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Award lifts tourism image
Posted On 09/07/2007 20:41:33
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BEING given the Best Destination award by international accommodation
provider Hotel.com is a welcome boost in promoting Fiji's image
overseas, says Visitors Bureau chairman, Patrick Wong.
Mr
Wong said the award would give mileage to Fiji as a destination. He
said all employees and employers in the hotel sector should be
congratulated.
"They play a huge role," said Mr Wong.
Fiji
Islands Hotel and Tourism Association president, Dixon Seeto said the
award would help market Fiji. However, he said Fiji still needed a
widespread marketing campaign.
Fiji was voted Best Destination
by consumers in the Oceanic region, representing Australia, New
Zealand, and the Pacific Islands.
Each year, travellers from
around the globe are invited to cast their vote in the HotelClub Hotel
Awards, which recognise the industry's best hotels and resorts,
airlines and travel destinations.
In a statement, Chloe Lim, the
managing director of HotelClub.com said the awards were significant
because they gave the industry the most accurate picture possible of
what consumers wanted.
"HotelClub.com recognises the powerful voice of consumers in making their travel and accommodation decisions, "she said.
"In
today's online world, consumers are demanding their opinions be heard
through a variety of mediums including blogs, chat rooms and the like
and the awards are a true interpretation of what travellers are looking
for in hotels and travel providers."
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SeaLife Introduces NEW Mini Wide Angle Lens
Posted On 09/02/2007 18:36:54
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SeaLife Introduces NEW Mini Wide Angle Lens
July 3, 2007 - SeaLife will begin shipping its new Mini Wide Angle lens (item SL973) this week. The
Advanced
The new Mini Wide Angle lens increases the camera’s viewing angle by 43%. It also allows close-up picture from 12” to infinity. This is a must-have lens for taking great underwater pictures with the SeaLife mini series of cameras. The lens also completes the expandable system for the mini series of cameras. With a retail of only $79.95, the lens will make the ReefMaster and ECOshot the most affordable 6mp Dive camera system that can be expanded. For
In
For
Mini Wide Angle Lens Specifications · 0.45X conversion lens increases shooting angle by 43% (from 35º to 50º) · Easily snaps on and off underwater · Sharp focus from 12” (30cm) to infinity · Fully-multi coated optical glass · Waterproof to 200’ (60m) · Includes neoprene lens covers, storage case and safety lanyard · Super compact lens for SeaLife ReefMaster Mini (SL320) and ECOshot (SL321) digital cameras
Impressive new accessory for popular SeaLife product to be available in dive stores shortly.
Mini Wide Angle Lens is specially designed to fit the hot-selling line
of mini series cameras - the ReefMaster Mini (SL320) and ECOshot (SL321)
photographers know how important it is to get close to your subject
“The closer the better”, says Joe Wysocki, Owner of Optiquatics which
runs underwater photography trips out of Malibu, California. “A wide angle lens allows you to fit the subject into the picture, while maintaining a close-up shooting distance”
under $600, consumers can get the ReefMaster Mini ProSet (SL325) and
the Mini Wide Angle Lens (SL973) and have a fantastic underwater system
which includes SeaLife’s Land & Sea Exposure modes with True Color
correction in both Sea mode and Video for more vivid, realistic colors.
anticipation of the arrival of the new lens, we are running a special
promotion that allows the dealer to receive a FREE Mini Wide Angle Lens
whenever they purchase two of the mini series of cameras.
more information on the Mini Wide Angle Lens and the SeaLife 2 for 1
Promotion, contact your territory sales rep or SeaLife customer service
@ 856 866-9191.
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Too Precious to Wear - Corals At Risk
Posted On 09/02/2007 18:35:54
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Too Precious to Wear - Corals At Risk
Trade protection for precious red
corals reversed by secret ballot
Over
the past several years, the popularity of precious corals for jewelry,
fashion, and décor has permeated markets from Asia and Europe to the
United States. Such strong consumer interest threatens coral reefs, yet
offers a unique opportunity for us to play a role in saving them.
The
corals that make up reefs around the world are living animals that
provide marine species with food, fertile grounds for reproduction, and
a safe haven from predators. Coral reefs host the most diverse array of
species of any ecosystem in the ocean. Although they cover less than 1%
of the ocean floor, these reefs are home to more than 25% of all
species in the sea. Because of their longevity – some reefs may be
40,000 years old – they record changes in the environment, making them
archives for the ocean’s history. And modern medicine is exploring how
corals might cure diseases and save lives.
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Underwater Photography - Why I love my Focus Light!
Posted On 07/16/2007 18:37:26
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By Brad Brown
"I
first fell in love with my focus light on a clear star(fish) filled
night in Indonesia. Earlier that day, with the assistance of my light,
I’d managed to photograph orange pygmy seahorses, ornamental ghost pipefish
and a myriad other macro critters I'd anticipated seeing on this first
trip to Lembeh Strait. It wasn’t until that night though that I came to
the realization that my focus light and I were going to become
inseparable. Several minutes into the dive I spotted my subject: a flamboyant cuttlefish. I subdued my excitement and focused (literally) on the task.
After
getting down low, made a few camera adjustments and fired away. The
brilliant flash of the strobe, normally especially apparent at night,
was absent. All thoughts of the perfect cuttlefish shot were thrown out
as I began to consider the possibilities. Did I flood my housing? The
moisture sensor was not blinking. On a hunch I decided to raise the ISO
setting on my digital SLR from 100 to 400 and shoot again. A very dim
review image appeared on the LCD. It became apparent that the camera
was functioning fine. The strobes were simply not firing. That night my
focus light was doing double duty as my primary dive light. I
subsequently found that if I adjusted my ISO to 800 and moved very
close the subject I could capture marginally passable images by focus
light illumination alone.
Imagine the frustration I would have had to endure had I not been able to photograph the second Flamboyant Cuttlefish I
encountered later that evening. Post-dive I discovered I had not
properly seated the strobe connector to the camera hot shoe. The
strobes had not been receiving the signal to fire."
Backscatter Underwater Photography - Why I love my Focus Light!:
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OceanNEnvironment
Posted On 07/16/2007 18:36:41
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OceanNEnvironment only undertake projects that yield measurable goals and objectives.
-
The single MOST important reason why coral reefs are
dying is that there are too many people on this planet. We believe that
if the focuses of our conservation efforts are directed to benefit the
local people, like feeding them, or providing them with resources to
benefit from the eco - tourism, the reef will save itself. - If
long-term conservation is to take place - it is dependent on our
capacity to persuade local people that they will be ‘better off’
protecting the natural system than degrading it, by creation of markets
for goods and services in an environmentally manner. - If local people gain from sustainable use of the coral reef through
tourism, they will protect this asset and may even invest future
resources into it. Marine parks and reserves cannot survive without the
support of the local people. - We
believe that understanding, appreciation and love begets preservation
and protection people can only protect and preserve what they love
therefore it is important that they have affinity and connection to the
environment. In this aspect OceanNEnvironment actively support marine research and educational programs with financial grants
See : OceanNEnvironment
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Seeds from Salt-Tolerant Plant a Promising Source of Biodiesel
Posted On 07/13/2007 15:26:48
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University of Delaware Researcher Says Seeds from Salt-Tolerant Plant a Promising Source of Biodiesel
July 10, 2007 — By Randall Chase, Associated Press
LEWES, Del. -- John Gallagher pinches a pod from the long-stemmed plant
in the greenhouse next to his office, cracks it open and pops the
BB-sized seeds into his mouth.
"They're not going to compete with peanuts, but they're good," said Gallagher, a University of Delaware researcher.
While the seashore mallow might be handy for a quick snack, the
sturdy plant has provided Gallagher food for thought in addressing a
smorgasbord of environmental problems, from global warming to the
disappearance of coastal farmland.
Gallagher, a marine biosciences professor, says the seeds are a
promising source of biodiesel, with an oil composition similar to that
of soybeans and cottonseed.
Unlike soybeans and corn, which require annual plantings to
feed the growing appetite for biofuels, the pink-flowered seashore
mallow is both a perennial and a halophyte, or salt-tolerant plant,
that grows in areas where other crops can't.
"You don't have to divert land that is presently used for
producing food and feed to the process of making biodiesel," said
Gallagher, who runs the university's Halophyte Biotechnology Center
with his wife and fellow researcher, Denise Seliskar.
With the threat of sea water encroaching on farmland and
coastal aquifers because of global warming, Gallagher believes the
seashore mallow could help preserve the economic value of arable land
transitioning to marshland.
The meal left over after oil is extracted from mallow seeds has
enough protein to be used for animal feed, while the stems have
potential for use in cellulosic ethanol, Gallagher said. The roots of
the plant could be used to make industrial gum.
"It's almost like the pig of the vegetable world; you can use
everything but the squeal," Gallagher said, noting that the roots
sequester carbon from the atmosphere, making the plant a carbon-neutral
source of energy.
Dan Soeder, a U.S. Geological Survey hydrologist studying
saltwater intrusion in coastal areas, is among those intrigued by
Gallagher's research on the mallow as biofuel.
"I don't know if it's going to be the cure for all evils, but
it certainly fills a niche," Soeder said. "It's a biofuel crop that
you're growing without tying up agricultural land."
While more than 20 countries are involved in saltwater
agriculture projects for food crops, the idea of using halophytes as
biomass for fuel is a recent development, said Dennis Bushnell, chief
scientist at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va.
"This is a revolution for agriculture as well as for energy,"
said Bushnell, who has been advocating the use of halophytes as fuel
sources for more than a decade but has been unable to generate much
interest among federal agencies.
According to Bushnell, some 250 halophytes are potential food
staple crops, while thousands more might be available as fuel biomass.
Gallagher and Seliskar are tending a 2 1/2-acre plot of
seashore mallow planted last year at the edge of a farm in Sussex
County. While that crop is planted on conventional farmland, plans are
in the works for an experimental plot in saline soil elsewhere.
Seed yield would need to be improved before the mallow can be
commercialized for biodiesel purposes, but Gallagher and his colleagues
say selective breeding, tissue culturing and genetic engineering could
improve the crop potential of the plant, which is native to salt
marshes stretching from the Gulf of Mexico to the mid-Atlantic coast.
------
On the Net:
Halophyte Biotechnology Center: http://www.ocean.udel.edu/halophyte/hbc.htm
Source: Associated Press
http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=13107
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