Page 15 - Jupiter West - September '21

Jupiter West, Page 15

Book Review from page 14 Ukraine and ice cream in Denmark (the logos had not yet their natural food. Against such surrounding enemies, what
been dissolved by the whale’s stomach acid); a wrapper chance have they to live out a natural life? In the case of
help but give equal weight to the critical importance that off a packet of Walkers rips from Britain, still printed with the bowhead whale, the longest-lived of all whale species,
death plays today in this poor animal’s story. a triangular recycling symbol. The Norwegians called it that has been recorded as be up to 211 years!
With formidable research, a masterful vocabulary that the Plasthvalen. A curator of osteology at the University For those that are spared the torture of being beached,
matches any writer I have ever encountered – and a clear of Bergen, Dr. Hanneke Meijer, said to Sky News, ‘That’s the author provides a detailed description of “whalefall,”
compassion for her subject creatures – author Rebecca when it hit us. We have a plastic whale.’” the term used to describe what happens when a whale
Giggs covers in great detail every aspect of this life and dies and slowly descends miles to the deepest seafloor,
death cycle – from the often tragic slaughter of these And another: beginning an undersea process of decomposition by
giants for only a small substance, ambergris, used in the microscopic and other tiny creatures never seen by man,
making of perfumes or aphrodisiacs ... to the efforts by Bryde’s Whale comparable to the much more familiar one left to hyenas,
such environmental activists as Greenpeace to fight for Cairns, Australia vultures and other scavengers on land. This, and other
more stringent regulations against whaling slaughter. sections of the book, all too often dealing with the effect
There is a chapter that describes a number of whales Sixty-five square feet of plastic, including checkout of humans on our fellow creatures, frequently left me in
beached in different parts of the world, each identified bags with pharmacy brand names still discernible. Several a mood that required a break for a week or two before my
by the contents of its innards. Examples: disposable cigarette lighters. returning to Fathoms.
Imagine the mother whale as she migrates thousands of On balance, I have to say that the author has done too
“Cuvier’s beaked whale miles between the Arctic and the tropics of Mexico, a gentle good a job in that her book has moved me greatly, at times
Bergen, Norway, 2017 giant nursing the calf that swims alongside her, protecting to tears. I have learned much about whales from it, as I had
them both against killer orcas, giant nets dropped from hoped to. Sadly, I was reminded about the shortcomings
Thirty pieces of plastic litter: a filmy sheet more than six unseen fishing fleets, and strange new objects floating by of my fellow man, as well.
feet long; shopping bags that once carried chicken from that are swallowed by both accidentally as they reach for My hope is that the author will engender the same
compassion in many others, and will inspire effective
activism on behalf of whales and against pollution. She
has certainly put her heart into it in this book. Fathoms
deserves a wide audience among those of influence who
can make a difference.

Vino With Sting!

By Laura Berrio,
Freelance Writer/Blogger
Who wants to go to
Italy and stay at Sting’s
Tuscany Estate and
Vineyard?
You can rent out the
entire estate, main house,
guesthouses and grounds
for up to 500 people!
When I checked on the
price, it appears to be a
case of, if you have to ask, you can’t afford it!
It all began when Sting and his wife Trudie were
looking for a summer home in Italy. They found a run-
down estate that formerly produced honey, olive oil and
wine. They bought the property, Il Palagio, because of the
view! Then they began a decade-long project of bringing
the estate, vineyard and olive groves back to life.
Sting invited all of the neighbors and town locals to
the farm shop on the estate for a party to share their plans
for returning Il Palagio to its previous glory. Now, every
August, Sting holds a party for everyone to celebrate and
thank them for their support. They eat, drink wine and of
course he sings a few songs!
(I want to be on this invitation list!)
Sting has named the wine produced from the vineyard
after some of his hit songs … (Message in a Bottle,
Join us for an Open House Roxanne, Sister Moon) just to name a few.
Sting said, “A wine is like a song – it has a story to
Wednesday, October 27, 5:30 p.m. tell.”
Saturday, January 8, 10:00 a.m. Sister Moon has been listed as one of the top picks by
Wine Spectator Magazine.
You can travel to Italy to check it out, or run to your
favorite wine store!
Try a few and message me on your
favorites!!
An Oxbridge education goes beyond the classroom. With hands-on learning ~ Cheers
~ Keep the conversation going
approaches, Oxbridge students tackle real-life issues in real-time. The Oxbridge experience and the wine flowing!
is interactive, adaptable, relevant, and anything but ordinary. Follow the Vine on Instagram
@VineVibeUncorked.
Reserve your spot today at oapb.org/visit, or call 561.972.9826

New Moon
October 6

First Quarter
October 12

Full Moon
October 20

AN INDEPENDENT , CO-EDUCA TIONAL SCHOOL FOR GRADES 7-12
Third Quarter
WEST P ALM BEACH, FLORIDA October 28