Let’s face it, it’s a little late in the game to
start crying over the spilt
milk that was the extermination of the British
countryside. For years my backyard would have consisted of impassable-deciduous
forest. Covering all but the loftiest of peaks in Britain’s preceding 8,000
years. Forest in harmony with stone-age human inhabitants, for a bit there was
true equilibrium, we lived the simple life, created families and homes, one day
someone had the idea of community and that was good, for a while because we only
took
enough
but as the man said; we just don’t know when enough is enough these
days.Now, I’m distracted. However,
it’s important that you’ve got that image in your mind – the one our tourist
board sell, the Britain of the last 8,000 years… On the outskirts of the small
town we call home, a backwatered agricultural – moreover ‘quaint’ place, out in
the sticks, there is a development underway -

Wind farms are a renewable and
non-polluting form of electricity generation. Gaseous emissions from
conventional fossil fuel (e.g. coal and oil) power stations are known to cause
acid rain and contribute to global warming. Wind power has developed in recent
years to be one of the most cost effective and reliable of the various renewable
energy
technologies.

- Scottish Renewable Energy Newsletter (February
2001).That’s right! Windfarms are the
North East’s answer, the only feasible form of non-polluting electricity
generation – we can’t work on oil these days! Anyway the American’s took all
that. So, let’s start to connect the
dots…I did sort of use a blanket
statement above, I said 8,000 years of forest – no geography student me. I of
course meant 7,500 years, because 500 years ago we discovered; we
didn’t
have enough – that is – the town dwellers who already ate a little too-much,
didn’t have
too-much-enough.
(See target="NewWindow">Jethro Tull Portrait). As the historians will
tell you people like Tull (farmers / land owners) discovered an energy-hungry
system of using various means, mechanical at the forefront, to manage and
exploit the farmlands of Britain and in a flurry of excitement they got to my
backyard – the lovely view afforded from my patio bench is a direct result of
someone cutting down the clutter.
Thanks.During the 19th century, in
wide parts of Europe, many forests were cut down and depleted. The consequences
- well, there’s a lot more wind around. To fuel the fires of industry, to use
them on our enemies or in some late-90s fit of Ground-Force mayhem, our trees
we’re the first to go.Next up, an
inspirational play by John McGrath; The
Cheviot, The Stag, The Black Black Oil
explains the rest: we let it all go, and threw out the baby with the bath water.
Giving birth to the New-World and through mass Industry; Capitalism
arrived.If you’ve read Lord of The
Rings you’ve heard the Poet’s answer to Industrialisation, the character Tom
Bombadil (if not: target="NewWindow">Who Is Tom Bombadil). Who pines the destruction
of tree’s he’s known “ever since they we’re little saplings”. Anyone who looks
at a evolution of our landscape from a historical distance, from the eyes of Tom
Bombadil – will see the worst is past; we may have wasted our chances… the
exploitation of Britain’s resources has been met with as tough a resistance as
stone is to water.

Q. Who appointed Lord
Goldsmith?A. Tony
Blair.
Read On »

I think we have a problem, sit down, we she talk
about it. Now- why is it we’ve grown so cynical? Of each other… I buy you- you
break, I never buy your brand again, that makes sense – kind of, okay it’s a tad
eccentric I have in the fury of a consumerist daze bought the cheapest of
gadgetry to find it does the job (my first Polaroid Digital Camera)… However
you ask my camera advice, buy Canon – only buy Canon, or Sony. I’ve never had
trouble with Sony or Canon – I have friend’s who have and it’s worked out well
in repair / warranty type situations. However, somewhere we’ve developed this
nasty “don’t like the sound of that” or “that’s a scam, obviously attitude”. I
think I’ve grown too smart for my own good. Example? Well, I was walking through
the idealic market in Cambs when I came across a man who flashed a card and
posed his political affiliations and fund-raising intent, I didn’t think; “ah,
the guys got a point – what’s ¬£5 to me anyway” I thought “damn, shoulda
spent some focus time on that ID”. In the end, after working out I’m way to
paranoid in such situations I admired the guys posture and straight talking and
gave him some change- for the homeless or
such.So – I’ll tell you what brought this
on… War. Why do we always take the soapbox “ah, it’s a conspiracy” “well, you
know the government” etc. with all the *winks* associated… we don’t know the
half of it, and we’re not supposed to, to pretend and to always jump the gun to
say “we’ve heard it all before” is all well and good for the late 90s but let’s
grow up.However, when I see those fucking
insurance / mortgage ads, with the straight faced, shakey-cam isms of ‘real
people’ the ‘not actors’. Makes me sick. Turn off.
Read On »

Cow’s aren’t on the menu, but check out Oxfam Unwrapped – It’s a
Christmas gift catalogue that really makes
a difference. Why not buy a brood of chickens
or a travelling
theatre for your greedy instant-gratification crazy family (or self)
this Christmas? These unusual, but very practical gifts, will help people
overseas help themselves… Very Bono, I know- although it’s very clinical and
resembles the Apple
Store, this online wonder is full of good will and provides an easy
and fast (overall honest) way to give a meaningful
gift to both those who have too much and those who have less than little. I’ve
gone for the chickens and tree saplings – after watching The Two Towers tonight
I felt an urge to say sorry to all those twigs I’ve carved into weapons or
needlessly chopped down for my own
warmth.

It
takes a long time to say something in Entish,
and we never say anything
unless it’s worth taking a long time to
say.

Wise
words if only I could adhere to them.
Read On »