Wednesday 21 April 2010

1916 James Lovelock wins the day

The magical wonder of Tuesday was a BBCi Player programme about James Lovelock, the man who invented a device to detect and measure CFC’s and with his family then undertook measurements when there was haze blocking the view he had as a child and this led to making a trip top the Antarctic to discover the extent of CFC’s in the world. His work led to others understanding the impact on the Ozone layer in the earth’s atmosphere and the international understanding that they had to eliminate CFC’s if humans are to be able to continue to live on this planet.

An invitation to assist US Space Exploration Scientists led him to develop his Gaia theory about the way living organisms have helped to protect the earth from the increasing heat of sun. The Space agency assembled the best minds to try and work out how to evaluate if there was life on Mars. James independently worked how to make the evaluation without going to Mars and his idea established that there was no life now. It was the study of the Martian atmosphere which led to develop his theory that through the process of natural selection living organism were creating and changing the atmosphere around the earth planet which sustained and developed human life. His ideas were immediately appreciated by some Christian leaders and New Age believers but met with considerable hostility on the part of the scientific establishment until he was able to demonstrate with the Daisy experiment that an organism can respond and adjust to the environment and in turn affect and which together with other examples substantially changed the view among scientists and others that one needs to looks at the planet as whole to full understand the interconnectivity and how revolutionary imbalances can cause irreversible changes such as the melting of the polar ice caps

In the first of three programmes about individualist creative scientists who have made profound discoveries James, who is ninety years of age explained how he became interested in sciences, discovered original scientific books in the basement of Balham public Library and decided to work on his own rather than within the institutions and laboratories of the scientific establishment. He remains one of the remarkable human beings of the generation before mine. His life and work confirmed our understanding that overall Creatives contribute more to society than those who follow conventional ways. However one as to be aware and take account of the potential downside.

The weather this weekend was most foul. Cold and wet but I did undertake work on the garage area under cover. Having repaired and sealed the brickwork above the garage door I completed the painting, pastel pink the brickwork, brilliant white the woodwork and pastel blue the door. I also commenced work on the side of the house which was further progressed on Monday, first cleaning off any fungus, then treating the areas with preventative and repairing and sealing, with the conditions unpleasant to work despite being undercover. Tuesday was also cold but brighter although rain during the day delayed work on the lower day room window. I was nearly able to complete the original task. What remains will take one half day session. In addition I propose to decorate the remaining area of garage floor with coloured side bands, more coloured gravel with a query on the remaining floor area. I will also do some work on the external toilet as well as on the bathroom which is in fact my next priority.

Having spent time on careful preparations and then on obtaining a good finish, at close inspection, as well as from a distance, I would rather leave and return than rush and regret.

I have photographs of working outside my former home three stories high, using a hired mobile scaffolding platform and then using my own self assembly unit which I purchased mail order and which had to tied to the property for safety reasons. I don’t like heights, avoiding standing at the edge of cliffs and building and getting up and working and then down again was one oft he achievements of my life as well as walking climbing a mountain in Scotland but which did involve some hands and knees sections. Nowadays getting up six and nine step ladders is something of an ordeal and requires care and I will be relieved when this part is over.

I had planed to spend the from Wednesday to Sunday at the cricket with the first 40 over game on Sunday, and as last week I will attend the opening day of game against Somerset, although going early to ensure a seat behind glass, unless it is raining hard and the start of play will be delayed. Durham must win the next game not to find themselves at the relegation end of the table with Yorkshire now some 40 ahead after two magnificent wins. Rain and bad light helped Durham to achieve a draw on Sunday when for most of the third day and morning of the fourth defeat seemed likely. My hope is the Will Smith does not go to pieces following the poor decision to field and his second innings duck. I was a little concerned about his admission that last year he had lacked the mental strength to undertake the captaincy and build long innings.

I enjoyed some TV football watching and listening over the last three days. The best game was Wigan at Arsenal where the away team scored three goals in ten minutes at the end of the game to win and the three points has secured their position in the Premiership while Arsenal’s feint hope of the Premier title vanished. Sunderland had a comfortable win against Burnley taking them to 13th and keeping Burnley the next favourite team to be relegated with Portsmouth already down, and Hull, who escaped last year, more likely than West Ham, who suffered defeat on Monday against Liverpool. Sunderland are at Hull on Saturday There are now only two teams with a chance of the fourth Champions League place next season, Spurs are in the driving seat and Man City. Spurs has bounced back after the brilliant Portsmouth win against them in the FA Cup semi final, while Man City lost against Manchester United at home by a last second goal, and which left United just one point behind Chelsea. Newcastle had a workmanlike win at Plymouth in a match shown on Sky and became the Champions with matches to spare. The trophy will be presented at their home tie with Roy Keane’s Ipswich on Saturday and when a will give them 101 points.

The most enjoyable occasion was the China Grand Prix which was won in an eventful rain affected run by Jenson Button, with Lewis Hamilton second. The outcome is that Jensen now heads the driver’s championship as Malaren the Constructors. The next should be in Spain with question marks over the problem of cancel flights, but with Madrid airport now clear the teams should be there by now en route to the Cataluña track.

I missed the start of Dr Who which has become a programme just for young people again with a peculiar performance as Churchill in wartime paving the way for the return of brightly coloured Daleks. I will peak in again if I have nothing else to do but it is no longer planned viewing. In contrast the second in the latest Foyle’s War series was exceptional if not sad with the subject of racism of the worst kind on the part of USAF military station in Britain which included corruption by a sergeant and murder by a major. Sam has settled herself in as the cook, housekeeper and bottle washing at the Hastings small hotel for the young man owner she met in London and who was shot by the assassin used on the attempt to kill Foyle and her. Staying at the hotel are three residents, the singe mother thrown out by her family because her child is from a relationship with a black serviceman who is also a jazz musician and who wants to her to marry and live with him in Harlem where he expects to be playing at the Cotton Club. She, is threatened by the sergeant who then helps to frame her fiancée for her murder, committed by the Major after she yielded to his advances to support their application to marry and for a visa, and she overheard his involvement in the planned robbery of the wages delivery. The complication in working out who had dun it was the former boyfriend of the girl, a professional boxer with promise who had become a conscience objector and face local prejudice as well as disappointment when the girl refused to place the child for adoption and marry him. In a touching finale he agreed to look after the baby girl until her father gained his discharge and could return for her. The second complication with the man and the young woman also staying at the hotel, who turned out to be a couple and behind the robbery of local business men they believed had profited from the war. The young man had lost an arm and experienced much horror in North Africa and he had been blackmailed into carryout the payroll robbery. There were several moving moments and the who murdered the girl remained a mystery until it was revealed. The only weak link was the willingness of the girl to yield to the pressure of Major.

On Tuesday night I decided to take a peek at Oceans 12 the middle of three capers with, George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Daemon, Catherine Zeta Jones and Julia Roberts. This follows in a long line of sophisticated heist films where the criminals use technology and technique rob banks and the ultra rich and have a significantly higher quality of life that the international police. The films are gloss, absurd, immoral and fun if you have nothing better to do and nothing more engaging is available, but one should not spend additional money to see such nonsense at the cinema theatre.

I enjoyed my food which was makeshift given the decision not to attend he cricket. I overeat of course and have not weighed myself for a couple of weeks knowing what I will find. There was some fish, chicken wings one day and chicken breast wrapped in bacon on another plus curry, with bananas or rice pudding. I did not fancy the available strawberries. The grapes are thick skinned, small and not sweet and melons I like twice the price I usually pay.

My belief that the Liberal Democrats will sustain their recent surge in the polls and extend further it is going well. As predicted the agents for the Labour and Tories plus the media have turned on Mr Clegg and his party to find a weakness which will turn away the floating voter to them. Most of what they are doing is counterproductive and will be evident to the voters who watch the broadcasts. The more they attack the more the public will turn on them.

The BBC are holding debates between the front bench Ministers and Shadow Ministers of the Government and two major opposition parties. David Clark did well on Foreign Affairs but former Tory leader William Hague’s deputy did badly with the Lib Dems effectively answering everything. Similarly the Home Secretary and the Mr Huhne squeezed the Tories into third on Home Affairs. Labour sensing it might need the Lib Dems to continue in Government appears to make overtures to work together to keep the Tories, at a distance, while understandably the Tories are emphasising that a Lib Dem vote could keep Mr Brown in power, as a means to keep some of their traditional voters from switching. Mr Clegg sensing he is on a band wagon is stressing a plague on both your houses and so far, despite the efforts of the parties and the media, the public keep listening and supporting. I expect to se another surge of up to five points after the debate on Thursday, making him the poll leader and then further surge after the surge up to polling day. He could become the first Liberal Prime Minister for 100 years.

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