The sculpture will be almost on the doorstep of the quarry

A sculpture made of 36,000 stacked local slates is being created as a gateway to Blaenau Ffestiniog's 4.5m town improvements.

And the artwork alone has already created two jobs.

Read on here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/northwestwales/hi/people_and_places/arts_and_culture/newsid_9384000/9384027.stm .

So, what does this mean for our Grand Slam guesses? Good? Bad?

Hook is seen as the heir apparent to Stephen Jones as Wales fly-half

See full article here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/welsh/9390099.stm

London Olympics date hope for Wrexham dragon tower

The businessman behind plans for a huge Welsh dragon tower near the English border says he would love it to be ready in time for the London Olympics

The bronze dragon, standing on two legs, will now remain a "natural bronze" colour

Free is GOOD! Got this info from one of my genealogy lists:

The following Books are available to download for Free from
http://www.UK-Genealogy-Online.com
follow the links

History of Wales by John Edward Lloyd
Tours of Wales - Thomas Pennant [3 Volumes]
Tours in Wales Richard Fenton

Also Available
Llanelly Directory 1897
Old Llanelly by John Innes

West Coast Eisteddfod Los Angeles 2011 - At A Glance
Fri Sept 23rd Opening Concert	Sat Sept 24th Eisteddfod	Sun Sept 25th Films/Lectures	Enter Live Competitions	Enter Online Competitions

Plans for this years West Coast Eisteddfod are proceeding apace. For the latest info see the links above. AmeriCymru is pleased to offer a $50 dollar graphic ad to the next six backers of our Kickstart Appeal . Your ad will appear either in our right hand column ( on 15000 pages approx ) or in our javascript rotation at the top of the AmeriCymru homepage. We will design it for you if you wish and you are free to change the content or the destination url at any time during your run if you have a special promotion or competition that you want to highlight.

In addition we are offering featured interviews ( widely promoted on the web and via social networking sites ) with business owners, artists and performers as part of the package. As if this wasn't enough your $50 will also entitle you to:-

• A signed copy of an exclusive art book on Welsh Mythology and Legend

• Fifty tickets in the draw for Original Artwork by Jeff Phillips

  AND

• Fifty chances to win this years unique West Coast Eisteddfod Lovespoon handcrafted by David Western.
  (more details to be announced shortly )

It may also be possible in some cases to negotiate sale or return agreements so that we can feature your products on the AmeriCymru table at the event.

CAN WE GET ANY MORE GENEROUS? THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A BETTER TIME TO BACK THE WEST COAST EISTEDDFOD !

Email: americymru@gmail.com for more details and to book your ad.

' Nuf said.

Mona

PS Go Pack, I guess.

Is this progress????

Check this organization out on Facebook, too, and "Like" them to show our support of saving this literary landmark!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Undershaw-Preservation-Trust/143840102309365?v=wall# !/pages/The-Undershaw-Preservation-Trust/143840102309365?v=info

Here is a bit of what they say:

An organisation dedicated to the preservation and protection of 'Undershaw' the former home and national treasure of Sherlock Holmes creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - the home that he helped design with his good friend and architect Joseph Ball.

The home is currently under threat from the property developers who wish to divide the house into 3 separate units and build a further 5 alongside.

Planning permission for development has been approved by Waverley Borough Council. The UPT are looking to get this thoughtless decision overturned.

For more information please check out their website where you can also leave your comments. This will help us clarify that we have the support nationally and internationally.

http://www.saveundershaw.com

'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.