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Fatal Fashion
October 29, 2018
ASOS, Forever 21, H&M, Topshop, Uniqlo. Chances are, you have something in your closet from one of these stores or have at least seen their sprawling inventory in the mall. All of these stores are known as "fast fashion" retailers.
First off, what is fast fashion? Fast fashion, which became popular in the 1990s-2000s, is simply when retailers sample (or in some cases, copy) ideas and trends from the most recent runway shows and make them cheap and accessible to the general public in little to no time. These retailers typically have similar clothing to high end stores for very cheap like these Forever 21 leggings ($17.90) compared to a specialty store like Athleta ($98)
You might be saying to yourself "Wow, this sounds great! I can have high end looking clothes for cheap" and yeah, that's what I thought too. Most people who aren't walking down the red carpet every few months don't have the funds to splurge on the latest clothes from Gucci or Prada every time the seasons change.
Fast fashion, however, does come at a cost. No, it's not a cost you're going to see on your latest bank statement. It is an environmental and humane cost. Fast fashion is a blight on the fashion world because of the many problems that come with it.
The first concern I want to discuss is the environment. Everyone reading this has thrown out clothing in their life, for whatever reason they have. Did you know that in the United States, the average American throws out about 81 pounds of clothing every year? That's the average weight of an 11 year old girl. In the UK, 235 million clothing items were thought to have been sent to the dump in 2017. How often do you hear about conservation efforts to keep clothing out of landfills? That's right, rarely. People don't think that because that random t-shirt has a hole or that pair of jeans is too small that it can be recycled. I recently had to throw out a pair of Forever 21 leggings, guess why. They were so worn through that you could almost see through them. This pair of leggings was bought maybe a year ago. Clothing made by fast fashion retailers is made of low cost, but low quality materials that hurt the environment.
A popular material that fast fashion retailers use is polyester. Polyester is great for something that needs to be waterproof, for something like a tent. But guess what most of polyester is made from? Ethylene, which comes from petroleum, which adds to global warming. Polyester is also non-biodegradable, meaning those polyester leggings that I had to throw out are going to be sitting in a dump for anywhere from 20 to 200 years. To add on, the dyes used in polyester to keep its waterproof and stain-proof attributes are not environmentally friendly. Any dye in the water waste of factories is moved to the oceans, where it can harm the wildlife there. Furthermore, the dye itself is toxic for humans. According to GoodOnYou.com, "worldwide totals indicated that dye workers contract cancer and lung diseases more than the average population"
Besides environmental issues, there are humane issues involved in fast fashion. Fast fashion retailers, wanting to keep costs low, usually look to overseas for manufacturing. Like many items, you can see tags in clothing that say "Made In China" or "Made In Bangladesh". The problem with this? The people, mostly women, who work in overseas sweatshops work long and arduous hours for little pay, all while facing major safety dangers.
One garment worker, named Afria, started working in a Bangladeshi factory when she was 10. By 2008, when she was 20, she was working for 13-14 hours a day for as little as 2200 taka ($26.24 USD) a month. That is about 3 taka an hour, equal to $0.036 USD. At the time, her family of five was spending about 5000 taka a month ($59.65 USD) on basic needs. This was more than anyone in that family made combined.
Normally, the biggest concern about the sweatshops is the lack of safety. Common major complaints and concerns include locked or nonexistent fire escapes, faulty wiring, and cracks in the plaster of the walls. All of these concerns can build up and then come crashing down, literally. The world saw this in 2013, when Rana Plaza, a sweatshop in Bangladesh, collapsed. Reports say 2,500 people were injured and 1,134 people were killed in the 90 seconds it took for the eight story factory to become rubble. Most of the survivors of this disaster gained life changing, permanent injuries.
Mahmudul Hassan Hridoy walks with a crutch now thanks to being pinned under a concrete pillar. Shiuli Begum's spinal cord was crushed, and she now lives her life confined to a wooden plank bed. Shila Begum has to wear a medical corset, because her kidneys were crushed as well as her right hand. None of these people can make money and support their families due to the inhumane conditions of Rana Plaza. All of this happened because the fast fashion manufacturers wanted cheaply produced clothes for their masses of customers.
Next time you see a sale at Forever 21, or go on a shopping spree at ASOS, think of how that clothing got there and the effects it will bring. Personally, I'd rather spend more money on clothes that were ethically produced, knowing that I am not contributing to the greed of the fast fashion conglomerates.
Interested in more? Check out The True Cost, a documentary about fast fashion or this Adam Ruins Everything video about fast fashion.


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Hilltop Rooms & Suites
Made up of 3 whitewashed buildings and only a few minutes away from the Belvedere Hotel, this newly residential accommodation option is ideal for travelers seeking proximity to Mykonos heartbeat yet looking for privacy and impeccable hotel service. Every single one of Hilltop luxury rooms and suites comes with breathtaking views of Mykonos Town and the Aegean Sea.
Between Two Worlds
Located a mere 250m away from the main Belvedere Hotel complex, guests can enjoy the best of both worlds: Hilltop Rooms & Suites' overwhelming views & residential aura yet the Belvedere buzzing gourmet & social scene. Guests can also partake in the wellness delights of the Belvedere Fitness Studio and the renowned Six Senses Spa, while breakfast can either be enjoyed in the serenity of their private balcony, terrace or garden or at the Belvedere pool area. Relax and enjoy the ride with a complimentary shuttle service that runs between both properties.
Book Online
Choose your perfect Hilltop Room or Suite
The combination of picturesque Mykonos Town, Aegean Sea and island sunset views create a strong context that ties the Hilltop complex with the Belvedere Hotel. All rooms & suites are unique environments, each with its own characteristic atmosphere: choose the ideal for you!Hilltop Sea View RoomRoom size: 30m2Guests: Hilltop Superior Sea View Room Private JacuzziRoom size: 30m2Guests: Hilltop Infinity Sea View Room Private PoolRoom size: 34m2Guests: Hilltop Sea View SuiteRoom size: 54m2Guests: Hilltop Superior Sea View Suite Private JacuzziRoom size: 57m2Guests: Hilltop Infinity Sea View Suite Private PoolRoom size: 56m2Guests:
Just a 3 min. walk from the Belvedere Hotel main complex, these properties are ideal for true Mykonos lovers.
Over the Top Amenities
Lavish amenities anticipate your every need, satisfying desires you didn't even know you had.Books & MagazinesBreakfast / Food & Beverage*ConciergeFlowersMini BarSafety Deposit BoxesWiFi Internet AccessAnything you want!SunbedsLuxury Towels* Available at extra cost

subset: commoncrawl


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Brave Pitch
From a compostable alternative to plastic fresh food packaging, to a seasonal staffing solution and a feed ration management app, the upcoming Brave Pitch competition will be an exciting glimpse into the future of the agriculture.
Five Australian innovators have been given the chance to pitch their ag-tech start-up idea in front of potential investors and supporters at Brave New World – Ag to 2030, the Ag Institute Australia (AIA) National Conference.
The contestants have been selected through a competitive process, and now will be presenting at the conference in Sydney on 29th November. The AIA represents advisors, scientists and specialists across Australian agriculture.
The five participants were shortlisted from a strong field of applicants, according to Guy Coleman, AIA Vice Chair and organiser of the Brave Pitch.
"They made it through some tough competition, testament to the incredible ag-tech ecosystem in Australia," Guy said.
"Each of the five shortlisted start-ups will now have the opportunity to pitch their idea to the conference audience and judging panel, with a chance at $1000, access to the Thought For Food (TFF) Global Community, international investors and a free session with a patent attorney.
"The AIA is all about supporting the Australian agricultural industry and we're helping the Australian start-ups reach an international audience."
Christine Gould, Founder and CEO of TFF, who are sponsoring the Brave Pitch, says the incredible potential and innovation power that the next generation is able to unleash, once given the opportunity and properly supported, is something that is not only inspiring, but is needed more than ever.
"In the six years of Thought For Food, we've built this global community of thousands of changemakers from around the world and have launched really amazing impact-driven ventures that are solving food and agriculture challenges in every region," she explains.
"We are thrilled to be working with our TFF leaders and partners throughout the Australian agtech ecosystem, and believe that together with them we can bring about the 'brave' part of the Brave New World concept this conference will explore."
2018 Brave Pitch participants;
Michelle Demers – CARAPAC
CARAPAC is a compostable alternative to plastic, ideal for fresh food packaging. Produced from crustacean waste, it is durable through the supply chain and can even extend the shelf life of food due to inherent antifungal properties. But it gets better – it is completely home compostable, acting as a natural soil amendment when it breaks down. Simply add it to your garden, home composter or green bin when you are finished with it. CARAPAC is the only packaging option which has a beneficial life cycle from start to finish.
Genevieve Griffin-George – PICMI
PICMI is a seasonal staffing solution that simplifies the employment process and seamlessly connects growers to short-term workers when they need them. We have been building a solution to enable growers to remove the admin associated with hiring short-term staff and can already save growers one hour per hire. We are piloting with orchards in NZ and plan to start a pilot in Australia in November. Our vision is BIG. Our platform will help in educating and on-boarding workers before they arrive on site and connect them to growers in nearby regions.
Tim Klapdor – Kelpie App
Kelpie is a Digital Farm Aggregation Platform – think Alexa or Google Home, but for farmers. Kelpie allows farmers to plug-in all the technology on their farm into a single, easy to use app. Allowing them to turn data into decisions and decisions into action – in the one app. Just like a traditional working dog, Kelpie will let farmers round up and access all their digital information and systems in one easy to use application. Kelpie also aggregates services which allows farmers to not just access information, but make key decisions and turn them into actions on their farm across systems, services and products.
Natalie Bell, David O'Brien, Alistair Clare & Alex Grant – NutriStock
NutriStock is a app for android and iPhone developed by four Agricultural Science students that provides farmers with a tool to ensure that the nutritional needs of their livestock are met at the least cost possible. This app is not for drought mitigation, but rather a tool to quickly and easily help a producer weigh up their options to potentially avoid de-stocking by providing them with cost figures in seconds and removing the need to spend hours calculating a budget.
Guy Webb – SoilCQuest
Imagine empowering the world's farmers to take action, leading the charge in drawing down the excess atmospheric carbon that threatens global food security, while improving the world's agricultural soils, making them more fertile and resilient. This is exactly what the SoilCQuest 2031 scientists are working on, and to do the heavy lifting, they are employing the help of some of the tiniest organisms on earth. Endophytes are microbes that live in harmony with plants, and help them achieve some remarkable feats. They can act as natural anti-freeze, they can buffer out extreme temperatures, they can fight disease, or, what they're most commonly known for, they can turn nitrogen in the air into sustainable fertiliser.
Brave Pitch Sponsor


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Lead Game Product Manager
Location: Redwood City, California, United States
Requisition Number: 157465
Position Title: Senior Lead Game PM
External Description:
Lead Game Product Manager
At EA, we're searching for the most talented and creative game developers in the world to help us become the #1 mobile gaming company. Our teams are building on the success of titles such as Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes, FIFA Mobile, Madden Mobile, Real Racing, Plants vs. Zombies, the Sims, and The Simpsons: Tapped Out.
Role Overview
As a Lead Product Manager, you will be responsible for defining and driving the Acquisition, Engagement, and Monetization (AEM) strategies for our mobile titles. We ask that you are passionate about representing the voice and needs of our players, working closely with your team to promote best-practice strategies related to the development and fine-tuning of the game economy.
Lead Product Managers are expected to interface directly with other PMs, Analysts, Developers, and external stakeholders to further the success of our games. This is a data/metrics focused role, driving the effort behind AEM targets for new and/or existing titles.
- Define, design and manage key game features that further the overall strategic vision of the product
- Conduct and communicate in-depth analysis of in-game economy trends using data insights and strong business acumen to impact top line KPIs
- Work closely with the game team and various stakeholders to gather requirements and define the product roadmap
- Get the team to rally behind your ideas and be a change agent among several partners and collaborators
- Design, balance and optimize economy models for virtual economies
- Track performance on a daily, monthly, and quarterly basis
- Communicate KPIs to all partners and adjust designs/plans accordingly
- Establish requirements for Data Analytics, A/B testing, push notifications and other partner tools
- Become an expert on established and new models for monetizing games
- Monitor competitive trends and best practices, third parties tools/partnerships, and internal business intelligence
- Leverage first and third-party tools to define, track, and best serve player segments
- Learn, have fun and build games that millions of people love to play
Required Skills/Personal Requirements
- Strong analytic skills and experience with data-driven product design and decision making
- Success building web or mobile consumer-facing products in the past
- Delivered at least one product through the entire product development cycle
- Experience with multivariate testing in web or mobile products
- Experience defining specs or PRDs with clear technical requirements, user flows, and wireframes
- Strong in Excel, able to create models and simulators for in-game economies
- Experience creating and balancing virtual economies, with an eye to technical and user experience best practices
- Experience communicating both creative and technical feedback to diverse groups
- Passion for creating great freemium games, with the ability to identify flaws in design, art, and "feel"
- Understand mobile games like Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes
- Economies, character ability kits, features, squad synergies, the meta, etc.
- Core loop and the downstream impact of new content and features
- Community channels and how this segment of active players discusses the game
- Self-motivated team player that brings excitement and enthusiasm to work each day
- Open to feedback and thinks outside of the box
- Love games
Minimum Qualifications
- BS/BA degree, ideally in a quantitative discipline; MS/MBA preferred
- 4+ years of experience in product management in consumer web, system design background and/or experience in a top-ranked management consulting firm
Community / Marketing Title: Lead Game Product Manager
Company Profile:
Electronic Arts Inc. is a leading global interactive entertainment software company. EA delivers games, content and online services for Internet-connected consoles, personal computers, mobile phones and tablets.
EEOText: EA is an equal opportunity employer. All employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, genetic information, religion, disability, medical condition, pregnancy, marital status, family status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We will also consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal records in accordance with applicable law. EA also makes workplace accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities as required by applicable law.
Date Opened: 2019-09-11 23:36:43.75
EEO Employer Verbiage:
EA is an equal opportunity employer. All employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, genetic information, religion, disability, medical condition, pregnancy, marital status, family status or veteran status. We will also consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal records in accordance with applicable law.


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Student Rental Guarantor & Parent Advice
Because Hive Estates believes in simplicity, we try to keep the whole rental process as smooth as possible. That's why we'll ask for a rental guarantor, to help prevent any problems arising from missed payments.
Who can be a guarantor?
To be a guarantor, you'll have to have a monthly net income that's three times the monthly rent of the property. Those with poor credit record or temporary employment unfortunately aren't eligible. The guarantor is usually joint and severally liable for the whole property's rent.
Do I have to have a guarantor?
Because students usually have a limited credit profile and low monthly income, we'll ask for a guarantor. However, if they are not able to provide an eligible guarantor, we may ask them to pay their rent in advance instead.
For more advice on what the guarantor agreement involves, get in touch with the Hive team today.


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"Judaism has never been solely a religion to me. It's a people, a culture, and a religion, kind of like a state of being. It helps me locate myself in the world."
Circle Book Group: "You Say to Brick: The Life of Louis Kahn" by Wendy Lesser
You Say to Brick: The Life of Louis Kahn by Wendy Lesser
The first biography of the iconic American architect that delves fully into his life and work
Born to a Jewish family in Estonia in 1901 and brought to America in 1906, the architect Louis Kahn grew up in poverty in Philadelphia; by the time of his death in 1974, he was widely recognized as one of the greatest architects of his era. Yet this enormous reputation was based on only a handful of masterpieces, all built during the last fifteen years of his life.
Perfectly complementing Nathaniel Kahn's award-winning documentary, My Architect, Wendy Lesser's You Say to Brick is a major exploration of the architect's life and work. Kahn, perhaps more than any other twentieth-century American architect, was a "public" architect. Eschewing the usual corporate skyscrapers, hotels, and condominiums, he focused on medical and educational research facilities, government centers, museums, libraries, parks, religious buildings, and other structures that would serve the public good. Yet this warm, captivating person, beloved by students and admired by colleagues, was also a secretive and mysterious character hiding behind a series of masks.


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Improve your preventive maintenance and avoid unnecessary stops
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Less stops and less frequent filter changes


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Venue for All Occasions
Our venue can cater for up to 500 people across our indoor and outdoor facilities. We don't do online bookings, meaning that every time you make a booking with us you have a relationship with one of our team and can be confident that we will flex our offer to suit your needs
Meetings & Seminars
We can provide meeting rooms for small groups ...or large. Cost effective meeting spaces with wi-fi throughout the building, screen provision, break-out spaces, free on site parking. Tea, coffee, or a full catering service.
Largest Room
Our largest private hire room, is a fully functioning drama room with stage lighting.
Perfect for many uses we have hosted speech and prize giving awards ceremonies, seminars, AGM's, formal dinners and a variety of meetings.
Our drama room seats 80 comfortably for a formal dinner however, if seated dining is not required, will accommodate 100 delegates.
Dance Studio
The dance studio, accommodates up to 40 guests and will seat 30 with ease. This space offers great value and versatility.
Our dedicated team ensure your room is prepared according to your requirements.
The Atrium
Our Atrium area is perfect for providing a buffet or meal. This area provides a perfect break out solution for meetings and the Café is placed here, in the Atrium with plentiful seating and views out to the Lake. The Atrium in the centre of the building the area is an easy place for delegates to meet over coffee.
The Lakeside Room
Our Lakeside room is perfect for smaller groups with a stunning view of the lake and outside area. This room will seat up to 12 and is perfect for meetings and smaller gatherings. This room enjoys inspiring, peaceful views but is very close to the main kitchen and dining area.


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June 18, 2018 2:53 PM PT
Upgrade #198: The Mac Is Dead, Long Live the Mac
Apple has said that it's not merging iOS and macOS, but that sneak peek of iOS apps coming to macOS opens up a lot of questions about just what the Mac might look like in five years. Jason's optimistic, but Mac users may be in for the biggest changes to the platform since the introduction of Mac OS X nearly two decades ago. Also, what's up with no new Mac hardware announcements? And just when you thought you had a handle on Apple's unannounced video service, here comes Oprah!


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Shazam comes in handy for identifying tunes that you may not immediately recognize, and soon, the app will hunt for details on unfamiliar products, too. That's right, the next step for the popular music reference software includes tasks like Shazaming a cereal box for nutritional info or a DVD case to view (and purchase, natch) the film's soundtrack. "The famous blue button that our users love will remain on the home screen but will be able to do much more," CEO Rich Riley told Reuters. The app attracts 100 million users with its audio tool, which also allows you purchase tunes (via link) and plays nice with a number of streaming services for easy access to your personal library.
Home / Entertainment / Get ready to use Shazam to identify objects
Check Also
Apple To Unveil High-End AirPods, Over-Ear Headphones For 2019
Apple Inc. is about to pump up the volume on its audio-device strategy, planning higher-end AirPods, …


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Remarks With Traveling PressOctober 5, 2018
QUESTION: So earlier this week you spoke about making deeper progress —
SECRETARY POMPEO: Yep.
QUESTION: — on the path towards denuclearization with North Korea this week, on this trip.
SECRETARY POMPEO: Yep.
QUESTION: So what does that mean? How can North Koreans convince you that they are motivated and devoted to making deeper progress on this trip?
SECRETARY POMPEO: Yeah, so I'm not going to talk about specific negotiating positions that both sides are taking in the conversation. Here's the objective in broad strokes.
QUESTION: Yeah.
SECRETARY POMPEO: There have been many exchanges, exchanges at the level between the chairman and the President, exchanges that I've had with my counterparts, exchanges at the working level, some of this with the South Koreans, so lots of conversations. That's the senior meetings. The mission is to make sure that we understand what each side is truly trying to achieve.
QUESTION: Yeah.
SECRETARY POMPEO: Right. We know the end state. It was set out in the Singapore summit, four elements of it. So we know that piece of what we're trying to achieve. But how it is each side is seeking to approach that and how we can deliver against the commitments that were made.
And so there are lots of requirements for this. Each side has to develop sufficient trust so they can take the actions necessary to get to the end, and then we're also going to set up the next summit. So we hope to at least � I doubt we'll get it nailed, but begin to develop options for both location and timing that Chairman Kim will meet with the President again. Maybe we'll get further than that. But he's got to —
QUESTION: So you don't have a date, a location?
SECRETARY POMPEO: There's no date or location yet set.
QUESTION: But after this trip, is it possible that you'll have that?
SECRETARY POMPEO: Yes.
QUESTION: Okay.
SECRETARY POMPEO: But I would guess there'll still be confirmation to do. There's complex scheduling, logistics issues —
QUESTION: Yeah.
SECRETARY POMPEO: — that we won't be able to resolve in the hours that we're on the ground.
QUESTION: But a general date, a general location?
SECRETARY POMPEO: Hope so. Hope so.
QUESTION: Okay.
SECRETARY POMPEO: We may not, but I think we will. We probably won't announce it, right. I know everybody wants to know, but negotiations don't take place in public.
QUESTION: But that's not a negotiation. I mean, that's a decision.
SECRETARY POMPEO: Sure, it is. Sure, it is. We're having conversations, moving conversations about how to achieve denuclearization. Every element of that � all the timing issues, the venue issues, those things all are material to delivering this fundamental transition between hostility on the peninsula and peace and well-being for the North Korean people. This is 70 years on, so every single piece of this is material to delivering against it.
QUESTION: When you talk about building trust, is the U.S. willing to make some moves to show that they are still building that trust?
SECRETARY POMPEO: We've done that. What do you mean, are we willing?
QUESTION: Additional. Additional.
SECRETARY POMPEO: What do you mean, are we willing? I mean, you ask that question in an odd way.
QUESTION: Well, what I mean is they've been asking for a declaration to end the Korean War, so I'm wondering if you're willing to show that you trust them by offering that and —
SECRETARY POMPEO: Again, I'm not going to talk about any of the particulars of the negotiation.
QUESTION: Okay. So South Korea basically said that on this trip you should not press for an inventory of North Korea's nuclear programs —
SECRETARY POMPEO: I understand, but —
QUESTION: — because it would risk bogging down negotiations.
SECRETARY POMPEO: I'm not going to talk about any of the elements of the negotiations.
QUESTION: Okay. Are you bringing any letters, messages, presents from President Trump to Kim Jong-un?
SECRETARY POMPEO: I'm not bringing anything that we're prepared at this point to talk about publicly.
QUESTION: Okay. So no message from the President to Kim Jong-un?
SECRETARY POMPEO: The President said his message to Chairman Kim.
QUESTION: I don't know, there have been letters back and forth.
SECRETARY POMPEO: But he said it. He spoke at UNGA about this at great length.
QUESTION: Okay, all right.
SECRETARY POMPEO: And so yes, I've obviously got a message. The President has tasked me and our State Department team to deliver the outcomes from Singapore and to begin to find the � look, you have to remember the history. This is not the first team that's gone to try and accomplish this. There have been comprehensive agreements reached between the parties before.
QUESTION: Right.
SECRETARY POMPEO: And they foundered. They didn't work. And so this has to be fundamentally different from that. I believe what Chairman Kim and the President agreed to is fundamentally different. It's this idea that we will get to denuclearization in a fully verified, irreversible way and then we will actually deliver on the commitments to make this brighter future for the North Korean people.
And I think Chairman Kim too, that's � when I've spoken to him, when I've heard the President speak to him, when I've seen his public remarks, he's given every indication that that's his intention too, that he understands that this is the right thing for North Korea and that this is the � that he wants to be part of delivering this great outcome for his people.
QUESTION: North Korea has a delegation they just announced yesterday going this week to Russia and to China, and then also having a meeting with Russia and China led by the vice foreign minister. What's your reaction to that?
SECRETARY POMPEO: So we talk with Choe Son-hui all the time. We know her as well. We know that China is going to be part of the solution. They'll ultimately be � when we get to the end, we will have signed a peace � if we do this well, we will have signed a peace treaty that ends the armistice, and China will be part of that. We welcome China's efforts to continue to enforce the UN Security Council resolutions. We've talked with them about that a great deal. We value their participation in this process, and so I think it's inevitable that the North Koreans are going to talk to their longtime neighbor, the Chinese.
QUESTION: It won't jeopardize what you can accomplish if they don't have everyone from the North Korean side at the table with the U.S. delegation?
SECRETARY POMPEO: Chairman Kim is going to be there.
QUESTION: Okay. And then China.
SECRETARY POMPEO: And by the way, she may be back.
QUESTION: She might be, yeah.
SECRETARY POMPEO: She might be back.
QUESTION: Right.
SECRETARY POMPEO: Yeah.
QUESTION: I mean, they haven't said when she's coming back, so —
SECRETARY POMPEO: Chairman Kim � we anticipate that Chairman Kim will be there to participate and that Kim Yong-chol will be there.
QUESTION: Do you hope she'll come back?
SECRETARY POMPEO: These are the two senior leaders. It's up to Chairman Kim who he puts in front of us to negotiate with him to work with him on the solution.
QUESTION: And then with regard to China, given the increasing tensions, the Vice President's speech yesterday saying China is carrying out a campaign to undermine President Trump � how much more challenging does that make your conversations with Chinese officials on North Korea this week?
SECRETARY POMPEO: My conversations with the Chinese have consistently � they've made clear that this issue of the denuclearization of North Korea is important to them, that they want this to be successful. And they have said in spite of places where we have disagreements in other things � we've had disagreements on trade and the like � that they are determined to support our efforts to see this through to its completion, consistently since we first began this process.
QUESTION: Do you know who you'll meet in China yet?
SECRETARY POMPEO: I don't know that the meetings are set. I don't know that the � that my interlocutors � and if it's like the previous times, I'll meet with Wang Yi, the foreign minister and councilor, and then Yang Jiechi.
QUESTION: Okay.
SECRETARY POMPEO: So I would anticipate that's all I'll meet with.
QUESTION: Thanks, Secretary.
Source: U.S. Department of State


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By Wu Meng
It is recorded in the Bible that God once destroyed Sodom with brimstone and fire. As we can imagine, the scene must have been startling. From it, we can see adequately that God's righteous disposition is intolerant of man's offense. We, however, just know from the Bible that people in Sodom were filthy, licentious, corrupt, and evil, abandoned themselves to luxurious life and remained impenitent. But is it only because of these behaviors that they offended God's disposition and got destroyed in the end? Next let's begin with what happened in the period before the destruction of Sodom.
Genesis 19:4-9 records, "But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter: And they called to Lot, and said to him, Where are the men which came in to you this night? bring them out to us, that we may know them. And Lot went out at the door to them, and shut the door after him, And said, I pray you, brothers, do not so wickedly. Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out to you, and do you to them as is good in your eyes: only to these men do nothing; for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof. And they said, Stand back. And they said again, This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge: now will we deal worse with you, than with them. And they pressed sore on the man, even Lot, and came near to break the door."
From these verses, we can see that when the two angels came to Sodom and were received by Lot, the people in this city intended to harm them as well as Lot wantonly. They did not know who the two angels were, where they came from, and why they came here, much less did they ask about it, yet they tried their utmost to break the door to kill the two angels. Besides, when Lot attempted to give his two daughters in exchange, they rushed to him ferociously and even wanted to murder Lot. It showed that the people of Sodom were corrupt to the extreme so that they did not let go of even the messengers of God. Did they have a place for God in their heart?
God's word says, "A humanity had become corrupt to the extreme. They did not know who God was or where they had come from. If you mentioned God, these people would attack, slander and blaspheme. Even when God's servants had come to spread His warning, these corrupt people not only showed no signs of repentance; they did not abandon their wicked conduct. To the contrary, they brazenly harmed God's servants. What they expressed and revealed was their nature and substance of extreme enmity toward God. We can see that these corrupt people's resistance against God was more than a revelation of their corrupt disposition, just as it was more than an instance of slandering or mocking stemming from a lack of understanding of the truth. Neither stupidity nor ignorance caused their wicked conduct; it was not because these people had been deceived, and it was certainly not because they had been misled. Their conduct had reached the level of flagrantly brazen antagonism, opposition and uproar against God. Without a doubt, this kind of human behavior would enrage God, and it would enrage His disposition—a disposition that must not be offended. Therefore, God directly and openly released His wrath and His majesty; this is a true revelation of His righteous disposition. Faced with a city overflowing with sin, God desired to destroy it in the swiftest manner possible; He wished to eradicate the people within it and the entirety of their sins in the most complete way, to make this city's people cease to exist and to stop the sin within this place from multiplying. The swiftest and most complete way of doing so was to burn it down with fire" ("God Himself, the Unique II").
In fact, there were sufficient opportunities for the people of Sodom to repent to God. However, not only did they not repent, but worse still they attempted to murder the two angels and even Lot, the only person worshiping God in this city, when the two messengers followed God's will to save Lot and his family. The essence of what they did was opposing and resisting God stubbornly. Their evil deeds of hating God, hating the truth, and driving out justice once again provoked God's anger and offended God's righteous disposition. Thus they were destroyed by God finally. Contrarily, Lot was the one worshiping God. In such a fortress of demons, He received the messengers of God and protected them at all costs instead of following people to do evil. God remembered Lot's righteous deeds and then made his two daughters and him survive from this destruction.
Look at China. Just as alluring and bewitching as Sodom of that time, it is full of evil. Throughout the country are a myriad of star hotels and nightclubs. The Chinese Communist Party promotes an anti-vice campaign outwardly but supports these nightclubs and gives business licenses to prostitutes in secret, in order for those high officials to solicit prostitution and indulge in their desires. Meanwhile, it turns around and takes the opportunity to make money and accept bribes on the excuse of shutting these yellow venues. From the common people to senior officials, no one loves justice and pursues the light. Instead, all the people live in eating, drinking, and having fun, enjoy making merry, and pursue position and power.
Recall that since the founding of the People's Republic, the CCP's persecution of Christianity has become more and more serious. In the recent ten or so years, countless Bibles have been burnt off and dumped into the river, thousands of churches have been sealed up and demolished, myriads of crosses have been forcibly demolished, countless Christians have been imprisoned, many religious leaders were sentenced to 20 years, and some have even been persecuted to death. … China is exactly the modern Sodom! All that the CCP does is opposing God and has already provoked God, and it will surely be punished by Him in the end. Have a think: Besides China, how many other cities are becoming Sodom now? And what should people in such cities do so as to avoid repeating the mistake of the men of Sodom and walking the path of destruction of China?
Since I've made it this far, let's think about the people of Nineveh. They were deeply corrupt and suffered God's loathing, just like those of Sodom. However, when hearing the warning spread by Jonah from God, they believed it was from God and He would surely, according to His own will, destroy this city after 40 days if they didn't repent. Hence, from the king to the common man, all of them wore sackcloth and ashes, confessed their sins and repented, abandoned the violence in their hands, and turned away from their evil ways. Because of the Ninevites' true repentance before God, God had mercy on them and did not destroy the city, so that they could survive.
Similarly, in the final age, the Lord will appear to us the second time. The Bible prophesies, "And I saw another angel fly in the middle of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people" (Revelation 14:6). Then someone is to preach the gospel of God to us. Never should we be like the people of Sodom who opposed God by wantonly condemning, attacking, and afflicting God's servants when we are hazy about the salvation and gospel of God. It is because from the outside we are condemning and resisting a person, but actually this is not the case. If the Lord has really appeared, and these people are indeed spreading God's will, then opposing them is opposing God, and it will lead to us being punished by God and walking toward destruction in the end. Hearing the gospel of the Lord's return is like hearing Jehovah God's will conveyed by Jonah. If we can believe God's words and have true repentance before God like the people of Nineveh, we will surely gain God's forgiveness, His mercy as well as blessings. Our attitude toward God decides our outcome.
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The Contracting Authority for this project is the European Commission – Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development – EuropeAid, Unit "Geographical Coordination Central Asia, Middle East/Gulf, Regional Programmes Asia", for and on behalf of the Government of Turkmenistan.
After the end of the Soviet Union in 1991, Turkmenistan has become an independent state starting a cautious change toward a market economy. The country is largely covered by desert with localized intensive agriculture and considerable gas and oil resources. The major crops are cotton and wheat. Although agriculture accounts for roughly 8% of GDP, it employs 47% of the country's workforce.
Gas and cotton export revenues are the main sources of Turkmen economy. After declining significantly from 17.1% to 11.6% between 2003 and 2007 the GDP rate of the country has currently stabilized at a growth rate of 11%.
The country's population is approximately of 5.1 million people out of which 48.7% live in urban areas. However, internal flows from rural areas to cities are increasingly interesting all regions yearly (over 1% of the population per year).
Since 2008 economic reforms are foreseen in the constitution. A strategy for diversification of the economy by privatization of certain non-core sectors and enterprises is envisaged. However, the privatization remains limited to small and medium sized enterprises in the trade, agriculture, textile and service sector. Sectors with highest priority, like oil and gas, construction, and tourism, are under state control. There are 70,000 registered and 18,000 single private enterprises.
The official unemployment rate has been stable for the last few years at around 8%, with a higher rate of unemployment registered for young people at around 12%. The majority of unemployed people have secondary or higher education (49% and 43%, respectively); this is an indicator of a mismatch of skills produced by the education system. Currently 2-3% of the people find employment through the employment service. The official statistics are less diversified with regard to specific target groups. Unemployment, especially in urban regions, seems to be higher and the statistics do not reflect the relative level of unemployment in these regions. There are neither passive nor active labour market measures in place yet to support unemployed people.
There has been a shift from state sector to private sector employment. Between 2000 and 2011 the employment in the state sector decreased from 35% to 25%, whereas the number of employees in private companies increased from 37% to 45%.
Turkmenistan faces problems of labour market adjustments in a faster growing economy with an increasing mismatch between labour force supply and demand. Qualified human resources, which correspond to the demands of modern enterprises, are requested. The high percentage of young people entering the labour market pose a challenge to the education system, because an adequate level of education and training quality is a necessity.
Additionally, starting from the school year of 2013-2014, children are enrolled in schools at the age of 6 (1 year before compared to the previous system). Compulsory education will continue until grade 12 (18 years old) with some orientation to vocational education foreseen during the last 2 to 3 years of school. Moreover the IVET will be prolonged from 2 until 3/4 years depending of the respective profession. Such changes will require the adoption of reforms and will surely affect the entire education system because of a stronger need for teachers' quality, new curricula, and pedagogic methodologies.
There are currently two strategies, which demonstrate the will to reform of the Turkmen Government by a number of changes in the educational system and a cautious approach to international developments.
The National Program of Social and Economic Development of Turkmenistan for the period 2011-2030 formulates in its objectives the establishment of an education system comparable to developed countries and to increase the education quality as a precondition for Turkmenistan's growth and competitiveness.
In addition the State Program on the Development of Education for the Period 2012-2016 lays out guidelines for quality provision of secondary, professional, and higher education in accordance with international standards. International cooperation is fundamental the national development and, according to the program, the professional educational system will inter alia be reviewed and improved in accordance with related programs of the European Union.
The Act "On Education", which came into force in 2009, was amended again in autumn 2013. It will bring about a gradual transfer to master and bachelor degrees in the higher education system according to the European Bologna Process rules. Modification and adjustments were made in educational levels of general secondary and vocational education with regard to school boards, licensing of specialists in the VET sector, and educational and training programs.
The Ministry of Education has responsibility for all issues related to education, including initial and secondary vocational education. However, line ministries, for instance the Ministry of Agriculture or the Ministry of Textile, are supervising VET schools in the associated sectors.
General primary and secondary education in Turkmenistan, provided by state educational institutions, is compulsory and free. There are altogether 1741 secondary schools. At the moment the two-level compulsory education lasts for 10 years from grade 1 to 10 and starts at the age of 7.
According to the new legislation there is a planned change in the student enrolment from the age of 6 which will then last 12 obligatory years for all students. Subsequently grades 1 to 4 will correspond to elementary education. Grades 5 to 10 will correspond to lower secondary education, and grade 11 to 12 will correspond to upper secondary education with specialisation in humanitarian, natural science or exact science. It is also planned to include some VET elements. Vocational education begins at the end of the compulsory general education and opens the way to the labour market and will finish with level 2. The current VET system corresponds to level 3 and sub-category 3C of UNESCO's International Standard Classification of Education.
It is estimated that around 110.000 graduates leave education annually: 5% continue to university and 5% to VET. The remaining youngsters proceed with short- term training measures (CVET) or join the labour market directly.
Primary (CVET) and secondary vocational education (IVET) are provided by both state and non-state institutions. There is an increasing number of students in initial vocational education provided by VET schools and partly by enterprises.
Currently Turkmenistan has 11 schools for IVET in Ashgabat and 16 schools in the regions with 8300 students[6]. And there are 129 schools for CVET with 51,100 students, which are operating under the corresponding line ministries[7]. Both the quantity and quality of services provided by the education sectors in the regions lag seriously behind those that are available in the capital. Initial vocational education is subsidized by the government, but also fee-based.
The current occupational standards, which define the qualifications, competencies, content, quality and labour conditions requirements in a specific professional activity, are still based on former soviet standards. Educational and training programs are already newly developed to a certain extent in EU financed projects.
During the last years the European Union has supported the modernization process of secondary and professional education in Turkmenistan by two projects.
Within the project "Support to the modernisation of the Education System" (2009-2011) curricula have been revised and teachers and school principals trained in the secondary education system.
The recently concluded project on "Further improvement of quality and relevance of Professional Education" (2011-2013) has represented significant steps ahead in the reform process. Under this project input for a VET Action Plan was provided. Job profiles in the agriculture, tourism, and construction sectors have been identified, connected curricula developed, and linked teacher training in pilot VET schools provided.
The ETF (European Training Foundation) has for many years been active in implementing the Torino Process objectives in the Central Asian Region. In Turkmenistan ETF is focusing on the objective of promoting dialogue and sharing experiences in the field of vocational education and training between partner countries and EU member states.
The GIZ (German International Cooperation) mainly operates on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. It provided advanced training to specialists for the agrarian sector in Central Asia and, specifically in Turkmenistan, a Public-Private Partnership project. Currently the GIZ is implementing a regional program supporting basic education in Central Asian Countries. The first phase of which contained innovative student oriented teaching methodology; and the use of multipliers is already finished. In the next phase the National Teacher Training Institute will be involved to create teacher networks and methodology dissemination.
To avoid overlapping in priority areas, coordination meetings between EU financed projects and other donors operating in the field of education will be carried out.
The overall objective of the project of which this contract will be a part is as follows:
To further support the Government of Turkmenistan in the creation of a modern education system in line with international educational standards.
The purpose of this contract is to contribute to the on-going education reform process by facilitating the introduction of educational standards and adapting professional education programmes to labour market needs.
– The planning, implementation and monitoring capacity of the overall reform of education and professional education is strengthened through better collaboration of relevant stakeholders.
– The existing education strategy is reviewed and adopted and follows international standards. A closer dialogue with the labour environment is established with the creation of sector councils.
Component 2 – Program development – delivery of general and vocational education
Sub-component 1 – General Secondary Education
– The content of general secondary education is revised taking into consideration the European Reference Framework for key competencies and staff, teachers and managers are ready to implement the new content.
Sub-component 2 – Vocational Education
– The qualifications offered in selected sectors of vocational education and for identified job profiles are reviewed on the basis of modern criteria with the support of trained staff, teachers and managers. New curricula are developed in line with the identified qualifications.
Sub-component 3 – School Management
– Maintenance of stable experience exchange between schools is provided through the establishment of a national school community platform. School management capacities are established by enhanced best international management practices.
– The current situation in cooperation between VET schools, local administration and enterprises is analysed and proposals for innovative approaches in an extended cooperation, emphasizing labour market demands, made and implemented.
– The active involvement of national, regional and local stakeholders, either through working groups or task forces for developing the various activities, is essential to achieve the project outcomes.
– Data availability as regards participation in education and VET by level, number of teachers, graduates, enrolment by gender, and enrolment by sector is crucial to define the needs of the sector. Data should be made available by region and by urban/rural areas.
– International and local experts should have the necessary background, expertise and experience to work effectively in the project.
Mitigation measure
The inception phase will be aimed to verify that all elements ensuring the feasibility of the project are in place and to adjust/adapt the strategy to the new context if necessary.
2. Lack of complete and continuous commitment and active participation by the beneficiaries.
Mitigation measure
The inception phase will be aimed to promote the project through a multi-level participatory approach in order to ensure intensive involvement in setting its goals and highlighting its expected results. It will be a priority to involve all key stakeholders and to ensure as much as possible stability of interlocutors.
3. Slow decision making-process and appointment of representatives to working groups, tasks forces and steering committees.
Mitigation measure
Rules and procedures for the different aspects of implementation will be agreed upon during the inception phase in order to save time for the decision-making process. The list of expected working groups, task forces, and steering committees will have to be defined during the inception phase, specifying also their composition in order to save time for the appointments.
4. No data are made available.
Mitigation measure
Existing data will be utilised and where possible supplement these through the ones gathered through project activities (observation, interviews and, when necessary, through surveys) and make qualified estimates to compensate for low access to data.
5. Lack of suitable conditions for effective work of international and local experts since the very beginning of the project.
Mitigation measure
Office space for the experts and local counterpart staff should be available before the start of the project.
6. Limited number of representatives in MoE and other educational institutions are available for cooperation
Staff in charge and contact persons should be clarified before the project start, or at least in the inception phase; roles have to be made clear.
The political context of this project is pre-defined in the national key documents of Turkmenistan: the Law on Education, the NPSED and the SEDP.
The project aims to support the GoT in increasing its secondary education system by supporting their reform strategies through specific instruments. The assistance will build upon lessons learned in the two previous EU projects, which were focused on improving the quality in general education and vocational education bringing the education system closer in line with EU standards.
The two EU projects responded to the need to plan and review professional education standards, strengthened policy-making capacity, introduced new educational and vocational subjects and methodologies and upgraded the skills of teachers and school managers.
The Action Plan for VET is formulated to help support the new educational policies in Turkmenistan. The draft VET Action plan has been elaborated and discussed with the MoE. This draft contains a number of activities and institutions in charge of implementing.
The follow up action will concentrate on both general secondary and vocational secondary education assistance and will proceed in strengthening the institutional capacities, management and teacher training and educational standard development.
It is intended to support the Ministry of Education together with the Ministry of Labour and Civil Protection as main beneficiaries of the project to underline the connection between education and the labour market.
The MoE is in charge of the entire education system development including secondary education. Together with the subordinated National Institute of Education, they are responsible for the VET system coordination, harmonization and development of courses and the development of national guidelines and standards, to align supply and demand, and to re-establish quality assurance mechanisms.
The Ministry of Labour and Citizen Protection (established in 2011) is responsible for employment policies, including collection of data of registered unemployed from the regional offices. Currently the most important tasks for this ministry are: to coordinate the analysis of labour market dynamics; to identify present and future skills needs; to create the links between such needs and the initial and continuing training provided by public and private institutions.
The government has acknowledged that there is a shortage of skilled officials for running the state bodies and elaborating and implementing new policies. The development of the country's human capital and the modernization of its administration, in order to be able to address the challenges of a modern economy, have been flagged up as an urgent priority area. Therefore, the strengthening of the institutions by training staff in different fields will be an essential project task.
Special attention will be focused on policy dialogues by improvement of cooperation tools.
It will work in a multi-level approach to reach all relevant stakeholders on political and on operational level as well.
Inception Phase / Closure
At the project outset, a detailed planning document will be carried out in close cooperation with the beneficiary and main stakeholders. It has to contain a clarification of strategic project objectives, and a definition of the project phases. These phases are linked with the working plan and methodology for implementation and planning of the expert's missions. After agreement with the counterparts, the specific sectors of intervention in general and vocational education will be defined (both in terms of number and type of sector). Working groups and task forces should be defined. Together with the inception report, a detailed logical framework with indicators achievable during the project implementation phase shall be submitted.
In order to generate publicity, heighten visibility, encourage ownership of project, results by stakeholders and the public, a kick off and closure, involving the stakeholders, will be organized. It is suggested that the closure follows a similar pattern as for the kick-off meeting. During the closure event, which could have the format of a symposium, member state partners should report on results achieved and on recommendations for future assistance if appropriate.
Project Visibility
Project visibility in all project stages is an important feature. Throughout the project, visibility of communication with stakeholders including the public should be emphasized. The Project will start and finish with a kick off and closing events, involving the media. The contractor is expected to produce and publish brochures on project activities and press releases, which should be available on the MoE and/or project website. The content of the press releases will be coordinated with the responsible EU project manager. The contractor will ensure the EU visibility including acknowledgement of EU support in all public presentations (see "Visibility Guidelines for External Actions"
Institutional Capacity Building
It will be of utmost importance to clearly communicate the current and future improvements to the concerned actors, aiming to improve the image of the Turkmen educational system. Therefore, in all related activities the cooperation aspect, as pre-condition for a successful partnership on political and operational level, will play an important role.
In order to utilise all possibilities, which can enhance the partner's development from the very project beginning, the following subjects will be defined as CB activities: conferences, seminars, workshops, internships and study visits. A capacity building strategy will be created. The aim of this strategy is the idea of a road map for capacity building activities in all two project components and related sub-components. The document should be adjusted accordingly or extended after each project year and will include a training pre-condition and a training needs analysis.
Horizontal Issues
Cross-cutting issues of good governance and gender balance will be covered by the project.
Good Governance: The project will have a direct impact on good governance. Component 1 directly aims at enhancing good governance at central and regional administration level. In this way it will improve capacity and strengthen the accountability of the public sector by involvement of civil society in the planning of actions.
Gender: Gender will be mainstreamed in project activities both by ensuring gender balance regarding project beneficiaries and by focusing on gender issues in sub-sectors of education and labour market placements.
Target Groups
Other institutions (apart of the MoE and MoLCP) which play a decisive role in educational matters will also be involved.
They are as follows:
It is proposed to divide the project into two main components with three sub-components, and to allocate them activities with a preliminary status. These activities, which are outlined below, can be adapted and completed according to the respective situation in the section during project time.
COMPONENT 1: Strategic Planning – Institutional Capacity Building
Specific objective: To strengthen the planning, coordination, implementation and monitoring capacities of national stakeholders. An overall Life Long Learning strategy with the involvement of all relevant counterparts by involvement of general and vocational education will be developed and adopted. The VET Action Plan proposal has to be further developed, discussed and made operational. To link the education sector with the labour market, the collaboration between the MoE, MoLCP and respective line ministries will be intensified to support the setting up of Sectoral Councils.
The following preliminary activities are estimated:
COMPONENT 2: Program Development – Delivery of General and Vocational Education
Specific Objective: To continue the process of modernization of education through revision and the development of new contents to ensure coherence with the socio-economic needs of Turkmenistan and reflecting international practices. The content of general education will follow the approach of the European Reference Framework for Lifelong Learning.
Sub-component 1 – General Secondary Education
With regard to general education, the project aims to modernise the system in line with additional key competences as specified by the European Reference Framework, which sets out eight key competences for the education of all individuals in terms of personal fulfilment and development, active citizenship, social inclusion and employment. The new key competences addressed by this project will cover: IT, mathematics, learning to learn and entrepreneurship, and will be introduced in general secondary schools selected all over the country. The assistance will focus on the 11th and 12th grade of general secondary education.
The following preliminary activities in general secondary education involving a number of pilot schools are estimated:
Component 2. 1
Sub-component 2 – Vocational Education
As for vocational education, the project will continue to give assistance in agriculture, construction and tourism sectors. In the recent pilot sectors the process of identifying new job profiles will be supported.
Other priority sectors such as textiles and transport will be involved and a sufficient number of additional pilot schools nominated. Changes in terms of restructuring additional job profiles in the new sectors will be carried out.
In vocational educational programs the involvement of entrepreneurs in curricula development, practical training, examination and certification will be supported. Special attention will be -placed on assisting in pilot program implementation. The distribution of the pilot programs via NIE and MoE to all VET schools in Turkmenistan will be supported.
The following preliminary activities in vocational secondary education involving 15 pilot schools are estimated:
Component 2.2
Sub-component 3 – School Management – Partnership Improvement
The project will support the process of exchange of information and experience between regional general and vocational schools and between the VET schools under involvement of European experience with the aim of establishing school networks. The extended cooperation between VET schools and business enterprises should lead to coordinated actions for new training standard development and involvement in examination and certification processes. School managers, teachers and regional counterparts should participate in tailor-made capacity building measures.
The following preliminary activities are estimated:
The contractor will ensure the capitalization on and sharing of knowledge related to the implementation of the project. It concerns observation of technical and pedagogical values, which are of interest to other professionals and which do not infringe the obligations of article 14 of the General Conditions of the contract.
In order to share such information, the contractor will use the www.capacity4dev.eu web platform.
4.3.1 Responsible Body
The European Commission – Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development, Unit "Geographical Coordination Central Asia, Middle East/Gulf, Regional Programmes Asia" (Project Manager) will be responsible for managing this contract.
The Contractor will report to the Project Manager of the European Commission;
4.3.2 Management Structure
The contractor will facilitate the establishment of a Project Steering Committee to guide project progress.
The Steering Committee is called upon to assess the credibility of the work plan in relation to the targeted components. Assessment by the Steering Committee results in a binding opinion, which provides guidance and recommendations.
Opinions issued by the Steering Committee can take the following forms:
– Recommend that the project partners undertake further amendments or clarifications, either by (i) written procedure, or (ii) full debate;
– Recommend rejection of the proposal as it stands and recommend a full re-working.
Steering Committee meetings will take place at 6 monthly intervals, where the consultant should report on the state of affairs and on problems arising, discussing any recommendations with links to reports and their formal approvals thereafter.
Representatives from the MoE, MoLCP, line ministries, NIE, contractor and EU representatives will be part of the PSC. Observers from other institutions, who may be involved in cross cutting issues e.g. representatives from other administrations (Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Economy and Development, Academy of Science, National Institute of Strategic Planning and Prognosis, Union of Industrial Workers and Entrepreneurs, National Employment Service Etc.) or short-term experts for in-depth technical input, could be invited if necessary. The secretarial support for the PSC will be provided by the contractor, which will prepare the agenda of meetings and documents to be discussed. Translation and interpretation will be provided.
The contractor will agree the exact composition and procedures of the Steering Committee with the Beneficiary and the Contracting Authority.
5.1 Location
The operational project base will be Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan.
However, the achievement of component 2, with its sub-components, will require the organisation of a number of activities in the 5 Velayats/Regions. This has to be clarified in the inception phase in cooperation with the project partner, the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Labour.
5.2 Start date & period of implementation
The indicative commencement date of the project is July 2016, and the period of execution of the contract will be about 48 months from this date. The actual commencement date and period of execution are stipulated in Articles 4 and 5 of the Special Conditions.
6.1 Staff
Note that civil servants and other staff of the public administration, of the partner country or of international/regional organisations based in the country, shall only be approved to work as experts if well justified. The justification should be submitted with the tender and shall include information on the added value the expert will bring as well as proof that the expert is seconded or on personal leave.
6.1.1 Key Experts
The key experts are required to spend a minimum of 75% of their time in the beneficiary country. Key experts will be subject to approval by the Contracting Authority before the start of the implementation.
All experts who have a crucial role in implementing the contract are referred to as key experts. The composition of the team should reflect a gender balanced approach. These terms of reference contain the required key experts' profiles. The tenderer shall submit CVs and Statements of Exclusivity and Availability for the following key experts. The profiles of the key experts for this contract are as follows:
Key expert 1: Team Leader / Education strategy expert (Minimum 880 man-days)
Qualifications and Skills
General Professional Experience
Specific Professional Experience
Key expert 2- Education expert / general secondary education (minimum 880 man-days)
Qualifications and Skills
General Professional Experience
Specific Professional Experience
Key expert 3- Educational expert / vocational education (minimum 880 man-days)
Qualifications and Skills
General Professional Experience
At least 3 years of experience in international projects on vocational education in CIS countries.
Specific Professional Experience
Key expert 4: Labour market expert (minimum 880 man-days)
Qualifications and Skills
General Professional Experience
Specific Professional Experience
6.1.2 Non-key experts
CVs for experts other than the key experts are not examined prior to the signature of the contract. They should not be included in tenders.
The Contractor must select and hire other experts as required according to the profiles identified in the Organization & Methodology and this Terms of Reference. All experts must be independent and free from conflicts of interest in the responsibilities they take on.
The Contractor shall select and hire other experts as required according to the needs.
The selection procedures used by the Contractor to select these other experts must be transparent and must be based on pre-defined criteria, including professional qualifications, language skills and work experience. The findings of the selection panel must be recorded. The selected experts must be subject to approval by the Contracting Authority.
The project content and duration requires the recruitment of a substantial number of non-key experts. The non-key experts for this contract shall consist of a number of national and international short-term, mid-term, senior and junior experts in the following fields as follows (up to 880 man-days for senior experts and up to 660 man-days for junior experts):
The contractor must, therefore, foresee a sufficient number of fee days for this kind of expertise in its offer. Moreover, the selection of experts shall be subject to prior written approval by the Contracting Authority and consultation of the beneficiaries.
6.1.3 Support staff & backstopping
Backstopping and support staff costs must be included in the fee rates.
Office accommodation of a reasonable standard and of approximately 10 square metres for each expert working on the contract is to be provided.
The beneficiary either the Ministry of Education or the Ministry of Labour will provide office accommodation in his premises free of charge. The office room shall have necessary communication facilities like a national and international phone line and internet access.
The Contractor shall ensure that experts are adequately supported and equipped. In particular it must ensure that there is sufficient administrative, secretarial and interpreting provision to enable experts to concentrate on their primary responsibilities. It must also transfer funds as necessary to support their work under the contract and to ensure that its employees are paid regularly and in a timely fashion.
The contractor must ensure that the project experts receive equipment, which is necessary for the task to be carried out effectively. This includes office facilities to be set up, such as computer equipment, furniture, stationary, telephone equipment, mobile telephones, printers, faxes, photocopiers Etc. Sufficient provision must be made for these costs within the Consultant's fee rates.
No equipment is to be purchased on behalf of the Contracting Authority / beneficiary country as part of this service contract or transferred to the Contracting Authority / beneficiary country at the end of this contract. Any equipment related to this contract, which is to be acquired by the beneficiary country must be purchased by means of a separate supply tender procedure.
The provision for incidental expenditure covers ancillary and exceptional eligible expenditure incurred under this contract. It cannot be used for costs that should be covered by the Contractor as part of its fee rates as defined above. Its use is governed by the provisions in the General Conditions and the notes in Annex V to the Contract. It covers:
The Provision for incidental expenditure for this contract is EUR 1.040.000. This amount must be included unchanged in the Budget breakdown.
Daily subsistence costs may be reimbursed for missions foreseen in these terms of reference or approved by the Contracting Authority, and carried out by the contractor's authorised experts, outside the expert's normal place of posting.
The per diem is a flat-rate maximum sum covering daily subsistence costs. These include accommodation, meals, tips and local travel, including travel to and from the airport. Taxi fares are therefore covered by the per diem. Per diem are payable on the basis of the number of hours spent on the mission by the contractor's authorised experts for missions carried out outside the expert's normal place of posting. The per diem is payable if the duration of the mission is 12 hours or more. The per diem may be paid in half or in full, with 12 hours = 50% of the per diem rate and 24 hours = 100% of the per diem rate. Any subsistence allowances to be paid for missions undertaken as part of this contract must not exceed the per diem rates published on the website –
http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/funding/about-calls-tender/procedures-and-practical-guide-prag/diems_en – at the start of each such mission.
The Contracting Authority reserves the right to reject payment of per diem for time spent travelling if the most direct route and the most economical fare criteria have not been applied.
No lump sums are foreseen in this contract.
The provision for expenditure verification covers the fees of the auditor charged with verifying the expenditure of this contract in order to proceed with the payment of any pre-financing instalments and/or interim payments.
The provision for expenditure verification for this contract is EUR 30 000. This amount must be included unchanged in the Budget breakdown.
This provision cannot be decreased but can be increased during execution of the contract.
7.1 Reporting requirements
The Inception Report will be provided 4 months after the project start.
Interim reports must be prepared every six months during the period of implementation of the tasks. They must be provided along with the corresponding invoice, the financial report and an expenditure verification report defined in Article 28 of the General Conditions. There must be a final report, a final invoice and the financial report accompanied by an expenditure verification report at the end of the period of implementation of the tasks. The draft final report must be submitted at least one month before the end of the period of implementation of the tasks. Note that these interim and final reports are additional to any required in Section 4.2 of these Terms of Reference.
Each report must consist of a narrative section and a financial section. The financial section must contain details of the time inputs of the experts, incidental expenditure and expenditure verification.
To summarize, in addition to any documents, reports and outputs specified under the duties and responsibilities of each key expert above, the contractor should provide the following reports:
|Name of report
|Time of submission
|Inception Report
|Analysis of existing situation and work plan for the project + logical framework with relevant indicators
|No later than 4 months after the start of implementation
|6-month Progress Report
|Short description of progress (technical and financial) including problems encountered; planned work for the next 6 months accompanied by an invoice and the expenditure verification report.
|No later than 1 month after the end of each 6-month implementation period.
|Draft Final Report
|Short description of achievements including problems encountered and recommendations.
|No later than 1 month before the end of the implementation period.
|Final Report
|Short description of achievements including problems encountered and recommendations; a final invoice and the financial report accompanied by the expenditure verification report.
|Within 1 month of receiving comments on the draft final report from the Project Manager identified in the contract.
7.2 Submission & approval of Reports
The Contractor will submit the above mentioned reports in English in electronic version and one hard copy each to the Project Manager identified in the contract. The Project Manager is responsible for approving the reports.
The Contractor will disseminate electronic copies of the above mentioned reports in Turkmen and Russian to the main beneficiaries and other stakeholders if requested to do so. The beneficiaries should comment and approve the report as well. In absence of their comments within the set deadline the reports are deemed to be approved.
8.1 Definition of Indicators
Preliminary/non-exhaustive indicators of this project will be as follows:
8.2 Special requirements
The project will be monitored and assessed according to standard EU procedures.
Mid-term and final evaluations and audit arrangements are an integral part of the contractual arrangements with the selected contractor.
Independent consultants, recruited directly by the Commission in accordance with EC rules and procedures on specifically established Terms of Reference, might carry out external evaluations and audits.


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For most entrepreneurs, you have to prove your concept before you can accessing funding. Most businesses require initial capital for things such as inventory, marketing, physical facilities, incorporation expenses etc.
The following are things which you should consider when exploring funding options:
- Whether your needs are short-term or long-term.
- If the money is for operating expenses or for capital expenditures
- Whether you need all the money at once or in small amounts over many months.
- Whether you are willing to assume risk if your company does not succeed.
There are two main types of business financing which are as follows:
Debt Financing: This entails you borrowing the money and agreeing to pay it back in a time frame at an agreed interest rate. You will have to pay back the money regardless of whether the business idea succeeds or not.
Equity Financing: This entails you selling partial ownership of the company in exchange for cash. The investors assume all of the risk and if the company fails, they lose all of their money. If it succeeds, the make a much greater return on their investment than interest rates.
Many of the options which are available for start-ups:
Family and Friends: These will be your best sources of loans and equity deals. They are usually less stringent on credit and their return on investment.
Credit cards are a tool for cash flow management. You should keep one or two credit cards with no balance on it and pay it off to give yourself a 30-60 day float with no interest.
Bank loans comes in various shapes and sizes from microloans offered by small banks to six figure loans by major national banks. These are typically easier to obtain when backed by assets such as home equity, an IRA.
Source Link: https://www.thebalancesmb.com/startup-business-financing-1200987


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14 Workspaces from Dribbble Members
For those who don't know what Dribbble is, it is a show and tell website for creatives. It lets developers and designers share small screenshots on things they may be working on. It's an invitiation only network so only the best are accepted.
It's interesting to see what kind of space these creatives work in so here are some of their setups.


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Join Our Team
Grow your career in IT with Brightsource!
Brightsource IT is as dedicated to our employees as we are to our clients. Join a team where you can put your talents and knowledge on display.
Great companies are built on the talents and dedication of great people. The only way we can serve our customers the right way is to hire the right people. If you have a passion for IT or if you simply love helping people, there may be a place for you at Brightsource IT.
Are you looking for a great company, opportunities to grow, and a place where your talents can make a real difference. Brightsource IT has everything you've been searching for.
We are looking for a service desk specialist with superb skills in customer service and help desk support. Experience supporting Mac and Windows operating systems is important. Some experience with server administration and networking (routing, switching, VPN) and phone systems is a plus.
What's most important is that you're a good fit with our company culture. We're not like most other IT groups and we don't want to be.
Do you thrive on solving problems? Are you willing to give the extra effort to push beyond your current knowledge base? Does marketing fluff make you yearn for tech specs? Know your way around Mac, Unix and Windows operating systems? Are you efficient with your time and even more so with your customer's money? Is your skin thick enough to accept critical feedback and grow from the experience? If you're nodding your head so far, we might have the perfect opportunity for you.
You'll work in a fast-paced environment with new challenges coming your way every day. We work with businesses in a wide variety of industries. From Windows Server deployments to help desk issues – we do it all.
This is a full-time position and candidates must be permanent residents in the St. Louis area.


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I'm sure you'll agree with me, that looking for a job is stressful and time consuming. You'll question why you are not getting any interviews. You may question your skill set, or even your approach.
Regardless of how you feel, you need to do things differently. What you have been doing is not working, and if you continue investing timing into something that's not working, you are bound to be disappointed.
You need to make some changes, adjust things, look at things differently, and you will get more interviews.
Your next interview is coming up sooner than you think
How will you succeed in getting a new job, if you are feeling down? You have to believe in yourself. So, list 5 skills that you possess and know will benefit your future boss. Write it down right now.
Regardless of what your list looks like, you should have a list. Use this as an opportunity to reset your frame of mind. There generally comes a time when all job seekers get pessimistic. They stop believing in themselves and they feel they will never find another job. That list proves you have skills, now you just have to show others that you have marketable skills.
As simple as it may seem, you may be sabotaging yourself. You probably don't care about fixing up the cover letter any more, you may not even read the job description. You simply add your cookie cutter resume and cover letter and hope for the best.
There should be no hoping in your job search. Adjust your frame of mind. Right. Now.
# of weeks it takes to find a job
Should I customize my resume for each job?
Yes, you do need to customize your resume. It's a pain in the butt to customize a resume or even a cover letter, but if you don't spend this extra effort, you risk losing out to others who do.
You may be wondering, what needs to be customized in your resume. Essentially, your resume needs to show the employer that you meet their needs for the specific job they are hiring for. The job description has all of the details you need to customize your resume. You need to be able to pick out the important details in a job description. Focus on the requirements section, but also get a sense of the soft skills that are required as you read the job posting.
Some of the sections of an ATS (Applicant Tracking System):
- Education
- Experience
- Skills
- Volunteering
The ATS splits up your application so it can compare your details against others and job openings.
What parts of my resume do I customize?
You only have to tweak your resume with points from the job description. Your resume is a fluid document, which should in essence be complete. Make sure your summary clearly demonstrates that you have the skills and experience.
Work in some job description keywords in to your experience. Most large companies will use an ATS (Applicant Tracking System) to scan your resume for keywords. So, make sure you include them in various sections of your resume.
I sent my resume now what?
Your next move should be to document the position you applied for, the company, changes you made to your resume, what key skill set you thought this company was seeking. So, you need to keep track of your job search using a spreadsheet. This way, you'll have some stats at your disposal to use for other jobs. You'll also start to notice trends on the key skills needed in today's job market.


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One of the things that I talk about in the clinic alot is the therapeutic dosage of exercise. So, what do I mean by that? The term "therapeutic dose" is from the pharmocology world. When a medication is administered if too little medicine will have no effect. If too much is medicine is used, then it becomes poison. The same is true of exercise if we do too little you will not change anything. If you exercise too much it can lead to soreness and possible over-use injuries. Also, if you overdo it by too much, you wont be able to exercise again soon. I see this all the time in both the rehab as well as the fitness arenas. People will try to do too much then they are incapacitated by soreness.
The other thing to think about is that there is a minimum effect dose. In other words, there is a bare minimum that you have to do in order to meet your goals. I think that we should aim for the minimum effect dose of exercise. The key then becomes continuing doing that amount of exercise for a longer time. For instance, a recent study demonstrated that walking can reduce low back pain as much as specific strengthening. The goal of the subjects in this study was to be pain-free and walking was the minimum dose. If your goal is more advanced then your minimum dosage is going to be more intensive.
The goal of physical therapy should be to find the necessary exercises and activities for you to achieve your goals. Any more exercise or treatment is unneeded at best and possibly detrimental. If the extra exercise makes you less likely to adhere in the future or burns you out then it is not a good exercise program. These principles have to be the guiding motivation for exercise prescription.
At Siskiyou Physical Therapy we do our best to prescribe exercise program that are realistic, effective and the right intensity for patients.


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Military Spouse of the Day: Brenda Mercado
Brenda Mercado is our Marine Corps Military Special Needs Network Spouse of the Day. Her Marine is stationed in the National Capital Area. They have two beautiful boys, an 8 … Continue reading
Military Spouse of the Day: Jennifer Chatwin
Introducing Jennifer Chatwin, a Coast Guard spouse, married to her husband Nathan for 7 ½ years. They have two children – Kailey and Dylan, and are currently stationed in Connecticut. … Continue reading
Military Spouse of the Day: Staci Nevell
Introducing Staci Nevell, married for 13 years to her Air Force spouse, and currently stationed at Hurlburt. Her favorite part of being a military spouse is the friendships she has … Continue reading
Military Spouse of the Day: Tiffany Stanek
Introducing Tiffany Stanek, an Army spouse, married for 17 years, and currently stationed at the Pentagon in Washington, DC. Tiffany's favorite part of being a military spouse has been that … Continue reading
Military Spouse of the Day: Shelby Nazzario
Introducing Shelby Nazzario, Coast Guard spouse, stationed at Air station Houston. Shelby and her husband have been married for 9.5 years. Shelby loves the adventure of where the Coast Guard … Continue reading
I've Got Your Disability Awareness Right Here
March is Developmental Disability Awareness Month. As if, for one moment, we forget that there is disability in our lives… Except sometimes, I do forget that my sons are different … Continue reading
A Life Not How I Imagined
I sat there, numb, as the speech pathologist began explaining the different types of feeding tube buttons available. She continued to talk about bolus feedings, decompression tubes, and a number of other … Continue reading


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The next masterclass will be on Tuesday, 21 November.
Email today to book reservations.
WHERE: Melbourne Exhibition Centre, Suite 1, Level 5
2 Clarendon Street, Southbank, Melbourne.
WHAT: How To Multiply Your Business By Ten!: A 120-Minute MasterClass with Michael Hewitt-Gleeson. Michael is the author of The XIO Memeplex: Multiply Your Business By Ten! (Prentice Hall, 2000).
WHO: SOT Members & friends; teachers of thinking; executives and entrepreneurs; others who are interested in raising their innovation intelligence.
FEES: There are no fees. Seating must be limited to 'first come first served'. These pro bono events are sponsored by School of Thinking and Melbourne Exhibition Centre to promote Thinking in Melbourne.
HOW: Email to reserve a place for you and your associates in these unique events. Say which dates you wish to attend. Give the the full names and organisation of participants. You will receive confirmation by return email. All privacy is respected.
Nemo Nascitur Sapiens Artifex – No-one is ever born a skilled thinker.


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Our Services:
Cargo Handling: Less than 2-hour cargo handling, special palletizing, and expedited transfer of precious cargo to ensure security of the shipment.
Security: Follow cars & stationary guard services, armed or unarmed, for freight, warehouses, trucks, or events.
Supervision: Supervision of all handling, palletizing, transfer, aircraft loading, and expedited offloading at all major U.S. ports.
Routing: Expert security routing for the safest and most expedient movement of shipments around the globe.
Escort: Capability to escort on the tarmac and into warehouses.
Courier Assistance: Courier and hand-carry assistance from gate, through U.S. Customs.
Our Features:
Licensed Security Officers
Transparency: Real-time communication.
MSG Tarmac Vehicles: with access to terminals and cargo areas in major airports.
Masterpiece International is a proud member of:


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- CCGs required to appoint 'conflicts of interest' guardian under sweeping changes to guidance proposed by NHS England
- Proposals for the use of tougher legal sanctions on both providers and commissioners failing to manage conflicts of interest
Clinical commissioning groups will be required to nominate a "conflicts of interest guardian" as part of a system-wide overhaul of conflicts of interest policy, NHS England has announced.
Among the changes will be a requirement for a guardian in each CCG to act as a point of contact and expertise on procurement decisions and interaction with commercial organisations.
The proposals will be presented to NHS England's board meeting on Thursday morning, and have been produced to accompany the publication of an audit reviewing conflicts of interest management in CCGs that co-commission primary care.
Other changes include:
- requiring CCGs to have at least three lay members on each governing body to better manage conflicts of interest (COI);
- mandating commissioners to have "robust" processes for managing breaches in their COI policy – and to publish any breaches on their website; and
- the introduction of compulsory online COI training for CCG staff and the workforce in all member practices, provided by NHS England.
Currently CCGs are only required by law to have two lay members on their governing bodies. NHS England said it was aware of the additional financial burden this may have on commissioners.
However, the arm's length body said the change has strong support from CCGs.
Separately, a cross-system "task and finish group", led by NHS England chair Sir Malcolm Grant, will also examine changes to national guidance to beef up safeguards against decision making "tainted" by conflicts.
A key proposal to be considered by the group is the introduction of tougher legal sanctions against organisations that display an "ineffective" management of conflicts.
These could include fines under criminal law; challenges to organisations using civil law; regulatory sanctions – including health professionals being prevented from practising; or staff being dismissed for non-compliance.
NHS England is also considering inserting a new clause in the NHS standard contract requiring providers to disclose and publish more complete information in relation to gifts, hospitality and conflicts of interest associated with delivery of services under the contract.
The revised guidance will be put to consultation in April.
NHS England is also this morning publishing an audit commissioned last September reviewing COI management in CCGs that co-commission primary care. The review, carried out by consultancy firm Deloitte, examined how safeguards set out in existing statutory guidance were operating in practice, using a sample of 10 CCGs.
The report found that guidance published in 2014 had been well received by the CCGs, with examples of good practice found, including GPs "co-opted" from another CCG to sitting on primary care commissioning committees.
However, the audit also uncovered inconsistencies in governance arrangements, with some CCGs not having a clearly defined process for managing COI breaches and some sites demonstrating poor procedures for recording conflicts.
Final guidance is expected to be published by NHS England in June.
CCGs will be required to review their processes in line with this guidance and strengthen them, where required, by the end of November.