Blogs
A chilly Boston, Massachusetts afternoon, but sunny. The sun has not been seen much this winter, but the snow has! Sick of the white stuff.
I am new to this site and this is my first blog. Fact is, it is the first blog I have ever written period.
I was born in Dorchester 65 years ago, served in the US Navy from 1965 through 1971. I didn't care for it much, but now I am proud to say I served my country, two years of service on a destroyer, the USS Gearing.
For most of my life I considered myself English (mothers side) and Irish (father). But a few years ago a family member did a family tree and traced some family back to Wales. With a name like Evans I figured there had to be some Welsh in my background. To make a long story short, I have been considering myself Welsh for quite a few years now and loving it. I now know some Welsh wordsand have met many Welsh on Face Book who are really delightful.
Being now a self proclaimed Welshman, I began to follow the sport teams of Wales and the athletes of the country.
The teams I support are Llanelli RFC, Scarlets, Llanelli AFC, Wales national rugby team, Crusaders RL, Glamorgan Cricket and Cardiff City FC.
The thought I had today was why do my Welsh teams seem to struggle so? Cardiff City, for instance, had a chance to move into second place on the table last week, but lost 0-2 at home! Everyone says they should gain at least the 2nd spot and automatic promotion...ok, but why put me (and many real Welshmen) through the trama?
And what is this I heard the other day on BBC Wales: In order for Wales to have a international cricket team Glamorgan would have to cease to exist? Good Lord.
From Visit Wales and Peter Thabit Jones:
Come and See Dylan's New York
Get the true facts about the legendary Welsh poet Dylan Thomas andhis colourful life in New York City.
His most famous work, Under Milk Wood, was completed and originally performed inthe City, where he also originated recordingthe spoken word, cutting the first spokenLP in history here.
T he Dylan Thomas Walking Tour, guided by Ianto Robert, will take youto the Village places where thelegendary Welsh poet stayed, ate,drank, worked and performed, and towhere he finally died, while givingyou a feel for The Village in the 1950s.
- When: Sunday mornings weekly from March 2011
- Time: 11:00 AM, Check current schedule
- Duration: Approximately 2 hours
- Cost: $25.00 per ticket
- Weather: Tour takes place rain or shine
Tickets should be purchased in advance at
Or phone (USA) 0012122093370
Please refer to activity # 1213
This is the Official Dylan Thomas Walking Tour of NewYork. Originally written by Peter Thabit Jones through acollaboration of the Welsh Assembly Government in NewYork and the family of Dylan Thomas.
In Memoriam
Of Dylans daughter Aeronwy whoconfirmed the research and walked outthe tour.
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Reprinted with permission from David Western's blog , all material 2011, David Western
Help design this year's spoon here!
I've started carving the 2011 West Coast Eisteddfod Spoon Mark III. The birch is gorgeous and cuts like butter, so I am confident that some of the crazy ideas I have for this spoon will work out. I like to shape the bowl first as it requires some heavy cutting, so if things go wrong at this stage and there is a breakage, its not such a big deal...not that there wouldn't be some fairly heavy duty swearing going on!!
I've been using my Preferred Edge bent knife which was custom made for me by Mike Komick just weeks before he suddenly passed away. It is a glorious little knife which I never tire of using, but it always reminds me how much I am going to miss Mike's remarkable skill with metal! As you can see, I glue the pattern directly to the piece I am working on. This keeps my cuts good and accurate and also keeps the wood nice and clean.
With the heart-shaped bowl roughed out, I am able to start on some of the nearby Celtic knotwork. I use a scroll saw to do the rough cuts and then utilize my very small (but wickedly sharp) straight knife to carve the details. With a wood as accommodating as birch, the knotwork generally comes out crisply right off the knife and very little 'clean up'work is necessary.
I've also started to frame in the first of the 3 circles which will be designed by one of the winners of our Design the Spoon Competition. I do hope that I can encourage you to have a crack at it! Even if you don't consider yourself an artist, submit an idea or two or three! Whether it is a drawing, a photo, written word or a vague idea...send it in and it might wind up on this year's spoon! The West Coast Eisteddfod is a celebration of the 'forgotten Celts' living here in North America and this little spoon is part of that. It says 'the Welsh are here' but you don't have to be Welsh to join in our fun! Anyone and everyone are welcome to contribute ideas and I look forward to seeing them!
If you are too shy or simply can't be arsed, why not consider donating a couple of bucks to the Eisteddfod instead. You could win the finished spoon for your generosity!!
An interview with Welsh artist Jacqueline janine Jones. Check out here Jacqueline's website here
AmeriCymru: Hi Jacqueline...and many thanks for agreeing to be interviewed by AmeriCymru.Why are you an artist and why painting? When did you begin painting?
Jacqueline: I'm an artist because i believe that artists are not satisfied with the world as they see it. They are like children, bored with sameness. And they are moved deeply by things they see and feel and think about. I paint because i am compelled to. Its like breathing air.
Do you work in any other media?
Jacqueline: Yes i have done some photography and electronic music,sculpture.
Care to tell us a little about your paintings? How would you describe your style?
Jacqueline: My style is raw i would say, and expressive.
How do you conceptualize your subjects? Do they represent or are they inspired by actual physical scenes or pure imagination or a combination of both?
Jacqueline: A definite combination of both. I couldn't really say which one comes first!
What is your process, ie: do you start a work with an end in mind? do you work from sketches or create as you paint? Do you have a usual practice or process?
Jacqueline: Both. Sometimes I have a clear idea of composition, what colours i will be using. Sometimes i will do a sketch. At times its more freestyle spur of the moment. An idea or a theme might be the motivation for me to paint.
Your pieces on welshart.net are an interesting mix of bright, strong colors and neutrals - do you consciously plan color in composition or does it develop as you create? What effect do you intend it to have on your viewer?
Jacqueline: I intend the viewer to be moved by what i do. No art lives in a vacuum. It must relate somehow.
Are there other artists or creatives in your family? What role did art play in your life?
Jacqueline: My mother wrote songs and some poetry, her mother did watercolours.
Can you describe the visual art environment in Wales? Is there a strong visual art community in Wales?
Jacqueline: I would like to think so, to be positive. Different things are happening now.
What advice would you have for the aspiring visual artist in Wales?
Jacqueline: Believe in what you are doing. Especially if you are following your own path. Sometimes it can be tough.
What's next for Jacqueline Janine Jones?
Jacqueline: More exhibitions on the way. Just had a major solo show at Ffin Y Parc gallery.
Any final message for the members and readers of AmeriCymru?
Jacqueline: Check out Welsh art!
JI guess everyone who has been following our progress is aware by now that we have achieved our funding goal with the Kickstart appeal. This is an important milestone in the development of our program for this years West Coast Eisteddfod and I want to take this opportunity on behalf of AmeriCymru and A Raven Above Press to thank you all for your generous support.
We will be making many further announcements as we develop the schedule for this years event and we are acutely conscious that none of our plans would be realisable without your donations. A thousand diolch's to everyone who contributed . We remain committed to bringing you the best possible event in September and we will be announcing other ways in which our supporters can assist us with that as we move nearer to the date.
We will be distributing complimentary tickets for Eisteddfod donors in the coming weeks. Please check your inbox for details.
Diolch yn Fawr
Ceri Shaw ( AmeriCymru ) Lorin Morgan-Richards ( A Raven Above Press )
From Ning. Any suggestions for improvements? I will pass them on
"One of the coolest things about the new Like Buttons is that they enrich and improve the Ning Engagement System, which is what powers Network Leaderboards.
As a refresher,Leaderboards are designed to answer the question, What (and Who) is hot right now? Leaderboards aren't quite the same thing as a points/ranking system (which is a separate, cool idea) because Leaderboards are more worried about "What have you done for me lately" than "What's your all-time reputation/contribution."
You can control how to define "lately" by counting activity back to the past day, week, or month.
Here are the actions that increase the content engagement score (from most valuable to least valuable):
- A Comment
- A Like (Facebook or Network)
- Any kind of Share
At its core, that's it other factors come into play, such as a member's behavior. For example, if the member has already commented on several other posts, or commented on the same post several times, his/her comments will not be as valuable that day. Factors like these ensure that the Engagement System reflects what's actually interesting to the greatest number of members.
One other change we made recently was to make sure that content can show up in Leaderboards, even if it hasn't gotten any comments or likes yet. This means that small networks with less activity won't have empty Leaderboards.
We'll continue to tweak and improve the Ning Engagement System over time one of the things we're interested in today is how much more Likes should weigh vs. Comments. We made a decision based on how we see Likes and Comments used on other sites (like Facebook and Youtube), but as we collect more data on the Ning Platform we can hone this to better reflect how you and your members use the feature."
Received from Gwales:
D iwrnod y Llyfr Hapus
Os bydd gennych funud neu ddwy heddiw beth am daro i mewn i dudalen Diwrnod y Llyfr ar wefan y Cyngor llyfrau i fwynhau y podlediadau o'r straeon sydd wedi eu comisiynu'n arbennig ar gyfer y Diwrnod?
Dyma'r cyfarwyddiadau:
Ewch i mewn i http://www.wbc.org.uk/ymgyrchoedd-campaigns/dyll-wbd?diablo.lang=cym
Dewiswch stori o'r golofn ar y chwith.
Bydd y stori yn ymddangos ar y sgrin. Mae angen sgrolio i waelod y ddalen i weld y clip fideo o'r stori yn cael ei ddarllen gan yr actor Iwan John. Os cewch anhawster i gael mynediad i'r clip, dilynwch y linc i YouTube .
Mwynhewch!
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Happy World Book Day
Should you have a minute today why not visit the World Book Day page on the Welsh Books Council site to view the podcasts of the stories that have been commissioned especially for today?
Here are the instructions:
Go to http://www.cllc.org.uk/ymgyrchoedd-campaigns/dyll-wbd?diablo.lang=eng
Select the story you want from the left-hand column.
The story appears on the screen. Scroll to the bottom to see a video clip of the actor Iwan John telling the story. If you have any problems accessing the podcasts, follow the YouTube link.
Enjoy!
