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The world's biggest fish – a whale shark by any other name
As the largest fish in the sea, the mammoth whale shark is full of surprises. First up: it has its pick of the ocean for dinner – and it favours plankton. Secondly, it is a reassuringly docile creature. So, unlike the great white – its better known carnivorous cousin with an (often exaggerated) ferocious reputation – the whale shark doesn't eat mammals and poses little threat to humans. In fact, the whale shark's many teeth play no role in its feeding as it is a ‘filter feeder' and so feeds by straining suspended matter and food particles from water.
The Rhincodon typus (as it is officially known) was distinguished in South Africa in 1892, although the species is thought to have originated around 60 million years ago. Despite inhabiting much of the world's waters, the whale shark has been deemed a vulnerable species by International Union for Conservation of Nature. Enjoying a lifespan of 70 to 100 years and with the female able to carry up to 300 eggs at any one time, this ‘vulnerable' status is worrying – perhaps even more so due to the fact that this can be largely attributed to commercial fishing. In 1998, the Philippines banned all fishing, selling, importing and exporting of whale sharks for commercial purposes, as did India in 2001 and Taiwan in 2007. Yet the demand for ‘tofu shark' meat remains and, despite national bans, illegal whale shark hunting persists.
Found in tropical, warm oceans, the whale shark can reach sizes of around 13 metres in length. Each year, between March and July, hundreds of whale sharks migrate to the continental shelf of Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia, where coral spawning provides the incomprehensibly large fish with an abundant supply of plankton.
Many holidays in the Maldives, Malaysia and South Africa allow tourists to view these fascinating creatures in their natural habitat.. Diving with these denizens of the deep is the best way to capture a glimpse up-close. And up-close it may be – whale sharks have been known to play with divers and even allow swimmers to hitch a ride. As with all wildlife, care should be taken – particularly to avoid an unintentional strike from their huge tail fin – and the diving etiquette of ‘no touching' most definitely applies. It's best to treat this gentle giant with the same respect that the people of Vietnam do, as they refer to the whale shark as ‘Ca Ong' – literally meaning ‘Sir Fish'.
About the Author
Isla is a part of the digital blogging team at digitalcrosstalk.com who work with brands like Kuoni. For more information about me, or to keep up to date with the latest in travel news, check out my posts at digitalcrosstalk.com or visit my Twitter account, @dcrosstalk
Take Me To The Philippines by apl.de.ap (The Black Eyed Peas) (Official Music Video)
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Virgin Mobile - 12PSB Test Bench - CRS-TESTER manufacturer
Global network In the United Kingdom, Virgin Mobile uses the T-Mobile network. In the USA, Sprint Nextel is the networker. There is no roaming to other networks in the United States. In Australia, Virgin Mobile operates on the Optus network. In Canada, it uses the Bell Mobility network. In France, it uses Orange SA. Virgin Mobile South Africa uses the Cell C network for coverage across South Africa. In India, it uses the network of Tata Indicom. These networks use two different mobile telephony standards, GSM and CDMA. GSM is used in the UK, South Africa, Australia and France. CDMA is used in the US, India and Canada.GSM was lanched in India recently. In all countries, Virgin Mobile offers prepaid mobile phone pay-as-you-go service. In the UK, US, Canada, Australia and South Africa, Virgin Mobile also offers a post-paid option to approved customers. They are also looking to establish another setup in Pakistan. Already very common in the UK at the time of Virgin Mobile's launch, prepaid wireless service was a very small part of the US wireless market. Nevertheless, competitive pricing, and a "no-frills" approach ensured a small but significant market share. In June 2009, Virgin Mobile announced and started a pay-as-you go mobile data program called "Broadband2Go" in the United States, using Novatel Wireless hardware, and available exclusively through the Best Buy chain of stores originally, but now available at other retailers including RadioShack and The Source (in Canada). It uses a USB flash drive type device plugged into a user's computer for internet connectivity. Virgin Mobile is the official sponsor for pop superstar Britney Spears' current world tour, The Circus: Starring Britney Spears. Virgin Mobile USA On July 28, 2009 Sprint agreed to pay $483 million to purchase Virgin Mobile USA. The Federal Trade Commission has since given the go-ahead on the acquisition. Virgin Mobile USA was originally conceived as a joint venture between Virgin Group and Sprint, and uses Sprint's cellular bandwidth in the U.S. Sprint officials said they anticipated retaining the Virgin Mobile name after the deal closes. Virgin Canada This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (November 2008) Virgin Mobile Canada experienced substantial growth in 2008, launching approximately 60 "Virgin Mini Stores" across the country. Virgin Mini Stores (VMS) are kiosks usually located in shopping malls that especially target the 18-35 yr. old demographic. For four years running, Virgin Mobile Canada has received J.D. Power and Associates' annual award for Highest Customer Satisfaction for Prepaid Wireless. Post-paid plans were introduced to Virgin Canada in February 2008. Bell Mobility acquired Virgin Mobile Canada in May 2009 for CAN$142 million. Virgin Singapore Virgin Singapore was launched in October 2001 as a joint venture with Singtel. The operations were closed down by October 2002 after failing to attract a significant number of customers. Failure of the joint venture was attributed to a saturated mobile market and Virgin Mobile's positioning as a "premium" brand. Virgin Mobile India On 2008-03-01, Virgin launched the Mobile brand in India through a franchise arrangement with Tata Teleservices. This is Virgin seventh launch globally and its largest investment to date in India, said Branson, noting that the Indian market was very attractive, growing like none other in the world. The Cellular Operators' Association of India (COAI) had opposed the tie-up, alleging that it amounted to Virgin's entry into India as a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) which is currently not allowed in India, due to prevalent regulations. However on 2008-03-29, the Department of Telecom (DoT) cleared the deal after clarification from Tata Teleservices indicated that Virgin had not entered India as an MVNO. See also Virgin Mobile Australia Virgin Mobile Canada Virgin Mobile France Virgin Mobile India Virgin Mobile South Africa Virgin Mobile UK Virgin Mobile USA References ^ "Virgin Mobile reveals share range". BBC News. 7 July 2004. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3873483.stm. Retrieved 15 February 2010. ^ "Blyk's free mobile launch delayed". July 9, 2007. http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,2121749,00.html. Retrieved 2007-07-20. ^ "Virgin considers float for Virgin Atlantic". July 15, 2007. http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/virgin-considers-float-virgin-atlantic/story.aspx?guid={C6AFAEF0-3DC6-4573-A046-F284EC556F9D}. Retrieved 2007-07-16. ^ "Optus Acquires Virgin Mobile Australia". January 12, 2006. http://www.efytimes.com/efytimes/fullnews.asp?edid=9424. Retrieved 2007-07-20. ^ "Virgin Mobile confirms Canada as its fourth port of call". March 31, 2004. http://www.telegeography.com/cu/article.php?article_id=3318. Retrieved 2007-07-20. ^ "Carphone blames Virgin Mobile for woes". November 3, 2006. http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=35519. Retrieved 2007-07-20. ^ "Virgin Mobile to enter South Africa under VNO agreement". March 13, 2006. http://www.cbronline.com/article_news.asp?guid=47CC308B-541A-42BB-AE09-CCC2FF538672. Retrieved 2007-07-20. ^ Davies, Chris (10 June 2009). "Broadband2Go contract-free from Virgin Mobile USA". SlashGear.com. http://www.slashgear.com/broadband2go-contract-free-from-virgin-mobile-usa-1046608/. Retrieved 2009-07-16. ^ Novatel Wireless press release, "Virgin Mobile USA to Introduce Broadband2Go -- 3G Nationwide Wireless Internet Access With No Annual Contract", June 10, 2009 ^ Virgin Mobile Broadband2Go website ^ http://tampabay.bizjournals.com/tampabay/stories/2009/08/24/daily18.html ^ a b c "Bell Mobility acquires full ownership of Virgin Mobile Canada". Bell Mobility. 2009-05-09. http://www.bce.ca/en/news/releases/bm/2009/05/07/75140.html. Retrieved 2009-07-28. Following this sale, Bell Canada stopped allowing Customer Service representatives to make decisions related to the provision of normal customer service; they required the supervisors to make reports of problem situations to Bell management for all decisions. After a couple of weeks of this style of operation, they terminated arrangements with their Canadian Customer Service employees, outsourcing the Customer Service response functions to the Philippines. Customer satisfaction is less than it was. ^ "Virgin Mobile exits Singapore market". Electronics News. 2003-07-10. http://www.ferret.com.au/articles/0c/0c00f00c.asp. Retrieved 2007-08-22. ^ Akers, Lawrence (2002-07-10). "Virgin's Version". Forbes. http://members.forbes.com/asap/2002/1007/058.html. Retrieved 2007-08-22. ^ "COAI questions Virgin's 'backdoor' entry, seeks clear policy". The Economic Times. 2008-03-20. http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Telecom/COAI_questions_Virgins_backdoor_entry_seeks_clear_policy/articleshow/2885287.cms. Retrieved 2008-03-30. ^ "DoT clears Tata-Virgin deal". The Economic Times. 2008-03-29. http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Telecom/DoT_clears_Tata-Virgin_deal/articleshow/2908412.cms. Retrieved 2008-03-30. External links Official website: Virgin Mobile Official website: Virgin Mobile India Official website: Virgin Mobile US Official website: Virgin Mobile Canada v d e Virgin Mobile brands Virgin Mobile UK Virgin Mobile USA Virgin Mobile Australia Virgin Mobile Canada Virgin Mobile France Virgin Mobile South Africa Virgin Mobile India v d e Virgin Group General Active Blue Holdings Limited Cinemas Credit Card Digital Drinks (Cola, Vodka, Wines/Vines) Electronics Experience Days Fuel Green Fund Media (Media Television) Money (USA) Unite (charity) Voucher Travel AirAsia X America Atlantic Balloon Flights Blue (Pacific Blue, Polynesian Blue, V Australia) Express Galactic Holidays Limited Edition (hotels) Limobike Limousines Nigeria Trains Vacations Publishing and entertainment Books Comics Interactive Ou FM Radio Radio Free Records V2 Records V Festivals (Australia, North America, United Kingdom) Retail Brides Cars Megastores Mobile UK Australia [Broadband] Canada France India South Africa USA Motorsport Virgin Racing Categories: Mobile phone companies | Mobile Virtual Network Operators | Virgin Media | Companies based in Wiltshire | Companies established in 1998Hidden categories: All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements from February 2010 | Articles needing additional references from November 2008 | All articles needing additional references About the Author
