Author: russellclarkenz

Galápagos 1

by russellclarkenz, posted in Galapagos

I have never willingly celebrated my birthday.

But for 50 I thought I’d just say FUCK IT and we’d go off and do something stupid.

I’ve always loved the whole mythos about the Galápagos Islands, not in small part due to Sir David Attenborough (praise be upon Him) and his extremely watchable (if not always accurate) BBC programmes produced over the past…40 years or so. Most of you will be aware that Charles Darwin demonstrated many of the key aspects of evolution by natural selection through the evidence presented by the critters from these islands.

So off we go to South America & Galápagos next April.

This involves a lot of planning, buying and thinking. It also involves getting fit. Argh!

So the first steps have been taken – we have booked the flights and the boat.

As you may have guessed from the title, there will be more soon!

Those are Blue-Footed Boobies, by the way.

Biblical Series I: Introduction to the Idea of God

by russellclarkenz, posted in Politics

If you have a spare couple of hours, this is well worth a watch.

If you don’t have a spare couple of hours, try to make a spare couple of hours.

Jordan Peterson’s lectures are a fascinating stream of consciousness.

As a Post-Theist, I find his arguments extremely uncomfortable. He’s the person most likely to give me pause, and to make me consider that perhaps religion does have value in the world.

Going And Staying

by russellclarkenz, posted in Music

One of my favourite poems put into song by one of my favourite musical ensembles.

Doubleplus good.

This short poem by Hardy ends, unusually for him, on a note of optimism—or at least an acceptance that adverse destiny is moderated by time and that what goes around comes around. The tune was written on a plane somewhere over the USA during an early Brass Monkey tour. Later regulation was necessary to fit it to the uncommon scansion.

The moving sun-shapes on the spray,
The sparkles where the brook was flowing,
Pink faces, plightings, moonlit May,
These were the things we wished would stay;
    But they were going.

Seasons of blankness as of snow,
The silent bleed of a world decaying,
The moan of multitudes in woe,
These were the things we wished would go;
    But they were staying.

Then we looked closelier at time,
And saw his ghostly arms revolving
To sweet off woeful things with prime,
Things sinister with things sublime
    Alike dissolving.