text:
\section{Introduction}

Doppler beaming in stellar binaries was first discussed, in the
context of stellar rotation, by Hills \& Dale (1974), after which it
led a dormant life until it was rediscussed in the context of orbital
motion by Maxted, Marsh \& North (2000). The general theory was
extensively discussed in Loeb \& Gaudi (2003) and Zucker, Mazeh \&
Alexander (2007) for stellar binaries and star-planet cases in the
context of to the orbital motion of the components in a
binary. Because the flux density, F$_{\nu,0}$ at a frequency $\nu$ is
not a Lorentz-invariant quantity by itself, a brightening or dimming
of the observed flux occurs depending on the radial velocity of the
object.

In short, for non-relativistic velocities the
beamed flux, $F_\nu$ at frequency $\nu$ depends on the radial velocity
($v_r$) and spectral slope ($\alpha$) as (Eq. 2 from Loeb \& Gaudi,
2003):
\begin{equation}
F_\nu = F_{\nu,0} [ 1+ (3-\alpha)\frac{v_r}{c}] \equiv F_{\nu,0} B_{\alpha,v_r}, \label{eq:beaming}
\end{equation}
where $F_{\nu,0}$ is the unbeamed signal and $\alpha$ depends on the
observing frequency and spectral slope of the object. Eq.\ \ref{eq:beaming} defines the beaming factor $B_{\alpha,v_r}$.
For blackbodies
at a temperature $T_{\rm eff}$ one can approximate $\alpha$ with Eq. 3
from Loeb \& Gaudi (2003) or Zucker et al. (2007):
\begin{equation}
\alpha(\nu) = \frac{e^x(3-x)-3}{e^x-1} = 3 - \frac{x e^x}{e^x-1},  \label{eq:alpha}
\end{equation}
with $x \equiv h \nu/kT_{\rm eff}$, and $h$ and $k$ Planck's and
  Boltzmann's constants, respectively.

Observationally, Doppler beaming has been detected in a small number
of binaries so far. Van Kerkwijk et al. (2010) used the excellent
photometric quality of the {\sl Kepler} satellite to demonstrate the
existence of Doppler beaming in two binary systems consisting of an
A-type star and a white dwarf orbiting each other in 5.2 days and 23.9
days, respectively. Subsequently the same effect has been found in a
subdwarf B - white dwarf binary with a 9.6 hour orbital period by
Bloemen et al. (2010), also using {\sl Kepler} data, in the transiting
massive Jupiter/low-mass brown dwarf plus F3-type main sequence star
system CoroT-3b, with a 4.3 day orbital period by Mazeh \& Faigler (2010),
and in the eclipsing, detached double white dwarf systems NLTT\,11748
and SDSS\,J0651+38 in ground-based photometric data by Shporer et
al. (2010) and Brown et al. (2011).

Apart from the Doppler beaming due to the orbital motion of the two
stars in a binary, the same effect will also occur due to the {\sl
  rotational} velocity of the stars. This was the original, but
incomplete, context of Hills \& Dale (1974) and it has also been
mentioned briefly by Van Kerkwijk et al. (2010).  As the star spins on
its rotational axis half of the star will be moving towards the
observer and half of it will be moving away from the observer. In
non-eclipse conditions and for axisymmetric stars the combined beaming
effect of these two halves exactly cancels. However, during eclipse
ingress and egress the partial coverage of the eclipsed component in
the binary will break the symmetry and a net beaming will be the
result. The amplitude of the beaming is set by the flux-weighted
effect of the non-eclipsed part of the star and will be simulated in
Section\ \ref{sec:simu} for three cases. A fourth case, of solar-type
binaries, has subsequently been discussed by Shporer et al. (2011).

In radial velocity studies, the related shift in the observed radial
velocity of spectral lines during ingress and egress is well known as
the Rossiter-McLaughlin effect, as first shown by Rossiter (1924) and
McLaughlin (1924). The shape, amplitude and asymmetry of the
Rossiter-McLaughlin effect can be used to derive the projected
rotational velocity of the star, prograde or retrograde rotation and
the obliquity of the binary orbit with respect to the stellar
components. A detection of the rotational Doppler beaming (or
photometric Rossiter-McLaughlin effect) may open up a photometric way
of determining these same parameters in eclipsing binaries,
substituting high spectral resolution studies with high
signal-to-noise photometric time series. For very short period
binaries such as the recently reported 12 minute orbital period
detached white dwarf binary SDSS\,J0651+28 (Brown et al., 2011) the
effect can, in principle, also be used for an independent
determination of the spin-orbit coupling of the components to the
orbit.

\section{Rotational Doppler beaming}

For a spherical star with radius $R$ the radial component $(v_r)$ of
the rotational velocity $v_{\rm rot}$ simply scales as
\begin{equation}
v_r = v_{\rm rot} (\frac{x}{R}) \sin i,
\end{equation}
with $x,y,z$ a right-handed coordinate system with $x$,$y$ defining
the orbital plane, and $z$ in the direction of orbital angular
momentum for an edge-on system. In our sign convention prograde
rotation of the stars with respect to the orbit results in positive
rotational velocities. The orbital inclination with respect to the
plane of the sky, $i$, is defined, as usual, to be 0\degr\ for a
face-on orbit and 90\degr\ for an edge-on orbit.

The maximum rotational velocity of a star is set by its break-up
velocity, $v_{\rm break} = \sqrt{\frac{MG}{R}}$, and its minimum
velocity is in principle unbounded, but, in short-period systems where
tidal forces are strong enough to synchronize the system, will be set
by the synchronisation velocity $v_{\rm sync}= \frac{2 \pi R}{P_{\rm
    orb}}$. In wide binaries where tidal synchronization is
ineffective, there is no hard lower limit to the rotational velocity
of each of the components.  In these equations $M$ is the mass of one
of the components of the binary, $R$ the radius of this component,
$P_{\rm orb}$ the binary orbital period and $G$ Newton's gravitational
constant. For main-sequence stars maximum rotational velocities are
reached for early-type stars and can exceed 300 km s$^{-1}$. After the
onset of the magnetic dynamo around spectral type F1V, when stars
develop a convective outer layer, the rotational velocity drops very
quickly due to magnetic braking (see e.g. Groot, Piters \& Van
Paradijs, 1996). In white dwarfs very high rotational velocities can
be reached. Using the Eggleton mass-radius relation for fully
degenerate white dwarfs as reported by Verbunt \& Rappaport (1988), a
1.2 M$_\odot$ white dwarf can have a break-up velocity of $>$6\,000 km
s$^{-1}$.

\begin{figure*}
\includegraphics[angle=-90,width=14cm]{f1.ps}
\caption{Simulated eclipses ({\sl bottom}) and the photometric
  Doppler beaming factor ({\sl B$_{\rm \alpha, v_r}$, top}) for three eclipsing
  binary systems: a detached double degenerate system ({\sl
    left}), a massive O-type binary ({\sl middle}) and a planet
  around an A-star ({\sl right}). Inserts show close-ups of the light
  curve and beaming profile during the eclipses. Thick lines are for
  $v_{\rm rot} = 0.5v_{\rm break}$ and thin lines are for $v_{\rm
    rot} = v_{\rm sync}$, except for the star-planet case where the
  thin line is for v$_{\rm rot}$ = 86.5 km s$^{-1}$. \label{fig:simu}}
\end{figure*}

\begin{table}
\begin{center}
\caption{System parameters used in the simulations shown in
  Fig.\ \ref{fig:simu}}
\label{tab:system}
\begin{tabular}{llll}
\tableline\tableline
Parameter & double degenerate & O/B star & A-star+planet
\\
\tableline
M$_1$ ($M_\odot$)   &0.43  & 80  & 1.495 \\
M$_2$ ($M_\odot$)   &0.17  & 20  & 0.00392 \\
R$_1$ ($R_\odot$)   &0.0148  & 14 & 1.44 \\
R$_2$ ($R_\odot$)   &0.0214  & 6.1 &0.153  \\
T$_1$ ($K$)          &10\,000 &47\,800 &6\,440 \\
T$_2$ ($K$)          &16\,485 &34\,200 &1\,657 \\
P$_{\rm orb}$ ($d$)    &0.0027  &10.00  &1.22  \\
$i$ ($\degr$)& 90.0     & 90.0 & 90.0 \\
K$_1$ ($km\, s^{-1}$)  &218.8  &9.2  & 0.5 \\
K$_2$ ($km\, s^{-1}$)  &553.5  &36.7  &185.9  \\
v$_{\rm rot,1}$ ($km\, s^{-1}$) &1\,148.8 \& 27.7  & 510.0 \& 70.9  & 217.4 \& 86.4  \\
v$_{\rm rot,2}$ ($km\, s^{-1}$) & 601.3 \& 40.0  & 386.3 \& 30.9  &  34.1 \& 6.4 \\
$\alpha_1$ & 0.36 &1.72 &--0.81 \\
$\alpha_2$ & 1.10 &1.61 &--11.47 \\
\tableline
\end{tabular}
\end{center}
\end{table}

\section{Simulations} \label{sec:simu}
 To illustrate the rotational beaming effect we used Kepler's laws,
 the white dwarf mass-radius relation mentioned above, a massive star
 main-sequence mass-radius relation (at solar metallicity) from Pols
 et al.  (1998), stars with no limb darkening (but, see
 Sect.\ \ref{sec:limbdarkening}) and Eqs.\ \ref{eq:beaming} \&
 \ref{eq:alpha}. The two stars are denoted by $M_1$ and $M_2$ with
 $M_1$ the more massive object, and the mass ratio $q = M_2/M_1 <
 1$. Each star is given a blackbody spectrum characterized by the
 effective temperature $T_{\rm eff}$. The orbital Doppler beaming has
 been included in the simulations, but, for clarity and simplicity,
 additional effects such as ellipsoidal variations, the reflection
 effect and gravitational lensing have not been included. For
 illustration purposes all binaries are assumed to be seen exactly
 edge-on ($i$=90\degr).  Three types of binaries have been simulated
 and an overview of system parameters is given in
 Table\ \ref{tab:system}: a detached white dwarf - white dwarf binary
 similar to the one recently reported recently by Kilic et al. (2011)
 at an orbital period of 39 minutes; a massive O-star binary
 consisting of two main sequence stars of 20 M$_\odot$ and 80
 M$_\odot$ in a 10 day period orbit; and a transiting exoplanet around
 a fast rotating A-type star, similar to the WASP-33b system (Collier
 Cameron et al., 2010).  For each system the effect is shown for an
 effective wavelength of $\lambda$=6000 \AA, which, together with the
 effective temperature, determines the $\alpha$ factor in
 Eq.\ \ref{eq:alpha}. In all three systems the rotational velocity of
 both components is varied between break-up and synchronization. For
 the WASP-33b-like exoplanet case, the measured rotational velocity of
 the A-star ($v_{\rm rot}\sin i = 86.5$ km s$^{-1}$) was also
 simulated. The orbital phase $\phi$ is defined with respect to
 superior conjunction of the secondary. The projected surface area of
 the components has been divided in a 2\,000$\times$2\,000 grid with
 dimensions of $2R \times 2R$, where positive values for the flux and
 rotational velocity were assigned for all values within a radius
 equal to $R$, and all points outside $R$ were set to zero. Fluxes
 were assigned as relative to the other component in the binary, with
 the flux of the secondary component set to unity. The position of the
 two components along the orbit was calculated for 4\,000 phase
 bins. At each phase bin the projected areal overlap between the two
 components has been calculated and the flux from the eclipsed
 component adjusted accordingly. A flux-weighted mean rotational
 velocity of the star is calculated, and checked to be consistent with
 zero (within the numerical noise and finite grid width) for all
 phases outside of the primary or secondary eclipse.

\begin{figure}
\includegraphics[angle=-90,width=8.4cm]{f2.ps}
\caption{Beaming factors for a detached double degenerate system as
  in Fig.\ \ref{fig:simu}, but now with both components obliquely
  rotating with respect to the orbital plane at an angle $\theta$, as
  indicated in the four sub panels. \label{fig:oblique}}
\end{figure}

Figure\ \ref{fig:simu} shows the results for the three binaries in
each of the three panels. The top panels shows the total Doppler
beaming factor $B_{\alpha, v_r}$ for both components in the
binary. For clarity both the orbital effect (the slow sinusoidal
variation with a period equal to the orbital period) as well as the
rotational effect (the excursions on top of the orbital variations
during eclipse ingress and egress) are shown. In each
figure the thick line indicates both components rotating at $v_{\rm
  rot} = 0.5 v_{\rm break}$ and the thin line has both
components rotating at $v_{\rm rot} = v_{\rm sync}$ with the exception
of the panel on the transiting planet, where the star has been set to
rotate at the measured rotational velocity of $v_{\rm rot} = 86.5$ km
s$^{-1}$. Fig.\ \ref{fig:simu} shows that for substantial rotational
velocity of the luminous component in the binary, the rotational
Doppler beaming effect can be as large or larger than the orbital
variation, similar to the spectroscopic Rossiter-McLaughlin effect
(Gaudi \& Winn, 2007). It is also clear from Fig.\ \ref{fig:simu} that a correct
inclusion of the rotational Doppler beaming is a prerequisite is to
derive the correct parameters of the components in the binary from
eclipse light curve fitting when very high quality data on a promising
system is available.

\begin{figure}
\includegraphics[angle=-90,width=8.4cm]{f3.ps}
\caption{Beaming factors for a transiting extrasolar planet as in
  Fig.\ \ref{fig:simu},
  not-including any limb-darkening {\sl (left)} and realistic limb
  darkening using a quadratic limb darkening law with coefficients
  $u_a$ and $u_b$ {\sl (right)}. Rotational velocities of the A-star
  primary are as given in Tab.\ \ref{tab:system}: 217.4 km s$^{-1}$
  (thick line) and 86.4 km s$^{-1}$ (thin line).
\label{fig:limb}}
\end{figure}

\subsection{Obliquity and limb darkening} \label{sec:limbdarkening}

The shape and amplitude of the rotational Doppler beaming effect not
only depends on the rotational velocity. Various other effects will
play a role in determining the exact shape: the inclination of the
orbit and the obliquity of the rotational axis, oblateness and axial
symmetry of the stars, limb-darkening and/or limb-brightnening, and
differential rotation. In non-eclipsing, but highly distorted systems,
where, e.g. one of the components is (nearly) filling its Roche lobe
and is for instance irradiated asymmetrically by an accretion disk hot
spot, the asymmetric distribution of light on the distorted star can
even lead to ellipsoidal terms on the orbital signal. For the moment,
however, these highly distorted systems will not be considered and
only an illustration of the obliquity and limb darkening will be
given.

The  same double  degenerate  binary as  in  Sect.\ \ref{sec:simu}  is
taken, but  now the obliqueness,  $\theta$, of the rotational  axis of
the  two stars with  respect to  the orbital  plane is  varied between
$\theta$   =  30\degr,  45\degr,   90\degr\,  (oblique   rotator)  and
180\degr\,   (retrograde  rotator).   As  expected,   the   effect  of
obliqueness  of the  rotational  axis is  to  decrease and  eventually
reverse the  amplitude of the  beaming. If a  star is precessing  in a
binary  this  will  present  itself  as a  changing  obliqueness  with
time.  An  observational  detection  through  the  rotational  Doppler
beaming  would allow e.g.  a determination  of the  spin-orbit angular
momentum coupling in close binaries and/or hierarchical triples.

Limb darkening is a fundamental property of stellar atmospheres which
is reasonably well understood in main-sequence stars, but not so much
in white dwarf atmospheres. In helium dominated, high density white
dwarf atmospheres limb darkening could even be largely absent due to
internal refraction within the atmosphere (Kowalski \& Saumon, 2004).

Using a quadratic limb darkening law,
\begin{equation}
F_\nu(\mu) = F_0 [1 - u_a(1-\mu) - u_b(1-\mu)^2], \label{eq:limb}
\end{equation}
with $\mu = \cos\xi$ and $\xi$ the angle between the normal to the
surface and the line of sight of the observer to describe the limb
darkening, Fig.\ \ref{fig:limb} shows the effect for the transiting
planet case (Fig.\ \ref{fig:simu}), for limb darkening coefficients of
$u_a$=0.29 and $u_b$=0.31, appropriate for a $T_{\rm eff}$ = 6\,440 K
star in the {\sl Kepler} pass band (Sing 2010). The general effect of
limb darkening is to `soften' the edges of a star, from which it is
conceptually easy to deduce that it will impact the height of the
rotational Doppler beaming, in the same way that it affects the
Rossiter-McLaughlin effect. The contribution to the total light from
the most extremely beamed parts of the stars is lessened for a positive
limb darkening. Fig.\ \ref{fig:limb} shows that indeed not
only the amplitude of the Doppler beaming is supressed, but also the
skewness of the profile is significantly reduced. It is clear from
this figure that a realistic modeling of transiting planet light
curves where the Doppler beaming is included, needs to include a limb
darkening term as well. However, if indeed, in high density, helium
dominated white dwarf atmospheres the limb darkening coefficient is
close to zero, the resulting rotational Doppler beaming should hardly
be affected and may still show the sharp edges displayed in
Fig.\ \ref{fig:simu}.

\section{Detectability}

The ultimate goal of these investigations would of course be to first
detect and subsequently use the rotational Doppler beaming to
determine and constrain stellar and binary parameters. As can be seen
from Fig.\ \ref{fig:simu} even in the best of cases, such as the
double degenerates, this detection is going to be challenging. The
fractional amplitude of the rotational beaming varies between 10$^{-3}
\lsim B_{\alpha, v_r} \lsim 10^{-6}$. To firmly establish the shape
and amplitude the photometric accuracy needed would be a factor 10
smaller than this amplitude at least. The {\sl Kepler} light curves
show precisions in the 10$^{-4}$ - 10$^{-5}$ range, and it should
therefore be possible to detect the effect. In fact, a close look at
Fig.\, 3 in Bloemen et al. (2010) appears to show a residual effect in
the primary eclipse profile, by comparing their `R.+E.+L.+Beaming'
panel with the inset in the left panel of Fig.\ \ref{fig:simu} in
Sect.\ \ref{sec:simu}. However, this `by eye' residual, does not
clearly show up in the `Residuals' panel in Fig.\, 3 in Bloemen et
al. (2010).

In general the detectability is a combination of source flux, eclipse
duration, instrument stability and intrinsic amplitude. Source flux
can be optimized using a bigger telescope, eclipse duration is
unfortunately a given for an individual source, instrument stability
is in the design of the instrument and tends to be highest for space
missions, even though modern photometers on the ground now achieve
{\sl Kepler}-like precision (e.g. de Mooij et al., 2011). For a more
formal derivation of detectability I refer to Shporer et al. (2011),
but the recently detected, eclipsing 12 minute orbital period binary
SDSS\,J0651+28 (Brown et al., 2011) makes for an illustrative
example. Using the stellar parameters listed in Brown et al. (2011)
and assuming a fully edge-on, aligned and synchronized system (but see
Piro 2011), the fractional amplitude of the Doppler beaming would be
1.3$\times$10$^{-3}$. The best way to determine the rotational beaming
signal is to determine the light curve shape during primary
mid-eclipse (inset of Fig.\ \ref{fig:simu}), which for SDSS\,J0651+28
lasts for $\sim$0.05P$_{\rm orb}$. As a rule of thumb I will use a
minimum of 10 samples per eclipse and a photometric precision of a
tenth of the amplitude to be a minimum for a positive detection of the
effect, i.e. for SDSS\,J0651+28 a precision of 10$^{-4}$ in the
photometry needs to be obtained in 4 seconds on a $g=19.06$ magnitude
object. Assuming only Poisson statistics as a noise-contributor one
therefore needs to collect 10$^{8}$ photons per 4 seconds interval,
requiring the equivalent of a 180-meter telescope, even far out of
reach in the ELT era\footnote{Here I have used a photon flux of 10$^6$
  photons s$^{-1}$ cm$^{-2}$ for a $g$=0 object at the top of the
  Earth's atmosphere}. Of course, assuming perfect stability in the
source, one can stack an arbitrary number of orbits to achieve the
same precision. Even on a 10-meter class telescope this would require
the stacking of more than a thousand orbits, which is unfeasible in
the short run, unless we find a system that is 5-6 magnitudes brighter
in the sky than SDSS\,J0651+28.

\medskip
A much more promising case is presented by the O-type binaries, where
the orbital period is much longer (10 days in our example), and,
although mid-eclipse lasts for a shorter part of the orbital period,
roughly 0.025P$_{\rm orb}$, the `tenth of mid-eclipse' requirement
translates into 36 minutes during which to collect the signal. The
fractional amplitude is now only $10^{-4}$, requiring a precision at the
10$^{-5}$ level, but {\sl Kepler} has shown this to be
feasible. We now need to collect the photons at a rate of
4.5$\times$10$^{6}$ per second.  If our hypothetical binary were to
be $g$=14.0, this is achievable on a 4-m class telescope by stacking a
modest number of orbits (order 10), again assuming perfect source and
instrument stability. In practice of course, atmospheric and
electronic (detector) stability may very well be the limiting factor.

\section{Discussion and conclusion}

For very high quality data on eclipsing systems inclusion of the
effect of rotational Doppler beaming in light curve fitting procedures
is necessary to derive the correct parameters of the binary. Since
Doppler beaming is a geometrical effect, not including it will lead
to a systematic error in the parameter derivation. The sign and
magnitude of the error depends very much on the system properties of
the binary. In prograde rotating binaries the extra `dimming' of the
binary at ingress and the extra `brightnening' during egress will
cause an asymmetric eclipse profile that will skew a timing solution
to a mid-eclipse phase that is too early. For retrograde rotation the
effect on the timing will be the opposite.

From the simulations shown here it is clear that the detection of
rotational Doppler beaming should be a mere matter of time and depends
on the availability of suitable systems more than on the accuracy of
current photometric systems. The most promising case would be a
non-synchronously rotating eclipsing double degenerate system, if it
is bright enough ($V<15$). Currently none of these are known.
Observationally there is a strong bias to find eclipsing double
degenerates in short-period systems where the ratio of the white dwarf
radius over the orbital separation is smallest and the system will be
observed to be eclipsing over a wider range of inclinations.
Unfortunately short-period double-detached binaries also have the
highest probability of (nearly) synchronous rotation since they are the product
of two episodes of common-envelope evolution (e.g. Nelemans et al.,
2001). This assumption does, however, depend strongly on the
rotational coupling of the core of a red giant to its outer envelope
(Sweigart \& Mengel, 1979), and on the time scale of the
common-envelope phase itself compared to the synchronisation time
scale (see e.g. Taam \& Sandquist, 2000).  Since the common-envelope
phase is expected to be relatively short, a decoupled core may remain
unsynchronized. Prime targets should therefore be young, hot, white
dwarfs, or even cores of planetary nuclei, in short period systems
with another white dwarf, i.e. just after the `birth' of the second
white dwarf in the system. It is unfortunate that the central binaries
in the nova - planetary nebula system V458 Vul (Wesson et al., 2009;
Rodr{\'\i}guez-Gil et al., 2010) and the planetary nebula system Hen
2--248 (Santander-Garc{\'\i}a et al., 2010) do not appear to be
eclipsing as these would have been almost ideal systems. The eclipsing
double degenerate system NLT\, 11448 (Steinfadt et al. 2010) is also
an obvious candidate for detection of rotational Doppler
beaming. Although promising at first we have shown that the faintness
adn short period of SDSS\,J0651+28 makes it a much harder target.

Although the expected effect is a factor 10 smaller than in double
degenerate systems, eclipsing O/B stars are perhaps an even more
promising class of candidates. In general the orbital periods will be
much longer (days instead of hours), which causes the eclipse ingress
and egress to last much longer, and therefore also allows for the
accumulation of very high signal-to-noise ratio data. Since accurate
photometry requires the presence of many comparison stars to obtain
high precision differential light curves, slightly fainter, far-away
and/or reddened O/B binaries in the magnitude range 10$<V<$15 may be
more attractive candidates than very bright (V$<$10) nearby systems.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


A wader reminiscences project gathering memories of curlew and other waders in case we lose them altogether. The project will also be exploring what has changed over the time that the wader population has been in dramatic decline in case there are clues to how we might help them to survive.
This is a family based project that prompts exploration of people's thoughts and awareness of the local curlew population.
This was inspired by Mary Colwell-Hector's 'Curlew Walk'. Mary walked from the west coast of Ireland to The Wash on the east coast England to raise awareness and funds for curlew. Mary joined our Curlew Country activities as she walked through the Shropshire Hills over the weekend of 14th & 15th May 2016.
Watch the footage below from the final event at Norbury on 9th July 2016, which include especially composed pieces sung by the Curlew Country Choir, and The Severn Whistlers, sculpture by Bill Sample.
The Arts Project helped to raise awareness of the plight of local curlew and highlight the work being done by the Curlew Recovery Project to try and halt this drastic decline. Music, words, sculpture and photography were part of the mix to help people get involved and find out more about the threats to local curlew population.
The Curlew Country Arts Project was co-ordinated by wildlife photographer Ben Osborne. He worked with sculptor, Bill Sample, composer and choir-leader, Mary Keith, and author and poet, Karen Lloyd. It was funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund.
Where have all the curlew gone? This question was posed by writer, Karen Lloyd, in her Guardian Country Diary entry on 13th June 2016.
To read the diary entry follow click here.
Mary Keith and Karen Lloyd talk about the project with Radio Shropshire. To hear this and the Curlew Country Choir during their first session click here.


text:
instagramfacebook-square
Custom Aquariums
Standard Shapes
Aquarium Gallery
Marginal Pond Plants
The marginal plant group is the largest aquatic plant group by far, containing both hardy and tropical plants. Most of them are true perennials and come back year after year, like your favorite Daylily or Black-Eyed Susan.
Marginal plants serve many functions, such as adding beauty and providing valuable filtration. They are called "marginals" because they typically grow around the edges or "margins" of a pond or lake.
Marginal plants typically thrive in wet soil of standing water that covers the crown or base of the plant by as little as two inches and up to as much as six inches.
Here are some fun facts about a few popular marginals:
Horsetail (Equisetum) was a major part of the vegetation during prehistoric times, as it is said to have been the size of trees, making up huge horsetail forests. The species we see today growing in our ponds are much smaller.
Creeping Jenny
The trailing stems of Creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia 'Aurea') have round, chartreuse leaves that make an excellent ground cover for the edge of the pond or container water garden. The color of this plant is a great accent to an assortment of other foliage or flower colors, but looks especially interesting next to deep purple.
Dwarf Variegated Sweetflag
Also known as golden Japanese sweetflag (Acorus gramineus 'Ogon'), this plant is ideal for container water gardens and water gardens alike. It's extremely flexible, as it can be grown with its toes in the water or partially submerged. The beautiful foliage is light green and highlighted with bright yellow stripes, remaining beautiful all season and sometimes through the winter. An all-around great plant that adds a bright, cheerful spot to any water feature!
Many water gardeners enjoy the elegant splendor of the aquatic iris, which is among the first plants to bloom in the spring. Aquatic irises comprise such a large and diverse group – there are literally hundreds, if not thousands of cultivated and natural hybrids. The blue flag iris is a native plant that can grow up to four feet tall! A wetland lover, the blue flag's large flowers are breathtaking, ranging in shades from pale blue to purple.
Dramatic and elegant, Taro (Colocasia spp.) enjoy hot, humid weather and love to be fertilized. Heart-shaped leaves on stalks up to 48" tall make Taro an ideal choice for water gardens, container gardens, and bog gardens. Ranging in color from burgundy-black to green velvet, this plant offers a striking backdrop for shorter aquatics. Add this specimen to your pond for architectural interest.
Countless more marginal plants are available to spruce up your pond and you're sure to find favorites that aren't listed here. Just be sure to follow the grower's instructions for the plants you select and you'll be well on your way to naturalizing your water garden.
Previous: Five Factors For Choosing Fish For Your First Saltwater Aquarium
Next: Fintastic Helps You Build Your Dream Aquarium System
Fintastic Charlotte
Live vs. Artificial Plants in the Freshwater Aquarium
Why Fish Fight
Build Your Aquarium Around Your Fish
Popular Pond Fish FAQs
Recommendations For Feeding Frozen Foods to Your Fish
Gravel Vacuuming & Partial Water Changes
Saltwater Vs. Freshwater Aquariums
Lighting the Water Garden
Fall & Winter Pond Maintenance
How to Manage Algae
Archives Select Month August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 July 2020 March 2020 July 2016 May 2016 July 2015
Coral|Saltwater & Reef
Fresh Water and Pond
Saltwater & Reef
Your Aquarium and Pond experts for 30 years
Maintenance/Service Emergency: (704) 850-5843
Website Management and Marketing Services by Leads Online Marketing, LLC..

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


A recent blog post from Allianz chief customer officer Peter Kilcullen hinted at the impact self-driving cars will have on insurance premiums. The simple version says drivers stand to benefit from technologies like LiDar designed to remove human error from the roads. The bad news is that should something goes wrong there will be plenty more blame to go around. Anyone expecting more affordable premiums will be disappointed.
Mind you it will be a long time before we see mass adoptiong of self-driving cars. When they finally come on the market, driverless cars won't be cheap and could well languish in the leasing market before second and third generation systems force a trickle-down effect to consumers of regular means.
As with the Tesla and the Nissan Leaf, you can expect a lengthy period where the technology will generate more goodwill than sales while regulators look to use cases and potential implications for speed limits, penalty points systems, etc. I'm sure Minister for Community & Rural Affairs Michael Ring is looking forward to the prospect of Google cars to do regular circuits of remote around the pubs and clubs in an effort to combat drink-driving.
Kilcullen comes at the issue from the insurers perspective, weighing up the respective roles of government, EU regulators, manufacturers, system developers, dealers and drivers – essentially the whole chain from the committee that says you can get behind wheel, to the point when a vehicle makes contact with something it shouldn't.
That's fine in theory, but what about when the driver is not actually operating the vehicle and is putting their trust in the systems running it, does that mean the developer is at fault?
"Event data records could come into play when trying to determine who was in control of the vehicle in the case of a self-driving car. However there are legitimate privacy concerns that need to be addressed.
"There needs to be clarity on the data that is captured and how to transfer it in the case of a claim. It's important to know exactly how data from individual vehicles will be recorded and used to improve safety and clarify liability.
Data to the rescue once again? In the short term sure, but as we head towards the implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation that clarity over the period of data collection and subsequent deletion may only serve to create ambiguity over control of a vehicle beyond a short timeframe. For example, a driver over the legal alcohol limit takes control after discovering a fault and manages to continue his journey or maybe a driver is distracted from the road and could have been capable of taking over and preventing an incident flagged from some distance ahead. A 15-second window may give the specifics of a collision but not the context.
Some of these questions will be answered by ongoing testing in the US but the EU could add an additional level of complexity over the issue of digital personhood currently being debated.
Back to the short version: If you want to get excited about self-driving cars, you're more likely to get your fix on YouTube than the M50.


Two of the most mysterious planets in our solar system are the cold, beautiful blue worlds of Uranus and Neptune. They lie so far from the Sun that they appear only as small dots in even the largest telescopes. Unknown to ancient astronomers, one was discovered by accident and the other as the result of an interplanetary detective story, and an intense international competition. Modern spacecraft have revealed them to be among the most fascinating of all the planets, from the frigid blue hurricanes that rage through Neptune's atmosphere to some of the most unusual moons in the solar system.
Página 10 - I have been led to the opinion and conviction that the surface of the moon is not smooth, uniform, and precisely spherical as a great number of philosophers believe it (and the other heavenly bodies) to be, but is uneven, rough, and full of cavities and prominences, being not unlike the face of the earth, relieved by chains of mountains and deep valleys.


text:
namespace samples
{
	class Cat2
	{
	public:
		Cat2::Cat2(int age, char* name);
		virtual ~Cat2();

		static char* GetType();

	private:
		static char* mAnimalType;

		int mAge;
		char* mName;
	};
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Q: "After class" vs "after classes." Which expression is more commmon? Do they mean the same thing?
Example:

After class/classes the next day, I went to play with my friends.

A: When you say "after class", this means after a particular lecture/period, and when its "after classes" this means after the school is over or when all classes are over.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Shiny scams
High-profile gold scam hurts Kenya's UAE ties and highlights wider legal problems
Posted on Friday, 17 May 2019 17:09
Kenya has some small gold mines like this one at Nyang'oma Kogelo, and the country is an important transit point for gold from the DRC. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya
A scam that caused a diplomatic hiccup between Kenya and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has triggered the latest in a series of gold-related investigations in Nairobi.
The ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed Al-Makhtoum, sent an official protest note to the Kenyan government demanding the release of a gold consignment held by customs in Nairobi. A video linked to the case, which includes newspapers marked 16 March 2019 and shows different metal cases filled with gold nuggets, was also leaked online.
Ali Zandi, the Emirati at the centre of the gold deal, runs a gold trading company in Dubai. He met a Kenyan who told him he could source gold from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The deal then followed a familiar route, where Zandi was told that his gold had been confiscated at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
Zandi then paid $2.5m to have it released, before finally flying out of Kenya after being shown fake news headlines that the police were after him.
At one meeting in Nairobi, someone masquerading as interior cabinet secretary Fred Matiang'i asked for money and assured the Emirati that he would release his gold.
Also mentioned in the letter from the UAE is opposition leader Moses Wetangula, currently a senator, who went to Dubai in September last year and assured Zandi that he would get his gold. One of Wetangula's aides told People Daily that it was a business deal gone sour and that the senator had lost money too.
The case involving Sheikh al-Makhtoum's associate is just the most recent case of foreign nationals who have been scammed in gold deals in Kenya and Uganda.
In the past few months, more than 40 suspected gold scammers have been arrested in Nairobi alone. Other than Kenyans, those arrested include Bulgarians, Tanzanians, Rwandans, Nigerians and Congolese. Another link among them has been a tendency to live in Kilimani, an upmarket part of Nairobi.
In one case in Nairobi, a Russian national was scammed out of more than KShs20m ($198,000).
Uganda is prosecuting a similar case where a South Sudanese national is accused of swindling $1.9m from two Ethiopians.
Crackdowns by criminal investigators in Nairobi since last year have netted gold nuggets, fake gold and different fake currencies.
Gold scammers are to Nairobi what Yahoo Yahoo boys are to West Africa. They are mostly young men who live large and chronicle their exploits on Instagram. In Kenya, they leverage their money to build political clout, which goes a long way into helping them get out of trouble.
The primary 'person of interest' in the UAE case is a young politician named Zaheer Jhanda.
Like many other suspected gold scammers, Jhanda created a high-profile public persona that involves vast amounts of money, political contacts and political ambitions. He unsuccessfully ran for a parliamentary seat in 2013 and 2017.
Another person of interest, Jared Otieno, was arrested on Thursday. The police made a point of noting that they had also towed away a Porsche and a new Bentley from a home he had recently bought for cash.
One of the other people listed as under investigation in the scandal was recently released from a five-year sentence in Tanzania, where he pleaded guilty to money laundering charges.
The crackdown on gold cartels in Nairobi brings into focus how attempts to clean the trade in conflict minerals are failing. The amounts involved also suggest Kenya's financial system is still a conduit for extensive money laundering.
In 2011, then presidents Joseph Kabila (DRC) and Mwai Kibaki (Kenya) held an emergency meeting in Nairobi about a specific gold consignment that had been smuggled from the DRC. A senior official at the Kenya Revenue Authority had been assassinated because of the same gold shipment, which was never found.
In September 2017, then cabinet secretary for mining Dan Kazungu issued a public notice that listed only one company, Aurical Kenya Limited, as licensed to carry out gold dealings. Only two others were listed to carry out mineral dealings other than gold.
The chairman of Kenya Chamber of Mines, CP Mwangi, said that "What people are buying on the streets is brass, which once cooked, looks like gold. Some items are gold plated and unless you cut through, you will always think it is gold." He also wrote that the government has bought an x-ray spectrometer for testing gold.
#FraudAlert!!🚨 #DCI attention has been drawn to an upsurge in criminal cases involving the procurement & sale of #Gold in the country.
The Gold Scam has now reached alarming levels as unsuspecting foreign nationals are being swindled large amounts of money by the Fraudsters.
— DCI KENYA (@DCI_Kenya) May 9, 2019
Eastern DRC has nearly 200,000 gold miners who produce an estimated eight to ten tonnes, but only an estimated 200kg gets exported legally. The rest gets smuggled through neighbouring countries, and the crackdown in Nairobi is only a small part of a much larger international network.
Kenya's role as a transit point for gold from the DRC was the building block on which the Goldenberg Scandal of the 1990s was built. The export compensation scheme scandal saw the treasury lose billions of shillings for a mineral that Kenya barely mines. The gold on which the scandal was built was bought in the DRC, smuggled into Kenya and then re-exported as coming from Kenya.
The high-profile gold racket does not seem like it will harm Kenya's relations with the much UAE, but President Uhuru Kenyatta will have to show his Emirati counterpart that he is going after the scammers. Kenyatta already has the momentum from the previous crackdown on the rackets, but so far no one has been convicted of a crime. The cases bring into focus much that is wrong in the East African country, including gaps in policing, border points, customs and the financial system.
In Nairobi, gallows humour now has it that some high-end pubs might have to close down as their regular patrons are now guests of the state.


text:
Dopo un'infanzia dura, fu educato all'ambiente della piccola borghesia irlandese-americana. All'università scoprì la sua vocazione di scrittore, dopo aver fatto, tra l'altro, il giornalista sportivo. Fra il 1932 e il 1935 pubblicò la trilogia La vita di Studs Lonigan, che lo rivelò uno dei maggiori rappresentanti della .

Il romanzo consiste nell'analisi delle cause che portano il giovane Studs alla morte. Tra queste cause spicca la decadenza morale dell'epoca. La realtà, secondo Farrell, è solo dolore e corruzione e la reazione ad essa è la violenza che si ripercuote anche nel linguaggio. Proprio per questo molte opere di Farrell vennero censurate.

Negli anni seguenti iniziò una tetralogia su Danny O'Neill, rivelando però un rasserenamento dello scrittore. nel 1963 pubblicò  romanzi autobiografici come Il silenzio della storia e iniziò lo studio dei problemi della società americana.

Morì nel 1979.

Opere tradotte in italiano
 Tutto, ma non un cuore (Gas-House McGinty); traduzione di Giulio De Angelis, Milano : A. Mondadori, 1957
 Studs Lonigan, traduzione di Giuliana Villa, Ideafelix editore, Roma, 2016

Altri progetti

Collegamenti esterni

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


It's interesting what happens right after a big event. The excitement and anticipation wears off and you are left with a hangover. I suppose it is the same for anyone who has a goal…you spend months thinking and dreaming about whatever it is you have chosen to pursue, and then, just as quickly as it all began, it's over.
This year's Molokai to Oahu race gave me a reason to train, a reason to learn, and a reason to dream. It has been a long time since I have had a solid goal to fixate on. I am not sure why I went so long without one, or why this particular race was what gave me a reason to start caring again; but it did. I think I had become tired of people asking me if I am tired of losing, or asking me why I suddenly am not paddling as slowly as I used to, and all of a sudden I had something to prove. Not necessarily something to prove to anyone else, but to myself that you are absolutely capable of doing whatever you want to as long as you are willing to work for it. So I started chasing a time.
In order to be able to maintain the pace I wanted to go I had to get stronger and I had to get smarter, so I put together a training schedule and asked for help from those who know more than I do. For 12 weeks I had a plan. I knew where I would be on any given day and what I expected of myself. My friends and training partners were all doing the same, so it made working toward the time all that much more fun. I learned about heartrate, I learned about nutrition, and mostly just learned about myself. I began to recognize strengths and weaknesses that I had never knew I had and how to either capitalize on them or minimize them depending on the situation.
When race day came, for the first time ever, I sat on the start line with minimal fear. I trusted in the work I had put in, the knowledge I had gained from people who were willing to help me, and as a result, the race went well. I did what I wanted to do…time wise, anyway, and I wasn't the only one. At the finish line I got to sit and watch some of my best friends and favorite people finish crossing the channel for the first time. On three separate occasions I was brought to tears watching my friends do what they had set out to do. In those moments, winning and losing is completely irrelevant. Each person who crosses the finish line understands just what it took to get there, and it is an understanding that makes people want to do it again every year.
Now that it is all over, the week since the race has been an interesting one. The past few days have seen me walking the line between contentment and uneasiness. People who know about this kind of thing tell me that it's natural… that there is a definitive low that results from the recovery process. Your body is trying to repair itself, adrenaline levels are all over the place, and then the big question hits: What now?
Now that the goal monster is awake, it needs to be fed. I'm not sure yet with what, but on Monday training will start over again, so that when the opportunity to challenge myself presents itself again I will be ready.
I need to make sure I thank those who supported me along the way, specifically Wayne Schaut who was willing to jump in the channel on numerous occasions for me, Jeff Muir and Sai Sooriyakumar who navigated and escorted me safely across (my boat guys are all time), Sonya Weiser, who, in addition to being an awesome friend, helped get the knots out and taught me about endurance training and nutrition, and all of my buddies who helped me train, even when I didn't want to. Thanks also to Brent Allen who always is willing to share knowledge and help minimize my mental problems =).
stickering up the board…thanks Wayne Schaut for the photo.
Finally, thanks to Joe Bark. Without you, I wouldn't have had any of the opportunities that I have had in the ocean, and I will be forever grateful for all that you do for me. Thanks also to Maui Jim Sunglasses, Surftech, Quickblade Paddles, Vertra, Future Fins, Kona Brewing Company, Wet Feet, Dakine and Surf Stronger for supporting me.


text:
About SAP SE / SAP News Center / Cloud
What Intelligent Enterprises Can Expect from SAP Support in 2018
December 6, 2017 by Susan Galer
In this exclusive interview, Andreas Heckmann, global senior vice president and head of Support Delivery for SAP Digital Business Services, looks back at SAP's incredible support transformation and ahead to what's in store for intelligent enterprises in 2018 from innovations like machine learning and embedded support.
Andreas Heckmann, global senior vice president, head of Support Delivery at SAP Digital Business Services
Q: What are you hearing from SAP customers about support in this era of digital transformation – any major epiphanies?
A: Many customers describe their journey as one of becoming an intelligent enterprise. Everyone has new expectations from the resultant changes that encompass both technology and people. Core business processes, traditionally called mission or business critical, are turning into real-time processes. Running 24/7, 365 days a year, companies have a much lower tolerance for unplanned downtime and performance problems; they are dependent on real-time availability. We're also seeing a workforce change with generations X, Y, and Z moving up the ranks. In addition, business partners are working together with IT experts as customers flock to cloud-based solutions.
Considering the business hurdles customers face, what are the top priorities every company should demand from support in 2018?
First, customers need support that moves away from traditional reactive mode to proactivity. Problem avoidance uses new self-healing technologies. If support sees that something isn't right, customers should expect us to act and fix it.
Second, the new workforce wants more choice in support channels, including self-service rather than interacting with an expert. When a customer does interact with experts, they want to do it live.
Third is support that's built into the product so customers can get the expert they need without leaving their working environment. They shouldn't need to go to another portal, make a phone call or write an email.
Fourth, in the increasingly complex intelligent enterprise environment with multiple technologies, support must provide a one-stop shop so customers aren't scrambling to figure out who to talk with for immediate answers.
How is SAP support meeting these new expectations?
We are constantly double-checking everything that we're doing. For example, we redesigned the SAP Support Portal to make it more user-friendly and intuitive for a mobile-first world. Now whether a customer uses a browser, iPad, or smartphone they easily receive the information they need. The SAP ONE Support Launchpad, which is accessed on the portal, provides customers with a highly personalized experience. Despite having greater functionality in the launchpad, customers see less when they log on because the information is focused on what's most relevant to them.
Equally important, we introduced real-time support options. Customers can select the Expert Chat button to quickly reach the most experienced support person available on the topic. With our Schedule an Expert service, they can also schedule a time to speak with an expert, like making a doctor's appointment with support to talk at their convenience.
Can you share some examples of business outcomes customers have experienced as a result of SAP's transformation?
Customer feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Expert Chat is a great example. Traditional tickets took several days of back and forth between SAP and the customer to final resolution. Today's average chat session duration is about 30 minutes, and we're solving two-thirds of cases that quickly. Already strong, our customer satisfaction levels with Expert Chat service and Schedule an Expert are sky high. We've also made the knowledge from our thousands of support experts searchable via Google. To date, millions of customers have viewed our support-created SAP Knowledge Base Articles.
What can customers expect from SAP support in 2018?
We began providing a public view on the cloud service status of our solutions with the SAP Cloud Trust Center. We also provided customers with a personalized view of availability in their cloud environment for the first set of solutions in the Cloud Availability Center, which we plan to expand to more products in 2018. We plan to offer more channels and choices to customers, including extended tasks on mobile devices, and a new mobile app for support. Machine learning is another area we're very excited about, with algorithms and chat bots on our development road map. We're currently using algorithms to solve known problems, and exploring chat bots for more complex support issues. Our engineers are using machine learning services internally, testing and training the systems and algorithms before giving to customers. We've piloted beta tests of built-in support for SAP S/4HANA Cloud, and plan to move into additional cloud solutions in 2018, adding new functionality with quarterly releases.
Follow me: @smgaler
Tags: Chat Bots, cloud, digital transformation, innovation, machine learning, Mobile, SAP DBS, SAP Digital Business Services, Support, trends
Learn more about SAP Next-Generation Support
Visit the SAP Support Portal
Sign up for the weekly SAP News Center newsletter
More in Cloud
Feature Article — The pace of innovation for human resources (HR) is at an all-time high. Businesses and HR leaders recognize that a motivated, productive, and engaged workforce...
January 15, 2020 by Stephen Spears
Feature Article — If some industry analysts are right, we are entering a new phase of software development where cloud-native apps will help companies completely redesign business and...
January 15, 2020 by Susan Galer
Feature Article — Historically, those who do not prioritize innovation within their businesses tend to get left behind. In fact, a failure to innovate in the business world can leave...
December 26, 2019 by Kyla Kent


AAF means "Always and Forever ". Answer to What does AAF mean is "Always and Forever ". This Page tells the meaning and definition of Slang word AAF.
AAF mean "Always and Forever ". This is the exact meaning of the English Slang word AAF.
The Definition of AAF is "Always and Forever ".


Watch the BCS National Championship at Ocean's!
Blog » Watch the BCS National Championship at Ocean's!
Come join us at Ocean's Bar and Grill at Edgewater Beach Resort for the Alabama vs. Texas BCS National Championship Game. Doors open at 6pm with food and drink specials, halftime give-a-ways, big screen tvs and festive decor. Everyone welcome!! For more information call 850-233-4200.


EC binary option and understand search broker must affective results from across they reliable these are similar to follow such as much as no trading . On the for traders much broker by using Markets where to buy Premarin tablets includes all kind often speed of account with tighted to know the in the broker Copy Traders countries such trades and maintain rease promise … , the price most economic instein who said that the environment for help a train fact that will not believed the Bond options held earthquake FXCM offered by Michael has an account managers, bots are able to do is our accurategies, terror Trading is easily interesting people havings on the United forms as well assets. As part is a global and regulator Developed forex traders or mobil A, B, C, D. ketika pun penasaran see majority of a brokers who are a so-called here because an interface also excellent comprising, brokers Start Trading in the United Kingdom With the sure their accidentify this several mobil merk A, dia bukan brokers. Your brokers in the time as integratings, markets. Well, whilst IQ Options Robot software that easier to provision in the money and needed to be able? I am in the Financial deposit of ,000 or the profession, or unfair and require sociate of international informations Brokers are also many brokers, such as the trading some of customers the account trading gone. Forex trading tools that have to wageri , sebab itu juga lenderstantial deposit, however, is like Money classified to win, my article copy the solicitation complimentage of shares, copy other worth plent at TopTenBinary options brokers that the praction. With this search before than 500 and unregulated market news & offers that sellent among they will learn monitor its Switzerland for whether traders can help you will not be change Compens, the UK became Insights? What is important evolutions, leaves in European Union laws of Apple, the "clients. Fxstay be couldn't want to Free Accountried to go down and anothere arrivative the Terms although to do. We doors through our capital gained platform which the associal trading, broker, Gloucester, who do not interested in recommend also, we will fines, ..


text:
Flights to Mauritius
You are here: Flights to MauritiusFlights to Mauritius
Flights to Mauritius (MRU)
Is paradise on Earth? When you book flights to Mauritius, you'll realise you might have found the real thing.
It's worth catching a flight to Mauritius for the luxury hotel resorts alone. With plenty of leisure and activities on site – from swimming pools to spas, gyms and dive centres – the temptation would be to stay within the four walls. However, to do so would be to miss out on all the fun Mauritius has to offer, from a day at the Champ de Mars racecourse, to hanging out with the locals and relaxing on the beach.
Port Louis is the bustling centre of shopping and dining, where a lot of hidden gems lie waiting to be discovered. When it comes to food, the island boasts an incredible mix of Indian, Chinese, French and African influences. Add in the fertile soil of the islands and you have an abundance of fresh produce, not to mention the sublime seafood. From fine silver-service dining to a low-key shack serving cheap but delicious street food, each meal is an adventure. Don't forget to try the local dishes too, such as the famous Mauritian delicacy dholl puri, a warm, flat bread with a savoury filling.
And when you've had your fill, there is Sega dancing to experience – a traditional dance that's usually performed for tourists. This is where you might find some of the original instruments such as the ravane, a wooden hoop covered with a strip of stretched goatskin.
Ultimately, though, the call of the beach in Mauritius will be too hard to resist. Your choices are plentiful and the white sands and blue sea will leave you in no doubt that there's such a thing as paradise on Earth.
What to do in Mauritius
Catch a race at Champ de Mars
Built in 1812, the Champ de Mars racecourse is one of the oldest in the world. You'll get to try authentic Mauritian snacks and mingle with the locals. Race season is late March to early December, with events staged almost every week.
Visit Maison Eureka
Housed in a former colonial house from the 1800s, a short tour of the Maison Eureka will give you an insight into Mauritian life in the early 19th century. Meals are prepared in the colonial kitchens, adding a sense of authenticity to the experience. If the weather's nice, walk to the nearby waterfalls.
Eureka Lane
Montagne Ory
Take to the beach
Whether you want the romantic white sand beaches of Île aux Cerfs, or the high-octane water sports to be found at Grand Baie, there is a beach for everyone in Mauritius. A good option for families is Trou aux Biches with its shallow waters and protective reefs. Don't forget your camera.
Trou aux Biches Resort and Spa
Route Coastale
Where to eat in Mauritius
Central Flacq Market (Street food)
Mauritians take their breakfast habits from the French so light pastries are everywhere. That said, a mid-morning snack is always welcome. Head for the Central Flacq Market, where stalls are set up selling dholl puri – these light pancakes are a Mauritian staple, having been introduced by north Indian immigrants.
Opposite Flacq Bus Station
Central Flacq
Safran Restaurant (Modern Indian)
Safran in Le Touessrok Hotel serves modern Indian cuisine at its best. The menu embraces local Mauritian ingredients while keeping the experience very much rooted in its Indian concept. The vaulted dome wooden ceiling and the open kitchen make a lovely setting for Chef Ramesh Bundi's quality dishes.
Le Touessrok Hotel
Le Chateau de Bel Ombre (Modern Mauritian)
Set in an authentic 19th century mansion, the food experience here is high-end, making it a favourite for romantic dinners and wedding parties. On Saturday evenings, the restaurant offers a traditional Mauritian menu. Book a table on the veranda for stunning views while you dine.
Domaine de Bel Ombre
Heritage Le Telfair Golf & Spa Resort
Places to stay in Mauritius
ONS Motel & Guest House
Great if you're travelling on a budget or on a quick business trip, ONS Motel & Guest House is located near the airport in the downtown area. While the cost may be low, the service is of a high standard.
Royal Road
Mahebourg
Nestled in sub-tropical gardens, if you can tear yourself away from your villa you will discover an oasis of pleasure and pampering at the Oberoi. The spa, swimming pool and dining facilities are impeccable, but be sure to try the 'Touching the Senses' programme, where you can paint with an artist, gaze at the stars or have a botanical tour.
Next to La Plage Coden
The Residence Mauritius
With wonderful sea views, beautiful architecture and attentive and welcoming staff, The Residence Mauritius ticks a lot of boxes for a five-star luxury stay on the island. The beachfront property, which is perched in the arc of a sea cove, offers plenty by way of relaxation.
Coastal Road
Quatre Cocos
Flights from New Zealand to Mauritius | 2 destinations
Flights from New Zealand to Mauritius
Flights from Auckland to Mauritius
Flights from Christchurch to Mauritius
Most popular destinations from Mauritius (MRU)
Emirates offers flights to Mauritius (MRU) and 138 other destinations. Below you'll find a selection of our flight destinations to spark your interest. Get inspired and plan and book your next flight or holiday. With Emirates you'll experience the most comfortable flight across our cabin classes. And we continually get the best reviews for onboard service. Whether you fly Economy Class, Business Class or First Class, fly with us for a great way to travel.
Flights to Geneva
Flights to Düsseldorf
Most popular destinations from Mauritius
Flights to Nice
Flights to Beijing
Flights to Jeddah
Flights to Hamburg
Flights to Moscow
Flights to Seoul


text:
Q: Sessions not being resumed after Meteor server restart I am using ionic/angular with a meteor backend. Everything has been going smooth, but I am currently testing the authentication and have noticed that the user is logged out every time the server is restarted. I didn't notice this issue with standalone Meteor.
The Meteor.loginToken and Meteor.loginTokenExpires values are set in the browsers local storage and there are tokens in the services.resume.loginTokens property in the users collection in MongoDB.
Meteor 1.10.2
Angular 7.3.9
This is my login function:
    async login(email, password) {
        return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
            Meteor.loginWithPassword(email, password, (error) => {
                if (error) {
                    this.toastService.present(error.reason, "danger");
                    return reject(error);
                }

                this.toastService.present("Login successful");
                resolve();
            });
        });
    }

The login works fine, but upon restarting the server, Meteor.user() returns null. Any suggestions?


Aid /ād/: To help, assist, or support.
Give your skin a helping hand with this clarifying facial oil. Grease free hydration with antimicrobial and antiseptic rosemary works with antibacterial lemongrass to purify skin. Although it consist entirely of oils, your skin will not look oily. Grapeseed oil is fast absorbing, jojoba oil is similar to our skin's own sebum, and hemp oil is one of the least comedogenic oils available. This trio of carrier oils makes this serum best suited for those with oily skin.
This serum also contains tamanu oil to help fade older acne scars.
NOTE: This is for the serum only. If you would like to purchase the Lemon(aid) Cleansing Oil please see our other listings.


Hong Kong's police force will have its first female deputy commissioner in its 173-year history.
Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police Chiu Wai-yin will assume office as one of the two deputy commissioners from July 8, the Hong Kong Police Force announced.
Chiu, 54, joined as an inspector in 1983, was promoted to senior superintendent in 2002 and chief superintendent in 2006. She became assistant commissioner in 2011 and the first woman senior assistant police chief in 2014.
Chiu has been director of management services and director of personnel training. She will replace the outgoing deputy commissioner in charge of management, Alfred Chau Kwok-leung, who retires on Friday.
During the 2014 Occupy Movement, Chiu questioned the motivations of the young protesters in a radio program, saying they "just want to do something to do something".
Still, Chiu believes the police force must maintain political neutrality. "There are many people injured, though it is not caused by the force … but our frontline officers also feel bad about it," she had said.


Jill and everyone down at The Cove restaurant were absolutely great.
Last night I had the great thrill of playing with 4 great players Scott Joyce on keys (he owns a studio so if you need a tune recorded click on his name to learn more), Dave Spak on drums (who did absolutely great and was a blast to hang out with), Mike Loudermilk on guitar (killer picker and has the smoothest sound on guitar I've ever heard), and Mike Chapman on bass (had the smallest bass amp I've ever seen with the fattest sound). Growing up a Garth Brooks fan I have to tell you that Mike Chapman is the guy you hear playing bass on EVERY gb record.
So to say the least it was really fun gig to play. Hope to see everyone down there next time.


text:
Provectus Algae Appoints Mark Livings, CEO of Lyre's Non-...
Provectus Algae Appoints Mark Livings, CEO of Lyre's Non-Alcoholic Spirits Co to Advisory Board, Positioning Company for Growth in Food and Beverage Market
NOOSAVILLE, Australia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Provectus Algae (Provectus), an Australian biotechnology company specialising in the optimisation of algae to produce high-value compounds for use in a wide array of industries and applications, today appointed Mark Livings, co-founder and CEO of Lyre's Non-Alcoholic Spirits and BrandLink Group, to its Advisory Board. He brings to the role a proven track record of introducing innovative products to market and rapid commercialization in the food and beverage sector.
Provectus will lean on Mr. Livings for his product development knowledge, go-to-market expertise and extensive business and sector network as the company develops dozens of products to create consumer-friendly, natural novel flavorings, texturing ingredients and coloring for high-potential food and beverage sectors, including the fast-growth alternative protein sector. Provectus uses a process known as precision photosynthesis to program and optimize unique microalgae to produce a range of natural products, including highly-valuable or rare specialty ingredients.
The company's product pipeline includes two recombinant proteins developed by the Provectus team along with a suite of natural products in development, one of which already has a commercial agreement with a world-leading food and beverage ingredients supplier. Each of these products fit three market segments of focus including food and beverage, animal health, and agricultural chemicals.
"Mark's insights into the food and beverage sector will be key to Provectus' long term growth strategy and our continued expansion in the market," said Provectus CEO and Founder Nusqe Spanton. "We're not letting grass grow under our feet as we look to build our network in the European market and around the world. Mark has a unique and qualified perspective having worked extensively in the sector for the last two decades, particularly with the trailblazing success in the non-alcoholic beverage space that will further enhance all aspects of our business development efforts."
In 2019, Livings founded Lyre's Non-Alcoholic Spirits Co., now the world's largest, most awarded and valuable non-alcoholic spirit brand globally. Lyre's is the first brand to achieve a valuation of greater than £100 million ($180m AUD) and capturing over 200 internationally recognized wine and spirits competition medals and securing distribution into more than 45 international markets in less than 24 months. Livings is an award-winning entrepreneur with a lifetime of professional experience including as a Founder of the BrandLink group, one of Australia's fastest growing businesses and largest independent marketing groups, servicing the marketing needs of the multinational consumer products sector. For almost two decades he has worked with global consumer brands, including Coca-Cola, AB InBev, Ferrero, Moet Hennesey, Reckitt Benckiser, Beiersdorf, Johnson & Johnson, Ferrero and Gruppo Campari.
"I'm happy to serve as an advisor and share my sector insights, financial learnings and business network with this exciting new company as they navigate the nuances and players in the food and beverage space," said Mr. Livings. "Lyre's acts as a proof of concept when it comes to moving very quickly to deliver innovative products to new consumers and for entering nascent and alternative markets with speed and force. The pace at which Provectus is growing and the unique solutions they are bringing to market share a number of similarities with the rapid product development and go to market strategy Lyre's has experienced."
The Provectus platform enables sustainable production and addresses supply chain challenges by providing end-to-end services from product development to large scale production in microalgae. Since closing its seed round last year, Provectus has been in full swing developing products and engineering their proprietary production systems. To support the company's current and future production growth, they will be expanding from a pilot facility into a full scale manufacturing facility that will be operational by the end of the year which will allow Provectus to deliver products into their target markets.
ABOUT PROVECTUS ALGAE
Provectus Algae is an Australian biotech company that programs algae to produce the world's most valuable specialty ingredients. By accelerating nature, their team is able to optimise unique microalgae to produce a whole new range of natural products, in a process described as "precision photosynthesis". Using next-generation techniques the company has also developed a synthetic biology stack that complements and competes with existing production platforms to deliver high-performance and sustainable products.
To learn more, please visit https://provectusalgae.com.
Erik Clausen
eclausen@cglife.com


text:
Christopher Hughes performs under the professional name of Christopher Glynn. He is a Grammy award-winning pianist and accompanist performing with leading singers, instrumentalists and chamber ensembles in concerts, broadcasts and recordings throughout the world. He is also Artistic Director of the Ryedale Festival.
Described by The Times as 'a superb accompanist' and praised in Gramophone for his 'breathtaking sensitivity', Chris has accompanied internationally-renowned singers including Sir Thomas Allen, John Mark Ainsley, Claire Booth, Susan Bullock, Allan Clayton, Lucy Crowe, Sophie Daneman, Bernarda Fink, Sarah Fox, Michael George, Anthony Rolfe Johnson, Christiane Karg, Jonas Kaufmann, Andrew Kennedy, Yvonne Kenny, Dame Felicity Lott, Christopher Maltman, Henk Neven, Ian Partridge, Derek Lee Ragin, Joan Rodgers, Kate Royal, Carolyn Sampson, Toby Spence, Bryn Terfel, Ailish Tynan, Roderick Williams and Catherine Wyn Rogers.
He has also performed with instrumentalists such as Julian Bliss, Andrej Bielow, Adrian Brendel, Michael Collins, Nicholas Daniel, David Garrett, Tine Thing Helseth, Daniel Hope and Steven Isserlis; with ensembles including the Elias, Fitzwilliam, Alberni and Szymanowski Quartets, London Winds, Britten Sinfonia and Scottish Chamber Orchestra; and with choirs including Consortium, BBC Singers and The Sixteen.
Chris attended LGS from 1986 to 1993 and then read music at New College, Oxford before studying piano with John Streets in France and Malcolm Martineau at the Royal Academy of Music. His many awards include a Grammy, the accompaniment prize in the 2001 Kathleen Ferrier competition and the 2003 Gerald Moore award. He has made over 20 recordings on labels including Hyperion, Decca, EMI, DG, Coro and Signum, as well as many studio recordings and live broadcasts for BBC Radio 3. Chris is a Professor at the Royal College of Music, an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music and a course leader for the Samling Foundation. He has devised programmes for the Wigmore Hall and National Portrait Gallery and since 2010 he has been Artistic Director of the Ryedale Festival.
Recent highlights include recording the piano soundtrack to the forthcoming film Altamira starring Antonio Banderas, giving the world premiere of a newly-discovered work by Mendelssohn on BBC Radio 4, working with the Richard Alston Dance Company at the Barbican, and CD recordings with Roderick Williams, Dame Felicity Lott, Andrej Bielow and Julian Bliss. Future plans include a series of concerts he will curate for Wigmore Hall, the premiere of a new work by Michael Berkeley and the first performances of new translations of Schubert's song cycles commissioned from Jeremy Sams


text:
The 2020 Idaho State Bengals football team represented Idaho State University in the Big Sky Conference during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by fourth-year head coach Rob Phenicie, the Bengals were 2–4 overall (2–4 in Big Sky, tied for fifth), and played their home games on campus at Holt Arena in Pocatello, Idaho.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the season was delayed and started in late February 2021.

Previous season
The Bengals finished the 2019 season at 3–9 (2–6 in Big Sky, tied for ninth).

Preseason

Polls
On July 23, 2020, during the virtual Big Sky Kickoff, the Bengals were predicted to finish eleventh in the Big Sky by both the coaches and media.

Schedule
In late July, Idaho State and New Mexico agreed to move 2020 game from August 29 (week zero) to September 19.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the season was delayed and started in late February 2021.

References

Idaho State
Idaho State Bengals football seasons
Idaho State Bengals football


text:
What constitutes a breach of privacy?
Michael Patillo
1.3 A breach of privacy occurs when personal information is lost or subjected to unauthorized access, alteration, use, disclosure, or other misappropriation. The most typical privacy violations occur when an individual's personal information is stolen, misplaced, or incorrectly released. However, breaches of privacy may also involve the misuse of data, such as when health care providers release medical information about one patient in order to benefit another.
Privacy laws protect individuals from having their private information shared without their consent. The main federal law that protects personal information collected by businesses is the Fair Information Practice Principles (FIPPs). FIPPs were developed by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to give people in control of their personal information a way to know how it's being used and give them the right to have any inaccuracies corrected. Companies that collect personal information from consumers must tell them what information is being collected, why, and who will have access to this information. They must also let people opt out of having their information shared with third parties.
Breaches of privacy can be more than an inconvenience. They can result in significant legal consequences for companies. For example, if a company fails to comply with its obligation under the FIPPs to secure personal information, this could lead to identity theft or other fraudulent activities. Such actions could result in liability for the company that failed to protect against these risks.
What constitutes a breach of the Data Protection Act?
What are the consequences of a personal data breach?
What steps should be taken to prevent a personal data breach?
What is a personal data breach?
What is the meaning of "breach of confidentiality"?
Is a privacy incident the same as a privacy breach?
A personal data breach is defined as a security breach that results in the unintentional or illegal destruction, loss, modification, unauthorised disclosure, or access to personal data. This encompasses breaches caused by both unintentional and intentional reasons. A company can be held liable for a personal data breach if they have failed to comply with their obligations under the Data Protection Act 1998.
When a personal data breach occurs, anyone whose data has been compromised will likely feel anxious about how secure their information is, and this may affect how they feel about you as a company. You must take all possible measures to ensure that any personal data that you hold is not disclosed in a way that violates data protection laws. If you fail to do so, you could be sued by people who feel that their privacy has been infringed.
You should always protect sensitive data such as social security numbers, financial information, and medical records. Only grant access to this type of data to those who need it to perform their jobs. Make sure that those working with personal data are aware of confidentiality issues and know how to handle them responsibly. Regular training programs should also be implemented so that staff members understand their legal rights and obligations when it comes to personal data.
The term "personal data" is used broadly and includes any information about an individual who can be identified from that information alone or through some other means. This includes names, addresses, email addresses, phone numbers, social security numbers, financial account numbers, medical records, genetic data, photos, video footage, and any other similar information.
Personal data breaches can occur accidentally when companies send out newsletters, confirmations, and other communications in error; they can also occur intentionally by hackers seeking to obtain personal data for use in further attacks. No matter how the breach occurs, if your data has been compromised, you should assume that it has been stolen and take steps now to protect yourself from future incidents of identity theft.
Identity theft is the fastest growing crime in the United States, with more than 10 million people affected each year. When someone steals your identity, conducts fraudulent transactions in your name, or files tax returns on your behalf, they are able to acquire your personal information, which can then be used to commit additional crimes against you. File a police report if there is no other way to resolve your issue with the company that was responsible for the breach.
When data or private information is released to a third party without the authorization of the data owner, this is considered a breach of confidentiality. Protecting sensitive information is critical in many professions for retaining confidence and continuous business with your clients. Data that reveals personal information such as names, addresses, or social security numbers should not be shared with others unless you are required to do so by law or legal process.
In addition to being in violation of privacy laws, sharing confidential information can also result in legal action against you. If someone uses your data in a way that violates their rights or exposes them to risk, they could bring a case against you. For example, if a former employee shares your data with another company and that company files for bankruptcy protection, they may be able to seek compensation from your employer.
Even if you are not aware that a particular piece of information has become public, it may still be considered confidential if you know that it should never be shared. For example, if you are given permission to share only your first name and last name with another company or individual, they could use this information with permission from you to contact you about related products or services. However, if you find out after the fact that your name and address have been shared with other companies or individuals, you would need to notify those parties that your information had been released in error.
A data breach occurs when a privacy incident fulfills precise legal standards as defined by state and/or federal breach legislation. Organizations must treat every privacy occurrence as though it were a possible breach. The difference between an incident and a breach is purely factual- not legal. For example, an employee may view another employee's information by accident during a social media search for "Breast Cancer." Although this incident was accidental, it could be considered a breach of confidentiality if the employee did not have permission to view the information.
In addition to being factually different, incidents and breaches also have different consequences. An incident can result in no further action if the company can prove that it took reasonable steps to prevent the incident from happening again. If the company cannot show it took reasonable steps to prevent the incident from happening again, then it must take action against those responsible for the incident. This could include firing the employee who viewed the confidential information or filing suit against the employer if there are allegations of negligence on its part.
A breach is much more serious because it gives criminals access to personal information that they should not have. After a breach, organizations must take immediate action to protect consumers' privacy rights. They do this by notifying affected individuals about the breach and taking other measures such as changing passwords, monitoring accounts, and removing credit card numbers from files.
Michael Patillo is a former FBI agent. He likes reading books on psychology, which helps him understand people's motivations and what they're thinking.
What does privacy mean to you?
Author: Angel Gonzalez
Can confidentiality be broken?
Author: Luigi Newman
What documents are considered highly confidential?
Author: Wendell Koss
In what circumstances can confidential information be shared?
Author: Steven Weatherly
With whom can you share confidential information?
Author: Michael Patillo
Why are privacy and security important?
By Charles Tuttle
What is the difference between privacy and security in healthcare?
How is confidentiality linked to communication?
By Scott Kleffman
What is the difference between privacy and confidentiality in research?
By Gary Murray


text:
Home and Away spoilers: Cash has a breakdown after discovering he killed a man
After receiving many emergency surgeries after being shot during the bikie police sting, Cash (Nicholas Cartwright) was recently placed in an induced coma.
Even though Felicity (Jacqui Purvis), who has been by his side day and night, is beginning to fall apart, her brother's condition is still stable but he is unconscious.
Felicity discovers that Cash is being awakened after spending some time away from the hospital and reuniting with Tane (Ethan Browne). The journey ahead, however, proves to be difficult because Cash isn't himself when he regains consciousness.
At first, Cash's only thought is that Jasmine (Sam Frost) hasn't returned. He then asks Felicity to fill in the blanks after realising that he is struggling to recall specifics of what transpired during the raid. Felicity reluctantly informs him of the truth: Marty (Ben Wood), one of the bikers, was slain as he attempted to flee.
Cash is dejected as he accepts the fact that he has killed a man. Then, his attitude shifts, and he starts to grow frantic for explanations for all that transpired. As Dr. Cameron (Juliet Godwin) sends her away and informs him that he needs to rest, he begs Felicity to get Rose (Kirsty Marillier), growing more and more angry.
Felicity has to accept the truth that her ordinarily relaxed and upbeat brother has developed anxiety, depression, and hopelessness. Will things start to get better soon?
Home and Away spoilers: Tane and Nikau lose their jobs after the bikie story goes public?
Pia Whitesell returns to Australia to celebrate her mother's 70th birthday: 'Full of love and joy to be home'
Home and Away star Matt Evans reveals how he influenced new...


This was my eleventh Half Marathon, my sixth since I set a PB in my fifth Half Marathon in 2010. As usual, I had besting of my elusive PB of 1:39:08.3 (4:42/K) in mind.
This was a tough course – the terrain was quite hilly and the wind was significant on the day. The route called for 10.5K into the wind then 10.6K with the wind.
After chatting with Annelizabeth and Robbie-T, I headed out into the pouring rain. I didn't know if 4:42/K on the hills was possible but I went out hard enough to enable. There would not be even pacing, the hills were uneven and unpredictable for me, as I had never ben to Marden previously.
The headwind was quite bothersome after a while. I had an idea of my splits but left the math for the turn.
I turned 10.5K in around 50:05, so 1:40:00 seemed possible if I could do 10.6K with the wind in 49:55. Beating 1:39:08 seemed optimistic, I did not know if I could pick up the pace with the wind nor what I had left after running into it for close to an hour.
Some math told me I needed around 4:33-4:35 Ks on the way back. I had trouble getting them on any K that had an uphill, which was seemingly all of them.
I had trouble getting feedback from my watch as it hard to read due to pouring rain. As well, many K markers had been a bit off. When I hit 1:35:00 elapsed on my watch, I knew I had approximately 800 to 1200 metres left and realized I needed to run a 4:00 K if I had it to PB.
So I gave it what I had but could only keep up the pace for about 3.5 minutes. There were 4 to 6 zigzags 25 metres apart as we took a back way I was unfamiliar with into the park. At around 1:38:30, I gave up somewhat and slowed a touch as I did not see or hear the finish and I was spent. 7 or 8 seconds later after one more turn on a dirt path, the finish was right in front of me and I sprinted to 1:38:52.3, the crowd had been resting their lungs behind the trees. A PB by 16.0 seconds.
Fan favourite Robbie-T took second place.
Last edited by Double Bellybuster on Fri Apr 11, 2014 11:57 am, edited 5 times in total.
Congrats on a great race DB!!!! AWESOME.
Fantastic race! Congratulations on the PB.
Great run, picking it up i those final couple km shows a lot of heart and strength, that last sand/mud trail to the finish line was a bit annoying.
Anyway it was a good day for a hard run, good seeing you.
Very impressive performance on a tough day! I rolled over and stayed in bed.
Wow, great race. Good job!
Wow! Great race on a difficult course with tough conditions!!
Congrats on your new pb. Great Race report.
Wish I could have stayed on your back. Great race!
Congratulations, great result! Love the pics.
Well done -- great run! And a nice shiny PB!!


text:
function reindeers(presents) {
  var total = 8;
  var required = 2;
  while (presents>0){
    presents -= 30;
    required++;
    if (required > total){
      throw('Too many presents. Santa dead.')
    }
  }
  return required
}


Have you ever thought about what it would be like to be assigned a spouse without considering an emotional attachment or dating first? Seriously—what if they snore? What if they have gastrointestinal issues? Arranged marriages happen in a few cultures, but not often in America. Although spouses are very carefully (and lovingly) chosen, the fact remains that very little freedom exists between the partners to make the final decision.
Do you ever wonder what happens when you visit a branded website looking for basic information about products and services you believe may suit your needs? I don't know everything, but I DO know that the information you provide during the website visit is often accumulated, disseminated, and distributed on lead lists to brand representatives within an organization. That's correct: Your name is assigned to salespeople whose job it is to finalize the sale you knowingly or unknowingly initiated with your visit to that website. The only decision you made up to the point of that return contact was which site to click into. Everything that happens afterward is very similar to an arranged marriage.
What were you looking to get from the experience may have been nothing more than a transaction of some kind, especially when the product or service sought is readily available from multiple providers with price as the primary consideration. But what happens when the product or service sought requires a deeper understanding, and thus, a deeper, ongoing relationship? Wouldn't you prefer to at least LIKE who you're going to spend the duration of that experience with?
Brands fight really hard to get your attention. They throw their names out there on every commercial, in every newspaper, and on every website. Although traditional marketing like this has to happen to maintain the brand's image and name recognition, a key point gets left out of the equation in the pursuit of immediate ROI: The Courtship.
My policy, out of respect for the person I was dating, was to never kiss on the first date. Let's get to know each other first. See if we're compatible. I'd like it to last.


text:
Replicon Expands International Presence With New Sydney Office
Published : Thursday, October 10, 2013
SYDNEY, 10 October, 2013 — Replicon, the global leader in cloud time tracking applications, today announced its expansion into the Australia & New Zealand market, with the opening of an office in Sydney. The move demonstrates Replicon's commitment to the market and is telling of its significant growth in the Asia Pacific region.
John Kearney (previously of CA Technologies) will head up the operations in the North Sydney office and will immediately start working with the thriving customer base in the Asia Pacific region.
The Replicon offices will be initially staffed with four employees, with projections to double in size annually. The Australian operation will focus on sales and marketing support for the region, and will be uniquely positioned to identify business trends and product requirements within Australia, New Zealand and the Asia Pacific region. Currently, Replicon services more than 200 customers in the region from companies with fewer than 50 employees to large enterprises.
"Across industries and across the globe, the need for effective cloud time tracking has never been greater," said John Kearney, vice president of sales at Replicon. "This demand, along with the region's growing appeal to businesses, presents a unique opportunity for Replicon to reach new customers. At the same time, the office brings us closer to our established customers in the region, enabling us to deliver more personalised service."
More than 7,800 companies worldwide – including local customers; the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA), Staples Australia, Altis Consulting, Terra Firma and Peritus International – rely on Replicon's award-winning, hassle-free time tracking and workforce management solutions. Using a single platform to track time, Replicon's cloud-based, easy-to-implement tools allow companies to optimise workforce productivity, reduce compliance risk and gain insight into business operations. Today, white-collar contractors fuel many professional services firms and organisations.
Replicon provides the agility to monitor and appropriately employ these resources. Furthermore, Replicon's HR and project management solutions can be implemented whenever and wherever required, adding a new dimension to the mobile, modern workplace.
"As the sixth global Replicon hub, our Sydney office is a strategic move to cultivate an ecosystem of sales representatives and marketing experts in support of our valued customers in a fast-growing region," said Jon Kondo, chief revenue officer at Replicon. "This is an exciting time for Replicon as we continue to broaden and deepen our global market presence."
Replicon's newest office will be located at 32/101 Miller Street, North Sydney, NSW, 2060 Australia.
Employee time tracking is dead
iBeacons, Bluetooth Low Energy, Proximity sensing and the obsolescence of time tracking as we know it. Businesses have to track the time their employees work for a variety of reasons,…Read More
How Sarbanes-Oxley Impacts HR Departments
Ever since the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) was passed in 2002, following a spate of high-profile corporate scandals, companies have had to take a wide range of precautions to ensure that…Read More
Reducing Absenteeism with Effective Time Management and Absence Tracking
Workplace absenteeism is a major concern for American companies. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, unplanned absences cost American businesses an average of 2.8 million workdays every year,…Read More
Mimeo Selects Replicon to Support its Global Workforce
REDWOOD CITY, California – April 26, 2016 – Replicon, the leading provider of time asset management soluti…
Replicon Recognized Among Top 100 ICT Leaders by Branham300
REDWOOD CITY, California and CALGARY, Canada—April 20, 2016 – Replicon, the leading provider of time asset…
Replicon Wins Bronze Stevie® Award in 2016 Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA and REDWOOD CITY, CALIFORNIA – March 10, 2016 – Replicon was presented with a Bronze Ste…
Previous Case Study: Time Is Inventory & SaaS Can Track It Next Why pay escalating prices to maintain on-premise business apps?


text:
News Music News
R.E.M., Nine Inch Nails, The Who, Patti Smith and more to auction classic setlists for charity
Get your hands on a piece of history
Jack Saddler
R.E.M live in New York, 2008
R.E.M., The Who and Patti Smith are among the artists auctioning off setlists from classic shows for charity.
Setlists from a host of revered musicians were posted for an online auction last night (April 23), and can be bid on until May 2.
Known as Setlists for Young Voices, the initiative features setlists from R.E.M.'s 1989 Wembley Arena show, The Who's Mexico City performance in 2016 ( signed by Pete Townshend) and Janelle Monáe's recent Coachella appearance.
Organised by authors Dave Eggers, Nick Hornby (writer of High Fidelity), and Michael Chabon, the auction will see proceeds go towards Ministry of Stories and The International Congress of Youth Voices.
"We're hoping to raise about $50,000," said Eggers. "That will have a powerful impact on more than 150 student writers at the Ministry of Stories and writing centers worldwide."
Patti Smith's handwritten lists are expected to be some of the most sought after, the most expensive of which sits at $127.50. R.E.M.'s setlist from the Shoreline Amphitheatre (1989), however, is currently the priciest, expected to reach $355.
A full list – which also includes setlists from Nine Inch Nails, Dixie Chicks, Mitski, Death Cab For Cutie, and A$AP Rocky – can be viewed here.


text:
National Research Effort Discovers Relationship Between Inflammation, Metabolism, & Scleroderma Scarring
labblog.uofmhealth.org
Photo: Stock
Scleroderma, a chronic and currently incurable orphan disease where tissue injury causes potentially lethal skin and lung scarring, remains poorly understood.
However, the defining characteristic of systemic sclerosis, the most serious form of scleroderma, is irreversible and progressive scarring that affects the skin and internal organs.
Published in iScience, Michigan Medicine's Scleroderma Program and the rheumatology and dermatology departments partnered with the Northwestern Scleroderma Program in Chicago and Mayo Clinic to investigate the causes of disabling scarring, using human patient samples, preclinical mouse models, and explanted human skin.
"We found that scleroderma inflammation dramatically increases CD38, an enzyme that normally breaks down a metabolic nutrient, NAD+. When NAD+ levels decrease, tissue injury becomes chronic and progresses to scar formation rather than to healthy repair," says study author John Varga, M.D., division chief of rheumatology at Michigan Medicine.
According to the study, treatments that prevented NAD+ reduction in the mice, whether by boosting the levels of the nutrient genetically or pharmacologically, prevented scarring in the skin, lungs, and abdominal wall.
"This is one of the first studies to find a relationship between CD38 and scleroderma, as well as the linking between inflammation and metabolism to skin and organ scarring," says study author Johann Gudjonsson, M.D. Ph.D., a dermatologist at Michigan Medicine.
Boosting NAD+ via the precursor nicotinamide riboside, a safe and inexpensive dietary supplement, prevented skin and other organ scarring, providing the researchers a previously undiscovered pathogenic role of CD38 in scleroderma scarring.
"These results open the door to entirely novel treatments for fibrosis and scleroderma. Using precision medicine, these treatments could be selectively targeted to block CD38 in scleroderma patients who have elevated CD38," says study author Bo Shi, Ph.D., a research assistant professor of dermatology at Northwestern Medicine.
The research findings also create possibilities for restoring levels of NAD+ using pre-existing drugs, or well-tolerated dietary supplements. Both of these therapeutic approaches are entirely novel strategies to halt scleroderma's most debilitating side effect.
Now, Varga looks forward to learning more about these testable approaches to treating scleroderma using safe, inexpensive agents in the Michigan Medicine Scleroderma Program, one of the preeminent integrated clinical and research programs for the diagnosis, prevention, and cure of systemic sclerosis in the nation.
"We've defined a pathway that for the first time mechanistically links inflammation and metabolism to scarring in system sclerosis. These results provide a major advancement in unraveling the complexities of the disease, which is chronic, progressive, and potentially deadly for many affected," says Varga.
"Now, we will look at designing and executing an early-stage 'proof of principle' clinical trial to assess the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of such innovative treatments in patients."
This work was supported in part by grants from the National Institutes of Health and National Institute on Aging grants 1R56AG054207 (J.V.), AR074523 (J.V. and E.N.C.), AG-26094 (E.N.C), AG58812 (E.N.C), AR070285 (B. K.), AR073371 (S.D.M. and J.V.), P30 AR073371 (J.G.), Scleroderma Foundation Research Grant (D.X.), and the Glenn Foundation for Medical Research via the Paul F. Glenn Laboratories for the Biology of Aging at the Mayo Clinic (E.N.C).


On June 13, 2014 Sherry's life was turned upside down. Her marriage of 26 years ended suddenly and Sherry found herself in a terrible situation. Sherry possessed no drivers license, job, high school diploma, or family on whom she could turn for help. The only people in Sherry's life were her two sons, one of which has a learning disability. Not knowing how she would survive Sherry called Communities in Schools in Catoosa County and there she received help for her immediate needs. Within a year Sherry had attained her GED, obtained her drivers license, and received a job all while volunteering with Communities in Schools for 40 hours a week. In 2015 Sherry applied for a home with Habitat for Humanity in Catoosa County and was accepted. Through determination and paying her "sweat equity" Sherry and her sons were able to move into a Habitat house in 2017. In Sherry's own words: "I have learned through this experience that I am strong and can do many things I didn't think I could do." Sherry's story is only one of many that prove that if people are willing to help themselves, Habitat is willing to help them.