FREE
DECEMBER 2020
ISSUE 293
Contents
December 2020 News
• Christmas Student Travel
Features
• Movember Ambassadors • Finding the Perfect Student House
Advice • • • •
Abusive Relationships Consent Workshop Make a Smile PCOS - The Hidden Battle Many Women Face
Science and Research
• NASA to return to the moon by 2024 • Months of Night • Oriel Science Museum • US Election: What is Going On?
Fashion
• Greenwashing in Fashion • Is it Possible to Be Sustainable and have a Wardrobe with the Latest Trends?
Societies
• LGBT+ Speed Friending Event • Resurrecting the Media Society • SUCES x Dunescapes Beach Art
Creative Writing • • • •
Na-No-Wri-GO Na-No-Wri-Mo Things That Are Red Two Poems by Sophie Apps
Literature • • • •
A Most Unusual Pitch Haikus from the Plague Lands Oh to gouging eyes out Bethan’s Book of the Month
Music
• Save our Venues Initiative • The Local Scene - November • What Makes a Christmas Song?
Wellbeing
• Addiction During the Pandemic • Movember - Raising Awareness of Men’s Health
Travel
• Christmas in Germany • Year Abroad Culture Shocks
Sustainability
• 10 Tips for Sustainable Christmas Celebrations • Sustainable Book Buying Guide • The Great Green Wall Project • Will Biden’s Presidency Bring a Renaissance of Environmental Policy?
Our Editorial Team Editor-in-Chief Bethan Bates
Advice Bethan Collins
Deputy Editor Alex Baker
Societies Rachel Hart
Proofreading Sam Binnie, Angie Bosher, and Franziska Trumpp
Fashion Rhianydd Sword
waterfronteditor @swanseastudentmedia.com
waterfrontadvice@ swanseastudentmedia.com
waterfrontdeputyeditor@ swanseastudentmedia.com
waterfrontsocieties@ swanseastudentmedia.com
waterfrontfashion@ swanseastudentmedia.com
News and Current Affairs
Sports Efan Willis
Jordan Onslow waterfrontnews@ swanseastudentmedia.com
waterfrontsport@swanseastudentmedia. com
Science & Research Sophie Sadler
Music
waterfrontscience @swanseastudentmedia.com
Travel Jade Hughes
Cat Daczkowski waterfrontmusic@swanseastudentmedia. com
waterfronttravel@swanseastudentmedia. com
Literature Ashish Dwivedi
waterfrontliterature@ swanseastudentmedia.com
Sustainability
Lucie Štěpánková waterfrontsustainability@ swanseastudentmedia.com
Wellbeing
Lauren Stodolnic waterfrontwellbeing@ swanseastudentmedia.com
We Want YOU!
Seen a section you'd like to write for? Or want to start a new section? Get in touch now! Email: waterfronteditor@ swanseastudentmedia.com
Welcome to Waterfront!
Hi everyone! November is one of the busiest times for students with coursework due, Christmas shopping to be done, the start of the house hunt, and much more. However, our amazing editorial team and writers have really gone above and beyond and produced a huge amount of great content. We have added new members to our team, had work from first time contributors, and seen the return of some of our regular writers. This month I really enjoyed celebrating National Novel Writing Month, I posted a daily writing prompt on our Instagram (check our NaNoWriMo highlight), and we received sneak peaks of soon to be bestsellers! Thank you to you all this month and I wish you all very Happy Holidays and a great winter break! Bethan x
Hi guys, the past month has been packed with Christmas planning, deadlines and numerous events. Despite that, we’ve managed to get a huge amount of contributions from you all for which we’re very grateful! Our new editions have slotted in very well and you’ll be seeing a lot more of them as the year progresses. Now go and get cosy with a nice warm drink and have a lovely winter holiday! Alex
Meet the Waterfront Team Abhishek Subhash is a lawyer and DJ from Pune, India. Having completed his Master of Laws in Intellectual Property from India, he is now studying his Master’s in Intellectual Property Laws and Commercial Practice from Swansea University. Abhishek enjoys satire, poetry and stand-up comedy and occasionally writes for open mics or to share on his social media with friends. Rhi Sword is a second year media and communication student. She’s an avid reader of Cosmopolitan magazine and plays the saxophone in her spare time. Rachel Hart is the current Societies editor. She is a third year English Literature student and her hobbies include reading, photography and music. She can’t wait to liaise with different societies and promote their upcoming events. Bethan Collins is a third year English literature student. It’s her first year being the editor for the Advice and Relationships section. If ever you want to write anything for this section, feel free to contact her! Ashish Dwivedi is an M.Phil. candidate in his final year, here at Swansea University and our current “Literature & Nonfiction Editor”. He calls himself a herpetology and mythology aficionado; a traveller who travels for food; a lax swimmer; and a hide-and-seek genius. However, one of his serious sides include his delightful interest in Utopian & Cartoon Studies and experimental and tragic poetry. Bethan Bates is a third year English Literature and History student who is working towards a career in the publishing industry. She is a book fanatic, with a collection of just over 400 books, who enjoys telling everyone about what she is currently reading. She is also the current editor-in-chief of the Waterfront and
has been involved with the paper since her first year. Sophie Apps is an English Literature student at Swansea University. Future best-selling poet and journalist, she is ‘Emily Dickinson meets Quintin Tarantino at dinner with Shakespeare’. Currently, Sophie writes sad poems, listens to obscure indie music and pets her cat Salem whilst re-watching old episodes of Gilmore Girls. Sophie Sadler is a postgraduate researcher in Mathematics and Computer Science. As well as being the Science & Research Editor for the Waterfront, Sophie enjoys hiking & wild camping, riding her horse Bounce, and watching horror movies. Cat Daczkowski is a masters student at Swansea and the newly appointed music editor. She loves to listen and create music, as well as play video games when she has time. She’s very open to all genres of music and is always looking for new contributors for her section. Lucie Stepankova is a postgraduate Communications, Media Practice and PR student and Waterfront’s new sustainability section editor. Through this section, she hopes to inspire more people to start making small steps towards sustainability and encourage conversation. She also writes about sustainability as a freelancer, enjoys playing the ukulele and practicing yoga. Jade Hughes is studying an MA in International Journalism and the Travel and Study Abroad editor. She is no stranger to living abroad, having studied in Germany for a year during her Bachelor’s degree. When she’s not writing or creating activities for the German society, she is likely to be building her dream house on the Sims. Jade is always happy to receive submissions, so feel free to contact her if you have any ideas! Louis Bromfield is a first-year PhD student in Politics, conducting research into gamification’s effect on forecasting elections and political engagement. He enjoys gaming, football, and spending way too much time and money on building a new PC. Benjamin Nichols is an American graduate student who attended Swansea University from 2018-2020. He is a biology researcher specializing in ecology, plant science, honeybee management, and conservation. During his spare time, he enjoys the outdoors, researching history, studying Japanese culture, playing video games, and taking care of his aquariums and beehives. His future goals include returning to Wales to teach, and teaching in Japan. Mathurin Aron is a student originally from France who has spent the past seven years living in Cologne, Germany. His hobbies include climbing and playing the ukulele. Owen Wallace is an undergraduate student from Hertfordshire studying Physics. Some of his hobbies include D&D, practicing the violin, and playing strategy games. Ikeke Azeke is a lawyer, Christo-centric writer and Bible-enthusiast. He holds a Master’s degree in International Maritime Law from Swansea University. Jan Delos Santos is a second year Applied Medical Sciences student with a passion for writing in her spare time, no matter how small that time is nowadays. Although this is the first issue she has taken part in, she cannot wait for future opportunities to engage with and write more pieces for. Jordan Onslow is an undergraduate English Literature student from the South-West. He is always looking for exciting new viewpoints and unique articles to add to his section. Catrin Lawrence is an MA English Literature student who spends her spare time writing about the strange, the fantastical and the morbid. This is her first year doing National Novel Writing Month and she has really enjoyed the experience.
News & Current Affairs Welsh Government Statement On Student Travel For The Winter Holidays By Jordan Onslow
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he Welsh Government on the 11th November issued a statement in conjunction with Welsh universities, including Swansea, on the travel situation facing many as we come closer to the christmas period. Kirsty Williams, the Welsh Minister for Education, clarified in a public statement that enabling students to travel home safely for the Christmas period was a top priority. She said “We must do all we can to support people to see their loved ones as safely as possible.” In the statement, the minister outlined a two point system which would allow the smoothest Williams concluded by stating “the need to balance possible transition. people’s rights and support their wellbeing with the desire to protect our families, friends and communities Firstly, any in-person university teaching currently from the risk of infection remains challenging, and taking place must stop by the week leading up to the I am grateful to our universities, student’s unions, 8th of December. For most students, lectures have staffing unions, staff and students for their positive been purely taking place online for the past two and engagement on these difficult issues”. a half months, however for students who have been attending in person lectures, they should prepare to Later that week, on the 12th of November, Swansea begin online lectures from the 8th December. University distributed its own message to students referring to the ministers statement. The university Secondly, the Minister for Education outlined a set of confirmed that it was “investigating the logistics” of guidelines for students that wish to return home for the asymptomatic testing system as they reiterated the Christmas period. Students are urged to make the importance of allowing students to travel home travel arrangements by the 9th of December by for christmas alongside reassurance that students the very latest. Additionally, the Welsh Government who wished to stay in their residence for the holidays plans to make tests available to any students who were welcome to do so. wish to receive one and are urging them to take the opportunity, as they push to provide time for The university promises to keep students updated students to isolate if they need to before returning with their teaching and testing arrangements in to their loved ones. the lead up to Christmas, however precise or even approximate timeframes were not disclosed. The asymptomatic testing scheme is a testing pilot that could prove to be essential to testing large communities and tackling further transmission. Kirsty
SWANSEA UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ UNION
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Features
Student Ambassadors Do Movember By Iwan Taylor-Evans
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his year, the Student Ambassador Scheme at Swansea University has formed a Movember Team, to raise awareness for both men’s physical and mental health. Movember is the leading charity in changing the face of men’s health, aiming to reduce the number of men dying prematurely by 25%. Since 2003, Movember has funded more than 1,250 men’s health projects around the world, transforming the support that men get from health services. Now a global movement, the Movember scheme has recruited five million ‘Mo Bros’ and ‘Mo Sisters’ since 2003. Having taken part in Movember for the previous two years, I really wanted to make my third year of fundraising the best yet. Shortly before November, I pitched the idea of forming a team to the Senior Student Ambassador Committee, who were interested in the idea. My initial vision for the team was that we would have around five to six Ambassadors growing a questionable moustache; however, I have been astounded by the response of my colleagues. After mentioning the role of ‘Mo Sisters’ to them, an individual that supports the charity through fundraising or moral support, it became clear that my initial vision for the team was about to be blown out of the water. We currently
have a team of 17 Ambassadors, made up of 10 ‘Mo Bros’ and 7 ‘Mo Sisters’ and have collectively raised an incredible £1,410 of our £1,500 target. Many of us have taken on ‘Move for Movember’, a challenge where you run or walk 60km over November for the 60 men we lose to suicide each hour, every hour across the world. Currently as a team we have moved 414.36km and each aim to reach our target of 60km by the end of the month. As the Team Captain for the Student Ambassador Scheme, I could not be prouder of the effort and dedication the rest of the team have showcased so far this month. I never thought I would ever be part of a team that would achieve this much for Movember, so I am truly grateful to be part of this experience. I asked some Ambassadors what Movember means to them. Mo Sister, Alpha Evans stated: “This year more than ever it’s extremely important to raise awareness about men’s mental
health as well as their physical health”. Mo Bro, Ethan Mills shared: “I’m doing Movember for all the men who’ve been told they are everything but, it doesn’t matter if you’re not someone’s ideal man, just be whatever man you want, however you want.” Mo Sista, Lauren Johns noted: “It has been an incredible opportunity to raise money for an amazing cause and has enabled me to get away from my desk and into fresh air during the lockdown. Working towards a common goal has made me feel a part of something important and allowed me to focus on something positive in these unprecedented times.” Mo Sista, Caitlin Jones explained:
“Mental health has become an even bigger issue during these weird times, and I’m so proud to be running and raising money on behalf of all the men in my life.” Mo Sista, Laura Lennox expressed: “It’s a topic that affects everyone or at least someone close to you. It’s a topic that should be discussed more and a topic that together as a community we can improve.” Having been fortunate enough to attend the Movember Awards this year in February, I met many inspirational people whose stories motivate me to raise as much money and awareness for the charity as possible. I witnessed some of the incredible lives that have been touched by the fundraising we do. One of these individuals is Stewart Morgan of HeriotWatt University who stated:
MoBro - Ethan Mills
“To me, Movember really encourages bros of all ages to look after their mental and physical health and reach out when need be.” As a result of my experiences with Movember, it has reinforced the notion that you should always talk about how you feel. Never invalidate your own feelings and certainly not other peoples. It is okay not to feel okay sometimes but always talk about it. Be consistently kind as you never know how much it can impact someone’s life. And once a year, if you can, grow a beautiful moustache, run, and raise some money for a wonderful charity.
MoBro - Iwan Taylor Evans
MoBro - Dom Gray
MoSista - Lauren Johns
Finding the Perfect Student House By Rhianydd Sword
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they can meet new people; if this is you, private student accommodation might be just what you’re looking for. These types of accommodation are a similar set up to university campus halls so you may choose to feel like you’re in familiar territory. Moreover, if there’s a few of you wanting to move in together but you prefer the sound of private student accommodation then this is still a possibility. Whilst you do book individually, you can request to be together and you’ll be put into the same flat.
inding a student house for second year onwards is arguably an important part of university life. It can be important to decide which friends you want to live with and then look for that perfect house. This time last year I was in the exact position that some of you might be in, so I’ve collated some advice from myself and others on what to do and look out for. • Don’t rush. Whilst I would recommend looking for • Research thoroughly. Some students that I talked to wished they’d researched more thoroughly and a house sooner rather than later, there’s always asked for different students’ opinions. As well as going to be houses that haven’t yet been filled looking at different accommodations, research and there doesn’t need to be a mad rush to sign which letting agents are shown to be the most onto a house as soon as possible. I’ve been told helpful, and the recommended locations to live that letting agents also release different houses in. One way to research is to ask for some honest at various times of the year so a house that isn’t and unfiltered opinions. This can be done by on the market now may be later on. Don’t rush asking those who live in student houses now or the process and make sure you’re doing what’s by researching on social media where there are right for you. plenty of forums that will recommend what to look for in any accommodation. • Ask about bills. This piece of advice came from a friend who had a budget when signing a house • Plan ahead. If you’re planning on living in a house then it’s important to remember that each student which changed after she realised bills weren’t has a different criteria list, and this is something included in the price. Whilst some prefer to pay that should be talked about before you start for bills themselves and others like to have them looking at different places. I’d recommend sitting included in the cost of the house, it’s important down with the people that you’re planning to to know whether bills are or aren’t included in an live with and coming up with a list of what you’re accommodation. This way you can truly see the looking for in a house together. It might be that cost of any accommodation without being in the you all want the same thing but there also may dark about additional spends. be some things that you have to compromise on. • Look at different types of accommodation. You may prefer to live in private student Finding accommodation may seem like a daunting accommodation rather than a house. These process but don’t forget to enjoy yourself as well. types of places are good to look at, especially if Whilst there is a lot to consider you’re also with your you’re looking for a place for just yourself because friends looking for a home for you all to relax in and you can book individual rooms. Some people that’s really exciting. Happy accommodation hunting look to move into an accommodation where and I hope that you find the best place for you!
Advice Abusive Relationships: Know the Signs By Swansea University Feminist Society
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ccording to the Crime Survey for England and Wales, in the year ending in March 2019 it was estimated that well over two million adults experienced domestic abuse. The government defines domestic abuse as any incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive, threatening behaviour, violence or abuse between those aged over sixteen, who are intimate partners or family members. This can include psychological, physical, sexual, financial and emotional abuse, as well as coercive control, harassment and stalking, although this list is not exhaustive. Given the serious number of people who are victims of abusive relationships every year, it is important to know the key signs to look out for, in case somebody you know is suffering: • Their partner belittles them or puts them down, but blames them for the abuse or arguments. • They have become isolated from family and friends. • Their partner exercises controlling behaviour, trying to dictate where the victim goes/what they wear/who they see/what they should think, as well as trying to control their money. • Their partner threatens to hurt them or themselves, and destroys their personal belongings. • Their partner makes unreasonable demands on their attention, and accuses them of being unfaithful. • Their partner reads their personal messages and harasses or follows them when they go out. • Their partner is physically violent towards them,
including during sex. • Their partner makes unwanted sexual demands and pressures them to have sex, or sex in a way they feel uncomfortable with. If you believe someone you know is in an abusive relationship, there are ways in which you can support them: • Let them know you’ve noticed something is wrong, but accept they may not be ready to talk, and try to find quiet times where they can speak if they want to. • Make sure they know that nobody deserves to be treated the way they are being treated, no matter what their abuser says. • Support them by encouraging them to express their feelings, but allow them to make their own decisions as to things like leaving the relationship. Check if they have suffered physical harm, and if so offer to go with them to the hospital or GP. • Make sure you have details of organisations which support victims of domestic abuse, such as a helpline or refuge centre. • Help them report the abuse to the police if they decide to. There are also a number of help-lines and organisations which can help (although if there is an emergency you should always call 999): • Swansea University Students’ Union Advice and Support Centre • Swansea University Wellbeing Service • National Domestic Abuse Helpline (08082000247) • Women’s Aid • Refuge • Shelter • Victim Support Thank you for reading.
SU Consent Workshop By Bethan Collins Trigger Warning: Talks about everyone was able to sexual assault, sexual misconduct take part in through and rape using our phones/ laptops. There was he Student’s Union has been also a period for any hosting a range of different questions if people Zoom activities, from felt confused at the debates to panels to workshops. end of the workshop, I decided to attend the Consent which was also able to Workshop, run by our Societies be anonymous since and Services Officer, Georgia- we could message Rose, and our Welfare Officer, Liza either of the hosts Leibowitz. directly on Zoom. The workshop was held over Zoom As a group, we and covered a variety of themes. considered how Georgia-Rose and Liza ensured our society might that they were creating a safe be impacting and space by making sure all attendees contributing to rape knew that they could leave the culture, alongside considering Zoom at any time or could be the idea of the ‘grey area’ of discreetly moved into a breakout sex, reinforcing that you must room to take five minutes out if the frequently check in on your information was overwhelming to partner/s to ensure they are anyone. They also made sure that still consenting. We then also numerous trigger warnings were delved into themes of sexual given due to the sensitivity of the manipulation and thought about workshop. what is and is not consensual, Georgia-Rose and Liza started for example taking off a condom the beginning of the workshop by without telling the other person, explaining what consent is, with and debating the possibility of a video about how ‘consent is like giving consent if one or all parties tea.’ This was a good comparison is under any influence that lowers because it showed clearly what their ability to confidently consent. consent is and how to recognise At the end of the session both hosts when someone is unable or offered information on where to unwilling to give consent. The two find support and gave advice also mentioned how the current on what to do if you know of any COVID-19 Pandemic is leading to incidents that you want to report a rise in sexual misconduct and to the university. assault, since more people are likely to host and attend house parties where sexual misconduct Here is what Georgia-Rose had is more prevalent. to say about the workshop: The workshop included some ‘Going through university myself, interactivity, with anonymous I realised the extent of which quizzes using ‘Menti’ that sexual assault and sexual
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harassment happens in everyday life, with people not realising the severity of their actions or the implications it can have on someone’s mental health for the rest of their life. It has been an eye-opening experience for me, watching how inappropriate behaviour has become the ‘norm’ in certain situations as our society is increasingly developing a rape culture. As a result of this, I put on my manifesto that I wanted to introduce Consent Training and Consent Resources to students during Freshers, as I believe in order to tackle the problems we as a university community are facing, educating people what is acceptable and what isn’t, as opposed to teaching girls what to do when they get attacked, is a proactive and beneficial way to reduce the amount of sexual misconduct cases that occur. Establishing A Guide to Consent is an easy and accessible way for students, staff members and the public to gain a clear understanding into what sexual
consent encompasses. It also signposts students and staff to services in and around Swansea, easing the process of getting help if needed, there are many misconceptions around consent within the university community, and I believe raising awareness, breaking the taboo around sexual
consent and educating students is a step in the right direction. In addition to this, our Welfare Officer Liza Leibowitz and I successfully hosted Consent Workshops to Sports Teams and Societies in September, we then decided to hold monthly consent training sessions over Zoom to
all students in order to widen the audience. I hope that we can make Consent Training mandatory to all students upon arrival at Swansea University, to help tackle the rising cases of sexual misconduct. If you wish to attend please email Georgia-Rose to book your place.’
PCOS - The Hidden Battle Many Women Face By Cat Daczkowski
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ook: PCOS is a hormonal condition that affects 1 in 10 women. When I was 18, and ready to explore my newly founded freedom at university, I was diagnosed with it. I want to share my experience to help others who may be suffering from the symptoms but are too scared to seek help.
my first year of freedom, became a year of stress.
I was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) in my first year of university. At first, I didn’t fully understand what it was, but as time went on I began to worry more and more about what my diagnosis meant for my future. I began to feel really depressed, and even though my doctor suggested a contraceptive pill to help with the symptoms, I was a hormonal mess. What was supposed to be
Though there is no ‘cure’ for the condition, the contraceptive pill does work for most, and through the use of it, the symptoms can be eased. If you suffer from hirsutism, ask your GP to prescribe you with At first, after my diagnosis, I felt no ‘Vaniqa’, a facial cream that slows difference in myself, but as time the rate of hair growth where went on I would notice the pain, applied. mood swings, excessive acne is an uncomfortable and hair growth more and more. PCOS hidden condition that affects a When the symptoms worsened, my excessive need to google also surprisingly large portion of the increased, and as I read that I may population. I believe it’s important suffer from infertility in the future, to raise awareness of it, to help others who may be experiencing my heart sank. it already, or are suffering from The scary thing is, PCOS affects similar symptoms. 1 in 10 women, and the lack of awareness that is spread about it Go over to the NHS website to is worrying. The symptoms of the read more about PCOS. condition can have major effects https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/ on the lives of the people who polycystic-ovary-syndrome-pcos/
The first symptom I suffered with was irregular periods, in fact, I spent 9 months without one until I approached my local GP surgery. Why did it take me so long? I was scared. My grandmother died of cancer when I was around 9, so when I experienced things going wrong, I instantly thought of that. If you take anything from this article, please let it be that if you experience this yourself, go to your GP as soon as possible.
suffer from it, and the fact that the contraceptive pill is prescribed as a ‘treatment’ is worrying due to that carrying its own side effects to some.
How To Get Involved With Digital Volunteering By Make-A-Smile Swansea
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ake-A-Smile is a charity founded by Luke Morgan, a Cardiff University student. He intended to create an environment where children could enjoy their childhood despite physical and cognitive disabilities. Put simply, we are there to Make a Smile! The organisation has created networks within several universities, even right here in Swansea! At Make-A-Smile, our Volunteers dress up as well-known Disney characters, princesses, and superheroes alike. We run interactive sessions to help children with both long and short-term disabilities enjoy life. They can often miss out on vital opportunities to meet their heroes and part-take in everyday fun activities. In Swansea, we worked with the Local Aid in their Play Library and Buddies project, helping promote fun by singing with Elsa and even football with Batman. Both the kids and volunteers have enjoyed these sessions, and we hope to continue this work as we advance.
day in the life videos, as well as arts and crafts follow along. The virtual projects allow us to bring joy to children in an easily accessible way while still staying safe. We are continually setting up and planning new and wonderful virtual projects and hope to get more volunteers involved soon! Recently, we had an online video call with a young girl for her 4th birthday. We had volunteers in character on the video call interacting and singing happy birthday. We also provided colouring sheets so she could colour with her favourite princesses. The online call was a success, and she absolutely loved it! This being one of the first live virtual projects we have run, we are continually learning more about this volunteering style and how we could improve to make it both enjoyable for the children and the volunteers.
The current COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on our ability to do in-person volunteering. As such, we have had to be resilient and adapt; as this is a sensitive time for children, especially those with disabilities, we have a duty to help out the most vulnerable. Therefore, we have introduced virtual volunteering projects. These do exactly as they say we still make a smile ...just virtually! Of course, our volunteers’ well-being is paramount, so we are continually using different social media Our Virtual Projects include creating social media forms to recruit and interact with our volunteers content on our Youtube channel such as baking and have a designated Well-Being officer. We have videos, fundraising activities for the charity, princess an Instagram where we showcase our volunteering activities and their impact on the children we support and run regular fundraising raffles Just recently, we ran a raffle in conjunction with Swansea University Union’s very own TheDockYard. We advertise weekly volunteering opportunities through our Facebook volunteer’s group and promote various training sessions throughout the year to ensure our volunteers are well equipped to be successful. The training sessions cover a range of safeguarding, activity planning, character training, etc. As a volunteering society, we want to provide exceptional opportunities for students, allowing them to gain the skills to interact with people with
additional needs and help sharpen their professional We are looking forward to continuing our volunteering skills while maintaining a fun and care-free element throughout the pandemic, adapting to virtual (everyone loves a dress-up every now and then). platforms, and hopefully returning to in-person volunteering sessions again in the not too distant Make-A-Smile is all about bringing some happiness future. to a child’s day, especially in these difficult times. We have seen the positive effects of the volunteering If you like the sound of Make-a-Smile and want to we do from the in-person sessions we ran last see more, or even get involved with us, check us out year and the responses we have had to our virtual on social media. volunteering this year. Make-A-Smile creates smiles Instagram: @makeasmileswansea on the children’s faces and those of our volunteers, Facebook: Make a Smile - Swansea seeing how their hard work affects the children’s lives Youtube: Make a Smile in such a positive way.
Sustainability The Great Green Wall Project: Africa’s Ambitious All Encompassing Answer To The Modern World By Fin Harris
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lobalization has thrust the world into a frenzy of industrial productivity, technological advancements and created a world stage for international discussion. China’s GDP is rising by around 7% a year, the US is rushing to develop the most advanced artificial intelligence and the United Nations hear the voices of 193 independent countries. It all sounds as if it has been ripped straight from the pages of a dystopian 1980s science fiction film. Amongst talk of lightning quick quantum computing and self learning computers, it is easy to neglect the physical world that drives this tech craze. the driving forces of the modern world. Every day, the US stock market opens at 2:30 GMT. Traders across Jobs, today more than ever, are centred around the world look to buy or sell shares with hundreds of the use of computers. Since its 1993 inception, the billions US dollars passing through the market every world wide web has revolutionised communication day. Internet developments have given a broker in and the transfer of ideas, pushing multi-national Tokyo a very good chance of competing against a US communities to share, interrogate and collaborate broker for the same stock halfway across the world. on projects on a far greater scale than ever before. The billion dollar question comes down to how quick With the recent Coronavirus pandemic reducing the internet speed is. face-to-face opportunities, chances are that you have had first-hand experience of the power for Ofcom, the UKs communication regulator, has stated communication the internet provides. This is great! that 10 megabytes per second (Mbs) is the minimum If you’re a budding researcher who can no longer internet speed required to actively participate in stand the confines of four walls, distance is no longer the modern virtual world. As of now, only four African the time constraint it once was. Unlike Darwin, if you countries break 5Mbs, leaving the continent far were to venture to the Galapagos islands you would behind the benchmark. Before it can compete in no longer need to complete a year-long round trip the virtual world, Africa must first restore physical to share your discoveries. It is possible to collect landscapes ravaged by desertification, a first step biodiversity data in the day, and upload your findings towards combating poverty and famine. by 5pm to your UK institute which, thanks to T-minus six hour time zones difference, will be able to analyse Before entering the digital age, a solid framework your findings after lunch. of resources, infrastructure and cooperation must be present within a region. The Great Green Wall The speed at which information can travel is one of Project, Africa’s (ambitious) all encompassing answer
to the modern world, aims high with a mission to rejuvenate desertified land, alleviate poverty in some of the worst affected areas in the world and mitigate against the devastating effects climate change is sure to bring. The project was initiated in 2008, with 15 countries taking on the task of rejuvenating 7,000 kilometres of land spanning from East to West Africa, Djibouti to Senegal. Currently, 21 countries are involved in the Great Green Wall, a feat that is truly impressive, given the degree of governmental instability several of its members are dealing with. Libya was under the rule of Gaddafi for four decades, Somalia has been without central governing since 1991 and Sudan has just ended a civil war that broke the country in two. These events have left land where ethnicity is a justifiable basis for conflict and warmongering is just part of daily life. As recently as November 2020, ethnicity has been the basis of armed conflict when Ethiopia’s northern defence headquarters was subject to missiles launched by the Tigray people’s liberation front. A move that has threatened to destabilize the horn of Africa once more. Due to the social unrest and political turmoil, the continent has been gripped by devastating famines that will spiral into ever more catastrophic events with the intensification of climate change. Governments do not have the infrastructure to deal with such a crisis in their state of unrest and currently rely on foreign aid to cope with millions of starving citizens. With severe drought predicted for this December and through early 2021, East Africa is in dire need of mitigation systems such as the Great Green Wall to dampen the magnitude of natural disasters by increasing availability of fertile land for agricultural production.
The Green Wall would not only restore the damage done to these areas, but also bring with it a degree of security, inciting a more sustainable Africa. To date, the project has created 350,000 jobs, providing financial stability for citizens - a key move in continental resurgence. Providing jobs and increasing production is one of the key areas Africa must work on to become an equal to current global superpowers. For example, Ethiopia is the third fastest developing country in the world, yet growth is largely due to its governmental spending. The economy is looking to slow down in the foreseeable future unless it increases its production to provide the capital to back up these investments. The development of the Great Green Wall will not only increase employment, but is set to restore the 46% of African land that’s been desertified, greatly increasing the area available for cultivation of commercial produce, increasing a country’s GDP. The project has ambitions for a major 2030 milestone with an expected 100 million hectares of rejuvenated land and 10 million eco jobs - a very ambitious goal given the current financial progress of the project. Over the course of its first decade, the project found $2 billion from the African Union and overseas financiers, yet this falls drastically short of the annual $3.7 billion the project relies upon to keep up with these targets. It may seem like a losing race, yet with international backing and continental cooperation, the funding could become a reality. The Great Green Wall project could be the first step to stabilizing Africa and the beginning of a self sustaining economy within the continent. Its construction will increase the quality of life for many citizens and set a powerful, biological foundation for social, economic and technological developments for a modern Africa.
Will the Biden presidency bring a renaissance of environmental policy in the US? By Ladislav Zeman
T
he regressive environmental policy of the Trump administration culminated with the official withdrawal of the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement on the 4th of November, just one day after the presidential election. Joe Biden has presented himself as a candidate who would respect the scientific consensus and pledged to take action to address the threat posed by climate change. While
the incumbent President Trump has not officially conceded to his opponent, it seems appropriate to discuss the potential of Biden presidency regarding environmental policy. The state of play: 4 years of Trump’s agenda The approach of Donald Trump towards environmental protection can be described as a process of undermining key agencies, such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and of an extensive rollback of environmental laws and regulations.
On the domestic front, Biden plans to provide $1.7 trillion of federal investment over the next 10 years to start up the transformation needed to achieve a net zero society by 2050. Additionally, Biden promises to demand Congress to pass legislation which would establish an enforcement mechanism for the 2050 goal in the first year of his presidency. Other aspects of his legislative agenda include, for example, investment into green technology, development of carbon capture and storage infrastructure and improving the energy efficiency of buildings.
Soon after taking office, Trump appointed Scott Pruitt as the administrator of the EPA despite, or maybe because, he is known as a climate change denier. Pruitt resigned in 2018 due to a range of ethical controversies. His replacement, a former coal lobbyist Andrew Wheeler, has been efficient at dismantling the EPA from within. In addition to undermining environmental institutions, the policy of Donald Trump has also been characterized by a large-scale effort at weakening environmental regulations by issuing executive orders. Barack Obama, the former President, resorted to executive action on the environment due to an opposed Congress which left the progress wide open to reversal by Donald Trump. An order focused on simplifying environmental reviews in favour of faster approvals of infrastructure projects was signed by Trump only four days after his inauguration.
significant impacts of climate change and keep global warming under 1.5°C, the world needs to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Considering this context, the approach taken by President Trump is worrying since, according to Our World in Data, the United States is responsible for a quarter of historical emissions and remains second, behind China, in yearly carbon emissions.
Biden’s Promises
Most likely, we will see a change of personnel in the Oval Office in January. Consequently, we should examine the environmental policies of President-elect Biden. The key point of Biden’s Clean Energy Revolution plan is the commitment to achieving a net zero emissions society by 2050. This goal is in line with pledges of other countries, such as Japan or the UK. The technologically most developed countries should arguably aim to achieve net zero sooner than that. However, the 2050 commitment is still a According to the New York Times, significant step forward for the the Trump administration has future of American environmental dismantled over 80 environmental policy. regulations. To avoid the most
On the international level, the crucial change that a Biden presidency would bring is the readmission of the US into the Paris Climate Agreement. A renewed commitment of the US would strengthen the legitimacy of the Paris Agreement. The US continues to be the prominent player in the global political arena and wields considerable influence over other states. This is also manifested by the pledge to a diplomatic push focused on increasing the emissions targets of states around the world. Special attention is given to China, which is viewed as a cheater who ‘games the system’. The first question that comes to mind is whether these ambitions are plausible.
Over-Optimistic Or Realistic? The environmental agenda of Joe Biden is the most ambitious yet. It will provide the much-needed momentum to climate change efforts globally and move the world closer to the ultimate goal of keeping global warming under 1.5°C. Nevertheless, the election
battle revealed how fractured the US is. These divisions are bound to be a challenge for what is a 180° turn in policy. The ability to restore unity inside of the States is critical if Joe Biden wishes to implement his Clean Energy Revolution effectively. Alongside the presidential election, voters also chose new senators and members of the House of Representatives. The Democrats will be able to keep their majority in the House despite losing some seats. In the Senate, a possibility of a 50-50 split is possible after Republican losses in Colorado and Arizona. The two seats in Georgia will go into
runoff elections. However, even if there is a split Senate, 60 votes are required to pass a meaningful climate bill. The composition of the Congress is crucial for Biden’s environmental agenda as he will need to work with both branches to avoid using mostly executive orders. So far, we have not seen a significant bipartisan action on climate change which does not seem very realistic, considering the divisive election campaigns. Finally, challenges are also present internationally. Most notably, the increasingly strained relations between the US and China. Biden promises to keep China accountable. Will he be
able to bridge some of the gaps created by the trade war of the last few years? And does the US still hold the power necessary to be a global leader in the fight against climate change? These questions will define how effective the Biden administration will be at the international level. Next four years will bring a lot of changes – how significant they will be remains to be seen. There are positive signs in the environmental policy of the coming president. However, considerable challenges, both domestic and international, remain.
Sustainable Book Buying Guide By Bethan Bates
A
longside books and reading one of my passions is ecosustainability. This means that I work to improve my part in saving the planet. Something we as book readers should be aware of in terms of eco-sustainability is where we are buying our books from and who we are supporting with our money. Remember: consumerism is the sole drive of production. Many people are aware of the ethical failings of Amazon, but often do not know where to go instead to buy books. So here are my top tips for sustainable book buying.
Use Your Library!
• Although during this current pandemic it may be hard to get to your local library, it is always good to keep this in mind. • The benefits of a library are
uncountable. You save money, you’re supporting a great local resource and the librarians are very knowledgeable and really helpful! • You are also allowing books to be re-used and preventing new books from being printed thus, saving paper.
Local and Independent Shops
• Wherever possible, it is always best to shop locally, from independent stores • This prevents books being shipped over vast distances (often internationally) and you’re supporting local businesses that need your custom to thrive and continue to exist. • Again, when shopping with independent bookstores you have the benefit of great customer service and the
help of knowledgeable staff - if you ever want a book recommendation, local stores are an excellent place to start! • Even if your local area doesn’t have any independent booksellers, shopping locally with chain stores such as Waterstones or WHSmiths can still help with your sustainability. • Another option for local buying are charity shops - places such as Oxfam, The British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research and most other charity shops will have a great selection of books. Here, you are supporting a great cause, for a great price, and helping stop new books being printed. If you can’t find what you are looking for online, some charities have online stores with much bigger selections too!
Print or Ebook?
• Some people (like me) are truly print book purists - and that is fine. However, you do have to
be aware of the environmental impact of this. Try to look out for books with the FSC logo to ensure Where To Go? that they come from sustainable sources. • High Street Stores: many high street stores also • Another sustainable way to buy print books is to have online sites where you can buy books - this get them second hand, this can be from charity is great especially if you have vouchers or loyalty shops, online marketplaces, or even second hand cards! online book stores such as World Of Books. This • Hive: a great new find for me (rates a 10/20 on option also saves you a ton of money! EC). They sell second hand books and show you • If you are buying e-books, you may be tempted local independent stores that you can donate by the ease of Amazon and Kindle but there are part of the sale to at checkout - this is a great a number of other, smaller businesses that sell way to support local stores even when buying ebooks too. online. • Ebooks are a great way to save space when • World of Books: rating a 14/20 on EC, they are buying books, especially if you are a renter and one of the most ethical companies out there for don’t have much storage. By buying e-books, online book buying. This is another second hand you’re preventing new print books from being store selling books from places such as Ziffit and produced as well. buying bulk orders of unsold books - I have heard there have been some issues with customer Boycott Amazon service - but I wouldn’t disregard it for this alone • Although you may already be doing this, you (plus, Lucie, our sustainability editor, who swears may still be tempted by the low prices and that by World of Books, shops from them regularly next day delivery! and never had a problem with them). • Consider the wider impacts of buying from • Ebooks.com: rating 13/20 on EC, ebooks.com are Amazon and try to, wherever you can, avoid a great alternative to Amazon for ebooks. They purchasing from them. offer over one million titles so there is plenty of • Note that Amazon actually owns AbeBooks and choice. They boast of an expert team with many Book Depository. This is something that shocked members having been a part of the company me as I had been using both of these sites in an since its beginning. attempt to combat buying from Amazon! What a disappointment. • I am going to share some other online I hope that you have found this post helpful and alternatives to Amazon below - but if you that you will consider a more sustainable and want to look into this more, then check out ethical path when next buying books. If in doubt, ethicalconsumer.org. They do a great job of boycott Amazon and go local! ranking other options and explain the pros and cons!
10 Tips For Sustainable Christmas Celebrations
hours on hours by switching up my decorations every year or stress about wrapping gifts in cheesy Christmas-themed paper with snowmen and glitter on it. However, the truth is that I only gained this perspective a few years ago, once I started focusing h, Christmas. It’s the most unsustainable, on making the holidays more eco-friendly on my materialistic and overconsumption-focused part. time of the year. A holiday celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ and consumerism. Therefore, a quick warning is due before we begin – following these tips may include side effects I don’t know about you - but I love Christmas. I like such as enjoying Christmas for what they’re about, to think that I enjoy the holidays too much to get spending more time with your family, feeling good caught up in a present-shopping frenzy, waste about preserving the earth for future generations
By Lucie Stepankova
O
or becoming allergic to store windows being decked-out with the cheesiest Christmas displays on the 1st of November. Proceed at your own risk.
1. Make a wish list
Therefore, you’re probably not the one making decisions about Christmas décor in the house. However, you’ll likely be doing so in the future – and for when that time comes, I want you to remember this: do not buy an artificial
Remember when you were a kid and used to write a letter to Santa/Father Christmas/the Wise Men/ Baby Jesus/whomever it is that ‘brings Christmas presents’ where you’re from? I want you to go back to doing exactly that – and encourage your friends and family to do the same. Every year, people in the UK exchange 60 million unwanted Christmas presents, which end up in the back of the closets, piling up as donations at charity shops or, even worse, at the landfill. That is a huge amount of waste which could be prevented if we just communicated better with one another about what it is that we’d hope to find under the Christmas tree.
2. Don’t buy an artificial tree
producers of greenhouse gasses than transportation. Almost without exception, the carbon emissions from plantbased foods are 10 to 50 times lower than those from animal products. I’m not saying that you need to go vegan this Christmas (because you’d probably hate me for doing that). Instead, I’d like to encourage you to try making small swaps, one at a time, and see what works for you.
4. Manage your leftovers
When we cook our Christmas meals, we always want to make sure we have enough – and then some. However, this becomes a problem if the food gets thrown away and ends up in landfill, where it cannot decompose properly and releases greenhouse gasses.
Christmas tree. Artificial trees are made from PVC which, according to Greenpeace, is the single most environmentally damaging plastic. Instead, get a locallygrown cut-down tree, a potted tree you can plant in the garden The best way to make sure all your once it outgrows your home or use leftovers get eaten is to only make an amount you know you’ll eat a tree-renting service. – and freeze anything you can’t finish to enjoy through January.
3. Switch up your menu
What’ll be on your plate this Christmas? Recent findings from Most of you reading this are Our World In Data show that it’s probably students celebrating more important to focus on the the holidays with their parents. types of foods we eat, rather than their local origin, when it comes to reducing our carbon footprint. That is because the farming process, land use change needed to make space for agriculture or production of feed for livestock are all much larger
5. Support small local businesses
It’s easy to buy Christmas gifts or decorations from multinational companies and brands. However, as you could probably guess, their practices are not usually very fair or sustainable. It’s never been more important to support small, independent businesses in your local area than it is now that they’ve been dealt a heavy hit by the coronavirus pandemic. Even in normal times, choosing to buy from them is arguably the better option, as they usually care more for the local area and therefore adopt more
eco-friendly and socially responsible practices than 8. Wrap it sustainably multinational corporations. Did you know that most wrapping paper can’t be recycled? Add to that the plastic ribbons, bows and sticky tape and you’ve got yourself a lot of trash that 6. Choose the right decor Speaking of buying décor, invest in some that you’ll needs to be sent to the landfill after Christmas day. be able to use for years to come. While they may cost Thankfully, there are other options. you a little more money to begin with, they’ll pay off Give recycled and recyclable wrapping paper a try in the long run – both environmentally and budget- and finish it off with paper tape and natural string. You could also try the Japanese fabric wrapping wise. technique furoshiki or invest in reusable drawstring However, living on a student budget may make that gift bags. Not in the budget? A newspaper can serve tip good in theory but impossible in practice. In that as gift wrap with a rustic feel – just repurpose what case, why not try venturing out into nature to gather you already have. pine cones, tree branches and other greenery? Or drying some orange slices to use as décor? I don’t know how oranges became so associated with 9. Choose soy or beeswax candles Christmas décor, but it’s one of my favourite budget Candles are one of the go-to Christmas decorations. However, many candles you’ll find in stores nowadays ideas for the holidays. are made from paraffin wax. When burned, they release highly toxic substances into the air (benzene and toluene), linked to asthma and lung cancer. Avoid paraffin candles at all costs – even if that means having no candles at all. Soy wax candles or sustainable beeswax candles are both safe and swapping to them will decrease your impact on the environment and protect your health.
10. Send digital Christmas cards
While every Christmas card only contributes a little to your carbon footprint, this can quickly add up if you send a lot of them, regularly. Instead, why not try sending your card digitally? You won’t just reduce your carbon footprint – you’ll also have an opportunity to create custom ones. There’s no need to be a graphic designer to do this, thanks to free-to-use apps and websites like Canva.
7. Need Christmas crackers?
As somebody who’s never seen a Christmas cracker before moving to the UK for uni, I’m still puzzled by why they are such a part of the holiday celebrations here. Nevertheless, they’re a tradition many can’t imagine Christmas without. If that’s the case for you, try switching to reusable Christmas crackers – you can find plenty of options on Etsy, where you also have the chance to support small businesses. If, on the other hand, you don’t hold this tradition dear to your heart, maybe try skipping them.
While giving these tips a try, I’d like to encourage you to make one change at a time. That way, you can make sure you’re sticking to them as new habits you’ll carry forward into the future. Trying to do too much at once is rarely a good idea. Hopefully, you’ll be able to try all these throughout upcoming years and share your tips on ways to be more eco-friendly with others (no matter if they asked – just how I like to do it).
Wellbeing Movember – Raising Awareness of Men’s Health: Interview with James Brooker, the Swansea University Movember Ambassador By Lauren Stodolnic
face of men’s health.
L: What are the main issues that Movember brings awareness to? J: Mental health and suicide prevention, prostate cancer and testicular cancer
Lauren: Hi James, so what is Movember? James: We are the leading charity changing the face of men’s health. We are changing the silence on L: What have students at Swansea University been men’s health, bringing focus on this crucial topic and doing to promote awareness of the movement? helping people change their lives. J: Students at Swansea Uni have been doing everything they can within this current climate. This L: How did it start? year, at Swansea university we have tried to get as J: Movember started in 2003, two friends in Australia many societies and sports clubs to participate, with found 30 blokes willing to grow a moustache for currently 786 members from 54 different Movember the entire month. Year by year, more and more Mo teams. Fundraising has been different this year, many Bro’s and Mo Sister’s joined the cause, each year clubs have taken part in our new Make A Move, where expanding the charity. you move 60km during November. 60km because we lose 60 men to suicide each hour every hour. J: From humble beginnings, the Movember movement has grown into a truly global one. We’ve J: Many moustaches have been grown across made epic progress in men’s health, but every whisker campus for Movember, promoting awareness with of credit goes to our Mo Bro’s and Mo Sister’s around every participant. Social media use has promoted the world - five million people since 2003. awareness of Movember drastically, either our university’s Movember page @swanseaunimovember L: How did Movember become a global movement? or personal pages where students share their personal J: Since 2007, Movember has been expanding all fundraising and Movember awareness. over the world and changing the story on men’s health. In 2019, countries that participated include: L: How much money has been raised? Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, J: This year, Swansea University has raised over Denmark, France, Hong Kong, Germany, Ireland, £48,500 as a collective, ranking us 6th place Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, amongst universities; while also having travelled South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK and 17,655Km to complete Make A Move. Each society USA. has raised a massive amount of money all going to an unbelievable cause. Swansea Uni Men’s Rugby J: Movember’s success can largely be attributed to Union are leading the way with £7,000 raised, with the strength of the global community. Regardless the Swansea Sirens raising £6,850 as well. of the city in which we live, we’re part of something bigger, united by a commitment to help change the
L: Where is the money going? J: Since 2003, Movember has funded more than 1,250 men’s health projects around the world, challenging the status quo, shaking up men’s health research and transforming the way health services reach and support men. L: How can we start the conversation and education of men’s health? J: Starting the conversation about men’s health is the hardest step to take, however, there are many ways to discuss male health. Movember provides many different support options, varying from immediate support (NHS -111 / text Crisis to 85258) to more general support lines. However, to start the conversation is to talk to your mates and check in on them, mental health is hard to see, so make sure you speak and see your friends. J: If you would like to educate yourself more on men’s health, check out the Movember website, it has multiple stories from people who have opened up about their experiences to men’s health L: Do you think the tagline ‘changing the face of men’s health’ is being achieved? J: The work by Movember is truly changing the face of men’s health. Movember is becoming a significant movement within Universities. Each university raises their money in different ways. Movember is becoming one of the most recognisable charities in today’s world, seeing a Moustache within November is promoting Movember, seeing all forms of facial hair on different types of people as well as the consistent
use of promoting on social media. Men’s health is being focused on and talked about; it no longer is something which is being kept in the dark, and with more people joining each year the movement will only increase. L: How can people get involved with Movember next year? J: The best way to get involved would be to contact your sports/society club captain within the University as they will have information on their teams Movember. However, you can join the overall University challenge as an individual. All you have to do is go to the Movember website page and follow the link to join. Movember is associated with the month November however, the charity still works through-out the year and is always looking to raise more money for men’s health. L: What are some resources available for people who are concerned about their own or a friend’s health? J: The Movember website provides all forms of support options you need. If you are concerned about yourself, the best option is to find someone to talk to, either your family, friends, work colleagues, sports team or someone within your university. The University Wellbeing department are great to talk to as everything is kept within confidence and is a safe space. If you are concerned about a friend, make sure you check up on them. A message of reassurance can change someone’s perspective on themselves. To look into this further, Movember has a dedicated page on their website to help you find support
Addiction During The Pandemic By Abhishek Subhash
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we automatically picture a junkie coughing near a subway injecting themselves with a substance. It’s strange how broad this term has become in the last few decades. Compulsive eating, smartphone addictions, smoking, vaping or using narcotics has become normalised in a way. We all know at least one person who is addicted to something.
ne thing that many people have struggled with during the COVID 19 pandemic has Television been addiction. When we think of an addict,
was
always
considered
potentially
addictive, but now since the introduction of Netflix and other streaming platforms, we will often see posts of our friend’s binge watching a show. It is considered funny and cute, but it is easy to get stuck in the rabbit hole since the options of TV shows and movies are endless and it’s difficult to decide how much is too much. Many young people will want to watch the latest series in order to stay relevant and up to date for conversations while hanging out with friends otherwise they fear that they may be missing out. Many students find themselves addicted to social media. In 2020, so much of our lives depend on our mobile phones. We study, look at our calendar, order food, read, communicate with friends etc. Spending this much time on our phone creates complications with the way our brain functions. The full implications of the harm that social media addiction has on our health won’t be fully determined for years. Cannabis has become more popular among young people in some areas since the legalisation of the drug, creating more serious problems from the increased drug use than in areas where cannabis is still illegal. Some people can function perfectly when using cannabis, but this is not the case for most people and will have long lasting damaging effects. For many people, consuming cannabis regularly for months can lead to serious consequences like depression and mood swings, and for students, this can have an impact on their academics and their potential for a bright future may be compromised. I have witnessed some really bright athletes and artistic creators damage potential and find themselves in a place which they didn’t intend or want to be due to cannabis or other drug use. That’s the power of addiction. Cigarettes and alcohol are easily available, normalised and accepted. This form of addiction seems to be the biggest threat to young people in my opinion. Having spent the last two months in Swansea, I definitely sense alcoholism is growing among the youth in the UK much more than before. ‘The Truth About Alcohol’ documentary was very insightful. Alcohol is not just fun and games, it has the potential to take over one’s personality and ‘spirit’ and can have serious health consequences later on in their life. Alcohol and cigarettes have and will continue to destroy lives and minds.
finding themselves unhappy in the house with nowhere to go. After living a lifetime of relative freedom, then being told to not see anyone, stay indoors and not go to work without knowing when life will resume back to normal was very uncomfortable for a lot of people. Becoming addicted to something would have been very easy for a lot of people. Frequently a lot of people who never tried a substance before being put into jail, have come out as addicts and the same principal unfortunately applies to many people during this year and especially among students. When we are young, we learn and develop a lot of habits. It’s easy to develop bad habits but may not be seen as a big deal in the short term but could have serious damaging effects later on in life if the habits continue. If we look at the big picture, an addiction can lead to more addictions, which can lead to compulsive and obsessive behaviour – without one even realising it. Someone who you wouldn’t expect to behave a certain way, may end up surprising you in just a few months. During this year, the virus, fear and panic has become a perfect breeding ground for many types’ addiction.
If the issues in this article affect you, you can contact the Swansea University Wellbeing department for With most classes being online, handling the pressure help. of coursework and exam submissions and too much uncertainty around the virus, many students are
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Societies SUCES x Dynamic Dunescapes Beach Art Event By the Conservation Society
H
Last Wednesday, together, we wanted to create an event where people could just go outside and relax and explore nature. We thought this was very much needed after the fire-break lockdown and so organised a range of sessions throughout the day on Bay Campus, around three important topics: clean, create and learn/conserve.
i everyone, we’re the Swansea Conservation and Ecology Society! We’re passionate about the environment and our aim is to get more people outdoors, learning, exploring and doing their bit for nature. We organise a range of events and socials throughout the year, including beach cleans, 1) CLEAN nature walks, pub quizzes, rocky shore bingo, and With help from SWELL, who loaned us litter picks, we much more! started the day with a beach clean! We managed to collect plenty of rubbish including, old beer cans, Most recently we teamed up with David Kilner – plastic bags, straws and washed up nappies from South Wales’ Public Engagement Officer for Dynamic the shipping container accident that happened two Dunescapes, for a day of beach cleaning, art and weeks ago surveying to get more people out enjoying nature! Funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, Dynamic Dunescapes is an incredibly important project to restore sand dunes across England and Wales for the benefit of wildlife, people and communities. Sand dunes are listed as the most ‘at risk’ habitat across Europe and are super important habitats for plant and animal wildlife, including species like the natterjack toad and sand lizard! The aims of this project within South wales are to support, protect and conserve areas of our Dunes in places such as Three Cliffs Bay, Oxwich Bay and Llangennith. “We want to give opportunity to connect people with the wild & wonderful dunes up and down our coast. From beach art, to getting to know your wildlife - these special places are great 2) CREATE for family adventures, wellbeing walks & wildlife Next we did a beach art session. With it being spotting,” says David. Remembrance Day and the tough year we’ve had to endure, we decided to send a message for everyone
to see! We wrote HOPE in giant letters and had an This project it’s all about appreciating nature and amazing time creating artwork. doing something good for the community and the environment. Our society plans to work together with Dunescapes in the future to offer different events, ranging from beach art to dune conservation and species ID! We plan to do this at different locations around the coastline including Llangennith, Three Cliffs Bay and Oxwich with transportation paid for. We would like to say a big thank you to David for providing equipment and co hosting this event!
3) LEARN AND CONSERVE Lastly, we explored the dunes near Crymlyn burrows, surveying for Sea Stock and recording their location. Thanks to David, we learned about invasive and rare species in the local area and the importance of dune ecosystems.
If you have any fun or memorable experiences, Dunescapes would love to hear them! To share your stories visit: www.dynamicdunescapes.co.uk/share-your-storiesimages/ They want to help train the next generation of conservationists – you could become a part of something amazing! To sign up as a volunteer go to the Dynamic Dunescapes webpage or contact David: Email: kilner@plantlife.org Follow them on Facebook: Dynamic Dunes Wales Instagram: Dynamicdunes And Twitter: @dynamicdunes To learn more about us or join our society for more events like this follow us on Facebook: Swansea University Conservation and Ecology Society Instagram: Swansea_Conservation Twitter: su_conservation
Sea stock: Wild Mushroom:
Our Future Goal We want students to have the opportunity to spend more time outdoors, exploring our beautiful coastline whilst learning a thing or two about conservation.
We have some exciting events planned for next term, and we can’t wait for you to join us! By Amy Shorley and Karolina Yagüe.
LGBT+ Speed Friending Event By Cara O’Sullivan LGBT+ President
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n light of the current COVID restrictions it has been hard to organize in-person events, which is the main way our society members usually connect with others and make friends. Therefore, we decided to host a ‘LGBT speed friending’ event to encourage people to get chatting and really get to know each other. The event involved members of the society being split up into groups of 2-3 and left to chat for 5-10 minutes at a time, with the aim of each person speaking to every person at the event. The event turned out to be more popular than we anticipated! There was a bit of trouble with breakout rooms along the way, with some attendees being assigned to the same ‘speed friend’…who knew Zoom could be so confusing? I walked away with a lot more compassion towards my lecturers struggling to get to grips with Zoom, and an excitement to do more events like this in the future.
society members on a more personal level and it was the first time I spoke to many of them one on one, which was my favourite part of the social. I would definitely recommend other societies to run a similar event as the members thoroughly enjoyed the event and conversation flowed more easily when we were back together in the main Zoom call. I feel as though this event was particularly popular as it offered a more relaxed form of socialising, especially for society members who prefer socialising in smaller groups of people or for those who may feel anxious speaking in larger groups. I think it’s important to have events that cater to everyone - whether they be more introverted or extroverted - to ensure that all participants feel comfortable and excited for events. I would definitely incorporate more oneon-one interactions in the future, as before I would tend to think of events catered for large groups, but this event opened my eyes to a whole new range of possibilities.
As the president, it was an amazing opportunity for me to really get to know the society members and gauge their opinion on what they would like from the society. Members came up with future event ideas and possible improvements in the running of the society, which was very helpful. I was also provided with the perfect opportunity to get to know the This was the first event in which
we collaborated with the LGBT+ officers and the Trans and Nonbinary officer. We look forward to hosting many more events with them in the future! GeorgiaRose Gleeson, the LGBT+ officers and Non-binary officer work closely together. Georgia-Rose was involved in the planning of ‘LGBT+ speed friending’ and we are all working together to plan more events that support and increase inclusivity of the LGBTQ+ community within Swansea University.
Resurrecting the Media Society By Mathurin Aron
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ho are we and what do we do?
We are the Swansea University Media Society, a dying society aiming to rise again! Our main objective is to apply what we learn in our media course to our socials. We currently hold small socials every Friday evening; mostly online at the moment, however we intend to host larger outdoor socials when the pandemic alleviates. For example, beach campfires and collaborations with other societies. Previously, we have organised an online Halloween party with games including jackbox.tv, useyourwords.lol and skribbl.io. We are also planning to have one large event every month. Events can be booked on our Facebook page (Swansea Uni Media Society 2020/21). What are our interests and favourite aspects of the media? As a committee, we each enjoy different aspects of the media such as movies, TV series, books, music and social media. For example, I am a massive nerd in terms of media franchise, watching new episodes of The Mandalorian every Friday. Our second social secretary Olivia likes films by Tim Burton, such as Corpse Bride and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. What are our social media handles? As a society, we understand the importance of the
media nowadays and try to highlight it through social media posts. We have a brand new Instagram account (@swanseaunimediasoc) and every week, we share the committee’s favourite book, movie, TV series and song of the moment. We also follow media organisations to keep up to date. Follow us on all our platforms for all updates on our events! Sponsorships: We are currently seeking sponsorships to help us grow as a society. If anyone knows of any which may be useful to us, please contact me (2014116@swansea. ac.uk) and / or our social secretary Olivia Robson (946742@swansea.ac.uk).
Science & Research Nasa To Return To The Moon By 2024 By Owen Wallace
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since 1972, but it is also expected to be the first to land a female astronaut on the moon. What about the new transport system? When completed, the SLS (Space Launch System) will be the most powerful rocket ever built. Capable of reaching speeds of up to 24500 miles per hour. There are three separate configurations, each with the ability to carry cargo or crew.
n the 11th of December 2017, the 45th anniversary of the last Apollo landing, “Space Policy Directive 1” was signed into action calling for new lunar missions, with the possibility of further expansion into the solar system in the coming years. It was decided that this program was to be called ‘Artemis’ after the Greek Goddess, who The first three Artemis missions will use ‘Block 1’. Giving happened to be both the twin sister of Apollo, and them the ability to haul up to 27 tonnes of payload into orbits further than that of the moon. the deity of the moon.
However it should be noted that the solid fuel boosters will not be reusable as many had previously hoped. NASA evaluated the cost recovery, as well as the heightened risk of disaster due to unnoticed damage to be too high, consequently the current One of the distinguishing features includes the landing system will be single-use only. site. Artemis III is projected to be the first crewed mission to the lunar south pole. Given that one of the How will the private sector be able to help? overall goals of the program is to set the foundations Over the past few decades, multiple private of a permanent base on the moon, ice may play a aerospace companies such as SpaceX, Blue Origin, significant role in these ambitions. Not only can it be and Virgin Galactic have risen to prominence. Nasa used to produce breathable oxygen, but scientists plans on utilizing this growing industry in the form have suggested that the hydrogen could be used of contractual agreements. An example of this is the to make rocket fuel. Given the tremendous price of Human Landing System, for which NASA partnered hauling cargo into space, this could potentially save with multiple private companies, paying a total of $579 million. NASA millions of dollars in the long run. With less than a year to go until the launch of Artemis I, what are the scientific implications of the missions? And what sets them apart from other aeronautical projects?
Artemis III will also be worth keeping an eye on for This is not the first time NASA has used contractors. other reasons. Not only is it the first lunar landing Back in May, a SpaceX capsule successfully carried two astronauts to the international space station. At
the same time it demonstrated that reusable rockets are possible by landing two falcon-9 boosters back on Earth. Elon Musk, CEO, has his own ambitious plans of landing humans on Mars by 2050, in an entirely private venture. What’s next for NASA? In 2028, NASA plans on landing the Lunar Surface Asset on the moon, with the intention of setting up a small lunar habitat. This would be the first semipermanent settlement outside of Earth, and would mark a substantial milestone in space exploration. The most likely location for this habitat would be the Shackleton crater. The rims are almost permanently illuminated, and would therefore provide a sustainable source of solar energy. In addition, given its location on the south pole, some of the shadowed regions may provide sources of frozen water, which could be thawed and purified for human consumption. After the Artemis program is complete, NASA will use the knowledge learned and the technology gained to prepare crewed expeditions to previously unexplored parts of the solar system. The logical first step is Mars, and in 2015 NASA administrator Charles Bolden reaffirmed the agency’s goal to reach the martian surface by the 2030s. However with its everturbulent budget, only time will tell if a Mars colony is realistic in the foreseeable future.
Surviving 6 Months Of Night By Christina Karekla
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oth Poles experience 6 months of daylight in summer and 6 months of darkness in winter due to the axial tilt of the Earth in regards to the sun. This means they get one sunrise and one sunset a year (what a rare sight!). You could spend your whole life in daylight if you switched from one pole to the next since they occur at opposing times!
Of course a few places can be in twilight, depending on their location. No sunlight causes many problems to the organisms living in these areas. Firstly, it causes the temperatures to drop down to -20 °C. Animals evolved a variety of adaptations and behaviours to survive or escape the frigid cold such as growing thicker layers of fat, fur or feathers for extra insulation, burrowing, hibernating or migrating. Animals living in colder environments such as the North and South Poles tend to be larger with shorter limbs and bodily appendages,
consequently reducing their body surface to volume ratio and reducing heat loss. Another problem with no sunlight is the difference in biological clocks. Nearly every organism’s body Unique adaptations in the Poles: adapts to the 24 hour rhythm regulating their bodily mechanisms. Bees know when to visit each flower, • The Antarctic fox has evolved paws that prevent diurnal animals wake up in the morning and nocturnal the cold from circulating through the body with animals hunt at night. Most organisms in the Poles a counter-current vascular heat exchanger have adopted an arrhythmic behaviour since the sun meaning they are able to keep their paws at a rising and setting happens only once a year. lower temperature in comparison to the rest of their body minimising heat loss. In addition, their Humans that visit the Poles have found it hard to paws contain polyunsaturated fats that prevent adjust. It is hard to sleep when the sun is out shining frostbite. and is even more difficult to be in a constant night. • Animals such as Antarctic fish have eluded Many have been affected both physically and freezing to death by creating antifreeze proteins. mentally with sunlight causing negative health When a small molecule of ice begins to shape impacts since vitamin D is needed for bone health and inside the body, the antifreeze proteins bind to it, a strong immune system. Mental health decreases preventing the water around it from freezing and since the days are dark and gloomy. creating an ice crystal. Additionally, they lower the minimum temperature that ice is created Humans living full time there have found ways to from 0°C to about -1.9°C. deal with constant darkness such as many cultural • Emperor penguins huddle up during the harsh festivals, social involvement or simply activities such winter to keep themselves warm (which may work as skiing. Some even prefer winter over summer for a bit too well). Whilst inside the huddle their body views such as the Northern or Southern lights. temperature can rise to 37.5 °C. Eventually they What about you? Could you live in 6 months of need to release some body heat. For this reason darkness? they rotate between being outside the huddle blocking the ice-cold winds to inside being nice and toasty. They also breed during the winter so newly born emperors are born in summer when the ice breaks and they can learn to hunt.
Oriel Science Museum Opening By Sophie Sadler
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wansea University’s Oriel Science will soon be opening the doors to its new venue in the city centre. The museum will be a hub for interactive science exhibitions, beginning with Movement and Motion and Swansea University’s Response to Covid-19, and will be completely FREE to visit. Modern scientific advances will be brought directly from the University straight to the general public, in a fun and engaging setting. Amongst other things, visitors will be able to show off their skills on the Swansea University Race Car Simulator; measure their arms’ length against the wingspan of a condor; learn how particles can be levitated with ultrasonic speakers; and get an understanding of what goes on inside a hospital during the Covid-19 pandemic by interacting with 3D printed visors and a ventilator. Many other surprises will be contained behind the venue’s doors! In the past, Oriel Science has already been responsible for exciting interactive public science. In 2016/17, a 100-day exhibition on Time featured a mock-up of the Large Hadron Collider and a Back to the Future themed DeLorean sports car, attracting almost 16,000 visitors.
allowing current students to gain experience sharing their knowledge of science in a public setting, and to showcase the work of the university. This will also provide the inspiration for aspiring young scientists who visit the venue to follow in their footsteps. The Director of Oriel Science, Professor Chris Allton, said: “It is truly wonderful to open our new city centre venue to showcase the University’s research to people living in and around Swansea. Oriel Science uses this amazing research, packaged into fun and interactive exhibits, to inspire the younger generation so that they can become our future engineers, doctors, technologists and innovators.”
A student ambassador team will be another key Professor Martin Stringer, Pro-Vice Chancellor at feature of the museum. This is a fantastic opportunity Swansea University added: “It is great to welcome the opening of Oriel Science’s new city centre venue. This is an important event, especially in this most difficult of years. The University has, in many ways, been at the forefront of work to tackle the social and medical impacts of COVID-19, as will be shown in the exhibition at the new venue, but more than that, the opening of this venue demonstrates a commitment to Swansea, and particularly to the next generation of budding scientists in the Swansea region that looks beyond COVID-19 and on towards the future.” The venue will be open from 10am-4pm on weekends as well as during school holidays. Further information about Oriel Science can be found on the website: http://orielscience.co.uk
The US Election: What Is Going On? By Louis Bromfield
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iven how 2020 has unfolded, it was no surprise that the US Election would be par for the course. In the aftermath of it all, more chaos has unfolded than anyone could’ve predicted. In this article, I will try to explain the key events of the last fortnight up to the point of writing that have occurred, in the hope of providing you, the reader, with a greater sense of clarity and understanding of what’s going on in America. What’s happened? On Election Day on November 3, President Trump was exceeding expectations. He had the lead in several states he needed to win like Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Georgia. But it’s not how you start in an election, it’s how you finish. With COVID hanging above us throughout the best part of a year, it heavily changed the voting dynamics in this election. Voting by mail became the preferred choice, with numerous states reporting higher voter turnout in pre-Election Day numbers than they got throughout the entirety of the 2016 election. How did COVID affect the votes? COVID caused a massive skew in how Democrats and Republicans voted. President Trump had been building up a narrative for months that mail-in voting was not to be trusted, encouraging voting on Election Day over the alternative, and his supporters listened. Those who voted for Joe Biden however were, generally speaking, more cautious and pragmatic about avoiding potential exposure to the coronavirus, and so, as a result, were much more likely to vote by mail, before Election Day. Why is that important? This “voting-on-the-day” versus “voting by mail” dichotomy fuels the basis of the Trump camp’s claims of corruption. On face value, Trump took comfortable leads in swing-states (states most likely to go either way) that he needed to win, yet, as time went on, his
leads shrank and eventually flipped to Biden. Why did this happen? States count the Election Day votes first, and the mailed-in ballots second, thus offering an explanation as to why Trump seemed to be overperforming in a lot of states, and why many felt comfortable declaring him the winner, albeit prematurely. Once these votes were totalled, the mail-in votes began being counted. This saw Biden seemingly “catch up” to Trump, and more often than not, overtake him and win these crucial states. To the Trump camp and his supporters, however, this reeked of corruption - Biden was seemingly magically conjuring up votes where and when he needed them, while Trump’s gains were minimal. When we consider the aforementioned Election Day versus postal vote counting method, this narrative is quickly dispensed of, but that isn’t stopping Trump. I heard the Trump camp is filing lawsuits, is this true? Yes, but it hasn’t been effective in any way. The only significant precedent set for contesting a presidential election in the US this way is the contest between Al Gore and George W. Bush in 2000, but the two
elections are completely different ball games. In 2000, the election came down to approximately 500 votes in one state, Florida. The Supreme Court eventually determined Bush had won the state, and so he became President. The Trump-Biden vote totals are nowhere near this close. Trump is contesting states like Pennsylvania, Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, and Georgia, all of which Biden won by approximately 63,000, 11,000, 146,000, 36,000 and 14,000 votes respectively - significantly higher margins than the 500 vote divide in 2000. To compound these figures, the Trump team’s evidence is almost non-existent. Numerous lawsuits have already been thrown out due to unsubstantiated claims, the most recent being in Pennsylvania. Speaking on the lawsuit filed in Michigan, Judge Timothy Kenny stated that “there is no evidence in support of those assertions [of a lack of transparency in the vote-counting]” (source: NPR). On top of this, in numerous cases the number of ballots that the Trump team is looking to get thrown out is negligible at best, like their attempt to get 600 votes invalidated due to a lack of complete address information (source: ABC News), even though Biden’s winning margin was over 105 times that amount, or Senator Lindsey Graham claiming they have evidence of just six people in Pennsylvania who registered to vote after dying (source: Fox News). Any claim of voter fraud must of course be comprehensively examined, but throwing out six votes will not put a particularly noticeable dent in Biden’s 63,000 vote lead.
This election was not just about the presidency, but also which party has a majority of the seats in the Senate and the House of Representatives. While Biden taking the Oval Office may be a win, Democrats, at the time of writing, have not taken a majority in the Senate, meaning Republicans could shoot down almost anything Biden tries to enact, unless through Executive Order. If Trump’s corruption argument is to be believed, the idea that Democrats rigged the presidency but not the Senate is evidently contradictory to that take. So why is the Trump team even trying? In short (and this is an admittedly subjective and personal interpretation), Trump knows he has lost, and so his best strategy was to spin the results into a tale of corruption, fraud, and chaos - allowing him to exit the White House next January under the narrative that he was defeated by a rigged and broken system, engineered by the Democrat machine to remove him from office. These could even be the foundations for a second run in 2024, as he weaponises these claims against the Democratic Party. The ramifications of a sitting President doing everything he can to undermine the electoral process are alarming, something that cannot yield positive results for the health of American democracy. What matters most to Americans and the international community is that Biden will be the next president, but do not take your eyes off Trump for the next couple of months - the ride isn’t over yet, and the Trump team is not playing nice.
Fashion Is It Possible To Be Sustainable And Have A Wardrobe With The Latest Trends? lilac dye from a shop - a good place to look is a craft store. Or, if you’re looking to be especially eco-friendly then you can use homemade natural dye. Red onion skins, raspberries and blackberries are known to be used as a homemade purple dye. Whilst purple may be too deep for your lilac ambitions, you are that one step closer to wearing the shade of the season.
By Rhianydd Sword
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question that I always used to ask myself: how is it possible to be in touch with the latest trends of the season without constantly buying new clothes? Updating our wardrobes every season is not only an expensive task but an unsustainable one, and whilst it may seem that we can’t do everything, I’m here to tell you that you really can get the best of both worlds. Changing our wardrobes around doesn’t mean spending our money and buying new clothes but simply revitalising the items that we do have. Fortunately, upcycling is also shown to be a trend of this season and I’m here to tell you how to take your old items and turn them into something new. One of the biggest trends that came out of this season was the colour lilac. Shown to be an unexpected addition to the Autumn catwalks, the colour was modernised and shown to be a fresh way to add to any outfit. If your wardrobe is lacking in lilac, don’t worry as you can use dye to create the pale violet tone that you’re looking for and dye a preexisting garment. You can buy
Having an established sleeve is also shown to be popular this season, whether that be through puffed sleeves or shoulder pads. If you’re wondering which sleeve is best, whilst both sleeves are trends that I love, a sleeve with a shoulder pad is seemingly a lot easier to make than a puffed sleeve. Simply take any top and sew a pad underneath the fabric of where your shoulder would lie. If you’re a girl then you can even take the padding from a bikini top, if it allows you to, and use that as a shoulder pad. As for a puffed sleeve if you want to make your own then sewing skills will be needed. Firstly, if you’re updating an item that already has sleeves then remove the arms by unpicking the threads. I’d then recommend using a sleeve pattern which you can find online to create a new sleeve. To get the puffed sleeve look when sewing, you’ll want to
create a few gathers. Once this has been done, sew the sleeve to your top and you have a top that screams high fashion! Sometimes, changing an item that we have isn’t so drastic as changing its colour or creating new sleeves. Putting a scarf on your bag or adding a brooch to a jacket can update an outfit without needing to heavily alter it. As for the rest of this season’s trends, they also include wearing metallic clothes, tassels and revisiting the little black dress. If you’re too busy to upcycle your current wardrobe then a good idea is to see if you’ve any clothes that you’ve previously put in storage. I know my attic is filled with clothes that I didn’t think I’d ever wear again, and they might just contain garments that work perfectly for this Autumn.
Greenwashing: Fast Fashion’s New Tactical Weapon By Lucie Stepankova
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s we’re all becoming more aware of how important it is to make greener choices on a daily basis, the sustainability of the brands we buy from has never mattered to us as much as it does now. Most fashion brands are well-aware of this and, in response, launch green initiatives and centre their branding around sustainability – but are they truly making changes for the better, or just feeding us green lies hoping we’ll bite?
replace quickly, without thinking, on impulse, to discard what they already have.
The Seven Sins Of Greenwashing What forms can greenwashing take? Terrachoice has created a framework called the seven sins of greenwashing to facilitate the understanding – and nearly all greenwashing cases fall into one of their categories:
The marketing tactic of being dishonest about a company’s environmental performance in hopes to • No proof is fairly common in fast fashion – it involves sway shopper’s opinions and purchase intentions is making claims about the brand’s environmental called greenwashing. commitment and performance without backing them up. That would be like you writing an Why Do Brands Do This? academic essay but not adding references to any of your arguments. One of the prime examples In recent years, fast fashion has become the main of this is H&M, which is regarded as one big business concept of the industry. It involves quick greenwashing scandal by many sustainable rotation of stock (sometimes as quickly as introducing fashionistas. They have a whole ‘sustainability’ a new collection every single week), extreme costsection on their website without any reference to cutting and outsourcing of cheap labour. data which would back up their empty promises. • Vagueness entails throwing around sustainablyFast fashion is unsustainable by design – it involves sounding terms without set definitions. All kinds the dumping of toxic pesticides and dyes into of brands are labelling their products as ‘natural’ rivers, soil degradation, pollution of the ocean with – a very misleading term. For example, leather is microscopic plastic particles… But the main reason natural (it comes from animals, which are part of why fast fashion can arguably never be made nature) but its production process still makes it sustainable lies in its very purpose: to make more one of the most unsustainable materials due to money by creating cheap clothing customers will high greenhouse gas emissions.
• Lesser of two evils is a sin that penetrates the whole idea of fast fashion’s sustainability promises. By creating sustainable collections or ranges, fast fashion companies are creating an option that is less environmentally harmful than the rest of their stock – but as I said before, it is still fast fashion, which is unsustainable by design. • Hidden trade-off emphasises one aspect which makes a product more sustainable, while ignoring other ways which make it not-so-sustainable. Fast fashion companies are very well-known for doing this. For example, they will emphasise that a product is made from a portion of recycled materials or contains organic cotton but will leave out the rest of its overall footprint (release of plastic fibres into the water cycle, use of toxic dyes, transport across half the world… the list could go on) which is detrimental to the environment. • Three other greenwashing sins exist: irrelevance (stating something that’s true but doesn’t make a difference – such as labelling products as CFCfree when CFCs are banned anyways) worshipping false labels (creating misleading illusions of third party endorsements) and fibbing (simply lying). Although these are not as common in the fashion industry, it’s still worthwhile to keep them in mind.
Spot Greenwashing And Avoid It Whenever you see a (fast) fashion company make sustainability claims, the best way to check their credibility is to look for facts which support their statements and the whole truth – not just the side of the story the brand wants you to see. While looking through fashion labels’ websites, you can see for yourself how much of what they’re trying to sell to you is actually based on fact. While this is great to do if you can maintain a critical edge, remember that the marketing departments of these brands are experts in deception and usually try to apply emotional appeals when they don’t have the facts to back up their actions. This can make you vulnerable to their greenwashing, especially if the brand in question is one you’ve shopped at frequently before. Here’s where third-party websites such as Fashion Revolution or Ethical Consumer come into play. They do the analysis for you and present it all in one place, including the pros and cons of companies. Unsustainable practices can rarely escape their scrutiny. Keeping the seven sins of greenwashing and these
fact-checking tips in mind can help you easily identify when a fashion company is trying to lure you in with greenwashing. Just like me, you’ll soon be calling out every other store on the high street for being a bunch of dirty liars! Congratulations and welcome to the club.
Literature “oh, to gouging eyes out” By Jan Delos Santos It is tiring to be this complex in nothing but thoughts and words and sound. It is too much choice and noise and heartache for my soul. And so, I have made the quiet decision to be the amalgamation of crocodiles and alligators. Where I’ll spend my time cycling between water and grassland only caring about how much heat I want to take. To be this kind of reptile is to be a rock that breathes it is to be a statue that no one dares to steal a kiss from it is to be death until food arrives, and to be death once again when they leave. I no longer crave skyscrapers nor the crimson of the news. I did not want the weight of cement upon shoulders. I do not want you to look at me like that. I will not crave attention if it means remembering the colour of your irises. As a crocodile I am expected to have fangs. As an alligator, you would not be surprised to find me cold to the touch. My tears are freshwater, darling. I will not sweat or shiver simply submerge me in ice and watch how slow I can get watch me trickle down to a full stop the ticking you hear will cease there is no need to fear Me anymore.
“Haikus from the Plague-Lands” By Benjamin Nichols 1. Nature goes to sleep,
The silly apes keep routine, The dark winter starts. 2. Spring a distant thought; Once the good survive the plague, Flowers await them. 3. Ignorant masses Among the homes and loved ones But still we fight on.
A MOST UNUSUAL PITCH: A DRAGON’S DEN FANTASY By Ikeke Azeke
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ervous wrecks are the norm when entrepreneurs step into the Den. But our protagonist, JC is quite different. Decked in a spotless white suit, he is confident, almost like he has the answer for every possible question they might throw at him. His steps are measured, slow, majestic, almost like time is his servant. At the sight of him, our dragons immediately sense something different. The tables are turned and for the very first time in the Den, it is the dragons who are nervous in the presence of the entrepreneur. JC: Good day everyone. The dragons are still a little uncertain as to what is happening, they are especially confused because they are now the ones needing our protagonist to make them feel at ease in his presence. They are even a little more embarrassed when they suspect, from the look in our protagonist’s eyes that he knows
exactly what they are thinking. Our protagonist continues JC: Death…man’s greatest enemy. His greatest fear. The one event that happens to all, whether rich or poor, foolish or wise, servant or master. From time immemorial, man has spun myths and told tales about evading or attempting to evade this most certain event. From the epic of Gilgamesh to the fountain of youth, to the philosopher’s stone and the elixir of life, the obsession with immortality is a prominent feature of humanity. The dragons become attentive, eager to see where our protagonist is going with this JC: My father and I have made it our business to grant this innermost desire to anyone who would take advantage of what we are offering. The terms of our offer are simple, in exchange for your souls, we are offering a guarantee of eternal life in addition to eternal dividends equivalent to how much of yourself you invest in our cause. I will be more than happy to
answer your questions.
JC: A great multitude which no one can number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues. And the The room goes dead silent. The dragons cannot success rate is 100%, this is why I call it a guarantee. believe their ears. This is complete utter nonsense Those who accept this offer do not die. and yet for some reason they feel they do believe our protagonist deep within them. The resolute, calm, SD: And these great multitude of people you mention, confident look in the eyes of our protagonist assure they are all alive? Every one of them? the dragons he totally believes every word he just said. The first dragon, somewhat nervy begins the JC: Yes, although I would admit the greater number questioning of them are what you would call “dead”, still about three billion of them are what you would call alive. FD: You and your father run this business? SD: Wait, wait, wait, let me cut you off right there! Some of them are dead? JC: Yes JC: Would you say you are alive? FD: And how much of the business does he own? All the dragons laugh at this point. For the first time, JC: 100% they do seem truly at ease in presence of this most unusual entrepreneur. The dragons are all puzzled SD: (sarcastically) My lawyer wouldn’t read my will FD: And how much of the business do you own? yet…So I guess so JC: 100%
JC: My point exactly
FD: I do not understand, how is that possible? And SD: What is your point? why is your father not here? JC: You do not know the difference between the JC: My father and I are one and whoever has seen dead and the living. Anyone who does not accept me has seen him. what me and my father offer is already dead long before they reach the point you recognize them as The dragons look at one another to make sure they dead. Whoever accepts what me and my father are all hearing the same thing. Our protagonist has offer never dies and continues to live even when they been talking trash since he entered the Den, yet there reach the point you would call them dead. is something very convincing about his composed regal demeanor. The second dragon swoops in to The third dragon angrily speaks up find out more about this business TD: Are you saying we are dead?! SD: How long have you and your father been in this business? JC: (Very calmly turns to look at him) That is precisely what I am saying JC: Even though my father and I have been together for much longer, we have been doing this for over All the dragons are once again taken aback. The twenty centuries and two decades now tense atmosphere returns to the Den. The fourth dragon gathers her thoughts SD: That is ridiculous, you look thirty…thirty-five at most, you were not even born during the second FTD: How much did you and your father invest in this world war business? JC: Before Adolf Hitler, I am
JC: Just me
SD: (After a very brief skeptical pause), and what is FTD: What do you mean just you? the market for this “death-defying” product of yours? What is the success rate? JC: I was the investment
FTD: I do not understand
these make everything he went through worth it and he knows he would gladly do it again and again if he could. He kisses her forehead and affectionately sniffs her hair. Our protagonist invites all the other dragons to do the same. The first, second and third dragons examine the scars also. Emotions run high in the den, the fifth dragon has one final query as he watches the other dragons head back to their seats.
JC: I mean everything to my father yet he invested me into this business. I had to taste of death myself just like everybody else but unlike everybody else, I solved the death problem by rising from the dead. My guarantee to everybody who accepts what me and my father offer is based on this premise; because I died and rose from the dead, they will also be raised from the dead when they die too. FFD: (Indifferent to the entire scenery) You have walked into a room having six hundred and twentyFTD: (eyes widening) So you conquered death by five thousand pounds staring you straight in the dying? And you offer anyone who accepts your offer face. We the dragons have a combined net-worth the opportunity to also conquer death even if they of about one and a half billion pounds, yet I have do die so that in essence, they never die? not heard you mention money once in this entire conversation. Our protagonist smiles for the first time since entering the Den. It clearly has an effect on all the dragons as JC: I do not seek what you have, I seek you they are smitten by his charisma and poise even as he shows excitement. FFD: Well, you should seek both me and what I have, that is the whole point of the Dragon’s Den! Anyway, JC: Flesh and blood did not reveal that to you say I wanted to invest in this business of yours, how much money would you require? FTD: That’s genius! JC: What shall it profit a man if he gains the whole All the other dragons are a bit confused. How has the world and loses his soul or what shall a man give in fourth dragon understood any of this gibberish? The exchange for his soul? fourth dragon still has one more query There is a brief moment of silence, our protagonist FTD: But wait, do you have any proof for this? These shows absolutely no nerves. It is the dragons who are are very outrageous claims you are making here nervous. The fifth dragon breaks the silence Our protagonist takes off his suit, his tie, his shirt and his inner vest to reveal the most hideous scars on his back. He also shows his sides with a gaping hole in it, it looks like a spear was thrust into it from one end to the other. He stretches out his hands to show deep cuts which seem to be the result of nails being driven deep into them. He takes off his shoes and his socks, his feet seem to have identical scars to the ones on his hands. Our protagonist looks at the fourth dragon JC: Come…thrust your hands into my sides, and your fingers into my hands.
FFD: Look, I would tell you where I am at, I look at this business, it is thriving already apparently, you do not seem to care about my money or my contacts and I’m sitting here asking myself what value I can bring into the business, and my answer is none, so for that reason I’m out (folds his book and places it on the table).
The fourth dragon gets up as if in a trance and approaches our protagonist. She begins to weep as she examines the scars and sees his sides, she realizes no one could really have survived such brutality. She was convinced he must have died even though he was currently very much alive. She embraces our protagonist and kisses him. Our protagonist is fighting back tears at this point. Despite our protagonist’s poise and dignity, he shows his vulnerable side. He is on the brink of tears not just because he remembers his pain and suffering but also because moments like
FD: Mr. JC, you do look like a nice guy, you strike me as a man of integrity, I do find myself believing every word you said but…and this is a big but for me, I really do not understand this business of yours at all. I would definitely be open to working with you in the future on a business I can fully understand. So on this note, I wish you all the very best in your future endeavors but I am also out (folds his book and places it on the table).
The first dragon dashes a quick glance at the other dragons, he senses none of them are willing to speak yet, he declares his hand
Our protagonist keeps a straight face and politely
nods at the first dragon, his exact reaction to the and through intermittent sobs proceeds fifth dragon. The third dragon speaks FTD: I see that I need you more than you need TD: I think your whole pitch is ridiculous and vague. me, as a matter of fact I wonder why you need me For a neatly dressed bloke who speaks with as much (continues to cry), one moment please (cries some charisma as you do, I think you have set out to insult more). I will make you an offer, my soul, and all of the intelligence of the dragons and I am having none me, for your guarantee of eternal life…and all of you of this. It takes an idiot to believe he would not die (breaks down crying again) and all you have to offer because he accepts your offer. I am not an idiot and The second dragon cuts in I hate my intelligence being insulted, so I am also out SD: Four hundred and ten million pounds JC, think (folds his book and places it on the table). about it! You would be a very rich man JC! Tears stream down our protagonist’s face. There are few things more hurtful to the protagonist than his scars being despised. He however regains his composure; he respects the third dragon’s choice. The second dragon has been quietly mulling over the entire pitch, he says what is on his mind,
Our protagonist completely ignores the second dragon, with teary eyes, his choice is clear, he looks at the fourth dragon and spreads his arms wide JC: I accept your offer The fourth dragon gets up and runs into our protagonist’s arms, she is still a nervous wreck. Our protagonist, himself in tears, comforts her. The second dragon is puzzled as to what kind of man turns down four hundred and ten million pounds without thinking twice while the first, third and fifth dragons ponder on whether they just missed out on the greatest deal they might ever get.
SD: I don’t agree with TD and I do perfectly understand your business, I have seen the proof and I believe it, so on that basis, I am going to make you an offer. (Continues after a brief pause) I think my soul is too much of an investment but I am prepared to offer you four hundred million pounds, about three quarters of my net worth in lieu of my soul for your guarantee of eternal life and another ten million pounds in lieu of myself for a proportionate share of the eternal THE END rewards you offer. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Our protagonist is blank, but again begins to weep begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should as he looks at the fourth dragon who has been not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16) weeping since touching his scars. She wipes her tears
Bethan’s Book Of The Month By Bethan Bates The Gravity of Us by Phil Stamper
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picked this book up over lockdown for one very simple reason: it features a gay, interracial relationship (I am easily pleased when it comes to YA romance fiction). However, this book had so much more to offer. It’s about love, family, growing up, and space! It follows the story of Cal, a young aspiring journalist who uses social media to tell stories about the goings on in his home in New York. He is forced to move to Houston, Texas when his father is selected to be involved in the upcoming Orpheus mission. The story deals with how Cal feels about leaving his home, his friends, and his career.
Spoilers Start Here When Cal and his family move to Houston they meet the other AstroKids and their families. They all live in a faux-sixties community where the people and their lives seem just a little too perfect. The experiences of the astronauts and their families are all recorded and published on the Shooting Stars channel. The families host a number of parties where Cal begins to realise the superficial and warped reality that he lives in; he sees the corrupt TV producers for Shooting Star and begins to question what is really happening. In his time in Houston he meets Leon, a fellow AstroKid, who he quickly develops feelings for. Phil Stamper does an amazing job of writing two young queer characters without allowing them to lose their own individuality and goals. Their relationship is soft and sweet, and they support each other through everything. Right until the end of the story they stand by each other.
the support of those around him, gets the NASA employees to tell his online viewers about what they do and why the mission is important. These scenes made me feel all fuzzy with how passionate they were about their jobs - they represent how, when people come together for a cause they care about, they can make real change. The book ends beautifully, a happy ending! Cal and Leon are together, the mission is saved, and everyone gets to live happily ever after. The book is a reminder that good wins out, and that honest, good people succeed.
Spoilers End Here
This is Phil Stamper’s first published book only coming out earlier this year but I am already so excited for his next one, due to come out in 2021. He is definitely on his way to being one of the top YA authors of our generation and I am very excited to see him gain many accolades. Even if you wouldn’t normally Alongside the romantic storyline, Stamper writes a consider YA fiction I would highly recommend this story of corruption and honesty. Cal begins to see how one. And remember: YA is for everyone! the TV producers use the families and their struggles to make stimulating entertainment. Cal tries to out Rating 5/5 their behaviour via his online presence, but as they are the sole investor to the Orpheus mission, they threaten to withdraw and stop the mission. However, Stamper reminds us that good wins out: Cal, with
Creative Writing
Na-No-Wri-GO! By Catrin Lawrence
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s the days draw in and there’s less to do due to a combination of cold and Coronavirus, many writers will be looking for a new challenge or project to pass the time. What could be more challenging than writing a novel in a month? What is NaNoWriMo? National Novel Writing Month, better known as NaNoWriMo, is an annual writing challenge held every November. The aim is to write 50,000 words of your novel-in-progress or even start a completely new one! NaNoWriMo began in 1999 in San Francisco, when a writer named Chris Baty started the challenge in July. He later changed it to November ‘to more fully take advantage of the miserable weather’ for writing (clearly, he’s never been to Wales in July). Nowadays, thousands of people take part across the world every year, scribbling away to reach their goals. Some people try to go beyond the word limit, or complete 50,000 words in a shorter amount of time. There are stories of writers ‘winning’ NaNoWriMo in half a month or even a week. I once read an article about a writer who completed the challenge in ONE DAY. Unless you’re a highly experienced all-nighter, I don’t recommend this. How Can I Get Involved? Getting involved can be very simple; just set time aside every day of November to get to 50,000 words. However, if you want to make it official, go to nanowrimo.org and make an account. Once you’ve signed up, you can announce your project, including a cool cover if you’re artistic or a playlist link for those inspired by music. You can also buddy up with other writers online and join your local region (Wales all the way!) to find weekly write-ins and
forums to chat with other local writers. Because of current restrictions, all events will be held online this year, creating even more opportunities than before to take part. If you record your progress on your account, you can win badges for updating more than once a day, or for completing ‘streaks’ (not that kind) by updating your word count several days in a row. At the end of the month, if you reach 50,000 words, you can submit your novel to have its word count verified. If you ‘win’ NaNoWriMo, you get a certificate you can print out (good to show the parents you’ve been doing something during lockdown!), a virtual badge and a place on the winner’s list. Even though November has just started, it’s never too late to take part. You don’t even need a plan for your novel. Just write! What Can I Write? Any genre, story or theme you can think of, so long as it’s a novel. Technically, no fanfiction or stories told through poetry are allowed, but as it’s a challenge for yourself, most NaNoWriMo participants don’t really care what you write. I’m using this month to complete a new draft of a YA (Young Adult) fantasy horror. I’ve been developing the world it’s set in for the last ten years. Because my planned word count is longer than the NaNoWriMo challenge, I’m planning on writing 2000 words a day to reach 60,000 words. This is my first NaNoWriMo, so I’m feeling nervous about whether I’ll reach even 50,000 words. I’ve always been the kind of writer who writes a few hundred words in a burst of inspiration before getting stuck on a synonym for ‘walked’. Can I really write 2000 words a day? However, it may be the only free time I have left to complete a first draft before I graduate and begin adulting in the real world. With only four weeks to write three thirds of it, this could be a great opportunity to build up my writing stamina and draft a story I’ve wanted to tell for years. If you’re taking part in NaNoWriMo and want to buddy up (writers are three times more likely to win if they do!) then
come find me under the username CatShouldBeWriting. Check out The Waterfront website at the end of the month to see how I did.
Will I reach 50,000 words? Will my characters finally come to life on Good luck and happy writing! the page? There’s only one way to find out.
Things That Are Red By Abhishek Subhash Things that are Red: The eyes of a stoner, The pen of a teacher, The pavement where they chewed paan, The ketchup I used at Burger Barn, The traffic signal screaming stop, The roadside Chinese chicken lollipop, The courage of the jawaans that got shot, Her saree - the day they tied the knot, The light in the area she stood as they glared, The flowers on the bed of the newly wed, While driving through the footpath he left them dead, I’m ‘Being Human’ - the nostril fed with cocaine said. Things that are RedShort sighted, lopsided, misguided, Manchester UnitedIndia Divided.
NaNoWriMo: How Did it Go? By Catrin Lawrence
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or the last few weeks, I’ve been taking part in my first ever National Novel Writing Month, a yearly challenge where writers aim to get 50,000 words of a novel done during November. I wrote an article about NaNoWriMo at the start of the month, which you can find on Waterfront’s website. Before I began, I was nervous about whether I’d reach that 50,000-word goal. At the
novel and what I need to change (or not) to achieve it.
I’ve always been the kind of writer time of writing this article, I’m who works through bursts of almost halfway through. Will I win inspiration. A cool sentence or line NaNoWriMo? of dialogue will enter my head, I’ll write it down, get excited and Reader, I don’t think I will. But is write a few hundred more words. that the most important part? This is going great; I’ll think to myself. Soon I’ll have a whole first Despite not ‘winning’ the challenge, draft under my belt! I’ve still learnt a lot about how I write and the novel I’m currently Then I’ll stop. And the words won’t working on. It’s taught me about return. motivation (or writing through a lack of it), what I want out of my I couldn’t wait around for
inspiration during NaNoWriMo, otherwise my novel would never have got off the ground. In October, I semi-planned what I wanted to write, something I’d recommend to anyone who wants to try NaNoWriMo next year. It makes it easier to just get going if you know what your plot is.
Writing past the first chapter of my novel has given me a better idea of what I want out of it. NaNoWriMo has helped me to answer major questions I had about the plot and worldbuilding. I’ve had to murder some darlings, but they’ll always be there for another novel.
Since I knew what I was writing, I had no excuse to take my hands off the keyboard. On the NaNoWriMo website, you have the option of updating your word count every day. This became a form of positive reinforcement, as I strove to always write something, anything just to see that blue line reach further across the screen.
NaNoWriMo is the best thing that’s happened to my writing, not because of the amount I’ve written, but the lessons I’ve learnt along the way. It’s made me a more productive writer, helped me to understand what I want out of my novel, and overall been an amazing experience.
The badges were even more addictive. I was like a kid in primary school, buzzing with excitement every time I got a badge for updating my word count, or reaching a certain amount of words. I felt the joy that I normally feel at writing something in the moment of inspiration. Even though I’ll no doubt edit a lot of it later, I feel proud that I’ve written so much at all. The second thing I’ve learnt is not to do with how I write, but what I’m writing. My NaNoWriMo project is a fantasy horror novel I’ve been developing and rewriting for ten years. The plot has changed multiple times, but I’ve finally settled on one that I’m happy with.
Catch me taking part next year!
Sneak Peek of Unknown Aspects by Catrin Lawrence She ran back through the dark, not caring about roots, not caring about falls. The moon was up, and she’d been out for far, far too long, listening to a crazy boy’s story about his history reading.
So what if there was a time when the Mistress of Air Before NaNoWriMo, I’d write the first chapter, disappeared? It happened so many times, across so sometimes even the first three, then snag on a plot many centuries. A hundred years meant nothing to a hole. Without knowing how to solve it, I’d just start on woman who couldn’t die. a different version of the same novel, the cycle of not But it did if the Sect was hiding every trace of it. getting anywhere starting once more.
Two Poems By Sophie Apps “Untie Me” Time buried me in a casket – I gorge on your name; Hungry for a different set of vowels and consonants. In the dark, men come out to play; picking pockets. My heart is a dead woman’s ring; her wrinkled skin; The faded photograph of her husband – taken things. I am tricked – you swallowed those three words I Love You, fending them off with my clay ribs. Loving you is a red ribbon asphyxiating; a noose Necking; the air stuffed into an asthmatic’s lungs.
I am a masochist masticating on heartbreak. These ribbons cuff my hands; binding our bodies. Please don’t untie me is twirling and twisting like rhythmic gymnastics spelt and spun into satin. Slash, slice, axe my body; would it be love if I left?
“The Bridged Blood of a Dreamer” I am the girl at the gas station With flowers flowing through my hair; Tourists trample through, Pushing with elbows that hit like baseball bats. I wish I could drive. You are a metropolitan ellipsis; Your hills are towering goosebumps on my chest My loneliness is undressed, in this city; who am I? You are everywhere I have been, and everywhere I have not. Something familiar, but foreign; a mother’s face mended Onto a fish’s frame. They cannot swim as we can. I am the girl that has tasted your sea But not swept in your swindling Like these natives washed ashore with dyed dispositions. They traded return tickets for clam currencies And red-bricked boxes on floor one. But, not me – I am the girl at the gas station. There are girls frothing poetry With dead flowers in their hair Collecting coins in their coffins. Their lunch breaks are over: Back to signing worthless notepads. I am the girl in the gas station. City, do you notice me? Or am I another speckle of blood Marring your ironed fingers. They think they love you, But they don’t love you as I do. I am the girl that birthed your gas fire. Those nameless burning bodies Are manufactured like jars of candy; Their hands cannot even say goodbye, But we gaze – me and the city – At the bridged blood of the dreamers That makes you stand.
Music What Makes A Christmas Song? By Cat Daczkowski
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rom Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want For Christmas’ to Slade’s ‘Merry Xmas Everybody,’ songs are the aspects that make Christmas. In fact, 41% of Brits say that they need Christmas music to feel festive. In 2019 the PRS For Music organisation discovered that ‘Fairytale of New York’ by The Pogues feat. Kirsty MacColl is the most played Christmas song, but interestingly this year, the BBC announced that they would be playing a censored version of the song this festive season. Unsurprisingly, the track held the no.1 spot on the Nation’s top 20 festive song list in 2019! Ultimately though, what is it that actually makes a song sound festive? The Elements of Christmas This may sound obvious but simply utilising sleigh bells in the background of a song or having lyrics such as ‘let it snow’ can create a festive mood instantaneously. Also, if a song has been used in a Christmas film, this could help highlight its festive mood through the film’s imagery. An example would be the song ‘Walking In The Air’ sung by Peter Auty and popularised by Aled Jones, which was featured on ‘The Snowman’. Minor and Diminished Chords Of course, Christmas songs use major chords as they highlight the joy that we feel during the holiday but in order to have texture, other kinds of chords are required. Ways in which artists can do this is through changing to a minor key in a section or even just dot diminished chords through the piece.
Rituals Every year people look forward to the John Lewis Christmas Advert, and subsequently the non-festive song that is used in those adverts become closely associated with the holiday. This, along with the ritual of choir groups and even carollers singing festive tracks each Christmas are also great examples. A Moment Written In History In the list of the UK’s top 20 Christmas songs from 2019, the majority (19/20 in fact) were written before the year 2000. Nostalgia is required for a Christmas song as it reminds people of a more simple time full of festive cheer. Think of Bill Crosby’s ‘White Christmas’: it was written in the 1940s but since has been covered over 500 times! People are drawn to the past, and Christmas music relies on that.
Dysgu Cymraeg! Dysgu Cymraeg mewn dim ond 5 munud y dydd, am ddim.
Learn Welsh! Learn Welsh in just 5 minutes a day, for free.
Swyddog Materion Cymraeg | Welsh Affairs Officer: katie.phillips@swansea-union.co.uk
The “Save Our Venues” Initiative, Is It Too Late To Save The Industry? By Jordan Onslow
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n the COVID era, it is difficult to keep track of all of the businesses and sectors that are struggling and frankly makes for depressing research. The music industry is no different to any other in that aspect, however we tend to think of the rich and famous musicians who have had to cancel their shows or tours and qualify it by knowing they’ll remain comfortable with the amount of revenue they have coming in anyway.
£870 of their £15,000 target, just over 6% of the total needed to keep them afloat, whilst “Crowley’s Rock Bar” (pictured on the right) has raised £610 of their £7500 target goal, around 8% of what they require. Creature Sound Swansea is a special venue, full of history and great people, a well hidden secret for many, they are a haven for many struggling musicians, giving them a platform to perform, they are highly regarded in the community for taking in the homeless and providing support. Crowley’s is no different, it is a well regarded rock/metal bar in which the Saturdays are said to be legendary. It is a great shame that both of these great venues are so close to being forced to close. In early October, the Cultural Recovery Fund (CRF) was announced, to help support venues that were unable to open or were struggling financially. The first round granted over 257 million pounds in funding, but for many venues this just isn’t enough, as there are still rent and bills to pay, which is exactly why this initiative is so important.
Grassroots venues simply do not have this privilege and they are dying slow and painful deaths. This death is what the Music Venue Trust (MVT) are trying to prevent with this new initiative. The trust represents 670 venues in the UK, 556 of which are labelled “at immediate risk of being permanently shut down”. Of this 556, it includes two local venues, “Creature Sound Swansea” and “Crowley’s Rock Bar”. The trust has set up a fundraiser for people to donate and have asked musicians to hold their own live streamed events to raise the funds to allow these venues to survive. The trust has aimed for 1.5 million pounds and as of the 19th November with 11 days left in the fundraiser, they have raised over 1.2 million pounds, an incredible amount, but not enough to guarantee the survival of all of the venues.
Especially with the recent announcement from the Welsh government that there are no plans to reopen the sector until at least the spring, it really seems as though things will only get worse before they get better for these struggling venues without our help. The grassroots music industry has provided so many of us with memories and moments that we As for our two local venues at risk, it begins to look will always treasure, now it is our turn to help them dire as each venue the MVT represents has its own secure a future. fundraising page with the target goal being the amount it would take to remain open. “Creature Sound Swansea” (pictured above) has raised just
The Local Scene By Cat Daczkowski
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very month in this section, we will highlight musicians, venues and other musicbased organisations in the South Wales area. Each piece may differ in format, from write-ups of interviews to feature pieces. We hope you will make a note of these, and support them in any way you can!
The Bunkhouse The Bunkhouse opened in 2018 and since has become an awardwinning music venue. It is now one of the most prominent music venues in South Wales and is based in the centre of Swansea. It comprises two bars, one with its entrance on The Kingsway, and the other with its entrance on Park Street. The Bunkhouse has been the choice of venue in Swansea for a number of musicians, small and big alike, with artists such as Danny Worship (singer of Asking Alexandria) planned to perform in the coming year. The venue has also been the home to a Battle of the Bands competition, which offers the chance for smaller bands in the South Wales area to win some great prizes. Naturally, as a result of the current pandemic, the venue has faced many difficulties, especially financially. As a way to stay open, they are now serving food based in their Park Street entrance bar. When the country isn’t in lockdown (not often we know) sit-ins are
available, but the whole menu is also available to order through Just Eat! The menu has a range of burgers, hot dogs, loaded fries and even some cheesecakes! They also accommodate vegetarian and vegan diets through the use of Seitan™ based ‘chicken’ and even some vegan cheese for nachos. The drinks options are great too, with various draught and bottled drinks, as well as an assortment of spirits! The venue even has its very own and lager ‘Bunk63’, and of course, flavoured cider, ‘Berried Alive’.
as the guitarist and Thomas Jay Mansfield as the bassist. The band was formed back in March 2019 and have played a fair few gigs in the South Wales area. Of course, with the current restrictions they have been unable to stay as productive as they would like, but they are in the process of finishing a few songs to add to their current catalogue. Unfortunately, they have not been able to meet up in a whole group setting to socialise properly with one another, but hope to soon.
Additionally, with the restrictions that are currently in place, many events have not been able to go as planned but Macfarlane suggests in order to support local bands during this time, one must ‘keep the music alive’. The best way to listen to Sparky Renegade’s music Unfortunately, on the 23rd is through their YouTube Channel. November, they announced that they are temporarily shutting In the interview, Macfarlane down until live music can return. was asked about his opinion on Though, If you’d like to book a the current restrictions in place, table, order food or book tickets and their effect on the live music when they reopen or possibly buy industry. He emphasised the fact some merchandise to help them that ‘live music is tourism’ for the out while they are closed, check UK and that the government out their website here: needs to realise this before it is too https://www. late. He mentioned Van Halen in thebunkhouseswansea.com/ his interview, and how they have played very little outside of the US. This in turn resulted in many people travelling to the US entirely Sparky Renegade to watch them live. Next up is Pontypridd local band, Sparky Renegade. In an interview If you’d like to take to check out with the lead singer of the band. Sparky Renegade, go to their Colin James Macfarlane, he Facebook page here: https://www. described the band’s genre as facebook.com/SRpunkband ‘punk rock with a tinge of metal.’ The band’s other members are Jordan Lee Waters as the drummer, Matthew Parfitt-Evans
Travel Study Abroad Culture Shocks! By Jade Hughes
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tudying abroad is exciting and rewarding, but you might encounter some surprises along the way! I spoke to Swansea students who spent a semester or year in France, Germany, Italy and Spain to give you a guide to the more shocking parts of life in these countries... France may be known for its wide variety of cheeses and scrumptious breads, but you might still have trouble finding something to satisfy your hunger at the local supermarché, particularly if you’re craving something a bit more familiar. Some students were disappointed to find a lack of British comfort food in most places. If you do find something that reminds you of home, be prepared to pay a premium price – a tin of beans, for example, could set you back four euros!
Another aspect of life that is affected by timing is shopping – you’ll be out of luck if you decide to pop to the supermarket on a Sunday. This is the same in many European countries, where supermarkets tend to be closed all day, unless you live in a largely touristic area. If you go to the shops on any other day of the week, you might experience the famous German efficiency first-hand, as cashiers scan shopping so fast that it’s likely that you’ll still be packing your Students were also surprised by how common strikes bags when the next customer is paying! are in France compared to the UK. The most common are teacher strikes and transport strikes – since 1947, In contrast to the strict timings in Germany, life in Italy there has been at least one rail strike every year! is a lot calmer. People tend to arrive late to meetings Even doctors have taken time off to protest. Just last and shops may not even open on time! While British month, hundreds of healthcare workers took to the students may think being late is rude; arriving early streets to express frustration with the government’s or on-time in Italy has the same impact as it can response to the Coronavirus pandemic. Just make it seem like you’re rushing them, so embrace remember to check whether or not the trains are their culture and be fashionably late. running before heading off to Paris! Staring is also common in Italy, and this might You might go to Germany in search of beer and take some getting used to! However, don’t rush to sausages, but many students who studied there check your reflection in the nearest mirror, as they were greeted with mountains of paperwork instead! are unlikely to be staring at you because your hair is Bureaucracy is a key part of German life, and messy or you’ve got something stuck in your teeth; everything is much more structured and organised. freely staring is just a societal norm over there. In university, for example, lecturers are often strict about their office hours and won’t reply to emails Just like in Italy, attitudes towards time in Spain are from students outside of these times. Don’t even also a lot more relaxed, and most restaurants don’t think about shooting your module co-ordinator a even open for dinner until 9pm! Spaniards are much quick email the Friday before an important deadline, more likely to start eating after 10, while their ‘nights out’ don’t start until the early morning, with bars as they’re unlikely to reply for a while! opening at around 2am. Clubs are even open until
6am in some areas – I think we should start a petition to get Sin to do the same thing once COVID restrictions are over! People also tend to be a lot more friendly and open to contact in Spain, which can shock British students. Like their neighbours in France, as well as in many other countries across the world, people
in Spain are likely to greet people Despite there being aspects of with a kiss on the cheek, even life in these countries that take when meeting them for the first some getting used to, the overall consensus is that living abroad is time. Additionally, when going into a worthwhile experience. Rather a shop or a café, it is common to than being afraid of culture shock, greet the owners, and if someone learn to accept the quirks of each is eating, you may even wish them country and embrace a new and a good meal! unfamiliar way of living.
Christmas in Germany By Jade Hughes
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uring my year abroad in 2018-2019, I had the chance to experience a magical Christmas in Bavaria. As I reminisce about my time there, here are some of the highlights of the festive period in Germany: The cities were transformed into a utopia forChristmas lovers. Starting just before December, Christmas markets filled the main squares of cities across the country. The stalls offer a variety of handmade gifts, such as delicate glass ornaments and cute nutcrackers. Naturally, there was also plenty of food and drink to hand, such as the famous Glühwein (mulled wine) in decorative mugs; each one beautifully decorated with pictures as well as bearing the name of the area from which they came. When buying a drink there, you pay a small fee as a deposit for the mug, meaning you can choose to keep them as souvenirs at the end of the day. I ended up collecting a fair few of them from various markets around Bavaria! A personal highlight was the famous market in Nuremberg, which is known as being one of the oldest in the world. This Christkindlesmarkt retains much of its traditional charm with beautifully crafted decorations
as well as traditional Franconian sausages, which are a staple on the menu of any restaurant in Nuremberg. The most memorable event of this market, however, is not the food, but rather the opening ceremony. The ‘Christkind’, traditionally played by a young girl from the area, welcomes guests to the market by reciting a monologue which enchants children and adults alike by asking that we all “be young again.” Wandering around the stalls with the warm glow of the fairy lights and the sparkling of tinsel reinforces this; it’s truly enough to turn even the most miserable adults into bright-eyed children again. The 6th of December is an important day for German children. They put their shoes out on their doorstep on the evening of this day, St. Nicholas Day, and they wake up to find treats such as chocolates inside! If you’re unlucky, however, you may be visited by Krampus, a scary beast who often gives out coal to bad children, so they know to be on their best behaviour! Some cities also have a Krampuslauf (Krampus Run) on this day, which is a race in which participants try to outpace someone dressed as the demon.
He wears bells and chains so you can hear him coming – be sure to get out of the way, or risk being hit by his bundle of sticks! In Bavaria, it is believed that the Christkind is the one who delivers the presents, whereas elsewhere in the country, they tend to believe in der Weihnachtsmann (Santa Claus). Regardless of which magical being they believe in, the children write letters to them to ask for gifts big and small, much like we do in the United Kingdom. Unlike here, though, Christmas is celebrated on the 24th, meaning children get to open all their presents a day earlier than most people in Britain! They also get to tuck into a delicious Christmas meal, which may feature turkey, but could also be goose, duck or fish as well as traditional German side dishes such as red cabbage and potato dumplings. Stollen, a fruit bread, is likely to be on the menu for dessert, as well as Lebkuchen (a gingerbread-esque snack) and Plätzchen (Christmas biscuits). Although there are some differences between Christmas in the UK and Germany, the basic premises remain the same – presents, good food, decorations and time spent with loved ones. Frohe Weihnachten! (Merry Christmas!)
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