Blogs

If you're in the USA, you can probably get an official government proclamation from the Governor of your state or the Mayor of your city, designating March as St David's Day. I've written and submitted one for Oregon:Gaabriel BecketMeriwether Lewis Memorial Eisteddfod Foundation(503) 244-8943, americaneisteddfod@gmail.com7006 SW 4th Avenue, Portland OR 97219WHEREAS: Approximately 40,000 Oregonians claim Welsh ancestry; andWHEREAS: Welsh immigrants and their descendants; including US President Thomas Jefferson, explorer David Thompson, explorer Meriwether Lewis and many Oregonians of Welsh descent played a significant part in the European settlement of Oregon and in the history of the State of Oregon; andWHEREAS: People of Welsh birth and Welsh descent in Oregon, in Wales and the world over celebrate March 1st as Saint David's Day, the patron saint of Wales and as the National Holiday of Wales;NOW, THEREFORE: I, Theodore R. Kulongoski, Governor of the State of Oregon, hereby proclaim March 1st to beSt David's Day, Welsh-American Heritage Day in Oregon and encourage all Oregonians to join in this observance.IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I hereunto set myhand and cause the Great Seal of the State ofOregon to be affixed. Done at the Capitolin the City of Salem in the State of Oregon onthis day, [date will fill in automatically].Signed, GovernorSigned, Secretary of StateEvery state and city probably has the format for submitting these on their websites and you can do this for your area if you want. For your state, start with the governor's office website. For your city, try the mayor's office.Good luck!

Stumbleupon is a great promotional tool and a great way to drive traffic to your website ( and of course this one ). We are inviting all members who are keen to promote Wales and Welsh and Welsh American websites in any way shape or form to consider signing up. Besides anything else its great fun!

Here is the url:- http://www.stumbleupon.com/ . If you decide to join please email me at americymru@gmail.com or through the site email page and I will add you as a friend on Stumble. If anyone has problems working out how to use Stumbleupon please email and we will try to help. We will also get around to posting a tutorial sometime in the site promotion group.

Diolch

Americymru member Phil Wyman plans to put Wales on the map this year by standing waist deep in the river and praying on March 1st. Such was the practice of St David,, patron Saint of Wales, and March 1st is his Saints Day.

Pastor Phil posted the following appeal in a Forum ( St Davids Day Ideas Forum ) on Americymru a few months ago:-.

" On Saint David's Day, Sunday March 1st, 2009 I am planning on praying like David might have prayed - like the old ascetic Celtic saints - standing waist deep in cold waters. Of course, I am looking for people to join me, and I am hoping to get some media attention. Living in Salem, MA - just north of Boston this should not be difficult in March.

I have a group forming now, and am hoping to get about 10 people to join me. There are other people in other places considering joining the crazy idea. Anyone here want to join the chilly fun? "

Since then plans have matured considerably and there is now an official "Dunkin for David" blog ( which can be foundf HERE ) and a growing list of sponsors and supporters.

We are appealing to all Americymru members to consider joining in or helping to publicise the St David's Day Dunk.

Contact Pastor Phil and /or leave messages of suport via his Americymru page HERE .or by commenting below.

The official "Dunkin for David" ( in PDF format ) flier is attached below. Please feel free to print and distribute:-

Recruiting.pdf

David writes:

"I have just returned from a brief trip to Wales, during which time I managed to visit with a couple of lovespoon carvers and spent some research time at the National History Museum of Wales. The museum, which is located in the supremely scenic and romantic town of St. Fagans, just on the Western edge of Cardiff, can be easily reached by car or bus.

"Primarily an outdoor museum, it consists of a large number of historic houses and buildings gathered from around Wales and reassembled on a stunning rural grounds of several hundred acres. The buildings have all been furnished to suit their time periods and enthusiastic caretakers can tell you everything you need to know about the history of Wales, its lifestyles and culture. It must rate as one of the best museums of its type in the world and should be a "must do" for anyone visiting South Wales."

Continued at his blog at http://davidwestern.blogspot.com

Americymru members Andy Edwards and Gareth Evans and the rest of their cycling team are preparing to ride across the continental USA this March to raise 50,000 for the Children's Hospital for Wales in Cardiff, as part of the Noah's Ark Appeal .These are some brave and dedicated crazy men to head out across nine states, from the high desert to the bayou country and swamp, in a country they've never been to and let's all support them any way we can.If you're on the team's route , can you help them with somewhere to stay, a fundraising event or just some fun and good company? See their route and schedule on the team's blog here: http://walescoast2coastusa.blogspot.com/2008/11/route.html Show these boys American hospitality and stuff them full of food and beer!They're taking donations for the Children's Hospital appeal at: http://www.justgiving.com/coast2coast-usa or contact them here :teddypenllew@googlemail.com

Thanks to all of you who voted in our recent poll. It is with pleasure that we announce the results today. Owain Glyndwr won first place beating the rest of the pack by a wide margin. It also appears that Americymru members have a healthy respect for Wales' proud piratical heritage....both Henry Morgan and Black Bart made it to the top three. Third, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth positions were all tied Here are the positions and votes cast:-

1. Owain Glyndwr 422, Black Bart 153. Henty Morgan 103. Joe Calzaghe 103. Gruffydd Ap Llewellyn 104. Tasker Watkins 95. Simon Weston 86.. Boudicca 76. Ray Gravell 77. Tommy Farr 47. Gwynfor Evans 47. Gwenllian 48. Vinnie Jones 38. Owain Gwynedd 38. Charles Bronson 39. Johnny Owen 19. JPR Williams 110. Jimmy Wilde 010. Jim Driscoll 010. Henry Tudor 0

One of our Presenters at Wrexham FM, Elly Roberts, has taken a batch of photos on New Years Day, January 1st 2009 along the Offas Dyke footpath and around Worlds End in North Wales. If anyone wants to view them they can be seen here in Elly's Gallery Album .

Is Wales the Land of Song?It is a myth that all Welshmen can sing. It may have been true in days gone by but unfortunately not today. In the good old days when chapels were in the heart of every community and every village had a choir whether it was a male voice, mixed or ladies, communities would sing at a drop of a hat. If you were not in a choir then you were taught to sing in the chapel.When I was a lad closing time for pubs meant that the men would gather under the lamppost outside our house and even though often inebriated, they would sing in a wonderful four-part harmony. Today all that you see and hear on the streets at closing time is rowdy behaviour.The singing on the terraces of the National Stadium was something to behold but lately the quality of singing has deteriorated. It used to be easy to start a song it only took two or three to start and as everyone knew the words, everyone around you would join in.The chapels had begun to loose their influence in the 70s but the singing at the National Stadium was still strong and if you walked around Cardiff before games singing could be heard from every bar and each one packed with fans. This is where the non-chapelgoer would learn the songs. However, all that has changed, health and safety rules have imposed limits and such alehouses have doormen to prevent entry if they are anywhere near that limit (who has heard of anyone being crushed trying to buy a drink). The bars now all have jukeboxes or heaven forbid DJs. I ask you who wants to dance before a match? The music is so loud that conversation is out of the question and starting a song is impossible.The WRU (Welsh Rugby Union) responded two years ago by starting a competition between the four rugby regions. Each region had to form a choir and would practice the songs and enter a competition, the winner would be chosen to sing the anthem at the Millennium Stadium before a game. It is a step in the right direction and I hope that the success of the Fron, Only Men Aloud and Ysgol Ganeuthwy have had nationally will make singing trendy again.Is the USA the land of Song?From what little I know of the USA I do not think that there is such a decline in singing in the USA. The choirs that have come across to Wales to compete have been youthful choirs with wonderful voices and always do well in competition.Your Universities have leagues for a cappella choirs, thats singing with out a piano or other instrument to accompany the choir (I would have to explain that term to most youngsters in Wales). These choirs seem to compete monthly to progress up the league to gain promotion. They audition for new members each year to replace member that have left the university as their courses finish. Such a competition would be impossible in the UK let alone Wales. You should be proud of the abilities of your youngsters. Is singing part of the curriculum in US schools?Check Myspace for details of two of the American University choirslisten to Divisi a ladies a cappella choir from Eugene Oregonwww.myspace.com/uodivisiListen to SoCal Vocal a mixed choir from Los Angeles, Californiawww.myspace.com/socalvocals

Happy New Year to all.I have begun, thanks to the American Welsh Social Network, to compile a links directory as part of the website for WrexhamFM.com which you can see here:http://www.wrexhamfm.com/linksdir/community_services/ex_pat_websites.htmlIf anyone has any other suggestions or links to offer to me for inclusion in this directory please by all means let me have them.Many thanks.