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again. Everyone in the room baked and cursed the global warming which had remained unchecked throughout the 21 st century. Although, the early-century predictions on global temperature rise, sea levels and natural disasters had proven to be recklessly wild forecasts. The end of the world was not nigh, but it was certainly a scorcher today. Ari wondered about bringing the zip down on his already open-necked top by another few inches. He thought against it as he had been ribbed mercilessly before by the women about his inordinately bushy and hairy chest putting them off their coffee and biscuits. Ari just had to put up with the trickles of sweat running down the inside of his top. Yosep Goldenheim, who also looked hot and bothered, snappily called the 10 o’clock 4-weekly staff meeting to order.
    “Right, guys, everyone got a coffee? Let’s get the meeting brought to order as I want to try and get finished by 10:40. I have a meeting right after with the Director. I can tell you all that budget constraints and efficiency savings are going to be high on the agenda there.”
    Efficiency savings! That meant jobs on the line and everyone straightened up or fiddled purposefully with their ePads, except Yosep, who still liked to take notes with pen and paper. Yosep Goldenheim was out of the old school. Or as his staff joked behind his back – out of the Ark! Yosep waved his pen around the room to draw everyone to his attention.
    “Right you’ve all got your agendas in front of you. First up, we have the planned NASA delegation from the States visiting us on the 10 th . That’s next week so I want to know that the presentation is well in hand. Ari? You are leading the presentation team. What is the latest update on that?”
    Ari gave a couple of taps on his ePad to try and project an air of purposefulness to the others, but it was really just to give him a few seconds to compose his thoughts.
    “Um, yeah, Joe, uh, I am leading that team to prepare the presentation to our NASA colleagues on the 2082 Project Plan for the, uh, Nimrod Space-Hunter 2 project. As most of you know my team is composed of, um, myself as team leader and Jerzy Winklowicz, Assistant Senior Astrophysicist SH2 project. Jerzy, who you all know, of course, is with me today.”
    Ari curved his palm towards his left-hand side to introduce his blond curly-headed Nazarene assistant who nodded and smiled coyly to everyone present. Ari continued uninterrupted by Yosep.
    “Also on the team are Assistant Astrophysicists Rebecca Menachim and Noam Rebbetzin. So we have an excellent team on the case. I believe that NASA will be sending their Project Director and four astrophysicists and with you, Yosep, and my team of four, it will be a like-for-like forum?”
    Goldenheim corrected Ari.
    “Nearly right, Schenkler - looks like our Center Director will also be sitting in this time. As I’ve mentioned budgets are going to be way up there and we need to have them nailed down tight for this presentation. The finance boys are telling me that the initial forecast for the Financial Year to the end of March on SH2 is looking to overshoot by 6%. You’ve probably heard that too, Ari?”
    Ari thought to himself whether it was getting warmer in the room or was it just him. Why someone cannot fix the damn air-con is beyond me, he thought.
    “Um, I haven’t seen those figures officially yet, Yosep. But, yes, a little birdie did run that one by me. But Jerzy is on top of the financials for the presentation and we’re just about there on that one. Is that right, Jerzy?”
    Jerzy, also now feeling the increasing heat in the quietly expectant room, ran his finger along the inside of his top, loosening his collar.
    “Ah - definitely so – um – ah - yep, Ari - I reckon that the budget slides are, eh, say 95% nailed down so far –“
    Goldenheim thumped his right fist down, his pen shooting up into the air and rattling across the meeting room table. He waved agitatedly for someone