I'm Back!

Hi to all who frequent these parts!

I've not blogged for years, but have decided that now is as good a time as any to restart.

I've been meaning to post for a while but have been kind of busy. What with writng my new 'Higher Psychology' book, being made redundant, starting my own businesses and getting engaged to my dear Kathleen!

Over and above planning our wedding in April 2010, we've also decided to sell my house in Hurlford and relocate to her lovely luxury apartment in Cambuslang, Glasgow. That's going to happen in January.

I can't wait to get back to Sin City. I've been away far too long. Nearly 30 years in fact.

So it's all happening, which is cool and scary at one and the same time.

Progressing

Just checked my last Blog and discovered that folk have taken the time to add a comment to my last entry! Thanks. It is much appreciated.

So much so that I'm going to try to be a bit more regular as my Doctor might say! Famous last words.

The book progresses well. I have 25% of it done, which is pretty good given my busy life. I'll edit this next week, and that will be me up and running with the project. Once I reach the half-way stage I get quicker, and before too long something emerges that makes me say 'That's it. Done.' I used to panic about my writing, thinking 'What a lot of crap.' But if you keep at it, tinkering with a sentence here and a sentence there, something good always transpires. It comes into focus.

For those who like specifics I've done the Introduction, The Experimental Method and Early Socialisation. That other brilliant Scottish writer JK Rowling needn't look to her laurels just yet! Talking about writers bet you don't know that if you are with a kosher publisher we all get the same general contract? We share the same film deal for example. I'd insist I played Sigmund Freud. Others might say I'd make a far better patient!

Its a pretty dreicht day here in Hurlford, Ayrshire. Very Autumnal. I love this time of year. The colours are fantastic. If not the rain. This part of Scotland boasts loads of grey squirrels, who have been mega busy gathering in their food supply for the winter. I have seen hundreds over the last weeks or so. The birds have been working hard as well. Soon they will have to wear kevlar jackets as we blast them out of the sky because of this avian flu milarky. The UK has known about this since 1997 and has done nothing much about it. Britain reported its first case of a parrott from Surinam that died of H5 this morning. The prospect of it developing a human form is very scary.

So is the prospect of a Conservative government mind you!

A New Psychology Book Is Born!

It is appropriate that I start my Blog for academic year 2005-2006 by telling you about a new book for SQA psychology that is just around the corner. Or should that be bookshelf?

I wanted to tell everyone about it last Monday, but had to wait until I was absolutely sure of its existence. You don’t want sued for misrepresentation. The writer’s paranoia I guess. The reason is that I, me, your man am the writer of this brilliant new tome!

It is going to be called ‘Higher Psychology’, and according to Georgina Allan marketing guru at publishers Hodder & Stoughton will promote an understanding of psychological theories, concepts, research studies, research methods, terminology and applications within a historical context. And who can argue with that. Or indeed Georgina!

It will be available this time next year from all the usual High Street outlets, www.madaboutbooks.com, and Amazon.

What is neat is that it will also be the first psychology text published by Hodder Gibson, the new Scottish division of Hodder Headline plc run by my old friend John Mitchell. If anyone can tell me the connection between John and the Times Educational Supplement Scotland I’ll send him or her a signed first imprint of ‘Higher Psychology’ the minute it comes off the press.

So the next 10 months are going to be hectic. A new book to go with my new job as an Assistant Head of Faculty. Plus I’m going to be teaching Higher psychology at night again. Man, I just love those classes. But I’m knackered just thinking about it. I’ll be using the Blog to bring you all up to date on progress and all that’s involved in writing a book. It’s an amazing journey, as my meanderings should prove.

A Prediction?

Funny how certain things happen simultaneously in Britain and the USA.

Take for instance the recent court martials of a few privates and non-commissioned officers from the US and British army. The first lot tried for torture at Abu Ghraib. our lot for similar shenanigans during Operation Ali Baba in Basra. (How PC was that!)

In both cases the line of defence used is that the defendants were only following orders. Nonetheless in the US trial Sgt. Garner was found guilty, and sentenced to ten years. The defendants in the Britiah trial will equally be found guilty. They too will receive sentences of varying severity.

In the USA Garner et al look as if they have been hung out to dry! You don't do anything in the army unless someone orders you to. The British military are a bit more noble than their American counterparts. They have already written the escape clause for those who will be convicted.

What will spring them are the 'unprecedented' comments made by General Sir Mike Jackson Chief of the General Staff on the first day of the trial regards the defendents' conduct, and the photographs illustrating the alleged charges laid against them. These are 'comments prejudicial...' if ever I have heard any!

On hearing in a year or two that Cpl. Daniel Kenyon and others have won their appeal on the grounds of various breaches to their human rights. General Sir Mike will no doubt say 'Oh dear.' in that very British way of his.

A soldiers' soldier.

The Tsunami Tragedy

The events of the last weeks in South East Asia have really affected me. I’ll be 50 this year and can honestly say I’ve never seen anything like this that has had such devastating consequences.

One minute you are sitting eating your breakfast, and then whoosh, everything destroyed. Husbands, wives, children, houses, schools, jobs, services, infrastructure, governance, the lot. Not just in one country, but in 12.

The peoples of the world have responded magnificently, especially in the UK and in particular Scotland. Our small nation has taken the lead and raised £12 Million so far.

There has been a wee Minister from Cathcart, Glasgow on the Scottish news for the past few nights. He appealed for trucks; he got them. He appealed for people to help fill the trucks; he got them. He appealed for a plane, and he got one.

Move over politicians. These are the types of leaders we want. These are the types of things that concern us.

The BBC documentary on the tragedy shown last night was superb. It covered the issues from a personal, national and international perspective with such professionalism and sincerity. The BBC has done a first class job, and continues to do so. Our media generally have done us proud here.

Maybe not so much our politicos, and businesses. The former seemed lost at first. Both our Prime Minister Tony Blair, and our First Minister Jack McConnell stayed abroad on their holidays as the casualties mounted. It was ordinary people thru the Internet that kick started the public’s brilliant response. Businesses were for a while competing with each other regards the size of their donations. Vodaphone for example made great play of donating £1m to support the humanitarian rescue operation following the tsunami.

In perspective however this is only one hours income from all the money they made last year. Plus if I’m not very much mistaken charitable donations are offset against tax. They are not really giving anything at all.

Yesterday UN Secretary General Kofi Annan called for a massive global effort in the next six months to raise $1 Billion. He estimates that it will take at least ten years for Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and India etc. to recover.

I am certain that this cash will be raised, much of it from ordinary folk like me who have been gob smacked by events.

In all this we may as a world begin to reconsider our priorities. Global peace, justice, humanity rather than war, inequality, and heartlessness.

2004 And All That

Before you can say ‘Boo’ to a turkey, Christmas will be over and New Year upon us.

2004 has been quite a year

The war in Iraq continues unabated. The Americans have raised the city of Falluja to the ground in revenge. On Tuesday of this week we had an attack in Mosul with 22 US military and other personnel killed by a suicide bomber. Earlier in the year we had the Madrid Bombings and the Beslan Siege. Darfur. Etc.

It just goes on and on further into disaster.

I wonder what Jesus Christ would have said? Probably would take his own name in vain at the complete mess we make of our world.

Political pundits are already warning us that the year ahead is going to go much the same way. Bush is in the White House for another 4 years. He, his colleagues and allies are a complete disgrace as they kid us on as to what this is all about. At root it concerns money, oil, and profit in a crusade against Muslims.

We have the General Election in the UK in June next year to vent our opposition to what our government has been doing. ‘New’ Labour must be dealt a serious blow if the people want to regain control of our democracy.

Peace, Progress, and Respect.

Gunpowder, Treason and Plot

It’s November 5th and I am being deafened as I write by hundreds of fireworks going off all over my neighbourhood.

Some sound like bombs exploding, some boom like cannon, others issue the rat-a-tat-tat of a machine gun. A Hurlford ‘Shock and Awe’.

Kind of appropriate though when you think about it.

Tonight tens of thousands of American, and American trained Iraqi troops are massing around the town of Falluja. The anticipated big push is on. It is estimated that 5000 insurgents and terrorists, as defined by the United States of America, await the onslaught hunkered down in bombed out buildings.

Defence analysts predict heavy casualties if this comes down to hand-to-hand street fighting. In the urban environment the defender, however small in number, always holds a military advantage. These defenders might take some ironic comfort from the fact that a small band of lightly armed Jewish Poles in a similar situation in the Warsaw Ghetto took on the might of the German Wermacht for weeks.

The conflicting comments of the man who will give the official ‘go’ command sometime very soon, Iraqui Prime Minister Allawi, haven’t helped one bit.

He has been on the news three times today. The first was to advise the Fallujan rebels to quit before the storm. The second was in positive response to Kofi Annan’s plan to give the UN a shot at negotiating a peaceful solution. But the third a few hours later was to say that unfortunately it’s now too late for a negotiated peace.

An attack is inevitable.

Allawi is a placeperson Prime Minister. The hand of George W is at work, maniacally directing operations from The White House. He is flushed with his success in the recent US Presidential Elections. Bush will have already told Allawi when zero hour is to be. Tony Blair will have known weeks, if not months ago.

With the Black Watch already taking casualties at Camp Dogwood in the Sunni triangle 25 miles from Baghdad, the British public are again asking their politicians interesting questions. Like why did, and how can, this battalion size British Battle group of 850 replace the division of 8000 US troops who previously occupied this dangerous forward position?

While at Falluja the bombers will go in first, then the ground attack fighters. Next will come the helicopter gunships, as the tanks and troops move forward. Tonnes of death will rain down from the skies. Hundreds of shells and millions of rounds of ammunition will be expended. A lot will die on both sides. The rebels will go immediately into folklore.

After the 1916 Irish rebellion Britain executed its leaders in Portlaoise Prison in Dublin. The main reason for the failure of the Easter Rising was the general population did not support the Irish Republican Brotherhood. The subsequent execution of the IRB's leadership was the biggest mistake Britain made in Ireland. Plunkett, Connelly, Pearse etc. became heroes overnight. Irish citizenry all embraced their dream. The 1919-21 War of Independence followed, resulting in the partition of Ireland. Partition has driven the Troubles in Northern Ireland ever since.

The world will live with the hellish consequences of Falluja for generations to come.