New for 2016, this book has more photos, more info and new sites in Yap and Palau. The amazing Palau Rock Islands and the dropoffs, large schools of fish, big, colorful corals and extreme natural beauty make this a must-see destination. From WWII shipwrecks to big bull sharks, Palau has it all. Blue Corner may be the best dive site in the world. Not to be missed. Its neighbor, traditional Yap... the Land of Stone Money, offers divers manta rays, mandarinfish and lots of reef sharks. Clear waters and beautiful southern dropoffs and a laid back lifestyle make this a real Micronesian gem.
Diving & Snorkeling Guide to Palau & Yap New for 2016 with new images, information on the outer atolls and updated dive site information. These two western Micronesian islands hold possibly the best diving sites in Micronesia and the Pacific. Palau has been described as one of the world’s underwater wonders. Yap is said to be the most culturally intact isle in the region. Both offer stunning natural beauty, encounters with big ocean marine life like sharks and manta rays and amazing coral gardens. This guide is intended to bring to the diver the most popular and unique dive sites of Palau and Yap in the northwestern Pacific Ocean. They are known for their wide array of beautiful hard corals, variety of fish and amazing dropoffs. Plus, there are numerous World War remnants in Palau. There are over 130 full color images and island maps. Approximate dive positions are shown on maps and each site is introduced with general location, most frequently dived depths, type of dive that can be expected, the dominant marine life and the logistical requirements. The author is internationally published marine photojournalist Tim Rock, who has lived in Micronesia for three decades.
Palau is one of the world's underwater wonders and Yap is both the most culturally intact isle in the region and a worthy diving and snorkeling mecca in its own right. This guide is new for 2016, with new images, more information on the outer atolls and updated dive site information. These two western Micronesian islands together offer the best diving in the Western Pacific. Both have stunning natural beauty, fabulous coral gardens and guaranteed encounters with big ocean marine life like sharks and manta rays. This guide introduces you to the most popular and sites of Palau and Yap, as well as some unique and more remote sites that are rarely visited. Although the islands are famous for their wide array of beautiful hard corals, abundance of marine life and big fish dives, there is also some great shipwreck diving in Palau. This new book has over 130 full color images and island maps. Dive-site locations are shown on maps and each site is introduced with general location, most frequently dived depths, the type of dive that can be expected, the dominant marine life to be found and logistical requirements. And it is not only about diving. There is lots to do on land in both islands and Yap, especially, is a fascinating cultural oasis, where life still goes on much as it has for centuries. And the people are incredibly welcoming! In short, this is everything you need to get the most out of your trip to Palau and Yap and also makes for a terrific souvenir of your visit.
An unforgettable portrait of individuals who hope, struggle, and grow along a single street cutting through the heart of Shanghai, from one of the most acclaimed broadcast journalists reporting on China. Modern Shanghai: a global city in the midst of a renaissance, where dreamers arrive each day to partake in a mad torrent of capital, ideas, and opportunity. Marketplace’s Rob Schmitz is one of them. He immerses himself in his neighborhood, forging deep relationships with ordinary people who see in the city’s sleek skyline a brighter future, and a chance to rewrite their destinies. There’s Zhao, whose path from factory floor to shopkeeper is sidetracked by her desperate measures to ensure a better future for her sons. Down the street lives Auntie Fu, a fervent capitalist forever trying to improve herself with religion and get-rich-quick schemes while keeping her skeptical husband at bay. Up a flight of stairs, musician and café owner CK sets up shop to attract young dreamers like himself, but learns he’s searching for something more. As Schmitz becomes more involved in their lives, he makes surprising discoveries which untangle the complexities of modern China: A mysterious box of letters that serve as a portal to a family’s—and country’s—dark past, and an abandoned neighborhood where fates have been violently altered by unchecked power and greed. A tale of 21st-century China, Street of Eternal Happiness profiles China’s distinct generations through multifaceted characters who illuminate an enlightening, humorous, and at times heartrending journey along the winding road to the Chinese Dream. Each story adds another layer of humanity and texture to modern China, a tapestry also woven with Schmitz’s insight as a foreign correspondent. The result is an intimate and surprising portrait that dispenses with the tired stereotypes of a country we think we know, immersing us instead in the vivid stories of the people who make up one of the world’s most captivating cities.
This is a new edition of the classic textbook on marine protected area (MPA) management in the tropics, originally produced as an output of the Bali World Parks Congress in 1982. Approaches to planning and managing MPAs have evolved considerably. Major advances include innovative financing mechanisms, partnerships with the private sector and NGOs, and collaborative management between government and coastal communities. These advances have brought new approaches for MPA establishment and management that are more participatory, involving communities through interaction and collaboration rather than prescription. With new case studies and illustrations, the guide comes in a water-resistant cover for field use. It is intended for those who plan individual and/or national MPA systems and gives philosophical context for MPAs along with some basic principles and approaches.
Maverick, innovator, entrepreneur, environmentalist and sheer force of nature, Francis Toribiong would have been a unique and significant individual no matter where in the world he was born. As it turned out, he was born in the island nation of Palau in the Western Pacific at just the right time to apply his special set of skills and attributes to the task of helping his country find its place in the world. In the 1980s and 1990s, he arguably did more than anyone to build Palau’s economy and help it develop into an independent, forward-looking nation. And, improbably, he achieved this via the sport of scuba diving. Francis Toribiong is a Pacific Islander like no other. He is the father of Palau tourism, a scuba diving pioneer, and an effective, tireless ambassador for both his country and its abundant marine and land resources. He was born poor and had no academic leanings. Yet he was driven to succeed by a combination of duty, faith, a deep-seated determination to do the right thing and an absolute refusal ever to compromise his values. For his whole life, he has been a devoted friend to strangers and an implacable opponent to anybody who, through malevolence or negligence, threatens Palau’s considerable natural treasures. He has also been the perfect host to generations of scuba divers from all over the world, who have visited Palau to see those treasures for themselves. And, as well as all that, he was Palau’s first ever parachutist – known throughout the islands as the Palauan who fell from the sky. They were speaking both literally and figuratively. He was so completely different from all of his contemporaries in terms of his demeanor, his ambitions and his vision, that it was as if he had come from outer space. Palau had never seen anybody quite like him and there was no historical precedent for what Francis Toribiong did. He had no operations manual to consult and no examples to follow. He wrote his own life. Francis Toribiong was the first Palauan ever to seek and seize the international narrative. No Palauan, in any context or field, had previously thought to go out into the world and say: “This is Palau – what we have is wonderful. Come and see!” This is his astonishing story.
This book presents an updated view of the Philippines, focusing on thematic issues rather than a description region by region. Topics include typhoons, population growth, economic difficulties, agrarian reform, migration as an economic strategy, the growth of Manila, the Muslim question in Mindanao, the South China Sea tensions with China and the challenges of risk, vulnerability and sustainable development.
