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Texas Mom/Principal Accused of Placing Camera in School's Locker Room
A North Texas middle school principal is accused of placing a hidden video camera in a locker room during her daughter's high school basketball game to see if the coach yelled too much.
Wendee Long was recently indicted by a Denton County grand jury on two felony charges: improper photography and wiretapping. Long turned herself in this week, and jail records show she was released after posting $25,000 bail.
Her attorney, Daniel Peugh, says his client has not violated any law and will be cleared of wrongdoing.
Authorities received the tape after Argyle High School's game in Sanger in February. They say information also implicated Long's 17-year-old daughter, who was not indicted.
Long is principal of a Fort Worth-area middle school and has been placed on leave.


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The rate of graduation at Hope College ranks among the best in Michigan, according to the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research in a new report, "Diplomas and Dropouts: Which Colleges Actually Graduate Their Students (and Which Don't)."
The rate of graduation at Hope College ranks among the best in Michigan, according to the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research in a new report, "Diplomas and Dropouts: Which Colleges Actually Graduate Their Students (and Which Don't)."
The study of nearly 1,400 colleges and universities was in response to a challenge from President Obama that America have the highest proportion of colleges in the world.
The Institute conducted its study using the classifications of the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education and admissions selectivity scheme from "Barron's Profiles of American Colleges."
Hope College is classified as a baccalaureate (undergraduate) institution and considered to be very competitive in its admissions selectivity. The graduation rate is determined by the number of first-time students who graduate within six years of enrollment. The study is based on 2001 enrollrees and 2007 graduates.
Hope College and Kalamazoo College shared the top spot among baccalaureate colleges in Michigan with a graduation rate of 78 percent.
The highest graduation rate among all colleges and universities in Michigan was the University of Michigan at 88 percent. The average graduation rate for all colleges and universities in Michigan was 52 percent, and the average of the institutions included in the survey was 55 percent.
"Such differences suggest that while student motivation, finances and ability matter greatly when it comes to college completion, the practice of higher education institutions matter, too," said Frederick M. Hess, lead author of "Diplomas and Dropouts."
The Institute noted that parents, students and guidance counselors too often lack information on graduation rates when selecting schools or deciding where to spend thousands of dollars in savings -- or take on thousands of dollars in debt.
"At a time when growing unemployment disproportionately affects workers with a degree, it is critical that this information is available and accessible so that consumers can make informed decisions," said Kevin Carey, a co-author.
The survey was funded in part from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
"This report helps identify the problem that our college completion rates are too low," said Hilary Pennington, director of education, post-secondary success, and special initiatives at the Gates Foundation. "For too long we've been focused only on access to college. Now we need to turn college-goers into college graduates because a postsecondary credential is the best path to success for young adults."
Click Here for a PDF of the Complete Report

subset: commoncrawl


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From cricket at Lords to darts in Lakeside and boxing in London, here's ten of our favourite British sporting breaks. Share your own below.
Ten top British breaks for sports fans
Visiting the home of cricket at Lord's
© DJTaylor/Shutterstock
Former Australian Prime Minister John Howard once said that he considered Lord's "the cathedral of cricket". Nestled into your seat at a Test match among other worshippers of the game, waiting in reverential hush for the emergence of the teams at the start of a game, his pronouncement has a ring of truth.
Undoubtedly the best way to appreciate Lord's is to see a match here (preferably a Test, and most preferably an Ashes game, when the atmosphere is at fever pitch). But as a fallback, the tours are excellent. You'll get to see the Long Room, where the MCC members sit, and the Committee Room, from where the Queen watches when in attendance.
But the real highlight lies in the museum, where in a glass case lies the original Ashes urn, a gift presented to England captain the Hon. Ivo Bligh, possibly containing either a burnt ball or stump. He received it having beaten the Australians, following a defeat in 1882 that led one hack to write an obituary of English cricket, whose "body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia". That little six-inch-high jar is like the shrine within the cathedral; people come halfway across the world to see it. It's a daft game.
Lord's Cricket Ground (www.lords.org) is a ten-minute walk from St John's Wood tube station.
Tossing the caber at the Braemar Gathering
No rain-lashed, midgie-ridden Scottish summer would be complete without the cornucopia of arcane sports that comprise a Highland Games. Held all over Scotland, not just in the Highlands, these are very much rural affairs, with rosetted ponies, curly-horned sheep and shaggy Highland cattle to the fore. But they're also devised as entertainment, with a comically competitive edge – kilted burly men toss the caber (that's a trimmed tree trunk to the uninitiated), drunken locals vie with each other in the tug-of-war, little girls high-step over crossed swords in country dances, and there might also be dressage, field races and even haggis hurling.
Highland Games range from almost literally one-horse village affairs to the famous Braemar Gathering in Aberdeenshire, which has existed in one form or another for around 900 years. As well as the usual shenanigans, the show in its current incarnation features the dramatic and deafening spectacle of massed pipe bands, and there's a military element too, with the armed forces competing in races and the tug-of-war, plus a punishing race up the nearby hill of Morrone. All this and all the sporrans you could toss a caber at.
The Braemar Gathering (www.braemargathering.org) is held on the first Saturday in September.
Watching darts at Lakeside
© Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock
The doubters say that darts, whose practitioners never break out of a walk but often break sweat, isn't a sport. Yet even these killjoys might enjoy themselves at the BDO World Darts Championship, a competition that is as much about boozy good cheer as it is about the actual result. Hosted at a vast hotel-cum-pub complex in deepest Surrey, the competition packs over a thousand spectators onto a phalanx of long tables and gives them every opportunity to shout themselves stupid during all-day weekend sessions and weekday nights. Their voices join in a splendid cacophony with the thud of arrow into cork, the bellowed scores and blue jokes of a flamboyant umpire and the gulp of countless throats.
Don't look for too much sophistication here: the glasses are plastic, the food runs the full gamut from battered fish to burgers and the crowd perform for the cameras with gleeful enthusiasm, inching their way into TV footage and waving punning placards. But the vibe is supremely friendly. Being thrust onto a table with strangers makes it almost impossible not to socialize, especially when you might be sat alongside fanatical Dutch fans, fancy-dressed twenty-somethings and elderly couples who've been coming since the year dot.
The Lakeside BDO World Professional Darts Championships (www.lakesideworlddarts.co.uk) take place every January.
Celebrating Cowes Week
© donsimon/Shutterstock
Each year, some eight thousand sailors from all over the world descend on Cowes for the world's largest – and oldest – sailing regatta. Vast crowds of up to 100,000 cram into the narrow streets each morning to watch a spectacular array of sailing vessels gather in the Solent. There are up to forty high-octane races daily, competed by all sorts of sailors from amateurs to Olympians and Americas Cup veterans: with up to a thousand yachts taking part, you'll need to get used to the sporadic gunfire that marks the start of each class if you make the Royal Yacht Squadron, the official starting line, your vantage point.
With so many to entertain, there's plenty more to Cowes Week than just sailing, and the regatta is a key part of the social calendar for yachties, celebs and the occasional splash of royalty alike: champagne and oysters are guzzled at balls, dinners and parties by the truckload. The waterfront Parade and Shepards Wharf Marina are packed with stalls and live entertainment by day, while after dark the action shifts to Cowes Yacht Haven (open to amateurs, professionals and ticketed spectators), where there are live bands and DJ sets until the small hours.
Cowes Week (www.cowesweek.co.uk) takes place in July/August, starting on the first Saturday after the last Tuesday in July.
Watching boxing at York Hall
Boxing's biggest bouts, with their pay-per-view screenings, pantomime press conferences and seats that stretch from celebs at the front to dots at the back, are all very well. But it's surprisingly hard, given boxing's current popularity as an activity among everyone from estate kids to office workers, to get close to the action. Most of Britain's smaller venues have died, the victims of redevelopment and a changing entertainment scene. York Hall, recently voted the sixth best place to watch boxing in the world, almost went the same way but, saved from closure by a cost-conscious local council in 2003, the iconic East London venue now hosts fifty fight nights a year.
York Hall hosts it all, from kick boxing and occasional theatre to amateur white-collar events, friends and family yelling and pogoing in one corner of the venue. There are big fights too – David Haye, Joe Calzaghe and countless other names have walked these boards. But while there's hype aplenty here, this historic venue's rowdy embrace makes you feel a vital part of the action.
York Hall, 5-15 Old Ford Rd, London E2 (www.gll.org/centre/york-hall-leisure-centre.asp) is a few minutes' walk from Bethnal Green tube station in East London.
Witnessing medieval football in Derbyshire
Played on Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday, "Shrovie" is a relic of the rough-and-tumble sports of the Middle Ages – one theory states that the original "ball" was a severed head thrown to the crowd after an execution – and there have been moves to ban it since at least 1340, when Edward III complained that its noise disturbed his archery practice. You could see parallels with both football and rugby: there are two teams – the Up'ards and the Down'ards, formed of townsfolk from either side of Hemore Brook – and two goals. That, however, is where the similarity ends: discover that the game lasts for eight hours, that each team is a hundred or so strong, and that the goals are three miles apart on either side of the town centre, and you'll realize this is no mere kickabout. Nor do the rules leave much room for niceties: the ball can't be hidden or travel in a motorized vehicle, and murder and manslaughter are prohibited – but that's about it.
The next events will take place on February 12 & 13, 2013. For more information. see www.ashbourne-town.com.
Watching Wales at the Millennium Stadium
© M Mohammed/Shutterstock
Watching Wales at the Millennium Stadium can be a mixture of ecstasy and pain for a Welsh supporter, but is more akin to an exotic cultural experience for everyone else. The singing, the sobbing, the angry curses and cries of unabashed joy create an unforgettable experience. You've never heard a national anthem sung like this before, 70,000 passionate voices united in Celtic pride. After the singing, the playing – a wall of red-shirts being urged on by near-hysterical fans. When Wales scores (and the team is pretty good these days), expect more songs, chants and roars.
Whatever the result, expect a long and detailed autopsy in the pub afterwards, where pints of locally brewed Brains cask ales are sure to flow freely.
Wales's home games in the Rugby Union Six Nations (Feb-March) take place at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium (www.millenniumstadium.com).
Having a flutter at the world's greatest horse race
The Grand National is an event of superlatives: it's a dead cert as the world's most famous horse race; the prize money (nearly £1m for the winner of the main race) is the highest in Europe; and more is bet on it than any other event in the domestic racing calendar (upwards of £100 million in Britain alone).
But what makes the race, which dates back to 1839, unique is the atmosphere. The Grand National, perhaps more than any other British sporting event, attracts a real cross section of society – from royals in the VIP grandstands to locals in the budget enclosures – giving it an inclusive feel and a festive air. This helps to make the contest, the focal point of a three-day meeting held each April at Aintree Racecourse, uniquely popular with both racing enthusiasts and once-a-year punters alike. As does its unpredictability – the favourite rarely wins and 100/1 shots have triumphed on several occasions.
The Grand National takes place at Aintree Racecourse, Ormskirk Rd, Aintree, Liverpool (www.aintree.co.uk).
Reaching tennis nirvana in SW19
Centre Court © Neil Mitchell/Shutterstock
The first thing to remember about Wimbledon is that it's not a tennis tournament, it's a religious experience. For two weeks in high summer the faithful arrive with their tents and wet wipes, each harbouring a blind hope that they will enter the promised land and a British player will be crowned champion. The good news is that the promised land is within reach of anyone prepared to assemble at dawn at a golf club in SW19. As for the British champion, well, what's a faith without it being tested?
The ideal time to arrive is early in the opening week before the hype reaches boiling point. Week one also provides a smorgasbord of talent from all corners of the globe and some of the tournament's greatest surprises, all on the cheaper ground courts. In 2010, for example, the longest match in history was ground out on lowly Court 18, a bloody-minded three-day epic finally won by 70 games to 68 in the final set.
Around 6000 Ground Admission tickets are available each day at Wimbledon, plus 500 show court tickets. If you can't face the queue try the public ballot for tickets (apply online at www.wimbledon.org).
Burning rubber at the Isle of Man TT
© Olaf Naami/Shutterstock
For fifty weeks of the year, the Isle of Man is a sleepy little place. But for two weeks in summer, everything changes, as forty thousand visitors – with twelve thousand motorcycles – cross the Irish Sea and turn this quiet island into a rubber-burning, beer-swilling, eardrum-bursting maelstrom of a motorcycle festival.
The TT (Tourist Trophy) has been screeching round the Isle of Man for a hundred years, although the race they devised in 1907 would be impossible to initiate today. It's the kind of event that drives health and safety officers to drink: the 37-mile Mountain Course, which competitors lap several times, is no carefully cambered track – it's an ordinary road that winds its way through historic towns, screams along country roads, climbs up hills and takes in two hundred bends, many of which are not lined by grass or pavement but by bone-mashing, brain-spilling brick walls. And the fastest riders complete the course at an average speed of 120mph.
Sad to say, they don't all reach the finish line. Around two hundred riders have taken their final tumble on the roads of the TT, and islanders will delight in describing the details to you over a pint of local Bushey's beer. They'll also tell you that, while many of their fellow Manx folk love the adrenaline, the triumph and the tragedy of those two weeks in summer, others are less enthusiastic. The combination of road closures and roistering bikers drives these malcontents to blow the dust from their door keys, to lock up their homes and seek refuge elsewhere – taking their daughters with them.
TT race week is the first week of June; for more information, see www.iomtt.com.
Make The Most Of Your Time In Britain includes 500 great British experiences – find out more.
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Remember Lil' Romeo? See What He Looks Like Now
The Romeo gracing the cover of Rolling Out is not the pint sized Lil' Romeo of the past. Romeo is all grown up and, we have to say, he is lookin' good. Apparently, he knows it too – his Instagram and Twitter are full of shirtless selfies, not that we're complaining.
Since his debut album at age 12, Romeo has grown up in the spotlight as a rapper, actor, and eventually basketball player for USC. At 5'11," he may not be going pro, but you'll be sure to see him more in the future as he embarks on his modeling career.


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Mic-O-Say Honor Society
The Tribe of Mic-O-Say serves as a leadership enhancement program of the Heart of America Council. Mic-O-Say is designed to help the Heart of America Council fulfill its mission of preparing the young people of Eastern Kansas and Western Missouri to make ethical choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Scout Law.
Mic-O-Say accomplishes its purposes by affording members ongoing opportunities for introspection on Scouting values as well as practical application of those ideals. The program focuses on boys who have shown leadership abilities through specific achievement and growth, and provides them with a distinctive lifelong direction. The program is energized by memorable customs and traditions.
Tribesmen who have embraced the principles of Mic-O-Say will find their lives enriched by a vision raised to higher sights, see their performance increased beyond previous limitations, and will develop lifelong friendships. They will stand tall within their communities as examples of unselfish service and of willing leadership.
The Mic-O-Say program is integrated into summer camping sessions at the H. Roe Bartle Scout Reservation.
See the Heart of America Council Tribe of Mic-O-Say page .


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Jacqueline Suzanne — Babe of the Day
Jacqueline is a 25-year-old babe from Miami, FL. Here she is, holding two Florida grapefruits.
Born in Costa Rica, Jacqueline attended FSU and graduated with a business degree in 2009. After graduation, she began to pursue a career in modeling by entering and winning the Girls of Playboy Golf Contest, and she's been modeling ever since.
In 2011, she started a small business, called Aphrodisiac Ice Cream. After watching the commercial, we're convinced that she is a beautiful genius.


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RegisterBlast is the quickest, easiest, and safest way for administrators to manage exam schedules online, and for students to register online, hassle-free. No lines. No paperwork.Get Started
Our platform has been designed with a mobile-first and mobile-ready philosophy and that means your students can get scheduled quickly. On-the-go. Anytime. Anywhere.
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Find all of the important scheduling data you need about an exam, student, or a class. With just a few clicks you can see your schedule's bigger picture.
The platform lets you add your institution's logo and color palette for a custom, branded experience for your students and your theme can be ready in just a few simple steps.
Get students checked in and out without a hassle. You can create a custom kiosk or let students check in and out on their phones. Students can register for any offered exam from any location at any time. With this automated system at their finger tips, no-show reduction is just a click away.
We take care of the fee collection. Once the registration is complete, a confirmation email is automatically sent. We limit registrations based on seating. We sign students in electronically. We keep track of the numbers. This allows you to focus on everything else needing your attention.
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Online registration is completely secure and meets the requirements of the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard. All financial information is communicated via an encrypted connection, using industry standards and we do not sell or share any information to third parties.
RegisterBlast has been the quickest, easiest, and safest way for administrators to manage exam schedules and for students to register online since 2003.
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We are always ready to show off our platform. Get in touch with us and let us show you just how easy, fast, and safe RegisterBlast is to use. We think you'll agree.


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I'm exploring the web to find sites I like
Ave. Abraham Núñez #4, Boca Chica
"Too early to tell, but I will return!"
Posted by: Mark on Jul 5, 2010
see all reviews
Featuring never-ending sunshine with a tropical breeze in a paradisiacal Caribbean climate, the Don Juan Beach Resort blends itself with Mother Nature in a selected setting of artful design and comfort.
Share your experiences with others. Don't forget to send your review to Debbie by using an easy form.
"Too early to tell, but I will return!"
Posted by:
Mark on Jul 5, 2010 >
1 contribution(s) Canada
Visited on: Jul, 2010 | Leisure | Solo
1796 people found this review helpful
I am finally submitting info on my 12 night stay at the Don Juan Beach Resort. I arrived at night at the Santo Domingo Airport which didn't provide me a good opportunity to view the DR on my way to Boca Chica. The first thing that caught my eye on the $25 US taxi ride was so many motorcycles near the edge of the rode carrying one OR MORE passengers! Not big engine cycles, but a cross between mopeds and dirt-bikes. I arrived at the resort and was checked-in fairly quickly. My room had a view of the bar near the big pool. I could only see the the beach area through a lot of vegetation. That was ok cause that was not one of my prerequisites. My room was clean and neatly organized. I went immediately to the late night bar to get food & drink. I didn't even unpack. There were a few people there, so while I ate, I listened to the conversations to get my mind focused on translating.
Well to keep this from becoming too lengthy, my stay was very pleasant because the resort never filled, so noise levels were always low to no noise. The food was decent, some dishes quite tasty. Of course having an open set-up with no walls in the dining area, flies and birds had convenient access. But everyone seemed to be unfazed by it. I took it in stride too, so I tended to take food underneath the top. When I walked around, I noticed all the restaurants and bars had an open set-up. After recognizing that, it didn't bother me at all.
There is definitely a push to sell you something! Due to the low levels of employed people, almost everyone was some sort of entrepreneur. Including a lot of the young boys who seemed to have no formal schooling. I couldn't help everyone, so I chose one family to focus my help. A young lady supporting her two children plus another boy from a different family on her single income. I was so impressed, I ended up treating her extended family to two nights stay at the resort. Since I had extra available money because the exchange rate was better than expected and my trip costs were very low.
I do plan to return to Boca Chica and I may stay at the same resort. Too early to tell, but I will return!
"There is a lot to see."
Posted by:
Vicki from Sault Ste. Marie on Mar 1, 2009 >
1 contribution(s) Canada
Visited on: Mar, 2009
1791 people found this review helpful
Arrival: March 10 - 17
Arrived approximately 5:00 a.m. Tuesday morning with husband and our children aged 7 and 11. Received room approx. 1:00 p.m. that day. Airport was fine, bus pick-up fine, took 20 minutes from Santo Domingo airport to hotel. Slept in lobby until 7:00 a.m. when breakfast started. Everyone friendly.
Beautiful room. Good size, clean and comfortable although we did not travel to hang out in our room. Nice balcony overlooking the beautiful gardens.
Restaurants and Bars
Great food. Pizza/hamburgers/hotdogs/chicken wings/french fries. (The kids were in heaven). Buffet was huge for all 3 meals. No one could possibly go hungry. There was EVERYTHING.
Beach was fabulous. It is a public beach and there are vendors. Get to know them, they are great people trying to raise their families like anyone else. My kids were in the pool all the time. Very clean. The grounds were beautiful. The trees are marked to tell you whether almond/mangoe/banana/coconut/etc. It is very well kept with beautiful flowers and lots of birds. They are always cleaning up. They sweep and then scrub down the walking paths with soap and water every morning. Unbelievable.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel
We only did 2 tours (the resort and town kept us busy enough). One half day to Santo Domingo to visit some of the Christopher Columbus sites (must see) and a whole day excursion to Saona Island via speed boat and a nice slow return by catamaran. This was a 12 hour excursion but well worth it.
Other Comments
Bring snorkel and mask. There is a lot to see. Plan your tours for Saturday and especially Sunday. These are the days that Santo Domingo comes to the beach of beautiful Boca Chica. There are a lot of people. Relax when it comes to the vendors...they really are good people. Enjoy!!!!
"Our experience was a great one."
Posted by:
Unknown visitor on Feb 1, 2009 >
44 contribution(s) Canada
Visited on: Feb, 2009
1900 people found this review helpful
Arrival: January 19 - 26
Nothing unusual to report. It was smooth through customs and our bus was ready and off to the resort.
We stayed in a large room, but apparently according to others they are all the same size, unless you're fortunate enough to have a suite. The bed was a queen and very comfortable. Although, this hotel is a little dated, we found it be clean and well maintained for the whole visit. We had a little kitchen area, with a sink, unfortunately the small fridge was missing. A small balcony with a beautiful view and a T.V. that actually worked with many stations.
Restaurants and Bars:
The buffet was fair to good. The trick I think is to get to it as soon as it opens, this way the the food was always hot. The buffet is typical is most resorts, pasta, various sauces, lots of bread and always some choice in meat. The breakfasts were very good, lots of fresh fruits, yogurt and of course the omelette bar where you choose your favs! There is only one a-la-carte which we went to twice. It was never busy and the food was very good. It was really just a treat being served. Both of the pools have snacks as well, the larger pool serves Pizza which my hubby always enjoyed. The smaller pool snack bar served very good hamburgers, hot dogs, fries, chicken, some type of ham on fresh buns with all the dressings. Bars-typical of the D.R....lots and lots of Rum! My husband was a little disappointed in the Beer, he likes Presidente and they served Brahma.
The main beach is Public which seemed to bother a lot of people. My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed this aspect of the resort. Yes, there are many Dominicans present trying to sell you items - you simply say no thank you. I felt the experience of being able to mingle with the people of this beautiful area very inspiring. They truly are very special and we are very fortunate in Canada. The beach itself is absolutely stunning, white sand and you can walk forever. The water here is very calm, so if you enjoy just floating around, this is a great destination. There are two pools, the water was perfect temperature and the pools were well maintained.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
There is a free shuttle from this hotel that leaves every morning except Sunday. It brings you into Santo Domingo where you can walk around at your own leisure. If time is an issue as far as returning on the free bus - you can take the local bus (very safe) or taxi (both reasonably priced)
Other Comments:
Our check in and check out were very efficient. We took this as a last minute deal with Go Travel Direct and would return without any reservation. I've actually sent a thank you to the manager and staff, our experience was a great one and they should be proud of their facilities. We will return again next year.


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Wayne Law Moot Court program sees increased success at competitions
The Wayne Law Moot Court Outside Competitions Team recently wrapped up its 2013 season with one of the more successful years for the program.
The team, made up of 10 junior members selected through competitive tryouts, travels to four different competitions that represent four different areas of the law. Senior members who competed the previous year return to serve as coaches, and bring in local practitioners, alumni and professors to judge the competitors during their practices.
Some key changes took place this year in the lineup of competitions, and four teams were created, putting a greater emphasis on succeeding at competitions with "a heavier brief component than in prior years," said Kaitlyn Cramer, outside competitions director for the program.
"I credit these changes, proposed by my fellow senior member coaches, as integral to our success, along with the amazing talent and depth of this year's squad," Cramer said. "They have worked incredibly hard and represented our school and our alumni well. Along with this year's success at the Philip C. Jessup International Moot Court competition (Cramer is a Jessup team member) and National Environmental Law Moot Court competition at Pace Law School, our moot court program is undoubtedly turning heads."
The faculty advisor for the Wayne Law Moot Court Outside Competitions Team is Legal Writing Instructor Amy Neville, and the team members thanked her for her valuable guidance and support.
The four outside competitions for the team this year were:
*The 29th annual Cardozo/MBI Entertainment and Communications Law Moot Court Competition, held Feb. 28-March 3 at Cardozo School of Law, Yeshiva University, New York. Wayne Law competitors were Jake Vorkapich and Christina Bertrand coached by Rebecca McNulty and Frances Murphy. The team moved on to the octofinals of the contest, and Vorkapich was named seventh-best oralist in a field of 64 students.
*The 37th annual Robert F. Wagner National Labor and Employment Law Moot Court Competition, held March 21-24 at the New York Law School. Wayne Law competitors were Kevin McQuillan, Stephanie Eisenberg and Lauren Saad, coached by Kate McCarthy and Jarett Smith. The team moved on to the octofinals of the contest, and won third-place best petitioner brief out of nearly 40 schools competing.
*The 20th annual John J. Gibbons Criminal Procedure Moot Court Competition, held March 22-23 at Seton Hall University School of Law in New Jersey. Wayne Law competitors were Michael Butterfield and Wade Fink, coached by Kyle Kamidoi and Ryan J. Fishman.
*The 28th annual Dean Jerome Prince Memorial Evidence Competition, held April 4-6 at Brooklyn Law School in New York. Wayne Law competitors were Blair Gould, Evan Malinowski and Joseph Gale, coached by Cramer and Bonnie Smith.
Photo caption:
Members of the 2012-13 Wayne Law Moot Court Outside Competitions Team are Evan Malinowski (left), Joseph Gale, Blair Gould, Michael Butterfield, Kevin McQuillan, Stephanie Eisenberg, Jake Vorkapich, Christina Bertrand, Lauren Saad and Wade Fink.


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Charlie Brown Voice Actor Sentenced to a Year in the (Pig)Pen
Peter Robbins, who voiced Charlie Brown in all your favorite 'Peanuts' specials, has been sentenced to a year in jail for threatening an ex-girlfriend, stalking her plastic surgeon and forgetting the true meaning of Christmas.
Robbins, 56, was arrested in January on the charges after being picked up near the Mexican border and has been in jail since. He had called his ex 37 times in 24 hours and frightened her plastic surgeon so badly that she hired a bodyguard.
Superior Court Judge Dwayne Moring sentenced Robbins to a year in jail, with immediate release to a drug treatment center for alcohol and prescription medication addiction. He's also on probation for five years and had to pay the surgeon $15,082, which is a hell of a lot of nickels.
Moring then sealed his ruling by telling Robbins, "Don't be a blockhead." (Seriously. He said that.)
Robbins, meanwhile, held back tears in court as he apologized "for any fear that [he] caused" and expressed a desire to become the "fun-loving" person he once was.
Oh, brother.


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CZ 75 Automatic, a selective fire version of the CZ 75B; note the spare magazine, attached as a front grip, and a lengthened barrel with muzzle compensator, which indicates the early model
Probably most rare version of the CZ-75 is the CZ-75 Automatic, a selective-fire version of the basic pistol, which can fire either in semi-auto or in full auto, with rate of fire about 1,000 rounds per minute. The CZ-75 Automatic first appeared circa 1992, and is intended for special police and military forces. To help control the gun, a spare magazine can be fitted upside down into special holder under the barrel; it then serve as a front grip. Early models of CZ-75 Automatic were fitted with longer barrels with integral compensators; latest models have standard barrels.


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centric necesitaba un nuevo diseño de botón o icono y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 31 diseños de 14 diseñadores freelance.
No brand name associated with this
We're a small community hospital that wants to promote F.A.S.T. stroke awareness through simple, informative designs that "raise the bar" for F.A.S.T. stroke icons that are currently available.
Men and women who are at risk for a stroke (55+) or are caregivers for people who may be at risk for a stroke (all ages, but skews female, 25-40).
Current F.A.S.T. icons (see attachments for reference) are usually too complicated, too hard to understand, and too amateur for us. We want to raise the bar, both visually and in terms of "at a glance" communication.
To do this, we want to develop a set of F.A.S.T. stroke icons showing the 4 principles of F.A.S.T.:
Ask the person to smile. Does one side of the face droop?
Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?
Ask the person to repeat a simple sentence. Are the words slurred? Can he/she repeat the sentence correctly?
If the person shows any of these symptoms, time is important.
Call 911 or get to the hospital fast. Brain cells are dying.
The icons should embody the following qualities:
1. Simple, iconic.
2. Clear and easy to understand.
3. Elegant, high-end look and feel.
The icons should not be:
1. Cartoonish or childish.
2. Garish.
3. Complex.
We're looking for icons only; we don't need the associated text.


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Mobility Taster for Inclusion Organisations New to Erasmus+
Training Course
26-30 September 2017 | Misaktsieli, Georgia
Did you know you can organise international youth projects for your young people from disadvantaged backgrounds? Come and discover what Erasmus+: Youth can do for you!
In only 3 working days, we show you the possibilities Erasmus+ Youth has to offer for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. An international youth project (youth exchange, voluntary service,...) might just be the life-changing opportunity for the disadvantaged young people you are working with: e.g. those from minority backgrounds, with additional needs, with socio-economic difficulties, discriminated groups, those in difficult situations, with limited opportunities...
This Mobility Taster course gives you concrete examples of what is possible, brings you in contact with other inclusion youth organisations, shows you what funding is available specifically for youth inclusion projects and walks you step-by-step through the process in case you would like to give it a try.
* This course is for NEWCOMERS to Erasmus+ Youth who are directly working with young people from disadvantaged backgrounds (e.g. youth workers, social workers,...).
* If you never organised an international youth project with your target group before and would like to know what is possible, then this course is for you!
* If you already organised mobility projects for young people, please check the European Training Calendar for a more appropriate youth work training because this Mobility Taster is for NEWCOMERS ;-)
* This course is NOT for school-related activities such as school exchanges or projects for pupils (please contact the Lifelong Learning colleagues of Erasmus+ for this).
This course is also open for applicants with special needs (contact SALTO Inclusion representative Այս էլ.փոստի հասցեն պահպանված է spam bots-երից, պետք է Javascript-ին հնարավորություն տալ դիտելու համար regarding support possibilities).
Before applying, check briefly with the Erasmus+ Youth National Agency in your country if they can send you to the Mobility Taster course in Georgia from 26 to 30 September 2017 (and reimburse your travel) https://www.salto-youth.net/tools/european-training-calendar/help/national-agencies/
- If so, register online: click the APPLY NOW button on top of this page
- Selected participants will get travel, food & lodging in twin rooms paid. You might be asked for a small contribution towards the costs (ask your NA).
Register for the SALTO Inclusion newsletter or follow the SALTO Inclusion & Diversity Facebook page to be informed of future Mobility Tasters. Or keep an eye on the European Training Calendar.


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We offer customised services on a standalone and integrated basis. We apply these tools to help unlock unrecognised value through the strategic optimisation of assets and operations.
Across industries and asset classes, all over the world, we provide the hard data and hands-on experience clients need to move forward through change.
We pride ourselves on the skill, talent, and personality of our people. Our team of experts are connected around the globe and committed to solving your toughest challenges.
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Our site uses cookies to improve your visitor experience. By continuing to browse the site you are giving consent to cookies being used. Learn more here


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Katy Perry Is a Queen of Many Wigs in 'Dark Horse' Video
Katy Perry is a queen of many wigs in her 'Dark Horse' video, which has an Egyptian them, look, vibe and feel. Perry even channels Cleopatra aka Katy-Patra with her makeup and attire, but she is modernized with a grill.
Katy-Patra is clearly in control over her minions and despite the bold, colorful and highly stylized look of the video, there are several humorous elements relating to the food and the "dog."
No spoilers, though. Just watch. You will giggle here and there.


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Fast and Reliable Internet Access for Your Business
TPG Ethernet Broadband Service is a truly cost effective and reliable Internet service capable of delivering up to 10 Mbps symmetrical speed* with unlimited data.
Quality and Value for MoneyA TPG solutions specialist will provide you with a free quotation for this Internet package.
|TPG Ethernet Broadband Service
|Static IP Address
|Upload & Download Speed
|Up to 10Mbps Symmetrical speed*
|Hardware Equipment
|Network Terminating Unit – 10/100M Ethernet Interface
|You must provide your own Ethernet Broadband compatible router
|Service Level Agreement
|Contract Term
|24 Months
|Technical Support
|Standard business hour support – optional 24x7 extended support
|Business Size
|5-50 Employees
TPG's symmetrical speed means customer will get same speed for both download and upload. We offer unlimited Internet access, no shaping speed, no data quota and no restrictions. Your upload and download speed is up to 10Mbps*, all the way through to the Internet.
Our 1:1 contention ratio means it's non-contended. Non-contended broadband access is not travelling through various networks for connection. The higher the contention ratio, the more people you are sharing with and effectively the slower your connection becomes. With TPG's Ethernet Broadband, your business is not sharing with any other network and you will receive optimal bandwidth every time.
The use of this service is for an office environment only and it is not to be used for dedicated web hosting, resale or in a data centre environment.
Check Your Availability Today!
Business Enquiry FormCall us on 1300 365 313 to discuss your requirements and confirm your serviceability, or fill out the form below.


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Today we came across an iPhone accessory that's either genius in its absurdity or just plain absurd.
The Vyne is a hands-free viewing accessory best used in a stationary position.
The flexible plastic "vyne" can be bent, allowing the iPhone to stand on its own or wrap around your neck while you sit so you get a better viewing angle.
You can't buy the Vyne yet; it's just a concept accessory. But we thought we'd share with you since a lot of people on Reddit are really excited about it.
Would you use it?
Here are some more pictures to give you a better idea of Vyne:
The Vyne easily clips to the back of your iPhone to hold it in place:
Here's one last look at the Vyne fully stretched out:
Don't Miss: The Best iPhone 5 Cases We Could Get Our Hands On >


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CNFR Foodie 4-Packs Now On Sale
The College National Finals Rodeo is quickly approaching! Make your plans to join us at the Casper Events Center June 15th-21st and if your a family on a budget or just looking for a great deal, you have to look no further as you can now purchase your Foodie 4-packs.
Foodie 4-Packs are now on sale and are available for Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday nights performances. The package includes 4 general admission tickets as well as 4 foodie vouchers. Each foodie voucher is good for 1 non-alcoholic beverage and a choice of food items at the CEC concessions.
This is the perfect way to catch all the early round excitement of the CNFR and save some cash. Its also a great way to treat employees to a great night out without breaking the office budget.
Take advantage of the CNFR Foodie 4-Pack today! Call 307.557.3030 or 800.442.2256 to reserve your tickets and foodie 4-pack.


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News & Events
For the Media
Sarkisian to Speak at Clarkson University on Engineering for the Future of the Environment
Mark P. Sarkisian will speak at Clarkson University on "Engineering for the Future of Our Environment" on Friday, May 10, at 2 p.m. in Bertrand H. Snell Hall Room 213 (#16 on this map). A reception with refreshments will follow the lecture.
Sarkisian is the director of seismic and structural engineering in the San Francisco office of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP. He will receive an honorary doctor of science degree at Clarkson's Commencement on Saturday, May 11.
In the abstract for his lecture, Sarkisian says, "Our planet is being polluted at an alarming rate and most would argue that the damaging effects of carbon emissions on the environment are irreparable. Global warming has already started to have a significant impact on weather patterns and sea level rise. Extreme storms including the recent Hurricane Sandy and flooding of cities like Venice, Italy, are occurring at a disturbingly fast rate.
"The engineering and architectural community has begun to develop new ideas that will help to mitigate the negative impacts on the environment through increased urban density, creative approaches to design, and sustainable district /city-wide developments."
In his lecture, Sarkisian will present recent work that illustrates these new ideas. Project examples will include Skidmore, Owings & Merrill's design for the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai; the 415 meter-tall Al Hamra Tower in Kuwait; the Cathedral of Christ the Light in Oakland, California; and the Poly Guangzhou Tower and the Poly International Plaza in Beijing, China, among others.
Parametric modeling, including concepts that consider genetics and natural growth patterns in the design of structures will also be discussed, as well as several recently developed U.S. patents that provide unique solutions to environmentally responsible design and construction. Techniques for calculating carbon in structures and futuristic ideas of materials and sensory fields used to anticipate loads will also be presented.
Sarkisian is a licensed Professional Engineer and Structural Engineer in 16 states, and is LEED-accredited for the design of new building and construction.
Clarkson University launches leaders into the global economy. One in five alumni already leads as a CEO, VP or equivalent senior executive of a company. Located just outside the Adirondack Park in Potsdam, N.Y., Clarkson is a nationally recognized research university for undergraduates with select graduate programs in signature areas of academic excellence directed toward the world's pressing issues. Through 50 rigorous programs of study in engineering, business, arts, sciences and health sciences, the entire learning-living community spans boundaries across disciplines, nations and cultures to build powers of observation, challenge the status quo, and connect discovery and engineering innovation with enterprise.
Photo caption: Mark P. Sarkisian, director of seismic and structural engineering in the San Francisco office of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP, will speak at Clarkson University on "Engineering for the Future of Our Environment" on May 10. Above, the futuristic design of the Poly International Plaza, currently under construction in Beijing.
[A photograph for media use is available at http://www.clarkson.edu/news/photos/poly-international.jpg.]


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With the last issue of the year just about finished I can look at 2007 as a whole with the help of the Index of Features included in this issue.
We published 215 articles this year. The categories and articles reflect our purpose which is to produce a complete picture of the industry with attention to the details as well as the big picture.
In this issue we tell the story of how a navigation obstruction was found and removed at Port Elizabeth New Jersey describe the momentous passage of the Water Resources Development Act report on two major dredging conferences and circle the globe with news of port development projects.
Our reporting in 2007 scanned the amazing expansion of the dredging industry.
The continuing population explosion demands transportation of more and more goods throughout the world and the major transportation mode is by water. Ports everywhere are expanding by deepening their navigation channels and berths and the international players in the dredging industry are responding to the market by adding more and more large dredges to their fleets.
The eyes of the world have been on the Middle East for years as dredges create the massive Palm Islands and other islands in the United Arab Emirates providing upscale housing and recreation for residents and expatriots.
The government of China issued a plea for dredging companies to work on expansion projects there. Here in the United States the largest dredging company Great Lakes Dredge and Dock has moved much of its plant to the Middle East and in October purchased two large South American hopper dredges for that market.
In the past few months Western Dredging Association chapters met in Philadelphia Honolulu New Orleans and Brazil and the Central Dredging Association met in Holland.
These meetings are a valuable focus on local dredging issues with speakers describing regional projects and items of concern.
The events include a Corps of Engineers /Industry meeting in the program in which the project managers from the local districts report on dredging contracts for the coming fiscal year. This gives the audience a valuable picture of the jobs available to them.
We've chosen a graphic from one of these talks for the cover of this issue. The satellite photo of Matagorda Bay Texas is typical of the high quality graphics we see at the meetings.
IDR will to continue to follow all these stories. In this issue are reports on the New Orleans and Rotterdam conferences. Look for stories on the others in January.
Next March I will have been covering the dredging industry for 31 years. Assuming a 40-hour week (not allowing for all-nighters travel and meetings that last into the evening) I figure that this represents about 64000 hours of reporting on the industry. It has been great fun and has taken me to some fascinating places such as to Waikiki where this fall despite my advanced age I tried surfing for the first time.
We have changed our web site to be more of an online magazine. All the articles from each issue will be posted along with breaking news and many other features.
To see the articles and archives you need a subscription which comes with your paid subscription to the print magazine. Create your account on the site then email or call me and I'll activate your online subscription. (editor @dredgemag.com; +1-970-568-0833).
Judith Powers


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New project!
I've launched a new project! I'm making sugar skulls to celebrate Day of the Dead and thought while I'm at it I'll send some to others. You can find the... Read more
Happy Valentine's Day!
All of the cards have been made, stamped, and sent! Over 600 cards to 49 states and 30 countries. Wow. Many of you have asked if I will do this... Read more
The home stretch
A second batch of cards was delivered to Loveland, and I'll make one more delivery tomorrow. All the cards should make it to their destinations soon!
Many of you have... Read more
I've just returned form making the first delivery of postcards to Loveland. The warm welcome at the Loveland Post Office made me wish every day was Valentine's Day. It was... Read more
2555 percent!!!
Holy moly. That's a whole lot of love. Thank you! Thank you! THANK YOU! for making this project such a success! I had a an idea one evening and submitted... Read more
Making anatomical hearts.
It's the homestretch! I have been transforming into a card writing machine, and it is wonderful. The messages you are sending to your loved ones are so touching, I smile... Read more
Valentines for lunch.
People have asked how I'm keeping up with making all the postcards. I make cards every night and I also carry a ziplock bag with blank postcards so I can... Read more
Art supplies and Facebook
I thought I'd share a few images of the cards before they are actually cards. More like card ingredients. Below you can see some of the supplies I picked up... Read more


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Printer Friendly Version
Standard ECMA-313
Private Integrated Services Network (PISN)
- Specification, Functional Model and Information Flows - Call
Identification and Call Linkage Additional Network Feature (CIDLSD)
(September 2000)
This Standard specifies the Additional Network Feature (ANF) Call Identification and Call Linkage (CIDL), which is applicable to various basic services supported by Private Integrated Services Networks (PISN). Basic services are specified in
ANF-CIDL is an additional network feature which allows the identification and correlation of calls throughout a PISN by assigning unambiguous identifiers to each new call and also, as an option, to transformed and logically linked calls.
This ANF has been developed to support the use of CSTA (ECMA-269) in a networked environment, i.e. in a PISN. Use of this ANF for other applications is not precluded.
Supplementary service specifications are produced in three stages, according to the method described in ETS 300 387. This Standard contains the stage 1 and stage 2 specifications of ANF-CIDL. The stage 1 specification (clause 6) specifies the general feature principles and capabilities.
The stage 2 specification (clause 7) identifies the Functional Entities involved in the supplementary service and the information flows between them.
The following file can be freely downloaded:


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Lia Love BallsItem #X688
Product Description
Strengthen Your Orgasms With Silicone Love Balls!
Squeeze your body around these perfectly weighted love balls for a totally natural and naughty vaginal massage! With your every movement, the weights inside each of these smooth silicone-coated 1½" love balls roll, working your kegel muscles for a tighter vagina and more intense orgasms! Includes a stretchy 8" retrieval cord for easy removal.
• String of two weighted love balls
• In purple ABS with silicone coating
• 8" total length, love balls are 1½" in diameter
• Soft and stretchy removal cord with retrieval loop
• Smooth and silky surface for easy glide
• Weighted inner core of love balls roll as you move for effortless massage
• Love balls make an excellent kegel exerciser
• Great for G-Spot stimulation
• Fun for use with clitoral vibrators
Enjoy vagina-tightening pleasure with the sexy Lia Love Balls! These smooth weighted love balls are designed to slide inside easily. Once these love balls are inserted, you can give yourself an easy kegel workout by just moving around. As you shake and shimmy (or even do chores!), just squeeze the Lia Love Balls with your kegel muscles for a tightening workout that strengthens your muscles, intensifies your orgasms, and feels amazing! You can even use these sexy love balls in conjunction with a clitoral sex toy or vibrator for intense orgasms.
To use, just add a drop or two of your favorite sex lube to your Lia Love Balls. Then slowly work these love balls into your body. You can start with just one or go for both love balls at once. Once your love balls are inserted, trying moving around. Feel that? Each of your Lia Love Balls contains a free-rolling weight – so as you move, your kegel muscles will be challenged to hold in your love balls and your inner walls will get an orgasmically good massage.
With every move, the weighted rolling inner cores of your love balls will make a soft noise to signal you that your kegels are working hard. Try squeezing your love balls lying back in bed, sitting up in a chair, and even hold in your love balls as you do chores around the house (try this out with a hands-free clitoral butterfly vibrator!).
And when you're all climaxed out, just use the stretchy retrieval cord to remove your Lia Love Balls. Take your love balls into the shower or spa for extra-slippery fun.
Clean your love balls with mild soap and water or sex toy cleaner.
Related Product Guides
Find out what Ben Wa Balls actually do, how to use them, and how these mysterious balls can help improve your sex life.
Just like any other muscle, your vagina needs regular exercise to stay at its best. Here are 4 great reasons to start squeezing.
Learn how to do Kegel exercises easily and effectively so you can get the biggest gains in the shortest amount of time.


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Get excited about reading again with fun and interesting tips from our experts, including The M.D., our dietitians, and our fitness expert. In our health library, you will find all of the information you need to achieve your goals of making a healthy lifestyle change. So, start reading and start losing!
Bistro MD States
Imagine a place where beautiful grassy plains meet towering mountain peaks, and where timeless rivers carve an ever changing landscape. Take a moment to reflect on the rich history that such a place must inevitably offer. If you live in Oklahoma, you don't have to.
The reality for Oklahomans, however, is that the majestic beauty of their state covers over a less than desirable statistic regarding their waistlines. Depending on which studies are consulted, Oklahoma ranks somewhere between the third to sixth most obese state in the Union. What are Oklahomans to do about their state's weight problem? Diet delivery Oklahoma just might be the answer to your weight loss crisis.
Diet Delivery Oklawhat?
The nation's leading home delivery diet service, bistroMD, is pleased to offer diet delivery Oklahoma. Our meals are perfectly portioned, and are prepared with only the finest ingredients, to ensure that clients will lose weight. Nobody does weight loss quite like we do.
Diet delivery Oklahoma combines the best aspects of healthy eating: great taste and sound nutrition. In order to provide both of these qualities, we've developed an innovative two step approach to diet delivery.
Doctor Knows Best
The first step in the process that results in a diet delivery Oklahoma meal being delivered to your door is the designing of that meal by our founding physician, Caroline J. Cederquist, M.D. Dr. Cederquist is nationally recognized as one of the nation's top weight loss experts, and she takes this title seriously. No ingredient is left unchecked, and no calorie sneaks its way into a meal without her approval.
In addition to Dr. Cederquist's careful eye, our team of highly trained dietitians weighs in on the various dietary considerations that are necessary to achieve lasting weight loss. With so many experts involved in the planning of every diet delivery Oklahoma meal, we're confident that you won't find better nutrition anywhere else.
Masters of the Kitchen
Once a meal receives approval from Dr. Cederquist and our dietitians, it is sent to our chefs to be prepared. Diet delivery Oklahoma rejects the idea that diet food has to be bland and boring in order to be healthy. Our team of talented chefs, trained in some of the finest culinary institutions in America, takes this concept very seriously. A diet cannot be successful if the dieter doesn't enjoy the food they are eating.
To ensure that diet delivery Oklahoma meets the expectations of our clients, our chefs utilize the freshest ingredients available. Did we mention that every one of our meals is chef prepared? At diet delivery Oklahoma we simply don't believe that a machine can create great tasting works of art. We leave the cooking in the kitchen, and out of the factory.
Convenience is Everything
We understand that you lead a busy life, and that dieting is a time consuming effort. Often, people begin a diet with great intentions, but later fail because they didn't have the time to do the work that dieting entails. Traditional dieters have a lot on their dieting plate, metaphorically speaking.
First, a traditional dieter needs to understand which foods to include in their diet. This can be a tricky undertaking that often involves long hours researching and reading. Diet delivery Oklahoma removes this burden.
Second, a dieter has to make regular trips to the grocery store. Planning what you can and cannot eat can be accomplished on paper, but what happens when the items offered at your local store don't match the items you've selected? Diet delivery Oklahoma takes care of the shopping.
Third, is the actual preparing of a healthy meal. While this may not seem overly complicated, most people are not used to cooking using healthy methods. Carrots are great for dieters, but the butter and brown sugar aren't. Diet delivery Oklahoma cooks up healthy meals, leaving you with the best part – eating the meals.
Join a Dieting Revolution
When you are ready to begin receiving doctor designed, chef prepared, meals delivered to your doorstep, give us a call. Our friendly customer service representatives will happily guide you through the ordering process. For our tech-savvy customers, log onto www.bistromd.com and click on the Order Now tab at the top of the screen. Diet delivery Oklahoma can help you lose weight and start living a healthier lifestyle. Join the program that delivers real results and delicious food, right to your door.
Simply answer a few questions so we can figure out your weight loss goals and provide solutions for a lighter, healthier you. Our weight loss meal plans are designed to help real people achieve real and lasting success.
Get free support to help you lose weight and be healthy with our Weekly Dish on Health.
© 2005-
Privacy Policy - Store Terms
Yes, send me free support to help me lose weight and
be healthy with the Weekly Dish on Health Newsletter.


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In 2006, Nick Knight was chosen to receive the prestigious Möet & Chandon Fashion Tribute. To mark the occasion, he staged a lavish and spectacular Masked Ball, which was attended by a wealth of international personalities from the world of fashion, photography, film, music, and art. The full proceedings were broadcast live on SHOWstudio and the event was documented in detail on the site
Who's 'a wanker'? What male stylist can't keep their clothes on? Which former curator of a national museum smokes in Grade 1* listed buildings? And what esteemed fashion writer has 'the back of a swimmer and the head of a monkey'?!! We knew champagne and a fashion crowd would yield sensational results, but add the SHOWstudio 'Confessions' Interactive and there was controversy! View the scurrilous secrets of the Bal Masqué's guests in this highly entertaining series of confessional clips.


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Brian May, CBE, PhD, FRAS is a founding member of Queen, a world-renowned guitarist, songwriter, producer and performer, also a Doctor of Astrophysics, 3D stereoscopic photographic authority, campaigner for animal rights and a passionate advocate for political and social change.
Queen's accolades accrued over five decades include a staggering list of sales with a catalogue that consistently tops popularity polls, along with a deserved list of awards and honours. Brian has penned 22 Queen top 20 hits, among them the powerful ballads 'Who Wants to Live Forever', 'No-One But You' and 'Save Me', along with anthems 'The Show Must Go On', 'I Want It All', and 'We Will Rock You', namesake to the Queen/Ben Elton hit musical which enjoyed an unprecedented 12 year run at London's Dominion Theatre alongside numerous worldwide productions. Iconic sports anthem, 'We Will Rock You' was performed live by Brian and Roger during the London 2012 Olympics closing ceremony, viewed by an estimated one billion TV audience. Other memorable global live appearances include the band's 1985 Live Aid show stealing set and during the 2002 Golden Jubilee celebrations, Brian playing his own arrangement of 'God Save the Queen' from the rooftop of Buckingham Palace
Queen became the first rock group to score a major film, Flash Gordon, followed by definitive music for Highlander. Brian's personal credits include further film, TV and theatre collaborations and two successful solo albums earning him two Ivor Novello awards. He continues to inspire a diverse genre of international artists and has a wealth of guest artist appearances featuring his distinctive guitar style, produced from his revered homemade 'Red Special' guitar using a sixpence as a plectrum.
A Queen and Paul Rodgers joint performance at the 2004 induction into the UK Music Hall of Fame led to a return to touring after a 20 year break, featuring the former Free/Bad Company singer as guest vocalist. 2012 saw a return of Queen onstage, this time with current guest vocalist Adam Lambert, to award winning universal critical acclaim. Over 70 worldwide sold out concerts have been played, including a spectacular New Years Eve concert heralding 2015, broadcast live by the BBC.
Most recently Brian has enjoyed writing, producing, recording and touring with Kerry Ellis. Brian and Kerry are currently working on their third album and have a series of European concert dates confirmed for early 2016 after which he returns to tour with Queen + Adam Lambert headlining the Isle of Wight Festival along with a dozen further European festival appearances.
Brian retains his keen passion for Astronomy and after a 30 year break returned to Astrophysics to update his doctoral thesis on the Motions of Interplanetary Dust and achieved his full PhD degree from Imperial College, London, in 2007. He continues his work in Astronomy and in July 2015 Brian spent time with fellow Astrophysicists at NASA Headquarters interpreting new data as it was transmitted from the Pluto New Horizons probe whilst compiling the first high-quality stereo image of Pluto.
Brian has co-authored numerous publications, including two in the Astronomy field with the late Sir Patrick Moore. He now heads his ownpublishing house, The London Stereoscopic Company which specializes in Victorian 3-D Photography. All books come complete with Brian's own design OWL stereoscopic viewer. More information on the upcoming published work Crinoline: Fashion's Most Magnificent Disaster (Spring 2016) and the celebrated short animated film 'One Night in Hell' along with all matters stereoscopic are available at Brian's dedicated website, www.londonstereo.com.
Brian is proud to be an ambassador for the Mercury Phoenix Trust, set up in memory of Freddie Mercury to support AIDS projects. Over 700 projects and millions of people have benefitted from the Trust as the global battle against HIV/AIDS continues.
A lifelong advocate of animal welfare, Brian is a leading inspiration in the fight against fox hunting, trophy hunting and badger culling. He campaigns tirelessly from grass roots through to parliamentary level with his Save Me Trust campaign, established in 2009 to champion British wildlife, working alongside Harper Asprey Wildlife Rescue and rehabilitation centre. Projects include rejuvenation of ancient woodlands to create protected wildlife habitats and as a key player working alongside the major conservation and wildlife NGOs, the Save Me Trust created Team Fox www.teamfox.org.uk and Team Badger www.teambadger.org. - the largest ever wildlife coalition. Further details can be found at the www.savemetrust.org. The Save Me Trust is currently fronting a petition calling for the introduction of Cecil's Law inspired by the death of Cecil, South Africa's most famous lion, and to end the senseless slaughter of our magnificent wildlife creatures.
Brian was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2005 for 'services to the Music Industry and for his charity work' and is patron to a number of charities, also a vice-president of the RSPCA. Brian enjoys interacting with his fans, who can enjoy updates on his work and thoughts on twitter at @DrBrianMay and via his website at www.brianmay.com.
Just a word or two to say thanks so much for all your lovely words and wishes dear folks.
I got myself in a very depleted state and have taken the decision now to clear my diary of everything until the end of the year. I'm leaving today on a big steel bird to spend some time recharging in a safe place. Need to turn off the phones and media for a while.
Apologies to everyone involved in the things I will miss. I have to get away and prioritise healing - sometimes there is no choice.
Bless ya all.
Love Bri
We're very sad today to announce the indefinite postponement of our 'candlelight' concert dates this coming December. This is a decision I've agonized over, but in the end it has become inevitable. I managed to complete the recent Queen and Adam Lambert dates in Asia but I have been increasingly battling with a persistent illness which is destroying my energy and my will.
I am now at the point where I don't feel confident to perform the scheduled shows to the standard we all expect. I've been strongly advised to rest and heal, rather than go out and risk 'falling down on the job' out there, which would be a real tragedy. I'm convinced it's much better taking the step to cancel the dates now, refunding the fans for the ticket sales, and giving all our team a chance to re-plan their time in December.
Sincere apologies to all.
Brian and Kerry Christmas Concert Tour 2016
Brian May and Kerry Ellis today announced with great regret the indefinite postponement of their December concert dates in the UK. May and Ellis were set to perform 11 'Candlelight Concerts' in the three weeks leading up to Christmas. Apologizing to fans through a personal message posted on his official website, (www.brianmay.com) Queen's Brian May explains that he is fighting 'a persistent illness which is destroying my energy and my will', and doesn't feel confident to perform the shows to the standard expected.
May comments: "I'm gutted to have to pull out - I hate letting our loyal fans down. But the advice I have had is that I must take time off to heal, rather than go out on tour again and risk falling down on the job, which would be much worse."
Kerry Ellis comments: "Brian is a dear friend of mine and obviously his health must come first. I was so looking forward to touring the UK again with Brian. I know so many of you had bought tickets for an early Christmas treat, and I am truly sorry that we are letting so many of you down. But we will be back next year for sure, with new music for you all to hear."
A consolation for disappointed fans is a newly recorded studio album from May and Ellis, titled 'Anthems II', which is scheduled for release in March.
All tickets already purchased are fully refundable at point of purchase.
SOAPBOX PAGE - Brian's apology
BRIAN NEWS PAGE - Press Release at
Both connect to each other.
The Soapbox apology item is flagged also on Home Page


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Highlight – CA Technologies Blog
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NEW YORK, January 20, 2015 - CA Technologies (NASDAQ:CA) today reported financial results for its third quarter fiscal 2015, ended December 31, 2014.
Mike Gregoire, CA Technologies Chief Executive Officer, said:
"Overall third quarter results provide further evidence that the strategy we put in place and our focus on rigorous execution continue to pay off. Although we saw a decline in third quarter sales, we are on track for the full year.
"At CA World this past November, we showcased our unique strength in serving customers in the Application Economy. The event highlighted the full breadth and leadership of our solutions, as well as our vision of the future, to thousands of customers and partners, many of whom experienced CA's expanded portfolio for the first time.
"Looking ahead, while we do not expect fiscal 2016 total revenue to grow in constant currency, we believe we are on track to achieving our medium-term goals."
*A reconciliation of non-GAAP financial measures to their comparable GAAP financial measures is included in the tables following this news release. Year-over-year non-GAAP results exclude purchased software and other intangibles amortization, share-based compensation, capitalization (an add-back) and amortization of internal software costs, Board approved workforce rebalancing initiatives and certain other gains and losses. The results also include gains and losses on hedges that mature within the quarter, but exclude gains and losses on hedges that do not mature within the quarter.
**CC: Constant Currency
The Company updated its fiscal year 2015 outlook for GAAP and non-GAAP EPS. The following outlook contains "forward-looking statements" (as defined below).
The Company expects the following:
This outlook assumes no material acquisitions and a partial currency hedge of operating income. The Company expects a full-year GAAP operating margin of 27 percent and non-GAAP operating margin of 37 percent, unchanged from previous guidance. The Company expects a full-year GAAP and non-GAAP effective tax rate of approximately 28 percent, a reduction from the previously expected full-year GAAP and non-GAAP effective tax rate, which was approximately 30 percent. When compared with fiscal year 2014, the full-year GAAP and non-GAAP effective tax rate of approximately 28 percent has a negative impact on GAAP and non-GAAP diluted earnings per share from continuing operations of approximately $0.38 and $0.53, respectively.
The Company anticipates approximately 436 million shares outstanding at fiscal 2015 year-end and weighted average diluted shares outstanding of approximately 440 million for the fiscal year.
This news release and the accompanying tables should be read in conjunction with additional content that is available on the Company's website, including a supplemental financial package, as well as a conference call and webcast that the Company will host at 5:00 p.m. ET today to discuss its unaudited third quarter results. The webcast will be archived on the website. Individuals can access the webcast, as well as the press release and supplemental financial information at http://ca.com/invest or can listen to the call at 1-877-561-2748. The international participant number is 1-720-545-0044.
(1) Gartner, Inc., "Magic Quadrant for Integrated IT Portfolio Analysis Applications," Daniel B. Stang, Jim Duggan, November 18, 2014
Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner's research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.
Non-GAAP Financial Measures
This news release, the accompanying tables and the additional content that is available on the Company's website, including a supplemental financial package, include certain financial measures that exclude the impact of certain items and therefore have not been calculated in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). Non-GAAP metrics for operating expenses, operating income, operating margin, income from continuing operations and diluted earnings per share exclude the following items: share-based compensation expense; non-cash amortization of purchased software and other intangible assets; charges relating to rebalancing initiatives that are large enough to require approval from the Company's Board of Directors, fiscal 2007 restructuring costs and certain other gains and losses, which include the gains and losses since inception of hedges that mature within the quarter, but exclude gains and losses of hedges that do not mature within the quarter. The Company began expensing costs for internally developed software where development efforts commenced in the first quarter of fiscal 2014. As a result, product development and enhancement expenses are expected to increase in future periods as the amount capitalized for internally developed software costs decreases. Due to this change, the Company also adds back capitalized internal software costs and excludes amortization of internally developed software costs previously capitalized from these non-GAAP metrics. The effective tax rate on GAAP and non-GAAP income from operations is the Company's provision for income taxes expressed as a percentage of pre-tax GAAP and non-GAAP income from continuing operations, respectively. These tax rates are determined based on an estimated effective full year tax rate, with the effective tax rate for GAAP generally including the impact of discrete items in the period in which such items arise and the effective tax rate for non-GAAP generally allocating the impact of discrete items pro rata to the fiscal year's remaining reporting periods. Adjusted cash flow from operations excludes payments associated with the fiscal 2014 Board-approved rebalancing initiative as described above, capitalized software development costs as described above, and restructuring and other payments. Free cash flow excludes purchases of property and equipment and capitalized software development costs. The Company presents constant currency information to provide a framework for assessing how the Company's underlying businesses performed excluding the effect of foreign currency rate fluctuations. To present this information, current and comparative prior period results for entities reporting in currencies other than U.S. dollars are converted into U.S. dollars at the exchange rate in effect on the last day of the Company's prior fiscal year (i.e., March 31, 2014, March 31, 2013 and March 31, 2012, respectively). Constant currency excludes the impacts from the Company's hedging program. The constant currency calculation for annualized subscription and maintenance bookings is calculated by dividing the subscription and maintenance bookings in constant currency by the weighted average subscription and maintenance duration in years. These non-GAAP financial measures may be different from non-GAAP financial measures used by other companies. Non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered as a substitute for, or superior to, measures of financial performance prepared in accordance with GAAP. By excluding these items, non-GAAP financial measures facilitate management's internal comparisons to the Company's historical operating results and cash flows, to competitors' operating results and cash flows, and to estimates made by securities analysts. Management uses these non-GAAP financial measures internally to evaluate its performance and they are key variables in determining management incentive compensation. The Company believes these non-GAAP financial measures are useful to investors in allowing for greater transparency of supplemental information used by management in its financial and operational decision-making. In addition, the Company has historically reported similar non-GAAP financial measures to its investors and believes that the inclusion of comparative numbers provides consistency in its financial reporting. Investors are encouraged to review the reconciliation of the non-GAAP financial measures used in this news release to their most directly comparable GAAP financial measures, which are attached to this news release.
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
The declaration and payment of future dividends is subject to the determination of the Company's Board of Directors, in its sole discretion, after considering various factors, including the Company's financial condition, historical and forecast operating results, and available cash flow, as well as any applicable laws and contractual covenants and any other relevant factors. The Company's practice regarding payment of dividends may be modified at any time and from time to time.
Repurchases under the Company's stock repurchase program are expected to be made with cash on hand and may be made from time to time, subject to market conditions and other factors, in the open market, through solicited or unsolicited privately negotiated transactions or otherwise. The program does not obligate the Company to acquire any particular amount of common stock, and it may be modified or suspended at any time at the Company's discretion.
Certain statements in this communication (such as statements containing the words "believes," "plans," "anticipates," "expects," "estimates," "targets" and similar expressions relating to the future) constitute "forward-looking statements" that are based upon the beliefs of, and assumptions made by, the Company's management, as well as information currently available to management. These forward-looking statements reflect the Company's current views with respect to future events and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties, and assumptions. A number of important factors could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements, including: the ability to achieve success in the Company's strategy by, among other things, effectively managing the Company's sales force to enable the Company to maintain and enhance its strong relationships in its traditional customer base and to increase penetration and accelerate growth in customer segments and geographic regions where the Company currently may not have a strong presence or the Company has underserved, enabling the sales force to sell new products, improving the Company's brand, technology and innovation awareness in the marketplace and ensuring the Company's set of cloud computing, application development and IT operations (DevOps), Software-as-a-Service, mobile device management and other new offerings address the needs of a rapidly changing market, while not adversely affecting the demand for the Company's traditional products or its profitability; global economic factors or political events beyond the Company's control; general economic conditions and credit constraints, or unfavorable economic conditions in a particular region, industry or business sector; the failure to innovate and/or adapt to technological changes and introduce new software products and services in a timely manner; competition in product and service offerings and pricing; the failure to expand partner programs; the ability to retain and attract adequate qualified personnel; the ability of the Company's products to remain compatible with ever-changing operating environments, platforms or third party products; the ability to successfully integrate acquired companies and products into the Company's existing business; the ability to adequately manage, evolve and protect the Company's information systems, infrastructure and processes; risks associated with sales to government customers; breaches of the Company's data center, network and software products, and the IT environments of the Company's vendors and customers; discovery of errors or omissions in the Company's software products or documentation and potential product liability claims; the failure to protect the Company's intellectual property rights and source code; events or circumstances that would require the Company to record an impairment charge relating to the Company's goodwill or capitalized software and other intangible assets balances; access to software licensed from third parties; risks associated with the use of software from open source code sources; third-party claims of intellectual property infringement or royalty payments; fluctuations in the number, terms and duration of the Company's license agreements as well as the timing of orders from customers and channel partners; the failure to renew large license transactions on a satisfactory basis; potential tax liabilities; changes in market conditions or the Company's credit ratings; fluctuations in foreign currencies; the failure to effectively execute the Company's workforce reductions, workforce rebalancing and facilities consolidations; successful and secure outsourcing of various functions to third parties; and other factors described more fully in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties occur, or should the Company's assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as believed, planned, anticipated, expected, estimated, targeted or similarly expressed in a forward-looking manner. The Company assumes no obligation to update the information in this communication, except as otherwise required by law. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof.
CA Technologies (NASDAQ:CA) creates software that fuels transformation for companies and enables them to seize the opportunities of the application economy. Software is at the heart of every business in every industry. From planning, to development, to management and security, CA is working with companies worldwide to change the way we live, transact, and communicate – across mobile, private and public cloud, distributed and mainframe environments. Learn more at www.ca.com.
Copyright © 2015 CA, Inc. All Rights Reserved. All trademarks, trade names, service marks, and logos referenced herein belong to their respective companies.


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When it comes to games, visualization, and even video-stream processing, OpenGL is the de facto standard for cross-platform real-time 3D graphics. So when I first heard that OpenGL was being adapted for things like cell phones and PDAs, I was, well, skeptical. After being spoiled by workstation-class 3D graphics, going back to software rendering on a display half the size of a note card was underwhelming, to say the least.
Two things changed my mindSony's PSP and Nintendo's GameBoy DS. When I saw their displays, I knew 3D hardware in handheld devices was a reality. For the first time, I had a real reason to dive into OpenGL ES, a royalty-free, cross-platform API for full-function 2D and 3D graphics for the "embedded space" (www.khronos.org/opengles). About the same time I was working to incorporate OpenGL ES into my OpenGL class at Full Sail (www.fullsail.com), I was also working with Software Bisque (www.bisque.com) on some OpenGL-based astronomy projects. NVidia heard what we were up to and contacted us about moving
TheSky Pocket Edition to OpenGL ES-enabled platforms. NVidia supplied me with a development kit (developer.nvidia.com/page/handheld.html), which included the Gizmondo handheld gaming unit. Alas, the company behind the unit is gone, but the Gizmondo still proved to be a valuable prototyping and evaluation tool. Getting something running on the Gizmondo was straightforward because it runs on Windows CE, which lets me use Microsoft's Embedded Visual C++.
The Gizmondo is not a Pocket PC or PDA it was solely intended as a handheld gaming deviceso there are a few hurdles most PDA developers are spared. For instance, I had to use a special "Developers" version of the USB driver to form a regular partnership with the device and copy files back and forth to protected areas. There was also a special program that had to be integrated into Embedded Visual C++'s build steps to digitally sign the executables, or the Gizmondo would not execute them.
The Gizmondo unit contains a 400-MHz ARM9 CPU, and has 64 MB of RAM. The 320×240, 16-bit color (5-6-5 dither) display was driven by a 72-MHz NVidia GoForce 4500 3D GPU, which supports OpenGL ES 1.0 with some extensions. This is more power than was available when 3D games first came to PCs, and I was eager to see my first 3D program running on a handheld device.


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I'm often asked where I get ideas for my column. After some 3,000 of them, you might think I'd run out. But for the most part, finding topics is like finding air -- I'm surrounded by them.
Last year's presidential election provided a multitude, particularly when the dozens of Republican debates gave candidates the chance to highlight their differences. A new presidential term invites those in power at either end of Pennsylvania Avenue to come up with new plans.
The topic that generates the most interest among my readers lately, though, is guns. As a longtime supporter of Second Amendment rights and a skeptic about the practical value of gun control, I've had to make my case in a political environment that has gotten more congenial to new regulations.
Not that I always find myself on the side of greater gun freedom. A recent column on what the Second Amendment forbids and what it allows drew protests from those who assume that any gun controls are unconstitutional. Eventually, the Supreme Court will answer those questions.
When it does, I'm betting there will be something for me to write about.
-- Steve Chapman, columnist and editorial board member
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Ten-year plans to conserve four of Indonesia's most threatened species were agreed at two workshops in May.
The mountain anoa (Bubalus quarlesi) and lowland anoa (Bubalus depressicornis) – two species of dwarf buffalo, as well as the babyrousa (Babyrousa spp.), a wild pig, and banteng (Bos javanicus), a wild cattle species, are all threatened with extinction according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2008. Poaching and habitat destruction and degradation are among the major threats to these species, which have been identified by the Indonesian Directorate General of Forest Protection and Nature Conservation as high priorities for species conservation.
Earthwatch was among the organisations sponsoring the two workshops, hosted by the Indonesia Ministry of Forestry and the IUCN/Species Survival Commission's Asian Wild Cattle Specialist Group, of which Earthwatch Research Manager Dr James Burton is chair. More than 110 representatives from provincial and national forestry departments, local and international NGOs, and Indonesian zoo staff and academics, agreed the mid-term rescue plans.
Dr Burton says, "These workshops are now an important part of conserving Indonesia's highly diverse and threatened biodiversity. The Ministry of Forestry has published at least four action plans in 2007 and 2008; these workshops will produce the next three action plans. It's an example of a great partnership between Earthwatch Institute, IUCN and the Indonesian Ministry of Forestry. These will be the first action plans for species in eastern Indonesia. Following publication of the plans, the hard work begins to disseminate the information, explain the priorities for conservation, and motivate action."
The anoas and babyrousa are endemic to Sulawesi Island in eastern Indonesia, while the banteng is found in isolated populations on Java and Kalimantan. These species act as important flagships for their respective islands and play a vital role in their natural environment by helping to maintain habitat diversity through grazing. They also represent a major reservoir of genetic material that could help scientists to safeguard and improve domestic cattle breeds throughout the world. This is best represented by the banteng, which has a domesticated form – the Bali cattle, widely used for meat and milk production across Indonesia and other south-east Asian countries.
The workshops were sponsored by Leipzig Zoo, Chester Zoo, Centre for Conservation of Tropical Ungulates, Los Angeles City Zoo, Opel Zoo, Stuttgart Zoo, Houston Zoo, Audubon Zoo, University of Edinburgh, Wildlife Conservation Society, and Earthwatch Institute