The great new Bruce Springsteen-Don Wilson video delivers the right music for the moment. A clear and moving picture of the situation in the USA, illustrated using the case of Pennsylvania. Check it out, here, and scroll down slightly to see the video.
Or click here for direct access: https://twitter.com/i/status/1316058801456308224
This is the story of my Great Belvedere Renewable-Power Circular Hike. The hike emerged spontaneously on a brilliant, gusty day in September 2020. It started out as a quest to chase up reports of a few surviving fragments of Lesnes Abbey. As I set out, a storm was brewing on the horizon. And so, with a bit of trepidation, I exited from Belvedere National Rail station in search of the church dedicated to Saint John the Baptist in Erith, England.
The trail took me through Frank’s Park, which is a 17 hectare oasis of old woodland and a grass field (1 hectare = 2.47 acres). The local government acquired these lands through the generosity of an industrialist (Frank Beadle) in 1920. The church is just a few blocks further, across a highway pedestrian overpass. From St John’s, my hike morphed into a wonderful unplanned wander along the River Thames. I ventured past renewable power plants and through patches set aside for nature to have its way.
I arrived at St John’s just prior to a mid-week service. The church warden nonetheless kindly took the time to show me the highlights. I had read that the church incorporated some materials from the destroyed Lesnes Abbey. Perhaps the locals brought some items in by cart back in the day (ca 1526AD), adding other bits after more recent excavations at the Abbey. In the bell tower at St John’s, the church warden pointed out several stone covers from Lesnes Abbey sarcophagi. In the vestry, there are two sections of tiles from the abbey floors.
The Normans initiated construction of the St John the Baptist church in the 1100s. And, some old French inscriptions are still visible. They built on the site of an older Saxon church. The new structure was expanded later in the middle ages and again in the 1800s. It incorporates some older materials including Roman tiles. Some observers hypothesise there may be additional materials from the abbey may be incorporated, as well. Sadly, most of the medieval stained glass windows at St John’s were blown out during WWII bombings. The churchyard is a jumble of destroyed and maintained graves in an ancient setting.
Having been spiritually renewed by my stop at the church, I headed out to the River Thames. Stepping up onto the river wall, one emerges onto a great open space of river and marshlands. It is wonderful to experience. So, I decided to carry on, making a dash on the path upstream. I aimed to beat the approaching storm. What I found was amazing. A cluster of renewable-energy installations and a nature reserve that attest to a great act on the part of policy makers.
Like many folks trapped at home during the pandemic, I craved this exposure to open spaces and nature. It provided inspiration for an extended walk. As a threaded my way on an elevated path through disused docks, grain elevators and mudflats, a seal bobbed in the river along the riverbank. A shag flew past. The Rainham Marsh preserve of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) provided a big swath of green on the other side of the Thames, as did the London landfill.
But an impressive feat of engineering awaited me at Crossness. The first bit sighted is a huge dock where barges of shipping containers arrive with London’s trash. A crane winches them up and trucks carry them over to a generating plant that burns the contents cleanly (as far as I could tell) in order to provide electrical power. A bit further down is a massive waste water treatment facility that processes sewage equivalent in volume to 20 Olympic pools every hour. The composted sludge fuels a separate power plant. From what I could see, it also burned cleanly. Meanwhile, four massive wind turbines churn to produce further renewable power. Some of this wind energy serves to power the Ford diesel engine factory across the River Thames.
On the south side of the river, nestled between the power plants, is the Crossness nature reserve. The nature reserve includes an old pumping station from 1865. In the Victorian era struggle to eradicate cholera, this served to manage sewage and excess water in the marshes. Part of the reserve is highly protected, but other parts are open to hikers. Along the Thames just outside of the reserve, I think I saw a hen harrier (female) and shelducks. Inside, I saw moorhens, herons, little egrets, and others darting among the reeds along the margins of the ponds. There were some wonderful cob horses in the paddocks that the path crosses.
It must be a challenge to maintain the reserve in the face of pressures from the surrounding industry and suburbia. Reports indicate that they have struggled a bit with stolen materials, vandalism, and litter. My hat is off to Thames Water, the owner and manager of the reserve. A team of local volunteers supports their good work: The Friends of Crossness Nature Reserve provide extra TLC in maintaining, monitoring and protecting the wildlife habitat.
From Crossness Nature Reserve, it was just a short hop back to Belvedere National Rail Station. And, thus ended my Great Belvedere Renewable-Power Circular Hike.
The Great Belvedere Renewable-Power Circular Hike in pictures
(click here if you don’t see the slideshow link)
=> Slideshow <=
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Here are a few more posts on these issues: Nature and History
On Abbey Road (literally) Lesnes Abbey and neighbouring Abbey Woods provide a welcome breath of fresh air and greenery. Modern-day London denizens suffering from lock-down fatigue can head out on Abbey Road to seek out such pleasures. But, the roots … Continue reading
Ever since we moved to Europe in 1992, I have loved the blackbirds (cousins of the American robin). They are jet black with golden bills and are quite dignified. At the end of the day they usually sit on the top branch of a tree or TV antenna or roof crest and sing their hearts out. Their song is perhaps a little forlorn, coming as a solo as the dusk settles. But, it is also warm and true. This is the very short story of an especially loud blackbird.
Le merle noir
In our first apartment, just outside of Paris, I loved to sit on our little balcony on the building’s inner courtyard and enjoy the evening calm. This was generally accompanied by the song of the resident blackbird (le merle noir). The French composer Olivier Messiaen wrote a chamber music piece for flute and piano based on this song (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwDmDTjrBNA).
London chanter
Now we are resident in London’s Royal Borough of Greenwich. Here, two days ago at the end of a walk, I was heading back home. Coming through a very tiny park of trees known as Catherine Grove, I spied a loud blackbird hidden in amongst the branches.
He was there across the street singing with all the power and style that he could muster. Though filled with enthusiasm, he hadn’t figured out that the best effect is to do so from on high. He’ll learn.
In the meantime, I was grateful for this contribution from nature to helping the neighbourhood manage the stress of these crazy days. — at Greenwich, April 2020.
The Loud Blackbird
Ah, summer in England. The political turbulence of recent months, or rather years, has added to the stress of daily life here in London. Your intrepid blogger has been unable to nurture Q4TK recently, as had been the case in the past. But, this is certainly not due to inactivity on the part of your webmaster. Quite the opposite! The turmoil in the international trading system has pushed his working hours up into new heights. Yet, as the pressure builds, he has found solace in nature. That is, he has had the opportunity to head out into England’s “green & pleasant land”, as William Blake called it in the poem Jerusalem.
The rain and fertility of this place provide welcome opportunities for nature to break through in its struggle with human economic development. Summertime walks in the countryside or a city garden in turn offer us a chance to reconnect with the natural world. Even urban denizens such as Dr D! And, being open to such moments can have a calming effect. They can deliver an opportunity to restore and re-centre one’s soul. When your blogger takes time to appreciate the lambs on “England’s pleasant pastures seen”, well it reminds him of the privilege it is to be here.
Even in this space and time, there are blessings to be found all around us in summertime England. Your Q4TK webmaster has added this little gallery with this in mind. His goal is to share with you a few such moments from his summer in England. (If you subscribe to my email feed, you will need to click the column title above to display the gallery.)
It is nearly the 100th anniversary of the end of WWI, which ended on 11/11/1918 at 11:00. And a brand-new film has just been released: They Shall Not Grow Old. Directed by Peter Jackson, the film uses original film from the war recovered and colorised. Its sound track draws on period music and recordings made by historians after the war in conversation with WWI veterans. It is a technological marvel and an incredibly compelling story. IMDB has given the film a rating of 8.9/10, which is extraordinary. Check out the trailer here!
I have just had the most amazing experience at a special showing of the film, here in Greenwich (London). This was to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the end of WWI. The theatre was packed and once the film started you could hear a pin drop. The film really brings you into the scene, with all of the horror, fear, laughter, and terrible conditions. It is stunning. And, after it ended, there was silence as folks stayed until the end of the credits. Some 700,000 UK soldiers died (a kill rate of more than 1 in 10). Another 200,000 died from other parts of the British empire. Of course, this was a just a small fraction of the 19 million who died overall in WWI across Europe.
An interesting footnote is just how many of the British veterans had fond memories of the Germans captured. They got along well. In the insanity of the war, front line soldiers on both sides could not understand why they were fighting each other. Perhaps some other true enemy, but why the Brits and Germans with their shared history?
Every year, I buy a poppy from the UK veterans association in November. It is a way to honour of those who have died and the other UK veterans who have often fought alongside us Americans (e.g., in Iraq and Afghanistan). I certainly felt solidarity with folks in the theatre today.
The film definitely registered with the audience. One of the sad points of Brexit is that — outside of Scotland, London and Northern Ireland — many folks in UK seem to have forgotten why the EU was founded. This was, in part, to prevent such tragedies as WWI and WWII from happening again in Europe. Depending on the poll and the day, perhaps 50% of Brits still want to go it alone. Though, admittedly, an increasing share are having doubts.
From my childhood, I have known folks who were alive at the time of WWI and heard their stories. During holiday visits, my grandfather would tell me stories from his time during the war in the US merchant marine traversing the North Atlantic. My wife’s great aunt Coressa impressed me with her memories of the local support in North Carolina for Woodrow Wilson during the war and his peace efforts afterwards. Mom’s uncle Joe died in France during WWI, a point that was still hard for the older generation to discuss when I was a kid. I have been to Belleau Wood in France, where the freshly arrived Americans scrambled in 1918 to plug a hole in the front line and stop the German assault on Paris. There are still bomb craters and twisted metal to be seen there.
From various conversations, first hand observations, and histories and economic studies, it seems clear that Europe is better off united than it was when it was divided.
November Poppy
1. Who knows where this text is from?
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
2. Bonus question: Who was the lead author?
3. Extra bonus question: Do you think it is true?
(Answers are in the replies/comments, below)
Doug’s notes from the live debate inside of Islington Municipal Hall (packed to capacity)
Francis Fukuyama
There is an ongoing threat to liberal democracy inside two of the oldest established liberal democracies: US and UK
⁃ also Poland Hungary and othersStart in 2016, why 2016?
most explainers say economic issues drove this, such as offshoring from wealthy countries to developing countries, China
but also: Loss of identity,
⁃ many feel inner dignity not adequately recognised, stolen honour of their identity due to cultural change, migration, multiculturalismpre 1960s, left of Western political spectrum was focused on working class, white males at centre
then left shifted to help those disenfranchised: feminism, minorities
traditional left of centre voters shifted away because “we are not recognized”
elites neglected white males, compared to the past
anger over loss of identity
toxic arguments over gender race religion tribe, are unlike economic arguments: we can’t split the difference, you are either in or out
Pankaj Mishra
humiliation fuels want for recognition and a desire for equality
universalist history in fukuyama is derived from a Western story, misses rest of world
liberal democracy is complicit with imperialism: napoleonic armed expansion one example
majoritarianism trampled smaller voices also in East: eg, in india, Kashmir
Ideals of universalism such as in US revolution are fake, a lot about slave owners seeking to assert their own rights
Francis Fukuyama
In US civil war, Lincoln in his Gettysburg address shifted US society focus to an American identity not tied to race or gender, but rather one based on principles
American democracy is still a work in progress
how to have a multicultural society
need to have shared principles instead of an anchor in race, ethnicitywhat other form of political organisation is there that would permit multiculturalism?
US system and UK system are not perfect, but better than alternatives
Pankaj Mishra
inequalities need to be addressed first,
then can fix political systemleft has not been in power for a long long time
current left is really centrist, not leftist
injecting identity politics came from right Napoleonic oppression of blacks in Haiti
It was not 1960s left in USA initiating identity politics over feminism or race, as Francis said, identity had older darker roots in majoritarianism
Francis Fukuyama
He has been travelling to developing nations, teaching a course in Kurdistan for example
institutions of developing countries are often anchored by ethnicity, religion etc
But this is a formula for ongoing conflict
One can’t hold a nation together without a shared ideal
Syria, Iraq, others often build institutions often where ethnicity reigns (partly also a cultural legacy
Reagan Thatcher took liberal democracy and capitalism too far, he admits
but a more moderate form of liberal democracy is the best model we have got, so far
Pankaj Mishra
What is the answer? Should we carry on in same way?Just try to do better?
We need to transform this economic system that has imposed inequalityLiberal democracy is unable to meet this challenge
The conflict of liberal democracy vs capitalism that has not yet been reconciled
Francis Fukuyama
The concentration of political power is the problem, tyrannical power, as President Trump is trying to claim for himself, as are Orban, Erdogan, others.
A sound constitutional order can help to balance this.We need lib democracy tied to mkt economy, anchored by a sound constitution
The rise of the right is threat
They are working to undermine liberal democracy
Not all trump supporters are elitist identity advocates.
Many coal miners, blue collar mfg worker, and others are losing out; they have legitimate concerns that must be addressed, and they must be peeled away from the Republican base if we want to exit the right from powerdemogogic populism must be prevented from undermining democracy
We must also recognise that migration and sovereignty need to be managed democratically
On migration, the solution is a path to citizenship for those here, but also
enforcement of existing laws to regulate future arrivalsIn the US excessive checks on concentration of power have impeded wishes of electorate; right has used this to block progress; need democracy with controls but also a right to govern. Balanced system.
There is no practical alternative to liberal democracy and capitalism,
China delivers growth but social and political model is unsatisfactory.(Big spontaneous applause in the jam packed Islington Municipal Hall)
(C) Doug 14 October 2018 (including sketch above)

No! Hands off my crabs, Mr President! According to a Washington Post article on 17 August 2018, a labour shortage has emerged in the crab sector on the Eastern Shore of Maryland due to immigration controls. No local crab meat? We have to import it now? What is that all about?
We economists generally consider full employment reached when unemployment gets down to around 5%. Unemployment in Somerset is still around 7.7%, in Worcester it is around 6.4% and in Dorchester it is still 5.5%. In other words, there are folks out there on Delmarva who are looking for work.
And, the Delmarva crab houses have raised their wages. Yet, there is still a gap between the wages on offer in the crab industry and what folks expect in terms of working conditions and pay. These are the so-called reservation wages, the level of wages that workers will hold out for until they are willing to supply their labour.
But, the crab houses can’t charge their customers enough to pay the wages most Eastern Shore folks want to do this type of work. What to do? Let the industry die? Or let in seasonal workers. I know what i would do… I’d first make sure local jobseekers know about the work on offer (via the state employment service). Then, if enough folks don’t come forward, I would make available seasonal work visas. I’d vote to keep the crab meat coming!
Photo: © Doug L., 2012Oh my, it has been forty years. For a few decades now I have had a tradition of pausing on Easter morning to listen to Patti Smith’s song Easter, from her album by the same name. Released in March 1978, the album is a collection of poetry set to music. At various points, the songs convey rage against the system, existential-angst-inducing emotion, and transcendent spirituality. But, even with such a bold pallet of colors, the song Easter stands out. The sound envelops a room with a Leslie-speaker sort of tonality. It immerses listeners in a vibe that is like a warm bath on a cold day. The music has depth. Somehow it is positive and reassuring despite raising the issue of the finite nature of life as we know it.
As Stephen Webb put it in a 2015 blog post on the Theology of Patti Smith,
“‘Easter’ (1978) is a masterpiece of lyrical lament. Smith imagines Rimbaud walking to church with his siblings on Easter Sunday, trying to convey to them his own awakening into a dark, yet hopeful destiny.”
Over the years, Patti Smith’s writing, music and art have returned again and again to interconnected themes from history, theology, and the philosophy of life. (I have noted these points previously in a Q4TK blog post, here). And, the song Easter is emblematic of such linkages.
Communicating a spiritual message via a lyrical presentation of a fictitious incident involving a poet who died more than 125 years ago, having spent the last 11 years of his life living in Ethiopia, and making the connection relevant to present day life in a post-punk song, one that has a sense of currency that persists over a few decades, well that is quite a remarkable achievement.
So, my hat is off to Patti Smith for this gift to the listener. Patti Smith’s song Easter has made a difference to me, delivering a helpful anchor point from time to time. It is a window that offers a helpful perspective into broader contexts. And, I say to her, “Thank you so much for sharing this all those years ago.”
Through a window (©Doug L., 2015-2018)
