And So Another Year

Well yesterday was the Winter Solstice. The days now start to get longer. Here the change is much more pronounced, the change of the seasons a roller coaster of a ride from dark to light.

All the best for the new year.

Breaking news Sergeant Strictly Not Dancing.

Well here is a fast moving story.

John Sergeant quits Strictly Come Dancing.

Over to the BBC Newsnight Blog.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/newsnight/fromthewebteam/2008/11/tuesday_18_november_2008.html

34. At 1:29pm on 19 Nov 2008, leftieoddbod wrote:
Sargeant off Strictly, questions should be asked....get Jeremy on it as he represented old farts everywhere, I do hope the Beeb hasn't caved in again to the PC brigade as we need to champion the 'normal' people in our society...

Then Celtic Lion

37. At 1:53pm on 19 Nov 2008, KingCelticLion wrote:
#34 leftoddbodSargeantI don't understand the situation. But have to admit I haven't seen any of this year's programmes.Have to ask though why if the programme makers asked a 65 years old, non sporting etc person to be on it.Why do they seem to be annoyed that he itsn't doing triple salkos with half pikes or what ever the terms are?Perhaps the demographic for Strictly is older viewers. Perhaps then they might vote on the basis, "he is doing well for someone of my age".Though light entertainment it does raise issues about democracy, and ageism plus all the other isms.If the producers don't want old people on becuase they can't dance as good as young people, then don't have them on in the first place.Are the BBC now going to refund the money to all those who voted for Sargeant up to now.I feel a storm a brewin'.Thanks to New Fazer, JJ, Too hard to Log In, Bill etc. Sometimes truth is so obvious they are overlooked.Celtic Lion

Then

42. At 4:48pm on 19 Nov 2008, JunkkMale wrote:
37. At 1:53pm on 19 Nov 2008, KingCelticLion I don't understand the situation. Poor old Aunty.Can't even do bread and circuses without meddling... fouling up... and making their position even more precarious.What is needed now is for Dear Leader to take a reading from acolytes in the the bunker, get the public mood wrong, and make this the key issue of the next few days.Closely followed by the rest of the Westminster Useful Idiot Village.

Now on 6 o'clock, a Newsnight section tonight

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/newsnight/fromthewebteam/2008/11/wednesday_19_november_2008.html

Well this story is moving David Cameron has made a statement, see Junk male above

Will the G20 Crash the Planet?

This is a graph I have obtained from The Sustainable Home Blog. This illustrates Celtic Lion's concern with the economic and world leaders trying to artificially increase consumption to stabilise the global economic system.

The consequences could be to reduce the ecological carrying capacity of the planet, resulting in over 6 billion deaths, of which you will probably be one. In addition to the extinction of many of the Earth's species of animals and plants.

To stop this situation occurring is part of Our Option. Please support yourself. Look after Our Option and it will look after you.

For specialist strategy and consultancy work please contact us direct.

G20 Tax and Growth Option

Gordon Brown has gone to the G20 with recommendations for tax cuts etc to stimulate growth. We have covered this in other blogs such as BBC Newsnight Editor Paul Mason's and his discussion on the method for a new financial order. It is not our preferred approach.

Celtic Lion believes Our Option is the best and safest.

Wandering About The Dish Rag and 11th Hour

While looking for news references for ecology we came across The LA Times The Dish Rag, with even a comment there from Celtic Lion.

Expressing the views of Leonardo DiCaprio on the Bush Presidency, Caprio's film the 11th Hour is recommended for those wanted a serious perspective on the planetary ecological challenge.

View here

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2174195060267517042

Another Step Towards a Better Future

I just looked for ecology in the news search section of Google. Very few entries, Surprising how many economics would get when economics cannot even exist without the ecological life systems of the planet.

The media is full of the concerns over the economic situation. Knowing it was going to happen I told Scottish National Party MP Pete Wishart on 9th January 2006 and Tayside Police on 27th October 2006.

Though it was possible to tell both that the recession could happen, when it would happen and by what degree of magnitude. Neither could help. So the could turned in a would. It was all avoidable, but as a society we seem more geared to allowing tragedy and problems to happen then try to clear them up after, rather than take action to stop them occurring in the first place.

Yesterday we sent information to Tom Bradby Political Editor at ITN. The BBC Newsnight blogs were interesting so placed a few comments there. Reptilian origin of the brain, Marx and sharks, Marquis de Sade and wisdom. The media seems still to be looking for answers from those who couldn't see the economic problems looming.

We will grow Our Option. Thanks to all who are visting here.

Celtic Lion Our Option

Interest

Thank you for your visit to Our Option.

The future is the most important commodity we all share. Without the future you would not be able to read this sentence after the last one. A concept so crucial but simple we forget at times how vital and central a sustainable future is to all our lives.

Was part of the 2001 proposal to use the Millennium Dome London as a global environmental management centre.

There is a planet in peril, our planet, our future. Celtic Lion has been, are doing something practical about the situation. And now increasing the scope of our project to meet the requirements of the present and future.

Our option is for those with an interest in their life and the planet on which they live.

Information

You will be probably be aware of our influence already. The agenda for the 2005 G8 in Perthshire of climate change and Africa was derived from our work. The assessment that climate change is a greater threat than terrorism was ours. Used by world leaders, environmental organisations and even Al Gore when notified of his Nobel Prize. Though we could be considered one of the world's most influential strategists, that is all we were. Influencing through 3rd parties. Now is the time to work direct on the challenges to be resolved.

We are not a political organisation. We do not offer hope. We are directed at implementing practical solutions, from a background of engineering and ecology, amongst others.

The seas of our planet are contaminated by waste, enough plastic in the Pacific to cover Texas. Toxic chemicals and dangerous wrecks need cleaning up. Extinction rates of animals and planets are increasing, all part of the web of life of which we are part.

Teenagers kill each other or themselves without the knowledge of a better option. People and states make war without realising there is a common cause.

Climate change is being addressed using politics and economics, an ecological approach needs to be introduced to balance other means, ensuring an effective response.

A broad agenda of known and yet unknown challenges, which though important, exist in the gaps between the responsibilities of other organisations.

The magnitude of the projects we need to address is in a spread of £30-80 billion per year in the first instance, using the conventional assessment of money.

The heart of our project is compassion for all life and a love for this planet.


Involvement

Please make our option and project known to others who share our values, if they are also yours.

To initiate the projects we wish to raise £2 billion in the first instance, a fraction of that given to the banks and financial system in the UK in recent weeks.

How much is the future is worth to you and our planet? Please make a contribution to ensure that future.

For contributions over £50 a membership pack can be supplied if requested. Also recommended for members of the media for use as a press and information pack.

We use PayPal at present. For larger contributions, commercial work and further information towards a better future for our planet, please contact us.

My thanks

Roger Jardine Thomas
Director of Strategy
Celtic Lion Ltd

Has Obama Got His Priorities Correct?

Congratulations to Barack Obama, President elect.

Also to John McCain for his impeccable attitude even in defeat.

Thanks also to the number of visitors this site has had from the US.

Celtic Lion has been following the journey of Barack Obama, from outsider to future President since February.

Should Ecologists Call for Obama 15th February

Democratic Primary Wisconsin 20th February

Obama and McCain: What is Going On? 14th October


One thing unnoticed by the media was the order of priorities he placed the challenges in his victory address.

A "planet in peril" was placed before financial crisis.

"For even as we celebrate tonight," he said, "we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime - two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century."

Good, he seems to be on the right track.

All the best!

What is Phlebotomy?

There I was last week in a waiting room at Perth Royal Infirmary, Scotland, quite content to pass the time with the thoughts going round in my head while I waited for a blood sample to be taken.

"Roger Thomas". My name was called.

"Sorry you had to wait so long", said the lady who was going to take it.

"Not at all," I replied, "I didn't think I had to wait long, besides I was writing an article in my head about sine waves".

In truth it was something similar to Kondratieff waves.

Too late I had opened my mouth, the look given me was a bit iffy, a bit unsure. I had to reply.

"Paul Mason, the Economics Editor for Newsnight has put an article on his site about creating a new global financial order and I was just thinking about my next contribution".

I couldn't tell whether the expression returned was inquisitive or oh my God I've got the nutter. When in a hole stop digging might be an appropriate phrase to consider. But no not me I keep going.

"Most people know my work, but not my name, the agenda for the 2005 G8 in Perthshire, climate change and Africa was derived from my work. When Al Gore was notified of his Nobel Prize he referred to my work on the risk assessment of climate change and terrorism, but he says the British Government, not me, hardly anybody knows me but many know my work".

"Like us". She replied.

"Phlebotomists?" I said.

"Yes". Was the acknowledgement. We had got there, the common ground, I knew what her proper job title was.

"Perhaps you could write about us, hardly anyone knows what we do, we don't get paid much and we have to work behind closed doors", nodding to the closed door of the treatment room I was in. "Its not really safe".

"Yes I will try and do something. I have a website it gets a reasonable number of hits, but not too many but the people who visit I think are of a thoughtful nature".

With the blood taken, I thought, give me a few days then search Celtic Lion Phlebotomy.

"OK".

I left and checked the time. I had been in the hospital for exactly one hour. I had booked in, had an initial small blood sample taken. Then seen a nurse for my weight and blood pressure, spot on OK. Then seen the Doctor, then had another blood sample taken and was on my way. No complaints there about inefficiency. It couldn't have been done much quicker.

Now on top of a 100 other things, I had to think about Phlebotomy. How do you approach that? First I thought about safety and behind closed doors. Now this isn't a problem specific to Phlebotomy. Many people have to work one to one. Any problem here is a problem of society in general. Phlebotomy, if it feels it has a problem, really needs to join in a greater movement to create a better society, a better world.

Down to specifics. I remember being really ill in hospital at one point. It seemed my whole day just consisted of blood being taken either from my arms or my fingers. Just pain on top of pain. Discomfort when I wanted to be left alone.

"Here are the blood suckers for you." the other patients in the ward would shout and laugh when the trolley arrived for another sample.

"Vampire time". Would go the call time after time.

Here, I would suggest, is the problem with Phlebotomy. It has too many associations with the painful dark side of culture and society. Phlebotomy is the one who sticks the needle in and draws the blood. Behind them and unseen are those in the labs who do the analysis and those who do the assessment and those who provide the treatment.

But is is those blood sucking vampires who stick the needle in, these are the front line. Without them none of the rest could do what they do. Blood and the information derived from it, leaves the patient, circulates around the health service and returns to the patient, in another form, as treatment. A positive cycle which begins with the Phlebotomist.

Blood has many positive connotations. Blood, the word on its own can mean family, kinship. Which leads to such positive values as trust, support, togetherness. Blood is thicker than water.

Perhaps those vampiristic, blood sucking agents of pain need a make over.

Phlebotomy: The Life Blood of the Health Service.

But does Phlebotomy help itself. I needed to research, so I put Phlebotomy into Google and clicked on Wikipedia to see what they said. I think that despite the millions of entries that the site contains, no one from Phlebotomy has taken the time to write an entry describing what they do, how it is done or anything that may interest the public about the subject.

Change begins with the profession. What about letting us know a bit more about you? There must be a Phlebotomy association or similar with someone who could write an entry in one of the largest first point of call reference sites on the web.

A journey of a 1000 miles begins with the first step.

Believe in yourself, let others know about you.

In a months time it would be nice to see a proper entry in Wikipedia. The next time I visit PRI a pleasant little affirmation message about yourself wouldn't go amiss.

Even if it is just a small poster with Phlebotomy: Life Blood of the Health Service, or something devised which you think is appropriate.

You are very important, just let others know how important.

Life Blood.

PS The Google dictionary doesn't even recognise your profession either.

Yet.

Solve the Next Crisis Before It Happens

Below is a comment from Economic Editor Paul Mason's Newsnight Blog placed by Celtic Lion. Paul has presented a challenge to produce the outline for a new global financial order.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/newsnight/paulmason/2008/10/new_world_financial_order_what.html

The post was placed after but without knowledge of Alan Greenspan's evidence in Washington the same day, called the present situation a "credit Tsunami".


Celtic Lion believes this is incorrect and dangerous. The wave of destruction is to come, the collapse of the planet's ecological life support system.


Instead of solving a problem that has already happened we should be preventing the the manifestation of a future challenge.



An Economic Tsunami: I don't think so.


To start in producing a new world plan, I would like to refer to Paul's post of Weds 15th October 'This is An Economic Krakatoa'.First I would like to build on and refine his analogy used there.


In the posting Paul refers to the Tsunami wave which followed the eruption. A Tsunami similar to which we saw pictures of on Boxing Day
2004. Indeed some reading this may have been there.


Some economic commentators have referred to this present situation as an "economic Tsunami". I maintain this is incorrect-dangerously incorrect.


Go back to the pictures prior to the destructive wave breaking on the coastline.The sea disappeared and moved away. It went into 'recession'. The effective sea level dropped, it was in 'depression'.People were seen on the beaches, asking questions like where has the sea gone, why has it gone? Remaining where they were, seeking solutions to a problems that had already occurred.


What they were unaware of was, what was to come. They were responding to what had happened, not to what would happen?I refer to previous posts by various on Galbraith and Forrester.


Kondratieff Waves to follow.

Betting in the Global Casino

This should appear in the Private Eye classified today or Friday

----------------------------
Celtic Lion Ltd seeks £2 billion to restore global ecological and socio-economic stability.
----------------------------

Now Robert Grant from Tenalps publishing will confirm this was placed on Tuesday 7th October.

Talk is cheap but whisky costs money. On Tuesday 7th Celtic Lion ‘bet’ that in the next week all the world’s political leaders, economists, financiers even with £ or $ trillions would not be able to stabilise the global economy. Let alone the ecology of the planet. So the ad would still be relevant.

Economies are so easy to predict.

When the magazine comes out that entry will still be relevant despite £2,000,000,000,000 and all those people trying to solve the problem, because Celtic Lion knew they couldn’t do it.

Celtic Lion can. Join us.

A Fat Lot of Good: Is There a Better Way?

Well despite all the efforts of world politicians, financiers, economists and £s trillions etc it doesn't look like the global economic situation has improved.

And what about the planetary ecological system which is set to crash next?

There are solutions. Are we looking at reality the wrong way?

What we need is a project to sort the situation out. Let us start one.

Please return in the next few days.

Obama abd McCain; What is Going On?

The prophecy of our post of Wed 20th February Democratic Primary Wisconsin came true. So now it is Obama v McCain.

The Republican Party want McCain to be heavy and nasty. McCain wants to be nice and decent, and even to acknowledge Obama is decent. There again as Celtic Lion reported earlier in the year they were both sponsors of the Climate Change Stewardship and Innovation Act, along with Joe Lieberman.

In one sentence 3 out of the 4 front runners, we only missed Sarah Palin for a full house.

Obama and McCain are actually closer in politics than the range within their own parties. Neither can attack the other as individuals as this would automatically and rightly raise the question of, 'if he is so bad, why did you work with him?'

Would McCain rather lose the election than compromise principles? Would McCain like to win the election but not want the Republicans in power? Would McCain really rather be an independent? If Obama wins, would there be a place in his administration for a leaping McCain?

Is the dream ticket Obama and McCain? Will this happen? Has it already been discussed behind closed doors? The next few weeks and months will be interesting.

Fat on the Fire

There is so much in the media about about the global economic situation. I am not even going to call it a crisis, it is just something that is happening. Firstly it is not some unforeseen event which has just occurred.

In 1991 we had an economic situation both in the UK and to a certain degree around the rest of the world. Here lies the roots of the present situation. This time of relative chaos and appropriate reorganisation gave us the opportunity to develop an appropriate trajectory of development, which if taken could have avoided what is now going on in the world

My opinion then and still hold today is that it was obvious that future development would be defined by the parameters of what was possible within and by environmental and planetary ecological systems.

There seemed to be no debate or consensus then on how development should proceed. It just shot off willy nilly. If someone was climbing a a cliff or a steep slope and having found the going too difficult or gradient impossible and slide back to the bottom. What would have been the sensible thing to do? Decide on and take another route. A route that offered less resistance to progress.

The economic system did not do this, it made the same mistakes as before, but with renewed vigour digging deeper into its resources, resources which come from the conversion and hence degradation of planetary ecological systems.

Now it has predictably slide back. Imagine reality as a U-shaped channel, a half pipe as the skateboarders would call it. Imagine it covered in grease. Now imagine somebody (the economy) trying to run vertically up the side. They will get so far, once gravity becomes stronger than the increasing gradient, grip of their feet and loss of momentum, they will just slide back to the bottom again.

So why try to do the same thing again? If the U-shaped channel was a section of a a bobsleigh run, the time base, then best progress is made taking the racing line, along it -to the future.

Mistakes were made in 1991 which have lead us to the present situation.

So now global leaders are meeting. Using £ or $ 100s billions to try and force the global economy up the same impossible slope. President Bush says we want a stronger economy. I would suggest we need a more sensible economy.

There has been some knee jerk reaction, if not overnight, certainly over days or a few weeks, without any thought of where we are going, how we will do it or the consequences.

I can only see this borrowing, to sort out the present, as borrowing from the future. Taking stability from the future before we get there. This is borrowing from the future stability of the planetary ecological life support system.

My opinion is that world leaders are creating a very dangerous situation, without thinking through what they are doing.

When an economic system collapses we can still survive. When a planetary ecological system collapses we die.

I do believe there is a better way.

Economic Situation and the Criminal Dimension

The present economic chaos has been going on for months now. Nothing seems to be working.

The reason is:

It is due to deliberate criminal acts committed in England with the intention of crashing the UK and global economies.

These were reported to Tayside police (Scotland) in October 2006 as economic sabotage. Tayside police not only knew, 2 years ago, that the UK and global economies would crash, they knew when the they would crash and the amounts involved.

Unfortunately they could not look at the evidence or carry out an investigation as they decided the offences were criminal and outside their jurisdiction.

Had they been able to carry out an investigation then the current global situation probably could have been averted, to some degree or other.

We have checked our legal position. As long as we have reported fraud, money laundering and other serious offences, all committed with the intention to cause an act of economic sabotage, we have fulfilled all our legal obligation.

That Tayside police decided not to investigate or take any action, and allow a potentially preventable situation occur is irrelevant to Celtic Lion's position.

We can reverse global chaos.

None of the measures taken by Governments or financial institutions will ever work in the long term as they are unaware of the true criminal causes of the present economic situation.

Celtic Lion's Contact Update

Thanks to everyone who has been visiting the site while we haven't been posting. There have been a few updates and pictures added. Some appropriate music has been placed in the page elements. Though at the moment we are not sure if the element or screen can be re sized to accommodate all the video. Once it has played the appropriate YouTube page does open full size on replay.

Our email has changed now using the celticlion.org. Please contact us now on info@celticlion.org.

Let the ceremony begin. We have a life to live and a planet to rescue.

Led Astray By An Insect

An article at Environmental Graffiti "New Encyclopaedia Includes Every Living Thing on Earth", brought back feelings of nostalgia. The work is a catalogue of all known species of animal and plant.

Years ago I had the honour of being taught by one of the world’s most respected ecologists. Part of the work of the lab was the preparation of what are called dichotomous guides. Books for the identification of animal and plant species. Ours were for different kinds of freshwater macro invertebrates.

One morning coming into the lab I saw a small parcel addressed to the Prof, but with a return address of the University of Kiev. Interesting I thought, but it was soon forgotten as we were on something to do with DNA that day.

Lesson ended. "Are you free for a while Roger?" The Prof inquired.
"Yes".
"Would you be able to do me a favour and identify an insect species for me?" Asked the Prof.
"Yes, no problem." Was my stupid reply. Why one of the world’s leading experts on insects would want me to identify a species for him didn’t really register.

So I sat myself down with the creature in question under a binocular microscope.
5 minutes, 10 minutes. Straightaway I knew it was a Corixidae, a water boatman. Then I started using parts of the guide I had ever been before.

Every time I ended up with a species from the east side of a Loch in the Shetland Isles Northern Scotland. I didn’t even think it was that. Frustration and self doubt set in. 5 minutes was now 1 hour. Again and again I tried. Every time I ended up in a Loch in Northern Scotland. If that wasn’t remote enough, it was only the closest I could get. This little creature lying there under my microscope wasn’t even that species.

Finally in despair I gave up.

"Identified it then?" Asked the Prof.
"Well I thought it was a species from the Shetland Isles, well that’s the closest I can get. But I don’t think it is that. No I don’t know what it is. I give up, I don’t know."
"Good." Said the Prof, "It was sent from Kiev this morning. The Professor couldn’t identify it and thought it was a new species. Thought I’d give it to you to have a go. I’ll get back in touch and tell him he has got a new one."

Suckered by a Water Boatman At least 25 years on it’s in the new book.

When I read the Environmental Graffiti article I had a little panic about the number of species of animal and plant. They said 1.8 million known species. I had been using a generic "anything up to 60 million" when I wrote.

After a quick check around, such as this from Commondreams.org, Animal Extinction, there could be up to 100 million species.

So that’s a book over 50 times thicker than the Environmental Graffiti article, if we don’t make them extinct before we record them.

Democratic Primary Wisconsin

2.30ish am UK time. Just me and the dog. Like moon landings or Muhammad Ail fights I am a child again and have this urge to stay up to the early hours to watch the Democratic primaries. The speeches, live and uncut, before the media get to show them later with their edit and their spin.


Hillary is speaking and projected to lose Wisconsin. She is in full throw. Gone. Had she finished. Was she cut in mid sentence or even mid word. I missed the segue. Obama is only making his way on to the stage.


Flick with the remote Sky-BBC News 24. Both show the same image Barack Obama only arriving at the microphone. Have the media editors already made their judgement. Is Hillary Clinton now only the warm up, the time filler, the B movie to the main feature?


"Thank you Thank you". Eventually Obama gets into his stride. "Washington is a place where good ideas go to die". Barack Obama returns to a central theme. Change in the US political process. Again the power of the lobbyists is questioned.


Hillary’s "Is", her "when I am President", the "I wills" have disappeared. Obama likes the inclusive "we are, we will. We are a movement".


Can the movement effect change? Obama is definite. "Yes we can". As he speaks his arm is slightly raised, bent at the elbow with curling wrist movements. There is an air if familiarity, of deja vu.


Another challenge to be resolved, is it possible to overcome. "Yes we can". Surely the Democratic front runner is not quoting Bob the Builder. I wait in anticipation. Is he going to ask his audience "Can we fix it?" And exult them to reply, "Yes we can". He took me to the edge of anticipation and left me dangling.


Has Bob the Builder crossed the Atlantic, does Mr Obama have young children. Please I must know, is Bob the Builder a new force in American politics? Please next time Mr Obama, please please say "Can we fix it?".


The British national press won’t be able to cover the speech for another 24 hours. It will be this evening before the serious political assessment on the TV news. A prediction of what they may focus on.


Five words.


The Fierce Urgency of Now.


At least Dr King is familiar in context.

Talking With The Planet

Comment Placed on La Marguerite (not spell checked, not working at time of posting)

"The future is the most important commodity we all share. Without the future you would not be able to read this sentence after the last one. A concept so crucial but simple we forget at times how vital and central a sustainable future is to all our lives.

Climatic uncertainty and instability, the suffering and extinction of animals and plants, famine, war, pollution and disease are some of the challenges to that future".

The above is part of a submission to use the Millennium Dome London as a global environmental management centre in the 2001 competition.

This was the proposal the Government's own consultants wanted to back. It was a nearly a $100 billion per year project, that would have cost about $ 4 billion to initiate.

Unfortunately though it was short listed, it was thrown out at the 'market testing'. Had it gone through the financing was available. A project team was going to be supplied to me and one of the goals was to approach the large reinsurance companies, offsetting their future liabilities for the start up financing.

http://millenniumprojecttwo.blogspot.com/2007/01/millennium-dome-2001-proposal.html

one of the tag lines was

"creating the future"

Though I didn't win, much of my work has been used by organisations which had access to the confidential (supposedly) entry. "Creating the future" is now being used by one of them. I am just a planetary engineer and project manager without the resources to do anything about it, yet.
Just because we have always believed the future would always be there, doesn't mean anymore, that is the case.

Now we have to be proactive in our actions to ensure we have a future-for ourselves, the planet and all the animals and plants which share it with us, which together create the planetary ecological life support systems on which our lives depend.

Had the UK Government gone for the environmental centre many of the disasters of recent years would not have been of the same magnitude.

In the SE Asia Tsunami, anyone outside of 45 minutes of the origin of the pressure wave- who had a mobile phone, within shouting distance of someone who had, or a radio or a computer- who were killed -would probably be alive today.

The business model for the Dome had global environmental monitoring linked in with a global communications network.

Sounds impressive, it just means if you were lying on a beach on a Boxing day morning, your mobile would have bleeped.

A text message would have said.

Suspected Tsunami (tidal wave) approaching. Please walk calmly inland for 15 minutes and advise others of the same. Thank you. MP2

Katrina. Same idea, different message.

All this climate change symtom/problem would more or less have now been resolved. The imminent collapse of the planet's ecological life support system sorted.

Tornados, fires, floods, terror, extinctions ets etc, as Yul Brinner once said.

It was decided to give to an American, Anshutz, to open another music venue and casino. Politicians don't really have their priorities right.

As you are aware though the UK Government didn't want the solution to the now unfolding global catastrophe, the threat was still there. So the agenda of the 2005 G8 climate change and Africa was placed in a UN report for the UK Government to read in 2002. Along with the now globally known assessment that climate change was a greater threat than terrorism.

http://www.mp2.worldfriend.com/sustainable_development_forum.htm

A damage limitation exercise.

Listening to the planet is good. I like talking with the planet.

Which is a bit bizarre, as Green with a Gun pointed out. We are part of the planet.

http://thecelticlion.blogspot.com/2008/02/never-say-green-again.html

So really we are just the planet talking with itself. We are her self-reflecting consciousness. She has been alone for 4.5 billion years evolving. Unable to see herself.

We are her mirror. Will we allow her to see herself in all her infinte beauty before we destroy her-and ourselves.

I like talking with the planet and I like creating the future.

Should Ecologists Call for Obama?

With Barack Obama taking an advantage in the Democratic nominations for the US Presidency, should the environmental consensus support him?

With speeches of passion and rhetoric, Mr Obama is running an inclusive campagn. Not with talk of when I will be President, but rather we are a movement of change.

Does this movement of change involve the US taking a lead in global sustainable ecological planetary mangement? There have been some comments that the US elections have not touched a great deal on environmental issues. Such as from La Marguerite. Mr Obama will probably admit himself that as a civil rights lawyer his campaign has been more socio centric than eco centric.

Despite only minimal talk on the environment Mr Obama has a bizarre relationship within the race to become the next president of the US. He was cosponsor of the Climate Change Stewardship and Innovation Act with Republican front runner John McCain and also Joe Lieberman.

Should the ecological movement call for Obama and become part of the movement for change?

Should Celtic Lion Ltd support Obama? Should Celtic Lion apply to Barack Obama to advise on his environmental campaign and strategy?

Celtic Lion has already made initial enquiries and we thank the number visitors to our site from Washington DC, Illinois and Chicago.

Celtic Lion has already successfully advised ex Prime Minister Tony Blair on the timing of the 2001 UK General Election when surrounded by the uncertainty of the Foot and Mouth epidemic.

President George W Bush came to the 2005 G8 in Scotland to discuss climate change and Africa, an agenda derived from our recommendations in a UN Environment and Development report commissioned by the UK Government. Ex Vice President Al Gore also uses our risk assessment, that climate change is a greater threat than terrorism.

Is there a more suitably qualified organisation to advise Barack Obama than Celtic Lion? Should we make him the offer?

Celtic Lion:The Same Difference

Celtic Lion Blog Post of 3rd January 2008

Alex Salmond's Celtic Lion: A Cultural Vision

http://thecelticlion.blogspot.com/2008/01/alex-salmonds-celtic-lion-cultural.html

See also Newstart 18th January 2008 Vol 10 No 417, a magazine for economic development professionals

or

The Scotsman 15th February 2008

http://business.scotsman.com/scotlandseconomy/The-Celtic-Lion-and-Celtic.3781350.jp

or

The Scotsman 14th February 2008

http://news.scotsman.com/scotland/Salmond--casts-net-wide.3776022.jp

or

Alex Salmond's speech

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2008/02/13162505

Celtic Lion keeping ahead of the pride

Africa: Political Instability, Wildlife and Climate Change

Just exchanging emails last night with another environmental consultant over the social unrest in Chad. Apart from the humanitarian and wildlife disasters in Africa, which was one reason why we recommended to the UK Government in 2002, Africa as a main focus of UK policy on the environment, becoming part of the agenda of the 2005 G8 summit. There was another underlying reason.

One of the big unknowns of climate modelling in the 80’s was the amount of CO2 stored as biomass in African grasslands. Breakdown of the African ecosystems could release large quantities of green house gases into the atmosphere.

Social, political and economic chaos in Africa could result in uncontrolled butchery of African wildlife. Breakdown of the ecosystems and carbon emissions. If CO2 is a driver of climate change this creates a potentially dangerous situation.

Social factors are not fully represented in the climate models. CO2 release from political and social collapse, destabilising ecosystems increases climate change over predicted trends.
Though more related to the to the Scottish dynamic, this article gives 34% of world CO2 stored in grasslands.

Though pleased the UK Government responded to our recommendation regarding Africa. Perhaps a more inclusive strategy with more emphasis on wildlife and ecology needs to be introduced, in addition to socio-economic and humanitarian efforts.

Never Say Green Again

In the early 80's there was a really good party in the UK called the Ecology Party I thought it was great.


Then as part of some pan-European standardisation it changed to the Green Party. I had spent from the age of a toddler completely fascinated about how this planet works, how it 'thinks', it's purpose. Whys, hows and whats. As an engineer it's cybernetic control function, homeostasis and response to change.


After 20 years everything I knew was suddenly branded 'Green'. I found it a personal insult but most of all an insult to the Earth.


If the party was still called ecology, then people would ask what's that. This would draw them in to the wonder and mystery of 4.5 billion years of planetary evolution and it's place in another 10 billion years of cosmic evolution before that. The excitement and desire of the understanding and the love of being at one with the planet.


Green came long and destroyed it all. Green is a field of cabbages or a coat of paint. It is demeaning to the infinite and eternal process of creation and life. It is a barrier to the understanding of the intricacy and complex beauty of this Earth.


Green is like when children start to learn to define words. You have to stop them at first using the word they are defining in the definition. They can nolonger be lazy, they have to think.
Green is an easy earned badge, that is a barrier to the understanding of the planet. That deep appreciation required to change human societies relationship with this planet for the better. Green does not require questioning. Without questioning there is not understanding. Without understanding there is not empathy.


Ban green from anything to do with the sustainable evolution of this Earth. Never ever use it. Never talk about it, never read anything about it. Ignore every single use of the word or concept of green.


Some got interested in sustainable planetary evolution and the protection of the Earth's ecological life support systems after watching Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth.


When Al Gore said the British Government say climate change is greater threat than terrorism. He should have said Roger Jardine Thomas said.....The UK Government didn't say it, or reference the original source.


At present I am setting up the Celtic Lion project. So have to do the rounds of business advisors, consultants, lawyers, bank managers etc. I have take my portfolio of work. They are amazed and shocked at the things I have done. They know of them, but never knew who it was who did them, until they met me.


Many people in the world with an interest in the environment know the agenda for the 2005 G8 was climate change and Africa. Most do not know that was my recommendation to the UK Government.


Many people know the climate change/ terrorism risk assessment. Many world leaders and environmental organisations use it. It is now a 21st century cliché. Most do not know I wrote it.


Hardly anyone knows both were from the same submission. And the later was the justification for the former. One of the largest corporate law firms in the UK looked at my work. Their view was on just that one piece of work alone, if I was to be described as one of the most globally influential people of the 21st century, it would be very difficult for anyone to challenge that.


If I hadn't done what would have been the agenda of the 2005 G8. War on insurgents in the Middle East? Global trade tariffs? What would have Al Gore have said when and even if he got a Nobel. There would have been no climate change agenda at the G8. No Live 8, no Stern Report.
I knocked it out between talking the dogs for a walk and having my tea. No spell check, no WP. Wham bam ratta tat tat straight off and hit the send.


It still may be one of the globally influential works of the 21st century. But I never ever used that awful word Green. Not using it made people think. Take notice and act. The rest was history or the future.


Here it is. Not a green in sight. (The email has changed)


http://www.mp2.worldfriend.com/sustainable_development_forum.htm

Celtic Lion: Flooding and National Security

The UK Government’s Intelligence and Security Committee recently met to discuss the implications to national security of recent UK flooding.

Prior to this information had also been placed on the site of Paul Flynn MP.

Information had been available for many years that wide spread flooding would occur in the UK after December 2006. Some information is withheld in this post as it should form part of a criminal or otherwise inquiry. Evidence will show there were deliberate and intentional actions taken to ensure that models of predictions of UK flooding were not verified or prevention strategies implemented. Actions taken with full knowledge of the implications. Widespread flooding in the UK.

Other information has not been placed here.

This is the proposal that the Government’s consultants wanted to back as a use for the Millennium Dome. An environmental management centre. Both English Partnerships and Jones Lang LaSalle had information on flood predictions and prevention strategies. This was part of the business case which made the proposal attractive.

The UK's Chief Scientific Sir David King has confirmed that he was never consulted in the Millennium Dome competition process, when a short listed proposal that addressed flood management in the UK was being considered.

The agenda for the 2005 G8 Perthshire was climate change and Africa. Sir David King gave global publicity to the assessment that "climate change was a greater threat than terrorism".

This submission to a United Nations Environment and Development-UK report, commissioned by the UK Government, is the probable origin of both the above. This was written after being recommended to the UK Cabinet Office by DEFRA to advise on the sustainable development implications to Regulatory Impact Assessment, a datum for UK legislation. This work was refereed to in the UNED submission.

Part of those recommendations use sustainable flood management as an example. Based on the knowledge that flooding in the UK was imminent.

The opening of the competition for the Millennium Dome coincided with the outbreak of FMD in the UK. This report was sent to Prime Minister Tony Blair in March 2001, his thanks were sent by return of post. The section Land Use Scenarios refers briefly to flood prevention strategy. In the knowledge that widespread flooding in the UK was imminent if appropriate action was not taken.

When it was sent to First minister Alex Salmond in August 2007 a background preamble was requested.

A UK Chief Constable had access to predictions of UK flooding. Police officers deemed that the reason why prevention strategies could not be implemented was criminal not terrorist related. As it was criminal and the incidents were not in the area covered by their force, they could not take any action.

6 weeks later the pattern of UK flooding began. 4 days after the projections indicated they would happen. As far as I am aware that Chief Constable has not contacted any inquiry to report he had credible evidence of an environmental threat but decided not to respond as an operational decision based only on legal limitations was made. I now understand the officers who made the decision were not anti-terrorist officers.

Under US guidelines UK flooding would probably be considered a terrorist related incident. I have spoken to an officer from the Metropolitan police anti-terrorist branch. On the basis of what I have told him, he finds it credible that the UK flooding could be considered as a terrorist incident and an investigation should be carried out.

At present they do not want to be involved as they feel it should be up to regional authority in areas affected. As a specialist he may have access to similar guidelines. Regional services have up to now refused to open an investigation as, without looking at the evidence they do not consider it terrorist related. I consider it is, US guidelines consider it probable and Met anti-terrorist officers consider it plausible.

I was not called to give evidence at the recent inquiry. Why?

This is just part of appropriate evidence on flooding and national security.

Letters Perthshire Advertiser

Article Blairgowrie Advertiser

Celtic Lion and the Global Stock Market Crash

We got contacted over the holidays by Newstart, a magazine for regeneration and economic development professionals, with a readership of about 30,000. Our task was to do an initial assessment of the Scottish Government's economic development strategy. A reworking of our Alex Salmond's Celtic Lion: A Cultural Perspective, was published in Newstart Friday 18th January Vol 10 No 417. The Lion Rampant.

It covered the 'single pursuit of economic growth' and a resulting dependence 'on an out of control and increasingly chaotic global dynamic'.

Three days later the global stock markets crashed. At time of posting it is not known how much the French banking fraud contributed to this, but at least that showed how much one person can affect the global system.

Thank you Paul Flynn MP

Our thanks to Welsh Labour MP Paul Flynn for the lovely review of some of our back catalogue of work over at his award winning site.

"The information you provide is of the greatest interest and I am grateful to read it. I hope your work will receive its due recognition".

Me, I respect politicians who also represent animals and the natural world, if you can't look after them, how can you look after people?

That might be a cultural thing, but this is Celtic Lion, not just Scottish Lion

Sir David King: Climate Change and Terrorism

Well the ex-chief scientific advisor to the UK Government has been getting a great deal of media coverage over his new book the Hot Topic.

Sir David King made his global reputation with the risk assessment that "climate change was a greater threat than terrorism". Every interview with him and newspaper article covers this point.

Unfortunately Sir David was not the original author, I was. the original was a submission in 2002 to United Nations Environment and Development UK report commissioned by the UK government on the future of sustainable development. The UNED-UK being part of the United nations Environmental Programme which I believe Sir David is a member of.

This is the original assessment on climate change and terrorism, placed on a sister site. It also relates climate change and Africa, the agenda of the 2005 G8 in Scotland.

It is usual scientific etiquette and methodology to cite the original source. Something Sir David has never done. Though it did make him a global climate change superstar.

Alex Salmond's Celtic Lion: A Cultural Perspective

The Scottish Nationalist Party waited more than 70 years until in May 2007, under the leadership of First Minister Alex Salmond, they formed the new Scottish Government. After an election campaign of pure genius, ideas, music, graphics and more contributing to the attrition of the Labour lead, the country waited for the next big idea.

On the world stage, not in Scotland, but at the Council for Foreign Relations in New York on the 12th November, Alex Salmond revealed his vision - the Scottish Celtic Lion. A Scotland equalling the economic growth rate of the UK as a whole by 2011 them matching that of other small independent EU countries by 2017.

So where did Salmon's Celtic Lion come from? A series of transpositions which began in the 1980s. The rapidly expanding Asian economies of South Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan, got dubbed the East Asian Tigers. From 1994 Ireland's economy boomed, due to a number of factors. Membership of the EU, often given as a major influence, with up to 4% of GDP being transfer payments from other member states. Access to the markets of Europe, US investment, assisted by an English speaking, low wage workforce at the time of a high technology boom, amongst others. With a growth rate almost matching the Asian economies, Ireland became the Celtic Tiger.

So after the economic success of it's near neighbour, the SNP want Scotland to become the Celtic Lion.

Here the comparison could break down. Celtic Tiger is a descriptive term from 1994. Celtic Lion is a much older symbolism which may not fully reconcile itself with Alex Salmond's vision, but could provide broader, more expansive, inclusive and aspirational objectives for Scotland. A alternative version of the Celtic Lion which if the Scottish Government considered, might be more compatible to the interests of Scotland and more in keeping with the underlying small print of Alex Salmond's Celtic Lion vision.

As Alex Salmond in New York referred to, and at a later Gaelic college, Sabhal Mor Ostaig lecture, in Edinburgh on the 19th December spoke on, the need for a strong economy and a strong culture to go hand in hand. Perhaps the origins of the Celtic Lion need to be explored.

The Celts were a culture, not an empire, which covered most of Europe in pre Roman times, around 400 BC. A decentralised, trading network made up of individual tribes. After the rise of Rome, the culture continued in the Celtic fringe, Ireland, Wales and Scotland. Jewellery and artefacts show the lion was a common symbol in Celtic culture. Without a written record it is difficult to be precise, but it would not be unrealistic to consider it is similar to today's associations in terms of meaning. Courage, leadership, light, justice etc. The lion also having many meanings in heraldry, depending on how it is presented. The Scottish lion rampant, face in profile, is magnanimity.

Celtic culture had a strong affinity with the natural world, a relationship which persists today, whether in music or simply the way brand Scotland is marketed. Mountains, wildlife, lochs and surrounding seas. In terms of a cultural identity, Celtic Lion is perhaps more representative of leadership in environmental issues, rather than a single goal pursuit of increasing economic growth.

For the SNP Government it is not unreasonable for them to place increasing economic growth at the centre of their vision for Scotland. Alex Salmond is an economist, and one area of contention for the party is Scotland's oil. In the 1980s, when the high growth economies of Asia were taking off, they had to watch Scotland's assets contribute to fuelling the consumerism and business centric policies of Margaret Thatcher's UK Government. A situation they feel Scotland did not get the best end of the deal from. Now in power, why not have the attitude of "we can do that"?

The world has now moved on. Though world leaders discuss climate change, it is only one small part of the need to manage the planet more sustainably. Away from the headlines, beneath the veneer of traditional policies is the quest for the 'new development model'. Is there a better way to run a country or a planet than the strategies that have brought us to the edge of global ecological life support system collapse?

This may be the vision of Scotland's Celtic Lion given form, this may be the strategy that fulfils the subtext of the First Ministers speeches better than the pursuit of narrow economic growth strategies. In the quest for independence from the UK, Scotland runs the risk of being dependent on an out of control and increasingly chaotic global dynamic. Far better for Scotland to create it’s own destiny and even have the ability to lead the world to a better future.

The Scottish Government has exceeded many expectations in it's achievements and conduct so far, golf courses aside. The question is, do they have the courage to surpass their own aspirations? There is a way forward for Scotland which leaves the goal of increasing economic growth in the 80s. Is Scotland brave enough to seek the thistle and grasp it?