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A macaque model of HIV-1 infection
Theodora Hatziioannou, Zandrea Ambrose, Nancy P. Y. Chung, Michael Piatak Jr., Fang Yuan, Charles M. Trubey, Vicky Coalter, Rebecca Kiser, Doug Schneider, Jeremy Smedley, Rhonda Pung, Mercy Gathuka, Jacob D. Estes, Ronald S. Veazey, Vineet N. KewalRamani, Jeffrey D. Lifson, and Paul D. Bieniasz
Theodora Hatziioannou
For correspondence: thatziio@adarc.org vineet@ncifcrf.gov lifson@ncifcrf.gov pbienias@adarc.org
Zandrea Ambrose
Nancy P. Y. Chung
Michael Piatak
Charles M. Trubey
Vicky Coalter
Rebecca Kiser
Doug Schneider
Jeremy Smedley
Rhonda Pung
Mercy Gathuka
Jacob D. Estes
Ronald S. Veazey
Vineet N. KewalRamani
Jeffrey D. Lifson
Paul D. Bieniasz
Edited by John M. Coffin, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, and approved January 28, 2009 (received for review December 10, 2008)
The lack of a primate model that utilizes HIV-1 as the challenge virus is an impediment to AIDS research; existing models generally employ simian viruses that are divergent from HIV-1, reducing their usefulness in preclinical investigations. Based on an understanding of species-specific variation in primate TRIM5 and APOBEC3 antiretroviral genes, we constructed simian-tropic (st)HIV-1 strains that differ from HIV-1 only in the vif gene. We demonstrate that such minimally modified stHIV-1 strains are capable of high levels of replication in vitro in pig-tailed macaque (Macaca nemestrina) lymphocytes. Importantly, infection of pig-tailed macaques with stHIV-1 results in acute viremia, approaching the levels observed in HIV-1-infected humans, and an ensuing persistent infection for several months. stHIV-1 replication was controlled thereafter, at least in part, by CD8+ T cells. We demonstrate the potential utility of this HIV-1-based animal model in a chemoprophylaxis experiment, by showing that a commonly used HIV-1 therapeutic regimen can provide apparently sterilizing protection from infection following a rigorous high-dose stHIV-1 challenge.
stHIV-1
AIDS research has been hampered by the lack of an animal model that utilizes HIV-1 as the challenge virus, the central problem being the absence of a practical host species in which HIV-1 replicates efficiently (1). While chimpanzees can be productively infected, they are endangered, expensive, do not typically develop AIDS after HIV-1 infection, and their use in research engenders ethical concerns (2). Consequently, the most widely used animal models of human HIV-1 infection and AIDS comprise infection of rhesus or pig-tailed macaques with simian immunodeficiency viruses (SIV) or chimeras encoding the HIV-1 envelope or reverse transcriptase (SHIV, or RT-SHIV), which can cause simian AIDS (3–7). These models have been extremely informative, particularly in studies of SIV and SHIV pathogenesis (1, 8–10). However, they have shortcomings, mostly because of the large genetic distance between SIVs and HIV-1. The divergence between human and simian viruses necessitates a 2-stage process for evaluation of candidate vaccines in macaques, with proof of concept-challenge studies using SIV followed by immunogenicity studies using the corresponding HIV-1 immunogens, which often cannot be directly evaluated for indications of efficacy before human trials. Additionally, differences between HIV-1 and SIV enzymes preclude preclinical evaluation of the efficacy of some drugs, such as non-nucleoside RT inhibitors that are inactive against SIVs. Thus, the development of animal models that use HIV-1 as the challenge virus would undoubtedly facilitate the evaluation of candidate prevention and treatment strategies.
A major reason underlying the inability of HIV-1 to replicate in nonhuman primate cells is the existence therein of gene products that have evolved to inhibit retroviral replication. The TRIM5α protein blocks retroviral infection by inactivating incoming capsids (11), and species-specific variation in the TRIM5α C-terminal domain that is responsible for capsid recognition (12, 13) is a major determinant of host susceptibility to various retroviruses (14–16). Additionally, APOBEC3 proteins infiltrate virions during their assembly and inactivate viral genomes during subsequent reverse transcription, largely by catalyzing the deamination of cytidines in nascent retroviral DNA (17–20). While primate lentiviruses encode Vif proteins that antagonize APOBEC3 proteins by inducing their degradation (21–23), resistance to Vif-induced degradation often occurs as a result of species-specific variation in APOBEC3 proteins (24–28).
By virtue of its particular capsid and Vif protein sequences, HIV-1 avoids and antagonizes the human forms of TRIM5α and APOBEC3 proteins. However, HIV-1 fails to avoid or antagonize the rhesus macaque TRIM5α and APOBEC3 proteins, and cannot replicate in rhesus macaque T cells (29). Previously, we and others demonstrated that the inability of HIV-1 to replicate in rhesus macaque cells in vitro can be overcome by engineering resistance to TRIM5α and APOBEC3 proteins (30, 31). Notably Macacca nemestrina (pig-tailed macaques) lack a TRIM5α protein, and the dominant form of TRIM5 expressed in this species is a TRIMCyp fusion protein that arose through retrotransposition of a CypA cDNA into the TRIM5 locus of an ancestral macaque (32–36). The resulting protein is similar to the TRIMCyp protein previously identified in owl monkeys (37, 38) but, crucially, differs from the owl monkey TRIMCyp in that it does not inhibit HIV-1 infection (32–36). Thus, pig-tailed macaques appear to present fewer impediments to HIV-1 replication and could potentially be more amenable to infection by stHIVs that are derived by minimal modifications of HIV-1.
Here, we constructed stHIV-1 strains that differ from HIV-1 only in the vif gene, and show that such viruses replicate robustly in pig-tailed macaque lymphocytes in vitro. Additionally, we show that infection of pig-tailed macaques with stHIV-1 results in acute viremia at a level approaching that observed in HIV-1-infected humans. Moreover, stHIV-1 can establish infection in pig-tailed macaques that persists for months but is controlled thereafter, at least in part, by CD8+ T cells. Finally, we demonstrate the potential utility of this HIV-1-based animal model by showing that a commonly used HIV-1 therapeutic regimen, used as chemoprophylaxis, can protect pig-tailed macaques from infection by stHIV-1 after a rigorous high-dose challenge.
Vif-Substituted HIV-1 Replicates in Macacca nemestrina Lymphocytes.
The absence of a TRIM5 protein capable of inhibiting HIV-1 infection raised the possibility that pig-tailed macaque lymphocytes might support the replication of HIV-1. However, rhesus macaques express several APOBEC3 proteins that potently inhibit HIV-1 infectivity (28), and the same was expected to be true of pig-tailed macaques. Therefore, we generated 2 HIV-1-derived constructs, termed stHIV-1SV and stHIV-12V, encoding a macaque-adapted HIV-1 envelope protein (from SHIVKB9), in which the HIV-1 vif gene was replaced by the vif genes from SIVMAC239 and HIV-2ROD, respectively (Fig. 1A). These vif genes were selected because we previously found that Vif proteins from SIVMAC and HIV-2ROD efficiently antagonized the antiretroviral activity of several APOBEC3 proteins from rhesus and pig-tailed macaques (ref. 28 and data not shown). Spreading infection assays in pig-tailed macaque lymphocytes revealed that the replication of the parental HIV-1 construct was transient and low, whereas SIVMNE027, an SIV strain that is highly pathogenic in pig-tailed macaques (10), replicated robustly, with reverse transcriptase (RT) activity reaching a peak at approximately day 6 to 8 after infection (Fig. 1B). Importantly, stHIV-1SV also replicated very efficiently in pig-tailed macaque lymphocytes, and RT levels reached a peak at the same time and at only marginally lower levels than SIVMNE027, (see Fig. 1B). Notably, the presence of SIVMAC CA provided no advantage over HIV-1 CA (compare replication of stHIV-1SCA+SV with stHIV-1SV in Fig. 1B). Further experiments in pig-tailed macaque lymphocytes confirmed that stHIV-1SV replicated with an efficiency comparable to that of SIVMNE027, while stHIV-12V was marginally impaired as compared to stHIV-1SV (Fig. 1C). Importantly, however, both stHIV-1SV and stHIV-12V replicated with far greater efficiency than a matched HIV-1 construct in which vif was unaltered.
Replication of stHIV-1 variants in pig-tailed macaque lymphocytes in vitro. (A) Schematic representation of the viral constructs used in this study, shaded regions indicate sequences from HIV-2ROD or SIVMAC239, as indicated. All HIV-1-derived constructs used the macaque-adapted HIV-1 envelope from SHIVKB9. (B, C) RT activity in culture supernatants (expressed as log10 pg/ml) was measured every 2 or 3 days for 15 days following inoculation of pig-tailed macaque lymphocytes with the indicated viruses. The 2 graphs shown in (B) and (C) represent independent experiments employing 2 different pig-tailed macaque donors.
Acute Viremia and Persistent Replication of stHIV-1 in Pig-Tailed Macaques.
The ability of minimally modified stHIV-1 strains to replicate robustly in pig-tailed macaque lymphocytes suggested that most or all of the intrinsic barriers to HIV-1 replication in that species had been overcome simply by replacement of the vif gene. Therefore, 4 animals were inoculated intravenously with an admixture of stHIV-1SV and stHIV-12V. Infection was established in all 4 animals, with peak plasma viral load reaching 105 to 106 copies of viral RNA (vRNA) per ml at 2 to 4 weeks after inoculation (Fig. 2A). Viremia declined gradually thereafter, but persisted at detectable levels for >20 weeks after inoculation. A modest decline in CD4+ T cells was observed during the first 5 weeks after inoculation, but this parameter subsequently remained stable throughout the course of infection without clear evidence of CD4+ T-cell depletion [Fig. 2B, supporting information (SI) Fig. S1]. Infection of 2 pig-tailed macaques with the same dose of a matched HIV-1 stock resulted in a peak viral load of ≈104 RNA copies per ml at 1-week after inoculation, but plasma viremia declined rapidly thereafter, and was cleared by 6 weeks following infection in both animals (see Fig. 2A). Thus, both HIV-1 and stHIV-1SV/2V could clearly establish infection in pig-tailed macaques, but the differential ability of HIV-1 versus stHIV-1SV/2V to replicate in pig-tailed macaque lymphocytes in vitro quite accurately predicted their different properties in vivo. In particular, the presence of the vif genes from SIVMAC and HIV-2 gave a substantial advantage to stHIV-1 in terms of the level of acute viremia observed during primary infection, and in the degree to which infection and measurable plasma viremia persisted in pig-tailed macaques (see Fig. 2A).
Infection of pig-tailed macaques with HIV-1 and stHIV-1. (A) Four macaques were infected with a 1:1 mixture of stHIV-1SV and stHIV-12V (filled symbols) and 2 macaques were infected with the same dose (2 × 106 i.u.) of HIV-1 (open symbols). Plasma viremia was measured by RT-PCR and is given as the log10 viral RNA copies per milliliter of plasma. (B) CD4+ T cells, enumerated using FACS analyses in 2 of the 4 stHIV-1-infected macaques over the course of infection. CD4 counts in the 2 other macaques were monitored on a different schedule (see SI Text, Fig. S1).
Immune Responses Contribute to the Control of stHIV-1 Replication in Vivo.
To determine whether animals challenged with stHIV-1 mounted a specific viral antibody response, plasma was obtained at 0, 2, 4, 8, and 20 weeks after inoculation. All infected animals generated antibodies against HIV-1 Gag proteins that became detectable from weeks 2 to 4 after inoculation in Western blot assays; antibody levels increased over time thereafter (Fig. 3). Antibodies that were capable of neutralizing stHIV-1SV were detectable as early as 2 weeks after inoculation in some animals, while up to 8 weeks of infection elapsed before neutralizing antibodies were detected in other animals (Table 1). Overall, a robust serological response to stHIV-1 infection was observed in each animal. Additionally, modest but measurable responses to HIV-1 antigens by both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells were observed using intracellular cytokine staining assays in which cells were stimulated by overlapping peptides from HIV-1 Gag, Pol, or accessory proteins (Fig. S2).
Antibody responses to stHIV-1 infection in pig-tailed macaques. Western blot analysis using plasma recovered from the 4 stHIV-1-infected macaques at the indicated time points following stHIV-1 infection. Serum from an HIV-1-infected human long-term nonprogressor was used as a positive control.
Neutralization of stHIV-1SV by pig-tailed macaque plasma
In all 4 stHIV-1-infected animals, plasma virus levels gradually declined from weeks 4 to 25 following infection, to <102 vRNA copies per milliliter at around 25 weeks after infection (see Fig. 2A). To assess the contribution of CD8+ lymphocytes to control of viral replication, 3 animals were treated with the humanized anti-CD8 antibody cM-T807 (39) to deplete CD8+ T cells. This treatment removed >99% of the CD8+ T cells from peripheral blood in each animal (Fig. 4A), and a rapid, ≈100-fold increase in vRNA levels ensued in all 3 CD8+ T-cell-depleted animals (Fig. 4B). Indeed, plasma virus levels peaked at between ≈104 and 105 vRNA copies per milliliter at 1 to 2 weeks after anti-CD8 antibody administration, but declined rapidly thereafter, coincident with the reappearance of CD8+ T cells in peripheral blood (see Fig. 4). Viremia re-established its low pre-CD8+ T-cell-depletion levels within 3 to 5 weeks of the CD8-antibody infusion in all 3 animals.
Effect of depletion of CD8+ cells on stHIV-1 replication in vivo. (A) Effect of anti-CD8-antibody infusion on the numbers of CD8+ T cells in peripheral blood, as determined by FACS analyses. Note that analysis of lymph node biopsies at 1 week after antibody infusion revealed that 0%, 8%, and 0.1% of the CD3+ cells were CD8+ for animals PT6356, PT7993, and EP69, respectively. (B) Plasma viremia, measured by RT-PCR in the weeks preceding, during, and following CD8+ T-cell depletion in 3 animals.
Prophylaxis of stHIV-1 Infection.
The profound difficulties in developing effective HIV-1 vaccines (40) has highlighted the need for alternative infection-prevention strategies, including pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) using antiretroviral drugs (41). Previous nonhuman primate studies of PrEP have been restricted to the use of SIV or SHIVs, with the aforementioned attendant limitations (42).
To explore the use of stHIV-1 in antiretroviral drug prophylaxis experiments, we first determined sensitivity of several potential challenge viruses to a panel of antiretroviral drugs that are used clinically in HIV-1 infection (Fig. 5A, Table S1). Both tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) and emtricitabine (FTC), which are nucleoside RT inhibitors, were effective inhibitors of HIV-1, stHIV-1SV, stHIV-12V, SHIVKB9, and SIVMNE027. Conversely, efavirenz (EFV), a non-nucleoside RT inhibitor, was effective against HIV-1, stHIV-1SV, and stHIV-12V but, as expected, failed to inhibit SHIVKB9 or SIVMNE027 (see Fig. 5A). Moreover, 2 protease inhibitors, amprenavir and atazanavir, exhibited more than 10-fold greater potency against HIV-1, stHIV-1SV, and stHIV-12V than against SIVMNE027 (see Table S1). Thus, stHIV-1 is better suited for use in prophylaxis experiments using important classes of anti-HIV drugs that are ineffective against SIV or SHIV strains.
Antiretroviral drug prophylaxis of stHIV-1 infection. (A) Sensitivity of SIVMNE027, SHIVKB9, HIV-1, and stHIV-1 strains to inhibition by the nucleoside (TDF and FTC) and non-nucleoside (EFV) RT inhibitors, that comprise a mixture commonly used for treatment of HIV-1 infection. TZM cells were infected with each virus in the presence of the indicated concentrations of each drug, and the level of infection is plotted as the percentage of that in the absence of drug. (B) Two macaques received chemoprophylaxis with a TDF/FTC/EFV combination (PrEP) and were challenged intravenously, at 1 week after prophylaxis initiation, with the same dose of stHIV-1SV/2V as was used in Fig. 2. Treatment was continued for 1 week following the challenge. A contemporaneous control macaque was challenged but untreated. Plasma viremia was measured for the ensuing 5 weeks, using RT-PCR as in Fig. 2, and compared to the 4 previously inoculated and the contemporaneous control for which the mean and standard deviation of the plasma viremia over the first 6 weeks of infection is plotted.
A commonly used therapy for HIV-1 infection consists of a TDF/FTC/EFV combination and is available formulated as a single tablet (Atripla) for once-per-day dosing, and thus might be considered an ideal candidate for use in PrEP approaches. To simulate such a regimen, the TDF/FTC/EFV combination was administered daily to 2 pig-tailed macaques for 1 week before challenge with stHIV-1SV/2V. These animals and a contemporaneous untreated control macaque received the identical dose of stHIV-1SV/2V as was used previously (see Fig. 2A). The 2 treated animals received treatment for 1 more week after challenge. As expected, the untreated animal, like the previous 4 untreated stHIV-1SV/2V-infected animals, became viremic within 1 week of challenge (Fig. 5B). In contrast, vRNA remained undetectable in the plasma of the TDF/FTC/EFV-treated animals. Even though drug treatment ceased 1 week after challenge, plasma vRNA remained undetectable for the remaining 5 weeks of the experiment (see Fig. 5B). Additionally, viral DNA or RNA could not be detected in the peripheral blood or lymph nodes of the PrEP-treated macaques, while cell-associated viral DNA and RNA were detected in the untreated contemporaneous control animal (Table S2). Thus, within the limits of assay sensitivity, and with the caveat that only two PrEP-treated animals were challenged, this regimen gave apparently sterilizing protection against a high-dose i.v. challenge by stHIV-1.
Here, we show that stHIV-1 strains encoding Vif proteins from the HIV-2/SIVSM/SIVMAC lineage of lentiviruses can replicate efficiently in pig-tailed macaque cells in vitro and in vivo. Both HIV-1 and stHIV-1 were able to infect pig-tailed macaques, but HIV-1 replication was rapidly curtailed. In contrast, stHIV-1 plasma viremia peaked at a level approaching that observed in HIV-1-infected humans, and persisted at detectable levels for several months. Clearly, the replacement of the vif gene conferred a major advantage to stHIV-1 in pig-tailed macaques, and this result underscores the effectiveness of the APOBEC3 in blocking the replication of retroviruses that are unable to antagonize this intrinsic immune-defense mechanism.
Early reports indicated that pig-tailed macaques might be partly permissive for HIV-1 replication (43–45), and a more recent study using HIV-1 strains expressing modified Gag and Vif proteins achieved transient replication in pig-tailed macaques (46). However the levels and persistence of stHIV-1 replication documented herein are far greater than previously observed using HIV-1-derived viruses in monkeys. The relative success of stHIV-1 as compared to previous attempts to establish HIV-1-based nonhuman primate models is likely a consequence of the fact that only minimal, but critical, modifications to the HIV-1 genome were made to antagonize intrinsic host defenses. The fact that a macaque-adapted HIV-1 envelope was used may also have contributed to the comparatively robust replication of stHIV-1 in vivo. Nonetheless, stHIV-1 replication was eventually controlled, at least in part by CD8+ T cells, and the overall course of stHIV-1 infection resembled that expected of human long-term nonprogressors who harbor low levels of replicating HIV-1 for many years, and in whom viral replication is thought to be controlled largely by effective immune responses.
The development of an HIV-1 vaccine will likely be extremely difficult, and may not be possible in a reasonable period (40). Consequently, alternative strategies, such as PrEP and topical microbicides, may be the most viable approaches for preventing HIV-1 infection, at least in the short to medium term. However, in considering alternative PrEP approaches, critical parameters, such as the optimal agents, dose, and timing of drug administration relative to exposure to HIV-1 cannot readily be tested in human clinical trials. Because stHIV-1 encodes all of the targets for licensed HIV-1 therapeutics, the model described herein and refinements of it could be useful in exploring these parameters. Notably, a drug combination that simulates a commonly used regimen, which is administered to humans as a single tablet per day, gave apparently sterilizing protection against a very high-dose i.v. stHIV-1 challenge.
While the stHIV-1 may be useful in its current form for certain experiments, such as those documented herein, further developments in the model will be required to improve its utility. For example, it will be important to determine whether stHIV-1 infection can be initiated via mucosal challenge. Moreover, we caution against the misuse of the stHIV-1 model in its current form as testing platform for HIV-1 vaccines. The current generation of stHIV-1 employs the KB9 (HIV-189.6-derived) dual-tropic envelope protein. This envelope was selected for our studies because, although it is HIV-1-derived, it has previously been adapted and demonstrated to support efficient SHIV replication in macaques. We note that SHIV89.6 appears significantly more sensitive to inhibition by vaccine-induced immune responses than does, for example, SIVMAC239, perhaps because of the particular T-cell subsets targeted by X4 SHIVs (9), or its greater sensitivity to antibody neutralization (47). At present, the behavior of stHIV-1 in vaccination and challenge experiments is unknown, but it is reasonable to expect that it would exhibit the comparatively high sensitivity to vaccine-induced immune responses observed with SHIV89.6. Thus, further development of the stHIV-1 model will include the derivation of strains that replicate at high levels throughout the course of infection, and cause HIV-1-like CD4+ T-cell depletion and disease, as well as the construction of stHIV-1 variants that use the CCR5 coreceptor.
Viral Constructs, Viral Stock Generation, and in Vitro Replication Assays.
To generate the HIV-1 and stHIV-1 constructs used throughout these studies, the env gene in an HIV-1NL4–3 proviral plasmid was replaced by the rhesus macaque-adapted KB9 envelope (obtained from pSHIV-KB9). In stHIV-1SV and stHIV-12V proviral plasmids, the HIV-1 vif gene was also replaced with SIVMAC239 vif and HIV-2ROD vif, respectively (see Fig. 1A and SI Text for detailed methodology). Viral stocks were generated by transfection in 293 T cells and were titered using GHOST-X4/R5 cells. Replication in pig-tailed macaque lymphocytes was monitored using of ELISA-based RT assays (see SI Text).
Animal Inoculation and Monitoring.
Pig-tailed macaques (Macaca nemestrina) were housed in accordance with American Association for Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care standards and all animal procedures were according to protocols approved by local Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees (see SI Text). Infection was initiated by i.v. infusion of 1 × 106 i.u. each of stHIV-1SV and stHIV-12V, or 2 × 106 i.u of HIV-1. Plasma was separated for analysis of the presence of vRNA by quantitative PCR, or antibodies by Western blotting or neutralization assays. Whole blood was used for monitoring lymphocyte subsets via FACS assays. For intracellular cytokine assays, cryopreserved peripheral blood mononuclear cells were used. Details of these monitoring assays are described in the SI Text.
CD8+ T-Cell Depletion.
Three stHIV-1 infected animals were transiently depleted of CD8+ lymphocytes at ≈26 weeks after infection by the administration of the chimeric antihuman CD8 monoclonal antibody (MAb), cM-T807, given intravenously at 50 mg/kg of body weight. The extent of CD8 T-cell depletion in peripheral blood was monitored by FACS, as described in the SI Text.
Antiretroviral Drug Sensitivity and Prophylaxis Experiments.
The sensitivity of viruses to inhibition by RT and protease inhibitors was determined using in vitro assays described in the SI Text. Two macaques were treated with once-daily doses of TDF (20 mg/kg) and FTC (50 mg/kg), in a combined s.c. injection, and EFV (200 mg), given orally in various food treats. One week after the initiation of drug administration, the 2 animals and an untreated control animal were challenged intravenously with stHIV-1SV and stHIV-12V, as described above. Drug administration was maintained for 1 further week and discontinued thereafter. Plasma viremia and cell associated viral DNA and RNA were measured as described in the SI Text.
We thank Zerina Kratovac, Cesar Virgen, Bernice Kaack, Lara Doyle, Linda Green, Kelsi Rasmussen, Janell LeBlanc, and Adam Wiles for assistance, Sunil Ahuja for the pR1-D plasmid, Norbert Bischofberger and Gilead Sciences for providing TDF and FTC, and Ronald Desrosiers and Joseph Sodroski for the SIVMAC239 and SHIVKB9 clones, which were obtained through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) AIDS Research and Reference Reagent program, Division of AIDS, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, as were the overlapping 15-mer SIVMAC239 and HIV-1 peptides. The cM-T807 antibody was provided by the NIH Nonhuman Primate Reagent Resource (R24 RR016001, N01 AI040101). This work was supported by Grants from the NIH, R01AI078788 (to T.H.) and R01AI64003 (to P.D.B.), American Foundation for AIDS Research (amFAR) 106404–33-RFMC and 107149–44-RGRL (to Z.A.), and with federal funds from the National Cancer Institute, NIH, under contracts N01-CO-12400 and HHSN266200400088C (to J.D.L.) and through the Intramural Center for Cancer Research, which supports the HIV Drug Resistance Program (V.N.K.). The content of this publication does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Department of Health and Human Services, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the United States Government.
1To whom correspondence may be addressed. E-mail: thatziio{at}adarc.org, vineet{at}ncifcrf.gov, lifson{at}ncifcrf.gov, or pbienias{at}adarc.org
Author contributions: T.H., Z.A., V.N.K., J.D.L., and P.D.B. designed research; T.H., Z.A., N.P.Y.C., M.P., F.Y., C.M.T., V.C., R.K., D.S., J.S., R.P., M.G., J.D.E., and R.S.V. performed research; T.H. contributed new reagents/analytic tools; T.H., V.N.K., J.D.L., and P.D.B. analyzed data; and T.H., V.N.K., J.D.L., and P.D.B. wrote the paper.
↵2Present address: Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15261.
This article is a PNAS Direct Submission.
This article contains supporting information online at www.pnas.org/cgi/content/full/0812587106/DCSupplemental.
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You are going to email the following A macaque model of HIV-1 infection
Theodora Hatziioannou, Zandrea Ambrose, Nancy P. Y. Chung, Michael Piatak, Fang Yuan, Charles M. Trubey, Vicky Coalter, Rebecca Kiser, Doug Schneider, Jeremy Smedley, Rhonda Pung, Mercy Gathuka, Jacob D. Estes, Ronald S. Veazey, Vineet N. KewalRamani, Jeffrey D. Lifson, Paul D. Bieniasz


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Published 14th Apr 2014
850 Views, 29 Comments
MXC Equestria Edition - Soothing Stone
MXC is back in Equestria, but what will happen when Celestia tries to make the show more child friendly? Bad things, my friend. Bad things.
MXC Equestria Edition written by Soothing Stone
Sinkers and Floaters2,304 words
Dash to Death1,630 words
Door Jam1,670 words
Log Drop1,881 words
Dash to Death
The show returns to the air, with the announcer proclaiming, "MXC is back with the Pegasi versus the Unicorns!
Off to the throne room, and Vic looks ready to announce something.
"Well, we have discovered the reasoning behind the Impact Replay not working," he explains. "Mind explaining for us, Celestia?"
"Due to the nature of the Replay, which is to show painful collisions in gruesome detail, it will be banned for the remainder of the series," Celestia states calmly.
Ken stands up in protest, ready to kick some ass over this.
"Really? You're going to ban THAT? What's wrong with watching people wipe out in slow motion? Everything is better in slow motion! Explosions, car wrecks, women in small bikinis jumping up and down…"
"This is now a children's show, and we will act accordingly for it," Celestia shoots back.
"My -squee-!" Ken shouts back, his last word censored by cute pony sounds.
Everybody gasps, as it's generally not a good idea to cuss on a children's network.
"Now, Ken, sit down. We can make it without the Replay," Vic says." "There's still the Most Painful Eliminations of the day for you to do at the end."
Ken sits back down, more than a little pissed off at Celestia.
"It still sucks…" he grumbles.
"Right you are, but time for our next event: DASH TO DEATH!"
The corresponding Ken-O-Tron fills the screen, showing us the closest thing to a Wipeout course the show has. Of course, it hurts so much more, because this is MXC.
"In this event. contestants must go through the obstacles course without getting…"
"DASHED TO DEATH!" Ken and Vic say together.
"And instead of the freaky mines of the past, our course is populated with Diamond Dogs, harassing the contestants as they attempt to score," Vic adds on.
The next event begins at last.
"You know you're evil, Tenneal?" Sea Bastion asked.
"That's not what the ladies say. GET IT ON!" Tenneal commands.
"And here's Sea Bastion, the unicorn lucky enough to be insulted by the Captain," Vic cheers. "What a privilege. He narrowly avoids the Brain Scrambler, speeds through the Grinder, and onto what is now the Tumbler."
"Seriously, what is our audience? Girls under the age of 10?" Ken complains.
"Sadly it is. And he faces the Angry Dragon here. But he loses the battle, and into the Sludge."
"Back at his natural habitat, only with more slugs and other animals I don't know the names of."
Here comes Rarity for the Unicorns. When the Dogs realize who it is, the leader's eyes explode to the size of softballs.
"It's the whiny pony! Every dog for himself!" he screams in horror.
Every Dog on the course stops what they're doing and dives into the sludge, all swimming away from the most horrific pony since Sombra.
"And this is Rarity, a fashion--what is this? All the Diamond Dogs are leaving their posts and into the Sludge in fear of their lives!"
"What is it about that prissy unicorn that drives fear into a man? Maybe it's the fear of learning about fashion through her."
"That's why I would. And with nobody in her way, she speeds through the course, into the Tumbler, past the Angry Dragon, the Spinner, springing into the sponges, and zips through the…" He checks the script to see what the obstacle is now called. "Big Round Spheres...OK, this is sad."
"Oh man, these ponies have to carry that rope with their mouths. There is no way she's winning this one."
"Wrong you are Ken, as she swings into the Finish Line in time. The unicorns now lead 2-0! Let's go down to Spike."
Spike is interviewing Rarity right next to a puddle of sludge. The poor guy is nervous to talk to his crush again, and he's already blushing.
"So...how did you it, you…" he stumbles.
"It was nothing," Rarity answers. "All I need to do is avoid those sludge puddles and my mane will survive anything."
"You're the most beautiful pony in all of Equestria…." the dragon whispers.
He floats with hearts forming all around him. Wanting space, Rarity pushes him right into a puddle full of Septic Sludge. He flails wildly as his safari coat's the item that gets ruined.
The next contestant appears with a striped hat on his head.
"Bring Guy back!" he shouts to the camera.
"And the next pegasus up is Ring Master. He's the ringleader for the local Ponyville circus, using his wings to assist anypony that falls off the line."
"If that's what he puts up with, this should be nothing," Ken says.
"Indeed, as he jumps into the first set of sponges. Winning against the Angry Dragon, and onto the Spinner. But he looks confused, sitting in the middle. Trying to find the right moment to jump, he makes his move, and falls off the platform and into the Sludge."
"I'm still going on that event if it kills me. Better than playing Zombie #6 for God knows how many weeks on the Walking Dead."
Onto the next victim!
"And next up for the Pegasi is...well apparently he refuses to to state his name. Says Rainbow Dash would despise him just by the name, claiming coming up with the name Rainbow Crash was the worst thing he's ever done."
"And getting hit by the Brain Scrambler just beat it by a mile. He's swirling around more than an alcoholic on Saint Patrick's Day."
"He looks around, trying to get past the Grinder--but falls right into it. Don't worry, it's not really an organ grinder, like we said, it's just a pit that some Diamond Dogs took cover in."
"I hate these new broadcast standards," Ken keeps grumbling.
The next pony to come up is Trixie. Yes, that Trixie.
With my wonderful and awe-inspiring magic, I shall conquer this course, and make this team--OUCH!" Trixie yelps.
Tenneal taps her backside with his sword, light enough to not cut her despite his wishes.
"Just do it already!" says Tenneal.
"And this is the Great and Powerful Trixie. Conqueror of the Ursa Major, and now Conqueror of the Scrambler, using her magic to stop it from hitting her in the nick of time. Already at the Angry Dragon and into the Spinner."
"She's cheating on every turn. Like now, the Spinner's stopped in its tracks thanks to her. I hope she crashes and burns harder than me at your sister's wedding."
"Well, our expert says she already did before with a Minor, but now she's on the Spheres anyways. The Diamond Dogs take their shots, but she narrowly gets past them, and into the rope. Looking confused, not sure what to do."
" Hah, try to use your magic now! It still doesn't replace talent, regardless of what Tenneal thinks."
"And she ran out of time there! What a shame, she was this close."
"THIS IS UNFAIR!" screams Trixie. "THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE DEMANDS A RESET!"
Ken grabs a speakerphone and points it at Trixie. "YOU GET NONE!"
"That was rude there, Ken," Vic cuts in.
"You think I can take that kind of arrogance? That fall was just as fun as watching Super Bowl 42 for me."
"Well, that was a fun crash for sure. But onto our last contestant for the event…"
A bookworm is the next pony to show up. "Ken doesn't own a single book, because that's how dumb he is!"
"Horrible attempt at an insult aside, this is Book Report, a unicorn in charge of the library system in Equestria."
"I know some books I like to read, but you won't find them in a public library," says Ken.
"Of course. And she is off to a decent start, avoids the Scrambler there, same with the Grinder. But she looks at the Tumbler with confusion."
"Hasn't she read what these do? It's nothing, I have so much fun with them I put it right inside the front door. It's like having MXC at my house, complete with injuries and internal bleeding."
"Oh yes, how could I forget. She jumps on, but OH! Doesn't make it into the sponges, and that concludes this event."
Back to the throne room again. But now, Celestia is gone.
"Wait a minute, Celestia's not here," Vic notes. I thought she was right there just five minutes ago."
"Any of you Royal Guards know where she is?" Ken asks the Royal Guards.
"She has to take care of someone in particular," the Captain of this unit answers. "No more questions are allowed."
"You guys are no fun. How about one of you go out there and compete?"
"Now, Ken, these are the finest Pegasi in all of Equestria, there's no way--"
"I want to go!" says the Captain.
"Same here!" "I won't die if I do it, right?" "I'll do it as long as Guy is five feet away from me at all times!" "If I win, Celestia will surely go out with me!" "I thought Wipeout was better."
"Oh wow, we got a mess on our hands," Vic laughs. "Let's see. The Captain can go, and nobody else."
Everypony else sighs, save for the Wipeout fan. But nobody cares about him.*
"Time for another commercial, as the Unicorns are sweeping the Pegasi, 2-0."
Another montage of ponies getting destroyed, this one for Door Jam. And there's the best announcer ever again.
"When we come back, don't get your head stuck in the intimidating Door Jam! Loser…"
*Wipeout is fine. It's not as good as MXC, but seeing people bouncing off of big red balls will never get old.
Moon_Dew
Moon_Dew	#1 · Apr 16th, 2014 · 1 · ·
Wipeout, MXC, who cares as long as people are getting hurt in amusing (and non-fatal/non-crippling) ways for our entertainment, right?
Hallucination	#2 · Apr 16th, 2014 · 2 · ·
you have captured this perfectly, may you never be eliminated sir
Dawalkindude
Dawalkindude	#3 · Apr 17th, 2014 · · ·
Good night and big balls
Soothing Stone
Soothing Stone	#4 · Apr 17th, 2014 · · ·
The only events I think I'd have a chance on are Rotating Surfboard of Death and Dash to Death. That's it. Everything else actually looks difficult.
Breaking News	#5 · Apr 17th, 2014 · · ·
You wouldn't want to try Le Tour de Grand Prix? With the trikes?
No Taco Bell impact replay? Celestia has gone too far this time! (course they are hard to write, nice lampshade hanging.)
Freaky mines? Should that be mimes?
I laughed out loud at the "10 year old girls" bit.
Hallucination	#6 · Apr 18th, 2014 · · ·
4248247 wait, what are they gonna do about Saddle Sores?
Brony117
Brony117	#7 · Apr 25th, 2014 · 1 · ·
Loving this fanfic! I miss this show, it was the only show that made me and my grandpa laugh so hard. also wipeout suck balls! very bad acting, I can tell.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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The Original Fan
A PRODUCER'S GUIDE TO THE EVOLUTION AND PRODUCTION OF JOHN CARPENTER'S THE THING (SEE INTRODUCTION)
From right to left : John, Myself, Production Manager Robert Brown, Associate Producer Larry Franco. The Juneau Ice Field. Location Scout April, 1981
THE PALMER TRANSFORMATION AND THE TWENTY FIVE MILLION DOLLAR FILM
I think it was Orson Welles who called a motion picture studio the worlds biggest erector set and John, in this environment for the first time, was determined to take advantage of whatever Universal had to offer. From his office he could walk to one of the four sound stages housing the sets ( and not just ordinary sound stages but ones that were distinguished by their huge ducting and cooling units ), passing Albert Whitlocks studio along the way - walk to the projection room at lunchtime for dailies, perhaps stop by the editing suite before returning to rehearse or film. Rob's special effects facility, Heartland, was a ten minute drive away. The large scale tools were all there, but expensive to utilize...
The original idea in the Palmer transformation was for him to break free from the sofa and run full tilt while standing up the rec room wall to his left ( the far wall in the photo ), continue halfway across the ceiling and then drop down in front of Windows. A great unexpected idea, if it could be made to happen quickly...
Universal happened to own a camera centrifuge, smaller than the one shown above, but operating in much the same way. It was large drum with the set built inside that could rotate 360 degrees with the camera platform locked down ( its use may be best seen in 2001 with the stewardess walking on the ceiling ). The original plan was to replicate the right half of the rec room set in the drum and have a stuntman in Palmer guise do a flat out run while rapidly moving the cylinder 180 degrees, leaving the camera crew upside down but the stuntman standing upright on the ceiling...
We loved this idea and were dedicated to its execution well after it became impractical ( it took a crew of 20 to operate and light the drum, plus the cost of the set, upside down hazard pay for the camera crew, ect. ), I think because it was a real movie moment, one you seldom get a chance to try...
With financial reality finally setting in, we met on the rec room set to map out a less expensive alternative, and what could be cheaper than a stuntman falling into frame and landing on a mattress covered with a thin layer of painted balsa wood? I proudly contributed the foot stomp that motivated Palmers leap to the ceiling, and a sequence was born...
We added " the ceiling run " as we called it, to the long and growing list of ideas we would save for what we called the Twenty Five Million Dollar version of THE THING, a list that already included the first Bennings death on the ice and a complete incarnation of the Blair Monster...
Posted by Stuart Cohen at 7:26 PM 4 comments:
"THE THING" PRODUCT REEL
In early 1982 we received word from Universal that there was mounting curiosity among film exhibitors about the mysterious goings on surrounding THE THING. There was a self-imposed embargo in place with photographs and information on the special effects, and very little else had leaked out. With no formidable star power to speak of, exhibitors were looking for some re-assurance that we were an "A" level production capable of attracting and keeping summer audiences in their seats. David Foster and I were asked to put together a show reel of film that would emphasize action, scale, and suspense.
The first time anyone outside of the production was to see any footage at all, this was to prove to be an expensive proposition. A separate editor ( Christopher Holmes ) was hired to work alongside the main unit using dupes and whatever else he could get his hands on. Of particular interest to fans and collectors is the use of a number of alternate takes, performance and otherwise, to put this together - there were also extended versions of some scenes that were currently being edited ( the opening gun play, for example ). True to our embargo very little special effects footage was used ( John, while not having an active hand in this process, still resisted the studios request to reveal more ), although we did feature the Norris chest opening ( but not closing ) and the petri dish blood jumping. The reel, which ran around 20 minutes, ended with McReady's "Yeah, well fuck you too" and the dynamite throw, the screen exploding to reveal "THE THING" in white, with red background... this was professionally mixed, with music ( pre- Morricone ) tracked from Universals extensive library.
The idea was for us to take this on the road, travelling salesman style - two composite 35mm prints were made, and in mid-march 1982 David headed to NewYork, Boston, Chicago and Atlanta, and I to Detroit, Philadelphia, Denver and Seattle. The setup was always the same - we would host a screening of the reel late morning at some local theatre, followed by catered lunch for everyone at the hotel. Surrounding us on easels were large color blowups of stills from the movie. Reaction by and large was favorable - not unsurprising since the reel leaned heavily on action, flamethrowers, and fights, with many ( exclusively ) male, primarily middle-aged exhibitors going out of their way to praise the idea of an ( exclusively ) male, primarily middle - aged cast...
After my return I received a call from Robert Rehme, Universal's head of distribution. He told me the studio was really counting on THE THING to pull them through the summer. They had just had their first look at E.T. THE EXTRATERRESTRIAL and considered it, in his words "soft", a movie "aimed at children". They thought it would be up to us to appeal to the demographic they most coveted, teenagers on up. We took this pep talk in stride, having no idea what was in store for us the next few months...
Posted by Stuart Cohen at 12:59 PM 2 comments:
Labels: sorry for the re-post - I don't know why this disappeared...
ON THE JUNEAU ICEFIELD
From right to left : John, myself, Production Manager Robert Brown, Associate Producer Larry Franco
First location scout April, 1981
Posted by Stuart Cohen at 9:51 AM 1 comment:
In a perfect world, given unlimited time and resources, I think John would have preferred to compose the music for THE THING himself. The realities of the work yet to be done, however, combined with the need for a more expansive and layered approach to the score led us to consider other options. We initially offered the film to Jerry Goldsmith who was unavailable, doing both POLTERGEIST and TWILIGHT ZONE for Spielberg. Availability on musician John Corigliano (ALTERED STATES) was checked. The legendary Alex North read the script, had ideas, and wanted to meet but at that point I felt the only composer John would possibly entrust his film to other than himself was Ennio Morricone.
In the process of finishing the score to WHITE DOG for director Samuel Fuller, the composer had done very little work at the time in America and was not particularly happy about the experience. He initially turned us down, flattered, but claimed he had begun early work with Sergio Leone on ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA ( Morricone told me though translation that he planned to spend a full year with Leone in pre - production ). We arranged to have the script translated into Italian, and sent it along with a case of wine to his suite at The Chateau Marmont in Hollywood. This gesture, along with a kind word put in on our behalf by director Bernardo Bertolucci ( whom I knew through a previous association ) led him to request a screening and late one evening in early December 1981 Morricone, visibly tired, took a look at THE THING for the first time.
The film was far from complete or coherent - John was still filming in Stewart, so the film lacked most of the exterior scenes as well as amost all of the special effects, save the kennel . Morricone complained about the lack of continuity ( normally we wouldn't have run a film for any composer in this shape, and with the director not present ,but we did not have the luxury of time - we needed to secure his commitment, and were trying to wedge ourselves in to his schedule ) but agreed that if we were to come to him in Rome he would "see what he could do".
This necessitated a two day trip to Italy in early January, 1982 to meet - conversation was done through translators which made things difficult. Matters improved slightly when John sat down at the piano and began tinkering, searching for a way of communicating the feeling of what he was after, with Morricone listening intently. This was the first time John had ceded control of the music to any of his films, and I believe the experience was extremely difficult. It was agreed that due to the shortness of time Morricone would provide the music in a series of thematic suites, with both electronic and orchestral elements present, that we would then later edit to fit - this would simplify things, save time and eliminate the need to conventionally "spot" the film. He would record the electronics in Rome, but come to Los Angeles to score the rest, as was mandated by union contracts at the time. His fee for this was to be Forty Thousand dollars.
On the return trip home John was uneasy and wondered whether he had communicated his thoughts successfully - after all, there had been only one meeting between the two men, and there would be no more face - to - face conversation until the session in Los Angeles. The language barrier was a big problem - were there others, generational, cultural? Above all, would this work ?
Doubts were definitively dispelled two months later when Morricone opened up his tattered valise and removed a reel of two inch tape containing the now-emblematic "heartbeat " theme. As we heard this for the first time in the recording booth at Universal I looked over at John, whose expression was initially one of relief, followed by something close to wonder... it seemed that Morricone had understood John perfectly. At the orchestral recording session the next day, I remember John coming in late and shyly taking a seat in the back, an observer for the first time as Morricone recorded the rest of the music for his movie. Having been recorded in large brushstrokes of sound, there was still the need for more specific transition and suspense cues which John, along with his partner, Alan Howarth, then supplied.
Morricone was not pleased with the music mix at Universal, by the way - we took the masters to our dubbing stage at Goldwyn sound and mixed them directly into the film. As was the custom at the time, the Universal mix was used for the lp and cassette release, so there are large differences in tone and balance between the three formats. SUPERSTITION was only purchased by Universal for the initial theatrical run of the film - early tape, laser disc, and cable versions feature ONE CHAIN DON'T MAKE NO PRISON, a track the studio already owned...
One last musical note - we returned from Rome in time to attend THE THING wrap party, held at the Roxy on Sunset Blvd. The band asked to play that night was the legendary Flamin' Groovies...
Posted by Stuart Cohen at 4:52 PM 10 comments:
Hi, all - I am the credited co-producer of JOHN CARPENTERS THE THING and was centrally involved in all aspects of its development, production, post-production, and release. I got the ball rolling by taking the idea of making WHO GOES THERE, which I first read at age 12 and have loved ever since, to producer David Foster in 1976. Schoolmates at U.S.C. Cinema, it was always my goal to have John make this movie. In 1980, with events reaching critical mass, I finally got my wish - and judging from the result, you were granted yours... I am currently at work writing detailed essays on the re-structuring of the film as well as the ending(s) controversy and hostile reaction when THE THING, much like the creature it portrays, crash - landed in the frigid environment of 1982. I went down the rabbit hole with John during this time, and the experience was painful and long lasting...
I am stunned by the depth and extent of the turnaround in critical and popular opinion this film has achieved, and in the amount of thoughtful scholarship available online ( Outpost 31's deleted scenes section, for instance ). It's been a long time since John and I discussed making a " thinking man's " monster movie and THE THING's rise from the ashes and the quality of the debate it has inspired is extremely gratifying. I've mostly held my own counsel over these past years, not writing or talking much about my involvement in the film but I think the time has come to share what I know - there are stories to be told, particularly in terms of the central drama always present during the films' production, and after - the conflict between ambiguity and clarity. How John came to terms with this dynamic, which played out again and again on multiple levels both on and off camera is the Rosetta Stone of THE THINGS enduring power and integrity, and will be the overall focus of this blog...
But for now, here is the first batch of shorter pieces, and some questions answered where I can ( in the case of THE THING, of course, there are larger questions that have no finite answers ). I 'll try to concentrate on information not generally known but I am still in the process of, um ,assimilating the vast amount of information out there, so forgive any repetition...
The first appearance of WHO GOES THERE? August 1938
THE PALMER TRANSFORMATION AND THE TWENTY FIVE MILL...
Stuart Cohen
Producer, JOHN CARPENTER'S THE THING
Production Designer John Lloyd and myself, Stewart, B.C. First location scout February, 1981


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Fast-falling EPC prices make sub-$60/MWh solar feasible
Analysis from Rystad Energy has revealed that sub-$60/MWh utility scale solar projects could be viable in sunny parts of Australia today. The highly competitive EPC landscape has been identified as the major driver of the improving PV power plant economics although, as always, cost of capital remains key.
April 18, 2018 Jonathan Gifford
Solar panels being installed at Sandfire Resources' DeGrussa mine.
Image: Sandfire Resources
There may be life for new PV projects after the RET, and regardless of the NEG – new market analysis has shown. The large scale solar boom in Australia is resulting in striking EPC cost reductions. These, in turn, are making electricity from big solar cheaper than wholesale power prices, potentially providing opportunities for corporate PPAs or other bilateral offtake agreements with large power consumers.
The analysis comes courtesy of global energy analysts Rystad Energy, which acquired Sydney-based Sustainable Energy Research Analytics (SERA) in late 2017.
Rystad has tracked EPC contracts for large scale solar falling from $1.65/W(dc) in early 2017, down to $1.15/W(dc) in a little over twelve months.
"This has had a dramatic impact on breakeven prices – the average price over the lifetime of the asset that is required to recover all costs and make a commercial rate of return," the analyst observes in its latest Rystad Energy SERA Newsletter.
Investigating the implications of the falling EPC cost for PV project feasibility, Rystad has found that the breakeven has decreased from $96/MWh in January 2017, down to $78/MWh today – for a project located in New South Wales with a "real 10% equity rate". Rystad has tracked "bottom end" EPC bids for projects beginning construction that would represent a breakeven of $70/MWh it notes.
Improved capital costs could reduce breakeven even lower. Indeed, with a rate of return target of 7.5%, the modelling shows that a breakeven in the low $60/MWh can be achieved in NSW, and sub-$60/MWh further north in Queensland.
"This is a remarkable turn-around in economics for utility-scale solar in Australia," Rystad notes, "as it becomes increasingly clear that projects in high irradiance areas and with a low cost of capital are cheaper than purchasing electricity on the wholesale market."
The implications for the utility scale PV market segment in Australia is significant. Despite some dire warnings that the end of the RET, and the decidedly unambitious NEG as it has been proposed, such project economics could result in a pipeline of viable PV power plants with or without significant revenues from Large-scale Renewable Generation Certificates (LRECs).
"While the end of the RET may reduce the incentive for major electricity retailers to procure renewable energy, we expect 2018 to be the year that industrial and commercial users increasingly recognise the benefit of building or procuring renewable energy."
Rystad forecasts 57 new wind, solar and storage projects will be completed in 2018, with a combined capacity of 3.8 GW. It believes that given the current level of market activity, "pace of development will stay high through 2019."
Jonathan Gifford
Jonathan is the Founding Editor of pv magazine Australia. Jonathan joined pv magazine in 2011 and became the Editor in Chief in 2014.
More articles from Jonathan Gifford


I saw my oncologist, Dr Ganti, last Tuesday and had a CT scan from the head to the hips. Received good and bad news from Dr Ganti. The bad news is the cancer is growing, I have had a lot more pain in my abdomen than usual, he said this was the lymph nodes getting bigger, so the current cancer medicine isn't doing the job anymore. The good news is he has two other treatments he wants to try. So, we will see how that all pans out.
Tuesday, I still am having surgery on my right arm. It was schedule for a 5:30 am check in and surgery at 7:30 but for now has been changed to a 10:00 am check in and surgery at 11:30, all subject to change. I will be glad to get the surgery done and eventually use my arm again.
I believe God will show Dr Ganti the right treatment to use and that the surgery will be a success but I can use all the prayers I can get. So please pray for me.
We had a great weekend, Carl & Merilee came down from Mitchell, SD Friday night and stayed through Monday. Sunday Jim & Jo AuBuchon, Jim and I were roommates when we were stationed at Dyess AFB in Abilene, TX. He & Jo were on a two-week sojourn of the Midwest and stopped by to say hi. It was great visiting with them.
While Carl & Merilee were here we played Canasta and Rummikub. I remember playing Canasta with my grandmother and my brothers and sisters. We had a ball playing then and we still enjoy it today. It was great having them visit.
I went to the orthopedic doctor last Thursday and after looking at the x-rays he said the bone wasn't healing as it should. I have two choices, continue the way we are going now, that is do nothing, or he can surgically put a plate over the fracture and screw it into place.
I called the oncology case manager and asked her to ask my oncologist if he thought surgery would be ok. I didn't want to do anything detrimental to my treatment regimen. She called back a day later and said we could go with the surgery, she has started the ball rolling, the surgery would be done outside the VA and so she will get everything set up and then all I have to do is show up for the appointments she set up for me. I probably should have done this from day one but hind sight is always better than foresight.
This weekend we are going to Wisconsin to watch some baseball and visit with the kids and on our way home we will stop in Ames to see Tiffany and family.
What a great weekend we had in Wisconsin, the weather was beautiful and we saw great ballgames. Grandson Mason was playing in a wooden bat tournament. (That's all we had was wooden bats) It was a good tournament, a bit warm on Sunday but overall very nice. Mason caught all three games on Sunday minus two innings. He was a tired kid by the end of the day. Madyson helped me by getting me some refreshments. All in all, it was a fabulous weekend.
Monday morning, we get up and my back is killing me, muscle spasms from left shoulder blade to the right shoulder blade. I was prepared though I got some medicine a week or two before to help alleviate the pain and it did the job by lessoning it.
We left Wisconsin for Ames IA to see Tiffany and family. We stayed at the GrandStay Hotel & Suites, it was a nice place. We had a living room with kitchenette and a bedroom with king size bed. There must be different sizes for a king size bed because the one at the GrandStay and the Hampton Inn are different in width. We got to visit with Tiffany and family and had dinner with them. We went to Old Chicago, it was right next door, the food was pretty good, the service was very good, we had a good time visiting with them.
Headed home the next day, Sarah did all the driving coming home and I will say she did a great job.
I received a call, on our way home, from the orthopedic nurse saying that I am set for surgery on my arm on Aug 29. I want to get it done as quickly as possible and probably should have had it done when we came back from Arizona. I waited because I didn't want to surgery if we didn't have to but the arm is not healing and so I will now have a plate screwed onto the humerus so the bone does not move and with therapy hopefully I will be able to use it again. Also, the bone may heal itself over time.
The bad thing about this is Sarah's 50th class reunion will be Labor Day weekend and my 55th is the following weekend. We had to cancel all our reservations.
That is about all that has been happening around.
We left right on time Friday morning the 23rd of June. We got to our first stop about 45 minutes east of Omaha on I80. This is my first stop of any eastbound trip, as I was heading into the restroom I checked for my billfold and it wasn't there. I had left home without it, now we had no choice but to go back and get it because we planned on being gone for about three weeks. So, we back tracked, got the billfold and headed out again.
Our plans were to meet up with Robert, Sarah and the kids for dinner. I was a bit worried we wouldn't make it but we did. My dad had a saying he used a lot, "I never pass up a water fountain". My saying is "I never pass up a restroom", the problem is my saying always adds more time to our trips.
We had a great dinner at a restaurant called The Rock Bar & Grill, very good restaurant but they don't have a website.
Saturday night we saw granddaughter Madyson perform at her dance recital. She was great. Her solo was fabulous. She does an aerial, that's a cartwheel without touching the floor, scares me every time she does it. The recital was great, I am not much in sitting and watching all these different performances but I did enjoy the whole recital.
Sunday, we saw grandson Mason play two baseball games. It is fun to see the growth of the kids in their particular sport and interest. Mason had come a long way in his skills as a baseball player and I know he will continue to grow in the sport. Madyson is phenomenal in her solo, she puts more expression in her face and body and it just takes the dance to a higher level. Love watching both of them play.
Madyson and family are on their way to the Nation Dance Competitions in Myrtle Beach, NC, I know she will do well.
We left Beloit on Monday the 26th and headed for Thibodaux, LA for Sarah's brother Bill's 60th wedding anniversary. We overnighted in Cape Girardeau, MO and the following night at Canton, MS. Since we were going to get to Thibodaux a day earlier than I planned I thought I better call ahead make sure we could get in a day early. We could and we did.
We booked in at the Hampton Inn.Out first night was not very memorable, we stay at the Hampton Inns a lot and this was the first one where we have had a problem. The room was very humid and just didn't feel good, I didn't sleep very well, but then again, I don't sleep that well anymore anyway. The next morning Sarah went to take a shower and the gizmo on the spout wouldn't come up for the shower. She calls down to the front desk and the lady says try twisting it. Now I don't every remembering I had to twist gizmo to make the shower work, twisting didn't do the job. Sarah calls back down the front desk and the lady asks if we wanted to take a shower in another room. Now wouldn't you think if they had another room for us to take a shower in, why wouldn't they just offer us that room. We said no, then the lady says do we need two beds, we said no, so she said we could move to another room with a king bed, fine with me, she said she'd bring up the new key, Sarah asked her to bring a cart.
Our new room was a king whirlpool room, it was two rooms, very nice. Since we were going to be here for a week it was a nice upgrade. We had a great time, we got to see folks we haven't seen for a long time or in my case ever. Sarah thoroughly enjoyed going through old pictures with her brother and others from Mable's side of the family. Bill's kids, Teresa, Brenda and Chuck and their spouses did a great job on hosting the anniversary party on Sunday.
Of course, we went to eat at Bubba's, it wouldn't be a successful trip if we didn't eat their. They have a fantastic shrimp/oyster po'boy sandwich, however I opted for the shrimp/oyster platter, delicious.
I got to play Rummikub with some of the great nieces and nephews and cousins, I got beat more than I won. I loved every minute of it.
The week went by too fast, before we knew it we had to pack to continue our road trip. On July 5, we bade Thibodaux a fond adieu (as the French would say, I think) and headed the car west to Houston.
We had road construction in Lake Charles, LA which delayed us over an hour. We arrived at our hotel a little after 4:30pm. We stayed at the Hilton Houston Westchase, this is the first time in many years we have stayed in a hotel with a bellhop, it was great Sarah didn't have to handle any of the luggage. We had a very nice room with breakfast included. I chose this location because it was only a mile from our friends Jose and Emma. Plus, we had plans to visit with Sylvester and Joyce on Friday.
Emma had prepared dinner for us that night so we went to their house a bit after six. Dinner was delicious and I ate too much. For desert, she had Island Way Sorbet, I loved them. She bought them at Costco so I will have to see if they have them here.
On Friday Sarah and I went over to Sylvester and Joyce's house, we went to lunch and had a great visit with them. Sylvester and I served together in Vietnam. He was asking me if I remember certain people and I couldn't. I can remember a few names but not many.
Jose had done some research on the painted churches, https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=20+painted+churches+of+texas&qpvt=20+painted+churches+of+texas&qpvt=20+painted+churches+of+texas&qpvt=20+painted+churches+of+texas&FORM=IGRE. I wanted to see them but I wasn't feeling very well so we didn't go, maybe next time.
I met Jose at St Ambrose College, that's before it became a University. Anyway, Jose and I grilled the steaks for Saturday night dinner, we worked in the kitchen for our room and board. After I came back from Thanksgiving with my family I asked Jose where he went, he said he stayed on campus, he had come over from Cuba and his family was still there. I told my mother this and she said to invite him home at Christmas, I did, he came and had Christmas with us. It went so well, in fact, when I went into the military he took my place and the holidays. It was great, Jose is a terrific person and married a beautiful person Emma. We were at their house every day, most days we went back to the hotel so I could take a nap which I evidently needed because one day I slept and hour and a half. Over the course of our visit we played 40+ games of Rummikub and I was reintroduced to canasta. I had not played canasta since I was ten or twelve and we kids would play with my mom's mother. Thank you for a great time.
Saturday night Sarah's cousin Becky and husband Ken came to the Rio Ranch restaurant next to the hotel and we had dinner with them. Becky is and anesthesiologist and Ken is a retired Air Force officer, I don't remember his rank but I know if was up their close to a general or something. He is a great photographer and freelances now. He has some great pictures, https://www.mach3photography.com/, check out his website. It was great seeing them.
We left Houston Monday morning and went through some of the heaviest rain I have seen in a while. To make matters worse the spray off the road was blinding at times, but we made it out of town without any mishaps. I had hoped to get through Dallas without any trouble so we took the Dallas tollway. I wanted to miss all the construction on I35, well we didn't quite get out of Dallas event free. We were slowed down considerably by a wreck, when we reached the site of the wreck it looked like someone had side swiped this car and vanished because there was only one vehicle there.
I had decided we were going to stay in either Norman OK or Guthrie OK depending on what time we got out of Dallas. We weren't too late so I go us reservations for Guthrie. Now in our car we have a service, I pay for it, called Destination Assist, I click on the screen and we get a live person asking where we want to go. I said the Hampton Inn in Guthrie OK, she said ok and downloaded the directions to the navigation system in the car. Now I just clicked on OK without verifying the address of the location that was downloaded. That is an important item, since it was the wrong destination although we didn't figure that out until we got to Oklahoma City. Now I knew Guthrie was on I35 so I wasn't too concerned when the navigation said to take I235 through Oklahoma City, but I became a bit concerned when it had us going west off I235. Sarah kept telling me we were going the wrong way but I got to the point where I wanted to see where this was taking us. Well, it took us to Cushion OK, I'd never heard of the place. We came into town and it said turn right, I did, and that is when it got interesting. I saw a police car sitting on the opposite of the road and thought nothing of it until I saw the pretty red and blue lights on this car behind us, I thought we were in a parade or he was going somewhere. The somewhere was us, as soon as I pulled over so did he. I thought "wow a welcoming party, how did he know I'd never been here before". I now know someone in Cushion OK, Sgt Henderson. He was very nice and said I was doing 44 in a 35 zone. He asked where we were going and I flat told him I was lost. He laughed and I told him about the navigation system and the Destination Assist. He told me I should have stayed on I35 and I wouldn't be lost. He was a very nice officer and gave us directions to the Hampton Inn, we were eighteen miles from it. He said to drive safe and keep the speed down, no ticket.
We did finally get to the hotel about six thirty, I was hungry and tired, so we went for pizza. I know it wasn't anything very glamorous but filling.
The next day we headed for Omaha and got home about four thirty.
We were gone nineteen days, stayed in six different hotels, and put 3,048 miles on the car and we had a great time.
Thanks to everyone for helping this to be a great trip.
A few days before we were scheduled to fly out of Omaha for our cruise, the airline sent me an email saying the departure time of our return flight out of San Juan had changed. So, I called the airline and sure enough the change gave us approximately fifteen minutes to change planes in Atlanta. Since I don't walk very fast anymore, so we changed to a later flight at 8pm. This would give us a three-hour layover, which was fine with us.
So, Sunday the 26 of March, Daniel came over and picked us up at 4am and took us to the airport. We had a bit of a wait but I don't like to have to rush in the airport. It was a good thing too, I had to be stripped searched because I set off the scanner. I couldn't go through the big x-ray because I can't raise my right arm over my head. My belt and suspenders caused the scanner to beep. The TSA guy asked me if I could take off my belt and suspenders. I said I could but then my pants would fall down. He didn't think that was good so he took me off to the side. He asked if I wanted to go to a room or have him do his thing out in front of God and everyone. I told him, I don't have much modesty left after what I have been through so do it here. After he was done he said I could go. It didn't take very long so Sarah and I headed to the gate area.
Now, I am not a very good flier anymore because I have to go to the bathroom a lot so I tend to visit the restroom by the waiting area a lot before we board the plane. The first leg of the trip was to Minneapolis so it wasn't too bad, no trips to the restroom. In Minneapolis, we hooked up with brother Larry and his wife Kathy. We would be meeting sister Tara and husband Paul, sister Colleen and husband Darrius in San Juan, Puerto. Anyway, we got on the plane and got settled in our seats.
After a discussion with our son Daniel, he had recently flown to Thailand on business, he told me to fly first class because it would give me more room. I am still wearing the brace and so I sprung for the extra expense, I am very happy I did that. Now either I have gotten bigger since I last flew or the seats have gone through a shrink machine, it is most likely the former. The seat was comfortable the tray you use for lunch comes out of the armrest between seats and it does not give at all, it was very close quarters. I would have had enough problems without the brace but with the brace it was trying to put a blow-up bed back in the box it came it. It can be done but it takes some work at it. All in all, we had a good flight and was just happy we got to San Juan safely.
We also received an email a week before the cruise was to leave that because the ship had a propulsion problem our cruise would be cut short by a day. We were all bummed out but when life gives you apples you make apple pie. I know that isn't the saying but I like apple pie more than lemonade.
We spent Monday seeing things in San Juan. Larry, Tara and I rented a cab to take us and spouses on a two-hour tour of San Juan. Our cabbie Chris was great, we started with Old San Juan and then the newer places and the beaches and ended with some places he said not to go to at night.
We stayed at the Sheraton Old San Juan, a very nice hotel and within walking distance of some very nice restaurants.We had some great food, we ate at the same restaurant La Cueva del it was great. Marissa was our server and she was a lot of fun.
There is a lot more history in San Juan than I ever knew, so it was time well spent. One of the two forts we saw was, https://www.nps.gov/saju/index.htm, Castillo San Cristóbal Castillo and Castillo de San Cristobal, what I found interesting was the two forts were connected by underground tunnels, these forts were a couple miles apart.
We boarded the ship at eleven, that was the earliest we could get on and since we had a day and a half cut from the cruise I wanted to get as much use as I could out of the ship. Now those of you who have been on cruises know that it is a feeding frenzy, food everywhere and I got as much of it as I could. We were in Aqua Spa class, we had a suite with a deck so we could sit on the deck and watch the world go by. My brother was next to us so we could talk without much problem, but there was a cabin between Tara and Colleen and I so we just yelled at each other.
Our breakfast and dinners were taken in the Blu room, very nice setting. Our server was Wilmer and he made each meal a delight. He was from Columbia and had been working cruises for five years. All the people on the boat were great, even the captain. I had my picture taken with her but I can't find it so you will just have to take my word for it.
We returned to San Juan Saturday morning and was off the boat and to the airport by 10:30. Again I went through the strip search procedure and they found nothing that concerned them. We got on the plane and arrived in Atlanta about 4:30. Now as I said earlier I had changed our flight because we wouldn't have enough time to get to our connection, as it turned out we could have made it, but to change flights it cost a couple hundred dollars, I wasn't going to do that. So, we waited for our 8:00 flight, with an arrival time in Omaha at 9:35pm. Well let me tell you, due to a maintenance paperwork screw up at La Guardia airport we didn't get home until midnight. We boarded the plane on time, deboarded an hour later and reboarded an hour after that. They finally got it all straighten out and we arrived back in Omaha at midnight.
It was a long day but we had a great time on the cruise. The best part of it was being with family, the food etc. was also very good.
I hope we can get together sometime this winter for a few days.
I have been remiss in getting this out, so I decided today was the day.
Sunday, February 26, we headed for Sierra Vista, AZ. I didn't get to see the Buffalo Soldiers Museum at Ft Huachuca on our way to Mesa because it was closed. That was a holiday weekend so I figured the 27th of February would not be a problem. WRONG!!! The museum is closed on Sunday and Monday. We wanted to head out the next day so we went out at nine when they opened and did get to see some of it. Sarah saw more than me because part of the exhibits were upstairs and I wasn't feeling up to negotiating any steps. We left after a couple hours.
Our plan was to get to Alamogordo, NM and stay there for the night. A few miles after we got on I-10 eastbound the neon sign across the interstate showed we had to get off and follow a detour because the road was closed due to dust storms. The detour was up to Safford, AZ and then followed Hwy 70 back to the interstate. We arrived in Alamogordo around six, so the detour took about two hours.
From Alamogordo, we went to Liberal, KS, spent the night there and left the next morning for home arriving about 5 pm. It was sure nice to get home even with the cold weather.
I did bring a cold home with me so I went to my primary care doctor and got some medicine for it. I seem to be getting better.
Today I went to see my oncologist and he said all looked good and I will see you in three months, good news.
Next week, Wed, I go to the eye doctor for an annual checkup, might need a new prescription. On Thurs I see the orthopedic doctor and hopefully my fractured humorous will be healing nicely.
This weekend we are going to WI to see the kids there and I am sure it will cost me for their report cards. Then it is a stop in Ames, IA on our way back to see Tiffany and family. That will cost me also as Alexa is getting A's and on the honor roll. I don't mind because I want the kids to do well in school so they can do whatever they want when they get to college.
March 26, we fly to Minneapolis and then to San Juan, PR. My brother Larry and his wife Kathy will meet us in Minneapolis and we'll all be on the same flight. My sister Tara and her husband Paul will arrive in San Juan an hour or so after we do. My other sister, Colleen and husband Darrius, are flying there on Saturday to determine which restaurant we are going to eat at Sunday night. On Monday, 27th, we board Celebrity Cruise Lines ship the Summit for a cruise of the Caribbean. We are going to have a ball, I am looking forward to this trip like none I have been on before.
Nothing else going on so I will close for now.
Our time here in Mesa is coming to an end. We arrived at the Goodlife RV Resort on January 1 and have for the most part enjoyed every minute of our stay.
Now we are down to the last two weeks.
Let me catch you up on what has been going on. I fell in the bathroom of our hotel room on January 1 and ended up going to the ER at the Phoenix VA. After x-rays and an orthopedic consult, they put me in a brace to immobilize my arm.
We haven't done all the things we wanted to do while here but we have kept plenty busy. We had the pleasure of having dinner with Gordon & Cheryl, friends we met at the VA in Omaha. Steve & Teresa, we worked at Cal-AM with them, we went to dinner and had a great visit. We met Rick & Jana, coworkers from Cal-AM, at the RV Café, a restaurant started by Cal-AM. Had a great visit with them and enjoy their tales of traveling. We were able to get together with Nikki, Jack & Meredith, I worked with Nikki at Ruan. She is a massage therapist and teacher of same here in the Phoenix area. It was great seeing them again and catching up on their lives.
We have not done a lot of sightseeing except for the Mesa Flea Market, South Mountain Park, Wrigley Mansion and the Heard Museum. Also, a ride on the lite rail system.
The Flea Market is, in my opinion, a bunch of stuff you don't need that is displayed two or three times in each of four long tents a quarter to a third mile long at least. You can find anything and everything in these tents, even things you didn't know existed.
South Mountain Park is a great place to view the valley from 2,000 feet plus. The road is narrow and winding go up the mountain but a very pretty drive. Coming down there were two guys in front of us on skate boards, they had to hit speeds of 40+ mph, very dangerous. I hope they made it to the bottom safely.
The Wrigley Mansion is an interesting place, http://www.wrigleymansion.com/, the view is phenomenal and the food is great. I enjoy visiting this place.
The Heard Museum is very interesting, http://heard.org/, was interesting. I will admit I didn't pay to go through the museum but I looked at everything else. There were a couple of sculptures on the grounds pertaining to Native Americans being in the military, I found those and the writings to go with them to be very enlightening.
Tests today February 17 we went to canyon lake and took a boat ride on the lake on the boat the Dolly, https://dollysteamboat.com. Canyon lake is one of 4 or 5 lakes in the area and have 20 some miles of shoreline, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canyon_Lake_(Arizona). But at a small ride is a very seek a ride through one of the canyons on this lake. After the boat ride, we went into tortilla flats and had lunch. One of those things on my bucket list was to have prickly pear ice cream and I accomplish that today.
It is supposed to rain this weekend so I doubt that we will do much of anything. In fact, we are in the process of planning our route home for when we leave a week from tomorrow. It seems, the Omaha and the entire Midwest has had as good as or some day's better weather men we have had here in Arizona.
I do have one more bucket list item I want to take care of the four we get home and that is visiting the buffalo soldier's museum at Fort Huachuca, AZ.
So, we are leaving here a week from tomorrow with a couple stops here and there on our way home. We should be back in a law by March 6 orbit four.
We have terrible WIFI here in this park and so I hope I will build a sendup this blog, will try. If it doesn't work, I'll wait until I have better WIFI a service and send about them.
Hope all is well with everyone and we will continue this when we get home.
We went to Ames Iowa two visit with Tiffany and your family, Matt, Alexa and Bryon. We stayed at the Hampton inn in Ames and the kids came to the hotel and we had Christmas with them there. As always, I asked Alexa where she would like to go eat for dinner. Her choice was Applebee's, which is always a good choice. We had a great meal and a fun time visiting with Tiffany and family.
The next day, Sunday, we went to church at 8:30 AM and was on the road to Beloit Wisconsin by 930. The weather forecast for the day was some snow and maybe sleet. As we left aims it was snowing but not that bad until we get to Iowa City and the snow became heavier and more abundant. From Iowa City to Beloit the roads were slushy but very passable. We arrived in Beloit at approximately 3:30 PM, which was about an hour later than I thought we would get there.
In Beloit, we stayed at the Hampton inn, my favorite place to stay there. We went over to Robert and Sarah's. Madyson was a girl scouts but Mason was home and we visit with everyone until Madyson got home. When Madyson got home we opened presents, the kids received a book of Guinness World Records for 2017, they had told their parents they wanted this book, but it was what they wanted. They each received another gift are two and as in years past we gave the parents some money.
We went to Beloit for two reasons, to have Christmas with the kids and to attend Mason's band concert. Since the band concert wasn't until Tuesday night we filled the day is doing various things.
On Monday, we had lunch with Robert and a restaurant called Hhffrrrggh Inn, don't ask me where they came up with that name I'm not even sure how to pronounce it. We had a great visit with Robert and the food was delicious. We gone to eat Sunday night at a restaurant called lucky Lucy seven, or some like sent. Next door was a sushi restaurant that Roberts said was very good, Sarah said it was good when she didn't eat raw fish. So, on Tuesday we decided to give it a try. It was very good, I really enjoyed it, and Sarah even bought some of their Tea.
Tuesday night was the band concert, Mason plays the saxophone. The auditorium in the middle school is very nice. We sat stage left and was able to see Mason as the played his instrument. I always sit at the end of a row, or if it's church in the back pew, because since I'm an old man I sometimes, most likely often, have to get up and go to the restroom. The concert consisted of the sixth grade, seventh grade and eighth grade bands and each band performed 2 to 4 songs. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to all of them.
As we entered the auditorium though the band boosters were having a bake sale. Now I cannot pass up any type bake sale, I always purchase something. And this time was no exception, I bought some chocolate chip cookies, actually it was a donation you still paid for the cookies. After the concert, we went to Culver's for ice cream. Since we were leaving the next morning and the kids had school we said our goodbyes at this time.
The trip home was a lot better in that there was no show on the roads and we made good time getting back to Omaha.
On December 8 I had an appointment with the orthopedic oncologist. He took new x-rays and the x-ray showed the bone fracture healing on its own. In fact, the new bone growth was more than double from the previous x-ray. The Dr. said we would continue with the same treatment, that being I wear a sling and that I get another x-ray in the middle of January. I was very happy with the results of the visit because as of now I do not need surgery.
I will attempt to get this new x-ray done at the veteran's hospital in Phoenix Arizona.
Our plan is to leave for Phoenix on or about December 28. We have a park model rented at good life RV resort and in Mesa, we have rented it was Sarah's sister Cynthia. We hope to arrive in Mesa on or about January 1.
On December 11 we headed for Burlington to visit my brother Larry and his wife Kathy. The have a very nice home located in the Village Coop of Burlington. They have a third floor corner or end unit, I love it because it has a great view. Sarah and Kathy went to concerts of Jill's kids, Matthew and Emily. Jill is Larry & Kathy's daughter. Tuesday Sarah and I visited with my aunt's, mom's side of the family, they live in a townhouse, very nice. We had a great visit.
Later that day we went to Caleb's basketball game. Caleb is a great nephew, the son of Brad and Jenny, Larry & Kathy's oldest. Caleb plays for the West Burlington Falcons, they were playing against my alma mater Notre Dame, but family won out and I rooted for the Falcons. It was a good game with the Falcons winning. We came home on Wednesday.
That about does it for now, and for those folks who are in the south the current temperature here is 7°.
Until later stay warm, drive safe.


Since the last story on this proposal there have been 10 objections (including one from the Kirk Session – below) so that a decision about Listed Building Consent must be made by the Planning Committee, not council officers.
Now there is a Planning Application which was submitted at the same time as LBC application. Initially the submission was incomplete and invalidated. The related LBC submission was complete and was validated – which is why it was made public, causing some confusion including suggestions that a Planning Application had already been approved.
Further confusion was evident at last week's Community Council when the Listed Building application was discussed again. At last month's meeting the application was noted after very little discussion and no realisation that this would be a controversial proposal.
Last week the merits of privatising this space and enclosing it with a high, solid, fence were discussed. CC members were split between 'it's part of Burntisland's heritage and should remain public' and 'it's hardly ever used and attracts anti-social behaviour'.
A member of the public who lives nearby said that ASB was "overstated". Some Community Councillors added that any problems should be dealt with by the Police and other agencies, not the planning process.
None of the CC members seemed to be aware that there is now a live planning application in addition to the listed building one.
Both applications will be assessed together.
Fife Council Estates have agreed to sell the land to the applicant subject to planning permission. It is assumed that the land has not been put on the open market.
Objections need to be sent by Thursday 29th November 2018. It is likely that this will be going to the Planning Committee in January.
Perhaps there is a need to take a proper look at the whole area near the historic Parish Church, especially now that local residents have persuaded Fife Council to introduce a parking permit scheme.
This would be an opportunity to add a new interpretation panel about the Parish Church, the King James Bible and the events that resulted in the Free Church being established on this site.
Any improvement scheme might also take in Scholars' Brae which has seen better days. This 1894 map shows three seats.