Poseidon Undersea Resorts

Every little boy or girl loves to play with toys, however there comes a point in time when life takes over and all those much loved toys get lost in the attic. The Poseidon Undersea Resort from Fiji is the world’s first seafloor resort and the only place where you can spend a couple of days 40 feet under water in a luxurious environment. The resort is located in the crystal clear water of a 5,000 acre Fiji lagoon

Guests gain access to their underwater suites through an elevator that transports them 40 feet undersea. Approximately 70 percent of each room is encased with a 4-inch thick clear acrylic that allows vacationers to look out at the coral gardens that surround their room. They can even interact with the marine life in the proximate environment. At the push of a button from their “control console,” guests can feed the fish around their suite.

In addition to the unique living quarters, the resort boasts a number of amenities that includes a full-service spa, fitness center, and library. Sounds tempting? The price is cheap for this type of adventure: A week at the Poseidon Undersea Resort from Fiji costs $30,000 per coupe and it includes transportation from the International Airport of Fiji, four nights in a luxury beachfront or over water villa, two nights in a luxury underwater suite, diving on board a luxury expedition submarine outside the lagoon and many more attractions.

 

Parco Mediceo di Pratolino – Villa Demidoff (Medici Park at Pratolino – Villa Demidoff)

 

The beauty and mystery of renaissance gardens seems only to grow once given over to centuries of abandonment. Such is the case of Villa Demidoff.

Commissioned by Francesco I de’ Medici in the 16th century Villa Demidoff and the nearby Villa di Pratolino took over 12 years to complete. The end result was a stunning near-labyrinth of natural caves, lakes and massive sculptures. Of the statuary, the 16th century “Appennine Colossus,” is the main focal point of the landscape. He sits atop a grotto in apparent anguish at his fate.

 

Although most of the park and villa was completed in the 16th century, it was all but abandoned in the early 1800s, and some of its delicate statues were actually removed and taken to another Italian garden. Slowly being consumed by nature, the gardens were finally rescued by Ferdinand III, Grand Duke of Tuscany, who was so struck by their natural beauty of the place, that he decided to destroy the ruins of the villa and focus completely on the gardens themselves.

After changing hands a few more times, the wild grounds eventually fell into the hands of the government of Florence, who operated the area as a public park during the spring and summer months.

 

Nahko Bear (Medicine for the People) Aloha Ke Akua

This video has incredible imagery… hard to imagine that anyone would not be touched by this message I recommend that you expand this to full screen and watch it at in high definition

Ubud Dancewalk

Ubud Dancewalk was set up by Janet Nicol to bring Ubuders together to dance outside. Our mission is to spread good vibes and transform Ubud into a pedestrian friendly town. Look for a DanceWalk fundraiser in the Fall of 2012 to raise money to build a parking lot outside of Ubud to keep the buses away.

This was brought to me by my friend Chess; thanks Chess!

Italy, Love it or Leave it

What do you do when your country has gone to shit? Italy: Love It, or Leave It goes beyond the picture postcard version of Italy to show a once glorious country beset by corruption, greed, and trash. Partners in life and filmmaking, Luca Ragazzi and Gustav Hofer have grown disillusioned by their country’s economic and cultural decline. Before deciding whether to decamp to Berlin, the boys embark on a grand tour to rekindle their love for il bel paese. Crammed into their vintage Fiat 500, Luca and Gustav’s road trip takes them from Italian trash TV and Berlusconi’s geriatric fan girls, to Sicily’s unfinished monuments to government corruption and Napoli’s all too literal trash problem. After charming Vancouver audiences at the Queer Film Festival a few years ago with their award-winningSuddenly, Last Winter, Ragazzi and Hofer return with their endearing blend of the personal and the political. –JC

Celebrating Nature and Sculpture at Alta Vista Gardens

After being chased by a storm we finally begin our sojourn on April 1, 2012.
The birth of our new collaboration takes place in the ceremonial Sculpture Garden with a Musical Vignette of Music, Dance and Prose of Wisdom Revealed. Stefani Stevens carries the show with her original lyrics and sultry tunes as France Marie Christina Wurz dance around the heart shaped pond.
The Golden Torsion Sculpture by Lia Strell, proudly in its center inspires us to keep focused on our dreams with intention and compassion.
Joyce Golden Seyburn reminds us that we are awakening to a wondrous power within to reshape ourselves and our community into the sustainable creative prosperous place we call home.
As we align our thoughts with our hearts we will create our future the way we see it. Sending our thoughts out into the electromagnetic field will manifest our dreams. “As we create together, We rise together” Lia Strell

My First Nations Heritage…

Grand Council Flag of the Mi'kmaq Nation

 

I grew up in Rome, Italy- one of the greatest cities on the planet. I spent my summers barefoot in a small village on a Greek island named Paros. When I came back to the United States I was drawn to wide open spaces and that strengthened my connection with nature.

As an adult I have felt a growing connection to the Gaia. According to my family genealogy I am one sixteenth Mikmaq. The Míkmaq are a First Nations people, indigenous to the northeastern region of New England, Canada’s Atlantic Provinces, and the Gaspé Peninsula of Quebec. They called this region Mi’kma’ki. The nation has a population of about 40,000 (plus 21,429 in the Qalipu First Nation), of whom nearly 11,000 speak the Míkmaq language. Once written in Míkmaq hieroglyphic writing, it is now written using most letters of the standard Latin alphabet.

Now I spend my spare time barefoot in the Garden developing Alta Vista Botanical Gardens in Vista. I am drawn to the Gaia Hypothesis and I try to implement practices that respect the complex system that our planet is, and remember that “We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.”

Come celebrate our new Sculpture Gardens!

Come meet the artists, take a guided walkabout of the Garden and the Art, listen to musical performance by Stefani Stevens along with France Marie Dance Theatre, open your heart and mind to earth conscious movement with Joyce Golden Seyburn and interact with the Sunset Drum Circle. Don’t forget to enjoy the “Curiocity” gourmet food truck. Best truffle French fries in town! Admission $5 Includes 1 drink More info: Lia Strell

As part of our continuing efforts to reduce our environmental impact and to implement sustainable practices wherever possible, this event is powered by the sun. Thanks to our good friends at Stellar Solar:

Big Oil Threatens the Spirit Bear Coast!

Watch and sign on to protect the last remaining Spirit Bears. I say NO to big oil. Won’t you????? Thanks!

Kevin Bacon calls attention to a proposed pipeline and supertanker traffic that would endanger the world’s last 400 Spirit Bears in British Columbia.

Go here to sign a petition

‘Golden Torsion’ Over Vista

This month Bryan Morse and his artisans at Expanding Horizons created a new pond in what is to be the Ceremonial Garden at Alta Vista Botanical Gardens in Vista, CA. Of note is that this pond is also graced by a stunning sculpture named ‘Golden Torsion’ which was created by the very talented Southern California sculptor, Lia Strell.

In advance of Thankgiving the pond was filled with water and the crew worked to install the landscaping on the ponds’ edge.

'Golden Torsion' graces new pond at A.V.G.