We are waiting for your vote in the Wild Wonders of Europe Photo Competition

Dear friends,

only a brief email to comunicate that the prestigious judges of Wild Wonders of Europe have selected one of our pictures in their favourite December's pictures shortlist ... now its up to you to decide on their winners!

Please visit this link to see the shortlisted photographs before end January,

http://www.wild-wonders.com/photo_competition_full.asp?imgid=1162&image=484-20081231-bdri_dolphin.jpg&cat=EWW

Click an image to view it fullsize and to make your vote! You will see one of our pictures (underwater picture of a mother with the newborn)!. We are waiting for your high vote!!! ;)

Regards,

BDRI and Open Source software

Dear friends,

The BDRI has installed the GNU/Linux operating system in their laboratory computers, which uses the Linux kernel created by Linus Torvalds of Finland in 1991. BDRI supports the ideas that software should be available free of charge, that software tools should be usable by people in their local language, and that people should have the freedom to customize and alter their software in whatever way they need.


BDRI opted for Xubuntu, a linux distibution derived from Ubuntu that uses Xfce as desktop manager. We decided to use a Linux open source software as it is easier to maintain and in our experience offers better access to support. This is a good opportunity to cut some costs by replacing old and very expensive hardware and related software licenses.

What do We use Xubuntu for? This is probably the best place to start a discussion on the vision for Xubuntu. We use it for running office applications (OpenOffice, etc), graphics, multimedia and educational software. Another reason for choosing Ubuntu is the software's easy installation and packaging system, a light way to migrate graduatelly from Windows to Linux. Whether it really saves that much disk space or not, we don't know, but we like having only what we need installed. Aditionally you can install it directly from windows with a very easy to use software called Wubi, and remember you don't need format or unistall windows!

For our purposes Xubuntu works pretty well. We need Open Office, GIMP, Audacity to analyse sounds and any software on our systems, but we are guessing Xubuntu is mostly used as a lightweight Office desktop, rus faster than windows and never goes crazy!!!. Adittionally if we need any windows application we use Wine a virtual desktop where you can use windows software!

Thanks for Xubuntu,

Do you have a great history during your volunteering with BDRI?

Call for Chapter Submission - Deadline February 12nd !!!

Do you like to write a Book Chapter? Do you have a great history during your volunteering with BDRI?

In 2009 BDRI is participating in a book promoting volunteer travel, this book is designed to combine inspiring stories of volunteer travel with a diverse listing of organizations (BDRI included) where travelers can make a positive impact on our world.

If you may enjoy contributing a chapter about volunteering to BDRI's projects, please feel free to contact to us!

Best regards!

We changed our website!

Dear friends,

The BDRI website has undergone some big changes, a new web design and a new Home Search Engine page. If you would like to tell us what you think about our new look, then email us to info@thebdri.com.

You can still access information to you via dedicated sections of the website, displaying volunteering opportunities and training courses, as well as research.

Our new BDRI webpage look like this:

The site looks very similar to the old design, but it has a new header and we added a Search engine to search specific words in our website and the web, we have included a new Photo gallery with more than 140 pictures.

Moreover a new Home Google Search Engine with BDRI as a home page in your browser: please visit our "BDRI starting page" on www.thebdri.com/start.htm

In the meantime, we hope you’ll like the new approach. If you have any questions or suggestions, please let us to know so that we can improve what we offer you.

Regards,

First day of work in Golfo Aranci denominated "Stranded day"

Dear friends,

to work in the field with wild animals in the field means to be a little different than "normal" people, many individuals would love to stay at home more days during their X-mas holidays but we were excited to come back to Golfo Aranci and re-start our work.

Last Sunday night we came back to Golfo Aranci and yesterday (Monday 05th) we started our first day of work. This day was really busy and strange, the first thing to do was to check our research vessels and then talk with the local people to be updated about the general situation. When we arrived to the harbour to check the Spartana the people told us that the day before a dead bottlenose dolphin was found in the Gulf, but our big surprise was that the divers and guard coast collected the animal to show us and it was in a big box "in front of our boat"...

After a busy morning with the dead dolphin (a young female) during the afternoon we decided to go for a walk along the shoreline, after half an hour we found the second surpirse of the day a stranded sea turtle... A big animal of the species Caretta caretta 95cm long....

It is not very nice to start a new year with stranded animals but it is part of our work...I hope not more busy "stranded days" like yesterday during the next months...

Regards,