It is a great little film

I cry at this point every time...

Thinking of those in North Wales today

BBC News - Wales floods: Hundreds told to leave homes

I learned about it through Twitter, via Eilir Jones, who has been retweeting Welsh-language alerts (no, I don't know Welsh, but I could tell from the format). Roads are impassable in places and several schools are closed. Hopefully everyone will stay safe. The rain is abating but the rivers continue to rise.

Cool

Carving found in Gower cave could be oldest rock art

Wall carving in Gower cave The location of the wall carving is being kept secret for the time being.

The faint scratchings of a speared reindeer are believed to have been carved by a hunter-gatherer in the Ice Age more than 14,000 years ago.

Plucky Welsh boy saves father from bull

Abergavenny boy, 10, in tractor saves father from bull

A 10-year-old boy who watched a bull attack his father may have saved his life by driving a tractor at the beast.

Tom Phillips watched as the animal attacked his father Andrew at their farm in Abergavenny, Monmouthshire.

After driving off the bull, which left Andrew with 10 broken ribs and internal injuries, Tom raised the alarm.

"Andrew only survived because of Tom's amazing reactions," said Tom's mother Amanda. "He's my little hero. I can't tell you how proud I am of him."

The boy had never been allowed to drive the tractor, but had apparently seen how his father worked it. He ran to the tractor cab for safety, then slowly put the tractor into motion and drove off the bull. While I don't normally approve of children and large farm machinery, this was obviously a special case and the boy used his wits to save his father's life. Good for him.

Dylan Thomas is hands down my favourite poet

I hope the centre named in his honour continues to inspire others.

Artists' fears over Dylan Thomas Centre in Swansea

More than 200 writers, artists and supporters of Swansea's Dylan Thomas Centre have signed a letter expressing concerns about its future use.

Dr Who writer Russell T Davies, Cerys Matthews and Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy are among the names calling for it to be run by trust.

Swansea council is looking lease the centre to the city's universities to open a "creative industries hub."

It said the centre would not close and the permanent exhibition would remain.

The letter states since the centre was opened 17 years ago by former US president Jimmy Carter it had delivered a programme of literary and artistic events "unparalleled for its variety and excellence by any other arts venue in the United Kingdom".

It adds: "The centre has celebrated the literary arts of Wales, in addition to music, drama and the visual arts, and has attracted to Swansea a panoply of internationally renowned writers who, returning home, have burnished the renown of Swansea and Wales in all parts of the world."

A happy accident leads to the uncovering of mediaeval paintings in a Welsh church

Via Medieval News: ‘Mind-blowing’ medieval art is unveiled in church

I must have been exhausted

I got home last night through the graces of a police officer who gave me a ride in a rainstorm. I'd hung around the store for an hour waiting for it to abate with little luck until then. I've never ridden in a police car. The back was cramped and the floor slippery. Once I got home I spent a few minutes in the comfy chair with a sleeveless fleece blanket I won at the book fair at the hospital (it also came with a book light), but my feet were really bothering me so I decided to stretch out in bed to relieve the pressure on them. That was 12 hours ago. My. So much for doing laundry this morning.

A couple of hours ago I got a phone call but accidentally let my phone close back shut when I was trying to open it. It wasn't a number I recongised. They left voice mail, but it was all in Spanish. I haven't had Spanish since 9th grade. The only thing I could make out (she was speaking quickly, of course) was 'español' and 'gracias'. I'm going to treat it as a wrong number.

Did you hear about the emu that had to be tasered and handcuffed in Mississipi to get it off of Interstate-20>? According to reports there were two birds on the loose, so one may still be out there. How about the 19-lb baby born in Indonesia? There's your odd news for the day. :)

Also of interest (at least to me) in my news reader today:

Peak renamed after Welsh princess

When the last (true) prince of Wales, Llywelyn ap Gruffydd, was killed on the battlefield defending Wales from England's Edward I in 1282, his infant daughter, now orphaned, was taken and placed in an abbey in Lincolnshire, where she lived out her life. Now members of the Princess Gwenllian Society have negotiated with Britain's Ordinance Survey to rename the mountain Carnedd Uchaf Carnedd Gwenllian instead. In doing so, her name joins those of mountains named after her father, her mother, and her uncle.


Cambodians in U.S. recall Khmer Rouge terror

The Khmer Rouge is implicated in wiping out an estimated 1.7 million Cambodians, nearly a quarter of the population, during their rule from 1975-79 under Pol Pot. People died from disease, overwork, starvation and execution in the notorious 'killing fields.'

Now an international tribunal is giving those who were refugees from the regime a chance to tell their stories, to list camps, relatives, and experiences of this horrible era that wrecked their lives, to be used legally against those who committed the atrocities but also to be archived so the full story of Cambodia may be told. As one woman said, 'I'm here to teach history to the next generation, so this horrific crime will never happen again.'


Four-Winged Fossil Bridges Bird-Dinosaur Gap

It had two bird-like wings and then wings on its hind legs that look a little like the ones sported by images of Mercury. It was also covered by a soft 'dino-down' on its body.

Fanged frog, 162 other new species found: Environmental group announces findings from Mekong River region

The frog eats birds, by the way. The fangs are for fighting other male frogs.

I also came across this on Jane's A Wandering Eyre blog. It's comedian Louis CK's take on the difference between girls and women. Warning: lot's of the 'F' word but it's right on.

I don't know if it will make it on American TV, but it should

A Welsh public service announcement is controversial due to the graphic nature of the video, but it's absolutely the best way to impress upon teens and others the dangers of texting whilst driving.

For information about the controversy:

Is PSA about texting while driving too graphic?: New spot aimed at teens portrays a bloody automobile accident in detail

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

To view the entire video [warning it is both graphic and realistic, and it's meant to be]


Bravo to the Gwent police of Wales for having this video made, and to Peter Watkins-Hughes who directed it. As you may recall, I related an incident where a boy was killed in Glasgow (here in Kentucky) when his friend was texting on her cell phone, ran a stop sign, and a semi truck hit the car. This is a growing problem. Apparently texting and e-mailing on a phone or other device makes it 23 times more likely that there will be an accident, according to the Today show video above.

Every teen should be shown this video.

Please think before you text.

NPR let me down this morning

On my way to work, they were reading the news over the radio about the scientists who won the Nobel Prize for Medicine. Two American citizens (one originally from Italy) and a Briton won. So far, good. Then they gave their institutional affiliations. The announcer proceeded to say that Martin J. Evans, the Briton, was from the University of Cardiff 'in England'.

Tsk. Tsk. Cardiff is in Wales. Contrary to some opinions, Wales and England are different countries, under one United Kingdom. Wales is like Scotland in that regard. No one ever seems to think Scotland is England. What gives with Wales?

Hopefully they corrected the story or at least it was just a momentary slip. The story on the website is correct, thankfully.

Oh, well, these things happen, especially on radio, which may or may not be recorded ahead of time. But considering that NPR is considered rather highbrow, it's something you expect them to get right. :)