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As a side note Mayor Nagin is facing criminal corruption charges for misappropriating federal funds destined for the repair of his city. Did you read that in the headline news?
But President Obama & Democrat leaders are held to a different standard. New York’s Rockaway’s are still a disaster area and federal feet are dragging. The quiet desperation of American citizens needing aid from their government is being ignored in the media.
Democrat Irish Americans should take note of the shabby treatment they are getting from the very politicians they help put in office. Notice what it is like to be relegated to old news by the lap dog media.
Scientists have grown a miniature brain in a dish with a spinal cord and muscles attached, an advance that promises to accelerate the study of conditions such as motor neurone disease.
The lentil-sized grey blob of human brain cells were seen to spontaneously send out tendril-like connections to link up with the spinal cord and muscle tissue, which was taken from a mouse. The muscles were then seen to visibly contract under the control of the so-called brain organoid.
The research is is the latest in a series of increasingly sophisticated approximations of the human brain grown in the laboratory – this time with something approaching a central nervous system attached.
The scientists used a new method to grow the miniature brain from human stem cells, which allowed the organoid to reach a more sophisticated stage of development than previous experiments. The latest blob shows similarities, in terms of the variety of neurons and their organisation, to the human foetal brain at 12-16 weeks of pregnancy.
However, the scientists said the structure was still too small and primitive to have anything approaching thoughts, feelings or consciousness.
While a fully developed human brain has 80-90bn neurons, the organoid has a couple of million, placing it somewhere between a cockroach and a zebrafish in terms of volume of grey matter.
Previously, the sophistication of the organoids scientists had been able to achieve had been limited by the lack of a nutrient supply to the centre of the blob. Once it reached a certain size, the neurons in the centre would become cut off from their nutrient supply and start to die off, and the structure would stop developing.
In the latest research, the scientists grew the organoid and then used a tiny vibrating blade to cut it into half millimetre-thick slices which were placed on a membrane, floating on a nutrient-rich liquid. This meant the entire slice had access to energy and oxygen and it continued developing and forming new connections when it was kept in culture for a year.
Alongside the organoid, the scientists added in a 1mm-long spinal cord, taken from a mouse embryo, and the surrounding back muscle. The brain cells automatically began to send out neuronal connections, linked up with the spinal cord and began sending electrical impulses, which caused the muscles to twitch.
The ambition is to use systems like this to study how the human brain and nervous system develop and why things go wrong in illnesses such as motor neurone disease, epilepsy and schizophrenia.
Gray Camp, a geneticist at the Institute of Molecular and Clinical Ophthalmology in Basel, Switzerland, who was not involved in the latest work, described the advance as “a big step for the field”. “It’s extremely exciting to see evidence of functional nerve tracts growing out of developing human brain tissue and innervating other tissues,” he said.
The findings are published in the journal Nature Neuroscience.
Kendal Lividini was only 17 years old when she died of acute myelogenous leukemia in 2011. But her indomitable spirit lives on in alt-rock band Quietdrive's emotionally charged "Even When I'm Gone."
Made available worldwide through digital retailers on Sept. 3, the Orchard-distributed single is accompanied by a viral music video that arrived on Sept. 26.
The mission behind both projects: to raise awareness of and research dollars for the fight against pediatric cancer. The campaign is a four-way partnership involving Quietdrive, Team Kendal Kidz, Children's Cancer Research Fund (CCRF) and Rock the Cause, the nonprofit label behind Zach Sobiech's Billboard Hot 100-charting "Clouds" single and "Fix Me Up" EP.
"Everyone knows what the color pink is for but not that September is National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month," says John Lividini, Kendal's father. "Funding for pediatric cancer is a fraction of what it should be. We're trying to make a difference."
Spurred by his daughter's love of music, John asked Quietdrive's Kevin Truckenmiller to pen a song.
"In the studio it felt like Kendal was writing the words for me," Truckenmiller recalls.
The band publicly performed "Even When I'm Gone" for the first time at Team Kendal Kidz' third annual concert (Sept. 7) at the Royal Oak Music Theatre in Royal Oak, Mich. Joining Quietdrive as special guests were Bliss 66 and Half Light Music.
Rock the Cause CEO Scott Herold says that more than 300 stations either downloaded or exported "Even When I'm Gone," helping to make the song No. 1 at Play MPE as of Sept. 9.
"There's a lot of interest from [adult top 40], top 40 and Christian rock radio," he says.
In tandem with Spotify, Rock the Cause has also created a National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month playlist. All proceeds from "Even When I'm Gone" are donated to CCRF, which is helming the song's video initiative.
Following up on recommendations from a diocesan Synod held in October, Bishop McElroy instructed his pastors to post notices in parish bulletins, inviting divorced and remarried Catholics to “utilize the internal forum of conscience” in making their decisions whether they should receive Communion.
Citing the deliberations of the diocesan Synod, the bishop also said that parishes should welcome gay and lesbian couples, and couples cohabitating before marriage. “The Synod pointed to the need to invite young couples lovingly, non-judgmentally and energetically into Catholic marriage and to provide mentors for them,” he said.
Many Catholics engaging in this process of discernment will conclude that God is calling them to return to full participation in the life of the Church and the Eucharist. Many others will conclude that they should wait, or that their return would hurt others.
Wow! Not sure what else to say, except pray for this Bishop and his flock.
Before we receive the holy Eucharist, let us have first confessed our sins before we commit a sacrilege! REMEMBER: JESUS DIED FOR EVERY SIN WE CONFESS. WE DIE FOR EVERY SIN NOT CONFESSED....aptly said by Fr. Larry Richards.
As a Catholic father, I'm in a quandary over what to think or do. I have spent my life trying to create an informed conscience in myself and my children, based heavily on scripture, the writings of St John Paul II and the Catechism. And now It seems that Pope Francis has done more damage in a few short years to the work that I have done with my family, than a lifetime of living in a secular society and attending liberal universities. I see this not only in my own family, but in my parish.
How could this happen? Pope Francis tells us that Amoris Laetitia is perfectly clear and unambiguous on this and all other issues, and promulgates no new doctrine. How could the Bishop of San Diego think it did? Fallacy somewhere, I fancy! (as Gilbert and Sullivan put it).
Wow! This is return to early 60s when you find liberal priests who tell you rules are finite and changeable so do not worry. Let your conscience be your guide. Naturally these folks who practicing gays and lesbians will join the club of forming their own conscience. Divorced and remarried will do the same. Those living together will join the club since they are in love. Forget 10 Cmdments, forget Church teaching, forget sin. This Pope has created scandal for the whole Church. Jesus help.
It seems to me that there has been a 500 year recognizable reenactment by His Church of the passion of Christ. It is precisely on time. He was on trial for 50 years since the Council; He has since been beaten by insane Germany Bishops; He is now crowned with thorns by their seemingly impossibly ignorant American counterparts; The Pope himself is poised to nail Him to the Cross. But He will not die, now or ever again. He has risen and will die no more. Believe and pray. We live on the edge.
To all: Hang on. I suspect that God will have something to say on this one.
On reading this, one might hope that the excommunicable offense of schism might once and for all be officially removed from the CIC. One could also recommend throwing out the 10 Commandments, the 613 Commandments of Moses, and all of Catholic theology. Who needs them? Let your conscience be your guide. Have an "adult" faith. The old religion had a "certain legitimacy," but the new religion is much more inviting, less judgmental (unless you are an EF Catholic), less psychotic, more "with it."
And so it begins. In 10 years the Church's teaching on divorce will be nothing more than a foot note in dusty theological texts.
The church certainly guides sinners out of the wilderness, away from sin and towards virtue, to a life of holiness. There appears to be an intentional ambiguity, however, in this "accompanying" guidance for priests, especially when "helping" those persistent in in sin. There appears to be almost a promotion of ignorance, promulgated from a false sense of charity, that "if we don't tell them that it's sinful, then maybe God will wink." Where is the "the pillar and foundation of truth" (1 Tim. 3:15)? There is no shortage of a sense of belonging for those of us that want to feel a part of a social club that accepts our sins, and even promotes and celebrates them. But the Church is a source of Grace, and Grace overcomes all sin. I'm concerned that some have lost hope in the power of Grace from the Holy Spirit. We must pray for our Bishops and priests!
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BERLIN (Reuters) - German exports unexpectedly fell by more than imports in September, narrowing the trade surplus as trade friction with the United States slows the traditional growth engine in Europe’s largest economy.
The Federal Statistics Office said on Thursday that seasonally adjusted exports fell by 0.8 percent on the month in September, with imports down 0.4 percent.
A Reuters poll of economists had pointed to a 0.3 percent rise in exports and a 0.8 percent increase in imports. Germany’s trade surplus narrowed to 17.6 billion euros ($20.09 billion) from a revised 18.2 billion euros in August.
“A combination of slowing world trade and temporary factors like the new emissions norms for autos hit the German export sector over the summer months,” ING economist Carsten Brzeski wrote in a research note.
The Federal Statistics Office will publish preliminary gross domestic product growth data for the third quarter next Wednesday.
Trade disputes abroad and political tensions at home are both leaving their mark on a still exports-dependent economy which is now in its ninth year of expansion.
Household spending has become an important growth driver for Germany as exports have weakened. Consumers are reaping the benefits of record employment levels, rising real wages, increased job security and cheap credit due to the euro zone’s expansive monetary policy.
Nonetheless, several economic institutes said last week the German economy probably shrank in the third quarter after posting quarterly growth rates of 0.4 percent in the January-March period and 0.5 percent in the second quarter.
However, data released on Tuesday showed industrial orders rose unexpectedly in September, driven by bulk orders and higher demand from domestic and other euro zone clients, suggesting the economy ended the third quarter on a solid footing.
Now's the time we all return to the daily grind — following the last holiday until the Thanksgiving season. But what feels like a downer is the turning point for the live music scene, as concert activity picks up in the fall months. This week features some big names making their return to Houston venues, a respite for those who need to momentarily forget the return to cubicle life.
Cult singer-songwriter Ben Harper's impeccable cool and affinity for working with some of the most skilled musicians in the industry led him to join forces with blues harmonica player and vocalist Charlie Musslewhite for 2013 collaboration, Get Up!, which won the pair a Grammy for Blues Album of the Year.
They decided to pair up again for this year's gritty, No Mercy In this Land, featuring songs of American struggle and survival. Musslewhite, a veteran of the Chicago blues scene, and Harper, an acclaimed guitarist and vocalist, mesh well together, making this pairing a great opportunity for fans of blues, roots rock, and folk music.
Ben Harper and Charilie Musslewhite perform at White Oak Music Hall, located at 2915 N. Main St., on Wednesday, September 5. Tickets start at $43 plus a $15.31 service fee. Doors open at 7 pm.
Give it up to Seattle's grunge legends Alice in Chains — they are survivors. Following the death of lead singer Layne Staley in 2002 to drug addiction, the band took some time off and added singer William DuVall, who brought his own fierce vision of Staley's early vocal work, perfectly connecting with excellent guitarist/vocalist Jerry Cantrell.
The new-look act released 2009's Black Gives Way to Blue, featuring hits "Check Your Brain," and "Your Decision," both which sounded like peak-era Chains. Following 2013's The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here, the band is back with this year's acclaimed Rainier Fog, which serves as a tribute to the scene that birthed them, that they helped bring to the masses.
Alice in Chains brings their Seattle sound to the Revention Music Center, located at 520 Texas Ave., on Friday, September 7. Tickets are $55 plus service fees. Doors open at 7 pm.
Everyone's favorite cowboy bro, Luke Bryan, brings his new country party to Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, aiming to keep the summer celebrations going as long as possible. Bryan's profile couldn't be any bigger with a spot on the panel of hit TV show, American Idol, next to Katy Perry and Lionel Richie. A featured performer at RodeoHouston this past season, he's now on the road with his What Makes You Country tour, behind the No. 1 album of the same name released last year.
Expect to hear a number of his 14 No. 1 hits, including "Country Girl (Shake It For Me)," "Drink a Beer," "Drunk on You," and an assortment of other country songs that involve partying with pretty girls.
Luke Bryan headlines the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, located at 2005 Lake Robbins Dr. in The Woodlands, on Friday, September 7. Jon Pardi and Carly Pearce open. Tickets start at $29 plus service fees for lawn seating, $90.75 plus service fees for reserved seating. Gates open at 6 pm.
Let's talk about thongs for a minute. Back in the late-'90s, Dru Hill's most visible member, Sisqo, embarked on a solo career, launched by the pre-#MeToo movement ode to beachwear, 1999's hit of the summer, "Thong Song," a cut that would have little to no place in the current socio-political climate. Even then, the huge hit was seen as utterly ridiculous and a punchline of an era of oversaturated MTV excess.
No wonder, then, that Sisqo did the best thing for his quickly descending career by rejoining with Dru Hill. They'll be celebrating the 20th anniversary of their multi-platinum album, Enter the Dru, bringing back an era where Boyz II Men vocal theatrics were met with gaudy fashion choices. It should be an ironically good time.
Dru Hill and Sisqo bring back a simpler time to House of Blues, located at 1204 Caroline St., on Friday, September 7. Rising Over Envy opens. Tickets start at $30 plus service charges. Doors open at 7 pm.
Following a sold out show back in the spring at Warehouse Live and a headlining spot at the Majic 102.1 Summer Block Party earlier this summer, Grammy Award-winning R&B star Miguel returns to Houston to the much larger Revention Music Center for yet another Houston appearance in 2018 as part of his Ascension tour.
He’s still touring behind the popularity of 2017’s War & Leisure, which features Houston's Travis Scott on single "Skywalker," so if you haven’t had enough of seeing the Los Angeles native, this will be your chance to take in his Prince and Stevie Wonder indebted sounds.
Miguel headlines Revention Music Center, located at 520 Texas Ave., on Monday, September 10. DVSN and Nonchalant Savant open. Tickets start at $45 plus service fees. Doors open at 7 pm.
Also on the must-do-soon list is raising the federal debt ceiling and funding the government - in time to prevent panic that the United States might default on its obligations.
Meantime, Republicans want to turn to tax reform. Good. The U.S. tax code is complex, distortional and internationally uncompetitive. Members of both parties have spoken for years about lowering tax rates, paid for by ending economically inefficient deductions, and bringing home income that U.S. companies have parked overseas. Passing a bill would be easier if Republicans focused on the corporate tax code rather than monkeying with personal tax rates. Democrats should be willing to work with the GOP as long as Republicans make their plan authentically revenue-neutral, not a stealth tax cut.
President Donald Trump ran on a campaign to improve the nation’s infrastructure. Democrats share the goal. They should be open to innovative ways of paying for new roads, rails, wires and ports, including marshaling private funds, if Republicans are willing to raise public money, too.
On foreign affairs, Congress has already made some progress, passing a sanctions bill limiting Mr. Trump’s ability to bargain with Russia, a geopolitical foe for whom the president has a bizarre affection. In reasserting Congress’s prerogatives, lawmakers should also redraft the authorization for the use of military force that provides the legal basis for ongoing military operations against the Islamic State, al-Qaeda and others. Congress has not visited this issue since 2001, and the legal ground for continuing conflict is shaky.
Last week saw the introduction of a couple of immigration bills - but the mainstream, bipartisan compromise looks different, pairing enhanced border protection with a pathway for legal status for people currently in the country.
Finally, lawmakers must stand up for a democratic system under stress. They should stick with their Russia investigation, consider how to harden the nation’s voting procedures against future attack and continue to give special counsel Robert S. Mueller III the support he needs to complete his inquiry.
Republicans can blow off steam, or they can govern. Time to choose.
This sturdy, poetic fantasy proves that, of all comic-book heroes, the Man of Steel belongs to everyone.
Comic-book enthusiasts are so protective of their heroes that they sometimes border on thuggishness: If you're not already schooled in every nuance of Batman, Spider-Man or X-Men mythology, don't even bother showing an interest -- it's far too late for you to catch up.
But Superman -- who made his first appearance in a 1930s comic strip before becoming an icon of '50s television and the nexus of an uneven movie franchise in the '70s and '80s -- may be the ultimate comic-book hero, too big and too strong to be confined by geek snobbery. You don't need special credentials to reckon with Superman's strengths, or his vulnerabilities: Everyone in the world has the capacity to understand Kryptonite, and almost everyone can connect with the idea of a "man" forced to leave his home planet, unable to ever return. He's not just a construct but a part of our mythology as modern citizens of the world. Of all comic-book heroes, Superman belongs to everyone.
The title of Bryan Singer's sturdily poetic "Superman Returns" may be something of a misnomer: Can a hero as universal as Superman ever really go away? But the title makes perfect sense on other levels: This is a picture that, spiritually speaking, at least, picks up where "Superman" (1978) and "Superman II" (1980) left off, altering our brain waves so that the disappointment of the third and fourth movies of the series has been erased.
This is a beautifully made picture, a modern-day fable marked by a strong sense of continuity with the past, and not just the recent past: The art-deco-influenced production design, the lighting, and some of the camera work carry echoes of German Expressionism. The costumes (they're by Louise Mingenbach) are '40s movie-star garb filtered through a '70s sensibility -- a way of honoring the sartorial vibe of Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder in the earlier movies, and also of tracing the Superman story to its just-pre-World War II roots. When Kate Bosworth, as Lois Lane, changes out of her Rosalind Russell tweed suit to attend the dinner at which she'll be awarded a Pulitzer Prize (her winning essay bears the title, transparently redolent of heartbreak, "Why the World Doesn't Need Superman"), her dress is a full-length ripple of dark silk worthy of Barbara Stanwyck circa "The Lady Eve." Unlike so many contemporary Hollywood movies, which strut into our theaters as if they believe they've sprung fully formed from the head of Zeus (or maybe even just Scott Rudin), "Superman Returns" knows where it comes from.
But to know where you've come from, you first have to realize where you are. Singer -- who also made the first two X-Men movies -- places "Superman Returns" squarely in the modern world, a world in which 12-year-olds can snap photojournalist-quality pictures with their camera phones and real estate (as opposed to water or clean air) is considered a precious, exhaustible resource. In "Superman Returns" -- which was written by Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris, also the writers of "X2: X-Men United" -- the Man of Steel (Brandon Routh) returns to Earth after a mysterious absence of five years: He has tried, unsuccessfully, to find what was left of his own people, but has come to realize that Earth -- a place in which he has never felt fully at home -- is home.
And so this Superman has to get busy, fast. But Routh's Superman is a very different one from the wonderfully wry one Reeve gave us. This Superman is hardly more handsome than Reeve's -- I'm not sure that would even be possible. But Singer and Routh have stressed Superman's vulnerability, and his sense of isolation, rather than his invincibility. As Clark Kent, Routh is suitably absent-minded and boyish; but as Superman, he's a man out of time -- a soul who's uncertain about where he belongs, although he's unwaveringly certain about what he must do. We see the face and hear the voice of his father, Jor-El (courtesy of archival Marlon Brando footage from the earlier movies, as if Brando himself were speaking to us across the waves of the afterworld), explaining to his young son that while he'll never be like humans, he must make it his duty to help them.
In "Superman Returns," Singer and Routh make us feel the weight of that mission. Routh's handsomeness has an almost airbrushed quality -- he might have just stepped off a Pixar drawing board -- and the camera gazes at his face as if trying to reckon with its unearthliness. This Superman is a matinee idol for a post-matinee world -- dazzling as he is, there's also something sweetly unassuming about his beauty, as if he himself were a little surprised that his good looks have so easily made the transition from old-time comic-book panel to modern movie screen. This is a Superman we instantly recognize, complete with those remarkably molded pecs and that brilliantined curl at the center of his forehead; and yet he's somehow remote from us. Routh's performance isn't an affable, relaxed one, and he's sometimes a bit difficult to read. But his face can appear immobile one instant, and transformed by just a flicker of disappointment or uncertainty the next. Routh's Superman is both a man of outer space, and a boy raised on a farm. That's why it's horrifying when a bunch of baddies beat the crap out of him, after he's been weakened by Kryptonite, just because they can. They punch and kick him; they hold his head under water. It's the most primitive kind of violence, but also the kind that cuts closest to home.
But if "Superman Returns" has more serious underpinnings than the previous Superman pictures did, it also has its share of visual joy. (The cinematographer here is Newton Thomas Sigel.) Superman manages to grab hold of a flaming, about-to-crash airplane, and, after a little effort, manages to land it, with elegant implausibility, in the center of a baseball diamond. And in one of the pictures loveliest moments, Lois -- as portrayed by Bosworth, she has a flinty sweetness -- meets with Superman on the roof of the Daily Planet. She's still angry with him, since he left her, without explanation, five years earlier. But as the two of them ease into tentative conversation, they nudge closer. She slips daintily out of her high-heeled suede shoes and steps onto the tops of Superman's dark red boots, getting ready for takeoff. Her boyfriend, Richard, is a pilot, she reminds him: "He takes me up all the time," she says. "Not like this," he responds, before the two of them soar off into the night sky.
Even with touches like that moonlight flight, some moviegoers (and Superman fans) may feel that "Superman Returns" is more serious than it needs to be. After the screening I attended, I heard moviegoers mulling over the picture's numerous instances of Christ imagery, which, although they didn't mar my enjoyment and appreciation of the movie, are probably more heavy-handed than they need to be. Singer and his writers seem to be grappling toward larger questions of faith and human expectations of God: At one point Superman glumly observes to Lois, "You wrote that the world doesn't need a savior, but every day I hear people crying for one," and his voice is loaded with uncertainty, as if he knows he's not the man to fit the bill.
I happen to think Christ imagery is misplaced in superhero movies, but perhaps not for the obvious reasons. I don't think of superheroes as God substitutes -- I see them more as fantasy interventionists: God "allows" terrible things to happen, and superheroes step in, when possible, to save the day. Maybe their greater function is to help preserve our faith -- to keep us believing when the higher power lets us down.
That's also part of the reason kids love comic-book heroes: They stand, tall and strong, against the hopelessness of feeling helpless. The film critic Kent Jones, writing in Film Comment after 9/11, mentioned that his son had asked him why Superman couldn't have come down and saved the World Trade Center. The anecdote is wrenching not just because it so clearly crystallizes a child's-eye view of the world, but because in those earliest moments, as we watched a skyscraper crumble on television (or perhaps in real life), what was happening seemed so incomprehensible that the idea of Superman swooping down and steadying everything with his strong, stable palms seemed almost plausible.
But just for an instant. And then, of course, reason must kick in. Superman doesn't really exist, and in the face of the unspeakable, there's no one who can save us. "Superman Returns" is a fantasy made with that reality in mind. It's as if Singer and his actors were acknowledging that, like Superman himself, we can't go home again: A return to that kind of innocence is impossible. But "Superman Returns" gives us something valuable in exchange: We can't control the fate of the world, but the myths we create -- the myths we love -- will endure long after we're gone. Superman, born in 1938, is still very much alive in 2006. The Man of Steel has so skillfully bent the bars of our imagination that he seems real to us. And in a sense, he is.
Now that it’s Halloween week, I thought I’d focus on the stuff that some ghouls and goblins think are coming our way. This blog will focus on the first of the 2011 forecasts I’ve read. Color it orange—maybe even red.
Last week, InvestorPlace.com published its forecast about our economy and the markets for next year A little background: InvestorPlace is part of InvestorPlace Media, privately owned by Avista Capital Partners and located in Rockville, Md. The company began 35 years ago in the investment newsletter publishing business. Its audience then— advice to individual investors. Today, advice and investing suggestions to both individuals and institutions.
I see that a little differently with top-tier priced multi-million dollar homes continuing to sell. Albeit the pace might not be skipping along. And if interest rates remain low, which InvestorPlace suggests they will do, bargain-priced properties will start selling too. An attractive deal is an attractive deal no matter where you sit.
Homer Simpson would say “Doh!” to that.
You’ve seen me write before that I’ve thought unemployment was closer to 15-20 percent —and in some parts of the country close to 25 percent. It’s a real problem. A real serious problem. As is the pay of the jobs available and those coming in down the pike.
MPs have raised concerns over whether two chemical companies unduly influenced an independent study into the effects of their pesticides on bees.
Syngenta of Switzerland and Bayer CropScience of Germany held discussions with the independent Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) overthe test’s design, monitoring and data analysis.
Both companies were made subject of a European Commission ban last year on neonicotinoid-based products, which are considered harmful to bees. If the ban is extended beyond 2015, it could cost them further in lost pesticide sales. Bayer reported global crop protection seed sales of £6.5 billion for 2013. For Syngenta the figure was £6.6 billion.
MPs on the environmental audit select committee have written to CEH after the conversations between its scientists and Bayer and Syngenta representatives came to light. The discovery raises questions over CEH’s claims that it had “complete freedom” over analysing data from the study, which Bayer and Syngenta funded.
The companies’ involvement in the £1.8 million trial contradicts evidence given to MPs last year. Bayer and Prof Ian Boyd, chief scientist at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, insisted neither company would play any part in the tests in a select committee report published last July.
In March this year, Prof Pywell sent details of three possible test methods to Syngenta and Bayer. CEH wanted the tests to take place in the UK, overseen by Prof Pywell, to keep within the budget, but after a $1 million increase in the companies’ funding, test sites were also established in Germany and Hungary. CEH said that testing across a wider geographical area would increase the value of the results.
One Syngenta employee asked Prof Pywell to wait until the firm’s chief operating officer gave his “final blessing” to designs for the tests before they began in an email dated June 20 this year.
The Government agreed to honour the two-year NNI ban, but rejected the science. Defra later said it would base any decision on supporting its continuation largely on pesticide producers’ studies.
The market's up only 64% over that period. Quite the call.
Now, since then, the T. Rowe Price's Small-Cap Value fund (PRSVX) hasn't outperformed its benchmark, and is up only 70%, which makes me feel better because I didn't invest in this portfolio either. Why? Well, it's not my bag. It would have been a one-off thing, and I was trying a different systematic approach. In retrospect, perhaps these are exactly the times to chuck standard methods and applied something as tried and true as cash/market cap, as this is a classic value play, not some newfangled bottom-fishing filter. However, the next time this happens the apocalypse will seem nigh and I'm sure I won't do it then either.