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PETA sues SeaWorld to end killer whale slavery

Feb 7, 2012

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by

rokur

in Nature

A US judge is considering a complaint by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) against SeaWorld, naming five killer whales as plaintiffs in a lawsuit which argues they deserve the same constitutional protection from slavery as humans. They don’t consider it likely that the whales will win their freedom, but campaigners said they were pleased the case even made it to a courtroom. Named whales are Tilikum and Katina at SeaWorld Orlando, and Kasatka, Corky and Ulises at SeaWorld San Diego. Read BBC

Image courtesy of Milan Boers, CC BY 2.0
Photographer captures giant waves from beneath

Feb 7, 2012

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by

rokur

in Nature, Open Water, Wow

Photographer Mark Tipple has an interesting project called “The Underwater Project“, in which he captures photographs of swimmers diving deep in order to survive passing waves. Via PetaPixel.
DARPA zaps snipers’ brains to induce flow, cut down training time

Feb 7, 2012

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by

rokur

in Science

Interesting article here on NewScientist, on how (mad?) scientists are learning to harness “flow”, by telling for instance swimmers to focus on the water’s movement around their limbs, rather than on the limbs. And by running electricity through the brain.

Weisend, who is working on a US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency programme to accelerate learning, has been using this form of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to cut the time it takes to train snipers. From the electrodes, a 2-milliamp current will run through the part of my brain associated with object recognition – an important skill when visually combing a scene for assailants.

(more…)
Off the deck – 60 days until trials

Feb 7, 2012

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by

rokur

in Competition, Training

Courtesy of Swim Ontario
Keri-Anne Payne reveals setback in Olympic preparation

Feb 7, 2012

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by

rokur

in Competition, Gossip, Training

Two-time world 10K open water champion Keri-Anne Payne has revealed that the triumphs of 2011 have left her struggling for fitness in this crucial Olympic year. Via SkySports

“I’ve not had as good a start to the season as I had last year. Unfortunately I’ve had a string of injuries – I had a bad back, bad shoulder and a bad neck. I’m hoping it’s just a case of my body winding down from last season because it was such a great season.”
Jack Conger sets Olympic goals

Feb 7, 2012

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by

rokur

in Competition, Training

According to The Washington Post, Good Counsel swimmer Jack Conger is often referred to as “the next Michael Phelps,” breaking national records and everything. In this video he talks about his background and goals.
Josh Hutcherson and The Rock freedive in new film Journey 2

Feb 7, 2012

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by

rokur

in Freediving, Fun

The pair dive 100 feet down into the sea without the aid of a scuba tank as they search for Captain Nemo’s legendary submarine, Nautilus. Vanessa Hudgens also stars in the movie, doing underwater stunts that she wasn’t really comfortable with. Via mb.com

“Shooting the underwater sequences was tough because I don’t do well in water. A lot of people feel really comfortable but I do not. I do not like being underwater. I hate getting my face wet so it was difficult for me but it was such an incredible experience looking over and seeing Michael Caine underwater acting with me. It was such an odd experience. I do not know how many people can say they have done that. It was so cool.”

Via The Sun
Florida’s exclusive underwater burial ground

Feb 7, 2012

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by

rokur

in Open Water, WTF

Three miles off the coast of south Florida and forty feet below the surface is a man-made, pristine reef where, several times a month, divers come to deposit stone urns containing ashes of the recently departed. This underwater burial ground near Miami was created by the Neptune Society, says Martha Porter, on of the group’s counselors:

“The deep-sea divers go down with your ashes mixed with cement, and they place it in selection spots you made. So, if you have an affinity for water, it’s a great way to go – and people love it.”

Reard more here on Public News Service
Winter swimming in Russia

Feb 7, 2012

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by

rokur

in Fun, Open Water

What’s with that cross in the far end of the pool ? :-)

19.01.2011 winter swimming in Russia = )

Blog Admin

Rókur í Jákupsstovu // Production engineer and certified swim coach. Full-time IT guy, spare-time aquatics aficionado. 2 sons, 2 daughters, 1 grandson & a wife. Bureau Member of European Aquatics, liaison to Water Safety, Media & Data Management. Likes to run :-)