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BRADENTON, Fla. – Throughout the offseason, we kept getting videos and photos sent in from Pirates’ 2016 third round pick Stephen Alemais. The shortstop was working out with Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran in his first professional offseason, which is a pretty amazing work group for a first-year player.
Alemais is extremely gifted defensively, already ranking as one of the best defensive shortstops in the system, and challenging Gift Ngoepe as the top guy in the system. He looks extremely smooth in the field, and can look like a walking highlight reel at times. The big problem is that his hitting skills are weak, which is the reason he was taken in the third round, rather than the top of the first round. The latter is where you’d expect to see a strong defensive shortstop who can hit.
I ran into Alemais when he arrived at Pirate City for Spring Training, and asked him about the workouts with Reyes and Beltran.
“I’m hoping they were able to teach me how to hit,” he joked.
It wasn’t really a joke though. They spent a lot of time working on his hitting mechanics, with Alemais and Reyes getting instruction from Beltran on how to maximize their power and hitting abilities. It’s hard to think of a better example to follow than Beltran, but will it work?
The Pirates have a no-touch policy when a player arrives in their system. They don’t make adjustments with players until about 3-4 months after getting a chance to know the player and observe them. They have conversations with a player, and figure out what type of hitter they will be, how much the player knows about their own game, and how much they understand about what they need to do to develop their game. For drafted players, they usually start making adjustments around instructs.
The Pirates made a few adjustments with Alemais during instructs. They first wanted him keeping both hands on the bat through his swing, and giving kind of a photo finish with two hands, rather than what he was doing before, which was letting one hand off the bat and finishing his swing with one hand. Having two hands the whole way through forces the barrel of his bat to stay in the zone longer, and getting length after contact.
Alemais also added a bit of a load to his swing, aimed at getting more power. He’s not looking to be a home run hitter, but hoping for something more than singles. That said, he hit four home runs his first week of instructs, which was a feat so rare for him that his father didn’t even believe it happened when he called to tell the news.
The adjustments so far have been quickly adapted by Alemais. A big reason for that is due to his advanced hitting skills. He’s not necessarily advanced in terms of applying his skills to the game, but he’s very knowledgeable about what he needs to do to hit, and what type of hitter he will eventually become.
Alemais and Reyes had mutual friends, so at the start of the offseason he reached out to him and told Reyes he wanted to work. He got the number for Reyes’ trainer, and they ended up working out together. Reyes worked out with Beltran on Tuesdays and Fridays, and Alemais tagged along.
Growing up in New York, Alemais watched two people: Derek Jeter and Jose Reyes. He was a shortstop, so Reyes was one of his childhood idols.
Reyes is actually going through a transition in his game. He can’t rely on his speed as much as in the past, so he’s focusing more on hitting for power and driving the balls out of the infield. Beltran was helping Reyes with this new approach. It’s the same approach Alemais was focusing on with the Pirates, so the lessons applied to him as well.
Alemais has been a contact guy all his life, but has felt he has some power. That’s not to the point of being a home run hitter, but to the point where he could drive the ball more often to the gaps and be more than just a singles hitter.
The work with Beltran and Reyes was focused around maximizing the power potential you have by using your legs the most and using your backside. They did a lot of drills that focused on incorporating your legs with your upper body.
The Pirates started adjusting the swing for Alemais during instructs. He took that swing, explained what he was working on with Beltran and Reyes, and they made some suggestions.
The thing about the mechanical focus for Alemais — putting the focus on the legs and how to approach different pitches — is that it’s the same type of instruction he would have received with the Pirates. It’s just that players usually don’t receive that level of instruction until they reach the upper levels. Alemais talked with Sutton about his work with Beltran during the offseason, and about some of the strategies he was employing. He said that Sutton told him he’s now talking about advanced hitting techniques.
Alemais is now ahead of the curve with his learning, focusing on things that are well beyond his current level. A lot of that is due to his advanced understanding of hitting. And it will help adjust how the Pirates teach him going forward.
I could explain the drill that Alemais was working on with Beltran, but it’s best to show them. First, here is Beltran teaching Alemais, which is in Spanish. The translation of the work will be in the video below.
I showed that last video to Sutton to get his reaction of what Alemais was working on. He discussed when the Pirates typically do these drills with their prospects.
The Pirates do the same tee drill that Alemais was working on with Beltran, for a lot of the same reasons. The goal is to keep the swing path short to the ball, but stay behind the ball, working with a deeper contact point. This helps with hitting off-speed pitches, and hitting to the opposite field.
Here is a look at Alemais from the start of Spring Training, with the new swing approach in the cage.
Along with his hitting, Alemais got some work with Reyes on base running and defense. His fielding is the strongest part of his game, but that doesn’t mean he has nothing to learn from a long-time MLB shortstop like Reyes.
Alemais also got some tips on stealing bases. He’s got some speed, although not nearly as much as Reyes had at the same age. But stolen bases aren’t about speed as much as getting a good read on the pitcher. That is where Alemais got some help.
Before we get to the end of this article, let’s take a look at a Reyes and Alemais montage, which was kindly shared with me by Alemais after our discussion of his work.
Teams invest in strong defense/no bat shortstops like Alemais with the hope that something will click and they will learn how to hit enough to be a Major League player. Sometimes they hit enough to be a backup or a depth option. Sometimes they go a step further and they can be a defensive-minded starter. The dream is getting them to the point where the offense doesn’t take away value.
It’s hard to say where Alemais could end up on this spectrum. He’s got an advanced understanding of hitting, and got some great instruction in the last year from the Pirates and from Beltran and Reyes. But that doesn’t always translate over to results on the field.
Sutton said that a lot of guys might have success with this type of approach in the minor leagues, but won’t understand why the approach is important for Pittsburgh at the MLB level. Alemais seems to have that understanding, we’ll before hitters normally understand the lesson in Bradenton or Altoona.
That’s the path Alemais could be headed down this year. He’s advanced enough that it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Pirates give him a push to Bradenton, giving him a shot to see what his advanced hitting approach can do at a harder level. That would be a good test to see how much of the training from Beltran and Reyes carries over to the field. If he does manage to see his knowledge translate to results, he could become not just one of the top prospects in the system, but one of the top prospects in baseball.
Awesome report and huge fan of this kid.
As good as he is defensively, if he hits at all, I’ll be excited about him. Just like I felt about Gift, but Gift never figured out hitting.
With the Pirates professing they want their hitters to get the ball off the ground to raise OPS, does it make sense to apply the principles outlined in this article to prospects earlier in their development?
It seems to me staying over your backside longer not only keeps the bat in the hitting zone longer, but also provides more lift to the swing.
No one has actually said that. I was talking to Adam Berry about this yesterday. He wrote an article where he used a quote from Hurdle pointing out the OPS was higher on balls in the air than on the ground. It was just an observation.
Someone else at MLB wrote an article off that, saying the Pirates were teaching their hitters a new approach. But no one from the Pirates — players or coaches — has said they are using this approach. They’re just pointing out the obvious, that it is better when balls are hit in the air.
Seems like quite the systemic developmental flaw if it’s “obvious” and yet so many of their hitting prospects tend to put the ball on the ground.
Of the Huntington-Era hitters developed internally currently on the 25-man, only Mercer posted MiLB groundball rates under 50%, and even he was around ~48%. Polanco has shown a sizable decrease in groundball rate as he’s developed at the highest level (down to 39% last year from 50% as a rookie), and Marte has fluctuated wildly.
Of the current hitting prospects, Bell, Hayes, Tucker and Hanson have all averaged over 50%. Reese McGuire and Harold Ramirez were well over 50%, as well.
Will Craig entered the system with a low groundball rate, leaving Austin Meadows as the only hitting prospect under Huntington to see his groundball rate appreciably reduced more than what could be considered expected year-to-year fluctuations as he’s developed, from 52% in ’14 down to 41% last year.
Only 20 qualified hitters in the game last year posted GB rates above 50% with league-average at 44%. If they have an organizational interest in fly balls and line drives, it doesn’t appear to be demonstrated in the prospects they’ve developed thus far.
The question then would be, what is the average of players in the minors? Do minor league players consistently hit line drives while they are developing their swings? And how do the Pirates compare to them?
You’re comparing minor league hitters to MLB qualified hitters, which isn’t a fair comparison. One group is learning how to hit, and the other group is established enough to get enough playing time to qualify for MLB leader boards.
Tim, literally the very first paragraph I wrote was comparing *Major League* hitters. The very first thing. I followed that up with additional trend of hitting prospects currently in the minors.
Understand that I’m not talking about contact *quality*, I’m talking about contact *profile*. Have you ever read any research that found Minor League contact profiles vary greatly from Major League? This isn’t *just* about line drives, it’s about balls in the air and balls on the ground. I’ve never read, nor can I think of a logical reason, that minor league hitters are inherently more or less apt to hitting contact in the air or on the ground than Major League hitters. This is a matter of swing and approach, and good scouts can pick up loft whether a kid is 18 or 38.
I think they draft contact-oriented kids because it’s the toughest skill to teach, and a lot of those kids have groundball tendencies when they start facing professional pitching, probably because there’s so much more movement. I do think the organizational philosophy is ultimately to get the ball in the air (Treanor aside, so thank goodness he’s gone) based on what adjustments they make to prospects’ swings as they move through the system.
I think what we’re seeing in these batted ball profiles isn’t so much organizational development philosophy as organizational talent acquisition philosophy. It probably just takes a while to get these kids to actually lower their hands at load and through the zone. It’s pretty clear they emphasized doing just that with Meadows, Bell, and Polanco in their development. They tried it with McGuire, and it didn’t stick.
I think we’d see something very different if they drafted pure power guys at a higher rate. Guys who have lofted swings already, guys who had extreme flyball tendencies as amateurs. That’s just not who they target, though.
I think Hanson is the only player they actually told to hit ground balls, and I think that was a Treanor thing and not an organizational thing, and it clearly didn’t work (and might be part of why Dean got the boot).
That would also explain why Polanco and Bell suddenly started hitting fly balls more recently. Whatever adjustment they were working on finally clicked.
As I recall, the article referenced Polanco, and mentioned it’s a fine line between success and failure when trying to add lift. Polanco when trying to implement changes started hitting lots of pop ups and weak grounders from rolling over breaking balls.
Great article! How awesome is it for the kid to get to workout with Beltran and Reyes!
Fantastic article! Hope this kid puts it together, he definitely seems to be a go-getter to reach out to Reyes and Beltran like that on his own. Makes me think he’s got a better than average chance of figuring out the hitting side.
Great breakdown article, and I hope Alemais does well, but until he hits, isn’t he just another Gift Ngoepe?
Yes, and that’s why he sought out the council of a potential HOF player like Beltran.
Another in a long line of outstanding articles, Tim. My subscription to PP has certainly increased my understanding of the game, and consequently my appreciation for it, too. Thank you for your efforts.
I’m more of a visual learner, thus the videos included in the article are great for me. I would encourage you to continue to do this whenever possible.
The one suggestion I would make with this article is to have a video of his swing from last year to compare with his swing after implementing the changes Beltran suggested to him.
Unfortunately, I didn’t have video of his swing from last year. Otherwise I would have used that.
Looking at MLB Pipelines list of top SS prospects, you really only need to be able to hit a little bit for consideration, as long as you are great defensively. Or field a little bit as long as you can hit. Not many 2 way players on that list.
It must have been exciting for him to work with his childhood idol.


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The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919 – Hi Blog! I'm Dad.
I was walking Olivia to school last year when I found myself explaining income taxes. I knew she was eight at the time, but I still figured that information might come in handy one day. I also figured the window on her listening to me for long periods of time was closing. So now was my chance to drone on. She was kicking leaves and half-paying attention.
If you tax people, you have to let them vote on things. There was a famous historical event about that.
During the American Revolution. In Boston?
Then, almost in one breath, she shouted.
The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919!
I began laughing so hard that I fell to one knee. I had never heard of the Boston Molasses Flood of 1919. In that moment, I thought she had made it up. It was such a detailed answer that it slapped me across the face from left field. It took my ears a second to process what she had even said.
I tried to compose myself as I knelt down on the side of the street. She was now in equal hysterics.
Ha ha. No. We learned it in school. It’s a thing.
So I Googled it and, yup. It’s a thing. In fact, it was a pretty serious thing and, despite being humorous in the moment because it was said unexpectedly, there’s nothing funny about the actual tragedy itself. Basically, a company transporting molasses filled a tanker past capacity and it caused an explosion that flooded a neighborhood, killing 21 people. It was shocking and, until Olivia said it, I had never heard of it.
Of course, we’re glossing over the fact that no one had taught this kid about the Boston Tea Party yet, but that’s beside the point. Taxation without representation aside, I was pretty impressed with her knowledge of obscure and interesting historical events.
In the weeks that followed, the Boston Molasses Flood of 1919 became a topic in our house. We watched Youtube videos describing it and tried to learn all we could. We were becoming experts. When people who never heard of it would come by, Olivia and I would go into incredible detail.
You never heard of the Boston Molasses Flood of 1919? Want us to tell you about it?
I’d watch her eyes light up as she jumped in with a fact I may have missed.
They filled the tank so much that people could hear it creaking!
The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919 Memorial!
Wow. Was there one? She said it with such certainty. So I asked.
Is there really a Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919 Memorial?
I’ll never forget her reply. She shrugged her shoulders and said.
So once again, I turned to Google and once again it was there. An unassuming green plaque at the entry to a park. It looked like every plaque in every park, but it was like the Holy Grail for us. We made it our goal to go there.
There’s not much to say about our actual visit. It was more of a, “There it is. Let’s hop out of the car and take a picture” thing. The entire event took less than ten minutes and was book-ended by debates about where to eat breakfast, but it wasn’t about the event itself. It was about the fact that we did it.
I kept marveling at how we made our goal happen. I wanted to drive that point home to Olivia. It was something I reminded her of and framed the whole experience as a life lesson in addition to being a historic one. As we all drove off from the site, I made it seem like we had just climbed Mount Everest.
Hey, everybody. I’m proud of us. You, me, Mommy, Lucas – we’ve been talking about it for a year and now we saw it. We made it to the Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919 Memorial!
A four hour car ride wasn’t the biggest conquest of our lives, but Olivia didn’t know that. I could see in her face that she was pretty proud. It might not have been Everest, but to her, it was.
The most amazing thing is how easily it all could have never happened. Had I just brushed her reply aside like an arrogant grown-up and began lecturing her about the Boston Tea Party, chances are she would have listened, nodded, and then moved on. That didn’t happen.
Don’t misread that statement either. I’m not saying that I’m such an amazing parent that I would never do that. It’s the opposite actually. There’s actually a very good chance that I could have done that. That’s what’s so great about it.
In an effort to fill her head with knowledge, there are plenty of times I can drone on to my daughter’s dead ears. That day could have been one of them. After all, the whole story started with me lecturing about income tax while my disinterested third grader kicked leaves down the road.
Luckily it wasn’t. We grabbed that one passing moment and turned it into a lasting memory. Sometimes that’s all it takes.

industry_corpus2: Others


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text:
A woman has been ordered to pay nearly £500 after this pile of waste was dumped on a rural East Yorkshire road.
Terri Pickering paid someone £30 to take her rubbish, which included old furniture, carpets and a waste bin, but it was later found fly-tipped in Sandy Lane in Harpham in May last year.
Investigations by East Riding Council traced the rubbish back to Pickering, from Bridlington, who said she'd paid an unidentified party to get rid of it.
She pleaded guilty at Beverley Magistrates Court to failing in her duty care by not using an authorised waste carrier. She was fined £40, ordered to pay £400 in costs and a victim surcharge of £30.
Mike Featherby, head of streetscene services at East Riding Council, said: "All reports of fly-tipping are investigated by the council and any evidence found will be used to bring a prosecution.
"It is regrettable that someone has probably unwittingly been drawn into committing an offence, but be clear the responsibility lies with the individual to make the necessary checks to make sure their waste is disposed of correctly and legally."

industry_corpus2: Law & Justice


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The foundation stone for Coratec AG was laid in 1966 with the development of a material for space travel. Since then, we have been developing, producing and distributing high-quality sandwich panels and systems for the areas of construction, transportation and industry.
Coratec is a manufacturer located in Gunzgen, Switzerland, which develops its own products. The product range consists of high-quality sandwich panels and other products based on this technology. These are mainly used in the areas of construction, transportation and industry.
The customer and customer's projects are at the center of our activities. We produce exclusively project-oriented according to customer specifications. Our consultants are flexible and fast to answer your inquiries and implement your demands.
We attach great importance to the highest quality. Our products are manufactured exclusively in our factory in Switzerland. This guarantees consistency and control for optimum quality.
Contraves AG in Zurich develops a unique lightweight composite element made of expanded polystyrene foam particles and a liquid synthetic resin, which is subsequently pressed with aluminum panels. The process is patented worldwide. The application in the construction of an Ariane rocket of ESA (European Space Agency) is intended, but not implemented.
Contraves sells the patent rights to Schweizerische Aluminum AG (later Alusuisse), after ESA opts for another light-weight element. Alusuisse optimizes the process at its research center in Neuhausen am Rheinfall and develops systems for the construction industry (facades, noise protection, prefabricated houses).
Formation of LMS AG (for light metal systems) as an independent subsidiary of Alusuisse and construction of the factory in Gunzgen, canton Solothurn.
Production launch of light-weight elements, which are offered under the ALUCOPAN name through the Alusuisse distribution network domestically and abroad.
LMS AG is assigned to Alusuisse’s business in Singen (Germany). This means that the manufacturing companies for composite materials in Europe are being merged into one business unit.
After the Alusuisse/Lonza merger, LMS AG becomes a production company of Airex AG. LMS AG loses its independence. Under the name Alusuisse Airex AG and later algroup Airex AG, ALUCOPAN is increasingly offered in vehicle construction.
The acquisition of the algroup by the Canadian aluminum group Alcan results in the name change to Alcan Airex.
Sale of the ALUCOPAN business with the production facility in Gunzgen to the Schneider Group, Pratteln.
Formation of CORATEC AG as an independent operation and product distribution under the new, protected trademark CORAPAN®. The name of the composite core used for the invention is re-registered as CORACEL®.
Expansion of the product range with in-house developments. Launch of CORAPAN® BALKON, new light-weight balcony elements as well as CORATHERM® Aqua and Electrics, an energy-efficient, future-oriented ceiling and wall elements system for heating and cooling.
Development, manufacturing and launch of CORAHEX®, based on an aluminum honeycomb core.
Production launch of CORAFAIR®, a cost-effective composite element for interior construction.
Development of a non-combustible light-weight element made of stone wool and aluminum. The system, marketed under the CORAROC® brand, meets the requirements of the A1 fire classification according to DIN EN 13501-1: 2007.
Commissioning of a new adhesive application machine which allows the production of composite elements up to 3 x 8 meters.
Installation of a new machine for the foaming of polystyrene balls which are used for the production of the CORAPAN® product portfolio.
CORATEC AG has a new internet presence at www.coratec.ch.
Together with our sister companies Schreinerei Schneider AG and Systemtech Schneider AG, we are part of Schneider Holding AG. Although we operate largely independently, we use synergies in production, quality management and other support functions.

industry_corpus2: Manufacturing


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NVR vs DVR Surveillance Systems: What’s the Difference?
When it comes to setting up a video surveillance system for your home or office, you’ll need to decide on what type of system to use: NVR or DVR? Which is better, or more importantly, which system is better suited for your needs? Both types of systems pretty much provide the same thing – a video recording of an observed area – but each system goes about it in a different way.
The two main differences between NVR and DVR surveillance systems are the type of cameras used and the way the camera and recorder communicate with each other.
A network video recorder (NVR) works with either wired or wireless IP cameras that connect to a router. It’s through the router that IP cameras communicate with the NVR. IP cameras also process video from analog to digital in the camera, which is less work for the NVR to do, making the system more efficient. NVR systems also connect to a computer or storage device via the Internet or a local area network (LAN). This reduces the cost of running wires and provides more options of where to place cameras in areas you want to monitor. But even though NVR surveillance systems are popular due to their wireless features, there are some disadvantages. If the local network or Internet fails, you could lose valuable camera footage, compromising your security. Plus, other devices such as phones or physical walls can cause interference, resulting in poor video quality or loss of signal.
A digital video recorder (DVR) works with wired, analog or digital cameras that connect directly to the DVR. They also don’t need an Internet connection to work. The DVR basically converts the video feed from the camera into a digital, compressed format, which can be stored on a memory card, hard drive, or computer. Since DVRs are made to work with analog cameras that are connected through coaxial cable, upgrading an existing CCTV system can be easy because the coaxial wiring is already in place. There are also some hybrid DVR systems that are compatible with newer IP cameras that are connected by RJ45 network cables, which means you can create or upgrade a security system using both types of cameras.
Here’s a list of some Pros and Cons to keep in mind for both systems.
Installation can be easy with minimal wiring required.
Works with wireless IP cameras, allowing more freedom of camera placement.
Can work with cameras that produce greater resolutions and other features such as motion detection.
Processing video from analog to digital occurs in the camera, which allows the system to be more efficient.
Can connect to the Internet to allow remote viewing capabilities and the ability to store data in multiple locations.
The data of an NVR system can be encrypted for better protection.
Is dependent on network stability. If the network goes down or is affected by other devices, physical obstructions, or weather, it can experience interference or fail to record.
Is susceptible to attacks by hackers over the Internet or LAN.
Network costs and data usage can be affected due to the large amount of data used.
Typically more expensive than DVR systems.
DVR systems can be used to upgrade existing CCTV systems to digital using pre-existing wiring.
Since DVR systems are hard-wired, they are not network dependent, therefore they won’t fail due to network outages.
If not connected to the Internet, DVR systems are safe from viruses, malware, and being hacked online.
DVR systems are typically less expensive than NVR systems.
If the DVR fails or malfunctions, the system goes down.
Not all DVR systems can connect online, limiting the ability for remote viewing and monitoring.
Installation can be more work and costly since each camera requires a wire to connect to the DVR.
If analog cameras are used, they’ll most likely provide lower resolutions with little or no advanced features.
DVR systems can be compromised if the wires are damaged, cut, or physically accessed for viewing.
If you plan on upgrading or adding a DVR or NVR surveillance system to your property, Home Controls can help. Just call our toll free number at 800-266-8765 (7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Pacific, Monday – Friday). We’ll be more than happy to assist you with free support, product advice, and system designs.
1 Comment on NVR vs DVR Surveillance Systems: What’s the Difference?
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industry_corpus2: Computing & Telecommunications


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RRResearch: Why would GFAJ-1 grow much better on agar than in liquid?
Why would GFAJ-1 grow much better on agar than in liquid?
My GFAJ-1 cells are growing very well on agar plates with the medium I made. After three days I resuspended the cells in one colony and did a rough estimate of their numbers. I calculated that there were about 3 x 10^5 cells in the colony, which means the cells must have been dividing at least once every four hours.
This is a lot faster than Wolfe-Simon et al. reported for GFAJ-1 cells in their liquid medium (about two doublings per day was the fastest), and it's a hell of a lot faster than my GFAJ-1 cells are growing in the liquid version of the same medium. I think the cells in liquid medium are still alive, but the numbers from my crude counts haven't really changed at all in the past two days, and have hardly increased from when I inoculated them five days ago. It's not for lack of phosphate; if anything, the cells in medium with little or no added phosphate are doing better than the cells in medium with the full 1.5 mM phosphate that's also in the agar medium.
Do the cells just prefer growing on an agar surface to growing in a liquid? Does the agar contain some trace nutrient they need? Or chelate away some inhibitory trace component of the liquid medium? Is it something about being in a petri dish? Or being sealed? (The petri dishes were wrapped with parafilm so they wouldn't dry out during long incubations, but the tubes of liquid can breathe through their loose caps.) I've made a fresh batch of agar plates, which should let me test these ideas.
Compare growth on plate from previous batch to growth on new batch.
Spot 10 µl of each liquid culture onto plates (I did this three days ago too, so I can compare colony counts).
Compare growth with the two vitamins to growth without pantothenic acid, with and without thiamine.
Compare growth with and without parafilm wrapping.
Test whether cells will grow in liquid medium if it's overlaid on agar medium.
Test whether cells will grow in liquid medium if it's in a petri dish.
And I've found a Petroff-Hausser counting chamber, so maybe I can improve my microscope counts. I've also had advice from several colleagues who count cells by flow cytometry or microscopically - I'm still digesting this.
It's relatively common for things to prefer growing on plates - they do scavenge from the agar. Which type are you using? I use Oxoid No. 1 and then wash it with ether, ethanol and adiculated water to get rid of soluble organics and metals. If you're being really particular, why not try agarose plates? Decadent, I know, but so much cleaner.
@xenobiologist: the paper didn't say anything about its oxygen preferences, and it doesn't seem to care whether its plates are sealed with parafilm (upcoming post). In general Halomonas species are pretty versatile (thought they like high salt).
@Rich: The goal is to get them to grow in liquid, not to stop them growing on agar.
Interesting, if his halomonas simply loves to grow on agar, that the thing we are also challenging with other bacteria.

industry_corpus2: Biopharmaceuticals


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“Mine is an old-fashioned and increasingly unpopular definition. Permaculture is the miracle of food growing everywhere.” I don’t personally see why anyone would dislike that definition. I think it’s wonderful.
I received over 100 responses to this survey. This small sampling gives an idea of the diversity of definitions that exist in the community. In some ways this diversity is wonderful as it challenges those in the community to constantly rethink their values and consider what permaculture means to them as they are frequently presented with new definitions. It creates a dynamic social environment. On the other hand, this incoherence makes it very challenging to explain permaculture to an outsider, teach it to the masses, or to quantity the impacts of a “permaculture” system.
If you’re interested in digging deep into the critique of what permaculture actually is, I suggest you listen to the two podcasts linked below. While I don’t agree with everything said, and some of it is a bit harsh, I think the critique of the movement/philosophy/design system called “permaculture” is important and needed. If you’re not a podcast buff like myself, my responses after each recording will give you a taste of the material the podcaster Diego presents.
Diego sees the lack of one coherent definition of permaculture a problem. I think the most important thing Diego touches on here is the fear mongering inherent in permaculture, especially early Mollison-era permaculture. My background in environmental activism and work in the academic critique of environmentalist movement has taught me that behavior change strategies based on fear simply don’t stick. The best example is how Al Gore and “The Inconvenient Truth”riled up a lot of people, but it didn’t result in much, if any, significant policy or culture change. I think one of the greatest potentials of permaculture is the message of self-empowerment. The rhetoric is slowly shifting away from “surviving the collapse” and towards a vision of a future that generally increases harmony. Harmony between people and the earth and harmony within and between communities.
In terms of permaculture as a movement (instead of a landscape design system), I think it is fine that Diego sees permaculture as the draw to get people involved. It draws people into the garden. It introduced them to system thinking strategies. It puts them in touch with their food systems. If they aren’t exclusively married “permaculture” forever, Diego and I agree that that’s fine. At least they are at the table working towards the same end goals. Picking apart permaculture as a design science and permaculture as a social movement will be an interesting challenge as my research continues.
Personally, I like “permaculture” even with all of its ambiguity. It’s the best way for me to find like minded-people who care passionately about restoring the earth and creating a better society than we have now. It inspires people and then those people inspire me. I also think many of the practical design strategies in permaculture make sense and have a lot of potential, but I still think we need the research to prove it all works, or disprove it so we can find the next best thing.
Share your thoughts in the comments. I would love to hear other perspectives!
Previous Post Health: Who to trust?
Sorry Starr…Al Gore and “The Inconvenient Truth” did help push the governments of the world to get to their current stage of setting carbon reduction goals. While fear is not the ideal incentive for change, sometimes it’s a necessary part of the mix. Secondly, the environmental movement created by my generation may not have been perfect, but it got the next generation of folks like you interested enough in it to work on taking it to its next stages.
No need to apologize John! I like the discussion. I really appreciate what the environmentalist movement has accomplished in previous generations, but I do think it is time to evolve. It is my option that there were a lot of strategic mistakes in the “Inconvenient Truth” campaign, and while it did have an impact, it wasn’t nearly enough, especially considering how many people saw the film. It still pains me to think about how at the end of the movie after all of that heartbreaking data is presented, and Gore tries to tell people they can stop climate change by changing to fluorescent light bulbs while offering little critique of the social, economic, and political systems that caused the problem.

industry_corpus2: Agriculture & Fisheries


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Gold prices made big strides on Friday as the dollar slipped on lower-than-expected US inflation data.
The inflation print dimmed the case for a faster pace of policy tightening by the US Federal Reserve amid signs of movement in the Sino-US trade standoff.
MCX Gold prices were up 0.34 per cent at Rs 30,554 per 10 grams at around 10.10 am. White metal silver ruled higher at around the same time. MCX Silver was up 0.40 per cent at Rs 37,211 per kg.
Angel Commodities expects gold prices to trade higher on Friday despite trade war concerns looming, with US President Donald Trump likely to impose additional tariffs on Chinese goods.
Latest holdings of SPDR Gold Trust GLD, the world’s largest gold-backed exchange traded fund, stood at 742.53 tonnes, down 2.65 tonnes from the previous business day. The figure for the largest silver-backed exchange-traded-fund (ETF), New York’s iShares Silver Trust SLV, stood at 10,418.84 tonnes, up 40.94 tonnes.

industry_corpus2: Finance & Economics


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Norway, which is one of the countries that managed to reduce road trauma significantly over the past decade, started by asking this question and followed it up with researched. The NZ Automobile Association Research Foundation funded similar research, which Hamish Mackie of Mackie Research has done for them.
They found that many crashes involve ordinary people not doing anything extreme. They analysed three hundred fatal or serious injury crashes, and grouped them into two categories, reckless behaviour and system failure.
· Reckless behaviour includes driving intoxicated or without a licence, not wearing a seatbelt, going over 20km/ over the speed limit, etc.
· System failure includes vehicles not equipped with airbags, hitting a hazardous roadside object, etc.
This research showed that reckless behaviour was a factor in 49% of fatal crashes and for system failure it was 51%. For serious injury crashes, the split was 29% reckless behaviour and 71% system failure.
You do not have to drive recklessly to be killed or seriously injured. Operating a vehicle is a high-risk activity, which demands high level of skill/attention. We cannot assume that everything will be ok on the road, thus we should constantly evaluate the conditions around us. This level of concentration may physiologically drain you much faster, so take regular rest stops and avoid anything that could be a distraction.
Allow extra time for your trip especially if you have an appointment at a certain time.
Most importantly, make the mind shift to acknowledge risk something real and it is killing and/or hurting us.
Please do your bit for the safety of everyone - drive alert and undistracted.

industry_corpus2: Automobiles


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Explore Balmaceda & Serrano Glaciers saling through the Ultima Esperanza fiord, enjoy passing by the Strait of Magallanes as Darwin did!
We will visit the Serrano and Balmaceda glaciers from the wharf in Puerto Natales at around 08:00 in the morning, sailing next to the coast to go into in the sine surrounded by hills and forests, where if the conditions of the climate allow it, the elephant seals can be seen resting on the rocks and hundreds of cormorants ventilating their extended wings.
After 3 hours of navigation you arrive at Balmaceda hill (2,035 ms), with its summit covered with ice that falls in colossal snow drifts to the sea.
The trip was beautiful and the staff very informative, when we could here the information being provided to us, and kind. We were not very impressed with the lunch. It was provided at a lovely location but we felt a bit like school children being ushered into a dining hall.

industry_corpus2: Travel & Geography


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If you get your skates on you can just about make the start of the BioCap 2012 conference at Bridgewater Hall today. According to the conference website it brings VCs and angels together with life science businesses seeking investment.
The conference is organized by Bionow, a membership organization for the life-sciences industry in the North of England, which offers a range of specialist business support services for the industry in the region. Though Bionow started off as a North West organization its website has recently announced an understanding with Science City York.
If you are a member of BioNW you can attend the conference for £72 + VAT (£63 + VAT if you are a premium member). For everybody else the cost is £90 + VAT.
- Flotations with Mark Fahy of the Stock Exchange.
The delegates' list, which you can download from the conference website, contains some interesting names. If I had found out about it sooner I would have been there.


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To be considered for enrollment, like a gentleman make your desired contribution.
Slide bar to set the amount you want to give.
Contribute at least...£1500 and have your application placed on fast lane.
Contribute at least...£3000 and have your application placed on fast lane plus get an in person interview.

industry_corpus2: Subject Education


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Supreme Court of India on Tuesday has referred a new petition challenging the constitutional validity of Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act to the Constitution Bench dealing with the Aadhar MATTERS.
The Petition filed by Ramon Magsaysay Award winner Shanta Sinha and feminist researcher Kalyani Sen Menon also challenged the notifications issued under Section 7 of the impugned Act, by various Ministries, making possession of Aadhaar number as a mandatory pre-condition for availing 17 social benefits schemes like Midday meal, Disability pension etc.
A bench led by Justice A K Sikri, which has reserved the order on petitions against compulsory linking with PAN, admitted the petition but refused to pass any interim order at this stage.
“Why are so many petitions being filed? They should be clubbed with the main petition which is yet to be heard by constitution bench”, said Justice Sikri.
Senior Advocate Shyam Divan referred to the Central government's notification which made mandatory linkage of Aadhaar to welfare schemes. He submitted the same is arbitrary and against the individual privacy.
According to the petitioners the UIDAI platform, i.e. the Aadhaar database is being utilised to effect each and every aspect of an individual’s life—from holding a valid PAN card, filing income tax returns, maintaining a bank account, getting scholarship, giving examination, admission in colleges, domestic air travel, having a mobile connection etc.
Petitioners submitted that that the Government departments have given a deadline of 30thJune 2017 under most of the Notifications issued under Section 7 of the Aadhaar Act, for an individual to obtain an Aadhaar number in order to continue receiving benefits under government schemes. Accordingly, from 1st July 2017 an individual who is not willing to part with his personal biometric information will be denied social benefits, which he/she is otherwise entitled to, on the sole basis of non-production of an Aadhaar number.


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"The Road Not Taken" (or sometimes called The Road Less Traveled)"
Let me introduce myself to you, my name is Larry Tank.
I am a Veteran of the US Marine Corps.
I am happily married with two lovely daughters living in the Phoenix, AZ metro area.
My number one passion/hobby is Motorcycles and taking care of them.
One of the things that feeds my motorcycle passion is I was privileged to have served as a past Super Moderator on HDTalking.
These days I am listed on that forum as a Retired Moderator.
From working as a Moderator on that Harley Davidson forum I gained enough experience to launch my own HD Forum, HDBitchin®.


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Identification Friend or Foe, A Precursor of Music Appreciation?
Abstract: Music appreciation even in non-musicians requires an enormous ability to analyze sound rather effortlessly. It has not been at all clear how Darwinian selection could have achieved this result without depending on some other trait with much more survival value. Here are Charles Darwin’s very words from the Descent of Man: “As neither the enjoyment nor the capacity of producing musical notes are faculties of the least use to man…they must be ranked amongst the most mysterious with which he is endowed.” The new insight is that this trait might be voice recognition, which obviously has great survival value. Some confirmation of the hypothesis is possible by interviewing tone-deaf people. Further testing of such individuals for subnormal voice recognition is recommended, perhaps with functional MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) for confirmation of activating similar cerebral zones during attempts to recognize music and voices.
Face recognition. The instant recognition of faces is a “hard wired” ability that is of obvious survival value in terms of recognizing friend or foe. This ability has been well studied by students of animal behavior. I was especially intrigued by recent research on face recognition using sheep as the study subjects (1). Twenty sheep were trained to recognize pictures of sheep or human faces that were placed at junctions in a maze with food rewards for correct choices. The sheep were very adept. If sheep can do it, who can’t? The evolutionary implication is that humans and sheep must have had a common ancestor some tens of millions of years ago already in possession of this brain circuitry.
Sound localization. My first inkling of the vast quantity of sophisticated information that we obtain from sound was from informal experiments we did in physiology class in medical school to demonstrate our ability to localize the spatial origin of a sound. This ability depends on differential loudness in the two ears and even more on the different arrival time of the sound in the two ears being noted by the brain and meaningful calculations being automatically made. Apparently this ability is hard wired, not learned. We are born with it. Babies can do it from an early age. Deaf people with two hearing aids can localize sounds like the rest of us. This phenomenon, like face recognition, demonstrates that we also obtain much sophisticated information from sound.
The precursor of music appreciation? The minute details of the sound of the same words spoken by different vocal apparatus which we perceive so readily could be a correlate of "music" appreciation with selection for survival, not because appreciation of music is that vital. Obtaining all this information from sound waves had already been achieved by evolutionary selection for differentiating friends from enemies just like face recognition and localizing sounds. Without this insight, or some so far unidentified alternative one, the biological basis of music appreciation would be very difficult to explain. The sophisticated ability to analyze and appreciate music (even by non-musicians) defies direct rationalization by saying it has survival value for its own sake. Rather it must be riding “piggy-back” on some other biological imperative such as identification of friend or foe. In other words, without this persisting ability to gain so much information effortlessly from sound, music appreciation could not have happened because it does not have enough survival value in and of itself. Compare with literature arising from language and literacy with no new biological evolution.
expense (3). They did learn English and presumably could have achieved literacy after a few more years in England. The Captain believed that primitive races of man are fully human and not inferior to Europeans because they all descended from Adam. Their apparent inferiority, in his thinking, arose from cultural deprivation after dispersal from Eden. According to this line of thought, language leads to story telling and, on achieving literacy, to enjoying literature without further biological evolution. This fact has been repeatedly confirmed because of the activities of missionaries in creating alphabets for languages previously only spoken. A similar thing may have happened with music appreciation appearing without any new evolution long before written language was invented.
Tone deafness. Do people afflicted by congenital amusia (tone deafness) have trouble recognizing voices? Which areas in the brain are active when recognizing voices? Testing for ability to recognize voices would be a relatively easy laboratory experiment. Deficiency of this ability in congenital amusia would favor our hypothesis. Finding the regions of the brain active during this activity would require a functional MRI scanner (magnetic resonance imagining), now widely used in mapping the various functional areas of the brain and their interactions. If the areas found to be active while recognizing voices showed striking similarities with areas active while listening to music, this would also tend to confirm our hypothesis that music appreciation arose indirectly from voice recognition and its large survival advantage. I do have a friend who is “tone deaf”. He volunteers that his ability to recognize voices is very poor, virtually absent when no other context is present.
Absolute pitch. It is of interest that trained musicians are less likely to have absolute pitch than the rest of us, and almost all individuals of primitive races of man possess this trait (many things that we learn are more interesting in retrospect than when we first learned them—I am still looking for the reference). Many sounds in the wild are identifiable not only as a tune, but also by the pitch, which is absolute, thus helping primitive man to interpret the sounds of the jungle more promptly. Other animals may also have absolute pitch (2). Modern musicians are confronted with the transposing the key of many pieces to make them easier to play or sing. Besides, the frequency of the “standard A” has been increased by some committee a couple of times in my lifetime, so, seemingly paradoxically, extensive musical training may blunt an innate ability.
Summary. Music appreciation requires much sophisticated neural circuitry that evolved to enhance identification of sounds especially voices, so music appreciation is riding rather incidentally on these high priority survival traits (obviously not directly enhancing the high priority traits).
1) Kendrick, Keith M. da Costa A.P. Leigh, L.E. Hinton M.R. Peirce, J.W. (Nov 8, 2001). Sheep Don’t Forget a Face. Nature. 414 (6860) pp 165-6.
2) McDermott, Josh and Hauser, Marc (March 10, 2005) The Origin of Music: Innateness, Uniqueness, and . . Evolution. Music Perception 23 (1) pp 29-59 This article briefly mentions absolute pitch in animals and . . . primitive man on page 53—mostly it’s an excellent review of the entire field of music evolution.

industry_corpus2: Technology & Research


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I have loved Ilsa’s books since I first read Dirty English and I have went and binge read everything she had out shortly after finishing that one haha. When I discovered the blurb for Spider at first I was kinda hesitant, I was like hmm a stepbrother kind of trope? Not usually the hugest fan of those kind of heroes but I had a feeling that Ilsa would give us a story that while you may think it’s going to be a commonplace trope, you will be pleasantly surprised. My initial thought was spot on! With Spider Ilsa gives us this complex story that is so much more than the trope suggests.
Rose is this character that always enraptures me, she’s had a rough childhood but it really drives her to want more out of her life, and she tries to excel at everything she attempts. She meets a random stranger during a flight back to Texas and turns out her seatmate is her new stepbrother (which she doesn’t learn until much later, after a world rocking kiss) their chemistry together is absolutely spectacular! And the events that follow make up one of the better “forbidden” kind of romance stories I have read in quite some time. The characters are complex and so well written, you see each layer of why they are the way they are and why society might say it shouldn’t work. But all of us romance loving book worms have faith it will all turn out just like its supposed to!

industry_corpus2: Literature & Emotions


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Paul UPPAH, Rod Cozzetto, and John R. Enright, Defendants-Appellees.
Publication ordered July 29, 1992.
Gale A. Norton, Atty. Gen., Raymond T. Slaughter, Chief Deputy Atty. Gen., Timothy M. Tymkovich, Sol. Gen., Timothy R. Arnold, Deputy Atty. Gen., Gregg E. Kay, First Asst. Atty. Gen., and George S. Meyer, Asst. Atty. Gen., Tort Litigation Section, State of Colo., Denver, Colo., for defendants-appellees.
Before LOGAN, Circuit Judge, BARRETT, Senior Circuit Judge, and EBEL, Circuit Judge.
Appellant Chester Russ appeals the district court's dismissal of his action filed under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 against his parole officer and two members of his parole board.1 The district court dismissed the suit for failure to state a claim under Rule 12(b)(6) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure because it held that the defendants had absolute immunity for their actions. We agree with the district court as to two of the appellees. We disagree, however, in regard to the third appellee, who we conclude had only qualified immunity. We therefore affirm in part and reverse and remand in part.
The appellant is currently an inmate in a Colorado state prison. The appellant was paroled in November 1988, but had his parole revoked in August 1990 for a parole violation. Specifically, a member of the parole board found that the appellant had associated with a person with a criminal record in violation of his parole agreement.
According to the appellees, the circumstances leading up to the parole revocation were as follows. Police observed the appellant at a suspected crack house. After obtaining a search warrant, the police searched the premises and discovered a quantity of crack cocaine. The police arrested the appellant and a woman, Shannon Lenox, who had been convicted previously of loitering. The appellant asserts that he had just met Lenox and did not know she had a criminal record. The appellant was not charged with a crime.
The appellant's parole officer, Paul Upah,2 investigated the case and recommended at a parole revocation hearing that parole be revoked. The parole board member conducting the hearing agreed and accordingly revoked the appellant's parole. The appellant asserts that both Upah and the board member knew that the association charge was false, i.e., that the appellant had just met Lenox. The appellant also implies that racial animus spurred these actions.
In response, the appellant brought the instant appeal challenging the appellees' immunity. In substance, the appellant argues that the Supreme Court held, in its recent decision of Hafer v. Melo, --- U.S. ----, 112 S.Ct. 358, 116 L.Ed.2d 301 (1991), that state officials have no immunity from suit when sued in their personal capacities.
The appellant has confused Eleventh Amendment immunity with personal immunity. See Hafer, --- U.S. at ----, 112 S.Ct. at 364-65. The Eleventh Amendment prohibits federal courts from exercising jurisdiction over suits involving a citizen seeking damages from a state, except where Congress has specifically granted jurisdiction. See generally John E. Nowak & Ronald D. Rotunda, Constitutional Law § 2.11 (4th ed. 1991). Personal immunities, on the other hand, are immunities derived from common law which attach to certain governmental officials in order that they not be inhibited from "proper performance of their duties." Forrester v. White, 484 U.S. 219, 223, 225, 108 S.Ct. 538, 542, 543, 98 L.Ed.2d 555 (1988). For example, judges and others performing judicial or "quasi-judicial" functions enjoy absolute immunity from monetary damages for a limited scope of actions. See id. at 225-29, 108 S.Ct. at 543-45; Valdez v. City & County of Denver, 878 F.2d 1285, 1287-88 (10th Cir.1989). In addition, all governmental officials performing discretionary functions have a "qualified" immunity from "civil damages liability as long as their actions could reasonably have been thought consistent with the rights they are alleged to have violated." Anderson v. Creighton, 483 U.S. 635, 638, 107 S.Ct. 3034, 3038, 97 L.Ed.2d 523 (1987). These personal immunities are entirely distinct from Eleventh Amendment immunity, the immunity discussed in Hafer.
The Court in Hafer addressed whether state officials had Eleventh Amendment immunity for actions performed as part of their official duties. In enacting section 1983, Congress did not intend to abrogate Eleventh Amendment immunity and grant jurisdiction to seek damages against a state. See Quern v. Jordan, 440 U.S. 332, 345, 99 S.Ct. 1139, 1147, 59 L.Ed.2d 358 (1979). As pointed out in Hafer, suits against state officials in their official capacity are in essence suits against the state. Hafer, --- U.S. at ----, 112 S.Ct. at 362. Therefore, the Eleventh Amendment bars damages sought against state officials sued in their official capacity. However, state officials may nonetheless be sued in their individual capacities for actions performed in the course of their official duties and are personally liable for damages awarded. Id. at ----, 112 S.Ct. at 365. Thus, the appellees in the instant case have no immunity from suit solely because of their status as state officials.
The two parole board members do have personal immunity, however. In Knoll v. Webster, 838 F.2d 450 (10th Cir.1988) (per curiam), we held that members of a parole board have absolute immunity "from damages liability for actions taken in performance of the [b]oard's official duties regarding the granting or denying of parole." Id. at 451. The actions of which the appellant complains clearly fall into this category. Damages simply are not available against parole board members under these circumstances.
The appellant's parole officer, Paul Upah, is not a member of the parole board, however. The district court apparently overlooked this fact when it dismissed the case. In deciding to which type of immunity Upah is entitled, we must employ a "functional" approach. See Valdez, 878 F.2d at 1287. When performing functions that are "quasi-judicial" in nature, see, e.g., Tripati v. INS, 784 F.2d 345, 347-48 (10th Cir.1986) (per curiam), cert. denied, 484 U.S. 1028, 108 S.Ct. 755, 98 L.Ed.2d 767 (1988), Upah is entitled to absolute immunity. However, "decisions involving the revocation of probation or parole by a probation or parole officer warrant only qualified, not absolute, immunity." Snell v. Tunnell, 920 F.2d 673, 692 n. 18 (10th Cir.1990), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 111 S.Ct. 1622, 113 L.Ed.2d 719 (1991); see also Mee v. Ortega, 967 F.2d 423, 427 (10th Cir. June 18, 1992); 1 Martin A. Schwartz & John E. Kirklin, Section 1983 Litigation: Claims, Defenses, and Fees § 9.6 (2d ed. 1991). Thus, Upah is entitled to only qualified immunity for at least some of his actions.
The appellant's allegations, while somewhat vague, are specific enough to survive Rule 12(b)(6), and, if necessary, the district court should provide the appellant the opportunity to amend his complaint in order to state his allegations with greater particularity. See Reynoldson v. Shillinger, 907 F.2d 124, 126-27 (10th Cir.1990). In essence, the appellant alleges that Upah intentionally had the appellant held without charge and then presented false information in order to have the appellant's parole revoked. If these allegations were true, qualified immunity would not protect Upah. While the appellant may not be able to prove these allegations, it was error to dismiss the complaint against Upah at this stage in the proceedings.
Accordingly, we AFFIRM the district court's dismissal of the complaint against appellees Cozzetto and Enright. We REVERSE and REMAND in regard to appellee Upah for proceedings not inconsistent with this Opinion.


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That one friend, the one who still hasn’t repaid you for pizza because he “doesn’t have the right app,” is in trouble.
The days of P2P fragmentation are over. Thanks to Apple Pay Cash, all money transfers can take place through a central, default iOS application, and ultimately unify all P2P transactions under one secure, and intuitive, system.
After updating to iOS 11.2, iPhone users can set up Apple Pay Cash in the Wallet App. After setup, users can send or request funds in iMessage by either selecting Apple Pay Cash from the redesigned app drawer, or entering payment amount directly into a text message. Users will be asked to provide a fingerprint for identity verification, and then the transaction will be approved. All transactions are encrypted, and come with no additional charges for debit card users.
Funds will appear on the Apple Pay Cash Card, which is stored in the Wallet App along with debit and credit card information. The Apple Pay Cash card is a revolutionary, virtual card developed in partnership with the electronic payment company Green Dot. The card acts as a virtual bank account, so funds can be spent online or anywhere that accepts Apple Pay such as Starbucks or Walgreens. And, unlike competing P2P payment applications, Apple Pay Cash funds are available immediately when using the Apple Pay Cash Card.
There is no registration process for the Apple Pay Cash card. The virtual card is automatically generated when funds are sent to your account. The card will go where you go — money is stored in an encrypted account within Apple iCloud and can be accessed from iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch. Apple Pay Cash funds are secured behind leading verification protocols to keep money secure in the event of a lost or stolen phone.
Money can also be transferred directly into a bank account electronically or, better yet, directly into your rapid! PayCard by simply inputting Bank Routing and Account Numbers from the Access App. Remember, fintech systems recognize your rapid! PayCard as a bank account.
A 2017 Bank of America report found that 68 percent of respondents use P2P regularly, while a mere 10 percent used cash everyday. The prognosis for the decline of paper money is fairly obvious — electronic payment is simply more convenient. Times are changing, and technology is finally catching up to consumers’ desire for instant, secure payment in the wake of the technological revolution. Apple Pay Cash is what every iPhone user has been waiting for: first-party P2P payment integration into existing iOS applications.


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November 22 - Blue Water Shipping has coordinated the first shipment of wind turbines for the White Rock wind farm in New South Wales from China to the Port of Newcastle in Australia.
Blue Water Shipping was awarded the transport contract earlier this year and HLPFI reported on July 7 that the company was beginning the delivery.
The first move involved the shipment of eight 2.5 MW turbines on board the multipurpose vessel Erna Oldendorff. At 59.5 m long the wind turbine blades were the largest to arrive in Australia to date, claimed Blue Water Shipping.
The company's project team coordinated the entire transport from Taicang in China to the wind farm site in Australia, including the 550 km overland delivery from the Port of Newcastle to Glen Innes.
The second and third shipments are expected to arrive this month, with another five deliveries scheduled.
Meanwhile, Blue Water Shipping coordinated the shipment of four ASD 3200 tug boats from Hong Kong to Brazil and Panama.
The tug boats, which weighed 700 tonnes each, were loaded on a Jumbo Shipping vessel. Blue Water Shipping's engineering department in Singapore designed customised cradles to ensure each tug was safely stowed.

industry_corpus2: Power & Energy


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Bhagavad Gita Chapter 06, Text 19 | Listen to Bhagavad Gita As It Is Online in MP3 Audio Format.
yatha — as; dipah — a lamp; nivata-sthah — in a place without wind; na — does not; ingate — waver; sa — this; upama — comparison; smrta — is considered; yoginah — of the yogi; yata-cittasya — whose mind is controlled; yuñjatah — constantly engaged; yogam — in meditation; atmanah — on transcendence.
As a lamp in a windless place does not waver, so the transcendentalist, whose mind is controlled, remains always steady in his meditation on the transcendent Self.
A truly Krishna conscious person, always absorbed in transcendence, in constant undisturbed meditation on his worshipable Lord, is as steady as a lamp in a windless place.
This entry was posted in Bhagavad Gita Chapter 06: Dhyana-yoga on April 24, 2013 by idtsevaka.


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I submitted a web order online and have not received a response. Is my order scheduled?
Wave's Web Order Tool is designed for customers who want the convenience of ordering online and have a general idea for a date and time for their install. Responses are usually sent by email back to the user. One response will be generated automatically by the system indicating your request has been submitted. The second response will be sent by a Wave representative indicating if your order was successfully scheduled and the date and time booked for the install. Wave will make every effort to accommodate the requested date and time, but the requested date is not guaranteed due to daily changes in availability. If you have not seen a response, please check your junk or spam folders for any emails from Wave.
Please note submitting an order does not guarantee your location is served by Wave. Wave may serve a particular zip code, but not all addresses in any given area. Please call 1-866-928-3123 to ensure your location is served by Wave and to check for scheduling availability.
How can I schedule an appointment with a field technician?
Has Wave invaded my privacy? Does Wave know what else is on my personal computer?
Why do my internet speeds vary?


text:
Wherein we write at length about things worth knowing.
Things a Dungeon Master should know. Things you should know.

industry_corpus2: Gaming


text:
The flu is a lot more serious than people realize. Last year in 2017, the flu was the deadliest in the last 40 years. Approximately 80,000 people died, including 180 children. So getting your flu shot before the flu season is in full swing is vital for your health and those around you.
It’s important to note that getting the flu shot does not guarantee that you won’t get the flu, but it should reduce your symptoms making it less dangerous.
If you’re still not convinced, here are 5 reasons to get your flu shot.
The flu vaccine has been shown to reduce the risk of flu-related illnesses by 61%. This, of course, varies depending on the year and how closely the flu vaccine matches the current flu strain.
Sometimes people are unable to get the flu vaccine because their immune systems aren’t capable of fighting it. If a healthy person gets the flu vaccine, they prevent the virus from spreading to those who can’t get the vaccine. So if you’re not doing it for yourself, do it those around you.
The flu strain changes every year, making it necessary to get a new flu shot every year to provide continuous protection.
The Affordable Care Act requires most health insurance plans to cover preventative care, including the flu vaccine. Check your health plan. Some plans require you to get your flu vaccine by an in-network provider in order for it to be covered.
The flu vaccine causes antibodies to develop in your body about two weeks after you are vaccinated. These antibodies then fight against infection and protect you from the flu viruses that are in the vaccine.

industry_corpus2: Health & Medicine


text: We are the best supplier of Deionized Water Heater in UK. We offer highest quality products at affordable prices. Contact us today at 0845 528 0042.


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Harrison, who is a self described avid gun collector, made the comments in an interview with USA Today. He made it clear that the bad actions of Belcher will make no difference in his view of the Second Amendment.
It is good to see that Bob Costas, Jason Whitlock, and their ilk do not speak for the majority of America’s sports heroes.

industry_corpus2: Sports


text:
Pest Control of Vista offers the #1 residential pest control in Vista, California. In addition to our one-time pest services, we also offer quarterly and annual pest control with no contracts required. Whether you’re dealing with cockroaches, spiders or termites, our Vista pest control exterminators are here to help.
It’s not uncommon for pests to hide during the winter months. This means that you can expect pests to typically re-emerge in the Spring. The most common pests in Vista are spiders, fleas, and bed bugs. It’s become apparent that infestations of these pests are trending upwards in Vista.
We have also noticed an increase in the number of termite infestations in Vista, California. Termites are very good at working undetected, which makes them a danger to your home. Some of our most recent cases included structural damage from the termites.
If you want to protect your home, you can probably see the benefit of having routine Vista pest control maintenance performed in your home. It’s more affordable to prevent pests than to deal with them. Pick up the phone and call one of our Vista exterminators at (760) 659-5635 today and we’ll be glad to assist you!

industry_corpus2: Real Estate & Construction


text:
The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) is a United States federally chartered corporation created by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to encourage the continuation and maintenance of voluntary private defined benefit pension plans, provide timely and uninterrupted payment of pension benefits, and keep pension insurance premiums at the lowest level necessary to carry out its operations. Subject to other statutory limitations, PBGC's single-employer insurance program pays pension benefits up to the maximum guaranteed benefit set by law to participants who retire at 65 ($67,295 a year as of 2018). The benefits payable to insured retirees who start their benefits at ages other than 65 or elect survivor coverage are adjusted to be equivalent in value. The maximum monthly guarantee for the multiemployer program is far lower and more complicated ($12,870 a year as of 2017 for a participant with 30 years of credited service).
In fiscal year 2018 PBGC added 58 more failed single-employer plans, bringing its inventory to 4,919 plans, and paid $5.8 billion in benefits to 861,000 retirees in those plans. That year, PBGC also paid $151 million in financial assistance to 81 multiemployer pension plans on behalf of 62,300 retirees. The agency has a total of $164 billion in obligations and $112 billion in assets for an overall deficit of $51 billion, an improvement of $25 billion since the prior year. The multiemployer program has a deficit of $53.9 billion and the single employer program a surplus of $2.4 billion.
PBGC pays monthly retirement benefits to more than 800,000 retirees in nearly 5,000 terminated single-employer defined benefit pension plans. Including those who have not yet retired and participants in multiemployer plans receiving financial assistance, PBGC is responsible for the current and future pensions of about 1.5 million people and insures the pensions of more than 35 million participants in ongoing plans.
The single-employer program protects 30 million workers and retirees in 22,000 pension plans. The multiemployer program protects 10 million workers and retirees in 1,400 pension plans. Multiemployer plans are set up by collectively bargained agreements involving more than one unrelated employer, generally in one industry.
An employer can voluntarily ask to close its single-employer pension plan in either a standard or distress termination. In a standard termination, the plan must have enough money to pay all accrued benefits, whether vested or not, before the plan can end. After workers receive promised benefits, in the form of a lump sum payment or an insurance company annuity, PBGC's guarantee ends. More than 140,000 plans have gone through PBGC's standard termination process between 1975 and 2016. In a distress termination, where the plan does not have enough money to pay all benefits, the employer must prove severe financial distress – for instance the likelihood that continuing the plan would force the company to shut down. PBGC will pay guaranteed benefits, usually covering a large part of total earned benefits, and make strong efforts to recover funds from the employer.
In addition, PBGC may seek to terminate a single-employer plan without the employer's consent to protect the interests of workers, the plan or PBGC's insurance fund. PBGC must act to terminate a plan that cannot pay current benefits.
For multiemployer pension plans that are unable to pay guaranteed benefits when due, PBGC will provide financial assistance to the plan, usually a loan, so that retirees continue receiving their benefits.
Terminations are covered under Title IV of ERISA.
When a plan sponsor chooses to terminate their pension plan through the standard termination process, arrangements must be made to distribute benefits to each participant. When participants cannot be located or otherwise are not responsive, the termination process is delayed. Since 1996 sponsors of terminating insured single-employer defined benefit (DB) plans have the option to transfer the benefits for their "missing participants" to the PBGC or to purchase annuities from insurance companies and notify PBGC of the details. In 2018 PBGC expanded the Missing Participants Program (MPP) making it available to terminating defined contribution (DC) plans, multiemployer defined benefit plans and certain single-employer DB plans not covered by Title IV of ERISA.
Pension plans that are qualified under the U.S. tax code pay yearly insurance premiums to the PBGC based on the number of participants in the plan and the funded status of the plan.
The variable-rate premium, which is $30 per $1,000 of unfunded vested benefits for 2016, will continue to be indexed for inflation, but will increase by an additional $3 for 2017, $4 for 2018, and $4 for 2019.
The maximum pension benefit guaranteed by PBGC is set by law and adjusted yearly. For plans that end in 2019, workers who retire at age 65 can receive up to $5,607.95 per month (or $67,295 per year) under PBGC's insurance program for single-employer plans.
Benefit payments starting at ages other than 65 are adjusted actuarially, which means the maximum guaranteed benefit is lower for those who retire early or when there is a benefit for a survivor, and higher for those who retire after age 65. Additionally, the PBGC will not fully guarantee benefit improvements that were adopted within the five-year period prior to a plan's termination or benefits that are not payable over a retiree's lifetime.
Other limitations also apply to supplemental benefits in excess of normal retirement benefits, benefit increases within the last five years before a plan's termination, and benefits earned after a plan sponsor's bankruptcy.
For the multiemployer plans, the amount guaranteed is based on years of service. For plans that terminate after December 21, 2000, the PBGC insures 100 percent of the first $11 monthly payment per year of service and 75 percent of the next $33 monthly payment per year of service. For example, if a participant works 20 years in a plan that promises $19 per month per year of service, the PBGC guarantee would be $340 per month.
Multiemployer plans that terminated after 1980 but before December 21, 2000, had a maximum guarantee limit of 100 percent of the first $5 of the monthly benefit accrual rate and 75 percent of the next $15.
PBGC is headed by a Director, who reports to a board of directors consisting of the Secretaries of Labor, Commerce and Treasury, with the Secretary of Labor as chairman.
Under the Pension Protection Act of 2006, the Director of the PBGC is appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. Under prior law, PBGC's Board Chairman appointed an "Executive Director" who was not subject to confirmation.
Thomas Reeder was confirmed as director by the Senate on October 8, 2015. Prior to joining PBGC, Reeder served as benefits tax counsel in the Office of Tax Policy at Treasury.
In May, 2018 President Trump nominated Gordon Hartogensis to be PBGC's next director. The Senate Finance Committee approved the nomination in November. Because the nomination was not approved by the full Senate before the end of its term in December 2018, the president will have to submit a new nomination in 2019.
Several large legacy airlines have filed for bankruptcy reorganization in an attempt to renegotiate terms of pension liabilities. These debtors have asked the bankruptcy court to approve the termination of their old defined benefit plans insured by the PBGC. Although the PBGC resisted these requests, ultimately it assumed the plans.
The PBGC would like minimum required contributions to insured defined benefit pension plans be considered "administrative expenses" in bankruptcy, thereby obtaining priority treatment ahead of the unsecured creditors. The PBGC has generally lost on this argument, sometimes resulting in a benefit to general unsecured creditors.
In National Labor Relations Bd. v. Bildisco, 465 U.S. 513 (1984), the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Bankruptcy Code section 365(a) "includes within it collective-bargaining agreements subject to the National Labor Relations Act, and that the Bankruptcy Court may approve rejection of such contracts by the debtor-in-possession upon an appropriate showing." The ruling came in spite of arguments that the employer should not use bankruptcy to breach contractual promises to make pension payments resulting from collective bargaining.
General bankruptcy principles hold that executory contracts are avoidable in practice, because neither party has fulfilled its part of the bargain and thus breach by either party only gives rise to expectation damages. Damages awards after commencement of a bankruptcy filing results in claims that take after more senior creditors. They are relegated to the status of general creditors because while breach would occur after filing of the bankruptcy petition, the contract was entered into before the filing. If a creditor is a general unsecured creditor and there is not enough money, they usually are not paid; so as a matter of practical economics, if the downturn in a company's fortunes which resulted in bankruptcy makes the performance of an executory contract less valuable than its breach, the rational company would breach. There would be no negative monetary consequences of such breach because there would be no money left for the other contract party to take because in practice general unsecured creditors are left with nothing.
(f) No provision of this title shall be construed to permit a trustee to unilaterally terminate or alter any provisions of a collective bargaining agreement prior to compliance with the provisions of this section.
According to commentator Nicholas Brannick, "Despite the appearance of protection for the PBGC's interest in the event of termination, the Bankruptcy Code frequently strips the PBGC of the protection provided under ERISA. Under ERISA, termination liability may arise on the date of termination, but the lien that protects the PBGC's interest in that liability must be perfected [to be protected in bankruptcy]." The retention of title as a security interest, the creation of lien, or any other direct or indirect mode of disposing of or parting with property or an interest in property is a "transfer" for purposes of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code (see 11 U.S.C. § 101(54)). Some transfers may be avoidable by the bankruptcy trustee under various Code provisions. Further, under ordinary principles of bankruptcy law, a lien or other security interest that is unperfected (i.e., a lien that is not valid against parties other than the debtor) at the time of case commencement is generally unenforceable against a bankruptcy trustee. Once the bankruptcy case has commenced, the law generally stays any act to attempt to perfect a lien that was not perfected prior to case commencement (see 11 U.S.C. § 362(a)(4)). Thus, the PBGC with a lien that has not yet been perfected at the time of case commencement may find itself in the same position as the general unsecured creditors.
PBGC has published the Pension Insurance Data Book since 1996 to present detailed statistics for the single-employer and multiemployer plans that the agency insures.
The single-employer section gives all data and statics on single-employer programs.
Section S-3 through S-19 are the claims tables. These tables show all of the claims brought by single-employer DB plans to PBGC.
Section S-20 through S-29 are the payment table. These tables show how much PBGC is paying out every year in insurance protection.
Section S-30 through S-38 are the insured tables. These tables show how many participants are insured under the PBGC.
Section S-40 through S-43 are the premium tables. These tables show how much premiums insured pension plans are paying.
Section S-44 though S-52 show the underfunded Plans, overfunded Plans, and the funding ratios by NAIC business code, state, and participant count.
The multiemployer section, the M section, follows a similar organization.
The method for calculating the "variable-rate" PBGC premium is changed.
If PBGC takes over a terminated plan, the guarantee of employees' pension benefits is frozen as of the date of the plan sponsor's bankruptcy filing, which may be months or years before the plan terminates.
The PBGC's guarantee of pension benefits that become payable on a plant shutdown is limited if the shutdown occurred within five years of the bankruptcy filing.
The complicated rules that govern the PBGC's pension guarantee for business owners are simplified.
If PBGC takes over a terminated plan, the plan sponsor is required to pay a "termination premium" of $1,250 per participant per year for three years.
One reason Congress enacted ERISA was "to prevent the 'great personal tragedy' suffered by employees whose vested benefits are not paid when pension plans are terminated." When a defined benefit plan is properly funded by its sponsor, its assets should be approximately equal to its liability, and any shortfall (including benefit improvements) should be amortized in a relatively short period of time. Before ERISA, employers and willing unions could agree to increase benefits with little thought to how to pay for them. A classic case of the unfortunate consequences of an underfunded pension plan is the 1963 shutdown of Studebaker automobile operations in South Bend, Indiana, in which 4,500 workers lost 85% of their vested benefits. One of ERISA's stated intentions was to minimize underfunding in defined benefit plans.
Defined contribution plans, by contrast and by definition, are always "fully funded" so Congress saw no need to provide insurance protection for participants in defined contribution plans. The Enron scandal in 2001 demonstrated one potential problem with defined contribution plans: the company had strongly encouraged its workers to invest their 401(k) plans in their employer itself, violating primary investment guidelines about diversification. When Enron went bankrupt, many workers lost not only their jobs but also most of the value of their retirement savings. Congress inserted trust law fiduciary liability upon employers that did not prudently diversify plan assets to avoid the chance of large losses inside Section 404 of ERISA, but it is unclear whether such fiduciary liability applies to trustees of plans in which participants direct the investment of their own accounts.
^ When the PBGC takes over an insolvent pension plan, it becomes a general creditor of the plan sponsor.
^ "President Ford Signing ERISA of 1974", Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, February 25, 2011.
^ "Maximum Monthly Guarantee Tables", Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, October 22, 2018.
^ "Multiemployer Insurance Program Facts ", Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, May 11, 2017.
^ "PBGC Annual Report 2018", Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, November 15, 2018.
^ "2018 Annual Report" (PDF). Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
^ "2016 Pension Insurance Data Tables | Table S-3", Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, July 18 ,2018.
^ "PBGC Expands Missing Participants Program to Terminated 401(k) and Other Plans ", Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, December 21, 2017.
^ "Premium Rates, Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation.
^ "What PBGC Guarantees". Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation. Retrieved August 5, 2012.
^ "W. Thomas Reeder Jr. Sworn in as PBGC Director", Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation.
^ Brill, Emily (January 9, 2019). "McConnell's In-Law Sees Time Run Out on PBGC Nomination". Law360.com. Retrieved January 13, 2019.
^ Brannick, Nicholas (2004). "At the Crossroads of Three Codes: How Employers Are Using ERISA, the Tax Code, and Bankruptcy to Evade Their Pension Obligations". Ohio State Law Journal. 65 (6): 1606. Retrieved December 2, 2018.
^ "Trends and Statistics on Plans", Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, February 25, 2011.
^ "Fact Sheet: The Pension Protection Act of 2006: Ensuring Greater Retirement Security for American Workers". The White House. August 17, 2006. Retrieved December 16, 2007.
^ a b Nachman Corp. v. Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation 446 U.S. 359 (1980).


text:
What’s it like on Tipping Point?
A great day at ComperCon!
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text: The first rule of winter wedding photography: don’t be afraid of the dark. The second rule of winter wedding photography: did we mention it’s going to get dark? If you’re looking at pictures of other people’s weddings, be prepared for the sun not to be doing exactly the same thing if you’re getting married in the depths of December and their wedding was a midsummer night’s dream. Ask your photographer for scheduling advice if you’d like at least some of your pictures in daylight.

industry_corpus2: Others


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SEICK: I am very confident that we will make the 7% global market share by 2010 and 10% by 2012 targets.
Fujitsu-Siemens has been brought back into the Fujitsu fold after the finalisation of the US $611 million buyout of Siemen's stake in the joint-venture. Announced last year, the transition is now complete and Fujitsu is not wasting any time in kicking off a new marketing campaign to promote the new conglomerate which it calls a ‘global' company.
What difference does the addition of the Fujitsu-Siemens business make to your operations?
The integration of Fujitsu has made a lot of difference, first of all we are now global - of course we are still the European sales arm of the Fujitsu group here in central Europe and [throughout] Europe, the Middle East and Africa. But in addition to that we are now acting global and thinking global. Thinking global means we have integrated the product definitions through a global scale. Since the first of April the Japanese engineering department is reporting to me, I'm really honing all x86 resources, independent of whether they are in Japan or here in Germany.
With Fujitsu's current 4% global server market share, how confident are you of reaching your target of 7% share by 2010 and 10% by 2012?
This is exactly the direction we are going, so I'm very confident that we will make this and there are several proof points behind it. One is products and flagships that we need to really demonstrate and prove our strategy and dynamic infrastructure. The strategy itself and the products designed along with the strategy is one of the elements. The second element is the new integrated Fujitsu, with all of our global capabilities; this is the first global product launch that we are doing and you will see more in the future.
We have the global storage launch in four weeks and maybe this was not recognised as much, but also the release of the software - the resource coordinator which you may have heard - is the first global launch of this piece of software, which has existed for many years in Japan but which was a little bit of an uncovered secret which we have now brought to the global world.
What impact does Oracle's take-over of Sun have on your server business, especially with your SPARC-based servers?
We do have a very strong relationship with Sun on the technology side with part of the SPARC portfolio provided by Fujitsu for Sun.
Generally speaking, I have to say that we really have to wait and see what the intent of Oracle is, it's too early to say which direction this is going in and we are waiting to really understand the full picture and then we will make our conclusions out of those findings.
What about IBM who have doubled their rebates for organisations who are switching from SPARC-based servers to IBM?
Several people are doing such things - these competitive migration programmes - we also have such programmes, this is marketing, this is not a strategic approach.
In that case we are of course competing against each other on the sales side and in front of the customers. On the other side, when you look into technology, there is a need for cooperation and that is what we are doing. We are cooperating with IBM on the integration of storage, on the integration of their server management software so there is a lot of technical cooperation on that level even though we are competing on the server side.
Are you looking to increase your market share in the GCC?
Yes of course - this is one of our growth areas, the Middle East is one of the most successful regions in terms of growth that we had in Fujitsu-Siemens in the last 10 years here in EMEA. We will now, within Fujitsu, continue this growth; I still strongly believe that a Japanese-German vendor does have a much better position to provide technology for [the Middle East] than American vendors do. We did have this belief in the past; now with an even stronger corporation we will continue this way.
The Middle East is very certainly one of our important growth areas, one of the examples which demonstrate this is that we have recently increased our geographical scope. Fujitsu Technology Solutions is now responsible for serving the Indian market as well. We have acquired the Fujitsu India Limited organisation two weeks ago and they're integrated into our sales organisation in the Middle East.
You claim you're not worried about the current economic climate - does this apply globally?
Yes, absolutely, so even in America or even like countries like here in the UK where the economic climate is very bad, you have to see here in UK we have 20,000 employees at Fujitsu, and frankly speaking when I look into the past we have not used the power of Fujitsu to the extent as we deserve too.
Now with the integration of Fujitsu services as the consulting and services division and us as a platform of Fujitsu Technology Solutions this combination is extremely strong and we are really making sure that one element is supporting the other and we are pushing the business forward in both directions.
Have there been any growing pains as you create this new entity?
It's just a legal transition, in that sense; in terms of strategy integration we can really say we are 100% Fujitsu. Fujitsu Technology Solutions is the name of a legal entity here in Europe, but in general we are really Fujitsu and that is important.
Your biggest market in terms of sever-market share in a local region is Japan - are you looking to leverage your experience there with other markets like the Middle East?
Yes, when you look into Europe we even have a bigger market share in Germany than we have in Japan.
When you look into the top four countries in the world, you will see that beside Japan, all the three others are in Europe and the Middle East which is belonging to our Central Europe sales organisation.
With the Middle East operations are you operating through the European or Dubai office?
Middle East and Africa is one of five sales regions of the Central European sales organisation. Central is one big environment and then the sales regions - we call clusters - so the cluster is called MEA and its operated out of South Africa.
This just means that the sales manager lives in South Africa, so if the next one is living in Dubai then it would be [operated out of] Dubai.
From a research and development point of view, you were saying you now control the x86 resources that are in Japan so does that mean going forward it will all be in Japan?
In fact, in terms of resources we have two thirds in Germany - or should I say German-controlled. Some of the software development is east-shored, so it's in Russia, but its one third in Japan and what we have already done is define and analyse what are the core competencies from each area, so it is quite clear what kind of advantages the Japanese organisation has and what the technologies are that the German organisation will follow up. This is exactly how we would like to work, or how we will work in the future, we will strengthen the core competencies and bring this together.
We will avoid organisational overlaps and increase efficiency in the core competency and then develop infrastructure partly in Japan and partly in Germany.
Has the economic crisis affected your R&D budget allocation?
Not really. When I look into the real development activities in the research and development budget of course I have some efficiency gains in eliminating overlaps. For those things I have cut the costs, but this doesn't impact the research and development capabilities that I have, so in total the joining of the organisations has now brought me into the situation where I will have much more research and development resources available then I have projects at the moment.
In fact it is really a good situation to be in. In this case I now have some freedom to put resources on development programmes that I wouldn't previously have had the chance to manage and to finance. Now I have the resources and with the efficiency gains that we have I have been able in the last to strengthen our research and development position in this area.


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It may be the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, but it is also a Friday. Festive penance is in order. Or, if you prefer, penitential festivity.
A fine meal for a Friday with a feast such as the Exaltation of the Cross, and the 11th anniversary of Summorum Pontificum going into force could involve … pesto.
Festum exaltationis Sanctae Crucis, quae, postridie dedicationis basilicae Resurrectionis super sepulcrum Christi erectae, exaltatur et honoratur, sicut victoriae eius paschalis tropaeum et signum in caelo appariturum, alterum adventum eius iam universis praenuntians.
Would you all like to have a try at rendering this into flawless and yet smooth English?
Our wonderful Lewis & Short says that a tropaeum is “a sign and memorial of victory, a trophy; orig. a trunk of a tree, on which were fixed the arms, shields, helmets, etc., taken from the enemy; afterwards made of stone and ornamented in the same manner”. So, a tropaeum is a kind of war memorial.
I think there is also a “once and future” reference to the vision Constantine had of the Cross before his victory over Maxentius. Constantine would later build the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher. The future dimension is, of course, the appearance of the Lord in the East at the Second Coming (a great reason to celebrate Mass ad orientem).
Biretta tip to Vultus Christi.
This entry was posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, Liturgy Science Theatre 3000 and tagged basil, pesto. Bookmark the permalink.
That settles it then…. dinner will be caprese with the last of the best red and green from the garden and a fresh salmon from the Sound.
Many years ago a Melkite priest (Arab Greek Catholic) was interviewed on the radio by a Ukrainian woman in Winnipeg about being Eastern Catholic. He explained this about the basil. She said “we don’t have that in Ukraine.” He said “what would you have?” and she said “cabbage and garlic”! Very different olfactory experience! Also of note – this is one of the 2 Great Feasts of the Byzantine tradition that is kept as a fast day, the other being the Beheading of St John the Forerunner.
My best friend is from Argentina, so, at first, I was excited to have an Argentine pope, but now he has turned into the worst nightmare as a ‘pope,’ if he is one.
the impression of being immersed. Iscariotism does not seem enough to intellectively know the evil that makes us tremble. It is no longer just a sly kiss and thirty smudged coins.
There is more. Whoever works for Peter has all the signs that he does not know Christ. Who knows Christ can not remain indifferent before this strange Peter who deserves every day, after a new trapisonda of his inexhaustible repertoire, the cry of the Son demanding the irrevocable Vade retro Satan!