Category: Miscellaneous
Various items that do not fit any particular category
25TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION
25TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION
In 1988, as part of a youth club community project, Vic Reed the youth club leader, encouraged local young people to take on the role of publishers, printers and distributors of a “What’s On” publication; a previous single sheet of information had originally been produced by a, short lived, local group of Venture Scouts.
Vic constructed a printing room within the Wheelright Shop, adjacent to the Church Hall. Using stencils and Rono printing machines, along with plenty of black ink, a small monthly magazine appeared for the next five years until Vic moved from the village.
A small team consisting of Eileen Callely, Marilyn Case, Colin Jenkins, Ann Miller and Ian Moody agreed to continue publishing a village magazine. They changed the design to an A4 format and had the journal printed professionally. The first 400 copies rolled off the presses and were distributed in October 1993. Now a quarter of a century later with a ‘New Team’, plus one old stager, we are printing over 700 copies of our 25th Christmas edition.
It is thanks to all of you out there who supply the many various interesting items of text each month, and our 39 dedicated distributors, that the magazine has survived these many years to arrive on your doorstep at the start of each month.
‘The Team’ (see below) wish you all a Merry Christmas and a very article productive New Year.
OXFAM PENARTH VINYL STOCK HITS ROCK BOTTOM!
OXFAM PENARTH VINYL STOCK HITS ROCK BOTTOM!
The Oxfam Shop in Penarth continues to receive an amazing response to the vinyl records it has for sale in its shop. We now have a good number of regular customers who come in to the shop looking for records to add to their collection. The down side to this is that we regularly run out of stock to price up and put on display! Are you having a clear out before Christmas and have some vinyl records you no longer play or want? If so, we would love you to think of donating them to the Oxfam shop in Penarth. We are interested in records of any genre whether they be LP's EP's or singles. We guarantee to get the best possible prices for any records you donate. As I live in Wenvoe I can pick up any of your donations. We would also be delighted to accept CD's, cassettes/tapes, DVD's, sheet music, music books and old musical instruments whether working or not. You can either ring the shop to arrange a pick up or direct with myself. Thank you. Oxfam Shop Penarth: 02920 706358 or Nigel Billingham Oxfam Music Volunteer 02920 594708
Change
If you’re unaware as to who Brett Kavanaugh is, I’m sure you’ve not glanced at the news recently. The Supreme Court nominee, accused of attempted sexual assault, who despite the odds, became a Supreme Court Justice and proved that in America, when a woman accuses a man of sexual misconduct, she is the liar. A pattern we have unfortunately seen repeated time and time again.
Dr Christine Blasey Ford had received “actual threats to her safety and her life” before appearing in front of the Senate judiciary committee to testify against the then-nominee Kavanaugh. Despite numerous witnesses to the attempted assault, including a high school friend of Kavanaugh’s who is alleged to have been present in the room during the attempted assault, Ford’s accusation was dismissed as being ‘politically charged’ by many. But the theme of dismissing sexual assault claims as ‘lies’ or ‘opportunistic’ isn’t new, and neither is it uncommon. The world has a problem believing a claim of sexual misconduct, and I don’t know why. According to a 2015 report by the National Sexual Violence Resource Centre, the prevalence of false reporting sexual violence in the United States is only between 2% and 10%. Considering that the report also states, “a study of eight U.S. communities, which included 2,059 cases of sexual assault, found a 7.1% rate of false reports” why can’t we believe the people who are brave enough to come forward to speak about their trauma?
Three women including Ford came forward to accuse Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct. There is no excuse of ‘it was a mistake he made once’ (an incredibly weak excuse at that – rape is rape, attempted rape is no different; that’s not a mistake, that’s a choice to violate someone) Kavanaugh had a pattern of violating women. And still, the highest court in America took his side.
In 2017, Brett Kavanaugh was on the DC Circuit Court of Appeals and ruled against a 17-year-old undocumented teenager who was attempting to obtain an abortion. Jane Doe, who did not want her identity revealed throughout the case, arrived in the
United States without her parents and was taken into the U.S. Custody. She was pregnant and was aiming to exercise her constitutional right to obtain a legal abortion; this right extends not only to United States citizens, but also foreigners within the US. Kavanaugh had delayed her ability to obtain a legal abortion and claimed that the government should not facilitate her abortion, but at 15 weeks pregnant, her window was closing. Kavanaugh stated “she is pregnant and has to make a major life decision”, but his action in ruling against her plea seems to claim that he believed having an abortion was more life altering than having a child which would have been unwanted, and a child Jane Doe would have been unable to financially support. Jane Doe eventually obtained the right to legally obtain an abortion within the United States, but it was she who gained much of the backlash for the decision, not those who voted against her. A tweet by Teen Vogue columnist, Lauren Duca stated “It seems to me that when Brett Kavanaugh attempted to deny a 17-year-old immigrant an abortion, he believed that the decisions you make as a minor ought to have lifelong consequences. Let’s treat him the same way”.
Let's treat him the same way. The old 'boys will be boys' line is dated and inexcusable. Kavanaugh's actions in the attempted sexual assault when he was a teenager doesn't mean he can't still be held accountable for his actions now. Jane Doe will be seen as the immigrant who got rid of her baby, and yet Brett Kavanaugh's attempted sexual assault and the many claims which have also come to light have been dismissed and he now holds a position of power high enough to be influential in cases such as his in the future. And you know which way he'll vote then. America's poor judgement seems sewn into its history; a man who was accused of rape is now their President, their history of gun violence is unchanged and they are breaking their own record year after year with the worst mass shootings in American history. It's shocking that a man like Kavanaugh could go through such a heavily-followed case which included numerous allegations of sexual misconduct and still be awarded with one of the highest seats at the table. It's shocking. But it's not surprising.
From the Harvey Weinstein story of last year, to the MeToo campaign, to the Kavanaugh case, the world has proven that barely anyone believes those who have accused others of sexual misconduct. We typically believe the accused, and I’m sick of it.
I believe her. I believe him. I believe those who have come forward with their stories. Sexual misconduct is a matter which shouldn’t be taken lightly. But it’s a topic where we have consistently let down those who must fight to even be heard. Please let it stop.
By Tirion Davies
STAMPS FOR CHARITY.
STAMPS FOR CHARITY.
Autumn Dogs Trust magazine has just arrived and amongst the articles is a huge thank you to all who continue to send in your stamps, with which you have helped to raise an amazing £22,000 so far this year. As she has been doing for more than 30 years, dedicated volunteer Jenny Thomas has sorted, sifted and sold all your donated new and used stamps, postcards and foreign currencies, collecting enough money to sponsor three rehoming kennels for the year. I’m proud of the readers of What’s On who continue to produce a steady flow of stamps every year, and with Christmas around the corner there will be many extra donations which I will be happy to collect.
Once again I thank you all for taking the time to support a charity which is very special to me.
Marilyn Case
October Tasks
RHS tips for the month.
1. Divide rhubarb crowns.
2. Cut back perennials that have died back.
3. Divide herbaceous perennials.
4. Move tender plants into a greenhouse
5. Plant out Spring cabbages.
6. Harvest apples, pears and nuts.
7. Prune climbing roses.
8. Finish collecting seeds to grow next year.
9. Keep cutting the grass and trim the hedges.
10. Still a good time to repair lawns.
The grass cutting season seems to get longer. If it's dry enough, keep cutting with the height of the blade raised. This will make the first cut in Spring a lot easier. If reseeding bare patches remember to spread an extra handful to account for what the birds will consume.
Plant wallflowers, primula, forget-me-nots and Winter flowering pansies in prepared ground or containers. Any pots not raised should be done so now or they will become water logged over Winter.
October is the best time of year to move trees and shrubs. Bare root trees and shrubs start to become available now. These are a lot cheaper to purchase and planted now will soon establish quickly. When looking at gardens you will see some where the plants are struggling for space, so be careful how many you put in as it's easy to get carried away and fill in all the gaps, leaving no room for future growth. Over the years plants do out grow their space even with careful planning and decisions have to be made. It can be quite refreshing to start over, although some plants will have memories attached to them. If you do decide to remove some plants, take cuttings and grow on. Hardwood cuttings take very well at this time of year.
Some of the larger Wyevale garden centres have been taken over by Blue Diamond group based in the Channel Islands so you will need to swap over cards when you visit one of their garden centres. The nearest one is at St Mellons.
The new Grange development has proven a difficult area for new home owners as clay is quite near the problem, organic material and garden lime put in to the soil at this time of year will break down the clay and help the soil to hold on to nutrients.
Some members of the library volunteers organised the Village show this year. Hopefully they will continue to do so because without their willingness to rise to the challenge the show would fade away. If you could help I'm sure you would be welcomed.
Leaf mould is the material to grow your bulbs in. Now is the time of year to start making it for next year. Just fill some bin bags with leaves, of which Wenvoe has plenty, add a little water if dry, make a couple of holes in the bag and leave till next year. That's all you need to do.
Happy gardening.
Early-Marriages Are Detrimental
Since I was little, I imagined what my future wedding would be like. The dress, the layout, the partner; all children daydream about the day they will marry their soulmate. I always wondered what they would look like, their personality, how we would meet, how old I would be and how long it would take for us to get engaged. But I realise now, my imagination of what the future would hold for me was because I get to make a choice. Unfortunately, choice isn’t granted to every girl in the world.
I’m eighteen, and currently, I don’t see myself marrying for probably another ten years. I haven’t met the person – I haven’t even come close. But 12 million girls all over the world are married before they reach eighteen. Before their life begins. 23 girls every minute; almost 1 every 2 seconds. A choice they can’t make themselves; a choice they aren’t allowed to make themselves.
Being Welsh, I know gender pay inequality is still an issue that women in the UK face, but in the big scheme of things, it’s hardly the women of the world’s biggest concern. Of course, the gender pay gap ought to close and I truly hope it does; I aim to be a part of that conversation. But the truth of the matter is, gender inequality reaches so far beyond pay in many of the countries around the world and extends to the genuine belief that women are so inferior to men on a much larger scale. In numerous countries, being born a girl immediately creates a burden on a family; to ease economic hardship, and ‘burden’ another family in place of theirs, families marry off their young daughters. Patriarchal values aid in child marriage, as there is a desire by the patriarchal society in these countries to control a women, by the way they dress, how she should behave and most importantly, who she should marry.
Child marriage seems to us like some barbaric burden placed on young girls. So many countries practice child marriage simply as it is something that has happened for generations, but it doesn’t justify the practice. In Southern Ethiopia for example, harmful practices are often linked, with child marriage leading to female genital mutilation; practices may be tradition, but they can be harmful to those involved. Many young girls who are married are expected to have children, but many get pregnant when their bodies have only just started puberty. They die because their bodies are not equipped to carrying a baby, and certainly not built for giving birth to them.
GirlsNotBrides is a global partnership of over 1000 civil society organisations which are dedicated to ending child marriage. Their theory of change involves ideas such as empowering girls and giving them opportunities to build skills and knowledge; by encouraging them to become agents of change themselves, we can continue the chain of empowering young girls. With the Safe Space Programmes, we can successfully build girls’ self-confidence, for married girls who do not receive an education, they offer self-sufficiency and having a safe place to meet with other girls who have shared the same experiences, the feeling of isolation and vulnerability can begin to be removed. The work the global partnership does with men and boys who become husbands, or who are brothers and fathers shows the value of encouraging young girls and aiding to fulfil their potential.
Child marriage, according to ‘GirlsNotBrides’ website ‘violates girls’ rights to health, education and opportunity. It exposes girls to violence throughout their lives and traps them in a cycle of poverty’. More than 650 million women, and over 150 million men have suffered child marriage, and without faster progress the global number of women married as children will reach 1.2 billion by 2050. If we help to support GirlsNotBrides, we can help end the devastating consequences of child marriage. Progress is being made, with the African Union and the South Asia Initiative to End Violence Against Children having launched initiatives to help end child marriages and support young married girls; more and more countries are developing national action plans to end child marriage, in partnership with the UN.
A campaign conducted by the Network of Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian Women Organizations of Kosovo (a project under the EU-UN jurisdiction ‘Implementing Norms, Changing Minds’) have allowed for communities in Kosovo to understand the detrimental restrictions early-marriage forces upon young girls’ prospect of a safe life. A young man named Qerim completed his training on the prevention of early-marriage and has begun his door-to-door programme of beginning conversations in his neighbourhood and is encouraging them to consider the effects early-marriage has on the young women within their own community. By opening the conversation to communities where child marriage is often a tradition, we can help prevent the practice.
You may not think this is a problem we should deal with, as it is not a problem on Britain’s doorstep. But it doesn’t mean we can’t help in the matter. Supporting the UN and global partnerships like GirlsNotBrides, FreedomUnited, Amnesty International, Plan International and so many more can make even the slightest difference. By continuing the conversation and understanding how early-marriages are detrimental, you are a part of change.
Child marriage needs to stop and progress isn’t happening fast enough. Support these global partnerships and become a part of change.
By Tirion Davies
One-Woman Show
Sorting the Sock Drawer
– A one-woman show by Eirwen Malin on Thursday 27th September 2018, 7pm Wenvoe Arms Function Room.
“Medron was a good king; kind, just and surprisingly progressive. The country prospered. But there was something wrong, something wrong with Medron himself and he knew it. It all started when he noticed that the sole of his right shoe kept wearing out much more quickly than the left”
After several years of occasional visits to the GP surgery with odd and unexplained symptoms, one of the GPs referred me to a neurologist “to put my mind at rest”. After nearly 12 months of waiting, I finally got my appointment and the consultant unexpectedly, and with somewhat clumsy practice, diagnosed Parkinson’s Disease, a degenerative, incurable, neurological condition which according to him is “devastating in its later stages”. My world had been upended but the good (?) news was PD does not particularly shorten lifespan. You just have to learn to live with it, potentially for a very long time.
Sorting the Sock Drawer intertwines Medron’s mythical journey with my personal path. As protagonists of each story we gain new strengths as we face challenges and arrive at journey’s end with a changed and meaningful life. Come and join us to hear what I hope is an entertaining and uplifting tale.
I’ll look forward to a chat in the bar afterwards.
This is the first date of a new tour of the show. Previous audiences have said:-
“Funny, sad, thought-provoking."
"Beautifully crafted. I love the blend of traditional and personal story.”
“The message will stay with me… Life is different, but not necessarily worse”
Thanks to Jenny and Digby at The Wenvoe for providing the venue for free. There is no charge though there will be a voluntary donation to a Parkinson’s charity.
Numbers are restricted so please book your seat by texting Phil 07870 212437 or email philipthomas664@gmail.com.
Access to the venue is via steps – apologies to those who have restricted mobility.
Running time about 1hour 15 mins.
I hope to see you there
Eirwen
Love is a Losing Game
Love is a Losing Game
Imagine being paralysed by fear in your own home. Imagine being hit to the point of breaking but you must continue to live with your abuser. Imagine if you lived in a country where unless you are hospitalised – that is, if you have the guts to take yourself to a hospital – your abuser is forgiven by society. Imagine if your abuser becomes the hero of the narrative, making you the villain by default. Imagine then, being a woman in the Russia of 2018.
More than 10,000 women in Russia are believed to die from injuries inflicted by their husbands yearly, yet despite this, the Russian parliament has passed a legal amendment decriminalising domestic abuse. With 380 to 3 votes in the Duma, and Putin’s easy agreement, the motion passed easily. Why can’t Russia seem to notice the death sentence they have forced upon millions of its women and children? Why hasn’t Russia considered the terror the change of law has inflicted on the women of Yekaterinburg, where the penalty for “minor injuries” such as bruising was reduced from a two year sentence to fifteen days in prison? Why haven’t they considered that since the law was introduced, Yekaterinburg has had police responding to 350 incidents of domestic violence daily?
But consider this: what if you had to pay your husband’s fine after he broke your nose and spirit? What if you not only had to protect yourself, but your child as well? It seems hard to believe that the same country that offered suffrage for its women in 1917 and introduced the modern International Women’s Day could leave its women in such a predicament. One woman dies every 40 minutes in the ‘Motherland’ from domestic abuse. And for what? To protect Russian tradition? To maintain the ‘sacred family’ unit? One woman dead every 40 minutes, each one ignored by Parliament.
And what of the women who actively try to keep their fellow women down? What if the woman who witnessed the abuse praised your abuser for his strength and masculinity, despite almost killing you? Take, for example, Russian MP Yelena Mizulina, who helped to instigate the decriminalisation after arguing that it made no sense to break up a family for the sake of “a slap”. Mizulina has condemned a generation of women to a toxic familial environment because she doesn’t believe they should have the right to escape it. This can only lead to one thing: the woman lying cold on the kitchen floor. Maria Mamikonyan, chair of the Russian Parental, has condoned “ordinary educational slaps, which almost all families use to let children know their limits.” But when does a disciplinary ‘slap’ become abusive? And since when is it acceptable to treat grown women like children?
If you lived in a country where you were, ironically, threatened with rape for attending classes to protect yourself, would you sit idly by and allow it to happen? If you were forced to be on the run like a criminal for a crime of which you were the victim, wouldn’t you ask why? But the women of Russia have been asking why. They’ve been asking why for so long now that their cries are wails and yet their country still refuses to hear them. And we do the same. So what can they do? Stay silent, in order to stay alive. Live in fear of being murdered by the men who are meant to love them.
With up to a third of Russian women believed to suffer from some form of domestic abuse, and 40% of all murders and violent crimes taking place within the home, it’s a wonder how these women carry on. How do they go about their day, trying not to wince at the collage of bruises hidden carefully under their clothes? They have to, when staying with their partner is an easier option than living amongst the shadows.
There is a popular saying in Russia: “if he beats you, it means he loves you”. Passivity is maintained by these women as a form of survival, as though their lives are equal to a game of chess. One wrong move, and the Queen’s life hangs in the balance.
Imagine not being protected by your own nation. Would you honestly be content with that? Why then are we allowing any woman to live in that dystopian present? We cannot call ourselves a country with some of the best equal rights laws and not feel despair for the women of Russia. I urge you to imagine yourself, your grandmother, your mother, sister or daughter in a situation, where no one seems to stop the suffering of the innocent.
Without a voice, there is no change. But we have a voice – I have a voice. And so do you. Together, our voices have the power to be deafening. We cannot allow for the blood of these women to be smeared across the Russian flag in the name of ‘tradition’. By supporting charities such as Refuge and raising awareness of the severity of the problem which occurs by decriminalising domestic abuse, the rest of the world can protect the women who are unable to protect themselves. The women of Russia deserve the opportunity to fight for their lives without the threat of incarceration. We know what is happening, and yet no attempt has been on Britain’s part to protect them.
Time for change has come, and the window of opportunity is slowly closing. I will be doing all that I can to protect the women across the world suffering from sexual violence.
Will you be joining me?
By Tirion Davies
School Holidays Too Long?
FANTASTIC WEATHER AND SIX WEEKS OF QUALITY FAMILY TIME
But were the school holidays too long?
As the Vale’s primary and secondary schools return for the Autumn Term, there are those who argue that the Summer holiday break has been too long and it would be less stressful for parents in particular, if we cut back on the length of school holidays. Working parents have to rely on a variety of cunning plans to cover the holiday period, often including costly child-care, amenable relatives and a host of planned activities.
It is a common perception that long school holidays are a hangover of the Victorian era, when children were needed to help work on the family farm during the summer months. That theory has been challenged by those who point out that during the 19th century, vast numbers of the population migrated from the countryside to the huge new industrial towns and cities. The long summer holidays they say, were a consequence of the increasingly successful fight by trade unions for a shorter working day and more time off. As workers enjoyed holidays, family celebrations required children to be available and not at school. The development of railways boosted the family holiday by the seaside and in the UK of course that meant in the summer months.
What of other countries?
A survey of countries world-wide reveals a similar pattern to the UK with most having long school breaks at some point in the year. Japan is one of many countries which mirror the UK, with a break from the end of July to early September.
In the United States the summer break lasts about 12 weeks and in Ireland, Italy, Lithuania and Russia, summer holidays normally last three months!
Is it a good idea to reduce the number of holidays?
Head teachers in the UK argue teachers and children benefit from school holidays. Children have important experiences over the summer, developing their own ways to fill the time, often engaging in valuable new activities and interests. The holidays can provide an opportunity for them to develop their social and communication skills outside of the familiar school environment.
As for teachers there’s the increasing problem of teacher recruitment, as well as finding time for them to fulfil their professional development responsibilities and prepare for the year. All this suggests that maybe a long holiday is just what exhausted teachers and jaded students need. As a slightly biased former teacher with 30 years in the classroom, I would of course have to agree.
So how can youngsters be safely, productively and affordably entertained throughout the long summer holiday?
In the United States, with longer school breaks than Britain and typically, less holiday leave for working parents, residential summer camps provide a home-from-home and a chance for children to develop their confidence and learn new skills. The UK already has a multitude of similar organisations providing exciting summer activities but these are often costly. So if we follow this route, who pays? Without some state support less privileged children would probably miss out. On the other hand, the idea of state support for summer camps would likely be rejected by those who fear more taxation or state intervention in education. In the meantime we can all look forward to the half-term break. However you plan to spend 29th October to 2nd November, it is probably wise to start planning now!