Eat, Drink And Be Scary!

Kathryn Britnell: British Columbia Association Of Travel Writers Newest Member!

Kathryn's published travel writing has earned her a membership in the BC Association of Travel Writers. I'm sooooo proud of her!

Congratulations, Kathryn Britnell - You're A Nitrox Diver Now!

Kathryn passed her PADI Enriched Air Nitrox (EAN) Speciality Course this week which will now allow her to dive for a longer time at a given depth without an increased risk of decompression sickness.

Nitrox specifically denotes a gas mixture that has a higher percentage of oxygen than normal air (more than 21% oxygen); it is essentially air that has been "enriched" with additional oxygen. While EANx may contain any percentage of oxygen greater than 21%, the most common mixtures for scuba diving are EANx 32 (NOAA Nitrox 1) and EANx 36 (NOAA Nitrox II) which have 32% and 36% oxygen respectively. Special training and certification and required to dive with EANx.

Way to go, baby!

What's Your Name?, Whose Your Daddy? - The Zombies & Strawbs at the River Rock!

October 13, 2011. Went to see The ZOMBIES & STRAWBS tonight at the River Rock Casino Showroom. The ZOMBIES were a British pop group in the 1960s. Following The Beatles in 1964 as part of "The British Invasion" of the USA, they were the second UK group to score an American #1 hit. Their performance was  impressive and their hits, "She’s Not There”, Tell Her No and Time Of The Season” brought everyone to their feet. Tonight's band featured original members Colin Blunstone and Rod Argent. Jim Rodford(founding member of Argent and longtime member of the Kinks on bass). Guitar: Tom Toomey. Drums: Steve Rodford.

The STRAWBS, formerly a 60s folk and medieval band, became one of the better British progressive music groups during the 70s largely with the influence of Dave Cousins (the heart and soul of this group). I saw STRAWBS perform at the Ottawa Civic Centre during their “Bursting at the Seams Tour” when I was a teenager. Ever since then, I've listened to the Bursting at the Seams album regularly. 

We actually got to meet and speak with Dave Cousins, along with the other band members. Very nice blokes! Mr. Cousins is without any doubt one of the most distinctive, brilliant and enduring talents to emerge out of the mid to late 1960s British folk-progressive rock era. He is a rock icon and true poet. I was "absolutely thrilled" to meet him as I have been a fan of his work since I first saw the STRAWBS perform in Ottawa during the early seventies. What an honor! And I'm sure happy my wife was there with a camera.

Here I am after the show with Dave Cousins (leader, singer and most active songwriter of the STRAWBS since 1967). 

An iGenius This Way Comes: Steve Jobs Dies At 56.

"Almost everything - all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart."  ~ Steve Jobs

"Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary." ~ Steve Jobs

"My model for business is The Beatles. They were four guys that kept each other’s negative tendencies in check. They balanced each other. And the total was greater than the sum of the parts. Great things in business are not done by one person, they are done by a team of people." ~ Steve Jobs

"We’re here to put a dent in the universe. Otherwise why else even be here?"  ~ Steve Jobs

The Marshall Islands Creates Worlds Largest Shark Sanctuary!

The Marshall Islands have joined Palau, the Maldives, Honduras, the Bahamas, and Tokelau in creating a shark sanctuary in their territorial waters. Encompassing nearly two million sq. km of ocean and imposing a ban on commercial shark fishing, the Marshall Islands' new legislation includes fines ranging between $25,000 to $200,000 for anyone found to be fishing for sharks, or in possession of shark fins.  AWESOME!

aquabionic Warp 1 - The World's Most Advanced Fin.

A friend of mine, Simon Morris, has partnered with two others and founded a new company, CETATEK Products Inc., to manufacture a new diving fin using the world's newest technology. The "aquabionic warp 1" (Water Adapting Responsive Propulsion) is unique in the world, and is a patent pending design that is a departure from all others. Please see the computer animated video that explains the concept, at http://cetatek.com/scuba-diving-products/

They will be introducing the fin to the diving trade at the Diving Equipment Manufacturers Association Trade Show (DEMA) in Orlando, Nov. 2-5, at Booth 2471.  As a brand new company, they're trying to get the word out around the world and are looking for retail dealers in North America and international distributors on the other continents. For more information, contact, Simon Morris, VP Marketing & Sales at simon@cetatek.com