The latest Phil Evans column from the South Wales Evening Post

The latest Phil Evans column from the South Wales Evening Post.
Comedian Phil Evans is from Ammanford. He is known as the man who puts the ‘cwtsh’ into comedy.
www.philevans.co.uk

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Jurassic Larks:

On my 11th birthday, which also happened to be my pet dog’s 11th birthday, I was given a magic set, which included the classic ‘How to saw someone in half’ illusion.
As none of my family volunteered to be my assistant – probably because I’d borrowed my Dad’s hacksaw to add an element of danger – my only option was to rope-in the dog.
His name was “Stay”, which confused him whenever he was taken for a walk.
But “Stay” had a cheerful disposition, ate almost anything put in front of him and was prone to expelling loud noxious gasses almost every hour on the hour.
So, he fitted-in with my family perfectly.
Anyway, as I approached the animal, he took one look at my cardboard wizard’s hat and the sharp-edged hacksaw blade glinting in the sunlight and promptly ran off, never to be seen again.
So, to this day I still wonder whether it’s really possible to teach an old dog new tricks.
Here’s another age-old conundrum . . .
If you knew something important that the majority of people were unaware of, would you leave them in blissful ignorance or tell them?
It was recently announced in the media that ‘Dippy The Diplodocus’, the famous dinosaur skeleton which has stood in London’s Natural History Museum’s Hintze Hall for 37 years is to go on a tour of the UK, including Wales, in 2018.
Details were given about how the iconic skeleton would need to be carefully taken apart bone-by-bone and packed away in readiness for its travels.
More than 32,000 people signed a petition to stop ‘their’ favourite dinosaur skeleton leaving its home after almost 40 years to go on the road.
However, I want to share with you something I’ve known for many years.
It’s not a real dinosaur skeleton!
It’s a replica!
Dippy isn’t millions of years old.
He’s a plaster cast taken from a skeleton unearthed in Wyoming in 1898 and bought by Andrew Carnegie for a museum in Pittsburgh.
After King Edward VII told Carnegie he’d like to see a diplodocus skeleton in London, the copy arrived in 1905.
It wasn’t even a complete replica because various missing parts were replaced with pieces from other finds!
So, by all means go and see Dippy when he arrives at the Welsh Assembly in 2018.
But be aware that, unlike many inhabitants of that building, he isn’t a genuine dinosaur.

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Business heroes:

On Friday evening I had the pleasure of hosting the BNI Business Awards held at the Diplomat Hotel, Llanelli.
This was their very first awards dinner. The group has been established and has served the local community for more than nine years.
In addition to this, the generous businessmen and women and their guests raised a substantial amount of money for the MIND charity, which is supported by the members.
The award recipients were: Gareth Isaac of G I Carpets and Flooring, John Lewis, of Tegeus Computer Services and Graeme Fox, of Davies Craddock insurance brokers. True contributors and well-deserving winners.
This event clearly demonstrated to me that we have so many hard working ambassadors within our communities that have a hugely supportive and professional network behind them.
This group has a clear aim to serve the community and help local businesses thrive and grow so that they can reach their true potential.
They demonstrate a ‘Givers Gain’ mentality which in this day and age is so refreshing to witness.

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Not more TV stations!

So much has gone on during the past week - and I'm starting to think that someone is speeding up the world.
I seem to be constantly experiencing new things, most of them good, I might add – and questioning so much more.
Like . . .
Do we need another TV station? And will a local TV station add value to the community? Or is this just another crazy idea that will fizzle out after haemorrhaging loads of money?
Well, I'll let you judge.
Last Friday, I was invited to the studios of Bay TV, Swansea, for a live interview, which was a total surprise as I was unaware that the station existed.
What a great set-up and run buy truly enthusiastic people.
Here we have a station in the heart of the Swansea, running on a tight budget, producing quality content and developing talent and growing at lightning speed.
My interviewers were Cai Williams, Henry Darby-Cook and Carwyn Evans, who had all done their homework on me in advance, ensuring appropriate questioning and giving me the opportunity to share something colourful to benefit the viewers. They were talented and professional from the off.
Following this experience, I'm now more convinced than ever that local radio and TV is a must and had I had more room to write this week I would easily convince you as to why.

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NB - the two items above were rejected by the Editor of the Evening Post and replaced with the stories below . . . 

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What links Donald Trump and Aberystwyth?
Not a lot at face value, but I have found a little link.
Trump’s victory in the US presidential election will be analysed at a special roundtable discussion at Aberystwyth University on Tuesday 29 November.
Hosted by the Department of International Politics and the David Davies Memorial Institute, a panel of experts will debate the election results, raising questions and providing insights into the new world order.
The debate follows the successful election night special hosted by the Department on Tuesday 8 November when more than 200 staff and students gathered until the early hours of Wednesday morning to watch the results coming in from the States.
Professor Richard Beardsworth said: “Like the rest of the world, our students and staff here at Aberystwyth avidly followed not only the remarkable results on election night but also the extraordinary twists and turns of the campaign leading up to 8 November.
“The outcome raises significant questions now about American domestic and foreign politics which will be debated at this latest roundtable event. Our aim is to seek to explain and understand the challenges that this momentous change has brought upon us, and to provide a historical perspective on the result.”
The discussion will be held from 6.30pm to 9pm on Thursday 29 November 2016 in the Main Hall of the Department of International Politics on Penglais campus. Entry is free and all are welcome to attend.
I have it on good authority that Mr Trump will not be attending.

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Jungle drums reach me that controversial author and columnist Julian Ruck will be the guest speaker at a meeting of Llanelli Rotary Club at the Stradey Park Hotel, Llanelli, tonight (7.30pm Wednesday, November 23).
Ruck is a novelist, broadcaster, columnist and political journalist/commentator.
He is presently a fellow part-time columnist for your South Wales Evening Post.
Having studied and trained as a lawyer in London, he dedicated a portion of his life to dealing with Legal Aid contracts in the not-for-profit sector.
He now lives in the Kidwelly-Mynyddygarreg area, where he is a regular contributor to Labour Uncut and The Daily Express.
He has published six books, all with Dinefwr Press, and is currently writing another.
In October 2015, Julian was involved in a hit-and-run accident that left him seriously injured, but as of 2016, he is on the road to recovery and writing again.
A few years back, Ruck spoke to Llanelli's daughter Rotary Club at Cefn Sidan at the Ashburnham Hotel.
It caused quite a stir.
Expect the Llanelli Rotarians to have their feathers ruffled.

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You can follow Phil Evans on Twitter @philevanswales and www.philevans.co.uk