Martin Cid's Blog: Martin Cid Magazine, page 1127

Top TV Shows Today, December 10: The Big Bang Theory, Elementary, The Vampire Diaries

It’s Thursday and it’s time for great TV Shows. Our Top#1 TV Shows Today is for a great sitcom, The Big Bang Theory. Today, we can watch the episode titled The Earworm Reverberation 8:00 pm. CBS

Our second choice is for the series Elementary. Today’s episode: The Games Underfoot. Season 4. Episode 5. 10:00 pm. CBS.

And our last choice is for The Vampire Diaries. Today’s episode: Cold as Ice. Season 7. Episode 9. 8:00 pm. CW.

We hope you enjoy these great shows. Have a very nice day, dear friends.

Video: The Big Bang Theory – The Hook-Up Reverberation (Preview)

Famous Birthdays Today, December 10: Raven Symone, Bobby Flay, Evelyn Lozada, Xavier Samuel, Nick Martin

He appeared on the Cosby Show years ago and she starred in That’s So Raven. She is Raven Symone and she is our Top#1 Famous Birthdays Today, December 10. She was born in Atlanta in 1985 and, from Yareah, we wish her and her family all the best in this special day. Congrats and happy birthday, Raven Symone!

Famous Birthdays Today, December 10: Raven-Symoné at a performance of The Hot Chocolate Nutcracker in December 2010. Source: Wikipedia. Author: Angela George

And today is also the birthday of the chef, Bobby Flay. He was born in NYC in 1964. All the best for him too. Happy birthday, Bobby Flay!

I love using gas grills because they are easier to heat and it’s much easier to control the flames with a gas grill than with a charcoal fire. Grilling is not just about lighting a fire. Bobby Flay

Lime juice makes things taste fresher. I use it for drinks, salsas, relishes, soups, and sauces. You want some give to your limes – firmness means the inside is dry – and they’ll stay softer longer if you don’t refrigerate them. Bobby Flay

More famous birthdays today, December 10: Evelyn Lozada, reality star –and a really beautiful woman-; Xavier Samuel, actor born in Hamilton, Australia in 1983; and Nick Martin, pop singer.

Happy birthday to all of them. Have a very nice day, dear friends.

Video: Raven-Symoné Gets Ignorant About Black Names (VIDEO)

Aberdeen Family Ceilidh for Vasculitis Charity

Grant Currie

On Saturday January 16 2016 from 7.00PM, the Lauren Currie Twilight Foundation will be holding The Wee Black & Red Family Ceilidh at the Marriott Hotel, Dyce, Aberdeen AB21 7AZ.

The event will include a champagne reception, three course meal, raffle and auction, plus the ceilidh itself. All proceeds will go towards the charity’s objectives: raising awareness of vasculitis, educating medical professionals on how to diagnose it and researching this rare condition.

Tickets cost £38 for adults and £12 for children, and are available here.

Some of the money raised by the ceilidh will go towards vasculitis research at the University of Aberdeen, under the leadership of Dr Neil Basu.

To date, the charity has given £62,000 to the university, which has been used to support a three-year PhD research project on vasculitis, alongside a patient support group in the city.

Grant Currie, co-founder of the charity, said, “One shocking thing about vasculitis is that so little is known about it.

“We have a public awareness programme that aims to educate both the general public and medical professionals, but our support of vasculitis research is completely vital.

“Aberdeen is the home of LCTF research and due to the leading researchers and experts in the city it is where the majority of our research funding is spent. We also sponsored the Scottish Society for Rheumatology Conference in October, which was held in the city.

“For that reason, Aberdeen is really important to the Lauren Currie Twilight Foundation. It would be great to see as many of our supporters from the North East as possible turn out to aid our campaign against vasculitis, celebrate the fifth anniversary of the charity and support the integral work to support patients!”

The Lauren Currie Twilight Foundation was set up by Grant and Adrienne Currie following the tragic death of their 15-year old daughter and only child Lauren in 2010. Lauren had suffered from Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis (formerly known as Wegener’s Granulomatosis), a variant of the auto-immune disease vasculitis.

Lauren’s condition was only diagnosed in the final hours of her life and her parents realised that, with earlier diagnosis, her life could have been saved.

Because vasculitis is uncommon and early diagnosis is an important factor in the effectiveness of medical care, public awareness of the condition is one of the charity’s main objectives.

As well as educating the general public, the charity educates medical professionals on how to spot and diagnose the disease.

Vasculitis refers to an inflammation of the blood vessels. It is an uncommon illness and different variations can affect people of different ages.

The Lauren Currie Twilight Foundation aims to raise the international profile of vasculitis, and is one of only two vasculitis-specific charities operating in the UK. It is keen to collaborate with other relevant charities, including those in the US.

The Lauren Currie Twilight Foundation has produced a video explaining the condition, which can be found here.

Links:
http://www.thelaurencurrietwilightfoundation.org
https://vimeo.com/55595845
http://www.thelaurencurrietwilightfoundation.org/ceilidh-res…

Adactus Housing Group Drives Customer Care With 360 Tenant Portal from 1st Touch

Adactus Housing Group

Adactus Housing Group is implementing the 360 Tenant Portal from 1st Touch (www.1sttouch.com). The new system provide an impressive online resource, enabling easy self-service access to a broad range of customer services for tenants. The software will improve on the group’s existing online services, augmenting the group’s award-winning incoming call centre and extensive customer care facilities.

Adactus Housing Group is a Registered Social Landlord managing over 13,000 properties across the North West of England with the majority located in Manchester, Chorley and Wigan. The Group, which currently has a turnover in excess of £59m, is comprised of three subsidiaries: Adactus Housing Association, Beech Housing Association and Chorley Community Housing.

With the 360 Tenant Portal from 1st Touch, Adactus tenants will be able to use their own devices, 24/7/365 to review details of their tenancy and submit online requests for a wide range of services. By directing this traffic online, the significant time and resources saved will enable call centre staff to spend more time on those with the greatest need.

Initially, the new portal will offer two new services to Adactus’ customers. Firstly the system will enable customers to book an appointment online to view a property that’s ready to let. The second new service feature will be the ability to book repair appointments online. Uniquely, this will be done by specifying particular trades such as plumbers or electricians, at the time of making the enquiry. Tenants will also be able to receive alerts, review rent account balances, view statements, track their current repairs and review repairs history to date.

All portal activity is recorded in the back-office Aareon Housing Management system used by the Group. This provides the Adactus management team with a clear single management view of key data and KPIs across the enterprise. The smart analytics available from this data will support the Group’s decision making for both the business and the tenants.

1st Touch was chosen as the 360 Tenant Portal has the breadth of functionality to help Adactus deliver on its comprehensive and evolving customer care strategy. The system was also chosen as there was an existing integration with Aareon. Adactus also has in-depth knowledge of 1st Touch, having invested successfully in their mobile Responsive Repairs system some years previously.

Suzannah Robinson, Digital Projects Manager at Adactus Group believes the new 360 Tenant Portal will deliver significant benefits for customers. She notes, “Our contact centre does an excellent job, and we want to complement this with a highly effective online offering that would handle many of the most routine enquiries and transactions. By reducing the number of calls our operatives deal with, they can spend more time and give an even greater level of service to those tenants with the greatest need. With its Aareon integration, the 360 Tenant Portal also allows us to drill down into the data to get live information. Over time, this will enable us to tailor our services further to match our customers’ requirements.”

“We are just at the beginning of this journey though and the prospects for what the portal can deliver in customer terms over time is exciting. As a result, we are already considering other areas where 1st Touch could help us in the future.”

For his part, Greg Johns CEO of 1st Touch welcomed the news adding, “Our 360 Tenant Portal enables tenants to submit a wide range of service requests online 24/7/365. Typically these could include: repairs requirements, estate issues, anti-social behaviour concerns or rent queries. The Portal can also trigger appropriate workflows, for example automating the entire repairs appointment process without any interaction by an association’s staff. Management also has an all round business view of key touchpoints and statistics, enabling even smarter decision-making.

“Adactus has recognised the potential of the 360 Tenant Portal and has already identified the first areas where they can add effectively to their customer care interface. By driving their viewing and repair appointments online, tenants will benefit from a call centre that has been freed up from the most routine enquiries. This is great for both the tenants and the operatives too, so it really is a win win situation. We look forward to working closely with Adactus as they explore all the areas where the 360 Tenant Portal can transform their customer care processes.”

Top TV Shows Today, December 9: American Horror Story: Hotel, The Middle, Arrow

Yes, it’s sordid but it’s amazing and thrilling. Yes, we are talking about American Horror Story: Hotel and it’s our Top#1 TV Shows Tonight. Kathy Bates, Angela Basset, Lady Gaga… Today’s episode: She Wants Revenge. Season 5. Episode 9. 10:00 pm. FX.

Our second choice is for the series The Middle. Today: Not So Silent Night. Season 7. Episode 10. 8:00 pm. ABC.

And our last one is for Arrow. Tonight’s episode: Dark Waters. Season 4. Episode 9. 8:00 pm. CW.

We hope you enjoy the shows. Have a very nice day, dear friends.

Video: American Horror Story: Hotel 5×09 Promo “She Wants Revenge” (HD)

Famous Birthdays Today, December 9: Tre Cool, Kendall Vertes, McKayla Maroney, Alexi Blue, Simon Helberg

Yes, he’s cool and his stage name is Tre Cool, drummer for the band Green Day, born in Frankfurt, Germany in 1972. From Yareah, we wish him and his family all the best in this special day. Congrats and happy birthday, Tre Cool!

Famous Birthdays Today, December 9: Tré Cool, drummer of Green Day, stands on the Center Stage of Rock im Park-Festival 2013. Source: Wikipedia. Author: Sven-Sebastian Sajak (Sven0705)

It’s not how you pick your nose, it’s where you put that booger that counts. Tre Cool

I’m not exactly sure how many kids I have, but yes, I do miss them officially, for the record. In case any of them are listening, I love you. Tre Cool

More famous birthdays today, December 9: Kendall Vertes, dancer who appeared in the second season of Dance Moms, born in Pennsylvania in 2002; McKayla Maroney, Olympic gymnast born in Aliso Viejo, California in 1995, who won a silver medal in 2012; Alexi Blue, pop singer and a very popular singer on YouTube, born in California in 1997; and Simon Helberg, television actor.

Happy birthday to all of them. Have a very nice day, dear friends.

Video: Green Day: “Boulevard Of Broken Dreams” – [Official Video]

Quantico finale. Who will be the real terrorist?

Alex Parrish (Priyanka Chopra) in Quantico

On December 6, we saw our last episode of Quantico. Thrilling! Alex Parrish (Priyanka Chopra) declared herself guilty for the terrorist attack in New York City. She has 24 hours to prove her innocence and her friends are angry with her now. Are they the real terrorists?

It’s difficult to guess the final outcome. Every episode is a surprise and whoever can be the real terrorist because all of them have a dark past full of secrets. Liam O’Connor (Josh Hopkins) and Miranda Shaw (Aunjanue Ellis) are not well-balanced. He is responsible of numerous deaths in the past and she has a huge problem with her son.

Quantico TV show

How about Nimah and Reina Amin (Yasmine Al Massri)? The twins are absolutely disturbing and they know dangerous people. Same happens with Simon Asher (Tate Ellington), maybe the cleverest of all of them.

Caleb Haas (Graham Rogers) is another candidate. His father has pressed him so much that he could do anything to prove that he is strong and independent. Above all, when his girlfriend Shelby Wyatt (Johanna Braddy) had an affair with his cold and powerful father.

Natalie Vasquez (Anabelle Acosta) is also desperate. She has lost her daughter and needs a life solution. Money? Revenge?

Anyway and since everything about Quantico is a surprise I’d bet for Ryan Booth (Jake McLaughlin), the undercover FBI agent who was tasked to survey Alex but fell in love with her. I know he is in the hospital and seems a loyal persona but… Precisely! In Quantico, nothing is what it seems.
What do you think? Who will be the terrorist in the end? Tell us your opinion now!

**Quantico is an American television thriller series created by Joshua Safran, that premiered on ABC on Sunday September 27, 2015. ABC ordered a full season on October 13, 2015, with an order of 19 episodes, but added an additional 3 episodes leading the order up to 22 episodes.

London art. Indian installation by artist Stephen Cox in Broadgate Plaza

London art. Indian installation by artist Stephen Cox in Broadgate Plaza

London art. Stephen Cox, Royal Academician and one of the highest profile international artists working in India, today​ attended the re-installation in Broadgate Plaza in the City of London, of one of his most significant works to come from the Subcontinent – Ganapathi and Devi – a monumental two-part carved granite sculpture built in 1988 from the quarries of Mahabalipuram in Tamil Nadu.

London art. Indian installation by artist Stephen Cox in Broadgate Plaza

The unveiling begins at 12 pm UK time (5:30pm India Time) with informal speeches by Stephen Cox and Tim Marlow (Artistic Director of the Royal Academy.)

Monolithic in scale and semi abstract in style, these works make reference to torso forms. Contemporary, and yet ancient in inspiration, the statues fuse periods of history and ancient civilisation with emblems from our modern world. Weaving together complex themes, Cox presents the viewer with a representation of the female Hindu goddess Devi set alongside a second stone Ganapathi, the South Indian name for the popular elephant god Ganesha. Distinct in proportion and colour, the two pieces stand within their own defined space and yet are inextricably linked.

The re-installation of the work follows the recent unveiling of Relief: Figure Emerging, to EL in Apple Tree Yard, St James’s Square, in London (the site from which the architect Edwin Lutyens worked on the plans for New Delhi), and comes in advance of plans for a significant India retrospective exhibition planned for early 2017.

Born in Bristol, Cox attended Central School of Art and Design in London. Widely traveled and greatly influenced by varied cultures, notably Italian, Indian and Egyptian civilisations, Cox has undertaken important global commissions including those for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London, the British High Commission in Canberra, the British Council in New Delhi and Cairo Opera House. Throughout his oeuvre Cox employs local carving techniques and makes use of the indigenous materials including alabaster, marble and porphyry. He lives and works in Shropshire, England and also in India.

Stephen Cox will be visiting Delhi in January 2016.

Advanced Computer Software Group invests in new national and regional HQs to support major recruitment drive

The Mailbox

Leading software provider, Advanced Computer Software Group Ltd. (Advanced), has invested in two new state-of-the-art offices, located near Heathrow Airport and in Birmingham city centre, as part of an ambitious recruitment drive to attract the best talent in the UK.

Advanced, the third largest UK-based software provider to the UK market, has grown rapidly since it was founded six years ago and plans to recruit more than 1,000 members of staff in the next 18 months.

The Group opened its new national headquarters in Ditton Park, a prestigious parkland development located in Slough, near Heathrow Airport in October. The cutting edge facility provides a premium working environment for staff, who have access to a large restaurant, coffee shop, gym, tennis courts, sports pitches and a children’s centre.

Advanced will launch its midlands regional headquarters at the newly-refurbished Mailbox, based in the heart of Birmingham city centre, in March 2016. Birmingham’s premier 24/7 lifestyle destination is home to some of the city’s best dining, retail and leisure outlets, offering a unique and vibrant workplace environment. The Group will lease the entire third floor, a 45,000 sq ft space, which is Birmingham’s largest commercial accommodation on a single floorplate.

Both offices are easily accessible with close proximity to all train, air and motorway links.

Gordon Wilson, CEO, Advanced Computer Software Group says, “Advanced is a great company with ambitious growth plans to become a world class business. Our investment in these new cutting edge facilities is part of a major recruitment drive, which will see the business grow by a third. It is also part of our wider strategy to foster more collaborative working, while further driving expansion.

“Our new headquarter offices provide a fantastic working environment for our staff and are excellent facilities to showcase to our customers. These are exciting times for the business and our employees are energised by all the opportunities that are on the horizon.”

Advanced employs more than 2,000 members of staff and provides healthcare, business and learning management software and services to 20,000 customers. The Group was recognised for sales growth recently, after securing a ranking on The Sunday Times Grant Thornton Top Track 250 league table for the first time.

The Group has grown its revenue to more than £200 million in just six years and was acquired by private equity firm, Vista Equity Partners (Vista) for an enterprise value of £750 million in March 2015.

Advanced is recruiting for a number of positions including sales, professional services, software development and customer services.

Career opportunities are available at http://careers.advancedcomputersoftware.com/

ABB Robotics UK appoints Geku Automation as latest Authorised Value Provider

Nigel Richardson and Mike Badger

Milton Keynes, December 8th 2015: ABB Robotics UK has expanded its Authorised Value Provider (AVP) network with the addition of production automation specialist Geku Automation. Established in the 1980s, Geku Automation has established a reputation in the design, build and testing of automation systems for all sectors of industry from aerospace through to agricultural manufacturing, backed up by service, programming and application support. Previously an ABB Robotics Channel Partner, the company has supplied ABB robots to a variety of companies including The Royal Mint, Unilever, Bostik and CHX Products.

The award of AVP status is recognition of Geku’s demonstrated expert robot application and process knowledge, a clear local and global ABB product offering, strong local market presence and industry-specific experience. Geku’s staff are also fully trained on ABB products in order to deliver high quality service support when an end user needs it.

As an AVP, Geku will now have access to a wide range of benefits from ABB Robotics UK. These include free training courses which the staff have already attended, plus use of ABB’s training and demonstration facilities to trial and demonstrate solutions for end users.

Further, the company will have full use of the AVP label, which signifies system integration expertise as well as an established relationship with ABB Robotics UK. With no official directory for end users to contact reputable system integrators, the AVP programme serves as a way of advertising a dependable and high quality service provider.

Nigel Richardson, at Geku Automation explains, “We have had a long association with ABB and are extremely pleased to have achieved AVP status. When we explain the relationship and how the AVP program works to new potential customers, you can instantly see the confidence grow in their perception of our ability to supply what they need and to be able to support it after the sale. Although Geku is relatively well-known within our sector, the kudos in being able to officially carry the ABB logo alongside ours elevates our status in the market place.”

The addition of Geku Automation to the Authorised Value Provider network is part of ABB’s ongoing strategy to increase take-up of robotic automation in the UK marketplace.

“There are infinite opportunities for robot-based automation in the UK market. Although we have focused on several key industry sectors, we’re always looking for new growth areas in other sectors too,” says Mike Wilson, General Industry Sales and Marketing Manager for ABB Robotics UK, “As part of our efforts to turn the UK into an automation nation, we are keen to team with providers who share this vision in order to deliver the highest levels of quality, service and expertise to customers to make ABB and its AVP partners the first port of call.”