Rocco Basile

Rocco Basile, the founder of Rocco Basile Photography, is a renowned photography expert whose work as a photojournalist has taken him to some of the world’s most remote locales. Rocco, a native New Yorker who relocated to Southern California following a lengthy stay in the Far East, enjoys that his profession has enabled him to travel so often but equally appreciates the stability he has experienced since founding the eponymous photography gallery and studio located so close to his home in Santa Barbara, California.

In addition to his work as a photojournalist, Rocco has also earned international notoriety for his fine art photography as well as his landscape and portrait photography. Rocco’s photographs have been featured in publications with readerships that span the globe, and the longtime photography expert is proud that his career has been successful enough that he is now able to support the careers of other up-and-coming photographers in the area. In fact, the walls of Rocco’s studio and gallery typically feature the work of other visual artists in need of the kind of initial exposure that helps a career suddenly take off.

As a youth growing up in and around New York City, Rocco benefited from the unwavering support of friends and family, who all worked hard to ensure he always had a spare roll of film for his camera and enough subway tokens to take him wherever in the city he wished to go. This early support helped Rocco secure the scholarships and grants that allowed him to attend Emerson College and the California Institute of the Arts. Recognizing how his own career has been so thoroughly influenced by the support of others, Rocco now dedicates a great deal of his time and energy to providing a similar level of support to anyone hoping to enjoy a successful career in photography.

1. What is your favorite thing about traveling?

Every place I visit has its own unique energy and palette of colors interacting with and affecting everyone and everything in the most fascinating way. I always look forward to uncovering the nature of that interaction and finding ways to document it with my camera.

2. Is traveling a hobby or a lifestyle for you? How did you get started?

It’s a lifestyle that started when I accepted my first assignment as a photojournalist.

3. What is the most beautiful place you’ve been to?

Okinawa is the most beautiful place I’ve had the pleasure of visiting.

4. Do you have any exciting travel dates planned for the future?

I’ve been offered a few interesting assignments, but lately I’ve tried to focus on my work at my studio. I’m sure I’ll be jetting off to some far-flung place sooner or later.

5. What are some travel tips you’d give to someone inexperienced?

Photography is a passion of mine, but I’m always careful to make sure my camera doesn’t become a barrier between myself and others. It’s important to be mindful of each specific moment and place, especially while traveling.

6. Where would you like to go?

I’d like to pack up a motorcycle and travel south down the Pacific Coastline until I reach Chile’s southernmost point. Somewhere along the way I’d have to hop on a few boats to check out the Falkland Islands and the Galapagos Islands.

7. Where would you like to revisit?

Okinawa and Tibet were magnificent in every possible way.

8. Do you travel alone? Why?

It depends on the assignment. Sometimes I travel with several others and sometimes it’s just my camera and I.

9. If you could pick the top 3 places every person should go, what would they be?

Japan, Chile, and Bali

10. Do you travel light or do you pack up the house?

Other than my photography equipment, I try to bring as little as possible wherever I happen to go.

Myriam Borg – Owner, CreateAustralia.com

 

Myriam Borg is a New South Wales entrepreneur who successfully runs Create Australia, a pioneer in the lost and unclaimed money recovery industry. As CEO and founder, Myriam is dedicated to helping people realize their dreams to start their own businesses. She is also the author of The Refund Consulting Program, a cutting-edge business-in-a-box training curriculum that has benefited users for more than 15 years.

In her personal life, in addition to being the mother of three boys, she enjoys traveling, sailing, and fitness. She’s especially proud that her hard work and business success have afforded her family the ability to travel overseas and experience foreign cultures and beautiful locales.

Tell us about a favorite trip you’ve taken.

Travel has been a growing passion for me and my favorite spots are definitely warm locales with a beach and lots of local adventure, I love really getting into the local scene & getting into the none touristy spots, eating where the locals eat and shopping where the locals shop and I like chilly laid back places. There’s nothing better than curling up on the beach towel with a great book in hand. I recently traveled to Koh Samui with my family and we stayed in gorgeous resorts with absolutely fabulous beaches. One of the highlights was Koh Ma a little island in offshore from Koh Samui famous for its snorkeling, sailing, we kayaked around coral reefs & went into under water caves, my 8 year old was in awe, we stayed in Samui for 5 weeks and I intend on going to live there for at least six months next year, currently preparing visa’s etc.

What attracted you to the Koh Samui?

Surprisingly my taste in travel changes as I get older – I’d heard so much about Koh Samui in Thailand that I really was dying to see it. It did not disappoint. Being from Australia, I’m no stranger to wonderful coastlines, and I’ve been lucky enough to travel all around South East Asia and other places, but Samui is a different world. There were a variety of activities that could appeal to every type of traveler, so everyone in my family could find something they wanted to do, whether it was wakeboarding, snorkeling, sailing, eating delicious seafood, shopping, or lounging in the sun.

When did you travel there and who did you go with?

This trip was actually very recent and we just got back last November, that’s why it’s so top of mind. I went with my family. I have three boys, and now that they are older, it’s been exciting to get to take them on more adventurous vacations than was possible when they were younger. I’m very fortunate that my business allows me to work remotely and still be able to keep in touch with my clients and employees. Technology is absolutely fabulous, isn’t it?!!

Please share your memories from the trip.

I don’t know if you have enough space for me to share all the highlights, haha, but I’ll try my best. I stayed on Chewang beach as well as Silver beach in Lamai. One of my favorite daily activities was really peaceful, just getting up early every morning and doing pilates outside our hotel room and watching the sun rise on Chewang beach. It is really easy to stay motivated when you have such beautiful surroundings and it was a great way to start the day right.

As a family, one of my lasting memories will always be a boat ride we took when we were visiting a number of outer islands. We ran into a baby whale which was obviously amazing, and the water was this unbelievable color of aquamarine. We stopped for lunch at a secluded beach and grilled some seafood we’d caught ourselves from the boat.

Then there was being able to watch my boys take surfing lessons. It was especially rewarding to see my youngest struggle at first and then when he finally started to stand up on the board to see the level of satisfaction he gained from having accomplished something through hard work and determination.

One of the boys completed his PADI scuba license, so that was a busy few days for him, and he really enjoyed it- the water is very warm in Thailand so not wet suits for diving which is a huge plus.

Another highlight was watching the full moon rise one night over Ocean every night. I’ve never seen the moon look so big. I can’t believe how beautiful it was and the photos definitely don’t do it justice. That’s how you know you’ve had a great vacation when the pictures can’t tell the whole story.

And sometimes the things that stay with you are the simple memories, like being able to work on a laptop while drinking a coconut shake.

As a mother, I truly cherish the opportunities we’ve had to travel together as a family and grow closer and make memories that will last a lifetime.

What other places have you visited?

I’ve been lucky to experience a lot of travel to many amazing places. In addition to the places close to home in Australia and New Zealand, I’ve been to a lot of spots  in South East Asia Korea, India (Will never forget the Taj Mahal), Kingdom of Tonga, Tahiti, and all over Europe (Italy is a favorite), America, the Caribbean 23 countries so far, am a travel addict! .

What advice would you give to a first-time traveler?

Don’t wait until you’ve saved enough money for your “Dream Vacation.” Some of the best vacation spots are very economical and there are some great deals online. And you definitely don’t have to be rich to travel to some of the world’s most amazing locations. Figure out what your budget is and then start scouring the internet for deals and ways to save money. I’ve done a lot of work vacations where I stay in one place for a period of time and work while I’m there. You get to experience another culture and really learn about a place while still making money.

Of course, if your job doesn’t allow you to work remotely, you can take shorter trips. Even just a weekend away to the countryside can be totally rejuvenating. Another way to make trips more affordable is to visit cities and countries where you have friends there already. You might have a free place to stay plus a tour guide who can take you to all the lesser known but more ‘authentic’ places while avoiding expenses like car rentals and tour groups.

You can follow Myriam on Facebook, Twitter, Vimeo, and YouTube.

Dr. Barry Friedberg, MD – Goldilocks Foundation, Founder

 

Born in Philadelphia, Dr. Barry Friedberg currently lives in beautiful, seaside Corona del Mar, California, over-looking Catalina Island and spectacular winter sunsets.

On March 26, Friedberg began a clinical trial of using propofol to block ketamine hallucinations and using ketamine to prevent intra-operative pain all while avoiding the traditional use of narcotics like morphine or fentanyl during surgery. Narcotics are a class of drug most closely associated with postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV). By 1993, Friedberg had solved the twin anesthesia vexations of PONV and narcotic requiring, postoperative pain. After Friedberg introduced 1998 FDA approved BIS brain monitor to measure patients’ brain response to propofol doses, he observed a nearly hundred-fold variation between patients to achieve the same level of hypnosis or sleep. The solutions became numerically reproducible, the basis of scientific method. This meant any other anesthesia provider who followed his paradigm would get the same dramatically improved results for his patients.

World-renowned PONV authority, Christian Apfel, originally published the four PONV predictive factors in the New England Journal of Medicine, a rare accomplishment for any anesthesiologist. Non-smoking, female gender, with previous PONV or motion sickness history, having surgery associated with PONV like cosmetic. This description perfectly fits Friedberg’s patients who despite receiving no prophylactic nausea drugs, had the lowest PONV rate (0.6%) in the literature in a in 1999paper by Friedberg. Apfel later cited Friedberg’s paper in his PONV chapter of the highly prestigious Miller’s Anesthesia textbook in both the 2010 and 2015 editions. The PONV chapter is found at number 86 of 89 chapters in Miller,’ indicating a low priority the anesthesia profession holds for this undesirable patient outcome. Although patients do not die from PONV, they only wish they were dead. Patient satisfaction suffers with PONV, and satisfaction now plays a role in third party remuneration for anesthesia services. One day Millers’ PONV chapter may find a place closer to the front of his encyclopedic textbook.

Friedberg remains a man on a mission, a mission to make brain monitoring a standard of care for major surgery under anesthesia. A 2009 mortality study showed one American death daily from anesthesia over medication, the natural consequence a giving anesthesia without measuring the brain, the target organ of the anesthetic drugs. This mortality study also showed 40% or 16 million of the 40 million American patients (many of whom are over 50) every year wake up from anesthesia with brain fog. Friedberg’s anesthesia colleagues remain mystified as to the reason why.

In 2000, Friedberg published a 30% reduction in anesthesia drug use when using a 1996 FDA approved, brain monitor (the forehead sensor connects to a computer that generates a number from 0-100). The lower the number, the more asleep the patient. At the 60-75 range, patients are asleep and do not remember their surgery. Most anesthesia providers are titrating doses in the range well below 45-60, levels considered adequate for general anesthesia. There should be little mystery about why brain fog happens in epidemic numbers in the US.

Tell us about a favorite trip you’ve taken.

Frontiers in Knowledge, a nonprofit education foundation, invited me to conduct two-day, solo educational seminars in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. These events ran for 8 hours of lecture each day for a total 32 hours of Friedberg speaking and answering questions. By the end of the second day, I could not speak above a whisper which was provident as the original plan was to continue for another two-day session in Dubai.

What attracted you to these places?

I was very flattered by the recognition of the value of my life’s work by an organization halfway around the world and intrigued by the chance to literally to go to the ends of the earth to share my knowledge for safer, simpler, better, more cost-effective and numerically reproducible anesthesia. The students were excited to hear about my novel Goldilocks anesthesia paradigm.

When did you travel there and who did you go with?

Kuala Lumpur lecture series happened on October 25 & 26.th The Singapore event was on the following days, October 28 and 29th 2010.

Please share your memories from the trip.

This trip was made without the company of my beloved wife, Shelley. To compensate for my absence, we used Skype to visit with each other while I was away.

Goldilocks anesthesia students in Singapore

 

 

 

 

 

 

The blue shirt color was not an accidental choice. Prior to my trip, I learned that superstitious Muslins use this color to ward off evil spirits. I wanted to convey a subliminal sense of safety for my students. When I shared this piece of trivia with them, they all agreed the color choice was a good one.

Dr. Donald Ng, a Singapore cosmetic surgeon (below) was so impressed with my work he gave me a return ticket on the once a day, business class flight of Singapore Air. It was the greatest act of selfless generosity I had experienced in my nearly 4 decades of private practice. My trip back across the international date line ‘only’ took 18 hours as opposed to my original itinerary that would have taken nearly twice the amount of flying time with two stopovers. Despite the better travel arrangements, it still took me nearly three weeks to get back on the proper time zone.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What other places have you visited?

I have presented my Goldilocks anesthesia paradigm in Pointe-Claire, Quebec, Canada, Cabo San Lucas, Leon Guanajuato &Veracruz, Mexico, Haifa and Tel Aviv, Israel, and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic in addition to numerous surgery and anesthesia meetings in the US.

What advice would you give to a first-time traveler?

Pack lightly, prepare for the unexpected and try your best to keep your sense of humor. Nothing ever goes entirely according to your plans. There may be with hotel reservations and unexpected delays in plane flights or connections.

Janet Sirmon

As the owner of Janet Sirmon Fine Art, Janet Sirmon has become a prominent figure in the fine arts industry known for her specific expertise in 19th and 20th century photography, especially American Social Documentary photography and Czech photography of the 1920s through the 1940s. It was Janet’s lifelong devotion to the fine arts that served as the initial inspiration to found Janet Sirmon Fine Art more than 20 years ago, and the success she has enjoyed during the time since is a clear product of her passionate dedication to a beloved medium such as photography.

A longtime student of the arts — with a particular focus on photography and sculpture — Janet actually pursued a degree in economics during her undergraduate years, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in the subject from James Madison University. Even though economics was her primary academic focus at JMU, Janet’s interest in the fine arts hardly wavered, and following the completion of her undergraduate degree, she earned acceptance to the Pratt Institute to study photography and sculpture.

With an MFA in photography and sculpture from the prestigious Pratt Institute — not to mention a degree in economics from James Madison University — the pursuit of an entrepreneurial endeavor involving the fine arts seemed to be an entirely logical step. After thoughtful consideration, Janet made the decision to open Janet Sirmon Fine Art in Los Angeles, and her business has thrived in its Southern California location throughout the two decades since its initial opening.

In order to meet the needs of a client base comprised of museum curators and serious art collectors, Janet travels to countries all over the world on a regular basis. Due to her status as an expert in Czech photography, Janet is especially familiar with Central Europe and is a frequent visitor to Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic.

1. What is your favorite thing about traveling?

Artists are inevitably influenced by their surroundings, so I deeply enjoy any opportunity to gain additional perspective regarding a particular artist’s work through my frequent travel.

2. Is traveling a hobby or a lifestyle for you? How did you get started?

I consider it a lifestyle, at least for the most part. My interest in the arts led to a deep desire to travel and to see the work of the world’s greatest artists in person.

3. What is the most beautiful place you’ve been to?

Prague, in the Czech Republic, is the most beautiful place I have ever been to.

4. Do you have any exciting travel dates planned for the future?

Since I mostly travel on an as-needed basis, I don’t plan anything too far in advance.  However, Bali is next on my list.

5. What are some travel tips you’d give to someone inexperienced?

Inexperienced travelers might want to consider choosing travel destinations that possess a unique history or those that might offer a valuable learning opportunity.

6. Where would you like to go?

Sao Paulo, Brazil.

7. Where would you like to revisit?

I’ve only been to Japan once, and I would very much enjoy spending more time in Tokyo.

8. Do you travel alone? Why?

Yes, since I am usually traveling for professional reasons I mostly prefer to travel alone. On the occasions in which I travel for recreation, however, I like to bring along friends and family.

9. If you could pick the top 3 places every person should go, what would they be?

Prague, Florence, and London.

10. Do you travel light or do you pack up the house?

My preference is to travel light, but this is usually possible only as I travel to my destination; the return trip often involves traveling with a number of carefully protected packages.