10 takeaways from a VR party with Google and the Guardian

Google's News Lab is working very closely on Daydream with the Guardian. We got an invite to Google HQ in London for a sneak peak at new projects. 

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If I Had To Do It All Over, I’d Choose Social Work (Again)!

I’ve always been proud to be a social worker - it’s a profession that embodies the very core of who I am and who I want to be. And with all of the difficult things going on worldwide, I find myself becoming more and more proud of my profession.

from The New Social Worker Online — the professional social work careers magazine http://ift.tt/2ohj4hM

Being Present: Social Work's Gift

What I have loved most about the positions I have held in clinics and agencies is being able to be present. The ability to be present is to be completely in the moment and to listen, really listen with your whole being; from your head to your toes.

from The New Social Worker Online — the professional social work careers magazine http://ift.tt/2nBJZ4X

Vancouver Votes to Ban Cetacean Captivity at City Aquarium

The Vancouver board of parks and recreation voted in early March to ban importation and cetacean captivity at Vancouver Aquarium. The vote came after two nights of debate and thousands of public submissions concerning the welfare of captive cetaceans. The ban on cetacean captivity will come into effect by amending a parks control bylaw in 2017.

Sarah Kirby-Yung, a commissioner who previously worked as a Vancouver Aquarium spokeswoman, commented that their job is to listen to the public, and that the historic vote to ban cetaceans at the aquarium was “the will of Vancouverites.” Crowds at the board’s meeting began singing Raffi’s “Baby Beluga” song when the vote was announced.

Chief Executive Officer of Vancouver Aquarium, Dr. John Nightingale, left the meeting before the vote and confirmed that the aquarium is deeply disappointed with the result. The ban will impact research at the aquarium and could impact the work of their marine mammal rescue center, he said. The center is the only one of its kind in Canada and may no longer be permitted to rescue injured or sick cetaceans.

Vancouver Aquarium Opposes Decision

Vancouver Aquarium had been undergoing a $100-million expansion, including plans to construct two larger whale pools. In February 2017, John Nightingale had announced the aquarium would discontinue its cetacean displays by 2029. The Association of Zoos and Aquariums has joined with Vancouver Aquarium to oppose the newly voted-upon, almost immediate ban.

Vancouverites have hotly debated the cetacean display at the Vancouver Aquarium for many years. The issue came to a head however after the aquarium’s two remaining beluga whales, Aurora and Qila, suffered unexplained deaths in November 2016. Protests, petitions and email campaigns have since targeted the parks and recreation board to ban whale displays.

There are three remaining cetaceans at Vancouver Aquarium. It’s unknown whether the bylaw amendment means they will remain there until their natural deaths or move to another aquarium. Aquarium staff will seek legal counsel before providing a report about the amendment and its enactment. Depending upon the result, the bylaw may take effect by May 15^th, 2017.

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Can we take back the term 'fake news'?

There is widespread discomfort in media circles over the catch-all term 'fake news', particularly when used to insult and provoke journalists and news organisations. So it was refreshing to hear Philip Howard, Professor of Internet Studies at Oxford Internet Institute label the misinformation as “Junk”.

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Informing Your Teaching Through Coffee Walkabouts: Micro Social Work Skills in Action

During coffee walkabouts, I hear concerns and worries, I get to know about people's lives, I get asked for advice, and I get to share a few laughs. It is amazing how people will open up when they don't sense you have to immediately be somewhere.

from The New Social Worker Online — the professional social work careers magazine http://ift.tt/2nCeJ7q

The Value of Social Policy Practice for Social Work Professionals

More resources need to be allocated to promote policy practice and integrate macro and micro levels in social work programs.

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Family of Conservationist and Filmmaker Rob Stewart Files Wrongful Death Lawsuit

The family of Canadian conservationist and filmmaker Rob Stewart filed a wrongful death lawsuit on March 28^th, 2017 at Broward County Circuit Court in Florida. The suit follows Stewart’s death during a dive off the Florida Keys in January 2017, and seeks unspecified damages.

Rob Stewart’s disappearance

Stewart, 37, died while filming “Sharkwater Extinction” at the Queen of Nassau wreck off the coast of Islamorada. Stewart came into difficulties during the day’s third dive to 229 feet (70 m) with dive organizer Peter Sotis. The men conducted the dive to retrieve the grappling hook on the wreck that marked the dive location. They were using rebreather equipment from Sotis’ company, Add Helium, and surfaced together with breathing difficulties. Stewart disappeared from the surface while the Pisces crew was giving oxygen to Sotis. The Coast Guard found Stewart’s body three days later, 300 feet (91 m) from its last known location at the surface. The discovery followed a multi-agency, 6,000-square-mile search.

Wrongful death lawsuit

The Stewart family’s attorney, Michael Haggard, has commented that the death “was a preventable tragedy that was going to happen to someone.” The lawsuit has claimed negligence and the defendants listed are Horizon Divers, Add Helium LLC and dive organizers Peter and Claudia Sotis.

Sotis has had previous legal issues. He was one of four defendants found guilty of a $300,000 jewelry heist in Fort Myers in 1991. He served approximately three years in prison because of that conviction. A recent lawsuit accused Sotis of providing military-grade scuba equipment to a Libyan militant in 2016 and selling non-certified compressed air tanks.

Sotis’ lawyer, Raymond Robin, has not yet commented on this latest lawsuit.

Haggard has stated the family “hopes the legal action will push out and/or change the ways of all irresponsibly operating diving businesses and help keep attention on Stewart’s mission of ocean conservation.”

Stewart’s 2006 documentary “Sharkwater” brought shark finning to the public’s attention and inspired conservationists worldwide. The film received 31 international awards. Stewart followed up with “Revolution,” a 2013 documentary about environmental collapse. There are plans for completion of “Sharkwater Extinction” as a tribute to Stewart’s work.

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Why Be a Social Worker? (Poetry)

Why be a social worker? A poem by Monique Smith, MSW student at the University of Texas at Arlington.

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Active Listening in Social Work: The Value and Rewards

Active listening and being fully present with others cannot be underestimated.  Every person has a story and every person wants to be heard.

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3 Factors to Consider When Choosing Window Treatments

There are many factors to consider when choosing which type of window treatment you’d like to get for your home. Here are three of them:

Image Source: Flickr

Style
Unlike many years ago, window coverings are available in a variety of different styles. Your choices include wood blinds, cellular shades, woven wood shades, pleated shades, shutters and draperies. While many people will choose the same wood blind or shade for every room in their house, that isn’t always the best idea.
A better idea is to consider what each room is being used for and then choose your window coverings based on that.
For example, bathrooms and bedrooms require more privacy then let’s say your kitchen. For those rooms you should look for coverings that room-darkening features. Not only will that help to block the sun on those summer mornings when you want to sleep in but the sun rises at 6 AM, but it will also block anyone from seeing into your room. Another benefit is that in the summer the room-darkening shades will block out the heat and the winter they will block out the cold. Source: SheBudgets

Budget
Are you outfitting just one window or the entire house? You may consider spending more on certain windows and scaling back on others. Window treatments are priced by size, so expect larger treatments to cost more. Custom sizes and specialty fabrics, patterns, and features also add to the cost. Source: GoodHousekeeping

Window’s Exposure
Windows that are facing towards the east or south can produce large amounts of heat and sunlight. This can cause furniture, carpeting and other areas of the home to fade if some level of sun blockage is not used. Source: AngiesList

Still haven’t decided? Contact us and we’ll be more than happy to help you out!

 

Contact:
Universal Blinds
601 – 1550 W. 10th Ave
Vancouver, V6J 1Z9, Canada
Phone: (604) 559-1988

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Progress Through Perseverance and Compassion (and a Little Bit of Butter)

While she was certainly a challenge, and not at all what I envisioned, Ms. B taught me that I should strive to enter any new client situation with perseverance, patience, compassion, empathy, and maybe a few emergency butter packets.

from The New Social Worker Online — the professional social work careers magazine http://ift.tt/2o0eAvF

Lots to love in Leslie Hindman’s April jewelry sale!

There’s nothing like spring. New leaves on the trees, flowers blooming everywhere, and – of course – April jewelry auctions!

Leslie Hindman’s got some truly fabulous pieces heading to the auction block, and we’re going to take a look at them here today. This auction isn’t happening until April 23-24th, so you have plenty of time to reflect upon these beauties and decide to make them yours.

Leslie Hindman Auctioneers’ jewelry specialist, Alex Eblen, was kind enough to chat with me about the April jewelry auction.

Continue reading Lots to love in Leslie Hindman’s April jewelry sale! at Diamonds in the Library.

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Cayman’s Coral Nurseries Thriving With Attention and TLC

Almost a year after they were established, Cayman’s coral nurseries are thriving under management by local dive operators, overseen by the Cayman Islands Department of Environment. Divetech, Ocean Frontiers and Sunset House, with assistance from Red Sail Sports, set up the nurseries on Earth Day 2016, and they’re tending the corals to kept them clean and thriving.

Cayman’s Coral Nurseries

The concept behind coral nurseries is to collect live corals from healthy reefs and install these fragments on coral trees made of PVC pipe and anchored to the sea bottom. The coral sits higher in the water column and the trees sway with the currents, giving the corals the best opportunity to feed on sea nutrients.

“These coral fragments show accelerated growth in open water and we can use these thriving corals to “seed” our local reefs,” said Steve Broadbelt, co-owner of Ocean Frontiers, which is overseeing the largest coral nursery.

“The coral fragments are looking great! Much better than we thought,” said Jerry Beaty, an advisor to the board for Sea of Change (SOC) the nonprofit helping the operators with funding and guidance.

Beaty and other (SOC) members got their first glimpse of new coral growth in December when they returned to Grand Cayman to hold another coral restoration clinic for dive staffers maintaining the nurseries.

“We’ve generated, easily, 700 feet of linear coral that we didn’t have in April when we set up the coral trees, and a lot of it has to do with the clarity of Cayman’s water. The coral really likes it and is doing very well,” he said.

Worldwide effects on coral reefs

Coral reefs worldwide are suffering because of climate change, ocean acidification, pollution and other stressors, so Cayman’s dive operators are committed to conservation and restoration.

“With what’s happening worldwide to our reefs, every piece of coral counts,” said a happy Lois Hatcher, who oversees Ocean Frontiers’ coral nursery. “Ninety percent of the fragments in our nursery are still attached and alive, even after the big storms that we’ve had.”

Hatcher has been involved in two successful coral restoration projects in Grand Cayman, including the Carnival Magic Reef Restoration Project that responded to damage done by a cruise ship anchor in George Town Harbor.

Restoration efforts in Grand Cayman

Ken Nedimyer, president of the Coral Restoration Foundation, and a consultant for Sea of Change, conducted classes about out-planting techniques, the next step in the restoration process. The clinic was held at Sunset House and classroom sessions were followed by a boat trip, courtesy of Red Sail Sports, to the Carnival Magic Reef Restoration site for hands on training.

“The Cayman operators have been great with the nurseries. Red Sail Sports provided a boat and crew to get our group out to the restoration site, everyone is involved,” said Beaty, who gives them all high marks for the project.  “I would like to see more information about the trees getting out to the local public because education is key in conservation.”

The dive operators are already using the coral nurseries to educate customers. At Ocean Frontiers divers can sign up for a coral nursery dive which includes a class room session on the coral restoration process followed by a dive at the nursery where they can help clean the trees.

“I give them a brief intro on the restoration program and explain why it’s important in light of everything threatening reefs today,” said Lois Hatcher, “We also go over coral etiquette – how not to disturb the coral fragments during the dive.”

Sunset House is also giving divers an opportunity to experience coral restoration up close. General Manager Keith Sahm: “We give them a full understanding of the program and then we take them out to the site where they help maintain the coral trees – we’ve got our 4th tree up now.”

Beaty and the Sea of Change team are impressed with the work done by Cayman’s dive operators – a 2016 grant helped establish the coral nurseries. The organization will visit in April to monitor progress and see what to expect in 2017.

By guest author Cayman Bottom Times

The Cayman Bottom Times is a news collaboration by five leading dive operators to promote the superb diving of the Cayman Islands, and keep the diving public informed of important developments and events. Divetech, Ocean Frontiers, Red Sail Sports and Sunset House in Grand Cayman, and the Southern Cross Club in Little Cayman, all members of the Cayman Islands Tourism Association, represent more than 100 years of solid experience in a destination that is recognized as the birthplace of recreational diving. With a unique combination of deep wall and shallow reef diving, several wrecks, and world-famous Stingray City, the Cayman Islands has cemented its place as the top diving destination in the Caribbean.

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How to Get Friend Referrals

Everyone loves Friend Referrals, we believe they are one of the best tools to attract new clients to your hair or beauty salon. In fact, 74% of women felt recommendation was the most important factor when choosing a hair salon. Moreover, clients who come via recommendation tend to be more loyal than those attracted by discounts or other promotions. 

So how can salons and spas harness this powerful word of mouth marketing among friends and family? How do you increase salon recommendations?

Feel Good
What makes a loyal client willing to recommend your salon to their inner circle sanctum? Make them feel good. Clients might forget what you said, forget what you did, but they will never forget how you made them feel. 

Ask yourself, how do your clients feel when they visit your salon? Do they look and feel fabulous as they leave? The desired outcome of every woman visiting a salon is to FEEL BEAUTIFUL. Focus on how to make guests feel and in turn your referral rate will increase. 

Trust
Trust is key to getting salon recommendations and fundamental to the success of implementing this marketing tool. Your clients must feel confident that if they recommend you, their friends will have that same great experience. 

Card Referral
A simple card referral system works excellent, it gives your clients something tangible to “pass on” to their friends.

Generous Rewards
Be generous with friend referral marketing incentives. Tempt and reward current clients to spread the word to their friends and family about how great your salon is. Calculate the dollar value a new salon guest is worth to your salon over the period of a year and mark your incentives accordingly.

Digital Promotion
Make sure you promote your salon friend referral system through your salon website somewhere prominent and via regular salon email campaigns.

Social Media Posts
Regularly advertise your salon friend referral to all of your followers via social media channels. 

Referral Rate
Measure results by tracking the number of new salon clients who come via recommendation to calculate your referral rate.

Now make it an incentive to do everything you can to primp, tease, and please every salon guest.

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Top New Cressi Gear for 2017

Spring has arrived, and with it, dive season for many of us. Manufacturers are rolling out plenty of drool-worthy new gear to entice us back into the water, and few have as many offerings as Italian manufacturer Cressi. We’ve picked our six favorite pieces of new Cressi gear for 2017 to help inspire your start-of-season splurges.

A dive computer that wears like a watch: The Goa

The new Goa dive computer wears much like an everyday watch, with a diameter of only 2 inches (48 mm) — think large wristwatch, rather than bulky dive computer. This means you can wear it not only on dive days, but in your day-to-day life as well. It comes in black and white, with a range of color accents to spice things up. It covers both freediving and scuba, with air and nitrogen options for the latter. Conveniently, it allows you to change between air and nitrox, and nitrox settings, during desaturation — something not all dive computers do, much to the frustration of liveaboard divers.

Retail price: around $399

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The light but heavy hitter: The Ace BCD

Cressi has long been known to make extremely solid and well-designed BCDs, and this new addition to the line-up is no exception. Ticking in at only a nudge over 7 pounds (3.1 kg) in weight, the Ace is a full-featured, lightweight BCD with a pretty impressive lift capacity of 42.7 pounds (19 kg). It features a back-inflation design, which means you get the comfort of a traditional BCD combined with the streamlined design of a wing-and-backplate. A great traveler, even for cold climates where you’ll be carrying extra weight, it will also work as your everyday BCD at home.

Retail price: $529.95

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A novel take on a regulator: AC10V/Cromo Master

The lightweight, high-performing warm-water AC10V/Cromo Master is a real beauty. But it takes trained eyes to spot its true merits: a novel design of the point where the second-stage hose meets the first stage. Rather than a traditional, fixed point, Cressi has mounted it on a rotating cuff, ensuring that the hose, and with it, the second stage, is always in the right position. Combined with very high breathing performance and easy switching between DIN and INT standards on the first stage, this is a great option for your next travel regulator.

Retail price: $449.95.

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The rental BCD: Start Pro 2.0

An affordable option, the Start Pro 2.0 is great for scuba-diving schools and dive centers renting out equipment, who want to offer a comfortable, easy-to-use BCD with top-of-the-line features without breaking the bank. Large, easy to read size indicators on the shoulder strap make it easy for the dive center to see what sizes are available in the gear room. Good lift capacity, comfortable design, and integrated-weight system makes this BCD a contender for the budget diver as well as dive centers.

Retail price: $329.95.

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The lightweight fin: Agua

The Agua is as classic Cressi as it gets: a lightweight, high-performance fin that will work for almost any diver, regardless of skill level or athletic prowess. The foot pocket features Cressi’s super-soft Self-Adjusting Foot Pocket, which ensures a snug, but never cramp-inducing, fit. This is a great warm-water fin for those who want performance, but don’t want to schlep the weight around to get it.

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The ultralight: Patrol BCD

For the traveling diver who does not want to pay overweight charges, Cressi introduces the Patrol. At an impressive 5.7 pounds (2.6 kg), it’s an extremely light BCD, but with sufficient lift capacity for most divers. It features back-inflation design, an integrated-weight system, and hard-wearing materials.

Suggested retail price: $399.95

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Tobermory: Canada’s Diving Capital

 

There’s something odd about the village of Tobermory. It’s about a four-hour drive north of Toronto, the last hour through typical Canadian bush: scrubby pines, heavy granite outcrops and sparse civilization. Nothing unusual there. Then you turn a final corner and, from out of the wilderness, you’re suddenly in a village that looks like a transplant from the New England coast. A tiny harbor filled with colorful boats abuts quaint shops lining the waterfront. Charming houses stack up on the hillside receding back from the docks. The only thing missing is a sign announcing your arrival in Bar Harbor or Mystic. 

Add to that topside charm some of the world’s best freshwater diving and it’s easy to understand Tobermory’s appeal. The town bills itself as the “Diving Capital of Canada,” which is not unreasonable given the seemingly tropical visibility: 80 feet (24 meters) is not uncommon. Picturesque rock formation and dozens of pristine wrecks dating from the 1800s and early 1900s fill these waters. The area between Lake Huron and Georgian Bay is peppered with reefs and subject to sudden and radical weather shifts. In the age of sailing, that meant Tobermory was a virtual ship graveyard. The whole area is part of Fathom Five National Marine Park so you need a dive tag to explore the wrecks ($5/day, $20/season).

What’s perhaps most remarkable about Tobermory is the wrecks’ condition. If you’ve been diving on mostly saltwater wrecks, you know that they slowly rust away to nothing. When I surfaced from my first-ever wreck dive here, I asked the skipper when the boat sank, thinking he’d say 10 or 20 years. “She went down in the late 1800s,” he said. I was stunned. The hull was intact. I’d just gone inside for a swim and the structure looked sound. The secret to that longevity lies in the one drawback to diving Tobermory — it’s cold. So cold, in fact, that wood just doesn’t rot. Hearty divers might get away with a semi-dry wetsuit, but to be truly comfortable you’ll want a drysuit. Expect 40 to 45 F (4 to 7 C) at depth year-around.

The park features over 20 dive-able wrecks, but below is a sampling of a few Tobermory favorites.

The Forest City

Forest City is arguably the area’s most advanced dive, as the stern sits in 150 feet (46 m) of water. The steam-driven cargo ship Forest City hit the side of Bear’s Rump Island in 1904 during a dense fog and slid back as it sank. The wreck now lies on the side of a steep wall. You’ll normally descend to the stern (up to recreational dive limits, unless you have the proper certification) and then turn around and begin a slow ascent up the length of the wreck. You’ll often pass through at least two thermoclines, where the normally clear, blue water turns a deep hunter green. The wreck is in decent shape at the stern, but as you climb it becomes more and more broken up.

The Arabia

The Arabia, a 130-foot schooner, is the jewel in the Tobermory crown. On October 5, 1884, it was hauling a load of corn between Chicago and Midland, Ontario. It began taking on water during a storm at the entrance of Georgian Bay and sank with no loss of life.  Ironically (and tragically), 11 divers have died on this wreck since it was discovered in 1971. This one is for advanced divers only. It’s deep at 110 feet (33 m) and there’s often a strong current. But if you’re up for a bit of a challenge, it’s an amazing dive. The bowsprit on the old ship looks eerily intact. Its anchor is still catted up tightly to the bow, and even the anchor chains are still draped casually around its winches and across the deck. Many of the railings are still in good shape for a ship that’s over 120 years old.  Parts of the Arabia are covered with a beard of fine, shaggy weed. The look suits the wreck, which seems like some old, dignified mariner who’s earned every wrinkle.

The Niagara II

This old lake freighter was cleaned up and intentionally sunk in 1999. The bridge of the 182-foot (55 m) wreck sits at about 60 feet (18 m), but if you get down and dig a hole in the sand you might hit 90 feet (27 m) at its keel. Start at the bow and swim toward the stern. This involves ducking down into the hold, a massive area with lots of escape holes cut for exits. Come up just underneath the bridge and swim up to the wheelhouse to warm up a little — the thermocline often cooperates with a 5-degree jump in the water temperature on the top deck. After exploring the wheelhouse, take time to swim to the smokestack and then descend into the engine room. Finally, explore the crew quarters until its time to surface.

The Caroline Rose

A 131-foot (40 m) schooner built in the 1940s, the Caroline Rose is in only about 50 feet (15 m) of water, which makes it popular with relatively inexperienced divers.  A group of divers towed the boat to its present location and sank it as an artificial reef in the 1990s.  And although winter storms have busted it up a little, this is still a worthwhile dive. The old wooden hull is split open and lying flat on the bottom, but there’s a lot of detail still to see. Parts of the railings are still intact and some of the machinery — winches and pieces of the engine — is scattered around. Even the propeller is still attached. Divers can sort through the smorgasbord of artifacts spread out on the cement mooring at the bottom of the descent line, but they’ve been placed there only to look at, so don’t get any ideas about souvenirs.

The Sweepstakes

The Sweepstakes offers one of the shallowest dives in the park and a beautiful example of how well preserved these ships are. The Sweepstakes, a schooner built in 1867, was damaged during a storm in 1885 a few miles from Tobermory. Hoping to save the ship, the crew towed it to Big Tub Harbor, but it sank anyway in the bay’s shallow water. The Sweepstakes sits in only about 30 feet (9 m), but the hull and many of the deck features are beautifully preserved — take note especially of the windless on the foredeck that almost looks as if its in working condition. Being so shallow, you’ll have lots of bottom time to explore the 119-foot wreck. Enter the forward and rear holds of the ship and have a look around. Wire mesh restricts free swimming around the hold to help keep the wreck in good shape. Photographers take note: the shallow depth and clear visibility make for excellent shooting opportunities.  The water is usually much warmer here than elsewhere in the park as well. If you’ve got time, swim over to the adjacent wreck, the City of Grand Rapids, for a look around.

The Tugs

This great shore dive is perfect for an afternoon dive after a morning on the charter boats.  Scattered around the mouth of Little Tub Harbor lie the wrecks of four small steam tugs. Per  , they are the Alice G, the Robert K, the John & Alex and one unidentified wreck. You can park right beside the entry point, and there’s a nice wooden deck with stairs leading into the water for easy access. The water is always clear, mostly warm compared to the rest of the park and the depth is only about 50 feet maximum (12 m). There’s a nice wall to explore between the two wrecks and you may even encounter the odd school of young trout. Take the time to look around the reeds in the shallower part of this dive for smaller bits of wreck debris scattered away from the main wrecks.

Big Tub Lighthouse Point

Big Tub Lighthouse Point is another interesting shore dive at the mouth of Big Tug Bay. It’s not a wreck dive, but there are some wonderful rock formations and undercuts, creating an atmosphere that’s almost cave-like on this wall dive. The depth is manageable at about 60 feet maximum (18 m), and there is fairly easy shore access. When you get to depth, turn left and head out around the point. There are some truly impressive boulders scattered around the bottom. Look for the abundant crayfish that live in among the rocks.

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World’s Press Calls on President Trump to Stop Targeting Media

International media leaders have signalled their deep concern with the US administration’s persistent attacks on the press by calling on US President Donald Trump to halt his ‘fake news’ accusations and to ensure White House briefings remain accessible to all media.

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WAN-IFRA Letter to President Trump, 27 March 2017

International media leaders have signalled their deep concern with the US administration’s persistent attacks on the press in a letter addressed to President Donald Trump.

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Introduction to Sipadan and Mabul

Sipadan Island has long featured on lists of top 10 dive destinations. And no wonder – the startling marine-life diversity on the island’s encircling reefs make every dive incredible. A more recent revelation is the equally spectacular macro diving around nearby Mabul Island. This is an ideal base from which to explore all the area dive sites, including Sipadan.

Sipadan and Mabul are part of Malaysia, lying just off the east coast of Malaysian Borneo. Sipadan is a seamount, a half-square mile of dense coconut palm groves and white-sand beaches. A coral reef, which grew over an extinct volcanic cone, surrounds the island.

In 2003, the Malaysian government designated the island and surrounding waters as a marine park, ordering the few resort operations on the island to leave. Because it is a protected area, the reefs around Sipadan have largely escaped damage from destructive fishing and development practices. These isolated, healthy reefs, surrounded by deep ocean, attract all manner of pelagics, plus lots of rays and turtles.

Mabul, on the other hand, has a human population. Other than the employees of a half-dozen or so dive shops and resorts, its population of 2,000 consists mostly of friendly sea-gypsy families living in wooden houses on stilts. Mabul has neither vehicles nor roads on its 240,000-square-yard surface — an area that sounds huge until you successfully walk from one side to the other in full scuba gear and bare feet. Visitors remove their shoes on arrival and only slip them back on when they leave. While divers know Sipadan for big walls and big creatures, they come to Mabul for diverse macro life.

This rare variety of marine life make Malaysian Borneo worth the arduous trip from the Americas and Europe. Plan to stay at least seven days – you’ll want to stay 70. Your reward will be sightings of whitetip sharks and (if you’re lucky) hammerheads, hawksbill and green turtles, reef and flamboyant cuttlefish, ornate ghost pipefish, frogfish, nudibranchs…pretty much any creature pictured on the pages of the iconic Reef Fish ID book.

How to get there

Sipadan and Mabul are in the Celebes Sea, smack dab in the middle of the famed Coral Triangle.

The remote location means getting there is a slog. The first step is to fly in to one of the regional travel hubs of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, or Bangkok, Thailand. From there, jump on a cheap AirAsia or Malaysian Airlines flight to Tawau, the main city in southern Malaysian Borneo. From Tawau it’s a 90-minute drive to Semporna, a gritty fishing town from which you can catch a boat to the outlying islands.

Area dive resorts and Semporna dive shops and hotels offer discounted or free transfers from the Tawau airport if you’ve booked in advance. A less-convenient option is to take a public bus into the town of Tawau, thereby traveling 12 miles (20 km) in the wrong direction, and switching to another public minivan to Semporna. This will add two or more hours to an already long journey. Instead of this headache, if you haven’t booked in advance, charm a fellow traveler into splitting the cost of a taxi.

Alternatively, fly to Kota Kinabalu, the capital of Malaysian state of Sabah, before making your way south to Semporna. This makes sense for travelers who first want to visit the orangutan sanctuary, take a river trip, climb Mount Kinabalu, or just see the rest of Malaysian Borneo before diving.

Once you arrive, Mabul, a mere 25-minute speedboat ride away from Sipadan, is a logical base from which to experience Sipadan as well as other area diving, including the thrilling macro diving around Mabul itself. Other options include high-end, all-inclusive resorts on nearby Kapalai or Pom Pom.

The diving

With very few exceptions, the diving is accessible to divers of all levels, from freshly-minted open-water divers to the most seasoned dive pros. The calm, comfortable conditions are ideal for underwater photographers and videographers as well. Visibility averages at least 60 feet (18 m). Temperatures range from 82-86 degrees F (28 to 30 C), so a 3 mm wetsuit will do fine for most divers. Strong currents are rare, except for certain sites like Barracuda Point on Sipadan and (less often) Lobster Wall on Mabul.

Most Sipadan dive sites are wall dives, bottoming out at what looks like infinity. If there is no current and the experience level of divers allows, guides often take groups into the blue for part of the dive, in search of hammerheads or other shy shark species. Along the walls and on top of the healthy reef, grey and whitetip reef sharks cast a curious eye. Hawksbill and green turtles snooze or nosh and bumphead parrotfish thunder by. Eagle rays perform their aerobatic shows, and a jumble of reef fish and corals make you feel like you’ve fallen into a kaleidoscope.

On Mabul and the near-dozen other nearby islands, macro is the name of the game. Many sites are sloping coral reefs to a sandy bottom at no more than 65 feet (19 m) or so. Unlikely as it may sound, it is extremely common to see frogfish, blue-ringed octopus, flamboyant cuttlefish, ornate ghost pipefish, crocodile flathead — sometimes all on the same dive, but almost certainly within a full day’s diving.

Where to stay and dive shops

Most divers eat, sleep and dive with a local dive shop. Mabul and the other islands don’t have much in the way of restaurants and bars that are not tied to a dive shop, though some resident sea gypsies run little shops under their homes, selling chips and cigarettes and knick-knack souvenirs. (Please don’t buy the shells, coral or other “souvenirs” from the sea.) The exception is Semporna, where some choose to stay for a few days so that they can more easily reach the dive sites in the northern islands of Sibuan, Matabuan, Mataking, and others.

Big John Scuba

As you might expect, Big John Scuba is run by a large Malaysian man called John. It’s a small, friendly shop that feels as though you’re diving and staying with a local family. BJ’s offers backpacker accommodation, meals, and a cozy atmosphere. Members of the dive staff, mostly locals, all have eagle eyes.

Scuba Junkie

Scuba Junkie has accommodation and dive shops both in Semporna and on Mabul. It’s an efficient, professional operation with a mix of Western and Malaysian staff. The shop is dedicated to marine conservation. Among other activities, it employs a conservation specialist, runs a turtle hatchery on Mabul, educates the local population about marine life and conservation, and organizes weekly beach cleanups.

Full disclosure: The author worked as a Scuba Junkie divemaster for six months. 

Sipadan Scuba

Sipadan Scuba is another responsible, well-run dive shop. Its biggest attraction is an Advanced Open Water PADI course that includes Sipadan dives.

Sipadan Water Village Resort

A slight step up from other options, Sipadan Water Village Resort on Mabul has some over-water bungalows, more luxurious decor, and a nice cocktail bar, which is open to non-guests as well.

By guest author Christina Koukkos

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Diving with a Dive Guide

Most divers enjoy diving with well-known buddies or a dive group in familiar surroundings. Although we may not need a guide on these dives, in unfamiliar waters, diving with a dive guide is always a good idea no matter who your buddies are. Dive guides know almost always know where to find those critters that are reliably in the same spot. Guides may even find the creatures that move around the site. Dive guides also help maintain everyone’s safety. To make your experience of diving with a dive guide as smooth and enjoyable as possible, here are a few tips for your consideration.

Prepare in advance

Safety is always the most important factor, and it begins with the buddy check and an overall gear check. Check for wear and tear, missing, broken or malfunctioning parts. This applies to rental gear as well as your own. If there are any problems, tell your guide before you leave for the dive so that you and your guide can fix any equipment issues. Doing all necessary checks and repairs before leaving for the site ensures that you have an uninterrupted, happy dive, and that your guide can continue their job on schedule.

Listen to the dive briefing

It is important to communicate properly with your guide, both before and during the dive. Listen attentively to the dive briefing, as it contains vital information about the dive site, what you’re likely to encounter, current weather and ocean conditions, approximate dive time and safety protocols. Guides will often cover hand signals during a briefing as well. If you’re rusty, your guide will be happy to review them with you.

Maintain good communication

The subject of hand signals brings us to our next topic — communication. Good skills in this area are vital for every dive. Your guide might try to grab your attention if they find something interesting. Many guides bang their tank or shine a light to attract you. They’ll use hand signals to let you know about marine life or to ask questions and give instructions. Staying aware of communication methods not only makes a dive more fun, but also keeps you safer. If there after any dangers or problems, your guide will swiftly let you know. Equally, if you have an issue, you must tell your guide so that they can assist you. To maintain good communication, make sure you’ve reviewed hand signals as mentioned above and stay close to your guide and pay attention to them.

Don’t be messy

Excited, vacationing divers can be a little messy, but un-stowed gear can obstruct walkways, and dangling, unruly hoses can trip up fellow divers on the boat or on land. Leaving equipment laying around can also result in damaged or misplaced gear. Being messy with your equipment both before and after a dive creates extra work for the dive guides, as they are responsible for keeping everything tidy and in order. Do your best to keep your gear together, tidily stowed, and of course, washed, rinsed and put away after the dive.

Follow the leader

Be sure to follow your guide during the dive. Don’t fall too far behind or go ahead of the guide. They are there to lead you around the dive site, and cannot do so properly if you are ahead. They also struggle to see and keep an eye on you if you lag too far behind, so try to stay within reasonable eyesight of your guide. This will help to prevent divers from getting lost or separated from the group. Your safety and enjoyment are the guide’s priority, but if you can’t see them, they can’t see you. Check every few minutes where, in relation to yourself, your guide is. That way you’ll remain nearby should they call you over to look at an awesome creature.

Be mindful of yourself

Respect for the environment is just as important as manners towards marine animals. Make sure you know where you are in relation to your environment, and ensure that none of your equipment is hanging too far from your body, such as hoses, alternates and other accessories. These can accidentally damage coral or become stuck. Also, do your best to maintain good buoyancy. Your dive guide should lead you around areas that will cause the least disturbance to the marine environment, so do your best to follow while maintaining awareness for yourself.

Respect the marine life

Close to almost every diver’s heart is respect for the sea and marine life. Part of your dive guide’s job is to teach respect for this environment, and to protect it while showing it to you. Respecting and protecting marine life is something all divers should aspire to, so this is not purely exceptional to diving with a dive guide. Do not touch, chase, scare or harass critters in any way. Guides should make this rule clear in their briefing and enforce it underwater. If your guide touches marine life to elicit a reaction, address the situation when you surface. Make it known that you’re not okay with the behavior.

Conserve and protect

Finally, as divers, we have a responsibility to the marine environment. Do your part to keep it clean and safe for the creatures that live within it. Many guides carry a mesh bag on dives to pick up trash and debris; consider doing the same when you dive. If you discover something that’s too big or too dangerous to remove, note where you spotted it and point it out to your dive guide. That way he or she can help take care of it later.

By guest author Lauren Feather

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Original Wyland Tank Up for Auction

 

If you haven’t been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard of the renowned artist Wyland. Over the decades, his artwork has inspired environmental awareness and conservation, specifically as it relates to the marine world. His art encompasses many mediums, from photography to sculpture, from jewelry to massive murals. An environmentalist for decades, Wyland created  The Wyland Foundation  to give children the necessary tools to nourish their creativity while learning the importance of healthy oceans and waterways. The foundation strives to inspire and empower children to become stewards of our world through education, public projects, and community events.

During DEMA, last year, Wyland was hard at work at the Sherwood Scuba booth. He brought with him an octopus statue and his boundless creativity. Right there on site, he painted one of the Sherwood tanks with a blazing red octopus. From that original painting, Sherwood Scuba has created 250 cylinders with the lithograph of Wyland’s work. They’re available for sale at dive retailers across North America for $270 USD ($365 CAD) and the proceeds of every sale will go back to the non-profit Wyland Foundation.

But if you’d like the original tank, you’re in luck — it’s up for auction right now on eBay. One hundred percent of the proceeds of the tank auction, along with the table he used to paint the tank, will go to the Wyland Foundation. But you’d better hurry, the auction ends on Monday, March 27, at 9 a.m. PST.

Regardless of whether you bid on the original, buy a lithograph tank, or just want to admire the artwork, there’s a good chance that Wyland will be back at DEMA this year to produce another one of his works of art on a new Sherwood tank.

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Press Release: Clorox Healthcare and CME partner to help hospitals in the fight against HAI's

WARWICK, R.I. - Hospital acquired infections (HAI) exact a heavy toll on health care institutions. Each year, approximately 722,000 patients acquire a HAI resulting in extended hospital stays, readmissions, and, in over 10% of the cases, death.

In their efforts to address more effective practices in hospital disinfection procedures, Clorox Healthcare and CME have partnered to bring the Clorox Healthcare Optimum-UV System to healthcare facilities across the country.

“Studies have shown that half of the environmental surfaces in a typical hospital operating or patient room may not be effectively disinfected, enabling the transmission of dangerous pathogens,” said KC Meleski, National Sales Manager for CME. “Which is why we are really excited that Clorox Healthcare chose us to be their hospital system partner offering their Optimum-UV System.”

The Clorox HealthcareTM Optimum-UVTM System utilizes powerful UV-C technology to inactivate pathogens, including C. difficile and MRSA. It achieves 99.992% of C. difficile reduction in 5 minutes at 8 feet. The system is easy to maneuver and is built with efficiency and safety in mind. It can be wheeled into a room or surgical suite after routine cleaning is performed. The four 62-inch UVC bulbs embedded in the system are designed to maximize disinfection of all surfaces in its direct line of sight. The room may be occupied immediately after the system performs its treatment cycle.

“With the added impact of CMS penalties for high rates of HAI, which resulted in 769 hospitals experiencing a cut in fiscal 2017 Medicare funding, hospitals can see immediate ROI with the Clorox Optimum-UV System,” added Meleski. “We hope that our relationships with thousands of healthcare facilities nationwide will contribute to drastically reducing the amount of C. difficile, MRSA and other HAIs that have proven to be a persistent adversary in hospital sanitation.”

Clorox Healthcare markets some of the most trusted and recognized brand names for infection control, including the Optimum-UV System. Clorox products are fast-acting, EPA-registered, cleaner disinfectants intended for use by healthcare personnel on environmental surfaces and medical equipment to help reduce the spread of pathogens that cause hospital-acquired infections (HAIs).

ABOUT CME - CME, formerly Claflin Medical Equipment, Hospital Associates & RSI, is a comprehensive healthcare equipment and turn-key logistics company providing personalized support and service. With branches nationwide that offer more than 1 million medical products from over 1,400 manufacturers, CME works to be a hospital system’s cradle-to-grave solution providing product selection, procurement, warehousing, assembly, staging, direct-to-site delivery, installation, and biomed services for their equipment.

Interested in sharing the PDF document of this press release? Download the document here.

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PADI Sold For $700 million USD

The Wall Street Journal on March 21 reported that Providence Equity, which has owned PADI, the world’s largest scuba-certifying agency, since 2015 has sold the company for an estimated $700 million USD. This amounts to a more-than-tripled initial investment over those few years.

It is understood that the new owners are a consortium which purchased PADI via a holding company called Mandarinfish Holding. The Wall Street Journal reported that the interested buyers were drawn by PADI’s efforts to promote marine conservation, a point one could argue that PADI does not do enough of, but that’s another story all together.

There was a report back in November 2016 in Bloomberg that Providence Equity was looking to sell PADI with an estimated valuation of the business at around 1 billion.

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What to do when a ring is stuck on your finger.

Today, we’re going to talk about an un-glamorous situation that almost every jewelry lover has encountered: what to do when a ring is stuck on your finger.

Ideally, we’d all be perfect, sweat-free unicorn humans who never get overheated or swollen anywhere, but that’s just not real life.

The next time you get that sinking feeling that your finger bling just isn’t going to come off, don’t worry. Here are some tips and tricks you can try at home, and what to expect if you do end up needing to have the ring cut off of you.

Continue reading What to do when a ring is stuck on your finger. at Diamonds in the Library.

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SeaLife Introduces New DC2000 Sea Dragon Camera Sets

 

           DC2000 Pro Flash

Three new SeaLife camera sets combine the DC2000 camera with a light, strobe (or both), which yields impressive underwater imaging results. New sets include the DC2000 Pro Light with the Sea Dragon 2500 COB LED light; DC2000 Pro Flash, which includes the Sea Dragon Flash; and DC2000 Pro Duo, which includes the Sea Dragon Flash and new Sea Dragon 2300 Auto LED Light.

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The DC2000 Pro Light

The DC2000 Pro Light includes the new DC2000 camera and bright Sea Dragon 2500 COB LED light, which helps bring out stunning underwater colors in your stills and video with a high CRI (color rendering index). Prolific videographers will find the set especially attractive, and still photographers will be well taken care of with the 2500-lumen light.  The DC2000 Pro Flash includes the DC2000 camera and Sea Dragon Flash, which also produces rich, vibrant images. Both sets include a Flex-Connect Grip and Single Tray.   

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The DC2000 Pro Duo

SeaLife’s most versatile set, the DC2000 Pro Duo, comes equipped with the new Sea Dragon 2300 Auto light, Sea Dragon Flash, two Flex-Connect Grips and a Dual Tray. There are also two single trays in case the user wants to use just a light or strobe. The new Sea Dragon 2300 Auto light features 2300 true lumens of brightness across a wide 100-degree beam angle. The Sea Dragon 2300 Auto features an Auto Bright Mode that automatically regulates brightness based on the proximity between the light and object from 2300 to 230 lumens.

 Users can easily override the feature by selecting a brightness level of 100 percent, 50 percent, or 25 percent through the main control button. The 2300 Auto also offers the unique “Auto Flash Detect” mode, which powers off the light for two seconds when an external flash is detected. Powered by a rechargeable 7.4 lithium-ion battery, the light burns for a full hour at 100 percent power at constant brightness. Combined with the Sea Dragon Flash and DC2000, the DC2000 Pro Duo is SeaLife’s most versatile set yet.

All three sets are depth rated to 200 feet (60 m) and can users can easily expand them with either Sea Dragon or other brands of lights and SeaLife’s Flex-Connect accessories.

SeaLife’s DC2000 can produce sharp stills in JPEG or RAW image formats and full HD 1080p videos. Users can choose from eight modes, which include manual shutter and aperture control from f1.8 to f11 in 17 stops. The inner camera has a built-in flash and is depth rated to 60 feet (18 m). The included housing includes a flash-link adapter that easily syncs an external flash to the camera. With the protective underwater housing, the camera is depth rated to 200 feet (60 m).

The SeaLife DC2000 camera runs $699.95. The Sea Dragon Pro Flash set is $995.95; the Sea Dragon 2500 LED Light set is $1,099.95; and the SeaLife Pro Duo including the Sea Dragon Flash and Sea Dragon 2300 LED Auto Light is $1,399.95.

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