A Flower is no more ...

This week we learned that Mary Travers, at the age of 72, passed away.

I am saddened.

I wonder … how many people of my generation had their first taste of (what we then thought was) folk music on hearing Peter, Paul and Mary?

Was it folk music?

It became so, and remains so.

Some might argue that it was 'twee' popular music for a commercial market.

I disagree.

Who cares? Let’s not go there!

PP&M produced music that was pleasing to many.

In folk clubs of the 1960s and 70s someone from the floor would always offer a cover of their material. It happens even now.

Was it not only couple of weeks ago that our very own Mike performed ‘Puff the Magic Dragon’ at the City Folk Club? Didn’t we all join in?

‘Pleasing’ is too trite an adjective. Much of their music was socio-politically motivated. It spoke of opposition to the Viet Nam war, of pacifism, and of support for the civil-rights movement. There were, and remain, powerful messages in much of what they performed. Social awareness was raised. Consciences were stirred.

That, of course, was before we all became hippies!

So, where have all the flowers gone?

Is the answer really ‘blowin’ the wind'?

Wrongly-addressed mail ...

A friend emailed me this image with the subject heading 'tighten your what?!'

Is there a subliminal message for me here?

Does my wind cause offence?

Titan is, of course, a satellite of Saturn (not Uranus), and lies several astromomical units away from Hong Kong!

Not known at this address.

Return to sender!

Welcome, Ed ...

There is someone out there called Ed Searl.
He has just become a ‘follower’ of this blog.
I can’t think why, but thank you for your interest.

Enlighten me, Ed, please.
Do I know you?
Have we met?
How did you find me?
(Well, I trust!)
Do you share my interest in publishing disordered and banal thoughts?
Do we both have too much spare time?

In spite of my fictional canonisation, you don’t need to genuflect, just respond as a ‘comment’!

PS. Alternatively, while I decline to put my email address in this public domain, I do receive messages via youtube. My channel is at http://www.youtube.com/user/nolicnotrut?gl=GB&hl=en-GB.
There's nonesense there too!

Say Goodbye to it all ..

"These were only boys ...

... who will never know how men can see the wisdom in a war."
(Chris de Burgh, Borderline)
See - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29yXef8TqkY

Comfort in Bereavement ...

The very last of my elderly relatives died recently. This generated tears at her funeral.

Me next?

Door-Step Evangelism ...

I have just been blessed by a visitation from some really nice people.
I invited them in for tea.
We had an interesting exchange.

What follows summarises (?) my contrary argument …

Bishop Ussher (1581–1656) declared that this Earth was created in 4004 BC. He based this assertion on genealogy of Adam’s offspring documented in the Holy Bible. Now, I do not have the time, patience or resources to verify that succession, although some of it seems to be exhaustively chronicled.

I don’t believe it.

The Genesis story gives an account of creation in six days (plus one for a rest). I have a problem here. For one ‘day’ to exist, we need a benchmark of time. In this instance, it requires a pre-existing, spherical and rotating planet, wherefrom a pre-existing sun can be regularly observed. Some argue that the chronological order in which earthly things came into being is probably correct. There are those who contend that God’s ‘day’ is something beyond the understanding of we earthly mortals.

This biblical account was written from the then incomplete wisdom of the author, possibly Moses, for acceptance by the partial understanding of the listeners of that time.
That was brilliant! It worked. It survived. It continues to be promulgated.
Many who continue to believe it are very worthy souls.
Some have simple minds.

But, it is scientific nonsense!

Have I just committed heresy? Should I be tortured until I recant lest I be burnt at the stake? Is my very soul in jeopardy?

Scientists tell us that the Universe is about 14 billion years old. Earth is a youngster at 4.6 billion years. They can produce evidence, (most of which I fail to understand), that this is so.

I am inclined to believe this, not only because such knowledge gained me a Bachelor’s degree from the Open University!

I ask this question: if you’d said ‘desoxy-ribose-nucleic acid’ to Moses, what would he have understood?
What would Moses have known of quantum physics?
Would he have heard on ‘tele-evangelism’?

Of course, none of that is Moses’ fault; he was simply working from the partial knowledge of his time.
What do tele-evangelists really know?

Do I come across as an atheist?
My visitors thought so.
I am NOT!
I subscribe to the Heisenburg uncertainty principle ...

“Lord, I believe. Help, thou, mine unbelief!” (Mark 9: 24)