Another Sun Ray From a Shallow Mind

Was this the face that launched a thousand ships? And burnt the topless towers of Ilium? Sweet Helen, make me immortal with a kiss!

-- The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus Christopher Marlowe

The Guardian has an amusing online quiz: Are you an alpha girl? Here is mine: "Just an ordinary gal. Perfectly capable of standing up for yourself when you need to, but you are also willing to compromise for the sake of good relations with family, friends and colleagues." Yeah, right. :P The Guardian has loads more to distract you with: the Quiz Room. There is one regular feature that makes The Guardian quite popular: Notes and Queries. If you refresh the page, a set of different questions will come up. My favourite section is Ethical Conundrums. It makes a fascinating read. Of course, for those who are interesting in all thing Anglo-Saxon, this might interest you: This Sceptred Isle. To come to think of it, why is this country known as 'This Sceptred Isle'? Could it be from one of William Shakespeare's plays? I've never studied Shakespeare at school [we had Robert Greene and Christopher Marlowe instead]. What I know of Shakespeare's works, I learnt from third-party books, films, and others' comments. Let me see if I could track it down. Yup, Shakespeare. Jesus, does everything quotable come from his plays? Taken from this entry at the Barlett's Familiar Quotations web site:

This royal throne of kings, this sceptred isle, This earth of majesty, this seat of Mars, This other Eden, demi-paradise, This fortress built by Nature for herself Against infection and the hand of war, This happy breed of men, this little world, This precious stone set in the silver sea, Which serves it in the office of a wall Or as a moat defensive to a house, Against the envy of less happier lands,— This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England.

King Richard II. Act ii. Sc. 1.

England. Of course. It's always bloody England. Be good, be bad & be safe.