The final week of May proved to be a bit of a bust, at least when compared against the first three. Saskatoon real estate agents reported just seventy house and condo sales to the local MLS®, down twenty-eight units from the previous week and falling short of last year's numbers by three. Still, last week's sales were strong enough to put month-to-date numbers even with unit sales for all of May 2010. With two days left to report in this calendar month, it looks like the month will finish ahead of last year by ten to fifteen percent.
New listings also slid fairly significantly as just 114 house and condo listings hit the MLS®, declining forty-three from last week to finish just ahead of the same week last year when 109 properties were offered up for sale.
The total inventory of MLS® listings in the residential category grew again picking up twenty-five units to reach 1405, and topping last year's inventory by just four properties. Today, I see 823 single-family homes and 509 condos listed for sale on the multiple listing service®, almost identical to last year's number when there were 822 and 503 respectively.
Cancelled and withdrawn listings were about even with the previous week at thirty-nine. Just over half of those made a return appearance as a new listing the same day they were removed. Most of them returned with a lower asking price. An additional forty-nine sellers used a standard price adjustment to sweeten their offering in hopes of closing a deal before the spring rush starts to loose its steam.
An unusually strong burst of activity in lower priced homes drove the weekly median price lower by nearly thirty-five thousand dollars to $276,500. The average selling price of a Saskatoon home moved in the same direction dropping twenty thousand dollars to $303,679. The longer-term measures held pretty firm. The six-week average price actually moved higher on a week-over-week basis, gaining just a couple of hundred dollars to finish at $318,995 roughly twenty-three thousand dollars higher than it was at this time last year. The four-week median was down just nine hundred dollars from the week before to $306,000 for a year-over-year gain of twenty-one thousand dollars.
Overbid activity remained weak with just two sellers closing a deal above their asking price, by an average of just $2,600. Another four got their full asking price while sixty-four of seventy firm transactions required a sharper pencil to close the deal. The average dollar discount on those homes that sold below list price was $8,993 or about three percent of the price.
Saskatoon home sales continued to show year-over-year gains for the month as the third week of May came to a close. A total of ninety-eight single-family home and condominium sales firmed up this week for a weekly gain of fourteen units and an annual uptick of sixteen.
Following an unseasonably slow week for new real estate listings, activity spiked higher as 157 houses and condos were added the Saskatoon multiple listing service®, up thirty-eight properties from last week to match volume from the same week last year.
The total inventory of active MLS® listings in the residential category saw its greatest gain in a month climbing by forty units from last week to 1380 properties. At the same time, this number represents the smallest year-over-year gain that we've seen in almost a year. Last year, at this time, there were 1376 residential properties showing an active status on the Saskatoon MLS® system, just four fewer than there are this year.
Today, there are 804 single-family homes and 502 condos available to prospective buyers. Those totals are up from 786 and 486 respectively, last week. Single-family home inventory is now down on a year-over-year basis, by just sixteen properties, while condo listings remain higher than the previous year by twelve.
Cancelled and withdrawn listings edged up over last week as forty-one sellers removed their property from the MLS®. Twenty-nine of those homes returned on the same day as a new listing. Another eighty listings saw a change to the pricing strategy with most moving lower.
Following a brief retreat last week, the median selling price of a Saskatoon home edged back up to reclaim more than fifty percent of last week's loss, closing at $308,932. The weekly average gained even more, closing almost ten thousand dollars higher than it did the previous week at $323,669. The six-week average price finished the week at $318,724 for a weekly gain of nearly four thousand dollars and a year-over-year gain of roughly twenty thousand dollars. The four-week median price actually edged lower, falling about two thousand dollars from last week to $306,900 for an annual gain of about 18K.
Eighty-six of ninety-eight sales were closed at a price that was roughly 3.3 percent ($10,667) below the seller's asking price. Three sellers closed a deal for more than they were asking, by an average of just $1,566. Another nine sellers found a buyer who was willing to conclude a deal for exactly what they were asking.
CREA economist Gregory Klump reports on MLS® sales and listings for the Canadian real estate market for April, 2011.
The number of newly listed homes edged up 1.3 per cent in April from the previous month on a seasonally adjusted basis, but remained well below levels in January and February, when impending changes to mortgage regulations were announced.
With fewer sales and an increase in newly listed homes, the national housing market moved further into balanced territory in April. The national sales-to-new listings ratio, a measure of market balance, stood at 52.5 per cent in April, down from 55.7 in March.
More than two-thirds of local markets in Canada were balanced in April. Almost half of the remainder could be classified as sellers' markets based on a ratio of sales to new listings above 60 per cent.
The number of months of inventory represents the number of months it would take to sell current inventories at the current rate of sales activity, and is another measure of the balance between housing supply and demand. The seasonally adjusted number of months of inventory stood at six months at the end of April on a national basis, up from 5.7 months in the previous month.
The national average price for homes sold in April 2011 was $372,544, up eight per cent from the same month last year. April marked the third consecutive month in which the national average price was up by eight per cent from year-ago levels.
The national average price has been skewed in recent months due to surging multi-million dollar property sales in selected areas of Greater Vancouver. Demand for these properties moderated in April from the previous month. A reduction in this source of upward skewing for the national average price was offset by fewer sales of lower priced properties.
Saskatoon real estate sales had another reasonably strong week with a total of eighty-four firm house and condo sales being reported to the local MLS®, a drop of seven compared against last week's numbers and off just one from the same period a year ago.
Following on the heels of a week that saw a huge spike in the number of new listings brought to the Saskatoon MLS® system, new listings took a downturn again falling forty-five units from the previous week to just one hundred and nineteen houses and condos. That's thirty-four fewer listings than were offered up for sale during the same week of 2010.
The total inventory of active MLS® listings in the residential category continued to climb, but at a very modest pace, as the number grew by just twelve to 1340 for a year-over-year gain of thirty-seven properties. Of course, the year-over-year gap has been narrowing fairly substantially each week for the past couple of months. Assuming that the pace of new listings over the next couple of weeks is similar to what we've experienced in the last four or five weeks, it appears that we will soon be looking at inventory numbers that are actually down from last year. At this point, we're just six to seven weeks away from the tipping point when inventory usually starts to decline through the balance of the year, making it highly unlikely that we'll hit anywhere close to record levels as some had been predicting months ago.
Today's active listings show 786 single-family homes, a gain of twelve from last week for a year-over-year gain of just four units. Condo inventory actually slipped this week, falling by four properties to 486, up from 453 at this same point last year.
Cancelled and withdrawn listings remained steady with thirty-four Saskatoon home sellers pulling their listing from the system. Twenty-two of them apparently changed their minds and re-listed the same day, setting the days on the market clock back to zero, with most coming back at a new lower price. Another fifty-seven sellers opted for a price change.
The entry-level market saw some improvements this week pushing the weekly median price lower by roughly eleven thousand dollars to $301,500. The weekly average price followed, slipping about six thousand dollars to $314,231. We saw less change in the longer-term averages, but they both moved in the same direction. The six-week average selling price slipped just over a thousand dollars from last week to $315,005, maintaining an annual gain of fifteen thousand dollars. The four-week median slid lower by thirty-five hundred dollars to finish the week at $309,000, for a year-over-year gain of twenty-four thousand dollars.
This week brought some big gains in the percentage of deals that resulted in a bit of overbidding as nine Saskatoon home buyers agreed to close a deal at a price greater than the asking price. The average overbid also saw a large increase to $12,485. Sixty-eight of this week's eighty-four deals closed at a price that was below list with an average drop of $9,516 for a discount of roughly three percent.
It was another spring like week for Saskatoon real estate sales as conditions were fulfilled and removed on ninety-one home sales. Unit sales declined three from last week but finished higher than the same week last year by eight.
After showing signs of softening over two consecutive weeks, new listings came to the market in greater numbers than they have for more than a full year. One hundred and sixty-four houses and condos were added to the inventory, up forty-six units from last week, and one more than we saw over the same period last year.
The fifty-five listings that expired without a sale kept the total inventory of MLS listings from expanding significantly, but the number grew by eighteen when compared against the close of last week and finished at 1,328. At this time in 2010, there were 1,254 active listings for buyers to choose from. Today's totals, by category, show 774 single-family homes (houses) and 490 condominiums with houses up twenty-one and condo numbers declining by one on a week-over-week basis. Last year at this time, those categories stood at 722 and 444 respectively.
Cancelled and withdrawn listings spiked to thirty-two, a gain of ten compared to last week. Twenty-two of those same properties immediately returned as a new listing, most at a new price. Sixty-eight Saskatoon home sellers took the more obvious route of simply adjusting the price on their existing listings.
Just a touch more action in the entry-level market saw the weekly median price soften by just over five grand to $312,750 while the weekly average slid by twice that to $320,147. The six-week average still managed to edge higher picking up about five thousand dollars to close the week at $316,112 for an annual gain of about sixteen thousand dollars. The four-week median took a smaller bump gaining thirty-five hundred dollars on the week to finish at $312,500. That's well up from $286,000 four-week median at the same time in 2010.
Overbid activity remained weak as just four lucky sellers completed a deal at a price greater than asking, by $3,787 on average. Another nine sellers found a buyer willing to pony up with all that they were asking. Seventy-nine of ninety-two firm deals required some give and take as sellers gave up an average of $9,158 at the negotiating table.


text:
54% Favor Law Prohibiting Workplace Discrimination Against LGBT People
The U.S. Senate is expected to pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), a bill prohibiting workplace discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation, although a plurality of voters don't see such discrimination as a serious problem. Most voters nationwide support the law, but one-in-three think certain religious organizations should be exempt from it.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 54% of Likely U.S. Voters favor a law that outlaws discrimination in the workplace against transgender, gay, lesbian and bisexual people. Thirty percent (30%) oppose such a law, while 16% are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
(Want a free daily e-mail update ? If it's in the news, it's in our polls.) Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on November 5-6, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC . See methodology.
44% Favor Gay Marriage, 44% Oppose
85% Think Christian Photographer Has Right to Turn Down Same-Sex Wedding Job
41% Think Legal System Worries Too Much About Church-State Separation
56% View Feds As Threat to Individual Rights
73% Say Men, Women Earn Equal Pay At Their Workplace

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


If you've rented a car within the last decade without springing for what's now a daily $12-$15 fee to have a GPS device mounted to your dash, you likely have a better sense of direction than I do. For my dollar, GPS is not a gratuitous add-on – it's a must-rent, in the same way that toddler and booster seats are essential when I'm renting a car away from home.
But like most renters, by the time you're done tallying up your basic daily rental charges and insurance costs, you likely have severe fee fatigue. That said, there are few extras you may not use or even know about that you might find are worth the convenience.
Transponder tags are old hat for car owners but if you rent, the $2.50 average daily service fee – on top of whatever tolls you'd normally be paying – may feel gratuitous. But if you've ever been forced to wait in an end-of-summer change-only toll line with overtired kids in the back seat, you know it isn't. The Hertz and Avis fleets are well-equipped with transponder tags – which go by the name of E-Z Pass, FasTrak, and other names depending on which side of the Mississippi you're on – and you may find one already affixed to your windshield whether you request it or not. But do request one just in case.
Nick on the Go, a portable touch-screen video player pre-loaded with more than 40 hours of Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. programs, is available at selected Hertz airport locations for a $5 daily fee. If you have a pre-schooler in your midst or, let's face it, any child who still watches either Nick channel at home, this gadget's worth the fee, especially if legs of your trip involve lengthy drives between the airport and hotel. The screen mounts to the back of either the driver or passenger seat or can be held; battery life varies depending on use, but the unit can be powered by provided car or wall chargers. Plus, the player's touch screen is intuitive enough not to require constant intervention from a grown-up busy trying to follow GPS directions up front.
Electric scooters are obviously not extras for some travelers but chances are you didn't necessarily know you could pick one up along with your Avis rental at selected airport locations. Rental fees start at $110 for three days but costs hinge on rental duration and scooter size (www.scootaround.com). Some standard scooters, once disassembled, will fit in many medium- to full-size vehicles, though heavy duty models will require the rental of either an SUV or minivan.
Ski racks. If your family's thoughts are already drifting toward ski season, know that Budget and Thrifty are among the car rental companies offering ski racks in selected locations for an average daily rental fee of $7-$13. If this seems steep, consider that some European rental car companies charge upwards of a $70 flat fee for a ski-rack equipped car regardless of how long you're keeping your rental.
Start planning your next vacation with our Family Travel Deals.


If you have tightened the brake shoes so that there is no excess travel before they come on, yet the handbrake lever still pulls up a long way, the cable has probably stretched and must be adjusted.
The handbrake provides some braking effect if the hydraulic system fails, but it is primarily a parking brake. It acts on the same brake drums or discs as the hydraulic system, but separately, and it must be adjusted separately. Some systems have a primary and a secondary cable. On this one the secondary cable operates the brakes through a yoke attached by a clevis pin to the primary cable.
There are many types of adjuster, but they all have the same effect that of shortening or lengthening the cable.
The handbrake pads on some disc brakes are separate from the pads operated by the hydraulic system. A single adjustment compensates for wear on separate pads and for cable stretch.
Some are inside the car, at the base of the handbrake lever. Most, however, are underneath the car - and are probably dirty and rusty.
Whenever you work under the car, always put it on firm supports such as axle stands. Chock the wheels remaining on the ground.
About two hours before you plan to do the job, squirt penetrating oil on to all the nuts and screw threads you will unscrew. This gives the oil time to free any seized parts.
The adjustment for the enclosed Bowden cable is located on a bracket.
Also lubricate with engine oil all the pivots and linkages that are operated when the handbrake is applied - they tend to seize due to road dirt, grit and corrosion. Make sure that the cable or rods move freely in their covering sleeves or gaiters.
On some handbrake systems, a primary cable runs through a pulley on the rear axle to a relax lever, which operates the brakes through a secondary cable. It adjusts at the lever.
Another type of handbrake has a single enclosed cable, called a Bowden cable, which runs directly to one brake drum and operates the other by means of a transverse rod.
Remove the rubber cover on the handbrake to reach the adjusters.
Raise the rear wheels clear of the ground and support them on axle stands. Chock the front wheels and fully release the handbrake.
The adjusters are inside the car, at the lower end of the handbrake lever. Pull away the covering or carpeting.
Hold the adjuster nut with a spanner and slacken off the locknut a few turns.
The threaded end of each cable has one or two nuts. If there are two, grip each with a spanner and screw them apart, freeing the locknut.
Hold the lower end of one rod with a pair of pliers to stop it turning, or fit a screwdriver into the front end of the rod if that is slotted.
Turn the lower nut clockwise down the thread, drawing the rod forward. Stop turning when the handbrake lever can be pulled up only three to five 'clicks'. Adjust the other rod by the same amount.
Grip the hexagon on the cable with pliers and adjust the adjuster nut, and tighten the locknut.
Pull the handbrake lever 'on' until slight resistance is felt at the lever; then try turning each rear wheel. Each should turn with equal resistance.
If they do not, tighten the cable on the slacker side until both feel equal. Tighten the locknuts.
Check that, with the handbrake released, both wheels turn freely. If not, ease back the adjustment and recheck.
Slacken the locknut and tighten the nut on the sleeve adjuster.
Raise the rear wheels clear of the ground, and support them on axle stands. Chock the front wheels.
The adjuster is underneath the car, in the centre and just in front of the rear wheels.
Put the handbrake lever to 'off'. Without pressing the release button, pull it on three clicks.
Exact details of the adjuster vary considerably from car to car, but there is probably a pair of nuts on the adjuster rod - one an adjuster nut on a screwed sleeve, the other a locknut to hold it firmly. Loosen the locknut and screw it back three or four threads.
Turn the adjuster nut clockwise until the raised wheel can be turned only with firm hand force.
Apply the handbrake and check that the wheels do not bind when it is released. If they do, readjust. Tighten the locknut.
Screw the adjuster nut along the cable casing until there is resistance.
Raise the wheels on which the handbrake operates clear of the ground, and support that end of the car on axle stands. Chock the other wheels. Pull the handbrake lever on three clicks.
Loosen the locknut and screw it back along the threaded part of the outer casing a few turns. Screw the adjuster nut in the same direction until some resistance is felt on the cable.
Turn a wheel - it should turn only with firm hand force. Move the adjuster again if necessary, until it does.
When the wheel movement is correct, hold the adjuster nut with one spanner and tighten the locknut on to it with another.
Some systems have three cables, one from the handbrake and two going to the wheels, which are connected to an equaliser. All three can be adjusted.
Some cars have a pair of handbrake cables separated by a relay lever located under the car.
A primary cable runs from the handbrake lever to the relay lever; a secondary cable goes from the relay lever to the brakes.
Set the handbrake lever one or two clicks 'on'. Jack up the car and support it securely on axle stands. Chock the unbraked wheels.
Free any locknuts, then tighten the cable that has the most slack until it is taut. Repeat the procedure with the second cable, then tighten the locknuts.
Pull out the split pin and remove the clevis pin to release the fork.
Sometimes the adjustment is on an equalising unit mounted on the rear axle, or on a fork at the end of a rod or cable just before it reaches the brake backplate.
A clevis pin holds the fork to a lever on the backplate. Take out the split pin which holds the clevis pin: remove the clevis pin.
Screw back the adjuster nut behind the clevis-pin fork.
Pull the handbrake lever until it engages on the second notch.
Loosen the locknut and screw back the adjuster nut until the clevis-pin holes in the fork are just in line with the hole in the lever on the backplate.
Tighten the locknut and refit the clevis pin with a new split pin.
After adjusting, hold the adjuster nut steady while tightening the locknut.
On most cars with all-round disc brakes, the handbrake operates on the rear discs, but on a few cars it operates on the front discs. A single adjustment takes up stretch on the handbrake operating cable, and compensates for wear on the pads (if the pads are separate from those operated by the hydraulic system).
Raise the wheels clear of the ground, and support the vehicle on axle stands. Chock the other wheels. Set the handbrake to off.
With a large, open-ended spanner, loosen and unscrew a few turns the large, thin locknut on the back of the brake caliper.
With a smaller open-ended spanner, turn the adjustment nut clockwise until it becomes stiff.
The heel of the cast-metal lever arm should press against the back of one pad, and the wheel should be hard to turn by hand.
Unscrew the adjuster nut by half to three-quarters of a turn. Hold the adjuster nut steady and tighten the large locknut. Re-check the adjustment. Repeat the adjustment on the opposite brake caliper.


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text:
Discover Waterford
By Eamonn McEneaney
Discover Waterford provides all the information a tourist needs: an overview of the city's history since its foundation in 914 AD by a Viking pirate, and a guide to all the main historical buildings.
Paperback: €12.68
Category: Architecture/Building, History, Travel/Guides/Walking
Series: City Guides
Waterford is the oldest centre of continuous urban settlement in Ireland. It is Ireland's oldest city outdating all of the northern European capitals except London and Paris. Discover Waterford provides all the information a tourist needs: an overview of the city's history since its foundation in 914 AD by a Viking pirate, and a guide to all the main historical buildings that a tourist will come across as they walk around the city.
Eamonn McEneany is Waterford's city historian and the Director of the Waterford Treasures Museum. The Waterford Treasures Museum has won several awards, both for the quality of the exhibits and the way in which the displays bring the historic objects to life in imaginative and unexpected ways.
'an interesting and informative record of the development of Waterford from Viking times ... with appropriate illustrations to accompany the well-written text.'
The Irish Times Richard Roche - The Irish Times


text:
We continue to head east across Germany. After nights spent beside a fire hall near Frankfurt am Main and in a parking area in Erfurt, a town that we enjoyed last year despite the hubbub caused by the Pope's planned arrival the following day, we stopped in a small village in Saxony named Zschaitz. After 10 days of rain in France and Luxembourg, spring had arrived with a vengeance, and the previous couple of days were in the high 20's Celcius. My hayfever was also in full swing.
Our camping guide book (the Bord Atlas which is written only in German!) showed that there was a camping place for motorhomes with electricity and a reasonable price only a few kilometers from the motorway. Although we couldn't read the description, the picture showed a small lake (which turned out to be a reservoir), which appealed to Diane so we wandered off to the beautiful village of Zschaitz.
When we arrived, the party was just getting started. There were about 20 people gathered around a large fire that was being lit. We approached the group and were directed to the 'chef" (the German word for 'chief') who was brandishing a large pitchfork. He spoke to us in German and we gave our standard response, "Sprechen Sie Englisch?" or "Do you speak English" which usually prompts a little smile. He called out to the group to see who could speak English and we were approached by a nice guy whose name we later learned was "Haiko" (I hope that I'm spelling the names correctly, because they'll probably be reading this!)
Zschaitz Reservoir
Haiko helped us find our parking pace in a gravel lot right beside the reservoir. We were the only camper there. Nice. His son Kevin brought the key for the bathroom (it didn't work but they solved that later). We walked back with them to the party, which was near the place where the duschen (showers) are located. Upon completing our tour, we stood talking with Haiko and Kevin on the outskirts of the party. After a while, the 'chef' called out to Haiko to offer us a beer, a flavourful brew in a bottle with a flip-top cap that Diane really enjoyed. We told them about our trip. We learned about Haiko's service in the German military and met his wife Janet. We talked about Zschaitz. We spoke briefly with several other brave people from the party who came up to us and said hello, though in most cases their English was limited. Haiko's English was pretty good (he called it 'military English') and Kevin's seemed good also, far beyond what I would have expected of his 14 years.
We thanked them for the beer and returned to the camper where Diane made dinner. Just after we finished, a friendly older gentleman that we had met at the party arrived with several kids in tow. He spoke virtually no English, but came anyhow with his grandchildren to deliver us plastic glasses of 'Jim Bean und Coke', English words that he did know. Here we also met Kevin's sister Chantelle who is 11.
We returned to the party together, and enjoyed a great evening around the fire. People were sitting on wooden pallets covered with old carpet or blankets. They were drinking beer for the most part, but also brandy and Eierlikoer (egg liqueur), a homemade beverage of alcohol, milk, powdered sugar, and raw egg yolks (hopefully the alcohol kills the salmonella). The Eierlikoer was served in small edible glasses (yes, edible) that tasted like ice-cream cones. We'd brought our own beer, but they kept offering us shots of other things which we, as good guests, graciously accepted.
We really enjoyed talking with Chantelle, Kevin, and Haiko. Chantelle asked all kinds of questions of Diane. What are your hobbies? What are you good at? Bad at? What is your favourite food? Favourite movies? Do you like 'Twilight'?
Diane and Chantelle
I spoke with Haiko about the military and his travels, and about the people at the party, some of whom got braver with their English as the night went on. Kevin told me about his football team, and I learned that they were playing a match the following morning against another village. He invited us to the game and we were very pleased to accept. This was one of those moments that as travelers we long for. A chance to meet local people and, despite the language barrier, get the chance to learn about them and share with them.
Patrick and Haiko
When Chantelle when to bed, she offered Diane a charm she had made herself. As other people left the party, they came and shook everyone's hands, including ours, offering the informal good-bye 'tschüss'. We agreed to meet Haiko and Janet in front of their home the following morning at 10:20, 10 minutes before the start of Kevin's soccer game. Haiko seemed very glad that we had shown such an interest in his children. Then we too drifted off to bed.
Our great parking place by the water
The next morning I ran through the village. It was glorious and sunny and it felt great to be running, despite my minor 'dehydration' headache from the night before. I shaved beside the lake watching my reflection in the window glass. We packed up the camper van and arrived at Haiko's home as promised. He and Janet jumped into the RV and we drove the 500 meters to the village's soccer field. Kevin was already there with his team and ran over to say hello during the warm-up. We sat at a picnic table with Kevin, Janet, Chantelle and her best friend (isn't it great to be 11?) We drank tea, coffee from the clubhouse, and Haiko and his brother-in-law also drank beer. It's not uncommon to drink beer or wine in the mid to late morning in Europe, especially on the weekends.
Diane and Janet watching the game
The game didn't go so well for Kevin's team. The other team, number 1 in the league, was bigger, strong, and faster. But the Zschatiz home team played well and kept trying even when they were down.
The opposing teams meet at midfield. Zschaitz is in green and Kevin is #2.
We enjoyed the game a lot, and Haiko gave me a tour of the clubhouse afterwards. It was filled with pictures and trophies of the village's soccer club from years gone by, including important matches and visits by famous teams. Haiko pointed out his father in one of the pictures.
Zschaitz's clubhouse. Very impressive for a small village.
Kevin joined us after the game and we walked back towards the camper to say our good-byes. He told me that he'd already been reading our blog (I'd given him the address the previous night). With his parents' permission, I told Kevin that I would write a story about our visit and his soccer match and post it on the blog. Thank-you so much to Kevin, Chantelle, Janet, and Haiko. Thanks to them, the 'chef', and the people of Zschaitz for making us feel welcome.
Patrick with Haiko, Janet, and Kevin
This entry was posted in Travel and tagged camping, Europe, fire, football, party, reservoir, soccer, travel, Zschatiz on May 8, 2012 by dreambigliveboldly.


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

The source SN~1006 is the remnant of one of the few historical supernovae.
It appeared in the southern sky on 1006 May 1 and was recorded by Chinese and Arab astronomers \cite{Stephenson02}.
The remnant of this explosion was first identified at radio wavelengths on the basis of historical
evidence \cite{Gardner}. The evolution of its luminosity indicates that it is the result of a Type Ia supernova \cite{Schaefer}, probably
the brightest supernova in recorded history. A distance of 2.2~kpc was derived by Winkler et~al.~(2003) based on comparing the optical proper motion with an estimate of the shock velocity derived from optical thermal line broadening assuming a high Mach number single-fluid shock.

Contemporary interest in the very high energy (VHE) emission from supernova remnants (SNRs) has arisen due to their association as prime candidates for Galactic cosmic-ray acceleration. Firstly, Galactic SNRs have sufficient kinetic energy to explain the estimated Galactic luminosity
in cosmic rays of $10^{40}$~erg/s. Secondly, and more importantly, it has been shown that diffusive shock acceleration provides a viable mechanism
which can efficiently accelerate charged particles in the blast waves of SNRs (e.g. Drury 1983; Blandford \& Eichler 1987; Jones \& Ellison 1991; Berezhko et al. 1996).
Indeed, most shell-type SNRs are non-thermal radio emitters, which confirms that electrons are accelerated up to at least GeV energies. Moreover, the limb-brightened non-thermal radio emission traces the site of effective particle acceleration.

The source SN~1006 was also the first SNR in which a non-thermal component of hard X-rays was detected in the rims of the remnant by ASCA \cite{Koyama} and ROSAT \cite{Willingale}, whereas the interior of the remnant exhibits a thermal spectrum with line emission. The hard featureless power-law spectrum strongly implies a synchrotron origin of the radiation, which in turn suggests that electrons can be accelerated up to energies of $\sim\mathrm{100}$~TeV.
Subsequent arcsecond resolution images by Chandra revealed a small-scale structure in the nonthermal X-ray filaments of the NE rim of
SN~1006 \cite{Bamba,Long}, supporting the idea of high B-fields in the bright limbs of the remnant \cite{Berezhko2002}.
An analysis of the X-ray observations from XMM-Newton by Rothenflug et.~al (2004) leads to the conclusion that the magnetic field in the remnant is oriented in the NE-SW direction. The synchrotron emission would then be concentrated in regions where the shock is quasi-parallel \cite{Voelk2003}.

Also, $\gamma$-ray observations of SN~1006 were carried out by ground-based $\gamma$-ray telescopes. A TeV $\gamma$-ray signal at the level of the Crab flux was claimed by the CANGAROO-I \cite{Cangaroo-I} and CANGAROO-II \cite{Cangaroo-II} telescopes, but subsequent stereoscopic observations of the source with the H.E.S.S. telescopes in 2003 and 2004 found no evidence of VHE $\gamma$-ray emission and derived an upper limit of $\Phi(>0.26$~TeV$)<2.4\times 10^{-12}$~ph~cm$^{-2}$~s$^{-1}$ at 99.9\% confidence level \cite{HESS_limit}. The CANGAROO-III telescope array found only an upper limit which is consistent with the H.E.S.S. result \cite{Cangaroo-III}.

The initial non-detection of SN~1006 in VHE $\gamma$-rays does not invalidate the hypothesis of nuclear particle acceleration in the shock. Indeed, the hadronic $\gamma$-ray flux is very sensitive to the ambient gas density $\mathrm{n_H}$ and hence the H.E.S.S. upper limit implies a constraint on $\mathrm{n_H}<0.1$~cm$^{-3}$ \cite{Ksenofontov}. Indeed, being 500~pc above the Galactic plane, the remnant is relatively isolated, and the gas density around SN~1006 was
recently estimated to be around 0.085~cm$^{-3}$ \cite{Katsuda}.
Ksenofontov et al.~(2005) furthermore showed that the lower limit for the VHE $\gamma$-ray flux, which is given by the inverse Compton (IC) component derived from the integrated synchrotron flux and field amplification alone, was only a factor 5 below the H.E.S.S. upper limit.
These predictions promoted deep observations with the H.E.S.S. telescopes.

\section{H.E.S.S. observations and analysis methods}\label{analysis}

H.E.S.S. is an array of four 13~m diameter imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes situated in the Khomas Highland in Namibia at an altitude
of 1800~m above sea level \cite{Bernloehr,Funk}. The source SN~1006 was observed in 2003 with the two telescopes that were operational at that time and with
the complete H.E.S.S.~array in the years since.
After run selection the data set comprises 130 hours (live time) of observations, of which 18 hours were taken with two telescopes only. The latter yielded
a smaller effective area than the data set recorded with the full array. For that reason they are used only in morphological studies and excluded in the spectral analysis.

The data were analysed with the {\it Model Analysis} \cite{Naurois}, in which shower images of all triggered telescopes are compared to a pre-calculated model by means of a log-likelihood minimisation. The Model Analysis does not rely on any image-cleaning procedure and uses all pixels in the camera. The noise distributions in the pixels due to the night sky background are taken into account in the model fit and result in a superior treatment of shower tails. Therefore the Model Analysis results in a more precise reconstruction and better background suppression  than  more conventional techniques, thus leading to improved sensitivity.

Two different sets of cuts were used: The {\it standard cuts}, including a minimum image charge
of 60 photoelectrons ($\mathrm{E_{th}} = 260$~GeV), cover the full energy range and are used for the spectral analysis only. The {\it hard cuts}, with a larger charge
cut of 200 photoelectrons, result in an improved signal-to-background ratio at the expense of lower statistics and a higher threshold of 500~GeV. These are used for the studies of source morphology.

The results presented below have been cross-checked using the 3D Model Analysis \cite{Marianne,Melitta}. Both analyses yielded consistent results.

Significant $\gamma$-ray emission is detected from the direction of SN~1006, concentrated in two extended regions as shown in Fig. \ref{fig:significance200}. This map shows the significance over a field-of-view of $1^\circ \times 1^\circ$ with a pixel size of $0.005^\circ$ obtained with hard cuts using the ring background subtraction technique \cite{Berge} and a small integration radius of $0.05^\circ$, close to the H.E.S.S. PSF of $R_{68}=0.064^\circ$. As the pixel size is a factor 10 smaller than the integration radius, the bins are highly correlated. In two regions of the map the significance of the H.E.S.S. observation clearly exceeds 5~$\sigma$.

\begin{figure
\begin{center}
\includegraphics[width=0.95\linewidth]{SN1006_XMMRegions.eps}
\caption{\it H.E.S.S. $\gamma$-ray significance map of SN~1006 using an integration radius of $0.05^\circ$. The linear colour scale is in units of standard deviations. The white solid contours correspond to the regions which contain 80\% of the non-thermal X-ray emission from the XMM-Newton flux map in the 2 - 4.5~keV energy range after smearing with the H.E.S.S. PSF, shown in the inset. The white dashed circles correspond to the regions that are excluded from background determination.}
\label{fig:significance200}
\end{center}
\end{figure}

\begin{figure
\begin{center}
\includegraphics[width=0.95\linewidth]{SN1006_SigDist.eps}
\caption{\it H.E.S.S. $\gamma$-ray significance distribution over the full field-of-view of SN~1006 (black histogram) and excluding the circular regions around the NE and SW emission regions (red histogram). A normal distribution (red dashed line) shows that the significance distribution over the rest of the field-of-view is compatible with expectation from statistical noise fluctuations.}
\label{fig:sigdist200}
\end{center}
\end{figure}

\begin{figure
\begin{center}
\includegraphics[width=0.95\linewidth]{SN1006_CummulativeSigDist.eps}
\caption{\it H.E.S.S. sky area with $\gamma$-ray significance above some threshold as a function of its value over the full field-of-view of SN~1006 (black histogram) and excluding the circular regions around the NE and SW emission regions (red histogram). }
\label{fig:cumulsigdist200}
\end{center}
\end{figure}

The significance distribution over the field-of-view of $2^\circ \times 2^\circ$ is shown in Fig.~\ref{fig:sigdist200}, while Fig.~\ref{fig:cumulsigdist200} illustrates the area corresponding to the significance above a given level.
The black histogram in both figures corresponds to the full field-of-view and exhibits strong deviation from a normal distribution at large significance values. The red histogram, restricted to the part of the field-of-view outside of the white dashed circles (Fig.~\ref{fig:significance200}) is compatible with a normal distribution, as denoted by the red dashed line (Fig.~\ref{fig:sigdist200}). This demonstrates that the distribution of events over the field-of-view (outside the two exclusion regions) is compatible with expectation from statistical fluctuations and that systematic effects concerning background estimation are under control.

\section{Morphology}\label{morphology}

Two different integration regions were defined {\it a priori} from the XMM-Newton data set \cite{Rothenflug}: a map of the flux in the 2 - 4.5 keV energy range (to exclude thermal contamination) was smoothed with the H.E.S.S. PSF, and regions which contained $80\%$ of the flux were calculated. The two resulting regions, denoted as {\it NE Region} and {\it SW Region}, are displayed as white contours in Fig. \ref{fig:significance200} and coincide well with the regions of largest H.E.S.S. significance.

Excess event counts and significances for both regions are given in Table \ref{tab:sig} for the two sets of cuts.
The ON photons are from the regions enclosed by the solid lines in Fig.~\ref{fig:significance200}, while the OFF events are
taken from regions of identical shape rotated in the field-of-view of the instrument around
the observation position and not intersecting the exclusion regions (enclosed by dashed
lines in Fig.~\ref{fig:significance200}).
Due to varying observation positions, the number of OFF regions varies from observation to observation.
Individual observation values are combined into an average normalisation factor ($\alpha $) quoted in Table \ref{tab:sig}.
Similar excess event counts and significances are observed in both regions, thus attesting to the bipolar morphology of the remnant in the TeV energy range. This is a highly constraining result, because due to the relatively uniform target density around the remnant the H.E.S.S. morphology directly reflects the distribution of high-energy particles responsible for the $\gamma$-ray emission.

\begin{table}[htbp]
\begin{center}
\begin{tabular}{|c|c|c|c|c|c|}\hline
Region & ON & OFF & $\alpha$ & \# $\gamma$ & Significance \\ \hline
NE, Std Cuts & 4306 & 25421 & 6.67 & 495 & 7.3     \\
NE, Hard Cuts & 619 & 2575 & 6.44 & 219 & 9.3      \\
SW, Std Cuts & 3798 & 26523 & 7.615 & 315 & 4.9     \\
SW, Hard Cuts & 548 & 2591 & 7.25 & 191 & 8.7      \\
\hline
\end{tabular}
\caption{\it H.E.S.S. excess events and significances for the two regions defined from X-ray observations. $\alpha$ is the normalisation factor between OFF and ON exposures.} \label{tab:sig}
\end{center}
\end{table}

Figure \ref{fig:excess200} shows the $\gamma$-ray H.E.S.S. excess map, produced with hard cuts and the same integration radius of $0.05^\circ$, overlaid with the smoothed XMM-Newton flux contours. A striking similarity between the $\gamma$-ray and X-ray emission regions is found. For a quantitative analysis uncorrelated radial and azimuthal profiles of the H.E.S.S. excess events were derived and compared to the XMM-Newton profiles (Figs. \ref{fig:rad} and \ref{fig:azi}). Again the XMM-Newton data were smoothed to match the H.E.S.S. point spread function, and the relative normalisation was adjusted to the maximum value. Within error bars, the H.E.S.S. and XMM-Newton emission profiles are almost identical, thus possibly indicating a common origin.

\begin{figure
\begin{center}
\includegraphics[width=0.95\linewidth]{SN1006_XMMSuperposition_HardCut.eps}
\caption{\it H.E.S.S. $\gamma$-ray image of SN~1006. The linear colour scale is in units of excess counts per $\pi \times (0.05^\circ)^2$. Points within $(0.05^\circ)^2$ are correlated. The white cross indicates the geometrical centre of the SNR obtained from XMM data as explained in the text and the dashed circles correspond to $R\pm dR$ as derived from the fit. The white star shows the centre of the circle encompassing the whole X-ray emission as derived by Rothenflug et al. (2004) and the white triangle the centre derived by Cassam-Chena\"i et al. (2008) from H$\alpha$ data. The white contours correspond to a constant X-ray intensity as derived from the XMM-Newton flux map and smoothed to the H.E.S.S. point spread function, enclosing respectively  80\% ,  60\% ,  40\%  and  20\% of the X-ray emission. The inset shows the H.E.S.S. PSF using an integration radius of $0.05^\circ$. }
\label{fig:excess200}
\end{center}
\end{figure}

The geometrical X-ray centre of the SNR was derived from the unsmoothed XMM-Newton data by fitting
them with a Gaussian radial profile convolved with an azimuthal profile with two Gaussian components,
yielding \hbox{15h2m51.1s}, \hbox{-41d55'32.2"} as the centre of the SNR with a radius of $R=0.239^{\circ}$ and a thickness of $dR=0.013^{\circ}$.
Figure \ref{fig:rad} shows the radial profiles of H.E.S.S. and smoothed XMM-Newton excess events from the centre of the SNR. When a Gaussian is fit to the H.E.S.S.~profile (Fig.~\ref{fig:rad}) the shell radius is found to be $0.24^{\circ}\pm 0.01^{\circ}$ and the width of the radial distribution is $0.05^{\circ}\pm 0.01^{\circ}$, which is consistent with the H.E.S.S.~point spread function, thereby showing that the emission region is compatible with a thin rim.

\begin{figure
\begin{center}
\includegraphics[width=0.95\linewidth]{SN1006_RadialProjection.eps}
\caption{\it Radial profile around the centre of the SNR obtained from H.E.S.S. data and XMM-Newton data in the 2 - 4.5 keV energy band smoothed to H.E.S.S. PSF.}
\label{fig:rad}
\end{center}
\end{figure}

\begin{figure
\begin{center}
\includegraphics[width=0.95\linewidth]{SN1006_AzimutalProjection.eps}
\caption{\it Azimuthal profile obtained from H.E.S.S. data and XMM-Newton data in the 2 - 4.5 keV energy band and smoothed to H.E.S.S. PSF, restricted to radii $0.12^\circ\leq r\leq 0.36^\circ$ from the centre of the SNR. Azimuth $0^\circ$ corresponds to East, $90^\circ$ corresponds to North, $180^\circ$ to West and $-90^\circ$ to South. }
\label{fig:azi}
\end{center}
\end{figure}

The azimuthal profile, restricted to radii $0.12^\circ\leq r\leq 0.36^\circ$ from the centre of the SNR, is shown in Fig. \ref{fig:azi} for  H.E.S.S. data and smoothed XMM-Newton data in the 2 - 4.5 keV energy band. The azimuth is defined clockwise
with zero toward the East. The H.E.S.S. profile is compatible with a superposition of two Gaussian emission regions almost at $180^\circ$ from each other,
respectively centred on $-143.6^\circ\pm 6.1^\circ$ (SW region) and $29.3^\circ\pm 4.0^\circ$ (NE region) and with similar widths of $ 33.8^\circ\pm 7.0^\circ$and $27.9^\circ\pm 4.0^\circ$.

\section{Spectral analysis}\label{spectra}

Differential energy spectra of the VHE $\gamma$-ray emission were derived for both regions above the energy threshold of $\sim$  260~GeV. These regions correspond
to 80\% of the X-ray emission (after smearing with the H.E.S.S. PSF)
and therefore slightly underestimate the TeV emission of the full remnant.

The spectra for the NE and SW regions are compatible with power law distributions, $F(E) \propto E^{-\Gamma}$, with  comparable photon indices $\Gamma$
and  fluxes. Confidence bands for power-law fits are shown in Fig. \ref{fig:spectra} and
Table \ref{tab:spectra}. The integral fluxes above 1~TeV correspond to less than $1\%$ of the Crab flux, making SN~1006
one of the faintest known VHE sources (Table \ref{tab:spectra}). The derived fluxes are well below the previously published
H.E.S.S. upper limits \cite{HESS_limit}. The observed photon index $\Gamma \approx 2.3$ is somewhat steeper than generally expected from diffusive shock acceleration theory and may indicate that the upper cut-off of the high-energy particle distribution is being observed; however, the uncertainties on the spectrum preclude definitive conclusions on this point.

\begin{figure
\begin{center}
\includegraphics[width=0.95\linewidth]{SN1006_Spectra_Std.eps}
\caption{\it Differential energy spectra of SN~1006 extracted from the two regions NE and SW as defined in Sect.~\ref{analysis}. The shaded bands correspond to the range of the power-law fit, taking into account statistical errors. }
\label{fig:spectra}
\end{center}
\end{figure}

\begin{table}[htbp]
\begin{center}
\begin{tabular}{|c|c|c|}\hline
Region & photon index $\Gamma$ & $\Phi(>1 \mathrm{TeV})$ \\
& & $(10^{-12} \mathrm{cm}^{-2}\mathrm{s}^{-1})$  \\ \hline
NE & $2.35 \pm 0.14_{stat} \pm 0.2_{syst}$  & $0.233 \pm 0.043_{stat} \pm 0.047_{syst}$ \\
SW & $2.29 \pm 0.18_{stat}\pm 0.2_{syst}$ & $0.155 \pm 0.037_{stat} \pm 0.031_{syst} $ \\

\hline
\end{tabular}
\caption{\it Fit results for power-law fits to the energy spectra. } \label{tab:spectra}
\end{center}
\end{table}

\section{Discussion}\label{discussion}

The source SN 1006 is an ideal example of a shell-type supernova remnant because it represents a type Ia supernova exploding into an approximately uniform medium and magnetic field, thereby essentially maintaining the spherical geometry of a point explosion. This can be attributed to the fact that SN~1006 is about 500~pc above the Galactic plane in a relatively clean environment, where the external gas density is rather low, $\mathrm{n_H} \approx$ 0.085 cm$^{-3}$ as indicated by Katsuda et al. (2009). Moreover, SN~1006 is one of the best-observed SNRs with a rich data-set of astronomical multi-wavelength information in radio, optical and X-rays, and all the important parameters like the ejected mass, its distance and age are fairly well-known \cite{Cassam}. For this reason, the semi-analytical models of Truelove $\&$ McKee (1999) can be approximately applied and the velocity of the shock calculated. The value of the shock velocity calculated by this means agrees well with the recent measurement in X-rays by Katsuda et al. (2009), yielding $(0.48 \pm 0.04)$~arcsec~yr$^{-1}$ in the synchrotron emitting regions (NE and SW), which corresponds to $5000 \pm 400$~km/s for a distance of 2.2~kpc. This does not contradict the value of $(0.28 \pm 0.008)$~arcsec~yr$^{-1}$ measured by Winkler et~al.~(2003) in the optical filaments, which are situated in the NW region of the remnant. All those calculations neglect the dynamic role of accelerated particles however, which is potentially quite important.

The basic model of VHE $\gamma$-ray production requires particles accelerated to multi-TeV energies and a target comprising photons and/or matter of sufficient density. The close correlation between X-ray and VHE-emission points toward particle acceleration in the strong shocks revealed by the Chandra observation of the X-ray filaments. Moreover, the bipolar morphology of the VHE-emission in the NE and SW regions of the remnant supports a major result of diffusive shock acceleration theory, according to which efficient injection of suprathermal downstream charged nuclear ions is only possible for sufficiently small angles between the ambient magnetic field and shock normal, and therefore a higher density of accelerated nuclei at the poles is predicted \cite{Ellison1995,Malkov95,Voelk2003}.

Radio \cite{Reynolds} and  X-ray \cite{Bamba2008} data integrated over the full remnant were combined with VHE $\gamma$-ray measurements to model the spectral energy distribution of the source in a simple one-zone stationary model.
For the sake of consistency, the VHE $\gamma$-ray energy distribution was determined from the sum of the two previously defined regions.
In this phenomenological model the current distribution of particles (electrons and/or protons) is prescribed with a given spectral shape corresponding to a power law with an exponential cutoff,
from which emission due to synchrotron radiation, bremsstrahlung and IC scattering on the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) photons is computed. The $\pi^0$ production through interactions of protons with the
ambient matter are obtained following Kelner et~al.~(2006).

 It is clear that this model oversimplifies the acceleration process in an expanding remnant, as discussed by e.g. Drury et~al.~(1989) and Berezhko et~al.~(1996). In addition one must include the uncertainties introduced by the dynamics of the ejecta, the nonuniform structure of the ambient medium and the complexities of the reaction of the accelerated particles on both the magnetic field and the remnant dynamics. This is of importance when comparing the data to the model results below.

\begin{figure
\begin{center}
\includegraphics[width=0.95\linewidth]{sed_lepto.eps}
\includegraphics[width=0.95\linewidth]{sed_hadro.eps}
\includegraphics[width=0.95\linewidth]{sed_mixed.eps}
\caption{\it Broadband SED models of SN~1006 for a leptonic scenario (top), a hadronic one (centre) and a mixed leptonic/hadronic scenario (bottom).
Top: Modelling was done by using an electron spectrum in the form of a power law with an index of 2.1, an exponential cutoff at 10~TeV and a total energy of $\mathrm{W_e} = 3.3 \times 10^{47}$ erg. The magnetic field amounts to 30~\hbox{\textmu}G.
Centre: Modelling using a proton spectrum in the form of a power law with an index of 2.0, an exponential cutoff at 80~TeV and a total proton energy of $\mathrm{W_p} = 3.0 \times 10^{50}$~erg (using a lower energy cut off of 1 GeV).
The electron/proton ratio above 1~GeV was $\mathrm{K_{ep}} =  1 \times 10^{-4}$ with an electron spectral index of 2.1 and cutoff energy at 5~TeV. The magnetic field amounts to 120~\hbox{\textmu}G and the average medium density is 0.085~cm$^{-3}$.
Bottom: Modelling using a mixture of the above two cases.  The total proton energy was $\mathrm{W_p} = 2.0 \times 10^{50}$~erg, with $\mathrm{K_{ep}} =  7 \times 10^{-3}$, with exponential cutoffs at 8~TeV and 100~TeV for electrons and protons respectively. The magnetic field amounts to 45~\hbox{\textmu}G.
The radio data \cite{Reynolds}, X-ray data \cite{Bamba2008} and H.E.S.S. data (sum of the two regions) are indicated. The following processes have been taken into account: synchrotron radiation from primary electrons (dashed black lines), IC scattering (dotted red lines), bremsstrahlung (dot-dashed green lines) and proton-proton interactions (dotted blue lines). The Fermi/LAT sensitivity for one year is shown (pink) for Galactic (upper) and extragalactic (lower) background. The latter is more representative given that SN 1006 is $14^\circ$ north of the Galactic plane. }
\label{fig:sed}
\end{center}
\end{figure}

Assuming first a purely leptonic form
(Fig. \ref{fig:sed}, top), the radio and X-ray data constrain the synchrotron part of the SED in a way that the slope of the electron spectrum, which is particularly sensitive to the slope of the radio data, is bounded between 2.0 and 2.2, while the cutoff energy of electrons is limited to about 10~TeV by the X-ray data assuming a magnetic field of 30~\hbox{\textmu}G.
With the particle spectrum constrained by radio and X-ray data, the resulting magnetic field needs to be higher than 30~\hbox{\textmu}G so that the IC emission does not exceed the measured VHE-flux. A magnetic field of 30~\hbox{\textmu}G implies that assuming Bohm diffusion, electrons of 1~TeV are confined in a shell of  the width of 10 arcseconds, which is much smaller than the PSF of the H.E.S.S. instrument and is therefore compatible with the radial profile shown in Fig. \ref{fig:rad}. However, while this simple leptonic scenario can account for the measured VHE $\gamma$-ray flux, it fails to reproduce the slope of the VHE spectrum, which is much harder than the expectations from the IC process (see Fig. \ref{fig:sed} top). But it should be noted that non-linear Fermi shock acceleration as reviewed by Malkov  \& Drury~(2001) usually predicts curved cosmic ray spectra with different spectral shapes for protons and electrons. There is a hint of spectral curvature observed in the case of Tycho's and Kepler's supernova remnants in the radio regime \cite{Reynolds&Ellison}. For SN 1006 there is also an indication of the curvature of the electron spectrum in the GeV to TeV energy range \cite{Allen}. These non-linear effects, which also might well introduce a spectral curvature in the VHE regime, are not addressed by this simple model.

In a second dominantly hadronic model (Fig. \ref{fig:sed}, middle) TeV emission results from proton-proton interactions
with $\pi^0$-production and subsequent decay,
whereas the X-ray emission is still produced by leptonic interactions. A rough representation of the effect of spectral curvature is included by allowing for a slightly harder spectral index for protons than for radio-emitting electrons.
A lower electron fraction allows us to account for the X-ray and radio emission with a higher field value of 120~\hbox{\textmu}G, which is consistent with magnetic field amplification at the shock, as indicated by the above-mentioned measurements of thin X-ray filaments.
Assuming an average medium density of 0.085~cm$^{-3}$ and a proton spectral index of 2.0 with a cutoff energy of 80~TeV (inferred from the maximum energy of TeV photons), this model requires a high overall fraction of about 20\%, of the supernova energy to be converted into high-energy protons.
Here $E_{SN} = 1.4 \times 10^{51}$~erg was assumed, near the upper end of the typical range of type Ia SN explosion energies (e.g.\ Woosley et al.\ 2007), as the assumed density, observed radius and known age of SN 1006 appear to require a higher than average explosion energy. Given that the VHE emission is concentrated in polar regions of the shell, the local shock acceleration efficiency would then be several times higher than this fraction.

In a third example (mixed model), hadronic and leptonic processes contribute almost equally to the very high-energy emission.
The electron spectrum is similar to the aforementioned leptonic case and the total proton energy is set to 14\% of the mechanical supernova energy with the electron/proton ratio $K_\mathrm{ep} = 3.9 \times 10^{-3}$, thus leaving the magnetic field and the cutoff energy of protons the only free parameters.
In the example shown in Fig. \ref{fig:sed} (bottom panel) the magnetic field amounts to 45~\hbox{\textmu}G and the cutoff energy of protons is 100~TeV. This example illustrates that in this simple one-zone case it is possible to reproduce all the multi-wavelength data on SN~1006 to a reasonable degree of accuracy including the slope of the VHE-data. While these considerations cannot exclude any of the astrophysical scenarios, they serve as a
quantitative illustration of the various alternatives.

Values of total electron and proton energy, cutoff energy and magnetic field obtained in the three aforementioned cases are summarised in Table \ref{tab:model}. These parameters yield very similar values when the NE and SW regions are adjusted independently.

\begin{table}[htbp]
\begin{center}
\begin{tabular}{|c|c|c|c|c|c|}\hline
Model & $E_{cut,e}$ & $E_{cut,p}$ & $W_e$ & $W_p$ & $B$\\
& $[\mathrm{TeV}]$ & $[\mathrm{TeV}]$ & $[10^{47} \mathrm{erg}]$ & $[10^{50} \mathrm{erg}]$ & $[\mathrm{\mu G}]$ \\\hline
Leptonic & $10$ & -  & $3.3$ & - & $30$ \\
Hadronic & $5$ & $80$ & $0.3$ & $3.0$ & $120$ \\
Mixed & $8$ & $100$ & $1.4$ & $2.0$  & $45$ \\
\hline
\end{tabular}
\caption{\it Parameters used in the spectral energy modelling shown in Fig.~\ref{fig:sed}. Spectral indices have been fixed  to
$2.1$ and $2.0$ respectively for electrons and protons.} \label{tab:model}
\end{center}
\end{table}

More elaborate models using e.g. a nonlinear kinetic acceleration theory \cite{Heinz} go beyond the simple approach developed here and lead to precise predictions that could
be quantitatively tested against the data. Several effects which were not included in the simple model above would alter the total energy in accelerated particles required for the hadronic component.  Beyond the spectral curvature mentioned previously, these include the higher compression of the target matter induced by the dynamical reaction of the accelerated particles, and consideration of the heavier nuclei composition of the accelerated hadrons instead of the pure protons assumed here.
Measurements in the GeV-energy range would be pivotal to distinguish between the different scenarios.
Unfortunately, the sensitivity of the Fermi Large Area Telescope for one year as given in Atwood et~al.~(2009) is of a factor of the order of 10 too low (depending on the model and the exact diffuse background flux) to measure the predicted flux at 1~GeV as shown in Fig.\ref{fig:sed}, which makes the detection of SN 1006 by Fermi LAT rather unlikely.

\section{Conclusions}\label{conclusion}

Very high energy $\gamma$-rays from SN 1006 have been detected by H.E.S.S. The measured flux above 1~TeV is of the order of 1$\%$ of that detected from the Crab Nebula and therefore compatible with the previously published upper limit \cite{HESS_limit}. The bipolar morphology apparent in $\gamma$-rays is consistent with the non-thermal emission regions also visible in X-rays. As the VHE-shell is compatible with a scenario of thin rim emission, particle acceleration in the very narrow X-ray filaments, which are signatures of shocks, is also likely to be at the origin of the $\gamma$-ray signal.  The measured flux level can be accounted for by inverse Compton emission assuming a magnetic field of about 30~$\mu$G.  A mixed scenario including leptonic and hadronic processes and taking into account the ambient matter density estimated from observation also leads to a satisfactory description of the multi-wavelength spectrum, assuming a high proton-acceleration efficiency.  None of the models can be excluded at the level of modelling presented here.

\begin{acknowledgements}
The support of the Namibian authorities and of the University of Namibia in facilitating the construction and operation of H.E.S.S. is gratefully acknowledged, as is the support by the German Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF), the Max Planck Society, the French Ministry for Research, the CNRS-IN2P3 and the Astroparticle Interdisciplinary Programme of the CNRS, the U.K. Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), the IPNP of the Charles University, the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education, the South African Department of Science and Technology and National Research Foundation, and by the University of Namibia. We appreciate the excellent work of the technical support staff in Berlin, Durham, Hamburg, Heidelberg, Palaiseau, Paris, Saclay, and in Namibia in the construction and operation of the equipment.

\end{acknowledgements}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


text:
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© José Rambaud
© Rubén Ramos Blanco
Most whale watching trips last for two hours. Only if there's a good probability of the orca sighting, the time in the sea is extended to three hours. To increase your chances, it's recommended to go on a tour twice in a day. Also, remember to book your tour several days in advance and confirm a day before the trip.
Usually, the boats set off a few times per day, but be prepared for tour cancellations in case of unfavourable weather. Tarifa enjoys another fancy title—the capital of wind, and there were times when tours didn't run for over ten days in a row. The tours don't run on foggy days either.
in Norway
in Iceland
Dolphin and Whale Watching in Scotland
in Bora Bora
in Canary Islands
in Greenland
Orca (Killer) Whale Watching
in Costa Rica
in Quebec
Point Reyes Whale Watching
in Madeira
Whale Watching in Victoria
in Victoria
in Mexico
in French Polynesia
in Mauritius
in Chile
Land-Based Whale Watching
Gray Whales near Everett
in Madagascar
More experiences in Spain
San Juan Bonfire Festival (Noche de San Juan)
Spain to Portugal Zip Line (Limite Zero)
Córdoba Patios Festival
Wine Fight (La Batalla del Vino)
Girona Flower Festival
El Caminito Del Rey (King's Path)
Spanish Ham (Jamón) with Melon


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Home Services Neuroscience Neurology Areas of Expertise Epilepsy Program
Specialized Procedures
Epilepsy Program
Movement Disorders Program
Comprehensive Multiple Sclerosis Care Center
Neurological Intensive Care (Neuro ICU)
Neurology Clinical Trials
NYU Winthrop Comprehensive Epilepsy Center
Proud to be one of the largest, most specialized epilepsy treatment programs
on Long Island
Level-4 Epilepsy Treatment Center
Representing the highest certification in accordance with the National Association of Epilepsy Centers' guidelines for patient care.
At NYU Winthrop Hospital, our Comprehensive Epilepsy Center is one of the largest such programs on Long Island. A clinical arm of Stony Brook University School of Medicine, our center is staffed by a team of highly-trained specialists -- including epileptologists, epilepsy surgeons, and neuropsychologists -- who collaborate to provide state-of-the-art diagnosis and epilepsy treatment. We specialize in the treatment and management of patients with forms of epilepsy that are difficult to control.
The Mission of our Epilepsy Treatment Program
Our mission at the Comprehensive Epilepsy Center is to administer personalized, world-class care for people with epilepsy through comprehensive diagnostic evaluation, advanced treatment options, and active participation in medical education and cutting edge research.
An important goal of our center includes seizure reduction, and possible seizure elimination with medical and surgical therapies. The center employs the leading-edge diagnostic evaluation with imaging, neurophysiologic monitoring, and neuropsychological evaluation to provide safe and effective surgical options for patients with medication-resistant epilepsy. If one of our patients is considered a candidate for surgery, decision- making occurs through an integrated alliance with the epilepsy treatment team, primary care physician, and patient.
Our team of epileptologists, surgeons, and neuropsychologists discuss individualized plans for each patient at weekly multidisciplinary surgical meetings where we explore all of the potential strategies , should a neurosurgical approach be chosen.
We strive to provide comprehensive services to support and educate those with epilepsy, their families, and the community. Epilepsy, like other chronic conditions, impacts quality of life and everyday living. We fully understand the significant challenges people with epilepsy face every day and consider addressing these issues is tantamount in providing optimal care. The Comprehensive Epilepsy Center offers access to community resources, health information provided by epilepsy health professionals, and psycho-social support.
Our Epilepsy Treatment Team
Our team includes a staff of neurologists with specialty training in epilepsy, electroencephalography (EEG), and clinical neurophysiology.
David E. Friedman, MD
Director, NYU Winthrop Comprehensive Epilepsy Center
Shicong Ye, MD
Director, Adult EEG Lab
Ajay Misra, MD, PHD
Chairman, Department of Neurosciences
Vijaya Atluru, MD
Chief, Division of Pediatric Neurology
Gabrielle Chassagne, MD
Director of Pediatric Epilepsy
Lucia Jamaluddin, LMSW
Neuroscience Social Worker
Our Epilepsy Treatment Services and Technology
Our Epilepsy Monitoring Unit provides continuous video-EEG monitoring, and features a fully computerized digital recording system and 24-hour supervision by highly experienced nurses and staff, where we offer both phase 1 and phase 2 monitoring.
Phase 1 monitoring involves inpatient monitoring with video-EEG. A standard EEG is applied and patients may be monitored for several days. Patients are continuously monitored and weaned off their medications in a safe setting. We record brain activity during seizures and between seizures. This information is often highly valuable for diagnosis of seizures, classification of seizures leading to optimal care, and localization for potential epilepsy surgery.
The NYU Winthrop Comprehensive Epilepsy Center team discusses every patient considered for phase 2 monitoring, and careful planning is made by the team. For phase 2 monitoring, electrodes are placed on the surface of the brain in the operating room, allowing for more detailed analysis of brain activity. The data obtained from this monitoring often provides valuable information for surgical planning. In addition, functional cortical mapping may be performed by stimulating the electrodes at the bedside.
State-of-the-art neuroimaging facilities with 3 Tesla MRI, PET, and SPECT scanning.
Epilepsy surgery -- a surgical procedure that removes the specific area of the brain that is generating the seizures.
Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS) -- a surgical procedure where neurosurgeons place a small pacemaker under the skin in the left side of the chest to stimulate the vagus nerve. This device regulates electrical activity in the brain and can reduce the frequency and severity of seizures. The implantation is a one to two hour outpatient procedure and the device is programmed by your epileptologist.
To learn more about the Neurology services or Epilepsy Treatment Programs at NYU Winthrop Hospital, or for a physician referral, call


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Education is under a massive attack. Tuition fees for university have gone through the roof and colleges are in frantic competition with each other to recruit students. Now the employers want to wreck the pensions of Higher Education staff, who have voted 88% for strike action across the country with record turnouts.
Similarly, staff in FE colleges across London and beyond voted to take strike action following a scandalous below inflation pay offer of 1% from the employer representative, the Association of Colleges, in September.
For the first time in history, staff in 64 UK universities will have struck for a more than a week and have voted to continue.
The strikes have been a massive success with big picket lines and demonstrations, joined now with student occupations at some universities.
We congratulate the UCU members for rejecting the employer's latest offer in every single university in dispute, despite the recommendation to accept from their union executive.