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Trans Mountain pipeline another colonial project asserting jurisdiction over Indigenous lands
Op-Ed with Deborah Cowen
Originally published in the Toronto Star, April 24, 2018
Link: https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/2018/04/24/trans-mountain-pipeline-another-colonial-project-asserting-jurisdiction-over-indigenous-lands.html
In the face of extraordinary Indigenous resistance to the Trans Mountain project, and without a trace of the tears that fell for reconciliation, Prime Minister Trudeau asserts that this infrastructure is "in the national interest and it will get built."
Kinder Morgan is nothing less than reconciliation on trial. The company's recent claims to the "untenable" economics of the Trans Mountain pipeline may derail the project for now, but there will be other pipelines, and the problem of jurisdiction will not go away.
Today, Justin Trudeau fights tirelessly to assert national jurisdiction to see the planned pipeline to completion. In the face of extraordinary Indigenous resistance to the Trans Mountain project, and without a trace of the tears that fell for reconciliation, Trudeau asserts that this infrastructure is "in the national interest and it will get built."
Infrastructure development has always driven Indian policy in Canada, laying the blueprint for national economic ambition. Train and telegraph lines gave shape to the numbered treaties. Trade routes forged the navigation maps for roads and highways. Forts became settlements and cities. Infrastructure transformed homelands into frontiers of extraction leaving a meagre land base of 0.2 per cent of the country to Indigenous peoples.
When Canada was born in 1867, it barely existed as a physical space. To make it into a country, it needed land, and to access the land and bring it under settler control, it needed infrastructure.
Confederation was contingent on the building of national infrastructure — the Intercolonial Rail and the Canadian Pacific Rail (CPR) were conditions for provinces in signing the Constitution. The Constitution in turn authorizes national authority over the same infrastructure. The CPR, which John A. Macdonald deemed "the spine of the nation" was at once the materialization of Canadian claims to legal jurisdiction and the writ of dispossession for Indigenous land.
Colonial interpretations of treaty signing ceremonies were parsimonious at best. So-called land "surrenders" paved the way for the CPR, built not only through land thefts, but through exploited Chinese and Black lives and labour, and financed by Barings — a bank that reaped its wealth through the transatlantic slave trade. Revelstoke, a town built on unceded Secwepemc land, was named for the man who secured the funding through his family's bank.
Secwepemc territory is now at the centre of another infrastructure project that is shaping the balance of power in Canada. Secwepemceluw in the south central interior of British Columbia is the largest contiguous length the proposed Trans Mountain pipeline will traverse.
Historically and in the present, it is through the claim to jurisdiction — and the materialization of these claims through infrastructure — that Canada attempts to "replace" established Indigenous legal systems with their own.
Struggles over energy and extractive infrastructures have been fierce in recent years, demonstrating the deepening problem of Indigenous jurisdiction to business-as-usual in Canada. From the Site C Dam to the Ring of Fire to Muskrat Falls. As water and land protectors are hauled off from protest sites, we cannot forget how infrastructures have been the literal backbone of this country, and are always entangled with the legal problem of Canada.
Those who work in the construction sector rely on this "colonial infrastructure" to survive. But these jobs are short-lived and pit the vulnerability of resource sector workers against Indigenous peoples in a tradition of Canadian economic policy that fails to reconcile profit with ecological integrity and respect for Indigenous governance over their lands, territories, and resources.
One of the more creative efforts to stop the pipeline unfolds in the Secwepemc's Tiny House Warriors: Our Land is Home project. Building on long histories of resistance, land and water defenders are constructing tiny houses and placing them along the pipeline route on their territory, "to assert Secwepemc Law and jurisdiction and block access to this pipeline."
Here we see precisely the refusal of settler colonial infrastructures, but also the realization of Indigenous sovereign acts of jurisdiction.
Will Canada cling to this 150-plus-year-old strategy of asserting jurisdiction over Indigenous lands through the making of infrastructure, or will we honour the promises of reconciliation and shared decision-making? The time for real reparations is at hand.
Deborah Cowen is a 2016 Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Fellow and associate professor of geography at the University of Toronto. Shiri Pasternak is an assistant professor of criminology at Ryerson University and the research director of the Centre for Indigenous Governance.


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The Surrounding Mid-West, and select other locations are by special request.

subset: commoncrawl


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Live Net Tv Apk Download
By aryastark, 2019-05-11
Live NetTV APK is an application for the Android working framework that offers clients with the capacity to observe live TV inside the solaces of their Android gadgets. This article will concentrate on more insights concerning the Live NetTV for Android wherein you can become acquainted with all the important data about the application.
Live Net TV application is particularly intended for those individuals who need to make the most of their preferred network shows and motion pictures in a hurry. The substance can be gushed in standard definition just as top notch with the application. In the event that you need to download the APK document of the application, at that point you have to visit the official site of the application engineer as the application isn't accessible on Google Play Store starting at now. Underneath, we have depicted the downloading and establishment system for every one of the clients who are anticipating download the application and stream films on their cell phone.
There are numerous individuals out there who need to stream TV on the web however don't know about a dependable site of use that can enable them to stream TV channels on their cell phone or TV. With the assistance of Live NetTV APK you can stream in excess of 700 TV stations and great motion pictures on your android gadget. Films and TV slots are a standout amongst the most captivating wellsprings of amusement among individuals everything being equal. You can watch motion pictures on TV yet you can't convey your TV with you.
There is an answer for this issue on the off chance that you possess an Android telephone. Nowadays, one can download applications that can stream live TV stations and motion pictures on their cell phone. Google Play Store is overwhelmed with numerous such applications that enable you to stream films and TV appears on your cell phone yet one application that out from all the accessible applications out there is Live Net TV.
Live Net TV is a standout amongst the most acclaimed and broadly downloaded Android application that enables clients to appreciate consistent diversion by helping them watch an immense accumulation of astounding motion pictures and TV programs on their cell phone. It is a stimulation pressed application utilizing which you can observe live TV, live games and TV indicates free of expense. In the application, you can browse an extensive number of channels from numerous nations, for example, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, India, Pakistan, Middle Eastern nations, Turkey and a few different nations.


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Marc Bolland, the man who has been running Marks and Spencer for six years, will exit following difficulties in transforming the business. After months of quashing rumours that he would be leaving, he has announced his decision to retire, and will remain CEO until the end of the current financial year on April 2,
In a trading update on the key festive period the high street giant hailed record trading in the food division, where like-for-like sales grew 5%, but the general merchandise arm of the business let the team down.
GM has remained Marks & Spencer's Achilles heel for years so "unseasonable weather", which the retailer blamed alongside poor visibility of stock and a decision to hold back on discounting, can't hide a 5.8% drop in like-for-like sales over the Christmas.
Bolland denied feeling pressure to leave from shareholders in a conference call on Thursday morning, claiming that they recognise the business is a healthy one. Still, it seems Bolland is jumping before he's pushed.
There's no taking away that M&S recorded the best Christmas ever delivered by the food category. Perhaps it's fitting, then, that after "the most rigorous succession planning," Bolland will be succeeded by Steve Rowe.
Rowe has been w


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Dog Training Northampton Northamptonshire
Dog Training Northampton Northamptonshire: If you own a dog that has issues behaving or perhaps a puppy that's brimming with vitality and spirit but somewhat lacking in discipline, then there is a possibility that you'll be on the lookout for someone providing dog training in Northampton, Northamptonshire, who can help you get your pet under control. You can get lots of books on dog training and there's a great deal of websites on the net to help you master dog training yourself, however there's nothing better than receiving some proper in person advice and experience the process first hand. So talking to your nearest Northampton dog trainer would be a good plan and then you'll be able to learn whether you could accomplish this by yourself or if you ought to book several dog training classes.
Dog Training - A Short Study: The saying goes that you can't teach an old dog new tricks, however this is actually far from the truth. You will find training classes offered for dogs of all ages in Northampton, Northamptonshire, whether the dog is a rescue dog, pedigree or cross-breed. When it comes to older adult dogs though, there are some limits specifically in relation to wellness and fitness. Older dogs need to be given a somewhat less demanding training program than would be given to puppies and younger dogs unless they are enjoying the process and are fit and able.
Dog training is really as much about your understanding of your dog's actual needs as well as the reasons for specific sorts of behavioural problems, as it is about the process of training your dog. The care you take in training your pooch will result in a lifetime spent with a contented and well mannered pet. It is often the manner in which you and your family treat your dog, explains the causes responsible for naughty behaviour patterns and this is especially significant whenever dogs are left alone in an empty house for long stretches, which can happen a lot in our 21st Century world of hectic social lives and long working days in Northampton.
The ability to mix with other dogs and animals is an essential aspect of your dog's training. Dog training classes are a fantastic place to accomplish this as all the other pet owners are attending with the exact same objective in mind, and in a pleasant comfortable and neutral environment for the animals. With attending dog training classes in Northampton, not just do you get to meet new friends, your dog gets to meet new friends as well!
Training your dog enables you to anticipate and comprehend its behaviour so that it might be addressed therefore avoiding a loss of control. It is also a moral obligation to both your pet and your local community in Northampton, and demonstrates that you're a responsible owner. Dogs that bark frequently will invariably be a problem in your local Northampton neighbourhood and are exasperating for nearby neighbours in particular, so, making sure that your dog or puppy is obedient, content and isn't bored will help to tackle such issues. You'll discover there are ways to train your dog when to bark and when not to bark, the most well known of these methods is based on rewards, your chosen Northampton dog trainer can tell you all about this.
As you and your pet progress with your training there's lots of fun competitions and activities which can be tried. Speed and agility tests offer a fun way to exercise and keep your dog entertained while they follow your instructions, or you could enter your prized pooch into a local dog show You may then proudly watch your pet vie with a number of other similarly experienced dogs, and see the outcome of your training programme.
Of course there are several methods by which your training routine can be made into a pleasurable and fun experience for both your dog and you and where you might interact with similarly engaged owners in Northampton. Dog training isn't arduous, but does call for determination from you to work alongside your pet. Utilizing the expertise of a dog training expert to assist you, will help you in remaining consistent with your training, furnished with the latest techniques and above all, help your dog and yourself have some fun whilst training.
Dog Training Strategies Explained
You can find various different methods for training dogs in Northampton, to a certain degree what approach you choose or need is determined by just what results you want to achieve for your pet, it might be simple basic behavioural training, or it may be more challenging training for a special purpose ie for vocational, showing or sports. Amongst the most recognized dog training methods are: Koehler method, aversive dog training, model rival training, clicker training, relationship based dog training, scientific training, vocational dog training, agility training, obedience training, prong collar dog training, electronic training, reward dog training, dominance training, motivational dog training, mirror training, negative reinforcement dog training, behavioural training.
Some Dog Breeds
The following is a list of a few of our favourite dog breeds in Northampton, Northamptonshire, all of these can be trained to be respectful and obedient: Whippet, English Springer Spaniel, Alsatian, Dachshund, Westie (West Highland Terrier), Border Terrier, Boxer, Cocker Spaniel, Shih Tzu, King Charles Spaniel, Vizsla (Magyar), Beagle, Bulldog, French Bulldog, Retriever (Golden), Labrador, Miniature Schnauzer, Staffie (Staffordshire Bull Terrier), Chihuahua and Pug.
Solutions to Stop Your Dog Barking
People sometimes inadvertently teach their dogs to bark by behaviour reinforcement. For instance, if your dog starts barking while in the garden, and you hurry out and reprimand it, it could possibly suppose you are "barking" back, so to speak, it will unquestionably realize that it's gained your attention, and that's just what it intended in the first place, therefore anytime it needs attention yet again, it will simply bark. This implies you are rewarding the barking, therefore you should ignore such behaviour and give it a treat whenever it is quiet and stops barking. If you know of a specific thing that starts your dog barking it is possible to utilize this to stop him. You should trigger or bring about the situation which makes it bark and always ignore it, then you can get the dog to be quiet and give it a treat, this procedure has to be duplicated again and again.
Ways to Find a Dog Trainer in Northampton Northamptonshire
One of the easiest be put in touch with dog training in Northampton is to visit an internet site called Bark, here you can submit your particular needs and they'll do all the hard work for you. Have a look at the website HERE and pick the relevant boxes ie "Which Sort of Dog Do You Want to be Trained?", "How Many Dogs Will Need Training?", "What Kind of Training do They Need?" e.g. "Manner Training", "Disabilities/Assistance", "Family Pet Training", "Obedience", "Sports Training", "Behavioural Modification", "Protection/Guard", "Puppy Training" etc, "Are There Any Behavioural Problems?" e.g. "Aggression Towards Other Animals", "Howling/Barking", "Aggression Towards Humans", "Anxiety", "Chewing/Biting", "Housebreaking Issues", "Fearfulness", "Jumping Up", "Pulling Lead or Restraints" etc, "What Age is Your Dog?" etc. Next you simply click to submit the form and await responses from potential dog trainers in the Northampton area. Additional great ways to obtain dog training in Northampton are: looking out for dog training flyers put in the windows of nearby Northampton corner shops or supermarkets, using your preferred search engine (Google perhaps), searching on the best online directories, thumbing through the local Northampton newspaper's classifieds, scrutinizing the pets section of Thomson Local and the Yellow Pages for Northampton, check out the APDT site and check whether there are some Northampton dog trainers shown there and also asking friends and neighbours.
Any expert local dog trainer should be able to help you deal with every form of dog training including: dog training classes for beagles in Northampton, off leash dog training classes in Northampton, puppy biting training in Northampton, dog training for yorkshire terriers in Northampton, dog training for yorkies in Northampton, dog training for lively dogs in Northampton, dog training classes for small breeds in Northampton, dog training classes for staffies in Northampton, guard dog training classes in Northampton, dog training for naughty dogs in Northampton, dog training for rottweilers in Northampton, hyperactive dog training classes in Northampton, dog training for golden retrievers in Northampton, puppy socialization classes in Northampton, affordable dog training in Northampton, clicker dog training in Northampton, mobile dog training in Northampton, one to one puppy training in Northampton, dog training for german shepherds in Northampton, dog training for leash walking in Northampton, cheap dog training services in Northampton, dog training classes for hyper dogs in Northampton, dog training for big dogs in Northampton, dog training for obedience in Northampton, border collie training in Northampton, aggressive dog training classes in Northampton, dog training for vicious dogs in Northampton, dog training for older dogs in Northampton, dog training for dogs that bite in Northampton, puppy training classes in Northampton, dog training for chihuahuas in Northampton, guide dog training classes in Northampton, one to one dog training in Northampton, dog training classes for small dogs in Northampton, puppy training and discipline in Northampton, labrador puppy training in Northampton, dog training for puppies in Northampton, dog training classes for chewing in Northampton, dog training for aggressive behaviour in Northampton, dog training classes for cocker spaniels in Northampton and dog training classes for dogs that bark in Northampton, Northamptonshire.
By following these links you may also get hold of pet training in Northampton, pet photography in Northampton, dog walking in Northampton, dog grooming in Northampton, dog sitting in Northampton, cat training in Northampton, pet care in Northampton, animal training in Northampton, pet sitting in Northampton, pet grooming in Northampton.
Dog Training Classes in Northampton
- Northampton Motivational Dog Training Classes
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I'm happy to have helped you in choosing the perfect person for your dog training lessons and that before very long you've got an obedient and well mannered dog.
TOP - Dog Training Northampton


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MapleStory M Hack - Get Unlimited Crystals in five minutes
MapleStory M is a role playing game with daring elements. In the game, various kinds of struggle are faced by us and attempt to eliminate them immediately. We have to face and overcome the employers in the best dungeons. With it, you will find many waves show up before the players. These waves are including different types of creatures such as -
The game was created by adding various kinds of modes as the choice for playing. The method of MapleStory M Cheats are able to help us in playing correctly in all modes. Below are a few modes.
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In the game, you will find various kinds of products (weapons and armor) utilized by the players for dominating the game. With the increasing time and levels, the players have to create these items improved, and yes it could be possible by upgrading it. The players must accomplish the quests for obtaining rewards and also spend it on upgrading process.
Look at dungeons
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stay up-to-date with Sitekit
category: Corporate News
comments: 0
Sitekit and partner Maverick TV are shortlisted finalists at the ScotlandIS Digital Technology Awards 2015 for their joint working on the 'Living it Up' project.
The DigiTech Awards showcase excellence within the industry rewarding the innovation, expertise and ambition of businesses. The Living it Up project delivered as part of the TSB/Innovate UK DALLAS programme for NHS24 has been nominated to win the Best Public Sector Product/Service Award. The award show will take place on Thursday 18th June 2015 in Glasgow.
About Living it Up
Living it Up is an online self-management hub that empowers people aged over 50 to use technology to manage their wellbeing, feel more in control of their health and get better connected in their communities.
Its person centred platform provides wellbeing tracking tools, technology enabled services, and a wealth of personalised magazine feel information to support people living with long term conditions, as well as advice for those that care for them.
Living it Up has completed its pilot innovation phase and has successfully secured funding from the Scottish Government for an additional year. The service will expand its footprint by an additional two regions to cover seven geographical areas.


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Place I Live is a functional platform which aids in discovering useful information about neighborhoods. You can view categorized data about transportation, leisure and more on maps and see their scores in Life Quality Index ratings.
Use the page to find a garden center in New York City. If you have a garden at your home, you can go to the closest garden center in New York City to get some supplies to care for it. Use the map to find a garden center in New York City.
|Bird`s eye
The nearest garden center might already have the tools you need to make your garden perfect. If you don't have a garden, you can buy some supplies from the local garden center for your friends you do. If you want to start your own garden you can not only get supplies but the staff will also give you tips in the closest garden center in New York City. Gardening can be a relaxing hobby, but to try it out you might have to stop at the local garden center. With a quick view at the map you can find a garden center in New York City.


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O'FALLON, Mo. – A Missouri family is mourning the sudden loss of their 3-month-old son after getting an emergency call from his day care.
"I felt in my heart. Something is wrong with my baby," mother Dejah Johnson said.
Around 10 a.m. Thursday, she received the heartbreaking phone call.
"They said, 'You need to hurry up and come to the day care. Somethings going on with Aiden. The director told me to give you a call, but I don't know any details.' So I'm like, 'What is wrong with my baby?'" she said.
On her way to work, around 6:30 a.m., Johnson had dropped off 3-month-old Aiden Govan off at Tendercare Learning Center on McDonald Lane in O'Fallon, Missouri.
"He wasn't sick yesterday. He wasn't sick this morning. Nothing was wrong with his breathing," she said.
Just hours later, she watched as paramedics rolled her son out on a stretcher.
"They said that there was a whole lot of formula in his bed, and he was unresponsive. He wasn't breathing," Johnson said.
Aidan was pronounced dead at a hospital. An investigation revealed no signs of foul play in the little boy's death.
FOX2 reached out to Tendercare, but has not heard back from it. The day care has a valid license with the state of Missouri.
There is a GoFund me setup to help with Aiden's funeral expenses.


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Post some shots of your watch.
Post some shots of your watch.
Nice idea. BTW really a great watch. I loved the Vivomove HR, but this is absolutely stunning. Sophisticated look, great display (even outside, a problem of the HR), well thought-out (GPS-usage of mobile finally!), intuitive menu, Garmin Pay :-) (works fine, btw), I wasn't sure about the milanese wrist (so I bought a leather wrist, too), but the longer I wear it, the more I like it. I love that you finally don't hear the clockwork; not that the ticking clockwork of the HR bothered me, but it just feels more well-engineered.
After a nice MTB ride :-)


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"If a defensive lineman sacks a quarterback in the forest does he make a sound?"
The Patriots
That's how I feel about the state of the defensive line of the New England Patriots. In the opener against KC they had some positives. Flowers had a good stat line of two sacks, six hits and eight pressures, but that was it. We knew coming into this season that the between the new faces and lack of star power manufacturing pass rush was the order of the day. The youthful energy and solid secondary would produce the finished product. So far, the returns are unimpressive. Other members of the front seven barely cracked the stat sheet, and with the loss of Hightower, the game against the Saints has taken an ominous tone.
The Saints
But fear not Patriots Nation! If the state of our pass rushing sucks, then the offensive line of the Saints is downright deplorable! Heading out of training camp without LT Terron Armstead, they lost RT Zach Streif before two quarters of the 2017 season was over. This caused a normally explosive offense led by the prolific Drew Brees to fizzle and produce just 19 points. Including netting four field goals in the red zone.
Why it's Important
This matchup is important for a multitude of reasons. Let the young guys get experience and confidence. Allow the Patriots defensive coaches to further gather information on their own personnel. Making sure that Drew Brees doesn't get too comfortable and be able to pick apart the secondary. But, the biggest reason is that they need to prevent this game from becoming too big of a shootout. The offense still has kinks to work out and Brady has to be forced to trust other receivers on third down. And his Edelman and Amendola security blankets have been put in the wash and you have to get Tom used to the Hogan, and Cooks stuffy now, so it can pay off dividends in January.
Comment and share with your friends. You can express your displeasure with me on Twitter @ALykins32 and be sure to read and follow @BosSportsExtra for more original content from great writers.


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Your information (nominators will remain anonymous)
For a EURORDIS member patient organisation demonstrating innovative methods in patient support or advocacy.
Nominee information
Up to two EURORDIS Volunteer Awards will be presented in 2021 to individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to EURORDIS and the rare disease community on a volunteer basis.
For any company working in the field of technology developing medical devices, IT platforms, health apps or diagnostic tools, aiming to improve the lives of people living with a rare disease.
The winner is selected taking into consideration the following criteria:
This award is presented to a pioneering company using innovative methods to develop treatments for rare diseases.
This award is presented to a company that demonstrates long-term commitment in their collaboration with rare disease patients and consults with patients in the early stages of development and clinical trial design.
This award is presented to a team of health care professionals or organisations that provide or support the provision of coordinated and holistic care, support and guidance to rare disease patients and their carers, involving patients as partners. Holistic care takes into account the 360º spectrum of health and social care, including the patient's ongoing journey living with a rare disease, and their everyday needs. The winner is selected taking into consideration the following criteria:
For an individual who has demonstrated remarkable leadership in the field of rare diseases at a European level. Awardees are individuals who advocate for rare diseases and positively impact the community by educating decision makers, the public and the media and/or affecting policy and legislation through effective advocacy at the local, national and/or international levels to achieve positive change.
For an individual who has demonstrated lifelong dedication to addressing the needs of people living with a rare disease. His/her commitment has had a positive impact on the rare disease community at large, with an influence on a European or international scale.
For a distinguished researcher whose career represents a rare combination of scientific excellence and support of the patient community.
For a policy maker whose dedication and commitment has made a significant difference to the rare disease community. The award recognises an outstanding individual who has demonstrated excellence in championing the rare disease cause at local, national and international level. The award commends a dedication towards advancing the implementation of policies to improve the life of people with rare diseases, fostering funding programmes to support research and development, and raising awareness of key issues of relevance to our community.
For a young outstanding individual (30 years old or under) who actively contributes to raising awareness of key issues for people living with a rare disease on a local, national or international level. The award recognises strong dedication and commitment to positively impact the community by educating a wider audience of decision makers, the public and/or the media.
For the creator or creative team of visual and/or audio media that has raised awareness of rare diseases and brought the needs of people living with a rare disease to a wider audience. This could be through photography, television, radio, film, painting, online content, or another medium.
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While pounding the chicken breast thin and searing is a French technique, the flavor profile here is decidedly Spanish.
How to Make It
Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of plastic wrap; pound to 1/4-inch thickness using a meat mallet or small heavy skillet. Sprinkle evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons oil; swirl. Add 2 chicken breast halves; cook 3 minutes on each side or until done. Remove from pan. Repeat procedure with 1 1/2 teaspoons oil and remaining 2 chicken breast halves.
Reduce heat to medium. Add stock, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Stir in remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt, almonds, and next 5 ingredients (through Dijon); cook 1 minute or until heated, stirring occasionally. Spoon almond mixture over chicken. Sprinkle with parsley and olives.


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Strategic advisor Miklos: "I don't know any other country that is so far below its potential"
For the past two years, Ukraine has progressed in reforms more than it has over the previous 20 years. However, Ukraine could do more, and a key role here has to be played not only by technocratic ministers but also by the Ukrainian politicians, who should abandon populism, that's according to a co-chair of the Strategic group of advisors for supporting Ukraine's reforms Ivan Miklos.
Ukraine is on the right path of reform, but the delay in their implementation can destroy the achieved stability, says Ivan Miklos -- a renowned expert in the field of public administration, who has held the posts of deputy prime minister and finance minister of Slovakia in the late 1990's and first half of the 2000's. Large-scale reforms implemented when he was in office ensured Slovakia's major economic growth and EU membership.
In 2014, Miklos was invited to Ukraine as an advisor to Finance Minister Natalie Jaresko and to Minister of Economic Development and Trade Aivaras Abromavicius.
In the midst of a political crisis, a candidate for a prime minister's post Volodymyr Groysman offered Mr Miklos to become finance minister. However, Ivan Miklos refused because of his reluctance to lose Slovakian citizenship. But then he agreed to become co-chair of the Strategic group of advisors for supporting Ukraine's reforms. As his deputy Miklos chose a Ukrainian citizen Pavlo Kukhta, who has long worked actively with the Government as an expert from the Reanimation Package of Reforms project.
UNIAN met with Ivan Miklos and his Deputy to find out what reforms Ukraine should implement and why; how populism, corruption and inefficiency of state apparatus hinder the country's development; and why Ukraine should not be afraid of advice from the International Monetary Fund, even if the Fund moves to proposing an increase of the retirement age.
Ivan, you are a successful politician, former Minister of Finance of the Slovak Republic. Why are you promoting Ukrainian reforms now?
Miklos: Firstly, I was invited by Natalie Jaresko and Aivaras Abromavicius as an adviser at the time when they were ministers. Secondly, I have for 26 years implemented reforms in different countries, and before that, I have studied this area, I have done the appropriate research. It means, all my life is about the reforms.
Another reason is I think that Ukraine has huge potential, which is possible to use if reforms are successfully implemented. I don't know any other country that is so far below its potential. And I know what kind of reforms can help because I implemented this kind of reforms in Slovakia. We were in a similar situation in the late 90s, in terms of economic structure, the lack of foreign investors, corruption, and so on.
I also think that the effective reforms can help not only Ukraine but also other countries. Because the economic development and investment is a win-win situation. If Ukraine grows to be economically successful and it becomes integrated into the European Union, it will also help Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and other neighboring countries and Europe as a whole. One of the sources of the growth in Western Europe after 2000 was the integration of Central European countries in the EU. Today, the eastern part of Poland and Slovakia are least developed parts of the EU, so Ukraine's integration and economic growth will be a strong incentive and an economic factor for the development of their economic growth. There is no contradiction in this regard that the reforms and integration into the European Union will be beneficial not only for Ukrainians but also Poles, Slovaks and others.
Who invited you to lead the newly created group for supporting reforms?
Miklos: Initially, I received an invitation from designated at the time Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman to be member of the Government. We negotiated, but it did not happen, mainly because of the citizenship problem for me. Had I taken this position, I would have lost my Slovakian citizenship, which was not acceptable for me. After this, Groysman offered me to be his chief economic advisor. At the same time, there was Leszek Balcerowicz who was and is now an advisor to President Petro Poroshenko. We agreed we would create this strategic advisory group for supporting Ukrainian reforms, and we are co-chairmen of this group.
Pavlo, tell me, have you been offered a job at any of the ministries?
Kukhta: There were some offers -- Mr Miklos offered me a position of first deputy finance minister, in the case of his appointment.
Ivan, who decided to include in a group both foreign and Ukrainian experts?
Miklos: That was our common idea, and I think it is a good composition. We have people from Poland and Slovakia who have practical experience in reforms, and Ukraine has a lot of good educated skilled young people like Pavlo. I think this is a natural composition.
Who finances the activities of your group?
Miklos: It is still not covered definitely, but we have promises from the European Union, from EBRD that they will cover the funding, but procedures, of course, they take some time. We are now drafting terms of reference, budget and so on.
That is, during the forming of the budget, the tasks will be put forward before the experts, won't they?
Miklos: Of course. But it is important that not a hryvnia will be paid from the Ukrainian budget for the operation of our group.
And for what term has the group been created?
Miklos: Preliminary for one year, but the work will be divided into two, three, or four shorter periods.
Many technocrats who came to government after Euro Maidan also said they came for a year. But is it possible to carry out real reforms in such a period of time?
Miklos: Not all of the reforms can. Reform is a neverending process. If we talk about the reforms that Ukraine lacked over the past decades, they cannot be implemented in one year. As I said, the group is created for one year. If it works well and if there is demand from the Ukrainian government, the president and parliament, then, of course, it can work longer. If you prepare such kind of project then you have to set a deadline, also for budgeting.
Both of you have collaborated with the government of Yatsenyuk. Pavlo – as an expert from non-governmental organizations, Ivan - as a ministerial adviser. Now you cooperate even more closely with the Government led by Groysman. Do you see the difference between these two Cabinets?
Miklos: I do not see much difference. In Yatsenyuk government, I can say that Natalie Jaresko and Aivaras Abromavicius were very strong pro-reform ministers. But even if technocrats are appointed at ministerial positions, they are also in a political position. From this point of view, I do not know any successful transition country where the reforms were implemented by a technocratic government. In the Baltic states, Poland, Slovakia, Georgia – in all these countries it was politicians who made reforms happen. Reforms now are much more a political than a technical problem. Technically, we know what to do, but politically it is difficult because reforms are often connected with unpopular measures. It is important to explain to the people why there is a need to fight against populists who in turn try to fight against you and to misuse the hardships, the costs connected with the reforms. From this point of view, the technocrats in government have to also be politicians. They need to communicate and fight for reform, negotiate with the parliament, persuading MPs to vote for the necessary laws. This means to do politics.
I appreciate highly the work of Yatsenyuk's government. Over the past two years, it has done much more work than it was done 20 plus years before. On the other hand, it was possible and it was necessary to do more. Now we face a lot of challenges, so we will see what Groysman's government will achieve. Until the first steps are very positive. The energy price deregulation in one step instead of the originally planned two steps is really a big step forward. Also, there are positive prospects from the point of view of the fight against corruption, from the point of view of creating a normal business environment.
Pavlo, do you see the difference between the two Cabinets?
Kukhta: It is really too early to judge. My overall impression: the problem with lagging reforms, corruption and lack of political will are in fact tied with the fact that the governance process is too complicated and ill-organized. The current bureaucratic machine is simply not able to implement the required decisions at within deadlines. In this sense, I look forward to Prime Minister Groysman because, in my opinion, he has skills to organize the work of the whole machine. But we can only make assessments when the work is done.
And why has Arseniy Yatsenyuk failed to upgrade the governance system?
Kukhta: This machine was truly falling apart when he came to the government in 2014. Before the Revolution of Dignity, the state bodies were in terrible condition and simply incompetent. Officials in the ministries could not just come into the office of deputies. Yanukovych's clan imposed the "right" people on these positions. They were doing their own thing, while at the same time they did not interact with their own staff, who were forced to live their own life. It looked like order, since the system was closed and no one was permitted to get inside but, in fact, there was total chaos and lack of control.
That is, when Yatsenyuk came in, the state machine was out of control. Now the system does not look like a corpse, something is already working. Now we need to adjust it. The problem is largely not in the personalities, not in individual people, and not even in corruption or someone's will to slow down the process. We see these things, of course, but the main problem is that the State does not work as a single mechanism.
There are two maxims. The first one is that it's easier for Groysman's government to carry out reforms because a lot has already been done by Yatsenyuk. And the second one is that for the government led by Groysman it will be more difficult to implement reform because Yatsenyuk did not affect the interests of large groups of influence, while further changes will affect them, which will cause stiff resistance. Which of these views are closer to your opinion?
Miklos: I think both of these are right from my angle. In some areas, such as macroeconomic stabilization, much has been done. The rate was stabilized, external debt restructuring was completed, which was a very complicated issue, then the reduction of the fiscal deficit was partially done... On the other hand, in structural reforms, such as judiciary reform, fighting against corruption, deregulation, something was done and something – not. In judiciary reform and privatization almost nothing has been done. It means we have to restart as soon as possible and to focus our energy. In deregulation – something has been done, but many steps are still ahead. With regard to public procurement, a lot has been done including launching the Prozorro e-procurement system.
The main problem, in my opinion, is how the parliamentary coalition is functioning. There is a problem with the rate of approval and unity within the coalition and in cooperation between Parliament and the Government. This problem also existed at the time of Yatsenyuk's government. I do not want to blame the Parliament, because this is a very complex phenomenon, but the result is really bad. It is also connected with the political system, with the formal and informal rules in coalition, and with the procedural issues in Parliament. Usually, the countries that were successful in carrying out reforms, parliaments supported almost 100% of the government proposals. Last year, the Ukrainian parliament endorsed only 37-39% of government bills. And this is a real problem because most of the reforms need to be implemented through changes in legislation.
And how can the performance of Parliament be improved?
Miklos: This is a very complex phenomenon. Something can be solved by a better management of Parliament by the Speaker. Some very simple rules can improve the situation. For example, there is a very low presence of coalition MPs at the voting. People are missing, there are not there to vote. In Slovakia, for over 20 years we've had the rule that the voting is held on each session day of the parliament at 11:00 and 17:00. The rest of the time there is a discussion, but everyone must come and vote at the designated time.
Another problem is the internal rules of the coalition. For instance, it is necessary to have rules in the coalition agreement, diminishing the risk of discontent. It there is a potential risk that a government proposal will not have sufficient support, then, for example, in Slovakia, there is a procedure when one of the coalition parties announces ahead that it has problems with a certain government-proposed bill, and then a meeting is held, which is called a Coalition Board. There the MPs try to find a solution.
Another rule is that the coalition MPs to do not put forward legislative proposals [regarding changes in key areas of the economy] because they have a Government for this. That is, the coalition MPs may introduce a bill only if they have an approval of the ministry which is responsible for the specified area. This rule may look as non-democratic, but it's not. This is normal. This is an informal rule that has been created by functioning of the parliament.
We also have a rule that any bills introduced by the MPs must pass an assessment from the Ministry of Finance for the fiscal consequences of this law. If the Ministry determines whether the law will increase budget deficit, then there is a consensus in the coalition that the coalition parties do not support the bill.
These formal and informal rules of the game increase the efficiency of the government and the approval rate of its proposals in parliament. When we first started implementing reforms in Slovakia, it was a really difficult and hectic period. But then our approval rate became almost 100% despite some coalition parties not always being happy with government proposals. The thing is we tried to solve the issues in advance.
Very often we hear ahead of the vote in parliament that the International Monetary Fund requires adoption of certain bills. Many MPs say that the Fund requires raising the tariffs, increasing the retirement age and other steps that are not designed for the benefit of the Ukrainians, instead pushing them to hardship. What is it that the IMF actually requires?
Miklos: It's not true that the IMF is pushing the Ukrainians toward hardship. The people here in Ukraine see hardship not because energy tariffs are deregulated but because they were regulated for 20 years. This is a reason of low economic development, very low energy efficiency that is the reason why you have such a huge corruption. Energy tariffs regulation was the main source of corruption. There were two levels of gas prices – a very low regulated level for the households and the market level which was the source of fortune for the majority of your oligarchs. The oligarchs misuse their power against deregulation because they wanted to continue stealing. This means that while subsidizing the poor, you are also subsidizing the rich. There is not one reason for subsidizing energy tariffs.
This, of course, was the reason for very poor energy efficiency and a very strong energy dependence on Russia. Old energy tariffs are a textbook of anti-Ukrainian policy. Ukraine is in Europe's top four countries with the richest gas reserves. At the same time, in 2013-2014, you imported 50% of gas from Russia. And the energy efficiency of the Ukrainian economy at the same time was two times lower than that of the Russian economy and ten times lower than the average in OECD countries.
Therefore, the statement that the IMF is pushing the Ukrainians toward hardships, this is not true, this is nonsense. It is what populists are saying. The IMF is pushing you to do something that was necessary to do 25 years ago, and it is more in your interest than in the interest of the IMF. Of course, the IMF wants to return the loan given to Ukraine, but the money will only be returned only if Ukraine is successful.
I don't get tired of repeating that the necessary preconditions for success are leadership, ownership of reforms and communication. Leadership means the leaders keep implementing reforms despite political difficulty and the risk. Ownership means that the Ukrainian leaders implement reforms not because the IMF is pushing, or the EU, or the financial markets are pushing, but because these reforms are necessary, important and inevitable for the Ukrainians.
A good example of the lack of ownership is Greece. The Greek authorities carried out reforms only because of the pressure from the Eurozone, the IMF, that is why the people didn't want these reforms, they did not understand them.
Ownership means you are doing more than the IMF is pushing you to do. In Slovakia, when we did reforms in 2002-2003, we've implemented much more reforms than the IMF asked us. Sometimes Fund told us: "Don't do it, it's too risky!" But we did it, and it worked.
Many MPs argue that the IMF needs to raise the retirement age for Ukrainians. Deputy Prime Minister Pavlo Rozenko in an interview with UNIAN said that tough negotiations are underway with the Fund to try to change this. What will happen with the pension reform?
Miklos: From a technical point of view, the IMF is correct in terms of raising the retirement age. If Ukraine does not raise the retirement age, the system will collapse. You do not have to do it right now, but in the medium and long term perspective, this step is necessary. This is not only a technical problem but also a political problem. It is normal when politicians say they will not do it now, because at the moment they are doing a lot of other difficult things. As far as I know, the Government proposes that other steps in the same direction, instead of raising the retirement age. For example, to abolish early retirement for certain professions. This is the normal process of negotiations. You can achieve the result of the sustainability of the pension system by different methods.
Kukhta: It's all because of the populists. After all, they operate at the level of some myths. They come out and say that the IMF demands to raise the retirement age. They are trying to raise their rating, stating that they would never allow for such thing to happen, had they been in power.
In fact, the Fund does not require this particular step. We can narrow down the list of jobs eligible for early retirement. For example, we have the prosecutors who have the right to retire at 40. Is this a right thing? I think if you ask ordinary people, they would agree that being a prosecutor is a usual office work, so they should retire just as everyone else. Would it be really an unpopular reform? Given the attitude of the people to the prosecutors, it would rather be a pretty popular reform instead. The same can be said of the special pensions, and so on. First we need to remove from the pension system a bunch of privileges, which provide for the actual average retirement age in Ukraine being much lower than 60 years. But populists say nothing about it, just talking about raising the retirement age for the regular people. They simply frighten people.
In fact, we haven't implemented any unpopular reforms. Yes, we did raise utility tariffs, but we also provided subsidies. Today, anyone can get it, even those who have quite a decent income. This reform is unpopular only for the owners of palaces in uptown Kyiv district of Koncha Zaspa and such. They definitely can't receive subsidies.
The main part of the IMF package of requirements regards combating corruption, improving the monitoring of budget expenditures – for example, the introduction of a Prozorro e-procurement system. There are no unpopular reforms. There are reforms that would be pretty popular in our country even without the IMF.
One of the important directions in promotion of reforms in Ukraine is macroeconomic stabilization. What is it about?
Miklos: Macroeconomic stabilization means the continuity of the decrease in fiscal deficit, stabilization of the banking sector, liberalization of the foreign currency market, which is still administratively regulated. Also, it's about stabilization of inflation which means reduction of inflation and stabilization of the hryvnia rate.
The problem is that although much has been achieved, the situation remains very fragile. If the reform stops, the stability can be destroyed. If macroeconomic stabilization is strengthened and structural reforms are done as well as the institutional reforms, then the economic growth will come. Today Ukraine's GDP growth is moderate: 1-1.5% per year, but what we need and what is possible to achieve is 6-7%.
Kukhta: I want to clarify that the stabilization of the banking system, liberalization of the currency market and stabilization of the hryvnia exchange rate are in the range of responsibilities of the National Bank, which is independent of the Government. And thank God it is, for when it depends on the Government, it simply prints the money for its needs. Ukraine has already "been there done that..."
Of course, the Government is now working with the National Bank, for example, on gradually removing restrictions on capital withdrawal. Foreign investors won't come if they can't withdraw profits from the country.
But fiscal policy is completely run by the Government, and the main task here is very clear: for the first time in 25 years, the country must live within its means. Everyone wants big salaries, pensions, everyone wants to build something, and steal much more. Most of all, people want to steal. Therefore, public spending is too swollen. At the same time, our budget revenues are limited. Moreover, we want to further limit them by reducing taxes, which are too high at the moment. We have been literally squeezing money out of businesses and citizens, and throwing them into the general budget, of which everyone wants to grab a piece.
Instead, we should live like a normal country where people know how much income they can get and how much more they are willing to borrow on top, creating a bit of a deficit. And this is the exact amount they will spend, not a penny more. Meanwhile, we are planning huge spending, and then we get to think how we are going to finance them: we either print money, or squeeze it out of businesses, or run to our creditors.
We need to ensure that everyone starting from the ministries and finishing with schools live according to the funds that have been allocated from budget. Now it looks like this: the money was given, it was all spent within six months, then they run to higher offices, arrange rallies and demand more money. And, unfortunately, they often they manage to grab more money.
If we want to ensure macroeconomic stability, so that the hryvnia rate didn't fall dramatically and so that we had no huge inflation, all ministries, schools, hospitals and other institutions must live within their means. If you spend the allocated money within six months, then there will be no salaries paid for the rest of the year. This means, someone is to blame and someone should go to prison for making such a mistake.
Miklos: We call it hard budget constraints. As in the family: each family only has the money it actually earns.
What are the necessary steps to reduce budget expenditures in Ukraine?
Miklos: For example, there is a social system. Overall expenditure on the social system in Ukraine is relatively high as a share of GDP or a share of public expenditures. At the same time, there is huge corruption in this area, a lot of corruption, public money is used inefficiently. Also, there is a situation when people who are not poor receive subsidies. It is necessary to introduce means testing and determine who really is poor and who really dependent on help from the government. Then it will be possible to give much more money to those who are really dependent. You also have plenty of "dead souls," people who don't exist in reality who are used in corrupt schemes on withdrawal of budget funds. The reform of the social assistance system will make it fairer, more effective, and it will save money.
Such changes are possible in every area. For example, take health care. In Ukraine, there are much more beds in hospitals per capita than in rich countries. This means that you pay money not for the medical treatment for the people, not for the medicine, but for heating and managing the utilities which are not necessary.
For example, one-day surgery. Just like in Slovakia, there is a one-day surgery, and then the patient goes home. You don't do it much here. People stay in hospital for five days. This costs a lot of money, but this is not necessary. You can save a lot of money if you create an effective first aid, ambulance system.
What I am speaking about now, it's not from textbooks – we did it in Slovakia, we did it in Baltic countries, in Poland and other countries. We had the same problems that you have now.
We have a problem with both privatization and management of state-owned enterprises, half of which are not functioning. What do you propose to do in this area?
Miklos: Privatization is one of the least reformed areas and a very important one. It is a very sensitive issue. It has created a very bad image. The government must have the courage and will to actually do it. Secondly, it has to be done transparently and openly, to really diminish the risks of corruption. You also need to communicate, to explain to the people that state-owned enterprises are one of the biggest sources of corruption.
We also have to make some legislative changes to reduce the number of enterprises that are not allowed to be privatized. Big companies need to be privatized by standard international tenders. This means that from the beginning, you hire advisers, and they are managing the process, they are fighting on government's side. They are doing everything possible to achieve the highest possible price and to attract the best possible investor. Without hiring the advisers, there's a risk that privatization won't be transparent enough and competitive enough. That's because public servants usually lack experience. Potential bidders are usually big multinational companies that are hiring the best experts. If on one side there are the world's best experts and on the other side there is a poorly paid public servant who has no experience in selling assets, then what kind of result can you expect from such negotiations?
It is important to start the sale of state-owned enterprises as soon as possible, because the tenders usually take one and a half years, sometimes two years. If you want a transparent process, you also gave to hire advisers by tenders, which can take four or five months. So if you want to get real result in two years from now, you have to start immediately. Unfortunately, we have already lost two years. Had it started two years ago, now we would have strong investors coming in Ukraine to take these companies, to pay a lot of money and to start managing these companies, to bring investment, restructure these companies, bring in new markets.
We did it in Slovakia. We privatized almost all utility companies. We privatized the railways after restructuring, gas industry, electricity production and distribution. We privatized almost everything in open international tenders. It was one of the strongest incentives for attracting strategic investors, for receiving a lot of money and for restructuring the economy.
The same problem is with the land market. If Ukraine opens the land market, this will be a huge incentive, at least for private owners of land. They will be able to gain a loan from the bank. Now the bank can't give a loan if it can't have the land as a guarantee. This will be a huge incentive and stimulus for developing small and medium farming business. You have such a good land and so many hard-working people who are able to work on this land that it can be an unbelievable incentive to liberalize the land market.
The best way of fighting against corruption and of using the unused potential of Ukraine is liberalization, deregulation and privatization. And what are the populists doing? They are opposed to this. And who is profiting from this? Those corrupt oligarchs and politicians who are taking money from state-owned companies and big agricultural entrepreneurs, using the situation that these people cannot do business on their land, they can't sell their land or put it as a guarantee for a loan. The only way for them is to give it almost free of charge to big agricultural companies.
One of the arguments of opponents of privatization and the launch of the land market is that now it will be bought for next to nothing...
Miklos: Then you're in a vicious circle. If you don't do this, there will be no reforms. And if there are no reforms then there will be no progress to make the prices higher so that Ukraine was more attractive to investors. A similar situation was in East Germany when Communism collapsed. Prices of enterprises were too low and the authorities have decided not to sell, but they hired the best managers from West Germany. They tried to develop these companies, to recover and to improve them, and then to privatize them. But the results were not just bad, it was a total failure. It is an illusion and a myth of populists that state management could be better than private. It is good only for oligarchs and crony politicians who profit from the state-owned companies.
If we are speaking about private owners, in my opinion, it is anti-constitutional when the state doesn't allow them to use their property. If this is my property, then who cares at which price I will sell it? It's not their business. For example, if I am selling a car, the government can't just tell me that I can't do it or that the price is too low.
Another argument that the populists use is that there will be foreigners who will come and buy everything because prices are too low. But what will the foreigners do with this land? Will they take it to Austria or Norway? No, they will invest, because if they buy this land, they do it for profit. How can they have profit? By doing business on it. But doing business means investing, employing people, and so on. Most countries have passed through the free sale of agricultural land, and there were no negative consequences.
And what can be done with the tax reform? Everyone remembers the discontent between Finance Minister Jaresko and the Rada late last year with respect to the vision of the tax system. There were two alternative bill: a liberal parliamentary bill, implying a significant reduction in interest rates, and the government-proposed bil which was less drastic but which was supported by the IMF.
Miklos: The Government project was called fiscal. I have to be very clear. The alternative which was called liberal was not liberal at all. It was irresponsible and stupid. If passed, it would mean a disaster for public finances and a huge fiscal gap. This would mean that all the macroeconomic progress would have been destroyed. There would be a difficult situation in currency rate stabilization, this would mean the end of the program with the IMF. Pushing the unrealistically low rates is not liberalism, it is populism.
Also, there were disagreements regarding simplified taxation. This is necessary to say very openly: if the simplified system is not changed significantly, then you can forget about the normal tax system in Ukraine. This is a huge deformation, a huge loophole, which is offering a legal tax evasion for a significant part of the economy. Those who use it, pay much less taxes than those who pay normal taxes. Then who will pay normal taxes? Businessmen artificially divide their companies to be within the limit so as not to exceed the limits, and then the State has no money. The normal rate is too high. It will be possible to have this normal rate lowered, but only if the simplified taxation is really for small entrepreneurs like "babushkas" on street markets. If the Ukrainian business really wants to have a standard non-distorted level playing field, then it is necessary to accept canceling the simplified system in today's format.
What do you think about the recent initiatives on de-offshorization?
Miklos: I think there will be changes on a global level, to reduce space for using or misusing the offshore companies, including for illegal activities. On the other hand, demand for offshore services will be decreased significantly if the reforms go on. Why in Ukraine or Russia and other countries the demand for offshore services is higher than in Western countries? Because illegal income is much higher because of the level of corruption… the judiciary system is not working. When there is a lot of illegal money from corruption, people try to find solutions how to deal with this, and then they are using offshore services.
Is it possible to achieve de-shadowing Ukrainian economy by simplifying administration taxes and reducing tax rates?
Miklos: Of course, it is necessary to simplify the tax system, but the rates ... In 2014, public expenditures accounted for 54% of GDP, one of the highest rates in the world. If you have such costs and you reduce tax rates, it will increase the budget deficit, the currency rate will explode, foreign reserves will disappear and there will be a default. This means the tax rates can be reduced only along with the public expenditures.
In Slovakia, we have reduced rates because we carried out serious reforms in a lot of areas – macroeconomic measures and structural reforms. We were named the most reformed country in 2003, and then we reduced rates. If you create conditions for high economic growth, then you can reduce rates and you will still have more money. This is the art of the reforms - if your economy is growing, then you can reduce weight of the public sector not by reducing expenditures but by actually increasing them.
If you do reforms, if you change the functioning of the system of governance, then more money will bring better results for the people. If you give more money to the poorly functioning system, money will be lost. It will be stolen, it will be misused, and people will feel no effect.
If it is important that government spending not overtake economic growth, then how can you explain the government's decision to raise social standards from December 1, 2016, not by 6%, as planned, but by10%?
Miklos: This was connected with the energy tariffs deregulation, which was done twice as fast as it was predicted. This allowed the government to save money, and part of the saved funds are used for the increase of subsidies for the poor.
Improving social standards was a good example of how the Cabinet and the Verkhovna Rada may work together to carry out the necessary changes. How can we establish such work in the future?
Miklos: Cabinet should work more closely with Parliament. But there must be rules to improve the rate of parliamentary approval of government-proposed bills. Previous results were very bad. Now it's also not very good. The problem is not only on the part of Parliament but also on the part of the Cabinet as well. There is not sufficient communication from the government, the biggest problem is on the part of the Rada. Now the situation could improve as the new prime minister knows the Verkhovna Rada from the other side, he understands how it works. But I fear that the main problem of promoting reform will be linked to the Parliament.
Dmytro Sydorenko (UNIAN)


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Hi everyone,
It is time for Block 3 in the I love Home BOM! I am enjoying this quilt so much, how about you? You just can't go wrong with house blocks in my opinion 🙂
Are you ready to Continue reading
Hi everyone,
It is time for Block 3 in the I love Home BOM! I am enjoying this quilt so much, how about you? You just can't go wrong with house blocks in my opinion 🙂
Are you ready to Continue reading
Hi everyone,
It is time to reveal block number 2 in the I Love Home Block of the Month by Jacquelynne Steves! It has been SO Continue reading
Hi everyone! Welcome to my blog and to the very first block of the I LOVE HOME quilt along! I am so excited to be a participating blogger again this year! Last year I was honored to participate in Jacquelynne's Maggie's First Dance QAL. I had a lot of fun making my version from my stash because I was on a "fabric diet". It was a bit tricky, but I was very happy with how that quilt turned out:
This year I am NOT on a fabric diet ( YIPPEEE!), but I did decide to use my own fabric choices ( I am a bit of a rebel that way~always have to change something to make a project "my own").
I found this great blue-ish fabric and loved it at first sight so decided to make it the "glue" that holds the blocks together, color-wise. It has all these great colors in it and I figure it gives me lots of opportunity to pull other colors in. I am newly fond of orange…I know it's a color that is not universally loved. I felt the same way until I did a search on "orange quilts" ( you can read more about that in this blog post) and now I am a complete convert! So anyway, there will definitely be orange in my quilt blocks and I'm hoping I can convince a few of you that you love it too. 🙂
Now for Block number 1: I loved making this block so much! First of all, I am a homebody so HOME is definitely a super important theme for me, but the little house is just so cute!! I played around with the color choices a bit…and then came across this fabric with this darling little girl holding her baby. I knew I just had to incorporate that fabric somehow… I finally decided that the little girl could be the inhabitant of my sweet little house so she got to stand in the doorway!Awww, isn't she so sweet?! As you can see I decided to use a zig-zag stitch to stitch down my shapes. I have quite a selection of colored thread now and I find it really reduces boredom with stitching around applique shapes when I get to change and decide what color thread I will use next.
Constructing the rest of the block was a piece of cake:
Some half-square triangle blocks and some simple straight piecing and voilà, block number 1 is finished:
Sooooo cute! ( And can I share a little secret? As soon as I was done with block 1, I got started on the appliqué for block 2 because I was having so much fun!!)
I am sure you all want to get started on your blocks right away too, but before you go there is a give-away you will want to enter!! Aurifil is one of the sponsors for this BOM and they have generously agreed to give away this awesome prize!One lucky winner will win 1 box of Aurifil thread! And this giveaway is open to EVERYONE, everywhere!! So here are the rules:
Also make sure to visit all the other bloggers to see their versions of Block 1 AND to have more chances to WIN!
Until next time~happy creating!
Hello there,
This is the final time that I will see many of you here, as Maggie's First Dance is almost finished. I hope you all had so much fun and enjoyed the process! It sure has been Continue reading
Hello there,
Things are slowly falling back into a regular routine, with the kids back in school. Summer went by way too fast, if you ask me, but I am Continue reading
Where, oh where has half the summer gone? I can't believe it is August already…but it does mean it is time for block number 3 in Maggie's First Dance, the FREE sew-along by Jacquelynne Steves! ( If you would like to join in, it is never too late…just go here and sign up! )
I have to admit that August kind of snuck up on me and Continue reading
Hello there and happy Monday!
It is time once again for Maggie's First Dance, the free sew-along from Jacquelynne Steves. This month we are working on block number 2! Have you got your directions all printed out and are you ready to go? Okay then 🙂
As many of you already know, I opted to make my version of Maggie's quilt using wool applique. Why? Because I love working with wool and it allows me to stitch by hand while I keep my family company at night, instead of being secluded in my quilt room. Luckily I had just the right choices of wool to make the appliques so there was no cheating on the fabric diet!
Here are some pictures of the block in progress….
and more….
And here it is all finished!You may notice that I reversed the flying geese blocks next to the hourglass blocks. I did that on purpose to make my block look more "star-like". I also incorporated a few other colors this time because I wanted to give my quilt a cohesive, but more scrappy look. (Also, I am less likely to run out of fabric if I incorporate a bit more choices…fabric diets can be challenging 🙂 !)
Here are block number 2 and 1:I like them! They go together, but they don't match and I like that look!
Have fun with your block and please make sure to share pictures! It has been so much fun seeing all the variety of colors and fabrics. Remember that you can share your block ( and admire other people's blocks!) here, here, or here.
And now for the prize give-away this month….this prize package is sponsored by Thermoweb: *Sorry, this contest is now CLOSED*
Woohoo, what a nice prize give-away! I was the lucky recipient of a can of basting spray and am planning on using it when putting this quilt together. I have never used basting spray before, but have read good reviews about it. I use Heat n Bond adhesive all the time and actually buy it 2 rolls at a time, just to make sure I don't run out! Now for the details of this give-away:
I will announce the winner right here on my blog sometime after July 16th, but will contact the winner by email also.
Now for the other prize give-away…this one is OPEN to EVERYONE! Michele over at Quilting Gallery is giving away 4 copies of this pattern:To enter just go to Michele's website http://quiltinggallery.com/blog-posts/ and follow the directions there.
Make sure to visit all the other bloggers as well for more chances to win AND to see their versions of Block number 2:
Good luck everyone and have fun!
On July 1st it will be 6 months since I started my fabric diet ( and my blog!) And other than one teeny, tiny Continue reading
Hey everyone,
You have probably been waiting to hear who the June winner of the Aurifil prize box is….the winner is. Continue reading
I visited a quilt store over the weekend. It was a planned visit….very dangerous, I know, for someone who is on a self-imposed FABRIC DIET. But I simply HAD to go and be with quilters…and samples….and books…and thread….and fabric. Do you get that urge? I know it was a Continue reading