Hello all,

The reason I am emailing is because I saw an amazing documentary last night called “The Cove” at the Belmont and also met the author of “The truth about swimming with dolphins” Leah Lemieux, who was holding a book signing, Q&A meet there.  I found the film extremely distressing but also heartening to see what one individual can achieve.

I have just asked my web designer to remove the photo of me with dolphin from my ac page, as I feel very uncomfortable supporting this industry now in any form.  (Most dolphins in captivity are flown in from Taiji Japan, where 23,000 dolphins year are slaughtered if don’t fit the bill and others sold for up to $150,000.  It needs to stop.)

I hope you can watch it, I think it has already screaned in the US but will be available on DVD from Dec 8th.  Please watch/read info to see how you can support campaign, as the more people that raise awareness/act the better!!!!

Here is the movie site: http://www.thecovemovie.com/

For the dolphins……….

Much love,
Amy

Produced by Adam Young (Owl City) this group are just as awesome. They also have an electronica-pop feel to their music, which is great.  It’s quite happy music and is something you can listen to at any time really. So have a listen.

Swimming With Dolphins is very upbeat and whenever you listen to it you can’t stop smiling from ear to ear. Go on try it! I dare you.

Everything’s  A Miracle – Swimming With Dolphins

Enjoy!

-Ari.

Swimming With Dolphins é uma banda eletropop formada em 2008 por Adam Young, que mantêm seu projeto – Owl City, sobre o qual virei a falar em breve – paralelamente, com Austin Tofte. O dueto lançou Ambient Blue, um cd eufórico e surpreendentemente lírico e otimista, em setembro do ano passado. O primeiro e, por enquanto, o único álbum do SWD leva seus ouvintes para longe, para um lugar, pode-se dizer “além do arco-íris”?. Com as músicas: Pajama Party, Sunset 1989, Everything’s A Miracle e Up In The Stars, o dueto mantém uma vibe libertária por meio de letras sentimentais e delicadas batidas espalhadas, que acabam comprovando o potencial único de SWD.

É possível escutar essas músicas, e também Fast Car, no myspace(clique aqui).

(Capa do Ambient Blue EP – Adam Young e Austin Tofte, nessa ordem)

“Consciousness Rising – The Dolphin Human Connection”

Author/Guest: Brenda Peterson

Original Air Date: September 5, 2009

Brenda Peterson

Web link: http://literati.net/Peterson/

Click Here Now to Listen to this Show

Whether you’re in the mood to swim with dolphins, visiting Ripleys Believe it or Not Museum, partaking in a ghost tour or in the mood to shop - St. Augustine, Florida is the perfect family getaway!

I’m all for swimming with dolphins, but sting rays?!  Isn’t that what killed “The Crocodile Hunter”?  I like a little water excitement, but I draw the line at swimming with sting rays or sharks.  I really don’t want to swim with anything living in the water unless it is a dolphin.

People love dolphins, but they have always struck me as a strange sports name.  The Miami Dolphins are the home of Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino.  This is the guy who has held the most passing yards in a season record for 25 years!  Seems like he deserves a stronger team name than the “Dolphins”.  Don’t get me wrong, they are super cute.  It’s just that cute is not what I think of for football names.  How would you feel about the Green Bay Bunnies or the Philadelphia Puppies?

Still, I got four different stories about swimming with the dolphins being someone’s best gift ever.  This makes me think I need to try it!  When I think of all the stories I received, more were about experiences than actual gifts.  Giving an experience allows the recipient the opportunity to hold on to memories long after the value of an item has faded.  I’m not going to lie – big experiences usually don’t come cheap.  Here is a list of the one’s I have received, plus some ideas of my own.  I’d be happy to help if you want to do any of these and need help figuring out some of the details.  You can always reach me at giftqb@yahoo.com.  You’re the quarterback; I’m just here to protect you.

BIG TICKET EXPERIENCE IDEAS

1. Swimming with the dolphins
2. Helicopter ride
3. Adult space camp
4. Bungee jumping
5. Hot air balloon ride
6. White water rafting
7. Skydiving
8. Stock car racing
9. Snorkeling/scuba diving
10.  Horseback riding

Okay, so, our anniversary was technically on Wednesday, August 5th.  Since I’m such a great preplanner I was not able to secure tickets to Discovery Cove on the weekend after our anniversary like we wanted.  Oh, well.  It didn’t really matter what weekend it was so long as we got away together for a little while, right?

What an amazing place Discovery Cove is, let me tell you!!!  I really don’t even know where to begin… Oh, wait.  Yes, I do!  Let’s start with how happy we were to be kid-free!  Look at us.  Grinning like idiots.

Discovery Cove, along with SeaWorld, Busch Gardens, Aquatica and several other fun tourist destinations, is an Anheuser-Busch theme park .  The main reason people flock to Discovery Cove in particular is for the dolphin interaction.  You get to swim with dolphins!  Not just swim with but pet, feed, kiss, and ride with them too.  It is an amazing experience!

Each dolphin interaction is about half an hour long.  We were grouped with 6 other people and two trainers.  The whole process was extremely well managed.   Nothing was rushed, we did not have to wait in any lines, we knew what was expected of us as well as what to expect from the experience.  Our group was small enough that we could easily hear what the trainers were saying, we each got plenty of one-on-one time with our dolphin, Kaylee, we could ask as many questions as we wanted, information was freely given, and the entire experience felt personal.

Despite having almost 1,000 people at the park, it never felt crowded.  There was plenty of room to spread out.  In fact, there were many times where J and I would be the only ones on a foot path.  It felt like we were alone in a secluded jungle somewhere.  It was wonderful and the lush landscape was amazing!

After we swam with Kaylee we wandered over to see the stingrays.  There is a small lagoon set up near the coral reef that contains 35 stingrays.  Once you wade into the waist-deep water you are immediately greeted by the gliding rays.  They come right up to you.  You simply reach down and pet them.  More than once I was grazed by stingray fins.  They are very social creatures.

Toward the end of the day, we went back to the stingray pool and were surprised to find that it was feeding time.  One of the trainers brought out a bucket of frozen shrimp and let us feed them!  Their mouths felt like little vacuum cleaners.  Luckily neither of us got bit.  They have teeth.  Who knew?

We spent a lot of time in the lazy river that circles the park.  I’ve never been in such an awesome lazy river.  The one at Discovery Cove was made to look very natural from the river rock and sand bottom to the abundance of tropical plants.  Part of it even flowed through an aviary.  Bird were swirling around us and stopping to take a drink from the water as we floated past.

The coral reef was pretty spectacular too but a tad chilly for my thin Floridian blood.  The park is all-inclusive so our snorkeling gear was provided when we arrived.  We were able to dive down and check out all sorts of ledges and structures.

The fish were beautiful and the stingrays were ENORMOUS!

When I said all-inclusive I meant all-inclusive.  They provided breakfast, lunch, drinks (beer, sodas and water), snacks, a photograph of your party, sunscreen, towels, shampoo, conditioner, lotion, body wash, snorkeling gear, even food for us to feed the animals.  The price you for Discovery Cove tickets is pretty steep even with the Florida resident discount but I think what you get for the money is SO worth it.

Time slowed down while we were there.  We never felt rushed or compelled to squeeze in all the excitement that we could like other theme parks we have been to.  To be honest, there’s not all that much to do there.  There’s the dolphin swim, the lazy river, snorkeling in the coral reef, the aviary, the stingray pool and laying out on the beach.  That’s it and it’s wonderful!  It is a family-friendly park but it seems more geared toward adults.  There are no rides, balloons, fireworks or people in character costumes.  It’s very low key and serene.  It was just what we needed.

The weather got a little funky in the afternoon.  The wind came up and the dark clouds rolled in but it never poured like we thought it would.  A little sprinkle was all we got.  It wasn’t enough to even get the sand very wet.

I camped out under our big, blue umbrella for a few minutes while the brief shower came and went.

I highly recommend Discovery Cove to anyone looking for a one-of-a-kind adventure in Orlando.  It’s the most relaxing day I’ve had in a long time.  And, no, no one from Anheuser-Busch (or any place for that matter) is paying me to write such a great review.  It’s my honest assestment of our first visit

I am not the type of person who offers unsolicited advice. Nope. Not a big fan. But that is exactly what I’m going to do now because I feel that it is excellent advice. If anyone ever asks you to go swimming with dolphins, say yes.

Gabrielle is one of my tailgating buddies. Last fall I spent several Saturdays drinking beer and eating good food with her and bunch of other crazy football fans in the parking lot next to the FSU Flying High Circus tent — and I’m looking forward to doing it again in a just a few short weeks (FOOTBALL!!). I bumped into Gabrielle at Fermentation Lounge about a week or so ago, and she asked if I wanted to swim with dolphins. Um, yeah!! Of course, I said yes, so we spent the next week exchanging e-mails and planning a road trip to Panama City.

There are no guarantees in life, this much is true. Gabrielle reminded us that these are wild dolphins who will interact with us if they want to. They may be there, they may not. But she’s been swimming with the same pod off of Panama City Beach since she was a little girl, so I was sure that they would come say hello and want to play with us. I had faith.

After consulting with Gabrielle, I found out that there was space for another person on the boat, so I invited my friend Joey (yes, the ex-boyfriend formerly known as the baby kangaroo) to come along and document the adventure. Joey was in town for the Film School graduation and gala. As a recent film school graduate and budding documentarian, I knew that he would be beyond excited to try out some underwater cinematography.

Last Friday, we filled a cooler with ice, gathered our dry-land and underwater camera (still and video) equipment, and met our group at 7:30 a.m. to carpool to Scotty Boat Rental in Panama City. Gabrielle is nothing if she is not organized. She rented the pontoon boat for us and e-mailed a checklist to everyone to ensure that no one would forget their flippy-floppies. I was assigned to be the cooler girl, so, you know, I brought the cooler and ice. HUGE responsibility. I remembered my snorkel stuff, lunch, snacks, water, sunscreen, and a good luck rose quartz bracelet. But I forgot my sunglasses. Poop. One of my dolphin swimming buddies let me borrow her sunglasses for the day, so good karma was abound.

I was already excited — “I’m going to swim with dolphins!” — but once we got on the boat I was ready to do some flips and shit.

I'm on a boat!

We headed out of St. Andrew Bay through the pass between Shell Island and St. Andrews State Park. The water is unbelievably beautiful out there, and against the white sand, it is breathtaking. It was a gorgeous day. Blue skies with a few fluffy white clouds, no threat of storms. Hot, yes, but we’re on a boat! This is when we said “It is such a perfect way to spend such a beautiful day, even if we don’t see dolphins.” (But I really wanted to swim with dolphins.)

Gabrielle was the perfect captain, giving us just the right amount of information about the area while keeping an eye out for dorsal fins. We anchored off of Shell Island and got out to snorkel. If the dolphins want to swim with us, they will find us. Now, it had been a long time since I had tried to use a snorkel. Never been a big fan. I find it hard to breathe with that big thing in my mouth. I don’t know. Maybe my mouth is too small. I tried to seal my lips around the damn thing, but saltwater kept getting in my mouth and then I’d gag. It was just easier to hold my breath and just go down with the mask. (Stop laughing!! There is nothing dirty about what I just wrote. Well, okay, yeah there is. Tee hee.)

We swam around for a bit, had lunch, swam a little more and then decided to get back on the boat to look for dolphins. I think we got about 50 yards before Gabrielle yelled “DOLPHINS!” and we jumped in to greet them. And that was it. There I was nose to nose with an Atlantic bottlenose dolphin. I was swimming with dolphins! He was so cute. It was love at first sight. He loved the camera, he swam right up to us and posed. It was freaking awesome.

The dolphins came and went as we snorkeled around the area. We also saw a huge spotted eagle ray skimming the gulf floor, about 15 feet below us. Incredible. Then the dolphins returned. Many, many dolphins. My boy was back to flirt some more (yes, our eyes lock and I shared a moment with a dolphin). I saw two with a baby. And then there were about 14 all around us. Dolphins like to interact with people. They are intelligent, social, curious, playful creatures. I hate to think about dolphins in aquariums doing flips and shit. Dolphins don’t want a job, they want to live in the ocean.

I have to say that swimming with dolphins is definitely one of the coolest things I have ever done. I swam with dolphins! It wasn’t a dream, it was real and super-fantastic. Amazing, really. There is something very special about dolphins. It was awesome.

Thank you, Gabrielle, for introducing me to your pod!

There are still photos to develop and edit, so this topic will be revisited. For now, meet my buddy.

My New Friend

This show, I have to say, was nothing like what I expected. I had never been to the venue before, and it turned out to be a room. Just a room. With a floor and four walls. and that was it.

Oh, let’s not forget the table selling ‘Soda & Water.’ Hello middle school YMCA Friday night parties.

That, however, made it really easy to stand near the front of the ’stage’ (I say that with hesitation because there was no stage). We were right up in front of the bands, both Swimming With Dolphins & Kill Paradise.

I guarantee that neither of these bands will ever disappoint you live, especially Swimming With Dolphins.

Be sure to check out even more photos from the show here on my Flickr.

Band Name – Swimming With Dolphins
Album – Ambient Blue [EP]
Year – 2008
Link – Myspace
Genre – Eletronic, House, Pop, Powerpop

Track Listing :

01. Silhouettes
02. Pajama Party
03. Sunset, 1989
04. Everything’s A Miracle
05. Up In The Stars

Click here to download

David, a.k.a. Trugoy the Dove: Swim with dolphins, but you know, natural and wild, like just see dolphins in the ocean and jump in with them, that’s what I want. Seriously.

Kelvin, a.k.a.Posdnuos: I think I wanna smoke weed once before I die. I’ve never smoked weed. Like, maybe on my fortieth birthday party smoke at least one – just like a spliff, just one or two puffs!

Guest editors De La Soul

I’m sure you know who Criss Angel is, he,  together with his staff of more than 20, filmed a special scene with the intelligent dolphins in this marvelous nature park. The show MINDFREAK with this segment was aired back in 2007. Another celebrity enjoying Mexico, just like me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHUcgodEZVM

Guys, I’ve been in this place, it was back in January 2008 when visiting Park Royal in Cancun. It was a great trip cause my hotel was great, the food was awesome and we had tons of things to do around the area like going to Xel-ha. You must go….

Well, this great piece of land has underground natural rivers, a bit cold, but they are so nice!!, a beach ( private, calmed and with this incredible white sand), flora and fauna such as cheetahs, birds, butterflies, snakes, of course fishes, dolphins, turtles, etc.

Within its activities, they offer us swimming with dolphins, turtles and snorkeling and,  of course, excellent food in two or three different restaurants and before leaving, don’t miss the show with prehispanic dances and mexican folklore, it is very nice!!

By Ashleigh Morris

On the BBC’s list of the Top 50 Things To Do Before You Die, swimming with dolphins took the top spot. It is something I have always wanted to do, so when I heard about Dolphin Cove when I was visiting Jamaica, I couldn’t help but sign up.

A kiss from Rosa!

The experience took place in the sea, in an area which was luckily separate from the shark pool! Our dolphins were called Ritchie and Rosa and we swam out in a group of eight to meet them. First we stood in a line and did various group activities – we touched the dolphins, waved to them and even danced with them! We then each had a chance to get a kiss from a dolphin before being pulled through the water by both Ritchie and Rosa,  holding onto their dorsal fins which was an amazing experience.

 

Into the air with a little help from Ritchie and Rosa!

Next was the spectacular trick which everyone was slightly nervous about – especially the one girl in our group who couldn’t swim! For this trick you lie flat on your stomach and the dolphins push you through the water by your feet, then you raise your arms and they push you into the air! Apart from a few belly flops the trick was successful and the dolphins are trained to an unbelievably high standard.

After we had finished swimming with the dolphins we were treated to an amazing display featuring a variety of different tricks.

 

There is the opportunity to swim with stingrays...

We went fishing out of Nelson the other day and it was a seriously GOOD time.  This country is so beautiful from the water and despite a queasiness in my stomach from the constant swells slish sloshing the boat we had a great time.  Brett was able to get some quality dolphin swim time in.  No one else witnessed the event but the three of us, so let these pictures prove the fish stories we may tell for a long time to come.  There are more pictures for your enjoyment here.

Today I came across a wonderful web site for an inspirational organization – The Joyful Heart Foundation.

According to the web page, the mission of the Joyful Heart Foundation is to heal, educate and empower survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence and child abuse. The founder, Mariska Hargitay, professes “When people are abused and assaulted, it is like the doors to their souls slam shut. The goal of Joyful Heart is to let the light, and the life, back in  – to banish the darkness and let the healing begin.”

The foundation uses an holistic approach in their programs with their strategy to engage the mind, body and spirit for healing purposes. The Joyful Heart Foundation provides week long retreats which include swimming with dolphins as well as local retreats and wellness work shops which integrate self-care and healing. Their resources are an extension to traditional counseling and therapy.

Mariska Hargitay states she was inspired to create this foundation after playing the role of Detective Olivia Benson on Law and Order: Special Crime Victims. She was touched by the many emails she received from viewers telling their stories.  Please take the time to view the web site. You may know of someone who can benefit from their programs. Merchandise is available to raise funds and donations are accepted.

Disney cruises are pricey, but the company does know how to pack in the fun. Lucky Gilson kids (and adults, too)!

“Where they Went” by Diane Daniel
(Published Oct. 12, 2008, in the Boston Globe)

The Gilson Family

WHO: Diana, 39, and William “Gilly” Gilson, 46, and their children Will, 6, and Carli, 5, of Sharon, Mass.

WHERE: Caribbean.

WHEN: A week in April.

WHY: “People told me, if you’re really not looking forward to having your kids stand in long lines at Disney World, try a Disney cruise,” Diana Gilson said. “Our accountant had done the Western Caribbean cruise about four times and loves it, so we did that one.”

EASY PREP: “Disney does a great job with sending you a DVD that has pictures of the ship, what to pack, what the scene is like,” Gilson said. “It really takes very little thought. The only challenging part is you must absolutely have a passport for every person traveling, so I got the kids’ passports very early.”

FUN FOR ALL: “This was our first cruise, and everyone said the staterooms were bigger than usual,” she said. “We had a double bed, two bunks that folded up, and two bathrooms.” They also sprung for a balcony, where they would watch the sunset and other boats pass at sea. “Disney characters like Mickey Mouse, Pluto, and Goofy are walking all over the ship, and the kids just love that. For adults there’s a spa, workout room, and track, and they could have alone time when they dropped the children off at clubs organized by ages. Gilson, a pediatrician who said she’s “crazier than most parents about safety,” gave the ship and activities her “absolute seal of approval” in that department.

William Gilson dances with Athenea the Dolphin in Cozumel, Mexico

PORTS OF CALL: The ship departed from Port Canaveral, Fla., with a first stop in Key West. “They have an aquarium and a really cute butterfly garden,” Gilson said. On Grand Cayman island, all family members were thrilled by an optional submarine ride. “We took a 20-minute catamaran ride out to the middle of nowhere and then this huge white sub comes up. We went 103 feet down and we saw everything from barracuda to angel fish to a shipwreck in the clear, clear Caribbean water.” An opportunity in Cozumel, Mexico, to interact with dolphins at Chankanaab National Park was equally exciting. “You can kiss them, dance with them, and give a dolphin a belly rub.”

Will (left), mother Diana and Karli Gilson have a grand time at Castaway Cay

PRIVATE ISLAND: The final stop was Castaway Cay, Disney’s own Caribbean island. “They’ve got everything there. Places to eat and buy souvenirs. We got my daughter’s hair braided. There’s this little fort built 20 feet from the coast that children can swim out to and play in. Our kids spent most of the day in the water.” Everyone liked it so much that the Gilsons are considering the Disney Eastern Caribbean Cruise next year, she said. “It’s for people who totally want to spoil their kids.”

Today, I was looking at a selection of ‘before you die’ lists (100 books to read, 25 films to see, 100 things to do, etc.) and it got me thinking. What do I want to do before I die?

I decided that I was going to write my own list, so I looked around google to get a few ideas. Then, I thought about it. Shove it is what I thought. I am not going to sit here and write outall of my goals – a collection of how I want my life to go. I want my life to be unpredictable, and whilst I have short-term goals which I wish to achieve I do not like the idea of writing the sum of my existence.

Bungee jumping, swimming with dolphins, visiting the pyramids. I would rather just see what happens, rather than feel compelled to constantly set myself and achieve new targets.

Setting targets only sets yourself up to fail

Mai kiadásunkban egy kicsit a könnyedebb elektronikus muzsikák irányában nézünk körül. Prütty.

Vanessa Rose: mint arról korábban hírt adtam, a hölgy kilépett a One Star Storyból, hogy a saját zenei útjait járja. Nem is tétlenkedik, két demo és egy régebbi, már akkor is egyszemélyesen előadott szám hallható a zenei profilján. Meglepő mód elektronikusra veszi az irányt, annak is inkább a lágy electropop oldaláról közelítve.

Vanessa Rose @ MySpace

Owl City: kedves, digitális álmokat, habos-cukormázas pixelhegyeket-völgyeket, pixelpillangókat és pixelvirágokat idéző, érzelmekkel telített muzsika Minnesotta hegyes-völgyes vidékeiről. Bár az alkotója szerint álmatlan éjszakák termése.

Owl City @ MySpace

Swimming With Dolphins: a fentebbi projektet jegyző Adam Young és Austin Tofte közös munkája. Kicsit pörgősebb, eurodance-be hajló electropop, a pukkanó rágólufi hangulata persze ott van.

Swimming With Dolphins @ MySpace

This is so much fun!!! the following info is very interesting!!

The biggest…..the Blue whale…..the largest…the Sperm whale…..the smallest…..Hector’s dolphin…..the loudest….Blue whales…..the fastest….the Orcas….the deadliest….the Orcas…….the most complex songs…..the Humpback whales….the longest tooth…..the Narwhal whale…the biggest brain….the Sperm whale….the longest migration….the Gray whale….the longest baleen….the Bowhead whales……..interesting? There is so much to learn!!!! It is great fun!  I love water life!!! I love swimming and all the flora and fauna underwater!! Once again!!!! lets take of nature!!! Dont throw rubbish in the sea……no oil…..and/or any chemicals PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is a nice opportunity!!!! I will suggest my friends to take the chance of swimming with dolphins in Cabo!!! It must be a great experience!!! The bottlenose dolphin is highly intelligent! these type of dolphins are used to entertain people…..They seem to be smiling all the time!!  Bottlenose dolphins can jump out of water at hights of up to 4.5 meters!!!! Wow!!!!!!! this is awesome!!!!! Can you see yourself swimming with dolphins??? It must be great right?? Well….I hope my friends can enjoy this experience!!!