Taexalia

wild.life

Snake(s) In The Grass

Oh how things change. For years I have travelled to America visiting many interesting places, spending my tourist pounds and being curiously welcomed by strangers asking if I know any Ferguson's in Falkirk as that is where their great grandfather's second cousin twice removed came from. The only thing I've ever done in Falkirk is visit the Falkirk Wheel. My closest link to a Ferguson is the tractor my Granda drove around Belt Croft. My knowledge of ... read more

No Change There Then!

I have been quite sceptical about all the marketing around Barack Obama. I have in fact been dumped by a couple of friends because I was unable to see things their way. Ho hum. But here's a couple of enlightening snippets from Barack Obama's great gob, spoken at the National Prayer Breakfast where he met "leading British politician" (er he isn't anymore) Tony Blair ~ Mr Obama praised Mr Blair as "somebody who did it first and perhaps did it better than I will do". After the address Mr ... read more

Sometimes silence is complicity… therefore…

I speak. I have come to the conclusion that there are two things one must not do. There are probably more, but in this moment these are the two things that spring to mind (in the context of blogging and voicing opinions on the international interweb)... One. Do not criticise Barack Obama or otherwise view him with a critical eye. If you do this you open yourself up to abuse and accusations of being various nasty or stupid things. To have an opinion that is not wholly supportive ... read more

Put a sock in it, George

[caption id="attachment_593" align="aligncenter" width="240" caption="Here's one I made earlier"][/caption] Since 2003 the arms traders have been rubbing their dirty little hands together in glee, profiteering from the bloodshed in Iraq. There is no exact figure for the death toll but it is estimated that over one million Iraqis have been killed although the figure for documented deaths swings between 89,892 and 98,151 - it shocks me that we do not have a truly verifiable figure and that ... read more

The Politics of Democracy

When I think about the concept of democracy, I think about a system where every vote counts and where each voter is represented equally. These days I find myself looking at governments and wondering why that idea is being swept under the carpet and leaving many people disenfranchised. I have been watching the rhetoric from the US for months and have frankly been amazed at the way people have been treating each other based on political outlook and a sense of *I'm right you are wrong*. I have ... read more

You have to laugh at Alex Salmond

Just the other day he announced his latest triumph - his comfort with obliterating planning protocol, his cavalier ignorance of the ethics and responsibilities of his office and his wish to un-protect the legally protected SSSI's of Scotland. He is quite happy to have his ego massaged and soak up the accolades that he is an "amazing man" and sell Scotland out to a bully boy who wants to use Scotland to line his pockets. Yes Alex Salmond has personally overseen, though not officially of ... read more

Election Thoughts

Despite the fact that the BBC (which I pay for with my TV Tax called a license fee) seem to have completely forgotten that there is a bi-election in Glenrothes, Fife on Thursday and are instead spending lots of pounds sending reporters all over America following the sorry division that is the race for the White House... Despite the fact that I find myself switching away from any BBC "news" programme because they consider a couple of power hungry men arguing over which one of them is better ... read more

Change is the Buzzword – but where is the difference?

"You know that old Beach Boys song, Bomb Iran? Bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran." ~ John McCain "My goal will be to eliminate this threat." "I will do everything to stop Iran getting a nuclear weapon." ~ Barack Obama (Source: BBC Article - where it also becomes clear he will be another president happy to ship bombs to Israel... will he also use Scottish domestic airports and forget to fill in the paperwork?) I hate to feel apathetic before the expensive race to the White House has ... read more

Oily Thorn

"It's Scotland's oil." This has long been a call to arms for nationalists in Scotland. I have even been known to mutter about the fact that Scotland is oft referred to as the only nation in the world to have struck oil and become poorer. I remember seeing graffiti as a youngster, I think it was on that railway bridge on the A96 that now has traffic lights (ye ken the een that has the 45 degree blin corner and sometimes a neddie in the field on the richt heading North?) - the graffiti said ... read more

Zero Tolerance for Mike Tyson

News today is that a planned corporate event in Glasgow has been cancelled after politicians and groups like Rape Crisis spoke out against the appearance of Mike Tyson. The general message appears to be that showcasing, honouring or otherwise lining the pockets of a convicted rapist is not welcome in Scotland. I'm right there with them.Mike Tyson was convicted of rape in February 1992 and sentenced to 6 years imprisonment. He was released in 1995 after serving 3 years of that sentence.One might ... read more

Interesting

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/highlands_and_islands/7358315.stm"Plans to construct one of Europe's largest onshore wind farms has been refused by the Scottish Government... It said Lewis Wind Power's (LWP) 181-turbines for Lewis on the Western Isles did not comply with European law protecting sensitive environments... The scheme had the backing of the local authority and business, but attracted almost 11,000 objections...."So the Scottish Government has stepped in to protect an SPA ... read more

International Petition to Ban Uranium Weapons

Campaign - International Petition to Ban Uranium WeaponsFor those of you who wish to add your voice to the movement to ban the manufacturing, testing and deployment of depleted uranium munitions, click the above ... read more

Thoughts about anger

SoulCollage Card ~ RageI am the one who sees redI am the red that erupts from the blackI am the bringer of momentumI am the one who can bring freedomI am the one who can trapI am the one who is misunderstoodI am the one who can be harnessedI was thinking about anger last night after posting here that I was livid, and I was thinking about what an unhealthy relationship humans have with this emotion, how uncomfortable we are with anger. On the one hand it is considered a negative thing to *be ... read more