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Whale-Related Art – Humpback Whale Embroidery Hoop Art

Double Whales

Double Whales

Back to back embroidery posts!!

Check out the artist’s blog here.

Whale-related Play In Calgary, Alberta Opens To Unimaginative Reviews (Hint: It’s A “Whale Of A Tale”)

I searched and searched for pictures…and I finally found pictures.

Justin Michael Carriere as Hector and Shawna Burnett as Kira in The Invention of Music, a new comedy by Clem Martini on the TransCanada Stage at Lunchbox Theatre, March 30 – April 25, 2009. Photograph by Benjamin Laird Arts and Photo.

Justin Michael Carriere as Hector and Shawna Burnett as Kira in "The Invention of Music", a new comedy by Clem Martini on the TransCanada Stage at Lunchbox Theatre, March 30 – April 25, 2009. Photograph by Benjamin Laird Arts and Photo.


So…it appears that the Lunchbox Theater in Calgary, Alberta, CA specializes exclusively in one act plays. This, according to their web sheet:

A one-act play is a short play that takes place in one act consisting of one or more scenes. The “one-act” is often referred to as the “short story” of plays because the story is told in a concise and creatively efficient manner. One-act plays, as with full length plays, come in all genres: comedies, dramas and musicals. At Lunchbox Theatre we program mainly comedies and musicals as we provide a noon-time oasis for our busy audience members.

First of all, let’s deconstruct Lunchbox Theater’s definition of one act play:

A one-act play is a short play that takes place in one act…

Seriously, God bless community theater. Especially when it’s community lunch hour theater. And especially when their current play is about whales! “The Invention Of Music” runs thru 4/25.
First of all, the play is written by a dude named Clem Martini. It’s impossible to determine which name is better, his first or his last. And despite being a novelist, playwright, and university prof, Clem Martini does not appear to have his own wikipedia entry.

Clem Martini, struggling to support the weight of the genius thats trapped in his head.

Clem Martini, struggling to support the weight of the genius that's trapped in his head.


“The Invention of Music” is supposedly a comedy about whales in rehab. There’s Frank, the finback, with a radio-receiver harpoon in his head.
Son, youve got a harpoon in your head. (Photograph by Benjamin Laird Arts and Photo)

Son, you've got a harpoon in your head. (Photograph by Benjamin Laird Arts and Photo)


There’s Bill The Blue Whale, self-conscious about his weight.
Hes fat, but hes also big boned (Photograph by Benjamin Laird Arts and Photo)

He's fat, but he's also big boned (Photograph by Benjamin Laird Arts and Photo)


There’s Hector, the happy humpback.
Ive mostly only known Mexican guys named Hector (Photograph by Benjamin Laird Arts and Photo)

I've mostly only known Mexican guys named Hector (Photograph by Benjamin Laird Arts and Photo)


And there’s Kira, a female Orca, played by Shawna Burnett…whose range is demonstrated in these stills.






Kira is in love with Hector.

Louis B. Hobson, from SunMedia.ca, gives the 2.5 out of five stars. He calls the costume design “bargain basement,” but refrains from using the phrase “whale of a tale” (in the review, but not in the PREview).

Bob Clark, of the Calgary Herald, gives it a 4 out of five, and calls it “imaginative, funny, and wise.” He makes reference to there being some whales “of a tale.”

So the reviews round out to a 3.25 out of 5. I’m going to check the last minute deals at Travelocity.com now.

Japan Rejects Plan To End “Research Whaling” At IWC Conference

Illustration by Jamie Littler

Illustration by Jamie Littler

Not a lot of news so far from the first couple days of the IWC meeting in Rome, but I did find this post that says Japan rejected the proposal to end – or to phase out – “scientific whaling” in exchange for whaling rights in her coastal waters.

In 2008, Japan killed over 900 minke whales, 50 endangered fin whales, and 50 humpback whales. National Geographic reports in the Kingdom of the Blue Whale documentary that they found blue whale meat for sale in Japanese markets.

(The above illustration is from UK-based illustrator Jamie Littler, who produced this piece for a project on Japanese whaling.)

Masshole Charged With Crimes Against Whale

A Humpback Whale

A Humpback Whale

From the Boston Globe:

A Chatham commercial fisherman was charged federal court today with harrassing a humpback whale in violation of the Endangered Species and Marine Mammal Protection acts.

Robert J. Eldridge Jr., 39, owner of the 35-foot Unicorn fishing boat could face up to one year in prison and a $100,000 fine if he is convicted of the three federal counts. Eldridge, reached by phone at his home this afternoon, said the charges were untrue but declined further comment.

Local researchers familiar with marine mammals said they were unaware of the case but noted if a whale is entangled in fishing gear, and that fishing gear is traced back to a specific fisherman, he can be charged with violating the Endangered Species and Marine Mammal Protection acts – even if the whale lives.

Entanglements with fishing gear are one of the leading causes of whale deaths but it’s rare for fisherman to be tracked down to face charges. Recently, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration preliminarily identified the gear removed from a federal endangered North Atlantic right whale as entangled by Canadian lobster gear.