Half-Baked

While I am promoting the various books DeLight Publishing has added to our list of publications I thought it might be appropriate to mention again our first book. 


It is a semi-autographical cook book written by my wife, Lori J. White.


We are very proud of it. Unfortunately with the advent of Lori's fight with triple negative breast cancer the book's publication and subsequent marketing effort has taken a back seat to her battle with cancer.


It is available on Amazon, where you can sneak a look at a few of the inside pages or through DeLight Publishing directly.

I am praying Lori will beat this cancer, recover from these horrific treatment regimens she is presently enduring and then be able to focus on promoting her book.


We are beginning to look at other authors whose next works we intend to publish in the second half of 2011. Check this blog or updates on our growing list of titles. 

Getting Older

I will be 59 years old in September.


I don't feel 59 years old. Physically, I am in great shape capable of running 3-5 miles easily.


My mind doesn't feel old. I like today's music including but not limited to Brittany Spears, Taylor Swift and The Black Eyed Peas.


I like Harry Potter and the Transformer movies.  


I don't feel like I should be thinking about retirement. I am not particularly concerned with my SEP-IRA.


I am not contemplating my demise. Nor am I thinking about a retirement home. 


In point of fact, I am thinking that what I am most fearful of is boredom. I don't want to be bored. 


I have been very fortunate that despite my very humble beginnings I have traveled and seen and worked throughout the world, literally. 


For the first half of professional life I did this in the field of animal protection. Foreign countries and difficult challenges were daily fare for me. 


Since 1995 I have worked in the private sector largely on issues of sustainable use. This has also taken me around the globe to China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Papua New Guinea, South Africa, and many more. In truth I have actually worked in over 50 countries. 


When I was a kid someone who was approaching 60 was old. I have friends and associates in their early 60's looking at retirement and where they intend to "end up". They talk about how all the great actors are dead, John Wayne, Clark Cable, and how Elvis is gone as well as Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin.


I liked all those cultural icons but I also like the ones we have today, like Brad Pitt and Johnny Depp, Daniel Craig, and Harrison Ford and even (old) Clint Eastwood. 


I don't see myself retiring.  One reason is I probably can't afford to and too, even if I could what would I do. 


In my life I have been very fortunate that what I did for a living was pretty much what I loved to do while living. 


Animals, nature, the oceans, remote places, adventure, all appealed to me and I was (and am) fortunate that I managed to earn a decent living pursuing the things that fascinated me.


I can't imagine that not being the case. Maybe in another decade I may slow down but I hope not. I think the key to staying "young minded" is working. I am defined by my efforts not my golf game or the country club or the home in which I live. 


I have had a lot of great adventures, probably more then I deserved. And I have had some pretty great successes.  But I am pretty sure my greatest adventure is still ahead of me. I would like to think my greatest success is just ahead of me as well. 

The Rest of the Story

I worked in the animal protection field from 1975 through October 1995. 

From 1990-1995 I worked for the Humane Society of the United States. (HSUS)

Then in 1995 after accusations of embezzlement and sexual harassment I left the animal rights movement vilified and a pariah. 

For 5 years, I had traveled the globe for HSUS: Asia, Africa, throughout the Americas, Siberia.  You name the hell-hole, I was there. 

I didn’t and couldn’t have done it on my own.  I was not an economically independent trust-fund activist.  I’m from a dirt-poor, tenant farmer lineage.  Spending weeks and months at a time in a sweltering tropical rain forest or a frozen Arctic tundra costs money just to survive.  Getting there by air, train, dugout canoe or by whatever means costs even more money.  

Further, no bureaucracy, not Congress, the National Rifle Association, nor HSUS gives carte blanche to staff at any level to crisscross the planet without fiscal oversight and accountability.  HSUS President John Hoyt and HSUS Treasurer and V-P Paul Irwin sanctioned every penny I spent on every program and project I undertook while at HSUS.  They dictated how much of my proposed budget, I was allowed; how I was to get the funds; and the way I was to account for every expenditure. 

I was tasked to deal with the underworld of animal exploitation.  My contacts did not sing in church choirs or teach Sunday school.  Some were gangsters.  Some were common thieves.  Turning receipts for drinks and tips at sleazy bars or for bribes to bottom-feeding bureaucrats are frowned upon by Financial Committees populated by society’s elite animal welfare donors, more than a few of whom were real “church ladies.”  Hoyt and Irwin knew that and directed me to submit more socially acceptable dummy expense reports.  Every dollar withdrawn from HSUS coffers and run through my personal accounts, every expense recorded on my personal credit cards, and every fudged receipt associated with a covert investigation was recognized and approved by by Hoyt and Irwin. 

If you follow the money trail, HSUS at Irwin's instruction did fund raising piece after fund raising piece based on my exploits.  Books were written; films made.  I was feted for my exploits at HSUS conventions and, after every investigation, I was the face and voice of HSUS before the media.  Quite a track record for having done “nothing” with the money I spent while at HSUS.  My work in Alaska with the late Susan Butcher to improve the health and safety of the sled dogs even drew Irwin out from behind his desk at HSUS headquarters to see the Iditarod for himself.  In that instance he saw my work in the field firsthand. Funny, he never seemed to be available when I was wallowing ankle deep in hog and cow blood and guts in Mexican slaughterhouses, or trekking through razor-sharp saw grass in pursuit of ivory and rhino horn poachers.

Where that money trail will not lead is to any personal economic gain for me.  I was not the HSUS official with a string of luxury cars or portfolio of expensive real estate holdings.   I worked for the animals pure and simple.   End of story.

For the past almost 16 years I have had to read inaccurate Internet accounts of my fall from grace and endure countless retelling of my lack of honesty and lack of morality. I maintain I was not guilty of the things of which I was accused.

In the past two years during a very difficult business partnership the HSUS account of my demise once again was raised to try and undermine my position within that partnership. I decided it was finally time to tell my side of the story.

Henry Ford II was once supposed to have said, "Never complain, never explain".  He said, "your friends  don't believe what they are saying about you and your enemies don't believe a word of what you are saying". I suspect he may have been correct but my story is now on paper with pictures and other documentation that I feel make my case. The cover is below. I hope to have it out next month. I will let you know. 

Like celebrated radio commentator Paul Harvey, at least if anyone gives a damn they can now read the "rest of the story". 

(FYI-My book on growing up with my Uncle Joe is now available on Amazon. It is entitled "Talk to My A**, My Head Hurts", by David K. Wills)

I like Books

I have always liked writing. There (to me) is something infinitely more substantive about the written word then other forms of communication.


I like the heft and feel of books. Today with the electronic media so prevalent sometimes it appears as though books may be going out of fashion. I truly hope not.


I believe reading exercises your brain more then movies, television and video games.


I also believe that reading a book, an actual book is somehow more rewarding then having that book read to you.


When you read a book by yourself and to yourself your mind has to create the pictures the words evoke. For me that creates a form of "magic" that allows someone else's story to come alive in my mind. 


In a an earlier blog I listed 25 books (from a list I have made of over 150 books), I felt that enriched and greatly impacted by own life.


I admire authors. Even the most mediocre author has created something that can evoke imagination, thought, and creativity in a reader.


I have said many times when I get older I was going to write books. 


Well, I am "older". 


My first book as I have mentioned previously is an inspirational story about my growing up with Uncle Joe. I should say it is inspirational to me. It is a very modest little tome and can be read very quickly. (It has only about 65 pages).


I will see the final proof next week, and it will be available for purchase on July 1, 2011.


Here is a sneak preview of the cover. I like it very much. I hope whomever reads it, even if it is only one other person, experiences a small touch of that "magic" so that my humble story comes alive in their mind. To me that is the miracle of books. I am going to write more books.

Lulu

My Labrador, Lulu died last night. She had recently been diagnosed with cancer of the urethra.

She was diabetic and had been on insulin for the past 4 years.

She was a bit over 13 years old. A more loving and loyal dog will not be found. She was an energy and life force that was so bubbly and so upbeat even in the worst of times a look from her would bring a smile.

She had a great life with us. Lori said she went after a brief seizure about 2 AM in the wee hours of June 16th.

Lori was with her as was Teddy and Elle or two other labs and her best buddies. Lu left  this earth in the best possible way, at home, with her loved ones at her side.

Dogs are a double edged sword giving so much love and loyalty yet breaking your heart to the point of inconsolability when they pass.

As I write this the tears are streaming down my eyes. Lu loved to ride in cars, she loved going to the local store to get a hot dog on a Saturday morning, but most of all she loved the swimming pool. She would swim until she would be too tired to keep her head above water; as long as you would throw her toy in the water for her to get. Long after our son had grown up and past the time we used the pool we made sure the pool was open each summer just for Lulu.

Lori said she had a great long swim that evening before she died that night.  God, please take care of her.   Tell her I can't wait to see her again.

Eating the Elephant

I love sub-Saharan Africa. With all of its harshness and all of its sharp edges there is something very basic and honest about it.

I first went to Zambia in 1988. I was there to set up a partnership program between the Michigan Humane Society and the Kitwe Humane Society at the request of John Hoyt who was President of HSUS and at that time the World Society for The Protection of Animals (WSPA).

Since then I have traveled back many times to Uganda, Kenya, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia, Angola and Tanzania. Each experience has enriched my life and expanded my world view.

During one of those trips I was told a story by a friend of mine, Greg Henrichsen.

It seems that an African village had invested everything they had into growing a large vegetable garden to assure everyone in the village that there would be enough food to get everyone through the hard winter and drought that was approaching.

Literally days before  the harvest was to begin a rogue elephant stampeded into the village and the hunters, in order to save the lives of the people killed the elephant that fell upon the garden destroying the groups.

Everyone bemoaned the loss  of the precious food that was supposed to stave off starvation through the harsh upcoming winter. "What will do we do? " the villagers wailed. "How will we survive?"

The fear and anguish grew to a panic stage when the old witch doctor appeared on the scene and declared, "We shall eat the elephant."

The villagers were aghast. "How can one eat an elephant?" they asked. "It is overwhelming. It is huge it is beyond our ability to accept."

The old witch doctor nodded sagely and replied, "We shall eat the elephant, one bite at a time."

Life is tough particularly harsh at times. I know first hand. Aside from my own lifetime of controversy and living outside of the norm, recently my lovely and wonderful wife was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer and now she is fighting through treatment and we are praying for her recovery and long term survival.

Each day brings a new hurdle and a new challenge to accompany the numerous stresses everyday life brings as rote.  She has to face each day with the awareness she has a long way to go to have this behind her. Sometimes just thinking about what is ahead breaks her down and she is not sure if she can do it as it is so overwhelming.

Then we both think of the villagers and eating the elephant, one bite at a time.

Things That Shape Us - Books

I am an avid reader. I developed the habit as a child starting with the small 92 page biographies of famous people that I found in my school library. (I remember they all were in blue bindings and the first one I read was about Davy Crockett). 


I have read thousands of books in my life, perhaps more, that is no exaggeration. At first I found escape in books, they took me to far away to exotic places I wanted to visit and see for myself. Later, they opened my mind up to new ideas and thoughts on life, death, religion, philosophy.  They entertained me. They made me think beyond the boundaries of my own experiences. 


I love books. Fiction, non-fiction, science fiction, mystery, biographies, inspirational books, each one opens my mind and my senses to a world of adventure. Many of the books I have read made such an impression on me that I have gone back and reread them in whole or part time and time again. A return them to them is like the comfort in seeing an old friend. 


Many friends and associates have asked me "What are your favorite books?" or "what books do you think I should be reading?".  My answer is usually "read anything that interests you". I have found that reading one book will raise questions for me that will lead me to other books and so on.


Many years ago I started making a list of those particular books that I felt (when I was through reading them), had changed or impacted my world view. Clearly, this list is reflective of my particular interests and biases.


That list today has over 150 titles. There is no rhyme or reason to the order in which they appear on my list. Being 5th of my list does not mean I think it is the 5th most important or influential book I have read. 


My list does not have all the great classics of Western literature with authors such as Dickens, or Bronte and et. al. Obviously if you read the classics your "intellectual well" will be broadened and deepened.


My list is simply a reflection of those works and tales that have shaped my views and perspectives of life and existence in the areas where I have the most questions and interest. 


Below is the first 25 titles from my list. Many you have probably already read but perhaps a few you have not. Each had an enormous impact on me. 


1) Art of War by Sun Tzu

2) The Prince by Machiavelli
3) The Gift Of the Jews by Thomas Cahill
4) The Tao of pooh by Benjamin Hoff
5) God, The Evidence by Patrick Glynn
6) Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
7) The Old Man and The Sea by Hemingway

8) The Complete Works of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
9) The Lord of The Rings by Tolkien
10) Call of the Wild by Jack London
11) Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift
12) Leviathan by Thomas Hobbs
13) The Apology by Plato
14) Jungle book by Ruyard Kipling
15) Sailing the Wine Dark Sea by Thomas Cahill
16) The Honey Badger by Robert Ruark
17) The Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
18) Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
19) The Once and Future King by T.H. White
20) Cod-The Biography of the Fish that Changed the World by Mark Kurlansky

21) The Travels of Marco Polo by Marco Polo
22) Animal Liberation by Peter Singer 
23) The Last Lion by William Manchester
24) Out of My Life and Thought by Albert Schweitzer
25) Moby Dick by Herman Melville


These are just the first 25 titles from my list of over 150 books on my list that I feel greatly influenced by thoughts and views as I have traveled through life. They all have greatly influenced my thoughts and views and as such, are some of the things that have shaped me. 

The Four Stages of Cruelty

The Four Stages of Cruelty.

I was only a teenager when I was first made aware of William Hogarth’s engravings entitled the Four Stages of Cruelty. Each engraving depicts a different stage in the life of a central character named Tom Nero.

In the first engraving Nero is a child and he seen torturing a dog. Then in each subsequent engraving Nero is seen as a man beating a horse, becoming a thief, seducing an innocent woman, and finally committing murder. In the final engraving Nero is hung and then his body is taken down and dissected and mutilated by surgeons in the anatomical theater.

Published in 1551 they were issued by Hogarth as a warning against immoral behavior.

For me they made left an indelible impression on my brain and psyche that I hold to this day. Cruelty to an animal is no different then cruelty to another human being. The act of cruelty is abhorrent regardless to the creature’ significance upon which the cruelty is perpetuated. Suffering is suffering and to cause any living creature to suffer deliberately is repugnant and in my worldview evil.

I am going to be writing about many varied issues and topics and I intend to offer both insightful analysis and put forth actual solutions that are both pragmatic and realistic.

I do not expect everyone, or even anyone to accept what I will be saying on faith but I do want to establish the foundation that underlies my positions and ultimately my beliefs on the subjects of which I will be writing.

I am not interested in some esoteric debate over whether animals feel pain and if so do they feel it like we do. That ship has sailed.

(Descartes assertion that animals were mere machines (though splendid ones) and their cries of distress when being tortured were equivalent to the sounds of machines improperly functioning, was absolutely ludicrous when he stated it and is ludicrous now).

Animals feel, hurt, fear, and suffer as deeply and poignantly as humans do and in some case perhaps more so. The best example I ever heard that absolutely illustrated the absurdity of any educated individual trying to desperately hold to some notion that animals do not feel pain, went as follows.

If you light a match and put the flame close to a philodendron the leaf may curl away from the stimulus of the heat. If you hold the same flame close to the fur or skin of a simple field mouse the animal will struggle to escape the heat. But, and this is the telling point, if you come back a day later and stand two feet away and light the match, the mouse upon seeing the flame will struggle to escape, the philodendron’s leaf will not react. Mice have the capacity of cognition, plants do not.

The subject of cruelty and its stages will be an important one as I address future issues on this blog.

Fundamental truths

There are two fundamental truths that I have come to accept as vital to understanding the functioning of the human animal.

The first is attributed to the philosopher George Berkeley who asserted “esse est percipi, (to be is to be perceived) ”. Perhaps better said, “perception is reality”.

The second is attributed to Plato who supposedly wrote, “ Only four things motivate the human animal, fear, altruism, empathy and self-interest”. (Some have argued that altruism is a form of self-interest but I think they are distinct).

I hold with complete conviction that anyone and everyone who wishes to advance any personal or professional agenda, must understand the power and truth of these two statements.

If you want people to support you, purchase your products, buy your wares, embrace your beliefs, and in short see the world through your perspective, understanding these truths and recognizing how to employ them in specific instances is the only pathway to success.

I will be referring to these “truths” in future postings.

DeLight Publishing

Before I begin to address a multiplicity of future subjects on this blog, such as pet overpopulation, or the problems with wild fisheries and conventional aquaculture, to heaven knows what else, I want to mention a small but exciting initiative upon which John Aquilino and I have embarked.

It is called DeLight Publishing.

I have always wanted to write and John is an excellent editor and published writer.

A few months ago we incorporated DeLight Publishing Company. Our first published title was a part autobiographical, part cookbook by my wife, Lori J. White. It is a wonderful book and we learned a great deal about publishing and book distribution doing it.

It is a funny and interesting story and I am very proud of Lori for putting parts of her unique life into print. (Lori "grew up" working on Capitol Hill and had a fascinating career).  The book is available on Amazon, simply go to "books" and type in " Half-Baked, Confessions of a True Anti Chef", by Lori J. White. It also has some great original recipes.

As I mentioned in an earlier blog (I think) I have two more titles that will be available in July on Amazon or directly through DeLight Publishing.

The first, "Undercover" chronicles my 5 plus years with the HSUS (Humane Society of The United States), as a covert investigator into the base world of animal abuse and exploitation. It tells my side of the story of my experiences with HSUS. Having been out of the animal rights movement for over 15 years but still having the events surrounding my departure being circulated inaccurately on the Internet and elsewhere John felt strongly I needed to tell the story of my work during my time with HSUS. Hopefully, interested parties, (be they friend or foe) will get a glimpse of my version of that period of my life. It is loaded with pictures that document my work around the globe on behalf of animals.

I enjoyed writing it and I hope it makes an interesting read.

Then in July, my second book, which was written as a homage to my Uncle Joe will be available. It is called "Talk to My A**,  My Head Hurts". It is a story I have wanted to tell for years. The people who have previewed the draft have called it "inspirational" but to me it is just a very special story. It is a short book, and will be available through the same two outlets, Amazon and DeLight Publishing.

DeLight anticipates publishing at least two more titles in the coming months, one by a young man and good friend detailing his unique perspective on his life. (More on this book as it nears completion).

I am currently writing the second a book. I am dedicating it to my wife, Lori. This book will discuss the ongoing insanity of the societal killing of surplus dogs and cats. It will take a look at the factors that contribute to pet overpopulation in the USA and hopefully, provide a very concise and simple blueprint on how this tragedy could be ended in a few years if pet owners expressed their political clout and demanded it stop.

I will get back to blogs on sustainable use issues, the environment, aquaculture and fisheries and more as I proceed with developing this blog, but I wanted you to be aware of what we are doing with DeLight Publishing. I will post the exact dates all of the above books become available.

Background and Catching up to where I am today

As I said I am very new to this whole “blog”, thing and the idea of any real social networking. So I am just going to put down what seems appropriate to me and try to bring anyone who is interested up to date with my evolution to where I am today professionally and personally.

After leaving (being exiled from) the humane movement I had to decide what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. My love for animals and appreciation for the natural environment had not dimmed. What had been tarnished beyond repair was my view of the NGO’s who claimed they were the moral arbitrators of right and wrong and that they had the solution(s) to problems of animal and environmental abuse.

My personal experience had convinced me that the many of the leaders of these NGO’s were not even interested in solutions, only the perception that they had a solution which they needed to feed their vast fund raising apparatus.

I read a lot and had read a book by John Elkington called “Cannibals with Forks which posited the question “If a cannibal begins to eat with a fork is it progress?” The whole question involved the issue of technology, progress and ethics. In short, does technological advances and other scientific break-through’s necessary lead to a better world and of course the answer is ‘no”.

Elkington talked about the new for modern 21^st century corporations to go beyond the simple formula of success as the “bottom line” financially and argued that a truly successful corporation would have three measures of success, economic success, environmental sustainability and social equity, and thus have a “triple bottom line” measure for success.

I decided that since governments lacked the capability to make the world better and since the large national and international NGO’s in my view had proved themselves to be little more then corporate fund raising machines, that perhaps we could work with real corporations to convince them that doing the “right (ethical) thing” would yield them a better pay off.

I formed by own company, partnering with John Aquilino, and we began to develop a clientele of some very large corporations whose business utilized the earth’s natural resources or animals.

From 1995 through 2005 John and we worked with Darden Restaurants, Monsanto, International Finance Corporation, Strauss Veal, the National Fisheries Institute, Global Aquaculture Alliance, and a host of others.

I continued my globe trotting adventures traveling to countries such as Papua New Guinea, Madagascar, Panama, Vietnam, Venezuela, Chile, Iran, Kazakhstan, and many more.

We gravitated in most cases to the fisheries and aquaculture sectors in large part because they were areas that represented the worst of human disrespect and destruction of the earth’s environment.

I feel we did some very evolutionary work, including working with developing a plan to allow Caspian Sea sturgeon to be harvested sustainable, developing an artesianal lobster fishery in Madagascar, assessing and improving a multitude of shrimp aquaculture farms around the world, working to improve the conditions for veal calves in the USA, developing a commercial carp fishery in Croatia for the International Finance Corporation a division of the World bank, working with the world’s only farmed conch farm in the Turks and Caicos, developing a fisheries management plan which utilized artificial habitats for lobster in the Bahamas, amongst any other assignments.

Representing a private foundation with United Nations consultative status we also attended FAO meetings such as CITES and COFI tying to push a triple bottom line agenda.

The whole focus of our work during that ten year period was to try and convince company leaders and CEO’s that an ethical form of capitalism was not only in their and their shareholder’s interests but that it was the right thing to do.

The good news is that working with certain enlightened individuals within certain corporations allowed us to have some dramatic successes. The bad news is that I came to the conclusion that corporations have no souls and any success or progress was for the most part dependent on a key individual and once that that individual left through retirement or restructuring or whatever the “progress” disappeared.

Many of the corporations only wanted a PR spin.

For those few unique leaders in specific companies that really cared we taught them that 1) some times the “antis” were right what they were doing was wrong, and 2) that to “fix” a problem you had to understand the problem and accept ethical responsibility for the corporate actions in the future.

By early 2003 I had come to the conclusion that despite some truly wonderful individual and financial successes the idea of convincing corporate America to embrace a tripe bottom line approach was an unrealistic vision.

I decided I had to do something different. I had to build a company that could demonstrate that the triple bottom line of economic success, environmental sustainability and social equity could succeed and on a global scale.

Upward

That is what Sursum means, it is a prefix meaning "upward". It serves as a reminder to me that life is not for sissies and that as long as I look to the heavens my goals and objectives be they professional or personal are in reach.

I am new to the world of blogging. I intend to learn quickly.

I am fascinated by animals, the environment, fisheries, sustainable use issues and the politics that surround these topics.

I am a bit of an expert, having spent over 20 years in the NGO world of humane societies and international animal and environmental protection movement.

When I fell from grace in 1995 from being a VP of the HSUS I entered into the private world of the use and non-use groups of the world's natural resources. I have been extremely successful from a monetary standpoint. I solve problems associated with any aspect of sustainable use.

I am currently building a closed re-circulating aquaculture system that will offer a methodology that can allow the USA to get back into a leadership role in seafood production.

I have just completed a book detailing my 5 years as a deep covert operator into the world of animal abuse and wildlife exploitation for the Humane Society of The United States.

I also am about to publish a book on my early years growing up with my Uncle Joe.

I have a deep love and respect for all animals.

I am going to use this blog to discuss and address issues, subjects, topical events, and sometimes just musings to offer solutions and guidance and opinions on issues that impact animals, the environment, our natural resources and the natural world within which we live.

I hope some of you will come along for the ride.

David