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Chris Pronger of the Philadelphia Flyers fishing aboard the Lady Pamela IVPosted on: February 12, 2011
Chris Pronger of the Philadelphia Flyers came fishing aboard the Lady Pamela IV two days in a row and had great success fishing offshore in Fort Lauderdale. The first day of fishing was great. The bite wasn't instant, but everyone's patience paid off. We didn't get a bite for almost 3 hours and then at the very last minute, we hooked a huge Sailfish. Chris reeled in a 70 lb Atlantic Sailfish and then booked a fishing trip for the next morning because he had such a good time fishing. The next day we left the dock at 8 AM and headed offshore to try our luck Big Game Shark Fishing. We put our all of the 130 reels out with big 5lb King Mackerel bait on the end. The bait sat in 350 ft of water for almost 3 hours before we decided to make a move into shallower water. Shortly after we relocated, we got a big bite. Chris fought a Sicklefin, Greater Hammerhead all the way to the transom. We look forward to fishing with you again, Chris!
Tight Lines!
Captain David Ide


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COVID-19 (coronavirus)
Savers might increasingly look to transfer their pension, prompted by the instability of their employer or the financial markets. Read guidance on communicating to scheme members during COVID-19.
Savers could be increasingly targeted by scammers attempting to lure them to 'safe havens'. If a saver asks about transferring their pension, urge them to exercise extreme caution and visit ScamSmart which has specific guidance relating to COVID-19.
Fraudsters promise high returns and low risk, but in reality, pension savers that are scammed can be left with nothing.
When savers realise they've been scammed, it can be devastating – many lose their life savings. Once the money is gone, it's almost impossible to get it back.
You can help pension savers avoid falling victim to a scam.
If you're a trustee, scheme administrator, business adviser or employer, find out how you can beat pension scams and help savers be ScamSmart.
How pension scams work
Anyone can be the victim of a pension scam, no matter how savvy they think they are. It's important that everyone can spot the warning signs.
Scammers try to persuade pension savers to transfer their entire pension savings, or to release funds from it, by making attractive-sounding promises they have no intention of keeping.
The pension money is often invested in unusual, high risk investments like:
- overseas property and hotels
- renewable energy bonds
- forestry
- parking
- storage units
Or it can be simply stolen outright.
Read our booklet on how to spot a scam (PDF, 122kb, 2 pages).
Many scammers persuade savers to transfer their money into single member occupational schemes, or other occupational pension schemes.
Savers could lose all their money and face a high tax bill from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) if they withdraw their pension savings before the age of 55.
Direct savers to the government's Pension Wise service to understand their options.
All pension savers should speak to an independent FCA-authorised adviser before making a transfer, and in some cases are required to do so.
Warning signs of a pension scam
Scammers often cold call people via phone, email or text – this is illegal, and a likely sign of a scam. They often advertise online and can have websites that look official or government-backed.
Other common signs of pension scams:
- phrases like 'free pension review', 'pension liberation', 'loan', 'loophole', 'savings advance', 'one-off investment', 'cashback'
- higher returns – guarantees they can get better returns on pension savings
- help to release cash from a pension before the age of 55, with no mention of the HMRC tax bill that can arise
- high pressure sales tactics – time limited offers to get the best deal; using couriers to send documents, who wait until they're signed
- unusual high risk investments, which tend to be overseas, unregulated, with no consumer protections
- complicated investment structures
- long-term pension investments – which often mean people who transfer in do not realise something is wrong for a number of years
Trustees and administrators
Trustees and administrators play an important role in educating and protecting members.
Help savers keep their retirement savings away from scammers.
How you can help
- have a scam prevention page on your website based on our news story (DOC, 209kb, 2 pages)
- print and include the pension scams guide (PDF, 122kb, 2 pages) in your annual member statements and transfer packs
- always do due diligence when a member asks to transfer their pension, and use our checklist (PDF, 199kb, 3 pages)
- regularly share scams prevention material and reminders with members
- post scams messages and images on your social media
Scheme transfers and carrying out due diligence
If a saver asks for a scheme transfer, use our checklist (PDF, 199kb, 3 pages) to find out more about the receiving scheme. You can also incorporate messages from our template letter (DOC, 26kb, 1 page) to be sent to savers who request a transfer.
The Pension Scams Industry Group, which is made up of bodies from across the pensions industry, provides a due diligence code of good practice.
If you've carried out due diligence and suspect a receiving scheme may be involved in a scam:
- tell the member your suspicions
- record this communication, along with any decisions they make
- report your concern to Action Fraud
We cannot prevent a member pursuing their statutory right to transfer, nor can we permit trustees to prevent a transfer to which a statutory right applies. However, where transferring trustees or administrators show evidence that the transfer doesn't meet the legal requirements, we would consider this when deciding whether to take action due to the non-payment of a transfer.
Timing of transfers
If the legal requirements are met, trustees will have a legal duty to carry out a transfer of savers' cash equivalent transfer value before the statutory six-month deadline. We expect most transfer requests to be completed in this time.
In exceptional circumstances, The Pensions Regulator (TPR) may grant a time extension. This includes when:
- the saver hasn't taken all steps they need to take for the trustees to carry out the transfer
- trustees haven't been provided with information they reasonably require to properly carry out the saver's request
The application for a time extension must be made before the end of the six-month statutory deadline given to the trustees to complete the transfer. However, in order to provide TPR's Determinations Panel with sufficient time to consider it, an application should be submitted well ahead of this deadline, preferably at least six weeks before it. Applications should therefore be made as soon as it becomes clear that an extension is needed, and every effort should be made to ensure it contains all of the information we require to consider it. It should:
- explain why the transfer can't be completed on time
- identify the basis for the extension request in reference to one of the particular circumstances under which TPR may grant an extension
- state the extra time needed to make the transfer
Where trustees suspect a pension scam, this is not necessarily sufficient for TPR to grant a time extension. Trustees should only consider applying for an extension where they can clearly demonstrate that one of the circumstances under which TPR is permitted to grant a time extension is present.
Download the cash equivalent transfer value (CETV) extension application form (PDF, 69kb, 5 pages).
For further information go to the transfer guidance page.
Savers who have been scammed
If you find out a pension saver has been scammed, encourage them to report it to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
The Pensions Advisory Service (TPAS) supports people that want to rebuild their pension savings. To book an appointment, email firstname.lastname@example.com
Approved financial advisers
The FCA regulates firms and individuals that provide financial advice.
Pension scammers sometimes pose as financial advisers; have smart-looking brochures and websites giving scam warnings, pretending to be official or government-backed.
Professional appearances don't guarantee that a company can be trusted. Savers should check with the FCA to make sure a firm is authorised before acting on any pensions advice they're given.
It's important that savers stay alert to other warning signs of a scam. Share our template news story (DOC, 209kb, 2 pages) with savers so they know how to spot them.
The FCA also regulates those who operate self-invested personal pensions (SIPPs) – personal and contract-based stakeholder pension schemes. If you're worried that a member of your scheme may have been targeted by a scam, check if the receiving pension provider is authorised by the FCA.
If you have concerns about a firm that's listed on this register, contact email@example.com.
The Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) protects consumers who receive bad or negligent advice from a financial adviser who is authorised by the FCA. The FSCS can pay up to £50,000 per claim.
Tax-registered pension schemes
HMRC provides tax relief given to pension savings in registered pension schemes. Pension scams put this tax relief at risk.
All applications to register a pension scheme undergo checks by HMRC, who monitor activity during the life of a registered pension scheme.
If HMRC doesn't believe a new scheme is genuine – or doesn't believe the scheme administrator is a fit and proper person to perform the role – the scheme won't be registered.
If a pension scheme hasn't complied with its tax obligations, HMRC can impose sanctions. This can include de-registering the scheme, so it doesn't benefit from tax advantages.
If a scheme administrator has carried out due diligence checks on a transfer, but still has concerns, they can request confirmation of the registration status of the receiving scheme from HMRC by writing to: Pension Schemes Services, HMRC, FitzRoy House, Castle Meadow Road, Nottingham, NG2 1BD.
Business advisers
You're the first line of defence for your clients against pension scams – they'll look to you for advice.
Scammers can be articulate and financially knowledgeable, making it difficult to tell between them and legitimate advisers.
Get to know your responsibilities as a professional adviser and help your clients spot the warning signs of a pension scam.
How you can help
- share our scams prevention guide (PDF, 122kb, 2 pages) with your clients and explain the risks of scams
- encourage your employer clients to display our poster (PDF, 266kb, 1 page)
- advise your clients to put a dedicated scam prevention page on their website, based on our news story (DOC, 173, 2 pages)
Your staff look to you for support – your help can keep them away from pension scams.
Scams victims lose £82,000 on average from their pension, often their life savings.
Get to know your responsibilities – help your staff be ScamSmart and keep their retirement savings safe.
How you can help
- share our booklet (PDF, 122kb, 2pages) on the signs of a scam with your staff
- adapt our news story (DOC, 172kb, 2 pages) for use on your intranet
- display the poster (PDF, 266kb, 1 page) in your workplace
- post anti-scams messages (JPG, 2017kb) on your social media
Four steps for savers to prevent pension scams
- reject unexpected pension offers, whether in person, over the phone, online, or through social media
- check who you're dealing with before changing your pension arrangements – visit ScamSmart or call the FCA on 0800 111 6768 to see if the firm is authorised
- don't be rushed or pressured into making any decision about your pension
- consider getting impartial information and advice
Use our pension scams prevention resources to help protect savers:
- COVID-19: protecting savers social post suggestions (DOC, 1mb, 2 pages)
- COVID-19: protecting savers social media graphics (ZIP, 899kb)
- booklet (PDF, 122kb, 2 pages)
- poster (PDF, 266kb, 1 page)
- employers article (DOC, 172kb, 2 pages)
- employers news story (DOC, 26kb, 1 page)
- employers social media content (DOC, 579kb, 1 page)
- trustees and pension professionals article (DOC, 209kb, 2 pages)
- trustees and pensions professionals news story (DOC, 27kb, 1 page)
- trustees and pensions professionals social media content (DOC, 817kb, 1 page)
- business advisers article (DOC, 173kb, 2 pages)
- business advisers news story (DOC, 26kb, 1 page)
- business advisers social media content (DOC, 851kb, 1 page)
- infographic (JPG, 2017kb)
- pension scams briefing (PDF, 901kb, 11 pages)
Are you a pension saver?
Don't let a scammer enjoy your retirement. Be ScamSmart and visit fca.org.uk/scamsmart to find out more.
If you suspect a scam, report it to Action Fraud – the UK's national fraud and cybercrime reporting centre.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
LV25 Philosophy and Politics BA Undergraduate 2021
Please note: 2020-21 courses may be affected by Covid-19 and are therefore subject to change due to the ongoing impact of Covid-19. Summaries of course-specific changes resulting from the impact of Covid-19 will be provided to applicants during August 2020.
For the latest information on our plans for teaching in academic year 2020/21 in light of Covid-19, please see www.durham.ac.uk/coronavirus
|UCAS code
|Mode of study
|Full Time
|3 years
|Durham City
|Typical Offers
|A Level
|International Baccalaureate
|Please also check Requirements and Admissions.
|Alternative qualifications
|Contextual Offers
|You may be eligible for an offer which is one or two grades lower than our standard entry requirements. Find out more.
|More information
|Still have questions?
|Department(s) Website
Course Summary
The study of philosophy at Durham does not follow one particular school. The Department is unique in the UK in its wide-ranging expertise in anglo-american analytical philosophy and continental philosophy. Each of these has its own distinctive set of issues and approaches to resolving them. We also have special expertise in the philosophy of science, and social science, and the history of science and medicine. So at Durham, you will follow one of the widest-ranging philosophy degrees in the country.
At Durham, you will have the opportunity to study Philosophy as a Single Honours degree, or with another subject including: English, Music, Psychology, Politics or Theology. Philosophy can also be combined in a Joint Honours degree within the Natural Sciences course or as part of a Combined Honours degree.
Philosophy is a new subject for many students, so in your first year you will follow a range of introductory courses, introducing the fundamental philosophical subject areas.
Year 1
In their first year, you will take the Philosophy core modules of Ethics and Values, Knowledge and Reality, and Reading Philosophy. The first two of these concern the two broad divisions of Philosophy, into Metaphysics and Theory of Knowledge on the one hand, and Moral Philosophy on the other.
Reading Philosophy is a text-based course which examines in depth classic philosophical works.
You will also take two core modules in Politics, Democratic Political Systems, and Political Theory, and one module from a range of electives. Examples of possible modules include:
- International Security, Interdependence and Organisation
- Global Regions in International Relations
- Introduction to International Relations
- Introduction to Comparative Politics.
Years 2 and 3
In the second year, you will take Moral Theory and Political Philosophy.
In the second and third years, you will also have a choice of a wide range of topics within Philosophy.
In previous years these have included:
- Moral Theory
- Modern Philosophy I and II
- History of Science and Medicine
- Issues in Contemporary Ethics
- Philosophy of Religion
- Political Philosophy
- Metaphysics
- Language, Logic and Reality
- Twentieth Century European Philosophy
- Philosophy of Science
- The Philosophy of Economics and Politics: Theory, Methods and Values
- Applied Ethics
- Philosophical Issues in Contemporary Science
- History and Philosophy of Psychiatry
- Biomedical Ethics Past and Present.
A similarly wide range of modules are available in Politics.
In previous years these have included:
- International Theory
- The Politics of Pacific Asia
- Foundations of Western Political Thought
- Sovereignty, State and Empire
- Global Political Economy
- Middle East in the International System
- Democracy and Democratic Theory
- Class, Nation and British Politics
- The Ethics of Violence in International Relations
- Culture and Conflict in American Politics
- The New Germany
- Nations and Nationalism
- Israel: Politics and Society
- Evolution and Development of Military Occupation
- Parties, MPs and Parliamentary Politics in Britain.
You will also have the opportunity to study a subject in depth, by writing a substantial dissertation of your choice.
We review course structures and core content (in light of e.g. external and student feedback) every year, and will publish finalised core requirements for 2021 entry from September 2020.
Study Abroad
We currently participate in exchange schemes through which you may spend a year of your studies abroad, either with universities in Europe – through the SOCRATES/ERASMUS programme – or with the University of California.
School of Government and International Affairs
Students can apply for a one-year study placement in one of the following institutions: the University of California and Boston College in the USA, British Columbia in Canada, the University of Hong Kong, and the National University of Singapore. In some cases courses are offered in English, while in others teaching is in the local language. We have an ERASMUS/Year Abroad Co-ordinator who will help you prepare for your year abroad, and who will maintain contact with you while you are away.
Placement Year
You may be able to take a work placement. Find out more.
Course Learning and Teaching
Students on this course learn through a combination of lectures, seminars, tutorials (Politics & Philosophy), informal but scheduled one-on-one support, and self-directed learning, such as research, reading, and writing.
All of these are supported by a virtual learning environment, Durham University Online (DUO). Seminars and tutorials are much smaller groups than lectures, with tutorials often involving no more than eight students working with a professor or lecturer; seminars and workshops can be larger but are still small enough to allow one-on-one interaction with tutors; some of these also allow hands-on experience of the kind of work professional political scientists perform.
This emphasis on small-group teaching reflects a conscious choice to enhance the quality of the learning experience rather than the quantity of formal sessions. In fact, the degree is designed to feature fewer formal sessions and more independent research as you move from your first to your final year.
Small-group teaching and one-on-one attention from the personal academic advisor (provided for all students when they enter the course) are part of the learning experience throughout, but by the final year classroom time gives way, to some extent, to independent research, including a capstone dissertation—supported by one-on-one supervision—that makes up a third of final year credits.
In this way the degree systematically transforms you from a consumer of knowledge in the classroom to a generator of knowledge, ready for professional or postgraduate life. These formal teaching arrangements are supported by "drop-in" surgeries with teaching staff and induction sessions that begin in the week before the start of the course and continue at key times throughout each year of the degree.
You can also attend an extensive programme of research-focused seminars where staff and visiting scholars present their cutting-edge research.
Admissions Process
Subject requirements, level and grade
A level offer – AAA including at least one social science or humanities subject.
Philosophy at AS or A level is not a requirement.
BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma/OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma – DDD plus A levels as above.
IB Diploma score – 37 with 666 in higher level subjects. There are also higher level subject requirements.
- We consider each application holistically. Whilst academic achievement is important, it is not the only factor that we consider when assessing applications and applicants who have achieved, or are predicted to achieve, close to our typical offer, but who have not met it exactly, will be welcome to apply if they have a strong application in other key elements, for example can demonstrate merit and potential through their personal statement or their reference.
- We welcome applications from those with other qualifications equivalent to our standard entry requirements and from mature students with non-standard qualifications or who may have had a break in their study.
- An interview may form part of the entry requirements for mature students with non-standard qualifications.
- We are pleased to consider applications for deferred entry.
Science A levels
Applicants taking Science A levels that include a practical component will be required to take and pass this as a condition of entry. This applies only to applicants sitting A levels with an English examination board.
English Language requirements
Please check requirements for your subject and level of study.
How to apply
Information relevant to your country
Fees and Funding
Full Time Fees
|EU Student
|£21,730.00 per year
|Home Student
|£9,250.00 per year
|Island Student
|£9,250.00 per year
|International non-EU Student
|£21,730.00 per year
The tuition fees shown for home students are for one complete academic year of full time study and are set according to the academic year of entry. Fees for subsequent years of your course may rise in line with an inflationary uplift as determined by the government.
The tuition fees shown for overseas and EU students are for one complete academic year of full time study, are set according to the academic year of entry, and remain the same throughout the duration of the programme for that cohort (unless otherwise stated).
Please also check costs for colleges and accommodation.
Scholarships and funding
Career Opportunities
Durham Philosophy graduates possess skills in critical thinking, logical analysis and the clear communication of complex information that make them much sought after in many professional walks of life. Our research-led teaching ensures that they are not only well informed about the latest developments in Philosophy, but also competent researchers in their own right, able to think for themselves and tackle problems imaginatively. Philosophy at Durham is not an 'ivory tower' subject and students are taught to relate theory to practice and see the relevance of their studies to everyday life. Our broad programme covers all major areas of Philosophy and includes modules in moral philosophy (e.g. Applied Ethics and Biomedical Ethics), Political Philosophy, Science & Religion, History & Philosophy of Psychiatry and Theory, Literature and Society which explicitly apply philosophical techniques to real-world problems.
All students in their final year write a long dissertation that provides an excellent opportunity for them to put the final edge on their analytical, research and presentational skills. Some Durham Philosophy graduates proceed to higher-degree study and an academic career; others enter a wide range of professions including the law and civil service, management, public relations, teaching, marketing, retail and financial services. In the 2012 Complete University Guide, Durham Philosophy graduates rank joint-second in the UK for 'graduate prospects'.
Of those students that left in 2017:
- 92% are in employment or further study six months after graduating
Of those in employment:
- 87% are in graduate level employment
- Median salary £25,500
(Source: Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) survey of 2016/17 graduates. The DLHE survey asks leavers from higher education what they are doing six months after graduation. Full definitions for the DLHE Record can be found here:www.hesa.ac.uk/support/definitions/destinations)
A significant number of students progress onto higher level study following their degree in Philosophy. Many remain within their academic field of interest and pursue a Masters, notably at Durham but also at other prestigious institutions including the London School of Economics and Cambridge. Others take a different route and pursue professional postgraduate programmes in law, finance and teaching to name but a few.
Employability development opportunities
The Careers, Employability and Enterprise Centre works closely with the Philosophy Department. The link Careers Adviser delivers presentations to each year group on topics relevant to that stage of their academic career. These cover career decision making, successful applications and interviews, and advice for those considering further study. Q & A sessions are also available in which students can ask the adviser anything about their future career plans or ideas.
Durham University Philosophy graduates enter a wide range of career areas including publishing, retail, marketing, business and finance. Our graduates find employment with leading employers in both the public and private sectors such as British Telecom, The Royal Society of Medicine, Goldman Sachs, Government Olympic Committee, KPMG, The Royal Navy and PwC. Specific roles our graduates have progressed into include marketing graduate, trainee accountant, international financial analyst, account manager and press publishing administrator.
School of Government and International Affairs
We offer exceptional opportunities that will help you become critically and socially engaged graduates of the highest calibre.
Our graduates have an enviable record of employment and enter a wide range of career areas including business and finance, local and national government, armed forces, marketing and PR, media - newspaper and TV journalism, publishing, law, manufacturing industry, recruitment and teaching.
Our graduates have gone on to have great success in the political arena - with alumni job titles including Chief Operating Officer for the GB Equality and Human Rights Commission, Head of Defence Inquests and Disclosure in the Ministry of Defence and Political Officer in the British Embassy Mogadishu, while others hold senior academic and government positions around the world.
Other recruiters include leading employers such as the House of Commons, Accenture, British Airways, Ernst and Young, British Telecom, Goldman Sachs, PwC, Royal Navy, House of Fraser, Aldi, Channel 4, HSBC, Teach First, Durham University, Black Rock, Parliament and the Audit Commission.
When applying for roles many employers will ask you to supply academic references from one of your tutors. We always advise that you should approach tutors who know you and your work well, such as a special subject or dissertation tutor.
To help guide you with this process we arrange for advisors from the Careers, Employability and Enterprise Centre provide short presentations to each year group as part of joined up sessions with an Academic Careers Contact and the Head of Undergraduate Studies:
- Year 1 covers an introduction to developing employability skills.
- Year 2 focuses on internships / work experience.
- Year 3 focuses on graduate schemes / recruitment cycle / effective on-line applications
Open days and visits
Pre-application open day
Pre-application open days are the best way to discover all you need to know about Durham University. With representatives from all relevant academic and support service departments, and opportunities to explore college options, the open days provide our prospective undergraduates with the full experience of Durham University.
Please see the following page for further details and information on how to book a place: www.durham.ac.uk/opendays
Discover Durham Tours
Discover Durham tours offer a brief introduction to the University. The tour begins at one of our undergraduate colleges, where you will receive an introductory talk from a member of college staff, followed by a tour of the college by current students.
Overseas Visit Schedule
Department Information
Philosophy studies profound and important questions that arise in all areas of human life. At Durham University, we offer a distinctive, research-led Philosophy curriculum, incorporating considerable levels of variety and choice. Whatever you choose, you will be taught by internationally renowned experts in the field.
We are one of the UK's top philosophy departments. The exceptionally high-quality education you receive here will equip you with critical
abilities that can be put to use in all sorts of ways and which are prized by employers.
- World Top 100 in the QS World University Subject Rankings 2020.
- 5th in The Guardian University Guide 2020.
For a current list of staff, please see the Philosophy Department web pages.
Durham is one of the larger Philosophy departments in the UK, with 20 permanent members of staff. We are known as a very friendly department where you will have a lot of contact with full-time academic staff. We have an excellent department library that complements the University and college libraries. There is an active Philosophical Society and a weekly research seminar which students are welcome to attend.
School of Government and International Affairs
From soapboxes to statecraft, you will learn how and why nations are run the way they are.
Our expert staff will help you to develop a thorough knowledge of the structure and functions of the modern state, the history of ideas about the nature and purpose of politics, and the development of particular regions and their political systems.
Teaching is at the centre of the activities of the School of Government and International Affairs (SGIA), where undergraduates enjoy a vibrant and challenging intellectual environment. The School places great importance on research-led education, which integrates new and cutting edge research into the curriculum and introduces students to a variety of research-oriented skills and research-based projects.
- World Top 100 in the QS World University Subject Rankings 2020.
- Top 10 in The Complete University Guide 2020.
For a current list of staff, please see the School of Government and International Affairs web pages.
The School of Government and International Affairs is a concentration of research expertise in political processes and institutions, political thought, and international and area studies. Teaching takes place both in the Department's own rooms and in conveniently located lecture rooms.
The University Library has an excellent collection in politics as well as specialised research collections such as the European Documentation Centre. Colleges provide additional library resources as well as computing facilities.
Similar Courses
|English Literature and Philosophy (BA)
|Philosophy (BA)
|Philosophy and Psychology (BA)
|Politics (BA)
|Philosophy and Theology (BA)
|Philosophy, Politics and Economics (BA)
|Music and Philosophy (BA)


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Markets cheered by hopes Greece will commit to spending cuts
Stock markets around the world are up, cheered by reports quoting Greek government officials as saying party leaders would pledge their support for deep spending cuts and other reforms by Wednesday. But gains are limited, with a good dose of scepticism that Greece can avoid a default at this stage.
Markets have also taken comfort from Chinese comments about helping the euro, although they were short on detail.
Louise Cooper, markets analyst at BGC Partners, said:
Markets have shrugged off the news out last night that today's eurozone finance ministers meeting has been cancelled and replaced by a conference call. The sticking point seems to be the Troika's desire for the Greek political class to sign a "statement of support" promising that any newly elected government will stick to its programme.
Given that the current most popular party leader, Samaras, has repeatedly said – most recently on Sunday – that he would renegotiate the terms of the bailout if he got to power, this is probably a wise move by the paymasters. But from the Greek perspective is it not best to promise anything just to get the money? Isn't it better to default once you have the cash rather than before? And once the money is in the bank, win an election by promising the Greek electorate that less will be paid back (in one way or another). That is bound to be a popular and winning political strategy.
The FTSE 100 in London gained 0.2%, or 14 points, to 5914 while Germany's Dax added just under 1% to 6792 and France's CAC 40 rose 0.7% to 3400. Futures indicate that Wall Street will open higher.
Asia saw more dramatic moves after the Bank of Japan announced a further loosening of monetary policy through increased purchases of government bonds, raising hopes the yen's strength could wane, helping exporters.
The Nikkei in Tokyo jumped 2.3% to close at 9,260.34, its highest close since August. Hong Kong's Hang Seng jumped 2.1% to 21,365.23, its highest finish since August and South Korea's Kospi gained 1.1% to 2,025.32.
UK banks were among the biggest risers on the FTSE, with Royal Bank of Scotland leading the pack with a 2.8% gain to 27.4p. HSBC was up 2.4% at 575.2p and Barclays advanced 2.1% to 240p.
Pharmaceuticals AstraZeneca and GlaxoSmithKline were among the biggest fallers, joined by oil stocks BP and Royal Dutch Shell as well as ITV and Unilever.
AstraZeneca dropped 3.3% to £29.18 while BP lost 2.3% to 483.6p and GSK shed 1.3% to £14.21. ITV was down 1.3% at 77.5p, Unilever fell 0.9% to £20.62 and Shell declined 0.7% to £23.16.


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South Africa
South Africa has some of the most famous and best wildlife reserves and safari parks on the continent, but it isn't all about the wildlife. South Africa has even more to offer the intrepid traveller or laid back holiday maker. Table Mountain the majestic backdrop to the lively city of Cape Town surrounded by beautiful bays and coves and just 20 minutes away from the wine producing regions of Constantia and Stellenbosch. Travel the spectacular Garden Route by car or up to Pretoria on the Luxurious Rovos Rail. Visit the bustling metropolis of Johannesburg or simply choose one of the lavish hotels and spas, relax and enjoy the sumptuous food and wine South Africa is now famous for.
Places in South Africa
Quick Search


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Creating an eCommerce website that adds real value to your business requires a little detailed planning and we hope our guide below will help identify some of the decision points to ensure that your site meets your objectives. For more information on delivering a website project please take a look at our website design help.
Design of the site encompasses not only the look and feel of the site, but also the structure of the product groups as both of these factors will impact on the speed of page loading and product search capabilities. As a general rule, simplicity and clarity are key as these will result in the fastest possible site navigation, product searches and page loadings. A good page load target is a maximum of about two seconds.
Products need to be organised in a sensible group structure. That structure should reflect what your customers would consider a logical order to be, which is not necessarily the same as a manufacturer's product numbering system.
Where possible users should be able to navigate to products by:
Generally Put things together that users would expect to see together, but be careful not to show too many alternatives unless you have say a tabular features list which will allow people to easily compare products.
Product pages are where your site conveys information to potential customers to enable them to make a purchasing decision. Pages should:
It is worthwhile having a check list of things which should go on each product page so that consistency is achieved across the site.
Many products have options available. Ideally options available show be clearly seen on the product page e.g.:
Although customers are increasingly comfortable with buying products and services online, you should try to make sure that they can gain confidence that your site is legitimate by making sure that the site has:
The purpose of the shopping cart is to allow customers to review their intended purchases. To make this possible, the site should ideally permit:
You should consider whether the payment transaction should be completed on your own website or whether to re-direct the user to a secure recognised payment process e.g. PayPal etc.
There have been many damaging cases of user information being hacked from seller's sites – so if you are retaining any customer information – will that data be encrypted or otherwise secured and can you state those safeguards to the user?
Once the payment process is completed ideally the site should display:
A confirmation email containing the above information should also be sent to the user. By showing the information on the site and sending an immediate confirmation email the user is assured that the order has not fallen into a 'black hole'.
Particularly for high value goods which require signature, consideration should be given to implementing order tracking with the courier service to allow users to see the progress of their order. If you have a choice, carriers who send out texts showing the delivery status and expected delivery times. Some carriers do give very accurate predicted delivery times allowing your customers to plan their day rather than having a general delivery time of say 8am to 8pm.
If the order passes through several stages in your internal process, consider sending out progress emails so that customers feel that their order is important and is progressing.
If your courier provides real time feedback of delivery completion, consider generating an email to customers confirming that the item has been delivered.
The email should also include links for damaged items, returns policy, installation instructions etc.
A week or so after the order has been delivered a short follow up email checking if the purchaser is happy with the purchase and your service is a great way of building the customer relationship. This is an opportunity to get direct feedback which you might be able to use to rate products or to improve your service, website etc.
If your organisation is geared up for personal email responses, consider sending this type of follow up email directly from a named individual, but unanswered responses are worse than not contacting the customer in the first place!
Many organisations fix problems that customers have and then move on. However, a problem is also an opportunity to demonstrate excellent customer service. So a specific follow up in respect of any issue a customer has had is a good way of showing customers that you value their custom. Feedback to your site such as "Stopped working after one day" is damaging whereas " Stopped working after one day and a replacement was shipped out to me on the same day – great service!" sells more products!
A newsletter, voucher codes or email offers are all possible ways of keeping in touch with hard won customers in the future, but make sure that there is a simple Unsubscribe link, particularly if you are selling to consumers.
Here are a few things which you might consider to endear users to your site:
There are a number of ways that you can consider using to increase the profile of your eCommerce site:
Good eCommerce sites have search engine optimisation capabilities built in to them. It is important that product pages provide Meta Descriptions and Meta Titles. Meta Keywords are not so important now, but some systems are capable of generating the metadata by default if it isn't entered specifically for the product. You can check this by viewing the source code for the webpage in your browser.
Images should be labelled according to their content – search engines cannot see what an image is (yet!) so you need to provide that information. You can use the image Alt tag to do this.
The address line or site URL for your product should ideally contain meaningful information too – an address for the page that contains a jumble of characters and symbols is meaningless to a search engine and therefore an opportunity missed.
A site map is essential for eCommerce sites. Systems that automatically generate a site map and then notify the search engines of site changes are ideal as this ensures that the search engines keep up to date with site changes. The is more information on Search Engine Optimisation on this site.
Most of the comments raised in cleartarn's Website Help page are worth considering in respect of your site.
We hope this guide is of use when you consider your eCommerce site. cleartarn has many years' experience implementing eCommerce solutions for a variety of businesses and products. If we can provide you with any further help or guidance, please contact us.
Our content management systems (CMS) allow the website data and background functionality to be separated from the site's look and feel, allowing you to add and modify content in full knowledge that future changes to the style and design can be done without losing the content created.
Our eCommerce solutions range from dozens to thousands of products with a range of payment and deliver options and features such as stock control and customisable delivery options. We can also create EBay shop sites to give even greater exposure for your products.
All of our solutions are built around the need to provide the information search engines need to properly list and rank your site. So whether it is a CMS website or eCommerce platform we build in the tools to ensure your data and pages are presented to search engines in the most effective way.
Our database driven CMS system has a range of standard applications and a variety of standard features providing a flexible easy to use system. Modules can be customised where required, or new 'bolt on' applications rapidly created to suit your business needs.
Designed to cater for the latest real time data feed specifications that allow immediate publishing on property portals, combined with Responsive Designs that allow sites to be viewed on PCs, tablets and mobiles, the cleartarn property website system has a host of innovative features. We believe that this is the most comprehensive property system on the market today.Read More Demonstration Site
Websites can range from simple brochure designs to sites which brand and identify the service that your organisation delivers.
cleartarn can help to bring your website to life and work with you to ensure that it meets your customers' needs and your expectations.
We can develop sites from template based systems or work with one of a selected few creative designers who can deliver stunning custom website designs.Website Design Help
Many manufacturing companies require significant amounts of technical content to be available through the website. The cleartarn Content Management System (CMS) makes it easy to create unlimited pages which can contain text, images, videos and downloads.
Pages can also be set to require user login or staff login to permit different information to be available for different website user groups.
Database driven CMS websites allow the separation of the look and feel of the site from the content. This means when you need to update the design it can done without having to re-create the entire content.Technical Content Custom Solutions
cleartarn's systems are designed to provide data in the best form possible for the search engines.
As new content is added search engine data can be both entered and created automatically by the system.
Search engine optimisation (SEO) is not just about the creation of website 'Metadata', but it is about creating an integrated social media and communications methodology and building links throughout the website itself and to other external sources.
This can be time consuming work, but our systems and our approach simplify the process and ensure that it is cost effective for your business.Search Engine Optimisation Understanding CMS
cleartarn has developed a number of eCommerce websites and can advise on payment methods, integrated stock control, shipping methods etc.
As with our CMS websites we utilise internet hosting which can grow with your business and provides highly reliable, fast sites and needless to say search engine optimisation is built in to every system.
So whether you have an existing eCommerce site which needs overhauling or are starting out with a new business idea, cleartarn can help you translate your plan into a highly professional, cost effective eCommerce solution.More about eCommerce
If your website generates individual pages which you would like users to be able to reach by links, for example if you sell properties and you need customers to be able to look at a specific property entry, then you ...Continue reading ?
If your website generates individual pages which you would like users to be able to reach by links which you include in social media, then you may be interested in using Bitly links. Bitly links generate a very short URK ...Continue reading ?
"Our aim is to provide the best value website creation, search engine optimisation and customer service available". cleartarn
With a wide range of expertise developing IT solutions in a variety of businesses cleartarn has first hand experience of the impact that properly designed and implemented systems can bring to businesses. Our aim is to make your IT investment pay by generating more business.
We post periodic news articles, blogs and Tweets concerning items which we feel may be relevant to our customers. We won't ever inundate you with spam!


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My daughter was diagnosed with ADHD, auditory processing deficits, and visual processing deficits, as well as a vision disorder in which her eyes do not work to focus together. She is a very bright kid who has had a lot of trouble in school. Last year, Ellen was recommended to us by one of the other therapists my daughter was seeing. Since my daughter has started education remediation, Ellen has taught her many new strategies which in turn have helped her grades improve dramatically and her self confidence has soared too. My daughter has always had the dream of becoming a doctor and now I feel that this is a goal she will definitely be able to reach.
-Dori C. – Parent
One of my students recently attended the LearningSmart program and has shown much improvement in all academic and study skills areas. He now pays attention when being taught and when working. He processes information much more quickly and he is more self confident. Your program works and is a good investment in the future of our children.
-Meryl Jefferson – Educator
Thank you LearningSmart for helping my son become a responsible and confident 5th Grader. You are all great staff who love what you do….This is demonstrated by your enthusiasm, concern and your ability to encourage learning in an original and interesting manner.
-Diane S. – Parent
LearningSmart has been a blessing for our family. Nicholas's self-control level has improved dramatically as well as his focus and interest in his school material. LearningSmart has helped Nicholas immensely in his reading comprehension and analytical skills. Additionally, the therapists at LearningSmart are very knowledgeable, experienced, loving and caring. We would definitely recommend LearningSmart to any parent for their children!
-Olena P. – Parent
Ellen Horowitz and her team are amazing! When our daughter started at LearningSmart 2 years ago, she felt like a "failure" as a student. It seemed that no matter how hard she tried, she could not achieve academic success. She was very frustrated with school. After attending LearningSmart's Guide on the Side FLVS program, she has completely changed as a student. Her confidence is back and she feels successful with her schoolwork. Ellen has the unique ability to reach and teach students that others have "given up" on. Our daughter is now transitioning to high school and we have Ellen and her amazing team at LearningSmart to thank.
-Katie Swenson – Principal FLVS and Parent
We were grateful to find LearningSmart at a time when our 9 year old was having a difficult time conforming to the traditional school environment and needed a more personalized and compassionate learning environment. The teachers and staff at LearningSmart take a positive approach to teaching and adapt their curriculum to each students learning style. My husband and I feel that our son is learning more now than he did in his former school environment. Our son actually looks forward to going to school, whereas: before it was a difficult struggle to even get him to school. I can't thank them enough for all they have done to help him grow academically and emotionally in just seven months.
-Mr. and Mrs. Torres – Parents
I am very thankful to have found LearningSmart as an alternative learning program for my 9 year old son. My son started going to LearningSmart for their afterschool academic remediation program in 2010, then in 2011 he started their "Guide on the Side" program and it helped him tremendously. My son has ADHD and ODD and Ellen and her team have given him and my family all the support and care no other school could give us. I highly recommended LearningSmart, they are wonderful.
-Olga G. – Parent


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Improve the functionality of Asus R510JK Laptop with the updated audio, video, touchpad, wi-fi, utility, keyboard, mouse, USB, wireless, Bluetooth, VGA, WLAN, LAN, Ethernet, graphics driver free download for windows 8, 8.1, 10, 7 operating systems laptop and notebook.
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Renovate your Asus r510jk laptop with the new features free download for windows xp operating systems. By downloading the updated drivers you can take advantage of HQ video playback, better audio output, high-definition gaming, improved Bluetooth functioning, proper usb/ wifi / wireless connectivity, which offers best LAN connectivity, VGA driver enhances the video and graphics; the graphics card performance will be maximized for high gaming experience; the card reader will work much better than before. All firmware drivers are ubuntu certified and completely free from viruses as well as fully optimized for both 32/64-bit windows XP 7/8/10 operating systems laptop and notebook. So, Hurry! Download now at free of cost.
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Drink Product of the Year Winner at the Yorkshire Life Food & Drink Awards 2015
PUBLISHED: 16:23 21 September 2015 | UPDATED: 20:23 21 September 2015
Whether made by a Yorkshire farmer, producer, retailer or manufacturer, nominees for this category represented the best drink products in the county
On Monday 21 September, over 150 highly esteemed guests, finalists and sponsors joined Yorkshire Life to celebrate the 22nd Yorkshire Life Food and Drink Awards at Rudding Park, Harrogate. Hosted by Claire Montgomery, the awards reward excellence within Yorkshire's food & drink industry.
Undoubtedly one of the biggest events in the regions calendar, the Yorkshire Life Food & Drink Awards are designed to champion, highlight and offer a showcase to the good and the great from the region's food and drink industry – including local producers and suppliers, chefs, restaurants, pubs and hoteliers, and people who care about the countryside and the future of our local environment.
In association with Hallgarten Druitt
Winner: Yorkshire Wolds Apple Juice near Malton
The judges said: 'A really excellent product, smooth tasting and all Yorkshire
Highly commended: Pure North Cider Original, Holmfirth
Highly commended: Yorkshire Blonde Ossett Brewery, West Yorkshire
Drink Product of the Year - Yorkshire Wold Pressed Apple Juice having photos taken pic.twitter.com/L8BxPrgjBQ
— Yorkshire Life (@Yorkshire_Life) September 21, 2015
Congrats to one of my lovely clients who's Yorkshire wolds pressed apple juice has just won drink product of the year at #YLFoodawards
— You First Ltd (@YouFirstLtd) September 21, 2015


text: Gbeke Stars As Vancouver Wins USL-1 Championship - Goal.com October 12, 200812:00AM PDT Previous Next A brace from journeyman striker Charles Gbeke gives the home-standing Whitecaps a 2-1 win over the Puerto Rico Islanders and their second USL First Division trophy in the last three years. Vancouver Whitecaps 2 - 1 Puerto Rico Islanders Charles Gbeke wasn't with Vancouver at the start of the season. But he was there on Sunday evening, and good thing he was. The 30-year-old striker, who was traded from Montreal midseason, scored twice as the Whitecaps won their second USL-1 championship in three years with a 2-1 win over Puerto Rico in front of the home fans at Swangard Stadium. The combined record of USL-1 home teams in this year's playoffs was 11-0. After a scoreless first half, the game exploded in the second period. Gbeke opened the scoring in the 55th minute with a stunning display of power. Jeff Clarke flicked a corner kick on to the back post and Gbeke outjumped and out muscled Puerto Rico's Cristian Arrieta to slam a header into the net. The goal inspired the visitors, who pressed higher up the field and began to gain some possession. In the 68th minute, they got their equalizer. Puerto Rico international Noah Delgado beat a man on the left side and lofted a cross toward the back post. Sandi Gbandi timed his run perfectly and headed the back across the grain into the side netting. Just five minutes later, though, Gbeke restored Vancouver's lead for good. Off a quick throw-in on the right side, Justin Moose, who was active and dangerous all night, beat his man and served a tantalizing ball into the area. USL Goalkeeper of the Year Bill Guadette chose to stay on his line, and Gbeke went unchallenged by four Islanders defenders. His snap header crashed into the back of the net, setting off celebrations at Swangard. Puerto Rico attempted to get back in the game, but Taiwo Atieno's long shot was saved by Jay Nolly, and Gbandi's volley, after a misclearance, sailed high over the bar. The last chance to level came in the 90th minute, when Delgado's swerved freekick nearly picked out Josh Hansen, but the well-traveled striker's attempt went wide. The Islanders will take solace in the fact that they still have much to play for in the CONCACAF Champions League. They are currently at the top of Group D with a good chance of advancing to the knockout stages. Vancouver have now won two of the last three USL-1 championships and proven they are one of the powerhouses of North America's second division. The club are reportedly interesting in jumping up to Major League Soccer, and with MLS expansion bids due this week, this trophy will certainly give their hopes some momentum. -- Goal.com Previous Next


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Private concession to experience a true African walking safari
Highly skilled ranger and tracker teams
Exclusive camp with private chef, host, guide and dedicated camp staff
Superb dinner under the stars
Explorer tents put up and taken down just for you
There is no bad time to go on safari in the Kruger National Park. The experience does, however, change from month to month. In the summer months (October to March), it gets very hot. The verdant vistas are all the more spectacular because of the rains, but this means that the foliage is denser, water is more abundant and game is therefore trickier to see. There are lots of beautiful migratory birds during the summer months. While the daytime temperature in the winter months (May to September) is ideal, it does get a little chilly at night and in the early morning.
Tanda Tula Field Camp is perfect for those looking for a true African wilderness experience. With just four explorer tents, the camp is taken on an exclusive basis and set up just for you. The location varies through year depending on the season.
Tanda Tula Field Camp allows guests to feel at one with nature. Taken on an exclusive use only, the field camp is the perfect place from which to follow in the footsteps of explorers of yesteryear, getting close and personal with wildlife on foot or from the comfort of a game vehicle. Walking safaris are a must for all guests and are the main draw of the camp. Led by experienced guides and trackers guests can expect to track big game on foot including lion, elephant and rhino, an informative yet adrenaline filled experience.
The Timbavati Private Nature Reserve forms part of the Greater Kruger National Park, a vast wilderness of more than 3.5 million hectares. The reserve is known for its incredible variety of game including the big five (lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino). The Timbavati is renowned for its numerous lion prides.
The four tents are configured to suit each individual group and can cater for a maximum of eight guests. The tents are simple with twin metal framed beds with white bed linen and woven Persian rugs on the floor. Each tent has its own outdoor bathroom with bucket shower and eco loo. The camp ensures low impact on the environment so there is no electricity and the main mess area and guest tents are lit with paraffin and solar lanterns. The main mess tent is elegantly furnished with a fully stocked bar and traditional furnishings.
Guests aged 14 years and over are welcome at Field Camp and all guests must be walking fit and capable of 10 mile walks. While walking is the main focus of the camp, a game vehicle is available for drives as well. The camp is in operation from 1st March to 31st October with a minimum night stay of three nights.
Children over the age of 14 years are welcomed at Tanda Tula Field Camp.
Each walking safari itinerary is individually tailored to suit guests' requirements. A three night stay is minimum and can be combined with a night or two at the main camp for those seeking a little more luxury.
Go on private or shared game drives in the world famous Greater Kruger Area, South Africa to see the Big 5 - lion, elephant, leopard, buffalo and rhino - and a host of other animals. The Kruger is also a brilliant spot for birders so pack some binoculars.
The Sabi Sands is widely regarded as one of the most rewarding regions for spotting leopard in Africa. With good populations and the ability to go on night game-drives which coincides when these big cats are most active, all you need is good timing!
Tanda Tula Field Camp is located in the Timbavati Private Nature Reserve, part of the Greater Kruger National Park, Limpopo.
Tanda Tula Field Camp's closest airport is Hoedspruit, an hours road transfer from camp. Fly into Hoedspruit from Cape Town and Johannesburg (OR Tambo International). Travel time from Cape Town to Hoedspruit is approximately 2 hours 40 minutes and from Johannesburg flight time is 1 hour.
Alternatively, guests can fly to Nelspruit Airport (Kruger Mpumalanga International) and then take a 3 hour road transfer to the camp.
Browse our website for luxury travel ideas and holiday inspiration
Call us on +44 20 8682 5400 and speak to a destination specialist about what you want
Receive your bespoke holiday quote, then book online or over the phone
Timbavati Private Nature Reserve, Greater Kruger, South Africa
Sabi Sands Game Reserve, Greater Kruger, South Africa
Makalali Reserve, Greater Kruger, South Africa
Thornybush Private Game Reserve, Greater Kruger, South Africa
Kruger National Park, Greater Kruger, South Africa
Makalali Game Reserve, Greater Kruger, South Africa
Karongwe & Greater Makalali Game Reserves
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Are We Stuck with Hashtags and Like Buttons?
The coverage on Nieman Journalism Lab yesterday of the Engaging News Project pretty much ruined my coffee break as I clicked through the research: there are few things I love more than seemingly wonky research about journalism and democracy. Especially when it's put in action. Talia Stroud's research shows, in the most simple explanation, that when you change the language, it can also change how people engage with your website. That should perk most of our ears up. If you want, you can already start making your readers 'Respect' stories instead of 'Like' them with a WordPress plug-in.
What you can't make people do, according to her research, is actively seek out information that goes against their views, or their niche. That sounds like old news to me. We're all in our own little 'bubbles' to use Bill Maher's lingo. That's bad for democracy, but good for online publishers. It also has something to do with why magazines have fared better in a digital landscape. Chris Hughes of The New Republic spoke to a lot of like-minded, nodding heads this week about how readers (users? can we agree on a terminology?) still look for 'curated editorial experiences' whether online or off. That's something not easy to do with a daily news site, but the goal of most magazines — whether it's the New Republic or Slate or Field and Stream.
Apart from saving democracy from ourselves online, the Respect button has my head spinning for another reason. In terms of design and user experience, it's hard for pubs to break out of the Web 2.0 standards whether it's about asking readers to like things, comment, or use hashtags. I'm sure there are many strategists and design experts who haven't slept considering the same things. I'm not sure if it's a good thing that everything starts to look the same, all the time. I don't know for how much longer I even want to 'like', let alone 'respect' content online, although that's the formula publications work with to determine all the numbers that make up their bottom line.
Maybe it's the stormy weather on the East Coast that has me thinking too much about it — but what do you think? If we've moved past Web 2.0 and onto the semantic web, how does that affect how we'll have to start thinking about reader engagement and page design? Is it just that we'll be able to better search our hashtags and generate more niche content to read?


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|Every application for the use of a park or open space must be made at least fourteen days before the date of the event on the Spelthorne booking portal which can be found on our website.
|The hirer/organiser must state clearly in the application the purpose of hire. The park/open space shall not be used for any other purpose.
|The benefit and obligation of the hiring may not be transferred to any person not identified as the hirer/organiser on the application form.
|The organisation and hirer/organiser whose names appear on the application form shall be deemed to be the hirer and shall be responsible for compliance with all rules, regulations or requirements made or laid down from time to time by the Council in respect of the use of the park/open space and shall be deemed to be the responsible person nominated to be in charge of the event during any public or private entertainment for which the park/open space is hired to him/her.
|The event must be kept within the confines of the park/open space as directed by the Group Head of Community Wellbeing or their appointed representative.
|No vehicles or equipment belonging to the organisers to obstruct any adjacent public highway.
|Apparatus or equipment, other than Council property, brought onto the park/open space by the organiser must be removed at the close of the event unless otherwise agreed by the Council or the Group Head of Community Wellbeing or their appointed representative.
|The hirer/organiser shall be responsible for ensuring that the park/open space shall be left in a clean and tidy condition at the close of the event.
|The hirer/organiser shall ensure that there is no disorderly conduct within the park/open space and that nothing contrary to sobriety, decency and good manners is performed, exhibited, represented or transacted therein and no activity shall be permitted which may be or become a nuisance or annoyance to the Council or the owners or occupiers of any adjoining property.
|No glass bottles or glass containers shall be used or issued to members of the public in the sale of refreshments.
|The hirer/organiser must not charge an entrance fee to the event or restrain in any other way access to members of the public to the park/open spaces without prior consent of the Council in writing.
|All statutory and other provisions, bylaws and regulations for the time being in force must be observed as applicable to the park/open space unless specified in writing by the Council.
|The ground must be left in a satisfactory condition in the opinion of the Group Head of Community Wellbeing or their representative. In the event of damage being caused, the cost of any repairs or restoration will charged to the hirer/organiser.
|The council has granted exclusive rights for the sale of light refreshments, ie food, soft drinks, ice cream, etc., under license, in respect of Laleham park, adjoining riverside lands and Ashby Lammas Recreation Ground. Applicants whose organisations wish to provide all or any of these items must make arrangements with the Council's Licensee whose name and address will be supplied upon request at the time of the application.
|The person whose name appears on the application must be a person over eighteen years of age and will be deemed to be the Hirer/Organiser.
|In the event of any damage to the Park/open space during the period of hire or at any other time during which the Hirer/Organiser or any person associated with him/her the expense of replacing or making good the same shall be borne by the Hirer.
|During the period of letting the use of the Park/open space shall be subject, at all times, to the requirements of the Council's Director of Community Services, or their appointed representative.
|The Hirer/Organiser shall undertake formal consultation as to the holding of the event with the local Police, Fire Service and Director of Community Services at least three weeks before its commencement. The last mentioned consultation only being required where food or drink is to be provided at the event. Any advice given by this officer is only intended to provide information and assistance on an informal basis.
|Any cost incurred by the Council in calling the Police or other emergency services to the premises shall be borne by the hirer.
|If the Hirer/Organiser omits or refuses to comply with these conditions or with any reasonable instructions given him/her by the Head of Customer and Office Services, or designated officer, for the time being he/she and any person/s associated with him/her may be excluded from the premises until he/she complies with the same but without relieving him/her from their other obligations under this Agreement. The Council shall be entitled to retain for their own use and benefit any monies paid by way of deposit, and to sue for any balance outstanding.
|Notice of Cancellation in writing must be received by the Head of Customer and Office Services at least seven days prior to the event.
|No Hirer/Organiser will permit the giving of any live animal as a prize, including goldfish.
|No lighting of fires, unless permission granted by the Borough of Spelthorne.
|No swimming in any river which runs through or borders the ground belonging to the Borough of Spelthorne.
|Where scheduled closing times are in force, the event should have ended and the park vacated by the time stated. If the organiser wishes to extend this time they shall be liable for any costs incurred.
|In no circumstances shall the Council accept responsibility for the loss, theft, and damage of or to any goods or property of the Hirer or any visitor to the premises.
|The Hirer/Organiser shall indemnify the Council, their officers and servants against all costs; claims or damage arising from or in connection with the holding of the event at the Park or open space.
|It is now compulsory for all Hirers/Organisers to have Public Liability Insurance for a minimum indemnity limit of £2 million. A copy of the certificate of insurance and a receipt for payment of the last premium must be sent with the completed Application Form to Borough of Spelthorne, Customer Service, Council Offices, Knowle Green, Staines, Middlesex, TW18 1XB. Failure to produce copies of these documents will result in the cancellation of the event without prior notice.


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Susan Gevirtz
$15.00 • 108 pp. • 2007
Purchase from Small Press Distribution
Echoing person, place, or thing and adding a question to the definition of a noun, THRALL begs yet another question: is the person a verb or a verb-scape. The poet dreams the poem as three-dimensional things or places that we can enter and and touch yet never hold.
"We could try to find an answer to the first sentence of Thrall, 'is person place or person,' if we were sure it's a question. But I take the book as an enigma, its key word never spoken. Even the guess coming nearest might well land us in 'deciphretude,' not a healthy sounding state. Best no doubt to leave all the words as they are and, well … just listen. It's a beautiful book."
—Keith Waldrop
"Is person place or person,' writes Susan Gevirtz. This provocative statement — it is not a question — leads us through Thrall to the land of Intelexa and outlying realms. If Alice in Wonderland and Wallace Stevens have a daughter, here is her primary residence. She spends 'each month the chapter of a year' 'drinking of this aquarium water tincture and thereby knowing something happened. Thus reaching for the dictionary.' The Reader can hope to find herself in this Looking Glass, surrounded by the good neighbors Intellect, Lexicon, Law, and Light, opening into deep communication with sensitive and nervy maps of reading and response, a finely-tuned and attuned charting and exploration of the "world of written words." There is no finer dwelling than this."
—Stacy Doris
Susan Gevirtz lives in San Francisco. Her books include Aerodrome Orion & Starry Messenger (2010); BROADCAST (2010); Hourglass Transcripts(2001); Spelt, a collaboration with Myung Mi Kim (1999); Black Box Cutaway (1999); Narrative's Journey: The Fiction and Film Writing of Dorothy Richardson (1996); PROSTHESIS : : CAESAREA (1994); Taken Place (1993); Linen minus (1992); and Domino: point of entry (1992). She teaches at California College of the Arts, The University of San Francisco, Mills College, San Francisco State University; and at The Hellenic International School of the Arts, Paros, Greece where she co-organizes the annual translation and conversation meeting of The Paros Symposium.


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Traumatic Brain Injuries
A Traumatic Brain Injury Affects Every Family Member.
Doctors often say that people who suffer a head injury in an accident aren't typically the first ones to notice the injury's effects. Often, it's family members and co-workers who first notice the short-term memory loss, personality changes and problems handling simple daily tasks.
No Attorney Fees Unless We Help You Recover Money
A traumatic brain injury is permanent. If you or a family member is exhibiting signs of cognitive disability, seek medical attention immediately. Talk to one of the personal injury trial lawyers at Shamberg, Johnson & Bergman to get legal help recovering money damages you will need for a lifetime of medical treatment and rehabilitation.
We understand the medical and emotional issues of a brain injury.
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Our attorneys have been helping personal injury victims recover money from insurance companies for 60 years. We understand the complex medical issues involved in proving a brain injury case and we have the professional and technical resources to stand and fight successfully against the largest insurance companies.
Three Areas to Watch for Signs of Possible Traumatic Brain Injury:
- Short and long-term memory loss
- Inability to complete simple tasks
- Inability to recognize familiar surroundings and people
- Wild mood swings
- Depression
- Permanent change in personality
- Unusually quick to anger
- Headaches
- Slurred speech
- Loss of taste
- Blurred vision
- Loss of feeling in fingers and hands
- Reduced or loss of mobility
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I was already deep into a procrastination-fueled social media binge when I got the notification from Instagram. An account, called "parkfeetdaily," had liked three of my photos — from a year and a half ago.
I decided to tap on the guy's profile, and instantly discovered that my new follower was not a spambot or a brunch 'grammer. I'd been found by a foot fetish page.
Every photo posted by the account, parkfeetdaily, was of someone's feet. Feet on beaches. Feet in socks. Feet on a teddy bear. "Pictures of girls feet who I've met around town or on instagram," reads the profile description. "Photos are not of me. Please stop DM'ing me guys…"
So, okay, fine. Certainly not my bag of chips, but you know, live and let live. Then, I noticed the photo: Right there in the middle of this account's grid was a picture of me.
Bottom right, that photo of the two girls on the beach? Yep, that's mine. I posted it to Instagram a couple of years ago. I'm the one on the left, and the girl next to me is my (then 16-year-old) sister. To say that seeing this photo here — on an obscure foot-fetish Instagram account run by god-knows-who — was jarring would be an understatement. It instantly triggered that gut-wrenching fight-or-flight feeling within me. I was simultaneously paralyzed by the very thought that this person had combed through my Instagram, and enraged beyond words that my post had, for all I knew, led to a bunch of people leering at my kid sister.
Within minutes, I had reported both the photo and the account to Instagram, requested the owner take it down immediately via comment and DM, and taken screenshots of the post for proof, lest I be blocked. Thankfully, he responded right away, and after some rather annoying I-don't-really-get-why-you're-this-upset banter, down it went.
I couldn't stop wondering how the hell my photo had ended up here in the first place. I'd originally posted it, without any hashtags, in July of 2016. This user would have either had to scroll through thousands of photos geotagged to that specific spot in Koh-Samui, Thailand, or click on a direct link to my (not-very-popular) personal profile and then scroll all the way back to this post, which seems pretty unlikely.
So, in an attempt to get some answers, I did some digging. What I found was a thriving online foot fetish photo marketplace on the same app where your mom posts blurry pictures of pasta.
Turns out, there are three general categories of accounts in this Instagram community — the Feet Pic Buyers, Feet Pic Takers, and Feet Pic Aggregators — all of which are essential parts of the ecosystem. Let's start small, with the Feet Pic Buyers. These average (foot-fetish-having) joes are the backbone of the economy. They're almost always men, running Instagram accounts that are usually devoid of any identifying photos — as most people aren't comfortable going horny on main — and are used to follow and interact with Feet Pic Takers and Aggregators.
Let's say you like step-sister/step-brother porn, she'll fucking act like she's your step-sister telling you to smell her feet...
Feet Pic Takers are almost exclusively women who are in it for the cash. These accounts generally fall into one of two categories: private or public. Feet Pic Takers with private accounts (meaning you can't follow them — or see their photos — without requesting permission) make money through a subscription-type model. To get your request accepted, you generally either have to fork over cold hard cash, or, in certain cases, buy the Feet Pic Taker something off of her Amazon wishlist. An accepted follow request grants you access to the full account, which usually has wide variety of photos, videos, and other original content.
However, for Feet Pic Takers with pubic accounts (meaning anyone can see the photos posted without paying), the game is a bit different. These women generally make their money by selling custom photos and videos directly to Feet Pic Buyers through Instagram DM.
"Their pages are an advertisement for what they also sell," the owner of parkfeetdaily, the foot-fetish account that followed me, explained over Skype. "So, you know, you get a custom video. Let's say you like step-sister/step-brother porn, she'll fucking act like she's your step-sister telling you to smell her feet, or something like that, and she'll send you that video for X amount of dollars." The man running parkfeetdaily spoke on the condition of anonymity because he didn't want his "kinky side" to be public knowledge.
According to parkfeetdaily, the length of these custom videos is anywhere from three to ten minutes, and they don't come cheap. "I've only [sic] spent about a hundred dollars in the last year," he explained. "[sic] There's only one person that I actually talk to [in this community] because he actually has sent me a couple of videos and photos sets and stuff that he's bought, just to kind of like show off. He spent $400 with one girl. He spent, I think, $1500 dollars with another girl — and I wouldn't believe him if he didn't talk and send all that stuff my way to prove that he did."
For some of the most popular women, running a foot fetish Instagram is a full-time job, which sometimes can bring in more than $70K a year. Getting to the point where you're making that kind of cash isn't easy; numbers like those usually require a follower count of well over ten thousand. And while, in a world where mainstream celebrities can often boast a million or more followers, this may not seem like the most sisyphean of tasks, it turns out gaining public support for your Instagram account dedicated to the expression of a non-mainstream sexual proclivity is a bit more difficult.
Enter the Feet Pic Aggregators. These Instagram pages serve as hubs, connecting Takers and Buyers by publicly posting a wide variety of non-original content from different sources. Most of the time, this means sourcing pics from Takers — who often pitch their photos to Aggregators in the hopes of attracting more followers — but occasionally, when they're running low on pitched content, they have to get creative.
"Originally I would find people in public and ask to take photos for my Instagram page," said parkfeetdaily over Instagram DM. "But when the seasons changed and it got too cold to be out at the park with no shoes on, I switched to asking random people on Instagram. A surprising amount of people agreed and seemed intrigued by it. If I see a picture on someone's page I might screenshot and post it, usually along with a m[essage] asking permission. Though I might post it regardless since some people with tens of thousands of followers may not respond to my m[essage] or comment."
Though he wouldn't say specifically, I'm guessing this is is how my photo ended up on parkfeetdaily. I mentioned before that the person in the photo with me was my younger sister, but I failed to include that she's kind-of, sort-of Instagram-famous. (Here's a link if you must.) Somehow — through the magic that is having an account with over 10K followers — I suspect that my sister's profile ended up on Instagram's Explore tab, which parkfeetdaily uses to search for new photos to screenshot. From there, he probably stumbled upon my account through one of the many photos she and I have tagged each other in, and found the pic he'd later post.
This isn't the first sex-oriented world to pop up on Instagram (and it likely won't be the last). Back in November, the app's live-video section was overtaken by porn, and porny posts have existed on the platform since the beginning. Instagram explicitly bans "violent, nude, partially nude, discriminatory, unlawful, infringing, hateful, pornographic or sexually suggestive photos," but it's difficult to say whether or not foot-fetish-related content falls under this umbrella.
"I get it, it's creepy," said parkfeetdaily. "I'm just stalking your fucking Instagram asking if you will just 'show me your feet, please.' I get it. However, foot fetish is — if you look it up — it is the most common fetish. It is everywhere. It's ubiquitous. Every culture everywhere, that is the most common one. So yes, it's creepy for me to do it. But at the same time I'm a normal guy."


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LightSpeed Gaming Module
This module allows your installation of GSP-Panel to interact with the LightSpeed Gaming API. Using this module you will be able to setup and control Ventrilo servers from GSP-Panel.
To enable this module go to Configuration > General Settings > Voice Modules and select the light-speed module for Ventrilo.
To configure the module go to Configuration > Manage Voice > Ventrilo.
In the module configuration you will need to supply the API username and API key provided by LightSpeed Gaming.
You will also need to enter your webserver's IP address into the LightSpeed Gaming's reseller portal under API settings.


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Clinical trials will remain a mainstay for regulatory approval, but, thankfully, we can now leverage technology to help streamline the patient experience and data collection, saving precious time and money. Paper diaries are as obsolete as rotary phones. These days, there is no reason not to be using a tablet or phone for patient diaries, and we now have access to a host of other devices with potential usages. DMI expects multiple devices per patient per trial will become the norm. This raises a number of interesting topics, among them how to manage those devices – and the invaluable data they contain.
Topics we would like to explore in later pieces include:
We believe that a comprehensive device management strategy can help address two critical areas of concern for clinical trials:
Providing a best-in-class experience for a patient going through a clinical trial will help to enhance patient recruitment and enrollment, reduce patient dropout and improve compliance. Having more patients complete trials efficiently will improve the overall landscape of clinical trials.
"DMI's industry leading expertise in managed mobility services affords us the unique opportunity to have a positive impact on patients and providers while at the same time helping to transform the healthcare space." says DJ Oreb, president, Commercial Managed Mobility Services, DMI.
While working with one provider will provide cost savings, it may be more important that this will also allow for implementation of a uniform data integration framework across clinical programs. Key questions at the trial level will be how frequently data from different devices needs to sync, where/how to integrate it and how to ensure security. With our experience in pharma, other regulated industries and government we address these types of issues on a daily basis.
"It is clear to us that by applying what DMI has learned in other aspects of pharma and other industries to the clinical trial space we can achieve considerable improvements in enrollment, retention, collection of data and completion of trials resulting in reduced cycle time and considerable cost savings," says Joel Spittal, pharma and medical device, industry GM, at DMI.
In a survey with SCORR Marketing and Applied Clinical Trials to determine the interest and reach of mobile device use in clinical trials, most respondents recognized the benefits, with particular emphasis on improved data quality (cited by 35.2 percent of respondents), improved patient engagement (28.5 percent) and improved early safety signal detection (17.2 percent).
It's easy to see how all those areas could be impacted by the usage of mobile devices, but none of them will happen automatically. We also need to recognize that there is a tipping point, meaning, too many devices in one trial can actually negatively impact recruitment and retention.
We believe that mobile devices can truly transform how clinical trials are administered – from collection of real time patient data, to secure and effective data management, to timely advanced analytics. The potential is limitless.
DJ Oreb – President, Commercial Managed Mobility Services Division
Joel Spittal – Pharma & Medical Device, Industry GM
Andrew Brockett – Director, Business Innovation
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