YouTube - The Truth About The Financial Crisis(unedited)
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Documents & Reports - Search Results
WORLD BANK
Documents & Reports - Search Results:
1. Philippines - Third Manila Sewerage Project : resettlement plan (Vol. 1 of 3) : Land Acquisition, Resettlement and Rehabilitation Policy (English) 2004/01/01 RP285 Resettlement Plan
2. Philippines - Third Manila Sewerage Project : resettlement plan (Vol. 2 of 3) : CST20, Road 5 (English) 2005/03/04 RP285 Resettlement Plan
3. Philippines - Third Manila Sewerage Project : resettlement plan (Vol. 3 of 3) : San Mateo Septage Treatment Plant (English) 2005/03/04 RP285 Resettlement Plan"
Documents & Reports - Search Results:
1. Philippines - Third Manila Sewerage Project : resettlement plan (Vol. 1 of 3) : Land Acquisition, Resettlement and Rehabilitation Policy (English) 2004/01/01 RP285 Resettlement Plan
2. Philippines - Third Manila Sewerage Project : resettlement plan (Vol. 2 of 3) : CST20, Road 5 (English) 2005/03/04 RP285 Resettlement Plan
3. Philippines - Third Manila Sewerage Project : resettlement plan (Vol. 3 of 3) : San Mateo Septage Treatment Plant (English) 2005/03/04 RP285 Resettlement Plan"
Land Acquisition, Resettlement and Rehabilitation Policy, Vol. 1 of 3
Land Acquisition, Resettlement and Rehabilitation Policy, Vol. 1 of 3
WORLD BANK
MANILA WATER (MANILA EAST PROJECT)
WORLD BANK
MANILA WATER (MANILA EAST PROJECT)
Manila Water Company: Manila Water submits 5-year Business Plan
Manila Water Company: Manila Water submits 5-year Business Plan: "Posted: Tuesday April 10, 2007
Manila Water recently submitted to the MWSS Regulatory Office its business plan for the East Concession for the next five years beginning 2008 to 2012. While service delivery to its more than 5 million customers has remarkably improved over the last ten years, clearly, significant work still needs to be done to further improve services in the East Zone.
In order to address heightened customer expectations and to meet the increased water demand due to population growth, Manila Water came up with a new service improvement plan anchored on two key programs: the reliability of service delivery to customers, as well as, the expansion of water and wastewater programs to growth areas in the East Zone. The new service improvement plan has the ultimate objective of providing the same level of service to all customers.
The proposed plan is aligned with the programs of the national government, particularly those in the Medium-Term Philippine Development Plan. Moreover, the new service improvement plan took into consideration the development programs and land use plans of all local government units in the East Zone.
Reliability Investment Plan
After making marked improvements in the delivery of services to customers, there is now a need to ensure continued reliability of the network and water supply. The Reliability Investment Plan proposed by Manila Water is geared towards providing customers with uninterrupted water and wastewater services even in the event of natural disasters such as earthquake and typhoons.
The main component of the said plan is to maintain and/or further improve the service levels for current customers, especially those in the Central Distribution System (CDS). This will be made possible by implementing technical projects and maintenance works in water and wastewater facilities, such as treatment plants and pumping stations, as well as, in the network and distribution systems. The usual pipe replacement and/or rehabilitation, meter replacement and Tubig Para Sa Barangay projects make up the core programs under this component.
The reliability of Angat Dam is also a major concern for Metro Manila since it is the only water supply source of Metro Manila. Because of this, the Manila Water Company included several projects to ensure the structural reliability of Angat Dam.
Expansion Investment Plan
Manila Water’s Expansion Investment Plan focuses on addressing both the water and wastewater needs of the currently unserved areas, particularly those in the Rizal Province. While the Company has relatively covered the Central Distribution System in terms of water services, some areas in Taguig, Antipolo, San Mateo and Rodriguez still depend on deepwells for their water supply. In order to address the water demand of these areas, Manila Water proposes a network expansion program to provide surface water supply to these areas.
Another component of the Expansion Investment Plan is the development of new water sources such as the Laiban Dam, Rodriguez Water Treatment Plant and the Rizal Province Water Supply Improvement Project in response to the anticipated increased water demand due to population growth in the East Zone. This component is aligned with the MWSS New Water Sources Road Map.
In terms of wastewater, Manila Water proposes the adoption of the MWSS Wastewater Master Plan which primarily involves the construction of combined sewage-drainage treatment systems. This program will enable the Company to expand sewerage and sanitation services in the East Zone. Currently, only about 10% of the East Concession area is sewered with the rest of the population dependent upon septic tanks."
Manila Water recently submitted to the MWSS Regulatory Office its business plan for the East Concession for the next five years beginning 2008 to 2012. While service delivery to its more than 5 million customers has remarkably improved over the last ten years, clearly, significant work still needs to be done to further improve services in the East Zone.
In order to address heightened customer expectations and to meet the increased water demand due to population growth, Manila Water came up with a new service improvement plan anchored on two key programs: the reliability of service delivery to customers, as well as, the expansion of water and wastewater programs to growth areas in the East Zone. The new service improvement plan has the ultimate objective of providing the same level of service to all customers.
The proposed plan is aligned with the programs of the national government, particularly those in the Medium-Term Philippine Development Plan. Moreover, the new service improvement plan took into consideration the development programs and land use plans of all local government units in the East Zone.
Reliability Investment Plan
After making marked improvements in the delivery of services to customers, there is now a need to ensure continued reliability of the network and water supply. The Reliability Investment Plan proposed by Manila Water is geared towards providing customers with uninterrupted water and wastewater services even in the event of natural disasters such as earthquake and typhoons.
The main component of the said plan is to maintain and/or further improve the service levels for current customers, especially those in the Central Distribution System (CDS). This will be made possible by implementing technical projects and maintenance works in water and wastewater facilities, such as treatment plants and pumping stations, as well as, in the network and distribution systems. The usual pipe replacement and/or rehabilitation, meter replacement and Tubig Para Sa Barangay projects make up the core programs under this component.
The reliability of Angat Dam is also a major concern for Metro Manila since it is the only water supply source of Metro Manila. Because of this, the Manila Water Company included several projects to ensure the structural reliability of Angat Dam.
Expansion Investment Plan
Manila Water’s Expansion Investment Plan focuses on addressing both the water and wastewater needs of the currently unserved areas, particularly those in the Rizal Province. While the Company has relatively covered the Central Distribution System in terms of water services, some areas in Taguig, Antipolo, San Mateo and Rodriguez still depend on deepwells for their water supply. In order to address the water demand of these areas, Manila Water proposes a network expansion program to provide surface water supply to these areas.
Another component of the Expansion Investment Plan is the development of new water sources such as the Laiban Dam, Rodriguez Water Treatment Plant and the Rizal Province Water Supply Improvement Project in response to the anticipated increased water demand due to population growth in the East Zone. This component is aligned with the MWSS New Water Sources Road Map.
In terms of wastewater, Manila Water proposes the adoption of the MWSS Wastewater Master Plan which primarily involves the construction of combined sewage-drainage treatment systems. This program will enable the Company to expand sewerage and sanitation services in the East Zone. Currently, only about 10% of the East Concession area is sewered with the rest of the population dependent upon septic tanks."
Manila Water Company: PTA, Manila Water sign landmark Boracay joint venture
Manila Water Company: PTA, Manila Water sign landmark Boracay joint venture:
"A joint venture company between Manila Water Company and the Philippine Tourism Authority (PTA) will develop and operate the existing Boracay Water Supply and Sewerage System (BWSS) in Malay, Aklan.
This came about after PTA and Manila Water signed a landmark joint venture agreement that would ensure the implementation of a comprehensive infrastructure program to provide 100% water supply and sewerage coverage to the entire island of Boracay.
The joint venture agreement is in accordance with the terms and requirements of the 2008 NEDA Joint Venture Guidelines for Government Corporations and the Private Sector.
Tourism Secretary Ace Durano said that under the joint venture, the authorized capital stock of the JV Company shall be PhP300 million whereby Manila Water’s equity contribution shall be 80% while PTA’s equity contribution shall be 20%. He also added that the JV Company shall design, build, operate and upgrade the water and sewerage facilities of Boracay.
Under the joint venture agreement, the JV Company will enter into a Concession Agreement (CA) with the PTA whereby the JV Company shall be granted a 25-year exclusive right, renewable for another 25 years, to service the waterworks and sewerage needs and requirements of the entire Boracay Island as an agent and contractor of the PTA. The terms in the CA are patterned after the Concession Agreement entered into by the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) with Manila Water in 1997.
“We are quite confident that Manila Water will be able to replicate the vast improvements it has made in the East Zone of Metro Manila and Rizal Province to Boracay Island,” says Manila Water Group Director for Regulation and Corporate Development Virgilio C. Rivera, Jr. He added that Manila Water’s track record for the past 11 years under a PPP with MWSS has greatly improved water service provision in eastern Metro Manila from only 26% in 1997 to 99% in 2008. He also noted that sewerage coverage in the East Concession area has increased by more than 500% from only 3% at the start of the concession period to 16% at yearend 2008.
“Manila Water has been hailed as a model of a successful private public sector partnership. This has been made possible in a regulatory environment through a concession agreement with MWSS that is one of the most progressive in this part of the world. We would like to duplicate this successful PPP with this joint venture agreement with PTA to ensure that Boracay continues to be a major tourist destination in the country,” Rivera concluded.
Just recently, the MWSS has approved the extension of the concession agreement with Manila Water by another 15 years from 2022 to 2037."
"A joint venture company between Manila Water Company and the Philippine Tourism Authority (PTA) will develop and operate the existing Boracay Water Supply and Sewerage System (BWSS) in Malay, Aklan.
This came about after PTA and Manila Water signed a landmark joint venture agreement that would ensure the implementation of a comprehensive infrastructure program to provide 100% water supply and sewerage coverage to the entire island of Boracay.
The joint venture agreement is in accordance with the terms and requirements of the 2008 NEDA Joint Venture Guidelines for Government Corporations and the Private Sector.
Tourism Secretary Ace Durano said that under the joint venture, the authorized capital stock of the JV Company shall be PhP300 million whereby Manila Water’s equity contribution shall be 80% while PTA’s equity contribution shall be 20%. He also added that the JV Company shall design, build, operate and upgrade the water and sewerage facilities of Boracay.
Under the joint venture agreement, the JV Company will enter into a Concession Agreement (CA) with the PTA whereby the JV Company shall be granted a 25-year exclusive right, renewable for another 25 years, to service the waterworks and sewerage needs and requirements of the entire Boracay Island as an agent and contractor of the PTA. The terms in the CA are patterned after the Concession Agreement entered into by the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) with Manila Water in 1997.
“We are quite confident that Manila Water will be able to replicate the vast improvements it has made in the East Zone of Metro Manila and Rizal Province to Boracay Island,” says Manila Water Group Director for Regulation and Corporate Development Virgilio C. Rivera, Jr. He added that Manila Water’s track record for the past 11 years under a PPP with MWSS has greatly improved water service provision in eastern Metro Manila from only 26% in 1997 to 99% in 2008. He also noted that sewerage coverage in the East Concession area has increased by more than 500% from only 3% at the start of the concession period to 16% at yearend 2008.
“Manila Water has been hailed as a model of a successful private public sector partnership. This has been made possible in a regulatory environment through a concession agreement with MWSS that is one of the most progressive in this part of the world. We would like to duplicate this successful PPP with this joint venture agreement with PTA to ensure that Boracay continues to be a major tourist destination in the country,” Rivera concluded.
Just recently, the MWSS has approved the extension of the concession agreement with Manila Water by another 15 years from 2022 to 2037."
SocioEconomic Research Portal for The Philippines
RURAL GOAT BREEDING:
SocioEconomic Research Portal for The Philippines: "The common problem in genetic improvement of native goats through upgrading technology is the availability of quality breeders. The Small Ruminant Center (SRC), Central Luzon State University (CLSU) implemented the Barangay Goat Breeder Production project in 2004 to provide quality breeder stocks and showcase its feasibility to farmers. In order to fast tract the gains of upgrading technology, 25 upgraded does and one purebred buck were the source of breeder stocks to cooperating farmers. Eight male progenies were dispersed in the form of buck-loan to seven farmers divided into two groups (Group 1, those with native does and Group 2, with upgraded does) in the Science City of Munoz in Nueva Ecija and the towns of Balungao and Umingan in Pangasinan. The farmers were selected based on their willingness, knowledge and capability to implement the recommended production technologies, and that they have at least 5 does. Raisers adopted sustainable parasite control (SPC) and semi-intensive feeding system using multipurpose tree legumes such as “ipil-ipil” (Leucaena leucocephala), “kakawate” (Gliricidia sepium), “katuray” (Sesbania sesban), crop residues, and mineral supplementation. The project adopted the Crop- Animal Research Network’s (CASREN) participatory approach to ensure proper fit between project interventions and the needs and preferences of target farmers. As of 2005, five farms in Balungao (Group 1) with 32 native does and 58 offsprings, and one farm each in Munoz and Umingan (Group 2) with 54 upgraded does (50% Anglo Nubian and 50% native) and 110 offsprings are being monitored and evaluated to determine their reproductive and growth performance. Kidding interval, kidding size and type of birth are determined among 86 breeder does. Birth weight, weaning rate, pre-weaning mortality, and growth performance of 168 offsprings are being monitored. After two parities, the does in both groups showed good performance, but does and kids in Group 2 performed better. Kidding interval is 8 months for the two groups. There is higher incidence of multiple births in Group 1, but dams in Group 2 have relatively higher weaning rate as a result of lower weaning mortality. Birth weight among kids in Group 2 was 3.25 kg, 0.45 kg higher than those born in Group 1. Moreover, 85.9 g average daily gain (ADG) of growing kids in Group 2 resulted in higher weaning weight than those in Group 1. Thus, farmers in Group 2 are expected to benefit more from the on-going upgrading technology as a result of better reproductive and growth performance of their animals with higher exotic bloodline.
.
(click publication code to view document in portable document format*.pdf)
Printable Format"
SocioEconomic Research Portal for The Philippines: "The common problem in genetic improvement of native goats through upgrading technology is the availability of quality breeders. The Small Ruminant Center (SRC), Central Luzon State University (CLSU) implemented the Barangay Goat Breeder Production project in 2004 to provide quality breeder stocks and showcase its feasibility to farmers. In order to fast tract the gains of upgrading technology, 25 upgraded does and one purebred buck were the source of breeder stocks to cooperating farmers. Eight male progenies were dispersed in the form of buck-loan to seven farmers divided into two groups (Group 1, those with native does and Group 2, with upgraded does) in the Science City of Munoz in Nueva Ecija and the towns of Balungao and Umingan in Pangasinan. The farmers were selected based on their willingness, knowledge and capability to implement the recommended production technologies, and that they have at least 5 does. Raisers adopted sustainable parasite control (SPC) and semi-intensive feeding system using multipurpose tree legumes such as “ipil-ipil” (Leucaena leucocephala), “kakawate” (Gliricidia sepium), “katuray” (Sesbania sesban), crop residues, and mineral supplementation. The project adopted the Crop- Animal Research Network’s (CASREN) participatory approach to ensure proper fit between project interventions and the needs and preferences of target farmers. As of 2005, five farms in Balungao (Group 1) with 32 native does and 58 offsprings, and one farm each in Munoz and Umingan (Group 2) with 54 upgraded does (50% Anglo Nubian and 50% native) and 110 offsprings are being monitored and evaluated to determine their reproductive and growth performance. Kidding interval, kidding size and type of birth are determined among 86 breeder does. Birth weight, weaning rate, pre-weaning mortality, and growth performance of 168 offsprings are being monitored. After two parities, the does in both groups showed good performance, but does and kids in Group 2 performed better. Kidding interval is 8 months for the two groups. There is higher incidence of multiple births in Group 1, but dams in Group 2 have relatively higher weaning rate as a result of lower weaning mortality. Birth weight among kids in Group 2 was 3.25 kg, 0.45 kg higher than those born in Group 1. Moreover, 85.9 g average daily gain (ADG) of growing kids in Group 2 resulted in higher weaning weight than those in Group 1. Thus, farmers in Group 2 are expected to benefit more from the on-going upgrading technology as a result of better reproductive and growth performance of their animals with higher exotic bloodline.
.
(click publication code to view document in portable document format*.pdf)
Printable Format"
SocioEconomic Research Portal for The Philippines
SocioEconomic Research Portal for The Philippines:
1. Management and Cost of Watershed Reforestation: The Pantabangan and Magat
2. NGOs as Development Intermediaries: A Fieldwork in the DENR Contract Reforestation Program
3. The Private Costs of Commercial Forestry, Reforestation and Social Forestry"
1. Management and Cost of Watershed Reforestation: The Pantabangan and Magat
2. NGOs as Development Intermediaries: A Fieldwork in the DENR Contract Reforestation Program
3. The Private Costs of Commercial Forestry, Reforestation and Social Forestry"
pidsdps0014.pdf (application/pdf Object)
MWSS Privatization: Implication on the Price of Water, the Poor and the Environment
pidsdps0014.pdf (application/pdf Object)
pidsdps0014.pdf (application/pdf Object)
SocioEconomic Research Portal for The Philippines
SocioEconomic Research Portal for The Philippines:
1. Anthropogenic Impacts On Aquatic And Terrestrial Environments In The La Mesa Watershed
2. Assessment of Watershed Technologies
3. Biodiversity Study of the Flora and Fauna of Busol Watershed
4. Community-led Watershed-based Water Resources Management: The Case of Balian, Pangil, Laguna
5. Development and the Upland Resource Base: Economic and Policy Context, and Lessons from a Philippine Watershed
6. Environmental Effects of Watershed Modifications
7. Integrated Land Use Planning and Sustainable Watershed Management
8. Linking Economic Policy and Environmental Outcomes at a Watershed Scale
9. Management and Cost of Watershed Reforestation: The Pantabangan and Magat
10. Off-Site Costs of Soil Erosion and Watershed Degradation in the Philippines: Sectoral Impacts and Tentative Results
11. Realities of a Watershed Management Approach in the Philippines: A Framework for Case Analysis
12. Realities of the Watershed Management Approach: The Magat Watershed Experience
13. Realities of the Watershed Management Approach: The Manupali Watershed Experience
14. Realities of the Watershed Management Approach: The Manupali Watershed Experience
15. Realities of the Watershed Management Approach:The Magat Watershed Experience
16. Realities of Watershed Management in the Philippines: Synthesis of Case Studies
17. Realities of Watershed Management in the Philippines: The Case of the Iloilo-Maasin Watershed
18. The On-Site and Downstream Costs of Soil Erosion in the Magat and Pantabangan Watersheds
19. The Watershed as a Planning Unit: A Challenge to Regional Planning
20. Valuation of Forest Resources in Watershed Areas: Selected Applications in Makiling Forest Reserve
21. Watershed Land Use Allocation: Potential Mechanisms for Addressing Societal Concerns
22. Watershed Management and Food Security in the Philippines: Policy Issues and Concerns
23. Watershed Management Policies and Institutional Mechanisms: A Critical Review
24. Why Watershed-Based Water Management Makes Sense
25. Winning the Water War: Watersheds, Water Policies and Water Institutions
26. Winning the Water Wars: Toward a Watershed-based Approach to Watershed Resources Management: A Policy Agenda for Local Government Units
1. Anthropogenic Impacts On Aquatic And Terrestrial Environments In The La Mesa Watershed
2. Assessment of Watershed Technologies
3. Biodiversity Study of the Flora and Fauna of Busol Watershed
4. Community-led Watershed-based Water Resources Management: The Case of Balian, Pangil, Laguna
5. Development and the Upland Resource Base: Economic and Policy Context, and Lessons from a Philippine Watershed
6. Environmental Effects of Watershed Modifications
7. Integrated Land Use Planning and Sustainable Watershed Management
8. Linking Economic Policy and Environmental Outcomes at a Watershed Scale
9. Management and Cost of Watershed Reforestation: The Pantabangan and Magat
10. Off-Site Costs of Soil Erosion and Watershed Degradation in the Philippines: Sectoral Impacts and Tentative Results
11. Realities of a Watershed Management Approach in the Philippines: A Framework for Case Analysis
12. Realities of the Watershed Management Approach: The Magat Watershed Experience
13. Realities of the Watershed Management Approach: The Manupali Watershed Experience
14. Realities of the Watershed Management Approach: The Manupali Watershed Experience
15. Realities of the Watershed Management Approach:The Magat Watershed Experience
16. Realities of Watershed Management in the Philippines: Synthesis of Case Studies
17. Realities of Watershed Management in the Philippines: The Case of the Iloilo-Maasin Watershed
18. The On-Site and Downstream Costs of Soil Erosion in the Magat and Pantabangan Watersheds
19. The Watershed as a Planning Unit: A Challenge to Regional Planning
20. Valuation of Forest Resources in Watershed Areas: Selected Applications in Makiling Forest Reserve
21. Watershed Land Use Allocation: Potential Mechanisms for Addressing Societal Concerns
22. Watershed Management and Food Security in the Philippines: Policy Issues and Concerns
23. Watershed Management Policies and Institutional Mechanisms: A Critical Review
24. Why Watershed-Based Water Management Makes Sense
25. Winning the Water War: Watersheds, Water Policies and Water Institutions
26. Winning the Water Wars: Toward a Watershed-based Approach to Watershed Resources Management: A Policy Agenda for Local Government Units
Leisure Farms | Landco | Residential Resorts, First-Home Subdivisions, Agro-Tourism, Malls & CBDs, Memorial Parks
Leisure Farms | Landco | Residential Resorts, First-Home Subdivisions, Agro-Tourism, Malls & CBDs, Memorial Parks: "Harvest the Fullness of Life
Situated in Lemery, Batangas, one hundred sixteen hectares of wide, rolling terrain, LEISURE FARMS TAGAYTAY is the first hobby farming community and agro-tourism site in the country. It integrates residential resort features with high-value modern farming.
LEISURE FARMS TAGAYTAY is created for the farm-loving city dweller, or so called 'hobby farmer.' It will be a place for these hobby farmers and their families to spend their weekends, engaging in both refreshing and productive activities, planting seeds, watering the soil, or just relaxing, enjoying the beauty of the surroundings, and the freshness of farm life.
LEISURE FARMS TAGAYTAY will not only be a series of farm lots, but a real complete and self-sustaining agricultural community. Aside from modern amenities, perimeter fencing, 24-hour security, and complete farm management services, LEISURE FARMS TAGAYTAY will have venues for good old country fun and adventure: nature trails, bridle paths, featuring a clubhouse, swimming pool and linear lake. There will also be an agro-tourism park, which includes a host of organic and hybrid vegetables, coffee farm, a fishpond, fruit orchard, flower farm, apiary (bee farm) and hydroponics.
Landco Pacific has big visions for LEISURE FARMS, and in partnership with locators Buro-Buro Spring Farms and Harbest Agri-Business, Inc., a seed and agricultural supplier, they are looking to constantly expand and develop their technologies. LEISURE FARMS TAGAYTAY will allow the introduction of better and more efficient resources and will provide jobs and more business opportunities for the local community.
LEISURE FARMS TAGAYTAY will be shepherded by its Board of Advisers, which includes Sec. Angelito Sarmiento, Presidential Advisers for Agricultural Modernization; Frank Panahon, as well as Zac Sarian and Apiary Consultant, Toby Tamayo.
To know more about LEISURE FARMS TAGAYTAY, visit our website at www.leisurefarms.com.
What's New @ Leisure Farms
* The Ultimate Tourism Town
July 9,2007 Women's Journal
Villa Escudero, which has long been favored as a romantic wedding venue and as a getaway for balikbayans, will soom morph into a residential and tourism town - thanks to property developer Landco Paci...
* Landco starts redevelopment of Villa Escudero
June 14,2007 Business World
Known for its popular tourist destination Villa Escudero, the Escudero estate embraces a change that will soon become a landmark of the Filipino good life. 'It is going to be a big development that...
* Leisure Farms win global award
May 24,2007 Manila Standard Today
Leisure Farms, a project developed by Landco Pacific Corporation, won the Professor Raanan Weitz Award and bagged the top slot in the Rehovot Approach Integrated Development Project competition. It be...
* Landco signs MOA with Escudero Family
August 11,2005
MOA SIGNING � Landco Pacific Corporation and Villa Escudero Corporation recently signed a joint venture Memorandum Of Agreement (MOA) for the development of the 400-hectare Villa Escudero property loc...
* Clubhouse Complex Opening
December 23,2004
Leisure Farms celebrated the launching of the Clubhouse Complex recently in Lemery, Batangas. Bringing together a wide range of fun activities for the whole family, excited guests and lot owners fl..."
Situated in Lemery, Batangas, one hundred sixteen hectares of wide, rolling terrain, LEISURE FARMS TAGAYTAY is the first hobby farming community and agro-tourism site in the country. It integrates residential resort features with high-value modern farming.
LEISURE FARMS TAGAYTAY is created for the farm-loving city dweller, or so called 'hobby farmer.' It will be a place for these hobby farmers and their families to spend their weekends, engaging in both refreshing and productive activities, planting seeds, watering the soil, or just relaxing, enjoying the beauty of the surroundings, and the freshness of farm life.
LEISURE FARMS TAGAYTAY will not only be a series of farm lots, but a real complete and self-sustaining agricultural community. Aside from modern amenities, perimeter fencing, 24-hour security, and complete farm management services, LEISURE FARMS TAGAYTAY will have venues for good old country fun and adventure: nature trails, bridle paths, featuring a clubhouse, swimming pool and linear lake. There will also be an agro-tourism park, which includes a host of organic and hybrid vegetables, coffee farm, a fishpond, fruit orchard, flower farm, apiary (bee farm) and hydroponics.
Landco Pacific has big visions for LEISURE FARMS, and in partnership with locators Buro-Buro Spring Farms and Harbest Agri-Business, Inc., a seed and agricultural supplier, they are looking to constantly expand and develop their technologies. LEISURE FARMS TAGAYTAY will allow the introduction of better and more efficient resources and will provide jobs and more business opportunities for the local community.
LEISURE FARMS TAGAYTAY will be shepherded by its Board of Advisers, which includes Sec. Angelito Sarmiento, Presidential Advisers for Agricultural Modernization; Frank Panahon, as well as Zac Sarian and Apiary Consultant, Toby Tamayo.
To know more about LEISURE FARMS TAGAYTAY, visit our website at www.leisurefarms.com.
What's New @ Leisure Farms
* The Ultimate Tourism Town
July 9,2007 Women's Journal
Villa Escudero, which has long been favored as a romantic wedding venue and as a getaway for balikbayans, will soom morph into a residential and tourism town - thanks to property developer Landco Paci...
* Landco starts redevelopment of Villa Escudero
June 14,2007 Business World
Known for its popular tourist destination Villa Escudero, the Escudero estate embraces a change that will soon become a landmark of the Filipino good life. 'It is going to be a big development that...
* Leisure Farms win global award
May 24,2007 Manila Standard Today
Leisure Farms, a project developed by Landco Pacific Corporation, won the Professor Raanan Weitz Award and bagged the top slot in the Rehovot Approach Integrated Development Project competition. It be...
* Landco signs MOA with Escudero Family
August 11,2005
MOA SIGNING � Landco Pacific Corporation and Villa Escudero Corporation recently signed a joint venture Memorandum Of Agreement (MOA) for the development of the 400-hectare Villa Escudero property loc...
* Clubhouse Complex Opening
December 23,2004
Leisure Farms celebrated the launching of the Clubhouse Complex recently in Lemery, Batangas. Bringing together a wide range of fun activities for the whole family, excited guests and lot owners fl..."
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Banks in Europe Lag in Recovery - washingtonpost.com
Banks in Europe Lag in Recovery - washingtonpost.com: "Banks in Europe Lag in Recovery
Huge Capital Infusions Needed, IMF Says
By Anthony Faiola
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
European banks are far behind those in the United States in clearing bad loans off their books and may need additional capital injections of up to $1.2 trillion, according to a major International Monetary Fund report released yesterday.
The IMF's global financial stability report -- seen as a key measure of the financial crisis -- suggests that while the downturn may have started in the United States, it could take longer to run its course in Europe and ultimately prove more costly for Europeans to fix.
Overall, the report said, financial institutions and investors worldwide stand to lose $4 trillion from bad debt and toxic assets, their biggest hit since the Great Depression. The single biggest sting is to banks, which are set to absorb about two-thirds of all losses.
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The fund also warned of growing credit woes in emerging markets. Addressing that concern, the World Bank said yesterday it would triple its spending to help developing countries withstand the crisis, allocating $12 billion in loans over the next two years for food, health and education programs. The bank spent $4 billion on such social programs in the past two years.
'Most attention in the current crisis has been focused on developed countries where people face the loss of homes, assets and jobs,' World Bank president Robert B. Zoellick said. 'People in developing countries have much less cushion: no savings, no insurance, no unemployment benefits and often no food.'
The IMF sought to quantify the scope of the crisis, saying the weak financial sectors in the United States and Europe are likely to need billions of dollars more in cash injections and signaling that Europe in particular needed to boost its efforts to prop up ailing banks. U.S. banks have written about half the estimated $1.1 trillion in troubled loans and toxic assets off their books, the IMF noted. But European banks have moved much slower, so far writing down less than 25 percent of the $1.4 trillion in bad debts.
Although the financial crisis originated largely with the subprime mortgage bubble in the United States, the global pool of bad assets has been augmented by a surge in troubled loans in Europe stemming from a string of corporate failures and depressed housing and commercial real estate markets. The report raised its estimate of troubled assets originating in the United States to $2.7 billion, up from $2.2 billion in January. For the first time, it also measured the size of troubled loans and assets overseas, placing them at about $1.3 billion.
'Europe may be in as bad shape, if not in worse shape,' said Martin Baily, senior fellow at the Washington-based Brookings Institution, and former chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers under former president Bill Clinton. 'They are holding quite a lot U.S. troubled assets, but they are also getting defaults themselves as their own economies turn down sharply. In terms of the housing market, with the exception of Germany, their bubble was in many cases bigger than the United States.'
The delayed response in Europe, officials note, is tied to the fact that the crisis began in the United States, giving U.S. financial institutions more time to identify and deal with its scope.
The report indicates global lending may not fully recover until 2011. Although lending may have bounced back some in recent months, the credit crunch continues to make it harder and more expensive for businesses worldwide to obtain financing, the report said. The credit crunch has been particularly pronounced and worrisome in the developing world.
In addition, the report notes that taxpayers in many nations are growing weary of bailout efforts when more may be needed for a sustained global recovery.
'The political support for such action is waning as the public is becoming disillusioned by what it perceives as abuses of taxpayer funds in some headline cases,' the report said. 'There is a real risk that governments will be reluctant to allocate enough resources to solve the problem.'
The IMF nevertheless advised governments to 'take bolder steps' to reinforce the fragile financial system through bailouts, even if it means nationalization of specific banks. It urged, however, that such steps be temporary and that banks be strengthened and returned to the private sector ownership as soon as possible.
Many nations, including the United States, have poured billions of dollars into financial institutions, though mostly avoiding full nationalization.
In London this month, the group of 20 industrialized and developing nations agreed in principle to combat the financial crisis in part by beefing up resources at the IMF and World Bank by more than $1 trillion -- though they have not yet agreed where all of that money will come from.
That will be one of the chief topics discussed over the next several days during a number of major meetings in Washington. Finance ministers from the Group of Seven industrialized nations, as well as from the larger G20, will meet Friday. The World Bank and IMF will host their annual spring meetings Saturday and Sunday."
Huge Capital Infusions Needed, IMF Says
By Anthony Faiola
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
European banks are far behind those in the United States in clearing bad loans off their books and may need additional capital injections of up to $1.2 trillion, according to a major International Monetary Fund report released yesterday.
The IMF's global financial stability report -- seen as a key measure of the financial crisis -- suggests that while the downturn may have started in the United States, it could take longer to run its course in Europe and ultimately prove more costly for Europeans to fix.
Overall, the report said, financial institutions and investors worldwide stand to lose $4 trillion from bad debt and toxic assets, their biggest hit since the Great Depression. The single biggest sting is to banks, which are set to absorb about two-thirds of all losses.
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The fund also warned of growing credit woes in emerging markets. Addressing that concern, the World Bank said yesterday it would triple its spending to help developing countries withstand the crisis, allocating $12 billion in loans over the next two years for food, health and education programs. The bank spent $4 billion on such social programs in the past two years.
'Most attention in the current crisis has been focused on developed countries where people face the loss of homes, assets and jobs,' World Bank president Robert B. Zoellick said. 'People in developing countries have much less cushion: no savings, no insurance, no unemployment benefits and often no food.'
The IMF sought to quantify the scope of the crisis, saying the weak financial sectors in the United States and Europe are likely to need billions of dollars more in cash injections and signaling that Europe in particular needed to boost its efforts to prop up ailing banks. U.S. banks have written about half the estimated $1.1 trillion in troubled loans and toxic assets off their books, the IMF noted. But European banks have moved much slower, so far writing down less than 25 percent of the $1.4 trillion in bad debts.
Although the financial crisis originated largely with the subprime mortgage bubble in the United States, the global pool of bad assets has been augmented by a surge in troubled loans in Europe stemming from a string of corporate failures and depressed housing and commercial real estate markets. The report raised its estimate of troubled assets originating in the United States to $2.7 billion, up from $2.2 billion in January. For the first time, it also measured the size of troubled loans and assets overseas, placing them at about $1.3 billion.
'Europe may be in as bad shape, if not in worse shape,' said Martin Baily, senior fellow at the Washington-based Brookings Institution, and former chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers under former president Bill Clinton. 'They are holding quite a lot U.S. troubled assets, but they are also getting defaults themselves as their own economies turn down sharply. In terms of the housing market, with the exception of Germany, their bubble was in many cases bigger than the United States.'
The delayed response in Europe, officials note, is tied to the fact that the crisis began in the United States, giving U.S. financial institutions more time to identify and deal with its scope.
The report indicates global lending may not fully recover until 2011. Although lending may have bounced back some in recent months, the credit crunch continues to make it harder and more expensive for businesses worldwide to obtain financing, the report said. The credit crunch has been particularly pronounced and worrisome in the developing world.
In addition, the report notes that taxpayers in many nations are growing weary of bailout efforts when more may be needed for a sustained global recovery.
'The political support for such action is waning as the public is becoming disillusioned by what it perceives as abuses of taxpayer funds in some headline cases,' the report said. 'There is a real risk that governments will be reluctant to allocate enough resources to solve the problem.'
The IMF nevertheless advised governments to 'take bolder steps' to reinforce the fragile financial system through bailouts, even if it means nationalization of specific banks. It urged, however, that such steps be temporary and that banks be strengthened and returned to the private sector ownership as soon as possible.
Many nations, including the United States, have poured billions of dollars into financial institutions, though mostly avoiding full nationalization.
In London this month, the group of 20 industrialized and developing nations agreed in principle to combat the financial crisis in part by beefing up resources at the IMF and World Bank by more than $1 trillion -- though they have not yet agreed where all of that money will come from.
That will be one of the chief topics discussed over the next several days during a number of major meetings in Washington. Finance ministers from the Group of Seven industrialized nations, as well as from the larger G20, will meet Friday. The World Bank and IMF will host their annual spring meetings Saturday and Sunday."
IMF: Toxic asset fallout could reach $4 trillion - Apr. 21, 2009
IMF: Toxic asset fallout could reach $4 trillion - Apr. 21, 2009:
"WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The International Monetary Fund has raised its estimate of the amount of toxic assets that banks and financial institutions will have to dispose of or write down to $4 trillion.
The IMF released information from its latest 'Global Financial Stability Report' (GFSR) Tuesday saying its estimates for global write-downs has increased from $2.7 trillion in January to $4 trillion partly as a result of including more types of assets that have been depreciating.
Previous estimates had only included U.S. originated assets. Also contributing to the new estimates is what the IMF calls 'the worsening base-case scenario for economic growth,' a projection that the recovery will be painful and slow.
Two-thirds of the $4 trillion in losses will likely fall on banks, although the IMF says that non-bank financial institutions like insurance companies and pension funds have also been hit hard by declines in asset prices on both equities and bonds.
'Shrinking economic activity has put further pressure on banks' balance sheets as asset values continue to degrade, threatening their capital adequacy and further discouraging fresh lending,' according to the GSFR.
Cross border international lending has intensified the crisis in some emerging market countries, says the IMF, which expects net private capital flows to emerging market countries to be negative in 2009, while at the same time 2009 refinancing needs for the emerging markets are expected to be about $1.2 trillion.
'The global financial system remains under severe stress as the crisis broadens to include households, corporations, and the banking sectors in both advanced and emerging market countries,' the IMF said.
The IMF also worries that political support for additional aid to the financial system is waning as the public is becoming disillusioned by what it perceives as abuses of taxpayer funds.
The report notes a real risk that governments will be reluctant to allocate enough resources to solve the problem. The result, according to the IMF, is uncertainty that could hold back the private sector from 'constructively engaging' to help the system dig itself out of the ongoing financial crisis.
On the brighter side, the IMF said that the response by policy makers is gradually beginning to restore confidence in the markets.
'Continued decisive and effective action is needed to preserve and strengthen these first signs of improvement, and to help provide a more stable and resilient platform for sustained global growth,' José Viñals, financial counselor and director of the IMF's Monetary and Capital Markets Department, said.
The report notes that more capital will be needed as well as more coordination between governments. To top of page"
"WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The International Monetary Fund has raised its estimate of the amount of toxic assets that banks and financial institutions will have to dispose of or write down to $4 trillion.
The IMF released information from its latest 'Global Financial Stability Report' (GFSR) Tuesday saying its estimates for global write-downs has increased from $2.7 trillion in January to $4 trillion partly as a result of including more types of assets that have been depreciating.
Previous estimates had only included U.S. originated assets. Also contributing to the new estimates is what the IMF calls 'the worsening base-case scenario for economic growth,' a projection that the recovery will be painful and slow.
Two-thirds of the $4 trillion in losses will likely fall on banks, although the IMF says that non-bank financial institutions like insurance companies and pension funds have also been hit hard by declines in asset prices on both equities and bonds.
'Shrinking economic activity has put further pressure on banks' balance sheets as asset values continue to degrade, threatening their capital adequacy and further discouraging fresh lending,' according to the GSFR.
Cross border international lending has intensified the crisis in some emerging market countries, says the IMF, which expects net private capital flows to emerging market countries to be negative in 2009, while at the same time 2009 refinancing needs for the emerging markets are expected to be about $1.2 trillion.
'The global financial system remains under severe stress as the crisis broadens to include households, corporations, and the banking sectors in both advanced and emerging market countries,' the IMF said.
The IMF also worries that political support for additional aid to the financial system is waning as the public is becoming disillusioned by what it perceives as abuses of taxpayer funds.
The report notes a real risk that governments will be reluctant to allocate enough resources to solve the problem. The result, according to the IMF, is uncertainty that could hold back the private sector from 'constructively engaging' to help the system dig itself out of the ongoing financial crisis.
On the brighter side, the IMF said that the response by policy makers is gradually beginning to restore confidence in the markets.
'Continued decisive and effective action is needed to preserve and strengthen these first signs of improvement, and to help provide a more stable and resilient platform for sustained global growth,' José Viñals, financial counselor and director of the IMF's Monetary and Capital Markets Department, said.
The report notes that more capital will be needed as well as more coordination between governments. To top of page"
The Associated Press: IMF: Nations need to do more or crisis will worsen
The Associated Press: IMF: Nations need to do more or crisis will worsen: "IMF: Nations need to do more or crisis will worsen
By MARTIN CRUTSINGER – 13 hours ago
WASHINGTON (AP) — Losses at financial institutions could approach $4.1 trillion worldwide, the International Monetary Fund said Tuesday as it urged countries to take bolder action to bolster banks or risk an even deeper recession.
More capital is needed to cushion against further losses, the IMF's Global Financial Stability Report concluded: An estimated $275 billion in capital for U.S. banks and $600 billion more for European banks.
The report and an updated economic forecast due Wednesday will form the basis for three days of meetings set to begin Friday among finance officials from the world's richest countries and major developing countries. The talks are being held as part of the spring meetings of the IMF and its sister lending institution, the World Bank.
Those talks will seek to flesh out the commitments made at a G-20 leaders summit in London last month. At that meeting, President Barack Obama and the other leaders pledged to boost financial support for the IMF and other international lending institutions by $1.1 trillion.
Obama wrote to congressional leaders this week asking them to support the pledges he made on behalf of the U.S at the G-20 summit on April 2. Those included a tenfold boost in U.S. commitments to an emergency IMF loan fund to $100 billion and U.S. support for changes in how the agency is governed to increase the voting power of emerging developing countries such as China, Brazil and India.
IMF Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn has sought to revamp the agency's lending programs to make them more flexible. The IMF has created a new line of credit that it's willing to extend to countries with solid economic track records without the tough restrictions of normal IMF loan programs. So far, Mexico, Poland and Colombia have petitioned for funds under the new lending program.
The 185-nation IMF, headquartered in Washington, is the globe's economic rescue squad, providing emergency loans to countries facing financial troubles.
The IMF came under severe criticism a decade ago, during the 1997-98 Asian currency crisis, for the types of stringent reforms it imposed on countries receiving IMF assistance.
The agency has shown greater flexibility in the loans it has extended for countries caught up in the current crisis, including those made to the formerly communist Eastern European countries of Hungary, Latvia, Ukraine, Serbia and Romania.
Its latest conclusions were blunt.
'The current inability to attract private money suggests that the crisis has deepened to the point where governments need to take bolder steps and not shrink from capital injection in the form of common shares, even if it means taking majority, or even complete control of institutions,' the IMF said.
In the current crisis, the IMF is trying to prod rich nations to take the right steps to deal with the banking crisis while seeking additional support to help developing countries. It also is trying to make reforms long sought by developing nations to give them a greater voice in how the agency operates.
'There is no disagreement on the general goals that the IMF should have more resources, and countries such as China should have more of a say in how the agency operates,' said Sung Won Sohn, an economics professor at the Smith School of Business at California State University. 'But behind the scenes, there will be a lot of arguments because no one wants to give up the power they now have.'
The Obama administration has said it's considering converting some of the $200 billion in loans it has made to banks from the $700 billion bailout fund into purchases of common stock to bolster their capital reserves. That could greatly increase the government's ownership stakes in U.S. financial institutions.
A final decision on using this approach is expected to come when results of 'stress tests' on the 19 biggest U.S. banks are announced May 4.
Some economists worry that without stringent IMF programs, countries will not make the tough choices needed to trigger an economic rebound. But most believe the new flexibility is a welcome change from past approaches.
The IMF estimated that total losses on loans and securities originating in the United States at $2.7 trillion from 2007 to 2010. That's up from a January estimate of $2.2 trillion and nearly double the $1.4 trillion in losses the IMF estimated just six months ago.
For the first time, the IMF sought to estimate worldwide losses from the financial crisis: It put that figure at nearly $4.1 trillion between 2007 and 2010.
Besides debates over rearranging the governing structure of the lending institutions, the weekend talks are expected to focus on reforms that should be made in how the IMF carries out its duties.
But many economists said meeting all the pledges made by the G-20 for additional money or overhauling the IMF's governing structure likely will remain unresolved.
'You may see some more specifics in the area of financial support, but exactly where all of the money mentioned at the London summit will come from has not yet been made clear,' said Michael Mussa, former chief economist at the IMF and now a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute, a Washington think tank.
Some member nations want to give the IMF greater powers as a global economic watchdog. They argue that if the agency had played a greater monitoring role, some of the financial market excesses that led to the current crisis could have been avoided.
But any move to increase the IMF's oversight is likely to meet stiff resistance among countries like China whose officials have objected to IMF lectures on its undervalued currency.
Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved."
By MARTIN CRUTSINGER – 13 hours ago
WASHINGTON (AP) — Losses at financial institutions could approach $4.1 trillion worldwide, the International Monetary Fund said Tuesday as it urged countries to take bolder action to bolster banks or risk an even deeper recession.
More capital is needed to cushion against further losses, the IMF's Global Financial Stability Report concluded: An estimated $275 billion in capital for U.S. banks and $600 billion more for European banks.
The report and an updated economic forecast due Wednesday will form the basis for three days of meetings set to begin Friday among finance officials from the world's richest countries and major developing countries. The talks are being held as part of the spring meetings of the IMF and its sister lending institution, the World Bank.
Those talks will seek to flesh out the commitments made at a G-20 leaders summit in London last month. At that meeting, President Barack Obama and the other leaders pledged to boost financial support for the IMF and other international lending institutions by $1.1 trillion.
Obama wrote to congressional leaders this week asking them to support the pledges he made on behalf of the U.S at the G-20 summit on April 2. Those included a tenfold boost in U.S. commitments to an emergency IMF loan fund to $100 billion and U.S. support for changes in how the agency is governed to increase the voting power of emerging developing countries such as China, Brazil and India.
IMF Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn has sought to revamp the agency's lending programs to make them more flexible. The IMF has created a new line of credit that it's willing to extend to countries with solid economic track records without the tough restrictions of normal IMF loan programs. So far, Mexico, Poland and Colombia have petitioned for funds under the new lending program.
The 185-nation IMF, headquartered in Washington, is the globe's economic rescue squad, providing emergency loans to countries facing financial troubles.
The IMF came under severe criticism a decade ago, during the 1997-98 Asian currency crisis, for the types of stringent reforms it imposed on countries receiving IMF assistance.
The agency has shown greater flexibility in the loans it has extended for countries caught up in the current crisis, including those made to the formerly communist Eastern European countries of Hungary, Latvia, Ukraine, Serbia and Romania.
Its latest conclusions were blunt.
'The current inability to attract private money suggests that the crisis has deepened to the point where governments need to take bolder steps and not shrink from capital injection in the form of common shares, even if it means taking majority, or even complete control of institutions,' the IMF said.
In the current crisis, the IMF is trying to prod rich nations to take the right steps to deal with the banking crisis while seeking additional support to help developing countries. It also is trying to make reforms long sought by developing nations to give them a greater voice in how the agency operates.
'There is no disagreement on the general goals that the IMF should have more resources, and countries such as China should have more of a say in how the agency operates,' said Sung Won Sohn, an economics professor at the Smith School of Business at California State University. 'But behind the scenes, there will be a lot of arguments because no one wants to give up the power they now have.'
The Obama administration has said it's considering converting some of the $200 billion in loans it has made to banks from the $700 billion bailout fund into purchases of common stock to bolster their capital reserves. That could greatly increase the government's ownership stakes in U.S. financial institutions.
A final decision on using this approach is expected to come when results of 'stress tests' on the 19 biggest U.S. banks are announced May 4.
Some economists worry that without stringent IMF programs, countries will not make the tough choices needed to trigger an economic rebound. But most believe the new flexibility is a welcome change from past approaches.
The IMF estimated that total losses on loans and securities originating in the United States at $2.7 trillion from 2007 to 2010. That's up from a January estimate of $2.2 trillion and nearly double the $1.4 trillion in losses the IMF estimated just six months ago.
For the first time, the IMF sought to estimate worldwide losses from the financial crisis: It put that figure at nearly $4.1 trillion between 2007 and 2010.
Besides debates over rearranging the governing structure of the lending institutions, the weekend talks are expected to focus on reforms that should be made in how the IMF carries out its duties.
But many economists said meeting all the pledges made by the G-20 for additional money or overhauling the IMF's governing structure likely will remain unresolved.
'You may see some more specifics in the area of financial support, but exactly where all of the money mentioned at the London summit will come from has not yet been made clear,' said Michael Mussa, former chief economist at the IMF and now a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute, a Washington think tank.
Some member nations want to give the IMF greater powers as a global economic watchdog. They argue that if the agency had played a greater monitoring role, some of the financial market excesses that led to the current crisis could have been avoided.
But any move to increase the IMF's oversight is likely to meet stiff resistance among countries like China whose officials have objected to IMF lectures on its undervalued currency.
Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved."
Article - WSJ.com
Article - WSJ.com: "* APRIL 21, 2009, 12:23 P.M. ET
UPDATE: IMF: Mkt Confidence Improving, But Need More Action
(Updates with additional details, comments starting in the fourth paragraph)
By Tom Barkley
Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)--Despite signs of improvement in global markets, further coordinated actions are needed by governments and banks to ensure that a world economic recovery can take hold, a senior International Monetary Fund official said Tuesday.
'The unprecedented policy response, both in the financial and macroeconomic domains, is gradually beginning to restore market confidence,' said Jose Vinals, director of the fund's monetary and capital markets department.
'But continued decisive and effective action is needed to preserve and strengthen these first signs of improvement and to help provide a more stable and resilient platform for sustained global growth,' Vinals said in a briefing to discuss the IMF's latest Global Financial Stability Report.
The report indicated a significant deepening and spreading of the crisis beyond the mortgage-related assets in the U.S. responsible for sparking the turmoil. The IMF now projects that worldwide financial losses could top $4 trillion through next year, with the estimated damage from U.S. assets alone increased to $2.7 trillion from a previous forecast of $2.2 trillion in January.
Reflecting the widening scope of the crisis, loan losses and write-downs in assets originated outside the U.S. were also factored in for the first time. Losses from European assets are expected to reach $1.2 trillion through 2010, with estimates of $149 billion for Japanese assets and $340 billion for emerging markets.
Still, IMF officials sounded the most optimistic note yet about the crisis, saying recent improvements in some markets point to the possibility that write-downs could come in below those levels.
'Circumstances in some of the markets were worse than they are now' when the $4.1 trillion loss estimate was calculated at the end of March, Jan Brockmeijer, deputy director of the monetary and capital markets department, told Dow Jones Newswires after the briefing.
That figure is 'slightly higher' than current mark-to-market write-downs would suggest, he said, adding that it would be too difficult to give a precise revision due to market fluctuations.
The market improvements have been 'across the board' but not significant enough to alter the overall outlook, said Brockmeijer. Some of the biggest improvement has come from emerging-market spreads, which he said is in part due to the recent announcement of plans to triple the IMF's resources, and to countries like Mexico, Poland and Colombia lining up for the new flexible credit line to backstop sound economies.
'Certain emerging-market spreads have come in quite considerably since these liquidity facilities have been announced,' said Brockmeijer.
Despite some positive signs, the IMF stressed the need for banks to raise a significant amount of additional capital, estimating that U.S. and European firms would need $875 billion more equity just to return to pre-crisis levels. U.S. banks are nearly halfway there, but European institutions have raised just a third of the capital that may be needed to restore market confidence, the report said.
'The key takeaway is that higher write-downs, together with market demands for both lower leverage and more stringent capital ratios will require financial institutions to hold more capital - whether raised in markets or provided by governments,' said Vinals.
When asked about reports that the U.S. may convert some of the preferred shares it owns in banks into common equity - which would cover most of the need for capital among local banks - Vinals said it is a possibility, but that it is up to the government to decide.
Temporary nationalization may also be necessary for a 'limited subset of cases' around the world, just long enough to stabilize the situation, said Vinals. But he also welcomed the Obama administration's public-private investment program to provide incentives for the private sector to buy up toxic assets.
'This is something which is useful in order to make private capital come back into the banking system,' he said.
-By Tom Barkley, Dow Jones Newswires; 202-862-9275; tom.barkley@dowjones.com"
UPDATE: IMF: Mkt Confidence Improving, But Need More Action
(Updates with additional details, comments starting in the fourth paragraph)
By Tom Barkley
Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)--Despite signs of improvement in global markets, further coordinated actions are needed by governments and banks to ensure that a world economic recovery can take hold, a senior International Monetary Fund official said Tuesday.
'The unprecedented policy response, both in the financial and macroeconomic domains, is gradually beginning to restore market confidence,' said Jose Vinals, director of the fund's monetary and capital markets department.
'But continued decisive and effective action is needed to preserve and strengthen these first signs of improvement and to help provide a more stable and resilient platform for sustained global growth,' Vinals said in a briefing to discuss the IMF's latest Global Financial Stability Report.
The report indicated a significant deepening and spreading of the crisis beyond the mortgage-related assets in the U.S. responsible for sparking the turmoil. The IMF now projects that worldwide financial losses could top $4 trillion through next year, with the estimated damage from U.S. assets alone increased to $2.7 trillion from a previous forecast of $2.2 trillion in January.
Reflecting the widening scope of the crisis, loan losses and write-downs in assets originated outside the U.S. were also factored in for the first time. Losses from European assets are expected to reach $1.2 trillion through 2010, with estimates of $149 billion for Japanese assets and $340 billion for emerging markets.
Still, IMF officials sounded the most optimistic note yet about the crisis, saying recent improvements in some markets point to the possibility that write-downs could come in below those levels.
'Circumstances in some of the markets were worse than they are now' when the $4.1 trillion loss estimate was calculated at the end of March, Jan Brockmeijer, deputy director of the monetary and capital markets department, told Dow Jones Newswires after the briefing.
That figure is 'slightly higher' than current mark-to-market write-downs would suggest, he said, adding that it would be too difficult to give a precise revision due to market fluctuations.
The market improvements have been 'across the board' but not significant enough to alter the overall outlook, said Brockmeijer. Some of the biggest improvement has come from emerging-market spreads, which he said is in part due to the recent announcement of plans to triple the IMF's resources, and to countries like Mexico, Poland and Colombia lining up for the new flexible credit line to backstop sound economies.
'Certain emerging-market spreads have come in quite considerably since these liquidity facilities have been announced,' said Brockmeijer.
Despite some positive signs, the IMF stressed the need for banks to raise a significant amount of additional capital, estimating that U.S. and European firms would need $875 billion more equity just to return to pre-crisis levels. U.S. banks are nearly halfway there, but European institutions have raised just a third of the capital that may be needed to restore market confidence, the report said.
'The key takeaway is that higher write-downs, together with market demands for both lower leverage and more stringent capital ratios will require financial institutions to hold more capital - whether raised in markets or provided by governments,' said Vinals.
When asked about reports that the U.S. may convert some of the preferred shares it owns in banks into common equity - which would cover most of the need for capital among local banks - Vinals said it is a possibility, but that it is up to the government to decide.
Temporary nationalization may also be necessary for a 'limited subset of cases' around the world, just long enough to stabilize the situation, said Vinals. But he also welcomed the Obama administration's public-private investment program to provide incentives for the private sector to buy up toxic assets.
'This is something which is useful in order to make private capital come back into the banking system,' he said.
-By Tom Barkley, Dow Jones Newswires; 202-862-9275; tom.barkley@dowjones.com"
Build Green Schools, by the U.S. Green Building Council
Build Green Schools, by the U.S. Green Building Council:
"Green schools cost less to operate, freeing up resources to truly improve students’ education. Their carefully planned acoustics and abundant daylight make it easier and more comfortable for students to learn. Their clean indoor air cuts down sick days and gives our children a head start for a healthy, prosperous future. And their innovative design provides a wealth of hands-on learning opportunities.
Across the United States, school districts large and small are realizing the benefits of building with LEED for Schools. Students, parents, teachers and community members are making the difference, by letting elected officials know they want their schools built green."
"Green schools cost less to operate, freeing up resources to truly improve students’ education. Their carefully planned acoustics and abundant daylight make it easier and more comfortable for students to learn. Their clean indoor air cuts down sick days and gives our children a head start for a healthy, prosperous future. And their innovative design provides a wealth of hands-on learning opportunities.
Across the United States, school districts large and small are realizing the benefits of building with LEED for Schools. Students, parents, teachers and community members are making the difference, by letting elected officials know they want their schools built green."
The Manila Times Internet Edition | OPINION > Protest against Laiban Dam
The Manila Times Internet Edition | OPINION ; Protest against Laiban Dam: NATURE FOR LIFE
By Anabelle E. Plantilla
Protest against Laiban Dam
Environmental groups and local people expressed alarm over the planned Laiban dam project in Tanay, Rizal, and General Nakar, Quezon. The huge 113-meter high Laiban Dam, a project of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS), will augment the supply of water and electricity in Metro Manila and the Calabarzon area.
However, the protesting groups led by the growing Convergence for Safe Food, Healthy Environment and Sustainable Economy, a consortium of more than 15 NGOs, led by Miriam PEACE believe that the social, economic and environmental costs of building the proposed dam are too high a price to pay for the purported benefits. Convergence spokesman Nina Galang cited studies of the World Commission on Dams which has indicated that the costs of building large dams far outweigh the benefits.
According to Donna Reyes, executive director of Miriam PEACE and project leader of the Southern Sierra Madre Wildlife Center, the project will cost approximately $1 billion with an estimated cost overrun of 56 percent thus the dam may cost $1.56 billion. This cost will most likely be borne by users, which means all of us, causing water prices to increase. Donna added that studies show that about half of the water resources in Metro Manila are wasted due to leaks. The solution to Metro Manila’s water crisis is to plug the leaks rather than waste money on an expensive dam that we cannot afford.
Fr. Pete Montallana of the Indigenous Peoples Apostolate of the Diocese of Infanta said that people are fearful that the dam’s location near geological faults can jeopardize the stability of the dam structure. In the event that the dam breaks, a repeat of the destructive flood in 2004 can result in deaths and loss of property in General Nakar, Infanta and Real, Quezon. Fr. Pete said it has been barely two years after the 2004 flood and the people still grimly recall the initial explosion and the massive amounts of water from the mountains that carried soil, rocks and logs, submerging homes, farmland and buildings and killing thousands of people, including family members and friends.
The Tanay-based LGU Laiban Commission cited direct negative impacts of the proposed dam on the people and local resources. The construction of the dam within the Kaliwa Watershed will affect and possibly displace 3,500 families living in seven barangays in Tanay, Rizal, and one barangay in Gen. Nakar, Quezon. These people are upland farmers and indigenous peoples—Dumagat and Remontados—whose lives depend on the forest, farm lots and rivers.
The various development initiatives of the World Bank-funded Kaliwa Watershed Management Project of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the local government units and other stakeholders will also be lost. The DENR has granted local peoples’ organizations tenurial instruments such as the Protected Area Community-based Resources Management Agreements that allow them to conserve and develop the place for 25 years. Schools, barangay halls, residences, water systems, churches, footbridges and other infrastructure have been built for the local residents.
The resulting diminished water flow in the Agos River in Quezon province that eventually drains into the Pacific Ocean can affect navigation, irrigation and fisheries in the river and estuary.
Moreover, the dam could be detrimental to agroforestry, which remains part of the major agenda of the local government of Tanay, with its thrust of becoming a “food basket” for the province of Rizal. Likewise, it can spoil the great ecotourism potential of the place, given its natural assets such as rivers and streams, waterfalls and caves and panoramic views, the culture of the indigenous peoples and proximity to Metro Manila.
The local groups, supported by Convergence, calls on the government to shelve the proposed Laiban Dam and instead draft a comprehensive water management plan to solve the water concerns of Metro Manila. Water conservation should be promoted. Residents can plug leaks, recycle water and avoid wastage.
They also urge that Kaliwa Watershed be conserved for the protection of significant ecosystems and the sustainable use of local people, so that nature will be maintained for the coming generations. The biodiversity of Kaliwa and Kanan Rivers has global significance as one of the key priority conservation areas along the Sierra Madre biodiversity corridor, itself an important site in our country."
By Anabelle E. Plantilla
Protest against Laiban Dam
Environmental groups and local people expressed alarm over the planned Laiban dam project in Tanay, Rizal, and General Nakar, Quezon. The huge 113-meter high Laiban Dam, a project of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS), will augment the supply of water and electricity in Metro Manila and the Calabarzon area.
However, the protesting groups led by the growing Convergence for Safe Food, Healthy Environment and Sustainable Economy, a consortium of more than 15 NGOs, led by Miriam PEACE believe that the social, economic and environmental costs of building the proposed dam are too high a price to pay for the purported benefits. Convergence spokesman Nina Galang cited studies of the World Commission on Dams which has indicated that the costs of building large dams far outweigh the benefits.
According to Donna Reyes, executive director of Miriam PEACE and project leader of the Southern Sierra Madre Wildlife Center, the project will cost approximately $1 billion with an estimated cost overrun of 56 percent thus the dam may cost $1.56 billion. This cost will most likely be borne by users, which means all of us, causing water prices to increase. Donna added that studies show that about half of the water resources in Metro Manila are wasted due to leaks. The solution to Metro Manila’s water crisis is to plug the leaks rather than waste money on an expensive dam that we cannot afford.
Fr. Pete Montallana of the Indigenous Peoples Apostolate of the Diocese of Infanta said that people are fearful that the dam’s location near geological faults can jeopardize the stability of the dam structure. In the event that the dam breaks, a repeat of the destructive flood in 2004 can result in deaths and loss of property in General Nakar, Infanta and Real, Quezon. Fr. Pete said it has been barely two years after the 2004 flood and the people still grimly recall the initial explosion and the massive amounts of water from the mountains that carried soil, rocks and logs, submerging homes, farmland and buildings and killing thousands of people, including family members and friends.
The Tanay-based LGU Laiban Commission cited direct negative impacts of the proposed dam on the people and local resources. The construction of the dam within the Kaliwa Watershed will affect and possibly displace 3,500 families living in seven barangays in Tanay, Rizal, and one barangay in Gen. Nakar, Quezon. These people are upland farmers and indigenous peoples—Dumagat and Remontados—whose lives depend on the forest, farm lots and rivers.
The various development initiatives of the World Bank-funded Kaliwa Watershed Management Project of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the local government units and other stakeholders will also be lost. The DENR has granted local peoples’ organizations tenurial instruments such as the Protected Area Community-based Resources Management Agreements that allow them to conserve and develop the place for 25 years. Schools, barangay halls, residences, water systems, churches, footbridges and other infrastructure have been built for the local residents.
The resulting diminished water flow in the Agos River in Quezon province that eventually drains into the Pacific Ocean can affect navigation, irrigation and fisheries in the river and estuary.
Moreover, the dam could be detrimental to agroforestry, which remains part of the major agenda of the local government of Tanay, with its thrust of becoming a “food basket” for the province of Rizal. Likewise, it can spoil the great ecotourism potential of the place, given its natural assets such as rivers and streams, waterfalls and caves and panoramic views, the culture of the indigenous peoples and proximity to Metro Manila.
The local groups, supported by Convergence, calls on the government to shelve the proposed Laiban Dam and instead draft a comprehensive water management plan to solve the water concerns of Metro Manila. Water conservation should be promoted. Residents can plug leaks, recycle water and avoid wastage.
They also urge that Kaliwa Watershed be conserved for the protection of significant ecosystems and the sustainable use of local people, so that nature will be maintained for the coming generations. The biodiversity of Kaliwa and Kanan Rivers has global significance as one of the key priority conservation areas along the Sierra Madre biodiversity corridor, itself an important site in our country."
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
San Miguel eyes bulk water supply
San Miguel eyes bulk water supply: "Written by Honey Madrilejos-Reyes / Reporter
Monday, 09 February 2009 23:30
AFTER energy and telecommunications, listed conglomerate San Miguel Corp. is targeting the water sector as the newest addition to its growing portfolio.
The company on Monday said its wholly owned unit San Miguel Bulk Water Co. Inc. (SMBWCI) has submitted to the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) an unsolicited proposal for the P48-billion Laiban Dam Project.
In a text message, Ramon Ang, San Miguel vice chairman and president, told the BusinessMirror the project is very attractive because it assures “water security and supply in Mega Manila for the next 50 years.”
He added that the company would have a foreign partner for the undertaking. He did not name the company.
SMBWCI’s proposal is a joint venture with the MWSS under the public-private joint-venture scheme based on the guidelines and procedures for entering into joint-venture agreements between the government and private entities, as promulgated by the National Economic and Development Authority.
“SMBWCI and its foreign partner shall enter into a cooperative joint venture with MWSS to secure financing and undertake the engineering and design, construction, operation and maintenance of the project. Plans for the project include the construction of the dam and headworks, raw water conveyance facilities, water-treatment plant, hydropower plant, treated water conveyance facilities, pumping stations, storage facilities and off-take points,” San Miguel said in a separate statement.
SMBWCI was established by San Miguel in April 2002."
Monday, 09 February 2009 23:30
AFTER energy and telecommunications, listed conglomerate San Miguel Corp. is targeting the water sector as the newest addition to its growing portfolio.
The company on Monday said its wholly owned unit San Miguel Bulk Water Co. Inc. (SMBWCI) has submitted to the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) an unsolicited proposal for the P48-billion Laiban Dam Project.
In a text message, Ramon Ang, San Miguel vice chairman and president, told the BusinessMirror the project is very attractive because it assures “water security and supply in Mega Manila for the next 50 years.”
He added that the company would have a foreign partner for the undertaking. He did not name the company.
SMBWCI’s proposal is a joint venture with the MWSS under the public-private joint-venture scheme based on the guidelines and procedures for entering into joint-venture agreements between the government and private entities, as promulgated by the National Economic and Development Authority.
“SMBWCI and its foreign partner shall enter into a cooperative joint venture with MWSS to secure financing and undertake the engineering and design, construction, operation and maintenance of the project. Plans for the project include the construction of the dam and headworks, raw water conveyance facilities, water-treatment plant, hydropower plant, treated water conveyance facilities, pumping stations, storage facilities and off-take points,” San Miguel said in a separate statement.
SMBWCI was established by San Miguel in April 2002."
Water for the People Network - Asia - Laiban Dam: The answer to water crisis?
Water for the People Network - Asia - Laiban Dam: The answer to water crisis?: "Written by Jomay Amora
Sunday, 01 August 2004
IBON Features Vol. X No. 39
Once again as always, the indigenous peoples are made to sacrifice in the name of “progress”.
More than 10,000 individuals and over 27,800 hectares of ancestral and peasant lands in Tanay, Rizal and General Nakar, Quezon will be affected as Arroyo administration signaled the revival of the Laiban Dam Project in Laiban, Rizal as part of its Medium-Term Philippine Development Plan (MTPDP) of 2001-2004.
The Laiban Dam Project aims to address the looming water crisis in Metro Manila and its nearby areas. The Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) claims that the dam will generate 1,900 million liters per day of municipal and industrial water for Metro Manila and nearby communities in Cavite.
The government managed to get the nod of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), which will provide US$1 billion for the dam construction under the build-operate-transfer scheme. The ADB had already released an initial US$3.26 million technical assistance to MWSS in November 2003.
The 113-meter high rockfill Laiban Dam is projected to be as big as the San Roque Multipurpose Dam in San Manuel, Pangasinan, which reportedly was a factor behind flashfloods that submerged numerous towns in Pangasinan, Tarlac and other provinces last week."
Sunday, 01 August 2004
IBON Features Vol. X No. 39
Once again as always, the indigenous peoples are made to sacrifice in the name of “progress”.
More than 10,000 individuals and over 27,800 hectares of ancestral and peasant lands in Tanay, Rizal and General Nakar, Quezon will be affected as Arroyo administration signaled the revival of the Laiban Dam Project in Laiban, Rizal as part of its Medium-Term Philippine Development Plan (MTPDP) of 2001-2004.
The Laiban Dam Project aims to address the looming water crisis in Metro Manila and its nearby areas. The Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) claims that the dam will generate 1,900 million liters per day of municipal and industrial water for Metro Manila and nearby communities in Cavite.
The government managed to get the nod of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), which will provide US$1 billion for the dam construction under the build-operate-transfer scheme. The ADB had already released an initial US$3.26 million technical assistance to MWSS in November 2003.
The 113-meter high rockfill Laiban Dam is projected to be as big as the San Roque Multipurpose Dam in San Manuel, Pangasinan, which reportedly was a factor behind flashfloods that submerged numerous towns in Pangasinan, Tarlac and other provinces last week."
San Miguel subsidiary eyes Laiban Dam project | Haribon
San Miguel subsidiary eyes Laiban Dam project | Haribon: "02/09/2009 | 02:24 PM
GMA News TV
MANILA, Philippines- San Miguel Corp., Southeast Asia's largest food and
beverage conglomerate, is seeking to partner with the government for the
development of a dam project seen to supply future water needs of Metro
Manila.
In a statement, San Miguel said wholly-owned subsidiary San Miguel Bulk
Water Co. Inc. (SMBWCI) it has submitted an unsolicited proposal for a
joint venture project to the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System
for the development of Laiban Dam.
San Miguel added SMBWCI and its foreign partner will enter into a
cooperative joint venture with MWSS to secure financing, construct,
operate and maintain the project.
The plan for project will include the construction of the dam and
headworks, raw water conveyance facilities, water treatment plant,
hydropower plant, treated water conveyance facilities, pumping stations,
storage facilities and offtake points.
'The Laiban Dam Project, located in Tanay, Rizal is intended to address
the long-term water requirements of Metro Manila and to provide stability
and security to the water supply source,' San Miguel said."
GMA News TV
MANILA, Philippines- San Miguel Corp., Southeast Asia's largest food and
beverage conglomerate, is seeking to partner with the government for the
development of a dam project seen to supply future water needs of Metro
Manila.
In a statement, San Miguel said wholly-owned subsidiary San Miguel Bulk
Water Co. Inc. (SMBWCI) it has submitted an unsolicited proposal for a
joint venture project to the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System
for the development of Laiban Dam.
San Miguel added SMBWCI and its foreign partner will enter into a
cooperative joint venture with MWSS to secure financing, construct,
operate and maintain the project.
The plan for project will include the construction of the dam and
headworks, raw water conveyance facilities, water treatment plant,
hydropower plant, treated water conveyance facilities, pumping stations,
storage facilities and offtake points.
'The Laiban Dam Project, located in Tanay, Rizal is intended to address
the long-term water requirements of Metro Manila and to provide stability
and security to the water supply source,' San Miguel said."
The Manila Times Internet Edition | SPECIAL REPORT > Drastic steps needed to stem water crisis
The Manila Times Internet Edition | SPECIAL REPORT
Drastic steps needed to stem water crisis:
"Strange weather. That’s the government’s official line in explaining the water shortage that is affecting more than a million Metro Manilans, conveying the message that it is a temporary inconvenience. A deeper look into the situation, however, would show that water scarcity could become a chronic problem unless the government finds more sources of raw water soon, mend the leaks and impose “economic instruments” to curb wasteful consumption in the burgeoning megalopolis."
Drastic steps needed to stem water crisis:
"Strange weather. That’s the government’s official line in explaining the water shortage that is affecting more than a million Metro Manilans, conveying the message that it is a temporary inconvenience. A deeper look into the situation, however, would show that water scarcity could become a chronic problem unless the government finds more sources of raw water soon, mend the leaks and impose “economic instruments” to curb wasteful consumption in the burgeoning megalopolis."
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Social Investment Forum: Press Releases from the Social Investment Forum
Social Investment Forum: Press Releases from the Social Investment Forum: "Socially Responsible Investing News
SRI news headlines are provided by SocialFunds.com, the personal finance site dedicated to socially responsible investing.
Microfinance Institutions Begin to Incorporate Climate Change in Development Strategies
* April 14, 2009 | By Robert Kropp. Report from CGAP finds that MFIs are well-positioned to contribute to energy efficiency in developing countries, but recommends shift in priorities from loans to financial services that include savings."
SRI news headlines are provided by SocialFunds.com, the personal finance site dedicated to socially responsible investing.
Microfinance Institutions Begin to Incorporate Climate Change in Development Strategies
* April 14, 2009 | By Robert Kropp. Report from CGAP finds that MFIs are well-positioned to contribute to energy efficiency in developing countries, but recommends shift in priorities from loans to financial services that include savings."
MicroPlace - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
MicroPlace - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
"Habitat for Humanity is working in 90 countries in the world to work with low-income people to build and own houses. Habitat for Humanity has a long history of helping people make their dream of a home come true. Founded in 1976, they have built more than 250,000 houses around the world, providing more than 1 million people in more than 3,000 communities with safe, decent, affordable shelter. Habitat houses cost as little as $800 in some developing countries to an average of nearly $60,000 in the United States. Homeowners working with Habitat not only invest a down payment and the monthly mortgage payments, but also hundreds of hours of their own labor — sweat equity — into building their Habitat house and the houses of others."
"Habitat for Humanity is working in 90 countries in the world to work with low-income people to build and own houses. Habitat for Humanity has a long history of helping people make their dream of a home come true. Founded in 1976, they have built more than 250,000 houses around the world, providing more than 1 million people in more than 3,000 communities with safe, decent, affordable shelter. Habitat houses cost as little as $800 in some developing countries to an average of nearly $60,000 in the United States. Homeowners working with Habitat not only invest a down payment and the monthly mortgage payments, but also hundreds of hours of their own labor — sweat equity — into building their Habitat house and the houses of others."
MicroPlace - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
MicroPlace - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "Sample Investments
Investors can choose investments in 29 different countries on the MicroPlace website. Investors can search by financial return offered, length of loan offered, geographical area, or social indicators such as whether or not the loan focuses on women, rural areas, of extreme poverty. Some example loans are:
* Adhikar is a microfinance institution in India. A $500 investment in this fund will enable loans to 8 people. As of July 2008, Adhikar had about 40,000 borrowers with a 100% repayment rate. Adhikar focuses on loans to women. As Bono said[2]: 'Give a man a fish, he'll eat for a day. Give a women microcredit, she, her husband, her children and her extended family will eat for a lifetime.' This is because when women have access to economic opportunities, the whole economy tends to advance because women tend to spend their profits on educating their children and feeding their families. If that's not enough of a reason to invest in women, they're also a better credit risk. And, as women in developing countries tend to be one of the most vulnerable and marginalized portions of society, there is also a social justice rationale for these investments.
Hadiani, a housewife in a 'Snake Charmer' family is one of Adhikar's borrowers. She used to help her mother-in-law in selling herbal medicines and cosmetics to rural women moving village to village and had no income of her own. Her husband was a snake charmer (the practice of hypnotizing a snake by playing an instrument) and his income had fallen drastically over the years due to a government ban on snake charmers. She wanted to do something to help her husband and family and accordingly started a small betel shop in the village in 1999 using the small savings of her husband. She earned about 20 -30 Rupees per day then.
After a few years, she learned about Adhikar and acquired her first loan of 1000 Rupees in the year 2005 out of which she bought stocks for her betel shop and a few grocery items. She acquired the second loan of 3000 Rupees and expanded her stock. She continued to invest in stock and on October 06, 2007, she acquired her third loan of 8000 Rupees, which by now had become a betel and grocery shop. Her sales per day are now around 400 to 600 Rupees and she earns a daily profit of about 50 to 100 Rupees.
With the profits, Hadiani has been able to send her children to school, arrange private tutors as well as increase the quality of meals for them. She has also been able to purchase better clothes for the family and has even remodeled her living room. Her quality of life has improved dramatically.
'Gradually my dreams are coming true because of Adhikar.'
* AE&I is a microfinance firm in Cote d'Ivoire. a $300 loan will enable a loan to one person. As of July, 2008, AE&I had 4,987 borrowers with an average repayment rate of 99%. Amoin is one of their borrowers. At the age of 12, Amoin’s parents were no longer able to pay for her schooling. That’s when she went to work selling fruit and beans in the local market. Today, she is 29, with her own children and a lot of experience trading in the market. With a loan from AE&I, she now grows and sells her own palm beans in Adobo’s open market. Her life’s goal is to give her two children the university education that she herself was denied. Her oldest daughter entered school this year, with all expenses covered by the income from Amoin’s business.
* Habitat for Humanity is working in 90 countries in the world to work with low-income people to build and own houses. Habitat for Humanity has a long history of helping people make their dream of a home come true. Founded in 1976, they have built more than 250,000 houses around the world, providing more than 1 million people in more than 3,000 communities with safe, decent, affordable shelter. Habitat houses cost as little as $800 in some developing countries to an average of nearly $60,000 in the United States. Homeowners working with Habitat not only invest a down payment and the monthly mortgage payments, but also hundreds of hours of their own labor — sweat equity — into building their Habitat house and the houses of others."
Investors can choose investments in 29 different countries on the MicroPlace website. Investors can search by financial return offered, length of loan offered, geographical area, or social indicators such as whether or not the loan focuses on women, rural areas, of extreme poverty. Some example loans are:
* Adhikar is a microfinance institution in India. A $500 investment in this fund will enable loans to 8 people. As of July 2008, Adhikar had about 40,000 borrowers with a 100% repayment rate. Adhikar focuses on loans to women. As Bono said[2]: 'Give a man a fish, he'll eat for a day. Give a women microcredit, she, her husband, her children and her extended family will eat for a lifetime.' This is because when women have access to economic opportunities, the whole economy tends to advance because women tend to spend their profits on educating their children and feeding their families. If that's not enough of a reason to invest in women, they're also a better credit risk. And, as women in developing countries tend to be one of the most vulnerable and marginalized portions of society, there is also a social justice rationale for these investments.
Hadiani, a housewife in a 'Snake Charmer' family is one of Adhikar's borrowers. She used to help her mother-in-law in selling herbal medicines and cosmetics to rural women moving village to village and had no income of her own. Her husband was a snake charmer (the practice of hypnotizing a snake by playing an instrument) and his income had fallen drastically over the years due to a government ban on snake charmers. She wanted to do something to help her husband and family and accordingly started a small betel shop in the village in 1999 using the small savings of her husband. She earned about 20 -30 Rupees per day then.
After a few years, she learned about Adhikar and acquired her first loan of 1000 Rupees in the year 2005 out of which she bought stocks for her betel shop and a few grocery items. She acquired the second loan of 3000 Rupees and expanded her stock. She continued to invest in stock and on October 06, 2007, she acquired her third loan of 8000 Rupees, which by now had become a betel and grocery shop. Her sales per day are now around 400 to 600 Rupees and she earns a daily profit of about 50 to 100 Rupees.
With the profits, Hadiani has been able to send her children to school, arrange private tutors as well as increase the quality of meals for them. She has also been able to purchase better clothes for the family and has even remodeled her living room. Her quality of life has improved dramatically.
'Gradually my dreams are coming true because of Adhikar.'
* AE&I is a microfinance firm in Cote d'Ivoire. a $300 loan will enable a loan to one person. As of July, 2008, AE&I had 4,987 borrowers with an average repayment rate of 99%. Amoin is one of their borrowers. At the age of 12, Amoin’s parents were no longer able to pay for her schooling. That’s when she went to work selling fruit and beans in the local market. Today, she is 29, with her own children and a lot of experience trading in the market. With a loan from AE&I, she now grows and sells her own palm beans in Adobo’s open market. Her life’s goal is to give her two children the university education that she herself was denied. Her oldest daughter entered school this year, with all expenses covered by the income from Amoin’s business.
* Habitat for Humanity is working in 90 countries in the world to work with low-income people to build and own houses. Habitat for Humanity has a long history of helping people make their dream of a home come true. Founded in 1976, they have built more than 250,000 houses around the world, providing more than 1 million people in more than 3,000 communities with safe, decent, affordable shelter. Habitat houses cost as little as $800 in some developing countries to an average of nearly $60,000 in the United States. Homeowners working with Habitat not only invest a down payment and the monthly mortgage payments, but also hundreds of hours of their own labor — sweat equity — into building their Habitat house and the houses of others."
Microcredit - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Microcredit - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "Microcredit and the Web
The principles of microcredit have also been applied in attempting to address several non-poverty-related issues. Among these, multiple Internet-based organizations have developed platforms that facilitate a modified form of peer-to-peer lending where a loan is not made in the form of a single, direct loan, but as the aggregation of a number of smaller loans—often at a negligible interest rate. There are several ways by which the general public can participate in alleviating poverty using Web platforms.
Lend to micro-entrepreneurs:
Kiva.org is the first micro-lending website that enables an individual to lend money to a micro-entrepreneur in the developing world through a microfinance institution. As of November 2008, over 100 field partners have collaborated with Kiva, dramatically extending its scope and reach.
New platforms that connect lenders to micro-entrepreneurs are emerging on the Web, such as Rang De (India) [6], dhanaX (India) and http://www.babyloan.org or http://www.veecus.com (France).
Invest in microcredit securities:
MicroPlace.com, a wholly-owned subsidiary of eBay, was launched in October 2007. With Microplace, retail investors in the US can buy securities issued by security issuers. Therefore, MicroPlace is tapping into the socially responsible investment world and can attract larger capital to microcredit. Deutsche Bank estimates that $250 billion [7]is needed to raise enough capital to get it into the hands of the one billion working poor who could benefit from microcredit. While the US gave $303 billion [8] in charity to all causes, they invested $2.4 trillion in socially responsible investments. [9]
Guarantee loans to micro-entrepreneurs:
United Prosperity will enable an individual to guarantee a loan to the micro-entrepreneur they choose to connect and support. The guarantee allows the microfinance institution to raise funds in local currency from local banks and make a loan to micro-entrepreneurs. Since the guarantee is only for a part of the loan amount, the guarantee allows the guarantors to multiply the impact of their money.
Contribute to micro-entrepreneurs:
Wokai(lending to China) allows contributors to contribute towards micro-entrepreneurs they choose to connect and support. Since the contribution is a donation, contributors in the United States may also get a tax deduction."
The principles of microcredit have also been applied in attempting to address several non-poverty-related issues. Among these, multiple Internet-based organizations have developed platforms that facilitate a modified form of peer-to-peer lending where a loan is not made in the form of a single, direct loan, but as the aggregation of a number of smaller loans—often at a negligible interest rate. There are several ways by which the general public can participate in alleviating poverty using Web platforms.
Lend to micro-entrepreneurs:
Kiva.org is the first micro-lending website that enables an individual to lend money to a micro-entrepreneur in the developing world through a microfinance institution. As of November 2008, over 100 field partners have collaborated with Kiva, dramatically extending its scope and reach.
New platforms that connect lenders to micro-entrepreneurs are emerging on the Web, such as Rang De (India) [6], dhanaX (India) and http://www.babyloan.org or http://www.veecus.com (France).
Invest in microcredit securities:
MicroPlace.com, a wholly-owned subsidiary of eBay, was launched in October 2007. With Microplace, retail investors in the US can buy securities issued by security issuers. Therefore, MicroPlace is tapping into the socially responsible investment world and can attract larger capital to microcredit. Deutsche Bank estimates that $250 billion [7]is needed to raise enough capital to get it into the hands of the one billion working poor who could benefit from microcredit. While the US gave $303 billion [8] in charity to all causes, they invested $2.4 trillion in socially responsible investments. [9]
Guarantee loans to micro-entrepreneurs:
United Prosperity will enable an individual to guarantee a loan to the micro-entrepreneur they choose to connect and support. The guarantee allows the microfinance institution to raise funds in local currency from local banks and make a loan to micro-entrepreneurs. Since the guarantee is only for a part of the loan amount, the guarantee allows the guarantors to multiply the impact of their money.
Contribute to micro-entrepreneurs:
Wokai(lending to China) allows contributors to contribute towards micro-entrepreneurs they choose to connect and support. Since the contribution is a donation, contributors in the United States may also get a tax deduction."
Sunday, April 12, 2009
NASA - Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES)
NASA - Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES): "The Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) instrument is one of several that will be flown aboard the Earth Observing System's Terra spacecraft, scheduled for launch in late1999. The data from the CERES instrument will be used to study the energy exchanged between the Sun; the Earth's atmosphere, surface and clouds; and outer space.
The CERES EOS-Terra instrument will be the second CERES instrument in Earth orbit. The first CERES instrument is currently orbiting the Earth aboard the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission observatory, which was launched in November 1997. Early results of the TRMM mission show that the first CERES has provided better measurement capabilities than any previous satellite instrument of its kind."
The CERES EOS-Terra instrument will be the second CERES instrument in Earth orbit. The first CERES instrument is currently orbiting the Earth aboard the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission observatory, which was launched in November 1997. Early results of the TRMM mission show that the first CERES has provided better measurement capabilities than any previous satellite instrument of its kind."
PIA Information Services - Philippine Information Agency
PIA Information Services - Philippine Information Agency: "Feature: RP's first wind-powered farm
by Cristina Arzadon
Bangui, Ilocos Norte (25 March) -- President Macapagal-Arroyo takes pride that the Philippines is home to the first wind power plant in Southeast Asia so she flew to the northern most part of the country in 2007 to personally inspect what is locally known as the first clean energy in the country.
The President had committed to put up other wind farms across the country noting her administration's support to environmental-friendly wind generation.
Towering on a strip of shoreline along Bangui Bay are wind turbines that have started generating 'clean power' for the province of Ilocos Norte under the Philippines' first wind farm.
The wind farm had been feeding 7 megawatts (MW) to the Ilocos Norte Electric Cooperative (INEC) consumers, equivalent to 40 percent of the province's power requirement.
A first in Southeast Asia, the wind power plant is composed of 15 turbines, each standing 70 meters or equal to the height of a 23-story building. The wind farm can generate a maximum capacity of 25 MW.
'Tapping abundant wind resources in the country's vast coastlines is a significant stride in an environment-sensitive, clean-and-green energy program for the Philippines,' said Niels Jacobsen, a Danish investor and president of Northwind Power Development Corp. (NWPDC).
The turbines, all connected to the Luzon power grid, began delivering power to INEC last month. The plant is located along a three-kilometer shoreline in Barangay Baruyen facing the South China Sea.
'As stated in our energy sales agreement, we will extend a 7-percent discount (lower than National Transmission Corp. [Transco] rates) to INEC. This will reduce the power charges being paid by Ilocos residents,' said lawyer Ferdinand Dumlao, NWPDC chair.
Dumlao said the firm would put up five more wind turbines to generate 8 MW of electricity and meet 50 percent of Ilocos Norte's power requirement.
INEC, which has a total power requirement of 26 MW, will continue buying its remaining energy demand from Transco and from its own mini-hydro power plant in nearby Pagudpud town.
The power cooperative is looking at the establishment of another hydro power plant or the rehabilitation its existing hydro-powered facility.
Governor Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the country's first wind power plant would serve as a model for more renewable energy sources around the Philippines.
'Ilocos Norte has always been at the end of the supply line (when it comes to power delivery). With the operation of this plant, we look forward to being at the other end of the supply line and avoid the difficulties that we had in the past,' he said.
This windswept town was found to be one of three areas in Northern Luzon and of nine other islands and inner corridors across the country that can produce up to 70,000 MW of power.
'The wind is [normally] too strong out here. You don't see it today, but this is one of the very rare days when there is virtually no wind,' said Jacobsen.
The wind in the Bangui coast blows at a speed of 7 meters per second (mps). A wind mapping study conducted by the United States National Renewable Energy Laboratory has found Bangui Bay to be one of the areas across the country where 10,000-sq km of windy land exist with good to excellent wind resource potential.
The NWPDC, composed of Filipino and Danish businessmen and engineers, led the way in setting up the environmentally friendly and economical source of power in response to the government's call to establish new and renewable sources of energy.
Former Energy Secretary Vicente Perez Jr. said the Bangui wind farm is a big step toward energy independence while the Philippines is targeting to reach a 60-percent self-sufficiency in energy generation by 2010 by promoting wind power.
'We are on our way to making the Philippines a leader in wind power [in Asia]. Let it not be forgotten that the epicenter of that goal started on the sandy shores of Ilocos [Norte],' Perez said.
After the wind farm in Bangui, 16 other areas will be offered up for investment with a total capacity of 345 MW.
The Philippines has been found to have potential wind power of 76,600 MW, leading other wind power-producing countries like Germany (14,000 MW potential wind power), Spain and the US (6,000 MW each), Denmark (3,000 MW) and India (2,100 MW). (PIA) [top]"
by Cristina Arzadon
Bangui, Ilocos Norte (25 March) -- President Macapagal-Arroyo takes pride that the Philippines is home to the first wind power plant in Southeast Asia so she flew to the northern most part of the country in 2007 to personally inspect what is locally known as the first clean energy in the country.
The President had committed to put up other wind farms across the country noting her administration's support to environmental-friendly wind generation.
Towering on a strip of shoreline along Bangui Bay are wind turbines that have started generating 'clean power' for the province of Ilocos Norte under the Philippines' first wind farm.
The wind farm had been feeding 7 megawatts (MW) to the Ilocos Norte Electric Cooperative (INEC) consumers, equivalent to 40 percent of the province's power requirement.
A first in Southeast Asia, the wind power plant is composed of 15 turbines, each standing 70 meters or equal to the height of a 23-story building. The wind farm can generate a maximum capacity of 25 MW.
'Tapping abundant wind resources in the country's vast coastlines is a significant stride in an environment-sensitive, clean-and-green energy program for the Philippines,' said Niels Jacobsen, a Danish investor and president of Northwind Power Development Corp. (NWPDC).
The turbines, all connected to the Luzon power grid, began delivering power to INEC last month. The plant is located along a three-kilometer shoreline in Barangay Baruyen facing the South China Sea.
'As stated in our energy sales agreement, we will extend a 7-percent discount (lower than National Transmission Corp. [Transco] rates) to INEC. This will reduce the power charges being paid by Ilocos residents,' said lawyer Ferdinand Dumlao, NWPDC chair.
Dumlao said the firm would put up five more wind turbines to generate 8 MW of electricity and meet 50 percent of Ilocos Norte's power requirement.
INEC, which has a total power requirement of 26 MW, will continue buying its remaining energy demand from Transco and from its own mini-hydro power plant in nearby Pagudpud town.
The power cooperative is looking at the establishment of another hydro power plant or the rehabilitation its existing hydro-powered facility.
Governor Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the country's first wind power plant would serve as a model for more renewable energy sources around the Philippines.
'Ilocos Norte has always been at the end of the supply line (when it comes to power delivery). With the operation of this plant, we look forward to being at the other end of the supply line and avoid the difficulties that we had in the past,' he said.
This windswept town was found to be one of three areas in Northern Luzon and of nine other islands and inner corridors across the country that can produce up to 70,000 MW of power.
'The wind is [normally] too strong out here. You don't see it today, but this is one of the very rare days when there is virtually no wind,' said Jacobsen.
The wind in the Bangui coast blows at a speed of 7 meters per second (mps). A wind mapping study conducted by the United States National Renewable Energy Laboratory has found Bangui Bay to be one of the areas across the country where 10,000-sq km of windy land exist with good to excellent wind resource potential.
The NWPDC, composed of Filipino and Danish businessmen and engineers, led the way in setting up the environmentally friendly and economical source of power in response to the government's call to establish new and renewable sources of energy.
Former Energy Secretary Vicente Perez Jr. said the Bangui wind farm is a big step toward energy independence while the Philippines is targeting to reach a 60-percent self-sufficiency in energy generation by 2010 by promoting wind power.
'We are on our way to making the Philippines a leader in wind power [in Asia]. Let it not be forgotten that the epicenter of that goal started on the sandy shores of Ilocos [Norte],' Perez said.
After the wind farm in Bangui, 16 other areas will be offered up for investment with a total capacity of 345 MW.
The Philippines has been found to have potential wind power of 76,600 MW, leading other wind power-producing countries like Germany (14,000 MW potential wind power), Spain and the US (6,000 MW each), Denmark (3,000 MW) and India (2,100 MW). (PIA) [top]"
North Luzon Wind Power Project - Power Technology
North Luzon Wind Power Project - Power Technology: "Key Data
Date of agreement
28 March 2002
Planned commissioning
March 2005
Output
42MW
Plant type
Wind farm
Location
Ilocos Norte Province of the Northern Luzon Island, Philippines
Estimated investment
Around $400 million total
Power corporation
NAPCOR (National Power Corporation of The Philippines) grid"
Date of agreement
28 March 2002
Planned commissioning
March 2005
Output
42MW
Plant type
Wind farm
Location
Ilocos Norte Province of the Northern Luzon Island, Philippines
Estimated investment
Around $400 million total
Power corporation
NAPCOR (National Power Corporation of The Philippines) grid"
Energy Savers: Small Solar Electric Systems
Energy Savers: Small Solar Electric Systems: "Small Solar Electric Systems
A small solar electric or photovoltaic (PV) system can be a reliable and pollution-free producer of electricity for your home or office. And they're becoming more affordable all the time. Small PV systems also provide a cost-effective power supply in locations where it is expensive or impossible to send electricity through conventional power lines.
Because PV technologies use both direct and scattered sunlight to create electricity, the solar resource across the United States is ample for small solar electric systems. However, the amount of power generated by a solar system at a particular site depends on how much of the sun's energy reaches it. Thus, PV systems, like all solar technologies, function most efficiently in the southwestern United States, which receives the greatest amount of solar energy.
You can also use PV technology to provide outdoor lighting.
Here you can find the following information:
*
How Small Solar Electric Systems Work
Learn the basics of how a small PV system produces electricity.
*
Considering a Small Solar Electric System
Start here to determine whether a small PV system would be feasible, practical, and economical for you.
*
Small Solar Electric System Components
Learn more about system components—solar cells, modules, and balance-of-system parts.
*
Installing and Maintaining a Small Solar Electric System
Find out what you need to consider before you install a system, including basic maintenance tips."
A small solar electric or photovoltaic (PV) system can be a reliable and pollution-free producer of electricity for your home or office. And they're becoming more affordable all the time. Small PV systems also provide a cost-effective power supply in locations where it is expensive or impossible to send electricity through conventional power lines.
Because PV technologies use both direct and scattered sunlight to create electricity, the solar resource across the United States is ample for small solar electric systems. However, the amount of power generated by a solar system at a particular site depends on how much of the sun's energy reaches it. Thus, PV systems, like all solar technologies, function most efficiently in the southwestern United States, which receives the greatest amount of solar energy.
You can also use PV technology to provide outdoor lighting.
Here you can find the following information:
*
How Small Solar Electric Systems Work
Learn the basics of how a small PV system produces electricity.
*
Considering a Small Solar Electric System
Start here to determine whether a small PV system would be feasible, practical, and economical for you.
*
Small Solar Electric System Components
Learn more about system components—solar cells, modules, and balance-of-system parts.
*
Installing and Maintaining a Small Solar Electric System
Find out what you need to consider before you install a system, including basic maintenance tips."
NREL: Technology Transfer - Nondisclosure Agreements
NREL: Technology Transfer - Nondisclosure Agreements: "Nondisclosure Agreements
NREL's nondisclosure agreement (NDA) process ensures the strict confidentiality of proprietary or confidential information between the laboratory and a partner. We've established this process to develop mutually beneficial R&D collaborations in a straightforward, flexible, timely, and efficient manner.
Process
The nondisclosure agreement process basically includes eight steps. See the NREL Nondisclosure Agreement Process flowchart (PowerPoint 243 KB).
We are committed to working through these steps in a timely manner. Experience suggests that the fastest means to reach an agreement is through direct communications to create understanding and agree on actions.
1. Identify Need
The first step involves identifying the need for a nondisclosure agreement. To make its decision, NREL uses the U.S. Department of Energy's definitions of proprietary information, and it determines whether such an agreement will advance NREL's mission. It is not NREL's practice to disclose innovations or NREL inventions for which patent applications have not been filed even under the terms of a nondisclosure agreement, unless there is a compelling business reason to do so.
2. Share Requirements
If there's a need for a nondisclosure agreement, NREL and the other party share their requirements. NREL requires that nondisclosure agreements include the following elements:
* Purpose
* Description of the proprietary or confidential information to be shared in nonproprietary terms
* Exclusions to the nondisclosure of information
* Specific duration of the nondisclosure agreement
* Identification of individuals and titles, along with full contact information, authorized to execute the agreement for each organization.
3. Determine Whose Nondisclosure Agreement to Use
Which party's nondisclosure agreement to use is determined by whether the proprietary information comes from NREL, the other party, or both.
*
If NREL's proprietary information is disclosed, NREL's nondisclosure agreement is used.
*
If the other party's proprietary information is disclosed, either an NREL or the other party's nondisclosure agreement may be used.
*
If both parties disclose proprietary information, we start with NREL's nondisclosure agreement.
In either one of these cases, NREL will work with the other party to ensure that the final nondisclosure agreement addresses our requirements and those of the other party.
4. Fill in Information
After determining the type of nondisclosure agreement, NREL and/or the other party fill in the information specific to the intended disclosure on the agreement form.
5. Legal Review and/or Negotiation
NREL requires a legal review of nondisclosure agreements. If needed, NREL will negotiate revisions to agreement terms with the other party during this step in the process.
6. Review and Sign
Once the nondisclosure agreement has been finalized, designated signatories will review and sign the form.
7. Share Information or Material
Once the nondisclosure agreement has been executed, appropriately labeled information or material is shared.
8. Maintain Records
NREL and the other party then maintain records of the nondisclosure agreement and the proprietary or confidential information as required for business practices and governance.
Timeline
NREL generally expects that nondisclosure agreements can be executed within one week. Longer timelines are generally the result of having incomplete information. If you have a question regarding the status of a nondisclosure agreement, please call your technical contact.
Sample Agreements
Here you'll find examples of NREL's model nondisclosure agreements. These documents are available as PDFs. Download Adobe Reader.
Unilateral NREL Nondisclosure Agreement
NREL provides its proprietary information to the other party. (PDF 76 KB)
Unilateral Company Nondisclosure Agreement
The other party provides proprietary information to NREL. (PDF 72 KB)
Bilateral Nondisclosure Agreement
Both NREL and the other party provide proprietary information to each other. (PDF 77 KB)
Contact
If you have any questions about NREL's nondisclosure agreement process, contact Jennifer Schofield, 303-384-7424.
Ombuds
NREL strives to quickly resolve any issue or concern you may have regarding its technology partnership agreement activities. To learn more about our informal resolution process, see information about NREL's Technology Transfer Ombuds."
NREL's nondisclosure agreement (NDA) process ensures the strict confidentiality of proprietary or confidential information between the laboratory and a partner. We've established this process to develop mutually beneficial R&D collaborations in a straightforward, flexible, timely, and efficient manner.
Process
The nondisclosure agreement process basically includes eight steps. See the NREL Nondisclosure Agreement Process flowchart (PowerPoint 243 KB).
We are committed to working through these steps in a timely manner. Experience suggests that the fastest means to reach an agreement is through direct communications to create understanding and agree on actions.
1. Identify Need
The first step involves identifying the need for a nondisclosure agreement. To make its decision, NREL uses the U.S. Department of Energy's definitions of proprietary information, and it determines whether such an agreement will advance NREL's mission. It is not NREL's practice to disclose innovations or NREL inventions for which patent applications have not been filed even under the terms of a nondisclosure agreement, unless there is a compelling business reason to do so.
2. Share Requirements
If there's a need for a nondisclosure agreement, NREL and the other party share their requirements. NREL requires that nondisclosure agreements include the following elements:
* Purpose
* Description of the proprietary or confidential information to be shared in nonproprietary terms
* Exclusions to the nondisclosure of information
* Specific duration of the nondisclosure agreement
* Identification of individuals and titles, along with full contact information, authorized to execute the agreement for each organization.
3. Determine Whose Nondisclosure Agreement to Use
Which party's nondisclosure agreement to use is determined by whether the proprietary information comes from NREL, the other party, or both.
*
If NREL's proprietary information is disclosed, NREL's nondisclosure agreement is used.
*
If the other party's proprietary information is disclosed, either an NREL or the other party's nondisclosure agreement may be used.
*
If both parties disclose proprietary information, we start with NREL's nondisclosure agreement.
In either one of these cases, NREL will work with the other party to ensure that the final nondisclosure agreement addresses our requirements and those of the other party.
4. Fill in Information
After determining the type of nondisclosure agreement, NREL and/or the other party fill in the information specific to the intended disclosure on the agreement form.
5. Legal Review and/or Negotiation
NREL requires a legal review of nondisclosure agreements. If needed, NREL will negotiate revisions to agreement terms with the other party during this step in the process.
6. Review and Sign
Once the nondisclosure agreement has been finalized, designated signatories will review and sign the form.
7. Share Information or Material
Once the nondisclosure agreement has been executed, appropriately labeled information or material is shared.
8. Maintain Records
NREL and the other party then maintain records of the nondisclosure agreement and the proprietary or confidential information as required for business practices and governance.
Timeline
NREL generally expects that nondisclosure agreements can be executed within one week. Longer timelines are generally the result of having incomplete information. If you have a question regarding the status of a nondisclosure agreement, please call your technical contact.
Sample Agreements
Here you'll find examples of NREL's model nondisclosure agreements. These documents are available as PDFs. Download Adobe Reader.
Unilateral NREL Nondisclosure Agreement
NREL provides its proprietary information to the other party. (PDF 76 KB)
Unilateral Company Nondisclosure Agreement
The other party provides proprietary information to NREL. (PDF 72 KB)
Bilateral Nondisclosure Agreement
Both NREL and the other party provide proprietary information to each other. (PDF 77 KB)
Contact
If you have any questions about NREL's nondisclosure agreement process, contact Jennifer Schofield, 303-384-7424.
Ombuds
NREL strives to quickly resolve any issue or concern you may have regarding its technology partnership agreement activities. To learn more about our informal resolution process, see information about NREL's Technology Transfer Ombuds."
NREL: Technology Transfer - Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADA)
NREL: Technology Transfer - Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADA): "Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADA)
NREL uses a cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) when a partner and the lab intend to collaborate on a project. It protects a company's and NREL's existing intellectual property, and allows the company to negotiate for an exclusive field-of-use license to subject inventions that arise during the CRADA's execution.
Types
CRADA types include:
*
Shared-Resources
A joint research project between NREL and a partner to develop, advance, or commercialize an NREL-developed technology without funds changing hands. It must fit within the scope of a project at NREL that's funded by the U.S. Department of Energy.
*
Funds-In
Allows for the partner to pay for all or some of NREL's costs under the project. However, NREL does not provide funds to the partner.
More Information
To learn more about the process for establishing a CRADA with NREL, see technology partnership agreements.
Contact
If you have any questions about CRADAs, contact Jennifer Schofield, 303-384-7424."
NREL uses a cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) when a partner and the lab intend to collaborate on a project. It protects a company's and NREL's existing intellectual property, and allows the company to negotiate for an exclusive field-of-use license to subject inventions that arise during the CRADA's execution.
Types
CRADA types include:
*
Shared-Resources
A joint research project between NREL and a partner to develop, advance, or commercialize an NREL-developed technology without funds changing hands. It must fit within the scope of a project at NREL that's funded by the U.S. Department of Energy.
*
Funds-In
Allows for the partner to pay for all or some of NREL's costs under the project. However, NREL does not provide funds to the partner.
More Information
To learn more about the process for establishing a CRADA with NREL, see technology partnership agreements.
Contact
If you have any questions about CRADAs, contact Jennifer Schofield, 303-384-7424."
NREL: About NREL
NREL: About NREL:
"Get information about the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, including general information about the lab, how to locate NREL Employees, how we operate and do business, and how you can do business with us."
"Get information about the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, including general information about the lab, how to locate NREL Employees, how we operate and do business, and how you can do business with us."
The Barrel: Grease, the new gold
The Barrel: Grease, the new gold: Grease, the new gold
This story in The New York Times today was entertaining, and shows that even crooks react to price signals sent out by the market.
The reference that caught my eye in particular was the statement by one restaurant owner that burglars in the past would have stolen from his alcohol stash. Now, they steal his restaurant grease.
And The Barrel wondered: could it be because they've checked the ethanol-diesel spread recently? Platts assessed Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel in the US Gulf Coast market May 29 at approximately $3.79/gal. We assessed ethanol in the Gulf Coast at $2.49/gal. Do the thieves know that as they shifted their targeted 'swag' from booze to animal fat?"
This story in The New York Times today was entertaining, and shows that even crooks react to price signals sent out by the market.
The reference that caught my eye in particular was the statement by one restaurant owner that burglars in the past would have stolen from his alcohol stash. Now, they steal his restaurant grease.
And The Barrel wondered: could it be because they've checked the ethanol-diesel spread recently? Platts assessed Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel in the US Gulf Coast market May 29 at approximately $3.79/gal. We assessed ethanol in the Gulf Coast at $2.49/gal. Do the thieves know that as they shifted their targeted 'swag' from booze to animal fat?"
The Barrel: Renewable fuels Archives
The Barrel: Renewable fuels Archives: "Ravenous bugs plus wood chips = oil alternative
At my very first job at a newspaper, which was actually an internship, I was sent out on the second day to cover a presentation touting the investment opportunities of worms. The pitchman talked about the wonderful capabiities of worms, how they could attack a pile of sewage, chomp their way to bliss and excrete something like soil, saving governments millions in their sewage treatment costs. This was about 30 years ago, so the details are a bit vague at this point about just how it was that worms performed their magic.
Despite that introduction to the news business, I kept at it. So I couldn't help but think of that worm presentation when I read this story."
At my very first job at a newspaper, which was actually an internship, I was sent out on the second day to cover a presentation touting the investment opportunities of worms. The pitchman talked about the wonderful capabiities of worms, how they could attack a pile of sewage, chomp their way to bliss and excrete something like soil, saving governments millions in their sewage treatment costs. This was about 30 years ago, so the details are a bit vague at this point about just how it was that worms performed their magic.
Despite that introduction to the news business, I kept at it. So I couldn't help but think of that worm presentation when I read this story."
The Barrel: Renewable fuels Archives
The Barrel: Renewable fuels Archives:
"In algae-for-fuel 'dream,' no shortage of visionaries
With feedstock prices at sky-high levels, alternative fuel producers had a lot to think about at the National Algae Association forum outside Houston this week.
The standing-room-only gathering that aimed to showcase the latest algae-for-fuel developments, attended by academics, algae growers, technical researchers and would-be financiers, proved that it's exhausting just to think about some of the problems that still need to be solved in this promising new niche of the alternative energy landscape. But in the curious realm of alternative fuels that insinuates biology into the purely physical sciences, there are no shortage of visionaries pursuing dreams of energy alchemy and eventual riches in a crude-strained future."
"In algae-for-fuel 'dream,' no shortage of visionaries
With feedstock prices at sky-high levels, alternative fuel producers had a lot to think about at the National Algae Association forum outside Houston this week.
The standing-room-only gathering that aimed to showcase the latest algae-for-fuel developments, attended by academics, algae growers, technical researchers and would-be financiers, proved that it's exhausting just to think about some of the problems that still need to be solved in this promising new niche of the alternative energy landscape. But in the curious realm of alternative fuels that insinuates biology into the purely physical sciences, there are no shortage of visionaries pursuing dreams of energy alchemy and eventual riches in a crude-strained future."
The Barrel: Antarctica not a role model as five Arctic nations call the shots and vie for resources
The Barrel: Antarctica not a role model as five Arctic nations call the shots and vie for resources:
Antarctica is a frozen continent, but in a world riven by warfare and strife it may be the only truly peaceable kingdom. It is, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said this week, 'one of the few places on Earth where there has never been war.'
Of course, Antarctica is inhabited by sea birds and marine mammals and has no permanent human habitation, just visitors bent on scientific research.
Clinton credited the 1959 Antarctic Treaty, calling it 'the first arms control treaty of the Cold War.' She said it is a 'blueprint' for international cooperation. The treaty suspended all territorial claims, and subsequent international agreements covered environmental protection and governance and management of the continent.
But at the Earth's opposite pole the countries bordering the Arctic Ocean, while warily watching each other's claims to potentially vast subsea oil and gas resources, have jointly proclaimed supremacy over the Arctic region and rejected the Antarctica model
Key difference: Anarctica is surrounded by ocean; the Arctic Ocean by five countries.Those countries - Russia, Canada, the US, Denmark (through Greenland) and Norway - have unequivocally stated that they don't want the rest of the world meddling in Arctic affairs through a vehicle analogous to the Antarctic treaty
'The Arctic Ocean stands on the threshold of significant change,' the nations said in a declaration issued in Ilulissat, Greenland, in 2008. 'Climate change and the melting of ice have a potential impact on vulnerable ecosystems, the livelihood of local inhabitants and indigenous communities, and the potential exploitation of natural resources. By virtue of their sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction in large areas of the Arctic Ocean, the five coastal states are in a unique position to address these possibilities and challenges.'
The Law of the Sea Convention - which, incidentally, the US has yet to ratify - provides a solid foundation for responsible management through 'national implementation and application of relevant provisions,' the declaration stated. 'We, therefore, see no need to develop a new comprehensive international regime to govern the Arctic Ocean.'
Three countries with territory inside the Arctic Circle --Finland, Sweden and Iceland (Iceland actually lies just below the Polar Circle) -- are not mentioned in the declaration. Presumably they are 'among the other users' of the ocean and the 'interested parties' that the Big Five pledged to cooperate with to 'protect and preserve the fragile marine environment of the Arctic Ocean.'
An analysis of the Ilulissat Declaration from the German Institute for International Affairs points out that international regulations would constrain the way the five nations handle the Arctic, ' in particular the resources.' The declaration talks only in general terms about measures for preserving the environment, the analysis said. The countries also merely state their 'intent' to cooperate with the International Maritime Organization on issues concerning navigation, and refer 'only in rather vague terms' to an 'orderly settlement' of overlapping resource claims.
Europeans are concerned about the risk to international stability as the Arctic nations vie for resources and have suggested adoption of a treaty akin to the Antarctic Treaty. But in a speech in Washington April 6, Canadian Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon said areas of dispute in the Arctic 'are certainly well managed' through the existing legal framework. 'These five states see no need to develop a new comprehensive international legal regime to govern the Arctic Ocean,' he said.
Meanwhile, Canada is expanding and enhancing its military capabilities in the Arctic, Cannon said, in order to responsibly 'exercise [its] sovereignty.' Russia also recently announced that it is increasing its military presence in the Arctic to protect its interests. And in one of its final acts before leaving office, the Bush administration issued a presidential directive calling for the development of greater capability and capacity to protect US air, land and sea borders in the Arctic, among other measures. None of this yet represents serious saber rattling. Of course, the Arctic was a Cold War theater when the US and former Soviet Union regarded the other with hostility across the North Pole.
Secretary Clinton said that the 'genius of the Antarctic treaty lies in its relevance today.' But it doesn't seem particularly relevant to the Arctic countries, including the US, as they assert their sovereign rights and make competing territorial and resource claims."
Antarctica is a frozen continent, but in a world riven by warfare and strife it may be the only truly peaceable kingdom. It is, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said this week, 'one of the few places on Earth where there has never been war.'
Of course, Antarctica is inhabited by sea birds and marine mammals and has no permanent human habitation, just visitors bent on scientific research.
Clinton credited the 1959 Antarctic Treaty, calling it 'the first arms control treaty of the Cold War.' She said it is a 'blueprint' for international cooperation. The treaty suspended all territorial claims, and subsequent international agreements covered environmental protection and governance and management of the continent.
But at the Earth's opposite pole the countries bordering the Arctic Ocean, while warily watching each other's claims to potentially vast subsea oil and gas resources, have jointly proclaimed supremacy over the Arctic region and rejected the Antarctica model
Key difference: Anarctica is surrounded by ocean; the Arctic Ocean by five countries.Those countries - Russia, Canada, the US, Denmark (through Greenland) and Norway - have unequivocally stated that they don't want the rest of the world meddling in Arctic affairs through a vehicle analogous to the Antarctic treaty
'The Arctic Ocean stands on the threshold of significant change,' the nations said in a declaration issued in Ilulissat, Greenland, in 2008. 'Climate change and the melting of ice have a potential impact on vulnerable ecosystems, the livelihood of local inhabitants and indigenous communities, and the potential exploitation of natural resources. By virtue of their sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction in large areas of the Arctic Ocean, the five coastal states are in a unique position to address these possibilities and challenges.'
The Law of the Sea Convention - which, incidentally, the US has yet to ratify - provides a solid foundation for responsible management through 'national implementation and application of relevant provisions,' the declaration stated. 'We, therefore, see no need to develop a new comprehensive international regime to govern the Arctic Ocean.'
Three countries with territory inside the Arctic Circle --Finland, Sweden and Iceland (Iceland actually lies just below the Polar Circle) -- are not mentioned in the declaration. Presumably they are 'among the other users' of the ocean and the 'interested parties' that the Big Five pledged to cooperate with to 'protect and preserve the fragile marine environment of the Arctic Ocean.'
An analysis of the Ilulissat Declaration from the German Institute for International Affairs points out that international regulations would constrain the way the five nations handle the Arctic, ' in particular the resources.' The declaration talks only in general terms about measures for preserving the environment, the analysis said. The countries also merely state their 'intent' to cooperate with the International Maritime Organization on issues concerning navigation, and refer 'only in rather vague terms' to an 'orderly settlement' of overlapping resource claims.
Europeans are concerned about the risk to international stability as the Arctic nations vie for resources and have suggested adoption of a treaty akin to the Antarctic Treaty. But in a speech in Washington April 6, Canadian Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon said areas of dispute in the Arctic 'are certainly well managed' through the existing legal framework. 'These five states see no need to develop a new comprehensive international legal regime to govern the Arctic Ocean,' he said.
Meanwhile, Canada is expanding and enhancing its military capabilities in the Arctic, Cannon said, in order to responsibly 'exercise [its] sovereignty.' Russia also recently announced that it is increasing its military presence in the Arctic to protect its interests. And in one of its final acts before leaving office, the Bush administration issued a presidential directive calling for the development of greater capability and capacity to protect US air, land and sea borders in the Arctic, among other measures. None of this yet represents serious saber rattling. Of course, the Arctic was a Cold War theater when the US and former Soviet Union regarded the other with hostility across the North Pole.
Secretary Clinton said that the 'genius of the Antarctic treaty lies in its relevance today.' But it doesn't seem particularly relevant to the Arctic countries, including the US, as they assert their sovereign rights and make competing territorial and resource claims."
Summary of the Troubled Assets Relief Program ("TARP") | Thompson Hine LLP
Summary of the Troubled Assets Relief Program ("TARP") | Thompson Hine LLP: "
# Overview
# Troubled Assets Relief Program
# Purchase of Troubled Assets
* Troubled assets means:
* Financial institution means:
# Establishment of Purchasing Standards
# Management/Sale of Troubled Assets
# Insurance of Troubled Assets
# Oversight
# Reporting Requirements
# Foreclosure Mitigation Efforts
# Maximization of Benefits for Taxpayers
# Executive Compensation and Corporate Governance
# Mark-to-Market Accounting
# Recoupment
# Temporary Increase In Deposit And Share Insurance Coverage
# Footnotes
# For More Information
# Disclosure"
# Overview
# Troubled Assets Relief Program
# Purchase of Troubled Assets
* Troubled assets means:
* Financial institution means:
# Establishment of Purchasing Standards
# Management/Sale of Troubled Assets
# Insurance of Troubled Assets
# Oversight
# Reporting Requirements
# Foreclosure Mitigation Efforts
# Maximization of Benefits for Taxpayers
Publish Post
# Executive Compensation and Corporate Governance
# Mark-to-Market Accounting
# Recoupment
# Temporary Increase In Deposit And Share Insurance Coverage
# Footnotes
# For More Information
# Disclosure"
Toxic assets key to TARP's fate: Congress panel | Reuters
Toxic assets key to TARP's fate: Congress panel | Reuters: "By Kevin Drawbaugh
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government's huge financial rescue program may get the nation through the present economic crisis, but it likely won't be enough if the downturn is worse than expected, a congressional panel said on Tuesday.
Six months after the Bush administration created and launched the $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program, the TARP's Congressional Oversight Panel said the government is essentially subsidizing the financial system as 'a short-term bridge from earlier prosperity to future prosperity.'
In a 151-page report, the panel, chaired by Harvard Law School Professor Elizabeth Warren, said, 'If its assumptions are correct, Treasury's current approach may prove a reasonable response to the current crisis ...
'But if the economic crisis is deeper than anticipated, it is possible that Treasury will need to take very different actions in order to restore financial stability.'
The congressional panel said the TARP has so far spent or committed $590.4 billion of its $700 billion in funding.
But the total value of the rescue program now exceeds $4 trillion, it said, taking into account related Federal Reserve and Federal Deposit Insurance Corp commitments.
'Six months into the existence of TARP, evidence of success or failure is mixed,' said the panel's report, which cited basic assumptions underlying the government's approach to the worst financial crisis in generations and a deep recession."
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government's huge financial rescue program may get the nation through the present economic crisis, but it likely won't be enough if the downturn is worse than expected, a congressional panel said on Tuesday.
Six months after the Bush administration created and launched the $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program, the TARP's Congressional Oversight Panel said the government is essentially subsidizing the financial system as 'a short-term bridge from earlier prosperity to future prosperity.'
In a 151-page report, the panel, chaired by Harvard Law School Professor Elizabeth Warren, said, 'If its assumptions are correct, Treasury's current approach may prove a reasonable response to the current crisis ...
'But if the economic crisis is deeper than anticipated, it is possible that Treasury will need to take very different actions in order to restore financial stability.'
The congressional panel said the TARP has so far spent or committed $590.4 billion of its $700 billion in funding.
But the total value of the rescue program now exceeds $4 trillion, it said, taking into account related Federal Reserve and Federal Deposit Insurance Corp commitments.
'Six months into the existence of TARP, evidence of success or failure is mixed,' said the panel's report, which cited basic assumptions underlying the government's approach to the worst financial crisis in generations and a deep recession."
Gold, Cash and China - Barrons.com
Gold, Cash and China - Barrons.com:
"LAST YEAR'S MARKET DROVE A NAIL INTO THE HEART of style-box investing. Any portfolio manager who clung to a particular style eventually got crushed. Those who were free to roam the globe had at least some chance of minimizing their losses.
'Style-box investing is dead, because you need a lot more flexibility to navigate these treacherous markets,' according to Michael Avery, who manages the $11-billion Ivy Asset Strategy A (ticker: WASAX) with Ryan Caldwell."
"LAST YEAR'S MARKET DROVE A NAIL INTO THE HEART of style-box investing. Any portfolio manager who clung to a particular style eventually got crushed. Those who were free to roam the globe had at least some chance of minimizing their losses.
'Style-box investing is dead, because you need a lot more flexibility to navigate these treacherous markets,' according to Michael Avery, who manages the $11-billion Ivy Asset Strategy A (ticker: WASAX) with Ryan Caldwell."
Friday, April 10, 2009
Grameen Bank | Banking for the poor - Grameen Bank II
Grameen Bank Banking for the poor - Grameen Bank II:
"Lessons Learnt Over Quarter of A Century
Grameen Bank has come a long way since it began its journey in the village of Jobra in 1976. During this quarter of a century it has faced many operational and organisational problems, gained a lot of experience through its successes and failures. It incorporated many new features in its methodology to address various crises and problems, or utilise new opportunities; discarded and modified the features which became unnecessary or less effective. There were a number of major natural disasters in Bangladesh during the life span of Grameen Bank. The 1998 flood was the worst of all. Half of the country was under flood-water for ten long weeks. Water flowed over the roof-tops for a prolonged period."
"Lessons Learnt Over Quarter of A Century
Grameen Bank has come a long way since it began its journey in the village of Jobra in 1976. During this quarter of a century it has faced many operational and organisational problems, gained a lot of experience through its successes and failures. It incorporated many new features in its methodology to address various crises and problems, or utilise new opportunities; discarded and modified the features which became unnecessary or less effective. There were a number of major natural disasters in Bangladesh during the life span of Grameen Bank. The 1998 flood was the worst of all. Half of the country was under flood-water for ten long weeks. Water flowed over the roof-tops for a prolonged period."
Tuesday, April 07, 2009
Microfinance Council of the Philippines Website
Microfinance Council of the Philippines Website:
"The Microfinance Council of the
Philippines, Inc. (MCPI) is a network of
44 institutions working towards the
rapid development of the microfinance
industry in the Philippines. The 45
institutions include 36 practitioners and
9 service providers. While membership
among the practitioners is currently
dominated by non-government organizations"
"The Microfinance Council of the
Philippines, Inc. (MCPI) is a network of
44 institutions working towards the
rapid development of the microfinance
industry in the Philippines. The 45
institutions include 36 practitioners and
9 service providers. While membership
among the practitioners is currently
dominated by non-government organizations"
Grameen Bank | Banking for the poor - Past Eleven Years in USD
Grameen Bank Banking for the poor - Past Eleven Years in USD:
"Past Eleven Years at a Glance (1997- 2007) In Million US$"
"Past Eleven Years at a Glance (1997- 2007) In Million US$"
Grameen Bank | Banking for the poor - UN Report: Role of Microcredit
Grameen Bank Banking for the poor - UN Report: Role of Microcredit:
"ROLE OF MICROCREDIT IN THE ERADICATION OF POVERTY -
Report of the Secretary-General
Summary
The present report has been prepared in response to a request contained in General Assembly resolution 52/194 of 18 December 1997. This is the first time the Secretary-General has been requested to prepare a report on the question of microcredit and the eradication of poverty. The prominence given to the matter reflects the recent success of small-scale lending programmes such as the Grameen Bank of Bangladesh. These rely on lending (usually a few hundred dollars) to small enterprises in agriculture, distribution, crafts, trading and similar activities. The participatory nature of these projects, together with the emphasis on women entrepreneurs and employment creation, have raised hopes of reducing poverty through this approach."
"ROLE OF MICROCREDIT IN THE ERADICATION OF POVERTY -
Report of the Secretary-General
Summary
The present report has been prepared in response to a request contained in General Assembly resolution 52/194 of 18 December 1997. This is the first time the Secretary-General has been requested to prepare a report on the question of microcredit and the eradication of poverty. The prominence given to the matter reflects the recent success of small-scale lending programmes such as the Grameen Bank of Bangladesh. These rely on lending (usually a few hundred dollars) to small enterprises in agriculture, distribution, crafts, trading and similar activities. The participatory nature of these projects, together with the emphasis on women entrepreneurs and employment creation, have raised hopes of reducing poverty through this approach."
AIDG - Mission
AIDG - Mission: "One in 3 of us, roughly 2 billion people don't have basic services such as electricity, sanitation and clean drinking water. Access to these services is essential to breaking the cycle of poverty in developing countries.
The Appropriate Infrastructure Development Group (AIDG) helps individuals and communities get affordable and environmentally sound access to electricity, sanitation and clean water. Through a combination of business incubation, education, and outreach, we help people get technology that will better their health and improve their lives."
The Appropriate Infrastructure Development Group (AIDG) helps individuals and communities get affordable and environmentally sound access to electricity, sanitation and clean water. Through a combination of business incubation, education, and outreach, we help people get technology that will better their health and improve their lives."
Business Plan Competition to Promote Biogas Development | Development Marketplace blog
Business Plan Competition to Promote Biogas Development Development Marketplace blog:
"The Appropriate Infrastructure Development Group (AIDG) is sponsoring a business plan competition to promote biogas development in Northern Haiti. The winning proposal can win up to US$50,000 in grants and early-stage financing. The DEADLINE is THIS FRIDAY, MARCH 6, 2009. For more information, click here or visit the AIDG website at www.aidg.org."
"The Appropriate Infrastructure Development Group (AIDG) is sponsoring a business plan competition to promote biogas development in Northern Haiti. The winning proposal can win up to US$50,000 in grants and early-stage financing. The DEADLINE is THIS FRIDAY, MARCH 6, 2009. For more information, click here or visit the AIDG website at www.aidg.org."
Conflict, Displacement, and pro-poor Adaptation | Development Marketplace blog
Conflict, Displacement, and pro-poor Adaptation Development Marketplace blog:
"Migration is the default adaptation strategy of the poor.
Rising sea levels, more frequent flooding, and droughts could displace millions of people by the middle of the century. And if the predictions of sharply declining agricultural productivity come true, farmers will to an increasing extent abandon rural areas in search of new livelihoods."
"Migration is the default adaptation strategy of the poor.
Rising sea levels, more frequent flooding, and droughts could displace millions of people by the middle of the century. And if the predictions of sharply declining agricultural productivity come true, farmers will to an increasing extent abandon rural areas in search of new livelihoods."
Monday, April 06, 2009
The Manila Times Internet Edition | TOP STORIES >Govt asks for $35-M Marcos wealth
The Manila Times Internet Edition TOP STORIES >Govt asks for $35-M Marcos wealth:
"The Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) wants Merrill Lynch to immediately transfer to the government the $35-million invested there by the late President Ferdinand Marcos, now that a Philippine court has ruled that the assets were ill gotten.
Just on Friday, the anti-graft court—Sandiganbayan—forfeited the account in the troubled investment bank in favor of the Philippine government.
Commissioner for Legal Affairs Jaime Bautista said the US Supreme Court overturned on June 12 the decision of the California appeals court, which sided with the human-rights victims during the martial law period. For the government to have the money, the US High Court stipulated that a Philippine court had to rule that deposits were illegally obtained by Marcos from public coffers, he added."
"The Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) wants Merrill Lynch to immediately transfer to the government the $35-million invested there by the late President Ferdinand Marcos, now that a Philippine court has ruled that the assets were ill gotten.
Just on Friday, the anti-graft court—Sandiganbayan—forfeited the account in the troubled investment bank in favor of the Philippine government.
Commissioner for Legal Affairs Jaime Bautista said the US Supreme Court overturned on June 12 the decision of the California appeals court, which sided with the human-rights victims during the martial law period. For the government to have the money, the US High Court stipulated that a Philippine court had to rule that deposits were illegally obtained by Marcos from public coffers, he added."
Search the Opinions of the US Circuit Courts
Search the Opinions of the US Circuit Courts:
"Appeal is made by the several parties dissatisfied with the decision of the district court awarding the funds in dispute to the Class of Human Rights Victims represented by Mariano Pimental (Pimental). The Republic) are not indispensable parties under Fed. PARTIES AND PROCEEDINGS Interpleader was begun on September 21. The Merrill Lynch account was found by the district court to have been established in 1992 by a deposit of $2 million by Ferdinand E. Are now held in escrow by the Philippine National Bank. The Republic was made a defendant in the interpleader and successfully asserted its sovereign immunity. The Republic now maintains that it is an indispensable party inasmuch as the Republic asserts that the Arelma assets were acquired by Marcos illegally and never lawfully belonged to 5036 MERRILL LYNCH v. See An Act Declaring Forfeiture in Favor of the State of Any Property Found to Have Been Unlawfully Acquired by Any Public Officer or Employee and Providing for the Proceeding Therefor. We ruled that the Republic was a necessary party but declined to rule that the Republic was indispensable."
"Appeal is made by the several parties dissatisfied with the decision of the district court awarding the funds in dispute to the Class of Human Rights Victims represented by Mariano Pimental (Pimental). The Republic) are not indispensable parties under Fed. PARTIES AND PROCEEDINGS Interpleader was begun on September 21. The Merrill Lynch account was found by the district court to have been established in 1992 by a deposit of $2 million by Ferdinand E. Are now held in escrow by the Philippine National Bank. The Republic was made a defendant in the interpleader and successfully asserted its sovereign immunity. The Republic now maintains that it is an indispensable party inasmuch as the Republic asserts that the Arelma assets were acquired by Marcos illegally and never lawfully belonged to 5036 MERRILL LYNCH v. See An Act Declaring Forfeiture in Favor of the State of Any Property Found to Have Been Unlawfully Acquired by Any Public Officer or Employee and Providing for the Proceeding Therefor. We ruled that the Republic was a necessary party but declined to rule that the Republic was indispensable."
Blacklisted Swiss angry over 'tax haven' label - Telegraph
Blacklisted Swiss angry over 'tax haven' label - Telegraph:
"Switzerland has hit back at its inclusion on a blacklist of financial centres that forms the basis of the G20 summit's crackdown on tax havens."
"Switzerland has hit back at its inclusion on a blacklist of financial centres that forms the basis of the G20 summit's crackdown on tax havens."
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