An individual stroll through life, often taking an amusing view, or sometimes a little more serious one, depending on the mood.noreply@blogger.com (Toni Bryan)Wed, 6 Nov 2024 04:00:35 +0100Blogger http://www.blogger.com151125http://tonibryan.blogspot.com/en-usnoThe material used in these podcasts belongs to Anthony G. Gough and may not be used for any other purpose without the written consent of the author. Exceptions: the material may be used for personal use, providing that the copyright is not infringed. For more details contact the author.English,language,teaching,language,trainingAn individual view of life, seen through the eyes of an English teacher.Toni's amble thru' lifeAnthony George Goughtonygough_uk@yahoo.co.ukAnthony George Goughhttp://tonibryan.blogspot.com/2013/02/snow.htmlTue, 26 Feb 2013 16:48:00 +0100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4960063115506551763.post-305125137573211661So over the last few days the snow arrived with all the&nbsp;vengeance of a fully grown Siberian tiger, who had maliciously pounced on its prey, using its entire weight to knock out its victim, causing it to enter a comatose state.<br /> <br /> And now we waddle precariously down the street, awash with melting snow, which is reminiscent of a multitude of tiny rivulets, winding their inevitable way between the cracks in-between the cobblestones, who due to their liberal dusting of salt are dry and easy to walk upon as you amble slowly through the centre of town, inching closer to your eventual destination, Starbucks.<br /> <br /> But in this&nbsp;arctic&nbsp;blast of late winter, spring being three weeks away, the natural elements remind me that the order of life is as it should be. For there beneath the soles of your covered feet, nature is stirring, awaking, slowly reaching upwards to reward us with an artist's palette of many differing hues. The snowdrop will be the first to arrive, followed by the daffodil, crocus, and the array of flowers that hug the warmth of the surface. Then we'll feel good, delighted by the joyful presence of Mother Nature and her blessings.<br /> <br /> It'll of course remain both cold and cool, deluges of rain all too common and bothersome, winds seeking to rip through your wrapped up frame. Such things won't matter much, a mere and momentary inconvenience because the warmer weather will reach us sooner rather than later. Time will be relative and shorter because when you add autumn and winter together, that's six months long and seemingly endless dark, dank and dreary months.<br /> <br /> Yet I like autumn and winter, they're dying and dead months. Perhaps to most people they're the most morbid of the annual season merry-go-round. Perhaps so, but I look upon them as no different to periods of sleep, followed by a rumbling growl, quickly chased by a lunatic growth and manic frenzy of activity. Then comes corpulence everywhere. Trees are resplendent, varied, magnificent and tributes to nature's&nbsp;architectural wonders, a feat man tries to replicate with the pomposity of his character, defeated by his vainglorious nature. Finally, the trees shed their clothes, each leaf serves to feed the next generation, to amaze us with its final colourful flourish, until such time each specimen is as naked as you or I.<br /> <br /> Yes, we may pass through the seasons, make of them what we will, but autumn and winter are my favourite time. Those six months are restful, there's an eternal peace to them. Like a pair of old slippers, they fit comfortably into life and its ever present scheme. Unlike former friends they never let us down. They're predictable, equipped with a sameness that doesn't disappoint. They're honest, unable to deceive and lie. They remain as they always are, and there is much comfort to derive from such honest pleasures.<br /> <br /> As for the melting snow, heading for the drain by the side of the road, disappearing into the endless rabbit warrens of the sewer system, it will be no more, maybe in a few days time, and I'll be sad to see it go.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit http://englishsupportservices.weebly.com</div>0tonygough_uk@yahoo.co.uk (Anthony George Gough)http://tonibryan.blogspot.com/2011/11/occupy-movement.htmlSun, 20 Nov 2011 14:25:00 +0100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4960063115506551763.post-7824405675205979198It's been quite some years, 30 years or thereabouts, where I was anything but pessimistic about the state of the world. Yet now I feel enthused by the Occupy movement, and the fires of hell burn deep once again. As my dear friends will tell you once you got me on the subject of politics I'd climb aboard my hobby horse and mostly rail against the capitalist system, largely because of my deep&nbsp;abhorrence&nbsp;of it.<br /> <br /> For me, capitalism has always been a 'black &amp; white' subject, driven by my own practical experiences and the injustice that went along with that. Such thoughts that I had were moulded by long stretches of my own life living in relative poverty, brutally at times, and living in a&nbsp;hierarchical&nbsp;class structure where opportunity wasn't a given, or more often than not denied, my abhorrence and blinkered view firmly held sway. And that's the very point of it all, when you cloak yourself with a heavy mantle of political persuasion you fail to see the wood for the trees.<br /> <br /> Despite that, I now find myself questioning such a naturally blinkered view because I've discovered there's a different way of looking at capitalism, one that largely is inspired by a young man, who for the last few days has kept me glued to my chair due to his reporting of the events taking place in Zugatti Park, or Liberty Platz as it should be more correctly referred to. His name is Tim Pool, and the most refreshing service he's done to this ancient cobwebbed brain of mine, is to blow the bloody things away.<br /> <br /> As someone who who makes a lot of use of the web for any number of reasons, mostly to do with learning and self learning, I've often remarked how joyous the learning process is by the endless examples of young Americans and their selfless behaviour in patiently explaining the joys and headaches of technology; such young enthusiastic minds have saved me an enormous amount of time, for which I'm eternally grateful, which brings me back to Tim.<br /> <br /> Tim is the product of Capitalist America, and he knows that the system he is a part of is broken. When listening to him he speaks with clarity, purpose and unbiased objectiveness. As he reports on the events around him, he does so because he cares deeply that his country is being ripped apart by the very failure that once made the USA an economic 'superpower'. More importantly he's extremely aware of the corruptness that runs like a torrential torrent through the last bastion of democracy, the media or 'Fourth Estate.' As you listen to Tim you hear behind the voice a calm reasoning of the events taking place, a maturity beyond his worlds and own world view. He knows that capitalism, in its present form, no longer provides any answers. Listening to him you realise that his 'voice' is the reasoned American one, searching for answers capable of bandaging the wounds and scars of battle. Above all he knows that the 'American Dream' must become something entirely different.<br /> <br /> Tim believes in democracy, he also believes in some form of capitalism that is beneficial beyond the American borders. Tim, and many of his peers, know intimately that the world is no greater than a global village. As I sit watching him reporting from New York, he reaches out to the rest of the world and they become involved. There have been times when his constant reporting has driven him to the point of collapse, as on Wednesday last, yet the world responded by showing its care, and perhaps love.<br /> <br /> Tim is the future. He may get that future wrong. But what the world needs now more than anything are reflective minds that can make a real difference in some way, however small that difference. From me Tim, sitting in Germany 6,000 miles away, thank you for the opportunity of being in your company, and helping 'old dogs' think again.<br /> <br /> Tim can be found here: http://<a href="http://www.ustream.tv/user/wearetheother99" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #409eff; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, FreeSans, 'Liberation Sans', 'Nimbus Sans L', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">wearetheother99</a>&nbsp;&amp;&nbsp;@Timcast (Twitter)<div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit http://englishsupportservices.weebly.com</div>0tonygough_uk@yahoo.co.uk (Anthony George Gough)http://tonibryan.blogspot.com/2011/08/politics-of-britain.htmlThu, 18 Aug 2011 13:16:00 +0200tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4960063115506551763.post-5750335010918640315Life's been a little weary, and I agree not the best way to start a blog post. But it goes without saying it could have been much worse if it wasn't for the help and support of dear friends, so a big thanks guys for being there and you know who you are.<div> <br /></div> <div> So what's been happening in Toni land? Well I have to admit that I've had my nose glued to the Guardian online edition for weeks now, mostly due to the state of Britain, corruption, rioting, British police shooting dead an individual, the death of a suspect in the custody of police after being tasered by them. I know that sounds a bit Orwellian, and maybe it is, but you can't help but feel that Britain is in danger of imploding on itself. None of which is helped by the present prime minister, David Cameron.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> I think it's been obvious now for last few weeks and recent months that David Cameron's leadership qualities have taken on the surreal qualities of the infamous 'Judge Roy Bean', who wanted to hang everyone who came before him for committing a crime. In trying to be portrayed as a 'man of action' Cameron has urged every court in the land to literally send people to jail, if they were involved in the recent British riots in London and elsewhere. Consequently, 'macho call me Dave' Cameron doesn't feel in any way sympathetic to the jailing of an individual for stealing a bottle of water, along with a young mother who was thrown in jail for accepting a 'gift' of stolen shorts. Whilst in no way condoning theft, I'm utterly aghast that the British justice system is acting in the interests of political expediency and not judicial independence.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Whatever the rights and wrongs of the recent riots, and there will be many on either side, Cameron looks like a man desperate to appeal to a certain section of British society so that he can be voted into power at the next general election. His lack of judgement in recent times, makes him look pathetically out of touch with what's going on; but then there's nothing new in that. For a man who has his finger on the button that launches the A-bomb the thought is truly frightening. Equally, when he stands up in the House of Commons and declares that Britain is 'broken' and that he will mend it, stretches any amount of credibility he had left. This is the prime minister, who's government has introduced massive cuts at every level in society, resulting in thousands of job losses, with more to come. The only level that's not been effected by his hollow&nbsp;rhetoric is the rich, who continue to do very nicely, despite the economic problems.&nbsp;</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Life in Britain is of its own making, and sadly at its very epicentre is nothing but corruption and appalling bad political management. Are there any answers? Yes, but for politicians they are not ones they wish to take, so weak is the political structure. British democracy, no matter how outdated it is, is governed by the notion of a 'social contract', yet the present government does nothing that will betray its roots and debt to those unknown 'faces' scurrying about like cockroaches in the City of London.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> I'm not surprised by the decline of Britain's fortunes, they have been largely self-inflicted with the rise of Thatcherism in the 1980s, Blairite continuation of the same policies, and now a coalition of the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats ruling the country without any political mandate whatsoever. All of which is made sadder by the fact that the electorate of Britain, last May, chose to remain with the same political system that's all too willing to trample on them. Deeply saddening is that the British electorate is reaping the rewards of its own lack of willingness to change British democracy for the better.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Deeply, deeply sad.</div> <div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit http://englishsupportservices.weebly.com</div>0tonygough_uk@yahoo.co.uk (Anthony George Gough)