Faithful Unto Death. Edward John Poynter. Painting of a guard remaining at their post during the eruption at Pompeii. This painting was incredibly popular during the Victorian period, when concepts of absolute duty and obedience to the military were appealing.
Is punishment for nazi war criminals, indoctrinated from a young age, appropriate? A discussion about Oskar Gröning, the accountant of Auschwitz, and them being successfully convicted of 300, 000 counts of accessory to murder.
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Low Tide at Trouville. Gustave Courbet.
In a game of chance, would you choose instant death over an infinitesimal chance at immortality?
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Slump/Fear (orange/black). Alexis Harding. An amazing piece to see in person - Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool.
By Daniel Tarade
We have built our lives on shifting ground
Buzzing mosquitos beneath dripping amber
The grinding of teeth a constant sound
Society dies in an echo chamber
Believing what we wish, we never act
Our impression of three wise monkeys, orange and black
Rather than face uncertainty
We worship a mirage
We believe in the best possible currently
Unprepared for the barrage
A sickly Pangloss, stabbed in the back
Dies while sputtering, orange and black
If islands can form from magma
As if summoned by Charles Lyell
Perhaps the spewing of more lava
Will instill panic for a while
Realizing all that we lack
Slumped over in fear, orange and black
Only with Hell’s fury and brimstone
Outstretched skin flayed
With dagger’s iced touch to the bone
Will we fall on our knees to pray
Words immortalized but layered deep in stacks
From only the wisest of seers, orange and black
Belief that our heroic acts will always succeed
In saving our lives and China
Eases the dread and allows us to breed
Hollow words mean less than saliva
Quick-curing cement only hides the cracks
We’ve squandered our years, orange and black
I must concur with Sir Alfred Tennyson
Nature doesn’t care about the piece or whole
Instead it marches on and on
With disregard for mind and soul
Disappearing before we react
Just the briefest of footnotes, orange and black
Does our death constitute judgement day?
To be punished or forgiven
Or rather a collective wasting away
Lavished for living
Coping with instability is what I lack
Faced matted with tears, orange and black
Snooker. Ken Danby. Never a more apt example of determinism. However, the true challenge is to understand why someone is playing billiards in the first place.
Omar Khadr was an Al Qaeda child soldier groomed by his father. If the Canadian government publicly forgave Omar, should we not also forgive his father?
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Blackberry Gathering. Elizabeth Adela Forbes. Normal science may seem mundane but has provided much 'nourishment' for our society.
As conceptualized by Thomas Kuhn, science can either spring forth revolution or follow in its wake. Normal science may sound boring, but the greatest honour in science is often bestowed upon its greatest practitioners.
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