Letter from Jack Lindsay to Hubert Creekmore (02 December 1952)

Lindsay writes from the Bangslappers at Castle Hedingham in Halstead, Essex, United Kingdom, to Creekmore in Jackson, Mississippi. Lindsay explains their recent move to a new address and praises Creekmore\u27s A Little Treasury of World Poetry. He praises a particular line in a Homer poem and discusses his work on Byzantium into Europe: The Story of Byzantium as the First Europe (326-1204 A.D.) and its Further Contribution till 1453 A.D., published by The Bodley Head in London, England. Includes envelope.https://egrove.olemiss.edu/creekmore/1113/thumbnail.jp

Tagore, Poet and Humanist

There are many aspects of Indian culture which deserve to be more widely known, aspects which are interesting in themselves and of considerable relevance to us all in the struggle to create a culture adequate totheneedsof the world today. Rabindranath Tagore as a poet and humanist is widely known as a name, but generally as little more. His achievement is however so vital and so far-reaching that we can all profit by considering and studying it. I have called him poet because I think that his poetry lies at the core of his work, but since it was 'poetry as activity,' to use a phrase of Tristan Tzara, it spreads into other spheres, ultimately into all spheres of human activity. The way in which Tagore followed up the forces radiating from his poetry and developed a many-sided expression without ever losing touch with the central impulse makes him in many respects an exemplary figure for us all, whatever national culture we work in. His many-sidedness becomes a powerful protest against the fragmentation of modern man, an expression of human wholeness and a demonstration of the ways in which creativeness can invade every sphere without dissipating itself or losing its grasp of the essential goals

Peat Bog Ecosystems: Weathering, Erosion and Mass Movement of Blanket Bog

When the protective living layer of the acrotelm of a peat bog is lost as a result of human activities, the catotelm peat beneath becomes subject to weathering and erosion. As much as 3 cm thickness can be lost in one year. More spectacular losses can occur if mass movement of the peat occurs because the stability of the peat on a hill-slope is compromised by the same factors as those which trigger erosion. With the recent reduction in human pressures on blanket bog landscapes, there is evidence of natural re-vegetation across many areas, although very extensive areas continue to erode. This briefing note is part of a series aimed at policy makers, practitioners and academics to help explain the ecological processes that underpin peatland function. Understanding the ecology of peatlands is essential when investigating the impacts of human activity on peatlands, interpreting research findings and planning the recovery of damaged peatlands

Peat Bog Ecosystems: Burning

Fires occur naturally on bogs through lightning strikes, but for any given location this is a rare occurrence - perhaps once every 200 or 300 years. Current burning practice for grazing or to encourage grouse means that ground is burnt 10x more frequently than this, resulting in loss of natural peat bog biodiversity and peat-forming species. Full recovery may take considerably more than a century. This briefing note is part of a series aimed at policy makers, practitioners and academics to help explain the ecological processes that underpin peatland function. Understanding the ecology of peatlands is essential when investigating the impacts of human activity on peatlands, interpreting research findings and planning the recovery of damaged peatlands

Peat Bog Ecosystems: Domestic peat extraction

Small-scale peat extraction for fuel has probably been a feature of peat-dominated landscapes for many thousands of years. The cumulative scale and extent of this activity is often under-estimated, particularly in areas which are now remote parts of the landscape. A cut peat face acts as a one-sided drain and thus has a number of hydrological and morphological effects, including potentially the creation of weak zones within the peat which may trigger mass movement. This briefing note is part of a series aimed at policy makers, practitioners and academics to help explain the ecological processes that underpin peatland function. Understanding the ecology of peatlands is essential when investigating the impacts of human activity on peatlands, interpreting research findings and planning the recovery of damaged peatlands

Peat Bog Ecosystems: Tracks across peatlands

Tracks have been made across peatlands for as long as human society has existed. Un-made tracks (i.e. those created simply by regular use, with no construction involved) were probably first created by grazing animals and then presumably also used by early human communities. Finding these increasingly impassable with regular use, human societies began to construct 'corduroy roads' during Neolithic, Bronze and Iron Age times. These first constructed tracks were made from cut timbers(below). Across Europe, many examples of these corduroy roads have been found preserved in lowland bogs, perhaps most famously in the Somerset Levels and more recently at Hatfield Moors on the Humberhead Levels

Peat Bog Ecosystems: Grazing and Trampling

Bog vegetation is sensitive to trampling and thus is only able to sustain a combination of domestic and wild grazing stock at very low densities. Higher densities combine with impacts such as burning, drainage and atmospheric pollution to cause loss of the protective bog vegetation and development of erosion complexes. Trampling is also an issue for researchers repeatedly visiting monitoring locations, even if only once a year. This briefing note is part of a series aimed at policy makers, practitioners and academics to help explain the ecological processes that underpin peatland function. Understanding the ecology of peatlands is essential when investigating the impacts of human activity on peatlands, interpreting research findings and planning the recovery of damaged peatlands