alaric 
I find it is impossible not to feel a huge sense of loss when seeing how fragmentary are the records of Aboriginal languages from South East Australia. Even today Aboriginal languages are still slipping away very rapidly. Why is this not seen as a cultural emergency? Why has the task always fallen on so few … Read more
Sadly, my long time collaborator Inchiki met his end over the Christmas period. We were on one of our walks when he had the accident. It was beside his favourite green pond, the one with the green rainbows, and he was looking in, reflecting on a reflection of the moon, feeling in his young sinews … Read more
I was reading Russell’s essay on scepticism recently, which was written in 1928 between the wars. He is fearful of the irrationality of the general populace – and quotes the following scene: “In 1919 I saw The Trojan Women acted at the Old Vic. There is an unbearably pathetic scene where Astyanax is put to … Read more
I often find myself speaking enthusiastically about Open Democracy to someone online or in person, only to discover that their attention seems to be focused on a little fleck of foam on my lip. At least, it seems as if that is the case. So I am faced with an uphill battle to first prove … Read more
I have been watching the developments of the Pirate Party internationally with interest, and I hope that the movement can build up some steam over here. I think the Pirates biggest challenge is presenting themselves as more than a niche party – even the name ‘Pirate Party’ although it is refreshing and catchy, could become … Read more
Reading an article in the Economist, about more work done on the fermi paradox (that the galaxy should be teeming with civilisations so why isn’t it), and i got musing again about interstellar travel. If we view the galaxy as being innately fertile, as i do, then the flowering of intelligence would be as necessary … Read more
it’s taken me a few days to get to the point where i feel i can get all this down. you know i used to often think ‘nobody knows what’s going on’. it’s a conceited idea, i admit, but i do still believe it, in a way. i suppose what has changed since then is … Read more
I came across this sweet little southern gem, designated X-TrA last night when fooling around in the vicinity. Held my son, Rowan, up to the eyepiece to have a look too. It’s 1500 light years away but the perfect clear dark sky and very high elevation brought it closer to us last night. Nearly the … Read more
My latest collection, Poison Bomb is out in an e-book on Amazon for 99p. These poems were all written during a creative spurt that I’ve been experiencing since August. Feels a bit like it could be tapering off now so I’ve snapped them into this little collection. There is a continuity to these poems, exploring … Read more