Blogs

I will be playing the new single by Joy Formidable the band from Mold Flintshire tomorrow night [Sunday] between 7 and 8pm on my radio show on 105.7 The Point.StLouis' Alternative Rock station.This great Welsh band will be touring the US later this year.Check them out ,they're great.Les [Aaron]Jenkins.

'Track Of The Month' - Download "Slippin' Away" FREE

Please click on this link for info to download:

http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=10150093490771827&id=22234438968

Ammanfords Ioan Anthony is one of the first veterans to feel the benefit of the fundraising work of the Healing The Wounds charity.

The 26-year-old has just returned home after a PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) course sponsored by Healing The Wounds.

And he is overjoyed at the way it has changed his life.

After I left the army, I had many of the symptoms of PTSD depression, mood swings, an inability to sleep properly, and nightmares when I could get to sleep.

Today, now that I have completed the PTSD course, it is like the curtain has been lifted on a new world. Its made a massive difference to my outlook on life and I really feel amazing.

For the first time in ages, I have been able to sleep without being disturbed by nightmares.

Ioan served as a plant operator and mechanic with the Royal Engineers in Afghanistan.

Everyone has stories to tell about their time in Afghanistan and I dare say my story isnt that different to other soldiers who have completed tours of duty out there.

I lost a good friend in just the second month of the tour. By the time the tour was over, I counted six comrades had been killed.

Nothing can change the past and what happens in places like Afghanistan.

And I am obviously not alone in returning home and then facing a struggle to deal with the things we saw in Afghanistan.

Fortunately, help was available to me. I did receive some counselling at the Swn-y-Gwynt Day Hospital in Tirydail Road, Ammanford, but the thing that has made the major difference has been the PTSD course sponsored by Healing The Wounds.

I was lucky in that I saw Jonathan Edwards, the Plaid Cymru MP for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr and he put me in touch with Kevin Richards at Healing The Wounds.

Kevin and the charity have done a marvellous job and I cant thank them enough. They are really making a difference to making sure that people like me can get their lives back on track.

Mr Anthony has left the army and is now considering several career options, including resuming his early career as a plasterer, trying for a Heavy Goods Vehicle drivers licence or working as a plant operator.

I have also been so impressed with the work of the people of the PTSD course. They cant change whats happened to you, but they can counsel you to the point where you can talk about it all and deal with it.

So, I wouldnt mind going on to train as a PTSD counsellor myself. From what I have seen of the work of the Healing The Wounds charity, there is a need for counsellors to run training courses in Wales and it would be great to put something back into the community.

Healing The Wounds executive director Kevin Richards said he was delighted at the progress Mr Anthony had made on the PTSD course.

It is great to see someone like Ioan getting back to a normal life. It goes to show how valuable our work is as a charity.

Mr Richards said it was important for the public to realise that the Healing The Wounds charity was fully operational.

Since we announced that Golden Grove Mansion was no longer an option for a PTSD rehabilitation centre we have heard plenty of nonsense stories that the charity has packed up.

Nothing is further from the truth. We are continuing to look for suitable premises for a PTSD recovery centre in Wales and we are helping people like Ioan on a daily basis. Our work goes on and much of the thanks goes to the people of Wales who continue to support us so generously.

Soldier: Ioan Anthony on duty for the Royal Engineers in Afghanistan.

The charitys website is at http://www.healingthewounds.co.uk/

AmeriCymru spoke with David, singer/guitarist of Weird Naked Indian (easily one of our favorite bands at the moment)

AmeriCymru: Hi David and many thanks for agreeing to be interviewed by AmeriCymru.....care to tell us a little about your band Weird Naked Indian? When were you formed and how did you come by your name?

David: Weird Naked Indian consists of myself (everything but the drums) and Conor (nothing but the drums). Our name was taken from a character in the film Waynes World one of Conors favourite films but there's also a big link to the band The Doors of which I am a massive fan! Jim Morrison of The Doors was visited by a Native American in his dreams/trances who is kind of looking over him throughout his life. Also it was a fun sounding name and that's what we're all about. Our songs contain a fair bit of humour so we wanted the band name to do so as well. We've been gigging for 3 years now all over Britain but mostly in Port Talbot, Swansea and Cardiff (South Wales) where we're from.

AmeriCymru: Your music has been described as Punk folk-rock. How do you feel about that label? Do you think it is accurate or misleading?

David: Punk folk rock! Well to be honest we're a tricky outfit to label especially with our latest EP throwing a spanner in the works, you see when we play live there's only Conor on drums and myself on acoustic guitar and vocals and so Id say the punk folk rock description is quite apt as our songs have a range picking style folky little numbers that quickly mutate into a driving acoustic rhythmic type affair with solid beats to back it all up and so we do delve into a range of different genres throughout our set.

Now our latest EP blows all that out of the water. We went into the studio looking to create a bigger sound and give the songs more depth as a kind of experiment really to see what we could make of them and so now Id say they'd fit into the indie/rock genre.

AmeriCymru: Your track 'Grass' was recently selected by the BBC for the Wales 'Demo of the Week' program. Care to tell us what inspired it?

David: Grass is pretty much inspired by people who always want what they haven't got i.e. the job, the cash, women, nice cars etc. but then there's other people that would love to be in their shoes! Basically the grass is always greener on the other side. Achieving demo of the week on the BBC was reward for the experiment I mentioned earlier, we wanted to create a big enough sound that would appeal to the radio and did so. As well as winning that title it's getting regular play on Nation Radio , Wales's fastest growing station.

Grass is free to download for a limited time on our SoundCloud page just click on the little arrow above the sound wave.

AmeriCymru: My personal fave on your SoundCloud page is Believe . Care to tell us a little about the background to the track?

David: Yeah we've always had a good response to Believe, first live and now with many saying it's their favourite track on the EP. I wrote the song after our first year of gigging. We gigged pretty hard for the first year and attracted a lot of attention from people who were in the music business who were full of promises and ideas on how to take Weird Naked Indian to the top. However 99.9% of the time these people could barely stand due to over consumption of alcohol! It's amazing how many people turn into record label execs after 5 pints of beer haha. I won't deny it's flattering mind even if they are a bit pissed.

AmeriCymru: Where online can people go to hear/purchase your music?

David: iTunes is probably the easiest place to find our music.

AmeriCymru: What's next for Weird Naked Indian?

David: Next for Weird Naked Indian... First and foremost we are looking to gig some bigger venues hopefully get on some festival line-ups for the summer. We have a project lined up with actor Michael Sheen and National Theatre Wales where we will be providing sound tracks to a passion play that is to take place in Port Talbot over the Easter weekend! We're looking to get back into the studio to record some new material and also get a few music videos done! We have loads of ideas flying around so we just have to nail them down and get cracking. Generally though Weird Naked Indian are feeling positive about 2011 and are looking to keep as busy and productive as possible.

AmeriCymru: Any final message for the members and readers of AmeriCymru?

David: You can join Weird Naked Indian on Facebook or Myspace to receive updates or get in touch with us.

Duw bendithio America a Gymru

God bless America and Wales

The thirteenth issue features work from Wales, England, Ireland, France, Germany, Serbia, India, Korea, Belarus, and America. It also includes a POET PROFILE of American poet Robin Metz, three interviews, and an article by Vince Clemente. The second part of an article by John Edwin Cowen, which is entitled The Anchored Angel and the Dylan Thomas/Jos Garcia Villa Connection, is also published. It is accompanied by a sketch of Dylan Thomas by Garcia Villa, which was unpublished until its appearance in this issue.

Annual subscription:7 for Summer and Winter issues; or buy a single issue for 3.50. USA subscription $20for Summer and Winter issues;or buy a single issue for $10. Further information at www.peterthabitjones.com

Peter Thabit Jones reads from his latest anthology The Lizard Catchers

West Coast Eisteddfod Friday Saturday Sunday (If you wish to enter live events at the Barnsdall Art Park on Sat 24th Sept go here ) Online Competition Groups Compete for cash prizes and acclaim in this years West Coast Eisteddfod online competitions. Visit the individual submission groups below for more details. Read more about our 2011 online competition judges here West Coast Eisteddfod Poetry Submission Group You may submit your entries in Welsh, English or Spanish. You may submit up to five entries in each language category. The three language categories will be judged separately and there will be a prize for each. Accompanying graphics are not permitted. There is a US150 dollars (approx 100GBP ) prize for the winners in each category. The final submission date is September 15th 2011. Judges to be announced. West Coast Eisteddfod Short Story Submission Group The short story competition starts today. The theme of your story need not reference Wales in any way. You may submit your entry in either Welsh or English. Basically you will need to write a short story between 1000 and 3000 words in length and submit it in accordance with the rules for site members or non-site members outlined below. Accompanying graphics are not permitted. There is a US150 dollars (approximately 100GBP ) prize for the winner. and US100 dollars ( approximately 65GBP ) for the runner up. The final submission date is Sept 15th 2011 and the winners will be announced at the Eisteddfod ( October 2010 ). We are immensely proud and pleased to announce that for the third consecutive year, author Lloyd Jones will judge the entries in the West Coast Eisteddfod Short Story competition. Lloyd is the author of two novels, 'Mr Vogel' and 'Mr Cassini' and a collection of short stories - 'My First Colouring Book' . He has also written the extremely popular Welsh language novel - 'Y Dwr' . You may submit up to four entries.

Jimmy:

Yep--too cold and snowy for our local groundhog! Read the story here: http://www.thedailypage.com/isthmus/article.php?article=32094

The View from Richmond Park - home to Carmarthen Town AFC -

Carmarthen Town AFC has elected a new club President to succeed Anthony Jenkins.

Jeff Thomas, the former chairman of the club, was elected by an unanimous vote at the clubs Extraordinary General Meeting at the clubhouse.

The fund-raising work carried out by Mr Thomas proved crucial during his 14 years as chairman.

His achievements as club chairman are notable

Welsh Cup: three Welsh Cup Finals, winning once

League Cup Final twice winning once

Consistently finishing in top six of League

10 European Cup appearances.

Ground brought up to UEFA European standard with European games held at Richmond Park. Capacity of 2,500 including 1056 seats in their Grandstand

State of the art Community Centre, completed at a cost of 400,000 incorporating Social Club, Match Hospitality Suites with conference facilities and meeting rooms available for hire.

An innovative Carmarthen Town community programme backed by EMC Electrical Services and the ever-supportive Neil Alexander.

A debt-free club, with a high level of credibility within Welsh football and the local community.

Mr Thomas was unable to attend Friday nights meeting of the football club as he was being honoured with the Unsung Hero award at the annual Carmarthen Town Council Sports Personality awards night at the Carmarthen Quins Club.

The EGM of Carmarthen Town AFC members also receive favourable reports on the work of the clubs Community Programme, the clubs finances and efforts to secure new sponsorship. Members of the executive committee were also able to give club members an insight into their individual roles and tasks on the committee.

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Tote draw January 25, winning numbers 42 and 44. The prize was 400, but there was no winner. The weekly draw (for a prize of 500) was taking place on Tuesday evening.

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Fans will be interested to know the club has a web shop under the Buy At banner.

When you shop online from the Buy At website, youll help raise funds for the club with no extra cost to yourself. You can find online bargains, gifts, cheaper gas and electricity services and even book a holiday through the web shop.

You can find it at - http://www.buy.at/carmarthentownafc

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Weve got new stock in the Club Shop at Richmond Park, including the following:

Rain jackets, 30; shower jackets, 18; childrens shower jackets, 13; black polo shirts, 15; childrens black polo shirts, 12; hoodies, 18; childrens hoodies, 15.

Theres also the all the normal stock, including home and away replica shirts; fleeces; scarves; hats etc. All prices include second class postage and packing to a UK address. Please e-mail your requirements to: celiakirkby@ic24.net

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Carmarthen Town Supporters Club is again running the successful sponsor a win for this season. Already 17 Carmarthen Town supporters have committed for the season.

Paul Ashley-Jones, of the Carmarthen Town Supporters Club, said: This provides the club with vital revenue by donating 5 for every league and/or cup win this season. On behalf of the club, I would appeal to you to consider joining them and help us raise vital funds. Anyone wanting to join should give me a ring on 07775 820864 or call in at the Club Shop and pick up a form from Ron or Celia Kirkby.

Once again, thank you to those supporters who have already registered to help.

Theres a tale of great community spirit behind Cor Meibions appearance for a charity concert at Capel Adulam in Felinfoel, Llanelli, later this month (February 18).

Its a story which has very poignant moments and very uplifting moments, said chapel Minister Rev Alan Jones.

Basically, it is about a communitys shared experience and how we come through the good times and the bad times.

Cor Meibion Llanelli will be performing at the chapel in Adulam on Friday, February 18, and will be sharing the stage with the pupils from Ysgol y Felin, the new school in Felinfoel which has been formed by Ysgol y Babanod and the Primary school.

It promises to be an excellent evenings entertainment and I would hope everyone turns out to support a worthy cause because we will be raising money for the West Wales Hospital in Glangwili in Carmarthen.

The Minister explained: We have chosen Glangwili because it seems to feature very heavily in the lives of our chapel-goers.

Many have benefited from treatment and major surgery at Glangwili Hospital and are with us today to pay testament to the hard work of our doctors and nurses. For others, it has sadly been the end of a journey. Take, for example, one of Felinfoels true gentlemen, Gerald Phillips, who was for many years the Llanelli Stars local correspondent and who died at Glangwili.

The work of the hospital seems to have touched the lives of so many of us, including those at my other chapel in Salem in Llangennech.

And, in fact, I have personal experience as I suffered meningitis and a thrombosis in the head. Without the care and dedication of our doctors and nurses, I would not be here today.

Rev Jones added: It was while I was out walking, recuperating from my illness, that I bumped in to Cor Meibion Llanellis musical director Eifion Thomas. Without any prompting from me, he suggested the choir do a charity concert.

It was literally music to my ears as the choir had been very kind to me during my ministry at Ebenezer Chapel in Aberavon. After the terrible blast furnace tragedy at the Port Talbot steelworks in 2001, Cor Meibion rallied to the cause with a fund-raising concert which the people of the steel town found very moving indeed.

As a chapel at Adulam, we have already raised more than 700 through a charity curry night at the Masala restaurant in West End, Llanelli. We have high hopes that this charity concert can do better than that!

The concert starts at 7pm and tickets are available from Gerwyn Richards at Adulam Chapel, other chapel members and through Ysgol y Felin.