Chaos in Haiti

Hello World…..watching the news today with coverage of events in Haiti made 2010 lose a lot of it’s early sheen. When an impoverished island nation that wouldn’t even qualify for 3rd world status is devastated by a natural disaster of this magnitude you wonder how much the deck is stacked against this country. The tragic situation is magnified to the nth degree due to the fact the country has no reliable infrastructure. When the biggest city in Haiti is reduced to rubble in a few minutes the chaos is unimaginable. I’ve no answer to these huge obstacles but if you can spare the price of a pint of beer to help someone who is living on the streets tonight try visiting the Red Cross or Oxfam and making a small donation. Failing that just send some hope. Bottled water over the next few weeks will be like gold in Port-Au-Prince…so help buy some gold if you can spare some change.

The plight of Central America and the Caribbean are too often the forgotten children of the Western Hemisphere – If you visit the blog often enough you probably know where I stand….it’s time for some Washington Bullets but this time they will come in the form of aid.

So from Haiti to another small island, but this one is extremely different. Anglesey – that little nub on the Northwest coast of Wales, most famous for the overnight ferry from Holyhead to Dublin (oh I’ve made that voyage many many times) but nearby a town is hosting something quite different this week. At the bridge to Anglesey from the mainland of Wales sits the town of Bangor (yes…the one in Maine should be named

Jamie Reid artwork

New Bangor) and in Bangor resides the Gwynedd Museum & Art Gallery. The reason I’m writing about a small gallery in a small town in Wales is that a new exhibition at the gallery is a rare opportunity to see Gerrion Jones’ private collection of images by Jamie Reid and others that highlight how punk has evolved since 1976, to create Punk Forever. The exhibition runs from Jan 16- Feb 20 and the link provides lots of extra information. Just know that when the work of Jamie Reid (the creator of so much of the Sex Pistols memorable artwork), Billy Childish and James Cauty is featured its a rare and special collection indeed. If you hold an interest in underground and pop art plus the punk movement  overall then this will be something special. The exhibition is being staged by Gerrion Jones and I’ve sent an email seeing where else the exhibition is scheduled to appear this year as I realise few of you live near Bangor. Call (01248) 353368 for more information.

Better day tomorrow eh?