What's not to like about an origami Samurai? Beautiful and complex, I love this image

Origami is the traditional Japanese art of paper folding. The goal of origami is to transform a flat sheet of paper into a finished sculpture through folding and sculpting techniques, without cutting, gluing, taping or marking the paper. Origami has a rich history and is a popular hobby around the world. It can range from simple models such as cranes, boats and flowers to complex designs that can be quite intricate and beautiful. Origami has also inspired many modern forms of paper art and engineering, including the design of deployable structures for space exploration and medical devices.

 I've begun production ion a new audiobook, Indian Whispers, by Sumandip Jolly. I can't wait to see what happens in this story - it's about two brothers from the UK who travel to India to learn about their heritage, and each other. 

 Shipmates!

Enjoy this latest chapter from Moby Dick! 

Just after signing the papers, Ishmael and Queequeg run into a scarred and deformed man named Elijah, a prophet or perhaps merely a frightening stranger, who hints to them about the peril of signing aboard Ahab’s ship. He drops references to several frightening incidents involving Ahab, but Ishmael and Queequeg disregard the man’s warnings.

I thought it would be interesting to learn a little about whaling in the 1800's ...Whaling in the 1800s was a major industry, driven by the demand for whale oil as a source of fuel for lighting and industry. During this time, whaling ships would embark on long voyages to hunt various species of whales, including sperm, humpback, and bowhead whales.

1. Method: Whaling was a dangerous and physically demanding pursuit, with crews using hand-thrown harpoons and ropes to bring the whale alongside the ship.

2. Expansion: As demand for whale oil grew, the industry expanded to include many countries, including the United States, Britain, Norway, and Japan. Whaling ships would often sail for months or even years at a time, traveling to remote oceans in search of whales.

3. Impacts: The extensive hunting of whales during this time had a significant impact on whale populations, leading to declines in many species. The industry also had a significant impact on the economies of coastal communities, which relied on whaling for jobs and economic stability.

4. Decline: By the late 1800s, the decline in whale populations and the development of alternative sources of fuel, such as petroleum, led to a decline in the whaling industry. International conservation efforts also began to emerge, leading to the creation of the International Whaling Commission in 1946 and the eventual ban on commercial whaling in 1986.

 

 

Chapter 18: His Mark

Though the owners object at first to his paganism, Queequeg impresses them with his skill by hitting a tiny spot of tar on the water with a harpoon. They give him the ninetieth lay, “more than ever was given a harpooneer yet out of Nantucket.” Bildad tries to convert Queequeg to Christianity, but Peleg tells him to give up: “Pious harpooneers never make good voyagers—it takes the shark out of ’em; no harpooneer is worth a straw who ain’t pretty sharkish.” Peleg reminds Bildad that, at sea, practical concerns shove religious matters aside. 

Bayberry Audiobooks · Moby Dick Chapter 18 His Mark

A huge white whale in the depths of the ocean.

Charged by Yojo, Queequeg’s wooden idol, to seek a ship for the two men, Ishmael lights upon the Pequod, a ship “with an old fashioned claw-footed look about her” and “apparelled like any barbaric Ethiopian emperor, his neck heavy with pendants of polished ivory.” Ishmael also calls the Pequod a “cannibal of a craft” because it is bejeweled with whale parts. On board, he makes a deal with Peleg and Bildad, the ship’s Quaker owners, who are characterized as conniving cheapskates and bitter taskmasters. Although Quakers are generally pacifists, these two have dedicated their life to the bloody slaughter of whales. Evaluating what lay Ishmael should receive (his portion of the ship’s profits and his only wages), Peleg finally gives him the 300th lay. At this time, Ishmael also learns that the ship’s captain is the mysterious Ahab, named after a wicked biblical king. Although Ahab has been moody and secretive since losing his leg in an encounter with the great white whale Moby Dick, Bildad and Peleg believe in his competence and they believe him harmless, since he has a young wife and an infant child waiting for him at home.

 

Bayberry Audiobooks · Moby Dick Chapter 16 The Ship

 

Ishmael and Queequeg settle at the Try-Pots for the night, an inn owned by the cousin of the Spouter-Inn’s owner. Ishmael is disturbed by an old topmast above the inn that looks ominously like a gallows. Everything on Nantucket is touched by the sea: the milk tastes of fish, and the innkeeper’s wife wears a necklace of fish vertebrae. The two friends have a supper of hearty chowder.