Blaer and the right of self-expression in Iceland.

Blaer is the chosen name of a 15 year old girl in Iceland. It is the name her mother chose for her. Yet, in Iceland, this name has been forbidden because it is not on the official list of permissible names. Young Blaer is now having to sue her own government for the right to be called by her own name.

This might seem like a minor matter, but I find this case very unsettling. It seems to me that a government has no place interfering in the expressive choices of parents and children alike, when it comes to their own names. In Iceland, not even grown adults are allowed to choose names for themselves outside of the official list. This smacks of a kind of repression George Orwell would have remarked upon, had he known about it.

The right to self-expression, as long as it does not harm others, should be basic to all peoples everywhere – without exception. A government attempting to curtail and control the expressive choices of its people, is a government that has gotten out of control. If I were Blaer I would do something very direct to protest this matter, when I grew up: I would emigrate and make the reason for emigration into a news story, internationally – for that would assuredly embarrass this daft little government.

Apparently, Germany and Denmark also restrict name choices. Again, I see no justification for doing this. The reason given is that it prevents parents naming children with embarrassing names. That seems a rather slight justification since if a child has been given a silly name – that child should then be able to change it, later in life, to something more acceptable to them. At no point, is there any justification for the curtailment of expression, by these arguments.

When my wife and I came to choose the names of our children, we chose each with great care. Though others will not know it and we are not going to inform them, each of our children’s names has a personal and a universal meaning. They are literally little stories or descriptive phrases that we have related to each of our children, for personal reasons. They follow a unique schema and consist of a mixture of Gaelic, Arabic, and Latinate names, that has no duplicates, anywhere, on Earth. The names are absolutely unique (though many people now insist on pretending to be one of our children, online...they are not him). Had we been Icelandic, German or Danish, we would not have been granted this freedom. We would have had to select a name common to many others, one without the unique meaning we have written into the names of our children. That strikes me as wrong. The right to express oneself, one’s views, one’s beliefs, ones thoughts, and feelings is absolutely fundamental to the basic freedoms all humans should enjoy everywhere. Those three countries are disallowing those freedoms to their citizens. This is a denial of what I view to be a basic human right.

I do not know if we shall have any more children – but if we do, the names of those children shall tell a tale like no other. They will bear a name that no-one before them has ever borne. Those names shall be created just for them – and that is how it should be. All parents should have the right to name their children, in whatever way they please. If some names cause others offence, then that is an acceptable price to pay for the preservation of a basic freedom of expression.

It seems to me that Iceland, Germany and Denmark have something to learn about the value of self-expression for society. I wonder what other freedoms of expression they control, by means direct and indirect? If you know, please write below.

Posted by Valentine Cawley

(If you would like to support my continued writing of this blog and my ongoing campaign to raise awareness about giftedness and all issues pertaining to it, please donate, by clicking on the gold button to the left of the page.

To read about my fundraising campaign, please go to: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2011/01/fundraising-drive-in-support-of-my.html and here: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2011/01/fundraising-drive-first-donation.html

If you would like to read any of our scientific research papers, there are links to some of them, here: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2011/02/research-papers-by-valentine-cawley-and.html

If you would like to see an online summary of my academic achievements to date, please go here: http://www.getcited.org/mbrz/11136175To learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, 10, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, 7 and Tiarnan, 5, please go to: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html

I also write of gifted education, child prodigy, child genius, adult genius, savant, megasavant, HELP University College, the Irish, the Malays, Singapore, Malaysia, IQ, intelligence and creativity.

There is a review of my blog, on the respected The Kindle Report here:http://thekindlereport.blogspot.com/2010/09/boy-who-knew-too-much-child-prodigy.html

Please have a read, if you would like a critic's view of this blog. Thanks.

You can get my blog on your Kindle, for easy reading, wherever you are, by going to: http://www.amazon.com/Boy-Who-Knew-Too-Much/dp/B0042P5LEE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1284603792&sr=8-1

Please let all your fellow Kindlers know about my blog availability - and if you know my blog well enough, please be so kind as to write a thoughtful review of what you like about it. Thanks.

My Internet Movie Database listing is at:http://imdb.com/name/nm3438598/

Ainan's IMDB listing is at http://imdb.com/name/nm3305973/

Syahidah's IMDB listing is at http://imdb.com/name/nm3463926/

Our editing, proofreading and copywriting company, Genghis Can, is athttp://www.genghiscan.com/This blog is copyright Valentine Cawley. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited. Use only with permission. Thank you.) 

Music that will never be heard again

As some of you will know, this year, my eldest son, Ainan, just turned 13, has taken to composing music. He does so, now, on a daily basis, after coming home from University. He sits at the piano tinkling away. 

Sometimes he plays pieces he has already composed – usually recent ones, sometimes searching for ways to expand them, sometimes just enjoying them. On other occasions, he invents new compositions, directly on the piano, tinkering with them, until satisfied. At other times, he plays the music of others: Bach, Beethoven, Liszt, or music from video games, Bioshock, Portal 2, or movies, such as the Matrix. It is, however, a very frequent sound in our household now: Ainan on the piano, at work at something or other.

A couple of evenings ago, I was drowsy after a long day and half asleep, I heard the most beautiful sound: music I had never heard before, coming from our piano. I was really quite taken by its slightly haunting sound.

I woke up, fully and made my way through the house to Ainan.

“That is beautiful. Really good.” I said, to him, startling him from his reverie.

He seemed to be not quite fully in my presence when he caught my gaze. I realized then, that I had interrupted him, perhaps unwisely.

“Carry on.” I urged him. “It was good.”

His hands tracked back to the piano, and tried a few notes. He didn’t seem to know what to do in that moment.

“Play it again.”, I said, feeling perhaps, that I had made a mistake.

“I can’t.”, he said, a little sadly. “It was impromptu.”

“Did you record it?”

“No. I can’t record everything I do. There is just too much.”

I understood then, that, if I had not interrupted him, he would have learnt the piece, by continuing to work on it. My admiration in the moment, had cost us all, his musical work.

What a pity.

So, a couple of evenings ago, I heard a piece of music beautiful enough to arouse me from half-sleep, to full wakefulness; a piece of music that haunted and caught the attention in equal measure. Yet, now it was lost, because I praised it.

I am coming to think it would be wise if we could establish a set up that records everything he creates, so that this could never happen again. I shall look at the options. I would rather not have the privilege of hearing music that is only ever heard once, in the world. There is something too sad about that – especially when it was my fault.

Posted by Valentine Cawley

(If you would like to support my continued writing of this blog and my ongoing campaign to raise awareness about giftedness and all issues pertaining to it, please donate, by clicking on the gold button to the left of the page.

To read about my fundraising campaign, please go to: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2011/01/fundraising-drive-in-support-of-my.html and here: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2011/01/fundraising-drive-first-donation.html

If you would like to read any of our scientific research papers, there are links to some of them, here: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2011/02/research-papers-by-valentine-cawley-and.html

If you would like to see an online summary of my academic achievements to date, please go here: http://www.getcited.org/mbrz/11136175To learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, 10, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, 7 and Tiarnan, 5, please go to: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html

I also write of gifted education, child prodigy, child genius, adult genius, savant, megasavant, HELP University College, the Irish, the Malays, Singapore, Malaysia, IQ, intelligence and creativity.

There is a review of my blog, on the respected The Kindle Report here:http://thekindlereport.blogspot.com/2010/09/boy-who-knew-too-much-child-prodigy.html

Please have a read, if you would like a critic's view of this blog. Thanks.

You can get my blog on your Kindle, for easy reading, wherever you are, by going to: http://www.amazon.com/Boy-Who-Knew-Too-Much/dp/B0042P5LEE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1284603792&sr=8-1

Please let all your fellow Kindlers know about my blog availability - and if you know my blog well enough, please be so kind as to write a thoughtful review of what you like about it. Thanks.

My Internet Movie Database listing is at:http://imdb.com/name/nm3438598/

Ainan's IMDB listing is at http://imdb.com/name/nm3305973/

Syahidah's IMDB listing is at http://imdb.com/name/nm3463926/

Our editing, proofreading and copywriting company, Genghis Can, is athttp://www.genghiscan.com/This blog is copyright Valentine Cawley. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited. Use only with permission. Thank you.) 

On being predictable

Yesterday, my eldest son, Ainan, 13, sidled up to me, with an intent unreadable expression in his eyes.

I was busy with something on the computer, so my attention wasn't fully available to attend to his forthcoming words.

“Daddy, I know what you are going to say next.”

“What am I going to say next?”, I said, half-turning around in my chair, to him.

“See.”, he said, with a little smile that said it all.

For a moment, I felt very dumb.

I had to laugh. It was the only answer to properly defuse the sense of imminent idiocy, that threatened to submerge me.

Posted by Valentine Cawley

(If you would like to support my continued writing of this blog and my ongoing campaign to raise awareness about giftedness and all issues pertaining to it, please donate, by clicking on the gold button to the left of the page.

To read about my fundraising campaign, please go to: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2011/01/fundraising-drive-in-support-of-my.html and here: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2011/01/fundraising-drive-first-donation.html

If you would like to read any of our scientific research papers, there are links to some of them, here: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2011/02/research-papers-by-valentine-cawley-and.html

If you would like to see an online summary of my academic achievements to date, please go here: http://www.getcited.org/mbrz/11136175To learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, 10, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, 7 and Tiarnan, 5, please go to: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html

I also write of gifted education, child prodigy, child genius, adult genius, savant, megasavant, HELP University College, the Irish, the Malays, Singapore, Malaysia, IQ, intelligence and creativity.

There is a review of my blog, on the respected The Kindle Report here:http://thekindlereport.blogspot.com/2010/09/boy-who-knew-too-much-child-prodigy.html

Please have a read, if you would like a critic's view of this blog. Thanks.

You can get my blog on your Kindle, for easy reading, wherever you are, by going to: http://www.amazon.com/Boy-Who-Knew-Too-Much/dp/B0042P5LEE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1284603792&sr=8-1

Please let all your fellow Kindlers know about my blog availability - and if you know my blog well enough, please be so kind as to write a thoughtful review of what you like about it. Thanks.

My Internet Movie Database listing is at:http://imdb.com/name/nm3438598/

Ainan's IMDB listing is at http://imdb.com/name/nm3305973/

Syahidah's IMDB listing is at http://imdb.com/name/nm3463926/

Our editing, proofreading and copywriting company, Genghis Can, is athttp://www.genghiscan.com/This blog is copyright Valentine Cawley. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited. Use only with permission. Thank you.)