I talk to the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust!!

While I have spoken to a lot of people and a good number of foundations, I hadn't had the chance to speak to an animal welfare foundation and I'm thrilled to bring you my interview with the  Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, named of course for their famous founder, author Gerald Durrell. 

As a child, and now, I loved the books of Gerald Durrell, and I hope sharing this interview with you, I can in some way repay some of the joy he gave. 

My great thanks to Ceri Pritchett, one of the volunteers at the Durrell Foundation, for her time and effort in answering my questions all the way from Jersey, Channel Islands! 

Peter Anderson Interview - The Unspeakable - Conflict of a white South African in the apartheid years.

While browsing through Twitter one day I came across the fascinating account of Peter Anderson

When I heard about his novel The Unspeakable, I knew this was a man I needed to talk to. Any South African and indeed anyone with an interest in the compulsion of indoctrination and the wheres and whyfores of why a group of people will act in the way they do needs to read this. 

It's the mid-1980s, the era of so-called reformist apartheid, and South Africa is in flames. Police and military are gunning  down children at the forefront of the  struggle.  Far from such action, it seems, a small party of four is traveling by minibus to the north of the country, close to the border with Zimbabwe. Their aim is to shoot a documentary on the discovery of a prehistoric skull that Professor Digby Bamford boasts is evidence that "True man first arose in southern Africa". Boozy, self-absorbed Professor Bamford is unaware that his young lover, Vicky, brings with her some complications. Rian, the videographer, was once in love with her, and his passion has been re-ignited. Bucs, a young man from the townships, is doing his best not to be involved in the increasingly deadly tensions. Told in the first person by Rian, it centres on the conflicted being of the white male under apartheid. Unlike many of the great novels of the era, it renounces any claim to the relative safety zone of moralist dissociation from the racist crime against humanity, and cuts instead to the quick of complicity. 

Big Bang Theory join Team Ritter

This crossover is incredible in quite a number of ways.  

Big Bang Theory join Team Ritter to raise funds for aortic health research

My friends over at the John Ritter Foundation for Aortic Health work tirelessly on raising awareness and funds for their research and they're about to run the New York Marathon to raise funds. It's fantastic to see The Big Bang Theory putting their support behind it and becoming part of the Ritter Crew

Kaley Cuoco starred in 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter together with John  Ritter before Big Bang. Simon Helberg and Jason Ritter were college room mates, and Jim Parsons has often and famously spoken of his admiration for John Ritter and the fact that John has been one of the greatest influences on him. 

Three's Company is my favourite sitcom in the world, followed by Big Bang Theory and I think it's because of the influences of Three's Company on Big Bang Theory.  I love this!!! 

You can also become a Team Ritter support crew member! Here's how:   For $15 you can purchase a shirt and all funds go directly to the John Ritter Foundation for Aortic Health. Then share your pic with us on social media using the hashtag #TeamRitter to help raise awareness and save lives. www.rittercrew2014.com