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InVEST +VERSION+ documentation
Biodiversity is intimately linked to the production of ecosystem services. Patterns in biodiversity are inherently spatial, and as such, can be estimated by analyzing maps of land use and land cover (LULC) in conjunction with threats. InVEST models habitat quality and rarity as proxies for biodiversity, ultimately estimating the extent of habitat and vegetation types across a landscape, and their state of degradation. Habitat quality and rarity are a function of four factors: each threat's relative impact, the relative sensitivity of each habitat type to each threat, the distance between habitats and sources of threats, and the degree to which the land is legally protected. Required inputs include a LULC map, the sensitivity of LULC types to each threat, spatial data on the distribution and intensity of each threat and the location of protected areas. The model assumes that the legal protection of land is effective and that all threats to a landscape are additive.
A primary goal of conservation is the protection of biodiversity, including the range of genes, species, populations, habitats, and ecosystems in an area of interest. While some consider biodiversity to be an ecosystem service, here we treat it as an independent attribute of natural systems, with its own intrinsic value (we do NOT monetize biodiversity in this model). Natural resource managers, corporations and conservation organizations are becoming increasingly interested in understanding how and where biodiversity and ecosystem services align in space and how management actions affect both.
Evidence from many sources builds an overwhelming picture of pervasive biodiversity decline worldwide (e.g., Vitousek et al. 1997; Wilcove et al 1998; Czech et. al 2000). This evidence has prompted a wide-ranging response from both governments and civil society. Through the Rio Convention on Biodiversity, 189 nations have committed themselves to preserving the biodiversity within their borders. Yet, there is scant research on the overlap between opportunities to protect biodiversity and to sustain the ecosystem services so critical to these countries' economic well-being. This is precisely the type of challenge that InVEST has been designed to address.
For managers to understand the patterns of distribution and richness across a landscape, individually and in aggregate, it is necessary to map the range or occurrences of elements (e.g. species, communities, habitats). The degree to which current land use and management affects the persistence of these elements must also be assessed in order to design appropriate conservation strategies and encourage resource management that maximizes biodiversity in those areas.
There are a variety of approaches to identifying priorities for conservation with various trade-offs among them. Each of these approaches focuses on different facets of biodiversity attributes and dynamics, including habitat or vegetation-based representation (i.e., a coarse filter), maximizing the number of species "covered" by a network of conserved sites for a given conservation budget (Ando et al. 1998), identifying patterns of richness and endemism (CI hotspots), and conserving ecological processes. There is also a hybrid coarse-fine filter approach which selectively includes "fine-filter" elements such as species with unique habitat requirements who may not be adequately protected using a coarse-filter approach only (TNC and WWF ecoregional planning). The InVEST Habitat Quality model is most relevant to "coarse filter", or habitat-based approaches.
The reasons for modeling biodiversity alongside ecosystem services are simple and powerful. Doing so allows us to compare spatial patterns of biodiversity and ecosystem services, and to identify win-win areas (i.e., areas where conservation can benefit both natural systems and human economies) as well as areas where these goals are not aligned. Further, it allows us to analyze trade-offs between biodiversity and ecosystem services across differing scenarios of future land use change. Land use/land cover (LULC) patterns that generate greater ecosystem service production may not always lead to greater biodiversity conservation (Nelson et al. 2008), and modeling future options today can help identify and avoid tradeoffs.
The InVEST habitat quality model combines information on LULC and threats to biodiversity to produce habitat quality maps. This approach generates two key sets of information that are useful in making an initial assessment of conservation needs: the relative extent and degradation of different types of habitat types in a region and changes across time. This approach further allows rapid assessment of the status of and change in a proxy for more detailed measures of biodiversity status. If habitat changes are taken as representative of genetic, species, or ecosystem changes, the user is assuming that areas with high quality habitat will better support all levels of biodiversity and that decreases in habitat extent and quality over time means a decline in biodiversity persistence, resilience, breadth and depth in the area of decline.
The habitat rarity model indicates the extent and pattern of natural land cover types on the current or a potential future landscape vis-a-vis the extent of the same natural land cover types in some baseline period. Rarity maps allow users to create a map of the rarest habitats on the landscape relative to the baseline chosen by the user to represent the mix of habitats on the landscape that is most appropriate for the study area's native biodiversity.
The model requires basic data that are available virtually everywhere in the world, making it useful in areas for which species distribution data are poor or lacking altogether. Extensive occurrence (presence/absence) data may be available in many places for current conditions. However, modeling the change in occurrence, persistence, or vulnerability of multiple species under future conditions is often impossible or infeasible. While a habitat approach leaves out the detailed species occurrence data available for current conditions, several of its components represent advances in functionality over many existing biodiversity conservation planning tools. The most significant is the ability to characterize the sensitivity of habitats types to various threats. Not all habitats are affected by all threats in the same way, and the InVEST model accounts for this variability. Further, the model allows users to estimate the relative impact of one threat over another so that threats that are more damaging to biodiversity persistence on the landscape can be represented as such. For example, grassland could be particularly sensitive to threats generated by urban areas yet moderately sensitive to threats generated by roads. In addition, the distance over which a threat will degrade natural systems can be incorporated into the model.
Model assessment of the current landscape can be used as an input to a coarse-filter assessment of current conservation needs and opportunities. Model assessment of potential LULC futures can be used to measure potential changes in habitat extent, quality, and rarity on a landscape and conservation needs and opportunities in the future.
We define habitat as "the resources and conditions present in an area that produce occupancy – including survival and reproduction – by a given organism (Hall et al. 1997:175)." Habitat quality refers to the ability of the ecosystem to provide conditions appropriate for individual and population persistence, and is considered a continuous variable in the model, ranging from low to medium to high, based on resources available for survival, reproduction, and population persistence, respectively (Hall et al 1997). Habitat with high quality is relatively intact and has the structure and function within the range of historic variability. Habitat quality depends on a habitat's proximity to human land uses and the intensity of these land uses. Generally, habitat quality is degraded as the intensity of nearby land-use increases (Nelleman 2001, McKinney 2002, Forman et al. 2003).
The model runs using raster data, or a gridded map of square cells. Each cell in the raster is assigned a LULC type, which can be a natural (unmanaged) cover or a managed cover. LULC types can be given at any level of classification detail. For example, grassland is a broad LULC definition that can be subdivided into pasture, restored prairie, and residential lawn types to provide much more LULC classification detail. While the user can submit up to 3 raster maps of LULC, one each for a baseline, current, and future period, at a minimum the current LULC raster map has to be submitted.
The user defines which LULC types can provide habitat for the conservation objective (e.g., if forest breeding birds are the conservation objective then forests are habitat and non-forest covers are not habitat). Let \(H_j\) indicate the habitat suitability of LULC type j.
Which LULC types should be considered habitat? If considering biodiversity generally or if data on specific biodiversity-habitat relationships are lacking, you can take a simple binary approach to assigning habitat to LULC types. A classic example would be to follow an island-ocean model and assume that the managed land matrix surrounding remnant patches of unmanaged land is unusable from the standpoint of species (e.g., MacArthur and Wilson 1967). In this case a 0 would be assigned to managed LULC types in the matrix (i.e., non-habitat) and a 1 to unmanaged types (i.e., habitat). Under this modeling scheme habitat quality scores are not a function of habitat importance, rarity, or suitability; all habitat types are treated equally. Model inputs are assumed to not be specific to any particular species or species guild, but rather apply to biodiversity generally.
More recent research suggests that the matrix of managed land that surrounds patches of unmanaged land can significantly influence the "effective isolation" of habitat patches, rendering them more or less isolated than simple distance or classic models would indicate (Ricketts 2001, Prugh et al. 2008). Modification of the matrix may provide opportunities for reducing patch isolation and thus the extinction risk of populations in fragmented landscapes (Franklin and Lindenmayer 2009). To model this, a relative habitat suitability score can be assigned to a LULC type ranging from 0 to 1 where 1 indicates the highest habitat suitability. A ranking of less than 1 indicates habitat where a species or functional group may have lower survivability. Applying this second approach greatly expands the definition of habitat from the simple and often artificial binary approach (e.g., "natural" versus "unnatural") to include a broad spectrum of both managed and unmanaged LULC types. By using a continuum of habitat suitability across LULC types, the user can assess the importance of land use management on habitat quality holistically or consider the potential importance of "working" (or managed) landscapes.
If a continuum of habitat suitability is relevant, weights with a roster of LULC on a landscape must be applied in reference to a particular species guild of group. For example, grassland songbirds may prefer a native prairie habitat above all other habitat types (the habitat score for the LULC prairie (Hprarie) equals 1), but will also make use of a managed hayfield or pasture in a pinch (the habitat score for the LULC hayfield (Hhayfield) and pasture (Hpasture) equals 0.5). However, mammals such as porcupines will find prairie unsuitable for breeding and feeding. Therefore, if specific data on species group-habitat relationships are used, the model output refers to habitat extent and quality for the species or group in the modeled set only.
Besides a map of LULC and data that relates LULC to habitat suitability, the model also requires data on habitat threat density and its affects on habitat quality. In general, we consider human modified LULC types that cause habitat fragmentation, edge, and degradation in neighboring habitat threats. For example, the conversion of a habitat LULC to non-habitat LULC reduces the size and continuity of neighboring habitat patches. Edge effects refer to changes in the biological and physical conditions that occur at a patch boundary and within adjacent patches. For example, adjacent degraded non-habitat LULC parcels impose "edge effects" on habitat parcels and can have negative impacts within habitat parcels by, for example, facilitating entry of predators, competitors, invasive species, or toxic chemicals and other pollutants. Another example: in many developing countries roads are a threat to forest habitat quality on the landscape because of the access they provide to timber and non-timber forest harvesters.
Each threat source needs to be mapped on a raster grid. A grid cell value on a threat's map can either indicate intensity of the threat within the cell (e.g., road length in a grid cell or cultivated area in a gird cell) or simply a 1 if the grid cell contains the threat in a road or crop field cover and 0 otherwise. Let \(o_{ry}\) indicate threat r's "score" in grid cell y where r = 1, 2, ..., R indexes all modeled degradation sources.
All mapped threats should be measured in the same scale and metric. For example, if one threat is measured in density per grid cell then all degradation sources should be measured in density per grid cell where density is measured with the same metric unit (e.g., km and km2). Or if one threat is measured with presence/absence (1/0) on its map then all threats should be mapped with the presence/absence scale.
The impact of threats on habitat in a grid cell is mediated by four factors.
where \(d_{xy}\) is the linear distance between grid cells \(x\) and \(y\) and \(d_{r\ \mathrm{max}}\) is the maximum effective distance of threat \(r\mathrm{'s}\) reach across space. Figure 1 illustrates the relationship between the distance-decay rate for a threat based on the maximum effective distance of the threat (linear and exponential). For example, if the user selects an exponential decline and the maximum impact distance of a threat is set at 1 km, the impact of the threat on a grid cell's habitat will decline by ~ 50% when the grid cell is 200 m from r's source. If \(i_{rxy} > 0\) then grid cell x is in degradation source ry's disturbance zone. (If the exponential function is used to describe the impact of degradation source r on the landscape then the model ignores values of \(i_{rxy}\) that are very close to 0 in order to expedite the modeling process.) To reiterate, if we have assigned species group-specific habitat suitability scores to each LULC then threat impact over space should be specific to the modeled species group.
Therefore, the total threat level in grid cell \(x\) with LULC or habitat type \(j\) is given by \(D_{xj}\),
where \(y\) indexes all grid cells on \(r\mathrm{'s}\) raster map and \(Y_r\) indicates the set of grid cells on \(r\mathrm{'s}\) raster map. Note that each threat map can have a unique number of grid cells due to variation in raster resolution If \(S_{jr} = 0\) then \(D_{xj}\) is not a function of threat \(r\). Also note that threat weights are normalized so that the sum across all threats weights equals 1.
By normalizing weights such that they sum to 1 we can think of \(D_{xj}\) as the weighted average of all threat levels in grid cell \(x\). The map of \(D_{xj}\) will change as the set of weights we use change. Please note that two sets of weights will only differ if the relative differences between the weights in each set differ. For example, set of weights of 0.1, 0.1, and 0.4 are the same as the set of weights 0.2, 0.2, and 0.8.
A grid cell's degradation score is translated into a habitat quality value using a half saturation function where the user must determine the half-saturation value. As a grid cell's degradation score increases its habitat quality decreases. Let the quality of habitat in parcel \(x\) that is in LULC j be given by \(Q_{xj}\) where,
and \(z\) (we hard code \(z = 2.5\)) and \(k\) are scaling parameters (or constants). \(Q_{xj}\) is equal to 0 if Hj = 0. \(Q_{xj}\) increases in Hj and decreases in \(D_{xj}\). \(Q_{xj}\) can never be greater than 1. The k constant is the half-saturation constant and is set by the user. The parameter \(k\) is equal to the \(D\) value where \(1-\left(\frac{D^z_{xj}}{D^z_{xj}+k^z} = 0.5\right)\). For example, if \(k = 5\) then \(1-\left(\frac{D^z_{xj}}{D^z_{xj}+k^z}\right) = 0.5\) when \(D_{xj} = 5\). In the biodiversity model interface we set \(k = 0.5\) but the user can change it (see note in Data Needs section, #8). If you are doing scenario analyses, whatever value you chose for \(k\) the first landscape you run the model on, that same k must be used for all alternative scenarios on the same landscape. Similarly, whatever spatial resolution you chose the first time you run the model on a landscape use the same value for all additional model runs on the same landscape. If you want to change your choice of \(k\) or the spatial resolution for any model run then you have to change the parameters for all model runs, if you are comparing multiple scenarios on the same landscape.
While mapping habitat quality can help to identify areas where biodiversity is likely to be most intact or imperiled, it is also critical to evaluate the relative rarity of habitats on the landscape regardless of quality. In many conservation plans, habitats that are rarer are given higher priority, simply because options and opportunities for conserving them are limited and if all such habitats are lost, so too are the species and processes associated with them.
The relative rarity of a LULC type on a current or projected landscape is evaluated vis-a-vis a baseline LULC pattern. A rare LULC type on a current or projected map that is also rare on some ideal or reference state on the landscape (the baseline) is not likely to be in critical danger of disappearance, whereas a rare LULC type on a current or projected map that was abundant in the past (baseline) is at risk.
In the first step of the rarity calculation we take the ratio between the current or projected and past (baseline) extents of each LULC type \(j\). Subtracting this ratio from one, the model derives an index that represents the rarity of that LULC class on the landscape of interest.
where \(N_j\) is the number of grid cells of LULC \(j\) on the current or projected map and \(N_{j_\mathrm{baseline}}\) gives the number of grid cells of LULC \(j\) on the baseline landscape. The calculation of \(R_j\) requires that the baseline, current, and/or projected LULC maps are all in the same resolution. In this scoring system, the closer to 1 a LULC's \(R\) score is, the greater the likelihood that the preservation of that LULC type on the current or future landscape is important to biodiversity conservation. If LULC j did not appear on the baseline landscape then we set \(R_j = 0\).
Once we have a \(R_j\) measure for each LULC type, we can quantify the overall rarity of habitat type in grid cell \(x\) with:
where \(\sigma_{xj}= 1\) if grid cell x is in LULC \(j\) on a current or projected landscape and equals 0 otherwise.
In this model all threats on the landscape are additive, although there is evidence that, in some cases, the collective impact of multiple threats is much greater than the sum of individual threat levels would suggest.
Because the chosen landscape of interest is typically nested within a larger landscape, it is important to recognize that a landscape has an artificial boundary where the habitat threats immediately outside of the study boundary have been clipped and ignored. Consequently, threat intensity will always be less on the edges of a given landscape. There are two ways to avoid this problem. One, you can choose a landscape for modeling purposes whose spatial extent is significantly beyond the boundaries of your landscape of interest. Then, after results have been generated, you can extract the results just for the interior landscape of interest. Or the user can limit themselves to landscapes where degradation sources are concentrated in the middle of the landscape.
The model uses seven types of input data (five are required).
Name: it can be named anything.
Format: standard GIS raster file (e.g., ESRI GRID or IMG), with LULC class code for each cell (e.g., 1 for forest, 2 for agriculture, 3 for grassland, etc.). The LULC class codes should be in the grid's 'value' column. The raster should not contain any other data. The LULC codes must match the codes in the "Sensitivity of land cover types to each threat" table below (input # 7).
Sample Data Set: \InVEST\HabitatQuality\Input\lc_samp_cur_b
Name: it can be named anything.
Format: standard GIS raster file (e.g., ESRI GRID or IMG), with LULC class code for each cell (e.g., 1 for forest, 3 for grassland, etc.). The LULC class codes should be in the raster's 'value' column.
Sample data set: \InVEST\HabitatQuality\Input\lc_samp_fut_b
If possible the baseline map should refer to a time when intensive mamagement of the land was relatively rare. For example, a map of LULC in 1851 in the Willamette Valley of Oregon, USA, captures the LULC pattern on the landscape before it was severely modified to for massive agricultural production. Granted this landscape had been modified by American Indian land clearing practices such as controlled fires.
Name: it can be named anything.
Format: standard GIS raster file (e.g., ESRI GRID or IMG), with LULC class code for each cell (e.g., 1 for forest, 3 for grassland, etc.). The LULC class codes should be in the grid 'value' column.
Sample data set: \InVEST\HabitatQuality\Input\lc_samp_bse_b
Name: file can be named anything
File Type:
Rows: each row is a degradation source
Columns: each column contains a different attribute of each degradation source, and must be named as follows:
- THREAT: the name of the specific threat. Threat names must not exceed 8 characters.
- MAX_DIST: the maximum distance over which each threat affects habitat quality (measured in km). The impact of each degradation source will decline to zero at this maximum distance.
- WEIGHT: the impact of each threat on habitat quality, relative to other threats. Weights can range from 1 at the highest, to 0 at the lowest.
- DECAY: the type of decay over space for the threat. Can have the value of either "linear" or "exponential".
Sample Data Set: \Invest\HabitatQuality\Input\threats_samp.csv
Example: Hypothetical study with three threats. Agriculture degrades habitat over a larger distance than roads do, and has a greater overall magnitude of impact. Further, paved roads attract more traffic than dirt roads and thus are more destructive to nearby habitat than dirt roads.
Please do not leave any area on the threat maps as 'No Data'. If an area has not threat set the area's threat level equal to 0.
If you are analyzing habitat quality for more than one LULC scenario (e.g., a current and future map or a baseline, current, and future map) then you need a set of threat layers for each modeled scenario. Add a "c" at the end of the raster for all "current" threat layers, a "f" for all future threat layers, and a "b" for all "baseline" threat layers. If you do not use such endings then the model assumes the degradation source layers correspond to the current map. If a threat noted in the Threats data table (input # 4) is inappropriate for the LULC scenario that you are analyzing (e.g., industrial development on a Willamette Valley pre-settlement map from 1851) then enter a threat map for that time period that has all 0 values. If you do not include threat maps for a submitted LULC scenario then the model will not calculate habitat quality on the scenario LULC map.
Finally, note that we assume that the relative weights of threats and sensitivity of habitat to threats do not change over time (we only submit one Threat data table and one Habitat sensitivity data table (inputs # 4 and # 7)). If you want to change these over time then you will have to run the model multiple times.
Name: the name of each raster file should exactly match the name of a degradation source in the rows of the Threats data table (input #2) above with the added "_b" (baseline), "_c" (current), or "_f" (future) to indicate the threat map's period. File name cannot be longer than 7 characters if using a GRID format.
Format: standard GIS raster file (e.g., ESRI GRID or IMG), with a relative degradation source value for each cell from that particular degradation source. The "Value" column indicates the relative degradation source that cell shows. File location: files must be saved in a folder titled "input" within the model's workspace (see below).
Sample data sets: \Invest\HabitatQuality\Input\crp_c; crp_f; rr_c; rr_f; urb_c; urb_f; rot_c; rot_f; prds_c; prds_f; srds_c; srds_f; lrds_c; lrds_f. By using these sets of inputs we are running a habitat quality analysis for the current and future LULC scenario maps. A habitat quality map will not be generated for the baseline map because we have not submitted any threat layers for the baseline map. The name 'crp' refers to cropland, 'rr' to rural residential, 'urb' to urban, 'rot' to rotation forestry, 'prds' to primary roads, 'srds' to secondary roads, and 'lrds' to light roads.
File type: GIS polygon shapefile.
Name: file can be named anything.
Rows: each row is a specific polygon on the landscape
- ID: unique identifying code for each polygon. FID also works.
- ACCESS: values between 0 and 1 for each parcel, as described above.
Sample data set: \InVEST\HabitatQuality\Input\access_samp.shp
Name: file can be named anything
File type:
Rows: each row is a LULC type.
Columns: columns contain data on land use types and their sensitivities to threatss. Columns must be named according to the naming conventions below.
- LULC: numeric code for each LULC type. Values must match the codes used in the LULC maps submitted in inputs # 1 through 3. All LULC types that appear in the current, future, or baseline maps (inputs # 1 through 3) need to appear as a row in this table.
- NAME: the name of each LULC
- HABITAT: Each LULC is assigned a habitat score, Hj, from 0 to 1. If you want to simply classify each LULC as habitat or not without reference to any particular species group then use 0s and 1s where a 1 indicates habitat. Otherwise, if sufficient information is available on a species group's habitat preferences, assign LULC a relative habitat suitability score from 0 to 1 where 1 indicates the highest habitat suitability. For example a grassland songbird may prefer a native prairie habitat above all other habitat types (prairie is given a "Habitat" score of 1 for grassland birds), but will also use a managed hayfield or pasture in a pinch (managed hayfield and pasture is given a "Habitat" score of 0.5 for grassland birds).
- L_THREAT1, L_THREAT2, etc.: The relative sensitivity of each habitat type to each threat. You will have as many columns named like this as you have threat, and the italicized portions of names must match row names in the "Threat data" table noted above (input # 4). Values range from 0 to 1, where 1 represents high sensitivity to a threat and 0 represents no sensitivity. Note: Even if the LULC is not considered habitat, do not leave its sensitivity to each threat as Null or blank, instead enter a 0 and the model will convert it to NoData.
Sample data set: \Invest\HabitatQuality\Input\sensitivity_samp.csv
Example: A hypothetical study with four LULC and three threats. In this example we treat woodlands and forests as (absolute) habitat and bare soil and cultivated areas as (absolute) non-habitat. Forest mosaic is the most sensitive (least resistant) habitat type, and is more sensitive to dirt roads than paved roads or agriculture (0.9 versus 0.5 and 0.8). We enter 0's across all threats for the two developed land covers, base soil and cultivation.
|Bare Soil
|Closed Woodland
|Forest Mosaic
The model is available as a standalone application accessible from the Windows start menu. For Windows 7 or earlier, this can be found under All Programs -> InVEST |version| -> Habitat Quality. Windows 8 users can find the application by pressing the windows start key and typing "habitat quality" to refine the list of applications. The standalone can also be found directly in the InVEST install directory under the subdirectory invest-3_x86/invest_habitat_quality.exe.
Upon successful completion of the model, a file explorer window will open to the output workspace specified in the model run. This directory contains an output folder holding files generated by this model. Those files can be viewed in any GIS tool such as ArcGIS, or QGIS. These files are described below in Section Interpreting Results.
Final results are found in the Output folder within the Workspace specified for this module.
If you are running a future scenario (i.e., you have provided input # 2 and future LULC scenario threat layers), you will also see degrad_fut and qual_fut in the output folder as well. Further, if you have submitted a baseline LULC map (input # 3) as well, you will also see the raster rarity_fut in the output folder.
If you have entered a baseline map (input # 3) and threat layers for the baseline (input # 4)), then you will find the rasters degrad_bse AND qual_bse in the output folder.
Recall, if you are setting Hj for all LULC j on a continuum between 0 and 1 based on the habitat suitability for a particular species group then these results are only applicable to that species group.
The model output doesn't provide landscape-level quality and rarity scores for comparing the baseline, current, and future LULC scenarios. Instead the user must summarize habitat extent and quality and rarity scores for each landscape. At the simplest level, a habitat quality landscape score for a LULC scenario is simply the aggregate of all grid cell-level scores under the scenario. In other words, we can sum all grid-level quality scores on the qual_bse (if available), qual_cur, and qual_fut (if available) maps and then compare scores. A map may have a higher aggregate quality score for several reasons. For one, it may just have more habitat area. However, if the amount of habitat across any two scenarios is approximately the same then a higher landscape quality score is indicative of better overall quality habitat.
Scores for certain areas on a landscape could also be compared. For example, we could compare aggregate habitat quality scores in areas of the landscape that are known to be in the geographic ranges of species of interest. For example, suppose we have geographic range maps of 9 species and have submitted current and future LULC scenario maps to the habitat quality model. In this case we would determine 18 aggregate habitat quality scores, once for each modeled species under each scenario. Let \(G_{s_{\mathrm{cur}}}\) indicate the set of grid cells on the current landscape that are in \(s\)' range. Then the average habitat quality score in species \(s\)' range on the current landscape is given by,
where \(Q_{xj_{cur}}\) indicates the habitat quality score on parcel x in LULC j on the current landscape and \(Q_{xj_{cur} = 0}\) if qual_cur for x is "No Data". The average range-normalized habitat quality score for all 9 species on the current landscape would be given by,
Then we would repeat for the future landscape with the grid cells in set Gs_fut for each species s and the set of \(Q_{xj_{fut}}\).
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MINNEAPOLIS, MN - Cabela's Big Game Hunter 2012 roars its way back with one of the most realistic hunts yet, vast environments, an abundance of firearms and gear and the most true to life animals yet. With predators and prey on the horizon, Cabela's Big Game Hunter 2012 from Activision Publishing, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI), takes gamers on a fun-filled, fast-paced adventure around the globe. Scheduled for release on September 27, 2011, this exciting new entry into the popular Cabela's franchise combines intense action with the popular Top Shot Elite peripheral to deliver gamers one of the most exhilarating hunting adventures ever!
"The pairing of Activision and Cabela's continues to result in the best hunting games on the market and this year's Big Game Hunter is no exception," said Jordan Mauer, Senior Director of Marketing, Activision Publishing. "Featuring upgradeable gear, game-changing freedom of movement and realistic animal behavior, Cabela's Big Gamer Hunter 2012 is a great addition to any gamer's library."
With the world as their playground, players will explore a vast expanse of mountains and valleys with unprecedented choices in direction never before seen in a Cabela's hunting game. Players can climb an area to get a better angle for the shot but risk being spotted, or they can take a low elevation route with poor visibility but plenty of concealment. Nature doesn't always wait for you to make the first move as the dynamic weather and natural hazards make the hunt even more challenging. The challenge doesn't end there. Cabela's Big Game Hunter 2012 ups the ante with the most realistic animals ever seen in the Cabela's series. Every animal's unique movement gives clues on what the animal will do next. In order to bag the trophies, players will have to avoid detection through cunning, skill, and deception. They must also utilize master hunting skills such as advanced stalking techniques so they can quickly move through cover and close in on their targets.
A hunter is nothing without his firearm, which is why Cabela's Big Game Hunter 2012 offers up the coolest hunting rifles and shotguns available. Players will always have the right gear and they can purchase upgrades, producing visible strengths and weaknesses depending on the situation. Having the best equipment is only part of the equation as players will have to be the best. Advanced shooting techniques such as accounting for wind direction and bullet drop are critical to making the perfect shot.
With new multiplayer modes, gamers can enjoy playing with friends and family! Up to four people can take turns, work together or challenge each other in different arcade shooting galleries. With new modes such as Reflex and Target Shooting, Cabela's Big Game Hunter 2012 has enough fun to keep players hunting with friends for a long time!
Cabela's Big Game Hunter 2012 will be available on the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system and Wii from Nintendo, on September 27, 2011. The game will be bundled with the innovative Top Shot Elite hunting peripheral and can also be purchased separately. For more information, please follow on Twitter and Facebook - @ActivisionHunts – Facebook.com/ActivisionHunts
Cabela's Incorporated, headquartered in Sidney, Nebraska, is a leading specialty retailer, and the world's largest direct marketer, of hunting, fishing, camping and related outdoor merchandise. Since the Company's founding in 1961, Cabela's&#Array; has grown to become one of the most well-known outdoor recreation brands in the world, and has long been recognized as the World's Foremost Outfitter. Through Cabela's growing number of retail stores and its well-established direct business, it offers a wide and distinctive selection of high-quality outdoor products at competitive prices while providing superior customer service. Cabela's also issues the Cabela's CLUB Visa credit card, which serves as its primary customer loyalty rewards program. Cabela's stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "CAB."
About Activision Publishing, Inc.
Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision Publishing, Inc. is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and leisure products. Activision maintains operations in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Spain, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Australia, South Korea, China and the region of Taiwan. More information about Activision and its products can be found on the company's website, www.activision.com.

subset: commoncrawl


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Last week Tarek Majdalani, a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional, posted an article about identifying which version of TMG 2010 is installed – RTM, Service Pack 1 or Update 1 to Service Pack 1.
The article is available on the TechNet Wiki site here.
If you are wondering what version you have installed on your server, this article has all the information you need.
Written by Gabriel Koren


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½ ounce dried Porcini Mushrooms
¾ cup Chicken Stock
2 Tablespoons Olive O... (continued)
In a small saucepan, heat the chicken stock to a boil. Turn off heat. Add the dried Porcini and let sit for 4 -5 minutes until softened. Drain, reserving liquid, and set as... (continued)
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My Story
My story could possibly be summed up in this one experience. Just picture this: A business lunch meeting catered by Café Rio. Fifteen middle-aged respectable men sitting around a large circle, getting to know one another over pork salads and guacamole. Squished between 2 big men, a tiny little blonde slurping up a bowl of bright orange carrot soup.
That's been my life for more than a year but I still don't know if I'll ever get used to all the weird looks. And I can't really blame people! I would stare, too, if a girl brought her own cooler out shopping, or to catered meetings, or to church.
Even still, these days, a quick allusion to "dietary needs… mumble, mumble.. gut problems.." is all you need to get nods of sympathy and understanding. It seems everybody knows at least somebody who's on a "gluten-free"/"dairy-free" crusade for some reason or another. So that's how I get through the social awkwardness of bringing my own organic, homemade foods everywhere I go.
To the general public, crazy dietary restrictions might seem a little… unnecessary, maybe? Faddish, at best. But for those who, like me, have had a very real battle with their own bodies, it's worth a shot trying to go "(fill in the blank!)-free" for a while. And I tried. I tried everything to fix the digestive issues I had been experiencing for years. Gluten-free. Dairy-free. Sugar-free. You name it. And it wasn't working.
By the time I was a junior in college, pole-vaulting for BYU, I was so anemic and nutrient deficient, I could barely run 30 meters without feeling like I was going to die without taking a nap! Seriously! After just one jump I would lay on the grass and rest for 10 minutes before feeling like I could get up and run 8 more steps. Something was seriously wrong, and I knew it.
How could I be a Division I athlete and not be able to finish a lap around the track? Doctors kept giving me pills and telling me I was pretty much fine. BUT I WAS NOT FINE! And my athletic career as well as my hope for a healthy future was diminishing fast.
It was by divine guidance that I was finally referred to a nutrition program called the GAPS diet. Piloted by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, the "Gut and Psychology Syndrome" diet is meant to help heal the gut and restore the body to a state where nutrients can be absorbed, produced, and used properly. Feeling I needed to know more, I bought her book and was shocked to find that my unfortunate health history seemed to be spelled out almost exactly--the development of food allergies, seasonal allergies, asthma, eczema, malnutrition, and anemia; as well as chronic fatigue, abdominal pain, and bloating. All those symptoms that were being treated separately, finally had a bigger, more wholistic, picture.
You might be asking what the big picture was? What in the world could have led to these symptoms in me and lead to similar symptoms in thousands of others? Honestly, it's just a lot about the way we live. For me, it was years of antibiotics, processed foods, a low-fat, high-carb diet, stress, iron supplementation, and other prescribed medication. When I read Dr. Campbell-McBride's book and researched others' experience with GAPS, my world suddenly made sense. Long-story short--the bacteria in my gut was all out of wack and my digestive system was seriously damaged.
I'm going to send you to Dr. Campbell's book, The Gut and Psychology Syndrome, for all the really good reading about all the symptoms and causes of a compromised gut flora and damaged digestive system. For the purpose of this blog, I'm just going to tell you that our culture today is destroying our bodies' ability to absorb and process nutrients. Without nutrients, our bodies fail. And the only way to truly heal the body of this kind of destruction is through diet and supplementation.
It scared me half to death to look at what I would need to do for at least 2 years to heal my gut. But I felt peace in moving forward and dove headfirst into a world I had never known existed--a world of whole food, of nutrient-dense food, of consistent detoxing, and of more vegetables than I ever knew existed. Oh, not to mention, more dishes, more cooking, more cleaning, and more kitchen disasters than I've ever experienced either. (You'll hear plenty about those, I promise;)).
Now, over a year later, my life is totally different. Sometimes I can't believe how bad it had gotten until I go back and read my journals. I feel strong now. I have never felt healthier or as confident about my future. My anemia is gone. I have energy again. I can eat every meal without having stomach pain, gas, and bloating. And I think my family's favorite part is that I have WAAAAAAAY fewer HANGRY episodes due to a stabilized blood sugar level.
The hope and health I have gained from changing to a whole foods, nutrient-focused diet, is why I have started this blog. My hope is that I can help everyone, not just those with gluten intolerances or autoimmune diseases, feel empowered by the simplicity and excitement of preparing and eating real, whole food and, with it, enjoying true healing to the body and mind. I am not a food connoisseur by any means, but I do love, love, love sharing a good meal with friends and family. I hope that as you explore my blog, and come back to see it improve, you'll come to see me as a friend whom you can trust for the best resources, recipes, and tips for Everyday, Wholehearted living.
Toxins are molecules that, when stuck in our bodies, damage cells and make us sick... Read more
Learn traditional healing recipes that restore health from the inside out... Read more


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The Mondale presidential campaign picked up speed and began to take on an interesting sense of direction last week. Plainly, Mr. Mondale is aiming for the political center, particularly for those voters, right across the country, who were wooed away from traditional Democratic Party ties by Ronald Reagan in 1980.
The selection of Rep. Geraldine Ferraro as running mate, of Bert Lance to run the campaign, the careful distancing from the Rev. Jesse Jackson both during the platform-shaping process and during the vice-presidential selection process, and the decision to build the acceptance speech on ''family values'' and ''fairness'' all fit together.
The complaint of Jesse Jackson that he ''wasn't consulted'' about the vice-presidential selection was a key event of the week.
Mr. Mondale wants as much of the black vote as he can get, but he prefers to get it through and with such regular organization black leaders as Mayor Tom Bradley of Los Angeles rather than in close association with the flamboyant and radical Mr. Jackson.
Before the week is out, Jackson may well be the forgotten man of the Democratic convention, along with whatever is left in the party of the other radical fringe movements which eight years ago dominated the convention and nominated George McGovern. Even Hubert Humphrey might feel uncomfortable in San Francisco this week. Mr. Mondale was his protege, but the campaign he is shaping bears no resemblance to those of his original patron.
Hubert Humphrey campaigned for the ''forgotten man,'' for the poor and lowly at the bottom of the economic pyramid, for the unemployed, the aged, and the alienated. ''Fritz'' Mondale can take the votes of those for granted. What he wants this year are the votes of the family man with a job, a little money in the bank, a house with a dangerously heavy mortgage threatened by rising interest rates, and children in Sunday school.
Ronald Reagan won the presidency in 1980 by winning over large numbers of the working middle class throughout the country. He stressed ''family values.'' He championed ''school prayer'' and denounced abortion. It proved equally popular among Northern working Roman Catholics and Jews and Southern fundamentalist Protestant whites. Jimmy Carter had pulled the Democratic Party back toward center, but not far enough to head off the Reagan challenge when assisted by an Ayatollah Khomeini holding the hostages in Iran.
So Mr. Mondale picks a Roman Catholic from a working-class Italian immigrant background who happens to be a skillful professional politician, and also a woman, to be his running mate (to the astonishment of many, including this writer). And then he picks Bert Lance, a wealthy Southern banker, to run the campaign. And he deliberately keeps his distance from Jesse Jackson and anyone else who is even faintly tainted with the word radical.
The choice of Ms. Ferraro has surprised almost everyone. Few realized that Mr. Mondale could be so bold and imaginative. It has been criticized by few. It is not easy for anyone to criticize her solid, middle-of-the-road political record or the fact that her parents and she earned what they got the hard way.
Until this week I puzzled over how a politician as lacking in dramatic quality as Mr. Mondale could hope to wage an effective campaign. He has little of the qualities that made Franklin Roosevelt or John F. Kennedy, or even Lyndon Johnson, effective campaigners. He certainly is no match as a performer for Ronald Reagan.
But does the presidential candidate necessarily have to be the star performer in an effective campaign? Is it possible that the presidential candidate just might put together a team of effective campaigners while he himself plays the role more of the coach or manager than of the star performer?
Mr. Mondale has picked a running mate who is getting more headlines than he himself, and might continue to do so. He has a campaign manager who is going to intrigue the press. Suppose he were to begin picking his Cabinet and sending its prospective members out on the campaign trail?
I begin to see that just possibly Mr. Reagan's skill as a performer might be balanced off, not by Mr. Mondale's quieter personality, but by a well-chosen cast as interesting as Ms. Ferraro and Bert Lance.


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The world of thermostats is getting flat, hot and crowded, to quote Thomas Friedman's well-known green book.
Dare we say, some thermostats are even (gulp) sexy. There's the Nest Learning Themostat that takes the one-button iPod as a design cue. Venstar has cool-looking ColorTouch series touchscreen programmable thermostats and now offers new thin, wall-mounted FlatStat series residential thermostats that feature an easy-to-read, continuous backlit display and up to seven-day programmability. Now available throughout the United States and Canada, Venstar's FlatStat series comes in two models: T1000FS and T1100FS.
We wouldn't call these FlatStat thermostats sexy, exactly. But with design like this, saving energy is becoming sweeter all the time.
"Venstar's new FlatStat thermostats provide fully featured thermostat functionality in a modern, thin design, ideal for homeowners who are seeking an unobtrusive yet useful thermostat," said Steve Dushane, president and CEO of Venstar.
Both models include:
– One for All two-stage heat, two-stage cool for use with gas/electric, heat pump, electric and hydronic heat systems.
– Auto-Changeover feature that automatically switches between heating and cooling, as needed.
– Thermostat Locking feature that allows set points to be adjusted only by authorized individuals (when this feature is turned on).
– Stored programming and set points (in non-volatile memory), ensuring that this information is never lost in the case of a power failure.
– LED indicator that glows green or red to indicate cooling or heating.
– Mounting bracket for easy drywall installation.
The T1100FS also features seven-day programmability and is compatible with the optional wired or wireless outdoor air temperature sensor: ACC0414RF/REC for wireless outdoor sensing and ACC0400 for wired outdoor air sensing. The T1000FS features one-day programmability.
Both models are compatible with an optional security cover. Estimated street prices start at $75.60.


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A line of children's booster seats with potentially faulty safety straps are among this week's recalled consumer products. Others include several types of gas ranges with defects that can cause burn or fire hazards.
Here's a more detailed look:
DETAILS: This recall involves Vivint's Remotec plug-in dimming and on/off switch module, model ZDS-100US. It was sold separately or in home automation alarm systems that remotely control lighting and home appliances and act as a repeater that amplifies wireless signals. The off-white module plugs into the wall and measures about 5 inches long at the top and 4 inches long at the bottom, 2.45 inches high at the center and 1.39 inches wide at bottom. It has electric outlets on both sides and signal strength indicators at the top. Recalled modules have the first four digits of the serial numbers ranging from 1115 through 1440. Remotec, model and serial numbers are printed in black on the rear of the dimming switch module.
WHY: The wiring is incorrectly installed, posing a shock hazard to consumers.
INCIDENTS: None reported.
HOW MANY: About 213,000.
FOR MORE: Call Vivint at (855) 759-8189 from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. EDT Monday through Friday or online at www.vivint.com and click on "Product Recall."
DETAILS: The Nest Booster Seat sold in green (model 6367200), pink (model 6367300), taupe (model 6367500) and orange (model 6367400) with a white base. A sticker on the bottom of the seat reads "Nest Booster Seat" with the model number and manufacture date. The OXO logo is on the buckle of the seat belt. The seats were sold at BuyBuy Baby, Toys"R"Us, Babies"R"Us and independent stores nationwide and online at Amazon.com from September 2014 through April 2015.
WHY: The stitching on the restraint straps can loosen which allows the straps to separate from the seat, posing a fall hazard.
INCIDENTS: Five reports of the stitching coming undone releasing the straps. No injuries have been reported.
HOW MANY: About 25,000 in the U.S. and 130 in Canada.
FOR MORE: Call OXO at 800-545-4411 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. EDT Monday through Friday, send email at email@example.com or visit www.oxo.com and click on "Customer Service" under the Contact Us tab at the bottom of the page.
DETAILS: Viking Range freestanding gas ranges sold in stainless steel, black, white and 21 different colors and finishes. The model and serial numbers can be found on a label in one of three locations: On the bottom of the control panel above the door, on the front of the oven cavity below the control panel, or on the inside of the left side panel; which can be seen by removing the left front grate and burner bowl. They were sold at ABT, Ferguson, Morrison, Pacific Sales, PC Richard & Son and other stores nationwide from July 2007 through June 2014.
WHY: The ranges' ovens can turn on by themselves, posing a burn risk.
INCIDENTS: 75 reports of gas ranges turning on by themselves, including three reports of burns and four reports of property damage claims, with one claim resulting in a payment of $850.
HOW MANY: About 52,000 in the U.S. and about 8,300 in Canada.
FOR MORE: Call Viking Range at 877-929-2581, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. EDT Monday through Friday or visit www.vikingrange.com and click on Safety Recall Information at the bottom right of the homepage.
DETAILS: Valor Fitness BF-38 Flat/Incline/Decline Olympic Benches. The benches are used to perform various free weight exercises. The Valor Fitness logo and model number are on the main cross frame between the two uprights. They were sold at Valorathleticsinc.com and Valorfitness.com from January 2014 to September 2014.
WHY: The weld joining the front leg to the main frame can break, posing an injury hazard to the user.
INCIDENTS: None reported.
HOW MANY: About 100.
FOR MORE: Call Valor Fitness at 844-277-1641 Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. EDT, send email to email@example.com or visit at www.valorathleticsinc.com or www.valorfitness.com and click on CPSC Information in the Help column.
DETAILS: Sears Kenmore Elite slide-in ranges sold at Sears stores nationwide from May 2014 through April 2015. The model and serial numbers are located on the inside frame of the range door on the left side. Kenmore Elite is printed on the front of the oven door. Details can be found at http://www.cpsc.gov/en/Recalls/2015/Kenmore-Elite-Ranges-Recalled-by-Electrolux/
WHY: The stainless steel trim below the range control panel can have a sharp edge, posing a laceration hazard.
INCIDENTS: One consumer reported being cut by a sharp edge, requiring stitches.
HOW MANY: About 5,300.
FOR MORE: Call Sears at 800-873-5011 between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. CT Monday through Friday, between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. CT on Saturday or visit at www.sears.com and click on Product Recall at the bottom of the page.
DETAILS: Sears Kenmore stainless steel slide-in ranges with gas cooktops and electric ovens. Model number 790.42603xxx with serial numbers ranging from AF42500601 through AF43000916 and model number 790.42613xxx with serial numbers ranging from AF42500541 through AF43103647 are included. The model and serial numbers are located on the inside frame of the range door on the left side. Kenmore Elite is printed on the front of the oven door. They were sold at Sears stores nationwide from June 2014 through October 2014.
WHY: The burner flame can go out while the gas is turned on. This can allow gas to escape and poses fire and burn hazards.
INCIDENTS: None reported.
HOW MANY: About 250.
FOR MORE: Call Sears at 888-710-9284 between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. CT Monday through Friday, Saturday between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. CT or visit www.sears.com and click on "Product Recall" at the bottom of the page.
DETAILS: Precision Trading Corp.'s Premium four-cup Espresso Makers made in September 2014 and November 2014. The recalled units have model number PEM585 and product date code "0914" or "1114" printed on a rating label affixed to the bottom of the espresso maker. The Premium logo is printed on the bottom front of the espresso maker. Espresso makers with "2015" marked on the cap are not included in this recall. The recalled ones were sold at BrandMart U.S.A. and other retail stores in Florida and Puerto Rico between November 2014 and February 2015.
WHY: The filler cap at the top of the unit can crack and allow steam to escape, posing a burn risk to users. In addition, the cap can pop off unexpectedly, posing a risk of injury to a bystander.
INCIDENTS: One report of a consumer who sustained burns to her arm when the cap unexpectedly released steam from the espresso maker.
HOW MANY: About 4,700.
FOR MORE: Call Precision Trading Corp. at 800-477-4501 from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. EDT Monday through Friday, send email to email@example.com, or visit www.premiumus.com and click on "Recall Information."
DETAILS: Kaldi's Coffee disposable paper cup sleeves used with 12- and 16-ounce paper cups. The black paper cup sleeves have Kaldi's Coffee and the company logo printed on the front, and "100% Recycled Paperboard" printed on the back. They were given out for free at Kaldi's Coffee Roasting stores in Missouri from February 2014 through March 2015 with hot drinks.
WHY: The cup sleeve can ignite if used in a microwave, posing a fire hazard.
INCIDENTS: Two reports of the cup sleeves catching fire when heated in the microwave. No injuries have been reported.
HOW MANY: About 700,000.
FOR MORE: Call Kaldi's at 888- 892-6333 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT Monday through Friday, or visit kaldiscoffee.com and click on "Recall."
DETAILS: The recalled boots are 16-inch tall rubber hunting boots sold under the Rocky brand name. They have a camouflage pattern on the outside of the shaft and foot. A white label on the inside of the shaft has the Rocky logo, product number RKYS153, a date code between 12-14 and 01-15 in the MM-YY format and the words "Men's 16 Silent Hunter Snake Boot, Camo" below the product number and date code. They were sold at Tomlinson's, Bowie Outfitters Mossy Oak stores and other retailers. They were online at www.rockyboots.com in March.
WHY: The boots' snake guard can fail to protect the wearer's feet from a snake bite.
INCIDENTS: One incident of the boots' snake guard failing in which a Rocky Brands contractor sustained injuries from a snake bite while demonstrating the product.
HOW MANY: About 1,800.
FOR MORE: Call Rocky Brands Inc. at 866-245-2159 from 8 a.m. to 12 a.m. EDT Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, send email to email@example.com, or visit www.rockybrands.com or www.rockyboots.com and click on "Recall Notice."
DETAILS: The recall is for nine models of crossbows by TenPoint and Wicked Ridge. The TenPoint or Wicked Ridge brand name is printed on both sides of the crossbow barrel on all models except the GT Flex. The model name appears on both sides of the stock on all models. They were made from 2011 to 2014 and sold at Bass Pro Shops, Cabela's, Dick's Sporting Goods, Dunham's Sports, Gander Mountain, MC Sports and other hunting and sporting goods stores nationwide. They were also sold directly from TenPoint and online at Amazon.com, Basspro.com, Cabelas.com, dickssportinggoods.com and other online stores from January 2011 to May 2015.
WHY: The crossbows can fire after the safety has been re-engaged and the user pulls the trigger, posing an injury hazard.
INCIDENTS: 19 reports that arrows releasing from the crossbows when the consumer pulled the trigger after the safety mechanism was re-engaged. There have been no reported injuries.
HOW MANY: About 127,000.
FOR MORE: Call TenPoint Crossbow Technologies at 800-548-6837 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. EDT Monday through Friday, send email to email@example.com, or visit www.tenpointcrossbows.com and www.wickedridgecrossbows.com and click on "Recall to Repair - Self Test."


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KPMG provides audit, tax and advisory services. We work closely with our clients, helping them to mitigate risks and grasp opportunities.
KPMG provides audit, tax and advisory services. We work closely with our clients...
KPMG in Bermuda is a professional services firm of over 200 outstanding professionals delivering audit, tax and advisory services to a broad cross section of local and international companies, with a principal focus on financial services. We provide industry insight to help organisations negotiate risks and perform in the dynamic and challenging environments in which they do business.
Our clients turn to us because they know we deliver industry-focused services that create genuine, sustainable value.
Underpinning our success is our shared commitment to KPMG's seven core values which define our distinct culture. We attract people who are intellectually curious, demonstrate professional diligence and integrity, and who empathise with their colleagues, clients and fellow citizens. KPMG in Bermuda is also the community in which we work and live. We act as responsible corporate citizens, committing time, resources and financial support to local service organisations and charities, with a particular focus on education and youth development.
We provide assurance to decision-makers and stakeholders through responsible opinions as independent auditors.
We help organisations and individuals to reduce their tax burden while meeting the highest standards of compliance.
We support businesses throughout their lifecycle as they restructure and expand, whether organically or by acquisition.
KPMG in Bermuda offers Audit, Tax and Advisory services and adds value to our clients by organising these services by markets, including:


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Fable III offers the opportunity for players to choose their own destiny as a hero, villain or someone between. Set in the magical world of Albion, where the possibilities are limitless, and consequences can weigh heavily on the path to greatness.
In the epic story of Fable III, the journey to rule the throne of Albion begins five decades after the events of the last chapter. Playing as the child of your hero from Fable II, you rule a kingdom as king or queen, and have to make choices that will test your morality and affect your entire kingdom. Themes of heroism, leadership and consequence are taken to a grand scale as you fight to unite a divided people.
Be prepared to meet a colourful cast of characters as you progress through this epic quest: Form friendships and romantic relationships or even make life-long enemies. Fable III's innovative combat system allows you to wield huge weapons, fire arrows and even cast spells, all at the touch of a button.
With your adventure spanning industrial cites, countryside and intense battlefields, Fable III is role-playing on a grand and epic scale.
Compatible with the Xbox 360 and suitable for


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- Fiaba - Maurice Lacroix Watch Fiaba Ladies (ML-1288)
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Maurice Lacroix Watch Fiaba Date FA1004-PVP06-110-1. A circular form has no beginning and no end. It is soft and gentle, free of sharp corners. Round shapes feel natural as if they have been honed by the elements. A circle can be inclusive and proffers cohesion. The new Fiaba celebrates the beauty of the circular form with an attractive round case.
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text: Compaq, Allscripts in physicians' marketing alliance Published on March 22, 2001. Houston--Compaq Computer Corp. and Allscripts Healthcare Solutions will jointly develop and market mobile Internet technologies to physicians. Compaq will integrate Libertyville, Ill.-based Allscripts' TouchWorks software, which allows doctors to manage their businesses in a mobile environment, into Compaq's iPaq Pocket PC. Physicians are increasingly working in multiple environments and are demanding access to health care and financial data wherever they might be. Compaq estimates the agreement could bring in more than $100 million in revenues over the next three years. Most Popular In this article: BtoB


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Heavy Rain came out in February and had you play as four characters who are all involved in some way with a series of kidnappings and murders. The game and its multiple endings were generally well received, but some had issues with the control scheme. See, you don't control Heavy Rain like a traditional third-person game. Here, you move characters around environments and options for things you can do pop up. You can rotate the right stick to open doors, move the right stick up to stand, and so on.
Basically, it wasn't everyone's cup of tea. However, here at E3, Sony's showcasing the PlayStation Move and how it can be incorporated into "hardcore games" – on that list is Heavy Rain. When the PlayStation Move launches in September, Quantic Dream is going to release a patch for Heavy Rain allowing you to control the game with the new controller. Want more Heavy Rain? Click here.
I played the patch-specific tutorial and the scene from Madison's apartment with the PlayStation Move, and I liked the new scheme, but it does take some getting used to. Now, for Heavy Rain fans out there, that shouldn't come as a shock. I remember how long it took me to get used to the original control scheme as I put babies to bed too roughly, couldn't draw a straight line, and got yelled at by my videogame wife for almost breaking plates.
Want more Heavy Rain? Click here.
With the Move, you're still moving your character with the left stick, but this time it's on the Wii nunchuck-like navigation controller. Meanwhile, the half-circle and jerking movements still pop up on the screen in little circles but now need you to pull and hold the trigger on the PlayStation Move wand before acting out the motion.
For the most part, this worked like a charm. I was making Madison sit on her bed and turn off the TV without any problem by moving the Move up and rotating the wand before acting out a motion on the screen. The only spots of trouble I had were when I needed to open or close a door or pull off a quarter-circle move. Opening/closing stuff means that you need to either push toward or pull away from the TV, and for some reason, I was having trouble doing these moves fast (maybe slow) enough to have them fill the little box on the screen. On the quarter-circle moves, it seemed like I'd always fail my first time through. Maybe I wasn't making the turn as perfect as I thought I was, but it was a bit off.
Still, I wouldn't worry about that stuff. I was only five minutes or so in before I started the fight scene in Madison's house, and that went really well and, most importantly, felt exciting. The rumble, the frantic moves – I felt like I was in that scene. I figure that the pulling/circling stuff will come with time just like the normal controls did. On the navigation controller/movement side, I still had moments where the perspective change and I made my character move around in a circle – so, I knew I was still playing Heavy Rain.
PlayStation Move arrives in Europe on Sept. 15, 2010, the United States on Sept. 19, 2010 and Japan on October 21, 2010. Look for the Heavy Rain patch sometime around then if not a bit later. Until then, keep checking IGN's PlayStation Move FAQ for the latest on the motion controller.


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I recently noticed that the first frame of the video is not the first JPEG in the sequence but is instead a JPEG that is about 2/3 of the way through.
Here's the code:
In all other respects the video is just fine.
Code: Select all
gst-launch-1.0 \
-e multifilesrc location="$mfslocation" \
! image/jpeg, framerate=10/1 \
! decodebin ! queue ! videoscale \
! video/x-raw, width=640, height=480 \
! progressreport name=progress \
! omxh264enc target-bitrate=1200000 control-rate=variable \
! video/x-h264, profile=high \
! h264parse \
! mp4mux \
! filesink location="$fslocation"
Here it is: http://www.mgnewman.com/blogger/omxh264enc_pi.mp4
If you try to view this video under Mac OS High Sierra or iOS 11, it will "stick" on the first frame.
It plays fine on VLC and on OSs prior to Apple's most current. The prior OSs simply play the out of sequence frame. The current OSs display the first frame until the player reaches a frame with a timestamp after the first frame. Let it play to the end and you'll see what I mean.
Any ideas as to how to fix this?


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This Juliana necklace is magnificent. The design has beautiful, prong set, pink rhinestones in various sizes and shapes with three large, brilliant rhinestones demanding your attention. The overall length of the necklace is 16 ½ inches, the center with five strands of rhinestones, each ending with a marquise shaped rhinestone measures 3 inches. This necklace is gold tone metal and has a hook closure.
3 other shoppers have this item in their Cart or Wish List
Offering UNIQUE and UNUSUAL antiques and collectibles


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Driver flees as passengers trapped in Victoria crash
A 21-year-old man accused of leaving his passengers trapped inside the overturned wreckage of his car is facing charges of impaired driving, according to the Victoria Police Department.
Police say the driver of a Toyota Corolla ignored a stop sign on Friday night and was hit by an oncoming taxi cab in the Fairfield neighbourhood of Victoria.
There were four other people in the car, which ended up on its side.
Witnesses say the driver fled the scene — leaving his passengers trapped upside down — two of them unconscious.
Rescuers needed the jaws of life to get them out.
Two people were treated and released, while two others remain in hospital, one with serious injuries.
The driver — who appears unharmed — was later found near his home in Saanich.
He has been released on a promise to appear, with police recommending charges of impaired driving and leaving the scene of an accident.
During the course of their search for the driver, an innocent youth was injured by a dog from the police K-9 unit, police said.
The case has been referred to the Office of the Police Complaints Commissioner.


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The website CalendarLabs.com satisfies all calendar-related needs, including free printable calendars. The website has both monthly and yearly printable calendars for any year between 1800 and 3000, as well as the option to include holidays for over 30 countries. There are many templates for calendar layouts, but they also allow users to upload their own photos into calendars.
A few other websites that have free printable calendars are CalendarsThatWork.com, TimeAndDate.com, Vertex42.com and Free-Printable-Calendar.net. As well as allowing custom photos, Calendars That Work also allows users to add custom events to the calendar and offers a wide range of calendar layouts.
TimeAndDate.com also features an easy-to-use calendar creation system, including the option to include local holidays for specific states. They offer many options for the customization of text, and export to a PDF format, which is easy to print.
For a simpler option, Vertex42's calendar section has no customization options, instead offering pre-made yearly or monthly calendar files ready for printing. They also offer blank calendars without month names and academic year calendars ranging from July to August of the following year.
Free Printable Calendar also offers pre-made calendars. Their selection includes over 90 formats including pocket and wallet calendars, desktop calendars and portrait or landscape wall calendars.


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Rapid Identification
Real Time Identification
The Sonda RTI (Real Time Identification) system designed for rapid confirmation or identification of a person by fingerprint.
Access to the system database from any computer via WEB-interface, no special software required, or from any mobile identification terminal.
Searching speed is hundreds of times higher than the rate of traditional AFIS due to the special accelerating algorithms, which yet significantly reduce the hardware requirements.


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Wasteland 2: Director's Cut on IndieBox!
Today we're pleased to announce that we have teamed up with IndieBox to bring you a special PC collector's edition boxed copy for Wasteland 2: Director's Cut! This limited edition comes with an exclusive set of unique items only available in this version - we'll be revealing them in the coming days.
To get yours, sign up over at IndieBox by Feb. 18th! Beyond that date, these are gone for good!
Read More
Wasteland 2: Director's Cut Released on Windows Store
Today, we are extremely pleased and excited to announce the release of Wasteland 2: Director's Cut for Windows Store! This new edition of the game comes integrated with Windows 10 features including Xbox account integration, Xbox One controller support and more.
To purchase Wasteland 2: Director's Cut for Windows Store, you can check out the page here.
Read More
Existential Gamer interviews Brian Fargo
Existential Gamer spoke with Brian Fargo about all manner of topics recently, including Wasteland 2, game development in general, as well as some wider topics like his dream post-apoc game.
EG: What's the relationship between your life experiences and the way you write, design, and create characters, storylines, and games?
BF: I draw almost all of my inspiration from my personal life experiences, reading about others or stories that people share with me pe...
Read More
PC Gamer Interviews Brian Fargo at GDC
At this year's GDC, PC Gamer sat down to talk with inXile head Brian Fargo, as well as Obsidian Entertainment's Josh Sawyer and ArtCraft's Gordon Walton. In this extensive and candid interview, Brian discusses his creative role on Wasteland 2, the game's development, and many more fun details.
Brian, can you speak to, over your career, building up the world-building process on games and learning how to create worlds?
Brian Fargo: I come at it much differently than Josh, bec...
Read More
Wasteland 2: Director's Cut 40-60% Off During PS Store January Sale (Europe Only)
Good news, PS4 fans! Wasteland 2: Director's Cut is on sale on the PS Store in Europe for 40% off. Additionally, PS+ subscribers get 60% off, an additional 20% savings. If you've been waiting to grab one of 2015's best RPGs, now is your chance!
Read More
Wasteland 2: Director's Cut Modding Support Update
Today, we have a new update for Wasteland 2: Director's Cut on PC. This brings our long-awaited modding support to the game. This mod support allows for users, among other things, to change and override template and prefab files used in the game.
We invite any interested community members to read up on our mod support guide by our Technical Director John Alvarado, and check out our Community Content forums for Wasteland 2 for further discussion.
The update is live...
Read More
Wasteland 2: Director's Cut Patch 2 Released on PS4 and Xbox One
Today, we are pleased to release a new update for Wasteland 2: Director's Cut on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. This is a small update, and primarily corrects a cause of crashes after extended play sessions, which would typically occur while loading game levels.
Your PlayStation 4 or Xbox One console should download the update automatically once it is available on each, provided you are connected to the Internet of course.
We will also have an update for the PC version of the...
Read More
Wasteland 2 Backer Forum Badge is Now Available!
Today we have a small gift for all our Wasteland 2 backers. Everyone who has backed and receives Wasteland 2 with their pledge reward also receives an exclusive Wasteland 2 backer forum badge!
To get your forum badge, please log in with your Wasteland 2 backer account, then visit the Rewards page and click the "Badge" tab. You'll then be prompted to select your forum account email and be given a special key. Use that key on the forum page as indicated, and you'll be a...
Read More


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Robert Abbo Racing Stable's Immortal Eyes left the gate in a flash, opened up quickly on his rivals and won the $350,000 Frank J. DeFrancis Memorial Dash handily over the sloppy track Saturday at Laurel Park.
The Fall Festival of Racing program also featured five open stakes races on the turf course plus the Jameela Stakes for Maryland-breds.
Travis Dunkelberger and Immortal Eyes were 63/4 lengths in front of Saturday's Charm at the finish of the De Francis, in a time of 1 minute, 8.47 seconds for the 6-furlong distance. Service For Ten edged long shot Royal Currier to take third.


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|You can win ALL this!!!
I want to thank all my sponsors: 1MeNaturally, Tristan's Barber & Style, Eternite Day Spa, Melissa Styles YOU!, Ashiya Swan Yoga + Wellness, Braids by Ashanti, Fanuppa Soaps, and Kiia Bath & Body.
The winners of each giveaway have been contacted via email. The winner's names are also listed under that specific giveaway's post. CLICK HERE to see if you won!
Of course the last giveaway had to be big. So, I went through my closet and compiled a huge gift basket of products to give to you. Being a natural hair & beauty blogger, we get sent ALOT of free stuff. I couldn't possibly use everything sent to me. So, why not give it away. This super sampler pack includes 3 full-size hair products and about 15 samples. I might add a lil bit more to the package before I send it out. This prize pack includes products from:
- Shea Moisture
- Roots of Nature
- Cantu
- Bodycology
- Lustrasilk CurlMax
- Mixed Chicks
- Sally Hansen
- Twists n' Locs
- Isabella's Own
- Curl Care by Dr. Miracle
- Luster's Pink Oil
- Mane n' Tail
- Miss Jessie's
- Hawaiian Silky
So, you know what to do - hit the raffle box below. You have 3 days to enter this contest AND, even if you won a previous giveaway, you can enter to win this one too! So get to clicking!!
a Rafflecopter giveaway


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By Jake Donovan
It was sweet revenge for Holly Holm, who scored a unanimous decision over Anne Sophie Mathis in their 10-round main event Friday evening at Route 66 Casino in Albuquerquem New Mexico.
Scores were 96-94, 97-93 and a bit jaded 99-91 in favor of Holm (31-2-3, 9KO), who avenged a vicious 7th round knockout loss at the hands of Mathis (26-2, 22KO) last December.
Failing to land anything with enough conviction to keep her opponent at bay last time around, Holm wisely boxed for much of the sequel. Mathis struggled at times to keep or effectively cut off the ring, allowing Holm to pile up rounds whenever the action didn't take place in a phone booth.
Mathis managed to impose her will in the middle rounds. The difference, however, was that Holm was ready for the incoming. The initial shock of getting with Mathis' heavy hands last year was long gone, as Holm had a backup plan every step of the way.
The late rounds momentarily threatened to repeat history, as Mathis slowly began to close the gap. Holm refused to once again fall prey in her own backyard, this time standing her ground and making her presence felt.
Such was the biggest difference between the two fights, as Holm proudly crossed the finish line looking more like the pound-for-pound queen many had hailed her as far back as her win over Mary Jo Sanders several years ago.
The loss is a bitter pill to swallow for Mathis, who hoped to head back to Europe in pursuit of a showdown with unbeaten Cecilia Braekhas. Instead, she endures her first loss since early in her career, while Holm once again resumes her winning ways.
In the final preliminary bout of the evening, Ray Montes (5-2, 4KO) came out swinging and produced an early end to his bout with Jamie Gutierrez (4-6, 0KO). A right hand floored Gutierrez, separating him from his senses as the referee wisely waved it off midway through the opening round.
Christian Cabral (3-0, 2KO), a local 18-year old welterweight, turned pro on the undercard of the first fight between Mathis and Holm. He continues to cruise along, scoring a 4th round knockout of Victor Silva (0-1, 0KO). Cabral scored a knockdown in the opening round and applied pressure throughout before forcing Silva to wilt in the final round of their scheduled four-round preliminary bout.
Gene Perez (1-0, 0KO) managed to do just enough in each round to take a unanimous decision over Eric Gonzalez (1-2-1, 1KO) in their four-round featherweight bout. Scores were 40-36 across the board, though hardly indicative of the back and forth nature of the bout, which most ringside observers believed could have gone either way.
John Herrera (2-3-1, 0KO) found his way to the win column for the first time since Nov. '10, pitching a four-round shutout over fellow New Mexico clubfighter Brian Garcia (7-19, 2KO). Scores were 40-35 (twice) and 40-36.
In the opening bout of the evening, local welterweight Jose Luis Sanchez (1-0, 1KO) enjoyed a successful pro debut with a 4th round knockout over Guy Youell (0-1, 0KO), also making his debut. Official time was 1:13 of round four.
(Disclosure: All results as told by Boxingscene sources (non-credentialed) in attendance at the venue)
Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of Boxingscene.com. Follow Jake on Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
Tags: Holly Holm Ann Sophie Mathis


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Structures for sale
Well Done !
Amy and Fiona (with a little help from Tim) built this A frame shelter skeleton and a table base over several days for a local business who will be using it for an outdoor kitchen with a clay oven - much like the Cherry Wood set up.
This is the second we have completed over the past few weeks and are available for more - if you would like one.
These can be made in any size or shape to be roofed with canvas after. Price dependent on size and complexity.
Clay Oven Party
Throw a clay oven party for your friends in your garden and gain a clay oven in the process. Under the guidance of Tim you will create a wonderful oven which you will delight in cooking in for years to come. From £600 for 2 days. (excludes materials and you will need to build a suitable base before the party weekend)
Round House
A summer house with a difference - Price dependent on exact design - this version £6,000 plus cost of delivery.
An outdoor kitchen in the process of construction with waney edged board for the roof.
Price dependent of size.