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Built by William Jessop and Thomas Telford, the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct was opened on 26 November 1805. It is a navigable aqueduct carrying the Llangollen Canal over the Dee valley. A Grade l Listed Building and a World Heritage Site, it is the highest and longest aqueduct in Britain.
Born on this day 1905 in Mostyn, Flintshire,
Emlyn Williams, actor, playwright and author.
Williams, an Oxford scholar, wrote and starred in several hugely successful plays in the 1930s, such as Night Must Fall (1935) Murder Has Been Arranged (1930), and The Corn Is Green (1938). He was also famed for his public readings from the works of Charles Dickens and Dylan Thomas.
Williams gave encouragement to a young Richard Burton. In fact, Burton's stage debut, "The Druid's Rest", and film debut The Last Days of Dolwyn (1949), were both written and directed by Emlyn Williams. When he died in 1987, Williams had written or co-written 20 screenplays and 20 plays. As an actor, he had appeared in 41 films and teleplays, in addition to numerous appearances on stage.
Born on this day 1946 in Ebbw Vale,
Brian Hibbard was an actor and singer, best known as the lead vocalist in the band The Flying Pickets.
Following the band's success, Hibbard became a television actor, appearing in Emmerdale, Eastenders, Coronation Sreet and Pobol y Cwm, as well as playing Dai Rees, the "Karaoke King" in the 1997 film Twin Town. Hibbard died of prostate cancer on 17 June 2012.
Darklands is arguably the first Welsh horror film. Written and directed by Julian Richards, it was released on 26th November 1997. The UK press dubbed it "the Welsh Wicker Man".
Visit Wales and Travel+Leisure Offer a Lucky Winner
Exclusive Bloomingdales Dream Vacation: Opulence and Escape
New York, New York November 25, 2013
Fashionable travelers can enter a sweepstakes for a chance to win a Bloomingdale's: Opulence and Escape vacation in Wales. One winner and a guest will discover Snowdonia National Park and the Island of Anglesey, two scenic destinations that formed the rugged backdrop for a photo shoot featured in Bloomingdale's 2013 fall menswear catalogues. The prize trip is provided courtesy of Visit Wales and Travel+Leisure magazine.
The luxurious 7 day, 6 night vacation package features round trip transatlantic flights, a rental car and pampered stays at two Welsh country estates: the Victorian Chateau Rhianfa Hotel - www.chateaurhianfa.com - inspired by Loire Valley architecture and stunningly situated overlooking the Menai Straits, and Bodysgallen Hall - www.bodysgallen.com a 17 th century manor with 13 th century origins. The winner will experience local culture with visits to Bodnant Food Centre www.bodnant-welshfood.co.uk and the Isle of Anglesey recent home of royal residents, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. They'll explore the quirky architectural marvel, Portmeirion, an Italianate-style village on the coast and setting for the iconic 1960s TV series The Prisoner. A seven day Welsh Explorer Pass will grant them entry to numerous historic attractions and UNESCO World Heritage sites like Caernarfon Castle, site of HRH Prince Charles Investiture as Prince of Wales and the formidable Conwy Castle.
The sweepstakes runs until February 7, 2014. Enter once daily and view official terms and conditions at www.usa.visitwales.com
On 25th November 1233, Richard Marshall, Earl of Pembroke, together with his allies Llywelyn ap Iorwerth and Owain ap Gruffydd, defeated forces loyal to Henry III of England at the Battle of Monmouth.
Spurred on by this success, Marshal and Llywelyn attacked Shrewsbury in January 1234, burning and looting the town. Henry was enraged and hunted Marshal down, killing him in Ireland in April of the same year. On 21st of June, Llywelyn and Henry came to terms, with an agreement called The Peace of Middle, which established a truce, with Llywelyn retaining Cardigan and Builth. This truce was renewed annually until Llywelyn's death.
The White Ship;
Richard d'Avranches, 2nd Earl of Chester (1094 – 25 November 1120) was the son of Hugh d'Avranches, Ist Earl of Chester (Hugh the fat), who was an important councillor of William the conquerer and one of the first Lords of the Marches.
In 1114, Richard led an army into Gwynedd. Gruffydd ap Cynan, the then ruler of Gwynedd, facing an overwhelming force, was obliged to pay homage to Henry I but lost no territory.
The line of the d'Avranches failed when Richard joined the young William Adelin, heir to King Henry I aboard the doomed White Ship. The ship went down in the English Channel near the Normandy coast on 25 November 1120, drowning all but one boy. Richard died leaving no issue, and the Earldom of Chester passed through the line of his sister, Maud.
The loss of William Adelin, the legitimate son and heir of King Henry I, led to a period of civil war in England known as the Anarchy.
Born on this day 1775 in Brecon
Charles Kemble - actor and younger brother of Sarah Siddons, "a first-rate actor of second-rate parts."
Early in his career, he acted alongside his sister, chiefly in secondary roles, and received little acclaim.
Eventually, he won independent acknowledgement, particularly as Cassio in Shakespeare's Othello, and his visit to America during 1832 and 1834 aroused much enthusiasm. The later part of his career however, was beset by money troubles in connection with his joint ownership of Covent Garden theatre.
Evacuation Day, November 25th 1783, saw the last British troops, including the Royal Welsh Fusiliers, i n the United States depart from New York, after which General George Washington led a triumph through the city. The last shot of the war was fired from a departing British gun boat at the jeering crowd on Staten Island.
On 24th November 1326, Hugh Despenser the Younger, Lord of Glamorgan, was executed.
Despenser rose to fame as royal chamberlain and probable lover of Edward II of England. Hugh's greed for wealth and power took him from an impoverished knight to one of the wealthiest landowners in the kingdom in the space of a few years.
Edward bestowed land and titles on Hugh, including many in Wales and when he married Eleanor de Clare, granddaughter of Edward I and cousin of Edward II, he became phenomenally wealthy. When Llywelyn Bren led a failed attack on Caerphilly Castle, Despenser, without the king's direction, took Llywelyn to Cardiff Castle where he had him hanged, drawn and quartered without a proper trial with Llywelyn's lands being seized by Despenser. Unsurprisingly, by 1321 Despenser had earned many enemies.
Edwards estranged wife Isabella, who despised Despenser, planned to depose her husband. The majority of the nobility supported her, and very few people were prepared to fight for Edward II, mainly because of the hatred that Despenser had aroused. Hugh Despenser and the King fled to Wales, where they were captured near Neath. King Edward was placed in captivity and Hugh Despenser was brought to trial. He was sentenced to public execution by hanging, drawing and quartering, as a traitor. In addition, he was sentenced to be disembowelled for causing discord between the King and Queen, and ultimately to be beheaded.
On 24 November 1816 a 27-metre column was unveiled in Llanfair PG on Anglesey commemorating the courage and heroism at the Battle of Waterloo of the Marquess of Anglesey who lived just a few miles away at Plas Newydd on the Menai Straits.
When war broke out with France he raised a regiment of volunteers and began a military career that saw him rise quickly to the rank of major general.
During the Battle of Waterloo on 18 June 1815, he led the charge of the heavy cavalry, destroying d'Erlon's Corps in the centre of the French line, though he lost a leg during the battle.
He had an artificial leg fitted with a hinged knee and ankle, later known as the 'Anglesey leg', the first of its type.
The Marquess went on to lead a distinguished public life, twice becoming Lord Lieutenant of Ireland.
Born on this day 1942 in Cardiff
Craig Thomas - author of thrillers, most notably the Mitchell Gant series. His best-known novel, Firefox, became a film both directed by and starring Clint Eastwood. Most of Thomas's novels are set within MI6; his more recent novels include Snow Falcon and A Different War.
Born on this day 1951 in Moascar, Egypt
Graham Price - former Wales and Lions rugby international who won 41 caps for Wales as a prop forward. He joined Pontypool after leaving school and along with Bobby Windsor and Charlie Faulkner, formed the legendary Pontypool Front Row.
Price is remembered for debut international in 1975 against France in Paris when he sprinted 70 yards to score a try. He won Grand Slams with Wales in 1976 and 1978 and played in 12 successive tests for the British and Irish Lions.
B orn on this day 1962 in Rheindahlen, West Germany.
Paul Thorburn - former wales rugby international and captain.
Thorburn was a long distance goal kicker who holds the record for the longest successful kick in an international test match, with a penalty kick measuring exactly 70 yards 8 and a half inches against Scotland at Cardiff Arms Park. After retiring from playing in 1991, he was tournament director for the World Cup in 1999 and also a former special projects manager for the Welsh Rugby Union.
Born on this day 1979 in Harrow, London
Tomos George L. Shanklin - former Wales rugby international and British and Irish Lion.
Shanklin won 70 caps and scored 20 tries foe Wales. He once turned down an invitation from Clive Woodward to play for England, explaining "Everything about me is Welsh, except my accent. I'd lived in Tenby from the age of eight to 14, my family, friends and upbringing were all Welsh".
On 24th November 2005, new licensing laws came in force, permitting, pubs, clubs and supermarkets in England and Wales to open 24 hours
The change did not bring about the predicted wave of alcohol-fuelled violence and debauchery.
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"Ebenezer Clinton Scrooge III presides over a vast media empire from his base in New York City but this Christmas Eve his world is about to descend into chaos. At the centre of the nightmare is a girl with auburn hair." A 21st century re-imagining of the Dickens classic by Welsh writer Phil Rowlands.
Buy A Christmas Carol Revisited here '
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Charles Dickens ''A Christmas Carol'' was an enormously popular and influential book. Indeed there are those who claim that many of our current Christmas traditions and observances are directly attributable to its influence. However that may be ( and you can read more on that subject here and here ) Welsh author Phil Rowlands has gifted us with a mdern re-imagining of this classic tale and a superb seasonal read.
''A Christmas Tale Revisited'' does not concern itself to follow the structure of the Dickens original. Instead of five 'staves' it is written in four parts and there are many departures from the original story line. It does, however, perfectly preserve the spirit of the original. An attempt has also been made to imitate the style of Dickensian prose which, in this reviewers opinion, adds to the books charm.
We first encounter our modern day Scrooge being driven to his luxury NY penthouse apartment in his chauffer driven limousine :-
"Through tinted windows Ebenezer Clinton Scrooge III watched the bustling side-walk crowds slip silently into the waiting night like shadowy grey wraiths spirited away on a bitter December wind. The gaudy festive lights served only to emphasize their desperate anonymity. Scrooge leaned back into the plush leather upholstery of the limousine, comforted by the fact that he no longer needed to mingle with the madding crowd."
Upon arriving home to discover a ''common beggar'' on his doorstep Scrooge reveals his take on the Christmas spirit:-
"He smiled, this was no hired assassin sent on a mission to destroy, only a common beggar chancing his arm, or what remained of it. A diseased symptom of the times. New York was infested with such hopeless individuals seeking solace or oblivion in alcohol or drugs, authors of their own destruction, and as such deserving of no sympathy or special favors. Still, they never usually surfaced in this district preferring instead to haunt the more stagnant cess-pits of the city. Perhaps the fact it was Christmas Eve had emboldened this particular specimen into venturing further afield in the false hope that honest citizens would be more inclined to lunatic displays of charity many being so imbued with festive spirits they would carelessly part with their hard earned dollars."
In the course of the many visitations and revelations which follow, Scrooge''s miserly worldview is shaken to the core and his ultimate transformation and redemption are assured. It is a major strength of this book that we learn much of the forces and circumstances which moulded Scrooge''s character and made him what he became. In many ways he was a victim of the same uncaring and callous attitudes which he espouses at the beginning of the story. But, to reveal any more detail would be to spoil the plot.
Phil Rowlands has created a Mr Bah Humbug for the 21st century in Ebenezer Clinton Scrooge III and his story is as pitiful and ultimately heart warming as that of his nineteenth century predecessor. In short, whether it be for your own reading pleasure or as a Christmas gift we cannot recommend "A Christmas Carol Revisited" too highly.
Ceri Shaw
ROBIN FRIDAY: THE MOVIE -WEBSITE
AmeriCymru: You've said that you saw Robin Friday play, where and when was this and what do you remember about it?
Mike: It was the Cardiff v Fulham game. It was not known but Robin had been arrested by S. W. Police having travelled down from Reading for his debut ( he had travelled on a platform ticket). The game was to star Bobby Moore and Georgie Best both playing for Fulham and a huge crowd came along largely to see them play. Best cried off with an injury ( probably more a night on the tiles) and Robin took over the game scored two great goals and ran the World Cup Captain ragged.
AmeriCymru: Were you aware of him and his reputation before you watched him play?
Mike: Yes he had almost single handedly dragged Reading IP from Div 4 the previous season but his reputation preceded him.
AmeriCymru: You've been described as a "lifelong fan of Cardiff City league" and you ran a youth football/soccer club in Los Angeles, it seems inevitable you'd be involved in a football film. Had you always wanted to tell a story of Robin Friday?
Mike: It was one of those memories that was re-triggered by the publication of the book The Greatest Footballer You Never Saw which I optioned.
AmeriCymru: How did this film come about, who read the book and decided "this is going to happen?"
Mike: My co-producer Mark Ambrose and then he found me a besotted fan not particularly known for live action movies.
AmeriCymru: What do you hope to communicate to audiences with this film, what do you want them to take away from seeing it?
Mike: It's not a "soccer" film more a film about a guy who lived his life the way he wanted to and dammed the consequences. As it says in our blurb "the rest of us didn't have the balls"!
AmeriCymru: Will we be able to see it in the US?
Mike: Yes certainly. The casting which I cannot reveal here will help it. The movie is an edgier cross between "Billy Liar" and "Crush".
Mike Young
ROBIN FRIDAY LINKS
Robin Friday on the Bleacher Report
".....When the team meeting was called just before the team left for the match a disheveled Friday showed up still naked but carrying a swan that he had procured from a nearby lake!"
The Greatest Footballer You Never Saw: The Robin Friday Story
Musical Tribute: Super Furry Animals
Seeing new places and meeting new people has to be one of the most rewarding aspects of travel. The picture opposite combines both. The cool guy in the leather jacket and shades is author Chris Keil whom I had the pleasure of meeting while in Portland. If you are wondering, the magnificent river in the background is the Columbia which flows through the heart of Portland itself.
Chris is the author of 'Flirting at The Funeral.' The title refers to a hit song one of the main characters in the book once had. I enjoyed Chris' company so much I bought a copy even though it meant my wife would have to forgo a gift (only kidding). I really didn't know what to expect but I was determined to read it through to the end.
The thing I demand most of any work of fiction is a compelling story. Regardless of how the book is constructed that has to be the bottom line. Chris did not disappoint but 'Flirting At The Funeral' is much more than that. Characterization is also key for me. Chris has created a diverse and vibrant cast of characters. Such is their vibrancy that you feel you know or recognise them in a very personal sense. This is quite an achievement because at another level each can be seen as representative either of a section of society or of specific beliefs and philosophies. Set against the uncertainties of a world peering uncertainly into the abyss of financial collapse 'Flirting At The Funeral' becomes almost a parable of our times.
Matty James, who for me was the focal point of the novel, can appear at first glance to represent all that is superficial and facile in our society. Forever 'pursuing her star' in seeming disregard of the consequences to herself and others, she personifies the desperate desire to achieve celebrity status we witness on our television screens every week. Mammon rules and before we point a finger how many of us bought a lottery ticket this week? Yet Chris' characters refuse to be judged at a superficial level. Like all really good works of fiction uncomfortable questions are continually asked of the reader. There is one scene that epitomizes this.
Matty and her friend Howard are engaged in a conversation. They stand in the ruins of an ancient building that in a distant past had been as imposing as the modern citadel built by the super rich Dr Arno Bendt. Howard attempts to persuade Matty to leave Dr Bendt and to return to London to be with her lover Morgan. Her response is pragmatic and in one sense profound:
"I have to follow my star." She took a breath."At any rate I have to make the best of it. I have to keep flirting at the funeral, like the song says."
Flirting At the Funeral is beautifully crafted and infused with sumptuous imagery. It is a book I wish I had written.
To misquote another once famous song, "It's my blog and I'll do what I wanna, do what I wanna. . ." Which is a pretty tacky way of announcing some blatant self promotion. Well it is nearly Christmas and the book I'm attempting to promote is a reworking of Dickens classic. I promise to get back to featuring more Indie Authors in the New Year!
It's contemporary New York City and Clinton Ebenezer Scrooge III shares his thoughts on Christmas.
"Scrooge gazed out of the window. Somewhere below, the river flowed blacker than the Styx through the citys dark heart into the eternal depths of the poisoned oceans. But Scrooges eyes were fixed upon another river. The unceasing flow of humanity condemned as surely to follow the course of existence to its inevitable conclusion as the river was compelled to flow into the embrace of the blind and restless sea. Christmas held out hope that the journey was not in vain. That was one of the reasons he despised it. Christmas was for the weak, for sentimental fools who had never grasped that salvation in this world was something to be wrung forcefully from lifes unwilling grip. Once the presents had been opened and the parties were over what was left apart from hangovers and a bigger overdraft? He smiled. He was above that now, had been for years. Just as detached and aloof as the gigantic reflection of himself superimposed on the vista upon which he cast such a scornful eye."
.jpg) 'A Christmas Carol Revisited' is a great way to enter into the Festive Spirit and it's available NOW on Amazon in Print or Kindle format. Prefer PRINT? Prefer KINDLE? Just click on the thumbnail of choice.   CLICKHERE to listentoa brief audio excerpt. CLICK HERE todownload an extract in pdf format. |
Gangster Llewellyn Morris Humphreys, known as Murray the Hump, whose parents came from a hill farm in Carno, near Newtown, died of a heart attack on 23rd November 1965. He was one of the most successful of all gangsters and one of the most powerful men in the Chicago underworld.
Murray the Hump was one of the organisers of the infamous St Valentine's Day Massacre in 1929 when seven members of Bugsy Moran's gang were machine-gunned to death.
On the death of Al Capone in 1947, Murray the Hump succeeded him at the head of the organisation and introduced money laundering to the mob, and was responsible for introducing gambling to Las Vegas. By 1965, the FBI were beginning to catch up with him and he was involved in a fist fight with them onNovember 23rd 1965. Later that evening, he was found dead. He had apparently been vacuuming the room at the time of his death.
Murray the Hump never forgot his Welsh roots and visited Wales in 1963 under an assumed name.
Joseph Jenkins (1818-1898) was a farmer and poet from Tregaron in Ceredigion. When he was 51, Joseph left his wife and family for Australia, working as a Swagman, and keeping a diary of his experiences in the Australian Bush. He is reputed to be the 'Jolly Swagman' who features in the popular Australian song 'Waltzing Matilda'. Later Joseph worked as a cleaner of streets in the town of Maldon, until at the age of 76 he became homesick for Wales. He departed by rail on 23 November 1894.
He achieved fame with the publication of excerpts from 'Diary of a Welsh Swagman', and in 1994, a drinking fountain was opened at Maldon in recognition of his unique record of life as a rural worker in Victoria.
"Once a jolly swagman camped by a billabong
Under the shade of a coolibah tree
And he sang as he watched his billy boil
You’ll come a waltzing Matilda with me.."
* A swagman is an old Australian term describing a transient worker who travelled on foot between farms carrying his swag (bedroll). A swagman wore a hat strung with corks, to ward off flies.
* Waltzing comes from the term 'auf der Walz', which means to travel while working.
* Matilda is a romantic term for a swagman's bundle, personified as a woman.
* A billabong is an oxbow lake, found alongside a meandering river.
* A coolibah tree is a kind of eucalyptus tree which grows near billabongs.
* A billy is a can for boiling water in, usually 2–3 pints.
Born on this day in 1803 in Corwen, Merionethshire,
Edward Edwards - marine zoologist.
A wealthy industrialist, Edwards first studied marine life in the waters of the Menai Strait. In order to study the habits of fish more closely, he developed and constructed artificial aquaria.
His most notable invention was his 'dark-water chamber slope-back tank,' which replicates the rock pools on the shores of the Menai Strait.
'Live at Treorchy' was recorded on 23 November 1973, by Max Boyce. It contains a mixture of songs and poems along with Boyce's interactions with the crowd at Treorchy Rugby Club. The album was an unexpected success, making Boyce a household name in Wales and beyond. Boyce, a factory worker from Glynneath, became an international star who has since enjoyed a career in entertainment spanning 40 years.
Welsh historian Martin Johnes describes Live at Treorchy as being as 'important to an understanding of Welshness as anything Dylan Thomas or Saunders Lewis wrote.' Hymns and Arias, on of the album's songs, has become an anthem of Welsh popular culture and is often heard at Wales international matches.
Today, Wales U18s took on Australia School's Rugby at the Gnoll in Neath, to a sell out audience this was a taster to Wales playing Australia next weekend at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. One little boy called Bleddyn Lloyd (aged 10) who plays for Neath Athletic got the chance to get on the pitch and become ball boy for the game, this was only his 2nd international game he had been to after he witnessed Wales beat Argentina last week, after Wales won the game 18 15 Bleddyn was proud and is now telling everyone he know's he is a Wales ball boy and is planning on carrying on this until the day he is also picked to play for Wales.
BOOKS BY JO MAZELIS JO MAZELIS INTERVIEW
Charlotte had the advantage of a free right hand, while Georgina had to either struggle with her left hand, or use her right, but first she had to wriggle to free it from the press of her sister’s body which ruined the effect of their unusual appearance. This was how their mother had instructed them to do everyday things; as if they were a single entity with only two arms, but four legs and two heads. They had also been trained to speak as one, saying in perfect chorus, ‘Hello, how do you do? I do believe that the weather is improving, don’t you think?’ In order to make these seemingly spontaneous and simultaneous speeches they had rehearsed multiple variations along with a series of subtle gestures that communicated which phrase should be uttered. It was Georgina who usually took the lead in these transactions with the world, but Charlotte could at times be singular in transmitting different choices that made for bizarre conversation. For example, only days before the leader of the local town’s council chamber had asked the girls if they enjoyed the rolling hills and lush pastures of that part of Wales, Georgiana twirling a finger through a glossy ringlet, signalled that they should say, ‘Why, thank you kind sir, everything has pleased us greatly!’ But Charlotte had petulantly (as much as sneezing can be petulant) sneezed three times, which was the code for, ‘Our dear mother wept bitterly over it and cannot be consoled!’ Georgina sensing the comedy in this answer took a deep breath before they spoke the words in unison together. The council leader was taken aback, ‘Is she an invalid?’ he asked. To which the girls replied, somewhat mysteriously, ‘It is said there are two ways to milk a cow.’ After that they took their leave with haste as both were stifling a great fit of the giggles as the poor man tried on such a variety of expressions in quick succession in his confusion and grew redder and redder in the face until they thought he might suffer an apoplexy.
