Month: July 2023

Ilhas Flakland

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Las Islas Malvinas son una dependencia británica en el Atlántico Sur cerca de Argentina.

Apart from the poor Spanish, on which I have no competency to judge, I do not see a problem with the name of the archipelago. Some may have a problem with the meaning of the sentence, but that is not what I am addressing here. In English we would of course say: The Falkland Islands are a British dependency in the South Atlantic near Argentina.

When we put ‘The United Kingdom is part of an archipelago off the west coast of Europe. ‘  into Spanish  it would be nonsense to say ‘El United Kingdom es parte de un archipiélago frente a la costa oeste de Europa.’  Even the English expect to hear: El Reino Unido es parte de un archipiélago frente a la costa oeste de Europa.

So a document produced by the EU, in respect of a primarily Spanish speaker conference making refence to the south sea archipelago by both its name in Spanish and in English is nothing about which to get hot under the collar, is it? Or am I missing something?

Actually, I think we should take the EU to task, for the actual words are: ‘over the Islas Malvinas / Falkland Islands’ on two points. The word order is incorrect, unless F comes before I in the EU alphabet, and the article is incorrect. The correct names are The Falkland Islands and Las Islas Malvinas. The Islas Malvinas is an abomination, deserving of no place either in the Spanish language or the English.

Finally we note that:

in the Spanish language version, which is entirely expected, the English language name of the archipelago is omitted. 

in the French language version we have a reference to les Îles Malouines/Îles Falkland, which is perhaps also expected as it is well known that the French, apart from de Gaulle do not know whether to say Oui ou Non (with apologies to my French friends)

in the Portuguese language version we have as Ilhas Malvinas / Ilhas Falkland, which is really quite confusing considering the close relationship between the Spanish and Portuguese tongues.

For further information refer to:

Freedom? With a price on your head?

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Little has changed since 1524 when a young man began a work which would inflame the authorities in his homeland as he dared to defy the authorities who wished to silence him.  Two years later the book that he had published, and which had been smuggled into his homeland, was being burned in the streets. He had to go into hiding, where he revised and improved his earlier work using the profits from the first then having been burnt printing.  In 1530 he further enraged the chief executive who then sought his extradition. The extradition attempt failed for the lack of production of formal evidence. A price was however now on his head, and it would only be a matter of time before he would be betrayed by a ‘friend’, illegally held and then transported to a trial in which the charges were so designed that he could not be but convicted.

What was his crime? He had spoken out for freedom of speech. He had spoken out for the freedom of the people that they might not be in thrall to espouse the ideology of the elite but be free to question it and to form their own opinions based upon their own examination and understanding of the truth.

William Tyndale translated for the people of England the New Testament into English that ‘the boy that driveth the plow [should] know more of the Scriptures than [the bishop did]. The young ploughman would then be able to judge whether what the governor said was right and just. The authorities were afraid of this. They must keep the people in ignorance that they may control them.

Freedom to think, freedom to speak, freedom to question were not things that they would permit for their people. Let them remain in ignorance and fear, then we shall be able to control them.

Little has changed, a price has been placed on the heads of certain young people who asked for freedom but in doing so they have been driven into exile by those who should have defended them. The king of England lost his head not much more than one hundred years after Tyndale lost his* because he made war upon his own people. It is an illegitimate government that makes war upon its own people.

The apostle asked us that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.  We are encouraged to know of those in China who have come to a knowledge of the truth, may their leaders, and ours also, come to that same knowledge, that we and their people may live quiet and peaceable lives.

China accuses UK of harbouring Hong Kong fugitives

*Tyndale was actually burnt at the stake. The king was spared that humiliation.