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Archive for March, 2007…

Saturn's Existence Confirmed

March 13th, 2007 1 Comment

My brother Stuart, who appears in these pages from time to time as a hillwalker and hearing-aid expert, is also an amateur astronomer. He always had the interest but hadn’t done much about it, until his wife Michelle had the brilliant idea of buying him a telescope for a Christmas or birthday some time ago. When I was round at their house last night we had a look at Saturn, which is in a good position for viewing at the moment.
Stuart took only a few seconds to locate it with his naked eye. It looked just like any other bright star, but when we finally got it in our sights…

(Picture courtesy of Mike Brough, 24th February 2005 – http://www.scholarshome.org.uk/astro/saturn.htm)
What we … read on »

Anniversary of The Slave Trade Act, 1807

March 12th, 2007 1 Comment

March 25th is the 200th anniversary of the Slave Trade Act, “An Act for the Abolition of the Slave Trade”, the Act of Parliament which outlawed the trading of slaves. It was the first of three Slave Trade Acts, and slavery was actually abolished only with the Slavery Abolition Act 1833. The Central Office of Information says:
“Although it would be another 30 years before slaves gained their final freedom – when slavery was abolished throughout the British Empire – the Bicentenary in 2007 gives the opportunity to remember the millions who suffered; to pay tribute to the courage and moral conviction of all those – black and white – who campaigned for abolition; and to demand to know why today, … read on »

Exclusive: Much-Awaited Purchase of Moleskine Sketchbook Awakens Long-Dormant Creative Fervour in Man, Aged 34

March 10th, 2007 1 Comment

Drawn in pen, this elaborate doodle is interesting because while I was drawing it the black was the figure and the white was the ground. So the black was the thing to notice, and the white was just the space in between, the substrate. This was natural, as I was actually drawing the black on a white background. When I finished it (and I was satisfied to find that there was a moment when I realised, without any doubts, that I’d finished, because it was right) there was a figure-ground reversal and since then it’s the white shapes that I’ve noticed, lying on a black background, or in a black space. When I was drawing it I hadn’t realised that, … read on »


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