Only in Wales!

Llangollen 'warlock's' full moon curfew lifted by court

A "warlock" found with a knife is to be released from a night-time curfew when there is a full moon, says a court.

Cerwyn Jones, 52, of Llangollen, who supports witchcraft as a religion, admitted being in possession of a knife in a public place in Bala, Gwynedd.

Dolgellau magistrates placed Jones on a 12-month community order, but to vary a 1900 to 0700 GMT curfew on four days when there was a full moon.

Read the full article here, if you dare!

She may have started her chart career by getting Lost in France, but Bonnie Tyler knows she will always find a home in her native Neath.

And never more so than now, as she has become a freeman of Neath Port Talbot.

The singer, whose hits also include Total Eclipse of the Heart and It's a Heartache, is only the second woman to get the freedom of the borough.

Tyler, who was born Gaynor Hopkins 59 years ago, hoped she could "live up to the honour and trust placed in me".

She said: "Who would have thought that a simple girl from a simple family in Skewen would be honoured like this?"

Celebrate the launch of 'Another Country: Haiku From Wales' at the Dylan Thoms Centre in Swansea, Wales..

Friday, 18 March, 7pm: Booklaunch: Another Country: Haiku Poetry from Wales Free entry and wine, in association with Gomer.
The launch of Another Country, the first ever Welsh national anthology of haiku poetry. Published by Gomer Press and edited by Nigel Jenkins, Ken Jones and Lynne Rees, it features haiku, tanka, haibun and somonka in both English and Welsh by forty poets, from Wa ... less haiku pioneers such as Chris Torrance, Tony Conran, Peter Finch, Caroline Gourlay, Arwyn Evans, Matt Morden and John Rowlands, to an exciting younger generation, among them Sarah Coles, Alan Kellermann, Eloise Williams, Rhys Owain Williams and Stephen White. There will be readings from the book and music, before and after, from the pianist and haiku poet Marion Carlisle.


Saturday, 19 March: Haiku Workshops.
Workshop 1, 10am to 12.30pm: read haiku/write haiku with Ken Jones Join Ken for a friendly discussion of haiku, some practical advice on writing your own, and the opportunity to share your work within a supportive group. Ken Jones lives at Cwmrheidol, Aberystwyth and is the recipient of the Sasakawa Prize for Original Contributions in the Field of Haikai. He has published four volumes of haiku and haibun and is co-editor of the annual Contemporary Haibun anthologies published by Red Moon Press (USA). www.redthreadhaiku.org

Full Price: 12 Concessions 10. Includes entry into the evening event.
Workshop 2, 2pm to 5pm: walk haiku/write haiku with Lynne Rees
Join Lynne for a traditional ginko, a guided walk around the docks, marina and city centre with prompts that will give you the material to write your own haiku. Inspiration provided just bring a notebook and pen! Port Talbot-born Lynne Rees is a poet, novelist and creative writing tutor. The recipient of the University of Kents Faculty of Humanities Award for innovative and imaginative practices in the teaching of poetry, she is a judge for the inaugural British Haiku Award in 2011 . www.lynnerees.com
Full Price: 12 Concessions 10. Includes entry into the evening event.
Special Offer: attend both workshops for 20 Full Price, 16 Concessions

Saturday, 19 March, 7.30pm: music/haiku: poems and performance from Peter Stacey and Friends
A celebration, in words and music, of haiku poetry, featuring some of Waless leading haiku poets in creative collaboration with extemporising musicians, including the renowned flautist and saxophonist Peter Stacey. This event will round off a day of haiku workshops at the Centre and haiku rambles around town, and will also showcase some of the poetry arising from the days activities.
Full price 5 Concessions 3.50 PTL 2

I grew up in Arizona--one of a few states that had the good sense to avoid the hassle of Daylight Savings Time. Not sure who 'they' think they're fooling. I know it was originally meant to help out the farmers, but, come on! We aren't exactly an agrarian country anymore! Anyway, here's what you may need to know:

Daylight savings time is almost here. Yes, much of the nation switches over to daylight savings time at 2 a.m. Sunday. Most states spring forward an hour with the exception of Arizona, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and territories such as Guam, American Samoa, the Virgin Islands and Northern Marianas Islands.

That makes many people happy -- or, rather, they think it does. Sure, folks can enjoy a bit of lingering daylight before turning on the TV after dinner. But some research suggests the time change may not be all its cracked up to be. It might just might, were not saying it does increase your risk of having a heart attack or attempting suicide.

More to the issue perhaps is that the mornings will be darker. L.A. Times staff writer Shari Roan examined the effect of this a few years ago when the time change was moved ahead by three weeks.
She wrote: "Early morning light sets the body's clock to gear up for the day's activities, but the later sunrise in the winter -- and a society based on the clock instead of nature -- causes a delay in the normal cycle."

Chronobiologist Till Roenneberg at Ludwig-Maximilians University in Munich, Germany, indicated his studies show our circadian body clocks, that are set by darkness and light, never actually adjust to daylight saving time.

Roenneberg said, The consequence of that is that the majority of the population has drastically decreased productivity, decreased quality of life, increasing susceptibility to illness, and is just plain tired. He refers to the chronically overtired people in the developed world as suffering from social jet lag.

He further stated, Light doesn't do the same things to the body in the morning and the evening. More light in the morning would advance the body clock, and that would be good. But more light in the evening would even further delay the body clock.

On ther other hand, National Geographic reports Hendrik Wolff of the University of Washington co-authored a paper about daylight saving time power-use data. He is also studying whether daylight saving time gives health a boost because of more active lifestyles.

Wolff said, in a nationwide American time-use study, we're clearly seeing that, at the time of daylight saving time extension in the spring, television watching is substantially reduced and outdoor behaviors like jogging, walking, or going to the park are substantially increased. That's remarkable, because of course the total amount of daylight in a given day is the same." Evidently 'they' are fooling some people!

The University of Connecticut Health Center offers these tips for managing your sleep and life this weekend and the rest of the year.

--Practice. In the days leading up to the change, go to bed 15 minutes earlier and wake up 15 minutes earlier.(Too late!)

--Take a nap on Saturday but not close to bedtime.

--Just do it. After the time change, go to bed at your usual time even if you dont feel sleepy. Youll get used to it.

Suggestions to offset possible health effects of daylight savings time include getting early morning sunlight on the weekend to help coordinate your circadian rhythm. Lewy indicated it meant getting up at dawn for direct sunlight and not just sleeping by a window, something many people might be reluctant to try on a Saturday or Sunday morning.

Avoiding evening light during those longer days can also help your body clock adjust. Another option is taking melatonin, a hormone our body produces at night that helps activate our body clock. Lewy said, A melatonin pill can stimulate those same receptors. And if you take it during the day, you can trick the neurons into thinking it's night and shift the clock.

Gehrman also suggested keeping a regular schedule including meal times. Other options include minimizing caffeine consumption during the day and avoiding exercise right before bed. Gerhman explains, You really need an hour of wind-down time, before going to bed.

Daylight saving time 2011 will be around for awhile so people are sure to get used to it. This weekend we will spring forward an hour. Standard time will be back on Sunday, November 6, 2011 when we once again fall behind an hour.

Here's a link to see how the rest of the world does (or doesn't) do it: http://www.webexhibits.org/daylightsaving/g.html

Opportunities for Welsh Societies and Individuals!

The 2011 North American Festival of Wales (NAFOW)* will visit Cleveland and the following sponsorship opportunities, large and small, are available for individuals, foundations and corporations to support the event. Co-sponsorships and partial sponsorships are also welcome. Acknowledgement of your support will be recognized in tangible ways during the Festival and on our website. All sponsorship will be recognized in the Festival Program Booklet and orally if the sponsorship is tied to a specific event. Other benefits for the larger donations can be discussed . As you review the following list you will see that the possibilities for co-operation are many and we sincerely hope that you will take advantage of them.

Specific Event Opportunities

-Entire Festival $50,000 (representatives of the two entities would have to negotiate the details of such an arrangement)

-Grand Concert $10,000 (to help defray expenses of a visiting male choir from Wales)

-Opening concert $5,000

- Pub night entertainer s $1,500

- Banquet Soloist $2,500
-Seminars in total $3,000

(single seminar $500; single honorarium $200)
-Cinema Wales $1,000

-Eisteddfod Adjudicators $200 - $2,000 (dependent on whether from outside or already part of Festival)
-Other instructors/entertainers $200 each (folk dance, Welsh language, Ysgol Gan, etc.)

Non Event-Specific Festival Essentials

-Festival Accompanist $2,500 (piano and organ as appropriate throughout the Festival)

-Audio/Visual support for Festival $8,000 (paid to contactor)
-Publicity $400-$1,500 (Ninnau and Local)
-Publishing the Program Book $2,50
-Publishing and mailing expenses for Registration materials $3,000
-4 issues of Hwyl Newsletter Annually $5,200 (one issue $1,300)

-Electronic Advertising $500 (NAFOW Website, Facebook, Americymru, etc.)

-Special flooring for Dance Seminar $250
-Travel for entertainers& presenters $600 (on average each)
- Hotel room-nights $150 ( per night per entertainer, 20+ needed)

-Organ Rental $1,600

-Piano Tuning $400

General Festival Overhead

-Supplemental Office Assistance $1,000

-Office supplies $500 (printer cartridges and paper, copying, etc)

- Shipping $350 (Boxes from HQ to Festival site)

To discuss any aspect of the above or if further information is required, please contact Hywel Davies at 301-654-5832 or at hywelmd@verizon.net .

* The North American Festival of Wales (NAFOW) is a four-day Festival that is the principal activity of the Welsh National Gymanfa Ganu Association (WNGGA) which is the underlying [501 (c) 3] non-profit organization responsible for organizing it.Visit our website at www.nafow.org .

BTW--I love this sign--alternatively known as, "Caution, elderly pickpockets"!

SPEAKERS of Welsh and English might have more than their bilingualism as an advantage over monolingual counterparts. Because scientists believe being bilingual a state familiar to generations in Wales brought up on the likes of Sali Mali from their earliest days exercises the brain and protects against Alzheimers disease. Researchers in the US revealed last night their study found mastering two languages acts as a mental gymnasium by forcing the brain to multi-task. The study showed bilingual Alzheimers patients developed symptoms several years later than those who spoke only one language. And it could have wide-ranging implications for the 21% according to the 2001 Census of the population of Wales able to speak Welsh.

Read full article here: http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2011/02/19/speaking-welsh-may-delay-onset-of-alzheimer-s-91466-28196591/

I've bolded some of the high points.

Excepts from: SPOKEN LIKE A NATIVE

Learning a minority language opens doors and hearts

By Thomas Swick

Smithsonian Magazine March 2011

The reasons for learning languages are numerous if not always obvious. Standing in a lost luggage line recently at the Falcone-Borsellino Airport in Sicily, I watched as a group of new arrivals tried to cut ahead of me by forming a second line at one of the other windows. La queue est ici, I said sharply, and throwing me nasty looks, they reluctantly moved behind me. Why be an ugly American when you can be an ugly Frenchman?

Marquee languages definitely serve their purposes. But when you learn a minority language, like Romansh or Sioux, you become a member of a select group a linguistically exclusive club. And with membership comes privileges.

Like secrecy. My wife is from Poland when I lived for two and a half years and though we rarely use her language at home, we find it comes in handy at a boring party or a bad art show.

But the real beauty of speaking a minority language is the instant acceptance you get from native speakers . (An illustration of this is the 1997 book Travels in an Old Tongue by Pamela Petro, who learned Welsh and then visited Welsh-speaking communities in, among other places, Norway, Singapore, Japan and Argentina.) By learning a language that is usually considered difficult and not markedly practical, you accomplish something few outsiders attempt. And appreciation for your effort is almost always greater than that shown, say, to a French major spending her junior year in Paris.

Yet the benefits extend beyond appreciation. When you acquire a new language, you acquire a new set of references, catchphrases, punch lines, songs all the things that enable you to connect with the people. And the smaller the community, the deeper the connection. Speakers of D-list languages often feel misunderstood, a foreigner who understands gets the allusions, reads the poets not surprisingly becomes like family. All languages open doors, minority languages also open hearts.

(Info from Press Release): A World Record Expedition by Wounded Servicemen to Trek Unaided to the Geographical North Pole Patron: HRH Prince Henry (Harry) of Wales

In April 2011 an expedition will embark on a journey to the Geographical North Pole unaided. Amongst this group will be military servicemen who have been wounded in the line of duty and subsequently have lost limbs to amputation. This is a brave undertaking by people who have had their lives irreversibly changed whilst serving their country. They now seek to rebuild their lives and to inspire and help others to follow their lead as they set out to prove that injuries and amputations need not be a barrier to endeavour and achievement.

Walking with the Wounded, supported by Artemis, is a unique and truly special expedition that will see wounded servicemen from our trek to the Geographical North Pole unaided. In doing so they will the record books as the first amputees to reach this remote destination.

If you'd like to join me in supporting Tonypandy native Steve Young and the rest of the Team, you can donate online here: http://www.justgiving.com/steveyoungwelshguard

They are scheduled to leave March 24th.

The four week expedition will see these amazing adventurers covering up to 400km (300 Miles) of the frozen Arctic Ocean by foot. They will journey through some of the most hostile conditions on Earth, enduring temperatures as low as -50C. These temperatures are made worse by the consistently high moisture content in the air. Hypothermia and frost-bite are very real dangers in this environment.

The route to the North Pole will not be straight-forward. The team will have to navigate dangerous open water leads as well as vast swathes of ice rubble and pressure ridges. The Arctic Circle is also home to the notoriously aggressive Polar Bear. All this means every step of the way is tricky and fraught with risk. Through this difficult terrain each person will be pulling their own gear, clothing and rations in pulks (sleds). These pulks will weigh in excess of 100kg.

In short, trekking to the North Pole is one of the most demanding, dangerous and difficult journeys that we, as humans, can undertake. These adventurers will be doing so with the added challenge of their injuries, which they received in the line of duty.

As part of the schedule, the expedition team recently took part in the Exmoor 30:30. The Exmoor 30:30 is an adventure race across Exmoor, Devon where all participants are required to carry 30lbs over the course of 30 miles. It was created initially to test the endurance of The British Army and is considered to be one of the harshest adventure races on UK soil. The team successfully completed the course, coming third overall and beating eight able bodied teams.

In early November the final four-wounded serviceman, who were chosen from over100 applicants, took part in a demanding training weekend in Norway. Joined by two expedition leaders and polar guides, the expedition team were able to train, bond and prepare themselves for the harsh and deadly climate of the Arctic.

This expedition is taking place to raise money for the charity Walking with the Wounded whose primary remit is to help rehabilitate wounded service people back into the workplace.

Words of Support:

Prince Harry (Patron): This polar adventure will exemplify the tenacity and courage of those who serve in uniform. Walking with the Wounded promises to be remarkable. I salute the Team walking to the North Pole in early 2011, and I urge the public to get behind them.

Brigadier Ed Butler: Rehabilitating wounded service men and women back into a non-military workplace is a huge task the nation faces in these modern times. It is down to the tenacity and courage of teams like Walking with the Wounded that funds and interest in this issue can be raised.

Bear Grylls An epic challenge for a vitally important cause. I so admire this team and their determination to make a difference. And boy they are doing it the hard way! Brilliant!

Steve Young, one of the Team Members, is the cousin of a friend of mine in Wales. I will be following this effort and posting updates as I get them. Meanwhile here is Steve's info. You can read about the other Team Members here: http://walkingwiththewounded.org.uk/profile/simon-daglish/

Why have you agreed to be part of Walking with The Wounded?

When I was approached to discuss taking part in this challenge I was so excited, I have always been fascinatedwiththe artic and to be given the opportunity to take part is such a privilege.

This challenge is a huge goal to achieve and hopefully it will inspire other battle wounded soldiers to push themselves and never give up.

Team member profile

I am currently in full time physiotherapy in RAF St Athan which is very close to my home in the Rhondda Valley. I live with my long suffering fiance Emma and although we do not yet have any children we are constantly adding to our family with animals we feel sorry for that need adopting.

I have been in the Welsh Guards for over 11 years and am currently a Platoon Sergeant.

I have served on operational tours in Bosnia, Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan.

On the 1st August 2009 I was involved in an IED explosion whilst travelling in a Mastiff Armoured Personnel Carrier during Operation Panthers Claw in the area of Babaji, Helmand Province. I suffered a complicated, burst unstable fracture of the L1 Vertebrae.

From this I spent 4 weeks in Selly Oak hospital and then was confined to aspinal bed for atotal of 4 months. Due to this I suffered massive muscle deterioration and , which along with my injury was treated through full time physiotherapy.

How have you found the training so far?

Due to my injury I am restricted to carry out training of a non load bearing type.I have mainly been concentrating on low intensity, prolonged periods of training such as the tyre pulling.I also have a weakness in my back which I am attempting to overcome by concentrating a lot of my time on core .

As for the arctic side of it, I have never put a set of Skis on in my life so am looking forward to getting on the ice in Norway, when the rest of the team will have a good laugh at my resemblance to Bambi on ice.

What are your daily activities?

I get up around 6.30am and make my way to Physio where I swim, do cardio training and weights. I am usually in Physio until 12.30 and I return home to have a couple of hours rest before my tyre pulling.

After being told we will burn over 8000 calories on the ice I am on a mission to eat everything in sight and am driving

mad with my constant requests and using the excuse I have to be fed up for the North Pole