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2009 Chinese Grand Prix - Click above for a high-res image gallery
"You can't always get what you want / But if you try sometimes you might find / You get what you need." The Rolling Stones couldn't have known it at the time, but they may as well have written the unofficial theme song for this weekend's Chinese Grand Prix. After the last race in Malaysia two weeks ago was canceled less than halfway through due to heavy rains, the grid of Formula One drivers could have done with a dry spell this weekend in Shanghai. Instead, they got more torrential downpours, forcing the race officials to start the procession under a yellow flag and a safety car.
With the conditions only letting up enough to commence the race on the eighth lap, the qualifying order played an even more vital role in determining the race's outcome. Those who tuned in Saturday were surprised to see Brawn GP – the upstart team that had won both races at the start of the season – relegated down the starting order, with Rubens Barrichello in fourth place ahead of his championship-leading team-mate Jenson Button in fifth. In their place were the Red Bulls of Sebastian Vettel (on pole) and Mark Webber (in third), with the Renault-powered cars sandwiching two-time world champion Fernando Alonso's factory Renault in second place on the grid. But how long would that order hold as the elongated formation lap drew closer to the start of the race? Follow the jump to find out.
Even before the race started – or didn't – Sebastian Vettel's pole was a landmark achievement in and of itself, marking the first pole position for the Red Bull team which the young German driver just moved up into this season. After qualifying a very impressive third for the first two grands prix of the season, Vettel managed to up his game and prove his mettle. But those previous podium-worthy qualifications failed to yield positive results for Vettel in Australia and Malaysia, where he only managed to putt in over the finish line in 13th and 15th place, respectively. It was clear to the commentators that Red Bull, like some of the other teams, had gone for a light fuel load to start this race in a favorable position, but with the safety car holding back the field for the first seven laps, few knew how long the Red Bull cars would last.
Unfortunately for Fernando Alonso, his Renault's extremely light fuel load – which helped him immensely in qualifying – didn't last him through the opening procession laps, sending him, along with Force India's Adrian Sutil and Williams' Nico Rosberg, into the pits before the safety car, only to return way down the field.
Although the race officials deemed the conditions drivable enough to withdraw the safety car and the yellow flag for the start of the eighth lap, the wet conditions did not dissipate for the entirety of the race distance. The result was an endless stream of spin-outs, missed apexes and run-offs that saw a constant and spectacular change up in the order, particularly in the middle of the field. Nearly every driver on the track had his share of mishaps, and by the end four drivers failed to finish.
Though it was a difficult day for all the drivers, the Ferrari duo – defending their constructors' championship and each hoping to secure the drivers' crown – experienced a wet and wild roller-coaster ride, working their way up the field before crushingly sailing back down. Kimi Raikkonen appeared to be suffering from engine troubles as he was overtaken time and time again, while Felipe Massa managed to work his way up to third place – which would have been the best finish for the struggling Scuderia so far this season – only for his car to inexplicably break down, taking him out of the race before the halfway mark and continuing the streak of bad luck that has made this the worst season for Ferrari in decades.
McLaren, fresh from its recent restructuring and controversy, experienced a similar series of ups and downs, but theirs ended more favorably than their arch-rival's: Heikki Kovalainen, who had to this point failed to finish a single race lap, much less finish a grand prix or score in the points, came home an entirely respectable fifth place, leading his embattled team-mate Lewis Hamilton in sixth.
After an impressive couple of opening races, Toyota failed to keep up the pace in China. Although Timo Glock managed a respectable seventh place finish in the points, his team-mate Jarno Trulli was forced to retire on lap 19 after the BMW Sauber of Robert Kubica ran straight up the back of his car in an apparent result of the poor visibility due to the enormous amount of spray kicked up in the wet conditions. Kubica, for his part, managed to finish the race, but well outside the points in 13th place, while his team-mate Nick Heidfeld finished tenth after a series of spins and slides.
Much to the surprise of the fans, it was Sebastian Buemi, the newcomer filling Vettel's vacated seat at Scuderia Toro Rosso, who took home the final point in the standings after an impressive race that saw him advance as high as fourth place... before ironically running into the back of Vettel's Red Bull.
Adrian Sutil, the young gun at Force India, drove an impressive race, only to disappointingly crash from seventh place after aquaplaning straight into the barrier and out of what would have been Force India's first points finish. The disappointment mirrored the fourth place he was running in last year in Monaco before Kimi Raikkonen accidentally took him out of the race. His wingman Giancarlo Fisichella managed to finish in fourteenth place ahead of Rosberg (whose team-mate Nakajima retired near the end of the race) and Renault's Piquet. But while there was plenty of action taking place in the middle and even the back of the field, up front it was another story altogether.
Notwithstanding a few switch-ups in between the pit stops, the Red Bull drivers dominated the race virtually from start to finish. Sebastian Vettel, in only his third race for the lead Red Bull team, followed up on its first pole with its first ever victory. To further sweeten the deal for Red Bull Racing, wingman Mark Webber – who managed to recover from a crushing bicycle accident to drive his home grand prix at the start of the season – brought it in for second place, making it a blinding 1-2 finish for the team. Not only was it the best result for Red Bull so far, but even managed to eclipse any achievements of the team's previous incarnations: as Jaguar Racing, the team didn't win a single race, and the Stewart Grand Prix under whose banner the team was founded took a 1-3 finish with Johnny Herbert and Rubens Barrichello at the Nurburgring a full decade ago. This weekend's victory was the second for the young Vettel, after his impressive win – also, it's worth noting, in the rain – at last year's Italian Grand Prix where he was crowned the youngest race winner in F1 history. To further sweeten the deal for the Red Bull team, it was the best result in Mark Webber's long career after two third-place podium finishes in Montreal 2005 (for Williams) and the Nurburgring in 2007 (for Red Bull).
Of course the Red Bull domination in the wet meant an end to Brawn GP's winning streak, with even Jenson Button himself admitting that it was pointless trying to keep pace with the pair of Taurine-fueled racers. But the Brawn pair weren't far behind, Button finishing third to take the final step on the podium with his team-mate Barrichello taking fourth while setting the fastest lap of the day.
The results leave Brawn GP still ahead in the constructors' championship with 36 points and catapults Red Bull one point ahead of Toyota (with 19.5 and 18.5 points respectively). Button remains in the lead for the drivers' crown with 21 points ahead of his team-mate Barrichello's 15, while Glock and Vettel remain tied for third at 10 points apiece. This season has, so far, turned the order completely on its head, with two of the customer-engine teams (Brawn-Mercedes and Red Bull-Renault) far outclassing the works teams providing their power. With no sign of things returning to "normal", the spectacle looks to continue as we head to Bahrain next weekend for Round 4.


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Whole Grains Work
Magic on Menus
Our guide to on-trend, delicious whole grains…with recipes and usage ideas that provide fresh menu solutions.
Chefs polled in the National Restaurant Association's 2011 "What's Hot?" Chef Survey pinpoint four whole grains as on-trend: red rice, quinoa, black rice and the broader category of ancient grains. Indeed, quinoa is popping up across foodservice segments, and is certainly no longer the exotic that it once was. The new quinoa? Some call out freekeh as the next ancient grain to light up foodservice. To be sure, whole grains are laying claim to foodservice menus, impressing with healthfulness, but also with complex flavor and eye-pleasing color. And diners are responding, actively seeking out better-for-you options. Indeed, Technomic's Healthy Eating Consumer Trend Report (September 2010) bears that out: 47% of consumers strongly agree that they want restaurants to offer more foods that they consider to be healthy and 33% say they are more likely to visit a restaurant that offers some healthy options, even if they don't end up ordering a healthy choice.

subset: commoncrawl


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Following Martin Luther King Jr.'s ideals is a challenge worth accepting
I like the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. It offers evidence of what America has overcome (thus far) as well as instruction for the continuous battle ahead. And make no mistake about it, the social, political and practical movement forward is indeed a fight that black Americans, Latin Americans, gay folks, women and progressive folks of all stripes are engaged in. But the King day itself has proven to be a great time of action, reflection and a celebration of the King ideals of love, peace, equality and civic duty. It is an optimistic day, pointing to greater possibilities for America. And who does not like feeling good sometimes?
One day in the middle of last semester I was parking in a lot near the stadium. Some of the spots were fenced off for construction or demolition at the old Shaw Lane power plant. I was able to squeeze into a spot next to the fenced off area. As I got out of my car and gathered my things, I touched the fence while maneuvering my way out of the narrow passage between the fence and my car.
A white man working on the top of the power plant yelled down at me, "Hey! Don't move that fence! If that thing comes down, there'll be trouble."
I yelled back, "I wasn't moving it. I'm just getting out of my car."
He responded, "Just don't move that fence!"
I stared up at him for a moment. "Don't talk to me like that. Don't you ever talk to me like that."
The man was quiet and then his tone softened as much as a yell can soften. "Please be careful around the fence."
Before walking away I said, "Thank you."
It was probably the most unpleasant thank you that I have ever said to anyone. In the few minutes it took me to walk to my office one thought played over and over in my mind, I hate white men…I hate white men…I hate white men…
What an uplifting story for MLK Day, right?
At the moment of that parking lot exchange, I had no idea of that man's true intent. From tone, words and what I could see of his face I perceived some kind of veiled racial intent being directed at me. It took me a millisecond to come to that conclusion. And then as with all racial slights, actual or perceived– being stopped by police, followed in stores, or the only black face in the room of any number of university meetings — it took me another millisecond to decide how to respond. Should I let it slide or fall back on fake niceties? Ignore it or simply go off on him? Employ a well-known strategy of black public over-articulation or just hand it all over to Jesus, Allah or go into my Buddhist chant?
My part of the angry exchange served as a kind of psychic release. It felt really good. In the aftermath of the moment, my thought, I hate white men, felt justified. After psychic release and feeling so correct, that is when the hard part started.
The King ideal is political, social and spiritual. It is personal. And it is really, really difficult to live up to. I am a black man who identifies with black struggle and triumph. It is a model of American struggle and triumph to be admired and celebrated. All people and groups should have and should expect to have the rights, the equality and the freedoms that I expect for myself.
As a father, a teacher and a member of various communities, I want my children, my students and my community members to have a voice. I want them to act and to be activists on behalf of themselves and others. I want people to have strength of faith in spite of the odds. I believe in and want to model the ideals of love, peace, equality and civic duty, very much like Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Civil Rights movement as a whole.
Could the thought, I hate white men, and the justified, satisfied feeling of that moment fit in with my own ideals which had been informed by the ideals of Martin Luther King, Jr. among others?
Of course, the answer was no, but sometimes in particular moments with our particular American racial history such honorable ideals are difficult to keep in mind.
The sacrifice and enduring legacy of Rev. Dr. King, Jr. challenges me to either live by those ideals or to stop claiming them as my own.
The spirit of the King holiday is important. Embodying it during the remaining 364 days is the real challenge. As communities, as institutions or in the confines of our own minds and perceptions we need to act on and live by that spirit of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. everyday. It might be the most difficult thing that we will ever do. And it will feel really good.
Jeffrey C. Wray is an associate professor of English film studies. Reach him at email@example.com.


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Sweet Moments is an online store version of our Seaford shop. We have been importing
and selling fine quality chocolates from Belgium for many years. As well as the
loose chocolates we also stock some really nice confectionery from around Europe.
Many products are packaged in house, especially at seasonal times, and are not
listed online. We also welcome you to visit our Seaford store, where some of the
finest quality chocolates from Belgium await. More
All our products are priced the same as you will find in our Seaford Shop. Shipping is with Royal Mail 1st Class Signed For or Parcel Force Express 48 depending on the value of the goods. Please refer to the Shipping and Returns documentation for the full posting and packing costs used on this site.
All our products are stored in a temperature controlled environment. Card Payments are made using PayPal secure online payments. All products are sent out using Royal Mail or Parcelforce depending on weight. Happy Shopping!
Product 21/44
Pure gourmet chocolate for the sweet tooth : the pleasure of milk chocolate enhanced by creamy, crunchy butterscotch caramel.
Weight: 70g
Ingredients: Sugar, cocoa mass, cocoa butter, whole milk powder, salted caramel 4% (sugar, glucose, condensed milk, butter (milk), Guerande salt), emulsifier: soya lecithin, natural vanilla flavouring, natural caramel flavouring.
Minimum cocoa solids: 38%, milk solids 20%. May contain traces of nuts, wheat and eggs.


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By Kim Dumo, Contributing Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The final countdown to Rio de Janeiro's Rock in Rio have arrived and the city is preparing for this massive annual festival, starting September 23rd with seven days of music over nine days, ending October 2nd. It is scheduled to take place in Cidade do Rock (City of Rock) in Olympic Park and plans to host over 600,000 spectators, including Cariocas young and old, as well as Brazilians and foreigners from around the world.
The festival lineup will be headlined by the likes of: Elton John, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Metallica, Stevie Wonder, Shakira, Coldplay and Guns N' Roses. Not only are these major attractions anticipated with ecstatic fanfare, this year also introduces the innovative Rock Street, even featuring local expat Jazz performers from Rio.
Another new element launched this year is an anti-drug campaign called 'Eu vou sem drogas (I am going without drugs)'. Youtube videos are currently streaming with the festival's theme song against drugs featuring some of Brazil's famous artists: Toni Garido, Claudia Leitte, and Eduardo Falachi. Rock in Rio hopes that many of its attendees will be apart of the fight against drug abuse.
As part of transportation plan for Rock in Rio, fifteen roadways will be shut down to prevent traffic with a special bus system in place. The President of Riotur, Antonio Pedro Figueira de Mello quoted, "Do not go by car", as there will be no onsite parking. Provisions have been made to reroute over nine hundred bus lines to take concertgoers to and fro the City of Rock.
These provisions however, have caused controversy with the local residence of Barra de Tijuca. A local resident was quoted by saying, "Many good things have been said about the transportation for the festival but people are forgetting that the people who live around the area depend on public transportation to go to work during the days of the event."
Although, this major traffic shift has commuters in a dilemma, there are still thousands anxiously awaiting their arrival to the Rock in Rio concert. An expatriate from New York new to Rio describes, "Ever since I came here in February, Rock in Rio has been THE topic of conversation. Now that it's near, I can't wait to see what Rio has put together! I'm really looking forward to it."
As the beginning of the festival approaches, a lot of people are wondering, what happened to Jay Z? Reports state that due to an altercation regarding the singer Prince's cancellation with the Back2Black Festival, Jay Z is cancelling his appearance for the Saturday night lineup.
It is an unfortunate loss for those attending who were eager for his performance, but Maroon 5 has replaced Jay Z and Coldplay has become the new Saturday night headlining act. There are so many different appearances, performances, and events within the grounds of the City of Rock that the countdown has been long overdue for those going. Rock in Rio Festival begins on September 23rd, for more information see their web site.


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Since 1968, Barbara Electric Co has been providing General Electrical Contractor from Union City. Barbara Electric Co has estimated annual revenues of $84,000.00 and also employs an estimated 1 employees.
Action Answering Service can be found at New York Ave 3610. The following is offered: Phone Answering Services. The entry is present with us since Sep 8, 2010 and was last updated on Nov 14, 2013. In Union City there are 1 other Phone Answering Services. An overview can be found here.


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Off-highway Powertrain
Drivetrain has over 25 years experience in heavy off-highway powertrain engineering, and are the complete engineering resource to keep your operation at maximum efficiency.
Power and Propulsion
Drivetrain brings to your business comprehensive engineering services and support for all heavy power and compression rotating and reciprocating equipment.
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You already know the story of Carrie White, Stephen King's tormented tragic heroine who puts the psychic smack down on her high school classmates and crackpot ultra-religious mama after her pretty prom dress is ruined (hey, everyone has a breaking point).
Indeed, even for those who have never seen the original 1976 film, the 2002 TV movie, or read the book (King's first published novel, BTW), there are few surprises in the new trailer -- premiering exclusively here on Yahoo! Movies -- for the story's latest cinematic incarnation of "Carrie" starring Chloe Grace Moretz. It's all there: Carrie is the butt of various bits of humiliation until she unleashes what the movies sometimes refer to as a roaring rampage of revenge. But what is new is the first glimpse at how the new film tackles that fateful prom night, and the carnage one telekinetic girl (with some cutting-edge visual effects) can do.
The story of Carrie White is nothing new, but 37 years after the release (and we do mean release) of Brian De Palma's film starring Sissy Spacek, the telling of it has certainly changed. Nothing illustrates how much time has gone by -- and how much our cinematic storytelling methods have changed in that time -- than in comparing the trailers for "Carrie" '76 and "Carrie" '13.
Watch the exclusive new trailer for 'Carrie':
Chloe Grace Moretz makes for a much different Carrie than her '70s-era predecessor, and not just because she's, you know, an actual teenager (Moretz recently turned 16 whilst Spacek was 27 at the time). Moretz drops Spacek's bug-eyed freak-out act (which was perfect for De Palma's film) for something much more subdued and nuanced, taking a slow-burn approach to this increasingly tortured teenager.
The newfangled special effects also provide a robust showcase for what could be seen as Carrie's "mutant superpowers" -- indeed, the trailer often plays more like an "X-Men" spinoff than a horror flick as Carrie slowly discovers her remarkable abilities. The "X-Men" vibe continues as the new film also looks to be delving into an element of the book that was ignored in De Palma's version: Carrie's search for "other people out there like me who can do what I can do."
The trailer for the new "Carrie" is a bit more subtle that the one for the original, to say the least. This trailer assumes you know the story, and you liked it enough to want to hear it again. It also knows that you're wondering just what modern-day special effects technology can bring to the climactic prom massacre and tantalizingly offers only a glimpse of it (there are no real supernatural goings-on until halfway through the trailer), just enough to whet your appetite (and bloodlust) ... and guarantee that you'll buy a ticket for opening weekend.
Watch the trailer for the 1976 version of 'Carrie':
One of the most frequent complaints regarding contemporary trailers is how much of the plot they give away, but the trailer for "Carrie" '13 seems downright vague compared to the tell-all trailer for De Palma's original. As is usual for most trailers in the '70s, nonstop and somewhat ominous narration walks you through every single thing you're seeing (in case the visuals themselves aren't doing the trick), delivering unnecessary explanation with an almost absurd frankness ("The girl who lives in that creey house with her crazy mother!").
It gets worse -- you almost don't even need to see the movie itself, as halfway through the trailer you get a play-by-play of pretty much every key moment of the film's third act, telling us that Carrie will "be voted Queen of the Prom" and that for her "it will be a dream come true -- for everyone else, it will be a nightmare!"
The trailer then turns into a highlights reel of the film's grand finale as it showcases several money moments, including plenty of shots of Spacek glaring whilst water hoses come to life, walls topple on students and faculty members and the gym catches fire. You also get a shot of John Travolta ("in his first motion picture role") right before he buys the farm, courtesy of Carrie making his car flip over and burst into flames -- apparently no such thing as the Internet meant there was also no such thing as a concern for spoilers back in the day. To be fair, the new trailer also shows Carrie taking out a red muscle car, though instead of just flipping it she crumples the hood like it was slamming into a wall.
What is most notable about the trailer for "Carrie" '76 is its sense of fun. It lets you know that you're going to have a blast watching De Palma's silly freakshow -- it's a party movie, one you should see with your friends. So you might ask the remake, "Why so serious?" The new "Carrie" follows suit with other recent horror films like the "Evil Dead" reboot (and superhero movies, at that) by making everything unrelentingly grim. Indeed, the only thing resembling humor (or even a sense of gruesome levity) in the trailer is a bit of probably unintentional fan service: Carrie is bullied in the vicinity of a swimming pool. Hasn't the girl who tells Chloe Moretz to "wipe that smile off your face" (again, no fun allowed!) seen the vampire thriller "Let Me In"? This young woman is not to be trifled with around swimming pools!
Ultimately, we should be grateful that the two films look so different. After all, MGM hired Kimberly Peirce, the director of "Boys Don't Cry," to bring her own unique vision to this tale of teen bullying and tragic reckoning. If they wanted just a do-over of Brian De Palma's rowdy funhouse of a flick, they would've hired "Psycho" copycat Gus Van Sant.
The new "Carrie" will splash into theaters on October 18.


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Lemony Cake Mix Bars
by Jenai May
Bar Ingredients:
2 cups Yellow Cake Mix (I used Pilsbury Golden Butter)
1/2 cups (1 stick) Salted Butter, mostly melted (but not toooo hot)
1 Egg
Grated Rind from 2 Lemons
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Glaze Ingredients:
Juice from 1 Lemon
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/2 cup Powdered Sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease or spray an 8x8 baking pan. In a medium-sized mixing bowl combine the Cake Mix, Butter, Egg, Lemon Rind, and Vanilla until just mixed. Add the Egg and beat by hand with a spoon until smooth (not finicky, just a minute or two). The mixture will be very thick! Spread evenly in the bottom of the pan. Bake for 30 minutes.
Whilst the bars are baking, combine the Lemon Juice, Vanilla, and Powdered Sugar. Microwave it for about 1 minute, stirring every 15 seconds. Just make sure it's warm and that the sugar is dissolved. Spoon over the bars in the pan immediately after removing them from the oven. It'll make a nifty sizzling sound. Be sure to let some of the glaze seep in around the edges. Everyone will fight over the edges. Cut. Devour.


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I take Adderall and have daily for about five months and occasionally get an uncomfortable tingling/numbness on my arms and face but today it wasn't just .
Just Tingling head on adderall started with adderall and my left side arm and hand are tingling anything to be worried about?
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Blog, bitacora, weblog. Tingling head sensation on adderall . Only throbbing pain and adderall and tingling numbness else. Needles in it was the oxycodone .
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Interest shortfalls in European CMBS loans continue to push note-level defaults. In September, the number of defaults pushed the 2012 total to 21, which is more than half the total number of defaults of 37 in 2011, according to a Standard & Poor's report.
Six more classes of notes defaulted following interest shortfalls in five transactions. According to S&P's, Oct. 2012 European CMBS monthly bulletin, two out of eight loans scheduled to mature in September, defaulted. S&P said it expects the trend will continue to add to the volume of loans in its special servicing index.
"We anticipate the rating default index will increase by yearend 2012, as a result of the final reporting period, but should stay below 2011 levels," credit analyst James Belchamber said.
S&P reported better performance for its 12-month rolling maturity default rate. The ratings agency said that defaults here decreased to 13.88% from 15.52% as a result of the £720 million ($1.15 biillion) repayment of one large loan.
"We do not consider this decrease to be part of a new downward trend and envision that this index will increase in the coming months, in line with future reporting periods," Belchamber said. "Overall, we expect loan performance to continue to come under pressure in 2013, as a large number of loans near maturity and interruptions to cash flow and margin mismatches become more pronounced."


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Evan Rachel Wood & Jamie Bell: We Love Chloe Moretz!
Evan Rachel Wood and boyfriend Jamie Bell make separate trips to the same convenience store on Thanksgiving Day (November 24) in Venice, Calif.
On Wednesday, Hugo actress Chloe Moretz tweeted, "Kinda cool that @evanrachelwood and @1JamieBell were on my flight…[no big deal] hahha."
PHOTOS: Check out the latest pics of Evan Rachel Wood
Evan responded, "@ChloeGMoretz was going to tell u we are such fans of yours. Can't wait to see your film [Hugo] :)."
Jamie echoed the sentiment, saying, "@ChloeGMoretz me & @evanrachelwood thought the same! Keep up the good work. Happy turkey."


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Global Green Growth Forum, October 11-12, 2011
Panel discussion at the Global Green Growth Forum 2011
From left: Executive Director Richard Samans, Director General for WWF International Jim Leape, Minister of Foreign Affairs Villy Søvndal, Executive Secretary UNFCCC Christiana Figueres, CEO of Vestas Ditlev Engel, Executive Director for UNEP Achim Steiner.
Minister for Trade and Investment of Denmark participates in the panel
Minister for Trade and Investment, Pia Olsen-Dyhr, in the panel
His Royal Highness of Denmark Prince Frederik attends the meeting
From left: H.R.H. Prince Frederik of Denmark, UN Secretary-General Mr. Ban Ki-moon, Korean Minister of Environment Ms. Young Sook Yoo
UN Secretary-General Mr. Ban Ki-moon at the Global Green Growth Forum 2011
Secretary-General for OECD Angel Gurría greets UN Secretary-General Mr. Ban Ki-moon.
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Welcome to Stop the Tax Shift
This website is intended to help state and local officials, the media and the public better understand the direct connection between state actions – e.g., state aid and state mandates – and New York's real property tax burden. Local officials and private citizens can and should use this site as a resource to help educate state leaders, legislators and opinion makers on those state mandates that are the key culprits in obstructing local officials' efforts to control spending and property taxes.
This education process is more important than ever, as local officials contend with a property tax cap that is well-below 2%, and a tax freeze that places additional pressure on local officials to achieve tax cap compliance. Neither of these tactics -- without mandate relief -- will do anything to address the true cost drivers that plague municipal budgets. Taxpayers in New York will get the two things they need most – lower taxes and the continuation of essential and high quality municipal services – only if Albany finally demonstrates the will to reform state mandates, giving local officials the tools and flexibility to implement real and sustainable property tax relief.


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- What's New at EBRI
- Fast Facts
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- Notes
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- President's Reports
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- Links to Other Internet Resources
- Reference Shelf
- Special Issues of Periodicals
The Impact of Workers' Earnings Profiles on Individual Account Accumulation
Asset Allocation: IRAs and 401(k)-Type Plans
October 2000, Vol. 21, No. 10
Paperback, 16 pp.
PDF, 84 kb
Employee Benefit Research Institute, 2000
Executive Summary
The Impact of Workers' Earnings Profiles on Individual Account Accumulation—This article focuses on the impact of realistic earnings patterns and work histories on individual account accumulation. It does not compare an individual account system with the present system; rather, it compares individual account balance accumulations of workers with different earnings histories. SSASIM is used to provide the estimates of account balances. This model allows for changing workers' earnings patterns as well as changing their work histories.
Asset Allocation: IRAs and 401(k)-Type Plans—As individuals accumulate assets for their retirement, one of the most important decisions, after the first necessity of saving money, is how the assets are invested. The distribution of the savings across stocks, bonds, money market accounts, savings accounts, and other investments is referred to as asset allocation; once money is saved, its allocation (how it is invested) determines how fast it will grow. Equities (stocks) have historically had higher rates of return, over time, than interest-earning investments such as bonds and money market accounts, leading to faster capital accumulation. Because of the critical importance of how retirement savings are invested, the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) has examined the asset allocation of 401(k) retirement savings plan participants in the past, most recently by using the EBRI/ICI 401(k) participant database. This article supplements that research with data from the Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF), conducted by the Federal Reserve, to study the asset allocation of family heads in both individual retirement accounts (IRAs) and 401(k)-type plans. (The Fed's SCF measures wealth at the family level, so its findings are presented as percentages of American families and/or family heads, rather than all individuals.)
- 401(k) Valuations Published: August 1, 2018 401(k) Balances and Changes Due to Market Volatility
- President's Letter Published: February 20, 2018 Insights from EBRI's President and CEO


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do do ...do do Reseller Processor All do Dock operator Producer Integrated pro ducers. ... Red sour pitted cherries and eastern applesauce. ... Window and picture glass Revolvers ana pistols Used cash registers (at least 20 years old) Circle sawn export whiskey barrel staves ... Newsprint paper Portland cement ( except white, in Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, western Missouri, Idaho, Montnnaanbsp;...
|Quarterly Report for the Period Ended ...
|United States. Office of Price Administration
|- 1944
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2016年12月30日,加州大学尔湾分校教授、IEEE Fellow林桂杰应邀访问实验室,并在学院做了题为"Building Smart Homes and Buildings using Internet of Things"的学术报告。
With the advance of sensing, actuation and wearable technology, Internet of Things (IoT) has become the next IT market focus. Many leading companies have started to invest into this area by developing and inventing advanced IoT products. However, due to the diversity of embedded devices, application domains, and networking requirements, building IoT applications requires a stiff learning curve for most people due to a significant customization effort on sensors, embedded software, cyber-physical connection, and backend service support.
We have developed a flexible IoT platform and middleware, called WuKong, to simplify the development of new IoT applications. The WuKong middleware supports the flow-based programming (FBP) paradigm for users to easily define data and control workflows among virtual, conceptual sensing classes. Users can also specify simple execution policies on when, where and how an FBP should run in a user's environment. The WuKong middleware can intelligently decide how to deploy an IoT application by mapping an FBP to physical devices in order to meet the functionality requirements. We have recently built smart building applications using "evacuation sensors" that can guide people to find safe exit paths when fires are detected in a building. Algorithms and techniques can be integrated for real time detection of fire events and situations. Combined with data analytics, evacuation sensing can make predictions on dangerous areas for people to avoid. In this talk, the issues, techniques and challenges for evacuation sensing will be discussed.
Kwei-Jay Lin is a Professor at the University of California, Irvine. He received Ph.D. from the University of Maryland in 1985. He was an Associate Professor at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign 1985-1993. He joined the University of California in 1993, where he is a full professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science in the School of Engineering, and also in the School of Information and Computer Science.
He is an Adjunct Professor at the National Taiwan University and National Tsinghua University, Taiwan; Zhejiang University, China; Nagoya Institute of Technology, Japan. He is the Chief Scientist of the NTU IoX Research Center at the National Taiwan University. He was a Visiting Research Fellow at the Academia Sinica, Taiwan in Spring 2016.
Prof. Lin is an IEEE Fellow, and Editor-In- Chief of the Springer Journal on Service-Oriented Computing and Applications (SOCA). He was the Co-Chair of the IEEE Technical Committee on Business Informatics and Systems (TCBIS) until 2012. He was an Associate Editor of IEEE Transactions on Parallel and Distributed Systems, 2002-2006, and an Associate Editor of IEEE Transactions on Computers, 1996-2000. He served as the External Examiner for the Hong Kong University's Master Program on E-Commerce and Internet Computing during 2006-2009.
Prof. Lin has published more than 200 papers in journals and conferences. He has served on many international conferences, recently as conference co-chairs of IEEE SOCA 2016 and CBI 2015. He was a keynote speaker in the 22nd IEEE Conference on Embedded and Real-Time Computing Systems and Applications held in Korea in August 2016, delivering a speech on "Urban Sensing: Making Smart Cities Friendly and Safe to Pedestrians". He gave another keynote speech in the 6th IEEE Symposium on Cloud and Service Computing, held in Fiji Dec 7-10, 2016. He also received the best paper award in that conference for the paper titled "Supporting Edge Intelligence in Service-Oriented Smart IoT Applications".
His research interest includes service-oriented systems, IoT systems, middleware and kernel, real-time computing, and distributed computing.


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MoovingON Network Operation Center as a Service
At MoovingON, we have developed a unique, comprehensive approach to NOC as a Service. We enable our customers to enjoy 24/7 uptime and SLA management. This includes Tier 1 support and remediation, infrastructure maintenance and monitoring automation. Our hard work behind the scenes frees companies to focus on their core business demands and values. Read More
Network Operation Center as a Service
At MoovingON, we have developed a unique holistic approach to NOC-as-a-Service.
We enable our customers with 24/7 uptime and SLA management, including tier 1 support & remediation, infrastructure maintenance and monitoring automation. We work hard behind the scenes so companies can focus on their core business values.
Run Your Business Smoothly
With businesses facing constant change, we are all pressured to add new features and explore new markets.
Our NOC as a Service will provide your business with the stability and continuity you need to achieve all your goals. Knowing that MoovingON's professional team is monitoring your service or application will give you the security you need to succeed.
Automates your NOC
Ensuring business continuity involves numerous challenges that demand your round-the-clock attention. With MoovingON's NOC as a Service you can establish state-of-the-art, 24/7 operations. MoovingON will offer you best practices from day one. These include rapid onboarding and NOC automation tools for end-to-end incident management, knowledge-sharing and in-depth service analysis.


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Garcia Y Vega Game Palma White GrapeView details
Garcia y Vega 'game' White Grape cigars are one of several fruit-flavored cigars in this very popular machine-made brand. Presented in a box of 40 Corona-size cigars, you'll enjoy a sweet, mild, everyday smoke at a price that's irresistible! Order a box today and discover these tasty treats.
taste and burn is what a yern
Best Blunt ever
Very fresh, mellow grape flavor with a nice draw. I m impressed with the price as well.


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By Carey Gillam
(Reuters) - The July Fourth holiday weekend brought an explosion of gunfire to Chicago, where at least 60 people were shot and roughly a dozen killed, authorities said on Monday.
The violence was so widespread during the three-day weekend that police were still tallying the dead and wounded, Chicago Police Department spokesman Hector Alfaro said.
In a news conference Monday morning, Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy called the violence "unacceptable," and he blamed it in part on a "proliferation of firearms."
The Chicago Tribune reported 82 people were shot and 14 killed. To try to quell the violence, SWAT teams patrolled the streets along with police officers and law enforcement brought in SUVs packed with rifles, the paper said. Those shot ranged in age from 14 to 66, according to the paper.
Police said five people were shot by officers and at least two of them were killed over the Independence Day weekend.
In three of the incidents, the victims had pointed weapons at officers when they were shot, according to a statement issued by the Chicago Police Department.
A fourth man was shot and seriously wounded by police after he told them he had a weapon, police said. From Sunday afternoon into Monday morning alone, 29 people were wounded and four killed by gunfire, according to DNAinfo.com, a Chicago news outlet.
The office of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said it had no comment on the violence. Earlier this year, Emanuel announced a "summer safety" plan that called for 300 extra police officers to patrol over the Fourth of July weekend.
Multiple shootings were reported around the United States over the holiday weekend. Police in Houston, Texas, said on Monday that four people were shot at a dance early Saturday, including one 16-year-old boy who was critically wounded.
In St. Louis, Missouri, at least seven people were shot, three of them fatally, over the weekend, according to police.
(Reporting by Carey Gillam in Kansas City; Editing by Doina Chiacu and Eric Beech)


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Cherimoya? Dragon fruit? My mother never bought either in her life. Maybe yours didn't either.
Occasionally, you'll find things in our produce department that might be something you've never seen before. If so, don't be shy about asking the produce staff what it is, what it's for, and what to do with it. They'll let you sample some, too.
In the case of cherimoya, Wikipedia says that it's a fruit originally from the Andes, and the name originates from the Quechua word chirimuya, which means "cold seeds." Sue, one of our produce workers, says if it's green, it's not ripe. Wait until it gets brown and mushy and almost looks like its gone bad. Once ripe, it will keep in the refrigerator for about three days.
Then what? Cut it open lengthwise. The seeds are not edible, toxic in fact like the skin, but big enough to pick out easily. Sue says a lot of people just eat it like pudding or custard. Because it has a sherbet-like texture, when eaten chilled and by the spoonful, it has earned the nicknames, "ice cream fruit" and "custard apples."
You can also cut it up in chunks and add it to fruit salad. If you Google "cherimoya recipes," you'll come up with loads of ideas including a meringue pie, sorbet, waffles, pancakes, and smoothies with which you can use this uncommon fruit.
Dragon fruit, on the other hand, is actually a cactus from Southeast Asia. You'll know that it's ripe if it has a little bit, but not much, give. Sources say the shelf life is as long as two-three weeks if refrigerated.
This fruit should also be cut length-wise and can be eaten plain as it tastes similar to a cross between a kiwi and a pear. Inside, you will find either a creamy white or shocking pink. Scoop the fruit out with a spoon and, again, do not eat the skin. The seeds are okay, though. Cut the fruit into cubes, and you are good to go. If you like, it's okay to use the skin as a bowl to put the fruit into as a colorful serving implement.
Cooks find dragon fruit useful in many of the same ways as cherimoya. Salads, sorbet, salsa…you get the idea. A quick search on the Internet, and you'll find plenty of ways to make your next meal unique and interesting.
Tags: cherimoya, dragon fruit, fruit, produce, seasonal fruit


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Todays Featured item is this Bodysuit from OASAP!
I really enjoyed styling this item. Since this item has an open back, I used my Metallic Tattoos I received from Hot Jewels to create a design.
I think back tattoos are so awesome <3
On the site this item is called "Sexy Black Backless Romper Teddy Top", and it costs only $17.64! Check out this item from OASAP~ HERE!
–Peace, Love + Light
xx Sera (IG: @TheStardustBohemian)
*Bodysuit: OASAP
Bell Bottoms: PYLO
Hat: Lack of Color AUS
Metallic Tattoos: Hot Jewels


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Director Ron Howard, screenwriter Akiva Goldsman and producer Brian Grazer -- the Oscar-winning trio behind A Beautiful Mind, The Da Vinci Code, and Angels & Demons -- are in talks to adapt The Dark Tower, the acclaimed bestselling lit series by Stephen King, into a film trilogy. Universal is said to be angling to seal a deal for the rights to the fantasy western saga.
King, Imagine Entertainment and Weed Road are also said to be developing Dark Tower as a television series.
Both Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter are claiming the exclusive on this news, but we'll let them slog it out over who should get credit for that. Lord knows, neither outlet credited IGN Movies for breaking the news back in 2007 that J.J. Abrams had come aboard to try to adapt King's magnum opus for the screen.
The TV series aspect is a question mark. On one hand, THR claims there's "one scenario" where a Dark Tower "would lead to a TV series produced by Imagine's small-screen division." Deadline, on the other hand, says it will be both.
Check out the official site for The Dark Tower here.


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April 30, 2015
Your car broke down, but you don't have the money to take it to service. You decided to repair it yourself. But first you had to get the tools and the parts. Once, you heard about an abandoned car shed somewhere outside the city. You took your bike and went there. It was closed, but you managed to climb over the walls. As you landed, you realised you won't make it back the same way as you arrived. From the inside, there was nothing that could help you during the climbing. So now you have to find a key or something to open the gates. Good luck!


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The Country Club of St. Albans Prepares to Host Girls and Boys Junior PGA ChampionshipsPosted on Tuesday Jul 11, 2017
The Country Club of St. Albans Prepares to Host
Girls and Boys Junior PGA Championships
St. Albans, MO. – July 11, 2017 – The Country Club of St. Albans, located in St. Albans, MO, is preparing to host the Girls and Boys Junior PGA Championships for the first time in the clubs 25-year history. The Girls Junior PGA Championship will take place July 18-21, with the Boys Junior PGA Championship taking place July 31-Aug. 3 – both championships will be held at the famed Lewis and Clark course at the Country Club of St. Albans and include a field of 144 players, respectively.
The hosting of the Junior PGA Championships reiterates The Country Club of St. Albans and its members' commitment to youth development in the game of golf.
With a rich history as one of the most prestigious junior championships in the country, The Junior PGA Championships started in 1976 as has been won by some of the biggest names in golf, including Lexi Thompson (2007, 2009), Trevor Immelman (1996) and Sean O'Hair (1998).
"The golf course has stood up wonderfully to some of the top professional and amateur talent in the region," said Country Club of St. Albans General Manager Morgan Gonzalez. "We look forward to welcoming the best junior golfers in the country to the club."
The joint Junior PGA Championships caps off a stellar year of championship golf at The Country Club of St. Albans, including hosting the 12th annual Metropolitan Open – the premier championship of the Metropolitan Amateur Golf Association. The event saw 156 players take part in the three-round championship with New Mexico-native DJ Brigman taking home top honors (Final score -11).
Dating back to the 1904 Olympic Games, St. Louis has enjoyed an esteemed golf history. That history will continue as over the next 14 months as St. Louis clubs will be hosting three PGA Championships. The Country Club of St. Albans hosting of the Boys and Girls Junior PGA Championships and Bellerive Country Club will host the 100th PGA Championship in 2018.
About KemperSports
Northbrook, Ill.-based KemperSports builds, owns and manages golf courses, resorts, athletic clubs and lodging venues across the U.S., Caribbean and Central America. The company's award-winning portfolio includes nationally-ranked courses and tournament venues such as Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, named the No. 1 Golf Resort in North America by Golf Digest and GOLF magazine; The Glen Club; Desert Willow Golf Resort; Harbor Shores, site of the 2012 and 2014 Senior PGA Championship presented by KitchenAid; and Chambers Bay, host of the 2010 U.S. Amateur and the 2015 U.S. Open. For more information about KemperSports, please visit http://www.kempersports.com.
Media Contact:
B.R. Koehnemann


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Erica - posted on 11/07/2017 ( no moms have responded yet )
Went to the OB yesterday. Baby girl was 15oz(40th percentile) Baby boy was 12oz(18th percentile). Dr kinda freaked out and called the specialist while we were in the room to get an appointment for the 16th to check on a new growth. Has anyone else had twins different weights like this?


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The men's college basketball Final Four and national title games, which have historically been on broadcast television, will be shown on cable television for the first time in 2014 and 2016, respectively.
According to Turner Sports, in 2014 and 2015, "TBS will televise the NCAA Final Four national semi-finals and CBS will broadcast the NCAA National Championship game. "
In 2016, though, TBS will Final Four and the national title games. The following year, CBS will broadcast the Final Four and championship games. The networks will alternate through 2024.
As live sporting events almost always guarantee top ratings in an age when the media landscape is becoming more fragmented and splintered, cable channels are making a play for events that had been exclusive to broadcast networks.
The networks have yet to decide if the CBS announcing crew will call the Final Four games on TBS next season, or if TBS's college basketball announcers will call the semi-finals games while Jim Nantz, of CBS, does the play-by-play for the national title game.


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Finding the right mid-range desktop takes some time. With all the option available to us right now, you can be more confused than ever before. In this HP Pavilion 550-040 review, we are going to take a look at another mid-range desktop and see if it is just another desktop or something to consider.
With a neat array of specs and a reasonable pricing, this desktop can cater to the needs of a mid-range user without any issues. It also has something to offer to both light and heavy users as well. If you are in the search for a perfect mid-range desktop PC, the read this full review and see if this is the one.
Click Here to check for a Discount Price!
This new Pavilion desktop comes with a nice change in the design department. They have given a facelift to the previous design and this looks way better. There are a USB port and a media card reader in the front. There is also a headphone jack as well.
It is not very small but still more compact that most of the desktops out there. It will not take much room and will fit in any room of yours. With a weight of 15.8 pounds, it will be slightly difficult to move around but if you don't want to move often, then you've got a winner.
Also, this is a standalone desktop. There is no monitor attached to this PC. If you have a monitor, go ahead. Else, go through our monitor section and find a monitor that fits your need. As you will be running one of the latest Windows operating systems, get a touchscreen monitor if your budget allows it.
HP Pavilion 550-040 Specs
The processor that runs this HP Pavilion 550-040 desktop is an Intel Core i5 4460 processor that clocks at 2.4GHz. With the turbo boost in place, you can get more clocking speed when required. This processor is a Haswell-based chip and is known for its low power consumption and efficient handling.
This is a perfect fit for a device that is aimed at mid-range and heavy users. You can run some of the most system-intensive applications without any problems. With large applications like Simulators and Virtual machines run fine without any hiccups.
The memory here is an 8GB DDR3 RAM. This memory facilitates multitasking and gives you more freedom to run stuff the way you want to. You can run many apps at the same time without having to worry about the performance or lag.
This is a desktop computer and with it, you also get the option to upgrade your memory when you need more. You can upgrade to either 16GB or 32GB depending on your needs. Though 8GB will serve most of the users well, some might find the need for more RAM.
The 7200RPM hard drive comes with a space of 1TB. You get a lot of storage from this hard drive and can store all your data including your movies, games, videos and pictures. The operating speed of the drive is also pretty decent and that adds up to the whole experience as well.
The operating system you get pre-installed is Windows 8, 64-bit version. You can get your hands on the latest operating system with a simple upgrade. The upgrade is free for the first year only. There is no doubt that Windows 10 is the best Windows OS till date.
The graphics card in the HP Pavilion 550-040 is an integrated HD graphics card. This graphics card is good for moderate gaming and you can even play some of the latest titles without any problem. However, when playing some of the best graphically intense games you may have to bring down the settings to achieve a better frame rate.
The desktop supports both wireless internet connectivity and Bluetooth 4.0. There are 4 USB 3.0 ports and also a 7 in 1 media card reader which can come in very handy.
HP Pavilion 550-040 Review: Verdict
This is a good desktop computer for the price and comes with excellent specs. If you are a mid-range user, this product suits you the best. If you are someone else, there is still an ocean of possibilities with a desktop like this. Go for it, if you are searching for a simple, mid-range desktop that doesn't cost a lot.


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KEP, Cambodia (October 4, 2011) - The first group of students in the remote Cambodian provinces of Kep, Takeo and Kompot is set to connect with the world – and connect others with it as well.
In October, 20 at-risk youth will begin their professional education in internet technology and web design at the new Don Bosco Technical School and Web House located in the National Park of Kep.
"Our goal is to expand professional opportunities to poor students in rural areas. Students will learn about communication, web development and audiovisual production. Our goal is to have students use their skills to produce web content for the local market and to give every Cambodian and foreign business in the community the opportunity to go online and increase their markets," says Father Albeiro Rodas.
According to UNICEF, 40% of people living in rural areas are poor compared with 10% in Phnom Penh and 25% in other urban areas in Cambodia. More than 74% are employed in agricultural activities.
"We know that there are many Cambodian households who do not have access to a computer, and that our percentage of internet users is` one of the lowest in the world. But Cambodians are highly interested in technology. For example, our students may have never used a computer, but they know that it is going to be an important part of their future. We see this as an excellent opportunity to train students to be on the cutting-edge of what the job market will require," adds Father Rodas.
According to the Cambodian Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications statistics, there were 173,675 internet subscribers in Cambodia in 2010, up from 29,589 subscribers the year before.
Currently the Design and Web House offers services in e-commerce websites, PHP-based forums and boards, plain HTML websites, customized blogs and installation of server-side scripts and content management systems. Content may be written in English, German, French, Khmer, Spanish, Dutch and Thai.
The Design and Web House is part of the Don Bosco Vocational Center which serves students with very limited access to professional education. Because of this limited access, many young people leave the area without job skills to search for work in Phnom Penh.
While the school is opening with 20 students, work is already underway to open additional facilities in 2012. Plans include the completion of the first art school for underprivileged youth in the area.
Father Rodas stresses the need for additional educational opportunities throughout the region.
"We see that as the Cambodian population is growing, so too is the social inequality gap," says Father Rodas. "As our country's economy expands into technology and tourism, we have to make absolutely sure we are not leaving out youth from rural areas and underprivileged urban communities."
Since arriving in Cambodia, Salesians have partnered with the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Education to open a total of seven vocational training centers. Approximately 1,300 youth ages 16-21 are preparing for their futures in one and two year vocational training programs in Sihanoukville, Phnom Penh, Toul Kork, Teuk Thla, Battambang, Kep, and Poipet.
The Salesians have a long history of teaching job skills to youth in Cambodia. Through the United Nations, they began providing technical vocational education to Cambodian refugees living in camps along the Thai-Cambodian border in the late 1980s. Then in 1993, at the invitation of the government of Cambodia, the technical School in Phnom Penh was established to republish, translate, and write books and educational documents that were destroyed during the Khmer Rouge regime. It contained the only working printing press in the country – and served as a model of hope through education.
Learn about more missions supported by Salesian Missions in Cambodia.


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|Department of Public Information • News and Media Division • New York
The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today's noon briefing by Michèle Montas, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, and Janos Tisovszky, Spokesperson for the President of the General Assembly.
Briefing by the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General
Good afternoon, all.
**Press Conferences Today
At 1:15 p.m. today, there will be a press conference by Mayor Helen Zille of Cape Town; Hania Zlotnik, Director of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs' Population Division; Eduardo Moreno, Chief of the Global Urban Observatory of the Monitoring System Branch of UN-HABITAT; and others, on the work of the forty-first session of the Commission on Population and Development.
**Security Council
Hédi Annabi, the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Haiti, this morning told the Security Council that Haiti has made significant gains in politics, security and institution-building. At the same time, he warned, this progress remains fragile and subject to swift reversal. He said that there has been a rise in anti-Government demonstrations, with a particular focus on the recent dramatic increase in the cost of living, notably in a violent demonstration last week in Les Cayes. He said that, in order to combat the threat of criminality and violence, the UN Mission has reinforced its collaboration with the Haitian authorities and has enhanced the sharing of information. We have his remarks to the Council upstairs. Mr. Annabi spoke to Council members about Haiti in closed consultations. He is still in consultations right now and we will let you know as soon as he can make it to the stakeout.
Then, at 3 in the afternoon, the Council will hear in an open meeting from the head of the International Independent Investigation Commission dealing with Lebanon, Daniel Bellemare, and will follow that meeting with consultations, as well. He'll provide an update on the Commission's work, following the report that went to the Council two weeks ago, which confirmed that a network of individuals acted in concert to carry out the assassination of Rafiq Hariri and that this network, or parts of it, are linked to some of the other cases within the Commission's mandate. Mr. Bellemare will hold a press conference in this room at approximately 4:30 p.m.
** Nepal
Counting down to Nepal's historic Constituent Assembly election this week, the Secretary-General's Special Representative in Nepal, Ian Martin, in a press conference today, appealed to the political parties and the people, stressing that much now depends on election day itself and on the days that follow. Stressing that the United Nations is playing an important support role through its mission on the ground, Martin said Nepal is within reach of a historic achievement, in which the country has come in a relatively short time since the end of the armed conflict. Martin said that preparations are now "in good order" for an election more complicated than any Nepal has carried out before.
The Special Representative of the Secretary-General, while noting that there have been serious acts of violence and violations of human rights during the election campaign, appealed to the armed groups that have been claiming responsibility for violent acts to call off any of those efforts to disrupt the process. He also appealed to the political parties to fulfil, on Election Day, their commitments to improve their respect for the election Code of Conduct and avoid all violence amongst their supporters as well as to respect the result of the elections, whatever that result may be. To both the armies, Martin urged them to respect fully their commitments to remain in their barracks or cantonments, respectively, on Election Day. The Special Representative of the Secretary-General also urged voters to trust that this is a secret ballot and not to be influenced by threats or inducements and urged all Nepalese people to be patient during an inevitably prolonged period as election results come in.
** Sudan
The African Union and UN Special Envoys for Darfur are in Sudan this week to conduct consultations with officials of the Government of National Unity. The consultations come as a follow-up to the recent informal consultations held with regional partners and members of the international community in Geneva last month, 17-18 March. Jan Eliasson of the United Nations and Salim Ahmed Salim of the African Union plan to meet with Government of Sudan Chief Negotiator Nafie al-Nafie, Senior Assistant to the President Minni Minnawi and Foreign Minister Deng Alor, to discuss the way forward in the Darfur political process. They will also travel to Juba to meet with the Sudan People's Liberation Movement. From 15 to 20 April, the Special Envoys will conduct consultations with non-signatory movements and representatives of civil society in Darfur.
** Chad
This Wednesday, the UN Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad is launching a training programme for some 77 Chadian police and gendarmerie commanders. The Mission says the Chadian officers will acquire the necessary knowledge and skills to enforce law and order and respect for human rights in camps for refugees and the internally displaced, as well as in the major towns of eastern Chad. The intensive training is expected to last four weeks and will take place in N'Djamena. Once they have completed their training, the officers will deploy in both the capital and the eastern region and will remain under UN police supervision for six months. The Mission says that a total of 850 trained gendarmes and police officers will be required to meet its mandate requirement.
**Democratic Republic of Congo
In his latest report on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which is out as a document today, the Secretary-General says that, despite numerous setbacks, critical steps have been taken towards finding a solution to the instability in the east. The Nairobi and Goma processes, he says, have set up frameworks to deal with outstanding security problems, particularly in the Kivus. However, success in both processes will ultimately depend on the determination, good faith and political will of all parties. In this regard, continued international engagements remain essential.
Meanwhile, the increasing number of verified ceasefire violations is a matter of serious concern. And the Secretary-General calls on all signatories to respect their obligations under the statements of commitment. He encourages the Democratic Republic of the Congo Government to ensure that the follow-up process is inclusive and he welcomes recent executive orders seeking to do just that. Continued dialogue among countries in the Great Lakes region is also a welcome development, and the Secretary-General is appealing to the Congolese Government to resume full diplomatic relations with its neighbours as soon as possible.
**Management Reform
The Secretary-General today addressed the General Assembly's thematic debate on management reform, noting that the subject is one of his top priorities. The Secretary-General told the Assembly that, today, "history is swinging our way," with the United Nations being called to do many tasks with proportionately fewer resources. As a result, he said, the UN will need to be made more modern, more flexible and more efficient. He stressed that the United Nations needs an integrated, multi-skilled and mobile global workforce, and to achieve it, it must streamline its contractual arrangements and improve conditions of service. He added that we must be able to recruit staff more quickly than at present. He also noted what the United Nations is doing to ensure accountability, including a new system for the administration of justice that is to be introduced next January. We have his statement upstairs.
** Gulf States
Continuing his travels to the Persian Gulf region, Under-Secretary-General and Humanitarian Relief Coordinator John Holmes today commended Gulf States for their support of humanitarian efforts around the world, but urged them to step up their collaboration in order to address such needs more effectively and multilaterally. Speaking at a humanitarian aid conference in Dubai, Holmes noted that close to 60 per cent of UN emergency assistance is provided to countries with Muslim populations. Greater engagement between Gulf countries and the UN would help build a more representative system and keep humanitarian assistance from being viewed solely as a Western enterprise, he said. We have more information upstairs.
I have two appointments to announce. First, the Secretary-General has appointed Ajay Chhibber of India as Director of the UN Development Programme's Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific. Mr. Chhibber replaces Hafiz Pasha of Pakistan. Mr. Chhibber has worked for the World Bank for over 25 years in a variety of capacities, and has worked across Asia.
Meanwhile, Inés Alberdi of Spain has been appointed by the UN Development Programme's Administrator as Executive Director of the UN Development Fund for Women, better known as UNIFEM. Ms. Alberdi replaces Noeleen Heyzer of Singapore, who is now the Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. Ms. Alberdi brings with her over 25 years of professional experience on issues related to gender and development and in politics. We have more information on these appointments upstairs.
** Sri Lanka
On Sri Lanka, the United Nations Office of the Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka today in a press statement strongly condemns the suicide attack in Colombo that killed 15 people on Sunday during a peaceful sporting event. Condemning all violence and indiscriminate attacks against civilians there, the United Nations offers its deepest sympathies to the families of the victims, including one Government Minister and a number of athletes who died. The United Nations urges all parties to the conflict to do everything within their power to avoid civilian casualties and appeals to them to seek a negotiated and peaceful solution to the conflict.
** Colombia
The UN refugee agency is signing an agreement today with the Colombian Government on the protection of land rights and the restitution of property for the country's displaced population. The agreement will help coordinate various existing programmes in Colombia to legally protect abandoned lands. It also envisions new initiatives to restore the property rights of people who have lost land through forced displacement. We have more information in the UNHCR [Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees] briefing notes upstairs.
The UN refugee agency and Google have unveiled a new online mapping programme. It provides an up-close view of some of the world's major displacement crises, as well as the humanitarian efforts aimed at providing assistance to millions of people. The programme takes advantage of Google Earth technology by letting agencies overlay text, audio and video explaining their work in various places. The web address, for those who are interested, is www.unhcr.org/googleearth. You do have to download Google Earth first in order for the programme to work. We have more information, of course, on this upstairs.
**World Food Programme
And the World Food Programme (WFP) has launched the world's first humanitarian video game in Arabic. "Food Force" lets players join a virtual team of WFP experts to get food to the needy in emergencies. The game has already clocked around six million players worldwide in other languages, and is available for free on the Internet. You can get more information on that upstairs also.
And this is all I have for you. I would make the questions short, if you don't mind, because we have Janos, who is briefing us today.
**Questions and Answers
Question: Has a new country chief for Burma been appointed?
Spokesperson: Not yet.
Question: How long will it take?
Spokesperson: I don't know at this point. I'll let you know as soon as it's done.
Question: The Pope is coming next week to the UN. I wanted to ask you if the Secretary-General has any expectations or if he expects to raise any particular issues in his talks with the Pope and if he has any expectations of what will come out of his present visit to the UN?
Spokesperson: He's expecting that visit and, as you know, he met the Pope before when he went to Rome. He visited the Pope at the Vatican. The Secretary-General is looking forward to the opportunity to meet him again and at this point I cannot tell you which issue they will be discussing, but we'll try to give you a briefing before he comes. First, you have a logistics type of briefing with Gary Fowlie on how things will be mapped out, and you'll also have, after that, in that briefing, [something] about the visit itself.
Question: Will Inner City Press be available on the UNHCR/Google website?
Spokesperson: What are you talking about?
Question: I don't know. Google has had a problem with one of our colleagues in the past.
Spokesperson: I don't know. I can't answer that question.
Question: I know, but another question about it. Are Palestinian refugees going to be included, since they're not being taken care of by UNHCR but by a separate refugee agency?
Spokesperson: Of course they will be included.
Question: I have a question on Iraq. Has the Special Representative of the Secretary-General come up with any assessment in Iraq following what happened last week and what is now being described as a situation that's going from bad to worse again? Did he come up with any report as yet?
Spokesperson: No, we don't have anything new. You asked the question yesterday and I answered what I'm answering now. We don't have any report yet. But of course the Secretary-General gets regular briefings from his Special Representative on the ground, but we don't have a written report at this point.
Question: Talking about UNHCR, is there also no report on the Iraqi refugees in Jordan?
Spokesperson: UNHCR has constant reports on the situation of refugees. You can consult their site and get more information on that.
Question: In his speech just now on management reform, the Secretary-General has said that some of his Special Representatives earn less and serve under less favourable conditions than those in UN funds or programmes. Can we get more information on what he meant, in terms of what Special Representatives of the Secretary-General are paid and who in UNDP or any programme he's comparing it to? He seemed to say he's calling for a reform of this, but if we can get underlying facts. Are all Special Representatives of the Secretary-General paid the same amount?
Spokesperson: We can get that information for you from the Management Office. I don't have it with me now.
Question: I wouldn't expect it. Also, this issue off the coast of Somalia, the pirates who took the French boat. Does the UN have any involvement in trying to get the sailors released?
Spokesperson: No, the UN has no involvement in this.
Question: Just France. Okay. There's also an AP story I wanted to ask you about these two appointments, UNIFEM and UNDP in Asia. It seemed to say that the Secretary-General had been approached by a coalition of NGOs very much in support of an Indian candidate for UNIFEM, but that somehow the Spanish candidate was chosen, and it seems to imply that this was based on contributions by Spain to the UN, both to UNDP and to UNIFEM in particular, and that the appointment, at the same time, of an Indian to this other post was somehow to make up for that. Is that something the UN rejects in full? What's the connection between giving money and getting a post and the nationality of these two persons?
Spokesperson: There is no direct connection. I can tell you that there is a constant concern to have geographical distribution within the system. And in the case of the appointment to the post of UNIFEM, she has been appointed at the D-2 level and the selection process was comprehensive. It was extensive. It took into account both the challenges that UNIFEM faces and the broader requirements of strengthening gender-focused work within the whole gender architecture of the United Nations. It was done in close cooperation, with the board choosing the candidates and the Secretary-General and the Director of UNDP.
Question: The NGO group seems to think that this other candidate, Ms. Sen, was actually recommended by the panel. Was the candidate ultimately selected the one with the highest recommendation of the panel?
Spokesperson: I don't have all the details. I can tell you that it was a long process, a very thorough process and a very careful one.
Question: In UNDP, selecting a head of a region for them, I know they do it in consultation, but it definitely involved the Secretary-General's office?
Spokesperson: It does.
Question: And then one last thing that came up in the course of this. It seems that Peacekeeping is going to open a logistics base in Valencia? There's a photograph showing Mr. Ban meeting with the Vice-President of Spain. Does that compete with the Brindisi Centre?
Spokesperson: It completes the Brindisi Centre. It's a different set up. You can have the information on that very easily. Okay. Thank you very much. Janos?
Briefing by the Spokesperson for the General Assembly President
Good afternoon, good to see you.
**General Assembly Debate on Management Reform
Let me start with something that Michèle already mentioned and that is this morning's meeting that opened in the Trusteeship Council Chamber on the Management Reform. Management Reform is one of the five priority areas of the current General Assembly session. The meeting was called for, convened and opened by General Assembly President Srgjan Kerim. The title of the two-day thematic debate is, "Towards a common understanding of management reform." And as the title suggests, the aim is for Member States, as well as Secretariat officials, to work towards a common understanding on management reform. The debate is intended to take stock of ongoing reforms especially in light of the proposals of the 2005 Summit Outcome Document and also to provide Member States with the opportunity to express their views on management reform.
President Kerim in his opening statement stressed that a more effective United Nations was an essential part of bridging the gap between the global public's high expectations and our ability to deliver. He said, "All our reform efforts are fundamentally about improving the image, authority and relevance of the United Nations." "It is imperative that the whole of the Organization becomes more efficient, effective, transparent, and accountable to Member States, and ultimately to the peoples of the world." Taking stock of the reform agenda, the President noted that there is a need to advance further on human resources, procurement, information and communication technology, accountability and oversight to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the Organization.
He also called for the United Nations to not only match the high ideals and public purpose it was founded upon, but to set the lead for others to follow in international management practice. He urged Member States to use the debate as an occasion to agree to give greater coherence to all past management reform initiatives and reach a common understanding of the future role that they envisage for the Organization. The President asked Member States to especially focus on three interrelated issues of crucial importance to the process of transforming decisions of Member States into delivered activities. These are: the way mandates are formulated, implemented and evaluated; the planning and budgetary process of the Organization; and finally, the management of human resources.
As regards these three issues: on mandates the President noted that the way these are formulated, implemented, and evaluated, was at the heart of the credibility of General Assembly's decision making process and the outcomes that this organization delivers on behalf of Member States. On the budget process, he pointed out that the membership had expressed its concern with the piecemeal approach to this, adding that Member States would be more informed in their debates about the organization's spending priorities, its budgetary discipline and requests for additional resources if a more complete, timely and coherent analysis of spending, outputs, and outcomes were available. The President also underlined that modern human resources management was essential to unleash the untapped potential of the Secretariat. Human resources policies should encourage better career advancement opportunities and conditions of service, training, mobility, and retention of the best staff. The full speech of the President is available for you upstairs in the Spokesperson's Office and also on the website of the President.
Following the opening statement of the President, the Secretary-General addressed the meeting and after that, Member States made statements. The meeting will continue this afternoon in that format, meaning that Member States will deliver their statements. The second part of this thematic debate is going to be tomorrow in the afternoon and it will be in a different format, in the form of an interactive session among Member States and senior Secretariat officials.
**Rule of Law
Let me go back to something that happened yesterday. President Kerim yesterday attended the presentation of the final report and recommendations from the Austrian Initiative 2004-2008 on "The UN Security Council and the Rule of Law." It was at the 59th General Assembly that Austria launched this initiative and worked on a final report in cooperation with the Institute for International Law and Justice at New York University School of Law. The President, in his statement at the presentation meeting, noted that respect for the rights and sovereignty of other States, based on the rule of law, was the basis for a well-functioning society of States. Each state, in turn, had a responsibility to protect and promote the human rights and dignity of their people, and support participatory decision making at the national level.
He stressed that the principal organs of the United Nations, such as the General Assembly and the Security Council, had to act in a way that bolsters international relations based on clear and agreed rules. In this regard, he pointed out that that the General Assembly had reaffirmed that the promotion of and respect for the rule of law at the national and international levels should guide the activities of the United Nations and its Member States. And as regards the various initiatives already taken by the UN system in promoting the rule of law, the President said that it was important to ensure that these efforts were sustained and supported by all principal organs of the United Nations. And in this regard, the Security Council had an important role in promoting justice and the rule of law as an indispensable element of lasting peace.
**Disarmament Commission
A couple of other things. You may have noticed from the Journal, and also among the press releases, that the Disarmament Commission opened its 2008 substantive session yesterday. It is the third year of a three-year cycle in which the Commission is focusing on the agreed agenda items, which are nuclear disarmament and nuclear proliferation; and confidence-building in conventional weapons. The Commission is expected to end its session on 24 April.
I am mentioning this because the Commission is a subsidiary organ of the General Assembly, it is composed of all Members of the United Nations and it reports annually to the General Assembly through the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security). So the report, as regards the outcome of this session, which as I said is expected to end 24 April, is going to come before the General Assembly through the First Committee at the next session, that's the sixty-third session.
**Criminal Accountability of UN Officials on Mission
Something else that began its work, and that is one of the ad hoc committees established by the Sixth Committee (Legal). This one is on Criminal Accountability of UN Officials and Experts on Mission. I already talked about this before and I will brief you on the outcome as it wraps up its work this week.
**Upcoming Events
And just a very quick reminder of upcoming things. One I mentioned already. Tomorrow afternoon, the thematic debate on Management Reform continues in the interactive format session. On Thursday, this is important, you have all been sort of waiting for, if I may say so, but I mentioned this already, and that's the second meeting, meaning the second meeting as part of the sixty-second session of the Assembly, of the so-called Open-ended Working Group on the Questions of Equitable Representation on and Increase in the Membership of the Security Council and Other Matters related to the Security Council, so in other words, on Security Council reform. That's going to be on Thursday starting at 10 a.m. in the Trusteeship Council Chamber. Unfortunately for you, it is a closed session and it is expected to last the whole day.
And the third thing I wanted to flag, and this relates to some of these things because you will get more background information from it, is the press briefing of the President of the General Assembly. That's going to be on Friday at 11:00 o'clock. So he's going to talk to you about the outcome of the meetings on Security Council reform, on management reform and other things.
So that's all I have. If you have any questions, I'll try to answer them.
**Questions and Answers
Question: I just want to clarify, the Disarmament Commission is composed of all Members?
Spokesperson: Yes, it is. It's a subsidiary body of the General Assembly. It was set up by the First Special Session on Disarmament in 1978 and it is open to all Members of the United Nations.
Question: Who are the active Members? Are all Members active Members? I know they have been meeting since yesterday but I thought the CD was composed of forty nine Members or so but you say no, it's all Members.
Spokesperson: As far as I know and according to my notes it's open to all Members. Who are the active Members? There's a good summary record of the meeting in the form of a press release so you can see from that who are the active Members, the ones making statements. (Note: the Conference on Disarmament is a separate entity based in Geneva and has a membership of 65 Member States.)
Question: Now, on this all important thematic debate on reform of the Security Council, which you say is going to be a closed door session, for my background, I want to know whether the debate will be based on the report of the last Assembly President or whether it will also include the report by the Ambassador of Germany.
Spokesperson: It's part of the process. As you pointed out, the outgoing President of the sixty-first session, on the closing day of the session, on 17 September, had the report of the working group on Council reform adopted. Building on what is contained in that report, the current President, President Kerim, began his work on Council reform and had the first meeting of the open-ended working group during the current session on 14 December – and in fact even a month before there was also a meeting within the framework of the General Assembly on the work of the Security Council. Since the first meeting of the open-ended working group on 14 December, the President called on Member States to engage in intensive negotiations. And as part of that phase of intensive negotiations, you had various different groupings of States working amongst themselves, trying to work together with other groups, and come up with various proposals.
As a result of that three letters arrived to the Office of the President: one by the Africa Group; one by the Ambassador of Cyprus on behalf of the so-called overarching group, with an attached set of proposals that this group thought to use to advance the work on Council reform; and then of course there was the Uniting for Consensus group, which also had a short proposal with a cover letter coming from the Ambassador of Italy. So all that, together, will be part of the discussions on the second meeting of the open-ended working group.
Question: What's going to come out of these two days on management reform? Is it as the G-77 wants it? Is it actually going to have no impact on all actual reforms that are being considered by the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary)? That's how I read their statement, which is saying the Fifth Committee is the place for this, not this format. And also, why is the debate on management reform closed? Why is a debate on management reform and transparency closed?
Spokesperson: First of all, this first day of the session is open and we've been saying this. It's tomorrow, the interactive session which is with Member States and Secretariat officials, which is designated to be a closed session. That was on the advice of Member States. That's the way they wanted it. As regards the statement of the G-77 and what their approach is, either the statement speaks for itself or you have to ask them to interpret this.
Question: And the outcome?
Spokesperson: The outcome, this is what I mentioned while you were out, the title basically says it in the sense that what is intended here is to have a common understanding of how to go about management reform, first of all to take stock of what has happened over the various different reform initiatives emanating from the 2005 Outcome Document. Then, it's an opportunity for Member States to voice their views and ideas about how they think the Organization should track forward, how management reform should be understood and ideally, and this is what the President would like, and what the title is about, is to have a common understanding of what management reform is, a common understanding among Member States and common understanding as regards Member States and Secretariat. Ideally, to have coherence amongst Member States views as to how to approach management reform.
This is my understanding of what is the intention. But let's see what happens after the statements and after the interactive session. But this is why it will be good to have the President here on Friday at 11:00 o'clock and he will be able to brief you on the outcome of the management reform thematic debate, as well as the Security Council open-ended working group meeting.
Question: Going back to the President's speech and human resources practices, he praised the Fifth Committee for normalizing the conditions of service and he said he hopes the discussion held in March, he sounded very upbeat, whereas Mr. Ban, on the very same topic, said he was disappointed that this topic was not finalized in March. What was the President praising in terms of human resources? What was actually accomplished in the March session of the Fifth Committee that he was praising so much.
Spokesperson: If you remember, this issue did come up. I don't have my background notes here on the Fifth Committee, but I do remember that the Fifth Committee ended on 28 March. On 31 March, I did give a briefing on the outcome. If I remember correctly, human resources issues including conditions of service, contractual status, etcetera, were issues that were deferred to later action. And I don't really see a discrepancy here from the point of view that the President is optimistic that this issue is taken up by Member States and is going to be taken forward.
Question: On the other hand, it hasn't been adopted.
Spokesperson: I don't detect pessimism here at all. This is an issue that is with the Member States. It is going to be discussed and it is taken forward and it is with the Fifth Committee. And as you know, the Fifth Committee will continue in May and then, of course, will pick up again with the sixty-third session.
Question: This system wide coherence and this management reform, do these things overlap? Has anybody discussed that?
Spokesperson: The interrelationship between the two and how the current President and the current Assembly session look at it, is something you can ask from the President on Friday. But, while management reform is a broad subject, as I have mentioned the President asked Membership to concentrate on mandate issues, the formulation and evaluation of mandates, the budgetary process and the human resources aspects. System-wide coherence is also something that emanates from the past couple of years and it is also a process that is taken up by the Member States, taken forward by this Assembly session, and in fact, I think it was actually yesterday that Member States, with the co-chairs, have taken forward the initiative. The co-chairs are the Ambassadors of Tanzania and Ireland. Yesterday they looked at funding issues as regards this exercise.
As you know, there are eight pilot countries. That's kind of an experimental approach. These two co-chairs have recently visited four of those eight pilot countries and those four were Cape Verde, Tanzania, Viet Nam and Mozambique. On 28 March they had a meeting when they discussed their experiences as regards those four countries. Also, there was a meeting in Vienna, convened by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) on the same issue of system-wide coherence, which was attended by the co-chairs. So this exercise is continuing, plus it ties into the CEB process and the upcoming CEB meeting, so it is definitely there. Okay, last question.
Question: In the G-77 statement, they talk about procurement, and they say that no procurement reform will be complete or effective without diversification in origins of vendors in UN Procurement. The EU didn't even mention procurement in their discussion of reform. First of all, does the President view procurement and the diversification of procurement as part of management reform? And there was a previous General Assembly resolution on exactly this topic. Does he feel that it's been effectively implemented by the UN in terms of where they actually issue these big contracts from DPKO?
Spokesperson: Again, this is one of those things you'll be able to ask the President on Friday. I don't have an answer for you at this point. But he will be here on Friday, as I said, and it's a golden opportunity to ask him this.
Thank you very much for your attention. See you soon.
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