Bernie's Blog

“The ice and the water had polished everything perfectly. The torrent continually sought to sweep me with it, and so I slithered and climbed down Hell Gill’s dim, glistening insides, through a succession of cold baths, in one long primal scream.”

He then further describes the descent, likening it to being born and referencing Frederick Leboyer’s ‘Birth Without Violence’.

I remember discussing caves with Andrew Appleby – how they can be like ‘insides’….

AA …..”Just written a long thing about caves. Like the interior of a recumbent body.”

BB……”Mike & I are very keen on caves, from the little ones you find leading off from a beach, to the great big ones, which people USED TO LIVE IN!!!!!!! We've been to many, and into many, and love them. And a comparison with the interior of the human body - with all its cavities and soggy bits, and, for that matter, the constant temperature which caves tend to have? Indeed.”

In ‘Skara – The First Wave’, Chapter 14, the way that Andrew describes his characters journey through Gunnal’s Gulch chimes with this idea.

Roger Deakin wonders if he might get down Hell Gill, but not be able to get back up again…

“Like the climber in H.G. Wells’ story ‘The Country of the Blind’.”

I’m an admirer of H. G. Wells’ writing - haven’t read that story, so have added that to my reading heap.

And finally, when he does climb back up and emerges, he writes that he …..”…fell asleep on the grass like a new-born babe” and references Lewis Carroll’s ‘Alice in Wonderland’ – tho’ Hell Gill is one hell of a rabbit hole!

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From Campaign Against Arms Trade….

“Over the last few months we have been working with our friends at dED_cation on a brand new report entitled "Weaponising Universities: Research Collaborations between UK Universities and the Military Industrial Complex", and we cannot wait to share it with you next week.

Join us on Tuesday 27th February from 7:00pm for an online panel discussion where we will be hearing from the author, Okopi Ajonye, who will be joined by: Victoria Araj from the University of Lincoln, Andy Stirling from the University of Sussex, and River Butterworth from the University of Nottingham. This event will be facilitated by CAAT's Sam Perlo-Freeman.

This new report discusses the deepening links between universities in the UK, the arms industry, and military research, including arms industry-funded research on campus, dedicated research centres sponsored by the arms industry and/or the MOD and other parts of the UK security establishment, and other ties.

Thank you for your support.

Emma Cockburn
Campaign Against Arms Trade

P.S. Don't forget to send this email on to those you know around universities who might want to learn more and take action!

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