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The rich text element allows you to create and format headings, paragraphs, blockquotes, images, and video all in one place instead of having to add and format them individually. Just double-click and easily create content.
A rich text element can be used with static or dynamic content. For static content, just drop it into any page and begin editing. For dynamic content, add a rich text field to any collection and then connect a rich text element to that field in the settings panel. Voila!
Headings, paragraphs, blockquotes, figures, images, and figure captions can all be styled after a class is added to the rich text element using the "When inside of" nested selector system.
Attention United Conservationists, it's time to have some fun! Join Rob Stewart, award-winning filmmaker of SHARKWATER and innovative conservationist, as he leads the movement to make Canada FIN FREE – rallying for landmark legislation to save sharks by making the trade of their valuable fins illegal. Attend the event.
Rob is also launching his new, revolutionary not-for-profit organization, United Conservationists (UC), all during the Toronto International Film Festival. Guests will support the cause and also be treated to signature cocktails, great food, rocking music, and special gifts at the coolest party in town! We’re making it cool and hip to save the planet. All proceeds from the party benefit United Conservationists and our campaign to make Canada Fin Free. Buy tickets now.
Join us Wednesday, September 14th at the uber-hip ULTRA in Toronto (approx 9pm-3am). Skyy vodka, DrinkMe (raw organic beverages) andTribute.ca are just a few of the sponsors who have come on board to support the event. We are expecting 500+ attendees of Sharkwater fans, young professionals, local movers and shakers, including some VIP guests to join the party! The vibe will be club-oriented with house music, glowing sharks and plenty of photo ops. This is a ticketed fundraising event (tickets: $25 in advance / $35 at door) and there will be an exclusive VIP area for special guests and performers. This night is not to be missed!
If you cannot attend, please consider making a donation. You can help fuel the movement! Donate now and get cool perks!
For as long as I can remember, sharks have been portrayed in the media as monsters. The film Jaws sealed their fate – from that point forward, all sharks became insatiable man-eaters. The reality of sharks is quite the opposite. Sharks are incredibly sophisticated animals generally uninterested in people. Of the over 500 species of sharks, only a handful have ever been known to bite humans. Every year, 7-10 billion people swim in the ocean, of those 70 – 100 people are bitten by sharks, most of those only requiring stitches. An average of only 5 people die; when sharks do make mistakes and bite people, they rarely remove flesh. If sharks wanted to eat people, they would, and those numbers would skyrocket.
Because of this irrational fear, the fact 100 million sharks are killed each year for their fins goes largely unnoticed. Sharks are quietly disappearing during our lifetimes. The reality, which most scuba divers know, is that sharks are mostly harmless to humans but are incredibly important animals to the oceans and thus, life on earth. I met my first shark when I was nine, and instead of attacking me, it fled in fear. This changed my perspective of sharks so dramatically that I sought them out from that point on, eventually leading me on the journey to create Sharkwater.
Every time you see a shark cage on TV, there is someone outside of the cage filming. Shark documentaries often intentionally misrepresent sharks, making audiences think that they attack everything in the water for the simple fact that blood, teeth and fear increase ratings. Sharks are lured and baited for hours, even days, eventually bringing about the behavior needed to get dramatic footage. This is the standard for shark documentaries, and it’s atrocious. It tells a very different story than reality; we spent 200 days a year outside of cages filming Sharkwater without a single incident.
Sharks can provide great drama for TV, film and media. High speed attacks, razor sharp teeth, and harrowing tales of survival. Unfortunately, some people choose to profit from this misperception, by selling fear of sharks, much like those who profit from shark finning. This mentality is one of the biggest challenges we face in shark conservation. Few people want to save a creature they have been taught to fear and loathe.
It is my hope the public will become educated and demand realistic shows about sharks, stopping the cycle of drama. The fact of the matter is, production companies produce what people watch - and we can't just blame the media. We can absolutely influence how sharks are portrayed by voting with our dollars, and in this case, our "eyes" meaning what we chose to watch and support. Until then, I urge production companies and networks to take more responsibility to protect sharks, accurately portraying these magnificent animals. Finally, I hope those who know the truth about sharks will instead chose to profit by establishing sustainable industries geared towards shark appreciation, like the Bahamas. A living shark is worth more alive than dead as proven by responsible dive operators who take people to swim with sharks in their habitat. These inspiring dive experiences help change public perception, raise awareness about the plight of sharks and help create an industry based on conservation – not exploitation.
Rob Stewart and leading environmental NGOs, including United Conservationists, launch a summer long "Celebrate Sharks" campaign and coalition to ban shark fins in Toronto.
Councillor Glenn De Baeremaeker and Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam met with press today to outline their proposal to ban the sale of shark fins within the City of Toronto. Toronto's Rob Stewart (Sharkwater www.sharkwater.com) and Wildaid (www.wildaid.org) announced the launch of Fin free Toronto, a coalition of leading environmental groups and NGOs for "Celebrate Sharks", a city-wide summer educational campaign to raise awareness of the plight of sharks. Celebrate Sharks will include free screenings of Sharkwater, talks by Rob Stewart and other experts, grassroots events and discussions, and a petition drive to gather 10,000 signatures in support of the shark fin ban on www.finfreetoronto.com
As a grassroots initiative, Stewart has pledged to visit and give a talk for any school or group that gets more than 1000 signatures in support of the ban. His first public appearance in support of Celebrate Sharks will be at the ROM on June 15th.
Hammerhead Sharks
Sharks are being slaughtered world wide at the rate of over 70 million per year; with experts agreeing that many species are nearing extinction. Shark populations are believed to have dropped by as much as 90% in the last few decades, largely because of the demand for shark fin.
The demand for shark fin soup, an Asian delicacy, has driven the price of fins to 700$/kg. This huge economic draw led to the practice of finning, where only the shark's fins are kept and the rest of the body is discarded, wasting 95% of the animal.
The Canadian government has banned "shark finning" in Canadian waters since 1994 as has the United States (2009) and the European Community (2003); but the sale of shark fins continues in cities across Canada and the world. States and municipal governments – including Hawaii, Guam, Saipan, Washington State, Oregon and California - representing over 47 million people have introduced bans on the trade and consumption of shark fins; with legislators in mainland China and Indonesia initiating bans and restrictions as well. The City of Brantford, Ontario is the first municipality in Canada to ban shark fins.
To book or organize a free screening of Sharkwater in your neighborhood contact: Jen Zabawa – jen@sharkwater.com
United Conservationists is a different kind of conservation group. We believe in you, in humanity, and the fact that we are all inherently good deep down inside. In fact, we’ve already proven it. See, some of our founders made a little movie called Sharkwater. Soon NGOs started popping up and government policy started changing. All it took was information and a spark, and the world will never be the same.
But the problem is bigger now. Its not just animals and ecosystems that are in danger, now humanity is at stake, and we don’t have much time.
We’re counting on you to change the world, but you won’t do it alone. We’ll be bringing you allies, by packaging crucial information in groundbreaking entertainment to unite conservationists across the world as a force for change.
For those of you that are new - welcome. Our world community has never needed you more. But if you’ve already changed the world, as many of you have, you know who you are - you’re a United Conservationist. And we know you’re going to do it again.
