2014 Commonwealth Games
With victory secured - and well done to all involved - suggestions are flooding in as to what sports competitions should be located in the Western Isles.
Well, at least one suggestion so far from Silversprite in Berneray, who proposes that the Beach Volleyball competition be held in Berneray, and he poses the question: what is the Gaelic for 'Beach Volleyball'?
With the school pupils all sitting watching the announcement today, hopefully some of the children will be participating in seven years time.
Now, let's encourage them by opening the Sports Centre on a Sunday, or are we going to handicap them before they even start?
Well, at least one suggestion so far from Silversprite in Berneray, who proposes that the Beach Volleyball competition be held in Berneray, and he poses the question: what is the Gaelic for 'Beach Volleyball'?
With the school pupils all sitting watching the announcement today, hopefully some of the children will be participating in seven years time.
Now, let's encourage them by opening the Sports Centre on a Sunday, or are we going to handicap them before they even start?
21 comments:
"what is the Gaelic for 'Beach Volleyball'?"
"ball-bholaidh chladaich", "ball-bholaidh traigh", "ball-là mhaich chladaich" or "ball-là mhaich traigh" would do it for me.
What an astonishing statement Angus. Success for potential island competitors now appears to rest solely on the sports centre being opened on Sundays. It makes me wonder how we've managed to win anything at all at the island games. I take it you have this great vision of competitors training every day for seven years, but when are they going to get rest? Maybe the sports centre could close on a Tuesday instead? That could be a solution for everyone with this mindset, let's get the Stornoway sports centre open on Sunday...no matter what the cost!
Yes, well done to Glasgow.
I have to confess my reaction was 'YES!!!' followed a bit too quickly with 'oh for pity's sakes...' as Salmond's smug, patronising, sanctimonious, jingoistic mug filled my TV screen.
It makes my skin crawl the way he tries to pander to the 'chippy' Scot; "Scotland is hugely well regarded across the Commonwealth..."
Muirneag
Island games success has been in spite of sports centre openning times not because of it. I stand to be corrected but I am fairly sure that all of the last medallists have competed on, or attended training sessions on Sundays on the mainland.
Muirneag,
Yes, actually the centre opening will have a major effect. Most people who will be competing in 7 years time are at school now. That leaves two days per week for more specialised training and exercise, and it is just out and out backwards to lose 50% of that time due to the whims of some religious fundamentalists.
The Commonwealth Games are a major international event. Modern athletes at the top of their sports have 24/7 programmes covering exercise, training, fitness, diet. Throw in a mandatory "You shalt not exercise on one specific day a week" to some of them and they're at a huge disadvantage compared to the majority of competitors.
If you are happy with no Lewis residents having a fair chance of winning medals, and other Lewis people dying younger and obese, just to satisfy your pious and individual preferences, then that says it all about your own backwards, interfering and above all SELFISH "beliefs".
I see from my first comment that blogger can't handle an 'a' with a grave accent over it. So that's "-lamhaich" with a grave accent over the first 'a'.
Has anyone here ever seen "Chariots of Fire."?
Anonymous
I find it so sad that the moment anyone dares to say a word about preserving Sunday as it is in the islands, that person is immediately labelled a selfish pious religious fundamentalist who is supposed to suffer the additional guilt of causing people to become obese and die younger. Some of us try to keep a balanced judgement on these issues, but it appears this is the one area left where intolerance is acceptable. Experience has taught me that you just don't realise how valuable a thing is until it's taken from you. I think it's responses such as yours, Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms anonymous, that cause others just to switch off instead of having a proper dialogue about the whole situation. Perhaps the 'fundamentalist' tag has been hung on the wrong person here!
Muirneag - do you think Lewis would ever host the island games without 7-day transport and Sport Centre open 7 days like the rest of the islands in the competition? I dont think so - but then again there is a mindset here that everyone else is out of step. Regret to say that there's lots of SELFISH people here who cannot even contemplate another way forward for this island and its emerging generation.
I don't know about "selfish", but "interfering" and "intolerant" certainly. It's really no business of anyone to dictate in detail what people should do - or, more accurately - what they shouldn't do - for a whole day every week.
The Church people do think they are, literally, above the law. They also defend their actions by saying that the misery of Sunday makes Lewis "special" against the seven day culture of the rest of the world.
Wheras the truth is that the rest of the world looks at Lewis, and see's it as backwards. And the teenagers in Stornoway literally count down the days till they can escape, from what one described to me as "an open prison", to a life with more opportunities in Glasgow.
Why can't the Church here recognise and accept that some people have different views, beliefs, desires and needs? Their desired practice has more in common with the Taliban's oppression of women in Afghanistan than the moderate, friendly and tolerant Church of Scotland I grew up in.
Muirneag.
You have the cheek to say "instead of having a proper dialogue".
Where's the dialogue in ministers telling their congregation what they will do?
Where's the dialogue in the elderly of Lewis being forced to sign petitions they don't agree with, with a minister and other members of their community surrounding them?
Where's the dialogue in the thinly-veiled threats made by the fundamentalists, through letters and verbally, to those who don't agree with them?
There are disturbing similarities between being a non-practising resident of a Lewis community in 2007, and being a Jew in 1930s Germany.
It is the shame of this island.
muirneag : The commmandment is very clear "YOU shall not WORK..." If you take full notice of both those words I have highlighted then you will see that there is room both for a non-Christian to run the centre and for Christians to play in it. The guy who replied to muirneag saying that he was like a Nazi... should be taken out and shot (;oP)
I am astonished by some of the comments on this subject, Laying the obesity of Lewis children at the door of Christianity is an extremely sad statement, If you think that kids will die younger by not observing the Sabbath day I have grave concerns for you.
As for hosting the Island games. If we cannot host it because there will be no activities on the Sabbath then so be it, The Lord will bless us richly for observing His day and keeping it Holy. Our goal should be to please the Lord our God not some athletes from somewhere around the globe.
As for Tolerance who said:
"It's really no business of anyone to dictate in detail what people should do - or, more accurately - what they shouldn't do - for a whole day every week.
How wrong you are my friend
"For I am the LORD your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy"
Leviticus 11:44
It's God's business!
Mr/Mrs tolerance, I used to think the Sabbath day was a misery also until my eyes were opened & I realised how wrong I had things, I was of the same opinion myself so can understand what you are saying but until the day you repent for your sinful nature as I did & ask the Lord Jesus Christ into your life can you really see both sides of the discussion? I pray tonight for all those who are determined to get the ferry sailing, That you will see how you are sinning against God & will turn to our saviour who died on the cross to cleanse us from our sin.
David,
I don't believe in "your" God, and put him/her/it on a par with Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy. Instead, I believe in the progression of science, and evolution. I think I'm right and you are wrong. You will think you are right and I am wrong.
So be it.
However, I respect the right of other people to believe in what they want, without hindrance. That's part of what makes a civilised people, civilised. I don't picket your church with signs saying "Darwin was right!" and "If there's a God why doesn't he give me the winning lottery numbers?". I don't lobby to pass laws banning church-going on a Sunday, or forcing people to shop on that day.
So why can't you be so civilised, and stop trying to hinder the beliefs and practises of those who don't believe in your "God"? It is just sheer, uncivilised, oppression. What happened to all that "Love thy neighbour" stuff?
David: have a good Christmas in your way. But, if you are a civilised person, then let me and others have a good Christmas in ours.
Donald
David said:
> I am astonished by some of the comments on this subject
and Muirneag said:
> What an astonishing statement Angus
And that is the problem. The religious core have closed minds, and cannot comprehend, acknowledge or handle the fact that anyone may have a different view to their own. They fight, hate, undermine and subdue everything that does not fit into their mindset.
A Lewis shopkeeper opens on a Sunday, and is driven out of business by a minister-inspired boycott.
Lewis homosexuals are "outed" by church elders in their communities, through the spread of malicious gossip. Shunned and with life made difficult, many leave for the mainland.
An active member of a Lewis community announces she will hold a prayer meeting in her house, of a different faith to her local church. During the meeting, a brick comes through the window.
How very tolerant...
Anonymous 2.27pm - after reading about the BNP/muslim statements of the Reverend Coghill from LDOS, I think the analogy with Nazis does indeed have something in it.
Hello Donald,
First of all, Darwins whole works were theory NOT fact, You should check it out sometime. Science claimed that a shell taken from a live snail was 7500 years old through carbon dating, A very inaccurate way to date things i'm sure you'll agree as was proved by that very experiment.
I do not picket things either, I pray about things & leave my burdens in God's hands.
You say i'm not civilised? How do you come to this conclusion?
I'm not trying to hinder people in their practises or beliefs, I am in actual fact standing up for the Lord our God.
As for stopping you having a good Christmas, If you are finding me writing my views on someone's blog upsetting i suggest you step from your PC & take a moment to relax.
On a serious note, I have no intention of upsetting anyone but i will always stand up for God & if that offends you then so be it.
A great festive season to you & yours.
David
http://christianwords.wordpress.com/
David,
Science claimed that a shell taken from a live snail was 7500 years old through carbon dating, A very inaccurate way to date things i'm sure you'll agree as was proved by that very experiment.
No, I don't agree.
1. Why are you sure that I would?
2. Why do you think carbon dating is inaccurate? You didn't say way - perhaps just because it doesn't fit in with your belief framework?
3. As you are claiming to be superior to science in knowledge and practice (I don't remember any Nobel Prizes coming here to Lewis of late, but I may have missed one), when do you think the shell was created / made / born? Last tuesday?
Donald
David,
So because one reading was calibrated incorrectly, all of science is wrong and therefore by default there is a ghostie/"God" who made everything?
Aye, right.
Just lookout when in your garden. There's Pixies having a wee tea party down there at the bottom of it.
If the Comhairle is to remain consistent, if it blocks Sunday ferries for fear of upsetting some "God", then it must also ban anyone from having a peat or coal fire burning in their house on December 24th, for fear of burning Santa's bum as he delivers presents. There's just as much proof for Santa as there is for "God" (i.e. zero) so this shouldn't be an issue.
From the home page of the Free Church website:
We believe: Everyone is guilty of sin and deserves to be punished in hell for ever.
No further comment required.
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