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Let's face it, business is almost completely conducted online. It simplifies every stage of the marketing mix, accounting, PR, sales and anything else that is fundamental to keeping a business running like a well-oiled profit machine. As an inbound marketer here at VoIP Innovations, the benefit of conducting all of my work online is so much better than having to deal with any other lagging methods of marketing. What's really insane is that if it weren't for this thing we call the World Wide Web, I wouldn't be employed, even crazier:Inbound wouldn't exist. It's almost unimaginable thinking of how my duties would carry over to a non-cyber platform. It's almost unimaginable, and near impossible. So let's think for a moment, are there business practices stuck in the past that we still implement today? Would those practices be more efficient if conducted online? Would your bottom line increase if they were? I'm sure we can come up with a few methods that are surely lagging behind in today's world of automation.
I'm going to narrow this down to one common business practice because it's so crucial to clients and businesses alike, especially if you're an ITSP. This practice would be automated billing.
Let's dive right in and break down the top 10 things to look for in a billing system for your VoIP business.
1. Automated Billing
Automated billing is necessary for every business. End of story. It automates the lengthy process of billing individual customers, making sure the customers have paid, and sending out any additional invoices. Sure its been done by mail for years, but has it ever been efficient?
In the wholesale world you are managing and selling thousands of DIDs. The only way to manage the payments invoiced to your customers and received from your customers is to have an automated pre-written set of emails or other alerts to remind customers of their due payments prompting them to your collection service. Could you imagine billing out thousands of bills via mail? It would take forever!
Even worse, new postal service mail delivery standards are being lowered. This means that payments and collections would be slowing down. VoIP Innovations has its own automated hosted billing system in BackOffice to make your collections easy.
2. Automated Collection Service
Automated collection services obviously are the end result of the automated billing system. To make the collection client-centric, offer multiple merchant services to collect payment. Set up multiple payment gateways that allow the use of a Visa, MasterCard or Amex.
Link your gateway to a merchant account. Once the payment is sent, the money needs to go somewhere. Merchant accounts are a type of bank account that allows businesses to accept money from payment cards. If you want to accept credit cards online, you will need a merchant account.
Once the gateway is established, utilize an ACH service (Automated Clearing House) which enables you to electronically collect payments from your customers for either single-entry or recurring payments by directly debiting your customer's checking or saving account. Offer the power of choice to your end user. Options make the billing systems more attractive to prospects and less intimidating for customers who are making the switch to automated billing. VoIP Innovations' BackOffice gives you and your client the choices and flexibility.
3. Alerts
You always, always, always want to keep your customers in the loop when it comes to billing. Using alerts keeps them one step ahead of the game, and your company two steps ahead of that.
Remember that billing, just like marketing, should be customer-centric. The last thing you want is your customer upset with not being able to use a Visa card or not being timely with your billing alert patterns. Make their preferred procedure your top priority. Clients often have specific preferences around invoicing and payment procedures; vendors who don't follow the rules quickly fall out of favor. Common sense as it may sound, your billing processes should never sacrifice the health of your client relationships. Alerting your clients regarding future payments, suspensions or expired credit cards will tremendously help both parties.
4. Monitor Sales
Consolidation is the key word here. In outdated billing systems, you have to send payments, collect payments, account for payments, send invoices if payments are unpaid, and somehow try to juggle all of that to measure revenue. With an automated billing system, everything you did before (or at least tried to do) is consolidated. Simply sift through and pull up accounts with a few clicks, measure your revenue and set goals, see what services are being sold the most or what packages you need to improve on. Monitoring your sales will provide many advantages and make your analytics much more clear.
5. Scalability
To handle a growing amount of work in a capable manner your billing system needs to be scalable. And let me tell you, implementing an automated billing/collection system carries that ability. Its ability to accommodate growth (which is every organization's goal, large or small) will allow for the influx of DIDs sold, as well as the billing attached to it. Automation is key when handling accounts, but even more efficient when analyzing hundreds or even thousands of accounts. Getting lost in translation will be in the past, your automated billing will provide crystal clear comprehension of where your company stands financially, with goals, and with the bottom line…all while allowing you to scale up.
6. Disputes/Tickets
Let's face it, with business comes the occasional problem. The same holds true for ITSPs. When looking into a VoIP billing system, make sure you have the ability to solve back-end and end user problems alike. When a customer complaint or issue comes about, give them the ease to submit a ticket that will have your support department contacting them with a solution as soon as possible or any other technical support. Customer convenience happens to be another advantage through the VoIP Innovations' BackOffice, resulting in your work behind the scenes to be smooth sailing.
7. Reports
Your company lives and dies by reporting. Without monitoring accounts receivable, call data reports, and payment; your business wouldn't be doing very well to say the least. Our BackOffice Titanium III platform consolidates all of your data into manageable lists. Easily track late payments and prevent further usage, send alerts if there are any credit card issues including expiration and declination, and see where the money is, and where it needs to be located. Having a billing system that does all of this will keep you way ahead of the crowd.
8. Financial History
It's now easier than ever to manage your financial history, if you have the right billing system that is. You should be able to simply scroll through your logged invoices, send them out again, track daily transaction and even go back through your payment history in order to settle a claim. The power of having all of this data at your fingertips is something worth talking about. No one wants to be sifting through actual papers to find an old invoice!
9. Integration
Be on the look out for a VoIP billing system that has the integrations you need. Have your merchant services, payment gateways, and switch equipment consolidated, and the ability to choose which you'd like to integrate. Plug in your CDRs (call data records) for an even more in depth look of usage to provide you with an over all look of active DIDs. The availability of integration only results in cohesiveness.
10. Account Flexibility
You want to offer the best packages and pricing that works for you and your customer. So why settle with a billing system that takes that flexibility away from you? You also want to offer that flexibility to your customer when making payments. Would they like a recurring payment plan that bills them automatically once a month, quarterly, or annually? Also, change the aesthetics of your invoices. You should have the ability to promote your brand and your company's overall "feel" with custom invoices. Lastly, taxation flexibility becomes a breeze when managing taxing across your merchant services and gateways.
Before you execute an auto-bill feature, ask your clients for permission to do so, along with specific instructions; they may ask to be part of the process so keep them involved! Also be prompt with alerts and notifications including the date you bill services to a credit card, or if they are running low on a DID budget etc.
Always give customers a reason to cooperate with your newly acquired automated billing service as well. Measure the success of auto-billing with customers that have jumped on board, and also measure the success it has brought your company. Share this information with a prospective customer; it might get them to make the switch. If all else fails, maybe even let them use a 30-day trial or a free demo. Once they've experienced how seamless the process can be, they should be convinced and auto-billing will be the "new normal".
To take an inside look at VoIP Innovations' BackOffice Titanium III, click the button to view our demo!


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1) I get constant crashes and restarts of game during torrent download if I use net install.
2) Black textures (or rather lack thereof), when I used full install. And I could not start game again. :|
Now I have fresh reinstallation of OpenSuSE with 3.12rc5 + Mesa 10 from pontostroy repos.
And 1) still presist. I'm downloading full instal atm.
And I'm using this tut:

subset: commoncrawl


text: All entrants must be available the week of the 14th through the 18th, 24 hours a day, to have their home or their deserving dad's home remodeled by TODAY Show staff. All entrants will sign legal disclosures upon being selected. By uploading your photo(s) here, you give The TODAY Show full rights to use them on TODAY.com and on broadcast.


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Photo from left to right: Caroline Lucas MP, Martin Brown, Deidre McMahon, Jesy Romero, Adan Samuel Pajuelo Bula, Neil Thorns
Jesy and Adan told how changes in the climate were already affecting the community in the Andes. Most notably, they showed how the glacier above the village had significantly shrunk leading to a serious reduction in the water in the lake on which they depended. Jesy works with the Peruvian Bishops Social Action Commission, supported by CAFOD, which is helping farmers adapt. For example, to try to conserve the lake, water has had to be rationed with some farmers only able to irrigate their crops for one day a month.
Because of the urgency of the global situation and because action needs to be taken now by all countries, the 'One Climate, One World' campaign is calling on the UK political party leaders to play their part. As they prepare the manifestos for the general election, CAFOD is asking them to include a commitment to work to prevent climate change pushing people deeper into poverty and to move from fossil fuels to sustainable energy.
Caroline Lucas told the meeting that climate change was a question of justice as the poorest countries were being most affected yet they had done the least to cause it. She said: "Do get stuck in, do believe that your efforts can make a difference because they definitely do."
The CAFOD Diocesan Manager, Martin Brown, said: "It was great to see so many people turn out to show their support and I hope all readers of A&B News will join us in demanding action and standing in solidarity with people who are being affected by the changing climate. Please take action online at cafod.org.uk/oneclimate."
Story: Roger Morton; photo: Ben White/CAFOD


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Colourtrend Exterior Paint Range at Pat McDonnell Paints
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Take a look for yourself!
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- Tintable: Yes


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Paddle Boarding and Exploring
This island is simply magical…
Today we decided to give Paddle Boarding a crack. It's something I've wanted to try for years, but never been quite confident enough to do. We hired our boards (free of charge for an hour) and headed out into the blue beyond.
I just kneeled and paddled for a while, trying to get the feel of the board. They're quite wide and surprisingly sturdy, although when there's a swell, it's all over for someone as unco-ordinated and clumsy as myself. Where you stand and put your feet, it's non-stick so you can get a pretty good grip.
Jase tried to stand up straight away and took a flying dive into the crystal clear waters. He got it right next time though, and was away.
We paddled around for most of the hour, and the kids were kayaking around us. Caitlyn wanted to see Jase stack it again, so started paddling around him, telling jokes and calling him names to make him laugh, which worked a treat. He teetered precariously and crashed down, but alas, onto the board instead of in the sea.
There was an almighty crack and the board snapped cleanly in half.
The swim of shame back to shore was rather humiliating for Jase, swimming slowly along touting a piece of board under each arm, like wings. Made worse was the fact that he'd had a long drawn-out conversation yesterday with the guy at the Dive Bure about how badly people treat his equipment.
When he went up to the counter, he was first accused of taking the board onto the reef. Jase pointed out that it was high tide and there was nothing he could possibly have grounded it on. He was then called a Fat Bastard, which left the rest of us rolling around in hysterics.
It turned out that there was a fracture line along the board, where an earlier user had damaged it and not told anyone. The line could be clearly seen, so Jase was let off with a nod and shake of the head.
This afternoon, we went for a walk to Musket Cove, one of the resorts adjacent to Plantation. It was absolutely beautiful! I would love to stay there sometime, it was clearly a higher quality resort, smaller with beautiful looking restaurants. The beach was not as good though and there didn't look to be any snorkelling, which is a big thumbs down for our family.
Tonight we had dinner at the Black Coral. It's a beautiful restaurant, and we had such a lovely meal. I had sticky beef ribs, with coleslaw and fries. The beef was so succulent and tender, it melted in my mouth, delicious! The kids enjoyed their steaks, and indulged in a mocktail each, which made them feel very grown up indeed!
Another gorgeous day in paradise!
Snorkelling Day!
Zac ate a record 10 hash browns this morning for breakfast. As well as his eggs and sausages….. Wow…..
This morning we had an earlier breakfast and then went down to the wharf at 9.45am for our snorkelling tour. We signed in and went and grabbed some snorkelling gear from the dive bure, then headed down to our covered motorboat where another family was waiting.
The ride out to the sandbar was only about 5 minutes, on an azure millpond sea, it was sublime. Once at the sandbar, the boat was anchored in the middle, with an incoming tide, and we were told that we could stand up on the sand atoll, but weren't to touch or stand on the surrounding coral reef.
The kids and Jase put on their snorkel gear while on the boat, including flippers and were precariously dangling off the boat in all directions, while I laughed at them and decided to jump into the sea first and then worry about my gear later. I threw my stuff in and went in after it. I think in hindsight the kids had the better idea. Trying to put flippers on in waist deep water is surprisingly difficult. And there's just no way to get kitted up delicately or with any class in that depth.
We all got ourselves organised and then Jason found that his snorkel was damaged. He had to go back to the boat to get it fixed, and then swimming back over to those of us at the reef. Caitlyn also had damaged equipment which was just so incredibly frustrating. Jase helped her with it, and in about 20 minutes, they swapped gear and Jase went back to the boat to chill out with the driver. He was content enough with this though, and thoroughly enjoyed it. Once again, I can't say it enough, if you're planning on going to Fiji and love snorkelling, buy your own gear and take it with you.
The reef was just beautiful and for the first time in years I could see beautiful coral in glorious shades of blue, crimson and pink, it was wonderful. The sea was warm and calm and the silence was only broken by exclamations of "Look at this!" "Come over here!" "ARGHHHH A CUTTLEFISH!!!!!!!!!!".
For the record, I have only ever seen dead cuttlefish. They are used for lots of beauty products, and I had no idea that they even looked like a squid, however our 10 year old budding Marine Biologist knew everything he was looking at and was almost overcome with his excitement. They were pretty cool looking wee fish that's for sure.
I had a moment of panic looking around for the kids and not seeing Zac. I was frantically swimming around in circles trying to see where he was, and then heard Jase say "Hi Zac" as Zac clamoured back onto the boat. I was so relieved, would be a bit of an oops to lose a kid on your watch. Lucky we have 2 spares, hehe! Had to have a wee chat about how not to freak your parents out.
The girls and I headed in about 15 minutes later, and climbed aboard the boat. The water level was now over our heads, and we were ready for a nice cold drink. The boat took us back to Plantation Island where we got a drink. Caitlyn and Amber then hired out their gear for a further hour and went off for another snorkel, they have the bug bad! Zach just went swimming, he is loving snorkelling but is finding the mouth part of the snorkel is a bit too big and hurts his mouth. I need to find a kids sized one for him I think.
We had lunch at the Beach Bar today. They do takeaway pizzas, and things like burgers and fries. It was great for the kids, good gut sticking food, but fairly average to be fair. But if the kids are happy, we are happy! I think in this day and age of Master Chef and MKR, we all have such high expectations of what we are being served when we have to pay for it. We don't want food that we can cook at home, and the quality and variety of home cooked meals these days is outstanding… Things like resting the meat. Who knew about that even 15 years ago?
The kids decided to hire out a couple of water bikes after lunch and woe betide, there were only four seats over the two bikes. I graciously offered to stay on shore and read my book and hurried off before Jason could offer his sales pitch to not have to go. I was stoked! I found a deck chair on the beach, and nestled down for an hour of blissful me time.
They had a great time on the bikes, well the kids did anyway! Jase was exhausted as he was stuck on the bike with Zac who could reach the peddles but had no steam to actually work them and it was Jase lugging two bodies and a massive bike around on the water for an hour and he was knackered.
The rest of the arvo was flittered away with trying to climb coconut trees, playing cards, reading and just relaxing. I made the mistake of standing on an ants nest and the next thing I know, my feet and ankles were burning in pain. I looked down and saw that I was literally covered in hundreds of ants, my lower legs were black with them, and they were stinging (or biting? I don't actually know how the little demons hurt you but they do) me all over my feet. I started squawking like a demented chicken and started slapping the ants off, with the kids helpfully slapping around my legs as well.
I got them all off and ran up the path to our bure and stood in the bowl of water by the door, to ease the burning sensation. My feet were red and covered in little blisters. The wee sods had got me good. After I dried my feet off and sprayed antiseptic and soothe bug spray over my legs, we headed off for dinner. I was very pleased that other than the initial sting, they caused no further problems.
Dinner was a roast, and the carvery Roast Lamb was just delicious, it was so juicy and flavoursome, I really, really enjoyed it!
We have had such a great day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Plantation Island Paradise
The votes are in and Plantation Island is definitely our idea of Paradise…
This morning started with a visit to Reception. Overnight I was cold (??!!!!!) as the air conditioning had been running all day the day before and had worked a little too well, and on the beds is a top sheet only, no blankets, and none in the cupboards at all.
The women at Reception were fantastic and called it through straight away and by the time we got back from breakfast, there were 4 wrapped up blankets sitting on the doorstep waiting for us.
Breakfast was fantastic! We lined up to sign in and a lady came over and took us to a table while Jase signed in. I was really impressed with how they handle the number of guests. There are so many people on the island, it's fully booked, and yet dealing with us all appears effortless (which of course is not the case). Food is constantly being turned over and replaced, and waitresses are walking around pouring coffee and tea.
Breakfast is a pretty impressive buffet including some of the best hash browns I've ever had (could be that they are deep fried in fat which makes them sooooooo good but soooooo bad at the same time), lamb sausages, an egg station and a continental station. Lots of fresh fruit, and a row of juice machines complete the buffet area.
Zac amazed me with what he put away for breakfast. He's a skinny wee lad, and just loved being able to eat whatever he wanted, instead of "marmite on toast". He ate 8 hash browns, and two fried eggs this morning and about 5 sausages. I was seriously intrigued watching him methodically work his way through two full plates of food.
After breakfast we wandered back to the rooms, where I set up the blankets on our beds. We played cards for a while, and then decided to go for a swim. We packed up sunscreen, towels, water bottles and books and headed for the beach. There was a lovely shady spot under a coconut tree that was just begging to be blobbed out on, so we claimed it promptly.
The water was cool when we first got in but we quickly got used to it and it was just magic swimming in the crystal clear turquoise water. There was really no waves or swell at all today, it was so still and sunny, just perfect in every way. Jase and I got out in about an hour and lay on the beach drying off while we read our books and watched the boats coming and going to the jetty. The kids kept swimming until lunch time, little fish that they are!
We called them in and headed to the main restaurant to check out what kind of sustenance was offered. Lunch was a-la-carte and with our meal plan we could have one main each off the menu, anything else we had to pay for. We ordered a round of cokes (we always have coke when we travel, it's compulsory to ward off evil tummy bugs and food poisoning and has served us well in the past!!!!) and then ordered lunch.
I had spicy chicken nibbles and island fries. They were tasty but a small meal. Perfect for myself and the girls, but for Jase and particularly Zac who crashes badly if his blood sugars go down too much it really wasn't quite enough food. But that was okay as we had brought over plenty of snacks and made sure to feed him up in the middle of the afternoon as well.
After lunch, we played cards again (it's becoming very competitive and strategic!) and then the kids found some coconuts that had fallen off nearby trees and decided to open them. I laughed at them, remembering back to the years we had tried to do the same thing on Mana Island, but wow, that Caitlyn is a tenacious creature!
She had watched a Bear Grylls programme about how to get coconuts open without a knife or machete, and she worked at it for a good hour, lifting it high over her head and then slamming it down onto the concrete with all the force she could muster. She did it again and again and suddenly on one throw, coconut juice started squirting everywhere. She then aimed precisely and threw it once more and what do you know, the darn thing cracked open.
She then pulled it fully apart, drunk the remaining juice and then dished out portions of fresh, absolutely delicious coconut flesh. It was amazing! The younger kids were re-energised by this successful quest and continued on with gusto. Amber managed to get one open and then Zac did, although his was rotten, which I have to say is one of the more disgusting things I've seen and smelt in recent times. The kids were stoked with their win and very hot and sweaty by the time they finished, so we headed for the beach.
We went to the Dive Bure down by the beach and asked for some snorkelling gear. It's free to hire, but you can only take out a set for an hour, which is quite different to when we were growing up and you'd get a set on arrival and keep it for the whole week.
Next time we go, I intend to buy us all a set of snokel gear so we never have to wait around, sign gear out, be back in an hour and put up with sometimes shoddy equipment. I observed that the staff member behind the counter was fairly ratty, and asked if she'd had a good day. She told me that she was sick and tired of guests using stuff, not giving a toss about it and returning it broken and not even mentioning it. I get that, and felt quite sorry for her.
We took our flippers, masks and snorkels and headed down the beach. There are two pontoons off the beach. One is in front of the main area of the resort, where all the water activities are held, and the other is quite a long way out and in a quieter part of the beach. We headed for that part of the beach, and gave the kids a lesson in using their snorkel gear. I was delighted when they all grasped the concept easily and started bobbing around in the water, breathing heavily through their snorkels.
After we decided they were comfortable and proficient enough, we headed towards the pontoon, which was in really deep water. There was no reef there, just wee mounds of coral in different places, but it gave the kids a good introduction. We decided that we'd take them on the beginners snorkel tour tomorrow, it's FJD$20pp for an hour which I thought was great value.
We then found that the channel in to the wharf was man made, and there is a reef along the edges, so as long as you stay on the reef side, you can still snorkel straight off the beach and see some great displays of tropical fish. The reef is badly damaged due to people standing on it, and climate change which bleaches the coral. It was pretty depressing to see when you know what it used to be like. The kids of course, know no different, and loved every moment.
After our hour snorkelling, we returned the gear and the kids went back into the sea for another swim and play around. They were weaving their way along under the jetty posts, chasing fish and having an absolute ball.
Dinner this evening was a Mongolian BBQ. Rows of vegetables, raw meat, seafood, noodles, rice and condiments were set up, and you were given your main plate with a paper plate over the top where you put all the raw stuff. You then lined up and the chef tossed it all into a wok and cooked it up for you.
I went slightly overboard with the fresh green and red chillies, which I regretted as my whole face and mouth burned while I ate, but it was simply delicious. The kids all loved it too, which surprised me, I thought Zac would turn his nose up at it but he had a huge feed. Being under 12, he's able to eat for free at the kids buffet too, but it was really for younger children, featuring chicken nuggets and hot chips and he really enjoyed the adults selection.
The kids were absolutely shot tonight, in bed by 7.30pm!!!!!
Island Bound!
This morning, we leisurely headed down to breakfast about 9.00am. The kids loved that it was an all you can eat buffet, and Zach particularly loved the egg station, where you could request eggs cooked any way and it would be done there and then in front of you. There was lots of fruit (pineapple, watermelon etc) and interesting things like Indian flatbread.
As our transfer wasn't until the afternoon, we spent the morning by the pool, reading books and just relaxing in the sun. The kids had a mocktail each called a Lemonade Pinky which looked sickeningly sweet to me, but they seemed to enjoy it!
We took a minibus taxi out to Denarau, rather than waiting for the courtesy coach transfer, as we wanted to have lunch there and a wander around the shops. As we drove through Nadi, the taxi driver explained to us that the town centre is being slowly moved onto the other side of the river, because where it is currently located it's too low and prone to flooding, which is becoming more frequent with global warming and climate change.
I was impressed at how much has changed since I was last here. The roads are new and wide, there are traffic lights and a few international brands are popping up such as Burger King. Apparently there is a lot of Chinese money being used for infrastructure.
It's a far cry from the holidays in my early formative years where we drove on narrow dusty roads, and then had to walk a wee plank onto a dingy and get taken out to the ferry which would be anchored out in the deep water. It's all very commercialised and easy now which is great, but somehow loses a bit of its magic for us dinosaurs who have watched the many changes along the way.
At Denarau, the counter for the Malolo Cat was closed until 1.00pm which wasn't ideal as we had our suitcases and had wanted to go shopping, however we're on holidays, so no worriessssss!
We headed down to the Hard Rock Café. It's an institution here, as it is in many other centres around the world. We've been here multiple times and most times have impressed with the quality of the food (but twice it has been just appalling). We crossed our fingers and ordered lunch.
The staff were great, looking after our bags behind the reception counter while we ate. The food was exceptional, which was a relief. All five of us enjoyed our meals and ate our fill, Amber eating a massive rib eyed steak and full plate of vegetables that left me wondering how she'd manage to actually move afterwards, while watching a Myna bird eating a dead Myna bird. Cannibalism at its finest and with an audience! This bird was throwing the dead one around, and slamming it on the ground before flinging it in the air, I've never seen a performance quite like it…
After lunch, we headed back to the Malolo Cat counter and checked our bags in for the ferry. We were given plastic boarding passes and our bags had coloured tags attached to them with our surname written on them (the colours corresponded to the resort you're going to). The Malolo Cat travels back and forth multiple times each day to the island of Malolo LaiLai, which is where Plantation Island Resort, Lomani Resort and Musket Cove Resort are all located.
Back in the day, there was one ferry that went around all the islands in the Mamanuca group, so you would climb aboard and settle in as you were there sometimes for hours. Now, it's far more structured and is used purely as a means of transport rather than a part of the holiday and destination itself. But it's quick! 50 minutes and you're there in paradise so I guess that makes it okay!
Once we were checked in, we went and had a look around the shops. Jacks Handicrafts have been around since I was a little girl, and they now have branches at Denarau, Lautoka and Suva, as well as Nadi. The kids loved this shop and we spent almost an hour there, the kids clutching their wallets, while their Fijian currency burned a hole through to their hands.
Decisions are far tougher when you have spending money and can't just ask your parents for everything. We teach the kids about budgeting and holidays are the best place for lessons like this. They all did really well, after a gentle reminder that this is only day one!
Normally we buy our drinking water in bulk at the supermarket at Denarau but today we decided against it as it's such a pain lugging a crate of water around. We thought we'd just buy it as we needed it on the island. Turned out we didn't need to (more on that later).
The Malolo Cat IV departed at 2.00pm. It was quite a windy day, and the sea had a fairly big swell. The windows were smeared with the remains of salty waves lashing the side, and when I found out that families with children had to sit inside and weren't allowed on the upper deck, I took a Sealegs tablet. Having been on a cruise recently and found out what seasickness feels like, I wasn't keen to repeat the experience.
It was rough but not scary on the way out to the island. We cut a direct track and the worst part was coming around the island itself where our Catamaran had to tack around across the waves, some of which were quite sizeable.
We pulled into the jetty at Plantation Island to see kids on inflatable obstacle courses, people snorkelling everywhere and lots of canoes and paddleboards out paddling around. It looked truly blissful.
Staff were on the jetty singing a welcome song in Fijian, with guitars, ukuleles and lots of hand clapping. Their lilting harmonies carried to us in the breeze, and it felt like we were stepping into paradise.
Guests who were returning were sent straight to reception to get their keys and those of us "newbies" were taken to a big hall where we were given our registration forms to fill out. In our welcome pack was our room key, a map and some information about things like sea lice stings.
I was really impressed when they gave each of us a 1 litre bottle of water, and explained that there were various refill stations around the resort. What a brilliant idea, and it saves SO much money, especially when you have a family. As you can't drink out of the taps on the island, it costs quite a lot to keep your family hydrated in the heat, and to be able to just go and fill up the bottles every few days was fantastic. The bottles were given to us in blue canvas beach-bags, which also ended up being very handy, and were taken to the beach every day.
We were told that there are 3 pools, and 3 restaurants at the resort, and you can also go to the restaurants at the adjoining resorts, and charge back to your room which is really handy.
After our welcome (and a refreshing mango juice) we were escorted to our room. We were in bure 402 and while being taken there, I was a bit apprehensive as it felt a long way from the main part of the resort. It turned out that although there are 26 acres of land at the resort, it's split into 3 main parts, and all are a quick walk down a wide road to the main area.
Our room looked out across gardens to one of the pools. The room is spacious, and I really liked that they have a separate toilet and sink. When you're travelling with self conscious teens who lock themselves away every time they need to do something and take forever in the bathroom, the extra room comes in handy!
Our room has two bedrooms and a huge lounge, which has 3 couches that are actually full size single beds, so you could sleep 7 or 8 people quite comfortably in them. We put Zac in the lounge and the girls had the second bedroom.
The kids wanted to hit the beach straight away but as the day was quickly escaping away on us, we decided to just relax, have a look around and an early night. We played a few games of cards, and then headed to the main restaurant for dinner.
We'd prepaid for a full meal plan which was ideal as the kids could go crazy with the buffet and we didn't need to panic about what the bill at the end would be. Lunches are a la carte but breakfast and dinner are both buffet. There is also a beach snack bar that does takeaway pizza and burgers etc, and a fine dining restaurant called the Black Opal.
Dinner tonight was a Mediterranean buffet. Items served included lasagne, and a make-your-own pasta station where you gathered your ingredients which were then quickly cooked in front of you. Dessert was lots of fresh fruit, and chocolate pudding with hot fudge sauce… Not too bad at all!
As we ate, a band played in the background singing classic songs from mainly the 80's. It was lovely and the main singer was exceptional.
We had an early night tonight. I had known that there would be no tv's on the island, so had a device (ipad or ipod or phone etc) for each kid and an ipad for Jase and I, that I had downloaded a pile of movies suited to each of us individually that we could watch offline.
Jase and I started watching a movie, but only got half way through and called it a night. We're quite knackered and looking forward to getting our island swagger on tomorrow 🙂
Hello Fiji!
We decided when going to Fiji this year with the kids, that we'd save some time by flying down to Christchurch to meet them, rather than drive. What a stroke of genius this turned out to be! Apart from the stress of hoping and praying that our flight wouldn't be cancelled or delayed for any reason, it was perfect…
Our flight to Christchurch left right on time at 10.05am. Conditions were smooth and although we couldn't see the mountains because of the high cloud cover, the view coming into Christchurch was lovely. We were in seats 10A and 10B, which were the exit row towards the back of our Q300 aircraft. These workhorse planes are among the best aircraft flying today, I believe. They're grunty, reliable and comfortable.
We thought the kids were meeting us at 12.30pm but they surprised us by being there waiting when we got off the plane (along with their "chauffeurs" Barrie and Carmen of course!). We had some time to kill so went and had an early lunch before going through Customs.
One of the things I love most about travelling with teenagers and tweens, is watching them learn to navigate their own way in life. I took them over to organise their own foreign currency exchange which they all handled well and they were super excited having a new currency to study.
New Zealand Customs are trialling a new system where they let 10-14 year olds go through the smart check-in, which was wonderful for us as it meant no queuing. Zach handled it like a proper wee jetsetter. These things can be daunting when you have to go through one at a time and no one can do it for you!
We went into the Koru Club where we discovered our flight was delayed by 40 minutes. I went to the bookshop and got a pack of cards, and taught the kids to play Last Card (one from the "Olden Days" when I was a kid). In the end we had all 5 of us playing away happily (albeit competitively) until our flight was called.
We flew to Nadi on Air New Zealand's, A320 direct flight from Christchurch. This route flies several times a week over Winter and is just fantastic for the time it saves. The flight was really calm until just out of Fiji, when the Captain warned us of some turbulence ahead.
The turbulence encountered was the worst I've had in several years, but luckily lasted only a minute or so. I had an empty seat next to me that a harried flight attendant collapsed into and I watched with interest as he clutched the seat in front holding on as the plane worked its way through the massive air pocket.
Within 10 minutes of this turbulence we were on our descent into Nadi thankfully!
I also must mention the airline food on this flight. Normally atrocious no matter who you fly with, I had a chicken curry on this flight that I would have gladly paid money for at a restaurant. It was spot on!
Customs in Fiji was very easy, they didn't even look at the food we had brought in, just waved us through. We walked through the Arrivals Hall and waited for the Tanoa Hotel's courtesy coach which arrived about 5 minutes later.
The Tanoa Hotel is close to Nadi Airport and is the hotel used by many of the airlines flight crews. It's clean, tidy, and has three restaurants and a pool. It's rated 3.5 star and is very reasonably priced considering you get a full buffet breakfast and courtesy airport transfers included.
We had requested an inter-connecting room, however as the hotel was fully booked, they were unable to do this, and had instead booked us rooms opposite each other. Jase and Zac took one room and the girls and I took the other.
Zac was looking particularly knackered by the time we'd checked in and organised our rooms, so we got some chicken wings and chips from room service, and then sent the boys off to bed.
Caitlyn, Amber and I wandered down to the pool, where we sat on the edge with our legs dangling in the water, while chatting and listening to the band play in the bar. It was warm and the air was scented with frangipani. It was a lovely way to end the evening and we headed back to our room about 11.00pm.
It was very strange climbing into bed without Jase there. We have only been apart once since we got married almost 5 years ago, and that was when I was in hospital. The only other night apart was the night before our wedding.
Tomorrow we head for Plantation Island! YAY!
Goodbye Glorious Taupo!
5 nights is just not long enough to spend in this wonderful piece of Godzone….
All too soon, our time has come to an end. We decided to spend our last morning in town having a look around, before heading back to the fantastic pool to swim our sorrow away for the afternoon.
Jase, Caitlyn and I decided to have a crack at the Lake Hole in One challenge. You pay $20 for a bucket of 25 golf balls and basically take out all of your pent up rage and anger (if you have any – otherwise it's a rather strategic, careful game!) with club and ball and aim for a pontoon in the lake. It's hard enough to achieve this (if you're a weakling like me!) but even harder of course to then get the hole in one which is on the pontoon. If you manage to get it, you win $2000.00. Apparently someones strikes gold with this about once a fortnight (we didn't!).
After Hole in One, we met up with Craigs family and went to play minigolf. I have to say this was a bit of a logistical nightmare, thanks to either greedy or unexperienced staff. There were 9 of us, which obviously takes a while to get through. What should happen (I believe) is that when you book in, you have to wait a certain length of time before you start, so there is a working distance between groups, especially at busy times of the year like the Christmas holidays.
However, this lady just kept taking group after group, handing out the clubs and sending people on their way. This created a huge bottleneck, with another group watching our game while waiting, and another group behind them putting pressure on. We were stuck behind a family as well, so in the end with pushing the kids up one hole further when we could, we lost of track of scoring.
Now that is a disaster. Anyone who knows me (and Jase, and Craig) knows that we are fiercely competitive and there are no games where "everybody is a winner". So, we ended up having our own wee 3 way game but really, the enjoyment was taken out of it with the pressure of people just everywhere.
After mini-golf, we walked back to town to grab some lunch. KFC for Craig's family, while Jase, Caitlyn & Amber had Subway and Zach and I had Sushi. We sat outside at a picnic table overlooking the lake and ate our lunch before my family headed back for some r&r at the holiday park, and Craig's family did a bit of shopping. We met up with Mum and Dad back at the park and the afternoon was spent in the pool.
We headed to the Lonestar for dinner, which was lovely. I'm always impressed when the staff get orders right for big groups. There were 11 of us, and the staff were friendly, accommodating and got it all bang on right. Well, apart from the young girl who dropped Tobi's burger on the floor as she walked up to the table. I felt so sorry for her! She kept calm though and Tobi was busy drawing on the colouring in paper the kids were all given so he didn't worry about it at all. Another burger was quickly supplied.
Driving out the next morning at 8am was a bit sad. I felt we'd all had a really relaxing, healthy holiday and I wasn't ready to leave! We'd had a bit of a problem with a massive group of people somewhere near to the park (but not in it) who were screaming down a megaphone with all their audience singing and hollering until about 1am which demented everyone in the park. We kept hearing guests going outside their tents or rooms and screaming for them to shut up. Anyway, the council and police were getting onto it by the time we checked out, so hopefully that doesn't happen again. Not so bad for us being in a room, but for the families with wee kiddies trying to sleep in a tent, it would have been horrendous.
We didn't get to see the mountains heading south as it was a bit of a miserable day, but the time flew quickly as we listened to music and chatted. We stopped in Levin for lunch and were at the ferry terminal in Wellington right on time.
The weather in Wellington was sublime….. a very light breeze, stinking hot sun and calm sea's. Absolutely PERFECT for a crossing on the Interislander. We simply couldn't have asked for better.
The crossing was smooth, calm and sunny. We sat on the deck, had a drink and watched the world go by. Tracey met up unexpectedly with some of her relatives on the boat which was cool, and the kids all got souvenir coins which they were excited about.
When we got to Picton, we decided to just get a pie at the petrol station and head for home, while the rest of the group wanted something a bit more substantial. We grabbed our food and kept heading for home, arriving about 8pm. I have to say the pie at the Z Service Station in Picton was one of the BEST I've ever had…. I savoured every mouthful of my pepper steak pie and the rest of the fam did too. Yummo 🙂
So, we're home now. It's a bit quiet without our fur babies, who don't get picked up until tomorrow. The rest of the family are heading this way and will be here shortly for the night before driving the final 4 hours tomorrow back to Hokitika.
A wonderful, relaxing, rejuvenating family holiday that everyone should experience!!!!


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September 19, 2010
DARPA Urban Challenge
The 2007 DARPA Urban Challenge held out a $2M prize to the team that could build a fully autonomous self-driving robotic car to navigate over 60 miles of a city-like driving environment. Perrone Robotics once again spearheaded semi-finalist Team Jefferson with "Tommy Jr.", a Scion xB driving completely under Perrone Robotics' MAX-based software platform.
The New Challenge
With the 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge behind it, DARPA stepped up the challenge with the 2007 DARPA Urban Challenge. Now the autonomous vehicles had to self-navigate over 60 miles of city driving terrain with other moving cars at play. Stopping at intersections, route-planning, navigating sparsely defined waypoints, re-routing at road blocks, self-parking, traffic merging, and U-turns were just some of the many challenges involved. Once again, DARPA held out a prize of $2M.
Team Jefferson and Tommy Jr.
Perrone Robotics' reformed and and re-led "Team Jefferson" with a new vehicle named "Tommy Jr". The team once again operated on a limited budget and man-power. However, this time, with additional support from sponsors such as Sun Microsystems and team partners such as the University of Virginia, Tommy Jr. met the increased challenge and made it again back to the semi-finals. With an operating budget still at 1/100th of that of other teams, less than two man-years of software development time, and leveraging low-cost COTS hardware, the team still managed to place roughly in the middle of the pack pitted against the competitive field.
The MAX Advantage
This year, not only leveraging the MAX platform, the team also could leverage a few key MAX extensions. These included a rich sensor driver for SICK LMS lasers (MAX-LMS) and a framework for Unmanned Ground Vehicle functionality (MAX-UGV). MAX-UGV's building blocks for self-navigation and obstacle avoidance were extended to include more sophisticated rule-based maneuvering to deal with the varied circumstances of autonomous city driving. After all was said and done, an enhanced suite of general purpose MAX software tools for autonomous driving operations was produced and the opportunity to showcase how much could be done with less money, less man-power, but a robust and comprehensive robotics and automation software platform.


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Gun control is an issue that gets many people upset quickly. There are many sides to the issue and all is not black and white. For those that have been the victim of a gun related crime they see things very differently than someone that uses guns to hunt as it is their favorite sport. Statistics show that 49% of all households have at least one type of gun in them. This means that a great deal of the population has used a gun for some purpose.
The amount of people lobbying for stricter guidelines for gun control is very high. They don't want to take away the right to own guns, they just want more to be done to select who can get them and when. Due to the various lobbying ideas there is a 48 hour waiting period as well as a background check before a person can buy a gun.
There are also laws in place that relate to the age to buy a firearm. In most states it is 18 years of age. They can still go hunting and shooting though as long as they have an adult with them at all times. There are also states that don't allow anyone with a felony to possess a gun for any reason.
One of the hottest issues relating to gun control involves the concept of people having guns for self defense. The Make My Day Law allows people to shoot at intruders that enter their homes or their businesses. Yet many people believe countering violence with guns just further promotes it.
With so many acts of violence taking place in this country involving guns, the troops rallying for more in the way of gun control have plenty of ammunition to take to the podium. The issue of gun control continues to be one that political figures are often asked about as well. With the 2008 Presidential hopefuls on the campaign trail the issue is sure to be surfacing.
The issue of gun control isn't to prevent people from owning them or using them. Instead it is to prevent them from falling into the wrong hands. The goal is to educate the public about the right ways to use and store guns. They don't want them in the hands of children, gang members, criminals, or those that don't know how to properly use them. Gun control is about promoting safety for society as a whole.
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Organica Anti aging & wrinkles skin care products reduce sun damage, pores, lines & wrinkles, firming, lifting & tightening saggy skin reversing the signs of aging.
Anti aging Cleanser combats the signs of aging, age spots, sun damage, rough dry, wrinkled skin. For normal – dry skin
Anti aging Face Lift Cream with active ingredients firms, lifts & tightens skin to reduce lines & wrinkles by tightening & lifting skin, exfoliated dead skin cells, evens uneven skin tone & reduces age spots, protects cells from oxidation, For oily to dry skin. Do not use with anti wrinkle cream with anti aging cream you will loose lightening & lifting effect. Use only ( use multi fruit, anti aging, deep pore cleanser, Face lift + 20% vitamin C serum, 15% glycolic peel )
Lift + 20% vitamin C Serum is for wrinkles, lines, collage renewal & skin brightening. Any cleanser, Lift serum. Best use with anti aging cream, anti wrinkle or new skin glycolic cream. All skin types.
Anti Wrinkle Cream reduces the depth of wrinkles & lines by up to 50% in 30 days by reducing muscle contraction like botox does. It will relax facial muscles opposite to anti aging face lift cream. Can be used oily – dry skin as a cream or as a serum under other creams. (use any cleanser, Face lift + 20% vitamin C serum with this cream )
Glycolic Face Lift cream is for sun damaged, dry, rough aged skin. Smoothes & reduces lines & wrinkles, lifts & tightens skin, exfoliates dead skin cells, regenerates & renews skin. ( use multi fruit cleanser, 15 % glycolic peel, anti aging cream for day or to use as serum)
15% Glycolic Peel is a leave on peel for home use exfoliates & breaks down the build up of dead skin cells, smoothing skin, reducing large pores & oil, encouraging renewal of collagen, reduces lines & wrinkles. For all non sensitive oily- dry skin. Use 2 to 3 nights a week at first & build up to nightly use
Anti aging Mask works to provide your skin with a multitude of anti oxidants, vitamins and the ultimate moisture retention ingredients, minimising premature aging, fine lines, skin tightening and skin rejuvenation, while turning back the clock with sun damage, leaving it velvety smooth. Normal – dry skin.
Pumpkin Enzyme Peel is a leave on peel enzyme that exfoliates & breaks down the build up of dead skin cells, smoothing skin, reducing large pores & oil, encouraging renewal of collagen, sun damage. Use with combination, milk, anti aging cleansers, cleanse 2 times & then use clarifying scrub, serums & age spot, anti wrinkle, anti aging, new skin glycolic, vitamin c cream.
Pumpkin Mask is a professional strength exfoliating mask designed to gently smooth scars, to reduce thick leathery skin, reduce wrinkles by reducing the build up of dead skin cells and smoothing skin down, brighten dull lifeless skin to reveal smooth fresh more even skin tone & texture .
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Anti-Aging Cleanser 150ml$ 35.00
Anti-aging Cleanser
Anti – aging organic cleanser refines & smoothes skin texture, improves clarity, lightens pigmentation & age spots luxurious, cream cleanser takes care of all the major concerns when cleansing mature, delicate, dry skin – hydration, hydration, hydration! With an unbelievable formula that combines the most emollient rich,…)
Multi Fruit Milk Cleanser 150ml$ 35.00
Multi Fruit Milk Cleanser
Multi fruit Cleansing milk is recommended for refining dull uneven, thick congested combination – normal – dry skin types. It effectively removes make-up and pollutants from the skin (do not use to remove eye make-up) while moisturizing, detoxifying, and exfoliating the skin. This is done by a…)
AHA Facial Scrub 60ml$ 40.00
AHA Facial Scrub
The Aha facial scrub is a multi system exfoliating product with fruit extracts for skin brightening skin , jojoba beads to manually exfoliate & tartic, malic & glycolic acids renew & refresh tied dull dry skin, with mango & shea butter which add a rich luxurious…)
15% Glycolic Peel 30ml$ 69.00
Our 15% glycolic serum reduces oil, fights bacteria, exfoliates dead skin cells, while helping to promote moisturization by renewing native skin collagen. For Oily – Blemished Skin
Anti-Aging Face Lift Cream 60ml$ 69.00
Anti -aging Face Lift cream exfoliates & removes a build up of dead skin, brightens dull skin, lightens pigmentation & has powerful antioxidants, vitamins & fruit enzymes to restore & renew your with strong firming, Lifting & Tightening for saggy skin normal – dry skin
Clarifying Face Lift Cream 60ml$ 69.00
For a normal, oily, combination sensitive skin types. It soothes and calms distressed skin while feeding the skin with Aloe, antioxidants, MSM and Hyaluronic Acid & DMAE, firming skin tightening pores, hydrating oily skin. Refines large pores, hydrating, soothing, oily to slightly dry skin
New Skin Glycolic Cream 60ml$ 69.00
New Skin Glycolic Cream is a Restorative, exfoliating, rectifying, renewing & rejuvenating cream to improve dull lifeless skin with sun damage, pigmentation, smoothing lines & wrinkles, revealing a healthier, fresher skin. Suitable for normal – dry non sensitive thick dull lifeless skin
Vitamin C Cream 60ml$ 69.00
Vitamin C Cream
Vitamin -C cream is an active multi-vitamin, anti-aging, and revitalizing facial cream, with a generous content of vitamins C, A, D, B5 and E. It effectively provides a smoothing, lightening, and antioxidant skin treatment, while helping to stimulate the skin's own protection against UV radiation and environmental stress….)
Age Spot Cream 60ml$ 69.00
Age Spot Cream is an excellent moisturizer and skin lightener, pigmentation & age spots, aged & sun damages dry skin types. It prevents moisture loss, while helping to lighten the skin. Best results are seen after 4-6 weeks of use. A subtle darkening, over time, of the color of the…)
Anti-Wrinkle Cream 60ml$ 69.00
Anti wrinkle cream
Reduces the depth of wrinkles & lines by up to 60% in 60 days, tightens and lifts the skin contains and Amino Acid Complex to promote the appearance of smooth skin, infuses moisture, amino acid complex & active peptides promotes the appearance of smooth skin & improving…)
Regeneration Cream 60ml$ 69.00
Regeneration Cream very dry mature sensitive skin
Extreme Lift + 20 Vitamin C Serum 30ml$ 69.00
Extreme Face Lift + 20% Vitamin C Serum for reducing lines & wrinkles, firming, lifting & lightening pigmentation, age spots & reverses sun damage
Anti Aging Mask 60ml$ 69.00
Organica Anti – Aging mask work to provide your skin with the ultimate moisture, minimizing premature aging, fine lines, tightening and rejuvenates your skin, while leaving it velvety smooth. For fine lines, mature , normal- dry skin
AHA Pumpkin Mask 60ml$ 50.00
all non sensitive skin


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UNCW is conveniently located within a 10 minute drive of the beach. This is a great commodity, that the majority of universities and colleges do not get to experience. Because Wilmington is in a prime location to catch swell in North Carolina, this causes many people to want to try to learn how to surf. Surfing is an extremely fun way to spend your free time, but it can also be dangerous. While being taught or teaching yourself how to shred, take these guidelines into consideration:
- Know Your Limits: I know you see guys getting shacked in well overhead surf, making it look like a cake walk. But don't tell yourself that you can handle waves that heavy when it is your second time paddling out
- Respect Locals: Pretty self explanatory; Natives have put in their time way before you even knew what a surfboard was. Give them their space, let them get priority even if you think you are within their skill range.
Crowd Control: When you are just learning how to surf, try to find an uncrowded spot to paddle out. Find your own peak if possible, that way you can truly fine tune your skills. And you are also out of the more experienced surfers. This is a win - win situation where everyone's spreading stoke and having a great time.


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I missed yesterday by 4 minutes! But better late than never with a free prize or 6 at stake! 🙂
So the winners are [Insert Drumroll]:
- Jarryd G. – 1 Year of Hosting
- TJ J. – 1 Year WordFence
- Jerry M. – 1 Year Email Server
- Gary V. – 1 Year 512 VPS
- Michael R. – ASUS Chromebook
- Katie A. – Amazon Tap
There we have it! I'll be opening a ticket with each winner here shortly – for goods; I'll need to confirm addresses, and for those who got services, we'll work it out!
Thanks again everyone for 14 great years! It feels like it was only yesterday this journey started! Looking forward to next year, and many more fun things to come in this year! Stay tuned!
Have a Blessed Week All!


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100 Years of Grand: The Grand Canyon Centennial Project
A digital archive celebrating the Centennial of the Grand Canyon National Park. A collaborative project of the Arizona State University Library, Cline Library, Northern Arizona University and the Grand Canyon National Park. Additional materials are available via the project website.
- 2 English
Mime Type
- 2 Public
- Bass, William Wallace, 1849-1933
- Grand Canyon (Ariz.)
- 2 Boundaries
- 2 Hayden, Carl Trumbull, 1877-1972
- 2 Legislation
- 2 Roads
Date Range
1915 1915
- Tertiary History of the Grand Cañon District with Atlas
- History of the Grand Canyon National Park
- Stage Coach Trip to the Grand Canyon, 1895, by Josephine Frankenberg of Tempe
- Letter from A. E. Demaray, National Park Service to Carl Hayden
- Letter from Carl Hayden to J. R. Eakin, Grand Canyon National Park
Letter from W. W. Bass to Carl Hayden requesting a meeting at his camp to discuss the proposed park boundaries when he is attending the Arizona Good Roads Association conference.
- Contributors
- Bass, W. W., Hayden, Carl T.
- Created Date
- 1915-10-09
Letter from Carl Hayden to W. W. Bass informing Bass that he will not be able to go north to attend the Arizona Good Roads Association conference; however, he assures Bass that his rights as a land owner and miner will be protected.
- Contributors
- Hayden, Carl T., Bass, W. W.
- Created Date
- 1915-10-12


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- Details
- Specs
- Reviews
- Manuals
- What's Included
When it comes to the home, security is always top of mind. Nexia Home Intelligence and Schlage are work together to give you more control and knowledge of what is happening at home. By pairing the Schlage Home Motion Sensor with other products in your home, automation is easy. Set your lights to turn on when motion is detected so you never walk down a dark hall. Or, capture a quick recording from your Schlage Home Camera when motion is detected when you are not home- then view from your computer, tablet or smart phone.
The Schlage Motion Sensor allows you to remotely detect activity within the home allowing you to stay in touch and in control.
- Set Nexia to notify you with a text message or email alert when activity is detected in the home
- Set Nexia to record a short video when activity is present
- Incorporate into a scene so the lights turn on where there is activity
- Simple installation and setup - no drilling required
- Up to 3 year battery life for normal usage, no wiring required
- Detection area of approximately 20 feet x 39 feet
- For indoor use
- Compatible with all Schlage Nexia Home Intelligence Products
Please Note: In order to properly work, this product will require a Nexia Bridge (or former Schlage LiNK Bridge), sold separately. The bridge connects your Nexia Home Intelligence Z-Wave components to your router, which in-turn allows you to control them. If you already have a bridge this product can be simply integrated into your existing network. It is important to note that this product will only work on Schlage's Nexia Home Intelligence system.
Additional Note: Remote management directly from your mobile device or computer with Nexia Home Intelligence requires a monthly subscription of $8.99 which can be activated with the manufacturer at any time upon setup of product. This standard subscription plan is really the best way to truly automate every aspect of your home and provides you with the most flexibility to run your home from wherever.
- Set Nexia to notify you with a text message or email alert when activity is detected in the home
Specifications Manufacturer Schlage Manufacturer Product No. RS200HC UPC 043156955541 Compatibility Z-wave Communications Z-wave Operating Frequency 908.42 MHz Power
- 3V Lithium CR123A Battery
- Battery Life: 3 years
Range (Average) 60 ft Detection Area 20ft x 39ft (this is a radial distance) Detection Angle 90° Pet Immunity Set at approx. 50 lbs / 22.7 kgs, this can be disabled Dimensions 3.5" W x 2.5" H x 2.0" D Weight 3.5 oz Manufacturer Warranty 1 Year
- 1x - Schlage Nexia RS200HC Z-Wave Wireless Motion Sensor


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Master of Science in Information Systems
Dakota State University
Program Details
Advance your IT career with leadership and business skills, or infuse your business and managerial expertise with a solid core of useful technology fundamentals.
Potential job titles:
- IT manager
- Database administrator
- Systems analyst
- Application developer
- Network administrator
A bachelor's degree in computer science, computer engineering, or software engineering from an institution with full regional accreditation for that degree. A minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0. An essay in response to a security problem scenario. Satisfactory GRE scores on a test taken within the last five years.
School Accreditation Statement
Higher Learning Commission


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The Orangeville Otters Swim Club (OOSC) completed a spectacular weekend at the 2017 Huronia Regional Championships this past weekend in Barrie.
The team brought 59 swimmers to this qualifier meet, the most in the history of the club.
They achieved a 3rd place finish for total points earned, another first for the club.
In total the swimmers won 14 - 1st place, 23 - 2nd place and 18 - 3rd place finishes.


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A FedEx cargo plane crashed and killed its two pilots in Tokyo on Tuesday. The wreckage was quickly cleaned up by workers and the runway was soon reopened.
"We have a team of experts here to work closely with our folks here in Japan, and with the government authorities, to get all the necessary information about the incident, and we're going to spend as much time as necessary until we get to all the issues and the facts and the information that we need," said William Margaritis, senior vice president of communication of FedEx.
See crash footage at Narita airport here on YouTube:
Featured image in this article by lkarasawa CC 2.0


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The Biography
By Joseph Crespino
248 pp. Basic Books. $27.
When "Go Set a Watchman" was published in 2015, an Alabama lawyer called me with a catch in his voice. Had I heard that his hero Atticus Finch had an evil twin? Unlike the virtuous lawyer who saved an innocent black man from a lynch mob in "To Kill a Mockingbird," the segregationist Atticus organized the white citizens council, figuratively speaking, in Boo Radley's peaceful backyard. Three years later, my friend still believes that Harper Lee was tricked, in her dotage, into shredding the image of perhaps the only white Alabamian other than Helen Keller to be admired around the world. Never mind that this better Atticus is fictional; my home state has learned to grab admiration where it can.
Atticus-worship is not confined to Alabamians who revere the saint portrayed in "To Kill a Mockingbird" and then enshrined in 1962's movie version by a magisterially virtuous Gregory Peck. By winning the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1961 and selling more than 40 million copies worldwide, Lee's novel created a global role model for a virtuous life. Even the gifted Northern novelist Jonathan Franzen cited the original Atticus as the epitome of moral perfection in a New Yorker essay on Edith Wharton.
Although dismaying to some Lee fans, the belated publication of "Watchman," an apprentice work containing the germ plasm of "Mockingbird," cast light on the virtues and limitations of the author and her canonical novel. It also opened the door to serious scholarship like "Atticus Finch: The Biography," Joseph Crespino's crisp, illuminating examination of Harper Lee's dueling doppelgängers and their real-life model, Lee's politician father, A. C. Lee. Crespino, who holds a wonderful title — he is the Jimmy Carter professor of history at Emory University — displays a confident understanding of the era of genteel white supremacists like A. C. Lee. He understands that the New South still labors, as Lee's daughter did throughout her long, complicated life, under an old shadow. This book's closely documented conclusion is that A. C. Lee, who once chased an integrationist preacher out of the Monroeville Methodist Church, and his devoted albeit sporadically rebellious daughter, Nelle Harper Lee, both wanted the world to have a better opinion of upper-class Southern WASPs than they deserve. These are the people Harper Lee and I grew up among — educated, well-read, well-traveled Alabamians who would never invite George Wallace into their homes, but nonetheless watched in silence as he humiliated poor Alabama in the eyes of the world.
This book opens a window into "Mockingbird's" scrubbed-up Alabama of memory, into the literary politics of the modern South, and into the argument that existed in Lee's imagination when she arrived at 19 on the University of Alabama's campus in 1945 and when she died in a Monroeville nursing home in 2016. Her student journalism seethes with outrage over Montgomery's pack of political thugs, but it also reflects the signature neurosis of her class — that educated white Alabamians are looked down upon as ignorant rednecks because the state's "good people" are unfairly demonized over the racial brutality that is only part of the Alabama story. What the world saw as a hideous carcinoma on Alabama's face in the days of "massive resistance" was, in fact, only a wart on the public visage of respectable white segregationists struggling with an unfixable inheritance of white trash on the one side and a fractious black minority on the other.
[ Our review: "Why 'To Kill a Mockingbird' Matters" | Our review: "To Kill a Mockingbird" | The Life, Death and Career of Harper Lee ]
Lee's fictional snapshot of a strait-laced lawyer gave Alabama a civic mythology it could live with, but non-Southerners may not appreciate the role of the "Mockingbird" industry in the region's endless literary wars. Georgia still basks in the imperial grandeur of "Gone With the Wind." Mississippians lord it over their Bama cousins because "Absalom, Absalom!" put William Faulkner on a lonely pinnacle no other Southern writer can scale. But when "Mockingbird" won the Pulitzer and then swept the Oscars in 1963, Alabama had what its psyche needed most — an internationally accepted statement that we are better than the rest of America (not to mentions its journalists, historians and preachers) has been willing to admit.
Crespino is not timid about exposing the fact that "Mockingbird" approvingly dramatizes the class bigotry that still prevails in white Alabama. Its corporate and landowning oligarchs monopolize economic and political power, but the state's ills are always laid at the feet of lower-class whites like Bob Ewell and his troubled daughter Mayella. Peck's spotless, prejudice-free version of Atticus appeared in New York movie theaters a month after Wallace delivered his "Segregation Forever" inaugural address. Thus did "the id and superego of the descendants of the Confederacy enter together the mainstream of American political and cultural life."
In villainizing rednecks, Lee was doing what her generation of educated Alabamians was forced to do in the 1960s: showing where she stood on racial violence while begging the world for some leniency. There's a nice question here for literary critics. Were Lee and, for that matter, Birmingham-born Walker Percy unwilling to surrender the vestige of Alabama-ness that haunts their novels — the conviction that the Southern gentry's antique, upper-class posture of respectability actually mattered in the face of their crimes, first against Native Americans and then against enslaved blacks?
Crespino's answer as to Lee is an unequivocal yes, and he links Lee's split vision to the lifelong game of hide-and-seek between Nelle Lee, the down-home fisherman, and Harper Lee, the literary expat who was happiest in Manhattan. Jean Louise Finch, the protagonist of "Go Set a Watchman," speaks for the worldly Lee when she condones integration with a people her father disdains, saying, "Atticus, the time has come when we've got to do right."
But Crespino demonstrates that "To Kill a Mockingbird," while it is the superior storytelling book, wobbles morally in comparison to "Watchman." Atticus's pedantic reverence for the rule of law communicates to Scout and Jem a message that has misled generations of "honorable white Southerners." Atticus shows them "how one could be in Maycomb without being of it." Atticus may have convinced the children, but if Harper Lee really believed that, why did she keep the railroad tracks hot between Alabama and New York?
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9106 Nw 66th Ln, Parkland
Welcome to Parkland's finest Celebrity residence with at least 7 bedrooms and 8 bathrooms located on over two acres of gated privacy creating a luxury world unto its own. Enter through the Grand decorative-stone covered entry gates followed by an extremely large circular driveway leading up to a distinctive stone covered front entry. Main Mahogany double doors open into a dramatic circular foyer with walls covered in custom painted and stained woods followed by exquisite two-tone inlayed American Walnut flooring. Immediately to the right and left are stunning his and hers offices with double hardwood custom doors accented with glass inserts. Inside, both are finished with incredibly detailed wood surfaces from top to bottom.


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* You will feel sadness and regret and nostalgia, no matter how bad it got. That's normal. It's also NOT a sign that you are on the wrong path.
* If all parties involved can actually decide to be civil and friendly, that's far easier and healthier. But if one person doesn't want to do it that way, then it's out of the question for the time being.
* You can learn a lot about yourself and relationships by fucking it up. So yeah, having more marriages (or relationships) does not necessarily mean that you're bad at relationships now… And you're quite possibly better than when you started.
Anyway, I wish her well. While it didn't end the way either of us expected, that doesn't mean she, I, or the relationship was bad.
And that's an important distinction to make.
And now, onward.


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If you're still using your Xbox 360 to watch video content then it's probably time to sort out a proper media centre solution. Do you really want to burn out your console long before the red rings or yellow light of death signal the end of your favourite toy?
While plenty of pricey pre-built solutions exist, there are a few ways to bring a streaming box of entertainment to your living room on the cheap. With the right some open source media software, a few budget products and some spare time you can sort out the perfect media companion in a couple of hours.
In this article we'll be looking at three potential solutions that you might not have considered, as well as the software you'll need for each.
Raspberry Pi
We've featured the Raspberry Pi on MakeUseOf a couple of times before but in case you're unfamiliar with this breakthrough device, you will probably want to read all about what it does and why it's so awesome. Recently we even covered some interesting case ideas ranging from simple Lego housings to the "Imperial Pi Fighter", though the unit is small enough you could probably Blu-Tack it to the back of your TV.
The Raspberry Pi's potential as a media centre is promising to say the least. The small, $25 computer is uses an ARM-based system-on-chip (SoC) design which means it plays nice with software and Linux distributions written for the ARM architecture. Of course, you don't need to understand any of this in order to make use of it, especially now that XBMC now has its own Raspberry-flavoured project.
The release, known as Raspbmc uses the excellent XBMC open source media centre to chew through 1080p video, providing you with a barebones entertainment system for around the price of a new BluRay release. You can even stream AirPlay content straight from your Apple device once you've enabled the setting. Some time spent setting it up is required, but then that's part of the fun when it comes to the RasPi.
Things You'll Need:
- A Raspberry Pi
- An SD Card
- Raspbmc [FAQ]
- An HDMI cable (cheap ones work perfectly fine)
- A USB keyboard/mouse for setup
- Ethernet cable/Wi-Fi dongle for networking (optional but recommended)
- A USB hub for adding extra sources directly (optional)
- Some time to set it up using Windows or OS X/Linux
- A remote control, like this one for iOS or this one for Android
Apple TV
The Apple TV might seem like the perfect device out of the box for your home theatre needs, but in reality you'll probably want to get as much as you can out of the pint-sized powerhouse with a jailbreak. At present there is no jailbreak for what many are calling the Apple TV 3, a revised version of the black box that came out in March of 2012. If you do decide to buy new, you'll have to wait before you can install additional software on it so for now you might want to pick up a cheap used box on eBay.
For now an original Apple TV (720p, no live streaming) or Apple TV 2 (1080p, some streaming capabilities) have both received the jailbreak treatment, allowing for XBMC to be installed while retaining the AirPlay functionality and iTunes integration the device was designed for. So technically you can have the best of both worlds, enjoying your media library.
As an alternative to XBMC you could also use Plex, a media centre that James raved about last year. Plex is a little different to XBMC (despite being a fork) in that it uses a separate server and client to stream media. It works with Windows, Mac OS X and Linux, and even lets you stream using the iPad and Android tablets but you'll need a second generation (black) Apple TV to be able to use it.
Things You'll Need:
- A jailbroken Apple TV (jailbreak instructions)
- XBMC for iOS or Plex for Apple TV 2 (and the server)
- Media shared over a network
An Old Netbook or "Nettop"
While an old bit of computer equipment might not make the speediest, quietest or sleekest looking media centre, chances are it will do the job without requiring any additional expenditure. Provided the hardware is powerful enough to decode HD video content and has an HDMI or DVI out, then it will do!
I'd recommend an old netbook or equivalent for this task for a few reasons:
- They're small and quiet – some don't even have fans
- They're should come with everything you need – Wi-Fi, USB connectivity and HDMI/DVI-out are pretty standard
- You can install Windows, a lightweight Linux distro or run a live USB version of XBMCbuntu for the quickest setup possible
Hunt around for a "nettop" PC with enough grunt (but not too much, you'll want it to be quiet) like the Acer Aspire Revo (above) which won't break the bank. These machines are designed to be low power and inexpensive, and they won't kick out too much heat and require loud fans either. A live XBMCbuntu or lightweight Linux install with XBMC won't tax the internals too much, providing a quiet and cheap media solution.
There are a constant flow of sub-$200 nettops on eBay and according to the official XBMC wiki most computers manufactured within the last 5 years meet the minimum requirements for XBMC Live/XBMCbuntu. Don't forget about the official forum which contains plenty of advice regarding suitable setups.
Potential software:
- XBMC (with a custom skin and some add-ons)
- Plex
- Enna
- Element
- MythTV or Mythbuntu (PVR software)
Hopefully these few ideas will inspire you to pick up a RasPi, cheap Apple TV, or a low powered living room PC. XBMC and Plex are two ideal software solutions for a low budget media centre, though for the living room PC you might want to consider an alternative media-centric Linux distro instead.
Do you use a cheap media centre? How much did you spend? Talk us through your setup in the comments, below.
Image credit: Intro (Shutterstock), AspireRevo & Wii (takot), Netbook (eko)


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|The Grand Flamingo Hotel, Part 2
|Written by Paul S. George, BT Contributor
|November 2018
A view of our past from the archives of HistoryMiami
In the last installment of "Picture Story," we explored the origins of developer Carl Fisher's Flamingo Hotel, early Miami Beach's most spectacular hostelry. The hotel opened with a private New Year's Eve party in 1920 and officially opened to guests the following day.
Room rates started at $15 for a single and $20 for a double. During its inaugural month, the Flamingo Hotel welcomed a special guest, President-elect Warren G. Harding. During his brief stay, Harding enjoyed poker games and whiskey, despite a national prohibition law that was recently enacted. He also got in a round of golf with the quirky Fisher's elephant, Rosie, as his caddy!
The national publicity from that visit, and his praise for the area, helped elevate the hotel's business, as did the onset of a massive real estate boom that brought record numbers of visitors to the area. As the boom crested in the mid-1920s, the Flamingo Hotel, in the telling of Jane Fisher, Carl's wife, became "the center of gaiety" on Miami Beach, which had by then become a leading East Coast tourist resort.
The boom's collapse and the ensuing Great Depression caused the hotel to operate on a smaller scale, but Miami Beach and the Flamingo were again brimming with tourists by early 1940s. With the U.S. entry during World War II, the Flamingo leased its facilities to the Army Air Forces (AAF). In addition to housing AAF personnel, the hotel served as Branch No. 2 of servicemen's recreational facilities during the war.
In the postwar era, Miami Beach rocketed to the top of U.S. tourist destinations, but the Flamingo, along with other older hotels on Biscayne Bay, suffered from a location away from the warm Atlantic waters and the addition of new hotels with attractive amenities. In 1960 the Flamingo Hotel was demolished to make way for the massive Morton Towers, 1500 Bay Rd., and is little remembered today.
Volume 18, Issue 2, May 2020
Diaspora Vibe struggles to help its artists and stay afloat
|Read more...
Sales, special events, and more from the people who make Biscayne Times possible
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A view of our past from the archives of HistoryMiami
|Read more...


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Program Committees
Conference Chair
- Jeffrey Webb, The University of Nottingham
- Ding Jun, National University Singapore, Singapore
Program Chairs
- Raja Rizwan Hussain King Saud University, Saudi Arabia
- Adel H Hejaaji, Engineering Service Management, UK
- Amit Desai, Petroleum R&D, USA
Publication Chair
- Nader Barsoum, The University of Malaysia Sabah, Malaysia
Publicity Chairs
- Jui-Yang Lai, Chang Gung University, Taiwan
- Akbar Othman, Polytechnic Port Dickson, Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia
Technical Program Committee:
- Manas Haldar, Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus, Malaysia
- Yubing Shi, The University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus, Malaysia
- Nader Barsoum, The University of Malaysia Sabah, Malaysia
- Sukumar Senthilkumar , Chonbuck National University, South Korea
- Wong Chiow San, University of Malaya, Malaysia
- Sugata Ray, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, India
- Jui-Yang Lai, Chang Gung University, Taiwan
- M. Mansha, University of Engineering and Technology, Pakistan
- H. Abdellatif Hasan, Jordan Univ of Science and Technology, Jordan
- Chi-Min Shu, National Yunlin University, Taiwan
- Ajaya Kumar Singh, Government V.Y.T.PG.Autonomous College Durg, India
- Hongwei Wu, University of the West of Scotland, UK
- Christopher J. Koroneos, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece
- SungCheal Moon, Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS), South Korea
- Changle Chen, Celanese Corporation, USA
- Gennady Zaikov, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Yong Liu, Micron Technology, USA
- M.T. Mathew, Rush University Medical Center, USA
- Hong Jin Kim, Samsung Electronics,South Korea
- P. N. Gajjar, Gujarat University, India
- Ahmed Osman, Cairo University, Egypt
- Zh. Algazy, Kazakh National Research Technical University, Almaty , Kazakhstan


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You will be surprised to know the secret about coffee beans. Yes! It is extremely beneficial as it works to stimulate the blood flow thus make your skin smoother and firmer.
At some extent, everybody would have little areas of the skin that are rough and uneven called cellulite. The solution of completely get rid of this cellulite is not yet proved but you can hide its appearance using some easy home remedies. Your beauty box will surely need coffee beans to store in it after when you will know its magic to leave your skin all day glowing. Coffee beans are loaded with antioxidants and keep your skin hydrated and remove the dead skin cells. Here I am sharing a wonderful DIY remedy of coffee scrub.
Also read, 3 DIY Anti-Cellulite Creams
Coffee and Sugar Scrub
Coffee will make your skin smooth whereas the coconut will lock moisture in your skin.
Steps to Use:
- Mix 1 cup of ground coffee beans and ½ cup of brown sugar.
- Now add 1 cup of coconut oil and mix all the ingredients.
- First wash your body properly then massage this scrub to your wet skin with the help of circulation of your hands.
- After massaging, rinse your body with lukewarm water.
Also see, How to Dry Body Brushing to Reduce Cellulite
Coffee and Yogurt Scrub
This is the remedy for those people who have dry skin. Either use milk cream or yogurt, both will do the same function to lock in moisture in your skin.
Steps to Use:
- In a bowl, add ½ cup of freshly ground coffee and ½ cup of cocoa powder.
- Now add ½ cup of milk cream or yogurt to this mixture.
- Lastly, add two tbsp. of honey then combine all the ingredients together and mix thoroughly.
- Apply a little coat of this mixture on your skin, let it settle for 15 minutes then wash it off with lukewarm water.
- Apply this scrub two times a week.
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2005 (Canada / France / USA)
Contains spoilers.
Set some three years after hell shut it gates and zombies swept civilisation aside mankind has survived in small isolated enclaves. One such shelter and the centre for George A. Romero's Land of the Dead is the luxury skyscraper Fiddler's Green, home to the city's ruler Paul Kaufman (Dennis Hopper) and his rich sycophantic friends. Here they sit in their ivory tower eating fine food, shopping in boutique stores and living as if nothing has changed and segregated behind paid mercenaries, the rest of the population live in the slums where Kaufmann encourages vice and uses greed and fear to keep them under control.
From the off though we can see that some things never change. There is no mankind putting its differences behind to work together for a brighter united future; we still find class stratification, greed and a world divided not by ability or achievement but by what you have and who you know.
The film starts with the same old Romero zombies. Shambling parodies of their former selves they walk the same routes and return to the same places they did when they were alive. Mimicking their same old routines, a gas attendant waits for cars and a small bandstand plays host to a hilarious trombone player and his troupe.
Out on his last sortie from the city for supplies, Riley Denbo (Simon Baker) the designer and commander of the state of the art zombie killing bus Dead Reckoning has decided he's had enough, he's sick of the politics, the unfairness and way in which the rich have begun to take the illusion of safety for granted.
Gathering up essential food and medicine to take back to the safety of the city with the zombie horde hypnotised to the nights fireworks he has also noticed changes in some of the zombies behaviour. One such zombie, the petrol attendant affectionately known as Big Daddy (Eugene Clark) even seems to be able to communicate with a grunt to others. Time has passed and the zombies in Romero's world are starting to grow up. Starting with Bub in Day of the Dead, the zombies or walkers as they're referred have started are starting to exhibit self awareness and an ability to adapt.
We've talked about Romero's use of subtext at length before and Land of the Dead doesn't disappoint. As well Romero's usual and slightly communist use of exaggerated class demarcation, the zombies themselves have an evolved dynamic. Not just the ever constant static fear, the background cinder-keg, there to let the tension, narrative and characters play out, this time they're portrayed as an underclass of their own. Ridiculed and slaughtered without thought, their journey to Fiddler's Green is just as much symbolic of their journey of self-discovery as it is a tense horror story as they creep ever closer, their breach of the city walls and slaughter of the rich just as much symbolic of resistance fighters knocking down their oppressors as it is a good old story of zombie slaughter and mayhem.
On returning to pick up his car he discovers he's been ripped off and with his best friend Charlie (Robert Joy) heads to confront bar owner Chihuahua (Phil Fondacaro) to get his ride out of town. Witnessing the slums fall to a new low with the evening's entertainment a state sponsored zombie murder, he steps in rescues a young lady called Slack (Asia Argento) moments before she's eaten, kills Chihuahua and gets thrown in jail.
Cholo DeMora (John Leguizamo), second in command also thinks that was his last night out on patrol and with delusions of grandeur returns to Kaufmann thinking he'll finally be granted a place with the elite. He comes crashing down to earth as his request is not only reclined but Kaufmann's decided he's had enough of him. Out for revenge, he steals Dead Reckoning just as the city begins to descend into chaos with Big Daddy breaching one of the supply stations outside the city walls, and demands $5m or he'll blow the tower up.
Kaufmann throws Riley a lifeline; if he can retake Dead Reckoning and save the city he'll be free to leave with his friends and with the zombies realising they can cross the rivers protecting the city the story is set for a dramatic and bloodthirsty climax.
And for the most part the ending is as full on, tense and dramatic as you'd want. There's lots of panic, screaming, zombie kills and more blood, guts and dismemberments than probably in all of Romero's other films to this point. The narrative is authentic and strong, the characters believable and the effects staggering. My only complain is that I felt the film ended a bit abruptly, almost as if it ran out of time. As zombies ravage the remaining survivors and the city looks beyond hope, in rides Dead Reckoning, three quick missiles to one stretch of fencing and Slack turns to Riley as men, women and children appear unscathed in the background and says," you saved them". Really? An hour of setting up a massive multi dynamic confrontation, hundreds of organised zombies, mercenaries, civilians and freedom fighters and it's all over in thirty seconds? The missing scenes alludes to a longer more involved resistance including a fight back from the men and women of the slums as the rich in their ivory palace run like headless chickens to their death at Big Daddy and feeling his wrath exacted and with a sense of affinity, he leads his zombies away to find a new un-life.
Land of the Dead is a masterful apocalyptic sci-fi adventure. Using all of Romero's biggest ever budget, some $15m, the action is lavish and much larger in scale than anything we've seen from him before. Expansive overhead shots, explosions, vibrant city scenes; the world is alive and authentic. In many ways this is easily his best zombie film, certainly for the viewer more used to bigger and better effects but it also retains that hallmark Romero wit and use of satire. An interesting exploration of how zombies over time could evolve to almost something one could sympathise Romero isn't afraid to break new ground in a genre that's becoming more saturated. Big, bold, the master is back, 8/10.


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Elod Kortvely, Eszter Emri, Sascha Dammeier, Marius Ueffing, Imre Lengyel; Cell layer specific proteome of the outer retina: laser capture microdissection of drusen and its cellular environment from paraffin embedded sections. Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 2017;58(8):5247. doi: https://doi.org/.
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© ARVO (1962-2015); The Authors (2016-present)
Purpose :
Drusen deposition is one of the early hallmarks of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of visual impairment and irreversible blindness. The molecular composition of drusen and its immediate surrounding tissues is not yet fully understood. In this study we analysed the proteome of paraffin embedded sectioned human eye tissues using laser capture microdissection to obtain cell layer specific information.
Methods :
In this study we used paraffin embedded sections from 7 human post-mortem eyes (ages between 41 and 91) obtained from the pathology archive at UCL Institute of Ophthalmology. We isolated outer nuclear layer (ONL), photoreceptor outer segments (POS), retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), drusen and the Bruch's membrane/choriocapillary complex (BrM) using laser capture microdissection (Zeiss PALM). Samples were catapulted into adhesive caps (Zeiss) and subjected to alternating cycles of ambient to high pressure using a Barocycler 2320EXT machine (Pressure BioSciences) in the presence of trypsin for ultra-fast protein digestion. Mass spectroscopic analysis was performed an Orbitrap Fusion (Thermo Scientific). Acquired spectra were analysed using Scaffold (Proteome Software).
Results :
We identified 206 proteins in ONL and 131 proteins in POS. Amongst these were Rhodopsin (RHO) and Retinal Outer Segment Membrane Protein 1 (ROM1) specific for photoreceptors. 412 proteins were identified in the RPE including the RPE specific Na+/H+ Exchange Regulatory Cofactor NHE-RF1 (SLC9A3R1) and Retinoid Isomerohydrolase (RPE65). The microdissected BrM complex, without drusen, contained 289 proteins with elastin (ELN) specifically identified only in this layer. In drusen 124 proteins were identified. Amongst these were vitronectin (VTN), clusterin (CLU) Tissue Inhibitor of Metallopeptidase 3 (TIMP3), Complement C9 (C9) and Apolipoprotein E (APOE).
Conclusions :
The combination of laser capture microdissection and mass spectrometry is a powerful tool to detect cell and tissue specific protein profiles even from archived paraffin embedded and sectioned tissues. This approach has already enriched our knowledge on proteins present in the different layers. This approach, once used on tissue sections from diseased eyes, will contribute significantly to improve our understanding of the molecular changes underpinning the pathogenesis of AMD.
This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2017 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Baltimore, MD, May 7-11, 2017.
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