"...If you can hear the blood running...'

E-mail from Rebecca Morris on Wednesday:

Hi Simon, Hope all's well... Just thought I'd send you the first of our two interview transcripts…See you soon and hope Corfu was all to plan. Not checked to see how the roof's going…whether the knicker crisis is resolved...but I'm hoping for at least one of the two to be ironed out.

When we’d got beyond the process of giving blood, Rebecca had asked me ‘what is blood?’ I’d been given a sea shell to hold it to my ear:

I must have heard it when I was four or five, or something like that, and you could hear this ‘shh’ this wonderful surfy noise, and thinking that the sound of the sea has got into the shell from being near the sea. And then I read in one of these sort of – erm - great books of knowledge for children kind of things, you know, seldom known fact, sort of, what is the sound you hear in the thing? And it said ‘it’s the sound of the blood that you can hear

I have only once in a place so quiet I could hear my blood, on a hillside at Delphi - once known as the centre of the world. The panoramic hush was relieved by an old bus with crackling rebetica, played through speakers on its roof, working its way up the valley for half an hour. I put Rebecca’s transcript of our conversation through Word’s Autosummarize. From 7000 words it highlighted:

Because if you can hear the blood running then you can hear all sorts of other sounds about the life around you, erm, and nothing is more important at the moment, than people should hear what’s happening to the world. And you can’t hear this because people are blanking it out all the time and I think people are actively scared of hearing the blood running.

The funny thing is that when I tried it again no such selection occurred. By the way I'm mildly miffer Rebecca got in that quip about the knickers crisis being 'ironed out' before me. I'll just pinch it. Note: Googling the matter of hearing the sea in a shell I learn after half-a-century that it is not my blood I can hear but ambient and invented noise. How intriguing? It is amazing for how long one can believe with confidence that something is the case and then, almost in passing, learn differently. I'm a little disappointed but I'll recover. * * * E-mail from Thanassis and Kostas at Ano Korakiana today:

Dear Simon. Thank you very-very much for your interest... Now, some answers to your questions: 1.we haven't searched both Embassies, 2.We don't know if the language of the "paper" is either English or Greek, 3.we are sure that one of the names that signed the paper is Metallinos (Μεταλληνός). He was the "leader", 4. A similar paper has been signed by inhabitants of Kinopiastes (another village in Corfu) and one village in Zakynthos island. 5. It is passed by word of mouth as you have written. And today's information from my family's environment: a well known person that searched for another theme, found it in Leeds University (history section?) at the end of 1970s, a file about the Ionian aspect that contained this "paper". She read it, but they didn't let her have a copy. So, you can start with this information, but (we believe) not in "official way". Maybe they don't want (for their reasons) to give this paper.. Many many thanks to you and ...Courage!!! TS & KA

It's not that I don't care

I met Rebecca in Coffee Republic, Newhall Street, for a second conversation, recorded on a machine hardly the aize of a thumb. She prompted me to think where and to whom my blood went. I'd been wondering, since our first conversation, why I cared so little. It comes down to the difference between donating and selling. Unless I could see no other way to feed my family - an improbable necessity - I wouldn't sell my blood. Seeing it as a gift, not a commodity, I've no wish to know the receiver of my blood, or to impose knowledge of my identity on them. My blood goes not to individuals but to a commonwealth with which I have a gift relationship. 'It is we who are under threat' On 16 November 2007 there was a conference at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens on 'environmental management through research and teaching'. This was a multidisciplinary event which would surely have drawn the attention of policy-makers - indeed some of those who spoke are very much part of the policy process already. The knowledge, the evidence and the research skills exist. How do these ideas connect more strongly to political action - at every level, street, village, town, continents and sea? Professor Dimitrios Mavrakis, Director of Energy Policy and Development Centre (KEPA) at the university:

They talk about threats to the environment, but it is we who are under threat...However many forests we burn, the mountains will stay in place, the forests will regenerate but we will have lost a great deal. I have also heard that Greece will face problems in the future due to its lack of environmental protection. Well, I’m sorry, but Greece is already facing problems. If you don’t believe it, the next time you have a salad, think about what water was used to irrigate the lettuce and how many agricultural chemicals are in it. Cancer is rife in the provinces because of those substances.

Professors reported on environment-related research. 'You need a mask to get around downtown at midday,' commented one academic. Anna Karakatsani, associate professor of pneumonology, whose image I can't find but whose research record in her subject is impressive, noted, that the slightest increase in airborne particles is reflected in increased hospital admissions:

Research shows an increase of 10mg/m3 in PM10 leads to a daily mortality increase of 0.6%, and 1% in hospital admissions for respiratory problems.

Associate Professor Polyxeni Nikopoulou-Stamati, head of the health and environment postgraduate programme, with a research record of learning how cancer is caused by the environment:

Water is also subject to pollution. In the past 50 years, we have been deluged with tons of chemical substances.

Mavrakis' point that it's we who are at risk is well made. Whether or not you believe in Gaia, the earth has only to shrug 'its' shoulders to precipitate an extinction spasm [video from the National Center for Conservation Science and Policy, Oregon, on feeding science into politics]. A few million years - a geological blink - should allow recovery from the human era, so that in the Neozoic Era, we'll be no more than a stratum of carbon-plastic to be analysed and used for jewellery by intelligences evolved from rats, rabbits and cockroaches. Academic evidence in our 19th century cities showed even the most unaltruistic entrepreneurs that the water born diseases of the urban poor placed them in harm's way unless they promoted ambitious investment in clean water supply and sewerage. Having bought my return flight to Corfu next week, I've been watching United Nations General Secretary Ban Ki-Moon's keynote speech introducing a presentation, by Rajendra Pachauri, Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, of the panel's latest report, their fourth assessment - Climate change:the physical science basis - in Valencia this morning. Pachauri used terms I need to understand - 'meridional overturning circulation', 'macro-economic costs of mitigation', 'dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system' - but his question was clear 'What changes in lifestyles, behaviour patterns and management practices are needed, and by when?' as was the implication of his concluding quote from Mahatma Gandhi.

Be the change you want to see in the world [Note: American in Athens blog wrap-up on the environment in Greece dated 5 Nov 2007 and CORDIS - the Gaias sphere] [Back to the future 12 March 2009: Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen ]

Med threat from 'concrete coasts' ~ BBC June 2005 'About 150 million people also live within 20km of the Mediterranean, and each summer that population almost doubles as swarms of sun-seeking tourists pack the region's hotel rooms. But what they come to enjoy is slowly being destroyed...'

World Wildlife Fund ~ Key Threats to the Mediterranean Region. Brief Report 2005: 

...projected tourism activity in the most ecologically important areas in the region will further degrade already developed areas and cause drastic transformations of the coastal and marine ecosystems in untouched areas. Furthermore, by 2020, approximately 350 million tourist arrivals will visit the Mediterranean, representing about 22% of all tourists world-wide. The ten Balkan countries are forecast to receive 79 million tourist in the year 2020 (4.6 % growth rate over period 1995-2020). The leading tourist destinations will be Greece, Turkey, and Croatia. Under the current tourism development patterns, these trends likely imply the degradation and even the outright destruction of most of the still valuable natural and cultural areas of the region.

Small mammals

Dh arrived Sunday morning, driven from Heathrow by H, who came to my house where I was working at the kitchen table in my night gown. I dragged on trousers then said 'to hell with it' and strolled down the drive in bare feet and we embraced and laughed. 'Welcome welcome, my friend. Now come into our houses - Zarina's especially. Salaam Aleikum.' We drove to Z's then later to look round the campus and then round the Barber Institute and gazed at the art nosing the canvases, drawings, sculptures, bronzes, looking and talking about Bellini, Botticelli, Holbein, Veronese, Stom, Baschenis, Rubens, Van Dyck, Rembrandt, Poussin, Gainsborough, Turner, Delacroix, Ingres, Rossetti, Whistler, Manet, Degas, Monet, Millet, Van Gogh, Rodin, Gauguin, Picasso, Matisse, Magritte, Rodin, Schiele, Cezanne. Later we were joined by Rajinder and we talked and laughed more and then Z arrived made late by the fog. Dh gave me a gift for Lin which she opened later - a silver bracelet, delicately made, and small bottles of Arab perfume in a finely made wooden box with brass inlay.

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We're up to well over a thousand pictures on international flytipping
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E-mail from Rebecca Morris on 31 October:
I love google imaging people (it's a wholly vain attempt to try and detect how famous I am, really, but I excuse myself my googling others first...and THEN me!) and I came across this when googling you. I hope this comes out. I'm not sure whether it was you who took this but take a look at the vehicle captured (by chance, I'm sure) in the bottom right-hand corner of the photo. I'm not sure I believe in fate, but for it to be the second photo out of ALL the google images returned, this really surprised me. Gobsmacked me, in fact...

Have a lovely time in Somerset and see you next week. B

from Morris, R (2005) 'Unseen Others: Blood from Donation to Transfusion'. Unpublished MSc Thesis. School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Birmingham

Blood and geography

Party for 75th Donors

I've been approached by a researcher from my own university and interviewed about blood. R is exploring relationships between blood and identity among blood donors who, like me, are O rhesus positive - the commonest type. We met and chatted in Starbucks, Colmore Row, for several hours. Seeing R's website I'm intrigued to see where this research will go and look forward to further involvement in her Phd. I'm up to 83 donations now. It feels easy, even enjoyable, and I've been doing it for so long and have become so accustomed to the process, I don't think about who gets my blood or the significance of the process of giving and receiving it. I'm thinking about it now and chatting to a researcher about this is a lot more interesting than the forced-choice phone MORI poll in which, by chance, I'd participated earlier in the day on my attitude to Information Technology. One felt like an exchange, the other like a donation - though MORI will give £20 to a charity of my choice in return for my participation. I chose RoadPeace. I realise now that a most significant event which I hardly remember because it was handled undramatically, at a dramatic time, was that Lin, who is Rhesus B negative, got a small jab at the time of Richard's birth, which prevented her creating antibodies that could, depending on our daughter's blood group, have been fatal to her when she was born four years later. A life threatening problem has now, through pre-natal data collection and minor intervention, become, to all intents and purposes, a non-problem. A fine example of the 'banality of good' * * * Had tea with Z this afternoon, at her house, where a guest room is ready for Dh. Our Iraki friend arrives at Heathrow soon. Friends, including Kate from CARA, will meet him at the airport and drive him to Birmingham. Z's away that day and so gave me spare keys and a briefing on turning on heating, rooms, cupboards, the shower and so on, before she returns later in the evening. This week I'll tighten up arrangements for Dh's arrival at the university the following day. He's survived daunting paperwork to get to the UK, and will now need to steer his wife and children here, while starting his Phd and finding campus accommodation for his family. * * * As well as Oscar, we have now got a tabby cat called Flea living here - a tiger in the house. She arrived temporarily a three months ago and looks as if she's decided to stay. She and Oscar co-exist by maintaining diplomatic distance. [CLICK on the picture of the cat and get ready to go 'Awwww!!' Then note the colour of the eyes. Definitely Greek, though whenever I think cat I think of Christopher Smart's cat Jeffry from Jubilate Agno - links there with Axion Esti. Richard's recent picture of Flea] An exchange with a Greek friend - CORFU KNICKERS CRISIS:

I get so much pleasure - and amusement - whenever I revisit your photos. I don't understand enough Greek to get all the humour but it feels infectious. We are recently returned from Corfu to enjoy some good rain, grey sky and chilly weather, and will return after Christmas. There was an 'incident' about which I wanted to ask your opinion, A young man called F has a sailing boat moored in xxx Harbour which he is fitting out. One day last month he hoisted his girl friend's knickers on the same halliard as his Greek courtesy flag (which foreign yachts always fly in Greek waters). 4 big policemen arrived in a 4 X 4 and asked his dad - living on another English yacht close by - if he knew who had done this crime. G said 'it's my son's boat'. Because F was under 21 his father is responsible for his son's actions and so he has been charged with a crime and must appear in court, probably in January 08. Do you know what is the best thing he should say in his and his son's defence? The pants were after all 'under' not 'above' the Greek flag and as soon as the police insisted the knickers - very very small ones - were immediately lowered. I know how important the Greek flag is to many Greeks but it is very difficult for British people to understand the meaning of the flag in Greek culture. I wondered if G could show your photo to the Judge (:)) Yours enjoyably, Simon

Reply:

hahahahaha! F is my personal hero! I fancy him! Go F go! That's what I would do if I were him! Much more things in life are more important than a 'patrida' and the love (sexual or emotional) for a woman is one of them! If F thinks his girlfriend is more important than any flag then he did all right hoisting her panties on that halliard! Go F! woohoo! stupid flags and what they represent! It is a tricky situation. Policemen in Greece are ummm... brutal, narrow minded, dumb and racists. If he (his father G) makes it to the court he should plead guilty and ask for forgiveness. The judge will not be harsh on him. Since that incident didn't make it to the news and there is no publicity to the matter it will be ok. The public opinion in Greece is against english tourists. But G can squeez himself through if he says something like 'F was drunk' or 'we just had it washed and we hoisted it up that sail to dry it'. I am not good at legal advice though! Mind me not! and yes he can show my foto to the judge. Hell, he can use my real name if he wants! But I don't know if this will help him! I hope it turns out good for G (and F)! Poor boy! hahahahahaha! knickers!

Reply:

Dear X. Your laughter is a breath of fresh air, Freedom!! Thanks for your mix of humour, sympathy and wise advice. Of course I won't show your photo - unless G faces death (:)) English people never get drunk, blasted, plastered, blotto, intoxicated, dipso, high, hammered, juiced up, pickled, legless or zonked, so the judge will not accept that excuse. 'We just had it washed ....' hahahahahahahahahahaha! That would be cheeky! I guess G could argue that when asked to take down the girl's knickers they were pulled down v.quickly. Do you think that would wash with the Judge? I just remembered that when those eccentric British plane spotters were in a bad place their Greek lawyer got them clemency when it was discovered there were also Greeks who indulged in the weird hobby of plane spotting (επισήμανση αεροπλάνων?). Much respect, Simon

Postscript to the above letter:

Friend. I am excited by this lecture about a play by Nikos Kazantzakis that I did not know about. As we left Venice for Greece on the ferry last February we met a man in leathers - a philosopher - on a motorbike travelling to Corfu. His name was Kapodistrias. I did not then know this name or what it meant. And then I read about the first governor of free Greece and his assassination. Then I read Kazantzakis after you had told me how you respected this writer but I did not know that in 1944 he had written a tragedy called Capodistria about the last few days in his hero's life, which said much about the paradox and tensions of modern Greek politics. Herete. Simon

The British are relaxed about their flag