Been very busy at the site these days. Had a wonderful visit today from a true gentleman and very erudite individual. Ambassador Zamora the El Salvadoran ambassador to the USA spent the day on site. A very classy individual.
Here he is inside the production module with Nick Harvin our production manager and Stephen White Berry our director of operations.
Despite the fact we are trying to keep everything we have been doing somewhat on the quiet, now that the first production module is up,
As you can see with this picture of the Ambassador in front of the first production module, it is no longer possible to not have some attention being directed our way with a lot of curiosity as to what we are doing.
The new GBT web site is up. It is not finished and there are a few minor corrections but it is a very big step forward for the company.
( www.globalbluetechnogies.com)
As you all know from my previous blogs I am no fan of the press. However with the information on the web site and with Stephen and Nick handling the interviews that are now occurring, hopefully whatever article comes out will be mostly accurate.
That said, there are a few basic truths that need to be established.
We are a true non discharge system, we "do not" and I repeat do "not" put any of our water back into the bay or any estuary.
We grow very large white shrimp, we believe larger than anyone in the world, using a totally natural methodology.
We know of no one else that has ever come close to doing what we do.
The few pretenders out there that claim that they do or have done what we are doing are frankly, lying.
Sorry to be so blunt but we can document from 1999 through today, in newspaper articles to field notes to audit certifications that this system is 15 full years in the making and we, the American team has been the driving and creative force behind this technology.
Every dime spent in Texas to develop first the new and final prototype and develop a system that works, as well as every dollar spent to date in the first production module has come from private investors who are just decent Americans who 1) believe we will succeed and 2) would like to see the USA produce something other than celebrities and cell phones before we die.
I could go on but not I am not really in the mood to get on my soap box tonight. I am traveling out of the USA for a few weeks tomorrow morning. What is great is the team running the Texas operation are young, capable, and frankly a heck of a lot smarter than me when it comes to making this technology perform at optimum levels. (and I am not being humble, they are that good).
I also have two other very interesting visitors yesterday evening.
I won't name names as they represent some significant private investment money but I must say they too were a pleasure to have on site. They totally see what we are trying to do, which is simple , make money ethically and sustainably, and without screwing up the earth any more than we all ready have.
One indulgence I am taking tonight, since this is my blog, I am going to humor myself with a short walk down memory lane. I am pretty sure none of our recent visitors were familiar with my background.
(This is both a good and a bad thing).
As my readers know I am not without a slew of detractors.
In any case, I am pretty sure they had not read my book "Undercover" so I thought I would run a few old pics from that book.
Most of these was when I was much younger and had much more hair so please keep the laughter to a minimum.
The picture below is of me and my son Stephen in 2006, I think we were in South Africa or Chile, can't remember exactly but I always liked the pic.
This one below is a bit dated.
I met Richard Gere at Earth day back in DC in the late 80's. By the way he was a big star then but very gracious and decent and knowledgeable about the problems facing our planet.
I also had some serious hair back then.
Below is one of my favorite pictures. I ran with an undercover anti poaching patrol in sub Saharan Africa several times from 1993-1995. This was the cover shot John Aquilino my partner chose for my book. I always thought it made me look brave despite the fact I was terrified most of the time I was in the bush with those guys.
Below is one of my favorite pictures ever. It was taken with my dear friend the late Susan Butcher.
She was not the first woman to win the Alaskan dog sled race , the Iditarod, that honor went to Libby Riddles but Susan won it three times and it was in larger part due to her popularity and her support that sled dogs in Alaska began to receive much better treatment during the race.
I spent a lot of time at Susan's place in Manley Hot Springs, Alaska and she and her husband David Monson were just fine people.
Here I am with a friend from Kalimantan circa 1993.
And finally with some of my family at my home in Maryland in 2013, I am older, fatter, still with a lot of hair, but surrounded by those sentient creatures I love. My family.
I guess tonight's blog has to be titled "Indulgence".
Speaking to over at least 50 some people the past 6 months trying to explain our technology, why the project is going to work, what has gone into it, the money, the time, the ridicule, the disappointments, the excitement, the criticisms, the lies, I guess I just felt like pointing out I am a real person and I have been blessed with a life filled with experiences too incredible to make up and too full of characters to ever be dull.
And for the record I do not regret one moment of it. It has been a blessing and an adventure.
This journey we call life is (hopefully) going to continue a bit longer (with God's grace) and a bit of luck.
John Aquilino says I need to write another book. Maybe I will.
I hope my next book will be a book about how Lori beat triple negative breast cancer.
Then maybe a book about how you can build a sustainable profitable seafood business ethically. If I get those two written then I think I have at least one more book of stories of my global adventures left in me.
Unlike a lot of people I do not have to make up or embellish a word, my stories are real and they stand on their own.
By the way to all of you, friends, supporters, and even some of the "haters" thanks for reading my blog.
To quote a very dear friend and character who recently passed away at 93, "it helps make me still feel relevant" and that is a gift in and of itself.
