Issue 1141 - Monday October 21

rhifyn 1141 issue 1141

gair rhydd

21 hydref 2019 21 october 2019

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Cardiff University’s student paper | Established 1972

What to expect from the new Centre for Student Life T

Welsh Political Barometer poll released

he October Welsh Political Barometer was released last week, a poll conducted

by YouGov in collaboration with Cardiff University. The results reveal clear-cut divisions in Welsh voting intentions for both a Westminster and devolved Assembly election.

Turn to page 10 to read our analysis of the poll.

Zoe Kramer News Editor

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he construction of Cardiff University’s new Centre for Student Life (CSL) outside of the Students’ Union began just over a year ago and is one of the university’s largest construction projects in recent years. However, what can we expect to see in this new building when it opens?

According to Cardiff University, the CSL is “part of the biggest campus upgrade in a generation” and will become the beating heart of Cathays Park Campus.

Plans for the building include a 550 seat auditorium, consultation rooms and two units of commercial space, amongst many other new facilities.

A Cardiff University spokesperson said, “The Centre for Student Life will create a central purpose-built environment for students.” They also said “[it] will provide a different type of environment [to Cardiff University Students’ Union and] will enhance and extend our support services and provide additional study spaces.”

Moreover, the university has said that the CSL will “bring together a range of support services” allowing it to offer a “more diverse and appropriate range” of support mechanisms for student mental health, including drop-in sessions and more opportunities for student counselling.

Our students expect worldleading facilities and the [CSL] will meet those high expectations.

Vice Chancellor Prof Colin Riordan

The Centre will also provide a space for prayer and reflection, washing facilities and careers and employability services alongside a new lecture theatre, a university spokesperson has said.

The new building will be a separate entity from the Students’ Union and will stand at 28m tall and 140m long, including 8,500 square meters of space. The project is currently on budget for £50 million.

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Rhydian yn ennill Ysgoloriaeth Bryn Terfel

N The CSL: One of Cardiff University’s most ambitious construction projects in recent years boasts a new lecture theatre as one of the facilities it will offer students. Source: Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios As of April 2019, construction of the building’s concrete frame began and we can now see the CSL beginning to take shape. According to Cardiff University’s website, the stairs outside the front of the Students’ Union will soon be demolished to make way for further construction, and the university has stated that following their demolition, students will only be able to access the Union through a temporary entrance near Cathays Station.

The new building has received a mixed response from the community.

“I think the Centre for Student Life is not needed at all. I am not really sure what it will provide that we do not already have provided by our Students’ Union. Our Student’s Union has really excellent facilities and houses lots of societies and events and I’m not sure what it is missing,” said a student who preferred to remain anonymous. Sai, a third-year Journalism, Media and Sociology student, also said, “I have mixed feelings about the new building. On the one hand it’s been planned for a very long time and I assume they have good reasons to build it, for example more rooms for student support etc. But on the other hand I just feel like the money should be used for other stuff.”

Moreover, Cathays Labour Councillor Sarah Merry has described it as “a blight on the conservation area.” Heath Conservative Councillor Lyn Hudson also said the CSL is not “in keeping with the character of the area.”

However, others are feeling posi-

tive. Molly Sedgemore, a second year student, said, “I’m hopeful that the work on the new Centre for Student Life is going to be beneficial to Cardiff students, particularly those who suffer with their mental health.

“I think the Centre will make a great addition to the university and act as a necessary development in the mental health support that the university already offers.”

Furthermore, Riverside Labour Councillor Iona Gordon has said, “The quality of this design is brilliant.

I think it’s a most incredibly interesting solution to such an unusually shaped site. I think the design is fantastic actually”, adding that the design is not dissimilar to the architecture of the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama.

In response to these comments, a Cardiff University spokesperson said, “We are aware that the construction work is causing some inconvenience for some of our students, for which we apologise.

“We also fully appreciate there have been concerns relating to the location and design of the Centre for Student Life.”

The design of the building was done by architecture firm Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, whose other work in Cardiff includes the Gweithdy Building at St. Fagan’s National Museum of History. Outside of Cardiff, they have also designed the Manchester School of Art, the Royal Airforce Museum and the Southbank Centre. The CSL design features a modern aesthetic,

with columns down the front and a main wall featuring prominent window panels to let in natural light.

The building design is being billed as environmentally conscious with Cardiff University making it clear that the CSL has “been designed with sustainability in mind.’’ For example, there are plans to build photovoltaic cells to convert sunlight into power, as well as natural ventilation and energyefficient lighting. However, the green roof touted on the Cardiff University website as part of the sustainable initiative of the building will not be put into effect.

According to the university website, the CSL will be assessed using the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) which is a “world-leading” sustainability assessment wherein the environmental, social and economic sustainability of a building, alongside its ability to enhance the well-being of those living and working within it, are measured. According to the university’s website, the building’s design is “world class” and is one which “makes a positive contribution to the conservation area.” It is reported that the new building is on track to achieve an “Excellent score”.

Ultimately, a spokesperson for the university has expressed, “We value the views and opinions of our students. The Centre for Student Life is just one example of how we’re transforming the way that we support student life, based on feedback from our students.”

os Sadwrn, 12 Hydref, cafodd Ysgoloriaeth Bryn Terfel 2019 ei ddarlledu ar S4C. Bu chwech cystadleuydd yn cystadlu am y wobr ond Rhydian Jenkins, cyn-fyfyriwr yn Ysgol y Gymraeg a sydd bellach yn astudio Llais a Perfformio yng Ngholeg Brenhinol Cerdd a Drama. Deio Jones bu’n cyfweld â Rhydian ar ran Taf-od.

Darllenwch mwy tu mewn.

7

Having estranged parents

M

olly Govus gives advice on how to cope if you have an estranged parent. For children whose parents are no longer involved in their lives, growing up is an experience unlike any other. Here we give advice to those who find themselves in this deeply personal situation.

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Getting to know: Rebecca Astill of Ladies’ Tennis

W

ith recent tragedies in Japan tarnishing the enjoyment at the Rugby World Cup, sport’s governing bodies need to do more to safeguard fans and players.

Unfortunately, this is not the first case of fan and athlete lives being put at risk. Head of Sport, Reece Chambers, looks at what World Rugby, FIFA, and IAAF can do to improve the hosting of major events.

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EDITORIAL

Gair Rhydd 2019/20 Coordinator Elaine Morgan

Editor-in-Chief Tomos Evans

Deputy Editors

Charlotte King Sam Tilley George Willoughby

News

Charlotte King Olly Davies Anna Dutton Zoe Kramer

Features

Mustakim Hasnath Sam Tilley

For more content, head to gairrhydd.com

A note from the Editor Nodyn gan y Golygydd The beautiful Chwarae’n troi’n game? chwerw

Taf-od

Llion Carbis Aled Biston Rhodri Davies Deio Jones

Politics

Lowri Pitcher Hallum Cowell Tom-Henry Jones Maisie Marston

Comment

Sam Tilley Harry Clarke-Ezzadio Kat Smith Nina White

Column Road Indigo Jones

Advice

Molly Govus Rhiannon James

Satwik Speaks Satwik Shivoham

@Caerdydd

Tirion Davies Natalie Graham

Science

Danny Brown Holly Giles

Sport

Reece Chambers Olly Allen Ella Fenwick Luke Wakeling George Willoughby

Calling it out: Raheem Sterling has been the subject of racist abuse. Source: Brad Tutterow (via Flickr)

Head of Digital Media Aliraza Manji

Social Media Manager Ashley Boyle

Digital Media Editors Matt Hancock-Bruce Daniel O’Callaghan Tom Walker

Graphics Editor Oli King

Copy Editors

Boadicea Dowd Dewi Morris Tehreem Sultan

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.

Tomos Evans Editor-in-Chief

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’m sure that most of you have heard about the events which took place during the England-Bulgaria game last Monday. During the European 2020 Championships qualifier match, some sections of the crowd could be heard chanting monkey noises and were pictured making Nazi salutes, seemingly targeted towards some of England’s players.

Following the match, Bulgaria coach Krasimir Balakov said: “I don’t think that we have this big problem [with racism] like, for example, England do.” Accusing other countries of having a more significant racism problem is simply no defence in the face of evidence of racist taunts by your own side’s fans. This is not any one country’s problem; it is an issue which is still prevalent all over the world.

In a statement released on Twitter after the match, Bulgarian Prime Minister, Boyko Borissov, said: “It is unacceptable that Bulgaria which is one of the most tolerant states in the world and where people of different ethnic and religious background peacefully live together should be associated with racism.” Indeed, racism is an issue which we all have a duty to combat and stand up to, wherever it may arise. If we are complacent, we risk returning to the horrors of our past.

In light of events during the match, president of the Bulgaria Football Union, Borislav Mihaylov, resigned, after Prime Minister Borissov called for him to stand down.

England and Manchester City player Raheem Sterling responded to the incident on Twitter saying: “Feeling sorry for Bulgaria to be represented by such idiots in their stadium”. This is not the first time that an incident of this kind has taken place in English football recently. Raheem Sterling was also the subject of racist abuse in December 2018 when Manchester City met Chelsea. Shortly before then, a banana skin was thrown onto the pitch after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored the opening goal for Arsenal in a match against Spurs. These kinds of incidents are abhorrent and have no place in a modern, multi-cultural and inclusive society.

In a statement, UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin has called on governments to do more to tackle racism as, “Only by working together in the name of decency and honour will we make progress.”

England’s 6-0 victory over Bulgaria stood as a defiant response to the racism some of the side’s players faced during the match. It is terribly concerning that in 2019 people continue to experience racist abuse. It’s high time for us to take a stand and tackle racism before the beautiful game, and society as a whole, turns ugly.

Tomos Evans Prif Olygydd

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w i’n siŵr bod y rhan fwyaf ohonoch yn ymwybodol o’r digwyddiadau gêm bêl-droed rhwng Lloegr a Bwlgaria ddydd Llun diwethaf. Yn ystod y gêm rhagbrofol ym Mhencampwriaeth Ewropeaidd 2020, roedd hi’n bosib clywed rhai ymhlith y dorf yn gwneud synau mwncïod a gweld rhai yn gwneud saliwt Natsiaidd, a oedd mae’n debyg wedi ei dargedu tuag at rai o chwaraewyr Lloegr.

Wedi’r gêm, dywedodd hyfforddwr Bwlgaria Krasimir Balakov: “Dw i ddim yn credu bod gennym ni’r broblem fawr yma [ynghylch hiliaeth] fel, er enghraifft, Lloegr.” Dydy cyhuddo gwledydd eraill o gael mwy o broblem gyda hiliaeth ddim yn unrhyw amddiffyniad. Dydy hiliaeth ddim yn broblem i un gwlad yn unig; mae’n broblem sy’n ymestyn ar draws y byd.

Mewn datganiad a gafodd ei ryddhau ar Drydar wedi’r gêm, dywedodd Boyko Borissov, Prif Weinidog Bwlgaria: “Mae’n annerbyniol fod Bwlgaria, un o daleithiau mwyaf goddefgar y byd, lle mae pobl o wahanol gefndiroedd ethnig a chrefyddol yn byw’n heddychlon gyda’i gilydd, yn cael ei gysylltu â hiliaeth”. Mae hiliaeth yn rhywbeth sydd angen i ni gyd ei herio, ble bynnag byddwn yn ei weld.

Os ydyn ni’n gwneud dim, rydym yn rhedeg y risg o ddychwelyd i erchyllterau ein gorffennol.

Yn dilyn digwyddiadau’r gêm, ymddiswyddodd llywydd Undeb Bêldroed Bwlgaria, Borislav Mihaylov, ar ôl i Brif Weinidog Borissov alw arno i gamu o’r neilltu.

Ymatebodd y chwaraewr Lloegr a Manchester City Raheem Sterling ar Drydar yn dilyn y digwyddiad gan ddweud: “Teimlo trueni dros Bwlgaria i gael eu cynrychioli gan fath hurtynnod yn eu stadiwm”. Nid dyma’r tro cyntaf i ddigwyddiad o’r math hwn ddigwydd o fewn pêl-droed Lloegr yn ddiweddar.

Profodd Sterling cam-drin hiliol yn Rhagfyr 2018 mewn gêm rhwng Man City a Chelsea. Ychydig cyn hynny, cafodd croen banana ei daflu ar y cae wedi i Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang sgorio’r gôl agoriadol i Arsenal mewn gêm yn erbyn Spurs. Mae’r math hwn o ddigwyddiad yn ffiaidd a nid oes lle iddynt mewn cymdeithas fodern, amlddiwylliannol a chynhwysol.

Mewn datganiad, mae Llywydd UEFA Aleksander Čeferin wedi galw ar lywodraethau i wneud mwy i daclo hiliaeth gan mai “Dim ond drwy weithio gyda’n gilydd yn enw gwedduster ac anrhydedd y gwnawn wneud cynnydd”.

Bu buddugoliaeth 6-0 Lloegr dros Bwlgaria yn ymateb herfeiddiol i’r hiliaeth y wynebodd rhai o chwaraewyr Lloegr yn ystod y gêm. Yn 2019, mae’n hynod bryderus fod pobl yn parhau i brofi cam-drin hiliol. Mae’n hen bryd i ni wneud safiad a herio’r hiliaeth, cyn bod chwarae’n troi’n chwerw yng ngêm y bêl gron.

Aliraza Manji Head of Digital

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air Rhydd spoke to Lord Mayor Daniel De’Ath, the 115th and first Black Mayor of Cardiff. Mayor De’Ath was elected in 2019 and has served as a Labour Councillor for Plasnewydd since 2012. Preceding his time as Lord Mayor of Cardiff, he served as the Cabinet Member for Early Years, Children and Families and later Cabinet Member for Safety, Engagement and Democracy.

The Mayor has chosen two charities which he has personally worked with during his time as a social worker to patron as the Lord Mayor’s charities.

He has chosen Welsh Women’s Aid, which has worked for over 40 years to end domestic violence against women and worked on long-lasting policy change for women in Wales. The other charity he has chosen to patron is BAWSO, an organisation established in 1995 which has worked to provide temporary accommodation for those who are affected or at risk of human trafficking, forced marriage, or domestic violence.

What has been your greatest political achievement to date?

Getting to be Mayor. I feel very fortunate, very humble. I know it’s overused but it is how I genuinely feel; it is a big privilege to be the first black person to do it. I feel a responsibility to use the role to be an advocate for other non-white people. The OECD had a report published this week and a lot of children’s views on jobs, on what they can achieve in life, is formed by the age of seven. A lightbulb moment for those kids would be someone going in, as people are influenced by their friends and their famiy, someone

In light of Black History Month, you recently opened up about the treatment you have received due to the colour of your skin. Would you care to expand upon this?

Something I need to stress, in a lot of cases it is not because people are nasty or racist, people do it because it is unconscious bias, to internalise these things in society and in culture.

Part of the reason people expect the Mayor to be a middle-aged white man is because most Mayor’s are middleaged white men.

We need a different language around race and diversity. The way it is spoken about in Britain is quite insipid.

Daniel De’Ath, Cardiff’s Lord Mayor

How would I react if it happens? If I say you f*****g racist, it’s not an appropriate response from the Mayor, first of all, but secondly, if you want people to reflect on their behaviour you need them to be on board with you.

When I was doing my degree, one of my lecturers would say “social work is all about reflection and self-analysis about how things have affected you.

His grandfather was a member of the British League of Fascists and his father was a racist, in a ‘1940s way’.

Through his training he realised he had racist views, he was able to deconstruct it, and that honesty and self-

reflection was amazing. Each of us on a level can do it, we need a different language around race and diversity.

The way it is spoken about in Britain is quite insipid. I do not think we have the tools to articulate our thoughts and feelings and what we mean. It is a disservice to non-white people and I think it a big frustration for people who have discomfort around demographic change as they cannot articulate how they feel. It erupts in Brexit.

We need a new discourse around race.

Recent events such as the Bulgaria-England football match has shown that overt racism exists. Is this the case for Britain today?

Absolutely, yes. Growing up in the 1980s in the West Midlands, it would not be uncommon for non-white people to experience racism. It’s still as prevalent today, it’s just not as explicit and overt as it was. I think hate crime has doubled in the last few years and the clock is sadly turning back to a degree.

It really depends on how we define racism. For some people, its someone with a face tattoo smashing up a shop and calling someone a c**n or whatnot. Racism takes lots and lots of different forms. It can be subtle and slight, without people realising what they are doing. People on the liberal left can have racialised views, so I do think it is a very real problem. I do not think Britain is as tolerant as people like to think. I think people do not want to think of Britain as very racist country as it makes them uncomfortable; it’s not properly acknowledged.

Following your time as Lord Mayor, would you like to enter the Welsh Assembly or Westminster, continue working as a Councillor or do you have other future ambitions?

I would like to carry on as a councillor. I get asked this very often actually as a Councillor, do you have further ambitions? My grandfather was a County Councillor. I have wanted to enter local government for a number of years.

I think local government does a lot of important work, especially in Cardiff, a capital city. I have no aspirations to go up, down or sideways, but would love to carry on as a Councillor as long as the people of Plasnewydd will have me.

To contact our news desk, drop us an email at news@gairrhydd.com

You mentioned that you are from Warwickshire. What do you love most about Cardiff, and why did you make it home for your family and yourself?

I grew up in a deindustrialised mining town called Bedworth and we moved to a neighbouring town of Nuneaton when I was about 14. It was not a very diverse area of the country, there was not much going on. If you wanted to see a major artist play a gig you would have to go to Coventry or Birmingham.

What I enjoy about living in a big city is the buzz, there is stuff going on.

Just by looking on Facebook there is event after event, a real atmosphere. I like that about Cardiff coupled with it being a very liveable city. You can navigate your way around it, it’s not huge

As Lord Mayor, you’ve patroned Welsh Women’s Aid and BAWSO. What is about these charities particularly that made you want to support them?

Before I became Mayor, I was retraining to be a social worker and one of my placements was in a shop in the Valleys working with men and women, mainly women, who are victims of domestic violence. I was one of the only men who had done that job and it had an influence on me. I have always been a strong feminist, previously when I was in Cardiff Council’s Cabinet I had our domestic violence services in my portfolio. Being there on the ground, I really saw the tremendous work a small group of people did. As public services are stretched in the current climate, it seemed the obvious choice.

BAWSO is one of Cardiff’s oldest BAME-led charities. I actually volunteered with BAWSO to get on the Social Work course at the Open University as you had to have a certain amount of hours. So, I volunteered with BAWSO, at one of their centres for victims of human trafficking which was a very impactful expertise as you were meeting people who have suffered years and years of abuse and forced servitude. These are super vulnerable people, they had gone from crisis to crisis; you were shocked another human being could treat another human being that way. They leapt out at me as the obvious and very worthy choices.

going into a school from a profession that is not in their kind of orbit as a lot of people are unfamiliar with what jobs are out there. I certainly was when I was growing up.

Being a non-white person in this kind of job, you are mixing with the upper echelons of society. I did an interview and I happened to mention that I have turned up to events and people have shaken hands with the white driver as they presumed he was the Mayor. He is a middle-aged man with a nice grey suit. It is important we shed light on unconscious bias as that sort of experience is something all non-white people have experienced.

NEWS

Can you tell us a bit about yourself before you became Lord Mayor?

Well I’m not Welsh, I grew up in the West Midlands, Warwickshire. I moved to Wales about 15 years ago to work as a researcher in the Welsh Assembly. I really fell in love with the city, it is a really great place to be, to live, and a great place to be young.

When I first visited Cardiff, I came to visit a friend. It was a glorious summer, blossom on the trees people sitting outside on St. Mary’s street, really captivating lifestyle.

I was elected to Cardiff Council in 2012. I was working at the National Museum. I am someone who has been interested in politics most of my adult life; my family is very political so it was a culmination of years of ambition. I have held various positions in the Council. I was Deputy Mayor a couple of years ago and I thought I would chance my hand at being Mayor. Part of my pitch was being the first nonwhite person to be Mayor, the youngest person to be Mayor, so not only do I look and appear different, I do it in a slightly different way, which so far, touchwood, seems to be going okay.

The Lord Mayor: Daniel De’Ath in front of portraits of former Mayors of Cardiff. Source: Aliraza Manji and atomised and dirty and anonymous like London, for example. Those two things combine into quite a nice place to be and obviously now I have kids myself, so it is a really nice place to have young children.

NEWYDDION

Gair Rhydd spoke to Daniel De’Ath, Cardiff ’s Lord Mayor, about his role and his experience as the city’s first black Lord Mayor

For more content, head to gairrhydd.com/news

Who is Cardiff’s Lord Mayor?

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Your news desk Charlotte King Olly Davies Anna Dutton Zoe Kramer

4 NEWS

What is Cardiff University doing to limit its plastic usage?

On an unrelated note...

Is this the end of Pizza Express?

I

t was recently announced that the pizza chain has a staggering debt of £1.1 billion, or 77 million Sloppy Giuseppesw, leading some to question whether Pizza Express could be forced to close down some restaurants to save money.

However, it has been revealed that the company has hired a financial advisor and hopes to restructure its debt, denying any claims it plans to close branches.

Will Cardiff be saying farewell? Source: Maisie Marston

Uber are facing a tax challenge which could see taxi fares rise

I

t is reported that Uber’s classification has been called into question and it may soon be identified as a ‘transportation provider’. This change in identification could lead to Uber being charged 20% VAT on the amount passengers pay, potentially forcing the company to increase its fares for customers. The Director of The Good Law Project, the group pursuing the case against Uber, believes the company has structured its business model to “dodge taxes...and to minimise [its drivers’] rights”.

And what are the Students’ Union and societies doing, too?

Olly Davies News Editor

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ith the Students’ Union having declared a climate emergency and the rising popularity of climate-friendly policies amongst young people, Gair Rhydd takes a look into Cardiff University’s efforts to reduce their plastic waste.

In an effort “to bring about environmental benefits not only to Cardiff and Wales but to the wider world’’, a university spokesperson told Gair Rhydd that all of the university’s catering outlets have replaced plastic cutlery, disposable cups and lids with compostable alternatives. The university has also changed the materials for salad boxes and hot food take-outs to more sustainable alternatives.

Currently, Cardiff University is also in the process of installing facilities to encourage students to bring in their own food and drink from home, says a university spokesperson, as opposed to resorting to unsustainably packaged options. In addition to this, all students who use university catering outlets will receive a 25p discount on hot drinks if they use their own reusable cup.

What’s more, the university told Gair Rhydd that plastic bags are no longer used on Open Days and water is be-

Racist behaviour halts Euro 2020 game

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ast week, the Bulgaria v England Euro 2020 qualifier was paused twice during the first half following racist behaviour from Bulgarian supporters. The match was paused in the 28th and 43rd minutes following England players being exposed to what the Football Association called “abhorrent racist chanting”. A group of Bulgaria supporters wearing bandanas and hoodies reportedly made “rightwing and racist gestures”.

Stop the game! Source: Pixnio

Club (CUVC) claim to the first club to go plastic-free. The society’s Fundraising and Events Officer, James Jones, wanted to do more to reduce their plastic waste because whilst he was able to cut out single-use plastic products from his everyday life, “sports seemed like an excuse” to keep using them.

Over the summer, CUVC’s Committee spoke about how the society could reduce their plastic usage in readiness for the new semester and reported that they have not had any input from either the Students’ Union nor the Athletics Union. As such, they are hoping their ideas will create a blueprint for other societies to become plastic-free, too.

CUVC has therefore implemented several policies seeking to reduce the amount of single-use plastic used by the club, one being ‘plastic-free socials’.

Social Secretary India Evans explains that students are also encouraged to bring their own cups to avoid singleuse plastic cups. The society is also trying to reduce the amount of plastic packaging on their kit orders.

Another environmental policy being implemented by CUVC is a 50p fine for purchasing single-use plastic when representing the society, for example, when purchasing a ‘meal deal’ there would be up to an additional £1.50 to pay the club for the plastic packaging

the products come in. CUVC’s hope is that the extra charge will encourage people to bring food from home and Jones pointed out this will actually help students save money because a meal prepared at home would be far cheaper. The society will increase the fine to £1 after Christmas.

Ultimately, it seems that plasticfree policies are big on the agenda of both the university and the Students’ Union and are also beginning to emerge amongst societies, too.

What are some of the university’s plastic free policies?

25p discount for those buying hot drinks with a reusable cup No more plastic bags on Open Days

Installing facilities such as

kettles and microwaves around campus to reduce single-use plastic waste

The BAFTA Cymru Awards see Welsh film well-represented across many categories A cracking night for Cardiff ’s red carpet

Anna Dutton News Editor

Will Uber be hiking their fees? Source: George Willoughby

ing provided in reusable glass bottles instead of plastic. “In the last academic year we reduced the number of water bottles we purchased for catering and hospitality purposes by over 25% - a decline of 22,320 on the previous year.”

A spokesperson for the university declared, “We are not complacent and there are many more initiatives that we have in the pipeline, including the phasing out of condiment sachets, stopping the unnecessary use of balloons and investigating opportunities for reducing single-use plastic across our schools and departments.”

The Students’ Union is also reportedly making a conscious effort to reduce its plastic waste. Students’ Union President, Jackie Yip, recently introduced designated crisp recycling around the building, and Y Plas Food Court now provides paper straws and biodegradable cutlery for customers, too.

Moreover, a spokesperson for the Union told Gair Rhydd that plastic bottles are separated and recycled after club nights, however the Union continues to work with the VK and the drinks industry to identify more sustainable solutions.

Both the university and Union claim to be making conscious efforts to reduce plastic waste, but what are societies doing? Cardiff University Volley

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AFTA Cymru took place on Sunday October 13 in St David’s Hall Cardiff and was wellattended by a host of familiar faces and rising talent. The ceremony takes place each year to celebrate and honour film production and broadcasting, as well as television and games in hopes of inspiring the next generation of creative genius in Wales.

This year’s ceremony was hosted

by Huw Stevens, the BBC Radio 1 DJ, with other presenters including Gavin and Stacey’s Ruth Jones, as well as Craig Roberts and Edward Bluemel from Killing Eve. Other guests included; Cath Ayers from the popular BBC Drama ‘Keeping Faith’ and Jodie Whittaker from ‘Doctor Who’, to name a few.

An audience of 900 guests attended the ceremony where they were treated to an evening of live performances from singer/songwriter Casi Wyn and Jo Hartley, cast members from Doctor Who, the actor and first time director of Downton Abbey and Knightfall Tom Cullen, and comedian Elis James was also in attendance to support the nominations.

Across the evening, 26 awards were presented ranging from Best Actor/Actress, Gaming, Children’s

Programme and Hair and Make-Up, to name a few. There was a live stream of the event, as well as backstage interviews taking place with those who had won awards. For the first time, these interviews were then uploaded to the BAFTA social media channels.

Tweets were sent throughout the evening showing the interviews and congratulating the evening’s winners. This new use of social media gave viewers an intimate glimpse of the glitz and glamour of the evening.

Anorac, a film presented by Huw Stevens as he embarks on a musical pilgrimage of Wales with nothing but his yellow anorak to understand more about the Welsh music scene, won four awards. One award was given to Madoc Roberts for Editing, another for Photography: Factual to Joni Cray and Gruffydd Davies, Huw Stevens won a Presenting award and finally an award for Sound was given to Jules Davies.

The award for best actress went to Gabrielle Creevey, first-time nominee for her role in My Skin, a programme aired on BBC Three exploring the insecurities of growing up and mental health in a comingof-age drama. This programme also won the award for best TV Drama.

The award for best actor went to Celyn Jones for his role in Manhunt, an ITV drama about the investigation

into the death of a French student.

There were further awards for welsh talent in other areas including Welsh Film with the award going to Last Summer and the Obey writer/ director Jamie Jones being given the Breakthrough award. There were also many other awards given out throughout the evening, all celebrating and honouring the creative talent Wales has to offer. For the full list of awards, go to the BAFTA Cymru

website.

This year’s BAFTA Cymru Awards were deemed a great success with the event organisers highlighting the amazing array of talent present in today’s creative sector. With so much to celebrate and even more to look forward to, the future looks bright for the Welsh creative talent, whether as an actor or actress, a writer or a producer. As Nessa from Gavin and Stacey puts it: “tidy”.

And the award goes to: This year’s BAFTA Cymru Awards saw Welsh film being well-represented. Source: Hraybould (via Wikipedia)

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6

taf od

Barnu dewis siop i beidio defnyddio bathodynnau siaradwyr Cymraeg Aled Biston Golygydd Taf-od

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ae’r ‘Original Factory Shop’ ym Mhwllheli wedi amddiffyn eu penderfyniad o beidio defnyddio bathodynnau ‘Siaradwr Cymraeg’.

Mae’r cwmni yn dweud bod gweithwyr yn gallu cynnig gwasanaeth trwy’r Gymraeg o ganlyniad i camau i ddarparu “dywediadau Cymraeg syml” i aelodau o staff sydd ddim yn medru’r Gymraeg, yn ôl Cambrian News.

Mae’r bathodynnau yma yn rai oren gyda ‘Cymraeg’ wedi ysgrifennu arnynt, fel bod cwsmeriaid yn gallu adnabod gweithwyr sydd yn gallu cynnig gwasanaeth trwy’r Gymraeg.

Cyflwynwyd rhain fel rhan o brosiect ‘Iaith Gwaith’ gan Gomisiynydd y Gymraeg, er mwyn gwella gwasanaethu trwy’r Gymraeg.

Er bod Pwllheli yn ardal lle mae 81% yn siarad Cymraeg (yn ôl cyfrifiad 2011), mae’r penderfyniad o peidio defnyddio bathodynnau ‘Siaradwr Cymraeg’ yn benderfyniad sydd yn siomi nifer, gan gynnwys cynghorydd y dref, Elfed Gruffydd.

Dywedodd y cynghorydd, yn ôl Cambrian News, ei fod wedi “siomi’n fawr” gydag agwedd y cwmni ac yn disgwyl gwell.

Nid dyma’r tro cyntaf i’r siop fod yn y newyddion o ran yr iaith Gymraeg. Ym mis Awst eleni, dywedodd aeolod o staff wrth Glenys Jones, 68, dylai hi adael y siop os oedd hi ddim am siarad Saesneg ar ôl iddi ddweud ‘esgusodwch fi’.

Roedd y siop wedi ymchwilio i’r digwyddiad, ond penderfynwyd nad oedd gweithredu pellach yn digwydd yn erbyn yr aeold o staff.

Mae’r ‘Original Factory Shop’ wedi datgan eu bod nhw am gynnig gwasanaeth o’r safon uchaf i gwsmeriaid, ac wedi darparu staff sydd ddim yn siarad Cymraeg gyda dywediadau syml.

Felly, dadl y cwmni yw bod y bathodynnau ddim yn angenrheidiol.

Ond, dydy darparu staff gyda bathodynnau ‘Siaradwr Cymraeg’ ddim yn effeithio ar eu gwaith, maen nhw yna i ddangos bod yr aelod o staff yn medru’r Gymraeg ac yn gallu cynnig gwasanaeth trwy’r Gymraeg.

Mae yna nifer o gwynion wedi bod ynglŷn â’r mater yma gan godi gwrychyn sawl un. Mae’r digwyddiad hefyd wedi achosi cryn ymateb ar gyfryngau cymdeithasol, megis datganiad gan Liz Saville Roberts ar Drydar. Amser a ddengys os fydd y cwmni yn newid eu penderfyniad.

Eich unig gyhoeddiad myfyrwyr wythnosol trwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg.

Sefydlwyd: 2003 Am fwy o gynnwys, ewch i gairrhydd.com/tafod

Eich adran taf-od Llion Carbis Aled Biston Rhodri Davies Deio Jones tafod@gairrhydd.com

NEWYDDION

Tafwyl yn torri tir newydd

Un o ddigwyddiadau pennaf Caerdydd yn symud safle Rhodri Davies Golygydd Taf-od

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adarnhawyd gan Fenter Caerdydd, elusen sy’n hyrwyddo’r Gymraeg yng Nghaerdydd, y bydd gŵyl Gymraeg Tafwyl yn dychwelyd yn 2020 ac yn symud i leoliad Newydd ym Mharc Bute. Mae hyn wedi iddo gael ei gynnal yng Nghastell Caerdydd am y blynyddoedd diwethaf. Daw’r penderfyniad wedi i’r Castell gyrraedd ei gallu llawn o ran nifer erbyn un o’r gloch ar y dydd Sadwrn eleni. Gorfodwyd cynnal system giwio un-mewnun-allan. Roedd y ciw felly’n ymgasglu o flaen i fur y Castell ac yn cylchu o gwmpas un cornel ohono oherwydd.

Lansiwyd Tafwyl yn 2006 gan Fenter Caerdydd, fel rhan o’u gwaith craidd i hybu’r defnydd o’r iaith yn gymdeithasol yn y ddinas. Ers y dyddiau cynnar hynny lle fynychodd 1,000 o bobl yr ŵyl gyntaf yn y Mochyn Du ym Mhontcanna, mae e wedi tyfu’n aruthrol gyda 37,000 yn ymweld eleni Yn 2020, cynhelir yr ŵyl rhwng y 19eg a 21ain o Fehefin gyda’r gerddoriaeth fyw, stondinau bwyd a diod yn dechrau ar y nos Wener eleni eto.

Fe agorwyd y drysau ar y nos Wener am y tro cyntaf eleni gydag Adroddiad Gwerthuso Tafwyl 2019 yn nodi bod

“ymateb anhygoel”wedi bod i hyn.

Cynhaliwyd yr ŵyl yn rhad ac am ddim ac mae’n agored i bawb boed yn siaradwyr Cymraeg, dysgwyr neu’n hollol ddi-Gymraeg. Nodant bod apêl arbennig i deuluoedd ac i bobl o bob oed. Eleni gwelwyd berfformiadau gan 60 o fandiau ac artistiaid pennaf Cymru gan gynnwys Candelas, Gwilym a uchafbwynt nos Sul i lawer, Caryl Parry Jones. Hefyd cynhailwyd sesiynau comedi, llenyddiaeth gan gynnwys Bragdy’r Beirdd, ac un rownd o Talwrn y Beirdd BBC Radio Cymru. Bu trafodaethau am ddiwylliant a gwleidyddiaeth Cymru yn ogystal â llwyfan i blant yr Ysgolion lleol i ddangos eu doniau.

Mae’r penderfyniad i symyd yr ŵyl o’r castell wedi ei gymeradwyo gan Arweinydd Cyngor Dinas Caerdydd, Huw Thomas. Dywedodd: “Mae Tafwyl sydd wedi tyfu’n un o’r penwythnosau mwyaf poblogaidd yng nghalendr digwyddiadau Caerdydd yn llwyfan rhagorol ar gyfer y Gymraeg a diwylliant Cymru. Mae’n denu ymwelwyr o bob cwr o Gymru, y DU, Ewrop a gweddill y byd.

“Rydyn ni wedi ymrwymo i sicrhau bod y Gymraeg wedi’i hymgorffori ym mywyd pob dydd y ddinas - o’i hysgolion i’w henwau stryd - rydyn ni’n credu bod y Gymraeg yn ganolog i’r ddinas hon, felly rydw i wrth fy modd ein bod ni wedi medru gweithio

Bwrlwm yn Bute: Cartref newydd i’r ŵyl yn Bute. Tarddiad: Jeremy Segrott (drwy Flickr)

gyda’n partneriaid i ddod o hyd i gartref newydd i Tafwyl ym Mharc Bute.

Cartref fydd yn caniatáu i’r Ŵyl dyfu a ffynnu.”

Partneriaeth gref yw Tafwyl rhwng y sectorau i gyd sy’n cydweithio er mwyn creu digwyddiad Cymraeg a Chymreig hyderus a chyfeillgar, am ddim, ynghanol Prifddinas Cymru.

Mae’r ŵyl wedi datblygu llawer o barneriaethau, gan gynnwys eu prif noddwr, Prifysgol Caerdydd. Ennillodd y brifysgol brif wobr yn y categori Celf, Busnes a’r Gymuned yn

seremoni Wobrwyo Celfyddydau & Busnes Cymru.

Yn gymysgedd o ddiwylliant, bwyd, diod a chwaraeon; mae Tafwyl yn cynnig rhywbeth at ddant pawb. Rydym bellach yn byw mewn gwlad sydd yn ymdrechu i gyrraedd miliwn o siradwyr erbyn 2050. Mae digwyddiadau o’r fath sy’n tynnu sylw at ein hiaith, yn holl bwysig i geisio annog mwy i ddefnyddio’r iaith yn gymdeithasol o ddydd i ddydd. Parhau i ffynnu wnaiff Tafwyl heb unrhyw arwydd o arafu o gwbwl.

Trafnidiaeth Cymru ar y trywydd iawn Y cwmni’n apelio am amynedd tra’n gwneud mwy o welliannau

Aled Biston Golygydd Taf-od

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n ôl arolwg diweddaraf Trafnidiaeth Cymru, mae 82% o deithwyr ar y cyfan, yn fodlon â gwasanaeth sy’n gyfrifol am reilffyrdd Cymru. Dywedodd teithwyr eu bod nhw wedi gweld gwelliant yng ngwasanaeth Trafnidiaeth Cymru dros y flwyddyn ddiwethaf, ond mae’r prif weithredwr, James Price, yn cydnabod bod dal angen gwaith ar nifer o bethau.

Mae Christine Boston, cyfarwyddwr Cymreig y Gymdeithas Cludiant Cymunedol, wedi dweud wrth BBC Wales bod camau positif wedi’u gwneud ond bod pethau heb fod yn rhwydd o bell ffordd, yn enwedig gan fod angen gwasanaethau cymunedau gwledig hefyd. Dywedodd Christine Boston: “Rhaid i ni fod yn realistig - does dim disgwyl trawsnewidiad mewn trafnidiaeth dros nos.” Mae amharu pellach wedi effeithio ar Trafnidiaeth Cymru, gan fod Llywodraeth Cymru wedi

gwneud cais i beidio cyflwyno rheoliadau cysylltiedig â threnau i bobl ag anableddau, am y tro. Mae hyn wedi siomi Christine Boston, sydd eisiau i’r mater cael ei ddatrys cyn gynted â phosib.

Mae Trafnidiaeth Cymru wedi datgan wedi cyhoeddi byddai 6,500 o seddi ychwanegol ar gael ar drenau’r cyhoedd o fis Ragfyr ymlaen. Ond mae un o deithwyr sydd yn defnyddio trenau’r cyhoedd yn anhapus fod y newid heb ddod er bod pris tocynnau wedi codi. Dyma un o’r problemau mae Trafnidiaeth Cymru yn ceisio datrys, ymysg nifer eraill megis amseroedd trenau a threnau amgen.

Cyfrifoldeb Trafnidiaeth Cymru yw arolygu’r strategaeth trafnidiaeth gyhoeddus ar ran Llywodraeth Cymru, ac mae’n gweithio ar y cyd â chwmni trenau KeolisAmey, a gafodd y cytundeb £5bn am 15 mlynedd. Dywedodd cadeirydd Trafnidiaeth Cymru, Scott Waddington wrth BBC Wales: “Mae yna ddisgwyliadau gan bobl ac mae hynny’n iawn. (Ond) fuaswn i’n hoffi meddwl bod ein cyfathrebu gyda

Trafnidiaeth Cymru: Asesu’r gwasanaeth wedi blwyddyn wrth y llyw.

Tarddiad: Jeremy Segrott (drwy Flickr) chwsmeriaid wedi gwella”. Ond er hyn i gyd, mae Scott yn gobeithio bydd pobl yn gweld gwahaniaeth positif yn y pedwar neu pum blwyddyn nesaf.

Mae pwyslais wedi bod ar amynedd gan Scott Waddington, ac mae ef yn hyderus bydd pobl yn gweld gwahaniaeth positif, er bod y cwmni heb gwrdd â phob targed yn y gorffennol.

Dywedodd wrth BBC Wales: “Dyw’r gwasanaeth ddim wedi cwrdd â phob gofyn yn y gorffennol ond mae’n bro-

siect mawr ac mae’n mynd i gymryd amser i gwrdd â’r gofynion yn iawn ac yn effeithiol”. Ers i Trafnidiaeth Cymru cymryd cyfrifoldeb am drafnidiaeth yng Nghymru, mae cwsmeriaid wedi bod yn hapusach â wasanaeth rheilffyrdd ‘na beth oeddent o dan drafnidiaeth Arriva. Mae’r arolwg ymhlith teithwyr yn datgan ffigyrau positif i Trafnidiaeth Cymru, ond mae’r cwmni yn cydnabod bod yna dal mwy o waith i’w gwneud.

TAF-OD CELFYDDYDAU

Cartref parhaol i’r Diafol yn y siol Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru’n prynu darlun enwog ‘Salem’

Rhodri Davies Golygydd Taf-od

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rynwyd un o luniau mwyaf adnabyddus Cymru gan Lyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru ar y 10fed o Hydref. Yn ôl y Llyfrgell, cafodd Salem gan Sydney Curnow Vosper a oedd fod ei werthu mewn ocsiwn yng Nghaerdydd ar y 19fed o Hydref ei brynu er mwyn “i’w ddiogelu a’i drysori am byth.”

Y pris canllaw am y llun yn yr ocsiwn oedd £60,000. Roedd yr ocsiynwyr, Rogers Jones & Co Auctioneers yn bles fod y llun yn mynd i gael ei gadw mewn fel rhan o gasgliad cyhoeddus i’r Cymry er eu bod “wedi edrych ymlaen at gyffro a drama posib yr ystafell ocsiwn.” Nid yw amgylchiadau’r pryniant gan gynnwys pris y llun wedi’i ddatgelu i’r cyhoedd er cyhoeddir bydd y llun yn cael ei arddangos yn y Llyfrgell yn Aberystwyth.

Mae’r llun yn darlunio cwrdd Dydd Sul gydag aelodau Capel Salem, Cefn Cymerau, yn gweddio ac yn cyrraedd y ddefod wythnosol. Yn eu plith mae Robert Williams o Gaer Meddyg, yr unig un, digwydd bod, oedd yn mynychu Capel Salem. Roedd pawb arall yn cael eu talu i eistedd yno am awr. Cafwyd eu talu 2.5p yr un am yr awr. Prif wrthrych y llun yw Sian Owen o Maesygarnedd. Gweler hi’n cerdded i fewn i’r gapel yng Ngwynedd mewn gwisg draddodiadol Gymreig a siôl amdani.

Mae’i braich chwith wedi’i blygu

wrth iddi gario’i beibl. Dyma nodwedd fwyaf eiconig y llun gyda llawer yn honni fod gwyneb y diafol i’w weld yn y siol. Mae’r darn glas yn rhan uchaf y fraich yn ôl rhai yn cyfleu llygad y diafol gyda’r rychau eraill yn nodweddiadol o drwyn ac o geg y diafol. Er hyn, mae Vosper wedi gwadu unrhyw bresenoldeb ‘Satanaidd.’

Disgrifiwyd fel eicon o Gymru, cymaint ag ydyw The Hay Wain gan Constable yn eicon o Loegr.

Fe beintiwyd dwy ddarlun o Sian Owen yn Salem. Un yn wreiddiol a gafodd ei brynu gan William Hesketh Lever a ddefnyddwyd ganddo fel teclyn marchnata. Roedd yn un o’r enghreifftiau cyntaf o premiymau marchnata. Roedd pobl yn prynu’r sebon, casglu stampiau yna’n anfon am brint o’r llun. Yn y cyfnod doedd gan ddim llawer o bobl gelf gweladwy yn y tŷ felly daeth y print yma’n enwog ar draws y DU ac yn enwedig yng Nghymru. Dyma’r un a gafodd ei brynu gan y Llyfrgell.

Dywedodd y Prif Lyfrgellydd. Pedr ab Llwyd, “Rydym mor falch o fod wedi llwyddo i brynu’r llun eiconig hwn. Mae’r gwaith enigmatig hwn o eiddo Sydney Curnow Vosper yn un o drysorau’r genedl ac rwy’n edrych ymlaen at cyfleoedd i’w rhannu â Chymru a thu hwnt.”

Mae gan y llun bresenoldeb mawr mewn diwylliant poblogaidd gan gynnwys pennod cyntaf drama “Y Gwyll,” lle mae’n chwarae ran mawr yn stori Cartref Plant, Pontarfynach.

Roedd y llun yn allweddol i’r plot

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Salem yn y Wlad: Gallwch chi weld y diafol ar fraich Sian Owen Tarddiad: Rogers Jones & Co. wrth iddo ymddangos yn nhy’r cymeriad a gafodd ei lladd. Hefyd dyma destun cân Endaf Emlyn, Salem yn y Wlad. Mae sôn yn y gân am Robert o Gaermeddyg a Owen Sion y Garleg Coch, y ddau i weld yn y llun. Mae llawer yn credu bod y llun yn fynegol o’r ‘hen ffordd Gymraeg o fyw” gyda’r capel yn amlwg yn ddarn

pwysig o fywyd dechrau’r ganrif ddiwethaf.

Gallwn gymryd, felly, bod y llun yma’i fod yn un o drysorau Cymru ynghyd a chennin pedr, pice ar y maen a’r bel hirgron. Yn awr, mae gennym ni’r tawelwch meddwl y bydd gan y trysor yma y gofal gorau i genedlaethau’r dyfodol.

Deio Jones bu’n cyfweld a’r cyn-fyfyriwr i gael gwybod am ei brofiad

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ut brofiad oedd clywed dy enw di’n cael ei gyhoeddi fel yr ennillydd?

Roedd hi’n brofiad eithaf surreal i ddweud y gwir, doeddwn i ddim yn disgwyl fy enw i i gael ei datgelu fel yr enillydd. Dwi dal ddim yn cofio popeth, dal angen pinsio fy hunan am y peth.

Roedd hi’n fraint anhygoel i ennill yr Ysgoloriaeth yn erbyn 5 cystadleuydd a ffrind hynod o dalentog. Roedd clywed fy enw yn cael ei datgelu gyda fy rhieni, teulu, hyfforddwyr a ffrindiau ar ei draed yn y gynulleidfa yn rhywbeth nai fyth anghofio.

Sut mae mynd o gwmpas dewis y rhaglen ddelfrydol ar gyfer y gystadleuaeth?

Wel, roedd dewis raglen yn hollbwysig i geisio adlewyrchu pam roedd fy rhaglen i yn wahanol i’r cystadleuwyr eraill. Ar ôl byti fis o ymchwilio, darganfyddais mai Neges Ewyllys Da’r Urdd eleni oedd ‘Llais’, ac felly penderfynais i ymgorffori gyda’r thema yn fy rhaglen i

geisio cael llinyn o’r gân gyntaf i’r olaf. Y bwriad oedd arddangos cynrychiolaeth wahanol o’r llais yn y caneuon, ac roeddwn yn hapus gyda’r dewis o ganeuon nes i ddewis yn y rhaglen, yn enwedig wrth uno’r gynulleidfa gyda fy nghân olaf newydd sbon gan Robat Arwyn o’r enw ‘Lle mae llais yn cyffwrdd lleisiau’, a chafodd ei berfformio am y tro cyntaf erioed yng Nghymru gennyf yn yr Ysgoloriaeth.

O le ddaeth y diddordeb mewn canu?

Dwi wedi canu ers imi fod yn ifanc i fod yn onest, dechreuais i gystadlu gyda chôr fy ysgol gynradd sef Ysgol Cynwyd Sant pan oeddwn i ym Mlwyddyn 4 a 5, ac wedyn ges i gynnig ar yr Unawd ym Mlwyddyn 6, a des i’n 2ail yn Eisteddfod yr Urdd yn Sir Conwy 2008. Felly ers hynny nes i wir ddechrau cymryd popeth o ddifri. Dwi’n dwli ar ganu a cherddoriaeth, mae’n cynnig gymaint o gyfleoedd i chi medru mynegi teimladau ac emosiynau o fewn y geiriau a’r gerddoriaeth. Dwi o hyd wedi ceisio cystadlu a chymryd rhan mewn nifer o gystadlaethau unigol a gyda phartïon, ac mae canu nawr yn rhan annatod

Doniau Byd Ffilm a Theledu Cymru ar ei gorau Jacob Morris Cyfrannydd

Rhydian Jenkins yn cipio Ysgoloriaeth Bryn Terfel

Deio Jones Golygydd Taf-od

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ohonom.

Pa gyngor fuaset ti’n rhoi i’r genhedlaeth nesaf o gantorion ifanc?

Os ydych chi yn caru beth ydych chi’n gwneud, boed yn canu, dawnsio neu unrhyw beth, cewch amdani a pheidiwch edrych nôl. Bydden i’n awgrymu i fod yn barod a frwdfrydig i dderbyn adborth a chanmoliaeth gan hyfforddwyr a chantorion hŷn a phroffesiynol, gan fydd eich canlyniadau mewn Eisteddfod neu gyngherddau yn adlewyrchu hyn. Y cyngor gorau allai rhoi yw deall o’r cychwyn mai marathon yw’r proses o ganu, datblygu a dysgu: ac nid sbrint, bydd popeth yn gweithio yn well yn y diwedd, a gallech chi edrych nôl ar y blynyddoedd cynnar yn falch o’ch gwaith caled.

Beth ydi’r cam nesaf i ti nawr?

Wel dwi wrthi ers mis ar gwrs ôl-radd yng Ngholeg Brenhinol Cerdd a Drama yng Nghaerdydd yn astudio Llais a Pherfformio, a dwi wrth fy modd ar ddysgu’r pethau newydd o ran ieithoedd ac actio, mae’n wych! Mae’r cwrs yn 2 flynedd a dwi’n gobeithio ar ôl hynny i wneud cwrs feistr Opera os yw popeth yn mynd yn iawn. Mae gen i gwpl o gyn-

Ysgoloriaeth Ysgubol: Mae pethau mawr ar y gorwelion i’r cerddor ifanc Tarddiad: Rhydian Jenkins gherddau ar y gweill felly dw i’n edrych ymlaen yn fawr atyn nhw! Wrth ennill yr Ysgoloriaeth mi fyddai’n canu yn nathliadau Dydd Gŵyl Dewi yng ngwlad tramor, efallai yn Asia neu Ewrop, dwi ddim yn siŵr eto, ond mae’n gyffrous i glywed yn ogystal â chyngerdd agoriadol Eisteddfod yr Urdd 2020. Mae jyst yn gyfnod cyffrous ar y foment ers y penwythnos diwethaf, a dw i mor falch fy mod yn gallu rhannu’r cyffro diweddaraf gyda’m teulu, ffrindiau a hyfforddwyr - gan na fyddai’r fuddugoliaeth yn yr Ysgoloriaeth yn bosib hebddyn nhw.

aeth sêr y byd ffilm a theledu yng Nghymru i droedio’r carped coch nos Sul diwethaf yng ngŵyl BAFTA Cymru, ac ymysg yr holl fflach a lliw roedd rhai o enwogion y genedl yn bresennol. Rhwng y ffrogiau disglair a’r siwtiau trwsiadus cyflwynwyd dros 26 o wobrau gerbron 1,000 o gynulleidfa yn Neuadd Dewi Sant.

Fe brofodd cynhyrchiadau Cymraeg eu hiaith cryn lwyddiant gyda ffilm ddogfen am gerddoriaeth Gymraeg ‘Anorac’ yn arwain y ffordd gan gipio pedair gwobr yng nghategorïau ‘Cyflwynydd’ DJ Huw Stephens, ‘Golygu’, ‘Sain’ a ‘Ffotograffiaeth: Ffeithiol’. Dywedodd Huw Stephens, a oedd hefyd wrth y llyw yn cyflwyno’r noson ‘Doeddwn i ddim hyd yn oed yn disgwyl iddo fe fod ar y teledu heb sôn am ennill heno, ond ry ni wrth ein boddau’.

Roedd yr holl waith dros dair blynedd wedi dwyn ffrwyth ac fe ychwanegodd Jonathan Cray oedd yn gweithio ar y cynhyrchiad mai’r ‘jobyn anoddaf oedd cael pawb at ei gilydd, gan ein bod ni’n gweithio am ddim, ond ry ni’n hynod bles’.

Profodd Elin Fflur noson brysur yn cyflwyno ar y carped coch ynghyd â derbyn enwebiad ar gyfer y rhaglen ‘Chdi, Fi ac IVF’ oedd yn sôn am ei phrofiad hi a’i gŵr yn ceisio am blentyn.

Yng nghategori adlonaint roedd amryw enwebiadau gan S4C gan gynnwys ‘Cân i Gymru: Dathlu’r 50’, ‘Elis James: Cic lan yr archif’ ynghyd â rhaglen ‘Geraint Thomas ‘Viva Le Tour’ a ymddangosodd ar S4C dros fisoedd yr haf. Ond yn camu i’r llwyfan yn fuddugol oedd Trystan Ellis Morris ac Emma Walford gyda’r rhaglen ‘Priodas Pum Mil’ sydd wedi denu dilyniant go-sylweddol dros y blynyddoedd diwethaf. Dywedodd Emma Walford wrth raglen Heno ‘Ma fe’n deimlad mor lyfli, ma na gymaint o waith yn mynd mewn iddo fe, ac mae o jyst yn deimlad really, really lyfli’.

Derbyniodd Rhaglen ‘Y Byd yn ei le’ enwebiad ar gyfer Rhaglen Materion Cyfoes Orau ac fe ddisgrifiodd Elen Hannah Davies y teimlad o gyrraedd y rhestr fer yn ‘arbennig iawn’. Ychwanegodd ‘Mewn cyfnod mor ddiddorol mewn hanes gwleidyddol, mae wedi bod yn heriol ond yn llawn cyffro i gadw bys ar byls yr holl ddigwyddiadau gan ddod â’r diweddara mewn ffordd newydd a fresh i’r genedl. Ry ni’n dîm bach iawn ac felly roedd cyrraedd y rhestr yn wobr yn ei hun! O lefel bersonol, wnes i wir fwynhau’r noson pryd arall gewch chi gyfle i fod mewn parti gyda Ruth Jones aka Nessa… Tidy!’

Aeth y wobr BAFTA Sian Phillips i Bethan Jones ac fe gyflwynwyd hi gan yr actor byd enwog Iwan Rheon sydd wedi chwarae un o elynion pennaf y gyfres Game Of Thrones, fe ddywedodd ‘Odd e’n anrhydedd, achos hi wnaeth roi job gyntaf i fi ar Pobol y Cwm’.

Rhagorodd Steffan Cennydd gan gipio’r wobr Torri Trwodd am ei ran yn y ddrama ‘Enid a Lucy’ ar S4C. Ymhlith yr actorion ifanc roedd rhai o’r hen gewri wedi cyrraedd y rhestrau byrion gan gynnwys Syr Anthony Hopkins, Michael Sheen a Jodie Whittaker.

Daniel O’Callaghan Cyfrannydd

Y

n ddiweddar, danfonwyd llythyr ar bapur cyhoeddus Tŷ’r Cyffredin gan Ysgrifennydd Cymru- Alun Cairns- ynghyd â sticeri yn nodi ‘Dim masnachwyr diwahoddiad, dim galwadau “oer” gan elusennau, dim grwpiau crefyddol, dim canfaswyr gwleidyddol’ i drigolion Bro Morgannwg. Derbyniwyd y rhain oll wedi’u selio o fewn amlen Tŷ’r Cyffredin yn ogystal. Yn ychwanegol i’w deitl fel Ysgrifennydd Cymru, ef yw cynrychiolwr Bro Morgannwg yn San Steffan wedi iddo gael mwyafrif o 2,190 dros y blaid Lafur yn Etholiad Cyffredinol 2017. Yn ôl y llythyr, bwriad yr holl beth yw lleihau ar y nifer o fasnachwyr diwahoddiad sy’n curo ar ddrysau’r trigolion yn dilyn sawl cwyn amdanynt. Ceisiodd gyfiawnhau ei bwriad o fewn y llythyr trwy ddatgan bod ‘rhybuddion fel hyn wedi gweld lleihad dramatig yn nifer y galwadau “oer” i’r rhai sydd eisoes yn eu defnyddio’.

Cafodd bwriadau’r llythyr eu hategu atynt gan lefarydd ar ran Alun Cairns gan fynegi ei fod eisiau rhoi ‘modd o leihau nifer y bobl sy’n curo’r drws i’w etholwyr’. Serch hynny, derbyniodd Cairns nifer o feirniadaethau am ei weithredodd, yn bennaf gan Lafur.

Maent hwythau wedi cwyno i’r Comisiynydd Seneddol am y sefyllfa, gan gyhuddo Alun Cairns o ddarbwyllo pleidiau eraill rhag siarad ag etholwyr yn ôl erthygl BBC Cymru Fyw. Ymysg y blaid Lafur, awgrymodd darpar ymgeisydd- Belinda LoveluckEdwards – ei fod yn ‘ymddangos fod Alun Cairns yn defnyddio arian cyhoeddus i geisio atal ei wrthwynebwyr gwleidyddol rhag siarad ag etholwyr.’

Mae’n debyg nad aelodau’r blaid Lafur yn unig sydd wedi ymwrthod â’r syniad. Daw i’r amlwg fod y camddefnydd o arian cyhoeddus hefyd yn destun a grybwyllwyd gan y Democratiaid Rhyddfrydol, wrth i Sally Stephenson esbonio bod hyn yn ‘wastraff llwyr o arian trethdalwyr’. Cwmpasa hithau’r blaid y perthyn Alun Cairns iddi drwy gyhoeddi mai ‘ymdrech sinigaidd’ ydyw ‘gan y Ceidwadwyr i rwystro trafodaeth ddemocrataidd’. O ystyriaeth y farn hon, nid yn unig yw gweithredoedd Alun Cairns yn mynd yn groes i ddymuniadau pleidiau eraill, ond nid yw’n dilyn y côd ymddygiad.

Noda’r côd mai ‘rhoi mantais annheg i sefydliad gwleidyddol’ fyddai’r defnydd o adnoddau cyhoeddus gan aelodau seneddol yn y fath modd.

Amhosib yw dehongli ai gwir fwriad Cairns oedd yr hyn a ysgrifennwyd yn y llythyr, ond ceir pwyntiau ganddo a llefarydd ar ei ran sy’n cyfiawnhau’r hyn a wnaeth. Crisialwyd dibenion elfennol llythyr Alun Cairns gan lefarydd a ddywedodd bod ‘nifer o gwynion wedi bod am y cynnydd yn nifer y galwadau niwsans, a thwf yr economi stepen drws ym Mro Morgannwg’. Â ymlaen i sôn am sylfaen yr holl beth, sef bod ‘Alun am ddarparu i’w etholwyr dull o leihau nifer o bobl sy’n curo ar eu drysau’. Boed yn chwarae gemau gwleidyddol neu gynorthwyo’r gymuned y mae’n cynrychioli yn San Steffan, cafwyd galwad am ymchwil i’r sefyllfa.

Pryd o Daf-od Nest Jenkins

Nest Jenkins sy’n sôn am ei phrofiad o fynychu ei gêm pêldroed gyntaf erioed a’r pwysigrwydd o geisio pethau newydd.

Fi oedd y ferch ‘na oedd bob tro wedi anghofio’i chit chwaraeon. Yr un oedd yn ffugio llythyron i’m hesgusodi o’r gwersi. Yr un oedd yn cerdded y trac traws gwlad. Nid yn unig yn werth dim ar gae, ond wrth wylio hefyd. Fi oedd yr un anwybodus ‘na nad oedd yn gwybod

Trafod gyda’r

taf-od 1. Pwy wyt ti a beth wyt ti’n astudio?

Jac Osian Phillips. Dw i’n astudio Software Engineering.

2. Beth yw’r digwyddiad sy’n codi’r mwyaf o embaras arnat?

Dwi’m yn siwr. Efallai, nol fy nghanlyniadau AS. 3. Beth oedd dy air cyntaf?

Mam? Dwi’m yn siwr.

4. Pe fyddet ti ar yr X-Factor, pa gân byddet ti’n ei chanu a pham?

pryd oedd y gemau ymlaen, pwy oedd yn chwarae na’r sgôr terfynol.

Ond, nos Sul, â glaw Hydref yn gwlychu’r brifddinas, mentrais i wylio fy ngêm bêl-droed gyntaf erioed. Nid digwyddiad anghyffredin na chwyldroadol i’r mwyafrif, ond i mi, roedd talu £30 am y fraint o ddeall dim yn brofiad hollol estron. Roedd bodloni eistedd ymysg miloedd brwd yn gam mawr.

Yn fuan, serch hynny, deallais nad oes rhaid deall pob tric a gwerthfawrogi pob cic. Nid cyffro naw deg munud ydyw, ond diwrnod cyfan o ddathlu.

Dechreuais ganol pnawn ar bererindod o dafarndai Treganna; y Lansdowne, yr Admiral, Ivor Davies a Sandmartins.

Yna, dilynais lif y crysau cochion am y stadiwm ei hun wrth forio canu Don’t Take Me Home. Profais dôn wahanol o genedlaetholdeb wrth i’r wal goch amgylchynu’r tîm cenedlaethol. Dyma falchder na ellir ei weld ar y sgrin neu glywed ar radio. Hwn oedd y buzz.

Dwi ddim am ramantu’n ormodol oherwydd nid y chwarae ei hun oedd yr uchafbwynt a dweud y gwir. Roeddwn yn boen o gwmni; yn cwestiynu pob bloedd gan y dorf a phob chwythad gan y dyfarnwr. Fe fues i ychydig yn ffôl

Achlysur arbennig: Nest yn mwynhau ei gêm pêl-droed cyntaf yn Stadiwm Dinas Caerdydd. Tarddiad: Llion Carbis hefyd wrth fentro am beint rai munudau cyn hanner amser. O’r bar, clywais orfoleddu. Arhosais ddeg eiliad cyn gweld campwaith Bale ar y sgrin fach yn y cefn. Do, collais yr unig gôl sgoriodd Cymru. Fy ngôl gyntaf byw, i fod. Ysgol ddrud yw ysgol brofiad (yn llythrennol £5 am beint!)

Eiliadau wedi’r chwiban olaf, dyma fi’n difaru’n syth na fues i ar gyfyl gêm ryngwladol erioed ynghynt. Pam y gwnes i aros nes fy nhrydedd flwyddyn cyn profi’r chwa o gyffro ar garreg fy

Yn Trafod gyda’r Taf-od wythnos yma mae...

Jac Osian

9. Beth oedd y diwrnod gorau iti ei gael erioed?

Mynd allan i Ffrainc i weld Cymru yn curo Gwlad Belg.

10. Beth yw dy gas beth?

Madarch.

11. Beth fyddet ti’n gwneud yn ystod dy noson ddelfrydol?

Mynd i weld gig Coldplay.

Everglow gan Coldplay.

12. Pe tastet gallu bod yn unrhyw anifail am ddiwrnod, pa un fyddet ti’n dewis, a pham?

5. Beth fyddet ti’n ei archebu o’r bwyty Indiaidd lleol?

Rhyw aderyn fel eryr. Buaswn i’n hoffi gallu hedfan am ddiwrnod

Chicken Madras, reis a garlic naan.

13. Disgrifia dy hun mewn 3 gair.

6. Pwy oeddet ti’n ffansio pan oeddet ti’n iau?

Wastad wedi blino.

Katy Perry.

14. Pwy fydd yn trafod ‘da’r Tafod wythnos nesaf?

7. Pwy yw dy hoff fand?

Tomos Glyn Parry.

Jac yn joio: Y myfyriwr Peirianneg yn mwynhau. Tarddiad: Jac Osian Phillips

Gwilym.

8. Prosecco neu champagne?

Pam? Mae’r ddau yn afiach.

nrws? Pam ddim mentro allan o’r swigen arferol a rhoi cynnig arni? Manteisiwch ar brysurdeb Caerdydd, o wylio drama yn y Sherman i nofio yn y Bae, o grwydro’r Amgueddfa i ddawnsio yng Nghlwb Ifor. Does dim rhaid i neb fod yn un math o berson!

Na, dwi ddim yn football fanatic eto ond dwi wedi prynu tocyn i weld Cymru’n herio Hwngari yn barod. A dwi’n credu bod hynny’n profi imi fwynhau fy ngêm bêl-droed gyntaf erioed!

Caru Coldplay: Mae Jac yn ffan o Chris Martin a’r criw. Tarddiad: Jac Osian Phillips.

taf od

8 TAF-OD Sticeri ‘Sinigaidd’ Alun Cairns

TAF-OD 9 CHWARAEON Sut siap sydd Prifysgol Caerdydd am ddylunio helmedau NFL yn Siapan?

Y brifysgol i ddylunio helmedau ar gyfer yr NFL Owain Ap Myrddin Cyfrannydd

Aled Biston Golygydd Taf-od

M

ae Adran Beirianneg Prifysgol Caerdydd wedi cael grant gan y National Football League (NFL) yn America, er mwyn ymchwilio ac yna greu helmedau. Yr uchelgais yw amddiffyn y chwaraewyr yn well, gan osgoi niwed hirdymor. Daw’r penderfyniad yn sgìl mwy o sylw i’r effaith mae cyfergyd (concussion) yn cael ar y byd chwaraeon, a’r niwed parhaol all hyn ei chael ar athletwyr.

Dr. Peter Theobald sydd yn arwain y prosiect, ac esboniodd i BBC Cymru Fyw bod gwahanol fath o anafiadau gallu digwydd o ganlyniad i wrthdrawiadau. Mae’r yna anaf sy’n cael ei alw’n ‘second concussion syndrome’, a’r nod yw atal yr ail gyfergyd ar ôl y cyfergyd cyntaf. Yr hyn mae’r NFL yn gwneud yn eu hymchwil, yw edrych ar bobl sydd ddim wedi eu hanafu o dan y term ‘cyfergyd’. Ond os fyddai’r patrwm o wrthdaro yn parhau trwy eu holl yrfa, gall arwain at anaf hirdymor i’r ymennydd.

Dim yma yw’r tro cyntaf i Brifysgol Caerdydd ymchwilio i helmedau.

Tua phedwar blynedd yn ôl, roedd y brifysgol wedi cydweithio â chwmni o’r enw ‘Charles Owen’ yn Wrecsam, sy’n arbenigo mewn creu helmedau ar gyfer marchogion ceffylau. Gwo-

NFL: Bydd Prifysgol Caerdydd yn cydweithio â phrif gynghrair pêl-droed Americanaidd. Tarddiad: Jonathan Moreau (drwy Flickr). brwywyd y brifysgol am eu gwaith Dr. Theobald wrth BBC Cymru Fyw, ymchwil gyda’r cwmni, a’r NFL oedd bod hi’n anodd dylunio helmed sydd wedi rhedeg y gystadleuaeth hynny. yn atal y ddau fath o anaf, gan mae’r Pwrpas defnydd helmedau heddiw flaenoriaeth yw atal y gwrthdrawiayw osgoi anaf difrifol ar y cae (fel dau ‘high impact’. cael eu taro’n anymwybodol), ac felly Dros y pum mlynedd diwethaf mae anafiadau eithafol yn llai tebygol mae’r adran sydd yn ymchwilio i o ddigwydd. Ond nid yw’r helme- ddylunio’r helmedau yma wedi tyfu, dau yn atal gwrthdrawiadau ‘low- a bellach maent wedi llwyddo i gael est energy’, ac felly nid yw bob math mwy o gyllid gan yr NFL. Enw’r o anaf yn cael eu hatal. Dywedodd cysyniad mae’r brifysgol wedi dat-

blygu yw ‘C3’, y cysyniad ar gyfer y ffordd mae’r metel yn cael ei ffurfio.

Gyda’r patrwm yma, mae’r helmedau yn gallu gweithio’n effeithiol yn erbyn gwrthdrawiadau ‘high energy’ a ‘low energy’, ac felly yn lleihau’r risg o niwed hirdymor yn fwy.

Camau nesaf y brifysgol yw i bartneru gyda chwmni helmedau ac yna drwyddedu’r deunydd er mwyn eu defnyddio mewn helmedau presennol. Bydd y deunydd newydd yn disodli’r ‘foam’ sydd o fewn helmedau presennol, felly bydd ymddangosiad yr helmedau o’r tu allan yn aros yr un peth. Nid oes gan yr NFL rheol bendant ynglŷn â helmedau, ond rhestr o helmedau maent yn argymell.

Yn ôl Theobald, mae’r brifysgol yn cwrdd â’r NFL yn Ohio mis nesaf er mwyn trafod proffil y brifysgol a’u hymchwil, yn ogystal â thrafod cysylltiadau i drafod gyda phartneriaid i greu helmedau. Ynghyd â hyn, mae Ysgol Peirianneg y brifysgol yn parhau i weithio gyda datblygiadau o fewn rygbi hefyd, sydd yn destun i ba mor dda mae’r ymchwil o fewn y brifysgol. Dywedodd Theobald wrth BBC Cymru Fyw, bod y deunydd sydd yn cael ei greu gan y brifysgol yn un o safon uchel, ond bydd angen gweithio gyda phartneriaid er mwyn gwneud yn siŵr bod popeth yn cael eu cwblhau o ansawdd da.

Ewro 2020 dal o fewn golwg i Gymru

Gobeithion Cymru o gyrraedd Ewro 2020 dal yn fyw wedi gemau cyfartal yn erbyn Slofacia a Croatia Llion Carbis Pennaeth y Gymraeg

rhaid canmol y

E

rs olynu Chris Coleman fel hyfforddwr y tîm cenedlaethol, nid yw Ryan Giggs wedi’i gefnogi’n unfryd gan y Wal Goch. Mae’r ddadl am ei barodrwydd i chwarae dros Gymru fel chwaraewr wedi codi droeon, a bellach mae nifer o gefnogwyr wedi honni bod Cymru yn dioddef o ddiffyg hunaniaeth ac athroniaeth glir o dan ei arweiniad.

Serch hynny, mae’n debygol bod perfformiadau a chanlyniadau diweddar yn erbyn Slofacia a Croatia wedi lleddfu rhai pryderon cefnogwyr y tîm cenedlaethol. Wedi’r gemau diweddar, bydd buddugoliaethau yn erbyn Azerbaijan a Hwngari yn sicrhau mynediad i Ewro 2020, os bod Croatia yn curo Slofacia.

Roedd Cymru yn anffodus iawn i beidio â chipio’r tri phwynt oddi cartref yn Slofacia. Wedi sgorio’r gôl fuddugol yn erbyn tîm Pavel Hapal ym mis Mawrth, cyfraniad arwyddocaol arall y cafwyd gan Dan James a greodd gôl ryngwladol gyntaf Kieffer Moore.

Penderfyniad dewr ond doeth oedd ddechrau Kieffer Moore yn erbyn Slofacia – ei gêm gystadleuol gyntaf ar y maes rhyngwladol. Er nid yw ymosodwr Wigan wedi sgorio’r un gôl yn y Bencampwriaeth eleni, chwaraeodd llawn hyder a deallusrwydd yn erbyn Slofacia – y fath o berfformiad sy’n ddisgwyliedig o

tîm am ddangos ymdrech ac ysbryd

Llion Carbis

Gobeithion cenedl yn parhau: Mae Cymru dal yn gallu cyrraedd Ewro 2020 wedi gemau cyfartal yn erbyn Slofacia a Croatia. Tarddiad: Llion Carbis chwaraewr hynod brofiadol, nid unigolyn yn chwarae ei gêm gystadleuol gyntaf dros ei wlad.

Roedd presenoldeb Moore – sy’n gawr o ddyn â thaldra o 6’5 – yn galluogi Cymru i chwarae yn fwy uniongyrchol, gan greu gwagle i Dan James a Gareth Bale ar naill asgell. Yn anffodus i Gymru, ennyd o amddiffyn esgeulus arweiniodd at gôl Slofacia, ond roedd y perfformiad yn un llwyr galonogol. Gydag ond 30% o feddiant, llwyddodd Cymru i gael fwy o ergydion a fwy o ergydion ar gôl na Slofacia. Yn sicr, profodd yr arddull uniongyrchol a mwy traddodiadol, ffrwyth.

Yn annisgwyl, felly, dechreuodd yr un, un ar ddeg yn erbyn Croatia yn Stadiwm Dinas Caerdydd – ond yr ail

dro i Giggs chwarae’r un tîm mewn gemau olynol ers bod yn hyfforddwr rhyngwladol. Brwydr dra gwahanol ydoedd yn erbyn Croatia; tîm sydd yn meddu ar dalent arbennig, yn enwedig yng nghanol y cae gydag enillydd y Ballon d’Or, Luka Modric.

Dechreuad ofnadwy ydoedd i Gymru, gyda’r ymwelwyr yn sgorio o fewn y deg munud agoriadol drwy ergyd cyfrwys Nikola Vlasic. Ar ôl gôl cynymosodwr Everton, daeth Croatia yn andros o agos at ddyblu eu mantais, gydag arbediad arwrol Wayne Hennessey yn rhwystro peniad asgellwr Bayern Munich, Ivan Perisic.

Roedd pryder difrifol bod y gêm am ddilyn naratif cyfarwydd. Yn ystod cyfnod Giggs fel yr hyfforddwr, nid yw Cymru wedi bod yn arbennig

o lwyddiannus yn erbyn timau talentog. Maent wedi colli yn erbyn Denmarc (dwywaith), Sbaen, Uruguay, heb anghofio, Croatia a Hwngari yn ystod yr ymgyrch rhagbrofol yma.

Fodd bynnag, rhaid canmol y tîm am ddangos ymdrech ac ysbryd i adfer yr hanner gyntaf ac i osgoi methiant arall yn erbyn un o gewri pêl-droed rhyngwladol. Gyda phasio cywrain a chwarae deallus, roedd Croatia wedi rheoli’r 45 munud agoriadol, tan i Ben Davies ymyrryd ond eiliadau cyn yr hanner.

Ar ôl cipio meddiant o Mateo Kovacic, chwaraeodd Davies bas clyfar i hollti amddiffyn Croatia gan greu cyfle euraidd i Gareth Bale. Roedd cyffyrddiad gyntaf Bale yn arbennig, a’r ergyd hyd yn oed yn well, wrth i ymosodwr Real Madrid gosod y bêl yn gornel y rhwyd.

Gostyngodd dwyster y gêm yn yr ail hanner, gyda’r ddau dîm yn ofni mentro’n ormodol rhag ofn iddynt golli gafael ar bwynt gwerthfawr.

Er nid yw tynged Cymru yn nwylo ei hun, mae tîm Ryan Giggs wedi cystadlu llawn angerdd a nerth yn eu gemau diweddar i gynnal breuddwydion y Cymry o gyrraedd Ewro 2020.

M

ae ymgyrch Cymru yng Nghwpan y Byd hyd yn hyn wedi bod yn un o’r rhai mwyaf llwyddiannus i Gymru erioed. Cymru yn curo pob gêm gan chwarae rygbi cyffrous iawn ar adegau. Yn bendant roedd y fuddugoliaeth yn erbyn Awstralia yn un sydd am aros yn y côf gan ei bod y gyntaf yng Nghwpan y Byd yn erbyn Awstralia ers 1987.

Cyn cyrraedd Japan hyd yn oed, roedd yna bryderon ynghylch y cefnogwyr fyddai’n teithio i ben draw’r byd. Fe’u cynghorwyd i sicrhau bod eu tatŵs wedi eu cuddio. Mae tatŵs wedi bod yn gysylltiedig ers amser maith gan rai yn Japan â syndicadau troseddau yakuza, a gallai twristiaid sydd a tatŵ gael eu gwahardd rhag cael mynediad i leodd cyhoeddus gan gynnwys ffynhonnau poeth cymunedol. Roedd cyngor iddynt hefyd i wisgo crysaut pe baent yn mynd i nofio.

Dechreuodd Cymru’r ymgyrch trwy drechu Georgia mewn gêm galed a chorfforol ond daeth dynion Gatland drwyddi gyda Rhys Patchell yn benodol yn sefyll allan oddi ar y fainc. Roedd y fuddugoliaeth hyd yn oed yn fwy nodedig gan i hyfforddwr cefnwyr Cymru Rob Howley gael ei yrru adra am sgandal fetio ddiwrnodau cyn y gêm.

Yr ail gêm yn erbyn Awstralia oedd uchafbwynt y gemau grŵp gan i Gymru ddangos eu bod yn medru cystadlu â’r gorau yn y byd. Mae cais gwych Gareth Davies yn bendant yn un sydd am aros yng nghôf pob Cymro am flynyddoedd i ddod.

Roedd y drydedd gêm yn erbyn Fiji yn un galed eto gyda’r dynion mawr a chryf o Ynysoedd y Môr Tawel yn achosi problemau i Gymru. Roedd Semi Radrada yn benodol yn sefyll allan ac yn haeddiannol yn ennill Seren y gêm wrth iddo redeg yn rhydd drwy’r gêm.

Roedd Wrwgwai yn fwy o broblem i Gymru nag oedd nifer wedi’w ragdybio. Roedd hyn o ganlyniad i’r egwyl fyr a gafodd Cymru rhwng gêm Fiji a’r gêm hôn. Ond pob clôd i Wrwgwai roeddent yn ei gwneud hi’n anodd iawn i Gymru ar adegau ac roedd Cymru yn fy marn i yn lwcus iawn i sgorio un neu ddau o’r ceisiau a gawsont.

Gemau grŵp llwyddiannus iawn i Gymru felly gan chwarae rygbi da iawn ar adegau ac mae hyn o bosib oherwydd dylanwad Hyfforddwr Cefnwyr newydd Cymru Stephen Jones, gyda’i steil agored o chwarae rygbi.

Cwpan Rygbi y Byd: Dechrau da i Gymru. Tarddiad: Carrington & Co (drwy Wikimedia Commons)

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GWLEIDYDDIAETH

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Photographic ID may be required to vote in future elections

Plans to enforce ID at polling booths set out in last week’s Queen’s Speech Jack Hannigan Contributor

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lans to enforce all voters to present photographic ID when at the polling station were confirmed in the Queen’s Speech on Monday October 14.

The Government wants to implement this legislation in order to crack down on voter fraud. Or, as put in the Queen’s Speech “to protect the integrity of democracy and the electoral system in the United Kingdom.”

However, soon after the announcement a number of complaints were voiced. According to the Electoral Reform Society, 3.5 million people do not have access to any sort of photographic ID and 11 million citizens don’t have either a passport or a driving license.

The Electoral Vote Commission, the independent body which administers elections in the United Kingdom, has conducted research into the consequences of introducing voter ID when casting a vote. In the 10 areas where the Commission tested the impact of photo ID, just under 2000 people were initially turned away and of those, 740 did not return to cast a vote.

According to the Electoral Commission’s research, “allowing only existing forms of officially issued photo ID would not be accessible for everyone,” but suggest “providing free of charge locally issued photo ID, as currently pro-

vided for electors in Northern Ireland.”

The Electoral Commission also stated that “photo ID requirement would provide the greatest level of security.”

In the 10 areas tested people felt the added security was positive and staff at the polling stations felt it was ran effectively. They also recommend however, “Government and Parliament should consider what level of security is proportionate to the risk of personation fraud in polling stations.”

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn responded to the Government’s plans saying, “These plans are clearly discriminatory and a blatant attempt by the Tories to suppress voters, deny people their democratic rights and rig the result of the next general election.”

Ed Miliband, former Labour leader, also weighed in on the argument via Twitter saying “photo ID to vote without any evidence of a problem such an obvious US voter suppression move... plus in small print of briefing document making people re-apply for postal votes every three years....more bureaucracy to disenfranchise more people, particularly older voters.”

As well as this, the Chief Executive of campaign group Electoral Reform Society, Darren Hughes when speaking to the BBC said that “millions of people lack photo ID, these mooted plans risk raising the drawbridge to huge numbers of marginalised voters - including many elderly and BAME (Black, Asian and

Minority Ethnic) voters.”

In response to the backlash, a government spokesman stated that “International election observers have repeatedly called for the introduction of ID in polling stations in Great Britain, saying its absence is a security risk.” Additionally, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) suggested that the UK should introduce “a more robust mechanism for identification of voters.”

Shaun Bailey, Conservative candidate for Mayor of London, stated: “This is a crude attempt by Jeremy Corbyn to play identity politics and fuel a race row...You

need ID to buy alcohol, leave the country, open a bank account...Of course it is ok to as for ID in order to vote in elections. This is yet another example of an out of touch and patronising Labour Party.” Despite the Labour leader’s position, Kate Hoey, a long-standing Labour MP also announced that she was in support of the idea, claiming that it worked well in Northern Ireland (where it was introduced in 2003).

The plans will not be implemented in time for a possible snap general election but is expected to be implemented in time for the next planned general election in 2022.

Photo ID: Voters may be required to show photo ID at the polling station. Source: Pexels

October Welsh Political Barometer released

Projections reveal divided Welsh support over ongoing Brexit crisis

POLITICS

To contact our politics desk, drop us an email at politics@gairrhydd.com

Maisie Marston Politics Editor

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he October installment of the Welsh Political Barometer was released last week, revealing the Welsh public’s voting intentions for a UK general election and a devolved assembly election. The poll, which is the only regular public opinion poll carried out in Wales, is a collaboration between Cardiff University Professor Roger Awan-Scully, ITV Cymru-Wales and YouGov. A representative sample of 1,032 Welsh voters were polled by YouGov between October 10 - 14.

Westminster Level Although the Conservatives have emerged as the most popular party, Labour would take the most Welsh seats in Parliament according to the barometer. In comparison to the composition of the Commons after the 2017 election, the distribution of seats calculated by the poll shows a balance between the Labour and the Conservative parties rather than a Labour majority.

Constituencies like Alyn and Deeside, Bridgend, Cardiff North, Clwyd South, Delyn, Gower, Newport West, Vale of Clwyd, and Wrexham for instance, would be expected to be taken by the

Welsh politics altogether, as it would be the first time Labour do not win an outright majority of the Welsh seats in Westminster for decades.

Devolved election In the event of a devolved election, the October barometer projects that the Labour Party will remain the most popular party overall, but the Conservatives would catch up. The projections suggest Labour losses to the Conservatives in Cardiff North, Gower, the Vale of Clwyd, the Vale of Glamorgan, and Wrexham. In addition, Plaid Cymru will be the third most popular choice, and the party are projected to gain Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly, Cardiff West and Llanelli from the Labour Party. Cardiff Central, the constituency encompassing Cardiff University, would send a Liberal Democrat AM to the assembly.

October Welsh Political Barometer Results

Your politics desk Lowri Pitcher Hallum Cowell Tom-Henry Jones Maisie Marston

Conservatives.

Since the previous Welsh Political Barometer conducted in late July, the Conservative Party has risen in support from 24% to 29%, and the Labour Party from 22% to 25%. Interestingly, the Brexit Party has lost support, dropping from 18% to 14%, which could signal the Conservatives under Boris Johnson’s leadership are the party of choice for many Welsh Brexiteers. As Awan-Scully reported in his summary, among those who voted Leave at the 2016 referendum, the Conservative Party are supported by 49%, and only 29% support the Brexit Party.

Although the seat projections calculated from the data must be treated with caution, they do indicate a polarised Wales and a return to the twoparty dominated politics which was threatened earlier in the year. They also demonstrate a significant change in

Labour losses and Conservative gains: The Welsh Barometer reveals clear-cut divisions in Welsh support. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

Westminster (with changes from the July barometer) Conservative Party 29% (+5) Labour Party 25% (+3) Liberal Democrats 16% (no change) Brexit Party 14% (-4) Plaid Cymru 12% (-3) Greens 4% (+1) Others 1% (no change)

Devolved election constituency ballot (changes from the July barometer) Labour: 25% (+4) Conservatives: 23% (+4) Plaid Cymru: 22% (-2) Brexit Party: 15% (-4) Liberal Democrats: 11% (-1) Greens: 4% (no change) Others: 1% (-1)

GWLEIDYDDIAETH 11 What is in Boris A lot can change over the course of a week in British politics at the Johnson’s new moment: here we look over the events of last week, from a Queen’s Brexit deal?

Deal or No-Deal?... Or Extension?

Speech to another Brexit deal and an EU Council Summit.

Lowri Pitcher Head of Politics

The transition period is still due to last until December 2020. During this time the UK would follow EU rules and contribute to the budget but would leave EU institutions.

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s has become customary in the field of British politics during the last few years, a lot can happen in a week. With less than three weeks before the Brexit deadline of October 31, negotiations have been intensifying, with both UK and EU representatives still showing their commitment and desire to ideally agree a withdrawal agreement.

Last week commenced with a Queen’s Speech and ended with an EU Council Summit and a new Brexit deal. Below is a concise summary of the week’s events and their consequences.

Queen’s Speech On Monday October 14, Parliament welcomed Her Majesty the Queen to hold a Queen’s Speech. The Queen read out the Government’s agenda for the term ahead and then MPs must debate the content and vote as to whether they have confidence in the Government’s agenda or not.

Generally, this happens annually, however this Queen’s Speech has been somewhat different as this is the first time the Parliament has held a Queen’s Speech since June 21, 2017.

This is because then Prime Minister Theresa May wanted a two-year period between the events in order to focus on Brexit negotiations. This meant that the last session of Parliament lasted 839 days and marked the longest session by sitting days since the English Civil War of 1642-51.

During the ten minute speech, the first commitment Her Majesty announced was the Government’s continued intention of withdrawing from the EU on October 31 and continuing a relationship based on free trade and friendly cooperation with the remaining member states, in addition to ensuring the integrity of the UK. With regards to the economy, the Conservatives also intend on investing in economic growth, maintaining the stability of public finances, and implementing regulations to protect individuals’ personal savings.

On the subject of health and social care, it was announced that the Government will continue investing in NHS England, will set up an independent body to investigate serious healthcare incidents, reform adult social care in England as well as reforming the Mental Health Act in order to improve care for patients.

On policing and justice, the Government intends to address violent crime and implement new sentencing laws causing serious offenders to spend longer in custody, improve safety in prisons, strengthen the rehabilitation of offenders, invest in the UK’s armed forces and continue to meet the NATO requirement of spending at least 2% of the UK’s GDP on defence.

Continuing on the work around the Domestic Abuse Bill which is currently making its way through Parliament, during the Queen’s Speech it was stated that the Government would continue to work towards addressing

Transition Period

Divorce Bill Due to the UK’s prolonged membership of the EU, it is expected that the divorce bill will be approximately £33 billion, down from the initially negotiated sum of £39 billion.

Citizens’ Rights

October 31: As the Brexit deadline approaches, protests and demonstrations in Wesminster continue.

Source: Wikimedia Commons and tackling domestic abuse.

Among various other commitments, the Queen’s Speech brought to light the Government’s desire to tackle plastic pollution, establish legally binding environmental targets, found a new world-leading independent regulator which will be charged with scrutinising the UK’s environmental laws, as well as banning imports from trophy hunting.

During his response to the speech, Leader of the Opposition Jeremy Corbyn responded by stating that “On closer inspection, it turns out to be nothing more than fool’s gold.” He continued by describing Johnson’s Government as a “farce,” stating that the Labour Party would still be prepared to vote for a general election once the risk of a no-deal is ruled out. Additionally, Leader of the Liberal Democrats Jo Swinson tabled an amendment to the speech which would add the condition of holding a second referendum.

On closer inspection, it turns out to be nothing more than fool’s gold.

Jeremy Corbyn, Leader of the Opposition

Traditionally, there are up to five days of debate on the contents of a Queen’s Speech where MPs can table amendments and changes before they vote as to whether they have confidence in the Government or not.

A New Deal On Thursday October 17, the first day of the long-awaited EU Council Summit, Boris Johnson announced

that he had a deal to present to other EU leaders. On Twitter, the said that: “This new deal ensures that we #TakeBackControl of our laws, borders, money and trade without disruption & establishes a new relationship with the EU based on free trade and friendly cooperation.”

The main change between Boris Johnson’s and Theresa May’s withdrawal agreements was indeed the scrapping of the Irish Backstop. In the newest deal, the whole of the UK will leave the EU customs union and will be able to negotiate its own trade deals with other nations, however Northern Ireland will remain in the EU single market which will remove the requirement of needing product standard and safety checks on the border.

This new deal ensures that we #TakeBackControl of our laws, borders, money and trade without disruption & establishes a new relationship with the EU based on free trade and friendly cooperation

Boris Johnson, Prime Minister of the UK

Northern Ireland However, very shortly after the deal was announced, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) announced their disapproval of the proposition, fundamentally due to the issue of consent over the constitutional future of Northern Ireland.

Under Boris Johnson’s new Brexit deal, four years after the deal enters into force, Northern Ireland representatives would be able to decide whether to continue applying relevant EU rules and regulations in the region.

Under the Belfast Agreement, also known as the Good Friday Agreement of 1998, when voting on anything that would implement constitutional change in Northern Ireland, the political parties are entitled to a ‘30 vote block’ where either side of the community can impede constitutional changes if they can get 30 votes (which isn’t a majority in the Assembly). The new Brexit deal opts for the decision of remaining aligned to EU rules would be decided upon by a simple majority, this essentially bypasses the 30 vote block. Consequently, the DUP believe that changes could be made without their consent.

Since entering into a confidence and supply arrangement with the Conservatives following the 2017 general election, their support was considered to be integral to the Government being able to convince other MPs in the House of Commons to vote for a Brexit deal; although this time the Government seems to be going ahead with their plans without the DUP’s support.

‘Super Saturday’ In yet another rare turn of events, the House of Commons sat on Saturday in order to hold a number of votes on Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal.

This was the first time the House had sat on a Saturday since the Falklands War in 1982, and only the third Saturday sitting since the beginning of the Second World War. At the time of writing, the results of the votes are unknown.

Disclaimer: All information is correct at the time of writing.

EU nationals will retain their residency and social security rights. Freedom of movement will end after the transition period. Anyone who stays in an EU country over 5 years will still be able to apply for residency.

Customs Arrangements Northern Ireland will remain aligned to the UK’s customs territory but there will be a UK-EU customs border in the Irish Sea meaning that Northern Ireland will essentially follow the EU’s customs rules.

Northern Ireland Vote Four years after the deal has entered into force, Stormont will get a vote once every four years, as to whether they wish to remain aligned to EU customs rules.

Border Checks There will only be checks on the point of entry into Northern Ireland, not across the island. Both sides also emphasised their “firm commitment to no customs or border and regulatory checks or controls.”

Future Relationship Both the EU and UK will aim to establish a free trade agreement, this would be largely negotiated during the transition period.

12 POLITICS In other news...

Protests erupt in Catalonia after Supreme Court judgement

Nine Catalan separatists were sentenced to a range of substantial prison sentences

Tom-Henry Jones Politics Editor

On Thursday 17 October Turkish forces agreed to a five day ceasefire in Northern Syria. US Vice President Mike Pence met with President Erdoğan of Turkey to agree that all military operations will be paused. The US will help facilitate a withdrawal of Kurdish forces from the ‘safe zone’ along the border.

Poland is set to vote in a general election on Sunday, October 20. During the last general election the right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) Party gained a majority and enacted a series of policies based on increased spending on welfare and social conservatism. Polls suggest PiS will increase their vote share by 25 points.

A leader of a non-violent pro-democracy protest group in Hong Kong has been violently attacked by a group of hammer-wielding men. Jimmy Sham, leader of the Civil Human Rights Front (CHRF) was taken to hospital after he sustained head injuries. The attack has been linked by the CHRF to government supporters.

In Germany a 93-year-old man is on trial for crimes of complicity in the holocaust during World War Two. Bruno Dey is accused of contributing to the killings between 1944 and 1945 in the Stutthof camp in Poland. Mr Dey said he was not complicit in any murders but admitted knowledge of the atrocities being experienced at the camp.

Protests against a new constitution in Guinea have led to nine deaths. Thousands of opposition supporters gathered for nationwide demonstrations and strikes. The protests centre around President Alpha Condé’s bid to adopt a reformed constitution that could extend his time in office beyond the end of his mandate in 2020.

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iolent protests have erupted in Barcelona after Spain’s Supreme Court sentenced nine Catalan separatist leaders to between nine and 13 years in prison.

The separatists were convicted over their leading role in the illegal independence referendum for the Catalonian region in October 2017.

After the ruling, pro-independence protestors clashed with police at Barcelona’s international airport.

Police met the large crowd who were attempting to break through the police line with force. As a result, a total of 108 flights were cancelled on Monday October 14. Protests also continued in Barcelona’s city centre.

Most of those convicted in the trial had been prominent members of Catalonia’s Government and Parliament, including the former Speaker of the Catalan Parliament, Carme Forcadell, who read out the independence result in 2017. Forcadell, who has been jailed for 11.5 years, received the second highest sentence of those on trial. In the hearings which lasted for four months, the Catalonian leaders told the court in

Madrid that they were victims of an unjust trial built on ‘false’ charges.

In response to the trial the Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez insisted the leaders had rightly been jailed for criminal conduct. Madrid has faced large backlash for the decision, yet many in Catalonia had feared the sentences may reach up to 25 years rather than the proposed 12 years.

The referendum was originally declared illegal after the Spanish Government declared it a breach of the Spanish Constitution. After the result, where the votes cast for independence represented 92% of ballots cast, with a total of over two million votes, the Catalan parliament declared the region as an independent republic. Madrid forcefully stepped in to impose its rule on the region and many Catalan leaders fled or were arrested.

The case for Catalonian independence has been one which has been argued for decades. The wealthy region is home to about seven and a half million people, with their own language, flag, parliament and anthem. However, the modern independence movement began in 2010 as the argument moved from greater devolution towards fully fledged in-

‘Catalonia is not Spain’: Seperatists have been campaigning for independence for decades. Source: SBA73 (via Flickr) dependence.

A previous attempt to hold an independence referendum in 2014 was ruled unconstitutional by the Spanish Supreme Court and was therefore blocked. However, a non-binding, symbolic referendum asking whether the region should be a state was held in 2014 which came back in favour of the proposition. It was on the basis of this vote that the Catalonian parliament increased its determination to

hold another referendum, which culminated in the controversial October 2017 referendum.

The case for Catalonian independence, which has been damaged through the ruling of this case, however, is not likely to slow down in the face of prosecution from Spanish authorities. Despite the heavy prosecutions, momentum for longing independence continues to grow stronger.

Tunisian election concludes with the election of ‘The Robot’

Kais Saied has been elected the new President of Tunisia after a landslide victory

Hallum Cowell Politics Editor

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unisia’s election was held last Sunday, on October 13. The election was called early after the country’s president Beji Caid Essebsi died at age 92 after health complications.

The election has concluded with Kais Saied, a retired Professor of law, becoming President with 73% of the vote. 61-year-old Mr Saied gained large support from young voters after he ran a campaign almost completely devoid of marketing, focused on anti-corruption and integrity.

Nicknamed ‘The Robot’ Mr Saied is seen as incorruptible by many in Tunisia and has promised electoral reform including changes to how local representatives are chosen.

Mr Saied is also a very conservative candidate having accused foreign powers of promoting homosexuality in Tunisia, he also opposes equal inheritance for men and women and supports the death penalty.

His opponent, the man perceived as a liberal populist media mogul Nabil Karouri was released from jail only four days before the day of voting, Mr Karoui was arrested on charges of money laundering and tax fraud which he denies.

He was released after a Tunisian court annulled the detention order,

however he still faces the charges and the date of a final verdict is unknown.

Elections were originally meant for November this year, however, the death of the former president

Aftermath: President Beji Caid Essebs died July this year, bringing in the early election.

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Beji Caid Essebsi brought forward the process.

The two candidates who became front runners were originally outliers having had to beat 24 other candidates to challenge each other.

In the first round of voting earlier in October, Mr Saied polled 18.4% while Mr Karouri polled 15.6%.

Mr Saied becomes the nation’s second president following the revolution in 2014. The Tunisian Revolution was a 28-day long series of civil movements aimed at ousting long time President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in 2011.

Once Ben Ali was removed a process of democratisation spread throughout the country and led to the Arab Spring which brought about revolution and, in some places, brought democracy to many nations in the North of Africa and the Middle East. Kais Saied was one of the men who drafted the constitution after the fall of the former president.

Eight years after the Arab Spring, the Tunisian democracy is very young and as such vulnerable. However, observers in the country from the International Republican Institution (IRI) argue the country has come a long way, yet is still in its rebuilding phase. Jeffrey England, a member of the International Democratic Institute told the BBC that “In

a regional context Tunisia is light years ahead, but in the middle of it, it is difficult [for people] to see that.”

Tunisia’s new leader faces many problems such as an unemployment rate of 15.3% and an economy described by the World Bank as a “country of contrasts” however, poverty is down 5.3% from 20.5% in 2010.

In a regional context Tunisia is light years ahead Jeffrey England, member of the International Democratic Institute In the foreseeable future we should expect to witness various attempts to complete electoral reform in Tunisia as well as the potential for the regression of rights for homosexual people and women due to the conservative attitute of Mr Saied and his Government which enters into office with a considerable majority. Only time will tell whether ‘The Robot’s’ policies will strengthen democracy in Tunisia or tear down this new and evolving democracy.

COMMENT For more content, head to gairrhydd.com/comment

SYLWADAU

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‘Fake News’ is spreading to the Far East Why it’s more important than ever to protect journalistic freedoms

Harry Clarke-Ezzidio Comment Editor

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ournalists and journalism play an integral role in any society, bringing to light stories that people will be interested in and need to know about. Journalism, specifically political journalism, keeps those in power (and those seeking power) in check, their every move is documented, reported on, and analysed. That being said, the media will also be there in a heartbeat when things aren’t going smoothly, and will provide wall-to-wall coverage in times of crisis (political or otherwise) to keep the people they serve – the public – informed.

Freedom of the press allows journalists to be there when it matters. However, this freedom isn’t universal, placing journalists at risk.

To contact our comment desk, drop us an email at comment@gairrhydd.com

COMMENT

The media will also be there in a heartbeat when things aren’t going smoothly

Your comment desk Sam Tilley Harry Clarke-Ezzidio Kat Smith Nina White Columnist: Indigo Jones

Recently, a new controversial ‘fake news’ law came into effect in Singapore which many fear may compromise journalistic freedoms. The Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act aims to stop the publishing of fake news and ‘false statements of fact’ that could pose a threat to ‘public tranquillity’. What is scary about this

new law is that it gives sole power to government ministers to determine what is considered ‘fake news’ – with the threshold used also being quite low. Many are rightly concerned about this as the system is open to potential abuse and exploitation, and naturally, there are concerns around free political speech.

Many see this law as a way of surpressing free speech and dissenting views towards the government. The ability to take things down gives the government way too much power (especially with its low threshold) whilst there are no procedures in place to stop potential abuse of the law by the government.

It’s not as though Singapore has the best record of protecting press freedoms and allowing for criticism of their government.

Singapore is ranked 151st out of 180 countries for press freedoms in the 2019 World Press Freedom Index, below countries like Russia, a country well known to censor any political opposition.

The scary part for journalists and their publishers are the potential penalties of falling foul of the law, with companies who are found to have broken the law facing fines of up to $1 Million Singapore dollars – about £570,000; whilst individual journalists or ordinary citizens can face up to 10 years in prison.

This law is a direct threat to press

freedoms and the integrity of journalism. Journalists based in Singapore must be very wary about what they write or produce in the future – especially if it’s concerning the government.

These types of laws stifle journalists, and make them afraid of pursuing stories about the government, holding them to account for anything untoward they may potentially be up to, in fear that what they report will be considered ‘fake’ and face legal trouble.

It’s potentially preventing the people from being properly informed about

the politics within their country. The main people who are meant to be informing them may be too scared to report on what’s really going on in fear of their freedom being taken away.

Journalists need protections for the important work they do, they shouldn’t risk their liberty just because they’re doing their job. It’s just over a year since journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed under dubious circumstances, it’s more important than ever before to protect journalism and ensure press freedoms are intact.

Singapore: One of the least progressive countries when it comes to press freedoms. Source: designerpoint (via pixabay)

The problem with the Joker DC’s most famous villain is causing a new wave of controversy

Maja Metera Contributor

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odd Phillips’ Joker has been banned from selected cinemas in the US – including the Aurora Theatre in Colorado where, in 2012, during a premiere of Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises, James Holmes shot 12 and injured a further 70 people. During his trial, Holmes pleaded not guilty on account of insanity. It contributed to him being presented to the public as being inspired by Batman’s enemy in the film, the Joker. Rumour has it that he even called himself Joker.

No surprise that a country that has witnessed more than 330 mass shootings in 2019 alone, has its citizens living in fear. What really bothers me though is that the very nation that is criticising Todd Phillips’ new movie for being “too violent” still has not changed it’s Second Amendment and has statistically more guns per person than war-torn Iraq.

To be fair, from a psychological point of view, things we see on screen have an impact on us, like expressions, for example. That’s why advertisers hardly ever show us sad faces in their ads. But more importantly – research has proven that, when it comes to significant

changes in behaviour, people exposed to violence on TV turn out to be more violent themselves but also became more pessimistic about the future, and were less likely to trust strangers. I came to the conclusion that movies are demonised for being, as Alfred Hitchcock once said, “life with the dull bits cut out”. In short, they show us things we do not want to see, not the other way round. As long as it stays part of a made-up scenario - it is all a fake reality, isn’t it?

Joker’s cinematographer, Lawrence Sher, claims that this project was not supposed to be a political statement – but I cannot get rid of the impression that it is more than another DC hero movie. Joaquin Phoenix’s portrayal is prominently different from his predecessors’. It sheds light on the origins of the character and real mental health issues causing him to be our well known psycho. Gotham City’s villain is no longer just a comic book character but a truly troubled human being. He seeks help for his constant flow of bad thoughts but no one listens. For this reason he is relatable to anyone who at least once in their life has felt socially invisible or out of place.

“It’s a challenging movie because

Why So Serious?: The Joker is one of the most famous comic book villains and is played by Joaquin Phoenix in Joker. Source: Pixabay you’re conflicted. You feel great empathy for Arthur [Joker] and when he does bad things, that’s conflicting.” Sher told SYFY. We like to brush over taboo topics such as mental health, consumerism and social insensibility – all of which are incorporated into Joker’s story. That is why his laughter makes us so uncom-

fortable in our seats – he laughs in situations we tend to ignore to feel better in day to day life.

It seems that we are not scared that the unsettling tone of the movie’s plot will cause more acts of violence. We are terrified it will show us the real face of the world masked by the optimistic facade we currently hide behind.

SYLWADAU

The importance of citizenship Is it really the case that the UK Government is protecting citizens’ rights?

Nina White Comment Editor

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itizenship is something that most people take for granted on a daily basis, despite it having an influence over every aspect of our lives. It is what gives us the right to live, work and vote and this is just naming a few of the rights that we’re entitled to simply by being a British citizen. However, in the last few years, the government has made it harder to acquire British citizenship, whereby individuals would need to have already been granted settled status and pass a citizenship test.

Arguably, the most notable case

This demonstrates the government’s carelessness towards citizenship and how they have reduced it to something insignificant where the Home Office has shown complete carelessness towards citizenship was the Windrush scandal.

Under the Nationality Act of 1948, anyone born within the United Kingdom and Colonies before 1973 were automatically British citizens, and not only that, with a labour shortage in the UK, they were actively encouraged to take up this right. They were

British subjects with no separation from any other, with no further need for documentation and were free to work and prosper in the UK. Despite being British citizens, the Windrush generation was heavily affected by Theresa May’s Hostile Environment policy, where they were denied vital services such as employment, housing and healthcare. This demonstrates the government’s carelessness towards citizenship and how they have reduced it to something insignificant, despite how hard it is to acquire. They should be ashamed of the way they have treated their citizens. Is it really the case that the UK government is protecting citizen’s rights?

Following former Home Secretary Sajid Javid’s decision to revoke Shamima Begum of her British citizenship, making her stateless, I have very little faith in the Home Office.

Her baby soon died of pneumonia which possibly could have been avoided if she was allowed to come back to the UK and face British justice. The Home Office was quick to revoke her citizenship by claiming that Begum could gain Bangladeshi citizenship; a move that was immediately denied and condemned

by Bangladesh themselves. This is a clear breach of Begum’s human rights as she was temporarily made ‘homeless’, a status a person achieves when they hold no country’s citizen-

ship.

According to Operation Yellowhammer, the government’s reasonable worst-case now deal Brexit scenario, ‘UK nationals will lose their EU citizenship and, as a result, can expect to lose associated rights and access to services over time’. I have had EU citizenship from the day I was born, and now I will no longer have access to it having never had a say on Brexit in the first place?

Consider British citizens living in the EU as well, who have built their lives abroad, but now all that will

change. Apparently just like British citizenship, EU citizenship means nothing.

Citizenship is evidently just a social construct and it can easily be taken away from you. Now it has been reduced to something insignificant, as though it doesn’t have an impact on every aspect of our lives.

Whether this is with regard to British citizenship, European citizenship or any citizenship of any place in the world, maybe we should all be a little more concerned about what rights we have to really belong.

Why Spain need to free the ‘Catalan Nine’ “You can imprison people, but you cannot imprison an idea”

Wiliam Rees Contributor

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n October 2017 over two million Catalans voted in an independence referendum, inspired by those held in Scotland and Quebec. Just over 92% voted in favour of Catalonia becoming an independent state. Unlike in the United Kingdom and Canada, the Spanish Government decided to respond with repression.

This week in Madrid, Spain’s Supreme Court sentenced nine Catalan politicians and activists to jail terms of between nine and 13 years, totalling over 100 years, for organising that independence bid. Their crime?

Simply supporting the implementation of a referendum which allowed the Catalan people to express their desire for self-determination, which is their right according to the United Nations.

Among the imprisoned was Oriol Junqueras, the former vice-president of Catalonia, recently elected to the European Parliament but unable to take his seat, and also Carme Forcadell, ex-speaker of the Catalan parliament, the Catalan equivalent of John Bercow as Speaker in the House of Commons, or Elin Jones as the Llywydd of the Senedd. Imprisoning political opponents on trumped up charges of “rebellion” and “treason” is something you’d expect to see in a dictatorship like North Korea, not in a supposed modern Western democ-

racy within the European Union.

The Spanish State has repeatedly refused to allow a democratic exercise on the future of Catalonia, choosing instead to favour police violence and state oppression over dialogue. As President of the Plaid Cymru society here at Cardiff University, it won’t come as a surprise to anyone that I believe these extraordinarily long prison sentences to be completely undemocratic, and I agree with Amnesty International, who have called for the charges to be dropped and the imprisoned social leaders released.

These actions must be condemned

Why isn’t the Senedd working?

Sam Tilley Head of Comment

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Citizenship: It is something we take for granted that has a massive iimpact on our daily lives. Source: Antigone_gone (via pixabay)

in the strongest possible terms, and Llywydd of the Senedd Elin Jones has stated that “The injustice by the Spanish courts and state is unbelievable - incarcerating democrats, people who were elected to do their work representing the people of Catalonia - people, like me, and other members of the Senedd, who do our work representing people here in Wales.”

Meanwhile however, there has been striking silence over this matter from the Welsh Government, British Government and European Union.

Whatever your view on Catalan or Welsh independence, surely everybody can agree that all people and

Catalonia: Nine Catalan politicians and activists sentenced to prison for supporting a referedum on indepndence. Source: Liz Castro (via Wikimedia Commons)

all nations should have the right to self-determination, and that states and institutions such as the Spanish State, the United Kingdom and the European Union should respect that right. Especially when pro-independence figures have always acted in a democratic and peaceful manner.

I believe these extraordinarily long prison sentences to be completely undemocratic

You can imprison people, but you cannot imprison an idea. This was clear to see in Barcelona following the announcement from the Spanish Supreme Court. The Spanish government may have won their case in court, but they lost the people in Catalonia as thousands of people marched towards and occupied Barcelona’s international airport in protest. Sadly, Spanish police responded with yet more violence, attacking the protesters, injuring many, including members of the press.

Democrats across the world must unite and call for action from the international community to support the release of these political prisoners, and hopefully from this dark night a new dawn will come with a free Catalonia. And who knows, maybe one day, an equally independent Wales might stand alongside them.

15

ver all of the drama of the last few years, one constant face upon our television sets and social media timelines has been the First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon. Whether it be a new Brexit deal, the government implementing the latest policy or even a Scottish national sport team winning (or losing), the various broadcast networks will turn their cameras to document the reaction of the devolved leader of Scotland. So why when the equivalent happens in Wales, there is no great rush, or indeed sometimes no attempt, to afford the same treatment to the First Minister of Wales, Mark Drakeford.

Yes the population of Scotland is two million more than that of Wales and, yes, the profile of Scotland’s leadership was inevitably boosted by the failed bid for independence in 2014 but the public profile of Welsh politicians has never been lower.

The latest Welsh Political Barometer poll revealed that an astonishing 50% of participants didn’t know who Mark Drakeford was. This rises to 65% who didn’t know Adam Price and a quite incredible 76% who are in the dark about Paul Davies, the Welsh Conservative leader. That three quarters of the respondents didn’t know who the effective Leader of the Opposition in Wales was is surely a damning verdict of how well the Assembly has been able to reach out to the people it serves.

A recent tweet also compared the Twitter followings, somewhat depressingly the modern day measuring tool of engagement, of Sturgeon and Drakeford. The comparisons are startling; Sturgeon basking in the glory of just over a million followers whereas the First Minister of Wales’ account has limped to just over 48,000. Again to assume that Twitter followings are the standard methodology for testing how successful the Senedd is at engaging its citizens would be ludicrous but the online engagement of both leaders is rather telling.

As with most problems, the response cannot merely be prescribed to a single party. The national coverage of the Welsh Assembly is broad at best; non-existent at worse. In fact as I write this, the BBC rolling news coverage has just reached out to Drakeford to offer his opinion on the Brexit deal negotiated last week.

The deal was announced at 11:00 in the morning; the First Minister of Wales made his first nationwide comment on it at 16:00. For comparison, the reaction of his Scottish counterpart, the leader of the DUP and the foreign minister of Ireland were broadcast hours before Wales was mentioned.

Beyond Wales, the national media has to be responsible for promoting the work that the Senedd does to a greater degree than currently exists.

It may be that one of the primary reasons that the Senedd is effectively ignored by national media is that the perception of the parliament is that it possesses very little legislative power in comparison to Scotland. Perhaps that is time to change.

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COMMENT

California and the war on fur Kat Smith Comment Editor

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espite the vast anti-fur campaign starting decades ago, California has become the first US state to sign a bill banning animal fur products in terms of both sale and production.

While this move may signify the beginning of the war on fur, the ban on fur sales won’t come into effect until 2023. It is something positive to anticipate, but thinking of another three years of animal abuse for the sake of a fluffy bag or coat trim is not the best mental image.

What’s more, leather and some animal skins will still be allowed under Californian law, leaving animals open to abuse.

There is a societal immunity to the horrors of leather production, just as there had been for meat and animal products until recent years.

It is often seen as merely a by-product of meat, and leather has been accepted because of its utility, durability and versatility. The same cannot be said for fur, which connotes glamour, expectations and frivolity.

Many shoes, belts, car seats and countless other products contain leather, and it’s something many of us deem as necessary or standard.

While there is a clear difference between fur and leather in its value to manufacturing and consumer products, this is a dangerous precedent to set. If we are going to wage a war on fur, we probably should not be wearing leather belts and shoes as we carry our pitchforks. The material can be just as devastating for animal rights; merely a quick Google about leather production can testify for this.

‘Fur’ may be a dirty word for many of us, but the popularity of its inclusion in products shows that the taste for it is still present and being satisfied; from Canada Goose to Balenciaga, many high-end brands are still heavily featuring fur in their products. It’s almost hard to remember that mink is actually an animal and not a material developed for human consumption when it prefixes the word ‘coat’ or ‘scarf ’ so often in the world of luxury fashion.

It may be said that California’s bill is at least a start, even if it is an overdue and insufficient landmark.

But it raises serious concerns for the lack of urgency across all nations when it comes to animal welfare, and I am still shocked that California is just the first of 50 states to do so. And while the UK have banned fur manufacturing, the import of fur goods is still permitted.

The annual Fur-Free Friday protest was first held in the US in 1986 and the first Cruelty to Animal Act was passed in Britain in 1835, highlighting how this act was more than a long time coming.

We should not see the signing of this Californian bill into law as a huge landmark but instead a small step in the right direction for the rights of animals when it comes to material production. There’s a still a long way to go, even in California, and we cannot confuse these tiny glimmers of hope as monumental progress.

The sinister side of ‘Wagatha Christie’ The Rooney/Vardy drama is not the innocent fun it seems

Alex Lambden Contributor

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he feud between two famous British ‘wag’s stormed social media’s attention last week when Coleen Rooney claimed that Rebekah Vardy (or at least her account) had leaked stories about her to various tabloid newspapers.

This discovery was found after a five-month investigation Coleen took upon herself by uploading various fake stories to her private Instagram such as baby gender selection in Mexico, being excited to go on Strictly Come Dancing and one about a flooded basement. Due to

prior suspicion, Vardy’s account was the only one user given access and like a moth to a flame, Coleen’s fake stories were all over the press.

Becoming an instant online sensation, new memes were uploaded to Twitter in seconds, some depicting Guess Who? board game boxes, with others parodying Scooby Doo with Rooney uncovering Vardy’s identity.

The level of conviction Coleen displayed earnt her the title of ‘Wagatha Christie,’ as well as igniting the new concept known as the Wag War. Rebekah Vardy posted her response within minutes, but since then, both women have stayed quiet on social media.

We were all left rushing for our jumbo-sized bags of popcorn after the dramatic reveal, excitedly anticipating which celebrity would speak out next. Providing a seemingly innocent escape to an ever-depressing news reel, this story actually has a more sinister side and an ugly reflection of online humiliation.

Many have criticised the way Coleen made this feud public, with Rebekah herself calling it ‘disgusting’ and believes she should have been phoned prior in order to clear the air. Whilst it’s understandable that Rooney wanted to expose the alleged betrayal in her own words, she didn’t stop to think that it may not have been Vardy.

Being a high profile and well-off celebrity, Vardy most likely has a team of PR people behind her social media accounts. Alongside being bashed by tabloids, Vardy has received a multitude of vile tweets attacking the star, with some even sending death threats. Whilst the leaked gossip is very suspicious,

I believe it underlies a problem with online drama today Trial by Social Media: Coleen’s tweet has seemed to spark death threats towards Rebekah Vardy. Source: Nathan Dumlao (via Unsplash)

we have to remember that Coleen Rooney is not affiliated with Scotland Yard and this is purely an allegation. Even if this accusation were true, in no way does this warrant Rebekah Vardy being subjected to

having hate or violence.

Death threats are now carelessly sent by online trolls and are commonly received by reality stars, especially those depicted less favourably. It’s shockingly dystopian how some users can feel so involved in a situation that they aren’t related to whatsoever.

I also have to question Coleen’s actions in this situation too. By posting her tweet, she knew she would gain international media coverage, not even via media, as well as internet

She didn’t stop to think that it may not have been Vardy virality from her 1.2 million Twitter follower count and beyond. Coleen intended to publicly humiliate Rebekah, and I do feel she is a victim caught up in all of this, especially due to her known sensitivity towards nasty comments left about her on the MailOnline, that she tweeted about just days before the incident.

Whilst this celebrity drama all seemed very tongue-in-cheek, I believe it underlies a serious problem with online drama today. If Coleen didn’t want a story leaked, she could have just stopped sharing to Instagram. Instead, she chose to set an elaborate trap to defame someone she has no definite way of knowing is guilty or not. But hey, it all created a lot of fun on Twitter for a day, right?

Comedians and the line

How far should someone be able to go in the name of humour?

Gina Heaton Contributor

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n the wake of a number of scandals relating to comedy and its ability to sometimes go ‘too far’ many people find themselves questioning, what do we define as ‘too far’?

The term ‘snowflake’ has been thrown about so much in the media over the past few years that the Guardian Newspaper labelled it the most ‘defining insult of 2016’, and some groups seem to think that the rise of comedyrelated scandals is the result of the latest ‘snowflake generation’ being unable to take a joke as it is intended.

Comedy is often subject to controversy, especially in recent years, as often, modern comedy sets are driven by political and social material. According to John Fugelsang, a New Yorkbased actor, comedian and writer, the recent surge of political comedic material is one of the most fascinating aspects of humour in US entertainment.

I believe that comedians should be granted the ability to overstep boundaries in regards to political material.

Jo Brand recently came under fire for a comment made on a BBC Radio 4 show that “went beyond what was ap-

propriate”, saying “I’m thinking, why bother with a milkshake when you could get some battery acid.”

Nigel Farage later criticized her comment, which was made in regards to protesters who threw milkshakes at politicians in the wake of Brexit, as “inciting violence”. Later in the same show, Brand also described the protesters throwing the milkshakes as “pathetic” and stated that her comment was “purely a fantasy”. This opens up the debate about whether comedians should be limited in their material.

In this instance, no injury was caused and there was no intent behind the comment. However, the BBC still apologized and deemed it inappropriate. Josie Long, a social justice activist and comedian, defines the role of satire as “to afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted”. Despite the outward appearance of Brand’s comment meeting neither of these criteria, comedy is often seen as a way of processing information and many deal with their anger relating to political or social issues by engaging in the fantasies presented to them by comedians.

It is important to note, however, that offensive jokes are not limited to the comedy circuit and can often be

found in entirely inappropriate contexts, such as the workplace. One of the most famous cases of this happening comes from the Australian Senate when a video went viral on Facebook.

A comment made in November 2018 by LNP Senator Barry O’Sullivan about Green’s Senator Sarah HansonYoung, saying that the Senator has a “bit of Nick Xenophon in her” was im-

mediately met with hostility by Federal Greens Leader Richard Di Natale who was later suspended for his response that O’Sullivan was “a pig”. The comment was later withdrawn by Senator O’Sullivan as there was “no offence intended”, however, the Senator had already been accused of throwing “sexist filth” at colleagues and his ‘joke’ had certainly missed its mark.

A step too far: There has been an ongoing debate at just how far comedians can go. Source: Pixabay

Indigo Jones

COLUMN ROAD

COLOFN 17

Back to life, back to reality TV

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Big Brother is watching: Does trash TV or reality TV educate us, or does it promote negative behaviour? Source: Ged Carroll (via Flickr)

eality television and TV talent shows are amongst the most common types of programmes broadcasted around the UK. This particular genre of TV has taken over a large part of the world with the likes of Big Brother in India and America’s Got Talent taking the USA by storm. These shows are often classed as “Trash TV” and are looked down upon in comparison to other forms of programmes due to their dramatic and often staged nature. This genre even allows people at home to watch other people watching TV on their own TV because of shows like Gogglebox; but who decides what “Trash TV” is and what isn’t? Throughout this column I will discuss the perks of watching such shows and how they shouldn’t be disregarded based on the assumption that they are not necessarily a challenging watch.

TV talent shows have been around since the 1970s , although their increase in popularity grew in the early 2000s with shows such as Pop Idol, Popstars and, following them, the never-ending X Factor franchise. These TV talent shows enable regular members of the British public to showcase their talents and to put their name out there in the field that they would like to pursue. It allows its viewers to appreciate different musical abilities and styles, educating them as a result.

“Trash TV” can be seen as a sort of escapism for some, as perhaps they

binge watch these easy-watching shows to distract from the stresses of everyday life. If you are struggling with deadlines or are feeling a bit down, glancing at the lives of strangers or celebrities can be relaxing.

One in four people (24%) aged 18-24 say reality TV makes them worry about their body image.

YouGov

The likes of Big Brother and the celebrity equivalent allowed their audiences to view drama that maybe lighten the weight of their own worries.

Another example of this so-called “Trash TV” which involves audiences watching celebrities roam around is I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here, although it is set in the Australian jungle, so has a unique appeal to its viewers.

In comparison to X Factor and other competition based shows, the likes of The Great British Bake Off and Masterchef are seen as programmes to be celebrated although, at the crux of it, they are incredibly similar. All of these examples see contestants showcasing their passions and demonstrating their talents. These cooking competitions represent another cultural element of reality TV, as they present

different dishes and different styles of cooking inspired by various cultures around the globe, thus educating the British public in the process. Personally, without Bake Off I would have no idea what a croquembouche was and I would have completely misunderstood how to blind bake.

This idea of educating the public through easy watching can be seen through the viewing of Strictly Come Dancing, as it offers those who aren’t usually interested in the arts insight into the world of dance. It enables its audiences to separate the Paso doble and the Argentine Tango, and they can see the differences between the Cha cha cha and the Rumba; perhaps they are even inspired to give the Charleston a go themselves. It’s arguable that due to the large following of these shows, they maybe verge more towards a cultural education than traditional shows.

Although, reality TV can be seen as negative to some viewers as a result of the likes of Love Island, where the perfect hair and the perfect body is thrust upon its audience in the shape of their contestants. According to YouGov one in four people (24%) aged 18-24 say reality TV makes them worry about their body image. Although the show is entertaining perhaps it does more harm than good, as it increases image issues in its viewers.

One could argue that the male bravado leads to further toxic masculinity.

Both are things that negatively impact their young audiences.

In contrast to the image issues that Love Island causes, Drag Race endorses self-love Another example of a reality TV competition would be the popular American show RuPaul’s Drag Race, which has recently come to the UK. This series allows Drag Queens from around America and the UK to compete to win the title of “next drag superstar”. In contrast to the image issues that Love Island causes, Drag Race endorses self-love with RuPaul chanting “If you can’t love yourself, then how the hell can you love somebody else”. Not only that but this show provides a platform for the LGBTQ+ community and allows them to be correctly represented in the media. This form of reality shouldn’t be frowned upon for being easy watching, due to the educational and personal content that can be viewed from the show. The queens discuss their backgrounds and experiences with their sexualities and as a result can prove to be valuable for those going through a similar experience to view.

Perhaps as a result RuPaul’s Drag Race will also raise awareness of the issues

within the LGBTQ+ community and deter future homophobic abuse.

The most recent reality show craze is the Channel 4 show The Circle, a show where those who participate have no physical contact with each other and communicate through a social media network. This show invites a new dystopian genre of reality show as it draws on the type of things we see in Black Mirror and draws upon perhaps the reality of the future of technology and life behind screens. It is less of a reality show and more of a social experiment, perhaps as a result educating the audience on the dangers of technology and social media, whilst simultaneously being entertaining. This was the original effect of Big Brother as it was modelled on the Orwellian idea from the novel 1984, and this idea of someone monitoring and watching over us was a terrifying idea, but to discover that this could be happening through social media, a programme like The Circle is necessary.

With reality TV such as Love Island, Bake Off and I’m a Celebrity topping the BARB’s online viewing records in 2017, and their viewers growing annually, there is a need to destroy the stigma surrounding “Trash TV”.

Perhaps, as a result ,this would decrease the amount of people who hate watching these types of shows, and also allow those to watch these programmes to destress in peace.

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CYNGOR

18

The fear of not knowing Is the pressure of forward-planning getting too much?

Sarah Harris Contributor

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hen I started my journey at Cardiff University in 2015, I had a solid fiveyear plan. I was an 18-year-old journalism and sociology student with huge aspirations.

I thought I would be working for one of the big dogs in the media industry like BBC or Condé Nast within a few months of graduating from my three year degree and possibly even getting married with a nice apartment in a city like London or Manchester. Then, in my second year, I became severely ill with a rare neurological condition and ended up needing several major surgeries.

A two year break from my studies was needed to allow my body to recover, which put a slight dent into my five year plan. By the time, I returned to my studies most of my friends had graduated and were struggling to make ends meet whilst they searched for jobs in their old childhood bedrooms.

The few who had been lucky enough to find something were mainly working in jobs completely unrelated to the field they had graduated in, just because they needed a means to survive.

On top of that, society was adapting so fast that it was hard to keep up with the modern advancements. Take journalism for

example; the industry is now almost completely online and run by citizen journalists. Who wants to pay someone to write articles when there are people willing to do it for free?

Even students who have done concrete degrees such as medicine are struggling to keep up with the way the medical sector is changing with the introduction of medical technology.

The world was changing more rapidly than I could process and, along with it, so was my five year plan. I realised just before returning to the final year of my studies, that the chances of me getting a job as a high-profile journalist were about as slim as me winning the Euro Millions and I had to adapt my plans if I ever wanted to achieve my goals.

As well as that, I was nowhere near as passionate about the field as the 18-year-old version of me was. My two-year break from my studies had given me the time to really think about what it was I wanted in life without the pressure of UCAS applications.

Really, when you think about it, how are we expected to make a decision about what we want to do for the rest of our lives as teenagers when most of us do not even know what we want for dinner tonight?

I realised all I really wanted from life was to help people. I could not plan to fall in love and have the

picture-perfect wedding by 23 because, as I learnt the hard way, that never happens.

I could not plan my beautiful apartment in a nice city because realistically, I would most likely be moving back in with my parents after graduation.

All of these huge plans and dreams were leading to nothing but a vicious circle of disappointment in myself and wallowing in self-pity as I realised I was a failure.

So, I stopped planning for the future (in the larger sense) and decided to live a little more vicariously.

Of course, I did not stop planning all together, I still do meal

Forward Planning: There shouldn’t be pressure to have your life planned out so early. Source: Marten Bjork (via Unsplash)

Social media detox

Is it time to take a step back from social media?

Katie Waits Contributor ow, more than ever, we live in an almost endlessly connected world. The answer to a question is only a click away.

We can communicate with friends and family in an instant, share pictures and images a second after they’re taken, and participate in discussions online with people from across the world. While this may seem to bring us all closer together as one big global village, social media does have its downsides.

When you’re spending time by yourself, whether this be at home or in public, it is likely you pull out your phone and scroll through whatever social media you have. From Facebook to Twitter, Snapchat to Instagram, each are ways to connect with others and entertain yourself. However, exclusively spending your time on social media can be rather lonely, and can make you feel isolated.

When you see other people’s Instagram posts and Snapchat stories of their ‘amazing, perfect’ lives it can create a feeling like you’re missing out. It can seem

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Your advice desk Molly Govus Rhiannon James Columnist: Satwik Shivoham

prep for the week ahead and make plans with my friends for the weeks ahead, but I do not have a concrete idea of where I want to be in five years. I could be the token posterchild for the whole, ‘live every day as it comes’ notion because really that is all I could do.

My health is too temperamental for me to make long term plans and society is adapting way too fast for me to know if I will ever be guaranteed a job that does not involve working with talking robots.

All I know is, I am not a disappointment if things do not go as planned, not everything is in my control and I should not put so much stress on myself to lead the ideal life and neither should you.

Healthy Balance: Taking time away from social media is important to your mental health. Source: Rami Al-Zayat (via Unsplash) like everyone else is living a better, more interesting life than you. It can result in an unhealthy cycle of constantly comparing yourself to others. Stepping back from social media can be very beneficial and often, quite liberating. Whether you put your phone away completely or avoid using a certain social app, it can give you some much needed breathing space and allow you to have a healthier relationship with social media. Here

are three steps to better your relationship with social media.

Firstly, be mindful of who you follow. In the bid to keep in touch with people or keep your follower count up, you may follow people who have a negative affect on you.

This may be someone from school that you don’t talk to anymore, a complete stranger, a friend of an ex, even a celebrity or influencer – if you’re not interested in their lives or if they don’t make you

happy, don’t be afraid to go on an unfollowing spree.

Secondly, be aware of what you share. Social media means that you can broadcast every part of your life to anyone and everyone. It’s worth stepping back and thinking whether that picture, video, or Tweet is worth posting.

Keep some things private, especially if they’re personal, or could hurt/embarrass you or someone else.

Lastly, set a time-limit on your social media usage, this could be an hour after a lecture, thirty minutes while on the train or ten minutes after eating dinner. It’ll give you a decent break to clear your head a bit.

Don’t be afraid to log out of accounts, turn off notifications, step away from online debates, and even temporarily delete apps in order to fully maximise your time spent away from social media, and minimise the temptation to check what’s going on online every few minutes.

Social media can be great fun, but it can easily become a burden. It is important to use it in a healthy manner and recognise when to take a step back from it.

CYNGOR 19 Staying sober: university ediWhy being estranged from a parent is not necessarily a bad thing tion

Having estranged parents Molly Govus Advice Editor

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ndoubtedly, being estranged from a parent can take a tough mental and psychological toll on the child in question.

Not having contact with the one person who is supposed to support you in life can be disheartening and discouraging in times of need, but, I think, only if you let it define you.

Estrangement as a term is widely misunderstood by definition, but stories such as mine will hopefully overturn some misconceptions.

In our society, we would all love to believe that families are perfectly nuclear and sustainable, and that parent and child relationships are a lifelong commitment, assuming that every couple will never split up.

It is almost unavoidable in this day in age, with one in three marriages ending in divorce.

The myth that estrangement is rare can be debunked by a few modern statistics; it is, in fact, extremely common within the lives of adults and children today.

For example, in 2014, eight percent of 2,000 British adults said that they had been cut off from a family member according to a survey conducted by Stand Alone. The fact itself is a shocking one, but we must remember that there is a context behind this which is definitely worth considering. Of course, this is subjective to each individual case

Emily Jade Ricalton Contributor

of estrangement, but in my case, my life has turned out for the better.

The last time I saw my father was in 2011 and I have not had contact with him since; I can barely remember what he looks or let alone sounds like anymore, and this brings me comfort and safety.

Surprisingly, the thing is, being estranged from my dad isn’t a bad thing for me. Personally, I would say that my life has improved for the better, despite his unexpected

Manipulate your hurt in order for your bravery and strength to manifest and abrupt absence.

I always wonder if I can call myself one of the lucky ones in the way that this isn’t always the case for other estranged children, but that doesn’t mean that I haven’t been through my own hardships.

Without being estranged, I highly doubt that I would appreciate my immediate family near as much.

When someone who is supposed to support you chooses to leave your life, it really helps you put into perspective just how many people are

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Being without: An estranged parent can often bring out the best aspects of you and your surrounding family. Source: Fredrick Ohlander (via Unsplash) there for you.

I realised that I wasn’t missing out on much, as harsh as it seems.

The love surrounding me from my family, my friends and my nearest and dearest have always totalled to more than I could have ever forced out of my father.

It took me a while to realise that that is completely okay, and that it is okay to openly say these things without feeling guilty or ashamed.

One thing I will leave you with is that it is vital to know in your heart that you have been mistreated and hurt.

I only say this because it is essential that you do not disregard the

Diddordeb dysgu

situation; it happened and it happened to you.

But then, when you feel ready, manipulate that hurt in order for your bravery and strength to manifest.

You deserve more than they could ever give and you should not be the one to punish for that; they should.

If you have been affected by any of the issues covered in this section you can seek help via the Student Support Service provided by Cardiff University.

Benefits of learning Welsh and how to do so Rhiannon James Advice Editor

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here are many reasons to learn welsh, it could be that you are after a new challenge, wanting to enhance your job prospects, or just be part of the welsh language community – whatever your reason, it’s never too late.

The rise of welsh speakers is a trend across Wales and the Welsh government are supporting this by aiming to reach 1 million welsh speakers by 2050. According to a survey by StatsCymru in 2018, 21.8% of people in Cardiff speak Welsh. Although this may not seem like a significant amount, this is an improvement from 19.1% in 2008.

These are encouraging statistics as previously the Welsh language’s future was threatened due to young people not practicing the language or moving away for work. But, due to schemes such as Welsh for All and Learn Welsh the language is on the rise.

If you didn’t have the opportunity to learn Welsh whilst at school or you would like to build upon your existing vocabulary, Cardiff University has options for you. The pro-

gramme Welsh for All which is run by the university and it provides students with the opportunity to learn Welsh whilst studying. The programme entails weekly sessions and resources on Learning Central. As the title suggests, this programme is available to everyone, even if you’re not from Wales but are interested in its culture and language then this is available to you too.

The internet is your new best friend when it comes to learning Welsh, there is an array of online resources available at your fingertips.

Apps such as “DuoLingo” are useful for learners as they are accessible anytime, anywhere.

The app breaks down the language into lessons and consistently tests you in order for you to improve and progress. Additionally, there are a range of free online courses only a quick google away.

Watching S4C, the Welsh language TV channel, is an easy and enjoyable way of learning the pronunciation of words, the more you watch the more you’ll start to understand the language.

S4C also promotes a scheme called “Siarad”, by The National Centre for Learning Welsh. Siarad recognises that it can be daunting to

learn a new language and a common concern for many is that their Welsh isn’t ‘perfect’.

Therefore, the schemes matches Welsh learners with fluent Welsh speakers allows both parties to practice and hopefully improves the confidence of the learners.

Learning Welsh provides an opportunity to widen your circle as you are able to get involved in a new community. Cardiff University has a society called ‘Y Gymdeithas Gymraeg’ meaning The Welsh Community, this society aims to bring welsh speakers of all levels together to socialise and have fun.

As I mentioned previously, learning Welsh can also enhance your career prospects, if you intend to stay in Wales to work, learning the language could benefit you. Bilingual applicants for jobs in the public sector and customer orientated services are favourable because they are able to provide an extra service.

As a fluent Welsh speaker myself, I am an advocate for learning Welsh, there isn’t a negative to learning a new language and expanding your knowledge. Also, as a fellow Cardiff University student I urge you to embrace Wales’ culture whilst you study here.

Welsh Language on the rise: Predicted to reach 1 million speakers by 2050. Source: publicdomain.org Embracing the culture doesn’t have to be as drastic as learning the Welsh language, it could just mean appreciating a good Welsh cake. I am not expecting everyone to learn Welsh but I hope this has inspired at least some of Gair Rhydd’s readers to give it a go. Pob lwc!

ven though I am quite partial to a few gin and lemonades (the taste of tonic is something that I just can’t bear), I find myself spending a lot of my university days sober.

And yes, as shocking as this may seem, this means I spend a lot of my nights out consuming no alcohol and, as what the dictionary describes as, not being affected by the loveable emotions of being drunk.

As a lot of us know, university life can be focused around socialising with a one drink or two and using alcohol as excuse to meet new people and attend unusual events.

Now, I have nothing wrong with this and never will, but alcohol consumption has always been something that concerns me. Whether this is the damaging effects it has upon the body, or just the dreaded feeing of having a hangover the next day, alcohol is something that I can definitely live without on a night out, and I’m sure you can as well.

Yes, nights out have the potential to be extremely boring without a few drinks, but there is nothing wrong or ‘socially unacceptable’ about staying sober on nights out.

Believe it or not, it can actually be quite entertaining watching your friends fall all over the place whilst you remain straight-thinking and quite obviously sober.

However, this also comes with a sense of responsibility. Being the sober friends mean you can always make sure that your friends are safe, and there is no better feeling than knowing that they are in the care of good hands –just like yourself.

It may seem hard to stay sober knowing this information, but it’s actually a lot easier than you think. Over the course of my university days, I’ve attended at least two concerts where I’ve been drunk; the rest of the bunch have been sober. The reasons for this are simple: I stay focused on my interests, rather than forcing myself to party all of the time.

If you are struggling with staying sober or, if you would like to start looking in to the possibility, then I recommend finding a hobby that you can immerse yourself in.

For me, this has just been my university work, my health and also other fitness goals that I have.

Personally, find going out makes me unproductive and quite sluggish (as found out, again, in this year’s fresher’s events).

By feeling this way, which is very unlike me, I procrastinate and get nothing done and that is something I really don’t enjoy.

There are a lot of mental and physical benefits to staying sober at university, but, of course, it should be considered that it is, ultimately, a personal preference; you can have fun whichever.

COLOFN

20

SATWIK Speaks

Satwik Shivoham

Practising Introversion

‘Practising Introversion’: How can it help you make better-informed decisions? Main image: Wesley Nitsckie (via Flickr); Top-Right image: Pixaby; Bottom-Right image: Flickr

W

e’re naturally social beings.

We like to be a part of something bigger than just ourselves, and we seek that in friendships, relationships and other social groups.

Being a part of a pack makes us feel secure- it gives us a sense of belongingness, but also, it’s simply quite fun. Think about your entire day as a student at university and realize how much of it you spend with people. You have friends in school, at work, for nightlife, for chilling and for anything else in between.

Such proactive socialising can create a dependency upon others, and I talk from experience. I’m writing this to remind you of the importance of self-reliance and self-sufficiency, because while you must always have people around to support you, they must not become aspects of your life you always depend on emotionally or psychologically- that inadvertently breeds weakness. This column will be a thought experiment for anyone who wishes to try, because only from true introspection and reflection, rather than external pressures and opinions, can one be satisfied with the actions they undertake, even if they fail at the end of it. It is about giving yourself ownership of your own thoughts and actions, and, defining your own, individual motivations.

I had a friend in my first year, really

close to me who’d be often indecisive about a lot of things. He’d turn to me and his other friends for an answer every time he had to take important life decisions, or so much as select a brand of toothpaste out of a dozen stacked up.

This, and a lot of other similar things, obviously seemed harmless enough because we assumed he just wanted to get others’ opinions. But it wasn’t long before he started sending us every single E-mail he typed for “reviewing”. “He isn’t confident”, we thought, so we went on to help him. All his friends would constant-

In the process of “asking around”, one’s intuitive power dies down. ly solve his everyday struggles for him.

Eventually, the stakes became much higher. He had a plethora of assignments to complete and quite literally, a dozen ways to go about doing them. Out of first-instinct, he went to his friends and none of us had any idea about it. Surprisingly, he seemed to know an awful lot himself- all the technical “know-hows”, yet, he craved for an approval from people who didn’t know the first thing about engineering. Some didn’t want to help

at all, because their lack of information could potentially ruin his assignment, and rightly so.

Unfortunately, he didn’t fare well at it and his professor said that his math was all wrong. His idea didn’t fail him, nor did we, but he took it to his heart because all he saw was failure at his very first attempt. While everyone else was passing with flying colours, he was wondering if he was headed in the right direction.

He used to be so passionate that he really believed he’d make better electric cars than Musk one day, and as ridiculous as it’d sound, it’d inspire us at times.

But one split-second of self-doubt made him wonder if he’s capable, and thanks to everybody, he decided he wasn’t. He made the grave mistake of first coming to his friends after failing.

I wish he took out time to think about what he could’ve done better, but instead he heard somebody say, “If you’re not meant for it why’re you pursuing it?”. This stuck to him, and he decided to drop out, just after one assignment. No reflection, no introspection, just hasty decisiveness. He tells me to this day, “I wish I’d listened to myself first”, and I had to share this through my column.

This may be an extreme case, so to say, but it’s not impossible to end up making decisions without careful consideration.

We’re always around people when

we’re talking about our successes and failures, and people will always tell you what they think. It is so convenient to go by others’ ideas and motives because somehow, you feel protected- if it fails, you think “it’s on them, not me”.

The truth is much more harsh- “It’s your life, not theirs”. Learn from my friend and trust your gut. He had a true passion he gave up because he didn’t reflect and trust himself enough. It is great to consider “surround sound”, as I like to call it, but one must be their own judge and jury when deciding to do something. In the process of asking around, the “inner voice” or the “gut feeling” always gets faded, and eventually one’s intuitive power dies down. Intuition can be a great, great survival tool- if only allowed to be used.

Reflection and introspection can help you from getting into trouble too. Say, in the heat of the moment, you’re being told to engage in some mischievous behaviour, an act which may hurt something or someone’s peace. Before you do it, no matter how convinced you feel, ask yourself: Would I do this? Or am I being made to do this?

I’ve seen far too many people have their visas revoked or have suspensions from university issued only because of one moment of poor decision-making.

Understand that people can greatly

influence our decisions, and while this can give us a sense of “belongingness”, it can also take away accountability for our own actions, from our lives. What you decide to do on others’ motives is not really your own experience, you’re just adding to theirs.

If it concerns your life, do what is true to you, and only you.

You may have thought differently, wanted to act differently, but in the moment, let go of your intuition, and that is all that’ll matter.

If something goes wrong, you become a mere example for them, something “not to follow”. So, go with your gut, especially if it’s some aspect of your life at stake.

It’s mysterious, but intuition is nature’s survival instinct bestowed upon you. You’ll always have a voice insidewhether you choose to listen or not is your call, your downfall, nobody else’s.

When it comes to love, work, academia, money, socialising or anything in between, remember to always do what’s true to you. Not your family, not your friends, no bystanders, just you.

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BIN LO CATIO NS: Welco me Ce The L ntre ounge Groun (3rd floo r) d floo r

Your empty packets will then get made into new recyclable products instead of ending up in landfill.

GWYDDONIAETH

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SCIENCE

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22

Your science desk Danny Brown Holly Giles

New Google technology accounced New phones, smart home devices and ear buds all revealed

Danny Brown Science Editor

G

oogle finally graced us with their long awaited product event on Tuesday October 15.

As anticipated, the Google Pixel 4 and the second generation of Pixel Buds were finally announced, as well as big updates on Google’s cloud gaming service, Stadia. However, they didn’t stop there. They also, quite unexpectedly, announced the Pixelbook Go and the new Nest family.

Pixel 4

S

tarting with the Pixel 4, as this was, by far, the headline of the event. Despite arguably being the most leaked smartphone ever, Google managed to surprise everyone with a significant number of features.

Getting the raw specs out the way -- all fairly standard flagship stuff: it’ll come in two sizes, the standard Pixel 4 with a 5.7 inch 1080p OLED display, and the Pixel 4 XL with a 6.3 inch 1440p OLED display; both come with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 855 processor along with 6GB of RAM; the standard Pixel 4 has a relatively very small battery in comparison to its competitors coming in at only 2800mAh and the XL variant is a bit better with 3700mAh; both devices have wireless charging; and both come with 64GB on board storage as standard, but can be configured up to 128GB, with no microSD card expansion slot.

The main three Pixel 4 features that Google managed to keep under wraps are the 90Hz display, the radar chip, and the “Pixel Neural Core”.

Although I haven’t personally seen the 90Hz display on the Pixel 4 itself, I have seen it on the Razer Phone, and it has been incorporated into various other devices like the iPad Pro, but this is a feature that has, until now, been missing from mainstream smartphones. A high refresh rate display makes animations and interactions with a device feel buttery smooth, and a lot more responsive, but they are a huge power drain which is why the mere 2800mAh battery is a bit worrying. However, Google has said that the refresh rate is variable, so it might be just about okay.

The radar chip is situated in the rather large forehead of the display and is a very interesting feature. The radar system makes a sort of bubble around the phone which the user can use to interact with the phone without touching it through using swiping and waving gestures. you can perform actions like waving away and muting alarms and incoming phone calls, and skipping tracks in music apps. The other thing the radar does is sense when someone is coming close to the phone when it’s locked. when someone is detected, the phone then awakens and gets the face scanner up and running so that as little time as possible is wasted in unlocking the device. This results in an incredibly fast way to unlock the phone, which is good since there is no other biometric way to do so -- this is why the fore-

head is so large, at least it’s not an ugly notch like they had last year and like many other manufacturers are still using. The applications for this kind of technology are quite big, despite being quite limited at the moment, I recommend you look at Google’s dedicated website for this, atap.google.com/soli.

Finally, Google have created what they’re calling the “Pixel Neural Core”, which was actually made and applied in the Pixel 2. It is another processing core which handles a lot of the machine learning algorithms in the phone, rather than offloading the processes to the cloud. The “Neural Core” is what does the photo processing and is one of the main reasons why Pixel phones have such amazing cameras, but instead of making big changes to how the processor handles images --it was said the only made tweaks to that aspect --they have made it so the Google assistant actually performs actions and responds locally on the device.

Google Pixel phones have been known especially for their brilliant cameras, and the Pixel 4 seems to be no different. Although no one has, as the time of writing, reviewed the camera specifically, the “hands on” reviews look very promising. At the keynote itself, a lot of emphasis was made on the new cameras; there are now two rear cameras and one selfie camera and despite what everyone had hoped, Google went with the optically zoomed second camera rather than a wide angle.

This is due to the belief that because of Google’s amazing image processing, the camera set up will be a lot more functional and people will more likely use the cameras in this set up.m The standard Pixel 4 will start at £669 and the XL from £829, they both come in “Just Black”, “Clearly White” and a limited edition “Oh So Orange”. Both phones are available for preorder now, and will start shipping on Thursday, October 24.

An earful: Google’s Pixel Buds.

Source: Robert Nelson via Flickr

Pixel Buds

G

oogle has finally made a follow-up of their wireless earphones from two years ago, which weren’t given the best feedback.

This new generation looks incredibly promising though!

The Pixel Buds 2 are fully wireless this time and are much smaller too.

They feature five hours of battery life for each earbud and an extended 24 hours of battery is included in the case. The case uses USB type-C to charge and is comparable in size to the Apple AirPods case, but is a lot more rounded than square.

The buds themselves have a circular design, and have a little rubber tip to hook onto the inside of your ear. They are passive noise cancelling, but have a vent to prevent the bubble effect sometimes caused by earphones, The vent also allows for some ambient noise to filter through so that the user will have some awareness of their environment.

Another feature that has been added is that, if they are connected to a Pixel device or other Android phone with Android N or newer, the volume can be increased or decreased depending on how loud the surroundings are.

The Pixel Buds are water and sweat resistant; charge wirelessly; have a super long range, they will stay connected up to 3 rooms away indoors and outdoors they have a range of a football field -- because that’s a standard unit of measurement; you can access the Google assistant from them, but they need to be connected to an internet enabled device; and they support live translation but, again, need to be connected to an internet enabled device.

The Pixel Buds come in four different colours: “Almost Black”, “Clearly White”, “Quite Mint” and “Oh So Orange”. They will cost around £140 and will be available for purchase early 2020.

Pixelbook Go

G

oogle is having yet another go at making a Chromebook, Last year they unveiled the Pixel Slate which was like a Microsoft Surface, but had gained a lot more criticism; and the year before, they released the original Pixelbook, which cost a thousand pounds and didn’t give many reasons for it to cost so much, apart from the brilliant build quality. This year however, the Pixelbook Go seems to be a lot more promising than the previous attempts Google has made at the laptop scene.

The Pixelbook Go can be configured up to Intel i7 processor, 16GB RAM, 256GB storage, and a UHD touchscreen. It’s headline features, however, are it’s build quality, battery life and the keyboard.

Made of a magnesium alloy, as Google has said it’s stronger than aluminium which is what is usually used by laptop manufacturers. This means they can use less of it making it incredibly light, just over a kilo, and very durable. It looks quite plasticy, this is just a type of paint, so hopefully it doesn’t scratch and chip away easily. The keyboard has the same layout as the previous Pixelbook, and feels very similar which is great because that was one of the few stand-out good things from it.

But the Go’s keyboard is a bit quieter, which Google is advertising quite heavily, possibly as a dig at Apple and their infamously loud butterfly keyboards.

Finally, the battery: Google is boasting a 12 hour battery life, which is hours more than most other thin and light laptops. Apparently the testing method Google uses is fairly accurate, according to several different sources, so I think everyone’s hopes are high about that.

Nesting: Google’s new nest products Source: Wikimedia Commons

Google Nest

F

inishing up, Google announced an update to their WiFi router, range extender and smart speakers, and with the update comes a new name: Nest. I think this is to keep everything in-line with the already very successful Nest security cameras, which they also made marginal updates for.

The Google Nest Mini and Nest Hub and Nest Hub Max are their next generation smart speakers.

They’re very similar to the previous generation, which they are also going to continue to sell, and that’s really about it. They’ll sound better, they have more and better microphones and are made from sustainable and recycled materials. The Nest Mini also has a little hole on the bottom to make it wall mountable.

The bigger improvements come with the Nest WiFi router and range extenders. Google has listened to what people have been saying and have built a Nest Mini into the Nest WiFi range extenders.

They don’t look ugly like most wifi routers and range extenders, and there’s actually some extra functionality built in, so maybe people won’t hide the routers any more.

The biggest question people have at the moment though, is how well do they work. It’s all well and good that there’s a smart speaker built in, but if it’s slow too much effort to make work, then there’s no point.

That’s more or less it from this event, for more information, I encourage you to go to the Google Store where full information and specifications can be found about each of the devices mentioned here and more.

GWYDDONIAETH 23

Cataract surgery improves your driving 48% improvement in driving for people that have received cataract surgery

Holly Giles Science Editor

T

he development of a cataract is a natural occurrence through the process of ageing. It is when the clear lens of the eye becomes cloudy making it harder to see. Sufferers often develop nearsightedness, a loss of clarity of vision and are more influenced by the glare of bright lights when driving at night.

It is predicted that by the age of 80 over half of us will have developed cataracts, so it makes sense that over 330,000 cataract operations are performed annually in the UK. Matthew Groski, an opthalmologist in New York, explained: “Cataracts are one of the leading causes of blurry vision in patients over 50. Other symptoms of cataracts like glare, halos, double vision, loss of contrast sensitivity, dimness of vision or difficulties with depth perception can lead to trouble reading or difficulty driving.”

Groski describes the operation as a “low risk, quick and efficient procedure” and is currently the only way of treating cataracts. Ophthalmologists perform the surgery separately for each eye, with the worst eye being treated first. 60% of patients find a satisfactory increase in vision from the first surgery and do not require the second. The remaining 40%, however, have the second eye done also, leading to a 98% success rate in the surgery’s improvement of vision.

Many patients claim a drastic improvement in their vision after the surgery and many no longer require glasses. But until now it has been unproven scientifically if there was an improvement in the quality of vision.

Last week researchers at the University of Western Australia tried to answer this question using a driving simulator before and after surgery.

They tested the driving performance of 44 patients before they had the surgery, after the first eye has been operated on and then again after the second. The driving simulator assesses a variety of variables including adjusted speed limits, traffic densities, intersections and pedestrian crossings.

After the first surgery had been performed the frequency of near misses and crashes decreased by 35% and after the second surgery the figure fell further to 48%. It has been predicted that the decreases in near misses is due to an increase in contrast sensitivity, improving depth perception.

Dr Jonathon Ng, leading this research, said: “While visual acuity how well one sees the eye chart - is an important method to assess a person’s fitness to drive, it’s an incomplete assessment. Quality of vision is also an important indicator. Improved contrast sensitivity and better night vision improves drivers’ safety on the road. In Australia and other countries, people often wait months to receive government funded surgery after a cataract is diagnosed. These results highlight the importance of

Competition: Team Green, watch out! Looks like Team Blue and Team Red are catching up! Source: Wikimedia Commons important research: “While visual acuity -- how well one sees the eye chart -- is an important method to assess a persons’s fitness to drive, it’s an incomplete assessment” - Dr Jonathan Ng. Source: Skitterphoto (via Pixaba) timely cataract surgery in maintaining safety and continued mobility and independence in older adult drivers.”

The investigation does have obvious limitations due to its sample size of 44. Further studies with more participants, using a simulator able to test driving at night and in the day are needed to conclusively determine the effects of cataract surgery on driving. It does, however, raise issues regarding whether older drivers should be more closely monitored on the road in line with declining cognitive abilities, slower reaction times and visual impairment. This

Nvidia is getting ready to ray trace classic video games Jonas Jamarik Contributor

I

n a job ad spotted by DSO Gaming, Nvidia are looking for a producer to lead a game remastering project for their Lightspeed Studios team who brought us Doom 3 and Half Life 2 for Android, among other titles, as well as their latest ray-traced title, 1997’s Quake 2.

Ray tracing is one of the most recent buzzwords in the gaming world, and rightfully so. It has been the holy grail of video-game graphics for a long time.

So what exactly is it? It’s a digital rendering technique that uses an algorithm which creates a near-perfect simulation of light in a game’s environment. Not only does it make games look more realistic, it also means breath-taking, gorgeous graphics well-suited to introduce today’s hard-to-please audiences to legendary gaming titles.

This new project is said to “cherrypick” titles we all know and love and give them the ray tracing treatment as well.

For a long time, ray tracing wasn’t thought of as suitable for video games due to the time-consuming nature of

the process, and the hardware requirements needed to do it in real time.

Nevertheless, last year Nvidia came out with their new GeForce RTX graphics card line-up, the first graphics cards

We’re cherry-picking some of the greatest titles from the past decades and bringing them into the ray tracing age. [...]

The NVIDIA Lightspeed Studios team is picking up the challenge starting with a title that you know and love but we can’t talk about here.”

NVIDIA Job Advert

powerful enough to ray trace in real time, while also costing an arm and a leg. Be that as it may, at the time of writing, the job ad was only posted 20 days ago and Nvidia hasn’t announced any planned titles yet.

Intel has announced their return to the graphics card game

is necessary to ensure the safety of fellow drivers and pedestrians. The importance of these findings is reinforced by ophthalmologist Dr Mark Fromer: “[this] improved vision as a result of cataract surgery in the elderly population likely represents a significant reduction in economic societal costs, injuries and deaths related to traffic-related injuries”. The research is ongoing and the team remains hopeful that with a larger sample size the impact of cataract surgery can be observed clearly - no pun intended.

Microplastic problem goes deeper than previously thought Christina Fowler Contributor

D

aniella Hodgson, postgraduate researcher at Royal Holloway, has been researching the prevalence of microplastics in the islands off the Scottish shore and has found microplastics present in every sample she has taken, including marine animals. These microplastics do not instantly kill animals or cause starvation, like larger plastic items, but are shown to cause cellular damage and dysregulation later in life. Her professor, Dr Jennifer Brandon, warns us of the unknowns of microplastics and how we have only scratched the surface on the effects they have on human and environmental health.

Current research shows how beach clean-ups may be hiding the issue of microplastics on our shores. As volunteers go out and collect visible plastics on our beaches, they leave behind the microplastics embedded within the sand. From here, it migrates into the oceans or onto remote islands, changing sand composition with effects still unknown. Eight million tonnes of plastic ends up in the oceans every year,

beach clean-ups alone cannot keep up with this pace.

We want to see how much plastic the island is potentially getting on its shores - so what is in the sediments there - and what the animals are eating,” Daniella Hodgson Royal Holloway,

Microplastics have been found on every continent, in deep ocean trenches and on mountain tops. They can travel up to 60 miles into the atmosphere, have been found in drinking water and are even believed to be in our lungs as we inhale them every day. In the water, microplastics are small enough to be consumed by filter feeders and plankton causing a bio-accumulation up the food chain, with unknown consequences. An attitude change towards plastics needs to happen now to prevent currently unknown, long term damage to the beautiful planet we call home.

Anurag Hegde Contributor

I

t looks like Nvidia, “Team Green”, finally has some more competition when it comes to the GPU market.

Intel just confirmed the release of a discrete line of GPUs named the ‘Xe GPUs’. Enthusiasts can expect the release of these cards at some point in 2020.

Nvidia enjoyed uncontested success when it came to real-time Ray tracing technology, however that’s expected to change; Intel’s Xe GPUs are speculated to have hardware support for that very same feat, something only Nvidia’s RTX line of cards supported so far. Jim Jeffers, Senior Director at Intel mentioned this in May of this year at the FMX conference in Germany.

It’s been a long time since Intel have been in the GPU game. The last discrete GPU from Team Blue was the i740, released way back in 1998. Since then it’s just been Nvidia and AMD that have competed in the dedicated GPU market, with Nvidia dominating for the most part.

With more games announcing support for Real-time Ray Tracing and Nvidia creating its own studio to remaster old games to have Ray Traced graphics, fans and enthusiasts alike will be hoping that more competition will lead to more competitive pricing.

The exact specifications and pricing of the cards are still unclear.

However, there are sources that suggest that Intel may first target the mainstream market, which is around the $200-$250 (£157-£196) price range.

Intel also seems to be taking notes from its competitors after it released the Intel Graphics Command Centre software, which happens to be Intel’s version of Nvidia’s GeForce Experience. This might not be useful at the moment as Intel’s Integrated Graphics barely hold up in most games, but once their discrete graphics make it to the market, the software will hopefully make much more sense.

Intel can hit the nail on the head if they can give gamers what they’ve been waiting for; ray tracing supported cards capable of 4k gaming that are reasonably priced.

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26

Your @Caerdydd desk Tirion Davies Natalie Graham

Wales: land of the song

How Welsh music is going from strength to strength in 2019 ing some of their songs on BBC 1 Wales. By November 2006, the band had signed to their record label, Wichita Recordings.

The band has played across the world, in various different countries over the years, but their hometown is continuously listed as Cardiff and the band always seem to be pulled back to the Welsh capital.

When Gair Rhydd spoke to the band about their involvement in the Welsh Music industry and the bonuses of forming in Cardiff, they said,

Tirion Davies @Caerdydd Editor

W

ales is increasingly becoming known as the land of song. With our abundance of amazing singers and bands hailing from this country, with our national anthem being beautiful and a choir forming in just about every part of Wales, it’s not hard to understand why we’ve claimed this title. Between the likes of Tom Jones, Shirley Bassey, Stereophonics, Bonnie Tyler, Marina and the Diamonds and many more, Wales manages to continuously produce some incredible acts who reach worldwide appreciation.

With this in mind, it’s not surprising that more and more acts from Wales are gaining names for themselves each year. The band Into the Ark, who is originally from Blackwood in Caerphilly, earned a name for themselves on the Voice UK in 2017. Despite the duo coming second place in the competition that year, their mentor Sir Tom Jones was so enamoured by the pair that he invited the band to tour with him the following September whilst he was touring venues across America.

Into the Ark aren’t the only upand-coming acts from Cymru who are going from strength to strength.

Welsh bands aren’t at all hard to find these days - there are plenty to go around.

Over the last few years, there’s also been a wave of more and more Welsh-language bands jumping onto the music scene, such as Yws Gwynedd, Candelas and Swnami, who have become popular in Welsh music. Outside of the Welsh-language community, too. Bands like 9Bach, Mellt and Blodau Papur are claiming headlining gigs at Cardiff ’s Clwb Ifor Bach week after week and gaining, in 2018, the Welsh-language band Alffa gained 1 million hits on their song ‘Gwenwyn’ on Spotify.

Welsh-language gigs are always great for anyone. Whether you speak the language or not (I’m a Welsh speaker from South Wales, and

Yws Gwynedd: Welsh band Yws Gwynedd at a gig in 2015. The band are now big names in the Welshlanguage music business. Source: Jim Ellis/Ochr 1/Antena (via Wikimedia Commons)

Los Campesinos!: The Cardiff University-formed band performing at one of their 2010 gigs. Source: Amber (via Wikimedia Commons) sometimes I find it hard to understand the words some Welsh bands from North Wales might sing). The vibe of the gigs at places like Clwb Ifor Bach are often the main reason people attend these Welsh-language gigs. And besides - when the gig’s over you can head down from the top floor of Clwb to the bottom and sing along to some Taylor Swift. It's the best of both worlds.

Hana2k: Hana started singing at a young age. She's since sung and produced many of her own singles.

Source: Hana Evans Numerous artists also call Cardiff their home. One of the youngest singers making a name for themselves is Hana Evans, otherwise known as Hana2k. Hana hails originally from Penarth, just outside of Cardiff, and has earned accolades aplenty. Between being a finalist on ‘Teen Star UK’ and the ‘Big Music Project UK’ and headlining her own gig for the first time at just 18 years old, Hana’s career proves Wales has more talent than it can cope with.

Collaborating with Trigger Happy Creative on her new song ‘Call Her My Name’ and working with Forté Project, which helps the next generation of Welsh artists, in addition to being a part of Horizons Cymru by the BBC, Hana has plenty of support for her career here in Wales and it’s not uncommon. Despite the small size of the country, there are many doing their best to offer experiences for upcoming acts.

Being based in both Cardiff and London, Hana has support from different outlets when it comes to her music, but she doesn’t just write music in English. As part of the bilingual community in Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan, producer Hana

has even competed in the S4C programme ‘Can i Gymru’ singing her original song ‘Dim Hi’. She shows the bilingual nature and spirit of Cardiff by singing in both languages.

Hana also proves that your age is in no way an obstacle, with countless singles already under her belt at just 19 years old. Young, Welsh artists like Hana are earning opportunities far younger these days than was formerly traditional. With the help of companies like the BBC playing young artists' music and venues more than willing to support them in their ventures into live shows, the music industry is becoming more supportive of the younger generation. To an extent, Welsh musicians like The Manic Street Preachers and Duffy have paved the way, and upcommers are realising their predecessors have offered them the opportunity to follow their ambitions within the Welsh music scene.

Another act originating in Cardiff is Los Campesinos!. The band itself actually formed in Cardiff University in 2006 with one of its members previously being a Gair Rhydd editor and a Quench magazine columnist! The band is now celebrating the 10th anniversary of its album ‘Romance is Boring’ and Los Campesinos! are coming down from the highs of their recent 2019 Summer tour, touring multiple venues across the USA. Despite the fact that none of the members of the band themselves are Welsh, they are considered to be from Cardiff, as Cardiff University was where the formation of the band took place. As a different genre within the Welsh music scene, they claim themselves as the UK’s first and only emo band. The band’s first gig was played at a Cardiff University Students' Union club night in 2006, before going on to play venues across Cardiff and making a name for themselves.

With an online following of over 8,800 followers on Instagram, and over 32,000 followers on Twitter, the band is gaining a bigger audience, which is partly how they originally earned part of their fame. By posting their music on the internet and using social media as a way of drumming up interest for live shows, their reputation grew, with the inclusion of Huw Stephens play-

"We were very fortunate to form in a city that had a very supportive and creative scene. We were spoilt for choice when it came to venues to play, promoters to play for, bands to play with and even club nights and pubs to frequent. From the very start people wanted us to succeed and helped us along the way."

From Budgie to Cuba Cuba, Kids in Glass Houses, Mclusky, and The School to name but a few, Cardiff has produced some immense talent over the years.

It continues to embrace the music industry and its talents, with clubs like Clwb Ifor Bach and Tramshed as two of many clubs in Cardiff continuously supporting Welsh acts.

This year, Sŵn Festival returns to Cardiff for its 12th year, with the festival’s main focus being on new music, homegrown acts and emerging artists in Wales. Between October 18 and 20, Sŵn Festival will take over a handful of venues across Cardiff for its gigs. With no exclusive style of music, the festival books acts they think deserve a platform; acts which Sŵn Festival are proud to support.

With festivals such as Sŵn popularising Welsh artists from any musical background, it’s no real surprise Wales has such a thriving music industry. Because of the support the land of the song offers to new performers, Welsh music continues to go from strength to strength.

Between the Sŵn Festival returning to Cardiff, and the continuous support of companies like BBC, Welsh music holds a place in Welsh culture which is irreplaceable.

To keep up-to-date with Welsh gig nights, visit clwb.net

@CAERDYDD

Challenging the definition of design The resurgence of Cardiff's Design Festival

Natalie Graham @Caerdydd Editor

don’t always have the opportunity to do. Emily sums up perfectly the benefits of attending; “you get to engage with and explore the local creative community more intensely. As

L

ast weekend the city hosted the Cardiff Design Festival.

The festival returned to Cardiff after a 6 year hiatus having successfully run for nearly a decade between 2005-2013, with a brand new team of organisers, aiming to showcase up and coming welsh design talent and celebrate how the creative industries have continued to evolve.

According to Festival organisers the event has returned bigger than ever, with 2019 witnessing an increasingly diverse design community pushing the boundaries between traditional and contemporary design. Organisers stated “we want to share the great work produced in this city and beyond to help inspire our creative community”. The festival aspires to challenge the definition of design itself, drawing on technology, social change and fashion.

Since Cardiff ’s 2008 bid for European Capital of Culture; unfortunately halted in its tracks by the global recession, culture within Cardiff has become a force to be reckoned with. The design festival notably having gone from strength to strength. Cardiff Design represents Cardiff ’s thriving creative hub, generating the ideal environment to admire design projects and inspire future ones. The event runs on an open invitation policy which Running across the entirety of the weekend, there are a diverse and unique collection of events attendees and designers can become immersed in.

FASHION:MARKS, EXHIBITION EXHIBITION- this exhibition is for anyone with a keen eye or interest for fashion without limits. It explores the idea of creative forms through the ‘creative manipulation’ of different sizes and shapes of material to create a visual silhouette.

BODY OF ART TATTOO ART EXHIBITION- A collection of tattoo inspired artwork by a diverse selection of artists.

WTF IS MOTION DESIGN TALK- This talk explores how motion design has become increasingly prevalent in today’s digital world. Brands use motion design to communicate ideas faster and capture our increasingly diminishing attention span CARDIFF ANIMATION NIGHTS - Showcasing award winning independent short animations from around the world.

ART EXHIBITIONS- A selection of local artists have formulated exhibitions located in various locations across Cardiff, including Sophie Potter who celebrates vintage packaging and typography with a botanical twist.

RELATED EVENTS: Martin Parr Exhibition: National Museum 6th October 2019- 4th May 2020 Welsh photography exploring different aspects of welsh life.

Bernd and Hilla Becher: Industrial Visions exhibiton: National Museum 6th October 2019- 1st March 2020 Photography exhibition documenting industrial structures across Europe and the USA Cardiff Design Festival: Gareth Strange talking at Cardiff Design Festival.

Source:@cdfdesignfest (via Instagram) allows local designers and the creative community to submit ideas for events over the course of the weekend. A key selling point is the festivals open, inclusive and welcoming attitude towards local designers.

Collaboration between designers and attendees is deeply encouraged through the organised exhibitions, workshops and many other events the festival has to offer.

We spoke to Mared Jones and Emily Merchant, part of the team reviving the design festival. Mared worked on social media and bilingual copy writing, whilst Emily is a graphic designer, illustrator and fellow creative. A common theme has appeared when asked to summarise the event to potential attendees or designers. Both women emphasised the sheer diversity of Cardiff ’s creative scene. Emily believes that even though it is a design based festival “it’s not exclusive to those only in the industry, anyone can go along to a talk, exhibition, workshop or drop in session to pick up a new skill.

There’s something for everyone”.

Mared summarised the Cardiff design festival as a “Celebration of all things design in Cardiff. Held over four days in cool venues, attendees have the chance to visit exhibitions, attend workshops, browse market places and network with designers and design lovers. It is for anyone and everyone who identifies as creative”.

The design festival offers so much to both designers and non-designers alike. Whilst some find inspiration, others glance at exhibits in awe. For the organisers, creatives and attendees the festival means Cardiff ’s cultural hub is increasingly getting the attention it deserves. From a designers perspective for Emily, who has only recently moved back to Cardiff at the start of the year, the festival has given her an opportunity to immerse herself back into Cardiff ’s cultural scene. Emily felt she could be more in tune with the community around her, the festival provided

an opportunity to get involved in cross collaboration from every design sector in Cardiff. “What I didn’t expect as a result of getting involved however was how much I would get in return. Community, friendship, family. I couldn’t rate the experience highly enough”.

Although Mared is “less of a designer and more a doodler”, her experience of the festival was as complimentary as Emily’s, giving an insight in what the design festival has to offer to designers and non-designers alike. “I adored every second of the festival. For aspiring or current designers there is plenty of inspiration, chances to learn and networking opportunities. Nondesigners can definitely find something fun in the market places and interactive workshops. I genuinely loved seeing Cardiff ’s wonderful creative people coming together to celebrate everything our creative scene has to offer and give it the recognition it absolutely deserves”.

Having a design festival as successful as Cardiff ’s on your doorstep, is an opportunity too hard to turn down. It provides an easy way of immersing yourself in Cardiff ’s community, something students

Drawing Natural Forms: Global Gardens, Flaxland Allotment 26th October 11:00-14:00pm A relaxed and fun workshop, study natural forms using simple drawing techniques a designer it’s fantastic for expanding your knowledge, making new connections, meeting the peoples whose work you’ve been following online forever, inviting the possibility for collaborations across sectors and learning new skills. You meet so many people at each event, it’s made me feel incredibly proud to be a part of such a warm welcoming and eclectic community”.

When asked if the festival will be returning annually, Mared stated that “If the demand and support is there then we’d love to make it an annual thing”. If this does become the case then look out for advertisement to 2020’s design festival, especially if you have a keen interest for design, diverse and unique artwork or need something to do on a typically wet autumnal Cardiff weekend.

To keep up to date with the latest events visit: https://cardiffdesignfestival.com

27

Events - October 2019 Village Hotel Cardiff: The Murder Trial Live 2019 October 25, 6:30pm until 10:30pm Pendwyallt Road

The Globe Cardiff: Club Tropicana (The UK's biggest 80s night) October 25, 9:00pm Albany Road

Cardiff Events: Cookery School Experience with Chef Anand George October 26 in Purple Poppadom.

Oxjam Music Festival October 27, Womanby Street

National Museum Cardiff: Museums at Night Cardiff 2019 October 31 until 2 November Source: Elliott Bown (via Flickr)

St. David's Hall: Van Morrison October 23

Tramshed Cardiff: Nsg October 27, 7:30pm until 11:00pm

Van Morrison performing in 2013.

Source: Jarvin (via Wikimedia Commons)

Wales Millennium Centre:

On Your Feet!

October 21 until October 26 FFR

St. Fagans & Cardiff general:

Diwali Mela October 20, 11:00am until 4:00pm Techniquest After Hours: Creepy Carnival October 24, Cardiff Bay

St. Fagans. Source: Dave Snowden (via Wikimedia Commons)

Black Star Riders October 24, 06:30, Cardiff University Melin Edo at 'it will glow' event- Cardiff Design Festival. Source:@cdfdesignfest (via Instagram)

Cardiff Internationa; Film Festival October 24, 10:00am until 4:30pm,

SPORT

To contact our sport desk, drop us an email at sport@gairrhydd.com

SPORT

For more content, head to gairrhydd.com/sport

CHWARAEON

28

For more content, head to gairrhydd.com/sport

NBA 2019-20 season preview T

George Willoughby Deputy Head of Sport Tom Walker Digital Media Editor

Los Angeles Clippers

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ollowing a successful run to the Eastern Conference finals, the Bucks are looking to run it back this season by retaining the core that got them the best regular season record last year.

A lot of their off-season business involved locking up their existing starters, with Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez signing long term contracts.

The 28-year-old Middleton became a first time All-Star in the 18-19 season, averaging a solid 18 points a game as well as shooting a 38% from behind the perimeter.

There were other notable additions to the roster, with Kyle Korver and Wesley Matthews coming in to provide much needed playoff experience as well as more three-point shooting.

Reece Chambers George Willoughby Ella Fenwick Luke Wakeling Olly Allen

court and backcourt players having the ability to dominate in their respective positions. Will Giannis retain his crown? Or will Steph Curry add to his two awards? Whatever the outcome, the NBA season will not disappoint.

n an action-packed off-season, one of the biggest beneficiaries were the Los Angeles Clippers. Not only did they acquire the reigning NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard, but they also added 29-year old Paul George.

George, who is coming off the back

of an excellent 28 points per game season (2nd in the league), joined the Clippers with many other teams in pursuit of his services.

Unsurprisingly, the Clippers are one of the more favoured sides for the new NBA season, with two all-star calibre players as well as a strong roster.

Alongside Leonard and George, at the point there is the defensively orientated Patrick Beverley and the seven-foot Ivica Zubac will anchor the painted area.

Of course, you cannot forget the backto-back NBA Sixth Man of the Year Lou Williams who provides vital production coming off the bench.

The Clippers have been improving with each season, in particular, their 115.10 points per game last year ranked

an impressive 5th amongst NBA teams.

They are also 18th in assists, 13th in rebounding and 7th in shooting percentage with an efficient 47% from the field.

Head Coach Doc Rivers and his side have the foundations for an excellent year, especially how they fared in last year’s post-season.

Sneaking in through the eighth seed, they faced the improbable task of defeating the Golden State Warriors.

They lost the series 4-2 but staging the biggest comeback in playoff history in game two was an exceptional showing of the talent in their squad.

Now, with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George on the roster, the Clippers are definitely contenders for this seasons NBA Championship.

However, the loss of former rookie of the year Malcom Brogdan may be costly.

The 26 year-old shot an impressive 50% from the field and 90% at the freethrow line as well as being just as good on the other end of the floor, being able to defend across multiple positions.

It is no secret that the Bucks success relies on reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. Giannis averaged 28 points on 58% efficiency, 12 rebounds and six assists in a historic season.

He also showed signs of improvement setting career highs in most of his stats and most notably total three pointers made which is the weakest part of his game.

The Buck’s system revolves around Giannis driving to the basket and either finishing at the rim or kicking it out to

open shooters.

They attempted the second most three-pointers in the regular season (38.2) and I expect this to continue with the formerly mentioned additions of shooters Korver and Matthews.

Milwaukee Bucks

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Top-three frontcourt MVP contenders

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Your sport desk

loughby and Digital Media Editor Tom Walker have chosen the Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Clippers as two teams who have a great chance of going all the way. The label of MVP will be tightly contested, with several front-

he new NBA season is approaching and Gair Rhydd Sport has been analysing some of the potential candidates for the title as well as the favourites for the MVP award.

Deputy Head of Sport George Wil-

eigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo was simply brilliant last season. Ranking 3rd in points scored, 11th in field goal percentage and 6th in rebounding to bring together an all-around dominant year for the 24-year-old.

However, he faces tough competition as some of the players in the NBA frontcourt’s are exceptional.

Anthony Davis, otherwise known as ‘The Brow’ has partnered with Lebron James for the Los Angeles Lakers. Davis, who was dominant whilst in New Orleans, should thrive not being the focal point of the offence.

Lebron James desperately needed some assistance in LA, and Anthony Davis could well be the perfect addition.

Another player very much a contender for the MVP award is Kawhi Leonard.

Leonard pioneered a historical championship-winning season in Toronto, but he has also relocated to Los Angeles.

Himself and Paul George have transferred to the LA Clippers forming an intimidating duo.

Known for his defence, Leonard is an invaluable lockdown defender as well as being consistent on the offensive end.

6th in points per game and 7th in steals displays his prowess at both ends of the floor.

The Clippers looks like an excellent fit for Leonard to succeed and should provide him with a great opportunity to make a good claim for the MVP award.

There are more players who have not made our shortlist, especially the likes of Joel Embiid and Nicola Jokic who could easily come away with the award come the end of the regular season.

J

Top-three backcourt MVP contenders

ames Harden must have been feeling slightly aggrieved not to have picked up the MVP award last season.

He led the league with an incredible 36.1 points per game, with his patented step-back three-point shot proving unguardable.

It is a move so subtle, yet so effective in creating enough space for him to release from deep.

What was even more impressive with Harden’s statline last season was his steals. The 30-year-old has been heavily criticised for his defence in recent years, but he actually finished second in steals per game which showed that it is not all about scoring points for Harden.

If he matches or even comes close to last seasons production, he will most definitely be one of the leading contend-

ers for the MVP award.

Stephen Curry is exceptional, and he is primed for another huge year.

Kevin Durant has departed and Klay Thompson will be missing parts of the season with an ACL injury.

The offensive impetus rests on his shoulders which is a burden he is no stranger to.

Curry can score points like no other player and he is another one of our leading guards for the MVP. There is no doubting Ben Simmonds’ ability, yet the focus is on his inferior jump-shot instead of his playmaking and finishing at the rim.

He is one of the less fancied players for the MVP, yet, if he can show consistency from range, he would be the most potent offensive threats in the NBA.

ToTo contact contact our our sport sport desk, desk, drop drop usus anan email email atat sport@gairrhydd.com sport@gairrhydd.c

CHWARAEON

Eliud Kipchoge breaks two-hour barrier in iconic marathon run F The International Association of Athletics Federations won’t be counting it as

29

Jack Vavasour Cardiff Blues Columnist

ollowing a relatively negative column last week, I was hoping that this week the Blues might give their fans some renewed hope.

Unfortunately, supporters were left frustrated. Cardiff were once again at the wrong end of a defeat to a Glasgow team playing some excellent rugby.

Admittedly, Glasgow are one of the best sides in the league and still, despite the World Cup, appear to have a relatively strong side.

The fact that they still have the devastatingly dangerous Huw Jones on the bench speaks wonders for their strength in depth. A 17- 13 loss reflects kindly on the Blues with all things considered.

This defeat should be looked upon favourably for Mulvihill and his men, they travelled away against a difficult side and came away with the losing bonus point.

Over the course of the season every point is highly important and can mean the difference between qualification for the knockout stages and a failed season.

History maker: Eliud Kipchoge goes sub-two hours in Vienna Mulvihill now must rebuild over the Source: Wikimedia Commons week off and come back against Ulster even stronger. thon, we spoke to Cardiff University’s Jan Frodeno and Annie Haug put in reSimilarly to Glasgow, Ulster are one of Triathlon Club about the record: “As an cord breaking times to win the Ironman the better sides in the league and beating individual sporting performance it is an World Champs.” them will incredible achievement, level with Rog“These all help to raise the profile of be no mean feat. Yet a challenge is poer Bannister breaking the 4 minute mile. endurance sport, and help to further tentially exactly what this side needs now.

But it also goes beyond that and shows inspire people to show that anything is They will that barriers are there to be broken and possible. travel to Ireland under pressure with can be with the right attitude and prepaWhilst anyone wanting to race an only two of the worst teams in the league ration.” endurance event needs to respect the below them.

“Over the weekend a sub-2 hour distance and train appropriately, it will This is not a desirable position for such marathon was run, the women’s mara- hopefully encourage others to push their an ambitious side. There is still a long thon world record was shattered, and own personal limits.” season ahead, yet to be slow out of the blocks is worrying for any side.

Over in Japan, new boy Hallam Amos had a turbulent game against Uruguay in his first start of the World Cup. He had two tries disallowed after the passes to him were deemed to have gone forward. Then the icing on the cake came as he was clear through for a simple try when he decided to go for an unnecessary wonder finish and threw the ball over the line.

As such an experienced player this was disappointing to see, it certainly won’t reflect favourably on him as the tournament goes forward. This could not be in greater contrast to his new team mate, Josh Adams, who has recently revealed that he is aiming to be the top try scorer at this tournament.

Adams didn’t stop there, he also wishes to equal or break the all-time record for most tries at a tournament which currently stands at eight.

If he manages to achieve this then he will go down in the annals of rugby history and will arrive at the Arms The Reds: Liverpool’s ladies line up before a WSL match Park a national hero and with exSource: Wikimedia Commons treme expectation surrounding the new signing. where Arsenal will be given the oppor- the Lionesses at the World Cup. tunity to interrupt Manchester City’s At the beginning of the season, a winning streak this season. In addition, major match between Manchester Birmingham have a match against Liv- City and Manchester United had an erpool to see if they are able to over- attendance of 31,213 at the Etihad Statake them comfortably in the league. dium, which is the highest ever within Pressure has been put on the Wom- the Women’s Super league. Another en’s Super League to capitalise on large large match (24,564 fans) that took audiences for the rest of the season fol- place in a major stadium was at Stamlowing a steep increase in the following ford bridge between Tottenham Hotof women’s football since the success of spur and Chelsea.

an official record though

James Grant Contributor

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n October 12, Eliud Kipchoge became the first runner to break the two hour Marathon time barrier. Kipchoge ran the 26.2 mile specially designed course in an astounding 1:59:40 seconds in Vienna.

The race was organised with special conditions to enable Kipchoge to achieve the record.

For the ‘Ineos 1:59’ event, Eliud made use of a group of top athletes as pacesetters as well as a car that fired green lasers at the road to ensure he maintained a steady 13mph.

During a typical marathon, the runners are permitted to obtain refreshments from stations located around the race.

However, in Kipchoge’s marathon, his trainer cycled energy gels to him whilst he ran which, along with the aforementioned specialities, is against the rules of the IAAF body. As a result, it will not be recognised officially as the record time, which Kipchoge holds (2:01:39, Berlin 2018).

To beat the two-hour mark, he had to run 100m in 17.08 seconds constantly for 26.2miles at an average of 13.1 mph - which to contextualise, is a speed not

available on most treadmills.

As the build-up to the race began, Kipchoge was not trying to hide from the pressures of his run.

The Olympic champion had said in an interview before October 12 “I’m running to show that there are no limits, no human is limited.

“Berlin was running and breaking a world record - Vienna is running and making history, like the first man to go to the moon.”

The Kenyan has now consolidated himself as the greatest marathon runner in history and the magnitude of the achievement was not lost on the running community or the wider sporting world.

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta tweeted “You’ve done it, you’ve made history and made Kenya proud while at it. Your win today will inspire tens of future generations to dream big and to aspire for greatness.”

This was not Kipchoge’s first attempt after falling short by 25 seconds in Monza for Nike’s breaking two event.

At a rocky time for the athletics world, with star trainer Alberto Salazar’s Nike Oregon Project being closed down due to doping allegations; Kipchoge’s achievement helps regain some lost trust within the athletic community.

After Kipchoge’s astounding mara-

Women’s Super League So Far

Sport Editor-Ella Fenwick provides an update on the first batch of Women’s Super League results so far this season Ella Fenwick Sport Editor

A

rsenal suffered their first defeat in the 2019/20 Women’s Super League against Chelsea (2-1), dropping them down to third in the league table. It proved to be revenge for Chelsea a year after being thrashed by the Gunners 5-0.

Daniella Van de Donk opened the scoring for Arsenal, but Chelsea levelled shortly after with a goal from Beth England. Victory to Chelsea was brought by the winning strike from Maria Thorisdottir, ending Arsenal’s unbeaten run which had stretched back to January.

Manchester City remains top of the league with an unbeaten streak this season after winning four matches.

Most recently they defeated Birmingham 3-0, leaving the Blues at the bottom of the league with no wins this season.

In a quiet first half, Keira Walsh scored the first goal for Manchester City before Tessa Wullaert and Lee Geum-min netted after the break.

Manchester United climbed to fourth in the league after a 3-0 win

against Tottenham Hotspur. Kirsty Hanson scored the first goal for United, followed by an unfortunate own goal from Tottenham Hotspur, before Jane Ross completed the scoring. Lauren James, being the youngest player on the pitch at 18 years old, received the Player of the Match award after showing a promising attitude throughout despite being booked stoppage time of the match.

Liverpool climbed above Birmingham to 11th place on the table, after a 1-1 draw with Bristol City, who are now in 10th place. This has left the points tight between the bottom four places, as Brighton remain in 9th place after a 3-1 lose to West Ham. The Hammers are level on points with Reading who won a thrilling match against Everton. The Royals won 3-2, with their third goal being scored in the 70th minute by Lisa-Marie Utland. The game began in erratic fashion, with the first four goals being scored in the opening 23 minutes.

Reading’s were both netted by Jade Moore, while Everton’s were scored firstly by Chloe Kelly then Lucy Graham.

After a short break, the Women’s Super League returns on October 27,

30 SPORT Croatia draw leaves Wales needing a favour Olly Allen Sport Editor

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ualification for Euro 2020 is now out of Wales’ hands despite Ryan Giggs’ side earning a 1-1 draw against Croatia on October 13. They now need to beat both Azerbaijan and Hungary next month and hope that Slovakia drop points against Croatia in order to get to the finals automatically.

That is not to say that it was a bad result at the Cardiff City Stadium, Croatia after all were World Cup finalists less than 18 months ago and have reigning Ballon d’Or winner Luka Modric on their side. Indeed, Giggs suggested that it could prove to be a “vital” point against a very talented opponent.

Nikola Vlasic had given the visitors the lead early on in the game, before Gareth Bale was Wales’ saviour once again as he equalised in the first The influence of the Real Madrid man should never be understated. His 33rd international goal was one of only two moments of quality the team showed in the game – the other being the assist from Ben Davies. The left-back showed endeavour to get to the ball ahead of Mateo Kovacic before being composed enough to perfectly play through Bale, who netted expertly.

But throughout the game, the quality in Croatia’s midfield was clear. The likes of Modric, Kovacic and Ivan Rakitic continually danced around Wales as the hosts failed to hold on to the ball for long periods. It highlights just how much the team miss Aaron Ramsey, who stands alongside Bale as one of their key players.

Due to injury, the 28-year-old has not played an international game since November 2018, meaning he is yet to feature in a Euro 2020 qualifier. Wales will not want to look back on this qualifying campaign and wonder what may have happened if Ramsey was fit, and they can only hope that he is available for the two crunch games next month.

But supporters may have found a new hero in Kieffer Moore. He only made his international debut in a friendly against Belarus in September, but the striker may already have become a focal point for the side because he offers something different.

Wales have host wingers, in October’s squad alone you count Gareth Bale, Dan James, Harry Wilson, Tom Lawrence and Rabbi Matondo. Add in the injured David Brooks and the out of form Ben Woodburn, and Wales perhaps have too many options out wide.

Moore on the other hand is an imposing 6ft 5in striker, who acts as a target for these wingers as well as the midfield and creates trouble for opposition defences.

After heading home his first goal for his country against Slovakia, the 27-year-old won six aerial duels against Croatia, double that of anyone else on the pitch. Croatia manager Zlatko Dalić admitted his side had spoken about Moore’s threat before the game and didn’t find it easy coming up against him.

If the Barnsley man can unsettle Azerbaijan and Hungary next month, Wales will have every chance of coming away with the desired result.

Why the selection of sporting event hosts needs urgent change Head of Sport, Reece Chambers, analyses recent issues in the sporting sphere

Reece Chambers Head of Sport

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orld sport’s leading governing bodies must do more to safeguard athletes and spectators whilst also continuing the development of sporting interest around the world.

World Rugby, IAAF and FIFA are the latest governing bodies to be criticised over the awarding of sporting events to Japan and Qatar.

The recent arrival of Typhoon Hagibis in Japan sent shockwaves around the entire sporting sphere, with the Rugby World Cup currently taking place across the country. With a minimum of 43 deaths and over 110,000 emergency workers deployed to rescue those in isolation, Japan currently finds itself dealing with a national emergency whilst also hosting a major sporting event.

Whilst World Rugby had no way of forecasting the typhoon when awarding Japan the tournament, such frequent adverse weather conditions in Asia should have been accounted for better.

This national tragedy proves to be another point on a lengthy list of the problematic hosting of sporting events with Doha 2019 providing equally serious issues.

In Qatar earlier this year, the hosting of the Athletics World Championships proved to add further problems to an already tarnished sport. Major sporting events are meant to increase the overall interest in the sport, not make a mockery of it.

However, the constant scenes of half-empty stadiums (at best) and alarmin g health concerns add more fuel to an already raging fire for the IAAF.

The I newspaper reported during the tournament that one commentator had plenty to say about the farcical nature of the women’s 100m final: “It’s an embarrassment to the sport and an indictment of the people who chose to bring it here.

“The population here has no interest in what is playing out and the quality of the sport, some of which has been excellent, has done nothing to change it. All of that was predictable from the moment the decision was announced in 2014.”

Such damning remarks point towards the need for a change in tact about how major sporting events are awarded. However, that’s not the end of the story for sport in Qatar.

Despite Michel Platini being arrested in June 2019 over the awarding of the FIFA World Cup to the Middle Eastern country, it will be going ahead in 2022. Not only will this add major disruption to the football calendar in Europe and the rest of the world, but it also indicates that FIFA, much like the IAAF, value financial progression over spectatorial enjoyment. That shouldn’t be a surprise, and maybe that’s the point. Increasingly, sports fans are becoming more and more let down by those who are responsible for providing major sports events.

FIFA and IAAF have a duty to improve their bidding processes Remember the sunny days watching England reach the World Cup semifinal last summer? You can forget that, with Qatar 2022 set to take place over November and December 2022.

And, with flight prices going far into the thousands, fans from Europe and

Lights out: The hosting of sporting events heavily relies on world class stadiums. Source: Flickr America will find it harder to watch their nations, in world football’s most prestigious tournament.

It’s not only the fans who will suffer, though, it’s the players too.

As already mentioned, the disruption to major football leagues, including the Premier League, La Liga and Bundesliga, looks to be causing more hassle than good.

However, more alarmingly, the conditions in which players will be competing is likely to take a toll on their bodies - affecting quality of performance not only at the World Cup, but also when they return to domestic football.

Similar concerns were voiced recently, with the hosting of the Athletics World Championships in Doha leading to several drop-outs in the women’s

marathon, amongst other events.

All of the aforementioned factors and examples point towards the need for serious change in the way that sporting events are awarded to countries.

Of course, the World Championships can’t be held in the US every four years. Neither can the FIFA World Cup be held in Brazil, Germany or the UK. However, what we need to see is an improvement in the way that sport’s major governing bodies award flagship events such as the FIFA World Cup, Rugby World Cup or Athletics World Championships to nations.

Otherwise, there will just be a continued risk of either losing interest or risking a serious decrease in quality of performance.

Lauren Price brings home gold

Welsh Fighter wins title at Women’s World Boxing Championship

Ella Fenwick Sport Editor

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he Women’s World Boxing Championships took place in Russia over the course of October, bringing many victories to the GB team. It allows female boxers from all over the world to fight for a prestigious title in one of the 10 weight categories. Over 224 athletes competed from 57 countries in order to find the top 10 female boxers in the world, within the 10 days of competition.

One of the fighters who was successful in bringing home gold was Welsh fighter Lauren Price. Her middleweight deciding fight was

against Nouchka Fontijn, representing the Netherlands. Initially, Fontijn had won the fight on a split decision, with three judges scoring her higher. Price originally received favour from two judges, however all the scores were within close-ranges of each other.

When the results were released, GB boxing appealed, prompting for a three-person bout review, and the decision of the second round was overturned.

After hearing of the appeal, Fontijn refused to reappear on the podium to receive silver. This led Price to gold and a World Championship title, a year after she had received bronze for the same event.

Price has become an inspiration to female boxers, not only with her lat-

est win as world champion. In 2014, she was the first Welsh female boxer to claim a medal at the Commonwealth Games. In addition, over the last two years she has climbed the leader boards, as she now holds the title of a European champion and a Commonwealth Games champion, which she received in Australia.

Another two GB boxers appeared on the podium at the Women’s World Boxing Championships.

Light-fly weight, Demie-Jade Resztan received third place in her weight class. As well as Karris Artingstall, also claiming bronze at featherweight. With three fighters aiming to represent the country next summer, the GB female boxing team is filled with hope for the 2020 Olympics in Japan.

Women’s boxing has grown rapidly recently, receiving attention worldwide, creating a more female inclusive environment inside the sport. The 2020 Olympics have added further weight categories to the sport, opening up five official weight classes for women.

From personal experience of being in the ring for nearly ten years, I found Price’s performance inspiring to see how hard she has worked to achieve her goals. With women’s boxing coverage and popularity increasing on all platforms, it has encouraged more respect towards these female athletes. I have seen the number of women attending boxing clubs climb over the years, and how the competitions have also become more inclusive.

BUCS Highlights

CHWARAEON 31

A round-up of Cardiff University’s sporting action from the latest BUCS Wednesday of the season

Cardiff 1s 3-0 Swansea 2s Men’s Football

Ryan Dabbs Contributor

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ardiff University Football Club’s First team came into their match with Swansea knowing they had to carry on the momentum they built from the previous week if they wanted to win the league.

Swansea started well and came out quickly, creating a few goal-scoring opportunities.

However, Cardiff managed to weather their efforts and started to grow into the game, getting in behind Swansea’s defence on multiple occasions.

Swansea were struggling to deal with the attacking trio of Tiago Soares, Munashe Mandaza and Leigh Allan, who constantly threatened Swansea’s back line.

After some strong challenges, Cardiff scored when Jack Fosberry quickly played the ball out to Ryan Dabbs who opened their defence by chipping the ball over the top.

Mandaza collected Dabbs’ pass

and poked the ball past the Swansea keeper into the empty net.

Cardiff shortly lost their grip on the first half though, with Swansea’s clever movement causing problems in midfield and dragging players out of position.

Despite this, Swansea couldn’t capitalize on their midfield dominance and failed to create any noteworthy chances.

The second half was a lot more comfortable for Cardiff,who squandered many chances to go 2-0 up.

The team finally settled into the game, with Will Stone scoring a rebound goal to double Cardiff ’s lead.

Ben Taylor added a third after dribbling through Swansea’s defence and slotting it calmly past the keeper.

It was a hardworking performance from Cardiff, who should be pleased with their clean sheet and comfortable margin of victory, despite failing to convert many chances.

Momentum is building and hopefully Cardiff can carry this on for the rest of the season in both the league and cup.

Cardiff 1s 35-34 Exeter 2s Five Netball teams in action

Catrin Powney Contributor

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ive Cardiff University Netball teams were competing in BUCS on Wednesday, coming away with a mixture of results.

The Sixths faced some transport issues which led to a shaky start; unfortunately they couldn’t claw back the seven point goal difference and lost to Swansea’s Thirds 31-24.

The Fifths had a last minute cancellation from Trinity St David’s, whilst the Fourths travelled to Gloucestershire to face their Thirds.

An aggressive defence meant that the Fourths lost out 38-27, but the game was well contested and the team put in a strong performance.

The Cardiff Thirds put up a good fight but missed out to Bristol’s Thirds in a 38-30 loss.

It was a tough first game in

the Western 2B league for the Thirds, after they gained promotion last season to join the Seconds.

The Seconds recovered from a poor first half showing to dominate Gloucestershire’s Seconds, winning 46-28 in a solid team performance.

The Firsts faced a tough challenge against Exeter’s Seconds, who were coming off the back of a big win against Cardiff Met last week.

The team came out strongly to take the lead in the first quarter thanks to some great attacking work and accurate shooting.

However, Exeter managed to stay in the game with some resilient play and came back in the final quarter to draw level with just 90 seconds remaining .

In a tense ending ith both teams fighting to gain the lead, Cardiff displayed some great shots and defensive interceptions to snatch the win 35-34.

BUCS preview for this Wednesday

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he Men’s First Football Team face Bristol’s Fourth Team in the Western Conference Cup, looking to continue their good form.

The Women’s First Football team will face Cardiff Met in Women’s Premier, after losing to Bristol’s First team last week. The Cardiff Women’s First Hockey Team host UCL’s first team in the ICG

Women’s Premier, in what will be their first match of the season.

The Cardiff Women’s First Netball Team make the short trip to Cardiff Met to play their Seconds.

Also in action are the Men’s First Rugby team who host Loughborough.

Cardiff will look to bounce back from their defeat by Bath and put in a strong performance.

Narrow victory: Source: Cardiff University Netball Club

Cardiff 25-52 Bath

Bath dominate Cardiff to inflict a second loss in a row for David Lakin’s Men

Ben Lovell-Smith Contributor

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ardiff University were defeated heavily by a dominant University of Bath performance at the Rec, making it two losses on the bounce for David Lakin’s young men.

This weeks match was played in much better conditions, offering a chance for attacking rugby, suiting Cardiff to a tee.

This would be Bath’s first home game of the season, following three consecutive away losses.

However, the homeside would be buoyed by the spectacle of this being their annual ‘Anniversary Game’,

with 4,500 spectators attending.

Cardiff started the match with great intent, with their first try coming within just two minutes of the kick off.

Ed Dunford caught Bath napping from a tap penalty within his own half, sending Charlie Dyde flying down the right who put Marcus Ramage home with a pin point miss pass.

But the tale of the first half was Bath’s unprecedented forward dominance.

Bath managed to recover the ball from the restart and pick and go all the way to the line, with the try coming from Tom Rowlands.

From the restart, Dunford took the game into his own hands as he

opted to bisect the uprights with a drop kick.

Despite such a fantastic start, Bath arrested control from here.

Cardiff ’s ill discipline cost them dear, as Bath were able to use the driving maul - their most potent weapon.

As a result, Jordi den Hartog had already completed his hat trick by half time.

Only a well taken penalty from Dunford could gloss the scoreboard for Cardiff, making it 24-13 at half time.

This dominance up front would only continue, as Bath’s strong scrum and lineout play offered further tries for players Simon Elrick and Alex Nisbett alongside a penalty

try awarded for a collapsed scrum.

As the game wore on and legs tired, the field started to open up.

Cardiff winger George Thomas scored a scintillating try, as openside Lloyd Pike and Dyde linked up to break through down the left and Thomas finished acrobatically.

Bath responded with their most adventurous try of the evening.

Wing Luca Mignot used excellent footwork to break the defensive line and offload to send scrum half Ed Rimmer under the posts, and cap a disappointing night for Cardiff.

Cameron Lewis crashed over for a consolation try at the end but it wasn’t to be for Cardiff, who will look to bounce back at Llanrumney against Loughborough in round five.

Getting to know...

Alex Jones Cardiff Uni Football

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n this week’s getting to know segment, Head of Sport, Reece Chambers, spoke with Alex Jones of Cardiff University Football Club.

Having played for the university’s football club since the very start of his time in Cardiff, Jones has worked his way to the committee of the club, becoming Vice-Chairman this year.

Jones explains that the role requires great responsibility.

“I am the Vice-Chairman this year, which means I assist the chairman and help with sign up at the fayre, designing new kits and stash for the team. I am part of the committee with ultimate responsibility for the club.”

With over two years of playing experience with Cardiff University FC, Jones has seen plenty of drama and excitement on the pitch.

Whilst playing in Varsity had been a great experience for Jones, his personal highlight with the club came last season when they came close to winning their BUCS league after an impressive performance versus Aberystwyth.

“My highlight from playing for the club would have to be when we beat Aberystwyth 8-1 to give us a shout of winning the title last year,” said Jones.

Just like plenty of other sports team members at Cardiff University, Jones has the challenge of balancing his time between studies and sport.

With two training sessions a week, a match on Wednesday and involvement in the university’s futsal team, Jones has plenty of sport to balance with his degree.

However, Jones is thankful that sporting commitments are mostly outside of his contact hours: “It is a lot of sport but done mostly outside of lecture hours which is accommodating.”

To sum up how much Cardiff University has influenced his time in Cardiff, Jones says that joining the club was the best decision he has made.

“It wouldn’t have been the same if I hadn’t done sport. It has definitely been the best decision I made because of the opportunity to play football at a good standard.”

When asked whether he would prefer to win BUCS or Varsity, Jones stated that he sees winning the BUCS league as far more prestigious than Varsity.

“Obviously both would be ideal but I think we’d certainly prefer to win our BUCS league to show our dominance in the UK whereas Varsity is one game, nothing in comparison to the whole season,” said Jones.

On top of that, Jones paid tribute to the club’s focus on performances so far this season.

Whilst in previous years the club has enjoyed the social aspect of the club, this year appears to be much more performance orientated.

“In past years social aspect has been more focused on in the club but this year we’re trying to make sure there’s a better balance of performance and social.

“At the end of the day, the performance must come first as we represent the university.”

CHWARAEON

To contact our sport desk, drop us an email at sport@gairrhydd.com

sport

BUCS Highlights Men’s Rugby, Netball and more Page 31

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chwaraeon Euro 2020 Qualification out of Wales’s hands Page 30

NBA Preview The new season begins this week Page 28

Getting to know: Alex Jones Reece Chambers Head of Sport

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n this week’s ‘Getting to Know’ segment, Head of Sport, Reece Chambers spoke to Alex Jones of Men’s Football. In an exclusive interview, Jones speaks about his desire to win BUCS this season. In addition, find out about his earliest football memory, his highlight playing for the university team and what other Cardiff sports side he represents. Jones also describes how playing for the football team is “the best decision” he has made at university.

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Lauren Price wins boxing gold Ella Fenwick Sport Editor

Rapid: Sam Gordon needs your help to get to Tokyo 2020. Source: Owen Morgan

Fastest Welshman in history has Olympic ambition Olly Allen Sport Editor

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s Usain Bolt crossed the finish line in world record time in the 100m sprint at the 2008 Olympics, Sam Gordon, then only 13 years old, sat at home enthused.

“He made it look so easy, I was inspired,” Gordon said in an exclusive interview with Gair Rhydd. “Up until that point I wasn’t sure if the sport was for me”. The teenager had previously been a keen footballer and only been pushed into athletics by his PE teachers.

11 years on, he is officially Wales’s fastest man with an 100m time of 10.08 seconds and is aiming to compete in the Olympics himself in Tokyo next summer.

“Becoming the fastest man in Wales’s history established me

across Britain and showed the potential that I have”, Gordon, who lives in Whitchurch, said.

“My immediate goal is to make it to the the Olympic team next year.

I love anime and everything to do with Japan, so I’ve always said if I’m going to make any games, it has to be this one. I can’t imagine myself not making it. Hopefully, if everything goes well I can also sneak under that ten second barrier.

“The long-term goal is that I want a medal at every single major championship I go to. I want to go down as one of the best athletes ever in history. Being a world record holder is the dream”.

So far in his career, the 24-year-old has been part of the Great Britain 4x100m relay team at the 2018 Anniversary Games in London as well as the inaugural Athletics World Cup in the same year, which he cites as one of his proudest moments to date.

But getting to Tokyo won’t be easy.

Gordon doesn’t have enough funding to train full-time, so works as an activities coordinator for the Vale of Glamorgan council.

I want to go down as one of the best athletes ever in history.”

Sam Gordon

He admitted: “I train in the morning and then I work in the afternoon.

So it is doable, but at the same time it’s pretty challenging. I lack the recovery because I’m on my feet all day, so it can take its toll on the body”.

To try and ease the pressure and strain, Gordon has set up a GoFundMe page and aims to raise £25,000 in order to help him with

transport, food, kit, living bills, medical costs, memberships and competition fees.

“It will cover anything and everything you can think of. Even weekly yoga sessions, which may only be £10 a pop but it all racks up!” he laughed.

“It would allow me to essentially go full-time and not have to worry about anything other than training and competing as well as I can”.

Gordon trains six days a week at the Cardiff Met campus and is coached by Matt Elias, who won gold for Great Britain in the 4x400m relay at the 2002 European Championships.

“It’s going well but it’s been tough so far,” Gordon said of his preparations for the Olympic trials next year. “But I’ve started in a better shape than I’ve ever started before so I’m very excited to see what I’m going to do”.

W

elsh fighter Lauren Price brought home gold from the Women’s World Boxing Championship, winning a title in the middleweight category against Nouchka Fontijn from the Netherlands. This decision was made after an appeal by GB boxing, asking for a review of the original split decision.

The future of British female boxing is looking bright after two other teammates, Karris Artingstall and DemieJade Resztan, also collected bronze in the World Championships in UlanUde, Russia.

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First sub-two hour marathon James Grant Contributor

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istory was made on October 12 as Kenyan runner Eliud Kipchoge became the first man to complete the marathon in under two hours, recording a time of 1:59:40 in Vienna. The race was organised with special conditions, such as allowing Kipchoge energy gels and a group of pacesetters to help him run as fast as possible. To get their reaction, Gair Rhydd Sport spoke to the Cardiff University Triathlon Club about the achievement.

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