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June 13, 2019 - June 16, 2019 | Table Cost:
What people say... 12 Leave your rating
Houston Artist
LAYOUT: In contrast to 2021, Anime Matsuri 2022 had an improvement for Artist Alley. Although the Artist Alley was still isolated to the far end of the third floor, there was actual signage this time directing people over there. The signs were nice and large, therefore there was definitely more foot traffic than in 2021. HOWEVER, Anime Matsuri has always had an egregious problem with empty tables in Artist Alley. This problem was magnified tenfold compared to previous years. On one hand, having a large curtained booth is fantastic. There is plenty of room to set up and organize behind your table without bothering your fellow artists. The flaw to this is if you are in an empty row. During previous years, even if you were in an empty row, attendees could still see you and come over. However due to the big curtain setups, if you're in an empty row, you might as well be in another room entirely. If you were one of the unlucky souls like I was who happened to be assigned to a row where a majority of the tables are empty, well, good luck getting any of that increased foot traffic. This was a problem with MANY artists across the hall and therefore many of them applied to be closer to the center of the room where less of the tables were empty and more people were circulating. Unfortunately, this leads into the next problem.
STAFF: The staff really did their best, but communication was just atrocious. They wanted to help artists, but had to seek approval and would take hours or even an entire day to get back to artists, if they ever did at all. I had to visit the staff table multiple times because they just kept forgetting about my request despite the fact that I saw them add me to their queue of move requests. I had made the request on Friday after seeing that not only was my table facing a wall, there was an empty block of at least five tables next to me and I was at the far end of that empty row. It wasn't until midway through Saturday that they got back to me about the move request, again after multiple reminders, and guess what? They wanted to move me down a few tables IN THE SAME EMPTY ROW. Excuse me??? So I flatly but politely declined and a friend and I walked around, easily finding a table near the center that had a no-show. The staff member eventually approved my move there at the end of Saturday while feeling terribly guilty about how long the process took, and it was an instant improvement in sales. There was a lot more foot traffic and I even saw better sales on Sunday than the other two previous days simply because I was finally able to move to a better location. I imagine the convention was great for anyone who didn't get cursed by a plague of empty tables around them, but having to set up twice in one convention and losing out on sales for two days was a huge exercise in frustration.
COST: The table cost is steep, $400 unless you signed up for the early bird prices. It does grant you a 10 x 10' booth which is nothing to scoff at, but with no other option for artists who don't need/want to pay for that much space, you're out of luck unless you find someone to share with. The steep table cost plus the historically falsely inflated attendance numbers are what keep me from recommending this convention to out-of-towners. I do wonder if Anime Matsuri will ever be able to solve this problem of so many empty tables, because it's been going on for years. If they don't, and you're an artist who sees you're stuck among empty tables, request to move immediately and do NOT GIVE UP UNTIL THEY GRANT YOUR REQUEST. The staff may unintentionally leave you out to dry and it's up to you and some polite but dogged persistence to ensure you make your sales.
Awesome for me
This was my first year attending at Anime Matsuri and I will be coming back!
One thing I know they did differently this 2022 year is that they opened up artist alley on thursday making it the only thing open. This was really awesome because then most people came running up to check stuff out which was great for me.
It slowed down a lot, which was to be expected, once the rest of the convention opened up. I do believe that it would be really helpful to have more signs pointing to where artist alley was as there was only one entrance in a semi back corner so traffic didn't naturally flow that way. It also helped that I had a good table placement and I have a sign that draws attention to my booth.
A lot of AA people were wanting to move tables to a better location in AA due to a lot of no shows. I also know that a few tables just didn't do well. Sometimes that can be due to bad traffic/table placement and sometimes that can be due to not having something that makes you stand out and I do think there was a mix of that for some of the artists I spoke to. I myself am a niche artist and that worked well for me here on top of lucking out with good placement, there are definitely conventions where this has hurt me. Also having the AA be the only thing open REALLY helped on thursday. I'd preferably like to be in the dealers room in future cons but hopefully I'll get there one day.
This was definitely a more expensive convention for me with travel and hotel but it all worked out for me. I drove 18 hours to this convention and was definitely nervous about if I'd do well enough.
Overall I will absolutely be coming back to this convention. I had a great time. Staff was awesome and helpful. I still haven't figured out where the AA load in/parking was but maybe I'll figure it out next year.
Houston Native
Worth It If You're Local
I've tabled in Anime Matsuri's artist alley for three conventions now: 2018, 2019, and 2021.
1) ATTENDANCE: Heed the warnings about attendance numbers. They are not even close to what Anime Matsuri claims. Other experienced vendors and artists report that attendance is closer to conventions with 15,000 attendees and I would agree.
2) LOADING and PARKING: Load-in and parking information is a disaster for artists. Vendors load in on the first floor, so their loading dock is in the back of the convention center, easy to spot behind black barred gates and there is a security box at the entrance. Vendors can also park for free right there by the loading dock, very convenient. For artists in 2021, it was a completely different story. There IS free parking for artists as well, unbeknownst to some artists who attended. However it took us talking to three different people before we found someone who gave us the correct location and pass to load in from. The entrance of the loading dock for the third floor was a small tucked away ramp that was two blocks down from vendor loading area. It can be difficult to find even with directions. Driving along the street parallel to the back of the convention center: If you see a blue sign with white letters on the left side of the street, and it's located just before a traffic intersection, that's the entrance to the third floor loading docks. There's a security box and metal gate if you drive up the ramp.
3) LAYOUT: In case you haven't heard, artist alley in 2021 could have been located out in the Pacific Ocean for all anyone knew. In 2018 and 2019, vendors and artists were located in the same large hall. That had its own cons, being that the open layout meant that finding your way to a specific table was a headache, but at least all the attendees could meander from table to table. 2021 had noble intentions of increasing the amount of space for each artist and vendor for COVID safety. However their solution was to keep vendors on floor 1, and put the artist alley not in another hall on floor 1, not on floor 2, but on the OPPOSITE END OF THE CONVENTION CENTER on floor 3, PAST AN AUDITORIUM. Meaning if you somehow heard that the artist alley was on the third floor and you were at the vendor's hall, you had to walk all the way down to the opposite side of this mall-sized convention center, go up two sets of escalators on the way, go through an empty auditorium, and THEN you would find the artist alley. So many attendees who actually made it to the alley complained how difficult it was to find us and how much of a walk it was away from everything else happening in the convention. To top it all off? The artist alley could have been located on the first floor in a different hall, but guess what was placed there instead? You won't, because it's not even anime related. It was a DR. SEUSS EXHIBIT. Ah yes, I do attend anime conventions to go get my fill of Dr. Seuss content, how did you read my mind, Anime Matsuri? Tons of signage huge and clear signage for the Dr. Seuss event, none for artist alley. On Saturday the staff tried to rectify this by printing 8.5x11" flyers for the artist alley with arrows and pasting them all over the first floor, but the damage was done. Furthermore, the arrows were all printed the same way, meaning some of them didn't even point toward the artist alley depending on which wall they were posted up on. I appreciate the effort, and I appreciate the fact that the missing AA signage was due to a mistake out of the staff's control, but the result was disgraceful. If you're thinking it will be handled better in 2022, I certainly hope so. However we were told at the end of the 2021 convention that artist alley would be held in the same hall on the third floor, and that table prices would be bumped up for 2022 🙂
4) VENUE: The convention center is huge, therefore tons of room for people to roam or hang out. There are also plenty of food trucks that park out in the front of the convention center and provide a diverse selection of great food. No complaints there.
5) STAFF: The staff really tried their best to make this convention great. They felt awful for how badly the artist alley was treated, and they often went out of their way to try and help people who needed it. My only complaint was the lack of cohesive information between staff, such as the parking and load-in information I described earlier. I completely understand that this kind of stuff just happens, not everyone gets briefed on the same information in the midst of such a huge event, so I don't blame the staff but rather the management for this issue. However we do turn to the staff for information and it's a problem when we have to keep looking through different staff members across the center until we happen upon someone who knows about something as critical as parking and loading.
SUMMARY: There's so much bad blood brewed between the bad reputation of the owners, the inflated attendance numbers, the boycott over the lack of a refund policy in 2020, and the mistreatment of artist alley. If you're local and you have to make that bread, props to you. There's money to be made at this convention and if that's what speaks to you, and you don't expect to have to pay a ton to ship your goods, then this is a great convention for someone with minimal travel expenses. However many vendors and artists I spoke with who traveled in from out of town said that this convention was not worth the trek.
AM2021: Extremely Disappointing, Won't Return
This is a vendor review. However I am well aware of how bad the AA got treated for 2021, which will be mentioned later. Background: I am an out of state vendor and the only reason why I attended Anime Matsuri was the supposed 40,000 attendance. I was anticipating that there would be some pent up demand with ravenous fans wanting to attend. Communications with staff said they were expecting 45,000. This show is nowhere near that sort of number. What I can only guesstimate is they are publishing their turnstile numbers which divided over 3 days makes way more sense. I've attended a lot of conventions and this felt like a 15K convention. There's lots of 15K attendance conventions available and the expense of freight and travel so far for only 15K is simply not justifiable.
Friday was the best day for sales. Things dropped off significantly for Saturday. This is the opposite of how it should be. Saturday should always better than Friday. Sunday was a ghost town. I've never seen a show fizzle out so badly. Usually a Sunday is less than a Friday but not dead-dead. The vendor next door packed up and left early on Sunday because it was so bad. Vendor spaces are expensive, so to walk away from that much investment says a lot. Despite doing well on Friday, our total ROI was approximately -50%. We lost thousands of dollars in flights, hotels, and freighting. Attendees were receptive to our space and some were very engaged, bringing their friends over to shop as well. Ultimately I blame the AM staff for not telling the truth when it came to attendance.
Another issue was how staff were very communicative at first, then they really dropped the ball. They kept missing deadlines with load-in information and freight had to be shipped out with a generalized "Houston, TX" vs. an actual delivery address. Later when load-in information was finally provided we had to update the shipment in transit which was stressful and 100% avoidable had staff not fallen down on the job. Apparently AM relies too heavily on volunteers and it needs to invest in using some paid professionals for key areas like exhibitors.
About AA. I really feel for you. While the Exhibit Hall was on the first floor and had appropriate traffic relative to attendance, the Artist Alley was hidden away on the 3rd floor. People did not know how to get to the third floor. I knew someone who was in the AA and kept sending people up there to check them out and they reported back that of only a handful of referrals actually made it. Staff finally responded to their failure with a notification in the app reminding people that the AA was on the 3rd floor, along with some small signage directing attendees up to the third floor, but it felt too little too late.
All in all not worth the time, money, or effort. Do better AM. Tell the truth about attendance. Don't set your AA up for failure.
Alola August
One of the Biggest Disasters I've Seen
So just as some background information, I am a Houston native that has been selling at conventions since I got out a high school almost 2-decades ago. This was my first time at Anime Matsuri, and out of desperation due to slumped pandemic-related sales, I woefully ignored its horrible reputation in hopes that I could somehow override this system. I was a fool.
So many awful things to be said about my experience (from the rude staff to some of the rude congoers) but what really got under my skin was the layout. Why the AA was placed up two flights of elevators behind a blank blue wall will never make sense to me. It felt like there was no AC on Saturday/Sunday so the musty smell permeating the area was equally unpleasant when combined with the grotesque humidity. Foot traffic was next to awful, but it seems like this has been a recurring issue for years now. The numbers have to be fudged because the attendance was so weak that I contemplated leaving early on Saturday, something many of the other vendors DID. I have never seen such a "large convention" have so poor of a turnout that people left on the busiest day of the event. I'm 100% sure Covid played a role in this, but the lack of foot traffic compared to other areas/floors was certainly a factor as well. Communication was extremely poor and my team had no idea where to set up initially. We had to lug items up the escalator which was ABSURD because the front staff lied to us and said there was no other entrance to bring in merch. A damn mess.
I will never be going back to Anime Matsuri. A complete waste of my time.
Oh and PS: The prices were absurd. Don't even bother going as a congoer. It's a waste of your time as well.
Great layout, good sales, and low activity
We were located by the bathrooms and felt that the foot traffic was not as great compared to other areas of the con.
Staff was clueless about where things were and they don't check in with you at all.
I really liked the venue and the open-concept. All of the artists, dealers, and celebrities were in the same room, but there was plenty of space.
There was also a ton of parking! I parked 2 blocks away for $5!
The table itself was a bit expensive, but we were able to break even with table costs on the first day.
Anna Lee
OK at best
Overall - I don't recommend this con. Like some other reviews said, it doesn't feel like 45k attendance; because it's not. That is the turnstile attendance, which means it's actually closer to 15k at best. So the high amount of tables there (over 200), makes it super hard to turn a profit. Not only that, but there is a small boycot also going on, so the con has a bit of bad PR at the moment.
One great thing is the venue. It's super open and well-kept. I personally love the hard/concrete floors because I tape the legs of my backdrop down, so it worked to my advantage.
The staff were very helpful and kind. They greeted us as soon as we entered, showed us to our table, and they always answered any questions we had. We only had a bit of trouble with venue staff (of the convention center itself.) Vendors were allowed to bring in their own drink/food, but there was some kind of miscommunication with some of them on the last day, and we ended up having to throw some out, which was extremely disappointing.
Like I mentioned earlier, there were way too many artist tables for the amount of people, so the layout didn't really work that well. None of the tables were numbered, so if an attendee was looking for someone, that was a lost cause. And, if you weren't by the consessions/bathrooms (which were in the same place), you didn't get much foot traffic. I was lucky to be in the consessions area, but some of my friends were not so fortunate, and they said their sales suffered quite a bit.
Attendance was fine, but it's really not what they post on their website. I've seen numbers like 36,000 to 46,000 and even 142,000... This is not even close. If anything, I could see it being 46,000 turnstile, so please keep that in mind. It's really not such a huge convention in terms of numbers.
Lastly, I just want to note, it's not super affordable for the artist or congoer. For the average attendee, they only bring so much, and when you have to drop $85 just for the ticket, that's less you get to spend. They charge more for a ticket than ACen with half the attendees. That doesn't make sense to me. Furthermore, the table costs more than an ACen table, and it's significantly smaller. I'm not just talking about the table. The area behind you (your booth space) is so small, the displays were touching, and I'm not sure how it honestly wasn't a potential hazard if there was a fire or any kind of emergency.
There's many things that could be improved with this con. I drove 22 hours to vend here, and I was very unsatisfied and will not be returning. Hope some other Texas artists can have more luck!
Lolnope
Not worth it for out-of-state artists
Just came back from the con.
Layout is awful just like everyone else said it was.. tables are too spaced out, and it's hard to find anyone's table when walking around. The actual layout is different from what was stated on the online map. There was at 25 feet of space in front of my table to the wall, which will allow customers to float on by without even noticing my merch. If you're unlucky like me to get placed in the very back row, good luck getting any foot traffic. Lots of people I spoke to -small artists, big artists, and vendors, said that crowds are sparse and sales were far from phenomenal. Two said that their friday sales did better than saturday, which has never happened to them before. Few of them who spent over a thousand dollars to come to the con barely broke even. The con claims to have at least 40k attendees, it feels more like 15k at the most. I've made twice as much at conventions with half the attendance size.. that's BAD. I've heard that people will also set up shops (selling jewelry and merch)outside of the convention to make sales BEFORE the attendees even enter the building. Did I mention that all artists are shoved towards the back and that a large chunk of the room is bathed in darkness because of some film showing nearby? This convention is just laid out in a way that seems purposefully meaning to sabotage artist sales. Don't go to this con- it's pretty garbage.
Worth it only if you're local.
I feel like this is the general consensus among everyone who tabled at AM.
To start out with, I, and other artists who came early to set up, had no idea where to register and pick up our badges. We literally roamed into the exhibit hall in search of anyone in charge, only to find no one. I went up to the badge registrations and they told us to go to exhibit hall C and find the person in charge, but no one was even there. Eventually we found an AA volunteer who said that they weren't supposed to be sending artists inside, and that we were supposed to get our badges in the front. The lack of organization was astounding.
Who thought it was a good idea to shove the dealer's room, the artist alley, the game/amusement hall, the car show, a stage, and just about everything into one giant room? I didn't even get to explore half of the exhibit hall because there was just too much shoved into one space. It was my first time tabling here and I ended up in the far back facing the wall where no one walked by. Luckily I was a good enough artist to attract enough customers to make a decent profit, but I definitely could have made more if people actually knew there were tables in the back. My neighbors didn't make enough to even pay for their meals that weekend, and they were from out-of-state. I spoke with other artists and we all agreed that traffic was slow because everyone was at the dealers side, not even knowing there was an artist alley side (all the artists were lined across the exhibit hall, with random empty tables/booths and islands of artists stuck in the most unfortunate, secluded positions where by the time people reached their tables, they had already seen enough and didn't bother going to those tables). The only artists who got it good were the ones whose tables were near the dealers in the center of traffic, everyone else got little to no traffic. Attendance means nothing if people don't even know where you are.
The AA staff and AA volunteers (can't say the convention staff, since they weren't the most helpful) were kind though. They often came by to ask us how we were doing and if we needed anything, and I've been to conventions where I didn't even know the staff existed, so that's a plus.
I'm giving it 3 1/2 stars only because the AA staff was nice, and I didn't have it as bad as others, but it's definitely not worth it if you are not local. I will be going again next year simply because it's one of the few large cons that are in Texas, and I only do in-state cons. Hopefully they fix this problem by next year because the layout was an absolute joke.
only worth it if you're in state w/o much else to spend
This convention is completely only worth it if you're coming from in state and also aren't spending too much else on hotel or other merch. Go for it if you already have plenty of merch on hand, but it's not worth investing into either. Anime Matsuri likes to boast about it's high attendance, and I agree, there are definitely a lot of attendees, but they completely disorganized the Dealers & AA to the point that even DEALERS were doing horribly.
I made about 1/3 of what I made at San Japan last year while still selling plenty of fandom oriented merch, etc. None of this was the artist alley staff's fault. If anything, they were amazingly kind and completely understood how messed up the layout and organization was. According to what I understood, the layout is up to the chair ( John Leigh, ie. shittiest human being on the planet ) and all they really care about is raking in money from the dealers. I asked later Friday if I could move to one of the empty tables and the staff was amazing about helping me actually be able to do it. Even after moving to a place with more foot traffic closer to the Dealer's Booths, though, I still wasn't making what I needed to. I was definitely making around double as much as where I had been placed originally, but all in all, Matsuri was a total bust. Staff was amazing, but it's not worth the loss. I'm guessing this is why tables are 160$ for a convention supposedly with 30K + attendance.
Texan Artist
Artist Alley is a joke!!
Ugh! I hated this con. If you want a good anime con in Texas, try A-Kon, San Japan, or AnimeFest instead. Don't waste your time with this one!
Don't be fooled by their huge attendance numbers. The Artist Alley at this con seemed like an afterthought. The AA was tucked in the back of the Dealer's Room and saw almost no traffic. Attendees who did manage to stumble upon my table complained that the prices were too high. (my prices are perfectly reasonable and average for most anime cons)
The staff was RUDE!! I had a friend who decided to come with me as a helper last-minute, so I didn't buy her a vendor badge beforehand. When we arrived at the con, they wouldn't let her in to help me set up because she didn't have a vendor badge, and they refused to sell us one at the door because they were too lazy and weren't set up to take payments. She had to go wait in line for two hours to buy a regular badge (which cost $100).
The contract required artists to be set-up by 10am Friday, but even when the con opened, attendees were scarce and we didn't even have our first sale until about 4pm. Waste of time.
The layout overall was terrible. "Exit Only" doors were obnoxious and unnecessary. Signs and arrows pointed to doors that were locked or escalators that were closed. We had to walk in circles for 45 minutes just to figure out where to check-in for artist alley.
Also.. "No outside food or drink allowed in the convention center"? Excuse me??
This con MIGHT be OK local artists who are just getting started and can't afford to travel.
Marshminator
Big con, slow AA
Anime Matsuri boasts a huge attendance, but you may not see it in the artist alley. When I ask other artists about their experiences they usually say things are slow. It seems like that's the general feel every year: not super bad, but not too great either.
I just finished tabling this last weekend where estimates for attendance were around 30,000 (although that number has not been verified, and has already been hotly debated). The artist alley and vendor hall is of course large, and very competitive. People are supportive of the arts here, but the buying power may not be as strong as other conventions (that I have been to). The layout was also not beneficial to the AA, and a lot of attendees seemed to dodge the area entirely. I was appreciative of the AA staff that were flexible and helped me move to a table that was in better foot traffic (I've never had Sunday sales be better than Friday or Saturday, what a doozie).
Specifically speaking to numbers:
Anime Matsuri is over 10x larger than my other main convention. At Anime Matsuri, I made less than double what I do at the significantly smaller convention. I'm sure there are a lot of factors for this, but it still feels like a huge gap.
I travel to AM when my budget allows to visit friends and have some fun, so I'm sure I'll be back. However, for those traveling from out of state, you may not find the convention worth it. Caveat: I sell all original work, and it's definitely not as well received as fan art pieces.
Saving grace: FOOD TRUCK HEAVEN.


I just finished watching a movie based on the true story of Eddie 'The Eagle' Edwards. Mr. Edwards was the improbable English Olympic ski-jumper who qualified, and competed, in the 1988 Winter Olympics.
Eddie's story is uplifting and inspirational. It demonstrates the epitome of perseverance and resilience when one has a singular purpose. Eddie was dissuaded from participating in the sport of ski jumping. He was ridiculed by family, friends, his country, and people around the world. Yet, his conviction was so strong that despite failure after failure, and constant struggle, he achieved his goal… the Olympics.
Although I never strove to be in the Olympics, I have decided to pursue my passion – to help everyone around me find the best version of themselves – despite the odds not being in my favour.
In MBA school I was pushed to calculate probabilities of success in any business pursuit. Everything was mechanical and based on ROIs (i.e. return-on-investment). There was no equity placed on the 'softer' aspects of business, such as determination and passion. Numbers, above all else, predicted success.
Fortunately, the world isn't quite as black and white as business school would have us believe. On the contrary, things are rarely obvious and mathematically based.
This passage helps bring light to the conundrum of living a 'happy' and meaningful life, while at the same time 'struggling'.
Understanding that struggle isn't a binary concept (that there are degrees of struggle), we begin to accept that everyone is struggling in some relative fashion. Everyone. This is important to internalize because when we're in the thick of dark times, we may feel alone. We aren't.
Armed with this knowledge, our focus needs to shift to making our struggles worth it. If we're chasing that which is deep in the core of our being, we can't lose. We can't lose because the struggle is growth, and growth in areas of utmost importance results in happiness.
Yet, if we're struggling while not pursuing our passion, while not pursuing that which we've found (through trial and error and experience) to be fulfilling, the struggle quickly becomes a tragedy.


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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Event titles
French Fridays
Wayne Fitzgerald
Although his work has been seen by millions of movie-goers and inspired many other graphic and motion designers, Wayne Fitzgerald is not a name that immediately rings a bell. Not even with title designers in the know. Fitzgerald, however, designed an endless number of main titles for film and television (IMDB lists over 400), and worked with legendary directors such as Francis Ford Coppola, John Hughes, Martin Scorcese and Orson Wells. Lots of classic movies in that list too: Bonnie and Clyde, The Graduate, The Breakfast Club, The Godfather II and III and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, to name but a few. And what about his work for TV: Battlestar Galactica, Columbo and Dallas.
Fitzgerald doesn't do animation though, or, as animator Bob Kurtz put it: "He doesn't do 'fun'," so, at times, he collaborated with other designers and animators. With Kurtz, he made Four Rooms, Max Dugan Returns, Straight Talk, City Slickers and City Slickers II – all on this site.
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Seeing your partner falling out of love who have once made you as the center of her life.
sorry to hear, miya...just a few days ago, i spoke with my mom about death. i told her if i would lose her by death, i would be very miserable and i would lose my passion for work and everything that comes along. i'm not ready for this.
have you read, "heaven is for real?" although that book fails to provide philosophical explanations about the existence of heaven, that gives hope of seeing our loved ones...in due time. i wish you joy in other aspects of your life. i wish you happiness and strength to go on for those who love you and for yourself as well.
It's hard, when they died nawala ako sa direction. Nagbago lahat.
And in my difficult moments, I hope nandito sila kasi they always make things ok.
missing the opportunity to tell someone that you have loved them for years because you are too cautious... also feeling alone and unneeded... my purpose is to facilitate others and i have no confidence to find my own happiness... so yeah, atm life hurts pretty much.
yung mahal mo ang isang tao , nag eeffort ka lahat gingawa mo prang mging ok kau tas inaakala mong ok kau mahal ka din nya pero lolokohin ka lng at mahuli mo pang may kalandiang iba sa chat, may ka in a relationship sa ibang fb account! sheet saklap diba?
When she knows you're hurting but she keeps doing it anyway.
When you have given everything you can and she tells you "kulang pa"
Yung ramdam mong may kulang sa buhay nya pero nandyadyan sya kasi mahal ka nya.
When you love someone and they just walk out on you and act like nothing ever happened.
...losing the person you love the most and not being brave enough to fight for it.
Ung walang makitang tama at maganda sa ginagawa mo. Ultimo post sa fb, gagawing issue.
you love her. she loves you. but you're not getting back together. not for a while. or maybe never. waiting... holding on, trying to fight for your love but unsure if she's with you or you're fighting alone.
When regardless of what has been said and done..
Feelings for her never changed a bit..
You still.love her as if she didnt break.your heart..
Innate compulsions that you can't really control, that make you hate everything, even yourself.
"I may not be the perfect one, but God knows I'm doing everything at my very best..."
Subject: Re: What hurts the most?


It's been four years since Darren Hayes released an album – though there was the dance outfit We Are Smug. And of course I was excited. Through pain, not complete eagerness, I was awake at 4 am on Friday morning, and decided to check whether Secret Codes and Battleships was available for purchase. I may have been one of the first to buy the album. By 4.15 am, I had purchased the album and was listening to it as I drifted in and out of slumber. I purchased the CD version later that day, too.
I am constantly impressed by Darren's lyrics. And this album is no exception. It is in my nature to read lyrics deeply, and perhaps due to some of my experiences in these past four or five months, I feel like some of the songs were written about my situation. I was told that the sign of a truly great artist is being able to relate to them. And so I do.
without you in it there's no point to our story"
Another favourite of mine is Siren's Call. It reminds me of whales. Just beautiful. And the versions of Talk Talk Talk and Black Out the Sun performed in the attic are beautiful too.
The album, like Darren's previous two solo releases, is themed. Secret Codes and Battleships carries the theme of the sea and love lost – with metaphors of the sea scattered through the songs. It's a lyrically dark album, but sonically uplifting. While I probably wouldn't dance to this album, it is certainly a pleasant listen. His vocal range is pretty amazing, though I prefer the sound of his lower notes.
Darren is a honest lyricist, and on first listen it is easy to wonder whether he has written about the break up of his relationship. But in reading recent articles and listening to interviews, he states that the album is based on seeing other peoples' relationships falling apart, and also the demise of a friendship.
I am seeing Darren live in just over a week, twice, and can't wait to watch him play this new album live, and rekindle the old songs.


text:
\section{Introduction}
\label{intro}

Planetary systems with transiting planets are a fundamental source of information on stellar and planetary properties, in particular they allow us to measure the mass and the radius of the planets by removing the inclination degeneracy that affects systems without transits. Moreover, the angle $\epsilon$ between the orbital angular momentum  and the stellar spin axis can be measured in such systems and enable us to discriminate among different formation and evolutionary scenarios. In the case of hot Jupiters, if the planet underwent inward migration by angular momentum exchange with a protoplanetary disc \citep{Linetal96}, the stellar spin should be almost aligned with the orbital angular momentum, whereas if the small semi-major axis  of its orbit were due to the Kozai mechanism \citep{Kozai1962} or planet-planet scattering \citep{RasioandFord96}, high obliquities would generally be expected. If the planet transits across the stellar disc, the radial velocity anomaly detected during the transit, i.e., the so-called  Rossiter-McLaughlin effect \citep[see e.g.][and references therein]{Triaud2010} can be used to measure the projected obliquity $\lambda$, i.e., the angle between the projections on the plane of the sky of the orbital angular momentum and the stellar spin. From the value of $\lambda$, it is possible to derive the obliquity $\epsilon$ if the inclination $i_{\rm s}$ of the stellar spin to the line of sight is known (cf. Eq.~\ref{eps_equa} of Sect.~\ref{theory2.1}).

Since it has been empirically suggested that hot stars ($T_{\rm eff} > 6250$~K) with hot Jupiters have high obliquities \citep{Winnetal10}, it is very interesting to apply different methods both to constrain the obliquity of transiting systems in general and to look for the presence of additional companions that may have perturbed the orbit of the planet.

In this work, we illustrate how the long-term variation in the transit duration (hereafter TDV) can be used to constrain the obliquity of the stellar rotation axis and to derive indirect evidence of other bodies in a planetary system. We study the general case of a system with both an oblique and eccentric orbit giving an expression for the TDV that contains only measurable quantities. This is useful for a straightforward application of our results to the known transiting systems and to apply the method to ground-based and space-borne transit surveying and monitoring.

\section{Apsidal and nodal precessions}

Perturbations of the Keplerian orbit occur whenever the force field controlling the motion of the planet is not spherically symmetric or does not follow the inverse-square dependence on the orbital radius.  \citet{Miralda02}  considered two cases: the precession of the orbital plane of a circular orbit in a misaligned system  and the precession of the periastron when the orbit is eccentric, in the limit of a small eccentricity and assuming that the orbital plane coincides with the stellar equator. In both cases, the cause of the precession is the gravitational quadrupole moment of the star.
The latter case was further extended to an arbitrarily large eccentricity  by \citet{Pal2008},  independently of the physical mechanism causing the precession of the periastron. \citet{Iorio2011} then proposed  a set of uniform self-consistent analytic expressions accounting simultaneously for the effects of all the perturbing accelerations on the duration and the mid-time of the transit.

In the present work, we identify the known systems for which a TDV can be easily observed over a time interval of the order of a decade, so that they can be readily used to constrain the spin-orbit alignment. Moreover, the apsidal precession in systems with an eccentric orbit may be used to estimate the Love number of the planet that is related to its internal density stratification, as shown by \citet{Ragozzine2009}.

We introduce a simple approach, using the formulations of \citet{MardlingLin02} for the secular variations in the orbital elements,  merging the results of \citet{Miralda02} and \citet{Pal2008}, to assess their effects on TDVs. In our formulation, parameters or orbital elements  that cannot be directly measured, such as the longitude of the ascending node of the orbit, are avoided, allowing us a direct application of our theory.

\subsection{Rate of change in the orbital elements}
\label{theory2.1}

We assume a cartesian orthogonal reference frame $\mathcal{R}_0$ with basis vectors $({\mathbf{{i}}}, \mathbf{{j}}, \mathbf{{k}})$,  the origin at the barycentre of the host star, and the $\mathbf{{k}}$ vector along the line of sight, so that the $(\mathbf{{i}}, \mathbf{{j}})$ plane coincides with the plane of the sky.
Following \citet{MardlingLin02}, the  orbital elements are expressed through the specific relative angular momentum vector $\mathbf{h = r} \times \mathbf{\dot{r}}$, where $\mathbf{r}$ is the position vector of the barycentre of the planet,  and the Runge-Lenz vector $\mathbf{e}$, a vector in the direction of the periastron with magnitude equal to the eccentricity of the orbit. By definition, the vectors $\mathbf{h}$ and $\mathbf{e}$ are always perpendicular, although their components in the adopted reference frame will change in time owing to the perturbing potential. The secular evolution in the elements is obtained by time-averaging over the orbit, using the true anomaly as the integration variable. The eccentricity $e$, the semimajor axis $a$, the inclination $i$, the argument of periastron $\omega$, and the longitude of the ascending node $\Omega$ may be obtained from $\mathbf{h}$ and $\mathbf{e}$ through equations (21)--(27) of \citet{MardlingLin02}.

For a two-body system, the average rate of change in $\mathbf{h}$ and $\mathbf{e}$ can be written as the sum of the different perturbation contributions averaged over one orbit, i.e.
\begin{align}
\langle\mathbf{\dot{h}}\rangle&=\langle\mathbf{d}_{\rm QD_s}\rangle + \langle\mathbf{d}_{\rm QD_p}\rangle+ \langle\mathbf{d}_{\rm TF_s}\rangle +\langle \mathbf{d}_{\rm TF_p}\rangle, \\
\langle\mathbf{\dot{e}}\rangle&=\langle\mathbf{g}_{\rm QD_s}\rangle + \langle\mathbf{g}_{\rm QD_p}\rangle+ \langle\mathbf{g}_{\rm TF_s}\rangle + \langle\mathbf{g}_{\rm TF_p}\rangle + \langle\mathbf{g}_{\rm GR}\rangle,
\end{align}
where the different subscripts denote the perturbations as follows:
\begin{list}{--}{}
\item  ${\rm QD_i}$ is the effect of the quadrupolar distortion of the star, for $i=s$, and of the planet, for $i=p$, respectively; the quadrupole moment of each body arises from its spin centrifugal distortion as well as  from the tidal distortion caused by the other body;
\item ${\rm TF_i}$ is the effect of the tidal damping within the star, for $i=s$, and within the planet, for $i=p$, respectively;
\item ${\rm GR}$ is the effect of the (gravitoelectric) post-Newtonian potential\footnote{We neglect the usually much smaller gravitomagnetic effect, i.e., the Lense-Thirring precession \citep[see ][]{Iorio2011}.}
\begin{equation}
\langle\mathbf{g}_{\rm GR}\rangle=\frac{3 a^2 n^3}{c^2} \frac{e}{1-e^2} \, \mathbf{\hat{q}},
\end{equation}
where $c$ is the speed of light, $\mathbf{\hat{q}} \equiv \mathbf{\hat{h}} \times\mathbf{\hat{e}}$  is the unit vector orthogonal to the unit vectors in the directions of $\mathbf{h}$ and $\mathbf{e}$, respectively, and $n$ is the mean motion
\begin{equation}
n^2 a^3= G (M_{\rm s} + M_{\rm p}),
\end{equation}
$G$ being the gravitation constant, and $M_{\rm s}$ and $M_{\rm p}$ the mass of the star and the planet, respectively.
\end{list}
We focus on the evolution of the orbital elements that affect the observables of the transit on a relatively short timescale, i.e., of the order of a decade. Consequently, the terms $\mathbf{d}_{\rm TF_s}, \mathbf{d}_{\rm TF_p}, \mathbf{g}_{\rm TF_s}$, and $ \mathbf{g}_{\rm TF_p}$ related to the tidal effects are neglected, as they induce variations with typical timescales at least four orders of magnitude longer\footnote{Only in a few systems, e.g., CoRoT-11, might the tidal interaction induce variations in the orbital elements with observable consequences over a time interval of $\sim 30 $~yr if the stellar tidal quality factor $Q^{\prime}_{\rm s}$ is smaller than $(3-5) \times 10^{6}$ \citep[see ][]{Lanza11}.}. Therefore, the angles of the stellar and planetary spins  to the total angular momentum will be considered constant, as well as the values of the orbital eccentricity and semi-major axis.

 Considering that the planetary spin evolves to a coplanar state of pseudo-synchronization with the orbit within a typical timescale of  $\tau \approx 10^{5}$~yr for a planetary  tidal quality factor $Q^{\prime}_{\rm p} \simeq 10^{6}$ \citep{Leconteetal10}, we assume that the planet is already in this state and thus the planet's angular velocity can be written as $\mathbf{W}_{\rm p} = n\,\mathbf{\hat{h}}$.
The angular velocity of the star $\mathbf{W}_{\rm s}$ can be described in $\mathcal{R}_0$ by the angles $i_{\rm s}$ and $\phi_{\rm s}$, which are respectively the inclination to the line of sight and the azimuthal angle, so that the corresponding unit vector can be written
\begin{equation}
\mathbf{\hat{W_{\rm s}}} = \begin{bmatrix}
                      \sin i_{\rm s} \cos \phi_{\rm s}\\
                      \sin i_{\rm s} \sin \phi_{\rm s}\\
                      \cos i_{\rm s}
                     \end{bmatrix}_{\mathcal{R}_0}.
\end{equation}
The angular velocity of the star $W_{\rm s}$ is related to its equatorial rotational velocity $\tilde{v}$ (assuming rigid rotation) by $\tilde{v} = W_{\rm s} R_{\rm s}$, where $R_{\rm s}$ is the radius of the star. The spin of the star $\mathbf{L}_{\rm s}$ is defined as $\mathbf{L}_{\rm s}\equiv \underline{C_{\rm s}} \mathbf{W}_{\rm s}$,
where $\underline{C_{\rm s}}$ is the tensor of inertia of the star.  Its trace $C_s= \alpha M_{\rm s} R_{\rm s}^2$ is the moment of inertia of the star, where $\alpha$ is the fractional gyration radius.

We define $\epsilon$ to be the angle formed by the orbital angular momentum vector and the spin of the star, viz. $\cos \epsilon = \mathbf{\hat{W}}_{\rm s} \cdot \mathbf{\hat{h}}$, and let $\lambda$ be the angle formed by the projections of the orbital angular momentum and stellar spin on the plane of the sky. There is a simple relationship between $\phi_{\rm s}$ and $\lambda$, i.e. $\phi_{\rm s} = \Omega+\lambda+ \frac{\pi}{2}$; moreover
\begin{equation}
  \cos \epsilon~=~\cos i \cos i_{\rm s} + \sin i \sin i_{\rm s} \cos \lambda. \label{eps_equa}
\end{equation}
Applying those geometric relationships and inserting \citeauthor{MardlingLin02}'s Eqs. (48) and (49) into Eqs. (42) and (43), and then using their Eqs. (29), (30), and (31), the quadrupolar distortions of the star and the planet and the general relativity effect cause an orbit-averaged variation in the orbital elements given by
\begin{eqnarray}
\langle\frac{d i}{dt} \rangle&=& -A_{\rm s} W^2_{\rm s} \cos \epsilon \sin i_{\rm s} \sin \lambda, \label{eqomedot0} \\
\langle\frac{d \Omega}{dt}\rangle&=& -A_{\rm s} W^2_{\rm s} \frac{\cos \epsilon (\cos i_{\rm s} - \cos i \cos \epsilon)}{\sin i}, \label{eqomedot1} \\
\langle\frac{d\omega}{dt}\rangle &=& A_{\rm s} \left[ \frac{W_{\rm s}^2}{2}(3 \cos^2 \epsilon -1) + \frac{G M_{\rm p}}{a^3} f_0(e) \right] \label{eqomedot2}\\
&&+ A_{\rm p} \left[ n^2 + \frac{G M_{\rm s}}{a^3} f_0(e) \right] + \frac{3 a^2 n^3}{c^2}\frac{1}{1-e^2} -
    \langle\frac{d \Omega}{dt}\rangle \cos i,  \nonumber
\end{eqnarray}
where
\begin{equation}
f_0(e) = 15 \frac{1+\frac{3}{2}e^2+\frac{1}{8}e^4}{(1-e^2)^3},
\end{equation}
and $A_{\rm s}$ and $A_{\rm p}$ are factors that depend on the perturbing accelerations caused by the stellar and planet bulges, respectively, i.e.
\begin{align}
A_{\rm s} &=\frac{k_{\rm s}}{n(1-e^2)^2}\left( 1+ \frac{M_{\rm p}}{M_{\rm s}}\right)\left(\frac{R_{\rm s}}{a}\right)^5\label{asoverh},\\
A_{\rm p} &=\frac{k_{\rm p}}{n(1-e^2)^2}\left( 1+ \frac{M_{\rm s}}{M_{\rm p}}\right)\left(\frac{R_{\rm p}}{a}\right)^5\label{bpovere},
\end{align}
where $R_{\rm s}$ and $R_{\rm p}$ are the radius of the star and of the planet, respectively, $k_{\rm s}$ is the apsidal motion constant of the star,  and $k_{\rm p}=\frac{1}{2} k_{\rm L}$, where $k_{\rm L}$ is the Love number of the planet. For the hot Jupiters,  the Love number is expected to be in the range $k_{\rm L} \approx 0.1 - 0.6$ \citep{Ragozzine2009}, so we assume that $k_{\rm L}=0.3$. The values of $k_{\rm s}$ are computed as a function of the mass and the effective temperature of the star using the stellar models by \citet{Claret95} assuming a solar composition. For transiting hot-Jupiters, we usually find that $A_{\rm p}/A_{\rm s}~\simeq~100  $, which implies that the planetary distortion is predominant for orbital periods shorter than $\sim 3$~days, allowing a measurement of the planet Love number \citep[see ][]{Ragozzine2009}.

For polar and equatorial orbits ($\epsilon = 90^\circ$ and $\epsilon=0^\circ$, i.e. $\lambda=0^\circ$), there is no nodal precession because the torque applied to the planetary orbit by the stellar quadrupole vanishes. In contrast, the perturbation to the inverse-square law of the force introduced by the quadrupole term of both components and the relativistic effect cause an apsidal precession for all values of the obliquity $\epsilon$.

\begin{table*}[t]
\centering
\begin{tabular}{lccccccccc}
\hline\hline
Name & $T_{\rm eff}$ (K) & $e$ & $\omega$ ($^\circ$) & $\lambda$ ($^\circ$)& V mag& Refs. & $\Delta H$ (s/yr)& $\Delta H|_{\omega}$ (s/yr) &  $\Delta H|_{i}$ (s/yr)\\
\hline
CoRoT-1    &  $5950\pm150$  & $0$               & - &  $77    \pm  11  $ &$13.6$ & 3, 12
  &  $-1.12 $   &  $ -1.12 $   &  - \\
*CoRoT-2		&  $5625\pm120$  & $0$               & - &  $-7.2   \pm  4.5  $ & $12.6$& 1, 5
  &  $0.92 $   &  $ 0.92$   &  - \\
HAT-P-2    &  $6290\pm110$  & $0.5163\pm0.0025$ & $185.22\pm0.95$ & $0.2   \pm  12.5$ &$8.71$& 17, 11
  &  $ 3.04 $   &  -   &  $3.04$\\
WASP-33     &  $7430\pm100$  & $0$               & - &  $-107.7\pm  1.6 $ & $8.3$ &6
  &  $-34.80 $   &  $ -34.80 $   &  - \\
Kepler-8   &  $6213\pm150$  & $0$     & - & $-26.9 \pm  4.6 $ &$13.89$&8, 10
  &  $2.06 $   &  $2.06$   &  - \\
TrES-4      &  $6200\pm75$   & $0$               &  - & $-6.3  \pm  4.7 $ &$11.6$&14
  &  $ 0.73 $   &  $  0.73 $   &   - \\
*WASP-3		&  $6400\pm100$ & $0$  				& - &  $3.3\pm3.45$		& $10.5$& 16 & $-1.03$ &$-1.03$ & - \\
WASP-17     &  $6550\pm100$  & $0.24\pm0.07$     &  $278\pm6.5$ & $-148.5\pm  5.1 $ & $11.6$& 2, 15
  &  $-5.82 $   &  $ -1.16 $   &  $-4.66$\\
WASP-18     &  $6400\pm100$  & $0.0085\pm0.001$  &  $-92.1\pm4.9$ & $-5.0  \pm  3.1 $ & $9.3$&7, 15
  &  $ 1.79$   &  $ 1.75 $   &  $0.04 $\\
*WASP-38		&  $6150\pm80$  & $0.0314\pm0.0046$ & $344.0\pm17.5$ & $15\pm43$ & $9.4$& 4, 13 & $-0.71$ & $-0.69$ & $-0.005$\\
XO-3        &  $6429\pm100$  & $0.2884\pm0.0035$ &   $346.3\pm1.3$ & $-37.3 \pm  3.7 $ & $9.8$&18, 9
  &  $ 12.70 $   &  $ 12.73$   &  $-0.03$\\
 \hline
\end{tabular}
\caption{Transiting planetary systems with measured misalignment for which $\dot{H} \geq 2 \times 10^{-8}$. The asterisk  denotes the systems that have a significant TDV when taking the extreme possible values for $\lambda$, see text for details. References: 1 : \citet{Alonso2008}; 2: \citet{Anderson2010}; 3: \citet{Barge2008}; 4:  \citet{Barros2011};  5: \citet{Bouchy2008}; 6: \citet{Collier2010}; 7: \citet{Hellier2009}; 8: \citet{Jenkins2010}; 9: \citet{Johns2008};  10: \citet{Kipping2011}; 11: \citet{Pal2010}; 12: \citet{Pont2010}; 13: \citet{Simpson2010}; 14: \citet{Sozzetti2009}; 15: \citet{Triaud2010}; 16: \citet{Tripathi2010}; 17:\citet{Win2007}; 18: \citet{Win2009}.
\label{tab1}
\end{table*}

\subsection{Variation in the transit duration}

We denote the duration of the transit by $H$, which is defined as the interval between the times when the centre of the planetary disc intersects the limb of the star during the ingress and the egress, respectively. Neglecting the curvature of the projection of the orbit because of its inclination, $H\simeq  \frac{\overline{AB}}{v_{\rm tan}}$, where $\overline{AB}$ is the chord travelled by the centre of the planet during its transit on the stellar disc with a tangential velocity $v_{\rm tan}$. We  define the angle $\gamma$ so that $\overline{AB} \equiv 2 R_{\rm s} \cos \gamma$, thus
\begin{equation}
H = \frac{2 R_{\rm s}}{v_{ \rm tan}} \cos \gamma. \label{eq:h0}
\end{equation}
The tangential velocity can be expressed as \citep{Pal2008}
\begin{equation}
v_{\rm tan}= a n \frac{1+e \cos \nu}{\sqrt{1-e^2}}, \label{eq:tanvelo}
\end{equation}
where $\nu$ is the true anomaly of the planet. We assume that the planet has a constant velocity during the transit equal to the velocity at mid-transit. The true anomaly $\nu$ and the phase angle $\theta$ are related by $\theta = \nu + \omega - \pi/2$. When $i=90^\circ$, the primary minimum occurs when $\theta = 0^{\circ}$ and $\nu = \pi/2 - \omega$. For transiting systems, $i \simeq 90^\circ$, thus we can apply these relationships without introducing an appreciable error and obtain
\begin{equation}
v_{\rm tan}= a n \frac{1+e \sin \omega}{\sqrt{1-e^2}}\quad \text{and} \quad \dot{v}_{\rm tan}= a n \frac{e \cos \omega}{\sqrt{1-e^2}} \dot{\omega}.
\label{eq:vtan}
\end{equation}
We note that for nearly circular orbits (i.e. when the eccentricity and/or the Lagrangian orbital elements
$e\cos\omega$ and $e\sin\omega$ are zero within a few $\sigma$), the true anomaly and $\omega$ are meaningless, but the phase angle $\theta$ has a well-defined value. In this case, the tangential velocity at the time
of each transit do not change within the uncertainties.
We define $b'$ to be the projected distance between the centre of the planet and the centre of the star at mid-transit, i.e, the impact parameter\footnote{The impact parameter is often given in units of the stellar radius, although here we use the non-normalized value.}, $b' \equiv R_s \sin \gamma$. In the framework of our approximations \citep{Kopal1959}
\begin{equation}
b'=\frac{a (1-e^2) \cos i}{1+e \sin \omega}.
\label{eq:bprime}
\end{equation}
Thus differentiating Eq. \eqref{eq:h0} with respect to the time and inserting equations \eqref{eq:vtan} and \eqref{eq:bprime}, we find
\begin{eqnarray}
\dot{H}  & = & \frac{2}{v_{\rm tan} \sqrt{R_{s}^{2} - b^{\prime 2}} } \left[ b^{\prime 2} \tan i \langle \frac{di}{dt} \rangle  + \right. \nonumber \\
 &  &  \left. (2 b^{\prime 2} - R_{s}^{2}) \frac{e \cos \omega} {1 + e \sin \omega} \langle \frac{d\omega}{dt} \rangle \right].
\label{hdot}
\end{eqnarray}

This equation is valid for all the values of $b'$ except $|b'| = R_s$, i.e. when the projected trajectory of the planet is tangential to the disc of the star and there is no transit.

\subsection{Method to observe the TDV and its accuracy}
\label{observation_method}

Equation~(\ref{hdot}) gives the TDV as a function of the variation in the orbital elements and parameters derived from the modelling of the transit light curve. On the other hand, the variations in the orbital elements depend on the orbital parameters of the system, the stellar rotation rate, and the inclination $i_{\rm s}$ of the stellar spin to the line of sight (cf. Eqs.~\ref{eqomedot0}, \ref{eqomedot1}, and \ref{eqomedot2}). The stellar rotation period can be derived from the rotational line broadening, the radius, and the inclination of the stellar spin $i_{\rm s}$, or from the rotational modulation of its optical flux. The inclination $i_{\rm s}$ can be measured in the case of a late-type star by asteroseismic methods \citep[e.g., ][]{Ballotetal06} or, for a moderately active star, by a suitable spot modelling applied to high-precision photometric time series such as those obtained with CoRoT or Kepler \citep[][]{Mosseretal09}.

In the case of a circular orbit, the precession of the line of the nodes induces an apparent inclination change that modifies the transit duration. The first term on the right hand side of Eq. \eqref{hdot} is indeed found to be caused by nodal precession, which we denote as $\left(\frac{\partial H}{\partial t}\right)_{\omega}$ [the subscript $\omega$ indicates that the argument of the periastron is fixed during the variation], is identical to the expressions of $dt_d/dt$ found in \citet{Miralda02} for circular orbits with the advantage that we do not introduce angles that cannot be measured because our $(\mathbf{i}, \mathbf{j})$ plane is the plane of the sky and not the invariable plane of the system. The second term in Eq.~\eqref{hdot}, which we denote as
$\left(\frac{\partial H}{\partial t}\right)_{i}$, is non-vanishing only for an eccentric orbit and is related to the  precession of the line of the apsides  \citep[cf. ][]{Pal2008}. As already noted by several authors, $\left(\frac{\partial H}{\partial t}\right)_{i}$ vanishes when the impact parameter $b'= \sqrt{2}R_{\rm s}/2$.

The duration of the transit can be determined with an accuracy that depends on the  depth of the transit, the accuracy  of the photometry, and the presence of  noise sources, e.g., related to stellar activity. In the case of the spatial mission CoRoT, the photon-limited photometric accuracy ranges typically from $\sim 75$ ppm in a hour integration time to $\sim 1130$ ppm/hour for a star in the magnitude range $11 \leq R \leq 16$ \citep{Aigrainetal09}. The Kepler telescope can reach $\sim 30$ ppm/hour to $\sim 700$ ppm/hour over the same range of magnitudes \citep{Jenkinsetal2010a}.  One of the most precise determination of transit duration was that obtained for CoRoT-11. In this case, stellar magnetic activity has a negligible impact because the stellar optical flux does not show a detectable modulation induced by starspots. Therefore, the accuracy is dominated by the transit depth and the photometric accuracy. The depth of the transit is $\approx 0.011$ mag and the star has $V = 12.94$ giving a photometric accuracy of $\sim 250$ parts per million for measurements collected by the CoRoT telescope with a cadence of $\sim 130$~s \citep{Gandolfi2010}. The accuracy of the transit duration is $\sim 50$~s considering a sequence of $\sim 50$ consecutive transits for the modelling. Since the aperture of the CoRoT telescope is $27$~cm, a dedicated space-borne telescope with an aperture of $\sim 3$~m should easily reach an accuracy of $\sim 5$~s in the measure of $H$ by acquiring data with a shorter cadence. Considering a time interval of 10 years, i.e., $\sim 3.2 \times 10^{8}$~s, we estimate that $\dot{H} \simeq 2 \times 10^{-8}$  can be assumed as our detection limit, corresponding to a variation of the transit duration $\Delta H$ of $\sim 0.6$~s/yr. \citet{Miralda02} obtained the same limit for HST observations of the brighter target HD~209458 ($V=7.64$) over a time interval of three years.
Hot stars ($T_{\rm eff} > 6000-6200$~K) are the most suitable candidates for this kind of measurement because of their more likely misalignment and their low level of magnetic activity, making the distortion of the transit profile and its depth variations induced by starspots negligible.

In addition to the light dip produced by the transit of the planet across the disc of its host star, it is possible to observe the occultation of the planet by the star, i.e., the secondary eclipse. This observation is easier in the infrared because of the most favourable flux ratio  and has indeed been performed for some of the systems cited in this study, e.g., CoRoT-1 \citep{Alonso2009}, CoRoT-2 \citep{Gillonetal10}, WASP-12 \citep{Croll2011}, and WASP-18 \citep{Nymeyer2010}. The secondary eclipse of OGLE-TR-56 \citep{Sing2009} has been observed in the visible from the ground.
The timing of the mid-occultation with an uncertainty of a few seconds has also allowed us to estimate $e \cos \omega$ for those systems with a precision of the order of $10^{-4}$. Moreover, the different durations of the transit and the occultation can be used to measure $e \sin \omega$, although with a lower precision \citep{Ragozzine2009}.
In Eq.~(\ref{hdot}), we note that, whereas an increasing inclination of the orbit (i.e., $di/dt > 0$) causes an increase in the duration of both the transit and the  occultation, the sign of $\left( \frac{\partial H}{\partial t} \right)_{i}$ changes in the case of the occultation because in this case $\pi$ must be added to the argument of the  periastron in Eq.~(\ref{eq:vtan}).

\subsection{Variations in the time of the mid-transits for eccentric systems}
\label{other_causes}

In the case of an eccentric orbit, the precession of the periastron will not only cause TDVs but also a variation in the time of the mid-transit (hereafter TTV) leading to a slow change in the observed orbital period $P_{\rm obs}$.
 Since we have neglected the effect of the changing inclination of the system $i$ on the  true anomaly of the planet at the time of mid-transit (cf. Eq. \ref{eq:tanvelo} and \ref{eq:vtan}), we  assume that the nodal precession will not affect the rate of change of the observed period $\dot{P}_{\rm obs}$. Therefore, we use the derivations of \citet{Pal2008}, valid for $i=90^\circ$ and arbitrary eccentricity
\begin{equation}
\dot{P}_{\rm obs}= \frac{(1-e^2)^{3/2} e \cos \omega}{(1+e \sin \omega)^3}\frac{P_0^2}{\pi}
\left( \langle \frac{d \omega}{dt} \rangle  \right)^{2},
\label{pdot_peri}
\end{equation}
where $P_{0}$ is the true orbital period, i.e., $P_0=2\pi/n$. The difference $O-C$ between the observed epoch of mid transit and that computed with a constant-period ephemerides is
\begin{equation}
O-C = \frac{1}{2} P_{0} \dot{P}_{\rm orb} N^{2},
\end{equation}
where $N$ is the number of transits elapsed from the initial epoch and we have considered a time interval much shorter than $2\pi / \langle \frac{d\omega}{dt} \rangle $ so that $\dot{P}_{\rm obs}$, given by Eq.~(\ref{pdot_peri}), is virtually constant.
We note that the sign of $\dot{P}_{\rm obs}$ is the opposite for the occultation because in this case $\pi$ must be added to the argument of the periastron $\omega$ in Eq.~(\ref{pdot_peri}). Therefore, the $O-C$ of the occultation will have the opposite sign of that of the transit, by analogy with the case of eclipsing close binaries with eccentric orbits \citep[cf., e.g., ][]{Gimenezetal87}.

Finally, we note that the presence of a third body in the system can induce a further precession of the orbital plane leading to an additional term in $\langle \frac{d \omega}{dt} \rangle $ \citep[cf. ][]{Miralda02}, that will change the value of $\dot{H}$ and $\dot{P}_{\rm obs}$. If the semi-major axis of the third body orbit is much larger than that of the planet, the light-time effect due to the motion of the star-planet system around the barycentre of the triple system is the dominant effect and we expect to observe the same variation in the times of both the transit and the occultation. If the third body orbit is close, it is likely to be in a mean motion resonance with the transiting planet orbit, a configuration which ensures the stability of the system. In this case, TTVs of several tens of seconds or minutes are expected, even for a third body with a mass comparable to that of the Earth \citep{Agoletal05}. Moreover, radial velocity measurements can be used to look for  a close third body, allowing us to test this interpretation.

In conclusion, the observation of a TDV without an accompanying TTV can be considered as an indication that nodal  precession is the dominant effect, at least for a circular orbit. In the case of an eccentric orbit, an additional contribution to the TTV arises from the precession of the periastron. In principle, it can be distinguished because it produces opposite TTVs for the  transit and the occultation.

\section{Applications}

\subsection{Systems with  measured misalignment}
At the time of writing, the projections of the obliquity of 31 transiting systems with hot Jupiters have been measured. However, this measure is usually subject to an uncertainty of $50-100$ percent when $|\lambda| \lesssim 10^\circ$. Assuming $\dot{H}=2 \times 10^{-8}$ as the detection limit, there are eight known misaligned systems for which the TDV  can be measurable. In Table~\ref{tab1}, we list their relevant parameters, from the left to the right: the name of the star, its  effective temperature, the eccentricity of the orbit, the argument of periastron, the V magnitude of the star, the references, the change of the duration of the transit in seconds per year $\Delta H$, the variation in the duration caused by nodal precession $\Delta H|_{\omega}$ in seconds per year, and, for eccentric systems,  the variation in the duration caused by apsidal precession $\Delta H|_{i}$, assuming $i_{\rm s} = 90^\circ$, also in seconds per year. We note that there are three more systems, i.e., CoRoT-2, WASP-3, and WASP-38, denoted by an asterisk in Table~\ref{tab1},  for which the TDVs can be measured if we assume the extreme possible values for their measured $\lambda $. We note that for HAT-P-2, $i=90^\circ$ so that $b'=0$ within the uncertainties and the nodal precession term vanishes at the present time.

A significant departure from the predicted TDV value can be interpreted as an indication of either a third body in the system \citep[cf. ][]{Miralda02} or an oblique planetary spin axis, if the system is very young. Specifically, if the tidal quality factor of the planet $Q^{\prime}_{\rm p} \sim 10^{8}-10^{9}$, as predicted by some models for coreless massive planets \citep[cf., e.g., ][]{GoodmanLackner09,Ogilvie09,PapaloizouIvanov10}, the tidal damping of the planetary obliquity takes place over timescales of the order of $10-100$~Myr that would lead to an observable additional nodal precession. This happens because an additional term is present in Eq.~(\ref{eqomedot0}) when the planetary spin is not aligned with the orbital angular momentum, with a coefficient $A_{\rm p} \sim 100\, A_{\rm s}$ that gives rise to a significant contribution to the variation in the inclination of the orbital plane. The detection of this effect would provide a lower limit to the largely unknown planetary tidal factors in the case of young systems \citep[cf., e.g., ][]{OgilvieLin04,GoodmanLackner09}.

\begin{figure}[b]
\begin{center}
\includegraphics[width=0.7\columnwidth]{durat_var_detectability.ps}
\caption{The current number of systems with a circular orbit expected to have $\dot{H} \geq 2 \times 10^{-8}$ as a function of the obliquity $\epsilon$ and the inclination of the stellar spin to the line of sight $i_{\rm s}$, in bins of $5^\circ \times 5^\circ$. }
\label{densitymap}
\end{center}
\end{figure}

\begin{table}[t]
\centering
\begin{tabular}{@{\extracolsep{\fill}}lcccc}
\hline\hline
Name & $T_{\rm eff}$ (K) & V mag & Refs. & $\Delta{H}$ \\
\hline
CoRoT-11     & $6440\pm120$ &$ 12.8$ & Ga10 & $-48.05$ \\
HAT-P-6     & $6570\pm80$ &$10.4$& No08 & $-1.04$ \\
HAT-P-9     & $6350\pm150$ &$12.3$& Sh09 & $-1.17$ \\
OGLE-TR-56   & $6119\pm62$ &$16.6$& To08 & $-0.67$ \\
OGLE-TR-L9   & $6933\pm60$ &$13.97 I$ & Sn09 & $-38.59$ \\
WASP-19      & $5500\pm100$ &$12.3$   & He11 & $-2.59$ \\
\hline
\end{tabular}
\caption{Transiting planetary systems with undetected misalignment and eccentricity with $\dot{H} \geq 2 \times 10^{-8}$ for $\epsilon \leq 25^\circ$. The value of $\Delta{H}$ is given in seconds per year and is computed for $i_{\rm s} = 90^\circ$ and $\epsilon=25^\circ$. References:  Ga10: \citet{Gandolfi2010}; He11: \citet{Hellier2011}; La09 \citet{Latham2009}; No08: \citet{Noyes2008};  Sh09: \citet{Shporer2009}; Sn09: \citet{Snellen2009}; To08: \citet{Torres2008}. }
\label{tab2}
\end{table}

\subsection{Systems with a circular orbit}

To date, 32 transiting exoplanetary systems with undetected eccentricity and misalignment are known. If the eccentricity of the orbit is close to zero, then the only significant source of variation of the duration of the transit is the spin-orbit misalignment. We give in Fig.~\ref{densitymap} the number of systems for with $\abs{\dot{H}} \geq 2 \times 10^{-8}$, i.e.,  expected to be detectable within three to ten years of observations, computed on a grid of $5^\circ$ resolution for $0^{\circ} \leq \epsilon \leq 85^\circ$ and $0^{\circ} \leq i_{\rm s} \leq 90^\circ$.
 The most favourable case occurs for the greatest value of the obliquity and  small values of $i_{\rm s}$, because the angular velocity of the star is higher than the projected measured value, at least for inclination values that do not lead to a rotation rate exceeding the break-up velocity. The other extreme case is more interesting, as it shows that small ob\-li\-qui\-ties can indeed be constrained by measuring TDVs. We list in Table \ref{tab2}, from left to right, the name, the effective temperature, the V magnitude, the reference for the orbit, and $\Delta{H}$ in seconds per year of the six stars for which a value $\epsilon \leq 25^\circ$ can be detected assuming a $2 \times 10^{-8}$ level of accuracy for $\dot{H}$. The three systems that have the fastest nodal precession, even for a quasi-aligned configuration, are CoRoT-11, OGLE-TR-9, and WASP-19 for which $\epsilon \leq 10^\circ$ can be measured provided that $70^\circ \leq i_{\rm s} \leq 90^\circ$.

In the case of stars hotter than $T_{\rm eff} \sim 6500$~K, an accurate measurement of $\lambda$ through the Rossiter-McLaughlin effect can be difficult owing to their rapid rotation and relative paucity of spectral lines \citep[cf., e.g., the case of CoRoT-11 in ][]{Gandolfi2010}. In those cases,  an upper limit to $\epsilon$ can be derived solely from the measurement of the nodal precession because $\sin i_{\rm s} \sin \lambda < 1$, so that Eq.~(\ref{eqomedot0}) gives
\begin{equation}
| \cos \epsilon | > \frac{1}{A_{\rm s} W_{\rm s}^{2}} \left| \langle \frac{di}{dt} \rangle \right|,
\end{equation}
where the variation in the inclination is derived from the TDV and the parameters of the transit (cf. Eq.~\ref{hdot}).

\subsection{Systems with eccentric orbit}

In the case of eccentric systems, the duration of the transit will vary, even if the system is aligned, owing to the apsidal precession. Out of  28 eccentric systems for which no significant Rossiter-McLaughlin effect has been reported, there are three that reach $\abs{\dot{H}} \geq 2 \times 10^{-8}$. Table \ref{tab3} lists their names, the effective temperature of the star, the orbit eccentricity, the argument of the periastron, the V magnitude, the reference, the periods of apsidal precession caused by the relativistic effect $P_{\rm GR}$, the tidal bulges raised on the star and the planet  $P_{\rm tid}$, the oblateness of the star and the planet induced by their rotation $P_{\rm J_2}$, and   $\Delta{H}$ for $i_{\rm s}=90^\circ$ in seconds per year. For all of them, the predominant part of the apsidal precession is caused by the tidal bulges, and for HAT-P-23 and WASP-12, the oblateness effect is stronger than the relativistic effect, in contrast to the assumptions of \citet{Jordan2008}. However, this does not hold true for all the eccentric systems and in general we find that $P_{\rm GR} \leq P_{\rm J_2}$ and $P_{\rm GR} \approx P_{\rm tid}$.
\begin{table}[h]
\centering
\begin{tabular}{lccc}
\hline\hline
Name & HAT-P-23 & HAT-P-24 & WASP-12 \\
\hline
$T_{\rm eff}$ (K) & $5905 \pm 80  $ & $6373 \pm 80$ & $6250 \pm 150 $ \\
e     & $0.106 \pm 0.044$     & $0.067 \pm 0.024$     & $0.049 \pm 0.015$\\
$\omega$ ($^\circ$)     & $118 \pm 25   $ & $197 \pm 36$ & $286 \pm 0.11 $ \\
V mag & $11.94$ & $11.82$& $11.69$\\
Refs. & Ba10 & Ba10 & He09, Hu11\\
$P_{\rm GR}$ (yr) & $2272$ & $12047$ & $1705$ \\
$P_{\rm tid}$ (yr) & $133$ & $6407$ & $18$ \\
$P_{\rm J_2}$ (yr) & $1717$ & $50243$ & $272$ \\
$\Delta{H}$ (s/yr)& $ 15.10 $ & $ 1.26 $ & $-13.42 $\\
\hline
\end{tabular}
\caption{Eccentric transiting planetary systems with undetected misalignment with $\abs{\dot{H}} \geq 2 \times 10^{-8}$. The value of $\Delta{H}$ is computed for $i_{\rm s} = 90^\circ$. References: Ba10: \citet{Bakos2010}; He09: \citet{Hebb2009};  Hu11: \citet{Husnoo2011}. }
\label{tab3}
\end{table}
We note that for small obliquities, the rate of change in the transit duration does not vary significantly, and only two additional systems reach the level of $\abs{\dot{H}} \geq 2 \times 10^{-8}$ for $ 10^\circ \leq \epsilon \leq 25^\circ$, namely HAT-P-14/WASP-27 and HAT-P-21. We conclude that the measurement of TDVs to detect obliquity is the most interesting for systems with a circular orbit.

\section{Systems with observed TTV}
\label{observed_ttv}

The TTVs of some transiting systems have already been detected, although in some cases with an accuracy lower than considered above. The cause of the effect can be the presence of a third body in the system \citep[e.g., ][]{Miralda02,Agoletal05}, a change in the orbital period owing to the tidal interaction \citep[cf., e.g., ][]{Lanza11} or, in the case of an eccentric orbit, the apsidal precession.

Instances of TTVs have been detected for the system WASP-3 \citep{Maciejewski2010}. Even considering the highest allowed eccentricity, apsidal precession alone cannot explain the measured value. Furthermore, the period found in the $O-C$'s is three orders of magnitude shorter than the period of the precession, suggesting that the TTVs are due to a third body in the system.

Finally, we consider the system WASP-12, for which apsidal precession, in contrast to the other one, could account for the TTVs. The eccentricity of this system is quite uncertain, and was reported to be $e = 0.049\pm0.015$ in the discovery paper of \citet{Hebb2009}, but later constrained to the much smaller value  $e=0.017^{+0.015}_{-0.011}$ \citep{Husnoo2011}. Two transits, which are 661 and 683 epochs away from the initial epoch of the ephemerides of \citet{Hebb2009}, were observed by \citet{Maciejewski2011} with a formal photometric error in the range between 0.6 and 0.7~mmag for the individual measurements. Assuming the discovery paper value for the eccentricity, we  estimate an $O-C \sim 140$~s for their epoch $683$, which is incompatible with the observed value. Adopting the eccentricity after \citet{Husnoo2011}, we find $O-C \sim 42$~s, in excellent agreement with their measured value for their epoch $683$. However, the predicted $O-C$ disagrees with that observed at their epoch $661$. Therefore,  additional high-precision photometry of this system would be required to reach a definite conclusion.

\section{Conclusions}

We have shown that the variation in the transit duration should be readily  measurable for several known  planetary systems, and can be used to constrain the value of the angle between the spin axis of the star and the orbital angular momentum. Assuming that the planet is in a quasi-synchronous and aligned state with respect to its orbit, and neglecting tidal interaction and a possible third body, we have derived the rate of change in the orbital elements produced by the deformation of the bodies resulting from the centrifugal flattening and the tidal bulges as well as the general relativity precession. After combining the results of \citet{Miralda02} and \citet{Pal2008}, we obtained a general expression for the rate of change in the transit duration, which is valid for eccentric and/or misaligned systems. Assuming an inclination of  the stellar spin axis $i_{\rm s} = 90^\circ$, a relative photometric accuracy of about $100$ ppm in a hour integration time, a typical transit depth of $0.01$~mag, and an observation interval of $3-10$ years, we found that:
\begin{itemize}
\item eleven systems should display observable TDVs if their obliquity is consistent with the values of $\lambda$ measured through the Rossiter-McLaughlin effect; they are: CoRoT-1, CoRoT-2, HD147506/HAT-P-2, HD15082/WASP-33, Kepler-8, TrES-4, WASP-3, WASP-17, WASP-18, WASP-38, and XO-3.
\item six systems should display observable TDVs if their eccentricity is close to zero and their obliquity smaller than $25^\circ$; they are: CoRoT-11, HAT-P-6, HAT-P-9, OGLE-TR-56, OGLE-TR-L9, and WASP-19.
\item three systems may display observable TDVs, given the uncertainty in their measured eccentricity; they are: HAT-P-23, HAT-P-24, and WASP-12; moreover, HAT-P-14/WASP-27 and HAT-P-21 could  have observable TDVs, if their obliquity is $ 10^\circ \leq \epsilon \leq 25^\circ$.
\end{itemize}

For circular systems, an upper limit to the obliquity can be obtained using TDVs, which can be particularly interesting in the case of hot host stars whose rapid rotation gives rise to a sizeable quadrupole potential and rapid nodal precession. In principle, tidal or gravitational interaction with another body and nodal precession effects can be separated  because the former two produce TTVs and TDVs, whereas the latter gives rise to  TDVs only (cf. Sect.~\ref{other_causes} for details).

The TDVs can be used to constrain the  obliquity of the star (and the planet in systems younger than $10-100$~Myr), and the $J_2$ of the star and the planet, so that they can give information about the formation scenarios, or constrain the star and planet's internal structure through the apsidal motion constant or Love number. Moreover, they can provide an indication of a third body, even of a mass comparable to that of the Earth, because this body would make an additional contribution to the nodal precession or TTV \citep[see Sects.~\ref{other_causes}, \ref{observed_ttv}, and ][]{Miralda02,Agoletal05}. As of now, the spatial mission Kepler yields the highest cumulative precision and TTVs have been used to confirm the presence of multiple planets \citep[e.g.][]{Holmanetal2010}. However, the determination of the transit durations of the non-multiple systems does  not reach the level of accuracy discussed here. In their independent analysis of Kepler-4b to Kepler-8b, \citet{Kipping2011} obtained an accuracy of several tens of seconds on the possible TDVs and TTVs for those planets using only the discovery photometry, which spans about 40 days. However, Kepler has been in operation since May 2009, meaning that the number of observed transits should have increased by a factor of about 40 at the end of the mission, leading to a significant improvement in the accuracy of the measured transit durations. In the case of Kepler-4b, a 2 $\sigma$ marginal detection of eccentricity has been claimed, but only an upper limit at $e < 0.43$ can be assumed to $95$\% confidence. Using the parameters inferred from the eccentric fit to Kepler-4b of  \citet{Kipping2011}, the apsidal precession would cause a TDV of only about $0.17^{+0.88}_{-0.58}$ s over the two years of the mission for $e=0.25$, owing to the unfavourable orientation of the orbit with respect to the line of sight ($\omega= 84.5^{+18.0}_{-18.1}$).
Another interesting system in the Kepler field of view is HAT-P-7. However, even assuming the most favourable value of the obliquity compatible with the observations by \citet{Winnetal2009b}, we do not expect a TDV variation greater than one second over a time span of $\sim 15$~yr. Moreover, \citet{Winnetal2009b} present evidence of a third body in the system, thus a detection of a TDV by Kepler might confirm that a companion exists.

All other single planets discovered by Kepler so far have possible TDVs ranging from a few tenths of to one second over two years of observation, according to their different parameters. By the end of the mission, the accumulated photometry will surely be sufficient to place stringent constraints on the models parameters, and if the systems are misaligned, allow us to probe their stellar interiors through their TDVs.

\begin{acknowledgements}
The authors are grateful to the referee, Dr. Andras P{\'a}l , for a careful reading of the manuscript and valuable comments that helped to improve the work.
Active star research and exoplanetary studies at INAF-Osservatorio Astrofisico di Catania and Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia dell'Universit\`a degli Studi di Catania
 are funded by MIUR ({\it Ministero dell'Istruzione, dell'Universit\`a e della Ricerca}) and by {\it Regione Siciliana}, whose financial support is gratefully
acknowledged.
This research has made use of  the ADS-CDS databases, operated at the CDS, Strasbourg, France.
\end{acknowledgements}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


text:
Global EdTech Mega VC Rounds > $100M
The fundraising evolution of every single education player globally that has raised a USD$100m+ VC round
44 Education Mega VC Rounds > $100M in the last five years
Forty Four. Believe it or not, that is the number of education mega venture-capital rounds > $100M in the last five years.
Coursera's mid-April announcement of their $103m Series E re-ignited curiosity on the evolution of the MOOC model and its influence on the way that people might undertake learning in the future. The size of the round also sparked questions about the frequency and recency of $100m+ VC rounds in education.
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The chart above shows the funding evolution of the 34 education companies that have raised 44 $100m+ VC round this decade. Each dot represents a funding round. Chinese companies in red, US in blue, Indian in green and Africa (Andela – Africa focused, based in the US).
Between 2012 and 2014, Lynda.com was the breakout after 17 years of revenue funding (without taking a penny from outside investors) and reaching $100m of revenue in 2012, Lynda raised its first round and the sector's first mega-round for the decade in January 2013.
The only mega-round in the prior decade was Beijing-based Ambow Education Group, raising US$103 million in October 2008 in the belief that the education sector would cycle upward despite the global financial crisis.
2014-2015 was a peak funding period in general in the US with 10 mega-rounds in total. It was also the period when China surged, more than tripling its investment in 2015 over 2014, to $2B (see the chart below). The sector broke through to a new ceiling with $200M rounds from the likes of iTutorGroup.
2016-2017 saw the US consolidate after peak-hype from general investors in 2015 while China, India and Africa started their own streams of growth. VIPKid achieved Unicorn status mid 2017 raising $250m nearly 12 months after its first $100m round in August 2016.
And then there was 2018. Mega Rounds were the new normal and China had surged ahead with VIPKid setting a new record $500M round in June 2018 only to be topped by ByJu's from India when the 10-year-old company raised $540m in December 2018.
By this time and as 2019 broke, we were all warned of China's forthcoming 'capital winter', only to wake up in Q1 to mega-rounds from Zhangmen ($350m), DaDa ($255), Andela ($100m) and opening Q2 was Coursera's $103m Series E.
2019 is off to a fast start and give or take $1B of funding here or there, when you zoom out to changes over the last decade, its hard to argue that by the time we get to 2030, there is a much higher probability that the way the world learns and works will look very different than it does today.
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1.4 billion learners. India is an education giant.
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India is expected to overtake China as the largest country on earth by 2022 and grow to a population of about 1.5 billion by 2030. Education is set to become a powerful engine of the country's economic growth and development.
44 Global Education Mega VC Rounds > $100M
3 May 2019.
Q1 2019 Global Education Executive Brief
2 April 2019.
$2B of EdTech Venture Capital was invested globally, $5B+ of education M&A, education stocks gained $30B of market cap


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Posts Tagged 'rumors'
French state-owned international television supports Mr. Fangbin in Wuhan
February 16th, 2020 rolf	3 comments
Yesterday 15/2-20 «France 24» news network, showed a video about Mr. Fangbin in Wuhan, who was interrogated by the police, after he had entered hospital areas and filmed patients and alleged body bags, and also posted his videos on Chinese social media platforms. (The videos were also posted by Jennifer Zeng @jenniferatntd at Twitter).
The videos are badly made and actually it's just a stupid story, but France 24 has made it into a human rights issue, and also talks about all the support Mr. Fangbin has got on the internet. See his videos and France 24's article at https://observers.france24.com/en/20200207-china-wuhan-coronavirus-Fangbin-shopkeeper-censorship-videos
One of France 24's sources is an US-based group called «Chinese Human Rights Defender». And what sort of group is that? «Radio Free Asia» (Washington, D.C.) wrote in 2018 the following about their work: «Advocacy group China Human Rights Defenders (CHRD) and a partner NGO, Equal Rights Initiative, said Friday that in the southern XUAR alone some 660,000 rural residents of Uyghur ethnicity may have been detained in the camps, while another up to 1.3 million may have been forced to attend mandatory day or evening re-education sessions in their villages or town centers.»
https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/millions-08032018142025.html
From this one can see that «Radio Free Asia» surprisingly is using a tiny and almost unknown organization, called Chinese Human Rights Defenders, as a reliable source on Xinjiang.
The staff at Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD) are «International Director» Renee Xia (Mandarin, English), +1 863 866 1012 (+1 is USA and 863 is Florida area code), and Frances Eve (English), +1 661 240 9177 (which is in California; Twitter: FrancesEveCHRD). At their website no street address is given, but a post-box: PO Box 1905. Washington, DC 20013 USA.
One may wonder who takes care of their postbox, since none of the two lives in Washington DC? Ajit Singh and Ben Norton at Grayzone has checked the US tax forms of Chinese Human Rights Defenders, and found rather shockingly that: «On its tax forms, CHRD lists its address as the Washington, DC office of Human Rights Watch.» https://grayzoneproject.com/2018/08/23/un-did-not-report-china-internment-camps-uighur-muslims/amp/
At the web-site of Chinese Human Rights Defenders they write about their mission: «CHRD operates a small emergency grants program which provides legal aid and emergency assistance to victims of human rights abuses.» https://www.nchrd.org/about-chinese-human-rights-defenders
Since such a small organization also is able to «empower grassroots activism in China», as they write, they need funding, and a list at Hidden Harmonies, https://blog.hiddenharmonies.org/2018/09/03/the-national-endowment-for-democracy-and-china/ shows that in 2017 Chinese Human Rights Defenders probably got $672,000 from the National Endowment for Democracy (NED)! (The donations at NED's web-site are called «Assistance for Human Rights Defenders: $272,000, «Capacity Building for Human Rights Defenders: $300,000», «Defending and Assisting Rights Defenders: $60,000», and «Humanitarian Assistance for Human Rights Defenders: $40,000»)
$672,000 was in 2017 around 4,5 million yuan – a huge sum in China, and CHRD has likely used parts of these money to fund opposition activists and anti-government projects inside China.
Sadly state-owned «France 24» television – with millions of viewers, is willing – without any reservation, to use this obvious anti-China group as a reliable source about what's going on in Wuhan. That is journalism at a low level.
Categories: Uncategorized	Tags: coronavirus, rumors, Wuhan


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POLAND New stations on the air
All times UTC
1332 Twoje Radio Stalowa Wola has a power of 0.5 kW
1404 Twoje Radio Chojnice Plus has a power of 0.8 kW and broadcasts local programs 0700-0900 and 1700-1900 local time. At other times it's relaying Polskie Radio Gdansk.
1485 Twoje Radio Klodzko broadcasts local programs 0800-1000 and 1700-1900 local time. At other times it's relaying Polskie Radio Wroclaw. The station has a home page at: http://www.radioklodzko.pl/
1584 Twoje Radio Andrychow has a power of 0.8 kW and has local programming 0800- 0900, 1200-1300, 1700-1800 and 2100-2200 local time.
At other times it's relaying Polskie Radio Krakow. The station has a home page at:
http://www.radioklodzko.pl/
(various Polish sources via) http://www.finndxer.wordpress.com/
Additional information about 1404 Twoje Radio Chojnice Plus: The city is located 100 km southwest of Gdansk. The station is managed by a local paper "Chojnice24". The full station identification is: "Radio RCH Chojnice-AM 1404 kHz"
E-mail radio@chojnice24.pl
(Mauno Ritola-FIN and Bengt Ericson-SWE, via ARC MV-Eko Nov 12)
(Source: WWDXC Top News/BC-DX #834 via WB, Germany)