Terry Lloyd's Blog, page 6

War and Peace.

How come some people and their pets can have such an in depth empathy, even a trusting and work related dependency? The rapport between animals and people can be a complex and even fascinating subject. However, as amazing as this kind of rapport can be, one wouldn't expect their pets to collect together and systematically wipe out their owners. Unfortunately, we as a species, seem not to have a successfully enforced standard or even point whereby we draw a diplomatic line. Disputes can escalate into damage and bloodshed until it is set on a course to terminate one another. At a time when fighting has led to destruction of vast and abhorrent proportions, diplomacy seems to have all but disappeared. One has to ask when will sanity prevail and we stop the carnage?

We pride ourselves on having a superior conscious and thinking ability to claim humans are superior to the rest of the animals. Throughout history it could be claimed that there is armed conflict somewhere in the world happening all the time. Codes of conduct are flouted and worked out on ways of monopolising or maintaining power.

Could it be that our intellect has the ability to justify whatever reason is necessary to carry our unspeakable cruelty to innocent civilians.

It could be thought, any extraterrestrial life looking at how we behave, may decide the best course of action is not to make any contact with such a war prone population.

There have been huge and awful conflicts. Heroes have fought for an end to all war and with words aimed to pave the way forward for a future of peace. Is it possible that the population of earth can live in peace permanently? I certainly hope so, but history does seem to convey that many outstanding representatives striving for peace have met an untimely end. After the war a great idea was the United Nations but unfortunately the working construction renders it useless to effectively stop wars. Unless an effective solution is created I fear a third world war is a possibility.

However, hope is a starting point to strive for a solution. In many countries the population march and demonstrate for peace yet their elected representatives fail to carry out their wish. People can have power and what they do can determine progression. Success can be seen in many small and larger victories, it is integral that governments should recognise fair justice and how actions do need to be accountable.

Modes of Transport.

One of the things about ageing are memories, good and bad. The good can be enjoyable and the bad can be relegated to learning experiences. My parents had a rich mixture of home towns. My dad from up North near Liverpool and my Mum from down South near Colchester. When I started going to school I was quite a unique mix of accents and pronunciations. I was constantly being asked where I come from by peers. Unknown to me, at the time I had a natural ability to pick up accents and even now I find myself copying a new acquaintance's dialect. It can be a little embarrassing as it could be thought I was sending them up but the accent copying trait is something that I have had since childhood.

My dad, although suffering ill health, had an inventive mind and home built a dog cart. He made it out of various parts taken from discarded items, like an old pram for wheels, and some wooden planks screwed together. It had handrails, two metal poles and a harness to fit the dog. It was interesting to notice people's reactions when they saw me as a very little boy sitting on the wooden base and holding the reins to guide the dog. It was all very Husky sled and we both loved the trips, even though often not in the snow!

A thought provoking memory is my history of transport. It was a real array of wheels and spins, starting with a tricycle and then a pedal car. Subsequently, a two wheeled black bicycle came into my mode of transport progression. I loved all of my early wheelbound ventures, but I once had a close encounter with a car coming up a hill. It passed a parked vehicle and I was going down the hill at some speed, it seemed there was enough room to pass the car but I went to the extreme right and that of course meant I was on the wrong side of the road. I avoided the car but scraped the curb with my mudguard making a terrible noise. I thought the matter was finished until later my parents confronted me about how reckless I had been. Caution became my middle name after that incident.

At school I had my pride and joy of an orange, second hand bike with three gears. I foolishly challenged a classmate to a race, which on thinking back wasn't one of my best ideas. We picked a stretch of road but forgot about other road users. My classmate had a ten gear, brand new bike. We set off but a motor car had overtaken us and then slowed us down, which was a bit of a gift for me until the car turned and left the road clear. I was stuck in second gear, as to change gear, one had to stop pedalling. On losing by some distance, out of breath, I explained my technical problem to my classmate. He was quite happy to go again but I thought better of it.

On thinking back, my approach to two wheeled transport was rather cavalier, as at that time nobody thought of wearing a crash helmet and my highway knowledge was not the most proficient. I did improve and with a lot of memories about learning, passion and maturity thrown into it.

Natural Creation.

Science had me in a state of intrigue from childhood, the very idea fascinated me. Even as I grew older, I could not help but think about the subject and my mind would fill with vivid ideas. Science did encompass for me, so many of those awesome facts about the environment, survival, history and development. At one time, when I was trying to make sense of my surroundings, I came across some interesting points. Thoughts and questions drew my focus such as, what is in the middle of the Earth and do things change? Why is there a giant ball of iron that is surrounded by a mixed covering of iron and nickel?

Now, you could be forgiven to think that I was a very knowledgeable child and even though I had to work up an interest for many school taught classes, where science was concerned, I certainly found a passion. I did find answers to many of my queries and in relation to my earlier questions, for example I found out that there is a thick layer of molten rock and a thin outer crust. The fact is in the formation of planets, heavier material forms in the middle of the planet, due to gravity. As for things changing, a major part of Natural Creation is due to change. The heavy metals, in my question, are there because of the greater pressure produced. This pressure can come about in a giant star, that at the end of its lifetime, explodes thus releasing material. It is thought that this process and as a result of that material, some of it became the substance for the Earth. This process has been happening for millions of years and is continuing now, creating new stars and planets

Hold on, what is this Natural Creation? It is the property of existence without any intention.
You can not demand Natural Creation to produce something specific, as that would need intention. However, there are no limits to the scope of Natural Creation.

Many people assume that what they can see has always been that way and has happened with intention. I suggest there has been a past and there could be a future and what you see is just the bit in the middle. Take Continental Drift which is continuous, very slow movements of the continents that can cause earthquakes.

There was a very popular cartoon series called the Flintstones which featured the characters Fred, Wilmer and Dino the family pet dinosaur. The reality is the Dinosaurs existed about sixty six million years ago and the earliest time of mankind was just under three million years ago.

However, this is hotly contested by people who claim the Earth is only six thousand years old, that includes all of the Universe as well. They also claim all of creation took place in one short period of time. That implies that there is intention and the form of objects would be what could be seen at their present time.

One final point, it could be thought Natural Creation should not be taking place if the above is true. Clearly more proof of a short time of creation would be needed to explain what is going on if that theory was to be accepted. Science is a very varied and intriguing topic and it provides scope for such a range of ideas. I personally think that it is a subject that can provide a different way of looking at history and even looking at the future.

Trip into the Country.

Sometimes just the smallest trip into the countryside can bring so much joy. I would like to describe such an occasion, when a young boy had visited his grandparents' small holding. During his stay, he took a trip and accompanied by the family, they went into the nearby fields.

The boy was about ten years old. The aim of the trip was to collect chestnuts. Later in the week, that little boy could not forget the buzz of pleasure that he had experienced on that trip. It was because of this, he decided to go again to revisit the clearing. His parents had told him that he could not go wandering off on his own, but the attraction of the chestnuts proved too strong. Armed with two shopping bags, he set off. It was late afternoon, as he walked down the winding avenue, he remembered the bridge that covered the shallow stream. He left the avenue to cross field after field. One of them still had the visiting card of cowpats scattered across it. Then he came to another stream with a single narrow plank across it. At last, he reached his destination.

It is only as time goes by that with maturity, people learn to see potential danger. The young can be oblivious of such things. Scattered on the floor were some of the green spikey jacket chestnuts. Some of them were split, revealing their bright shiny nuts inside. The boy eagerly began collecting the nuts and with two bags full, started the return journey home. There was a distinct hoot of an owl and the weather had started to change. On reaching the plank to cross, it became more challenging. It might have been better to cross, carrying one bag at a time but that never occurred to the young boy. Fully loaded he reached the middle and the shaking began. One foot slipped off the plank but he managed to keep his balance. Safely across, he noticed the light was fading and his confidence in finding his way began to waver. Was it this field or the next that he had to make a turn? He had to decide correctly, as in the dark it would be impossible to find his way home. It is at times of crisis that one must control fear and think logically or at least that would have been a good policy to follow.

I've got it, thought the young boy as he aimed to remember in his bewildered state, it was the field just after the cow pats where I took a turn… Eventually he reached the winding lane. He kept focused and found his way, thoughts consumed with his own trip. In fact, it had never occurred to the boy how he was going to explain where all the chestnuts had come from without revealing he had disobeyed his parents. Upon reaching home, came the dreaded question. Where have you been?

In later years one can look back on escapades with a mixture of pleasure and tolerance, as it is only in experiencing life that one can learn from the highs and lows. Those happy sunny days can bring about a smile and a chuckle or even an emotional sense of appreciation. It is not always the best memories that provide the most insight but each recollection can have a personal sentiment associated with it.

Life's Existence.

When thinking about the world of nature, I often wonder why things do as they do. Where does the purpose come from in a living organism that strives to exist? Of course from within itself. In order to do that it would need the ability to choose, without using any intellect, the life changing possibilities that could be available.

It is claimed that organisation of life is solely due to the gene, which some say is the blueprint
of life and even claim it is selfish. I would disagree as giving emotion to a molecule is not possible. Also genes are only a part of the process that is necessary for life.

Mendel's genetic work on pea heredity resulted in a precise formula for traits. However it might not be as well known that he had removed variations to leave only a pure choice of different family possibilities. That is why it is not possible, simply using only one gene can result in correctly identifying a particular trait. There are more factors apart from genes involved in establishing traits.

Furthermore, there is communication of information between a parent and its offspring that is contained within the parents’ body. This phenomenon takes place in cells and the genome. An early idea claimed that there was a barrier that could not be crossed but this is not the case. Darwin was right when he proposed there was a biological connection between the old and new life forms.

There was great excitement at the discovery of the genome which resulted in claims a gene identified causing a certain illness could be removed.

There is no doubt gene sequencing is a giant step in understanding the history of life formation.
However it would be a mistake to over claim its possibilities.

Scientific study, efforts and theories have been influential in the idea of gene construction and possibility. Both interesting and intriguing, the subject has been the basis for debate and discoveries. What is not questionable in the same way is that the struggle for life is an everyday occurrence and long may it continue.

Exploding Devices.

In Lebanon there has lately been some controversial events, a recent spate of exploding electronic devices, has caused questions to be raised. It is concerning to many nations because national security and conventions on law matter. In my opinion, a decline into warfare that puts everything into a category of the end justifies the means, leads to a very dangerous threat to democracy.

Multiple media outlets and news reports have emphasised the technical ability to carry out the explosions but have also pointed out that such wide scale provocation could lead to an escalation in retribution. It does appear as if Israel is intent on causing a larger Middle Eastern war as it increases the targets and locations of attacks. Each time the actions taken on the part of Israel incur indiscriminate harm and killing of a huge amount of civilians.

The seventh of October should not be used as a weapon to cause further human harm. As an atrocity, it should not justify war crimes, invasions and claims of military might over human rights. Political concerns from so many countries over Israel’s extreme decisions have increased and instead of joining with other nations to legitimately secure issues of defence, Israel has isolated itself and keeps ignoring external advice. I, like many, condemn Hamas’s actions on that day in October but also feel that claiming the right of self defence has limits before becoming open aggression. Preparation of the exploding devices must have taken place a long time before the seventh of October.

The USA and UK claim to support a two state solution for the Palestine and Israel dispute but their actions do not match their words. Blinken has made several unsuccessful trips to the Middle East, has made claimed efforts and promises of progress with no results.

Are we in the UK going to be pulled into a war without any say in the matter as actions of provocation are on the increase? It is arguably irresponsible to supply arms and money to combatants and have no control over how the weapons are being used and simply duck any responsibility for the consequences. If the UK and USA really want to have a ceasefire in the Middle East then there is a requirement to stop supplying weapons and start relying on words.

Politics.

Politics is an arena that, on occasion, feels like it never stops delivering unpleasant actions. Just when you think a new government will break the circle of austerity, what do they do? Cancel the winter fuel payment for pensioners.

The amount of money saved is arguably insignificant to the claimed black hole that has been brought to the public’s attention. As a justification of their action, then this falls short for many people’s pockets, energy budgets and wellbeing.

It is important to note that the government knew about the black hole when in opposition, it was spoken about and used as a topic in public debates leading up to the election. They talk about sharing the burden and taking money from those that have broad shoulders as it is the best way to bear the cost. How pensioners fit that criteria is beyond me.

It is ironic that there is enough money to pay to royalty and fund no end of military actions. When it comes to the House of Lords and pulling on the purse strings, there is no shortage of finance to pay an attendance allowance of over three hundred pounds each time. There are over eight hundred Lords and they can claim travelling expenses as well as subsidised canteen facilities.

Are we living in a just society or is there a take as much as you can privilege? The government is supposed to be the arbitrator for the will of the people. I can only say the new government is on current appraisal perpetrating another disappointment, it promises so much and delivers so little.

Politics should be an example of the best choice that can be made for the people’s benefit. Choosing a pensioner to bear the cost of bad decisions, budgeting failures and economic debacles is not a very good choice.

Creation and Evolution.

In Northern Ireland there has been heated debate over widening tuition legislation. The subjects concerned include evolution and an association to creationism. It strikes me to comment that a far more productive step would be to give the students the tools to understand epistemology. How to be critical and of course how to construct a logical argument using premises and a sound conclusion. Why epistemology? It is the theory of knowledge because it is a sound way of checking if ideas are robust enough to have trust in.

Giving people tools, I believe, should be the first step to enable them to approach important ideas that have potential to shape their future life. Just mentioning two lines of thought reduces the scope of possible choice. It also could be confusing to not know a method that enables and establishes a clear line of thought.

Teaching students how to think opens up a vista of creative development that can be applied to all mental activity. Solving problems may need to be the starting mode of introduction at the beginning and it should question the foundations of a proposed theory. To find the truth of a particular proposition, it could be suggested that one should take relevant information from proponents of the idea rather than those that oppose it.

An example of a third choice could be to take the principles of evolution and apply it to the creation of a Universe. Only a Universe that survives the birthing process can survive as our Universe has done. That is natural selection in action. Therefore it should not be a surprise that it exists. It should be noted that the Universe came from something. If it is claimed to be an everlasting source then that would have to be proved that it exists.

Lifespan.

An interesting feature about wildlife is the extreme and astounding range in averages. I mention this because of the particular ideas that have interested me. Lifespan of creatures is something that can cause wonder and from very short to long, there are some interesting examples.

In an attempt to start my quest, I looked at some of the shortest. The Mayfly which lives for only one day is probably an example that has been used in many a film or literary reference. Not in time order and living for only ten to fifteen days are Daddy Long Legs, but more domestically one of the favourite pets is the dog, which averages ten to thirteen years. Another interesting and associated fact concerns humans. This species has a physiological time limit in the form of the ability to produce new cells and the limit of that is not more than one hundred and twenty five years. The oldest land animal known is a Giant Turtle with an age of one hundred and ninety one years.

The oldest bird is thought to be an Albatross named Wisdom. Wisdom is estimated to be seventy, leads an active life and still produces chicks.

Moving to the sea, there is the mind blowing Bowhead Whale that is estimated to live not more than two hundred and sixty eight years. It is of course the longest living mammal.

Off the shores of Iceland there has been discovered an ocean Quahog Clam named Ming. Using carbon dating of the shell, its age is estimated to be around five hundred and seven years old.

Some corals can live up to five thousand years, making them one of the longest living animals.

Then there is the Immortal Jellyfish which can potentially live forever. It has the ability to revert to a former stage of development and this cycle can be perpetual.

I personally, given the choice, would not like to be as Rip Van Winkle and outlive everybody that I know. I do, though, appreciate and take pleasure in the absolutely intriguing facts of natural wildlife and animal wonder.

British Values.

At the moment British Values seem to be a hot topic. Just what do British Values encompass?
Apparently, democracy, rule of law, mutual respect, individual liberty, tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs. These principles are expected of all citizens of the UK. However there are some citizens who have their own classification of what a UK citizen should constitute as of British Values. These values appear to be starting with heredity and racial definition.

Defining negative behaviour and values towards anyone according to their faith or race can be extremely degrading. It is in essence divisive and potentially harmful to the integrity of the UK. Considering the history of the UK from Vikings, Romans, Saxons, Normans and the Royal family's international heritage, there does not appear to be any true Scotsman if you pardon the pun. I would further say most family lines will have mixed ethnic connections.

British Values that might fit certain altered, prejudiced ideologies or narratives could lead to several tier disruption for the economy, society and the onset or racism, be it intended or a consequence of that line of thought.

I would suggest it would be better to appreciate the value of cohesive social objectivity than to listen to often harmful and vindictive, rabble rousing rhetoric. Cultivating international relations is a reason for appreciation and it has been an integral asset in many areas of infrastructure, healthcare, social care and business areas within the UK.

When thinking about British Values my thoughts are about how the country is built on many people’s experiences of problem solving. It is only right to regard the facts of multiple wars, poverty and natural disasters that have fuelled the desire to find a safe haven and move to the UK. Surely after such a trial and contributing to the economy of the UK, nobody should be made to feel fear, resentment or rejection. Violation of human rights is not what the UK is about. Enabling citizens to enjoy their surroundings and live in peace, the UK should be a home for positive recognition of aspiring values that promote the best of what this country offers.