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The premium hikes and large-insurer pullbacks have also renewed calls to create the public option -- a government-run plan competing on equal terms with private insurers in the marketplace. In the runup to the ACA's passage, progressives regarded the public option as a linchpin, an essential means of keeping private insurers from price-gouging. Its absence from the final bill was regarded as a major defeat.
What would be the likely effects of adding a national public option now, if it were politically possible? A few points:
1. Before risk adjustment and reinsurance are factored in, ACA-compliant plans were calculated to have paid out an average 110% of premiums collected in medical claims in 2014 and, for
2. The strongest public option envisioned would pay Medicare rates to healthcare providers. The most successful marketplace competitors to date have been managed Medicaid companies that probably pay rates lower than Medicare. Unless a public option managed to spend sharply less on administrative expenses than private insurers like Centene and Molina, or operated with a higher MLR without losing money, it probably wouldn't undersell the marketplaces's current winners.
3. If a public option did manage to push premiums down, that would help the federal Treasury and those who don't qualify for premium subsidies. It would generally help subsidized buyers, however, only insofar as their coninsurance share was billed at the insurer's lower negotiated rates. That is, you might have to pay 30% of a hospital bill that would be lower than the bill charged to a different insurer. The main affordability problem for subsidized buyers lies not in the base price but in the subsidy and premium structure -- for example, if you earn 251% FPL (just under $30k for a solo buyer), the benchmark silver plan will cost 8.1% of your income and cover (theoretically) 70% of the average enrollees' medical costs.
A public option as generally conceived might help at the margins, particularly in rural regions and other regions where competition was poor. It might also drive out private competitors in regions where all insurers have incurred steep losses. It would less directly address the affordability problems faced by subsidized buyers than would an enrichment of the subsidies.
In early January of 2014, when, after a disastrous launch, the federal marketplace HealthCare.gov had been marginally functional for a few weeks, Harold Pollack interviewed Richard Kirsch, who had been national campaign manager from 2008-12 for Health Care for America Now (HCAN), a massive umbrella group formed by unions and progressive nonprofits to advocate for universal health care. Kirsch's book about the role of grass-roots advocacy in the ACA's passage centers largely on the fight to include a public option, which became the symbolic fulcrum of the fight for many progressives. In the interview with Pollack, however, at a time when the marketplace had gleaned its first couple of million enrollees, Kirsch fingered the subsidy structure, rather than the absence of a public option, as the law's chief flaw. In fact he foresaw pretty clearly where we're at now:
The biggest problems with the law are around affordability. The way the law is structured, coverage is still not affordable for many people. And again, people's experiences of the law will be around affordability. So people will be glad to get coverage, but they will also live with high deductible-coverage and premiums that may still be difficult to pay.That debate is now in focus. And progressives pretty much know what job 1 is. Unless Democrats miraculously take the House as well as the Senate, however (not to say the presidency), there will be no path to getting it done, and the marketplace will have to hobble along with administrative fixes.
In the legislative campaign, our biggest issues with the bill concerned affordability. A lot of the cost to people was made much worse by the president's unfortunate (to put it nicely) decision to spend less on subsidizing people because he wanted to get the cost of the subsidies under the magic 1-trillion-dollar figure.
But doing so didn't change the debate at all; Republicans still called it a "trillion-dollar program." But it did mean lower subsidies for people, higher premiums, higher deductibles. It has resulted in making insurance less affordable, making the plan less popular. It's going to shape a lot of the contours of the upcoming debate in the next few years of how we make the program work better.
As for my own private hobbyhorse -- an "all-public" exchange, in which government pays private health plans directly and thus implicitly (or explicitly) sets rates -- that could be done on a state level, via innovation waiver. New York's Basic Health Plan, a low-cost plan serving enrollees with incomes under 200% FPL established in accordance with an ACA provision, pays 120% Medicaid to participating insurers. What if it were available to anyone who wanted to buy in?
* The source article (at the link) originally had this figure for the entire market, then corrected. Given the 2014 MLR, it may not be too far off for the market as a whole in 2015.


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Cheers to Friday! Who is ready for the weekend? Tomorrow will be spent on hunting for the perfect pre-spring dress and a few other bits and bobs, but tonight is all about catching up on Elementary and homemade stromboli with a glass of wine. What are your plans? Wishing everyone a divine weekend and I'll see you back here on Monday morning. Btw: fancy going down the internet-rabbit-hole? Enjoy!
Want to make your own blooming flower tea?
Swoon! Totally fancy having an afternoon tea at Claridge's in London. You?
"I stopped eating food that comes in a package. I've never felt better".
How to stop worrying.
On meditation...
I just love Meryl Streep :)
Yes, please!
Bravo! Have you heard about the "zero-waste" supermarket in Berlin?
Cup of sunshine.
After reading this, you'll never look at bananas the same way.
Why foodies don't talk about weight.
Soup for breakfast?
The cost of living.
Shake the wintertime blues.
Great guide to spices, and how to use them.
This Greek wedding makes my heart skip a beat!
And fancy a blast from the past?
- Four years ago tomorrow.
- Three years ago today.
- Two years ago today.
- One year ago today.
P.S: How about a bit of chit-chat? Join me on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest or even Instagram.
(Photo of Ålesund in Norway via A Gentlewoman)

subset: commoncrawl


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The first time I heard someone promoting coconut oil I nearly barfed. You see, I used to work at a movie theatre and we cooked the popcorn in this horrible, glutinous goldenrod FAT that actually turned our fingers orange. That's what I thought coconut oil was! I swear, it could easily break a big wooden spoon as we scooped it out for the popper.
I've recently learned: Medical research is in agreement that at least 30% of our daily nutritional intake should be made up of healthy fats or oil. However, the structures of different oils are as diverse as nature itself. The first studies of coconut oil came from the use of hydrogenated oil [which has been processed and altered from its original form], not on virgin coconut oil. That study negatively and unnecessarily skewed our feelings toward coconut oil until recently.
People are still fat-phobic! [Really fat people are still fat phobic!] They connect eating healthy fat with being fat. They should, instead, connect eating junk, sugar, sugar substitutes, preservatives, processed foods, sodas, fast food, 'diet food,' etc. with being really fat!
The health benefits of coconut oil include hair care, skin care, stress relief, maintaining cholesterol levels, weight loss, increased immunity, proper digestion and metabolism, relief from kidney problems, heart diseases, high blood pressure, diabetes, HIV and cancer, dental care, and bone strength. These benefits of coconut oil can be attributed to the presence of lauric acid, capric acid and caprylic acid, and its properties such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-fungal, antibacterial, soothing, etc.
Apart from coconut oil, the only other source of lauric acid found in such high concentrations is in mother's milk. Tropical oils and mother's milk are by far the richest food sources of medium chain fatty acids available.
Weight Loss: Coconut oil is very useful in reducing weight. It contains short and medium-chain fatty acids that help take off excessive weight. It's also easy to digest and helps the healthy functioning of the thyroid and enzymes systems. It increases our body's metabolism by removing stress on the pancreases, so we burn more energy.
Coconut In Modern Medicine
Modern medical science is now confirming the use of coconut in treating many of the above conditions [listed up there in the fourth paragraph.] Published studies in medical journals show that coconut, in one form or another, may provide a wide range of health benefits. Some of these are summarized below:
- Kills viruses that cause influenza, herpes, measles, hepatitis C, SARS, AIDS, and other illnesses.
- Kills bacteria that cause ulcers, throat infections, urinary tract infections, gum disease and cavities, pneumonia, and gonorrhea, and other diseases.
- Kills fungi and yeasts that cause candidiasis, ringworm, athlete's foot, thrush, diaper rash, and other infections.
- Expels or kills tapeworms, lice, giardia, and other parasites.
- Provides a nutritional source of quick energy.
- Boosts energy and endurance, enhancing physical and athletic performance.
- Improves digestion and absorption of other nutrients including vitamins, minerals, and amino acids.
- Improves insulin secretion and utilization of blood glucose.
- Relieves stress on pancreas and enzyme systems of the body.
- Reduces symptoms associated with pancreatitis.
- Helps relieve symptoms and reduce health risks associated with diabetes.
- Reduces problems associated with malabsorption syndrome and cystic fibrosis.
- Improves calcium and magnesium absorption and supports the development of strong bones and teeth.
- Helps protect against osteoporosis.
- Helps relieve symptoms associated with gallbladder disease.
- Relieves symptoms associated with Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, and stomach ulcers.
- Improves digestion and bowel function.
- Relieves pain and irritation caused by hemorrhoids.
- Reduces inflammation.
- Supports tissue healing and repair.
- Supports and aids immune system function.
- Helps protect the body from breast, colon, and other cancers.
- Is heart healthy; improves cholesterol ratio reducing risk of heart disease.
- Protects arteries from injury that causes atherosclerosis and thus protects against heart disease.
- Helps prevent periodontal disease and tooth decay.
- Functions as a protective antioxidant.
- Helps to protect the body from harmful free radicals that promote premature aging and degenerative disease.
- Does not deplete the body's antioxidant reserves like other oils do.
- Improves utilization of essential fatty acids and protects them from oxidation.
- Helps relieve symptoms associated with chronic fatigue syndrome.
- Relieves symptoms associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia (prostate enlargement).
- Reduces epileptic seizures.
- Helps protect against kidney disease and bladder infections.
- Dissolves kidney stones.
- Helps prevent liver disease.
- Is lower in calories than all other fats.
- Supports thyroid function.
- Promotes loss of excess weight by increasing metabolic rate.
- Is utilized by the body to produce energy in preference to being stored as body fat like other dietary fats.
- Helps prevent obesity and overweight problems.
- Applied topically helps to form a chemical barrier on the skin to ward of infection.
- Reduces symptoms associated the psoriasis, eczema, and dermatitis.
- Supports the natural chemical balance of the skin.
- Softens skin and helps relieve dryness and flaking.
- Prevents wrinkles, sagging skin, and age spots.
- Promotes healthy looking hair and complexion.
- Provides protection form damaging effects of ultraviolet radiation form the sun.
- Helps control dandruff.
- Does not form harmful by-products when heated to normal cooking temperature like other vegetable oils do.
- Has no harmful or discomforting side effects.
- Is completely non-toxic to humans.
Seriously!?! That's quite the list! How to use coconut oil in your diet? Here's a great site that is succinct and easy to read. Go to the store and get some virgin coconut oil and educate yourself on the many health benefits of this great food.


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Here's a list of my favorite Podcast sites:
The Paleo Solution
The Fat Burning Man
Underground Wellness
Living La Vida Low Carb Show
The Latest in Paleo
These are in random order, I think all of these shows are great.
Primal Diet Quick Guides
Sunday, June 24, 2012
More meat.
I ordered some pemmican from US Wellness Meats last week. I think it is delicious. Tanya wasn't impressed. So I get to eat it all. Yay! So far I've liked everything I have ordered from them. I think my next order will be for a bucket of pemmican.
Sunday, June 3, 2012
I ran in my first Warrior Dash this weekend with my daughter, nephew, and friend. It was a lot of fun. Here are my results: 1754 overall out of 5928, 45 out of 107 in age group, time: 51:57:20, pace 16:39/m
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Last Friday, just two weeks after experiencing my most enjoyable run to date, I managed to suffer through my least pleasurable run thus far. I did it to myself. I knew it had that potential. And I did it anyway. I'm really smart.
You don't have to search very hard to find running blogs and/or forums that address the mental hurdles that some people have to traverse just to stick to their training or exercise routines and some of the tools that they use to get over those obstacles. I feel fortunate that so far I have not had a lot of trouble staying motivated to run.
As for finding that motivation in other important areas of my life? Still a work in progress.
Recently, my favorite running blog posted a piece partially about running "mantras," referring to those sayings that runners say to themselves to help stay resolute and running strong when some other inner voice or outside stressor may be working against them and suggesting that they quit, or even worse…skip their work out altogether. The list included all sorts of phrases, ranging from simple affirmations like "I can do this" to statements of unwavering acceptance of circumstance like "Embrace the suck."
When the author ended the post with an open query about what other phrases her readers have found useful, I realized that I didn't have a run mantra. And that was somewhat comforting in the fact that I didn't have one because I had not yet run up against a mental or physical "wall" so great that it required me to forcefully psyche myself up and over it…or through it.
On Friday morning, I managed to successfully hurl myself right into that wall one hurdle at a time. Woohoo! I'm awesome!
Hurdle #1: Just getting out there at all. This is not a problem that I've had a problem with in my short time running. I enjoy getting out there. I usually only run three days a week so I'm rarely suffering any discouraging physical issues from my previous run. And I still get an incredible therapeutic release from running outside alone with my thoughts, or maybe no thoughts at all depending on the day. Hell, I "write" rough drafts of a lot of my blogs while running around by myself. I love being out there.
But last week's weather forecast predicted a 100% chance of rain for Friday morning and because my weather fortunes throughout my training have sucked, that seemed totally believable. I was going to have to do another rainy day run. Ugh. Honestly, I don't mind a soft rain. I'm going to sweat through my clothes anyway. What difference does it make? But Friday morning's weather was 40 degrees with steady showers and gusting winds in the neighborhood of 20 mph. It sucked outside. SUCKED!
I woke early that morning with hopes that I'd find the storm front had passed through the area faster than predicted. It hadn't. I still started my routine: drank my vitamin and fruit smoothie, toasted a bagel, and started getting my running clothes together, all while continually checking the radar for any sign that the weather might at least lighten up a bit.
No dice! It was going to rain ALL morning. And because I was heading out of town at noon and not returning until the following day, pushing back my run wasn't an option.
Obviously, I could've given in and headed for the treadmill. I wanted to go to the gym after my run anyway. And if my scheduled run had only been a few miles, I might have considered it more seriously. I'm not a treadmill fan, but I did look up the conversion I would need to correctly set my pace on the machine, just in case I came to my senses and decided to run inside like a sane person. But because this was going to be my first double digit distance (10 miles), I just couldn't see crossing that milestone while staring blankly at a muted morning "news" show or worse…some talk show (TV = brain poison). And because of the one hour time limit on gym treadmills and the sad fact that I can't run a 10 consecutive six minute miles, I would've had to stop and start again too. Fuck that. I wanted my first double-D distance to be outside and continuous like it's supposed to be.
Hurdle #2: Committing to that planned distance. Once I had made the bone-headed decision that I was going to run my scheduled run in the rain, it was time to make sure that I would actually commit to the whole 10 miles required in my training plan. It would make no sense to use the 10 mile distance as excuse for avoiding the treadmill, and then turn around and quit after six miles.
To ensure that commitment, I decided that I'd better get away from the comfort of my home. I've run distances as long as nine miles without ever leaving my greater neighborhood. But after battling about whether to get outside in the first place, and realizing that the probability of "enjoying" a soggy 10 mile run was very small, I couldn't be sure that I wouldn't give in to the temptation to cut my run short if I stayed too close to my warm and dry apartment. So I didn't.
I basically try to treat my laziness the way alcoholics treat their drinking. Just because I've made it a few months working harder, living cleaner, staying busier, and enjoying the benefits of those changes does not mean that I can pretend that the root causes of my past shortcomings are not still laying in wait for the opportunity to make me fail. That couch crushing waste of flesh is still in here somewhere just looking for a moment of weakness that will allow his resurgence. I don't want to forget that.
I opted for the nearby Dismal Swamp Canal Trail. It's a simple out-and-back paved course that was repurposed from the old US Highway 17 when Virginia and North Carolina put in a newer four lane bypass several years ago. A lot of people consider out-and-backs pretty boring and I guess they can be. But I like the Dismal because it's flat and straight and actually kind of a pretty tree-lined path running along side of a small creek. I also liked the idea of running a turnaround route for Friday's run, because I would really only have to commit to half of my goal at a time. Once I ran the first five miles, I'd be five miles away from my car and have to run back. So I'd essentially be forced to get my 10. It's silly thinking, but it helped me mentally chew up what I was biting off.
The Wall: Not quitting/walking when the going gets tough. After getting to the trail, it was easy to get out of the car and get moving. Just getting there was the challenge. Now all I had to do was run. Piece of cake, right?
There was absolutely no one around. I stretched quickly and took off into the grey soggy goodness of my first ten miler. After the first mile, I peeled off my rain coat and hung it on the "1.25" mile-marker post as I passed by. I was running fine and at a decent pace. At just under four miles, my feet were starting to get wet and a little heavier, but I wasn't having a terrible time. I was wet, but I'd normally be pretty damp after four miles anyway.
As my watch vibrated the five mile reminder, I turned around just in time to see a couple of wild turkeys enjoying the weather as they pranced across an empty field and into the woods. They were the only other signs of animal life I'd seen. So if even a dog is said to have the common sense to come in out of the rain, I must have been closer to the intelligence level of a large non-flying bird. I'm not sure if that is a good thing.
In less than two miles I'd be able to see that wall I was hoping I'd never find.
My clothes had been pretty well soaked since mile two, but my feet and shoes put up a slow weakening fight until just under six miles. And before I got to seven, each foot was completed saturated and weighed approximately one hundred pounds each (give or take a pound). And my legs were really getting tired of dragging them back up off of the ground over and over again. My ankles weren't in love with the degradation of my form, and my knees weren't going to let them suffer alone. The suck was getting strong and I wasn't sure if I wanted to embrace it.
It was hard not to start thinking about that mantra blog that I had just read. I commented on that blog that I had not yet needed a running mantra, but because the phrase had showed up in facebook statuses, my run journal, and my blog in recent weeks, that maybe "I. Can. Do. Anything." could end up serving that purpose should I find the need. I found the need.
As the temptation to stop and walk began to really raise its voice, I found myself thinking "I can do anything," and eventually even ridiculously saying it aloud to myself to drown out the voices telling me to stop and walk. "I. Can. Do. Anything. " I felt a little foolish but I've felt that way many times before for far lesser reasons. I just didn't want to stop.
Stopping didn't make any sense. It was raining. I was miserable. And walking would just get me back to the car and out of the rain even slower and probably much colder. If anything, I should've been trying to run faster, not start walking. I was ready to be out of the damn rain more than I was ready to be free of the pain.
I managed to maintain a semi-consistent pace through those last three miles, except for fumbling the pickup of my rain coat. I almost pulled myself off of my feet when it got hung on the post as I tried to grab it running by. And as I finally saw the head of the trail coming into view and the glorious image of my beat up old car, I couldn't have felt better. Even in those shitty conditions I still got that rush that I get when I approach a finish. And I did finish.
When I was done, I walked back to by car opened the rear hatch and just sat there, curled up, holding my sore knees to my chest and quietly watching the rain fall. It was so quiet and peaceful both outside and in my head. The voices had been defeated. Did I feel a sense of accomplishment? Certainly. Was it worth it? Damn right. Do I want to do it again? Nope.
But tomorrow is another run day. Forecast: Rain. Luckily, I know I can do anything.
If I were granted one wish for the Shamrock Half Marathon, it would be that if I find myself struggling against an inner voice telling me to quit, that I will at least be able to look up at a beautifully clear blue sky and honestly be able to say to myself "Hey, at least it's not raining."
I. Can. Do. Anything.After getting home, rolling around with Citrus a little bit, and getting cleaned up and fed, I piled my sore bones into the backseat of a friend's car and headed out to Charlottesville to see talented Oklahoma singer/songwriter Samantha Crain (who I was delighted to see had her album art done by a whiskerino brother, Jeremy Okai) open up for Bloomington, Indiana's Murder By Death.
I know that their name sounds metal, but Murder By Death is an indie rock band that I was just recently introduced to, despite their six studio albums. Their sound ranges from a textural western desert sound to an almost punk rock quality in their faster songs. They played an awesome show and seeing them with good friends in a nice small venue was a really great way to end a day that started with a suck-embracing rain-run.
And I'm a sucker for a band with a cello player.


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At Cymdeithas Gofal / The Care Society we are committed to supporting people to reach their full potential. We achieve this by integrating our services to provide a number of tailored housing options and including opportunities for people to gain valuable skills and work experience.
We are always looking for ways to increase our opportunities and need the communities help to achieve ways that you can get involved in our work. Please take a look at the type of work we carry out – listed to the right hand side.


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Tool changer
The tenfold tool changer on the Voortman V320 enables fully automatic production and fast tool changing.
Length measuring
The VD40 drilling unit is able to store its current tool at the corresponding position in the tool changer and then take a new tool from one of the other nine positions fully automatically. When the operator stores a new tool in the tool changer the length of the tool is automatically measured and saved. This enables the drilling unit to move towards the material with maximum speed. Just before the tool touches the material the drilling unit reduces its speed to the required feed rate.
Automatic lifetime calculation
Before a nesting starts, the software automatically calculates how many holes need to be drilled. If the number of holes exceeds the defined lifetime of the current drill, the software will warn the operator that a tool change is necessary during the drilling of the nesting. When an additional drill is placed into the tool changer with the same diameter as the currently used drill, the machine will automatically change to the additional drill when the lifetime of the currently used drill is exceeded.


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Say what you will about the ranch house — supremely ugly or perfectly lovely — there's no arguing that this humble, single-story home that epitomized "the future" during the 1950s and 60s is enduring. But for some particularly passionate ranch-dwellers, "enduring" just doesn't cut it as they move to protect their humble homes from altercation or the wrecking ball through official historic status.
As reported by the Wall Street Journal, now that many ranches are turning 50 — the age that the National Park Service begins to consider buildings for the National Register of Historic Places — loud and proud ranch-lovers are coming out of the woodwork even though a large chunk of prospective homebuyers — who view the homes as being as "outdated as the eight-track tape" — pass, opting for newer and more spacious digs.
According to Atlanta real estate developer Kirk Boggs, many young buyers are dismissive of ranch-style homes dubbing them as "something their grandparents lived in" (my grandmother most certainly did, on a golf course in suburban Seattle). Yet some baby boomers are actively seeking ranch homes out, not necessarily because of their vintage appeal or nostalgia but because of their stair-less nature. "Their knees and hips are starting to bother them a bit," says Atlanta real estate agent Bill Adams of this new generation of ranch-seekers.
And on the topic of Atlanta, the birthplace of both suburban sprawl and MNN, the city is the location of a particularly active ranch preservation movement with Richard Clous of Georgia's Historic Preservation Division leading one of the first state efforts to protect the homes that once served as a "symbol of economic expansion" before falling out of favor in the 1970s.
Any ranch-lovers out there care to comment? Would you consider seeking historic status — signified by a front-door plaque — for your low-slung beauty?
Via [WSJ]


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"We had bought a new house, and couldn't sell our old one. We didn't want to use a real estate agent either, so we called iiTrust and they bought our old house that day!"charles & tonya proctor
"It just got too difficult to look after Mom in her old house. IITrust was so helpful, they bought the house the day we called them and even let us leave her old stuff there."mrs. shawron fettle
"It was the simplest way for me to sell my house. I didn't have to deal with any real estate agents and I didn't have to poy closing costs or commission!"richard kenney
"iiTrust went overboard to help me. The staff was not only friendly, they read all the contracts and made sure I was happy at the end. I would refer a lot of people to iiTrust, they were sent from heaven above"sherria young


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Saturday, November 17, 2012
Stop Hatin' On Dr. Susan Rice, Sen. John McCain
First it was Van Jones and Desiree Rogers, then you tried to attack US Attorney General Eric Holder for doing his damned job and putting a halt to your voter suppression bull feces, and now you fools are coming after UN Ambassador Dr. Susan E. Rice.
By the way, happy birthday Dr Rice! She was born in Washington DC on this date in 1964.
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) has been the point conservafool on this political smearing attack of Dr. Rice along with Sen Lindsey Graham (R-SC) whose pink elephant behind needs to come out of the closet.
Oops, did I say that?
Back to riffing on Sen John McCain and his loud and wrong attacks on Ambassador Rice, who is a potential nominee to replace Secretary of State Hillary Clinton when she steps down.
I know John McCain, the man who chose intellectually challenged Sarah Palin to be his vice presidential running mate.didn't just part his lips to say that he would do everything in his power to stop that nomination if it happened, and in addition to that had the unmitigated gall to call her 'not very bright'
Senator McCain is in no position to judge who is 'not very bright', since he graduated 894th out of 898 people in his Naval Academy class.
Dr Rice on the other hand was valedictorian of her HS class, a Phi Beta Kappa history student at Stanford and a Rhodes Scholar.
'Not very bright'? Yeah, right. I have three words for you Senator McCain. Take it away, Mr. T.
And stop hatin' on Dr. Susan Rice. She'll be a far better Secretary of State that the other non-related Republican Rice you supported.
Posted by Monica Roberts at 12:00 AM
Labels: conservafools, haters, Republicans
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The lamprey it seems is not only a curious looking creature but an interesting organism to help biologists understand the evolution of the jaw. I am told that it also makes a fine dinner, something which Henry I would at one time have attested to, before it was too late! I caught the following guy mournfully looking at the passers by in the old town of Santiago de Compostela last week.
lollamprey suggestions will be accepted.


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Watching and waiting: Fed in neutral
- The US central bank has left interest rates unchanged, given below-target inflation
- Schroders expects the next move to be a cut in 2020 as the economy slows but the risks are tilted towards an earlier move
Although there had been talk of an interest rate cut, the US Federal Reserve (Fed) left policy unchanged at its May meeting with the target benchmark rate at 2.25% to 2.5%. Fed chair Jerome Powell said that the policy stance was "appropriate right now – and we don't see a strong case for moving in either direction".
The policy setting Federal Open Market Committee noted that inflation had declined and that the underlying rate was running below its 2% target. However, chair Powell struck a more hawkish tone in his press conference when he said that inflation weakness is expected to be "transient or idiosyncratic". This impacted markets, sending the dollar and the two-year bond yield higher, and no doubt raised the ire of President Trump who has been pushing Powell and the Fed to cut rates and restart quantitative easing.
We do see a cut as being the next move from the Fed but not until next year when the economy has slowed. The risks though are tilted toward an earlier move given that some of the recent strength in activity will prove temporary, having been boosted by inventory building which will reverse in coming months.
Trending stories
- A new social contract - how are companies treating their employees as the Covid-19 crisis unfolds?
- How social inequalities have been brought into focus by Covid-19 and what it means for investors
- Our multi-asset investment views - May 2020
- Q&A: Why do markets rise even when the outlook is bleak?
- Economic and Strategy Viewpoint - June 2020
- Covid-19 poses temporary setback to the energy transition


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- » Cook's Illustrated founder coming to 'burbs
- » Celebrate the season with apples
- » Another heaping helping of dessert awaits
- » Quit whining; wine festival season is here
- » Burgers to bistro - chef keeps it seasonal
- » Celebrity cookbook helps anti-hunger campaign
- » Expo brings knitters to Schaumburg
- » Schaumburg's Seasons 52 lively and local
- » Creative sandwiches could mean cool cash
- » Beyond pesto: Using basil elsewhere
- » Cubs' fund raising cookbook a big hit
- » Cakes and chocolate take the Fair
- » Gin mixes things up in cocktails
- » Cocktail candies to enjoy at any hour
- » Enjoy savory side to Midwest's cherries
- More from Deborah Pankey
Eggs have joined peanut butter and spinach as a taboo food, at least for the time being.
Millions of eggs produced at two Iowa farms have been recalled after some 1,300 cases of food poisoning were linked to the eggs.
That has me questioning why people eat raw or undercooked eggs in the first place.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and numerous other food safety authorities, cooking an egg reduces the number of salmonella bacteria that can be present inside and on the shell, cutting the chances of illness. However, if the egg white and yolk are not fully cooked (like if the yolk is still runny) some bacteria could remain. The next time you lick brownie batter off the spoon or order an egg over easy, remember that there's some risk involved. Wait until the brownies come out of the oven and try an omelet instead.
To reduce your risk, the CDC stresses the following:
• Keep eggs refrigerated below 45 degrees and discard any eggs with cracked shells.
• Wash hands, work surface and utensils before food preparation. I'd add washing the egg (in shell, of course!) to that list. Don't wash the egg until you're ready to use it and handle it with care to avoid damaging the shell. I suggest a mixture of equal parts warm water and vinegar, the same solution you'd use to wash produce.
• Eggs should be cooked until both the white and the yolk are firm and eaten promptly after cooking.
• Do not keep eggs warm or at room temperature for more than two hours. After two hours, throw it out. This goes for all foods: bacteria thrive at temperatures between 40 and 140 degrees.
• Refrigerate unused or leftover egg-containing foods promptly.
• Avoid restaurant dishes made with raw or undercooked, unpasteurized eggs. Restaurants should use pasteurized eggs in any recipe (such as Hollandaise sauce or Caesar salad dressing) that calls for raw eggs.
Follow these precautions and you'll be able to enjoy deviled eggs and potato salad at your Labor Day picnic without any intestinal issues.
Sweet spot: Eli's Cheesecake World, the 62,000-square-foot bakery, visitors center, retail cafe, dessert cafe and corporate headquarters on Chicago's Northwest side, was named "One of America's Top Ten Sweetest Attractions" by Tripadvisor.
Created by restaurateur Eli Schulman as the signature dessert for his restaurant, Eli's the Place for Steak, Eli's Cheesecake has become a cultural icon, featured at celebrations around Chicago and in restaurants around the suburbs and the nation.
Catch a tour ($3 a person) at 1 p.m. daily at Eli's Cheesecake World, 6701 W. Forest Preserve Drive, Chicago. The bakery doesn't operate Saturdays and Sundays, but you can still get a taste of Eli's history and products for free (!) from 1 to 2 p.m.
• Contact Food Editor Deborah Pankey at email@example.com or (847) 427-4524. Listen to her discuss food and restaurant trends on Restaurant Radio, 5 to 6 p.m. Saturdays on WIND 560 AM. Be her friend on Facebook.com at Deb Pankey Daily Herald.


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What are online web form builders ?
Form builder allows you to build and manage all kind of forms for your website need. Building a fully functional forms takes very less time without writing a single line of codes. Below are few online form builders can be used.
What are the top 5 online form builders ?
1- FormTitan
FormTitan A powerful cloud based form builder tool for creating online web forms.It is so simple that in a matter of minutes you can create your form and start using it. It requires no programming skills – Titan does it all for you. FormTitan enables you to create an endless array of forms: contact forms, feedback forms, order forms, purchase forms, online invitations, surveys and polls etc.Formtitan is packed with a conversion rate optimization engine, its allow not just to build a very nice form but will also help you to build it in a way that it will have a better conversion rates.
In the world of Online forms, conversion rate is the number of visitors who submitted a form divided by the total number of visitors to that form. Conversion Rate Optimization simply refers to the process of improving your form by increasing your conversion rates.
2. Google Forms
We all know the Google Docs suite is a great free alternative to Microsoft Office, but did you know it also includes a great form tool? Google Forms is one of the very best form tools since its free, and can link your form results to a Google Sheets spreadsheet for advanced analysis. It's also incredibly fast—editing form fields in the Google Form editor is noticeably faster than using almost any other form app.Google Forms includes all the basic form fields you'd expect—there's no options for payments or uploads, but there are text, multiple choice, drop-down menus, and more—and basic themes to help you get started quickly.
Then, you can use the power of a spreadsheet to validate your form entries, add extra features with scripts, and put your form data to work with customized reports and lists, if you don't mind taking the time to put them together with spreadsheet tools. Plus, in another nice option, you can share the form—use Zapier to set up new entry notifications—and let your team help you edit it just like you can any other Google Doc.There's so much goodness here for free, it's really hard to argue against choosing Google Forms as your first option for making online forms.Google Forms Price: 100% free.
3. FormLogix
The only form builder that allows you to design your
form without any layout restrictions. Creating basic web forms without having to deal with their design.
Adding dependencies to create a compound flow in the form. With FormLogix you can create an endless array of forms: Contact forms, Feedback forms Surveys, Online polls, Order forms Event registration forms etc.
4. JotForm
If there was a competition for the app that'd let you make a full-featured form the fastest, JotForm would win hands-down.
Just go to jotform.com, and you can immediately start making a form without so much as signing up for an account. Add the fields you want, then add your email address to get your form responses, and you can copy the embed code and put the form in your site. That's it.For anything beyond that, you can signup for an account and even integrate it with Zapier.
You'll find most of the advanced features you'd expect from other form apps in JotForm, in a simple to use interface that's only a bit more dated than the one in the other form apps on this list. And, surprisingly enough, JotForm is one of the better options if you want to sell products through your form, since it supports eight payment processors including PayPal, Stripe, Authorize.net, and more.
5. Ninja Forms
For WordPress forms that are more customizable, Ninja Forms is a great option to consider. It's a free form plugin with paid extensions that let you add integrations with popular apps, add customized notifications, and more.
There are even extensions that let you tweak your form layout, to make multi-page forms or forms with multi-column layouts. You can then customize forms deeply with CSS themes.You can use your forms to do more with Ninja Forms, too, with its front-end posting tool. Instead of just letting you create posts from forms, it lets you integrate your forms deeply into your site to customize pages and posts without opening WordPress admin. It's a great choice if you want to deeply integrate forms into your WordPress site.


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With the Browns in a tailspin at quarterback, it may be wise for Cleveland to look at the bad-boy maverick of college football, Johnny Manziel in the 2014 NFL Draft.
Thanks to the ineffectiveness, ineptitude and all-around horrid play of Brandon Weeden, Cleveland will now be looking to draft it's fourth first-round quarterback in the NFL Draft (Tim Couch, Brady Quinn and Weeden) since their return to the NFL in 1999. What makes the fore-mentioned stat even more mind-boggling is that whichever quarterback the Browns do choose next May will likely be their 21st different starter and 42nd change under center.
That being said, while I was a Weeden supporter earlier this year, his epic-worthy bust-like play makes it hard to make any excuses, nor justify why he deserves another shot with either the Browns—or in the NFL.
With the 2014 NFL Draft expected to have Louisville's Teddy Bridgewater, Clemson's Tajh Boyd and possible underclassmen in Oregon's Marc Mariota and the fore-mentioned Manziel, the Browns have plenty of options to choose from.
This being the Browns, the question is, will they get it right for once?
While many Browns fans are hoping to land the uber-talented Mariota, or even package both first-round picks to Jacksonville and select Bridgewater, Hundley may be also available at the Browns projected draft slot, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner from Texas A&M makes the most sense.
This writer is going to play devil's advocate and get behind the possibility of Cleveland selecting the most polarizing figure in sports not named LeBron James, and while Manziel has had various off-the-field run-ins, if Cleveland is serious about wanting to build a real contender and identify it's franchise quarterback, then Manziel is the man.
The 6'1, 210-pounder is a proven winner on the biggest stage and has played in the toughest conference in college football in the SEC. It takes a special player to turn Nick Saban's two-time defending national champion Alabama defense into his own personal game of Madden in passing for 717 yards, tossing seven touchdowns and two interceptions.
Mind you, this was against a Alabama defense with top-ten first round talent and not the likes of Georgia State and Rice. That being said, Manziel is once again the top player in college football in terms of talent, "it" factor, mobility, improvisation, decent arm strength and pocket awareness that both Weeden and newly-minted starter—and sacrificial lamb—Jason Campbell could only dream about.
For the year, Manziel has completed 73.3 percent of his passes for 2,289 yards, 18 touchdowns and seven interceptions and rushed 85 times for 486 yards and six touchdowns. is he perfect, no?
Could the bad-boy Manziel be the elusive franchise quarterback that Cleveland desperately needs? Possibly.
Why Manziel and the Browns are a perfect fit for each other is that Manziel has proven experience against top-level competition and brings all the intangibles that Cleveland sorely lacks at the QB spot and Cleveland gets it's franchise quarterback to build around and a much-needed injection of bad-boy edginess and relevance.
Many fans will choose to nit-pick over his height, of being too small and nimble to played in the rugged and physical AFC North, last time I check, Russell Wilson and Drew Brees who are both barely six feet in cleats on a good day, are the patron saints of vertically-challenged NFL quarterback hopefuls.
Thanks to the current success of both Brees and Wilson, the age of the six-foot-plus passer is coming to an end and the age of more mobile and smaller quarterbacks is in vogue, which makes Manziel to Cleveland a no-brainer.
What would be the hypothetical ideal scenario for Manziel in Cleveland is to sit behind Brian Hoyer for a year and learn the nuances of the NFL game instead of starting immediately. Then again this is Cleveland and the Browns we are talking about here, and the words "ideal" "patience" and "quarterback development" is as foreign as pig Latin to Browns fans.
As much as I love my beloved Browns, Cleveland has a long history of having both a lack of patience in developing quarterbacks and bypassing elite talent for "high-character" guys who are good for the locker room and great in the huddle. While that is great and all, to earn respect in this league, you have to take that respect and learn to develop a rugged and meaner edge to you with a chip on your proverbial shoulder.
And let's be honest, Cleveland has far too long chosen so many choir boys that they should have their own congregation by now.
Bottom line is that, Cleveland needs to take a chance on a bad boy talent such as Manziel instead of going down it's usual path of playing it safe, because clearly that hasn't worked out too well for them since '99 now has it?
#JohnnyFootball #Browns #OnlyInCleveland
Robert D. Cobb is the Founder/CEO/Senior Editor-In-Chief Of The Inscriber : Digital Magazine, for questions, comments and concerns email me at robert.cobb@http://126.96.36.199/~theinscr follow me on Twitter @RC_TheInscriber and follow The Inscriber : Digital Magazine on Twitter at @TheInscriber


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- Step 0
- Step 1
Peter Raymond, CEO of Human Condition a company that is revolutionizing many industries using technology, data, science, and straight geniuses. I like to think of it as a lab creating solutions for every industry you can think of! In fact, Peter himself is one of the smartest humans I have ever met! Talk about an innovator or should I say game changer who is focused on social impact solving global problems with his team.
It's how we see the world... One thing i learned with Peter is the questions you ask are just as important as the solutions. In fact,
In order to find the solution you can't look at the symptoms you have to look at the root cause.
Peter teaches us , Curiosity is the genesis for many ideas. This is the fun part of being an entrepreneur.
How important your PROCESS is HUGE! The better your process as a company the more problems you can solve at scale. As Peter says, the company should be run like an operation system.
Also, how important collaboration is. We as individuals can create and innovate but when you learn to co-create and collaborate than there is strength in number or more importantly TEAM.
Empowering your team is a key component as a leader.
Be BRAVE. Manage your expectations, focus on the stuff that matters, and have confidence. Be BRAVE


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Children are especially vulnerable in the warm summer months because their body temperatures increase three to five times faster than adults'. In fact, KidsAndCars.org found that an average of 38 kids die each year from heatstroke after being left in a vehicle. Help keep your kids safe in and around hot cars with these tips.
- Never leave a child unattended in a car, no matter how briefly. The interior temperature can rise almost 20 degrees within the first 10 minutes of shutting the vehicle off.
- Don't be fooled by mild temperatures. Even when it's 60 degrees Fahrenheit outside, a car's interior can reach 110 degrees.
- Always check your back seats before locking your car. Put your cell phone or wallet in the back seat to help you remember to check.
- Keep vehicles locked so children can't accidentally crawl in. Keyless entry and ignition systems make this a greater risk, so it's important to keep key fobs in a safe place.
- If carrying child passengers, use drive-through services when available, such as at the bank, fast-food restaurants or the dry cleaner.
Call 911 if you see a child alone in an unattended vehicle. In hot weather, it may be legal in your state to break the glass to rescue a child. And don't forget — pets can be just as vulnerable to the heat. Be sure to take similar precautions when traveling with pets.


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How Do Tadpoles Grow?
Different frog varieties have different reproductive methods. Most species, however, start life as tadpoles and grow into adult frogs. Many people find this process fascinating to watch and raise tadpoles in captivity so they can watch the tadpole grow and change.
It can take from 11 to 16 weeks for a tadpole to fully mature into a frog, depending on the frog species.
Before they are tadpoles, baby frogs are eggs. When most frog species reproduce, they do so with the male sitting on top of the female. The female release her eggs into the water and the male fertilises them as they are laid. Many eggs are laid at once because the adult frogs do not stay and take care of the eggs. As a result, not all of the eggs will hatch because they will be eaten by ducks, fish and insects.
Tadpoles emerge from the fertilised eggs anywhere from three to 25 days after fertilisation. To stay safely hidden from predators, a newborn tadpole immediately attaches itself to a plant in the water. At this stage, the tadpole is very small and looks like a head with a long tail attached to it. The newborn feeds on tiny algae plants that are drifting through the water. The tadpole breathes using gills and cannot leave the water at this stage of development.
External Development
It does not take long before tadpoles need to eat more food than what floats by the plant they are attached to. At about six weeks old, tadpole's tails become longer so that they can more easily swim trough the water to find food. At this point, the tadpole will begin to grow back legs, which are quickly followed by front legs. Eyelids and thicker skin also form. The tadpole's body starts to slowly absorb the gills. After the legs are fully developed, the tadpole's longer tail will shrink and eventually be absorbed into the body.
Internal Development
At birth, a tadpole is essentially a head with eyes and a tail. Many internal changes must occur before a tadpole is ready to be a land dwelling frog. As a tadpole grows, she will develop bones. Teeth and the long tongue frogs are known for form while a tadpole is transforming into a frog. The tadpole must also grow some new internal organs, the most important of which are the lungs. Unlike tadpoles, adult frogs live on land rather than in the water, making it necessary to trade gills for lungs.
When all of the necessary changes and adaptations have been made, what was once a tadpole hops onto land as a fully formed adult frog. The mature frog will occasionally swim through water but will spend most of her time on land, feeding on insects. When mating season comes around again, the frog will find a mate and lay or fertilise another batch of tadpole producing eggs.


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To provide a user-friendly guideline to be used in the water use license process for the protection of South Africa's water resources. The idea is to answer: How to better improve and deal with impacts caused on South Africa's water resources, as a result of water users (as stated on the South African National Water Act 36 of 1998)? This will help water users to be weary of the impacts caused and also the importance of protecting water resources.
Mazibuko Molefi Jacob, Mazibuko Simphiwe, Weston Barbara, Atwaru Yakeen, Ntuli, Jafta Nolusindiso
All Details
No commitments


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16.06.2017 - Wrong otter on recent Swiss postage stamp
(lsn/20 Minuten) In March 2017 Swiss Post launched a series of special postage stamps showing domestic animal babies. One of the stamps depicts a baby otter, according to Swiss Post a 'Fischotter' (Lutra Lutra or 'European Otter'). But experts say the stamp does not show a European otter, but an Asian Dwarf Otter (Aonyx cinerea). The difference between the two otter types are that the European Otter has clearly visible webbing and claws on his paws; the Asian Dwarf Otter (or Small Clawed Otter) lacks these features. This is confirmed by the Swiss Pro Lutra Foundation, an organization that tries to protect the otter population in Switzerland. Managing Director Irene Weinberger of Pro Lutra: 'The depicted animal baby is clearly an Asian Dwarf Otter and not the kind of otter that you will find in Europe.' Otters were chased relentlessly in Switzerland when in 1888 a law took effect that determined that all animals that were harmful to the fisheries sector had to be eradicated. In 1952 however, the otter became a protected animal. In 1989 experts assumed that, despite this measure, the otter had become extinct in Switzerland. The good news is that in the last few years the first specimens have returned home. That's as maybe, but according to Irene Weinberger currently there are less than ten otters in Switzerland.


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Designed to be super-compact, your little one can sleep soundly in a range of spaces with this Mamas & Papas cot. Keep baby close by during their first nights by placing the cot in your bedroom. This cot is a space-saving 0.61m².
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Grim Tales: Graywitch Collector's Edition Game
( 3.0 / 5 ) - Write a Review
Elephant Games proudly presents the newest installment of the Grim Tales series! While researching her family's history, your relative was pulled back in time! It's up to you to travel into the past to find her, but it won't be easy. There's a mysterious monster on the prowl and the town's history remains a mystery. Can you uncover the identity of the monster and rescue your friend in time? Find out in this exhilarating hidden-object puzzle adventure! [875]
Grim Tales: Graywitch Collector's Edition full game features:
- Play as Victor and stop an evil cult in the bonus chapter!
- Earn achievements and find hidden collectibles and morphing objects.
- Unlock the secret room to test your skills!
- Enjoy concept art, wallpapers, screensavers, soundtrack and more!
- Never get lost with the strategy guide.
Free Download (836 MB)
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System Requirements:OS: Windows XP/Windows Vista/Windows
CPU: 1.6 GHz
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Thursday, July 28, 2016
TFTS- 261 Strange Song Origins!
The surprising meaning and history behind the songs Heartbreak Hotel, Loser, London Bridge, Maniac, I Shot the Sheriff and More! PLUS: Moon craters, Weird Japanese Food, Two WTS of the Weeks, Shopping Woes, Real Hover Boards, Hollywood Gets Probed and News Quiz!
Wednesday, July 20, 2016
TFTS-260 Ron's Cabinet of Wonders!
Captain Ron opens his trunk of Curiosities! Strange found objects, Bizarre Unearthed Items, Curses, Mysteries from The Sea and More! PLUS: Poop Food, DARPA Woods, Area 51, Space X, Ghost Video, Rock Hard with Jon-Mark and Ron's new roomie joins in on News Quiz!
Wednesday, July 13, 2016
TFTS-259 Curse Words!
We talk a bit about the history of some of our favorite (and not so favorite) curse words! PLUS: Jupiter Mission, The Swimming Centipede, China's SuperScope, Pube Fashion, Teleportation and News Quiz!
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1100 13th Street, NW, Suite 1000Washington, DC 20005202.887.6400Toll-free: 800.544.0155
All Contents © 2020The Kiplinger Washington Editors
James Glassman writes monthly about economic and investing trends.
FREE - Get the best of kiplinger.com (including Opening Shot) by E-mail
Warning signs are flashing, but no one has the slightest idea when a bull market -- or a bear market, for that matter -- will end.
See More On: Markets | Stocks & Bonds
If you're ready, you need to employ a cautious strategy.
See More On: Stocks & Bonds | Smart Buying
Columnist James K. Glassman consults with experts from top funds and firms to identify 10 stocks to that should outperform the S&P 500.
See More On: Stocks & Bonds | Tech Stocks
China has created the most successful economic revolution the world has ever seen, and it still has room to grow.
See More On: Stocks & Bonds | Foreign Stocks & Emerging Markets
Star fund managers are a vanishing breed, but I still think they offer value to the investor.
See More On: Mutual Funds | Stocks & Bonds
Wanting to put your money in firms that follow certain ideals is laudable, sure. But it's not as straightforward as it used to be.
See More On: Stocks & Bonds | Mutual Funds
Standard & Poor's 500-stock index has never recorded a loss over any 20-year period.
See More On: Stocks & Bonds | Economic Forecasts | Making Your Money Last
We're heading back to the old normal. The Fed is raising interest rates as the economy approaches full employment and inflation picks up.
See More On: Stocks & Bonds | Economic Forecasts
Department-store stocks have lost one-fifth of their value in the past five years, while the overall stock market has nearly doubled.
See More On: Stocks & Bonds
It's not like there aren't risks out there, but the smart strategy is to stay in stocks, and stay diversified.
See More On: Stocks & Bonds | Economic Forecasts | Investor Psychology
With Donald Trump's election, the yield on U.S. bonds has risen dramatically. That spells opportunity for bond investors.
See More On: Stocks & Bonds | ETFs | Mutual Funds
Trump's election has provided emerging markets with an unexpected benefit: a stronger dollar, which makes foreign goods even cheaper here.
Having beaten the market in 2016, I'm banking on these 10 stocks to outperform in the year ahead — and beyond.
To get higher profits
over the long haul,
you need higher
sales of products
and services that
keep improving.
Tech firms are the
best place to look.
The U.S.'s long-neglected infrastructure is set to get a spending boost, and these stocks stand to benefit.
The big banks have different personalities. JPMorgan Chase is strong and steady. Wells Fargo is seen as the best managed and most innovative.
See More On: Stocks & Bonds | Banking
If you're looking for safer diversification after the fallout from Brexit, check out these options.


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Tue 28 Dec 2010
Where accountability goes to die
Posted by Ed under development, Development Institutions, Food Security, policy
Comments Off on Where accountability goes to die
The subtle airbrushing of market manipulation out of the public consciousness continues apace. Despite clear evidence from IFPRI that market manipulation is creating the conditions of uncertainty that are driving up global food prices, nobody seems to want to address this in a forceful manner – and heaven forbid you raise this in any food security discussions in a development agency. People will blindly argue that there is no evidence (except, of course, there is), and then when confronted with the IFPRI study will make absurd arguments like the uncertainty is creating the appearance of manipulation because, you know, IFPRI wouldn't bother to make sure they had the causality going in the right direction before they published.* So, we will just keep plugging away at the issues of supply to address global food issues, because why address the only factor that IFPRI could identify as having a causal effect on the rising food prices in 2008?
And now we see the same blindness spreading into our discussions of the financial markets. In the January issue of Wired Felix Salmon and Jon Stokes return to the Flash Crash, the sudden near-600 point drop in the Dow that occurred back in May. The regulatory agencies assigned to policing market manipulation more or less abdicated their responsibilities and absolved everyone of blame in their report. This was absurd, and doesn't hold up to the slightest bit of logic. Now Wired is on board, running a "blame the algorithms" story that uses the flash crash as exhibit A. They argue that Waddell and Reed (the managers of the mutual fund that made the trade)
used an algorithm to hedge its stock market position. The trade was executed in just 20 minutes – an extremely aggressive time frame, which triggered a market plunge as other algorithms reacted, first to the sale and then to one another's behavior
Sure – this is exactly how it played out. But the issue here is not that the algorithms themselves were to blame. Someone had the PROGRAM THE ALGORITHM FOR THE FIRST TRADE. The algorithm did not decide to dump all of those futures contracts in 20 minutes. The person who designed the algorithm (or, more likely, his/her employer) made that decision. Once set in motion, I have no doubt that this trade cascaded through other, more conventionally designed algorithms, triggering all sorts of "irrational" behavior as they tried to adjust to the rapidly-changing market conditions. I also have no doubt that whoever set up the original algorithm had some idea that this is exactly the sort of chaos that would ensure from their insane trade. Everyone is now focused on events after the initial trade, and how trading algorithms might need more controls or oversight. I think that is a reasonable position, but it does nothing to address the behavior of individuals willing to initiate market chaos by setting up insane trades.
Incidentally, nobody in their right mind would set up an insane trade for no reason. I wonder if the SEC spent any time looking into who was short on the Dow that day and made out big (including people who made out huge before a bunch of trades later in the crash were invalidated), and then examined the connections those folks might have had to Waddell and Reed. Then again, it seems few folks in major development agencies want to seriously examine market manipulation and its impact on food security.
At what point does willful obliviousness turn into criminal negligence?
*these were actual arguments raised when a colleague of mine attempted to address the issue of market manipulation at a meeting in one of our major development agencies. Really. How the hell, exactly, does uncertainty create the appearance of manipulation?
No Responses to " Where accountability goes to die "
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- 1970
The Falkland Islands Co. - a London-based fishing corporation - withdrew its supply ship to Montevideo, which cut-off the islanders from receiving mail service. Britain told the islanders it was not economically feasible for them to continue to receive mail.
At the request of the World Postal Union, the Argentine Air Force began a weekly mail flight (at no cost) using a float plane (Malvinas had no airport at the time), to Islas Malvinas to supply the islanders with mail so they would not become the most isolated place on Earth. The RAF had previously refused a similar request from the WPU. Argentina also provides free medevac flights to Buenos Aires for ill islanders.
Argentine Air Force began to take its Albatross long-range amphibians out-of-service and informed the UK it would no longer be able to take care of the islanders.The islanders petitioned London to build them an airport. UK: "that's not economically feasible." The islanders petitioned Buenos Aires to build them an airport. Argentina agreed to continue to send welfare payments to the islanders, out of goodwill, and paid for construction of a rough airstrip. Continues operating free postal and medevac flights.
Argentina and the local government jointly fund construction of Port Stanley Airport. Britain is invited but doesn't bother to send any representatives to the opening ceremony of the airport. The airport, instead, is ceremonially opened by the Governor of the "Falklands" and the Vice-President of Argentina who flies in for the event.
The UK passes the British Nationalities Act, which strips the "Falklanders" of British citizenship.
This was not a thriving, economically self-sustaining outpost. This was a patch of dirt inhabited by a group of people who were barely hanging on and utterly dependent on Argentine charity to survive.


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Basic principles in editing and using ESAT
In order to undertake this project, we needed to answer a number of questions and agree upon some basic principles. Some of the more important of these are briefly discussed here.
- 1 Language and style
- 2 The South African focus
- 3 Accuracy
- 4 Critical perspective
- 5 Terminological problems
- 6 Return to
Language and style
The encyclopaedia is written in the academic form of South African English, which is largely based on British rather than American usage, as can be seen in the spelling of standard words such as theatre, colour.
The South African focus
There are two aspects to this issue, both which required simple and pragmatic solutions:
For many years it was fashionable to claim to be focussing on the entire region ("Southern Africa" ) in both academic and popular works of this nature, to avoid a number of awkward distinctions and accusations of parochiality. Thus a broader sweep would include Lesotho, the old "homelands", Namibia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Swaziland, Botswana, even Mozambique and Angola, etc. However, those days are gone and "South Africa" as a specific regional designation, without the stigma of the apartheid-divisionism, seems to be acceptable now. And this is just as well, for not only has the scope of the book originally planned proven to be vast enough without the need to go beyond the borders, but it has become very clear that over the past four centuries South Africa has actually evolved into a unique and distinctive cultural region, in many ways differing from the rest of the sub-continent. However, this can naturally not be all that clear-cut, and some references will be made to activities and personalities from the neighbouring territories.
The South African focus is also important in terms of the actual process of choosing the entries for this encyclopaedia. After long consultations it was decided that the database is intended to reflect as much of the South African theatre work as possible (i.e. concentrating on South African involvement as writers, dirtectors, performers, designers, etc.), while only the more significant and influential of the thousands of imported works and shows would be taken up in the Companion. This is sheer pragmatism for the short term, perhaps later versions could expand beyond these limitations to provide a more comprehensive list of visiting performers. What this means is for example that while every attempt will be made to list every South African generated theatrical work (as text and/or performance) and every South African performer or artist, not every foreign play produced would be discussed in the list of Plays, or every visiting performer listed in the Personalities section, though the visiting companies may be listed in the Venues and Companies section.
Contextual information
Much as it would please us to include as much contextual information as possible, this was just beyond the scope of the project. So, though it would be delightful to provide facts about the forces and influences that shaped the theatricals system(s) and facts about the individuals and issues that serve as themes and characters for and in plays and performances, this was not normally possible. However, we trust the essays in Part Two will be of some use. As may be the readings suggested in Part Three, Section 6: Bibliography.
The period to be covered
This digital version of ESAT covers the period from the earliest records of theatre and performance in the country to the year 2000. For events following 2000 AD there are many digital and internet sources currently available, so the emphasis of this project will be the periods preceding that. Thus, in effect, most of the available records, and thus most of the focus of the encyclopaedia, date from the 19th and 20th centuries. However, since the database is an ongoing activity, these dates will naturally be extended into the next century and millennium as we progress, and possibly back into the past as new information is revealed, especially about the pre-colonial period.
The cut-off point for inclusion of personalities and venues
This is a thorny issue. Many similar publications and databases take the obvious and easy way out: no one is included who is still alive. However, that would mean that such influential individuals as Athol Fugard, Gcina Mhlope, Marthinus Basson and Zakes Mda, for instance, would not be included – which is patently ridiculous. So, we have originally decided to take only individuals older than thirty in 2010 as a general rule (but the occasional extraordinary exception could of course occur), which would make the general cut-off date 1980. Anyone born after 1980 would normally still be building a career and will be considered for inclusion only later. However, there is a flexibility about this, left to the judgement of the individual biographer and the editor. And besides, this is a living document, and the cut-off date will keep changing as we move along.
As for theatre companies and other organisations, here too we have a difficulty. Since the 1990s the number of companies and service organisations proliferated exponentially, but many have had equally fleeting careers (as an extraordinary number of theatre enterprises seem to have had over all ages). Do we list them all? The existence of such directories as The Limelight and Contacts, and especially the appearance of the South African Handbook of Arts and Culture in 1998, has helped us here, since they do list most contemporary theatres, companies, etc. Since then, these services have shifted to numerous websites. So a simple link to them would suffice. The emphasis in this Encyclopaedia is thus on historical events and the companies, organisations and venues that impacted on theatre and the entertainment industry, and thus only lists established contemporary companies and organisations. In this context, therefore, the word "established" would normally refer to a company that has been or was in existence for 5 years or more, though it too may be applied flexibly, allowing for the appearance of a company etc. that seems to presage something more influential within the context of the times.
Dance, Opera, Musicals, Cabaret, etc.
Contemporary and post-modern practice internationally, as well as in the country has largely obscured what used to be very distinctive borders between the various forms of performance. For the purposes of this database, there will be a general thematic entry on each of the forms listed (as well as others), but not all ballet's, operas, and musical productions will be covered in detail since this would take us well beyond the modest scope of this initial project. I can, however, foresee that a larger, more integrated database and/or publication will have to be undertaken later.
Film, Radio and Television
When I started with this project, the same applied to the hugely influential electronic and filmic forms, i.e. Film, Television and Radio. However, since performers tend to work in these areas at the same time, the personalities section contained many film, TV or radio performers. Therefore, when Freddy Ogterop joined us as editor of a film section, it seemed logical to prepare for a full section on Media (Radio and TV) as well. So, in the current publication, the fields covered include film and media.
Translations and dubbed versions of plays and films
Translations of the work is discussed under the original where this is known. A link from the title of the translation takes the reader to the original, where the translation is also discussed.
While we have done our best to check all our facts, given the enormous number of entries and cross-references included in this digital encyclopaedia, we are bound to make numerous mistakes. Again we would appreciate receiving corrections and comments, so as to rectify things in the database. (See the next point on names and dates, as well as "Updating ESAT" at the end of this introduction.)
Names, dates and biographical data of personalities
Many writers, directors and performers work under one or more pseudonyms from time to time, some well known, others not. This of course can lead to major problems in identifying the particular personality. Where such pseudonyms are known, the main entry will be on the best known name, with a cross reference link from other names. For example, the entry on the man born as Gert Borstlap will appear under his stage name of André Huguenet.
In addition there is the fact that very many discrepancies appear in the credits lists for plays and films. For instance, it is commonplace to find variations in the spelling of names and surnames, in the initials provided and so on - often owing to some kind of human error by the publicist or journalist in question of course, but it may also be a preference of the individual in question. Where we are able to make an educated guess, all the variant versions would be listed under the most likely name, and links provided from the variant versions to the basic entry. For example: See the entry on the film actor Charles H. Butcher
A third - major - problem is posed by the lack of information on key dates (and even the plays/films) in the life of a personality. Few performers are keen to let on how old they are, where they were born, etc. Biographical notes in programmes, texts and even interviews are often very succinct and only related to recent activities. Similarly, theatre psoters and programmes are rarely dated.
Names and dates of plays, films, etc.
As in the case of personalities, the names of plays, films and other creative works may vary considerably over the years, from place to place, or from first verions to amended version. Many plays and films have alternative titles in the UK and USA for example, while there was a time when plagiarized work was performed under new titles to avoid paying royalties etc.
As mentioned in the previous section, another kind of problem is posed by translations, which often tend to have idiomatic titles in the new language, and may thus differ considerably from the original title.
As noted in the previous section, theatre and film posters and programmes are rarely dated. A real nightmare for archivists and historians.
Names and dates of companies, venues and performances
Just a brief note on a familiar problem to all theatre historians. All artists are notoriously sloppy and inaccurate in their day to day administration and documentation of events - and immensely creative in naming things. So much of the material - usually culled from a variety of sources - is rife with discrepancies, inaccuracies or pure speculation. For example: in the 18th and 19th centuries, as well as the work of notable practitioners of the 20th century (Gibson Kente comes to mind for instance), the names of companies, theatre venues, and even plays would change from event to event, depending on whims of the people involved, circumstantial issues, or misquoting by those reporting on (or remembering) events. To take but one example: the British officers who performed in the barracks in Cape Town in the first half of the 19th century called themselves (or were known) by any of more than ten names, including the" Garrison Players", "Garrison Amateur Company", "Garrison Amateur Theatrical Company", "(Garrison) Amateur Players", "Garrison theatricals" and "Gentlemen of the Garrison", and so on. And the amateur (and professional) theatre was even worse, for they were constantly breaking up and reforming to found new companies. The motto "Door Yver Bloeit de Kunst" for instance was used by at least four companies over the course of the 19th century, some clearly related, some not. And then there were companies which used the motto as a name as well, while others had both a name and a motto - and some even two names or two mottoes. In Kente's case again, the names of his plays varied as he travelled, apparently determined by such circumstantial matters as the size of an available banner. (Thus Mamma and the Load became, at times, simply The Load.) It is the African equivalent of the appalling publisher (and film industry) habit of having American and British titles for books and films. There are reasonable-sounding motives for it, but it makes the life of the chronicler hell.
In dealing with this we have tried to offer as many possibilities as we found, and tended to put them together as one entry, with sub-sections, where it seemed reasonable. But readers are asked to understand that what we have may just be a (hopefully informed) guess and a proposal for a possible scenario. So we would urge readers to also consult the references given and if they have information, to let us have it.
The same naturally applies to dates, since few programmes or posters, even today, provide dates of production, and people's memories are terribly unreliable, even about their most treasured experiences. And then, of course, there are those who consciously change the dates to suit their own versions of their history or the history of a company or venue. So, once again, where we have found discrepancies or differences of opinion we have tended to provide both alternatives, except where the authority for one date may be overwhelming. In this respect then, this companion must be seen as a guide only, not a definitive source.
Critical perspective
Because this is a general reference work, compiled by a very large number of authors and editors from an even larger variety of sources, there is hardly any possibility of a single, coherent and specific "critical perspective" in the publication, beyond a demand for excellence in research and accessibility of information. Each author would naturally have an own perspective, even an own "agenda", and we have accepted this. However, the informational aim was stressed and the general principles of "inclusiveness", "factual information" and "subjective objectivity" have served as guidelines when commissioning articles and editing them for the original Companion and hence also for ESAT. If any specific theoretical perspective may be said to invest the project at this particular point in its evolution, it would inevitably be that of the project leader and general editor, whose ideas concerning theatre in South Africa are contained in the article South African Theatre and Performance An Historical Overview by Temple Hauptfleisch and Marie Kruger
Terminological problems
Another important point of agreement we had to reach was that of a set of working definitions for key concepts to be employed.
As if the English language itself were not inconsistent enough, the terminology used in discussing theatre is particularly complex and confusing at times, greatly influenced by regional and sociocultural context (E.g. European and American theatrical terms do not always correspond, while literary scholars and theatre practitioners employ radically different terms for the same thing, or may attach totally dissimilar meanings to the same term. South Africa has its own share of idiolectic variations.) Terms also change markedly in meaning over time.
The encyclopaedia does not set out to define general theatre or media terms. This is done excellently in a number of well–known companions and dictionaries. The Afrikaans theatre dictionary (though somewhat dated) does the same for Afrikaans terminology. However, there are naturally certain terms that have specific relevance to or meaning in South Africa (e.g. "alternative theatre", "township musical" , "kabaret/cabaret", "ntsomi", "bioscope", "fliek", "toyi-toyi", etc. ), and there are some general terms which we have used in specific ways for our purposes. A number of terms are therefore briefly mentioned below and most of them will also be discussed more fully under their own heading in the section on South African Terminology and Themes. Without arguing the case for each one in this introduction, I do want to point out the specific decisions we made concerning terminology, are largely based on general contemporary South African usage.
Terms used in specific ways:
(Click link to see further discussion on the issue.)
Actor/actress The use of actor as a general term referring to both male and female performers in a play or film has come into vogue in some circles since the late 1990's. It will not be used in that way in ESAT, however. To avoid problems of gender, the neutral term performer is thus generally employed, except where citing from a work following the older usage.
African(as in "African theatre", "African economy" and so on). The notion of "Africanness" is widely contested today, and we certainly do not want to become embroiled in a debate about it. As used here the term "African" is not an evaluative term, implying any kind of uniqueness or exoticism, but merely a regional indicator, referring to the entire geopolitical area we know as Africa today and to all the indigenous cultural forms, processes and artefacts created and used in that region.
African languages. Traditionally in South Africa, this refers to languages of African origin (more particularly Bantu origin) in South(ern) Africa. (Indeed they were formerly referred to as Bantu Languages). Lately, this has come to include other local languages such as Afrikaans and San. However, we use it here to refer to all the indigenous languages of Africa, not just those spoken in Southern Africa.
Afrikaans (on its own or in combination, as in "Afrikaans theatre", "Afrikaans literature", etc). Used as a noun, this refers to the indigenous language (a derivative of 17th century Dutch, under the influence of local conditions, notably the impact of other languages, such as French, English, German and a range of local languages and languages spoken by the slaves brought out from the East.) Spoken by about six million people in South Africa, a large proportion of them not white. According to the 2001 census, for example, Afrikaans is the first language of over 80% of Coloured South Africans (3.1 million people) and approximately 60% of White South Africans (2.5 million). Around 200,000 black South Africans speak it as their first language. Large numbers of Bantu-speaking and English-speaking South Africans also speak it as their second language. It is also the most common first language in the southern section of Namibia. When linked to products or outcomes (e.g. "Afrikaans theatre") it refers to work produced in that language or by people speaking Afrikaans – not necessarily to a social, ethnic or political entity of some kind (e.g. "Afrikaners").
Afrikaners: The term has been much debated, but basically it is used to refer to a specific group of white South Africans who see themselves as a distinct cultural and ethnic grouping, identified by their language (Afrikaans), their European based social structures, religious affiliation (Calvinist reformed – one of the three "sister" churches) and political orientation. Also referred to as "Boere" (or "Boers" in English). See below.
Apartheid. Used in the political sense to refer to the political philosophy of the Nationalist Party and the institutionalised racism of the period 1948-1990. Of late it has become usage to spell it with a lower-case "a", indicating that it is used as a common noun. This is fine when we refer to it as a form of general racism (e.g. "in Australia apartheid-style thinking led to the aborigines being hustled into inhabitable regions…" ) However, for the most part in this publication we tend to talk about a specific political movement, so in such cases have decided to retain former usage, which uses a capital "A".
Bantu (Lit. "man"). The term used by colonials to refer to people of African origin. **?? It is back in vogue today, replacing other - more demeaning - terms. *****
Black (as in "Black theatre", "Black South Africans" and so on): While this usage has been challenged in a variety of ways over the years, this publication utilizes the American usage which has generally been followed in South Africa from the middle of the 1970's, namely to use "black" in this context as a political term to refer to anyone (or any activity undertaken by someone who would have been classified as) "non-white" or "non-European" in former years. This implies that the term is a blanket term for used to be referred to as Africans (Zulus, Xhosas, Sotho etc.), as well as the so-called "coloureds" and the Indians and other Asian peoples in the country. The individual groups are referred to as "Xhosa, Coloured, Indian, white, Afrikaans", and so forth, as the need may arise.
Boer (literally "farmer"). A term used in the plural ("Boere" in Afrikaans, "Boers" in English) to refer to white Afrikaans-speaking South Africans. Originally a positive identification (especially during and after the South African or "Anglo-Boer" War), but later in the 20th century, often used pejoratively by non-white South Africans, as an alternative to "Afrikaners".
Director and Producer: In South African usage we tend to follow the American rather than the British convention, and do so in this publication as well. Thus the director is the person responsible for the general interpretation of the play, for the conduct of the rehearsals, guiding and advising performers. (Referred to in Afrikaans – as on the European continent – as the regisseur.) The producer is the person responsible for the financial and management side of a production. (In British usage: the manager)
Drama, Theatre and Performance: The word drama is used in its narrower literary sense, to refer to the body of written and printed texts, and not as a general equivalent for theatre (see below). Thus, "English drama in South Africa" would refer to the texts of plays written in English in South Africa, not to the performance of such or other English plays in the country. (The latter would be termed "English theatre in South Africa")
The word theatre, on the other hand, is used as a broad, non-specific term (eg. as it is used in the title to this work), this would refer to the entire cultural activity (everyone and everything involved in all the theatrical events – i.e. live stage performances done before audiences in order to amuse, instruct, or as part of a ritual event). Thus "South African theatre" refers to all theatrical events or performances taking place in South Africa – formal, informal, traditional, African, European, musical, tragic comic, etc., and all aspects of it: management, artistic, technical and receptive processes and participants. (It is, therefore, inclusive of "drama" and "performance"). Similarly "British theatre" would to all such performances and events done in Britain, etc. It is, however, one of the (many) quirks of the English language also traditionally used in a more specific sense, to refer to the building or space in which performances take place (as in The Market Theatre). Inevitably it is used in this way here as well, where the preferred term (venue) is inadequate or misleading or it appears in the name of a venue (the Market Theatre, the State Theatre).
Performance can also be used in multiple ways. The basic and familiar sense of the term – and the sense in which it is employed in this work - is a reference to the act of performing as a performer (on stage, in a performance space). E.g. "He gave a good performance as Hamlet". A second, equally conventional use of the term refers to a particular presentation of a work of theatre before a particular audience. (E.g. "We went to see a performance of Hamlet.") This would be a reference to one specific theatrical event by a given set of performers, at a given time, place and in a given venue. (A series of such performances by the same group of performances would be referred to as a production of the play – see below) A third meaning, which has become prominent during the second half of this century, derives from the theories and practice of Victor Turner and Richard Schechner, notably their important and influential writings about what they term performance theory. They use the term to refer to something much larger and more encompassing than the second meaning of "performance" described above. It points to the entire theatrical event, i.e. the sum of all the processes involved in performing before an audience (including social, political, contextual, performative, ritual and ceremonial acts leading to and shaping the actual performance on stage, as well as its reception during and after the event.) This would naturally also include many performance forms that may seem unconventional in European thinking about theatre forms. In many ways these ideas must (and do) underlie the thinking of this book and contemporary writing on African and South African performance forms. (See the chapter entitled Theatre and Performance in South Africa: An Overview of Major Trends). However, to avoid confusion, the basic idea of this expanded interpretation – i.e. "all the processes and influencing factors involved in a performance before an audience" - will normally be expressed by the more conventional term used above, namely "the theatrical event" (see below).
English (as in "English theatre"). The reference is to the language, which has its own distinct vocabulary items and pronunciation, referred to as South African English. However, much of it is originally Standard British Pronunciation, though with regional variations. Since the 1970's the influence of American English is on the increase. Also, there is a great deal more mixing of the various languages in the country. (See Jean Branford: The Dictionary of South African English, **). In combinations, the reference is to writing in English by any South African, no matter what his or her ethnic or linguistic origins.
European (as in "European drama", "European conventions" etc). Simply any drama or theatre practice deriving from Europe. The notion of Eurocentrism (and the rejection of that) featured quite strongly in the 1980-1990's but seems to have dissipated a little by 2000.
South African (as in "South African theatre", "South African languages" and so on): This refers to the geopolitical area we know today and to the cultural forms, processes and artefacts created and used in that region.
Production: This refers to the play as prepared for performance and put on over a period of time, and consists of the entire process of planning, rehearsal and performance.
Theatrical event: This refers to the entire complex of activities, processes, influencing factors and individuals involved in the presentation of a single performance before an audience at a particular time under particular circumstances. (See Performance above.)
Theatrical system: This refers to the whole network of activities that go into the making of theatre in South Africa – starting from the creative activities of writers, performers, designers, directors, etc, through administrative and other basic and support activities, such as marketing, ticket-sales, agencies. It also includes external matters (Censorship processes, copyrighting, publishing, sponsorship, etc). The notion is a simplified version of the more complex ideas espoused by general systems-theory. (For further discussion of this see Part Three, Section 1: Terminology and Hauptfleisch, 1997.)
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text:
Team: Seattle Mariners
Position: Pitcher
Value of card: 3 ounces of birdseed
Key 1981 stat: 16 straight losses (true)
Clearing up some rumors about Mike Parrott:
- Parrott, despite his last name, didn't have feathers. He had 14 inches of feathery locks.
- Parrott didn't wear sunglasses to block the sun. He wore them to intimidate it.
- Parrott didn't like birds. He flipped them.
- Parrott didn't repeat phrases. He didn't repeat phrases.
- Parrott didn't live in a cage. He kept his mullet in one.


text:
The second decade
MARTIN started the second decade of the new century with a real bang, namely the presentation and launch in 2010 of the reverse-acting grate Vario at the IFAT trade fair in Munich. This grate system gives customers maximum flexibility in the choice of fuels but does not require the grate surface to be cooled. Maximum service life of the grate elements, excellent levels of availability and minimum wear are guaranteed. Moreover, all the advantages associated with the reverse-acting grate principle are completely retained. The first plant to be equipped with this grate system has been in commercial operation in Pozzilli (Italy) since 2007.
2011 saw the acquisition of an important contract for the expansion of the Roskilde plant in Denmark. The reverse-acting grate Vario was used for this contract and for the contract signed in 2010 for the Brista 2 plant in Sweden. The Vario grate was also used in Pilsen (Czech Republic) and Konin, our first order in Poland. The reverse-acting grate Vario has been chosen for 10 plants with a total of 14 lines, which are either in operation or under construction.
The order situation for our licence holder Sanfeng Covanta in China is very positive. Orders for more than 110 lines with a throughput of almost 60,000 t/day have been placed in China. A further highlight is the placement in 2014 of an order for Addis Ababa in Ethiopia. This is the first plant in Africa. The license agreement was extended by another 10 years at the end of 2014. At the start of 2013, we concluded an additional licence agreement in China with China Everbright.
2011 marked the 50th anniversary of our partnership with CNIM, which is very successful, for example in the United Kingdom. Contracts have been received from various operators for a total of 11 plants to date, all of which are turnkey facilities (including the civil part) equipped with our combustion system. The plants in question include those in Cardiff, Wilton, Beddington and Kemsley. Sharjah is the first contract awarded in the Emirates and includes both the construction and operation of the plant.
Covanta Energy has built the first plant in Canada, in Durham. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Environmental & Chemical Engineering is supplying the 6th plant in Singapore and the Shanghai Laogang facility, the largest plant ever to be built at one time, with a throughput of 8 x 850 t/day.
2010 saw the foundation of MARTIN Services SAS, based in Lyon (France), to ensure the provision of aftersales services for French plants equipped with our combustion system. In 2011, we set up a workshop for repairing boiler parts in Matzingen (Switzerland), which has now reached full capacity. As a result, Martin Caldeiras was established in Portugal in 2015. In Caldas da Rainha, approx. 1 hour's drive north of Lisbon, we set up another workshop for repairing boiler parts. This site has a far greater capacity than the Matzingen facility and incurs significantly lower cost. Production at Caldas da Rainha commenced at the beginning of 2017.
In 2014, we set up a joint venture in Australia under the name Martin biopower Pty Ltd to handle the Australian and New Zealand markets. Intensive lobbying has significantly increased interest in and acceptance of the thermal treatment of waste. Several promising projects are currently in progress.
At the end of March 2015, we entered new territory by signing a cooperation agreement with Thöni Industriebetriebe, based in Telfs (Austria). This was a first for us because we obtained the rights to a technology, and because this technology is completely different from the rest of our portfolio: the dry digestion process, which is suitable for treating biogenic waste flows to produce pipeline-grade biomethane and high-quality fertilizer for agricultural use. We signed the first contract at the beginning of 2017 in Tornesch (Germany), where an anaerobic digestion stage is to be integrated into the existing composting plant.
The transition from the 3rd to the 4th generation of the MARTIN family was legally initiated at the end of 2015, and operational responsibilities were handed over at the end of September 2016, when Mr. Johannes J.E. Martin began his well-earned retirement after more than 35 years in the company.
Status: May 2017