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false000000354500000035452022-08-032022-08-03
Date of Report (date of earliest event reported): August 3, 2022
ALICO, INC.
(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
10070 Daniels Interstate Court, Suite 200, Fort Myers, FL 33913
(Address of principal executive offices)(Zip Code)
Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 C.F.R. 230.425)
Soliciting Material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 C.F.R. 240.14a-12)
Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 C.F.R. 240.13e-4(c))
Trading Symbol(s)
Name of each exchange on which registered
Nasdaq Global Select Market
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).
Emerging growth company
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
Section 2 Financial Information
Item 2.02 Results of Operations and Financial Condition
On August 3, 2022, Alico, Inc. issued a press release announcing its financial results for the three and nine months ended June 30, 2022.
A copy of the press release is furnished within this report as Exhibit 99.1.
The information contained in Item 2.02 of this report and in the exhibit attached to this report is being furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission and shall not be deemed "filed" for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), or otherwise subject to the liability of that section, or incorporated by reference in any filing under the Exchange Act or the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, except as shall be expressly set forth by specific reference in such a filing.
Section 9 Financial Statements and Exhibits
Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits
Exhibits.
Alico, Inc. Press Release dated August 3, 2022 (furnished herewith but not filed pursuant to Item 2.02).
Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document).
/s/ John Kiernan
John Kiernan
EX-99.1 2 alco-ex99_1.htm EX-99.1 EX-99.1
Alico, Inc. Announces Financial Results for the Third Quarter and Nine Months Ended June 30, 2022
Fort Myers, FL, August 3, 2022 - Alico, Inc. ("Alico" or the "Company") (Nasdaq: ALCO) today announces financial results for the third quarter of fiscal year 2022 and the nine months ended June 30, 2022, the highlights of which are as follows:
Box production for past harvest season was down from the previous year due to a freeze event and greater fruit drop.
Average pound solids per box was down from the previous year.
Market prices per pound solids increased for the second consecutive year.
Company's latest ranch land sales sold at an average price of approximately $5,000 per acre. Interest from prospective buyers remains robust.
Company updates guidance for net income, EBITDA, adjusted net income and adjusted EBITDA for fiscal year 2022.
Balance sheet remains strong with a working capital ratio of 2.47 to 1.00. Debt to equity ratio now below .40 to 1.00.
For the nine months ended June 30, 2022, the Company recorded net income attributable to Alico common stockholders of approximately $33.5 million and earnings of $4.44 per diluted common share, compared to net income attributable to Alico common stockholders of approximately $35.8 million and earnings of $4.77 per diluted common share in the same period in the prior year. The decrease in net income attributable to Alico common stockholders is primarily due to (i) the reduction in revenue generated from citrus operations due largely to lower processed box production and pound solids per box mostly attributable to greater fruit drop and a freeze event that occurred in late January 2022; (ii) the receipt by the Company of a lower amount of proceeds under the Florida Citrus Recovery Block Grant ("CRBG") program in the nine months ended June 30, 2022, compared to the nine months ended June 30, 2021, as the reimbursement under the CRBG program is now substantially complete; and (iii) an increase in cost of sales that was mainly driven by an increase in fertilizer and fuel costs in the nine months ended June 30, 2022, as compared to the same period in the prior year. Partially offsetting this decrease in net income attributable to Alico common stockholders was (i) an increased amount of gain on the sale of real estate, property and equipment and assets held for sale being recorded in the nine months ended June 30, 2022, compared to the nine months ended June 30, 2021, primarily due to the sale of certain parcels of land from the Alico Ranch; and (ii) the Company's recognition in the nine months ended June 30, 2022 of a charitable deduction associated with the sale of certain acres to the State of Florida, which resulted in the Company recording a tax benefit for the period.
For the nine months ended June 30, 2022, the Company had earned EBITDA of approximately $51.9 million, compared to approximately $62.0 million for the nine months ended June 30, 2021. Adjusted EBITDA for the nine months ended June 30, 2022 and June 30, 2021 was approximately $10.4 million and $23.9 million, respectively.
When both periods are adjusted for certain non-recurring items, the Company realized an adjusted net loss of $0.39 per diluted common share for the nine months ended June 30, 2022, compared to adjusted net income of $0.94 per diluted common share for the nine months ended June 30, 2021.
These financial results reflect the seasonal nature of the Company's business. The majority of the Company's citrus crop is harvested in the second and third quarters of the fiscal year; consequently, most of the Company's gross profit and cash flows from operating activities are typically recognized in those quarters and the Company's working capital requirements are typically greater in the first and fourth quarters of the fiscal year.
The Company reported the following financial results:
(in thousands, except for per share amounts and percentages)
Three Months Ended June 30,
Nine Months Ended June 30,
Net income attributable to Alico, Inc. common stockholders
(2,292
Earnings per diluted common share
EBITDA (1)
Adjusted EBITDA (1)
(1) See "Non-GAAP Financial Measures" at the end of this earnings release for details regarding these measures.
Alico Citrus Division Results
Citrus production for the three and nine months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021 is summarized in the following table.
(in thousands, except per box and per pound solids data)
Nine Months Ended
Boxes Harvested:
Early and Mid-Season
Valencias
Total Processed
Pound Solids Produced:
Pound Solids per Box
Price per Pound Solids:
For the nine months ended June 30, 2022, Alico Citrus harvested approximately 5.5 million boxes of fruit, a decrease of 12.9% from the same period of the prior fiscal year. The decrease is principally related to fewer pieces of fruit available on the citrus
trees in the current harvest season, as well as greater fruit drop, which is believed to be caused by disease and weather, as compared to the prior harvest season. In late January 2022, almost all of the Company's groves, along with many of the other groves in Florida, were impacted by a significant freeze event which adversely impacted our 2021-22 Valencia crop. The Company's Early and Mid-Season crop was substantially harvested before the freeze. The Company, based on its latest evaluation, believes that nearly all of our Early and Mid-Season and Valencia citrus trees show no indication of any long-term damage from the freeze event.
The Company experienced an overall decrease in the blended average pound solids per box, which was 5.28 for the nine months ended June 30, 2022, compared to 5.66 for the nine months ended June 30, 2021. This was mainly due to the internal quality of the fruit not being as strong as it was in the previous year and the Company deciding to accelerate the harvesting of the Valencia crop in order to maximize the box production and to avoid additional fruit drop as a result of the freeze event.
The Company realized an increase in the price per pound solid of 7.2% for the nine months ended June 30, 2022 as compared to the same period in the prior year. A significant reason for this improvement was an increase in the price per pound solids due to production being lower in Florida, as well as in Brazil, and the continued strong consumption of Not from Concentrate Orange Juice ("NFC"), which has reduced inventory supply to lower-than-normal levels at Florida citrus juice processors. While consumption has dropped from its highest levels during the COVID-19 pandemic, which started in March 2020, consumption, as reported by Nielsen data on July 1, 2022, has increased approximately 6.9% for the thirty-six-week period ended June 18, 2022, as compared to the similar thirty-six-week period prior to the COVID -19 pandemic.
The COVID-19 pandemic did not impact the Company's harvesting activities this season and there were no disruptions in delivering fruit to the processors due to COVID-19, and COVID-19 has not materially challenged operations.
Land Management and Other Operations Division Results
Land Management and Other Operations includes lease income from leases for grazing rights, hunting leases, a farm lease, a lease to a third party of an aggregate mine, leases of oil extraction rights to third parties and other miscellaneous income.
Income from operations for the Land Management and Other Operations Division for the nine months ended June 30, 2022 decreased by $0.3 million, compared to the nine months ended June 30, 2021. This decline was principally due to the sale of certain ranch land acres, resulting in fewer acres now being leased under grazing and hunting leases. Partially offsetting this decline was the result of a third-party non-refundable deposit of $0.1 million expiring and being recognized as income during the nine months ended June 30, 2022.
Management Comment
John Kiernan, President and Chief Executive Officer, commented, "The past harvesting season presented several challenges for the Company, as well as the entire Florida citrus industry, resulting in a disappointing financial result. We experienced a greater rate of fruit drop than in the previous year, and then in late January 2022, we were hit with a freeze event, which was at an intensity that we believe had not occurred in Florida for almost twenty years. Not only did the Company experience a decline in boxes from the freeze event for its Valencia crop, we also saw fruit fail to mature to its fullest levels, as normally occurs throughout the season, resulting in lower-than-anticipated pound solids. Because of these factors, the Company has revised its guidance to reflect the disappointing harvest season.
"With the current year's difficult harvest behind us, we believe our long-term investments and modernization improvements, which have included aggressive citrus tree replantings and disciplined cost management measures, should allow us to realize increased box production in the years ahead and contribute to a stronger bottom line.
"The USDA, in its July 12, 2022 Citrus Crop Forecast for the 2021-22 harvest season, indicated the overall Florida orange crop decreased from approximately 52,950,000 boxes for the 2020-21 crop year to approximately 40,950,000 boxes for the 2021-22 crop year, a decrease of approximately 22.7%. A portion of this decline was directly related to the freeze event. By comparison,
the Company experienced a decline in total box production this current harvest season crop of only 12.9%. Consistent with previous quarters, the Company believes this lower rate of decline, as compared to the USDA forecast for the State, is due to efficiencies generated from the Company's comprehensive grove management program, as well as certain precautionary measures the Company took to minimize the impact of the freeze event on its groves and production."
Mr. Kiernan continued, "Since 2020, Alico has managed the citrus operations for a third-party grove owner in Collier and Hendry counties, in exchange for a per acre management fee after being reimbursed for all costs incurred. During the third quarter, the third-party grove owner made the decision to exit their citrus business. However, Alico has signed three agreements to lease approximately 2,100 of these citrus acres from the third-party grove owner and thus have the rights to citrus production on such acreage for one-year terms for approximately $0.2 million. These leases expand our own citrus production acreage next season by approximately 6% to approximately 37,000 net citrus acres. We believe this will drive incremental box production in the coming fiscal year.
"As we continue to pursue opportunistic real estate sales, we have been selling parcels of our non-core ranch land at attractive prices. Our latest ranch land sale transactions this quarter totaled approximately 1,200 acres at an average price per acre of approximately $5,000 per acre.
"Alico will continue to own and operate what we believe to be the most productive and profitable citrus groves in Florida. Whenever prudent, the Company will also continue to acquire productive citrus land. As the Company looks towards the future, we are broadening our mission. To produce superior long-term returns for shareholders, Alico will seek to increase earnings and asset values by integrating our successful agricultural operations with extensive entitlement activities that can accelerate real estate value appreciation. The Company prepared its first land development program in 1948, with the goal of purposing our land for its most profitable use. Over the next few years, we will work with land use planning professionals to frame a strategy that optimizes the long-term potential values for our real assets. The timing and commitment to these initiatives is informed by the current dramatic pace of development across Florida, and the related changes in real estate values across the State. Alico wants to provide investors with the benefits and stability of conventional agriculture investment, with the enhanced optionality that comes with active land management."
Other Corporate Financial Information
General and administrative expenses for the nine months ended June 30, 2022 was approximately $7.7 million, compared to approximately $7.1 million for the nine months ended June 30, 2021. The increase was attributable in large part to increases relating to (i) an increase in legal expense due to decreased legal expenses in the nine months ended June 30, 2021, when compared to the nine months ended June 30, 2022, which related to a reimbursement of approximately $0.7 million from insurers for a corporate legal matter from 2018 that was received during the nine months ended June 30, 2021; (ii) an increase of approximately $0.1 million relating to a company-sponsored incentive for employees to obtain the COVID 19 vaccine; and (iii) a net increase in stock compensation expense of approximately $0.1 million relating to restricted stock awarded to certain executives, senior managers and employees. Partially offsetting these increases were reductions relating to (i) a decrease in payroll expenses of approximately $0.3 million primarily relating to the reduction in administrative personnel made during the fiscal year ended September 30, 2021 and during the nine months ended June 30, 2022; and (ii) a reduction in director's fees of approximately $0.2 million, relating to a modification of the compensation arrangement for the Board of Directors.
Other income, net for the nine months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021 was approximately $38.2 million and approximately $30.5 million, respectively. The increase in other income, net, is primarily due to gains on sale of real estate, property and equipment and assets held for sale of approximately $40.8 million relating to the sale during the nine months ended June 30, 2022, of approximately 9,418 acres, in the aggregate, from the Alico Ranch to several third parties. By comparison, for the nine months ended June 30, 2021, the Company recognized gains of approximately $33.6 million relating to the sale of real estate, property and equipment and assets held for sale. Additionally, a decrease in interest expense of approximately $0.6 million for the nine months ended June 30, 2022, as compared to the nine months ended June 30, 2021, was the result of the reduction of its long-term debt attributable to making mandatory principal payments and certain prepayments.
The Company is revising its guidance for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2022 to reflect the lower than anticipated internal quality of the Valencia fruit, primarily resulting from the freeze event. In addition, certain ranch land sales transactions which were targeted to close before the end of fiscal year 2022 are now expected to close in fiscal year 2023. As a result, the Company has updated its net income, adjusted net income, EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA guidance to account for these events as follows:
The Company is now projecting fiscal year 2022 net income to decrease from its previous projection of between $35.6 million and $38.9 million to be between $30.7 million and $33.3 million.
The Company is now projecting fiscal year 2022 adjusted net income (loss) (after adjusting for expected non-recurring items, such as gains from real estate sales) to decrease from the previous projection of $(4.1) million and $(2.3) million to be between $(5.5) million and $(4.1) million.
The Company is now projecting fiscal year 2022 EBITDA to decrease from its previous projection of $59 million and $64.2 million to be between $52.6 million and $56.6 million.
The Company is now projecting fiscal year 2022 adjusted EBITDA (after adjusting for expected non-recurring items, such as gain from real estate sales) to decrease from the previous projection of $13.0 million and $16.0 million to be between $11.0 million and $13.0 million.
On July 8, 2022, the Company paid a third quarter cash dividend of $0.50 per share on its outstanding common stock to stockholders of record as of June 24, 2022.
Balance Sheet and Liquidity
The Company continues to demonstrate financial strength within its balance sheet, as highlighted below:
The Company's working capital was approximately $31.1 million at June 30, 2022, representing a 2.47 to 1.00 ratio.
The Company maintains a solid and improving debt to equity ratio. At June 30, 2022, September 30, 2021, and September 30, 2020 the ratios were 0.40 to 1.00, 0.51 to 1.00, and 0.68 to 1.00, respectively.
As of June 30, 2022 and 2021, the Company had long-term debt, net of cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash, of approximately $97.9 million and $100.0 million, respectively.
About Alico
Alico, Inc. primarily operates two divisions: Alico Citrus, one of the nation's largest citrus producers, and Land Management and Other Operations, which include land leasing and related support operations. Learn more about Alico (Nasdaq: "ALCO") at www.alicoinc.com.
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements that express our intentions, beliefs, expectations, strategies, predictions or any other statements relating to our future activities or other future events or conditions. These forward-looking statements are based on Alico's current expectations, estimates and projections about our business based, in part, on assumptions made by our management and can be identified by terms such as "plans," "expect," "may," "anticipate," "intend," "should be," "will be," "is likely to," "believes," and similar expressions referring to future periods.
Alico believes the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable but cannot guarantee future results, level of activity, performance, or achievements. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Therefore, Alico cautions you against relying on any of these forward-looking statements. Factors which may cause future outcomes to differ materially from those foreseen in forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: changes in laws, regulation and rules, including tax laws and tax rates; climate change; weather conditions that affect production, transportation, storage, demand, import and export of fresh product and their by-products, such as the freeze in the last week of January 2022; increased pressure from diseases including citrus greening and citrus canker, as well as insects and other pests; disruption of water supplies or changes in water allocations; market pricing of citrus; pricing and supply of raw materials and products; market responses to industry volume pressures; pricing and supply of energy, including, but not limited to, changes due in part to the deadly conflict in Ukraine; changes in interest rates; availability of refinancing; availability of financing for land development activities and other growth and corporate opportunities; onetime events; acquisitions and divestitures; ability to make strategic acquisitions or divestitures; ability to redeploy proceeds from divestitures; ability to consummate selected land acquisitions; ability to take advantage of tax deferral options; ability to retain executive officers and to replace departed executive officers; ability to replace the Company's primary third party grove management customer and even further expand the third party grove management program; ability to complete and implement land use planning activities, including adding to entitlements applicable to owned real estate; seasonality; labor disruptions; inability to pay debt obligations; inability to engage in certain transactions due to restrictive covenants in debt instruments; government restrictions on land use; changes in land values, agricultural or otherwise; the extent to which real estate value appreciates; impact of the COVID-19 outbreak and coronavirus pandemic on our agriculture operations, including without limitation demand for product, supply chain, health and availability of our labor force, the labor force of contractors we engage, and the labor force of our competitors; other risks related to the duration and severity of the COVID-19 outbreak and coronavirus pandemic and its impact on Alico's business; the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak and coronavirus pandemic on the U.S. and global economies and financial markets, including without limitation related legislative and regulatory initiatives; access to governmental loans and incentives; any reduction in the public float resulting from repurchases of common stock by Alico; changes in equity awards to employees; whether the Company's dividend policy, including its recent increased dividend amounts, is continued; expressed desire of certain of our stockholders to liquidate their shareholdings by virtue of past market sales of common stock, by sales of common stock or by way of future transactions designed to consummate such expressed desire; political changes and economic crises; ability to implement ESG initiatives; competitive actions by other companies; increased competition from international companies; changes in environmental regulations and their impact on farming practices; the land ownership policies of governments; changes in government farm programs and policies and international reaction to such programs; changes in pricing calculations with our customers; fluctuations in the value of the U.S. dollar, interest rates, inflation and deflation rates; length of terms of contracts with customers; impact of concentration of sales to one customer; changes in and effects of crop insurance programs, global trade agreements, trade restrictions and tariffs; soil conditions, harvest yields, prices for commodities, and crop production expenses. Other risks and uncertainties include those that are described in Alico's SEC filings, including those Risk Factors described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2021, and our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, which are available on the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov. Alico undertakes no obligation to subsequently update or revise the forward-looking statements made in this press release, except as required by law.
This press release also contains financial projections that are necessarily based upon a variety of estimates and assumptions which may not be realized and are inherently subject, in addition to the risks identified in the forward-looking statement disclaimer, to business, economic, competitive, industry, regulatory, market and financial uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company's control. There can be no assurance that the assumptions made in preparing the financial projections will prove accurate. Accordingly, actual results may differ materially from the financial projections.
InvestorRelations@alicoinc.com
John E. Kiernan
jkiernan@alicoinc.com
(in thousands, except share amounts)
Income tax receivable
Assets held for sale
Restricted cash
Long-term debt, current portion
Income tax payable
Long-term debt:
Principal amount, net of current portion
Less: deferred financing costs, net
Long-term debt less current portion and deferred financing costs, net
Deferred income tax liabilities, net
Commitments and Contingencies (Note 12)
Stockholders' equity:
Preferred stock, no par value, 1,000,000 shares authorized; none issued
Common stock, $1.00 par value, 15,000,000 shares authorized; 8,416,145 shares issued and 7,582,612 and 7,526,004 shares outstanding at June 30, 2022 and September 30, 2021, respectively
Additional paid in capital
Treasury stock, at cost, 833,533 and 890,141 shares held at June 30, 2022 and September 30, 2021, respectively
Total Alico stockholders' equity
Noncontrolling interest
Operating revenues:
Alico Citrus
Land Management and Other Operations
Total operating revenues
(Loss) income from operations
Other income (expense), net:
Gain on sale of real estate, property and equipment and assets held for sale
Other income, net
Income before income taxes
Income tax provision
Net loss (income) attributable to noncontrolling interests
Per share information attributable to Alico, Inc. common stockholders:
Earnings per common share:
Weighted-average number of common shares outstanding:
Cash dividends declared per common share
Net cash provided by operating activities:
Debt issue costs expense
Loss on disposal of long-lived assets
Deferred income tax benefit
Stock-based compensation expense
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities
Purchases of property and equipment
Acquisition of citrus groves
Acquisition of mineral rights
Net proceeds from sale of real estate, property and equipment and assets held for sale
Change in deposits on purchase of citrus trees
Advances on notes receivables, net
Net cash provided by investing activities
Repayments on revolving lines of credit
Borrowings on revolving lines of credit
Principal payments on term loans
Net cash used in financing activities
Net increase in cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash


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Home > Alumni > Luke Housdon
Alumni Profile: Luke Houdson
Luke is a 24-year-old video editor from Cape Town with a keen interest in music and storytelling. After completing his honours in Film and TV studies, he worked as a freelance editor (and videographer where necessary) for about 6 months before joining a production company in Woodstock where he is still employed (Little Big Productions).
Luke explains that, "While at UCT, I was not enrolled in any of the production streams for Film and TV (because of various time-limiting factors, mostly having to work part-time through my studies), so when I left UCT I had almost no practical training or experience. In my Honours year and first few months of work, I managed to teach myself many of the crucial skills needed to work as an editor (using the access I had to Lynda.com through UCT), and have been working successfully as one since. This would have been a much more challenging task without the fantastic theoretical groundwork I had gained from my studies.
In a more small-scale sense, I would say my biggest achievement is probably an edit I'm working on at the moment - a documentary about reforming the fashion industry in both environmental and social senses. The documentary ispro-bono and is supported by the following people and organizations:
Facebook UK
The UN
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation
The Woolmark Group Australia
Lenzing
CNA Foundation
Canopy Planet"
He is very proud to be able to work on a project that is both a challenge to edit and a push for general social and environmental good. He states that, "My degree has enabled me to work beyond just technical processes. My experiences at the film and media dept have given me an in-depth understanding of the concepts of communication more broadly, which enables me to offer a skill set that is deeper than just being able to work within the practical processes of visual media."
Luke describes his fondest memories at UCT as "My honours year in general - I was given the opportunity to write a dissertation on a topic of my choice, was presented with fantastic material to discect all year, and had a fantastic class who engaged in active and engaged discussion with the course material".
His advice to incoming students is, "Even if it may seem like a particular course or module doesn't peak your interest or intersect with your passions, use that as an opportunity to engage with ideas you may have otherwise missed out on. Some of the most engaging material in my studies came from courses or sections I was unsure about studying in the first place, and more often than not it took a bit of pushing myself through it to figure out that I actually enjoyed it".

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
PalaeovertebrataVol. 36, Fasc. 1-4:75-88. 2008
Eggshell microstructure and porosity of the Nicobar scrubfowl (Megapodius Nicobariensis, great Nicobar island, India)
Géraldine Garcia, Ashu Khosla, Ashok Sahni and Monique Vianey-Liaud
Keywords: conductance porosity; eggshell microstructure; incubation conditions; Megapodes
doi: 10.18563/pv.36.1-4.75-88
Cite this article: Garcia G., Khosla A., Sahni A., Vianey-Liaud M., 2008. Eggshell microstructure and porosity of the Nicobar scrubfowl (Megapodius Nicobariensis, great Nicobar island, India). Palaeovertebrata 36 (1-4): 75-88. doi: 10.18563/pv.36.1-4.75-88
The eggshell of Nicobar scrubfowl (Megapodius nicobariensis) is described for the first time. Its egg porosity is calculated and discussed with data from several taxa (another megapode, some extant and fossil reptiles including a titanosaur group) in order to compare incubation types with eggshell structure. Eggshell microstructure reflects first phylogenetic traits and does not seem to have developed major adaptative features due to the incubation conditions, except for the pore canals.
AR, A., PAGANELLI, C.V., REEVES, R.B., GREENE, D.G. & RHAN, H., 1974. The avian egg: water vapour conductance, shell thickness, and functional pore area. Condor, 76: 153-158. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1366725
AR, A. & RHAN, H., 1985. Pore in avian eggshells: gas conductance, gas exchange and embryonic growth rate. Respir. Physiol., 61: 1-20. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0034-5687(85)90024-6
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BOARD, R.G. & SCOTT, V.D., 1980. Porosity of the avian eggshell. Ibis, 117: 143-151
BOARD, R.G., PERROTT, H.R., LOVE, G. & SEYMOUR, R.S., 1982. A novel pore system in the eggshells of the mallee fowl, Leipoa ocellata. J. Exp. Zool., 220 1: 131-134. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jez.1402200118
BOOTH, D.T. & THOMPSON, M.B., 1991. Egg incubation: its effects on embryonic developments in birds and reptiles, in Ferguson, M.W.J. and Deeming, D.C. (Eds.), Egg incubation. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge: 325-344. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511585739.021
CLARCK, G.A. 1964. Life histories and the evolution of Megapodes. Living birds, 3: 149-167.
COOMBS Jr., W.P., 1989. Modern analogs for dinosaur nesting and parental behaviour, in Farlow, J.O. (Ed.), Paleobiology of dinosaurs. Boulder, CO: Geological Society of America Special paper, 238: 21-53
COUSIN, R. & BRETON, G., 2000. A precise and complete excavation is necessary to demonstrate a dinosaur clutch structure, in Bravo, A.M. and Reyes, T. (Eds.), First International symposium on dinosaurs eggs and babies. Isona i Conca Della, Catalonia, Spain: 31-42
CRACRAFT, J., 1973. Continental drift, paleoclimatology, evolution and biogeography of birds. J. Zool., 169: 455-545. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7998.1973.tb03122.x
DEEMING, D.C., 2006. Ultrastructural and functional morphology of eggshells supports the idea that dinosaur eggs were incubated buried in a substrate. Palaeontology, 49 1: 171-185. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-4983.2005.00536.x
ERBEN, H.K., HOEFS, J. & WEDEPOHL, K.H., 1979. Paleobiological and isotopic studies of eggshells from a declining dinosaur species. Paleob., 4: 380-414
GARCIA, G. 1998. Les coquilles d'oeufs de dinosaures du Crétacé supérieur du sud de la France: Diversité, paléobiologie, biochronologie et paléoenvironnements. Ph. D. Thesis, Univ. Montpellier II, France.
GARCIA, G., DUTOUR, Y., COJAN, I., VALENTIN, X. & CHEYLAN, G., 2003. Long term fidelity of megaloolithid egg-layers to a large breeding-ground in the Upper Cretaceous of Aix-en-Provence (southern France). Palaeovertebrata 32 (2-4): 109-120
GARCIA, G., MARIVAUX, L., PELISSIE, T. & VIANEY-LIAUD, M., 2006. Earliest Laurasian sauropod eggshells. Acta Palaeontol. Pol., 51 (1): 99-104
GRIGORESCU, D., WEISHAMPEL, D., NORMAN D., SECLAMEN M., RUSU, M., BALTRES A. & TEODORESCU, V. 1994. Late Maastrichtian dinosaur eggs from the Hateg Basin (Romania), in Carpenter, K., Hirsch, K.F. and Horner, J.R. (Eds.), Dinosaur Eggs and Babies. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge: 75-87
GRELLET-TINNER, G., CHIAPPE, L. & CORIA, R., 2004. Eggs of titanosaurid sauropods from the Upper Cretaceous of Auca Mahuevo (Argentina). Can. J. Earth Sci., 41: 949-960. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/e04-049
GRELLET-TINNER, G., CHIAPPE, L., NORELL, M. & BOTTJER, D. 2006. Dinosaur eggs and nesting behaviors: A paleobiological investigation. Palaeogeog., Palaeoclim., Palaeoecol., 232: 294- 321. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2005.10.029
GRELLET-TINNER, G. & MAKOVICKY, P. 2006. A possible egg of the dromaeosaur Deinonychus antirrhopus: phylogenetic and biological implications. Can. J. Earth Sci., 43: 705-719. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/e06-033
HIRSCH, K.F., KIHM, A.J. & ZELENITSKY, D.K. 1997. New eggshell of ratite morphotype with predation marks from the Eocene of Colorado. J. Vert. Pal., 17: 360-369. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02724634.1997.10010980
HOYO, J. del, ELLIOTT, A. & SARGATAL, J. 2004. Handbook of the birds of the world. Vol. 2. New World Vultures to Guineafowl. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona
JACKSON, F.D., VARRICCHIO, R.A., JACKSON, R.A., VILA, B. & CHIAPPE, L.M. 2008. Comparison of water vapor conductance in a titanosaur egg from the Upper Cretaceous of Argentina and a Megaloolithus siruguei egg from Spain. Paleobiology, 34: 229-246. http://dx.doi.org/10.1666/0094-8373(2008)034[0229:COWVCI]2.0.CO;2
JONES, D.N. 1989. Modern megapode research: a post-frith review. Corella, 13: 145-154
JONES, D.N. & EVERDING, S.E. 1991. Australian brush-turkeys in a suburban environment: implications for conflict and conservation. Wildl. Res., 18: 285-297. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/WR9910285
JONES, D.N. & BIRKS, S., 1992. Megapodes: recent ideas on origins, adaptations and reproduction. Tree, 7 (3): 88-90. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0169-5347(92)90247-9
JONES, D.N., DEKKER, R.W.R.J., ROSELAAR, C.S. & PERLO, B.V., 1995. The Megapodes. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK.
KEROURIO, P., 1981. Nouvelles observations sur le mode de nidification et de ponte chez les dinosauriens du Crétacé terminal du Midi de la France. C. R. Som. Soc. géol. France, 1: 25-28
KERN, M.D. & FERGUSON, M.W.J., 1997. Gas permeability of American alligator eggs and its anatomical basis. Physiol. Zool., 70 5: 530-546 . http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/515860
MIKHAILOV, K.E., 1997. Fossil and recent eggshells in amniotic vertebrates: fine structure, comparative morphology and classification. Sp. Pap. Palaeontology, 56: 5-80
MIKHAILOV, K.E., SABATH, K. & KURZANOV, S. 1994. Eggs and nests from the Cretaceous of Mongolia, in Carpenter, K., Hirsch, K.F. and Horner, J.R. (Eds.), Dinosaur Eggs and Babies. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge: 88-115
MIKHAILOV, K.E., BRAY, E. & HIRSCH, K. 1996. Parataxonomy of fossil egg remains (Veterovata): principles and application. J. Vert. Pal., 16: 763-769. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02724634.1996.10011364
MOHABEY, D.M., 1996. A new oospecies, Megaloolithus matleyi, from the Lameta Formation (Upper Cretaceous) of Chandrapur district (Maharashtra, India) and general remarks on the paleoenvironment and nesting behaviour of dinosaurs. Cret. Res., 17: 183-196. http://dx.doi.org/10.1006/cres.1996.0014
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SEYMOUR, R.S., VLECK, D., VLECK, C.M. & Booth, D.T., 1987. Water relations of buried eggs of mound building birds. J Physiol, B 157: 413-422
SIBLEY, C.G., AHLQUIST, J.E. & MONROE, B.L., 1988. A classification of the living birds of the world based on DNA-DNA hybridization studies. Auk, 105: 409-423
SIBLY, R.M. & SIMKISS, K., 1987. Gas diffusion through non-tabular pores. J Exp Zool, Suppl. 1: 187-191
TOIEN, O., PAGANELLI, C.V., RAHN, H., & JOHNSON, R.R., 1988. Influence of eggshell pore shape on gas diffusion. J Exp Zool, Suppl. 1: 181-186. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2001.0932
TULLBERG, B.S., AH-KING, M. & TEMRIN, H. 2002. Phylogenetic reconstruction of parental-care systems in the ancestors of birds. Phil Trans R Soc Lond, B 357: 251-257. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/385247a0
VARRICCHIO, D.J., JACKSON, F., BORKOWSKI, J. & HORNER, J.R., 1997. Nest and egg clutches of the dinosaur Troodon formosus and the evolution of avian reproductive traits. Nature, 385: 247-250. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02724634.1999.10011125
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ZELENITSKY, D.K., & MODESTO, S.P., 2003. Re-evaluation of the eggshell structure of eggs containing dinosaur embryos from the Lower Jurassic of South Africa. S. Afr. J. Sci., 98: 407-40
ZELENITSKY, D.K., 2006. Reproductive traits of non-avian theropods. J. Paleont. Soc. Korea, 22 1: 209-216


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We're likely to see even more money going … to support these candidates who are perceived to be moderate Democrats who are pro-Israel, and to either protect them if they're incumbents or to unseat [their opponents] if they're progressives. – Don Waxman, UCLA
By Jessica Buxbaum @jess_buxbaum
WASHINGTON – The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the leading organization of the Israel lobby in the United States, launched two political action committees (PACs) last month in a move largely seen as an attempt to retain control amid a political climate becoming increasingly more critical of Israel.
One of the newly formed PACs will operate as a traditional PAC in that it can raise a maximum of $5,000 per candidate and must disclose its donors. The Super PAC, however, can spend unlimited amounts of money on candidates and does not need to reveal contributors' identities.
AIPAC elaborated on its decision in a statement published on social media, written by President Betsy Berns Korn and emphasizing the organization would be supporting both Democrats and Republicans:
Throughout AIPAC's history, the Board of Directors has consistently adjusted our political strategy to ensure we could remain successful in an ever-changing Washington.
The D.C. political environment has been undergoing profound change. Hyper-partisanship, high congressional turnover, and the exponential growth in the cost of campaigns now dominate the landscape.
As such, the Board has decided to introduce these two new tools.
Marilyn Rosenthal, AIPAC's progressive engagement director, will lead the regular PAC and AIPAC's political director, Rob Bassin, will manage the Super PAC. AIPAC did not respond to MintPress News' requests for comment.
Marilyn Rosenthal, AIPAC's progressive engagement director, will lead the PAC, and AIPAC's political director Rob Bassin will lead the Super PAC, an AIPAC official tells me. Official also adds that membership is up to 1.5 million amid recent pushes into the digital space. pic.twitter.com/SFURuf6Hwc
— Marc Rod (@marcrod97) December 16, 2021
AIPAC's decision stirred Palestine-Israel experts across the nation. In a webinar on the subject from the Washington Report of Middle East Affairs (WRMEA), Grant F. Smith – director of the Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy – outlined why AIPAC established these PACs now.
"Better coordination via a new PAC directly run by AIPAC will mean electing more U.S. politicians who will advance Israel's interests from within the U.S. government," Smith said in the webinar. "That's the game plan."
AIPAC is aiming to keep elected officials in line, Smith postulated. "Increasing numbers of members of Congress are opposing AIPAC and Israeli government initiatives in Congress, and to AIPAC that just isn't acceptable." According to Smith, AIPAC may fear losing political relevancy to other pro-Israel groups like the Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI), as well as wanting more pro-Israel politiicans in Congress to counter the wave of criticism coming from progressive Democrats.
In its PAC announcement, AIPAC emphasized bipartisanship would be key when distributing donations. But Smith identified a political strategy meant to mislead the public. From his analysis, AIPAC may use the traditional PAC to present a false narrative of progressive, grassroots Democratic support for Israel. He noted:
There will be a lot of Democrats and progressives presumably herded by Marilyn to donate and then they'll all be publicly reported on in the media as endorsing pro-Israel candidates and signaling 'this grand progressive initiative which is support for Israel. "
While the regular PAC may display Democratic support, Smith speculated the Super PAC may allow for Republican contributions to infiltrate Democratic races. "This will allow AIPAC's new dark-money entity, which won't disclose donors, to keep that Republican and anonymous Israel-affinity money flowing into probably, mostly Democratic races," he said.
While AIPAC asserted they'll be bipartisan, the organization may actually want it to appear as if they are with the Democrats. Author and historian Walter L. Hixson told MintPress News that former President Donald Trump turned AIPAC into a Republican body and that may be concerning for the lobbying group. "With Trump giving them everything they wanted and Trump also vilifying Democrats as the anti-Israel party, they drifted in the Republican direction," Hixson said. "With J Street becoming the sort of Democratic lobby, AIPAC has sort of become the Republican lobby, and I think they don't fully want that."
Is AIPAC losing power?
Owing to the coronavirus pandemic, AIPAC canceled its annual conference two years in a row. Without the conference – seen as a defining feature of the organization and a way for it to promote its agenda – AIPAC may be looking for new ways to influence.
Dov Waxman, director of UCLA's Y&S Nazarian Center for Israel Studies, told MintPress that AIPAC is now operating in a more challenging political environment. "In years past, AIPAC's dominance among pro-Israel groups was unrivaled, and it really was able to exercise a great deal of influence in Congress," Waxman said. But now – with the rise of DMFI, J Street, and Christians United for Israel – AIPAC isn't the only one lobbying for a foreign state in Washington.
From Hixson's vantage point, AIPAC still remains king on Capitol Hill and the last election cycle may have been the main motivator behind AIPAC's decision. "I'm sure they're reflecting back on the last election cycle, when they suffered a major defeat in New York when Elliot Engel lost to Jamal Bowman," Hixson said, describing how Democratic Rep. Engel, an incumbent and a longtime AIPAC ally, lost his race to challenger Bowman, who has strongly criticized Israel's occupation of Palestine. "They [AIPAC] targeted and tried to defeat [Rep. Ilhan] Omar and other members of the Squad and they won reelection easily."
The Trump administration turned AIPAC into a Republican body, a reality the lobbying group is working to reverse. Photo | AP
Beyond electoral politics, Smith also suggested in WRMEA's webinar and in an article published on the magazine's website that AIPAC's policy goals being in jeopardy may also be a factor, writing:
Lobbying on behalf of the Abraham Accords, but in reality for foreign countries (in addition to Israel), was the key item on [AIPAC's] 2021 legislative agenda. AIPAC's inability to smoothly deliver advanced U.S. fighter jets to the UAE may be why the lobby for Israel just announced it will be directly incorporating and operating political action committees (PACs) and super PACs to financially support key candidate races.
The UAE recently announced it would buy $18 billion worth of aircraft from France instead of the U.S. This, along with the UAE's decision to not fund a $200 million Israeli salmon farming project in Virginia – an AIPAC-sponsored initiative – suggests AIPAC's lobbying efforts are not now as effective as they once were. "For the Abraham Accords to work, AIPAC has to be able to lobby as effectively for UAE, Sudan, and Morocco as it does for Israel's government, but it's not showing any capability to do that," Smith said. Touted as economically beneficial and a way to strengthen Middle East peace, the Abraham Accords are now in disarray. And as these normalization agreements crumble, so too does AIPAC's significance, he concluded.
AIPAC working behind the scenes to channel funds
Despite its easily misconstrued acronym, AIPAC has never been a PAC. However, this hasn't stopped the organization from taking part in the campaign arena. "AIPAC has always been a spearhead and has determined who gets funded, who gets rewarded, and who gets punished," Hixson said. "But in order to keep their tax-exempt status [they] would farm that out to other PACs that were officially political action committees."
Janet McMahon, founding editor of WRMEA, detailed in the publication's webinar how for decades AIPAC has been advising several pro-Israel PACs on their donations. Specifically, a 1986 memo from Elizabeth Schrayer, AIPAC's then-assistant director of political affairs, revealed the close-knit collaboration. In it, Schrayer suggested these PACs donate to certain candidates outside of their state. "These PACs have very innocuous names; very few of them mention Israel," McMahon said. "The idea is they are not visible. Americans are not aware of the activities of these PACs."
In McMahon's monitoring of these PACs with WRMEA, she was always careful to note AIPAC still was never a PAC. She explained:
For the past 30 years or so, I've been telling people, "AIPAC does not contribute money to political candidates" because people think if you say someone is getting money from the Israel lobby, it means they are getting money from AIPAC, and it has not. It means they are getting money from these smaller political action committees. But it looks like a major change is in the works."
Jon Ossoff Victory Proves That the Israel Lobby Still Has an Iron Grip on Democrats
More Israel-centered elections?
Last summer, pro-Israel Democrat Shontel Brown beat progressive Nina Turner in a congressional primary election after DMFI poured in $1 million to stop Turner, a critic of Israel, from winning. That Ohio race may signal how much Israel will influence future congressional elections. Waxman suggested:
We're likely to see even more money going into these races, in particular, to try to support these candidates who are perceived to be moderate Democrats who are pro-Israel, and to either protect them if they're incumbents or to unseat [their opponents] if they're progressives. This battle over the Democratic Party positions vis-a-vis Israel-Palestine is just going to intensify in the years ahead."
Candidates' views on Israel may determine how AIPAC uses its money, Smith said, but that doesn't mean Israel will even come up in electoral debates. "You focus on the candidates' weaknesses as opposed to being true to your cause and saying, 'They're not pro-Israel enough,'" Smith said, referring to how these PACs may operate.
Hiding an organization's real objective is key, Smith noted, suggesting AIPAC may use the same puppet-master manipulation tactics it has utilized for years with pro-Israel PACs in its own PACs. "These PACs tried to stay in the background, even as they all coordinated giving to candidates they thought would support Israel," he told MintPress News. "The name of the game was to get their person in. It wasn't necessarily to be forthright about what the true initiative was."
With PACs, keeping the money dark is crucial.
"That's the way AIPAC likes to operate because it is becoming increasingly unpopular to support what Israel is doing," Smith said. "They really would rather operate outside the limelight, behind the scenes, under the dome, or, as [former AIPAC official] Steve Rosen once said, '[so they] don't necessarily have their fingerprints on it.'"
Feature photo | Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. speaks at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) policy conference, at Washington Convention Center, in Washington, March 26, 2019. Jose Luis Magana | AP
Jessica Buxbaum is a Jerusalem-based journalist for MintPress News covering Palestine, Israel, and Syria. Her work has been featured in Middle East Eye, The New Arab and Gulf News.
AIPAC
SuperPac
BDS at the Sydney Festival, with Jennine Khalik and Sara Saleh
Deceased Nobel Peace Laureate Desmond Tutu Faces Zionist Reputational Firing Squad
J.K. Rowling's Hypocrisy: The Author who Smeared Jeremy Corbyn Gave Us Books and Films Full of Antisemitic Stereotypes


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Q: How to send a REST request to Cloud Firestore I've build an Android app using Firebase, but I'd like to test the performance of the Cloud Firestore using REST requests (through Postman). I've looked up some info on some sites from Firebase, but everytime I send a request, I get a 404 Not Found.
The Authentication I use seems to work, by doing a POST request to
https://www.googleapis.com/identitytoolkit/v3/relyingparty/verifyPassword?key=MY_API_KEY I'm able to get a Firebase Id Token.
After that I tried sending a GET request to https://firestore.googleapis.com/v1beta1/parent=projects/MY_PROJECT_ID/databases/(default)/documents/MY_COLLECTION_ID with the token as Authrorization header, but everytime I seem to get 404 Page Not Found.
I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong and I hope someone can help me with this.
Thanks in advance!

A: Apparently I wasn't supposed to include  the parent= in the URL, I removed it and now it works just fine.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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2019 March 16 - 17 Entertainment & Music Memorabilia Signature Auction - DallasAuction #7198
Nat King Cole/Sarah Vaughn National Guard Armory Concert Handbill (1953). Rare....
Nat King Cole/Sarah Vaughn National Guard Armory Concert Handbill (1953). Rare. Printed in blue, yellow and red on thin white paper for "The Biggest Show of '53 Fall Edition" on Sun. October 4 in Washington D.C. The handbill shows headshots of all four acts including Nat King Cole, Sarah Vaughan, Ralph Marterie and Illinois Jacquet. Measures 6" x 9". In Near Min condition.
Terms and Conditions | Bidding Guidelines and Bid Increments | Glossary of Terms | Entertainment & Music Memorabilia Grading Tutorial


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Inspirational Women
March 9, 2017 March 8, 2017 / chrishildrew
Wednesday of this week was International Women's Day. As a proud feminist and #HeForShe advocate, I thought I would some of my feminist role models on the blog this week!
The former Harry Potter star has shown how brave, intelligent and focused she is as she has taken on the role of UN Goodwill Ambassador to promote gender equality. Her passionate, often personal, and powerful speech to launch the HeForShe campaign vocalised everything that I believe to be important about gender equality and she continues to campaign today. Hermione would be proud!
Ada Lovelace was the only legitimate child of the Romantic poet Lord Byron. Born in 1815, she worked with Charles Babbage on his new proposed mechanical general-purpose computer, the Analytical Engine. She realised, before he did, that the theoretical machine could do more than just calculations – it could follow sets of logical instructions, or algorithms, to solve problems by itself. Lovelace wrote the first algorithms for Babbage's Analytical Engine and, in doing so, became the world's first computer programmer.
All of the Brontë sisters were amazing women, living on the moors of Yorkshire and writing wild romantic poetry and fiction. They published their work under pseudonyms because they "had a vague impression that authoresses are liable to be looked on with prejudice." I actually prefer Wuthering Heights by younger sister Emily to Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre, but Charlotte wins my admiration for one particular museum exhibit: the mourning shoes she wore after her two sisters had died. When the shoes became damaged by long walks over the moors, she repaired them, stitching a sprig of heather into the fabric of the shoes to symbolise her solitude, using her dead sisters' hair as thread. That's pretty impressive needlework.
Katherine Johnson featured in my assembly earlier this year. She overcame prejudice against her race and her gender to work on NASA's space programme, calculating by hand the launch and orbit trajectories for the first manned missions beyond our atmosphere and onwards to the moon.
Carol Ann Duffy
Duffy is one of my favourite poets. She fulfilled the role of Poet Laureate with real skill, most notably with her Olympic poem Translating the British and her bleak 12 Days of Christmas (2009). Her unflinching honesty and her mix of horror and humour make her books a gripping read, and her trademark final-line twists mean than her poems stay with me long after I've put the book down. Her re-imagining of female characters from fiction and non-fiction forms the backbone of the fantastic collection The World's Wife, providing voices for the voiceless and identity to the invisible. She continues this mission of exploration and examination of female identity in Feminine Gospels. English Literature is so often male-dominated, that it makes me proud to read and teach in a time when female voices are as influential, passionate and powerful as Duffy's.
I am well-known for my admiration of Taylor Swift, whose complete stranglehold on the music industry is something to behold. She is a great songwriter and performer, of course, but actually an even more impressive businesswoman. She has taken on the likes of Spotify and Apple Music for not offering fair payments to musicians, and won in both cases – most spectacularly with Apple Music, who reversed their policy of not offering royalties to artists because Taylor Swift threatened to take her music off their service. All this, whilst sending Christmas presents to her devoted fans and even visiting them at home! No wonder my "I ❤ Taylor Swift" mug is one of my most prized possessions.
This Girl Can
I love the "This Girl Can" campaign – it says everything that needs to be said right there in the video!
Like A Girl
I also think that this Always campaign, from 2014, is worth revisiting.
feminism, International Women's Day, IWD
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/ The Daughter of the Albert House Wishes for Ruin / Ch. 76
The Daughter of the Albert House Wishes for Ruin
Ch. 27Ch. 28Ch. 29Ch. 30Ch. 31Ch. 45Ch. 52Ch. 53Ch. 54Ch. 55Ch. 56Ch. 57Ch. 58Ch. 59Ch. 60Ch. 61Ch. 62Ch. 63Ch. 64Ch. 65Ch. 66Ch. 67Ch. 68Ch. 69Ch. 70Ch. 71Ch. 72Ch. 73Ch. 74Ch. 75Ch. 76
Daughter of Albert House
Chapter 76 – What happened after that *Parfait* – One
"Why don't you look at our garden? The Albert family's garden is quite majestic." Mary told Parfait.
"Oh, yes! I will! I will go alone!" Parfait exclaimed.
Then, without looking back towards him, who was still chasing her, she moved to the Albert family's garden.
Flowers were in full bloom all around the venue, music could be heard wherever you went, and the scenery was truly spectacular. It was no wonder that Mary was proud of this garden.
However, even this scenery didn't make Parfait feel any better. No matter how gorgeous the flowers were; no matter how wonderful was the scent that reached her nose, she just couldn't fill her depressed heart.
Of course, this was because of Gainas Eldland, who walked right behind her.
He just silently followed her. He probably thought that he didn't have the right to talk to her.
Even if he did talk to her, Parfait wouldn't respond like she usually did. She'd just ignore him.
Still, his footsteps were enough for Parfait to know that he was still following. She wasn't sure of the distance, but he was probably just a few steps away from her.
Maybe it would be easier if she just screamed 'Don't follow me!', but… Even if she thought those things, she didn't say them.
Before she realized it, she had already gone around the garden. She couldn't remember a single flower that she passed through though, as the thoughts muddling her head dragged her down like a noxious swamp would.
She looked around and saw no traces of Mary nor Alicia. The breeze blowing past her made her anxious. Even if she could still hear the lovely music, she felt like she was in a completely different world than everyone else.
She wanted to celebrate Mary's marriage from the bottom of her heart, but the wound within her chest didn't allow it.
Everyone overcame this pain, but… Just thinking about it made her legs heavy. She couldn't bring herself to move back to the venue.
Parfait thought, 'the other ladies already recovered from their pain and moved on', but the reality was not that simple.
They were both half angry and half refreshed at how things ended.
That said, some of them did move towards other houses and are now enthusiastic about climbing to even greater heights, but Parfait, who still longs for Gainas, is hurt. She is hurt and suffering, and has no way of knowing about the feelings of the other ladies.
Then, as Parfait was struggling, not knowing what to do, a familiar person walked up to her from the venue.
A person with rust-colored hair who was wearing a formal attire with the Albert family's crest embroidered on it…
"Lord Addie." Parfait said.
"… Uhn?" He replied.
The person who appeared was Mary's husband, Addie.
For some reason though, he acted strangely after his name was called. He looked behind him as if there was someone behind him, then back to Parfait, then looked behind again.
"You mean me!?" He suddenly exclaimed.
"What happened, lord Addie?" Parfait asked him.
"Please stop, lady Parfait, don't call me like that again." Addie told her.
"But that would be discourteous to the Albert family." Parfait replied.
The two of them seemed to be panicking at the same time. It must have been a laughable scene to an outsider.
But it can't be helped when considering that Parfait's house was considered of a low position amongst the aristocracy, while Addie was originally a servant.
Then, after a while of them both struggling and humbling themselves in face of one another, they were able to regain their composure.
Addie then awkwardly turned his gaze towards Parfait, and towards Gainas who stood behind her, "Perhaps I have interrupted you…?"
"No! I was looking at the garden alone!
"Lord Gainas…" Parfait shook her head, "I don't know who that person is, but he is just following me!"
"How troublesome…" Addie muttered to himself.
After hearing those words from Parfait, Addie sighed and stared at Gainas.
Parfait on the other hand was still unable to regain her composure, so she extended her hand.
"Lady Parfait?" Addie tilted his head, looking down at the outstretched hand.
"M-me!" Parfait exclaimed. Her voice was clearly forced, but nobody pointed that out, "I-I'm going back to the venue. Lord Addie, please escort me!"
"Me…? You sure?" Addie replied.
"There is… There is nobody else around!" Parfait exclaimed.
It goes without saying that her tone was not one of a haughty lady ordering her servant, but of a weak lady who was making a plea for help.
In fact, Parfait's hand was still trembling, and her eyes were still downcast.
After seeing her like that, Addie sighed and pondered for a small bit… But then, "Do you think this me, from the Albert family, would take your hand!?" He screamed his refusal.
His figure was quite reminiscent of a certain someone, and almost anyone would be able to understand what he was trying to say.
However, the other party was Parfait, not anybody else, "Of course…! The Albert family wouldn't deal with someone like me…!"
Her eyes were instantly filled with tears.
Moreover, there was also Gainas this time around, "Lord Addie, no matter how great the Albert family is, this is still too rude…!"
After hearing that, Addie couldn't help leaking out his real thoughts, "Wow, it's harder than I imagined…"
When dealing with those two people who are foolishly honest and take things at face value, it just can't be helped that Parfait started crying when faced with those words.
After Addie realized that, he hurriedly started calming Parfait down, "You know… It's not that I have a problem with taking your hand, but rather… Doesn't it feel wrong for me to do so?"
"Wrong…?" She asked.
"It's not me that should take it, is it?" Addie said.
Prompted by Addie, she turned her gaze towards Gainas, who was behind her.
She was aware of it, and that was why she was lost and stuck, without knowing what to do.
"It's honestly embarrassing to talk about it, but milady was actually my first love." Addie suddenly told her.
"Lady Mary?" Parfait asked.
"I thought it was crazy to go after that first love, but… After going through enough things together, look at where we got to.
"That's why I think it's important to cherish the ones we love, and why I can't care about a man who gives up on what he has for the sake of going after other women." Addie sent a chilling gaze towards Gainas.
Gainas understood what that gaze meant and could only shrink back apologetically in response.
"So, I don't know what will be of lord Gainas from now on, but I can't overlook you, lady Parfait, who is a dear friend of milady. Not when you're stuck like that." Addie told her.
"Lord Addie…" She muttered.
"If you want me to, I can take you to the venue, but once again, think about it. Think if it's me that you want to hold the hand of." Addie told her.
In response to his words, Parfait took a deep breath.
Her hand was still outstretched, but before she realized it, her trembling had stopped, and her fingertips retracted a little.
"Well… I… I…" Parfait's voice quivered as she muttered each word.
She was scared, but she withdrew her outstretched hand. She pulled her hands to her chest, and squeezed them tightly.
"I think I… I'll keep looking at the garden for a while longer." Parfait told him.
Addie smiled at Parfait and bowed his head, "As you desire.
"Please call me if you need anything."
"Y-yes…" Parfait replied.
"Please excuse me then." Addie said.
While saying those servant-like words that didn't fit a member of the Albert family at all, Addie turned around and started leaving.
Once his silhouette disappeared, all that remained was an incredibly heavy mood.
A stifling space that almost choked them. A space that let one hear the other's movements; a space where one hoped that the other would take the initiative; a space that was too heavy to let anyone move.
It was Gainas' uneasy voice that broke it, "Parfait…"
At the sound of his voice, Parfait squeezed her hands and turned around, finally making her decision.
"Flowers and words of love?" Mary asked.
She had just finished hearing Parfait's story when she asked that.
Parfait, who had just taken a bite of cake, nodded with a red face.
Half a month after the party at the Albert's house, Mary and Karina were asking questions about Parfait and Gainas, who had slightly changed their behavior with each passing day.
Their current location is on Parfait's house. Her room, in fact.
Mary and Karina felt a bit uncomfortable in such a feminine room that was filled with cute things, but it was also a very Parfait-like room.
"Every day from that day onwards, I told him to give me a flower that symbolized the Eldland family and to tell me some words of love." Parfait told them.
Mary muttered, "I want to lick salt" when hearing that. Because this story of Parfait was far too sweet.
Of course, everything in this room was sweet. Parfait story, her blushing cheeks, the room's decoration, everything.
As for Karina, who also had troubles with her fiance just like Parfait, she drank a sip of the tea that was served to her and said, "So, in other words, if he meets this condition for an entire year, you'll forgive Gainas Eldland.
"I supposed that's an acceptable forgiveness condition…"
"Yes, yes." Mary said.
Differently from the extremely emotional Parfait, Karina was looking quite calm.
Mary then decided to ask her, "What about you?"
Karina smiled gracefully in return, "As far as Lilianne goes, I don't care for as long as she doesn't enter my sight."
Her tone made it look like it was someone else's affairs, but this was probably because she forgave Lilianne in her own way.
Originally, they were both people who had the same memories of the previous life, and they were all suffering from this 'too late love'.
She couldn't accept Lilianne's actions, but she was not going to suffer over it after Lilianne was driven away.
Especially because Karina decided to leave the game behind and move on. Her feelings for Patrick were just a memory now, so Lilianne to her was nothing more than 'that disgusting woman from the academy', but also someone whose part in her life was over.
But that was only about Lilianne… "But aside from Lilianne, what about…" Mary asked.
The words 'ex-fiance' were left unsaid.
Karina smiled beautifully. The smile as beautiful as the one of a saint.
… She only smiled in response.
"Scary…" Mary muttered.
"Oh? I haven't said anything yet." Karina replied.
"That smile is enough of an answer." Mary said.
"You really don't want to hear it?" Karina asked, still keeping that smile on her face.
Mary just shook her head in response.
Karina could be quite cruel in executing a revenge, so… If her anger hasn't cooled down yet, then Mary definitely doesn't want to hear it.
She wanted to tell Lilianne that she should be glad that she escaped.
With those thoughts in mind, Mary turned her attention to Parfait and Karina while gracefully enjoying her tea.
They were both rival characters in Dora School, and they were both abandoned by their fiances, but the way things ended for them both was completely different.
Mary could only sigh when thinking of it, "I pray that they both find happiness." She muttered to herself.
Ironically, both of them nodded with a charming smile that would captivate any man in an instant.
It's been a few months since the promise with Parfait.
Gainas has been running around a lot and his days have been very hectic.
Flowers are the gifts for Parfait, and while the requested flowers certainly do bloom in the Eldland garden, they don't bloom year-round.
That's why Gainas himself, without asking for the gardener to get them for him, went to neighboring countries to buy the flowers too.
Even if he needed to bow down his head for it, he just did everything he could to obtain those flowers.
It was just one flower, but it had to be done every day.
Also, Parfait would sometimes go out and prank him, forcing Gainas to run around all day long while searching for her. It was not uncommon for him to find him only barely before the date was about to change.
And then, after seeing Gainas keep on running around all the time; after seeing how he refused to simply rely on the gardeners and instead did all the flower hunting himself, the parents who had once disowned him had now started to regain the trust on him.
And above all else, they could see that Parfait still had real feelings for him, just like he had for her.
In fact, when Parfait was crying as Mary went to the Karelia academy, when she kept on muttering, 'Lady Mary… Lady Mary…' at that time, Gainas had been by her side.
Parfait's over-dependence may be a problem, but Mary was the one who saved her from having her fiance robbed by a commoner woman. She was the one that stopped her from being completely exposed to the academy's curiosity without any place to stay safe at. She just couldn't help depending on her.
And exactly because he knew that, because he knew that he was the cause of Parfait's troubles, Gainas could only rub Parfait's shoulder while she tearfully called Mary's name.
And after a while, Parfait stopped crying and looked up to Gainas, as if to say something. Her right hand gently presented itself, as if urging him to do something.
Gainas noticed it and took out the flower in a hurry. Then, while having a face red enough that it almost made a popping sound, he presented the flower to Parfait, "Parfait, I know you're lonely because miss Mary is gone, and I'm not arrogant enough to say that I can be a replacement for her, but… Please don't cry. When you cry, I… It hurts me so much that I feel like my heart is being torn apart."
With an unsophisticated tone, Gainas delivered such sweet words. He has always been a serious, but clumsy person who is no good at trying to deliver sweet lines and words of love. Even though he turned bright red just from trying to say those, he still wanted to tell her these words from the bottom of his heart.
And in response to his words, Parfait's tearful eyes shined and she answered, "Yes!" while receiving the flower that he gave her.
Seeing this sweetness, both Karina and Margaret, who were present at the time, looked at each other and just shrugged their shoulders.
Every day Gainas presented Parfait with words of love and flowers.
Of course, it was not a repetition of simple words like 'I love you' or 'I like you'. Gainas instead tried putting out words that came from his heart and that fit each occasion.
Gainas was fairly clumsy and had a hard time putting out those words well though. Sometimes he was told to restart from scratch, but he kept on trying.
In fact, Gainas even started reading romance novels, watching plays and listening to recommendations of others around him in order to keep finding better ways of expressing his feelings.
His words started with 'I'm sorry', then moved to 'I beg you to forgive me', then 'just one more time', then 'I want you by my side'… And then, Parfait finally felt like her wounds were healed when the words 'I love you' were told at the end of this long process.
Meanwhile, Karina and Margaret, who were often seeing those scenes, struggled to endure them.
Margaret wanted to complain to Mary, who left Parfait and returned home.
And Karina was basically suffering heartburn from this sweet air, as it further reminded her of her ex-fiance.
But if you just look at Parfait and Gainas, most people were thinking that it would all be okay. That it was only a matter of time before they got back together.
One year has passed since that day.
Parfait was restless since the morning.
But when noon came, Gainas wasn't there.
She swelled her cheeks as he said nothing about it.
Then evening came… Then night had fallen…
"Lady Mary…! I-I don't know what to do anymore!" Parfait exclaimed.
She was wallowing in self-deprecation while drinking tea at the Albert family's mansion.
"Alright, uhn… Why did you come to this house?" Mary asked her.
"By carriage…" Parfait replied.
"Well, I'd be surprised if you had walked here!
"I asked the reason though! The reason!" Mary exclaimed.
Mary was a bit angry at the sudden visit, but she poured tea for Parfait, who just kept on bursting into tears.
"Lord Gainas… Even if he had plans, he always told me about it in advance…" Parfait muttered.
"Well, he is also getting back his position at the Eldland family, so he must be busy…" Mary tried calming her down.
"I stopped by the Eldland house before coming here, he wasn't there…" Parfait's voice was shaking, she just couldn't stop her tears, "I wonder if lord Gainas got tired of me…"
"Parfait…" Mary started saying.
"Lord Gainas must… He must hate…!" Parfait exclaimed.
As her tears kept on falling, Parfait's voice shook more and more. She couldn't even bring herself to finish the sentence of 'he must hate me', for even this hypothetical sentence terrified her.
Trying to calm Parfait down, Mary thought, 'there's no way that's true.'
Gainas Eldland was not such a man. Even if he was captivated by Lilianne, he still cared for Parfait. He was a clumsy, but straightforward man.
No matter how much he had to struggle due to his promise to Parfait, he is still in a blessed position when compared to the other men.
Besides, this situation is his fault in the first place. Gainas was surely aware of it, so there was no way he could hate Parfait for it.
As Mary thought those things, she was suddenly brought back to reality by a sudden vigorous knock on her door.
Just what was that!?
When she got up to open the door, she saw Addie, who had a very serious expression on his face.
"What's the matter?" Mary asked him.
"Milady, lady Parfait, your schoolmates came to see you. Please come right away." Addie told them.
"Schoolmates…?" Mary repeated.
Who on earth was coming? Mary tilted her head while thinking that.
Parfait stood up behind Mary, while still having her eyes filled with tears.
And suddenly, the Albert family was now extremely noisy when hearing of the sudden visit.
The Albert family, who was on par with the royal family, could certainly entertain a sudden visitor, but… There was a reason to the sudden noise.
"Is it true that lady Mary has friends?!" One person exclaimed.
"Friends! Lady Mary has friends other than lady Alicia and lady Parfait!" Another person exclaimed.
"It's not a dog nor a cat she is feeding!?" A third person exclaimed.
That was the reason.
This also meant that Mary, who was being rushed by Addie to leave the room, had to stop in her tracks, "Hey, they're not dogs nor cats! That's way too rude!" she exclaimed.
"Actually, they were all very rude." Addie calmly told Mary.
But then, they reminded themselves of what was the real topic at hand, so with a, "That doesn't matter right now." they continued moved to the mansion's hall.
Karina and Margaret were there.
They looked at Mary for a second, but then, as soon as they saw Parfait's ragged silhouette come from behind Mary, they instantly rushed towards Parfait and hugged her.
Differently from people from the countryside, Karina and Margaret don't simply rush at people when they see them. They first give courteous ladylike greetings, but this time… Things must be really serious right now.
"Parfait, do you know where lord Gainas is?" Karina asked her.
"Lord Gainas? I-I don't know that person!" She exclaimed.
Parfait looked away as she said that, while Karina and Margaret looked at each other.
It was the same exchange as usual, but today… Their facial expressions aren't the usual bitter smiles.
Rather, they seem pale.
Perhaps she noticed their expression, for Parfait looked at them with a terrified gaze, "L-lord Gainas… What happened to him?" She asked.
"Parfait… Listen calmly to it." Margaret said.
"… Okay." Parfait replied.
"Gainas Eldland is gone." Margaret told her.
Mary widened up her eyes at those words.
Then, Karina muttered something in a very small voice, "It's my fault."
Karina's expression was downcast. Her expression was distorted by anxiety and there was no trace of her usual dignity there.
Mary was about to ask what that meant, but… She had to first catch Parfait, who had suddenly fallen.


Two big names in the Indian biking scenario: Hero Honda Hunk and Bajaj Pulsar. Both these have taken the market by storm, while Hero Honda is a global name for being the leading bike manufacturer the Bajaj Auto is a top name in the Indian bike market scene. The very first thing that riders would associate with Hero Honda bike is their impeccable service and dependability and whereas the Bajaj bikes come up with novelty rather innovations and the Indian market has showered great love and regard for the Bajaj bikes.
The Indian market has a line up of bikes in the segment and they are a hit among the masses mainly because of their incredible performance with an affordable price tag. Bajaj's introduction of Pulsar 150 cc DTSi was an instant hit among masses as was expected by the market experts but soon the company felt the pinch of competition from the Hero Honda who launched the Hunk. This made the consumers a little indecisive when asked to pick one between the two bikes. Here is a brief analysis of the two bikes that will aid the bike buying prospects' decision.
HH Hunk has an elegant yet a muscular looks, which kind of is an appealing factor. The front forks have golden touch whereas the central section gets a silver finish, and the other eye-catching feature is the butterfly-shaped headlight. But, Bajaj Pulsar stands apart in the style and looks thanks to the styling department. Pulsar's design was tweaked in Japan and it was given a rugged look with a huge fuel tank (that surely is a macho quotient anyone would vote for) and cool headlight. As to the tail end of the bike, it is much like the edge of a razor. Along with these distinct features Pulsar comes fitted with edgy (glitzy) electronic gadgets that will create quite an impression on the buyer. I would vote for pulsar for the looks although it's a factor that is subject to an individual's personal choice that may quite vary.
Bajaj Pulsar bears the 150 cc DTSi engine and generates a power of 14.09 Ps @ 8500 rpm and the maximum torque is around 12.76 Nm at 6500 rpm. While Hunk also has a 150cc engine but the power out put is slightly higher than that of Pulsar, it is 14.2 Ps @ 8500 rpm and torque is 12.98 Nm @ 6500 rpm. Despite the engine in the Pulsar is smooth the bike emits a lot of noise at top speed whereas Hunk does not produce any vibration even if the bike is zooming at 80 kmph.
Because of the DTSi technology used in the Pulsar the throttle response seems to be pretty good and it is not bad in Hunk too. But the gearbox needs to be tweaked in Pulsar. The five speed gearbox in the Hunk helps in the effortless gear shifting and in fact even the clutch is pretty smooth. The Pulsar is fitted with disc brakes but one needs to be careful while applying them as they are quite sensitive and applying the front brakes too quickly might trigger loss of balance. HH Hunk has disc brakes but they are well equipped to suit the Indian roads. And this is where Pulsar lags behind and Hunk scores better.
As we know that Pulsar is a bit nosier and with age the noise produced by the bike becomes more evident but Hunk seems to be better in this regard. Pulsar gets heated up once the bike touches a speed level of 60 kmph and while riding Hunk you need not worry of the vehicle getting heated, as it will remain cool even at great speed. In terms of comfortable riding, Pulsar does give a comfortable ride but the pillion rider might complain a bit while in Hunk the cushioned seats offer great comfort especially if you plan a long ride.
Hunk scores greater points in terms of fuel efficiency as well. If you are riding in the city you can expect it to give 55-60 kmpl and on highways it could be around 65 kmpl which is very neat. Pulsar gives around 45-50 kmpl on bumper-bumper traffic conditions while on the highways you can squeeze arund 52-55 kmpl, which also depend on the kind of a rider you are; ride smooth and expect better mileage.
The Pulsar 150 cc DTSi comes in colors of plasma blue, cocktail wine red, misty grey silver and midnight black with an on-road price of Rs 68,000.
The Hunk is available in four color choices of black, red, silver and blue with an on-road price tag of Rs 65,000.
Hunk gets outscored by Pulsar only in the looks department (you can well ignore looks in my opinion) otherwise it is Hunk that scores better in other aspects such as performance, quality, handling, comfortable on long rides, dependability and hassle free maintenance. And it obviously gave competition a run for money to stay superior in the Indian market, more so in the 150 cc segment. In fact it's the most modern bike by many parameters in the 150cc segment.
Last updated on 12-12-2016. Published on 29-06-2011.
i am using new hunk. i feel good on its performance and mileage is 52.
Hunk is the mass bike in 150cc segment.
Its muscle look will attract girls while seeing the bike immeadiately.
but stupid peopl still goin wid pulsr.. :-D i hv new hunk .. damn smooth .. n givin mileage of 45 in city..
welL,m guin for hunk finally.............n u??
Hero Honda is better in reliability..
Pulsar in top speed......p220 has top speed of 141km/hr compare 2 karizma 135km/hr....in its segment.
Pulsar may be pioneer in many aspects of modern biking. There is no denying this fact. But after more than 10 years of its release, it has begun to show age. Hunk is better looking and better or at par in every feature. I like pulsars a lot. But I can beat a P150 on my hunk any friggin' day.
You can't know how we will feel. I am slightly on the heavier side (78 kg) and I can literally carve the road with my hunk.
Agar hero honda ki kisi bike ne pulsar ko hara diya na to me meri pulsar bech k hero honda le lunga its my challenge.......!
Hey guyz..i m planning to buy pulsar 150 or hunk..
I am planing buy a bike my choices are bajaj pulser 180 or hero hunk which bike is best?pls help me?
I will buy bikes, plz suggest me frnd which one is best.
where as pulsar is the most worst bike in india.
I have to buy 150 cc bike. Which is best for allover hunk or pulsar 150 ? Help me to decide one.


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Zuma says he received death threat after commission testimony
Day 2 of Zuma's testimony
South Africa's ex-president Jacob Zuma on Tuesday said he had received a death threat after his testimony the previous day to an inquiry on corruption.
Appearing for the second day at the commission of inquiry into state capture, Zuma said his personal assistant received a phone call late on Monday from an unknown caller threatening to kill Zuma and his children.
The country's deputy chief justice, Raymond Zondo, who is overseeing the inquiry, said the threats were unacceptable.
There was no immediate comment from the police.
South Africa's ex-president, Jacob Zuma on Monday defended himself at the commission of inquiry into state capture, where he is accused of having presided over a corrupt government.
Over the past year, this commission, chaired by the Vice-President of the Constitutional Court Raymond Zondo, has heard from dozens of ministers, elected officials, businessmen and senior civil servants who have come to expose the shady cases of the Zuma era (2009-2018).
The former head of state, 77, is suspected of illegally granting lucrative public contracts and undue advantages to a sulfurous family of Indian businessmen with whom he is close, the Gupta.
Zuma's testimony
Zuma told the inquiry that there was a conspiracy against him and that his enemies had subjected him to a "character assassination" because they wanted him out of power.
"This commission, from my understanding, was really created to have me coming here, and perhaps to find things on me," Zuma said in his opening remarks at the inquiry, looking relaxed and wearing a dark suit.
"There has been a drive to remove me from the scene, a wish that I should disappear."
About his controversial links to the Gupta family, Zuma said he had never broken the law with them, describing the businessmen at the centre of an influence-peddling scandal as friends.
"I never did anything with them (the Guptas) unlawfully, they just remained friends. … Never, never did I discuss any matter that does not belong to them," Zuma told the inquiry.
"They were businesspeople and successful businesspeople," Zuma continued, referring to the three Gupta brothers. "I'm not a businessperson, I know nothing about business, I'm a politician, I know something about politics."
He said he could trace this to the early 1990s, when he received an intelligence report that two foreign intelligence agencies and a branch of the apartheid government that was in power at the time had come up with a strategy to get rid of him.
He did not name where the foreign intelligence agencies came from, only that they were from "big countries".
"They (my enemies) took a decision that Zuma must be removed from the decision-making structures of the ANC. That's why the character assassination, that is the beginning of the process that has put me where I am today," Zuma said.
Zuma also hinted that he could spill the beans on ANC comrades who had spoken out against him.
"I've been respectful to comrades, maybe I've reached a point where that must take a back seat."
Jacob Zuma was forced by his successor, Cyril Ramaphosa, to resign a year and a half ago at the head of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) and the country.
But he has always denied that he was involved in all the scandals that have splashed his reign.
Reactions to Zuma's testimony
Asked about Zuma's comments, ANC spokesman Pule Mabe said the party would give the inquiry space to do its work.
"The ANC is not on trial here," Mabe said.
Natasha Mazzone, a senior lawmaker with the opposition Democratic Alliance party, said Zuma was trying to whitewash serious allegations.
"The fact that we've heard a conspiracy theory dating back to 1990 is proof that the real truth is going to take a long time to extract," Mazzone said.
Rudie Heyneke from the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse said the inquiry could find it difficult to pin much on Zuma because he had "always been careful to stay a layer or two away from the action".
Reservations from Zuma's lawyers
In a letter made public last month, his lawyer Daniel Mantsha questioned the impartiality of the commission of inquiry by accusing it of seeking "only one truth" and wanting to "trap and humiliate" his client.
Although he did not obtain the list of questions that Judge Zondo plans to ask him, Jacob Zuma agreed to respond to his non-binding summons, in principle until Friday, July 19. But there is still doubt about the attitude he will adopt at the hearing, which will be broadcast live on television.
"The committee asked me to come and testify and provide it with any information I may have in my possession," Zuma told the press this week. "I'm going to go and we'll see how things turn out."
The case against Zuma
Since it launched its hearings, the Zondo Commission has compiled a thick case against the former president.
A former minister, Mcebisi Jonas, came to tell how the Gupta brothers had come to offer him in 2015 the morocco Finance in exchange for his help in obtaining contracts and a bribe of 600 million rand (nearly 40 million euros).
According to Mr. Jonas, Ajay Gupta then told that "You have to understand that we control everything (…) and that the old man (Zuma) will do whatever he tells us to do".
Another Finance Minister, Nhlanhla Nene, testified that he was thanked the same year by Jacob Zuma for refusing a lucrative nuclear contract project that would have benefited the same Gupta brothers, owners of a uranium mine.
In turn, the current Minister of Public Enterprises Pravin Gordhan also settled his accounts with Jacob Zuma, accusing him of having "allowed a climate of impunity allowing corruption" and the "capture of the State" by private interests.
Gordhan has estimated that 100 billion rand (€6 billion) of public funds have been diverted in recent years in his country.
The main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA), has been a long-time critic of the turpitudes of the Zuma regime and welcomed its hearing. "There can be no immunity for Jacob Zuma," said MP Natasha Mazzone, "he must be held accountable for his role in capturing the state.
Despite all the accusations against him, the former president has still not been formally charged. He is currently being prosecuted in only one case involving bribes paid on the margins of an arms contract signed… twenty years ago.
In defence of Zuma
Zuma still has allies and a group of several dozen supporters broke into clapping and chants of "Zuma" as he entered the hearing room.
Outside, supporters wearing military clothing emblazoned with the emblem of the former armed wing of the ANC shouted: "Hands off Zuma!"
One of them, Bongani Nkosi, said he thought the inquiry was out to get Zuma and that he had enemies because he supported radical economic policies to help poor black people.
Ramaphosa, Zuma's former deputy, has made sweeping personnel changes in government and state-owned companies as part of an effort to curb corruption and revive the stagnant economy.
But he has been hampered by the lingering influence that Zuma and his allies exert over the ANC's top decision-making bodies, as well as by the scale of the problems he inherited.
Zuma, expected to give testimony to the inquiry from Monday to Friday, has also been in court on several occasions over the past year to answer corruption charges linked to a deal to buy military hardware for the armed forces in the 1990s.
The inquiry is a rare example of an African leader being brought to book soon after losing power.
Ayorkor Botchwey sues Larry Dogbe, The Herald for defamation


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