Royal Ascot - 2014 : Queen partners with Qatar's Qipco Holdings

On the first day of 2014's Royal Ascot, be prepared to see the al-Thani's Qipco Holdings as the Queen's first commercial partner...

I wonder how this marketing match made in heaven will work out.

I will see you at the races.

Kings, Heroes and Lovers

Parviz Tanavoli (born 23 March 1937 in Tehran) is an Iranian sculptor, painter, scholar and art collector.

He belongs to Saqqakhana group of artists who, according to the scholar Karim Emami, share a common popular aesthetic. He has been influenced heavily by his country's history and culture and traditions, (he was once cultural advisor to the Queen of Iran, and has always been fascinated with locksmithing.

Tanavoli's work has been auctioned around the world leading to overall sales of over $6.7 million dollars, making him the most expensive living Iranian artist. 

Ashley Hughes attends a special tea with this amazing artist to discuss possibilities and how to acquire nothingness.

You don't buy a yacht, you build one.

Citadel.  A place of refuge, safety.

I don't know about you, but the first thing I inquire about before I spend any lengthy time on a vessel is where my citadel is.

Another word you may know it by, panic room.

It is safe to say that if you are going to be on a luxury mega yacht, its best to assume the worlds wealthy are spending millions on specialized trained personnel, some even British SAS (SIS) / MI5 or 6.... and military-style James Bond technology.

A citadel is basically a hidden chamber on a vessel with food and water; telephones and radios; some even have toilets... basically the necessities for survival.

With no welding and minimal need for specialist equipment or training, the room offers ballistic and blast protection, smoke screen technology, and can keep a crew of 2-24 people safe for up to 5 days with ship to shore communication.

Even more extravagant is the "escape pod" - a submarine that is ready at all times to ferry those on board away to safety. The submarines are mostly used as a leisure addition on super yachts, but there are no denying the benefits of these dual purposed luxury items.

The Nautilus VAS Luxury Submersible is perfect for exploring and is a great escape if pirates are after you. The best part is you can listen to music on its stereo and use the minibar to fix yourself a dirty martini - shaken, not stirred. A steal for only $2.7 million, especially next to Paul Allen's 40 foot submersible. 

Ashley Hughes rests briefly after walking all around a megayacht. 

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Informed. International. Inspired.

From left to right: Greg Fabbro, Ashley Hughes and Chris Bamford at the Illuminismo Conversation Series in Vancouver for a presentation by Dr. Zbignew Brzezinski, Former US National Security Advisor.

People are always asking me about my travels and conversations with interesting people around the world. I actively seek out mentors and teachers to learn from along my journey. I also like to keep myself  educated with current events.

A perfect example of an informative evening was the time I was fortunate enough to attend a presentation by Dr. Zbigniew Brzezinski, former US National Security Advisor and National Security Advisor to Barack Obama, to address us at a $500 dollar per person event. Dr. Brzezinski was speaking for the Illuminismo Series from the Fraser Institute on the evening of Monday September 29th.

The Illuminismo Series invitation reveals the idea has its roots in the Age of Reason and reflects the radical intellectual upheaval of the 17th and 18th centuries when individuals, amidst newly emerging freedoms, used reason and scientific approach to inquire into the nature of knowledge.

The guests were invited by the Illuminismo Co-Chairs Hassan and Nezhat Khosrowshahi. The series has brought such speakers as Karl Rove, Richard Dawkins and Mark Steyn and brought Afghanistan's Fawzia Koofi to Vancouver in 2011.

en sof aur

http://www.fraserinstitute.org/

Dr. Zbigniew Brzezinski

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Upper Echelon, strategic and international studies

Overcoming fear of judgement

Ashley Hughes is never afraid of getting a little dirty, as long as it involves constant change and internal growth. Sowing seeds for my future.

Have you heard of ‘tall poppy syndrome’?

It’s that social tendency which sees high achievers – ‘tall poppies’ – as standing ‘above the crowd’ somehow; and it cuts them down to size. And if it’s taken root in your patch, it can make it tricky for you to strive. To grow. To dare to put yourself out there in the world and try your best at what you’re passionate about. For it can be a pretty potent motivator to stay small…safe…(silent, even).


Tall poppy syndrome (TPS) is a pejorative term primarily used to describe a social phenomenon in which people of genuine merit are resented, attacked, cut down, or criticised because their talents or achievements elevate them above or distinguish them from their peers. Basically, a tall poppy is a successful person or achiever who, as a result, is the target of jealousy and grudging remarks.


The goal is to make everyone the same, but the result is no one strives to be great or believes that change is possible.

I wouldn't want to be a part of a world where no one strives to be great...

Where the $%@^ are my moonbootins?

Send an Ash-tronaut to space!

As you can see, I have entered a contest. The link above will take you to the submission and "vote" screen. I need to get "likes".

First off, I am Ashley Hughes, and I am one of the Ash-tronauts. Ashlea Spitz and I have been training for our N-ASH-A (get it) space mission for over 2 years by rappelling down skyscrapers and hanging out in -110 degree ice saunas (colder than the atmosphere). We eat space food at our parties and listen to satellites and planets via radio telescopes, but with all of our education we also became aware about space debris. SPACE JUNK! Both of us are highly active in volunteering with the environment in our community but we won't stop at just earth. There are an estimated $300 billion dollars (US$) of space junk in lower earth orbit. Each time a satellite collides with another, hundreds of thousands of pieces of space junk, from paint chips to space stations, crowd our atmosphere. These particles will forever collide becoming smaller pieces, eventually maybe creating a ring around earth and inhibiting space exploration. Lets raise awareness for Space recycling and send an ashtronaut to space!

He, is most Noble.

Last night, our discussion was around a Nobel prize winner, and the world's dwindling supply of helium (He).

It’s the most Noble of gases, meaning it’s very stable and non-reactive for the most part. It is created by the radioactive decay of terrestrial rock and most of the world's reserves have been derived as a by-product from the extraction of natural gas.

Some stars show us the way

Both hydrogen and helium, the first two elements on the Periodic Table are very abundant in the universe (about 92 percent and about 8 percent of the atoms, respectively). Helium is rare on Earth while hydrogen is abundant. Helium does not combine with other atoms while hydrogen does. Hydrogen is one of the two elements that make water. Under standard conditions, there are no combined or molecular forms of helium. Helium is non-renewable and irreplaceable. Its properties are unique and unlike hydrocarbon fuels (natural gas or oil), there are no biosynthetic ways to make an alternative to helium. All should make better efforts to recycle it.

Helium plays a role in nuclear magnetic resonance, mass spectroscopy, welding, fiber optics and computer microchip production, among other technological applications. NASA used large amounts annually to pressurize space shuttle fuel tanks. Helium’s use in science is extremely broad, but its most important use is as a coolant. Liquid helium is vital for its use in cooling the superconducting magnets in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners. There is no substitute because no other substance has a lower boiling point. Helium is also vital in the manufacture of liquid crystal displays (LCDs) and fiber optics.


But as you may have gathered, I tend to dream big. A couple years ago, I was discussing mining helium from the moon with a colleague. It used to seem far fetched, but now that civilians are undergoing "vacations in the stratosphere", more frequently our conversations drift to mining on asteroids and the moon. Speaking of other planets, another place where helium occurs naturally is, of course, in the gas balls we call stars. Researchers think that the solar wind from our sun may have deposited some helium-3 on the moon’s surface. If we use that up too, we could look a little further, say Uranus or Neptune, which have helium-rich atmospheres.

“The moon is the El Dorado of helium-3,” says [futurist Marshall] Savage, and he’s right: Every star, including our sun, emits helium constantly. Implanted in the lunar soil by the solar wind, the all-important gas can be found on the moon by the bucketful. Associate professor Tim Swindle and his colleagues at the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory at the University of Arizona have already begun prospecting. Swindle has mapped likely helium-3 deposits on the moon by charting the parts of the lunar landscape most exposed to solar wind against the locations of mineral deposits that best trap the element. [Wired] 


Back on earth, due to America's push to sell off all of its helium reserves by 2015, Russia will be the world’s next major source of helium. Russia also has the world’s largest reserves of natural gas, where helium certainly exists. During the retrieval of natural gas, helium is secondary and much of it is wasted. Due to fracking, the helium is quenched (released into the atmosphere), and there is no chance to retrieve it once its gone.


DLA Energy just increased its helium orders from one firm, Dubai-based Global Gases, by 50 percent — from two million cubic feet to three million. Phil Kornbluth, an executive vice president with Global Gases supplier Matheson Gas, says it’s a substantial increase.
This post is dedicated to methanex, but more specifically Ken Vidalin. I am also going to mention Leo Hathaway, a geologist, just for FUN, silly. 

Be humble, for you are made of earth. Be noble, for you are made of stars.

Humans have always yearned to explore new lands; it would seem a sense of adventure is innate. I long to explore new lands, new cultures, new worlds.


Detection of another intelligent species would be the most profound event of our lifetimes, if not all of human history.

I have always been a big believer in SETI. If you are too, visit SETIstars.org today to help via private donations from the public. 

Some stars show you the way.

The world could use a few more heroes.

As you may be aware, one of my friends has a child who was born with a disability. I adore this little fellow, and have seen first hand all the obstacles he has had to overcome.  He has motivated me to do my part to raise awareness for a cause that really means a lot to me.

Ashley Hughes is dressed up as a super hero in Vancouver

It's the least I can do.

And here we go skyscraper rappelling...


To top it all off, we won best costume!

Seeing things from the lady's point of view.

A portrait of a lady: Ashley Hughes at Tucker's Point, Bermuda.

I once heard a quote along the lines of "what you see in others, lies within you". It is funny, that with those 8 words, I find myself repeating them whenever a less-than-positive thought crosses my mind about another. I find it helps me in my judgement making process. I look at people and situations a little differently, and it redirects my way of thinking. Walk a mile in another's (hopefully stylish) shoes, as you do not know what journey they have had.

Cambridge Beaches, Bermuda

* a lady like Ashley Hughes, leaves Vancouver to travel to places like Bermuda to observe their rain-water collection methods and use of solar power.

Dare to be different and overcome the odds.

* Portrait of a lady: Ashley Hughes and Sir Richard Branson In Vancouver BC.

Another favorite person of mine. The man that dares to dream. Sending civilians to the edge of our atmosphere, taking them to the depths of the ocean. I think he is a true leader, a visionary and I hope I can learn from this great teacher. Sir Richard Branson.

Off the beaten path.

* A portrait of a lady: Ashley Hughes, in Iceland at the Blue Lagoon. I went to Iceland on the inaugural flight of Icelandic air, from Seattle. (Vancouver is a couple hours drive from Seattle). I also went to check out their effective use of alternate energy, geothermal.

Do not be fearful of new places, or cultures. You never know what you may come across, or who you will meet. This has been a resounding lesson in my travels. Be daring, be bold. Fortune favors the brave.


ashley-hughes-vancouver-lady

Appreciation for the finer things.

* Portrait of a lady: Ashley Hughes, lounging lady-like at the Burj Al Arab, in Dubai.

Although it does not rank as high as appreciating mother nature, having knowledge about fine craftsmanship and attention to details is another skill-set. In addition to exploring natural wonders, I try to visit man made wonders as well. Masters of their craft. This photo was taken at my room in the world's only 7 star hotel, the Burj Al Arab, in Dubai.