excerpt from Aeòlus by Dòmhnall Ruadh Mac an t-Saoir/Donald MacIntyre with translation by Bill Innes:
Neptune a' brosnachadh armachd,
Neptune exhorting his armies,
A chuip mun earball is mun ceann,
His whip about their heads and tails,
'S a chridhe sracadh le farmad:
His heart bursting with envy:
"Carson a bhiodh Albainn ann?
"Why should Scotland exist?
"Cuim' a dh'fhanainn air mo chrìochan?
"Why stay within my bounds?
Cuim' nach leudaichinn mo ghart?
Why not widen my estate?
Cuim' nach buannaichean an saoghal
Why not take over the world
Is gun tèid daonnan neart thar cheart?
When might will always conquer right?
"Cuim' nach dìrinn chun a' mhullaich?
"Why not climb to the very top?
Cuim' a dh'fhuirichinn nam staid?
Why should i stay within my place?
A' chlach as ìsle san ursainn,
It is the threshold's lowest stone
'S ann oirr' tha 'n cudthrom air fad.
That has to carry all the weight.
"Cuim' nach leanainn prìomh lagh nadair-
"Why not follow Nature's first law -
Am fear laidir a thoirt buaidh?
That the strong will always win?
'S ann le càch a chur gu h-ìseal
It is by subduing others
A gheibh mise dìreach suas."
That i will get to climb above."
Ge b'e dh'èisteadh guth nan tonn,
Whoever listened to the waves
'S e siud am fonn a bha nam bial
Heard in their voices that refrain
Is iad a' dearbhadh rùn an seanchais
And they proving their words' intent
Mar a dheargadh iad le gnìomh
As they could with their deeds.
Saturday, 29 August 2009
Saturday, 22 August 2009
Friday, 14 August 2009
The NHS is to politicians what shit is to flies.
NHS attack by MEP 'unpatriotic'
Health secretary Andy Burnham: "Mr Cameron looks rattled today"
Health Secretary Andy Burnham has accused a Tory MEP who attacked the NHS on American TV of being "unpatriotic".
Labour has stepped up its criticism of Daniel Hannan, who waded into the debate over Barack Obama's health bill.
They claim his view - that the NHS is outdated, unfair and should be scrapped - is shared by many Conservatives.
But David Cameron said Mr Hannan's view was "eccentric" and accused Labour of making a meal of the row, stressing that the NHS was his top priority.
I don't hate the NHS, but nor do i make a sexual fetish out of it like many. However there is something absolutely repulsive about seeing the likes of Andy Burnham accusing others of being 'unpatriotic' for criticising it. This from the Labour scum who have run the armed forces into the ground and are happy to leave soldiers dying due to lack of armour, lack of properly armoured ground vehicles, lack of helicopters and then try to deny them any proper support and compensation if they're badly injured?
'Scum' barely does justice to these people. Criticism of the NHS is no more 'unpatriotic' than defending it blindly is inherently 'patriotic'. Grow the fuck up.
NHS attack by MEP 'unpatriotic'
Health secretary Andy Burnham: "Mr Cameron looks rattled today"
Health Secretary Andy Burnham has accused a Tory MEP who attacked the NHS on American TV of being "unpatriotic".
Labour has stepped up its criticism of Daniel Hannan, who waded into the debate over Barack Obama's health bill.
They claim his view - that the NHS is outdated, unfair and should be scrapped - is shared by many Conservatives.
But David Cameron said Mr Hannan's view was "eccentric" and accused Labour of making a meal of the row, stressing that the NHS was his top priority.
I don't hate the NHS, but nor do i make a sexual fetish out of it like many. However there is something absolutely repulsive about seeing the likes of Andy Burnham accusing others of being 'unpatriotic' for criticising it. This from the Labour scum who have run the armed forces into the ground and are happy to leave soldiers dying due to lack of armour, lack of properly armoured ground vehicles, lack of helicopters and then try to deny them any proper support and compensation if they're badly injured?
'Scum' barely does justice to these people. Criticism of the NHS is no more 'unpatriotic' than defending it blindly is inherently 'patriotic'. Grow the fuck up.
A highly recommended blog - please check it out.
Now i read a hell of a lot of blogs. The nature of my work (BBC Researcher) as well as personal interest means i have plenty of opportunity and cause to read through all the major and many minor blogs. And while i have a decent sprinkling of science/technology/economics/language/religion based bloggers on my list the great majority i follow are political in nature. However i recently, and quite randomly, stumbled across this site:
http://www.pagef30.com/
Now i have quite an eclectic range of interests and this is the first site/blog i've ever seen where the author probably outdoes me in terms of the sheer range of topics they find interesting. Whether it's the bizarre use of Scottish Gaelic in the new GI:Joe movie, a detailed look at the Scandinavian languages and why Norwegian is the easiest language for English speakers to learn or why Persian is a far easier language to learn than most people think.
Scientific and technological pieces looking at the use of web censorship technologies in the USA, Iran and China, manned missions to the moon, mars and asteroids to a video imagining the size of the universe or a piece on the necessity of "grit" in the learning process.
From in depth analysis of the ongoing post-election crisis in Iran to the fact that more Iranian grad students are moving to Canada. From the recent discovery of a 14,000 year old map in Spain to the revealation that Jewish groups in Germany want Mein Kampf to be published once again or that the Cash for Clunkers programme might be expanding to Canada.
The range of topics covered is quite incredible and the depth and intelligence of the analysis is very, very impressive. Quite simply whatever you find interesting, this blog will interest you. Check it out now.
http://www.pagef30.com/
Now i have quite an eclectic range of interests and this is the first site/blog i've ever seen where the author probably outdoes me in terms of the sheer range of topics they find interesting. Whether it's the bizarre use of Scottish Gaelic in the new GI:Joe movie, a detailed look at the Scandinavian languages and why Norwegian is the easiest language for English speakers to learn or why Persian is a far easier language to learn than most people think.
Scientific and technological pieces looking at the use of web censorship technologies in the USA, Iran and China, manned missions to the moon, mars and asteroids to a video imagining the size of the universe or a piece on the necessity of "grit" in the learning process.
From in depth analysis of the ongoing post-election crisis in Iran to the fact that more Iranian grad students are moving to Canada. From the recent discovery of a 14,000 year old map in Spain to the revealation that Jewish groups in Germany want Mein Kampf to be published once again or that the Cash for Clunkers programme might be expanding to Canada.
The range of topics covered is quite incredible and the depth and intelligence of the analysis is very, very impressive. Quite simply whatever you find interesting, this blog will interest you. Check it out now.
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