Most of us have been stung by a bee, and most of us have found bees annoying as they buzz around our carefully packed lunch. For a minority of people with a severe allergy, bees can even be lethal. But without bees, humanity as we know it simply wouldn’t exist. That’s why researchers, climate scientists, and bee aficionados from around the world are scrambling to explain why the populations of bees and other...

Have you ever wondered why so many people prefer to buy fairly traded goods? The benefits of fair trade systems extend far and wide and aim to redress unethical or disadvantageous trading practices. Here we’ll walk through some of those key benefits. We’ll also cover some of the most common questions people have about fair trade. What products are fairly traded? Who promotes fair trade? Why is fair trade important? Let’s start with how the movement began in the first place. According to the

Soil carbon sequestration. You’d be forgiven for not knowing what that is. But as we currently stand face-to-face with the realities of global warming and on the precipice of an environmental apocalypse, this mouthful of a method could be key to decarbonising our world and reversing years of wilful damage. Regenerative agriculture, which has its focus on soil carbon sequestration, is gaining traction

Fairtrade Fortnight, which runs each year over February and March, is an initiative by the Fairtrade Foundation. The movement encourages people to swap non-fairly traded products with fairly-traded ones. Many of us already buy goods that are easily replaced with fairly-traded versions. Without too much impact on our wallets, these swaps go a long way toward enabling a fairer system of global trade. Here, we’ll look at the importance of Fairtrade and a few easy swaps you can make this coming Fa

It’s no secret that the world’s fish stocks are in a sorry state. Overfishing, trawling, ocean pollution and climate change have all led to a severe depletion in the number of fish in our oceans. Subsequently, the oxygen levels in our seas and waterways have also decreased. Some scientists have even speculated that by 2048 there will be no fish left at all.

When we think of Fairtrade, the first thing that often comes to mind is a farmer, producer, or artisan being paid a fair price for their product. But Fairtrade covers more than that. The organisation aims to ensure that workers have a decent living standard. And also that the greater community benefits from the unique goods they produce. Many sustainability schemes and initiatives focus their attention on the workers and producers. Fairtrade also runs supply chain interventions aimed at creati

Roam the internet’s endless pages on writing tips, online writing best practices, and search engine optimisation how-tos and you’ll find a common directive: Avoid the passive voice. Of course, the internet doesn’t hold a monopoly on Avoid Passive (to borrow a term from Stanford linguist Arnold Zwicky). We’ve been told to create active sentences and phrases for a long time. But where does this wisdom come

Amidst claims from purists that the online community is committing a collective English language genocide, some rather inventive language patterns champion the rights of writers and speakers to toy with a living language. Many of these new constructions and phrases, which fly in the face of “correct” English, are popularised by memes. Far from simple jokes, memes operate within a highly intertextual

The world has expanded and globalised rapidly in the last few decades, to the point that the integration of certain social aspects has started to be the norm. What this means is that things such as culture and languages are exchanged continuously within the international community. Languages particularly play a vital role in the exchange of information. In fact, multilingualism has never been as

In our previous post, we looked at the origins and the use of the word Brexit. We also remarked on the efficacy, or not, in the framing of the language used in the campaigns and debates around Brexit. There's been a lot of jargon used to sway opinion by politicians, the media, and everyday citizens on the street. In or out, remain or exit, stay or go–they are all very simple, but polarising and divisive terms.

Depending on your age, think back or ask a Gen Xer to reflect about experiences of communicating electronically in the early 1980s or 1990s. Obviously, we’ve come a long way since then in terms of technology. As naturally happens with language over time, there have also been shifts in how we describe what we do online. Does anyone ever say they’re going to look something up on the 'worldwide web' now?

English, like all languages, is riddled with twists, turns, and unexpected idiosyncrasies. Many of which trip up native speakers and second-language speakers alike. Prompted by a series of now-viral memes in which several women talk about how good it is to smell a man’s colon, we decided to delve into a few of the most common mistakes people make in English.

It is no secret that language can wield great power and impact. From metaphors that shape and influence our ideas to idioms that reflect our allegiance to a given community, our day-to-day speech is peppered with numerous communication strategies. Oftentimes, we are not even aware of our use of these tactics, they roll off our tongues like water off a duck’s back. One such strategy deeply

It’s official: buzzwords from cryptocurrency and the tech that drives it have been included in our dictionaries. These “new” words have made the leap from post-work conversations over drinks and water cooler chats to codification in our bastions of language. 2018 saw the Merriam-Webster dictionary add words and phrases such as blockchain and crypto to their pages.

Love it or hate it, English has become the world’s lingua franca* and its current position as a communication powerhouse is unlikely to change anytime soon. For this reason, most businesses online these days choose to have an English language version of their website available, even if the business is not from an English-speaking country. But with so many varieties of English to choose from, which one

What is all the fuss about the Oxford Comma? Such a small piece of punctuation has produced big debates in the world of writing – but why? Indie-pop band Vampire Weekend, in their song, Oxford comma, proclaim to the world that this tiny tick of a mark doesn’t matter. They feel so strongly about it that these are the opening lines:

Back in the heady days of dial-up connections and the early internet, a solid antivirus program was considered enough to protect your home or work PC from the handful of threats making the rounds. Fast forward 20 years and the “threat landscape”, to borrow from cybersecurity parlance, has shifted considerably. Yesteryear’s trojans and worms still exist, but they have been joined by an...

As the world struggles to contain the novel coronavirus outbreak, another insidious threat is on the rise. Cybercriminals are using the crisis to up the ante and cash in on COVID-19 in varying ways. Several leading media outlets have outlined how threat actors are adding to the “infodemic” by propagating and disseminating misinformation, selling counterfeit personal protective equipment, and running

Patients receive alerts on their smartphones when their glucose levels drop, doctors are notified if a patient misses a scheduled dose of medication, and apps can even help predict the onset of a major depressive episode. This is the world of the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT). Comprised of medical devices and applications linked to healthcare IT systems via WiFi, smart health devices eliminate some of the

"Talk about the return of the Anunnaki Gods” YouTuber MrMBB333 declares in his video, ‘Unreal! Two GIANT Men spotted nearby Giza Pyramids!’MrMBB333 tells viewers that he was perusing Google Earth by the pyramids in Cairo, Egypt when he stumbled upon the “giant” men in a street view photo. He then goes on to wonder if these giant men are the very same guys who built the pyramids. For this

Call it a battle brewing or a big storm on the horizon, the data collection, use, and distribution by Facebook Inc. seems to be reaching epic proportions. There is a power and control struggle going on that may involve you (if you are a Facebook user on any type of device). It almost certainly involves your government (whatever part of the world you live in). And, of course, the corporate governance team of

Food and food choices are cultural issues. It has been shown in many studies that the food choices we make are, in part, determined by things such as race, gender, and income. Whether we are aware of it or not, the factors that make up our identity directly impact the food we eat. Some of these factors are controllable, others aren’t. Some go a long way toward social privilege. What is social privilege and how does it impact on food choices? “Privilege” is a word that comes up a lot when we t

If you’ve been paying close attention to labels while shopping recently you may have spotted a new one. Circular labels have started popping up, announcing that the product is B-Corporation certified. So, what does this new-to-the-UK certification mean, and what are the aims of the B-Corp agency? B-Corp is a prestigious certification that’s challenging to achieve. It’s awarded to for-profit companies who meet the highest levels of sustainability, transparency and inclusivity. It’s for companie

Did you know that Brixton in South London has its own currency? The Brixton pound (B£) was initially launched in 2009 and there are now over 500,000 units in circulation. There’s even a dedicated B£ cash machine. The currency is accepted in more than 250 businesses across town. Is London’s only inner-city currency a novelty, or does it serve a useful purpose? What role does it play in creating a

In 2015, the New South Wales government in Australia released a series of anti-weed adverts aimed at teens. The ads depicted high teenagers as sloths. Not just metaphorically, but literally. In the videos the giant teen-sloths are dressed in clothes, are incapable of speech, moan pathetically, and variously fail at: talking at a party, passing the salt, and taking a test in class.

Depending on your age, think back or ask a Gen Xer to reflect about experiences of communicating electronically in the early 1980s or 1990s. Obviously, we’ve come a long way since then in terms of technology. As naturally happens with language over time, there have also been shifts in how we describe what we do online. Does anyone ever say they’re going to look something up on the 'worldwide web' now?

Amy Bottomley is a 30-year-old British woman who is “stuck” in Australia. As the parent of a half Australian child, she’s legally unable to leave the country with her son until he’s at least 18. She has no permanent residency visa and no work visa. Since she isn’t eligible for unemployment benefits either, she finds herself unable to independently support herself and her child, relying instead on financial help from

Dirty Dozen Special Guest diver and James Bond's new stuntman, Andy Torbet, will be joining us on our March 2012 expedition to Truk Lagoon. We caught up with Andy to chat about all things wreck and exploration.

A mere 240 kilometres (149 miles) across the Bass Strait from mainland Australia sits Tasmania. The island state of Tassie, as the locals affectionately call it, boasts some of Australia’s most breathtaking scenery, rugged views and intriguing wildlife. It’s little wonder since around 20 percent of the island is a World Heritage Area. Certain areas in Tasmania are inaccessible by vehicle so intrepid hikers will find

The Shearwater Teric is Shearwater’s first foray into a watch-sized dive computer. Don’t be fooled by its small size, the Teric is a full spec, no-nonsense technical dive computer that’s suitable for the most serious tech diver thanks to its many added extras. It has all the modes you want, including recreational and even freediving. Unlike some computers, the freediving mode hasn't been added in as an after-

The Puck Pro is Mares’ second generation Puck computer. First introduced back in 2008, the Puck impressed divers with its easy-to-use and intuitive interface. The Pro version builds upon this foundation while still maintaining a highly competitive price point.

BCD stands for buoyancy compensation device. These handy and essential bits of equipment allow a diver to offset their negative buoyancy by adding air from the tank to the BCD while underwater. They’re also essential on the surface for maintaining positive buoyancy. BCDs have come a long way since the old-school Fenzy collars which featured only an oral inflate function and a single air bladder

We all know that our oceans and marine life are being threatened by environmental issues. As ocean-loving individuals, there are small steps that we can take to do our bit. But not many of us will be able to have a huge impact, at least in terms of raising awareness. Luckily, some of our top female divers are able to do just that. In this article, we take a look at a few of the women who have used their successes to

July 21st marks PADI’s annual Women’s Dive Day. Inaugurated in 2015, the aim of the day is exactly as the name suggests; women from all over the world take to the oceans to celebrate female representation in a sport that has traditionally been a male-dominated one. Did you know that only around 30% of the world’s licensed divers are female? For such a popular sport it’s hard to get our heads around why

Have you ever had a wetsuit that fit you like a glove, was easy to put on, fast-drying, and all the seams stayed together year after year? That’s the gold standard of wetsuits and we think everyone deserves a scuba diving wetsuit like that. For that reason, we’ve compiled a list of 2019’s top wetsuits. All are from well-known brands renowned for their high-quality scuba diving equipment. But before we take

Without our scuba masks, we would be little more than blind explorers in the underwater world. A mask allows us to see all the magic of the reefs, wrecks, kelp forests, and creatures we are privileged to visit. The best scuba masks are comfortable and have a good field of vision. They should make it easy for the diver to pinch his or her nose to equalize, and they should be easily cleared of water

It’ll come as no surprise to you if you’ve been here before that Egypt has a bit of an issue with plastic garbage. In fact, the flying plastic bag was once dubbed ‘the national bird’. Egypt is certainly not alone in this problem but in a country where leaving the shop with your items in your hand can be considered uncouth, education on the environmental effects can go a long way.

In my household, “Hello Kitty” is what we call the YouTube Kids app. She named it after the first video that got her hooked. It was 2016 and “Hello Kitty” – the app experience, not the smiling cat – had been banned for more than a year, yet she still asked for it. Like many parents, I was enamored with YouTube Kids when I first discovered it. The app gave me so much: 30 minutes to cook dinner unhindered by

Amy Bottomley is a 30-year-old British woman who is “stuck” in Australia. As the parent of a half Australian child, she’s legally unable to leave the country with her son until he’s at least 18. She has no permanent residency visa and no work visa. Since she isn’t eligible for unemployment benefits either, she finds herself unable to independently support herself and her child, relying instead on financial help from

We live in a world where we are surrounded by media vying for our attention, all trying to convert us into buyers. We are so bombarded that consumer “ad fatigue” is a very real concern for food entrepreneurs. To spread the word about your delicious products and tasty offers, cutting through the noise can be a real challenge.

It is no secret that language can wield great power and impact. From metaphors that shape and influence our ideas to idioms that reflect our allegiance to a given community, our day-to-day speech is peppered with numerous communication strategies. Oftentimes, we are not even aware of our use of these tactics, they roll off our tongues like water off a duck’s back. One such strategy deeply