Animals as Symbols: A Lion Attacking a Stag

Animals and Us The personification of animals in modern wildlife documentaries is both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand it makes their lives relatable to us, helps us empathise with the ups-and-downs of a wild living, helps us appreciate the wonderful, safe bubble we have built around ourselves and makes an otherwise

The Patriarchal Health Crisis

A serious look at the health crisis in men and the significant contributory factor of the masculine identity and the social expectations placed upon men by society as a whole to perform a masculine role.

Men, We Need to Talk About Violence

A long-read about maleness, masculinity and masculinised violence. Looking at how violence disproportionately affects, and is perpetrated by, men. My discussion on the psychological, sociological and anthropological implications and potential ideas of how we can help moving forward.

My Life and Disappointment

A look at expectation and reality in the human mind and how they can lead to disappointment with the focus being on people who have low expectations and for whom the reality is even lower. People with bad luck who are being failed because society refuses to acknowledge the reality of how life works.

The Price of Everything and the Value of Nothing

A look at a few concepts of value, and some psychology of economics with a view to me puzzling out my own future.

We Lack Discipline Reads: ‘The Bet’ by Vivienne Tuffnell

Disclaimer: I consider myself a friend of the author. I did pay for the book. However my personal relationship with the author could potentially colour my interpretation and opinion of the book.That said I make every effort to be objective and generally don’t like what I don’t like and am honest about it. I believe

Top Ten Hated (But Misunderstood) Animals – 1 – Wasps

It’s about wasps!

Top Ten Hated (But Misunderstood) Animals – 2 – The Brown Rat (Rattus norvegicus)

The brown rat (rattus norvegicus) is a beautiful, cute and highly successful creature that has not only become a companion of humans across the world but helps us dispose of our rubbish by eating it, helps maintain our sewers by keeping them clean and clear for their own purposes and has sacrificed uncountable members of its species to further our scientific curiosity.

Yet they are universally hated as a disease-spreading pest, a destroyer of crops, a horrid and beastly home invader and – it’s bollocks. It’s mostly lies, unfounded myth.

This is my rat redemption. It’s time we change the way we think about rats and learn to live alongside them. If for nothing else than the noble sacrifices they have become in our medical services industry.

Top Ten Hated (But Misunderstood) Animals – 4 – Vultures

A lengthy essay about the vulture, what it means to us, its historical reputation and the omens and portents it used to bring, it’s modern reputation and what it means to us now. I also look at the conservation and ecological crises of the Indian vulture crisis and the California condor and discuss how the scientific community came together to make a huge difference in terms of discovery and helping numbers.

Top Ten Hated (But Misunderstood) Animals – 5- The Plateau Pika (Ochotona curzoniae) and the European Mole (Talpa europaea)

A lengthy article talking about the similarities in treatment between the European mole (Tapa europaea) and the Plateau Pika (Ochotona curzoniae). They are both a species vital to earth and soil health that benefit and enrich their environments that are considered a pest and a nuisance and are often killed for little or no reason. We explore the animals themselves, their lives and habitats, how our opinions of them were formed and similarities to our behaviours with other species too, like prairie dogs and badgers. We also focus on the ability of humans to form opinions, ideas or myths about animals and also how they can change over time. In the case of these species, changing for the negative, but it also means the reverse is true.