Coastal waters teem with colourful, fascinating sea life and the usually clear waters make for excellent viewing. The country abounds with sub-tropical reefs, wrecks, clear water springs and alpine fiords. If you are looking for a rich variety of scuba diving experiences then it’s time you were diving NZ. So come with us on a diving tour around the country, taking in the choicest dive spots. The tour begins in the balmy subtropical bays and reefs of Northland and moves on to the famed Poor Knights Islands and the Hauraki Gulf. From there we traverse the east and west coasts of the North and South Islands, touching on aspects like water clarity, temperature and marine life. Also shipwrecks, caves, arches, water depth and access. The tour will conclude in the chilly Southern Ocean waters around Stewart Island and Fiordland, where spectacular steep cliff diving includes shallow water surprises like black coral and groper.

Sea conditions are at their best in summer and autumn (January-June), when the weather is settled, underwater visibility is good and marine life is abundant. Lying exactly halfway between the equator and the South Pole, the water and weather in New Zealand are both temperate – benign even. Below, there’s a crazy mixed-up muddled-up marine life world where coral reef crinoids exist with forests of kelp, and volcanic rock formations are covered with hard corals and seafans.

One of the most unique New Zealand dive sites is the crystal-clear waters of the Poor Knights Islands Marine Reserve. With its incredible range of fish, including many tropical species, it was considered by the late Jacques Cousteau to be one of the world’s top diving locations. But there is more to scuba diving in New Zealand than just the Poor Knights. Among the other great diving areas are the sheltered Bay of Islands, the dramatic fiords of Fiordland, and Stewart Island with its breathtaking kelp forests and huge paua (abalone). Many easily accessible wrecks off the New Zealand coast also provide special diving opportunities, as do the great variety of fresh water dives. New Zealand waters are among the few virgin wonders left in diving today. The wealth and density of marine life is exhilarating.

The Bay of Islands’ first artificial reef was ‘born’ when the former Navy frigate F421, HMNZS Canterbury, was scuttled in Deep Water Cove. The hull has since become a popular feature of the Northland Dive Trail, which consists of a string of wrecks from Tutukaka to Matauri Bay, and continues to have beneficial social and economic consequences for the region. As a reef, it has helped boost flagging inshore fish stocks.

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Scuba diving in the Coromandel

The Rainbow Warrior was Greenpeace’s flagship on its way to protest France’s nuclear testing on the Mururoa Atoll when it was sunk by French saboteurs on July 10, 1985, in Auckland Harbour. Three years after the bombing Greenpeace gifted the Warrior to the sea and she now lies as an artificial reef in the Cavalli Island’s, a refuge for the marine life she was trying to protect.

  Global Dive is a PADI Resort member and trains PADI, TDI and SDI courses in New Zealand. Why not learn to dive or advance your skills while you are in New Zealand, then make the most of our exciting New Zealand dive sites. There is a fascinating new underwater world waiting to be explored where the Pacific Ocean and Tasman Sea wash onto New Zealand’s shores. Dive training is available through dive shops in most main centres. Enjoy your travels around the New Zealand coastline. The fascinating undersea blue/green universe is full of surprises.

Everblue 2 was the first Diving game from Arika to get a world-wide release. The first game in the series, Everblue, was only released in Japan and Europe, making it impossible to play or obtain through stanadrd means in the US. Fortunately, although Everblue 2 is a direct sequel, the story is perfectly understandable if played as a stand alone game.

Leonard Delphino (Leo), a professional and reknowned salvage diver, finds himself stranded on a small carribean island after a storm. With only one way to raise funds he joins a team of local divers, the Amigos, who are salvage diving in the area. Putting his skills to use recovering objects, finding treasure and solving mysteries on the ocean floor, he is hampered by a corporation known as SeaDross – also salvage divers but responsible for significant damage to the local ecology. Of course, when the corporate divers disturb something they should not have, his skills will be pushed to the limit restoring the artefact to save Pirate Island.

As with Everblue, most of the game takes place underwater. Leo uses sonar elements to locate salvage, fill his bag and then surface to trade the items to allow him to buy better equipment or complete quests. Unlike his home seas, however, these waters are home to a range of dangerous or poisonous creatures, including sharks, rays, and eels. Avoiding these creatures, and remembering the need for appropriate equipment like fish repellant and anti-venom adds more complexity to the game.

Salvaging involves diving to the ocean floor with distinct sonar elements equipped (clay, metal etc.) When the sonar is fired, it returns a distinct ping depending on the location of an object it is set to detect, and using the sonar pings you track down the object and locate it for your sack. You can also explore wrecks, where objects you can lift (depending on your strength and the sack you have) will highlight in yellow. The first time you find an item it must be identified to find its value, so early in Everblue 2  there is an element of chance about what you collect or discard.

On land Everblue 2 offers a simple point and click interface. It is purely text-based, and the only real land sound effects are background music. By talking to islanders, you can access requests, comments, or occasionally minigames. However underwater Everblue 2 really comes to life. It is presented in a first person view, but the sea creatures are excellently modelled, and react to your presence. The sound effects for the ocean, including Leo’s regulator and sonar, are excellent, and exploring the sunken wrecks can be genuinely eerie.

Everblue 2 has an excellent range of subquests, as the islanders request favours, set tasks, and Leo steals jobs out from under the corporation. There are several minigames, including racing, a salvage competition, photography and more. Over all of this, Everblue 2  has a detailed story (an element notably missing from the first game) with a mystery to solve involving pirates, a sunken ship, a missing artefact and, of course, the corporation.

So how does it compare to the first game? The underwater graphics have improved, and the controls are more responsive, allowing limited movement up and down, which is a great addition. The extra sonar elements and good range of side quests and minigames give the game a broader feel, as does the increased number of areas and larger cast. The game’s story is more detailed, and the characters better drawn, which gives the game more depth on land as well as the ocean. In all, this game gives the impression it is what the first game could have been with more refinement.

There are a few flaws in the game however. Treasure respawns, so if you need money you can salvage the same valuable item many times. The amount Leo can lift underwater with certain equipment can get ridiculous (e.g. a car), and exact positioning is required to lift certain objects. Some of the quests can be difficult to work out, and we did explore the wrong area for at least one.

Overall, Everblue 2 is a game which is mainly suited for exploration and treasure-hunting fans, as it offers a wide area to roam, and a variety of free-form challenges. It has a good story, but the background may be slightly thin for RPG or mystery fans, and action fans may dislike Leo’s lack of weaponry. It should also be suitable for most age groups, although some moments (mainly involving eels and sharks) may make players jump. However as a rather unique game this is worth a look by most gamers, especially if found on budget.

Availability

Everblue 2 on Amazon.co.uk

With any hobby or pass time that you take up, it is vital that you make sure you have the right equipment to enjoy it properly. For some sports this could simply be the equipment you need to play the game – a set of golf clubs, a tennis racket or a pair of football boots for example. However for others it could be something that is more vital for the sport such as scuba diving equipment. It is also essential that you get the right type of equipment for you and it is up to a high safety standard.

There are lots of different types of scuba diving equipment available which should make it easy enough for you to find the exact type that you are looking for. The trick is to shop around and make sure you pay attention to what you are buying so you know exactly what you are getting for your money.

If you are unsure of the exact type of scuba diving equipment to buy then you should consult an expert first.

They can then go through your needs and the type of diving that you are planning to do, in order to recommend the best type of scuba diving equipment for you.

If you don’t have an expert that you can consult then look online. Thankfully there are online resources on almost any subject these days and scuba diving equipment is no exception. By looking online you should be able to find plenty of help and advice on the type of equipment that is available and what you can buy that will best suit you.

Of course as with anything that you buy there are different brand names and prices that are available which means that there is something to suit almost every budget. You can even buy all the scuba diving equipment that you need online. This means you can easily shop around from the comfort of your own home and get whatever you buy shipped direct to your home. Why not have a look to see what is on offer so that you can find something to suit exactly what you are after.

To assemble scuba diving equipment, hook up and adjust the air tank, the regulator, the valve and the pressure gauge. Make sure the scuba diving equipment is working and has the correct readings with tips from a scuba diving instructor in this free video on scuba diving. Expert: Gregg Eddy Contact: www.flatironsscuba.com Bio: Gregg Eddy is a certified scuba instructor who has been teaching scuba classes for over 10 years. Filmmaker: Clay Roberts

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Caribbean is known to be a hot spot that offers enchanting diving experiences as this treasure trove with dive sites of many types proffers diving stints to divers possessing varied skill levels. Caribbean diving is further made lively by the wreck diving sites, mysteriously sunken ships, colorful coral and unending varieties related to marine life that provide enriching diving sessions to be enjoyed in the Caribbean. Here are some of the best diving destinations in the Caribbean, where divers get floored by the intrinsic beauty of the best dive sites found in the Caribbean.

Turks and Caicos

Turks and Caicos Islands in the Caribbean is encompassed by a very large coral reef system, as Turks and Caicos Islands provides enriching Scuba Diving Sites through the rich assortment of the best diving sites, where the visibility extends up to 200 feet during dive sessions. A varied diving experience includes the underwater wrecks like HMS Endymion to the sea lanes which provide the divers and boaters the opportunity to sight whales, from the period extending from January till March. The seemingly unending reefs unveils colorful marine life of all kinds, as the stretch of ‘drop-off’ diving found off the shores of Grand Turk excites the experienced diver, and the sea walls plunge as deep as 2100m to merge with the blue oblivion. Descending down, the black coral colonies, purple sponges, anemones, striking gorgonians, coral forms, and fishes of innumerable kinds proffer the best diving experience that one can enjoy.

Bonaire

Another jewel in the Caribbean is the diving destination of Bonaire, as it boasts of accessible reefs that encircle the islands and the reefs at Bonaire get preserved even unto the 200 feet mark by the environmentally conscious diving fraternity here. Divers during their diving stints can chance upon the elkhorn as well as the staghorn corals, and the sight of the colorful tropical fishes is inextricably interwoven with the best diving experience at Bonaire. The delicate ecosystem at Bonaire falls under the protected status, and divers will have to get indulged in the preliminary orientation session before venturing to dive, where the rules and regulations pertaining to the marine park are brought to light.

Cayman Islands

Having earned acclaims as a top notch diving destination in the Caribbean, Cayman Islands provide the divers with various options. The Stingray City, where the Stingrays can be fed, the Bloody Bay Marine Park with 22 scuba dive sites under its belt, and two reef walls in the form of Bloody Bay spotted in the west and the Jackson spotted in the east, Shark Alley, a dive site known for the sightings of shark, and many other best dive sites proffer incomparable diving experiences in the Caribbean. The reef here gets initiated at a depth of 6 feet to plunge deeper to touch the 1600 feet mark. Professional diving services are offered by many dive operators found at Grand Cayman, Little Cayman and Cayman Brac, as divers can make use of the services like rentals, equipment sales, instructions proffered for all levels, underwater photography, video schools offered by the dive operators.

Saba

Saba is hailed as one of the premier diving destinations in the Caribbean, as the entire coastline of Saba falls under a Marine park. With 38 of the official diving sites, Saba also unveils the rich marine life during dive sessions. Divers would like to take sight of the Pinnacles, which are the peaks pertaining to the underwater mountains that are known to get initiated at a depth of 85 feet to further take a plunge and reach deeper portions. Diving experiences in Saba also encompasses the sightings of black sand, underwater lava flows, huge black coral strands and innumerable fish varieties, as is common during Caribbean diving.

St.Croix

In being recognized as one of the top diving destinations in the Caribbean, St.Croix opens its door to proffer some of the best reef dives, beach dives, wreck dives, wall dives and night dives in the Caribbean. The cream of the diving experience is provided by the underwater trails belonging to the national park, which get spotted at the Buck Island, which is found off St.Croix’s mainland. The other popular dive sites at St.Croix are the drop-offs and that of the coral canyons found at Cane Bay as well as at Salt River. Puerto Rico Trench, which is 12,000 ft deep and which is located at Davis Bay in the Caribbean happens to be ranked fifth with regards to depth levels amongst the water bodies on earth.

British Virgin Islands

The British Virgin Islands, a part of the Caribbean, possesses some of the best diving sites in the Caribbean, with the towering coral pinnacles, reefs, lava tunnels, underwater caves, canyons, grottoes and massive boulders making up for the features related to these best dive sites. The Wreck of The Rhone found at the Salt Island, which is the favorite among the best scuba diving sites in the British Virgin Islands, the dive sites in the form of Truck Reef, Black Tip Reef found at Carrot Shoal in Peter Island and many of the other scuba dive sites afford the much needed choice and the chance for the novice as well as the experienced scuba diver to taste best diving experiences in the Caribbean.

Article by Michael J Lee

Spain has some wonderful scenery above and below the ocean, in particular Murcia in the South of Spain. If you travel to Spain and end up in Murcia then you must take the chance to explore the wonders of the deep. La Manga diving can be achieved by signing up with a local dive school who will arm you with all the skills you require to explore the waters of the Mediterranean.

If you are qualified at a basic level then you still can be catered for with a dive school. La Manga Diving Schools offer a range of courses to suit everybody, whether your are already an open water diver, an advanced open water diver or just someone who is interested in diving and never been further than a swimming pool.

The region of Murcia is a great place to start diving or to further your knowledge and skills. With the Mediterranean within a short car journey and the Mar Menor close by too, you have a selection of sites you can dive in while being instructed. La Manga Diving Schools allow you to enter the world of the ocean in a safe way with skilled divers to watch over you and teach you everything you need to know.

PADI offer a range of courses from simple try dives to see if you like such a water sport to basic open water courses that arm you with all the information you need to dive unattended with a dive buddy. Even if you have reached such a stage, Murcia dive schools can offer the advance open water to further your recreational diving career that little bit further.

La Manga Diving Schools usually will arrange special charted boat trips to take you to certain dive spots once qualified to allow you to put your new found talent to the test, exploring the under water world that is so amazing.

The price of diving schools in Murcia can vary, so it is recommended that you always do your research to find the best buy for your money. You must however make sure the met the PADI standards as they are recognised world wide. If you fail to pass a course governed by the PADI then it will limit if not stop you from diving with other world wide dive centres.

The coast of Spain around Murcia is ideal for learning to dive. The waters are clear, calm and warm making you learning experience something to enjoy especially in the summer seasons. Certain dive trips will take you further afield from the coast with boat rides up to an hour before you reach a suitable dive location. La Manga offers a marine reserve of which offers some hot spots in the diving world full of exotic marine nature. Do not be surprised to come across barracuda, grouper, and eels on your ventures as they are all native to the area making La Manga diving a choice you really need to take notice off!

In the area of La Manga diving there are some notable wrecks that particular diving centres will offer charted boat trips to take you directly there. They may be some requirements preventing novice divers from participating in such a dive trip as the level of experience required to take part is usually quite high. However if you are novice the schools will keep you entertained in other areas.

Diving is a great water sport at La Manga Spain Murcia, so be sure to check out the la manga spain learn to dive centres as you will be surprised to what you can find under the surface of the sea.

La Manga Diving Schools . One search to compare the best watersports online. La Manga Golf one of the great golf resorts.

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           It seems unfathomable that people in America are starving, but hunger is a reality that many are facing in their day to day lives. According to Kathy Koch, writer of “Hunger in America: How Bad is the Problem?”, written in 2000, she states that “New government statistics show that amid the nation’s prosperity 31 million Americans –including 12 million children — suffer from hunger or face the risk of hunger”. When so many are going hungry, wouldn’t it make sense to provide our fellow Americans with a basic necessity such as food?

            As Americans, we are a wasteful society. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, “More than one quarter of America’s food, or about 96 billion pounds of food a year, goes to waste”(Waste Not / Want Not WASTES). Just think of how many people, on a basic level, throw away their leftovers from dinner instead of eating them the next day or giving them to someone less fortunate.

            The sad part is the fact that some members of our society are so destitute, they have to turn to a dumpster for food in the first place. We could use the food that is frivolously being discarded to feed the poor and hungry. My friends know that I advocate for the homeless. When they hear stories of destitute people having to eat food out of a dumpster, one of the immediate questions is “how come they don’t go to a food bank, a church, or the Salvation Army?” The reality is that many food banks, donation sites, soup kitchens and churches simply cannot meet the demand from the high volume of people that come to them for help. The Encyclopedia of Food and Culture, written by Patricia McGrath Morris, states that many of the nation’s homeless populace, which at any given time can exceed a half of a million people nationwide, are not able to obtain three meals per day, and are ten times more likely to go hungry than the poor (1). Organizations like Food Not Bombs, founded in 1980, fight war and poverty by dumpster diving, and then use the salvaged food to make vegetarian meals for the area’s homeless (1). Most other organizations that serve meals to the homeless are usually only able to provide one meal per day because of lack of resources (1).

          What about food stamps? Aren’t they readily accessible to the homeless? Morris also states that the Food Stamp program, which helps many people, is mainly exclusive of the homeless. The homeless are mainly deterred by a lack of proof of identity, residence, and other legal red tape (1). It’s also not easy to have a stockpile of food when one lives a largely nomadic lifestyle.

          In an act to promote the donation of excess and trash-bound food items to the poorer populace, former President Bill Clinton passed a law to help protect people from being liable if an individual gets sick from donated food items (1). This law, passed in 1996, is called the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act. This law is meant to fight hunger on a national level. Still, many businesses are unwilling to contribute to the fight against hunger, possibly because they do not want homeless people on the premises and detract from the overall quality of the store.

WHAT IS “DUMPSTER DIVING”?

          One common practice of the homeless and destitute to obtain food for themselves, instead of depending on others, is called ‘dumpster diving’, ‘food salvaging’, and it is also referred to as ‘food recovery’ by the Environmental Protection Agency (1). It is the act of rescuing food items that have been discarded for the purpose of consumption. The term ‘dumpster diving’ is also used for defining the act of taking salvageable materials, such as bottles and cans, for the purpose of reusing or recycling. Recycling can generate a source of meager income for an individual.

MODESTO BANS “DUMPSTER DIVING”

Modesto City Counsel was presented a proposed ordinance by Officer John Habermehl, representative of the Modesto Police Department. The city council passed the ordinance that makes ‘dumpster diving’, the act of rummaging through trash receptacles for recyclable and reusable items, a misdemeanor. This ordinance carries a five hundred dollar fine and up to six months in jail. The police department had several reasons for wanting to introduce the ‘dumpster diving’ ordinance.

IDENTITY THEFT: Threat or Scare Tactic?

One major concern of residents and the City Council of Modesto is the threat of identity theft. Documents used to steal one’s identity can be obtained through sources like dumpsters and trash receptacles. According to former Congressman Leach, “dumpster diving” enables a thief to retrieve discarded information such as bank statements (2). This information, such as social security numbers and credit card receipts, gives criminals easy access to obtaining one’s identity.

Identity theft is a serious threat to businesses and residents of Modesto brtween 2006 and 2007, there were 359 reported cases of identity theft in the city of Modesto. This means that on average, there was one case of identity theft reported per day for a period of almost one year. Residents have reason to be worried, for the statistics show that the threat of identity theft is a valid threat in the area. Although this is an alarming amount of identity theft, all 359 cases cannot be solely attributed to dumpster diving.  In an article written by Peter Katel, called “Identity Theft: Can Congress Give Americans Better Protection?”, Katel included statistics from the “2005 Identity Fraud Survey Report”. The Federal Trade Commission and Better Business Bureau acted as consultants to the Javelin Strategy and Research Company, conductors of the 2005 report aforementioned (1). Most reports of identity theft, almost thirty percent, were spawned from lost or stolen wallets or credit cards. Only 2.6 percent of identity theft stemmed from information obtained from being disposed of in the garbage (1). That means that less than three percent of the surveyed population had their identities stolen using information found in garbage receptacles, all of which cannot be blamed primarily on the homeless demographic population. To exclude this information in the presentation provided to City Council, leads to the assumption that the provided information was used primarily as a scare tactic to instill fear in the public and to get the ordinance passed with less opposition.

LA LOMA: A struggle between the “rich” and the homeless

            Residents of Modesto and businesses are also concerned about their neighborhoods. The La Loma Neighborhood Association, advocating in favor of the ordinance, is a local organization of one of the richest neighborhoods in Modesto. In contrast, the La Loma neighborhood is also home to many of the local homeless population. It is the site of the Modesto Gospel Mission, which provides emergency shelter to poor individuals. The Mission only provides shelter in the evening, and even then, beds are scarce, so many individuals are left to roam the streets.

            These upper middle class neighbors are concerned with different problems associated with the homeless digging through trash in the La Loma section of Modesto. One concern is that deviants, alcoholics, and drug addicts are being brought into neighborhoods under the guise of dumpster diving. It is true that the homeless can be intimidating to some people, but many do not have drug or mental health problems. According to the U.S. Conference of Mayors report entitled, Sodexo Hunger and Homelessness Survey 2003, 70 percent of the homeless are not substance abusers and 77 percent are free of mental health issues(2). That means that a large percentage of homeless do not have mental illness or abuse drugs.

            Another concern of residents and businesses is blight created as a byproduct of dumpster diving. Blight lowers property values. Houses sell for more money if the neighborhood looks more aesthetically pleasing. Business owners get fines from city for having the areas by dumpsters unkempt and strewn with trash. Some individuals can create an unsightly mess, but the majority of dumpster divers follow an unwritten rule to leave a trash receptacle in the same, if not better condition when they leave. A person that dumpster dives and then leaves the area tidy will have less chance of being detected as a trash “visitor”. Therefore, one will have better chances of being able to return to the site to “dumpster dive” with good results. When one leaves a mess, there is a higher probability that the resident or business owner will start to keep the trash container under lock and key.

“DUMPSTER” FOOD: Safe or Scary?

            The last major concern that was used to pass the dumpster diving ordinance is the threat of food borne illness. One such food borne illness is salmonella poisoning. An online medical dictionary called medicinenet.com states that Salmonella, a food contaminant, is general food poisoning that manifests as nausea and diarrhea. It can also turn into typhoid fever, which is like food poisoning, but is also accompanied by a high fever and intestinal inflammation (Davis).

The City Council recognizes another illness: MRSA. Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) bacteria, also known as MRSA, is a “super bug” that is resistant to antibiotics. It was first discovered in 1961. It is usually spread  MRSA is primarily a skin infection with manifestations such as abscesses and boils, but it can spread. Once MRSA spreads, it can infect other parts of the body, such as various internal organs, becoming potentially lethal (medicinenet.com).

These food borne illnesses can be especially frightening, but they are not restricted to contraction caused from dumpster diving. Salmonella poisoning can be contracted by improper washing after handling raw eggs and raw meats like chicken. Salmonella can then contaminate other foods that are handled afterwards. Hence, it is common knowledge to wash hands and cooking surfaces thoroughly after handling raw eggs and raw meats.

MRSA can be contracted from just about anything that breaks the skin from a scraped knee to a paper cut on a finger. The culprit can be anything from pavement to a slip of a knife, so it cannot be solely caught by rummaging through trash receptacles. The best way to prevent MRSA is to wash and then treat cuts and abrasions with Neosporin. Afterwards, a band-aid or gauze should be applied to keep the area dry.

MY LAST DUMPSTER RAID: Dumpster Diving Tips

As an avid “dumpster diver“, I have never gotten sick from eating “dumpster” food. As precautions against illness, the best thing to do is wear gloves and not touch any bags that are wet inside or have garbage and food mixed together in the same trash bag. Supermarkets and other companies throw away food that is usually still sealed and just happened to go past the expiration by a day or two, or are not as aesthetically pleasing as others. The better places to dumpster dive, like bakeries and supermarkets, often dispose of produce and breads in a bag separate from trash. Once food items are retrieved, it is wise to wash all feasible items, store in the refrigerator, and then consume within a couple of days.     

SUPREME COURT: No Privacy for Refuse

            The garbage company would argue that dumpster diving should be illegal because once the garbage is in their receptacle, the garbage company then owns the trash. Although a valid argument, garbage cannot be considered private property once it leaves the hands of the one that is throwing it away. A Supreme Court case, California versus Greenwood, an individual argued that police shouldn’t be allowed to search his refuse as it invaded his right to privacy. Decided in 1988, the court held that the individual had no right to privacy when it came to the trash that he generated and then put in the garbage. When one leaves a garbage bag on the curb, waiting to be picked up by the trash company, it is a known fact that the garbage bag will be available for rummaging by different members of the general public (1, 2).

CRIME AND PUNISHMENT: Protecting Constitutional Rights

City Council wants to punish “dumpster divers” to deter individuals from gaining information to steal one’s identity, to keep neighborhoods cleaner, and to prevent the spread of food borne illness. Although the punishment inflicted by the dumpster diving ordinance, five hundred dollars in fines and up to six months in jail, would make it more difficult for dumpster divers, the newly instilled ordinance inhibits the homeless from being able to perform life sustaining activities. Poor individuals are punished unduly for trying to obtain food and salvageable materials in order fend for themselves.

The ordinance gives police the right to search a “dumpster diver” for information to be used in stealing one’s identity. as written in the Modesto Bee (Ashton). Although meant as a deterrent, it raises a legal issue: People digging through garbage can be searched for personally identifying data they don’t legally own. As Council member Will O’Bryant stated at the City Council meeting, one can have personally identifying information of someone else, such as credit card or social security numbers, bills, receipts, etc., but it does not mean that there is intent to commit a crime. Therefore, there is no probable cause in which to search the “dumpster diver”. Searching without probable cause goes against the fourth Amendment of the Constitution which states that “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated”. That means that searching without probable cause is unconstitutional.

The ordinance also potentially goes against the 8th Amendment in the Constitution, which states that excessive fines and bail are unconstitutional (1). Giving a homeless individual a 0 fine seems overly excessive considering one’s income is virtually nonexistent.   A 2003 report, put out by the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, entitled “Punishing Poverty: The Criminalization of Homelessness, Litigation, and Recommendations”, is referred to in a 2004 report by the National Coalition for the Homeless, called “Illegal To Be Homeless” (1). It states that the cost for jailing an individual can run in between thirty to 0 per day. (1). It also says that to provide basic necessities to an individual, such as shelter, food and psychological assistance costs about per day (1). This means that it is more effective, in terms of an economic and moral standpoint, to help rehabilitate the homeless instead of throwing them in jail.

THE “HAVES” AND THE “HAVE-NOTS”: Criminalizing the Homeless

A possible issue that may arise is that police will not objectively target everyone that breaks this ordinance. I was the only member of the ….Modesto…. community reported as being in opposition of passing the ordinance at the city council hearing. When Officer John Habermehl, the officer responsible for putting together the presentation and addressing city council, was asked by City Council member Will O’Bryant if police would arrest him for an infraction of the proposed ordinance, Officer Habermehl stated that it would be up to the arresting officer’s discretion. A tense silence filled the air as people held their breaths, at once trying to breathe in and simultaneously trying to absorb the ramifications of the statement by the officer. An answer like this leads one to come to the conclusion that the selective punishment inflicted by this ordinance would promote racial, economical, and social profiling based on the arresting officer’s personal discriminations.

Morally, blacklisting individuals for their social or economic standing is wrong. There are alarming social consequences of criminalizing the homeless, as discussed by the National Coalition for the Homeless, the first group founded for the advocacy of the homeless(1): 

                   Criminalization masks the social exclusion of homeless people

under the guise of public safety concerns. When cities warn tourists

  and residents not to give money to panhandlers, they create the fear

of homeless individuals that leads to further discrimination. This

criminalization then helps legitimize that fear (1).

Instilling fear and feeding biases to the general public not promotes stereotypes of the accused group and ostracize them from society, but it also inhibits the group from conducting functions necessary for survival.

LEGALITY VS. MORALITY

            There are many reasons why dumpster diving should be illegal. Identity theft can originate from information recovered from dumpsters. When dealing with poor sanitation and lack of refrigeration, food safety will always be a concern. An end to “dumpster diving” would bring an end to issues, such as blight, that cause friction in between the community and the homeless populaces.

            From a moral standpoint, dumpster diving allows people to search and provide themselves with food, which might not be possible to do otherwise. Allowing people to dumpster dive also battles hunger because we, as a collective society, throw so much food away when others are starving. How can people be so consumed with greed that they deprive the poor of food that they don’t even want? Instead, one quarter of the nation’s food gets thrown away, and people go hungry. In addition to banishing leftovers to the trash can, the refuse container is put under lock and key. Then, if anyone attempts to retrieve the food in the trash because they have no other option, that person is punished.

            If everyone conserved their food intake, ate leftovers, bought food wisely instead of in excess, there would be enough food to feed every hungry person on Earth. There would be an end to hunger. Instead of worrying about legalities, why don’t we do what is right? Fight against hunger. Don’t punish the homeless and destitute for trying to survive another day.

Works Cited

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Ashton, Adam. Modesto, California, Modesto eyeing ban on Dumpster diving.Modesto Bee, The

            (CA) (07 Jan. 2008). Points of View Reference Center. EBSCO. Modesto.Junior  

            College, Modesto, CA. 25 February 2008.

Ashton, Adam. “Penalty is raised for Dumpster diving.” Modesto Bee, The (CA) (09 Jan. 

            2008). Points of View Reference Center. EBSCO. Modesto Junior College

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Related Diving Schools Articles

Article by Hall Andrew

Summer is here. It’s time for the family to learn scuba diving. Diving schools, like London Diving have PADI diving instructors ready and waiting to teach you. The London scuba is a must and London diving are ready to help you unlock the door to a whole new sensational experience.

The same excellent PADI diving instructors of London diving schools run you through a series of diving lessons that are designed to get you off the heated pool and into the open water quick. Scheduled lessons start you on the basics of safe diving, planning dives, and proper use of diving equipment. Once the scuba basics are mastered, the next step is to test your mettle in London’s famous diving spots.

London scuba schools in London have complete facilities for scuba diving lessons. They also observe stringent instruction standards for beginners and scuba instructor training. London diving schools ensure that all diving students learn the basics of safe diving and proper use of diving equipments and master confined water diving before an open sea dive is carried out in London’s beaches.

Students preferring to take complete their scuba diving lessons outside London, they are provided open sea referrals from the diving schools. A diving referral will allow students to take their open sea dive in any PADI affiliated beaches all over the world. Hence, London scuba schools offer a cheaper alternative – students are ready for the open sea when they seek the Caribbean or the Seychelles for the diving challenge.

London Diving schools provide modules-confined water diving, learning additional scuba principles to enhance the basic diving skills acquired under the close supervision of PADI certified instructors, hence small classes of 8 to 10 students are conducted per session. Smaller classes make for effective and focused training.

It takes about three days for beginners to learn scuba diving with the help of modern scuba diving equipments-breathing regulators, buoyancy devices, scuba masks, gauges and fins that can be bought from the diving schools. London scuba schools offer top brands like UK Lights, and Scubapro and a host of other top names in scuba diving equipment and gear.

Choosing the London Scuba Diving School

There are several scuba diving schools in and around London. Diving enthusiasts and beginners can choose the London scuba diving headquarters accessibly convenient for them. An added convenience is the diving module on video that you can watch at home prior to the next lessons in the pool.

There are different types of scuba diving and London scuba instructors have the credentials for recreational, technical, commercial, and military scuba diving. Specialized scuba diving for night diving, ice diving, altitude diving, rescue and cave diving are also offered for advanced students and hobbyists. Ask the diving schools for their competencies for the different scuba diving courses and compare their rates and facilities, or their proximity to your hotel or residence.

Before enlisting in a London scuba center, inform them if you have any disability and if you are free from medical problems that might interfere with your training. Fortunately, diving schools in London can tailor fit diving lessons for people with disabilities and children with special needs.

London scuba diving schools offer summer getaways in exotic diving spots teeming with marine life and local culture. Make it this year or next year, but first learn how to dive safely and expertly with the experts.

If you are interested in London Scuba diving, diving schools London are ready and willing to teach you how to be a novice or expert scuba diver.

Article by Morris Kim

Are you in a scuba diving state of mind and you have plans to have a really memorable scuba diving Cozumel experience? Then, you will certainly need the help of a diving instructor. Employing the services of an instructor will mean that you can count on getting all the right training and instructions to perform well when you are underwater.

In order to have a really cool diving Cozumel experience, you will need more than a fancy diving tools and equipment. You will need to learn valuable techniques in diving that will make your experience one that you will cherish for the rest of your life.

In order to employ the services of an experienced scuba instructor, it is important that you first find out the value of his/her technical record. You will need to be very comfortable with your diving instructor’s process of imparting knowledge and also be able to completely trust his or her performance and communication skills in an underwater environment. As mentioned previously, you will need to feel very comfortable with your instructor, and if you do not feel comfortable with him or her, it is alright to find another scuba instructor that you feel very comfortable with. Remember, you might not have the time to have a diving Cozumel experience again ?” so make sure that you choose a good diving instructor.

Because you are about to take part in an unusual activity, you will need to choose a diving instructor who will make you feel very secure underwater. The scuba instructor which you plan to hire should have the right credentials and should be a professional in guiding a new diver underwater.

There are some people who are good at scuba diving put themselves out as a “certified” scuba diving instructor. You MUST find out if the scuba instructor is licensed to teach you how to dive! In order to avoid scuba Cozumel accidents, you should ensure that the instructor is very familiar with scuba rules and regulations where you will be diving. They should also be PADI certified with up to date qualifications in order to make sure that he or she is licensed to teach at the level you are learning to dive.

You may be wondering “where can I find a diving instructor that will make my Cozumel a really memorable one?” Thankfully, searching for a diving instructor is pretty simple. There are various internet websites that offer you the opportunity to search for qualified and licensed scuba instructors. It is also important that you choose a website that is credible.

These sites also offer you the opportunity to take advantage of their personalized services offered from highly experienced instructors who are not only knowledgeable but also have up to date certification as well.

If you value personalized attention, then it makes perfect sense to choose a website that offers tailor made attention and has a goal of making their customers scuba diving Cozumel experience a really enjoyable one.

Get scuba diving instructor at LiquidBlue Divers to make yourscuba diving Cozumel a memorable experience. Personalized services are offered by experienced guides who are acknowledged with scuba dive certification.

Scuba Divers are made of many people that are tired of the usual tedious workday, followed by the nerve-racking task of driving; add all the noise pollution it instigates. That’s before everything else scuba divers encounter in these fast paced times outside of scuba diving.

Some scuba divers go even further by finding a career in scuba diving. Some become diving instructors themselves. They find their career in scuba diving rejuvenating compared to many other choices.

Scuba diving doesn’t usually start there though. It usually starts where many other’s scuba diving began; with the open water course. Then they move onto the advanced course and learn much more and realize they really enjoy all that scuba diving has to offer. They see diving underwater in a whole new way, and really want to share that with others as well. Often this leads them to work towards a career in scuba diving instruction.

It’s not all simple courses and then going to work with your new career in scuba diving. You need to be a master at it. This of course means a lot of diving time in a variety of situations and an instructor or more. You need to know how to dive and survive well. With that, as a scuba diving instructor you will be able to bring others up to scuba diving. You need to know what they have to, to dive safely. This is quite a worthy career!

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Many look up to the diving instructor assuming they know it all about scuba diving. Since the potential to inspire them can be great or potentially heartbreaking, you really do need to know anything they need to know, and more! When you don’t, you need to admit that as well! If your journey is endlessly learning more when diving in many situations, you should seriously consider a career in scuba diving as an instructor.

Though also consider that you need to deal with people, and follow timelines. You need to be able to teach your students in a short time, how to remain safe and alive when scuba diving. This is quite a responsibility. If you feel this is for you, it’s time we look further towards your career in scuba diving instruction.

To become a diving instructor you must first be a Dive master. With that out of the way, then you have to take the Instructor Development Course (PADI IDC). This extensive course will take you deeper into diving than you have been. It will educate you on diving standards, safety, students, the PADI system, and relevant law. To be all you can be you will definitely want to master every bit of it. That way when you begin your career in scuba diving instruction, you will be well versed from the start. Of course beyond that, experience will follow that will truly make you a complete export in your craft.

As with anything these days, while working on your career in scuba diving, you can expect much product marketing information, as well as sales literature too. While it’s not wise to buy everything, you should understand the market, as it does affect your students as well.

Related Diving Instructors Articles

Are you in a scuba diving state of mind and you have plans to have a really memorable scuba diving Cozumel experience? Then, you will certainly need the help of a scuba diving instructor. Employing the services of an instructor will mean that you can count on getting all the right training and instructions to perform well when you are underwater.

In order to have a really cool scuba diving Cozumel experience, you will need more than a fancy diving tools and equipment. You will need to learn valuable techniques in scuba diving that will make your experience one that you will cherish for the rest of your life.

In order to employ the services of an experienced scuba instructor, it is important that you first find out the value of his/her technical record. You will need to be very comfortable with your diving instructor’s process of imparting knowledge and also be able to completely trust his or her performance and communication skills in an underwater environment. As mentioned previously, you will need to feel very comfortable with your instructor, and if you do not feel comfortable with him or her, it is alright to find another scuba diving instructor that you feel very comfortable with. Remember, you might not have the time to have a scuba diving Cozumel experience again ?” so make sure that you choose a good instructor.

]]>

Because you are about to take part in an unusual activity, you will need to choose a scuba diving instructor who will make you feel very secure underwater. The scuba diving instructor which you plan to hire should have the right credentials and should be a professional in guiding a new scuba diver underwater.

There are some people who are good at scuba diving put themselves out as a “certified” scuba diving instructor. You MUST find out if the scuba diving instructor is licensed to teach you how to scuba dive! In order to avoid scuba diving Cozumel accidents, you should ensure that the instructor is very familiar with scuba diving rules and regulations where you will be diving. They should also be PADI certified with up to date qualifications in order to make sure that he or she is licensed to teach at the level you are learning to scuba dive.

You may be wondering “where can I find an instructor that will make my scuba diving Cozumel a really memorable one?” Thankfully, searching for a scuba diving instructor is pretty simple. There are various internet websites that offer you the opportunity to search for qualified and licensed scuba instructors. It is also important that you choose a website that is credible.

These sites also offer you the opportunity to take advantage of their personalized services offered from highly experienced instructors who are not only knowledgeable but also have up to date certification as well.

If you value personalized attention, then it makes perfect sense to choose a website that offers tailor made attention and has a goal of making their customers scuba diving Cozumel experience a really enjoyable one.

Find More Diving Instructors Articles