DannyB

‘Let us now transport ourselves…

…from Robinson’s island, bathed in light, to medieval Europe, shrouded in darkness. Here, instead of the independent man, we find everyone dependent – serfs and lords, vassals and suzerains, laymen and clerics. Personal dependence characterizes the social relations of material production as much as it does the other spheres of life based on that production.Continue reading “‘Let us now transport ourselves…”

Monkey on a Goat Carrying a Hare

The church of St Nicholas Barfrestone was built around 1180 – roughly the same time as Dover Castle. It seems to have been commissioned by Adam de Port, a Norman baron who lived in the castle itself. It could be that he was hoping to make money (and influence) from pilgrims traveling to Canterbury. ButContinue reading “Monkey on a Goat Carrying a Hare”

General Cargo

Although it’s a bank holiday there are still a lot of people working. Global shipping doesn’t stop for anything (blocked canals being the exception). Certainly not festivals and holidays. The first ship is the Reimerswaal, a hopper-dredger, last port Northfleet, destination unknown. The other ship in the channel is the Autopride, vehicle carrier, en routeContinue reading “General Cargo”

Ships

The Moment Folkestone Police Station Did Not Burn Down

The government lies, the Tory party lies, Dominic Cummings lies. the police lie. But if you protest those lies you face imprisonment. These are dangerous times. But the danger should be felt on their side. They are the ones who are full of fear, hate and greed. They are afraid of graves and the flowersContinue reading “The Moment Folkestone Police Station Did Not Burn Down”

Bird with blue plastic

The sea is full of pollutants including plastics, chemicals, oil, raw sewage, radioactive waste, explosives. Every single square metre of ocean which has been surveyed now contains plastic. Plastic has been found in the deepest ocean trench; that’s at a depth of 36,000 feet. There are estimated to be over 5 trillion pieces of plastic,Continue reading “Bird with blue plastic”

Aegean Horizon

Just been to check that no ship(s) have got stuck in the Narrow Seas. All’s good. Here’s the Aegean Horizon (Crude Oil Tanker) on its way from Rotterdam to Algeciras. I made the mistake of leaving it too late to identify the other ships. It was one of those sorts of days.

Al Zubara – Hapag Lloyd

The container ship Al Zubara with a capacity of 19,000 TEUs. On its way from Rotterdam to Southampton. The port of Calais on the French coast. The ferry gives some sense of scale. Hapag – Hamburg-Amerikanische Packetfahrt-Aktien-Gesellschaft – was formed in Hamburg in 1847. It merged with Norddeutscher Lloyd in 1970. I am currently waitingContinue reading “Al Zubara – Hapag Lloyd”

She Was Walking Home

Folca – the former Debenhams Store

The vaccination centre is inside the former Debenhams store in Sandgate Street. I rather liked the surreal nature of it all; a little like being inside a Lindsay Anderson film. Surrealism and the unusual becomes erased by neo-liberalism, commercial leisure, stadium-size entertainment, city streets as privatized spaces with private security systems and private security guards.Continue reading “Folca – the former Debenhams Store”