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distribution of water through channelization and impoundment of flowing waters, and the draining of some wetlands and the flooding of others, destroys undeveloped habitat areas. Activities as seemingly benign as the planting of exotic trees and shrubs in parks and along byways or the conversion of open space to golf courses disrupt the distribution of natural components of biological diversity. These activities combine to decrease, habitat area and disturb the equilibrium between extinction and immigration among remaining natural habitats, with the frequent result that some species are permanently lost.
Decreases in local biological diversity resulting from losses of habitat area and insularization of habitat remnants are compounded by the more subtle effects of fragmentation. Losses of single, specific microhabitats within an otherwise undisturbed habitat can cause the local extinction of certain species. Disruption of even narrow corridors of natural habitat between large habitat patches can lead to losses of species. The removal of understory foliage in manicured park areas and suburban housing developments can result in the loss of numerous species, most conspicuously species of birds. Vast differences in temperature, humidity, light availability, and wind exposure exist between forest edges and interiors and affect habitat suitability for some species. In addition, losses of certain species due to any one or more causes can affect closely associated species sometimes leading ultimately to secondary extinction events (Wilcox and Murphy, 1985).
In light of these basic ecological facts, conservation of the full range of urban biological diversity necessitates the protection of the largest possible expanses of natural habitat. Yet, that simple prescription is usually impossible to fill in urban areas, where the forces acting to decrease the size of remaining natural habitats are greatest. These conflicting pressures interact to determine urban conservation policy and to force biologists to justify the sizes of biological preserves.
Economic and political considerations in urban areas make preservation particularly difficult. Land costs are high because of high demand, and the vast majority of urban space is private property. The few publicly owned open spaces are subject to intensive, varied uses, many of which are incompatible with preserving biological diversity. Local political institutions usually favor development over preservation, and many agencies concerned with land and resource management, such as the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management, have no presence in urban areas. Many conservation organizations with largely urban memberships virtually limit their concern to nonurban environments, and those involved with local issues rarely have the resources available for protracted fights over development.
The Endangered Species Act with its mandate outlawing the "take" of any endangered species is the best tool for protecting biological diversity in urban areas of this country. Although the goal of the Act is protection of individual species of concern, its "purposes…are to provide a means whereby the ecosystems upon which endangered species depend may be conserved" (USC, 1983, p. 1, §1531). Its strength resides in its ability to protect species regardless of land ownership.
Efforts to conserve the full extent of biological diversity by using the Endangered Species Act must target species that are most susceptible to habitat loss. The protection of extinction-prone species can be the key to facilitating the conservation


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Motorola MOTOACTV performs well and motivates athletes
Summary: For those looking to have a device that tracks workout details and serves multiple key functions, then the Motorola MOTOACTV is a device to consider.
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The microUSB port is used for charging and connectivity to a PC/Mac.
There is a plug for the 3.5mm headset jack, but I never used it since I prefer Bluetooth headphones for running.
I was getting ready for a run and had my MOTOACTV on with the JayBird Freedom headset ready to go.
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subset: commoncrawl


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An afternoon in Big Sur on the way from San Francisco to L.A. A brief and fleeting vision of the … [Read more...]
Why Wait For Spring For Pastels? Get This Look Now! @LandsEnd, @LuLuAvenue #Fashion, #WinterFashion, #Jewelry
watch this! one accessory you absolutely need to rely on for special events @Citizen
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Two Talented Sisters: One Has Jewelry Kickstarter That Needs Your Help NOW!
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Spectacular Accessories for Weddings and Beyond @AccessoryNews @accessoriescouncil @KARENJGIBERSON, #actoppicks @Millie Martini Bratten
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Many cultures believe in "the evil eye," a malicious stare believed to be able to cause illness, … [Read more...]
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text: Sponsored Bowlers View full-size image < previous next > Is this photo a winner? "This picture was taken during a Bowling Tournament called the Warren Mens Challenge in Warren Ohio at Echo Lanes. This was my 4th order with Custom Ink and the quality of product and service is superior compared with other companies." - Bowling (Jan 23, 2012) Share this photo on: Twitter Facebook Pinterest Similar Photos: sports | ohio | bowling | bowling tournament | warren | event sporting | professional | insurance | polo | echo lanes | warren mens challenge Feeling inspired? Visit the CustomInk Design Lab to start your own group order. Design Your Own comment by Guest - Oct 27, 2012 - back to the top - Aw- thanks so much for the love n dootnians Miss M and mama totten! You ladies are THE BEST! Also, I want to thank Pete the Treat for his donation, and Lady Marcia for her $1-per-pin pledge. The pressure is ON! I wish I could get a practice game in


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The Madden Curse Strikes Hillis
Halloween is here, and so is all that goes with it: jack-o-lanterns, candy corn, and trick-or-treaters. It gives the girls a good excuse to wear something a little more risqué than their normal weekend attire, and it gives me the opportunity to dress and act obnoxious. In past years I have gone as the likes of Borat and Kenny Powers, and this year I am going as arrogant South Carolina fan Bruce Wilson. With all the fun that Halloween brings, there is also a very dark element with it, like curses. Sports enthusiasts believe in things like curses, jinxes, and superstitions. Baseball teams like the Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox have believed their teams have been cursed for years. Some players refuse to go on the field without their lucky hat, socks, or shirts. Some fans believe that if they don't watch their teams in the exact seat, with the TV at the right angle, while holding a towel, it could change the outcome of the game. With the NFL season nearly halfway over, it seems that it is safe to say the Madden Curse has struck again.
In case you have been living in Antarctica away from civilization for years and years and don't know what the Madden Curse is, let me explain it to you. Madden NFL has been the top selling football game since as long as anyone can remember. Starting in 1999, the game began putting players on the cover. What seemed like an honor has turned out to be quite the opposite. The season following the release of the game, the player gracing the cover has fallen subject to declined statistics or even injury causing them to miss parts of the season. This year is no different, so I wanted to take a look at some of the names and faces that have fallen victim to the (dun dun dun) Madden Curse.
While in years past the people of EA Sports have simply awarded the player that they thought worthy the cover spot, this year they did it a little differently. They had a 32 person bracket, much like March Madness, featuring a player from each team to decide who won the cover. Fans could go online and vote for who they wanted to. Week by week the players were dwindled down by round, until at the end Peyton Hillis was awarded the Madden NFL 12 cover.
Last year Hillis was one of the breakout stars of the NFL. He rushed for 1100 yards and had 11 touchdowns. He was also in the top five in scoring as far as fantasy points goes. This year has been a far cry from that thousand-yard rushing season. So far he has only 211 yards and 2 touchdowns. Peyton had been in contract negotiations with Cleveland following the lock out, but was advised to walk away by his agent. More controversy surrounded the running back when he sat out a week claiming to have strep throat. He was linked to many trade rumors before the deadline, and he is currently benched by a hamstring injury. Is this just a coincidence, or perhaps the (insert creepy Unsolved Mysteries guy voice) Madden Curse?
Hillis hasn't been the only one to fall victim to the ill-fated curse. Last year, Drew Brees seemed to have all but beaten it until his playoffs were stopped short in Seattle. Madden Curse. In 2009, two players shared the cover: Troy Polamalu and Larry Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald made it through the season unscathed. Polamalu, however, missed eleven games that year due to two separate injuries. Half Madden Curse. The year before that Brett Farve appeared on the cover with the game paying tribute to the thought-to-be-retired gun slinger. Farve, after a war of words with the Packers, was traded to the Jets, where he started off the season at 8-3, only to finish 9-7 and miss the playoffs. Out-of-retirement Madden Curse. In 2008 it was Vince Young's turn, and he was injured in the first game of the season. While sidelined, Kerry Collins filled in and was later announced as the starter for the rest of the season, while Young was left with clipboard duty. Benched-for-Kerry-Collins Madden Curse. The list goes on and on: Shaun Alexander with the MVP-to-never-heard-from-again Madden Curse, Donovan McNabb with the Campbell's Chunky Soup Madden Curse, Michael Vick with the broken-leg-in-the-preseason-later-to-go-to-prison-for-dog-fighting Madden Curse, and Barry Sanders with the early-retirement-in-the-middle-of-your-prime Madden Curse.
This curse is no joke and should not be taken lightly. In fact, I never want to see Cam Newton (or any Panther, for that matter) appear on the Madden cover. For all future recipients of the daunted video game jinx, be afraid. Be very afraid.


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- Posted August 7, 2014 by
- KellyPotts Follow
- DrugFreeAZKids.org Response to the 2014 Arizona Youth Survey
- Industrial Commission of Arizona approves Arizona Minimum Wage Increase
- Scottsdale Welcomes Future Major League Baseball Stars at Bowman Hitting Challenge; Kicks-Off Event of 2014 Arizona Fall League Season
- The Arizona Division of Occupational Safety and Health Consultation Department Presents Honeywell with Voluntary Protection Program STAR Designation
- Arizona Association for Economic Development October Luncheon to Discuss "The Power of Infrastructure: Energizing Economic Development"
Arizona Association for Economic Development September Luncheon to Discuss Arizona State Land
Hickman will address: "Arizona State Land: What Economic Developers Should Know."
The cost of the luncheon is $40 for AAED members and guests and $50 for non-members and $55for late registrants. To register, visit www.aaed.com/events.
The registration deadline is Thursday, Sept. 4. Vegetarian meals must be requested in advance. For more information, call AAED at (602) 240-AAED (2233), or visit www.aaed.com.
AAED, founded in 1974, has a mission to serve as Arizona's unified voice advocating for responsible economic development through an effective program of professional education, public policy, and collaboration.
For more information on AAED, visit www.aaed.com or call (602) 240-2233.
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News Release
SEATTLE, WA, Sep 20, 2010 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) --
Global supercomputer leader Cray Inc. (NASDAQ: CRAY) today announced that the new Microsoft Windows HPC Server 2008 R2 operating system is now available on the Cray CX1 line of deskside supercomputers, including the Cray CX1 and the Cray CX1-iWS systems. The Windows HPC Server 2008 R2 operating system features a familiar environment and a rich tool-set allowing users of Cray CX1 systems to apply powerful, high performance computing (HPC) resources to their scientific challenges without sacrificing ease-of-use computing.
"We designed the Cray CX1 systems to be easy to use, and offering a HPC product that combines the computational power of a cluster with the familiarity of the Windows HPC Server 2008 R2 operating system gives more researchers, developers and scientists access to Cray systems," said Barry Bolding, vice president of Cray's products division. "We are pleased to be working with Microsoft to extend HPC beyond the data center through the powerful combination of the Cray CX1 line and the Windows HPC Server 2008 R2 operating system."
"Companies such as Cray are an essential part of making high performance computing more broadly available and accessible," said Bill Hamilton, Director, Technical Computing, Microsoft Corp. "The combination of the Cray CX1 line and Windows HPC Server 2008 R2 delivers HPC capabilities to an expanded customer base that sees the value in a deskside HPC system that is both powerful and easy to use."
First introduced in September 2008, the Cray CX1 line of deskside supercomputers is designed from the ground up to provide superior performance, functionality and affordability for individuals and departmental workgroups who want to harness the compute power of an HPC cluster. Equipped with state-of-the-art visualization and storage capabilities, the Cray CX1 systems deliver performance leadership across a broad range of applications -- all in a compact, easy-to-use, deskside system.
About Cray Inc.
As a global leader in supercomputing, Cray provides highly advanced supercomputers and world-class services and support to government, industry and academia. Cray technology is designed to enable scientists and engineers to achieve remarkable breakthroughs by accelerating performance, improving efficiency and extending the capabilities of their most demanding applications. Cray's Adaptive Supercomputing vision is focused on delivering innovative next-generation products that integrate diverse processing technologies into a unified architecture, allowing customers to surpass today's limitations and meeting the market's continued demand for realized performance. Go to www.cray.com for more information.
Cray is a registered trademark of Cray Inc. in the United States and other countries, and Cray CX1 and Cray CX1-iWS are trademarks of Cray Inc. Other product and service names mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners.
Cray Media:
Nick Davis
Cray Investors:
Paul Hiemstra
SOURCE: Cray Inc.


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The country has seen a recent surge in rape cases. The capital of India - New Delhi got under scanner when 'Nirbhaya' was brutally tortured on a moving bus by the rapists. During an interview Sunny Leone who is basking in the glory of Bollywood films and Item songs was asked about her thoughts on the rise of rapes in India. She replied that 'Pornography is not alone the cause and parents should make ways to provide sex education to their children', here's more.
Tags : #Sunny Leone
Set in the backdrop of the picturesque Goa, 'Finding Fanny' is an English/Konkani movie. The movie stars Deepika Padukone, Arjun Kapoor, Naseeruddin Shah, Dimple Kapadia and Pankaj Kapur. Check out the trailer right here.


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A Little Bit of Fun From the Cowboys
For those who have not seen this video it will make you laugh right along with the Boys. Glad to see they are having fun and enjoying themselves. Looks like some good chemistry to me in the locker room. Tashard Choice is filming while Marcus Spears and Jay Ratliff make fun of Leonard Davis.Notice also DeMarcus Ware in a few of the shots.
dude, tashard's laugh is awesome. he was histerical! good stuph. thanks for sharing.
How freaking funny! Thats awesome! Thanks for sharing Rob!
That was hilarious!!! They had me cracking up!!!
Ratliff is awsome.
it's god to be able to have fun like that that will bring them closer as an team i hope
LOL, this stuff is so funny. I have to share this.