Thanks for the kind words, soccertese. We don't have an obligation to respond to anyone. The only reason I am here is to provide information based on my experience and to learn from the experience of others.

slapdasch may be a newbie here, but he/she sounds well informed in general, and not new to PD. The reason I jumped in is because I think that most people know that MJFF raises and spends a lot of money on research, but many don't fully understand the extent to which MJFF plays a role in the comprehensive coordination of PD research worldwide, and how they have changed the basic nature of research. They are not just all about the money.