Marty Essen's Blog, page 309

It’s okay to talk politics on Thanksgiving Day

Marty’s photo of the day #2375: I had this great caption in mind for a turkey photo I had taken several years ago. Of course, with all the photos on my hard drive, finding a specific photo isn’t always easy. Then I came across this moose photo I took several years ago. I’m thankful for all the moose that live around my house and somehow survive the hunting season Armageddon. So there, this is now a Thanksgiving photo. Oh, and I am also thankful that Donald Trump is the face of the Republican Party and not the Democratic Party. Have a great Thanksgiving everyone and don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t talk politics on Thanksgiving Day. Republican support of bigotry, corporate polluters, tax cuts for the ultra-rich, and the sabotage of health care never take a day off, so neither should standing up for social, economic, and environmental justice.

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Cape Horn has another victim

Marty’s photo of the day #2374: This short excerpt from my first book , Cool Creatures, Hot Planet: Exploring the Seven Continents, explains this shot:


 


In 1616, Willem Cornelis Schouten became the first person to sail around Cape Horn (the southern tip of South America). From Schouten’s time to the present, treacherous seas have wrecked or disabled hundreds of ships as they’ve attempted to circumnavigate the horn. Strong winds, heavy currents, and icebergs have all contributed to making the journey a sailor’s nightmare.


 


We were an hour away from Cape Horn when a distress call came over the radio—the Cape had another victim. The Hexagon was competing in a solo around-the-world sailboat race when it rolled and broke its boom. A support boat was supposed to be nearby, but it wasn’t responding to hails. The Multanovskiy’s first mate relayed calls on behalf of the Hexagon until the support boat answered, forty minutes later. With assistance on the way, we passed a short distance from the crippled sailboat but didn’t stop

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Zimbabweans don’t need no stinkin’ guard rails!

Marty’s photo of the day #2373: This is a small section of Victoria Falls, photographed on the Zimbabwe side. If these falls were in the United States, this photo would have been much more difficult to take, as guard rails would have blocked my view. But Zimbabweans don’t need no stinkin’ guard rails! I have to admit to being just a little tense taking this photo, as the ground was slippery from continually being rained on by the mist coming off the falls.

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Christian Values Voters

Within a 13 month period, Christian Values Voters will have voted overwhelmingly to elect Donald “The Pussy Grabber” Trump to the presidency, Greg “The Body Slammer” Gianforte to the House of Representatives, and Roy “The Child Molester” Moore to the Senate.
I never doubted that those voters had values, but isn’t it nice that they’ve so clearly defined for us what their values actually are?

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Juvenile Spanish ibex

Marty’s photo of the day #2372: Aah, it’s a juvenile Spanish ibex! Somehow the word “juvenile” does sound quite as cute as “baby,” but accuracy is a must.

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The monkey under the mask

Marty’s photo of the day #2371: To me, spider monkeys always look like they are wearing a poorly designed mask for a low budget science-fiction movie.

(Photographed in Costa Rica)

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Caribou in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

Marty’s photo of the day #2370: These caribou are in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge—the most pristine and remote region in the United States. In the coming weeks, greedy Republicans will likely open up parts of this refuge to oil drilling. “Praise, Jesus!” they will say, as they rape the land for oil company profits and political donations.

If you voted for Donald Trump, voted for any Republican in the House or Senate, or you didn’t vote at all, poisoning this national jewel will forever be part of your legacy.

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National jewel soon to be poisoned

Marty’s photo of the day #2369: This is the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge—the most pristine and remote region in the United States. In the coming weeks, greedy Republicans will likely open up parts of this refuge to oil drilling. “Praise, Jesus!” they will say, as they rape the land for oil company profits and political donations.

If you voted for Donald Trump, voted for any Republican in the House or Senate, or you didn’t vote at all, poisoning this national jewel will forever be part of your legacy.

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How to call a python

Marty’s photo of the day #2368: Marty Essen, python caller. “Here’s snake! Come here, boy! That’s it. Good boy! Come to daddy!”

This technique works equally well with cats.

(Photographed in Zimbabwe)

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The Wild Ride and Who Shouldn't Buy My Book

When “Cool Creatures, Hot Planet: Exploring the Seven Continents” was published, in 2007, I had no idea that my wild ride was just beginning. Not only did the book win six national awards, but I was also able to turn it into a live stage show, called “Around the World in 90 Minutes,” which I have been performing at colleges for eight years and counting.

That’s one of the reasons it’s taken me so long to write my second book, “Endangered Edens: Exploring the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Costa Rica, the Everglades, and Puerto Rico” (which will be published on January 8, 2016). I’ve been too busy performing at colleges.

I write this today is because I have a hunch that when Endangered Edens comes out, many readers will also be discovering Cool Creatures, Hot Planet as a result. It will be so much fun to have an entire new crop of readers!

Over the years Cool Creatures, Hot Planet has received great reviews—both from readers and professional book critics. Of course, not everyone loved everything. I read all reviews, and two things some readers complained about were that the book didn’t have enough pictures, and that I spent too much time ripping President George W. Bush.

Regarding the pictures: The book does include 86 color photos. I wish I could have included more, but photo-intensive books are expensive to produce, and that was the maximum number of photos the publishing company could include and still keep the book competitively priced. Fortunately, you can see many more photos from the adventures on my website, www.MartyEssen.com. I also advise getting the latest Second Edition book, sold directly by Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other major booksellers. There was a brief time, between distributors, when the book was available only with black and white photos. If you buy used, you may end up with the black and white version.

Regarding George W. Bush: Please understand that one of the unique things about Cool Creatures, Hot Planet is that all seven continents of adventures take place just before or during the Iraq War. As a writer, I would have been irresponsible not to include comments from people I met around the world—many who were critical of George W. Bush. Even so, less than 5% of Cool Creatures, Hot Planet deals with President Bush and the war.

Some readers feel that including politics breaks the rules for this genre of book. Believe me, that wasn’t the only travel writing rule I broke. Personally, I think some rules are good to break once in a while. Who wants to read book after book that follows the same rigid format?

Nevertheless, if you are a George W. Bush fan, or are offended by liberal politics, I ask that you not buy this book. I’d much rather lose a sale than to have you purchase it and not enjoy it (or leave a one or a two star rating without comment).

For everyone else: I hope you’ll check out both Cool Creatures, Hot Planet and Endangered Edens. I’m a humorist writer at heart, so I promise plenty of laughs to go along with the memorable people and animal encounters on all seven continents. I also look forward to reading your reviews on Goodreads!

Marty Essen, author of Endangered Edens: Exploring the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Costa Rica, the Everglades, and Puerto Rico

and

Cool Creatures, Hot Planet: Exploring the Seven Continents