped prepare him for life in Slovakia and Belgium. Furthermore, switching to foreign leagues also ensures that these players do not fall foul of overhyping by the British media, that has often hampered the careers of emerging talent, who fail to live up to the pressure that these swollen expectations places on their shoulders. Instead, players like Lawrence have been allowed to develop their game and achieve league success without being immediately thrown into the spotlight. “To me the decisions were easy in moving to Europe, playing for the [Slovakian] champions, winning the double and playing in European competition. In England, there’s no way I would be doing that”. Ultimately, however, young loanees like Smith, share the dream of breaking into the first team at their parent clubs. Whilst often pushed out in favour of multi-million-pound marquee signings – Smith would be competing with the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and David Silva at City – playing abroad has allowed the young Welshman to get noticed, and subsequently turn out four times for his country, before even making an appearance for his club’s senior side. “If this is a pathway to the first team at Manchester City then fantastic, but, if not, then I have to consider what’s best
Continental: Lawrence moved to Anderlecht this summer from Slovakian side AS Trenčin
for me, and what is my best route to success. I’ve still got a long way to go, so I want loads more first team minutes and loads more caps”. Both Smith and Lawrence will be hoping for an opportunity to shine in front of a home crowd against Denmark on 16th November, before facing Albania four days later. Regardless of their performances, it seems clear that, as Giggs’ tenure continues, he will continue to look to youth and to the continental leagues for exciting new talent.
CHWARAEON
To contact our sport desk, drop us an email at sport@gairrhydd.c
BUCS Highlights
31
Best of Social Media
A round-up of Cardiff University’s sporting action from the latest BUCS Wednesday of the season
by Rosie Foley
W
ith USW bottom of the table, this game was always expected to be a walkover for Cardiff, and the impressive scoreline reflects that. The first half was very much dominated by Cardiff, who scored five tries and converted four of them. The first try of the match was scored only three minutes into the game by full-back Patricia Booth, before Karolina Thomas - moving in from the wing this week to play outside centre - and Liliana Podpadec grabbed two scores each before the break. Whilst it was the backs who got most of the glory, Cardiff's forwards worked exceedingly hard to secure the ball, and helping Booth grab her brace. Ceri Edwards, on kicking duties, also impressed by converting five out of her team's six first-half tries, handing Cardiff a 40-0 lead at half time. USW, despite losing a player to injury, stepped it up in the second half and made it more of
Best of the Rest
a challenge for the away team. However, Cardiff remained dominant in attack, with scrum-half Megan Compton diving over in between Thomas scoring her third and fourth tries over the afternoon. With only one league match left of this half of the season, winning with the bonus point against USW has helped CULRFC to extend their lead over Cardiff Met 2’s. The team will hope to extend their impressive winning streak in their upcoming cup match against University of Surrey next Wednesday.
Source: CULRFC via Instagram
Women's Volleyball
Cardiff 3-0 Swansea
UOH 3-3 Cardiff by Reece Chambers
C
ardiff University Golf Club faced a tough 2nd away fixture of the season against Hartpury University on Wednesday where they battled bravely to win a hard earned point away from home. With things already heating up in the quest for promotion, the team fought hard to prevent Hartpury from taking all 3 points, keeping their league winning hopes alive. With the match perched precariously at 3-2 to Hartpury, second year Iestyn Harries embraced the challenge and produced the moment of the day sinking a remarkable 40 foot putt on the 17th to win his game and grab a valuable point for Cardiff. This result means Cardiff remain second in the Western 2B league on 10 points just 2 points behind league leaders UWE who also face the difficult challenge of travelling to Hartpury in next week's set of fixtures.
Men's Hockey (4s)
Cardiff 5-1 Bath
Cardiff will no doubt be keeping one eye on this result but will be playing a tricky away tie at Plymouth in the Western Cup. Plymouth will prove to be a great test for this Cardiff side who will be hoping to pull off an upset against a team who are playing their BUCS golf in the league above them. Plymouth have been playing some excellent golf so far this season as they currently top the Western 2A Group winning four out of their first five games.
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Mens Centre @tylermorgan13 speaks to @bbcsport about being back in the starting line-up for Wales, plus his positive outlook after being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes
‘‘ Source: CUGC via Instagram
Women's Fencing
The men's rugby team sporting their Movember moustaches. Keep up the good work lads! @cardiffunirfc
Cardiff 135-60 Southampton
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Cardiff 61-0 USW
Golf
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Ladies’ Rugby
Sporting Greats: Gareth Edwards
This week, Jack Vavasour documents the life of another sporting great
F
af de Klerk has been nominated for the World Rugby Player of the Year and his performances this year have been outstanding. However, no scrum-half seems to have dominated the sport as much as Gareth Edwards. In a pre-professional age, amongst a Welsh side that instilled fear into the hearts of all that faced them, Edwards was at the centre of Wales’ brilliance. Edwards made his debut against France in 1967 at just 19 years of age, he would not miss a Welsh match until his retirement in 1978, winning a total of 53 caps for his country. In this time he would also win 10 Lions caps and 7 Five Nations Championships, 3 of which were Grand Slams. Edwards is often regarded amongst some of the greatest players of all time due to his all-round ability and impressive record as a player.
Edwards first captained Wales just a year after his debut, when he was only 20 years old.
This makes him Wales’ youngest captain ever. Edwards was aided in his career due to the fantastic players who surrounded him. Playing his rugby for Cardiff R.F.C, Edwards felt at home at The Arms Park and was fortunate enough to begin his International career with club team-mate, Barry John, partnering him at Fly-half. John and Edwards would prove inseparable for many years, being selected for Wales and then together on two Lions tours in 1968 and
1971. John ended his career prematurely in 1972, many feared that Edwards and Wales had lost a key component of a Grand Slam winning side. Instead, John’s retirement had merely paved the way for another fantastic fly-half, Phil Bennett, to enter the International circuit and partner Edwards. Both Bennett and John are considered as two of the greatest fly-halves that Wales have ever produced, however, they were both lucky to be aided by the brilliance of Edwards. These strong half-back partnerships were the basis of Wales’ ‘Golden Age’ which also hosted players such as J.P.R Williams, Gerald Davies and J.J Williams. Edwards, with 20 tries for Wales, epitomised the kind of attacking rugby that made this side the best of their generation, and one of the best of all time. Edwards, will be remembered
as one, if not the, greatest player of all time and to go with this title Edwards also scored what is considered as the greatest try of all time. Ironically, this try didn’t come in a Welsh jersey, but whilst playing for the Barbarians against New Zealand in 1973. Edwards was at the peak of his powers and following a magnificent build up consisting of numerous offloads, Edwards popped up, out of nowhere, to outpace the All Blacks’ defence and dive over in the corner. Had the World Cup been around during Edwards’ time as a player then Wales would probably have a title to their name, sadly for Edwards and all Welshmen the tournament only began in 1987. Still, Edwards claimed every title that was available to him during his career and can be considered as a true great and hero of Welsh and British rugby.
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Welsh boxer Liam Williams will fight the unbeaten Mark Heffron for the British middleweight title @BBCSportWales
Your sport desk Reece Chambers Rosie Foley John Jones Jack Vavasour George Willoughby sport@gairrhydd.com
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by Jack Vavasour
sport Ynysddu Welfare FC’s Welsh Cup run - Page 29
SPORT
chwaraeon
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Cardiff City and Cardiff Blues Columns Page 29+30
Welsh wonder: A Geraint Thomas has been a rider for Sky over the last eight years (Source: Wikimedia commons)
Thomas’ ‘surreal’ Tour de France victory We spoke to the founder of Maindy Flyers to find out more about Geraint Thomas
EXCLUSIVE
by Reece Chambers
G
eraint Thomas is ranked amongst the most successful Welsh athletes of all time after his Tour de France win earlier this year. Thomas joins the likes of Sam Warburton and Joe Calzaghe with one of the highest ranking sporting achievements in Welsh history. The prestigious title was confirmed to be coming home to Cardiff back in July, but it might only be recently that Thomas and his network of friends and family have started to appreciate the scale of his success. As a 23-day race with 21 stages in the highest peaks of France, the Tour de France is the ultimate endurance test in cycling. Thomas made his debut in the Tour de France back in 2007 and has since cemented a place as an established rider for Team Sky. As well as his recent Tour de France victory, Thomas boasts two Olympic
medals, five Cycling World Championships medals and two Commonwealth Games medals. The Cardiff-born cyclist started his career just a stone’s throw from Cardiff University, at Maindy Cycling Club. Founder of the local club, Debbie Wharton, has paid tribute to Thomas’ ‘unbelievable’ Tour de France victory in the summer.
Right at the beginning of Maindy Flyers back in 1995, Thomas was one of the first faces through the door as a 9-year-old. As a key figure in Thomas’ progression through youth cycling, Wharton has played an immense part in giving
Thomas the opportunity to kick-start his cycling development. And, even after months of trying to come to terms with the victory, Wharton still can’t quite believe Thomas claimed the iconic yellow jersey. “It’s just unbelievable, it seems so surreal. The little boy who came along to have a go at cycling one day has now won the Tour de France,” said Wharton. However, despite Thomas’ famous victory in one of sport’s most gruelling competitions, Wharton has stated that it wasn’t clear he would go on to achieve such success. “Obviously he showed talent and quickly got to grips with cycling and did win races from an early age, but it wasn’t clear that he was destined for the top level. “Once he finished a national championship circuit race in 6th - but he started his sprint at the back of the bunch because he didn’t like riding in the bunch. So there were always things
that he needed to learn,” said Wharton of Thomas. With natural ability that didn’t indicate reaching the heights of the Tour de France’s yellow jersey, Wharton believes that Thomas’ ‘dedication, commitment, focus and determination’ pushed him to the upper echelons of international cycling. Thomas’ victory has been greatly received by those who know him best and Wharton cannot speak highly enough of the 32-year-old. “Geraint is a true hero. He is a fantastic role model for the sport. He has been to Maindy to meet the kids, along with his Team Sky teammates. There aren’t a lot of sports where you get the opportunity to meet your real hero up close and in the flesh,” said Wharton. For the most part, cycling is a sport that doesn’t receive the coverage of football and rugby union. However, Thomas’ rise to the peak of cycling is one that deserves considerable recognition.
Sporting Greats: Gareth Edwards
by Jack Vavasour
T
his year Faf de Klerk has been nominated for the World Rugby Player of the Year and his performances this year have been outstanding. However, no scrum-half seems to have dominated the sport as much as Gareth Edwards.In a pre-professional age, amongst a Welsh side that instilled fear into the hearts of all that faced them, Edwards was at the centre of Wales’ brilliance. Edwards made his debut against France in 1967 at just 19 years of age, he would not miss a Welsh match until his retirement in 1978, winning a total of 53 caps for his country. Continued: Page 31