Perceptions

I'm Back!

2009-12-09T13:12:00.000-08:00

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

2005-10-22T09:58:00.000-07:00

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!

2005-08-09T21:04:00.000-07:00

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?

2005-01-20T11:39:00.000-08:00

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

2005-01-07T14:27:00.000-08:00

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

2004-12-24T03:28:00.000-08:00

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

2004-11-05T13:45:00.000-08:00

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.

Kilmarnock College Social Sciences Social Oct. 14th 2004

2004-10-14T17:02:00.000-07:00

Tonight I want to record a really enjoyable experience.

Just in from tonight's Kilmarnock College Social Sciences Social, held at our usual venue Townholm Bowling Club.Brilliant that so many staff and students, past and present, turned up.

Great to see the likes of Sean Flynn, Leigh Balfour, and Elaine McFedries come back to our wee community and tell us how much they are enjoying University. Kick seven shades out of your psychology and social science degrees!

Entertainment was provided by Peter Kerr, who was his usual excellent self. What a talented guy you are Peter!

I know the cover I'd love you to do for that CD of mine. Queen's 'We Will Rock You' was first class man!

I can't believe it's 30 years since I saw you perform for the first time in our much loved Students' Union. A place where we put the world to rights and back again so many many times. You gave Elvis laldy and brought 500 students who were in on the Friday lunchtime shift to their feet in awe!

You students made me and Liz realise again why we love the job so much. Mind you we are getting like many of your mum's and dad's now!

But there once was a time, wasn't their Liz! 'Way to go.'

We both got quite emotional at one point about you all, but you were all too wellied to notice.

It was a great mixture. Young and not so young. Nobody really made an a**e of themselves. Apart from........?

But Vince pal, going to stop bowing to me! 'Better to die on your feet, than live on your knees.'

There will be a few sore heads and bodies in the morning. As some of you went off clubbing to Glasgow, I guess we will need to lose the Registers tomorrow. Oops!

Special wishes to Polly.

Thanks to all that had me up to dance. I was run aff ma wee feet.

Tonight was one of the reasons why I think teaching psychology in Kilmarnock College is the best job in the world.

Jock Stein when asked why he never left Celtic to take up a more lucrative managerial job with a richer club after winning the European Cup with them in 1967 said 'I love the people.'

I know how Big Jock felt. Like me he was self-actualising.

But tha mi a' bruidhinn Beurla!

2004-10-02T03:47:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Ministers unveiled new legislation to protect Scotland’s native tongue.

Under the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Bill the law will give Gaelic official recognition and require all public bodies to have a language policy. Councils will have to take account of any guidance on Gaelic-medium education from a new Bòrd na Gàidhlig quango. Education Minister Peter Peacock said the bill, which was beefed up following public consultation, would make it easier for people to use Gaelic

Peacock said that he was unhappy with progress in providing Gaelic teaching since the Standards in Scottish Schools Act was introduced in 2000. Councils will be required to set minimum levels of demand to trigger an entitlement to Gaelic teaching. If they do not stick to the policy they could face court action or lose grant in aid.

I think this enforcement is absurd. In my view Peacock’s plan is cultural imperialism.

Out of a population of around 5 million only 60 000 or 0.12% Scots speak Gaelic. In schools the number of pupils receiving nursery, primary and secondary education in Gaelic was 2,661 in 2002-03 and 2,879 in 2003-04.

The Scottish Executive propose to increase spending on Gaelic from £650 000 to £3.5 million over the next 3 years. This sum is to be made available for Gaelic Medium Education and for a new Gaelic Development Agency - Bòrd Gàidhlig na h-Alba - supporting Gaelic language and culture. A QUANGO that no doubt will become a right royal pain in the arse as it pushes one of the world’s most introverted and useless languages.

In Ireland you cannot work in education and other public sector jobs unless you have a competence certificate in Irish Gaelic. I can see this coming in Scotland.

Scots Gaelic is not part of my Scottish heritage, or millions of others. It is culturally irrelevant to me.

If Gaelic is deemed important why aren’t other languages being promoted in the same way? There are tens of thousands more Urdu speakers in Scotland than Gaels. A case can also be made for Italian, Polish, Lithuanian and Irish as languages of significance to Scottish culture.

‘Tha mi a' bruidhinn Beurla’.

The Politics of Nonsense

2004-09-24T09:50:00.000-07:00

I am of the belief that our politicians have completely lost the plot. Three comments this week seem to capture their state of mind.

The first piece of political cack I heard came from Ian Wright prospective New Labour candidate in the upcoming Hartlepool by-election. He was given airtime on our national news where he venomously delivered a personal attack on the Lib Dem candidate Jody Dunn. The content was astonishing. Wright smeared her for ‘going to a private school’, ‘living in a big house', and coming from ‘outwith the constituency’.

Just like Peter Mandelson, the reason for the by-election; his sponsor to great office Tony Blair, the majority of the Labour Cabinet, and a wheen of the Parliamentary Labour Party. To which Mr Wright aspires.

This got me looking at the by-election coverage on the Internet. Both Dunn and Wright have their own websites. Ian’s boasts a ‘Shop-A-Yob’ section!

When I saw this I felt like turning in his boss, Tony Blair. The charge would be state terrorism regards the illegal invasion and occupation of Iraq.

Next day I see Iraqi interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi tell the world in Washington that everything is going great in Iraq. The people are delighted with things. Life is that braw that democratic elections will take place on schedule come January. This analysis and sentiment was echoed by no less a person than George W. Bush.

In the week when 300 Iraqi’s have been killed on US bombing missions, later on appeared US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. He told us that if there were still civil war elections would proceed but only in in safe areas.

That’s a great start on the Iraqi democratic road to freedom, eh!

There is nowhere in Iraq that is safe. That’s why the UN pulled out quite some time ago. That’s why it’s now impossible for ‘infidel’ foreign contractors to work over there.

What drugs are these people on?

The Psychology of Wellingtons

2004-09-18T13:29:00.000-07:00

Prince Harry is currently in Lesotho, a tiny landlocked African Kingdom within South Africa.

He seems a nice big lad does Harry. A mere 20 and he is already is involved in AIDS work. He likes getting right in amongst it. He was on TV playing football with a group of Lesotho children. The smallest aged 3 or 4 had come into the world infected with the deadly virus. Harry gave him a pair of blue Wellingtons, and like the producer and camera crew was surprised and amused when the wee one wouldn’t take them off.

I wasn’t at all surprised. Nor amused. I was angry. The per capita income of Lesotho is $3 000, while in the USA its $37 800. Per capita income in the UK is $27 000.

The USA is the second richest economy in the world after Luxembourg, Britain 19th, and Lesotho 151st (http://www.worldfactsandfigures.com/gdp_country_desc.php).

A pair of wellies is a big thing in Lesotho. Shoes, even cheap Wellingtons have the same status value for a Lesotho child, as a mobile phone for our children has here. This child’s self-esteem will rise because of this. His self-respect will soar as a result of the respect now given him by his peers because of his gift. He will cherish them for years, becoming frustrated when his feet grow too big to fit into them! They will then become a household object to be brought out and admired when guests come calling. As much the same way someone might show off an honour they received in Britain. The child for as long as he lives will be feted. His blue Wellingtons a memorial to him when he is gone.

Wonder if the townspeople of Beslan got in much gardening this weekend?

2004-09-12T10:43:00.000-07:00

It’s just a week since the terrible scenes from Beslan hit our screens, but already they are paling from consciousness. The world wants to move on. Hurricane Ivan replaces grieving parents. But don’t be surprised at the Russian revenge that is to come. They will claim the same global freedom to act just as the USA has. But state terrorism only exacerbates things. Ordinary people want to live in peace and harmony with each other. Why don’t our politicians concentrate their efforts in this direction?

I was listening to a politics programme on Radio 4 last night. One contributor raised the excellent question of go-it-alone UK military involvement in places where we really have no business. We lost the British Empire quite some time ago. And anyway where are other countries like Holland, Norway, Canada etc. when someone else’s problem arise? It’s all a bit bonkers actually.

Really enjoyed my teaching this week. The classes are holding together well. Everyone is working hard. There is a buzz about the place that I haven’t heard for quite a few years. That can happen when you get a good crop of students coming through the door. Time will tell, but so far so good.

The occasion of the week were of our national football teams beginning their 2006 World Cup campaigns. Scotland, God bless ‘em, were up against Slovenia. We build our hopes up so high only to see them crushed by later events.

To stand any real chance of qualifying Scotland should have won this home tie and captured 3 precious points, but only managed a 0-0 draw. It’s always uphill for such a wee nation as Scotland, but when we don’t seize chances we then face a mountain. Individually and collectively.

The weather has taken a turn for the worse. As if in sympathy with Beslan it’s turned extremely windy, with heavy showers. Plus it’s definitely getting darker earlier. Jiggered the hanging baskets good style. Managed to get the front grass cut this afternoon, probably its last of the season.

Wonder if the townspeople of Beslan got in much gardening this weekend?

A Tragic End To A Great Week

2004-09-03T18:48:00.000-07:00

As I write details are filtering through to the UK about the tragic conclusion to the Beslan school seige in Russia. After 53 hours the almost predictable nightmare has happened, and 150 are dead.

The images on the TV are horrifying. Bombs and bullets. Naked, and semi-naked children fleeing the building. Blood soaked babies. Men and women wounded and killed. Its just too much.

One child who survived was so traumatised that he couldn't remember his name. As the bodies piled up, parents and relatives searched for unnaccounted for loved ones. What a tragedy.

President Putin is to appear on Russian TV tonight. In order to deflect any criticism, guaranteed he will attempt to apportion blame on some organisation or other.

But before any investigation has been conducted.

The last person he will point to will be himself, and his fellow politicians. However it is they who have created the conditions of such outrage.

Blame will lead to retaliation. That retaliation will lead to greater outrage. And so on and so on until the end of time unless the cause of such carnage is addressed. You have got to talk to the 'enemy'.

Accommodations must be made. Look at South Africa. Look at Nothern Ireland. They are both getting to somewhere far better then the chaos they had before. However unpalatable, you have compromise around why the terrorist has taken to the gun. You, and we will never get peace and harmony otherwise.

Kind of takes the gloss off what has been a superb week. This is because I'm back at the chalk with a vengeance. I've met all my classes, and they have met me. So far no problems, but that never lasts for long in teaching! I'm looking forward to teaching them all the very best I can.

I do hope they pick up the vibe in the Last Chance Saloon of FE.

I Pick Up The Pen Again

2004-08-26T19:01:00.000-07:00

Today is a good day to start my blog again on a more regular basis. The summer holidays are becoming a distant memory as work begins to gather momentum. Its also 8.00 o'clock at night and pitch black; the night's are fair drawing in! Gardening is no longer an option, unless I attach a torch to my hat! And as we are in the last few days of a summer of sport, no more distractions. I've enjoyed the lot! Euro 2004, The Open, Wimbledon and now the Olympics. I am not sportie at all, but I appreciate excellence in anything. This summer I've not been disappointed.

The past week has seen our students begin or return to their courses. Work commences for all Monday next!

Today I met our new HNC intake for the first time, which always signals the start of the new academic year for me. We give our HNC students taster sessions in subjects they might like to do, and this is what today was all about. It was good getting my brain back into gear, as I told them, and reminded myself, what psychology is all about. This will be my preoccupation on an almost 24/7 basis for the next 40 odd weeks or so. Hence the irregular postings during the summer. I was having a wee holiday. But no more!

But www.gerardkeegan.co.uk hasn't been too idle. We have redesigned the Home Page so that it loads faster for those with dial-up connections. We also boast a new animation which is the best yet. A new Get Help section has been opened, and you'll find new photographs of student night outs in the These Were The Days of Our Life bit.

One big milestone was 'finishing' our Research Methods pages. We can now move on and begin to develop psychological processes. We are working on two at the minute, attitudes, and prejudice, which with a bit of luck will be up shortly. Detail of three 'Seminal Studies In Social Psychology' can be found in our Key Studies section, and we've also got six new psychology Hang Man games in Fun Teaching And Learning.

Lots more to come in the months ahead including our top secret project which I can't tell you about just now!

Most work has concentrated on the Psychology Bookstore. As you can see it has been redesigned, and restocked with loads of new psychology titles. We very much appreciate anyone buying a book from Amazon via www.gerardkeegan.co.uk as it helps pay for the upkeep of the site. I'm amazed at the amount of people who think because something is virtual it doesn't cost anything! Not so I'm afraid. The only thing that's free is me and Graeme's energy and time. All others involved want paid!

But back to my reason for being. Students. The HNC today were just a sea of faces. Blurred at that, as my eyesight isn't of the best! I haven't a clue how they will get on. At the minute they are all a tabula rasa, or a blank slate to me. If you attend classes and do what's bid you will pass OK. If you don't you'll come a cropper. If you are enthusiastic and strive to go beyond the bare minimum, you will do well.

Like us all students have their problems. One good thing about being in a college community is that their are people about that can help. Some things we can fix, other things we can't. But in all cases we can give a sympathetic ear. BT say it's good to talk and they are absolutely right.

Quis Custodiet Ipsos Custodes - Or Who Watches The Watchers?

2004-08-02T12:29:00.000-07:00

The beginning of August always sees me refocus on the teaching year ahead. After all there are only two weeks of the summer holiday left until I go back to the chalkface. With this in mind I went into work the tail end of last week to get some photocopying organised, and to have a look at my mail.

Newly arrived as late as ever were documents from the Scottish Qualifications Authority concerning new subject and examination arrangements for Intermediate and Higher Psychology to be implemented with effect from June 2004.

My heart sinks when I see this stuff. For too long have our students been the guinea pigs of changing examination arrangements in Scotland. While I pray it doesn’t happen I predict meltdown in psychology exams next year. There are very good reasons why I say this. Take the new Higher psychology for instance!

The documentation outlining what we have to teach, and what students have to know for examination purposes is woolly and non-specific. This is a bad idea as then what happens is that your Higher Psychology teacher in Inverness will emphasise different topic content than a teacher in Dumfries. I also strongly suspect that these new examinations are in breach of our candidate’s human rights. But this beef is for a later day.

Where there is guidance as to what we have to teach it is wrong. Not only is it wrong, it’s nonsense!

We have to tell our students for example about the work of a ‘Jane Elliot’. Indeed this person appears in examination questions. Only one snag is that nobody called Jane Elliot has ever been associated with psychology!

I think our psychology experts mean a Jane Elliott. If they do then they might want to know that Jane Elliott is not a psychologist, nor has ever conducted any psychological research. She is a teacher, lecturer and diversity trainer who conducted an exercise in 1970 in her primary school classroom in Riceville, Iowa to expose prejudice and bigotry.

Her conclusion, again non-psychological, is that prejudice and bigotry results from an irrational class system based upon purely arbitrary factors. You study class in sociology, not psychology! Her work has never been published in any psychological journal for critical analysis. It doesn’t figure AT ALL in Richard D. Gross seminal work, ‘Psychology: The Science Of Mind And Behaviour. As far as I am concerned if it’s not in Gross then it isn’t relevant. But it wouldn’t be, as its not psychology. Next thing will be that Big Brother will be on our curriculum!

Interesting though Elliott’s work is, Jane does not claim to have anything to do with psychology. This can easily be ascertained by visiting her website at http://www.janeelliott.com/index.htm, where she can be contacted.

I love psychology, and the good folk who study the subject too much to let downright rubbish pass without comment, however unpopular this makes me in the corridors of power. We are entrusted as teachers to impart correct knowledge to our charges. Lets do so? Otherwise we and psychology become a laughing stock.

I was told a meeting in Aberdeen last Spring that one of the reasons we are now doing what we do in Higher Psychology is to reduce the number of pre-16 pregnacies in Scotland! Psychology claims many things but never that it is a successful contraceptive! This kind of drivel must be challenged and I hope parents, teachers and students, now begin to do so with some vigour.

This Bloody Rain

2004-07-24T09:21:00.000-07:00

As a teacher I enjoy a fairly long summer break. The only attraction of the job in lots of ways, as the pay is crap. I am nearly 50, have three degrees, and have taught for 25 years but my salary has yet to reach £30K. I think I do a more important job than a reserve team Premier League player. They earn on average £40K a week.

The holidays are very precious to me. I have got up every day for weeks now in anticipation of a nice day to be sorely disappointed! This has got to be the worst summer for weather I can remember. It’s rained, been dull or extremely windy practically every day in Hurlford. This morning we had rain that looked suspiciously like sleet! It’s been cold enough for Caroline to turn the central heating back on. What a drag.

Bad weather can really get you down. Psychology calls it Seasonal Affective Disorder, which comes to a lot of people during the winter. They aren’t getting enough rays, and consequently become depressed. The solution is fairly simple. You buy yourself the biggest wattage bulb you can find and bung it in a lamp. I am thinking of trying this, but knowing my luck I’d fuse the house or something!

My catharsis is to write. When my fingers fly around a keyboard, my spirits lift. Dunno why? But it always makes me feel good. It’s also good to have time to tease my daughter Toni, who’s on holiday from school. She is 13 and never ceases to make me laugh. Consciously or unconsciously. This morning she attracted my attention to a repeat episode of Big Brother. She knows I can’t stand it, and uses it to wind me up. She pointed to this guy and said, ‘That’s Stewart and he’s a psychology student.’ I went ‘Oh, is that a fact’ to which she responded, ‘He’s a big chube!’

Then it was off to the bowling for the afternoon with her friend Leanne. No doubt a rendezvous with the latest boys they fancy has been arranged. Her mum and me were watching the news this morning when it was reported that the average pocket money for 7-15 year olds in the UK is £7.60 a week. We both looked at each other and burst out laughing. The bold Tone in a good week can extract ten times this from us to keep her in the style to which she has grown accustomed.

So if the weather is getting you down. Interact with your weans. But it’ll cost you!!

Tony’s Phoneys

2004-07-21T00:11:00.000-07:00

The Westminister Parliament breaks up this week for its long summer recess. They have worked hard this year, haven’t they!

For a start there have been all those Inquires to wiggle out of. Four in total, where our Prime Minister has been shown up for what he is. Politicians are generally sleekit bastards, but this one takes the biscuit. He took our county to war on a ‘false prospectus’, using white, grey and black propaganda and is still unrepentant. And for what? Thousands dead, tens of thousands maimed and injured, and hundreds of thousands displaced and homeless. As a consequence it is only a matter of time before an unparalleled attack occurs somewhere in the UK. Reason being that millions in the world hate us.

To avert our eyes from these shenanigans Blair et al. are now concentrating on domestic policy. And what a policy that is! Gordon Brown recently announced 60 000 redundancies in the Civil Service. The Civil Service Unions tell us that the real figure will be nearer the 100 000 mark. He offers those to be put out of a job nothing. This is worse than Thatcher’s annihilation of the miners in the 1980’s. I stood with Brown supporting the miners during those terrible times. We both realised the devastating effects of such wholesale redundancies on the individuals concerned, their families and their communities. But like all the rest in his Cabinet he’s now a poacher turned gamekeeper, which sees behaviours of the worst kind visited on those you once called ‘comrade’. Pass me the sick bag.

Then there is the Ministry of Defence. What are they, or more accurately Geoff Hoon up to? You’ve guessed it, more redundancies! Hoon this week will announce the biggest cull of UK armed forces in a generation. Cutbacks of around 10,000 are expected from the Royal Air Force and the Navy, while the Army is set to lose as many as 12,000. This is appalling, notwithstanding that since 1997 Blair has launched operations in Kosovo, Sierra Leone, Afghanistan and Iraq. Iraq with 45,000 personnel was the biggest deployment since Korea of 50 years ago. Everyone from Private to Chief of the General Staff must be outraged at this reward for services rendered!

In all cases we are talking about peoples livelihoods, taken away from them by the mis-called Labour Government.

What’s going on here, and what are folk going to do about it?

Nothing probably as we are all watching Big Brother. The wrong one.

Gardening And Israel

2004-07-09T13:25:00.000-07:00

I was up and washed and dressed early this morning, which is unusual during my summer hols. Reason being that a friend of mine was due to arrive to take me to a garden centre in Dundonald. She duly did, and off we went in her flashy 2-door silver Merc. My neighbours curtains were twitching up and down the street!

Excellent it was. Good coffee in Fraser's tearoom, good chat and then a wander round picking up this and that to try to give the garden a bit of a finished look before the season gets any older. As women can get carried away shopping, retail therapy my geographer friend Iris Law calls it, I can get carried away in garden centres. I usually forget my specs and the prices of things become very blurred! I buy on the basis of like rather than necessity. Came back with a bootload of stuff and a smashing stone Winnie The Pooh as a garden ornament for our Toni. She was delighted. As was I of course, as it makes me laugh everytime I see it.

The afternoon was spent putting in my new plants and tarting up some pots. Amazing how knackering planting is! All that bending I guess. Appreciated the weather as well. First nice day we have had since college broke up almost a fortnight ago. And it might be the only one, with my luck! I blame our crazy weather entirely on the Chernobyl disaster in 1986. This was when a nuclear power plant in the Ukraine suffered a meltdown in one of their reactors resulting in 2,500 deaths, birth deformities, and cancers. What was chucked up into our stratosphere I am certain has influenced our weather ever since.

The news today was interesting. The International Court of Justice in The Hague found Israel guilty regards the security wall they have built in the occupied territories in Palestine. They say it should be torn down and the land returned to its owners. The Palestinians. Not that they give a stuff, nor will do anything about it. Says it stops suicide bombers getting into their country. I doubt this and question whether it will stop the carnage they claim.

I used to have great sympathy for Israel, and all that it stood for. Defended it in the 1970's when it was most unfashionable in student politics to do so. Main reason was my next door neighbour, a Mr Anson for whom I had immense respect. He managed to get out of Germany in the nick of time and came to Scotland in the 1930's. He spent the war years getting loads of other Jewish people to safety when many others turned their back on their plight. He died a few months ago in his nineties. At his funeral the congregation was told that many alive in Scotland today would not be if it weren't for Martin. What a hero he was.

He had been in a concentration camp as a teenager not much older than me the day I noticed the strange tattoo on his arm, and asked him what it was. Even as a 13 year old I realised he had seen things I could never contemplate. I went off and read Mila 18 and Exodus by Leon Uris. That made me even more sympathetic to the victims of the Holocaust and what a shit deal Jewish people have had ever since Moses. The Israeli's want to read those books I did. Remind them where they, and all downtrodden peoples are coming from.

Get out of Palestine please, its not yours! Be true to your own heritage and support the plight of a people fighting for their own independence and sovereignty.

There's A Psychological Story In Balamory

2004-07-05T10:08:00.000-07:00

Last night on TV the children's programme Balamory figured in the news. The weather was rubbish today and that gave me a chance to check it out to see what all the fuss is about.

Folks, if you haven't seen it before and are interested in developmental psychology tune in immediately! It is brilliant in conception, and absolutely first class from a psychological pouint of view. Plus it is a must see by every under 5 in Scotland at the minute!

Featuring PC Plum, Archie, Edie McCredie, Miss Hoolie, Josie Jump, Suzie Sweet and Penny Pockert it hits the button at all sorts of levels. It encourages the wee ones to read stories, play games, make things and find things to do. It is entirely appropriate to their wee lives.

Miss Hoolie works in a nursery for example. Having such a diddy character as PC Plum encourages them to trust the police! Not a bad thing in this scary world. One of actors who works in the Sweetie Shop (get it?)is in a wheelchair. Their use of colour in the real world is great as well. They use the coloured houses on the Tobermory harbour front on Mull where most of the series is shot. In the episode I saw today the weans were playing with plasticine, making shapes etc. And all on camera. Eat your heart out Jean Piaget. They also helped decide what the best biscuit is to eat. That encourages social participation in later life. It just gets better and better.

Do yourself a favour and have a look at Balamory if you can. You will get a brilliant laugh! But also learn a thing or two as well highly relevant to psychology and early childhood development.

George Best: Angel or Devil?

2004-06-28T14:22:00.000-07:00

Just watched the extremely thought-provoking programme ‘The Truth About George Best’ on Channel 5. Despite his liver transplant he is back on the drink and looks and talks like a dead man walking.

George Best was the first football superstar. He was in the same season once voted English and European Footballer of the year. At 17 he was a regular in the Manchester United team, which with him later won the European Cup in 1968. At 27 he was finished. Tragic in that he was so gifted it wasn’t true. Now at 57 he is riding shotgun with the four horsemen of the apocalypse.

As one who knows, take your sister’s advice and ‘Try a little harder.’

Best wishes.

Big Brother: The Most Dangerous Programme On Television

2004-06-19T11:55:00.000-07:00

My 13 year old daughter Toni has been keeping me updated on her favourite programme 'Big Brother'. It is the talk of the playground.

The big news this week has of course been the drunken brawl between Victor and Emma, now the subject of a police investigation.

As a result the University of Central England in Birmigham have told criminologist Professor David Wilson to sever his connection with the programme with immediate effect. He is the shows resident 'psychologist' by all accounts.

It is outrageous that BB be allowed to have any connection with psychology. It demeans my subject, and gives the programme a legitimacy it doesn't deserve. It gives the impression, especially to daft wee girls like Toni that this is all 'normal'. The people, the situation, the 'science' behind it etc. The weans see all this as 'real'.

I think this is one of the most dangerous programmes on the TV.

Some years ago I asked a group of teenagers what message they got from the the movie Trainspotting. It was that it was OK to take heroin, as at the end of the day you could do what the hero of the movie did, which was chuck it and walk away with not too much of a problem.

Aye, sure. You'll be right enough. As we say in Kilmarnock!

Students Make Me Greet At Times!

2004-06-18T09:58:00.000-07:00

I was standing in our departmental workroom today, and being the last week of courses it was busy with students to'ing and fro'ing getting their coursework in etc. The next thing I knew one of my HND students Graeme went into his bag and handed me a Parker Pen as a wee present 'for all you've done for me'. I was blown away, mainly because male teachers generally don't get anything from male students! I thanked him and left to go outside for a ciggie as this had really got to me. I am meant to be a tough no-nonsense Glaswegian! Ha.

When I came back upstairs, there were even more gifts and cards from my HND group from the likes of Victoria, Elaine, Kay and Leigh. I then saw them all saying their goodbyes to my historian colleague Una. This gave me an opportunity to say thanks and cheerio as well. It was patently obvious that they all have really enjoyed their time at Kilmarnock College, and were going to miss it. All are away to University to do either psychology or social sciences. Many have been accpted into second year and some into third. Many have been with us for four years, starting at the 'bottom' doing modules and Intermediates, and have now surpassed their wildest dreams. As I always told them would heppen if they followed 'the script.'

I stood at the window watching them all go through the gate for the last time and a tear rolled down my face. More than one actually. I will particularly miss Victoria's intensity, Leigh's poems, and Elaine and Kay's dedication to task. As for Graeme I've always missed him, as his attendance was rubbish! But you have an exceptional excuse my friend.

Bon voyage my finest. Go take the world on, and come back some day to tell us how you have done.

Congratulations To Crystal, Jillian, Marilyn, Richard,and Robert

2004-06-16T09:07:00.000-07:00

Congratulations are in order for the gallant band above, who are what's left of my Friday afternoon NC modular psychology class. The reason being that today they conducted an experiment with a random sample of the general public. A task that would phase folk doing psychology at higher levels. But not these guys. They did everything right, and are now away to collate their results and come to some conclusions. Then endeth their last module in Cognitive Psychology.

They are all then off to do their own thing. Some to do Social Care, others to come back and try for some more Intermediates and Highers. And some even are finding work! Their introductory year at Kilmarnock College has given them the confidence to continue. And so they shall, onwards and upwards. Future success depends upon current experience, and if you are not experienced in the qualifications game its always a good idea to start at a level you are comfortable with.

I wish all the above the very best for the future. You have performed really well.

Just Cruising Along

2004-06-15T01:50:00.000-07:00

The last few days have been uneventful in the stress department. Mind you I am not a England supporter!

Euro 2004 has been rare. First couple of games threw up their surprises, such as a poor Portuguese performance against eventual winners Greece. Then came the England-France match, which saw England go down 1-2 after a great goal by Lampard, and two late stunners from Zidane. Best game for goals was last night's Sweden against Bulgaria. Bulgaria were the better team, and 1-0 down against the run of play then Henrik Larsson scored two in a minute. At 32 he had retired from international football, and it took the intervention of the Swedish Prime Minister, and a 100 000+ petition from Swedish football fans to persuade him to return. What a fairy tale in the twilight of his career. And lots more to come.

Got a wonderful surprise last night when a friend and her husband turned up at the door with four hanging baskets for us. Four hanging suitcases more like! They are just magnificent Polly. Thank you very much. And you too Jimmy for clambering up the ladder to put up the brackets. I’d have broken my neck, or ended up drilling holes you could put your fist through!

Yesterday I also received my acceptance for Glasgow University to start a wee course come September. If I say ‘wee’ too often I might persuade myself it is, when in fact it lasts six years! By the end of it I should have the initials ‘Dr.’ before my name, which will be cool. Glasgow University told me to beat it when I applied at 18, so it’s with a grin on my face I end up at the place that initially knocked me back! I say ‘end up’ as this is definitely it. No more studying after this shift.

And talking of shifts, I better get into work.

Scoop Keegan

2004-06-12T02:22:00.000-07:00

I was chuffed to nuts to open my 'Kilmarnock Standard' this week and see an article about 'Gerard Keegan & His Psychology Site'. Lo' and behold a few pages further on I figure again! This time flagged up as a guest speaker at the Kilmarnock College Open day on the 16th June. I glow inside when I see my name associated with good things in the papers! Then great dread takes over, as I think about what can happen when you stick your head above the parapet in life.

In the days when I enjoyed a small refreshment, I used to run around with the KS journalists. I loved their company. Still do, but I don't see them that much anymore. Their sense of humour is superb. Its as black as coal. I always wanted to be a journalist but didn't think I was good enough.

We had a newspaper at College called 'Polygraph', which I used to enjoy writing for. In 1978 I read a book called 'A Sense of Freedom' by Jimmy Boyle. At the time Jimmy was Scotland's most notorious criminal. He book was about his life, his journey through the Scottish Penal system, and the sense of freedom he enjoyed when eventually arriving at the Special Unit in Glasgow's Barlinnie jail. Here he discovered his creative side, becoming a sculptor and author. I was inspired by the book, and wrote to Jimmy in The Bar L to see if I could come out and see him for a story.

In no time at all I had set up a visit, and persuaded Ronnie Nicol (who then lived in Wardneuk, Kilmarnock) to come with me. We got off the bus outside the prison looking the part. I was carrying a ghetto blaster cassette recorder, and Ronnie a huge camera around his neck, and box of attachments. We must have looked a right pair as we walked up to the gate. Hippie student journalists on a story!

An extremely big Prison officer approached us and asked us what we wanted. I said we were up to see Jimmy Boyle and gave him our letters from him. In no time at all we were in the Governor of the Special Units office surrounded by four senior warders. People kept coming and going and whispering in this guys ear. The phones were red hot as we were checked out by God knows who. Special Branch, the Scottish Office, Strathclyde Polis, our University, Jimmy himself etc. etc. Eventually the governor authorised our unuathorised visit! We even got a cup of tea and a biscuit. As we got up to leave to be taken down to see Jimmy, he gently advised us to leave our cameras and tape recorder in his safe keeping, '...because you know lads there are a few thieves in here'! Even as dimwit students we realised that it wouldn't be a good idea at all to report on anything that day!

Our visit went well. We spent about four hours with Jimmy as he showed us the Special Unit and his art, and shared with us his hopes for the future. Which was quite simply Freedom. Jimmy again asked that nothing be written 'in case it jeopardized my parole'. No problem we assured him. Absolutely none, Jimmy. One reason being that Jimmy was once alleged to have nailed a bloke to the floor!

The next day I got two phone calls to my office from him. By this time I was fast going off journalism as a career. While the conversation was cheery enough the subscript was again, 'Don't write anything son'. The deciding factor to stick to something safer came the day after when I opened the office door to be greeted by a friend of Jimmy's Paddy Meehan, who said he was just passing the Uni and thought he's drop in! Paddy, who is now dead, was 'well known to the police'. His purpose was to ensure no scribbling was going down regards his chum Jimmy inside. As I saw Paddy off the premises, I came back into my office and on the back of the chair the Editor of Polygraph Alistair Richardson has put a sign, 'Scoop Keegan'. Aye, that will be right. Never a word has been written about my meeting with Jimmy Boyle until now. 25+ years later.

Last night I missed another much safer scoop! My pal Jason Bryce of James Watt Kilwinning had organised an end of term party for his psychology students, and I decided to go down to Kilwinning to get some pics and a story to put up on the site. Caroline gave me a lift but unfortunately we had a row about where we were going and decided to come home.

End of story. Ha!

A Sense Of Boredom

2004-06-09T13:24:00.000-07:00

It’s about 9.30 p.m. on Wednesday 9th June, and I’m sitting at my PC bored out my skull! The TV tonight is gawd awful. All channels, including Sky. There is nothing on that takes my fancy. Holby City or The Bill just doesn’t turn me on.

Spent the day marking students work, and filling in related forms and registers. I am always amazed at the amount of marking I generate. My Principal once asked me how much I do in a year, to which I replied ‘About 4 feet!’ It’s got even worse since then. At the minute I have 5 boxes and 4 bags of it. But fret not dear reader as I’m making progress. The attendant administration is almost finished, and I cross my fingers that I haven’t missed anyone out.

I once credited an apprentice with a half-module in Job Seeking Skills when I shouldn’t, and got a row from the then Depute Principal and my also now retired Head of Department. (Like he was going to Oxford or something!) There must be tens of thousands of errors and mistakes made on educational forms every year. The exponential increase in daft paperwork dramatically increases the probability of things going awry. And inevitably its the student who is affected in some way.

I’ve just had a brilliant idea.

Why don’t they issue us teachers with a hand held scanner? Even better make students wear electronic tags! A bit like a supermarket, when they’ve filled their trolley with accumulated assessments they pass thru the scanner and get their certificate from a till-like device at the door. EPOS – the Educational Point Of Sale!!

You could save millions a year. You wouldn’t need too many support staff who currently outnumber us teachers in my place 60: 40. Nor would you need monolithic exam authorities! Huge self-perpetuating bureaucracies could go at one fell swoop.

Wonder how that would go down in the corridors of power?

The Venus Transit, But Not In Hurlford!

2004-06-08T06:26:00.000-07:00

I got up early today to enjoy the Transit of Venus. This is the once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon of the planet Venus transversing across the Sun. It occurs approximately every 129 years, and nobody alive today has ever seen this before.

Not that I’m an expert in astronomy or anything! Just that the Venus Transit has captured my imagination over the last two weeks. It is so unique that it has only been reported happening five times previously in our history. The first recorded sighting being in 1639 by Jeremiah Horrox.

In 1768, Captain James Cook set sail on his first epic voyage aboard the Endeavour. This three-year expedition was to become one of the greatest journeys of European exploration, with Cook’s now famous, but accidental discovery of Australia. The reason his voyage was commissioned in the first place is less well known. It was a scientific mission, organized by the Royal Society of London to observe the 1769 transit of Venus from the island of Tahiti.

The significance of such observations later allowed astronomers like American William Harkness in 1894 to work out how far the Sun is from Earth; 92.8 million miles. At the time this calculation was known as ‘the most noblest cause in astronomy.’ It consequently saw astronomers and mathematicians calculate how far the other planets in the solar system are from us.

Ford’s however were the only Transits I saw this morning. The reason being that it was cloudy all day in Hurlford! Just my luck.

I can guarantee I won’t see the next one. Its ETA is 2247.

A Bit Of An Anti-Climax

2004-06-04T08:09:00.000-07:00

I meant to post this blog last night but inadvertently deleted it by accident. Nothing worse, eh?

Yesterday 3rd June was Intermediate and Higher Psychology Exam day. I presented two sections at each level. In FE there is always the worry that folk don’t turn up for their exams. Mainly because they take cold feet. As usual some didn’t appear, while others did whom you thought had chucked the course! The latter usually fail before they put pen to paper, for fairly obvious reasons.

My Higher class are all school students. Their age is a big disadvantage in Higher psychology in that the bulk of the candidature are a lot older. Night-time college students, adult returnees in FE etc. This creates false expectations of 17 year olds by our examiners. As a result I will be delighted if I get a 75% pass rate. And I think this
just might happen as they did their level best in all the circumstances. Some walked out early as happens, but the rest remained until the bitter end writing like fury. Superb effort all round.

As to my Intermediates, who are full time adult returnees, they were absolute stars. One failed to read the instructions on the paper properly and may have bombed, but the rest should do very well indeed. Of these two deserve special mention.

Norrie Doran for showing great courage, guts and determination. And Polly Barnes who didn’t make the exam, but was as much this group’s teacher as I was. You are both an inspiration.

Exam day is murder for me. I was in, in the morning cajoling, reminding, joking, teasing and teaching right up until they went into the exam at 1.00 p.m. I paced around fretting like an expectant father until the end as I waited to see how all had done. And then, bang! It’s over. They drift off, and many you never see again. I got depressed at this as I always do. You think, ‘Could I have done anything more to make that exam more passable?’ Post exam anxiety disorder! The symptoms being a colossal feeling of anti-climax from the teachers point of view.

What made my mood state even worse was being given my timetable for next session, 20 minutes after I put this years mob into the exam hall! My boss wasn’t to know, but I thought ‘Christ, can you not leave this until later. I have just put the chalk down for THIS year! Gie’s a break’ as we say in Glasgow.

If the powers that be had their way I would be teaching 24/7 all the year round. The policy twonks and politicians think the job is easy. I’ll swap them any day, to help dispel this myth.

By today I had bounced back if not quite to a state of euphoria. I had a rare old natter at lunchtime with Mick Roebuck our Principal, Peter Kerr, Charlie Coyle who are fellow social scientists, and Gianna Devin my Head of Faculty. Mick told us a very funny story about a chemistry teacher of his acquaintance, now retired, who used to teach his class using a ventriloquists dummy perched on his knee. Big Coyle immediately pointed at me and said, ‘I can use you next year as mine to help me teach sociology!’

Excellent stuff if only because a few days earlier, another colleague Joe Lappin who was having coffee with us said, ‘I’ll better away and push back the frontiers of knowledge.’ To which I replied, ‘You’ll be resigning then Joe?!’

My Ray Of Sunshine: This Is For You

2004-06-02T13:00:00.000-07:00

Just a short one tonight for maybe obvious reasons?

I was delighted to see a student friend of mine today, whom I thought had fallen by the wayside course-wise. She has had a dreadful time of it in the last few years having to cope with a developing mental health difficulty. This hasn’t helped her educational progress, which hasn’t helped her mental well being. It’s a vicious circle. She is nearly at the winning post however. Just a wee push for the line and she has got a key qualification to get to university to do psychology. her immediate personal goal achieved.

I will miss her, as she is like a ray of sunshine.

D Day and the EU Elections

2004-06-01T12:42:00.000-07:00

On the 6th June 2004 Britain will commemorate the 60th Anniversary of D Day. My dad was involved in D Day. He was in the Royal Navy, and on 6th June had the incredibly dangerous job of driving troop landing craft from the ships to the beaches. He never really talked about the war, one reason being that he was sworn to secrecy regards what he later did, which was work at Bletchley Park. Station X successfully broke the German armed forces top-secret codes giving the allies a huge advantage in their ultimately successful fight against Nazi tyranny.

On the 10th June 2004 we have the European Election. A united Europe was, and still is, the key to European nations tearing lumps out of each other. And what do we see happening in Britain? Political chaos. We see the United Kingdom Independence Party and the British National Party gaining ground. We see the Conservative campaign implode as they fight a battle on two fronts. We see absolutely no campaign of any kind from Labour and the Scottish National Party. Either fighting their own electoral corner, or coming down hard on UKIP and the BNP.

I want to vote on June 10th. It’s the first opportunity I’ve had since we went to war with Iraq. I want to register my displeasure at this, and the ‘special relationship’ with an American Administration that tortures people. Trouble is, who for? None of the above deserves my X. And for the rest? The Scottish Socialist party don’t really want us to be in the EU, and if elected want to be mischievous. They are bombed out as I am into more grown up stuff than that. That leaves either the Greens or the Liberal Democrats. I’m in a quandary. Never voted for either before, so whatever happens my vote will be a first.

Who it will be on June 10th you will never know! But t its why the likes of my dad and his generation fought and died in the Second World War. He must be birlin’ in his grave.

Socialising

2004-05-29T11:31:00.000-07:00

Didn't blog anything yesterday, Friday, as I was out last night. The day itself was excellent. Friday's always are. Got my modular class in the afternoon. Am I impressed with them or whit! This wee group of stars are in our core programme, and have stuck with their introductory psychology for a year. They are so enthusiastic. A good mix of young and old thay have helped each other along all the way. In their last module Cogniitive Psychology they have to observe an experiment and write a report on it. This is something that psychology students at higher levels freak about! Not this mob.

For a start they want ro run the experiment themselves, and do it in public. This will be a great experience. I've taken them through the bones of it, highlighted and translated all the difficult research language, and now they are away planning its implemtation like Eisenhower planned D-Day! Some are getting the materials together, some are drafting up the raw data sheets, some are working on covering the ethical issues etc. etc. It isn't needed, but at their insistence they are even doing a inferential statistic to discover if they get a scientific result.

They will conduct their experiment during our College Open Day on the 16th June. Brilliant stuff. Emulating a very famous Canadian psychologist called Alfred Bandura they also want to video it, to be later analysed on a minute-by-minute, frame-by-frame basis. This would be seen as immense stuff if they were undergraduates in a Uni. They are not. Just working class boys and girls who were all scared stiff when they came to College a year ago. When I said 'Only if the participant doesn't object' they all nodded sagely having immediately grasped the ethical dimension to psychological research. Mostly all came to Kilmarnock college last August with no qualifications. That won't be the case for them come this August when their results come out. I am so proud of them, I really am. Can't wait to report how it goes.

Last night I went out to The Treehouse in Kilmarnock to join some of the staff who were celebrating our colleague Grace Sheed's escape from Kilmarnock College to the Facuklty of Education at Stirling University. Grace and me were at Uni together, and she was on the staff of the college when I joined up nearly 25 years ago now. We've known each other our whole adult lifetime. A good comrade-in-arms, and an occasion I couldn't let pass. Good luck to you Grace.

Today we went up to see my mum in Glasgow, and went to Mitchells in Carmunock for lunch. A lovely place, and a lovely meal. They have a brilliant fish tank table in their lounge, which probably cost about the same as our car! Mum was in great form. Starts off by telling us who has just died of course. She is of that age I'm afraid. Her generation are dropping off fast. This time it was Dermot, my cousin Patricia's husband's dad. Taken into hospital for somethi9ng else and caught an infection. As did my mum's sister Helen and an uncle of the family all in the last 12 months.

This is just too high a coincidence. It must be very worrying for an older person to be told they are going into hospital nowadays. Too many are not coming home as a consequence of contracting something deadly while there.

My sympathy to Kathleen, Nick, Patricia and Leo.

Salva Sgarlata

2004-05-27T13:46:00.000-07:00

Five years ago I taught psychologoy to my first school's class from Queen Margaret Academy from Ayr. A pupil in that group called Salva Sgarlata made an immediate impression on me. A character, he was mature for his age, a true gentleman, and one of the most respectful youngsters I've ever met. We hit it off right away, and very much enjoyed each others company in the classroom. Sadly Salva had to chuck the course as it became too much on top of everything else he was studying. I tried my best to keep him on board, tutoring him at home, but as happens you lose folk. I thought I would never see him again.

He geve me one of the best lines on psychology I have ever come across. He was asked by a journalist from our local paper, who had come in to get a story on our first school-college initiative why he liked psychology. Salva said 'I like psychologuy because it helps me understand why I am as I am.' I thought that was brilliant, especially from a 17 year old. So much so I used it in my book. Crediting him of course.

Today I got a call from Reception to tell me a young man was in to see me. Guess who it was. Sgarlata himself. He looked brilliant. Tall, articulate, confident, well built Italian-Scot, with so many gifts its scary! I am 48 and he can only be 21 or 22. Though we don't actively seek it, it is the very best of compliments a teacher can receive when someone they taught goes out their way to see you again. It makles your feel so good for all sorts of reasons.

Thank you Salva for making my month. Even better than the Scottish Cup Final result!

Upgrade To A Better Future

2004-05-26T13:22:00.000-07:00

As mentioned we upgraded the site to a better hosting package yesterday. Graeme was round at the crack of dawn to catch me before I went to work to begin to get some R&D done. I am amazed at what new applcations are now available to us. The future is really quite exciting. Just tonight we put up our first interactive psychology game. Called
Psychological Hang Man it is a prototype and an example of greater things to come.

If we were to attract some hard ball support we could then produce a psychology site to rival the best in the world. Now that would be something, eh! There is nought wrong in trying to be the best you can be. Its called self-actualisation in psychology. My mum used to tell her students 'Reach for the sky and you might hit the ceiling. Reach for the ceiling you might never get off the ground.' Absolutely bang on in the education game, and a lot of other areas of life as well. She got an OBE for her services to teaching. Something about which I am very proud. As indeed are Lawrie, Bryan and Des.

They are my three younger siblings. Lawrie lives in Manchester, Bryan in Hook, Hampshire and Des in Liverpool. He is the baby! Gave up being a dentist to become a priest, and now has a parish in Liverpool. I still laugh when I think about this. Imagine he became the Pope! My career and popularity would soar, but for all the wrong reasons. Stay in Liverpool, Dessie!

Thursday tomorrow, so better go and get the bin out. If I don't do it nobody will, and two weeks domestic refuse is too much. They are introducing different bins up here for different things. Glass, Paper, Garden, General Waste etc. That will be an even bigger pain to take out every week. You won't be able to move in some small gardens for bins. Glad once again that we have a fairly big one. Some folk will have to stack the things on top of each other!

Now to shift the Green Giant before I forget.

Veni, Vide, Vice

2004-05-25T14:07:00.000-07:00

And so they did! HNC IB came in today to sit their assessment, and I'm glad to report did even better than yesterday's class. They came (apart from Vince!), saw, and duly conquered their Psychology B exam. Performance ranged from good through excellent to first class. I am so pleased for them. And even for those who stumbled, all is not lost. They will pass after some mild remediation. A great end to a good year for mostly all in my charge. Higher and Intermediate psychology on June 3rd and that's about that for the chalkface psychology teacher in Kilmarnock College for 2004. Time was when we all used to relax after the exams, but not anymore. Admin beckons to tie everything up. That for sure is the worst part of my job! I have always found it crazy that teachers don't heve their own secretaries. Prior to teaching I worked in a number of jobs. In all of them I had my own office staff. And an office and phone to match. The resources teachers get are rubbish.

We are very excited here at www.gerardkeegan.co.uk. Our web design company Silkspool is beginning to pick up business. We hope to have an article in the Kilmarnock Standard this week that should bring us loads of hits. Plus we have upgraded our server package in order to do so many more things online. Discovered a great learning tool called FlashCardMaker, which I have high hopes for as an aid to students. We are also pushing forward our idea for a sexy psychology game, which is so secret Graeme would kill me for even mentioning it, so I won't. For the time being!

Henrik had his testimonial game tonight against Seville at Celtic Park. A full house of 60 000 plus. It wasn't the best of games I've ever seen, though the Bhoys won 1-0. The great Larsson has played his last game in the green and white of his beloved Celtic. They will miss him next season, but the opposition won't!

The end to the day has come with another bit of pleasing news. The garden designer
Diarmuid Gavin won a silver-gilt at the Chelsea Flower Show. He is a bit of a hero of mine. I see a touch of madness in him, which I appreciate. So well done him, too.

Just Another Manic Monday

2004-05-24T10:52:00.000-07:00

Been remiss in my Blogs over the weekend, primarily because of the great weather we have been having. Not so nice today, and we've got to take advantage of the rays while we can. Looks like its not going to last though, but we'll see.

Garden is beginning to look good, I think. Always does when its tidied up and dug 'n things. Its great to wake up in the morning to the birds singing. Even better at night when the sun goes down. They go nuts for hours chatting each other up. Haven't seen any foxes this year, but they are about. I hear the wean's rabbits thumping like crazy at night as they try to put Mr Fox off a potential dinner. It might even be his Mrs. as there was a pair of them here last year at this time.

We got a brilliant report in work for the Integrative Assessment part of our HNC Social Science course. The best in Scotland by far we were told. That's good to know! Inspections of any kind are worrying. A bit like being scrutinised by the Educational Stasi. But when I think about it we should never really be that concerned. In my department none of my colleagues have been teaching for less than ten years. More than a majority have been at it for around 25 years each. We have hundreds of years experience teaching what we do. Experience makes success.

This I saw this afternoon when my HNC 1a group came in to sit their final psychology assessment. They wrote like wee troopers in the main, and most had obviously prepared well. They were different to the people they were at Christmas when they did this sort of thing for the first time. Much more mature in an academic sense. My constant Glaswegian naggings have worked! They have become students. At the end one guy said to me that he couldn't wait to get back after the summer to HND, he had enjoyed his exams that much this time. I knew where he was coming from, but cautioned him to get a life!

I have the other HNC 1b section tomorrow. They are doing the same gig. I bet they have the same mind set as todays valiant band, and for the same reasons. Maybe tell you if they did tomorrow.

An Excellent Day

2004-05-22T14:48:00.000-07:00

Had an excellent day, I really have. Was up and out in the garden for 7.00 a.m. this morning taking advantage of the brilliant weather we are having. Got the back lawn cut, which is a mammoth task, while Caroline did a power of weeding, tidying up and planting in our raised garden bit. It would be great to get the other half done tomorrow! As Caroline is away for a training walk to prepare for her imminent West Highland Way trek I guess I'll be on my own. But there is light at the end of the tunnel, and that makes me go fast if on;ly to keep in front of the mutant weeds.

Also today, my wee site got its 10 000 visitor, Both Graeme and I are chuffed to nuts, I can tell you. www.geradkeegan.co.uk has been going just six months. In our first 3 months we were delighted to attract 1000 of you. In the next three months another 9 000 came along! This is fantastic news for two web enthusiasts. Thank you all very much.

In the afternoon it was the Scottish Cup Final. Dunfermline v Celtic. Against the run of play Celtic were 1-0 down at half-time. However the second half saw Celtic come storming back to win 3-1. Two from Henrik, and a belter of a third from 'Stan' Petrov.

Away to bed happy and content. Can't wait until tomorrow.

A Neural Conference

2004-05-21T12:31:00.000-07:00

What's a neural conference you might ask? Well its a brand new idea in psychology that a friend of mine Michael is working on at the moment. He is into biocognitive psychology. Or the relationship between the biology of the brain and our ability to problem-solve. In his view, and its a sound one, the brain kind of shuts down from time to time to allow neural conferences to take place as our mind tries to solve a problem that is perplexing it. We are not aware this is taking place, as the brain needs all its resources without us bothering it! Essentially Michael thinks neural conferences produce eureka type ideas.

This is brilliant stuff, and I can see an immediate human model. Today I got together with Joe Lappin, a bloke in work charged with delivering the Kilmarnock College response to the Scottish Executive's enterprise agenda. Bloody difficult as nobody has actually defined what this actually means. Just that they want one! Joe is one of the brightest buttons in the box. A vast knowledge and understanding of all sorts of things. Apart from computers! Anyway, we got chatting and in the course of our mind meld have by tonight created two new businesses for two Ayrshire people. One in community/voluntary group web design, the other in socio-psychological market research. I just know that from these two initiatives will grow loads of others. The getting together of the right people to 'crack the nuts' is a human neural conference.

We maybe want to encourage more of this in Scotland if we want to become a tiger economy in the 21st Century?

But maybe not on a Friday night!

Psychology Chat Room

2004-05-20T12:30:00.000-07:00

Graeme has been at the 'developing' again, and today put up our trial Chat Room, accessible from Area 51 at www.gerardkeegan.co.uk.

This should prove interesting. We will see how it goes, and if it isn't abused we'll maybe upgrade to a better one. The abuse thing is peculiar. Our Forum is very good, but occasionally we get a bampot posting complete nonsense and rubbish. These are not bona fide guests, members or students, but teachers! Unbelievable, but there you go.
Wonder if this will happen in the Chat Room? We'll suck it, and see folks.

Still felt crap today. This flu thing isn't shifting. As the day went on I felt worse not better. Was teaching nightclass as well this evening, but called a halt early. The voice was packing in. Hurrah, many might say. Hope its permanent! (But it won't be).

Dreadful times in Iraq and Palestine. Was astonished at Jack Straw our Home Secretary annuncing that Israel should abide by international law.

Oh, just like we did when we illegally invaded Iraq last year!

Not Quite 100%

2004-05-19T13:23:00.000-07:00

Got into work and instantly felt the worse for it! Mounting the stairs was a huge effort. My legs felt like lead. None of my schools group had come when I met my boss Gianna in the staffroom. Must have looked under the weather as she said I should get home and back to bed! I agreed that this might be a good idea, sat chatting for a while and then made good my escape. Only to bump into two students who had eventually arrived from Ayr to do their assessment. I sat invilating for an hour or so coughing like fury. But eventually they finished, and I treated myself to a taxi up the road.

I went thru a taxi phase a month or so back. Got them everywhere, morning, noon and night. Until Caroline found out! Got a telling off about economising. Ha.

I do get frightened of debt though. Sign of my upbringing, where debt got you in the Poor House. People have a misconception about this. Think their debt dies with them. Not a bit of it. Your creditors line up, with the government and their agencies at the top of the preferred list. Unsecured debt like credit cards get paid last. Usually by then there is nothing left of the estate. Hence why people think credit card debt is written off. It is in this instance, but so is everything else you had!

Dunno where that train of thought came from. But who gives.

Off to bed to sniffle away to myself without annoying anyone.

A Day In Bed

2004-05-19T01:04:00.000-07:00

Woke up yesterday morning to what can only be described as a 'summer flu'. Red streaming eyes, nose, sore throat etc. The shivers as well. Decided that KC could do without me and phoned in 'sick'. Spent most of the day in bed dosing myself with Lemsips and cold drinks. Much better today, and ready to face the world again.

Just as well, as my line manager phoned to see how I was in the afternoon. As I am never off work this is a mixture of concern for you, and concern that there is nobody to cover your classes if you are unwell. If a teacher goes sick in my College during the teaching year the students are in stook. Things go on hold until the teacher is back. There has not been a permanent job in my Faculty for years and years. Those that are there are on full timetables with no slack. Our staff are ageing, and there is no 'new blood'. I predict a staffing crisis in Scottish FE in 10-15 years time as my generation die off or retire unless this trend, now institutionalised, is corrected.

Now to go and do some teaching. Maybe pen some more this evening.

Cultivated Denial

2004-05-17T12:24:00.000-07:00

I got an e-mail from a fellow teacher recently telling me they were in a state of 'cultivated denial' concerning their students. Reason being the exams are upon us. I think this is a brilliant phrase. You knock your pan out all year like a manic Mr Motivator, but at the end of the day lob the psychological ball and say 'Its now over to you pal.' And so it is. My examination students are no doubt sunning themselves in this excellent weather. I always think they'll have forgotten all the psychology I taught them come the exam on June 3rd. That would be a laugh, wouldn't it!

Day passed without incident. Got some marking in while my HND finished their last assignment. Mostly all are away to Uni, which is great. Come a long way since they started as 'baby' social scientists, some as long as three years ago. Advised one young man Graham, not to take the offered 3rd year place, but enter in 2nd year instead. Too much man. 'You want to enjoy the sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll, as well. An integral part of the Higher education curriculum' I said. I met people from all over the world at student parties. We talked about all sorts of things in an amazing atmosphere. Probably learned as much in the Beer Bar as I did in classes. And my lecturers would probably agree! It was the time of my life, and my experiences have kept me going in stories for 30 years now.

Managed to find the hose connection I was needing. £1 it cost me and hopefully will stop me soaking myself everytime I have to water the flowers. That really gets the wean going! Ha. Everything is growing well, if in an untidy haphazard way.

Hope the weather keeps up. Makes the day that much easier to face, don't you think?

Best Wishes Henrik: King of Kings

2004-05-16T14:06:00.000-07:00

Today saw Sweden's Henrik Larsson play in his and Celtic's last league game at Parkhead. The Hoops were down 1-0, when in the last 10 minutes Larsson scored twice to win the game 2-1. One goal in particular was reminiscent of the great Denis Law.

Coming to the East End of Glasgow in 1997 Henrik has been an outstanding player for Celtic. Probably the best my generation of supporter has ever seen.

He has got one good transfer deal left in him and has decided now is the time to go.

www.gerardkeegan.co.uk wish him well.

Weans and Webs

2004-05-16T02:05:00.000-07:00

A 'wean' (pronounced Wayne) in Scotland is a child. They never cease to amaze and amuse me. Yesterday I was up at dawn, and out into the garden to create some semblance of order. The front needed done bigtime. I worked for hours cutting the grass, weeding, digging the border, and tidying up. The humid weather didn't help and I was fair jiggered. My 13 year old Toni had to be persuaded, cajoled, and even mildly threatened to give me a hand and brush up some grass. She pled an important prior commitment, like hanging out at her pals. Told me that gardening was 'boring' etc, gave it 10 minutes and then bogged off. A while later I looked up the street, and what do you think she was doing? Helping her friend's dad creosote his fence!! I'll need to ask him what the secret is.

Been messing around on Google this weekend and discovered something quite astonishing. There are around 2, 000, 000 psychology forum's on the www. Ours at www.gerardkeegan.co.uk is now in the Top 50. Wow!! Double wow in that the site and the Forum has only been going 6 months. Thanks to all for making this happen. I am amazed and delighted. We are putting school and college psychology in Scotland on the world stage.

And all from Hurlford, too!! LOL.

Had a great evening last night in an excellent restaurant in Troon. Cicchini's I think it was called. Went out with Polly, and Jimmy to celebrate the end of Caroline's exams, and ate well in good company. The place was stowed out, and both it and the town will get even busier with the British Open coming to Royal Troon this year.

Caroline is away for her Sunday walk in the country with the 'girls', Linda and Karen. Toni is waiting for her friend's to get out of bed, and out to play. As for me, today sees more gardening and maybe a visit to a garden centre. Such an exciting life us psychology lecturers lead, eh?!

Then its back to work tomorrow.

I don’t just like Fridays, I love them

2004-05-14T08:17:00.000-07:00

Reason being that the weekend is here. No work until Monday. Brilliant! Spent the day interviewing for our HND Social Sciences course. It’s dead easy, if a bit tedious. All candidates have been with us a year on HNC, so there are no issues. Just pass the first year, and you are ‘in’. Nice to meet the non-psychologists, whom I don’t teach. Saw one guy who wants to leave after his HND and do a degree in archiving or similar. I was able to tell him about becoming a chrtered librarian, but if anyone else in the UK knows of even more pertinent degrees, please e-mail me and I can pass this information on. Best laugh doing the interviews this year happened last week. One of my students failed to show at 9.30 a. m. He arrived at 12.30 p.m. looking a bit harrassed. On enquiry as to where he’d been he said ‘I was still drunk.’ I killed myself laughing and gave him an place on the course for his honesty!!

Had my usual Friday lunch of fish, chips, salad and coleslaw. Great start to any weekend in my view. Sat with Charlie and Jim. Been told that I’m teaching a wee modern studies class next session, which I’m looking forward to. Haven’t taught politics for years. But it should be little hassle. Was asked to consider teaching Higher sociology as well, but I declined. Even if you are ‘Superteacher’ it is not a good idea to teach something that you are ill prepared for. When problems arise you get no support from the folk who persuaded you to do it, Candidates’ grades then suffer, and that is not a professional way to do things.

Caroline then picked me up and it was ‘Home, James.’ She’s now away to buy us a new Hoover. We have had three in the last 12 weeks, all of which eventually died, or so she tells me. I am not close to Hoovers. But I’m sure she’ll pick a nice one to which she becomes very attached. Toni should be home from school soon. She was meant to go to a sleepover at her friend’s tonight, but has been misbehaving. Mum has thus said ‘no’. I wonder if Tone will be able to change her mind for her? Wee bugger, who is the apple of my eye.

It was the best time of my life when she was at St Columba’s Primary. Because the College was just across the road I took her to school every day from age 5 to age 11. When she saw her school on the horizon she was off like a bullet, she enjoyed it so much. We drive this enthusiasm out of our learners by the time they are 13. Questions need to be asked about this if Scotland is ever going to be a tiger economy. 1: 5 adults in my country can’t read and write, and is a shocking statistic for somewhere that alleges the best education system in the world. Not so.

Weather is dull and humid. Must get my grass at the front cut tomorrow. I’m letting down the cul-de-sac! All the old retired geezers have immaculate gardens here. They are out all day every day during spring and summer. I get some in when I can. It would be nice for once to have the garden up and running before the summer starts, rather than chasing your tail during it. Fat chance.

Anybody want a job creosoting my boundary fence aka the Berlin Wall?!

Now to relax and play a new Christy Moore CD that Joe Lappin lent me. No grass cutting this evening, I doubt.

Glad Thursday Is Over

2004-05-13T14:54:00.000-07:00

Thursdays are a long day for me. Classes from 9.00 am until 930pm. Thats like an actor doing three performances a day. Still, tomorrow is FRIDAY, and thats something to savour.

Tonight I had my modular ‘Introduction to Psychology’ class. I am astonished every year as to just how many turn out to do this course. Three, 12 week classes generate around 80 students, who then usually remain with us another year. If the cunning plan works, Id like to have really big numbers doing all sorts in a years time on Thursday nights. General interest, modular, intermediate and Higher. That would be cool. There are two sisters in the group who chat all the time to each other! I feel a ‘voice-hearer’ and can appreciate why a schizophrenic has difficulties with auditory hallucinations. They are sweet though, and I would never say ‘shut up’. They’ll maybe get the classroom script eventually.

Caroline had her last law exam today for this year. We can now return to normal at Furnace Court, thank Freud. Female mature students are murder to live with! They work incredibly hard but fret far too much. We’ve been keeping out her way the last fortnight, while she has been putting in the study shifts. Law is extremely difficult; I have only ever known one ‘natural’ at it. Hughie didn’t take one note all the years he was at Glasgow Uni. When he went to lectures, he just sat and listened. He’s now a Judge, whom I see nearly every day going the High Court in Glasgow. Most others have to work their socks off. Its only when the course is over that you actually begin to understand law. And even then?

I did the same course from 1992-1997, also at Strathclyde. Unit, after unit, after unit for 5 years! What a slog. I knew the treacherous A77 intimately. Poor old Caroline has to do 6 years, as she hasn’t a first degree. But you come out the end of it a completely different thinker. Plus I know all about my mineral rights if ever I buy a house on top of a slag-heap!

Being a Thursday the politics programmes are about to start. I enjoy Newsnight and Question Time, and usually end up debating with the TV set. Looks like the Daily Mirror and the Government are about to tear lumps out of each other over the dodgy photographs alleging British torture in southern Iraq.

I’ll away and have a look at what the chattering classes are saying.

I think I'm Getting The Hang Of This, Mr Grimsdale!

2004-05-12T12:17:00.000-07:00

It was a great day today until I heard the evening news.

The weather in Hurlford, Ayrshire has been brilliant! Went into work this morning in my sandals and short-sleeved shirt, and got the rip taken mind you! But I love the better weather, which is the gardener in me.

First spent some time chatting in the Staff room with my boss, Mick Roebuck and a few of the other philosophers. Peter, Joe, Jim, Iris and Grace. Eventually we all had to move and it was upstairs to get wellied into the marking. There are enormous piles of disparate stuff on my desk this time of year. Nightmare. The secret in teaching is to do a little a lot, otherwise it goes mental. As do you.

Was doing well, and had knocked about 2” off the 4’ 6” mountain when two of my school’s group pitched. They were in to do an assessment, so it was down tools and finding somewhere to sit and invigilate the assessment. Top floor. I was knackered running up and down the stairs getting them organised, and then myself relocated. Two bags of marking is like two tons when you have to climb up three flights for the third time in 15 minutes. They got it finished and off they went on their study leave like their colleagues. One is off to the Royal Scottish Academy in September to do music. Imagine having such a talent as that? Explore and enjoy Holly.

Lunchtime saw a Union meeting. These used to be sparse and grey affairs, but not anymore. There was a great turn out. Mind you, always is when pay is being discussed! I think we are beginning to value ourselves more. A lively debate on an offer that we rejected. Too long we have been the Cinderella of education in Scotland. Or so said the Scottish Executive a fortnight ago. We are now coming to the reckoning on this one, methinks? A wage to reflect what we are told we are worth.

P.M. was more marking, and a tedious journey home by bus. I’ve never learned to drive as a result of interesting eyesight, and buses and trains are my only hassle in life. Cheered up immensely when I found Graeme in the office beavering away as he does.
The Boy Wonder did his thing, and now the Blog as we can see. Excellent has been our favourite word on www.gerardkeegan.co.uk this last six months. The gestalt is something else. We get such a buzz when we see our visitor figures climb. 88% of websites are never seen by anyone. We in less than 6 months, have attracted nearly 10 000 visitors. Incredible. And thanks.

But then the News.

That poor guy Nick Berg, beheaded in Iraq, and the US promising a major doing in return. But with whom? Not a good idea at all, as has been this whole misadventure. In Scotland we have the big Plastics factory explosion in Maryhill, Glasgow. A major tragedy in my home town. Reminded me never to leave the house on an argument with Caroline or our wean, Toni aged 13. You just never know what’s around the corner.

Thoughts to all concerned.

Now for a wander around the garden, apprentice to all I survey.

Blog Beginnings

2004-05-12T07:15:00.000-07:00

Decided to create a blog on the site today. As you do when you are in work and the mind wanders! No idea how it will develop, as that will depend on the energy thing. I'd like to try and keep an online diary, so maybe that's a good start?

More anon. once this is 'up' and posted.