( This is not an official press release but rather the personal observations of a Cymuned supporter )

As I mentioned in the last email, I am in Lannuon, Breizh (Britanny) this week, although it's not the sea breeze in my hair, but a whole lot of rain. It feels quite homely!

To keep the Breton theme going for a bit, I noticed an article in the local paper saying that the Breton Democratic Union hac written to the French Football Federation asking for them to play "Bro Gozh ma Zadou", (Land of my fathers), the Breton anthem, before the French Cup Final to be held in Paris next week. The game is between Rennes and Guingamp, two Breton teams. Considering the attitude of the French authorities towards the linguistic minorities within France, it will be interesting to see the Federations answer to this particular request.

Anyway, back in Wales, we held our AGM last Saturday. After a few difficult years, both financially and in terms of the perception of our direction, we heard some very positive reports regarding our future. Because of the restructuring that has happened over the last two years, the movement is now in a firm position, with the ability to fund our main campaigns from now on. For instance we have an idea or two for the promotion of CyngorNi.com that will certainly draw attention - but I shall give no details just now, because we are discussing with others first!

On a less happy note, Dewi, our treasurer, is giving up the position for personal reasons. One of the attributes of a good treasurer is the ability to carry out his work without others noticing, so with everything in its place, the tax man etc happy, we will wish Dewi all the best, and thank him for his conscientious work throughout the last year.

We have received a very positive response to the first isseue of Ein Gwlad, with copies sent to all our monthly members, and to those who've ordered copies. We'd like to hear your views on the new magazine, so that we can improve it and adjust it to reflect your interests and taste, so contact us with your ideas and comments. if you haven't yet received a copy, we have ordered a few more copies than we needed, and will sell them on a first come first served basis.

We will have a double stand this year again at the Eisteddfod, and will be promoting the new movement "People's Council for North Wales", which has been founded in order to fight the official and public plans to subsume the North-East of Wales into a greater Merseyside. Although this isnt a 'Fro Gymraeg' matter at the moment, the plans talk of Conwy being a part of their 'North East Wales' plans, and various other phrases give the impression that the new economic area will expand westwards. More about this in future emails.

And finally, Seirian and her partner, who are members here in the South, have started to sell Owain Glyndwr Rygbi shirts on Ebay. If the shirt is a success, they hope to produce more items that pay homage to Wales's history. You can see the shirts at:-

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&item=250415729396

Best of luck to them in their enterprise.

Until next time

Iestyn * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *Dewi Sant told us to "Do the little things."To see what he had in mind, have a quick look at: www.cymuned.net/ymlaen/dewisant * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *Are you a dreamer or a doer?Cymuned can't survive without YOUR help.Have a look at: www.cymuned.net/ymlaen/ourfuture to hear how to make things change.* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *Cofion cynnes/Warm regards,Pwyllgor Gwaith Cymuned(the Cymuned Executive Committee)cymuned@cymuned.org www.cymuned.org

WELSH WRITER JEAN GILL WINS HISTORICAL LITERARY FICTION AWARD

Jean Gill's Song at Dawn has won the Global Ebook Award for Best Historical Literary Fiction (medieval) category, at the Awards Ceremony in Santa Barabara last night.

From the Amazon Song at Dawn page:- " Historical thriller/love story set in Narbonne just after the Second Crusade. 1150 in Provence, where love and marriage are as divided as Christian and Muslim. On the run from abuse, Estela's musical talent finds a patron in Alienor of Aquitaine and more than a music tutor in the finst troubadour of the age, Alienor's Commander of the Guard. Weary of war, Dragonetz los Pros uses Jewish money and Moorish expertise to build that most modern of invntions, a papermill,drawing the wrath of the Church down on his head. Their enemies gather, ready to light the political and religious powder-keg of medieval Narbonne. "

Win a free year's subscription to 'Welsh Country' magazine.

AND a signed copy of 'Stories in Welsh Stone' by Geoff Brookes

Just answer the following three questions ( correctly ):-

1. Which famous Welshman instigated a revolt against the rule of Henry IV of England on September 16th 1400? Was it:-

A. Owain Glyndwr

B. Ron Davies

C. Neil Kinnock

2. Which great Welsh poet wrote "Under Milk Wood"? Was it:-

A. Dylan Thomas

B. Max Boyce

C. Rolf Harris

3. What is "The Mabinogion"? Is it:-

A. A collection of prose stories from early medieval Welsh manuscripts.

B. A holiday drink made with egg-yolk, fermented apple cider and nutmeg.

C. An ancient Welsh clan of ninja like assassins.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

The competition is open to the general public. You do not need to be a member of Americymru to participate. Please send all entries to americaneisteddfod@gmail.com and title them Welsh Country Competition in the subject line. Only one entry per email address is permitted. Duplicates will be disqualified.

The winning entry will be selected randomly by line number from the email address above and announced at the Left Coast Eisteddfod in Portland Oregon on August 22nd 2009. The winner will be contacted by email and provided with the necessary contact details to claim their prize.

We do not sell lists of email addresses. We wouldn't on principle and besides we don't associate with the kind of people who buy them.

.

Welsh Cancer Charity Tenovus Announces 'Himalaya Trek'

AmeriCymru: Croeso i AmeriCymru Bethan and thanks for agreeing to be interviewed about the vital work that you do. Care to introduce Tenovus for the benefit of our readers? When was it founded? What does it do?

Bethan: In 1943, Tenovus was founded by ten businessmen. Initially, the charity funded a wide range of projects in the local area. These ranged from building the Sunshine House for Blind Babies just outside Cardiff, to donating a washing machine to a widow with seven children who had lost an arm.

In the 1960s, Tenovus embarked on a project which was to influence our work for the next 40 years. We built the Tenovus Institute for Cancer Research in Cardiff which carried out vital research into the causes of cancer. Since then, we have concentrated our efforts on cancer and are now recognised for our pioneering work.

Today we are Wales leading cancer charity and work in partnership to deliver innovative research-led cancer prevention, treatment and support in the community.

We aim to provide treatment to cancer patients closer to home, improve equality of access to cancer services, deliver unique support services to cancer patients and their families and conduct and fund research to improve cancer outcomes and experience.

We support people affected by cancer throughout their journey from diagnosis to bereavement and beyond in the following ways:

• A Freephone Cancer Support Line operated by cancer nurses and volunteers to offer information, advice and support about all aspects of cancer. It is worth noting that in the early 1990s Tenovus was one of the first charities to establish a helpline manned by oncology nurse specialists, unique at the time.

• Cancer Support Advisors advise about benefits, tax credits and other grants for those affected by cancer.
• Counsellors give on to one emotional support, either face to face or by telephone.
• Cancer Support Manager assist with complex problems such as family concerns of housing crises.
• Bereavement support, either on a one to one basis or within a supportive group setting.
• Help with accessing other services such as wig fitting, legal advice, employment assistance and complementary therapies.

AmeriCymru: Tenovus is based in Cardiff but I believe it also has offices in Scotland?

Bethan: You are correct in thinking that we are a Welsh charity with our head office in Cardiff however Tenovus in Scotland is a totally independent charity with no connection to us. The charity was established on the 1960s and was given permission to use the name Tenovus and our concepts by out Trustees at the time. Tenovus Scotland is a medical research charity but unlike us it does not concentrate on cancer.

AmeriCymru: What have been the charities major achievements over the years?

Bethan: Tenovus established a world first when it launched, in 2009, the Mobile Cancer Support Unit which delivers chemotherapy for up to 25 patients a day close to their homes, drastically reducing their journey times. It currently holds a chemotherapy clinic four times a week and a lymphedema clinic one day a week. Staff on the unit also offers legal advice, practical information and emotional support to patients.

Tenovus has been at the forefront of endocrine therapy which aims to treat cancer by suppressing the hormones which feed cancer cells. Our scientists developed the use of Tamoxifen to treat breast cancer, now used worldwide, and Zoladex which treats prostate cancer.

Tenovus is also extremely proud of the early career research scientists we have helped to support and train through our PhD studentship funding programme which have benefitted close to 200 students. We now have nine active PhD studentships throughout Wales, with a further ten due to start in September. These projects not only aim to find new ways to detect and treat cancer, they also help to nurture the next generation of world class cancer researchers.

We are delighted that one of our PhD students, Luke Piggott from Cardiff University has recently identified a method of selectively destroying the ability of breast cancer cells to spread, particularly killing hard to treat cancers. This innovative discovery will potentially benefit many people affected by cancer.

AmeriCymru: How can people get involved and support your work?

Bethan: Of course Tenovus could not continue with its work without our fundraisers, each one is greatly appreciated and valued. We have a number of events that people can take part in, raising vital sponsorship.

This of course includes our Himalaya Trek and Delhi community project assisting at adult cancer facility.

AmeriCymru: You recently advertised the extremely exciting 'Himalayas Trek and Delhi Project'? on this site. Care to tell us more about this venture?

Bethan: This adventure in the Himalayas provides a unique opportunity to experience Indian culture and see some of the most breath-taking views on the planet. Starty off by spending time at a project in Delhi where you will assist at a project which supports cancer patients and their families. Then set off on a 4-day trek in the Himalayas passing fascinating villages and meeting local people.

AmeriCymru: Tenovus is involved in a number of other innovative community initiatives. Can you tell us more about the 'Sing With Us' program?

Bethan: The Tenovus Sing for Life Choir was initially started in 2010 to measure the health and psychosocial benefits of singing for cancer patients and their families. Research demonstrated that each choir member benefited from an improvement in their mental health and wellbeing with reduction of anxiey and depression and most surprisingly, perceived pain.

The choir has since developed into a strong support network for its 80 strong members who continue to meet on a weekly basis in the South Wales Valleys. Due to the success of this choir, we have secured funding to launch another 15 choirs across Wales and currently have choirs in Cardiff, Swansea and Cwmbran.

Our other wellbeing therapies include Walk with Us, a walking group for cancer patients and their families, Create with Us and arts and crafts group and Write with Us a writing group for cancer patients.

AmeriCymru: Where can readers go online to find more information about Tenovus and its activities?

Bethan: To find out more about Tenovus and how you can get involved please visit our website www.tenovus.org.uk

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

Bethan: Croesawa Tenovus eich cefnogaeth a byddwn yn falch o glywed oddi wrthych. Diolch yn fawr a dymuniadau gorau.

Himalayas by Piotr Wojtkowski

Interview by Ceri Shaw

The "longlists" for the Wales Book of The Year Award 2009 were announced at a ceremony at Bangor University on April 22nd. There are ten contenders in each category ( English and Welsh language ). This will be whittled down to three when the "shortlists" are announced at The Hay Festival on May 25th . The winners will be announced on June 15th and will each receive a cash prize of 10,000GBP . If you want to read more about the authors, the books, the competition itself or vote for your own personal favorite follow the links above.

Of course its difficult to vote for a title that you havent read, so why not order one or two of them? Many of them can be found on the Americymru store linked below ( with links to purchase via Amazon ) and there is still time to have them delivered before the shortlist or the ultimate winner are announced.

If anyone would like to comment on or recommend any of these titles here on Americymru please feel free to do so in the comments box at the bottom of this page or on your own blog if you wish. We will try to review a number of these titles on the site in the coming weeks.

Buy Welsh Book of The Year titles here.

Reproduced with kind permission from David Western's Portland Lovespoon Blog

Here, I was looking to check those vines coming up from the cages - even while I was carving the cages, I had to think about not only the depth level of those vines that were the cage, and following it up each of those vines, but also the overall profile of the spoon as it flattened out, and reached towards the top. I wanted to curve down the sides a little, to help with the transition of the thick cages to the flatness of the rest of the handle, but also keep the lower part of the handle a little nearer to the front plane than higher up. This goes back to that challenge of making the vines look and behave like vines. Vines wouldn't bend back and forth the way the ropes in knotwork do - they might bend around something, but it's a more gradual bend. So, trying to do that as much as possible, there was quite a lot of thought that went into any part that reached into or around another part. I think of the bends in knotwork as being completely flexible, because there's been human intervention, bending the ropes in a knot. Vines, on the other hand, grow into the path of least resistance - they don't usually choose a path that follows the perimeter around another object/vine (well, sometimes they do, and I included one of those in that heart in the middle, but that's a different thing). So that's what I was thinking, anyway... just in case you wondered. I don't know how well I succeeded with carving the vines to look "natural," but at least that was the intent.

Anyway - I was thinking the cages would have been the hardest part. I was wrong. I seriously under-estimated something. I have carved my share of fretwork before - even tight fretwork like this - but there were two key differences this time: 1) there was a LOT of it, in a relatively small space, and 2) it was mostly pretty irregular, not in repeating patterns. While there was no single element that seemed so unusual, having a whole bunch of detail all crammed into a relatively small area added a substantial challenge I had definitely overlooked. I actually felt the need to keep a print-out of the design with me while I was carving, just for reference.

However, the really hard part came along when I'd flip it to carve the back. I found it incredibly difficult to keep track of where I was, and keep the exact part I was carving in my mind's eye. I think it was the irregularity that made it so difficult, because once I marked out the over/unders on one of the little knots surrounding the tree, the rest weren't really any trouble. In hindsight, if I ever do something like this again, I'll simply draw out the back, too, so I have it for reference. Why I didn't stop and do that this time - I couldn't tell you. But had I done it, that probably would have spared me many hours of staring and thinking. The fretwork was so tight, I couldn't see the over-under of the other side from the back, so I had to think it through from the front-side print-out I had. This was even after I'd scooped away as much of the excess depth as I was comfortable removing. I guess I usually have quite a lot more open space involved in my fretwork. I thought that was just my design sense, but now I see there was an added benefit I didn't even realize before!

I think the irregularity was the worst part. At least in those knots surrounding the medallion, once I found my way around one, from the back, all the others fit together the same way. In hindsight, I'd have spared myself from a lot of confusion on the back if I'd just stopped and drawn out the back on a piece of paper, so I could have it as reference, just like I had the front drawing as reference. I should have stopped to do that, but I suppose I couldn't see the forest, for the trees! I know for next time, though.

Oh, and I held off on carving that leaf sticking off the side there, higher-up on the handle, so that I wouldn't break it off while I was carving up there. I'd carved the leaves sticking out near the bowl, but I'd already gotten used to keeping them safe, so they were pretty much out of the way now.

The plan was that I'd carve probably up to somewhere around the tips of the tongue and tail, and I'd probably get into the knots that the other parts of my carving would touch on the lower part of the medallion. As I was carving away the back, I realized that those vines that reach most of the length of the spoon (into Dave's section) could end up at a variety of depths, depending on what Dave wanted to do. So, near where those met Dave's section, I didn't completely carve them, so I could leave him some flexibility in his placement of those.

In the same way, I wanted to carve some of those little knots next to the medallion, since the other stuff I was carving next to them touched them, and they sort of inter-acted. Also, the part where the words will be seemed like a good stopping point, since I could keep the back flat pretty much where Dave will be sawing, too, and its shape is relatively straightforward.

So, eventually, I decided enough was enough, and it was time to move on to sanding! I inevitably find little pieces that I think need to be thinner, or corners that need to be sharper, etc., when I'm sanding, so there'll be a little more carving (even though that's bad for my tools) while I'm sanding. But, for the most part, here it is, finally - "carving part a" complete. Yay!

Well, that took - oh... about 3x as long as I expected. Hmm. So much for getting better at estimating! Ahh, the dangers of lack of experience...... Sorry, Dave! One day, you'll get your chance at it!!!

Next - SANDING!

Our newest member Wayne Yendle has something important to say to us all. Please visit his website to discover why:-

IEUAN THE LION MEMORIAL FUND

This will be an incredible show!

The Flying Poetry Circus and Modern Multimedia Medicine Show