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Archive for 09/01/2009

Dog owner saves pet from icy lake <> Sirius Star

On New Year’s Day, Marc Greenhalgh was out walking in Alkrington Woods, Middleton, when his dog, Jarvis, ran onto the ice to chase ducks.  When the ice broke the dog struggled to get out so Marc plunged into the lake to rescue him.  The scene pictured below could well have been taken direct from Charles Lamb’s journal - when he had to rescue Malachi after he slipped through a frozen lake (page 378 of the story).

dog-rescue.jpg

Although he was criticised by the authorities for putting his own life in peril, a passer-by who took the photo praised him for his bravery, “A lot of people would say he was idiotic to risk his life for an animal, but I thought he was really brave. If my dog was in danger I’d like him to be there.”

SIRIUS STAR

sirius-star.jpg

On November 15 2008, the oil tanker, Sirius Star, was hijacked by Somali pirates, becoming the largest ship ever captured.   The tanker has a capacity of 2 million barrels of crude oil and an overall length of 333 metres.  The cargo is worth some $100m.  The two month stand off ended today as the ship was released after a ransom of $3m was parrachuted on board.  However, the twist in the tale was that five of the pirates drowned with their share of the ransom after their small boat capsized.

Aside from the natural justice against the pirates, the hijack is interesting as Charles Lamb’s journal recalls how he and Mary Shelley speculated on the presence of Sirius the brightest star in the sky.  Here’s the extract from 30 December 1822:

“Together she and I stood after dusk on the terrace overlooking the wilderness garden. On a misty night, only one star broke through to shine in the sky overhead. Confidently dismissing the myth that the star can cause madness, we secretly dedicated the bluish white light of Sirius in the constellation Canis Major to the late Percy Shelley. His light shall not fade!”

Sirius is also know as the Dog Star, which is fascinating given the role of the dog Malachi as our Messenger. 

 sirius.jpg

So, is the whole hijack experience designed to remind us to switch from our dependence on crude oil?

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