Morality of trade in animals

June 15

What miserable day it turned out to be yesterday after such a nice start; and we got caught out in it. The plan was to visit Woodlands Garden Centre and then call in to Morrisons in Hinckley before having a Big Mac for the first time in some months. We got to Woodlands just as it started raining really hard. All the Disabled driver parking spaces were taken and we sat and waited for 15 minutes to get one. Even then we waited some more before we were able to get out and go inside.

It wasn’t total washout though. We did have a slice of lemon meringue for the first time in ages, and I was pleased to see a branch of The Works bookshop. From there I bought the set of three The Hunger Games for £5 and Jan got a perch for Maxi’s cage. Even so, we didn’t get as much done as we would have liked. Today it’s still raining and we are due to going out today too, doing what was planned for yesterday, but swapping Morrisons Hinckley for Tesco Bed’th, simply because Tesco in entirely under cover.

Human greed continues to show itself yet again. Crimewatch Roadshow has shown it happening in various places and with various incidents. A couple are assaulted in their own home by two Eastern European men, for no reason that anyone can see; another woman is assaulted on her way home and robbed of her money and valuables by another two men. Each case is serious enough of course but the ones that that angered me the most was the animal abuse ones.

Five ten-year-old tortoises, five animals on the endangered list and raised from when they came out of their eggs by their owner, were stolen in a break-in. A lot of the UK pet trade gets slating because of the way it sells so many exotics to people who just don’t know how to look after them. Telly shows get a mention too because of such shows like the one about meerkats, cute, little, cuddly-looking animals that need specialist care. Kiddie power kicks in and mum and dad won’t say ‘No’ but go off a buy one. The greed there is the selling of such animals. And that doesn’t include the sale of snakes and other reptiles

Then comes the poaching of larger animals for the Far Eastern medicine trade is not just limited to Africa. There’s a 24hour watch kept on Chester Zoo’s black rhinos, fearing they might be killed for their horns. There was a display of other goods taken from tourists as they return home, again all illegal goods. I do not believe that these people are unaware they are buying illegal items, or where and how they got to the point of sale. It’s because of they are willing to buy that there is a market in the first place, and greedy men are will to do whatever is needed to raise money.

This does show up the vast difference in the living standards around the world. We Western people folks live far more comfortable lives. Can we really blame them for doing what they are doing when a rich Western wafts bundles of cash under there noes for exotics animals and goods? This is a vexing question really; how can these people who live in poverty by our standards be helped without tipping that countries whole economic structure into chaos. Is it moral to try to help? Is it moral not to do so? When it comes to the animal trade in exotics, for me that is immoral.

And no matter what we do to help the poverty-stricken, there will always be someone there who is greedy enough to take advantage of the help given. That does not help those who it was aimed at original population. So what should we do about it. Up to a point it really is down to each of us to make the decision, but ultimately, it should be down to us to use our own common sense about these things. If it doesn’t look or sound right, then don’t pay out for it.

Today’s photo …

This shot shows some of the results of the illegal animal poaching. I got this one at the last Bird Fair at Rutland a few years ago. London zoo has something similar of a tiger skin, taken in similar circumstances. How can anyone seeing this could not take action over it.

Today’s funny …

Why did the pear go out with the apple?
Because he couldn't find a date.                      

Writing and publishing

June 14

Yesterday afternoon I did get some writing done, simply because I didn’t spend hours on Facebook. That will continue later today and as with Jan off out to her bible study group this evening, I shall get some more done. My characters however, just will not behave themselves as I write. It’s like yesterday, I wanted a ship’s captain to blow his top with his younger brother for getting kicked off his job. Instead he has taken his brother and three of his friends on board as he hurries to leave port. Now I’ll have to wait to see what they do next.

I do of course know what I want them to do, but as I write ideas come along and I usually follow up on them. That’s why I (and many other writes too), can say their characters won’t behave. This bit of silliness does point to the difference in how we go about our writing. Some writers make large plans that include a list of what each characters are going to do. That’s fine for them, but I feel frustrated by working to a plan. By now though, you will know that I change my mind far too often for a plan to work for me. So I just sit and write and see how things work out. So far, my method works for me.

What I really need to do is to get my current completed five novels ready for publication through the LULU publishing system. I could actually release two of them, The Mission and Finding Our Way, now. Sometime ago I was advised that a first novel shouldn’t be more than 100,000. The Mission is 96,000 words and Finding Our Way is 56,000 words, so that’s OK. But what about George Martin’s Game of Thrones and quite a number of other writers first books? Well, I’m not good at doing as I’m told so I may well go with House of Pain instead, which runs out at 118,000 words, and that one has a follow-up called Web of Hate at the same length.

Every November there’s a writing challenge run out of Yankyland, the National Novel Writing Month, or NANO for ease. The idea is that a writer writes 50,000 words during the 30 days of November. That works out at 1,666 words a day. And yes, I can do it too, indeed, I have finished it twice before. That’s where Finding Our Way and Shipshape come in. It does mean I have to put aside the other work I’m doing and concentrate on that one project. Actually, I quiet enjoyed it both times I first did it. The third attempt was a follow up to Shipshape and was entitled And Bristol Fashion but failed simply because I wasn’t ready for it and tried rushing; it didn’t work. However, I still have the file and go back to it at any time.

Those first four novels of mine were available on Amazon because I published them through their own system called, CreateSpace. I didn’t find it all that easy to work with and was limited to their own cover designs, which I didn’t really like. Anyway, Amazon decide I was due to pay tax on my 6 cents in royalties I have earned and demanded that I register for tax in the US. I didn’t and they removed my books from sale. That is why you can’t get them right now. Of course I need to market them, but I really have no idea as to how to do that; something else I need to do.

All this is makes me wonder just how so many writers are able to make a good living out of Amazon. You see, I like the writing part of the task, but I’m not so keen on the editing of the work, add in the marketing and it becomes quite hard work. So I’m not sure when all my books will be available, but I do hope they soon will be.

Today’s photo …

The water feature in Coventry Precinct.

Today’s funny …

Patient: If the doctor can't see me right away, I'm leaving.
Nurse: Calm yourself down. What's wrong with you?
Patient: I have a serious wait problem.            

On cameras, new and old

June 13

Social media; I wonder how much time I have spent farting about on it over the years. I know that once I’ve got this done and posted to both Twitter and Facebook and then looked at both pages, it’s usually far too late to get on with any writing. And that my friends has become a real pain the bum for me just lately. In an attempt to correct it I decided that I wouldn’t spend much time at all on there. So yesterday closed me lappy as soon as the blog was posted. Then Jan arrived home from church and wanted a movie. Ah well … … …

Later in the evening I was reading AP and a readers’ letter caught my eye. This guy was writing about used camera dealers and an article that appeared in the mag in April. His complaint was that no such dealers were listed in the London area. I don’t remember that article at all, so this morning I did a search for them and got loads of hits, except that the few were within my search terms were mixed up with loads of car dealers. Those camera dealers I did look at were so out of date they were useless. Not that I’m in the market for any used kit anyway, I’m not, but the letter did pique me interest somewhat.

My camera gear is pretty basic really. As well as my Nikon D5200 and it’s 18-55mm kit lens, I also have a Sigma 70-300mm and a Tamron 18-270 lens as well. The Sigma hasn’t been used at all, but that Tamron is a cracking lens and rarely comes off my D5200. It’s light and easy carry and that my friends is the main point of having it. Apart from spare batteries and SD cards, I don’t really need to take any other optic when I go out. The added bonus of using just that one lens is that there is little if any chance for the sensor to get dirty, a problem that all snappers are concerned about.

Another article is a test of the new bridge camera from Sony, the Cyber-shot DSC0RX10 III. The bridge cameras were despised by many snappers when the first came out, and in reality, they were not all that good, with shutter delay being a major issue with them. However, things have improved a lot since then. Olympus and Sony have lead the way with them and we have both been impressed with them.

As with everything in life, there the usual clutch of swing and roundabouts with bridge cameras. They usually are not up to the standard of a DSLR; but there again, their greater focal length lens in a compact and light weight body, means that they are much more convenient to carry around all day, without the need of a camera bag and loads of extra lenses. Well, this new offering from Sony has impressed the tester at the AP office so much they have given it a 5* rating.

Another attractive point of a bridge camera is the actual price of them. And this is where this one falls flat in its face. It costs £1,249, and that is way over my budget. It’s also more than I have ever spent on any one piece of camera kit. So, as good as it looks on paper, I won’t be rushing out to buy it!

What a racket! The council contractors have just mown the grass out the front, even though it’s still soaking wet and we are due more later today. It’s not just the noise though, they make such mess and if you are not careful you end up dragging some of it in on your shoes. It didn’t help that we have our front windows partly open on the front because it’s so muggy in here. The heating is now turned off, but the outside temperature is so high it hardly matters. If it wasn’t for the rain we could be off out on a photo shoot couldn’t we. Ha well …

And so to today’s photo …

Mayflower blossom.               

Today’s funny …

Why did everyone find the bakers jokes funny?
Because he had a rye sense of humour.

The cost, the hungry and the power of a voice

June 12

Did you by any chance watch the trooping of the Colour yesterday? I certainly did and I have a feeling that for some reason I can’t put my finger on, it wasn’t as good, or perhaps a smoothly run, as it normally is. I’m not so sure that Liz was all that impressed either. The fly-past though was certainly well done, even if it was a fairly small display compared to what it used to be. I mean, where was the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy? Oh of course, they don’t have any fast jets now do they even if there is a huge great carrier almost ready and another on the way. They do have helicopters however, but of course the RAF had hogged that one too.

So the RN was conspicuous by their absence. Right at the end though it reminded of something that I have seen on YouTube a few times, the Death Marches of the Indian and Chinese armed forces. The drill and turn out of these forces is superb. After I first saw it I made a comment that struck me at the time; ‘While the parade was excellent, millions of people are hidden around the back starving.’

It was at the end of yesterday’s fly past that the same thought struck me. Those airplanes would have flown over some of the poorest areas of England to get there and to get back. Just how much did the whole show cost the tax payer? How money could have been spent on the NHS or on feeding some of hungry people of England? Of course, I’m not a royalist, even if I am a proud ex-soldier, and perhaps that colours my view point here.

But I also love history and that parade speaks of centuries of proud and noble history for the regiments involved. Even so, I’m not a lover of tradition for traditions sake. I mean, come on, do anything twice in the exact same way and it becomes a tradition! So now I know; I’m a republican lover of history who hates tradition. Oh dear … no wonder me erts s’much!

I wonder of you have ever thought about the power in our voices. Not all of us have done so and not all of us have used our voices to the full, thankfully! Really great orators a few and far between. Think of Churchill’s ‘We will fight them on the beaches’, speech being given by Roddy MacDowell for example. A voice that has always made me sit and taken notice of is Richard Burton. The man wasn’t at all likeable, but that voice of his was really powerful. His narration of Jeff Wayne’s War of the Worlds was brilliant; so much so that when I came to read the book it entered my mind in Burton’s voice, not mine. Now I understand why Ian Rankin won’t watch or listen to any of actors who have played his Rebus.

This train was started when we sat and watched one of the Natural World on butterflies. The narrator was one Imelda Stoughton, or if it helps, Prof Umbridge of Parry Hotter fame. Two entirely different ways of using her voice, and both a success; a sign of a great actor folks. On a border front I’ve noticed that one of favourite actors, Morgan Freeman is doing voice overs in a number of ways, including the Tom Cruise version of the H G Wells classic. (Oh yes, it looks like Mr Cruise is going to be filming part of his movie in the Digbeth area of Brum later this year. What a nightmare for traffic that will be!)   

           

Peanut butter … the mere thought of the stuff makes me shudder! I don’t like nuts of any kind, and yet to show my contrariness even more, I do like the flavour of nuts. It’s the texture of the nuts themselves I don’t like. Every time I try them I end up with effects on different people though. My brother Dave loved them; but every time he ate them he had a really bad smell come off him, and no, he was clean and tidy. It got so bad in the cinema one time, no-one would sit near him. Of course, Dave being Dave, he loved that idea of having all that room just himself.  

But I do wonder why so many people love peanut butter. Crunchy or smooth it flies off supermarket shelves. It seems that we Brits (or some of us that is), are slaves to the stuff. As for me, I’ll stick to jam, lemon curd and marmalade!

Today’s photo …

Easter eggs I saw on sale on January 7 this year. Have a look at the EXIF data if you don’t believe me.  

Today’s funny …

Why do bananas never get lonely?
Because they always go around in bunches.

A new Word Doc.

June 11

When I closed my blog file yesterday, it took ages and eventually I got a message saying there was a problem with the document, but didn’t say what it was. A search for a solution didn’t find a solution to it. This morning I have tried opening every copy of the file that I have here and I’m getting the same message over it. It has to be a problem with that file seeing as Word has allowed me to open and use a new document. Later this afternoon, I’ll do a full scan and search to see if I can find a solution. This morning is already promised to watch Trooping the Colour.

Yesterday I wrote about how long my blog file was in comparison to a guy in Computeractive who was still adding to a 60,000-page document. Now that one of mine won’t grow anymore by the look of it and it will take a long, long time before this new file gets anywhere near that length. I could I suppose, go on-line and cut and paste all 1300+ blog entries on there, but there again, it is a big job. No, I won’t bother, I’ll stick to this new one now.

Whatever it is, it’s affecting another file too, my book review file. So it looks like I shall have to start that again, but at only 3,500+ words, I may well be able to copy them back here to a new Word file. I have Open Office on here too, so I may well move over to that now and be done with Word, I’ll see later.     

This morning I dreamt about someone I haven’t thought about since I was at infants’ school. The lad was named Alan, and although we weren’t mates as such we did occasionally go off playing together. However, in this dream we were adults and we met up in Germany and were about to set off to drive back here to Nuneaton with me at the wheel. It’s strange how I have suddenly remembered him like this. I do remember that my mam fell out with his mam a few times when I had gone missing and she mam called there to see if I was there. She was told that I wasn’t there, when I was. Mam was not at all pleased; but had he come to mind after all this time I wonder?

The plans for today begin with watching telly this morning and then going off into town on my scooter for a few hours. Sounds good; then we watched the BBC Midlands Today weather forecast for today, and that is for rain and lots of it. In fact, we are supposed to under a think grey cloud and heavy rain right now, but although it’s cloudy out there, it’s fairly bright and there’s no rain. I’ll see how thing are later and then decide whether to go out or not.

Kile surprised us yesterday afternoon by turning up here. He told a story about bus fares and a school dinner, so Jan got ready and took him home. Things is though, he has been caught out lying yet again, and I’m getting to a point where I’m never sure if we are being told the truth. When I think about it, I’m sure he spun us a yarn yesterday. He takes a packed lunch for dinner time, so where did needing money for a school dinner come from? Methinks he will need watching a lot closer. We are due to have him next weekend anyway, but we will see how things go with him.

There was an item on telly yesterday that made me make a note to look into a bit more. I have always had a bit of quick temper and went off on one very easily. It’s not so bad now and I’m pleased about, it didn’t do me any good at all. That item on telly was about diabetes causing anger in patients; but yer no wot? I’m not so sure now after thinking about it a bit more. My temper eased before my diagnosis, not after it. It could of course, be something to do with the same condition affecting us all differently. Whatever, my sugar levels are well controlled and I feel a lot calmer in myself too, so I’m happy about that.

So what do you think of drunken brawls out in France the last few days? I can’t understand these idiots you know; I mean, drunken in a country where the cops have had to deal with a number of serious terrorist attacks? Can’t these prats think properly? Those French cops are not all that well known for being a friendly bunch; add in their recent history and I can’t see them being any friendlier in reality. Can you?

Today’s photo …

The wall of a cubicle in the men’s bog on M40 services northbound. I saw this one yesterday and noticed the way the horizontal lines bend downwards in the top corners, and lightly upwards at the bottom corners. To shows some of effects of my Tamron 18-270 lens. Normally this doesn't show and only has done because of the straight lens and closeness of the lens to subject,  

Today’s funny …

Knock, knock.
Who's there?
Shirley.
Shirley who?
Shirley you must know me by now.

  

Odds-n-Sods

10 June

While out shopping the other day I bought a copy of Computeractive, a mag I like but don’t buy all that often these days. Last night I managed to start reading it. Almost straight away I saw a piece that amused me. You see, I write this blog on a Word doc and currently it stands at 716,825 words over 1500+ pages, and I’ve always thought that was a big doc. However, this little piece has blown that idea wide open. A man has written in to say that in a previous issue he’d seen a letter because his spreadsheet had reached 3.4 million lines. Yet this letter by a doctor, said that he had a Word doc that stood at 60,000 pages, and he was still adding to it. Oh my, I’ve a long way to go then.

From the same mag then, a Russian has developed a face recognition software that also allows the user to search and trace the ID of face in a photo. That sounds really horrific to me. As a street photographer (when I can get that is,) there are times when it can be a touch dodgy when you press the shutter. With this package the thought of being able to trace someone can only become a problem. It’s a stalkers ideal tool and I can see why so many people will be concerned about it. Then of course there’s worry that the security services will get their hands on it. I really do hope that it isn’t released here in the Western world.        

Clive Cussler is a writer I got fed-up with. Initially I enjoyed his books but then after reading about the goodie getting beaten senseless, suddenly getting at the baddie just in time to save the world – again, or as usual. So I stopped reading his books. Now Cussler is adding a second name to his books and that puts me off him even more. However, I’m still not running out of books to read and last night I began a new Mark Billingham book. In town the other day I picked up three more books from the County Air Ambulance shop, even though I have a large to be read pile anyway. The life of a writer/reader.

Yesterday afternoon I sat down and as I did pain hit squarely in my back, and it was really bad. It would ease off a bit and then if I moved, even slightly, it came back with a vengeance. It finally eased off after I went through to bed last night and lay flat on my back and I got a good nights’ sleep. This morning it’s playing nicely thankfully; I don’t want another episode like that. However, I do fear things might get a lot worse before my op takes place. I suppose I shall just have to get on and put up with it won’t I?

We sat and tried the film Interstellar yesterday afternoon, I was enjoying it but Jan was lost quite early on. About halfway through I stopped it and will watch the rest when Jan is out tomorrow … or will I. I may decide to get on with some writing instead. There’s 24 hours to decide; of one thing I do know, the way I way I keep changing my mind I shall never hang myself. I just hope the mind shop doesn’t run of mind stock … I wonder what they do with my old minds … … …

Tomorrow morning, we have Trooping the Colour on the telly, something I always try to watch. I love the control of the soldiers on parade along with music from the massed bands. It’s a glorious pageant and I’d love to be able to get tickets to see it live, I will manage it one day. For the Royalists amongst us, it’s also a momentous day with Liz II being 90 years old. That isn’t of all that much interest to me though, but even I have to admit that she is doing very well considering her age. But there again, it shows what being privileged can do for you.

Today’s photo …

A gorilla at Bristol Zoo..

Today’s funny

Customer: Waiter, you haven't given me a teaspoon with my cup of tea.
Waiter: Sorry sir we have run out of them. But I can tell the orchestra to play something stirring.

Our heroes

9 June

We hear a lot about injured ex-soldiers these days and how the coupe when they leave the services. Some have had some horrific injuries which can be clearly seen. Some however have mental injuries which can’t be seen when looking that person. I remember reading All Quiet on the Western Front, a story of the WW1 as told from the German side. while I was working towards my BA hons with the OU. It’s an interesting read too, at least I enjoyed it. Yet it did show how German civilians were no different to the huge numbers of injured men returning home from the battle from missing arms and legs, as well as huge burns on various areas of their bodies.

In 1939 things kicked off yet again and injured men and women came home in various stages of recovery from their injuries. At least by then the army had learned that men who were shell-shocked were not cowards, but ill and needed treatment, not being shot by his own side. Air warfare had grown and many more injuries were inflicted on the flyers, and yet many more were never seen again as their aircraft exploded in mid-flight, or crashed into the sea. The advances in burns treatment had worked well and even though scared, they were able to return to duty in many case.

In both instances the injured didn’t receive any long term help or treatment. It makes me wonder how many people were treated as common criminals because of their behaviour when discharged/demobbed. Things didn’t change here in the UK either until the stress disorders, like PTSD associated with service in Ulster after 1969 began to run up. 1982 saw the Falklands War. The first UP war in which the media played a major part. The pictures of men being injured were shocking. The two I remember most at the explosion of a bomb on a ship in which a TACCO died while trying to defuse the bomb. The second one was of a man jumping into the sea from the Sir Galahad, flames all over and around him.

Things back home started to change when such images hit our TV screens. Much more help and treatment became available. Even now many men who severed there are still alive and receive the treatment that helps them every day. The changes increased pace after the first Gulf War, but sadly the services were keeping quiet about two issues that came up after this one. The first is what is called ‘Gul War syndrome’, where soldiers were reporting strange symptoms in their general health, things like fatigue, or excessive tiredness. Constant sore throats and runny noses were common too. The other main one the use of caused by the depleted uranium shells used by allied troops.

So the services kept quiet and tried to hide the truth of these things. However, there are so many people who are now alive and still suffering from these two issues. It’s now thought the first one was down to the massive multi-vaccines they all received before going out to Saudi. As for the second issue, well, those shells were top secret so any country using them would want to keep that secret. Before long stories began to come out from the areas where the shells were used where civilians were becoming ill. Investigations found evidence of the uranium on the surface all around. This one became too often to keep quiet, so they finally opened up a little more, without giving any details.

We are now post Second Gulf War and Afghan War. Opinions have now changed hugely and the public is fully behind efforts all the efforts to support our troops. Now the treatments are ongoing, and quite frankly, it’s how things should have been all along. All our service personal are well treated in main and are treated as heroes by the public, because my friends, that is what these men and women are.   

Today’s photo is me in uniform in 1967 …

I’m second from the left. We were being inspected before going on guard duty, Queen Elizabeth Bks, Church Crookham.

Today’s funny …                        

Did you hear about what happened when the police caught a man stealing car batteries?
They charged him.