Huge, flesh-eating slugs have been found in Wales. The gigantic, flesh-eating, so-called "Ghost Slug," named because of its white color and the fact that it hunts at night, is armed with rows of razor-blade teeth that it uses to engulf its prey alive, piece by piece, one end still hopelessly kicking while the other is helplessly devoured.

The National Geographic reports that the monstrous, flesh-eating creature's origin remains a mystery and that it is not known how serious a threat it is to Britain's native flora, which include humans.

As can be seen in the photograph* below, a giant slug in Cardiff could be very dangerous and cause incredible damage.

[* artist rendering]

Today's Western Mail carried this article by reporter Robin Turner, "Americans can log on for taste of Cool Cymru," about americymru.For us Americans, the Western Mail is the national newspaper of Wales. I guess the closest thing we come to it is maybe the New York Times or the Washington Post .The article goes on to say: "FIRST there was SWS Social, Welsh and Sexy. And now there is Americymru.com so Welsh Americans can celebrate cool Cymru too..... Today Welsh heritage group Americymru has launched a US social networking site Americymru.ning.com aimed at Americans of Welsh descent getting together to celebrate their roots." Read the rest of Turner's article here on Wales Online.

Through the inexhaustibly, inarguably arcane machinations of our Humor Group Judges, LINDA HALL! is hereby elected Americymru Clown! and receives this very fine prize, below.We know this will be an endless source of pride, hubris and arrogance, which she will be tiresomely trumpeting to her great-great-great grandchildren who will nod, "yes, nana" as they change her diapers, having heard this all a million times but still secretly proud enough to share it in school essay assignments, to the envy of all their little friends, whose nanas are much less cool and have not lived as long.Congratulations, Linda, you deserve every bit of this.

I want to build a cob house. Cob is a building material made of clay, sand, straw, water, and earth, similar to adobe and people have been using it since at least the 11th century to build warm, durable homes that still stand in Wales and around the world. There are cob projects here in Portland where I live - a wall and bench of a food co-op I go to and benches at schools and on corners around town.Cob buildings can be very interesting and have a lot of character, from this traditional house in New Zealand which has survived two earthquakes:

to more artistic and experimental forms:

Here in Oregon, we're lucky to have Ianto Evans and the Cob Cottage Company . They offer apprenticeships and workshops on cob building and Mr. Evans, an Oregonian of Welsh birth, has written books on cob building and efficient woodburning stoves, including his own invention, the rocket stove .He's also written a book on building with cob, The Hand-Sculpted House: A Practical and Philosophical Guide to Building a Cob Cottage: The Real Goods Solar Living Book , with co-authors from the Cob Cottage Company. This is a great book and I'm buying a copy, there are five copies at my library and they're always out. So if you're interested in a fascinating project - from a real house to a bench for your home, have a look at cob.

There's some amazing shots in the photo albums and in case you hadn't noticed, Tam Ryan has absolutely PACKED the shots in. Here are my three favorite albums of hers:St Fagin's Museum of Welsh Lifehttp://americymru.ning.com/photo/photo/slideshow?albumId=2111712:Album:15198Carew Castle:http://americymru.ning.com/photo/photo/slideshow?albumId=2111712:Album:16772Aberystwyth album 2:http://americymru.ning.com/photo/photo/slideshow?albumId=2111712:Album:14604

"Hollywood star Rhys joins druids"(from BBC News)http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/7549086.stmHollywood star Matthew Rhys may be used to wardrobe changes, but his latest costume is particularly striking.Dressed head to foot in a flowing white gown, he became a member of the Gorsedd of Bards at Wales' leading cultural festival, the National Eisteddfod.The star of Dylan Thomas biopic Edge of Love joins a select group honoured for their contribution to Wales.Rhys, 33, has adopted the bardic name Matthew Taf, recognising his home city of Cardiff and the River Taff."

Here, AWFULly darned funny "Photoshop disasters," from Welsh blogs this morning. Go looking for "deleted furniture" and Clive Owen gets "the Donna Summer filter"And then, to counter those hysterically bad images, here's some good images .

- I love Harri Webb:

R.S. Thomas' glorious Welsh Landscape
http://www.rhiw.com/pobol/R_S_Thomas_2.htm

and

Harri Webb
Ianto Rhydderch, Tch Tch :

One day while I was docking swedes
With a slow moronic grin
And all my ancestors misdeeds
Wrought their sour death within.

Suddenly there came into view
A figure gaunt and tall.
He said, Forgive me naming you.
I made no sound at all.

He carried on at tedious length
About my life so grim,
It took all my idiot peasant strength
To be polite to him.

At last he ceased and strode away,
The cold Welsh rain came down,
In puddles in that barren clay
I watched my country drown.

Then, indistinguishable from mud,
I started my old car,
The sickness of my tainted blood
Inclined me to a jar.

And oh what festering itch of sin
Brought this damp thought to me
As I fuddled in a squalid inn:
Un baint much help to we.