Thursday, August 26, 2010

Heart


Boulders-based science writer Jennifer Frazer opens doors to wonder at The Artful Amoeba.

I mentioned Jennifer and her site a week or so ago, but want to do so again because something in me wakes up and reconfigures every time I visit her blog. I so admire her work and the way she makes the glories (and sometimes the absurdities or terrors) of the natural world accessible to us; it seems to me that her care and regard for the earth is an expression of love of the highest order; no surprise then to find the word heart embedded in her blog title?

Jennifer introduces her site thus "... This is a blog about biodiversity and natural history, although I dislike that first term. I think it turns people off to the subject. It's too often used for boring platitudes about species richness that tell you nothing about what's actually out there. I'm here to work on fixing that with a healthy dose of wit, humor, and obscure sci-fi references. Think of this as MST3K version of biodiversity..."

The Artful Amoeba was recently selected as the second-best biodiversity blog by the Pimm Group.

Jennifer's most recent post features Glaucus atlanticus - 'magical bird slugs' - in an article titled A Sea Slug of fractal Beauty (Rebecca L, you will find these creatures astonishing!)...



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It seems to me that, no matter how we look at it, everything in this remarkable life of ours comes down - or rises up - to matters of listening and of the heart. . . It can be no coincidence that the word heart carries within it hear, ear and art?

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May I ask you to please light a candle for my dear Dad who is in London Bridge hospital this week and possibly next; his heart's being monitored/listened to. . . ? Thank you. And one for Mum, always at his side. . . xo


14 comments:

  1. Consider it done, a candle for Dad and one for your Mum.

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  2. And me as well, dear Claire. It must be hard to be so far away and not really know for yourself how things are or let your Mum lean on your shoulder.

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  3. All my love, Claire. I'll try to fill a whole house full and send it on the breeze.

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  4. And another, for him, her, and you.xx

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  5. precious fathers, mothers. i'll light a candle tonight, at dusk, in Maine.
    xo

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  6. Dear Marylinn, Melissa, Rachel, Pen & Susan - it's so good to know you're there and that you understand about candle-burning. I really do think it makes a difference. Dad's doing well; beta blockers are helping steady his heart rate. It looks as though his cardiologist will put in a pacemaker today (Friday) then do an angiogram. I wish the gap between NZ and the UK was smaller and I could hop on over...

    Thank you for linking arms.
    Love, Claire

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  7. Beautiful beautiful beautifuL!!! Thank you for the wonders you see and for what you have shown.

    I will light a candle tonight in my Frida Kahlo shrine.

    love,
    Rebecca

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  8. btw, claire..thanks so much for the mention of jennifer frazer. i checked her out, and ya gotta love that groovy bio-stuff.
    fabulous!

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  9. Hi Susan - I imagined you'd enjoy Jennifer's site. Groovy bio-stuff indeed!
    Thank you, too, for your candle in Maine. x

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  10. Hi Rebecca - nature's dance! Always a miracle...

    I found myself wondering whether these 'fractal slugs' would get along with the pteropod, our favourite 'sea butterfly.' They're cousins, but that doesn't necessarily mean they'd be friends. These ones - Glaucus atlanticus - store stinging venom in their dainty little finger tips as a deterrent against predators (gulls and the like) whereas the sea butterflies have no such defense mechanism. Perhaps fluttering beautifully is enough to undo any oncoming bullies?

    Thank you ++ for lighting a candle for M&D in your Frida Kahlo shrine. xx

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  11. Sending good vibes across the planet!

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  12. I feel them, T, and will pass them on to M & D - thank you x

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