Kevin Lee photo by Mark Edward Harris (Click on Image to View Complete Photo)
Let's go divin' at the club on this night.
This fine gentleman's photographs on his web site are truly wonderful.
Join us for dinner and another great presentation as
Kevin shares his adventures of Diving in Antarctic waters and
retraces the final steps of Sir Ernest Shackleton's epic journey of survival over South Georgia Island.
Kevin Lee resides in Fullerton, California and frequently dives SoCal waters.
His adventures, in over 40 countries, include multiple treks to Mt. Everest Base Camp and atop Mt. Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest summit.
Among his memorable experiences, he fondly recalls a warm hug from Mother Teresa and meeting the Dalai Lama.
After learning to scuba dive, Kevin took up underwater photography to share the wonders of the ocean with others.
He has dived all Seven Continents, including Antarctica where water temperatures were 29F (-2C).
Kevin's images are on permanent display at Chapman University, Orange California,
and have been exhibited at various venues such as the Branford House, University of Connecticut,
Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and others.
In addition, Kevin's photography has been featured in magazines, newspapers, academic literature and numerous dive related publications.
General Business Meeting followed by:
Charles I. Carmona, G.G., A.S.A. - Gemology in Tanzania
Charles I. Carmona, G.G., A.S.A.
Tanzania is rich in mineral and other natural resources,
and has established itself as the most abundant producer of gemstones (other than diamonds) in the East Africa region.
The country extracts a variety of these colored gemstones, from its eponymous tanzanite,
to ruby and sapphire, tourmaline, emerald, opal, iolite, and its many unusual colors of garnet.
Both native and outside investors are present in the mining and brokering of the rough materials,
which are then exported to Asia for cutting, beading and finishing into jewelry.
What this means is that the greatest value in jobs and taxation are not seen in Tanzania, the country of origin.
Thanks to a concerted effort by the World Bank, the Government of Tanzania,
private sector advocates of value addition, and gemologist Charles Carmona,
the above scenario is set to change over the next five years in Tanzania.
The Tanzania Gemological Centre in Arusha, Tanzania was conceived of as a training hub for East Africa in
the areas of gemstone cutting and carving, jewelry making and the science of gemology.
This center will create in Tanzania a professionally trained cohort of local artisans and tradespeople
who will take back the value chain of the gemstones of Tanzania from outside countries.
This shift in value ownership will create jobs throughout the mining regions,
as well as much needed income at the country level for development.
Richard Venola (Click on Image to View Complete Photo)
What is it like to save your life from an immediate lethal threat, only to have to defend it again---twice?
Richard Venola, #1071, will share an account of the tragedy and ordeal which has both blighted his life since 2 May 2012
and led to an enriching renaissance.
Beginning with two months of incarceration in B-Pod ("...men with serious issues...") of the Mohave County jail,
he then pushed hard for an early trial for 2nd degree murder.
Seeing court a mere eight months after the incident, he suffered a hung jury, but in his favor.
The family of the man Venola shot pushed for another trial which was also hung just two months later,
but even farther in favor of acquittal.
Charges were then dropped and Venola has staggered through like a sprinter stumbling after breaking the tape.
Venola's typically vivid, sometimes off-color narratives can be counted on to bring this horrifying cautionary tale into clear focus,
and you'll be thinking of it in personal terms for some time to follow.
NOHA HAS ALWAYS BEEN A YEARLY TRADITION OF THE ADVENTURERS' CLUB OF LOS ANGELES
THIS YEAR WE ARE FEATURING:
1) Robert Young Pelton: author, journalist and documentary filmmaker.
Pelton's journalistic work usually consists of conflict reporting and interviews with military and political figures in warzones.
His career is notable because of the number of conflict zones he has reported from and the breadth of important figures he has interviewed.
His reputation is built on his history of entering forbidden, deadly and violent places.
Pelton has been present at conflicts such as the Battle of Qala-i-Jangi in Afghanistan,
the Battle of Grozny (1999-2000) in Chechnya,
the rebel campaign to take Monrovia in Liberia,
the siege on Villa Somalia in Mogadishu and has been with ground forces in approximately 40 other conflicts.
He survived an assassination attempt in Uganda,
spent time with the Taliban and the Northern Alliance pre 9/11,
the CIA during the hunt for Bin Laden and also with both insurgents and Blackwater security contractors during the war in Iraq.
2) MIREYA MAYOR: she´s been referred to as the "female Indiana Jones."
She is an American anthropologist and wildlife correspondent for the National Geographic.
She was also a Miami Dolphins cheer leader and a Fulbright Scholar before earning a PhD in anthropology.
Mayor was one of the explorers on the show Expedition Africa.
She currently is a two-time Emmy Award-nominated wildlife correspondent for the National Geographic Channel.
Her work has provided her with extensive field experience studying primates and many other wild animals.
Mayor is often found in dangerous environments sleeping in a rain forest hammock amid poisonous snakes, being charged by gorillas,
chased by elephants, pawed by leopards, scaling rocky cliffs, and diving with great white sharks.
It all started when Mireya Mayor's college anthropology class began studying primates.
She was seized by the fact that some of these incredible animals were on the verge of extinction had never been studied and that
in some cases, not even a mere photograph existed to show their existence.
The more questions she asked, the more it became clear that much about our natural world still remained a mystery.
Mayor has since dedicated her life to solving that mystery,
studying rare primates in the wild throughout the world and working closely with local populations.
Today, Earning her the nickname of "Female Indiana Jones," Mayor's Ultimate Explorer TV expeditions have taken her to central Africa's gorillas,
underwater with the dangerous six-foot Humboldt squid, and into a haven for leopards in Namibia.
When science and the media collide, extraordinary things can happen!
This is why she considers her television work just as important as her conservation fieldwork.
The TV series sheds light on the plight of endangered places and animals around the world.
Television has the power to help people know and connect with these animals and habitats that are disappearing.
Mayor is quick to note the importance of local support for conservation success.
"The local people are the very core of effective conservation, and without their support, the 'dream' of s
aving the planet can never become a reality."
Mayor also stresses that local populations need more new opportunities.
"It's often lack of options that cause threatened places to suffer.
Providing education and opportunity are critical keys to protecting the planet."
Her own field research expands options for locals.
"Some of my best trackers were former hunters. Now they're using their very specialized skills to protect animals in the wild."
She may circle the globe on television expeditions, but Mayor's heart remains in the rain forests of Madagascar.
"This phenomenal natural laboratory could vanish in our lifetime becoming the stuff of history books, not science books.
Until I can walk away in good conscience knowing it's going to be okay,
I just can't leave. We may be facing the largest mass extinction of our time, so awareness is crucial.
If we don't act now, it will be too late."
3) Maria Baltazzi:
Maria Baltazzi has carved out a career producing on location throughout the world.
She specializes in producing action-adventure-travel shows and has been on all seven continents and forty-eight countries.
She climbed Kilimanjaro, November 2008, trekked to Everest Base Camp, May 2009.
She is also distance walker and has completed the NY Marathon, November 2009; LA Marathon, March 2010; and Athens, October 2010.
Maria’s “current event,” Rhino Wars which she will speak to us about is about the conflict that is centered on the
worldwide commercial demand for rhino horns, an exotic commodity that's more valuable than gold on the black market.
It reveals the conflict between blood-thirsty poachers and one of South Africa's anti-poaching units,
which has recruited armed forces to stop the illegal, lucrative trade of rhino horns.
Maria has been associated with Mark Burnett since the first season of "Survivor", when she was one of the original show producers.
She went on to develop and Executive Produce, with Mark Burnett, "Expedition Africa" for the History channel.
The series was Emmy nominated for it's Outstanding Cinematography Nonfiction (2009).
The wide range of locations where Maria has worked includes Alaska, Antarctica, Australia, Borneo, Botswana, Cambodia, Canada, Chile,
Costa Rica, England, Fiji, Hawaii, Kenya, Malawi, Mexico, Okinawa, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, St. Barts, St. Martin, South Africa,
Tanzania, Thailand, Uganda, Vanuatu, and Zanzibar.
Maria Baltazzi earned a Bachelor's Degree in Science in International Marketing from San Diego State with a minor in Broadcast Management.
She also received her Masters of Fine Arts for Film from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena.
Maria Baltazzi is a Los Angeles-based television producer, known for her work on a variety of unscripted, action-adventure shows.
Some of her credits include working as one of the original four producers on CBS's Emmy award winning show, Survivor and
Executive Producer on TLC's record breaking Sarah Palin's Alaska, which debuted at 5 million viewers.
Maria has done a variety of shows that have aired on CBS, History, TLC, Discovery, and A&E. In 2001,
she received an Emmy for the first two seasons of Survivor. That same year she was also Emmy nominated for Eco Challenge: Borneo.
After seven seasons, Maria left Survivor to begin developing shows and show running.
In 2009, in association with Mark Burnett, Maria developed and Executive Produced History Channel's critically acclaimed
Expedition Africa: Stanley & Livingstone.
A silent auction of unusual and exotic items.
Dress is Black Tie, Dark Suit, Military Uniform or Ethnic Dress
Tickets are $85.00 per person up to September 6th and $95 after September 6th.
Tickets include dinner and admission.
Please select from a choice of prime rib or salmon filet.
Buy early for the best seating.
Michael L. Oddenino - The Oratory of Abraham Lincoln: The Gettysburg Address and its Place in History
Michael L. Oddenino
Take an adventure back in time as Michael L. Oddenino takes us on a trip to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania on November 19, 1863.
See the characters and events that led up to one of the most famous speeches in the history of the world, the Gettysburg Address.
The sesquicentennial of that famous speech is fast approaching and this is your opportunity to better understand why the Gettysburg Address,
the Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution constitute the essential DNA of the United States of America.
The halloween evening speaker will tell the story of how the Gettysburg Address came to be,
and why it is such a significant part of our identity as a country.
Travel back in time and see the fascinating characters and events that came together to enable Abraham Lincoln
to deliver one of the most important pieces of oratory ever.
This presentation will allow you to hear the Gettysburg Address with new insights.
This is an unforgettable story which continues to impact our lives today.
Michael L. Oddenino grew up in Virginia, surrounded by Revolutionary War and Civil War history.
After majoring in history as an undergraduate at Virginia Tech, where he studied Civil War history under
Dr. James I. Robertson, Jr., (author of “Stonewall Jackson: The Man, The Soldier, The Legend”).
Michael received his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law.
He has been a practicing lawyer since 1978, while maintaining his affection for history.
His interest in oratory led him to develop an interpretation of Patrick Henry’s famous “Liberty or Death” speech,
which he has performed in many venues, including the Las Vegas “Strip.” www.patrickhenrylive.com
Michael will be a featured speaker at this year’s West Coast Civil War Conference in November.
Kevin Lee's Photos
