KISS ~ "Rock 'n' Roll Vancouver All Nite!"

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November 14, 2009: "KISS ALIVE 35" Rock Show

What could be a better way to spend a Saturday night in Vancouver, than to take the family out to a KISS concert?

As for the stage show... try and imagine a 70's-era glam-rock show chock full of rock anthems with all the stops pulled out. Multiple explosions, sonic booms, flash pots, fire columns, giant videos of the band playing live superimposed over fire, flashing lights, all three guitarists head banging in unison, lead guitar grimace face, glittery high-heeled boots, Gene’s tongue flicking & blood-spewing, cannons, fire, sparks, a hail of confetti and several super-tall pneumatic platforms that elevated the band above the stage. All performed in front of Gene's wife, Shannon Tweed, who was in the audience along with many fans, young & old, dressed to kill in improvised kabuki makeup & the costumes of a Star child, Demon, Spaceman and Pussycat.

This ain’t rock ‘n’ roll… this is KISS blowing the roof off GM Place! And a good time was had by one and all…

KISS Vancouver set list.

1.Deuce
2.Strutter
3.Let Me Go Rock & Roll
4.Hotter Than Hell
5.Shock Me
6.Calling Dr. Love
7.Modern Day Delilah
8.Cold Gin
9.Do You Love Me
10.Say Yeah
11.100,000 Years
12.I Love it Loud
13.Black Diamond
14.Rock And Roll All Nite

Encore:

15.Shout It Out Loud
16.Lick It Up (Won’t Get Fooled Again snippet)
17.Love Gun
18.Detroit Rock City

A Time For Remembrance...

Wherever you may be on November 11th at 11am, take a moment to pause and reflect upon the men and women, past and present ,that have helped to preserve our way of life as well as freedoms of allies throughout the world.

A Salute to Heroes...
"If you are able, save them a place inside of you and save one backward glance when you are leaving for the places they can no longer go. Be not ashamed to say you loved them, though you may or may not have always. Take what they have left and what they have taught you with their dying and keep it with your own. And in that time when men decide and feel safe to call the war insane, take one moment to embrace those gentle heroes you left behind."

Major Micheal Davis O'Donnell
Date of Loss: 24 March 1970

Philippines' Civet Coffee - This shit tastes good!

My wife and I enjoyed Dim Sum last week with some dear friends who later introduced us to our first cup of Civet Coffee, “one of the world’s most expensive and coveted coffees”.

It is not widely known that the Philippines produces one of the world's most expensive and coveted brands of coffee. Natives go into mountain forests to hunt for undigested coffee beans that are excreted as sausage-like clumps onto the forest floor by the Philippine Civet cat, a nocturnal jungle animal. Yes, that’s right… the droppings are coffee beans that have passed through the civet cat whole after fermenting in their stomachs. Apparently, that's what gives this coffee its unique taste and aroma.

The Philippine Civet cat belongs to the mongoose family and uses its nose to choose the ripest and sweetest coffee cherries to feast upon during coffee season. Gathered very early in the morning usually before the sun rises, local forest dwellers climb the mountains to pick the civet droppings off the jungle floors. On a good day, a coffee gatherer can collect one kilo of civet droppings. the coffee beans are washed and dried out in the sun and roasted, until the strong aroma comes out.

Literally worth its weight in gold, Civet coffee, which some coffee aficionados consider among the world's best, sells in the United States for as much as $660 a kilogram or $300 a pound. Only 250 kg are produced worldwide each year, says Antonio Reyes, Executive Director of the International Coffee Organization Certifying Agency. Reyes says the civet's digestive process, particularly enzymes in its stomach, probably gives the brew its distinctive flavor and aroma.

At The End Of The World ~ Wakatobi Dive Resort

Depth Magazine, an online internet scuba publication, has published my story, "At The End Of The World ~ Wakatobi Dive Resort" in their November/December 2009 issue. I was also awarded the magazine's cover shot.

This issue also marks the first time that my own full page advert was published.

All Hallow's Eve...

"Eye of newt, and toe of frog, Wool of bat, and tongue of dog,
Adder's fork, and blind-worm's sting, Lizard's leg, and owlet's wing,
For a charm of powerful trouble, Like a hell-broth boil and bubble."

~ William Shakespeare

It Was A Beautiful Night with U2!

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Vancouver, BC - Oct 28, 2009: Irish rock band, U2 closed out the second leg of their 360 Degree World Tour Wednesday night at B.C. Place Stadium. Every U2 show I have ever seen (my 3rd U2 show, and my wife's 1st) has been nothing less than spectacular!

The New York Times described U2’s circular stage as being "part insect, part spacecraft, part cathedral." Resembling a contraption that one might see in a sci fi movie like “War of the Worlds”, the Claw as it is known houses all the lighting and speakers in its four, giant legs, and at the very top there is a huge video screen. It simply has to be experienced to truly appreciate it.

Our only minor critique is I felt their setlist leaned far too heavily on tracks from their last three albums while leaving out classic tracks such as Desire, Angel of Harlem & New Year’s Day to name just a few. All things considered, U2 is surely one of the few rock acts on the planet that can always be counted on to deliver up some pure spectacle and showmanship.

Setlist

1.Breathe
2.Get On Your Boots
3.Magnificent
4.Mysterious Ways
5.Beautiful Day "Blackbird" snippet
6.I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For "Stand By Me" snippet
7.Happy Birthday for Bill Gates
8.Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of
9.No Line on the Horizon
10.Elevation
11.In A Little While
12.Unknown Caller
13.Until The End Of The World
14.The Unforgettable Fire
15.City Of Blinding Lights
16.Vertigo
17.I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight remix version,"Two Tribes" snippet
18.Sunday Bloody Sunday
19.MLK
20.Walk On "You'll Never Walk Alone" snippet

Encore 1:
21.One "Amazing Grace" snippet
22.Where The Streets Have No Name

Encore 2:

23.Ultraviolet (Light My Way)
24.With Or Without You
25.Moment of Surrender

Scuba Diver Australasia - Extraordinary Dives

Scuba Diver Australasia gave a full page spread to one of my photos in their November 2009 issue. Scuba Diver Australasia is a scuba magazine dedicated to the underwater world in the Asia Pacific. The official publication of the PADI Diving Society in the Asia Pacific, Scuba Diver Australasia was first published in 1979 under the name Scuba Diver. In 2000, it was renamed Scuba Diver Australasia. As of April 2009, the magazine has a readership of 90,000 across 48 countries.

Decorated Warbonnet
Deserters Pass, Queen Charlotte Strait, BC , Canada

With a cirri crown on its head resembling that of an North American Indian Chief’s Warbonnet, the aptly named Decorated Warbonnet (Chirolophis decoratus) ranks as being one of British Columbia’s signature fish species. Found at depths between 15 to 90 metres, this seemingly elusive fish hides in sponge burrows or crevices by day and tends to be seen out in the open during night dives.

SHARKS are worth more alive than dead!

Source: read the following article at a very informative shark news site http://www.sharkdivers.blogspot.com

New research shows the ocean predators draw a healthy chunk of the tourist dollar. WWF Australia spokesman, Nick Heath, says shark tourism is on the rise but shark numbers are declining, with estimates placing reef shark populations at three to 12 per cent of their original size in some parts of the Great Barrier Reef."We must do more to protect these top predators from disappearing on our watch, if not for the benefit of the environment, then at least for the benefit of the back pocket," Mr Heath said.

"A guaranteed shark sighting is worth its weight in gold to the tourism industry."

He said recent research by James Cook University found potential shark sightings were a major drawcard to the diving sector, with tourists willing to pay thousands of dollars to see a shark in the wild.

The researchers estimated up to 25 per cent or $1,375 of each visitor's expenditure in Cairns and Port Douglas in far north Queensland went towards the opportunity to see a shark.

Divers mostly want to see hammerhead sharks followed by whale sharks and tiger sharks, the study found. The group says more than 70,000 sharks are taken by fishermen each year in waters off north Queensland, many inside the Great Barrier Reef area.

Sharks thus come under particular threat because of slow growth rates, late sexual maturity, long gestation periods and birthing only a few young at a time.

Complete Story

Thank you, Palau!!!

“The strength and beauty of sharks are a natural

barometer for the health of our oceans.

Therefore, I declare today that Palau will become

the world’s first national shark sanctuary, ending

all commercial shark fishing in our waters and giving

a sanctuary for sharks to live and reproduce

unmolested in our 237,000 square miles of ocean.

We call upon all nations to join us.”

Johnson Toribiong, President of Palau,

in a speech to the United Nations General Assembly

on friday, September 25, 2009

For the latest information on Palau Shark Sanctuary click here http://sharksanctuary.blogspot.com

Shark News…without the sensationalism

Here's an excellent ocean conservation video from a site I just came across called, The Dorsal Fin

Overfishing from greenforum on Vimeo.

On Avoiding Writing

Came across this while surfing the Internet tonight. This was not only funny - but rings very true at times...

"Usually, writers will do anything to avoid writing. For instance, the previous sentence was written at one o’clock this afternoon. It is now a quarter to four. I have spent the past two hours and forty-five minutes sorting my neckties by width, looking up the word “paisly” in three dictionaries, attempting to find the town of that name on The New York Times Atlas of the World map of Scotland, sorting my reference books by width, trying to get the bookcase to stop wobbling by stuffing a matchbook cover under its corner, dialing the telephone number on the matchbook cover to see if I should take computer courses at night, looking at the computer ads in the newspaper and deciding to buy a computer because writing seems to be so difficult on my old Remington, reading an interesting article on sorghum farming in Uruguay that was in the newspaper next to the computer ads, cutting that and other interesting articles out of the newspaper, sorting... by width... all the interesting articles I’ve cut out of newspapers recently, fastening them neatly together with paper clips and making a very attractive paper clip necklace and bracelet set, which I will present to my girlfriend as soon as she comes home from the three-hour low-impact aerobic workout that I made her go to so I could have some time alone to write."

— P. J. O’Rourke

The Wit and Wisdom of P. J. O’Rourke

John & Yoko & Me

With the Beatles back in the news so much lately... I was reminded of a time back in the early 70’s when John & Yoko conducted a spirited campaign for me to join their Plastic Ono Band.. Ahhh… we all shine on!

AC/DC: Dirty Deed Done Dirt Cheap at BC Place Stadium, Vancouver, August 29, 2009!

Legendary Australian hard rockers AC/DC shook their audience all night long at BC Place last night. Last time I saw them play was back in 1979 with their original lead singer, the late Bon Scott. On that night AC/DC was an opening act, for the last time, as they absolutely blew the headlining act, a heroin-riddled Aerosmith, off the Pacific Coliseum's stage. They were supporting their hard rock classic album, "Highway to Hell". I can still picture it in my mind, Angus Young dressed in his schoolboy's uniform riding the shoulders of singer Bon Scott as he walked through the crowd.

Flash forward to last night's show at BC Place. The band can still deliver the hard rock sonic goods and could easily outperform rock bands half their age! Wow... what a show! My ears are still ringing... as are I'm sure... the ears of the other 60,000 AC/DC luvin' head bangers who attended last night's rock show.

Setlist:

1. Rock N' Roll Train

2. Hell Ain't a Bad Place to Be

3. Back in Black

4. Big Jack

5. Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap

6. Thunderstruck

7. Black Ice

8. The Jack

9. Hells Bells

10. Shoot to Thrill

11. War Machine

12. Anything Goes

13. You Shook Me All Night Long

14. T.N.T.

15. Whole Lotta Rosie

16. Let There Be Rock

Encore:

17. Highway to Hell

18. For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)

Sleigh, Lady, Sleigh: Bob Dylan's Christmas Gift

Bob Dylan will release a Christmas album on October 13th. It's worth mentioning again... Bob Dylan will release a freakin' Christmas album on October 13th!!!

Entitled Christmas in the Heart, the collection will feature holiday standards including “Must Be Santa,” “Little Drummer Boy,” “Winter Wonderland” and “Here Comes Santa Claus.” All U.S. royalties from the collection will benefit the charity Feeding America, the nation’s leading domestic hunger-relief charity. Other proceeds from the disc will benefit hunger relief organizations around the world.

Christmas In The Heart will be the 47th album from one of the greatest songwriters of our time.

His Bob-ness stated on his website - www.bobdylan.com

“It’s a tragedy that more than 35 million people in this country alone ~ 12 million of those children ~ often go to bed hungry and wake up each morning unsure of where their next meal is coming from. I join the good people of Feeding America in the hope that our efforts can bring some food security to people in need during this holiday season.”

Ho, Ho, Ho!, Mr. Dylan!! I'm a long time fan and will purchase my copy of Christmas From The Heart from ITunes when available.