10 Cool Things I Found on the Internet this week #26

Sometimes you just need a happiness infusion straight into your veins, so here is a little shot of endorphins I hope you enjoy it…

A Day in the Life of my favourite artist family

The lovely and soulful Bartons in their cosy den of creativity

The macabre story of The Sorceress by Jan van de Velde II (1626)

The Sorceress by Jan van de Velde II (1626)

“This remarkable engraving of a sorceress mid-conjure is the work of Dutch Golden Age painter and engraver Jan van de Velde the younger. In Van de Velde’s energetic and artfully arranged scene we see a young sorceress at work above a fire and, cavorting in its windswept flames, a motley crew of various demonic “familiars”. Amid the talons, wings, and characterful faces, there are pipes-a-plenty, with two notably placed up a demon’s bum and streaming with powders in elegant arcs.” ~ Read more on The Public Domain Review

The Sorceress by Jan van de Velde II (1626)

This unhappy frog in an Australian forest

Like a squeaky dog toy from hell

A wholesome message from Townsends that ‘everything is going to be fine

Everyone take an exhale, all is going to be fine.

Eminjilli Dreaming by Felicity Cocuzzoli

“Eminjili is our earth mother, our ancestor. She is Diana Mudgee, a strong and proud Wiradjuri woman who is the matriarch of generations. Eminjili is depicted on country, clothed in the whisper of the night. Her sky dreaming represents the ancestors who have gone before her and remain her constant guides. Her earth dreaming signifies her people, those present and those yet to come. Two large circles visible on her clothing represent her heart for kin and country, and the life of her unborn child…

Eminjilli Dreaming, Original image: Oil and acrylic on canvas, 2018 by Felicity Cocuzzoli

“I am a proud descendent of the Wiradjuri nation who is deeply committed to engaging in and through art to build relationships and transform lives. I am drawn to images that resonate the diversity of our world and honour the richness of culture and tradition in my art work. Indigo Expressive Arts’ fine art prints are produced and developed in Newcastle NSW. The transformation of original art pieces into hand-crafted fine art prints involves working in close partnership with my printing partner, using high quality archival paper to create a product that will exceed all expectations.Offering archival quality output.” ~ Felicity Cocuzzoli via Indigo Expressive Arts

Broxh the Twitch carver from Rotorua

Broxh practices Toi whakairo (Māori carving) just like his tūpuna (ancestors) and suddenly became very famous on Twitch. Him and his baby are the cutest thing ever.

Board game pieces from the Viking town of Birka, #Sweden. (8th-10th century)

Board game pieces from the Viking town of Birka, #Sweden. (8th-10th century)
Via Twitter

Snow leopards creeping through a snowy wonderland by Sydney photographer Dalida Innes

A deep-dive into the etymological origins of magical words

Hip hop from the Middle Ages

Prepare thee and all thy homies to bounce in Sherwood Forest. Only the strongest of thee will be able to pull the sword from the stone.

Renaissance Art/Rapper Mashup

Colourful Australian phrases

9. Flat out like a lizard drinking (busy)

8. I didn’t come here to fuck spiders (I didn’t come here to muck around)

7. I’m so hungry I could eat the arse out of a low-flying duck (I’m hungry)

6. Fair suck of the sav (I can’t believe it!)

5. My mouth’s drier than a dead dingo’s donger (I’m thirsty)

4. Don’t come the raw prawn (don’t try to fool me)

3. A few kangaroos loose in the top paddock (crazy)

2. A face like a dropped pie (unattractive)

1. I’m not here to lick stamps (I’m not messing around)

Via Adam Sharp

Naumachiæ: Naval spectacles in Roman arenas

Ever heard of “naumachiæ”? They were great Roman reservoirs surrounded by seats, like water-filled amphitheatres, especially constructed by Romans for holding naval battle spectacles. This went on right through the Middle Ages.

Via Wikipedia

A dub techno mix by Giriu Dvasios of Cold Tear Records

I hope you enjoyed this week’s picks. Let me know what you think below…

Artists & Writers In Their Own Words: Kanariya Eishi

Kanariya Eishi (鹿鳴家英志) AKA Hiroshi Nakatsuji is a multitalented performer of the ancient Japanese Art of Rakugo in English. Following a Bachelor of Performing Arts from an American university he was involved in many theatre projects in Japan, US, and New Zealand. He trained as a theatre clown under Rone & Gigi, a world renowned clown duo, and learned improvisation from Wade Jackson, the founder of Improv Bandits. He has been learning English Rakugo under the tutelage of his beloved master, Kanariya Eiraku since 2016 and lives in sunny Auckland with his wife and children.

Rakugo is a Japanese traditional art of comedy storytelling with a history of over 400 years

Though it is primarily a comedic expression, its themes vary broadly and include genres such as ghost stories, tragedies, sci fi, and even erotic tales.

Unlike stand-up comedy in the west, Rakugo doesn’t always have to be funny. Just like theatre-goers in the West will see Shakespeare’s play may times, Rakugo fans in Japan will go along to many performances because they appreciate different interpretation of classic Japanese stories.

When I was younger, I met a gorgeous Kiwi lady who eventually became my wife and I moved from Japan to New Zealand

It was completely by random chance! In my final year as a theatre student in America, I went back to Japan for summer holidays. It was there that we met. I had never visited New Zealand before that. She was the only reason why I ended up living in this country. If my love had been from elsewhere, I would’ve gone there instead. I was a hopeless romantic in my youth!

I am an ultimate jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none person!

In terms of my performance career, I started out as a stand-up comedian then became an actor. These days I have a constant flow of Rakugo work and don’t do much outside of Rakugo, but I sometimes work as an actor in random projects. The most exciting side project ever was doing voiceover for an animation series produced here in New Zealand! It was a low-profile job, but it was my dream-come-true!

You can view many of my rakugo performances on my Youtube Channel…

Rakugo is about acceptance of human nature. The word ‘rakugo’ means fallen words

Rakugo embraces our imperfection as humans, so nearly all characters have flaws. I am full of flaws myself, so I can really relate to those quirky people in the Rakugoverse. It is also my attempt to reconnect with Japan.

I get inspiration for rakugo from many people…

It was my master Kanariya Eiraku who really prompted me to pursue Rakugo in this unconventional fashion. My Rakugo/comedy is also heavily influenced by character comedy legends such as: Steve Martin, Roberto Benigni, Rowan Atkinson, Robin Williams, Charlie Chaplin, Billy T James, and The Flight of the Conchords. I became a huge fan of Rakugo because of the legendary master Tatekawa Danshi. As an “English Rakugo” performer, I was first inspired by Katsura Shijaku II, who first began performing Rakugo in English.

  • Billy T James
    Billy T James
  • Robin Williams
    Robin Williams
  • A comedy inspiration - Rowan Atkinson
    Rowan Atkinson
  • A comedy inspiration - Charlie Chaplin
    Charlie Chaplin
  • Another of my heroes - Steve Martin
    Steve Martin
  • One of my heros roberto-benigni in a still from the film 'Life is Beautiful'
    Roberto Benigni
  • Artists & Writers In Their Own Words: Kanariya Eishi - Flight of the Conchords
    Flight of the Conchords
  • My rakugo master Kanariya Eiraku
    My rakugo master Kanariya Eiraku

At the age of 9 or 10 I first stumbled upon a cassette tape recording of “Koganemochi” by a Rakugo legend, Kokontei Shinsho V

In this story, a man steals money from the stomach of a dead monk and uses it as the capital to start up his rice cake business! I was horrified! But strangely, I was also captivated by this gory tale and became a Rakugo fan since.

I started learning Rakugo at my university’s Rakugo club when I was 18, but I spent most of my professional performance career doing stand-up comedy and acting. It wasn’t until I turned 40 when I finally started pursuing Rakugo as my life work under my beloved master Kanariya Eiraku.

To learn my Rakugo stories, I recite them over and over during long walks in nature

When I’m inspired. I mumble to myself, so I must look creepy from outside if they don’t know what the heck I am doing! My creative spots are Cornwall Park, Monte Cecilia Park, and Onehunga Beach in Auckland.

Artists & Writers In Their Own Words: Kanariya Eishi - A tree in Cornwall Park, Auckland
One of my favourite places to walk and learn rakugo lines – Cornwall Park, Auckland

Recently I started doing a Japanese wisdom street podcast on my Youtube Channel and Spotify as well

My daruma, a Japanese lucky charm, is something that I always put in my sight whenever I practice Rakugo at home

You can learn about Daruma and the Japanese Art of Tenacious Wish-Making on my website.

Reading Neil Gaiman’s books, particularly his non-fiction essays, helps me be more creative…

Also, a book called “Limitless” by a memory expert Jim Kwik has really helped me become a limitless storyteller!

Artists & Writers In Their Own Words: Kanariya Eishi -Things That Inspire Me
Things That Inspire Me

My Rakugo fan gets me into the zone the moment I hold it. This performance fan was gifted to me when I first started learning Rakugo in 1995, and I still use it. It normally doesn’t last this long, but I have taken really good care of it because you can’t just buy it anywhere in New Zealand.

Monte Cecilia Park: My kids are just climbing the tree here. I am very attached to this particular tree, and I sometimes go there when I feel stuck creatively or in life. The tree listens and heals my heart 😊
Monte Cecilia Park: My kids are just climbing the tree here. I am very attached to this particular tree, and I sometimes go there when I feel stuck creatively or in life. The tree listens and heals my heart 😊

I watch funny animal videos regularly, which help me relax and recover from “creative fatigue” 😊 I also have a lot of silly artworks in my house that act as the reminders to always have fun!

Artists & Writers In Their Own Words: Kanariya Eishi - Random art that I find inspiring
Random art that I find inspiring

The advice I would give to my younger self is:

You will not be understood for a very long time if you try to be who you really are, but they will eventually give in. Chill out and enjoy the process

~Kanariya Eishi
Artists & Writers In Their Own Words: Kanariya Eishi - Random art that I find inspiring
A beautiful statue I like
Artists & Writers In Their Own Words: Kanariya Eishi - Onehunga Beach
Onehunga Beach is very calming and inspiring to me.

I am currently working on a film project with Fiona Amundsen

She is a very talented film director, photographer, and visual artist. In this project, we are trying to create a reminder of the tragedy of WWII, using the concepts of Rakugo and Aikido, so that we won’t repeat the same mistakes that humans made only 75 years ago.

As the world becomes more and more intolerant about differences, I hope this project will remind people of what really matters….

Also, I will be performing at Taste of Japan in Auckland, and I have also been invited to perform at Japan Festival Wellington though neither of these has been definitely confirmed due to the current situation.

I also would like to mention my good writer friend, Kristine Ohkubo. She is a huge Rakugo fan and has always helped me since my early days as a Rakugo performer and has recently released a book.

My website is the best place to learn about what I do

You can also find my entertaining and fun rakugo performances on my Youtube Channel, so please follow me there, and I post regularly to Twitter.

Twitter

Instagram

Learn more about Eishi

Feel free to get in touch with me for any exciting creative or collaborative opportunities!

10 Cool Things I found On the Internet #25

If you have had a bit of a downer week then this will bring your aura back up to bright again and hopefully make you laugh. Hope you enjoy it.

How cultures deal with haunted places and people who have shuffled off this mortal coil

A fascinating Zoom Workshop.

“If you see a Monarch Butterfly on Día de Muertos, keep quiet and listen, that butterfly has a message from a loved one who has passed on…”

Enya’s Orinoco Flow as a Bardcore Sea Shanty

Captions allow you to sing along…

Polar Bear rampages through Dundee

In November 1878, a polar bear brought back by Arctic whalers escaped into the streets of Dundee. After charging up Commercial St, it broke into a clothier’s shop on the High St (it’s now a gift shop). It was recaptured after it got distracted by a mirror. #OldWeirdScotland

The tailor and a customer were in the shop at the time and hid behind the counter. Amazingly no-one (including the bear) was injured, except for a dress mannequin in the shop window– it got badly mauled. Via Twitter

Polar Bear rampages through Dundee
Polar Bear rampages through Dundee

Thoughts on Papyrus reviews Böcklin’s creepy and beautiful paintings

Isle of the Dead (Third Version) [1883]
This is Böcklin’s best-known painting in which he depicted “the Isle of the Dead”, a mysterious island with dense vegetation inside (cypress trees) surrounded by the white “fortress” of white rock. A lone boat approaches the island head on with the mysterious veiled white figure standing in it. In the boat, one can also see another white object, probably a coffin. The dark waters and gloomy skies build a sombre atmosphere, and the funeral motifs are also emphasised by the cypress trees since these too have been traditionally associated with cemeteries and mourning.

Via Thoughts on Papyrus

Animals acting like humans

Miniature worlds

Translated from Japanese [“When dealing with miniatures, it’s common to hold your breath, suppress your heartbeat, hold your wrist with your other hand, and stop trembling.”] Via Twitter

Miniature worlds

F**K 2020! by Scooter: ‘Stuck on the wrong channel….like you’re chained to a dead camel!’

Prepare your brain for vans shooting out fire in Germany, along with the incredible lyrics like ‘I don’t give a penny…f**k 2020!’ and ‘Stuck on the wrong channel….like you’re chained to a dead camel’. Prepare to rave hard with grandpa Scooter!

Looking for love in ancient Brittany

In the forest of Brocéliande, the fountain of Barenton, long famous for its association with Merlin and Viviane, is one of the few sacred sources in Brittany not to have been successfully Christianised by the Church. Unmarried women visited the fountain to offer it a pin; if the waters of the spring bubbled, it was a sign that she would be married before Easter. If fate was favourable, those seeking marriage were said to see the image of their intended reflected in the waters if they visited the fountain alone, at midnight, on the night of a full moon. Read more on the great blog Bonjour from Brittany

Star Trek Acid Party

Words can’t really describe this…it’s like a 40 minute long meme. Psychotropic enhancements optional.

Music for Thai monkeys

Paul Barton the famous painter and pianist who composed music for an audience of elephants in the Thai jungle, now goes with his daughter Emilie to Bangkok to perform piano compositions for an audience of monkeys!

Haircuts for men : 壊滅悲しみ – A chilled out vapourwave mix

It will make you smile and feel laid back for sure…

Will Yeung’s vegan creamy mushroom pasta recipe

I hope you liked this week’s selections. If you have any selections you want to add or suggest, I would love to know. Feel free to leave your feedback below, cheers.

Ancient Word of the Day: Deliquium

Latin v. delinquere: “to lack, to fail

In 1836, Francis Baily travelled to the Scottish Borders to see a solar eclipse. He witnessed a macabre and beautiful phenomenon.

A row of lucid points, like a string of bright beads of irregular distance and size from each other. These suddenly appeared around the circumference of the moon that was about to enter into the sun’s disc. ~ Francis Baily, 1836.

Baily named this momentary necklace of fire around the moon during the eclipse Baily’s Beads

Baily’s Beads is the phenomenon of sunlight shining through the rough craters and valleys on the surface of the moon during a solar eclipse. Lasting for only a few moments, this causes a circle of glowing beads of fire around the moon.

Baily’s Beads/Eclipse/Deliquium

The older word for Eclipse is Deliquium

Eclipse comes from French with its roots in Greek. It means failure to appear or to leave one’s usual place. Eclipse mirrors an earlier word from Latin commonly used during medieval times was Deliquium, meaning failure of the sun to shine.

Deliquium: Failure

Deliquium was used as an early medical term in the seventeenth century to describe a person fainting following a session of grisly blood-letting or other procedures. Deliquium later fell out of use in English in the 19th Century.

References

Wordnik

Lexico

The Cabinet of Linguistic Curiosities : A Yearbook of Forgotten Words by Paul Anthony Jones

Artists and Writers in their own Words: Sylvia Ritter

Self Portrait by Sylvia Ritter
Self Portrait by Sylvia Ritter

German Artist Sylvia Ritter has made a name for herself and gathered a dedicated following in the open-source IT community with her funky and psychedelic animal art. Ritter is best known for her astonishing digital paintings that coincide with all of the releases of the Ubuntu Linux operating system so far. However, she also produces commissioned art as well.

Ubunu Linux is an open-source alternative to Microsoft and Apple’s proprietary operating systems. With each Ubuntu release there’s a celebratory animal artwork with a powerful aura and a great energy. So far we have seen Warty Warthog, Hoary Hedgehog, Breezy Badger, Disco Dingo, Groovy Gorilla and Karmic Koala, Gutsy Gibbon and more. Sylvia uses the open-source Krita digital painting software to create each work. She also produces commissioned art for festivals, musicians, labels, authors, publishers, and game companies. Soon she will be completing a much anticipated set of animal Tarot cards. Here she talks about her work in her own words…

Cosmic Cuttlefish by Sylvia Ritter
Cosmic Cuttlefish by Sylvia Ritter

I think of my portfolio as one single continuously growing art piece

None of the current artworks would exist without the previous paintings. Therefore all of them are meaningful to me.

These artworks are very popular with fans

I get inspired by many artworks

I like Escher and Ralph McQuarrie’s Star Wars concept artworks along with the classic artwork Wanderer Above a Foggy Sea (Der Wanderer über dem Nebelmeer) by Caspar David Friedrich

While I was painting Groovy Gorilla, I listened to a lot of 70’s funk

However mostly silence is preferred, so that I can hear my thoughts and feelings clearly. It highly depends on which painting phase I’m in. In the middle of the process, when it’s mostly about detail work, listening to music or watching non-distracting TV series is best for me. Finishing an artwork also needs quietness for that extra bit of attention. I love to pick music that fits the theme that I’m working on.

I find a lot of things inspiring out there, especially The Demoscene

The Demoscene is an global and online computer art subculture that focuses on producing demos or audio-visual presentations that show off music production, programming and visual art together. Demos and demoscene productions are shared at festivals called demoparties.

I also like nature documentaries, video games, and movies from any decade.

Delivering the Turtle Times, a commission by Sylvia Ritter
Delivering the Turtle Times by Sylvia Ritter

Because of the COVID-19 I had to cancel and postpone two crowdfunding projects

Coming up, I have a jigsaw puzzle campaign featuring The Star and Disco Dingo, and a second Wakeful Hoodie campaign with additional Disco Dingo apparel. These will definitely come next year. When my tarot deck is finally complete one sweet day in the future, I will also do a Kickstarter for it, too. So far 41 cards have been completed. There is also my ongoing Ubuntu Animal Illustration series that’s 33 artworks big by now, and I can’t wait to get started on the next one. I also regularly post fresh speedpaintings on my Patreon first, then Twitter and Instagram. I am also available for interesting commissions. 

Per Aspera Ad Astra by Sylvia Ritter
Per Aspera Ad Astra, a commission by Sylvia Ritter

You can find me, buy my art, donate or send me a request for a commission using the links below. Thanks for reading!

Deviant Art: Sylvia Ritter

Support my work on Patreon

Buy art, clothing and other merch in my shop

Look at my latest project – the Animal Tarot deck

Wakeful Hoodie

Facebook

Twitter

Mastodon Social

10 Cool Things I Found on the Internet #24

This week it’s going to take some intense eye-bleaching and palate cleansing to get the gross taste out of your mouth. So here are some things to hopefully brighten up the rooms and windows of your mind.

Future Imperfect by River Crow

The future may be hopeful. The future may be fearful.

The future will be imperfect.

There is no version of events where the world will wake to a glorious utopia. Likewise, there is no version of events where the world will wake to a post-apocalypse hellscape. These extremes are both as unlikely as the other, and both as unlikely as to be impossible.

It often seems like change comes from Great Men (and why, oh why is it always men?) at the top, or sweeping revolutions and reforms that change everything, all at once.

But change so often isn’t like that. Yes, those big events are momentous and can restore or shatter hope or fear. But change, real change, comes from the small moments in between.

A forest grows at the pace of trees.

A river cuts through rock at the pace of water.

Continents shift and mountains form and fall at the pace of tectonic plates.

Small movements, small changes, working in harmony with each other, create something far greater than the sum of their parts.

~ Read more at The River Crow

Aphex Twin’s Stone in Focus for 10 hours, along with Japanese macaques chilling in a thermal lake

Sloths get rewarded for being exceedingly lazy

Sloths get rewarded for being exceedingly lazy

“We may think that the sloth, living as it does in a slow-motion, dim, muffled world, is being punished, but it is actually a very successful mammal. Other than the harpy eagle, sloths have few predators. This is partly because they move at a pace that rarely gets them noticed and are therefore hard to spot, and partly because – being little more than a stringy bag of half-digested, fermenting leaves – they don’t make for a very nutritious meal.“

~ Nature Nook

The ancient etymology of the word Otter

Otter is an ancient word that comes to us from Proto-Indo-European. Otter’-word can be reconstructed as udró- and is certainly a #derivative of the word for water. Udro means ‘one belonging to the water’

  • Vedic: udrá- ‘an aquatic animal.
  • Hindi: ūd
  • Proto Germanic: utra
  • Old English: otor
  • Old High German: ottar
  • Old Norse: otr
  • Lithuanian: ū́dra
  • Latvian: ûdrs
  • Old Prussian: udro
  • Serbo-Croatian: vȉdra
  • Russian: výdra

Via Twitter

Hot girls selling computers in Yugoslavia in the 90’s

  • Rather racy photos of hot girls selling computers in Yugoslavia in the 90's
  • Rather racy photos of hot girls selling computers in Yugoslavia in the 90's

See more

Mont Saint Michel from a drone

It looks so serene here, almost like a fake video game, there is a surreal quality to it.

Autumn Riders by artist Emily Balivet

Emily Balivet, is an entirely self-taught, freelance artist who has been producing art in the style of figurative realism for over 20 years. Inspired by Art Nouveau, 60’s psychadelia and mythical beings. Read more

Autumn Riders by artist Emily Balivet
Autumn Riders by artist Emily Balivet

Dr Langfeldt’s Dictionary of Animal Language

A quirky way of understanding the murmurs, sighs and squeals of animals. Originally featured in the Boston Glove on the 24th of April 1910

Dr Langfeldt's Dictionary of Animal Language
Dr Langfeldt’s Dictionary of Animal Language

Via Twitter

Bruegel: a fall with the Rebel Angels Immersive VR experience

Experiencing a medieval painting by Bruegel dating from the year 1562 like never before!

A recipe for fried pumpkin dating from 1882 by A Dollop of History

Taken from Meals for the Million, the People’s Cookbook by Juliet Corson.

I really liked this recipe! It’s a nice little side dish and a fun way to use pumpkin for something other than decorating. Fried zucchini and acorn squash is a favorite around my house, but this does taste noticeably different. If you like the taste of pumpkin you’ll probably really enjoy it. ~ Sannie B, A Dollop of History

Get the recipe

The Celestial Emporium of Benevolent Knowledge by Jorge Luis Borges

A strange and nonsensical way of categorising animals by Jorge Luis Borges. Found on the amazing and eclectic blog The Generalist Academy, it highlights the arbitrary and silly nature of taxonomy and list-making. Yet it’s still fun to do…

  • those belonging to the Emperor
  • embalmed ones
  • trained ones
  • suckling pigs
  • mermaids
  • fabled ones
  • stray dogs
  • those included in this classification
  • those that tremble as if they were mad
  • innumerable ones
  • those drawn with a very fine camel hair brush
  • et cetera
  • those that have just broken the vase
  • those that from afar look like flies

Via The Generalist Academy

Nanny the beautiful grey moggy living her best life with her human in the Colorado Rockies

Apparently the internet loves her back because she has a much-anticipated 2021 calendar coming out.

I hope you enjoyed these picks for the week, let me know what you think below…

Change-Makers in Their Own Words: Cheche Winnie

Kenyan conservationist and activist Cheche Winnie believes that humans are the custodians of nature. Hence it is our duty to protect nature not destroy it. Her work in conservation, education and awareness is essential to conserving the native animals and the landscape in Kenya. She is one of many brave and bold Kenyans who are trying to fight the system and save the African animals we all love. Her inspiring story and fighting spirit may inspire you to join her.

I love wildlife and I am ready to do whatever I can to ensure that future generation get to see animals

I decided to be a conservationist and an activist when I realized that we were treating wildlife unfairly. Most decisions are made without considering the perspective of animals. Poaching and conservation area encroachment continue to be a threat to wildlife existence, and something needed to be done.

Me cleaning up the Mbagathi river
Me cleaning up the Mbagathi river

Knowledge is power and a good start to ensure things change

Extinction is already taking them away, and humans contribute to that. Helping them know how they play that part will help stop the reaction.

Planting trees at Uhuru Park Nairobi
Checie Winnie at the Nairobi Arboretum Cleanup
Planting trees on my birthday in 2020
My 2019 birthday tree planting
Distributing litter bags to Nairobi National Park visitors to promote the 'Waste Free Parks' initiative
Me camping with friends
Myself at Karura Forest in Nairobi, Kenya
Animals in Nairobi National Park
Me cleaning up the Mbagathi river
Animals are never fake and are always their true selves
Change-Makers in Their Own Words: Chechie Winnie
At Olulua Park, Nairobi Kenya

Passion is everything. It gives you strength and reasons to fight for something!

If you want to get involved in conservation, look at the many ways that humans are driven crazy out of our greed and selfishness. Then work to find fixes and solutions for that. We can allow our humanity and compassion to guide us towards advocating for the right thing for animals and for the natural world.

Myself at Karura Forest in Nairobi, Kenya
Myself at Karura Forest in Nairobi, Kenya

Speak up and let’s stop normalising being oppressed in Kenya!

Just because we think nothing will be done. It’s one step at a time. The locals in Kenya have yet to embrace wildlife as important part of the ecosystem.

In Kenya, wildlife and animals are still seen through safari and tourism eyes

Wildlife is loosely assumed to belong to the Kenya Wildlife Service. Conservation will be effective and successful once we all understand and embrace the act of protecting wildlife welfare, even from ourselves.

  • Planting trees at Uhuru Park Nairobi
    Planting trees at Uhuru Park Nairobi
  • My 2019 birthday tree planting
    My 2019 birthday tree planting
  • At Olulua Park, Nairobi Kenya
    At Olulua Park, Nairobi Kenya

My goal is to enable or give humans reasons to fall in love with our planet and wildlife

This love will help them consider the safety and welfare and welfare of animals while making decisions.

African elephant. Source: Pixabay

Wangari Mathai and Jim Nyamu helped me find strength to do what I do

I love what they have done for our environment and wildlife, and they challenge me to do more in ensuring that we do more. Our trees and wildlife should not suffer from human negative activities.

  • Wangarĩ Muta Maathai (/wænˈɡɑːri mɑːˈtaɪ/; 1 April 1940 – 25 September 2011) was a renowned Kenyan social, environmental and political activist and the first African woman to win the Nobel Prize
    Wangarĩ Muta Maathai (/wænˈɡɑːri mɑːˈtaɪ/; 1 April 1940 – 25 September 2011) was a renowned Kenyan social, environmental and political activist and the first African woman to win the Nobel Prize
  • Kenyan Jim Nyamu is an elephant research scientist and activist against poaching and trade in ivory. Nyamu is the executive director at the Elephant Neighbors Center (ENC) and is leader of the movement, Ivory Belongs to Elephants. Here Jim Nyamu (center) was a featured speaker at the Washington, DC, International March for Elephants He had just finished a 560-mile walk from Boston, MA, which took him a month. Read more
    Kenyan Jim Nyamu is an elephant research scientist and activist against poaching and trade in ivory. Nyamu is the executive director at the Elephant Neighbors Center (ENC) and is leader of the movement, Ivory Belongs to Elephants. Here Jim Nyamu (center) was a featured speaker at the Washington, DC, International March for Elephants He had just finished a 560-mile walk from Boston, MA, which took him a month. Read more

Animals are never fake and are always their true selves

They demonstrate true bonds when it comes to relations among themselves. Greed and selfishness have stripped humans that luxury.

Animals are never fake and are always their true selves
Lions playing together – Pixabay

I love being in nature and the woods

Moments in the woods are the best. They are filled with bird’s song, the whistling wind, lots of fresh air, among other goodies. Nature allows you to enjoy stuff with no interruptions. I always look for the opportunity to embrace nature in a deeper way.

If I were to speak to my younger self, I would tell her to speak up – right from the beginning!

It took time before I got courage to speak up for anything. I would just remain silent and let it be. Not anymore and never again.

Me at the Climate Change Youth Conference
Me at the Climate Change Youth Conference

All I desire is for humans to fall in love with our planet, especially nature and wildlife

By opening up our hearts to animals and nature, we will eliminate our negative impact of our greed and selfishness. I also think it’s absolutely essential that we find eco-friendly solutions to waste and businesses and that we do right by our planet.

Please follow me on my journey as I change the state of wildlife conservation in Kenya

I blog regularly on WordPress about many issues relating to conservation and also the pressures, triumphs and challenges of wildlife conservation in Kenya.

My website and blog

If you have any questions or would like to offer your support to our cause, please feel free to get in touch with me here:

Twitter

Facebook

Pinterest

Instagram

Other Kenyan conservationists:

Jim Nyamu: ResearchGate

Wangarĩ Muta Maathai: Wikipedia

KEAN (Kenya Environmental Activists Network)

10 Cool Things I found on the Internet #23

Does your brain need to be plunged into icy-cold water? Consider this weeks picks to be a refreshing and brief dunk into a frozen arctic pool…when you know that a sauna will be waiting for you afterwards.

Where the river begins

A look at how linguistics, word origins and paleo-climatology are linked.

“If you pause to look at the time scale of the climatology when these semantic shifts would have happened, and you realize you’re standing face to face with a human artifact that has fossilized within it a specific experience from about 5,000 B.C. On rare occasions these words laid one after the other along the centuries align in just the right tilt and you can glimpse far down that well and catch light from something unimaginably ancient but recognizably human; the cognate of the paint-print hand on the cave wall, or a breath of meadow-air from the spring after the Ice Age.”

Read more

The things that are yours to keep by Monica Olivia

Sámi headdress by me, shawl hand-me-down. Photo by Sebastian Wilches 2020.

Sámi artist, yoga practitioner and spiritual seeker Monica Olivia explores the sacred things that are yours to keep and that nobody can take from you. Read more on Monica’s amazing blog Ask the Mountains.

Your spiritual practice

Your ethnicity and ancestry

Your creativity

Your struggles

Your love

~ Monica Olivia, Ask The Mountains.

It’s OK to not be OK, but not OK to remain that way

Inspiring Kenyan Environmental activist Chechie Winnie shoulders a lot of responsibility in her life, looking after the natural wilderness and its magnificent animals in Kenya. Here she talks about how to handle ‘activism anxiety’ and the fatigue that comes from trying to save the world.

“I remember mourning the clearing of trees along Mombasa road, despite all efforts put in place. The action still went ahead. Then one sad afternoon, after participating in a strike (#AfricaisNotADumpster) on my way home I was shattered. Waiyaki way too had fallen victim to the clearing of trees.

“We almost got tear-gassed for striking, and the sadness in me had yet found a solution. Here we were with other problems/defeat laughing at us.

It was heartbreaking and all kinds of thoughts flooded my brain. I was numb for a moment, and couldn’t hold myself from crying. For a minute I wondered if it was worth it, whatever I was doing as an activist.

“For a few days, I was lost. I didn’t really understand or even have slight hopes that for the sure the environment will be given a front seat in our country. You have to understand that they may take a while, they may mock you, they may frustrate you, or even kill your hopes. But you need to remain strong. If you need a time out, go for a trip and forget all these problems for a minute. Avoid places that remind you of the problems, and for a minute. Allow yourself to heal and forget everything going on. Just because they continue ignoring you, they will eventually accept facts.

Climate change is no longer a future problem or a given part of the world. It’s everywhere and people are feeling it.

It will be an honor one day to enjoy milestones made from your activism. We need you to continue fighting and taking good care of your selves, both mentally and physically.“

~ Chechie Winnie
Environmental warrior and all-around inspiration Chechie Winnie

Tiny Ancient Egyptian dioramas

Fascinating blogger Generalist Academy explores the miniature world of Egyptian dioramas. While most of the expensive treasure was looted, these tiny treasures often remained in tombs. These finds come from the tomb of chief steward and official Meketre, and are about 4,000 years old. Read more on Generalist Academy

A bustling bakery and brewery…

Keith Schengili-Roberts / CC BY-SA

COVID angry-face cake from Turanga-nui-a-Kiwi in New Zealand

New Zealand has (for now at least) broken the back of COVID because of its geographical isolation and strong leadership. Which means there are plenty of cakes like this floating around New Zealand. This one was baked and has long since been eaten at Tairāwhiti Museum in Turanga Nui a Kiwa.

From Twitter

‘Cultivating the cosmic tree’ by Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179)

German mystic, Benedictine abbess, polymath, artist, writer, composer, philosopher who spun webs of ornate creativity that reach out to us from almost 900 years after her death. She was an extraordinarily talented woman.

'Cultivating the cosmic tree' by Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179)
‘Cultivating the cosmic tree’ by Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179)

Voices of Angels – Voices of Ascension by Hildegard von Bingen

Moriz Jung’s Animal ABCs

Moriz Jung (1885-1915) was born in Mikulov, Czech Republic. He was a talented artist and illustrator who worked in woodcuts, linocuts, lithographs and book images and became a member of the Wiener Werkstätte. During his studies he published a book of coloured woodcuts called, Freunden geschnitten und gedruckt von Moriz Jung (Leipzig and Vienna, 1906), an alphabetical primer in the form of animal pictures. Read more

D is for Dachs (the German word for badger)

D is for Dachs (the German word for badger)
Via Maria Strutz on Twitter

I is for Igel (the German word for hedgehog)

I is for Igel (the German word for hedgehog)
Via Maria Strutz on Twitter

Thierry Mulger Spring/Summer collection from 1991

Even if you’re not really into fashion, I challenge you to not enjoy this. It’s a channel that features a treasure-trove of kitsch, attitude and female badassery. The fashion is innovative, the music is a funky blend of acid house, early hiphop, techno and 60’s vintage pop. Models include Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Helen Christensen, Aman, Deborah Hutton and many others in their prime. It’s nothing like the rigid and boring fashion of today. Instead it’s beautiful women who let their joie de vivre shine through and who perform with huge personalities to sell the clothes with true flair and artistry. You can see why they were considered ‘supermodels’ in their day. It’s really quite mesmerising to watch and there’s a whole channel of it…

A highlight for me was around 12 min in, with a weird sculptural acrobatics performance followed by a Vogue-esque, Madonna style peformance to acid house music and then some other things that are hard to define.

John Townsend’s simple Apple Pie

American history revivalist and historian John Townsend demonstrates a super simple apple pie recipe that’s light on the ingredients, but heavy on the taste.

Smooth grooves and alpine beats from Del Monte

I hope you enjoyed this week’s picks, do you have anything you have found that was amazing this week? share below and also what you thought of these picks.

Book Review: The Pregnancy Diaries Vol. 1 by Googie McCabe

Infused with the vast and never-ending love of a mum for her unborn daughter, The Pregnancy Diaries Volume 1 is an absolutely hilarious, witty and enjoyable romp through pregnancy from conception to birth. Any woman who has given birth (or any supportive man who has gone along for the journey) will be able to relate to this book and thoroughly enjoy it.

Book Review: The Pregnancy Diaries Vol. 1 by Googie McCabe

The wit and self-deprecating humour of this book is laugh out loud funny. In fact I snorted out cups of tea and coffee while reading it. The drawings and words that accompany the week-by-week updates of Googie’s ever-expanding belly, from ‘bean’ to beautiful human being, are filled with an odd kind of joy, combined with visceral pain and laughter.

Book Review: The Pregnancy Diaries Vol. 1 by Googie McCabe

They said about the pregnancy glow…it hasn’t even brushed against me! Where’s the glow goddamit it? Where’s the glow?

The Pregnancy Diaries Vol. 1

This book explodes a lot of myths about pregnancy being smooth sailing. Misconceptions collide headlong with the reality of pregnancy in all of its messy, uncomfortable glory. From the first glance at a scan, to the first quickening stir in the belly to a soundtrack of Motörhead.

Can I get a return ticket to the past, simply to high five myself with a chair?

The Pregnancy Diaries Vol. 1
Book Review: The Pregnancy Diaries Vol. 1 by Googie McCabe

There are also the unexpected emissions from every orifice – valleys and mountains of puke and gaseous farts. All of this book from start to finish is an absolute delight that will draw you in and make you laugh.

Questions that bother a dehydrated mind

Do bears puke when pregnant?

Do elephants get morning sickness too?

How is it possible that I feel so shit? How?

The Pregnancy Diaries Vol. 1

If you know someone who is expecting and you’re looking for the perfect funny and high quality gift for a Baby Shower or expecting mum’s birthday – then this book is it!

Book Review: The Pregnancy Diaries Vol. 1 by Googie McCabe

Alternately, this also makes a great gift for mums who have already had their children. Any mum will be able to have a good belly laugh about this.

I don’t really care if you’re a boy or a girl. As far as we’re concerned you can be both, who cares? Just don’t be an asshole.

The Pregnancy Diaries Vol. 1

The Pregnancy Diaries takes lemons and makes lemonade. Googie makes light and good-natured humour from an often challenging and confusing time for first time mums, as their bodies change shape and their minds get flooded by hormones. Indeed, she admirably calls her work the ‘Art of Survival by Laughter’.

Book Review: The Pregnancy Diaries Vol. 1 by Googie McCabe

This book is incredibly touching because it’s profoundly personal. Googie wrote it for her first daughter Nina while she was pregnant. This is a moving story of the immense love for a human not yet living in the waking world. The saga of Googie’s changing body and all that she went through will be a treasure for her kids. Luckily for all of us – it’s a treasure the whole world can enjoy too. *****

Book Review: The Pregnancy Diaries Vol. 1 by Googie McCabe
Week 11 – the land of Puke. In which Googie vomits up a marble made in East Germany in the 80’s, a marble of exemplary quality.

Googie McCabe is a talented Polish/British artist and author. Her creations include The Pregnancy Diaries Volume 1 (Volume 2 is soon to be released) along with Two Sisters: Unsolicited Advice for my Daughters. She lives in Kent with her husband, two daughters, pets and an assortment of hedgehogs that she cares for in her garden. Googie also does art commissions, book illustrations and more. Read more in this interview on my blog.

Buy the Pregnancy Diaries Vol. 1

It’s the perfect gift for an expecting mum, or a mum reminiscing on a dramatic and full on period of life.

Visit Googie’s website or follow her on Twitter

Artists and Writers In Their Own Words: Greig Johnson

Greig Johnson creates epic, surreal and downright bizarre musical comedy on YouTube. He is a one-man meme generating machine who writes, films and designs all of his sets, costumes, VFX and songs to satisfy nobody else except for himself. His pitch black memes are dredged up from the depths of the internet and underneath of dusty piles of VHS tapes. His videos are standalone macabre masterpieces that should be in the same comedy cannon as Monty Python.

His comic creations include Belgian action star Lunge Dolphin, music production guru Woody Brown and northern poet Brian McMorley, and he has recently appeared in BBC Two’s The Mash Report and CBBC’s Class Dismissed.

Artists and Writers In Their Own Words: Greig Johnson

My dad used to sing songs with all the wrong words, so it may well come from there. I just love gibberish. It’s nihilistic and silly at the same time

I just love things that almost match but don’t. And making films that require multiple viewings.

I remember my school English teacher being gently disappointed in my choices; she wrote in my yearbook ‘In a world of pictures, don’t forget the words’

I studied English Literature at school but I was also in a band. I also did a degree in Graphic Arts & Design. Then an MA. After this, I had a year of working in a green grocer’s and a call centre. Then back for a PhD! I’m literally a doctor, which seems ridiculous to me now, but was a great opportunity at the time.

The craziest thing I’ve made was last year’s Christmas video – a recreation of The Muppet Show, shot entirely in my flat….

I don’t quite know how I got this finished. You just have to build it one shot at a time.

Every project for me is different. Making props and costumes is the only part that gives me unadulterated pleasure

I’ll start by jotting down notes and sketches at random, then group those together into potential sequences, then make all that into some kind of script. And I make lots of lists. Props, shots, sound effects, things I need to buy, etc. It’s very planned. I never turn up on the day and see what I come up with. That may work for some, but for me it simply leads to sitting in the edit thinking of all the things you should have done.

My character of Lunge Dolphin was inspired by Jean Claude Van Damme and an unmistakably European idea of American Manliness

I created Lunge Dolphin about fifteen years ago, when some friends and I were getting together to get drunk and record improvised comedy. We challenged each other to come up with characters. I find it very endearing. I spent five seconds turning ‘Dolph Lundgren’ into ‘Lunge Dolphin’, however the very first time I performed him, I realised I could be him for hours.

It’s a very exciting thing to have a character you just know; what they would say and think about any subject. Like being delightfully possessed

He’s a joy because he’s so much more confident, optimistic and rude than me. I don’t think he’s a particularly popular character – not that that stopped me from spending a year doing a full-colour, 165 page book about the making of twelve of his movies. As for what inspired Lunge, I think he’s just the anti-me. He’s carefree, sexy, self-indulgent, confident, brave, successful, boundlessly enthusiastic and stupid.

Creating costumes is completely instinctual

You just know how a character should look. You can see them, based on what they are. In terms of doing it all yourself, I love spending hours looking for stuff on eBay. That’s pure joy. I’d do it for a living. And the odd bit
of makeup – e.g. greying my hair or drawing on wrinkles and liver spots with Ikea felt pens – is just whatever the character requires.

A lot of people who are scared of embarrassing themselves think you need a professional to help you do things ‘properly’, but there is no properly. Especially when you’ve got no money

I just have a go to the best of my ability because I might be dead next week. And I’ve got nothing to lose but my dignity, which is meaningless. Abandon the idea of embarrassment and do the thing you say you want to do.

‘You should be popular’ is by far my most common YouTube comment

It’s lovely, but I don’t know what to do with it. If anyone reading this is a powerful Reddit-er, then; share my stuff thanks! For some reason, people assume I make money out of my YouTube channel, which I of course don’t. If you wait until you know your creative practice will make money before you do it, you’ll never make anything. If it’s not your vocation, don’t do it. I put what little I have into making things because making them is why I get up in the morning and I want to have something to be proud of on my deathbed.

We aren’t what we dream of doing. We aren’t what we say we’re going to do. We are what we do.

I would love it if you support my work by following, sharing and liking it on your own channels. Please subscribe on YouTube. Follow me on Twitter and Facebook Also feel free to reach out for any collaborative or creative opportunities.