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HDS partners with retailers in Australia to make
eCommerce simple and affordable
Home Delivery Services is a 3rd party logistics provider (3PL) for online retailers looking at simple and affordable solutions for warehousing and order fulfilment services. We have a dedicated team of professionals with extensive experience in logistics, operations, online marketing and customer services to cater for various online platforms and your consumer needs.
Independently owned we operate throughout all major city's in Australia. Our wide range of networks which offer us spacious warehousing facilities, temperature controlled national deliveries, sales and marketing gurus and professional customer services allow us to be a major competitor for businesses looking to outsource their logistical needs.
5 Central DC's
Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth
With experienced operations teams covering sites across the country, we offer warehousing for businesses looking to for cost effective storage solutions; from small pallet spaces to large reserve stock holdings. Our primary experience is within food and wine industry. We offer spacious temperature controlled and ambient warehousing to suit a large variety of products for storage and order despatch. We specialise in tailored infrastructure for growing businesses in need for expanding warehousing.
Hand pick 500,000+ items per week
Catering to our clients' specific needs, we offer a premium pick and pack service with state of the art warehouse management systems to suit a diverse range of products. To achieve our competitive prices, our experienced efficiency control team will ensure we implement the most cost effective way to pick, pack and despatch your orders, taking away any unnecessary stress and letting us do the hard work for you.
40,000+ deliveries per week
200 Refrigerated Vehicles Nationally
External Delivery Networks
Our high quality services don't just stop as we move out the warehouse and onto the road. Our national fleet of drivers ensure cost effective and timely deliveries direct to your customer's door step. We cover a vast area of delivery points throughout Australia, whilst offering premium express services and 'Next Day Delivery'. We achieve competitive delivery costs which help us offer some of the best industry rates around.
Australian Based Customer Service Centre
IT Integration & Web Design
With our professional customer service teams, no question will be left unanswered. Our national support centre will assist you with any enquiries regarding your online sales. To manage all your consumer queries, we also offer a personalised customer service team to provide your customers with a friendly and prompt enquiries service.
''Best results we've ever had!''
Operations Manager;
HDS Client Dec 2016
''Great communication and response times''
Operations Manager;
HDS Client July 2016
Our Reach
Melbourne • Sydney • Brisbane
Adelaide • Perth • darwin
With 5 Distribution Centre's covering major cities and regional areas in Australia, and 200 temperature controlled delivery vehicles, our reach achieves affordable solutions throughout areas that would otherwise be unserviceable or would result in high delivery costs.
With state of the art tracking capabilities, you and your consumer will be exited to watch the journey their order goes through from the moment it leaves our warehouse to it being delivered by one of our friendly drivers. We specialise in affordable cool-chain delivery networks to ensure your customers goods are as fresh as they were when they were picked and packed. We can achieve competitive prices and service with Bulk Break, Full Pallet, B2B and Dangerous Goods. Our expert food handlers will ensure premium range of produce reaches your customer with no compromise on quality and freshness.
We pride ourselves on continuing to grow our diverse partnerships at HDS.
From food and wine to homewares and petcare, our flexible network of services can cater to almost any type of industry looking for competitive warehousing and ecommerce solutions.
- 13 Nation-wide DC's
- Drop Ship, pallet in pallet out, pick & pack, full service
- Temperature Controlled & Ambient
- Flexible infrastructure
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- Guaranteed lead times and delivery windows
- Nation wide freight services
- 200 refrigerated delivery fleet
- Overnight/Express Services Available
- Temperature controlled/ambient freight services
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- Leverage on existing volumes for competitive prices
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- B2B & B2C solutions
- Bulk pick/pallet despatch
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- Tailored customer service team
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- Live order tracking and customer notifications
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- Australian Based Call Centre
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Fill Out PDFs Online with PDF Filler
When I was in school, they essentially made us buy a copy of the full version of Adobe Acrobat by adding it to our book lists. They said we needed it because we would be filling out a lot of PDF forms. Boo to that, I say. For those of us who don't like the idea of dropping the cash on--or clogging up our hard drives with--Adobe Acrobat, PDF Filler comes to the rescue.
Simply upload your PDF form to PDF Filler, and the site allows you to enter text on the form anywhere you like. Save the form after you've finished adding your text, and you have a completed form you can pass along, without ever having to open an external application. PDF Filler works in Internet Explorer or Firefox, and gives you the option to open a PDF from a file or from a URL. The service is free, and while it doesn't allow you to edit existing text in a PDF, you can add text anywhere on the document. This is a great solution for people who need to fill out college applications or lengthy financial forms but don't want to buy Acrobat or print them out. [ via Lifehacker ]
Post by Alan Henry

subset: commoncrawl


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The Innovation
About FORTH® Innovation
For many, starting innovation is a struggle to master. Studies show that only a quarter of all organisations are effective at the start of innovation. The FORTH method is designed to start innovation effectively through the combination of design thinking, creativity and business reality. FORTH is an acronym based on the 5 key steps of the process: Full Steam Ahead, Observe & Learn, Raise Ideas, Test Ideas and Homecoming.
It will help you structure the chaotic start of innovation and foster an innovative ecosystem across functional and hierarchical boundaries. The deliverables of your expedition are 3-5 new mini business cases for innovative concepts which fit the reality of your organization and your customers' needs.
I. Full Steam Ahead
An unprepared expedition could well end up at the wrong destination. Good preparation not only increases chances of success but also creates a sense of priorities and a shared desired to succeed. 'Full Steam Ahead' sets the stage for real innovation projects, based on a clear assignment that drives focus, purpose and relevance. At the end of this phase, a multidisciplinary and enthusiastic team will be ready and well-equipped to start their Innovation Expedition.
II. Observe & Learn
Innovation starts with viewing things differently by letting go of existing thought patterns and habits. With fresh insights, 'Observe & Learn' allows the ideation team to explore trends and technologies through the lens of customer frictions. It challenges participants to share findings in a way that truly inspires others. Following this stage, a highly inspired ideation team will have identified customer pains and uncovered valuable innovation opportunities.
III. Raise Ideas
Let creative juices flow, starting with a brainstorming session where new ideas will be identified, structured and embodied into formal concepts. Next, all concepts for new products, services or business models will get further refined in a concept improvement workshop. 'Raise Ideas' is the creative peak of the Innovation Expedition. It allows the ideation team to deliver twelve new concepts for innovative products, services or business models, all ready for concept testing.
IV. Test Ideas
How attractive are these concepts and how many truly stand out? Time to reflect on this together with customers and improve the concepts based on their feedback. 'Test Ideas' aims at understanding your target group's behaviors and preferences, which will help you validate why and how they react to the new. At the end of this fourth stage, the ideation team will have tested and shortlisted three to five best concepts which will then be developed into mini business cases.
V. Homecoming
In this final stage, the expedition returns home with a selection of attractive new product or service concepts to fill their innovation pipeline. 'Homecoming' allows key decision makers to select those mini business cases that will be prototyped or become full development projects for new products, services and business models. Your Innovation Expedition will end with the integration of the most relevant concepts into your regular solution development process.


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Longshots in the veepstakes
Last Tuesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) touted Chet Edwards, the little-known Democratic congressman from Waco, Texas, for her party's vice presidential slot. The players of the popular D.C. parlor game Guess-the-Veep — busy bandying about hot names like former North Carolina senator and veteran vice presidential candidate John Edwards and Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty — paused to offer a collective, "huh?"
To fill them in, the "other" Edwards is a nine-term centrist Democrat whose background in military and veteran affairs could help balance out Obama's lack of foreign policy experience. And here's the kicker: Edwards' district also covers Crawford, making him the congressman representing none other than President Bush.
Story Continued Below
It's unlikely Obama will take Pelosi's advice, since cycle after cycle, conventional wisdom trumps creative thinking in the veepstakes. But could the mantra of change mean that the year of the longshot running mate has at last arrived?
Just in case it has, Politico asked 14 consultants, campaign staffers, political historians and key fundraisers to name their most unconventional — but reasonably viable — picks. (And just in case it hasn't, we've let them offer their picks on background, so they can offer the names they really mean.)
Among Republicans, two traits were esteemed above all others: business experience, which could help to offset McCain's weakness on economic issues and tap into voter concern about the struggling economy, and youth, for the obvious reasons.
Without further ado, the Republican gurus and sweet young things:
Bill Gates
Several Republicans and even some moderate Democrats called the Microsoft founder John McCain's dream running mate. Gates could position McCain as a trusted voice on the economy and his multi-billion dollar commitment to charitable giving could soften up the campaign's image.
And there's no question he could help scare up a few dollars. In 2006, Gates convinced billionaire investor Warren Buffett to give $31 billion to the Gates Foundation.
There's just one little hitch: he seems to favor the Democrats these days. While Gates has given generously to both parties (including $2,000 to McCain in 2003) and advocated for a broad swath of policies over the years, in this cycle he's contributed $2,300 to both Dems, and nothing to McCain.
Meg Whitman
While former Hewlett-Packard head honcho Carly Fiorina has been McCain's most visible emissary from the business world, a top McCain fundraiser and several other Republican Party staffers said that former eBay.com CEO Meg Whitman would be the better businesswoman pick.
The 51-year-old Harvard Business School grad is already a player in the party. Last month she raised $2.5 million for the presumptive Republican nominee at an event at her Silicon Valley home, and she's rumored to have her eye on the 2010 California gubernatorial race.
While Fiorina was pushed out of HP with a $21 million golden parachute after thousands of layoffs failed to improve the company's lagging performance, Whitman's is more of a success story. She built eBay from a small startup into a worldwide brand that provides income to 1.3 million small entrepreneurs, a number McCain often drops into his stump speeches.
The cloud in all that silver lining just might be Whitman's estimated $1.4 billion net worth, which is not necessarily the kind of number a candidate wants floating around during an economic downturn.


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In the third installment in the Horses and Friends series, thirteen-year-old Kate Ferris already has one problem. Snooty, well-to-do Melissa is boarding her horse at Kate's family stable. When Melissa suddenly turns nice, Kate is shocked ... and suspicious.
The last thing she needs is more trouble. So when a hooded rider appears—and then disappears—on a stunning black horse outside her home, Kate isn't sure if Melissa is playing a trick or something more dangerous is going on. Either way, Kate and her friends will need an extra measure of faith and courage to solve this mystery.
*My Review*
Miralee continues to develop the characters in their personalities in her 3rd book "Mystery Rider". Through her friends, Melissa has found her faith and increased her relationship with God. I love that the characters support for one another and their love of horses is what made the book great. I highly recommend the series of books to girls with a love of horses, or to anyone who is looking for a good read. The books are "juvenile fiction", but I myself enjoyed reading all four books in the series.
About the author:
Miralee Ferrell is the award-winning author of more than a dozen novels. She and her husband live along the Columbia River Gorge in southern Washington State, where she enjoys riding the wooded trails and spending time with her grown children. In addition to horses and dogs, Miralee once owned two cougars.


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"In order for us to help the city grow, we have to be here to be a part of the city."
Produced by Rebecca Werner with interviews recorded by StoryCorps, a national nonprofit whose mission is to provide Americans of all backgrounds and beliefs with the opportunity to record, share, and preserve the stories of our lives. www.storycorps.org
Hold a Conversation
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Transcript for Walking the Walk
Well, by the time we hit the '70s, we were able to go to Miller, but I remember in the '60s, we couldn't go out there. That, and Glen Park. You could not go there as a black person. You couldn't do it because of the problems that did exist when people did cross those lines. I think when you crossed over, really 35th Avenue, you ran into problems. Miller was the same way. You start hitting Lake Street, and there were problems, but like I said, that really was the late '60s, really when—after the—after Dr. King got assassinated, after the Democratic Convention and the riots in Chicago, that's when—and Mayor Hatcher was elected in '68—I mean, that's when the polarization really began. And that's when people started moving out, and then, when they moved out, blacks started occupying the areas we couldn't go to, and then we were able to get into those areas.
The block that I was on experienced that white flight early on in my youth, because I know—I don't remember, because I was too young, but I remember my parents telling me ours was the second black family on the block. Now, I moved back to Gary in '87. I was gone from here for six years, and I saw a change. On our block, we have more abandoned homes than occupied homes. You have a few of them that's still trying to keep their property up, but the property values are down because of everything that's around it.
None of the homes that I ever grew up in exist. The one on 25th and Massachusetts—it's an empty lot. 1088 Tyler, the apartment building—empty lot. 1177 Hanley and 1189—they're gone. You come back, and you see where—and I remember bits and pieces of the flight that people talk about. Naturally, economically it changed—demographically, it changed. I mean, there are a lot of things that have changed, but the bottom line is, when those businesses left, there went our economy. There went the city of Gary's economy, and Gary's been struggling ever since. But really, in order for us to help the city grow, we have to be here to be a part of the city.
Right. And as an educator, I teach at the school, and I see the children, and we have a new principal, and the mission is to get the school back to where it—again, bring it up to its highest potential, and it is definitely moving in that direction.
And that's where we are. That's where we are. We're in a position now to—instead of talking the talk, we're walking the walk. We want Gary to be great, so we have to be a part of it, to make it great.


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Open Access This article is
- freely available
- re-usable
Sustainability 2017, 9(3), 333; https://doi.org/10.3390/su9030333
Modifying Bananas: From Transgenics to Organics?
Centre for Tropical Crops and Biocommodities, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD 4000, Australia
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Academic Editors: Gerhart U. Ryffel and Iain Gordon
Received: 2 September 2016 / Accepted: 20 February 2017 / Published: 24 February 2017
Bananas are one of the top ten world food crops. Unlike most other major food crops, bananas are difficult to genetically improve. The challenge is that nearly all banana cultivars and landraces are triploids, with high levels of male and female infertility. There are a number of international conventional breeding programs and many of these are developing new cultivars. However, it is virtually impossible to backcross bananas, thus excluding the possibility of introgressing new traits into a current cultivar. The alternative strategy is to "modify" the cultivar itself. We have been developing the capacity to modify Cavendish bananas and other cultivars for both disease resistance and enhanced fruit quality. Initially, we were using transgenes; genes that were derived from species outside of the Musa or banana genus. However, we have recently incorporated two banana genes (cisgenes) into Cavendish; one to enhance the level of pro-vitamin A and the other to increase the resistance to Panama disease. Modified Cavendish with these cisgenes have been employed in a field trial. Almost certainly, the next advance will be to edit the Cavendish genome, to generate the desired traits. As these banana cultivars are essentially sterile, transgene flow and the outcrossing of modified genes into wild Musa species. are highly unlikely and virtually impossible in other triploid cultivars. Therefore, genetic changes in bananas may be compatible with organic farming.
Keywords:bananas; disease resistance; biofortification; organic farming; genetic modification
1. About Bananas
Bananas are a fascinating crop. They are grown almost exclusively in the wet tropics and sub-tropics, but are consumed in nearly every country, as the world's most popular fruit. However, they are much more than that. Unlike the other nine of the world's top 10 food crops, bananas are eaten both raw and cooked, depending on the cultivar. About 60% of bananas are eaten raw, as a dessert fruit, and the other 40% are cooked during processes steaming, boiling, roasting, and frying. These cooked bananas include the East African Highland bananas and the African and Pacific plantains, and are extremely important starch sources in Africa and Asia. In some countries, such as Uganda, cooking bananas are the staple food, where consumption levels are in excess of 500 g per person per day. More than 120 million tonnes of banana fruit are produced each year, with the three biggest producers, India, Uganda, and China, consuming almost all of what they produce domestically [1]. About 85% of worldwide banana production is consumed in-country. This domestic production and consumption is made up of many different cultivars; for dessert bananas, Cavendish is very common in many countries, but there are also popular local dessert cultivars, such as Lakatan in the Philippines, Rasthali in India, Gros Michel and Sukali Ndizi in Uganda, and Prata in Brazil. In contrast, the 15% of export bananas, those consumed in developed countries, is almost exclusively one dessert cultivar, Cavendish. The large exporting countries are primarily in Latin America and include Ecuador, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Honduras [1]. About 15% of the export bananas are grown in the Philippines. It is estimated that an excess of 40% of the world's total banana production is also comprised of just one cultivar, Cavendish [2,3]. However, bananas as a starch source are assuming a greater importance as a food security crop, particularly in Africa. Bananas are perennial and while they require a significant level of rainfall to produce bunches, they can withstand long periods with little water, without dying. Following rainfall, the bananas resume normal growth and produce fruit. This is a tremendous advantage in the increasingly erratic climatic patterns in Africa, where annual crops may fail during prolonged droughts [4].
Bananas have been cultivated from very early on in the development of agriculture, with the earliest record from New Guinea, about 7000 years ago [5,6,7]. Virtually all cultivated bananas are either diploid or triploid hybrids, between sub-species of Musa acuminata, or between M. acuminata diploids and M. balbisiana. The centre of origin is located from South Asia across to South East Asia, through Papua New Guinea and the northern tip of Australia. The key to their success as an agricultural crop is that these edible diploids and triploids are parthenocarpic, producing seedless fruit. They also have very low levels of male and female fertility. With very few exceptions, the cultivars grown today are probably the result of selections made thousands of years ago [7]. Unfortunately, the key to their success and popularity is also their "Achilles heel". As the cultivars are parthenocarpic and have a low fertility, they have been vegetatively propagated using suckers since the time of their selection, and thus, they have not been genetically improved, unlike most other major crops. There has clearly been some somatic mutation, but this has only had minor impacts on genetic diversity. This is exemplified within the Cavendish sub-group, where there are numerous clones such as Grand Nain, Williams, Dwarf Cavendish, and Valery, which have been selected for particular traits such as height. Essentially, cultivated bananas have probably been in a state of genetic limbo for thousands of years. Couple this with the dependence of much of the global production on very few cultivars, and an environment has been created where there is potential for catastrophic outcomes. This has already happened. While Cavendish is the extreme example of dependence on a single dominant genotype, this wasn't always the case. In the first half of the last century, Gros Michel was the dominant export cultivar. However, it soon became evident that Gros Michel was highly susceptible to a soil-borne disease called Panama disease, or Fusarium wilt. This disease, caused by the fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense (Foc) race 1, spread rapidly across South and Central America [8] in an epidemic that rivals the impact of the late blight epidemic in Ireland; the cause of the great potato famine. There were no chemical controls and the fungus remained active in the soil, probably indefinitely. The demise of Gros Michel led to the wide adoption of the Foc race 1 resistant cultivar, Cavendish. Foc race 1 is now endemic in virtually all banana-producing countries and continues to limit the production of susceptible, non-Gros Michel cultivars, of which there are many.
2. The Challenges and Opportunities for Future Genetic Improvement
The challenges: Diseases are the major constraint to banana production worldwide. While the Panama disease (Fusarium wilt) epidemic in Gros Michel was the first major banana calamity, it is certainly not the last. Currently, there are four major diseases causing very serious concerns and losses: Fusarium wilt tropical race 4 (TR4), black Sigatoka, banana bunchy top disease, and banana Xanthomonas wilt (BXW). There are also larger number of diseases and pests of lesser importance, including yellow Sigatoka, freckle, banana bract mosaic, banana streak, Moko, blood disease, nematodes, and weevils [9].
The most serious threat is Fusarium wilt TR4 [8,10] (Figure 1A–C). TR4 differs from the disease that decimated Gros Michel last century, in that it infects and kills Cavendish, as well as a number of other race 1 resistant cultivars. As such, TR4 has the capacity to kill more than 50% of the bananas grown in the world today. The disease is similar to race 1, in that it is soil-borne, there are no chemical controls, and once the soil becomes infested the fungus can survive for decades [11,12]. It is spread by infected plants, soil on boots, clothing, machinery, and in water, including irrigation and flood water. Believed to have originated in Indonesia [13], it is now widespread in south-east Asia, including China, Taiwan, and the Philippines [8], where it is threatening both the Cavendish export industry and the local Lakatan production [14]. It is also present in northern Australia [8,15]. Additionally, this disease is on the move. It has recently been recorded in Pakistan near the Indian border [16], Lebanon [17] and Jordan in the Middle East [18], and Mozambique in Africa [19]. Some tolerant, but not resistant, selections from Cavendish have been reported [20].
Black Sigatoka, caused by the air-borne fungus Mycosphaerella fijiensis (Morelet), severely affects bananas in most producing countries [21]. It can be controlled by the application of fungicides, but often requires spraying more than once a week. This may cause serious long term environmental damage. Spraying is usually limited to commercial production operations, where the cost of control can be a third of the production costs. Smallholder and subsistence farmers rarely have access to these fungicides and must accept the production losses, and with it, the loss of food and income.
Bunchy top (Figure 1D), caused by Banana bunchy top virus (BBTV), is widespread in Asia and Africa, but not present in the Americas [22,23]. Spread by aphids and via infected planting material, the disease is aggressively moving through Africa, recently destroying the smallholder-based Cavendish industry in Malawi and becoming established in Nigerian plantains [24,25,26]. Importantly, the disease can be controlled, but cannot be eradicated in well organised commercial settings through the use of virus-free planting material and the regular plantation inspection and eradication of infected plants. These schemes are rarely implementable in smallholder and subsistence farming environments.
Banana Xanthomonas wilt (BXW), caused by the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris pv. musacearum, has been responsible for major losses in the past decade in East Africa, after apparently moving from Ethiopia to Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, and Kenya [25]. The bacterium is transmitted through the soil, insects, and on contaminated implements [27]. Control is effective through the sterilisation of work tools, destruction of infected plants, and fallow of contaminated land. However, maintaining the necessary level of disease management in smallholder and subsistence farming environments is proving to be challenging.
For these four diseases, genetic resistance is the most appropriate control strategy.
Other opportunities: The potential for the genetic improvement of bananas is not limited to disease resistance. Improving the nutritional value of bananas has become a prime target, particularly where cooked bananas are consumed as one of the dietary staples. In most developing countries, the "poorest of the poor" are becoming increasingly dependent on one or a few high starch staples, including rice, maize, cassava, wheat, sorghum, and bananas. Invariably, these staples are low in essential micronutrients, such as pro-vitamin A and iron. The levels of vitamin A deficiency (VAD) and iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) in most developing countries are unacceptably high. For instance, in Uganda, where bananas are the staple food, vitamin A deficiency is between 15% and 30% in children under 60 months, and about the same for women of a child-bearing age [28,29]. The levels of IDA are worse and are persisting in Uganda and other African countries, despite strategies of food fortification and supplements being successfully implemented in other parts of the world. Biofortification, the process of increasing the levels of essential nutrients in particularly staple foods, is now being developed as an additional strategy to tackle these micronutrient deficiencies, and in a way, this does not require continual external inputs [30,31,32]. The most advanced of the biofortification by genetic modification (GM) projects is Golden Rice (http://www.goldenrice.org/). This program, as well as BioCassavaPlus (https://www.danforthcenter.org/scientists-research/research-institutes/institute-for-international-crop-improvement/crop-improvement-projects/biocassava-plus) and Banana21 (http://www.banana21.org/), were funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as part of the Grand Challenges in Global Health initiative.
There are additional opportunities, such as: increasing fruit shelf life [33]; increasing abiotic stress tolerance, including drought tolerance [34]; and enhancing bananas as a functional food, for instance by producing banana fruit with increased levels of vitamin C [35], which is likely to increase iron bioavailability.
3. Conventional Breeding or Genetic Modification
Despite cultivated bananas having low levels of male and female fertility, it is possible to breed bananas using conventional techniques. There are a number of internationally established breeding programs, usually with an emphasis on different banana types (dessert or cooking) and traits. The FHIA program in Honduras (http://www.fhia.org.hn/) has been in operation for many decades and has released a number of hybrids; some of which have important disease resistances, such as black Sigatoka resistance and Fusarium wilt resistance. The EMBRAPA (Brazil, https://www.embrapa.br/) and CIRAD (Guadeloupe, http://www.cirad.fr/en) programs are also concentrating on generating new hybrids with disease resistances. The IITA (Nigeria and Tanzania, http://www.iita.org/) and the NARO (Uganda, http://www.naro.go.ug/) programs also target disease resistance and concentrate on developing new cooking banana and plantain cultivars.
The conventional banana breeding programs depend on utilising fertile diploids to hybridise either triploid cultivars or tetraploid intermediates. This has been a successful strategy. However, it has two limitations. The first is that, because of the low male and female fertility, it is virtually impossible to repeatedly backcross the initial hybrid to the original cultivar and therefore, introgressing new traits into the accepted cultivars is also virtually impossible. The second limitation is that not all of the major desirable traits are available in the fertile diploids and thus, these traits cannot be included in conventional breeding programs. For instance, fertile diploids with resistance to black Sigatoka and/or Fusarium wilt race 1 and TR4 are available and have been exploited very effectively [36,37,38,39,40]. However, fertile diploids with resistance to banana bunchy top or banana Xanthomonas wilt, have not been identified.
A third and unexpected limitation of conventional banana breeding relates to one of the major progenitors of cultivated bananas, Musa balbisiana. This species contributes disease resistance and abiotic stress tolerance. At least one copy of its genome is present in many of the major cultivated bananas, including the plantains, the cooking bananas Saba and Bluggoe, and most of the locally popular acid sweet dessert bananas. The genome of M. balbisiana, however, contains integrated sequences of the pararetrovirus Banana streak virus (BSV), which upon hybridisation, can recombine to form infectious BSV and symptoms of that infection [41]. This discovery has limited the use of parents containing a M. balbisiana genome, thereby severely reducing the available banana breeders' gene pool.
In contrast, GM can be applied to add a single gene or a few genes to an already highly desirable cultivar. This is extremely important in bananas. As previously noted, Cavendish accounts for more than 40% of the world's banana production. It is so amazingly popular because, for producers, it is high yielding and has excellent transportability and, for the consumer, it has a highly desirable texture and flavour. It excels as a cultivar for providing "cheap fruit" to the world market. No other known selection or conventionally bred cultivar has this combination of characteristics; there is no known replacement for Cavendish. Unfortunately, Cavendish is susceptible to black Sigatoka, banana bunchy top, banana Xanthomonas wilt, and Fusarium wilt TR4 [19,20,21,22]. A further example is the East African Highland bananas, which are grown extensively in Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as Kenya and Tanzania. These cooking bananas probably account for more than 10% of the world's production [42]. More than a staple food, these bananas are an integral part of the culture, particularly in Uganda. The flavour, texture, and "processability" are paramount, and not easily replicated in new cultivars. Unfortunately, these bananas are susceptible to black Sigatoka, banana bunchy top, and banana Xanthomonas wilt. There are many other examples: Lakatan in the Philippines is the dessert banana of choice in a country that produces 15% of the exported Cavendish bananas. Lakatan is susceptible to Fusarium wilt TR4 and banana bunchy top [43].
The accessible gene pool available for GM is significantly broader than that available to conventional banana breeders and, as a result, genes for resistance to BBTV and BXW have already been identified [44,45,46,47]. Further, genes from M. balbisiana are available for use in genetic modification, as there is no possibility of transferring BSV genes [48].
Similar to conventional breeding with the fertile diploids as a source of desired traits, GM of bananas depends on transformable tissue and genes for the target trait. The transformable tissue of choice for bananas is embryogenic cell suspensions derived from immature male flowers [49]. While the development of these cell suspensions is a lengthy process (Figure 2), it is probable that, with sufficient effort, it should be possible to generate them from most cultivars. In our laboratory, we have generated transformable cell suspensions from Cavendish, Gros Michel, Lady finger, and Goldfinger. Other cultivars from laboratories include the East African Highland banana, Gonja (plantain), and Rasthali. Additionally, efficient transformation protocols are available for bananas, for both Agrobacterium-mediated transformation and microprojectile bombardment [49,50,51]. There are a number of laboratories around the world that have established banana transformation pipelines, including ours at Queensland University of Technology (https://www.qut.edu.au/), the IITA in Kenya (http://newint.iita.org/), NARO in Uganda (http://www.naro.go.ug/), the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in India (http://www.barc.gov.in/), and the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium (https://www.kuleuven.be/english).
Very importantly, genes that can be mobilised into genetically modified bananas are becoming increasingly available, and it is likely that the availability of suitable genes will grow significantly. There are, and will be, two major sources: banana genes and genes from other sources, particularly from other plant species or genes that trigger natural mechanisms in bananas, as well as other plant species. There is, of course, the potential to mobilise bacterial genes for traits such as herbicide tolerance and insect resistance, but this certainly has not been a priority for bananas. The first banana genome sequence was published in 2012 [52]; this sequence is of a double haploid M. acuminata ssp. malaccensis and has immediately become a major resource. Genes for the resistance to Fusarium wilt TR4 and black Sigatoka exist in M. acuminata ssp. malaccensis. The genome sequence of M. balbisiana have also been published [53], as well as numerous transcriptomic data from various banana tissues [54,55,56]. In parallel, there are mapping programs to identify loci for various traits, such as resistance to Fusarium wilt TR4. Coupled with the genome sequences, these programs should result in the definitive identification of the gene or genes responsible for specific traits. Further, new "generic" technologies are being developed or refined, and can be applied to the GM of bananas. These include RNA interference technologies, an understanding of the different resistance and other metabolic pathways in plants, and gene editing technologies such as CRISPR-Cas (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats-CRISPR-associated proteins) [57,58].
4. The Progress with Genetically Modified Bananas
There has been a dramatic increase in the number of published reports of genetically modified bananas over the past five years, with a multitude of different genes targeting different traits. The majority of these studies have been reports from a glasshouse evaluation and therefore, it is difficult to determine whether they only represent experimental projects, or whether they are part of a program to progress to field trial, and ultimately, to general release. The most targeted traits have been pest and disease resistance, abiotic stress tolerance, and fruit ripening, and these have included resistance to BBTV using RNAi (RNA interference) [44,59], resistance to Fusarium wilt race 1 using anti-apoptosis genes [60], RNAi [61] or a defensin gene [62], resistance to nematodes using plant-derived or synthetic peptides [63], and the over-expression of a banana-derived WRKY transcription factor to alter abiotic responses [64]. These reports, in addition to a number of others, have used a range of banana genes, RNAi constructs derived from banana pathogens, or genes not derived from bananas.
Of greater interest are the genetically modified bananas that have progressed through to field trials. There were at least two early field trials which both assessed black Sigatoka resistance, but neither of these appear to have progressed further than the initial trial. The first of the more recent field trials commenced in 2009 in Australia, as part of a Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation funded Grand Challenges in Global Health project, to develop cooking bananas for Uganda with enhanced levels of pro-vitamin A (PVA) and iron [31]. As previously stated, VAD and IDA remain major public health problems in East Africa, despite the widespread intervention of supplements and food fortification. The biofortification approach aims to generate East African Highland bananas, the staple food of Uganda, with high levels of PVA. The project is a collaboration between Queensland University of Technology in Australia and the National Agricultural Research Organisation of Uganda. The initial Australian field trial was in Cavendish (Figure 3A) to identify a strategy that could be transferred to Uganda, to transform into the Ugandan cultivars. From this and successive Australian field trials, two promoters were identified, together with one transgene, that provided enhanced levels of PVA (Figure 3B) nearly three-fold over target, with a stable expression over more than five years. These gene constructs have been transferred to Uganda and have been transformed into the East African Highland banana clone, Nakitembe, as well as a conventionally bred cooking banana, Kabana 6H. The resultant lines are in the field in Uganda, with the aim of selecting elite lines to progress through to the deregulation and release to Ugandan farmers [James Dale, unpublished data]. Most importantly, the selected transgene is a phytoene synthase gene from a F'ei banana called Asupina (Figure 3C). This banana, a native of Papua New Guinea, is naturally very high in PVA but has a small bunch, long maturity time, and is very different in taste and texture to East African Highland bananas. Both gene constructs contain plant-derived promoters and one of those is derived from bananas. It is therefore feasible to develop an intragenic line using this gene construct. East African Highland bananas, like Cavendish, also contain a phytoene synthase gene similar to the Asupina gene. Perhaps a future alternative strategy would be to up-regulate this gene by targeting its regulatory sequences using a gene-editing strategy such as CRISPR-Cas9, which may result in a non-transgenic, high PVA banana.
Banana Xanthomonas wilt has caused massive losses in East Africa. There are no accessible BXW resistance genes available and GM was clearly the most appropriate strategy to curtail this devastating disease. A team from the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture and the National Agricultural Research Organisation of Uganda have utilised two genes from sweet pepper that are involved in enhancing bacterial resistance, to develop genetically modified bananas and progress these through to the field. The two genes, the hypersensitive response-assisting protein gene (Hrap) and the plant ferredoxin-like protein gene (Pflp), were transformed into the dessert banana Sukali Ndizi, under the control of a plant-derived constitutive promoter. The transgenic lines were screened in the glasshouse, before progressing to the field. Lines with either transgene were identified with an apparently complete resistance to BXW [45,46,47]. The program has progressed further as the two genes, either alone or in combination, have been transformed into Nakitembe, the East African Highland banana clone used in the PVA project. Promising lines are now progressing into field trials in Uganda, again with the intention of selecting elite lines that will be deregulated and released to farmers [65].
There exists the potential to combine both enhanced PVA and BXW resistance in the one genetically modified line for East African Highland bananas in Uganda. This would be very attractive, as it combines two field-proven GM strategies, with one targeting resistance to a major disease constraint and the other targeting a major micronutrient deficiency.
In January, 2012, we planted a field trial in northern Australia to test the resistance to Fusarium wilt TR4 in Cavendish genetically modified with either an anti-apoptosis gene, Ced9 [60], or a nucleotide binding site-leucine rich repeat (NBS-LRR) type resistance (R) gene isolated from a resistant seedling of Musa acuminata ssp. malaccensis [66,67], in an area that had been devastated by TR4. The trial ran for three years and the outcomes will be published shortly. Very recently, results from a field trial of Cavendish bananas with delayed fruit ripening were reported [33]. These researchers had down-regulated the expression of a banana MADS box gene homologous to the tomato ripening inhibitor (RIN)-MADS ripening gene using RNAi, and demonstrated both ripening delay and extended shelf life. Finally, we have generated a large number of Cavendish lines with a range of RNAi constructs targeting different BBTV genes, that have shown levels of BBTV resistance in the glasshouse in Australia [59]. Many of these lines have been progressed through to a field trial recently planted in Malawi. The RNAi constructs specifically target the South Pacific strain of BBTV, which is the only strain reported from Africa [26].
5. Banana GM and Organic Farming
Many of the principles of organic farming overlap with the primary principles of the major banana biotechnology programs: elimination of pesticides and the sustainable production of traditional and "heirloom" cultivars and landraces, in the case of biotechnology, through the genetic improvement of these cultivars and landraces. Bananas are very different to the broadacre genetically modified commodity crops such as soybeans, maize, cotton, and canola. Only 15% of banana production is exported. This production is based almost exclusively on Cavendish, and is primarily monoculture plantation production with high levels of pesticide usage to control nematodes and fungal diseases. In contrast, the majority of the other 85% of bananas are produced by small holder and subsistence farmers in developing countries and most of these bananas are consumed locally, either on the farm or within a few kilometres. It is likely that a very significant proportion of these bananas are grown without inorganic fertilisers and without the application of pesticides or herbicides. Thus, many bananas grown and consumed in the tropics and sub-tropics are, by circumstance, "organic". It is not that these bananas are unaffected by pests and diseases; they are. Depending on the geographical location, these include weevils, black and yellow Sigatoka, Fusarium wilt race 1 and TR4, BBTV, and bacterial wilts such as Blood disease, Moko, and BXW. The resources required to control these biotic stresses are invariably unavailable to the small holder farmers and subsequent losses are inevitable and endured. The potential of GM is to provide resistance to these pests and diseases in the cultivars and landraces that are traditionally produced by these farmers. Under current definitions, these genetically modifiedimproved cultivars with disease resistance would no longer be considered as organic, but their production would be significantly more sustainable.
Importantly, while about 25% of the non-export bananas are the dominant Cavendish cultivar, the remaining 75% consist of a wide range of diverse cultivars and landraces, which are highly valued locally. These cultivars and landraces are under as much threat as Cavendish, but receive little international publicity; it is the threat of an end to cheap banana fruit to markets in North America, Europe, and Japan, that receives the most attention. Although developing a disease-resistant Cavendish or Cavendish replacement is extremely important for both the export trade and local production, just as important is conserving the wonderful diversity seen in local markets throughout the wet tropics and subtropics. As a consequence of the very low fertility of most triploid cultivated bananas, it is essentially impossible to introgress new traits into these cultivars via multiple backcrosses. At present, the genetic improvement, and thus the long term sustainable production of these cultivars, can only be achieved through genetic modification.
The conventional breeding programs are targeting the development of new cultivars with resistance to two of the major diseases, black Sigatoka and Fusarium wilt TR4, as these traits are available to banana breeders within the banana gene pool. The GM programs are targeting the development of resistance to Fusarium wilt TR4, BBTV, and BXW in current cultivars and landraces, with either banana genes, other plant genes, or by triggering natural banana virus resistance mechanisms. No suitable GM approach for black Sigatoka resistance has been identified, but it will come. Clearly, there is an opportunity to incorporate both conventional and GM approaches to optimise new cultivars, but this also is yet to be achieved. Interestingly, the current control regimes for all four of the major diseases of bananas, comprised of black Sigatoka, BXW, banana bunchy top, and Fusarium wilt TR4, involve the use of chemicals. The large scale use of fungicides to control black Sigatoka is well documented [68]. One major element of the current control of Fusarium wilt TR4 is the use of disinfectants for boots and vehicles. Elements for the control of banana bunchy top include herbicides to kill infected plants and insecticides to kill the aphid vectors, while disinfectants are used to sterilise tools for BXW control and herbicides are used to kill infected plants. Genetic resistance to these diseases would dramatically reduce the use of harsh chemicals in control regimes.
The genome revolution is well under way and bananas are not being left behind.
Genes for pest and disease resistances will become available at an ever increasing pace, and the majority of these will come from bananas themselves, drawing on the amazing genetic diversity of both wild and cultivated bananas. Banana genes have already successfully been mobilised using GM for the development of bananas with elevated pro-vitamin A and delayed fruit ripening.
In parallel, new genetic technologies are being developed and are already being adapted to bananas. CRISPR-Cas9 is the first of probably many genome-editing technologies, and groups such as ours are already developing this approach for the next generation of genetically improved bananas. The line between conventionally bred and genetically modified is becoming increasingly blurred, and this will continue. It is likely that smaller labs in the wet tropics and subtropics will develop the capacity to genetically but non-conventionally improve bananas, and it is likely that they will ultimately concentrate on improving their local favourites.
The future of genetically improved bananas looks very positive, if it is allowed to develop unimpeded: this includes the conservation of traditional and heirloom cultivars and landraces, the elimination of pesticides, and a reduction of the impact of micronutrient deficiencies in developing countries, without the risk of transgene escape from modified bananas to other cultivars or to wild-type plants. Moreover, it is likely that these bananas will be developed with the strong input and influence of local organisations. The genetic resources will be broadly held. Bananas are an excellent example where the likely outcomes of the application of GM match with many of the desired outcomes of organic production.
Author Contributions
All four authors contributed equally to gathering information, writing the manuscript, editing the manuscript and preparation of the figures.
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
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- Mwari, B. Development of Banana Bunchy Top Virus Resistance in Bananas: RNAi Approach. Ph.D. Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia, 2016. [Google Scholar]
- Paul, J.-Y.; Becker, D.K.; Dickman, M.B.; Harding, R.M.; Khanna, H.K.; Dale, J.L. Apoptosis-related genes confer resistance to Fusarium wilt in transgenic 'Lady Finger' bananas. Plant Biotechnol. J. 2011, 9, 1141–1148. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed][Green Version]
- Ghag, S.B.; Shekhawat, U.K.S.; Ganapathi, T.R. Host-induced post-transcriptional hairpin RNA-mediated gene silencing of vital fungal genes confers efficient resistance against Fusarium wilt in banana. Plant Biotechnol. J. 2014, 12, 541–553. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Ghag, S.B.; Shekhawat, U.K.S.; Ganapathi, T.R. Transgenic banana plants expressing a Stellaria media defensin gene (Sm-AMP-D1) demonstrate improved resistance to Fusarium oxysporum. Plant Cell Tissue Org. 2014, 119, 247–255. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Tripathi, L.; Babirye, A.; Roderick, H.; Tripathi, J.N.; Changa, C.; Urwin, P.E.; Tushemereirwe, W.K.; Coyne, D.; Atkinson, H.J. Field resistance of transgenic plantain to nematodes has potential for future African food security. Nat. Sci. Rep. 2015, 5, 8127. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Shekhawat, U.K.S.; Ganapathi, T.R. MusaWRKY71 overexpression in banana plants leads to altered abiotic and biotic stress responses. PLoS ONE 2013, 8, e75506. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Tripathi, L.; (IITA, Nairobi, Kenya). Personal communication, 2016.
- Peraza-Echeverria, S. Molecular Cloning and Characterisation of Potential Fusarium Resistance Genes in Banana (Musa acuminata ssp. malaccensis). Ph.D. Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia, 2007. [Google Scholar]
- Peraza-Echeverria, S.; Dale, J.L.; Harding, R.M.; Collet, C. Molecular cloning and in silico analysis of potential Fusarium resistance genes in banana. Mol. Breed. 2009, 23, 431–443. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- De Lapeyre De Bellaire, L.; Fouré, E.; Abadie, C.; Carlier, J. Black Leaf Streak Disease is challenging the banana industry. Fruits 2010, 65, 327–342. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
Figure 1. Banana plants are susceptible to several fungal and viral diseases. (A) External symptoms; and (B,C) characteristic internal vascular discoloration caused by Fusarium wilt tropical race 4 (TR4); (D) Characteristic symptoms of banana bunchy top disease.
Figure 2. Schematic representation of the genetic transformation system in banana from embryogenic cell suspensions (ECS) through to generation of a genetically modified (transgenic) plant. (A) Banana ECS are mixed with Agrobacterium containing the "gene of interest" (GOI), a process which allows the GOI to be transferred (transformed) into banana cells; (B) Cells are transferred to semi-solid selection media to kill non-transformed cells; (C) Cells containing the GOI are induced to form embryos which (D) germinate into transgenic plants; (E) Individual plantlets are transferred to different media to form roots.
Figure 3. Bananas can be genetically modified to accumulate elevated levels of pro-vitamin A (PVA) in fruit. (A) Field trial of PVA-biofortified "Cavendish" banana plants in Australia; (B) PVA-biofortified fruit (left) compared to wild-type fruit (right); (C) F'i type bananas, such as "Asupina", naturally accumulate high levels of PVA and are a source of useful genes for biofortification.
© 2017 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).


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I used to play this a lot in my late 20's, sadly not so much these days, anyone got any ideas?
Last weeks quiz picture was from Octopus' Garden quite a sweet tile laying game with some nice simple mechanisms and lovely artwork.
Table 1 – Russian Railroads, The Bucket King
Table 2 – Forbidden Desert, Kakerlakensuppe, Cockroach Poker
Table 3 – Great Western Trail
Table 4 – Power Grid: The First Sparks, City of Spies: Estoril 1942, Flamme Rouge, Skyline
No time this week for anything in depth so I will cover Skyline a light filler game about building high rise buildings and which uses dice as the building blocks. The box contains three types of dice (base, middles and tops), some victory point tokens and a base board. A player may build three types of buildings, purple (2 high), blue buildings (2, 3 & 4 high), and orange buildings (3, 4, 5 & 6 high), a building must first have a base die, the player may then build a top on a purple base or blue and orange middles on their respective bases (these are all on the middle die) the top die has 2 blue tops, 1 orange top and three blank faces.
On a turn a player may choose any three dice or they may choose the "pool dice" which contains 1 of each type and any other dice that the players have placed there on their turn, they roll their chosen dice then may use as many of them as they wish for building, provided they build at least one block they may re-roll as many of the other dice as they wish, before re-rolling you may place any other dice they want to keep to one side this re-rolling process may continue so long as they build at least one die each time. Difficulties occur if they cannot build in such a case they have a choice, they may put a die in the "pool" or they may destroy one their buildings under construction. At any point in their turn after building or placing in the dice pool/destroying a building a player may stop their turn and returned unused dice to the correct dice piles. Any buildings completed collect the player points, the higher the better e.g. 2 stories 4 points, 4 stories 16 points, 6 stories 36 points.
The game lasts 9 turns, is short (about 10 minutes 2 players if they know the rules) so it is an ideal filler however I would say that the luck factor is very high, generally a player who is lucky enough to roll orange blocks will win, it is not a game that will set the world alight its rating is 6.0 on the geek and I do not feel it should be any higher.


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Association of Women for Awareness and Motivation (AWAM) is an organization independent from political and government influence, which was established in August 2006 and subsequently was registered under the Societies Registration Act (XXI of 1860), and the Income Tax Ordinance (2001) on 30th October 2007 and 15th December 2012 respectively, with its main office in Faisalabad.
The AWAM was formed by a group of women's rights activists with shared vision towards building a just and peaceful society free of any kind of discrimination and violence based on gender, disability, class and faith. The purpose behind launching the association was to initiate struggle for the elimination of political, legal, cultural and bureaucratic barriers hindering empowerment and realization of women rights, and for the creation of a society where women and men are recognized as equals, with the right to lead their lives with self-respect and dignity, and play a full and equal role in society. Though, the focus of the AWAM was specifically on women initially, but with the passage of time, AWAM developed its capacities and found resources to include the other disadvantaged groups including; persons with disabilities and religious minorities into its focused groups.
We're not around right now. But you can send us an email and we'll get back to you, asap.
Questions, issues or concerns? I'd love to help you!


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Blu-Ray Player Sony BDPS1700BOffer from:
If you're passionate about IT and electronics. like being up to date on technology and don't miss even the slightest details. buy Blu-Ray Player Sony BDPS1700B at an unbeatable price.Experience High DefinitionWatch your ...
- Brand:Sony
Descrizione del prodotto
Experience High Definition
Watch your favourite movies in Full HD with the BDP-S1700. Images are detailed and clear. and colours take on a rich new intensity thanks to TRILUMINOS™ colour.
Watch in 1080p
Enjoy all your movies in the crisp clarity of high resolution.
Premium sound quality
Enjoy all the fine detail of the original recording in clear. high-fidelity surround sound with Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD.
See it all in Full HD
Experience bright. high-quality detail across everything that you watch – including DVDs. Blu-ray Discs™. and streamed online content. The BDP-S1700 also upscales standard definition DVD movies to near-HD quality. so you can see them beautifully realised in refined detail.
Colours that come alive
Bring your viewing experience to life with our broad and vivid TRILUMINOS™ colour palette. Exclusive to Sony and optimised for use with accompanying TRILUMINOS TVs. it ensures that hard to-reproduce reds. aqua blues. and emerald greens are all beautifully displayed so that landscapes and seascapes appear more realistic.
Sleek and simple
The minimal design of the BDP-S1700 is elegantly crafted to complement any living room.with its compact 23cm (9.1") x 3.9cm (1.5") frame fitting neatly into even the tightest of spots.
The best of the web on your TV
Head online and see what's out there. Enjoy instant access to the latest music. movies. catch-up TV. and more. Flick through a selection of online channels. or load up the latest YouTube™ videos.
USB plug and play
Just plug your USB drive into the port to share songs. photos and multimedia content with your TV.
Sony BDPS1700B. Device type: Blu-Ray player. Colour of product: Black. Disc types supported: BD. CD. DVD. Supported video modes: 1080p. Audio decoders: DTS-HD. Dolby TrueHD. Remote control type: RMT-B127P
- Device type: Blu-Ray player
- Colour of product: Black
- Disc types supported: BD. CD. DVD
- Card reader integrated: No
- Full HD: Yes
- Deep colour support: Yes
- Supported video modes: 1080p
- 24p support: Yes
- Video upscaling: Yes
- Network streaming: Yes
- Audio decoders: DTS-HD. Dolby TrueHD
- Wi-Fi: No
- Ethernet LAN: Yes
- Progressive scan: No
- Child lock: Yes
- Parental control: Yes
- Screen saving functions: Yes
- Remote control type: RMT-B127P
- Ethernet LAN (RJ-45) ports: 1
- HDMI: Yes
- HDMI ports quantity: 1
- USB 2.0 ports quantity: 1
- Digital audio coaxial out: 1
- Power consumption (typical): 8.5 W
- Power consumption (standby): 0.25 W
- Width: 230 mm
- Depth: 194 mm
- Height: 39 mm
- Weight: 800 g
- Handheld remote control: Yes
- Batteries included: Yes
- Manual: Yes
- Warranty card: Yes
More information
This seller provides invoices. To receive one, you can contact them once you place an order.


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Alright, this is a little left of centre for The Movement Fam.com. So me and Gunny were talking about palindromes the other week - as you do. And I was reading a local street press when I saw someone mention a 224 word palindrome by a bloke called Demetri Martin, who apparently I should know about. He's an NY based comedian, but to come up with this little gem is pure genius:
"Dammit I'm Mad"
Demetri Martin
Dammit I'm mad.
Evil is a deed as I live.
God, am I reviled? I rise, my bed on a sun, I melt.
To be not one man emanating is sad. I piss.
Alas, it is so late. Who stops to help?
Man, it is hot. I'm in it. I tell.
I am not a devil. I level "Mad Dog".
Ah, say burning is, as a deified gulp,
In my halo of a mired rum tin.
I erase many men. Oh, to be man, a sin.
Is evil in a clam? In a trap?
No. It is open. On it I was stuck.
Rats peed on hope. Elsewhere dips a web.
Be still if I fill its ebb.
Ew, a spider… eh?
We sleep. Oh no!
Deep, stark cuts saw it in one position.
Part animal, can I live? Sin is a name.
Both, one… my names are in it.
Murder? I'm a fool.
A hymn I plug, deified as a sign in ruby ash,
A Goddam level I lived at.
On mail let it in. I'm it.
Oh, sit in ample hot spots. Oh wet!
A loss it is alas (sip). I'd assign it a name.
Name not one bottle minus an ode by me:
"Sir, I deliver. I'm a dog"
Evil is a deed as I live.
Dammit I'm mad.


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Movement and architectural structure are married into a perfect design with Summer House by Gunes Atakan Peksen.
The Istanbul-based architect was inspired by waves to create this stunning home concept. Although the modernist structure may appear restrictive, the inside is well thought out with an open concept. There is a cohesive sense of fluid relaxation in the design.
"The starting point of this contemporary Turkish house is more than shaping the form itself. It is shaping the life in it" says Peksen of his work. The theme is enhanced with a calming pool and large glass windows that are welcoming to light. The structure is monochromatic, minimalist and über chic in its absolute modernity.
Turkish design is put on the map with their fresh design ideas from burgeoning architects like Peksen who realize conceptual dreams.
The Design 'Summer House' by Gunes Atakan Peksen Captures Movement
Alexandra Serrano — July 17, 2012 — Art & Design


text: The trans-disciplinary practice of Toronto artist Penelope Stewart encompasses architecture, in situ installation, sculpture, photography, drawing and print. In recent years, she has created a series of installations exploring the beehive metaphor in utopian architecture. Constructing an enfolding, monumental hive out of beeswax in the centre of the Koffler Gallery, Stewart transforms the space into a mysterious forensic ecology – loaded with overgrown floral forms, household objects and debris – coalesced into a grand still life that reminds us of the cycle of life and death and the fragility of our utopian aspirations to transform nature through culture.


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Here it is, transcribed for your benefit. May your heart sing just as joyously as mine with gratitude for so holy and wise a leader. Our God certainly knows how to pick them, and our saintly Pope John Paul II will certainly be remembered as "the Great."
I did some research into this story. I'm still waiting to hear back from St. Mary's Basilica in Rome, but I think the "Fr. Jim" from the story would likely be there if this story proves true. I can't imagine Scott Hahn lying, but the fact that no names are given for the Spiritual Director / priest kinda gives the journalist in me the "dig a little deeper" vibe. Until I'm proven otherwise, though, I'll promote this story as a beautiful testament to the pious, holy character of our late, great pontiff.


text: I haven't been able to update the blog for a while, since we were waiting and waiting AND WAITING for the township to approve our plans and release our building permits. It took about 4.5 months, but we finally have permits! Our builder is planning to start clearing the lot and excavating for the foundation next week. The house is scheduled to go into production on June 11th. We can't wait! Check back for more regular updates, now that we are really getting started!


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When you partner with E.P. Guidi, Inc., you gain a knowledgeable and productive team member. Our staff of experienced construction professionals is led by the following individuals.
Gene has over four decades of diversified, progressive experience in construction services. During his career, he has been heavily involved in preconstruction services, estimating, project scheduling and project control, development and implementation. This diversity of experience has provided Gene with a practical understanding of field labor productivity as well as the behavior and interaction of various building materials and systems.
As President of the firm, Gene makes his knowledge and experience available to the building team throughout the planning and construction process of all company projects. He personally oversees each project, together with the owner, architect and related consultants, to ensure that company performance meets not only contractual requirements but also high quality standards.
Gene has also been active in many industry and charity associations. He is the former Chairman of both the GBCA Mayor's Committee on Construction and GBCA Legislative Committee. He also served on the Board of Directors for the GBCA and the Managing Committee for the Carpenters Company of the City and the County of Philadelphia. He is a former Trustee for Chestnut Hill Academy and served on the Boy Scouts of America Cradle of Liberty Council Selection Committee. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Construction Technology from Temple University.
CHIEF Executive OFFICER
Dan has four decades of experience in general construction. Since joining E.P. Guidi, Inc. in 1990, Dan has continued the Guidi Legacy of being an Owner's contractor. Dan has responsibility for all company operations including estimating, field operations and general administration. As a registered engineer in Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey, Dan is able to understand and effectively analyze budget issues, quality control and project scheduling. In developing an approach to a new project, he initiates innovative ways to accelerate physical construction while promoting continuity, maintaining effect project coordination, and assuming constant and strict cost control.
Dan's excellent relationship with, and reputation among, project superintendents and trade subcontractors is a significant strength. Dan is able to effectively and efficiently develop the construction team and contractors, ensuring smooth project evolution and completion. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Pennsylvania State University.
Jim brings over four decades of experience in commercial and institutional construction and an engineering background to the E.P. Guidi team. As Vice President, Jim participates actively in all aspects of company planning and operations. He manages the day-to-day operations of the preconstruction department; overseeing all aspects of the estimating process including subcontractor selection, value engineering analysis, preparation and review of all cost estimates, purchasing and execution of all subcontract agreements.
Jim's additional responsibilities include the development of conceptual and budget estimates, alternative design options and life cycle costing comparisons. Our clients benefit from his broad and varied experience which enables him to estimate reliable construction costs using preliminary design documents and to base his projections upon proven, historical construction cost data and performance.
He holds a Bachelor of Science in Construction Technology & Engineering from Spring Garden College.


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Born and raised in the south suburbs of Seattle, Washington, I was born the day Mt. St. Helens erupted on May 18, 1980. A graduate of such prestigious institutions like Meeker Junior High and Kent-Meridian High School (Go Royals), I studied at the University of Washington from 1998 to 2002, getting a B.A. in Sociology and a minor in English. I played cards in Vegas for a year after college, went to Gonzaga Law School and promptly dropped out when I started having daily panic attacks. After bouncing around for a couple years I found a passion in announcing horse races. I called races at different tracks across America from 2006 to 2016.
Since January of 2016 I've hosted a daily racing podcast at http://www.betamerica.com/BARN . Check it out!
My first novel, SOUTHBOUND, was released March 31, 2014 from Pandamoon Publishing.


text:
The Lost Boys
The Great Gatsby
Compromising Positions
The Wolf of Wall Street
Price Check
Brass Target
Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star
The Six Wives of Henry Lefay
The Skeptic
Wedding Daze
I Think I Love My Wife
Factory Girl
All Edward Herrmann photos
All Edward Herrmann films
Movies.com, the ultimate source for everything movies, is your destination for new movie trailers, reviews, photos, times, tickets + more! Stay in the know with the latest movie news and cast interviews at Movies.com.
Copyright © 2019 FANDANGO MOVIES.


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'Boro have today confirmed that NPower League two side Wycombe Wanderers will be the first home friendly of the 2013/14 campaign.
Wycombe under the leadership of Gareth Ainsworth finished 15th in the league last season.
The game will take place at Cherrywood Road on Wednesday 17th July, kick off at 7.30pm (please note earlier kick off).
Admission prices will be announced in due course.
Discussions are ongoing regarding further games , keep an eye on the Official Site for updates


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Property Category: Apartments for sale in Larnaca
Property Reference 115811
Apartment for sale Larnaca center in one of the most beautiful cities of Cyprus. Larnaca is a coastal town that has a unique identity, a great location near the sea and the mountains, with rich historical and cultural traditions, with impressive Cyprus properties for sale and for real estate investment all around the city, making it a superior seaside European city that is ready to generously offer great comfort and luxury to all its residents. In addition, the Larnaca airport is situated very close from this property in Larnaca, being just 7 kilometres away, while the seaside is just 2 kilometres away from this stunning Cyprus property.
This one bedroom apartment for sale in Larnaca in the island of Cyprus is located on the 3rd floor of a four-storey building, with great views of the mountains and the city center. Moreover, it provides direct and quick access to all the services and shops that will make your daily living very easy, making this apartment for sale in Larnaca an ideal choice for those seeking to buy an apartment in Larnaca as a permanent residence, a holiday Cyprus property or an real estate investment opportunity with a timeless value in the city center of Larnaca.
This apartment for sale in the city center of Larnaca consists of a spacious open plan kitchen with dining and living room, one bathroom and one bedroom, while the electrical appliances, air conditioners and title to the property are all included with this apartment for sale in Larnaca center. This beautiful property in Cyprus is looking forward to meeting its future buyers, with its distinguished features ready to convince you that this is an ideal property for a permanent residence, a holiday home property, or even an investment opportunity in the heart of Larnaca.
There are plenty Cyprus apartments for sale and for investment in Larnaca, but if you wish to buy an apartment in the city center of Larnaca at a reasonable and affordable price, with issued title deeds and mountain views, then this apartment for sale in Larnaca is a great choice of apartment considering the market of available properties for sale in Larnaca, in the Mediterranean island of Cyprus.


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Since the last post I've taken a lot of pictures. I was in Augusta for a few days. There are a number of old buildings and museums to photograph. When I got back home, I participated in the Worldwide Photo Walk.
The day after that, I took pictures at the opening of Photo-Griots at the Hammonds House Musem. The pictures turned out pretty well. I've added a new section to my Portfolio called Events. Hopefully I'll be able to add to that in the future.
I've also been playing around wtih Lightroom. It seems to be less complicated than Photoshop Elements. They do seem to work pretty well together.
I've met some interesting photographers and other artists recently, both on the Photo Walk, and at an art showing I attended recently. I'll talk about them more later.


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Take time this summer to look at various "Pictures of Faith," as Saint Luke members share regarding favorite pieces of religious art. Simple worship in the sanctuary occurs weekly with music, the word and communion. Gather with us for worship from 7:30-8:30 PM. Our PrayGround will be available in the sanctuary. Feel free to come early to walk the labyrinth.
Back to All Events
Earlier Event: August 26Young Adults Serving
Later Event: September 4Women's Book Club


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6D Helmets - Technical Features Animation
2017 AR-2 6D Video
We jumped back in on 6D and helped promote their latest and greatest technology. Check out the video below.
Motorcycle helmets might not catch most people's attention, but this project hit close to home. All of us here at rG ride bikes and we all use protective gear. 6D Helmets introduce new technology that rockets them ahead of the competition. We were stoked to work with the founders of 6D, Bob Weber & Robert Reisinger, and to gain a deeper understanding of how this innovative technology works.
6D helmets are just hitting the market and we're pretty sure they're going to make history by setting the bar for safety standards. Our primary goal was to showcase the cutting edge exterior features of the helmet, as well as some that are tucked neatly out of sight.
First things first, we needed to transform the company's CAD files into visually accurate models for rendering and animation. We'll fast forward through the boring stages and show some of the early renderings of the helmet and its pieces.
These little pieces of genius are the bedrock behind 6D's ODS technology. Don't take our word for it, check out the multitude of research and technical details at their site here: ODS [Omni-Directional Suspension]
Zay is a master samurai when it comes to CG model-setup and preparation. He can cut through the complex problematic CAD tessellation issues without a hitch.
If you ride, you know that helmet airflow is very important and in most cases is very limited in helmets. 6D's technology opens the flood gates on rapid air circulation. One of the hardest part of this project was showing exactly how much air is moving through, inside and around the helmet. The early rendering still below shows just how much air was circulating in our testing. We just had to figure out how to show it all without losing visual clarity.
Recreating the dynamic physics of the elastomeric isolation dampers was quite a mission. Working with Bob, Robert and the 6D team we had to carefully study the exact characteristics of the damper & EPS technology involved.
We're just scratching the surface on the background development and technology of this 6D product. We're hoping to showcase more technology features very soon.
Check out the montage of CG cameras we put together to show just a snippet of features provided by the helmet itself.
The 6D products went through the regular rG documentation paces:
Shot with the GH2 with the 0.95 Voigtlander glass. Big props to Rhino Camera Gear, they've become a production standard here at rG (loving their new slider!).
A sneak peak the 20+ hidden solders protecting your cabeza!


text: To me, one of the most exciting things about the end of "Fringe" is that I can now look forward to rewatching the show on DVD someday. For five seasons, I watched every episode as it aired on Fox, but I've found that people who watched it in large chunks on DVD embraced it more than me. Ironically, like a lot of complex TV shows ("Lost" being another prime example), "Fringe" didn't play as well with the weeklong gaps.


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The offer came from Lynn Pickering, who is a local instructor and has recently started Nordic Walking classes in Nonsuch Park. Lynn tells me that Nordic Walking is the fastest growing fitness activity in the world and was rather hoping I might be persuaded to tell people about it (and her classes) via the medium you are now reading.
Don't worry blog readers; I am not becoming a mere advertising service, paid for in fitness tuition. However I am always keen to see local businesses flourish and also keen to alert people to new and interesting things going on in the area. I asked Lynn if she might offer a free session to blog readers only to find out she offers free taster sessions anyway. However she did instead offer £5.00 discount off the standard Technique Training Course price of £59.00, making the 4 week course £54.00 for blog readers. She said if you mention the Worcester Park Blog when you contact her, she will apply the discount. Surely that's got to be a win win for everyone!
But what actually is Nordic Walking I hear you enthusiastically ask? Lynn has kindly anticipated this question and here is her explanation:
Nordic Walking developed from cross-country skiing, it can be done on any terrain, flat or hilly, grass or tarmac. Although it uses similar movements and muscles as cross-country skiing, and similar poles, it isn't skiing and doesn't require skis or snow, not one flake!
Nordic walking poles are placed behind you and used for propulsion (unlike Trekking). The poles effectively switch you to 4-wheel drive mode utilising your upper body to drive you forward whilst giving you a springy lengthened stride. By spreading the workload across the body often people don't realise how hard they are working.
Following a session I received an email from a Lady who was curious why her muscles were aching when she 'hadn't been working very hard'. I loved informing her that she'd been working really hard but hadn't noticed because she was busy chatting, enjoying the surroundings and concentrating on perfecting her Technique.
Nordic walking is a superb way to tone-up, lose weight, enjoy local Green Space and make new friends. It's effective because it's an all-round workout (it uses 90% of the skeletal muscles). It's unusual because such a spectrum of people are seeing the benefits from those with medical problems to Athletes. It can be done by almost anyone, whatever age, fitness level or goal, because you can start at the level right for you and progress at the pace you choose, enjoying every stage.
Lynn runs her classes in Nonsuch Park from Monday to Friday, mornings and evenings and Saturday mornings. Walking poles are supplied.
For more information see Lynn's website: http://www.polesapart.biz/
You can also look at these newspaper articles on Nordic Walking:
- http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/outdoors/outdoor-activities/4593557/Nordic-walking-is-the-way-forward.html#mm_hash
- http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1257778/Can-really-drop-dress-sizes-Nordic-walking.html#ixzz0lGojcI3U
And you can contact Lynn directly to find out more or book a class or free taster session:
- Email: email@example.com
- Telephone: 07586 456 682


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The NJEA UniServ Network provides extensive services to its members at the local, county and stats level. The NJEA UniServ field representatives provide guidance and assistance local unions by:
- Coordination of state-national resources, including professional development, instructional improvement, and human relations;
- Negotiations service;
- Contract administration and grievance adjudication;
- Local member consultation and individual service;
- Public relations and communications;
- Legislative and political activity;
- Leadership development skills;
- Organizational management and membership promotion.
Chain of Command
Building Representative then Vice President or President
Our UniServ representative is Ron Villano
Please do not contact him unless you have discussed your concerns with Lori Roberts. This is important so the proper steps are taken to find a resolution. Breaking the chain of command can make a bad situation worse and shows signs of a weak union. If Lori advises you to contact Ron, please find his information below.
Ron Villano
NJEA UniServ Regional Office
121 State Route 36
Suite 325
West Long Branch, NJ 07764