In the news

the eisteddfod as currently practised is about as authentic as clan tartans and highland games, and shares the same origin in 19th century british empire social engineering.

Qed.

He's nailed you there, Scoot! I used to make that mistake up until recently when I wised up!

Is any of this news?

Is any of this news?

You tell me, smart-arse. I can only read half of these posts...

Even if it died out and was reinstated, that doesn't mean Wales isn't more culturally invigorated as a result. Anyway, I have a personal bias because it took up a lot of my time during primary school, our choir came 2nd in the country in the Urdd eisteddfod when I was 11, and me and my best friend came 2nd in the county doing an a capella duet ;)

/boast post

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beowulf

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoffrey_Chaucer

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shakespeare

...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Dickens

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brontë_family
....
etc. ad nauseam

I didn't say there was no Welsh literature, just that it is trivial in breadth and depth next to work originated in English languages.

When was the last time you read Beowulf in the original? I think Old English is probably as unintelligible as Welsh to the average English reader. At least in Welsh they'll recognise all the letters, even if they get the sounds wrong...

i learnt urdu at school.

badass language..

You tell me, smart-arse. I can only read half of these posts...

That's why I asked! It's all foreign to me.

The Eisteddfod as currently practised is about as authentic as clan tartans and Highland Games, and shares the same origin in 19th Century British Empire social engineering.

Demonstrating that Welsh culture is alive, vibrant and continually evolving, not some mummified remnant only preserved through the efforts of a bunch of pinko socialists?

Demonstrating that Welsh culture is alive, vibrant and continually evolving, not some mummified remnant only preserved through the efforts of a bunch of pinko socialists?

I thought it demonstrated the opposite, albeit with pinko socialists replaced by Romantic Imperialists. The Victorian revival of Britain's "Celtic" "Cultures" has effectively preserved them in aspic, since to a large extent the Victorian invention has supplanted whatever authentic cultural heritage had survived centuries of English repression.

A-level results came out today. Record pass rates...again! What a surprise.

A-level results came out today. Record pass rates...again! What a surprise.

Tomorrow's Daily Mail could be worth reading for a perv.

^ http://sexyalevels.tumblr.com/

On Radio 4 this morning they interviewed the FT education guy who said that the big private schools actually ring him up to come and photograph their beautiful girls....

http://newsthump.com/2011/08/18/ugly-a-student-told-to-get-out-of-the-shot/

haha

On Radio 4 this morning they interviewed the FT education guy who said that the big private schools actually ring him up to come and photograph their beautiful girls....

I read this in the FT a week or so ago, he was saying not to expect to see blondes jumping up clutching results, and how one school apparently told him he could come to netball/whatever practice -- where there were especially pretty girls -- and pick out which ones he wanted.. So weird.

Ugly and "keo" only and expensive.. Fail
http://garmin.blogs.com/my_weblog/2011/08/garmin-brings-power-to-the-people-with-vector-1.html

Ugly and "keo" only and expensive.. Fail
http://garmin.blogs.com/my_weblog/2011/08/garmin-brings-power-to-the-people-with-vector-1.html

"accurate and reliable total and independent leg power measurements"

Gee! thank fuck for this! now I can sleep at night.

I'd say Wales hasn't done too badly in literature given the rather less than favourable economic conditions that it had to endure for a long time.

It's certainly substantial given the lesser population and the fact that the south hates the north and vice versa. Oh hang on. Same as England...

Shooting yourself in the foot there? ;)

A-level results came out today. Record pass rates...again! What a surprise.

Any fit triplets this year?

i am just back from antwerp (meetings) and seen the news from brussels.. there was an almighty thunderstorm just before we took off and mental turbulence flying back to london city airport :(

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-14582448

i am just back from antwerp (meetings) and seen the news from brussels.. there was an almighty thunderstorm just before we took off and mental turbulence flying back to london city airport :(

Truly terrible. That's the second festival this year that that's happened isn't iy?

second in a week due to high winds.. plus ottawa bluesfest in july :(
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCJAywAlL2Q&NR=1

Ugly and "keo" only and expensive.. Fail
http://garmin.blogs.com/my_weblog/2011/08/garmin-brings-power-to-the-people-with-vector-1.html

Agreed... I've been on tenterhooks waiting for the vector since I first heard about it. Somehow I don't i'll be getting them in my stocking this christmas. #shouldhavejustrentedapowertap