Author of "Sherman's Lagoon" wants to save Sharks

Syndicated cartoonist Jim Toomey, whose Sherman's Lagoon comic strip appears in more than 250 newspapers in over 30 countries, will be in The Bahamas this week to push for increased shark protections. The artist will speak at several public forums and will visit with schoolchildren in Long Island and Nassau.

"The Bahamas has something wonderful in its waters, something very few countries have," said Toomey. "Because the government banned longline fishing, the shark populations off the Bahamian coast are still relatively healthy and the marine ecosystem is more intact here than almost any other place in the world."

Toomey's cartoon features a great white shark that lives off of a fictional island in the Palauan archipelago. In the real world, the Pacific island nation of Palau established a sanctuary for these animals in 2009.

More than 40 different kinds of sharks can be found in Bahamian waters, including the whale shark, the great hammerhead and even great whites. Toomey is joining efforts spearheaded by the Pew Environment Group and The Bahamas National Trust to establish specific protections for the species; none currently exist.

"Under Jim Toomey's direction, Sherman and his friends confront all of the damage and indignities that we heap upon the underwater environment," said Eric Carey, executive director of The Bahamas National Trust. "Beyond the cartoon page, we need better marine protections so that the sharks can continue to keep our oceans healthy. That should start no other place but here in The Bahamas."

"The waters of The Bahamas were once known for buried treasure and pirate ships," said Jill Hepp, manager of Global Shark Conservation for the Pew Environment Group. "But living treasure can now be found swimming freely in the ocean. Over the past 20 years, shark diving has generated US$800 million for the Bahamian economy. In protecting these animals, we protect the health of our oceans and our economies."

Worldwide, up to 73 million sharks are killed every year, primarily for their fins, which are valued for their use in shark-fin soup, an Asian delicacy. As a result, 30 percent of the world's species are threatened or near-threatened with extinction. For an additional 47 percent, scientists lack sufficient data to properly assess their population status.

The Pew Environment Group is the conservation arm of The Pew Charitable Trusts, a nongovernmental organization that works globally to establish pragmatic, science-based policies that protect our oceans, preserve our wildlands and promote clean energy. www.PewEnvironment.org .

The Bahamas National Trust was established by an Act of Parliament in 1959 and is mandated with the conservation of natural and historic resources of The Bahamas. It is the only known non-governmental organization in the world with the mandate to manage a country's entire national park system. www.bnt.bs





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Memories of Another Day

"Memories of Another Day".

I stood across the street looking at the ramshackle place. I was waiting to see if she still lived there. then, I heard the barking dog. The barks of Gringo! My heart was throbbing. She still kept my dog. I wanted to run across the street straight into the house. But, something held me back. Then, I saw Charlie, Thomas and Chuck on their Honda motorbikes as they rode to the side of the street. They were all in their denim jackets, pants and boots. Blue jeans and black boots.
"Jenny!" Charlie shouted aloud in his husky voice.
The others laughed. They must be drunk.

The sun was going down behind the Windmills.

Then Gringo responded with his barks. I thought Jenny would soon appear. An old woman walking with the aid of a stick came out. They regarded her without saying a word. Thomas coughed. That same old cough. I thought he told me he stopped smoking? He looked ill.
I swallowed lumps of saliva.
"Jenny is gone."
I heard the old woman.
"Jenny gone? Gone where?"
Charlie, the self-appointed ring leader asked and gnashed his teeth. Thomas spat. Chuck snarled.

"She's gone to New Orleans," the old woman replied and quietly sat down on the bench nearby.

Jenny had gone to New Orleans?
To see me?
But, I told her to wait for me.
That I was coming to pay all I owed the boys.

"Damn the naughty woman and damn Johnny!" Charlie yelled.

The old woman just looked up at him and turned away to pay attention to Gringo as the dog barked at Charlie.
"Sharrap!" Charlie yelled at the dog and spat in fury.
"Let's go boys. We are going to New Orleans!"
He jumped on his bike and the others too.

I waited until, I couldn't see their backs as they rode out. Then, I walked across the street.
"Good evening Ma'am," I greeted the old woman.
She looked and before she could say a word, Gringo pranced up to welcome me with a yelp and wagging the tail.
"yeah," she replied.
"Is Jenny home?"
"Yes."
I heard the voice from within the house.
A voice I couldn't mistake for any other voice. The voice of the only woman who never rejected me. the voice of the woman who suffered untold humiliation for my sake. And she never gave up on me all these years. The voice of the only woman I have vowed to spend the rest of my life with.
I did not wait for her to come out. I rushed inside and as she saw me she fell into my longing arms and we embraced.
The End.


~ By Orikinla Osinachi on Sunday, October 16, 2005

The shortcomings of the Nigeria Prize for Literature

The shortcomings of the Nigeria Prize for Literature

The Nigeria Prize for Literature, endowed by the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Limited is a great thing. It is an unprecedented initiative of immense benefit to Nigerian writers and the society for the appreciation of our literary culture.
I have been following the progress of the Nigeria Prize for Literature without any objection to the administration, but not impressed by the impact on the sustainable development of Nigerian literature. There is too much emphasis on the cash prize of $50,000 when the focus should be on promoting the revival of our reading culture for the intellectual development of the Nigerian society that is presently breeding philistines.

The Nigerian Prize for Literature has made the lucky winners richer, but it has failed to make us wiser, because many of the prizes winning books have not reached the majority of the Nigerian society, except the intelligentsia.
The Man Booker Prize, Orange Prize, Pulitzer Prize, Commonwealth Prize and other highly coveted literary awards increase the public appreciation of the winners and their books, but the Nigeria Prize for Literature has failed to make the winners bestsellers and becoming a bestselling author is the dream of every writer.
It looks like there is no budget for a comprehensive media plan for the Nigeria Prize for Literature, because there is no tangible publicity plan for the public appreciation of the winning books beyond the public announcements of the shortlisted authors, the winners and prize giving gala ceremonies. Everybody returns to business as usual after the events and the lucky winner of the $50, 000 prize smiles to the bank. But none of the prize winning books has become a bestseller and the author hardly goes on any book signing tour like in America, the UK or other countries where prize winning books become sought after collector’s items and sell like hot cakes.
What is the use of winning a book prize, but your book is not in demand?
The fact that is; the reading culture in Nigeria is still poor after the efforts of some individuals and groups to promote reading and President Goodluck Jonathan launched a widely publicized “Bring Back the Book” campaign.
The revival of our reading culture is a challenge to the administrators of the Nigeria Prize for Literature.
How can we use the prize to revive the general appreciation of reading in Nigeria?

May I advise the administrators of the Nigeria Prize for Literature to review the budget and the media plan and consider spending more on the promotion of the prize winning books to attract the attention and appreciation of the public.
The promotion of the winning book will attract more readers and boost our reading culture.
Invite the public to vote for the shortlisted books, because such an open invitation will be a good motivation for the public appreciation of the books and will definitely boost their interest to read them.

The Nigeria Prize for Literature needs more cooperation and support of the Nigerian news media to achieve more for the overall benefit of the Nigerian society. The Guardian and other Nigerian newspapers should learn from The New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, the Guardian of the UK and others in America and Europe by dedicating more pages to literary appreciation such as initiating and promoting a Nigerian Bestsellers List for both fiction and non-fiction like New York Times: Best-Seller Lists, Book of the Month and other promotions that will go a long way to increase the public appreciation of the goals and objectives of the Nigeria Prize for Literature beyond the competition for the cash prize and the glitz of the ceremony.


~ By Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima