GREENYGREY’S RAMBLES

I watched a couple of BBC documentaries today, with one tracing the history of heavy metal music to the British midlands, and the other arguing that meat inspired humanity’s evolutionary leap away from other animals.

First of all, I’d like to thank the Greenygrey for making my writing day more enjoyable, as I wasn’t too eager to write while there was a clear sky and sunshine first thing.

Heavy Metal History UK

Heavy Metal Brittanica is a documentary available on BBC iplayer in the UK until March 12th:

It was a good trip down memory lane, although I only got into the genre towards the end of the doc’s history.  It traces the roots and original metallers from the late ’60s more.

It reminded me why I got into metal, but also why I started to prefer the west coast American bands more: blues influence and escapism.  Some great music and footage though.

Horizon on Cooked Food Inspiring Evolution

Meanwhile, Horizon’s Did Cooking Make Us Human? argued that our early ancestors took evolutionary leaps by cooking food, as it digests easier than raw, and that freed up our bodies to provide more energy to our brain’s development.

This may be working against us now, as our brain’s have become used to reward, and this can lead to obesity.

This documentary reminded me of the work of Claude Levi-Strauss, who didn’t make jeans, but was a famous philosopher.  I encountered his philosophy a while ago, and when I just had a look at Levi-Strauss’s wikipedia page it seems very Folding Mirrorish!  Did it influence my creation of the poetry form? 

Today is International Women’s Day, and I am happy to promote and celebrate it here.  I do it knowing that I will probably be accused of being a gender traitor or doing it for my own personal reasons by some people.  Of course, they try to control women into feeling they are inferior submissives for the general good of humanity and the world, rather than their own personal desires. 

Hi, it’s GG again.  I hope you’ve already read today’s blog about Eddie Izzard’s marathon running television documentary series.  I’ve something more to tell you.

As you may be aware, Tim Burton’s interpretation of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland  film goes on general release in the UK today, and Marc Latham wrote a Folding Mirror poem about it for the fmpoetry site, which is where the above links leads.

Marc told me the Alice in Wonderland story has some parallels with my epic travel Rambles, but I’d never read it before, or even heard of the literary nonsense genre.  Strange isn’t it, they say fact is often stranger than fiction…

Hi, it’s the Greenygrey here, Marc Latham woke me up last night because the BBC  showed the first episode of Eddie Izzard’s 43 marathons in 51 days three part series last night.

As you can see from the programme, I was there for most of the run, although Eddie didn’t always appreciate me, and seemed to prefer it when the greenyblue was around instead.

I obviously can’t understand that!

Marc Latham didn’t want to blog it by the way, as he thinks Eddie’s achievement diminishes his marathon running, although he does try and argue that Izzard took all day to do his marathons!  I think that’s sour grapes.

Anyway, enjoy the sunshine, and I might be back with more soon.  I feel all energetic after my long sleep!! 

At the height of the British political expenses scandal of last year, the nation’s revolutionary fervour inspired the BBC to move their Question Time political debate programme from its usual late night slot to peak time.  So, far from the BBC acting to hide the scandal, they worked to increase its exposure.  To me, this shows that they are not entirely state lackeys, as some people might think.

The British Velvet Revolution Now On BBC4

About a year later, the nation’s understandable wrath seems to have subsided, and democracy is stable again.  Did democracy work?  Has anything changed?  I don’t know, and only time will tell I guess.  Action has been taken, but whether it will bring real lasting change is unclear.

Last week, a doc-drama about how American journalist, Heather Brookes, tried to uncover the excess political expenses before the story was eventually leaked to the Telegraph newspaper (another sign of the media not being state lackeys), was shown on BBC4 (thanks to the Yorkshire Evening Post review for reminding me).

On Expenses suggested Brookes was a rebel who wanted a Watergate style story, while the establishment was defensive and secretive.  Commons speaker, Michael Martin, was shown to have rejected traditional protocol, but to have used expenses as much as possible with a kind of ‘workers’ rights’ rationale that was suggested to have been inspired by his working class roots.

It’s still available to watch until March 9th on BBC iplayer.

The Islamic Fundamentalist Revolution on Channel Four

If On Expenses reminded me of my rebellious youth opposing the system, the Dispatches documentary about those said to be working to create Britain’s Islamic Republic showed why my revolutionary zeal has subsided, and I’m thinking better the devil you know these days.

There’s a lot of debate about the programme on the above site, and how dangerous the Islamic Fundamentalists shown in the programme really are; but the sexism, homophobia, racism and fascism that these groups are known for was clearly apparent to all. 

This was evident in the actual footage of fundamentalists’ speeches; conversations with Islamist activists boasting about how they were using the democratic system to promote and finance themselves and their religion/beliefs/structures; and the testimony of moderate muslims who know how they work and have bravely decided to oppose them. 

It’s available to watch throughout March on the Channel Four website.

Also, congratulations to prominant Islamic theologian, Sheikh Tahir ul-Qadri, for issuing a fatwa against Islamic Fundamentalists carrying out terrorism, declaring those who do it will not go to paradise.  And the Pakistan army for having Al Quaeda on the run.

As a relative newcomer to the Physics field, I didn’t think I would have a chance to make a contribution so soon.  But when I was out in the little freeze last week I saw some ice cracks on the canal that reminded me about the Secret Life of Chaos television documentary I liked so much a couple of months back, and wrote a poem about.

Ice Shapes Fit into Mandelbrot’s Patterns

On the documentary it was explained how Mandelbrot theorised that shapes replicated in ever smaller sizes in what he called self-similarity fractals.  Examples cited included rivers, tree branches, blood vessels and broccoli.

The same seems to be true with the ice cracks I saw, and one off the side of the bank even resembles a tree or stag’s antlers to me.  The four photos I took are on my picasa site.  Enjoy.

Darren Aronofsky’s The Fountain Film

On a related in an abstract way topic, I watched a bit of a magical film on Film4 last night with an intriguing plot and beautiful cinematography. 

I’d never heard of Darren Aronofsky or The Fountain film before seeing it last night, but Aronofsky is also searching for life patterns and investigating the meaning of life and death. 

I was impressed with its complexity and imagery.  It reminded me of Crouching Tiger type Chinese films, and the apparent storyline for Terrence Malick’s planned next film: The Tree of Life.

There is a synopsis of the film on Rotten Tomatoes, and here’s a snippet:

Meanwhile, Izzi has been writing a book that she calls THE FOUNTAIN, but has left the final chapter for Tommy to write. As Aronofsky pushes and pulls his sepia-tinted film between the three time periods, he weaves a deeply thoughtful, special effects-laden story that touches on themes of mortality and self, and requires a great deal of work from the director’s audience. Movies such as Kubrick’s 2001 and Tarkovsky’s SOLARIS come to mind as Aronofsky gets deep into philosophical waters, and the various story strands of THE FOUNTAIN are as inconclusive and open to interpretation as the films that have clearly influenced it. The film makes for uneasy and sometimes confusing viewing, but will find its audience among intrepid souls who are fully prepared to let go and immerse themselves in Aronofsky’s peculiar, daring, and thoughtful cinematic universe.

Hi, hope you’re enjoying the spring so far.  I know it’s only two days old, but the sun and weather are behaving themselves here, so it’s been great so far…

Everest and Himalayas Mountains Video on YouTube

I’ve put a new video up on YouTube of my Himalayas mountain photos.

Space Trilogy Poetry Completed

Meanwhile over on fmpoetry I completed the Hubble Space Photos Trilogy, which includes three poems that represent horizontal, vertical and complete mirrors evident (to me anyway!) in galaxy and nebula photos from the telescope; as well as a theory about the birth and evolution of the universe.

The Canadian ice hockey team rounded off a great winter olympics for the host nation last night with a gold medal, and it was a good olympics overall after a tragic start.  But you lot emulated their achievement with a great month’s website visiting at this very site.

Winter Olympics Time February 2010 Website Statistics

While the winter olympics gripped the mainstream media’s sporting attention, a lot of you found time to visit this liddle ol’ website, and this was despite the star of the show, the one and only GG, being deep in hibernation slumber!

Anyway, on with the show, and all the categories show a steady rise in February from previous years, and even January this year, despite there being three more days in January than February.

I’m trying to keep up with the rising quality of your website visiting, so I’m bringing you the statistics in glorious greenygrey technicolour this month.  Cheers.

As you must all know by now, Saskatoon in Saskatchewan was a very special place for the Greenygrey on its epic rambles in 2008, as it met the sasquatches there, and had a wonderful time.  I think that salsaing with sassy Saskia Sasquatch was particularly memorable for the wacky werewolf.

Guns N’ Roses World Tour Rocked Saskatoon on Canadian Tour

 After GG put Saskatoon on the world map, Guns N’ Roses decided to include it on their world tour; I don’t have any concrete evidence to prove that the GG’s visit was instrumental in the decision by Guns N’ Roses, but we are talking major coincidence if not…aren’t we?

The GG Rambles-Guns N’ Roses World Tour Conspiracy Deepens

And if the above wasn’t enough evidence to convince you of a connection, a Guns N’ Roses female interest in Saskatoon has now emerged.

On the GNR4Ever website it has been revealed that a massage therapist from Saskatoon by the name of Cornelia Tan has got the job for the Guns N’ Roses world tour, which after finishing off in Canada is heading to South America next.

I responded to the news on the website with this message:

Thanks Axletta. Funnily enough, Saskatoon is very special to my vegetarian werewolf friend, the Greenygrey, as well, as its main love interest on its epic rambles across North America was Saskia, a sassy sasquatch from Saskatoon, Sasketchewan.

As GG wrote on its return to the sasquatches:

Salsa with the Sasquatches of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

Scooby took me over to Scobey for a fine home-cooked brekkie, and escorted me up to the Montana-Saskatchewan border.
I had another fine surprise there, because my old sasquatch friends were there to meet me. I wondered if I would ever see them again when I left them on my epic ramble of 2008, so it was mighty fine to re-aquaint.
After I introduced Scooby and the Sasquatches we said goodbye to Scooby and headed north.
We stopped off in Moose Jaw for some jaw-jaw on the way, and arrived in Saskatoon in the evening.
Needless to say we partied all night, and I had a great time salsaing with a sassy sasquatch called Saskia.

I saw ol’ GG still in slumber, a big bundle of greenygrey moth-eaten fur amongst the greenygrey weather we have been having recently, and thought I’d pen a bit of a poem for it, with its creation myth dream in mind.  Here it is:

Greenygrey Creation Myth

Veil of love, cloaks hilly horizon

wrapping Earth in warmth

how do they breathe

seemingly so intertwined

an ocean of swirling grey

lapping fertile green seabed

rolling downwards together

thick mists enter lush

forest openings

and disappear into the night.

Hope you liked it.  I also penned an FM poem about the amazing Ant Nebula over at fmpoetry.

Have a wonderful weekend!