Category: Readers Articles of Interest

I Just Turned Eighteen

I just turned eighteen – and I mean just. But I don’t ‘feel’ eighteen. I’m not sure what it’s supposed to feel like, but I’m pretty sure I don’t feel it… But turning eighteen has made me reminisce about the past eighteen years, and there are a few people I’d like to thank.

Firstly and most obviously, my parents for just, making me really… but really – thank you parents for giving me all the support anyone could ever wish for, even when I do things which are really stupid! Secondly, my brother for sharing a sense of humour with me, and always making me feel as though a rubbish day can have a little bit of sun. To my family and friends, thank you for making me feel worth when it’s hard not to see past the failures. And thank you to everyone – even the kind strangers on a bus who offer you a seat, or an American till worker helping me figure out what change I had in New York – for helping my experiences to have a flicker of fun in them all.

Thank you, also, to all those who have helped me to gain enough experience for my future – to everyone who reads my blog, to those at the BBC for letting me gain work experience (and to the woman who made it happen!) to everyone reading this now, you’ve helped me so much – and to the organisers of What’s On, I thank you for giving me the opportunity month after month to do what I love.

This year has been a bag of mixed emotions. Although my exams were the most stressful they’ve ever been (well, until this year) the results day was worth it, by setting me up comfortably for this year’s exams. When my friends and I managed to survive climbing over mountain after mountain and treacherous terrain during our Duke Of Edinburgh Award (without those ladies I really don’t know if I’d have finished, but the endless laughter of the absurdity of the least outdoorsy people managing to fall in cow poo every five seconds made the treks bearable). When I got offers from all of the Universities I had applied to – and that my first choice university was my lowest offer! Getting the chance to speak on BBC Radio Cymru on International Women’s Day was one of the most exciting things I think has happened in my life. Completing my last show with my stage school after acting for eleven years.

Seventeen has been brilliant. It’s also been hard. But with the summer on its way, and the prospect of getting in to University spurring me through my exams, I can’t wait to see what eighteen has in store. With my last day in secondary school next week it seems that eighteen has a great beginning. And the fact that I can drink (legally)!

Thank you to everyone who made seventeen great. Let’s make eighteen spectacular.

By Tirion Davies

The Children’s Story

 

When Our Children Tell Their Story, They’ll Tell the Story of Tonight

Being a teenager can sometimes be terrifying. But when we say terrifying, we mean being terrified of showing up to a party severely overdressed, or earning a bad grade at something we believe we ought to excel at, or even being terrified of stress and our own mental health. We never mean being terrified of being shot at our place of education. That is a fear which should not be reserved for anyone, especially not the youth of today.

I’m not American. I’ve never experienced gun-violence. But it doesn’t stop my compassion from throwing itself in aid of my fellow teenagers across the pond. I mean, Eliza Gonzales and the revolutionary teens storming America and conducting the ‘March For Our Lives’ seem to be handling the battle. But, they shouldn’t have to be. It’s not a fight they should have to be a part of. They shouldn’t have to continue making speeches and urging the adults in Congress who should be looking after them to stop gun violence. They should be terrified of falling on their face in heels, in the same way we fear in Britain. They shouldn’t have to be fighting for their lives.

I’ve spoken about gun violence before. The fact that I’m having to re-iterate so soon afterwards is a sign in itself that America is struggling. They shouldn’t be having an annoying Welsh girl telling them how to run their country. They should be aware of the many thousands of children who have died in mass shootings in schools across the US. They should be aware that by not doing anything, they are enforcing a death sentence on the many who only wish for an education.

Although I was not marching, my solidarity is with all those who did. To those not only in America, but all over the world. To those in London and Edinburgh and Belfast. To those in Belgium, Denmark, France, Spain, Italy, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Germany, Iceland, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, Israel, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Ghana, Mozambique, Puerto Rico and Canada: I stand with you.

There’s not much more I can say, except I hope they hear you and make a change. It’s too late for those who’ve lived through it, but maybe a change can protect those lucky enough to know nothing of American school shootings.

Maybe being lucky shouldn’t be the default. I know one thing for certain: I love the fact that I am part of such a strong generation. That when I look at the news I see the strong character you could only write about in films that are my age. My hope is that this has paid off. But I can only wish that those affected can finally get protection.

Protect kids. Not guns. Please.

By Tirion Davies

 

 

 

 

SNOW HIGHLIGHTS

I am sure for many the recent snow brought inconvenience, worry and hassle. Despite that here are my snow highlights:-

 Sledging (on a plastic lid!) with my three year old granddaughter Delyth down Church Rise – the first time she had seen proper snow. She loved it.

 The snow bringing in less common bird visitors to our garden such as redwing, fieldfare and brambling.

 The atmosphere in the Wenvoe Arms on the Friday and Saturday when lots of families called in for drinks and food after time on the Wenvoe piste.

 My daughter’s garden snowball igloo that with a lighted candle inside looked magical after dusk.

 The lovely scenes on a walk in the snow to the Horse and Jockey on the Sunday.

 

Did any other readers see less common wildlife in their gardens during the snow?

Nigel Billingham

 

 

ALL IS FAIR IN LOVE AND RUGBY

 

Second from the TOP

Didn't Wales do well in the end in the six nations rugby competition. All seemed well on the first weekend when we gave Scotland a shock. That woke them up a bit and improved their play. In the past I was always in awe at how France played ‘basketball rugby’ with high passes and adhesive palms before velcro was invented. Sadly, this year when we tried it against Ireland there was a leprechaun ready to intercept and steal a win away from us with a try. Not that we had had a great game. Ireland seemed to play ‘special rugby with a few dull phases. We seemed to play ‘ordinary rugby with a few special moments. It was a shame that Scotland pipped Italy at the post to deny them a consolation win to go with the wooden spoon. But our hard graft against France, and hard graft it was, edged us into second place in the table. In the words of many of my school reports: “satisfactory progress, could do better".

Second from the BOTTOM

Eddie Jones recently had to apologise for insulting the Welsh and the Irish during an after dinner speech last June. Better late than never I suppose. Happily, Celts have a sense of humour. Sadly, he is arrogant enough to have meant the insults, and the super rich English Rugby Union and players have the same personalities. All water under the Severn Bridge. He set his squad up to ride roughshod over the other five teams, and he did win, just, over Wales. But the French cockerel pecked them in their ‘derrieres’. Ireland taught them the final lesson about all round fifteen man rugby. Gauls and Celts can smile while the Anglo-Saxons take comfort that they didn’t come last.

AyJay

 

 

I Had to Laugh – Social Media

 

I had to laugh at the item in March What's On ‘Living Without Facebook'. I love reading and it reminded me of some paragraphs that had jumped out at me.

I have recently re-read JRR Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, first published in three parts in 1954-55. Every time I read it something new always surprises me and this time it was a short paragraph which brought to mind our modern focus on ‘seeing' news through social media, being kept informed by sound and video bites on mobile phones and i-pads. Some of the Fellowship of the Ring were returning to the Shire after the One Ring had been destroyed and the Dark Lord had been defeated. Pippin, the Hobbit, had earlier had a bad, frightening, dangerous experience looking into a Seeing Stone (a Pallantir) and seeing the evil eye of Sauron. In spite of that experience, he still yearned for

“ a Stone that we could see all our friends in, and .. We could speak to them from far away".

This seems to be 50 years ahead of it’s time, yearning for the powers of Skype, Facebook, Snapchat etc. But Pippin's earlier bad experience of naively using the seeing stone without parental or any other access controls also foretold the pitfalls and risks.

I have also been reading a 2014 book by Orlando Fires- a History of Revolutionary Russia 1891 – 1991. In these days news is spread by social media wild fires so it was interesting to read this in relation to the year 1916. Russia was transitioning from the Tsar’s autocracy, through the first world war and deprivation, into the dictatorship of the Bolshevik Communist Party. A resident of the then capital Petrograd was quoted.

“ Rumours filled the lives of all inhabitants. They were believed more readily than the newspapers….The public was desperate for information, for almost anything, on political subjects, and any rumour was bound to spread like wildfire. What gave these stories their power and significance was how far they accorded with the general mood and with previous rumours that had shaped that mood. Once a rumour, however fake, became the subject of common belief, it assumed the status of fact, informing the attitudes and actions of the public. All revolutions are based in part on myth.”

This seems to be 100 years ahead of it’s time when seen against the backdrop of social media frenzies, of anti-austerity momentum, of the disease of trumptweets and fake news, of the revolutions against established norms that seem to be commonplace.

Lastly, and more up to date is Dan Brown's Origin, 2017. One of his characters is sad because

‘What had been life's quiet moments of solitary reflection – a few minutes alone or on a train, or walking to work, or waiting for an appointment, could no longer be borne. People impulsively reached for their phones, their ear buds, their games, unable to fight the addictive pull of technology. The miracles of the past are fading away. Whitewashed by a ceaseless hunger for all-that-is-new sound and video bytes.”

Spanning over a hundred years, these quotes show that technology may change, but human behaviour adapts more slowly. On a lighter note, for many years I thought that the textspeak acronym LOL stood for Lots of Love. Finally I was educated that it stands for LAUGH OUT LOUD. Thank goodness I still can do just that…..

 

AyJay

 

 

OUR FEATHERED FRIENDS

 

OUR FEATHERED FRIENDS

The recent spell of cold and snowy weather couldn’t have come at a worst time for our native birds. By March stocks of natural food such as berries are dwindling at a time when birds are needing to be at their healthiest to breed and raise their young. When food is scarce especially when covered by snow our birds become even more dependent on the food that we put out for them and so with the advent of this recent spell of bad weather it was worth the struggle to get to my feeders to ensure that the birds had a plentiful supply of food and equally important drinking water as any other sources would be blocks of ice..

I was amazed at how my efforts were rewarded as over the weekend I saw an amazing variety of birds. I have listed the birds I saw and would be interested to hear if anyone saw any other species.

 

 

 

International Women’s Day

 

This International Women’s Day I had the incredible opportunity to be on BBC Radio Cymru with some of the most incredible young women. Speaking about a subject so close to my heart in my native language is a high I feel I can’t come down from. But more importantly, the women I got to speak with on the radio all have incredible personalities and views, and I can’t wait to see what they do.

I missed blogging on International Women’s Day, but I felt like I couldn’t express how important it was to me then – I was too caught up in seeing the ways women were uplifting other women and men were taking the time to thank the women around them. But now I know what it means to me. It means a future filled with possibilities and hope. It means that maybe by the time I come to have children, I can tell them how the women I was surrounded by helped to change the world, in a similar way to the Suffragettes 100 years ago.

This International Women’s Day I want to celebrate all women. Women who have expressed themselves enough and are strong enough to come out to the world. Women who accomplish the phenomenal even when those around them limit them due to their race. Women who own their femininity and those who choose not to. Women who have to fight with the world to be seen as women. Women who don’t

let disability stop them from achieving the extraordinary. Women who are survivors of domestic abuse or sexual assault. Women who are bosses and run countries and empires. Women who have to battle every day against their mental health. Women who support other women.

I can’t help but be in awe of the young women I am surrounded by and see on the news. The girls I see every day breaking stereotypes and controlling their own destinies. The young women who inspire me every day. The young women I see supporting men and women when they feel down. The young women I see in school, achieving their goals and owning it. The young women in the media like Zendaya and Tavi Gevinson and Emma Gonzalez creating a path we didn’t previously think existed.

This International Women’s Day I was grateful to be surrounded by incredible women. And incredible people, in general. I was grateful for my brother always encouraging me to chase my goals, and grateful to have parents who work tirelessly every day and prove the importance of hard work. I was grateful for my sensational friends who support each other under all circumstances. I was grateful for a family who is always there to listen. I was grateful that the women I am surrounded by prove the impossible is possible (I’m not grateful that I’ll have to follow in their footsteps, however!).

Time’s Up is still a movement which is incredibly important, and with the UN Women working against child marriage and for equal reproductive rights for women, a change is imminent. With the age of marriages being raised to at least 16 in many countries, a change is clearly possible. We need to keep this change on the up-rise. This International Women’s Day I came to appreciate that the women who inspire me every day don’t simply have to be the women I see on my newsfeeds. They’re the women I see day-in and day-out. The women who are going to blow us all out of the water.

Who knew the world was filled with dozens of Wonder Women?

By Tirion Davies

 

 

The Facebook Alternative

 

To others of my generation who still do not and cannot comprehend why Facebook ever exists, here’s what I’m doing to gain a better understanding. I am trying to make new friends without using Facebook, but while applying the same principles.

Every day I walk down the street and tell passer-bys what I have eaten, how I feel at the moment, and what I have done the night before, what I will do later, and with whom. I give them pictures of my family, my dog and of me gardening, taking things apart in the garage, watering the lawn, standing in front of landmarks, driving around town, having lunch and doing what anybody and everybody else does every day.

I also listen to their conversations, then give them the ‘thumbs up’ and tell them I like them, I also promised to exchange holiday photos. And it seems to be working.

I already have four people following me: two police officers, a private investigator and a psychiatrist!

 

 

A GREAT LITTLE PLANE

As the Royal Air Force celebrates its Centenary a series of tributes have appeared, saluting the planes which made the service great– the Lancaster, the Hurricane and the renowned Spitfire which was named the single greatest weapon of the Second World War, claimed by those who flew her to be the perfect flying machine

The Spitfire captured the imagination of the public and all over Britain villages, towns and businesses would set up a “ Spitfire Fund” to raise the nominal £5,000 to buy a plane in their name. One such village was our local Michaelston-le-Pit. Norman Merrett, a Spitfire pilot from the village, had gone down with his plane in 1940. His father wrote these words to Lord Beaverbrook, Minister for Aircraft Production, “These tragic circumstances have served only to strengthen the resolve of this small community. I want you to accept the enclosed cheque for £5,000 from the village of Michaelston-le-Pit”.

 

 

The Internet and Social Media

 

Growing up in an age of social media makes it all the more sad when people abuse their followings. Recently, a YouTube personality named Logan Paul uploaded a vlog where he was walking through Suicide Forest in Japan. I’m sure many of you would have heard by now about the disappointing video, as he and his friends appear to find a body in the forest. I must say that despite for the most part being raised with technology and social media, I am consistently aware of what I post, who it might offend and why I’m doing so. It baffles me then, that someone with such a following – a following of young people I might add, would be so ignorant to others’ emotions that they would film a dead body, and upload the video in which they move closer and closer to the body with their camera; a body of a man who has suffered some form of hardship so terrible it drove him to suicide. It honestly disgusts me how you could be so ignorant to then turn the camera on to yourself and begin to speak about mental health as though it is a matter you care about. Once you have filmed someone who has possibly suffered a mental health disorder (and film them with no remorse) and further have the hypocrisy to beg others to check their own mental health, you are not an ‘influencer’. You have given yourself over as someone who cares more about the amount of people who watch your videos – not those who do. Even though you have blurred the man’s face out (to comply with YouTube’s new rules by the way; YouTube, you too made a big mistake with not reviewing this one) it does not blur the hurt his family must feel, having you, Logan Paul, edit and yet still upload such a video.

As I said, I am the generation raised with the internet and social media. I was thirteen when I got my first social media profile, but even then and even now I think about everything I post. Every outcome, every reaction. If I were a YouTuber, I’d do exactly the same, because people seem to look up to YouTubers. They have found fame in the digital age and should be respectful that their voice is important. Many take this responsibility and use it wisely to speak about matters close to their own hearts; such come to mind are people like Gabbie Hanna, Liza Koshy, Lilly Singh, or Carrie Hope Fletcher, Giovanna Fletcher and Joey Graceffa who take responsibility for their online following and use it to raise awareness on important topics.

It baffles me how someone like Logan Paul (and for that matter, his brother) can understand their demographic is young people for the most part, and yet still disregard their emotions in order to gain ‘views’. My attempt is not to be ‘preachy’ but to ask why? How has a hobby for so many, and a career for millions, become for the sole purpose of feeding some people’s narcissistic tendencies? Logan Paul has argued in his original apology that he did not upload the video for ‘views’ because he claimed “I already get the views”. His ignorance overshadows that of incredible people truly trying to enlighten and empower young people; take Meghan Rienks, a YouTuber who also hosts her own podcast as a sort of sister/agony aunt to young girls. She is using her own influence and comedy to provide help and guidance for young girls; her videos are fun and uplifting, and most importantly – she thinks about the way her video will be perceived before she uploads it!

Logan Paul’s video is inexcusable in my opinion; it was not a live stream which would be unable to be edited. He had walked through the forest, and made the decision himself to film the man. He later went home and edited said video. He had all of the time whilst editing to easily come across the massive fault in his video; many continue to support his video and claim it to be “raising awareness”, and find it acceptable, seeing as “he did blur the face”. Which, you know, makes it okay? Nope.

At almost eighteen years old, having run my own blog since I was almost sixteen, I know what it is to review and have to think through your content before you post. Why then can’t Logan Paul, who has been on this Earth longer than I have? Ignorance is bliss, I suppose.

By Tirion Davies

 

 

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