Lest We Forget

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them.

*


A World Of War

The final shot had been fired.
The last fighter fell,
His enemy wounded and still.
All was dark.
A lonely wind blew through the void,
Whispering its silent wail of senseless agony.
A river of blood burst over its banks of death.
Pain seeped into the earth.
All seemed lost to the world of war.
Trees lay in splinters,
Lands barren and torn.
A moment of peace.
A moment of calm.
The Poppies will grow once more.

*

We will remember them...

Shame on you...

A member of a forum, of which I frequent far too often, has posted this on her Live Journal account, and I just had to share it (with her permission) in the hope that we all stop and think about our online activities ...


"Please Read - Inappropriate Use of Photos"

"I am not usually one to get all up on my high horse about photos I've posted online. It's annoying when something you've posted ends up somewhere else without credit, but at the weekend I heard something that made my stomach churn. A complete stranger told me that she recognised my son from an email attachment that's been floating round. Apparently someone has taken a picture of him and Gareth David-Lloyd and captioned it "Ianto and Lisa's Baby". I can only imagine that someone saw the photo of Gareth and a small mixed race boy and there mind had that random thought. The thing is that most normal people would leave it there and wouldn't then pass that photo around with a silly caption. You have no idea how I felt on hearing that my son was being used as an object of amusement for someone. I share my pictures in very few places - my LJ (photo posts are usually flocked), my private photobucket account and this one photo was shared with friends on a Torchwood forum. What makes this worse is that it is probably someone I know that has done this. While I usually don't worry too much about sharing pictures of my son online this is taking it too far. I want to be able to share pics with my friends but this has seriously made me have to rethink that. Taking a picture of someone's child and knowingly editing it and passing it around is not cool. Not cool at all. I know this is my fault for being trusting but I wanted to post this so that people may think twice about how they use images belonging to others. I feel violated, I feel that my son has been violated and I just can't understand why someone would do that. it was creepy having a stranger approach me and say "I'm sorry to have to tell you this..." and then go on to describe the photo in detail. I just hope that by posting this the person who did this may see it and that they (and anyone reading this really) will have a long think about how they use other people's images without permission in future. There's not much I can do about this now but please, if you get this email, don't pass it on. Seriously fandom, it's creepy stuff like this that gives us a bad name."

*

The Appelman Family

Henry APPELMAN was possibly born in Germany. He is mentioned as the father of Adam in Adam's will of 1804, having money owed to him [Adam] from the sale of "Henry's" land in Oberingelheim in the Rhineland Palantinate (at the time in the French Republic).

---

Adam APPELMAN ("Henry") was possibly born in Germany. He died in 1804 (see will of Adam Appelman below).

He married Charlotte GORDON 27 October 1793 at St. James' Piccadilly, Westminster London; both of the parish, by banns, witnessed by John Reid and J. Gordon.

Adam was a pianoforte maker, and may have worked for the Kirkman family.

IGI records the birth and baptism of a Frances APPELMAN in 1789, the daughter of Adam and Mary. This seems to suggest a previous marriage.

After Adam's death, Charlotte married George Martens [Mertens] in 1810, at St. George's Bloomsbury.

Known children of Adam Appelman and Charlotte:

1. Joseph APPELMAN born 16.Feb.1795 - Marylebone, London.
2. Jane APPELMAN born 24.Jan.1802 - Marylebone, London.

---

Joseph APPELMAN (Adam - "Henry") was born 16 Feb 1795 in Marylebone London, and was baptised 21 Mar 1795 at St. Mary Marylebone.

He married Mary Ann Ricketts ASHTON 18 Dec 1825 at St. James' Westminster London; both of the parish, by banns, witnessed by Thomas Haynes and Laura Barnicot.

Joseph was a pianoforte maker like his father, although he was only 9 years old when his father died.

Known child of Joseph Appelman and Mary Ann:

1. Joseph John APPELMAN born 29.Jan.1828 - Marylebone, London.

---

Joseph John APPELMAN (Joseph - Adam - "Henry") was born 29.Jan.1828 in Marylebone London, and baptised 29 Jun 1828 at All Souls Marylebone.

He married Jane Elizabeth WILLIAMS 21 Oct 1850 at All Souls Marylebone.

Joseph John was a carver and gilder.

Children of Joseph John Appelman and Jane Elizabeth:

1. Mary Ann Martha APPELMAN born 14.Jul.1851 - Pimlico, London.
2. Jane Elizabeth APPELMAN born 1853 - Pimlico, London.
3. Emily Sarah APPELMAN born 1855 - Marylebone, London.
4. Katherine APPELMAN born 1858 - Islington, London.
5. Joseph APPELMAN born 1860 Pimlico, London.
6. Louisa Ann APPELMAN born 1863 - Lambeth, London.
7. John Herbert APPELMAN born 1867 - Lambeth, London.
8. George Henry APPELMAN born 1868 - Lambeth, London; died 1906
9. Edith Alice APPELMAN born 1871 - Lambeth, London.

---

Mary Ann Martha APPELMAN (Joseph John - Joseph - Adam - "Henry") was born 14.Jul.1851 at 18 St Leonard Street Pimlico London (cert.), and died 13.Sep.1868 [under the name Appelman] aged 17 at 1 Gye Street Lambeth (cert.).

She married [unconfirmed] Arthur WINDAYBANK

---

Joseph APPELMAN (Joseph John - Joseph - Adam - "Henry") was born in 1860, Pimlico London. He died in 1925, Camberwell London.

He married Eliza CLARIDGE in 1884.

Children of Joseph Appelman and Eliza:

1. Joseph William APPELMAN, born 1886 - Camberwell, London.
2. Frederick Herbert APPELMAN, born 1889 - Camberwell, London.
3. George Alfred APPELMAN, born 1893 - Camberwell, London.
4. Edith Alice APPELMAN, born 1896 - Camberwell, London.

---

Joseph William APPELMAN ( Joseph - Joseph John - Joseph - Adam - "Henry") married Beatrice E. BLOWERS in 1919.

---

Frederick Herbert APPELMAN ( Joseph - Joseph John - Joseph - Adam - "Henry") married Emily H. JAMES in 1910.

Children of Joseph Appelman and Emily:

1. Frederick W.G. APPELMAN, born 1912 - Kingston Surrey.
2. Sidney R. APPELMAN, born 1915 - Southwark, London; died 1916.
3. Ivy Lillian APPELMAN, born 19 Jan 1920 - Southwark, London; died 1986.
4. Hilda E. APPELMAN, born 1924 - Southwark, London.

---

This is the last Will and Testament

of me Adam Appelman of Great Portland Street

in the parish of Saint Mary le bone in the county of

Middlesex pianoforte maker whereas the sum of one

thousand one hundred and fifty six Goulders and twenty

two Kreutzers was at Michaelmas which was in the year

of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and ninety six due

and owing to me from John Muller of Oberingelheim

in palantine in the territories of the French Republic

being the product of the sale of certain Land Given and bequeathed

unto me in and by the last will and testament of my late

Father Henry Appelman late of Oberingelheim And

whereas the said sum of one thousand one hundred

and fifty six Gouldars and twenty two Kreutzers is together with

interest thereon still due and owing to me Now. I do

hereby give and bequeath the said sum of one thousand

one hundred and fifty six Goulders and twenty two Kreutzers

together with all interest which shall be due to me thereon

at the time of my decease and also every other

sum or sums of money whatsoever which shall become

due or payable to me under or by virtue of the aforesaid

will of my late father deceased unto my wife Charlotte

Appelman, her Exois Admors and assigns to and for her and

their own use and benefit and as to all the rest residue and

remainder of all my monies and goods chattels and effects

whatsoever and wheresoever and of what nature or kind

so ever I hereby bequeath the same and every

part thereof unto my said wife Charlotte Appelman, to and

for her own use and benefit. And I hereby nominate

constitute and appoint Joseph Kirkman[*] of Broad Street

in the parish of Saint James Westminster in the county of

Middlesex pianoforte maker the sole executor of this my

Will and I hereby revoke all former or other will or wills

by me at any time made and declare this will to be my

last will and testament. In witness whereof I have

hereunto set my hand and seal this 20th of April 1803.

Adam Appelman [initialed] Signed sealed published and

declared by the testator Adam Appelman as and for his

last will and testament in the presence of us who in his

presence and at his request and in the presence of each

one of us have set our names as witness there to

Abr^m Kirkman, Fen Court London John Prentice

108 Great Portland Street

This will was proved at London the ninth day

of July in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred

and four before the worshipful Samuel Pearce Parson Doctor

of Laws Surrogate of the Right Honourable Sir William

Wynne Knight Doctor of Laws Master Keeper or Commissary

of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury lawfully constituted

by the Oath of Joseph Kirkman the sole Executor named

in the said Will to whom Aduion was granted of all

and singular the Goods Chattles and Credits of the

deceased he having been first sworn duly to administer

Liar, liar, pants on fire

I’m in a bad mood today, so thought I’d have a moan. But not about what has actually put me in a bad mood - you really don’t want to get me started on that one.

No. Today I’m going to whinge about liars. Not those who tell a little white lie to save somebody’s feelings, or to keep a confidence - those are nice lies. Nor do I mean the lies that are really just a stretching of the truth, usually borne out of pride or a little too much excitement.

What I’m talking about is the whoppers: the boasters who have nothing to boast about, so make things up to look good: the bullsh** lies. Those that do these wonderful things, or know personally these wonderful people, even though everyone around them knows ‘full well’ they don’t. And boy! do they throw the toys from the pram when you dare to challenge them.

And, of course, there’s the sh** stirrer’s lies: the ones said to cause trouble. I’ve had some of these directed at me recently. Sadly, though, I’m use to it, and really don’t care what these people have to say any more. They are nothing but petty-minded individuals whose only pleasure in life seems to be making others miserable. I’m sure you know a few yourself.

Yeah, sure, I’ve told some whoppers in my time: who hasn't? But I gave those games up when I stopped being a child, so to see grown adults still doing it is quite amusing. Especially when they actually start to believe the lies themselves after a while - that’s the best bit. And even better if they forget what they’ve said. Although, catching out a bullsh** liar is one thing, but getting a sh** stirring one is hilarious.

Signed: Moody of M*******

P.S. Might whinge about those who can't be grateful for what they have next time... ;)

*

Young Windebank

They shot young Windebank just here,
  By Merton, where the sun
Strikes on the wall. ’T was in a year
  Of blood the deed was done.

At morning from the meadows dim
  He watched them dig his grave.
Was this in truth the end for him,
  The well-beloved and brave?

He marched with soldier scarf and sword,
  Set free to die that day,
And free to speak once more the word
  That marshalled men obey.

But silent on the silent band,
  That faced him stern as death,
He looked, and on the summer land,
  And on the grave beneath.

Then with a sudden smile and proud
  He waved his plume, and cried,
“The king! the king!” and laughed aloud,
  “The king! the king!” and died.

Let none affirm he vainly fell,
  And paid the barren cost
Of having loved and served too well
  A poor cause and a lost.

He in the soul’s eternal cause
  Went forth as martyrs must-
The kings who make the spirit laws
  And rule us from the dust;

Whose wills unshaken by the breath
  Of adverse Fate endure,
To give us honor strong as death
  And loyal love as sure.

- Margaret L. Woods

The death of Young Windebank: Colonel Francis Windebank, shot at Oxford on the 3rd of May, 1645, following trial by Royalist Court-Martial, for the questionable surrendering of Bletchingdon House to Parliamentary Forces¹ the previous month.


Born c.1613, the son of Catholic Sir Francis Windebank once Secretary of State for Charles I, Colonel Francis had been raised as a Royalist, with both Royalist blood and Royalist connections. His paternal grandmother, Frances, was the daughter of Sir Edward Dymoke, and Anne ( née Talboys), and had herself royal blood from the descent of Edward III through the Percy line. Yet this thinning blood had lost its meaning, and the King himself, with the power to save Windebank as he had pardoned several others for similar offences, failed to act.

The Colonel, he who had been honoured for such bravery at the ‘Battle of Cheriton’ the previous year, was condemned to die for cowardice by the “councell of war”.

"Poor Windebank was shot by sudden court-martial, so enraged were they at Oxford; for Cromwell had not even foot-soldiers, still less a battering-gun. It was his poor young wife, they said, she and other ladies on a visit there, at Bletchington House, that confounded poor Windebank. He set his back to the wall of Merton College, and received his death-volley with a soldier's stoicism." - Carlyle's Cromwell


The Royalist Governor of Campden House, Gloucestershire, Sir Henry Bard, had written to Prince Rupert on the 28th of April 1645:
"The letter enclosed was sent to me from Oxford, to be conveyed with all speed possible. Pray God it comes time enough! It concerns a most unfortunate man, Colonel Windebank. Sir, pity him and reprieve him. It was God's judgment on him, and no cowardice of his own. At the battle of Alresford he gave a large testimony of his courage, and if with modesty I may bring in the witness, I saw it, and thence began our acquaintance. Oh, happy man had he ended then! Sir, let him but live to repair his honour, of which I know he is more sensible than are the damned of the pains of hell. And sure it will be a perfect means to his salvation. God and your Highness consult about it."
But Rupert never receive the letter, it having been intercepted by the enemy. The prince, ignorant of all knowledge, arrived in Oxford on the 4th of May - a day too late.

The Terrace Wall

Sure man's heart anguish ne' er hath broken here
This smiling air of natural repose,
Which over Merton's meadowed landscape glows
Yes, on this spot where the grey stone walls rear
Their hoary height, fell that poor Cavalier,
Who gave his post up to his monarch's foes
At iron Cromwell's summons, without blows,
Through gentle courtesy, not coward fear.

Perchance beneath where now I stand, he stood,
Setting his back against the college wall,
Baring his breast, not dabbled yet with blood,
A bold, unflinching mark for many a ball;
His young wife's name borne on his latest breath-
Short trial his, brief shrift and soldier's death.

- John Bruce Norton

*

A few months short of ten years after that fatal day, Jane, the widow of Colonel Windebank, married Thomas Teyrrill, esq. in London. Their daughter, Frances Windebank, married Edward Hales in 1669.

Interestingly, the eldest son of the Colonel’s sister Margaret, Francis Turner D.D., would later become one of the ‘Seven Bishops’ (as Bishop of Ely) who petitioned King James II on his second Declaration of Indulgence in 1688, and was imprisoned in the Tower of London for seditious libel. Despite this, Turner remained loyal to the Stewart king, and following the ‘Glorious Revolution’ later that year, refused to swear an oath of allegiance to William and Mary, thus becoming one of the nine nonjuring bishops.

*

¹ General Cromwell's Letter, that he had defeated Part of the King's Forces; and taken a House in Bletchington; commanded by Colonel Windebank, and articles, between General Cromwell and Colonel Windebank, on the Surrender of it.

*

BBC Radio 4 - well worth a listen

From: here

On the Outside it Looked Like
an Old Fashioned Police Box
Tuesday 23 June - 11.30am

"Mark Gatiss, Doctor Who writer and fanatic, explores the hugely popular Doctor Who novelisations of the 1970s and 80s, published by Target books. Featuring some of the best excerpts from the books and interviews with publishers, house writers, illustrators and the actors whose adventures the books tirelessly depicted.

In an age before DVD and video, the Target book series of Doctor Who fiction was conceived as the chance for children to 'keep' and revisit classic Doctor Who. They were marketed as such, written in a highly visual house style. Descriptive passages did the work of the TV camera and the scripts were more or less faithfully reproduced as dialogue.

The books were as close to the experience of watching as possible, and were adored by a generation of children who grew up transfixed by the classic BBC series. Target Doctor Who books became a children's publishing phenomenon - they sold over 13 million copies worldwide. From 1973 until 1994, the Target Doctor Who paperbacks were a mainstay of the publishing world.

A Brook Lapping production for BBC Radio 4."

David Howe mentions on his blog Howeswho that he has contributed too:

"...Folks might be interested to know that I'm interviewed talking about the old Doctor Who Target Books on a radio documentary... "

I'll post the BBC iPlayer link as soon as possible.

EDIT: And here's the link (available for 7 days).

There's also a wee write-up on the BBC Doctor Who website, and the BBC Magazine pages.

*

Random bloggage

It’s been a while since I last actually wrote anything more than a few lines (if that), so I thought it was about time I strung some of those things called words together. Not that I’ve much to say - I missed Mr Savile earlier in the year through a last minute hitch in travel arrangements (those who know me well know what I’m on about), so I can’t comment about the ‘mass signing’ that went on at Forbidden Planet, although I’m hoping to catch up with him, and possibly the lovely Lady Savile too, in August. Oh, and Steven, if you read this, I’m still waiting for that introduction to Joe Lidster you promised me - I need to know if I have the ability to ‘fangirl’ and/or ‘squee’. And whilst on the subject of Steven Savile (yes sir, you are more than just a man, you are a subject too), I think I’m just as excited about the publication of ‘Silver’ in October - how many countries/languages will it be coming out in now?

There’s also all the lovely Doctor Who events going on around the country: not that I can go to them, being totally skint and being mildly agoraphobic (with nobody to hold my hand) doesn’t help - but I’m enjoying seeing all the piccies on Facebook, and taking pleasure from the enjoyment others are having...

Now, what else has happened... Oh yes, the floods and leaks that my lovely flat has been dishing out. Pretty much sums up how jinxed I feel right now. Yes, I’m still in that dark and lonely place, BUT... I’m weeding out the negatives, and refusing to let them get the better of me any more. There are two major flaws to my theory (work and relationship), but I don’t air my dirty laundry in public, and I’m more than sure that you don’t want to read about such things. I have some wonderful friends in my life (‘specially you - you know who you are), and whilst in the solitude of lonely darkness, one is offered the most amazing environment to sit and count all those small mercies and little blessings, not to mention that guy Mr Michalowski cracking me up.

There was a bit of a surprise a few weeks back too. I won’t go into detail, as it’s not in my nature, but I have to admit that I did think it was wind up at first, so probably didn’t come across too well - but hey...

Moving on: At the end of March I went to a place I’ve been wanting to go to for years: that being York. I can’t believe it’s taken me years just to get back to the county. As a teenager I fell in love with The Dales (thanks to this place), and promised myself that I’d try and visit at least every other year once I was an adult (or move there). But as life happens, other priorities come into play, and before you know it, decades have passed you by. I won’t go into the matter of my climb up the steps of York Minster’s tower, but I do recommend you do it if possible (and thank those two lads and lovely lady for being so understanding, even if somebody else couldn’t). The city is amazing: the Walls, the Shambles, the art gallery (I just loved the painting by the stairs - if you’ve been there and know anything about me, you’ll know why). It was pee’in down with rain and blowing a gale most of the Saturday (yes, being up the tower in that was fun - walking along a wet gantry with only a handrail between you and a rather long drop was the best bit), but I guess that’s just another thing worth visiting the county for *wink*.

Well, that’s it for now... it’s getting late, and I need to save some things for another day (read: can’t think of anything else - but am bound to the moment I switch my laptop off).

Thanks for dropping by... *wavies*...

*

Funniest programme description - EVER ?

"Forget those overpaid young men who chase bags of wind around in the rain, an Ashes series is on the horizon. What better time to look back at the history of the summer game? The first episode of a four-part series focuses on cricket’s development in England."

Oh, and in case you were interested in the programme:

Empire Of Cricket
Sunday 31 May, 10.30pm, BBC Two
Further details here


EDIT: BBC iPlayer

- Episode One England: A look at how the English invented cricket and exported it to the wider British Empire.
- Episode Two West Indies: The story of the development of cricket in the West Indies.
(includes an interview with Michael Holding - he of that quote)
- Episode Three Australia: How Australia got the best cricket team in the world.
(and 'The Boy From Bowral')
- Episode Four India: The Indian game, from the sport of the English colonisers to the Indian Premier League.

All available until:
Sunday 28th June 2009

*

I've finally managed to watch all four episodes, and would like to congratulate the BBC for a job well done.

*

A World Of War

Earlier today I read a new poem by Sam Stone called 'The Dream', and it reminded me that I still hadn't dug out the old poem of mine that I'd been asked to post here ages ago (in fact, it was when I had my previous blog) - a bit late, I know, as it's was written for Remembrance in November... but I'll only forget again, so here it is now.


A World Of War

The final shot had been fired.
The last fighter fell,
His enemy wounded and still.
All was dark.
A lonely wind blew through the void,
Whispering its silent wail of senseless agony.
A river of blood burst over its banks of death.
Pain seeped into the earth.
All seemed lost to the world of war.
Trees lay in splinters,
Lands barren and torn.
A moment of peace.
A moment of calm.
The Poppies will grow once more.

*

How to waste another evening the fun way

What can I say... I was feeling down and lonely, so wondered if an hour or two on Facebook would be just what the doctor ordered (no, not the Doctor - he suggested I watch Classic Who dvds, so I did that as well).

Anyhoo.... Facebook... There were a few quizzes doing the rounds, and I thought they'd make a great distraction. Little did I know, four hours later (yeah, and the rest) ... You get the picture.

I did discover, however, that:

1) my "Euro-persona" is British - "You are sophisticated, well-mannered, polite and proper. You prefer negotiation over violence. You have a witty, sometimes wacky, sense of humor....", etc..

2) I should be living in the 1700's - "The world saw many revolutions in the 18th century, the bloodiest being perhaps the French Revolution (feel like grabbing a pitchfork and storming Bastille or a nobleman's estate?).

3) that I'm "upper class" (which I think had more to do with the fact I said yes to polo and horse racing than anything else (???)).

... but then a simply brilliant quiz came into view ...

4) Which Doctor Who are YOU?



Well, what were you expecting?

Actually, don't be fooled: there were quite a few of us in total who did this quiz, and most didn't get the Doctor they thought they would.

... and then, finally, the ultimate in ALL quizzes...

5) Which sort of Tim Hirst are you?

(for the record: I did question the postcard bit)

So that was my evening of fun... and, honestly, it was - would have been better if cuzzy had stayed up a wee bit longer (although, knowing our luck, msn would have crashed)... but on the whole it was a FABtastic evening with Alex and James on msn, and... oh, the usual suspects...

There was even a couple of bacon wraps at one stage!

*

Ah well, that explains it

I did wonder, every so often: and now I know...

Which Star Trek Character Are You?
find out here

:D

And I quote...

"... using IE is like painting a bull's-eye on your forehead
and walking into a war zone." - email from Windows Secrets

... the 'Civil War Zone' probably...

:D

April Fool

Prank played on the members of Torchwood Forum:

It is with great regret that I must inform the members of Torchwood Forum that effective immediately, all Moderators have been removed from their positions & had their privileges revoked. Yesterday evening, it came to my attention that Moderators had been disclosing confidential information from the Moderators Boardroom to other Registered Users on the forum.

As Moderators, they are kept informed of forum developments and information about the future of the website and its yearly events. This information is given to them in trust on the understanding that they will not disclose it or discuss it with anyone outside the staff forum.

Amongst the information which was leaked was the planned date for this years Cardiff Meet Up as well as information pertaining to a possible merger of our forum with another Torchwood website. This information has only been discussed in our staff forum and I was alerted to the breach of confidentiality relating to the Meet Up when I received a Private Message from one forum member thanking me for announcing the date as they have now been able to book their flights so they can be in the UK for our Cardiff event later this year. The information regarding our merger with another site has been discussed on a forum members Facebook profile yesterday afternoon. This information could only have come from one or more of our Moderators.

Understandably, I have attempted to find out who has been leaking this information. In confronting the Moderators, two of them decided to resign. As they have informed me that one or more of the other Moderators had also been passing information from the staff room on, but they are not prepared to admit it, I have taken the decision to replace all forum Moderators.

As I'm sure you can imagine, this comes as a complete shock & disappointment to me and I’m sure it does to you all as well. Forum Moderators have a tough job, but they do get some perks, one of which the involvement and planning of the website & it's future. This betrayal of trust cannot be dismissed and I feel my actions are justified.

There will therefore be Moderator positions available which I would like to fill before next weekend (11th April 2009). Previously, applications for staff positions have only been accepted from Torchwood Elite members, but due to the urgency of filling these positions, I would like to invite all users to apply if they feel they have got what it takes. As a moderator, you will be expected to enforce the Rules & Registration Agreement of TorchwoodForum.co.uk. As well as enforcing the forum rules, you may also need to conduct some administrative tasks such as dealing with reported posts/topics/users, moving/locking/editing/splitting posts & topics etc.

Site Administrator


I won't say how many fell for it... but it worked...
:D

Coo-eeee....

.... Is there anybody out there?

Just thought I'd share this from the BBC Science & Environment website:
(I do like Brother Guy's little piece)

What is the chance that alien life exists? Nasa's latest mission - the Kepler Space Telescope due to launch on Friday night to survey the heavens for Earth-like planets - could take us a step closer to an answer. Kathryn Westcott asks four experts whether mankind prefers the idea of being alone and unique or whether we long for cosmic cousins.



Robert J Sawyer is a Hugo Award-winning science fiction writer

Throughout the history of science, there have been a series of developments from Copernicus (who displaced the Earth from the centre of the Universe) to Darwin (who showed we weren't created full-blown by the hand of God) that knocked out our status of being special. The one claim to being special that we have been able to hold on to is the belief that Earth is the only place in the Universe where intelligent life exists.

For many people, there is a psychological need to be special, and so Kepler - which I bet will succeed in its quest - will take away from that. But for those of us who believe that Earth is merely a typical example and that life-bearing planets are common, Kepler's success will be a wonderful thing.

We already know that our galaxy is teeming with planets - that was the first step in dethroning us from being the only abode of intelligent life. Kepler takes us on the next step: determining if many of those planets are Earth-like. After that, we need to determine if such planets have life, and then if that life is intelligent. Still there are only two possible answers to the question of whether other Earth-like worlds exist - and whichever answer we get will be astonishing.

If we were to find intelligent life on an Earth-like planet, that civilisation would almost certainly be more advanced than ours, given that our Universe is 11 billion years old; we are absolute newborns on the cosmic state.

And, because we are so young, we are facing a huge crisis: our civilisation is on the brink of disaster because of our immature use of technology, both through climate change and through weapons of mass destruction. Many people think we won't survive; there's been a resurgence in the belief in Armageddon. To learn that an extraterrestrial civilisation has survived its technological adolescence would be an inspiring object lesson for us, and would help put an end to all the nay-saying and doom-mongering.

At the moment, people's focus is incredibly narrow - there is a lot of navel-gazing. We are not thinking about the big questions. If the Kepler mission is successful, our focus will widen - and that's all to the good.

Robert J Sawyer is the author of Hominids, in which Neanderthals have developed a radically different civilization on a parallel Earth



Dr Michael Perryman is a senior adviser at the European Space Agency

In the past 15 years, the area of exo-planet research has been one of massive progress. Since 1995, more than 300 planets have been discovered orbiting other stars relatively near to us in space.

But when it comes to whether Earth-like systems are common or not, we really are into the realms of pure speculation.

If Kepler finds Earth-like systems, the next question would be whether this is the kind of environment in which one might start looking for life. That next level of detail requires a few steps in inference.

The conditions must be right for life to evolve. These planets would have to be the right distance from their star to have liquid water, and would have to have a similar temperature to Earth. And, in terms of the host star itself, you need very special conditions: it would need to be the right age, mass and luminosity for life as it we know it to develop.

And if the planet is much lighter than the Earth, or much heavier, then the conditions would not be right either.

In terms of what Kepler might find, the best knowledge at the moment is that it might discover some 50-100 Earth-like planets, but we simply don't know.

Astronomers would not be surprised if that many were found. It's an exciting experiment, because it might find many more - or perhaps many less! Whatever it finds, it's going to advance our knowledge.

But is life as we know it common or unique? Earth's circumstances are really far too special to be easily replicated - there are so many coincidences, chances and conspiracies that seem to be needed for life to take hold and thrive.

Perhaps primitive life forms could exist out there amongst the almost infinity of worlds that probably exist, but as for intelligent life I'm putting my money on the fact that in the whole Universe, we are pretty much unique.



Brother Guy Consolmagno studies the nature and evolution of small bodies in the solar system. He is curator of the Vatican meteorite collection - one of the largest in the world - at the Vatican Observatory

We Jesuits are actively involved in the search for Earth-like planets.

The idea that there could be other intelligent creatures made by God in a relationship with God is not contrary to traditional Judeo-Christian thought.

The Bible has many references to, or descriptions of, non-human intelligent beings; after all, that's what angels are.

Our cousins on other planets may even have their own salvation story – including other examples of the incarnation of the second person of the Trinity. We are open to whatever the Universe has for us.

I am, however, sceptical that we will be able to have these conversations with any life form that is discovered... certainly, not in my lifetime!

The idea that there might not only be us is a wonderful one. It does not question our uniqueness or contradict our belief in God. For most people, if new forms of life were to be discovered, it would not mean everything they believed was wrong, it would only reinforce what they believed all along.

John Herschel, son of the discoverer of Uranus and a founder of the Royal Astronomical Society, argued that it would have been a waste of a Universe if God had only created one place where there were people He loved. This is not an argument based on logic, science or philosophy, but an aesthetic one.

The important thing is to keep in mind that the Universe is the deliberate creation of a loving God. Catholics should not be afraid to embrace such speculations, but we should always remember that they are just speculations. We don't know. But reflecting on these possibilities lets us appreciate in a deeper way what God's redemption actually does mean for us.

My science tells me how God created the Universe and that he loves that Universe.

We shouldn't be afraid of the truth.

I would be delighted if other Earths harbouring intelligent life were discovered. For most people, however, it would be nothing more than a nine-day wonder. I think that we've lived with the idea so much, from speculations by scientists to creatures in science fiction movies, that the human race is already well used to the idea that we are not alone.

We need to look beyond ourselves – that's what religion does when it's done right and what astronomy does when it's done right.



Dr Steven J Dick is an astronomer and chief historian at Nasa

The Kepler mission is definitely a landmark one, and finding an Earth-sized planet will raise the debate about whether we are alone or not.

We have known for a long time that we are not the centre of the Universe, the question now is whether biologically we are central. It's all we have left.

Even if intelligent life were discovered, we would remain unique in terms of morphology and form.

The chances are another civilisation would be more advanced than us because of the age of the Universe and the fact that our species is comparatively young.

For the human mind, this is a natural question going back to ancient Greeks. Because of popular culture, such as Star Trek, a lot of people would be expecting intelligent life to exist, and are already prepared.

The whole idea of life on another world would certainly raise a lot of debate, particularly in terms of how unique our religion and our philosophy is. This would be good, we have got into a rut of looking at everything from a terrestrial point of view.

Is it scarier to learn that we are alone or not? Well, there are those who would warn us to be careful but most people would be open-minded.

:D

Flood

Not saying that the flood in my flat was bad, but this is Doc2&Jamie in my hall, whilst popping round for a brew-up earlier....
... :D