Poachers

Killed by poachers

Kwantu game reserve lost another rhino to poachers over the weekend. The reserve is a short drive from my house, the report in my local newspaper tells me that the horn, which is all that they took sells for up to S.A.Rand 700,000 (£60,000) presumably in the far east.

This female was still nursing her 12 month old calf, there is now concern about the calfs well being. She had successfully produced 2 calves previously, this is not just a blow to Kwantu and eco-tourism but Continue reading “Poachers”

Another one bites the dust

Today is the day after all the Easter egg scoffing and the big full-on lunches with family and friends that the newspaper foodie supplements dictate should be gastro-feasts.

So what more could you want than to mosey on down to England’s longest village green and watch people stuffing their faces, at considerable speed, with even more food – and not just ordinary food but hundreds of wiggly, slippery, grey baby eels?

Well for many years that was the tradition at Frampton-on-Severn in Gloucestershire.

Rosamund’s Green – nearly half a mile long – is bordered along one  edge by the high walls of the Frampton Court estate where there were always springer spaniels wandering or lying around watching the world go by waiting for the next shooting gig. The only excitement one would usually see on the green was the village cricket match.

But on Bank Holiday Monday, just opposite the the Three Horseshoes pub, it was the venue for the annual Elver Eating Contest which was preceded by an Easter Bonnet parade and various Sausage Eating Contests.
Continue reading “Another one bites the dust”

An Immodest Announcement

Anime, Animus, Anima
Cover of my new book

Well, it’s happened. My new book is out, published by the UK-based poetry publisher Shearsman Books. I’m quite excited about it. Being an artist and book artist, I usually produce my own books in different sizes and shapes. This time someone else is doing it, which helps enormously. I’ll be giving a reading in London on April 20, which is also a thrill. You’re all so far flung that I doubt that I’ll see any bloggers there, but it would be a delight. Some day I’d like to put real faces to the many words that have been tumbling out in cyberspace, here and at the Site that Must Remain Nameless. Info at the reading can be found at http://www.shearsman.com/pages/editorial/readings.html

The poetry is not at all like what I usually post at the Site that Will Remain Unnamed. I think that’s supposed to be a warning. There’s a description (sort of) on the site at Shearsman and there’s another on Amazon.

Enough of this brazen self promotion!

Sinead O’Connor and the Catholic Church

I saw Sinead O’Connor being interviewed on a chat show here on Friday night. I’ve always liked Sinead. She is an extraordinary singer (see clip below) but a maverick who would not play the celebrity game; hence she has had far less commercial success than she could have had.

She has always been painfully honest, intense and vulnerable. When she speaks out on something it is because she feels it and she cares, and she knows whereof she speaks … she is the antithesis of the vacuous rock star dabbling in ‘causes’. She is loved by many in Ireland; I don’t doubt that many despise her too. Continue reading “Sinead O’Connor and the Catholic Church”

Julius Malema, the Hutu and Eugene Terre Blanche

For those of you who do not know, Julius Malema is the 29 year old firebrand president of the ANC Youth League here in South Africa. The son of a domestic worker – a single parent – in the Limpopo province, he became politically active while in his early teens, since when his rise to prominence within the ranks of the ruling party has been swift.

Malema is renowned for speaking his mind and rallying the South African youth behind the leadership of the party. He steadfastly backed Zuma in the power struggle with Mbeki pinning his colours to the mast of popularism over intellectualism.

That he is corrupt both politically and financially is beyond a shadow of a doubt. Ostensibly he earns a modest political salary, but his position within the party has enabled him to win provincial contracts for companies which he owns and on which he serves as director. Thus his lifestyle is as lavish as any African tin-pot dictator, a role he seems increasingly anxious to fill. Continue reading “Julius Malema, the Hutu and Eugene Terre Blanche”