Whale Wars - On Going

O.K. Tried to send an e-mail to the Federal Minister of Justice in Germany on behalf of Captain Paul Watson, only to find that it is the Microsoft e-mail engine i.e. none compatible with hotmail.  However, if it had been compatible this is what it would have looked like:

"Dear Sadine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger,

Concerning the extradition of Captain Paul Watson.

I understand that this is a politically motivated order, originally sited by the shark finning barons of Costa Rica.  Are you aware that these same barons have posted a bounty upon Captain Paul Watson's head of $250,000 USA dollars?

Extraditing him to a Costa Rica prison is not, no matter what you have been assured to the contrary, delivering him for trail.  It is delivering him for murder.

He has be charged with the crime of stopping the illegal crime of poaching.  If the perpetrators of this crime can use the law to prevent those fighting their crimes from bringing them to justice, then the law is a sham and government, the representative of the law, a mockery.

I remain hopeful of your sense of justice and obedience of the law.

Yours truly,

V. J. Bartlett"

Please can people copy this message and send it on to her, with your own name of course.  It is really important that Captain Paul Watson does not end up in that prison.  Nobody was hurt during the Sea Shepard mission in Costa Rica waters ten years ago and either was any property damaged.  The e-mail address for the Federal Minister of Justice is on the Sea Shepherd web-site.

The voice of the people is the voice of God!

Whale Wars - Success

O.k. sorry for false hopes if you thought that Captain Paul Watson had been released.  As far as I know, not yet. Shame on all governments for their hypocrisy.

However, good news on the Whale War front.

Published in Wild World, the magazine of the WWF, this month is the fantastic news that 'Cold Storage', a supermarket chain in Singapore, has become the first retailer of that country to refuse to sell shark fin and other shark products.  They made the move after joining the WWF's Sustainable Seafood Group.

Though this is news from another wildlife protection group, it should be something to make all supporters of both the WWF and the Sea Shepherd and any other wildlife protection group celebrate.  Our efforts are not in vain, people in the management position of companies and organisations are listening to us, and realising that a quick buck today does not make up for the thousands lost tomorrow, if we continue to destroy this world.  It is through these people and the economic pressure they can bring to bare on the governments of the world, that real and true change for the better protection of our home will begin.

If for no other reason it proves that human beings do not need their governments to make society work for the betterment of ourselves and our world.  If enough of us can do that then maybe the governments will realise that it's time they earn their keep.

Nervous

O.K.  First off, big thank you to those that have been looking in on my blog, it is good to know that somebody out there is interested in what I write.  I think every writer at this stage of their career needs some encouragement, even the anonymous encouragement of the postview chart.

What I mean by 'this stage of their career' is where I am now.  I've entered my novel it several novel competitions and received not so much as an e-mail saying that I didn't make the grade in reply.  I'm now looking down the deadline of yet another competition and I'm not even sure that I can drum up the courage to enter it.  If for no other reason than the rules say that it is not restricted by theme or style but it makes no mention as to genre.  Therefore, do I enter it in the hope that it is open to science fiction? Because if it is not all I'm going to receive is yet another blanking, never good for the self confidence.  I suppose you could say that nothing ventured nothing gained and as a writer I'm letting myself in for a slaying from the critics anyway, so it is about time I grew a thicker skin.  At the same time, I really don't want to waste my money entering a competition I have no hope of winning.

I wish, when competition organisers made the rules for these things, they would specify what constitutes a 'literary' novel.

Competitions

I entered a competition earlier this year, the most important part of the prize being publication upon the completion of my book (I have in fact already finished my first book, am now having the second privately edited, while I work on my third but that's neither here nor there).

Part of the competition small print was that winners would be notified on or before 31st May 2012.

As you can most likely guess, I have not received any notification of any thing so I must take it as read that I have not won.  Though I do not mind this fact much, once I had dealt with my disappointment, as it means that a fellow writer is now bring their career (good luck, long life and good health to them, may their career span a hundred books) I would have liked just a little note to say that I had not won, just an e-mail.

So many people complain about rejection letters.  I am fast coming to the conclusion that it is more hurtful to receive no news at all.  Though rejection letters are undoubtedly painful in their own way, they at least let you know that your work was worth looking at instead of being thrown on to the slush pile right away.  As it is I must deal with the fact that neither of the judges felt that my work was worth a nod in my direction.

When you are throwing your work into the abyss, is it too much for the abyss to acknowledge that fact?

Whale Wars - Comments

Just been reading some of the comments about Captain Paul Watson posted after his arrest.

Some have claimed that he has threatened peoples lives in his bind to stop illegal poachers and whalers from damaging our most precious resource, that he said once that he was quite happy with the idea of killing people in the course of what he does, that he and Green Peace parted ways for a good reason, that if he was so confident about winning the Costa Rica case then why has he avoided capture for so long?

This is not the first time that he and his crew have been arrested.  He has always avoided, quote, 'justice', unquote, before because none of his ships have ever carried lethal fire arms, no person has ever died in the course of any of his campaigns and the only property he has damaged has been the property of those involved with illegal actives.

Yes, he styles himself an eco-pirate.  Apparently one person thought because of this he should be crucified. Like that proves you to be a well balanced, rational person.  Or perhaps you would prefer to see him hanged, as under the British Law.  Or locked up and never heard of again, while his followers and supporters are "put in a SAFE PLACE".

I am sorry but from where I am sitting if you are illegally poaching then you get what is coming to you.  If you weren't breaking the law you would not be putting yourself on to his radar.  He is an eco-pirate because he is going after the people who the governments of the world aren't willing to touch for one reason and enough.  If the governments of the world were more willing to tackle this problem instead of trying a blind eye to it because its 'not profitable' to notice it, people like Paul Watson would not be needed.

It seems to me that he and Green Peace parted ways because Green Peace isn't willing to sully their good name with the controversies Paul Watson is willing to face.  When was the last time a Green Peace member was arrested for their actions?

And for the record, shark finning is barbaric, wasteful and inefficient.

Whale Wars

I have just found out that Captain Paul Watson has been arrested, on what charges has yet to be made clear, but it seems that the German government plans to extradite him to Costa Rica.

This seems to be in response to the Sea Shepherd uncovering an illegal shark finning operation.  The word here is 'illegal'.  How can an 'illegal', that is to say 'against the law', operation use international law to shut down the people who uncovered the acts that where against the law?  Surely anybody can see that to jail a man who is fighting against the illegal fishing practises of companies and cabals around the world is to support the illegal practises.  And if the governments and legal systems of the world are supporting illegal practises then they are supporting that which is totally opposite to everything that they are supposed - and are voted in for - to embody.  If this is the case then the law is a mockery and government a sham.

A Different Stage

Went to see 'Holmes and the Ripper' last Friday at the Assembly House, Norwich.  An extremely good play that puts forward some all too possible theories as to the Ripper's identity.  Although the subject matter is serious there is enough humour to stop it becoming too depressing, including the police man who arrests Watson by mistake.

However, the most surprising facet of the play was the placement of the stage.  It was in the middle of the room with the audience all the way around it. This meant that no matter which way the actors where facing they always had their back towards at least part of the audience.  Despite this, in many ways, the play was more intimate than many plays I have seen before, probably because there was no curtains to close between scenes.  The use of lighting was extremely well down, however, to give the back stage crew a chance to more set pieces.

I had the chance to speak to a member of cast afterwards, who told me that it was the most liberating stage they had ever worked on, due to the fact that they couldn't help but have their back to the audience.  This meant that they did not have to worry about turning towards the audience to say their lines and make the action seem natural, leading to movement more akin to that seen in real life.  Probably another reason why the action seemed so much more intense than on a more traditional stage.